There are actually very narrow use cases for blockchain based systems. It's just that those very rarely correlate with the hype implementations.

And it is even possible to find reasonable use cases for smart contracts. They just don't work if actual law or people get involved ;)

We are at a point where people mix all these things blockchain/(distributed ledgers), Bitcoin, Ethereum together turning it all into a big clusterfuck

Heuristic: If you have a distributed system where no single entity or small group of entities can make final decisions and you never want to change anything written, you possibly should look at blockchains. Otherwise: Don't.

Blockchains are databases but the whole distribution bookkeeping and administration makes them really inefficient ones. So if you really need to work with the data, try not to blockchain it.

I am working on a detailed explanation of what blockchains actually are, where they fit, and what they do and do not do well. I'm mostly just looking for a home for that text.

So if your publication would like a "what the hell is this blockchain thing really?" explanation in German or English: Send me a mail -> tante@tante.cc

Wouldn't that be an interesting discussion on our podcast, @stilkov @moonbeamlabs ?