Epicenter – Podcast on Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

Manu Thanabalan, CTO of Otonomos, joins us to discuss how his company is leveraging smart contracts to accelerate incorporation and automate corporate governance. By leveraging blockchain technologies, day-to-day governance mechanisms and standard procedures such as voting and share transfers are automated through a smart contact, which complies with local jurisdictional regulation.

Support the show, consider donating: BTC: 1MjciB4vYxC9LKQSWrkCfAniq4GnSMZzB2 (http://bit.ly/2ptdEB3) ETH: 0x8cdb49ca5103Ce06717C4daBBFD4857183f50935 (http://bit.ly/2nKneP1) Anyone who has ever started a company knows just how tedious that process that can be. Whether it's establishing a shareholder's agreement, defining the company's constitutional structure, raising funds, or transferring shares, corporate governance procedures remain largely paper-based, requiring validation from multiple stakeholders, and their lawyers. Blockchain technologies, and specifically smart contracts, provide the rails upon which these processes can be digitized and streamlined, reducing operational costs, eliminating errors and automating menial tasks. Manu Thanabalan, CTO of Otonomos, joins us to discuss how his company is leveraging smart contracts to accelerate incorporation and automate corporate governance. Otonomos provides the tools and services which allow for anyone to start a company in any of the jurisdictions they support. Using their platform, founders are able to define board members and issue shares, while captables are kept up-to-date in real-time. Day-to-day governance mechanisms and standard procedures such as voting and share transfers are automated through a smart contact, which complies with local jurisdictional regulation. Topics discussed in this episode: - Mano's background as a quantitative trader and how he transitioned into blockchain - The fundamental problem Otonomos is addressing - How we may be able to unlock a tremendous amount of value by liberating shares currently locked in private companies - Leveraging smart contracts to automate standardized corporate legal procedures - The types of constitutional rules which can be digitized and automated with smart contracts - The ability to simplify accounting and auditing with Otonomos - The Otonomos technology stack - The current state of Otonomos and their product roadmap Links mentioned in this episode: - Otonomos Website: http://otonomos.com This episode is also available on : - Epicenter.tv: https://epicenter.tv/180 - YouTube: http://youtu.be/i7e_ORfk-Lg - Souncloud: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/eb-180 Watch or listen, Epicenter is available wherever you get your podcasts. Epicenter is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.

Electrum Developer Thomas Voegtlin joined us to discuss the state of the Bitcoin scaling debate. We discussed Bitcoin Unlimited, ASICBoost, SegWit activation without miner support and how a Bitcoin fork could play out.

Support the show, consider donating: BTC: 1KgnEbgUAtpmBBNKGhR7JroJBoMvEpJ5GZ (http://bit.ly/2pmi6ky) ETH: 0x8cdb49ca5103Ce06717C4daBBFD4857183f50935 (http://bit.ly/2nKneP1) Years into the great Bitcoin scaling debate no solution is in reach. Neither bigger blocks nor Segregated Witness have anywhere near consensus support. With the conflict escalating, a Bitcoin fork has become a real possibility. Electrum Developer Thomas Voegtlin joined us to discuss the state of the Bitcoin scaling debate. We discussed Bitcoin Unlimited, ASICBoost, SegWit activation without miner support and how a Bitcoin fork could play out. Possible outcomes include that Bitcoin Unlimited gains a majority of hashing power and starts mining bigger blocks. In the event of a fork, a proof-of-work change could be done to defend the minority chain from miner attacks. And lately a proposal was brought forward to activate SegWit without the support of the hashing power. Topics discussed in this episode: - ASICBoost and its potential role in the conflict - How a Bitcoin fork could happen - How to split coins in case of a fork - How UASF could be used to activate SegWit without miner support - Requirements for UASF to be safe - How Electrum would handle a fork Links mentioned in this episode: - Electrum Bitcoin Wallet: https://electrum.org/#home - ASICBoost – Hacker Noon: https://medium.com/@samcole_74219/asicboost-655a73d48ae4 - Bitcoin's New Controversy: The AsicBoost Allegations Explained - CoinDesk: http://www.coindesk.com/bitcoins-new-controversy-asicboost-allegations-explained/ - Timo Hanke on ASICBoost and SegWit Non-Activation: https://twitter.com/timothanke/status/849896505653706753 - From AsicBoost to UASF: Greg Maxwell on Bitcoin's Path Forward - CoinDesk: http://www.coindesk.com/asicboost-uasf-greg-maxwell-bitcoins-path-forward/ - [bitcoin-dev] Thomas Voegtlin: Soft Fork Threshold Signaling Proposal: https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2017-April/014146.html - UASF Working Group: http://www.uasf.co/ - [bitcoin-dev] Greg Maxwell: I do not support the BIP 148 UASF: https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2017-April/014152.html - Thomas Voegtlin: Electrum, SPV Wallets And Bitcoin Aliases — Epicenter: https://epicenter.tv/episode/069/ Sponsors: - Jaxx: Wallets that Unify the Blockchain Experience Across Devices - http://jaxx.io This episode is also available on : - Epicenter.tv: https://epicenter.tv/179 - YouTube: http://youtu.be/18QdbsSo8T8 - Souncloud: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/eb-179 Watch or listen, Epicenter is available wherever you get your podcasts. Epicenter is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.

Gilles Fedak, a researcher Inria, joins us to discuss iExec, a new project which aims to build a high-performance distributed cloud infrastructure marketplace. iExec utilizes Ethreum to organize a peer-to-peer marketplace of computing resources, allowing anyone to rent their idle resources to grid networks.

Support the show, consider donating: BTC: 17foNL7cdvPXPyiazDGuKfrjjdJQjwUTv1 (http://bit.ly/2oFoy6a) ETH: 0x8cdb49ca5103Ce06717C4daBBFD4857183f50935 (http://bit.ly/2nKneP1) For decades, science and academia have leveraged distributed computing to solve massive computational problems. Distributed grid computing schemes allow donors to volunteer their desktop computer's idle resources toward scientific projects in physics, biology, and chemistry, where large amounts of parallel computing resources are necessary. Relying on software like BONIC, these networks provide features such as built-in fault tolerance and result verification. And with the proliferation of mobile and IoT, the potential for massively distributed grid networks has never been greater. Gilles Fedak, a researcher at the French computer science research body Inria, joins us to discuss a new project which aims to build a high-performance distributed cloud infrastructure marketplace. Relying on mature grid computing technologies, iExec utilizes Ethreum to organize a peer-to-peer marketplace of computing resources, allowing anyone to rent their idle resources to grid networks. If it succeeds to execute on its vision, this game-changing project could revolutionize distributed computing through cost reduction and the commoditization of resources. Topics discussed in this episode: - Gilles' background as a distributed computing researcher - Distributed computing and it's applications in science and industry - The problems we see in distributed computing networks - The iExec project and its vision for a distributed computing resource marketplace - How iExec works as an Ethereum smart contract - The different components and participants of iExec - The iExec token and upcoming crowds ale - The project's business model and roadmap Links mentioned in this episode: - iEx.ec Website: http://iex.ec/ - Gilles Fedak Home Page at ENS Lyon: http://graal.ens-lyon.fr/~gfedak/ - iEx.ec White Paper: http://iex.ec/?page_id=186 - iEx.ec Crowdsale: http://crowdsale.iex.ec/ Sponsors: - Jaxx: Wallets that Unify the Blockchain Experience Across Devices - http://jaxx.io - Ledger: Smart card security for your Bitcoins - Get 10% off your first order when you use the code EPICENTER - http://ledgerwallet.com This episode is also available on : - Epicenter.tv: https://epicenter.tv/178 - YouTube: http://youtu.be/y_WrkUcNEDQ - Souncloud: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/eb-178 Watch or listen, Epicenter is available wherever you get your podcasts. Epicenter is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.

We're joined by Jason Teutsch and Christian Reitwiessner, the co-authors of a visionary whitepaper which describes Truebit. This protocol would allow complex computations to be executed on off-chain systems while being validated by Ethereum miners. The results of these computations would consequently be available to on-chain smart contracts.

Support the show, consider donating: BTC: 1B9JXncTuGtZx2yUTUjHXWDjugvkjtBQrw (http://bit.ly/2olzP8m) ETH: 0x8cdb49ca5103Ce06717C4daBBFD4857183f50935 (http://bit.ly/2nKneP1) Bitcoin and Ethereum miners collectively make up what is perhaps the most powerful computational resource in the world. However, mobile phones from the early 2000's could arguably run more complex operations than these networks combined. While blockchains themselves may never reach the level of computational power of modern computers, they may be leveraged as the underlying verification layer for centralized computing. We're joined by Jason Teutsch and Christian Reitwiessner. They are the co-authors of a visionary whitepaper which describes Truebit. This protocol would allow complex computations to be executed on off-chain systems while being validated by Ethereum miners. The results of these computations would consequently be available to on-chain smart contracts. Truebit makes clever use of proof systems and game theory to build a protocol where a Task Giver can ask a third party, the Solver, to execute a complex computation in exchange for a reward. Not limited to Solidity, these could be executed in traditional languages such as Go, Python or C++. Verifiers could then challenge the results, incentivising the Solver to be honest or see his reward be stripped away. This incentive structure would guarantee fast and reliable results while eliminating the need for a trusted third party. Topics discussed in this episode: - Jason and Christian respective backgrounds in the ecosystem. - The core problem being addressed by Truebit - Why a scalable decentralized computational resource is desirable - How Truebit makes use of proof systems and game theory to enable trusted computations off-chain - How the verification game works the incentive structures proposed in Truebit - The various use cases for Truebit - How Truebit could allow for blockchain interoperability without the need for ""blockchain of blockchains"" type networks Links mentioned in this episode: - TrueBit Website: http://truebit.io - TrueBit Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/truebit/ - TrueBit: Scalable Computation talk by Christian Reitwiessner at Ethereum Meetup in Berlin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO2tEOBBFOE - Slides for the Scalable Computation talk: https://chriseth.github.io/notes/talks/truebit_meetup_2017-03 Sponsors: - Jaxx: Wallets that Unify the Blockchain Experience Across Devices - http://jaxx.io This episode is also available on : - Epicenter.tv: https://epicenter.tv/177 - YouTube: http://youtu.be/QY0OUTaIWIc - Souncloud: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/eb-177 Watch or listen, Epicenter is available wherever you get your podcasts. Epicenter is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.

Support the show, consider donating: BTC: 1JYiE3xZcEspiEV5bTtu4qaL3Eux48F8Lo (http://bit.ly/2nSmOSK) ETH: ETH: 0x8cdb49ca5103Ce06717C4daBBFD4857183f50935 (http://bit.ly/2nKneP1) In the world of Bitcoin podcast, there is one show which definitely stands out as the longest running, Let's Talk Bitcoin! In its 4-year history, the show has produced over 320 episodes and expanded to become a network of podcasts which includes Epicenter and many others. We're joined by Adam B. Levine the founder and host of Let's Talk Bitcoin! It was thanks to Adam that Sébastien and Brian first connected in 2013, so in many ways, we consider him as the "spiritual grandfather" of Epicenter. Adam reflects on his signature show and the network he created in 2014. He discusses the future of the network and makes an announcement live on the show, which even takes us by surprise. Topics discussed in this episode: - The history of the Let's Talk Bitcoin! podcast - What listeners can expect for the future of the show - The LTB Coin reward token experiment, what was learned and the future of that project - The Let's Talk Bitcoin! Network and how it's evolving - The Tokenly project and its use cases - Token.fm: a platform for music creators to sell licences to their music as tokens Links mentioned in this episode: - Token.FM - Early Access: http://token.fm - BTC Media: http://btcmedia.org - Adam B. Levine: Let’s Talk Bitcoin Network, LTBCoin, Monetizing Content & Crowdfunding — Epicenter: https://epicenter.tv/episode/064/ - Let's Talk Bitcoin!: http://letstalkbitcoin.com Sponsors: - Jaxx: Wallets that Unify the Blockchain Experience Across Devices - http://jaxx.io - Ledger: Smart card security for your Bitcoins - Get 10% off your first order when you use the code EPICENTER - http://ledgerwallet.com This episode is also available on : - Epicenter.tv: https://epicenter.tv/176 - YouTube: http://youtu.be/FBypnbWXHMA - Souncloud: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/eb-176 Watch or listen, Epicenter is available wherever you get your podcasts. Epicenter is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.

We're joined by Adam B. Levine the founder and host of Let's Talk Bitcoin! Adam reflects on his signature show and the network he created in 2014. He discusses the future of the network and makes an announcement live on the show, which even takes us by surprise.

For a long time the native asset of the Ripple network XRP was the cryptocurrency with the second biggest market cap. But with much of the supply controlled by Ripple, it remained surrounded by controversy. Still, XRP remains an interesting asset to enable cross-border payments in the future. Miguel Vias recently joined Ripple after a long career on Wall Street to develop XRP as a liquid and widely accepted asset.

Support the show, consider donating: BTC: 1JYiE3xZcEspiEV5bTtu4qaL3Eux48F8Lo (http://bit.ly/2nSmOSK) ETH: 0x8cdb49ca5103Ce06717C4daBBFD4857183f50935 (http://bit.ly/2nKneP1) For a long time the native asset of the Ripple network XRP was the cryptocurrency with the second biggest market cap. But with much of the supply controlled by Ripple, it remained surrounded by controversy. Still, XRP remains an interesting asset to enable cross-border payments in the future. Miguel Vias recently joined Ripple after a long career on Wall Street to develop XRP as a liquid and widely accepted asset. Topics discussed in this episode: - How Miguel Vias went from trading precious metals to XRP - The similarities between precious metals and cryptocurrencies - The role Ripple sees for XRP - The connection between XRP and interledger - Why the FinCEN fine changed Ripple’s course - XRP’s role in cross-border payments - How Miguel is trying to create liquid markets for XRP Links mentioned in this episode: - Ripple Website: https://ripple.com - CME Group Executive Miguel Vias Joins Ripple | Ripple: https://ripple.com/insights/cme-group-executive-miguel-vias-joins-ripple/ - Ripple and R3 Team Up with 12 Banks to Trial XRP for Cross-Border Payments | Ripple: https://ripple.com/insights/ripple-and-r3-team-up-with-12-banks-to-trial-xrp-for-cross-border-payments/ - Q4 2016 XRP Markets Report | Ripple: https://ripple.com/xrp-portal/xrp-resources/q4-2016-xrp-markets-report/ - Welcome | Interledger: https://interledger.org/ - FinCEN Fines Ripple Labs for Bank Secrecy Act Violations: http://www.coindesk.com/fincen-fines-ripple-labs-700000-bank-secrecy-act/ Sponsors: - Ledger: Smart card security for your Bitcoins - Get 10% off your first order when you use the code EPICENTER - http://ledgerwallet.com - Jaxx: Wallets that Unify the Blockchain Experience Across Devices - http://jaxx.io This episode is also available on : - Epicenter.tv: https://epicenter.tv/175 - YouTube: http://youtu.be/d2C0-W0fQWk - Souncloud: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/eb-175 Watch or listen, Epicenter is available wherever you get your podcasts. Epicenter is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.

Carsten Stöcker, Senior Manager Machine Economy & Blockchain at Innogy, shares his vision for how blockchains will serve as the transactional fabric for tomorrow's smart grids. In this new paradigm, energy is locally produced and blockchains provide the rails on which radically different local energy markets can be built. The German utility has been conducting blockchain experiments for several years and is soon releasing the Mobility Transaction Platform moveX. The Ethereum-powered platform will serve an ecosystem of electric vehicles with transaction layer needed for charging, car sharing and mobility as a service.

Support the show, consider donating: 13AnaAVN4SMzMYVT3pb1S3A8wBFQYpqvnR (http://bit.ly/2lBipab) In the footsteps of the finance industry, the energy sector has been caught by the blockchain fever. Conceived over a century ago, increased usage and an explosion of devices have made energy grids outdated. Smart grids offer a two-way dialogue where electricity and information are exchanged between utilities and its customers. This new grid takes advantages of connected devices and green energy production to provide more reliability, security and sustainability. Carsten Stöcker, Senior Manager Machine Economy & Blockchain at Innogy, shares his vision for how blockchains will serve as the transactional fabric for tomorrow's smart grids. In this new paradigm, energy is locally produced and blockchains provide the rails on which local energy marketplaces can be built. The German utility has been conducting blockchain experiments for several years and is soon releasing the Mobility Transaction Platform moveX. The Ethereum-powered platform will serve an ecosystem of electric vehicles with transaction layer needed for charging, car sharing and mobility as a service. Topics discussed in this episode: - Carsten's background in technology - The history of RWE and creation of Innogy - Business models in a decentralized economy - How the energy grid system works - The transition from the traditional grid to the smart grid - How blockchains can be integrated in tomorrow's smart grids - Use cases for blockchain and energy - Innogy's moveX blockchain experiment for mobility Links mentioned in this episode: - innogy Innovation Hub: https://innovationhub.innogy.com - World Economic Forum - Decentral Blockchain Transaction Platform: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/12/goodbye-car-ownership-hello-clean-air-this-is-the-future-of-transport - Share and Charge - Mobility on Blockchain: https://shareandcharge.com/en/ - Blockcharge - Electric Vehicle Charging on Ethereum Blockchain: https://youtu.be/it2X_j-DPmA - Genesis of Things - Industry 4.0 on Blockchain: http://www.genesisofthings.com - Automating Machine Transactions and Building Trust in the 4th Industrial Revolution: https://medium.com/iotatangle/automating-machine-transactions-and-building-trust-in-the-4th-industrial-revolution-d3219a157396#.u99on2xeo - "Free Electrons" - a new global energy start-up program: http://www.freelectrons.co Sponsors: - Jaxx: Wallets that Unify the Blockchain Experience Across Devices - http://jaxx.io This episode is also available on : - Epicenter.tv: https://epicenter.tv/174 - YouTube: http://youtu.be/9q5gsKo9DHE - Souncloud: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/eb-174 Watch or listen, Epicenter is available wherever you get your podcasts. Epicenter is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.

Polychain Founder and CEO Olaf Carlson-Wee joined us to talk about Polychain Capital, a new hedge fund focused solely on investing in cryptocurrencies and protocol tokens.