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Serious question: what is block chain being used for besides trading crypto currency? Like, not building infrastructure that may be useful, for things in the fu

by rictic 9y ago

Serious question: what is block chain being used for besides trading crypto currency? Like, not building infrastructure that may be useful, for things in the future, not speculative value but stuff that's identifyably useful in and of itself today? I don't follow coins closely anymore but the main one I saw was namecoin, which hasn't yet seen much use.

atemerev 9y ago
I rent cars, pay for groceries, and basically do everything else with Bitcoin. I have to use card gateways like Bitwala for that, but it works for me perfectly. My debit card can be usually loaded with Bitcoin within 10-15 minutes (it is especially helpful as I live in 2 countries and travel a lot; bank transfers take much more time). There are many companies now where you can get your salary paid in Bitcoin. In fact, it is so infinitely more convenient, I think that only the forces of mental inertia hold this approach from immediate universal adoption.
- samastur 9y ago
  Not really. High fluctuation of bitcoin's value is the real killer when most expenses will need to be paid in a not-bitcoin currency.
  - atemerev 9y ago
    Worked for me for the last year.
    - AstralStorm 9y ago
      One year is an awfully short time for a currency.
- 6nf 9y ago
  My credit card does all of that and they actually reward me for using them, so given the choice when paying for something I will choose a credit card 100% of the time.
  - honestlyreally 9y ago
    They reward you by charging the merchant more. You realise that right?
    - 6nf 9y ago
      Of course, that's what's so great about it. I don't pay a thing!
  - atemerev 9y ago
    Right, so do I. The only problem is that I can't cover my credit card with Bitcoin, and I earn some part of my revenue with it.
ghaff 9y ago
There are some interesting use cases around supply chain and provenance. Like Tim, I'm skeptical. It's probably overhyped--mostly because if cryptocurrencies. But I think there's at least the potential for significant applications for transactions among decentralized entities that don't fully trust each other.
deleted 9y ago
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by rictic 9y ago

atemerev 9y ago

I rent cars, pay for groceries, and basically do everything else with Bitcoin. I have to use card gateways like Bitwala for that, but it works for me perfectly. My debit card can be usually loaded with Bitcoin within 10-15 minutes (it is especially helpful as I live in 2 countries and travel a lot; bank transfers take much more time). There are many companies now where you can get your salary paid in Bitcoin. In fact, it is so infinitely more convenient, I think that only the forces of mental inertia hold this approach from immediate universal adoption.

samastur 9y ago
Not really. High fluctuation of bitcoin's value is the real killer when most expenses will need to be paid in a not-bitcoin currency.
- atemerev 9y ago
  Worked for me for the last year.
  - AstralStorm 9y ago
    One year is an awfully short time for a currency.
6nf 9y ago
My credit card does all of that and they actually reward me for using them, so given the choice when paying for something I will choose a credit card 100% of the time.
- honestlyreally 9y ago
  They reward you by charging the merchant more. You realise that right?
  - 6nf 9y ago
    Of course, that's what's so great about it. I don't pay a thing!
- atemerev 9y ago
  Right, so do I. The only problem is that I can't cover my credit card with Bitcoin, and I earn some part of my revenue with it.

ghaff 9y ago

There are some interesting use cases around supply chain and provenance. Like Tim, I'm skeptical. It's probably overhyped--mostly because if cryptocurrencies. But I think there's at least the potential for significant applications for transactions among decentralized entities that don't fully trust each other.

deleted 9y ago

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