louloulou

Problem. Reaction. Solution.

I think the establishment's actions are what's driving anti-establishment sentiment.

> It's no longer between two parties (a consumer and a merchant)

A cash transaction is between 2 parties. A debit card transaction is between 5: consumer, consumer's bank, merchant, merchant's bank, payment network/card provider.

You are using Mastercard's payment network whenever you pay for something. They see and record all your transactions. Mastercard is the entity informing your bank to pay the merchant's bank.

But they don't know it's hopeless to try and ban mathematics? I'm not convinced.

Might as well start mining some bitcoin while you wait for storage

I agree, but I don't think that's a good example. The only reason for the existence of a bank password is to enable private interactions between yourself and the bank (and the government through their financial surveillance).

A better example would be encryption keys.

"Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age. Privacy is not secrecy. A private matter is something one doesn't want the whole world to know, but a secret matter is something one doesn't want anybody to know. Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world."

-- excerpt from A Cypherpunk's Manifesto, Eric Hughes, March 9, 1993

Canada has the same shit, NZ too.

Also what languages are you focusing on for the training? How will this not result in massive political arguments about where resources are spent.

Except particle physics - which I guess is why they are trying to sell it this way.

It is backed by nothing and that's ok. It's a money, it doesn't need to be "backed". Gold is not "backed" by anything, the notion doesn't even make sense. Backing implies a debt or a promise to convert currency into money by a counterparty, and that backing can be taken away.

> most 'basic' toothpastes for 100ml for £1, which I don't think is much of a rise on what it's been for the last few years (I think I used to get 125ml for that price).

Going from 125mL to 100mL for the same price => 20% price inflation.