patrick.net

We need a replacement for paypal.

It's called Bitcoin. Or Etherium.

yeah.... I just closed my paypal account. Was super easy.

Good idea, I'll close my paypal account now as well.

You know, over the weekend it occurred to me that if one were to run a web server in their browser's cache directory, that would make everything you surf instantly available to others. It would not be a very practical way of sharing data for a few reasons, but it would be trivial. Most computers actually have several web servers built in:

% php -S
or
% python -m SimpleHTTPServer 8000

The big problem with that approach is that you have to find your browser's cache directory first (not trivial for most people) and every browser stores things in different ways. They do not generally preserve filenames, but instead store things under some hash. But still, when every browser is a server, content could propagate extremely fast and be extremely hard to eradicate.

Then there are the problems of searchability, and the fact that The Man does not really want you running a web server off of your home connection and so probably blocks or at least slows incoming requests.

The next level would be to write a web proxy/server that is a single-page script, just download and run. Then if you tell your browser to use it as an http proxy, it can simply save everything in a nice format as you surf it, and make it available to the world, and even sync your content with other people's content so that if your copy goes offline, other people's proxy/servers will still have it.

The ultimate problem there is that IP addresses are still centrally controlled, and lead back to individuals. The Man can find you, threaten you with legal action for Wrongspeak, and cut off your internet access. What is the solution to that?

I mail them cash.

No one has ever objected to cash, lol.

just_dregalicious says

We need a replacement for paypal.

SQUARE Cash or Stripe.

APHAman says

What do you use to send cash to friends and family instead?

I send from Schwab bank - and cost is less than paypal (which charges 2.9%). Schwab gets $25 for foreign transfer, so transferring $1000 is cheaper by them

Goran_K says

just_dregalicious says

We need a replacement for paypal.

SQUARE Cash or Stripe.

Yes, probably OK for personal things, but still centralized, still hates freedom of speech and will definitely stomp on your account if you publicly deviate from The Narrative at all.

Patrick says

I mail them cash.

No one has ever objected to cash, lol.

Try that in E. Europe, your relatives will get opened envelope with a big "thank you" written on it by grateful postal workers

I worked with a Russian guy who had some employees of his own back in Russia.

He mailed them atm cards from separate accounts under his name. To pay them, he would just transfer money into the accounts in the US.

The pin number was communicated separately, by phone.

Try that in E. Europe, your relatives will get opened envelope with a big "thank you" written on it by grateful postal workers

There goes my idea of simply stapling bills to a postcard (saves postage over an enclosed letter).

APHAman says

PayPal is free to send cash to friends & family

Even out of US? There are Homeland Insecurity restrictions - every time I send money to E. Europe, I have to answer 100 idiotic questions, such as if my father will be helping Hamas/ISIS/EZLN/etc

The Pakis have a system called haviwalla or something like that, in which you can go to any member of a well-known clan and give them money and tell them who you want the money to go to.

They simply call up a relative in the destination and tell them to deliver the same amount.

They always deliver because they want to keep the system going and get their commissions.

Patrick says

The Pakis have a system called haviwalla or something like that, in which you can go to any member of a well-known clan and give them money and tell them who you want the money to go to.

They simply call up a relative in the destination and tell them to deliver the same amount.

They always deliver because they want to keep the system going and get their commissions.

Its called hawala. Its mostly used by mafia.

It's 2018 we're way past the time and technology that every bank is capable of allowing electronic payment directly from their Commercial Banking customers.

Pay Pal is not even needed, time to make them obsolete and demand legislation that all banks must be set up accept on line payment from their Commercial customers without a third party like Pay Pal.


It's 2018 for Fuck Sakes!

dr6B says

I have to answer 100 idiotic questions

That's how we attract talent!