What Grinds My Gears: Recent Episodes
Meltem Demirors and Jill Carlson | BlockWorks Group
From Meltem Demirors and Jill Carlson, welcome to What Grinds My Gears, a podcast about the bizarre and buzzworthy happenings in the world of cryptocurrency. Each week, we delve into one key theme in crypto, and examine this theme through a broader financial, political, and cultural lens to learn from the past, understand the present, and explore the future.
Jill and Meltem reunite amidst corona-madness to breakdown how they are thinking about this unprecedented situation. They take us back to the Black Plague and project into an increasingly sci-fi future. Tune in as they discuss the options on the table, the policy responses (and lack thereof), and the implications of it all--exploring everything from deflationary crises to inflationary spirals. Get ready to get angrrrry and to grind some gears.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
This episode of What Grinds my Gears was recorded live on stage at SF Blockchain Week 2019. In this episode, Meltem Demirors and Jill Carlson discuss banking Bitcoin, what a bank really is, and whether or not we're just building the same thing in a different way. -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Every movement that has withstood the test of time — from religions to empires — has had a founding myth attached. This is the story of how it all started. Often these legends are shrouded in mystery. They are left open to interpretation. This week we discuss how bitcoin is no different. From the cypherpunk mailing list to Occupy Wall Street, we put bitcoin’s beginnings in context and discuss their significance. If you're interested in reading the full episode transcription, visit the BlockWorks Group blog. This episode is sponsored by Voyager, a fast and 100% commission-free app that helps you trade over 20 cryptocurrencies. Sign up today to earn $25 worth of free Bitcoin when you get the Voyager iOS app and register. -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
They say there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. And while we don’t get know of anyone who has managed to cheat death, we certainly know of people who have dodged their taxes. In this episode we unpack the myth that cryptocurrency can help you evade taxes, walk through the history of offshore accounts, and discuss some of the open questions about paying tax on your bitcoin! Check out the extended shownotes on Medium, and if you're interested in reading the full episode transcription, visit the BlockWorks Group blog. This episode is sponsored by Voyager, a fast and 100% commission-free app that helps you trade over 20 cryptocurrencies. Sign up today to earn $25 worth of free Bitcoin when you get the Voyager iOS app and register. -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Most of us take our connectivity to the internet and other telecommunications networks for granted. But behind the simple and benign act of connecting to the internet lies an intricate maze of physical hardware, wires, and complex routing logic consisting of layers upon layers - and many curious parties sniffing your web traffic. In this episode, we discuss the origins of mesh networking topologies and innovations in using cryptocurrencies to enhance security, facilitate more complex logical ordering, and incentivize resource sharing in these new networks. Check out the extended shownotes on Medium, and if you're interested in reading the full episode transcription, visit the BlockWorks Group blog. This episode is sponsored by Voyager, a fast and 100% commission-free app that helps you trade over 20 cryptocurrencies. Sign up today to earn $25 worth of free Bitcoin when you get the Voyager iOS app and register. -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Encryption has long walked the line between weapon and tool. While the so-called “Crypto Wars” ended in the 1990’s, in 2013, Edward Snowden showed us why the fight was long from over. This week, we discuss the brink of another type of Crypto War, the one over cryptocurrencies. Check out the extended shownotes on Medium. -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Bitcoin: is it a safe haven or a risk asset? This week we are (for once) talking price. We try to make sense of the recent run ups and retracements and we explore how the valuation of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies fit into the larger economic landscape. -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
What do you get when you put together a consortium of private members issuing a currency that is aimed at world domination? First, the Federal Reserve. And then, 100 years later, Facebook’s Libra! In this episode, we untangle why Facebook needs FaceCoin, how digital money in a digital world is changing the role of banks, and what does and doesn’t make sense when it comes to tech companies issuing their own tender. -----If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe.This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Every May, the blockchain and crypto industry gets together for a week of announcements, hype, and lambo giveaways. In this live recording, Jill and Meltem provide a retrospective on years past and discuss how this year’s “Blockchain Week” differs.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
You can’t talk about bitcoin for ten minutes without having someone bemoan the lack of a bitcoin ETF. In this live episode, we talk about the history of pooled investment vehicles, why they’ve grown exponentially over the last two decades, and why US firms are so fascinated by making bitcoin, which is friendly to retail, more friendly for institutions.
Since 2015, Consensus has been recognized as the most influential blockchain and digital assets event of the year. Hot-button topics such as adoption challenges, privacy, blockchain innovation, capital formation and more take centerstage as experts and pioneers give voice to the new developments and innovations occurring around the globe. Don't miss this three-day experience! Register today: www.consensus2019.com. Use promo: GEARS300 to save $300 on your pass.
Celsius Network is on a mission to change how we feel about interest rates. With their super easy mobile app, you can actually earn a real passive income - up to 7% annual interest - in a safe and secure way. Interest is paid out every week and there are never any fees or penalties. Celsius is offering WGMG listeners a $10 bonus in Bitcoin after your first deposit greater than $500. Use code GEARS when signing up, or go to celsius.network/gears for more information.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Markets are the beating heart of the financial system. As new asset classes emerge and markets get built, the questions are often the same: who should be able to participate in markets? How should trades get executed? And what are the tradeoffs we make with each of these decisions? Small differences in architecture here are going to effect the viability, compliance, and fairness of these markets. This week, we untangle these questions, starting in 1792 with the Buttonwood Agreement, all the way through to Flash Boys, and even Tinder, and ending at decentralized exchange, or DEX.
Since 2015, Consensus has been recognized as the most influential blockchain and digital assets event of the year. Hot-button topics such as adoption challenges, privacy, blockchain innovation, capital formation and more take centerstage as experts and pioneers give voice to the new developments and innovations occurring around the globe. Don't miss this three-day experience! Register today: www.consensus2019.com. Use promo: GEARS300 to save $300 on your pass.
Celsius Network is on a mission to change how we feel about interest rates. With their super easy mobile app, you can actually earn a real passive income - up to 7% annual interest - in a safe and secure way. Interest is paid out every week and there are never any fees or penalties. Celsius is offering WGMG listeners a $10 bonus in Bitcoin after your first deposit greater than $500. Use code GEARS when signing up, or go to celsius.network/gears for more information.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Episode Description: What the heck is a tether and why is everyone always talking about it? This week, we untangle what’s going on with Tether, Bitfinex, and their affiliated banks, and why this topic keeps coming up. We also delve into collateralization, fractional reserve banking, and of course, market liquidity.
Since 2015, Consensus has been recognized as the most influential blockchain and digital assets event of the year. Hot-button topics such as adoption challenges, privacy, blockchain innovation, capital formation and more take centerstage as experts and pioneers give voice to the new developments and innovations occurring around the globe. Don't miss this three-day experience! Register today: www.consensus2019.com. Use promo: GEARS300 to save $300 on your pass.
Celsius Network is on a mission to change how we feel about interest rates. With their super easy mobile app, you can actually earn a real passive income - up to 7% annual interest - in a safe and secure way. Interest is paid out every week and there are never any fees or penalties. Celsius is offering WGMG listeners a $10 bonus in Bitcoin after your first deposit greater than $500. Use code GEARS when signing up, or go to celsius.network/gears for more information.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Media about crypto has been at best confusing and at worst blatantly and deliberately wrong. It bounces back and forth between utopian, unrealistic hype which oversells the technology and grim, depressing tales of doom, destruction, terrorist financing, and tax evasion. So what's actually fact, and what is FUD?
Since 2015, Consensus has been recognized as the most influential blockchain and digital assets event of the year. Hot-button topics such as adoption challenges, privacy, blockchain innovation, capital formation and more take centerstage as experts and pioneers give voice to the new developments and innovations occurring around the globe. Don't miss this three-day experience! Register today: www.consensus2019.com. Use promo: GEARS300 to save $300 on your pass.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
How do you figure out if you’re any good at investing? How do you decide if you made the best choices possible in picking stocks, bonds, or crypto assets to buy? In the wild world of finänce, defining and measuring the performance of an investment is as much an art as it is a science. In this episode, we delve into some of the theory and practice of financial performance and measurement, the challenges in applying this theory to crypto markets, and why this matters so much to investors of all stripes.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Forks, or chain splits, are some of the most dramatic events in cryptocurrency. In this episode we untangle how we think about them. Are they like stock splits? Dividends? Or is it more like owning a cow that gives birth to a surprise and potentially unwanted baby? From great schisms to evolutionary theory, we’re covering everything you need to know about what to expect when your protocol is expecting.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
This week, we dive into liquidity, a word whose blatant abuse really grinds our gears! We break down what liquidity actually means in markets, for companies, and for individual assets, and the role of market participants and market structure in managing this flow. We then translate this over into crypto land, and examine some common misconceptions about liquidity.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
This week we are talking about prediction markets. Tune in to hear about the history of prediction markets, their applications across governance and finance, and how they are getting implemented as decentralized marketplaces. From gambling to synthetic derivatives to assassination markets, we will be covering the good, the bad, and the ugly.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
This week, we delve into crypto seasons and how winter isn’t actually winter at all but the dawn of a new age. New species are emerging, and old species are on the verge of going extinct (well, bankrupt). We also do some soul searching and ask - what if the best use case for crypto today is replicating existing market structures? You can find our extended show notes on Medium.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Innovation theater: a performance enacted by a big corporate incumbent to demonstrate it is still fresh, innovative, and on the cutting edge, often without any real value add to the firm. This week we are exploring enterprises and their experimentation with blockchain. We talk about where it’s gone wrong in the past and where it might be going in the future. You can find our extended show notes on Medium.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
This week, we're diving deep into the rise of surveillance capitalism, it’s slow and steady creep into the heart of the crypto community, and what that might mean for our cypherpunk dreams of privacy. You can find our extended show notes on Medium.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
If you turned on CNBC at any point during 2018, you’ll know that lots of startups and entrepreneurs used initial coin offerings (ICOs) to raise funding. Well, it turns out that countries also got into the game. In this episode, we explore the use of “initial country offerings” or the issuance of tokens to raise debt for a country, on the blockchain. We’ll delve into the mechanics of how and why countries raise money, what secures these loans, and how blockchain-based debt could fundamentally change global debt markets. Find our extended show notes on Medium: https://medium.com/@jillcarlson/episode-9-initial-country-offering-c87e73c7d9e9
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
One of the key innovations of bitcoin is that it solves something called the double spend problem. This means that every bitcoin is provably scarce — it can’t exist in two peoples’ wallets at the same time. This is a big deal because it’s actually pretty hard to make sure digital files don’t get reproduced and propogated. Just think of what Napster and Limewire did with digital music files or what Pirate Bay and Popcorn Time did with movies. But just because cryptocurrency can’t be “double spent” on a technical level doesn’t mean it can’t be in two places at once — used to create leverage. In this episode we dive into credit. We run through a brief history of lending, credit’s components, and innovation in credit markets. Cryptocurrency markets have recently seen products like Maker DAO, Compound, Dharma, dYdX, Marble and others develop around lending. What are the implications? What are the problems here that remained unsolved? Find our extended show notes on Medium: https://medium.com/what-grinds-my-gears/episode-8-living-on-borrowed-dai-d5fcb5a013d8
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
In past episodes, hosts Meltem Demirors and Jill Carlson have touched on crypto business models, crypto asset classifications, and governance as both a function and a business. These topics are ultimately shaped by how a project chooses to raise capital. In this episode, we explore the various models that have been used by teams to fund development and to bootstrap the network - a phrase that grinds our gears. At the heart of this discussion is a deeper question of funding models the crypto community can beg, borrow, or steal from the existing world of financing to develop sustainable sources of capital for building networks. Find our extended show notes on Medium: https://medium.com/what-grinds-my-gears/episode-7-money-makes-the-world-go-round-4849ebc38a39
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
In this episode, hosts Meltem Demirors and Jill Carlson cover the nebulous and thorny topic of crypto governance mechanisms and the merging of politics and finance in the form of on-chain governance via token voting and staking. We draw from the history of politics, going all the way back to the romans, and fast forward to the drama and intrigue of the bitcoin block-size wars and the results of these early governance experiments. We end with some thoughts on how staking as a service and speculative participation in governance could thwart the goals of good governance, and what this might mean for the $4B of network value dependent on on-chain governance today. You can find our previous episode on crypto governance, "Boaty McBoatface," here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4viuD5SJJdcB0p7OpCv5Fh?si=eM3gPPbjT_ijdFiWapc5AA Find our extended show notes on Medium: https://medium.com/what-grinds-my-gears/episode-6-crypto-cartels-201d7a7f300f
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
One of crypto’s favorite narratives has always been that it can help people in places where their local currency is being debased. Venezuela, with its 1,000,000% inflation rate and political instability, has been a prime topic of conversation. As the situation in Venezuela unravels further, Jill and Meltem bring you up to speed on what’s going on, what role crypto can (and cannot) play, and what fundamental challenges the crypto community has yet to address.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
The story around crypto is broken. For many investors crypto has been about pattern matching, but the search for the “next Bitcoin” or the “next Ethereum” is not working as well as many would have hoped. In this episode we discuss some other frameworks for thinking about crypto assets and explore their old school financial equivalents, from gold to pink sheets.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
Crypto revolution or evolution? Regulatory arbitrage, cat and mouse games, and decentralization theater are all core parts of how the cryptocurrency industry is currently run. But what happens over the long run? In this episode, we look at whether “revolutions need rules”, what the role of regulators is in crypto, and how institutions are and are not interfacing with cryptocurrency markets.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
What are all these cryptocurrencies actually worth? We break down a number of perspectives on how to unpack this issue. From balance sheet issues to legal rights of holders to liquidity matters, there is a lot to consider as the crypto world goes about trying to mark prices on its portfolios of private presales, ICOs, SAFTs, zombiecoins, and illiquid tokens.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io
We put the crypto bubble in the context of the broader markets. Are we entering a global macro unwind? Is the decline cryptocurrencies just the canary in the coal mine of a bigger risk-off market move and deleveraging? We unpack some of the dynamics going on from the psychological to the technical and analyze the fallout as all kinds of bubbles burst.
If you enjoyed this conversation, share it with your colleagues & friends, rate, review, and subscribe. This podcast is presented by BlockWorks Group. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: https://www.blockworksgroup.io