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Cypherpunk, Crypto Anarchy and How Bitcoin Lost the Narrative
24.11.2020
The crypto industry tends to give "cypherpunk" vibes a great deal of lip service without much attention to their real values
Previous Bitcoin Bull Run Patterns Suggest Current Run Could See a $160K Top, Possible $25K Bottom
24.11.2020
While digital currency markets have increased significantly in value a number of crypto asset proponents are wondering how far the next bull run will take them. For instance, the last three bitcoin bull runs saw different price spikes and significant drops below 80% as well. If the next bitcoin...
Chapter 5: Publishing
9.11.2020
Not long after HotWired launched on the web in 1994, Josh Quittner wrote an article entitled “Way New Journalism” for the publication. He was enthusiastic about the birth of a new medium.
I’m talking about a sea change in journalism itself, in the way we do the work of reporting and presenting...
A (Not Quite) Complete History of Money, Feat. Planet Money’s Jacob Goldstein
3.11.2020
One of the hosts of NPR’s legendary “Planet Money” takes us on a whirlwind tour of some of the key moments of money history in the last 1,000 years
8 Historical Analogies That Help Explain the Madness of 2020
4.9.2020
From the U.S. presidential elections of 1896 to the dot-com bubble to housing markets in 2006, these historical moments help us make sense of a truly WTF year
Ethereum History in 5 Charts
31.7.2020
Five years ago this week, the first general-purpose blockchain went live on mainnet. Here are five charts for understanding Ethereum's evolution
Dark Ages of the Web
30.7.2020
A very fun jaunt through the early days of front-end web development. They are open to pull requests, so submit one if you’re into this kind of fun chronicling of our weird history!
That CSS3 Button generator really hits home. 😬
Direct Link to Article — Permalink… Read...
American Panic Led to the Creation and Expansion of the Corrupt Federal Reserve System
30.5.2020
The Federal Reserve System was created after the “Panic of 1907” and ever since its inception in 1913, the Fed is one of the most powerful modern central banks in the world. Moreover, the Fed has always been either celebrated or criticized for stepping in whenever the U.S. is stricken...
‘Minsky Moments’ and the Financial History of Pandemics
19.5.2020
As a wobbly recovery tries to take hold, was the coronavirus pandemic simply the pinprick on a larger economic bubble?
Bitcoin History: When DDoS Attacks Made BTC’s Price Drop
7.3.2020
As anyone who has read the Bitcoin History series (or lived through the period in question) will know, the Bitcointalk forum was the crucible of debate in the early days. What’s less known is that – to quote one poster – “DDoSing this forum coincided with dumps on the then...
Bitcoin History Part 24: Celebrating the First Halving in 2012
25.2.2020
As the third Bitcoin halvening approaches, a handful of OGs will wistfully recall the first such event, which occurred in November 2012. Back then, following the completion of block 210,000, the mining reward halved from 50 to 25 BTC. To commemorate the milestone, early adopters threw parties...
‘Pandora’s Box, but for Freedom’: Author Isaiah Jackson on Bitcoin’s Impact
22.2.2020
Leigh Cuen is joined by author Isaiah Jackson to talk about financial discrimination and the value bitcoin can offer minority communities
Is Bitcoin in 2020 Really Like the Early Internet?
11.1.2020
Bitcoin may be behind the internet’s timeline in terms of commercial use cases, but it has already achieved comparable social functions
Bitcoin History Part 23: The First BTC Escrow
9.1.2020
Before the emergence of crypto exchanges and trustless multi-sig, early bitcoiners saw the need for an escrow service – a mediator to act as a go-between for strangers transacting online. Given the panoply of options now available, it is strange to think that escrow was once provided by a...
Federal Reserve Considers Creating a Separate Entity for Cash Injections
8.1.2020
While American President Donald Trump wages war with Iran, the U.S. Federal Reserve has continued to inject fresh capital into the hands of private banks by giving them $100 billion in overnight and 14-day repos on Tuesday. The same day, Rabobank strategist Philip Marey predicted the central bank...
The Many Facts Pointing to Ian Grigg Being Satoshi
20.12.2019
Financial cryptographer. Cypherpunk. Inventor of Ricardian contracts and early utilizer of triple-entry accounting systems, which would later be exemplified in Bitcoin. Ian Grigg may have claimed that Satoshi was a team effort and is now dead, only living on in bitcoiners everywhere, but some seem...
Bitcoin History Part 22: The New Wealthy Elite
19.12.2019
“I am pretty confident we are the new wealthy elite, gentlemen, even with a sum as small as 10 bitcoins … The world just isn’t going to be the same and we have been blessed as the pioneers.” When these remarks were made in June of 2011, they seemed hopeful to the point...
Bitcoin History Part 21: Miners Pour One out for Satoshi
10.12.2019
There are a few ways of looking at bitcoin mining. As an ostensibly selfish enterprise, wherein miners are seeking to extract precious coins for profit. And as a community of individuals who envisage a better way of generating, handling and using money, and are motivated to secure the Bitcoin...
3 Major Signs That Precede the Fall of World Reserve Currencies
24.10.2019
The story of reserve currencies is long and stretches far back into ancient times. As modern history shows, however, the average lifespan of fiat reserve assets is just around 100 years. This means that even the U.S. dollar’s period of dominance is probably nearing its end very soon...
Bitcoin History Part 17: That Time Mt. Gox Destroyed 2,609 BTC
21.9.2019
Technically speaking, it’s impossible to destroy bitcoins. But it is possible to send coins to an unspendable address, rendering them redundant to all intents and purposes. In October 2011, that’s exactly what Mark Karpeles did when he consigned 2,609 BTC to eternal oblivion due to...