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This picture makes one of the best arguments for small blocks.
So what does this picture have to do with #Bitcoin
let alone small blocks?
So what does this picture have to do with #Bitcoin
let alone small blocks?
The average looking building to the right with shattered glass is one of the most important buildings in Southern California.
Combined with another building about a half a block away, account for about 70% of Socal Internet traffic and about 30-40% of total US traffic to Asia.
Combined with another building about a half a block away, account for about 70% of Socal Internet traffic and about 30-40% of total US traffic to Asia.
In the telecom industry, these buildings are known as carrier hotels; where major ISPs and carriers come to meet and interconnect with one another. Thousands of core internet backbone links run in and out of these buildings.
In other words, they are major Internet hubs.
In other words, they are major Internet hubs.
If anything were to happen to these buildings, we would see widespread regional Internet congestion/disruption.
So how did we get here? How can the Internet be so centralized? This is risky!
It ultimately comes down to cost. Physical network infrastructure can be *very* costly.
So how did we get here? How can the Internet be so centralized? This is risky!
It ultimately comes down to cost. Physical network infrastructure can be *very* costly.
Large scale fiber build outs are expensive, routers & switches can run in hundreds of thousands to millions, real estate, bootstrapping data center buildings, generators, UPSes, interconnection/coordination with other carriers, land & construction rights, among many more factors
High costs inadvertently drive ISPs and carriers to these buildings for interconnection and peering, leading them to become centralized Internet hot-spots and Schelling Points leading to even greater centralization.
So how does this tie into Bitcoin and small blocks?
In by increasing the cost of operating a node, we lose geographic diversity, redundancy, and distribution as it leads to fewer & fewer nodes. This in turn leads to lower fault tolerance & increased risk in systemic failure.
In by increasing the cost of operating a node, we lose geographic diversity, redundancy, and distribution as it leads to fewer & fewer nodes. This in turn leads to lower fault tolerance & increased risk in systemic failure.
We need to be mindful in how we scale BTC, to not replicate the shortcomings of the Internet (physical world limitations & assoc. costs).
We need to understand risks, costs, security, & tradeoffs.
If we want a decentralized Bitcoin, we need geographic node diversity/redundancy.
We need to understand risks, costs, security, & tradeoffs.
If we want a decentralized Bitcoin, we need geographic node diversity/redundancy.
Forgot to include in the first tweet -- picture is from last night's protests in Downtown LA. Yes, looters broke into that store on the first floor, but did not gain access into the building.
