cryptonomics

There are a few things that we need to look at when comparing cryptocurrencies to bubbles. First, supply and demand. Second, the market. Third, value of money. The cryptocurrency bubble and the tulip bubble have some similarities, as well as some differences. When farmers see the price of crop A increasing dramatically, they have some choices. Ignore the price rise and continue to grow crop B, losing out on the potential gain in income, which some will do. This has no affect on crop A. If they are already growing crop A, then they will be able reinvest excess profits and grow more of their cash crop, crop A. This increases supply of crop A. If they are growing any other crop, and see a price rise in crop A, they will have an incentive to shift from their current crop at the end of the season, and grow a crop that will bring in more revenue (crop A). Increasing supply of crop A. However, increasing the supply of crop A won't happen over night, as crops take months to grow. As c...

In my unprofessional opinion, an ICO (Initial Coin Offering) will replace the IPO (Initial Public Offering) just like the Decentralized Exchanges (DEX) will replace current exchanges, and Atomic Swaps will be fluid in our daily transactions. This will take time, as regulation will be made, and our understanding of blockchain deepens. However, we already have had many ICOs, and we already have a few DEXs. An ICO should be looked at as an unregulated way for a firm in the crypto-space to raise money, and fund their project(s). It is a way for crypto-firms to bypass regulation and raise funds quickly, while jumping onto the cryptocurrency hype, so caution must be taken as most crypto-enthusiasts see ~90% of ICOs failing. In the ICO's current state, when you purchase a coin/token, you don't own a share of that firm. The firm isn't required to disclose information as they would after an IPO. However, if there is a lot of buzz around said firm, their token value theoreti...

We live in a day of globalization. Technology has delivered ways to communicate with one another through miles of under water internet cables. Transportation is slowly becoming cheaper and more innovative; from captain-less cargo ships transporting goods across the globe, to the possibility of hyperloops from Dubai to Abu Dhabi or LA to San Francisco in less than 30 minutes.  30 minutes to travel 380 miles which is 6 hours in a car. In this fourth industrial revolution, why are we still allowing banks to take days to complete a transaction? Cryptocurrencies are the next step to globalization for consumers and businesses alike. These digital currencies will break down currency barriers, and allow everyone to exchange goods and services with little to no fees. There will be no need to exchange currencies through a third party, as you have millions of super computers hashing away for you. Hackers? pfff, not really something to worry about as they would have to take over 51% of thos...

Bitcoin has become more than a currency. Not only will the value continue to increase (or drop to zero, who knows...) but it also continue to pay out dividends. You might be thinking, "a dividend? But, sir? I understand how a currency can fluctuate in value... but how can a currency also pay you a dividend?" Forks. When Bitcoin goes through a "fork" a group of developers take Bitcoin's Blockchain and tweak it to make a Blockchain that they feel will be better suite the general populace. In order to do so, they must use the exact blockchain up until the time they choose to fork at. Once they choose a block to fork at, and once Bitcoin's Blockchain reaches that block, a snapshot is taken. of the blockchain. Both Bitcoin's blockchain, and the forking blockchain will have an identical blockchain up until the time of the fork. So, if you are holding 10 Bitcoin when the snapshot is taken, you receive an additional 10 coins of the forked currency. Simil...

Many people have argued against Cryptocurrencies. Some have gone as far to say that it is the next Enron, or the next ' tulip bulbs ' bubble.  They say that it is just market euphoria. IMHO: Market euphoria hasn't hit digital currencies or even the stock market's incredible bull run (at least not yet, I see a little too many bears out there, and crashes happen when you don't expect them... just. like. Enron). 2017 has seen Bitcoin's value launch to the moon, and one reason I see behind it is as follows. The election of  Donald Trump  saw a boom in most asset classes. Equity sectors from Tech to Finance to Industrials received bumps. Why? One reason is the promise of deregulation. The prior eight years our economy has been crippled by regulation as we the people of the United States of America sat back and assumed that there was no way out of this global economic downturn. Central banks across the globe were cutting interest rates to try and inject life int...

When first looking in to buying Bitcoin, it can seem quite daunting. There are so many places to buy and sell. From my experience, I have found that the easiest way to buy and hold Bitcoin is to use Coinbase , even if our opinions don't align... The reason I have selected Coinbase is mainly because it is easy to use, and has a simplistic set up that doesn't require you to divulge, and verify, too much personal information. To set up, simply go to coinbase.com ,  or download the Coinbase app. Enter your First name, Last name, email, password, select your state, verify that you are not a robot, and agree to the 'terms and conditions'. Bam, that simple. *Update: they require more information including a photo ID Setting up a method of payment is quite easy, especially on the app. Once you add the card, and the card has been validated (which can take up to a few hours), then you can be a happy/unhappy Bitcoiner. I like coinbase for the simplicity, sleek design, a...

As I was skimming twitter  the other day, I came across an opinion (via  marketwatch ) piece that was critical of Bitcoin. The author pointed out some minor flaws; mainly with people's knowledge on bitcoin, especially among its fanboys/fangirls. I recently had the opportunity to meet with a fine gentleman, Jim Clawson, who has been involved with the idea behind cryptocurrencies for decades. In 1997 he was issued a patent that deals with the fundamental aspects of blockchain tech. With the knowledge I have attained on bitcoin's subject matter, it seem's that it is my obligation to respond to some things that opinion piece mentioned. 1. What is the purpose of Bitcoin? According to Bitcoin's White Pages , the purpose of Bitcoin is to provide peer-to-peer electronic cash or digital currency. This true digital currency would allow users to send payments directly from one party to the next with out being boggled down by the financial institutions, and their lengthly tr...

Bitcoin Lets go over some of the basics about bitcoin. Cryptocurrency vs Altcoins . The only difference is that cryptocurrency covers all digital currency (Bitcoin and altcoins), while altcoins are alternatives to Bitcoin. Blockchain is a digital ledger where transactions for cryptocurrencies are publicly recorded. The blockchain is stored on nodes, that verify transactions. Bitcoin Mining  sounds intense, but only for the computer. When a computer is "mining" it is racing against other miners on the network to solve a mathematical equation and seal the current block. Cryptocurrencies are digital assets that can be bought, sold, traded, transferred (etc) digitally. The network for cryptocurrencies is virtually impossible to hack/manipulate since a dishonest group would have to take control of 51% of the network. The network is huge. Bitoin's network is in exohash sphere. Similar to precious metals, cryptocurrencies can be broken down into smalle...

If you haven't exchanged a form of fiat currency for bitcoin/alt-coin, then you basically have managed to sit on the sidelines during the coolest innovation of our times. The altcoin movement will be bigger than the change from horse pulled carriages to automobiles, mail to e-mail, dial-up to broadband... you get the point. Altcoins are a fabulous innovation that can cut transaction time from days to seconds.  These future currencies don't come without problems, the biggest being how unstable they can be, but that will change as people have less and less reasons to sell. Until then, this is true. At times, altcoins can seem to be driven by pump-and-dump traders; not investors or users. The volatility of these markets could make the strongest human bipolar. For now, take a long position  Diversify Then only throw as much money as you are willing to lose