The Crypto Story, Where It Came From, What It Means, and Why It Still Matters, by Matt Levine

Matt Levine: Modern life consists in large part of entries in databases. If you own a house, your ownership is probably written down in some database. In many ways, the important thing here is the house. Owning a house means you live there and your neighbors all know you live there. Homeownership is mediated socially by a high trust network of peers.