Hi, I'm the worst. After umming and ahhing for the better part of a month, I finally committed to investing in cryptocurrency. I bought into Bitcoin at around the $US10,500 valuation mark and I've been refreshing Coindesk ever since like a complete buffoon.

I've gone through just about every stage you'd expect a Bitcoin noob to go through and I am here to talk to you all about that process today.

Even if you have a general idea of what Bitcoin is, you may not understand what the fuss is about or how long it has been around. This interactive history will show you, starting back in 2007.

Building a "cryptocurrency" such as Bitcoin requires vision, technical nous and a healthy dose of luck -- all areas with which developers are familiar. RMIT's Pj Radcliffe outlines how you can go about rolling your own.

The cryptocurrency Bitcoin has been in the news lately with a sudden surge in value followed by a spectacular crash – not to mention the unfortunate tale of $US4 million in bitcoin on a hard drive that was accidentally dumped in a rubbish tip. Bitcoin was the first widely used cryptocurrency, but few people know it is not the only one. So how do the top five cryptocurrencies by capitalisation compare?

Dear Lifehacker, Everywhere I go, I see Bitcoin popping up. Many web services accept payments in the form of Bitcoin, and some even sell their homes for the stuff. I know it's a digital currency, but where does it come from and how is its value determined? More importantly, should I bother earning it and using it for any reason? Thanks, Bitconfused