The ecosystem around the blockchain technology is enormously complex. You might have the most familiarity with trading Bitcoin. Or buying ICOs. Or building DApps. Or perhaps even creating a chain from scratch. All of these are valid -- but very different -- points within this system.
When we're looking ahead at how the technology can be used effectively in the future, the first step is to understand what actually makes up this ecosystem today and where you fit within it.
In this event, we'll take you from the highest level to the practical by examining what makes up the blockchain ecosystem and, ultimately, where the biggest opportunities for product, design and development lie.
Learn more about NEAR Protocol, a scalable blockchain and smart contract platform, at https://nearprotocol.com
The Design of Blockchain-Based Apps (DApps)Erik Trautman
Decentralized apps are still apps but there are key differences as well which any app designer needs to understand. Onboarding into a token-based ecosystem. Requesting permission for transactions. Handling wait times and confirmation finality. All of these are unexpected for users and, thus, represent key friction points in their interactions.
In this event, we'll cover the full spectrum of what a designer or product person or developer needs to understand about the unique world of creating decentralized applications. We'll start high level and then make our way into more specific case studies of design interactions.
**About the Blockchain Onramp Series**
Blockchain Onramp is a series of events covering the full spectrum of knowledge necessary to operate effectively within the blockchain ecosystem as a designer, developer or product person. After participating in these events, you should be able to take your functional expertise in any of these areas and apply them to blockchain projects.
We are doing this to provide a key -- and currently missing -- plain-English onramp for people of all functional experience who are interested in building real businesses on this new technology.
The format of each event may differ slightly but they will be a combination of expert talks and discussions with industry practitioners.
Decentralized applications 101: How and why to build a DAppErik Trautman
You're already well familiar with the design, interaction and development patterns of "normal" web and mobile apps. In this meetup, we'll shift the focus to describe what a decentralized app (DApp) actually is from the very top to the nuts and bolts below the surface.
This is intended to help the full spectrum of designers, developers and product people to understand why they might create a DApp in the first place and how that is different than working with web 2 applications. We'll cover the high level user-facing aspects (like interactions and flows) down to the low-level of the stack (the actual blockchain) so you understand what you're getting into.
We assume you know what a blockchain is.
Learn more about NEAR, the scalable developer-friendly blockchain, at https://nearprotocol.com
NEAR Protocol at Future of Blockchain Hackathon London 2019Erik Trautman
Erik Trautman introduces himself as the CEO of NEAR Foundation and describes NEAR Protocol as a community-run blockchain platform that allows developers to easily build decentralized applications using TypeScript. It uses proof-of-stake consensus and dynamic sharding to scale. Developers can write both front-end and back-end code together and deploy applications within 60 seconds through the NEAR studio. The NEAR wallet and explorer are also introduced.
We know there are many challenges around User Experience (UX) for end-users who are trying to use decentralized applications but what about the developers who build those applications? Their experience is often under appreciated.
In this meetup, we'll dig deeper into what developer experience (DevX) really means, the state of it on today's platforms and how we can improve it in the future. We'll survey the landscape and tear down a couple of existing platforms.
Following the talk, we'll move to a panel discussion with developers of apps on multiple different platforms about the pros and cons of development on each platform.
Learn more about NEAR Protocol, a scalable blockchain and smart contract platform, at https://nearprotocol.com
Introduction to Blockchain and Decentralized AppsCisco DevNet
A session in the DevNet Zone at Cisco Live, Berlin. Blockchain - the technology best known as the bitcoin enabler – has the potential to create a new wave of disruption and innovation in how applications are built, deployed and run, in a much more de-centralised cloud world. This session provides an introductory overview and demonstration of blockchain in action and how that technology is being used to create decentralised apps (DApps) that move beyond financial use cases toward healthcare, government, IoT.
Blockchain: a Singularity-class technology - No other technology has the power to
pull 2 billion people out of poverty overnight (with intermediary-free international remittances), produce a safe and orderly transition to the automation economy (with humans and machines in collaboration, and enacting friendly artificial intelligence), and fundamentally transform the only remaining sectors not yet re-engineered for the Internet era: economics and politics. There are growing classes of activities for smartnetwork execution, moving up the stack, pushing different qualitative states through the Internet pipes, building future smartnetworks. The smartnetworks thesis is that complex future operations will involve automated fleet coordination of “quantized” items via smartnetworks, using some kind of technology like blockchains with algorithmically-derived trust.
This talk will focus on the role of blockchain in the new digital economy and the characteristics of a sustainable blockchain company. Professor Lee will talk about the 4Ds and LASIC, Hinternet and the type of deep business skill and strategy that are needed to excel in the blockchain industry. Those who are looking into fundraising by ICO/ITS’s and investing in Blockchain technology will find this talk interesting.
The Design of Blockchain-Based Apps (DApps)Erik Trautman
Decentralized apps are still apps but there are key differences as well which any app designer needs to understand. Onboarding into a token-based ecosystem. Requesting permission for transactions. Handling wait times and confirmation finality. All of these are unexpected for users and, thus, represent key friction points in their interactions.
In this event, we'll cover the full spectrum of what a designer or product person or developer needs to understand about the unique world of creating decentralized applications. We'll start high level and then make our way into more specific case studies of design interactions.
**About the Blockchain Onramp Series**
Blockchain Onramp is a series of events covering the full spectrum of knowledge necessary to operate effectively within the blockchain ecosystem as a designer, developer or product person. After participating in these events, you should be able to take your functional expertise in any of these areas and apply them to blockchain projects.
We are doing this to provide a key -- and currently missing -- plain-English onramp for people of all functional experience who are interested in building real businesses on this new technology.
The format of each event may differ slightly but they will be a combination of expert talks and discussions with industry practitioners.
Decentralized applications 101: How and why to build a DAppErik Trautman
You're already well familiar with the design, interaction and development patterns of "normal" web and mobile apps. In this meetup, we'll shift the focus to describe what a decentralized app (DApp) actually is from the very top to the nuts and bolts below the surface.
This is intended to help the full spectrum of designers, developers and product people to understand why they might create a DApp in the first place and how that is different than working with web 2 applications. We'll cover the high level user-facing aspects (like interactions and flows) down to the low-level of the stack (the actual blockchain) so you understand what you're getting into.
We assume you know what a blockchain is.
Learn more about NEAR, the scalable developer-friendly blockchain, at https://nearprotocol.com
NEAR Protocol at Future of Blockchain Hackathon London 2019Erik Trautman
Erik Trautman introduces himself as the CEO of NEAR Foundation and describes NEAR Protocol as a community-run blockchain platform that allows developers to easily build decentralized applications using TypeScript. It uses proof-of-stake consensus and dynamic sharding to scale. Developers can write both front-end and back-end code together and deploy applications within 60 seconds through the NEAR studio. The NEAR wallet and explorer are also introduced.
We know there are many challenges around User Experience (UX) for end-users who are trying to use decentralized applications but what about the developers who build those applications? Their experience is often under appreciated.
In this meetup, we'll dig deeper into what developer experience (DevX) really means, the state of it on today's platforms and how we can improve it in the future. We'll survey the landscape and tear down a couple of existing platforms.
Following the talk, we'll move to a panel discussion with developers of apps on multiple different platforms about the pros and cons of development on each platform.
Learn more about NEAR Protocol, a scalable blockchain and smart contract platform, at https://nearprotocol.com
Introduction to Blockchain and Decentralized AppsCisco DevNet
A session in the DevNet Zone at Cisco Live, Berlin. Blockchain - the technology best known as the bitcoin enabler – has the potential to create a new wave of disruption and innovation in how applications are built, deployed and run, in a much more de-centralised cloud world. This session provides an introductory overview and demonstration of blockchain in action and how that technology is being used to create decentralised apps (DApps) that move beyond financial use cases toward healthcare, government, IoT.
Blockchain: a Singularity-class technology - No other technology has the power to
pull 2 billion people out of poverty overnight (with intermediary-free international remittances), produce a safe and orderly transition to the automation economy (with humans and machines in collaboration, and enacting friendly artificial intelligence), and fundamentally transform the only remaining sectors not yet re-engineered for the Internet era: economics and politics. There are growing classes of activities for smartnetwork execution, moving up the stack, pushing different qualitative states through the Internet pipes, building future smartnetworks. The smartnetworks thesis is that complex future operations will involve automated fleet coordination of “quantized” items via smartnetworks, using some kind of technology like blockchains with algorithmically-derived trust.
This talk will focus on the role of blockchain in the new digital economy and the characteristics of a sustainable blockchain company. Professor Lee will talk about the 4Ds and LASIC, Hinternet and the type of deep business skill and strategy that are needed to excel in the blockchain industry. Those who are looking into fundraising by ICO/ITS’s and investing in Blockchain technology will find this talk interesting.
BlockChain: Challenges & Opportunities Across Multiple Industries - by Juan L...Globant
Globant's webinar on Blockchain Technology by Juan LIanos & Joaquin Moreno highlighted why Blockchain is revolutionary, what are its application across industries, how can it revolutionize business practices, what are the regulations to abide and how Blockchain will transform the future of businesses.
On a similar note, the perfect Blockchain developer understands when to seek assistance with an issue and persevere until they find the solution. So, today via this post, we will make people know how to become such blockchain experts and give them the best blockchain developer career Options.
Ethereum was created to address limitations in Bitcoin and other early blockchain platforms. It provides a platform for developers to build decentralized applications, expanding what is possible with blockchain technology beyond cryptocurrencies. The Ethereum white paper introduced Ethereum as a next-generation blockchain that allows developers to create applications with more extensive features and capabilities than previous platforms through the use of smart contracts and a built-in programming language. This enabled a wide range of applications to be developed in areas like finance, governance, and other industries.
With lots of fans and critics, blockchain and blockchain application development is gaining popularity each passing day. The demand for business-specific blockchain applications has revolutionized the technological world. Blockchain apps or DApps are decentralized applications which mean there is no intermediator to control transactions between the users. In a blockchain network, all the members behave like users and mini-servers at the same time. They perform data verification and its exchange within the network. People are investing in blockchain development considering technology’s potential in the long term.
This document discusses how blockchain technology could transform personal insurance. It begins by explaining blockchain technology and how it provides a secure public ledger without a central authority. It then discusses personal insurance and the role of trusted third parties. Blockchain technology could displace some roles of third parties by preventing duplicate transactions and providing a verifiable transaction record. The document explores four themes regarding how blockchain could impact identity, transactions across space, recording of debts over time, and enabling new forms of mutual insurance communities. It provides examples of how blockchain could be used to manage personal identity and data, enable more global insurance products, automate processes like wills and life insurance payouts, and transform insurance models.
The Stellar Blockchain and The Story of the Federated Consensus — Blockchain ...Ory Band
We'll dive deeper into the Federated consensus networks, focusing on Stellar and Ripple,
and discuss how they differ from other popular decentralized consensus solutions such as Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake.
We'll assess their pros and cons, and discuss the business requirements that drive companies to adopt these solutions over others.
Video of the presentation is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSpG6a9bmu0
Related blog post in Blockchain Academy TLV: https://medium.com/kinblog/the-stellar-blockchain-and-the-story-of-the-federated-consensus-blockchain-academy-f332eaadefc1
Blockchain Economics: Tackle Debt and Systemic RiskMelanie Swan
Financial Resilience and Sustainability. Crypto tokens imply optionality and the ability to better manage risk. The thesis of this talk is that smart contracts are options, and as such, can be used to control risk (unwanted future uncertainty) in a wider range of areas than has been possible previously, in finance, and in other areas too such as medicine. Options as a financial market instrument have long been used to control the amount and timing of risk in specific ways and tailor exposure with granularity. Smart contracts are an even more flexible species of options because they are programmable contracts that can be used to confer the right to buy or sell any blockchain-based asset or liability at a future moment in time (blocktime or “fiat” (regular) time) per certain terms and consideration. Therefore, smart contracts allow a greater variety in the degree and type of risks that might be brought under management. The impact of having greater control over risk is that intangible social goods are produced such as surety, confidence, and reliability, which help to engender a more trustful society.
This talk proposes that the future of artificial intelligence is smart networks that have intelligence "baked in" in the form of Blockchain Distributed Ledgers for confirming authenticity and transferring value, and Deep Learning Algorithms for predictive identification. Smart networks are not a far-off possibility but already needed as deep learning systems are going online in connected apps for Autonomous Driving and Drone Delivery, and Human-Robot Interaction. Two high-impact contemporary emerging technologies for the future of AI are Blockchain Distributed Ledgers and Deep Learning Algorithms, and discusses their implications for the future of artificial intelligence.
Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without downtime, censorship, fraud or third party interference. It allows developers to build decentralized applications (Dapps) on top of its blockchain using its native cryptocurrency called Ether. Some examples of Dapps being built on Ethereum include digital identities, financial services and prediction markets. The development of Ethereum was pioneered by Vitalik Buterin in 2013 and the network went live in 2015.
Blockchain Thinking: The Brain as a DAC (Decentralized Autonomous Corporation)Melanie Swan
This talk explores how thinking could be formulated as a blockchain process that could have benefits for both artificial intelligence and human enhancement. Some possibilities might include the ability to orchestrate digital mindfile uploads, advocate for digital intelligences in future timeframes, implement smart contract-based utility functions, instantiate thinking as a power law, and facilitate the enactment of Friendly AI.
Blockchain Investing: Economics Implications of Distributed LedgersMelanie Swan
The investment market for cryptocurrencies is becoming increasingly institutional. In July 2017 (in the wake of the “ICO dotcom bubble”), the SEC signaled its stance on ICOs. “Stock-like” ICOs are likely to be deemed securities, and as such, would need to be registered offerings, which by implication, would target institutional investors. Also in July 2017, the CFTC granted a derivatives clearing license to New York-based LedgerX for cryptocurrency derivatives, and options listings may appear on the CBOE later in 2017. Since derivatives markets are already part of the institutional ecosystem, this means that cryptocurrency derivatives might be a more accessible, liquid, and large-scale means of obtaining exposure to crypto asset classes than investing in the underlying cryptocurrencies themselves. Finally, there is greater emphasis on institutional liquidity aggregation platforms for large-size cryptocurrency trading (i.e. $20+ million positions), with Genesis Trading, Cumberland Mining, Circle, and Project Omni.
Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that allows for the safe distribution of a ledger across multiple nodes. It works by having each transaction digitally signed and added in a "block" along with a proof of work. This prevents double spending and allows nodes to reach consensus on the transaction history without a centralized authority. Smart contracts enable decentralized applications to run transactions automatically according to the program. However, first generation blockchains face challenges around centralization, scalability, and smart contract quality. New solutions aim to address these through alternative consensus methods, off-chain transactions, and designed smart contract languages.
Blockchain Smartnetworks: Bitcoin and Blockchain ExplainedMelanie Swan
Beyond digitalizing money, payments, economics, and finance, and governance, smart property and smart contracts, blockchains secure automated fleet coordination
The implications could be an orderly transition to the automation economy and trust-rich digital smartnetwork societies of the future
Ethereum is the largest decentralized software platform that allows you to build smart contracts and decentralized applications without any downtime and without any third party interference.
VISIT:- http://www.oodlestechnologies.com/online-cryptocurrency-wallet
Future of AI: Blockchain & Deep LearningMelanie Swan
Future of AI: intelligence “baked in” to smart networks, blockchains to confirm authenticity and transfer value, and Deep Learning algorithms for predictive identification. This talk presents two high-impact contemporary emerging technologies: big data and deep learning algorithms, and blockchain distributed ledgers, and discusses their implications for the future of artificial intelligence.
This document outlines plans for the first meeting of Smart Contract Japan's development section. It discusses the mission of Smart Contract Japan to study, develop, and research smart contract technologies globally. The first section will involve writing and running smart contracts together in Hack sessions on Saturdays from 4-9:30pm GMT+9. Participants will use Slack for messaging and Github for sharing code. The goals of the first section are to write codes, run and research smart contracts, and publish results on YouTube or research articles on basics, usage and societal impacts of smart contracts.
Future of AI: Blockchain and Deep LearningMelanie Swan
The Future of AI: Blockchain and Deep Learning
First point: considering blockchain and deep learning together suggests the emergence of a new class of global network computing system. These systems are self-operating computation graphs that make probabilistic guesses about reality states of the world.
Second point: blockchain and deep learning are facilitating each other’s development. This includes using deep learning algorithms for setting fees and detecting fraudulent activity, and using blockchains for secure registry, tracking, and remuneration of deep learning nets as they go onto the open Internet (in autonomous driving applications for example). Blockchain peer-to-peer nodes might provide deep learning services as they already provide transaction hosting and confirmation, news hosting, and banking (payment, credit flow-through) services. Further, there are similar functional emergences within the systems, for example LSTM (long-short term memory in RNNs) are like payment channels.
Third point: AI smart network thesis. We are starting to run more complicated operations through our networks: information (past), money (present), and brains (future). There are two fundamental eras of network computing: simple networks for the transfer of information (all computing to date from mainframe to mobile) and now smart networks for the transfer of value and intelligence. Blockchain and deep learning are built directly into smart networks so that they may automatically confirm authenticity and transfer value (blockchain) and predictively identify individual items and patterns.
This document discusses several disruptive technologies and their potential impacts and opportunities for funders and civil society organizations. It covers artificial intelligence, blockchain/cryptocurrency, big data, and more. Some key points discussed are: 1) These technologies could enable new ways for CSOs to achieve their missions or operate more efficiently. 2) However, they may also disrupt existing models and create new problems to address. 3) Technologies like blockchain could increase transparency and enable direct transfers, while cryptocurrencies present opportunities but also challenges around volatility. The document examines issues around algorithmic giving, data ownership, and how technologies might affect beneficiaries.
Cryptocurrency uses cryptography to conduct financial transactions securely and decentralize control. While initially controlled by a single founder, it has grown to include many alternative coins (altcoins) like Ethereum and Litecoin. Transactions are recorded on a public blockchain to prevent fraud. Cryptocurrencies offer low fees, global access, and pseudonymity compared to traditional currency but are subject to market volatility. Adoption may help the global economy through increased activity, financial access, and transparency of transactions.
BlockChain: Challenges & Opportunities Across Multiple Industries - by Juan L...Globant
Globant's webinar on Blockchain Technology by Juan LIanos & Joaquin Moreno highlighted why Blockchain is revolutionary, what are its application across industries, how can it revolutionize business practices, what are the regulations to abide and how Blockchain will transform the future of businesses.
On a similar note, the perfect Blockchain developer understands when to seek assistance with an issue and persevere until they find the solution. So, today via this post, we will make people know how to become such blockchain experts and give them the best blockchain developer career Options.
Ethereum was created to address limitations in Bitcoin and other early blockchain platforms. It provides a platform for developers to build decentralized applications, expanding what is possible with blockchain technology beyond cryptocurrencies. The Ethereum white paper introduced Ethereum as a next-generation blockchain that allows developers to create applications with more extensive features and capabilities than previous platforms through the use of smart contracts and a built-in programming language. This enabled a wide range of applications to be developed in areas like finance, governance, and other industries.
With lots of fans and critics, blockchain and blockchain application development is gaining popularity each passing day. The demand for business-specific blockchain applications has revolutionized the technological world. Blockchain apps or DApps are decentralized applications which mean there is no intermediator to control transactions between the users. In a blockchain network, all the members behave like users and mini-servers at the same time. They perform data verification and its exchange within the network. People are investing in blockchain development considering technology’s potential in the long term.
This document discusses how blockchain technology could transform personal insurance. It begins by explaining blockchain technology and how it provides a secure public ledger without a central authority. It then discusses personal insurance and the role of trusted third parties. Blockchain technology could displace some roles of third parties by preventing duplicate transactions and providing a verifiable transaction record. The document explores four themes regarding how blockchain could impact identity, transactions across space, recording of debts over time, and enabling new forms of mutual insurance communities. It provides examples of how blockchain could be used to manage personal identity and data, enable more global insurance products, automate processes like wills and life insurance payouts, and transform insurance models.
The Stellar Blockchain and The Story of the Federated Consensus — Blockchain ...Ory Band
We'll dive deeper into the Federated consensus networks, focusing on Stellar and Ripple,
and discuss how they differ from other popular decentralized consensus solutions such as Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake.
We'll assess their pros and cons, and discuss the business requirements that drive companies to adopt these solutions over others.
Video of the presentation is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSpG6a9bmu0
Related blog post in Blockchain Academy TLV: https://medium.com/kinblog/the-stellar-blockchain-and-the-story-of-the-federated-consensus-blockchain-academy-f332eaadefc1
Blockchain Economics: Tackle Debt and Systemic RiskMelanie Swan
Financial Resilience and Sustainability. Crypto tokens imply optionality and the ability to better manage risk. The thesis of this talk is that smart contracts are options, and as such, can be used to control risk (unwanted future uncertainty) in a wider range of areas than has been possible previously, in finance, and in other areas too such as medicine. Options as a financial market instrument have long been used to control the amount and timing of risk in specific ways and tailor exposure with granularity. Smart contracts are an even more flexible species of options because they are programmable contracts that can be used to confer the right to buy or sell any blockchain-based asset or liability at a future moment in time (blocktime or “fiat” (regular) time) per certain terms and consideration. Therefore, smart contracts allow a greater variety in the degree and type of risks that might be brought under management. The impact of having greater control over risk is that intangible social goods are produced such as surety, confidence, and reliability, which help to engender a more trustful society.
This talk proposes that the future of artificial intelligence is smart networks that have intelligence "baked in" in the form of Blockchain Distributed Ledgers for confirming authenticity and transferring value, and Deep Learning Algorithms for predictive identification. Smart networks are not a far-off possibility but already needed as deep learning systems are going online in connected apps for Autonomous Driving and Drone Delivery, and Human-Robot Interaction. Two high-impact contemporary emerging technologies for the future of AI are Blockchain Distributed Ledgers and Deep Learning Algorithms, and discusses their implications for the future of artificial intelligence.
Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without downtime, censorship, fraud or third party interference. It allows developers to build decentralized applications (Dapps) on top of its blockchain using its native cryptocurrency called Ether. Some examples of Dapps being built on Ethereum include digital identities, financial services and prediction markets. The development of Ethereum was pioneered by Vitalik Buterin in 2013 and the network went live in 2015.
Blockchain Thinking: The Brain as a DAC (Decentralized Autonomous Corporation)Melanie Swan
This talk explores how thinking could be formulated as a blockchain process that could have benefits for both artificial intelligence and human enhancement. Some possibilities might include the ability to orchestrate digital mindfile uploads, advocate for digital intelligences in future timeframes, implement smart contract-based utility functions, instantiate thinking as a power law, and facilitate the enactment of Friendly AI.
Blockchain Investing: Economics Implications of Distributed LedgersMelanie Swan
The investment market for cryptocurrencies is becoming increasingly institutional. In July 2017 (in the wake of the “ICO dotcom bubble”), the SEC signaled its stance on ICOs. “Stock-like” ICOs are likely to be deemed securities, and as such, would need to be registered offerings, which by implication, would target institutional investors. Also in July 2017, the CFTC granted a derivatives clearing license to New York-based LedgerX for cryptocurrency derivatives, and options listings may appear on the CBOE later in 2017. Since derivatives markets are already part of the institutional ecosystem, this means that cryptocurrency derivatives might be a more accessible, liquid, and large-scale means of obtaining exposure to crypto asset classes than investing in the underlying cryptocurrencies themselves. Finally, there is greater emphasis on institutional liquidity aggregation platforms for large-size cryptocurrency trading (i.e. $20+ million positions), with Genesis Trading, Cumberland Mining, Circle, and Project Omni.
Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that allows for the safe distribution of a ledger across multiple nodes. It works by having each transaction digitally signed and added in a "block" along with a proof of work. This prevents double spending and allows nodes to reach consensus on the transaction history without a centralized authority. Smart contracts enable decentralized applications to run transactions automatically according to the program. However, first generation blockchains face challenges around centralization, scalability, and smart contract quality. New solutions aim to address these through alternative consensus methods, off-chain transactions, and designed smart contract languages.
Blockchain Smartnetworks: Bitcoin and Blockchain ExplainedMelanie Swan
Beyond digitalizing money, payments, economics, and finance, and governance, smart property and smart contracts, blockchains secure automated fleet coordination
The implications could be an orderly transition to the automation economy and trust-rich digital smartnetwork societies of the future
Ethereum is the largest decentralized software platform that allows you to build smart contracts and decentralized applications without any downtime and without any third party interference.
VISIT:- http://www.oodlestechnologies.com/online-cryptocurrency-wallet
Future of AI: Blockchain & Deep LearningMelanie Swan
Future of AI: intelligence “baked in” to smart networks, blockchains to confirm authenticity and transfer value, and Deep Learning algorithms for predictive identification. This talk presents two high-impact contemporary emerging technologies: big data and deep learning algorithms, and blockchain distributed ledgers, and discusses their implications for the future of artificial intelligence.
This document outlines plans for the first meeting of Smart Contract Japan's development section. It discusses the mission of Smart Contract Japan to study, develop, and research smart contract technologies globally. The first section will involve writing and running smart contracts together in Hack sessions on Saturdays from 4-9:30pm GMT+9. Participants will use Slack for messaging and Github for sharing code. The goals of the first section are to write codes, run and research smart contracts, and publish results on YouTube or research articles on basics, usage and societal impacts of smart contracts.
Future of AI: Blockchain and Deep LearningMelanie Swan
The Future of AI: Blockchain and Deep Learning
First point: considering blockchain and deep learning together suggests the emergence of a new class of global network computing system. These systems are self-operating computation graphs that make probabilistic guesses about reality states of the world.
Second point: blockchain and deep learning are facilitating each other’s development. This includes using deep learning algorithms for setting fees and detecting fraudulent activity, and using blockchains for secure registry, tracking, and remuneration of deep learning nets as they go onto the open Internet (in autonomous driving applications for example). Blockchain peer-to-peer nodes might provide deep learning services as they already provide transaction hosting and confirmation, news hosting, and banking (payment, credit flow-through) services. Further, there are similar functional emergences within the systems, for example LSTM (long-short term memory in RNNs) are like payment channels.
Third point: AI smart network thesis. We are starting to run more complicated operations through our networks: information (past), money (present), and brains (future). There are two fundamental eras of network computing: simple networks for the transfer of information (all computing to date from mainframe to mobile) and now smart networks for the transfer of value and intelligence. Blockchain and deep learning are built directly into smart networks so that they may automatically confirm authenticity and transfer value (blockchain) and predictively identify individual items and patterns.
This document discusses several disruptive technologies and their potential impacts and opportunities for funders and civil society organizations. It covers artificial intelligence, blockchain/cryptocurrency, big data, and more. Some key points discussed are: 1) These technologies could enable new ways for CSOs to achieve their missions or operate more efficiently. 2) However, they may also disrupt existing models and create new problems to address. 3) Technologies like blockchain could increase transparency and enable direct transfers, while cryptocurrencies present opportunities but also challenges around volatility. The document examines issues around algorithmic giving, data ownership, and how technologies might affect beneficiaries.
Cryptocurrency uses cryptography to conduct financial transactions securely and decentralize control. While initially controlled by a single founder, it has grown to include many alternative coins (altcoins) like Ethereum and Litecoin. Transactions are recorded on a public blockchain to prevent fraud. Cryptocurrencies offer low fees, global access, and pseudonymity compared to traditional currency but are subject to market volatility. Adoption may help the global economy through increased activity, financial access, and transparency of transactions.
What is cryptocurrency everything you need to know - ultimate guidePreparationInfo
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin emerged as a side product of attempts to create digital cash without a central authority. Satoshi Nakamoto invented Bitcoin in 2008 to solve the problem of how to achieve consensus about transaction records in a decentralized peer-to-peer network without central oversight. Cryptocurrencies use cryptography and a public ledger called a blockchain to securely record transactions and generate new units of currency through a process called mining, where computers validate transactions by solving complex math problems. This allows cryptocurrencies to operate as decentralized digital currencies without central control.
The document discusses legalizing digital currency in Pakistan through various business analysis tools. It begins with an introduction and problem statement, then outlines objectives to adopt digital currency legally using SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, Porter's Five Forces analysis, V-MOST analysis, and other frameworks. The body of the document applies these tools to analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats related to bitcoin and other factors influencing the cryptocurrency industry. It considers political, economic, social, and technological factors that impact adoption. The overall aim is to explore how to legally integrate digital currency in Pakistan.
The document summarizes key discussions from the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) regarding blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. Several companies highlighted blockchain applications for connected devices, decentralized data sharing, digital identity, and automating payments for autonomous vehicles. Speakers at the Digital Money Forum discussed the growth of cryptocurrencies in 2017 and expectations for regulation and adoption in 2018. While still nascent at CES, the era of decentralization and moving beyond centralized platforms is underway, with blockchain and AI enabling user sovereignty and new business models for machine-to-machine economies.
A processor (CPU) is the logic circuitry that responds to and processes the basic instructions that drive a computer. The CPU is seen as the main and most crucial integrated circuitry (IC) chip in a computer, as it is responsible for interpreting most of computers commands. CPUs will perform most basic arithmetic, logic and I/O operations, as well as allocate commands for other chips and components running in a computer.
Blockchains in the mainstream - interviews with entrepreneurs Ian Beckett
Blockchains in the Mainstream discusses marketing challenges and opportunities for blockchain and decentralized technologies. The document features contributions from 33 entrepreneurs, investors, and thinkers on how to accelerate mainstream adoption. Contributors discuss how to bring radical decentralization to the masses by focusing on building useful applications, highlighting challenges to overcome, and explaining how blockchain can improve lives and create a more inclusive world. The goal is to help more people understand and benefit from these emerging technologies.
This document contains summaries of 5 books related to cryptocurrency investing and trading. It includes guides on hodling cryptocurrencies, cryptocurrency mining, initial coin offerings (ICOs), the fundamentals of cryptocurrency trading, and blockchain technology. The author provides an introduction to each topic and bonuses for purchasing the full guides.
Top 20 Cryptocurrencies Worth Checking Out In 2022.pdfCharles Sylvester
I'll Show You How to Make Huge Money with Totally Automated Crypto Trading Robots.
It Is a Completely Passive Money Making Method.
It is no problem if you are an absolute beginner (without any skill or experience). You will be able to understand it all and put it into practice, since everything is introduced in great detail!
There are many cryptocurrencies available in the market with different functions and specifications. Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency.
Visit - https://jncx.io/
The document discusses the effects of advanced technology in digital currency. It describes how the first digital currency, Bitcoin, was created in 2009 and how it works through blockchain technology, allowing peer-to-peer transactions without intermediaries. Three main effects of digital currency are discussed: 1) Its role in illegal activities like drug trafficking due to anonymity. 2) Positive economic impacts like lower transaction fees and supporting growth. 3) Potential to replace fiat currency over time. While digital currency enables new opportunities, governments remain concerned about its use in illegal markets and unregulated activities.
This document provides an overview of blockchain technology and its potential applications. It begins with a discussion of money today and how blockchain offers an alternative that is decentralized, digital, highly divisible, confidential, and scarce. It then covers bitcoin and cryptocurrencies as a potential payment rail and store of value. The document outlines the components of blockchain including protocols, networks, applications, and discusses use cases like voting, asset ownership, identity management and healthcare. It also notes that some of the largest token sales in recent quarters have raised billions of dollars and shows the growth of funds raised through token sales.
The document discusses a presentation given by Raoul Chiesa on auditing the mind of hackers and profiling different types of hackers. It provides an overview of Chiesa's background and work with the United Nations on issues related to cybercrime. The presentation outlines the Hackers Profiling Project which aims to better understand hackers through technical and criminological approaches in order to differentiate between various types of hackers.
Beyond Bitcoin – Cryptocurrencies and Altcoins to Watch in 2017Firoz Patel
It’s telling that one of the most popular colloquial terms for a cryptocurrency is “altcoin”, a portmanteau of “alternative” and “bitcoin”. Bitcoin, the original cryptocurrency, has become so ubiquitous that it is the definition of its own category. But the future of Bitcoin is currently in question and, because of this uncertainty, many traders are switching to other cryptocurrencies.
A Beginner's Guide to Profiting from CryptocurrenciesNetflixTube
A cryptocurrency is a type of currency which uses digital files as money. Usually, the files are created using the same ways as cryptography (the science of hiding information). Digital signatures can be used to keep the transactions safe, and let other people check that the transactions are real.
The main point of cryptocurrency is to fix the problems of traditional currencies by putting the power and responsibility in the currency holders' hands. All of the cryptocurrencies adhere to the 5 properties and 3 functions of money. They each also attempt to solve one or more real-world problems.
Akkord works on cryptocurrency trading platform.We aim to be most trusted and result oriented team in field of cryptocurrency trading by serving with extreme proficiency.
We desire to be proven the best out of all the customers have experienced by now.
Our experienced team will cater to their all financial needs.
1. The document discusses three distinct layers related to cryptocurrencies: blockchains, cryptocurrencies/tokens, and ICOs. It provides an overview of each layer and debates issues around them.
2. ICOs captured nearly 6% of total tech startup financing in 2017 but this may have been an anomaly due to bitcoin price rises. ICOs lack mechanisms for governance and accountability that VCs provide.
3. Ultimately blockchains could enable a decentralized Internet 3.0 that reduces big tech companies' control over users' data and innovation, but many evangelists apply blockchains inappropriately without understanding technical limitations and costs.
This lightning talks depicts 7 areas of decentralization that I currently find interesting. Includes tons of links to articles and a closing slide with pointers to resources that you'll want to checkout to get started writing decentralized apps.
Crypto currency has grown significantly since Bitcoin was created in 2009, with Ethereum and others increasing in popularity due to their decentralized nature, cryptographic security, and potential for global transactions. Crypto currency operates independently of traditional financial institutions using blockchain technology, which has the potential to revolutionize data storage and security. It allows anyone to participate in the global economy regardless of location or financial status. While crypto currency facilitates fast, easy transactions with low fees, it also faces challenges of volatility, developing regulations, and environmental impacts. As more businesses accept crypto currency and its uses expand, it may become increasingly mainstream and help drive a global, decentralized economy through technological innovation.
Future of block chain how will it revolutionize the world in 2022ArpitGautam20
future of Blockchain looks exciting. With a wide range of use-cases & ever-increasing innovations, Blockchain is ready to take 2022 by storm! https://arsr.tech/future-of-blockchain-how-will-it-revolutionize-the-world-in-2022/
Similar to Start here! Deconstructing the Blockchain Ecosystem (20)
In the rapidly evolving landscape of technologies, XML continues to play a vital role in structuring, storing, and transporting data across diverse systems. The recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) present new methodologies for enhancing XML development workflows, introducing efficiency, automation, and intelligent capabilities. This presentation will outline the scope and perspective of utilizing AI in XML development. The potential benefits and the possible pitfalls will be highlighted, providing a balanced view of the subject.
We will explore the capabilities of AI in understanding XML markup languages and autonomously creating structured XML content. Additionally, we will examine the capacity of AI to enrich plain text with appropriate XML markup. Practical examples and methodological guidelines will be provided to elucidate how AI can be effectively prompted to interpret and generate accurate XML markup.
Further emphasis will be placed on the role of AI in developing XSLT, or schemas such as XSD and Schematron. We will address the techniques and strategies adopted to create prompts for generating code, explaining code, or refactoring the code, and the results achieved.
The discussion will extend to how AI can be used to transform XML content. In particular, the focus will be on the use of AI XPath extension functions in XSLT, Schematron, Schematron Quick Fixes, or for XML content refactoring.
The presentation aims to deliver a comprehensive overview of AI usage in XML development, providing attendees with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions. Whether you’re at the early stages of adopting AI or considering integrating it in advanced XML development, this presentation will cover all levels of expertise.
By highlighting the potential advantages and challenges of integrating AI with XML development tools and languages, the presentation seeks to inspire thoughtful conversation around the future of XML development. We’ll not only delve into the technical aspects of AI-powered XML development but also discuss practical implications and possible future directions.
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
GraphSummit Singapore | The Art of the Possible with Graph - Q2 2024Neo4j
Neha Bajwa, Vice President of Product Marketing, Neo4j
Join us as we explore breakthrough innovations enabled by interconnected data and AI. Discover firsthand how organizations use relationships in data to uncover contextual insights and solve our most pressing challenges – from optimizing supply chains, detecting fraud, and improving customer experiences to accelerating drug discoveries.
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Imagine a world where software fuzzing, the process of mutating bytes in test seeds to uncover hidden and erroneous program behaviors, becomes faster and more effective. A lot depends on the initial seeds, which can significantly dictate the trajectory of a fuzzing campaign, particularly in terms of how long it takes to uncover interesting behaviour in your code. We introduce DIAR, a technique designed to speedup fuzzing campaigns by pinpointing and eliminating those uninteresting bytes in the seeds. Picture this: instead of wasting valuable resources on meaningless mutations in large, bloated seeds, DIAR removes the unnecessary bytes, streamlining the entire process.
In this work, we equipped AFL, a popular fuzzer, with DIAR and examined two critical Linux libraries -- Libxml's xmllint, a tool for parsing xml documents, and Binutil's readelf, an essential debugging and security analysis command-line tool used to display detailed information about ELF (Executable and Linkable Format). Our preliminary results show that AFL+DIAR does not only discover new paths more quickly but also achieves higher coverage overall. This work thus showcases how starting with lean and optimized seeds can lead to faster, more comprehensive fuzzing campaigns -- and DIAR helps you find such seeds.
- These are slides of the talk given at IEEE International Conference on Software Testing Verification and Validation Workshop, ICSTW 2022.
Unlock the Future of Search with MongoDB Atlas_ Vector Search Unleashed.pdfMalak Abu Hammad
Discover how MongoDB Atlas and vector search technology can revolutionize your application's search capabilities. This comprehensive presentation covers:
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* Step-by-step implementation guide
* Live demos with code snippets
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* Best practices and optimization strategies
Perfect for developers, AI enthusiasts, and tech leaders. Learn how to leverage MongoDB Atlas to deliver highly relevant, context-aware search results, transforming your data retrieval process. Stay ahead in tech innovation and maximize the potential of your applications.
#MongoDB #VectorSearch #AI #SemanticSearch #TechInnovation #DataScience #LLM #MachineLearning #SearchTechnology
Why You Should Replace Windows 11 with Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 for enhanced perfor...SOFTTECHHUB
The choice of an operating system plays a pivotal role in shaping our computing experience. For decades, Microsoft's Windows has dominated the market, offering a familiar and widely adopted platform for personal and professional use. However, as technological advancements continue to push the boundaries of innovation, alternative operating systems have emerged, challenging the status quo and offering users a fresh perspective on computing.
One such alternative that has garnered significant attention and acclaim is Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, a sleek, powerful, and user-friendly Linux distribution that promises to redefine the way we interact with our devices. With its focus on performance, security, and customization, Nitrux Linux presents a compelling case for those seeking to break free from the constraints of proprietary software and embrace the freedom and flexibility of open-source computing.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Enchancing adoption of Open Source Libraries. A case study on Albumentations.AIVladimir Iglovikov, Ph.D.
Presented by Vladimir Iglovikov:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/iglovikov/
- https://x.com/viglovikov
- https://www.instagram.com/ternaus/
This presentation delves into the journey of Albumentations.ai, a highly successful open-source library for data augmentation.
Created out of a necessity for superior performance in Kaggle competitions, Albumentations has grown to become a widely used tool among data scientists and machine learning practitioners.
This case study covers various aspects, including:
People: The contributors and community that have supported Albumentations.
Metrics: The success indicators such as downloads, daily active users, GitHub stars, and financial contributions.
Challenges: The hurdles in monetizing open-source projects and measuring user engagement.
Development Practices: Best practices for creating, maintaining, and scaling open-source libraries, including code hygiene, CI/CD, and fast iteration.
Community Building: Strategies for making adoption easy, iterating quickly, and fostering a vibrant, engaged community.
Marketing: Both online and offline marketing tactics, focusing on real, impactful interactions and collaborations.
Mental Health: Maintaining balance and not feeling pressured by user demands.
Key insights include the importance of automation, making the adoption process seamless, and leveraging offline interactions for marketing. The presentation also emphasizes the need for continuous small improvements and building a friendly, inclusive community that contributes to the project's growth.
Vladimir Iglovikov brings his extensive experience as a Kaggle Grandmaster, ex-Staff ML Engineer at Lyft, sharing valuable lessons and practical advice for anyone looking to enhance the adoption of their open-source projects.
Explore more about Albumentations and join the community at:
GitHub: https://github.com/albumentations-team/albumentations
Website: https://albumentations.ai/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/100504475
Twitter: https://x.com/albumentations
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
“An Outlook of the Ongoing and Future Relationship between Blockchain Technologies and Process-aware Information Systems.” Invited talk at the joint workshop on Blockchain for Information Systems (BC4IS) and Blockchain for Trusted Data Sharing (B4TDS), co-located with with the 36th International Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering (CAiSE), 3 June 2024, Limassol, Cyprus.
Unlocking Productivity: Leveraging the Potential of Copilot in Microsoft 365, a presentation by Christoforos Vlachos, Senior Solutions Manager – Modern Workplace, Uni Systems
2. Introduction: The hero’s journey
We all remember what it was like to
get started with blockchain…
A veritable hellscape of
misinformation, prognostication and
conflicting points of view.
Right: Dante’s Descent into Hell >>
2
3. It’s a 5-step process for everyone
We all remember what it was like to get started with blockchain…
1. Denial: I refuse to even be bothered with another nonsense technology.
2. Anger: Why is this even a thing? It’s stupid and everyone in it is dumb.
3. Bargaining: Maybe it works but only for criminals and scammers.
4. Depression: Idiots are getting rich and the world’s gone crazy.
5. Acceptance: This is real and the smartest people in the world are in it.
3
4. Once you’ve accepted, you still need to get your bearings
Learning the technology component is now pretty straightforward, but...
● What’s the context for where we currently are?
● What is the lay of the land?
● What problems can I actually solve?
● What information sources can I trust?
It’s difficult to build a picture of what’s going on out there.
Let’s fix that.
4
6. Today is about the context and ecosystem AROUND the tech
We’ll look at the narrative arc
that brought us here and how
you might find yourself shaping
the future.
You normally pick this up in
1000 different places.
6
8. About Me
I’m Erik Trautman and I run operations at NEAR Protocol, a
scalable mobile-first blockchain on a mission to bring the
technology to a billion mobile devices around the world.
I also care deeply about creating great products, educating people
and building rich ecosystems.
My background is in markets, open-source software development,
startups and education. And general nerdery.
8
9. Roadmap
1. Visions of the Future
2. Historical Narratives
3. Use Cases and Adoption
4. Key Problems
5. Bridging to the Future
9
10. Roadmap
1. Visions of the Future
2. Historical Narratives
3. Use Cases and Adoption
4. Key Problems
5. Bridging to the Future
10
11. Two supertrends to pay attention to: Data and Control
Data: Everything is becoming data.
Control: The gatekeepers of the future are
those who control the data.
11
12. Money is becoming data
12
We’ve moved from chunky physical money to purely digital money:
1. Barter: We started with barter and exchange
2. Coinage: Moved to a central medium of metal bars and coins
3. Banking: We put the metal into safes to receive direct IOUs
4. Fiat: Central banks started issuing paper currency (fiat) that
was decoupled from assets
5. Cloud Data: Paper became data in the cloud and now we trust
that it’s moving between our accounts among banks
13. Assets are becoming data
13
We’ve progressed from whole physical assets to pieces of
digital ones:
1. Finders keepers: I own it if I can defend it.
2. Physical titles: We trust the book in the town library
3. Aggregated digitized goods: Private companies
aggregate and sell cash flows against the assets via
securitization pools
4. Pieces of digitized goods: Break up goods into smaller
pieces of data (tokens)
14. People are becoming data
14
We’ve progressed from meatspace to digital space:
1. Total Privacy and Anonymity: Remember that?
2. Digital Vapor Trails: Now every action you take,
even your heartbeat, becomes a trail of data.
3. Human Data Points: You are tracked everywhere
on the web and in person for ad targeting. Your
identity is passed among unknown third parties.
15. Who controls the data?
15
We’ve progressed from meatspace to digital space:
1. Uncontrolled Data: Data used to disappear
2. Hoarded Data: Corporations started sucking up all
the data, using it to build product moats
a. You’re left vulnerable to rent-extracting moats
b. They can be co-opted or censored by governments,
intelligence agencies or hackers.
c. Frequently, your data is just sold to the highest bidder.
3. Individually Controlled Data: It’s out there in a
decentralized way that only you can fully access.
?
16. Control the data, control the world
16
The world’s most valuable companies
are all data controllers and aggregators.
2001: 1 tech company in the top 5
2016: 5 tech companies in the top 5
“Data is the new oil.”
17. Are we at a global maxima or a local maxima?
17
● Future 1: The more data, the
better! Apply machine learning to
build a stronger competitive moat
and lock in users.
● Future 2: Control of data is
re-decentralized, returning power
to the people and opening up
new paths of interaction.
18. The path to the decentralized future has potholes
18
Do users actually WANT control back? They
like centralization! It means immediately better
products, smoother experiences... and
difficult-to-measure future risks.
We’ll only succeed if we can create an
individual incentive to re-decentralize or
perform a collective action which achieves
this (eg GDPR). Photographer: Debbie Egan-Chin/NY Daily News
Archive/Getty Images
19. Roadmap
1. Visions of the Future
2. Historical Narratives
3. Use Cases and Usage
4. Key Problems
5. Bridging to the Future
19
20. History and narratives
20
To know where you are, you
must know where you’ve been.
The challenge is finding the
right narrative to follow.
Let’s take a journey.
21. Satoshi’s 2008 Bitcoin white paper was just the catalyst.
1. Cypherpunks: Freeing cryptography from the government
2. Digital money: Solving centralization and double spends
3. Open/closed internet: Swinging the pendulum back to “open”
4. Open source: Infrastructure finding a business… or bootstrapping... model
5. Social trends: Turning against corporate data hoarding and governments
6. Peer-to-Peer: File sharing is the cockroach that can’t be killed
...We can’t track them all but I’ll dip into the most relevant unifying threads.
Blockchain convergences multiple long term narratives
21
22. For example: open/closed cycles
Early 1990s [CLOSED]: Private networks, gatekeeping… the AOL days
Late 1990s [OPEN]: We have a new distributed, decentralized, permissionless
network where anyone can build applications. The future is ours!
Late 2000s [CLOSED]: Gatekeepers and aggregators (Google, Facebook)
become the toll takers and smartphones created walled gardens (Apple store)
20?? [OPEN]: We AGAIN have a new distributed, decentralized, permissionless
network where anyone can create applications.
Credit: Benedict Evans for the verbiage 22
24. Bitcoin has been driven by multiple incompatible narratives
1. E-Cash proof-of-concept (digital money)
2. P2P payment network
3. Censorship-resistant digital gold (store of value)
4. Private and anonymous darknet currency
5. Reserve currency for all of crypto (and unit of account)
6. Programmable shared database (providing security layer)
7. Uncorrelated financial asset
Credit: Nic Carter in https://medium.com/@nic__carter/visions-of-bitcoin-4b7b7cbcd24c
24
26. 2013: Rise of the currency coins
2013: Litecoin,
Ripple, Dogecoin
2014: Monero
2015: Dash
2016: ZCash
26
27. But how do we value a currency?
What’s the TAM of *Money*?
● Remittances are $400B/yr
● US M1 (Cash) supply is ~$4 Trillion
● US M2 (Cash+Current Assets) is ~$14 Trillion
● Global money is ~$90 Trillion
...So is a new currency worth $90T?
$90T/velocity?
27
M1 and M2: 1980 - Today
28. 2014: Ethereum
2015: NEM
2016: ETC (DAO)
2017: EOS, IOTA,
Tezos, NEO,
Cardano, TRON...
2014: Ethereum and the rise of the smart contract platforms
28
29. How do we value a global infrastructure platform?
No one really knows…
● Global GDP is ~$80 Trillion
● The internet drives ~6% of US GDP
So… ~$4 Trillion of value creation on the
web, how much could be captured?
29
30. 2017-2018: The ICO and appcoin bubble
Anyone can launch a coin,
let’s tokenize everything!
● Most built on top of the
base protocol Ethereum
● New funding is “outside
traditional oversight”...
Irrational exuberance!
30
31. How do we value a protocol token?
Best guess is the Fat Protocol Thesis
(USV/Montenegro 2016):
● Old: 90% of value is captured by the
application layer, 10% by the infra.
● New: 10% value captured by app
layer, 90% by the infrastructure.
The race is on to build tokens… but we
don’t actually know what works.
31
32. 2018: The ICO bubble implodes
...taking Ethereum with it.
● Scams, bad incentives,
pump-and-dump schemes and
regulatory uncertainty
● Coins with no value capture
model and no team
What went up, then came down.
32
33. 2018+: Bear market brings law... and adoption?
● Securities law is back!
○ Utility token? App token?
○ How decentralized are you?
○ What does your token DO..?
● SEC is prosecuting
○ Outright fraud
○ Unregistered securities offerings
33
34. Regulatory clarity is slowly coming
Who regulates this stuff?
1. SEC: New securities
issuance
2. CFTC: Commodities
3. CFPB: Money transfers
Can it start as a security but
become decentralized?
CTFC....
34
35. Rays of hope
35
● “Sandboxing” environments in
Switzerland and Britain
● Flexible governments in Singapore,
Japan, Hong Kong, some in Europe
● Banking is slowly coming aboard
test-driving the tech
● Enterprise custody is a key entry
point for institutional money
● Scammers have been shaken out?
39. What does adoption look like? Two theses.
1. Killer App Thesis:
a. Success == breakout app
b. We already kind of have it… Bitcoin!
c. Partial rebuttal: “Myth of the Infrastructure Phase” (USV 2018)
2. Hidden Blockchain Thesis:
a. Success is when we don’t know we’re using it
b. Need to surface the unique value
...We really don’t know yet.
39
40. The Internet’s true adoption wasn’t obvious either in 1993
40
Credit: Benedict Evans
41. Adoption for new technologies follows an S-curve
41
1. Prototyping / R&D
a. Uninformed optimism
2. Early Adoption
a. What do we do with it?
3. Exponential Growth
a. P/M fit drives investment
4. Mature Adoption
a. Tech finds the edges
Crypto is still phase 2.
Credit: Benedict Evans
42. 3 Key Use Case Areas
42
Almost every specific use case can be generalized into one of these three areas:
1. Currency
2. The Finance Stack
3. Web 3
Let’s look at each of them in turn.
Credit: Benedict Evans
43. Use Case: Currency
1. Unit of Account
2. Medium of Exchange
3. Store of Value
BTC is basically a Store of Value and sort of a Unit of Account…
ETH is a Unit of Account for many apps…
XRP and Stellar are Media of Exchange...
Privacy coins nip the edges...
43
44. Use Case: Rebuilding the financial system with fintech
The existing one was too slow and rent-seeking anyway so we rebuilt it.
● Some of it is crypto agnostic:
○ Cross-border transactions
○ Settlements
● Some of it is crypto-facing:
○ Lending
○ Trading (margin, derivatives)
44
45. Finance stack: Services dominate
We’re back to selling “picks and shovels.” The most successful businesses have
been service (or hardware) providers for crypto:
● Exchanges (Coinbase, Gemini, Binance)
● Institutional custody (Coinbase)
● Mining hardware companies (Bitmain)
Still need banking services.
45
46. Finance stack: Lending opens the door
Lending is the basis of everything in
finance. It’s moving on-chain.
● Benefits:
○ Creates interest rates
○ Monetizes assets
○ Allows derivatives + short sales
● Challenges
○ No credit without identity!
46
https://www.coinstaker.com/bitcoin-finance/lending/
47. Finance stack: Tokenized assets
Let’s put all of the real world assets onto
the blockchain!
● Benefits
○ Liquidity for illiquid assets
○ Democratize trading
● Lots of challenges
○ Ownership verification
○ Liens and equity
○ Dividends and cash flows
○ Is there a market for this?
○ Regulatory
47
https://launch.quantmre.com/asset-backed-tokens-th
e-game-changer-for-real-estate-investing/
48. Finance stack: Stablecoins
Need a stable store of value and
medium of exchange once in crypto.
1. Fiat Collateralized (IOU)
2. Crypto Collateralized
3. Not Collateralized (Seniorage)
This is a HARD problem… every
approach has severe weaknesses.
48
https://hackernoon.com/stablecoins-designing-a-pric
e-stable-cryptocurrency-6bf24e2689e5
49. Finance stack: new tools and benefits
Some things are blockchain-native
1. Accounts:
a. Separation of individual identity from
accounts and wallets (IoT)
2. Payments:
a. Viable micropayments
b. Rapid settlement
Your car can now pay its own tolls!
49
https://www.altoros.com/blog/automotive-blockchain-f
rom-manufacturing-to-security-to-insurance/
50. Future of the finance stack
● We stubbed our toe on outrunning capital formation with ICOs
● Need more institutional custody and management tools
● Need more lending and credit-extension
● Asset tokenization needs to weather challenges
● New areas are opened up…
○ Autonomous vehicles with accounts
○ IoT devices with accounts
50
51. Use Case: Re-decentralize the web with Web 3
A global computer combines the infrastructure of
AWS with the stubborn censorship resistance of
Bitcoin.
Smart contracts make your app:
1. Uncensorable: once launched, it’s out there
2. Transparent: everyone sees the code
3. Forkable: easily replicated and modified
51
52. Web 3: Return control to the users
A key feature of this new web is returning control to the user:
1. The user controls their money
2. The user controls their data
3. The user controls their identity
...but how much control do users really want?
52
https://goodselects.com/what-is-dapp/
53. Web 3: New primitives over Web 2
New primitives are available to users and devs:
1. Portability: Transfer your assets and data
at will, eg. game assets, money
2. Cryptography: Easily verify if someone
owns something, if a transaction occurred,
etc w/o exposing data.
3. Accounts: Identity is native
4. P2P: Permissionless interaction w/ others
53
54. Web 3: Current use cases are early
Adoption is almost nonexistent. Top use
cases:
1. Gambling
2. Exchanges
3. Gaming
4. …?
54
https://btcmanager.com/crypto-games-pro
vably-fair-gambling-with-cryptocurrency/
55. Web 3: It’s not all about the “web”
Not everything is a general-purpose smart
contract platform, for example:
1. Livepeer does video transcoding
2. Perlin does distributed commodity
computing
3. IPFS stores files in a decentralized way
Ultimately, there’s TONS of flexibility provided
by the general idea of blockchain systems.
55
https://www.slideshare.net/DaphneChong1/video-tr
anscoding-at-scale-for-abc-iview-ndc-sydney
56. Web 3: Not all chains are even the same type
Blockchains have been fractured based on the
needs of specific parties (eg enterprises):
1. Public chains: everyone can see
everything (though can encrypt)
2. Private chains: nodes operated by a
single entity (not decentralized)
3. Consortium chains: collaboratively
operated by multiple industry players
56
https://cryptocurrencynews.com/public-vs-private-bl
ockchain/
57. Roadmap
1. Visions of the Future
2. Historical Narratives
3. Use Cases and Adoption
4. Key Problems
5. Bridging to the Future
57
58. Key problems with decentralized apps (DApps)
58
https://blog.prototypr.io/disruptive-ux-of-blockchain-what-you-should-focus-on-647cf5f9de89
Remember: problems become opportunities.
59. 1. Too many steps to onboard and use
a. Go to an exchange, sign up, enter financials, buy crypto, move to wallet, activate wallet…
b. Enable wallet, pay for every transaction, figure out how to convert back to fiat...
2. Too much knowledge required
a. What is a wallet? What is a private key? What is gas?
3. No user protections or common design patterns
Problem: Blockchain user experience (UX) sucks
59
60. This is a highly technical toolset so our first
customers are actually the developers but...
1. Tools are all different and made by
different people
2. Little education or support for errors
3. Too much required token thinking
4. Fragile tooling
This is normal so early but frustrating.
Problem: Blockchain developer experience (DevX) sucks
60
https://medium.com/the-opsee-blog/let-s-talk-about-
developer-experience-dx-design-f62ee4c2ee05
61. Problem: This doesn’t scale
Bitcoin processes 4 transactions/second.
Ethereum 14tps.
One DApp (cryptokitties) essentially took
down the whole platform. Your app gets
slowed by another app’s success.
New platforms make many promises...
61
62. Problem: This doesn’t scale (solution narratives)
We’ve tried to solve the scaling problem
with a number of narratives:
1. We’ll figure it out with fixes…
a. Only achieved constant improvements
2. We’ll use layer 2
a. Eg. State channels, sidechains
b. But so complex, not getting usage
3. Back to layer 1!
a. Try re-centralizing the system (EOS)
b. Try sharding the system (NEAR, Eth 2.0)
62
https://cryptoreview.guru/what-are-sidechains/
63. How do you build a system when costs are both high and totally variable?
Problem: Cost
63
https://coinmetrics.io/charts/#assets=btc_log=false_right=averageFeeUsd_zoom=1496371709387.755,1546872886792.2305
64. New technology can’t grow without incentivizing entrepreneurs! Web 3 makes
most existing models more difficult.
● ICOs were a regulatory hack that failed
○ Tokens are only viable in very few cases
● The ecosystem is held up by investment $
○ This is NOT sustainable… need biz models!
● SAAS-style models aren’t viable yet
○ Regular payments suck
So what is my incentive to build a business?
Problem: Business models
64
65. Problem: The education gap
Incentives are to build not educate. The
typical wave for a new ecosystem:
1. Makers build the cutting edge
2. Thought leaders and makers informally
teach via blogs and docs
3. Jobs are created, incentivizing both
teachers and students.
We are still in stage 2.
65
https://hackernoon.com/blockchain-education-challen
ge-98a98e360315
66. Problem: De-re-decentralization
Let me get this straight...
1. Give everyone the freedom to own
their own wealth. Success!
2. People just give it all to Coinbase to
hold on to.
3. Coinbase becomes a centralized
player with tons of market power.
...do people actually want this??
66
https://cryptoreview.guru/what-are-sidechains/
67. Problem: Diversity and inclusion
This isn’t just skin deep.
1. Function -- who is talking to designers,
product people, marketers?
2. Gender -- yes, that problem...
3. Industry experience -- noobs dominate
Luckily there is more geographical diversity
than typical but we have a long way to go.
67
http://fintechnews.ch/blockchain_bitcoin/inaugural-ico
-summit-confirms-switzerlands-leading-role-crypto-fin
ance/13105/
68. Roadmap
1. Visions of the Future
2. Historical Narratives
3. Use Cases and Adoption
4. Key Problems
5. Bridging to the Future
68
70. Your to-do list is simple: Fix #allthethings
Bear market? Time to #BUIDL.
1. Fix UX and DevX (invisible chain?)
2. Build out the ecosystem (find that app!)
3. Fix scaling
4. Explore the cutting edge
a. Governance
b. Alternate consensus mechanisms
c. Business models
d. Competitive moats
e. Valuation models
70
https://typto.co/products/just-buidl-cotton-cap-issue-1
72. Where to start
If you have any skills, they’re applicable.
1. Follow the high signal leaders
2. Learn the technology
3. Find the problem that fits your skills
4. Read the 12 blog posts about it
5. Start helping out by applying your
existing skills -- for free or for hire
6. Write and teach
72
Image: Spongebob Squarepants