From: Stanton McCandlish <anton@hydra.unm.edu>
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 93 03:20:11 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: DigiCoupons & DigiCash
Message-ID: <9308171016.AA21841@hydra.unm.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


* Digital coupons: S&H greenstamps for online services 
(netcom/Well/Compuserve net connection services, AMIX, 
NEXIS/LEXIS, Dow Jones, commercial MUDs, metered e-mail, anon 
services, network and computing resources, reputation ratings, 
etc.)  Greenstamps are like frequent-flyer miles, you accumulate
them with heavy patronage of some service.  But greenstamps
can be used to purchase a wide variety of services, not just 
more of the same service.  Service providers and 
coupon vendor(s) work out arrangements for awarding and honoring
greenstamps.  Implemented with Chaum-style protocol to prevent
forgery and assure privacy.
* Digital cash: accumulating credits/debits for use of on-line
services (including travel services, concert tickets, etc. 
purchased on-line), eventually paid for by some "real" currency: 
FRNs, yen, etc.  Implemented with Chaum-style protocol to prevent
forgery and assure privacy.
* On-line markets: Internet video poker, election outcome
markets, satellite track betting, etc.  Investments[1] can be 
made & paid out by greenstamps, natch.  On-line advertising.

Count me in.  You code-grinders come up with some way to do this stuff,
and I'll be happy to implement what of it I can on NitV-BBS.  Coupons [the
term greenstamps is probably trademarked] could work: those of you that
wish to make use of the BBS could upload (as a file or directly into the
message base) these coupons and get time/download credit on the board for
them, provided I have some way to spend them for something useful to me. 
Eventually if I can get IndraNetters into the idea, this could expand into
a user-to-user thing too, perhaps even in online door games (for those not
hip to BBS jargon, doors are programs run from the BBS, such as games,
doors, credit-card ordering applications for commercial stuff, etc etc.)
I can picture a high-stakes version of Barren Realms Elite, where the
"credits" in the game are real DigiCoupons that can be spent on other
boards, or at various Internetted sites, etc etc.  

I don't actually see much use in separating DigiCash and DigiCoupons. 
They both would appear to me to be almost identical in form and funtion. 
Whoever works on this sort of thing will hopefully work with Chaum to
ensure that our DigiCash is "compatible" as it were.  No sense getting
such a system going only to have it eclipsed later, and all our DigiCash
become worthless.

* Securely private BBS's

I'll pass on that one for now, my board's multi-user, open, and networked;
going the crypto route would reduce my user base to about 3 people,
including me!


Anyway, those of you not aware of it, NitV-BBS is still stocking a certain
fave crypto program of ours, legal threats be damned.

I'd also encrouge any of you running BBSs or participating in them to
contact mine and get in on IndraNet.  Just due to a few Extropians and
Cypherpunks doing this, the net has grown quite a bit, and is taking on a
decidedly libertarian flavour, with many spirited debates.  Sadly the
CRYPTO conference is very slow, so we need more participants.  More info
on the net:

IndraNet was founded by me, and oddly enough, a staunch republican that
enjoyed arguing with me.  I guess we just wanted our own entire net to
argue in.  He dropped out of it due to some personal things to deal with,
leaving a net of one.  SO, I promoted it, and within just a few month it
was not only national but international, now with nodes in 4 countries and
about 6 or so states.  There are over 30 conferences [UseNetters will
chuckle, but for a BBS-based OtherNet this is not bad; most BBSs don't
have more than 30 conferences total, many much less; there's just not
enough traffic on most boards to support that much chatter.]  Possibly
uniquely among BBS networks, there are:

NO POLICY DOCS (rules)
NO MODERATORS or COORDINATORS (dictators)
NO CENSORSHIP

It's a working, growing anarchy.  There have been some problems, namely
nodes that are "family" BBSs getting upset at the occasional swearing, but
oh well, not much to be done for it.  But all in all it appears to be working.

Currently we support QWK and Fido-tech mail formats, though those who are
also using some other format, such as MegaMail, PostLink, or PCRelay are
encouraged to make IndraNet available via those formats as well.  Some
time in the not-too-distant-future, I hope to get NitV hooked up to
Internet/UseNet via UUCP, and make IndraNet conferences available as
Internet mailing lists and "virtual local newgroups" (i.e. set up just
like local groups, but actually available to any node intending to
participate, but certainly not as a public alt.whatever series of
newsgroups; you know what I mean.)

To get into this, and to get more info, contact me by any means suggested
in the .sig below.

PS NOTE: I am not currently receiving the list, just for the time being
until I reconfigure elm to sort it into a separate folder, so any replies
should go directly to me by some means or other.  I'll be back on the list
soon enough I guess.
 -- 
Stanton  McCandlish   * Space Migration * Networking * ChaOrder * NO GOV'T. *
anton@hydra.unm.edu   * Intelligence Increase * Nano * Crypto * NO RELIGION *
FidoNet:    1:301/2   * Life Extension * Ethics * VR * Now! * NO MORE LIES! *
Noise in the Void BBS * +1-505-246-8515   (24hr, 1200-14400, v32bis, N-8-1) *