> The answers have a value uncorrelated with the price: either the problems are stupid (just like BTC's are) or they're so much more valuable than the mere mini

> The answers have a value uncorrelated with the price: either the problems are stupid (just like BTC's are) or they're so much more valuable than the mere mining reward that you'd do it anyway, with very little "correctly priced". Why can't you solve the high value problems by having the person who wants their problem solved bid to have the miners solve their problem instead of someone else's? Then the mining reward includes the bid and stays high as long as people are willing to pay to have their problems solved. Transaction fees are near-zero because the miners are paid by the bidders, and the amount of hardware you need to do a 51% attack goes way up because mining is more profitable this way so there is more competition.