2013/10/15 Guido Witmond <[1]guido@witmond.nl>

   I think the politics are playing out perfectly. With cheap ASICS
   flooding the market, these come in the reach of ordinary people who can
   run one on a second hand solar panel during the day. Don't bother
   wasting expensive electricity on it.

   Solar panel energy is very expensive in most countries (those that
   aren't especially sunny)

   With millions of people running these, the influence of the cartels
   diminishes. And I have a (small) chance of winning the jackpot with the
   payment fees too.

   Cartels (or just "the wealthy") have more money to spend on whatever
   there is to be bought. So it was when Bitcoin were cheap, so it is
   while ASICS get cheaper, so it will be for the time to come.

   Heck, I bet you can get rich selling kits with a solar panel and a
   ASIC-miner.

   That might be true. But many people with startups consider their
   startup to be the product, to be sold to a big company later on.
   The world simply is quite bleak.
   Bitcoin however dodges the bleakness by being a product without
   judgement on color. It simply is what it is. It tolerates a few
   employing the rest of humanity as slaves, but also doesn't allow the
   few to dominate their ability to have free money exchanges. Although it
   doesn't save the many foolish people, it reserves them the ability to
   save themselves later. That might be the best we can do right now.
   Maybe, if we believe the many will stay foolish no matter the
   incentive, then it is the best we can ever do.

References

   1. mailto:guido@witmond.nl