Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

Numerai, the "hardest data science tournament on the planet". It's a hedge fund with its own distributed research platform designed specifically for AIs. It's the first of its kind and takes a radically different approach to making market predictions. It's completely crowd-sourced and data scientists around the world compete to create the best predictions and get paid with cryptocurrencies. Users are completely blind to the data and Numerai is blind to the code, and the predictive models users generate. The result is a hedge fund which is market neutral, currency neutral, and geography neutral. It makes all decisions solely on the data.

Richard Craib, Founder of Numerai, was first on the show 3 years ago when the project's token, Numeraire, was just launched. Since then they have released a number of additions to the network including Numerai Signals and Erasure Bay, with plenty more in the pipeline.

Topics covered in this episode:

• An overview of what the past 3 years since the last episode
• The Numerai staking model
• Numerai datasets
• What is a market neutral fund
• Numerai’s current assets and their position in the market
• Staking liquid NMR
• The latest project - Numerai Signals
• Numerai's prediction markets Erasure Bay
• How the future looks for hedge funding on the blockchain

Episode links:

• Numerai website
• Erasure Bay
• Numerai Signals
• Numerai Medium
• Numerai Twitter
• Richard Craib Twitter

This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/348

Polkadot is a unique protocol connecting multiple purpose-built blockchains into one scalable network. It's using blockchain technology to make way for new markets and future decentralized economies and has many stand out features. It's a sharded multichain network enabling many transactions on several chains in parallel. It offers interoperability and cross-chain communication. Communities on Polkadot govern their own network, and hold a stake in the future of Polkadot’s network governance as a whole. It also enables forkless upgrades, allowing blockchains to evolve and adapt easily. Over 100 projects have been or are currently being built for the Polkadot ecosystem, in a wide range of services and systems.

After being in the development stage for 3 years, Polkadot was launched earlier this year. It's the first project by Web3 Foundation, and Parity are behind the development. Dieter Fishbein, Head of Ecosystem Development at Web3 Foundation, and Joe Petrowski, Research Analyst at Parity Technologies, share an in depth overview on the economics and incentives behind the protocol.

Polkadot is designed to take back our digital sovereignty from powerful third-parties who currently control the web. It promises to take blockchain technology to the next level, and we believe it will do just that.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Dieter and Joe’s backgrounds and how they got into the crypto space
• The Polkadot vision
• The key components of the Polkadot protocol
• Kusama - Polkadot's cousin
• Scalability, Security, and Interoperability
• The stages of the Polkadot launch and what is coming next
• Building with Substrate
• The parachains being developed
• Leasing parachain slots
• Running validators on Polkadot

Episode links:

• Polkadot Website
• Kusama Website
• The Polkadot launch
• Polkadot Twitter
• Dieter Fishbein Twitter
• Joe Petrowski Twitter

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/347

Just like all software, smart contracts on the blockchain are subject to serious security vulnerabilities and coding errors. The fact however that smart contracts are often directly in charge of assets and cannot be changed once they are on the blockchain, makes secure development and running essential. Some smart contract platforms have their own languages, for example Solidity in Ethereum. Bugs and vulnerabilities in the source code, and errors in the virtual machines used by the network, are the main reasons behind security issues in smart contracts.

Projects using blockchain applications should expect constant changes in the security landscape. New bugs, security risks, and best practices will continue to emerge over time. Trail of Bits is a software security firm who advise in a range of industries for some top companies, including in the blockchain space. They are experts at identifying top-level risks and implementation vulnerabilities, and providing essential recommendations on best practices. Dan Guido, the CEO and Co-founder, explains all things software security in a really detailed and technical, yet easy to digest way. We also recommend you check out their exceptional blog packed with invaluable resources.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Dan’s background and how he came to create Trail of Bits
• What led Dan into the blockchain field
• How security software has changed over the last 20 years
• The unique challenges for security on blockchain and smart contract protocols
• Smart contract languages and security
• Slither - Trail of Bits’s suite of Ethereum based security tools
• Dan’s opinion on Solidity’s future and Vyper as an alternative
• Formally Verified Languages
• A use case on how Trail of Bits works
• Working with upgradeable contracts
• Composability and security
• Are compilers trustworthy?
• Other security issues in the blockchain space as DeFi grows
• The future of software security and the role of AI

Episode links:

• Trail of Bits Website
• Anatomy of an Unsafe Smart Contract Programming Language
• Slither, Github
• Slither: The Leading Static Analyzer for Smart Contracts
• 246 Findings From our Smart Contract Audits: An Executive Summary
• Rapid Risk Assessment (RRA)
• Our Full Report on the Voatz Mobile Voting Platform
• A Guide to Post-Quantum Cryptography
• BSides Lisbon 2016 - Keynote - The Smart Fuzzer Revolution by Dan Guido
• The Smart Fuzzer Revolution
• Trail of Bits Twitter
• Dan Guido Twitter

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/346

Nexus Mutual provides an alternative decentralized insurance solution for Ethereum. The protocol is built on the public chain and operates under a discretionary mutual structure meaning it is owned wholly by its members. It allows anyone to become a member and buy cover, and the model encourages engagement as members receive incentives for participating in Risk Assessment, Claims Assessment and Governance. At present the product offered is cover to protect against hacks in smart contract code. When Nexus Mutual is alerted to a claim, members will also be asked to vote on whether to pay out on that claim or not.

Hugh Karp, the CEO and Founder of Nexus Mutual, has combined his insurance industry knowledge with his passion for decentralized technology to build this platform which is replacing the traditional insurance setup. They are currently looking into expanding to offer more insurance products and we are excited to see where they go next.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Hugh’s background in insurance and how he moved into the blockchain space
• What drove Hugh to build this decentralized platform
• Mutual insurance and the regulations involved
• The scaling problem in mutual companies
• The benefits this type of insurance can bring to the DeFi world
• The claim assessment process
• The native token, NXM
• How Nexus tackle price discovery
• How does Nexus manage correlation risks
• How much has been contributed to the pool so far
• Mutual vs other models of insurance on the DeFi space
• The legalities behind Nexus
• Where they are looking to expand and what the next 12 months look like

Episode links:

• Nexus Mutual Website
• The White Paper
• Nexus Mutual Use Cases
• Nexus Mutual Discord
• Nexus Mutual Twitter
• Hugh Karp Twitter

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/345

Opyn is a smart contract-based insurance platform built on a generalized (supports both put and call) options protocol called Convexity. It is intended as a platform to protect DeFi users against both technical and financial risks, and a place where ETH holders can earn substantial premiums on their holdings by providing insurance.

Opyn uses tokenized ERC20 put options, oTokens, on ETH to allow option buyers to keep their upside while limiting their downside. If you buy Opyn protection, you are buying “the right but not the obligation to sell an asset at a pre-specified price”. Currently, you can buy insurance for DAI, ETH, and USDC deposits on Compound and it is completely noncustodial and trustless.

Zubin Koticha, CEO & Co-founder of Opyn, is currently working on V2 of the platform with his team. Their focus for improvements are in 3 main areas; cash efficiency, trading mechanism, and network effects. They are hoping to release this within the next 6 months.

This is a much-needed generalizable insurance solution against some attacks/ vulnerabilities within the DeFi ecosystem and it will be very interesting to see how their contribution to DeFi progresses.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Zubin’s background and how he got into crypto
• How Opyn was created and the roles within the company
• The evolution of the Opyn product
• Using options as an insurance solution
• The difference between traditional markets and Opyn
• American vs European options
• Improvements they are making in V2 - capital efficiency, fungibility, network effects
• The collateral as a different asset feature
• Trading venue
• An overview of VegaSwap
• Timelines for the new version

Episode links:

• Opyn Website
• Opyn Whitepaper
• What is Opyn?
• Opyn Discord
• Opyn Twitter
• Zubin Koticha Twitter

This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/344

In late 2017, Gabriel Jimenez was approached by the Venezuelan presidency and asked to create a national digital currency, the Petro. Although very much against the regime, Gabriel saw this as a chance to save his country which was on the brink of economic collapse. A new currency that would move freely over an open network, like Bitcoin. And the government would not be able to control it. So he agreed.

Things didn’t go as Gabriel had envisioned. Months later, Gabriel almost paid with his life when he was held at gunpoint by military guards in the President’s palace. He was accused of being a traitor to the government and was forced to hand over the project, which still hasn’t taken off. Last year he fled to the US to avoid being arrested and has since been granted asylum status. He is passionate about cryptocurrency and his country, and is working on a new way to combine the two.

From the safety of the US, Gabriel is finally able to share his side of the story and wants to set the record straight on why he did what he did.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Gabriel’s background growing up in Venezuela
• Gabriel’s return to Venezuela from the US
• Venezuela in the pre-Chavez days
• Living in Venezuela during Chavez’s rule
• The introduction of crypto to Venezuela
• The Maduro regime and how things got worse from there
• When the government turned on Gabriel and his team
• Knowing the risks of this project
• The current state of the Petro
• How things could have gone differently so that Petro could have worked

Episode links:

• The Coder and the Dictator - Gabriel's first interview with the NY Times
• The Petro Website
• The Petro - Wikipedia
• Gabriel signing the documents on Live TV
• Gabriel Jimenez Twitter
• The Social Us

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/343

We've heard it over and over again, Covid-19 has plunged us into a crisis like none other we’ve experienced in our lifetime. Although it is primarily a public health issue, it is also having a major impact on the global economy and financial system. Many businesses have been forced to shut down sparking debates on whether this is supply or demand shock.

Wall Street proclaims that any increase in economic activity is a good sign. However, Jim Bianco, President and Macro Strategist at Bianco Research, says a return to 90% of pre-crisis level will still not be enough to recover. Bianco Research is a Chicago-based firm that provides research and analysis for institutional finance. Jim started to take serious notice of the Covid-19 outbreak back in January. Since then he has been sharing his views on the long- term, macroeconomic consequences of the pandemic. He brings an enormous amount of clarity and insight into this issue.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Jim’s background on Wall Street and how he transitioned into research
• Why he was so early to talk about the pandemic and the crisis
• The lessons learned from this pandemic and what’s next
• What long-term economic and societal trends we can expect
• The FED: their response, the effects on the economy and where we go from here
• Jim’s views on UBI and the legitimacy of taxes if states can just print money
• The US debt problem caused by the slowing of international trade
• The US dollar as a reserve currency and how it could be displaced
• The prospect of crypto-based reserve currencies and the disruption of central banks
• How close are we to Crypto and Bitcoin becoming an asset class in the traditional finance system
• Jim’s visions for the post virus world

Episode links:

• Bianco Research
• “Is the Fed Making it Better?” Reset Everything Talk
• Jim Bianco Twitter
• Bianco Research Youtube
• WTF Happened In 1971?
• Mainnet 2020 – Messari's Flagship Crypto Event (June 1 to 3)
• Free tickets to Web 3.0 Forum (June 8 to 10)

Sponsors:

• Least Authority: Learn how Zero-Knowledge Access Passes can help you build a more privacy-minded business by disconnecting payment and user data. - http://www.leastauthority.com/zkaps

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Brian Fabian Crain. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/342

In this inaugural post-interview chat, Friederike and Sebastien discuss their recent interview with Arweave Co-founder and CEO, Sam Williams.

Moving forward, these conversations will be released every week on Substack. Subscribe to never miss an episode at https://epicenter.rocks/substack

The internet was originally created as a platform to communicate freely, but it soon became a place where people could be monitored, controlled, and censored. 98% of content on the internet is deleted every 20 years. More surprisingly, based on a Twitter study, a third of links change their content fundamentally or are removed completely, within three months of their creation. 

Arweave is a new data storage protocol that enables economically sustainable permanence for the very first time. Built on a blockchain-like structure called the blockweave, one of the applications on Arweave is what they have coined “the permaweb”. This is an array of data, websites, and decentralised applications, to which anyone can contribute and maintain. This system provides an incentive to store your data without compromising your privacy, solving one of the key issues facing the current web.

Sam Williams, Co-founder & CEO of Arweave, talks about the technical solution they have built, the economic model around endowment, and the ethical and philosophical questions the permanence of information against concepts like “the right to be forgotten” raises.

Topics covered in this episode:

- Sam’s background and how he got into the blockchain space
- Breaking down BitTorrent – the first scalable decentraized file sharing system
- Data sustainability on the web and what should be kept
- Arweave under the hood and what is a blockweave
- How data is stored and retrieved in blocks
- Arweave’s economics and incentive model
- Data replication within the infrastructure and ensuring decentralization in the future
- The AR tokens and how the Arweave endowment works
- Arweave vs Skynet vs IPFS
- Does Arweave help with the data availability problem in Ethereum?
- Arweave's business model
- Community projects that Arweave are involved with and what’s next for the project

Episode links: 

- [Arweave website](https://www.arweave.org/)
- [Welcome to the Permaweb](https://medium.com/@arweave/welcome-to-the-permaweb-ce0e6c73ddfb)
- [Arweave Whitepaper](https://www.arweave.org/files/arweave-lightpaper.pdf)
- [Arweave on Medium](https://medium.com/@arweave)
- [Arweave Twitter](https://twitter.com/ArweaveTeam)
- [Sam Williams Twitter](https://twitter.com/samecwilliams)
- [Mainnet 2020 – Messari's Flagship Crypto Event (June 1 to 3)](https://mainnet.events)
- [Free tickets to Web 3.0 Forum (June 8 to 10)](https://ti.to/cogx/cogx-2020/discount/TPDODSFP100)
- [Casual meetup for friends of Epicenter](https://epicenter.rocks/virtualmeetup)

Sponsors: 
- ShapeShift: ShapeShift is the leading crypto platform offering zero-commission trading - https://shapeshift.com/

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: [epicenter.tv/341](https://epicenter.tv/341

Today, half of the internet is built on top of Amazon S3. Although the cloud has allowed Internet applications to scale, centralized infrastructure means less control over one's own data. And when it goes down, so does half of the internet.

Sia CEO David Vorick is back on the podcast to talk about a new product recently released by their team: Skynet. Skynet builds on Sia and enables web applications to be developed and deployed over a decentralized data storage infrastructure. David also shares his thoughts on Trusted Setups, why he thinks they're "busted," and how the crypto industry can create better and more secure Zero-Knowledge primitives.

Topics covered in this episode:

- What is Skynet and how it builds on Sia
- Skynet compared to IPFS/Filecoin
- The need for a decdentralized data marketplace
- An example of how the Sia network works
- What are trusted setups and how they are used
- Threat models in trusted setups and what can happen when they break
- The alternative to trusted setups and solutions for the future

Episode links: 

- [Sia Website](https://sia.tech/)
- [Sia Blog](https://blog.sia.tech/)
- [Decentralization & Cutting-Edge Cryptography - Starkware Sessions Talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naw0HajYDxI)
- [David Vorick on Twitter](https://twitter.com/davidvorick)
- [Sia on Twitter](https://twitter.com/SiaTechHQ)
- [Epicenter Virtual Meetup on May 29](https://epicenter.rocks/virtualmeetup)

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: [epicenter.tv/B005](https://epicenter.tv/B005)