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> the second is a way to waste our electricity I wonder how much electricity has been wasted on cat videos... There are all sorts of wastes - the process of w

> the second is a way to waste our electricity I wonder how much electricity has been wasted on cat videos... There are all sorts of wastes - the process of waste in attempting to find (R&D) a good crypto, should lead to a net gain in the long run. Cat videos, not so much..

NikolaNovak 4y ago
There are a zillion wasteful activities. I think what gets me, and where the arguments sometimes seem disingenuous, is that in cat videos, the energy waste is "accidental". Both the provider and consumer would readily see it reduced, and in fact optimization happens constantly and mercilessly. Providers typically expend effort to reduce energy expenditure, especially in mature fields, as it represents real cost to bottom line. In proof of work crypto though, energy expenditure is by design / intentional, and not only that, but designed to consistently increase. That feels any comparison between POW crypto to anything else not even apples and oranges, more like car accidents and nuclear weapons - one is an accident, the other is designed to nuke you.
phoe-krk 4y ago
Cat videos provide tangible relaxation and a way to rest in between other tasks, whereas any Web3 endeavours in the "crypto mainstream" I have seen so far have been purely speculation vehicles disguised as something useful.
DonHopkins 4y ago
Cat videos are not purposefully distributed uncompressed, in ultra high definition resolution, with extremely high frame rates, including enormous amounts of extra redundant padding, with 24 hour and longer durations, so they take as much time as technologically possible to download.
- guerrilla 4y ago
  Cat videos also aren't completely useless: they make people happy. Shitcoins hasn't done anything but scam people and contribute way more CO2.
unsafecast 4y ago
Okay, let's do a bit of math. Each year, Bitcoin produces ~37 megatonnes of CO2 per year (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/environment/as-cryptocurrency-becomes-mainstream-its-carbon-footprint-can-t-be-ignored-81118 https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/environment/as-cryptocur...), and i won't consider any other cryptocurrency. Now, let's assume for a moment that every single youtube video is a cat video, since i found nothing about how much people watch these. So 10 megatonnes of CO2 per year (https://www.wired.co.uk/article/youtube-digital-waste-interaction-design https://www.wired.co.uk/article/youtube-digital-waste-intera...). Obviously this is very unfair to cats. But even if that were the case, with this calculation being _really_ biased for crypto, it's still very bad.
- polygamous_bat 4y ago
  Howaboutism seems to be a core crypto tenet, until someone comes back with a response like this. I also keep hearing "how much energy does the legacy banking system spend"... to which the only real response is: for the value it provides humanity, very little, unlike the top cryptocurrencies.
  - ulzeraj 4y ago
    The "legacy banking system" you are referring to is probably something similar to the ECB or the FED. Only 13% of the world population live under a stable financial system or democracy. So please check your financial privilege.
    - LegitShady 4y ago
      if you have to resort to telling someone to check their privilege you've already run out of arguments.
      - ulzeraj 4y ago
        I mean am I wrong? I'm assuming you are from the US, Canada or Europe when you say central banks have a net positive impact on society so I can presume you are clearly speaking form a point of privilege. You've never suffered through strict capital controls and hyperinflation. You can participate in any investment scheme without the need to supply spurious amounts of impossible documentation. You are not sanctioned. You may even have born in the right place. Am I wrong? Doesn't that sound like privilege to you?

NikolaNovak 4y ago

There are a zillion wasteful activities. I think what gets me, and where the arguments sometimes seem disingenuous, is that in cat videos, the energy waste is "accidental". Both the provider and consumer would readily see it reduced, and in fact optimization happens constantly and mercilessly. Providers typically expend effort to reduce energy expenditure, especially in mature fields, as it represents real cost to bottom line. In proof of work crypto though, energy expenditure is by design / intentional, and not only that, but designed to consistently increase. That feels any comparison between POW crypto to anything else not even apples and oranges, more like car accidents and nuclear weapons - one is an accident, the other is designed to nuke you.

phoe-krk 4y ago

Cat videos provide tangible relaxation and a way to rest in between other tasks, whereas any Web3 endeavours in the "crypto mainstream" I have seen so far have been purely speculation vehicles disguised as something useful.

DonHopkins 4y ago

Cat videos are not purposefully distributed uncompressed, in ultra high definition resolution, with extremely high frame rates, including enormous amounts of extra redundant padding, with 24 hour and longer durations, so they take as much time as technologically possible to download.

guerrilla 4y ago
Cat videos also aren't completely useless: they make people happy. Shitcoins hasn't done anything but scam people and contribute way more CO2.

unsafecast 4y ago

Okay, let's do a bit of math. Each year, Bitcoin produces ~37 megatonnes of CO2 per year (https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/environment/as-cryptocurrency-becomes-mainstream-its-carbon-footprint-can-t-be-ignored-81118 https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/environment/as-cryptocur...), and i won't consider any other cryptocurrency. Now, let's assume for a moment that every single youtube video is a cat video, since i found nothing about how much people watch these. So 10 megatonnes of CO2 per year (https://www.wired.co.uk/article/youtube-digital-waste-interaction-design https://www.wired.co.uk/article/youtube-digital-waste-intera...). Obviously this is very unfair to cats. But even if that were the case, with this calculation being _really_ biased for crypto, it's still very bad.

polygamous_bat 4y ago
Howaboutism seems to be a core crypto tenet, until someone comes back with a response like this. I also keep hearing "how much energy does the legacy banking system spend"... to which the only real response is: for the value it provides humanity, very little, unlike the top cryptocurrencies.
- ulzeraj 4y ago
  The "legacy banking system" you are referring to is probably something similar to the ECB or the FED. Only 13% of the world population live under a stable financial system or democracy. So please check your financial privilege.
  - LegitShady 4y ago
    if you have to resort to telling someone to check their privilege you've already run out of arguments.
    - ulzeraj 4y ago
      I mean am I wrong? I'm assuming you are from the US, Canada or Europe when you say central banks have a net positive impact on society so I can presume you are clearly speaking form a point of privilege. You've never suffered through strict capital controls and hyperinflation. You can participate in any investment scheme without the need to supply spurious amounts of impossible documentation. You are not sanctioned. You may even have born in the right place. Am I wrong? Doesn't that sound like privilege to you?