Monthly Archives: March 2014

Who Is Satoshi Nakamoto, Mysterious Bitcoin Founder?

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The Short Answer

No one knows. Not conclusively, at any rate. Satoshi Nakamoto is the potentially pseudonymous name associated with the person or group of people who released the original Bitcoin white paper in 2008 and worked on the original Bitcoin software that was released in 2009. Since Satoshi's identity is tied up intricately with Bitcoin's history, it is helpful to understand Bitcoin's provenance. Bitcoin is one of the first digital currencies which use peer-to-peer technology to facilitate instant payments.

Time Line of Early Bitcoin Events

Aug. 18, 2008: The domain name bitcoin.org is registered. Today, at least, this domain is "WhoisGuard Protected," meaning the identity of the person who registered it is not public information.

Oct. 31, 2008: Someone using the name Satoshi Nakamoto makes an announcement on The Cryptography Mailing list at metzdowd.com: "I've been working on a new electronic cash system that's fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party. The paper is available at http://www.bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf." This link leads to the infamous white paper published on bitcoin.org entitled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System." This paper would become the Magna Carta for how Bitcoin operates today.

Jan. 3, 2009: The first Bitcoin block is mined, i.e. Block 0. This is also known as the "genesis block" and contains the text: "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks," perhaps as proof that the block was mined on or after that date, and perhaps also as relevant political commentary.

Jan. 8, 2009: The first version of the Bitcoin software is announced on The Cryptography Mailing list.

Jan. 9, 2009: Block 1 is mined, and Bitcoin mining commences in earnest.

Before Satoshi

Though it is tempting to believe the media's spin that Satoshi Nakamoto is a lone, quixotic genius who created Bitcoin out of thin air, history has taught us that such innovations do not happen in a vacuum. All major scientific discoveries, no matter how original-seeming, were built on previously existing research. Isaac Newton had been working toward a treatise on calculus, but fellow mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz published first, resulting eventually in controversy over who should be credited as the inventor of calculus.

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Who Is Satoshi Nakamoto, Mysterious Bitcoin Founder?

Chelsea Manning petitions court for name change

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Chelsea Manning, who last year announced her gender transition, has petitioned a Kansas court to legally recognize her chosen name, Chelsea Elizabeth Manning.

Manning, who is currently serving a 35-year sentence for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has also requested hormone replacement therapy, according to an announcement from her support network.

In the face of military opposition, the American Civil Liberties Union plans to assist attorney David Coombs in advocating for Chelseas right to receive [hormone replacement therapy], according to the announcement. There is already precedent in federal courts establishing this right for transgender prisoners. We are confident that with adequate public and legal pressure, the military court and military prison system will follow suit.

Military prisons do not provide hormone replacement therapy or other transition support because of a blanket ban on transgender service members. But, as Salon has previously noted, an expert commission has recently called on the Obama administration to drop the policy prohibiting trans people from serving.

The Williams Institute estimates that around 15,500 trans personnel are currently in the military, though, because of the prohibition on out trans service members, they have been forced to serve in secret. The commission concluded that facilitating trans service members transitions would place almost no burden on the military, estimating that approximately 230 trans personnel would seek such medical care each year at an average cost of about $30,000. The panel also found that hormone treatment in such cases is nearly identical in scope to healthcare services regularly provided to cisgender service members.

Manning filed the name change request in January; a hearing is scheduled for April with the Leavenworth County District Court.

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Chelsea Manning petitions court for name change