[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #785: Cryptocurrency is going mainstream and it's heating my husband's office

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OPLIN 4Cast #785: Cryptocurrency is going mainstream and it's heating my
husband's office
January 12th, 2022

[image: Bitcoin] My husband's basement office is *always* warm.

It has nothing to do with any HVAC or space heaters. Rather, the
temperature can be attributed to the two GPUs
<https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/processors/what-is-a-gpu.html>
he's running in an open-case rig, mining cryptocurrency...24/7/265. At the
rate things are going, he will have made enough to cover all of the
components he needed to build the rig in about six months. Even figuring
the increased electric bill, it won't be long until his efforts turn into
profit. (And, there is no need to turn up the thermostat, just to try to
heat the basement.)

Crypto is big news these days, not just at our house. There have been ongoing
rumors
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-26/amazon-job-posting-hints-at-plan-to-accept-cryptocurrency>
that Amazon plans to accept cryptocurrency as payment, and there's a whole
lot going on in digital currency news. Here's just a few of interest:

   -
   - PayPal confirms it's exploring the launch of its own stablecoin
   <https://www.engadget.com/paypal-confirms-stablecoin-110106632.html?src=rss>
   [Engadget] "A developer named Steve Moser found hidden code and images for
   a "PayPal Coin" in the company's app and shared them with *Bloomberg*.
   Based on what he discovered, the PayPal Coin will be backed by the US
   dollar."
   - Signal's Cryptocurrency Feature Has Gone Worldwide
   <https://www.wired.com/story/signal-mobilecoin-cryptocurrency-payments/>
   [Wired] "But the challenge for many will be loading that wallet in the
   first place; the cryptocurrency is listed for sale on only a few smaller
   cryptocurrency exchanges—such as BitFinex and FTX—none of which yet offer
   it to US consumers. "
   - Mozilla pauses accepting crypto donations following backlash
   <https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/6/22870787/mozilla-pauses-crypto-donations-backlash-jwz?tpcc=nldatasheet>
   [The Verge] "On Thursday, Mozilla addressed the situation in a Twitter
   thread. 'Last week, we tweeted a reminder that Mozilla accepts
   cryptocurrency donations,” Mozilla said. “This led to an important
   discussion about cryptocurrency’s environmental impact.'"
   - Kazakhstan internet shutdown sheds light on a big Bitcoin mining
   mystery
   <https://fortune.com/2022/01/05/kazakhstan-internet-bitcoin-mining-mystery-crypto/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=data-sheet&utm_content=2022010718pm&tpcc=nldatasheet>
   [Fortune] "In October, Kazakhstan announced that it would ration
   electricity to existing, licensed Bitcoin mines in an effort to forestall
   more shortages and blackouts. A new law severely limits the amount of power
   fresh entrants can use, and caps the total that all newcomers can deploy at
   extremely low levels. 'The internet shutdown shows something else,' says de
   Vries. 'That the government hasn't had much success limiting Bitcoin
   mining.'"

*From the Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - Cryptocurrency traders are buying from themselves
   <https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=153963515&site=ehost-live>
   (Stokel-Walker, C. (2021). Cryptocurrency traders are buying from
   themselves. *New Scientist*, *252*(3363), 11.)
   - 'Investigate rising adoption of cryptocurrency despite restrictions'
   <https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cmh&AN=GXLFNIG20211206.00058.2>
   (“Investigate rising adoption of cryptocurrency despite restrictions.”
   (2021, December 6). *Nation (Nigeria)*.)
   - DECIPHERING CRYPTOCURRENCY: Skeptics are wary, but banks and other
   institutions are starting to take it seriously
   <https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy.oplin.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=151654371&site=ehost-live>
   (Barstow, T. A. (2021). DECIPHERING CRYPTOCURRENCY: Skeptics are wary, but
   banks and other institutions are starting to take it seriously. *Central
   Penn Business Journal*, *37*(17), 1–8.)

------------------------------
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