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This comment shouldn't be flagged. The OP makes a very valid point with satire which, in this case, is relevant. Proof of work blockchain is horribly energy-i

by zhdc1 4y ago

This comment shouldn't be flagged. The OP makes a very valid point with satire which, in this case, is relevant. Proof of work blockchain is horribly energy-inefficient. It's hard to justify it - on a number of grounds - as a solution for a large majority of legitimate use cases.

koonsolo 4y ago
Burning coal is also not really nice for the environment, so maybe we should all stop using electricity? I hope you get my satire as well.
- zhdc1 4y ago
  > Burning coal is also not really nice for the environment, so maybe we should all stop using electricity? We should, in fact, consider phasing out coal power generation. Which is what almost every OECD country has been doing for more than a decade: https://ukcop26.org/end-of-coal-in-sight-at-cop26/ https://ukcop26.org/end-of-coal-in-sight-at-cop26/.
  - koonsolo 4y ago
    So why are we still talking about PoW then? It seems you didn't get my point.
    - zhdc1 4y ago
      > So why are we still talking about PoW then? Outside of speculation and regulatory evasion, has there been a sufficient use-case for Bitcoin and other proof of work chains that justify the costs, inconvenience, and disruptive impacts that go along with it?
      - koonsolo 4y ago
        No, that's why we have PoS and other solutions, no? That was my whole point. Attacking crypto because of PoW is a bit silly when there are other solutions that are way more efficient. That's like attacking electricity because there are coal generators. My initial point.
        zhdc1 4y ago
        > when there are other solutions that are way more efficient I was explicitly clear that I was commenting on proof of work blockchains. Crypto has a whole host of other issues, but I agree that there are other blockchain/crypto-like solutions that fit - some - of the touted use cases (e.g., GNU Thaler for digital currencies and currency-backed transactions). The issue, however, is that for good or bad, crypto is currently dominated by Bitcoin. The parent comment is relevant and meaningful in this context, and should not have been flagged.
  - olalonde 4y ago
    His point was that it's not the electricity consumption (e.g. PoW mining) itself that pollutes.
    - zhdc1 4y ago
      > His point was that it's not the electricity consumption (e.g. PoW mining) itself that pollutes. Yes, because demand doesn't drive supply... https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-energy-operator-cuts-crypto-miners-off-power-grid https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-energy-operator-cuts-crypt...
      - olalonde 4y ago
        Hence the satiric "so maybe we should all stop using electricity?".
dang 4y ago
It was tedious flamebait making a point that has already been a cliché for years—surely in the top 10 clichés of the most flamewar-prone topic that exists right now. Regardless of one's position is on the underlying issue, that's off topic for HN. We're not here to repeat the same talking points over and over; that's the opposite of what we're here for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=curiosity%20repetition%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&so...

by zhdc1 4y ago

koonsolo 4y ago

Burning coal is also not really nice for the environment, so maybe we should all stop using electricity? I hope you get my satire as well.

zhdc1 4y ago
> Burning coal is also not really nice for the environment, so maybe we should all stop using electricity? We should, in fact, consider phasing out coal power generation. Which is what almost every OECD country has been doing for more than a decade: https://ukcop26.org/end-of-coal-in-sight-at-cop26/ https://ukcop26.org/end-of-coal-in-sight-at-cop26/.
- koonsolo 4y ago
  So why are we still talking about PoW then? It seems you didn't get my point.
  - zhdc1 4y ago
    > So why are we still talking about PoW then? Outside of speculation and regulatory evasion, has there been a sufficient use-case for Bitcoin and other proof of work chains that justify the costs, inconvenience, and disruptive impacts that go along with it?
    - koonsolo 4y ago
      No, that's why we have PoS and other solutions, no? That was my whole point. Attacking crypto because of PoW is a bit silly when there are other solutions that are way more efficient. That's like attacking electricity because there are coal generators. My initial point.
      - zhdc1 4y ago
        > when there are other solutions that are way more efficient I was explicitly clear that I was commenting on proof of work blockchains. Crypto has a whole host of other issues, but I agree that there are other blockchain/crypto-like solutions that fit - some - of the touted use cases (e.g., GNU Thaler for digital currencies and currency-backed transactions). The issue, however, is that for good or bad, crypto is currently dominated by Bitcoin. The parent comment is relevant and meaningful in this context, and should not have been flagged.
- olalonde 4y ago
  His point was that it's not the electricity consumption (e.g. PoW mining) itself that pollutes.
  - zhdc1 4y ago
    > His point was that it's not the electricity consumption (e.g. PoW mining) itself that pollutes. Yes, because demand doesn't drive supply... https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-energy-operator-cuts-crypto-miners-off-power-grid https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-energy-operator-cuts-crypt...
    - olalonde 4y ago
      Hence the satiric "so maybe we should all stop using electricity?".

dang 4y ago

It was tedious flamebait making a point that has already been a cliché for years—surely in the top 10 clichés of the most flamewar-prone topic that exists right now. Regardless of one's position is on the underlying issue, that's off topic for HN. We're not here to repeat the same talking points over and over; that's the opposite of what we're here for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&sort=byDate&type=comment&query=curiosity%20repetition%20by:dang https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&so...