Bitcoin, the virtual peer-to-peer currency that was launched in 2009 (see CAT blog June: Barter P2P Currency Gains Traction), had a meteoric rise in April-June of this year—but after a hacking attack on the premier bitcoin exchange, the currency plummeted, then rose again. Today it traded at $2.40, down from a peak of $30, but still way up from the pennies it priced at 18 months ago.

In a recent WIRED article Benjamin Wallace reports that –

In the public’s imagination, overnight the bitcoin went from being the currency of tomorrow to a dystopian joke. The Electronic Frontier Foundation quietly stopped accepting bitcoin donations. Two Irish scholars specializing in network analysis demonstrated that bitcoin wasn’t nearly as anonymous as many had assumed: They were able to identify the handles of a number of people who had donated bitcoins to Wikileaks. (The organization announced in June 2011 that it was accepting such donations.) Nontechnical newcomers to the currency, expecting it to be easy to use, were disappointed to find that an extraordinary amount of effort was required to obtain, hold, and spend bitcoins. For a time, one of the easier ways to buy them was to first use Paypal to buy Linden dollars, the virtual currency in Second Life, then trade them within that make-believe universe for bitcoins. As the tone of media coverage shifted from gee-whiz to skeptical, attention that had once been thrilling became a source of resentment.

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Preaching the message of peace and nonviolence at the recent Peace Conference in Palm Spring, California, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Arun Gandhi said, “Over the years we have been feeding the wrong wolf in us, and so we have seen this escalation of violence.” The conference was hosted by Rotary International at the Palm Springs Convention Center on November 13th.

Arun Gandhi at Palm Springs Convention Center. Photo credit: Wade Nomura

“Experts say 80 percent of violence we experience stems from anger,” Gandhi said, and “If you want to learn nonviolence and practice nonviolence, learn how to understand your anger and control it. Anger is like electricity. It’s just as powerful and just as useful, but only if we use it intelligently.”

Talking of the conference, Denise Wadsworth of Rotary International stated, “The goal is to give opportunities for people of many cultures to come together in a beautiful setting to promote peace and understanding.”

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Editor’s Notes: Our designated cloud accounting technology provider Cloud9 Real Time presented at Sleeter – Source: Catalyst Enterprise Solutions 

QuickBooks alternatives and cloud-based accounting were the main themes of Doug Sleeter’s opening keynote address at the Sleeter Group annual conference in Las Vegas recently. Sleeter stressed how the profession is clearly moving in new directions and accountants need to think about changing how they work, writes Seth Fineberg.

Doug Sleeter

Sleeter spoke to an estimated audience of over 700 at his 2011 Accounting Solutions Conference in Las Vegas.

“We found that most attendees have come here not just to learn about QuickBooks,” said Sleeter. “There are paradigm shifts all over the accounting technology world. The future is here, and it’s all about zero data entry and about how you work. A big feature of this conference is about turning the corner. Just providing tax returns and financials is not enough. We are here to help guide clients and use the numbers to help them make better decisions.”

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Attend the Palm Springs Rotary Peace Conference. Listen and participate in topics on Peace through Education. Hear the words of Arun Gandhi, Rotary International President Kalyan Banerjee and Rotary Peace Fellows. 

“Peace Through Education Is Possible” 

PALM SPRINGS, CA – Peace is Possible, and on November 13, 2011 Rotarians and peacemakers on the west coast will gather in Palm Springs at the Palm Springs Convention Center to discuss this very theme at the Rotary Peace Conference. This event, hosted by Rotary International Director Ken Boyd is one of a series that have taken place throughout the world.

“What is special about the event is our Keynote Speaker Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas Gandhi, and the public is invited,” says Host Chair Dr. Garbis Der-Yeghian. “Mr. Gandhi, founder of M.K. Gandhi Institute, will share his views on non-violence with riveting and unique reflections on the personal and historical legacy of his grandfather, Mohandas Gandhi.

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Cloud9 Real Time is licensed by Intuit as a Commercial Host and Accredited by MSP Alliance as an authorized Managed Service Provider. Offering a customized and privately labeled all-in-one virtual office solution, with advanced QuickBooks hosting solutions you can have an online portal with instant access to QuickBooks, Microsoft Office, Tax Preparation software and other applications. Providing clients with a custom built server, the Private Cloud solutions offered by Cloud9 are tailor made for the individual businesses needs. Cloud9 Real Time hosts all of its servers in the United States at a SAS-70 Type II data center; Technical Support is free of charge and users are never charged for data storage, IT or maintenance. 

QuickBooks hosting and beyond: Faster and safer and seamless, oh my!    

Catalyst client and service provider, Cloud9 Real Time, has announced the release of Simply Cloud9. The new infrastructure is set to change hosting as it is known today and will be released for general purchase beginning December 1st. President and CEO, Robert Chandler notes, “Our new technology will deliver seamless application streaming without the hassle of downloads! The new technology is faster, more secure and offers extra private labeling features to our clients.” Simply Cloud9 was debuted at the 2011 Cloud Summit and User Conference and received a standing ovation from attendees.

Simply Cloud9 is built on the foundation of all Microsoft 2008 R2 technology and offers clients increased security with 256-bit Encryption thru portal login. Additionally, the new technology allows for clients to embed a login page directly on their website for accountants and clients to access their Cloud financial and office applications.

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