Main Area and Open Discussion > Living Room
Does anyone here use Bitcoins?
Renegade:
Andreas Antonopolous is signing copies of his book "Mastering Bitcoin" for everyone that buys it AND donates a small amount to 1 of 3 charities.
https://www.bitcoinbook.info/shop/author-signing-and-10-charitable-donation/
In other news, Andreas NAILED IT at the Canadian Senate hearing on cryptocurrencies:
It's long, but very worth it. Canada seems to have a very positive attitude, unlike NY or Australia. This bodes well for jobs and innovation happening in Canada.
On that note... phew... FINALLY... something involving government that doesn't make me purely ashamed to be Canadian. I saw a glimmer of hope there.
mwb1100:
Andreas Antonopolous is signing copies of his book "Mastering Bitcoin"...-Renegade (October 09, 2014, 11:22 AM)
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I got a kick out of this disclaimer:
The author wants you to know that his handwriting is that of someone who has typed almost everything (including grocery lists) for the past 20 years. This means your message might be as legible as a prescription note from a doctor (not at all). Near illegibility serves as proof of authenticity!-https://www.bitcoinbook.info/shop/author-signing-and-10-charitable-donation/
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Renegade:
For anyone interested in the math of Bitcoin, this is really good:
http://blog.chain.com/post/95218566791/the-math-behind-bitcoin
The Math Behind Bitcoin
One reason Bitcoin can be confusing for beginners is that the technology behind it redefines the concept of ownership.
To own something in the traditional sense, be it a house or a sum of money, means either having personal custody of the thing or granting custody to a trusted entity such as a bank.
With Bitcoin the case is different. Bitcoins themselves are not stored either centrally or locally and so no one entity is their custodian. They exist as records on a distributed ledger called the block chain, copies of which are shared by a volunteer network of connected computers. To “own” a bitcoin simply means having the ability to transfer control of it to someone else by creating a record of the transfer in the block chain. What grants this ability? Access to an ECDSA private and public key pair. What does that mean and how does that secure Bitcoin?
Let’s have a look under the hood.
...SNIP...
Conclusion
For those of you who saw all the equations and skipped to the bottom, what have we just learned?
We have developed some intuition about the deep mathematical relationship that exists between public and private keys. We have seen how even in the simplest examples the math behind signatures and verification quickly gets complicated, and we can appreciate the enormous complexity which must be involved when the parameters involved are 256-bit numbers. We have seen how the clever application of the simplest mathematical procedures can create the one-way “trap door” functions necessary to preserve the information asymmetry which defines ownership of a bitcoin. And we have newfound confidence in the robustness of the system, provided that we carefully safeguard the knowledge of our private keys.
In other words, this is why it is commonly said that Bitcoin is “backed by math.”
If you hung in through the complicated bits, we hope it gave you the confidence to take the next step and try out the math on your own (a modular arithmetic calculator makes the finite field math much easier). We found that going through the steps of signing and verifying data by hand provides a deeper understanding of the cryptography that enables Bitcoin’s unique form of ownership.
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The math is snipped out there, but very much worth reading through if you find math or cryptography interesting.
It's certainly one of the best, if not THE best explanation out there. At least that I've seen.
Renegade:
If you are in Melbourne (or Victoria), THIS is THE event of the year to come out for!
http://www.meetup.com/BitcoinMelbourne/events/217722162/
The Bitcoin Address with Andreas M. Antonopoulos
Monday, November 24, 2014
6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
1/41 Stewart Street, Richmond (edit map)
Join us for the highlight event of the year and hear from the brightest minds in the bitcoin community. It’s free, it’s open to the public and it’s catered.
CoinJar is proud to present The Bitcoin Address in Melbourne and Sydney in conjunction with partners College Cryptocurrency Network and Bitcoin Association of Australia. The event is a free, open-to-public bitcoin meetup featuring international speakers from the bitcoin community, including crypto expert Andreas M. Antonopoulos and entrepreneur Tatiana Moroz.
Whether you’re completely new to bitcoin or you’re a bit of a bitcoin enthusiast, this event will educate and inspire you about the currency of the future. Our speaker lineup is well-known by the bitcoin community worldwide, and they’ll give you valuable insights on using bitcoin for the everyday and the extraordinary.
“I’ve been looking forward to visiting Australia, as it has a vibrant and active bitcoin community. Australia’s high tech and entrepreneurial culture combined with its young population make it fertile ground for bitcoin.”
- Andreas M. Antonopoulos
"I have always dreamed of visiting Australia. It represents this raw adventurous spirit... I know that bitcoin has some really solid support and interest in the community, but I also know that just like in the states, there will be plenty of people who don't know about it yet! In between hiking, swimming, and checking out the sites, I hope to have many opportunities to share how bitcoin has improved so many lives around the wall and is a truly international phenomena."
- Tatiana Moroz
About the event
World-renowned crypto-currency expert Andreas M. Antonopoulos will cover current issues and emerging trends of bitcoin in his keynote address.
You’ll hear from Bitcoin law expert Pamela Morgan, who will discuss how bitcoin is being used globally in innovative ways. Entrepreneur and musician Tatiana Moroz joins our speaker lineup to share her experience of spreading the use of bitcoin amongst the artistic community.
We’re expecting a big crowd, with limited places, so invite your friends and RSVP now.
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Andreas is a mind-blowing speaker. Off the hook. Crazy amazing.
There is NOTHING that will prevent me from going, short of death.
If you are thinking about it, you MUST RSVP NOW! The RSVP list is ballooning very quickly, and space will likely run out very quickly.
I've RSVP'd +1 for a friend, so if he can't go, I've got 1 space reserved for a DC'er if you couldn't RSVP in time.
Renegade:
Get $0.10 of BTC to learn some Java:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/2mu2oy/giving_out_free_bits_010_to_learn_computer/
I decided to give out $0.10 USD worth of Bitcoin to anybody who uses ktbyte.com:
* (Optional) Try our free intro CS class on a desktop / laptop
* Make an account and login
* Click the check button after listening to any lecture (or solve a problem). The shortest lecture is the intro. Should take you less than 10 seconds.
* Go to https://www.ktbyte.com/users/progress#freegoodie and send me the redirected url (or paste it below), and I'll send you your bits using changetip!The second two steps are there so that we don't get ddosed by bots.[/size]
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