In fact, much of it is. There are many many laws on the books that already cover digital currencies. Just ask the people who have been arrested for transacting too much without a licence. Financial regulations and consumer protection laws still apply.
The ecosystem is also self-regulated in many ways. I don't mean in the whole sense of that loaded phrase, but simple things like the rules to create and maintain the money supply and rate of that creation or the fact that you can transact without the need for a bank that needs the oversight. Bitcoin, done right, doesn't have someone else in a position to abuse trust of leaving you money in their hands.
I'm sure there are things that need tweaked, but the "Wild West" notion attributed to Bitcoin has more to do with a lack of understanding of how it works by users than a lack of rules to govern it's use.
This is a bad idea because it removes organic matter from the soil and making it less fertile, more easily compacted and more prone to errotion. Fields in that condition require more fertilizer
Then we just add petroleum based fertilizers to the soil. Problem solved,
I've seen and heard his interviews. Sure, it falls quite short of personally knowing him and there is certainly a mask of some sort to portray how he wants the public to perceive him rather than a reflection of his real personality. However, that is the vibe I always got from him. There is a limit to how many people we can know personally. To be able to function within those limits we have instincts. Empirical evidence should be sought when possible and opinions based on instincts should be held loosely. The events surrounding this man are quite important to our world and it's worth thinking about and having an opinion. His motives and personality do play a role in how much trust one should put in the man and insights like this are about the best we have without scheduling a meeting with him.
Re: SoylentNews Quite a few of the stories I've seen there so far seem to have a heavy "conspiracy theory" spin to them. I could see this posted there, only it would have a line about O'Hagan being an NSA shill. That being said, Slashdot has been in decline for a while and I will be heading over to SoylentNews to read, comment, and support that website after I am done here.
UNIX is hot. It's more than hot. It's steaming. It's quicksilver lightning with a laserbeam kicker. -- Michael Jay Tucker