4 ms·

I'm always amused that every bitcoin story seems to include a stock photo of a shiny physical coin with a big "B" on it.

by xefer 12y ago

lucb1e 12y ago
People are always looking for a way to visualize it. Since it is a currency, and people associate coins with currency, what better icon to use?
- mrkickling 12y ago
  Well, since it's a crypto-currency, maybe something cryptographic? But I see the point, people associate currencies with coins.
  - allemagne 12y ago
    How do you visualize cryptography? A padlock? It might be a cool image to have a stack of those "B" coins with holes punched through them attached to a lock. I don't know if that would really help describe what bitcoin is though.
    - maxerickson 12y ago
      A police officer peaking around his blindfold at an ostrich with its head buried in the sand?
- icebraining 12y ago
  A spreadsheet would be a closer representation of Bitcoin. You can make it a paper one if you want a proper photo :)
  - lucb1e 12y ago
    But does a spreadsheet icon look like a currency to you?
- maxerickson 12y ago
  How about a stately, classic bank building engulfed in flames.
- sfk 12y ago
  A tulip?
lectrick 12y ago
People still have trouble grasping immaterial, purely-informational things.
- arethuza 12y ago
  I'm pretty sure that 99% of the money I have handled in the last decade or so has been "purely-informational".
  - lectrick 12y ago
    Yes, but you can take a physical dollar out of your wallet and look at it. JUST LOOK AT IT! It's a piece of paper with special ink on it that makes it difficult, but not impossible, to counterfeit! BUT IT'S REAL! ;) The article mentions that 88% of cash in circulation is in $100 bills. (I know that the percentage of ALL transactions that are in cash is low.)
dagw 12y ago
Well a vector version of that image (A big B in gold coin) is the first thing you see when you go to bitcoin.org so you can't really blame the media for following their example.

I'm always amused that every bitcoin story seems to include a stock photo of a shiny physical coin with a big "B" on it.

by xefer 12y ago

I'm always amused that every bitcoin story seems to include a stock photo of a shiny physical coin with a big "B" on it.

lucb1e 12y ago

People are always looking for a way to visualize it. Since it is a currency, and people associate coins with currency, what better icon to use?

mrkickling 12y ago
Well, since it's a crypto-currency, maybe something cryptographic? But I see the point, people associate currencies with coins.
- allemagne 12y ago
  How do you visualize cryptography? A padlock? It might be a cool image to have a stack of those "B" coins with holes punched through them attached to a lock. I don't know if that would really help describe what bitcoin is though.
  - maxerickson 12y ago
    A police officer peaking around his blindfold at an ostrich with its head buried in the sand?
icebraining 12y ago
A spreadsheet would be a closer representation of Bitcoin. You can make it a paper one if you want a proper photo :)
- lucb1e 12y ago
  But does a spreadsheet icon look like a currency to you?
maxerickson 12y ago
How about a stately, classic bank building engulfed in flames.
sfk 12y ago
A tulip?

lectrick 12y ago

People still have trouble grasping immaterial, purely-informational things.

arethuza 12y ago
I'm pretty sure that 99% of the money I have handled in the last decade or so has been "purely-informational".
- lectrick 12y ago
  Yes, but you can take a physical dollar out of your wallet and look at it. JUST LOOK AT IT! It's a piece of paper with special ink on it that makes it difficult, but not impossible, to counterfeit! BUT IT'S REAL! ;) The article mentions that 88% of cash in circulation is in $100 bills. (I know that the percentage of ALL transactions that are in cash is low.)

dagw 12y ago

Well a vector version of that image (A big B in gold coin) is the first thing you see when you go to bitcoin.org so you can't really blame the media for following their example.