Anyone with a computer can issue a bitcoin.
Another dumb question: What’s to stop that person from issuing more?
It takes a LOT of processing time to generate a bitcoin. On my machine it would take about a year of calculations to solve the algorithm needed to generate a single bitcoin.
There are also a limited number of possible solutions to the algorithm, that sets a cap on the total number of bitcoins that can exist.
“On my machine it would take about a year of calculations to solve the algorithm needed to generate a single bitcoin. “
I.E. It takes a year of absolute wasted CPU cycles (and more in electric bills) to produce one of these worthless pieces of crap.
Here’s a better idea. Download folding@home or SETI@home and at least provide scientifically valuable computations to posterity. Maybe your CPU cycles will be the ones that find a cure for cancer.