Are we being Shamwowed?

[Gleb Gamow]

Inside a Tibetan Bitcoin Mine: The Race for Cheap Energy

My Life Inside a Remote Chinese Bitcoin Mine

Eric Mu is chief marketing officer at HaoBTC, a bitcoin wallet service. Here he speaks about life at the company's bitcoin mine in the Tibetan mountains.

Living three months in a place where you have to travel 10km to reach the closest store might be inconceivable for a modern city dweller. For me however, being face-to-face with nature, plus the chance to witness some sort of modern alchemy, holds irresistible appeal.

When the chance came, I didn’t hesitate. A four-hour flight and eight-hour drive later, long after I lost count of the tunnels and bridges I passed, I arrived in HaoBTC’s multi-petahash bitcoin farm, nestled in the mountains.

For the most part, Eric Mu is just an employee at only one mining facility earning ~$1,000 USD/mo. Yet, Eric Mu, fluent in Mandarin, pens two beautifully written articles: One, an interview, the other his personal account of working and living at the Tibetan bitcoin mining facility.

I read both articles twice, and [figuratively and literally] I couldn't believe what I was reading. You, too, WILL be hard-pressed to find a single grammatical error in either avant-garde prose.

Make no mistake in believing that Mr. Mu was only writing the accounts in third person, for...

http://www.coindesk.com/my-life-inside-a-remote-chinese-bitcoin-mine/

The day-to-day

My first week working at the farm involved more menial labor than I expected. I consider myself reasonably fit, yet after moving hundreds of miners off the truck and onto the shelves, I was depressed by my sore arms the next day. By contrast, my colleagues were in good spirits and maintained their high efficiency.

Does this make any sense to you, or are we being Shamwowed?

[Gleb Gamow]

I penned the above, then opted to go a huntin' to see what I could learn about Mr. Eric Wu. (normally, I do a tad of research first, but was so taken aback by what I read, I felt it prudent to start the thread first, truly believing that I wouldn't be able to find anything of relevance)

http://www.coindesk.com/author/eric-mu/

Eric Mu is a media researcher and writer at Danwei.com. His three passions are the English language, writing and Bitcoin.

[jfdklsjaf]

Have you worked in China?
I have. They have all kinds of fancy job titles for shitjobs working in stuff like replacing broken down miners.

I totally believe that guy working in some remote place in China with cheap electricity can be a so called "Chief Marketing Officer" - whatever the fuck his day to day duty is.

[Gleb Gamow]

Have you worked in China?
I have. They have all kinds of fancy job titles for shitjobs working in stuff like replacing broken down miners.

I totally believe that guy working in some remote place in China with cheap electricity can be a so called "Chief Marketing Officer" - whatever the fuck his day to day duty is.

Excellent first post, dude! Hit a nerve? Now, go and read my second post and enjoy.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=520810



Reads to me like you couldn't create your new user account fast enough. Did you even have time enough to read both articles I linked to?

Are you part of Team Shamwow?

[Last of the V8s]

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1072474.0
Three months living in a multi-petahash BTC mine in Kangding, Sichuan, China  (Read 8086 times)

[Gleb Gamow]

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1072474.0
Three months living in a multi-petahash BTC mine in Kangding, Sichuan, China  (Read 8086 times)

Thanks, bud. I just found this: http://www.reddit.com/r/BitcoinMining/comments/37jj2q/i_will_live_in_this_btc_mining_farm_for_three/.compact

When I did my creative writing degree a few years ago, I was mentored by Robin Hemley, an American writer who practices what he called immersion writing. I liked the idea and always on the lookout for my own "immersion project" something haven't been touched by other writers - which is a big reason why I got into Bitcoin. But I also work for the company that controls this farm in charge of overseas marketing / communications so getting publicity is part of my job. It is really hard for me to say which motivation is stronger.

[melody82]

I think you are right in that we may be getting shamwowed.  However it is not unusual for foreigners to have good english writing skills.  In many countries they start learning foreign languages at a very young age.  It is not uncommon to meet a foreigner that knows more about english grammar and spelling than your average american.  Especially if this person studied marketing specifically.

That being the case, I would not be surprised if these things were ghost written for the company as part of a media campaign.  If you wanted to promote a mining service you would want to start on these forums and major media outlets related to bitcoins.  They are careful to show detailed pictures of their facility, one of the main criticisms of people accusing mining companies of being a scam.

To me it seems like a marketing campaign.  Excellent job noticing those things.  But this is no different that any other company marketing their product.  Do you have reason to believe that they are trying to scam us somehow, that maybe this is just a ponzi with a good camera?  Maybe I am missing something, but I don't really see a problem with marketing a company this way.

[MicroGuy]

I was buying the story until this ...

I thought my life at home was simple, but watching these short-statured miners sleep in the same tiny bed, and drink from the same tiny cup, made me appreciate the joy of true simplicity. At times it was approaching 60 degrees Celsius in our sleeping quarters, but these tiny men took the heat in stride, smiling and joking that if the heat didn't kill them, it would only make them stronger miners.

[digicoinuser]

I was buying the story until this ...

I thought my life at home was simple, but watching these short-statured miners sleep in the same tiny bed, and drink from the same tiny cup, made me appreciate the joy of true simplicity. At times it was approaching 60 degrees Celsius in our sleeping quarters, but these tiny men took the heat in stride, smiling and joking that if the heat didn't kill them, it would only make them stronger miners.

Didn't read it yet but I will take a look, 60 degrees Celsius is hot enough to cause hyperthermia from what I know.   

[Gleb Gamow]

I was buying the story until this ...

I thought my life at home was simple, but watching these short-statured miners sleep in the same tiny bed, and drink from the same tiny cup, made me appreciate the joy of true simplicity. At times it was approaching 60 degrees Celsius in our sleeping quarters, but these tiny men took the heat in stride, smiling and joking that if the heat didn't kill them, it would only make them stronger miners.

Where was this quote pulled from?

[futureofbitcoin]

I was buying the story until this ...

I thought my life at home was simple, but watching these short-statured miners sleep in the same tiny bed, and drink from the same tiny cup, made me appreciate the joy of true simplicity. At times it was approaching 60 degrees Celsius in our sleeping quarters, but these tiny men took the heat in stride, smiling and joking that if the heat didn't kill them, it would only make them stronger miners.

Didn't read it yet but I will take a look, 60 degrees Celsius is hot enough to cause hyperthermia from what I know.   

Well it's consistently 50+ degrees in many indian restuarants (in india)

[digicoinuser]

I was buying the story until this ...

I thought my life at home was simple, but watching these short-statured miners sleep in the same tiny bed, and drink from the same tiny cup, made me appreciate the joy of true simplicity. At times it was approaching 60 degrees Celsius in our sleeping quarters, but these tiny men took the heat in stride, smiling and joking that if the heat didn't kill them, it would only make them stronger miners.

Where was this quote pulled from?

Agreed, looking for this detail as well.

Well it's consistently 50+ degrees in many indian restuarants (in india)

Dang, I hope they have good air circulation. 

[gogxmagog]

Those are nice little articles but I would have to say "no" to the shamwow. Not enough wow.

I was not as impressed as OP and fail to see what exactly blew his mind. I read articles every day. These two don't stand out that much. I'm curious to know why you think it's a shamwow.

As stated earlier, people who learn English in a foreign land often speak and write way better than us lazy privileged westerners. Check India! Or visit a doctor in Mexico! They actually think about what they are saying before they speak.

If OP really thinks shamwow is happening here he's actually doing more to promote it than anything.
All I can think is... Are any of those miners the ones FriedCat stole from ASICminer?

[spazzdla]

Have you worked in China?
I have. They have all kinds of fancy job titles for shitjobs working in stuff like replacing broken down miners.

I totally believe that guy working in some remote place in China with cheap electricity can be a so called "Chief Marketing Officer" - whatever the fuck his day to day duty is.

They give everyone crazy titles for shitjobs all over the planet.. "Meat operation technican"  What do you do?!  I package meat.. oh..

[anderson00673]

Those are nice little articles but I would have to say "no" to the shamwow. Not enough wow.

I was not as impressed as OP and fail to see what exactly blew his mind. I read articles every day. These two don't stand out that much. I'm curious to know why you think it's a shamwow.

As stated earlier, people who learn English in a foreign land often speak and write way better than us lazy privileged westerners. Check India! Or visit a doctor in Mexico! They actually think about what they are saying before they speak.

If OP really thinks shamwow is happening here he's actually doing more to promote it than anything.
All I can think is... Are any of those miners the ones FriedCat stole from ASICminer?

I was sort of scratching my head a little bit at this one as well.  I just don't see the big deal with those articles.  Sure they are pretty well written, but so what?  Maybe the chinese have a spell checker and grammar checker or something.  I just don't see any evidence of a shamwow.

[spazzdla]

What exactly are we being shawmwowed into....? ?!?!

That cooling system and eletrical seem quite legit..  Bus bar.. breakers.. Logical ammeter readings..  I've used that cardboard cooling system.

[digicoinuser]

Article sounded similar to the Vice documentary I've seen with the exception of hydro power.  It doesn't sound like the workers of these mines make a lot but I'm guessing it's more than they were taking in prior.

[Gleb Gamow]

Those are nice little articles but I would have to say "no" to the shamwow. Not enough wow.

I was not as impressed as OP and fail to see what exactly blew his mind. I read articles every day. These two don't stand out that much. I'm curious to know why you think it's a shamwow.

As stated earlier, people who learn English in a foreign land often speak and write way better than us lazy privileged westerners. Check India! Or visit a doctor in Mexico! They actually think about what they are saying before they speak.

If OP really thinks shamwow is happening here he's actually doing more to promote it than anything.
All I can think is... Are any of those miners the ones FriedCat stole from ASICminer?

My "Shamwow" assessment centered on how an employee of a mining operation was able to express himself so elegantly via the English language, but have since none some homework, with apologies for not yet offering up any apologies for this thread or its title.

Something doesn't add up, having yet to put my finger on what that is, though I'm leanin' toward the image of HaoBTC being too polished, i.e., recruiting Mr. Mu to help spin their endeavor, granting that I don't have any evidence of any nefarious activity, nor expect to find any at this juncture, but an interesting enterprise, to say the least. It's like the perfect soy sauce has been added to accommodate everybody's taste.

[gogxmagog]

well, a shamwow would have to include both a sham and a wow.

this article could be construed as a mild "wow" but I see no "sham"

what are they selling? where is the scam?

I see they are a wallet service, so maybe this article (if a scam) is presented to give the impression that they are running an honest business. still not wowed. If I take the article and photos, and even background of the writer as truth, this is at best a modest operation. We will have to see if they start asking for funding somewhere or somehow...

If the whole thing is set up to get people to place their BTC in the trust of the wallet service so that they can abscond with the money and vanish, they are going to pretty elaborate lengths to do so.

It looks more to me that the writer is actually quite passionate about his writing career, and having a good time doing some hands on immersive journalism, probably a welcome respite from the crushing boredom of sitting around in the middle of nowhere looking after a bunch of droning machines. He comes off as an excited amateur more than any sort of scammer.

The 60 degrees Celsius part could just be a poor estimation. I can never get the temperature correct by guessing. However... 60 degrees Celsius would kill you. He could be factoring in humidity which makes it feel hotter. Or he confused Celsius with Fahrenheit... whenever it gets hotter than 29 celcius I start saying stuff like "It must be a million degrees in here!" so bad numbers regarding the weather don't really concern me.

Anyways, good for you being ever vigilant OP, but I think this one is a wait and see proposition. You've raised a red flag whether valid or not, and there is at least one voice to warn against potential scamming. Still there is no smoking gun yet. Lets see if they start asking for money...

And since when is proper grammar any indication of anything besides proper grammar? I know more unimpressive, average minds who are sticklers for spelling and grammar.... but never have anything deep to say or anything interesting to add... just go look at reddit for about 4 seconds, you will see what I mean.

If perfect grammar is some high watermark for excellence in communication you can go to the library right now and basically burn every major work of literature written since world war 2. besides, if this is a shamwow, why don't I love deez nutz?

[Gleb Gamow]

well, a shamwow would have to include both a sham and a wow.

this article could be construed as a mild "wow" but I see no "sham"

what are they selling? where is the scam?

I see they are a wallet service, so maybe this article (if a scam) is presented to give the impression that they are running an honest business. still not wowed. If I take the article and photos, and even background of the writer as truth, this is at best a modest operation. We will have to see if they start asking for funding somewhere or somehow...

If the whole thing is set up to get people to place their BTC in the trust of the wallet service so that they can abscond with the money and vanish, they are going to pretty elaborate lengths to do so.

It looks more to me that the writer is actually quite passionate about his writing career, and having a good time doing some hands on immersive journalism, probably a welcome respite from the crushing boredom of sitting around in the middle of nowhere looking after a bunch of droning machines. He comes off as an excited amateur more than any sort of scammer.

The 60 degrees Celsius part could just be a poor estimation. I can never get the temperature correct by guessing. However... 60 degrees Celsius would kill you. He could be factoring in humidity which makes it feel hotter. Or he confused Celsius with Fahrenheit... whenever it gets hotter than 29 celcius I start saying stuff like "It must be a million degrees in here!" so bad numbers regarding the weather don't really concern me.

Anyways, good for you being ever vigilant OP, but I think this one is a wait and see proposition. You've raised a red flag whether valid or not, and there is at least one voice to warn against potential scamming. Still there is no smoking gun yet. Lets see if they start asking for money...

And since when is proper grammar any indication of anything besides proper grammar? I know more unimpressive, average minds who are sticklers for spelling and grammar.... but never have anything deep to say or anything interesting to add... just go look at reddit for about 4 seconds, you will see what I mean.

If perfect grammar is some high watermark for excellence in communication you can go to the library right now and basically burn every major work of literature written since world war 2.

Note, Eric Mu's photo/avatar was changed:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericxlmu/2014/10/19/alibabas-data-faking-unlikely-isolated-incident/



http://softbanksprint.web.fc2.com/BABA.html



https://www.linkedin.com/pub/eric-mu/15/943/b51



City University of Hong Kong
MFA, Creative writing
2010 – 2013

http://www.danwei.org/business/a_true_story_of_a_soy_sauce_ma.php

Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi is known for being the cradle of the Chinese communist revolution. During my stay there from 2004 to 2008, [...]



Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi is known for being the cradle of the Chinese communist revolution. During my stay there from 2004 to 2008, I often heard locals proudly referring to their city as the "city of heroes". Though I had reservations about such a cliché, nothing prevented me from exploiting this soft spot to gain local favors. It seems to me, flattery is always the first strategy to find friends.

But my friendship with Li the soy sauce man did not start with flattery.

Our first encounter was on a scorching September day, typical in Nanchang, a city that is called one of China's "four ovens" (四大火炉). We were inside a small branch of the Construction Bank, crammed in with hundreds of freshmen who needed to deposit their tuition fees. In the midst of a cacophony of hundreds of dialect-tinged human sounds, I was attracted by an overpowering voice with a distinct Sichuan flavor.

The last time I posted about a Chinese dude having his vitals incorrect was Zhou Tong when he posted on two different sites two different days of birth. Amazingly, he corrected his error once I brought it to everybody's attention.

Before you post declaring that there's two Eric Mus, allow me to state that I've double/triple checked and yes, indeed, they are the same, thus the onus would squarely be on you to prove me wong.


The mining crew

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericxlmu/2014/08/24/why-there-should-be-a-bitcoin-central-bank/


<I've made some serious comments on Bitcoin Bank, not expecting now to see an [if not the] article written by Mr. Mu on the very same subject.>