As someone who is paying 5% to deposit a foreign check, and also lost a non-trivial amount when a ripple gateway folded, I can say I am still excited to see another iteration on the idea.
5% as a consumer spread on international transfers is ridiculous, and seemingly only avoided using some sort of forex exchange with high minimums and excessive red tape.
Bitcoin exchanges do not offer reliable or timely deposit/withdrawal in most local currencies to consider it an alternative.
The trust points are no worse than existing banks / currency exchange / forex models that allow this type of transfer to take place. If we are lucky, we can improve and decentralize those choke points further.
Yes, those who control the choke points have the potential to make stupid amounts of money based solely on traffic, much like existing banking models and many startups.
As ridership in a given community increases, everyone's quality of life goes up. In such cases, increased driver awareness and reduced biker isolation increases safety for everyone -- drivers and pedestrians included.
Slowing cars down on streets where bikers and pedestrians are present will save many lives, mostly those in cars, additionally some who are not.
This strikes me as naturally similar to many human marketplaces, such as craigslist roommates, hiring practices, where to go grab a drink -- which have long been reflective of similar biases. In my anecdotal experience, the scales on airbnb/couchsurf/craigslist roommates/similar are even further tipped in a sexist? manner, dramatically favoring females.
There is little surprising or special about the sharing economy resonating these patterns. However, It does provide an excellent venue for study and potentially creative mitigation.
In Seattle, http://elliescoworking.com/ -- I know it received lots of interest and support a few years back when it was first being tested. It looks like this may have transitioned away from childcare for the time being into http://www.worksprogressseattle.com/ Jessie is extremely friendly and I'm sure has quite a bit to say about her experience.
5% as a consumer spread on international transfers is ridiculous, and seemingly only avoided using some sort of forex exchange with high minimums and excessive red tape.
Bitcoin exchanges do not offer reliable or timely deposit/withdrawal in most local currencies to consider it an alternative.
The trust points are no worse than existing banks / currency exchange / forex models that allow this type of transfer to take place. If we are lucky, we can improve and decentralize those choke points further.
Yes, those who control the choke points have the potential to make stupid amounts of money based solely on traffic, much like existing banking models and many startups.
Worth reading is the recent blogpost that I'm sure most regulars have seen https://stripe.com/blog/bitcoin-the-stripe-perspective.