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All Things Bitcoin; Layer Cake

August 19, 2021

Steven McCormack

We have a robust protocol, but one that cares little for convenience or efficiency. And that presents a few issues for growth (and thus sustainability). It is like the British Labour Party in the 1980s; sticking true to its socialist ideals, and also completely useless at winning elections. Fortunately, an ecosystem has developed around Bitcoin that helps address the scalability conundrum. Enter the layer cake, my friends. A baking masterpiece that is worth the extra calories.

3 mins
3 mins
All Things Bitcoin; Incentive Structure

August 13, 2021

Steven McCormack

Property rights are established by consensus. Time and energy is converted into security. Transactions are transparent. This creates a formidable flywheel; legitimacy encouraging growth, which in turn generates trust, resulting in more legitimacy. And so on. But Bitcoin cannot survive alone on impressive technical credentials. After all, there is a cost to all of this auditing, blocking and chaining. So for the flywheel to keep spinning, we must introduce an economic reward for participation.

1 min
All Things Bitcoin; Under The Hood

August 10, 2021

Steven McCormack

In essence, Bitcoin is the perfect marriage between long established record-keeping systems, cryptographic genius and networked computing. Add a sprinkling of economic incentive (scarcity, mining, fees) and we have something rather tangible. But it can still take a leap of faith to imagine a bunch of ones and zeros as the basis for our financial future. For me it clicked when I (rightly or wrongly) visualised Bitcoin as a far more sophisticated version of Kazaa or LimeWire; a peer-to-peer network for payments rather than music.

1 min
1 min
It's all Greek to Me

August 6, 2021

Steven McCormack

Another Vervaeke inspired musing, folks. This time over four Greek words I have been introduced to, thanks to his series; Agape, Logos, Gnosis and Anagoge. The best way for me to explore these terms (or concepts even) is to relate them to my own investing and writing efforts. And before we begin, I must admit to borrowing heavily from other sources to help with the explanations (a big hat tip to Mark Mulvey and Andrew Seeney). So please bear with the heavy quoting. On that bombshell, let's roll.

1 min
All Things Bitcoin; What's in a Name?

August 4, 2021

Steven McCormack

Bitcoin could do with a gentle reframing. An association with something a little more familiar. Bitcoin, in my humble opinion, is a digital asset. A far less defensive term, don't ya think? In the early days, Bitcoin had to fight for recognition. It really needed to get straight to the point. Cryptocurrency is safe! Cryptocurrency is secure! This marketing strategy has succeeded beyond anyone's wildest expectations. With Bitcoin now firmly established, it can afford to feel more confident.

Life Out of Balance
February 15, 2020
Steven McCormack

I thought I'd write a little about a film that has fascinated me for years; Koyaanisqatsi. A film with zero dialogue, zero plot and zero cast.

2 min read
Boards of Canada
February 15, 2020
Steven McCormack

I'm always up for brooding electronica. Boards of Canada offer that in spades. There must be something about the Scottish psyche, as we all seem to be attracted to melancholy and darkness. Works for me though because their work is bloody fantastic.

1 min
Admin is Cool
February 15, 2020
Steven McCormack

Enter notion. Instead of monotony, we have emojis. Instead of endless folders, we have galleries. It is a robust back-end to complement my digital presence.

3 min read