Lehar / Parlour Paper

The recent update to mainnet.observer includes a new feature: an empty blocks dashboard, which offers insights into the mining of empty blocks within the blockchain. This addition is instrumental in providing transparency and data analytics regarding block mining activities. Furthermore, the dashboard references a significant hypothesis regarding the prevalence of long empty blocks during 2015-2016, suggesting a potential covert ASIC boost optimization by Bitmain. This theory is detailed in a 2017 blog post by Bitmex Research, which delves into the intricacies of mining practices and their implications on the network. The integration of such analytical tools and historical data provides a comprehensive perspective on mining behaviors and technological strategies that have influenced the blockchain ecosystem over time.