BizBuzz

Some day we will look back at this technology and laugh at the complexity of a Bitcoin ATM.  Actually, with the first ATM in the video, that day is today.

Coinbase and Ripple are two companies to watch when it comes to cryptocurrencies.

TechShop is really a fantastic idea for people who have a product vision that has to be fabricated.

Really like the idea of a ‘digital receipt’ through NFC (Near Field Communication) by Proximiant, but not a big fan of all the direct marketing tied to it.  What I would really like is the ability to send that itemized receipt to Quicken, and have them process it and put a detailed entry in my checking/credit card registry, and allow me to flag it as a company expense so at the end of the week/month I just print out an itemized expense report.

Last week the Feds came out with new regulations regarding ‘digital currencies’.  The regulations say that digital currencies like bitcoin are to be treated essentially as foreign currencies. Companies that exchange digital bitcoins for real money will have to comply with the same regulations as traditional currency exchangers — namely, they must verify the identity of anyone exchanging money for bitcoins and report large transactions to the government.  However, using bitcoins to purchase goods, however, is specifically exempted.

BitPay is the equivalent of PayPal allowing buyer and seller to exchange bitcoins for items, and in some cases those items can be illegal drugs, since just like cash, the transaction is anonymous.  Seems the interest in bitcoins has increased because of the banking/debt problems in Cypress.  Some people are using gold as a safe haven and some are using bitcoins as a safe haven.  There is even a site where you can exchange bitcoins for government issued note.

It’s a brave new world!

BridgeLux makes LED light bulbs, and are planing on making the light bulb “intelligent”. An example would be you turning on your TV, and the light bulb would sense that and dim the lighting automagicly. Pretty cool. 🙂