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Bitcoin thoroughly dominates media coverage and public discussion of cryptocurrency. It is the oldest crypto-currency and does by far have the largest market capitalization\u2014all Bitcoins are together estimated to be worth US$5.5 billion<\/a>.\u00a0More than sixty<\/a>\u00a0peer-to-peer currencies existed as of November 2013, and that number has dramatically risen since. As of April 8th,\u00a0coinmarketcap.com<\/a>\u00a0lists market capitalization values for over 200 cryptocurrencies. \u00a0Market capitalizations range from Litecoin\u2019s US$300 million, much a smaller than Bitcoin but still substantial, to LiteBar\u2019s $384. The sheer number of similar-sounding names (well more more than half include the word \u201ccoin\u201d) raises the question\u2026 Why?\u00a0Two weeks ago<\/a>, I began a series of posts on Bitcoin-alternatives. This week, I\u2019ll conclude the series by writing about two more motivations between the exploding diversity of cryptocurrencies.<\/p>\n {For a primer on Bitcoin, consider reading\u00a0Holly\u2019s interview with Emily Neville<\/a>\u00a0about her thesis on the currency.}<\/p>\n +\u00a0humor and journalism<\/a> Bitcoin thoroughly dominates media coverage and public discussion of cryptocurrency. It is the oldest crypto-currency and does by far have the largest market capitalization\u2014all Bitcoins are together estimated to be worth US$5.5 billion.\u00a0More than sixty\u00a0peer-to-peer currencies existed as of November 2013, and that number has dramatically risen since. As of April 8th,\u00a0coinmarketcap.com\u00a0lists market capitalization values for over 200 cryptocurrencies. \u00a0Market capitalizations range from Litecoin\u2019s US$300 million, much a smaller than Bitcoin but still substantial, to LiteBar\u2019s $384. The sheer number of similar-sounding names (well more more than half include the word \u201ccoin\u201d) raises the question\u2026 Why?\u00a0Two weeks ago, I began Continue reading Cryptocurrency: Not Just Bitcoin (Part III)<\/span>
\nThe internet has earned infamy for weird fads and odd humor. JesusCoin, Coinye (as in Coinye West), Koindashian, and DogeCoin (for the unfamiliar, some background on the\u00a0Doge meme<\/a>)\u00a0likely fall primarily under that banner. Journalists, generating fodder for their articles, have also created currencies of their own. Notable examples include ArsCoin\u2014born from the website ArsTechnica\u2014and\u00a0Stawart Bucks<\/a>, created by Joe Weisenthal for Business Insider.\u00a0I, unfortunately, did not go those lengths for this post.\u00a0This type of \u201cjust for fun\u201d coin tends to be a direct clone of Bitcoin or another crypto-currency with no or very few technical alterations.<\/p>\n