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> there is definitely and provably "new tech" in here that can be world changing depending on how humans choose to use it How so?

by D13Fd 4y ago

jrm4 4y ago
I literally do know a Russian guy that uses Stellar to send money home to momma, because all the other ways take middlemen. Blockchain money can cut out a LOT of the BS that people deal with in day-to-day transactions. To think otherwise would be to assume that the entities that handle money have our best interests in mind and aren't essentially "skimming off the top," but of course, that's what they're doing. Now, again, I'm aware that the big factor is "adoption and practicality" and switching to something like that means overcoming a great deal of inertia. But the theoretical possibilities mean something.
- Yizahi 4y ago
  Sure that is a great working use case of tokens. The ONLY existing working use case though. To summarise it in short form - tokens allow people to avoid law. Any law - both laws in oppressive regimes focused on robbing its citizens, and in the legitimate countries where people are basically washing dirty stolen money, or avoiding taxes. And tokens provide (theoretically) indiscriminate access for such law avoidance to everyone, be they beggars or billionaires. To paraphrase - tokenbros frame their invention as kitchen knives, sure some people are killing others with kitchen knives, but that's the rounding error compared to the legitimate usage. On the other hand, in my personal opinion, tokens are closer to nukes or bioweapons, than to kitchen knives. Sure, libertarians may argue that if every single person a on planet would be armed with an athrax throwing gun we would be very independent and free. But in reality of course power would quickly coalesce in the hand of neofeudal lords, and humanity will quickly degrade instead of improving. Weapon analogy is about financial impact. Sure, if every person could send any amount of money anywhere without any questions, then at first we will thing it's great. I personally could benefit from it too. But in reality billionaries operating outside of the law (remember - tokes provide equal access) will screw us a lot more, than the benefits gained from a few undeclared and untaxed private transactions.
  - jrm4 4y ago
    I fail to see the necessity or the precision of your prediction of "coalescing of power?" The margins are a good question: Would crypto, on balance, centralize or decentralize money more? Again, it's a technology who's very purpose is to decentralize, and it's not unreasonable to bet in that direction. I'd think it would likely be parallel to, e.g. "video content" and "the internet." Very true that it wasn't linear, and that right now the big centralizers are coming back strong with streaming services, and that there's still Youtube that's mostly not decentralized -- but across the board -- that's a WAY different and MUCH MORE decentralized world than the one before, where literally a television station was your only option.

> there is definitely and provably "new tech" in here that can be world changing depending on how humans choose to use it How so?

by D13Fd 4y ago

> there is definitely and provably "new tech" in here that can be world changing depending on how humans choose to use it How so?

jrm4 4y ago

I literally do know a Russian guy that uses Stellar to send money home to momma, because all the other ways take middlemen. Blockchain money can cut out a LOT of the BS that people deal with in day-to-day transactions. To think otherwise would be to assume that the entities that handle money have our best interests in mind and aren't essentially "skimming off the top," but of course, that's what they're doing. Now, again, I'm aware that the big factor is "adoption and practicality" and switching to something like that means overcoming a great deal of inertia. But the theoretical possibilities mean something.

Yizahi 4y ago
Sure that is a great working use case of tokens. The ONLY existing working use case though. To summarise it in short form - tokens allow people to avoid law. Any law - both laws in oppressive regimes focused on robbing its citizens, and in the legitimate countries where people are basically washing dirty stolen money, or avoiding taxes. And tokens provide (theoretically) indiscriminate access for such law avoidance to everyone, be they beggars or billionaires. To paraphrase - tokenbros frame their invention as kitchen knives, sure some people are killing others with kitchen knives, but that's the rounding error compared to the legitimate usage. On the other hand, in my personal opinion, tokens are closer to nukes or bioweapons, than to kitchen knives. Sure, libertarians may argue that if every single person a on planet would be armed with an athrax throwing gun we would be very independent and free. But in reality of course power would quickly coalesce in the hand of neofeudal lords, and humanity will quickly degrade instead of improving. Weapon analogy is about financial impact. Sure, if every person could send any amount of money anywhere without any questions, then at first we will thing it's great. I personally could benefit from it too. But in reality billionaries operating outside of the law (remember - tokes provide equal access) will screw us a lot more, than the benefits gained from a few undeclared and untaxed private transactions.
- jrm4 4y ago
  I fail to see the necessity or the precision of your prediction of "coalescing of power?" The margins are a good question: Would crypto, on balance, centralize or decentralize money more? Again, it's a technology who's very purpose is to decentralize, and it's not unreasonable to bet in that direction. I'd think it would likely be parallel to, e.g. "video content" and "the internet." Very true that it wasn't linear, and that right now the big centralizers are coming back strong with streaming services, and that there's still Youtube that's mostly not decentralized -- but across the board -- that's a WAY different and MUCH MORE decentralized world than the one before, where literally a television station was your only option.