The Bitcoin Gospel, VPRO Backlight documentary, Novembre 2015
▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zKuoqZLyKg
A very good and critical documentary about how it works, how it came to be, and it’s limitations.
Features:
• Roger Ver, bitcoin evangelist and founder of ▻https://blockchain.info
• Marshal Long, CEO of Final Hash, one of the largest bitcoin mines in the world, in China.
• Garrick Hileman, Economic Historian at the London School of Economics & University of Cambridge, best known for his research on financial and monetary innovation.
• The critical views of Izabella Kaminska, of Financial Times, who says
In the current economy, because of the way our money is structured, if I decide to horde my dollars then I’m usually hording them in an institution that is using them as a means of capital and they will be lending them out. So that money, even though I am saving, is going into an investment somewhere else. […] But in Bitcoin, there isn’t that opportunity. So a horded Bitcoin is a horded Bitcoin. It’s totally idle. It has no interest, it has no yield. It is simply sitting there and yet the person who is holding onto it thinks they have a right to future income flow, as if they have been investing.
An article summarising her criticism can be found here:
▻http://notesonliberty.com/2015/11/08/the-bitcoin-gospel-and-its-critiques
An interesting thought evoked by her is that bitcoin is supposed to democratic, but the power starts to concentrate in those 1% who have the power/capacity (money) and to mine. If you want to be a miner you have to invest a lot of money in equipment. Anyone can use bitcoin, but not everyone can mine bitcoins (anymore).
• Brett Scott, author of “The Heretic’s Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the Future of Money”
▻http://www.amazon.fr/Heretics-Guide-Global-Finance-Hacking/dp/0745333508
Popular anger against the financial system has never been higher, yet the practical workings of the system remain opaque to many people. The Heretic’s Guide to Global Finance aims to bridge the gap between protest slogans and practical proposals for reform. Brett Scott is a campaigner and former derivatives broker who has a unique understanding of life inside and outside the financial sector. He builds up a framework for approaching it based on the three principles of ’Exploring’, ’Jamming’ and ’Building’, offering a practical guide for those who wish to deepen their understanding of, and access to, the inner workings of financial institutions. Scott covers aspects frequently overlooked, such as the cultural dimensions of the financial system, and considers major issues such as agricultural speculation, carbon markets and tar-sands financing. Crucially, it also showcases the growing alternative finance movement, showing how everyday people can get involved in building a new, democratic, financial system.
• Andreas Antonopoulos, author of the O’Reilly series book “Mastering Bitcoin”
▻http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920032281.do
Want to join the technological revolution that’s taking the world of finance by storm? Mastering Bitcoin is your guide through the seemingly complex world of bitcoin, providing the requisite knowledge to help you participate in the internet of money. Whether you’re building the next killer app, investing in a startup, or simply curious about the technology, this practical book is essential reading.
Bitcoin, the first successful decentralized digital currency, is still in its infancy and it’s already spawned a multi-billion dollar global economy. This economy is open to anyone with the knowledge and passion to participate. Mastering Bitcoin provides you with the knowledge you need (passion not included).This book includes:
○ A broad introduction to bitcoin—ideal for non-technical users, investors, and business executives
○ An explanation of the technical foundations of bitcoin and cryptographic currencies for developers, engineers, and software and systems architects
○ Details of the bitcoin decentralized network, peer-to-peer architecture, transaction lifecycle, and security principles
○ Offshoots of the bitcoin and blockchain inventions, including alternative chains, currencies, and applications
○ User stories, analogies, examples, and code snippets illustrating key technical concepts
• There is also a part on the Dutch city of Arnhem and it’s “Bitcoin Boulevard” where you can spend an entire extended weekend on vacation paying only in bitcoins.
#bitcoin
