Topic: Bitcoin Magazine (Read 4658 times)

When I lived in Nashville, I used to date a woman who was, and maybe still is, a key administrator at Ingram Periodicals.

From internet TV to magazine publication then onto radio. Matthew's da Man!

Just thought I'd give a little input on the STFU "issue"...

My parents are a couple of the most conservative people you'll ever meet.  They don't drink or smoke.  I've never heard a swear word come out of their mouths (not even so much as a "damn".  Etc, etc.

Then one day, I'm over at their house, watching an Oregon Ducks football game with them, and my mom shows off her new UO t-shirt, which has the acronym STFU on it.  I was rather shocked.  Of course, the acronym was created on purpose because of it's normal meaning, and stands for "Smoke & Tobacco Free University", which is a campaign that is currently running among people at the campus.  My mother knows full well what STFU means, but was still willing (and proud) to wear the t-shirt.

Granted, football fans is a different crowd than Bitcoin, but if a public university is going to put the acronym on a shirt for their fans (with a wide variety of financial statuses and ages, as well as an older crowd of athletic dept. donors who have gobs of money), I'd say it's not going to damage Bitcoin's image any either.

Also, a link for more info on the STFU t-shirt campaign.  http://apassagetopondi.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/stfu-smokers/

Bump, in case somebody in not aware that Bitcoin Magazine is almost ready to be published. FYI, Matthew and I are byuntaes (South Korean for friends).

~Bruno~

Wow. 내 불알이 경단이래~ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 변태다.

You definitely have your hands full with this magazine project of yours. You get it Wright, and I'll lick your Gyung Dans--in public!

Loved the article! Remember reading something very similar and thinking "holy crap". I said it before and I'll say it again, without the support of bitcoiners, we've got no chance.

Great! Was pretty sure you were on it, but wanted to make sure.

~Bruno~

That's thoughtful of you Bruno. We're already in contact with both. I'll let everyone know when there is something it know!

 

Source: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/help/cds2.asp?pid=8156


Which service are you using, Matthew? Ingram Periodicals or Source Interlink Fulfillment Division? From what I've been reading, it looks like you'll need a minimum run of 5,000 physical copies before they'll consider accepting a new publication. And that's after they have a physical mock up issue(s) in hand to review the magazine.

The article was an excellent read.  I too wish the magazine much success and, as you have probably already surmised, agree with the sentiment of not wanting to see it fail.

Bitcoin is trademarked by MtGox. lol

I love competition!

I've just finished reading this whole thread, and have found it rather enlightening. Would you two be so kind as to take a couple minutes and read the following? http://mastensystems.com/index.php?loadpage=23 I feel that it may be most helpful.

I truly look forward to reading the magazine, Matthew. I wish it much success. I, for one, don't want to see it fail due to any seen or unseen pitfalls.

Regards,

~Bruno~

Since the term bitcoin is not trademarked, what's to stop some big publisher to come along and copy your idea? I hope you are a competitive sort!

You glazed over my point. I was implying that bitcoiners ultimately become bitcoiners because of bitcoin, not because of a magazine. There are future bitcoiners out there who don't even know it yet, and when they see our magazine, they're going to like bitcoin because of bitcoin and appreciate the magazine for the magazine. We are not misrepresenting Bitcoin as a whole by the editor's rant section saying "STFU". That was my point.

Yep, caught me there. I've spent most of my life shopping at Barnes and Noble while calling it "Barnes and Nobles". I'm sure this means I couldn't possibly know anything about anything. <3 your logic.


Why would anyone google the editor's name in the first place? Wouldn't it be more likely to google the magazine, the business that makes the magazine, the writers etc? They don't do this for editors, I'm sorry. You're fears are unfounded. Don't worry though, I'll have plenty of chance to provide proof eventually. Let's just let this one be remembered for a later date when it's not based on our opinions.


It's cool. Everyone is different and everyone has weaknesses. Mine is education. Many times my responses are less than appropriate, and it's why I believe support groups like the DCAO, BitTalk Media, etc are helpful for me, to allow me to do my job without actually having room to make too many mistakes. Right now for example, they're saying "Don't reply to the troll. He doesn't deserve your response", but it's hard for me to ignore FUD sometimes.


Yes well, as I said, support group and all that. Some people advise things that make sense for certain situations, and I never doubted that your business was not making you money, I was speaking more philosophically-- like how Satoshi is probably turning in his anonymous grave because of your centralization of Bitcoin, etc. Anyway, that was a troll and not really something I care too much about

Gotta have some fun ribbing once in a while to make sure you're still human 

Bitcoiners are well-versed in consuming digital downloads and wouldn't usually go to B&N for a magazine just to get it in print for the same reason they wouldn't go to Western Union to transfer funds if they didn't have to.

The exciting part about an in-print Bitcoin magazine is new reach.  What's the point of printing a magazine if not for that?


Hum.  You just barely learned within the last couple days that B&N actually stands for "Barnes & Noble", not "Barnes & Nobles".  So let's not pretend you just got out of their boardroom and are here to share their secret process about how anything anyone submits to them goes straight to their shelves.


Right.  Because they have never heard of Google, right?  Or they are based in a village with no internet access?  Is there a better reason there is "no chance" they will google your name, or did you just make this up too?


LOL.  Right.  Well, I'm so sorry for having misjudged your age.


Surprisingly well, to the point I am likely to go wholesale-only, at least for the small-value coins.  If you think they are so dumb and are ruining Bitcoin, then why are you promoting them for example here? https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/bittalktv-best-of-2011-contest-no-bullshit-56887 ... and why would you contact me and request free coins for your promotion if they are so destructive to Bitcoin?  Why would you want to publish ads for them in your magazine?  Am glad you're kidding around, as you acknowledge.

Mike, I'm 26 and have been doing business since I was 13. The only thing "new" to me is meeting so many self-important blowhards who think their tiny efforts in the Bitcoin society matter because "bitcoin". I have work ethics, impeccable sense of people's character, and extremely deep vision for projects. This magazine is not for you, or bitcointalk.org. It's for bitcoiners, just like a skateboard magazine is for skateboarders. You do not need to convince skateboarders to skateboard, but people will want to skateboard when they see the magazine photos of awesome tricks. "I want to do that".

This magazine will inadvertently cause people to use Bitcoin. It is not a propaganda or Jehova's witness style leaflet. It is a collection of pieces of truth about bitcoin, bad and good, represented in a perfect balance of comedy and serious analogy that I am sure you, your grandma, and your neighborhood children will all enjoy to some degree.

Now let's talk about Barnes and Noble. As a published author (I've been quite busy here in Korea for the past 7 years) I have to cut this FUD off right now and give you some insight into the actual selection process.

• Distributor looks at quality of publication
• Distributor accepts publication easily
• Barnes and Noble (and other stores) look at the distributor's catalog
• Barnes and Noble (and other stores) decide to ask for some sample issues of the magazine
• Barnes and Noble (and other stores) make sure the magazine is not full of porn and pay attention to the overall content based on the current interest of the world in Bitcoin/cryptography/technology/cyber politics/etc

There are only two reasons why Barnes and Noble would decide to stop carrying out magazine later on:

• Because they are out of room and it's not selling well enough
• Because they believe Bitcoin is not popular enough

There is no chance that Barnes and Noble nor their distribution partners would ever google the editor's name, find out what forum he is active on, look at his avatar on his profile and then deny a potentially profitable product.

You are so delusional and paranoid to even think such a thing. Thank you for your criticisms though, I just hope next time you know that you can do just like the other 100+ users of this forum have done and just PM me directly to see what I think instead of trying to make me sound like I'm "unfit" for the job. While you're basking in your own self importance, let me actually finalize an issue first so we can all sit back and judge it for what it actually is, when it actually gets out.

That said, I hear your snotty tone, I take the good out, I accept it, I adapt, I move on. Thank you for this learning experience for all of us. This argument of "Is Matthew fit to be editor" issue was bound to happen sooner or later, I just would have expected it to be coming from someone I pissed off more often. Also, I apologize about the "yo momma" joke, it was intended to be dumb, it was my way of trolling you. As my own mother passed away from cancer this last Christmas (did you see the Christmas Special? I did that right after flying back to Korea, having seen my mother die in front of my from choking on her own fluids and still did entertain the community, because I can.) I doubt I'll be making any "yo momma" jokes at least for a little while.


On another note, how's the taking-everything-good-about-bitcoins-decentralized-nature-and-ruining-it-by-requiring-everyone-trust-you-are-not-writing-down-every-private-key-somewhere business going for you? Are you happy that you're ruining bitcoin? how about them Mets?

(This is just me having fun being a troll, you don't actually have to respond and I think your coins are a fun idea regardless .)

Something you will never hear in such convenient detail, of course.  The only thing you will likely hear is, "Dear Mr. Wright, thank you very much for your submission of your publication for our review.  We regret to inform you that we have decided not to carry it". (or any more issues of it, as the case may be)  Let's toast to that not happening (now that I am told that you are of legal drinking age ).

Sorry about my last messages, they were poorly constructed in haste from my iPhone while hanging out with my girlfriend. I'll do better here.


Alright. And if I hear back from the printers, publishers, distributors, agents or stores themselves that "STFU" would ever stop a magazine from getting accepted at Barnes and Noble, I will surely report back for the education of all-- but only when I find proof.

Let's keep the baseless FUD in the Speculation subforum.

If it ever makes a difference, you'll be the last to know.  That's how these things work.


The "suck my dick" bit is likely to be more instantly damaging all else equal.  But yes, "STFU" might very well be all they need to know.  They don't have space on their magazine rack for everything printed just because it has an ISBN number.  They can and most certainly do judge things on the merits.  The fear is not based on any concern they are worried that 18-41 year olds will get offended by the F-word, the fear is that their reaction will be, "WTF is this?".  Wikipedia, with unlimited publication space, explains this concept using the phrase "Wikipedia is not for things made up in school one day" (you can Google it if you need it explained to you).  B&N, with not-so-unlimited shelf space, follows the same policy even if they don't call it that.  The demand for MAXIM and skateboarding magazines is already well established and not a useful indicator of what they will think of a brand new publication.


It's redundant to remind you I haven't once suggested that one must have Ivy league credentials to get B&N to carry your work, but hopefully they either won't do any research, or if they do, let's just hope they don't doubt you've graduated from adolescence.

I've said my piece, publish what you will.

Hehe. I think anyone who wants bitcoin to work is welcome to the party, but I won't be working with self-importants or extremists on this project.

I wonder if you have taken the bold step of communicating with Bruce Wagner. He has been instrumental in popularizing Bitcoin and organizing the first convention. Did I just say that out loud? 

You guys are blowing things out of proportion. We are not job hunting here. We are givingbthe rights to distribute a profitable magazine to a bookstore chain. Get a grip.

This is a classic case of people who bought into the system trying to cloud things with their fear of reactions. Key point here, I'm the editor, not the sole designer, writer, publisher, etc. What Mike seems to think is that my forum posts are going to have anything to with a distributor picking up a magazine owned by a company that I am mot even controlling equity owner of.

Your tin foil hat is looking mighty shiny there buddy. I'll take all the advice just the same, and I'll be the first to admit it if in fact it ever made a difference, but you know how insane you sound right now right?

"Careful matthew! If you leave "STFU" in the "Editor's rant" section, Barnes and Noble won't pick up the magazine!"

That's funny, given the amount of mildly pornographic and filthy language and enuendo ridden skateboarding magazines, skin magazines, and MAXIM for that matter.

Your fears are understood, but highly unfounded. That's my two fiat cents.


P.S. Don't anyone out there listen to this drivel. When you are making your own product and have your own backing, be brave and tackle the markets. Don't let unimaginitive fear mongers hold you back. Mike probably thinks my educational background will also play a part of the magazine succeeding too. Oh, you wanted to make a product? Sorry, you didn't go to Harvard...

Disgusting.

Most American corporation now have a social networking research department. They background check employees and everything related to their industry. There are also Bitcoin detractors on these forums that will do things to sabotage Bitcoin and any business that may spring from it. They will gladly "Wagnerize" Matthew without hesitation.

My 0.02BTC.  For reference, I hate "yoof culture" and pointless bad language.

There was an extremely popular friday evening (i.e. pre-watershed) programme on in the UK in the 90s called "TFI Friday".  It had an 18-40 demographic (I would guess, going by the live audience) and everyone knew what the "F" stood for.

I would suggest that an editors column called "STFU" is not the same as one called "SHUT THE FUCK UP"; and is fairly in keeping with many magazine's editorial columns,, which are often just the editors pet monthly rant.

I agree that professionalism is important; but equally, popular bitcoin adoption is not going to be driven by conservative, cardigan-wearing pipe smokers.  It's going to be driven by generation WTF.

As to upsetting professionals in the financial industry: as far as I'm aware, they are (away from customers) some of the most foul-mouthed people one could ever stumble across; I doubt they are going to be put off by use of the letter "F".

Bitcoin is such a paradigm shift that I think it's at least somewhere on the radar screen of virtually every establishment that has heard about it.

To go throw serious resources at publishing a magazine while at the same time throwing caution to the wind with the assumption of "they'll never google me" - all in the name of expressing one's self - is a brazen disregard for cause and effect, action and consequence, risk and reward.  He wouldn't express himself this way on a resume nor show up to a job interview wearing it as a t-shirt...(at least I'd hope not)... nor would he do the same introducing himself to B&N in person... so why make it visible on every one of his 2600+ past and present forum posts, all of which are a google search away?

Employers whittling stacks of resumes with Google and Facebook is growing in popularity so much because it is so effective as to be ludicrous... people who post things online without giving any thought as to about who will find them are everywhere and make this process so efficient.   Given that, as an employer, why in the digital age would you waste your time and money probing someone in an interview or probationary employment to discover their bad habits or their inability to exercise common sense when you can find it within seconds by doing an online search?   I absolutely cannot imagine that people in the publishing business - who also receive tons of submissions they must whittle down regularly - would not do the same thing.

FWIW, I did just buy the 12-issue subscription.  Please impress.

I don't believe I have a burden of proof.  My personal testimony is that it occurred, either by him or someone posting under his account, and that I considered it heavily when forming my personal opinion of what kind of person I was dealing with.  If you do not find it credible, you are welcome to disregard it.  I cannot speak to whether he voluntarily removed it, just that I could not find it when I looked for it.  Perhaps he could clarify this for us.


I have said nothing of the such.  I have stated that I believe "STFU" is a poor humor choice for the stated intended audience, and that "suck my dick" is a poor choice of avatar given the circumstances.  Saying we don't have "creative license" to use potty humor mainly means that much of our target audience probably won't find it funny (especially the portion of that audience with the deciding power as to whether to carry this magazine at retail), not that we're not allowed to be creative.  (I have no doubt you understand that creative is not a synonym for profanity... and also that "stfu" has been around for so long as to hardly qualify as creativity).


I don't believe I have a burden of proof for his age either.  I have believed in good faith that he is 17.  If I am wrong, then so be it.  No one has really come out with his actual age, but that's beside the point.  If someone says he is actually a different age, I probably won't dispute it.


Fascism?  WOuldn't I have to be, like, a state or something to be fascist?  I'm not even a moderator or someone with the power to censor.  Yes, he has a right to express himself.  He also has a right to make us all look like fools.  It's unfortunate, but yes I agree it's his right.  I have a right to criticize that, and of course, he has a right to disregard my opinion, as he appears to be doing.


Really?  I referred to "STFU" and "suck my dick" as immature teenage behavior.  That's exactly what those are.  LIke I said, if you feel I should have addressed it in private, I'll concede that, but that's about as far as it goes.

There is no proof Matthew ever made a your momma joke other than what you said. Even if he did say it and then deleted it, he did not think it was appropriate and voluntarily removed it. That accusation is completely unfounded and could be construed as libel.

Are you saying that we can't be creative with the magazine? I would beg to differ and I think creativity is key to the future success of the magazine. The magazine offers no support to drugs or crime and in fact promotes the exact opposite. Humor is not only relegated to druggies and criminals so I take the offense to your implication that by having a sense of humor this is what we are promoting.

As far as his age, why don't you bother to look at any of the Bittalk.tv programs that are available? The only 17 year old who is of any importance in the Bitcoin community (sorry 17 year olds) is Zhou Tong and that is because he runs Bitcoinica. Again there is no proof of any your mom jokes so stop bringing up something which you have no proof of.

When it comes to his avatar we believe in the freedom of expression and individuality. As Matthew said, you can't expect him to change his facebook page, youtube videos and everything else just because he is the editor of the magazine. It is his right to express himself and any attempt to stifle individuality reeks of fascism (which the Bitcoin community is against).

What the problem here is your approach to the whole matter. This could have been dealt with in a much more respectful manner but you chose to came out hurling insults and accusations on the magazine's thread. We are of course open to suggestions but one person saying they don't like something is not going to make us change our minds. Now if we started to receive multiple comments to whatever effect, we would probably re-evaluate our situation.

They wouldn't "hunt" you down in the pursuit sense of the word.  All it takes is one person to stick your name into Google with the word "bitcoin", and bam, they reach your "suck my dick" avatar within the first two or three search results.

This is a day and age where having your prospective employers not just Googling you, but digging up all your social media and everything they can find on you is the rule, not the exception.  You leave drunken party photos on your facebook and forget to make them private and you get brutally judged.  This is the internet age.  You don't seriously think Barnes & Noble has no editorial board, and publishes anything that shows up with an ISBN number without due diligence as cursory as a Google search?

Get this: I want your fucking magazine to see success.  DOn't shoot yourself in the goddamn foot in the name of "expressing" yourself!

(Note: I am really not angry as I made that sound, but I want to make it perfectly clear that I have no problem with profanity in general, it's just there's a time and a place for it, and this would not be one such place!)

Yes, I think you have mistaken me for a prude.  I actually bought a FCUK t-shirt for my then-girlfriend, it was maybe eight years ago.  It said, "scent to bed".  She loved it.  And I will be willing to bet that Morrison Foerster earned their credibility first, before adopting the name "MoFo".  We as Bitcoin don't have that luxury, we're still at the stage where we're looking for legitimate acceptance from the world, we are battling news articles associating Bitcoin with drugs and crime, we don't have quite the creative license as MoFo has.


It is my belief that Matthew is actually seventeen years old.  "Clearly an adult" isn't clear to me - it's not like his ID is posted for us all to see.  The last time his avatar had a photo that I thought was him, he would definitely pass for 17 if that was him.  And 17 is quite on the upper end of the age range for telling "your mom" jokes, so I have had no reason to believe he was any older.  But if he is significantly older, then of course, my apologies for underestimating his age.


I don't think I agree with you there.  The "suck my dick" image remains is in plain sight, so is the STFU.  They are an egregious lapse of common sense for someone attempting to start a new publication for retail sale - me pointing them out could hardly not have made things much worse.  But I'd be willing to concede and remove my comments if there was a consensus for it.

Now I'm the one who must be missing something here. Why would the distributors for magazines to Barnes and Noble (of which there are two) come to bitcointalk.org and try to hunt down the magazine editor's profile so that they could make a judgement of whether or not to distribute the magazine based off of my forum avatar? Are you tripping balls? Did you think Bitcoin Magazine was a company-less project I'm doing on my own 'after school'? BitTalk Media Ltd is a registered UK company with numerous shareholders who are quite well known in Bitcoin for their professionalism and activism to Bitcoin, of which Bitcoin Magazine is a product (with an additional 12 professional contributors). I hold equity in the company, but Bitcoin Magazine os not mine. I do not try to name things after myself on a forum and draw the community away from the useful functionality it already has like some people. I am sipporting the community and giving them a voice.

I understand this is all very new to you and you probably don't know any of the work I do. It's fine. Just try to keep your advice relative to the magazine in the form of questions and suggestions instead of pretending you know what's going on.

I mean, so far you've been factually incorrect on the majority of your preconceptions merely bacause you are bias towards me. Let's get back on track. The hundreds of subscribers so far have not bothered to complain about "STFU" or "Matthew doesn't act mature enough to represent the community" (which is an honest fear of mine regardless), instead they're intelligent-- they're waiting on the product to actually be released before they pass judgement.

(Btw, do you think I should erase all my videos on youtube also, just in case? And my facebook? Maybe I should start censoring everything I say and do now, even though professional distributors judge the magazine based on the contents...)

Rest assured we are all very passionate about Bitcoin at Bitcoin Magazine. I might actually go as far as saying we are the most passionate group out there in the Bitcoin community. Otherwise, we would not be putting the time and effort into the magazine that we are.

Casascius, a couple points for you to consider; FCUK is a major fashion company and I am quite certain it purposely reads a lot like FUCK. Another company that their very name is a play on words of the word fuck is www.mofo.com. A financial company nonetheless.

We appreciate that you will be purchasing a copy of the magazine and like I said you will be happy with what you see. If you want the magazine to succeed it was not very appropriate to call Matthew a teenager when he is clearly an adult and carry on the way you did. Also these type of comments would have been more appropriate in a PM instead of openly criticizing the magazine without actually reading out.

Bitcoin purchases can be made at http://www.bitcoinmagazine.net

Fiat purchases can be made at http://www.memorydealers.com/bima.html

I'm not sure I agree with either Matthew, nor Casascius here. Bitcoin is such a paradigm shift that it's doubtful that any establishment will grok it. Artists like on "The Good Wife" understand the big picture, especially those that make big pictures. Vanity books and zines are fine, but it's the ideas they present that are the key to acceptance. The invention of Bitcoin is like the discovery of fire. Bitcoin needs PASSION, bitches!

It is your magazine after all.

Did I understand correctly that you anticipated it would be considered for placement in Barnes & Noble retail stores?

If the answer is no, then I would agree, your avatar is irrelevant, express yourself as you wish.  But if the answer is yes, then I will point out that, in the face of the probability that these people will see your avatar and judge you and your magazine heavily by it, having it up there would reflect a gaping lapse in common sense.  Do I want your magazine to succeed and get coverage, hell yes.  Is it really unreasonable for me to point out that this poor choice of way of expressing yourself is a way to shoot the chances of your success in the foot before you even start running?  That's all.  It Is YOUR magazine, and you shall do with it as YOU please.  And yes, I will gladly buy one regardless of your avatar and regardless of whether it contains "STFU".

Good advice. I have felt the same way from day one, and no one has let me forget it.


It will probably stay despite your efforts, but that's not a reflection of my personal feelings about your request-- it just seems to be unfounded imo and blown out of proportion. Rally some troops together who agree and I think it'll have a more lasting impact than someone who claims my avatar is relative to the magazine's success. 

Thank you though. Regardless of what everyone in this thread is saying, I'm soaking it all in very well and I trust I'll make the right decision on these matters.

Cheers

You are acting like a fool so I will talk to you like one. Grow up and stop being a troll.

If you don't like the magazine like I said you are welcome to start your own.

"try to learn the difference"?  No need to talk down to me like I'm a fool - the "STFU" I've been referring to is in a section titled "Editor's Rant" and signed with Matthew's name, so I don't think I have misconstrued who put this in there.

Yes, it is a bad thing to put things into a magazine that some people will find offensive if you're trying to appeal to "everyone".  References to the F word (fuck fuck fuckety fuck) don't bother me, but I'm also smart enough not to use the F word in a publication that I expect to be read by lots of different people, many of whom will view such a thing as childish.  This is just common sense.  Yes, PLEASE print a magazine that everybody will take something from, one that will hopefully help them take us and this project seriously.


I am just asking you not to turn off the WSJ, Forbes, and NYT crowd.  Not to mention the editorial board of "Barnes & Noble", which I can't imagine they will just stick anything on their shelves that shows up just because it's in print.  I would bet if they saw the "suck my dick" avatar, they'd consider that all they needed to know about "Bitcoin magazine".  Using it as a Bitcoin forum avatar while trying to get a new magazine published about Bitcoin is just not using your fucking brain.

In case it is unclear, it is possible to be funny without being a turnoff to your intended audience.  Perhaps STFU should be removed, as "Vicente" seemed to suggest.  It's good advice.  Hope I haven't asked too much.

This whole thing is regressing into a he said she said argument, so why don't we drop it at that? What was said could have been better expressed via private message, I would think. It is, after all, a personal issue with the magazine's editor's choice of graphic representation on this message board.

Matthew is the frontman and chief editor (and he deserves to be, he has poured his heart and soul into this process) but the magazine itself goes through a very deliberate and democratic process. I think that everyone involved will not consciously push something out into the public they don't think would be received well by the target demographic.

Sorry, I must be really thick, because I am not getting it.  This is what I thought you meant.  What exactly is meant by "issuing" my coins?

I wouldn't expect Matthew to "issue" my coins.  I'm not even sure what that means, since I'm the only person who "issues" my coins.  This may not be readily apparent, but my bread and butter is in the payroll software business, and the coins are a side project intended to promote Bitcoin.

Well for starters Matthew is an adult, don't really know what else to say to that. Matthew is also not writing the magazine but editing it. Those are two separate things and you should try to learn the difference. We are not just trying to appeal to an older crowd but to everyone. Is that such a bad thing for anyone to be able to read it and find something for them?


I hope you will buy the magazine. I promise you will not be disappointed in its content and entertainment factor (well maybe not since you like everything dry). If you think that people who read financial magazines don't have a sense of humor then I question how many of them you really know. In fact, they probably wish some of the magazines they read were a little more interesting overall while maintaining a high level of quality in the content. I believe the magazine achieves this.

Again we are not trying to appeal to WSJ, Forbes, NYT type crowd exclusively. We would like to appeal to a broader audience and this is what we are going for. If you cannot appreciate that you are welcome to start up a dry magazine on bitcoin business information and go from there. This is the path we have chosen to take and we think it is good for Bitcoin as a whole.

calling attention to advertising oppurtunities is equal to issuing your coins now?

Not quite.  PM I received:


In fact, $60 is a damn steal for advertising in an in-print magazine.

When I got the PM, the first thing that crossed my mind was, that this is the same guy who, a week ago, rebutted one of my posts with a "your mom" quip.  Which I couldn't find in a search of the forums, so either he deleted it, or (more likely) the mods cleaned it up.  I will bet that this has left me with a somewhat negative impression of Matthew, this may explain my apparent bias far better than any sort of speculation that he "left me out" of his magazine.

In my payroll business, I've advertised in numerous industry-related magazines, and paid far more than $60 for the privilege.  Needless to say, none of them have ever made "your mom" jokes in the course of doing business with me.

Which part?  My understanding is that Matthew is actually a teenager.  So if Matthew wants to produce a magazine to appeal to an older crowd, he should write like it.  That's not too much to ask?


I actually wish him the best.  I mean, he is taking all the risk with the printing costs, right?  Chances are pretty good I will buy the magazine myself.

I am just asking him to class up, for the sake of the project as a whole.  Real stakeholders in the financial and business sectors are watching the Bitcoin project, those with the resources to propel it further, and this isn't the sort of crowd that would be impressed if the first regular in-print Bitcoin-related magazine starts out its first page with a clever embedding of "STFU".  These are the crowd that read the WSJ, NYT, Forbes, and if those are dry magazines, then dry isn't so bad.

casascius i get the feeling you're mostly upset the magazine hasn't requested to issue your coins with it's first run

not saying i like or dislike the magazine (haven't seen enough of it yet), but i'm 33 and found "suck my dick i'm a bus" to be humorous.

in fact i'm holding back a smirk as i type this incase people at work see me and wonder what's so funny.

sorry for being so immature.

edit: now i'm suddenly reminded of the "suckubus" from south park.

Bottom line: my avatar is completely irrelevant to an argument about the contents of the magazine. My avatar is not being published in the magazine. Your opinion of my avatar means absolutely nothing to me, as it shouldn't.



Thank you Mike. Your opinion has been written down and will be carefully considered. It's important to note that the screen shots for the magazine (for which you haven't seen yet) are just mock-ups and the actual magazine is still in design until 6 days from today's date.



Obviously. The potty humor is a non-issue. It doesn't bother me to take it out at all. It doesn't bother me to take it out because even one person suggests it. What bothers me is the ridiculous comment about my avatar and why you think that has anything to do with the magazine. It just wreaks of pettiness, jealousy and 'old man' attitude.



Considered and duly noted. I'm absolutely sure everyone is anxious to see how the first issue comes out and I'm equally sure that the support I've received is clear to the direction this magazine will take. Thank you for your support.

Damn Mike, that was uncalled for and a low blow.

Give the guy a chance, if its not to your liking then you'll have the floor to express your thoughts  

As Ben Harper famously wrote "if you don't like my fire, then don't come around, cause I'm gonna burn one down"

Excuse me? I have seen most of the magazine and it is a very well thought out, entertaining and informative read. There are many people involved in the project and it is not only Matthew who is not a teenager.

His avatar has no relevance on the magazine and I would like to think people can maintain their individualism while working on a project. I can promise you that phrases such as "suck my dick" have no place in the magazine and they are not there. Just wait until you see the final product and you will be singing a different tune.

The ST FU you speak of on the first page provides a little comedic relief which isn't a bad idea when you are talking about serious subjects. In case you haven't noticed a large segment of the people interested in Bitcoins are teenagers and young adults so we would rather not leave them out all together. The articles are written primarily by people who are not Matthew, so your judgement of him as a basis for the content of the magazine are completely unfounded.

I suppose you would prefer a completely dry and boring magazine that no one except yourself would like to read?

Like I said, wait for the final product before passing any judgements about the magazine as a whole.

No.  I am well within the range of 18-41.


Not exactly.  Just in case it's not very clear, this doesn't represent your stated target age range very well.  "Suck my dick" is funny to boys in the age range of 9-13 years old.  It loses its charm quickly thereafter.


Ahah, right, because nobody over the age of 17 knows what STFU stands for?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against profanity.  But putting STFU there in and of itself isn't really funny.  Unless, of course, you're 12 years old, then cussing is funny all by itself because it's like, revolting against your parents or something.  Or pretending you're all grown up now, because of course, using naughty words is such a grown up thing to do.

If you're going to make a joke that references the word FUCK (hereinafter referred to as the F word), then by all means, go ahead.  But make it classy.  It just sounds like the punch line of your joke is something like, "we're going to put the F word on this page in plain sight, and all the old grownups who went to school without cellphones will have not a clue about the internet acronyms of the day and aren't going to have any idea that it's really the F word in their face".  Which, as I said, isn't really funny unless you're twelve.


They may very well be right.  They are probably referring to other things you are doing that are clearly neat, and not the potty humor.


Because you are a kid still in school?


I am sure people will laugh so hard they will snort their chocolate milk all over the cafeteria floor.  Your magazine doesn't have to be dry, it's just, if you want to appeal to 18-41 year olds, then you should consider the advice of 18-41 year olds.

No one but me has even seen the magazine yet. It's not published yet. I love constructive criticism and everything, but to judge 64 pages of patiently written articles, features and specials on some cover art and a table of contents is a bit-- eh.. Basically, "Are you a wizard?"

Our target audience is 18~41. You must be 42

Christ. So now I'm breaking the internet laws and the magazine will fail because of my forum avatar? Some of us have bold and hilarious personalities. Get used to it.



I agree. I can totally omit that. Vicente, one of our staff had already mentioned that. "Is it really necessary Matthew?" and I said "No, but the people who get it will think it's funny and the people who don't, won't have an opinion".

That said, have you ever seen "Maxim magazine"? I think they owe the majority of their success to bold and subtle humor as well. If you'd like to recommend other bold and subtle ways to be humorous than just "ST+FU", I am most certainly all ears. If you're arguing that humor shouldn't be a part of the magazine, good luck with that, no one who has supported the magazine so far agrees with you.



I know where you're coming from and read you loud and clear. Everyone in Bitcoin is now breathing down my neck to make sure this goes right. That said, I mentioned possibly giving up my equity later on when we find someone better suited to make the magazine and do you know what someone told me?

"Matthew, don't you dare step down. You give this magazine personality."


*cough*

P.S. Mike, do you know why my avatar has a bus saying "suck my dick"?



Because I enjoy making people laugh. If you want a super-serious magazine that is completely boring and devoid of any life, go start one with Bruce Wagner.

Yep, I ordered one too!

We should get more and leave them around Las Vegas in random doctor's offices etc.

What I wish is that this magazine weren't rife with immaturity.  Especially if it's going into "Barnes & Noble".

This appears to be a magazine written by an immature teenager for an immature teenage audience.

If this magazine is seriously meant to further the interests of the Bitcoin community, then it is absolutely unconscionable that its editor in chief has the words "Suck my dick" on his avatar.  Hahahah, lol, roflmao, yeah, that was funny when I was in junior high too.  Come on, man, this reflects poorly on all of us.

And then we open to the first page, where the typography has been cleverly stacked so that the page reads "STFU" when viewed from a distance.  There is no good reason for this.  Like I said, a teenage magazine for a teenage audience.

I fully support the idea of having a Bitcoin magazine, but someone must GTFU (grow the fuck up) if it's to be taken seriously.

The print issue is released the same date.

how about the digital issue?

That means it should be ready by my birthday, March 4.

The whales or the issues?

We're expected to go to print in one week.

When came we expect them?

Mining rigs wearing bikinis?

I swear, I was only kidding. But figured you may be on it.

They have my vote (as well as RandyFolds's):


I can't believe we're going to be on the cover of Bitcoin Magazine.
Yeh! Thanks to Phin and Randy.

How'd you hear about that? He's not kidding guys.

Rumor has it that there's a Swimsuit Edition in the works. (please don't have one of RandyFolds' sisters on the cover)

http://bittalk.tv/?page_id=314

Can't wait to receive my first issue!