Bitcoinica sued for $460,000 by 'out-of-pocket' punters

[aparadja]

Reading the original "Show HN" thread about Bitcoinica is still haunting. So many predictions that came true. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2973301

[ch]

Here is a very prescient comment: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2977425

[agpen]

Bitcoins in general are really interesting as a sandboxed, time-accelerated microcosm of capitalism. You get to watch the entirely predictable boom/bust cycle, inevitable follies, manipulation and theft play out in years or even months instead of decades.

Yet you still see people going "but this time the bubble's legit guys!"

[tedunangst]

Apparently punter is less offensive than I thought. I previously equated it with something like asshole.

[mmcnickle]

It has a variety of meanings, but it is used here to mean speculator. In the UK, it can have a meaning similar to the US's "John" in terms of someone availing of the services of a brothel or prostitute.

[adrianwaj]

One of those punters was the original developer of Mt Gox.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/networks/first-...