What am I proposing? A trial run of Reflect on Slashdot on a couple posts, integrated into the Slashcode platform. I already have a working Reflect plugin for Slashcode, demonstrated on this site with source available at this github page.

What is Reflect? Reflect is a simple change to online comment boards that encourages readers to restate the points that a commenter is saying. Next to every comment, a bulleted list of restatements is shown, along with a button inviting anyone else to add their own. The original commenter is able to state whether a summary accurately represents what they were trying to say.

Why would you use it? Help encourage listening online, help avoid flamewars arising out of misunderstandings, help commenters learn about how people are interpreting what they are saying, provide a new way for people to interact...See the pitch for Slashdot.

Why am I proposing it? We're researchers, we learn things from people using what we build!

More information. The Reflect website has further description, including a screencast and links to example Reflect implementations. Also see the Reflect entry for the Mozilla Journalism project.

"Bitcoin," says the project's website, "is a peer-to-peer currency. Peer-to-peer means that no central authority issues new money or tracks transactions." Wikipedia offers a readable explanation of the underlying technology. In (very) short, Bitcoin uses a distributed database and public key encryption to allow users to reassign ownership of units of Bitcoin currency (BTC), and does so in a way that can keep the user's identity private. Bitcoin isn't yet accepted the way credit cards are, but it's more than theoretical. You can buy (some) things with Bitcoin, and trade the currency itself. Now, you can ask question about Bitcoin of Amir Taaki, a developer of client interfaces and stock trading software for Bitcoin, and owner and operator of trading exchange Britcoin.co.uk. Amir requests that questions focus not "so much on the mining (too many people get focused on that when it's a minor aspect of Bitcoin) nor simple technical questions (people can go find that info themselves on Wikipedia/the forums/sourcecode)," but rather on the harder-to-answer questions. Reading some of the related stories listed below may give you ideas on what those are. Standard Slashdot Interview rules apply: ask as many questions as you want, but please keep them to one per comment. Amir will get back with his answers.

You should log in and play around with the admin stuff. Configure things to your tastes: edit the variables and templates (in the admin menu) to define things like your website's name and slogan. You should also donate some money to the FSF and read Slashdot.

So it took some doing (hopefully not too much), and it looks like you've got Slash installed and ready to rock. You can now use backSlash, the Slash Code Administration tool, if you are logged in as the admin user you set up during installation. And you might wanna start posting some stories too.