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Cryptocurrency Classes Are Coming To Campus (nytimes.com)

Posted by msmash on from the taking-a-bite dept.

While the price of Bitcoin has dropped since Christmas, the virtual currency boom has shown no signs of cooling off in the more august precincts of America's elite universities. The New York Times: Several top schools have added or are rushing to add classes about Bitcoin and the record-keeping technology that it introduced, known as the blockchain. Graduate-level classes this semester at Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Duke, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Maryland, among other places, illustrate the fascination with the technology across several academic fields, and the assumption that it will outlast the current speculative price bubble. "There was some gentle ribbing from my colleagues when I began giving talks on Bitcoin," said David Yermack, a business and law professor at New York University who offered one of the first for-credit courses on the topic back in 2014. "But within a few months, I was being invited to Basel to talk with central bankers, and the joking from my colleagues stopped after that." For a class this semester, Mr. Yermack originally booked a lecture hall that could fit 180 students, but he had to move the course to the largest lecture hall at N.Y.U. when enrollment kept going up. He now has 225 people signed up for the class.

81 comments

  1. Classes? by rmdingler · · Score: 3, Funny

    It seems likely on the order of tomorrow's sunrise that educating the public about the Bitcoin would certainly not lead to more folks purchasing it.

    --
    Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

    Ernest Hemingway

    1. Re:Classes? by hambone142 · · Score: 1

      The prices fluctuate too wildly for it to be any form of useful investment.

      It resembles a pyramid scheme.

    2. Re: Classes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's a ponzi scheme in that current owners (you) lure people into buying it with the promise of returns (like you did above). You cash out to lock in your profit before the pyramid collapses, and cheerlead it up to that point. I assume you haven't fully cashed out yet.

      It's not "like a pyramid scheme"... It literally is exactly a pyramid scheme.

    3. Re:Classes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It doesn't resemble a pyramaid scheme..

      in some cases Crypto currency is a ponzi scheme - take a look at crypto like Etherium... that crypto increases its public pool of shares by up to 18 million units each year.... yet people are investing in it. It makes no sense... this is the exact definition of a Ponzi scheme - a growth/return curve that is not-sustainable.

    4. Re:Classes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you are buying shares of ETH for example... you are participating in a pyramid scheme.

      Etherium has no maximum number of units people can mine. Its spec says up to 18,000,000 (18 million units) can be added per year. This means the value of ETH can dilute itself by a factor of 18 million every 12 months. Yet people are buying that commodity on the premise it will continue to go up in price. The growth curve for ETH is completely un-sustainable. This is exactly what a pyramid scheme is. The only way people get paid is by recruiting other people to come in lower down on the pyramid.

    5. Re: Classes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.

      What other market or commodity is corneted yet considered a viable investment? A trivial number of early people own >90% of all bitcoins and hence can create any price like desire, at will. Bitcoin is not a commodity or an investment. It isn't even speculation. It is gambling that you are able to predict how those who quite literally control the price of Bitcoin will behave in this entirely unregulated 'market'.

      I use the term market very loosely here. It is not a market in any real sense.

      I am curious to know how one of the non big boys can make money in this unregulated 'market' as the behavior of the big boys is not predictable yet it is organized and planned. If you're one of those special people who can manipulate the price then more power to you. For everyone else it's a sum zero game with most of the sucker money going to those in control.

    6. Re:Classes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yet another random idiot that ignores Ethereum's growth plan.

      Buterin has already indicated that the current 14% currency issuance rate will decline to 0-2% once in full PoS. Issuance may decline prior to that point. Regardless, infinite issuance is not the plan.

      You also don't understand (or don't care) why people want ETH tokens at all. Here's a hint: they aren't "Internet money" or even "shares".

    7. Re:Classes? by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It seems likely on the order of tomorrow's sunrise that educating the public about the Bitcoin would certainly not lead to more folks purchasing it.

      Even if they are educated, folks still will speculate in Bitcoins anyway. It's like gambling, alcohol, tobacco and opiates. People like to mess with stuff that they know is bad for them.

      I can understand why there is high interest in Blockchain among students. Even if it is riddled with scams right now, Blockchain skills are good to have when applying for your first job. That and Automation and AI.

      Bitcoin is going to run its course, and a lot of folks are going to make a lot of money from idiots during that run. Hell, even Beanie Babies made money for folks . . . for a while.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    8. Re:Classes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "and each time, it comes back stronger than before"

      And each time, the pyramid starts anew.

    9. Re: Classes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      People do the same shit with stocks and all sorts of other shit. Just because you don't understand the value in crypto currencies does not mean that no value exists for other users. Not everybody is an investor. The people using it as a currency have moved away from Bitcoin to Dash and Bitcoin Cash and probably soon Zen Cash. Dash fees are super low. Less than a cent a transaction. The technology is interesting and valuable as a replacement for intermediary payment processors, bank wire fees, etc, and those whom aren't a fan of government, the unbanked, those who banks/governments won't allow to have bank accounts (sex workers, semi legal state drug businesses, etc), etc.

      In New Hampshire we have actual businesses taking it at retail and I regularly buy lunch with it. There are dozens of places in my small town to spend crypto. From car repairs to restaurants to gift shops. We even have street merchants taking it. There is rarely a day that goes by that there isn't a transaction conducted in crypto by me both personally and via my business if not multiple times a day. Either I'm purchasing stuff through Amazon using safe at purse, hotels, plane tickets, conference tickets, etc.

      I have zero financial interest in pumping crypto over my own use of it as a currency to replace credit cards for transactions. That is because it is cheaper. I save 3% on every transaction even ones paid in Bitcoin. Its most obvious when you look at purchasing computers and similar items online where you would have traditionally had to use a credit card. Hundreds of dollars can be saved, The fees have dropped for Bitcoin and people routinely purchase high ticket items from my company with it. We don't even take any other crypto currency yet even though we are working toward accepting Bitcoin Cash and I want to take Dash and Zen Cash eventually too. The later offers greater protection for privacy and anonymity. More so than monero. Zen Cash is based on the Zero Coin protocol which is basically not a crypto currency but rather the math behind privacy and anonymity. It's the real deal and has been in development for years- it's finally solved the privacy/anonymity problems that crypto currencies have only really been able to make difficult to untangle as opposed to real anonymity and privacy.

    10. Re:Classes? by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      Pyramid schemes expand, and then collapse entirely.

      Bitcoin has expanded and shrunk by large percentages around a dozen times so far, and each time, it comes back stronger than before.

      Not the behavior of a pyramid scheme.

      This sure looks like a pyramid scheme that grew exponentially until around 18th December 2018 and has fallen ever since then.

      https://coinmarketcap.com/curr...
      https://i.imgur.com/tIRjZll.pn...

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    11. Re:Classes? by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

      Its spec says up to 18,000,000 (18 million units) can be added per year. This means the value of ETH can dilute itself by a factor of 18 million every 12 months.

      No. It means that by the end of the year it can dilute by a factor of 1 + ( 18e6 / X ), where X is how many there were at the start of the year.

      18 million in yr 1, add another 18M = 36M - factor of 2. Ding dong, Auld Lang Syne, add another 18M, 54M - factor of 1.333' and so on.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    12. Re:Classes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually that is EXACTLY the behaviour of a pyramid scheme, they have eratic ups and downs until finally it doesn't have the liquidity to recover from a down.

    13. Re: Classes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is because it is cheaper. I save 3% on every transaction even ones paid in Bitcoin. Its most obvious when you look at purchasing computers and similar items online where you would have traditionally had to use a credit card. Hundreds of dollars can be saved.

      How, exactly, are you saving 3% on transactions unless the vendor is giving a discount for using bitcoin? Just because you have no financial self-discipline to pay the credit card off before interest doesn't mean you are "saving" money.

    14. Re:Classes? by slashrio · · Score: 1

      Yes, you are totally right, alright?
      Now, listen to what your dad said: don't get involved in a pyramid scheme.
      So don't buy any of it.
      And now get off my lawn, will you?

      --
      "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
    15. Re: Classes? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      People do the same shit with stocks and all sorts of other shit.

      The big difference between them is that "stocks and all sorts of other shit" are regulated, and cryptocurrencies...well, not so much...yet.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    16. Re: Classes? by Bloke+down+the+pub · · Score: 1

      I *think* he's talking about merchant fees. I saw "working toward accepting" and something about having a business somewhere in that rambling rant.

      --
      It's true I tell you, feller at work's next door neighbour read it in the paper.
    17. Re: Classes? by plopez · · Score: 1

      Stock et. al. are to be bought for dividends and interest. Otherwise it is sheer speculation. The difference is that dividends et. al. are tied to reality specifically company sales and the credit worthiness of an organization which is tied to revenue. Crypto-currency does none of this. It is sheer speculation.

      --
      putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
    18. Re:Classes? by plopez · · Score: 1

      not just a as an investment but also a currency. currencies must be stable to be useful.

      --
      putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
    19. Re: Classes? by pak9rabid · · Score: 1

      People do the same shit with stocks and all sorts of other shit.

      You mean like Bernie Madoff? Yeah, that worked out real well for him.

    20. Re: Classes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now that i read his rant again, you are correct.

      On that note, one reason I do use my credit card for online transactions is for the fraud protection they offer me on my purchases. Especially for large ticket items like computers.

    21. Re:Classes? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Idiot. Infinite issuance isn't on the plan for the US Dollar either. It's still fucking inflated by corrupt politicians.

  2. this class = instant job offers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There will be many companies on Wall Street offering 6 figure jobs for anyone that can put this on a resume. Fucking jackpot.

    1. Re: this class = instant job offers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wall Street is run by thieves, not dummies.

  3. Does it encompass blockchain? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hm?

  4. tripe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    For a class this semester, Mr. Yermack originally booked a lecture hall that could fit 180 students, but he had to move the course to the largest lecture hall at N.Y.U. when enrollment kept going up. He now has 225 people signed up for the class.

    HOLY SHIT! BUY NOW!

    1. Re:tripe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shouldnt crypto be part of an algorithm class? With a pre-req of something that talks about SH1/CRC/etc...?

    2. Re: tripe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      CRC is old school weak integrity check, has no place in modern systems. You should definitely sign up when they offer these prereq classes you suggest.

    3. Re: tripe by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Why would that preclude using it as teaching material, assuming it's a class on theory and not a code monkey program-by-numbers class like you did at DeVry?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    4. Re: tripe by Bloke+down+the+pub · · Score: 1

      You could argue that having faults makes it better for teaching. Like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Comet Airliner, Isandlwana...

      --
      It's true I tell you, feller at work's next door neighbour read it in the paper.
    5. Re:tripe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I assume students are seeing this class for what it is. A gut course.

  5. Princeton MOOC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Princeton already offers a quick course on Cryptocurrency (blockchain, etc) with coding exercises over at coursera for free.

  6. Re: The first class will be called: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's why there should be no cap on employment-based immigration to the US...

  7. Law professor giving lectures on blockchain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Next in the news :

    "Professor musical history gives lectures in DNA sequencing"

  8. Demand by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

    For a class this semester, Mr. Yermack originally booked a lecture hall that could fit 180 students, but he had to move the course to the largest lecture hall at N.Y.U. when enrollment kept going up. He now has 225 people signed up for the class.

    If only there were some means by which colleges could limit the number of students allowed to sign up for a particular course offering... perhaps, someday, they'll come up with one.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:Demand by Nkwe · · Score: 4, Funny

      For a class this semester, Mr. Yermack originally booked a lecture hall that could fit 180 students, but he had to move the course to the largest lecture hall at N.Y.U. when enrollment kept going up. He now has 225 people signed up for the class.

      If only there were some means by which colleges could limit the number of students allowed to sign up for a particular course offering... perhaps, someday, they'll come up with one.

      Well you could obtain a network of computers and have them all race to solve a mathematical problem, those computers that win the race would be rewarded a seat in the lecture hall. To make sure that the process was transparent, every computer should have a copy of the ledger containing what seats were assigned. You would have to use strong cryptography to ensure that nobody cheated. Since people might want to trade or sell their seats, the ledger would allow transfers of seats from one holder to another. To ensure that a limited number of seats were assigned you would want to have the algorithms stop assigning seats when the limit was hit. As an incentive to continue processing the seat ledger after all the seats are assigned, the system should allow people to offer a transaction incentive to sell a seat...

    2. Re:Demand by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 2

      I have an idea! What if everyone had a unique number, and they kept it secret, in something we can call a wallet. Then when they want to go to a class, they can add their number to a list of other numbers signing up for that class, and it will be hashed so that everyone can verify that they were added, but because it's done with secret unique identifiers it won't really be public, but kind of anonymous! Then groups of classes - we'd call them "blocks" - could be strung together for your entire scholastic career, like a "chain". I call it "BlockClassChain". And we can fund your education with special money that is pegged to this BlockClassChain, so it would be BlockClassChainCoin!

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    3. Re:Demand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If only there were some means by which colleges could limit the number of students allowed to sign up for a particular course offering... perhaps, someday, they'll come up with one.

      Yes, yes, tendentiously complain over the quality of journalistic writing.

      Maybe he didn't want to limit participation when there was a larger lecture space available? Perhaps he even gets paid PER student so it's worth it. Who knows? Who cares? United Pedants of Youthful Perspectives?

    4. Re: Demand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And when the college sends you email that you haven't paid your dues, we call that ChainMail. And when they embed ascii-armored images in the multi part mail we call that ChainMailArmor. And when the mail server is hacked and the emails contain a virus we call that FlamingChainMailArmor. Hmm, I wonder if they would have in class purchases?

    5. Re:Demand by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

      I take it that if you manage to enrol, you've automatically passed?

      A bit like underwater Klingon dance studies.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    6. Re:Demand by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      And when a $Minority tries to sign up and the class is full ...?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  9. Universities by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are far behind the times teaching technology. Whatever you learn is irrelevant in a year or two anyway. You might get some fundamentals but if you want to keep up with the latest your best bet is to dive in head first and forget paying those folks tens of thousands per year.

    I'm sure the nice paper diploma looks nice though.

    1. Re:Universities by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You might get some fundamentals...

      Yes, that is what learning is. You then use your critical thinking skills to apply that fundamental knowledge.

    2. Re: Universities by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sound poor and unedcated.

  10. Re:Donald Trump will teach illiteracy in prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    No, that started 9 years ago with Oshitty. Trumps knocking some I.Q.points back into their SJW'd brains.

  11. Correction: by stephenmac7 · · Score: 1

    The class at Carnegie Mellon is actually at the undergraduate level.

    --
    "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session." -- Judge Gideon J. Tucker
  12. Re:Correction: My roommate is in that class rn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    AMA

  13. not sure what can be learned about crypto in class by js290 · · Score: 1

    This is the discussion in Antifragile about "academic" discoveries that were in fact made by practitioners. pic.twitter.com/xiLZdPOkzi

    — Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@nntaleb) November 28, 2017

    --
    "Tempers are wearing thin. Let's just hope some robot doesn't kill everybody." --Bender
  14. Re:Donald Trump will teach illiteracy in prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Obama would literally wipe the floor intellectually and physically with any Republican contender. He fucking owns you bitches and you know it.

    That's why you really hate him. The black man made you look like inbred retarded yokels who turn out to be frauds, actual traitors, as you die in prison.

    Enjoy bitch. You earned it.

  15. Re: The first class will be called: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You racist hater! Black Coins Matter!

    If you're not woke to intersectional coinism you're not woke!

  16. Watch Andreas Antonopoulos by psnyder · · Score: 2

    If you really want to understand this topic, start by watching Andreas Antonopoulos, a computer scientist who specializes in Data Communications and Distributed Systems. If you care to go further, he has 2 books Mastering Bitcoin (very technical), and The Internet of Money (for the layman).

    I would recommend starting with Blockchain vs. Bitcoin in front of Consultants. You can watch his videos on x2 speed because he enunciates well.

    Don't believe anything in the Slashdot comments. On every article about Bitcoin / Crypto, so many comments are factually inaccurate, even when they sound intelligent, plausible, and are modded +5. In the words of Andreas, "(Bitcoin) isn't what it appears to be at first glance."

    Finally, Princeton has a series of free lectures here: Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies

    1. Re:Watch Andreas Antonopoulos by Mr307 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Nothing special to understand.

      Do you want a database with built in 'proof' of integrity (with some generally exploitable caveats), then you can attempt to make blockchain work within its current limitations.

      But so far I dont see the point and it appears to have significant problems scaling amongst other glaring problems, 51% attack, or if the database does have a central record like many do for speed and convenience then many of those are just plain stolen or hacked and who cares what the blockchain says.

      The most interesting use for blockchain that I have seen so far is 1 time records of voting, which seemed workable but challenging if there are not good public records of who can vote. I'm sure there are other possibilities as well.

      If we are just talking about cryptocurrencies:
      The best description of cryptocurrency at this time is a greater fool bubble.
      The most charitable view of cryptocurrency at this time is unregulated gambling.

    2. Re:Watch Andreas Antonopoulos by psnyder · · Score: 2

      4 talks from Andreas that directly address your concerns.

      Scaling
      Delivering Liberty, at Scale

      Blockchain
      Blockchain vs. Bullshit: Thoughts on the Future of Money. Too long? Watch a few minutes starting 6 or 7min in.

      51% Attack
      Andreas Antonopoulos - 51% Bitcoin Attack from 2015. Short clip from a longer talk. You may have to look more into the ASIC miner distribution, and mining rewards to understand this clip.

      Fool Bubble
      Investing in Education Instead of Speculation

      Thank you for posting the exact type of comment I was writing about. You may be completely sincere, and the concerns may be intelligently thought out, based on the information you've been given. But the premises you are starting from are factually inaccurate. Bitcoin is not what it appears to be at first glance.

    3. Re:Watch Andreas Antonopoulos by psnyder · · Score: 3, Informative

      Andreas also put his Mastering Bitcoin book on GitHub for free.

    4. Re:Watch Andreas Antonopoulos by Mr307 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Most things can be explained very simply, this guy takes forever to say simple things, sounds more like a salesperson than a tech talk, I dont find him very convincing on that basis alone but whatever, to your points.

      1. Takes him 10 minutes to say increase the blocksize and another 14 minutes to say Lightning network or sidechain.
      https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Blo...
      Sidechains are divorced from the block so require other layers of trust and are therefore not blockchain.

      2. complete waste of my time, was a sales pitch more than anything.

      3. 51% attack is completely possible, in 2 cases especially.
              a. The network has fallen out of favor and everyone has moved on to the new bestest coin ever, and the only people left on the old garbage coin for slow people are just hacking it to get whatever 'value' they think they can steal and its trivial to have enough processing power.
              b. New super good coin is 'worth' a bajillion megabucks and now its trivial to spend 1 billion dollars to do an attack.

      https://blockchain.info/pools
      Only 3 of the top 4 pools need to conspire to further their own self interest, less than that is necessary for shorter term control of the network, even if they are able to disrupt the network for their own purposes with 30% of the hash rate.

      One of the biggest failures of new technology, especially when advocates are vociferously certain that its so perfect and cannot fail is a lack of imagination, this has taken down the most secure certain absolutely guaranteed 'things' time and time again. Someone will find a hole and take advantage of it over and over in ways not originally even considered.

      Maybe there is a simply a spam attack possible that delays all transactions for many hours or days.
      Maybe there is a trust attack where proof appears from multiple sources.
      When does a classic man in the middle attack become 'worth it', impersonate the work originator.
      Who knows.

      Thats if its not regulated out of use by governments in short order anyways.

      4. was a sales pitch again.

      In practice Bitcoin is a complete failure, too expensive, too slow, doesn't scale, too much risk, not convenient.
      Blockchain may be interesting but V2.0 looks useless so far. No reason it can't be looked at some more but my original descriptions stand from where I sit.

    5. Re:Watch Andreas Antonopoulos by psnyder · · Score: 1

      Most things can be explained very simply

      "For every complex problem there is a simple solution that is wrong."

      If you can handle the technical side:

      That's all you need.



      To address your other points:

      Sidechains are divorced from the block so require other layers of trust and are therefore not blockchain.

      You're absolutely right. Blockchain was only one of the inventions in the whitepaper. The system doesn't work with it alone. And if you can replace the buzzword "blockchain" with "database" in an application, it's not interesting and adds little to no value.

      51% attack is completely possible, in 2 cases especially. ...

      Right again. Bitcoin may not be what fintech applications are written on in ten years. But it will be a cryptocurrency that is trust-less, fungible, censorship resistant, immutable, peer to peer, and open. Bitcoin introduced decentralized security through computation that can operate in highly hostile environments. It is currently the most "anti-fragile" cryptocurrency because of size, but another may take its place.

      Only 3 of the top 4 pools need to conspire to further their own self interest

      This attack has been tried and will be tried again. It's a long story, but the current result is a fork called "Bitcoin Cash". So far it hasn't gained the same traction as the original "Bitcoin".

      even if they are able to disrupt the network for their own purposes with 30% of the hash rate

      Has most likely been tried very recently. Many suspect that spam transactions that drove transaction rates up for many weeks were exactly this. Transaction rates are lower again. These attacks are very expensive to continue. They require an immense amount of electricity.

      Maybe there is a simply a spam attack possible that delays all transactions for many hours or days.

      same as above

      Maybe there is a trust attack where proof appears from multiple sources.

      You mean a Sybil attack. Currently highly unlikely based on how the code works. Read through the source code.

      When does a classic man in the middle attack become 'worth it', impersonate the work originator.

      If you're talking about the network, it doesn't. With the amount of electrical power required, it's always much more profitable to simply mine bitcoin.

      If you're talking about individuals, many are doing this right now and draining people's wallets. It's one user at a time. It does not affect the whole network. Crypto allows the user to be their own bank. This carries significant risks at the moment. I wouldn't recommend it to the masses yet.

      if its not regulated out of use by governments in short order anyways

      Some governments can make it go underground (like in Venezuela). But it's impossible to stop (like in Venezuela). Unless you destroy every computer on the planet that runs a full bitcoin wallet.


      I encourage you to be skeptical. Be highly skeptical. If you dig into it, you'll see that your ideas on compromising this system are not new. You'll find a multitude of other attacks that have been accounted for as well. Bitcoin has been under attack since day 1.

    6. Re:Watch Andreas Antonopoulos by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can watch his videos on x2 speed because he enunciates well.

      And also because you have autism.

  17. Interest or Greed? by bloodhawk · · Score: 1

    wonder how many enrolled are actually genuinely interested in block chain as opposed to those looking to see if it isn't too late for them to get rich quick too.

    1. Re:Interest or Greed? by GuB-42 · · Score: 1

      It may be some kind of bait for a cryptography class.
      If it can get some students to get interested in maths, it is not a bad thing.

    2. Re:Interest or Greed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      such bait usually has the reverse effect of disappointment and a guarantee they will never try such a class again. You are either interested in maths or you aren't and cryptography is one of the more complex areas.

  18. Re: Donald Trump will teach illiteracy in prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    First, he's half white (the smart half).

    Second, if he was really smart, he wouldn't have got caught corrupting the FBI and DOJ to spy on political opponents.

    If Trump is going to jail, Obama will be his cell mate... And Hillary will be the butch lesbian who shoves a broom handle up their anus in the shower room.

  19. Crypto concern by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Obviously people who are holding crypto are hyping it, in hopes they can cash out for a large return.

    So some people are definitely making money on it.

    As Paul Krugman said, "People who got on in Bernie Madhoff's investments in the beginning made nice returns too..."

    But there's plenty of evidence that crypto currency is very fraud-esque

    Caveat Emptor Crypto Peeps

    1. Re:Crypto concern by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As Paul Krugman said, "People who got on in Bernie Madhoff's investments in the beginning made nice returns too..."

      Even the investors who sold out of Bernie Madhoffs fund early had to give back most of the money. It's called clawback. Ponzi schemes don't end well. There are no winners in the end. Bitcoin investors would do well to remember that.

    2. Re:Crypto concern by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      All of those cases are against people who were either insiders or who assisted in some way.

      A teeny bit more specific than "investors who sold out early". What law would the latter be prosecuted for breaking?

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  20. Hereâ(TM)s th class by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    someone makes transaction 1 and posts words about it to however many hard drives are out there

    now someone makes transaction 2 and posts it plus a hash of transaction 1 words to however many hard drives are out there

    now
    Someone makes transaction 3 and posts it plus a hash of transaction 2 words including the transaction 1 hash to however many hard drives are out there

    thatâ(TM)s blockchain

    also we
    Have lots of idiots spending all their real money on idiotfake money

  21. Some people keep trying to manipulate the public by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It seems to me some people keep trying to manipulate the public into investing in so called cryptocurrency using news articles crafted carefully.
    If they are really currency why nobody can use Bitcoin for shopping anymore? Others could work where Bitcoin failed? Aren't they work the same way?

    Now they started saying it is no currency but investment!
    What would happen to world economy if people invested in virtual investments, instead of real investments?

    And yes they are all just a new/modified/decentralized form of a Ponzi Scheme!

  22. Bitcoin is Useless as Money for US Citizens by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The IRS has declared that they're going to treat Bitcoin and alt coins like property, not currency. This means that you have to keep track of capital gains and losses on every transaction that you make with Bitcoin or any other alt-coin, which means filing form 8949 and filling out the schedule D on the form 1040. And, to make matters even worse, the recent tax bill passed by US Congress and signed into law by President Trump makes your capital gains and losses FIFO (First In First Out), for the purposes of basis (i.e. which Bitcoin you are converting to cash and at how much gain), which means that you must spend you most valuable and appreciated Bitcoin first and thereby generate the maximum capital gain (or loss) on each transaction. Although, this is arguably more elegant than banning Bitcoin outright, as China and South Korea have done, it's more or less the same outcome. Basically, if you were thinking of using Bitcoin as currency and you're a US Citizen, think again. It makes no sense financially for US Citizens to transact in Bitcoin or any other crypto "currency". Finally, to top it all off and salt the wound, Visa and MasterCard say that they're going to treat buying Bitcoin or any other similar coin as a "cash advance" which means that you get no grace period on interest payments and the rates go up to obscene levels, often 30+% APR with the average daily balance applying from the moment you buy them and you get no rewards points for buying them. This puts them in the same category as casino chips, which given the recent bubble activity in Bitcoin is probably appropriate anyway. In summary, if you're a US Citizen, Bitcoin as a currency is now a non-starter. It makes just about zero financial sense for every day transactions now. The IRS tax guidance and the credit card crackdown make it way too expensive to even consider buying your coffee with Bitcoin, never mind the $40 equivalent transaction fee to get your Bitcoin transaction processed by the miners on top of all that.

    1. Re:Bitcoin is Useless as Money for US Citizens by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Tax reporting and banks are waiting for the transactions.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  23. Re:The first class will be called: by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Terrestrialist! What about the dolphins?

    #cetaceanlivesmatter

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  24. Re:Donald Trump will teach illiteracy in prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just a bit off-topic aren't you?

  25. Bit too late? by houghi · · Score: 1

    Reminds me of a friend of mine who had a course about programming concerning the Y2K issue. That way it would be easy to get a job and already have a job. That is obviously a great idea, except for the minor detail that the end of the course was June 2000.

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    1. Re:Bit too late? by Bloke+down+the+pub · · Score: 1

      Just getting ahead of the pack for Y20K.

      --
      It's true I tell you, feller at work's next door neighbour read it in the paper.
  26. Courses forgot to include bestest APKoins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See Subject: APKoin is better than all other cyypto coin guarantee to not loose value

    Get APKoin by spreading the word of "LORD of HOSTS" to all conrners of teh internet

    Get APKoin by "Kick stomp hearts" of FAKE name slashdot l[users] who dare defy brilliant APK

    Redeemable for ultra premium moose dik you can suck or take in ass

    Premium rewards like suk my MEGA MAN PENIS or lick my gaint ballz

    APK

    P.S.=> The Soros and ROTHSCHILD backed jew bankers want to destroy CRYPTO COIN because it can derail their plans to enslave great american worker. Trump was the first major disruption to they plans APKoins is the next... apk

  27. Jump on every trendy thing! by plopez · · Score: 1

    Once again academia just on a fashionable trend. Why not merge CS with the design and style departments of a university? Trendy, so modern, so *you*! Until the next sexy teen comes along. After crypto-currencies die the people who jumped on the band wagon will wish they had real skills (not "skillz").

    --
    putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
  28. Well that makes it REAL! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just like homopathy, psychology, economics, and othet madeup bullshit! WE DID IT BOYS!!11!

    1. Re:Well that makes it REAL! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wait, you believe economics is "madeup bullshit"?

      That explains this whole crypto-currency scam.

  29. Acadamia - Another sign Crytpocurrency is dead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First, when Grandparents are hopping on the cryptocurrency hoping to get rich quick, you know it's dead.

    Well, it took a big hit anyway.

    Now, when academia gets on board, that's the death punch right there.

    On the bright side, the fist fights between real economic/business profs and bitcoin profs will be fun to watch.

    And I thought "White Male Privilege 101" was a stretch.