
Show HN: My book 'Why cryptocurrencies?', explaining the use of cryptocurrencies - lawn
After more than a year of writing a little here and there, my book [Why cryptocurrencies?](https:&#x2F;&#x2F;whycryptocurrencies.com&#x2F;) is now completed and it&#x27;s available to read online for free.<p>I started this project because I got tired of the misconceptions people had about cryptocurrencies, even in highly technical communities, and on the constant focus on the investment side instead of the possible utility and usefulness. The phrase that grinds my gears the most is how &quot;there&#x27;s no use-case for cryptocurrencies&quot;, which I hope to put to rest with this book.<p>The book isn&#x27;t aimed at any specific cryptocurrency, but on the potential of them as a whole and we&#x27;ll cover topics such as:<p>* What money is and how cryptocurrencies might be the best money we&#x27;ve ever seen
* How cryptocurrencies can compete against other digital payment systems with their low fees and irreversible transactions
* The importance of truly uncensorable donations and the problems with permissioned payment systems
* How cryptocurrencies might help you reclaim your financial privacy
* If you&#x27;re tired of the shenanigans of the central banks, cryptocurrencies represent an alternative financial system
* That you can build applications on top of cryptocurrencies, such as provably fair gambling or a timestamping service based on mathematics instead of social proof.<p>While the online part of the book is finished, my plan is to take it easy a little while and then start working on an e-book and a paperback. (If you&#x27;re aware of a way to provide a self-published paperback purchasable with cryptocurrencies, without me handling the distribution, please let me know!)<p>If you enjoyed the book please help spread the word or consider [donating](https:&#x2F;&#x2F;whycryptocurrencies.com&#x2F;free.html#donations-is-a-perfect-use-for-cryptocurrencies).
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verdverm
The only cryptocurrency based project with a potential for utility is
[https://handshake.org](https://handshake.org)

If that fact grinds you gears, you might look for some lubrication, because it
is a fact. Maybe national digital currencies is the first wide spread
adoption, still, public permissionless blockchains do not have a future with
utility

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karmakaze
That's a really good one.

This doesn't grind my gears, in fact I have the exact opposite reaction: OMG
there _is_ one. And where there's one there will be more.

