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A comment on Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index. Parent comment

Re:Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index by alister on Saturday August 26, 2017 @05:38PM (#15107633)
A literal comparison to paper bills isn't quite right. A small sheet of linen/cotton paper could represent $1, $100, or hundreds of millions of dollars (eg., a stock certificate of a million shares of Apple stock).

You have to compare Bitcoin to the concept of money, like U.S. dollars, but not literally the paper. A comparison to bars of gold is OK however since that is money and not a representation.

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Re:Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index by SamBam on Monday August 28, 2017 @11:01AM (#15116941)
> A comparison to bars of gold is OK however since that is money and not a representation.

Bars of gold certainly are a "representation" of money. They are only worth something so long as we all say they are. (Besides the little bit of intrinsic value from electrical wiring.) If people stopped saying gold was worth anything, it wouldn't be.

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