In technology and much else, there’s an important connection between the research and developments of the past and the actual happenings of the present. Exploring that connection is essential to the process of learning. History is a great teacher, especially because, since things don’t happen in a vacuum, it’s usually wise to consider the present in relation to the past.

There’s a second, equally important connection, something of an instructive question mark between what’s actual today and what’s possible tomorrow, that can help to accelerate the learning process. …

Think of yourself as software. Your family, friends, and feelings have been your developers. You’ve already shipped, and for as long as you live, you never stop receiving upgrades. Life is the operating system you run on, and, on occasion, it too gets upgraded: as your experiences change, you adjust to work within the life you‘ve got. The world is your hardware: where you live, work, play, and eat are parts of the physical system on which you run.

The thing about software is that it’s specialized. It does certain things, it performs certain functions, it takes data in and…

A year ago, I took a big risk: I started pouring my heart, soul, and time into learning about a technology I didn’t understand. After 1,000 hours of on-the-job learning, first-hand industry experience, and 52 weekends of self-study, I’m still as excited about that technology as I first was. But I live in the time before blockchains are everywhere, which is to say I’m early. After spending eight months working for an awesome blockchain startup leading global partnership development efforts, I’m looking for my next opportunity. …

A blockchain is a distributed database that can decentralize the storage and transfer of valuable information. How it achieves that, what you can store within it, and what you can build on top of such a database is out of scope for this article. What I want to talk about here is relationships, the connective tissue of society, business, and commerce. Technology companies like Salesforce, Microsoft, Amazon, and others make money because they have strong relationships with their partners and customers, and those relationships create ongoing business opportunity, lead to top-line revenue, and bolster bottom-line growth.

Consider Apple. Apple has…

I’m an open source learner: I like to share the knowledge I’m acquiring. A lot of people want to know how to find a job in blockchain, and I have a few tips to share. I’ll start by asserting that blockchain is in its early days but that the juggernaut technology unleashed upon the world by the invention of Bitcoin in 2009 is starting to make its general-purpose potential felt and known. Those who are curious about how and whether they can pivot into the industry while it’s still this young should take heart: there’s a lot of opportunity ahead…

Now that I’ve had three months to digest blockchain technology, I’m writing an update to “If You Want to Understand Blockchain Technology, Start Here”. The shock has worn off. The feeling of excitement hasn’t, but the awe has given way to a sober realization. This new and world-changing technology is real and it works. Now my focus is on becoming “T-shaped”:

1. Learn widely about its potential to impact many parts of our lives, and
2. Go deep in learning the technical details of what makes it work

So yesterday night, I went to a blockchain Meetup an hour away from where…

Yesterday, my Medium friend Robert Simoes sent me a note on my first post saying that Bitcoin isn’t a computer, but rather a currency. It was in response to the following sentence in my article:

Bitcoin is a computer that exists for a single purpose: to generate bitcoins, a secure and anonymous currency to pay for things.

I decided to respond in long-form and turn it into a learning opportunity for myself. You can read the full original post here:

What is a Computer?

Whether or not Bitcoin is a computer may be a philosophical point, or a technical one. …

Tonight I wrote on my LinkedIn that my journey with blockchain started on the morning of August 22, 2017 after reading an article about IBM and Walmart partnering up to use something called “blockchain” for food safety tracking. I was like “WTF is blockchain?” I Googled it and then, immediately after, sent an email to eight teammates requesting to discuss. It gripped me that completely. In fact, less than three weeks later, I wrote my most popular article on LinkedIn: