区块链项目是一个骗局吗？上 Are Blockchain-based Projects Scams? (Part 1)

早上时候，有人在微信里发信息问我说，看到朋友圈里有篇说区块链是个骗局的文章，忍不住想要发给你探讨一下。我对区块链项目其实不是很了解，如何鉴别是否是靠谱的区块链项目呢？

This morning, someone messaged me on WeChat and said that he saw an article on his WeChat Moments (like a friend’s post on Facebook) that mentioned the blockchain was a scam, he wanted to send me the article and have a discussion. I am not very familiar with the blockchain yet, so how do we differentiate which one is a legit blockchain-based project?

在这里我想以我自己的认知回答下这个问题，当然，在回答之前，我们先大概了解下：什么是区块链？

I would like to answer this question from what i understand, and before answering it, we should probably figure out first: what is a blockchain?

搜索百科对区块链的解释是这样的：狭义来讲，区块链是一种按照时间顺序将数据区块以顺序相连的方式组合成的一种链式数据结构，并以密码学方式保证的不可篡改和不可伪造的分布式账本。广义来讲，区块链技术是利用块链式数据结构来验证与存储数据、利用分布式节点共识算法来生成和更新数据、利用密码学的方式保证数据传输和访问的安全、利用由自动化脚本代码组成的智能合约来编程和操作数据的一种全新的分布式基础架构与计算范式。

A quick research on Baidu (a Chinese search engine like Google) gives you this explanation:

In a narrow sense, the blockchain is a kind of data blocks joined in chronological order, and it’s encrypted so its distributed ledger cannot be tampered with or forged. Broadly speaking, the blockchain technology is to use blockchain algorithm to verify and store data, typically managed by a peer-to-peer network collectively adhering to a protocol for validating new blocks. The use of cryptography ensures data transmission and access security, and the use of automated code scripting creates intelligent contracts for programming, it also manages data in a new distributed mainframe and computing paradigm.

什么？看不懂？搞不明白？嗯嗯，的确，其实我刚开始看这段文字时，也觉得很拗口，也是云里雾里有点摸不着头脑，更不用说广大对技术完全不了解的民众了，好了，那我就用通俗的大白话跟大家讲下吧。

What? Not a clue? Can’t understand it? Well, yes, when i first read these words, i thought they didn’t make much sense either. Even I was very lost, let alone those who are not technologically savvy. So, let me simplify it for everyone here.

其实之前我写过一篇文章，是关于YOYOW项目的，有兴趣的朋友可以查看下我之前的这篇文章《揭开yoyow的神秘面纱下》对区块链解释了下。

Actually, i wrote an article previously about the YOYOW project. Those who are interested may want to take a look at Unveiling the Mysteries of YOYOW (Part 2) to know more about blockchain.

区块链是什么东东？

So what on earth is a “blockchain”?

如果说传统的网站平台均离不开后台中心数据库的话，区块链就是一种新的、去“中心化”技术，就是说，没有核心的中心数据库，换句话讲，每台接入的终端电脑都可以是数据库。区块链技术通过原先设定好的程序，自动根据每台终端电脑的记录，以最多记录相同者作为正确的记录同步。

If we agree that our current websites all rely on their supporting database, then blockchain is a new, decentralized technology that doesn’t rely on any particular database. Which means, any participating computer (also known as a node) can be a data center. Blockchain has a programmed algorithm that works automatically according to each computer terminal’s record to choose the one with the most correct ones as the synchronized record.

打个比方，传统的网站数据库相当于公司里只有一个会计，虽然简单，但是万一这个唯一的会计做假账，又或者因为各种原因导致账本丢失或出错，所以理论上讲是不安全的，而区块链相当于公司里每个人都是会计，全民记账，每次同步时根据最多记录相同(技术判定为正确记录)而同步，然后进行下一个节点，每一个需要记账的终端，第一次接入时首先是要同步先前的记录，然后再加入到全民记账行列，如此以此类推。

Let’s put it this way, in a traditional website database, there is only one accountant, even though it’s fairly straightforward but if he cheats, or makes an mistake or loses his accounting book, the risks could be huge. On a blockchain, however, everyone is an accountant, everyone has a copy of the ledger file. It updates according to the most correct record (technical verification) as synchronized record, then moves on to the next node, where the distribution needs to be marked, each block includes the hash of the prior block in the blockchain, linking the two, as it goes on, then forms the blockchain.

在大概了解了区块链是什么东东后，我们接着继续聊最初的话题，区块链项目是个骗局吗？

After knowing roughly what blockchain is, we can continue discussing our first question, is blockchain a scam?

有一篇文章，作者从标题开始，就用了常用的套路，比如：珍爱智商，远离“区块链”！嗯嗯，你觉得很眼熟是吗？对啊，我也觉得很眼熟，这套路怎么这么熟悉呢？仔细一想，如果我把这个换成：珍爱xxx,远离xxx，拿两个名词套用进去，先不说是否通顺，那读起来也一定是很霸气，666的什么有木有？

There is an article, starting from the title, its author used very cliche phrases, such as “cherish your own intelligence, stay away from the blockchain”! Doesn’t this seem familiar? Yes i think so too, such cliche! If i ever use “cherish…...stay away from…..” in a sentence, regardless if it makes sense, it just sounds authoritative or even powerful, isn’t it?

我们接着来继续看，文章一开始，就立刻抢先占领了“智商”和道德制高点：

Now let’s keep reading, since the article takes the “intelligence” and moral high ground right from the start:

中国人民一直以来都践行着多种相互冲突的价值观，而如何在恰当时机选择自己愿意相信的那一款价值观，就成为吾国人民驾驭拧巴生活的重要能力。

The Chinese people have been practicing a variety of conflicting values, when to seize the right opportunity to choose a value that serves one’s own agenda has become an important life surviving skill.

是否有种还没看到正文，就被人当头一棒懵逼的感觉，虽然还没搞懂对方在说什么，但这时候你从气势上就已经矮了对方三截，开始底气有些不足了。

Don’t you feel that even without reading the main body of this article, you are like getting hit in the head, not knowing what it’s about, but just being overpowered by his imposing manner, as if you are losing ground.

图片来源于百度，如有侵权，请联系作者本人 @rivalhw

(This image was taken from Baidu, in case of any copyright infringement, please contact me @rivalhw)

区块链项目是一个骗局吗？ 上 Are Blockchain-based Projects Scams? (Part 1)

区块链项目是一个骗局吗？上 Are Blockchain-based Projects Scams? (Part 1)