Quote from: jl2012 on October 09, 2012, 02:33:41 PM

Quote from: HostFat on October 09, 2012, 02:23:03 PM

Quote from: jl2012 on October 09, 2012, 02:19:41 PM

every single satoshi is still traceable to its generation block

is this true? are you sure?

It depends on how do you define it. For example, with my proposal https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=117224.0 , it is possible to trace every satoshi. With other definition, you may conclude that a satoshi is associated with a finite number of blocks. No matter how defined, all satoshi must be linked to one or some block generation, or that means bitcoin could be generated without proof-of-work.

Similar problem is studying ancestral history by looking at genes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genealogy). If the gene pool was not isolated, but well mixed, after a few generations you're related to everyone. The question is how many generations till the information is diluted enough to regain practical anonymity.