Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency, has soared against the dollar more than 1,600 percent over the past year. Other cryptocurrencies such as ethereum are up even more. Public curiosity about digital currencies has soared twentyfold, as gauged by Google trends.

An industry has sprung up to try to capitalize on this new technology, bringing a mix of savvy investors, prospectors, and hucksters. Staid companies such as 130-year-old Eastman Kodak have added cryptocurrency-related lines of businesses, and have seen their stocks soar.