Month: April 2019

Why I Don’t Celebrate Neutrino

Today we read an article from developer @nicolasdorier that illustrates why Neutrino might not be the panacea some seem to treat it as. It certainly has its benefits, but its important to look critically at every proposal, to ensure we understand what is, not what we wish to be.

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Rothbard on Utility Theory

Today we grab a section out of one of the many incredible works by Murray N. Rothbard to discuss the idea of marginal utility and why money must be a good, and actually is not a unit of measure. As value can only be measured as relational to another good, money follows the same law of diminishing marginal utility.

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The Case for Electronic Cash

The full audio version of “The Case for Electronic Cash” by Jerry Brito.

Abstract

Cash is more than a method of payment. It is a fundamental tool for individual privacy and autonomy, and it is necessary for an open society. This paper shows that a cashless economy is a surveillance economy. It also argues that removing the option to freely transact without intermediation greatly limits our economic self-determination, placing our economic lives in the hands of financial institutions and governments. This paper presents several case studies demonstrating the dangers of a completely intermediated payments system and concludes that electronic cash is a tool that should not only be tolerated, but fostered and celebrated.

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Why Lightning Sucks…

Lightning is complicated, difficult to use, sometimes doesn’t work properly, requires a lot of learning and experimentation, and is still a risky place to hold Bitcoin funds. Doesn’t this make it a protocol destined to obscurity and disuse? Doesn’t it mean that better, simpler options will simply replace it, and Bitcoin is to fail from its extensive limitations? Find out all the ways I find Lightning *doesn’t* do its job well, & what I think it means for the future in today’s Guy’s Take episode!

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Casa Keymaster Security – Mobile Key Overview

Today we go through a recent blog post by Jameson Lopp and the Casa team that goes into the clever, meticulous design used to ensure the security and recoverability of the mobile key for their Keymaster app.

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Exit & Freedom

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.

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The Case for Electronic Cash – Parts 1-3

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.

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.

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!

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Why the State Demands Control of Money

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?

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Minimum Viable Decentralization

Today we cover another great piece on the topic of what can be learned from the history of P2P protocols and their successes & failures.

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Guy & the PayPod on How Bitcoin Will Change the World

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.

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