Speaking of Bitcoin (formerly Let's Talk Bitcoin!)

About

Featuring analysis and discourse by hosts Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Dr. Stephanie Murphy, Adam B. Levine, and Jonathan Mohan, episodes feature friendly, in-depth discussions and even-handed interviews. Speaking of Bitcoin (formerly known as Let's Talk Bitcoin!) is the longest-running English language talk show on the ideas, people and projects surrounding the Bitcoin movement and Cryptocurrency phenomenon.

A Final Discussion
In this final discussion with Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Stephanie Murphy, Jonathan Mohan and Adam B. Levine, the hosts discuss the present moment and look towards the future. This episode was recorded several months before release. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
Update 6/19/2022
Adam provides an update on what's happening now and what's still to come. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #502 When the Referees Play Favorites (Part 1)
Join "Speaking of Bitcoin" hosts Adam B. Levine, Andreas M. Antonopoulos and Stephanie Murphy for a look at a recent move by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to "clarify" the responsibilities of publicly traded crypto companies. This episode tackles the new custody rules that aim to solve market volatility. The hosts share their thoughts on how superficial and abetting conversation of custody rules can be used to mask adverse decisions and therefore create conditions for enhanced market volatility. They state their concerns that the hypocritical nature of embellished rules may be bypassed without an explanation if regulators do not favor the results. Credits This episode featured Stephanie Murphy, Andreas M. Antonopoulos and Adam B. Levine. It featured music by Jared Rubens and Gurty Beats, with editing by Jonas. Art for this episode was provided by Helen Cramer/Unsplash and was modified by Speaking of Bitcoin. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #501 When More Is Less
Sometimes, more is less, better is worse, and blatantly superior products fail to overcome their competitors. On this episode of “Dare to Be Stupid,” correspondent George Frankly explores right answers to wrong questions. Credits This episode was written, edited and performed by George Frankly --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #500 Three Rules to Remember After Mailchimp Breach
As crypto holdings grow in value, criminals are becoming ever-more creative and audacious in their attempts to steal coins. Join "Speaking of Bitcoin" hosts Adam B. Levine, Andreas M. Antonopoulos and Stephanie Murphy for a look at a recent insider compromise at Mailchimp that put crypto holders in the crosshairs. In this episode, we discuss what happened, what the scam was and three simple rules that, if followed, will help protect you from similar breaches. Credits This episode featured Stephanie Murphy, Andreas M. Antonopoulos and Adam B. Levine. It featured music by Jared Rubens and Gurty Beats, with editing by Jonas. Art for this episode was provided by Brett Jordan/Unsplash and was modified by "Speaking of Bitcoin." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #503 The Check Engine Light and the Space Shuttle
The most shocking and surprising tragedies of the modern era were actually the predictable consequences of obviously bad decisions. There are far fewer surprises and unforeseen twists than we would like to believe, and most disasters stem from known issues and small, obviously terrible choices. Credits This episode was written by George Ettinger with editorial assistance by Adam B. Levine and Adrian Blust. The music is by Jared Rubens and Gurty Beats. Album art for the episode uses an image by Jean-Philippe Delberghe on Unsplash, while the front page artwork is in the public domain. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #499 New Lessons From the Island of Stone Bitcoins
In examining one of the earliest pre-bitcoin examples of a very bitcoin-like technology, "Speaking of Bitcoin" correspondent George Frankly learns some valuable lessons about where convenience, belief and control collide. Credits This episode was written by George Frankly with editorial assistance by Adam B. Levine and music by Jared Rubens and Gurty Beats. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #498 Rights Versus Privileges in a Global Financial System
This episode was recorded earlier in 2022... Two critical questions about financial freedom and responsibility As the second week of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine begins, questions continue to arise surrounding crypto’s complexities in a wartime environment alongside broader questions about the future of money. On this episode of “Speaking of Bitcoin,” hosts Adam B. Levine, Stephanie Murphy and Jonathan Mohan dive into two critical questions about financial freedom and responsibility. The first question surrounds an emerging narrative of sanction evasion. Could bitcoin (BTC) even be an effective tool for a nation-state to use to evade sanctions, given crypto’s relative market size to a nation’s reserves? Even further, how effective are these sanctions at all? The second question lies in the distinction between rights versus privileges for financial freedom. Do nation-states or individuals have a right to transact, or is interacting with larger financial systems a privilege that can be revoked by whoever operates the system?” --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
Quick SOB Update (More frequent episodes coming... now)
Hey folks, Adam B Levine here, sorry for the lack of recent updates, we've got a backlog of episodes to bring you which we'll be releasing every two days until we're caught up. Things are once again shifting in the background, I'll have a larger update on that later. Until then, we appreciate your patience and hope you enjoy these shows. Thanks for listening! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #496 The Ups and Downs of Crypto Loans
On this episode of "Speaking of Bitcoin", join hosts Adam B. Levine, Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Stephanie Murphy and Jonathan Mohan for a discussion about loans in the world of crypto. HODL. It's crypto-land philosophy for not selling your preferred token even when things look their most bleak. But where philosophy intersects with real-world concerns like shelter, food and the niceties of life, tactics have emerged offering both opportunities and risks. From smart contracts to bitcoin collateralized mortgages, the hosts discuss their experiences with loans in the world of crypto. Credits Today’s show featured Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Jonathan Mohan, Stephanie Murphy and Adam B. Levine, with editing by Adam B. Levine and music by Gurtybeats.com. Our episode art is a picture provided by The New York Public Library, modified by "Speaking of Bitcoin." Any questions or comments? Send us an email at adam@speakingofbitcoin.show --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #497 A Brief Look at Bitcoin Maximalism
On this episode of Speaking of Bitcoin, join hosts Adam B. Levine, Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Stephanie Murphy and Jonathan Mohan for a discussion about the origins and evolution of Bitcoin maximalism. Bitcoin maximalists – the self-described pro-Bitcoin, anti-altcoin faithful – have been around for longer than most modern crypto projects. The term was coined by Vitalik Buterin prior to Ethereum's release. Buterin intended the term to be a direct criticism of individuals with an unwavering view that Bitcoin was the only true option for cryptographic token use-cases. In this episode as we explore the phenomenon's' motivation and roots, we also draw from Speaking of Bitcoin's extensive library. It features the very first recorded explanation of why there should only be one cryptocurrency and why should be bitcoin as explained by Hashcash inventor and bitcoin developer Adam Back . That clip is excerpted from episode 77 (December 2013) before Adam became personally involved. It's a fascinating journey and one you won't want to miss. Credits Today’s show featured Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Jonathan Mohan, Stephanie Murphy and Adam B. Levine, with editing by Jonas and Adam B. Levine. Music for this episode was provided by Jared Rubens and Gurtybeats.com. Our episode art was created by Adam B. Levine/pixelmind.ai Any questions or comments? Send us an email at adam@speakingofbitcoin.show --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB # 495 First Practices Aren’t Best Practices
On this episode of Speaking of Bitcoin, join hosts Adam B. Levine, Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Stephanie Murphy and Jonathan Mohan for a discussion about crypto cycles and consequences. As 2022 kicks into gear many of us are wondering what's in store for bitcoin and the broader crypto markets. Our lives, although our own, are driven by cycles which are often outside of our control. These cycles create the environment in which we each try to find happiness and success. But we can't see the cycles, at least not until they've come to pass and so we can't tell if this time is different until it's too late. Credits: Today’s show featured Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Jonathan Mohan, Stephanie Murphy and Adam B. Levine, with editing by Jonas, with music by Gurtybeats.com and Jared Rubens. Our episode art was created by Adam B. Levine with Pixelmind.ai Any questions or comments? Send us an email at adam@speakingofbitcoin.show --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #494 Bitcoin Security and a Rogue Power Plant
Bitcoin's energy usage has long been controversial but this time it's not what you'd expect, a story about a rogue power plant kicks off a wide ranging discussion between the hosts, touching on key issues like game theory, network security and more. Links from this episode: Bitcoin Miner Facing $5.6M Fine for Starting Rogue Power Plant Issue #1138: The network is very secure Bitcoin network graphs Billionaire Investor Bill Miller Now Has 50% of His Personal Wealth in Bitcoin Credits Today’s show featured Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Jonathan Mohan, Stephanie Murphy and Adam B. Levine, with editing by Adam B. Levine and music by Gurtybeats.com. Our episode art was created by Adam B. Levine with Pixelmind.ai Any questions or comments? Send us an email at adam@speakingofbitcoin.show --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #493 The Endowment Effect, HODLing and the Impossible Self-Appraisal
This time on Speaking of Bitcoin, correspondent George Frankly shares another surprising look at glitches in human behavior and what we can learn from them. In this episode we explore the endowment effect, the phenomenon of collectible cryptocurrency wallets and more. This episode was written, edited and performed by George Frankly with additional production assistance from Adam B. Levine. Music for this episode was provided by Gurty Beats and Jared Rubens. Art for this episode was created by Adam B. Levine/Pixelmind.ai --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #492 Can Stablecoins Survive?
Join hosts Adam B. Levine and Stephanie Murphy along with special guest Josh Scigala, CEO of Vaultoro, for a wide-ranging exploration of the growing asset class of "Stablecoins." On this episode we discuss: The possibility of central banks or regulators banning private 1:1 stablecoins. The challenges faced by early, decentralized, overcollateralized stablecoins. How negative interest rates will drive 1:1 stablecoins into fractional reserve. The potential weaponization of unlimited money printing to take control of limited resources. The scenario where governments freeze bank accounts connected to 1:1 backed coins in an attempt to destroy the wider crypto economy. The Potential for mismanagement of funds by 1:1 companies and threat of a Lehman brothers 2.0 The shrinking but still dangerous dearth of transparency within the biggest stablecoin balance sheets Why regulators can't seem to keep up with real solutions Why Josh believes decentralised stablecoins present a better set of tradeoffs. Have any questions or comments? Send us an email at adam@speakingofbitcoin.showToday’s show featured Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Jonathan Mohan, Stephanie Murphy and Adam B. Levine, with editing by Adam B. Levine and music by Gurtybeats.com. Our episode art was created by Adam B. Levine using pixelmind.ai Any questions or comments? Send us an email at adam@speakingofbitcoin.show --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #491 The Jokes Wear Thin as Inflation Becomes Normal
“We’re in the upside-down world. The time value of money is negative. Debts are assets and revenue streams are liabilities.” Join hosts Adam B. Levine, Stephanie Murphy, Jonathan Mohan and Andreas M. Antonopoulos for a wide-ranging conversation about the current realities of inflation. They discuss the challenge inflation presents to policymakers, the growing likelihood of major disruption and what you can do to prepare. Credits Today’s show featured Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Jonathan Mohan, Stephanie Murphy and Adam B. Levine, with editing by Jonas. Music for this episode was provided by Jared Rubens and Gurtybeats.com. Our episode art is a CC0 public domain photograph taken of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons, modified by Speaking Of Bitcoin using Pixelmind.ai Any questions or comments? Send an email to adam@speakingofbitcoin.show --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #490 Checking in on Bitcoin’s Lightning Network
The Lightning Network is arguably the most anticipated scaling solution for Bitcoin to date. Why isn’t everyone using it? “Speaking of Bitcoin” hosts Adam B. Levine, Andreas M. Antonopoulos and Stephanie Murphy are joined by Rene Pickhardt, Bitcoin and Lightning Network Developer. The four lead a conversation on the still in development yet rapidly growing Lightning Network. It’s a second-layer network that enables fast, secure, private and inexpensive payments that don’t make sense to store on bitcoin’s base layer. But while that might sound ideal, it’s not simple in practice. A scrappy community of companies and developers have been pushing the tech consistently forward as the number of hard problems still to solve ticks down. Even as early as we are, Lightning has proven to be a radical improvement on the user experience of bitcoin. On the bitcoin network, fees vary but typically range from $1–5 and complete with confirmation in an average of ten minutes. With Lightning, fees and transaction times drop dramatically: the transaction fees are generally 1/100th or 1/10th of a penny and take just seconds. If the improvements of Lightning are clear, why isn’t everyone using it today? Listen to hear more about the challenges and solutions coming to this rapidly-evolving aspect of bitcoin. Additional reading: Mastering the Lightning Network Security and Privacy of Lightning Network Payments with Uncertain Channel Balances Optimally Reliable & Cheap Payment Flows on the Lightning Network Include the Uncertainty Network into the Payment Session and potentially acrosse payment sessions Rene’s lightning test tweets Zero Base Fee graph Support Rene in his work Album art created using AI by Adam Levine/Pixelmind.ai --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #489 Big Gaming Signals NFTS Are Closer to Mainstream
With NFTs continuing their rapid advance into mainstream cultural awareness, how much is FOMO (fear of missing out) and how much is real? This time Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Stephanie Murphy, Jonathan Mohan and Adam B. Levine discuss the evolving battle lines in the nascent world of triple-A gaming NFTs and whether these early announcements are a signal or just noise. Electronic Arts Ubisoft Epic Games Steam Xbox Later, the hosts explore the still-to-come moment when the behemoths of game publishing select which blockchain or blockchains will be their native NFT layer. Are we in for a repeat of the corporate adoption story? Or will big-budget games become a new differentiating factor, elevating their chosen partners to de-facto “incumbent” status? Photo by Igor Karimov on Unsplash, modified by Speaking of Bitcoin --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #488 How Far We've Come (And How Much Stayed the Same)
Today’s show is from a time before the trillion (or even billion) dollar market cap; Before Vitalik had ever spoken the word Ethereum; Before taproot, segwit, stock-to-flow and the institutional investing thesis. In the early days, Bitcoin was the absolute state of the art and the basis for an entirely new and utterly revolutionary form of technology. This time you’ll get a peek at how we discussed it before everything that would happen had happened. Original show notes for episode 14 (6/7/2013): ‘In Search of Goldilocks’ Listener mail: “Microtransaction powered social networks” Constance Choi, legal council at Payward brings us up to speed on Washington, DC, FinCEN & Treasury The retroactive bitcoin paywall Counterintuitive: Smaller amounts equal larger transactions? 1 Megabyte blocks, good or bad? Who needs banks? Zach Harvey of the Lamassu bitcoin vending machine Full node clients vs. lite clients: Are federated servers the future? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message
SOB #487 If Facebook Can't Run A Global Currency, Who Could?
A recent letter addressed to the social media giant from five democratic senators laid it out clearly; There's simply no way Meta (formerly Facebook) will be allowed, much less trusted, to run a supra-national stablecoin. It's a stance many agree with but it brings up a larger and much more controversial question. If one of the biggest, most successful consumer-facing companies in the world can't do it, who could? Join hosts Adam B. Levine, Stephanie Murphy, Jonathan Mohan and Andreas M. Antonopoulos for this wide-ranging conversation as they dig into the thorny issues of power, currency, trust and monetary policy. Have any questions or comments? Send us an email at adam@speakingofbitcoin.show Today’s show featured Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Jonathan Mohan, Stephanie Murphy and Adam B. Levine, with editing by Adam B. Levine and music by Gurtybeats.com. Our episode art is a photograph by Annie Spratt/Unsplash modified by Speaking of Bitcoin --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/originalltb/message

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