标签：internet

Are Houses in the Metaverse Sold by Square Meter?

Web3 & Bitcoin2022.02.11
Are Houses in the Metaverse Sold by Square Meter?
This article was commissioned by China Business Journal; see http://www.cb.com.cn/index/show/zl/cv/cv13457191859 or https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404735824251191808. It was published with slight revisions here, and I am posting the original text. Because of space constraints and because some things cannot be said too directly, it is still better to read it together with my earlier On VR IV, The Metaverse Is Hyperreality, and related essays. For some reason, a couple of days ago the domestic media once again recycled the news about metaverse property speculation, reporting that “in December 2021, a virtual plot of land on the metaverse platform Sandbox was sold for about 32 million yuan.” I looked up the news from last December…
culture technology Web3 internet
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2022年2月11日
Who Can Sell Black Hole Photos? Visual China Can, but So Can You

Culture & Public Commentary2019.04.12
Who Can Sell Black Hole Photos? Visual China Can, but So Can You
This piece was also commissioned by Jiemian, but fittingly it was released under CC-BY (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License) permission: as long as the author information (Hu Yilin / Jiemian Commentary) is clearly credited, it may be used free of charge. [caption id="attachment_7573" align="alignnone" width="900"] Credit:ESO/C. Malin[/caption] On April 10, 2019, the first “black hole” photograph ever taken by humankind was released in a high-profile manner, attracting the world’s attention. However, in China, beyond sparking people’s interest in black holes, this photo also detonated another topic. People noticed that the image had been included on a website called “Visual China,” and a copyright notice had been attached to…
science freedom commentary internet
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2019年4月12日
Can a Screen Change the Fate of Education?

Culture & Public Commentary2018.12.14
Can a Screen Change the Fate of Education?
It has also been posted on Jiemian; for reposting, please contact Jiemian~ When it was published, the title was changed somewhat clickbaity, becoming “It Is Hard for a Screen Alone to Change the Fate of Education; Bullet Chat May Be Able To.” In fact, that sentence is not quite accurate. What I meant was that there may be many ways to change the fate of education, and this screen may not be the right direction. But since we’re dealing with mass media, I’m willing to accept a bit of clickbait in the title; the content itself was not changed much. When it was published, I deleted a middle section, “The…
commentary education internet history of technology
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2018年12月14日
“Our” Magazine, “Shared” Youth — A Commemorative Essay on “Gongqingyuan”

Life & Notes2016.07.11
“Our” Magazine, “Shared” Youth — A Commemorative Essay on “Gongqingyuan”
During my undergraduate years, I once served as the editor-in-chief of Peking University’s Department of Philosophy magazine *Gongqingyuan*, and I put out Issue 40; at that time, it happened to be the 15th year of *Gongqingyuan*. Later, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary, it was said that a commemorative issue was to be made, and I was invited to write a little text. This year is the 25th anniversary, and another commemorative issue is being prepared, so I, this senior alumnus, was dug out again for an interview, and was also asked to write whatever I liked. When faced with requests from younger classmates, I generally never refuse, and…
philosophy everyday life education Peking University
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2016年7月11日
Internet + Real Estate = Free?

Culture & Public Commentary2016.03.15
Internet + Real Estate = Free?
The “surge” in property prices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen at the beginning of this year was enough to drive one to despair; it felt as if the Chinese economy had completely given up its chance for a soft landing. We all know reform is necessary, but I really do not know where the “turning point” lies. Dragging things on is possible—take North Korea as a reference—but if we really still hope for successful reform, then it is hard to imagine avoiding a collapse. The only remaining suspense is when it will collapse, and who will be the first to collapse. It’s not that I’m being pessimistic about China. I…
culture commentary Peking University internet
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2016年3月15日
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
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2014年12月5日
Bitcoin: Musings on Mining and Altcoins

Web3 & Bitcoin2013.07.29
Bitcoin: Musings on Mining and Altcoins
It has been exactly three months since I started buying bitcoin. From my first purchase, I bought 0.06 coin at 1,160 yuan per coin; at the lowest point I bought 0.5 coin at 372 yuan. All told, my cost basis is roughly 650 yuan. Then I spent 5 coins buying mining machines, made 5 coins from stock trading, and between assorted low buys, high sells, and gambling, my overall balance of income and expenditure is about even. During this period I wrote a series of bitcoin-related articles, and also started a column on Babbitt, which has circulated fairly well in the Chinese bitcoin community. At the same time, I also…
media Web3 internet Bitcoin
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2013年7月29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
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2013年6月9日
Bitcoin: The Disappearance of the State

Web3 & Bitcoin2013.05.09
Bitcoin: The Disappearance of the State
I’ve now written the third consecutive article about Bitcoin, and after this one I’ll more or less be wrapping things up for the time being. My spare cash has basically all been invested already, and I’ve now bid farewell to the infuriating Bitcoin China trading platform. I put one bitcoin into Mt.gox and started groping my way through the game of selling high and buying low; a few days later, one coin had become 0.98 coins… It’s a bit discouraging, really… Of course I’ll keep trying my hand at it, but I no longer dare to make any big moves. For now, the main thing is just to hold the…
media Web3 politics internet
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2013年5月9日
Bitcoin: An Endless Scam

Web3 & Cypherpunks2013.04.27
Bitcoin: An Endless Scam
Previously I wrote a long article on Bitcoin, but I still did not make clear the two most crucial questions: first, the question people on the internet love to argue about most—whether Bitcoin is really a scam; second, the truly important question: what exactly is the revolution brought about by Bitcoin? The previous article in fact also touched on these two questions, but because it was so long, they may have been obscured, so let me talk about them separately here. First, let us discuss this question, which in fact is not even worth refuting: is Bitcoin a scam? Many people like to compare Bitcoin with the notorious tulip bubble,…
history Web3 value internet
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2013年4月27日