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On one hand there is much concern and awareness about the environment and our carbon footprint. Businesses globally are under pressure to become greener. Indivi

by throw2016 9y ago

On one hand there is much concern and awareness about the environment and our carbon footprint. Businesses globally are under pressure to become greener. Individuals are trying to do their bit. There is activism and global concern. On the other hand bitcoin and other crypto currencies continue to encourage millions to waste power for no useful reason beyond speculation without a care in the world, and without being called out on it. Can future designers of crypto currencies consider the waste of power? A lot of concern begins to look self serving and mere finger pointing at others if whenever there is self interest and potential gain at stake all concerns go flying out, things are allowed to coast below the surface and hand waved away. Are business that adopt crypto going to be boycotted for encouraging the needless waste of power?

undersuit 9y ago
It's it fair to attack cryptocurrencies for being wasteful when far more resources are being "wasted" on entertainment? How about we go after vacations? Cruises, airplanes, hotels sitting mostly vacant, RVs, snow mobiles in the winter, boating in the summer. How are these not wasteful? Or rather why are you calling out Bitcoin instead?
- throw2016 9y ago
  Consider this, you have this huge truck consuming gallons of fuel and expending pollution and you have to drive it up and down a 1km road 24/7 to get some tokens. And that's it, just drive up and down. Do you think this is a proper use of scarce resources? Is this defensible? You point to other trucks on the road, they are transporting goods and providing essential services to society and both truck manufacturers and users are under pressure to increase efficiency and reduce waste and pollution. In this context how would you judge an individual who introduces a token that simply requires trucks to drive up and down 24/7. Would it be fair to say this is an act of utter recklessness and irresponsibility?
  - undersuit 9y ago
    >Do you think this is a proper use of scarce resources? Is this defensible? Oh come on, you going to make an analogy about doing nothing and completely ignore my argument that vacations are nothing. Humans don't need vacations. Humans probably also didn't need cryptocurrencies. >You point to other trucks on the road, they are transporting goods and providing essential services to society And you ignore all the vehicles on the road transporting humans and their toys to the distant destinations where they are going, not to do work, no they are avoiding work. >Would it be fair to say this is an act of utter recklessness and irresponsibility? Would it be fair to say I never said Bitcoin was not that, just the we might have more egregious actions that we perform that are accepted as a part of daily life.
- xaedes 9y ago
  Because the one is making things exceptional computational expensive by design. The other not.

undersuit 9y ago

It's it fair to attack cryptocurrencies for being wasteful when far more resources are being "wasted" on entertainment? How about we go after vacations? Cruises, airplanes, hotels sitting mostly vacant, RVs, snow mobiles in the winter, boating in the summer. How are these not wasteful? Or rather why are you calling out Bitcoin instead?

throw2016 9y ago
Consider this, you have this huge truck consuming gallons of fuel and expending pollution and you have to drive it up and down a 1km road 24/7 to get some tokens. And that's it, just drive up and down. Do you think this is a proper use of scarce resources? Is this defensible? You point to other trucks on the road, they are transporting goods and providing essential services to society and both truck manufacturers and users are under pressure to increase efficiency and reduce waste and pollution. In this context how would you judge an individual who introduces a token that simply requires trucks to drive up and down 24/7. Would it be fair to say this is an act of utter recklessness and irresponsibility?
- undersuit 9y ago
  >Do you think this is a proper use of scarce resources? Is this defensible? Oh come on, you going to make an analogy about doing nothing and completely ignore my argument that vacations are nothing. Humans don't need vacations. Humans probably also didn't need cryptocurrencies. >You point to other trucks on the road, they are transporting goods and providing essential services to society And you ignore all the vehicles on the road transporting humans and their toys to the distant destinations where they are going, not to do work, no they are avoiding work. >Would it be fair to say this is an act of utter recklessness and irresponsibility? Would it be fair to say I never said Bitcoin was not that, just the we might have more egregious actions that we perform that are accepted as a part of daily life.
xaedes 9y ago
Because the one is making things exceptional computational expensive by design. The other not.