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

Ethereum Founder Vitalik Buterin joined us once again to discuss the state of Ethereum and the efforts to innovate the protocol. We covered the takeaways from the DAO fork, switching to the proof-of-stake system Casper and how to think about blockchain interoperability. Topics covered in this episode: – Lessons from the DAO hack – The security flaws of Proof-of-Work – Why Proof-of-Stake will provide more security and scalability – The state of Casper and transition timeline – Blockchain interoperability Episode links: Ethereum Foundation Ethereum R&D Roundup Valentine's Day December Development Roundup R3 Chain Interoperability Paper Epicenter 58: Ethereum, Proof-of-Stake and Future of Bitcoin Epicenter 91: Frontier Launch and Scalability This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/171

One of the key issues with blockchain networks is the lack of interoperability. In the early days of Bitcoin, blockchain interoperability was far from people’s minds. However, as new networks continued to emerge and gain traction, the ability to move assets freely from one blockchain to another has become a critical feature. We’re joined by Jae Kwon, CEO and Founder of Tendermint, the team which is launching the Cosmos Network. Cosmos aims to build the internet of blockchains: A global network of blockchains, connected through hubs that allow trustless token transfer. Jae joined us to discuss the Cosmos vision, the underlying Tendermint consensus algorithm and upcoming fundraiser. Topics covered in this episode: What Cosmos is and the problems it hopes to solve How Tendermint and Ethereum relate to Cosmos How Cosmos differs from other attemps to solve blockchain interoperability Cosmos’ consensus algorithm, BFT-PoS The role of Hubs and Zones in the Cosmos Network Cosmos’ native asset, Atom, and its role in creating liquidity for inter-blockchain exchange How validator nodes will be chosen Governance in the Cosmos Network Applications for Cosmos The Atom fundraiser and Cosmos’ product roadmap Episode links: Cosmos: Internet of Blockchains Tendermint Epicenter 113: Tendermint - Private Modularized Blockchains Cosmos Whitepaper This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/170

There is no doubt that proof of work, introduced in the Bitcoin white paper, has stood the test of time as a robust and resilient Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus mechanism. However, many issues may prevent Nakamoto Consensus from securely scaling over the long term. The risk of validator centralization, network forking, block scarcity and high energy costs required to mine a block have all been extensively debated with no realistic long-term solutions to date. A new paper titled “Algorand” attempts to addresses these problems. We’re pleased to be joined by Professor Silvio Micali, a computer scientist at MIT, who is known for his work in many of the technologies blockchains rely on today. As one of the co-inventors of zero-knowledge proofs, he has been decorated with a number of prizes and awards, including the Turing Award, which he received in 2012 for his work in cryptography. Prof. Micali describes the concept of Algorand, an alternative approach to proof of work which offers high security guarantees while allowing the network to scale with demand. Relying only on a trivial amount of computation to validate transactions, Algorand also reduces the probability of network forks to near-zero. It uses novel mechanisms to select validators for blocks and enabling them to come to consensus on them. Topics covered in this episode: Professor Micali’s fascinating career in the fields of computer science and cryptography The technical limitations of proof of work The ideal properties for a truly decentralized, secure and scalable cryptocurrency Algorand’s new approach to Byzantine consensus Algorand’s strong adversarial model How validators are randomly selected by the network How validators are chosen and how they arrive at consensus How Algorand guarantees a low probability of network forks How Algorand addresses the issue of scaling and block size Algorand’s roadmap and future plans Episode links: Algorand White Paper Algorand talk by Silvo Micali on YouTube Silvio Micali - Wikipedia This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/169

In the last year, blockchain protocols have matured at an exciting pace. Open source projects like Ethereum, the Eris stack and Tendermint are behind much of the experimentation being conducted at leading companies. These protocols would not be where they are today if it wasn’t for the hard work of dedicated open source developers.One of those people is Rick Dudley. An opinionated and passionate developer, Rick is involved in multiple projects. He works as a DevOps at Monax, works closely with Vlad Zamfir on implementing Casper in Ethereum, is a leading member of the Coala organization and is Founder and CEO of the startup Vulcanize. Rick gives us insider insights on Ethereum and on how the project may evolve, in particular, once Casper is implemented and when more robust, strongly typed language VMs are made available to the protocol.Topics covered in this episode:How Rick got involved with blockchain and EthereumHis views on the Ethereum’s planned transition to CasperThe risks and benefits of moving to CasperThe subtle differences between Casper and TendermintThe recent break up of the Synereo projectGreg Meredith’s work on Rchain and Rholang, and how that relates to EthereumPotential synergies between Zcash and EthereumVulcanize and VulcanizeDBEpisode links:Time waits for no one (Medium post)"Method for portability of information between multiple servers patent"Vulcanize.ioCoalition of Automated Legal ApplicationsEpicenter episode with Vlad ZamfirStrong and weak typing - Wikipediaπ-calculus - WikipediaThis episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/168

After the successful Ethereum crowdfunding campaign, musician and web developer Peter Harris saw a path to creating a fair, decentralized music streaming platform. Out of that Resonate was born. Peter joined us to discuss why the dysfunctional structure of the music industry results in a bad deal for musicians and why a decentralized platform supported by blockchain technology and run as a cooperative represents a better way forward. Topics covered in this episode: How technology changed the ability of musician’s to make money Why streaming platforms don’t compensate musicians fairly The story of how Peter came to found resonate Why Stream-to-Own is a better way to compensate artists Why Resonate chose to build on BigchainDB The benefits of the cooperative structure for decentralized platforms The Resonate crowd-owning campaign Episode links: Resonate Website Resonate Crowd-Owning Campaign Resonate - Stream-to-Own Resonate - Building a Blockchain Database Epicenter 126: Trent McConaghy on BigchainDB COALA IP This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/167

Years into the controversy around how to scale Bitcoin, there have been many challengers to Bitcoin core’s dominance. After XT, Classic and others have faded, Bitcoin Unlimited has been gaining traction and emerged as plausible new way forward. Bitcoin Unlimited wants to make the block size a parameter that is set by miners and nodes, but not fixed at a network level. They argue a natural fee market would emerge, allowing Bitcoin to rapidly scale and realizing its promise of electronic cash as well as store of value. The project is also member-driven, with democratic decisions driving its development decisions. Core developer G. Andrew Stone and Bitcoin Unlimited President Andrew Clifford joined us for the episode. Topics covered in this episode: How Stone and Clifford first got involved in Bitcoin The history of the blocksize debate and Bitcoin core alternatives Why the Bitcoin block size should be determined by miners not developers The natural fee market that would arise controlling the size of Unlimited blocks How the non-profit organization behind Bitcoin Unlimited works How a transition to Bitcoin Unlimited could look like Episode links: Peter Rizun: How Bitcoin Unlimited deals with large blocks Bitcoin Unlimited Website G. Andrew Stone: Examining Effect of Single Transaction Blocks on Network Peter Rizun: A Transaction Fee Market Exists Without a Block Size Bitcoin Unlimited Member Forum Bitcoin Network Hashrate Distribution This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/166

It’s been an eventful year in the blockchain space, for the Epicenter podcast, and its hosts. Brian, Meher and Sebastien look back on 2016 and provide a few personal updates, give their thoughts and insights on how the space evolved, and make predictions on where they feel the industry will go in the next year. Topics covered in this episode: Brian, Meher and Sebastien give a few updates on their personal lives and professional projects The current state of VC funding in the blockchain space The application of blockchain technologies in enterprise and the corporate development cycle The current state of the Bitcoin and Ethereum ecosystems and provide our thoughts on their respective futures Predictions for 2017 and speculations on how the industry will continue to evolve Episode links: Bitcoin Venture Capital Funding Not Just Bitcoin: The Top 7 Cryptocurrencies All Gained in 2016 Validity Labs Stratumn Website Tendermint Cosmos - Internet of Blockchains Dictator's Handbook This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/165

Ari Juels, a Professor at Cornell Tech (Jacobs Institute) and former Chief Scientist of RSA, joins us to discuss his work two of his blockchain-related research topics: Authenticated Data Feeds for Smart Contracts and criminal smart contracts. One of the shortcomings of decentralized smart contracts is their inability to retrieve information from the outside world. Smart contracts can’t make API calls to websites and data feeds, but rely on oracles to feed real-world information to the chain. This potentially requires a high trust in the oracle operators. Authenticated data feeds promise to solve the problem by relying on Intel’s novel SGX hardware. We also talked about how criminals could use smart contracts to more efficiently conduct crimes such as incentivizing the theft of private keys or even soliciting real-world crimes such as murder. Topics covered in this episode: Ari’s background in cryptography and cryptocurrencies The pain points with oracles as we describe them today The idea behind Authenticated Data Feeds The hardware and software architecture of the Authenticated Data Feed model and how hardware isolation works How Authenticated Data Feeds could be used to create criminal smart contracts The differents ways in which criminals could use Authenticated Data Feeds to release bounties for crimes such as private key theft or even murder Countermeasures to fight criminal smart contracts The Initiative For Cryptocurrencies & Contracts (IC3) and its raison d’être Episode links: Ari Juels' website Town Crier: An Authenticated Data Feed for Smart Contracts (white paper) The Ring of Gyges: Investigating the Future of Criminal Smart Contracts (white paper) IC3 - The Initiative For Cryptocurrencies & Contracts CCS 2016: Criminal Smart Contracts Talk Zero Days: Stuxnet Documentary This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/164

Roger Ver is one of the earliest Bitcoin investors and through his tireless evangelizing of the cryptocurrency became known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus’. Roger joined us to discuss Bitcoin’s incredible potential to foster liberty. We also discussed how the current stalemate about how to scale Bitcoin is threatening that potential. And, finally, the mining pool operated by his site Bitcoin.com that is supporting the Bitcoin Unlimited client. Topics covered in this episode: How Roger Ver became the first investor in Bitcoin startups What the Bitcoin community was like in 2011 The appeal of Bitcoin for voluntaryists Why the scalability stalemate is crippling Bitcoin Bitcoin.com’s new mining pool and support for Bitcoin Unlimited His vision for the future of Bitcoin Episode links: Bitcoin.com Roger Ver Uncut Video Bitcoin Unlimited BLOCKTRAIL | Bitcoin API and Block Explorer Hashrate Distribution Mining Pools & Clients BLOCKTRAIL | Bitcoin API and Block Explorer Roger Ver: TIme to End the Block-Size Blockade Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/163

Few crypto projects have gotten as much attention and caused as much controversy as Steem. The blockchain-based social media platform launched early this year and managed to gain real user traction building up a vibrant community of contributors. The Steem token quickly entered bubble territory reaching a market cap of almost $400m and losing 90% of its value since. Steem Co-Founder and CEO Ned Scott joined us to discuss the ambition of the project and its short tumultous history. We also discussed some of the accusations against Steem and its unorthodox launch. Topics covered in this episode: How Steem was launched out of the BitShares community The different components and tokens of the Steem system How Steem rewards content contributors The controversial Steem launch and criticisms of the project Why Steem transitioned from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake The potential disbalance of power due to the Steem distribution How Steem managed to build a vibrant user community Episode links: Steem Website Steemit.com Why Every Blockchain Needs a Constitution Charlie Shrem Article on Steem Launch The History of Steem Launch in Words of Dan Larimer Bitcoin Talk Thread on Steem Launch Bitcoin Stackexchange: What is Steem? This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/162