Best Vlad Costea Podcasts (2025)

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S16 E44: Abdel on ZK STARKs & Bitcoin Maximalism 3:18:37

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7d ago3:18:37

3:18:37

Abdel is a Starkware engineer who, over the last 7 years, went from building EIP 1559 on Ethereum to becoming a Bitcoin maximalist who wants ZK STARKs to happen. In this episode, we talk about his journey & some of Bitcoin's cultural issues.Time stamps:00:00:59 - Sponsors: Sideshift, Citrea, Bitcoin.com News, LayerTwo Labs, NoOnes.com00:01:38 - Abd…

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S16 E43: Vikrant Sharma on Cake Wallet, Bitcoin & Privacy 1:48:49

12d ago1:48:49

1:48:49

Vikrant Sharma, better known as Vik, is the CEO and founder of Cake Wallet: the first Bitcoin wallet to support both Silent Payments and PayJoins. In this episode, we talk about the wallet's Monero roots & what is next in terms of features.Time stamps:00:01:05 - Introducing Vik00:01:24 - Cake Wallet Features for Bitcoin and Monero00:03:08 - Backgro…

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S16 E42: Michael Tidwell on Bitcoin Drama & Tabconf 2:36:50

15d ago2:36:50

2:36:50

Michael Tidwell is the organizer of Tabconf, the longest running Bitcoin technical conference which takes place every year in Atlanta. In this episode, we talk about Bitcoin drama & use a fun roulette game to figure out who's guilty of it.Time stamps:00:01:09 - Welcome and episode gimmick intro00:01:30 - Sponsors shoutout00:01:36 - Bitcoin drama di…

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S16 E41: Yonatan Sompolinsky on Bitcoin, Kaspa & Proof of Work 7:35:17

27d ago7:35:17

7:35:17

Yonatan Sompolinsky is an academic in the field of computer science, best known for his work on the GHOST protocol (Greedy Heaviest Observed Subtree, which was cited in the Ethereum whitepaper) and the way he applied his research to create Kaspa.In this episode, we talk about scaling Proof of Work and why Kaspa might be a worthy contender to proces…

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S16 E40: Cory Klippsten on Bitcoin Culture & Maximalism 2:22:21

1M ago2:22:21

2:22:21

Cory Klippsten is the CEO of Swan Bitcoin and has a long history in both traditional finance and the Bitcoin space. In this two-part episode, he talks about why Bitcoin is winning and how the culture around it has changed.By Vlad Costea

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S16 E39: Karl Kreder (Dr. K) on Scaling Proof of Work, Bitcoin & Quai 6:17:29

1M ago6:17:29

6:17:29

Karl Kreder, better known as Dr. K, is best known in the space for researching the use of merged-mined subnets to scale Proof of Work in 2018 – a concept which led to the launch of the Quai Network, which introduced the Proof of Entropy Minima (PoEM) consensus for high transaction throughput within a decentralized environment.Today, we talk about h…

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S16 E38: Bitcoin Payments in 2025 with Sergej Kotliar & Matt Ahlborg 1:54:49

1M ago1:54:49

1:54:49

Sergej Kotliar is the CEO of Bitrefill, while Matt Ahlborg recently created PPQ.AI to enable millions of users to experience LLMs without expensive subscriptions. But how are bitcoin payments doing? In this episode, they present their latest stats. Time stamps: 00:00:48 – Introducing Sergej Kotliar and Matt Aalborg00:02:20 – Bitrefill’s Lightning N…

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S16 E37: Andrew Poelstra on Simplicity, Bitcoin Smart Contracts & Upgrades 1:38:53

2M ago1:38:53

1:38:53

Simplicity, a scripting language so simple that it can fit on a t-shirt, has finally launched on Liquid after a decade of development. Andrew Poelstra, who works as director of research at Blockstream, explains how it works & why it's good for Bitcoin.Time stamps:(00:00:50) Introducing Andrew Poelstra(00:01:45) Simplicity: Now Live on Liquid(00:02:…

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S16 E36: Maud Bannwart & Cheng Wang on Alephium, Proof of Less Work & Bitcoin 1:57:33

2M ago1:57:33

1:57:33

Alephium is one of the most interesting Proof of Work projects, which aims to build secure smart contracts & fast DeFi on a mineable base layer which minimizes electricity consumption. Maud Bannwart & Cheng Wang explain how all of this works.Time stamps:00:00:53 – Introducing Cheng & Maud00:02:06 – Alephium's Origins & MotivationCheng explains the …

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S16 E35: Hunter Beast on Bitcoin's Quantum Resistance & BIP 360 1:24:26

2M ago1:24:26

1:24:26

Hunter Beast is the author of BIP 360: a proposal that seeks to provide quantum resistance to Bitcoin, to prevent powerful computer builders from brute forcing arbitrary addresses to steal the funds. But is the quantum threat real? Does the number of qubits really make a difference when the quantum computer is general purpose? Shouldn't other indus…

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S16 E34: Prof. Richard Werner on Bitcoin, CBDCs & The Big Beautiful Bill 1:57:46

2M ago1:57:46

1:57:46

Prof. Richard Werner, one of the world's most famous economists, is best known for writing "Princes of the Yen" and penning the term "quantitative easing" in the 1990s while working at the Bank of Japan.Today, he is a big advocate for small local banks and a believer in the power of Bitcoin. In this episode, he talks about recent events in economic…

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S16 E33: Liz Steininger on Least Authority & Auditing Open Source Software 1:29:22

3M ago1:29:22

1:29:22

Liz Steininger is the CEO of Least Authority: a company which specializes in auditing open source software since 2014. Originally founded by Zooko Wilcox, Least Authority has conducted more than 100 security audits in the space. Some of the best known contractors who requested an expert review include the Ethereum Foundation, the Electric Coin Comp…

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S16 E32: Bitcoin vs Monero vs Zcash Privacy with Diego Salazar & Luke Szramowski of Cypher Stack 5:08:14

3M ago5:08:14

5:08:14

Diego Salazar & Luke Szramowski are working to build Cypher Space: a privacy & sovereignty company. In this episode, they compare + rate the privacy of Bitcoin, Monero, Zcash, Firo, Mimble Wimble (Litecoin, Grin), Zano & Beam. Time stamps:(00:00:59) Introducing Diego Salazar & Luke Szramowski(00:02:04) Tribalism and Privacy Protocols in Crypto(00:0…

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S16 E31: Andrew Camilleri ”Kukks” on Ark, BTCPay Server & Open Source Bitcoin Software 3:22:36

3M ago3:22:36

3:22:36

Andrew Camilleri, better known as Kukks, is one of the most prolific contributors to BTCPay Server & an advocate for using bitcoin as money. Recently, he started building Bitcoin Layer 2 applications for Ark Labs & believes in conservative improvements.Time stamps:(00:00:49) Introduction & Andrew’s Background(00:01:46) Getting Into Bitcoin & Altcoi…

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S16 E30: Peter Rizun on Scaling Bitcoin with Hardware 5:23:41

3M ago5:23:41

5:23:41

Peter Rizun is the chief scientist at Bitcoin Unlimited: a software client that aims to scale Bitcoin with big blocks, while also empowering regular users to run nodes. In this episode, we talk about what went wrong during the block size wars & his research in scaling hardware.Time stamps:00:01:15 — Introducing Peter Rizun00:03:32 — Early Block Siz…

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S16 E29: Zooko on Ecash, Bitcoin & Zcash 6:06:49

4M ago6:06:49

6:06:49

Zooko has been thinking about building decentralized Chaumian ecash since the mid 1990s. When Bitcoin came out, he was the first cypherpunk to write a blog post about it. And today, he's honoring Satoshi's last wish of researching ZK proofs with Zcash.Time stamps:Introducing Zooko (00:00:55)Early Cypherpunk and Digital Cash Days (00:03:18)Cypherpun…

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S16 E28: Proof of Work Alliance with Charles Chong, Summer Meng & Spencer Yang 1:21:34

4M ago1:21:34

1:21:34

In a predominantly Proof of Stake world, The Proof of Work Alliance emerges as a champion of research & education among Proof of Work miners. Fractal Bitcoin's Charles Chong & Spencer Yang, plus Bitmars' ASIC Queen Summer Meng tell us how it all works.Time stamps:Introducing Charles, Summer & Spencer (00:00:50)Overview of the PoW Alliance (00:01:43…

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S16 E27: David Seroy on Alpen Labs & ZK Rollups on Bitcoin 2:28:56

4M ago2:28:56

2:28:56

David Seroy works at Alpen Labs: the company which aims to bring an extended suite of financial applications to Bitcoin via ZK (Zero Knowledge) rollups. In this episode, we talk about the ideological divide in Bitcoin between builders & moonbois.Time stamps:Introduction to the Episode (00:00:56)Background on Alpine Labs (00:02:08)The Concept of ZK …

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S16 E26: Mark Edge on Freeing Ian Freeman & Free Talk Radio 1:48:23

4M ago1:48:23

1:48:23

Mark Edge is a libertarian radio veteran best known for co-hosting Free Talk Radio: a show that's responsible for helping lots of OGs discover Bitcoin. In this episode, he explains why his co-host Ian Freeman is unfairly imprisoned and needs our help.By Vlad Costea

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S16 E25: Chandra Duggirala & George Burke on Portal & Making Exchanges Obsolete 1:32:02

4M ago1:32:02

1:32:02

Chandra Duggirala & George Burke are co-founders of Portal: an ambitious project which aims to replace centralized exchanges with atomic swaps across chains. By using technologies like BitScaler, Portal OS & RAFA AI, Portal is a serious contender.-------------Time stamps:Introducing Chandra & George (00:01:02)Portal's Mission (00:02:26)Trust Minimi…

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S16 E24: Vitalik Buterin on the Future of Bitcoin & Ethereum 3:02:17

5M ago3:02:17

3:02:17

Vitalik Buterin is the creator of Ethereum, but he's also a true Bitcoin maximalist. In this episode, Vitalik tells his story as a bitcoiner, explains why he built Ethereum, and makes use of his knowledge to predict the future of the two networks.Time stamps:Introducing Vitalik (00:01:00) Vitalik's Early Involvement with Bitcoin (00:02:22) Writing …

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S16 E23: James O'Beirne on Bitcoin Development (CTV, CFSF & Big Blocks) 2:25:17

5M ago2:25:17

2:25:17

James O'Beirne is a Bitcoin developer who's not afraid to support unpopular improvement proposals: recently, he spoke about increasing the block size on the stage of OP_NEXT. He also works on CTV & CSFS, and tends to favor technical data over clout.Time stamps: 00:00:52 - Introducing James O'Beirne 00:02:00 - James O'Beirne's Current Bitcoin Core C…

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S16 E22: J-Dog on Counterparty & Bitcoin Tokens 2:07:36

5M ago2:07:36

2:07:36

J-Dog is the former maintainer of Bitcoin's Counterparty protocol – a role which he fulfilled for about 8 years. Under his stewardship, XCP witnessed the creation of legendary collections such as Spells of Genesis, Rare Pepes, and Fake Rares – even my Bitcoin Heads and Leftist Tears were created when he was the lead developer and he provided some u…

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S16 E21: Filip Baturan on Tanari, Citrea & DeFi on Bitcoin 1:05:31

5M ago1:05:31

1:05:31

Filip Baturan is the CEO of Tanari – a decentralized finance application suite that's built on top of Citrea. With it, bitcoiners can enjoy the features and user experience from banking applications such as Revolut... but within a self-custodial and sovereign environment, where the user sets the rules. The discussion centers around Tanari's vision …

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S16 E20: Felix Billbert on Wave Space & Spending Bitcoin 1:35:41

5M ago1:35:41

1:35:41

Felix Billbert is the Chief Maximalist at Wave Space: a European company which specializes in making bitcoin easy to spend. They offer a Visa debit card, a swapping service for BTC/EUR pair, Lightning network support... all of which is wrapped inside a non-custodial environment.The conversation explores the challenges of building a Bitcoin business…

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S16 E19: Daniel Krawisz on Bitcoin & Narcissism 4:09:28

5M ago4:09:28

4:09:28

In 2014, Daniel Krawisz was one of the most prolific Bitcoin writers: he published some excellent articles with the Nakamoto Institute, and most of them are still relevant. Today, he prefers BSV and believes that Craig Wright is Satoshi. What changed?Time stamps:Time stamps:00:00:50 - Introducing Daniel Krawisz00:02:40 - Bitcoin Takeover00:05:30 - …

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S16 E18: Rockstar Dev & Max Hillebrand on Privacy 3:40:31

5M ago3:40:31

3:40:31

Privacy has had a couple of rough years: companies & protocols shut down, developers got arrested, governments issued new regulations... regardless, Rockstar Dev & Max Hillebrand join the show to discuss privacy & open source tools for sovereignty.By Vlad Costea

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S16 E17: Ben Arc on LNBits v1 & The State of Lightning Network 7:23:42

6M ago7:23:42

7:23:42

Ben Arc is the creator of LNBits: a modular Lightning network wallet which, after 5 years of development, has just launched version 1. To celebrate this remarkable milestone, ”the CEO of Nostr” joins the show to talk about everything interesting in Bitcoin.Time stamps:00:00:53 - Introducing Ben Arc 00:01:08 - Ben Arc and LNBits V1 00:02:23 - LNBits…

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S16 E16: Andreas Brekken on SideShift & Bitcoin Moderation 1:18:43

6M ago1:18:43

1:18:43

Andreas Brekken is best known for creating SideShift.ai and acting as the CEO of Shitcoin.com. In this episode, he talks about his views on Bitcoin development, the emergence of DeFi, and the reasons why he considers cryptocurrencies superior to fiat.Time stamps: Introducing Andreas Brekken (00:00:51)The Sam Bankman-Fried Interview on Shitcoin.com …

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S16 E15: Marko Tarman on NiceHash & Proof of Work Mining 1:56:50

6M ago1:56:50

1:56:50

Marko Tarman has been mining Bitcoin since 2012 – and today, he works as Lead Mining Manager at NiceHash. In this episode, we talk about the current trends in Proof of Work mining and the commodification of hash rate.By Vlad Costea

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S16 E14: Adam Krellenstein on Counterparty & Bitcoin Tokens 1:28:57

6M ago1:28:57

1:28:57

Adam Krellenstein is one of the co-founders of Counterparty and the current maintainer of the protocol. In this episode, he talks about his plan to improve Bitcoin native tokens and why you should consider giving XCP a chance.Time stamps:Introducing Adam Krellenstein (00:00:50)Counterparty’s Unique Features (00:01:30)Historical Significance of Coun…

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S16 E13: Corbin Fraser on Bitcoin.com & BTC vs BCH 2:35:15

6M ago2:35:15

2:35:15

Corbin Fraser is the new CEO of Bitcoin.com. In this episode, he talks about the Scaling Wars, his perspective as a BCH advocate, and the lessons the market taught him over the years. Also, he explains why the news section of Bitcoin.com improved.Introducing Corbin Fraser (00:00:50)Bitcoin.com’s Evolution (00:01:52)Support for Multiple Cryptocurren…

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S16 E12: Martti Malmi on Bitcoin in 2009 & Satoshi Nakamoto 1:05:05

7M ago1:05:05

1:05:05

Martti Malmi, aka Sirius, was Satoshi Nakamoto's closest collaborator between 2009 and 2010. In this episode, he reminisces about the early days of Bitcoin, but also describes his recent adventures with Nostr & the Lightning Network.Time stamps:Introducing Martti (00:00:48)Martti's Work on Nostr (00:02:03)Nostr's Origins and Purpose (00:03:31)Self-…

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S16 E11: Paul Sztorc on Roger Ver 3:45:44

7M ago3:45:44

3:45:44

Despite your bad memories from the Block Size war, you should support Roger Ver's campaign for clemency – or at least this is what Layer Two Labs CEO Paul Sztorc thinks you should do. In this episode, we discuss why Roger deserves to stay free.Time stamps:Introducing Paul Sztorc (00:00:54)The host welcomes listeners and introduces guest Paul Sztorc…

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S16 E10: Eric Voskuil & John Carvalho on Bitcoin & Austrian Economics 8:21:14

7M ago8:21:14

8:21:14

In recent years, Bitcoin has undergone a major culture shift which promotes stagnation, complacency & simping to politicians over maximizing the utility of the money. Eric Voskuil & John Carvalho join the show to remind everyone what the mission really is.State of Bitcoin - [00:01:17]Bitcoin Maximalism - [00:01:32]Bitcoin as a Ponzi Scheme - [00:02…

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S16 E9: Saunter on Alby & Lightning Network Adoption 1:48:48

7M ago1:48:48

1:48:48

Saunter is a designer and bitcoin advocate who works at Alby: one of the most popular Lightning network wallets. In this episode, he describes his experiences with onboarding new users and increasing adoption around the world.Time stamps: Introducing Saunter (00:00:51)Evolution of Alby Wallet (00:01:38)Functionalities of the Alby Wallet (00:02:26)L…

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S16 E8: Alex Romanov on Beam, MimbleWimble & Privacy 1:58:29

7M ago1:58:29

1:58:29

Launched on January 3rd 2019, a whole decade after Bitcoin, Beam is the first MimbleWimble implementation to hit the markets. Unlike its smiley cousin Grin, Beam is organized more like a start-up, was more efficient in raising VC funding, and appears to focus more on smart contracts and interoperability with other chains.In this episode, Beam CTO A…

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S16 E7: Michael Parenti (Exiled Surfer) on Bitcoin Politics & Rock N Roll 8:10:11

7M ago8:10:11

8:10:11

The life of Michael Parenti is truly extraordinary, as he witnessed two significant cultural movements that changed the word. Growing up in Malibu, he went to school with the likes of Sean Penn and Charlie Sheen, met a young Madonna before she was an international star, hung out in Bob Dylan's house, and saw live acts like Nirvana and Red Hot Chill…

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S16 E6: Super Testnet on Monero vs Lightning Network Privacy 2:29:39

8M ago2:29:39

2:29:39

Bitcoin developer Super Testnet argues that the Lightning Network is more private – and therefore better suited for darknet markets than Monero. In this episode, he breaks down all the nuances involved and defines good financial privacy.Time stamps:Introducing Super Testnet (00:00:48)Lightning on Dark Web Markets (00:01:08)Lightning Network Privacy…

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S15 E5: Reuben Yap on Firo & ZK Privacy 4:12:39

8M ago4:12:39

4:12:39

Reuben Yap is one of the co-founders of Firo (previously Zcoin): an implementation of the Zerocoin paper from 2013, which was first proposed as a Bitcoin soft fork to improve the network's privacy via Zero Knowledge proofs.Time stamps:Introducing Reuben Yap (00:00:48)Reuben's Article on Tribalism (00:01:35)History of Privacy Proposals Zero Coin & Z…

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S16 E4: John Light on ZK Tech to Scale Bitcoin & Make It Private 1:43:40

8M ago1:43:40

1:43:40

John Light is a researcher who specializes in bringing Zero Knowledge cryptography to supplement Bitcoin's limitations in scalability & privacy. With ZK rollups, Bitcoin stands a better chance to onboard 8 billion people onto trust-minimized layer 2s.Time stamps:Introducing John Light (00:00:50)John's Work at Alpen Labs (00:01:35)Strata: A New zk O…

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S16 E3: Charlie Shrem & John Gotts on Digital Gold (DGD) 1:50:50

8M ago1:50:50

1:50:50

Bitcoin OG Charlie Shrem is now the chief evangelist of a project called Digital Gold (DGD). In this episode, I ask him and his business partner John Gotts all the important questions about the legitimacy of their new cryptocurrency.Time stamps:Introducing Charlie Shrem & Digital Gold Jedi (00:00:48)Is Charlie Still Bullish on Bitcoin? (00:01:40)Fr…

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S16 E2: Liam Eagen on Crypto(graphy) Research & Innovation 2:03:55

9M ago2:03:55

2:03:55

Time stamps:Introducing Liam (00:00:25)Shielded Client-Side Validation (00:01:53)Challenges in Bitcoin Development (00:05:36)The Soft Fork Independence of Shielded CSV (00:06:31)Introduction to OP_CAT (00:06:31)Opinions on Bitcoin Covenant Proposals (00:07:06)Integer Arithmetic in Bitcoin (00:09:26)Alpen Labs and Their Projects (00:12:23)Optimistic…

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S16 E1: Mike Belshe on BitGo, Self Custody & The Future of Bitcoin 1:59:56

9M ago1:59:56

1:59:56

Mike Belshe is the co-founder and CEO of BitGo. As a Bitcoin and internet pioneer, he has witnessed some of the most significant phenomena and can draw some really interesting parallels between the two complementary realms.Time stamps:Introducing Mike Belshe (00:00:42)Mike Belshe's Background (00:01:58)Self-Custody vs. Institutional Custody (00:02:…

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S15 E71: Amir Taaki on Bitcoin & DarkFi 7:07:54

9M ago7:07:54

7:07:54

Time stamps:Introducing Amir (00:00:47)Reflections on Bitcoin Privacy (00:01:44)Layer 2 Solutions Discussion (00:02:36)Challenges of Layer 2 Usability (00:04:46)Interest in Layer 2 Proposals (00:05:51)Simplicity in Opcode Development (00:06:54)Concerns Over Opcode Usage (00:08:03)Historical Context of Bitcoin's Scripting Language (00:09:00)Limitati…

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S15 E70: Jeff Garzik on Hemi & Bitcoin Development 1:04:36

9M ago1:04:36

1:04:36

Time Stamps:Jeff Garzik’s Contributions (00:00:47)Overview of Hemi (00:02:32)Scaling Bitcoin (00:03:11)Challenges with Current Solutions (00:04:17)Lightning Network Use Cases (00:05:04)Goals of Hemi (00:05:56)Integration with Bitcoin (00:07:19)History of Open Source Software (00:08:20)Security and Trust in Established Technologies (00:10:01)Satoshi…

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S15 E69: Zach Herbert on Passport Prime by Foundation Devices 2:13:38

9M ago2:13:38

2:13:38

Time stamps:Announcing the New Passport Prime (00:01:49)Competitive Landscape of Hardware Wallets (00:03:17)The Challenge to Replace Trezor (00:03:17)Introduction of the Passport Prime (00:05:25)Features of the Passport Prime (00:06:54)Expanding Digital Security (00:08:07)Comparison to Steve Jobs' Presentation (00:08:34)Open Source Platform Develop…

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S15 E68: Paul Sztorc on Activating Drivechains via CUSF (Core Untouched Soft Fork) 2:10:46

10M ago2:10:46

2:10:46

Time stamps:Introducing Paul… again! (00:00:46)Core Untouched Soft Work (00:01:56)Peter Todd's Criticism (00:02:19)Debate on Soft Forks (00:04:44)Luke Dash Jr.'s Perspective (00:05:00)SPV Wallets and Full Nodes (00:08:51)Data Availability Issues (00:12:10)Neutrino and Privacy (00:14:16)Dandelion++ Proposal (00:17:05)Quality of Bitcoin Core Developm…

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S15 E67: Rocelo Lopes on Self Custody, Tether Truth & Generational Bitcoin 1:02:24

10M ago1:02:24

1:02:24

Time stamps:Welcome to the Gymcast! (00:00:51)Rocelo's Introduction (00:01:47)First Bitcoin Transaction (00:02:51)Buying Bitcoin in Tokyo (00:03:17)Meeting Satoshi Nakamoto? (00:05:13)Importance of Physical Fitness for HODLing (00:06:51)Transition from Bitcoin Skeptic to Miner (00:08:22)Future of Bitcoin Mining (00:09:35)From Bitcoin Enthusiast to …

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S15 E66: Jameson Lopp on Michael Saylor, Bitcoin Ossification & Paranoid Crypto Anarchism 1:01:40

10M ago1:01:40

1:01:40

Time stamps:Introduction (00:00:56)Michael Saylor & Paranoid Crypto Anarchy (00:01:20)Bitcoin Block Size Discussion (00:03:10)Ossification of Bitcoin (00:04:09)Challenges of Second Layer Solutions (00:05:31)Botanics and Spider Chain (00:08:15)Practicality of Innovations (00:09:44)State of the Lightning Network (00:10:14)Liquidity Management in Ligh…