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Crypto used to mean cryptography. It is very much a thing. https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2021/nov/18/crypto-cryptocurrency-cryptographers https://amp.

by EGreg 4y ago

Crypto used to mean cryptography. It is very much a thing. https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2021/nov/18/crypto-cryptocurrency-cryptographers https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2021/nov/18/crypto-cr... On the other hand, Bitcoin and Web3 sucks mainly because it is based on Blockchain. That solves the double-spend problem but in the most brute force way: gather all transactions in one place (miner) and look for a double-spend, then have everyone store the state of every coin/smart contract. That is as dumb as having BitTorrent require every seeder to host every file. As more people join, the throughput always remains the same. Can you name any other Internet protocols where “max transactions per second” is a thing? How many websites per second can HTTP support? How many emails per second can SMTP support? Blockchain is one of the only technologies in history that promises to become slower and more expensive over time. And hence people jump in early, to buy the “utility token” issued in block rewards, because it’ll become more scarce later as transaction costs skyrocket. All it does is attract speculation, not utility. And hence, rather than using crypto with smart contracts to power community applications such as https://intercoin.org/applications https://intercoin.org/applications — instead it is relegated to peer-to-peer applications that do transactions once in a while. This is what must happen to make crypto mainstream: https://intercoin.org/proposal.pdf https://intercoin.org/proposal.pdf … but most projects are stuck in just doing more of the same … blockchain, blockchain, speculation, speculation, yields, rewards out of thin air, etc. If no one successfully does this then we’ll live in a world where Big Tech controls our interactions and the Federal Governments (CBDC) controls our transactions. Very centrally planned world with no viable crypto alternatives. China already has WeChat central database and the social credit system. Canada already froze accounts of truckers. It’s early days.

cmrdporcupine 4y ago
"Freezing accounts of truckers" is not what happened.
- djbebs 4y ago
  It literally is though
  - cmrdporcupine 4y ago
    What bullshit. Implies that "truckers" as a category had their accounts frozen. How about: "Some people organizing a riot had their accounts frozen, some few of which might have been truckers, but probably not" Since, y'know, truckers actually have to earn a living trucking, not parking in downtown Ottawa for weeks leaning on their horns and blathering about overthrowing the government.
    - tablespoon 4y ago
      > What bullshit. Implies that "truckers" as a category had their accounts frozen. > How about: "Some people organizing a riot had their accounts frozen, some few of which might have been truckers, but probably not" That's something like what "truckers" means in this context. The context means you don't need to spell it out in excruciating detail like you're demanding. Language works like that. I got what was meant immediately. Also, as far as I know, those protests were nothing like a "riot." Wasn't it mainly people parking illegally and honking horns obnoxiously? I get most of my news from the New York Times, and I mainly recall stories about how peaceful and well organized they were (compared to what you'd expect in America). If they were actually rioting, I don't think they would have given so much attention to stuff like that.
      - cmrdporcupine 4y ago
        "Parking illegally" is a bit of a mild description for what was effectively blockading the entire downtown business area for several weeks, harassing local businesses about their masking laws, driving through residential neighbourhoods with big trucks and horns blaring, and openly talking (in signs and speeches) about overthrowing an elected government. That and closing international border crossings? And at one of the crossings being armed? As controversial as they were, vaccine mandates were popular with the majority of Canadians and were part of the previous year's election campaign. The same government got in trouble earlier with the public (and official opposition) for not being strict enough at the border about COVID. At that point many I know were personally ready to see said vaccine mandates dropped. But most were also completely unwilling to let it be because a bunch of authoritarian right wing dickheads demanded it And the border things and vaccine mandates the truckers were complaining about were not even under the direct control of the Canadian govenrment but required by agreement with the US gov't. Note that the same "truckers" did not attempt such an occupation in the US, where the same mandate was put in place and required? Why? Because your Homeland Security would have swept them out and arrested them and tossed them in jail far quicker than ours did. They occupied the Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, not the US. Because same reason.
- EGreg 4y ago
  Maybe focus on the main point? Or else try quibbling about China’s social credit system too.
  - cmrdporcupine 4y ago
    Your main point was sullied by the implication of sympathy for authoritarian far rightists, even if that was not your intent.
    - EGreg 4y ago
      Oh, well I vuess no sense discussing it then
ceejayoz 4y ago
> Crypto used to mean cryptography. "Gay" used to mean happy. "Piracy" used to involve cannons. Hell, we're on "hacker" news, a term largely lost to what we used to call crackers, in the general populace. Language evolves.
- tablespoon 4y ago
  > Language evolves. Yeah, but that doesn't mean people can't resist stupid changes. Crypto meaning "cryptography" is far better IMHO than crypto meaning "that weird speculative fad from the early 21st century that made old scams great again." Cryptography is a pretty important, proven useful technology. > "Piracy" used to involve cannons. To nitpick, that's because muzzle-loading cannons are obsolete weapons. Classic piracy still happens, and the pirates still use guns.
  - CynicusRex 4y ago
    Just use “cryptography” in full, always, way cooler than “crypto”.
    - tablespoon 4y ago
      > Just use “cryptography” in full, always, way cooler than “crypto”. I typically use both in full now, except where I can unambiguously use "crypto" to refer to cryptography (especially in cryptocurrency contexts where that's incongruous).
- EGreg 4y ago
  This is one reason why we’re most likely going to end up in a centrally planned dystopia … when so many of the talented people who can build alternatives prefer to do bikeshedding and bickering.
- woah 4y ago
  “Crypto” used to mean “cryptozoology”. Now there’s all these blockchain startups out there who don’t even have a single yeti on staff

by EGreg 4y ago

cmrdporcupine 4y ago

"Freezing accounts of truckers" is not what happened.

djbebs 4y ago
It literally is though
- cmrdporcupine 4y ago
  What bullshit. Implies that "truckers" as a category had their accounts frozen. How about: "Some people organizing a riot had their accounts frozen, some few of which might have been truckers, but probably not" Since, y'know, truckers actually have to earn a living trucking, not parking in downtown Ottawa for weeks leaning on their horns and blathering about overthrowing the government.
  - tablespoon 4y ago
    > What bullshit. Implies that "truckers" as a category had their accounts frozen. > How about: "Some people organizing a riot had their accounts frozen, some few of which might have been truckers, but probably not" That's something like what "truckers" means in this context. The context means you don't need to spell it out in excruciating detail like you're demanding. Language works like that. I got what was meant immediately. Also, as far as I know, those protests were nothing like a "riot." Wasn't it mainly people parking illegally and honking horns obnoxiously? I get most of my news from the New York Times, and I mainly recall stories about how peaceful and well organized they were (compared to what you'd expect in America). If they were actually rioting, I don't think they would have given so much attention to stuff like that.
    - cmrdporcupine 4y ago
      "Parking illegally" is a bit of a mild description for what was effectively blockading the entire downtown business area for several weeks, harassing local businesses about their masking laws, driving through residential neighbourhoods with big trucks and horns blaring, and openly talking (in signs and speeches) about overthrowing an elected government. That and closing international border crossings? And at one of the crossings being armed? As controversial as they were, vaccine mandates were popular with the majority of Canadians and were part of the previous year's election campaign. The same government got in trouble earlier with the public (and official opposition) for not being strict enough at the border about COVID. At that point many I know were personally ready to see said vaccine mandates dropped. But most were also completely unwilling to let it be because a bunch of authoritarian right wing dickheads demanded it And the border things and vaccine mandates the truckers were complaining about were not even under the direct control of the Canadian govenrment but required by agreement with the US gov't. Note that the same "truckers" did not attempt such an occupation in the US, where the same mandate was put in place and required? Why? Because your Homeland Security would have swept them out and arrested them and tossed them in jail far quicker than ours did. They occupied the Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, not the US. Because same reason.
EGreg 4y ago
Maybe focus on the main point? Or else try quibbling about China’s social credit system too.
- cmrdporcupine 4y ago
  Your main point was sullied by the implication of sympathy for authoritarian far rightists, even if that was not your intent.
  - EGreg 4y ago
    Oh, well I vuess no sense discussing it then

ceejayoz 4y ago

> Crypto used to mean cryptography. "Gay" used to mean happy. "Piracy" used to involve cannons. Hell, we're on "hacker" news, a term largely lost to what we used to call crackers, in the general populace. Language evolves.

tablespoon 4y ago
> Language evolves. Yeah, but that doesn't mean people can't resist stupid changes. Crypto meaning "cryptography" is far better IMHO than crypto meaning "that weird speculative fad from the early 21st century that made old scams great again." Cryptography is a pretty important, proven useful technology. > "Piracy" used to involve cannons. To nitpick, that's because muzzle-loading cannons are obsolete weapons. Classic piracy still happens, and the pirates still use guns.
- CynicusRex 4y ago
  Just use “cryptography” in full, always, way cooler than “crypto”.
  - tablespoon 4y ago
    > Just use “cryptography” in full, always, way cooler than “crypto”. I typically use both in full now, except where I can unambiguously use "crypto" to refer to cryptography (especially in cryptocurrency contexts where that's incongruous).
EGreg 4y ago
This is one reason why we’re most likely going to end up in a centrally planned dystopia … when so many of the talented people who can build alternatives prefer to do bikeshedding and bickering.
woah 4y ago
“Crypto” used to mean “cryptozoology”. Now there’s all these blockchain startups out there who don’t even have a single yeti on staff