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The fact that you can find little on this subject on HN speaks for itself. There are many clever minds here and I have followed by far the most witty discussio

by M0r13n 5y ago

The fact that you can find little on this subject on HN speaks for itself. There are many clever minds here and I have followed by far the most witty discussions on various topics on this platform. Whenever the topic of cryptocurrencies comes up, substantial concerns are expressed about the technology and its added value for society and the financial system. At the same time, I don't get the sense that this is unfounded reluctance. Rather, fundamental questions reveal themselves upon closer examination. And the participants in the discussion are in best of company. Many smart people have expressed concerns about crypto currencies in the past (e.g. Bjarne Stroustrup or Waren Buffet to name a few). I have the feeling that the vast majority of cryptocurrency advocates have no idea about the matter themselves. They are simply spreading slogans on Reddit and Twitter proclaiming the next big hype. I think that's one of the reasons why you can find so little neutral and highly qualitative information on the subject - there is none.

tata71 5y ago
What's the age of a HN reader?
- ziml77 5y ago
  Why does this matter?
  - tata71 5y ago
    For the same reason questioning the "virtue" passed down from previous generation that sitting at your desk for 45 hours a week being indicative of a hard worker, or effort.
fragmede 5y ago
The same logic applied to the vast, often contradictory, purportedly science-based quantity of diet tips and the ilk, such as the health benefits of red wine and chocolate, would lead you to believe we know nothing about what a human body needs to survive. Online public discussions of cryptocurrency never get past the stage of "is crypto even real?", so it's no wonder that discussions have moved to private Discords and invite-only subreddits. If, every time you tried to ask an in-depth question that would get an informational, insightful, and highly qualitative answer, and the majority of replies are of the level "hurr durr your question is teh stupids and you're an idiot for thinking about this", wouldn't you move away from the public eye? Questions like: how does Bitcoin need to change in order to operate on an interplanetary scale (aka Mars' transmission delay)? or How best can a proof of work system be designed to be resilient to quantum computing? Both those questions are actively being worked on and have interesting answers, though they are few and far between, but that doesn't mean they aren't being worked on. The people doing the work are too busy doing the work to talk about it, and the dilettantes are too busy repeating half-truths to each other for there to be the answers you seek on Twitter.
- M0r13n 5y ago
  That’s a great analogy.
- teatree 5y ago
  Are you aware of any such sources where practical applications of crypto, for earth, are discussed? I'd like to expand my understanding without getting involved in the right/wrong debate.

by M0r13n 5y ago

tata71 5y ago

What's the age of a HN reader?

ziml77 5y ago
Why does this matter?
- tata71 5y ago
  For the same reason questioning the "virtue" passed down from previous generation that sitting at your desk for 45 hours a week being indicative of a hard worker, or effort.

fragmede 5y ago

The same logic applied to the vast, often contradictory, purportedly science-based quantity of diet tips and the ilk, such as the health benefits of red wine and chocolate, would lead you to believe we know nothing about what a human body needs to survive. Online public discussions of cryptocurrency never get past the stage of "is crypto even real?", so it's no wonder that discussions have moved to private Discords and invite-only subreddits. If, every time you tried to ask an in-depth question that would get an informational, insightful, and highly qualitative answer, and the majority of replies are of the level "hurr durr your question is teh stupids and you're an idiot for thinking about this", wouldn't you move away from the public eye? Questions like: how does Bitcoin need to change in order to operate on an interplanetary scale (aka Mars' transmission delay)? or How best can a proof of work system be designed to be resilient to quantum computing? Both those questions are actively being worked on and have interesting answers, though they are few and far between, but that doesn't mean they aren't being worked on. The people doing the work are too busy doing the work to talk about it, and the dilettantes are too busy repeating half-truths to each other for there to be the answers you seek on Twitter.

M0r13n 5y ago
That’s a great analogy.
teatree 5y ago
Are you aware of any such sources where practical applications of crypto, for earth, are discussed? I'd like to expand my understanding without getting involved in the right/wrong debate.