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)

UNLOCKED: The Lyta, The Witch & The Wardrobe

UNLOCKED: The Lyta, The Witch & The Wardrobe

UNLOCKED FROM THE PATREON BIRD FEED: Current Affairs amusements editor Lyta Gold, senior editor Brianna Rennix, contributing editor Aisling McCrea and friend of the pod Dan Walden continue our "proble...

2 Kesä 20191h 1min

#26: Standardized Litmus Tests

#26: Standardized Litmus Tests

The Current Affairs panel discusses the recent addition of the "adversity score" to the SAT, determines the appropriate abortion litmus test for the left, and goes around sharing things that made them...

29 Touko 20191h 24min

UNLOCKED: Tiffany Cabán on running for district attorney as a public defender

UNLOCKED: Tiffany Cabán on running for district attorney as a public defender

UNLOCKED from the bird feed to the main feed just in time for AOC's endorsement: Current Affairs legal wonks Oren Nimni and Vanessa A. Bee sit down with Tiffany Cabán, a career public defender who is ...

23 Touko 201942min

#25: Voicemailbag V

#25: Voicemailbag V

The Current Affairs panel opens up the phone lines for the fifth time, answering voicemails about: the new 2020 candidates, Medicare for All, irony, government services, and changing people's minds. T...

11 Touko 201947min

#24: The Department of Glass Castles

#24: The Department of Glass Castles

The Current Affairs panel asks “what’s the problem with technocrats?”, debates whether it’s bad that Bernie Sanders is now a millionaire, and proposes our favorite imaginary cabinet positions. The Pa...

28 Huhti 201959min

UNLOCKED: Jane McAlevey on organizing vs. mobilizing

UNLOCKED: Jane McAlevey on organizing vs. mobilizing

UNLOCKED FROM THE BIRD FEED: Current Affairs host Pete Davis sits down with labor organizer and scholar Jane McAlevey to talk about organizing for power in the New Gilded Age. Jane is a contributing w...

25 Huhti 201941min

UNLOCKED: Virgil Texas on the Chapo Trap House phenomenon

UNLOCKED: Virgil Texas on the Chapo Trap House phenomenon

UNLOCKED FROM THE PATREON BIRD FEED: Current Affairs host Pete Davis talks with Virgil Texas about his hit podcast, Chapo Trap House: its origins, its philosophy, its style, its future. Read Virgil's ...

15 Huhti 201950min

#23: You Can Call Me (Weird) Al

#23: You Can Call Me (Weird) Al

The Current Affairs panel discuss why they fight in the first place and then share what cultural products are their favorite lefty gateway drugs. The Panel Sparky Abraham, finance editor Lyta Gold, a...

12 Huhti 201951min

Suosittua kategoriassa Komedia

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