“Fiat” is money with no intrinsic value beyond whatever an issuing government is able to enforce. When it enjoys a monopoly as currency, fiat inevitably turns the free market functions of money inside out. Instead of being a store of value, the currency becomes a point of plunder through monetary policies such as quantitative easing. Instead of greasing society as a medium of exchange, the currency acts as a powerful tool of social control.

A graphical visualization of approximately the first 1000 transactions starting at block 0 on the bitcoin network.

Each dot is a bitcoin address ("Hello!" when it appears). There is a line between dots when there is a transaction between them ("Transfer"). The size of the dots represent the amount of "influence" that address has (PageRank). It is sized relative to the probability that a bitcoin will end up in that address given the transactions that have been seen.

Ransom demands are for BITCOINS or Romney's tax returns will go public.

Bitcoin heist shows we may all not be ready for a Wild West mentality with currency.

The 0.2-mil property tax for the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) passed by a huge margin in Metro Detroit's primary election. It will cost taxpayers with a homeowner's market value of $200,000 and a taxable value of $100,000 an additional $20 annually.