by Ian | Jan 8, 2017 |
Bitcoin Vending Machine Locations in Southern NH
Longtime Concord liberty activist Kirk McNeil is Area 23’s proprietor. Longtime readers of Free Keene may remember him for making headlines for legalizing nanobreweries in New Hampshire. Kirk said in an interview for Free Keene, “I’m happy to have a location where people can access and utilize alternative currencies and exchange methods.”
Entrepreneur and newer mover David Jurist purchased the Lamassu brand BVM, approached Kirk before anyone else and offered him the opportunity to host the unit at Area 23, given it was already a liberty-and-bitcoin friendly establishment. David told me, “it’s exciting that the capital city of New Hampshire finally has a Bitcoin Vending Machine”. I agree. It’s also timely as one of the state representatives on the “Commission to Study Cryptocurrency” has followed through on her promise to file a bill this year that will ensure bitcoin users do not need to register as “money transmitters”. (more…)
by Ian | Jan 7, 2017 |
This week I had the pleasure of being invited to participate in a panel discussion about voluntaryism on YouTube channel, “No More 2 Party System“. Host Jeff Justice had several voluntarists on his show to talk about what voluntaryism is, including Tatiana Moroz and Jeffrey Phillips. I was able to join the discussion about an hour in due to my studio being occupied by Free Talk Live when they started at 9pm Eastern.
https://youtu.be/M7x-ae2hJXM
Of course I strongly encouraged voluntarists, libertarians, and liberty-loving anarchists to move to New Hampshire. I highlighted how awesome it is to live in a place where not only are you already more free than anywhere else, but where libertarians are actually getting elected.
My optimistic message of migrating to NH with the highest concentration of liberty activists in the world stood in stark contrast to the other guests’ opinions. The others were all spread out in other places with no real hope for liberty in their lifetimes. Their positions were understandably critical of getting involved in the system (they don’t know that the system can actually be changed here in NH). Some panelists supported just trying to run away from the state or improve one’s own individual wealth and happiness where they are. (more…)
by Ian | Jan 3, 2017 |
Don’t pay the terrorists!
Having heard that I was someone who might know a thing or two about bitcoin, they reached out to me. My first question was, do you have backups of your important files? He said that his backup procedure had been broken for a while, so he didn’t have one. This is the number one thing you can do to avoid paying ransom. If you have a backup (preferably one on-site and one off-site), then you can just format the computer and reinstall everything fresh.
They were in a hurry as there were mission critical files on the infected computer, so I told them I could help them turn some cash into bitcoin since the Keene Bitcoin Vending Machine at Route 101 Local Goods is closed on Mondays. However, I cautioned that they still have to trust unknown hackers to actually do as they say and unlock the files once the payment is made. (Turns out, they did decrypt the files about ten hours after he paid the ransom.) I then did some digging online for solutions to avoid paying the extortion.
Turns out, paying the ransom or formatting the computer aren’t the only two options, according to some of my even-more-techy friends in the New Hampshire bitcoin community. The most promising options are ransomware decryptors. Kapersky Labs, along with Intel and others, have a website set up with instructions and downloadable files to attempt to unencrypt your files. Another handy site, “ID Ransomware” will assist you in determining which specific ransomware you’re dealing with. (more…)
by mnemosyne | Dec 8, 2016 |
December 8, 2016
PORTSMOUTH – Local businesses, bitcoin users, local artists, entrepreneurs, and international travelers rejoice. A diverse set of people are sharing art and talent, health and beauty, and creating community in a new, exciting way.
With the installation of the seacoast’s first ever bitcoin vending machine at the Seacoast Repertory Theater they are dropping their tired old central bank notes into a local bright orange, wall-mounted machine in exchange for bitcoin, cash for the twenty first century.
Dozens of local vendors and some prominent store front businesses are using bitcoin as a backbone of the local economy alongside the federal reserve dollar system. Many businesses are happy to have new, interesting customers who are seeking local places where they can spend the bitcoin they earn doing business online and in person.
Understandably many Portsmouth denizens are cautious toward new technology, especially an evolved form of money, but are surprised how easy it is to use bitcoin like cash. Most often one is astounded that no registration, email, name or identity is required to use bitcoin and participate in the global market economy. All it takes is downloading any one of dozens of free apps from the app store.
Other bitcoin users are excited by the idea of taking responsibility for the money that supports and grows their community, engaging in an international effort to democratize access to money online, or the nearly unlimited access to online shopping of all kinds.
Understandably many Portsmouth denizens are cautious toward new technology, especially an evolved form of money, but are surprised how easy it is to use bitcoin like cash.
Organizers at the Seacoast Rep hope to draw new theater-goes from the growing bitcoin economy, and local bitcoin entrepreneurs are aiming to expose local artists and theater lovers to the world’s best form of money.
In yet another step toward peace and international free trade to and from Portsmouth, International flights on Norwegian Air likely to begin out of Pease International Trade Port as early as July 2017.
Want to opt out of the federal reserve? Want to get ahead of the curve and get in on trade with people from all across the globe?
Head on down to the Seacoast Repertory Theater at 125 Bow St, Portsmouth, NH 03801 and trade in your cash for bitcoin. You can buy theater tickets, or eat brunch at STREET, or do Bikram Yoga, or shop at thousands of online stores.
Support peace and free trade and go check it out. In the mean time tap for iphone or tap for android to get Mycelium, a free, easy to use bitcoin wallet app in under a minute. It’s easy and fun!
by Ian | Dec 3, 2016 |
Keene’s Newest Bitcoin-Accepting Businesses!
As stated in the radio ads that Shire BTC has been running on the Peak 101.9, Bitcoin is an international currency, but feels hyper-local. We’ve seen multiple examples of local bitcoin-accepting businesses patronizing each other. Not only do business owners get to keep more from each sale than they do from credit card transactions, but that also means more money staying here in the Keene-area economy, rather than going to megacorporate credit card companies!
Pizza doesn’t get fresher than Little Zoe’s, now available for bitcoin!
Another established, award-winning Keene business that is now accepting bitcoin at their point-of-sale is Little Zoe’s Take and Bake Pizza, located in the Center at Keene on Gilbo Ave. Originally established several years ago, the unique pizzeria makes each pizza fresh and then you take the pizza home and cook it in your oven! Their delicious pizza is available with a staggering amount of topping configurations and won NH Magazine’s “Best of NH” award for 2013. (more…)
by Ian | Oct 29, 2016 |
Cell 411, Now With Ride Sharing!
Originally launched in August of 2015, Cell 411 has since been installed 85,000 times, worldwide. Its primary purpose is to connect people with their friends, family, and neighbors in any emergency situation, from being pulled over, to a fire, to medical emergency. At that it’s been an incredible success, and it’s free to use. Now, by adding ride sharing, Cell 411 has gone to the next level. They’ve decentralized ride sharing even moreso than UBER and Lyft and Cell 411 did it without a single dollar from investors or publicity in advance. For those who have been watching Arcade City – Cell 411 has accomplished AC’s original vision while Arcade City’s app doesn’t even have ride sharing yet.
I’ve been a longtime supporter of Arcade City. Arcade City’s founder, Christopher David gave a great keynote speech at the 2015 Keenevention and is a blogger here at Free Keene. In its early days and through the summer I promoted AC on my radio show and became one of the top recruiters. However with the early September release of the current software, I was pretty bummed that ride-sharing was not included, and instead it was just a “game” involving earning and giving “karma points” to other people in the network. It didn’t make sense, especially since Arcade City already had ride-scheduling in their early 2016 app. Obviously the code from the first app could have been included in the September 2016 release and allowed drivers to get started giving people rides immediately.
Good-bye UBER, Cell 411 is here.
Drivers of UBER and Lyft were understandably interested in Arcade City, which promised an app that would truly decentralize ride sharing. The original vision Chris David had was to cut the corporations out of the picture. No longer would UBER and Lyft (and their imitators) be able to control the drivers. Drivers would be able to set their own rates as well as accepted payment methods – cash, bitcoin, credit card, silver, or whatever. This vision would bring a new level of competition to the transportation business, while making it even harder for governments to target those involved with regulation. (more…)
