标签：freedom

On CC Licenses

Site Matters2014.12.05
On CC Licenses
//This piece was commissioned by 8btc. The Bitcoin community is naturally inclined toward the spirit of free software, so it ought to be easier to accept the CC licenses. But copyright awareness in China is generally rather weak, and CC licenses are even less familiar, so plagiarism occurs frequently. Even places like 8btc that have brought up CC licenses still lack respect for them within the community. So some popular explanation is indeed necessary. For the moment it is hard to expect CC licenses to have legal force, but in the long run they are beneficial for fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and collaboration in the industry, as well…
freedom Web3 internet website
阅读全文

2014年12月5日
On Civil Servants

Culture & Public Commentary2014.11.30
On Civil Servants
I’d promised two current-affairs commentaries plus two book reviews every week, but my habitual procrastination put me off for a whole week. Starting today, I’m officially kicking into gear. The commentaries and reviews may be very short in length; their main purpose is to keep me in writing shape. The long-parked conference travelogue will also be produced sometime in the next few days. Today is the day of the national civil service exam. I hear that this year’s number of applicants has fallen to the lowest level in five years. Perhaps that is because civil service pay has declined; perhaps it is because young people nowadays are increasingly opinionated; or…
culture China freedom education
阅读全文

2014年11月30日
Should Bitcoin Exchanges Have 100% Reserves?

Web3 & Cypherpunks2014.08.18
Should Bitcoin Exchanges Have 100% Reserves?
This piece was commissioned for the 8BTC special topic: http://www.8btc.com/caution-money After many quiet days, the recent plunge in Bitcoin has finally made the various communities lively again. Quite a few people have popped up to cry, curse, or else gloat for a bit; of course, there are also some calmer players who have come out to reflect on the issues, such as once again reexamining the question of whether exchanges should maintain 100% reserves. Markets rise and fall; that is perfectly normal. There is no need to make a fuss every time prices crash. Short-term coin speculators ought to welcome violent market fluctuations, while long-term hoarders need not care…
China freedom Web3 Bitcoin
阅读全文

2014年8月18日
Application Scenarios for Bitcoin Multisignature Technology

Web3 & Cypherpunks2014.08.08
Application Scenarios for Bitcoin Multisignature Technology
0. A Brief Introduction to Multisignature Technology Generally speaking, one Bitcoin address corresponds to one private key, and to spend the funds in that address, the holder of the private key must initiate a signature. Multisignature technology, simply put, means that multiple private-key signatures are required for a transaction to be valid. For example, a certain sum of funds corresponds to 3 private keys, and at least any 2 of them must participate in the signing process for the funds to be spent; if only 1 private key signs, it is invalid. This 2/3 arrangement can be extended to any m/n, such as 3/3, 1/5, 6/11, and so on,…
freedom Web3 Bitcoin decentralization
阅读全文

2014年8月8日
An Initial Exploration of Simmel’s Philosophy of Money

History of Science & Scholarship2014.07.01
An Initial Exploration of Simmel’s Philosophy of Money
From ancient times on, philosophy has always concerned itself only with the pure world of ideas and grand ultimate questions, and has prized “useless learning.” Money, by contrast, plainly sat ill with the interests of mainstream philosophers. Even after contemporary philosophers began to turn their gaze toward technology, money as this distinctive artifact still rarely became a topic of central concern. Georg Simmel (1858–1918) was an exception. From *The Psychology of Money* to *The Philosophy of Money*, money was one of the focal points and pivots of his philosophical system. In particular, the massive *The Philosophy of Money* has had a far-reaching influence; even today, whenever one speaks of “philosophy…
philosophy freedom media Kant
阅读全文

2014年7月1日
On the Bitcoin Ban Controversy

Web3 & Cypherpunks2014.03.28
On the Bitcoin Ban Controversy
This article was also submitted for Bitren’s March featured-post selection and won second prize, so the copyright belongs to Bitren and it may not be reprinted in commercial form. My own blog is non-profit, so I’m still posting it here. Commercial websites wishing to reprint it should contact Bitren; non-commercial websites should please indicate Bitren as the source: http://bbs.btcman.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=17364 —————————————— I previously submitted a piece for consideration that talked about the MtGox issue, thinking it was a timely contribution. I never imagined that before that matter had even finished playing out, it would already have been covered over by a new major event. Recently the rumor that China was banning…
China freedom Web3 Bitcoin
阅读全文

2014年3月28日
MtGox Miscellany: If Something That Could Be Made Public Is Not Made Public, There Must Be Something Shady Behind It

Web3 & Cypherpunks2014.03.17
MtGox Miscellany: If Something That Could Be Made Public Is Not Made Public, There Must Be Something Shady Behind It
This article was written on March 17. It participated in Bitman’s March featured-post selection. It did not win a prize, and according to the rules it may be freely reposted, but please indicate the source as the Bitman forum: http://bbs.btcman.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=17145 —————————————— Although the Bitcoin world has recently been roiling with waves and turbulence, I myself have been busy dealing with my dissertation defense, and have not had much mind to follow developments closely. More than half a month has passed since the Mt incident, and thinking that I have not updated my blog for quite a while, I might as well offer a few belated reflections. Of course, many of…
China freedom Web3 Bitcoin
阅读全文

2014年3月17日
Bitcoin: The Age of Exploration

Web3 & Cypherpunks2013.06.09
Bitcoin: The Age of Exploration
Recently Bitcoin has been plunging in succession into a bear market, and its current price has already fallen below my own average purchase price (while I was writing this piece it dropped 10%!). But I figure it still has another stretch of decline ahead of it, so lately probably isn’t a good time for newcomers to enter. Of course, Bitcoin’s rhythm is the rhythm of the Internet age; a so-called bear market can’t possibly last for years the way it did after the bursting of the Nasdaq or Chinese A-share bubbles. At worst it may take ten days or half a month, at most a year or so, and it…
China freedom Web3 politics
阅读全文

2013年6月9日
Settling Accounts After the Fall and Talking About Shoes

Life & Notes2013.03.27
Settling Accounts After the Fall and Talking About Shoes
A few days ago I reposted and mocked Xi’s “shoe theory” on Weibo, and my dad got unsettled. He immediately called to warn me to be careful with what I said, so as to avoid settling accounts after the autumn harvest. Generally speaking, it is rather awkward when the blogs and Weibo accounts of people born in the 1980s and 1990s come under the gaze of their parents, and I am no exception. Although my writing is addressed to anyone, and even if it is watched by parents and relatives it will not place any real pressure on me, it would be a lie to say that it causes no…
China freedom history Aristotle
阅读全文

2013年3月27日
The Paradox of Fairness—On Halting Ticket-Grabber Plugins

Culture & Public Commentary2013.01.19
The Paradox of Fairness—On Halting Ticket-Grabber Plugins
I had just seen in the afternoon that the Ministry of Railways said they would not, and in fact had no authority to, prohibit browser ticket-grabbing plugins, and I felt somewhat relieved. I never expected them to go find the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to ban them instead. I can only sigh. The reason for banning ticket-grabbing plugins sounds very high-minded: the plugins are indeed effective, but they are unfair to other passengers. Is that so? Indeed it is. A ticket is released and within a few dozen seconds it has been snatched up by ticket-grabbing software—what are the other passengers supposed to do? But the key issue…
culture China freedom commentary
阅读全文

2013年1月19日