Lock up your Bitcoins (Image: Antonio M. Rosario/Corbis)

Editorial: “What’s that in old money?“

IF THE price of gold halved overnight while the cost of mining equipment ballooned, the global economy would be plunged into chaos. This scenario is about to play out in the online peer-to-peer currency Bitcoin, but rather than disrupting the digital money supply, it could be what Bitcoin needs to be taken seriously.

Bitcoin is maturing rapidly. Last week blog host WordPress.com announced it will now accept Bitcoins, adding blog themes to the list of things you can use the currency to buy online, which already …