TCNJ

5 FALL 2022 Hats off to Marleen Corner MEd '78, our spring 2022 quiz winner. TCNJ MAGAZINE QUIZ Try this open-book quiz — all the answers are in this issue. Though that doesn't mean we won't work you a bit. 1. The redevelopment of Trenton's Locust Hill Cemetery is primarily for ecological reasons. ❏ T or ❏ F 2. Alumnus Frank Caccavale's home-building process highlights a best practice in how to teach STEM education. ❏ T or ❏ F 3. Honeysuckles can only be found in U.S. regions east of the Mississippi River. ❏ T or ❏ F Send your answers to magazine@tcnj.edu by October 31, 2022. Achieve a perfect score and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a TCNJ Magazine "I think of TCNJ periodically" T-shirt. JH: Look at some of the more reputable exchanges in the U.S., like a Coinbase or Gemini. Consider this: If you have $5,000 to invest, if you lose it all, you miss out on a week's beach vacation; but if the investment does well, you might have a down payment on a beach house. THERE'S MORE TO IT It is reasonable to run an article about cryptocurrencies ("Crypto 101," spring 2022), but I was disappointed that there was no counterpoint to the two alumni who were interviewed. For example, they say that the private key makes crypto safe. But most people will store that key electronically, making it vulner- able to loss or hacking — billions of dollars in crypto value have already been lost this way. Storing the key on paper can also lead to theft, errors, or loss. Crypto is offered as a convenient means to transfer value electronically. But we can already easily trade dollars with Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal. Crypto is promoted as an investment but it has zero intrinsic value. We can invest in useful things like solar panels, real estate, or businesses that are likely to produce a steady return, and/or increase in value. The boosters of crypto will argue that the U.S. dollar is also just fiction. True, but that fiction is managed to balance inflation and growth. Further, it is supported by trillions of dollars of annual spending and taxation, and the most powerful armed forces in the world to protect the seat of its value. You do your readers a disservice if you don't point out that there are recognized experts who are deeply concerned about investing in cryptocurrencies. LARRY PEARLSTEIN professor of electrical and computer engineering

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