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Do you mean outside of any involvement with currency, or just outside of simple transfers of currency? Because a lot of things are applications of programmable

Do you mean outside of any involvement with currency, or just outside of simple transfers of currency? Because a lot of things are applications of programmable money, like derivatives, exchanges, and gambling. Beyond that, some games are using public blockchains to track ownership of game items.

acdha 8y ago
None of which seem to intrinsically need a blockchain or be more competitive for using one. All of the real volume in those activity classes not using blockchains would need some explanation.
- 4ntonius8lock 8y ago
  I see it being used in public registry points. For example, property records. Right now there are considerable checks and balances needed to ensure there aren't funny things going on with the books when they are locked away at night. This isn't as pressing an issue in the US, but it is a massive problem worldwide. Central governments in some countries want to be able to track property without the record keepers stealing it. I don't think we'll see this widespread for the next 20-30 years. But imagine when existing power structures have absorbed this tech and they can then sell it - like VISA selling a block chain property registry to countries where the money is auto transferred in local currency from one end user to another while communicating to the countries central bank... maybe with tie in to bio metrics for ID and transaction verification and automatic tax payments. Hardly a disruption from existing nation state and corporate power structures, but definitively a disruption in the possibilities of what can be offered.
- DennisP 8y ago
  It's just computation and storage, so of course you can do it on a server. Three things blockchains provide: you don't need to trust anyone with custody of your assets, you have censorship resistance, and users pay for all the resources they use so don't need a business model just to keep it running.

acdha 8y ago

None of which seem to intrinsically need a blockchain or be more competitive for using one. All of the real volume in those activity classes not using blockchains would need some explanation.

4ntonius8lock 8y ago
I see it being used in public registry points. For example, property records. Right now there are considerable checks and balances needed to ensure there aren't funny things going on with the books when they are locked away at night. This isn't as pressing an issue in the US, but it is a massive problem worldwide. Central governments in some countries want to be able to track property without the record keepers stealing it. I don't think we'll see this widespread for the next 20-30 years. But imagine when existing power structures have absorbed this tech and they can then sell it - like VISA selling a block chain property registry to countries where the money is auto transferred in local currency from one end user to another while communicating to the countries central bank... maybe with tie in to bio metrics for ID and transaction verification and automatic tax payments. Hardly a disruption from existing nation state and corporate power structures, but definitively a disruption in the possibilities of what can be offered.
DennisP 8y ago
It's just computation and storage, so of course you can do it on a server. Three things blockchains provide: you don't need to trust anyone with custody of your assets, you have censorship resistance, and users pay for all the resources they use so don't need a business model just to keep it running.