Block found with 0 transactions?

[xZork]

I have never seen this happen before. Is this a bogus block? Could some one please elaborate.   

Thanks.

https://blockchain.info/block-index/445874/0000000000000003844d0b773b4c76d6b299c47c8a164efe040832c377c2d52e

[1715581275]

1715581275

[1715581275]

1715581275

[1715581275]

1715581275

[bardi.harborow]

Technically the included a coinbase tx, but anyway.

[blanc1664]

The miner who found that block is doing some serious mining.  Someone sent them 8000 BTC on September 9 then they've been mining steady since.   All of the coins they mine have "For Pierce and Paul" in the Coinbase.  Must be nice to be Pierce and Paul.  https://blockchain.info/charts/received-per-day?address=13NA7X1u18CgGa7RzTDyvuuoLJtLRvXgke

[Sheldor333]

So is it possible to somehow chose which blocks you mine?

[gweedo]

So is it possible to somehow chose which blocks you mine?

Yes it is based on rules and their is even a patch so if you want to include a specific transaction in a block you mine you can do so. You would need to make a custom bitcoin-qt. Otherwise by default it does it by priority which is based on fees.

[blanc1664]

So, is this miner working with some major hardware, or is there a chance something nefarious is happening here?  They've made over $20,000,000 in three months. 

[Sheldor333]

Well if that is true, then one could launder BTC like this. Simply put a large transaction fee, which he will get and also those BTC are mined so no one can say you stole them or something like that.

[quone17]

So is it possible to somehow chose which blocks you mine?

Yes it is based on rules and their is even a patch so if you want to include a specific transaction in a block you mine you can do so. You would need to make a custom bitcoin-qt. Otherwise by default it does it by priority which is based on fees.

Wow I had no idea.  See there are still so many little crevices of BTC, little secrets that stuff like this will prevent the masses from catching on.  Who would want to be involved in something like this?  Why not force everyone to mine one block so nothing funny can happen?

[gweedo]

So is it possible to somehow chose which blocks you mine?

Yes it is based on rules and their is even a patch so if you want to include a specific transaction in a block you mine you can do so. You would need to make a custom bitcoin-qt. Otherwise by default it does it by priority which is based on fees.

Wow I had no idea.  See there are still so many little crevices of BTC, little secrets that stuff like this will prevent the masses from catching on.  Who would want to be involved in something like this?  Why not force everyone to mine one block so nothing funny can happen?

What is funny about it? The masses don't need to know how mining works to be honest. Do you know how the Western Union computer programs work? No you pay the fee and your money ends up with the other person.

[Syke]

Why not force everyone to mine one block so nothing funny can happen?

Bitcoin is a fast global distributed network. If you attempted to synchronize every miner on every block throughout the entire world, transaction processing would come to a standstill.

Besides, nothing funny is going on. Valid transactions are being included in blocks. End of story.