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ipmart front page
Another e-commerce giant has joined the bitcoin world, with major Malaysian online mobile phone and electronic parts retailer i-Pmart adding it to the list of accepted payment methods last week.CEO and founder Mart Tang also said the company will hold onto the bitcoins it earns and watch the price rise, rather than convert them into local fiat currency.Although based in Malaysia, the company ships worldwide from outlets in its home country, plus China and the US. The bitcoin option was introduced first to the Malaysian site only, though international customers may still use that version.All other i-Pmart sites worldwide will start accepting about 20 days from now, as soon as the integration process is complete.Low-key launchWhat’s most surprising about i-Pmart’s decision is the lack of fanfare with which bitcoin was added to the list of options. Rather than publicizing it, or even celebrating the announcement with its 730,000+ fans on Facebook, the company added the bare-bones line “We accept bitcoin” and an icon into its long list of existing payment options.ipmart optionsi-Pmart is also a big seller of litecoin mining equipment, selling GPU-based rigs both to advanced users to self-assemble with the ‘Savvy Pack‘, and a ‘Newbie Pack‘ for beginners that includes the option to have i-Pmart assemble, host and even operate the hardware for them.Despite this, however, the company is not adding litecoin as a payment option yet.CEO a bitcoin fanCEO Tang said his interest in bitcoin came from being an IT entrepreneur always searching the internet for the latest tech information and gadgets.Shortly after absorbing everything he could about bitcoin and other digital currencies, he began hearing about merchants in other countries accepting bitcoin and studied how to become a digital currency miner himself.“This gives me more insight of bitcoins and others types of coin on how it works and benefits from it,” he said.“That’s how I have started to think if I have customers who wants to use bitcoin to purchase my products online which gives convenience of various types of payment choice especially those who do not prefer to pay using their credit card, cash or other mode of payment.”He then sat down with his web development team to discuss how to integrate bitcoin as a mode of payment in the business portal www.ipmart.com globally.“[I'm] looking forward to the new world of virtual payment choice, which I believe can be the future of global virtual currency that people might embrace, especially the Gen Y.”“I am holding the bitcoin. Because having a very big confidence the price of bitcoin is not the rates of today USD 650, should be higher than this price very soon.”Company backgroundThe i-Pmart Group of Companies was founded in 2001, and has focused mainly on the international market since 2005. It has ‘MSC status‘ in Malaysia, meaning it is part of the country’s ‘Multimedia Super Corridor’ initiative designed to promote Malaysia as a regional center for world-class technology businesses.The group now consists of domestic and internationally-focused retail sites, plus arms specializing in management, development, and logistics.AsiaMalaysiaretailSoutheast Asia
Original author: Jon Southurst

Hester Street Fair located in the heart of the Lower East Side is the largest pushcart market in New York City. Now in its fifth season, the market is dotted with 60 to 90 small businesses selling anything from artisanal food to vintage clothing to handmade arts and crafts.Next weekend, like every other Sunday, the market will be up and buzzing, but with a twist in the tale. Hester Street FairThe entrance of Hester Street Fair in New YorkStarting 15th June, more than 30 vendors inside the Hester Street Fair will be trading their artisan goods for bitcoin every Sunday until the end of October at the NYC Bitcoin Fair. It will showcase special bitcoin events and opportunities for newbies to learn more about digital currencies.The NYC Bitcoin Fair is the brainchild of Suhyun Park, one of the co-organisers of the Hester Street Fair. He told CoinDesk the Hester Street Fair is a good place to incubate regular bitcoin activity:“The fair is the perfect environment for the use of bitcoin. The small businesses that vend at Hester Street Fair are very entrepreneurial and flexible and willing to try new things out. They aren’t burdened by having to go up a chain of command for permissions to try things. They are also excited to be at the forefront of this new technology.”Park initially got introduced to bitcoin by Pat Che, who owns Xcubicle located across the street from Hester. Xcubicle is a tech and skill share hackerspace. As an early adopter of bitcoin, Che also runs a meet up in New York and has been incubating the city’s bitcoin community since 2012.Together they decided to field test the idea of a NYC Bitcoin Fair at one of Hester Street Fair’s December Christmas markets. The trial run didn’t go too well, only about three vendors accepted bitcoin and the volume of transactions was unimpressive, to say the least. The first transactions were also very clunky, as Park admits. He said, “We were figuring it out as we went along.”“We were new to it. It was really in its early stage for us. We didn’t have the support, the education, the workshops and that sort of thing.”However, they did have one big transaction of $450 for a photograph. La Poubelle Vintage at Hester Street Fair will now be accepting bitcoin as part of the NYC Bitcoin FairSix months later they are back, and this time here to stay. Park and his co-organisers are confident and more prepared this time around, he said:“I think Bitcoin has come leaps and bounds since then, especially with the adoption by so many larger and more reputable companies.”They have also partnered with payment processor BitPay to streamline the bitcoin acceptance process for the merchants.Its executive chairman Tony Gallipi released the following statement regarding this partnership:“We are so pleased with our new partnership with Hester Street Fair. It is another milestone for bitcoin. We are seeing it used in more brick and mortar outlets which is amazing to witness.”Tony Gallipi will be speaking at CoinSummit in London on 10th-11th July. Crowds at the Hester Street Fair in New York CityCrowds at the Hester Street Fair in New York CityAfter PartyThe hosts have organised an after party at Rosette Restaurant to wrap up the opening weekend of the fair. The cash and bitcoin bar is offering a 25% discount on drinks to those who pay with digital currencies.Charlie Shrem, who recently had his 24-hour house arrest lifted, will also be at the fair and joining the after party.Images courtesy of Hester Street FairBitPayeventsmerchantsNew YorkTony Gallippi
Original author: Roop Gill

Are you so devoted to dogecoin you’d like to see a Shiba Inu adorning your body? Is bitcoin even … sexy? Some people think so, it seems, as a trend for digital currency tattoos is materializing.Of course, there are a lot of wallet QR codes and bitcoin logos out there, but some people are taking a more original line with their ink.CoinDesk has taken a look into the emerging world of crypto tattoos and found nine of the best.1. The bitcoin logo Bitcoin logo tattooSource: @Beertenant2. The merchant: Bitcoin Accepted Here QR code tattooSource: Nai Saephan3. The bitcoin lifer Bitcoin Life tattooSource: BitcoinExaminer4. Space rockers: father and son spacerocks tattoo bigSource: BitcoinExaminer5. The Sean’s Outpost supporter Seans Outpost tattooSource: Mike Cox/Cryptocoins News6. Encryption matters BTC lock tattooSource: Simon Fraser Bitcoin Club7. Security issues BTC keys tattooSource: dantasticthethird/reddit8. Much craziness, such tattoo Dogecoin tattooSource: imgur/poisonousplanet9. Retro doge Dogecoin tattooSource: imgurartfashiontattoos
Original author: Dan Palmer

dishbtc
Just over a week ago, major Colorado-based US satellite television provider DISH Network unexpectedly announced that it will allow its 14 million subscribers the opportunity to begin paying with bitcoin later this year through a partnership with Coinbase.With the news, DISH immediately became the largest business to accept bitcoin, surpassing Overstock, the online retail giant that began accepting bitcoin in January.By current market capitalization, DISH is about 73 times larger than Overstock, and generates 10 times the money – $13bn in revenue last year versus $1.3bn for Overstock. DISH market cap: $26b. Overstock $370m. Source Google FinanceDISH market cap: $26b. Overstock $370m. Source: Google FinanceBut, the addition to DISH is notable beyond the company’s size. DISH also represents something new for bitcoin’s merchant ecosystem, as its business model and customer base are markedly different than those of Overstock and online electronics giant TigerDirect.For one, DISH is a service provider, not a retailer. As such, its unique needs could lead to potential changes in how bitcoin’s merchant processors target this largely untapped portion of the market.Further, these differences could also have an impact on the success DISH sees serving the bitcoin market, and by extension, whether its earnings convince more merchants to seek out bitcoin payments.Service vs productPerhaps most importantly, reports suggest DISH will use bitcoin for online billing, meaning subscribers paying in BTC will need to log in to their accounts every month and make payment manually.There haven’t been many companies that accept bitcoin for a service to date, and for good reason: Coinbase and its competitors do not yet offer a recurring option in the traditional sense, an issue that is often cited by members of subscription-based businesses like adult entertainment to explain why bitcoin has not taken off the way some had expected.Yet Coinbase did recently launch a ‘pull’ function for recurring bitcoin payments. And the relationship with DISH may force further development into this feature, especially if the manual payment method is too cumbersome for DISH customers.Cord cutting DISH’s decision may also be more strategic than many realize, especially as it looks to fight the effects of yet another disruptive technology affecting its industry – online streaming.Though the company has not publicly made this claim, bitcoin could be a savvy way for the company to move toward newer content models such as those pioneered by Netflix and Amazon Prime that have attracted younger demographics.Earlier this year DISH Network CEO Joseph Clayton told FierceCable his company is facing challenges as viewing habits change:“These younger folks are not going to pay $100 a month for their content. They may pay $20 or $30.  They’re not going to watch 250 channels a year. They may watch 20 or 30, if that. And they’re not going to watch it on a 60-inch, flat panel display. They’re going to watch it on their smartphone or tablet or their PC.”Based on the graph below, however, it doesn’t appear as though DISH is suffering through a major decline in subscribers. Still, it could be wise for the company to consider new initiatives and forward-thinking technologies that make these services easier to deliver. Source: DiffenSource: DiffenFree marketingAs nearly one-quarter of merchants have acknowledged, bitcoin is also a cost-effective marketing strategy, a factor that may have also weighed in on DISH’s decision.That’s because many businesses realize that accepting bitcoin is a win-win proposition. By taking BTC payments, businesses are able to reap higher margins because they avoid credit card fees.DISH has been known as an organization that carefully watches expenses. Ad Age reported in 2009 that DISH was spending hundreds of millions in marketing per year. Bitcoin could be seen as a way for the company to reduce these costs, or at the very least, earn free exposure.Already DISH has seen some success in this regard. DISH’s decision to accept bitcoin led to articles about the company in major publications such as the The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Reuters.Increasing marginsThe decision could also save DISH on another key expense.If DISH customers end up paying their bills in bitcoin, the company’s margins could potentially increase, provided they can help the company spend less in merchant transaction fees.There’s relatively little risk for DISH to accept bitcoin – and plenty to gain. The company’s revenue continues to grow, but it appears that as a byproduct margins are sinking as costs escalate. DISH is trying to get profit margins back up. Source: Google FinanceDISH is trying to get profit margins back up. Source: Google FinanceBy the company’s sheer economies of scale, DISH could help bitcoin and vice versa in terms of adoption.Demographics and exposureOnline commerce is probably the easiest way for people to spend bitcoin right now. DISH can be a leader in that space. It seems, however, that a ‘wow’ factor of making recurring bitcoin payments work would be better than just the manual payment it intends to offer.We have seen that in the offline world, food seems to be a popular product people want to spend bitcoin on. It could be the social aspects of eating that have determined this trend.Given the demographics of bitcoin users versus that of DISH network, it is questionable there will be material gains for the company in subscribers. Half of subscribers live in rural class counties. Almost half are outside of the 25-54 range. Source: DISH Media KitHalf of DISH subscribers live in rural class counties. Almost half are outside of the 25-54 age range. Source: DISH Media KitBut the exposure bitcoin may garner as a result is something that should not be overlooked.That being said, bitcoin’s path towards becoming a mainstream method of payment is only in its early stage. Right now, the level of interest in bitcoin is not where it has been in the past, according to searches being conducted by Google. Source: Google TrendsSearches for ‘bitcoin’ on Google. Source: Google TrendsDISH’s eventual acceptance of the cryptocurrency will be a positive development. What’s interesting is that DISH has not yet announced a date to implement its bitcoin payment option – helping it to string along a series of positive stories about it embracing bitcoin.The company will continue to look for free bitcoin-related publicity. And ultimately, this works out in both bitcoin and DISH’s favor.Despite uncertainty that subscribers of satellite services will look to DISH in particular because of BTC acceptance, this is a positive development. It is news that only serves to bolster awareness surrounding bitcoin.Satellite Dish image via ShutterstockCoinbaseDISH networkOverstockpaymentssubscriptions
Original author: Daniel Cawrey

Satoshinori
A new bitcoin gambling site has opened for beta testing, specifically targeting customers in the Asia region.Based in South Korea, Satoshinori.com is available in Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and English.It features an array of multi-player games including Seven Card Poker, Texas Hold-em and Matgo, plus simpler web based games like Rock Paper Scissors, Riding Ladder and Mine Sweeper. More are due to arrive in future.Aiming for professional imageSatoshinori’s operator said the site is produced by a leading Korean game publishing company, with emphasis on fair games low fees, and security.The site itself says:“All customers’ deposited Bitcoins are stored securely with the safest and most qualified methods. Also, world renowned web engineers are participating to protect this site from hackings and DDOS cyber attacks.”Bitcoin deposit and withdrawal addresses change with every transaction to add an extra layer of anonymity for users.Satoshinori provides a list of bitcoin exchanges available in most countries for those acquiring bitcoins for the first time,Proving bitcoin’s usefulnessHe said bitcoin was chosen as the primary currency mainly for ease of setup and the relative anonymity it provides, particularly in parts of the target region where bitcoin businesses endured a degree of legal uncertainty.Gambling sites also serve as a useful demonstration of bitcoin’s utility to the uninitiated, showing off how smoothly it works in a high-transaction environment and allowing commerce and transfers at any time of day or night, anywhere in the world.This was another reason for setting up Satoshinori, the site’s owner added. Mainstream interest has been lagging in Northeast Asia and vendors proving a little slower to sign on to bitcoin than hoped.Gambling sites could play a major role in stimulating the bitcoin economy by putting the currency into more hands.Lucrative marketThe legal online gaming market alone in the region was worth about $12.7b, he continued, with that size possibly exceeding $49b if illegal online gambling sites were considered.The large majority of potential gamers reside in the countries Satoshinori targets with its language options, plus Taiwan.Satoshinori now hopes to claim at least some of that market for bitcoin. AsiaSouth Korea
Original author: Jon Southurst

If digital currencies were technology companies
There’s no doubt that the technology industry has made its presence in pop culture known loud and clear.Gone are the days when only engineers and geeky hobbyists talked about using new software applications or gossiped about the most recent company acquisition.Today, it’s difficult to think of anyone in our social circles who doesn’t use Facebook, and the mainstream media buzzed about the social networking giant’s recent acquisition of WhatsApp.Technology companies have impacted the lives of almost everybody on the planet. Along the way, they have used their products, marketing campaigns and the power of branding to create their own distinct identities within the broader scope of pop culture’s influence.Though digital currencies may be relatively late to the party, they’re certainly making up for lost time. Thanks to the open source nature of the Bitcoin protocol, anyone with some time and programming experience can create their own uniquely branded digital currency.Some of the biggest players in the digital currency space are already distinguishing themselves from others in the market using carefully crafted branding strategies.Whether these currencies are modeling their marketing tactics after those of well-established tech companies or not, some similarities between digital currencies and our favorite technology companies are hard to deny.bitcoin google… Bitcoin would be GoogleJust like how Google is the de facto search engine of choice for Internet users, a vast majority of people who use digital currencies are dealing with bitcoin.Bitcoin and Google’s dominating popularity in their respective industries is not the only similarity between them, though.Bitcoin has made it this far in part due to its open source development model, which allows developers to build applications that expand on the core protocol. Google has also taken a noticeably open approach to its development.In contrast to competitor Apple, Google’s Android operating system embraces open source development, which is why digital currency apps are only available for use on Android platforms — at least for now.litecoin yahoo… Litecoin would be Yahoo!Litecoin was one of the first alternatives to bitcoin for digital currency enthusiasts. Though nearly identical to bitcoin, litecoin distinguished itself with a faster block time of 2.5 minutes (compared to the 10 minutes it takes on the Bitcoin protocol), and has even been declared the “silver to bitcoin’s gold”.Though Yahoo! was around before Google, the veteran search engine has fallen behind Google in traffic rankings. In recent years, however, Yahoo! has revamped its marketing approach and has sought out expansion to new verticals, similar to litecoin’s quest to use branding to distinguish itself and gain market share from its titan rival.Regardless of popularity, litecoin and Yahoo! have another similarity in their consistent reliability as an alternative option to their respective industry’s leader.ripple uber… Ripple would be UberRipple arrived on the digital currency scene and right away grabbed everybody’s attention. Situating itself more as a payment protocol than an actual currency, Ripple was successful in disrupting the ecosystem of digital currencies that largely consisted of near clones of the Bitcoin protocol.Ripple relies on mathematical algorithms and a consensus ledger for its protocol, and its decentralized nature has already proven to be disruptive in the world of traditional payment protocols.Like Ripple, Uber made a loud entrance into the world of ridesharing and taxi services when it was founded in 2009. Uber used software to build an app that quickly proved to be disruptive to the taxicab industry.Uber offers its users to all the same services of traditional taxis, but with a technologically advanced twist, just like Ripple’s approach to payment protocols.dogecoin snapchat… Dogecoin would be SnapchatAside from bitcoin, dogecoin may be the most buzzed-about digital currency. Members of the dogecoin community are active, loyal, and vocal about their digital currency of choice. There is a lighthearted feel to the dogecoin movement, and supporters of the meme-inspired coin sometimes struggle to be taken seriously by other digital currency enthusiasts.Similar to the story of dogecoin, few people expected Snapchat to become so popular in its early days. Both dogecoin and Snapchat have found considerable success, thanks in large part to their active user bases and the happy-go-lucky culture of their communities.Selfie-taking teenage users of Snapchat also face some of the same problems of dogecoiners: they’re the clear drivers behind their respective movements, but are still scoffed at by peers who consider themselves more mature.namecoin godaddy… Namecoin would be GoDaddyNamecoin was one of the first digital currencies created with a specific purpose outside of the standard uses of bitcoin. Namecoin builds on the Bitcoin protocol to operate as a domain name system (DNS), but is novel in its decentralized approach to domain name registration.Their utility as DNSs is possibly the only similarity between namecoin and GoDaddy. Namecoin solves many problems that plague centralized DNSs like GoDaddy; chief among them is the issue of domain name censorship.Using namecoin, anyone can register a .bit domain outside of ICANN – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers – control, which makes it much easier to avoid Internet censorship, with all of the authority lying in the hands of the peer-to-peer namecoin network.darkcoin apple… Darkcoin would be AppleDarkcoin made quite the splash when it was introduced to the public. The creators crafted darkcoin to have all the qualities that make bitcoin great, but with added functionality as a truly anonymous digital currency. Their hope is for darkcoin to become as ubiquitous as bitcoin, but to make sure that any and all transactions on the darkcoin blockchain can remain completely anonymous along the way.If bitcoin is the Google of digital currencies, then darkcoin is certainly the Apple amongst its peers. Apple is notoriously opaque in their business operations, preferring to keep important decisions behind closed doors.A prime example of Apple’s darkcoin-like ambiguity is the recent update to their policies regarding virtual currency apps in the App store:“Apps may facilitate transmission of approved virtual currencies provided that they do so in compliance with all state and federal laws for the territories in which the app functions.”While many speculate this may open the door for bitcoin apps to make their return to the App store, Apple never explicitly discloses what constitutes an “approved” virtual currency.BONUS:Ethereum tesla… Ethereum would be TeslaEven though Ethereum has not yet been officially introduced to the public, it’s still one of the most talked about platforms in the digital currency space. In theory, Ethereum’s technology could be truly revolutionary to the Internet and beyond. It’s easy to imagine an ethereum-fueled decentralized utopia, but even with all the hype, only time will tell if this product will be received by and adopted into society with open arms.Replacing “ethereum” with “Tesla electric cars” and “digital currency/Internet” with “automotive industry/transportation” in the above paragraph makes a strong enough argument for the similarities between the two that any further explanation is superfluous.Bitcoin and Litecoin images via Shutterstock; Dogecoin, Darkcoin and Ripple images via Coinbrief.net; Namecoin image via Wikimedia; Ethereum image via Ethereum.org; Technology company logos via Google, Yahoo!, Uber, Snapchat, GoDaddy, Apple and Tesla.ApplebitcoinDarkcoindogecoinEthereumgooglelitecoinnamecoinripple
Original author: Tom Sharkey

womensannex4
Afghan women are rocking the boat for their social and financial freedoms, and their opponents wouldn’t even know it, thanks to an organisation that pays them to exercise those rights – in bitcoin.Women’s Annex Foundation (WAF) encourages girls to think independently and discerningly through blog writing, software development, video production and social media. It gives them a platform to send their ideas into the world that both pays for them in bitcoin and provides free Web access in a safe place.For co-founder Fereshteh Forough, it’s the hope for “digital literacy” – using a digital currency to support entrepreneurship:“We want to teach the girls how they can use education combining the tools that they have – social media and technology – and create their own sustainable economy.”The plight of Afghan womenThe social and economic barriers that women in developing countries face everyday are disheartening. Even though women’s rights in Afghanistan have taken many positive steps forward since the end of Taliban rule in 2001, they remain at astounding odds with the standard found elsewhere in the world.Afghanistan’s patriarchal society deplores the autonomy of women. Families commonly object to their girls’ employment, education or any pursuit that could make their control over themselves and their interests louder.Although the statistics for female education have improved greatly over the last decade, families often make their girls leave school in their early or pre-teen years. And while it’s considered unacceptable for girls to be taught by men without the presence of women, there’s a lack of female teachers.It’s at this juncture of social and economic inequality that WAF stands to make an impact.Matthew Kenahan, who won the Blockchain Most Impactful Charity Award in Amsterdam last month and promised his winnings to WAF, said:“If the WAF can provide a platform in which women can have their own income – a platform which pays out in bitcoin, a truly pseudonymous protocol which can truly conceal the identity, I think that we have the potential to really shake things up.”Co-founders Forough and Roya Mahboob hope that by earning a salary independently, the girls’ families might see their education as a source of income and become more supportive of it. It’s not always so straightforward, though. It’s common for families to confiscate money earned outside the home as an act of disapproval, for family use or other reasons out of the girls’ control.“Having money is not the same as financial autonomy,” said Kenahan. “That requires actual control over that money, and how it’s spent, or not spent.”womensannex2Paying out in bitcoinAt least 2,000 WAF users in Afghanistan are paid in bitcoin. Their average income falls between $250 and $400 monthly.The country’s average income is US$680, according to 2012 data.Payouts to the girls in Afghanistan were problematic before bitcoin was integrated this February. It compensated users in US dollars via bank wires that required hefty fees or PayPal, which isn’t supported there. They would send the money to Mahboob in one lump sum, Forough recounted, who would then cash it and find a place to pay all her users in a given locaton.“Imagine … it’s dangerous if a girl has a lot of cash in her pocket walking around the city,” she Forough. “And sometimes the family takes the money and there’s nothing for the girls.”With bitcoin, no one other than the payee has to know that she has a bitcoin wallet. WAF can pay the girls in a timely manner with minuscule fees. This eliminates the need to open a bank account, which would require extensive documentation and the need for legal guardian approval if they are underage, which might result in more difficulties.Bitcoin enthusiast Ross Mintzer, 27, spent three and a half months teaching girls English and music in Karachi, Pakistan from October 2011. Now in New York, where he was born and raised, he tries to send money to the schools when he can. He said:“It’s impossible to send a small amount of money, a micropayment, and have it make sense because of the transaction fee. People have spoken to this many times, that bitcoin will change the remittance business, and I really believe it.”Although, it seems other people could argue that for a long time.“All I’m waiting for is for someone in Pakistan to open a shop where they can exchange the Pakistani rupee for the bitcoin, and I’m sending the bitcoin,” Mintzer said. “It’s easy, it’s powerful.”Usability is something WAF is working on in Afghanistan, Forough said. Film Annex, the group’s parent company, provides a marketplace for content contributors to spend the bitcoins they earn, currently offering mobile and Skype credit. It offers Amazon gift cards to users in some regions, but since the concept of billing or shipping addresses doesn’t exist in Afghanistan – requiring any packages to be delivered to organisations or offices working with FedEx – users there can’t spend their digital currency earnings as easily.Currently, WAF is scouting around for local shops in Afghanistan to collaborate with on bitcoin acceptance, particularly electronics stores, to give its girls easier access to their own smart phones and tablets – thereby encouraging further engagement with both social media and bitcoin.Keeping girls connectedDeveloping countries lack the infrastructure needed to participate in and benefit from bitcoin. A 2011 Gallup study said that 3% of the Afghan population have home internet access.For that reason, WAF provided 11 computer labs in schools across Herat and Kabul free of charge. Forough said:“We have to focus on infrastructure and girls in schools can be our target because they can be very easily influenced by the stream of content and everything. Once you find yourself in this stream you’ll find it fascinating and interesting and you’ll go with the stream and everyday you’ll elevate your level.”It can cost around US$1 an hour to use an internet café in Afghanistan, she explained, a high price for many. Girls often have to find an all-women’s center, both to avoid verbal harassment from men and to steer clear of issues arising from disapproving family members.The bitcoin technology is capable of improving the digital economy via e-commerce, personal finance, peer-to-peer philanthropy and crowd funding. But, Kenahan cautioned, the global community must act to ensure that all contenders in this economy are equipped to engage in it:“Math-based currencies and cryptographic protocols are undoubtedly the main drivers of innovation within the fintech landscape … But without ensuring that the necessary tools and knowledge are both available and protected, I fear that women in socially oppressive environments will, yet again, be excluded from benefiting from the aforementioned fintech innovations. That’s a failure in my eyes.”WAF also provides female teachers and a curriculum teaching them everything from the fundamentals of how to operate a computer to how to use sites like Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Facebook and the Women’s Annex platform. The schoolgirls that attend are between 13 and 19 years old.womensannex3Communication without bordersCommunity is as important to WAF’s goals as is individual empowerment. For Forough, bitcoin is a “social currency”, meaning that it’s one that assembles people by promoting social interaction, helps boost users’ social and digital presence; and revolutionary, especially in developing countries. She said:“It’s the concept of digital citizenship, or communication without borders, and that’s how technology empowers people. I always wanted to have this for women in Afghanistan – to be powered using education and technology.”At the same time, bitcoin also grants independence and self-responsibility to anyone that embraces it. In February PricewaterhouseCoopers reported that 96% of people surveyed that partake in bitcoin discussion are men. Given the reach of its different functions, it takes a certain curiosity and tenacity for one to educate him- or herself about it – about its role as a digital currency, as a store of value, as an undelrying technology; its regulatory grey area and its philanthropic application.“If you have cash in your hand, you’re not gonna go and Google ‘what is the history of cash?’” Forough said. “Indirectly it [bitcoin] forces you to go through articles and interact with people that know; go to meetups. And this is the amazing part.”And perhaps all that responsibility and self-reliance is the very thing keeping mainstream consumers from embracing it and consequently holding back more organisations from integrating bitcoin in other fields.Kenahan called bitcoin “morally neutral, and infinitely useful”, and surmised that more philanthropic groups might emerge with greater understanding:“It is certainly frustrating that programs like WAF may be overlooked due to the fact that bitcoin’s positive applications are constantly invalidated by past media hype surrounding Mt Gox, Silk Road, etc. If the full innovative potential provided by bitcoin and other math-based currencies were actually understood I feel, and hope, that tons of noble organisations like the Women’s Annex Foundation would sprout up.”No politics, just InternetWAF’s more active users generate more income. They receive a BuzzScore, an algorithm exclusive to the networks of Film Annex. It calculates users’ social media activity to rank their online influence, with factors including the frequency of content production and social sharing, subscriber numbers and growth rates, and the collective weight of both a user’s BuzzScore and those of her subscribers. As her BuzzScore increases, so do her earnings.Good language, grammar and subject matter are also important elements of the process. Topical issues like education and women’s empowerment will likely merit a feature on Annex Press, the platform for professional writers, which can as much as double a user’s BuzzScore, thereby boosting her income further. Forough expalined:“I monitor the girls’ activity and some girls in the schools have started writing much better, [they] are focused on very serious topics and sharing their stories. Some of them have two or three followers right now, some have 600 followers.”The organisation has around 60,000 registered users worldwide – 6,000 of which are in Afghanistan. The platform supports content not averse to any religion or political view, with moderators serving users who speak the English, Dari and Pashta, Urdu, Arabic, Chinese and Italian languages, among others. This seems to suggest and exemplify WAF’s motto: “No politics, just internet”.womensannex1About Women’s AnnexWAF is a nonprofit organisation that took off in 2012. Outside of Afghanistan, it operates in Pakistan, Egypt and Mexico. In addition to the computer labs that have been established in Heart and Kabul schools, it’s also built two independent computer labs in the respective areas.The organisation is mostly driven by donations, but is also backed by Film Annex, who contributed greatly to the creation of the computer labs. The eleventh school is partially funded by Craig Newmark of Craigslist. WAF aims to raise $300,000 by the end of 2014.Images via Women’s Annex FoundationMatthew KenahanWomen's Annex Foundation
Original author: Tanaya Macheel

Sean's Outpost mapWhen Jason King sets foot in San Francisco’s cavernous baseball stadium AT&T Park today, he will be taking the final steps of a 5,209km journey across America.The founder of bitcoin-powered homeless outreach Sean’s Outpost will have reached the end of an ultra-marathon designed to raise funds for the charity and awareness about bitcoin that started in Miami on 26th Jan.“It feels surreal to be ending. I feel humbled to have this opportunity to spread the bitcoin gospel and talk to so many about the homeless problems in America,” King told CoinDesk yesterday, when he was just 48km away from San Francisco (a standard marathon measures 42.2km).King set an audacious goal of raising 1,000 BTC for Sean’s Outpost when he announced his run. By the time he crosses the line, he will have raised probably a fifth of that amount, but he isn’t complaining.“We raised a little over 200 coins so far, which is amazing,” he said.#bitcoin jobfair & awesome ppl in #bitcoinacrossamerica bus @SeansOutpost @37Coins @aantonop @iamsonge @Lornestar pic.twitter.com/YGZM3pI3Xw— SheilaKraics (@sheilakraics) May 4, 2014Sean’s Outpost expandsSean’s Outpost has been keeping active in King’s absence. Before he set off, he told CoinDesk that its full-time staff of five and team of 10 volunteers would keep it running smoothly, while carrying out expansion plans.According to King, a new Sean’s Outpost centre has now been set up in Dallas, with two more, this time across the border in Toronto and Vancouver, in the works.Even though King may not have hit his target of raising 1,000 bitcoins for his organisation, his epic run has been an effective platform for the cryptocurrency’s supporters.His support vehicle was a bus donated by KryptoKit, the bitcoin wallet that is packaged as a Chrome extension. The vehicle is wrapped in a full-colour graphic that declares: “Bitcoin Across America. Food. Shelter. Bitcoin. Everybody”. The KryptoKit and bitcoin logos are prominently displayed on the bus.Sean's Outpost support busIndividuals in the bitcoin world have also become involved in supporting King’s run.Paige Freeman, Vice President of Sales at BitPay, made the arrangements for the final arrival at AT&T Park, promising a tailgate party on the stadium’s grounds before the home team, the San Francisco Giants, take on the New York Mets. Freeman has also organised a separate event for King in Santa Monica.While the total donations for the run are lower than expected, King’s feats have moved one man to donate a cut from the ‘crowdsale’ of his half-million dollar apartment.That man, Kevin Kelly, has organised a contest called CryptoCondo with the prize being an apartment in Toronto worth $520,000. Sean’s Outpost will oversee the contest results and receive a cut of the sales generated by selling tickets to enter the contest.Mental and physical tollJason KingThe path hasn’t always been smooth in the four months since King set off from Miami.In May, for example, Satoshi Forest, the nine-acre homeless sanctuary in Florida developed by Sean’s Outpost, was severely flooded. Cryptocurrency enthusiasts rallied to donate funds for repairs and recovery.The run itself has taken a mental and physical toll on King. He told CoinDesk that by the time he enters San Francisco, he would have lost nearly 33kg in weight, adding that he has also struggled with the mental aspects of the four-month-long journey:“It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I know that sounds stupid, but I was not prepared for the loneliness and isolation of being on the road for so long. It really has given me perspective on people who are constantly having to roam.”King also had to wrestle with one more unexpected factor: bitcoin’s price plunge this year after its meteoric rise at the end of 2013. For a charity dependent on the cryptocurrency for funding, its price fluctuations are of serious concern.“The only thing that was really unexpected was bitcoin falling in price by half,” he said. “Glad to see it on the rise again!”Those interested in supporting King’s efforts for Sean’s Outpost can find details here.Featured image via Sean’s OutpostcharityJason KingSean's Outpost
Original author: Joon Ian Wong
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