Announcement

Collapse

Economics 301 Guidelines

This is the area where economic theories and trends are discussed.

Balance your checkbook before participating.

Forum Rules: Here
See more
See less

Digital Currency for Dummies

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Digital Currency for Dummies

    I don't think I get this - anyone care to explain the basics or just post a link that does? I'd appreciate the help!
    "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

    "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

    My Personal Blog

    My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

    Quill Sword

  • #2
    I think we should start with an economy that does not use money. All trading is done by bartering. A typical trade would involve Teal and Red. Say Teal has a bushel of apples. Red has some cheese. It so happens that Teal feels like having some of the cheese even if she gives up some of her apples to Red. Lo and behold, Red wants some apples even if he gives up some of the cheese to her.

    You follow so far?
    The greater number of laws . . . , the more thieves . . . there will be. ---- Lao-Tzu

    [T]he truth I’m after and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance -— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Truthseeker View Post
      I think we should start with an economy that does not use money. All trading is done by bartering. A typical trade would involve Teal and Red. Say Teal has a bushel of apples. Red has some cheese. It so happens that Teal feels like having some of the cheese even if she gives up some of her apples to Red. Lo and behold, Red wants some apples even if he gives up some of the cheese to her.

      You follow so far?
      No.
      This does not explain anything about how cryptocurrencies work...
      I will do so in a explaination that I will write soon.
      "It's evolution; every time you invent something fool-proof, the world invents a better fool."
      -Unknown

      "Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words." - Most likely St.Francis


      I find that evolution is the best proof of God.
      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      I support the :
      sigpic

      Comment


      • #4
        ....everyone knows what bartering is, you patronizing git.

        Comment


        • #5
          The idea of having digital money on the internet has floated around for around a good 10 years before it got a proper implementation. This first implementation was called Bitcoin. It was developed by an anyonymous person who took the name Satoshi Nakamoto. He developed the main software for trading and creating this currency. Cryptocurriences are created through a process called Mining. Mining is a process that involves your computer calculating hard equations. The difficulty level of these questions scaled as more miners joined. All transactions are recorded in a public ledger called the Blockchain. Instead of having a account system, you have an address system. Want to transfer money without someone looking at your main address, just make a new one. When you make a transaction, a small amount is subtracted out to make it a legitimate transfer. Due to its anonymity level being quite high, many criminals started using it, which hurt Bitcoin's reputation quite a bit. However, more and more sites begin to accept these currencies as valid, and IIRC the U.S goverment has made it a taxable "investment". Since the Bitcoin source code is open source, it has allowed other coins to join the crypocurrency movement. Some of these make the code more secure, or make the mining process easier for computers. Some (other) popular coins are : Dogecoin( named after a meme), Litecoin, and Feathercoin.
          "It's evolution; every time you invent something fool-proof, the world invents a better fool."
          -Unknown

          "Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words." - Most likely St.Francis


          I find that evolution is the best proof of God.
          ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          I support the :
          sigpic

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Manwë Súlimo View Post
            ....everyone knows what bartering is, you patronizing git.
            It's still fiat currency to me... I don't see how that's bartering.
            "It's evolution; every time you invent something fool-proof, the world invents a better fool."
            -Unknown

            "Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words." - Most likely St.Francis


            I find that evolution is the best proof of God.
            ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            I support the :
            sigpic

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Manwë Súlimo View Post
              ....everyone knows what bartering is, you patronizing git.
              Besides, bartering will not work, on a large scale anyway.
              "The man from the yacht thought he was the first to find England; I thought I was the first to find Europe. I did try to found a heresy of my own; and when I had put the last touches to it, I discovered that it was orthodoxy."
              GK Chesterton; Orthodoxy

              Comment


              • #8
                Digital currency is superior because it puts the money where others can control it. Others being government.
                Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Irate Canadian View Post
                  The idea of having digital money on the internet has floated around for around a good 10 years before it got a proper implementation. This first implementation was called Bitcoin. It was developed by an anyonymous person who took the name Satoshi Nakamoto. He developed the main software for trading and creating this currency. Cryptocurriences are created through a process called Mining. Mining is a process that involves your computer calculating hard equations. The difficulty level of these questions scaled as more miners joined. All transactions are recorded in a public ledger called the Blockchain. Instead of having a account system, you have an address system. Want to transfer money without someone looking at your main address, just make a new one. When you make a transaction, a small amount is subtracted out to make it a legitimate transfer. Due to its anonymity level being quite high, many criminals started using it, which hurt Bitcoin's reputation quite a bit. However, more and more sites begin to accept these currencies as valid, and IIRC the U.S goverment has made it a taxable "investment". Since the Bitcoin source code is open source, it has allowed other coins to join the crypocurrency movement. Some of these make the code more secure, or make the mining process easier for computers. Some (other) popular coins are : Dogecoin( named after a meme), Litecoin, and Feathercoin.
                  adding to the fact that at the current exchange rate, mining for bit coins isn't really economically viable right now (i.e. the electricity used to do the mining costs more than the bitcoins are worth)
                  Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
                  1 Corinthians 16:13

                  "...he [Doherty] is no historian and he is not even conversant with the historical discussions of the very matters he wants to pontificate on."
                  -Ben Witherington III

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Manwë Súlimo View Post
                    ....everyone knows what bartering is, you patronizing git.
                    I thought I should start with the basics. That was meant to lead up to an answer to the question of why do we use money so often.
                    The greater number of laws . . . , the more thieves . . . there will be. ---- Lao-Tzu

                    [T]he truth I’m after and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance -— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by lilpixieofterror View Post
                      Besides, bartering will not work, on a large scale anyway.
                      Yes; I am trying to explain why we use money so often.
                      The greater number of laws . . . , the more thieves . . . there will be. ---- Lao-Tzu

                      [T]he truth I’m after and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance -— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Truthseeker View Post
                        I thought I should start with the basics. That was meant to lead up to an answer to the question of why do we use money so often.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Irate Canadian View Post
                          The idea of having digital money on the internet has floated around for around a good 10 years before it got a proper implementation. This first implementation was called Bitcoin. It was developed by an anyonymous person who took the name Satoshi Nakamoto. He developed the main software for trading and creating this currency. Cryptocurriences are created through a process called Mining. Mining is a process that involves your computer calculating hard equations. The difficulty level of these questions scaled as more miners joined. All transactions are recorded in a public ledger called the Blockchain. Instead of having a account system, you have an address system. Want to transfer money without someone looking at your main address, just make a new one. When you make a transaction, a small amount is subtracted out to make it a legitimate transfer. Due to its anonymity level being quite high, many criminals started using it, which hurt Bitcoin's reputation quite a bit. However, more and more sites begin to accept these currencies as valid, and IIRC the U.S goverment has made it a taxable "investment". Since the Bitcoin source code is open source, it has allowed other coins to join the crypocurrency movement. Some of these make the code more secure, or make the mining process easier for computers. Some (other) popular coins are : Dogecoin( named after a meme), Litecoin, and Feathercoin.
                          I don't see that you have answered the question of why we use money so often and what exactly is money (or, how to define it). Also, the trade (with or without money) is a basic event of economics.
                          The greater number of laws . . . , the more thieves . . . there will be. ---- Lao-Tzu

                          [T]he truth I’m after and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance -— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Truthseeker View Post
                            I don't see that you have answered the question of why we use money so often and what exactly is money (or, how to define it). Also, the trade (with or without money) is a basic event of economics.
                            That wasn't the question. Teal was wanting to know about cryptocurrencies (which she called digital currency). having lived on this planet for a reasonable length of time, she already knows what money is and why we use it so often.
                            Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
                            1 Corinthians 16:13

                            "...he [Doherty] is no historian and he is not even conversant with the historical discussions of the very matters he wants to pontificate on."
                            -Ben Witherington III

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Truthseeker View Post
                              I don't see that you have answered the question of why we use money so often and what exactly is money (or, how to define it). Also, the trade (with or without money) is a basic event of economics.

                              Comment

                              widgetinstance 221 (Related Threads) skipped due to lack of content & hide_module_if_empty option.
                              Working...
                              X