Epicenter - Learn about Crypto, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin and Distributed Technologies

The Metaverse has taken the world by storm in 2021 and even though many have and are still opposing it, the fact that we are spending the majority of our lives online is an undeniable truth. The boundaries between physical and digital worlds are slowly eroding away. Our digital presence generates a data footprint that is currently being stored in big tech’s centralized silos. As a whole, these user-generated data breadcrumbs represent our digital identity. Web3 has, so far, mainly focused on financial aspects, disregarding user specific data even though the latter actually represents the vast majority (>90%) of all generated data.We were joined by Joel Thorstensson, co-founder of 3Box Labs, to discuss Ceramic’s goal of decentralizing ‘social’, account-based data in the form of user-generated event streams, that could unlock true application interoperability built on a composable data layer.Topics covered in this episode:Joel’s background & founding CeramicThe concept behind CeramicCeramic’s event stream design vs. other data solutionsThe need for consensus in CeramicUse cases for CeramicData privacy potentialApplication interoperabilityData redundancy & protectionCeramic’s ecosystem & business modelEpisode links: Joel Thorstensson on TwitterCeramic on TwitterSponsors: Omni: Access all of Web3 in one easy-to-use wallet! Earn and manage assets at once with Omni's built-in staking, yield vaults, bridges, swaps and NFT support.https://omni.app/ -This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/482

Trent McConaghy, founder of Ocean Protocol, discusses AI, blockchain, and data NFTs. Topics include AI's impact, data NFT minting, data quality, ownership, marketplace users, and data science competitions. Dive into engaging with Ocean Protocol through Python and JavaScript.

DeFi lending protocols operate accordingly to their smart contracts and are perfect examples of ‘Code is law’, even if some recent exploits have not quite abided to this harsh truth. From well established protocols to degenerate DeFi farms with astronomic APYs, they all mainly use liquidity pools. Morpho Labs proposes a peer-to-peer approach that operates on top of another protocol’s liquidity pool (i.e. Aave, Compound), offering better rates for lenders as well as borrowers.We were joined by Paul Frambot, co-founder and CEO of Morpho Labs, to discuss about the benefits and challenges that arise from a peer-to-peer lender-borrower matching system and what failsafes are in place.Topics covered in this episode:Paul’s background and diving into DeFiFounding and funding MorphoThe concept behind MorphoImproving lending & borrowing APYsHow lenders and borrowers are matchedManaging gas fees in a P2P settingSecuring collateral in peer matchesSharing liquidity with Aave and CompoundMorpho token economyManaging liquidationsUser experience & integrationsMorpho’s business modelFuture roadmapEpisode links: Paul Frambot on TwitterMorpho Labs on TwitterMorpho LabsSponsors: Omni: Access all of Web3 in one easy-to-use wallet! Earn and manage assets at once with Omni's built-in staking, yield vaults, bridges, swaps and NFT support.https://omni.app/ -This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/480

2022 has proven time after time that centralised entities are prone to multiple points of failure, intentional or not. Decentralised finance (DeFi) addresses these, but the user experience has often been lacklustre compared to that from centralised finance (CeFi). Exchanges are the backbone of any market, but high throughput is required in order to ensure that both makers and takers can proficiently use them. Decentralised exchanges have long faced issues due to bandwidth constraints native to blockchains, but recent L2 scaling solutions have provided a considerable increase in terms of throughput. For example, dYdX is currently the largest consumer of STARKs, but growing institutional and retail interest in derivative financial products urges for an even better alternative.We were joined by Antonio Juliano, founder & CEO of dYdX perpetual exchange, to discuss about the upcoming transition to dYdX V4 and what challenges decentralised exchanges have to face amidst technological bottlenecks and upcoming regulations.Topics covered in this episode:Antonio’s background & timing productsdYdX product overviewPrice feed oraclesdYdX user demographics & UXDevelopment timeframes & taking risksOrder book vs. AMMBuilding a sovereign blockchain on CosmosThe challenges of decentralising order booksIBC integrations and composabilityCurrent state of scaling solutionsMigrating from dYdX V3 to V4 & token utilityDeFi vs. CeFiDeFi education & regulatory outreachEpisode links: Antonio Juliano on TwitterdYdX on TwitterdYdX exchangeThis episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Felix Lutsch. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/479

The recent advancements of layer 2 scaling solutions, especially zero-knowledge rollups, led to a complete redesign of Ethereum’s scalability roadmap. As a result, the initial concept of sharding the execution layer was abandoned and replaced by the idea of data sharding. This proposal, named after its author, is know as Danksharding. EIP-4844 is also referred to as proto-danksharding as it sets the foundation for data sharding, through the introduction of data blobs.We were joined by Carl Beekhuizen & Trenton Van Epps from the Ethereum Foundation, to discuss about the upcoming EIP-4844 timeline and its KZG ceremony.Topics covered in this episode:Trent’s and Carl’s backgroundsDanksharding and scaling EthereumData BLOBs and data availabilityKZG ceremonyHow trusted setups evolvedKZG commitment requirementsHow trust is ensuredCombining randomnessHow storing secrets is preventedGeneral contribution detailsSpecial contributionsQuantum vulnerabilityGeneral EIP-4844 timelineEpisode links: Carl Beekhuizen on TwitterTrenton Van Epps on TwitterMorgan Peck's articleSponsors: Omni: Access all of Web3 in one easy-to-use wallet! Earn and manage assets at once with Omni's built-in staking, yield vaults, bridges, swaps and NFT support.https://omni.app/ -This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/478

While Part 1 (#476) focused more on the general landscape of the ZK ecosystem, covering team updates and developments, in this episode, we take a closer look at specific use cases for ZK proofs and if the focus has shifted from privacy to blockchain scalability. Moreover, as the dusk of 2022 introduced chatGPT to the world, it seems only fitting to explore ZKP integrations in machine learning (ML).In Part 2 of this 2-part episode, we were joined by Anna Rose, host of Zero Knowledge Podcast and founder of ZK Summit, ZK Validator and ZK Hack, and Kobi Gurkan, Head of Research at Geometry, to discuss current applications for ZK proofs and what narratives are going to shape 2023 for the ZK ecosystem.Topics covered in this episode:Applications and use cases for ZK proofsZK bridgesAudits and ZK securityZKML (Machine Learning)Succinctness vs. Privacy2023 predictions for the ZK ecosystemPrivacy - human right or concern?Episode links: Zero Knowledge Podcast on TwitterZero Knowledge Podcast on YouTubeAnna Rose on TwitterKobi Gurkan on TwitterSponsors: Tally Ho: Tally Ho is a new wallet for Web3 and DeFi that sees the wallet as a public good. Think of it like a community-owned alternative to MetaMask. - https://epicenter.rocks/tallycashThis episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/477

Blockchains are immutable record keepers, storing information about every transaction ever recorded. However, this attribute comes at a cost: as more and more transactions occur, so does the size of the record expands. In turn, the hardware requirements for running a node increase which ultimately affects decentralization. Another aspect frequently criticized is how transactions are being processed by legacy blockchains in terms of speed. For both of these aspects there is a cryptographic solution that addresses scalability: zero knowledge proofs (ZKPs). These allow one entity (prover) to prove to another entity (verifier) that a statement is true, without revealing any additional information about the process or data involved. When applied to blockchains, ZKPs improve scalability and privacy by certifying that state transitions occurred, without the need to relay the underlying information.In Part 1 of this 2-part episode, we were joined by Anna Rose, host of Zero Knowledge Podcast and founder of ZK Summit, ZK Validator and ZK Hack, and Kobi Gurkan, Head of Research at Geometry, to discuss the state of the ZK ecosystem and how this promising technology is evolving.Topics covered in this episode:Anna’s background & her involvement in the ZK ecosystemKobi’s background in cryptographyTrusted setups, a brief history: Plumo & AztecZK Hack(athon)The State of the ZK ecosystemHow the ZK landscape evolved: from SNARKs to STARKsTrade-offs: compatibility, security, performanceAztec & Noir DSLThe need for performance benchmarksZK L1s: Zcash, Mina, AleoEpisode links: Zero Knowledge Podcast on TwitterZero Knowledge Podcast on YouTubeThe paper Kobi mentioned (by Ariel Gabizon)Anna Rose on TwitterKobi Gurkan on TwitterSponsors: Omni: Access all of Web3 in one easy-to-use wallet! Earn and manage assets at once with Omni's built-in staking, yield vaults, bridges, swaps and NFT support.https://omni.app/ -This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/476

Ted Blackman and Gary Lieberman discuss Urbit, a decentralized computing platform aiming to achieve global-scale decentralization. Topics include the disruptive potential of Urbit, its impact on user experience, current development stage, potential limitations, Urbit's adoption timeframe, other use cases, and implications for crypto. They also explore Urbit as a client interface, decentralized storage system, and general-purpose oracle system. The podcast concludes by highlighting opportunities for developers to get involved with Urbit.

As crypto adoption increases, so does the pressing need for blockchain scalability. Monolithic blockchains provide data availability, consensus and execution on a single, base layer, which makes scaling them a difficult endeavour. Multiple layer-2 (L2) scaling solutions have been proposed to address computation and/or data availability, but they reach the same design bottlenecks: limited bandwidth, account state models, sequential transaction processing, etc. Modular blockchains separate the core functionalities, redesigning them as customisable building blocks. This allows for greater flexibility and scalability, adapting blockchain structure to its intended function.We were joined by Nick Dodson, CEO and co-founder of Fuel Labs, to discuss modular execution layers and how they approach different aspects of blockchain design and scalability.Topics covered in this episode:Nick’s background and founding Fuel LabsWhy most blockchain designs are not scalableThe vision behind Fuel Labs’ modular execution layerThe difference between L2 roll-ups and modular execution layersBlockchain design philosophies and integrationsUTXO and multi-thread parallel transactionsUTXO vs. account model systemsFuel Labs’ own virtual machine (VM)Multiple native assets supportDeveloper experience switching to Sway DSLBridging to a settlement layer and interoperabilityBuilding on FuelEpisode links: Fuel LabsFuel Labs on TwitterNick on TwitterSponsors: Omni: Access all of Web3 in one easy-to-use wallet! Earn and manage assets at once with Omni's built-in staking, yield vaults, bridges, swaps and NFT support.https://omni.app/ -This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst & Sebastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/474

This year has been quite a rollercoaster for the crypto industry. From the long-awaited success of the Ethereum Merge to the spectacular collapse of FTX, this year has been full of lessons, resilience, and insights. This is also one of a few bear markets where activities and developments continue to feel vibrant across the board, while long-term adoption and regulations seem evermore uncertain. With that backdrop, our hosts sit down for a conversation on the current state of crypto and look back on 2022. The topics range from the general public sentiment to key developments within the industry, as well as exciting themes that the hosts are looking forward to in the upcoming future. Throughout the conversation, the hosts also express concerns over the issues with privacy and regulations, and how the ecosystems can resiliently move forward.Topics covered in this episode:General public sentiment heading into the new year, after Luna and FTX collapseCeFi versus DeFiCrypto Regulations and adoption trendsThe Ethereum Merge, MEV, and OFAC-sanctionRoadmap and community development for censorship resistancezkEVM and Eigen LayerThe future of Cosmos Ecosystem and Cosmos HubThe state of UrbitUrbit and cryptoThoughts on the Solana community and ecosystemEpisode links: Brian on TwitterSebastien on TwitterFelix on TwitterSponsors: Tally Ho: Tally Ho is a new wallet for Web3 and DeFi that sees the wallet as a public good. Think of it like a community-owned alternative to MetaMask. - https://epicenter.rocks/tallycashThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture, Brian Fabian Crain & Felix Lutsch. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/473