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>> "Bitcoin allows homeless people to avoid the shame of begging"

With a choice between pride + 60¢ per day or $10-20 per day from begging why wouldn't you choose the latter?

To be able to afford laptops, smartphones, cigarettes etc. these men must be getting money from somewhere other than bitcoin.

Also: "he decided to live on the street for a while" makes me think he probably has some money in savings that he is able to make use of. That would explain why he has a smartphone (and presumably cell plan if he's able to use the phone).

This is a feel good article but lets be honest: The vast majority of homeless people don't have laptops or smartphones. They don't choose to be homeless like this man did. The article is examining a few of outliers. Bitcoin isn't going to help most homeless people.

>> With a choice between pride + 60¢ per day or $10-20 per day from begging why wouldn't you choose the latter?

The article mentioned that it reduces the likelihood of robbery, but to put it more simply, they have less of a chance of being mugged. Panning for donations is quite obviously easier, but makes you fall victim as a potential mark, labeling yourself homeless is like shouting, "I have no dedicated protection I can rely on, won't be taken seriously by police, and likely don't have anyone who worries about me."

>> To be able to afford laptops, smartphones, cigarettes etc. these men must be getting money from somewhere other than bitcoin.

The subject of the article lost his jobs and subsequently his housing, the laptop and smartphone are most likely relics from before he was homeless. The cigarettes are a common theme I have seen among homeless, not just these guys; sometimes they don't even buy them, but nab a still lit cigarette a passerby tossed on the ground.

>> Also: "he decided to live on the street for a while" makes me think he probably has some money in savings that he is able to make use of

The article reads exactly as this: "After a few months, he got back under a roof, but that didn’t last, so he decided to live on the street for a while, rather than yo-yoing between home and homelessness." The last part of the segment where he says we wishes to avoid yo-yoing between homes is because he does not want the stress of having a place to stay, and then finding himself without, occurring over and over. It is possible he has a savings account that he is storing cash in to get off the streets, but your comment is not based on fact so that may not be true.

>> This is a feel good article but lets be honest: The vast majority of homeless people don't have laptops or smartphones. [...] Bitcoin isn't going to help most homeless people.

You're right, the majority don't, but it's purpose wasn't as a solution to the problem of homelessness, but instead an exposition, a case study if you will, where Bitcoins have proven to be beneficial.

>there's something to be said for everybody pitching in, even if just a little bit.

I'm not sure how clicking links on youtube could ever, in any reality or worldview, be considered "pitching in" in any significant way.

Bitcoin may be a great way for homeless people to make money, and it may have many benefits over carrying cash or having to wait on a pay check. All of that is good. But to say that clicking youtube links contributes any value to society (or really anything except youtube's advertising revenue) is outright ridiculous.

The minimum wage does a lot of good

Interesting you say then when you can clearly see that actually hurts those people.

Yep. All in all, minimum wage is a feel good hit. :)

It's not the minimum wage that hurts those people, but a lack of aggregate demand.

Exactly, basically they are being paid to be spammers...

[arguably the lowest-value task in the ecosystem]

Policies can have both good effects and bad effects at the same time.

Its almost like it both has advantages and disadvantages... How crazy...

You're right, I didn't consider employers of illegal workers and the automation industry.

> There's no way that the value of a dollar in your pocket will suddenly double, but the value of a bitcoin has and will again.

It might again.

The volatility of bitcoin isn't a big problem for these homeless guys because they probably spend it the same day when they receive it, it's more of a problem for the hoarders. And if the price of bitcoin changes too much then probably the "money making" services adjust they prices accordingly so the next day the homeless receives the same dollar value (in bitcoins) than before.

    value of a bitcoin has and will [double] again

If this were certain it would have already happened.

I wonder if Amazon's Mechanical Turk pays in Bitcoins? That seems like a better choice than watching YouTube vids. You could earn much more than 60 cents a day.

They don't

I love the idea behind Mechanical Turk, but last time I tried to use it I found the barriers too high to make it worthwhile (considering the pay). The good tasks had long qualifying tests, and the market was absolutely flooded with low quality tasks so picking a task became a chore in itself.