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What I really hate about digital currencies is that people call it "crypto" all the time, especially in your context someone can misread it as "cryptography" in
by ce4 7y ago
What I really hate about digital currencies is that people call it "crypto" all the time, especially in your context someone can misread it as "cryptography" instead of crypto-money... this is often highly misleading and casts a bad shadow on cryptography (for people who aren't knowledgable in these fields.
- veidr 7y agoThis bugs the shit out of me, too, but it is in some sense correct. Cryptocurrency enjoys a much, much higher mindshare among humans than cryptography. I guess because it's money. And also because it's been this weird but actual bubble, not to mention countless ponzi schemes and debased ICOs and Floyd Mayweather in a private jet and whatever. I've resigned myself to saying all the syllables and typing all the characters of "cryptography" when I discuss it because I don't think you and I are going to win this one.
- davidgerard 7y agosadly, it's pretty much accepted finance jargon now. You can always think of it, every time you see it, as meaning "cryptosporidium"
- BenjiWiebe 7y agoI live on a farm. When we talk about cryptosporidium we always just say crypto.
- snowwrestler 7y agoUnfortunately I think this fight was officially lost when noted cryptographer Matt Blaze gave in and sold the crypto.com domain to a blockchain company. (I don't blame him for doing so, I just think it's a noteworthy event.) What I mean is: I agree with you, but I think the crypto ship has sailed. For what it's worth I started backpacking in the 1990s and back then "crypto" to me meant cryptosporidium, the 2nd biggest concern about drinking backcountry water (after giardia).
- Slartie 7y agoHas he been paid with...crypto?
- snowwrestler 7y ago:-) I bet he insisted on cash.
- ce4 7y agoAnd Crypto.com now has to deal with the fallout/news coverage of the Crypto AG infiltration by NSA/BND agencies :-) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22309478 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22309478
- reportgunner 7y agoI really hate this about the term "AI" as well.
- kag0 7y agoWhat kills me is that it's not just 'crypto'currency vs 'crypto'graphy and a matter of which term is more popular in the public mind and therefore gets to keep the shorter phrase. Crypto is ALREADY short for cryptography, as in, cryptographic-currency => crypto-currency.