Has anyone ever tried to cash out their millions in crypto-currency for real cash or fungible assets? Has anyone bought a house or a car with crypto-currency?
There is nothing inherently special about government issued money when it has nothing to prevent its unlimited creation. The US has created more “money” in the last few years than it did in the past 200+ years. Nixon took us off the gold standard which prevented dollar inflation because gold is hard to find and extract.
Think about it this way. Remember when long distance phone calls were expensive? Then we got “Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP”
Now look at email protocols. That’s messaging over Internet protocol, or email.
Next look at HTTP, hypertext transfer protocol, which is information over Internet protocol, or the World Wide Web.
Blockchains enable Money Over Internet Protocol.
Money is what people think it is. Government money that has nothing behind it is prone to excess as people demand more from their government than they are willing to pay for. Cryptocurrencies are valuable because people have decided they are. The dollar is valuable because people have decided it is.
Just because something is hard to grasp does not make it mysterious except to those who don’t make the effort to understand. But not understanding something doesn’t automatically mean that something is not worth understanding.
How many here can explain an integrated circuit? How about Maxwell’s equations about electromagnetic phenomena? Can anyone here explain mass spectrometry?
Fine, then. Here’s an easy one. Explain how to design and manufacture an iPhone.
You use it, but don’t understand it.
The same is true of money. We use it, but most people don’t understand what it is and how monetary systems work. Here’s a hint. You want inflation? Just create more money. That’ll do it. In fact that’s doing it right now.
The value of the dollar is based on the value of the US economy. The value of crypto-currency is based on the collective value of the currency-holders; in other words, their portion of the economies they live in. A currency only has the value that people who trade in it give it.
The concept of crypto-currency makes perfect sense: being able to transfer money from one person to another in a completely trustworthy way with no intermediary knowing about the transaction, as if one person handed the other cash or traveler’s check. Of course someone has to be willing to translate the “play money” back into real money, like American Express traveler’s checks (for which they charged a percentage when one bought the checks) (and they were also making money on the “float” of having your real money for some period of time before they had to pay money back out to whoever you gave your check to). What does NOT make sense is the idea that one can “mine” or create value simply by running a computer. That’s the part that makes the rest of it look suspicious.
It’s actually super simple: rich people invented a way to become richer by using computers in a totally legal way. It’s not fraud if you pretend each precious little crypto coin is unique in its own way!
Cactus-Pete almost 3 years ago
Not really crypto, not really currency.
eastern.woods.metal almost 3 years ago
Crypto is like playing “Liars Dice”. Its all fun and games until the music stops and the value disappears.
wallylm almost 3 years ago
Next, he explains NFTs!
Baarorso almost 3 years ago
I can’t even begin to understand Crypto and something tells me that i don’t want to undersrtand it.;-D d
C almost 3 years ago
Crypto seems to be the new ‘program the time on your VCR’
Say What Now‽ Premium Member almost 3 years ago
He will then hypnotize them by explaining blockchain.
Mediatech almost 3 years ago
Criptocurrency isn’t complicated. You give someone else your money, they give you nothing in return, and… That’s it.
Superfrog almost 3 years ago
He’s going to need smoke, mirrors and a bigger hat.
Bilan almost 3 years ago
Crypto-Currency: It’s for people who want money for nothing.
Concretionist almost 3 years ago
If you think of it as a giant pyramid scheme, but WITH computers…
hariseldon59 almost 3 years ago
The Great Confoundo. Great name.
feverjr Premium Member almost 3 years ago
“When you invest in things, That you don’t understand, Then you suffer,
Crypto-Currency ain’t the way…..” apologies to Stevie Wonder
Imagine almost 3 years ago
Wow. He’s good.
sandpiper almost 3 years ago
The old 3-card monte game shows up somewhere in every generation. Bitcoin is it for now.
zzeek almost 3 years ago
Rather than making sense of crypto-currency to you with his explanation, he might caution you how it could make you centless.
Doug K almost 3 years ago
When you know how it works (like how a trick is done), it’s not as amazing.
franki_g almost 3 years ago
Why do a sense a parallel to the 1920’s when it comes to crypto, and fear we’re walking into another Black Tuesday?
Count Olaf Premium Member almost 3 years ago
And for my encore, I will make money disappear. Viola! Higher taxes! ta da!
NeedaChuckle Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Gee, I can’t handle REAL money so I will invest in FAKE money instead, what could go wrong.
Egrayjames almost 3 years ago
Crypto-Currency works just like a pyramid scheme. Don’t think so? Wait.
dflak almost 3 years ago
Crypto currency is like the stock market – it’s only worth what people think it’s worth. It’s like betting on public opinion.
The Old Wolf almost 3 years ago
If I buy an NFT with cryptocurrency, nothing really happened, did it?
vaughnrl2003 Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Yes. Go on. I’m listening. (For the record I didn’t invest in the dot-com bubble either)
Redd Panda almost 3 years ago
Maybe explain how gas can go up $2 in one day?
DM2860 almost 3 years ago
Just because “it makes sense” that does not mean that you have an accurate understanding of it.
Linguist almost 3 years ago
Has anyone ever tried to cash out their millions in crypto-currency for real cash or fungible assets? Has anyone bought a house or a car with crypto-currency?
wdgnas almost 3 years ago
Redd Panda: #1: speculators #2: the US exporting millions of barrels of oil and distillates per day…
rey-di-o-head Premium Member almost 3 years ago
CROOK-TO-CURRENCY…
Bookworm almost 3 years ago
“I will get crypto-currency to make sense to you. This may take awhile.” /s
twclix almost 3 years ago
There is nothing inherently special about government issued money when it has nothing to prevent its unlimited creation. The US has created more “money” in the last few years than it did in the past 200+ years. Nixon took us off the gold standard which prevented dollar inflation because gold is hard to find and extract.
Think about it this way. Remember when long distance phone calls were expensive? Then we got “Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP”
Now look at email protocols. That’s messaging over Internet protocol, or email.
Next look at HTTP, hypertext transfer protocol, which is information over Internet protocol, or the World Wide Web.
Blockchains enable Money Over Internet Protocol.
Money is what people think it is. Government money that has nothing behind it is prone to excess as people demand more from their government than they are willing to pay for. Cryptocurrencies are valuable because people have decided they are. The dollar is valuable because people have decided it is.
Just because something is hard to grasp does not make it mysterious except to those who don’t make the effort to understand. But not understanding something doesn’t automatically mean that something is not worth understanding.
How many here can explain an integrated circuit? How about Maxwell’s equations about electromagnetic phenomena? Can anyone here explain mass spectrometry?
Fine, then. Here’s an easy one. Explain how to design and manufacture an iPhone.
You use it, but don’t understand it.
The same is true of money. We use it, but most people don’t understand what it is and how monetary systems work. Here’s a hint. You want inflation? Just create more money. That’ll do it. In fact that’s doing it right now.
monya_43 almost 3 years ago
There are advantages to being poor. Cryptocurrency is one thing I’m not concerned about.
mistercatworks almost 3 years ago
It’s sort of a Ponzi scheme with digital smoke and crypto mirrors.
198.23.5.11 almost 3 years ago
If you can’t feel it,it ain’t real.
dwkiser28603 almost 3 years ago
is that even possible?
mindjob almost 3 years ago
Next he’ll explain how wind and solar provide energy for the entire planet!
schaefer jim almost 3 years ago
Finally some clarity on the subject, some but still fuzzy.
anomaly almost 3 years ago
The value of the dollar is based on the value of the US economy. The value of crypto-currency is based on the collective value of the currency-holders; in other words, their portion of the economies they live in. A currency only has the value that people who trade in it give it.
Lola85 Premium Member almost 3 years ago
While he’s at it, maybe he could explain why people spend huge amounts of money on NFTs.
Ka`ōnōhi`ula`okahōkūmiomio`ehiku Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Forget it. It’s worse than Federal Reserve Notes.
DutchUncle almost 3 years ago
The concept of crypto-currency makes perfect sense: being able to transfer money from one person to another in a completely trustworthy way with no intermediary knowing about the transaction, as if one person handed the other cash or traveler’s check. Of course someone has to be willing to translate the “play money” back into real money, like American Express traveler’s checks (for which they charged a percentage when one bought the checks) (and they were also making money on the “float” of having your real money for some period of time before they had to pay money back out to whoever you gave your check to). What does NOT make sense is the idea that one can “mine” or create value simply by running a computer. That’s the part that makes the rest of it look suspicious.
ajwaldtwo almost 3 years ago
Understanding crypto-currency isn’t magic. It would be a miracle.
Charlie Tuba almost 3 years ago
I don’t think that’s possible!
bluegrassfan almost 3 years ago
crypto is like a cloud of smoke, one good puff and it is gone
bluegrassfan almost 3 years ago
people want something for nothing, and crypto gives you nothing for something, like pulling a rabbit out of your a$$
LrdSlvrhnd almost 3 years ago
Proof that cryptocurrency isn’t real money: Nobody says “I have 1 Bitcoins”, they say “I have $40K worth of bitcoin.”
willie_mctell almost 3 years ago
NFTs too?
jimchronister2016 almost 3 years ago
Great illustration for the meaning of crypto, I wondered when you’d address that issue.
moondog42 Premium Member almost 3 years ago
It’s actually super simple: rich people invented a way to become richer by using computers in a totally legal way. It’s not fraud if you pretend each precious little crypto coin is unique in its own way!
betsypoe almost 3 years ago
NFT’s next please..
wrenshaw almost 3 years ago
Nevermind Crypto currency… explain NFTs to us!
Ed The Red Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Crypto is easy. It’s like if idling your car 24/7 occasionally produced solved Sudoku puzzles that you could then exchange for heroin.
MarshaOstroff almost 3 years ago
¡Feliz Día Internacional de la Mujer!
boltjenkins1 almost 3 years ago
Yes, please do!
keenanthelibrarian almost 3 years ago
And for this gig, I will be paid in… hang on a minute … cryptocurrency!!
LeslieAnn Premium Member almost 3 years ago
cute bunny
GreyMouser almost 3 years ago
Might as well go BitCoin (et al)…after all our US Dollar is total fiat money based upon absolutely nothing but good faith.
cwg almost 3 years ago
First you make them pay more money up front, then you walk off stage with it.