3 ms·

Ask HN: Can hashes be replaced with optimization problems in blockchain?

3 points by pacavaca 9y ago

pacavaca 9y ago
Can we build such a blockchain, where instead of spending energy on calculating useless crypto hashes, miners actually solve parts of some gigantic distributed optimization problem? Let’s say fitting a NN to extract high-level concepts from all the internet data (and conquer the world).
- pacavaca 9y ago
  Or we could make all the bitcoin/blockchain craze solve at least one of these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_distributed_computing_projects https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_distributed_computing_...
westurner 9y ago
From https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15843795 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15843795 : > Gridcoin (Berkeley 2013) is built on Proof-of-Stake and Proof-of-Research. Gridcoin is used as payment for computing resources contributed to BOINC. > I doubt that volatility would be welcome on the Gridcoin blockchain: Wikipedia lists "6.5% Inflation. 1.5% Interest + 5% Research Payments APR" under the Supply Growth infobox attribute. > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gridcoin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gridcoin
westurner 9y ago
CureCoin. From https://curecoin.net/knowledge-base/about-curecoin/what-is-curecoin/ https://curecoin.net/knowledge-base/about-curecoin/what-is-c... : > Curecoin allows owners of both ASIC and GPU/CPU hardware to earn. Curecoin puts ASICs to work at what they are good at–securing a blockchain, while it puts GPUs and CPUs to work with work items that can only be done on them–protein folding. While still having a secure blockchain, it supports, and thus is supported by, scientific research. ... From "CureCoin Reaches #1 Ranking on Folding@home" https://www.newswire.com/news/bio-research-loves-curecoin-gamers-and-speculators-to-overtake-1-team-19890448 https://www.newswire.com/news/bio-research-loves-curecoin-ga... : > As of the afternoon of August 29, 2017 (Eastern Time), the Curecoin Team 224497 earned the world's #1 rank on Stanford's Folding@home - a protein folding simulation Distributed Computing Network (DCN). In a little over 3 years, the team (including our merge-folding partners at Foldingcoin) collectively produced 160 billion points worth of molecular computations to support research in the areas of cancer, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's, Infectious Disease as well as helping scientists uncover new molecular dynamics through groundbreaking computational techniques.

3 points by pacavaca 9y ago

Can we build such a blockchain, where instead of spending energy on calculating useless crypto hashes, miners actually solve parts of some gigantic distributed optimization problem? Let’s say fitting a NN to extract high-level concepts from all the internet data (and conquer the world).

pacavaca 9y ago
Or we could make all the bitcoin/blockchain craze solve at least one of these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_distributed_computing_projects https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_distributed_computing_...

westurner 9y ago

From https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15843795 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15843795 : > Gridcoin (Berkeley 2013) is built on Proof-of-Stake and Proof-of-Research. Gridcoin is used as payment for computing resources contributed to BOINC. > I doubt that volatility would be welcome on the Gridcoin blockchain: Wikipedia lists "6.5% Inflation. 1.5% Interest + 5% Research Payments APR" under the Supply Growth infobox attribute. > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gridcoin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gridcoin

westurner 9y ago

CureCoin. From https://curecoin.net/knowledge-base/about-curecoin/what-is-curecoin/ https://curecoin.net/knowledge-base/about-curecoin/what-is-c... : > Curecoin allows owners of both ASIC and GPU/CPU hardware to earn. Curecoin puts ASICs to work at what they are good at–securing a blockchain, while it puts GPUs and CPUs to work with work items that can only be done on them–protein folding. While still having a secure blockchain, it supports, and thus is supported by, scientific research. ... From "CureCoin Reaches #1 Ranking on Folding@home" https://www.newswire.com/news/bio-research-loves-curecoin-gamers-and-speculators-to-overtake-1-team-19890448 https://www.newswire.com/news/bio-research-loves-curecoin-ga... : > As of the afternoon of August 29, 2017 (Eastern Time), the Curecoin Team 224497 earned the world's #1 rank on Stanford's Folding@home - a protein folding simulation Distributed Computing Network (DCN). In a little over 3 years, the team (including our merge-folding partners at Foldingcoin) collectively produced 160 billion points worth of molecular computations to support research in the areas of cancer, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's, Infectious Disease as well as helping scientists uncover new molecular dynamics through groundbreaking computational techniques.