> The real use case for satellite-borne data centers.
Because of physics and the difficulties of rejecting heat in space, data centers in space aren't going to be a real thing until compute becomes more energy efficient by at least 50x-100x as compared to the present.
Not as stupid or far-fetched as it sounds, only now you have to trust a company not a state. There are several companies I would trust with this, but there would be no state I would trust. Some good SciFi which explores this concept (including mine)
Despite the hype, crypto is traceable. It is harder than other currencies and one transaction is probably untraceable. However if you are running a business you are going to get repeated payments from customers and repeatedly pay your employees and suppliers, which in turn creates enough data that they can track you down.
In the US, transactions over $10,000 need to be reported regardless. I don't know laws in Europe, but I would expect they have something similar. Which is to say, you can accept envelopes of cash only for relatively small amounts of money before you are going to get in trouble yourself. The government doesn't like tax fraud, and without the ability to trace things, they can prove tax fraud just because if there was no tax fraud, you wouldn't have a certain amount of money.
Fully legal for any company to do this btw. They just don't want to. Even in the EU, taking XMR payments is legal, or buying things with XMR, or holding XMR - it's only illegal to list on exchanges.
Not possible. If all jurisdictions relinquish their claim over the satellite then it's open to being shot down.
The proliferation of space access goes both ways. LEO isn't exactly difficult to reach (many college teams can do it). GEO might work but then you need relays and any relay satellite are essentially tacitly complicit.
Satellite (and most aerospace related technologies) are glass cannons. They aren't defensible like a bunker or a tank.
What if you had lots and lots and lots of them? Maybe even enough to cause debris problems if they were attacked. With relays into countries that don't overreach their privacy laws.
Satellites are very reliant on ground ops. Its much like crypto. You think all your stuff is in space, but the FBI agent has a wrench and will just break your kneecaps until you let him in. But also the FBI agent will pull your operating permit for the country your ground stations are in and take you offline.
> The real use case for satellite-borne data centers.
Because of physics and the difficulties of rejecting heat in space, data centers in space aren't going to be a real thing until compute becomes more energy efficient by at least 50x-100x as compared to the present.
I fail to see how a satellite data center would fix this unless the company was entirely off planet
Not as stupid or far-fetched as it sounds, only now you have to trust a company not a state. There are several companies I would trust with this, but there would be no state I would trust. Some good SciFi which explores this concept (including mine)
Hell, the whole company could be located on that satellite if it transacts in crypto-currency.
Despite the hype, crypto is traceable. It is harder than other currencies and one transaction is probably untraceable. However if you are running a business you are going to get repeated payments from customers and repeatedly pay your employees and suppliers, which in turn creates enough data that they can track you down.
Mullvad accepts Monero (XMR), the most private and untraceable coin available today. Your point is correct for all others though.
Mullvad will accept envelopes of cash. They go far and above any other company when it comes to helping their customers maintain anonymity.
In the US, transactions over $10,000 need to be reported regardless. I don't know laws in Europe, but I would expect they have something similar. Which is to say, you can accept envelopes of cash only for relatively small amounts of money before you are going to get in trouble yourself. The government doesn't like tax fraud, and without the ability to trace things, they can prove tax fraud just because if there was no tax fraud, you wouldn't have a certain amount of money.
i bet that payment option is used very rarely... its brilliant marketing that costs them almost nothing
people really like to mention the cash envelope, whoever came up with it is a genius
Fully legal for any company to do this btw. They just don't want to. Even in the EU, taking XMR payments is legal, or buying things with XMR, or holding XMR - it's only illegal to list on exchanges.
Where do the people live…
This wouldn't work for companies that require humans for now.
Not possible. If all jurisdictions relinquish their claim over the satellite then it's open to being shot down.
The proliferation of space access goes both ways. LEO isn't exactly difficult to reach (many college teams can do it). GEO might work but then you need relays and any relay satellite are essentially tacitly complicit.
Satellite (and most aerospace related technologies) are glass cannons. They aren't defensible like a bunker or a tank.
What if you had lots and lots and lots of them? Maybe even enough to cause debris problems if they were attacked. With relays into countries that don't overreach their privacy laws.
if you can identify some country that is safe to relay to, why not just put it there?
> Maybe even enough to cause debris problems
Too late
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome
Satellites are very reliant on ground ops. Its much like crypto. You think all your stuff is in space, but the FBI agent has a wrench and will just break your kneecaps until you let him in. But also the FBI agent will pull your operating permit for the country your ground stations are in and take you offline.