Blockchain from the Block

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Latest Episodes:

What about DAOs? #18 Jun 19, 2019

All this talk about blockchain, and we still haven't talked about some of the most important shortcuts in the blockchain sphere: the DAO. This will be corrected in this episode, where IBB and Luka discuss the possibilities, advantages and basics of the DAO, trying to demistify it and make it easy to understand why the community likes it so much. DAO tries to eliminate the human error and manipulation in the investment sector, and that was just the beginning.

BTW, do not miss out on another great opportunity for which you will need only a keyboard and - expressing your opinion. What is the deal? We are dying to hear how do you like the podcast so far, so Luka offered up to give 100 AE tokens for the best review! The best one will be decided at the end of the season.
(HINT: we prefer the witty ones)

Gaming and Blockchain #17 Jun 12, 2019

Magic the Gathering, Football Manager, World of Warcraft ... anything that has some kind of collecting and managing aspect whether it's epic and legendary gear or resources, skills and heroes - it would have a great amount of use from the blockchain technology. There are quite a few projects out there that foresaw this opportunity, but as Nemanja Avramovic, the CEO of Cryptic Legends concludes, none of them had their kind of good mix. To hear more about it - check out the episode!

Satellite data and Blockchain #16 Jun 05, 2019

Majority of the current systems that handle the data from satellites is centralized and going through one or couple of major players so if you want to get data you have to go through them and in their terms. Luckily, we have experts like Zdravko Dimitrov, who has been in space technology industry since 2012 and who decided, with his colleagues and friends, likewise space experts and enthusiasts, it is time to democratize satellite data with blockchain.

Thus, they created Homeport, a decentralized ground station network architecture that captures data from the satellites and sells it at the data marketplace. With Homeport as decentralized platform, the idea is to open up satellite data market and build trust between involved parties using smart contracts.

The basic presumption and vision behind initiatives and projects like Homeport is, if satellites collect data, all that data should be given back to us so we can use it in a meaningful way: to track weather calamities, to do agriculture management and so on. So, as Zdravko concludes - a network that allows for more flexible interaction between satellite stations, satellite operators and other entities that foresee satellite data - we can have much quicker and cheaper dissemination of data. And thus, better distribution of the data and more users.

The Future of work with Blockchain #015 May 29, 2019

Freelancing is popular more than ever and the gig economy disrupted many enterprises, for better or for worse. Considering some of the most prominent examples, as Ivan mentioned in this episode, such as Bolt or Uber, we can even talk about different kinds of freelancers. However, the most fruitful time for the freelancing world started with the emergence of many freelance platforms such as Toptal, Fiverr, Upwork or Freelance.com.

After short introduction recap, Luka and Ivan tackle some of the challenges the gig economy has to face. Thus, coming to the obvious problems such as high fees, the possibility to manipulate data and money, but also inability to solve client vs. freelancer disputes. And there comes the blockchain - to make it right where there is a possibility to do wrong. Whether it's lack of trust or censorship issues, blockchain's smart contracts can be an unbiased mediator between involved parties.

One great example is Cryptotask, Croatian blockchain startup which has been developing decentralized freelance market platform. With the CTO, Vladimir Kajic and Ivan Nanut we discuss the possibilities to revolutionize job market with blockchain, their centralized and decentralized competitors and the upcoming launch.

Starfleet follow up - the teams we have selected! #014 May 22, 2019

Sometimes, or most of the times, things that blockchain is solving is not usually something that people want to build as a startup. As Luka pinpoints in this 14th episode, for a blockchain startup to make sense you need to make sure it fulfills a couple of fundamental 'requirements':

Participants (in exchanging process) are not trusting each other.
You have an underlying need for automatization of trust and governance.
You have an underlying need for censorship resistance.

Only when you have that kind of situation you will have true and proper utilization of blockchain technology in solving real-life problems. Through Starfleet, æternity tries to help blockchain startups find their 'true' reason why they want to build their solution on top of the blockchain. To make sure they do it properly, the first week of the accelerator is very, very rough and tough. Luka, with the rest of æternity team, tries to compress as much knowledge as possible and ask awkward questions they are afraid to ask themselves. Some of them do not make it alive, some make it quite well.

For conclusion, Luka and Ivan discuss what are the traits of the teams that stay, endure and excel. Few good examples come from Crypto task (Croatia), Homeport (Bulgaria) and Cryptic Legends (Serbia).

The Rise and Fall of the Blockchain Scams #013 May 08, 2019

As many of you probably heard, Konstantin Ignatov, one of the main perpetrators behind the One Coin fraud was arrested in March 2019. That wouldn't be of much interest to you - if you haven't be involved with ICOs or cryptocurrencies. However, the basic idea behind blockchain scams is something we know over a century ago as a Ponzi scheme, a form of fraud that lures investors and pays profits to earlier investors with funds from more recent investors.

There are some more advanced techniques and methods that helped nowadays scammers to extend their frauds to various types of fields. One of them being the world of ICOs. As Luka goes into details, it all started during high peak craze, early 2017. when people realized ICOs are a super efficient way to raise money. As much there were diligent and hardworking people who just wanted to fund their business there were many more bad people who used the opportunity in this pretty unregulated field. Thus, the ICOs were forever branded.

However, Ivan and Luka want to believe, like many others, there is a way to demystify blockchain and cryptocurrencies. First thing is to educate people and second is to lobby by any means the necessity of regulation.

Luka's advice for every hyped BC newbie: If it sounds too shady - it probably is. If it sounds too good to be true and someone promises you infinite and fast returns - you will probably lose money. Those are definitely some common sense statements that can help you be more careful with ICO's and cryptocurrencies in general.

Legal Aspects and Regulation of Blockchain #012 May 02, 2019

All is ready for episode 12 of your favorite blockchain podcast! Regulations and cryptocurrency, regulation and blockchain. How do they mix together? Is one death of another and vice versa? Are smart contracts really the death of lawyers? Today's episode is all about those issues.

Law and blockchain, if you read about the early days of bitcoin one might think it was a wild Wild West. Complete lawlessness, chaos and anarchy. No government regulated it until very recently and there were some very nasty stories that you could read about it. Today, we have somewhat better examples, there is number of countries that really went forward to make crucial changes. Balkan is trying it's best to follow. How well it does? You will hear more from our special guest in this episode - Georgi Matev, attorney and law consultant at aeternity with substantial experience in the field of civil law, especially ICT and corporate law (and of course, big blockchain enthusiast).

Sustainable Energy and Blockchain #011 Apr 24, 2019

Special guest: AMPnet

Episode number 11 is upon us, and this time we're bustin' some myths! Luka and Ivan talk about energy consumption of cryptocurrency mining and the idea that it's extremely wasteful and bringing us closer to the end of the world. This, of course, isn't true, and every miner you ask is probably going to tell you that the main goal of mining is to use as little energy as possible, thus ensuring higher profit margins for themselves.

You'll also be hearing more about how blockchain technology can improve sustainable energy efforts and disrupt the extremely large energy market by helping smaller energy cooperatives work more efficiently. Ivan also talks with the Croatian startup AMPnet who aims to do exactly that, and finds out what motivated them to dive into the energy market.

BTW, do not miss out on another great opportunity for which you will need only a keyboard and - expressing your opinion. What is the deal? We are dying to hear how do you like the podcast so far, so Luka offered up to give 100 AE tokens for the best review! The best one will be decided at the end of the season.
(HINT: we prefer the witty ones)

What are DEXs and are they the future of crypto trading? #010 Apr 17, 2019

We all know Game of Thrones is wrecking the minds of many men these days, but do not be mislead, blockchain world still needs your attention! In this 10th episode, Luka and Ivan talk about decentralized exchanges or, for short DEX, grabbing through the history of cryptocurrency exchanges, discussing whether they could really be a silver bullet for the current, quite rampant, crypto situation.

They certainly agree DEXes are definitely a way to change that, however - what future of crypto really brings - time will tell.

You will also hear more about the disadvantages and advantages of DEX from this episodes guest, Tito Titov, CEO of weiDEX, decentralized exchange DApp ecosystem. Tito shared his own history with the decentralized exchanges and how he decided to make one of his own.

Also, BC folks, watch out for BlockSplit conference in Split. From 25th to 26th of April you will have a chance to hear many good speakers and experts from all around the region. This year's program is focused on DAO and Defi, but you won't miss out on many more topics concerning well know projects, talks about latest technologies and quality workshops. Make sure to check out the program and grab your tickets asap!

BTW, do not miss out on another great opportunity for which you will need only a keyboard and - expressing your opinion. What is the deal? We are dying to hear how do you like the podcast so far, so Luka offered up to give 100 AE tokens for the best review! The best one will be decided at the end of the season.
(HINT: we prefer the witty ones)

Disrupting the Travel Industry with Blockchain #009 Apr 10, 2019

Croatia, as many Mediterranean countries, is predominantly a tourist country. Last year tourism profits accounted for more than 19,6 percent of Croatian GDP. Thus, for Luka and Ivan this is an especially interesting topic.

Airbnb disrupted the travel industry before some time but we still face challenges. Especially concerning the issues around us relying on centralized service to provide for our interest, whether we are the host or the tourist. Many of today's booking services are acting like the middle-man in the booking process making more expenses for both sides. That is exactly where blockchain shines: eliminating the middle-man and therefore, the need for the commission.

Besides from Luka's and Ivan's conversation, we also learned more about how blockchain can make changes for the travel industry from our guest, Hristo Tenchev of Locktrip, a blockchain & fiat powered marketplace for hoteliers and landlords. Hristo told us a few details about their early starts with the blockchain technology and how he and his partner used their accumulated knowledge to found Locktrip.

Privacy and Data Storage on Blockchain #008 Apr 03, 2019

On a daily basis, we accumulate tons of data for big tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Uber, so they can use it to their own will. Usually, to sell it. That's how they get to keep their business going and that's how we get cheaper drives, chance to watch favorite YouTubers and stalk people's profiles. But nevertheless, shouldn't we, as makers and owners of the data, be the ones to make a choice what to do with it?

Ivan and Luka in the new Blockchain from the Bloc(k) episode again, together, tackling them questions.

This week we have a guest on the show! It is Gregor Storman, CEO of Honeycomb Colony, who joined in with his perspective as the founder of a startup that is directly concerned with questions of data's 'sharing economy'. Especially the data that would be collected from the IoT devices. Thus, Gregor offers an insight on how we can use blockchain technology to safely restore data to the hands of its owners, the consumer/users. That way only the person whose data is in question can make a final decision what to do with it - whether they will sell it, share it or toss it away.

Can Digital Money Become Blockchain's 'Killer App'? #007 Mar 27, 2019

Let's be honest, blockchain would not receive so much hype from the community or general public if it wasn't for cryptocurrencies. The first blockchain stories that shook the news outlets were, in fact, about bitcoin - the most famous one of the crypto world. As a consequence, in the beginnings of blockchain development, system features were identified as they were features of the currency itself.

Even so, bitcoin was a precedent to what we today understand as a decentralized way of transferring value from one end of the world to another - fast, secure and without intermediaries. As it continues to be one of the most important aspects of blockchain technology, Ivan and Luka discuss its potentials for the future of the blockchain adoption.

Want more tech and digital news? Visit Netokracija.com or Netocratic.com!

Have a blockchain story to share? Reach out to Netokracija's Facebook and Twitter or email info@netokracija.com.

Blockchain Developers From The Balkans #006 Mar 20, 2019

As we learned in the previous episodes, blockchain in Balkans started to set his roots as early as the startup scene in the region started to grow. As expected, no-one really knew what to do with it besides cryptocurrencies. However, the early adopters - known as regular developers - were soon intrigued enough to try something out. So, this is the story of the first blockchain enthusiasts and their successors that broke the chain of mining and crypto to discover new ways in which blockchain technology can make an impact for their job, business and society in general.

All that with our special guest to tell you inside story of their development experience, Nick Todorov - the CEO of Limechain.

What Is Happening With Blockchain In Balkan? #005 Mar 13, 2019

As Luka said in the introduction to our podcast:

"Current stage of blockchain in the Balkan region is in one word - stagnation. There was a lot of movement in the last few years and it somehow slowed down. That’s why part of our mission is to wake things up a little bit. Step by step."

However, as he elaborates further, with his insight from the Starfleet accelerator mentoring, there is great potential. Thus, it has become imperative to share experiences, knowledge, and connections to stretch out abilities of the region's talents for the greater good.

This fifth episode is all about Balkan's blockchain potentials, especially the events, teams, and individuals that can make those changes and that have been giving their best all along.

Storytime: How did Luka end up in the blockchain world? #004 Mar 06, 2019

Want more tech and digital news? Visit Netokracija.com or Netocratic.com!

Back in the day, Luka started mining with his old Mac Book Pro just to see how it works. Of course, Mac overheated and Luka earned some "monopoly money", as he called it. After that, he started to dig deeper about the mining, but most importantly, about the blockchain concept. He fell in love with Dogecoin and the rest is history.

Almost like that. Since the Dogecoin, a lot happened. Luka made a nice retrospective of the early examples of blockchain application that convinced him there is more to it than memes and coin.

How did you get into blockchain? Tell us your story, reach out to Netokracija's Facebook and Twitter or email info@netokracija.com.

What Is A Smart Contract? #003 Feb 27, 2019

Want more tech and digital news? Visit Netokracija.com or Netocratic.com!

Smart contracts can really make big changes for any kind of contracts involving money, property and shares. However, as Luka pointed out, anything that involves code has its own issues (known as bugs) and there is still a good way to go for smart contracts to be efficiently used for greater good.

Luka and Ivan conclude that we should not dismiss its possibilities because of the things we now have no solution for, but to shot for the long run and try our best to improve it day by day.

What Makes Blockchain So Special? #002 Feb 20, 2019

Want more tech and digital news? Visit Netokracija.com or Netocratic.com!

In our second episode, Luka and IBB talk about blockchain concept and the features that make blockchain technology such a great tool to change existing economic, social and political processes for better.

Many of those still operate with great risks for average user/voter/consumer. However, the properties of blockchain, such as transparency, decentralization, security, and rapid flow can achieve optimization for all parties in the process.

Do Blockchain Startups Need Acceleration? #001 Feb 15, 2019

Want more tech and digital news? Visit Netokracija.com or Netocratic.com!

In our first episode, Luka and IBB discuss the Starfleet blockchain accelerator for startups building applications on the æternity platform. For more info about application, click on this link and apply now - the deadline is 17 February!

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