This is Scientific American 60 seconds Tech, I'm Larry Greenemeier, got a minute?
这里是科学美国人60秒科技频道,我是拉里·格林梅耶。
Virtual currency was on the ropes earlier this year. Bitcoin, the preeminent peer-to-peer online payment system, saw its value slashed by more than half after its largest exchange was hacked and shut down. Yet the fortunes of cryptocurrency have recently rebounded.
今年年初,虚拟货币货币的发行受到重创。人气超高的网络虚拟货币比特币在其最大的一比交易受挫后贬值了一半多。但是最近比特币的命运又得到了改变。
Apple used to block programs from its App Store that managed or otherwise dealt in bitcoin and its ilk. Now, though, Apple will allow iOS developers to support the use of certain cyber coinage. Apple has yet to say which of the dozens of cyber currencies out there it will now honor.
苹果公司以前对比特币或其他网络虚拟货币的态度是一律封杀。不过现在,苹果允许ios系统开发者适当支持虚拟货币的使用。但对于究竟哪种货币可以获得此“殊荣”,苹果还未给予官方答复。
Meanwhile, satellite TV provider Dish Network will soon start letting its 14 million household subscribers pay their monthly bills using bitcoin. And rapper 50 Cent is accepting bitcoin as payment for his latest album. By the way, at this moment's exchange rate, 50 Cent would also be known as 0.00075 Bitcoin. Not as catchy.
与此同时,美国卫星广播服务提供商Dish Network很快将允许其1千4百万的用户用比特币支付日常收费。 饶舌歌手50 cent也以比特币的形式收到他最新专辑的报酬。50美分只相当于0.00075比特币,真实不多啊。
Such high-profile endorsements should help bring cyber tokens closer to the mainstream, even though there's a risk that they'll go down in value once you buy them. Still, U.S. consumers might be open to the idea. They've been hooked on a virtual currency for decades. It's called credit cards.
如此高调的宣传应该会使比特币的发行量大增,不过风险就是一旦购买的人多了,比特币也就会随之贬值。无论如何,美国人民对比特币的态度还是很开放的,毕竟,他们已经使用信用卡这种虚拟货币几十年了。
Thanks for the minute for the Scientific American 60 Seconds Tech, I'm Larry Greenemeier.
感谢收听科学美国人60秒科技频道。