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

By Epicenter Media Ltd.Business Investing

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

March 15, 2016 EB122 – Zooko Wilcox: Zcash - An Open Financial System With Privacy
Support the show, consider donating: 1F1SQTL7zqagxsgjnmoFXx6R9w4tuakFDD (http://bit.ly/1QpeoZv)
For Zooko Wilcox-O’Hearn, part of the cypherpunk movement since the early 1990s, the vision of a decentralized financial system that has both openness and privacy has existed since long before Bitcoin. After many failed attempts, Bitcoin proved that that vision could be achievable. But Bitcoin also failed to deliver on the privacy features as blockchain analysis allows tracing movements and deanonymizing many users.
Zooko joined us to discuss his project Zcash, a fully anonymous cryptocurrency that is scheduled to launch in July. Through Zcash’s use of ground-breaking Zero Knowledge Proofs (or zkSNARKs) the blockchain will leak no information about sender, recipients nor amounts. It was a fascinating discussion of the most anticipated launch of a cryptocurrency since Ethereum.
Topics covered included:
- Zooko's long cypherpunk history
- How overconfidence derailed many cypherpunk projects
- Why Bitcoin's privacy is broken and how Zcash provides true privacy
- The too-good-to-be-true Zcash team
- Why Zcash is based on a fork of Bitcoin
- How the initial parameter generation creates a potential security weakness
- Why Zcash believes in an evolutionary approach to designing cryptocurrency protocols
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Zcash website: http://bit.ly/1p1NZuD
- Why Zcash - Project Announcement http://bit.ly/1RwhoUC
- Zerocash: Decentralized Anonymous Payments from Bitcoin [PDF] http://bit.ly/1M2uc3o
- EB116 - Eli Ben-Sasson: Zero Knowledge Proofs http://bit.ly/1TDUtx1
Sponsors:
- GTEC: Apply now to enter the GTEC Blockchain Contest and win prizes worth €50k epicenterbitcoin.com/gtec
- Ledger Nano: Smart card security for your Bitcoins - Get 10% off your first order when you use the code EPICENTER at http://ledgerwallet.com
Show notes: http://epicenterbitcoin.com/podcast/122
YouTube: https://youtu.be/M7CMU5OMEgE
Epicenter Bitcoin is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.
- Visit our website: http://epicenterbitcoin.com
- Subscribe to our newsletter: http://epicenterbitcoin.com/newsletter
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/epicenterbtc
1 hr 7 min
March 14, 2016Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn: Zcash – An Open Financial System with Privacy
For Zooko Wilcox-O’Hearn, part of the cypherpunk movement since the early 1990s, the vision of a decentralized financial system that has both openness and privacy has existed since long before Bitcoin. After many failed attempts, Bitcoin proved that that vision could be achievable. But Bitcoin also failed to deliver on the privacy features as blockchain analysis allows tracing movements and deanonymizing many users.
Zooko joined us to discuss his project Zcash, a fully anonymous cryptocurrency that is scheduled to launch in July. Through Zcash’s use of ground-breaking Zero Knowledge Proofs (or zkSNARKs) the blockchain will leak no information about sender, recipients nor amounts. It was a fascinating discussion of the most anticipated launch of a cryptocurrency since Ethereum.
Topics covered in this episode:
Zooko’s long cypherpunk history
How overconfidence derailed many cypherpunk projects
Why Bitcoin’s privacy is broken and how Zcash provides true privacy
The too-good-to-be-true Zcash team
Why Zcash is based on a fork of Bitcoin
How the initial parameter generation creates a potential security weakness
Why Zcash believes in an evolutionary approach to designing cryptocurrency protocols
Episode links:
Zcash website
Why Zcash - Project Announcement
Zerocash: Decentralized Anonymous Payments from Bitcoin [PDF]
EB116 - Eli Ben-Sasson: Zero Knowledge Proofs
This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/122
1 hr 6 min
March 14, 2016 #122 Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn: Zcash – An Open Financial System with Privacy
For Zooko Wilcox-O’Hearn, part of the cypherpunk movement since the early 1990s, the vision of a decentralized financial system that has both openness and privacy has existed since long before Bitcoin. After many failed attempts, Bitcoin proved that that vision could be achievable. But Bitcoin also failed to deliver on the privacy features as blockchain … Continued
1 hr 5 min
March 08, 2016 EB121 – Winston Moore & Jeremy Stephen: Barbados, Bitcoin And Central Banking
Support the show, consider donating: 1M4uVFEs7Ug9y5K35ynLJ5znEtxfrtCQ8d (http://bit.ly/1O3JyUy)
For orthodox Bitcoiners central banks are often seen as the incarnation of evil. But , alas, in the case of two Carribean central banking economists the feeling of reprehension wasn't reciprocated. Winston Moore and Jeremy Stephen were formerly associated with the Central Bank of Barados and fascinated by the potential of cryptocurrencies, they explored the consequences of their central bank holding Bitcoin as part of their international reserves. They joined us for a discussion of central banking, the pecularities of monetary policy in a small island nation and what Bitcoin could bring to the equation.
Topics covered included:
- The function of central banks
- The role international reserves hold for central banks
- The peculiar challenges of central banks of small island nation states
- How speculative attacks on central banks work
- Why central banks may want to hold cryptocurrencies as part of their portfolio
- How Bitt plans to issue Barbados Dollar using the Bitcoin blockchain and the open asset protocol
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Paper on inclusion of cryptocurrencies in international reserve portfolio of Central Bank of Barbados [PDF] http://bit.ly/1TZ5usp
- Barbados Cryptocurrency Startup Bitt http://bit.ly/21gzMpV
- Bitt launches Barbados Dollar on blockchain http://bit.ly/1paq3FS
- Winston Moore's Website http://bit.ly/24LBnsm
- Jeremy Stephen's Website http://bit.ly/1Ym5vWC
- EB Episode 83 with David Andolfatto on Fedcoin and central bank issued cryptocurrencies http://bit.ly/1W2Isib
Sponsors:
- Hide.me: Protect your privacy and personal data with a free VPN account at Hide.me/epicenter
Show notes: http://epicenterbitcoin.com/podcast/121
YouTube: https://youtu.be/8v0WCo1zGkU
Epicenter Bitcoin is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.
- Visit our website: http://epicenterbitcoin.com
- Subscribe to our newsletter: http://epicenterbitcoin.com/newsletter
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/epicenterbtc
59 min
March 07, 2016Jeremy Stephen & Winston Moore: Barbados, Bitcoin and Central Banking
For orthodox Bitcoiners central banks are often seen as the incarnation of evil. But , alas, in the case of two Carribean central banking economists the feeling of reprehension wasn’t reciprocated. Winston Moore and Jeremy Stephen were formerly associated with the Central Bank of Barados and fascinated by the potential of cryptocurrencies, they explored the consequences of their central bank holding Bitcoin as part of their international reserves. They joined us for a discussion of central banking, the pecularities of monetary policy in a small island nation and what Bitcoin could bring to the equation.
Topics covered in this episode:
The function of central banks
The role international reserves hold for central banks
The peculiar challenges of central banks of small island nation states
How speculative attacks on central banks work
Why central banks may want to hold cryptocurrencies as part of their portfolio
How Bitt plans to issue Barbados Dollar using the Bitcoin blockchain and the open asset protocol
Episode links:
Paper on inclusion of cryptocurrencies in international reserve portfolio of Central Bank of Barbados [PDF]
Barbados Cryptocurrency Startup Bitt
Bitt launches Barbados Dollar on blockchain
Winston Moore's Website
Jeremy Stephen's Website
EB Episode 83 with David Andolfatto on Fedcoin and central bank issued cryptocurrencies
This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/121
59 min
March 07, 2016 #121 Jeremy Stephen & Winston Moore: Barbados, Bitcoin and Central Banking
For orthodox Bitcoiners central banks are often seen as the incarnation of evil. But , alas, in the case of two Carribean central banking economists the feeling of reprehension wasn’t reciprocated. Winston Moore and Jeremy Stephen were formerly associated with the Central Bank of Barados and fascinated by the potential of cryptocurrencies, they explored the … Continued
12 hr 58 min
March 01, 2016 EB120 – Maciej Olpinski: Solving The Economic Mismatch Between Content And Attention
Support the show, consider donating: 19ACvaz7TKaMmJ9W1tsTELUv2rK9R5YbZP (http://bit.ly/1Jvi5QP)
The problem around content monetization is one which content producers are constantly trying to solve. At the core of this problem is a mismatch between supply and demand. Content, which is increasingly abundant, is captured by human attention, which is in limited supply. The volume of content being produced is growing at staggering rates while total human attention remains flat.
Our guest, Maciej Olpinski, argues that the current content monetization model is outdated, broken and is in need of an overhaul. Previously at Google and YouTube, Maciej has a broad understanding content monetization models and lays out a vision for open marketplaces for attention using blockchains. He argues that content discovery systems like the Google Page Rank algorithm and Facebook's News Feed could be replaced by open networks based on the mechanics of Bitcoin.
Topics covered in this episode include:
- How the current content monetization model works and why it's broken
- The inner workings of content discovery
- The economics of content discovery
- Open marketplaces for attention and reputation
- New web-native business models for content discovery
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Maciej's blog http://www.maciejolpinski.com/
Sponsors:
- GTEC: Apply now to enter the GTEC Blockchain Contest and win prizes worth €50k epicenterbitcoin.com/gtec
- Hide.me: Protect your privacy and personal data with a free VPN account at Hide.me/epicenter
Show notes: http://epicenterbitcoin.com/podcast/120
SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/eb-120
Epicenter Bitcoin is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.
- Visit our website: http://epicenterbitcoin.com
- Subscribe to our newsletter: http://epicenterbitcoin.com/newsletter
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/epicenterbtc
1 hr 11 min
February 29, 2016Maciej Olpinski: Solving the Economic Mismatch Between Content and Attention
The problem around content monetization is one which content producers are constantly trying to solve. At the core of this problem is a mismatch between supply and demand. Content, which is increasingly abundant, is captured by human attention, which is in limited supply. The volume of content being produced is growing at staggering rates while total human attention remains flat.
Our guest, , argues that the current content monetization model is outdated, broken and is in need of an overhaul. Previously at Google and YouTube, Maciej has a broad understanding content monetization models and lays out a vision for open marketplaces for attention using blockchains. He argues that content discovery systems like the Google Page Rank algorithm and Facebook’s News Feed could be replaced by open networks based on the mechanics of Bitcoin.
Topics covered in this episode:
How the current content monetization model works and why it’s broken
The inner workings of content discovery
The economics of content discovery
Open marketplaces for attention and reputation
New web-native business models for content discovery
Episode links:
Maciej's blog
This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/120
1 hr 11 min
February 29, 2016 #120 Maciej Olpinski: Solving the Economic Mismatch Between Content and Attention
The problem around content monetization is one which content producers are constantly trying to solve. At the core of this problem is a mismatch between supply and demand. Content, which is increasingly abundant, is captured by human attention, which is in limited supply. The volume of content being produced is growing at staggering rates while … Continued
1 hr 10 min
February 23, 2016 EB119 – Adam Gibson: A New Kind Of Auditing - Cryptographic Proof Of Online Accounts
Support the show, consider donating: 1E4wyGGWVanUqbGxZvy3PTg2FtxSre7YqX (http://bit.ly/1PMCqNV)
A pioneering feature of Bitcoin is verifiability of transactions: It is designed to enable low-power devices and high end computers alike to be able to verify occurrences on the blockchain.
This observation led our guest, Adam Gibson, to wonder why webpages aren't so easily verifiable as a Bitcoin transaction? Can I prove to you that I have certain bank account balance over the internet? Why do we submit photocopies of passports rather than furnishing a cryptographically verifiable proof of citizenship by logging on to a Government site?
Born out of this intellectual itch is the TLS Notary protocol. It pioneers a new kind of auditing that enables participants to prove that a certain https page was in their browser. This protocol paves the way to brilliant designs for Proof of Reserves, Smart contract oracles and Decentralised fiat-to-bitcoin exchange.
Topics covered included:
- Why is the current Web structured to be not easily verifiable?
- What is TLS and how does it work?
- How TLS differs from SSL.
- The TLS Notary protocol
- Capabilities and limitations of TLS Notary.
- Applications of TLS Notary including provably honest smart contract oracles.
Links mentioned in this episode:
- The TLS Notary website: https://tlsnotary.org/
- Oraclize, the provably honest oracle service: http://www.oraclize.it/
- The TLS specification (TLS 1.0 RFC 2246): https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2246.txt
Sponsors:
- Ledger Nano: Smart card security for your Bitcoins - Get 10% off your first order when you use the code EPICENTER at http://ledgerwallet.com
- GTEC: Apply now to enter the GTEC Blockchain Contest and win prizes worth €50k http://epicenterbitcoin.com/gtec
Show notes: http://epicenterbitcoin.com/podcast/119
YouTube: https://youtu.be/MVjTOZ_lJ30
Epicenter Bitcoin is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.
- Visit our website: http://epicenterbitcoin.com
- Subscribe to our newsletter: http://epicenterbitcoin.com/newsletter
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/epicenterbtc
1 hr 5 min

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

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Epicenter brings you in-depth conversations about the technical, economic and social implications of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. Every week, we interview business leaders, engineers academics and entrepreneurs, and bring you a diverse spectrum of opinions and points of view.