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on his blog?It just screams self-important and under informed, two qualities not previously associated with Satoshi.
Although this story is full of mysteries, I'd let this particular bit slide. Never assume malice when stupidity will suffice, as they say.
This is a quote from the Economist article [1], and it succinctly summarizes the biggest criticism of this blog post. This blog post presents a single signed message, of a quote from half a century ago. Why did Dr. Wright not sign a message that is more direct, such as "I confirm that Craig Wright is Satoshi, and am making it public as of May 2016"?
Along that line, why is he refusing to sign more messages? A smart individual such as Satoshi would recognize that given the context, people would naturally doubt a single statement. It would not take him more than a few minutes to sign a dozen or two messages from various sources, which would essentially guarantee that he holds the private key.
I do not care for the non-technical arguments that other people presented, such as difference in personality, etc. However, it would be incredibly easy for the true Satoshi to put the issue to rest, by simply:
1. Sign several custom messages with his PGP key dating to 2008
2. Sign several custom messages with his block 9 private key
3. Prove that he owns the first blocks by moving them around.
Doing these things (even if he doesn't do all 3) would take him a few minutes at most. I question this roundabout 'sign a Sartre quote and call it a day' method, which would probably increase intrigue and reduce his privacy, which doesn't seem desirable.
This action by Dr. Wright is rather futile- it doesn't positively confirm anything for those who doubt him, and it won't affect those who believe him.
[1] http://www.economist.com/news/briefings/21698061-craig-steve...
If what's being demonstrated is the ability to jump through hoops, he has to jump through at least one. This is just him standing next to a hoop, telling everyone that he just jumped through it.
So the question becomes what is Wright trying to do by providing fake proofs?
And I wonder if the press/reporters even bothered to verify the proof or they were caught in the craze to publish breaking news.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/4hf4xj/creator_of_...
% base64 --decode <<EOF
IFdyaWdodCwgaXQgaXMgbm90IHRoZSBzYW1lIGFzIGlmIEkgc2lnbiBDcmFpZyBXcmlnaHQsIFNhdG9zaGkuCgo=
EOF
Wright, it is not the same as if I sign Craig Wright, Satoshi.