What’s the worst performing currency of 2014? It’s Bitcoin

By Mike Flacy Published October 28, 2020

Bitcoins — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Plummeting downward by approximately 56 percent over the last 12 months, Bitcoin was recently crowned as the worst performing currency of 2014 according to Bloomberg. During early December 2013, the digital cryptocurrency was trading around $1140 and started falling to around the $850 range during early January 2014. As of this month, Bitcoin is being traded at the $320 level. However, this value is still higher than the value of the cryptocurrency prior to November 2013. Other poorly performing currencies of 2014 include the Ukraine’s hryvnia and Russia’s ruble.

While the falling value of the cryptocurrency doesn’t have the buying power it did several months ago, that hasn’t stopped retailers from adding Bitcoin as an acceptable form of legal payment. Earlier this month, Time Inc. started accepting Bitcoin payments for subscriptions to publications that include Fortune, Health, This Old House and Travel and Leisure. However, the company is holding off on expanding that option to publications such as People and Sports Illustrated.

Recommended Videos

In addition to Time Inc., Microsoft also recently started accepting Bitcoin as transfers to dollars within a Microsoft account. Capping the total transfer level to $5,000, money in a Microsoft account can be used on purchases within the Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox platforms. Interestingly, the transfers will only go one way. Anyone that transfers Bitcoin into a Microsoft account will not be eligible for a refund.

Speaking about the shift in policy on Microsoft’s The Fire Hose blog, Microsoft Universal Store VP Eric Lockard said “For us, this is about giving people options and helping them do more on their devices and in the cloud. The use of digital currencies such as bitcoin, while not yet mainstream, is growing beyond the early enthusiasts. We expect this growth to continue and allowing people to use bitcoin to purchase our products and services now allows us to be at the front edge of that trend.”

Topics

Contributing Editor

By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…

Computing

How to change margins in Google Docs

Laptop Working from Home

When you create a document in Google Docs, you may need to adjust the space between the edge of the page and the content --- the margins. For instance, many professors have requirements for the margin sizes you must use for college papers.

You can easily change the left, right, top, and bottom margins in Google Docs and have a few different ways to do it.

Computing

What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app

A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.

Computing

Microsoft Word vs. Google Docs

A person using a laptop that displays various Microsoft Office apps.

For the last few decades, Microsoft Word has been the de facto standard for word processors across the working world. That's finally starting to shift, and it looks like one of Google's productivity apps is the heir apparent. The company's Google Docs solution (or to be specific, the integrated word processor) is cross-platform and interoperable, automatically syncs, is easily shareable, and perhaps best of all, is free.

However, using Google Docs proves it still has a long way to go before it can match all of Word's features -- Microsoft has been developing its word processor for over 30 years, after all, and millions still use Microsoft Word. Will Google Docs' low barrier to entry and cross-platform functionality win out? Let's break down each word processor in terms of features and capabilities to help you determine which is best for your needs.
How does each word processing program compare?
To put it lightly, Microsoft Word has an incredible advantage over Google Docs in terms of raw technical capability. From relatively humble beginnings in the 1980s, Microsoft has added new tools and options in each successive version. Most of the essential editing tools are available in Google Docs, but users who are used to Word will find it limited.