Fortune teller
TO SPIN a phrase, the best time to buy bitcoin was in 2009, and the second best time is now. The cryptocurrency continues to soar eye-wateringly in value, which makes it useless as a way of buying things, but very attractive as an investment.
This has led to all manner of people trying to discern if this stratospheric rise will continue. And who better to ask than an astrologer? Over at Ekaterina Vasyanova, a graduate of the 鈥渟cientific astrology school鈥�, has turned her keen eye to the fortunes of the world鈥檚 favourite decentralised currency.
Advertisement
The horoscope of bitcoin is 鈥渞ational, carefully thought out, but shrouded in mystery鈥�, we are told, computed using esoteric connections with the 鈥淣orth node with Neptune鈥� and 鈥渢he stellium of planets in Aquarius鈥�, among others.
Sadly, 鈥渁 system based on astrology cannot predict the certain price of currency鈥�, says Vasyanova. 鈥淏ut it can accurately forecast its dynamics during certain periods.鈥� Hindsight is of course 20/20, and past movements in the price of bitcoin indeed 鈥渨ould have鈥� predicted dramatic growth for 2017. Funny that!
鈥淎 possible side effect of Alex Chanas鈥檚 new medicine reads: 鈥榶our heartbeat becomes very slow and stops beating.鈥� It adds, helpfully, 鈥業f this happens, go to hospital straight away鈥�.鈥�
The Venn diagrams describing cryptocurrency fans and those who believe in magical thinking might well have some overlap (23/30 December 2017). If so, take note: Vasyanova predicts a downturn in bitcoin fortunes come March.
Power brokers
, the trade in bitcoin, predicated on intentionally laborious calculations, continues to devour ever more power. Some estimates put the bitcoin network鈥檚 energy demand as being comparable to that of the entire nation of Belarus, or about a tenth of the UK鈥檚.
If this trend continues, it won鈥檛 be long before someone tries to build a Dyson sphere, enveloping the entire sun, to power the trade in cryptocurrencies. Which perhaps explains why we haven鈥檛 heard from any Kardashev type 2 civilisations yet 鈥� they are all busy mining bitcoin.
Growing pains
鈥楾IS the season to be extra-sceptical of medical papers, as our colleagues have noted (16 December 2017, p 25). Yet Feedback cannot help but share findings published in Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, which suggest that .
Two studies of 99 3 to 5-year-olds found significant confusion about the role of birthday parties in the ageing process. The authors note that 鈥渃hildren, like adults, are especially driven to seek explanations for personal, meaningful events鈥� and that the 鈥渦biquitous human tendency to misattribute causation in the presence of simple co-occurrence鈥� results in many preschool-age children believing that birthday celebrations themselves cause ageing. Which, as any parent who has had to manage a dozen unruly toddlers at a cake-strewn party will tell you, is absolutely true.
Snow business
when festivities mean snow 鈥� in the mind of advertisers and publicists, at any rate.
Izzy Hanson writes 鈥渁s most of us are aware, the snowflake is a wonderful example of hexagonal symmetry. Alas, images of eight-pointed snowflakes turn up all over the place.鈥�
Certain quarters should know better. Izzy reports a programme of events illustrated by the eight-pointed variety and titled 鈥淲inter Wonders鈥� a feast of festive fun, with a generous topping of excitement鈥� organised by鈥� the Dundee Science Centre.
Trojan horses
WHAT to do when the turkey leftovers run out? Rob Milne received a dangerous-sounding suggestion from his energy supplier EDF, which prompts him to 鈥渙ptimise your self-consumption with an optional home battery鈥�. We鈥檙e not sure how a battery will help, but it鈥檚 one way to shed that holiday-season weight.
How much?
BEWARE of Greeks bearing gifts, especially if they are the internet-connected kind. Mike Anon reports that he bought a remotely controlled 鈥渋ntelligent鈥� mains switch for his home. 鈥淭o make it work, I had to give my Wi-Fi network name and password to the server in China,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen I downloaded the app to control the switch, it asked for permission to access everything on my phone.鈥�
This would enable the server, in theory, to allow the app to snoop on his online activity, as well as his phone use. According to its installation report, he tells us, the app now has access to his device history, browsing activity, bookmarks, contacts, location, SMS messaging, phone, call log, photos and media files, hard drive, camera, microphone and much more besides.
鈥淚鈥檝e wrapped it in foil and put it in a dark place,鈥� says Mike, who has gone back to manually operating his power switches.
Constructive
CONSTRUCTIVE criticism: Barbara Wager is left scratching her head over recent figures on the mountains of toxic e-waste produced by the world鈥檚 tech industry. A widely quoted UN-backed report 鈥渁round 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste鈥� were generated in 2016, which has been helpfully translated as weighing the equivalent of 鈥�4,500 Eiffel Towers鈥� or 鈥渁lmost nine Great Pyramids of Giza鈥�. Might Feedback start a new logbook of mutually incomprehensible units?
You can send stories to Feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week鈥檚 and past Feedbacks can be seen on our website.