Tag: # P2P

Speculative Attack

Speculative Attack

Pierre Rochard

July 4, 2014

Introduction

Bitcoin naysayers1 wring their hands over how Bitcoin can’t go mainstream. They gleefully worry that Bitcoin will not make it across the innovation chasm:

  • It’s too complicated
  • It doesn’t have the right governance structure2
  • The security is too hard to get right
  • Existing and upcoming fiat payment systems are or will be superior
  • It’s too volatile
  • The government will ban it
  • It won’t scale

The response from the Bitcoin community is to either endlessly argue over the above points3 or to find their inner Bitcoin Jonah4 with platitudes like:

  • Bitcoin the currency doesn’t matter, it’s the block chain technology that matters
  • It would be better if the block chain technology were used by banks and governments
  • Bitcoin should continue to be a niche system for the bit-curious, it’s just an experiment
  • Fiat and Bitcoin will live side-by-side, happily ever after
  • Bitcoin is the Myspace of ‘virtual currency’

The above sophisms are each worth their own article, if just to analyze the psycho-social archetypes of the relevant parrots.

A few of the criticisms mentioned earlier are correct, yet they are complete non sequiturs. Bitcoin will not be eagerly adopted by the mainstream, it will be forced upon them. Forced, as in “compelled by economic reality“.

People will be forced to pay with bitcoins, not because of ‘the technology’, but because no one will accept their worthless fiat for payments.

Contrary to popular belief, good money drives out bad. This “driving out” has started as a small fiat bleed.

It will rapidly escalate into Class IV hemorrhaging due to speculative attacks on weak fiat currencies. The end result will be hyperbitcoinization, i.e. “your money is no good here”.

Thiers’ Law: Good Money Drives Out Bad

Historically, it has been good, strong currencies that have driven out bad, weak currencies.

Over the span of several millennia, strong currencies have dominated and driven out weak in international competition.

The Persian daric, the Greek tetradrachma, the Macedonian stater, and the Roman denarius did not become dominant currencies of the ancient world because they were “bad” or “weak.”

The florins, ducats and sequins of the Italian city-states did not become the “dollars of the Middle Ages” because they were bad coins; they were among the best coins ever made.

The pound sterling in the 19th century and the dollar in the 20th century did not become the dominant currencies of their time because they were weak.

Consistency, stability and high quality have been the attributes of great currencies that have won the competition for use as international money.

Robert Mundell, “Uses and Abuses of Gresham’s Law in the History of Money”

Bitcoins are not just good money, they are the best money.5 

The Bitcoin network has the best monetary policy6 and the best brand.7 

We should therefore expect that bitcoins will drive out bad, weak currencies.8 

By what process will bitcoins become the dominant currency? Which fiat currencies will be the first to disappear?

These are the interesting questions of the day, as the necessary premises for these questions are already established truths.9

1. Fiat Bleed

Bitcoin’s current trend is to increase in value on an exponential trend line as new users arrive in waves.

The good money is “slowly” driving out the bad.

Two factors drive this:

  1. Reduction in information asymmetry – people are learning about Bitcoin and coming to the realization that bitcoins are indeed the best money. Possible overlapping motives:
    • ADHD – compulsive novelty fetichism induced by our post-war consumer culture and/or innate biological processes
    • FOMO – fear of missing out, see Regret Theory and ingroups, aka avarice and status-seeking
    • PISD – post-internet stress disorder, aka “disruption”, “next big thing”, “internet of money”
  2. Increasing liquidity – buying bitcoins is more convenient and has fewer fees attached today than a year ago. One can reasonably predict that this will also be the case a year from now. Why? Because selling bitcoins is a profitable and competitive business. Why? Because people want bitcoins, see above.

Due to group psychology, these newcomers arrive in waves.

The waves have a destabilizing effect on the exchange rate: speculators are unsure of the amplitude or wavelength of adoption, and amateurish punters let their excitement as well as subsequent fear overwhelm them.

Regardless, once the tide has pulled back and the weak hands have folded, the price is a few times higher than before the wave.

This ‘slow’ bleed is the current adoption model, and commentators generally assume one of the following:

  1. Slow bleed never occurred, it’s a fiction based on misleading data
  2. Slow bleed has stopped, the above motives only affect lolbertarians and angry teens
  3. The process will taper off now, as all the super tech-savvy people are already getting on board

My own prediction is that slow bleed has been accelerating and is only the first step.

The second step will be speculative attacks that use bitcoins as a platform.

The third and final step will be hyperbitcoinization.

2. Currency Crises

It might make sense just to get some in case it catches on.

If enough people think the same way, that becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

” Once it gets bootstrapped, there are so many applications if you could effortlessly pay a few cents to a website as easily as dropping coins in a vending machine. “

Satoshi Nakamoto, 1/17/2009

Slow bleed leads to currency crisis as the expected value of bitcoins solidifies in people’s minds.

At first they are conservative, they invest “what they can afford to lose”.

After 12-18 months, their small stash of bitcoins has dramatically increased in value.

They see no reason why this long term trend should reverse: the fundamentals have improved and yet adoption remains low.

Their confidence increases. They buy more bitcoins. They rationalize: “well, it’s only [1-5%] of my investments”. They see the price crash a few times, due to bubbles bursting or just garden-variety panic sales – it entices them to buy more, “a bargain”. Bitcoin grows on the asset side of their balance sheet.

On the liability side of the Bitcoiner’s balance sheet there are mortgages, student loans, car loans, credit cards, etc.

Everyone admonishes people to not borrow in order to buy bitcoins.

The reality is that money is fungible: if you buy bitcoins instead of paying down your mortgage’s principal, you are a leveraged bitcoin investor.

Almost everyone is a leveraged bitcoin investor, because it makes economic sense (within reason).

The cost of borrowing (annualized interest rates ranging from 0% to 25%) is lower than the expected return of owning bitcoins.

How leveraged someone’s balance sheet is depends on the ratio between assets and liabilities.

The appeal of leveraging up increases if people believe that fiat-denominated liabilities are going to decrease in real terms, i.e. if they expect inflation to be greater than the interest rate they pay.

At that point it becomes a no-brainer to borrow the weak local currency using whatever collateral a bank will accept, invest in a strong foreign currency, and pay back the loan later with realized gains.

In this process, banks create more weak currency, amplifying the problem.

The effect of people, businesses, or financial institutions borrowing their local currency to buy bitcoins is that the bitcoin price in that currency would go up relative to other currencies.

To illustrate, let’s say that middle-class Indians trickle into bitcoin. Thousands of buyers turns into hundreds of thousands of buyers.

They borrow Indian Rupees using whatever unencumbered collateral they have – homes, businesses, gold jewelry, etc.

They use these Rupees to buy bitcoins. The price of bitcoins in Indian Rupees goes up, a premium develops relative to other currency pairs.

A bitcoin in India might be worth $600, while in the U.S. it trades at $500. Traders would buy bitcoins in the U.S. and sell them in India to net a $100 gain. They would then sell their Indian Rupees for dollars. This would weaken the Indian Rupee, causing import inflation and losses for foreign investors.

The Indian central bank would have to either increase interest rates to break the cycle, impose capital controls, or spend their foreign currency reserves trying to prop up the Rupee’s exchange rate.

Only raising interest rates would be a sustainable solution, though it would throw the country into a recession.

There’s a huge problem with the Indian central bank raising interest rates: bitcoin’s historical return is ~500% per year.

Even if investors expected future return is 1/10th of that, the central bank would have to increase interest rates to unconscionable levels to break the attack.

The result is evident: everyone would flee the Rupee and adopt bitcoins, due to economic duress rather than technological enlightenment.

This example is purely illustrative, it could happen in a small country at first, or it could happen simultaneously around the world.

Who leverages their balance sheet and how is impossible to predict, and it will be impossible to stop when the dam cracks.

Which countries are most vulnerable to a currency crisis?

Business Insider provides a helpful list here.

Bitcoins will have to reach certain threshold of liquidity, indicated by a solid exchange in every financial center and a real money supply – i.e. market cap – of at least $50 billion, before they can be used as an instrument in a speculative attack. This will either coincide with or cause a currency crisis.

3. Hyperbitcoinization

A speculative attack that seems isolated to one or a few weak currencies, but causes the purchasing power of bitcoins to go up dramatically, will rapidly turn into a contagion.

For example, the Swiss will see the price of bitcoins go up ten fold, and then a hundred fold.

At the margin they will buy bitcoins simply because they want to speculate on their value, not due to an inherent problem with the Swiss Franc.

The reflexivity here entails that the reduction in demand for Swiss Francs would actually cause higher than expected inflation and thus an inherent problem with the Swiss Franc.

The feedback loop between fiat inflation and bitcoin deflation will throw the world into full hyperbitcoinization, explained by Daniel here.

Conclusion

Bitcoin will become mainstream.

The Bitcoin skeptics don’t understand this due to their biases and lack of financial knowledge.

First, they are in as strong an echo chamber as Bitcoin skeptics.10 

They rabidly search for evidence that confirms their view of Bitcoin.

Second, they misunderstand how strong currencies like bitcoin overtake weak currencies like the dollar: it is through speculative attacks and currency crises caused by investors, not through the careful evaluation of tech journalists and ‘mainstream consumers’.

To honor these soon to be extinct skeptics, the Nakamoto Institute has launched A Tribute to Bold Assertions.

  1. No, seriously, there are people on the Internet spending a non-trivial amount of time writing about a currency they think is going to fail yet continues to succeed beyond anyone’s expectations. I get schadenfreude from their lack of schadenfreude. Granted, a few of them are being paid to write controversial click bait and/or just concern trolling – both activities that I respect and understand.
  2. This is generally stated by people who are in the ‘out-group’ and fantasize about being in the ‘in-group’ through politics/pedigree rather than economic/meritocratic processes. Demographically, they probably overlap with fans of The Secret. Economically, they are without exception bezzlers. 
  3. Bitcoin has entered its Eternal September, where every person new to Bitcoin thinks they have a unique understanding of Bitcoin and everyone ought to hear about it. There’s an endless flood of newbies ‘concerned’ about such and such ‘problem’ with Bitcoin. The Bitcoin community does these arrivistes a real disservice by taking them seriously instead of just telling them ‘read more’. 
  4. The opposite of Bitcoin Jesus. Bitcoin Jonah is a defeatist, self-sabotaging, and timid ‘man’ who is on a permanent quest to confirm Bitcoin’s weakness. 
  5. Bitcoin is the Best Unit of Account by Daniel Krawisz 
  6. The Bitcoin Central Bank’s Perfect Monetary Policy by Pierre Rochard 
  7. Bitcoin Has No Image Problem by Daniel Krawisz 
  8. Hyperbitcoinization by Daniel Krawisz
  9. If you disagree then either you have not been learning or you have not been engaging in the debate, go back to square one. 
  10. ‘I live in a rather special world. I only know one person who voted for Nixon. Where they are I don’t know. They’re outside my ken. But sometimes when I’m in a theater I can feel them.’ – Pauline Kael

Source:

https://nakamotoinstitute.org/mempool/speculative-attack/

Bitcoin’s Shroud of Subtlety and Allure

A new banner of freedom

Bitcoin’s Shroud of Subtlety and Allure

Daniel Krawisz

June 29, 2014

Attacks on Bitcoin

A successful attack on Bitcoin means attacking Bitcoin’s value.

There might well be a bug that could be exploited to put the network out of commission temporarily, but would soon be fixed and then the network would be up and running shortly thereafter.

To destroy Bitcoin permanently means to end the profit opportunities available with it, and that means either a malicious hashing attack on the network that makes mining impossible or such a malevolent policy against Bitcoin trade that even the black market abandons it.

Both of these require spending resources in proportion to the profits that Bitcoin enables.

In this article, I will discuss three reasons why such an attack is unlikely to succeed: antifragility, subtlety, and attacker defection.

The interplay of these three defenses makes Bitcoin into a kind of wave that rewards those who ride it and drowns those who resist it.

The first of these, antifragility, is exemplified in the fact that malicious hashing is impossible up to a certain fraction of the network.

Below the point that selfish mining becomes possible1 additional hashes per second are almost certainly beneficial because they increase the security of the network.

Any potential attacker, therefore, must weigh in the possibility that he may end up benefiting the network instead of destroying it.

A similar risk accompanies a legal attack on Bitcoin. Bitcoin can adapt to half-hearted attacks. It would move deeper into the black market where it would become permanently strengthened.

Furthermore, a legal attack could be easily corrupted into one that brings as many bitcoins as possible to the government agents instead of one that destroys it (see below).

Bitcoin’s Subtlety

Bitcoin adoption happens one person at a time, and this is true for potential attackers as well as the rest of us.

It takes an entrepreneurial mindset to be able to imagine what Bitcoin could become, given how comparatively small it is now.

It takes time and meditation for people to take Bitcoin seriously because most of its value is in the future.

By the time this happens, Bitcoin has become much more expensive than when they first learned of it.

Thus, Bitcoin is protected from attackers by being initially beyond their understanding.

When Bitcoin was very small, it was very stealthy and was completely unknown to the establishment.

Now they laugh at it, just as it has begun to grow bold.

Of course, we don’t know who really dismisses it and who is deliberately trying to draw attention away from it.

Bitcoin’s Allure

Furthermore, potential attackers are at a disadvantage for another reason.

Bitcoin tends to oppose organizations rather than people.

Even someone who stands to lose from Bitcoin by not reacting to it, such as a banker or government agent, stands to gain a great deal by buying now.

Only the very wealthiest people might reasonably expect to be worse off attempting to buy up as much as possible now than if it were gone. (This could happen if their attempt to buy caused the price to rise too fast relative to their ability to acquire additional bitcoins, to the point that they ultimately had less influence over the future Bitcoin economy than they have over the economy of today.)

Thus, the agency problem with Bitcoin affects bitcoin competitors as well as Bitcoin holders.

Nearly any government agent who begins to see bitcoin as a potential threat must also simultaneously see it as an opportunity.

He, too, can invest in Bitcoin. And why shouldn’t he?

Bitcoin may be a threat to his livelihood, but it may well be making him an offer he can’t refuse.

How can an organization that stands to lose by the adoption of Bitcoin provide its members with a better opportunity for staying loyal than Bitcoin provides for defection?

Even those who might resist the temptation to defect would have to think about the defection of his fellows.

How quickly is adoption happening? Is there time to mount an attack before Bitcoin becomes too powerful? How easily could the resources for such an attack be amassed, given both the ignorance and treachery of the other agents.

If such an attack would be unlikely to succeed, then buying now would be the only intelligent action.

Regardless of whether he liked Bitcoin, it would be futile to continue pursuing a doomed cause.

Potential Bitcoin attackers are in a Prisoner’s Dilemma.

In the same way that the people cannot easily rebel against the king owing to a lack of coordination on their part, governments cannot rebel against Bitcoin for the same reason.

The government puts the people in a Prisoner’s Dilemma against one another, and Bitcoin does the same to government agents.

Bitcoin is like Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Bitcoin attracts inside men to act as covert saboteurs. There have long been predictions from both bitcoiners and naysayers of impending government attacks, but I think there is a possibility that Bitcoin could win without suffering much resistance.

Moreover, although I said above only that any legal bitcoin attack could be perverted, the considerations discussed in this section tend to make such diffusion very likely.

Bitcoin defends itself by being obscure, but once it has attracted someone’s attention, its best interest is for that person to understand the logic presented here. For then he will also understand that his best course is to deny Bitcoin’s threat to his superiors and quietly to become its willing slave.

  1. Right now Bitcoin Core does not follow the proper strategy to protect against selfish mining even at very low hashing rates, but the fix would be extremely easy to implement and would make selfish mining impossible up to 25% of the hash rate. ↩

Source:

https://nakamotoinstitute.org/mempool/bitcoins-shroud-of-subtlety-and-allure/

What is Hashrate ?

Hashrate

Hashrate Bitcoin network h/s
Bitcoin Hash Rate

Hashrate (Hash per second, h/s) is an SI-derived unit representing the number of double SHA-256 computations performed in one second in the bitcoin network for cryptocurrency mining.

Hashrate is also called as hashing power. It is usually symbolized as h/s (with an appropriate SI prefix).

What is hashing power or hash rate?

The hash rate is the primary measure of a Bitcoin miner‘s performance.

In 2014, a miner’s performance was generally measured in Ghash/s, or billions of hashes per second.

The hash/second unit is also part of a common measure of a Bitcoin miner’s electric efficiency in the term watts /Ghash/s, denoted as W/Ghash/s. As 1 watt is equal to 1 joule/s, this measure can also be expressed as J/Ghash, or joules per 1 billion hashes.

Bitcoin network hash rate

Bitcoin network hashrate chart

The hash/s is also used in calculations of the Bitcoin network’s overall hash rate. Because each miner or mining pool only relays a solved block to the network, the overall hash rate of the network is calculated based on the time between blocks.

While not an accurate measure of network hash rate at any given instance in time, measurements over longer periods can be considered indicative and similar calculations are used in Bitcoin’s difficulty  adjustment.

In January 2015, the network hash rate was around 300 Phash/s, or 300 quadrillion hashes per second.

If you compare a bitcoin mining device to one that is designed to mine, for example, Ethereum, you will notice a very large apparent difference in hash rates.

This is because there are many different algorithms that cryptocurrencies use. They all require different amounts of memory and computing power in order to be mined.

To put it simply, bitcoin and its SHA256 algorithm is considered by today standards to be relatively easy to compute. As a result, a mining device that is still relevant today would need to produce hashes in the terahash range and up.

If we were to compare this to Ethereum, you’ll find that most modern Ethereum mining devices (typically GPU’s) operate in the megahash range.

At first glance, you may think that the bitcoin mining device is significantly more powerful or more productive.

While it’s true that it produces more hashes (of the SHA256 variety), this is because bitcoin hashes are easier to produce computationally.

As a consequence, the network difficulty is significantly higher for bitcoin.

To make things even more confusing, some cryptocurrencies intentionally chose algorithms that can only be mined using a basic CPU.

As a result, mining devices for this network that can produce hundreds of hashes per second are considered to be high and very competitive.

So what does all this mean?

Basically, it means that looking at the hash rate alone doesn’t necessarily tell you the effectiveness of the miner.

You also need to understand the network difficulty, and what the norm is for most mining devices for that particular cryptocurrency.

How can I calculate how many hashes I generate per second?

Your problem breaks down nicely into 3 separate tasks:

  • Sharing a single count variable across threads
  • Benchmarking thread completion time
  • Calculating hashes p/sec
  • Sharing a single count variable across threads

Now that we know that not all hashes are the same we need to know how to calculate the estimated profitability of a miner based on its hash rate.

For this, will need to use a mining profitability calculators, they are available in the Internet.

public static class GlobalCounter

 {
   public static int Value { get; private set; }
   public static void Increment()
   {
       Value = GetNextValue(Value);
   }
   private static int GetNextValue(int curValue)
   {
       return Interlocked.Increment(ref curValue);
   }
   public static void Reset()
   {
       Value = 0;
   }
 }

Before you spin off the threads call GlobalCounter.

Reset and then in each thread (after each successful hash) you would call GlobalCounter.

Increment – using Interlocked.X performs atomic operations of Value in a thread-safe manner, it’s also much faster than lock.

Benchmarking thread completion time

var sw = Stopwatch.StartNew();
Parallel.ForEach(someCollection, someValue =>
 {
   // generate hash
   GlobalCounter.Increment();
 });
 sw.Stop();
Parallel.ForEach will block until all threads have finished

Calculating hashes per second

...
sw.Stop();
var hashesPerSecond = GlobalCounter.Value / sw.Elapsed.Seconds;

How is the hash rate measured?

Hash rate is a unit measured in hashes per second or h/s and here are some usual denominations used to refer it.

Hash rate denominations:

  • 1 kH/s is 1,000 (one thousand) hashes per second;
  • 1 MH/s is 1,000,000 (one million) hashes per second;
  • 1 GH/s is 1,000,000,000 (one billion) hashes per second;
  • 1 TH/s is 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) hashes per second;
  • 1 PH/s is 1,000,000,000,000,000 (one quadrillion) hashes per second;
  • 1 EH/s is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 (one quintillion) hashes per second.

Common Hash rate Conversions:

  • 1 MH/s = 1,000 kH/s;
  • 1 GH/s = 1,000 MH/s = 1,000,000 kH/s;
  • 1 TH/s = 1,000 GH/s = 1,000,000 MH/s = 1,000,000,000 kH/s.

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List of stuff you can use bitcoin for

” List of stuff you can use bitcoin for

Website – Information

4Chan > do we really need to tell you what this is??

ALFA Top > Top-up your mobile phone with bitcoin or other cryptocurrency

All4btc > Online shop – buy from Amazon, Dell, Ebay, and Lenovo using BTC

Altushost > Hosting service – VPS – dedicated – web hosting – SSL certificates …

Alza > Buy electronic/mobile phones/health&beauty and a lot more (EU based)

Apmex > Buy Gold/Silver/Platinum -Never try,but I think they have good reputation.

Bastone & Co. > Hand made collection shop.

Bit Market > list of store that accept bitcoin in Philippines

Bit Refill > Recharge prepaid phones with Bitcoin

Bit Watches > USA based Luxury watches store.

BitDials > Online shop – Buy watches and jewelry using BTC.

BitGigs > Gigs for bitcoins.

BitPay > bitcoin payment service provider

Bitcoin RealEstate > Buy Real Estate with cryptocurrency – Sell your property for Bitcoin

Bitcoin Travel > Travel agency – Book your flight/hotel using bitcoin.

Bitrefill > Top up your prepaid phone, over 140 countries supported.

CR Servers > Hosting service.

CallWithUs > VOIP service that accepts BTC, pay only for the calls you make! There are no recurring membership fees

CoinPayments > -Payment Gateway -Use them many time for different service.

CoinVet > Coinvet is the groundbreaking new jobs and gigs marketplace where the crowd helps you find the best professionals for your exact needs.

Compusleuth > technical support to recover, restore, search, and produce electronic information (is that still operating??)

Crypto Emporium > offer a huge variety of high-end and luxury goods available for purchase in only cryptocurrency, no fiat.

CryptoGrind > Freelancing platform – Hire a freelancer or work as one, for bitcoins.

Echristopher and sons > Shop online for your jewelry and pay with Bitcoin.

Expedia > Travel agency – provides Hotels, Cheap Flights, Car Rentals & Vacations

Genesis Fire Protection > USA based fire protection company, fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems.

Gray and Sons > Online shop – Jewelry, Watches, and accessories.

Gyft > Buy, Send, & Redeem Gift Cards

HePays > dating website.

Hi-Tech > Computer service provider, website is very bad, probably they’re out of business.

Lamborghini Newport Beach > authorized dealership in Orange County providing Super Sports Cars to Southern California

Microsoft > you can charge your account with BTC

Mint > Finance service, all your finance in single place. “When you’re on top of your money, life is good. We help you effortlessly manage your finances in one place.”

Mosaika > Shop online for your jewelry, and pay with Bitcoin.

My Gemologist > Shop for jewelry, or CREATE your own design, and pay with bitcoin.

Namecheap > Domain Name Registrar

NewEgg > Online shop

OpenBazzar > Decentralized marketplace – Online eCommerce platform that unites buyers/sellers by virtue of the P2P/peer-to-peer network

Overstock > Online shop – designer brands and home goods

Piiko > Send money to your friends and family online or top up while travelling. Almost 600 providers from 137 countries. Pay with Bitcoin, Dash or Stellar at best rates possible.


Pizza for coins > Order Pizza online and pay with BTC

Pure VPN > VPN Service: Access US Netflix Instantly for just $2.87/m Making Security and Freedom Accessible for Anyone, Anywhere!

Purse > Online shop – buy from amazon using BTC and get a discount!

RandyBrito > Freelancer – A web developer with a passion for Bitcoin, Economics and freedom.

Reeds > USA based jewlery – Personally I like their goods (looks only, haven’ bought any yet)

Restaurants list > a map of USA restaurants that accept Bitcoin. (can anyone verify any of them?)

Sad Truth Supply > Pins, Patches, and other accessories for bitcoin.

Save the Children > Charity accepting BTC payment. P.S: probably you’ll need to contact them first to donate in bitcoin.

Silver.ag > Jewelry and Accessories for Bitcoin.

SoftRare > software solutions provider, probably out of business since their website has copyright logo for 2015

SteadyTurtle > Buy Hosting&Domain -I use them for years,great service.

Tanzanite America > North American member of The Tanzanite Authority, a group of like-minded collectors, investors, and who are dedicated to informing and supplying the very finest top quality AAA certified Tanzanite.

XBT Freelancer > Freelancing platform – Hire a freelancer or work as one, for bitcoins.

mclarennb >  Authorized McLaren Dealer

List of stuff you can use bitcoin for.

Website – Information

4Chan > do we really need to tell you what this is??

ALFA Top > Top-up your mobile phone with bitcoin or other cryptocurrency

All4btc > Online shop – buy from Amazon, Dell, Ebay, and Lenovo using BTC

Altushost > Hosting service – VPS – dedicated – web hosting – SSL certificates …

Alza > Buy electronic/mobile phones/health&beauty and a lot more (EU based)

Apmex > Buy Gold/Silver/Platinum -Never try,but I think they have good reputation.

Bastone & Co. > Hand made collection shop.

Bit Market > list of store that accept bitcoin in Philippines

Bit Refill > Recharge prepaid phones with Bitcoin

Bit Watches > USA based Luxury watches store.

BitDials > Online shop – Buy watches and jewelry using BTC.

BitGigs > Gigs for bitcoins.

BitPay > bitcoin payment service provider

Bitcoin RealEstate > Buy Real Estate with cryptocurrency – Sell your property for Bitcoin

Bitcoin Travel > Travel agency – Book your flight/hotel using bitcoin.

Bitrefill > Top up your prepaid phone, over 140 countries supported.

CR Servers > Hosting service.

CallWithUs > VOIP service that accepts BTC, pay only for the calls you make! There are no recurring membership fees

CoinPayments > -Payment Gateway -Use them many time for different service.

CoinVet > Coinvet is the groundbreaking new jobs and gigs marketplace where the crowd helps you find the best professionals for your exact needs.

Compusleuth > technical support to recover, restore, search, and produce electronic information (is that still operating??)

Crypto Emporium > offer a huge variety of high-end and luxury goods available for purchase in only cryptocurrency, no fiat.

CryptoGrind > Freelancing platform – Hire a freelancer or work as one, for bitcoins.

Echristopher and sons > Shop online for your jewelry and pay with Bitcoin.

Expedia > Travel agency – provides Hotels, Cheap Flights, Car Rentals & Vacations

Genesis Fire Protection > USA based fire protection company, fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems.

Gray and Sons > Online shop – Jewelry, Watches, and accessories.

Gyft > Buy, Send, & Redeem Gift Cards

HePays > dating website.

Hi-Tech > Computer service provider, website is very bad, probably they’re out of business.

Lamborghini Newport Beach > authorized dealership in Orange County providing Super Sports Cars to Southern California

Microsoft > you can charge your account with BTC

Mint > Finance service, all your finance in single place. “When you’re on top of your money, life is good. We help you effortlessly manage your finances in one place.”

Mosaika > Shop online for your jewelry, and pay with Bitcoin.

My Gemologist > Shop for jewelry, or CREATE your own design, and pay with bitcoin.

Namecheap > Domain Name Registrar

NewEgg > Online shop

OpenBazzar > Decentralized marketplace – Online eCommerce platform that unites buyers/sellers by virtue of the P2P/peer-to-peer network

Overstock > Online shop – designer brands and home goods

Piiko > Send money to your friends and family online or top up while travelling. Almost 600 providers from 137 countries. Pay with Bitcoin, Dash or Stellar at best rates possible.


Pizza for coins > Order Pizza online and pay with BTC

Pure VPN > VPN Service: Access US Netflix Instantly for just $2.87/m Making Security and Freedom Accessible for Anyone, Anywhere!

Purse > Online shop – buy from amazon using BTC and get a discount!

RandyBrito > Freelancer – A web developer with a passion for Bitcoin, Economics and freedom.

Reeds > USA based jewlery – Personally I like their goods (looks only, haven’ bought any yet)

Restaurants list > a map of USA restaurants that accept Bitcoin. (can anyone verify any of them?)

Sad Truth Supply > Pins, Patches, and other accessories for bitcoin.

Save the Children > Charity accepting BTC payment. P.S: probably you’ll need to contact them first to donate in bitcoin.

Silver.ag > Jewelry and Accessories for Bitcoin.

SoftRare > software solutions provider, probably out of business since their website has copyright logo for 2015

SteadyTurtle > Buy Hosting&Domain

Tanzanite America > North American member of The Tanzanite Authority, a group of like-minded collectors, investors, and who are dedicated to informing and supplying the very finest top quality AAA certified Tanzanite. (first time to hear of tanzanite to be honest, but they look cool)

XBT Freelancer > Freelancing platform – Hire a freelancer or work as one, for bitcoins.

mclarennb >  Authorized McLaren Dealer

schwartzkopff>

KFC Canada > Hunger no more, get your KFC for BTC.

Subway restaurant > Eat healthy, with bitcoins too.

CheapAir > Cheap Airline Tickets, Airfares & Discount Air Tickets

Alza > Largest Czech online retailer accepting BTC.

Pembury Tavern > Snap up a pint in Britain’s first Bitcoin pub.

FC Canada > Hunger no more, get your KFC for BTC.

Subway restaurant > Eat healthy, with bitcoins too.

CheapAir > Cheap Airline Tickets, Airfares & Discount Air Tickets

Alza > Largest Czech online retailer accepting BTC.

Pembury Tavern > Snap up a pint in Britain’s first Bitcoin pub. “

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Mining Profitability Formula

Yes the profitability changes second to second with the price of bitcoin and  you cant use this information to forecast…

Reward = ((HashRate * Block_Reward) / Current_Difficulty) * (1 – Pool_Fee) * 3600

BTC total daily payout is 6.25 BTC * 6 times per hour * 24hours…on average = 900 BTC mined every day. 

That has to be spread out, on average, evenly across then ENTIRE network.  Granted, luck is involved, so it isn’t exactly even, but on average, it should be.

If network is running at 17,608,758 TH/s, and every TH gets an even share of the reward, then that would be 1800BTC / 17,608,758 TH/s = .00010222 BTC/(TH/s).


You then take that figure and multiply by number of TH for miner, and then you get daily BTC revenue ; )

No, Governments Can’t do a Better Job Developing Crypto

No, Governments Can’t do a Better Job Developing Crypto

Would a state-backed cryptocurrency be better than its decentralized counterpart?

International media has already rolled out their opinions on the matter. It’s a YES-IT-CAN.

The opinions find their inspirations in comments made by Christine Lagarde last week. The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that a government-backed cryptocurrency would eliminate the issues of trust that have clogged the decentralized cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

New York Times reacted to the IMF chief’s remarks, calling it “a hopeful sign for digital tokens,” while predicting it could “have a chilling effect on existing, nongovernmental tokens.”

The Guardian offered its editorial space to a long-time Bitcoin critic and economist Nouriel Roubini to further his plan. He outright called cryptocurrencies worthless when compared to central bank digital currencies (CBDC).“If a CBDC were to be issued, it would immediately displace cryptocurrencies, which are not scalable, cheap, secure, or [actually] decentralized,” Roubini claimed.

The comments mentioned above appear at a time when the cryptocurrency market cap has plunged by more than 70 percent since its all-time high. 

It has allowed critics to jump to the conclusion that decentralized digital currencies, mainly Bitcoin and Ethereum, have no intrinsic value, that they are highly speculative unlike central-bank issued fiat money.

Yet, critics have ignored the whys and whats that prompted the launch of decentralized assets at the first place.

They have been unable to respond to how Federal Reserve stimulus programmes, secret bailouts, and money production have destroyed the value of the US Dollar.

Their focus has turned more towards proving Bitcoin as a sugar-coated false promise of a financial revolution while ignoring the very bads of the existing financial system.

Economy believes that an asset has value when it checks scarcity and utility.

The US Dollar lacks scarcity, for its supply is governed by a centralized body called Federal Reserve. There is no check on how many dollars would get printed, allowing insiders to manipulate a greenback-backed market on their whims.

Bitcoin, on the other hand, has a set cap of 21 million tokens. Its supply is governed by mathematical algorithms, meaning no corrupt human involvement would be able to topple it.

As far as the use-cases are concerned, Bitcoin has been constantly looked at for its potential of becoming a store-of-value asset like Gold, while being constantly considered for settling cross-border payments despite its price volatility.

The critics then say that bitcoin has no intrinsic value.

But even gold and paper money suffers from the same stigma.

According to the World Council, only 15 percent of the global Gold supply is used in industrial applications. The rest goes into making bars, bullions, and jewelry – mainly because people trust they have value.

Trust is the Only Factor

The launch of Bitcoin was a response to a global financial crisis in which – let’s accept it – banks had f***ed up the economy.

The digital currency – more or less – follows the philosophy of the Austrian Monetary Theory.

According to it, money can be sound only when its supply is limited. It believes that money should not be controlled by the state.

These facts are missing from the reports and opinion pieces of anti-Bitcoin economists.

The Federal Reserve and central bankers believe that only they have the right to print money.

Bitcoin is only a beginning towards breaking the myth.

As long as the central banks do not innovate and protect people against currency inflation – as evident in the case of Zimbabwe and Venezuela – there is no chance they would be able to outrun crypto.

People need to trust their banks, but mainstream media and economists are avoiding a broader discussion.

The next financial crisis should bring more evidence to the theory. No rush.

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BitHouse LLC

Strenght in Numbers

BitHouse LLC is a client – focused and result driven CryptoCurrency Consulting and Mining Company that provides broad – based services at an affordable fee to our clients .

We will ensure that we work hard to meet and surpass our Clients’ expectations whenever they hire our services for Consulting or mine bitcoin.

At BitHouse LLC, our Client’s best interest always come first and foremost, and everything we do is guided by our high values and professional ethics.

Services

Cryptocurrency Consulting

General cryptocurrency advice, reviews and due diligence on tokens, blockchain projects, general investment advice and trading strategy.

Security and putting processes in place to backup your crypto.

Cryptocurrency Mining & Staking

Setup and advice on Cryptocurrency mining rigs. Mining does not just include Bitcoin, there are numerous other options to mine, including other tokens, rigs that provide processing power and storage.

Masternodes

Nodes are a great way to generate cryptocurrency, similar to mining just without the expensive hardware.

Setting up and running a node is not straight forward, we can help.

Proof of Stake / Staking Wallets

 Just like mining, storing your cryptocurrency in a wallet that is connected to the blockchain can generate you more crypto of that same token.

If you own POS coins and aren’t staking you are missing out on ROI.

Bitcoin – People’s Money

“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”

Confucius

Diamond with a flaw

“Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.”

Albert Einstein

Man of Value

“If you don’t know what you want, you’ll never find it.

If you don’t know what you deserve, you’ll always settle for less.

You will wander aimlessly, uncomfortably numb in your comfort zone, wondering how life has ended up here.

Life starts now, live, love, laugh and let your light shine!”

Rob Liano

Let your light shine

“A person’s worth is measured by the worth of what he values.”

Marcus Aurelius, “Meditations”

Values

“Mathematics expresses values that reflect the cosmos, including orderliness, balance, harmony, logic, and abstract beauty.”

Deepak Chopra

Mathematics

“Every job from the heart is, ultimately, of equal value.

The nurse injects the syringe; the writer slides the pen; the farmer plows the dirt; the comedian draws the laughter.

Monetary income is the perfect deceiver of a man’s true worth.”

Criss Jami, “Killosophy”

Job from the Heart

“A person that does not value your time will not value your advice.”

Orrin Woodward

Value your time

“Once you embrace your value, talents and strengths, it neutralizes when others think less of you.”

Rob Liano

Embrace your Values

“Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bad times

“I say no wealth is worth my life.”

Homer, “The Iliad”

Life

“But what’s worth more than gold?

Practically everything.

You, for example.

Gold is heavy.

Your weight in gold is not very much gold at all.

Aren’t you worth more than that?”

Terry Pratchett, “Making Money” 

You are worth more than gold

“Knowledge is like money: To be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value.”

Louis L’Amour, “Education of a Wandering Man”

Knowledge

“Ô, Sunlight! The most precious gold to be found on Earth.”

Roman Payne

Sunlight

“Knowledge is like money: To be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value.”

Louis L’Amour, “Education of a Wandering Man”

Knowledge

“If life — the craving for which is the very essence of our being — were possessed of any positive intrinsic value, there would be no such thing as boredom at all: mere existence would satisfy us in itself, and we should want for nothing.”

Arthur Schopenhauer, “The Vanity of Existence”

Existence

“Our sole purpose on this earth is to add value to others.

It doesn’t make sense to just exist in people’s lives or to be a drain on them, does it?”

Rob Liano

Sole purpose

“Value judgments are destructive to our proper business, which is curiosity and awareness.”

John Cage

Curiosity & Awareness

“We set no special value on the possession of a virtue until we percieve that it is entirely lacking in our adversary.”

Friedrich Nietzsche, “Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits”

Virtue

“Maybe you had to come close to losing something before you could remember its value.

Maybe we enjoy the last minute struggle as it slips through our hands.”

Suraj Sani

Struggle

“Always remember that the minority dictates the prices, and the majority governs the value.”

Naved Abdali

Minority vs. Majority

“It is impossible to say whether an asset class valuation is cheap or expensive in isolation.

The valuation of an asset is relative to the valuations of all other assets.”

Naved Abdali

Valuation of an Asset

“Market quotes change every second, but business evolves steadily.

You have ample time to evaluate a business to buy or not to buy.

There is no rush.”

Naved Abdali

Evaluate

“The number one reason people lose money in investing is because they buy assets without giving any thought whatsoever to the fair value.”

Naved Abdali

Fair Value

“If investors do not know or never attempt to know the fair value, they can pay any price.

More often, the price they pay is far greater than the actual value.”

Naved Abdali

Actual Value

“Watching every tick up and every tick down is just wasting your valuable time.

Do yourself a favor, and pick up a book or two about investing each month.”

Naved Abdali

Pick up a book

“An ounce of gold will always be an ounce of gold regardless of the length of possession.

The short-term value will go up or down, but gold prices will follow the general inflation rate in the long run.”

Naved Abdali

General Inflation Rate

“A Collectible’s value is primarily based on the emotions and the perception of potential buyers.”

Naved Abdali

Emotions & Perception