Source: Random House In a dramatic move, New Zealand banned its first book in decades on Monday. The award-winning teen novel, Into The River, won the New Zealand Post children’s book of the year in 2013 and includes portrayals of sex and bullying. Auckland-based author Ted Dawe did not see the ban coming. “It’s extraordinary,” Dawe told the New Zealand Herald. “I’ve had quite a few emails from people who share that sense of outrage. Do we live in a country where books get banned? I’ll get burnt next.” In the book, a Maori boy wins a scholarship to an exclusive Auckland boarding school but faces racism and struggles with drugs. The Film and Literature Board of Review called the ban temporary. No book had been banned…
Bitcoin start-up E-Coin has launched a virtual bitcoin debit card that works where VISA is accepted. The virtual bitcoin debit card has until now existed in the realm of possibilities largely due to the idiosyncrasies of the global financial system. E-Coin solves a problem that has affected bitcoin users worldwide. Bitcoin users have had to cope with limited spending opportunities. By combining bitcoin with VISA, users of the virtual prepaid card will now be able to perform all the normal transactions that ordinary cardholders are able to do such as load funds, withdraw, and shop online. The most exciting aspect about E-Coin is its merging of the traditional financial architecture with the new reality of digital currencies. E-Coin currently has about 20,000…
Saffron Bacchus made Bitcoiners very happy internet participants lately when she launched her new membership site, (NSFW) Bacchus Entertainment. As she told Redditors: I think 2015 is going to be huge for bitcoin so I think it’s time to stop getting screwed over by credit companies and just go 100% on bitcoin! You can check her out on Twitter here. Interview with Saffron Bacchus What made you interested in making videos? SB: We realized that there are lot of niche fetishes out there that don’t get a lot of new, high quality content, and we thought it would be fun to make videos for those communities! We love being creative and exploring the different fetishes and aspects of sexuality, and videos are a great way for us to express ourselves! What’s the most…
Have you ever thought to yourself, “I really wish I could ship a large inflatable middle finger to my best friend”? Well, now you can…and you can do so for Bitcoin! “The idea came from a friend,” Kurt Zoe, co-founder of Ship The Finger tells me. “After hearing of the Ship Your Enemies glitter service, he wanted to send something different.” So the idea for Ship The Finger was born. “He told me that he wanted to send the finger to his dad as a joke after a football game. He told me his idea then we built the Ship The Finger website.” To be sure, the site does not want to be used to spread hate. “It is supposed to be a joke. It’s not meant to be a threat or a way to bully,” Zoe tells me. “The main reason behind the site is…
Photo Credit: Wikipedia According to Vinny Lingham, CEO of digital card platform Gyft, when the company first integrated bitcoin payments they accounted for 90% of the company’s sales. Although Paypal and credit card purchases made up the remaining 10%, Mr. Lingham has stated to CoinDesk that the field has shifted dramatically. Since the initial bitcoin integreation in 2013, Gyft has seen an incredible 80% drop of bitcoin’s usage, leading to a complete reversal of purchasing trends – now Paypal and credit cards make up 90% of the payment methods, while bitcoin hangs on at 10%. Lingham remains steadfastly fascinated by bitcoin, as he has since he spearheaded the endeavor to accept it as a payment option. “The reason we started [accepting…