Stephan Livera Podcast Archiv
776 Episoden
58 Minuten
Just like how English is the international language of business, Bitcoin’s lightning network is how various layers and apps and products will ‘talk’ to each other. Roy Sheinfeld, founder and CEO of Breez (@Breez_Tech) rejoins me to talk about updates in lightning and what’s new with Breez SDK.
We discuss the various layers and ways of interacting with Bitcoin and lightning, using Liquid (@Liquid_BTC) with swaps, and Bitcoin as a medium of exchange.
Summary:
In this conversation, Stephan and Roy discuss the current state of Bitcoin and Lightning. They explore the contrasting narratives of Lightning startups shutting down and new partnerships being formed. Roy emphasizes that Lightning is a manifestation of the payments use case of Bitcoin and that the majority of Bitcoin usage is still for trading and as an asset. He believes that the value proposition of Bitcoin lies in its potential as peer-to-peer electronic cash. They also discuss the role of custodial and non-custodial solutions, the regulatory landscape, and the control exerted by governments and private companies.
Roy argues that Lightning is the common language of the Bitcoin economy, enabling interoperability between different subnetworks and protocols. He highlights the importance of Lightning as a rail for communication and the incentives for moving Bitcoin within the Lightning network. Breez is working on integrating Lightning Network into existing applications to make Bitcoin more accessible and usable. They have developed the Breez SDK, which allows developers to easily integrate Lightning functionality into their apps.
Breez offers two implementations: Greenlight, which is a pure Lightning implementation, and Liquid, which is a nodeless implementation of Lightning using the Liquid sidechain. The goal is to provide a seamless user experience for Lightning transactions and make Bitcoin a common language for payments. Breez is also exploring hybrid solutions and partnerships to expand the adoption of Lightning.
Key Takeaways:
The majority of Bitcoin usage is currently for trading and as an asset, but the value proposition lies in its potential as peer-to-peer electronic cash.
Lightning is the common language of the Bitcoin economy, enabling interoperability between different subnetworks and protocols.
There is a need for both custodial and non-custodial solutions, with a growing focus on self-custodial options.
The regulatory landscape and control exerted by governments and private companies pose challenges to the use of Bitcoin as a medium of exchange.
Incentives within the Lightning network encourage the movement of Bitcoin and the use of Lightning as a rail for communication. Breez is focused on integrating Lightning Network into existing applications to make Bitcoin more accessible and usable.
They have developed the Breez SDK, which allows developers to easily integrate Lightning functionality into their apps.
Breez offers 2 implementations: Greenlight, which is a pure Lightning implementation, and Liquid, which is a nodeless implementation of Lightning using the Liquid sidechain.
The goal is to provide a seamless user experience for Lightning transactions and make Bitcoin a common language for payments.
Breez is exploring hybrid solutions and partnerships to expand the adoption of Lightning.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:56) - The current state of Bitcoin & Lightning network
(03:17) - Mutiny wallet’s contributions to Bitcoin
(04:54) - Regulatory landscape, Dollarisation of Bitcoin & Importance of non-custodial solutions
(14:43) - Sponsor
(16:07) - HODLing vs Spending Bitcoin
(18:55) - Lightning is the common language of the Bitcoin economy
(22:50) - Lightning: Bitcoin’s interoperability protocol
(29:42) - Liquid network - overview
(31:27) - Existing frictions with the Lightning network; Greenlight implementation, Liquid implementation
(36:55) - Sponsors
(38:57) - Boltz.exchange ( @Boltzhq ) X Breez
(40:33) - Differences b/w Greenlight & Liquid implementation
(49:00) - Lightning on Liquid soon?
(52:25) - Possible future integrations & way forward for Breez
(57:25) - Outro
Links:
https://medium.com/breez-technology/lightning-is-the-common-language-of-the-bitcoin-economy-eb8515341c11
https://x.com/Breez_Tech
Sponsors:
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Nomadcapitalist.com/apply
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
We discuss the various layers and ways of interacting with Bitcoin and lightning, using Liquid (@Liquid_BTC) with swaps, and Bitcoin as a medium of exchange.
Summary:
In this conversation, Stephan and Roy discuss the current state of Bitcoin and Lightning. They explore the contrasting narratives of Lightning startups shutting down and new partnerships being formed. Roy emphasizes that Lightning is a manifestation of the payments use case of Bitcoin and that the majority of Bitcoin usage is still for trading and as an asset. He believes that the value proposition of Bitcoin lies in its potential as peer-to-peer electronic cash. They also discuss the role of custodial and non-custodial solutions, the regulatory landscape, and the control exerted by governments and private companies.
Roy argues that Lightning is the common language of the Bitcoin economy, enabling interoperability between different subnetworks and protocols. He highlights the importance of Lightning as a rail for communication and the incentives for moving Bitcoin within the Lightning network. Breez is working on integrating Lightning Network into existing applications to make Bitcoin more accessible and usable. They have developed the Breez SDK, which allows developers to easily integrate Lightning functionality into their apps.
Breez offers two implementations: Greenlight, which is a pure Lightning implementation, and Liquid, which is a nodeless implementation of Lightning using the Liquid sidechain. The goal is to provide a seamless user experience for Lightning transactions and make Bitcoin a common language for payments. Breez is also exploring hybrid solutions and partnerships to expand the adoption of Lightning.
Key Takeaways:
The majority of Bitcoin usage is currently for trading and as an asset, but the value proposition lies in its potential as peer-to-peer electronic cash.
Lightning is the common language of the Bitcoin economy, enabling interoperability between different subnetworks and protocols.
There is a need for both custodial and non-custodial solutions, with a growing focus on self-custodial options.
The regulatory landscape and control exerted by governments and private companies pose challenges to the use of Bitcoin as a medium of exchange.
Incentives within the Lightning network encourage the movement of Bitcoin and the use of Lightning as a rail for communication. Breez is focused on integrating Lightning Network into existing applications to make Bitcoin more accessible and usable.
They have developed the Breez SDK, which allows developers to easily integrate Lightning functionality into their apps.
Breez offers 2 implementations: Greenlight, which is a pure Lightning implementation, and Liquid, which is a nodeless implementation of Lightning using the Liquid sidechain.
The goal is to provide a seamless user experience for Lightning transactions and make Bitcoin a common language for payments.
Breez is exploring hybrid solutions and partnerships to expand the adoption of Lightning.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:56) - The current state of Bitcoin & Lightning network
(03:17) - Mutiny wallet’s contributions to Bitcoin
(04:54) - Regulatory landscape, Dollarisation of Bitcoin & Importance of non-custodial solutions
(14:43) - Sponsor
(16:07) - HODLing vs Spending Bitcoin
(18:55) - Lightning is the common language of the Bitcoin economy
(22:50) - Lightning: Bitcoin’s interoperability protocol
(29:42) - Liquid network - overview
(31:27) - Existing frictions with the Lightning network; Greenlight implementation, Liquid implementation
(36:55) - Sponsors
(38:57) - Boltz.exchange ( @Boltzhq ) X Breez
(40:33) - Differences b/w Greenlight & Liquid implementation
(49:00) - Lightning on Liquid soon?
(52:25) - Possible future integrations & way forward for Breez
(57:25) - Outro
Links:
https://medium.com/breez-technology/lightning-is-the-common-language-of-the-bitcoin-economy-eb8515341c11
https://x.com/Breez_Tech
Sponsors:
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Nomadcapitalist.com/apply
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
45 Minuten
Thunder Funder is a new funding portal by Mike Jarmuz (CEO) and Rockstar Dev (CTO). This will be a new way to allow retail investors to participate in bitcoin company equity rounds. Muzz and I discuss the ins and outs of what this means, as well as what it could mean for bitcoin and open source companies.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:55) - Overview of Lightning Ventures & Thunder Funder
(12:15) - Sponsor
(13:50) - Pros and cons of investing in Bitcoin startups
(19:28) - Liquidity, secondary transactions, Reg CF & overview of investing process
(26:39) - Sponsor
(27:30) - The etiquettes of information rights
(32:02) - Carried interest
(35:25) - Getting involved in the bitcoin startup ecosystem
(39:17) - Open source funding opportunities
(42:14) - Way forward for Thunder Funder
Links:
https://x.com/MikeJarmuz
https://x.com/r0ckstardev
https://x.com/ltngventures
https://x.com/ThunderFunderCF
https://thunderfunder.com/
Sponsors:
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:55) - Overview of Lightning Ventures & Thunder Funder
(12:15) - Sponsor
(13:50) - Pros and cons of investing in Bitcoin startups
(19:28) - Liquidity, secondary transactions, Reg CF & overview of investing process
(26:39) - Sponsor
(27:30) - The etiquettes of information rights
(32:02) - Carried interest
(35:25) - Getting involved in the bitcoin startup ecosystem
(39:17) - Open source funding opportunities
(42:14) - Way forward for Thunder Funder
Links:
https://x.com/MikeJarmuz
https://x.com/r0ckstardev
https://x.com/ltngventures
https://x.com/ThunderFunderCF
https://thunderfunder.com/
Sponsors:
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
48 Minuten
Joining me is Antoine (@darosior), to discuss the latest developments around Liana and the growing importance of inheritance planning. We also delve into The Great Consensus clean up, important bug fixes and disclosure of Bitcoin core vulnerabilities.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:40) - The latest developments with Liana
(02:16) - Inheritance planning with Liana
(05:59) - What is The Great Consensus Clean up?
(07:30) - What is the Timewarp bug?
(15:51) - What would it take to fix the bug?
(19:08) - Sponsors
(21:08) - The Block Validation Problem
(28:46) - The way forward with the fixes
(31:23) - Sponsors
(32:34) - Bitcoin core vulnerabilities
(44:10) - Lesson from disclosures of Bitcoin core vulnerabilities
(47:28) - Closing thoughts
Links:
https://x.com/darosior
https://wizardsardine.com/liana/
https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/great-consensus-cleanup-revival/710
https://bitcoincore.org/en/2024/07/03/disclose-bip70-crash/
Sponsors:
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:40) - The latest developments with Liana
(02:16) - Inheritance planning with Liana
(05:59) - What is The Great Consensus Clean up?
(07:30) - What is the Timewarp bug?
(15:51) - What would it take to fix the bug?
(19:08) - Sponsors
(21:08) - The Block Validation Problem
(28:46) - The way forward with the fixes
(31:23) - Sponsors
(32:34) - Bitcoin core vulnerabilities
(44:10) - Lesson from disclosures of Bitcoin core vulnerabilities
(47:28) - Closing thoughts
Links:
https://x.com/darosior
https://wizardsardine.com/liana/
https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/great-consensus-cleanup-revival/710
https://bitcoincore.org/en/2024/07/03/disclose-bip70-crash/
Sponsors:
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
1 Stunde
Can you retire on Bitcoin savings? What do the numbers look like? Morgen Rochard, Founder and Lead Financial Planner of Origin Wealth Advisers joins me to explain:
The 4% rule and how to modify it
Being conservative in your planning
CPI inflation being hard to predict
Do you rebalance?
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:03) - 4% rule, Bitcoin & FIRE
(04:41) - HODLers vs TradFi allocation
(12:34) - Why you should be conservative with Bitcoin retirement
(20:16) - What if you retire during a Bitcoin bull run?
(22:24) - Sponsors
(24:55) - Should you borrow against your Bitcoin stack?
(31:41) - Where are the fiat financial planners going wrong?
(37:34) - Separating Bitcoin from ‘Crypto’
(40:55) - The shift in sentiment about HODLing Bitcoin
(42:39) - Sponsors
(44:51) - Should you rebalance your Bitcoin allocation?
(49:40) - Estimating currency debasement
(56:12) - Bitcoin’s CAGR
Links:
https://bitcoinfinancialadvisorsnetwork.com/does-bitcoin-make-retirement-planning-obsolete/
https://x.com/MorgenRochard
https://www.originwa.com/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Nomadcapitalist.com/apply
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
The 4% rule and how to modify it
Being conservative in your planning
CPI inflation being hard to predict
Do you rebalance?
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:03) - 4% rule, Bitcoin & FIRE
(04:41) - HODLers vs TradFi allocation
(12:34) - Why you should be conservative with Bitcoin retirement
(20:16) - What if you retire during a Bitcoin bull run?
(22:24) - Sponsors
(24:55) - Should you borrow against your Bitcoin stack?
(31:41) - Where are the fiat financial planners going wrong?
(37:34) - Separating Bitcoin from ‘Crypto’
(40:55) - The shift in sentiment about HODLing Bitcoin
(42:39) - Sponsors
(44:51) - Should you rebalance your Bitcoin allocation?
(49:40) - Estimating currency debasement
(56:12) - Bitcoin’s CAGR
Links:
https://bitcoinfinancialadvisorsnetwork.com/does-bitcoin-make-retirement-planning-obsolete/
https://x.com/MorgenRochard
https://www.originwa.com/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Nomadcapitalist.com/apply
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
1 Stunde 14 Minuten
The global fertility crisis is on with many western and developed nations below replacement fertility. Joining me to discuss this problem is Daniel Hess (aka @MoreBirths on X).
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:54) - How bad is the global fertility crisis?
(04:50) - Implications of low birth rate for future generations
(09:54) - Causes for declining global rate of fertility
(11:53) - Marriages affecting birth rate
(15:38) - Religion affecting birth rate
(17:36) - Fertility rate in the East
(21:28) - The impact of government policies on fertility rate
(25:47) - Sponsors
(27:43) - Urban planning & fertility rates
(32:40) - The impact of welfare state on fertility rates
(36:00) - Taking cues from the fall of Roman empire
(41:16) - Insights from the population curve of South Korea
(45:05) - Sponsors
(47:30) - The ‘3 Child Norm’
(52:57) - The lessons from ‘Baby Boomers’
(55:38) - Recalibrating expectations
(59:13) - The importance of low time preference
(1:04:00) - Deregulating childcare
(1:14:20) - Outro
Links:
X.com/@morebirths
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:54) - How bad is the global fertility crisis?
(04:50) - Implications of low birth rate for future generations
(09:54) - Causes for declining global rate of fertility
(11:53) - Marriages affecting birth rate
(15:38) - Religion affecting birth rate
(17:36) - Fertility rate in the East
(21:28) - The impact of government policies on fertility rate
(25:47) - Sponsors
(27:43) - Urban planning & fertility rates
(32:40) - The impact of welfare state on fertility rates
(36:00) - Taking cues from the fall of Roman empire
(41:16) - Insights from the population curve of South Korea
(45:05) - Sponsors
(47:30) - The ‘3 Child Norm’
(52:57) - The lessons from ‘Baby Boomers’
(55:38) - Recalibrating expectations
(59:13) - The importance of low time preference
(1:04:00) - Deregulating childcare
(1:14:20) - Outro
Links:
X.com/@morebirths
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
1 Stunde
Even as bitcoiners, we can’t deny that there is demand for ‘stablecoins’ or some kind of stable value feature. Tony Klausing, bitcoin and lightning developer joins me to talk about Stable Channels. This approach to stable value is self custodial, P2P, and bitcoin-native. We talk about the benefits, trade offs and who this would be suitable for.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:51) - Tony’s background
(03:28) - Opportunity of Stable Channels
(05:46) - Fiat-backed stablecoins Vs. Crypto-backed stablecoins(10:23) - Overview of Stable Channels
(14:17) - Difference between DLCs & Stable Channels
(18:02) - Stable Channels during varying BTC price scenarios
(21:34) - Sponsors
(23:49) - Who are Stable Channels for?
(30:50) - Dual funding & splicing on Stable Channels
(32:24) - How do participants of Stable Channels find each other?
(38:22) - Addressing concerns around Stable Channels
(41:12) - Sponsors
(42:33) - Possible challenges for Stable Channels
(46:43) - Payments on Stable Channels
(52:07) - Is Stable Channels a ‘Quasi-decentralized exchange’?
(53:57) - Lightning payment vs legacy financial payment
(58:03) - Usability challenges
(1:00:09) - Outro
Links:
https://x.com/tonklaus
https://stablechannels.com/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:51) - Tony’s background
(03:28) - Opportunity of Stable Channels
(05:46) - Fiat-backed stablecoins Vs. Crypto-backed stablecoins(10:23) - Overview of Stable Channels
(14:17) - Difference between DLCs & Stable Channels
(18:02) - Stable Channels during varying BTC price scenarios
(21:34) - Sponsors
(23:49) - Who are Stable Channels for?
(30:50) - Dual funding & splicing on Stable Channels
(32:24) - How do participants of Stable Channels find each other?
(38:22) - Addressing concerns around Stable Channels
(41:12) - Sponsors
(42:33) - Possible challenges for Stable Channels
(46:43) - Payments on Stable Channels
(52:07) - Is Stable Channels a ‘Quasi-decentralized exchange’?
(53:57) - Lightning payment vs legacy financial payment
(58:03) - Usability challenges
(1:00:09) - Outro
Links:
https://x.com/tonklaus
https://stablechannels.com/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
1 Stunde 6 Minuten
Aleksandar Svetski (@SvetskiWrites) rejoins me to talk about his newest book, The Bushido of Bitcoin. We get into a discussion about:
Anti-egalitarianism Virtues Why Bitcoiners should ‘stop being plebs’ The ascend & descend of civilisations Imbibing warrior culture in Bitcoin The masses and the remnant Timestamps: (00:00) - Intro (00:41) - Who is ‘The Bushido of Bitcoin’ for? (11:13) - The role of legitimate hierarchy (18:14) - The cyclical nature of civilisations (22:21) - Sponsors (25:20) - Choosing to opt out of a nation (30:29) - The pleb culture of Bitcoin (39:00) - Upholding virtues on a Bitcoin standard (42:53) - Sponsors (45:05) - Shaming as a morality check (49:17) - Retaining customs & norms in a new world on Bitcoin (53:17) - The masses and the remnant (59:35) - Natural elites in a free market (1:03:00) - Satlantis - travel & community social network (1:05:54) - Outro Links: https://x.com/SvetskiWrites https://www.bushidoofbitcoin.com/ Sponsors: Swan.com (code LIVERA) http://swan.com/livera CoinKite.com (code LIVERA) http://coinkite.com/ Mempool.space https://mempool.space/ Nomadcapitalist.com/apply https://nomadcapitalist.com/apply Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera https://x.com/stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1415720320 Subscribe to Substack: https://stephanlivera.substack.com/
Anti-egalitarianism Virtues Why Bitcoiners should ‘stop being plebs’ The ascend & descend of civilisations Imbibing warrior culture in Bitcoin The masses and the remnant Timestamps: (00:00) - Intro (00:41) - Who is ‘The Bushido of Bitcoin’ for? (11:13) - The role of legitimate hierarchy (18:14) - The cyclical nature of civilisations (22:21) - Sponsors (25:20) - Choosing to opt out of a nation (30:29) - The pleb culture of Bitcoin (39:00) - Upholding virtues on a Bitcoin standard (42:53) - Sponsors (45:05) - Shaming as a morality check (49:17) - Retaining customs & norms in a new world on Bitcoin (53:17) - The masses and the remnant (59:35) - Natural elites in a free market (1:03:00) - Satlantis - travel & community social network (1:05:54) - Outro Links: https://x.com/SvetskiWrites https://www.bushidoofbitcoin.com/ Sponsors: Swan.com (code LIVERA) http://swan.com/livera CoinKite.com (code LIVERA) http://coinkite.com/ Mempool.space https://mempool.space/ Nomadcapitalist.com/apply https://nomadcapitalist.com/apply Stephan Livera links: Follow me on X: @stephanlivera https://x.com/stephanlivera Subscribe to the podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1415720320 Subscribe to Substack: https://stephanlivera.substack.com/
1 Stunde 9 Minuten
Jörg Guido Hülsmann is a Senior Fellow of the Mises Institute, and he rejoins me to discuss his latest book on Abundance, Generosity and the State. Bitcoiners like to spell out a lot of the social and cultural problems in the world today, and Dr Hülsmann is one of the leading lights in showing how fiat currency and government intervention have caused negative outcomes.
We discuss the way gratuitous benefits come to us in a free market capitalist society, and the many ways government intervention can interrupt this process. Instead of having strong families, communities and private clubs that assist in making our lives better, the state disrupts this process and makes society poorer.
Links:
https://mises.org/library/book/abundance-generosity-and-state-inquiry-economic-principles
Site: https://guidohulsmann.com/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
We discuss the way gratuitous benefits come to us in a free market capitalist society, and the many ways government intervention can interrupt this process. Instead of having strong families, communities and private clubs that assist in making our lives better, the state disrupts this process and makes society poorer.
Links:
https://mises.org/library/book/abundance-generosity-and-state-inquiry-economic-principles
Site: https://guidohulsmann.com/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
50 Minuten
Why are some bitcoin blocks empty? Orange Surf from the mempool.space team joins me to explain his recent research report on this topic. We discuss:
Why do empty blocks happen?
Comparing empty block rates across mining pools
Firmware and config differences
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:44) - Orange Surf’s research report on empty blocks
(02:02) - Block interval data sets
(06:25) - What is an empty block?
(08:09) - What causes an empty block to occur?
(11:35) - Nuances of a working of a miner; switching from empty to full block templates
(14:05) - Differences in the empty block performance
(19:01) - Antpool’s internal miner firmware
(21:30) - Sponsors
(25:00) - Effective management of block templates by mining pools
(34:54) - Ocean's empty blocks
(36:08) - Mining decentralisation and proxy pools
(41:07) - Sponsors
(42:14) - Mining templates & pool payouts
(44:57) - Upcoming mempool features
(49:06) - Outro
Links:
Empty Block Report: https://research.mempool.space/empty-block-report/
Pool Reserve: https://orange.surf/pool-reserves/
Enterprise: mempool.space/enterprise
Community Sponsors: mempool.space/sponsor
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
Why do empty blocks happen?
Comparing empty block rates across mining pools
Firmware and config differences
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:44) - Orange Surf’s research report on empty blocks
(02:02) - Block interval data sets
(06:25) - What is an empty block?
(08:09) - What causes an empty block to occur?
(11:35) - Nuances of a working of a miner; switching from empty to full block templates
(14:05) - Differences in the empty block performance
(19:01) - Antpool’s internal miner firmware
(21:30) - Sponsors
(25:00) - Effective management of block templates by mining pools
(34:54) - Ocean's empty blocks
(36:08) - Mining decentralisation and proxy pools
(41:07) - Sponsors
(42:14) - Mining templates & pool payouts
(44:57) - Upcoming mempool features
(49:06) - Outro
Links:
Empty Block Report: https://research.mempool.space/empty-block-report/
Pool Reserve: https://orange.surf/pool-reserves/
Enterprise: mempool.space/enterprise
Community Sponsors: mempool.space/sponsor
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
1 Stunde 3 Minuten
Art Finch is a South African-American Entrepreneur. Art has experience across South Asia and is interested in setting up Free Private Cities or Charter Cities. In this episode he shares his experiences in Bhutan and shares his theories on how Bitcoin and Free Private Cities can work together.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:28) - Art’s background & his interest in building a Free Private City (FPC)
(10:50) - The need for a Free Private City
(13:11) - A look at Shenzhen as an SEZ
(16:20) - Education in an FPC context
(20:08) - Sponsors
(22:22) - Education in an FPC context (contd.)
(26:11) - Setting up an FPC in Bhutan
(33:56) - Bhutan’s leadership views on the FPC
(41:41) - Sponsors
(44:00) - Art’s insights on Bhutan & Bitcoin mining
(46:08) - Potential FPCs in the future
X clips:
07:18 - biggest risk to FPC
08:47 - 10:01 - Bhutan FPC in a nutshell
10:57 - 12:40 - need for FPC
18:08 - 20:08 - learning/self education, role of schools, start with one node and grow from there - similar to bitcoin
44:08 - 45:59 - Bitcoin progress in Bhutan - mining ops,
Links:
Article mentioned: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahemerson/2023/12/15/bhutan-futuristic-city-dragon-king/
Site: https://yungdrung.city/
Free Citadels profile: https://freecitadels.com/profile/art-finch/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Nomadcapitalist.com/apply
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:28) - Art’s background & his interest in building a Free Private City (FPC)
(10:50) - The need for a Free Private City
(13:11) - A look at Shenzhen as an SEZ
(16:20) - Education in an FPC context
(20:08) - Sponsors
(22:22) - Education in an FPC context (contd.)
(26:11) - Setting up an FPC in Bhutan
(33:56) - Bhutan’s leadership views on the FPC
(41:41) - Sponsors
(44:00) - Art’s insights on Bhutan & Bitcoin mining
(46:08) - Potential FPCs in the future
X clips:
07:18 - biggest risk to FPC
08:47 - 10:01 - Bhutan FPC in a nutshell
10:57 - 12:40 - need for FPC
18:08 - 20:08 - learning/self education, role of schools, start with one node and grow from there - similar to bitcoin
44:08 - 45:59 - Bitcoin progress in Bhutan - mining ops,
Links:
Article mentioned: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahemerson/2023/12/15/bhutan-futuristic-city-dragon-king/
Site: https://yungdrung.city/
Free Citadels profile: https://freecitadels.com/profile/art-finch/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Nomadcapitalist.com/apply
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
56 Minuten
While many debate the pros and cons of Bitcoin ETFs, joining us for this episode is Jeff Yew, CEO of Monochrome, doing a directly held Bitcoin ETF in Australia. We chat about the fees, the custody, the ethos, being able to contribute bitcoin or redeem bitcoin, institutional adoption and Bitcoin in Australia.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:53) - Monochrome’s role in bringing Bitcoin ETFs to Australia
(02:48) - Timeline of different Bitcoin ETFs in Australia
(03:58) - Influence of US Spot Bitcoin ETFs on the Australian Bitcoin ETFs
(06:15) - Different types of Australian Bitcoin ETFs and implications for investors
(13:32) - Fee structure of Monochrome (IBTC) Bitcoin ETF
(19:00) - In-kind vs. Cash-create
(24:55) - Loans against Bitcoin ETFs in the future?
(29:05) - Buying Bitcoin on an exchange vs buying Bitcoin ETFs
(31:48) - How does Monochrome store its Bitcoin?
(33:37) - Sponsors
(36:49) - Are institutions good for Bitcoin?
(43:07) - Safety in numbers
(46:53) - Bitcoin adoption in Australia compared to USA
Links:
https://x.com/jeffyew_
https://x.com/Monochromeasset
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:53) - Monochrome’s role in bringing Bitcoin ETFs to Australia
(02:48) - Timeline of different Bitcoin ETFs in Australia
(03:58) - Influence of US Spot Bitcoin ETFs on the Australian Bitcoin ETFs
(06:15) - Different types of Australian Bitcoin ETFs and implications for investors
(13:32) - Fee structure of Monochrome (IBTC) Bitcoin ETF
(19:00) - In-kind vs. Cash-create
(24:55) - Loans against Bitcoin ETFs in the future?
(29:05) - Buying Bitcoin on an exchange vs buying Bitcoin ETFs
(31:48) - How does Monochrome store its Bitcoin?
(33:37) - Sponsors
(36:49) - Are institutions good for Bitcoin?
(43:07) - Safety in numbers
(46:53) - Bitcoin adoption in Australia compared to USA
Links:
https://x.com/jeffyew_
https://x.com/Monochromeasset
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
59 Minuten
You might have seen my earlier episode with Erick Brimen, CEO of Prospera, here’s the CFO of Prospera discussing the ability to use Bitcoin as a unit of account. We discuss:
Life on Roatan
Setting up a business
Choose your own regulatory environment
ZEDE law situation
Bitcoin as unit of account
Leaving Canada
Timestamps:
Links:
https://prospera.hn/
https://stephanlivera.com/episode/464/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
Life on Roatan
Setting up a business
Choose your own regulatory environment
ZEDE law situation
Bitcoin as unit of account
Leaving Canada
Timestamps:
Links:
https://prospera.hn/
https://stephanlivera.com/episode/464/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
1 Stunde 9 Minuten
Tiero of Ark Labs joins me on the show to discuss the latest with Ark. We get into:
How Ark has changed since initial proposal
clARK - covenant-less ARK
Trade offs to make clARK happen
Which covenants would help vs what is ideal for Ark
Ark on Liquid
Capital requirements and costs
Fiatcoins
Nostr
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:37) - What is Ark? ELI5 version
(05:42) - Tradeoffs of scaling payments
(07:41) - Interchangeably using LN & Ark under the hood
(10:52) - Updates on Ark
(13:57) - What are out-of-round payments?
(17:48) - Trade Offs of out-of-round payments
(19:45) - The fee structure in Ark
(21:39) - Sponsors
(24:15) - Who runs the ASPs?
(28:55) - ‘Congestion control’ with Ark
(33:06) - The role of covenants with Ark
(39:44) - Ark on Liquid
(41:20) - Sponsors
(43:49) - The ideal covenant & its impact on Ark
(48:00) - Thoughts on extreme conservatism on Bitcoin
(52:55) - Way forward with Ark Labs
(56:18) - Opportunities & threats of stablecoins on Ark?
(1:02:39) - NIP46 & building Nostr Connect
(1:06:40) - Summary & closing thoughts
Links:
https://twitter.com/tierotiero
https://arklabs.to/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Nomadcapitalist.com/apply
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
How Ark has changed since initial proposal
clARK - covenant-less ARK
Trade offs to make clARK happen
Which covenants would help vs what is ideal for Ark
Ark on Liquid
Capital requirements and costs
Fiatcoins
Nostr
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:37) - What is Ark? ELI5 version
(05:42) - Tradeoffs of scaling payments
(07:41) - Interchangeably using LN & Ark under the hood
(10:52) - Updates on Ark
(13:57) - What are out-of-round payments?
(17:48) - Trade Offs of out-of-round payments
(19:45) - The fee structure in Ark
(21:39) - Sponsors
(24:15) - Who runs the ASPs?
(28:55) - ‘Congestion control’ with Ark
(33:06) - The role of covenants with Ark
(39:44) - Ark on Liquid
(41:20) - Sponsors
(43:49) - The ideal covenant & its impact on Ark
(48:00) - Thoughts on extreme conservatism on Bitcoin
(52:55) - Way forward with Ark Labs
(56:18) - Opportunities & threats of stablecoins on Ark?
(1:02:39) - NIP46 & building Nostr Connect
(1:06:40) - Summary & closing thoughts
Links:
https://twitter.com/tierotiero
https://arklabs.to/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Nomadcapitalist.com/apply
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
1 Stunde 22 Minuten
The bitcoin ‘ossification’ debate continues with a discussion on the key considerations. What makes Bitcoin special? What improvements are necessary to retain sufficient decentralisation, if any?
Vijay Boyapati and Brandon Black (aka reardencode) rejoin me for a special episode to discuss:
What makes Bitcoin special?
Defining ‘ossification’
How many users is ‘enough’?
Unknown unknowns
Addressing centralising MEV concerns
Soft forks and hard forks
Economic nodes and who holds the power
Where to from here
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:54) - What makes Bitcoin Special? ft. Vijay
(09:37) - Verifiability & decentralisation of Bitcoin ft. Brandon
(14:31) - When do we stop ‘changing’ bitcoin?
(15:17) - Revisiting the blocksize wars & importance of self sovereignty
(20:45) - Libertarian principles of Bitcoin
(23:48) - ‘Sufficiently decentralised’ Bitcoin
(26:42) - Defining ‘Ossification’ of Bitcoin
(30:56) - Sponsors
(34:11) - Economic interests in upgrading Bitcoin nodes
(43:40) - Bitcoin is a Trojan horse
(47:15) - Can we rule out ‘Unknown unknowns'?
(50:49) - Concerns over centralising MEV
(1:00:17) - Whose chain is it anyway?
(1:05:14) - Resisting soft forks and hard forks
(1:16:49) - Closing Thoughts
Links:
X: @real_vijay
Bullish Case for Bitcoin: Swan.com/bullish
X: @reardencode
Prior episodes:
Rusty - Great Script Restoration
Brandon Black - Are Covenants necessary for Bitcoin
TXHASH Steven Roose
Matt Corallo and Steve Lee Great Consensus Cleanup
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
Vijay Boyapati and Brandon Black (aka reardencode) rejoin me for a special episode to discuss:
What makes Bitcoin special?
Defining ‘ossification’
How many users is ‘enough’?
Unknown unknowns
Addressing centralising MEV concerns
Soft forks and hard forks
Economic nodes and who holds the power
Where to from here
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:54) - What makes Bitcoin Special? ft. Vijay
(09:37) - Verifiability & decentralisation of Bitcoin ft. Brandon
(14:31) - When do we stop ‘changing’ bitcoin?
(15:17) - Revisiting the blocksize wars & importance of self sovereignty
(20:45) - Libertarian principles of Bitcoin
(23:48) - ‘Sufficiently decentralised’ Bitcoin
(26:42) - Defining ‘Ossification’ of Bitcoin
(30:56) - Sponsors
(34:11) - Economic interests in upgrading Bitcoin nodes
(43:40) - Bitcoin is a Trojan horse
(47:15) - Can we rule out ‘Unknown unknowns'?
(50:49) - Concerns over centralising MEV
(1:00:17) - Whose chain is it anyway?
(1:05:14) - Resisting soft forks and hard forks
(1:16:49) - Closing Thoughts
Links:
X: @real_vijay
Bullish Case for Bitcoin: Swan.com/bullish
X: @reardencode
Prior episodes:
Rusty - Great Script Restoration
Brandon Black - Are Covenants necessary for Bitcoin
TXHASH Steven Roose
Matt Corallo and Steve Lee Great Consensus Cleanup
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
58 Minuten
NVK of Coinkite rejoins me to talk about attitudes on Bitcoin development and consensus changes. We discuss how “ossification” is commonly thrown around as a term, but maybe there is a better term. “Extreme conservatism”? We talk:
What is ossification?
What about bug fixes?
What changes would NVK be interested in?
How many people will use Bitcoin?
What the market is focused on
It’s not your chain
Links:
X: @nvk
Bitcoinsecurity.guide
coinkite.com
Unleashed.chat
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:52) - Ossification and gardening
(06:06) - Where are the ossifiers?
(09:03) - Fixing bugs on the Bitcoin protocol
(17:13) - Assessing BIPs & change proposals
(23:53) - NVK on Bitcoin as SOV and/or MOE
(31:47) - Sponsors
(34:58) - “USD is the best shitcoin”
(37:32) - The fate of other blockchains
(45:41) - Putting Bitcoin on a pedestal?
(49:32) - Gresham’s Law in context of Bitcoin
(51:34) - Future path for Bitcoin
(57:27) - Outro
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
What is ossification?
What about bug fixes?
What changes would NVK be interested in?
How many people will use Bitcoin?
What the market is focused on
It’s not your chain
Links:
X: @nvk
Bitcoinsecurity.guide
coinkite.com
Unleashed.chat
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:52) - Ossification and gardening
(06:06) - Where are the ossifiers?
(09:03) - Fixing bugs on the Bitcoin protocol
(17:13) - Assessing BIPs & change proposals
(23:53) - NVK on Bitcoin as SOV and/or MOE
(31:47) - Sponsors
(34:58) - “USD is the best shitcoin”
(37:32) - The fate of other blockchains
(45:41) - Putting Bitcoin on a pedestal?
(49:32) - Gresham’s Law in context of Bitcoin
(51:34) - Future path for Bitcoin
(57:27) - Outro
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Subscribe to Substack
