Stephan Livera Podcast

OrangeSurf from mempool.space discusses his research report on empty blocks in Bitcoin mining. They cover reasons for empty blocks, differences across mining pools, firmware and config impacts, and the management of block templates. Also, they talk about Antpool's firmware, mining decentralization, and upcoming mempool features.

Art Finch, a South African-American Entrepreneur, shares insights on setting up Free Private Cities in South Asia. Topics include the need for Free Private Cities, education in an FPC context, setting up an FPC in Bhutan, Bhutan's leadership views, Bitcoin mining in Bhutan, and potential FPCs in the future.

Jeff Yew, CEO of Monochrome, discusses the Direct Held Bitcoin ETF in Australia. Topics include fees, custody, in-kind redemption, institutional adoption, and Bitcoin in Australia. The conversation also touches on the influence of US Spot Bitcoin ETFs, different types of Australian Bitcoin ETFs, loan possibilities against Bitcoin ETFs, and comparisons between buying Bitcoin on exchanges versus Bitcoin ETFs.

Luke Thibodeau, CFO of Prospera, discusses using Bitcoin as a unit of account, setting up a business in Roatan, ZEDE law situation, leaving Canada, and the benefits of relocating to special economic zones. They explore regulatory environments, tax advantages in Honduras, and the integration of Bitcoin into Prospera's ecosystem.

Tiero of Ark Labs discusses updates on Ark, clARK, trade-offs, covenants, Ark on Liquid, fiatcoins, and Nostr. They touch on scaling payments, out-of-round payments, fee structures, ASPs, congestion control, ideal covenants, stablecoins, NIP46, and Nostr Connect. The episode covers liquidity provision, hardware security devices, Bitcoin developments, script restoration, and the role of Ark in Bitcoin payments and onboarding.

Bitcoin analysts Vijay Boyapati and Brandon Black discuss the unique features of Bitcoin, defining 'ossification', decentralization, economic interests in node upgrades, MEV concerns, and the power dynamics in the Bitcoin network. They delve into soft forks, hard forks, libertarian principles, and the importance of self-sovereignty. The debate includes unknown unknowns, centralization risks, and the resistance to protocol changes, all while aiming to maintain a sufficiently decentralized Bitcoin network.

NVK from Coinkite discusses Bitcoin ossification and changes in the Bitcoin network. Topics include bug fixes, desired changes, Bitcoin usage, market focus, and the fate of other blockchains. The conversation explores Bitcoin's role as a store of value or medium of exchange, Gresham's Law, and the future path for Bitcoin.

At Bitcoin Seoul 2024, Calvin Kim discusses utreexo, Gloria Zhao covers Bitcoin Core and mempool, Laolu talks Taproot Assets, Saifedean dives into Central Banking, Obi Nwosu shares insights on Fedi, and Jimmy Song discusses Bitcoin in Korea. Topics include simplifying Utreexo, implications of Truc, P2P encryption on Bitcoin core, views on covenants, Bitcoin's role in Korea's savings culture, and the rise of Bitcoin adoption in Asia.

Walt Smith of cyber.fund discusses Miner Extractable Value (MEV) on Bitcoin, exploring centralization concerns, 10-minute block time impact, and mining pool transparency. The conversation covers MEV potential, Bitcoin's expressivity, and fake L2 solutions. Touching on MEV's influence on miner centralization, the discussion provides insights on Bitcoin's utility and potential developments in the ecosystem.

Bitcoin privacy and usability advocates Josibake and Ruben Somsen delve into Silent Payments - a new method for improving privacy in Bitcoin transactions. They discuss the concept of static addresses, contrast with BIP47, light client support, stopping address re-use, and base layer privacy. The conversation also covers the development, testing, and user experience of Silent Payments, highlighting its benefits for enhancing privacy and usability in Bitcoin transactions.