Stephan Livera Podcast

Latest Episodes:

SLP311 Bitcoin: Only The Strong Survive - with Big Al Oct 08, 2021

Show notes

Big Al, pseudonymous co-author of the “Only The Strong Survive” article joins me on the show to talk about various critiques of non-Bitcoin ‘Crypto’ projects. In this explosive discussion, we talk about the key things you need to know on Bitcoin as contrasted with ‘Crypto’ and DeFi.

We chat:

What truly sets Bitcoin apart
DeFi not being decentralised, and not finance
Everything fights for liquidity
The problem with utility tokens
Dishonest TVL metrics and massive leverage in ‘defi’

Links:

Twitter: @Big_Al256
Twitter: @allenf32
Paper: Only The Strong Survive

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Stephan Livera links:

SLP310 Should We Stop Using Software Wallets? Bitcoin Software Security With Charles Guillemet Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

Charles Guillemet, CTO of Ledger rejoins me on the show to talk about the risks present with Bitcoin software wallets. Don’t miss this episode for security discussion on why you shouldn't be keeping large amounts of bitcoin on software wallets and why hardware is becoming more and more necessary to protect bitcoin from theft.

We chat:

Exploits using Pegasus
Key aspects of Bitcoin security
Extracting secrets using malware from desktop wallets and phone wallets
Desktops, phones, hardware security
What to do instead

Links:

Article: On the security model of software wallets - Ledger.com
Twitter: @P3b7_
Site: Ledger.com

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Stephan Livera links:

SLP309 Easy CoinJoin Use For Desktop Is Here With Sparrow Wallet with Craig Raw Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

Craig Raw, founder of Sparrow Wallet rejoins me on the show to talk about the latest: easy coinjoin for the desktop is now here with whirlpool being integrated into Sparrow Wallet. Sparrow Wallet might well make coinjoin much more accessible to users interested in bitcoin privacy.

Craig and I chat:

Latest updates
How Whirlpool in Sparrow works
STONEWALL privacy preserving spends in Sparrow
Implications of having multiple whirlpool clients
Electrum server back ends for Sparrow
Wallet business models

Links:

Twitter: @craigraw
Twitter: @SparrowWallet
Site: Sparrow Bittcoin Wallet - SparrowWallet.com
Article: Mixing with Whirlpool

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SLP308 Philip Glazman - Scaling Exchanges With Lightning And Lightning User Profiles Oct 01, 2021

Show notes

Philip Glazman of River, a bitcoin only exchange in the US joins me on the show to talk about the process of using lightning as an exchange. We talk about:

Experiences with lightning over the years
User profiles and how customers use lightning with River
Customer education
Swap services
Lightning and Liquid comparison
Technical overview

Links:

Twitter: @philipglazman
Article: Scaling Lightning Network at River - River.com

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Stephan Livera links:

SLP307 Becoming A Lightning Routing Node Operator with Jestopher and Tony of Amboss Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

Jestopher and Tony of the Amboss website and project join me on the show to talk about the journey of becoming a lightning routing node operator, tips and resources.

We chat:

Routing on lightning
Selecting channel partners
Channel management
Tooling available to help routing nodes
Calculating fees and rebalancing
LN communities growing

Links:

Jestopher: @Jestopher_BTC
Tony: @tonyioi
Site: Amboss Space - Lightning Network Explorer

Other resources:

Prior episodes:

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Stephan Livera links:

SLP306 Guy Swann - What Makes Bitcoin A Breakthrough (Newcoiner episode) Sep 24, 2021

Show notes

Guy Swann of the Bitcoin Audible podcast joins me for a special show for Bitcoin and Crypto beginners. We talk about why Bitcoin is unique and why you should avoid shitcoin gambling. We discuss:

Common questions for people new to ‘crypto’
“Won’t Shitcoins pump harder than Bitcoin?”
Comparison of Bitcoin and shitcoins
The problem with utility tokens
Shitcoins are LARPing decentralisation
Shitcoin waterfall
“Doesn’t Bitcoin waste energy?”

Links:

Twitter: @TheGuySwann
BitcoinAudible.com
“The Yield From Money Held” on Bitcoin Audible
Don’t Play Shitcoin Gambling Games (by SL)

Stephan Livera links:

SLP305 El Salvador Bitcoin Law On The Ground with Aaron van Wirdum Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

El Salvador’s Bitcoin Law went live on 7th September, what was it really like? What did the protesters have to say about it? Aaron van Wirdum, Bitcoin Journalist at Bitcoin Magazine joins me to give us an ‘on the ground’ take on things. We chat:

Protesters and are they really protesting about Bitcoin or Bukele?
Chivo Wallet - teething issues
The truth about bitcoin remittances
Positives on the experience so far
Bitcoin Meetup
Bitcoin Core v22
Bitcoin 2022

Links:

Twitter: @AaronvanW
Aaron’s McDonald’s Bitcoin tweet
Bitcoin Core article: Bitcoin Core 22.0 Released: What's New
Alex Gladstein’s El Salvador article: The Village And The Strongman: The Unlikely Story Of Bitcoin And El Salvador

Stephan Livera links:

SLP304 Is The Bitcoin Infinity Meme Wrong? With Knut Svanholm Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

Knut Svanholm, Bitcoin writer joins me on the show to chat about why you are not prepared for hyperbitcoinisation, and various concepts such as adoption, what it might look like, and the infinity meme. Is the infinity meme wrong? I believe it is, but listen in to Knut and I discussing it!

Links:

Twitter: @knutsvanholm
Article: You Are Not Prepared - Citadel 21

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SLP303 Ethereum’s Path to Centralisation with Alex B Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

Alex B joins me on the show to talk about why Ethereum is predictably on a path to centralisation. How does Bitcoin contrast in terms of decentralisation and long term possibilities?

We chat:

MEV
Can MEV be stopped?
MEV and staking derivatives interaction
Ethereum as the Myspace
Ethereum cannot be ultra sound money
Problems with utility tokens

Alex links:

Twitter: @bergealex4
Twitter Thread: Holy **** is Ethereum broken.

Sponsor links:

SLP302 SeedSigner - Bitcoin multi sig security under $50 Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

SeedSigner, pseudonymous creator of the SeedSigner project joins me to talk about his work creating a low cost, accessible, DIY style hardware device that can be part of your multi sig quorum with wallets/coordinators like Specter Desktop, Sparrow Wallet, Blue Wallet. This product was actually inspired by an earlier episode with Michael Flaxman.

We chat: