Crypto miners use natural gas "stranded" in wells to power energy-hungry rigs

Mar 25, 2022
Usually the gas is burned off at the well. Environmentalists say using it for mining incentivizes more drilling.
If natural gas from oil wells can't be used or sold, it's sometimes flared, as above, or vented into the air. Some cryptocurrency miners see it as a potential energy source.
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Proposed bitcoin ETFs spotlight debate over rules governing crypto

Mar 22, 2022
SEC delays decision on allowing exchange-traded funds. It has to make big calls on digital currencies, whether it wants to or not.
The SEC is spending a lot of time figuring out how to deal with cryptocurrencies.
Saul Loeb/AFP Getty Images

Crypto miners came to upstate New York for cheap energy. Some regret letting them come.

Mar 11, 2022
The miners have blown through one town's allocation of cheap power, while another has put a moratorium on new mining operations.
Coinmint is using an old aluminum smelting plant as a cryptocurrency mining facility. The plant comes with its own electrical substation with direct hookups to the grid.
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Crypto has the attention of the president. What now?

Mar 10, 2022
Biden's executive order calls for first-of-its-kind regulation of cryptocurrency.
The president's executive order on cryptocurrency calls for the U.S. to become a leader in its understanding and use.
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Donations fortify Ukraine's defense spending

Mar 9, 2022
But international money transfers can be tricky. Ukraine is also accepting help in the form of cryptocurrency.
Ukrainian soldiers carry water near a base in Lviv. The government has been making its account information public to help it raise funds.
Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

How bitcoin mining works

Mar 4, 2022
Ingredients: Tens of thousands of powerful computers, enough energy to power all of Poland. Yield: More than $30 million in newly minted bitcoin every day.
Two technicians inspect a bitcoin mining operation in 2018. The highly lucrative practice is paying off for miners but wreaking environmental havoc.
Lars Hagberg/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Ukraine turns to its cryptocurrency ties for aid with funding

Mar 2, 2022
Experts say there are some advantages to crowdfunding this way.
A woman plays with her dog in front of a large street art mural promoting the Floki Inu cryptocurrency on Feb. 2, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Super Bowl to highlight marriage of crypto and sports

Feb 11, 2022
Expect to see lots of commercials for a relative newcomer on the very expensive Super Bowl ad scene: crypto.
A screenshot from YouTube show's Tom Brady's commercial with FTX , a cryptocurrency exchange.
YouTube

What is Web3, exactly?

Jan 13, 2022
The next iteration of the internet is a hot topic of conversation in tech communities. Kevin Werbach of The Wharton School explains why.
"The claim is that Web3 is different, that's because it's built on blockchain and other kinds of cryptographic foundations that, in fact, will be open and decentralized," Wharton professor Kevin Werbach says.
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