One of the very few mainstream articles that has gone deep enough down the rabbit-hole to properly appreciate payment scripting.
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Bitcoin -- the world's most hyped cryptocurrency -- isn't just for buying pizza and drugs: essentially programmable money, the system can be built on to create new financial applications. "Bitcoin as a platform for innovation is what excites me most," says Gavin Andresen
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Every Bitcoin transaction includes a script -- rules that define how it may be spent. This can be basic, but more elaborate scripts are possible, according to Jeff Garzik, senior software engineer at BitPay. "Escrow has a script that requires signatures from two of the three people involved in a transaction. Or there may be a password kept in one person's memory -- a brainwallet."