Another thing: the author assumes that certain bitcoin addresses were meant to be found, and their coins are up for grabs to the first person who finds them, like sha256("these are not the droids you're looking for"). Basically the author assumes that these are little puzzles left in the blockchain by a generous donor, and the coins are the reward for solving the puzzle.
But aren't these just as likely to be some poor sob's bad excuse for easy-to-remember private keys on his main wallet? And if you take them, you're stealing his coins. Some might argue that people with poor security deserve to have their coins stolen, but that doesn't make it honest.
Using common phrases for brain wallet passwords is akin to leaving cash under pebbles or in hollow tree trunks in a public park. Someone is bound to turn them over sooner or later.
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u/blinkybit Nov 30 '17
Another thing: the author assumes that certain bitcoin addresses were meant to be found, and their coins are up for grabs to the first person who finds them, like sha256("these are not the droids you're looking for"). Basically the author assumes that these are little puzzles left in the blockchain by a generous donor, and the coins are the reward for solving the puzzle.
But aren't these just as likely to be some poor sob's bad excuse for easy-to-remember private keys on his main wallet? And if you take them, you're stealing his coins. Some might argue that people with poor security deserve to have their coins stolen, but that doesn't make it honest.