Podcasts about digital currency initiative

There's something to cold hard cash. You can hold it; you can smell it; it feels a certain way in your pocket. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump directed the Treasury Department to stop minting pennies. What happens as the world of currency goes increasingly digital? Will traditional currencies soon become a thing of the past? And who stands to benefit, and who might this rapid shift be hurting? Neha Narula, Director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, joins The Excerpt to take a closer look at this transition period for money and how it might evolve.Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to podcasts@usatoday.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Director of the MIT Digital Currency Initiative Neha Nerula sits down with Bitcoin Magazine Technical Editor Shinobi at the MIT Bitcoin Expo 2025 to discuss the history of the school's digital currency research program as well as what challenges (and opportunities) exist for Bitcoin research within academia.Connect with Neha on X: https://x.com/neha?lang=enLearn more about the Digital Currency Initiative and MIT Media Lab: https://dci.mit.edu/Connect with Shinobi on: https://x.com/brian_trollzRecorded at Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the 2025 MIT Bitcoin ExpoLearn more about the Expo: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/industry-events/the-mit-bitcoin-expo-2025-freedom-techSecure your spot at Bitcoin 2025 and join us at the world's largest Bitcoin conference! Use code "BMVIDEO10" for 10% off your ticket: https://tickets.b.tc/event/bitcoin-2025#BTC #BitcoinNews #mitbitcoinexpo #computerscience #academia #scalingbitcoin #code #BitcoinMagazine

Could cryptocurrency be the key to bridging financial gaps? Can it create a more inclusive global economy? Digital assets like stablecoins and blockchain technology are reshaping how we think about money. Their potential to level the financial playing field is becoming clearer. In today's episode of the Tearsheet podcast, I sit down with Lisa Nestor, Research Director at the Stanford Future of Digital Currency Initiative to discuss how fintech innovation is paving the way for broader financial inclusion. Lisa's expertise spans blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and fintech innovation. This makes her a leading voice in understanding the intersection of these fields. Lisa's career reflects a deep commitment to financial inclusion. “When I started researching Stellar,” Lisa shares. “It brought together what I had seen [and demonstrated] the power of providing open-source financial infrastructure.” This passion for creating accessible financial systems has guided her work. It also included her current research on stablecoins and digital dollar adoption. Lisa explains how cryptocurrency, stablecoins, and blockchain can make finance fairer. Her insights show how these innovations affect cross-border payments and financial inclusion. She also discusses their role in the evolving fintech landscape. The Big Ideas 1. Open financial infrastructure creates a global ledger accessible to all. “The idea is to create a ledger that every financial institution in the world can operate on but can't buy. It is open and available to everyone.” 2. Stablecoins provide financial security in unstable economies. “In emerging markets like Argentina, stablecoins offer a way to hedge inflation. They secure savings amidst economic instability.” 3. Tokenizing real-world assets improves liquidity and global accessibility. “Tokenizing existing assets brings improved liquidity and global accessibility to traditionally illiquid markets.” 4. Governments explore CBDCs to complement existing banking systems. “Central banks are focused on introducing CBDCs that complement. Rather than compete with, existing banking systems.” 5. Digital dollars empower individuals in the gig economy. “More individuals are earning in digital dollars through online work. This is creating new economic opportunities without physical migration.”

Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Ownit AI and Mirakl. Ownit AI helps brands and retailers win Google search by answering their shopper's questions online. Learn more at ownit.co. Mirakl is the global leader in platform business innovation for eCommerce. Companies like Macy's, Nordstrom, and Kroger use Mirakl to build disruptive growth and profitability through marketplace, dropship, and retail media. For more, visit mirakl.comHere are today's top headlines:Chick-fil-A has launched its first elevated drive-thru restaurant in Georgia, focusing solely on drive-thru service with a kitchen double the typical size. Amazon has expanded its grocery delivery options with a new $99.99 annual subscription plan for Prime members, offering unlimited deliveries on orders over $35 from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and other local grocers. Wyoming is advancing in the digital currency space with its own stablecoin, the Wyoming stable token, set to launch in Q1 2025.Stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!

Jonathan Padilla is the CEO and Co-Founder at Snickerdoodle Labs, which uses blockchain technology to build a data economy that protects user privacy and distributes value to all stakeholders, including the data owners. He was most recently the Head of Blockchain Strategy at PayPal and the Deputy Director at Stanford's Future of Digital Currency Initiative. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/crypto-hipster-podcast/support

In this episode, Jonathan Rufrano joins the Cryptocurrencyteens Podcast to discuss his role as the Program Manager at Stanford Future of Digital Currency Initiative and his work as a Web3 Advisor at the United Nations. This interview explores topics like the correlation between cryptocurrency and public policy, how Cryptocurrency can be used to increase financial inclusion, and the importance of financial regulation. Jonathan shares his inspiration behind reviewing and advising on Crypto research through lenses of financial inclusion, interoperability, scalability, and security of technical systems being developed and their relation to existing financial regulations. He elaborates on his work crafting regulatory standards for Central Bank Digital Currencies related to monetary policy, payments, securities, capital markets, and integration within financial systems. Finally, he explains insightful findings of his research into Crypto. Jonathan was introduced to Bitcoin and blockchain in college while studying international relations, the geopolitical impact of emerging technologies, and the growing geopolitical power of the tech giants developing businesses around new technology. He first read the Bitcoin white paper in 2012 and was fascinated by bitcoin for its ability to impact and reshape geopolitics just like Facebook, Microsoft and Apple were doing in the early 2010s–as well as blockchain's ability to create databases and communication networks that couldn't easily be censored by any of the increasingly authoritarian governments around the world. He started his career in grassroots activism and advocacy before pivoting into public policy. Now he's all in on web3, and has been in crypto professionally since early 2019. Learn more: Jonathan Rufrano: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-rufrano Abigail Li (host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/cryptocurrencyteens About Cryptocurrencyteens: https://www.cryptocurrencyteens.com/

Consensus 2022 is headed to Austin, TX!!, with Michael J Casey @ Coindesk. Michael Casey is the Chief Content Officer at CoinDesk, the leading media platform for the blockchain and digital asset community, and the author of CoinDesk's weekly Money Reimagined newsletter as well as a co-host of the podcast of the same name. He is also non-executive chairman and cofounder of Streambed Media, a digital media data management platform. Michael previously spent three years as a Senior Advisor to MIT Media Lab's Digital Currency Initiative and as a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management. Michael spent most of his career as a print journalist, including 18 years at Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal, where he was last a senior columnist covering global finance. He also hosted online TV shows for WSJ Live and appeared as a commentator on networks such as CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, and the BBC. Michael has five acclaimed books to his name, including two on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology – The Truth Machine and The Age of Cryptocurrency – both co-authored with Paul Vigna. Michael is a graduate of the University of Western Australia and has higher degrees from Cornell University and Curtin University. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crypto-hipster-podcast/support

A Consensus 2022 panel from Austin, Texas, "Money Reimagined" host Michael Casey starts off the introductions of an important discussion with Emily Parker, CoinDesk's executive director of global content; the Honorable J. Christopher Giancarlo, dubbed “CryptoDad,” served as 13th Chairman of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and Neha Narula is the Director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, to discuss the social and geo-political implications of the rise of international competition between central bank digital currencies, stablecoins and native crypto currencies. This episode was edited by Michele Musso with announcements by Adam B. Levine and additional production support from Eleanor Pahl. Our theme song is “Shepard.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Consensus 2022 panel from Austin, Texas, "Money Reimagined" host Michael Casey starts off the introductions of an important discussion with Emily Parker, CoinDesk's executive director of global content; the Honorable J. Christopher Giancarlo, dubbed “CryptoDad,” served as 13th Chairman of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and Neha Narula is the Director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, to discuss the social and geo-political implications of the rise of international competition between central bank digital currencies, stablecoins and native crypto currencies. This episode was edited by Michele Musso with announcements by Adam B. Levine and additional production support from Eleanor Pahl. Our theme song is “Shepard.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With no need for a centralized authority, blockchain technology is completely reengineering our existing systems and services. This is the second episode of a 4-part series dedicated to discussing blockchain, cryptocurrency, and the tokenization of assets. We move into the nuts and bolts of blockchain, decentralized ledgers, and why it matters. Today's guest is Avi Spielman, the Founder and President of Joon Properties, who is well known as a translator between the two industries of real estate and blockchain. During our conversation, Avi defines the fundamental features of blockchain as an innovative technology, emphasizing its decentralized nature around trust and trustless transactions, and analyzes the effect it is already having on our existing systems, services and marketplaces. With an eye to the future, Avi gives us an example of a fully integrated framework using blockchain, AI and IoT, which is a premonition of what's to come. With a background in real estate, Avi was attending MIT to receive his Masters in Real Estate Development when he became involved in the school's Digital Currency Initiative. Soon after, he found himself preparing a thesis on the Intersection of Real Estate and Blockchain, and he's been an active pioneer in the space ever since. Avi is passionate about digitization and eager to see the real estate industry adopt more innovative systems, using blockchain technology as a means to that end. Key Insights: Blockchain explained in simple terms How blockchain forgoes the need for central authority Accessibility of this technology around the globe, and how it's being used to raise socioeconomic status How existing services are being reinvented to become more accessible and efficient The institutionalization of cryptocurrencies What is to be expected in terms of growth and expansion of blockchain in the coming years Subscribe to this podcast to build your healthy financial foundation through expertise, insights, strategies, tactics, wisdom, and inspiration from Alpha Investing's community of professionals, advisors, investors, and members: Apple - Spotify - Google - TuneIn - Stitcher - iHeartRadio Guest Bio: Avi Spielman is an international thought leader, award-winning author, and frequent lecturer specializing in the evolution of blockchain technologies and their applications for the real-estate industry. His work has been featured in Forbes, Harvard Real Estate Review, BTC Media, SIOR, and Bisnow, as well as various international real estate and finance publications. He is a founding member of the Forbes Real Estate Council and oversees real-estate development and property management interests in Middle Tennessee, where he is a board member of the Nashville Adventure Science Center. Avi holds degrees from Vanderbilt University and MIT. Resources: Real Wealth Real Health Alpha Investing podcast@alphai.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Consensus 2022 is headed to Austin, TX!!, with Michael J Casey @ Coindesk. Michael Casey is the Chief Content Officer at CoinDesk, the leading media platform for the blockchain and digital asset community, and the author of CoinDesk's weekly Money Reimagined newsletter as well as a co-host of the podcast of the same name. He is also non-executive chairman and cofounder of Streambed Media, a digital media data management platform. Michael previously spent three years as a Senior Advisor to MIT Media Lab's Digital Currency Initiative and as a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management. Michael spent most of his career as a print journalist, including 18 years at Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal, where he was last a senior columnist covering global finance. He also hosted online TV shows for WSJ Live and appeared as a commentator on networks such as CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, and the BBC. Michael has five acclaimed books to his name, including two on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology – The Truth Machine and The Age of Cryptocurrency – both co-authored with Paul Vigna. Michael is a graduate of the University of Western Australia and has higher degrees from Cornell University and Curtin University.

Remember to Rate and Review Our Podcast! For the show today, we held a live interview in the Global coin research Discord. The GCR Discord Community hosts events such as live interviews with founders, learning workshops and provides access to the best deals in the crypto space. Join today at GCR.community   For the show today, we are thrilled to have Manasi and Medha of Komorebi DAO.  Manasi is the VP of Strategy and Ops at Skynet Labs. Prior to this role, Manasi conducted research at the MIT Media Lab's Digital Currency Initiative and was the Director of MIT Bitcoin Expo. She is also the Founder of Women in Blockchain whose mission is to increase diversity in the crypto space through education and community building.    Medha Kothari is a software engineer for cLabs, building out the Celo Protocol, as well as runs she256, a 501c3 dedicated to increasing diversity in the blockchain space. She helped start 2 DAOs, Komorebi Fund which is an investment DAO, and FiatLux, a DAO focused on funding technological academic research.  For this interview, we'll be discussing Komorebi DAO, which is an investment fund that Manasi and Medha recently brought together with a powerhouse roster of investors, founders and builders. Komorebi is focused on investing in female and non-binary founders and in this episode, we are discussing the origins of the DAO, the team's investment approach and thesis directly from the founders of Komorebi.   If you'd like to see more from KomorebiDAO, make sure to follow @KomorebiFund. -  what's the inspiration behind Komorebi dao? - can you talk about the structure of Komorebi? - talk about some of the folks in Komorebi, I think people don't realize what an amazing group of people you've together - how is governance setup? - what are the top 3 lessons you've learned from running a DAO and building on SyndicateDAO that you'd like to share with folks? - how does the dao get hands-on and help founders? how do YOU typically help founders?

Neha Narula, director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, discusses Elon Musk's appearance at ‘The B Word' conference, along with a few current events in the Bitcoin world. Show highlights: her main takeaway from ‘The B Word' conference why governance plays an essential role in Bitcoin's block size arguments what Neha thinks of proof-of-work mining and Bitcon's environmental concerns why Neha is skeptical of Dogecoin becoming a serious cryptocurrency why Jack Dorsey's new Bitcoin platform business is a good idea what Bitcoin's dip in hashrate due to China's crackdown could affect network security going forward what questions Neha has about Bitcoin's adoption in El Salvador why Neha thinks cryptocurrencies and CBDCs will coexist what DCI has planned for the rest of 2021   Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021  Oasis: https://oasisprotocol.org/  NEAR: https://near.org    Episode Links: Neha Narula: https://twitter.com/neha MIT Media Lab: ​​https://twitter.com/medialab  Digital Currency Initiative https://dci.mit.edu/ CBDC research https://dci.mit.edu/cbdc-central-bank-digital-currency  Bitcoin network development https://dci.mit.edu/cbdc-central-bank-digital-currency  The B Word conference Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey, Cathie Wood conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwx_7XAJ3p0  Neha's appearance: https://www.thebword.org/c/track-3-Supporting-the-Developer-Ecosystem Miscellaneous Square's Bitcoin DeFi platform https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/16/square-is-building-a-decentralized-finance-business-for-bitcoin.html Bitcoin and El Salvador https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/05/el-salvador-becomes-the-first-country-to-adopt-bitcoin-as-legal-tender-.html Bitcoin hashrate drop https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/15/chinas-bitcoin-miner-exodus-.html 

Neha Narula, director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, discusses Elon Musk's appearance at ‘The B Word' conference, along with a few current events in the Bitcoin world. Show highlights: her main takeaway from ‘The B Word' conference why governance plays an essential role in Bitcoin's block size arguments what Neha thinks of proof-of-work mining and Bitcon's environmental concerns why Neha is skeptical of Dogecoin becoming a serious cryptocurrency why Jack Dorsey's new Bitcoin platform business is a good idea what Bitcoin's dip in hashrate due to China's crackdown could affect network security going forward what questions Neha has about Bitcoin's adoption in El Salvador why Neha thinks cryptocurrencies and CBDCs will coexist what DCI has planned for the rest of 2021   Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021  Oasis: https://oasisprotocol.org/  NEAR: https://near.org    Episode Links: Neha Narula: https://twitter.com/neha MIT Media Lab: ​​https://twitter.com/medialab  Digital Currency Initiative https://dci.mit.edu/ CBDC research https://dci.mit.edu/cbdc-central-bank-digital-currency  Bitcoin network development https://dci.mit.edu/cbdc-central-bank-digital-currency  The B Word conference Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey, Cathie Wood conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwx_7XAJ3p0  Neha's appearance: https://www.thebword.org/c/track-3-Supporting-the-Developer-Ecosystem Miscellaneous Square's Bitcoin DeFi platform https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/16/square-is-building-a-decentralized-finance-business-for-bitcoin.html Bitcoin and El Salvador https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/05/el-salvador-becomes-the-first-country-to-adopt-bitcoin-as-legal-tender-.html Bitcoin hashrate drop https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/15/chinas-bitcoin-miner-exodus-.html 

Central banks around the world have intensified their research and experimentation in central bank digital currency. Given financial stability and disintermediation concerns, consumer-ready CBDCs have captured global attention with much of the discussion focusing on public-private partnerships. This panel will explore the policy implications of a new form of programmable money for central banks and the role of banks and fintechs in the implementation of CBDCs. Speakers: Hanna Armelius, Senior Adviser, Payments Department Analysis and Policy Division, Sveriges Riksbank Neha Narula, Director, Digital Currency Initiative, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Jose Fernandez da Ponte, ‎Vice President, General Manager Blockchain, Crypto and Digital Currencies, ‎PayPal Atul Bhuchar, Executive Director & Group Payments Head, GTS, DBS This conversation was part of the OMFIF Digital Monetary Institute Symposium 2021. Catch up on demand here. Click here for more information and to register for the 2022 Symposium.

Each week, I cover the “So what?” of 5 key crypto stories in about 5 minutes. Let’s go. This week:Federal Reserve OutageMIT to strengthen bitcoinCoinbase is $100B NFT record art sale Dubai Fund sells bitcoin, buys Cardano and PolkadotFederal Reserve outage exposes single point of failureFederal Reserve Bank’s payment systems were out of service for several hours due to an operational error. The impacted services include but not limited to FedACH, FedWire, FedCash, and settlementFedACH system handles direct deposits of payroll, Social Security and income tax refunds as well as scheduled payments for mortgages and utility bills. It supported 62 million transactions a day in 2019. So what?The outage disrupted payment transactions across the economy and highlighted the single point of failure. A pattern could be emerging as FedACH had 2 disruptions in 2019. Recently, I read Sandworm by Andy Greenberg, this book helped drive home the point that the next great war might be fought in cyberspace. High traffic systems with a single point of failure built on dated technology are attractive targets. The US might be better served by a more resilient decentralized system perhaps one that leverages blockchain technology MIT to strengthen bitcoinMIT’s Digital Currency Initiative has launched a 4-year R&D effort to strengthen bitcoin security The program has been endorsed by cryptocurrency industry leadersSo what?Bitcoin ascended from an obscure project to a robust network that secures over $1 trillion in value due to millions of hours invested by open-source developers The program will contribute neutral, expert resources to improve the robustness of Bitcoin protocol and security. This could include exploring new programming languages and pre-emptive investigations against possible attacksI think this is great news particularly in light of the recent outage at the FedCoinbase releases financials ahead of $100B IPOCoinbase, the US leading digital currency exchange, is now expected to be valued over $100B at IPO In 2020, Coinbase reported $322M profit on $1.28B revenue. The company also served 43M retail investors and 7,000 institutional investors. 76% of customers are based in the US. So what?The Block Research has forecasted that Coinbase could generate $2.4B revenue in Q1 2021 alone. That’s more than 2x full year 2020 in the first quarter. IPO at $100B would make Coinbase a top 20 financial services company right below Goldman Sachs and above S&P. The data implies about 10% of Americans have a Coinbase account. It is not farfetched to anticipate the valuation rising 5-10x as adoption of digital currencies scale. Some industry observers believe Coinbase will become a trillion dollar company. Select Coinbase Financials from The Block ResearchNFTs: Beeple art sells for record $6.6M Mike Winkleman is the artist also known as Beeple. Everyday for the last 13 years he creates one piece of digital art. This week, one of those pieces was sold as an NFT for a record $6.6M.Next week, Christie’s will begin a 2-week auction of 5,000 pieces by Beeple with payments accepted in ether. So what?NFTs have been booming lately. The market size grew over 700% from $42M in 2017 to $338M at the end of 2020 according to NonFungible.com Think of NFTs as a new type of file like JPEG or MP3. NFTs are encrypted files authenticated by blockchain technology. They are not limited to art, for instance NBA Top Shot enables fans to purchase officially licensed video of key plays. NFTs are ushering a new era for creators. Leonardo da Vinci painted Salvatore Mundi which sold for $450M in 2017 setting a world record. Yet, in his lifetime, he likely was a cut or two above a starving artist. With NFTs, in the future, the creator or their estate could receive commission (~10%) upon the resale of their workBottomline: Digital Art and NBA Top Shot are opening doors for new consumers to engage with cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications Crossroads by Beeple sold for $6.6M this weekDubai fund sells $750M Bitcoin to buy Cardano and Polkadot FD7 Ventures has $1B under management; the crypto fund’s thesis is that Cardano, Polkadot and Ethereum will be the foundation of Web 3.0 So what?Investors are going beyond bitcoin. FD7’s decision highlights growing excitement about Ethereum, Cardano, and Polkadot; these blockchains support greater functionality than Bitcoin. Cardano is a third generation cryptocurrency network, it aims to improve upon Bitcoin by having faster and more secure blockchain. It is also more scalable and safe than Ethereum. There are pilot projects in Ethiopia and Tanzania leveraging Cardano to extend financial services to the unbanked. Polkadot aims be the platform for Web 3.0 by connecting a new web of decentralized blockchains. In Web 3.0, trust is built in the network, individuals have more power than corporations and governments, and people own their data. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afolabio.substack.com

In this episode, I speak with Michael J. Casey, CoinDesk's chief content officer. Previously, Casey was the CEO of Streambed Media, a company he cofounded to develop provenance data for digital content. He was also a senior advisor at MIT Media Labs's Digital Currency Initiative and a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to joining MIT, Casey spent 18 years at The Wall Street Journal. Casey has authored five books, including "The Age of Cryptocurrency" and "The Truth Machine," both co-authored with Paul Vigna.  We chat about two controversial topics: Wall Street's 180 degree turn toward crypto and the STABLE Act, introduced by Rep. Rashid Tlaib. We explored the deep concerns expressed by the crypto community about both topics, what's different with the latest march toward all-time Bitcoin highs and what 2021 holds for crypto and blockchain adoption. SPONSORED BY ADVANTAGE EVANS™ ACADEMY There's a more cost effective and time-efficient way to reach your leading-edge learning and earning goals, to put you ahead of the stiff competition to create opportunity and generational wealth in this fast-paced, tech-driven economy. You need skills. Credentials. An advantage. And I can help! I empower underestimated life-long learners traditionally locked out of tech and finance to take control of their financial futures and participate in the new digital cash economy safely, legally and confidently in a welcoming space so they can stay ahead of the curve and create autonomy, opportunity and generational wealth in the fast-paced, tech-driven world. Ready for your advantage? Learn more about From Cash to Crypto™ at AdvantageEvans.com.Guest social assets: Web:  https://www.coindesk.com/author/mikejcaseySTABLE Act bill textCoindesk: Why Stablecoins Are the First Battleground of the Coming Crypto Regulation WarsForbes: Cryptocurrency Legislation Is On The Rise – What The Proposed STABLE Act Could Mean For CryptoEvans Tweet: https://twitter.com/IPProfEvans/status/1334288875129348101Casey: https://twitter.com/mikejcasey/status/1334670077837385728  Contact:Questions and requests: hello@techintersectpodcast.com Follow: Twitter @AtTechIntersect Instagram @TechIntersect Web: http://www.TechIntersectPodcast.com  Get Early Access to Info + More: http://eepurl.com/gKqDyP  Rapternal Music (Regulate and The Rabbit Hole) by Notty Productions is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Produced by Tonya M. Evans for FYOS Entertainment, LLC, and Stephanie Renee for Soul Sanctuary, Inc.Support the show (https://tinyurl.com/techintersectvip)

In this episode of Tech Intersect, I chat with Manasi Vora. She is the VP of Strategy and Operations at Sia where she focuses on privacy-based cloud storage products. She is also the Founder of Women in Blockchain Boston with a mission to break down barriers to entry for underrepresented group and to increase gender diversity within the blockchain industry. Prior to joining Sia, Manasi conducted research at the MIT Media Lab's Digital Currency Initiative and was the Director of MIT Bitcoin Expo. She held multiple roles on Wall Street before falling down the proverbial Crypto rabbit hole.Manasi reminds us that there is indeed a lane for everyone in this new digital economy. And everyone includes women and people of color and those in historically underrepresented and underestimated groups. She shares the importance of women and POC in STEM fields and in blockchain/crypto, speficially, what Sia and Skynet are and how you can get started quickly and easily, and how excited she is (and we all should be) about the future of decentralized file storage in a web 3.0 world. Use the links below to try it out and let me know what you think!Please take a moment to like, comment and share this episode AND this podcast with your networks. Follow me on soc meds and let me know what topics you'd like to hear more of and who you want to hear from!***SPONSORED BY ADVANTAGE EVANS™ ACADEMY***If you are tired of wasting time trying to break into the crypto markets alone, frustrated and confused about what crypto is and how it works, or scared to invest in crypto because you think it's illegal or unsafe? Then my upcoming FREE masterclass is for you. Ready for your advantage? Visit FromCashtoCrypto.com and reserve your seat today!***SPONSORED BY ADVANTAGE EVANS™ ACADEMY***Guest social assets: @manasilvora @siatechHQ @blockchaingirls Links: Sia - https://sia.tech/ Skynet - https://siasky.net/ Women in Blockchain Boston - https://blockchaingirls.org/ Contact:Questions and requests: hello@techintersectpodcast.com Follow: Twitter @AtTechIntersect Instagram @TechIntersect Web: http://www.TechIntersectPodcast.com  and AdvantageEvans.comMailing List: http://eepurl.com/gKqDyP Rapternal Music (Regulate and The Rabbit Hole) by Notty Productions is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.Produced by Tonya M. Evans for FYOS Entertainment, LLC, and Stephanie Renee for Soul Sanctuary, Inc.Support the show (https://tinyurl.com/techintersectvip)

The rapid rise of digital dollar stablecoins has been paralleled by accelerating interest from central bankers on the role and possibilities of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC). To some in the industry, these are viewed as at odds with one another, to others these are ultimately two sides of the same coin, converging trends that will emerge through broader public sector and private sector collaboration in the coming years and decade ahead. No matter, everyone seems to agree that digital dollars and digital currency more broadly are the future of electronic money and the broader global financial system. How will these two phenomenon interact, compete or simply just co-exist? On this week's Money Movement we're joined by Visa's Head of Crypto, Cuy Sheffield; Neha Narula, the Director of MIT's Digital Currency Initiative, an institute leading research and development in crypto, digital currency and now CBDC models; and Robert Bench, AVP at the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston, and a key contributor and collaborator on the future of digital currency with the Federal Reserve. Tune-in and join us live on YouTube every Thursday at 1pm EDT, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

The rapid rise of digital dollar stablecoins has been paralleled by accelerating interest from central bankers on the role and possibilities of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC). To some in the industry, these are viewed as at odds with one another, to others these are ultimately two sides of the same coin, converging trends that will emerge through broader public sector and private sector collaboration in the coming years and decade ahead. No matter, everyone seems to agree that digital dollars and digital currency more broadly are the future of electronic money and the broader global financial system. How will these two phenomenon interact, compete or simply just co-exist? On this week's Money Movement we're joined by Visa's Head of Crypto, Cuy Sheffield; Neha Narula, the Director of MIT's Digital Currency Initiative, an institute leading research and development in crypto, digital currency and now CBDC models; and Robert Bench, AVP at the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston, and a key contributor and collaborator on the future of digital currency with the Federal Reserve. Tune-in and join us live on YouTube every Thursday at 1pm EDT, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. About the Show The global economy is experiencing unprecedented challenges and change. Business leaders everywhere are grappling with how to transform their companies to become more digital, resilient and efficient. As we face this change, a new global movement is building around the promise of digital currencies and blockchains — forming a new architecture for the global economy and creating new opportunities for companies everywhere. The Money Movement explores and chronicles the issues and ideas driving this brave new world of digital money. The Money Movement is brought to you by Circle. Our mission is to raise global economic prosperity through programmable internet commerce. Learn more about Circle Business Accounts and Platform APIs at https://hubs.ly/H0qWzwG0.

Auf dem World Economic Forum in Davos hat eine hochkarätig besetzte Paneldiskussion zum Thema Digitale Währungen stattgefunden. Teilnehmer waren (1) David Marcus von Libra, (2) Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Chef der Monetary Authority (Zentralbank) in Singapur, (3) Valdis Dombrovskis von der Europäischen Kommission, (4) Benoit Coeure, Chef des BIS Innovation Hubs, und (5) Neha Narula, Direktorin der Digital Currency Initiative des MIT Media Labs. Moderiert wurde das Panel von Sheila Warren vom World Economic Forum. Es ging in der Diksussion um den aktuellen Stand und die Zukunft digitaler Währungen, v.a. digitaler Zentralbankwährungen. Welche Zentralbanken arbeiten an digitalen Währungen und was ist deren Motivation?

We talk to Michael Casey, Senior Advisor for Blockchain Opportunities at MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative, about his new book, co-authored with Paul Vigna, The Truth Machine: The Blockchain and the Future of Everything.

Blockchain and cryptocurrencies have the potential to change the world in meaningful ways. And this change may drastically impact people’s lives – both for the better and for the worse. While ethics are often discussed for technologies like AI, the ethical considerations around blockchain technologies have received less focussed attention.We’re joined by Rhys Lindmark, Head of Community and Long-Term Societal Impact at the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative. Previously the host of the podcast “Creating a Humanist Blockchain Future,” Rhys’ approach to blockchain was always about considering its potential impact. Since joining the DCI, his podcast, now “Gray Mirror,” continues to explore these questions. He has also recently started teaching a blockchain ethics course with the DCI’s Director, Neha Narula.Topics covered in this episode:Rhys’ background as a podcaster and proponent of Effective AltruismHis advocacy work around universal tithing and donating to charityThe controversy surrounding the MIT Media Lab and the resignation of their Director Joi ItoThe difference between ethics and moralsWhy we need to study blockchain ethicsShould we have ethics committees in blockchain as there exists about AIThe ethical considerations for different use cases and applications of blockchain technologyThe role of miners and should they have ethical obligations to censor certain transactionsThe DCI’s blockchain ethics class and what students learnEpisode links: Blockchain Ethics ClassBlockchain Ethics Class SyllabusWhy it’s time to start talking about blockchain ethics (MIT TechnologyReview)Jeffrey Epstein case: Federal prosecutors broke law, judge says (MiamiHerald)Director of M.I.T.’s Media Lab Resigns After Taking Money From JeffreyEpstein (New York Times)MIT Digital Currency InitiativeRhys Lindmark on TwitterSponsors: Cosmos: Change the future of finance at the SF Blockchain Week Defi Hackathon – $50,000 prize pool for winning teams - https://epicenter.rocks/sfcosmosTrail of Bits: Trust the team at the forefront of blockchain security research - https://trailofbits.comB9Lab: Level up and become a Solidity smart contract auditor – 5% off the with the code EPICENTER - https://solidified.b9lab.com/epicenterThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/311

In Episode 101 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Michael Casey, an acclaimed author, journalist, researcher, and entrepreneur who currently serves as CEO and founder of Streambed Media, an early-stage video production and technology platform that seeks to optimize capital formation and creative output in the digital media industry. Michael is also chairman of CoinDesk’s advisory board and a senior advisor at the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative, where he has spearheaded research projects that employ blockchain technology to achieve social impact goals. Michael Casey’s breadth of experience as a financial journalist for Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal, as well as his time spent stationed overseas in Thailand and Argentina, provide him with a unique perspective on the ‘problem of trust’ and what he calls ‘the Internet’s original sin.’ The latter is a reference to the observation that the inventors of packet switching and the basic Web protocols did, according to Casey, “a masterful job figuring how to move information seamlessly across a distributed network. What they didn’t do was resolve the problem of trust.” “On the one hand,” writes the chairman of CoinDesk’s advisory board, “the distribution of public information was disintermediated, which put all centralized providers of that information, especially newspapers and other media outlets, under intense business pressure from blogs and other new information competitors. But on the other, all valuable information – particularly money itself, an especially valuable form of information – was still intermediated by trusted third parties.” This intersection between money, communication, and trust serves as the basis for Demetri and Michael’s conversation during this episode. The two discuss Shoshana Zuboff’s work on Surveillance Capitalism, the loss of faith in financial institutions and central banks (including recent actions by the Federal Open Market Committee and the intervention by the Fed in the overnight Repo market), and how cryptocurrencies and distributed ledger technology aims to reinstill this lost faith by resolving the problem of trust. The overtime to this week’s episode is an exhaustive exploration of the forces driving cryptocurrency adoption around the globe, the cultural impetus behind these forces, and the financial imperatives fueling Bitcoin's ascent as truly global money. You can access the overtime, along with a transcript and rundown to this week’s episode through the Hidden Forces Patreon Page. All subscribers also gain access to the overtime RSS feed, which can be easily be added to your favorite podcast application. Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou Subscribe & Support the Podcast at http://patreon.com/hiddenforces Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @hiddenforcespod

On Episode 29, Garnet and Mark are back with Mark Friedler to continue the discussion. This time, we talk about building a business—and that you never build something to fall in love with it. We also learn what Mark is doing in blockchain, and we get some predictions from him about the future of work and have a spirited discussion about open offices—and some societal challenges that need innovation. The overwhelming theme that emerged from the three episodes with Mark is the title: Never Work With A**holes. Episode NotesThe Truth Machine, by Michael Casey, Senior Adviser to the Digital Currency InitiativeBlockchain

Interview Location: BostonInterview Date: 20th JuneCompany: MIT’s Digital Currency InitiativeRole: DirectorThe security of Bitcoin is one of the factors which gives it so much value, and after ten years there still hasn’t been a single counterfeit Bitcoin created, there has never been a successful 51% attack, and the few potentially catastrophic bugs have been fixed without any negative consequences. But how secure is Bitcoin? Is Proof of Work too risky? Can we trust those that are developing Bitcoin to do so with the right ethical judgement?In this interview, I spoke with Neha Narula, the Director of MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative to talk about these critical issues. We discuss:- How the DCI got started- Bugs in the Bitcoin protocol- Proof of Work being too risky- Ethical development on Bitcoin- 51% attacks- Government controlled crypto-----If you enjoy The What Bitcoin Did Podcast you can help support the show my doing the following:Become a Patron and get access to shows early or help contributeMake a tip:Bitcoin: 3FiC6w7eb3dkcaNHMAnj39ANTAkv8Ufi2SQR Codes: Bitcoin | Ethereum | Litecoin | Monero | ZCash | RipplecoinIf you do send a tip then please email me so that I can say thank youSubscribe on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | YouTube | TuneIn | RSS FeedLeave a review on iTunesShare the show and episodes with your friends and familySubscribe to the newsletter on my websiteFollow me on Twitter Personal | Twitter Podcast | Instagram | Medium | YouTubeIf you are interested in sponsoring the show, you can read more about that here or please feel free to drop me an email to discuss options.

Facebook has revealed plans for a new global digital currency, claiming it will enable billions of people around the world without a bank account to make money transfers. Patrick Jenkins discusses the initiative and what it means for the banks with Nick Megaw, Caroline Binham and Elaine Moore.Contributors: Suzanne Blumsom, executive editor, Patrick Jenkins, financial editor, Nick Megaw, retail banking correspondent, Caroline Binham, financial regulation correspondent and Elaine Moore, deputy head of Lex. Producer: Fiona Symon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Republican Senator Mitt Romney and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy join Christiane Amanpour from Washington D.C. to discuss their bipartisan trip to the Middle East and the growing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Bill Weld, the only Republican challenging President Trump in the 2020 election talks about why he decided to run. Our Hari Sreenivasan talks to Neha Narula, the Director of the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, about the future of cryptocurrencies.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljohncasey/ The Rockefellers. The Rothschilds. Henry Ford. Bill Gates. Steve Jobs. Jeff Bezos. What do all of these names have in common?  Wealth creation. For too long women have been behind the curve when it comes to the creation of wealth and it is time for that to change.  Mirroring the growth of the internet boom in the 90's, is it possible that cryptocurrency could be an economic engine for women if we boldly embrace it?  Could cryptocurrency and blockchain provide opportunities for freedom and power of choice for women worldwide? Listen in as author, expert, and visionary Michael Casey makes a compelling case for how cryptocurrency is changing the world. As the senior advisor for the Digital Currency Initiative at MIT, Michael offers intriguing insights into the world of cryptocurrency.  Why does the “digital gold rush” matter? How has the current infrastructure of money failed us? Listen in and it is quite possible you could shift your financial future for generations to come.

Tadge Dryja, a research scientist at DCI who co-invented the Lightning Network. We chat about his current research (uTreeXO, a dynamic accumulator for Bitcoin state) and discuss non-fork ways to bootstrap upgrades to a network (a bridge node for uTreeXO).

For something of such obvious importance, money is kind of mysterious. It can, as Homer Simpson once memorably noted, be exchanged for goods and services. But who decides exactly how many goods/services a given unit of money can buy? And what maintains the social contract that we all agree to go along with it? Technology is changing what money is and how we use it, and Neha Narula is a leader in thinking about where money is going. One much-hyped aspect is the advent of blockchain technology, which has led to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. We talk about what the blockchain really is, how it enables new kinds of currency, and from a wider perspective whether it can help restore a more individualistic, decentralized Web. Neha Narula is the Director of the Digital Currency Initiative at MIT. She obtained her Ph.D. in computer science from MIT, and worked at Google and Digg before joining the faculty there. She is an expert on scalable databases, secure software, cryptocurrencies, and online privacy.

When the Bitcoin Foundation fell apart and funding for Bitcoin core development was needed, the MIT founded the Digital Currency Initiative to step in. In the years since, the DCI has evolved into a vibrant center of cutting edge research on some of the most difficult challenges around blockchain technology. DCI Director Neha Narula joined us to discuss the DCI’s position between academia and industry, their policy on conflicts of interest, and their most fascinating research topics. Topics covered in this episode: How her interest in distributed systems and scaling lead led her to the blockchain space The mission and history of the MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative How cryptocurrency might evolve over time as an academic field The DCI’s project on digital fiat currency How zkLedger could enable privacy-preserving auditing for distributed ledgers Why sharding is unlikely to succeed in the short- and medium term Why Neha is most optimistic about layer 2 approaches to scaling like lightning network The story of discovering and writing about IOTA’s vulnerability How DCI handles conflicts of interest and strives for neutrality Episode links: MIT Digital Currency Initiative Neha Narula Personal Website What’s New at MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative The Importance of Layer 2 Cryptographic vulnerabilities in IOTA zkLedger | the future of audit zkLedger Whitepaper Neha Narula: The future of money | TED Talk This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/242

What's driving the bubble-inducing speculative fervor for tokens and ICOs? The fact that the disruption promised by blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies and their offspring, while unpredictable, is aimed not only at decades-old business models but at a fundamental feature of civilization that dates back millennia: record-keeping. With Michael J. Casey of Digital Currency Initiative.

  Chelsea Barabas: How to balance AI and criminal justice (Ep. 136) MIT Research Scientist Chelsea Barabas and Joe Miller discuss how to balance AI and criminal justice to affect better defendant outcomes. Bio Chelsea Barabas (@chels_bar) is a research scientist at MIT, where she examines the spread of algorithmic decision making tools in the US criminal justice system. Formerly, Chelsea was the Head of Social Innovation with the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative. She has worked on a wide range of issues related to the use of emerging technologies to serve the public good around the world. Chelsea’s graduate research at MIT was on understanding the U.S.’s ongoing struggle to cultivate and hire a diverse technical workforce, and she conducted her graduate thesis in partnership with Code2040. She attended Stanford as an undergraduate, where she earned a B.A. in Sociology.  Resources Chelsea Barabas, Karthik Dinakar, Joichi Ito, Madars Virza, and Jonathan Zittrain. 2018. Interventions over Predictions: Reframing the Ethical Debate for Actuarial Risk Assessment. In Proceedings of the Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAT*) conference (FAT* 2018). ACM, New York, NY, USA. Virginia Eubanks, Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor (2018) News Roundup T-Mobile and Sprint announce merger plans T-Mobile and Sprint have announced merger plans again. It’s a $27 billion deal that would include Softbank giving up control of Sprint.  The combined company would be called T-Mobile and, with 98 million subscribers, the combined company would become the second largest wireless carrier, behind Verizon’s 116 million. Brian Fung and Tony Romm report in the Washington Post. Comcast launches bidding war against Fox for Sky Comcast announced that it would seek to acquire European pay TV provider Sky for $31 billion. The Murdoch’s 21st Century  Fox already has a bid for Sky on the table, but it’s $15 billion lower than Comcast’s, even though Fox already has a 39% stake in Sky. 21st Century Fox had rejected a separate bid by Comcast to acquire Fox’s entertainment assets, which Disney is now planning to purchase for $52.4 billion, which was also lower than Comcast’s proposal. Shalani Ramachandran, Amol Sharma and David Benoit report in the Wall Street Journal. EU investigates Apple’s Shazam bid EU antitrust regulators are investigating whether Apple’s bid for music identification service Shazam is anticompetitive. Apple had announced back in December that it was looking to acquire Shazam for an undisclosed amount. The EU is concerned the acquisition could limit consumer choice. Foo Yun Chee has more at Reuters. Senate confirms Nakasone to Lead NSA/Cyber Command The Senate unanimously confirmed U.S. Army Command Chief Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone to serve as both the head of the National Security Administration and U.S. Cyber Command. He’ll replace Mike Rogers. Nakasone will also get a fourth star. SEC fines company formerly known as Yahoo! $35 million The Securities and Exchange Commission fined Altaba, the company that now owns Yahoo!’s remaining assets, over $35 million. The fine is for failing to disclose a 2014 data breach that compromised the data of over 500 million Yahoo! users. Jacob Katrenakes reports in the Verge. FTC warns app firms about collecting children’s data The Federal Trade Commission has warned app firms in China and Sweden about collecting the data of U.S. children. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act prohibits the collection of such data and applies to foreign companies. The China based- Gator Group and Sweden-based Tinitell, both sell smartwatches to children. In other news related to Children's privacy, YouTube has announced new parental controls for YouTube kids. Parents will now be able to limit recommendations and suggestions will now be made by humans. Did Diamond and Silk commit perjury? In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee last week, conservative African American internet personalities Diamond and Silk said under oath that President Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign never paid them. But there’s a 2016 Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing showing that the campaign paid them $1,275 for “field consulting”. Harper Neidig reports in the Hill. CBC members to meet in Silicon Valley to discuss diversity The Congressional Black Caucus is sending the largest delegation of lawmakers it has ever sent to Silicon Valley to discuss diversity. Just 3% of Silicon Valley tech workers are black, according to a Center for Investigative Reporting study. Shirin Ghaffary reports in Recode. Facebook warns SEC about more data misuse In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Facebook indicated that additional reports of the misuse of user data are likely forthcoming. The social media giant said it is conducting a third-party audit which it anticipates will reveal additional improprieties. Google’s Sergey Brin warns about AI threat Finally, Google co-founder Sergey Brin warned in the company’s annual Founders’ Letter about the future of AI and the fact that it is already transforming everything from self-driving cars to planetary discovery. Brin said he is optimistic about Artificial Intelligence and said that Alphabet is giving serious consideration to the ways in which AI will affect employment, how developers can control for bias in their algorithms, and the potential for AI to “manipulate people.” James Vincent notes in the Verge that Brin’s letter does not discuss the dangers of using AI for military intelligence, although the company has said its technology would be used for “non-offensive purposes only”. Still, several employees at the company are urging Alphabet to withdraw from its plans to work with the Pentagon.

Michael Casey is a Senior Advisor for the Digital Currency Initiative at MIT. Prior to that, he was a Senior Columnist for the Wall Street Journal. He spent 18 years covering global economic and financial trends and co-authored The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and the Blockchain are Challenging the Global Economic Order with Paul Vigna.  In this episode, Michael and I discuss:  His journey from the Wall Street Journal to the MIT Digital Currency Initiative His perspective on ICOs/token sales And how his co-author, Paul Vigna, became motivated to write a book on Cryptocurrency

Why is social media so pervasive? Many have searched for just the right metaphor to capture its explosive growth, yet few have found ones that fit. Instead of turning to concepts like networks or connections, maybe we should be looking to biology. And that is exactly what Oliver Luckett and Michael Casey have done in their book, The Social Organism: A Radical Understanding of Social Media to Transform Your Business and Your Life. In it, they offer a provocative theory: that social networks mimic biological life. As part of that theory, they explain how our capacity to create and share memes actually facilitates an evolutionary process. That process mimics the transfer of genetic information in living things. Oliver is a technology entrepreneur and currently CEO of ReviloPark, and he has served as Head of Innovation at The Walt Disney Company. Michael Casey is the author of three books, including The Age of Cryptocurrency. He was a reporter, editor, and columnist for The Wall Street Journal and also a senior advisor to the Digital Currency Initiative at MIT Media Lab. In this interview we discuss: Social media as the vehicle for a shift from top down gatekeeping to broad and open distribution How the creative expression that is part of social media mirrors the evolutionary process of biological organisms How the Internet operates as a social organism that we feed and contribute to as it evolves and reproduces The fact that there is an order inherent in the chaos of social media, just as there is order inherent in biological systems and organisms How the evolution of social media, like that of organisms, is not about progress, but about randomness, feedback, and interactions important to the evolutionary process How the metaphor of social organism better helps us to understand and respond to our changing culture in ways that encourage healthy responses and interactions How changing online business models hamper the kinds of organic, authentic, creative expression we need to be healthy online and to support an organic evolution of social media How the distribution mechanisms for information and creative expression have shifted from physical elements -- the TV tower, printing press, newspaper delivery truck -- to our brains and social networks How artists like Banksy are using social media to collaborate and impact the art world Why memes are like cultural currency and replicating tools that get repeated and absorbed into our culture to help it evolve How censorship works against our building up immunities to that will allow social media to evolve and increase in authenticity and creativity How social media is a human phenomenon that allows for a vibrant exchange of ideas Why we need to get it right when it comes to understanding social media, especially as we head into our AI future Links to Topics Mentioned in this Podcast @mikejcasey and @revilopark http://thesocialorganism.com/ http://www.michaeljcasey.com/ Norman Mailer Holarchy Banksy and documentary Banksy Does New York Hatsune Miku Richard Dawkins If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and review it on iTunes - your ratings make all the difference. For automatic delivery of new episodes, be sure to subscribe. As always, thanks for listening! Thank you to Emmy-award-winning Creative Director Vanida Vae for designing the Curious Minds logo, and thank you to Rob Mancabelli for all of his production expertise! www.gayleallen.net LinkedIn @GAllenTC

Rob will be joining us at the Media Lab and the Digital Currency Initiative. He is the former Manager of Digital Currencies at the Bank of England.  [EP-EN-13]

While bitcoin and blockchain may sound like something from science fiction, they have become powerful tools to help us rethink banking and finance. What began as a cypherpunk vision has become a viable model of currency and exchange for everyone with access to a Smartphone, from the unbanked in Afghanistan to the urban hipster in New York City. Eager to learn more about where bitcoin and blockchain technology has come from and where it is headed, co-authors Michael J. Casey and Paul Vigna researched and wrote the bestselling book, The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and the Blockchain are Challenging the Global Economic Order. In this interview, Michael J. Casey, Senior Advisor to the Digital Currency Initiative at the Media Lab at MIT and former global finance columnist for The Wall Street Journal, shares what they learned and why we should care. In this episode, we talk about: Connections to science fiction, cryptography, and cypherpunks The blockchain and bitcoin origin story What it means to decentralize the banking system The mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto Trust and the huge role it plays in launching a new currency How it all started when someone bought a pizza What bitcoin and blockchain mean for us as customers and as business owners How blockchain and bitcoin can upend industries from medicine to music What this tech means for the poor and unbanked How mobile tech, bitcoin, and blockchain are empowering millions Ways Wall Street is already co-opting ledger tech for its own purposes How this tech will govern the economy of the future Selected Links to Topics Mentioned @mikejcasey http://www.michaeljcasey.com/ Satoshi Nakamoto Cypherpunk Cryptography Michel Foucault Hyperinflation Deflation Casa de cambio Laszlo Ripple Ethereum MIT Internet of Things Micropayment www.dougrushkoff.com Oliver Luckett The Audience If you enjoy the podcast, please rate and review it on iTunes. For automatic delivery of new episodes, be sure to subscribe. As always, thanks for listening! Thank you to Emmy-award-winning Creative Director Vanida Vae for designing the Curious Minds logo! www.gayleallen.net LinkedIn @GAllenTC

"Each spring, the CMS side of CMSW catapults ten more master’s program graduates into the world. And each fall, we invite a bunch back to talk with prospectives. Of the five grads we feature in this podcast, four stayed close. In fact two helped start research groups in our department. And another two skipped to other parts of campus. One joined a Ph.D. program a few buildings down, and another kicked off the Media Lab’s new digital currency initiative. Margaret Weigel, '02 and one of our earliest graduates, works in digital education. 2007’s Dan Roy, the only panelist you didn’t hear, develops games for learning. Ilya Vedrashko, ‘06, works in data-driven consumer research. Erik Stayton, 2015, is a Ph.D. candidate in MIT’s program in History, Anthropology, Science, Technology and Society. And Chelsea Barabas, also 2015, is the newly minted advisor to the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative."

On the heels of the day’s graduate program information session, we hosted five alums of our master's degree program in Comparative Media Studies. They discussed their lives from MIT to their careers today. Here's who we featured: Margaret Weigel, ’02, who works in digital education: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=3427777 Dan Roy, ’07, widely known for his games for learning projects: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=2512953 Ilya Vedrashko, ’06, who does big data-driven consumer research: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=3838774 Erik Stayton, ’15, now a Ph.D. student at MIT’s program in History, Anthropology, Science, Technology and Society: http://web.mit.edu/hasts/graduate/stayton.html Chelsea Barabas, ’15, the newly minted advisor to the Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=75805502

In our seventy-fifth episode of the Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast, Stewart Baker, Alan Cohn, Meredith Rathbone, Michael Vatis, and Jason Weinstein discuss: federal law enforcements’ issues with unbreakable encryption; Hacking Team was itself hacked; and the right to be forgotten still on the offensive. In our second half we have an interview with Michael Casey, former senior columnist for the Wall Street Journal and – as of last week – senior advisor at the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative. Michael is also the author, along with his former Wall Street Journal colleague Paul Vigna, of The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not reflect the opinions of the firm.