Investing in crypto may not be as simple as buying a few coins and waiting for your portfolio to grow. In fact, the founder of the Ethereum blockchain, Vitalik Buterin, recommends focusing more on technology than charts.
Tax the congestable and subsidize the increasing returns
Founder and developer of the bitcoin cryptocurrency and Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, has recently shifted his attention from charts to technology. He has been thinking about new institutions and incentives for people. In this article, we'll look at some of the ideas he has put forward.
One of the most prominent ideas is a quadratic voting mechanism. By using quadratic funding, people are able to allocate resources in large, non-traditional ways. This type of funding system, also known as Liberal Radicalism, could be a way to fund projects like climate change in Sri Lanka and Puerto Rico, for example. However, it isn't enough to mitigate the incentive problem completely.
Another idea is to tax zero-sum activities. For example, people who own multiple swimming pools may be caught cheating on their taxes. This money could be used to fund public road projects. However, this method isn't without its downsides.
Another problem is that people aren't good at thinking through issues. When people only have a small contribution to an issue, they don't have the incentive to be correct. However, they do have the incentive to look good in front of their friends. This leads to irrational biases that dominate decisions. Using the blockchain is one way to address this problem. However, a more traditional approach is also possible.
Another idea is to use smart contracts to fund freak insurance. These policies automatically pay out in case of disaster.
Identify who is a unique human
Having invented and launched the bitcoin a couple of years ago, Vitalik Buterin is a jack of all trades. Aside from his brash personality, he's also a security whiz, a privacy guru and a crypto aficionado. His most recent creation, the Ethereum, has received a lot of buzz as well. The company is developing a universal identity system to go with its virtual currency. Buterin also has a few other pet projects in the works, including one that uses smart contracts to suck up the energy of your computer.
It's not surprising that a tech-savvy person would be intrigued by a project like this. But in the end, it may end up being a non-starter unless the right people are put in charge of it. The technology could also be applied to non-financial things, such as insurance and climate change. For instance, it could be used as an incentive to keep your kids off the streets, thereby reducing the likelihood of violent crime and other social ills. And it could also be used as a means of identity, so long as you don't mind having to give up your social security number. Lastly, it could be used to reward the best and brightest. This may prove difficult, given the current state of the economy, but that's another story. It's also not hard to imagine a world where everyone can be in control of their own personal data.
Criminal coordination depends on existing structures of coordination
Getting money to the right place at the right time is a complex task and involves a lot of legwork. But there is an emerging technology that could have a dramatic impact on the way we do things. It may not be a panacea, but it could help to lessen the amount of crime by reducing the amount of money involved in criminal activities. One solution is to create a secure financial infrastructure that is available to everyone, regardless of location or status.
The best way to implement such a system would be to create a network of cryptographic identity tokens. In turn, these tokens can be stored in the wallets of individual users. The system would encrypt the tokens in a manner similar to the way that banks do, but it could be done much faster and at a lower cost. In this way, the system could serve as a trusted intermediary between the users and the central authority. It may also be useful as a means of encrypting and decrypting funds without compromising confidentiality. This would also be a useful mechanism to use in tandem with the other more mundane methods of securing financial data. But such a system would require the collaboration of many different entities to succeed, and would probably take many years to achieve. That said, the system could be deployed to provide a valuable service to the population, and would not be a bad idea.
Click farms are wrecking the internet
Regardless of your stance on the matter, the fact remains that click farms are a fact of life. These pseudo-legitimate businesses make their money through unethical gimmicks. These crooks can take a hefty slice out of your advertising budget.
Click farms can be found anywhere from a single man setup to a massive warehouse. They are often located in areas with "loose" labor laws. These unscrupulous workers are paid pennies for their efforts.
Click farms are a good place to start if you're trying to get your content viral. The trick is to be clever about how and when you do it. You could spend a lot of money on Facebook ads, only to have people leave your page for lack of engagement. By using click farms, you can improve your odds of success in a much shorter time frame.
The real fun comes in when you actually start to reap the rewards. In other words, the best way to prevent click farms from wrecking your business is to be careful in the first place. The following tips will help you avoid being taken for a ride: a) avoid the click farms in the first place and b) don't buy a product or service from an unknown source. Most scams are perpetrated by unscrupulous individuals who are out to make a quick buck.
The best way to avoid this type of online swindling is to invest in a solid digital marketing strategy that will generate leads and sales, not just clicks.
Incentives for people to put money into the pool
Whether you're a die-hard fan of the crypto space or are just looking to make some extra cash, you've probably heard of Vitalik Buterin. The founder of the crypto currency Ethereum is a computer scientist and crypto guru, and he's been busy thinking about new institutions and incentives. He's also been using the technology to try to make the world a better place.
One of the biggest problems with the current state of the art in crypto technology is that centralized services are constantly fighting for resources. In many cases, their solutions aren't particularly effective, and irrational human biases eventually take over. For instance, a crypto currency like the Ethereum can be used to make tax enforcement systems more efficient.
Vitalik Buterin's newest venture, a cryptographic identity system, is based on the idea that there is a central pool of money that grows as more and more people donate. Each donation is rewarded with a subsidy. The system is still in its infancy, but it's possible that it could work at the same scale as existing mechanisms.
It's also possible that a crypto currency like the Ethereum can be designed to do something that wasn't possible before. For instance, the technology could be used to create self-sovereign identities without the need for a third party like Facebook.
For example, the smart contracts in the system could be used to issue "freak insurance," automatically paying out a person in the event of disaster.
Challenges of using a blockchain to solve public good problems
Using a blockchain to address public good problems presents some challenges. As the technology is new, there are also issues with security.
One of the biggest challenges is to ensure that all parties involved in the process have the right level of trust. If an organization does not trust the other parties on the network, the system may not work as it should.
Another challenge is that there is a wide range of different regulations. This can lead to governance dilemmas. In the U.S., the government has created an electronic voting system called Votem that works using distributed ledger technology. It has worked with Montana's state government. It was used to provide absentee voters with voting technology. The state found the system convenient and 99% of voters would use it again.
The third challenge is that the technology may not be secure. If an organization does not trust the security of a blockchain, it may be hesitant to share information with it.
Another challenge involves the scalability of the technology. For example, it can be difficult to scale e-procurement systems, especially when there are many participants. It can also present privacy issues.
Other challenges include the use of social security numbers and other personal information. These can create vulnerabilities in record-keeping. In addition, nonprofits tend to be risk averse. They are hesitant to participate in projects that require them to share their information.
The above references an opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.