You might have heard about bitcoin in the news this week.
 It could be the future of currency, but the high-profile collapse of a bitcoin business
 has some people wondering if it's already dead.
 One business in Durham is committing to new currency, and Brian Schrader explains what
 it is and why bitcoin users say the future is bright.
 Alex Walkowski is trying to buy a biscuit from Rise Bakery in Durham, but he's not using
 dollars.
 It's a dollar a day.
 Okay, with bitcoin.
 Rise started accepting bitcoins as payment last week.
 Bitcoin is a virtual currency.
 You use your smartphone, tablet or computer to spend it.
 No central bank issues it, no government regulates it, and proponents like Jamison Lop say that's
 why it's great.
 People say bitcoins have value, and they then transfer them amongst each other in exchange
 for other goods and services.
 Rise owner Tom Ferguson likes the idea.
 He's tired of paying credit card fees to banks.
 We just recently raised our minimum wage here to $10.10 an hour.
 So to help compensate that, if we can lower what we're paying in fees, it's win-win.
 The value of a bitcoin has been volatile.
 A bitcoin was worth more than $1,100 in December.
 Now it's worth about half as much.
 And this week, a major bitcoin exchange named Mt. Gox went under.
 Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of bitcoins are missing, and the people who held them
 have no recourse.
 Lop says this story is more about Mt. Gox as a company than bitcoin as a currency.
 We're basically letting this incompetent company fail, and better companies are going to replace it.
 Ferguson told me he's doing his part to keep the currency alive and thriving, and he hopes
 it convinces people to fill their phones with bitcoins.
 Brian Shrader, WRAL News, Durham.
 And Brian adds getting into bitcoin can be complicated, however there are a couple of
 simple ways to get some.
 You can accept them as payment for goods and services, or you can buy them for an exchange
 using real money.
 Lop says you should learn all about bitcoin before taking the plunge.