Best Resources for Learning About Blockchain and Ethereum
We’ll walk you through all of the reputable resources that can help you get smart on all things blockchain.
After I got the hang of some of the big ideas behind blockchain technology and the ethereum network, I decided it was time to consume all of the media humanly possible to “get smart” about the space. I was so eager that I took everything I learned at face value from a wide range of resources. Predictably, this was a mistake.
Learning about blockchain technology is a daunting task with intricacies, nuance, and complexity around every corner. Not every person or publication that claims to be is actually an expert, so it’s essential to find pubs that think critically about the space from all angles. From crypto-optimists to crypto-doomers, properly vetting and understanding each podcast and publication’s biases will be the key to your success.
Just like any emergent technology, there’s plenty of insufficient information out there.
That’s why we’ve taken the trouble to compile our definitive guide to blockchain-edu. The Upstate Interactive team has vetted each publication in the list below. Each one of these news sources is now an essential resource for information, news, and analysis in the space.
Newsletters/Blogs
Platforms like Substack and Mirror allow some of the best and brightest minds in journalism to dive deeper into their favorite subjects. Lucky for us, that seems to apply double to the blockchain world.
Here are our top three picks.
The Defiant
The Defiant sees blockchain tech for what it is- a value-driving tool to improve institutional efficiency and allow for collective ownership. Their newsletter builds on that backbone to present a thoughtful analysis of the ecosystem. Here at Upstate Interactive, we’re suckers for DeFi, so this newsletter is right on the money. *Ba dum tiss*
With nearly daily publications for subscribers, and weekly wrap-ups, we certainly can’t complain about the frequency- I just wish we had the time to read everything they write! For a perfect example of their writing style, you can check out their RAI profile or head over to their Substack and pick out the most recent weekly roundup.
Decrypt
With a website and app that looks more like the New York Times than anything else on the list- Decrypt is the ultimate news source for getting smart on blockchain tech. Created by the great team at ConsenSys and boasting BBC, TIME, and Fortune alumni among their writers, it’s no surprise that this is one of the world’s most popular crypto-pubs.
Decrypt is not only a great place to get your feet wet in the blockchain streams of information, but their hardware reviews are exceptional. On top of everything, they boast one of the best coin tickers in the game!
Coindesk
If Decrypt is the NYT of crypto, then Coindesk is the Wall Street Journal. Their eight news vertices with specialization in breaking big stories wide open makes Coindesk a must-read. In 2013, Coindesk revolutionized the crypto-trading Bitcoin Price Index, a functionality that is referenced daily by crypto-traders.
Although Coindesk trends towards traders more than individuals who want to learn about the theory or technology behind blockchain tech, it has been an invaluable resource for getting up to speed and keeping up to speed.
Podcasts
Ahh, podcasts, the medium du jour of the past five years. There’s almost no better way to maximize your time spent doing laundry, cooking, or commuting. Without podcasts, what would we do- sit in silence? Talk to strangers? No thanks.
In all seriousness, for auditory or linguistic learners, podcasts have been a godsend. Personally, I like to listen at 1.5 speed to maximize efficiency. I’ve found that I retain the content better because I need to pause less frequently. That’s all for Rob’s Podcast Soapbox- here are some of our blockchain-centric favorites.
Into The Ether
Eric Conner & Anthony Sassano
Into the Ether is brought to the masses by the Ethereum Blockchain’s premier open-source information and guidance platform- EthHub. Their podcast is one of three pillars in EthHub’s noble mission of becoming the single source of information on all things Ethereum and one of our favorite listens.
Unlike the other two podcasts on this list, Into the Ether only has one edition, a weekly pod that oscillates between 45 and 75 minutes (the perfect length IMO). Into the Ether is less about asking guests the big existential questions facing the crypto/blockchain community and more about future projecting and news recaps of the week. A frank and thorough discussion of all things blockchain, Into the Ether, is a favorite of the UI team.
Recommended Episode:
EthHub Weekly #152–153
Unchained/Unconfirmed
Laura Shin
Undoubtedly one of the most popular crypto/blockchain podcasts in the ecosystem, Laura Shin’s Unchained and Unconfirmed series is a must-listen for anyone coming up to speed on the space. Shin was one of the first reporters on the crypto-beat and has parlayed that longstanding knowledge into a condensed 20-minute (Unconfirmed) and long-form (Unchained) podcast series that will help you get your mind around some of the biggest questions and answers in blockchain.
Recommended Episode(s):
Bankless
Ryan Sean Adams & David Hoffman
Self-described as “The Ultimate Guide to Crypto Finance.” Bankless brings together a pair of super knowledgeable crypto-financial minds. Adams and Hoffman answer big questions like What is DeFi? to outlining the nuances of moving your banking to a more decentralized environment.
Whether you’re diving deep on one of their three-hour explorations or hour-long weekly roundups, the pair have a knack for making complex issues ultra-digestible. With guests like Mark Cuban and weekly roundups of the biggest news in blockchain, there’s something for everyone.
Recommended Episode:
Upstate Interactive Monthly Newsletter
I’d be a bad writer if I didn’t plug some of my own work, right?
Each month Upstate Interactive publishes a digest that gives anyone who’d like to read a look under the hood at everything we do. It reviews where we’ve been, what we’ve been working on, what we wrote, and serves as an aggregator for all of the best blockchain/crypto/web dev content we consumed.
So, if you still don’t know where to start on your journey to educate yourself about blockchain and Ethereum, this might be your perfect, low commitment jumping-off point. We promise no spam, no junk, and 100% quality content. Check it out for yourself.
