Digitally Buried Treasure: Crypto Gold in the Wires

The story of cryptocurrency and how lost accounts can mean huge payouts for those that can find them.

Hey, Cliff, get over here! Why the hell is there pop all over my keyboard?!? 

Sorry, man, I had to patch my computer and miners, and was using your computer for a bit. Then your friggin' cat jumped up and knocked it over - not much I can really do about that!

Are you trying to blame Roy Jr. for you using my computer? 

No, I'm not trying, I am blaming your stupid cat! I can't control that thing, and I despise it as much as it despises me! 

Whatever, just give me your keyboard so we can both get back to work.

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The frustration has been mounting for both these two disgruntled data scientists. Initially they had found an investor to give them $100,000 to go out and find abandoned, forgotten, and lost digital currency Keys. They are down to their final week, and if they don't come up with something soon, it will all be for nothing.

These digital currencies were started by various Creators. These Creators wrote code that built a network, largely based on numbers for tracking other numbers. The number chains would get so complex, and change so frequently that you could not just hack in to find the numbers you want...those numbers may not even exist by the time they are isolated. It is like trying to find a rock at the bottom of the ocean using a satellite. That's gonna need to be a pretty massive rock in some pretty shallow water, and it better not move. Now imagine the rocks are small, insanely fast, and essentially untraceable. 

How do these numbers have any value? Well, once someone find the hidden numbers in the code, Sparks, they gain control of them. Sparks are hidden in the code, but even the Creator doesn't know exactly where. He only creates the code, and the code itself creates the numbers, and hides them in randomly generated sequences. Once a Miner finds a Spark, he can combine it with others, break it apart, or store it. If the Spark is popular, people will use it as an alternative or exchange for other physical currencies, like the U.S. Dollar. Why? Because these Sparks are secure, easy to validate, and cost nothing to transfer. Now, imagine there are over 100,000 Creators, and each one created billions of Sparks.

Some Sparks are more valuable than others, most are worthless, but some...some are worth millions. It takes some of the most specialized and expensive computers just to keep these networks functioning and moving. If any one Creator's network stops moving, their Sparks become worthless. Those that have found the Sparks invest in more computers to keep their value stable, and their treasure hidden. We call these owners, Wardens. They keep their Sparks in a prison, hoping the value continues to climb, until they can cash out. But, you can only cash out someone's Sparks with a Key...very original. The key is the number that tells you exactly where the Sparks are, so they can be moved, and potentially cashed out. Some Wardens fade away waiting for a payday that never comes. Others abandon their Creators for more promising returns. Some die with their Keys.

Cliff and Roy are essentially Key Hunters, and think they've found a way to find the Keys that are long forgotten.