Posted on 12/09/2015 3:37:55 AM PST by Another Post-American
New reports by Wired and Gizmodo may have identified the pseudonymous creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, as Australian entrepreneur Craig S Wright.
WIRED cites "an anonymous source close to Wright" who provided a cache of emails, transcripts and other documents that point to Wright's role in the creation of bitcoin. Gizmodo cited a cache of documents sourced from someone claiming to have hacked Wright’s business email account, as well as efforts to interview individuals close to him.
The news outlets further claimed that Dave Kleiman, a computer forensics expert who died in April 2013, played a significant role in the creation of bitcoin. According to Gizmodo, Kleiman "seemed to be deeply involved with the currency and Wright’s plans" and may have a significant supply of bitcoins given his early role.
It should be noted that, in WIRED’s case, the evidence was presented with caution that the information might be made up – perhaps even by Wright himself.
Greenberg and Branwen write:
"And despite a massive trove of evidence, we still can’t say with absolute certainty that the mystery is solved. But two possibilities outweigh all others: Either Wright invented bitcoin, or he’s a brilliant hoaxer who very badly wants us to believe he did."
The idea that the Wright-Satoshi connection is nothing but a hoax has been floated by other observers, though the compelling nature of the evidence published by both Gizmodo and WIRED will no doubt fuel speculation for some time to come.
But who is Wright exactly? A LinkedIn account attributed to Wright remains active at the time of writing, detailing work with a series of companies including Hotwire Pre-Emptive Intelligence Group – the firm behind an effort to create a bitcoin-based bank called Denariuz. That effort later ran into problems with the Australian Tax Office (ATO).
According to a presentation for the company published in June 2014, Denariuz aimed to become "among the second tier banks in Australia within 5-6 years".
Gizmodo traced the connection between Wright and the ATO further, suggesting that Wright invoked his involvement in bitcoin's development during a meeting with agency officials.
Further, the LinkedIn post suggests that Wright had a working relationship with representatives from various agencies within the US government.
As part of work with a firm called the Global Institute for Cyber Security + Research, in a capacity as vice president and director for Asia-Pacific, Wright was responsible for fostering "executive level relationships with the National Security Agency (NSA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), North American Space Administration and DSD and regional government bodies".
Whether he is Satoshi or not, Wright appears to have taken efforts to reduce his online visibility by deleting his Twitter account, a move that came after the account was set to private. Gizmodo reported that the tweets were set private during its investigation.
Wright did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A US phone number attributed to Wright in an email sent by him to CoinDesk in May did not connect when reached.
*Ping*
My initial take is, I’m very skeptical this is the creator of bitcoin. The articles don’t actually provide hard evidence, just relating it in a second-hand kind of way. And the timing of Satoshi’s emails and posts shows clearly that he slept from Midnight to 6 AM, Eastern Standard Time (US). So unless Wright had a very nocturnal lifestyle as an Australian, I doubt he’s Satoshi.
Bit-slugs.... Pogs. Ponzicoin
Can you explain in any coherent way how bitcoin is a Ponzi scheme? (In a way that doesn’t also define dollars and just about anything else as a Ponzi scheme as well?)
Can anyone here coherently explain what bitcoin is?
From what I have see it seems like is people spinning computer disk drives and wasting electricity to ‘mine’ for coins.
So what do you create that makes it worth any value?
No, its not exactly a ponzi scheme at all, but it is something...
LOTS of governments want whoever “Nakatomi” is.
The “Master Wallet” is reportedly worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and would be a massive windfall to whatever government finds it, from “taxes due” alone, not to mention the outright seizure of it, for violation of currency laws.
My hunch is that the creators of Bitcoin don’t have Linked-In profiles.
In other words, bitcoins are scarce. They are worth something because people want them (to use as currency). Just as with unbacked paper money. The difference to unbacked paper money is that while governments can print as much money as they want, nobody can do that with bitcoin. So, in a way, bitcoin is even safer than paper money.
That said, there still is a certain danger that the bitcoin infrastructure will get hacked in some way and everything breaks down. But of course, the same could happen with the banking infrastructure…
Bitcoin is a consensus network that enables a new payment system and a completely digital money. It is the first decentralized peer-to-peer payment network that is powered by its users with no central authority or middlemen. From a user perspective, Bitcoin is pretty much like cash for the Internet. Bitcoin can also be seen as the most prominent triple entry bookkeeping system in existence.Whatever it is, it is about as far from a ponzi scheme as it could be.
It's a currency. Back in the day, people might have seized upon salt, or corn, or a metal, or starfish, or even (!) paper as a medium of exchange of value. Bitcoin is a 21st century one.
The technology as understood is absolutely amazing and even inspiring.
Currently the biggest faults with it have been that the "exchanges" are unregulated and fraught with scammers. But that is no reflection on the technological concept.
As for that, I've always had a hunch that it has a "backdoor" or some other booby-trap or farcical gag built into it, but it's just hunch based upon my understanding of human nature, not on my very miniscule understanding of the technology, so please whoever is inclined to don't try to shame me into "proving it".
The use of information technology is the common risk, because it concentrates command-and-control onto a network. Otherwise, traditional financial systems have the safety benefit that comes from decentralization, which no creature of the Network can claim.
regarding first
The first widely used internet currency was the Rand. It was developed and touted by the late Olin R Grabbe. It was not how ever peer-to peer and as I recall based on his system in Costa Rica.
I ammend myself: Bitcoin is a black box that behaves like a currency.
-—Can anyone here coherently explain what bitcoin is?——
the future
+1
or Russian black ops. (/.5*s).
Orlin R Grabbe was a promoter of gold
I suspect that was some how connected
He died young
The use of information technology is the common risk, because it concentrates command-and-control onto a network. Otherwise, traditional financial systems have the safety benefit that comes from decentralization, which no creature of the Network can claim.I do not understand that. One could argue that Bitcoin is a lot less centralized than any traditional financial institution.
“Can anyone here coherently explain what bitcoin is?”
It’s a cryptocurrency that’s decentralized and designed to not be inflationary. Individual bitcoins are fungible (no serial number equivalent). Wallets are public/private key pairs, the public key allowing the wallet to receive funds and the private key allowing it to spend funds.
“From what I have see it seems like is people spinning computer disk drives and wasting electricity to ‘mine’ for coins.”
Mining the coins also verifies transactions, which is how the blockchain is decentralized. So, the electricity isn’t wasted. BTW, do you consider the energy wasted that’s used to print dollar bills, or mint pennies?
“So what do you create that makes it worth any value?”
Bitcoins are worth something because people think they’re worth something - exactly the same as a dollar, or an ounce of gold. There is no such thing as “intrinsic” value.
If there are food shortages, dollars will suddenly be worth a lot less relative to a loaf of bread, for instance...
I am Damo Suzuki
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