A friend is doing research on bitcoin and other virtual currencies.
Although it sounds like phoney money to me, I still honor the lesson I got in fourth grade about how a dollar represents trust. You trust when you receive it that it will be accepted by someone else in exchange for something you want. You trust the entity that backs it. Today people are using virtual currencies like real money, so trust is working so far.
But does it all remind you of the company that used to accept your money and promise to do your worrying for you? Or how about virtual gift giving, which enjoyed a flurry of attention in the media a while back. (The gift company will e-mail your friend that you “bought” a virtual gift. The concept is based on the premise that it’s the thought that counts. VirtualGifts4U.com, for one, just asks you to support its sponsors.)
I took this picture at Boston’s South Station, where, during specified hours, a friendly young man will explain how you can buy bitcoins at this machine. I haven’t chatted with him, so I don’t know if he also explains that the value of your bitcoins can not only go up in an hour or two but go way down.
There is no significance to the fact that the machine is located right next to an endlessly running “If you see something, say something” security video.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
There is so much trust embedded in our lives. Driving in a car involves huge amounts of trust — that everyone else roaring along (similarly encased in a ton of metal and plastic) will stay in their lane, will stay on their side of the road, will honor traffic signs and signals, will enter and exit the highway in a prudent manner, etc. It’s great to be reminded of all the trust that we take for granted!
Your comments are always thoughtful. Like trust, luck plays a role in our lives, more than I’d like to admit. I have been very lucky when potentially dangerous situations have turned out OK.