Bitcoin was a fascinating technical trick, but it's also been a worked example of the difference between "interesting", versus "feasible" or even "a good idea".

Bitcoin was a fascinating technical trick, but it's also been a worked example of the difference between "interesting", versus "feasible" or even "a good idea". As soon as it claimed to be money, then it was all about the money. If you look at early BitcoinTalk, you'll see a pile of scams that are extremely similar to the jargon still used in crypto to this day - the scammers got in very early indeed.