A quick recap: Bitcoin is an encrypted Internet currency that isn't, technically, linked to any government. Partly thanks to its use in buying goods on… less respectable markets (I'm talking about drugs), its value surged more than 8,000% over the past year—and legitimate businesses like OKCupid are now starting to accept it as payment for online services. You can transfer Bitcoins. And if you got in on the ground floor, when they were $20/piece, giving away one away may seem like almost an obligatory charitable act.
This is what happened to the Auburn student. Within hours of the sign being broadcast on ESPN, Redditors had figured out the dude's QR code. And they sent him around $25,000 in Bitcoins (each one is now worth $1,100) in a little over 24 hours.
I mean, holy shit. This guy made 25 grand all thanks to a clever GameDay sign and a few people who really like to pass along the message of Bitcoin. The student later took to Reddit to thank the donors, and to say that any more donations would be forwarded to a Florida-based charity.
BRB, figuring out how to make a QR code. (MS Paint works, right?)
[H/T: Cryptojunky]
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