Blockchain, DLT resources guide
I have been dipping in and out of Blockchain, Distributed Ledger Technology, Cryptocurrencies for a while, but deep dived only recently. Any how I've found a bunch of resources very informative (and readable) so far, and in the spirit of open source, putting it out there, may help others get to signals sooner and if you have your own finds to share, all the better.
It's a starter pack introducing block chain foundations and potential. More Bitcoin than Distributed Ledger Technology, first on my list is Satoshi Nakamoto's original paper from 2008. Its sets out quite a vision and is a very readable technical paper. It's been authored with the aim of making the 'uniqueness' and 'how' of blockchain accessible to all. #inclusive. It's like the Cathedral and the bazaar only much shorter :)
...an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust, allowing any two willing parties to transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted third party. Satoshi Nakamoto
Wrapping my head around Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System (as best I could) was a 'wow' moment! The second must read is World Economic Forum's white paper; Realizing the Potential of Blockchain, June 2017. It is WEF's deep dive into the platform, its capabilities, the evolving ecosystem and the challenges facing the technology and this paradigm shift. It leans more on the FinTech side but is a great paper to understand how the ecosystem has/is evolving and the challenges it's facing.
An interesting parallel is to that of the world wide web, whilst the WWW was allowed to evolve with little to no regulatory intervention. Blockchains is unlikely to see the same laissez faire treatment in it's infancy.
An informative read on digital consensus is a paper called just that! Consensus by Singrid Seibold and George Samuel Samman. Its deep dives into consensus and trust in an age of disintermediation and it's evolving landscape.
Blockchain for development, emerging opportunities for Mobile, Identity and Aid by the GSMA Association is a great starter for Blockchain beyond Financial Tech (FinTech). Imagine micro tipping individuals way upstream in the supply chain!Lastly check out World Wide Web Consortium (W3)'s Internet of Value Manifesto. These folks are working at unblocking the flow of value online. #FoodForThought
Blockchain has the potential to be a catalyst that accelerates everything. Ubiquity of trust and consensus, imagine that! #ParadigmShiftAn age of convergence and disintermediation. #UberWithoutUber
Currency is an instrument of control. Cryptocurrencies have potential to change that. ('Breaker of Chains' comes to mind). At the same time it has the potential of turning State control into Corporate control. But It's not the proverbial kitchen knife, it is much more. #Resource.
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