News: Facebook crypto coin, Electrum Pro theft, Upbit raided, Australia, Spanish taxes, Excel coin miners, Ben Shapiro’s Bitcoin IRA

  • “Facebook is exploring the creation of its own cryptocurrency … people familiar with Facebook’s plans told Cheddar.” This is a new wrinkle in the story that started with David Marcus’ Facebook post (archive) about the company’s blockchain explorations. The cryptocurrency angle was repeated in The Verge — but Cheddar’s entire substance for the cryptocurrency claim is: “‘They are very serious about it,’ said one of the people, who asked not to be identified discussing unannounced plans.” I can well believe they spoke to at least one person who thought this would involve an actual crypto coin or token of some sort … But let’s just contemplate Facebook actually trying to facilitate Cambridge Analytica, but on the blockchain.

 

 

  • South Korean prosecutors have raided the country’s largest exchange, UPbit, on charges of fraud. “Prosecutors allege that the company has been transferring funds from customer accounts to a separate account. The separate account is suspected to belong to an executive at UPbit.”
  • Australia’s 2018 Budget includes a line item to “provide $0.7 million in 2018–19 for the Digital Transformation agency to investigate areas where blockchain technology could offer the most value for Government services.” They could buy 25,000 copies of Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain — but sadly, they’re much more likely to just give the money to IBM to run search-and-replace over their white paper collection.
  • Also in Australia, The IOT Group has an actual partner for its blockchain dreams, Royalti Blockchain Groupif the coal-fired power station deal goes ahead. Royalti is an “authorised integrator” for Bitmain’s AntMiner mining rigs. The chances of a reopened Redbank Power Station passing environmental muster are still approximately zero.
  • Jemima Kelly from FT laments the loss of her “blockchain score,” as Klout shuts down for no better reason than its entire business model being laughably illegal under the GDPR.

 

 

  • I am sure this “Bitcoin Hack Cheat 2018 Get Unlimited Bitcoins Android ioS no generator no survey CLICK THE BELOW BUTTON for Bitcoin Hack Tips and Cheats Free Bitcoins for Android Bitcoin Hack Apk Unlimited Bitcoins” site is $100% legit.
  • “The insight that got me interested in Bitcoin was the planet Uranus is about to enter into Taurus,” says Ricky Williams. This is in CNBC’s “Entrepreneurs” section, because apparently literal magic is all CNBC can come up with to hype cryptos now.
  • “We’ve never used Bitcoin but it sounds really complicated, so it’s a great way to deter problem drinkers. You’re not going to download a special browser or whatever just to get leathered. Actually you might do, it depends how determined you are I suppose.”
  • Nouriel Roubini on initial Coin Scams: “There are now nearly 1,600 cryptocurrencies. It is time to start recognizing their issuers’ utopian rhetoric for what it is: self-serving nonsense meant to separate credulous investors from their hard-earned savings.” EOS is still my favourite — June 2017 and they’d already come up with the Platonic ideal of tokens. “This is literally worthless.” “I’m in!!!”

 

 

  • “As an alternative medium of exchange, bitcoin has gone essentially nowhere. It has thrived only as a speculative asset — and, in that capacity, trading in bitcoin is being pulled slowly into the very edifice it was meant to pull down.” (archive)
  • Conservative radio host Ben Shapiro has been pushing Bitcoin IRAs, through the Ben Shapiro Gold Company. I tried sending away for the booklet — I put 202-456-1414 in the “phone number” field and got two emails asking me to fix the phone number so they could call and talk to me before they’d send me the booklet — so they’re pre-screening their suckers scrupulously. I’ve previously written up right-wing mail-order fraud, its own distinct variety of affinity fraud, on RationalWiki. Has anyone managed to secure a copy of this no doubt informative text?

 

 

  • I still have a box of books here, taking up space in my tiny house. If you want a signed copy, then contact me, they’re in stock! £13 each plus postage, £10 each for five or more!

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/jcrainium/status/993803602375397376

 

https://twitter.com/ummjackson/status/994762005088165888

 

 

https://twitter.com/AdamSinger/status/995002951360905216

 

 

https://twitter.com/vocibus/status/994480383512141824

 

 

 

 

 



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