Dogecoin: DBeS2gHm79fHsxkYWTatbCYonxxc8fQn4M
Bitcoin: bc1qga4p8wxjvc8vx2l9p5y35ac7t0q0jqf8lmsf9y

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

What is Bitcoin?


Bitcoin is a type of digital currency. It is also a payment system and fast approaching unit of account status. Bitcoin was created in 2009 by someone named Satoshi Nakamoto. To this date, no one knows who Satoshi is. There are many theories (Elon Musk, a supercomputer in China, etc.), but no one has officially stepped forward to claim the honor. As part of the creation, s/he also created the first blockchain database. Here's a link to the white paper (Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System) which explains how bitcoin works.


What problem did Satoshi solve in the white paper? S/He made it possible for a technology to be the intermediary by coming up with a logic to obtain consensus by all parties. In this way, no "trust" broker like a bank or lawyer is needed.

The number of Bitcoin available in the market is limited to approximately 21 million. There are approximately 16.7 million bitcoin on the market today (you can see how many bitcoin are currently on the market by clicking here). As of 11/26/2017, bitcoin is worth a little over $9,000. You can check on the latest bitcoin price here.

Due to its popularity, you can use Bitcoin at numerous stores. Some of these stores include: WordPress.com, Overstock.com, Subway, Microsoft, Reddit,Virgin Galactic, OkCupid, Namecheap, CheapAir.com, Expedia.com, Gyft, Newegg.com, and Whole Foods.

In addition to being able to send an unlimited amount of money to anyone with a cell phone, Bitcoin transactions are also anonymous. As President Obama stated, if the govt. can’t crack encryption, then people are walking around "with a Swiss bank account in their pocket."

The implications of this last point are very compelling. Bitcoin can't be manipulated, controlled or shut down because it's completely decentralized. If government could shut it down they would have done so already.