title: Bitcoin: The future of money?
author:  Dominic Frisby 
description: Dominic Frisby is a comedian from London. But his first book, Life After The State, has nothing to do with comedy. It is a deadly serious dismantling of the way societies are run in the west, outlining the damage governments unknowingly do to their people, with simple suggestions about how things can be vastly improved. Dominic writes an investment column for MoneyWeek and has written and produced numerous short films and videos, including the viral hit 'Debt Bomb'. His script-writing ranges from episodes of the kids' show 'Roary the Racing Car' to the feature documentary 'The Four Horsemen', about the global financial crisis. He is a frequent speaker on gold and money on television, radio and at conferences. Frisby is also a comedian and actor, described as 'viciously funny and inventive' by the Guardian; 'masterful' by the Evening Standard; and 'great comedy talent' by Chortle.co.uk. Day-to-day he is found trotting about the sound studios of London, voicing everything from BBC nature documentaries to zombies in Hollywood blockbusters. He has also worked as a TV presenter, a boxing-ring announcer, a florist, a removal man, an extremely camp theatrical agent's PA, a sports commentator and a busker.
zlib_text: BITCOIN
  A Primer for Policymakers
    
  BY JERRY BRITO AND ANDREA CASTILLO
   
  
  Copyright © 2013 by Jerry Brito, Andrea Castillo, 
  and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University
  Second printing, revised December 19, 2013
  Mercatus Center 
  George Mason University 
  3351 Fairfax Drive, 4th Floor 
  Arlington, VA 22201-4433 
  (703) 993-4930 
  mercatus.org
  
      1
  B
  itcoin is the world’s first completely decentralized digital 
  currency. Four short years ago, knowledge of it was con-
  fined to a handful of hobbyists on Internet forums. Today, 
  the bitcoin economy is larger than the economies of some of the 
  world’s smaller nations. The value of a bitcoin (or BTC) has grown 
  and fluctuated greatly, from pennies in its early days to more than 
  $1,200 at its peak in November 2013. The current market capital-
  ization of the bitcoin economy is estimated to be more than $10 
  billion.1 Businesses big and small have shown interest in integrat-
  ing the Bitcoin platform into their operations and providing new