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

We are joined by Charles Hoskinson, who played an early role in developing Ethereum and BitShares, and is currently the CEO of IOHK. IOHK is an engineering company that undertakes cryptocurrency research, contributes development efforts to the Ethereum Classic ecosystem, and is spearheading the release of Cardano – a third generation blockchain protocol. IOHK has made the news recently after the publication of fundamental research papers on the Proofs of Proof of Work and the Ouroboros PoS algorithm, and its recruitment of highly rated academics. Topics covered in this episode: IOHK’s role in the Ethereum Classic ecosystem, and how Ethereum Classic differs from Cardano Cardano as a “”third generation blockchain”” and what this means Governance system of Cardano and the challenges behind developing a decentralized governance system Ouroboros PoS algorithm – why was it developed and what’s special about it Ouroboros Genesis: how full nodes can be bootstrapped without requiring checkpoints Cardano’s bet on K framework for smart contract execution Episode links: IOHK analysis of the Dash governance system Ouroboros Genesis intro by Prof Aggelos Kiayias Ouroboros technical paper Ouroboros Praos technical paper Algorand Proofs of Proof of Work K Framework formal analysis technical paper K framework website This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/234

We are joined by Humayun Sheikh and Toby Simpson, founders of the Fetch.ai project. Humayun Sheikh is well known as the first investor in DeepMind, one of the leading AI companies in the world. This ambitious project seeks to create a self-learning blockchain network that fosters economic activity/combinations between off-chain AI agents. The fetch blockchain network will allow an AI agent, such as a delivery robot, to autonomously discover economic partners that would find its services and data valuable. Towards this goal, Fetch.ai claims to have found solutions to designing a useful proof of work system and building a scalable block chain. Topics covered in this episode: Humayun and Toby’s background at Deep Mind Toby’s background in the videogames industry building virtual worlds The vision behind the Fetch.ai project On solutions to useful PoW, salability and the complexity of the project Timelines and what to expect from Fetch Episode links: Fetch.ai white paper Fetch.ai video Documentary from DeepMind on AlphaGo Mike Hearn autonomous agents and Bitcoin talk This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/233

Ethereum Foundation researcher Karl Floersch joined us to discuss the main projects to upgrade Ethereum: Casper, Sharding and Plasma. Karl has been playing a key role in creating a new and simpler specification for Ethereum sidechains called Plasma Cash. We discussed the evolution of the Plasma project and what Ethereum’s evolution in the coming years could look like. Topics covered in this episode: How Karl originally became involved in Ethereum The role of Casper, Sharding and Plasma in the Ethereum roadmap The problems with the original Plasma concept How Plasma Cash provides a simple scalability solution The challenge of data availability Use cases and timeline for Plasma Episode links: Plasma Cash Simple Spec Ethereum Plasma MVP Overview Plasma Cash Discussion on Ethereum Research Cryptoeconomics: An Introduction Plasma & The Public Ethereum Chain - Joseph Poon (Ethereal Summit 2017) Plasma - Original Whitepaper This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/232

With the advent of mature quantum technologies, many of the critical cryptographic protocols which secure the Internet, financial transactions and even military secrets may become susceptible to new attack vectors. For instance, while it may take a computer millions of years to decipher a public key’s corresponding private key, a sufficiently powerful quantum computer might achieve this in a reasonable amount of time. With this reality looming over us, many in the blockchain space worry that someone with access to a quantum computer might one day have the ability to steal their hard-earned crypto. We’re joined by Ajay Prakash and Gavin Brennen, founders of the Qubit Protocol, a decentralized blockchain-enabled governance protocol that is meant to select and fund the best startups in the quantum world. As a co-author of the recent paper “Quantum attacks on Bitcoin, and how to protect against them,” Gavin walks us through the primary threats that quantum computing poses on Bitcoin. Among the major vulnerabilities are hashing functions and Elliptic Curve algorithms used for digital signatures, both fundamental components of Bitcoin, as well as many other blockchain protocols. Topics covered in this episode: What are quantum technologies and how they differ from the existing paradigm The areas and industries which are to benefit most from quantum computing A refresher on hashing algorithms as one-way functions What a quantum attack on Bitcoin mining might look like How Elliptic Curve digital signature algorithms work and how public and private keys are generated The three types of attacks a quantum computer could perform digital signatures The expected timelines for these attacks to be viable The potential countermeasures which could circumvent quantum attacks on Bitcoin The Qubit Protocol as a DAO to fund quantum technology startups and the challenges of investing in the quantum space The project’s roadmap and upcoming ICO Episode links: Qubit Protocol Quantum attacks on Bitcoin, and how to protect against them Quantum Computers Pose Imminent Threat to Bitcoin Security - MIT Technology Review" Shor's algorithm - Wikipedia Elliptic-curve cryptography - Wikipedia This episode is hosted by Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/231

Dark pools have existed for as long as there have been financial markets. Over-the-counter, or OTC markets, are sometimes also referred to as ‘upstairs trading,’ evoking the era when firms and high-net-worth individuals would meet in the upper quarters of financial markets to make large trades privately. A dark pool is a private forum where one has access to high volumes of liquidity outside the boundaries of public markets. Orders and trades represented in dark pools typically remain confidential outside the purview of the general markets, thus preventing undesirable market impact. We’re joined by Taiyang Zhang and Loong Wang, who are respectively CEO and CTO of Republic Protocol. Republic operates as a decentralized dark pool for cryptocurrency trading pairs such as Ether, ERC20 tokens, and Bitcoin. Buy and sell orders remain confidential in a hidden order book until matched without any of the parties having access to the underlying details. Trades are settled using cross-chain atomic swaps without the intervention of a trusted third party. Topics covered in this episode: Taiyang and Loong’s respective backgrounds Dark pools, their role in traditional financial markets, and their economic impact Dark pools in crypto markets The Republic Protocol and the problems it aims to address The different components and participants of the Republic Protocol The Shamir Secret Sharing Scheme and its role in protecting orders from being divulged to the public The role of nodes in Republic Protocol’s DHT network The purpose of the REN token as an incentive mechanism protecting against malicious actors Republic Protocol’s use of atomic swaps for decentralized settlement The project’s recent ICO and release roadmap Episode links: Republic Protocol GitHub - republicprotocol/whitepaper: Republic Protocol whitepaper Dark pool - Wikipedia Shamir's Secret Sharing - Wikipedia De/Centralize - YouTube This episode is hosted by Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/230

In just over ten years, geospatial tracking has gone from being a niche technology used by the military and outdoor enthusiasts to mass adoption, available to just about every connected device in existence. GPS and other location-tracking systems not only allows us to find our way and share our location but is critical to businesses and governments. However, while GPS has become a standard thanks to its accuracy and availability, decentralized applications can’t rely on its location data as it can be easily spoofed and lacks reliability. We’re joined by Ryan John King, CEO of FOAM, a blockchain protocol which aims to offer secure location services independent of external centralized sources such as GPS. FOAM introduces a novel crypto-spacial coordinate system that is better suited to blockchains than standard addresses or latitude and longitude coordinates. It also provides a Proof of Location Protocol, which leverages long-range low-power radio networks, and incentive mechanisms, allowing network participants to arrive at consensus on whether an event or agent is verifiably at a particular point in time and space. Topics covered in this episode: Ryan’s background and how he became involved in the space How geospatial tracking works and the pitfalls of GPS The vision for FOAM and the problem it is trying to solve The proposed Crypto-Spatial Coordinate Standard FOAM’s Spacial Index fullstack visualizer The Proof of Location Protocol proposed by FOAM Low-power radio networks and their role in the system The civil and business applications for FOAM Episode links: FOAM Website FOAM Blog This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/229

The healthcare industry is paradoxical. On the one hand, treatment technologies represent some of the most advanced science known to humankind, while some administrative tasks are still performed using paper and fax machine. Studies have shown that the administrative costs of healthcare can represent up to one-third of the total cost of care. Also, as diagnosis, treatment, and care, becomes increasingly data-driven and patient-specific, the industry needs to adopt more secure and robust technologies to manage patient data and communications between the patient and the different participants in the healthcare supply chain. We are joined by John Bass and Corey Todaro, who are respectively CEO and CPO of Hashed Health, an innovation firm focused on accelerating the meaningful development of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies for the industry. Hashed Health works to build solutions which leverage blockchain to solve some of the most important challenges facing this sector. Topics covered in this episode: John and Corey’s respective backgrounds in the building technology for the healthcare sector Nashville as a hub for the US healthcare industry What is Hashed Health and what problems the company is trying to solve The particular issues facing the US and global healthcare sectors How healthcare in the US differs from that of European countries The different entities of Hashed Health: Hashed Collective, Hashed Labs, and Hashed Enterprise Hashed Enterprise and the products they are building for the industry Episode links: Hashed Health Website Hashed Health Blog Hashed Health Podcast This episode is hosted by Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/228

Over the past year, as cryptocurrencies and ICOs started to go mainstream, we have seen a huge surge in regulatory activities. In the US, many different regulatory bodies including SEC, CFTC and FinCEN stepped forward to regulate crypto projects in different ways. Seemingly contradictory statements have added to confusion and fear of a broad crackdown looming. We were joined by CoinCenter Director of Research Peter Van Valkenburgh to shed clarity on recent developments and understand where things are heading. Topics covered in this episode: The recent congressional hearings about cryptocurrencies and ICOs How the US regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies evolved in the last year Whether overly broad and contradictory regulation is emerging in the US Understanding the difference between CFTC and SEC Why CFTC regulating existing cryptocurrencies and SEC ICOs would be a good outcome Why decentralized exchanges will be a likely target by SEC The recent letter by FinCEN about ICOs and money transmission Comparing US to European regulation and why the US could end up more friendly Episode links: Coin Center Website The Bank Secrecy Act, Cryptocurrencies, and New Tokens: What is Known and What Remains Ambiguous FinCEN raises major licensing problem for ICOs in new letter to Congress. Federal Court Adopts CFTC Position on Cryptocurrency Authority SEC.gov | Statement on Cryptocurrencies and Initial Coin Offerings Gibraltar Plans to Regulate ICO Tokens as Commercial Products E182: Peter Van Valkenburgh - Towards Sound Bitcoin Policy Donate to Coin Center This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/227

According to the World Bank, universal financial access is vital to reducing poverty, and lack of access to credit plays a significant role in widening inequalities between developed and developing nations. For producers at the end of the supply chain, and who typically have little access to capital, waiting for customers to pay for their products puts them at high financial risk and threatens their livelihood. What if there was a way to bring more liquidity to global supply chains, by allowing anyone to create liquidity from their existing assets. We’re joined by Bob Summerwill, Community Ambassador at Sweetbridge, an ambitious project that aims to change the way global business operates at a fundamental level. While supply chains account for about two-thirds of the World’s GDP, value is trapped in non-liquid assets sitting in warehouses, on store shelves, or in the form of outstanding invoices. Sweetbridge acts as a sort of OSI model for global business. In the Sweetbridge economy, working capital is freed up by enabling individuals and organizations to borrow from themselves interest-free. Topics covered in this episode: Bob’s background as a game developer How Bob got involved with Ethereum and his role at The Ethereum Foundation What is the Sweetbridge and how it aims to transform global business How one can use Sweetbirdge to collateralize assets and borrow money The different protocol layers of Sweetbridge How Bridgecoin and Sweetcoin work, and their respective roles The role and goals of the Sweetbridge Alliance The upcoming token sale The project roadmap and upcoming product releases Episode links: Sweetbridge Sweetbridge Whitepapers SweetTalk with Vinay Gupta & Scott Nelson This episode is hosted by Meher Roy and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/226

We were joined by Anson Zeall, who is one of the leaders of Singapore’s blockchain and FinTech community. We discussed how the Singapore ecosystem evolved, why it became a popular place to locate cryptocurrency project, its current regulatory framework. We also dove into some of the projects he is currently involved in including one involving tokenizing cows! Topics covered in this episode: The evoluation of the Singapore blockchain ecosystem and role played by ACCESS The favorable mechanics of Singapore’s regulatory regime Singapore’s experiment to tokenize the Singapore Dollar on Ethereum How Anson’s startup CoinPip uses Bitcoin as a payment rail in South East Asia Sentinel Chain and its efforts to provide financial access to the unbanked The upcoming Singapore blockchain conference De/Centralize Episode links: ACCESS: Association of Cryptocurrency Enterprises and Startups, Singapore CoinPip Sentinel Chain InfoCorp - Rebuilding Inclusive Fintech Singaporean Dollar Tokenized Through Ethereum’s Blockchain by the Monetary Authority of Singapore Singapore Becomes Favored ICO Destination for Blockchain Cow Token White Paper De/Centralize 2018 This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/225