# Is Cryptocurrency an off limits topic here on the SDMB? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 8, 2017, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273 "2017-10-08T02:33:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/21 "2017-10-08T13:36:17Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I thought those were Bytecoins. It’s what happened when people mistook bitcoins for food and eight them. _smacks **John Mace** with a cyber-glove_ You are out of line, Sir! ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/22 "2017-10-08T14:06:07Z")
I’m out of line? You’re out of line! This whole thread is out of line! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/23 "2017-10-08T16:29:34Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > Doesn’t the poster mean it’s not a subject too many know a lot about atm. If so, it’s a non sequitur (assuming it was a response to my post) since it doesn’t explain why discussion should be prohibited on the board. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/24 "2017-10-08T16:39:46Z")
Maybe he finds it surprising that they aren’t being discussed more, and since it us probably something lots of people don’t understand, the absence of lots of questions is suspicious? A banning would also explain the dearth of questions on the history of Hungarian folk dancing… ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/25 "2017-10-08T17:40:07Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If so, it’s a non sequitur (assuming it was a response to my post) since it doesn’t explain why discussion should be prohibited on the board. No it isn’t. ‘If not why not’ is pretty straight forward. If anything yours was the NS. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/26 "2017-10-08T18:22:04Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > No it isn’t. ‘If not why not’ is pretty straight forward. If anything yours was the NS. How does his post explain why he thinks it might be prohibited (which is the question I asked him)? ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/27 "2017-10-09T16:03:24Z")
If I posted a thread asking “Are sharks a verboten topic on the SDMB?” People would rightfully wonder why it would ever occur to me to ask why the subject of sharks should be off limits. And when they asked me, I said something like “It just seems to me that people don’t know the truth about sharks.” I think some confusion would be justified there. And here. It’s not a non sequitur to try to root out what the poster may be going on about. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/28 "2017-10-10T18:26:05Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > For example, many people assume Bitcoins are coins with teeth marks in them, which, as **Claude** will explain, is not entirely true. Well, you have to check to make sure the coins are real gold. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/29 "2017-10-11T03:33:42Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > Doesn’t the poster mean it’s not a subject too many know a lot about atm. … ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/30 "2017-10-11T03:39:32Z")
> [@Claude\_Remains](#): > > > [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > > > Doesn’t the poster mean it’s not a subject too many know a lot about atm. What? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/31 "2017-10-11T04:58:37Z")
> [@Claude\_Remains](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by **up\_the\_junction** > > Doesn’t the poster mean it’s not a subject too many know a lot about atm. Again, why would that make it off limits? ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/32 "2017-10-11T05:06:31Z")
I heard that posting a non sequitur in response to being asked why you posted a non sequitur is a way to earn bitcoins on some sites. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/33 "2017-10-11T10:07:42Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > I heard that posting a non sequitur in response to being asked why you posted a non sequitur is a way to earn bitcoins on some sites. Shhhhhhhh! That’s off limits!!! ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/34 "2017-10-11T10:43:09Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > Doesn’t the poster mean it’s not a subject too many know a lot about atm. The atm I use downtown doesn’t spit out real coins, let alone virtual ones. Just paper money. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/35 "2017-10-11T10:43:54Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I’m also puzzled why you think it would be. It’s fraught work limning the thought processes of currency hounds, but I’m guessing he’s thinking of ICO (initial coin offering) schemes. They’re the [pets.com](http://pets.com) securities of our time, and the markets are getting lousy with them. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/36 "2017-10-11T10:48:16Z")
As my contributin to remedying the lacuna identified by ClaudeRemains, [here’s a link to an entertaining and informative Radiolab podcast on the subject.](http://www.radiolab.org/story/ceremony/) ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/37 "2017-10-11T14:09:54Z")
And so that ClaudeRemains doesn’t get a nasty surprise, the fact that there is no problem with crypocurrency as a topic doesn’t mean that any topic related to cryptocurrency is fine. If you post spamming to get people into your ‘get rich with Bitcoins’ scheme or look for suggestions on finding a hitman who accepts cryptocurrency payments, you’re going to at least get the thread locked and possibly get banned. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273/38 "2017-10-12T03:04:29Z")
Bitcoins are looking like a sucker’s bet for any but the early adopters, but we discuss possible Ponzi schemes. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cryptocurrency-an-off-limits-topic-here-on-the-sdmb/798273.md?page=1)