[mkagenius]

You can buy gold with bitcoins. We should be aware of any unstable direct effect caused by bitcoins/gold no matter how useful the end product is.

[hinkley]

But gold has a use other than for trade.

If a bitcoin replacement were built on, say, folding proteins, then the information gathered has a benefit that outlasts the value of the currency.

Bitcoin only accomplishes two things: burn dinosaurs and slowly erode the usefulness of SHA2.

Maybe it improves the situation for ASIC manufacturers? I dunno. But gold improves the situation of wheelbarrow and shovel manufacturers just as much.