So is using sed to play chess. This exists as a proof on concept not as a suggestion that it is a practical solution.
Since you chose to post this request here and not on the thread about playing chess with sed, I suspect you are imagining some form of real world effect from the energy expenditure from people doing this. I think that lacks a sense of perspective, a better approach would be to consider the change in state of the world after an extended period of expected use of the approach. Considering the considerable lack of practicality of calculating in Bitcoin (and indeed playing chess in SED) the expected use is negligible and consequently the impact would also be negligible.
Bitcoin uses less than 0.1% of the world's energy. Any time somebody says things like "uses more energy than a country" they are either dishonest or malicious and clearly have an agenda. I'd recommend to try to stick facts, not opinions.
Bitcoin or not I don't like the idea of having opinionated people and entities judging what I do with the energy I paid for. Today is proof of work, tomorrow might be high end computer gaming, hopping on a car for a trip etc. You can already see on this very site judgmental comments about carbon usage when you mention a hobby like home lab.
> I wish people would just be honest and say yes, it's absurd and wasteful, but I think it'll make me rich so I don't care.
That's just your opinion. Most hardcore bitcoiners aren't in it to be rich, it's because it has a lot of potential to be a more sustainable monetary system over what we have now. I don't see the energy consumed by Bitcoin to be wasted and I'm doubtful that most who say it is understand why it's used in the first place.
Every industry on this planet that is worth doing uses "more energy than one country". Anybody who parrots this "argument" is either stupid or malicious.
I find it interesting to travel in such country. Take a train and when it approaches a city look at all the buildings passing by. All the lights in the windows that show that people live there. The eletric heating of many of those homes. All the electricity any of the people living there ever spends. All the factories, farms you see on the way. Massive greenhouses. Server farms. All those electric cars stuck in traffic. The train goes for hours and hours. Everything you see combined uses less electricity than bitcoin. Millions of people can run their lives and build all their businesses using less energy.
Since you chose to post this request here and not on the thread about playing chess with sed, I suspect you are imagining some form of real world effect from the energy expenditure from people doing this. I think that lacks a sense of perspective, a better approach would be to consider the change in state of the world after an extended period of expected use of the approach. Considering the considerable lack of practicality of calculating in Bitcoin (and indeed playing chess in SED) the expected use is negligible and consequently the impact would also be negligible.