ohyesrobot.ordoliberal.com

cheap

Original: cheap on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Transcript

Top text (equations/definitions):

E
= APPROXIMATE AMOUNT OF ENERGY USED ON CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING PER YEAR
= 40 TERAWATT-HOURS

P
= APPROXIMATE WORLDWIDE AVERAGE PRICE PER TERAWATT-HOUR
= $250,000,000

T
= E*P
= APPROXIMATE COST OF CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING PER YEAR
= $10,000,000,000

FROM WHICH IT FOLLOWS THAT CRYPTOCURRENCY GEEKS ARE REALLY WEIRD.

Panel (two figures talking):
First man (excited, holding papers): HEY! I FIGURED OUT A WAY TO REDUCE FINANCIAL TRANSACTION COSTS TO ZERO!
Second man: OOOH!

Votey:
An old, bearded face glaring out.
Caption: FIGHT ME, CRYPTO-NERDS!

Alt text

The main comic opens with a block of mock-mathematical definitions: E equals the approximate energy used on cryptocurrency mining per year, 40 terawatt-hours; P equals the approximate worldwide average price per terawatt-hour, $250,000,000; T equals E times P, the approximate cost of cryptocurrency mining per year, $10,000,000,000. It concludes: 'From which it follows that cryptocurrency geeks are really weird.' Below, a panel shows two simple white figures standing in a yellow room. One, holding papers and grinning, says, 'Hey! I figured out a way to reduce financial transaction costs to zero!' The other replies, 'Oooh!' The joke: the supposedly cost-saving crypto enthusiast is celebrating a 'zero-cost' transaction system that actually burns ten billion dollars a year. Votey: a close-up of a grizzled, bearded old man's face scowling at the viewer with the caption 'Fight me, crypto-nerds!'

Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.