Bitcoin’s Rapid Rise

There’s an argument to be made that blockchain is the fastest-growing technology in mankind’s history. Think about it: artificial intelligence seems like it’s developing way too fast. But the technology really dates back to the 50s, and Siri isn’t as smart as it seems. VR began in the 60s or 70s, depending on how you look at it. The first IoT machine was devised in ’82. Do you know when the first blockchain — the Bitcoin network — was deployed? 2009. That wasn’t that long ago! Yet, today, even your grandma has heard of Bitcoin.

That growth is a direct…

As our planet warms, climate anxiety rises with the mercury and solutions that might have seemed extreme in the past suddenly see positive light in the media. That’s how geoengineering has become a media darling, seeing positive press in Wired and The Atlantic. But resorting to geoengineering will not constitute a cure for our ecological problems. At best, it’ll be a bandage on a gaping wound: fine in an emergency, but no long-term substitute for a complete fix.

A Brief History of Geoengineering

From its beginnings as a radical idea in the Lyndon Johnson White House, “climate geoengineering” has achieved buzzword status. Today, there are…

You’re at the supermarket. You grab some ice cream, then approach checkout. The cashier scans your items, the register totals it up, and you insert your credit card into the point-of-sale machine to pay. You wait for the transaction to go through.

Except, instead of just seconds, full minutes pass. The computer screen simply reads “Processing.”

At what point do you decide the ice cream is not worth it? You want to get home. A line has formed behind you–frustrated shoppers waiting their turn. They’re tapping their feet, checking their watches, leaning in to see what’s causing the holdup.

Long…

After astonishing advances, including recent real-world fixes, it seems that nanotech may be the solution for cleaner lakes around the world. Existing nano water technology, already at use in treatment facilities, can be hacked to work in natural lakes and reservoirs.

Marino Morikawa, a Peruvian-Japanese environmental scientist, demonstrated a nature-safe nano water purification system in 2014. His success with the Cascajo Wetlands sparked buzz about a possible follow-up with Lake Titicaca and intense curiosity about his method. Morikawa’s system is simple: create microscopic bubbles in the contaminated lake. As inspiring as this idea may seem at first, there are skeptics.

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Two of the major environmental issues facing humanity right now: rising carbon dioxide levels and garbage. Some municipalities — and even some nations — believe that they’ve found the key to solving both of these problems at once. They’re using their garbage to generate electricity.

According to the Energy Recovery Council, there are 86 facilities in the U.S. that recover energy from garbage by incinerating it. Many more recover methane from landfills and refine it to use as fuel. If you look beyond American borders, the picture for incineration is brighter. The entire country of Sweden participates in energy recovery…

“Satoshi Nakamoto” is Found

A Newsweek journalist approaches a modest two-story home in the San Gabriel foothills of Temple City, California.

At the end of the driveway stands a man in “a rumpled T-shirt, old blue jeans and white gym socks, without shoes, like he has left the house in a hurry. His hair is unkempt, and he has the thousand-mile stare of someone who has gone weeks without sleep.” The man is slacked over, looking frustrated, perhaps annoyed. He’s accompanied by two police officers, whom he called over to assist with the pestering stranger. They ask the reporter why she’s here. She replies…

The power of Ethereum became known in Spring 2016, with the invention of a radical new application known as the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). The DAO was a blockchain mutual fund that invested in projects across the Ethereum network.

By investing in the DAO, anyone could become a stakeholder. Stakeholders would receive returns, and earn voting rights towards deciding which projects would be funded, in proportion to their investment.

The DAO raised $150 million during its initial funding stage and became the most highly-funded internet project in history. …

Bitcoin’s Flaws

Satoshi Nakamoto’s blockchain changed the world, and Bitcoin became the first proof of concept for this exciting technology. Bitcoin was a remarkable, world-changing invention, and it brought together previously niche technologies to create an entirely new way of doing things. It was a fully-functioning computer network capable of replacing the function of banks and maintaining a very popular cryptocurrency. It was open to anyone, permissionless, and secure while requiring no trust in any particular person or body. But its flaws were nearly as apparent as its features.