Stephan Livera Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Covenant Use Cases & TXHASH with Steven Roose (SLP541) Jan 14, 2024

Show notes

Given the recent discussion on covenants, you might be curious about what actual covenant use cases look like. Joining me today is Steven Roose to help explain covenant uses and TXHASH as well as various objections:

Case for Covenants
Why TXHASH
Scope of changes
Covenants.info
Covenant use cases
Ark
Commercial viability

Links:

X: @stevenroose3
Site: C ovenants.info
TXHASH ML post: https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2022-January/019813.html

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space

Stephan Livera links:

Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
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A New Era for Bitcoin with Tuur Demeester (SLP540) Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

On the eve of Bitcoin ETFs being approved, is Bitcoin entering a new era? Tuur Demeester, long time bitcoin advocate, writer and speaker rejoins me on the show to discuss his thoughts:

This new era for Bitcoin
ETF approval and what it means
Capture risks are low
Psychology of a market cycle and HODLers
“Hate buying” Bitcoin
Bitcoin Life Insurance
Why every company needs a Bitcoin strategy
Future of Bitcoin use

Note this show was recorded Jan 10th 2024 8pm Dubai (11am Eastern time), just prior to ETF approval.

Links:

X: @TuurDemeester

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
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Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction and background

01:00 - The new era of Bitcoin

06:11 - What are the actual risks?

12:20 - How many coins are held in custody?

15:00 - Tuur's reports

21:27 - Psychology of a market cycle and HODLers

31:40 - Swan.com

33:12 - Coinkite.com

34:52 - Mempool.space

37:43 - 3 green, 1 red meme

43:10 - Bitcoin Life Insurance

51:21 - “Hate buying” Bitcoin

56:35 - Why every company needs a Bitcoin strategy

01:01:50 - Future of Bitcoin use

01:07:02 - Closing thoughts

Living in Dubai and Bitcoin Oasis with Lara Eggiman (SLP539) Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

Have you heard about Dubai but been wondering about what it’s like there? Lara Eggiman joins me to talk about Dubai, the UAE and the new bitcoin-only conference launching here, Bitcoin Oasis. We discuss:

Dubai lifestyle
Common misconceptions
Tips for people who want to set up in Dubai
Why the UAE is well placed for Bitcoin adoption
Bitcoin Oasis
Bitcoin Association

Links:

X: @SwissAlice1
Site: Bitcoin-oasis.com

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction and background

01:27 - Why Dubai?

02:46 - Common Misconceptions about Dubai

05:32 - Benefits of Living in Dubai

08:08 - Tips for Setting Up in Dubai

12:27 - Why UAE and Dubai are Well-Placed to Adopt Bitcoin

14:25 - Swan.com

16:07 - Mempool.space

17:11 - Coinkite.com

20:25 - Competitive Jurisdictions

22:07 - Bitcoin Association UAE

27:46 - Living in Dubai

30:00 - Closing thoughts

The Real Origins of Money with Natalie Smolenski SLP538 Jan 08, 2024

Show notes

In this conversation, Natalie Smolenski discusses the intersection of Bitcoin, anthropology, and political economy. She explores the debate on the origin of money and the clash between anthropologists and economists. Smolenski argues that money is a social technology that can take different forms based on trust and use cases. She examines the limitations of fiat currency and the importance of trust in debt settlement. Smolenski also discusses the rise of Bitcoin as a competing institution to traditional currencies and the threat to open source development in the EU. We also discuss various topics related to jurisdictional arbitrage, the Texas Bitcoin Foundation, the challenges facing universities, and the future of higher education. Links:

X: @NSmolenski
Satoshi Papers: S atoshipapers.org
Texas Bitcoin Foundation: txbitcoinfoundation.org

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space

Stephan Livera links:

Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast

Timestamps/Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Background

03:00 The Debate on the Origin of Money

06:50 Clash between Anthropologists and Economists

13:14 The Role of Commodity Money

20:07 Coinkite.com

21:29 Swan.com

27:05 Payment vs Settlement

34:44 The Decline of State Power and the Rise of Bitcoin

39:00 Mempool.space

40:13 The Competition between Bitcoin and Fiat Currency

52:18 The Threat to Open Source Development in the EU

59:24 The Texas Bitcoin Foundation and Bridging the Gap

01:01:24 The Challenges of Universities and the Need for Innovation

Are Covenants Necessary for Bitcoin? with Brandon Black (SLP537) Dec 31, 2023

Show notes

Not everybody understands that blockchains themselves don’t scale. And this may create some tricky implications if we want to onboard large numbers of people to Bitcoin. This is why some of the discussion nowadays is about soft forks and covenants. Brandon Black rejoins me to talk about some of his ideas on how many people can use Bitcoin with current tech, and how covenants such as CTV (Check Template Verify) could help improve this. We discuss:

How many people can use Bitcoin
Why not build L3?
Thoughts on block size
“Rush to the exits”
Different kinds of forks
Covenant proposals explained in english
Concrete proposals
Commercial demand
Unforeseen risks
Value density

Links:

Prior Episodes:

SLP505 MuSig2 in Practice, APO, CTV & Bitcoin Soft Forks

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space

Stephan Livera links:

Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
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Elizabeth’s War on Bitcoin with Pierre Rochard (SLP535) Dec 25, 2023

Show notes

Elizabeth Warren has come out with a new anti Bitcoin bill. Joining me is VP of Research at Riot Platforms, Pierre Rochard. We talk about:

What’s in the bill
Policy objectives
“Unhosted wallets”
FATF
Ordinals
Tx Fees
Third school of thought on long term fees

Links:

X: @BitcoinPierre

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space

Stephan Livera links:

Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
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Michael Saylor on Bitcoin Principles (SLP536) Dec 22, 2023

Show notes

What are the key principles underlying Bitcoin? How should we think about changes to Bitcoin? Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman and Founder of MicroStrategy rejoins me on the show to discuss:

Bitcoin Protocols
Bitcoin Principles
Bitcoin Dynamics
Bitcoin Politics
Bitcoin Philosophy

Links:

X: @saylor

Prior Episode:

SLP213 Michael Saylor – Bitcoin Dematerializes Money

Prior Episode:SLP213 Michael Saylor – Bitcoin Dematerializes Money

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space

Stephan Livera links:

Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast

Small Business for Bitcoiners with Bobby Shell (SLP534) Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

Should Bitcoiners consider Small Business? What are some of the important considerations here? Bobby Shell of Voltage and Imprint Digital joins me on the show to talk about his experiences in SMB and why Bitcoiners should also think about it.

Why do SMB
Earning more and making an impact
His experiences with digital and physical businesses
Why not just stack sats?
The latest at Voltage

Links:

Twitter/X: @iBobbyShell
Linked: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-shell-iv/
Youtube: @ibobbyshell
Website: Bo bbyshell.com
Nostr: bobby@vlt.ge / npub1kyga29699700q90pd4s2uc36ddn27cczfmkfgxcx2wl7urwkvl2ql3asvf
Imprint Digital website

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space

Stephan Livera links:

Follow me on X @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast

The Great Drivechain Debate with Paul Sztorc and Peter Todd (SLP533) Dec 15, 2023

Show notes

Drivechain is a proposal from 2015 which has had a lot of community debate recently. Joining us today to debate this are Paul Sztorc (CEO of Layer Two Labs) and Peter Todd. We discuss a range of points:

Drivechain and miner centralisation
Whether you can delegate running a node
Legal risks
Fees and Blocksize limits

Links:

Earlier episode with Shinobi: Will Drivechain Centralise Bitcoin? With Shinobi
X: @peterktodd
Peter Todd’s post: Drivechains: A Detailed Analysis
Peter’s Site:petertodd.org
X: @Truthcoin
Paul’s site: T ruthcoin.info
Paul’s response to Peter’s post: https://www.drivechain.info/peer-review/peter-todd-2023.png

Sponsors:

Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space

Stephan Livera links:

Follow me on X @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:22 - Guests Introduction
02:12 - Paul's Opening Statement
11:08 - Peter's Opening Statement
19:42 - Paul's Rebuttal
24:56 - Peter's Rebuttal
30:47 - Guests Challenge each Other
01:30:59 - Closing thoughts

Bitcoin Seed Backups for Multi Sig with SeedHammer (SLP 532) Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

Now many of us are familiar with the idea of using steel backups for our bitcoin private keys, but what about in the case of multi signature? And what about using machine engraving? Dax and E from the SeedHammer project join me to talk: