Why This Computer Scientist Says All Cryptocurrency Should “Die in a Fire”
Current Affairs7 Heinä 2022

Why This Computer Scientist Says All Cryptocurrency Should “Die in a Fire”

Cryptocurrencies have been hyped in Super Bowl ads and promoted by everyone from Bill Clinton to Glenn Greenwald to Spike Lee to Larry David to New York City mayor Eric Adams (who has pledged to turn the city into a "crypto hub"). But times are tough for crypto. As the New York Times reports, “the crypto world [recently] went into a full meltdown... in a sell-off that graphically illustrated the risks of the experimental and unregulated digital currencies.”

One of cryptocurrency’s most vocal skeptics is Nicholas Weaver, senior staff researcher at the International Computer Science Institute and lecturer in the computer science department at UC Berkeley. Weaver has studied cryptocurrencies for years. On today's episode, Prof. Weaver explains why he views the much-hyped technology with such antipathy. He argues that cryptocurrency is useless and destructive, and should “die in a fire.”

  • Nicholas Weaver's YouTube lecture on crypto can be found here.
  • Nathan's take on cryptocurrency is here and his take on NFTs is here.
  • The writings of crypto skeptic Stephen Diehl make an excellent supplement to this interview.
  • A slightly cleaned-up transcript of this interview can be read here.

Note: Prof. Weaver's audio is of mixed quality for the first portion of the podcast but gets better as the episode goes on.

Edited by Tim Gray.

Jaksot(600)

MAGA Megadonors Are Recruiting Mayors to Criminalize Pro-Palestine Speech

MAGA Megadonors Are Recruiting Mayors to Criminalize Pro-Palestine Speech

Right-wing megadonors flew mayors to an all-expenses-paid summit in New Orleans, where they pushed a policy framework that codified mainstream criticism of Israel as “antisemitic.”📰 Read the article:...

11 Joulu 202531min

Why Democrats Keep Failing Working People (w/ Nina Turner)

Why Democrats Keep Failing Working People (w/ Nina Turner)

Nina Turner is a former Ohio State Senator, national co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, and one of the most forceful advocates for working-class politics in the United States. She...

10 Joulu 202539min

Anthony Fantano on the Exploitative Music Industry and Zohran's Rap Career

Anthony Fantano on the Exploitative Music Industry and Zohran's Rap Career

Anthony Fantano is the biggest music critic on YouTube, and the self-described “internet’s busiest music nerd.” The New York Times calls him “The Only Music Critic Who Matters (if You’re Under 25),” a...

5 Joulu 202544min

There Have to Be Consequences For Advocating Illegal Wars

There Have to Be Consequences For Advocating Illegal Wars

📰 Email help@currentaffairs.org with proof of your New York Times cancellation, and we will gift you a FREE one-year digital subscription to Current AffairsYet again, the New York Times’ Bret Stephen...

26 Marras 202519min

Dick Cheney's Legacy Is Mass Murder (w/ Adam McKay)

Dick Cheney's Legacy Is Mass Murder (w/ Adam McKay)

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mark the passing of a professional liar, war criminal, and mass murderer. Dick Cheney is dead. As you read this, his co-conspirator George W. Bush may be ...

20 Marras 202545min

Why Everything is Getting Worse (w/ Cory Doctorow)

Why Everything is Getting Worse (w/ Cory Doctorow)

Cory Doctorow is the author of over 20 books, including The Internet Con, How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism, and the science fiction novels Unauthorized Bread and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdo...

18 Marras 20251h 5min

The Silencing of Me

The Silencing of Me

🌹 Sign up for our FREE newsletter, State of Affairs, and we’ll send a digital copy of The Silencing of Me straight to your inbox: https://www.currentaffairs.org/newsletter?hsCtaAttrib=199589517656PAP...

14 Marras 20251h 38min

The Case for Centrism Does Not Hold Up

The Case for Centrism Does Not Hold Up

The New York Times editorial board is wrong. Principled progressive politics on the Bernie Sanders model is still the path forward.🌹 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-case-for...

12 Marras 202528min

Suosittua kategoriassa Komedia

nikotellen
anni-jaajo
tuplakaak
antin-matka
olipa-kerran-otsikko
ihan-oikeesti
rss-saarinen-shoy
antin-palautepalvelu
puurojengi
antin-elokuvakerho
everypodi
rss-kaheli
kasper-ja-mikko-suomen-suosituin-podcast
naakkavalta
rss-nikotellen
ela-viitti
rss-kuukka-vehvilainen-hartlin
rss-ruokacast
mysteeripodcast
rss-sami-jorma