Bitcoin, a purely digital currency, is backed by no commodity and governed by no central bank, but it exists because a small number of humans have chosen to believe in its legitimacy. Its pseudonymous creator (or, more likely, creators) “Satoshi Nakamoto” willed it into existence in 2009, not only describing how the so-called cryptocurrency would work but shipping a full working implementation.

The definition of “crypto-currency” has gotten a little loose these days.

Beyond the far reaches of Google lies a web so “deep” even the FBI had difficulty busting drug trades and decoding usernames.

A group of London-based IT professionals are set to launch Flappy Coin - yet another cryptocurrency. According to the founders, writing on BitCoinTalk.org, "The aim of the Flappy Coin is to make a fresh difference in the current market. We want to create a stable, reliable coin that can be trusted. We want to promote what we call 'Flappy Bird' ethos -- the concept that even a single person can make a massive impact to the world."

Most, if not all, of the people interested in the bitcoin phenomenon have heard of MtGox, the Japanese bitcoin exchange. I’ll look in to some of the issues they’ve run into over the handful of years they’ve existed.

At the point of writing this post, Mt.Gox, the Bitcoin's oldest exchange, has suspended transactions and the central bank of Russia -following that of China- has banned it, Bitcoin is once again tumbling and I believe it's the right time to add my views on the matter.

Russian authorities have issued warnings against using Bitcoin, saying the virtual currency could be used for money laundering or financing terrorism and that treating it as a parallel currency is illegal.

For starters, real-life Shiba Inus came. "Such soft," the 20-something in front of me said to his friend as he petted a real-life Shiba Inu. He didn't say it enthusiastically, really, but kind of in a monotone, like an afterthought. As if anybody actually talked that way normally.

Bank of England officials told currency traders it wasn’t improper to share impending customer orders with counterparts at other firms, a practice at the heart of a widening probe into alleged market manipulation, according to a person who has seen notes turned over to regulators.

Russia doesn’t do things by halves — Bitcoin can no longer be used by individuals and legal entities anymore. If you have a Bitcoin wallet on your computer, you are now breaking the law. The Central Bank of Russia reiterated that the official currency is the Ruble, and that it considers Bitcoin a money substitute. That’s why the cryptocurrency is now banned.

For the last two months, developers and users of Dogecoin, the shiba-themed altcoin (alternative Bitcoin), have been trying to hash out whether it should be an inflationary or deflationary currency. On Saturday, Jackson Palmer, the creator of Dogecoin, wrote on Github that the developer team would keep the code as it is—allowing for some limited inflation.

Earlier in January Bitcoin, as it receded as recipient of an infinite press, began to see its trading range tighten after months of wild swings. I pointed..

I know manias. I’ve seen them again and again – hordes of people find out about a product or idea, back it with all their might, and are angry when anyone refuses to genuflect to their sacred cow. It happened to Notion Ink, it happens to Apple, it happens to Blackberry, and it happened in the vaccine autism scare, in the truthers, and in countless other subcultures who manifest their undying love with endless devotion and unremitting anger.

TigerDirect, a major online retailer, has started accepting Bitcoin as a payment option on their website.

Argentina tightened foreign currency restrictions for a second straight day by further limiting the purchases of goods online, escalating an effort to arrest a decline in dollar reserves. Argentines will be limited to two Internet purchases abroad for delivery at home per year using credit cards, according to a resolution by the tax agency published in the official gazette. The tax agency, known as AFIP, increased paperwork on online shopping yesterday.

There seem to be some really annoying problems with the money systems we use today. And the fact is, we are so used to the status quo, that we stopped recognizing problems, and consequently stopped...

Las Vegas is getting one more novelty. Starting this week, patrons will be able to use the online currency bitcoin to pay for rooms, food and drinks at two downtown casinos. The D casino and the city's oldest casino, the Golden Gate, will accept bitcoins at hotel front desks beginning Wednesday. The cybercurrency will also be accepted at the D's gift shop and two restaurants. U.S. dollars will remain the only currency accepted on the gambling floor.

In the global arms race known as bitcoin mining, there’s success, and then there’s an excess of success.

A “deep cold storage” service for bitcoins underwritten by Lloyds of London and offering protection from hackers and accidental loss has launched in the UK

Bitcoin faces a fresh obstacle in China as Alibaba,the country’s largest e-commerce group, will ban bitcoin transactions starting January 14. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's Taobao, China’s largest online marketplace, will not allow any transactions of virtual currencies or related products, the Financial Times reports.