The_Walrus wrote:
Bitcoin is a dead currency walking - it simply takes too much energy to maintain the ledger and as it becomes more popular it becomes slower.
Other currencies might have some limited roles to play as alternatives to government-backed ones, but ultimately I think blockchain is more likely to be used for things like customs arrangements.
LoveNotHate wrote:
Cryptocurrencies .... never made sense to me ... so I missed the boat.
There are three arguments I see:
1. You can covertly buy child porn, banned arms, illegal narcotics, send bribes, traffic money ....
I am not sure that I understand this argument. It's much harder to buy things covertly using a cryptocurrency (where all money is publicly registered) than by using hard cash.
As the video above points out, there is no "third party" that knows who is making the transaction.
Jamie Diamond recently said it better than me.
He said Bitcoin is good for
contract killers, so they can covertly transact payment.
Two parties can transact illegal business without awareness of the other party.
Hiring a contract killer in Bitcoin means that everyone can see that you did it.
Hiring a contract killer over the internet via Paypal or your bank and only the single organisation handling the transaction can see that you did it.