Podcast appearances and mentions of leigh cuen

Leigh Cuen is the co-founder of the Association of Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers (ACJR) and Des Femmes a female-led community magazine creating media and networking experiences for women who are thriving at the intersection of tech and finance. She shares her journey from working as an international correspondent and staff journalist to her entrepreneurial ventures in creating content accounting for the actions and reactions of a globally-conscious audience. To date, Leigh's work has been featured across major publications, including TechCrunch, Vice, Business Insider, and Teen Vogue. In this episode, Leigh and Lisa delve into everything from analyzing the superpower of “thinking outside the box”, to the process of putting a print magazine in Whole Foods and Barnes & Noble, and creating sustainable programs that truly put community first. Lisa and Leigh discuss:How to release comfort and external validation to define and attain successSacrifice vs. skill sets: How women's roles and value are defined within the crypto industry and society as a wholeBeing aware of personal boundaries and priorities and how to surround yourself with people who respect themThe norm of masculine energy in business building and how women can best honor their natural rhythm in navigating life and businessThe thought process and actions involved in overhauling a business model

This podcast is a montage of four interviews with founders and executives, from the time period of March 2021 to June 2022, as originally published at www.anchor.fm/irish-tech-news. This podcast highlights short gems from Jamil Hasan (Crypto Hipster)'s interviews with Dennison Bertram (Tally), Jonathan Dickson (Kildare artist), Eric Jackson (CapLinked, TransitNet, author of PayPal Wars), and Leigh Cuen (desfemmesmag). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crypto-hipster-podcast/support

Jamil catches up with Leigh Cuen, to cover the launch of Des Femmes Magazine, which is an annual magazine for women who are thriving at the intersection of tech and finance. We discuss the need for more women to join crypto not just because of gender equality but because building a diverse workforce fosters innovation. The magazine project is led by Leigh, also Camila Russo and Rosalie Lessard. We also discuss Leigh's role as an educator on crypto wallets at Bitcoin Magazine and the importance of building a resiliency skillset learning technology and sifting through misinformation and disinformation to navigate the crypto economy and build one's career and wealth as a freelancer. Leigh Cuen is a reporter from California. Her work has been published by TechCrunch, Vice, Business Insider, CoinDesk, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, Al Jazeera English, The Jerusalem Post, and many others. Follow her on Instagram at @leighcuen and subscribe to her newsletter at leighcuen.substack.com. Leigh Cuen, @La__Cuen Twitter: @desfemmesmag --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crypto-hipster-podcast/support

Does the future of media companies lie in decentralized models? “Even successful magazines right now are rethinking their model… One of the ways you give power to your readers is to give them the direct ability to allocate funds.”Former CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen joins Anna Baydakova and Ben Schiller on “Opinionated” to discuss Des Femmes, the magazine for women in finance and tech. Cuen co-founded the magazine to address a lack of representation and voice for women entrepreneurs, especially in the crypto industry. Des Femmes is printed and managed by a DAO-inspired structure. Cuen discusses Des Femmes' decision to pursue a bitcoin multisig structure to manage the funds the publication generated from an Ethereum crowdfunding campaign, and its plans for further decentralization in the future. Converting a media organization into a decentralized autonomous organization presents unique opportunities to get the community more involved in the co-creation of the publication.This episode was produced, announced and edited by Michele Musso with additional production support from Eleanor Pahl. Our theme song is by Elision.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Does the future of media companies lie in decentralized models? “Even successful magazines right now are rethinking their model… One of the ways you give power to your readers is to give them the direct ability to allocate funds.”Former CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen joins Anna Baydakova and Ben Schiller on “Opinionated” to discuss Des Femmes, the magazine for women in finance and tech. Cuen co-founded the magazine to address a lack of representation and voice for women entrepreneurs, especially in the crypto industry. Des Femmes is printed and managed by a DAO-inspired structure. Cuen discusses Des Femmes' decision to pursue a bitcoin multisig structure to manage the funds the publication generated from an Ethereum crowdfunding campaign, and its plans for further decentralization in the future. Converting a media organization into a decentralized autonomous organization presents unique opportunities to get the community more involved in the co-creation of the publication.This episode was produced, announced and edited by Michele Musso with additional production support from Eleanor Pahl. Our theme song is by Elision.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(Series 4: GJW Talk Crypto) Looking for a new way to build a crypto community? A DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) could be a step in the right direction. But before we jump into joining, our gals broke DAOs down with Leigh Cuen to understand what they are, why someone would want to be in one, and potential pitfalls to avoid. This is the episode you don't want to miss. To connect with Saira Rahman click HERE. To connect with Megan McShane click HERE. For more GJWHF content click HERE.

In this episode of Bitcoin Spaces Live, host Christian Keroles (@ck_snarks) is joined by The Bitcoin Rabbi (@thebitcoinrabbi), Jeremy Rubin (@jeremyrubin), Buck (@buckperley), Meni Rosenfeld (@MeniRosenfeld), Brekkie (@BVBTC) and Leigh Cuen  (@La_Cuen) celebrate Hanukkah and engage in a discussion on how some of the core values of Bitcoin overlap with that of Jusdaism. 0:00 CK talks about the new print edition of Bitcoin Magazine. 2:40 Introducing today's show! How Bitcoiners around the world are celebrating Hanukkah and a high-level overview of Jeremy and The Bitcoin Rabbi's experiment. 3:50 The Bitcoin Rabbi leads prayer and Jeremy lights the blockchain menorah. 11:40 The guests and audience members share how they're celebrating. 14:15 How The Bitcoin Rabbi and Jeremy incorporate Bitcoin into their family traditions. 16:47 How Jewish educators are keeping the story of Hanukkah fresh for new generations. 21:28 Exploring the overlaps between the core values, philosophy and ethos of Bitcoin and Judaism. 45:00 Why there isn't just one way to be a Bitcoiner and why that matters. 48:05 Do we improve the world by doing good acts? What is Bitcoin evangelism? 54:23 One of the great victories of Hanukkah, where the food we eat originates from and closing remarks. Get Bitcoin Magazine shipped directly to your front door! Get 21% off with promo code: YTMAG https://store.bitcoinmagazine.com/products/bitcoin-magazine-annual-subscription "The Deep Dive" delivers the latest Bitcoin on-chain market intelligence directly to your inbox! Check it out for free here! https://deepdivebtc.substack.com/welcome Bitcoin 2022 will be the biggest Bitcoin conference ever! Miami, FL from April 6–9, 2022 Get 21% off tickets with promo code: YTMAG https://b.tc/conference/  

Writer and journalist Leigh Cuen discusses the challenges of reporting on bitcoin and why mainstream news outlets tend to take a hostile approach. She talks about the problems with fact-checking, especially in relation to the litecoin walmart scandal. Leigh provides a fascinating perspective on the mainstream media that you don't want to miss. Sponsored by @blockfi get up $250 when you join: blockfi.com/layah

Jamil catches up with Leigh Cuen, to cover the launch of Des Femmes Magazine, which is an annual magazine for women who are thriving at the intersection of tech and finance. We discuss the need for more women to join crypto not just because of gender equality but because building a diverse workforce fosters innovation. The magazine project is led by Leigh, also Camila Russo and Rosalie Lessard. We also discuss Leigh's role as an educator on crypto wallets at Bitcoin Magazine and the importance of building a resiliency skillset learning technology and sifting through misinformation and disinformation to navigate the crypto economy and build one's career and wealth as a freelancer. Leigh Cuen is a reporter from California. Her work has been published by TechCrunch, Vice, Business Insider, CoinDesk, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, Al Jazeera English, The Jerusalem Post, and many others. Follow her on Instagram at @leighcuen and subscribe to her newsletter at leighcuen.substack.com. Leigh Cuen, @La__Cuen Twitter: @desfemmesmag Jamil Hasan is a Generation X Author and experienced data intelligence technology builder with two decades of experience leading data-based teams at Fortune 100 companies, including AIG, Prudential Financial, and Ingersoll Rand. Jamil believes that skill and experience, not just age, is the most important factor required to build and lead corporate organizations. His unique story, as someone on the ground floor of the 2008 financial crisis and his role to help repay the $180 billion AIG bailout, enabled him to come face-to-face with many of the societal ills facing Generation X today and their causes. As the result of his experience, Jamil has developed a path forward for his fellow Gen Xers to restore his generation's financial standing in society today and to rebuild the American Dream for Generation X.

This week on Borderless, tech reporter Leigh Cuen speaks with data analyst and entrepreneur Boaz Sobrado about how bitcoin became relevant to him when he had to use it at his e-commerce company. With the changes in the U.S. presidential administration in 2016 and the strict regulations that followed it became harder to bank in Cuba. Processing payments and conducting proper international transactions were causing his company to bleed money. So Boaz turned to bitcoin to move money in and out of the country safely and provide commerce to Cuban communities. However, bitcoin adoption in Cuba turned out to be harder than he thought. Due to COVID-19, Cuba is undergoing the worst economic crisis since the 1990s. At that time Cuba's economic structure was so atrocious that portions of its population suffered from hunger. Boaz says, “We aren't there yet” that it isn't as bad as the crisis of the 1990s. However, with Western Union remittance rates going down there is less and less money in the country. This has caused inflation to rise and product delivery to the country of Cuba to become more difficult. Listen as Sobrado discusses the informal peer-to-peer development of the cryptocurrency markets in Cuba and how the internet penetration in Cuba is accelerating bitcoin adoption. Did you enjoy the show? We would love to hear what you think. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your preferred service and talk to us directly via email at borderless@coindesk.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Borderless, tech reporter Leigh Cuen speaks with data analyst and entrepreneur Boaz Sobrado about how bitcoin became relevant to him when he had to use it at his e-commerce company. With the changes in the U.S. presidential administration in 2016 and the strict regulations that followed it became harder to bank in Cuba. Processing payments and conducting proper international transactions were causing his company to bleed money. So Boaz turned to bitcoin to move money in and out of the country safely and provide commerce to Cuban communities. However, bitcoin adoption in Cuba turned out to be harder than he thought. Due to COVID-19, Cuba is undergoing the worst economic crisis since the 1990s. At that time Cuba’s economic structure was so atrocious that portions of its population suffered from hunger. Boaz says, “We aren’t there yet” that it isn’t as bad as the crisis of the 1990s. However, with Western Union remittance rates going down there is less and less money in the country. This has caused inflation to rise and product delivery to the country of Cuba to become more difficult. Listen as Sobrado discusses the informal peer-to-peer development of the cryptocurrency markets in Cuba and how the internet penetration in Cuba is accelerating bitcoin adoption. Did you enjoy the show? We would love to hear what you think. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your preferred service and talk to us directly via email at borderless@coindesk.com.

Bully sits down with Leigh Cuen (https://twitter.com/La__Cuen) to discuss her career as a freelance crypto journalist. She has written for CoinDesk, TechCrunch, Business Insider, Teen Vogue and many others. She discusses recent developments in the crypto space and her new Substack, which can be found here: https://leighcuen.substack.com/ ––– Node40 Buy, sell or exchange crypto this year? With NODE40, crypto-savvy investors can easily determine their tax obligation and report it accurately. This year, you’ll be required to report your crypto activity to the IRS. Whether you owe or have losses to claim, NODE40 allows you to file with confidence. NODE40... Bulletproof crypto tax reporting. Sign up today at node40.com/bully. ––– Crypto.com Crypto.com serves 5M+ customers, providing them with a powerful alternative to traditional financial services through the Crypto.com App, Crypto.com Visa Card, Exchange and DeFi offerings.  Crypto.com is giving away four Teslas! To enter the lucky draw, download the Crypto.com App and buy at least $100 of Bitcoin before March 8th. New users will also enjoy 0% credit & debit card fees in your first month. More details.  ––– Gemini Gemini is a cryptocurrency platform that allows customers to buy, sell, and store more than 30 cryptos like bitcoin, bitcoin cash, ether, litecoin, and Zcash. Gemini is a New York trust company subject to the capital reserve requirements, cybersecurity requirements, and banking compliance standards set forth by the New York State Department of Financial Services and the New York Banking Law.  Open a free account in under 3 minutes at gemini.com/bully. ––– Listen on Apple. Listen on Spotify. This podcast is presented by Blockworks. For exclusive content and events that provide insights into the crypto and blockchain space, visit them at: http://blockworks.co.

Dominatrix Mistress Harley sees bitcoin as a crucial part of her business. The tech-savvy sex worker talks with CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen about bitcoin, sex and the kinky community. Mistress Harley, a “techdomme” who specializes in digital BDSM, said “if you think about power exchange, there’s almost nothing in our society more powerful than money.”Harley is among the growing cohort of online sex workers that offer financial domination (findom) experiences. Findom has also become a popular category on video streaming platforms that accept bitcoin, like Chaturbate and Fancentro. Fancentro marketing representative Mark Asquith said findom “broke out into the mainstream in 2020.” Fancentro alone now has hundreds of influencers offering more than 1,500 porn clips in this niche. “COVID gave findom its 50 Shades moment. It’s not just about exchanging money for content anymore, it’s about providing income to the influencer,” Asquith said. “In the next year or so, we’re going to see a dissolution of the findom binary, an understanding that there’s an entire spectrum of fandoms that involve elements of sexual thrill for financial support.”Likewise, Pornhub VP Corey Price said in 2020 the platform has roughly seen 12,000 searches for “findom” per month. There are many ways for findom aficionados to practice their art. Sometimes they sign automatic payment contracts, without exchanging porn at all, because part of the humiliation is paying the dominatrix to ignore the submissive. In other circumstances, the submissive completes complex tasks, like mining bitcoin, to earn money for the dominatrix. For yet another example, some submissives give the dominant control over digital wallets or bank accounts. Such is the case with developer Niki Flux, a coder by day and dominatrix by night. She once drained a client’s bank account, using teamviewer, locking him out of the account as part of the roleplay. “The idea was he was powerless to do anything about it,” Flux said. “It was an amazing session. I was tripping on endorphins for three days after, as was he.” Flux said “real findom” is rare, that most of the hype on Twitter is just for show. In reality, few can afford real findom experiences, since some submissives don’t get their money or data back. The risk is real. “The threat of blackmail and exposure can be a very powerful thing and it’s not something you’d engage in casually with some rando,” Flux said.Thanks to COVID-19, dominatrixes are experimenting with new punishments and tasks. “I can get right into their crypto wallet and send myself as much currency as I want,” Harley said. “I have a lot of subs in places where porn is illegal, places like Kuwait and Qatar and Saudi Arabia. And the easiest way for them to pay is using a cryptocurrency” Bitcoin is proving to be an unparalleled boon for findom kinksters. Kinky bitcoinersAsquith said there were “thousands of dollars worth of bitcoin payments” facilitated through Fancentro so far in 2020, a platform with more than 5,000 active monthly users. Since many platforms are not as open to kink content as Fancentro, sex workers like Flux and Harley are ramping up their experiments with bitcoin. “You so much as mention smothering, choking, pissing...and you’re en route to a stern warning from your [payments] provider,” Flux said. “As censorship and surveillance get ever more invasive, we need to have platforms and tools ready and working before it [deplatforming] kicks in.” As such, Flux offers developer services to other sex workers looking to add bitcoin payment options to their sites. A few of Flux’s clients pay her directly with wallets. However, she said bitcoin’s technical skill requirements are “way higher than most of my clients could operate.” Many such submissives prefer the speed of a website plug-in. “By definition, my audience has a tendency toward one-handed navigation,” she added. “To stop and wait 20 minutes for [bitcoin] confirmations doesn’t fit well with that.”Longtime findom expert Mz.Kim said “bitcoin has the potential to be a useful and much needed tool for findom.” But, like most performers interviewed about this topic, she added the biggest limitation isn’t utility, it’s clients. “The barrier to using bitcoin has not been easy enough to cross for clients. Unless crypto becomes more widely used as a currency, people won't take the time to start an account,” Mz.Kim said.As for Harley, she said cryptocurrency is her favorite type of findom tool to work with because she can transfer money (almost) anonymously and instantly. She added findom is very different than actually ripping someone off because there is consent involved. There is often a type of “buy out” condition, where the submissive can pay an agreed amount to stop the findom relationship. Plus, dominatrixes must clarify limits with their submissives. “We engage in a conversation asking their limits, what’s too far?” Harley said, describing consent in findom. “Sometimes people tell me their limits are bankruptcy, that’s a very reasonable limit. But some people do not have that limit, so swirl that around in your head for a minute.”

They’re back! The Brothers Klippsten reunite after a two month hiatus. They're joined by seasoned writer and journalist, Leigh Cuen. The gang discusses journalism and how technology has changed legacy media models, creativity in the open-source space, objective reporting, culture shock, and Bitcoin’s impact on a global scale.Leigh has been busy! She's covered culture, data journalism, social analysis, Bitcoin, human rights, technology, and multimedia production, and is co-founder of ONA Jerusalem, the first Online News Association group in the Middle East.Her work has been featured in publications such as Newsweek Japan, International Business Times, Racked, CoinDesk, Insider, History Today, Mic, Al Jazeera, YNet, The Jerusalem Post, Mic, and Salon. Leigh’s work has also been published in Spanish, French, Italian, Hebrew and Arabic.Sign up for the safest way to accumulate Bitcoin: https://swanbitcoin.comGet paid to recruit new Bitcoiners: https://swanbitcoin.com/enlistFollow Leigh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/La__CuenSupport Leigh on her Substack at: Learn more about Leigh at: https://leighcuen.substack.com/Summary:Vid10:00 Introduction0:37 Matt and the Hat8:05 Enter: Leigh Cuen8:57 Matt’s Latest Revelations On Bitcoin11:05 Leigh’s Background/Bitcoin Story15:00 Transitioning to Freelance Life17:00 Bitcoin Education Through Journalism19:00 Reaching the Non-Technical19:40 Discovery Through Objective Reporting21:30 Avoiding Bias Through Creative Outlets23:20 Disintermediating PR via Twitter24:45 Bitcoin’s Enablement of Entrepreneurship and Freelancing27:40 Poetry30:30 Creativity & Open-Source34:45 Reporting In the Middle East40:55 US Culture Shock43:20 Bitcoin Push-Back (Legacy System’s Resistance to Bitcoin)47:30 Bitcoin As An Unstoppable Force56:15 Bitcoin Forecasts1:01:15 Final Thoughts: Leigh’s InfluencesFollow Leigh Cuen on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/La__CuenSupport Leigh on Substack at: https://leighcuen.substack.com/Connect with Swan on social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/SwanBitcoinTelegram: https://t.me/swansignalLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/swan...If you like Bitcoin you’ll love Swan Signal Live - every week we pair up great guests for compelling discussions about Bitcoin and economics. To get the show in your feed, subscribe and turn on notifications! Check out all the previous episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...Swan is the best way to accumulate Bitcoin with automatic recurring buys. Sign up now at https://swanbitcoin.com/satoshi and get $10 of free Bitcoin when you start stacking with Swan.

In this episode of Tech Intersect, I chat with Leigh Cuen is a tech reporter covering blockchain technology for publications such as Coindesk, Newsweek Japan, International Business Times and Racked. Her work has also been published by Teen Vogue, Al Jazeera English, The Jerusalem Post, Mic, and Salon.  I invited Leigh on to talk about some of the latest topics and trends she is covering in the blockchain and crypto spaces and we spent a lot of time exploring the boom of thirst traps (aka sexy selfies) and feminist GIFs because they are selling like hotcakes on non-fungible token (NFT) markets, but-of course-not everyone is thrilled about this trend. Leigh was challenged by the topic at first but through her reporting has come to appreciate the self-actualizing creative and final power born out of this unique way of levering NFTs. This is a must-listen episode to be sure!*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: Twitter: La__CuenLinks:Leigh's SubstackContact:Questions and requests: hello@techintersectpodcast.com Follow: Twitter @AtTechIntersect Instagram @TechIntersect Web: http://www.TechIntersectPodcast.com  Mailing 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)

In this audio interview, CoinDesk’s Leigh Cuen and Fodé Diop, founder of the Dakar Bitcoin Developers meetup in Senegal, talk about bitcoin in Africa. This episode is sponsored by Crypto.com, Bitstamp and Nexo.io.From how mobile devices offer the primary point of access and social media groups offer local liquidity, Cuen and Diop explore what cryptocurrency adoption actually looks like in emerging markets like Senegal. Like many bitcoiners, Diop got his start in the crypto industry working for token projects in 2017. From there, he got involved with the Oakland Blockchain Developers Meetup, and eventually took that experience back to Senegal when he moved back to his hometown to be with family during the COVID-19 crisis. “I started with Ethereum because it was easier to have access to...Philosophically, I no longer align with the Ethereum ethos,” Diop said. “The first thing I did when I started here [Dakar] with the meetups was I gave away about $1,000 in bitcoin.”As a dual citizen of the U.S. and Senegal, with an American bank account, Diop can use mainstream bitcoin wallets like Cash App to use bitcoin as a currency anywhere in the world. This came in handy when Diop unexpectedly needed to stay in Senegal throughout 2020. For people with only Senegalese accounts, he recommends the Lightning-friendly Wallet of Satoshi.Now, with the support of organizations like Chaincode Labs, he freelances from Senegal teaches aspiring bitcoiners like Bineta Ngom, who have a high level of technical understanding yet aren’t fluent in English. As such, she struggled to find the right materials to learn about bitcoin. “I’m super happy to find out there was a bitcoin community here in Senegal. I never heard of it spoken of before here. I didn’t have anyone to talk to, exchange (ideas) on the subject. This was a chance for me to meet enthusiasts,” Ngom said. Ngom, who studied computer science and now works at a local university, said she hopes to use bitcoin to buy something someday. In the meantime, Diop is focused on translating information from English into local languages like French and Wolof. Plus, he said most people in Senegal only access the internet through their Android mobile devices. So they need information about how to use mobile apps and understand whether something is a scam. “We also have peer-to-peer trading through WhatsApp and Telegram,” Diop said. Until Diop started the local bitcoin meetup, Ngom said the only other sources she knew for cryptocurrency projects were a few “scams” her friends invested in during the 2017 token boom.“Places that are English-speaking are moving way faster than their French counterparts,” Diop said, comparing English-speaking Ghana and Nigeria to French-speaking countries in West Africa. “I don’t understand how the bitcoin community doesn’t target more (African) universities and do more hackathons.”He added the small yet highly curious community in Senegal now uses bitcoin for speculative trading and remittances. “I have people who are highly, highly technical when it comes to cryptography, per say, but they don’t understand how bitcoin works,” Diop said. “I believe this technology is groundbreaking. It could help a lot of people.”

In this audio interview, CoinDesk’s Leigh Cuen and Venezuelan journalist Javier Bastardo talk about cryptocurrency and the media industry.This episode is sponsored by Crypto.com, Bitstamp and Nexo.io.Caracas-based bitcoiner and journalist Javier Bastardo covers the crypto scene in Latin America since 2017 and has been living partially off bitcoin, thanks to BTCPay server and a variety of employers that pay in crypto, like CoinTelegraph Espanol. “Even when I’m trying to report in an unbiased way, I’m really bullish on crypto,” Bastardo said. “Bitcoin could be useful to other Venezuelans.”Beyond holding it as savings, many Venezuelans use cryptocurrency as the fastest way to obtain dollars. Bastardo said there is more in common between crypto readers across the Americas, both Latin America and North America, than similarities within local geographies. “We’re talking to a very specific audience, even if I’m writing in Spanish and you’re writing in English,” Bastardo said, referring to CoinDesk writers in New York and California. “We are more connected than I would be with a person who writes about politics in Venezuela...The way they [crypto audiences] look for information is very particular to the types of viewers that we have.” When it comes to the media, in Venezuela it is more clear to readers that journalists can be activists and that corporate media is often government propaganda. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least five journalists were murdered for doing their jobs in Venezuela over the past few decades. In this context, censorship isn’t merely about ad policies or social pressure. It comes from the government and is applied directly to the communications infrastructure. Despite the struggle to identify reliable narratives, many readers make financial decisions based on media reports and social media trends. Media production and financial markets have always been intertwined, for better or worse. This is especially true of cryptocurrency markets. “They [crypto readers] are already against journalism, against the information industry. They have more anger about the information,” Bastardo said, describing the challenge of making media for this niche audience. “They need the narrative to keep going about adoption, about mainstream, yea, bitcoin will save us. It’s weird, because we have an active scene but it’s little.”While the outrage associated with crypto coverage may be unique, the dynamic of media-driven markets is hardly new. After all, the financial outlet Bloomberg reportedly gave bonuses to reporters for “market-moving” stories and many American outlets offer bonuses for web traffic, which may incentivize sensationalism. These policy decisions come from the top, as with most business models, and rarely originates from the newsroom itself. From his perspective, Bastardo said it’s unclear whether North American media, including but not limited to crypto journalism, is deliberately biased.“I really don’t know if the things we see on CNN or CNBC are identified with some party,” he said. “We have those narratives that show Trump is a really good narratives and others that show him as a really bad President. This is a problem in the whole media industry.” In particular, he said some crypto content creators might be “aligned” and “trying to push some agendas,” but that it’s unclear what is really going on with the overlap between journalism and cryptocurrency marketing. For example, he said people overhype and sensationalize stories of bitcoin usage in Venezuela, which can be both dehumanizing and misleading. It becomes even harder for readers to decipher because some of the most trusted sources in the crypto industry are individuals without journalistic training or oversight. This creates even more opportunities for freelancers with bold personalities, but a more challenging environment for readers seeking relatively objective information. “We have a similar way to get information in Venezuela, but it’s worse, because we don’t really have open media,” he said. “But the crypto-related media, I don’t know if the writers are biased...I don’t know if this is true. This is only an opinion.”

Chaturbate executive Shirely Lara is a sex industry veteran who sees bitcoin as a crucial part of her business. The bitcoin-friendly porn executive talks with CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen about bitcoin, sex and feminism. This episode is sponsored by Crypto.com, Bitstamp and Nexo.io.Chaturbate COO Shirley Lara, one of the most experienced platform executives in the adult content industry, has been keen on bitcoin’s potential since 2018. “We accept 20 different cryptocurrencies for token purchases. The most popular ones are bitcoin, ethereum and litecoin,” Lara said. Experts, including Lara, estimate there “thousands and thousands” of cam girls working across platforms like OnlyFan and Chaturbate at any given time. That dwarfs the incumbent porn industry. Today, OnlyFans alone is estimated to have 60,000 content creator accounts and millions of registered viewers, despite some criticism from sex workers on Twitter. Many of the leading sex industry corporations, like OnlyFans, Chaturbate and MindGeek, appear to be owned by (relatively secretive) men, who are far removed from the public performers. Lara, who joined Chaturbate in 2011, is one of the rare examples of a woman who worked her way up to the executive level without first creating a personal porn star brand. Her work is primarily technical and operational. “I don’t think crypto is a trend. I think it’s definitely here to stay,” Lara said, noting the steady incline of bitcoin usage among performers in Colombia and Romania. “They’ll use cryptocurrency as a way to jump on [Chaturbate] and get started while they figure out the banking stuff.” Meanwhile, her global operations allow performers like Honey Li, in Europe, to stack sats through Chaturbate. Li said a little bit of her earnings, in addition to whatever she needs to pay bills, is set aside as bitcoin savings. For Lara, having this choice was crucial to the platform’s crypto integrations. “You asked if we hold on to bitcoin? We don’t. We cash out. But our broadcasters do (hodl), and I think that is so smart,” Lara said. With porn production stalled or canceled in hubs like Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the entire sex industry is shifting geographies. More performers are relying on social media to broadcast from home. Bitcoin may now offer a different use case for platform performers versus high-end escorts, for example. The sex industry is hardly a monolith. Tech tools While social porn platforms inspire more mainstream content creators to dabble in adult themes, this further divides in-person service providers and filmmakers. One such provider, Nina Mona, has been using bitcoin in the sex industry for two years. For her, she emphasizes bitcoin privacy tech, which would be irrelevant for users who already submit know-your-customer information to a central platform. She uses bitcoin to accept payments and also to pay advertisers without sharing her credit card information. “I noticed a wave of OnlyFans signups when in-person work became less viable. I considered it, but don’t think the return is worth the workload or risk of exposure for me,” Mona said. “It seems safer to limit myself to a small set of screened clients than to share compromising material with a broader and less invested audience. Every set of eyeballs is an additional threat.”In the United States, Mona said most clients that book sessions with bitcoin resided in the Bay Area, Los Angeles or New York. Now that COVID-19 sparked some domestic migration, it’s unclear how this will impact sex workers who focused on urban hubs. For some, this means more travel and extremely selective bookings. Performers and escorts may both operate their own wallets, even if they use platforms like OnlyFans or Chaturbate, especially to receive gifts and tributes from afar. Plus, Lara said the teledildonics trend, where internet-connected sex toys can be set to vibrate when their accounts receive payments, create new opportunities for clients to incorporate money into their fantasies. “There’s this whole teledildonics spectrum that is growing in popularity,” she said. Li agreed with Lara, especially because there are toys for both genders that can be used in synchronized ways. “I use teledildonic toys for work, basically every shift!” Li said. “They're tip-activated when I work...You can also sync the vibrations up to a spotify account or a voice note sent by your partner.” Slow growthMainstream platforms like Chaturbate and the competitor FanCentro already accept cryptocurrency and have been working with it for years. Usage is niche, yet steady. Many sex workers say a direct transaction and relationship is more profitable than payment facilitated by a platform. Chaturbate, for example, charges nearly half of the performer’s earnings. It provides a valuable service, but clients will need to be willing to pay in bitcoin if the performer aims to graduate to her own independent site. “If we’re headed that way, it’s going to be a long time before we hit that milestone, because of the different governance in each country,” Lara said. One FanCentro user and crypto owner, who goes by the alias WesMan83, said he would be happy to pay a sex worker directly in crypto if she preferred. He finds erotic service-providers that suit him using mainstream platforms like Twitter and OnlyFans, as well as personal recommendations from other clients and providers. “I think it's important for people to understand that sex workers deserve to be paid for what they do and there is nothing wrong with what they do,” WesMan83 said. “They provide an entertainment service and work very hard for what they create. I think it's important that those of us who are proud to pay, help remove the stigma surrounding it.”

Beyond Crypto, OnlyFans Star Savannah Solo Talks About Money Sex workers are starting their own businesses and working online, thanks to social media, according to this adult content creator. In this audio interview, CoinDesk’s Leigh Cuen and OnlyFans performer Savannah Solo talk about fintech and the sex industry. From distribution platforms to Twitter and bitcoin, she helps break down what sex workers really need from digital tools.This episode is sponsored by Bitstamp and Crypto.com.Savannah Solo started her OnlyFans account in January 2020 and within a few months became one of the top earners on the platform in her category. She’s never used bitcoin before because she relies on platforms like OnlyFans and Cash App for regular banking services. She said some performers have been temporarily deplatformed or lost access to their funds, but she’s been lucky so far. She often works a 16-hour day during these first few months of building her business. “The market got super, super saturated during quarantine...they [OnlyFans performers] were having trouble getting any subscribers at all,” Solo said. “In my first month, in January, I only made $80.”There’s a common misconception that sex workers are now making much more money than before the coronavirus crisis. Both Solo and fellow sex worker Honey Li agreed the brief flurry of new customers settled down in the spring and that summer has been a particularly slow season. “Nobody is saying they are making more because of the pandemic,” Li said. “There’s a lot more new models….as for the blue collar guys that tip you, a lot of them have lost their jobs.”Li prefers the camming site Chaturbate, instead of OnlyFans. Chaturbate charges performers nearly half of their earnings to use the site, much higher than the 20% charge from OnlyFans. But Chaturbate offers a feature that Li prefers; customers can pay in cryptocurrency and performers can cash out in bitcoin. The site still acts as a middleman, but at least Li can choose her currency. “My customer base is mostly American, so there are instances where bitcoin is more useful for me, especially when I’m traveling,” said Li, who is based in Europe. Bitcoin tippersLi said some Chaturbate performers, like her, take a fraction of their earnings in bitcoin if they make extra that month. This is regardless of whether the customer paid in bitcoin, since the payment is to the platform anyway. In addition to cashing out from the performance platform in bitcoin, Li also uses personal wallets to accept money directly from fans. Over the past year four clients tipped her in bitcoin. Yet that minority can have a large impact. “Customers that give money directly tend to be regulars, really big fans...5% of my customers make up 90% of my income,” Li said. “There’s not a lot of people that accept bitcoin from clients directly, but I do know some findommes [financial dominatrix] who do. For a birthday gift, for example, I’ll be like cool here’s my wallet.” Solo said she also earns the majority of her income from a few big tippers, although she hasn’t been offered bitcoin yet. She’s still trying to manage some of the technical basics of running her own business.“The platforms do extremely little work to help you out,” Solo said. “There is no [tech] support.”Tech supportThere are a variety of tech-savvy sex workers creating their own bitcoin-friendly platforms and teaching each other how to use various technologies. For example, an escort booking consultant named Jo, who has been helping sex workers garner and screen clients for two years, said a few women paid her in 2019 to help them use bitcoin. The bitcoin advertising campaign lasted for a few months, on a website that only accepts bitcoin. This is generally uncommon. Jo said it was a hassle.“I think a lot of girls in this industry want to protect their identity. However, it [bitcoin] is not the most user-friendly thing,” Jo said about the returns for time spent using bitcoin. “It was pretty dead for a while [bookings]. Business has come back, but it’s slower than usual.”Solo also noticed the imbalance of supply and demand this summer across the sex industry. She said she usually turns to other performers for tech support and doesn’t know of other consulting options for sex workers. Performers like her generally rely on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, OnlyFans and Chaturbate to advertise their brands. Converting casual tippers into direct customers is the hardest part of the business. Until they do, performers like Solo struggle to deal with refund issues like chargebacks.“That’s a huge issue,” Solo said about chargebacks. “People send sex workers money...then the person can call their bank, have it back-charged, and all of the money comes out of the sex worker’s account.”“That’s such a nightmare and it happens all the time,” she added. “People get free service out of that and it’s super gross.”

In this audio interview, CoinDesk’s Leigh Cuen and Chaincode Labs researcher Clara Shikhelman talk about bitcoin and what attracted them to it. This episode is sponsored by Bitstamp and Crypto.com.As a cofounder of the Israeli Women in Mathematics Association, Shikhelman has been researching complex math problems for nearly a decade. But she said bitcoin offers especially interesting puzzles to solve because this technology may have the potential to change the world. She’s one of many young researchers who identify with the cypherpunk movement. “There are a lot of people like me, their main thing is academic,” Shikhelman said. “They are not the classic cypherpunk people, but …[t]hey believe in privacy, in political change.” Until recently, most people associated with the cypherpunk movement were technologists in the 1980s and 1990s who circulated mailing lists about encryption and other privacy tech topics. The term was created by feminist hackitvist Judith Milhon, although it is widely associated with software engineers such as bitcoin veteran Adam Back. Many of the original cypherpunks are still active in the cryptocurrency space today. However, they’ve also inspired a new generation of self-identified cypherpunks with different skills now also exploring the subculture’s proverb that “cypherpunks build things.” In Shikhelman’s case, she’s focused on mathematical research to make bitcoin’s Lightning Network reliable. Like her predecessors, she shares a love of cypherpunk literature, such as novels by science fiction writer Neal Stephenson. These fantasy worlds help her think outside the box and apply math to ideas with cypherpunk potential, meaning the potential to use privacy tech to promote social change. Such solutions-oriented research is a fundamental part of building technology, just as valuable as adding open source code to a Github repo. Lightning-fast cypherpunks “Let’s talk big. Let’s think huge. Let’s talk about thousands of years in the future, changing humanity,” Shikhelman said. In order to build privacy into the bitcoin ecosystem, technologists first must understand the mathematical aspects of the system. Just as safety equipment works best when it fits the person (an oversized helmet can be more dangerous than none at all), software works best when designed with both the details and holistic value flow in mind. “Lightning will need more than just onion routing for good privacy guarantees going forward,” said cypherpunk journalist Janine Roemer, who writes a newsletter about bitcoin privacy tech. “Lightning is one of many adaptations that will expand Bitcoin's ability to carry larger and larger portions of the global economy.”Similar to Shikhelman, Roemer is a researcher who views herself as part of the broader cypherpunk movement. “A lowercase ‘c’ cypherpunk,” she joked, acknowledging she was never involved with the movement’s founding fathers. This social movement is not preoccupied with overthrowing or altering governments, in stark contrast with Bitcoin Twitter’s anarchist undertones. Instead, Roemer said, rather than seizing power the movement is focused on “working to make things un-take-over-able." In short, unseizable assets, self-sovereign data and other types of independence in a digital world. “I prefer the term ‘informational self-determination,’ which is used in the German constitution,” Roemer said. As for bitcoin, Shikhelman described Bitcoin Core as “pretty much stable and running,” meaning her focus has now turned to privacy-centric usability for the Lightning Network. With regards to bitcoin’s reliability so far, Roemer agreed.“I hope bitcoin will become/keep being something that survives under adversity, and gives the people who use it at least enough privacy that they can escape from whatever preys on them. Whether that's the state, banks, corporations, abusive family or partners,” Roemer concluded.

In this audio interview, CoinDesk’s Leigh Cuen and Blockade Games co-founder Marguerite deCourcelle talk about bitcoin’s impact on artistic careers. From collecting unique, interactive pieces to designing video games, Cuen and deCourcelle explore how crypto could redefine modern art.Bitcoin is money but blockchain technology can also be used in a wide variety of art projects. Perhaps the best known variety of blockchain-based visual art is non-fungible tokens (NFTs). For example, Blockade Games co-founder Marguerite deCourcelle said her startup sold $160,000 worth of crypto assets, like NFTs, with most of the profits from two editions of their first game Neon District. “Blockade has minted over 850,000 assets to blockchain game players,” eCourcelle said.She initially broke onto the scene with paintings that included clues to hidden bitcoin prizes, then started creating interactive, digital art coupled with written roleplaying folklore as well. “Instead of the idea of running through the digital treasure hunt and possibly getting bitcoin at the end, the design is now that you start at the beginning, there’s no barriers to you can just start playing,” she said, describing her video games. “Earning tokens in the background and you’re notified once you’ve created something that’s unique.” In short, the artist can now co-create with the audience in a way that scales individual experiences. Although DeCourcelle still paints, she’s become fascinated with the creative and artistic potential of blockchain technology.Since the first wave of so-called decentralized applications (dapps) in 2017, non-fungible tokens (NFTS) have earned gamers more than $20 million through trading and startups roughly $13.6 million for selling the digital assets, according to blockchain analytics firm Flipside Crypto. Most of that traction was in 2017, when the collectibles game CryptoKitties was the season’s hottest trend and briefly surged to more than 14,000 users. Yet Flipside Crypto CEO David Balter said observers should not dismiss blockchains like Celo and the CryptoKitties creators’ upcoming Flow. Other gaming dapps like Gods Unchained and My Crypto Heroes garnered $4.2 million and $1.5 million, respectively, selling digital assets. “There are a number of chains that are working to establish dapps that are participants on the chain. Celo, for example, is doing a good job,” Balter said, listing the above-mentioned gaming projects as well. “We’re talking about customer acquisition costs and lifetime value...these are real businesses.”Flipside Crypto data scientist Angela Minster added most of these games so far see a surge during the first year then struggle to retain users. In 2020, she expects to see improvement in that department. In addition to niche gaming fans, investors’ interest in NFTs hasn’t wavered yet. The “Bitcoin Billionaire '' twins, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss of the Gemini crypto, are also bullish on NFTs. They acquired the NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway in 2019, which opened for business in March 2020 with digital pieces from artists like doodle-master Jon Burgerman and painter Kenny Scharf. A Nifty Gateway spokesperson said the platform has partnered with 16 brands and artists so far, with one Nifty selling for $1,500.“Kenny Scharf sold out his collection around two and a half minutes,” the spokeswoman added. Very earlyBarely anybody uses crypto games these days and even Ethereum fans love to diss them, but some aficionados say a few startups show potential. It’s a long shot, to be sure. Critics may argue these efforts are merely a small group of people trading software trinkets between friends. If so, that is also still true of the broader industry. Balter estimated that by May 2020 roughly 2.13% of bitcoin wallets held 95% of bitcoin in circulation. This is still an industry with thousands of people holding most of the assets, betting broader demand from millions will drive value. “This is actually the lowest concentration of [bitcoin] wealth since March 2016,” Balter said, as a crypto optimist himself. “Developer behavior rating is superb, over the past year the [diversity and contributions] rating has been trending up.” According to a survey of 15,000 crypto fans by the startup Crypto.com, 73% of users believe cryptocurrency needs to be used as a currency to qualify for “mass adoption,” which 92% of respondents said could happen in the next 5 years. To some, this may seem as optimistic as betting on artistic crypto collectibles. Companies like Nifty Gateway are exploring how users might display them IRL, while video game creators like deCourcelle focus on interactive features. “We try to keep a heavy focus on art and [the] story,” she said, speaking to how her characters can involve many interchangeable, tokenized parts. “When you compose them all into this one character, it’s a pretty unique item you’ve created, both in its story and legacy and also in terms of what it can do in the game application itself.” She said she’s excited to explore what it means for a bitcoiner to develop her career as an artist, using software as a medium. If bitcoin is significant, and we accept its slow growing usage after a decade, then perhaps the fact the CryptoKitties trend of 2017 now has less than 100 daily users isn’t enough to dismiss all NFT experiments. Flipside Crypto’s analytics showed the top CryptoKitties user earned $698,887 and the median user earnings hovered around $53. Earning pocket money through relatively short gameplay, compared to Minecraft or Animal Crossing, may be an attractive factor for some avid gamers. Balter said it’s “still very early.” If a niche app needs around 500,000 daily users to be successful, then there’s still a long way to go before anyone can claim crypto games are a significant niche within the gaming sector. “You will see glimmers of better models and outcomes in 2020,” Balter said. “The more that the user is able to monetize, the more the company will succeed.”

In this audio interview, CoinDesk’s Leigh Cuen and adult content creator Allie Awesome talk about payments and money in the sex industry, especially the trends impacted by the coronavirus crisis. From how porn performers and entrepreneurs deal with Bitcoin Twitter to the ways the pandemic changed our digital sex lives, Cuen and Allie explore what actually drives demand for censorship-resistant systems.This episode is sponsored by Bitstamp and Ciphertrace.The biggest problem? Allie and other performers and sex workers basically have their digital advertising and distribution platforms controlled by third parties that aren’t responsible to the workers. For example, OnlyFans briefly froze Allie’s account earlier this year. Although she regained access, her distribution conduits remain at the mercy of tech platforms. This is where peer-to-peer transactions come in. Allie said she knows how to use a cryptocurrency wallet and would gladly do so if more customers wanted to pay her directly. The fact is those customers are few and far between.“To those people who want to come up with a solution, my first question is ‘well, are you paying for porn’?” she said. “I think a lot of people want to make money off of ‘adult’, but they aren’t really willing to invest in ‘adult’”.See also: Why Lightning Payments Aren’t Clicking for Porn Companies (Just Yet)Another major issue according to Allie, is an increase in traffic or visibility doesn’t always translate to profits. Plus, many crypto fans see her industry as something they want to profit from, by building their own tech solutions, rather than contribute to experienced performers. Compared to other bitcoin or ether holders, sex workers are even more likely to rely on social networks like Twitter than exchanges like Coinbase, which deplatforms them just like Paypal. Performers require either a high degree of technical skill, to use decentralized exchange (DEX) platforms like Bisq, or a de facto social liquidity network in order to use cryptocurrency without trusting third parties. Allie shares why she is excited about cryptocurrency, even if it’s a challenge to use it for censorship resistance.

Location: Zoom Date: Friday 5th June Project: Coindesk Role: Journalist The role of a journalist is to question, educate and inform. A truly free press is a fundamental pillar of a free society, and unbiased and objective reporting is crucial in getting a broad understanding of any industry.  News corporations are now arguably more partisan and divided than ever before, highlighted by how Fox News and CNN have become partisan propaganda outlets. Fox News is pro-Trump and will defend him and his policies almost without exception; alternatively, CNN is pro-democrat and will question almost everything Trump and his administration do. Within Bitcoin, there can be a similar lack of objectivity and willingness to challenge the status quo critically. The Bitcoin community are often referred to as its immune system, by being aggressive and vocal about anything that seemingly questions the direction or ethos of the network they protect it from coercion and negative outside influences. While this is mostly a useful stance in an industry that has more than its fair share of scammers and questionable projects, this can make the role of journalism within Bitcoin tricky to navigate. Despite long and firmly held beliefs, Bitcoin evolves, as does the size of the user base and how they use Bitcoin. Journalists must challenge commonly held beliefs, even if these means hard criticism from Bitcoiners. In this interview, I am joined by Leigh Cuen, a journalist and writer at Coindesk. We discuss the importance of journalism, Bitcoin as a peaceful revolution and the strict narratives that are held by Bitcoiners.

“When I say these things, the reactions I have had in the past that are most comparable, are when I was studying extremist groups.”— Leigh CuenLocation: ZoomDate: Friday 5th JuneProject: CoindeskRole: JournalistThe role of a journalist is to question, educate and inform. A truly free press is a fundamental pillar of a free society, and unbiased and objective reporting is crucial in getting a broad understanding of any industry.News corporations are now arguably more partisan and divided than ever before, highlighted by how Fox News and CNN have become partisan propaganda outlets. Fox News is pro-Trump and will defend him and his policies almost without exception; alternatively, CNN is pro-democrat and will question almost everything Trump and his administration do. Within Bitcoin, there can be a similar lack of objectivity and willingness to challenge the status quo critically.The Bitcoin community are often referred to as its immune system, by being aggressive and vocal about anything that seemingly questions the direction or ethos of the network they protect it from coercion and negative outside influences. While this is mostly a useful stance in an industry that has more than its fair share of scammers and questionable projects, this can make the role of journalism within Bitcoin tricky to navigate.Despite long and firmly held beliefs, Bitcoin evolves, as does the size of the user base and how they use Bitcoin. Journalists must challenge commonly held beliefs, even if these means hard criticism from Bitcoiners.In this interview, I am joined by Leigh Cuen, a journalist and writer at Coindesk. We discuss the importance of journalism, Bitcoin as a peaceful revolution and the strict narratives that are held by Bitcoiners.This episode’s sponsors:Kraken - The best place to buy, sell & trade BitcoinBlockFi - The future of Bitcoin financial servicesSportsbet.io - Online sportsbook & casino that accepts Bitcoin-----WBD230 Show Notes: https://www.whatbitcoindid.com/podcast/bitcoin-journalism-with-leigh-cuen-----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 | Deezer | 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.

This episode is sponsored by ErisX, The Stellar Development Foundation and Grayscale Digital Large Cap Investment Fund.In this session, Grammy award winning artist and Akoin Founder, Akon, and co-founder Jon Karas, speak about enabling atomic-swaps between prepaid cell minutes and fiat currencies or cryptocurrencies. Hosted by CoinDesk’s Leigh Cuen and Emerge CEO Lucia Gallardo, the discussion also covers Akoin’s compatibility with $15 flip phones, banking the unbanked, and the reasons for choosing to use the Stellar protocol.

This episode is sponsored by ErisX, The Stellar Development Foundation and Grayscale Digital Large Cap Investment Fund.NBA player Spencer Dinwiddie speaks about mass adoption and tokenization with CoinDesk's Zack Seward and Leigh Cuen.

CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen is joined by attorney Preston Byrne, a partner at the Washington, D.C. office of Anderson Kill, to talk about fraud and constitutional rights. This episode is sponsored by ErisX, The Stellar Development Foundation and Grayscale Digital Large Cap Investment Fund.“There is really very little difference, at least in the point of origin...whether something is a scam,” Byrne said, regarding inaccurate blogs and representations of software projects. “Take Ethereum, for example. Ethereum had all manner of promises that were made...the statements coming from the Ethereum Foundation were somewhat more measured.” Regardless of whether any particular project is an attempt at fraud, it’s likely that online money schemes of every variety will become more common during this coronavirus crisis. According to Thomas Papageorge, head of the Consumer Protection Unit at the San Diego District Attorney’s office, there’s a “clear pattern” of more white-collar crimes since the recession began. “The rate of incidents, the amount of fraud, does increase dramatically during an emergency situation like this,” Papageorge said. “I’ve heard about new types of scams that involve cryptocurrency … investment scams and bogus advice about protecting your savings or bitcoin.”Bitcoin evangelist Andreas Antonopoulos tweeted that fraudsters were impersonating him to offer unemployed people fake jobs, identity thieves looking for personal information. Likewise, CoinDesk impersonators are also targeting people across the sector. According to Carnegie Mellon University economics professor Sevin Yeltekin, the financial stressors people are experiencing today make them “more vulnerable to those scams.” However, there is a silver lining, she said, because businesses that survive the current recession will do so because they reimagined how they operate, including “risk management.”Even tech-savvy people like Lisa Gus, startup investment lead at the Government Blockchain Association and co-founder of the startup WishKnish, can be vulnerable to fraudsters in such stressful times. Gus said she spent several weeks being led on by a scammer impersonating a Binance employee, before her startup’s security solution MetaCert identified a phishing domain behind the fraudster’s email account, support@communitybinance.org. “About LinkedIn, I’m not the only one being inundated with fake [investment] offers...the amount of propositions I’ve been getting (is up),” Gus said. “Especially for larger companies, it’s impossible to track profiles that are associated with them.”With regards to this instance, a LinkedIn spokesperson recommended members “take precautions” in these trying times and “report any messages or postings they believe are scams to us so we can investigate."Larger companies often charge early stage blockchain projects for working together, whether it’s cited as marketing costs or listing fees. In Gus’s case, the fraudster had due diligence paperwork and non-disclosure contracts, which made the scammer’s request for a bitcoin deposit less suspicious. As for retail users, ShapeShift CEO Erik Voorhees has “definitely seen more phishing attempts” since early March. Likewise, a Binance spokesperson said so far in 2020 the company saw an average of 180 scam reports per month, which dwarf the unreported instances. So the exchange offers a public verification tool to check whether websites, phone numbers, emails, Telegram and WeChat handles are actually affiliated with Binance. That’s why the blockchain explorer Etherscan launched the “EthProtect” program in April, to tag wallet addresses reportedly used for fraud. Etherscan CEO Matthew Tan said the company uses internal “circuit breakers” to minimize false positives and aims to provide users with “actionable data” to make “informed choices” about who they transact with. As for the attorney Byrne, he said in some cases cryptocurrency projects may run afoul of consumer protection issues, even if they are not considered unregistered securities or frauds. “There’s a range of representations of things, what you can say about things, that aren’t necessarily true but aren’t fraudulent,” he said. The fact is, cryptocurrency now exists. People will use it unethically, the same way they do with all other forms of money. But there are lawful and constructive ways to use the technology as well. “You can operate a bitcoin business in a regulatory compliant fashion,” Byrne said. “However, it requires a lot of work and advice and design to do that correctly.” Want more? Read my article about how the University of New Hampshire Law School is capitalizing on demand for blockchain expertise in the legal industry.

Proof of Love dives into the differences between dating and relationships in the United States, particularly in New York City, and relationships in places in the world where openness is more common and desirable with reporter and author Leigh Cuen.Tatiana, Lauren, and Leigh share their experiences with these different relationship norms and their fears and  insights regarding how those dating experiences changed how they enter into relationships. Do men in the United States judge women based on appearances more than in other places in the world? Do women compete more in the United States? Are women here more insecure in relationships than women elsewhere in the world? The ladies also explore unhealthy habits in relationships, male communication, and dating in the age of “swiping apps.”  About the Guests: Leigh Cuen is a tech reporter whose work has been published by CoinDesk, Newsweek Japan, Vox (Racked), Teen Vogue, Al Jazeera English, The Jerusalem Post, Salon, and many more. This California girl, who left her heart in Jerusalem, was among the first authors to use bitcoin's Lightning Network to sell poetry, the Poetica Publishing chapbook "Original Sin."   Do you have a burning question, or a show idea for us?  Please email us at tatiana@proofoflovecast.com! If you like this content, please send a tip with BTC to: 1Q2QHoNowg8D2QzWhBQU1YrraG771aCpgS More Info:   TatianaMoroz.com Crypto Media Hub Friends and Sponsors of the Show: Lets Talk BitcoinThe Tatiana Show Remember, this is a new show, so if you like it, please be sure to tell 3 friends!  Leave a good review on Itunes, and be sure to follow us on our socials! *You have been listening to Proof of Love. This show may contain adult content, language, and humor and is intended for mature audiences. If that’s not you, please stop listening.  Nothing you hear on Proof of Love is intended as financial advice, legal advice, therapy or really, anything other than entertainment. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt. Oh, and if you’re hearing us on an affiliate network, the ideas and views expressed on this show, are not necessarily those of the network you are listening on, or of any sponsors or any affiliate products you may hear about on the show.

Senior reporter Leigh Cuen discusses how Bitcoin core protocol development is funded with Adam B. Levine

On today’s episode CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen sits down with Bram Cohen, author of the BitTorrent protocol and CEO of Chia. In this wide ranging interview they talk Bram’s early interest in “hard problems”, his unexpected ascent from sketchy to celebrity and much more.Leigh and Bram discuss:The real promise and strengths of cryptocurrencyReally interesting problems in cryptocurrencyGetting started in crypto 20 years ago with MojoNation and glorious failure.The origin of BitTorrentSpeculative investment, the dot com boom and where real wealth comes fromThe Bitcoin Wizards IRC channel and Bram’s arrival in cryptoHow the Bitcoin Wizards stance on ASIC resistance led to Bram’s creation of ‘Proofs of Time’ and ‘Proofs of Space’Getting rich as a side effect of making the world a better placeScaling, sharding and unsophisticated engineeringWhy ‘Proof of Stake’ is a step backwards from ‘Proof of Work’A system that doesn’t suck: how engineers try and fail to improve the finance industryUnregulated banking crisis, shadow banking and hiring the smartest minds to obfuscate leverageWhy trusted third parties are the problemSatoshi’s wonderful, horrible idea and the obviousness of proof of work.What Satoshi did surprisingly wellWhy improving proof of work wouldn’t really improve bitcoin.Coherent goals: more decentralized and less wastefulBoth Proof of Work and Proof of Stake have a scary degree of centralization Ethereum’s terrifying improvements to the on-chain programming environmentNew functionality within Chia that helps cryptocurrency feel less like “carrying around hundred dollar bills”Limiting opportunities for theft with user controlled rate and recipient limitingThinking about ecosystems and adoptionWhat is your favorite use case for cars? Is it Tires? Open source software, politics and adoptionWhat is the role of advocacy in making something useful?Why bitcoin gets a bad reputation for things it doesn’t have strong associations with.Why “governance” is such a touchy topicWhy Chia is funded by Venture Capital rather than token offeringsHow Bitcoin is different from what’s come after it“Our technological capacity exceeds our political will to negotiate the terms of that capacity”Why Bram hates the “Fake it til’ you make it” ethosEngineering sticker shockThe “everyone uses cryptocurrency for everything” narrative vs. the “How do we get anyone using Cryptocurrency for anything good?” realityBetter metrics for success than “Getting rich”Great leaders and bullshit artistsBitcoin’s trajectory and the meritocratic history of technologyColored coins, distributed identity, timestamps and censorship resistant valueMinimal functionality, subtle cleanups and simplified transaction formats in the Chia programming environmentAnd more...

In this episode, Blockstack's Head of Growth, Patrick Stanley talks with Leigh Cuen from Coindesk about the ongoing impact of coronavirus, navigating the media world of crypto, what Bitcoin's community might teach us about memes, and how seeking truth and being willing to learn in public lead to positive outcomes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen is joined by cognitive economist Leigh Caldwell, author of “The Psychology of Price,” to talk about mental health and cryptocurrency in a time of coronavirus crisis. People who struggle with anxiety, gambling addiction, and a wide array of other other mental health issues may want to develop healthy habits for engaging with financial tools like cryptocurrency.Most American researchers agree these days that roughly 2 percent of the population is estimated to be at high risk for gambling addiction. Case and point, when Texas Tech University assistant professor Devin Mills surveyed 876 people who had gambled within the previous month, more than half of the respondents traded cryptocurrency. “Our data suggests that around 40 percent of regular gamblers who traded cryptocurrencies in the past year reported elevated levels of either depression or anxiety, or both,” Mills said. However, the frequency with which the respondent traded cryptocurrencies was positively associated with most other types of gambling. The data doesn’t suggest bitcoin uniquely causes a gambling addiction, online harassment, or other mental health risks. It may simply be that people who already face these challenges are more likely to trade.“There is a good Russian saying: The pig will find the dirt,” said New York therapist Yevgenia Mastyayeva, who specializes in gambling addiction. “The technology and society shape your addiction, give it a particular form, but it is you who are predisposed or not to develop addiction in the first place.”There are also other mental health risks associated with cryptocurrency communities, namely habits that exacerbate anxiety disorders or expose users to anxiety-inducing harassment. Psychiatrist turned crypto entrepreneur Prash Puspanathan said financial distress can fuel some people’s pre-existing anxiety disorders, which could contribute to suicides. And, regardless of whether someone has an anxiety disorder, routine online harassment is stressful. Puspanathan also described online harassment related to “women sexually shamed... with occasionally devastating consequences.” According to a Pew Research Center survey in 2017, nearly 20 percent of Americans reported that online harassment damaged their relationships at home, work, or school, sometimes making it more difficult to find housing or employment.In short, a healthy bitcoiner should strive to find a balance of habits, minimized exposure to online harassers, and watch out for signs of erratic or addictive behavior. Some people might prefer to keep a separate budget for crypto investments versus household spending, plus use multisig wallets for long-term holdings, Mills said.Mastyayeva agreed bitcoin custody setups and trading platforms that simplify “realization of the impulse” might not be the best choice for those who display signs of addictive behavior. Limiting screen time can be helpful. What else do doctors suggest? Sleep. According to cognitive economist Leigh Caldwell, author of “The Psychology of Price,” it also might be prudent for people to avoid financial choices based mainly on Crypto Twitter.

CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen is joined by Elena Giralt, the Electric Coin Company’s product marketing associate known for her research on cryptocurrency usage in Latin America, to talk about how digital assets can subvert power dynamics. According to the Brookings Institute, roughly 4.6 million Venezuelans have fled the country so far, which the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees called the largest exodus in the region’s recent history. Many such refugees and diaspora Venezuelans use cryptocurrency for remittances or to earn freelance income. But, as Giralt pointed out, the industry at-large has a long way to go to improve ethical marketing in the region. “Adoption has been overstated by companies that have a vested interest,” she said. “If you’re going to promote a certain solution or initiative in a vulnerable population, there’s really a higher bar for disclosures and informed consent.” Consent is, from Giralt’s perspective, the underlying principle of cypherpunk technology. Later, we'll discuss how financial privacy is crucial to women’s rights and free, easy ways for people to empower women in their local communities.Want more? Leigh also has an article about Venezuelans using cryptocurrency.

CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen is joined by Binance US CEO Catherine Coley and Stellar Development Foundation CEO Denelle Dixon to debunk myths about gender for International Women’s Day. There’s a common myth that women are less likely to be interested in bitcoin than men. The reality is people with higher income levels have a greater propensity for cryptocurrency and women still earn significantly less than men. Sexism isn’t only a problem in the so-called third world. A 2010 report by the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed roughly 11 percent of reports from women in abusive relationships came from upper-middle-class or wealthy households. Globally, women still have fewer inheritance rights than men as well. And, according to the World Development Report in 2012, it was common for 5-45 percent of women respondents in any given jurisdiction to say they don’t have control over their own income. Since financial abuse happens across income levels, two of the leading women executives in Silicon Valley share career advice and management tips. Later, we'll discuss how crypto startups can recruit diverse women and recognize untapped talent. Want more? Leigh also has an article about women in the blockchain industry.

Coindesk reporter Leigh Cuen is joined by Isaiah Jackson, author of “Bitcoin and Black America '' and co-founder of KRBE Digital Assets group, to talk about financial discrimination in the United States and the unique value bitcoin can offer minority communities. According to a survey of 5,126 Americans conducted by Coinbase and Qriously, “twice as many Black Americans have been negatively impacted by the current financial system” compared to their white peers. As such, the survey suggested, they are much more likely to be curious about bitcoin. This finding is supported by broader evidence. For example, The National Bureau of Economic Research also found in 2019 that black mortgage borrowers were charged higher interest rates than white borrowers and were denied mortgages that would have been approved for white applicants.Later, we'll discuss the cultural aspects of bitcoin and how someone’s background impacts his unique experience in the bitcoin community.Want more? Leigh also has an article about how black entrepreneurs use cryptocurrency to fundraise.

Join Marty as he sits down with Leigh Cuen, Senior Reporter at CoinDesk, to discuss: - Leigh's journey to covering this beat - Competing narratives in the cryptocurrency world - Bitcoin v. Ethereum - How people are using each - How each project is approaching adoption - The state of media - VC funded media incentives - Independent content creation - much more Follow Leigh on Twitter Check out Leigh's reporting on CoinDesk Shoutout to this week's sponsors. Cash App. Start #stackingsats today. Use the promo code: "stackingsats" to receive $10 and contribute $10 to OWLS Lacrosse you download the app.

CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen is joined by the Human Rights Foundation’s Alex Gladstein and Syrian entrepreneur Moe Ghashim to discuss how cultural context shapes the way people view bitcoin, including stories from the Middle East.Many bitcoiners see cryptocurrency as a cypherpunk tool that enhances personal freedoms, with cypherpunk meaning “using privacy tech to promote social change.” There are diverse users around the world gaining this type of value from bitcoin, but they rarely give interviews or are seen on stage at conferences. Later we’ll explore the risks of governments impacting the bitcoin ecosystem, through regulatory enforcement, censorship and market manipulation. Then we’ll dive into what everyone can do to enhance bitcoin’s usability through education.Want more? Leigh has several articles exploring such use cases, everything from why protesters in Lebanon are turning to bitcoin to the possibility that dictators may also participate in the crypto ecosystem

We're joined by CoinDesk senior reporter Leigh Cuen to discuss developments and implications in the case alleged against Larry Dean Harmon.

Nelson and I discussed the intersection of Intellectual Property Law and Crypto, the potential implication of patent trolls in the Blockchain world, the challenges of decentralized identity as applied to Blockchain voting, and Hester Peirce proposal for a token safe harbor. Follow Nelson on Twitter: @NelsonMRosario Mr. Rosario is an attorney with a diverse set of skills and experience gained from working in private practice for multiple IP boutique law firms in Chicago, for the legal department of a large multi-national consumer electronics corporation, and for a federal magistrate judge. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Rosario worked as an election official for a government agency. Mr. Rosario’s practice has a strong focus on intellectual property, particularly patents and trademarks, and in legal issues related to blockchain and cryptocurrency. Mr. Rosario is the founder and organizer of BLOC (Blockchain Lawyers of Chicago), a blockchain networking group in Chicago. Mr. Rosario has a background in computer science, and he writes and speaks regularly on emerging technology issues relevant to attorneys and entrepreneurs. In addition, Mr. Rosario teaches a class called “Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and Law” at Illinois Tech, Chicago-Kent College of Law covering the legal and technology issues surrounding the blockchain space. Selected publications and speaking engagements “Current USA Regulatory Environment for Blockchain Companies,” Invited Speaker at IE Law School in Madrid, Spain, July 2018 “Can Blockchains Safeguard Elections?” In the Mesh, April 2018 “What’s in a Name? From Bitcoin to Blockchain to Distributed Ledger,” CoinDesk, February 2017 Featured Quotes “What Twitter Meme Wars Say About Crypto’s Reliance on Figureheads“ by Leigh Cuen in Coindesk on December 4, 2019 “The SEC Case Against Kik’s ICO Appears Strong, Experts Say“ by Nikhilesh De in Coindesk on June 5, 2019 “Craig Wright files copyright claim for Bitcoin white paper“ by Ben Munster in Decrypt on May 21, 2019 “Can JPMorgan Chase’s JPM Coin knock off Ripple and Swift?“ by Penny Crosman in American Banker on February 14, 2019 “State of Blockchains: Community Perspectives“ by Peter Ryan in Coindesk on February 4, 2019 “Binance Warns Iranian Traders to Withdraw Crypto Amid Sanctions“ by Leigh Cuen in Coindesk on November 15, 2018 “US Bills Could Spell Disaster for Crypto Sex Industry” by Leigh Cuen in Coindesk on March 15, 2018 “Windy City Blockchain Lawyers Gather in the Loop” by Brad Rosen in Jim Hamilton’s World of Securities on December 12, 2017

In addition our news roundup, for the next few episodes we’ll also be highlighting select interviews from the CoinDesk crew reporting inside the world economic forum in Davos, Switzerland. Today we’ll hear from Former CFTC chair Christopher Giancarlo on his proposed Digital Dollar push. We’ll end the show by taking a walk with a modern cypherpunk and senior reporter Leigh Cuen.Today's Stories:Bitcoin finally breaking out of a range where it’s held over the past week, but it’s bad news for the bullsDuring an 18-hour deposition, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov pushed back against a U.S. Securities and Exchange CommissionIn a separate case tying together two recent scandals, former QuadrigaCX users want information about the recently indicted 'Shadow Bank' Crypto CapitalUS Exchange Gemini completes accounting firm Deloitte's SOC Type 2 evaluation, their highest security rating.In Virginia, a lawmaker is pushing the state government to study how blockchain might be used to secure elections and how it might impact the economy moving forward.In Nevada, a former beauty queen turned bitcoin-friendly entrepreneur is running as a Republican for a U.S. congressional seatAmun, a Swiss digital-asset issuer has launched a new vehicle for traders who want to bet on a drop in bitcoin’s priceIn Tokyo, two men have been accused of stealing 78 million yen (roughly $712,000) from blockchain project VIPSTARGreekReporter.com said Thursday that Greece’s Council of State approved Alexander Vinnik's extradition to France where he will face charges of money laundering.Today's Interviews:Ex-CFTC Chair Christopher Giancarlo on why he launched Digital Dollar ProjectWhy is a Cypherphunk in Davos?

LINKSShow Sponsor(s):AmentumLeigh Cuen TwitterIntro/Outro Music “Down” by XamVolo:SoundCloudDonate!DiscussDisclaimer: This is not investment advice, it is an engaged discussion on new technology; BlockChannel reminds you to always do your own due diligence before investing in any crypto-related project in the industry.

The best Sundays are for long reads and deep conversations. Earlier this week, the Let's Talk Bitcoin! show enlisted CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen and early cypherpunk Zooko Wilcox for a conversation on the history, challenges and long term development path of early, formative technologies. which we often hear modern blockchain movements compared against. From the pre-internet days, through the free/open source movement, linux's successes and challenges on the desktop, the peer-to-peer movement, cypherpunks, linux maximalism, fundamentalism as a concept as well as some brief excursions through some history and politics of the time... Later, we'll discuss how AI and lawyers have more in common than you'd think, and what kind of protections we may need as autonomous agents become ubiquitous. This episode of Let's Talk Bitcoin! is sponsored by Brave.com, eToro.com, and Purse.io Original Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash. This episode featured CoinDesk Reporter Leigh Cuen and Zooko Wilcox. Music for todays episode was provided by Jared Rubens, and general fuzz, with editing by Jonas. Have any questions or comments? Email adam@ltbshow.com - And with luck we’ll be back next week with full host discussions.

Earlier this week, the Let's Talk Bitcoin! show enlisted CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen and early cypherpunk Zooko Wilcox for a conversation on the history, challenges and long term development path of early, formative technologies. which we often hear modern blockchain movements compared against. From the pre-internet days, through the free/open-source movement, Linux successes, and challenges on the desktop, the peer-to-peer movement, cypherpunks, Linux maximalism, fundamentalism as a concept as well as some brief excursions through some history and politics of the time... Later, we'll discuss how AI and lawyers have more in common than you'd think, and what kind of protections we may need as autonomous agents become ubiquitous. This episode of Let's Talk Bitcoin! is sponsored by Brave.com, eToro.com, and Purse.io Original Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash. This episode featured CoinDesk Reporter Leigh Cuen and Zooko Wilcox. Music for today's episode was provided by Jared Rubens, and general fuzz, with editing by Jonas. Have any questions or comments? Email adam@ltbshow.com

On this episode of BlockChannel, McKie and Dr. Petty become journalists, for just this one time, as we interview a journalist from the industry who's quickly made a name for herself, Leigh Cuen. Leigh is a reporter from Coindesk and with a colorful past as a journalist with a broad range of focuses. She walks us through her process on how she seeks to provide objective truth and value into her reporting; as well as sharing valuable insights into how you should frame your perspective with crypto media. Sit down and enjoy this one, you'll definitely appreciate the struggles of objective media by the end of it. Show Link(s): Leigh Cuen: https://twitter.com/la__cuen Intro/Outro Music "Down" by XamVolo: https://soundcloud.com/xamvolo/down Show Sponsor(s): Amentum: http://amentum.org Disclaimer: This is not investment advice, it is an engaged discussion on new technology; BlockChannel reminds you to always do your own due diligence before investing in any crypto-related project in the industry.

Welcome to episode 61 of The Bitcoin Game, I'm Rob Mitchell. In less than two years in the space, Leigh Cuen has become a mainstay in cryptocurrency journalism, as well as a highly elite user of GIFs on Crypto-Twitter. It was interesting to learn more about this prolific writer's background, thoughts about cryptocurrency, and even some basics about the business of journalism. EPISODE LINKS Leigh on Twitter https://twitter.com/la__cuen Leigh's Coindesk Articles https://www.coindesk.com/author/lcuen Poet takes revolution from Facebook to the world, by Leigh Cuen https://www.salon.com/2013/06/30/poet_takes_revolution_from_facebook_to_the_world A 'new poetry' emerges from Syria's civil war, by Leigh Cuenhttps://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/09/20139784442125773.html How Fintech Plays Into The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, by Leigh Cuen https://www.ibtimes.com/how-fintech-plays-israeli-palestinian-conflict-2592984 How Iranian Women Became the Queens of Online Shopping, by Leigh Cuen https://www.racked.com/2017/5/10/15450318/iran-online-shopping-women-tech Trump Lies About the Status of the Economy, by Leigh Cuen https://www.teenvogue.com/story/trump-lies-about-the-status-of-the-economy Pete Rizzo https://twitter.com/pete_rizzo_ Marc Hochstein https://twitter.com/MarcHochstein Zack Seward https://twitter.com/zackseward The Bitcoin Standard, by Saifedean Ammous https://amzn.to/2EGjGV9 There's No Crypto Winter in Argentina..., by Leigh Cuen https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-startups-in-argentina-inflation-bitcoin Bitcoin's Warrior Queen: Lightning's Elizabeth Stark..., by Leigh Cuen https://www.coindesk.com/coindesk-most-influential-blockchain-2018-elizabeth-stark KPI (key performance indicator) https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-most-popular-KPIs-for-the-online-media-industry Mastering Bitcoin, by Andreas M. Antonopoulos https://bitcoinbook.info STAY IN TOUCH Thanks so much for taking the time to listen to The Bitcoin Game! https://Twitter.com/TheBTCGame http://TheBitcoinGame.com Rob@TheBitcoinGame.com SPONSORS The upcoming Bitcoin2019 conference is taking place on June 25 and 26 in San Francisco. There's an amazing line-up of speakers, and it's one of the most affordable Bitcoin conferences around. Go to Bitcoin2019Conference.com now and claim a 25 percent discount with promo code BG25. Bitcoin2019Conference.com While much of a Bitcoiner's time is spent in the world of digital assets, sometimes it's nice to own a physical representation of the virtual things you care about. For just the price of a cup of coffee or two (at Starbucks), you can own the world famous Bitcoin Keychain. As Seen On The Guardian • TechCrunch • Engadget • Ars Technica • Popular Mechanics Inforwars • Maxim • Inc. • Vice • RT • Bitcoin Magazine • VentureBeat PRI • CoinDesk • Washington Post • Forbes • Fast Company Bitcoin Keychains - BKeychain.com CREDITS All music in this episode of The Bitcoin Game was created by Rob Mitchell. The Bitcoin Game box art was created from an illustration by Rock Barcellos. Bitcoin (Segwit) tipping address: 3AYvXZseExRn3Dum8z9tFUk9jtQK6KMU4g Lightning Network tipping: https://tippin.me/@TheBTCGame Note: We've migrated our RSS feed (and primary content host) from Soundcloud to Libsyn. So if you notice the Soundcloud numbers have dropped off, that's the reason.

In Episode 19 of The Bull Pen Podcast, The Crypto Bully steps into the Bull Pen with Leigh Cuen. Leigh is an international journalist that has written for large publication such as Newsweek Japan, Racked and is currently a tech writer covering blockchain for the well-known news site CoinDesk. Leigh gives some great insight into what it’s like being a blockchain/cryptocurrency tech writer in comparison to her previous tech writing experiences, what she looks for when selecting a story to write on as well as some thought-provoking words on just how empowering cryptocurrency can be. Show notes: https://steemit.com/dtube/@bullpenpodcast/5tir3nsq Timestamps 00:00:00 – Preview 00:00:22 – Disclaimer 00:01:09 – Intro 00:01:58 – Interview 00:29:41 – Outro

Another stablecoin?! Yes, believe it or not. This time, it’s a token anchored to the Japanese yen. -AND-Kyber Network is adapting the technology beneath its decentralized exchange to allow merchants to accept payments in any ethereum token. -DON’T MISS-CoinDesk reporter Leigh Cuen joins host Bailey Reutzel to discuss the use of bitcoin by Palestinians, and the remaining hurdles to cryptocurrency adoption in the Palestinian Territories. Recorded September 18, 2018 in New York, NY.Thanks to our sponsors!Said Business School, University of OxfordOxford Fintech ProgrammeOxford Blockchain Strategy ProgrammeLate Confirmation is a CoinDesk production made in collaboration with The Podglomerate.For more information, visit www.CoinDesk.com

A bitcoin mining company called Bitewei is being hailed as a new rival to Bitmain.-AND-Yet another stablecoin has been unveiled, this time from blockchain startup Carbon. -ALSO-The CEO of OKCoin has been released from police custody after speaking with investigators regarding alleged bitcoin futures manipulation.-DON’T MISS-CoinDesk’s Leigh Cuen joins host Stan Higgins to discuss the launch of new crypto wallet Jaxx.Recorded September 12, 2018 in New York, NY.Thanks to our sponsors!Said Business School, University of OxfordOxford Fintech ProgrammeOxford Blockchain Strategy ProgrammeLate Confirmation is a CoinDesk production made in collaboration with The Podglomerate.For more information, visit www.CoinDesk.com

A Russian team with big aspirations plans to build a cargo drone fleet connected via blockchain.-AND-Long-term thinking? In a rare move, ICO founders will delay crypto paydays for a decade. -DON’T MISS-CoinDesk’s Leigh Cuen joins host Nikhilesh De to discuss the Turkish fiat crisis and a recent spike in trading volume on Turkish cryptocurrency exchanges.Recorded August 13, 2018 in New York, NY.Thanks to our sponsors!Said Business School, University of OxfordOxford Fintech ProgrammeOxford Blockchain Strategy ProgrammeLate Confirmation is a CoinDesk production made in collaboration with The Podglomerate.For more information, visit www.CoinDesk.com

This is a recording of a panel discussion I participated in with a couple other reporters and crypto PR people at Consensus. (It was at the same time as Jack's talk, so it's totally understandable if you missed it. Also, the room was freezing. I was shivering the entire time.) The other panelists were Leigh Cuen of CoinDesk, Avi Salzman of Barron's (and my old classmate from grad school!), Jill Richmond of Spark PR, Trey Ditto of Ditto PR, and the discussion was moderated by Frank Chaparro of Business Insider. We discussed whether or not crypto projects and publications should engage in pay to play (I would have hoped the answer to this would obvious to everyone, but alas), coverage that could cause investors to lose money, whether or not the business model of the media industry drives clickbait headlines and why journalists have a responsibility to include more of the nuances in crypto. We also dish up some practical tips and insider info, like how crypto projects can get media coverage, what factors reporters use in deciding whether or not to write about a project they're pitched, and whether or not crypto teams should hire crypto-specific PR firms. Apologies that there was no mic for the questions from the audience. I've left the questions in, as you can sometimes hear them faintly. I tried my best to have someone or myself recap each question. For the question about our favorite stories, these were the articles we named My favorite of mine: my phone hijacking story: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/#464b730d38ba Leigh liked a series I did exposing fake advisors: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/11/01/alex-tapscotts-crypto-vc-firm-going-public-with-100m-cad-falsely-touted-4-blockchain-stars-as-advisors/#483d3ff31b1f https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/11/03/cibc-walks-from-tapscotts-nextblock-global-after-falsehoods-revealed-more-misrepresentations-found/#724de0e13cbf https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/11/05/alex-tapscotts-crypto-vc-firm-aborts-public-listing-will-return-money-after-falsehoods-revealed/#1d4de0a62e27 Leigh's favorite stories: Cryptocurrency in Iran: http://www.ibtimes.com/bitcoin-adoption-rate-iran-surges-despite-censorship-protests-2636607 http://www.ibtimes.com/initial-coin-offerings-are-coming-iran-2653474 Cryptocurrency for sex workers: http://www.ibtimes.com/beyond-bitcoin-blockchain-tokens-sex-industry-2601252 Avi's favorite story: https://www.barrons.com/articles/bitcoin-storms-wall-street-1512188427 Thank you to our sponsors! Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com Token Agency: https://tokenagency.com

This is a recording of a panel discussion I participated in with a couple other reporters and crypto PR people at Consensus. (It was at the same time as Jack's talk, so it's totally understandable if you missed it. Also, the room was freezing. I was shivering the entire time.) The other panelists were Leigh Cuen of CoinDesk, Avi Salzman of Barron's (and my old classmate from grad school!), Jill Richmond of Spark PR, Trey Ditto of Ditto PR, and the discussion was moderated by Frank Chaparro of Business Insider. We discussed whether or not crypto projects and publications should engage in pay to play (I would have hoped the answer to this would obvious to everyone, but alas), coverage that could cause investors to lose money, whether or not the business model of the media industry drives clickbait headlines and why journalists have a responsibility to include more of the nuances in crypto. We also dish up some practical tips and insider info, like how crypto projects can get media coverage, what factors reporters use in deciding whether or not to write about a project they're pitched, and whether or not crypto teams should hire crypto-specific PR firms. Apologies that there was no mic for the questions from the audience. I've left the questions in, as you can sometimes hear them faintly. I tried my best to have someone or myself recap each question. For the question about our favorite stories, these were the articles we named My favorite of mine: my phone hijacking story: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/#464b730d38ba Leigh liked a series I did exposing fake advisors: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/11/01/alex-tapscotts-crypto-vc-firm-going-public-with-100m-cad-falsely-touted-4-blockchain-stars-as-advisors/#483d3ff31b1f https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/11/03/cibc-walks-from-tapscotts-nextblock-global-after-falsehoods-revealed-more-misrepresentations-found/#724de0e13cbf https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/11/05/alex-tapscotts-crypto-vc-firm-aborts-public-listing-will-return-money-after-falsehoods-revealed/#1d4de0a62e27 Leigh's favorite stories: Cryptocurrency in Iran: http://www.ibtimes.com/bitcoin-adoption-rate-iran-surges-despite-censorship-protests-2636607 http://www.ibtimes.com/initial-coin-offerings-are-coming-iran-2653474 Cryptocurrency for sex workers: http://www.ibtimes.com/beyond-bitcoin-blockchain-tokens-sex-industry-2601252 Avi's favorite story: https://www.barrons.com/articles/bitcoin-storms-wall-street-1512188427 Thank you to our sponsors! Keepkey: https://www.keepkey.com Token Agency: https://tokenagency.com

Leigh Cuen is a journalist at Coindesk and joins us today to talk about the intersection of cryptocurrency and the sex industry. Both of these spaces have many misconceptions from people outside of the industries, and Leigh is here to help quash them.   One of the most important things Leigh points out is that if the service is lawful, using crypto to pay is lawful. Pornography, exotic dancing, escorting, and other adult services are perfectly legal and regulated in many areas, therefore they should not carry a negative connotation, and nor should cryptocurrency simply for being a method of payment. In fact, cryptocurrency can help the end workers in these industries become more financially independent. Despite being legal, one issue that adult services sometimes face is discrimination from banks and payment processors simply because of a stigma or moral grounds. Leigh explains the challenges faced by those in the sex industry, and how blockchain and cryptocurrencies can help - all while remaining completely legal and compliant with regulations.    Topics covered: - Misconceptions surrounding the sex industry and cryptocurrencies. - The need to reduce stigmas surrounding the sex industry. - It is lawful to pay with crypto for any lawful service. - Challenges faced by those in the adult and sex industry. - How blockchain and cryptocurrencies can help sex industry workers with decentralized payments and platforms.    Links: https://www.coindesk.com/author/lcuen/ https://twitter.com/La__Cuen https://www.linkedin.com/in/leighcuen/ The Truth Machine: The Blockchain and the Future of Everything https://swop.org.au/