“While there is a reasonable use case for Bitcoin in the US, I would argue its a “nice to have versus a lot of other parts of the world like Lebanon where owning Bitcoin is almost like an act of survival to preserve your savings.” - Mark Saroufim In this two-part series, Dave Hollerith interviews members of Lebanon's diaspora migrant population to understand the country's current financial crisis and why Bitcoin is both an important asset for mitigating its risks as well as how it could play a r...
Feb 03, 2020•50 min
In this week's episode, Peter is joined by Bitcoin Magazine staff writer Vlad Costea to discuss the latest cover story, "Maintaining Transaction Privacy in the Age of Government Analysis." The pair went over some Bitcoin privacy best practices, considered the honeypot risks of government-based transaction monitoring and examined the intersection of identity protection and user-friendliness. Resources Privacy Against Government Blockchain Analysis - Bitcoin Magazine Twitter Bitcoin Magazine Peter...
Jan 29, 2020•26 min
“The next year or two is going to give very interesting examples of the role of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in countries that are like Lebanon — where people, on the one hand, are well-educated, wealthy, and have access to information and on the other hand, are facing a banking crisis that has led a lot of them to distrust their banks.” -Mike Azar In this two-part series, Dave Hollerith interviews members of Lebanon's diaspora migrant population to understand the country's current financi...
Jan 27, 2020•51 min
The Federal Reserve has funneled roughly $500 billion into the repo market since September 2019 in what was originally pitched as temporary operations. Now, it wants to extend the same efforts to smaller institutions in an unprecedented extension of its influence over the economy. On this episode, Colin and Peter discuss Bitcoin Magazine's cover story about the Fed's actions and what they tell us about our financial system. If this reminds anyone of the climate before The Great Recession, then B...
Jan 22, 2020•22 min
In this episode, Dave Hollerith talks with A Boy Named Pseu (Phil Gibson). He is a libertarian writer and podcaster whose journey in understanding Bitcoin is more recent yet rooted by a longterm interest in Austrian economics and agorism. To test his understanding of what actually happened to Bitcoin in 2019, Pseu recently wrote a Medium post, "Bitcoin Is Dead." In it he argues why Bitcoin's growth stands out as uniquely different from how it has been portrayed by mainstream media outlets such a...
Jan 20, 2020•49 min
Today, Colin sits down with Cassie Clifton and Christian Keroles, two of BTC Inc.'s content creators and conference organizers, to talk about the recent Dan Held v Ragnar twitter debate about the virtues of hodling versus creating a circular economy. Cassie also answers all the questions about Bitcoin Mining and gives fantastic analysis about what to expect in 2020. Check out the episode on Bitcoin Magazine's YouTube Channel and don't forget to get your tickets to Bitcoin2020 !...
Jan 19, 2020•49 min
Two coastal villages in El Salvador are living out the dream that many Bitcoiners envision: a circular bitcoin economy for those who have been ignored by the traditional banking system. On this episode of Weekly Bits, Peter is joined by staff writer Colin Harper to discuss his latest cover story on Bitcoin Beach, the program that is putting sats in the hands of those who need them with noteworthy success. Resources In El Salvador, Bitcoin Is Becoming a Standard - Bitcoin Magazine Twitter Bitcoin...
Jan 15, 2020•24 min
Today, Colin sits down with Tommy Marchesci and Pat Riley, two of BTC Inc.'s designers, to talk about their methodology, philosophy and vision for the art behind the Bitcoin 2020 conference and Bitcoin Magazine. Check out the episode on Bitcoin Magazine's YouTube Channel and don't forget to get your tickets to Bitcoin2020 !
Jan 10, 2020•36 min
Bitcoin's underlying consensus layer has gone two years without a hard or soft fork change — its longest such streak in history. On this episode of Weekly Bits, Peter Chawaga is joined by Bitcoin Magazine Technical Editor Aaron van Wirdum to discuss his latest cover story on protocol changes that have the potential to end that streak in 2020. Resources 2020 and Beyond: Bitcoin's Potential Protocol Upgrades Twitter Bitcoin Magazine Peter Chawaga Aaron van Wirdum...
Jan 08, 2020•19 min
In this episode, Dave Hollerith talks with Kiara Bickers, author of Bitcoin Clarity: A Guide To Understanding Bitcoin . Bitcoin Clarity is different from other Bitcoin guides because it takes uses "systems thinking" by explaining how and why each part of Bitcoin's system evolved into what it is today. Topics included in the discussion: Independent publishing Approximating decentralization Bitcoin as a trustless time chain The value and limits of information Why Bitcoin Clarity does not dig into ...
Jan 08, 2020•59 min
For almost a decade, Bitcoiners from all across the world have celebrated January 3 as Bitcoin’s bonafide birthday. It was on that date in 2009 that Satoshi Nakamoto mined Bitcoin’s genesis block and it was this first successful hash computation that defined the political purpose of Bitcoin with the embedded message: “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on Brink of Second Bailout for Banks.” Simply put, Bitcoin is an instrument that is specifically designed to resist the inflationary urges of monet...
Dec 24, 2019•51 min
Colin and Christian are joined by Andrew Yang (no, not that one) of River Financial to discuss how the newly launched bitcoin exchange plans offer a clean, buttoned-up onramp for newcomers and old-coiners alike--and why they're opting to focus solely on bitcoin. Twitter Colin Harper - @AsILayHodling Christian Keroles - @ck_SNARKs Andrew Yang - @ecurrencyhodler...
Dec 20, 2019•29 min
The best of Bitcoin tends to come from projects that leave wealth accumulation and personal agendas aside to focus on building on behalf of the community. For an example, look no further than open-source payment portal BTCPay Server. In this episode of the Weekly Bits podcast, Colin Harper joins Peter Chawaga to discuss his latest cover story on the project, the developers behind it and its status as Bitcoin's open-source unicorn. Resources BTCPay Server Is Bitcoin’s Open-Source Unicorn Twitter ...
Dec 17, 2019•20 min
"In Bitcoin, some of the best ideas occur when somebody has just taken the time to sit down and just really break down each concept in writing, and articulated it in a 15 to 20-minute article." -Guy Swann In this episode, Dave Hollerith talks with Guy Swann, host of the Cryptoconomy podcast. Guy's show has become a staple in the Bitcoin community for curating and recording some of the best long-form articles about Bitcoin. Dave and Guy discuss Guy's curation process, what makes a compelling Bitc...
Dec 16, 2019•50 min
In this week’s episode, Colin, Christian, Brandon and Michael discuss the current state of mining as we approach the new year, a provocative op-ed on the crypto’s utility and the role of journalism in the space.
Dec 13, 2019•52 min
The work of blockchain analysis companies such as Chainalysis isn’t always welcomed by privacy advocates. However, if you're a Bitcoiner who cares about the future of the industry, this work is always worth watching. And there tend to be two great narratives that we hear about how these companies affect Bitcoin. One is that they bring more transparency and in turn increase Bitcoin’s adoption and legitimacy. The other is that they are leveraging data from the Bitcoin blockchain to provide better ...
Dec 10, 2019•41 min
The bitcoin mining industry has always been dominated by China, but a growing trend of operations opening up in North America raises interesting questions about the decentralization of the practice. Listen to this week's episode as Cassie Clifton, host of the What's Halvening? Podcast and all-around mining expert, talks to Peter about the future of Bitcoin's most critical sector. Resources Bitcoin Mining in North America: A New Gold Rush in the New World Twitter @PeterChawaga @bitcoincass @Bitco...
Dec 10, 2019•20 min
Colin, Michael and Brandon gauge the ethical and political ramifications of Virgil Griffith's talk at the Pyongyang blockchain conference--with a surprise drop in by BTC Inc's CEO, David Bailey, on why his arrest sets a dangerous precedent for anyone working in crypto. On a more positive political note, the team also discusses Bakkt CEO, Kelly Loeffler, and her sudden appointment to the U.S. senate. And they round out the happy hour by touching on why (if at all) Bitfinex's recent Lightning Netw...
Dec 06, 2019•57 min
To celebrate the holiday season, this episode of the Weekly Bits podcast covers two programs focused on accelerating bitcoin-based giving. Peter is joined by Bitcoin Magazine associate editor Colin Harper to discuss two of his recent stories — the first dedicated to GiveBitcoin and its effort to help Bitcoiners evangelize the technology by sharing BTC with others, and the second to The Giving Block and its mission to focus Giving Tuesday on #GivingBitcoin to charity. Resources: GiveBitcoin Wants...
Dec 04, 2019•25 min
"If we continue down this road where we have no privacy and governments and corporations know every single thing about us because of these surveillance devices we're all carrying around in our pockets, technology becomes our only hope really." - Bruce Fenton In this episode, Bitcoin Magazine staff writer, Vlad Costea, interviews Bruce Fenton, CEO of Chainstone Labs and Satoshi Roundtable. Longtime Bitcoin advocate Bruce Fenton discusses his early days in Bitcoin, scaling debates, the pros and pi...
Dec 02, 2019•1 hr 5 min
In this episode, Dave interviews Catherine Coley, CEO of Binance.US. Binance is the largest global cryptocurrency exchange in the world, but they have avoided competing in the US until a few months ago. To remain compliant with regulations, Binance.US is its own company. In October, during the time that Binance.Us launched, Binance captured 60 percent of legitimate cryptocurrency trading volume, their highest share of the global market since March. In this interview, Coley explains how Binance.U...
Nov 25, 2019•39 min
On this episode of Bitcoin Magazine Happy Hour, Colin, Michael and Brandon look into the Lightning Network’s potential as a messaging application, and they weigh the ethics of hactivist Phineas Fisher offering a $100k bitcoin bounty for information extracted from corporate giants like Halliburton and surveillance tech company NSO. Oh, and Bitcoin’s getting hammered just in time for the Holidays, so they talk about price too.
Nov 22, 2019•53 min
As any good Bitcoiner knows, your BTC is only as safe as your private keys. So, to learn more about the different hardware wallet options out there, Weekly Bits host Peter Chawaga interviews Bitcoin Magazine reporter Vlad Costea about his recent series comparing the Trezor Model T, Ledger Nano X, BitBox02, Coldcard Mk3 and KeepKey. Wallet Reviews: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Follow Bitcoin Magazine on Twitter @BitcoinMagazine Follow Peter on Twitter @PeterChawaga Follow Vlad on Twitter @TheVladCostea...
Nov 20, 2019•37 min
“As master Yoda says, the future is always in motion.” -Matti Greenspan There will always be different takes on the news. Something like China's recent endorsement of blockchain technology might seem bearish for human rights advocates but others might just as easily recognize it as an opportunity for sector growth and, perhaps, investing. For example, what happens if China unbans Bitcoin trading? Mati Greenspan, the guest on today's show, comes to Bitcoin as a financial asset trader and portfoli...
Nov 18, 2019•32 min
Joined by BTC Media CEO David Bailey, Brandon, Cass, and Dave discuss Icelandic Bitcoin heists, the Unknown Fund and what SpaceX's Starlink could mean for Bitcoin on Mars. Follow us on Twitter! @bitcoinmagazine @DavidFBailey @DsHollers @Brandon_D_Green @bitcoincass...
Nov 15, 2019•44 min
In this episode, Derek Muhney, Director of Marketing and National Sales at Coinsource, joins to discuss the use case for Bitcoin ATMs. During our conversation, Derek talks through all the general value and use cases for Bitcoin ATMs such as convenience and privacy as well as why Bitcoin ATMs are becoming more popular each year.
Nov 13, 2019•13 min
Bitcoin Magazine's resident video and audio producer Grahm Petersen joins Peter Chawaga on the latest episode of Weekly Bits to offer some perspective on the Bitcoin merch industry, what it's like to film technical product reviews and increasing adoption through YouTube. Watch some of the videos discussed and subscribe to Bitcoin Magazine's YouTube channel here . Follow Peter on Twitter @PeterChawaga Follow Grahm on Twitter @GrahmPetersen...
Nov 12, 2019•20 min
In this episode, Dave talks with Alex Gladstein about the recent news that China and President Xi Jinping, have publicly expressed admiration for blockchain technology. This news spiked the Bitcoin price at the beginning of November, but Gladstein is weary for what China's public praise could mean for cryptocurrency in general. Gladstein recognizes that blockchain technology by itself is really just a mechanism for control and surveillance of financial data. He believes from a human rights persp...
Nov 11, 2019•32 min
Colin, Michael, Cass and Brandon dissect the lone whale market manipulation FUD, discuss the global bitcoin mining market and dive into Tuur Demeester's Bitcoin Reformation article. Check out the video on YouTube !
Nov 08, 2019•46 min
Bitcoin adoption may be growing every day, but it's still a challenge to live every day exclusively using BTC. On this episode, Peter Chawaga asks Colin Harper about his recent trip to Europe where he did just that, paying for everything from food to souvenirs with the original cryptocurrency.
Nov 06, 2019•21 min
