BITCOINS

A nice brief video describing bitcoins:


BITCOIN BASICS
• The original "White Paper" by Satoshi Nakamoto, describing the design of the Bitcoin Currency System [PDF LINK]

• The site where you can download the bitcoin client software - if you want to try this currency system [LINK].

• Bitcoin Me - general information about bitcoins [LINK].

• Wired UK overview of bitcoins [LINK].

• Watch the bitcoin market fluctuate at Bitcoin Charts [LINK].

• Scan all the transaction records of bitcoin exchanges on Bitcoin Block Explorer [LINK].

• A detailed work examining bitcoin theft and user anonymity [LINK].


BITCOIN CURRENCY EXCHANGES
• Mt. Gox - the (currently) largest bitcoin exchange, based in Japan [LINK].

• Information about the Mt. Gox bitcoin currency exchange [LINK].

• Trade Hill - a new bitcoin currency exchange based in Chile [LINK].


BITCOIN NEWS
• February 2011, the bitcoin reaches parity with the U.S. Dollar for the first time [LINK].

• A Daily Tech article on bitcoins and a significant drop in value in June 2011 [LINK].

• "Rough Trades: Digital Derivatives Hit the Bitcoin Markets as Wall Street Bankers Take Interest," by Adrianne Jeffers for Beta Beat [LINK].

• "Man Says He Lost $500,000 in Virtual Currency Heist" by Dan Goodin for The Register [LINK].

• "Bitcoin Stealing Malware Found, But How to Secure Your Wallet?" in Techbuzz [LINK].

• Bitcoin Blogger - often contains recent news items about bitcoins [LINK].


BITCOIN "MINING"
• Bitcoin Miner - a site dedicated to bitcoin mining [LINK].

• Bitcoin mining software and contracts available at We Use Coins [LINK].

• Bitcoin Rigs - a place to buy pre-made bitcoin mining "rigs" [LINK].

• Bitcoin Mining Accidents - a forum for bitcoin miners to discuss difficulties with "mining" (electrical fires, etc.) [LINK].


INTERESTING THINGS TO BUY WITH BITCOINS
• Buy a bitcoin "merit badge" with bitcoins [LINK].

• Buy a souvenir token that looks like a bitcoin [LINK].

• Bitlotto - an online bitcoin-based lottery [LINK].

• Using bitcoins to buy drugs - "The Underground Website Where You Can Buy Any Drug Imaginable" in Gawker [LINK].