> what advantage is gained by having the validator be a deep-space probe It's a (very!) scarce resource, and therefore if lots of people want it -- like for in

> what advantage is gained by having the validator be a deep-space probe It's a (very!) scarce resource, and therefore if lots of people want it -- like for instance, if it's the base of a "currency" system -- they'll assign a lot of value to it. Just like craptocurrencies[1] get their percieved value from the necessary resource they're based on being scarce. In their case it's "proof of work", i.e. showing that you've squandered fucktons of computing resources on finding some magic number; in Stross' suggestion, it's the fact that space probes are few and hard to reach. It even has the most famous trait of the Bitcoin algorithm, ever increasing scarcity, built in: with Bitcoin it takes ever longer to mine those magic numbers; in Stross' suggestion, it's the fact that space probes take ever longer to reach as they move away from Earth. (Though, hm, wait a minute: Come to think of it, as long as the probe can get signals, it should be able to reply to it the same number of them, although not in the same time? Replies should arrive back at about the same rate, only with ever longer latency. But maybe he meant that signal attenuation over these literally astronomical distances will slow down comms, Idunno.) But, anyway: His "Spacecoin" will only have any value if enough people think / trust that it does -- just like craptocurrencies. That's what's so hilarious about those: Their fanbois rant and rave against ordinary currencies and deprecatingly call them "fiat"[2], and never seem to realise that their own nirvana-thing... is just as "fiat" as anything else. ALL currencies are. (Yes, including gold.) --- [1]: Thank you, user "Pigeon": http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2021/05/because-i-am-bored.html#comment-2121068 http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2021/05/because-... [2]: I wonder, BTW, if the reason they're so in love with using that as a pejorative is partially based on old "folk wisdom" seeing the Italian car brand as atrociously low-quality?