I feel like this, and the latest three, episodes have been kinda fillery. I've ended each by thinking, "Well, that was an episode." It wasn't bad but it didn't push the envelope comedy-wise or plot-wise. It was some breezy fluff, good enough to pass the time to but I find myself looking for higher caliber laughs or deeper plot elements than this episode delivered.
Not all cryptocurrencies are deflationary. Yes the deflationary model encourages holding/discourages spending however for some projects this is a desired outcome based on the utility the coin/token is aiming to provide.
Additionally deflationary crypto can act as a hedge against inflation, hyperinflation, and stagflation. The decreasing supply can counteract inflationary pressure caused by externalities like government policies and economic shake ups.
cryptos like BTC or ETH that can be mined with ASICs
ETH moved to proof of stake, no more POW mining needed.
I buy a picture from you on an NFT marketplace, I get an NFT proving I bought it. What value does an NFT provide in this case?
In this case, assuming you're a trader in this example, you'd be banking on whatever art you purchased to gain further value so you can then sell your certificate of ownership and make a profit. This is no different than art sales/trades IRL. Here's an art gallery owner discussing using NFTs as certificates of ownership for real world art sales and the added benefits over traditional COOs.
The truly decentralized portions of the market can't be directly regulated. A feature not a bug as the point of decentralization is a trustless environment with no overlords, middlemen or gatekeepers.
The places regulation can touch are endpoints: fiat on/off ramps, legal entities (companies, orgs) operating in the space, people's freedoms in regards to the ability to interact with crypto etc. Regulating those endpoints in an attempt to manage the decentralized interior requires a level of nuance and respect for people's privacy and liberty that first-world governments have so far yet to demonstrate.
In lieu of sweeping regulations (which can have many downsides), the "web3" industry would be well served to get it's act together internally with tech solutions to problems like rug pulls, scam tokens, wash trading and such. The example of fiat markets shows such problems can't be completely eliminated but if tech solutions can eliminate just some or most of them that'd make the playing field safer by orders of magnitude.
Note to any unware: "Trustless" in this sense means the ability to transact without having to "trust" any outside authority to regulate, allow or manage the transaction for you. Everything programmatically handled and equally open to inspection and validation by all involved.
...is there any solution to prevent scalping?
Built-in price ceiling and verifiability. Resales could be limited or completely forbidden as well.
Just wanted to mention fractionalized NFTs are a thing. That "can't be subdivided" part doesn't hold for all types.
There would be too much value in tracking that token for such a scheme to stay secure. Governments or shady corporations or illegal black markets or all of the above would be all over keeping tabs on what sites are visited by which tokens and matching them to identities.
A lot of Gen-Z, of Gen-Y and Millennials are re-adopting 1950's prudishness. That has the potential to really be horrible for a generation or two before the repression sparks another sexual revolution.
IMO it seems RECs are a better solution than carbon taxes at least in situations like this. With RECs you're buying renewable energy to offset non-renewables, with a carbon tax the company is just giving the government money for use of non-renewables. Only funds spent on RECs in this case actually go to supporting the renewable energy sector. I'm no expert in this stuff so I could be off, just how I understand it.