Tuning in to decentralization
Re-sharing below the latest edition of #Web3Weekly, my regular newsletter about decentralization. If you would like to receive it in your inbox every Sunday, please subscribe here.
For a change, I want to highlight some excellent podcasts and videos covering our usual tech-y subject matter around here.
As it happens, I’ve come across several good ones the last few days. Hence a good opportunity to break from my usual article-heavy focus this time:
- Laura Shin interviewed BitMex co-founder Arthur Hayes about the Ethereum network’s pending Merge event on her podcast Unchained. Hayes previously counted himself as an Ethereum skeptic, but he’s now bullish on the platform due to its move to a new proof-of-stake protocol for verifying transactions.
- I really liked marketing guru Gary Vanyerchuck’s recent comments about web3 here, comparing it closely to the web1 era. The jist: Yes, there are a lot of excesses right now, a lot of speculation, and companies that won’t make it. But there is also stuff being built that will indeed be of lasting value. Both parts are true at once. We should resist the urge to make it binary, just one thing or the other.
- Podcaster Peter McCormack spoke with author Eric Yates about the future of bitcoin-based banking. As the bitcoin market matures, and the ecosystem of supporting technologies like the Lightning Network expands, Yates expects bitcoin to take on more of the roles now fulfilled by conventional banks.
- The Land of the Giants podcast, which covers Big Tech, just finished its sixth season, focused on Facebook parent Meta. The highlight for me was their episode on Facebook’s evolving moderation standards and their role in the 2016 election, especially given Donald Trump’s antics on the platform. This topic has been covered a ton the last few years, obviously. But if you want a thorough half-hour summary of how the situation went off the rails, I don’t think you’ll find a better one than LOTG’s work here.
- CNN reports that a Michigan voting machine somehow turned up for sale on eBay after being dropped off at a thrift shop. Authorities are investigating.
- Finally, a classic that’s always worth re-sharing: Wired’s excellent explainer covering what blockchain is at five different levels of complexity, from a five-year-old’s level of understanding on up. Four years after it was posted, this one still holds up as a great place to start if you want to understand the basics around this new technology.
That’s it for now. Thanks for spending some time with the newsletter today! If you would like to receive updates like this in your inbox every Sunday, please join our email list here.
As ever, a brief disclaimer: This content is intended for journalistic purposes only, not as investment advice. For the latter, please DYOR and consult appropriate financial pros to make the most suitable choices for your individual needs.
Best wishes for a healthy and productive week ahead.
