[blhack]

Okay, fine. How do I buy some bitcoin?

Is bitinstant still cool?

edit1: Okay, MT Gox seems to be having some server problems, but things are going...slowly.

edit2: Mt Gox really wants my driver's license? This seems...not to be something that is a good idea. Should I really give them my driver's license?

[rheide]

MtGox requires a fair bit of verification, but they've also been around pretty much the longest, and have already had to deal with all the security issues that other bitcoin sites are only beginning to discover. I trust them.

(That is to say, I trust them long enough to do the exchange, and then I transfer the bitcoins to my private offline wallet as soon as possible. And you should too.)

[blhack]

Did you give them your license, though? That seems to trip every single "identity theft" alarm I have.

[rheide]

So you want to open a bank account but you don't want to identify yourself?

[jlgreco]

Are they regulated as though they are a bank?

[epscylonb]

Yes, AML (anti money laundering) and KYC (know your customer).

[jlgreco]

Is that all?

[borgopants]

Not in the slightest. Look up what MtGox actually means.

[brewsterkahle]

If you want some bitcoins to play with and you are in San Francisco, then just come by the Internet Archive and use our bitcoin converter box (honor based ATM). If you are not in SF, then please set these up in hacker spaces. It is fun, and currently it is going up so it is even profitable.

[impostervt]

If you're just getting started, I wrote a book for you. You can buy it and get some bitcoins back, too.

http://www.bitcoinbeginner.com

If you (or anyone else) would like a free copy of the book, email me: [e-mail]

[dmm]

#bitcoin-otc on freenode. You can buy BTC with cash deposits at banks or with dwolla.

MtGox will take weeks to actually get working.

[agilebyte]

In UK without using your bank account details:

1. Go to Co-op and buy some UCash for cash 2. Exchange UCash to Bitcoins at https://btc-e.com/

[mtgx]

If you're in US try Coinbase.com. If in Europe, you could try Bitstamp.net, but you need to set-up a SEPA account at your local bank. Then use that to buy from Bitstamp.

[drivebyacct2]

Uh, who cares?