Posted on 03/14/2021 3:43:33 AM PDT by blueplum
Powerful computers 'mining' for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin are driving global warming as data shows they use vastly more electricity than all the internet tech giants combined.
Bitcoin passed the $60,000 mark for the first time on Saturday, but its rocketing value again raises questions over the vast energy resources required to run machines that mine for the cryptocurrency, that some - including billionaire Warren Buffet - even consider to be worthless.
On March 2, Bitcoin's estimated energy consumption reached its highest ever rate, hitting a staggering 130.90 terawatt hours (TWh) annualised. The following week...
...March 3 was at a rate of 130.9 terawatt hours (TWh), roughly the same as New Zealand and Argentina ...
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Unless they're building new nuke plants, it's going to be coal, because there simply isn't a 24/7 "sustainable" (there's an oxymoronic label) alternative that will keep the lights on consistently. Burn baby burn.
12 years ago I bought a bunch of silver when the spot was about $13 and I opted for a monster box (500) of Canadian Silver Maples instead of American Silver Eagles.
The Maples were 85¢ per oz cheaper than the Eagles ($14 vs $14.85 - ie 6%), and the Maples are a trusted mint and slightly higher purity (.9999 vs .999) so I thought I was making a smart deal.
Turns out, if I sold them now I would get that same 6% less than the Eagles get. If you go on eBay Buy it Now, a monster box of Eagles (500) goes for $17,500 vs $16,500 for the monster box of Maples. That’s almost the same exact 6% discount.
So I figure it all comes out in the wash. If I had spent the same amount of $$ for 6% fewer Eagles, they would be worth what my Maples are worth, so I would have come out the same either way.
I imagine the same is true if you get these non-government rounds, you can get the same amount of silver for a much better price - but then you’d get less for them when you sold them too.
IOW, just like with the Maples, but a more extreme discount.
The point is, there is always a market for pure silver - but it is discounted depending what form it’s in and how much trouble an assayer has to go to to verify its weight and purity.
Determining the weight and purity of silver is an easy technology, so there will always be a market.
"Cash" is literally an act of faith. I have faith that if I give you cash, you will provide me an article that is "worth" the face value on the paper. I also have faith, if I'm a businessman, that the paper I received will be accepted for goods or services I need down the road.
That's just economics 101. The level of economic literacy in the world today is astounding. I can't believe when I see that people don't understand even basic concepts like the above, and I don't have a degree in economics.
Can anyone elaborate further? I can’t comprehend how these “calculations” create valve. Since they do not appear to apply to solving a tangible problem.
Bitcoins=Tulips ?
Same here.
How does one create a bitcoin that has a value?
What stops folks from erecting a solar panel and “manufacturing” micro units of bitcoin?
LMAO, and to think people actually invest hard currency on this.......
Jump onboard...anyone can “mine”/validate (I suggest a “Pool” unless you have cheap power and “ASIC” chips). I run a BTC node myself on and off (power too expensive on the Left coast for fulltime).
https://bitcoin.org/en/bitcoin-core/
LMAO... insanity will consume these beasts long before they consume us.
The sticking point is that most “hard” currency is no longer hard. It’s all zeros and ones. If lots of people went to the bank and asked for bills and coins, banks wouldn’t have enough hard currency to hand out.
I’ve been wondering how bad things will get and what will have the most value. I’m thinking copper. It can be traded in small pieces and has many real world uses. Canning lids and ammo seem like another wise investment.
A bitcoin owner should begin selling and using the proceeds to buy gold.
Gold in the ground in the form of gold miner stocks should be a great alternative to the crypto currencies
Or if BTC isn’t your thing do “Protein Folding” science for Stanford Univ. and earn “CureCoin”” crypto!
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3913587/posts
After you start folding then go for the reward crypto “Curecoin”...you could exchange that for other cryptos including BTC or ETH:
Wish I’d have bought 20 of that ‘worthless’ crypto back when it was $150 because I’d be a millionaire right now.
Wonder how much energy Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are sucking up? met you it’s more.
The good news is China is building hundreds of coal fired power plants so there won’t be a shortage of juice.
Unfortunately physics says that resistive line loss makes running cables to California impractical.
About 92% of government backed currency is electronic data. The other 8% is physical promissory notes aka dollar bills and coins. That means if 10% of the population(monetary-wise) try to go get their money from the bank right now, they wouldn’t be able to.
Silver eagles are the coin of the realm.
Metals and coin are not the best investment, however, a hundred years from now when silver bars are ,$100 silver eagles will be much more because of the date and condition of the coin.
I’m investing in Dutch tulips... ;-0)
Mining gold is extremeny energy intensive. When you mine gold, gou get something for the effort that is physical, tangible, extremely long lasting, and inherently valuable.
When you mine Bitcoin, you get unique but inherently fragile bit patterns.
Sounds like a great way to fund the Green New Deal. And I'm just certain as can be that I'm the first to think of that. /rimshot
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