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Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain: Bitcoin, Blockchain, Ethereum & Smart Contracts by David Gerard
teokajlibroj's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent debunking of the myths and nonsense frequently spouted about Bitcoin. A lot of the discussion on Bitcoin is swayed by hype and propaganda, so this is a refreshing antidote. The only downside is that it is very short and reads like a collection of articles rather than book.
shortstrawfate's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Incredible and funny look at the cryptocurrency craze, really informative and well researched. There are a couple of spots that could have done with a further edit to clarify in terms of the writing but otherwise great.
beeeeg's review against another edition
4.0
Book starts with a premise "This is a stupid idea and the people using it are stupid", which is entertaining, but offers a less well rounded view of the technology than other books.
gouravkatyal's review
1.0
A rant against Bitcoin.. Avoid if you are looking for an objective look at the crypto
beets_enjoyer's review against another edition
3.0
In the current climate, this book fills a useful niche as a skeptical look at the technology and its proponents. I think its most compelling critique is the lack of adoption; it’s absolutely pitiful at the moment. For every person who has actually performed any meaningful transaction with cryptocurrency there are a 1000 speculative investors crying about the “potential” to boost the value of their bags.
The author comes out of the Buttcoin community on Reddit, which has lived and breathed cryptocurrency mockery for years. Seeing something which you have gotten the kicks out of mocking for years become so successful has had a profound psychological impact on many Buttcoiners, and the author is no exception. The frothing rage on display makes for admittedly entertaining reading, but one has to wonder what this book will provide of lasting value when 90% of the content is making fun of the technology’s skeevy early adopters and current shortcomings.
For example, he calls the Lightning Network and sidechains, two proposed solutions to scaling problems for cryptocurrencies, “vaporware”. These things, which were in development during the book’s production, now both exist in fully usable form.
With developers’ coffers full of ICO cash, a younger generation where 1/3rd would prefer putting their money in crypto over stocks, and true believers like Vitalik Buterin, Charles Hoskinson and Dan Larimer helming the major initiatives in the space, who’s to say where this is in five years?
My guess is by then no one will care about any of the things or incidents mentioned in this book and that we’ll have a space that’s much more mature and rooted in actual use cases than the current speculative mania is. For now this book provides a useful antithesis to the lofty claims given elsewhere of the technology’s potential and societal implications.
The author comes out of the Buttcoin community on Reddit, which has lived and breathed cryptocurrency mockery for years. Seeing something which you have gotten the kicks out of mocking for years become so successful has had a profound psychological impact on many Buttcoiners, and the author is no exception. The frothing rage on display makes for admittedly entertaining reading, but one has to wonder what this book will provide of lasting value when 90% of the content is making fun of the technology’s skeevy early adopters and current shortcomings.
For example, he calls the Lightning Network and sidechains, two proposed solutions to scaling problems for cryptocurrencies, “vaporware”. These things, which were in development during the book’s production, now both exist in fully usable form.
With developers’ coffers full of ICO cash, a younger generation where 1/3rd would prefer putting their money in crypto over stocks, and true believers like Vitalik Buterin, Charles Hoskinson and Dan Larimer helming the major initiatives in the space, who’s to say where this is in five years?
My guess is by then no one will care about any of the things or incidents mentioned in this book and that we’ll have a space that’s much more mature and rooted in actual use cases than the current speculative mania is. For now this book provides a useful antithesis to the lofty claims given elsewhere of the technology’s potential and societal implications.
benjamin_manning's review
4.0
read this because a professor I know thinks theres a lot of good research opportunities with blockchain stuff because all the data is public. Really amusing informative book on how DUMB a lot of crypto currencies (especially bitcoin) are.
Three takeaways:
1. Most cryptocurrencies have been not-so-clever ponzi schemes surrounded by terrible behavior.
2. The execution of their proclaimed "use-cases" is almost never realized and often results in the exact opposite of what they tout (centralization and fraud).
3. One of the best parts of parts of the technology (in theory), is the distributed ledger, which is basically how github already operates....
Three takeaways:
1. Most cryptocurrencies have been not-so-clever ponzi schemes surrounded by terrible behavior.
2. The execution of their proclaimed "use-cases" is almost never realized and often results in the exact opposite of what they tout (centralization and fraud).
3. One of the best parts of parts of the technology (in theory), is the distributed ledger, which is basically how github already operates....
franklc29's review
4.0
I’ve been very aware that Crypto is a scam for awhile and my near-obsessive research into the topic brought me to this book. Wow. I had no idea that, not only is crypto a stupid scam, but it’s just stupid. I was still operating under the misconception that Blockchain made sense and had applications. Ummm . . . Nope! This is a somewhat amateurish book, in both writing and presentation, but it is fun, snarky, and informative.