35 crypto companies got together to make a change dot org petition called “Bitcoin Deserves an Emoji”.

F that

  • TootSweet@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    39
    arrow-down
    12
    ·
    4 months ago

    Cryptocurrency is speedrunning ruining everything. We might as well have a laugh at the cryptobros’ expense in the meantime.

    • m-p{3}@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      37
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      4 months ago

      I loved the concept at first, the idea of a decentralized currency all handled by encryption, and transactions permamently stored in a public ledger for all to see.

      Then the cryptobros and the scammers caught wind of it and it’s all downhill from there.

      • TootSweet@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        15
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        4 months ago

        If you want the name of a payment techology that isn’t snake oil, isn’t blockchain-based, isn’t a cult, doesn’t claim to be a currency, doesn’t work on proof-of-work or proof-of-stake, but actually does provide certain privacy guarantees for your basic purchasing needs, is cryptographically secure, and can be used with only FOSS, I recommend looking into GNU Taler.

        The only downside is that it’s not really supported anywhere at all yet. But I do hope it becomes a real thing some day.

        • unautrenom@jlai.lu
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          edit-2
          4 months ago

          The only downside is that it’s not really supported anywhere at all yet. But I do hope it becomes a real thing some day.

          AFAIK there’s a lot of talk about making GNU Taler the basis for the ‘digital Euro’ which is curently being debated at the EU Parliement.

        • deafboy@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          4
          ·
          4 months ago

          GNU Taller is pretty fragile, though. One bank issues unbacked tokens and the credibility of the whole system goes down the drain. It’s the current financial system, just rebranded. Also, it promotes taxation which automatically makes it a cult & scam.

          • TootSweet@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            4 months ago

            One bank issues unbacked tokens

            1. The Taler protocol has bank auditors built-in.
            2. Your hypothetical would just as much apply to existing debit cards.
            3. Unbacked tokens. You mean like Tether? (Let alone Terra.)

            Also, it promotes taxation which automatically makes it a cult & scam?

            The fuck? How does Taler “promote taxation?”

            Fuckin’ Libertarians.

            • deafboy@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              2
              ·
              4 months ago

              Unbacked tokens. You mean like Tether?

              Exactly like Tether. USDT was never backed 1:1 by USD. They don’t even try to deny it anymore. They admit it’s backed by “various assets, including BTC”, which smells like a market manipulation.

              How does Taler promote taxation?

              “Customers can stay anonymous, but merchants can not hide their income through payments with GNU Taler. This helps to avoid tax evasion and money laundering.”

        • index@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          5
          ·
          4 months ago

          isn’t blockchain-based, doesn’t work on proof-of-work or proof-of-stake

          These things weren’t introduced as a gimmick they are used to solve specific problems.

        • radamant@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          arrow-down
          14
          ·
          4 months ago

          Please describe how I can send the money to my mom in Russia (disconnected from SWIFT) with GNU Taler today. I’ll wait.

          • TootSweet@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            15
            ·
            4 months ago

            I don’t know how I could possibly have been more explicit about it not yet being ready for any real-world use cases than I was.

            • radamant@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              4
              arrow-down
              10
              ·
              4 months ago

              It will never be ready. It doesn’t even make sense. To transact with real fiat like the US dollar, you’ll have to go through an official on-ramp and an off-ramp of the respective government. And to do an international transaction you’ll have to use one of the widely accepted systems like SWIFT. GNU Taler doesn’t appear to address anything like that. Anyhow, my comment was made with the premise of this whole thread in mind, i.e. “Bitcoin is stupid” or “snake oil”. Yet there’s no alternatives to what crypto provides. So is it that stupid after all?

              • explodicle@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                4 months ago

                How wasteful!

                Anyhow, today I’m going to resume using a currency backed by oil and nukes, which encourages consumption on purpose. I will then either exploit workers by investing in a for-profit business, or get poorer.

                But someday, in the future, economics will work the way I expect them to. That’s when I’ll switch to something better!

                • iopq@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  ·
                  4 months ago

                  Russia has had oil and nukes and it didn’t stop the ruble from collapsing in the 90s

                  Maybe reexamine your assumptions

      • shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        15
        arrow-down
        8
        ·
        4 months ago

        Scammers use the technology because it actually works and does what it says it does. And criminals and scammers and such are generally the first ones to adopt a new technology. Such as bank robbers adopting the automobile in order to get away faster.

      • blind3rdeye@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        4 months ago

        I liked the idea for awhile as well. But for me, learning about the “proof of work” underpinning is what changed my mind. That - and the fact that cryptocurrency does not actually have any of the strengths that it claims to have. It’s definitely and interesting idea… but in practice it’s all just scams and incentivised waste.

        • deafboy@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          4 months ago

          That’s interesting. I’ve initially written it off as a scam. Until I’ve learned about the proof-of-work.

      • Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        4 months ago

        Did they or did a bunch of media get pushed that told us all what these crypto bros were doing like shitting on beaches and taking our jobs.

        Seriously though I’m picking up on a trend that a lot media has a greater influence on opinion then I’ve ever seen before

    • FaceDeer@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      4 months ago

      Bitcoin is over 15 years old now, that’s not a particularly fast speedrun.

    • index@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      4 months ago

      I would rather point my finger at wall street or financial institutions not at the tools that offers a viable option to avoid these