DarkCyber blog features naked Bitcoin, Parler unplugged and me

I join tech expert Stephen E Arnold this week to discuss how Amazon pulled the plug on the alt-right message board Parler and what that might mean for the future of open communication on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. 

Arnold also has a surprising report on how Bitcoin might not be the anonymous money-moving system that we were told it is.And ties the efforts to unmask Bitcoin to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and to a mysterious suicide. 

You can watch the latest episode below and check out more of Arnold’s article and videos at his DarkCyber blog.

By: Ric Manning On 1/25/2021

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Want to gamble with Bitcoin? This site knows where

If you were shrewd enough to invest in Bitcoin before or during the big boom or 2017, you probably know that the crypto markets lately have been pretty boring. Prices go up a couple of dollars, then down a few, then back up. All rather ho-hum.

So now you might be looking for an online casino to put those crypto coins to work. And while you would think that bitcoin would be a great medium for online gambling, most Internet casinos have been rather shy about getting involved.

But there are casinos out there that will let you bet with Bitcoin when you play their games and a good place to find them is a site called Promotion Tailor. Here's what it says about Bitcoin and online gambling:

Regardless to where you are in the world, the chances are that, if gambling is legal in your country and does not carry regulations which forbid the use of Bitcoin, you will find a Bitcoin casino to play. 

The site currently lists five online casinos that not only accept Bitcoin payments, they also offer player bonuses such as matching funds or free slot spins without requiring players to make a deposit before they play.

Promotion Tailor also has information about online casinos that accept other forms of electronic payment such as Skrill and PayPal.

For more details about payment options and bonuses, check the Promotion Tailor website.

By: Ric Manning On 3/06/2019

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This lottery runs on Ethereum blockchain

One of the reasons crypto currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have been getting more attention and appreciating in value is they operate on a blockchain, a sort of open-source digital ledger that makes trading activity accessible to everyone.

Blockchain technology is being discussed as a potential new platform for a wide range of activities, from banking to real estate transactions.

The people behind ETH93 have come up with another new idea. They’ve created a daily letter that that runs on the Ethereum blockchain.

Ethereum in particular has been gaining traction in the crypto world because its code can include “smart contract” created by developers. For instance, a smart contract might specify that fund could only be spent or transferred once a designated percentage of people agree. In this case, the contract code is posted on the ETH93 website.

Tickets for the ETH93 lottery cost 0.01 Ether (about $3.10 today). You can’t buy in with dollars or other fiat currency. The daily winner is determined by a random number. The payout gives 93% to the winner, 1% to the developers and 1% to ETH93 token holders. The remaining 5% goes to Heifer International, a charity devoted to fighting poverty and hunger.

For more details, visit the ETH93 website.

By: Ric Manning On 10/30/2017

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Paxful offers peer-to-peer bitcoin trades

Count me among the many fans of bitcoin. I've owned fractions of bitcoin for about two years and I've earned a few dollars as I watched the bitcoin value appreciate.

I also think cryptocurrency in general and bitcoin in particular will play an increasingly important role in global commerce and finance.

What would make that happen more quickly is an easy way to buy and sell bitcoin. That’s where Paxful comes in.

Today, bitcoin owners typically need an account with a bitcoin exchange and a digital “wallet,” an app that keeps track of coins held in their account. When you want to buy bitcoin, you put money in the wallet and place an order through the exchange.

Paxful takes some of the friction out of that process by linking buyers with private sellers, sort of like eBay, and by allowing members to purchase coins using a variety of financial resources. Members can buy bitcoin using PayPal, Venmo, debit cards or the OneVanilla gift cards sold in drug stores. Paxful even accepts Amazon gift cards and iTunes cards.

Paxful supports bitcoin sellers with an escrow system and an affiliate program that lets sellers earn 2% on each sales. Paxful takes 1%.  

For more details, watch the video below, visit the Paxful website and follow @paxful on Twitter.

By: Ric Manning On 11/19/2016

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XDN cryptocurrency offers enhanced privacy

Judging by the success of Bitcoin, it’s a good bet that digital cryptocurrency is here to stay. But that doesn’t mean we will all soon be using Bitcoin at your favorite brewpub or department store.

Several other digital currencies are jockeying for recognition in the exploding crypto arena. Among them is DigitalNote or XDN, a currency based on CryptoNote anonymous technology that was previously known as DarkNote.

Like Bitcoin (BTC), Digital Note is an open source cryptocurrency that protects the privacy of its users. But is has some additional privacy features. For example, it uses a decentralized blockchain banking system which is driven by people who have no central authority.

XDN also incorporates a unique untraceable encrypted messaging system providing an untraceable and unlinkable way of encrypted communication. In an article posted on Forbes.com, author Michael DeFranco said that feature means “hackers cannot trace money or messages when the messages are sent across public networks.”

More details about XDN and its uses are available on the DigitalNote website.

By: Ric Manning On 9/29/2015

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Online casino bets on bitcoin

Here’s one more indication that bitcoin is here to stay: A Hong Kong investment group that backed Skype is now backing BetCoin Casino, one of the largest bitcoin casinos in the Internet.

BetCoin customers can play more than 50 games. They include traditional casino games such as Blackjack, Roulette, PaiGow, Roulette and Video Poker. BetCoin also has a letter, Keno and original games invented by BetCoin.

Players can create a new account with an email address, login name and password and they can play anonymously be entering the address of their bitcoin wallet.

BetCoin says it guarantees that all game outcomes are fair by providing the “seed hash” of each transaction to the players before the game begins. Having the seed hash and a client hash allows players to verify the outcome if they choose. The casino also displays the house edge for each game and it charges no fees to play.

BetCoin is backed by Massive Luck Investments Limited, a Hong Kong investment house that was among the early investors in Skype before it was bought by Microsoft for $8.5 billion.

You can bet your coins at the BetCoin Casino and keep up with BetCoin news @BetcoinTM on Twitter and in the BetCoin blog.

By: Ric Manning On 6/23/2015

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Hashnet seeks investors for Bitcoin mining

When Bitcoin first appeared, early adopters were able to earn bitcoins by using their computers (or perhaps their company or school computers) to process and record bitcoin transactions. Those folks were called bitcoin miners.

As bitcoin grew in popularity, people began building, selling and buying dedicated computers that would do nothing but mine for coin. Now, we’re seeing the arrival of services that let average people share the potential profits of bitcoin mining without using their own computers or buying a dedicated box.

That’s the approach being taken at Hashnet, a new shared mining operation that is scheduled to be launched in June.

According to Hashnet co-founder and CEO Robert Colton, customers will be able to buy mining power in increments based on 1 GH/s (1 giga hash per second). Colton predicts that buyers will recover their investment in about 150 days and earn a continuing profit after that point.

You can read Colton’s full introduction at the Hashnet website landing page where you can also sign up for more information prior to the launch. You can also follow @Hashnet_Mining on Twitter.

By: Ric Manning On 5/26/2015

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I have my first Bitcoin

This lovely lady sent me $5.02 in Bitcoin when I downloaded the Circle Bitcoin wallet. Now, where to spend it?

By: Ric Manning On 1/06/2015

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UTokens are being marketed in the US

Feeling disappointed that you missed out on the Bitcoin boom? The people promoting UTokens say this digital currency is the next big thing.

According to one website promoting UTokens, the currency was born in Asia about a year ago and has become popular in 15 countries including Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Korea and Indonesia.

The site says the currency is backed by three large Asian banks. Income from sales of UTokens is invested in property, gold, marble mining, among other things. Twenty-two percent of the income from sales is held in reserve.

The site includes a chart comparing UToken and Bitcoin, a quote from investor Win Kongmuang and a form to fill out if you want to be contacted by a UToken representative. UTokens is also on Twitter.

By: Ric Manning On 12/28/2014

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P2P Wallet moves crypto currency

As the popularity of Bitcoin and other digital currency continues to grow, one of the challenges of using cryptobucks is figuring out how to spend or transfer that digital money.

P2P Wallet helps answer that need by providing an online personal banking application that can execute transactions using multiple types of digital currency.

Developed by P2P Bank, the P2P Wallet works with a variety of currencies including Bitcoin, Blackcoin, Darkcoin, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Namecoin and Peercoin. With the Android app, users can see all the currencies they are holding and their total available balance.

Options let you send and receive payments, acquire a loan and pay on the loan. To send money, just enter the amount, a PIN code and the currency address or QR code.

For more information, check the free Android app in the Google Play store or the P2P Wallet website.

By: Ric Manning On 9/10/2014

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This merchant service takes crypto currency

If you sell stuff on or off the web, you might have customers who want to pay with Bitcoins. Or Frankos, Quarks, Dogecoins or CryptogenicBullion.

As cryptocurrencies continue to grow in popularity, savvy online merchants are looking for ways to accept, process and collect Bitcoins, Darkcoins, Quarks or Peercoins. That's where CoinPayments.net comes in.
CoinPayments functions like a credit card processor. It accepts 50 different forms of cryptocurrency. A customer who wants to use his crypto coins is given a unique address to send the payment.

CoinPayments confirms the currency and amount and transfers it to the merchant's wallet. CoinPayments charges 0.5% and doesn't require a contract or monthly fee.

For more info, check out the CoinPayments website, Twitter feed and Facebook page.

By: Ric Manning On 8/06/2014

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