Tag: Internet Money

Dash digital cash vs Bitcoin: Which will achieve mass adoption first? – Episode 154

The Story: Bitcoin & Dash – User experience and governance in cryptocurrency

Bitcoin is an amazing technology that captured the imaginations of many people. Various individuals were stunned at the idea that mathematical algorithms could form the basis of our money, rather than central bankers and corrupt politicians, as is normally the way today. People were seduced by the idea of sending value around the world in a matter of minutes, a currency uncontrolled and uncontrollable by authority, and sending micropayments to websites to read their articles – instead of having to tolerate clickbait content beholden to advertisers. Bitcoin has delivered on some of those promises, however, it’s 8 years on and it still seems to be far from mainstream adoption.

If we take a step back from the hype and the dream of Bitcoin – still alive in the minds of many of us – we can see that Bitcoin has a few key problems. The main problem is, it’s too hard to use. People have to use long addresses which look like computer errors, to know the right transaction fee to send their cash or risk their transaction being at the back of a queue of 80,000, they have to generate new addresses for security, make paper wallets or buy a Trezor if they really want to be secure – and if they lose their wallet, or get hacked, they might just lose their life’s savings. Does that sound like a currency which is ready for mass adoption?

Now, I don’t know any digital currency which is ready for mass adoption – but I do know one which might be close. Dash “Digital Cash” is a currency which started in 2014, and the team is actively working on the problem of user experience, devising a system where people can log-in from any computer with a username and password, send currency using something like looks like a name, have their money secured while still retaining control, and not worry about losing their retirement fund just because they misplaced their private keys. Even now, Dash has the functionality of instant payments, and of private payments.

In this short episode, Kurt presents the case of why Dash might reach mass adoption before Bitcoin. Join me in another paradigm-shattering, central-banker-unseating, digital revolution episode of … The Paradise Paradox!

The Links:

Bitcoin vs Dash – which is the currency of the future?

Why aren’t we seeing greater adoption of cryptocurrency?

Bitcoin’s bubble vs Dash’s killer app

Dash.org

The Cash:

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The Episode:

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Episode 109 – Bitcoin Halving

The Episode:


To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.

Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.

The Cash:

We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link. Or buy some of our great T-shirts here.

The Story:

In this episode Aaron and Kurt discuss some of the late action to come to Bitcoin. Aaron recently attended the CDMX Bitcoin meetup in Mexico City, where he tunes into the Mexican bitcoin vibe. Although the spotlight was taken by Ethereum and the DAO, it was still a Bitcoin meet up. The Bitcoin discussion took focus on the upcoming Bitcoin halving, where the mining reward falls from 25 bitcoins to 12.5 bitcoins per 10 minute block. This deflation mechanism is built into the Bitcoin blockchain algorithm, as outlined in the Bitcoin White Paper. The bitcoin currency is receiving much price speculation as a result of the supply and demand economics of this mathematical change. The past months have seen a gradual rise in the bitcoin price – this is believed to be an early result of the near halving. However, with endless factors in the bitcoin price discovery, nobody can ever state for sure. What we do know, is that, Bitcoin is growing up.

We are now 33 days or less away from the halving and everyone is keenly watching the bitcoin price. With early and positive movements in the bitcoin price, we can only look for hints in the Bitcoin statistics. A note taken at the Bitcoin meet up – Mexican bitcoin exchanges are experiencing an increased in exchange activity, this is based on the increased inflow of fiat currency for the exchange for bitcoin. Not just the active trade activity, there are huge increases in the fresh money into the bitcoin economy.

Sometimes its difficult to imagine the Bitcoin money system growing to equal the government constructed and controlled one, but there are many ways to view Bitcoin. Some see Bitcoin as new money, others see it as a fast remittance system and some of us see it as a technological advancement in world communication. Bitcoin is all these things and more; this is the beginning of a completely new era of world finance. By this I mean, Bitcoin is the game changer that most of us have been waiting for. The increased adoption of Bitcoin will have very heavy implications for governance, social ideologies, world economics and trade – and will leave those who think they are in charge, questioning their own levels of control. Here, they will find no choice but, to let ‘man’ free. This is one that only Father Time knows how it will play out and maybe the true nature of the financial super hero!

The Eps:

The Links:

1967 Scrooge McDuck and Money

Why do big banks fear Bitcoin? 

Bitcoin Block Reward Halving = Upcoming Price Increase! – Trace Mayer Interview

Bitcoin Block Reward Halving – Countdown Clock

Bitcoin is built to incite peaceful anarchy

Record highs predicted as new supply halves

Episode 104 – Future Value of Bitcoin: The Block Size Debate

The Episode:


To download the audio, right click and press “save as”.

Remember to subscribe on iTunes or subscribe on Pocket Casts.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t keep it a secret! Feel free to share it on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Reddit, or your office bathroom wall.

The Cash:

We really appreciate all of your contributions! Every cent and satoshi we receive lets us know that we’re doing something worthwhile, that you are entertained by our program, and that you’re starting to question what you know more and more. Please be generous. Donate to The Paradise Paradox. Or buy some stuff on Amazon using this link. Or buy some of our great T-shirts here.

The Story:

Bitcoin has now been around since 2009, so far it has proven itself as a viable form of money, as well as a stand alone financial ecosystem for transferring value. However, as Bitcoin is growing in transaction volume, this next quarter might have its challenges and many have mixed ideas about the future of this new technology. Experts have been divided over the key issue – to increase the block size or not. Along with this long running block size debate, Bitcoin will soon reach another critical milestone – the next reduction in mining reward (bitcoin halving). Here we have what might cause to the additional growth of backlogged bitcoin transactions and a reduction in Bitcoin processing power.

In this episode Kurt and Aaron discuss their thoughts on these uncertainties and upcoming events of Bitcoin. For anyone invested in Bitcoin or interested in getting involved, its time to get serious about your crypto strategy. We all have a paradise of research ahead… Join us in a portfolio shaking and fingernail biting episode of The Paradise Paradox!

[Edit: Kurt says that Bitcoin Classic isn’t widely used, but that’s incorrect, as Bitcoin Classic is now approaching 25% of total Bitcoin nodes. 10th of May, 2016]

The Eps:

Episode 75 – Andreas Antonopoulos: The Disruptarian
Episode 76 – Is Wright The Wrong Satoshi
Episode 78 – Humberto Quintanilla: PulseBTC
Episode 79 – Amanda B. Johnson & Pete Eyre: The Daily Decrypt
Episode 80 – Diego Gutiérrez Zaldívar: SystemaD
Episode 82 – Tuur Demeester: Adamant Research
Episode 84 – Bitcoin Price Factors (BTC halving)
Episode 85 – Diaz Rodolfo: Musical Bitcoin
Episode 52 – The Panopticon & Your Privacy: Juan Galt

The Links: