Tag: #Industrial-Scale Mining

Vires In Numeris

Vires In Numeris

” It isn’t obvious that the world had to work this way.

But somehow the universe smiles on encryption.”

Julian Assange

Nobody yet knows for sure if the universe’s smile is genuine or not.

It is possible that our assumption of mathematical asymmetries is wrong and we find that P actually equals NP, or we find surprisingly quick solutions to specific problems which we currently assume to be hard.

If that should be the case, cryptography as we know it will cease to exist, and the implications would most likely change the world beyond recognition.

“Vires in Numeris”

=

“Strength in Numbers”

epii

Vires in numeris is not only a catchy motto used by bitcoiners.

The realization that there is an unfathomable strength to be found in numbers is a profound one.

Understanding this, and the inversion of existing power balances which it enables changed my view of the world and the future which lies ahead of us.

One direct result of this is the fact that you don’t have to ask anyone for permission to participate in Bitcoin.

There is no page to sign up, no company in charge, no government agency to send application forms to.

Simply generate a large number and you are pretty much good to go.

The central authority of account creation is mathematics.

And God only knows who is in charge of that.

Elliptic curve examples (cc-by-sa Emmanuel Boutet)

Bitcoin is built upon our best understanding of reality.

While there are still many open problems in physics, computer science, and mathematics, we are pretty sure about some things.

That there is an asymmetry between finding solutions and validating the correctness of these solutions is one such thing.

That computation needs energy is another one.

In other words: finding a needle in a haystack is harder than checking if the pointy thing in your hand is indeed a needle or not.

And finding the needle takes work.

The vastness of Bitcoin’s address space is truly mind-boggling.

The number of private keys even more so. It is fascinating how much of our modern world boils down to the improbability of finding a needle in an unfathomably large haystack.

I am now more aware of this fact than ever.

Bitcoin taught me that there is strength in numbers.

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Satoshi never imagined industrial-scale mining

“Satoshi never imagined industrial-scale mining

As he explained, when you put incentives out there, people learn how to use those incentives for making money in ways that are nearly impossible to predict. He pointed to bitcoin as a prime example, saying its creator probably never imagined bitcoin’s incentive structure would lead to industrial-scale mining pools.

Satoshi wrote this still in 2008: 

Quote

“At first, most users would run network nodes, but as the network grows beyond a certain point, it would be left more and more to specialists with server farms of specialized hardware. A server farm would 
only need to have one node on the network and the rest of the LAN connects with that one node.”

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1458.msg16906#msg16906

ribuck’s description is spot on.

Pool operators can modify their getwork to take one additional parameter, the address to send your share to.

The easy way for the pool operator would be to wait until the next block is found and divy it up proportionally as:
user’s near-hits/total near-hits from everyone

That would be easier and safer to start up.  It also has the advantage that multiple hits from the same user can be combined into one transaction.  A lot of your hits will usually be from the same people.

The instant gratification way would be to pay a fixed amount for each near-hit immediately, and the operator takes the risk from randomness of having more or less near-hits before a block is found. 

Either way, the user who submits the hit that solves the block should get an extra amount off the top, like 10 BTC.

New users wouldn’t really even need the Bitcoin software.  They could download a miner, create an account on mtgox or mybitcoin, enter their deposit address into the miner and point it at anyone’s pool server.  When the miner says it found something, a while later a few coins show up in their account.

Miner writers better make sure they never false-positive near-hits.  Users will depend on that to check if the pool operator is cheating them.  If the miner wrongly says it found something, users will look in their account, not find anything, and get mad at the pool operator.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1976.msg25119#msg25119

saying its creator probably never imagined bitcoin’s incentive structure would lead to industrial-scale mining pools.

I kinda feel  the same. 

Hashrate Distribution…

Sometimes it scars me thinking if they plan for a 51% attack. All you need is a syndicating in between few big mining farms. I am not sure if is is possible practically.

Actually, Satoshi did predict industrial scale mining he failed predicting pools because he was unaware of the amount of pressure toward pooling in his implementation of PoW based on the worst principle ever, winner-takes-all.

Industrial scale mining farms are not the threat, mining pools are. Satoshi disappeared in the same time that users were starting to complain about their variance and slush was kick starting his pool. He made just one comment (that op has quoted) regarding this issue which is very disappointing by the way as he is just talking about simple technical issues and avoids more sophisticated strategic implications of the proposal. He disappeared few days later, forever.

So, if it is about whether satoshi was kind of a god and predicted everything or not, the answer would be a big NO, Satoshi Nakamoto was an ordinary human being who made a lot of big and small mistakes designing and implementing bitcoin and this is why we should improve it instead of  being stuck with a legend. 

Cyberspace does not belong to legends (neither original ones like Satoshi nor the fake ones like Vitalik Buterin) it belongs to hard working, committed  mathematicians, developers, hackers  and advocates all over the planet. 

But, for the record, failing to predict the industrial scale mining is not in his failure list anyway.

Sometimes it scars me thinking if they plan for a 51% attack. All you need is a syndicating in between few big mining farms. I am not sure if is is possible practically.

I doubt they would plan a 51%, because the price would drop and they would lose their investment. Those pools are interested in bitcoin success.

Industrial scale mining farms are not the threat, mining pools are. Satoshi disappeared in the same time that users were starting to complain about their variance and slush was kick starting his pool. He made just one comment (that op has quoted) regarding this issue which is very disappointing by the way as he is just talking about simple technical issues and avoids more sophisticated strategic implications of the proposal. He disappeared few days later, forever.

So, if it is about whether satoshi was kind of a god and predicted everything or not, the answer would be a big NO, Satoshi Nakamoto was an ordinary human being who made a lot of big and small mistakes designing and implementing bitcoin and this is why we should improve it instead of  being stuck with a legend. 

Satoshi was a genius, because he knew when to disappear.
This is not satoshi’s blockchain. Satoshi’s existence would make bitcoin centralized on him.

As ethereum is centralized on vitalik Buterin. Vitalik’s blockchain.

The solution to those design issues with btc will come from the community. There are some proposals and one day there will be a solution.

Sometime ago I read something about Changing proof of work in a way that asic hardware would become less effective. I believe there are many interesting proposals out there and soon community will have a consensus about one.

Industrial scale mining farms are not the threat, mining pools are. Satoshi disappeared in the same time that users were starting to complain about their variance and slush was kick starting his pool. He made just one comment (that op has quoted) regarding this issue which is very disappointing by the way as he is just talking about simple technical issues and avoids more sophisticated strategic implications of the proposal. He disappeared few days later, forever.

So, if it is about whether satoshi was kind of a god and predicted everything or not, the answer would be a big NO, Satoshi Nakamoto was an ordinary human being who made a lot of big and small mistakes designing and implementing bitcoin and this is why we should improve it instead of  being stuck with a legend. 

The solution to those design issues with btc will come from the community. There are some proposals and one day there will be a solution.

The 51% attack fear mongering by giant mining corporations is unfounded.  if this happened the miners would take a massive financial hit and bitcoin would crash.  It would make no sense to do it  the negatives far outweigh the positives.  The only way is if some mad man, similar to the joker, just wants to watch the world burn and doesn’t care about the money.

How about those forces who do not want the banking system to be decentralized? They don’t care about value of bitcoin coz they have the printed money. 

I doubt they would plan a 51%, because the price would drop and they would lose their investment. Those pools are interested in bitcoin success. This logic make sense.

Cyberspace does not belong to legends 

For context, Slush Pool emerged in November 2010. It was an independent project, but created within the community.
I would say that the problem is when legends center the whole decision-making process. But Bitcoin always had several people contributing in a decentralized way, several projects arose and many thanks to the economic incentives.

The great advantage of truly decentralized projects is that no matter how much a legend is admired, because it has no coercive power to forbid parallel projects or forks, the project can continue independent of its will.

Ie financial incentives hinder future predictions.

It’s totally different from what happens with some projects like EOS or TRON.”

List of stuff you can use bitcoin for

” List of stuff you can use bitcoin for

Website – Information

4Chan > do we really need to tell you what this is??

ALFA Top > Top-up your mobile phone with bitcoin or other cryptocurrency

All4btc > Online shop – buy from Amazon, Dell, Ebay, and Lenovo using BTC

Altushost > Hosting service – VPS – dedicated – web hosting – SSL certificates …

Alza > Buy electronic/mobile phones/health&beauty and a lot more (EU based)

Apmex > Buy Gold/Silver/Platinum -Never try,but I think they have good reputation.

Bastone & Co. > Hand made collection shop.

Bit Market > list of store that accept bitcoin in Philippines

Bit Refill > Recharge prepaid phones with Bitcoin

Bit Watches > USA based Luxury watches store.

BitDials > Online shop – Buy watches and jewelry using BTC.

BitGigs > Gigs for bitcoins.

BitPay > bitcoin payment service provider

Bitcoin RealEstate > Buy Real Estate with cryptocurrency – Sell your property for Bitcoin

Bitcoin Travel > Travel agency – Book your flight/hotel using bitcoin.

Bitrefill > Top up your prepaid phone, over 140 countries supported.

CR Servers > Hosting service.

CallWithUs > VOIP service that accepts BTC, pay only for the calls you make! There are no recurring membership fees

CoinPayments > -Payment Gateway -Use them many time for different service.

CoinVet > Coinvet is the groundbreaking new jobs and gigs marketplace where the crowd helps you find the best professionals for your exact needs.

Compusleuth > technical support to recover, restore, search, and produce electronic information (is that still operating??)

Crypto Emporium > offer a huge variety of high-end and luxury goods available for purchase in only cryptocurrency, no fiat.

CryptoGrind > Freelancing platform – Hire a freelancer or work as one, for bitcoins.

Echristopher and sons > Shop online for your jewelry and pay with Bitcoin.

Expedia > Travel agency – provides Hotels, Cheap Flights, Car Rentals & Vacations

Genesis Fire Protection > USA based fire protection company, fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems.

Gray and Sons > Online shop – Jewelry, Watches, and accessories.

Gyft > Buy, Send, & Redeem Gift Cards

HePays > dating website.

Hi-Tech > Computer service provider, website is very bad, probably they’re out of business.

Lamborghini Newport Beach > authorized dealership in Orange County providing Super Sports Cars to Southern California

Microsoft > you can charge your account with BTC

Mint > Finance service, all your finance in single place. “When you’re on top of your money, life is good. We help you effortlessly manage your finances in one place.”

Mosaika > Shop online for your jewelry, and pay with Bitcoin.

My Gemologist > Shop for jewelry, or CREATE your own design, and pay with bitcoin.

Namecheap > Domain Name Registrar

NewEgg > Online shop

OpenBazzar > Decentralized marketplace – Online eCommerce platform that unites buyers/sellers by virtue of the P2P/peer-to-peer network

Overstock > Online shop – designer brands and home goods

Piiko > Send money to your friends and family online or top up while travelling. Almost 600 providers from 137 countries. Pay with Bitcoin, Dash or Stellar at best rates possible.


Pizza for coins > Order Pizza online and pay with BTC

Pure VPN > VPN Service: Access US Netflix Instantly for just $2.87/m Making Security and Freedom Accessible for Anyone, Anywhere!

Purse > Online shop – buy from amazon using BTC and get a discount!

RandyBrito > Freelancer – A web developer with a passion for Bitcoin, Economics and freedom.

Reeds > USA based jewlery – Personally I like their goods (looks only, haven’ bought any yet)

Restaurants list > a map of USA restaurants that accept Bitcoin. (can anyone verify any of them?)

Sad Truth Supply > Pins, Patches, and other accessories for bitcoin.

Save the Children > Charity accepting BTC payment. P.S: probably you’ll need to contact them first to donate in bitcoin.

Silver.ag > Jewelry and Accessories for Bitcoin.

SoftRare > software solutions provider, probably out of business since their website has copyright logo for 2015

SteadyTurtle > Buy Hosting&Domain -I use them for years,great service.

Tanzanite America > North American member of The Tanzanite Authority, a group of like-minded collectors, investors, and who are dedicated to informing and supplying the very finest top quality AAA certified Tanzanite.

XBT Freelancer > Freelancing platform – Hire a freelancer or work as one, for bitcoins.

mclarennb >  Authorized McLaren Dealer

List of stuff you can use bitcoin for.

Website – Information

4Chan > do we really need to tell you what this is??

ALFA Top > Top-up your mobile phone with bitcoin or other cryptocurrency

All4btc > Online shop – buy from Amazon, Dell, Ebay, and Lenovo using BTC

Altushost > Hosting service – VPS – dedicated – web hosting – SSL certificates …

Alza > Buy electronic/mobile phones/health&beauty and a lot more (EU based)

Apmex > Buy Gold/Silver/Platinum -Never try,but I think they have good reputation.

Bastone & Co. > Hand made collection shop.

Bit Market > list of store that accept bitcoin in Philippines

Bit Refill > Recharge prepaid phones with Bitcoin

Bit Watches > USA based Luxury watches store.

BitDials > Online shop – Buy watches and jewelry using BTC.

BitGigs > Gigs for bitcoins.

BitPay > bitcoin payment service provider

Bitcoin RealEstate > Buy Real Estate with cryptocurrency – Sell your property for Bitcoin

Bitcoin Travel > Travel agency – Book your flight/hotel using bitcoin.

Bitrefill > Top up your prepaid phone, over 140 countries supported.

CR Servers > Hosting service.

CallWithUs > VOIP service that accepts BTC, pay only for the calls you make! There are no recurring membership fees

CoinPayments > -Payment Gateway -Use them many time for different service.

CoinVet > Coinvet is the groundbreaking new jobs and gigs marketplace where the crowd helps you find the best professionals for your exact needs.

Compusleuth > technical support to recover, restore, search, and produce electronic information (is that still operating??)

Crypto Emporium > offer a huge variety of high-end and luxury goods available for purchase in only cryptocurrency, no fiat.

CryptoGrind > Freelancing platform – Hire a freelancer or work as one, for bitcoins.

Echristopher and sons > Shop online for your jewelry and pay with Bitcoin.

Expedia > Travel agency – provides Hotels, Cheap Flights, Car Rentals & Vacations

Genesis Fire Protection > USA based fire protection company, fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems.

Gray and Sons > Online shop – Jewelry, Watches, and accessories.

Gyft > Buy, Send, & Redeem Gift Cards

HePays > dating website.

Hi-Tech > Computer service provider, website is very bad, probably they’re out of business.

Lamborghini Newport Beach > authorized dealership in Orange County providing Super Sports Cars to Southern California

Microsoft > you can charge your account with BTC

Mint > Finance service, all your finance in single place. “When you’re on top of your money, life is good. We help you effortlessly manage your finances in one place.”

Mosaika > Shop online for your jewelry, and pay with Bitcoin.

My Gemologist > Shop for jewelry, or CREATE your own design, and pay with bitcoin.

Namecheap > Domain Name Registrar

NewEgg > Online shop

OpenBazzar > Decentralized marketplace – Online eCommerce platform that unites buyers/sellers by virtue of the P2P/peer-to-peer network

Overstock > Online shop – designer brands and home goods

Piiko > Send money to your friends and family online or top up while travelling. Almost 600 providers from 137 countries. Pay with Bitcoin, Dash or Stellar at best rates possible.


Pizza for coins > Order Pizza online and pay with BTC

Pure VPN > VPN Service: Access US Netflix Instantly for just $2.87/m Making Security and Freedom Accessible for Anyone, Anywhere!

Purse > Online shop – buy from amazon using BTC and get a discount!

RandyBrito > Freelancer – A web developer with a passion for Bitcoin, Economics and freedom.

Reeds > USA based jewlery – Personally I like their goods (looks only, haven’ bought any yet)

Restaurants list > a map of USA restaurants that accept Bitcoin. (can anyone verify any of them?)

Sad Truth Supply > Pins, Patches, and other accessories for bitcoin.

Save the Children > Charity accepting BTC payment. P.S: probably you’ll need to contact them first to donate in bitcoin.

Silver.ag > Jewelry and Accessories for Bitcoin.

SoftRare > software solutions provider, probably out of business since their website has copyright logo for 2015

SteadyTurtle > Buy Hosting&Domain

Tanzanite America > North American member of The Tanzanite Authority, a group of like-minded collectors, investors, and who are dedicated to informing and supplying the very finest top quality AAA certified Tanzanite. (first time to hear of tanzanite to be honest, but they look cool)

XBT Freelancer > Freelancing platform – Hire a freelancer or work as one, for bitcoins.

mclarennb >  Authorized McLaren Dealer

schwartzkopff>

KFC Canada > Hunger no more, get your KFC for BTC.

Subway restaurant > Eat healthy, with bitcoins too.

CheapAir > Cheap Airline Tickets, Airfares & Discount Air Tickets

Alza > Largest Czech online retailer accepting BTC.

Pembury Tavern > Snap up a pint in Britain’s first Bitcoin pub.

FC Canada > Hunger no more, get your KFC for BTC.

Subway restaurant > Eat healthy, with bitcoins too.

CheapAir > Cheap Airline Tickets, Airfares & Discount Air Tickets

Alza > Largest Czech online retailer accepting BTC.

Pembury Tavern > Snap up a pint in Britain’s first Bitcoin pub. “

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No, Governments Can’t do a Better Job Developing Crypto

No, Governments Can’t do a Better Job Developing Crypto

Would a state-backed cryptocurrency be better than its decentralized counterpart?

International media has already rolled out their opinions on the matter. It’s a YES-IT-CAN.

The opinions find their inspirations in comments made by Christine Lagarde last week. The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that a government-backed cryptocurrency would eliminate the issues of trust that have clogged the decentralized cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

New York Times reacted to the IMF chief’s remarks, calling it “a hopeful sign for digital tokens,” while predicting it could “have a chilling effect on existing, nongovernmental tokens.”

The Guardian offered its editorial space to a long-time Bitcoin critic and economist Nouriel Roubini to further his plan. He outright called cryptocurrencies worthless when compared to central bank digital currencies (CBDC).“If a CBDC were to be issued, it would immediately displace cryptocurrencies, which are not scalable, cheap, secure, or [actually] decentralized,” Roubini claimed.

The comments mentioned above appear at a time when the cryptocurrency market cap has plunged by more than 70 percent since its all-time high. 

It has allowed critics to jump to the conclusion that decentralized digital currencies, mainly Bitcoin and Ethereum, have no intrinsic value, that they are highly speculative unlike central-bank issued fiat money.

Yet, critics have ignored the whys and whats that prompted the launch of decentralized assets at the first place.

They have been unable to respond to how Federal Reserve stimulus programmes, secret bailouts, and money production have destroyed the value of the US Dollar.

Their focus has turned more towards proving Bitcoin as a sugar-coated false promise of a financial revolution while ignoring the very bads of the existing financial system.

Economy believes that an asset has value when it checks scarcity and utility.

The US Dollar lacks scarcity, for its supply is governed by a centralized body called Federal Reserve. There is no check on how many dollars would get printed, allowing insiders to manipulate a greenback-backed market on their whims.

Bitcoin, on the other hand, has a set cap of 21 million tokens. Its supply is governed by mathematical algorithms, meaning no corrupt human involvement would be able to topple it.

As far as the use-cases are concerned, Bitcoin has been constantly looked at for its potential of becoming a store-of-value asset like Gold, while being constantly considered for settling cross-border payments despite its price volatility.

The critics then say that bitcoin has no intrinsic value.

But even gold and paper money suffers from the same stigma.

According to the World Council, only 15 percent of the global Gold supply is used in industrial applications. The rest goes into making bars, bullions, and jewelry – mainly because people trust they have value.

Trust is the Only Factor

The launch of Bitcoin was a response to a global financial crisis in which – let’s accept it – banks had f***ed up the economy.

The digital currency – more or less – follows the philosophy of the Austrian Monetary Theory.

According to it, money can be sound only when its supply is limited. It believes that money should not be controlled by the state.

These facts are missing from the reports and opinion pieces of anti-Bitcoin economists.

The Federal Reserve and central bankers believe that only they have the right to print money.

Bitcoin is only a beginning towards breaking the myth.

As long as the central banks do not innovate and protect people against currency inflation – as evident in the case of Zimbabwe and Venezuela – there is no chance they would be able to outrun crypto.

People need to trust their banks, but mainstream media and economists are avoiding a broader discussion.

The next financial crisis should bring more evidence to the theory. No rush.

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