Episoder
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Together let’s count all the votes
Carlos Torriellos is changing the political system in Latin America. He is the face of a volunteer group, consisting of concerned citizens in Guatemala, called Fiscal Digital. This translates to, “The Digital Witness”. Their goal is to certify post-election paper ballot results in a corrupt and broken system.
Last year, in mid 2019, Guatemala held an election. Everything was going fine, until doubt was cast on the official results through social media. The situation escalated quickly and no one seemed to have a solution. The election officials began searching for a solution.
Back in 2018, Carlos and some colleagues built the system that is now being utilized by the Guatemalan government. The platform wasn’t originally built for certifying election results. Their plans to gain traction and revenue diminished and they tabled the project temporarily. Then it happened. Opportunity came a knockin’.
The stage was set. The Guatemalan government was in quite a predicament. Unrest was at hand. The election officials were in a tough spot and like a knight in shining armor, Fiscal Digital appeared. Fortunately, their solution was simple. Authenticate election results in real time.
Carlos gets into the details around the 07:46 mark.
Something as simple as having multiple people check the digital signatures of the images and tally the votes on those images while arriving at the same conclusion is enough to authenticate election results. The system is live now. You can see results and participate yourself on the Fiscal Digital website.
The US Government needs this techGovernments should consider using Fiscal Digital is an inexpensive process to determine election authenticity in near real time. The code is already available. Instead of UBI, give out election audit jobs. Reward people for doing the audit work and tallying votes. It’s cheaper and builds a more sustainable economy if you pay the citizens to act as the witness. Not to mention giving the people the transparency they so desperately deserve.
Their motivation is nearly as impressive as their solution. If you know people in governments who can give this project visibility, please make sure to contact Carlos. His information is below. What they are doing has the ability to bring back the sanctity of democratic elections. Give the power to the people and let them check the results.
Quote your favorite moment and tag @CoinStructive, @djkinkle, @carlostoriello, #Fiscal_Digital & #LABradio.
Enjoy!
Further Reading and ResourcesCarlos Torriellos Herrerrias, Volunteer & Champion at Fiscal Digital – LinkedIn – Twitter
Fiscal Digital – Website – Email – YouTube – Facebook – Github – Use hashtag #Fiscal_Digital
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Darknets Rising
The Darknet is powered by cryptocurrency. On episode 82 of LAB Radio we speak with Cedric Dahl of 1000X Group about this controversial place. Most people have heard of the Darknet, but know what really goes on or how it operates. We dispel some myths and provide insight to why crypto is used predominantly on darknet markets.
Cedric, like most of us, shrugged off Bitcoin when first told by a friend. The only difference for most us the is when the clock first starts ticking. For Cedric it was 2010. By the time he became a believer, he was farther ahead of the game than most.
His first fascination was when he was told that it was being used on the Darknet for drugs and other nefarious activities. His shock came from realizing the power of a non-state controlled medium of exchange. Power to the people.
The money use case was interesting, but after the Silk Road trial it was obvious that Bitcoin was not nearly as anonymous as we all thought. So why are the majority of Darknet markets still using Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is still the predominant currency used for these markets because its ease to acquire, ease of sending and inability to stop two people from transacting. The casual user is not worried about being traced to Darknet markets, but operators are.
Governments use the Darknet tooHow are they getting around this. Cedric believes the increased anonymity from tools like CoinJoins plays a part. A CoinJoin is the Mixers and Tumblers advanced and distant cousin. Mixers were the first tools people had to combat the deanonymizing blockhain forensics companies. They are simple software that takes bitcoin and breaks it into small pieces, shuffling it around through other transactions and mixing it with other people's bitcoins in hopes of causing ambiguity.
There is a lot of good information in this podcast. If you're in Law Enforcement or other types research, they offer a report. You can follow the link to sign up in the section below. Their insights are pretty amazing.
Quote your favorite moment and tag @CoinStructive @djkinkle @cedricmakes & #LABradio.
Enjoy.
Further Reading and ResourcesCedric Dahl, Founder of 1000X Group - LinkedIn - Twitter
1000X Group - Website - Email - Report
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Manglende episoder?
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The Creation of a New Nation
Welcome to the Free Republic of Liberland. Wait you've never heard of this country? "Well, that's a pretty normal response", says Joey Langenbrunner, Deputy Head of Mission to the United States.
Liberland is new. The micronation, like Somaliland, will have existed for 5 years on April 13th, 2020. The delegation is planning a big celebration. They are launching they're own blockchain for governance and a cryptocurrency called Merits. Although, they are starting to get recognition internationally, they are still not recognized by the UN.
This micronation lies along the Danube river, between Serbia and Croatia. The land lay unclaimed after the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1991. The Danube is an international waterway and lends to many interesting trade and commerce opportunities.
Liberland is will act as a testing ground for new models of governance. Additionally, they are planning an e-residency program like Estonia. After the launch of their blockchain in April 2020 they will start issuing citizenships too. As a result, these announcements caused them to receive over 600,000 applications for citizenship.
We've had over 600K applications for citizenship.There are still many issues to sort out, but Joey is confident the last 5 years of work Liberlanders have put in will pay off. His path to become a citizen is one of perseverance and dedication. All things have led him up to this point.
Joey is very passionate about the goals of Liberland and it will be interesting to watch this nation grow. We encourage you to support Liberland. Why, you ask? Experimentation is needed in governance and what better way to accomplish this than by letting a real sovereign and peaceful nation attempt it.
Nevertheless, numerous lessons are to be learned.
Quote your favorite moment and tag @CoinStructive @djkinkle @joeyyusef & #LABradio.
Enjoy.
Further Reading and ResourcesJoseph Langenbrunner, Deputy Head of Mission to USA, Free Republic of Liberland - LinkedIn - Email - Twitter
The Free Republic of Liberland - Website - Wiki
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This episode is LAB Radio's "Best of 2019". It's composed of several clips from guests over the past year. For many, 2019 will be one of those years in crypto that won't stand out in people's minds much. It wasn't flashy. There wasn't a lot fanfare. CNBC wasn't pumping XRP. It was quiet and people were busy building great things.
I was fortunate to sit down with many amazing people this year to discuss their thoughts and contributions on the industry. Unfortunately, I had to narrow it down to just a hand full of clips but, trust me, all of our guests were fire. I know you'll enjoy hearing perspectives from the likes of:
Alex Mashinsky & Leah Jonas, Celsius Network Jan Čapek, Braiins Hannah Rosenberg, Velas Commerce Hailey Lennon, Coinbase Xan Ditkoff, Blockstack Uri Klarman, bloXroute Labs Alyse Killeen, Stillmark Capital Alex Adelman, Lolli Caitlin Long, Lawyer R0ckstar Developer, BTC PayserverSo no matter how awful a year in crypto seems, try to remember we are just getting started. Building a foundation for the next quarter millenia of finance, while simultaneously breaking down the current one, is no small feat.
The Crypto and Blockchain industry isn't just about changing finance, it's about creating a better world to live in. Whether you're new to crypto or have been following along for years, it's not too late to join the movement. For these technologies to succeed in allowing humans to participate in free global trade without the interference of governments, we need all people, from all walks of life to start by asking the question, "What is money?"
We do this show for you, our listeners. Please like, subscribe, share and follow.Listen on iTunes
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Brought to you commercial free by CoinStructive.
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Caitlin Long knows Blockchain Law
Caitlin Long joins LAB Radio host Chris Groshong, just days after resigning from the Wyoming Blockchain Taskforce. I had asked her specifically to come on the show to comment on concepts the newly formed California Blockchain Taskforce can glean from her pioneering efforts.
We waste no time getting into the issues around the Uniform Law Commission's (ULC) Uniform Regulation of Virtual Currencies Businesses Act or URVCBA. Particularly the supplemental portion which strips the property rights of owners. Ms. Long says if we're not careful we may only recognize people's rights "...in digital assets if you are in a debtor/creditor relationship with your intermediary."
This ties in nicely into a discussion of the Uniform Commercial Code(UCC) with respect to Virtual Currencies. Currently, it is being worked on by members of the special subcommittees of the ULC. Meanwhile, the California Lawyers Association is considering creating legislature for Commercial transactions at the state level parallel to the California Blockchain Taskforce. It's important that communication between these two entities needs to take place.
The biggest problem is we are still defining the concepts and applications of these new technologies. Without proper definitions, it's nearly impossible to predict the outcomes of future litigations. Judges, like many, just don't understand. I know this from first hand experience while providing expert witness testimony in Federal Court this summer.
Banks play an important role in the crypto industry. The major problem Wyoming is trying to solve is to make it easier for crypto businesses to gain access to banking relationships. There are currently 7 banks who've identified themselves as being interested in applying for a Wyoming Banking license.
There are still many boundaries at the Federal level. Least of which is receiving a Banking Charter. We still have the SEC and CFTC to consider. The ongoing delays with creating true Federal regulation is an opportunity for the states to take advantage of the situation.
Surround yourself with smart, talented and humble people willing to future proof legislation without hindering innovation.
Special thanks to Trace Mayer, Christopher Allen, Jesse Powell, Joseph Pitluck, Amy and Devon James and many, many more.
Some of the other topics I asked Caitlin to discuss with respect to Wyoming law were:
Exchanges Crypto ATMs Foundations AML and Compliance Series LLCI wrap up the show with a final question about what she would change about the crypto and blockchain industry if she could wave a magic wand.
Tweet your favorite quote and tag @CoinStructive @djkinkle @CaitlinLong & #LABradio
Further Reading and Resources
Caitlin Long | Twitter | LinkedIn | Website
Wyoming Blockchain Taskforce| Website
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The Crypto Curator, Paul McNeal
The first person I met at the Avantpay |19 conference was the always smiling, Crypto Curator, Paul McNeal. I had no idea Paul was the host of a crypto news show, but after talking to him, I knew he had the chops and would make a great guest for LAB Radio.
Paul's path into crypto took a circuitous route to say the least. Like many, he was able to leverage a previous skillset to help him land where he is today. Initially Paul heard about Bitcoin from the Bitcoin Knowledge podcast by Trace Mayer.
This officially made him the "go-to" Bitcoin guy when the monthly Chamber of Commerce Tech Committee Meeting took place in Loudoun County, VA. Back in 2012 it was tough to make a case for its uses, but Paul always spoke about it in a positive light and defended it against its critics. However, the Chamber would not put on a Bitcoin event.
Paul's background in the military has helped him in many ways. He was an ROTC Army member in High School and then went into the Navy. He was on a submarine and was doing IT work, which helped him transition after leaving the military. Also, Paul picked up lots of real world skills which was surprising to me. The story of how he actually joined the Navy is quite interesting and worth a listen (@14:02)
At this point we transition into the Avantpay19 Conference. Initially he heard about the conference because he knows Joshua and Peter, the organizers and founders of the event. It's not every day you see Legislators, Bankers, Payments people, Cannabis Entrepreneurs and Crypto enthusiasts all in one space talking about the same thing. Since this conference is truly one-of-a-kind, I asked Paul for his take on the event and his other thoughts:
What was the most eye opening part of the event The difficulties bringing crypto and cannabis together What would he change about the conference What he learned by moderating the Tax panel The SAFE (Secure And Fair Enforcement) Banking Act The quality of the SpeakersFinally, we run through the Crypto Curators biggest fears in the industry, as well as what he would change if he had a magic wand.
Tweet your favorite quote and tag @CoinStructive @djkinkle @_CryptoCurator & #LABradio
Further Reading and Resources
Paul McNeal , The Crytpo Curator, Founder | Twitter | LinkedIn
The Crypto Curator| Website | Twitter | LinkedIn
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Money Launderers Beware
Cryptocurrency Analyst and Financial Crimes Investigator, Lourdes Miranda joins us for episode 77 on LAB Radio.
Lourdes’ expertise lies in her years working from a compliance and financial crimes angle. Her knowledge of the Bank Secrecy Act led her to a career in the intelligence community, primarily the CIA. She knows the ins and outs of how money launderers operate. So when she was approached to join, admittedly she didnt know much about cryptocurrencies. That didnt bother the Agency one bit. She told their cyber security teams, if they taught her how crypto worked, she’d show them how it was being used to launder illegal proceeds.Lourdes speaks to and teaches both local and federal law enforcement communities across the country. She also consults banks and financial institutions. More recently Lourdes tells us about an interaction with a Bank and a Bitcoin ATM operator. The advice she gives seems obvious to me, but it just goes to show the Banks disparate view of this asset class.
We further discussed the future of the crypto and blockchain industry and how it will impact banks. Ultimately, Lourdes feels banks will end up going the route of the newspapers during the proliferation of internet. The small banks react the slowest and are most vulnerable, but also have an advantage the bigger banks don’t. They posses the agility big banks can’t. So if a Credit Union or small bank decides to take a proactive approach they might actually avoid extinction. Sadly, these institutions dont realize they’re eventually going to lose their customers to crypto exchanges as they add more services and products, with lower fees.
Lourdes and I also have differing opinions on whether cryptocurrency illegal activity will increase or decrease. Let’s just say, we agree to disagree, but we both might be right. You’ll just have to listen and give us your opinion.
Tweet your favorite quote and tag @CoinStructive @djkinkle & #LABradio
Further Reading and Resources
Lourdes C. Miranda, CAMS, CFE, Financial Crimes Investigator and Crytpocurrency Analyst at Miranda FinIntel Consulting, | Email | LinkedIn
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Chicago's Queen of Crypto
When I noticed the talented Hannah Rosenberg would be speaking at the Avantpay |19 conference, you have no idea how happy I became. I had recently visited Chicago at the end of August and I was able to sit down with Hannah and record an episode. Unfortunately, the recording had some technical issues and it was unusable. I wasn't going to let a second opportunity slip by.
Hannah got started in crypto back in 2014 and is one of the most involved and passionate people in the industry. She is the Managing Director of the Blockchain Institute, the Lead Organizer of the B.O.B. meetup (Bitcoin and Open Blockchain), an adjunct faculty member at UIC (University of Illinois Chicago) and the founder of Velas Commerce.
Hannah was representing Velas Commerce at the Avantpay conference. So I asked her what she was hoping to get out of this event. She was really curious to hear the Cannabis Industries thoughts on crypto. Additionally, Hannah shares with us her take on the intersection of cannabis, crypto and payments. She also identifies why it is important to get out of the crypto bubble. As a full time crypto person, Hannah needs to remind herself that obvious solutions to her, are not obvious to others.
For the rest of us that don't live in Hannah's bubble, we dig into what the Chicago seen is like. She starts with the B.O.B. meetup group and tells us how thankful she was to have pioneers like Brooke Mallers and Pamela Morgan.
"I really see crypto as 'Power to the People' via technology." -Hannah RosenbergHannah started out holding events and creating trustworthy information during the 2017 crypto rush. After one of her events a woman from her Alma Mater, UIC, reached out to her. They began talking and the next thing she knew, she was creating a curriculum. She loves teaching because she gets to emphasize the potential impact the technology has on the world.
Additionally, you'll hear topics like:
Crypto Commerce & Lightning Network Gresham's Law Velas Commerce Crypto Payment Integrations What a world with crypto for her children will look like Her thoughts on the trajectory of the industry What she would change about the crypto industryTweet your favorite quote and tag @CoinStructive @djkinkle @hmichellerose & #LABradio
Further Reading and Resources
Hannah Rosenberg , Blockchain Institute, Managing Director | Twitter | LinkedIn
The Blockchain Institute| Website | Twitter | LinkedIn
Velas Commerce - | Website | Twitter |LinkedIn
B.O.B. Chicago Meetup - | Website | Meetup
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Celsius Network is changing the game
I was thrilled to interview, not only one of the Celsius Network top brass, but two at the same time. We rarely get a duo as dynamic as CEO, Alex Mashinsky and Head of Global Partnerships, Leah Jonas. I knew this was going to be fun and informative.
You don’t have to go deep into a search for the name Alex Mashinsky before you uncover a plethora of amazing feats. Not only does Alex have an eye for the future, but he understands what it takes to get there. A big part of “getting there” is surrounding yourself with amazing people and one of those people on this journey with Alex is Leah Jonas.
“Are you part of the problem or part of the solution” – Alex MashinskyWith Leah’s energetic and inviting personality it’s no wonder she’s the head of partnerships. Now living in Tel Aviv, she is helping expand the reach of the Celsius Network. As a previous part of the core team in New York, she has a unique perspective on remote teams and how to keep them focused.
Celsius’s most well known feature is their ability to for individuals to receive interest on the crypto they deposit. Twenty years ago it was commonplace for the average person to expect to earn interest on their money deposited at a bank. In this day and age, people never have to go into a branch, yet parts of the world are now experiencing negative interest rates. Additionally, there are still entire populations and geographies with access to banking of any kind, let along the concept of earning on your savings.
Gain Interest on your CryptoCelsius Network is bringing to the masses a new way to let your money make money. You’ll hear stories from both Leah and Alex reinforcing their beliefs on how blockchain technology can be applied to the world.
Additionally, you’ll hear topics like:
How providing benefit out weighs education Alex’s position on how blockchain can disrupt the fintech sector Leah’s stance on Venture Capital and the ICO model Why they give 80% back to the depositors How Leah has done a 180 since joining crypto The importance of diversity and taking chances on people Alex’s position on the future for his children What each would change about the crypto industryTweet your favorite quote and tag @CoinStructive @CelsiusNetwork and @LeahNJonas @Mashinsky
Further Reading and Resources
Alex Mashinsky , Celsius Network, Founder & CEO | Twitter | LinkedIn
Leah Jonas , Celsius Network, Head of Global Partnerships | Twitter | LinkedIn
Celsius Network – | Website | Facebook | Twitter |Telegram
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Our guest on episode 74 of LAB Radio is InsureYourBit’s founder, Doug Moeller. Doug is passionate about providing crypto related insurance to individuals and entities who regularly use uninsured third party custodians as a regular part of their business.
Stay in crypto long enough and you will eventually hear of or be a part of an exchange hack. US based residents who are used to traditional financial services, like banking, are familiar depositors insurance. They receive this as part of the banks agreement with the FDIC. However, the FDIC only insures one kind of deposit, US dollars. Many US based exchanges have FDIC insurance for their customers US dollar deposits, but what about all those crypto deposits?
This is where InsureYourBit comes in. Doug wants to see a world where users, on exchange platforms, are able to purchase their own insurance for their digital assets.
Crypto on an exchange is not insuredDoug's passion for insurance comes from his experience of platform failure in the crypto space, but also as a poker player on Full Tilt Poker. The similarities of this centralized failure to the crypto exchange failures is eerily synonymous. It also comes from a deep sense of wanting people to be able to protect their assets or provide for their loved ones.
The principles of insurance are to protect people and share risk. Currently, no one offers hot wallet insurance. Exchanges currently have war chests in case they are hacked. However, Doug believes the exchanges could better deploy that capital if it wasn't all tied up in an emergency fund.
"Insurance is the oldest Coop" - Doug MoellerIn this episode we cover topics like:
How insurance works What it takes to launch an Insurance company Regulatory Frameworks Smart Contract Insurance The types of Crypto they plan to cover Insurance "Need vs. Want"According to a recent survey by InsureYourBit, "64 % of people who hold their crypto outside of an exchange would be more likely to keep it there if there was a crypto insurance product available."
Lastly, the indemnity to the user will cover the total amount of crypto losses, let's say Bitcoin in this case. If a trader wants to use and insure 10 bitcoins on X platform, once they start paying their premiums, they are covered in the event of an exchange hack.
Hope you Enjoy!
Tweet your favorite quote and tag @CoinStructive @Insurabit and @DougFMoeller.
Further Reading and Resources
Doug Moeller, InsureYourBit Founder & CEO | Twitter | LinkedIn
InsureYourBit - | Website | Facebook | Twitter
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Who is Rockstar Developer?
On episode 73 of LAB Radio, your host Chris Groshong visits with Rockstar Developer over lunch during a recent visit to Chicago. For those of you who are new to this personality or know little about him, you are going to find out why he is such a Rockstar. And he even gives us some pointers on becoming a Rockstar too.
Sometimes it's best to start with the simplest things first. You will hear us visit this topic several times during the episode. Of many themes we cover during lunch they all relate to the human element behind the things we do.
Imagine sitting at a corner table on the 15th floor, over looking the fork of the downtown Chicago river. A thunder storm was just finishing up and off in the distance the top of the formerly known Sears Tower could be barely seen as it was dodging in and out of a fog against a dark backdrop of ominous looking cumulus clouds.
Rockstar Developer and I had never met, nor spoken by phone. Our only contact came briefly via Twitter(@r0ckstardev). This didn't stop us from instantly connecting. It turns out we have a lot more in common than we thought.
Zoom out, the canvas is bigger than you thinkIn the first few minutes Rockstar's calming presence embraces you and makes you want to listen more. We start out with the basics, like background and origin story. Then we get into what he's been working on lately. BTCPay Server is where he is spending a lot of his time and he is also working with Jack Mallers(@JackMallers) on Zap Wallet, a Lightning enabled wallet(@ln_zap).
At this point in the interview we start to dive into real world issues and philosophical concepts.
We cover topics like:
When will the people wake up The US economy User Data & Sovereign Identity Fairness and Monkeys Sports and Business Emotional IntelligenceFinally, we come to a close with how you too, can become a Rockstar.
There is so much good stuff in this episode it's hard to fathom.
Enjoy!
Tweet your favorite quote and Tag us and Rockstar Developer.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/labradio/Ep_72_Rob_Odell_-_Salt_Lending_mixdown.mp3
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Further Reading and Resources
Rockstar Developer, Bitcoin Ecosystem Developer | Twitter
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What is SALT Lending?
On episode 72 of LAB Radio, we are joined by Rob Odell, VP Product and Marketing from SALT Lending to discuss what's new with SALT.
SALT is a lending platform that uses crypto as collateral. It's a simple yet brilliant platform to allow users to leverage their existing crypto portfolio to leverage against a fiat loan.
How does it work?For example, you own 5 bitcoins and need $25K to put a new roof on your house. Let's assume 1 Bitcoin is valued at $10K and you believe Bitcoin will rise in value from $10K to $50K in the next 3 years. Instead of selling 2.5 BTC, you could leverage your 5 BTC at a 50% Loan To Value (LTC) ratio. You would receive a $25K interest only loan with minimal interest payments due monthly and the balance due in the last month of the loan.
Let's say Bitcoin never reaches $50K, but it does hit $25K at 24 months into the loan. In this scenario you could close out your loan by selling 1 BTC instead of the original 2.5 BTC you were going to have to sell.
On the flipside, if Bitcoin never goes up and actually drops to $5K, the value of Bitcoin you have locked up in collateral is now only worth $25K. When the loan was originated it was set up to maintain a 50% LTV ratio, the loan is currently at 100% LTV. This adds significant risk to the lender.
To correct the out of range LTV, 3 things can happen. You can add more bitcoin to the collateral to bring the loan back down to a 50% LTV. You can make a one time stablecoin payment or your collateral can start to be liquidated to cover your loan.
"SALT is not in the business of liquidating your crypto." -Rob OdellThe last part sounds scary, as it should. No one wants to lose their crypto, that's why they are taking a fiat loan in the first place. The pause that it gives to one's decision making should be noted. A loan is not free money. Crypto doesn't always go up.
However, if you find yourself in a situation needing cash, owning crypto and not wanting to part with it, SALT Lending is a possible killer solution.
Meet Rob Odell. He's been with the company since 2017 and recently promoted to Vice President of Product and Marketing. Rob is very excited about the newest updates to the SALT Lending platform. The most significant of which include more business functionality and multiple users on business accounts.
SALT is originating more loans than ever. They actually have a lot of repeat customers. Since the terms of the loans range from 3-36 months, they have seen a lot of people take out test loans. They want to try a loan of a smaller amount before they get into a much higher leveraged position.
SALT has also worked very hard to bring insurance to their customers. There was a lot of basic education needed to make the insurance company feel comfortable with their processes. It took about 2 months and they had 2-4 office visits before they were given the insurance policy. "We wear it like a badge of honor," says Rob Odell.
How Rob found cryptoRob's crypto journey begins in 2013 when he and his wife moved to Bali so she could pursue her dream as a SCUBA instructor. He became friends with some Ex-Pats and started going to meetups. At one meeting, he was introduced to a man who was purchasing local coffee from farmers, roasting it and selling it for bitcoin on the internet. Rob's curiosity was sparked.
Before moving to Bali, he previously taught English in South Korea. He met Mike Facchin of Search Scientists and began helping him build his Ads business remotely. This allowed him to gain insights into marketing campaign management and ultimately to where he is today.
During this episode, Rob Odell explains: How does SALT approach traditional financial products education? SALT's philosophy on product and process improvements? What crypto means in a relationship? His views on crypto adoption. What would he would change in the crypto and blockchain industry.http://traffic.libsyn.com/labradio/Ep_71_Alex_Adelman_-_Lolli_mixdown.mp3
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Further Reading and Resources
Rob Odell | LinkedIn | Twitter
Lolli |Website | Twitter | LinkedIn
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What is Lolli?
More coverage from the Bitcoin2019 conference. This time with CEO and Co-Founder of Lolli, Alex Adelman.
Lolli is a rewards app that pays you in Bitcoin. Purchase things as you normally would, but instead of proceeding to checkout, use the Lolli browser extension. This enables the user to earn a percentage back on their purchase, which can be redeemed in Bitcoin.
Lolli's goal is to onboard as many people into the Bitcoinsphere as possible. They believe most people are more likely to earn bitcoin rewards rather than bitcoin through investing or mining. Lolli just pops up when you're on a partner's website letting you know how much bitcoin you can earn. They want to make it as easy for possible.
How does it work?The magic happens in the background. The retailer pays Lolli in dollars for sending paying customers to their site. Then Lolli transfers bitcoin to your Lolli Wallet. It is a custodial solution, but the amounts are usually so small that the user risk is limited.
"The biggest challenge Bitcoin has is educating people what money is." Alex AdelmanAt first, Lolli plans only allow redemption of earnings. In the future, they plan to allow their users to purchase crypto through the Lolli platform. This will give them ability to also transfer funds to each other. Of course, Alex knows this path is very arduous, but is an important piece to their future success.
For 40% of all their users, Lolli is the only crypto brand they are connected to. This means they must add functionality for those users to keep them engaged. Eventually, you will be able to buy, sell and send your crypto to anyone within the Lolli ecosystem.
"If Bitcoin is the bank of the future, where's the lollipop at the end?" -Alex AdelmanAlex's background is quite fascinating. He grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina where his father was a psychologist turned banker. He saw first hand the issues with banks and financial institutions. In fact, that's where the name Lolli came from. In his younger days, he would have to go to the bank with his father. The only thing that helped with that dreadful experience for Alex was the lollipop at the end.
When he transitioned from developing for fun to doing it as a side business he ran into numerous issues. As you may expect, a 16 year old has trouble opening Bank accounts, Paypal or other payment channels. His curiosity led him to ask questions about why middlemen are needed and aren't there more efficient way to transact?
In college he studied economics, both micro and macro. This helped give him insight to his questions and build solutions.
His first venture after college was a company called Cosmic, a universal card as a service. It was a grandiose vision to allow people to transact with anyone, anywhere in the world. Alex felt a gateway like this was needed badly.
Cosmic was acquired by Pop Sugar to power ShopStyle. After growing 10X post acquisition, Ebates came in and bought both them and ShopStyle. Ebates is the largest cash back company in the US. That helped them form retailer relationships, which has sped up Lolli's on boarding.
During this time he had been learning about Bitcoin. After about a year with Ebates, he parted ways and decided he wanted to work in the crypto industry. He felt the solution in Bitcoin that hadn't been solved yet was distribution.
He knew with his background, determination to changing the world, and the timing of Bitcoin, he had hit the trifecta with Lolli.
During this episode, Alex Adelman explains: How he learned about Bitcoin from Ryan Shea. Where does Alex's motivation come from? What happens to user sentiment when price goes down? His pivotal moment about how the world was not a fair place. His views communication and commerce. What would he would change in the crypto and blockchain industry.Further Reading and Resources
Alex Adelman | LinkedIn | Twitter
Lolli |Website | Twitter | LinkedIn
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Chris Wittenborn, Business Development and Strategy at Velocity Markets
On episode 70 of LAB Radio, Velocity Markets’, Chris Wittenborn chats with your host Chris Groshong from Bitcoin2019.
Chris first heard about Bitcoin back in 2010. He read the whitepaper, but couldn’t get around the fact that he meet someone in parking lot to buy bitcoins. After growing up in Chicago, he moved to Colorado for better winters, great skiing and to pursue a degree at the University of Colorado Boulder. He landed a research job with a little finance firm locally and was given some sage advice to go East.
It was in 2011 when Chris headed to New York and where he really dug into the financial world. In 2017 there was lots of rumblings about the Institutional world coming into the crypto space. Being on the Institutional side, he knew that ecosystem was not ready to support Institutional grade customers. Therefore, he left to start providing institutional consulting for Exchanges and Private Equity companies building products.
“Shorthop is an institutional caliber exchange technology in the hands of the retail user” -Chris WittenbornVelocity Markets is the parent company for Shorthop, an institutional caliber exchange technology in the hands of the retail user. Shorthop aggregates liquidity across several markets to provide its users the best possible price. The user no longer has to worry about which exchange to transact on or moving funds around. The user only has to focus on their desired outcomes, Shorthop does the rest.
They have different levels of services for different levels of clients based on their sophistication. They really focus on providing the user, whether its a Hedge Fund or an individual, with the best execution possible across a wide variety of exchanges. Initially, they are launching in California. Over the next several months, as they receive money transmission licenses, they will be opening up their platforms to other jurisdiction within the United States.
Recently, Chris Wittenborn has been spending his time working on leveraging their existing Broker/Dealer license to launch a digital securities exchange. This exchange would be separate from Shorthop and only be available to institutions and accredited investors. Creating a secondary market for compliant offerings is the future. The company Circle was recently able to achieve this, which is promising for Chris and the Velocity Markets team.
In this episode Chris Wittenborn discusses: Insight to the advice he was giving companies building for institutional clients Bitcoin Volatility and whether aggregating price will reduce volatility. Their efforts to launch a Finra registered digital securities asset exchange component. How he approaches is job and how he stays engaged. How he and his cofounders came together. What he would change about the industry.Further Reading and Resources:
Chris Wittenborn, Business Development and Strategy at Velocity Markets | LinkedIn | Twitter | Email
Velocity Markets | Website | Twitter | LinkedIn
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Jan Čapek, Cofounder and Co-CEO at Braiins
On episode 69 of LAB Radio, Braiins Cofounder and Co-CEO, Jan Čapek chats with your host Chris Groshong from Bitcoin2019. We finally got a chance to sit down and talk mining after meeting in January 2019 in Las Vegas.
We first get a run down from Jan about the history of mining and what's wrong with the state of things currently. There's no surprise when it comes to understanding the mysteries behind ASIC Boost were just the tip of the iceberg. The problem is now mining has become so commercialized companies go to great lengths to keep firmware proprietary and access to making modifications difficult.
Braiins has decided to take a different approach. An open source approach. They feel if you can't audit or make changes to the miners at the root level then you really don't own them. This is why they have released Braiins OS.
"Not your firmware, not your miner." -Jan ČapekThe Braiins team motivation comes from their desire to have standards around mining. They spent a lot of time reengineering the software because they were tired inferior products being put onto the market. They even named their replacement of 'CGminer' with a symbolic cultural name, 'RURminer'. RUR comes from a 1920's sci-fi play from fellow countryman Karel Čapek about a future with robots.
By launching BraiinsOS, the goal is to maintain a repository that stays up to date and helps maintain stable version controls. This allows anyone to download a copy and get started building their own mining rigs.
It became obvious to Jan and his team that the level of customization and quality of products being offered were not ready for Enterprise scale. However, the businesses that were trying to operate at Enterprise levels were being thwarted by lack of control and data insights at every turn. This is why Braiins exists and has taken over as the parent company that oversees the development of the open source BraiinsOS and Slush Pool.
In this episode Jan Čapek shares with us:
What is the current state of the Bitcoin mining scene? Why they choose the name 'RURminer' for their firmware. Why they choose to write their codebase in Rust. The ASIC chip makers and the Foundry chokepoint How attacks on mining pools are much easier to mitigateFurther Reading and Resources:
Jan Čapek, Co-CEO at Braiins | LinkedIn | Twitter
Braiins | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Linkedin | GitHub | Medium | Telegram | SlushPool
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Xan Ditkoff, Growth at Blockstack
On episode 68 of LAB Radio, Blockstack's Head of Growth, Xan Ditkoff chats with your host Chris Groshong from Bitcoin2019. We discuss how great the conference was and what made it special.
Blockstack Xan, as I am respectfully dubbing him, has an interesting path that led him into the crypto world. Coming from New York to Silicon Valley in 2015 was a bit of an adjustment. However, he knew the solutions being worked on there were going to help impact more people globally than anything he could do in a world of suits. When he found the Crypto and Bitcoin Community in 2015 he knew this was the industry he was meant to be in.
"To me, decentralization is a means to an end." -Xan DitkoffHis motivation stems from wanting to be a part of a transformative technology revolution. When he first learned about Bitcoin he knew how much it could solve and simplify the internet's hodgepodge of technologies with it's securities vulnerabilities and privacy issues. He views Bitcoin and Blockchain technology as a tool that helps people associate features, like opt-out privacy they are used to in the physical world instead of the opt-in privacy we experience in the digital world.
Having an understanding of how banking and US capital markets operate helped him connect the dots very quickly. Bringing things full circle, an energy and infrastructure project Xan worked on is adding bitcoin mining and hashing as a service for an additional revenue stream.
Blockstack is a decentralized computing platform and app ecosystem. They have a developer toolkit to allow apps built on Blockstack to require the use to give permission to access certain personal data. That personal data is controlled by each user and is never stored by a centralized service.
The origins of the project come from Princeton stemming back to 2013-14 and have passed through Y Combinator. When Xan joined they were just starting to onboard projects and over the course of the first year they learned a lot. Currently they have over 140 projects built or being built on Blockstack.
A large part for the increase in development is an incentive called App Mining. It rewards developers or teams that have used their technology from a pool of 100 thousand dollars. This is allowing people to test new value propositions or business fundamentals that may not have previously been achievable with current systems. They even audit the apps on their network to make sure they're not misaligned or inappropriately handling user data.
In this episode Xan Ditkoff shares with us: Why self sovereign identity is important? How Blockstack approaches its users identity security. A walkthrough of how to use the Blockstack platform What he would change about the industryXan is most excited about the Blockstack new smart contracting library more of which can be learned by checking out their new whitepaper. Their library will utilize Rust.
In a more perfect world Xan wishes for an increase of cross collaborative efforts.
The "Can't Be Evil" contest.
Further Reading and Resources:
Xan Ditkoff, Growth at Blockstack | LinkedIn | Twitter
Blockstack | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Linkedin | GitHub
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Josie Bellini, Crypto Artist
On episode 67 of LAB Radio, Crypto Artist Josie Bellini chats with your host, Chris Groshong from Bitcoin2019.
Some might think the path is obvious for an artist and crypto lover. Create, Incorporate and Sell your works for crypto, but not Josie Bellini. Her passion for cryptocurrency and its ethos not only inspires her creative works, but also her innovative side.
Having a background in finance, specifically private wealth management, Josie invested personally in Ethereum and became interested more after its rise. After taking a full stack web development course at Northwestern University and doing design for a few blockchain and crypto companies, she knew she could contribute in very cool ways to the industry.
After one of her pieces went viral on Reddit, her arrival in the industry was cemented. Crypto Art was now her full time gig.
In this episode Josie Bellini shares with us: Which is her favorite piece? If her pieces are political or if they have special meaning to her? Why she uses Augmented Reality (AR)? What's new and coming down the pipeline for Josie's art? The intersection of Cryptocurrency and AR/VR tech adoption issues. How the addition of AR to her existing pieces has increased demand and keeps her collectors gushing. How NFT's are adding to her art repertoire while adding digital scarcity.-"Filter out the Fiat, Breathe in the Truth" - Josie Bellini
Josie feels the relationships she's built through these online communities has been invaluable. She is humbled by the great support, interest and knowledge she has received from both the online and the physical world. As much as she loves the online community, the Twitter community that pushes negativity and the plethora of scam projects still marketing themselves well is dragging down the overall morale and needs a higher level of maturity.
All in all, Josie's involvement in the cryptocurrency and blockchain tech communities has helped open her mind to a totally different reality.
Further Reading and Resources:
Josie Bellini, Crypto Artist | LinkedIn | Twitter | Website
Download the Artivive app to view Josie's work in AR | Google Play | App Store
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What is Graphene, BitShares and BEOS?
This is part 2 of a deep dive chat with Michael Taggart, BitShares . We discuss why they created BEOS and the practicality of creating a EOS clone.
Michael Taggart, co-founder of BEOS and Quintric
Michael is a long time BitShares supporter and recently helped co-found an EOS clone to act as a middle-chain between BitShares and EOS networks and tokens.
Quintric has tokenized real gold coins and legal tender
Quintric bridges Gold, Cash (Legal Tender), and Crypto
During this episode, you will learn: Why BEOS was created How the marketplace demands certainty such as the identity and location of Block Producers Why Utah was chosen as a venue for the BEOS Limited Cooperative Association (BCLA) How their legal team knows how to get policy accomplished and structure using pre-existing legal tender and How Terradac, a private enterprise that funded BEOS, interfaces with the BCLA How their operation and fund management system for the BCLA operates How they are moving toward trust-less gateway and counterparty settlements What Quintric is and why it is positioned as legal tender A just announced on this show $50 gold bill that Quintric is rolling out -
What is Graphene? What is BitShares? And what else has been built on this framework?
This episode is a bit of an open long form chat and deep dive with BitShares regular Michael Taggart. This is the 1st of 2 parts for this episode.
Michael Taggart, co-founder of BEOS and Quintric
Michael is a long time BitShares supporter and recently helped co-found an EOS clone to act as a middle-chain between BitShares and EOS networks and tokens.
"BEOS Limited Cooperative Association (BLCA) is the world's first Non-Profit Cooperative Blockchain.
Designed as a middle chain, BEOS Blockchain allows interoperability between EOS/BEOS/BitShares based tokens.BEOS is a new privately funded blockchain, a straight clone of EOS intended to serve as a middle chain between BitShares and the EOS main chain. Its goals are token portability and jurisdictional agility. It does these functions without requiring any modifications to or cooperation from either BitShares or EOS communities, neither of which are involved in its development.
During this episode, you will learn: How Michael got started in Bitcoin buyer around 2012 How he become a liason between the business and technical side of companies A review of BitShares and what's happened to date How BEOS bridges BitShares and EOS as a middle chain Why it will leverage the "$3 Billion R&D Department" that is EOS to benefit BitShares How they are moving toward a trust-less gateway and counterparty system What excites and scares him the most about Crypto
BEOS tokens serve the same functions as the EOS token on the EOS main chain - giving holders voting and access privileges to network resources.
BEOS seeks to develop a new kind of censorship resistance by designing the blockchain to be "intra-jurisdictional" (confined to one jurisdiction) and ultimately "jurisdictionally agile" (able to control which operations take place in explicitly designated jurisdictions). If token portability and jurisdictional agility are what you are looking for, then BEOS is the best alternative to the EOS blockchain."For show notes and more visit: https://coinstructive.com/ep66-beos
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Uri Klarman, CEO and Cofounder at bloXroute Labs
On episode 65 of LAB Radio, your host, Chris Groshong chats with Network Researcher and Ph.D. Uri Zubair. As CEO and cofounder of bloXroute Labs. After graduating from Northwestern University he and his inital cofounder Aleks Kuzmanovic knew that they could solve the relay issue that ultimately keep blockchain systems from scaling.
As they progressed down this journey, they added two additional cofounders, Emin Gün Sirer, professor at Cornell and his PhD student Soumya Basu, the creator of the Falcon Network. Falcon can be thought of as a relay network for bitcoin to help pass along the block data faster.
In 2017 it was their heads down approach that brought them to discover the real world solution for scaling blockchain networks. “This is a networking problem,” says Uri.
Scaling of blockchains has been discussed since Satoshi’s whitepaper, but no one has solved it. At least until now.
How can we be so sure that bloXroute Labs can provide this solution?
Uri explains:Propogation of blocks across against the network. The relationship between block size and block time at scale. How a blockchain can fork itself into infinity. What is a Blockchain Distribution Network(BDN)? How a relay network works and why its a vulnerability.
How to prove that bloXroute is unable to discriminate against and protect against manipulation. (~27 min)
“We are a faster internet for blockchains.” – Uri KlarmanHow bloXroute is blockchain agnostic.
How bloXroute creates an incredible Win-Win-Win scenario. Miners will get 100X more transaction fees and Users will pay half as much. (~34-36 min) The more user and miners that use the network the bigger reward for all.
How does bloXroute monetize?(~39 min)
In the coming months the platform is going live and being incorporated to a few real world and well known projects.
After this dive into the tech talk, we take a step back and find out what makes Uri tick.
Hope you enjoy the show.
Further Reading and Resources
bloXroute Labs | Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter |
Uri Klarman, Cofounder and CEO, bloXroute Labs| LinkedIn | Twitter
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