The Monero Monitor Podcast

Latest Episodes:

E16 - Mimblewimble with Andrew Poelstra Dec 05, 2017

Show notes

In July 2016, an unknown developer going by the name "Tom Elvis Jedusor" dropped a link to a Tor hidden service on the bitcoin-wizards IRC channel. In it, he revealed a new protocol dubbed "Mimblewimble" after the tongue-tying curse in Harry Potter, because "it is used to prevent the blockchain from talking about all user's information".

In the time since, multiple researchers and developers have continued to flesh out and build on Jedusor's innovation, in many respects led by Andrew Poelstra, a Bitcoin developer and mathematician at Blockstream.

This deep dive with Andrew covers the technical details of Mimblewimble's scaling and privacy-enhancing features, discusses the real world logistics of using the protocol, and looks at some of the coolest features enabled by the technology. We discuss how Bulletproofs can help both Mimblewimble and Monero better scale, and also touch on how ValueShuffle might further improve privacy in Mimblewimble.

If you enjoy the show and want to learn more about Mimblewimble, check out www.mimblewimble.cash. Be sure to also check out our transcript of today's show!

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Support the show by donating today on our website!

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Music featured in the show is "The Grind" by Justin Maher and used under a Creative Commons License. https://musopen.org/music/1652/justin-mahar/the-grind/

E15 - GloBee with Ric Spagni, Ray Prince, and Pat Spitalieri Nov 16, 2017

Show notes

We're back! Riccardo "fluffypony" Spagni (CEO), Raymond Prince (Operations Manager), and Patrizio Spitalieri (Support Manager) join the show to talk about their online payments startup GloBee.com. We discuss the hows and whys of GloBee's service, their position in the greater Monero ecosystem, and touch on the Super Secret GloBee Project on the horizon!

If you're interested in learning more about GloBee, check them out at GloBee.com or @GloBeeCom on Twitter. Or tweet Ric (@fluffypony), Ray (@RayPrinceVII), or Pat (@Patrizio23) directly!

Today's episode also begins a scaling back of the podcast for a little while. We love the show, but other commitments (touched on in this episode!) are limiting our ability to produce bi-weekly episodes. Look for about one episode per month moving forward; if and when we can scale back up to bi-weekly shows, we will! Thanks for all the support!

Support the show by donating XMR today:

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Music featured in the show is "The Grind" by Justin Maher and used under a Creative Commons License. https://musopen.org/music/1652/justin-mahar/the-grind/

E14 - John Tromp on Cuckoo Cycle PoW & John McAfee on Monero Sep 26, 2017

Show notes

This week's episode is a two-parter!

First up, I talk with John Tromp, inventor of the Cuckoo Cycle Proof of Work algorithm. We discuss what it means to be an egalitarian proof of work and how Cuckoo Cycle targets consumer hardware rather than industrial ASICs. We talk about the puzzle being solved by the algorithm itself, and also discuss what types of performance we should expect with optimized CPU and GPU mining software.

After that, I'm very excited to share a short conversation I had with John McAfee about Monero. He's been mentioning Monero on a number of TV networks lately, and we talk about why he likes the project.

Related Links:

John Tromp's blog is https://tromp.github.io/
The Cuckoo Cycle project can be found at https://github.com/tromp/cuckoo/
An interesting article on Cuckoo Cycle is at http://cryptorials.io/beyond-hashcash-proof-work-theres-mining-hashing/

Support the show by donating XMR today:

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Music featured in the show is "The Grind" by Justin Maher and used under a Creative Commons License. https://musopen.org/music/1652/justin-mahar/the-grind/

E13 - Over-the-counter Monero trading with LocalMonero.co Sep 10, 2017

Show notes

On this week's episode, I talk with LocalMonero.co co-founder Alex about the launch of their new platform, how the service works, whether we can trust them, and a bit about who they are. We talk about why they are for now choosing to stay anonymous and the complications that can cause, and we talk about the Monero community's response to their service so far. We also get into why they chose to locate in Hong Kong, as well as a bit about Hong Kong's place in the cryptocurrency space. Listen in and then reach out to Alex about the service and me about the episode!

Music featured in the show is "The Grind" by Justin Maher and used under a Creative Commons License. https://musopen.org/music/1652/justin-mahar/the-grind/

Support the show by donating XMR:

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E12 - Bithumb, LocalMonero, Globee, RuffCT, IRS Coin Tracking, T-Swift, US Debt Ceiling, and more! Aug 28, 2017

Show notes

The past week has been quite eventful for Monero and Bitcoin. I'm rejoined by my friend who talked with us in Episode 7 about the Satoshi white paper and we try to make sense of it all. Join us as we talk about Bithumb adding Monero to their exchange, the debut of LocalMonero.co, Globee's ninja launch, RuffCT, the IRS tracing 50% of all Bitcoin transactions, Taylor Swift's new single, and lots more. Also get an inside scoop on what to expect from some of our upcoming episodes.

E11 - Reflecting back and looking forward. Where do we go from here? Aug 15, 2017

Show notes

Today's episode is shorter than normal. I won't be interviewing anyone or talking about another project. Instead, this episode focuses on the podcast itself. I talk about what I'm trying to do with the show, some assumptions I make about you my listeners, and where I hope this podcast fits into the space. I also offer some thoughts on how we all should evaluate the space we find ourselves in today, with ICOs and hype aplenty.

Songs in the show are "Little ICO" (thanks @tradewithdave and @mikeinspace) and "Pumpers Pumpin'".

Music featured in the show is "The Grind" by Justin Maher and used under a Creative Commons License. https://musopen.org/music/1652/justin-mahar/the-grind/

Interested in trying out cloud computing? Visit https://moneromonitor.com/do for info on how to get $10 towards your first compute node at DigitalOcean (where we host our site!).

Enjoy the show? Please consider donating:

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E10 - Defending Privacy - Coin Center's Advocacy to US Regulators and Lawmakers Aug 01, 2017

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what the attitudes of lawmakers and regulators are towards privacy issues with Bitcoin and privacy-focused cryptocurrencies like Monero? This past week, I traveled to Coin Center in Washington, DC to talk with Jerry Brito (Coin Center's Executive Director) and Peter Van Valkenburgh (Research Director) about the regulatory environment and congressional attitudes towards privacy-centric projects in the space.

In this episode, we talk about recent headlines including the Coinbase/IRS John Doe summons case and the Uniform Law Commission's recent cryptocurrency model state law work. Then we talk about financial surveillance law and how privacy projects fit within the regulatory environment in the United States, the importance of distinguishing between open and closed blockchains, and how the Monero community might be able to get involved in Coin Center's advocacy.

Whether you're an American wondering about your rights or about the legal issues with cryptocurrencies or are from another country and simply interested in gaining an insight into American attitudes towards these projects, this episode offers over an hour of in depth and thoughtful information.

If you're interested in reading more about Jerry and Peter's work, check out CoinCenter.org. There you can find the Open Matters paper we discussed in the episode and much more.

Music featured in the show is "The Grind" by Justin Maher and used under a Creative Commons License. https://musopen.org/music/1652/justin-mahar/the-grind/

Interested in trying out cloud computing? Visit https://moneromonitor.com/do for info on how to get $10 towards your first compute node at DigitalOcean (where we host our site!).

Enjoy the show? Please consider donating:

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E09 - What is Changelly? An interview with CEO Konstantin Gladych. Jul 16, 2017

Show notes

Over the past three years, a wide variety of companies have gotten involved in the Monero ecosystem. Some companies have very public-facing PR groups, founders, or community liaisons, but others have chosen to keep more quiet. Today, I talk with the CEO of a company that to date has taken much more the latter strategy, Changelly. At over two years old, and over a year open to the general public, Changelly is a bit like ShapeShift, though has some notable differences. Konstantin Gladych and I sat down and chatted for a while about his company, their various partners and affiliates, growing pains, and future plans. Give the show a listen and give us your feedback about Changelly.

Music featured in the show is "The Grind" by Justin Maher and used under a Creative Commons License. https://musopen.org/music/1652/justin-mahar/the-grind/

Enjoy the show? Please consider donating:

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Interested in trying out cloud computing? Visit https://moneromonitor.com/do for info on how to get $10 towards your first compute node at DigitalOcean (where we host our site!).

E08 - Monero Uncensored with guest Chris DeRose Jul 03, 2017

Show notes

Today, I talk with Chris DeRose of the Bitcoin Uncensored YouTube show and podcast about changes he's undergoing with his show, his thoughts on the Monero community and the potential future Monero needs to plan for, and the movements of the cryptocurrency space in general. If you're unfamiliar with Chris, check out his YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/cderose36/.

Get a deeper glimpse into what makes Chris tick, find out why he recently wrote a letter to the SEC about the ongoing ICO crazy in Ethereum, and why he's been so friendly towards Monero as of late. Today's show is a bit edgy, so maybe don't listen around the little ones!

Interested in trying out cloud computing? Visit https://moneromonitor.com/do for info on how to get $10 towards your first compute node at DigitalOcean (where we host this site!).

Music featured in the show is "The Grind" by Justin Maher and used under a Creative Commons License. https://musopen.org/music/1652/justin-mahar/the-grind/

Enjoy the show? Please consider donating:

47SMPWHYcn5AfKzYF3c6cX94dCNcijKfdMgkCBTEmMtG4q9u9GdN7YdAmP777hfkmg52xntkDyxwh3nKcdGa2eApFAe5oZx

E07 - Required Reading - Deep dive of the Satoshi White Paper for newcomers and veterans alike Jun 19, 2017

Show notes

This episode introduces a new type of show to the series, "Required Reading." From time to time we'll devote a show to analyzing an important paper or document relevant to Bitcoin and Monero, and try to come away with a more detailed understanding of the material. The goal then is to serve as a detailed introduction to the material for newcomers and in depth review for people that are already familiar with the space.

For our first Required Reading episode, we'll explore the original Satoshi white paper, which introduced Bitcoin to the world. The paper is really the defining document of the cryptocurrency space, and lays out the innovation of Bitcoin. But what was that innovation? What is a blockchain, and why should I care? Why should I trust it? Join us for the show as we read through the paper and discuss the groundbreaking innovation of Bitcoin. Then, we'll talk a bit about the cryptocurrency space today, and some basic advice for people just getting into the space.

There won't be a transcript for today's show. You can access the original Satoshi white paper at https://www.bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf. Check it out, read along, and get in touch on social media!

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