The Y Combinator-backed Coinbase was started nine months ago by Brian Armstrong, a then anti-fraud engineer at AirBnB who had gotten a taste of how much money the company was losing in transaction fees thanks to credit cards and currency conversions.

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We'd still be tempted to snag the Galaxy Nexus across the aisle to get us a taste of Jelly Bean for the same money, but Canucks with a penchant for Smart Actions now have an option outside of Rogers to get their fix.

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At its best, this book tries to parse that messy nexus of money, spectacle and public taste.

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"For customers who want a taste of the millionaire lifestyle, it's value for money, " White says.

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Money is hardly the sole arbiter of taste, but it's far from irrelevant.

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