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Coinbase S-1 5 years ago

Scarcity itself does not imply value, something can be scarce but if no one wants it it still has no value. So the question needs to be what really drives the value of something like Bitcoin?

In my opinion, I think that Bitcoin derives its value from the idea that one day it will become a widely used currency that can be exchanged universally for real-world goods and services. This has what has driven it to become a speculation tool; because at the end of the day when Bitcoin finally becomes a "universal" currency, everyone wants to be left holding a lot of it. But what if Bitcoin never becomes a currency, what happens to it's value then?

However, as you go further and further out from our galaxy the metric expansion of spacetime begins to dominate the relative motion of all bodies, leading to observing progressively redder and redder light curves. A galaxy billions of light years away is perceived to be moving away from our reference frame at a significant percentage of the speed of light!

Is this not because there is simply more space between things that are farther away and therefore more expanding space? So, more space = more magnitude of expansion?

What if we all share the same consciousness, but are simply unable to comprehend it? To me the idea that all concious entities are in fact shared is comforting, because it implies that what we do with our lives will always be remembered. Even after our lives end, our singular consciousness, with all of our memories, thoughts and feelings, remains.

The question is actually "at what cost?" Sure, all things being equal thinner/lighter is great. BUT, what trade off's are being made in the name of thinness? If you need to sacrifice 50% expected lifetime to make something 0.5mm thinner, is that a good trade off?

IMO monkey-patching built-in classes is idiomatic Ruby!

Edit to add: Actually, now that I think about it, using method_missing would have been even better!

Ruby the Ruby way:

  module FizzBuzz
    def to_fb
      s = ''
      s << (self % 3 == 0 ? 'Fizz' : '')
      s << (self % 5 == 0 ? 'Buzz' : '')
      s << self.to_s if s.empty?
      return s
    end
  end

  Integer.include(FizzBuzz)

  1.upto(100) { |i| puts i.to_fb }

Really? So apple intended to ship non-flat tablets? What is the rational for intentionally making only some of these non-flat? What advantage or innovation does the non-flatness of a certain percentage of ipad's allow? I mean it totally seams plausible that they simply neglected to mention how non-flat tablets are the next big innovation when they were announced.

Or, perhaps this is just damage control because it is fucking embarrassing on a "premium" device.

Replace the word blockchain with database and describe how your example works any differently. I'll give you a hint: it doesn't. There is nothing in your example that requires the use of a blockchain. If that beef was tracked in a standard database they would still need to buy beef that was "legit" as far as the database is concerned if they wanted to make a legit claim.

Tracking external assets requires trust, period. And that being the case, what advantage does blockchain bring to the solution?

Using a private blockchain has the same issue of trusting a third party. As soon as someone has control of who can write to the ledger, you need to trust them, period.

iPad Pro 8 years ago

Why are people so eager to leap from computer OS's (MacOS or even Windows) to these walled gardens like iOS? I can't imagine developing software on iOS, because you know the deployment procedure will be straight to the app store. This ends the ability to create, distribute and install software yourself. Is this really what we want???

There is a massive difference between walking a few steps to turn on a light switch (which is only useful when you are in close proximity) vs having a accurate real-time mapping functionality when on the go.

Similarly, there is a massive difference in the privacy implications of listening to every conversation everyone in your home (including guests) is having vs. having your current location known. Wiretapping laws exist for a reason.

Immutable data storage does not require blockchain, period. Using blockchain because you need immutable storage is like using a helicopter to cross the street. Yes it works, but they are way more simple, efficient and straightforward technologies that will do the same job better and without introducing a bunch of unneeded features/complexity.