I would like to see a script + output that will identify the raw number of PTS that were donated and how much was given using the first input address as the source of the donation.

Note:  this is not an AGS allocation or daily amounts all amounts should be denominated in PTS.

I am working on explaining our technology in terms that are understandable.  This should describe how BitShares works without getting into jargon or assumed knowledge of Bitcoin. 

Our Technology

  BitShares brings us the future of banking based on relatively simple technology that is easy to understand because it merely automates something that could be done with pen and paper.   

The BitShare - known as BTS, is the foundation upon which everything else is built.  A BTS is a digital asset that has a value determined by the market.  You can think of it like the stock of a bank. Unlike stock in traditional banks a bitshare confers no legal rights and is not a security.    BTS are created when individuals make capital contributions that contribute to the growth of the BitShares ecosystem.   

Democratic Governance - 101 individuals, known as delegates, are elected by gaining the approval of the most bitshare holders.  Each bitshare is allowed to approve of up to 111 delegates.  Once elected these delegates are paid a salary approved by the bitshare holders to grow, secure, and maintain the network.    The process used to select the delegates is known as approval voting and in theory all 101 delegates could have 100% approval by all bitshare holders. 

Transparency - the core of BitShares is transparent accounting that allows everyone to audit the accounts and prove the system is solvent and all transfers are authorized.

Irreversibility - every transaction is added to a public ledger that is signed by the delegates approved by the bitshare holders.  After the majority of delegates have publicly signed the ledger containing your transaction it becomes a permanent part of history.

Unforgeable Digital Signatures - BitShares uses well known cryptographic signatures that allow you to securely sign every transfer from your account.  Without your digital signature no one in the world can spend your money.   Cryptographic signatures are mathematically impossible to forge or guess.

Backed Assets - All balances for gold, silver, or national currencies are backed by three times their value in BTS.  These balances are known as BitAssets.  They are created when a BTS holder wishes to borrow a dollar from BitShares and secures their loan by using BTS as collateral.   The delegates ensure that the loan is called and repaid long before the collateral becomes worth less than the loan.   A BitUSD or dollar deposit can be thought of as an IOU the value of a dollar from the BitShares network.  They are only redeemable for a variable number of BTS which will have the market value of a dollar.

Blockchain - Everything described above is built on the technology of a blockchain which was first introduced by Bitcoin.  A blockchain is nothing more than a transparent global transaction record that follows defined rules for accounting and governance secured by digital signatures.   

I am looking for someone who can head up integration with OpenCart which will require PHP skills.

It would be helpful to find a Step by Step guide on how to integrate a new payment gateway.  We will then use JSON RPC with the BTS wallet as the payment gateway.   

It seems like it should be as easy as adding a BTS URL "pay now" button that included the invoice ID and amount and then have the website automatically detect when a transaction has come in with the proper invoice ID and amount.   No 3rd party providers necessary.

I am prepared to pay a reasonable sum for a quick, simple, elegant integration with Open Cart.    Perhaps SVK and other web developers on here can get that done for us.  It is of greater value than just about any other web task right now.

I put this together as a PDF... CASS and Brian are working to tweak it and provide images/color/etc.... the idea is that this pitch will be the front and center of bitshares.org.

http://bitshares.org/BitSharesPitch.pdf

At the end of the pitch will be a "Download App"  and "Deposit Funds" link that will walk the user step by step through the process of getting funds.

We are working on a similar pitch for merchants.

I would like to recommend that our community start referring to POW as proof of waste in all conversations about bitcoin.

I would then like suggest that we refer to our system as a "Real Proof of Work" system where by all stakeholders have come by their stake by doing valuable work.

Credit for this belongs to: John Underwood, former CEO of Sun Microsystems Australia who was visiting with us these past 2 days in VA. 
http://ph.linkedin.com/in/underwun

I have just reviewed a fantastic news letter produced by Stan.  It is being reviewed by our PR experts rather than posted immediately.   It addresses everything from allocation, to metaphor, to the future. 

This will have the final announcement that we promised this week.... additional processes we have implemented have delayed release a tad, but I wanted to let everyone know it has been written and looks very good.

I would like to address some concerns that were raised about the post where I describe BitShares as a Decentralized Autonomous Community and provide some background and motivation.

First of all it is important to note that the Company Metaphor applies to all crypto-systems, not just BitShares.   It is incredibly useful for helping to design and build the economics of a system and as a result describe the inevitability of a system.     Companies provide a service, earn profits, share profits with shareholders, and are a concept that everyone already understands.  The Company Metaphor is a great teaching metaphor for those of us who couldn't care less about SEC, marking fluff, or anything other than facts, figures, and profits.

The problem we face is if we take the Company Metaphor to the point where it ceases to be a metaphor and starts to look like reality then we are enter a regulatory quagmire.   For every capitalist that is turned on by the Company metaphor, there is a anti-corporation liberal that is turned off.   The company metaphor is not personal/emotional and relies on engaging an entirely different part of the brain.... a part of the brain that most of us on this forum like to think with and rely on.   Why do we all like the company metaphor, because that is how I have been promoting it and thus we are a self-selected group of individuals that like the company metaphor because it brought us in.   

As you can probably imagine I pitch BitShares to people everywhere I go and I sell them on the company metaphor, the profits, the security, the privacy, the yield and dividends.  Many of these people are friends, family and friends of friends and thus trust what I say.... I then ask them if they will put $100 into BitUSD or buy $100 of BTSX (people that spend that much eating out several times per week).   The answer I get back is almost always, "not now" or "no" and the reason is simple: the system is not mature and they are not looking for a high risk investment.  The mental stress of thinking about an investment, following it on coin market cap, and wondering whether or not you will be able to get your $100 back out again is too much. 

So as much as we want people to adopt us based upon the company metaphor it engages the wrong part of the brain to attract early adopters and build the initial network effect.  It also attracts regulators like flies to poo.

So in the interest of maintaining a clear message for BTS launch I feel we need to distance the public pitch from the company metaphor at this point in our growth cycle.   I think the only time we should use the company metaphor to describe BitShares is when we are simultaneously describing  Bitcoin, Litecoin, Nxt, and Ripple virtual companies for the purpose of comparing their economics, viability, and sustainability and long term valuation potential.    We can keep the company metaphor alive for educational purposes but must be diligent in preventing BitShares from becoming a company in the eyes of the regulators. 

BitShares is ultimately a community of people who imbue BTS with perceived value and use BTS as a medium of exchange and unit of account to recognize those who are contributing to the community.   We want to focus on the people and what the people are doing and providing value to one another. 

Lets build a solid base, build a stable product, and the grow.    Today the BTS price is getting hammered, but BitUSD holders are still going strong, the internal markets are being actively traded.    Our product works... and lets not forget that.