3-2-1 - August 1, 2021
3 - Inspiring crypto/blockchain quotes
“Bitcoin gives us, for the first time, a way for one Internet user to transfer a unique piece of digital property to another Internet user, such that the transfer is guaranteed to be safe and secure, everyone knows that the transfer has taken place, and nobody can challenge the legitimacy of the transfer. The consequences of this breakthrough are hard to overstate.”
Marc Andreesen Co-Founder, Andreessen Horowitz.
“The blockchain cannot be described just as a revolution. It is a tsunami-like phenomenon, slowly advancing and gradually enveloping everything along its way by the force of its progression.”
William Mougayar, Chair, Kin Foundation
“I think the fact that within the bitcoin universe an algorithm replaces the function of the government… is actually pretty cool”
Al Gore, Former US President
2 - Reflections from this week’s blog
There have been a lot of negatives in the news lately about cryptocurrencies, with some regulators taking more of a scorched earth approach, and hosting a hearing called “Cryptocurrencies: what are they good for?”. It is extremely unfortunate that this is the approach that is being taken, considering all the good that is being done in the space. Recognizing that some regulation could be good, and is inevitable, a more moderate approach that includes representatives from the crypto and blockchain space would be much more likely to succeed, whereas this scorched earth approach only creates further division and perpetuates falsehoods around the space, including that it is lighting the oceans on fire, and that it is only used by dark web criminals. This leads to my next reflection...
There will always be those that are against cryptocurrencies at all costs, especially if the development of crypto and blockchain runs contrary to their self-interest. This could include bankers, traditional investors, politicians, etc. However, for the majority of people, the diverse use cases of crypto and blockchain will have a net positive impact on their lives. To combat the scorched earth approach highlighted above, it’s important for developers, investors, and adopters to work together to spread the word of all the good being done in the space. Crypto is in a PR battle, so to speak, but those in favor of this revolutionary technology definitely have the facts on their side.
1 - Quality educational resource
This podcast doesn’t focus specifically on crypto or blockchain but looks at science and technology more broadly. This can be helpful for those looking to enter the crypto and blockchain space, as it doesn’t hurt to learn about other prominent tech trends such as AI and Machine Learning. Lex is an Artificial Intelligence researcher at MIT and brings fascinating guests on to his podcast each episode, often to discuss topics related to crypto and blockchain. Recent guests include Vitalik Buterin, Charles Hoskinson, and Sergey Nazarov.
