Finality in Blockchain Consensus

Today, with the swipe of a credit card, I purchased a delightful matcha green tea (shout out to Asha in Berkeley). Just moments after the swipe, the vendor felt comfortable giving me the tea in exchange for the amount I paid. The vendor was certain that the transaction…

Introduction to Blockchain through Cryptoeconomics, Part 2: Proof of Work and Nakamoto Consensus

This is part two of an introductory series about the cryptoeconomic incentive systems that underlie different blockchain protocols and emerging research questions in…

Synchrony and Timing Assumptions in Consensus Algorithms Used in Proof of Stake Blockchains

Cryptographic Adversaries in Classical and Nakamoto Consensus: Part 1, Overview

Imagine we lived in a…

Randomness in Blockchains (Part 1)

Randomness exists all around us. Concepts of luck, probability and fate have all historically been intertwined with the concept of randomness. Everything that humans don’t understand or can’t predict tends to be classified as such. We’re also physically engulfed in a…

Mechanism Labs: The World’s First Open Source Research Lab