The design trend for optimizing online registration processes is predicated upon reducing friction. The idea is to make the process as simple and painless as possible. Continue reading “MyEtherWallet Signup Warnings”
Civil: A New Journalism Paradigm on Blockchain
Civil.co describes itself as “The Decentralized Marketplace for Sustainable Journalism.”
Its mission is “to help power sustainable journalism throughout the world.”
“We believe in a new approach that takes advertisers and other third-party interests out of the equation, enabling journalists and readers to connect directly and focus on telling impactful stories.”
An initial takeaway is that Civil is not a publisher; it’s a platform for publishers. More specifically, it’s a platform for independent “newsrooms” that agree to adhere to its constitution. “The Civil Constitution outlines what does — and does not — constitute ethical journalism on Civil.”
There is a series of checks and balances in place designed to foster ethical journalism.
In regards to blockchain and cryptocurrency, “Civil’s cryptoeconomic model seeks to enable a more direct, transparent relationship between journalists and citizens, while using blockchain to also strengthen protections for journalists against censorship and intellectual property violations.”
What’s particularly unique is that people can vote on whether any of its newsrooms violate Civil’s journalism standards as established by it constitution.
There’s also a “Civil Council” for appeals to controversies over veracity that may be driven by, among other factors, herd mentality.
Or, in other words, just because information is unpopular does not mean it can be relegated to irrelevance or obscurity.
All this sounds promising, as the world of journalism is in a tailspin in terms of economic viability and public respect.
At a minimum, new ideas are needed and Civil is certainly that.
One Blockchain Network To Rule Them All? Nix.
The idea of multiple blockchains ultimately interacting with each other seems as intuitive an evolution as any prognosis on the future of the technology and is highlighted here by Jerry Cuomo, IBM Fellow and VP of Blockchain. Continue reading “One Blockchain Network To Rule Them All? Nix.”
Cryptocurrency Security Issues
Having spent years in the software and data industry, I’m aware of how imperfect software is. Heck, any casual user of software has likely had that realization.
Hence, it’s not much of a stretch to state that I don’t think we’ve seen the end of security vulnerabilities in cryptocurrencies. And as highlighted in this article, Bitcoin Dev Finds Potentially Crippling Security Flaw In Bitcoin Cash, some issues are still being discovered in mid-2018 that are remarkably serious. Continue reading “Cryptocurrency Security Issues”
Everipedia: A Wikipedia on Blockchain
Everipedia conceives that it is building a better Wikipedia on blockchain. There is no shortage of complaints about Wikipedia and any attempt at a better one should be encouraged.
But the premise of Everipedia introduces its own problems. I have no issue with the concept of paying people to contribute to Everipedia, but I believe the core idea that the best content will rise to the top is flawed. At least if you’re concerned about veracity. Continue reading “Everipedia: A Wikipedia on Blockchain”
Traditional Venture Capitalists Funding Blockchain
Venture capitalists invest in new businesses in exchange for an equity stake. Whether they make any money at all, or how much they make, is determined by the success of the target business. Hence, venture capitalists are selective about what they invest in, but high growth potential is a key expectation, often in 3–7 years. Continue reading “Traditional Venture Capitalists Funding Blockchain”
Blockchain: Who Wins?
Bitcoin vs Fiat Currency
If you’re a proponent of Bitcoin, you likely consider it to be the future of currency. Others underscore its volatility and abuse by bad actors, terrorists, and international drug cartels as representative of a bad idea.
According to this analysis by UBS, a Swiss multinational investment bank, a significant liability is that its networking capabilities are too slow. Ethereum is much faster, but still not up to the scale necessary for processing massive transactions.
However, at least two private Swiss banks are now accepting cryptocurrency deposits.
Regardless of where you stand on the current state of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general, things will change. And new technologies that impact large swaths of international populations don’t always accomplish such in a linear fashion.
Blockchain Is Entering The Crypto 2.0 Phase
Chris Langlois Co-Founder of Crypto Equities speaks about the current environment of cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin pioneered the crypto market. It’s a way to store value in a different form. But there has been a lot of volatity and scams and it’s still in its infancy.
The market is wisening up and we are entering the Crypto 2.0 phase.
Blockchain Social Media on the Rise
The good news about blockchain hype is that the technology is becoming more known in society. The bad news is that there is plenty of misinformation and unflattering news.
If you’re reading this, it’s likely you already know blockchain is not synonymous with Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency. But many conflate these together. So that’s a fundamental point of misinformation. Continue reading “Blockchain Social Media on the Rise”