5 ms·

NH-based entrepreneurs to launch Bitcoin ATM this week

42 points by morisy 13y ago

sp332 13y ago
All on one page: http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/startups/2013/05/bitcoin-atm-lamassu-manchester-nh-this.html?page=all http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/startups/2013/05/bitc...
malgorithms 13y ago
I wonder if it accepts counterfeit dollars. [edit:] to clarify, I don't mean this as a joke. It seems that they're not paying out cash (only taking in) because they don't trust the depositor and have to wait anywhere from 10 mins to a couple hours for a transaction. But how can they trust the incoming cash? It seems like a perfect venue for a counterfeiter.
- morisy 13y ago
  I was wondering that myself. I assume they have some anti-counterfeiting tech in there? Though that seems tough if the machine is built for so many different currencies.
- fsckin 13y ago
  I would guess that they're using a standard bill acceptor that does optical and magnetic tests. They'd have to be really good fake bills.
  - thechut 13y ago
    This! The exact same way a regular ATM ensures deposits are legitimate.
    - nwh 13y ago
      For some reason I always thought that was a manual affair. In Australia deposits are just money stuffed in an envelope with your intended value on it, that go into a slot in the ATM.
      - saraid216 13y ago
        I actually recently went to an ATM to deposit money, which I haven't done in a long while, and was pretty confused not to find any envelopes available.
      - wtvanhest 13y ago
        The US has fully automated machines. They even can read checks.
        csense 13y ago
        Checks? Seriously? They must have some badass OCR.
        deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
jstanley 13y ago
For anyone else confused, I believe NH means "New Hampshire".
- astrodust 13y ago
  Title should be adjusted since I'm sure a lot of people don't know what that abbreviation is. You might even guess it's related to "NiMH" or is some other kind of chemical compound.
  - csense 13y ago
    I had to learn all fifty states' postal abbreviations and capital cities in elementary school, back in the 20th century. Seriously, kids these days! Now get off my lawn. (And if you're reading this and you're not an American? You should learn this stuff anyway, because the world revolves around US.)
codesuela 13y ago
This is not to be confused with the other Bitcoin ATM. The "ATM" described in this article is more of a Bitcoin vending machine. Bitcoin ATM: https://bitcoinatm.com/media/pictures/flagship1.png https://bitcoinatm.com/media/pictures/flagship1.png Bitcoin Machine (the one this article is about): http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA1LzAyLzEzL0xhbWFzc3VCaXRjLjViNWEzLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/9b7b81c3/5aa/Lamassu-Bitcoin-ATM.jpg http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA1LzAyLzEzL0xhbWFzc...
jrochkind1 13y ago
i don't get it, in what form/format does this machine 'dispense' bitcoins? I'm not a bitcoin expert, but bitcoins are digital currency, right? How does a physical machine dispense digital currency? You attach a USB drive to it or something?
- thechut 13y ago
  I can't be sure of this. But my guess other than a USB drive like you mentioned would be, you simply input a Bitcoin address for them to be sent to. This way you could send the Bitcoins to a personal wallet, online hosted wallet, or even straight to Mt. Gox. Or perhaps it does something more physical like creating a new wallet for you and physically prints out the private key of the wallet for you to keep with you.
- sneak 13y ago
  Presumably you either show the machine a QR code on your phone/tablet (which represents a bitcoin payment address), or it prints out a private key for you to input into your software (which can then be swept of its coins).
bisrael 13y ago
Please enter your 27-34 hexadecimal pin:
maeon3 13y ago
If I get paid in Bitcoins and only spend bitcoins, can I still report that I earned zero Monopoly Money-US dollars this year? Does that mean when this takes off I can earn, exchange and sell units of future human labor without the friction of governments taking 25% to 35% of it? We can assume the government will spare no expense in destroying bitcoin by fiat by making laws against it, and if that doesn't work, using economic hit-men, supporting jackals, or the old trusty domestic military action with soldiers from Georgia and Virginia to break down the door of anyone caught using it under the table. The question is, how is this war going to unfold? Will the US dollar be allowed to be exposed as the always-inflating Monopoly Money it is, and slowly fade out over the next 20 years? So many possibilities. If bitcoin can survive laws that make it illegal, taxes on it that make it less useful than USD, assassinations of key figures, the destruction of companies promoting it, and domestic military action, then bitcoin might have a shot at becoming the next world currency. Otherwise, a combination of these things will erase it to a footnote in the history books. But you can be darn certain that the government is going to levy their tax on the income of bitcoins. In the interests of the sovreign, to promote "fairness".
- wwosik 13y ago
  The government does not levy taxes on US dollar, but on the income, be it in dollars, monopoly money, bitcoins, mussels or pigs. It's just in some cases the low scale of the phenomenon makes collecting the tax more expensive than the collected sum. However, if the alternate currency should rise above a certain level you can be sure, it will be taxed. And the government really does not levy the tax because "they are evil them", but because the governed society has certain needs that can only be fulfilled by common effort and it would be good to minimize freeridership. Of course one can discuss whether certain governmental activities are needed or not, but to abandon all government wouldn't do any good.
  - mkr-hn 13y ago
    The noisy extremist factions within Libertarianism are heavily-represented here. I've never seen HN have a productive discussion on the role of government.
  - 13y ago
downrightmike 13y ago
Where is NH? Doesn't cover that.

42 points by morisy 13y ago

sp332 13y ago

All on one page: http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/startups/2013/05/bitcoin-atm-lamassu-manchester-nh-this.html?page=all http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/startups/2013/05/bitc...

malgorithms 13y ago

I wonder if it accepts counterfeit dollars. [edit:] to clarify, I don't mean this as a joke. It seems that they're not paying out cash (only taking in) because they don't trust the depositor and have to wait anywhere from 10 mins to a couple hours for a transaction. But how can they trust the incoming cash? It seems like a perfect venue for a counterfeiter.

morisy 13y ago
I was wondering that myself. I assume they have some anti-counterfeiting tech in there? Though that seems tough if the machine is built for so many different currencies.
fsckin 13y ago
I would guess that they're using a standard bill acceptor that does optical and magnetic tests. They'd have to be really good fake bills.
- thechut 13y ago
  This! The exact same way a regular ATM ensures deposits are legitimate.
  - nwh 13y ago
    For some reason I always thought that was a manual affair. In Australia deposits are just money stuffed in an envelope with your intended value on it, that go into a slot in the ATM.
    - saraid216 13y ago
      I actually recently went to an ATM to deposit money, which I haven't done in a long while, and was pretty confused not to find any envelopes available.
    - wtvanhest 13y ago
      The US has fully automated machines. They even can read checks.
      - csense 13y ago
        Checks? Seriously? They must have some badass OCR.
        deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]

jstanley 13y ago

For anyone else confused, I believe NH means "New Hampshire".

astrodust 13y ago
Title should be adjusted since I'm sure a lot of people don't know what that abbreviation is. You might even guess it's related to "NiMH" or is some other kind of chemical compound.
- csense 13y ago
  I had to learn all fifty states' postal abbreviations and capital cities in elementary school, back in the 20th century. Seriously, kids these days! Now get off my lawn. (And if you're reading this and you're not an American? You should learn this stuff anyway, because the world revolves around US.)

codesuela 13y ago

This is not to be confused with the other Bitcoin ATM. The "ATM" described in this article is more of a Bitcoin vending machine. Bitcoin ATM: https://bitcoinatm.com/media/pictures/flagship1.png https://bitcoinatm.com/media/pictures/flagship1.png Bitcoin Machine (the one this article is about): http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA1LzAyLzEzL0xhbWFzc3VCaXRjLjViNWEzLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/9b7b81c3/5aa/Lamassu-Bitcoin-ATM.jpg http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzA1LzAyLzEzL0xhbWFzc...

jrochkind1 13y ago

i don't get it, in what form/format does this machine 'dispense' bitcoins? I'm not a bitcoin expert, but bitcoins are digital currency, right? How does a physical machine dispense digital currency? You attach a USB drive to it or something?

thechut 13y ago
I can't be sure of this. But my guess other than a USB drive like you mentioned would be, you simply input a Bitcoin address for them to be sent to. This way you could send the Bitcoins to a personal wallet, online hosted wallet, or even straight to Mt. Gox. Or perhaps it does something more physical like creating a new wallet for you and physically prints out the private key of the wallet for you to keep with you.
sneak 13y ago
Presumably you either show the machine a QR code on your phone/tablet (which represents a bitcoin payment address), or it prints out a private key for you to input into your software (which can then be swept of its coins).

bisrael 13y ago

Please enter your 27-34 hexadecimal pin:

maeon3 13y ago

If I get paid in Bitcoins and only spend bitcoins, can I still report that I earned zero Monopoly Money-US dollars this year? Does that mean when this takes off I can earn, exchange and sell units of future human labor without the friction of governments taking 25% to 35% of it? We can assume the government will spare no expense in destroying bitcoin by fiat by making laws against it, and if that doesn't work, using economic hit-men, supporting jackals, or the old trusty domestic military action with soldiers from Georgia and Virginia to break down the door of anyone caught using it under the table. The question is, how is this war going to unfold? Will the US dollar be allowed to be exposed as the always-inflating Monopoly Money it is, and slowly fade out over the next 20 years? So many possibilities. If bitcoin can survive laws that make it illegal, taxes on it that make it less useful than USD, assassinations of key figures, the destruction of companies promoting it, and domestic military action, then bitcoin might have a shot at becoming the next world currency. Otherwise, a combination of these things will erase it to a footnote in the history books. But you can be darn certain that the government is going to levy their tax on the income of bitcoins. In the interests of the sovreign, to promote "fairness".

wwosik 13y ago
The government does not levy taxes on US dollar, but on the income, be it in dollars, monopoly money, bitcoins, mussels or pigs. It's just in some cases the low scale of the phenomenon makes collecting the tax more expensive than the collected sum. However, if the alternate currency should rise above a certain level you can be sure, it will be taxed. And the government really does not levy the tax because "they are evil them", but because the governed society has certain needs that can only be fulfilled by common effort and it would be good to minimize freeridership. Of course one can discuss whether certain governmental activities are needed or not, but to abandon all government wouldn't do any good.
- mkr-hn 13y ago
  The noisy extremist factions within Libertarianism are heavily-represented here. I've never seen HN have a productive discussion on the role of government.
- 13y ago

downrightmike 13y ago

Where is NH? Doesn't cover that.