Larssen
Member
+99|1857
Ehm seems like a bit of a spurious argument to me that foreign born or emigrated teen wannabe popstars end up involved in an albanian maffia organisation. This also seems like a rather convoluted and far too visible way of money laundering to me. I don't think cartel accountants like the idea of lots of media attention around their activities.
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,973|6602|949

I think you're probably overestimating the sophistication of these criminal elements.

It also seems highly coincidental that these same foreign born or emigrated teens are promoting the same revisionist Balkan history and pro-Albanian Nationalist agenda
uziq
Member
+492|3422
yeah, most criminals, particularly drug gangs, operate pretty much in open sight. it's down to the wherewithal and resources of the authorities to shut them down.

i doubt most police or central investigations bureaus have the resources to bother chasing every laundering operation. to say nothing of the state of the law in countries like albania or croatia. if they want to launder cocaine money by throwing dodgy events in the balkans, i expect there's a lot of 'looking the other way', as we as intimidation, fear, bribery and corruption, etc.

think how the italian mafia operated with impunity for whole decades during certain political periods.
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,973|6602|949

https://thebaffler.com/salvos/electric- … test-clapp

I thought this was an interesting read.
Dauntless
Admin
+2,249|6712|London

Had my neck and back cracked today by an osteopath, first time I've ever been to one.

I feel like a new man!
https://imgur.com/kXTNQ8D.png
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,973|6602|949

Did he tell you what he was doing and why? What motivated you to go?
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

https://thebaffler.com/salvos/electric-crypto-balkan-acid-test-clapp

I thought this was an interesting read.
Does anyone yet know what bitcoin mining actually is?

I'm sure its used by the Russians to crack codes.
Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
uziq
Member
+492|3422
bitcoin mining is not really a great deal different from all the sequence-computing, folding-at-home stuff that people were taking up avidly and adding to their energy bills with in the 1990s/2000s. blockchain technology requires huge amounts of computing power; the people who do the crunching are 'rewarded' for their labours in the currency of the blockchain; ergo certain people have constructed gigantic farms full of cutting-edge graphics chips and which consume the power of small independent states.

it's not really conspiracy-related, just grossly inefficient and of course attractive to criminals because the currency is outside of the global finance system.
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX
Yes, before blockchain was a thing people were paid to in units of blockchain to construct more blockchain.
The blockchain being used to distribute more units of blockchain. It all makes perfect sense.
There's no way any of this needs any real level of computing power.
Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
uziq
Member
+492|3422
i'm sure you know best. it's a russian conspiracy.
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX
Whatever it is I very much doubt its what people think it is.
Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
uziq
Member
+492|3422
you really don't understand even the basics of blockchain. nevermind.
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,973|6602|949

Dilbert_X wrote:

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

https://thebaffler.com/salvos/electric-crypto-balkan-acid-test-clapp

I thought this was an interesting read.
Does anyone yet know what bitcoin mining actually is?

I'm sure its used by the Russians to crack codes.
I thought it was an interesting read more for the political-social dynamic at play and the post-war effects on the region.

But yes, bitcoin mining and block chain technology are pretty well-sussed out. Financial industry and even government are figuring out ways to implement blockchain technology for transparency in transactions.
Dauntless
Admin
+2,249|6712|London

KEN-JENNINGS wrote:

Did he tell you what he was doing and why? What motivated you to go?
I've had a pretty stiff/sore neck for the last few months. Dunno what caused it. I've been ignoring it thinking it would go away but it didn't change.

This guy was highly recommended by a friend and I'm really glad I went, my neck is almost completely fine today. I keep turning my head just to feel how loose/nice it feels haha
https://imgur.com/kXTNQ8D.png
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX

uziq wrote:

you really don't understand even the basics of blockchain. nevermind.
So what is it all these millions of playstation chained together are actually doing?
Running encryption for a banking system? LMAO.
Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
uziq
Member
+492|3422
every single transaction that is ever made on blockchain is added on the existing chain. yes, there's a lot of computation to be done. most of it is authenticating transactions, not 'encryption'. you could google this and educate yourself in about 5 minutes. or you could persist with some bizarre theory that, unbeknownst to every expert in fin-tech, bitcoin is actually a giant surveillance coup by the russians. ok dilbert.
Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX
Seems like an awful lot of number crunching and power consumption for very little.
Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
uziq
Member
+492|3422
i said it was inefficient. everyone knows this. as for making out that it's a russian conspiracy, lol. it's been one of the most hyped and studied technologies of the last 10 years. we had blockchain experts come into our publishing house to see how we could make changes to our charging and payment models ffs. major banks and financial institutions have taken an interest in it. you can withdraw bitcoin from cash machines in germany or south korea. BUT WAIT! dilbert, in one perfunctory paragraph, has figured out that there's something VERY SUSPICIOUS about all this required processing power ... !

you are really dumb beyond belief sometimes.

Seems like an awful lot of number crunching and power consumption for very little.
well it's not 'very little' if you need to make totally untracked purchases, or to operate outside of official surveillance, etc. a lot like TOR/the dark net in general. it has its uses.

Last edited by uziq (2020-08-27 16:58:48)

Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX

uziq wrote:

' if you need to make totally untracked purchases, or to operate outside of official surveillance
OK, I'm a believer now, it sounds totally reliable and legit and I'm sure the equivalent processing power of hundreds of supercomputers is needed to allow people to buy pills from Albania without the local cop-shop finding out.

Last edited by Dilbert_X (2020-08-27 17:16:32)

Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
uziq
Member
+492|3422
you need to think a little wider about the applications of blockchain. lucky for you it's been one of the most talked about technologies of the 2010s. you won't have to look far. or you can continue nursing weird skeptical conspiracy theories that make you look like a crank.

yes, lots of computation power is required. that's because it's a totally decentralised system, dilbert. think about it.

nobody uses bitcoin to buy drugs anymore. the last time i bought drugs with bitcoin, they were worth about $20 each. what's the current rate, $9,000 per coin or something? and pills aren't made in albania and nobody buys from dangerous gangs on the dark web. it's more like amazon, with trusted sellers listing 1,000s of reviews and laboratory info/reagent kit results. i highly recommend it! you can get an education in chemistry on the side whilst you're browsing the comments left by the LSD wizards.

when i said 'outside of surveillance' channels re: TOR/darkweb, i was thinking of journalists and reporters and whistleblowers. people inside despotic regimes or countries where internet traffic is highly monitored or behind a great firewall. countries with large state surveillance apparatuses. secret police. lots of people accessed the decentralised/encrypted TOR network during the arab spring, collapse of libya, syrian civil war, etc. again, use your little head.

Last edited by uziq (2020-08-27 17:33:26)

Dilbert_X
The X stands for
+1,810|6076|eXtreme to the maX
Thanks but I need both my brain cells firing at the same time.
Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!
uziq
Member
+492|3422
blockchain has been taken up by big business, just as bitcoin and crypto is now here to stay as well, for the investors if nothing else.

it's not just some hackers/underworld thing. that's niche at this point.

it all reminds me of the early ruckus of the internet. the promise of 'information being free'. having a virtual currency free from centralised authority is part of that. and yes, it's the same ideological package that gives you child porn caches and arms dealing.
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,973|6602|949

Wakanda Forever
uziq
Member
+492|3422
wow that's way too early.
uziq
Member
+492|3422

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