"Fiat money is the term for a medium of exchange which is neither a commercial commodity, a consumer, or a producer good, nor title to any such commodity: i.e., irredeemable paper money." Another great suggestion by @stephanlivera, we begin our dive into Hans-Hermann Hoppe's extended piece on the Devolution of money and credit, "How is Fiat Money Possible." Don't miss an incredible read and fun discussion that follows. Don't forget to check out the vast collection of knowledge at Mises.org for t...
Apr 15, 2019•36 min
Building on the principles discussed in our exploration of the consequences of a society without cash, we apply it to a broader principle of how the power to exit acts as a check on abuse and centralization. And who better to cover this topic with, than Nick Szabo? Today we read and discuss Szabo's blog post from 2007 titled, Exit and Freedom. Don't forget to follow Nick on Twitter and explore the enormous body of work he has contributed over decades at his blog: http://unenumerated.blogspot.com...
Apr 12, 2019•42 min
The conclusion of The Case for Electronic Cash by Jerry Brito. Today we close out this amazing piece with the moral case for why we should not only refrain from demonizing and restricting digital cash, but we should foster and celebrate it! A huge thank you to Coin Center for this work, and don't forget to check out the incredible work they do. The original work can be downloaded here: https://coincenter.org/files/2019-02/the-case-for-electronic-cash-coin-center.pdf Also, don't forget that there...
Apr 11, 2019•25 min
Continuing with Part 2 of "The Case for Electronic Cash" from Jerry Brito and CoinCenter.org. The consequences of total dependence upon financial intermediaries and how it is already affecting people today. Don't forget to check out CoinCenter.org for tons of information on all topics around Bitcoin and cryptocurrency technologies. The original work can be downloaded here: https://coincenter.org/files/2019-02/the-case-for-electronic-cash-coin-center.pdf Also, don't forget that there are tons of ...
Apr 10, 2019•43 min
Today we begin the long, and rewarding journey through Jerry Brito's & Coin Center's Report on "The Case for Electronic Cash." This is an incredible work present several case studies to explore the trade offs of privacy and individual autonomy, the nature of an open society, the consequences of a fully intermediated society, and how cash plays a critical role in it all. This will be a multi-part series that is not to be missed! Begin Part 1... Don't forget to check out CoinCenter.org for ton...
Apr 09, 2019•44 min
What if there was a clear and obvious reason that the state monopolizes the production of money, that after understanding, you simply cannot unsee? What if the story we are all told of governments and central banks protecting the economy from crises, is actually the perfect opposite of what's really happening? Another great piece from Mises.org, by Hans Herman Hoppe; "Why the State Demands Control of Money." Don't forget to check out the invaluable work made available by the Mises Institute over...
Apr 08, 2019•53 min
Today we cover another great piece on the topic of what can be learned from the history of P2P protocols and their successes & failures. Written by John Backus @backus, his article "Minimum Viable Decentralization," lays out a concept that may have been the deciding factor that separated the winners and losers in the file sharing revolution. Why did BitTorrent succeed even without a discovery mechanism and its lack of privacy, when technology like Freenet, or iMule offered vastly better priv...
Apr 05, 2019•47 min
Another excellent piece from Su Zhu and Hasu at uncommoncore.co and a great introduction to the dynamics and risks at stake in the cashless society. Is the cashless society the frictionless future we want? Or is it frictionless mass surveillance and frictionless negative interest rates? Cash may serve a far more important role than merely a means of payment. Find out more in today's episode, reading: Bitcoin is a Hedge Against the Cashless Society Don't forget to follow and check out the many ot...
Apr 04, 2019•45 min
Today we have another great chat with Scott from The PayPod discussing the impact and philosophy of Bitcoin! Check out Soarpay.com , the sponsor for The PayPod and where the are hosted to find many other episodes of their show discussing new technology in the world of digital payments. And don't forget to follow them on Twitter . --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bitcoinaudible/message...
Apr 03, 2019•44 min
Today we go on an extended walk through some of the most epic days of Bitcoin's and the Cryptoconomy's history! Telling some of my personal experiences and the crazy times that were had. Do you know about the origins of some of Bitcoin's biggest memes? Do you know what started the Blocksize Wars? Do you know when the first shitcoin was born? All this and much more in our discussion of my Cryptoconomy Holiday Calendar. If you want to celebrate these holidays with me, and want this on your own cal...
Apr 02, 2019•1 hr 34 min
"The need for privacy and the long-term sustainability of Bitcoin without block rewards are perhaps two of the most most alarming issues surrounding Bitcoin today." - Lucas Nuzzi Could Schnorr signatures be the puzzle piece that eliminates a major limitation on the costs and ease of privacy at Bitcoin's base layer, while at the same time, incentivizing a robust fee market, and enabling a wide range of more dynamic smart contracts? The next soft fork in Bitcoin could be the most exciting and sign...
Mar 29, 2019•46 min
"That is the key innovation of Bitcoin: It detaches property rights from the legal system and the monopoly on violence. For the first time, we can have property that does not rely on a local authority to enforce and protect. It is easy to conceal, defend, divide, move, and verify — all by yourself, granting you the highest level of personal sovereignty." @Hasu & @suzhu Don't miss Part 3 of the "Skeptics Guide to Bitcoin" breaking down how Bitcoin enables property rights under an entirely new...
Mar 28, 2019•26 min
"To the casual observer, most of bitcoin’s life is boring — months go by with relatively little action. Then when conditions are just right, bitcoin explodes into life, growing massively in size, and hijacking the consciousness of observers." - Brandon Quittem Today we're diving back into the series by Brandon Quittem that peers from a bird's eye view at the nature of Bitcoin, and explores its patterns and growth through the framework of a mycelial network. Can fungi teach us something about Bit...
Mar 27, 2019•36 min
Disclaimer: I f you are an ardent supporter of government projects, believe in the moral fiber of politicians, and in the power of voting to produce the greater good, then you will likely not enjoy this episode. You were warned ;) It feels like a good day for a long discussion comparing the trust model of government money, and the trust model of a decentralized, proof-of-work blockchain. Aka - Bitcoin vs. The Dollar. So lets take a dive into the various systems, their consequences, and the incen...
Mar 26, 2019•59 min
"Ethereum’s #1 problem is not a problem of product-market-fit but one of engineering soundness. Ethereum architecture is based on a flawed and unscalable idea: it assumes that “smart contracts” need computations to be replicated on thousands and thousands of machines." Today we cover Hugo Nguyen's Twitter-thread-turned-blog-post on the flawed fundamental philosophy of the Ethereum system and what the core value provided by a public blockchain network really is. Drop some applause and explore the...
Mar 25, 2019•34 min
So what is the outcome of decentralized disruption? Who are the winners when there is a shift to an entirely new paradigm? Don't miss the conclusion of Simon Morris's excellent series on the lessons #Bitcoin & Crypto can learn from the history and challenges of the BitTorrent ecosystem. Somehow I managed to entirely miss the Post Script at the end of the article which deserves a nod! So when you head over to follow @Simonhmorris on Medium and applaud this series don't forget to check out the...
Mar 22, 2019•36 min
In the context of Part 2, knowing that the true value of decentralization is in breaking rules, Simon Morris now explores the consequences of a systems "intent," the incredible complexity and balance it requires to sustain them, & the paradox of making changes to a system whose power resides in its capacity to resist change. Listen to Part 3 of Simon's series on the lessons we can learn from BitTorrent. Lets see if we can't add 300 claps to Simon's series by heading over to the original arti...
Mar 21, 2019•27 min
Today we cover Part 2 of Simon Morris's excellent series on the lessons we can take from BitTorrent to better understand the goals and value of Bitcoin and Crypto. If it doesn't break the rules, then why does decentralization even matter? Don't miss the excellent article, with a few exciting updates from today about Lightning Network development, and followed by my commentary on all the different ways I think #Bitcoin is "Breaking the Rules." Click that applause button like crazy to throw some d...
Mar 20, 2019•41 min
Bitcoin is an incredibly novel technology, there are few technologies that can boast the revolutionary impact that Bitcoin potentially has. However, there is still much to be learned from its predecessors and benefactors. One of those being the resilient and disruptive ecosystem of the BitTorrent protocol. Simon Morris, a 10 year veteran of the company, BitTorrent Inc., brings us a 4 part series exploring exactly what we can learn from our Peer-2-Peer history, and the challenges that faced an in...
Mar 19, 2019•23 min
If you missed the insanity that happened during the "Block Wars" that extended from 2014 all the way to late 2017 with the split of Bitcoin Cash, then you aren't going to want to miss this article. With a thorough overview of both the history and core ideas behind the numerous ideas and personalities wrapped into the blocksize debate, Lucas Nuzzi lays out the full picture with his article "The Resolution of the Big Block Experiment." Drop some applause on this excellent write-up by heading over ...
Mar 18, 2019•1 hr 9 min
Another short but excellent blog post covering the incredible work being done by the team over at @CasaHODL. For the first time we are seeing a user friendly application of one of Bitcoin's core differentiators. Sovereignty as a service is a beautifully simple idea with huge implications. Don't miss this great piece by Jeremy Welch on the philosophy behind the Casa service, & check out the other awesome tools and products at https://blog.keys.casa/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcas...
Mar 14, 2019•23 min
The risks and benefits of chargebacks, the nature of the trade-off between contract enforcement & ensuring privacy, the elements of splitting contractual elements (the ripped dollar bill) to minimize trust, pseudonymous credit ratings, and so much more in our completion of Szabo's essay, “Formalizing and Securing Relationships on Public Networks.” More amazing foresight into the problems of smart contract design, detailed more than a decade before Bitcoin even existed. Link to the Nakamoto I...
Mar 12, 2019•1 hr 16 min
Listening to an essay from 1997 that details specific challenges of something as distant as the smart contract embedded into the Lightning Network shows the unbelievable foresight of the cypherpunks. As well as the dedication to seeing their vision become a reality. Don’t miss the continuation of Szabo’s amazing piece, “Formalizing and Securing Relationships on Public Networks.” Link to the Nakamoto Institute for hosting this incredible work: https://nakamotoinstitute.org/formalizing-securing-re...
Feb 27, 2019•43 min
"... The movement from static to dynamic media promises to bring about a fourth cost revolution in the related areas of jurisdiction, trust, and security. Impacts on business will be felt in law, accounting, auditing, billing, collections, contracts, confidentiality, and so on: in short, the entire nature of our business relationships will be altered in ways only partially foreseeable." - Nick Szabo Diving into another excellent piece from Szabo on establishing and updating how we create, enforc...
Feb 21, 2019•33 min
Cypherpunks write code! Last year we received a published paper detailing the advantages of the new MuSig Multisignature Scheme, this year we get the code. From the incredible minds at Blockstream, don't miss an exciting development in cryptographically securing and verifying ownership among increasingly complex & private groups of individuals. To explore numerous links and further reading, as well as the other amazing work from Blockstream, check out the full article below: https://blockstr...
Feb 19, 2019•37 min
If you haven't heard it yet, don't miss an awesome discussion all about Lightning and holding the Torch with the guys from the Rollo and Slappy Show! Check out @RolloMcFloogle and @Slappy_Jones_2 for more awesome content & definitely check out the amazing playlist for a deep understanding of Bitcoin over at 10HoursOfBitcoin.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bitcoinaudible/message...
Feb 13, 2019•1 hr 6 min
Another great Twitter thread to cover, this time from Jason Smith (@iwearahoodie) covering 5 incredible lessons learned after a year of being seriously into #Bitcoin. Are they the same things you've learned? Follow Jason and read the full thread here. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bitcoinaudible/message
Feb 11, 2019•40 min
"The human threat model is intended to help humans better understand the threats to that they face and the tools available, and in active development, for defense. Threats are assumed to be any activity designed to prevent humanity from accomplishing it's mission to make the world delightful." @jwweatherman --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bitcoinaudible/message
Feb 08, 2019•1 hr 17 min
"The Bitcoin Threat Model is intended to help developers, investors and users better understand the security of Bitcoin. Threats are assumed to be any activity designed to prevent Bitcoin from accomplishing its mission to become cash (including a unit of account)." @jwweatherman --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bitcoinaudible/message
Feb 08, 2019•1 hr 13 min
The conclusion of the epic "Human Threat Model," by @jwweatherman. An exploration of the attack surface that exists in the very nature of being human, and how #Bitcoin could both change the fundamental relationship that we have with thieves and governments, as well as open up avenues to actually exploit the selfishness of corruption to take actions against itself. Another exciting read from JW! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bitcoinaudible/message
Feb 08, 2019•45 min
