Bitcoin Magazine Podcast

“While there is a reasonable use case for Bitcoin in the US, I would argue its a “nice to have versus a lot of other parts of the world like Lebanon where owning Bitcoin is almost like an act of survival to preserve your savings.” - Mark Saroufim In this two-part series, Dave Hollerith interviews members of Lebanon's diaspora migrant population to understand the country's current financial crisis and why Bitcoin is both an important asset for mitigating its risks as well as how it could play a roll in the country's downturned economy.  In this episode (Part 2), Hollerith talks with a Lebanese Bitcoiner, Mark Saroufim, about how Bitcoin is ultimately fitting into Lebanon's downturned economy. Topics discussed: News information through Twitter, as opposed to political party, owned news companies Lebanon's The Whatsapp tax How inflation and unemployment are starting to change spending habits. Government-issued “haircuts”  Consequences of the lira's devaluation: more crime and scams  Why Mark's Grandma understands Bitcoin   How a rogue Discord community wants to send Bitcoin to Lebanese friends and family Resources: Why do the Lebanese People Suddenly Care About Bitcoin? Some See Bitcoin As A Haven in Crisis Hit Lebanon Twitter: Mark Saroufim (@formalsystem)  Dave Hollerith on Twitter Bitcoin Magazine on Twitter Sponsors: Etoro * Lebanese metal anthem courtesy of Youtuber and musician, LordPatrick123456 DISCLAIMER: The following content is for informational purposes only. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Nothing contained in this presentation constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by BTC Media, The Let’s Talk Bitcoin Network, or any third party service provider to buy or sell any securities or other financial instruments.

In this week's episode, Peter is joined by Bitcoin Magazine staff writer Vlad Costea to discuss the latest cover story, "Maintaining Transaction Privacy in the Age of Government Analysis." The pair went over some Bitcoin privacy best practices, considered the honeypot risks of government-based transaction monitoring and examined the intersection of identity protection and user-friendliness. Resources Privacy Against Government Blockchain Analysis - Bitcoin Magazine Twitter Bitcoin Magazine Peter Chawaga Vlad Costea

“The next year or two is going to give very interesting examples of the role of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in countries that are like Lebanon — where people, on the one hand, are well-educated, wealthy, and have access to information and on the other hand, are facing a banking crisis that has led a lot of them to distrust their banks.” -Mike Azar In this two-part series, Dave Hollerith interviews members of Lebanon's diaspora migrant population to understand the country's current financial crisis and why Bitcoin is both an important asset for mitigating its risks as well as how it could play a roll in helping those who live in Lebanon.  This episode (Part 1) focuses on understanding the current Lebanese financial crisis in all it's complex historical, political and economic turmoil. Dave talks with Mike Azar, a financial consultant and lecturer, who walks him through how the Lebanese financial crisis started and what it could mean for the countries future. Topics discussed: How Lebanon's diaspora plays a crucial role in this crisis. How political and economic mismanagement led Lebanon into its currently tenuous economic position. Why the Lebanese central bank's insolvency is unique. How economic factors such as inflation, unemployment, and civil unrest will likely get worse in Lebanon's near future. The hard decisions that must be made to prevent the crisis from getting worse. What current solutions like Bitcoin or a central bank-backed digital currency are currently being discussed to help mitigate the crisis. Resources: Lebanon NERDs blog Twitter: Mike Azar (@Azarstweets)  Dave Hollerith on Twitter Bitcoin Magazine on Twitter Sponsors: Etoro * Intro music courtesy of Creative Commons  * Outro music courtesy of Youtuber and musician, LordPatrick123456 DISCLAIMER: The following content is for informational purposes only. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

The Federal Reserve has funneled roughly $500 billion into the repo market since September 2019 in what was originally pitched as temporary operations. Now, it wants to extend the same efforts to smaller institutions in an unprecedented extension of its influence over the economy. On this episode, Colin and Peter discuss Bitcoin Magazine's cover story about the Fed's actions and what they tell us about our financial system. If this reminds anyone of the climate before The Great Recession, then Bitcoin could be a solution. Resources The Fed Repo Market Is a Dam Ready to Break - Bitcoin Magazine Twitter Bitcoin Magazine Peter Chawaga Colin Harper

In this episode, Dave Hollerith talks with A Boy Named Pseu (Phil Gibson). He is a libertarian writer and podcaster whose journey in understanding Bitcoin is more recent yet rooted by a longterm interest in Austrian economics and agorism. To test his understanding of what actually happened to Bitcoin in 2019, Pseu recently wrote a Medium post, "Bitcoin Is Dead." In it he argues why Bitcoin's growth stands out as uniquely different from how it has been portrayed by mainstream media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal. Topics of discussion: Understanding Bitcoin as an educational growth opportunity Bitcoin Is Dead - high-level concepts and real-world examples for newcomers on what happened to Bitcoin in 2019. Philosophy of monetary value Hodling as primary Bitcoin activity Bitcoin Gift Cards Powering A Million Dollar Remittance Industry in Africa Mr. Pseu's podcast Mr. Pseu's (new) website Twitter: Mr. Pseu on Twitter Dave Hollerith on Twitter Bitcoin Magazine on Twitter Sponsors: Etoro * Intro and outro music courtesy of Phil Gibson.  DISCLAIMER: The following content is for informational purposes only. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Nothing contained in this presentation constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by BTC Media, The Let’s Talk Bitcoin Network, or any third party service provider to buy or sell any securities or other financial instruments.

Today, Colin sits down with Cassie Clifton and Christian Keroles, two of BTC Inc.'s content creators and conference organizers, to talk about the recent Dan Held v Ragnar twitter debate about the virtues of hodling versus creating a circular economy. Cassie also answers all the questions about Bitcoin Mining and gives fantastic analysis about what to expect in 2020.  Check out the episode on Bitcoin Magazine's YouTube Channel and don't forget to get your tickets to Bitcoin2020!

Two coastal villages in El Salvador are living out the dream that many Bitcoiners envision: a circular bitcoin economy for those who have been ignored by the traditional banking system. On this episode of Weekly Bits, Peter is joined by staff writer Colin Harper to discuss his latest cover story on Bitcoin Beach, the program that is putting sats in the hands of those who need them with noteworthy success. Resources In El Salvador, Bitcoin Is Becoming a Standard - Bitcoin Magazine Twitter Bitcoin Magazine Peter Chawaga Colin Harper  

Today, Colin sits down with Tommy Marchesci and Pat Riley, two of BTC Inc.'s designers, to talk about their methodology, philosophy and vision for the art behind the Bitcoin 2020 conference and Bitcoin Magazine.  Check out the episode on Bitcoin Magazine's YouTube Channel and don't forget to get your tickets to Bitcoin2020!

Bitcoin's underlying consensus layer has gone two years without a hard or soft fork change — its longest such streak in history. On this episode of Weekly Bits, Peter Chawaga is joined by Bitcoin Magazine Technical Editor Aaron van Wirdum to discuss his latest cover story on protocol changes that have the potential to end that streak in 2020. Resources 2020 and Beyond: Bitcoin's Potential Protocol Upgrades Twitter Bitcoin Magazine Peter Chawaga Aaron van Wirdum

In this episode, Dave Hollerith talks with Kiara Bickers, author of Bitcoin Clarity: A Guide To Understanding Bitcoin. Bitcoin Clarity is different from other Bitcoin guides because it takes uses "systems thinking" by explaining how and why each part of Bitcoin's system evolved into what it is today.  Topics included in the discussion: Independent publishing Approximating decentralization Bitcoin as a trustless time chain The value and limits of information Why Bitcoin Clarity does not dig into privacy How science and art should not be separated  Links: Bitcoin Clarity Kiara Bickers on Twitter Dave Hollerith on Twitter Bitcoin Magazine on Twitter Sponsors: Etoro DISCLAIMER: The following content is for informational purposes only. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Nothing contained in this presentation constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by BTC Media, The Let’s Talk Bitcoin Network, or any third party service provider to buy or sell any securities or other financial instruments.