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The idea of using browser cycles to mine cryptocurrency is nothing new. Another recent effort: https://oysterprotocol.com/ .

The problem is that savvy users will install additional plugins to block these Javascript programs from running, the same way that they use Adblock. Unsavvy users will just have a shorter battery life.

Another effort in this space is Brave, and Basic Attention Tokens (BAT). Instead of expending browser resources to mine, the idea is that people start using a special browser (Brave) that dispenses BATs to the websites you dwell the most on / get the most value out of. Then presumably the site that receives the BAT could exchange them for USD.

Salon is completely missing the point of adblockers. Half the reason I install them to begin with is so that my computer stops pegging the CPU, spinning up the fans and killing my battery life just to view a goddamn text file. Mining cryptocurrency as I browse doesn't fix that in the slightest. They're solving a problem for them, not for me, so I'll pass.
Salon says that they will only use your unused CPU cycles, not sure how true is that, but their site appears equally responsive with the Crypto mining option enabled + adblock vs just adblock.

I am willing to give them a shot as long as this claim holds true.

Well there another addition to my hosts file. Being redirected to 0.0.0.0.