Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

Tagcryptocurrencies

european-telecommunication-network-connected-over-europe-france-germany-uk-italy-concept-about-internet-and-global-communication-technology-for-finance-blockchain-or-iot-elements-from-nasa-stockpack-adobe-stock
European telecommunication network connected over Europe, France, Germany, UK, Italy, concept about internet and global communication technology for finance, blockchain or IoT, elements from NASA
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 10, 2023
Categorized
Cryptocurrency
Tagged
, , , , , , , , ,

Can Crypto Reverse the Tech Decline?

Listen to a 2019 COSM panel on crypto and the blockchain
News
July 10, 2023
1
Cryptocurrency

For today’s featured COSM video, enjoy this panel from the 2019 conference on cryptocurrencies, the blockchain, and its potential for the tech world. The panel explores the future of cryptocurrency/blockchain technologies, and considers the implications for global money, global security, and internet architecture. We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and artificial intelligence. Notable speakers include 2022 Kyoto Prize winner Carver Mead, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and George Gilder, co-founder of Discovery Institute and author of Life After Capitalism: The Meaning of Wealth, the Future of the Economy, and Read More ›

nft-gallery-hologram-cryptoart-and-metaverse-stockpack-adobe-stock
NFT gallery hologram, cryptoart and metaverse
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 5, 2023
Categorized
Cryptocurrency
Tagged
, , , , , ,

NFTS: The Reinvention of Property?

What makes NFTs valuable? And what does it mean to own them?
News
July 5, 2023
1
Cryptocurrency

Today we feature a video from the 2021 COSM Conference on blockchain, crypto, and non-fungible tokens featuring Jules Urbach and William Dembski. In the case of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum blockchain, actual ownership with legal standing is never in fact transferred for the underlying digital file. What makes NFTs valuable? And what does it mean to own them? We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and artificial intelligence. Notable speakers include 2022 Kyoto Prize winner Carver Mead, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and George Gilder, co-founder of Read More ›

green-plant-in-clear-glass-vase-stockpack-unsplash
green plant in clear glass vase
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
September 1, 2022
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , ,

What Is Decentralized Finance?

Robert J. Marks
September 1, 2022
1

When you pay Uber for a ride, or anybody else, you use a bank or a third party like PayPal. What if you could pay the Uber driver directly? Decentralized finance uses blockchain to establish trust and security without government regulations. Is decentralized finance the way of the future? Adam Goad, Dr. Austin Egbert, and Dr. Robert J. Marks discuss Read More ›

oil-drop-on-water-with-illuminated-background-stockpack-unsplash
Oil drop on water with illuminated background
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
August 18, 2022
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The NFT Anti-Bubble

Robert J. Marks
August 18, 2022
1

When new technology is introduced, there is often a buildup of incredible hype. But eventually, people are going to recognize the limitations of the new technology and it can become irrelevant. Where are NFTs on this “hype curve” and will they continue to exist? Adam Goad, Dr. Austin Egbert, and Dr. Robert J. Marks discuss non-fungible tokens, the economy, and Read More ›

automotive-engineer-use-virtual-reality-headset-for-virtual-electric-car-3d-model-design-analysis-and-improvement-3d-graphics-visualization-shows-fully-developed-vehicle-prototype-analysed-optimized-stockpack-adobe-stock
Automotive Engineer Use Virtual Reality Headset for Virtual Electric Car 3D Model Design Analysis and Improvement. 3D Graphics Visualization Shows Fully Developed Vehicle Prototype Analysed Optimized
Type
post
Author
News
Date
August 4, 2022
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Censorship, Data Privacy, Surveillance, Technocracy, Virtual Reality
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Don’t Some Tech Moguls Like Web3, the New Internet?

Web3 is a decentralized, less controlled version of the internet, as George Gilder predicted in Life After Google
News
August 4, 2022
10
Artificial Intelligence, Censorship, Data Privacy, Surveillance, Technocracy, Virtual Reality

In this week’s podcast, “Web3: The next generation of the internet” (August 4, 2022), Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks interviews graduate student Adam Goad and Dr. Austin Egbert, both in computer engineering at Baylor University, on the coming decentralization of the internet. With developments like the ones they discuss looming, Big Tech may be seeing a waistline trim. This is the Part I of the first of the three discussions. https://mindmatters.ai/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/08/Mind-Matters-198-Adam-Goad-Austin-Egbert.mp3 A partial transcript and Additional Resources follow. Dr. Marks began by discussing all the services he gets from Google, confessing that he has not needed to go to a library in over two decades. But… Robert J. Marks: Now, is Google just being nice in giving me Read More ›

birds-eye-view-photography-of-cloudy-sky-stockpack-unsplash
birds eye view photography of cloudy sky
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
August 4, 2022
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Web3: The Next Generation of the Internet

Robert J. Marks
August 4, 2022
1

Futurist George Gilder forecasts that decentralization of the web is going to be the future of the internet. Data will become more personalized and stored on your local computer instead of in the cloud and companies like Google will have to figure out some way to adjust. Adam Goad and Dr. Austin Egbert discuss blockchain, Web3, decentralization, and the metaverse Read More ›

mature-crypto-trader-investor-analyst-broker-using-pc-computer-analyzing-digital-cryptocurrency-exchange-stock-market-trading-graphs-report-thinking-of-investing-funds-risks-doing-global-analysis-stockpack-adobe-stock
Mature crypto trader investor analyst broker using pc computer analyzing digital cryptocurrency exchange stock market trading graphs report thinking of investing funds risks doing global analysis.
Type
post
Author
News
Date
January 18, 2022
Categorized
Economics
Tagged
, , , , , ,

If You Want To Stick a Toe in Bitcoin’s World … Read This First

This short guide offers a quick introduction to the two biggies, Bitcoin and Ethereum
News
January 18, 2022
22
Economics

At Expensivity, Bernard Fickser, who has explained how to sell non-fungible tokens (NFTs) now offers “The Truth About Cryptocurrencies: A Clearheaded Guide to the Crypto World.” (January 15, 2022) For your convenience, we are serializing his work, which can be read in whole here. Here’s Part 2: 1 Quick Entry into Crypto Investing This first section is for those who want to begin investing in crypto right away. But it is also for those who simply want to understand cryptocurrencies without investing in them. Later sections will present the underlying theory and history of crypto, as well as reasons to take crypto seriously but also to be cautious. Yet it helps to see how cryptocurrencies actually behave in practice, and Read More ›

bull-figurine-standing-on-bitcoins-concept-of-cryptocurrencies-stockpack-adobe-stock
Bull figurine standing on bitcoins, concept of cryptocurrencies
Type
post
Author
News
Date
January 4, 2022
Categorized
Economics
Tagged
,

What’s the future for cryptocurrencies?

Currencies that do not depend on government have survived and are forging ahead
News
January 4, 2022
4
Economics

One of the most interesting developments in economics in past decades has been the effort to develop currencies (money) that does not depend on government. From time immemorial, governments have issued currency. It was a key part of their power. Cryptocurrencies are based on the assumption that trust alone will work. Here are some of the things that are happening for cryptos in 2022: Sandra Ro, CEO of of Global Blockchain Business Council told Coin Telegraph: “ In 2022, it will be ‘corporate career risk’ to not have a baseline understanding of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. From bankers to corporate executives to politicians, it is imperative that they get on board and seriously consider the implications of blockchain. Further, 2022 Read More ›

bull-figurine-standing-on-bitcoins-concept-of-cryptocurrencies-stockpack-adobe-stock
Bull figurine standing on bitcoins, concept of cryptocurrencies
Type
post
Author
News
Date
August 31, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Economics
Tagged
, , ,

Seven in 10 Institutional Investors Expect To Buy Cryptos

Mainstreaming continues, despite the detractors, with major investment players signing on
News
August 31, 2021
2
Business and Finance, Economics

Cryptocurrencies are now estimated to be worth roughly $2 trillion and — despite pressure from regulators — demand from investors continues: In July 2021, FTX—the Antigua-based cryptocurrency derivatives exchange which offers futures, leverage tokens and OTC trading—raised $900 million from over 60 investors. This included venture capital firms Paradigm and Sequoia, hedge funds and the private equity group Thoma Bravo. It was the largest private equity deal in the crypto industry’s history, valuing the business at $18 billion—one of the largest rounds of financing for a digital assets startup. In May 2021, Block.one —the Peter Thiel, Alan Howard and Louis Bacon backed blockchain software firm—pumped $9.7 billion into a new cryptocurrency exchange subsidiary called Bullish Global. Even excluding Block.one’s capital Read More ›

business-woman-using-tablet-with-cryptocurrency-bitcoin-link-network-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock
Business woman using tablet with cryptocurrency bitcoin link network concept
Type
post
Author
News
Date
August 24, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Economics
Tagged
, , , , , ,

Will Going Mainstream Spoil the Fun for Crypto?

Crypto exchange FTX.US is, for a tidy sum, naming a Berkeley sports field, with philanthropy thrown in
News
August 24, 2021
5
Business and Finance, Economics

At least one cryptocurrency exchange seem to be settling into the accustomed round of corporate donorship that creates name recognition with the public. FTX.US, affiliated with global crypto exchange FTX, has given Cal Athletics (University of California, Berkeley) $17.3 million for the right to call the field at field at California Memorial Stadium “FTX Field” for ten years. FTX has been creating recognition with other strategic donations as well: FTX has been on a sports and e-sports sponsorship spending spree this year. In March, the exchange secured the naming rights to the home arena of NBA team Miami Heat for a reported $135 million, while in June, the exchange paid $210 million to acquire the naming rights for e-sports organization Read More ›

Sad african american guy holding golden bitcoin
Type
post
Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
June 29, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Economics
Tagged
, , , , , , , , ,

June Crypto Mayhem: A Tough Month for Cryptocurrencies

What has caused the dramatic drops in Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Etherium, and NFT values?
Jonathan Bartlett
June 29, 2021
5
Business and Finance, Economics

The month of June has been tough on the world of cryptocurrencies, with the past week being especially harsh. It is difficult to pin down a single, specific cause behind the pullback, as a variety of new and nagging concerns about the viability of cryptocurrencies continue to mount. As for the price action, Bitcoin dropped like a rock down below $30k this past week, less than half of what its high in the last year has been. The meme cryptocurrency Dogecoin lost over 60% of its value, down to $0.24 from a high of $0.72 earlier this year. Etherium has been cut in half, as have many other cryptocurrencies. The NFT market, whose enthusiasm has ridden on the back of Read More ›

crypto-currency-digital-market-monitor-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Crypto Currency Digital Market Monitor
Type
post
Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
April 27, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Economics
Tagged
, , , , , , ,

Will Popularity Spell Doom for Bitcoin?

How is that possible? Well, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have a hidden weakness…
Jonathan Bartlett
April 27, 2021
3
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Economics

Cryptocurrencies, from Ethereum to Bitcoin to Dogecoin, seem to be all the rage these days. Altcoins (i.e., lesser-known cryptocurrencies) have become increasingly mainstream. The increasing fracturing and pluralism in the cryptocurrency space has meant that few people are directly trading with any particular currency. Most users go through trading and wallet platforms where the platform —not their own computers—hosts the cryptocurrency. Additionally, transactions are increasingly processed via third parties as well, not directly on the cryptocurrency platform. This separation between the user and the direct cryptocurrency platform has enabled a new option: a payment gateway for a website that collects payments in a number of different cryptocurrencies using a single set of tools. PayPal, one of the top gateways, recently Read More ›

Businessman hand holding tablet and Yuan currency sign on digital map backgroung.Chinese Yuan digital currency and circuit background.Technology digital Financial and china cryptocurrency concept.
Businessman hand holding tablet and Yuan currency sign on digital map backgroung.Chinese Yuan digital currency and circuit background.Technology digital Financial and china cryptocurrency concept.
Type
post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
April 20, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Data Privacy, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why China Is Making a Bold Gamble With Digital Currency

“Controllable anonymity” means that all transactions between individuals are visible to the People’s Bank and trackable by the Chinese government
Heather Zeiger
April 20, 2021
8
Business and Finance, Data Privacy, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy

Last week, China announced the national rollout of the electronic yuan, a plan in the works since 2014. The e-CNY* or Digital Currency Electronics Payment (DCEP) was piloted last year in four major Chinese cities: The digital yuan resides in cyberspace, available on the owner’s mobile phone — or on a card for the less tech-savvy — and spending it doesn’t strictly require an online connection. It appears on a screen with a silhouette of Mao Zedong, looking just like the paper money. In tests in recent months, more than 100,000 people in China have downloaded a mobile-phone app from the central bank enabling them to spend small government handouts of digital cash with merchants, including Chinese outlets of Starbucks Read More ›

denim-jean-production-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
denim jean production
Type
post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
March 11, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Economics, Ethics, Global Technology
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In China, Forced Uyghur Labor Produces Many Fashionable Products

Industries such as fashion and solar panels rely heavily on supplies from detention centers and concentration camps in China
Heather Zeiger
March 11, 2021
8
Business and Finance, Economics, Ethics, Global Technology

China has been called the “world’s factory.” American companies like Apple, may assemble their tech in the U.S., but the parts are made elsewhere, including Xinjiang, China (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region). Industries such as fashion and solar panels also rely heavily on Xinjiang for their supply lines. Reports from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the U.S., as well as testimonials from Uyghurs, show that many such factories in Xinjiang involve the forced labor of Uyghurs in what are called “vocational training schools.” These vocational training schools are more appropriately described as detention centers. In many cases, they are essentially concentration camps. Many Uyghurs are also sent from Xinjiang to other Read More ›

fast-food-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
fast food
Type
post
Author
News
Date
March 9, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Data Privacy, Surveillance
Tagged
, , , , , ,

What If Government Knows You Ate a Big Mac — and Doesn’t Approve?

One spur to the development of cryptocurrencies is a desire for privacy. And a growing number of citizens of societies dominated by Big Tech feel the need for privacy
News
March 9, 2021
6
Business and Finance, Data Privacy, Surveillance

That title question is not a crazy notion. It’s already happening in mostly cashless China. The Constitution and the law may not be the barrier that many suppose in America if your personal choices make it possible. We need to talk about the unpublicized implications of a cashless society. Bernard Fickser, whose work we profiled yesterday, thinks that surveillance creep is one of the factors driving the growing interest in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Yesterday we talked about the increasing popularity of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) — government should just print money to satisfy social demands and then raise taxes to pay for the choices made. A triumph of MMT would intensify the competition between government-issued currencies and cryptocurrencies Read More ›

concept-idea-of-fed-federal-reserve-system-is-the-central-banking-system-of-the-united-states-of-america-and-change-interest-rates-percentage-icon-and-arrow-symbol-on-wooden-cube-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Concept idea of FED, federal reserve system is the central banking system of the united states of america and change interest rates. Percentage icon and arrow symbol on wooden cube
Type
post
Author
News
Date
March 8, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Economics
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Central Banks vs. Cryptocurrencies: Why the Growing Tension?

Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), which is gaining ground, holds that government should just print as much money as it feels it needs and then raise taxes to cover shortfalls
News
March 8, 2021
5
Business and Finance, Economics

On the way to explaining how a cryptocurrency system might work, financial analyst Bernard Fickser asks readers to think about the crucial difference between money, as held by a private bank — we’ll call it Merchant Navy Bank — and a central bank operated by a government, say the U.S. Federal Reserve System (the Fed). In his short online book, The Creation of Money, Fickser distinguishes between private banks and central government banks. Private banks start with money that already exists. The money that Merchant Navy Bank lends for mortgages, for example, is contributed by depositors who agree to tie up their money for several years in savings certificates. In return, they get a higher than average rate of interest. Read More ›

ethereum-crypto-currency-was-found-in-the-treasure-box-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
ethereum Crypto currency was found in the treasure box
Type
post
Author
News
Date
February 24, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance
Tagged
, , , ,

Ethereum Is a Better Long Run Bet Than Bitcoin, Researchers Say

Cryptocurrencies in general are starting to be seen as part of a balanced portfolio
News
February 24, 2021
3
Business and Finance

In an article featuring recent science research into the cryptocurrency market, Ross Pomeroy offers some researchers’ perspective on why Ethereum tends to be more stable than Bitcoin: Ethereum might be a better long-term investment than Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency Ethereum ranks second to Bitcoin in terms of popularity, yet two studies have shown that tends to be more stable and a better “safe-haven” investment during difficult economic times. As a team of researchers from Singapore wrote in the journal PLoS ONE, “Although both Bitcoin and Ethereum are digital tokens that serve as decentralised currency based on blockchain technology, there are crucial differences between them. While Bitcoin has positioned itself as an alternative monetary system in the financial market, Ethereum has mostly Read More ›

crypto-currency-background-with-various-of-shiny-silver-and-golden-physical-cryptocurrencies-symbol-coins-bitcoin-ethereum-litecoin-zcash-ripple-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Crypto currency background with various of shiny silver and golden physical cryptocurrencies symbol coins, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, zcash, ripple
Type
post
Author
News
Date
January 27, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Economics
Tagged
, ,

What If Many People Ditched Government Currencies for Bitcoin?

Are cryptocurrencies our best bet for a fair global currency system?
News
January 27, 2021
2
Business and Finance, Economics

Picture a world racked by economic issues like coronavirus, where people begin ditching government (fiat) currencies for Bitcoin. Small changes are are underway: The chief economist did not mention that a growing number of jurisdictions are already embracing bitcoin for tax payments. For example, the canton of Zug in Switzerland announced that it will start accepting bitcoin for tax payments this year. Several other local governments in Switzerland have made a similar announcement, such as Zermatt. Recently, the mayor of Miami said that he is working on allowing payments for city services in bitcoin. Furthermore, a growing number of stores are accepting bitcoin payments. Payments giant Paypal, for example, is planning to allow people to use cryptocurrency to pay for Read More ›

colorful-quantum-world-fractal-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Colorful quantum world fractal
Type
post
Author
News
Date
December 2, 2020
Categorized
Science
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Spooky Action at a Distance” Makes Sense—in the Quantum World

Einstein never liked quantum mechanics but each transistor in your cell phone is a quantum device
News
December 2, 2020
8
Science

In last week’s podcast, “Enrique Blair on quantum computing,” Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks talks with fellow computer engineer Enrique Blair about why quantum mechanics is so strange. The discussion turned to why Albert Einstein, a brilliant but orderly mathematical thinker, did not really like quantum mechanics at all and what we should learn from that: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-110-Enrique-Blair.mp3 The discussion of Einstein and “spooky action at a distance” (his way of describing quantum particles’ behavior) starts at approximately 27:45. The Show Notes and transcript follow. Excerpts from the transcript: Robert J. Marks: Albert Einstein didn’t like quantum mechanics or certain aspects of quantum mechanics. Dd he die thinking that quantum mechanics was a fluke? Enrique Blair (pictured): That’s an Read More ›

bitcoin-wallet-currency-stockpack-unsplash.jpg
bitcoin wallet and currency
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
November 12, 2020
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

George Gilder on Blockchain and Carbon Computing

Robert J. Marks
November 12, 2020
1

George Gilder and Robert J. Marks discuss blockchain, Bitcoin, quantum and carbon computing, and George Gilder’s new book Gaming AI: Why AI Can’t Think but Can Transform Jobs (which you can get for free here). Show Notes Additional Resources