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Analyzing Token Sale Models

Note: I mention the names of various projects below only to compare and contrast their token sale mechanisms; this should NOT be taken as an endorsement or criticism of any specific project as a whole. It's entirely possible for any given project to be total trash as a whole and yet still have an awesome token sale model. The last few months have seen an increasing amount of innovation in token sale models. Two years ago, the space was simple: there were capped sales, which sold a fixed number of

A Note On Charity Through Marginal Price Discrimination

Vitalik Buterin via the Vitalik Buterin Blog Updated 2018-07-28. See end note. The following is an interesting idea that I had two years ago that I personally believe has promise and could be easily implemented in the context of a blockchain ecosystem, though if desired it could certainly also be implemented with more traditional technologies (blockchains would help get the scheme network effects by putting the core logic on a more neutral platform). Suppose that you are a restaurant selling sandwiches, and you ordinarily sell sandwiches for $7.50. Why did

[Mirror] A Proof of Stake Design Philosophy

Vitalik Buterin via the Vitalik Buterin Blog This is a mirror of the post at https://medium.com/@VitalikButerin/a-proof-of-stake-design-philosophy-506585978d51 Systems like Ethereum (and Bitcoin, and NXT, and Bitshares, etc) are a fundamentally new class of cryptoeconomic organisms — decentralized, jurisdictionless entities that exist entirely in cyberspace, maintained by a combination of cryptography, economics and social consensus. They are kind of like BitTorrent, but they are also not like BitTorrent, as BitTorrent has no concept of state — a distinction that turns out to be crucially important. They are sometimes described as decentralized autonomous

[Mirror] Quadratic Arithmetic Programs: from Zero to Hero

Vitalik Buterin via the Vitalik Buterin Blog This is a mirror of the post at https://medium.com/@VitalikButerin/quadratic-arithmetic-programs-from-zero-to-hero-f6d558cea649 There has been a lot of interest lately in the technology behind zk-SNARKs, and people are increasingly trying to demystify something that many have come to call "moon math" due to its perceived sheer indecipherable complexity. zk-SNARKs are indeed quite challenging to grasp, especially due to the sheer number of moving parts that need to come together for the whole thing to work, but if we break the technology down piece by piece then

Curio and Deep Isolation Sign MOU to Advance Nuclear Waste Disposal Technologies.

Washington, D.C, December 7, 2023 — Curio, a trailblazer in nuclear technology solutions, and Deep Isolation, an innovator in nuclear waste disposal, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collectively drive forward the development of advanced technologies for efficient and secure disposal of high-level nuclear waste (HLW). Under this MOU, both Curio and Deep Isolation will mutually collaborate and exchange critical information for the use of Deep Isolation’s Universal Canister System (UCS) and patented directional drilling solution for deep borehole disposal for the isolation and management of HLW

Utah County Leads the First Government Adoption of the Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM)

Utah County is the first government entity in the world to adopt the Blockchain Maturity Model (BMM) to assess their blockchain-based solution and use it to continually improve the reliability and trustworthiness of their blockchain-based government services. From the mid 1800’s Utah County has drawn pioneers to its territory. That indominable spirit of overcoming challenges and finding new paths forward has not waned. When Covid shut down government offices, Utah County had already begun the transition to online platforms. Clerk/Auditor Amelia Gardner, had led the charge into that territory in

Stablecoins Under Scrutiny

Amidst the market’s recovery from the recent onslaught of SEC crackdowns, rumors swirl over the potential targeting of stablecoins in their crosshairs. Such a move could have profound implications for cryptocurrency prices, making it crucial to gauge the likelihood of this scenario and the approach regulators might adopt. The largest stablecoins by market cap are Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC. Both are pegged to the US dollar and backed by various assets, typically highly liquid instruments like US Treasury bills. In theory, when someone wants to buy stablecoins from an

Crypto Chaos

Despite the second-largest bank failure in US history, the Federal Reserve continued its interest rate hike strategy last week. This caused markets to react by pricing in continued monetary tightening, pushing back their expectations of rate decreases to 2024. Some have perceived this move as necessary to combat inflation, even if it comes at the cost of breaking the banking sector. Unfortunately, this sober outlook suggests that the rest of the year may be marked by more sideways action in the markets rather than a steady recovery. Meanwhile, in the