More Bitcoin WTFery: Namecoin

RTapeLoadingError

@Jaime said:

You cannot point to any single thing as a bitcoin just like you can't go to the bank and ask to touch your pile of money.

You can't? I sometimes go to the bank and ask for my money in pennies so I can bath in them

Imagine if you could divide your pennies up into 10 millionths.... you could fill an olympic-sized swimming pool with them.

Or maybe a canyon or something.

immibis

@blakeyrat said:

@immibis said:
@blakeyrat said:
Really, the most mysterious thing about bitcoin is how nobody can explain it in a simple fashion, heh.

Each transaction has inputs and outputs. Inputs contain private keys

And... right there you lost the general public. Protip: if you're using jargon like "private keys", you're not explaining something in a simple fashion.

You also didn't cover the "so how does it work with partial bitcoins?" angle, unless you did and I didn't understand it because you didn't explain it in a simple fashion.
@Jaime said:
Bitcoin is designed to protect the holders of a currency from the central authorities that control the currency supply. Granted, it's a problem that most people don't view as a problem, but money supply abuses have caused serious problems, like the recent hyperinflation in Zimbabwe.

That problem was due to dumb thugs being the central authority. Nothing to do with the fact that the central authority exists. And dumb thugs would have (and did) ruined whatever governmental function they had authority over...

What the fuck happened to my linebreaks? This time I'll manually add BR tags.
The target audience of the explanation is TDWTF users, not the general public.
Partial bitcoins are sent the same way as whole bitcoins - except when creating the output, you don't use a whole number of bitcoins. I think it's actually represented as a whole number of Satoshi (0.00000001 bitcoin)

Mac OS X Trojan steals processing power to produce Bitcoins

Latest news on our favorite virtual currency.

The new Trojan was dubbed DevilRobber by antivirus vendors. In addition to secretly performing Bitcoin mining, OSX/Miner-D [DevilRobber] steals any existing Bitcoins and spies on you by taking screen captures and stealing your usernames and passwords. In addition, it runs a script that copies information regarding truecrypt data, Vidalia (TOR plugin for Firefox), your Safari browsing history and .bash_history.
The Bitcoin mining program that DevilRobber installs on infected computers is called DiabloMiner and is a legitimate Java-based application used in the virtual currency's production. One Bitcoin is currently valued at around US$3.20, and it is a good source of profit for both Bitcoin miners, who legitimately use their computer resources to generate them, and cybercriminals who steal them.

Someone_You_Know

@El_Heffe said:

In addition, it runs a script that copies information regarding truecrypt data, Vidalia (TOR plugin for Firefox), your Safari browsing history and .bash_history.

.bash_history? What's that?

Xyro

@El_Heffe said:

The Bitcoin mining program that DevilRobber installs on infected
computers is called DiabloMiner and is a legitimate Java-based
application

RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUGH!!! THIS IS ALL JAVA'S FAULT!!! >:O >:O >:O

dhromed

@Xyro said:

RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUGH!!! THIS IS ALL JAVA'S FAULT!!! >:O >:O >:O

hey blakey how did you get control of xyro's account lol