Principal Fired For Using School's Computer Room To Mine Cryptocurrency (bbc.com) 54
"A Chinese headmaster has been fired after a secret stack of crypto-currency mining machines was found connected to his school's electricity supply," writes the BBC. An anonymous reader quotes their report:
Teachers at the school in Hunan became suspicious of a whirring noise that continued day and night, local media report. This led to the discovery of the machines, which were mining the crypto-currency Ethereum. They racked up an electricity bill of 14,700 yuan [£1,600, or about $2,100]...
The headmaster had originally spent 10,000 yuan on a single machine for use at home, but allegedly decided to move it to the school after he saw how much electricity it consumed... A total of eight mining machines were installed in the Hunan school's computer room between summer 2017 and summer 2018... The deputy headmaster also became involved in the scheme and allegedly acquired a ninth machine for himself in January, which was also installed at the school. The computer network in the building became overloaded as a result of the mining activity, according to reports, and this "interfered" with teaching.
All the money earned through the mining operation has now been claimed by the local official responsible for "discipline inspection."
The headmaster had originally spent 10,000 yuan on a single machine for use at home, but allegedly decided to move it to the school after he saw how much electricity it consumed... A total of eight mining machines were installed in the Hunan school's computer room between summer 2017 and summer 2018... The deputy headmaster also became involved in the scheme and allegedly acquired a ninth machine for himself in January, which was also installed at the school. The computer network in the building became overloaded as a result of the mining activity, according to reports, and this "interfered" with teaching.
All the money earned through the mining operation has now been claimed by the local official responsible for "discipline inspection."
LOL (Score:4, Insightful)
The entire cryptomining philosophy laid out bare here: Cause and convert someone else's electricity spending into personal profits.
If Enron was still around, they definitely would be lobbying in favor of cryptocurrency.
Re: (Score:2)
It can be done ethically; miner powered water heater for example.
Re: (Score:3)
No it can't. Its a mathematical nonsense to suggest it can be.
Any useage of power is always a fairly simple equasion of X: work + Y: entropy. You can try and reclaim as much of y was possible and thats fine, but its the x thats the problem here. When your cryptomining the y part doesn't distinguish between "A: Did I find the code" and " B: Didn't find the code" for a more accurate A + B + Y, and the whole key to cryptocurrencies being secure a
Re: (Score:2)
I don't say this often, but I wish I had modpoints. +100
Re: (Score:2)
So you think we should abolish everything?
Nothing is Perfect, duh. But the vast bulk of the energy can be recaptured, so that it is not 'stealing' people's power.
Re: (Score:2)
Could you at least try and read the comment before reflexively answering?
My whole point, which you'd know if you read it, is that it doesn't matter. The vast majority of energy use by crypto mining is wasted hash attempts, and that energy *can't* be reclaimed because it'd violate thermodynamics
Re: (Score:2)
The vast majority of energy use by crypto mining is wasted hash attempts, and that energy *can't* be reclaimed
The energy consumed by logic circuits is erasing state, and ALL that energy is released as simple waste heat. .... There is no fuel or energy loss in a chemical process such as in fuel combustion heaters. That is wh
The ability to "reclaim" the energy is not necessary, because the whole purpose of a space heater is ALL the heat is waste heat and
to release waste heat in order to heat the room.
Re: (Score:2)
No it can't. Its a mathematical nonsense to suggest it can be.
It's not mathematical nonsense.... All the energy consumed by a Cryptominer is dissipated as heat.
That said, miners take more energy to produce the silicon and are more expensive than a simple coil.
Also, in many places... other sources of fuel for heat such as heating oil or natural gas are more cost efficient, so there's that....
But its not very unethical to call a miner a "networked space heater" --- if its been programmed to work as one
Re: (Score:2)
Lets shelf this idea until we've unleashed Fusion , or big space-mirror power or something that means "B" doesn't matter anymore
But making crypto-mining cheap and easy destroys it.
Re: (Score:3)
Is there some continuing delusion that cryptocurrency serves any real purpose?
There is little doubt in my mind Crypto-Currency is the future of currency. Just not in any of the current iterations. But just like any other technology we must keep iterating before we get to the product that actually works. iPad wasn't the first tablet after all.
Re: So why is this a thing? (Score:1)
No you retard. You biggest retard. Oooga booga.
Re: (Score:2)
Crypto disrupts central banks. If there was even a 1% chance it becomes successfull, you would be crazy to ignore it.
When you "disrupt" a central bank, that's when you get Venezuela, Zimbabwe or Weimar Germany. Enjoy your Mad Max future of trying to toss Bitcoin at the feet of a howling mob.
Re: (Score:3)
I'd say the evidence so far is not only has this ship left shore, but it sunk at the first hurdle.
Cryptocurrencies are a solution to a problem nobody has.
I originally wrote a huge list of problems bitcoin has, from its economic absurdity to its poor security to its lack of anonymity, but these are things that could be argued in circle all week. The fact is, the hype died, people lost a lot of money , and all the venture capital is go
Re: (Score:2)
Is there some continuing delusion that cryptocurrency serves any real purpose?
Cryptocurrency != wasting electricity. That's a problem with -some- current coins, specifically Bitcoin.
I'd be happy to switch cash payments to some electronic equivalent, provided it comes with the same attributes as cash. Afaik such an e-coin doesn't exist yet (Bitcoin in its current form isn't it, that's for sure!). But I suspect that's only a matter of time. And when such an e-coin gains traction, traditional banks (and perhaps even governments) will be in trouble for sure.
The current crypto-curren
Whirring Noise? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
That allows much more that to be done for the task rather than using a powerful home computer that won't be as good at the task given the same time.
must be an poor network power is more likey to ove (Score:2)
must be an poor network power is more likely to overload with mining.
Discipline Inspector? (Score:4, Funny)
Not fired for mining (Score:4, Insightful)
I also would completely agree that crypto currency mined on school computers, with the electricity paid for by the school, should be property of the school.
Re:Not fired for mining (Score:4, Insightful)
He was fired for excessive greed, i.e. not giving a percentage to the right people.
Forgot the bribe (Score:2)
Proof Chinese are more intelligent! (Score:4, Funny)
I doubt a single school principal has the knowledge to do this here.
Re: (Score:2)
He can retire on what he made through miners (Score:2)
completely inaccurate fact (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
There is no way that they "interfered with teaching" from network congestion. That is simply impossible.
Maybe he wouldn't shut up about it to the students.