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Tim RobinsonWhat is Ethereum
Ethereum is the settlement layer for global finance. It is the only blockchain that can be this. If you're surprised by the above statement, this article is for you. Other chains will still host many useful apps, and play niche roles, but the global financial system will run on Ethereum.What is a settlement layer?Rather than being a chain where consumers go to use apps and trade with their friends, a settlement layer is a chain that other chains build upon. It specializes in 5 things:Sec...
Tim RobinsonWhy Bitcoin Lightning Sucks
Bitcoin Lightning is mostly a meme used as a retort to people who say "Bitcoin doesn't scale", it's not a long term solution to anything. It's sad there are so few technically competent people left in the Bitcoin community to point this out, but its true. If Bitcoin had a hard fork to make ZK Rollups possible it would completely obsolete the lightning network (and be good for Bitcoins security budget!).What is the lightning network and how does it work?It's a state channel...
Tim RobinsonThe Alameda FTX Infinite Money Glitch
Something peculiar came out of the collapse of FTX that I have yet to see anyone talking about. Alameda created an investment glitch that allowed them to invest way more cash than they had available. I noticed this when REN project reported they had lost their treasury, because it was all on FTX. Why was it all on FTX? Earlier in the year Alameda invested in REN Project, giving them a large sum of money and enticing them to build on Solana. As part of the terms of this investment they were re...
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Tim RobinsonWhat is Ethereum
Ethereum is the settlement layer for global finance. It is the only blockchain that can be this. If you're surprised by the above statement, this article is for you. Other chains will still host many useful apps, and play niche roles, but the global financial system will run on Ethereum.What is a settlement layer?Rather than being a chain where consumers go to use apps and trade with their friends, a settlement layer is a chain that other chains build upon. It specializes in 5 things:Sec...
Tim RobinsonWhy Bitcoin Lightning Sucks
Bitcoin Lightning is mostly a meme used as a retort to people who say "Bitcoin doesn't scale", it's not a long term solution to anything. It's sad there are so few technically competent people left in the Bitcoin community to point this out, but its true. If Bitcoin had a hard fork to make ZK Rollups possible it would completely obsolete the lightning network (and be good for Bitcoins security budget!).What is the lightning network and how does it work?It's a state channel...
Tim RobinsonThe Alameda FTX Infinite Money Glitch
Something peculiar came out of the collapse of FTX that I have yet to see anyone talking about. Alameda created an investment glitch that allowed them to invest way more cash than they had available. I noticed this when REN project reported they had lost their treasury, because it was all on FTX. Why was it all on FTX? Earlier in the year Alameda invested in REN Project, giving them a large sum of money and enticing them to build on Solana. As part of the terms of this investment they were re...
Share Dialog
Share Dialog
I've been interested in decentralized technology for as long as I can remember, exploring any new products as soon as I heard about them:
Bitcoin in 2011
IPFS in 2015
Ethereum in 2016
Mastodon and Scuttlebutt in 2017
DeFi in 2020
Empowering individuals to create and work together to build a better world really resonates with me. I'm constantly frustrated by how inflexible and centralized the current web is.
I enjoyed when people built on Geocities, customized their Myspace pages to their liking, and modded games to add crazy fun new modes. I'd like to see more of that creativity online and through decentralized tools we can allow it to flourish. When there is no centralized control we can all contribute and build what we like on a shared platform.
I've spent most of the last decade consuming, reading, learning. I've talked about this for hundreds of hours to friends in real life and at meetups and conferences, but haven't published much content, so what I can teach has never scaled.
This year - 2023 - is the year that changes. I'll be creating new content every day, at least one small essay exploring something I'm interested in. It'll most likely be decentralization or tech related. I'm doing a 30 day challenge for now, and aim to continue it for the rest of this year.
I've been interested in decentralized technology for as long as I can remember, exploring any new products as soon as I heard about them:
Bitcoin in 2011
IPFS in 2015
Ethereum in 2016
Mastodon and Scuttlebutt in 2017
DeFi in 2020
Empowering individuals to create and work together to build a better world really resonates with me. I'm constantly frustrated by how inflexible and centralized the current web is.
I enjoyed when people built on Geocities, customized their Myspace pages to their liking, and modded games to add crazy fun new modes. I'd like to see more of that creativity online and through decentralized tools we can allow it to flourish. When there is no centralized control we can all contribute and build what we like on a shared platform.
I've spent most of the last decade consuming, reading, learning. I've talked about this for hundreds of hours to friends in real life and at meetups and conferences, but haven't published much content, so what I can teach has never scaled.
This year - 2023 - is the year that changes. I'll be creating new content every day, at least one small essay exploring something I'm interested in. It'll most likely be decentralization or tech related. I'm doing a 30 day challenge for now, and aim to continue it for the rest of this year.
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