[iamaelephant]

> blockchain is most likely a far more interesting technology.

Why? Really, I would like to know why you think this. Append-only data structures have existed almost since the dawn of computing. Making it distributed and trustless doesn't seem to solve any real problems, which is why over a decade since they entered the public consciousness they are used for almost nothing interesting, and nothing that couldn't be done better in a centralised system.

[hanniabu]

> Making it distributed and trustless doesn't seem to solve any real problems

Tell that to all the people that are either denied bank accounts, denied loans, have had their Paypal accounts frozen or funds held for apparently no reason, etc.

> which is why over a decade since they entered the public consciousness they are used for almost nothing interesting, and nothing that couldn't be done better in a centralised system

The infrastructure and tools are being developed. And please don't say you've been hearing that for 10 years. Literally everything needs to be recreated from the ground up for a new protocol and financial system. This takes a lot of discussion on proposals, development, and testing. Not to mention that all improvements are being done on a live system so everything needs to be backwards compatible.

[Geee]

> doesn't seem to solve any real problems

If you don't see the current monetary systems as a problem, then I guess you don't really have a way to understand Bitcoin.

I think it's one of the most important innovations of our civilization; a 'next step', if you will.

Personally, it solves my problem of storing value of my work indefinitely.

[laurus]

Are you against private banks being able to create money when they make loans? If so, why?

[vinniejames]

Banks don't create money, they create debt.

[laurus]

It's only a debt for the business who receives the loan.

When a business receives a loan it shows up as an asset to them in the form of a bank deposit. The business then usually uses that demand deposit to purchase goods and services, so people who don't owe debt to the bank get those deposits in their accounts, and spend the deposits, etc., etc. So effectively, private banks create money.

[vinniejames]

You missed the part where the business gives the money for those goods and services back to the bank plus interest and the fact that the bank already had the money to give, nothing was created

[laurus]

The bank doesn't usually "have the money to give" when it makes a loan.

Let's say Bank A loans $1000 to a customer. It creates a $1000 bank deposit in that customer's account. On the balance sheet it looks like this:

Bank A:

(Asset) Loan to customer of $1000

(Liability) Bank deposit in account of customer $1000

Bank A created the $1000 at will out of thin air. This is how it happens most of the time.