fianchetto

My own disappointment with EFF comes from many years of watching them go from a grassroots group to being an established thinktank in DC. I don't feel like they represent me and that feeling was certainly reinforced during the past two years with regard to Bitcoin.

It's only my personal opinion. You should donate to whomever you want to. As I said, EFF taking Bitcoin is good for Bitcoin.

EFF taking Bitcoin is good for Bitcoin but they won't get a single satoshi from me. I joined EFF not long after the Steve Jackson days and supported them until relatively recently.

I didn't believe their original "we don't want to be the story" explanation for not wanting to accept bitcoins. The EFF didn't want to get tagged as 'fringe' in their DC circles by accepting bitcoins in the wake of the Wikileaks/bitcoin story. Now that Bitcoin is being backed by startup money, EFF sees Bitcoin as socially safe again.

EFF alienated me by letting go of principle when it was more important to hang onto it.

I'd trust Google with my money just like I'd trust them with my real world information.

/s

> a "crime" that was rooted in negligence rather than malicious intent.

Speculation, not fact.

I think there are many little police "fiefdoms" in the US. Bakersfield itself sounds like one.

Beating people death and then intimidating witnesses into handing over evidence sounds like a police state to me.

I think it will get worse before it gets better. The momentum behind the security state will wind down through inertia as the economics of maintaining it will prove untenable but before that happens, many large American cities will be under increasing surveillance and more citizens will find themselves in police and prison situations worthy of Kafka.

And you're right. Most aren't paying attention.

Sadly, some people are looking forward to the compulsory anal probes that are on deck.

> At the time Zimmerman said that, PGP probably wasn't on the list.

It wasn't on the list yet, proving his point about volatility.

> full force and effect of the law.

All decrees, from Hammurabi onward, have the same qualities.

> How did this manage to survive first amendment challenges?

This goes back to what Phil Zimmerman said about ITAR and such almost 20 years ago when they threw it at him for PGP:

"The Government has made it illegal in many cases to export good cryptographic technology, and that may include PGP. This is determined by volatile State Department policies, not fixed laws."

This has nothing to do with law and everything to do with those same volatile policies a generation later.

Bitcoin is cryptographically pure but programmers aren't quite as perfect.

Not necessarily. Robert Lucas, for instance.

A Nobel doth not a genius make.

That is awesome! Many thanks.

I ran across this book while I was researching the caloric engine. Momentary obsessions can be very rewarding sometimes. :)

I don't think developers care about that issue.

Per the lead developer:

"If you have a better suggestion for fixing the problem of new users wasting lots of time gathering tiny drips and drabs of bitcoins, and then getting upset when they can't spend them (because it costs more in fees that they are worth), I'm open to suggestions."

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=191425.msg1985498#ms...