A hard look at the wastefulness of "proof of work," the idea at the core of the blockchain
by Cory Doctorow from on (#3QW1B)
David Gerard is a technically minded, sharp-witted, scathing critic of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies; his criticism is long, comprehensive and multipartite, but of particular interest is is critique of "proof of work" (an idea that is central to the blockchain, but which many cryptographers are skeptical of). (more")