Bitcoion Takeover Podcast Season 16

[Vlad BTCTKVR]

Hi, everyone!

My name is Vlad and I am the creator of the Bitcoin Takeover podcast – a show that I started in January of 2019, and for which I've recorded & published almost 200 interviews.

As you might be able to notice when you scroll through the list of episodes, the show focuses mostly on Bitcoin development & cypherpunk culture. I like to interview builders and idealists who believe that the cypherpunk vision of decentralized Ecash and God Protocols (as described by Nick Szabo:https://web.archive.org/web/20140406003844/http://szabo.best.vwh.net/msc.html) can replace banks, politicians, financial institutions, and every other type of trusted third party.

Bitcoin is what showed us how this revolution can be put into practice, so naturally it's the Northern Star of my show. But unlike many of my peers, I'm much more open to other chains that experiment with interesting technologies that Bitcoin can also incorporate in a more refined state – you can observe this in my interviews with Zooko, Vitalik Buterin, Alex Romanov of Beam/MimbleWimble, and Reuben Yap of Firo/Zcoin). Over the years, I observed how this cypherpunk spirit has been replaced by simping to big money and institutional investors (best embodied by Saylorism and BlackRock mental gymnastics) – this fact saddens me, but also motivates me to push harder and remind people where this movement started.

I've decided to start this thread in order to highlight the interviews that I've been doing with brief descriptions and links for those of you who might be interested to listen. For better and worse, I spend most of my social media time on Twitter/X... but the issue is that the algorithm often times places users inside of echo chambers that limit visibility to those who don't interact with the posts for a while. I've also tried Reddit, but the moderators on r/bitcoin don't seem to like my content too much. Maybe I don't pass their purity tests all the time, maybe there's someone who explicitly doesn't want to let me promote my work. But in the end, it doesn't matter because there's always Bitcoin Talk – a true time capsule for Bitcoin history and probably the best way to preserve Bitcoin-related content over the years.

I'm well aware of the history of this forum, as Martti Malmi told part of the story during our interview. So without further ado, here are the episodes I've recorded so far as part of season 16 of the Bitcoin Takeover Podcast!

Link to the show: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ILRVoWRN2ZIIwypW80pcd
Apple Podcasts: [url[https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bitcoin-takeover-podcast/id1451766883[/url]
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BitcoinTakeover

If you like my work, please subscribe and/or leave feedback!

[Vlad BTCTKVR]

Bitcoin Takeover Podcast, S16 E1: Mike Belshe

In many ways, BitGo CEO Mike Belshe is a visionary: he believed in the power of multisig setups and built a successful business around them, and he also saw the potential of wrapped assets as a solution to move bitcoin across other chains such as Ethereum (to this day, WBTC is orders of magnitude bigger than Lightning, Liquid, Rootstock, Stacks, and every other Bitcoin layer 2/sidechain).

So I've wanted to interview Mike as a way of acknowledging his contributions. On the other hand, I've wanted to record his latest thoughts on the Bitcoin Scaling Debate (aka Blocksize Wars)... as he usually gets blamed for the creation of the New York Agreement.

I think that the result is a rather balanced conversation which tells the story of one of the biggest and most influential companies in Bitcoin (and the man who envisioned it all).


Listen to the conversation: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/index.php?name=2025-01-03_s16_e1_mike_belshe_on_bitgo_the_future_of_bitcoin.mp3
Watch the interview: https://www.youtube.com/live/OGuF7NKCs4g?si=Kt_mSAM5uUqLsPVH

Time stamps, for those who want to skip to the part they are interested in:

Introducing Mike Belshe (00:00:42)

Mike Belshe's Background (00:01:58)

Self-Custody vs. Institutional Custody (00:02:05)

Multi-Signature Technology (00:03:56)

Understanding Multi-Party Computation (00:04:51)

Advancements in Cryptography (00:05:53)

BitGo's Role in Tokenizing Bitcoin (00:08:26)

Defining DeFi's Importance (00:09:09)

Mike's Technology Background (00:12:12)

Inspiration from Tim Berners-Lee (00:14:57)

Bitcoin's Zero Click Payments (00:17:11)

Bitcoin Custodianship Issues (00:17:36)

Challenges of Bitcoin Payments (00:18:25)

Scaling Bitcoin and Lightning Network (00:19:20)

Bitcoin's Role in Digital Money (00:20:13)

Layer Two Solutions and Drivechains (00:21:15)

Scaling Discussions in Bitcoin's History (00:22:31)

Sidechains and Their Limitations (00:23:16)

Innovation vs. Immutability (00:24:29)

Importance of Real Applications (00:25:32)

Privacy and Fungibility in Bitcoin (00:28:42)

Lessons from TCP/IP and Blockchain Privacy (00:30:51)

Regulatory Concerns and Privacy Solutions (00:32:53)

Understanding the Static of Security (00:34:01)

SideShift (00:34:59)

Bitcoin's Civil War: Block Size Wars (00:35:54)

Human Decisions in Bitcoin (00:36:16)

Historical Proposals and Interpretations (00:37:10)

Challenges of Block Space and Fees (00:37:58)

Bitcoin Consensus (00:38:48)

SegWit and Its Implications (00:39:41)

Gavin Andresen's Role in Bitcoin (00:42:00)

Bitcoin's Resilience Against Adversaries (00:42:13)

Need for Enhanced Security (00:43:05)

Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in the USA (00:44:30)

El Salvador's Currency Strategy (00:45:19)

Self-Custody Concerns (00:49:13)

Security Measures for Self-Custody (00:50:17)

Privacy as a Solution (00:50:43)

Self-Custody Options (00:51:14)

Family Legacy and Custody Challenges (00:52:24)

Public Key Cryptography Innovation (00:52:28)

HODLING.ch (00:53:29)

Protecting Against Government Confiscation (00:54:15)

Multi-Custodial Model Explanation (00:54:21)

Hardware Wallets Discussion (00:56:03)

Safety Deposit Box Concerns (00:58:03)

Trade-offs in Security Solutions (00:58:56)

Onboarding New Users (01:00:09)

Edge Wallet Features (01:01:01)

BitGo's Wallet Recovery Wizard (01:03:02)

BitGo vs. Casa (01:05:08)

Multi-Signature Security (01:05:46)

Early Adoption of Multi-Sig (01:09:10)

Building a New Monetary System (01:11:54)

Regulatory Changes in the US (01:13:49)

Impact of MiCA in Europe (01:15:32)

War on Cash (01:16:17)

Global Financial Systems (01:18:03)

Zero Knowledge Proofs (01:19:48)

Zcash Discussion (01:20:04)

Privacy Technologies in Bitcoin (01:21:18)

Challenges of On-chain Traceability (01:22:26)

Philosophy on Transaction Privacy (01:23:19)

Concerns About Privacy Adoption (01:24:51)

Historical Context of TCP/IP Security (01:25:34)

Bitcoin as Digital Gold (01:27:24)

Ethereum's Role in DeFi (01:29:01)

Benefits of Smart Contracts (01:32:01)

Reflections on Bitcoin's Journey (01:33:25)

Future of Bitcoin (01:34:30)

Lightning Network Fees (01:36:12)

Trade-offs in Payment Systems (01:38:01)

Adoption of Bitcoin and Early Adoption Costs (01:42:01)

Long-term Viability of Bitcoin Mining (01:44:38)

The Future of Bitcoin and Layer Solutions (01:47:17)

Community Response to Bitcoin Vulnerabilities (01:49:01)

Satoshi's Vision for Mining (01:51:11)

Satoshi's Intentions (01:52:35)

Empathy for Satoshi (01:54:16)

0 to 1 Concept (01:54:24)

Bitcoin's Anniversary (01:55:53)

Centralization in Crisis (01:56:33)

Zero Knowledge Proof Bug (01:57:45)

Following Mike Belshe's Work (01:58:45)

Cover image:

[Vlad BTCTKVR]

Bitcoin Takeover Podcast, S16 E2: Liam Eagen

Liam Eagen is the founding cryptographer of Alpen Labs – a team that focuses on building ZK rollups on top of Bitcoin, to provide extended financial services and smart contract features.

However, Liam holds many other academic merits: he is a co-author of the Shielded Client Side Validation proposal for Bitcoin privacy (Shielded CSV, https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/068.pdf), and he is also responsible for contributing to Bulletproofs (used in Monero to conceal the amounts being sent) and Full Chaim Membership Proofs (FCMP++, the upcoming Monero upgrade that replaces ring signatures).

In this episode, we talk about his work in the space and why collaboration across open source money projects is necessary.

Listen to the conversation: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/index.php?name=2025-01-09_s16_e2_liam_eagen_on_crypto_graphy_research_-_09.01.2025_19.09.mp3
Watch the interview: https://www.youtube.com/live/RZIk-4Jrv6g?si=zlSLNXsEnmwxzIYQ

Interview time stamps:

Introducing Liam (00:00:25)
Shielded Client-Side Validation (00:01:53)
Challenges in Bitcoin Development (00:05:36)
The Soft Fork Independence of Shielded CSV (00:06:31)
Introduction to OP_CAT (00:06:31)
Opinions on Bitcoin Covenant Proposals (00:07:06)
Integer Arithmetic in Bitcoin (00:09:26)
Alpen Labs and Their Projects (00:12:23)
Optimistic vs. Optimistically Verified zk Rollups (00:15:05)
Data Availability Issues in Rollups (00:16:02)
Zcash and Mobile Wallets (00:21:03)
Philosophical Debate on Bitcoin's Future (00:22:21)
Comparing Lightning Network and Shielded CSV (00:25:40)
Layer Two Labs andDrive Chain (00:28:52)
Sidechains vs. Rollups (00:29:55)
Citrea and DeFi Potential (00:31:14)
Rollups' Data Handling (00:32:50)
Advantages of Sidechains (00:33:56)
Drivechains Overview (00:35:10)
Citrea vs. Alpen Labs (00:37:13)
Collaboration in Bitcoin L2 Space (00:38:43)
Existential Question on Bitcoin Privacy (00:40:02)
Political Capital and Bitcoin's Future (00:42:52)
Universal Truths in Bitcoin Community (00:44:04)
Resistance to Change in Bitcoin (00:45:29)
Testing Timeframes for Bitcoin Changes (00:50:11)
Risks of Unknown Unknowns (00:51:59)
Risks Beyond Bitcoin Changes (00:56:34)
Indistinguishable Obfuscation (00:57:37)
Challenges of Indistinguishable Obfuscation (00:58:49)
Incentives for Bitcoin Development (00:59:42)
Collaboration in Crypto Communities (01:01:44)
Views on Monero, Zcash, Litecoin (01:03:27)
Litecoin's Scalability Features (01:04:49)
Centralization in Rollups (01:06:25)
Bulletproofs and Membership Proofs (01:10:31)
Bulletproofs++ Overview (01:13:26)
Scalability of Bulletproofs++ (01:22:08)
Full Chain Membership Proofs in Monero (01:24:54)
Nullifier Mechanism (01:27:55)
Challenges of Implementing Privacy (01:29:32)
Concerns About Hidden Inflation (01:32:19)
Inflation Bugs in Cryptocurrencies (01:33:32)
Bitcoin Block Size Increase Debate (01:36:50)
Decentralization vs. Block Size (01:39:03)
Proof of Stake in Bitcoin? (01:43:35)
Long-term Sustainability of Mining (01:46:33)
Concerns About Bitcoin's Supply Cap (01:47:36)
Is The Future Multi-chain? (01:51:30)
Stablecoins Aren’t Stable (01:54:20)
Future of Bitcoin (01:55:19)
Market Dynamics and Government Influence (01:57:07)
Privacy and Scalability Concerns (01:57:44)
Activation Challenges (01:58:34)
Centralization Issues (01:59:36)
Community Dynamics (02:00:27)
Closing Remarks (02:02:02)
Keeping Up with Liam (02:02:38)

Cover image:

[cAPSLOCK]

Well, hey there, Vlad. 😜

[Ucy]

The issue with others is that the temptation to give up power (which includes money) is too strong for them. It was actually a rigorous testing to know true "cyberpunks" or principled ones. Only very few survived (and will continue to survive) the testing or whatever is thrown at them.
To scale through the test you have to hold strongly to what is right for Bitcoin/crypto regardless of what happens to you. For example no amount of temptation should make you attempt to hijack Bitcoin and make yourself a king, with no one to question your decision whether right or wrong.
Fortunately,  Bitcoin has been hardened to scale through any takeover attempt.  It will remain strong and extremely difficult to capture. But it's not going to be so with most networks.


I do not believe a potential god protocol for the centralized world (the matrix) will be truely decentralized. Infact, it will never be. No one can question the authority of the developers or coders of the system whether good or bad. They will be made to just trust. The only solution is a parallel system based on good/fair rules that include permissionlessness, community consensus/governance, decentralization, transparency, immutablity, trustlessness, "proof-of-work", reputation etc.

[Vlad BTCTKVR]

Well, hey there, Vlad. 😜

Hi, it's good to see you here! Hope you'll check out the podcast.

The issue with others is that the temptation to give up power (which includes money) is too strong for them. It was actually a rigorous testing to know true "cyberpunks" or principled ones. Only very few survived (and will continue to survive) the testing or whatever is thrown at them.
To scale through the test you have to hold strongly to what is right for Bitcoin/crypto regardless of what happens to you. For example no amount of temptation should make you attempt to hijack Bitcoin and make yourself a king, with no one to question your decision whether right or wrong.
Fortunately,  Bitcoin has been hardened to scale through any takeover attempt.  It will remain strong and extremely difficult to capture. But it's not going to be so with most networks.


I do not believe a potential god protocol for the centralized world (the matrix) will be truely decentralized. Infact, it will never be. No one can question the authority of the developers or coders of the system whether good or bad. They will be made to just trust. The only solution is a parallel system based on good/fair rules that include permissionlessness, community consensus/governance, decentralization, transparency, immutablity, trustlessness, "proof-of-work", reputation etc.

Well, I think of this God protocol in the same way that I think about watches. The average person can't open them up to change parts or even put one together from scratch. But it tells the time in a much more efficient way than hourglasses or solar clocks. Plus, you can have a local watch repairman in every town to serve as the verifier of the protocol.

[Vlad BTCTKVR]

Bitcoin Takeover Podcast, S16 E3: Charlie Shrem on his Digital Gold Project

This one is probably one of the most memorable interviews I've done over the last 6 months... for all the wrong reasons! Charlie Shrem, a well-known Bitcoin OG who served as CEO of BitInstant and then became a martyr when he went to jail for defending BTC's fungibility as money, announced that he's working on a new cryptocurrency project called Digital Gold. I was intrigued by it only because Charlie was involved... otherwise, there wasn't anything interesting about it: just a fork of Bitcoin Core which adopts a Proof of Stake consensus mechanism that's imported from BlackCoin, is 100% premined, and gets distributed according to a "level" system that sounds an awful lot like a pyramid scheme.

The goal of this Digital Gold is to create a "Fork Knox" for bitcoin. Because essentially, every participant must buy DGD tokens from the central issuer using their bitcoins. Then this BTC would get held in a reserve that somehow gives the whole Digital Gold system value... except that there's no redemption mechanism to get BTC back in the event that DGD goes to the Moon. Also, this new token is not listed on any exchange whatsoever, so trading can only happen if you find an internet stranger who's willing to buy or sell like it's 2010.

Very strange situation, but I tried to stay professional and ask all the right questions. Charlie Shrem agreed to stay for about an hour, but excused himself and left after 47 minutes. The other guy involved in the conversation, the "Digital Gold Jedi", answered questions for another hour. The conversation became heated at parts, as the language used in order to promote the project was dubious: he implied that people don't really "buy" DGD tokens because there is no guarantee that they will receive them. Essentially, the system must level up by adding an arbitrary amount of nodes, so that the new participants can have their coins released (aka "mined") from an escrow. So people can buy DGD, but maybe there won't be enough new nodes to support the level up so they will never get their tokens... but the BTC they send is not refundable. On the other hand, users can just run the Digital Gold software on 1000 new computers and generate a fake decentralization metric which boosts the level up system. There is no consequence for turning off these nodes: so if I use all 3 of my computers to turn level up the system and turn them all off forever, what counts is just the fleeting presence.

From the bottom to the top, it's a poorly-designed mess which is filled with loopholes and is probably fuelled by greed of making more bitcoins. And I'm not one to judge whether or not this is legit... but I do question the legitimacy of a lazy copy of Bitcoin which doesn't do anything interesting from a technological point of view. It's no Ethereum or Zcash to push the limits of what's possible on Bitcoin and do some experimentation with new features in contracts and/or privacy. Digital Gold's only wallet is a fork of Bitcoin Core which Digital Gold Jedi claims took more than 10.000 hour of engineering work to build. The claim is pretty ridiculous, as even an LLM like ChatGPT can build something more interesting with only a couple of prompts.

Once again: under any other circumstances, I wouldn't have paid attention to this project. But Charlie Shrem's involvement has made it interesting, to say the least. I've asked my questions, I made sure I don't draw any conclusions and let the listeners think for themselves instead, and the short-term result has been amazing: a couple of weeks after this interview, Charlie Shrem's name was removed from the website and the digitalgold.com domain appears to be up for sale. Maybe that I didn't cause the project's demise, but I like to think that some of my questions definitely raised some concerns within the team.

I think that this episode is relevant in the context of trying to figure out whether or not a project is legit. It should serve as a guide for asking the right questions and thinking critically in the face of something that sounds too good to be true at the surface, but doesn't accomplish anything original or useful. And yes, I do follow the team's progress at this URL (in the meantime, Digital Gold Jedi changed his identity and now goes by the name of John Gotts): https://youtube.com/live/6hbnozFEBWg

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/6hbnozFEBWg?feature=share
Listen to the interview: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/index.php?name=2025-01-14_s16_e3_charlie_shrem_on_digital_gold_-_14.01.2025_01.41.mp3

This interview's time stamps:

ntroducing Charlie Shrem & Digital Gold Jedi (John Gotts) (00:00:48)
Is Charlie Still Bullish on Bitcoin? (00:01:40)
From Bitcoin to Digital Gold (00:02:05)
Details of the Digital Gold Project (00:04:52)
Stability and Value Preservation? (00:05:37)
Community Engagement and User Growth (00:08:34)
Comparison with BitTorrent (00:09:01)
There Are Thousands of Digital Golds (00:14:28)
Unique Features of the Digital Gold Project (00:15:08)
Which Wallets and Exchanges Support Digital Gold? (00:17:05)
Community Engagement and Validation (00:17:55)
Initial Feedback and Expectations (00:18:50)
Purchasing Process and Coin Distribution (00:19:26)
Coin Withdrawal Mechanics (00:20:15)
Network Growth and Distribution (00:21:02)
Exchanges and Market Dynamics (00:22:57)
Stablecoin vs. Price Speculation (00:23:25)
Price Determination Mechanism (00:24:27)
Infrastructure and Value Creation (00:25:09)
Market Dynamics and Adoption (00:26:06)
Mining vs. Market Factors (00:26:21)
Coin Purchase Process Clarification (00:27:13)
Community Participation and Evangelism (00:29:20)
Address Reuse Concerns (00:31:16)
Price Validation by Community (00:32:38)
Selling Coins Among Users (00:34:31)
Community Exchange Challenges (00:34:43)
Decentralized Exchange Considerations (00:35:44)
Arbitrage Opportunities (00:36:00)
Side Shift (00:36:43)
Treasury and Bitcoin Ownership (00:37:42)
Concerns About Bitcoin Reserve Safety (00:38:00)
Community Trust and Auditing (00:39:26)
Charlie Shrem’s Long-Term Vision for Digital Gold (00:40:28)
Self-Custody and User Understanding (00:41:51)
Value of DGB vs. Bitcoin (00:42:07)
Name Change Story (00:44:01)
Treasury Transparency and Auditing (00:45:24)
Future of Auditing in Crypto (00:46:29)
Bullish Prediction for Digital Gold (00:47:18)
Understanding User Risks and Backup Solutions (00:51:51)
Digital Gold Experiment (00:52:56)
Challenges of User Adoption (00:54:10)
Centralization Concerns (00:57:42)
Node Operation Incentives (00:58:16)
Concept of Proof of Participation (01:00:55)
Contribution vs. Purchase (01:06:52)
Intrinsic Value and Market Parity (01:09:07)
Discussion on Gold and Currency Value (01:10:04)
Clarifying Payment Terminology (01:10:35)
Contributions, Not Investments (01:11:57)
White Paper Availability (01:12:44)
Smart Currency Concept (01:15:20)
Comparison with Bitcoin Cash (01:15:49)
Participation in the Network (01:16:40)
Digital Gold vs Terra Luna (01:17:47)
Claiming Coins Without Purchase (01:19:16)
Distribution Model Fairness (01:21:04)
Becoming a Staker (01:23:25)
Node Connection and Validation (01:25:03)
Impact of Node Outages (01:27:25)
Core Staking Nodes Explained (01:28:09)
Government Threats to Network (01:29:10)
Initial Market Cap and Podcast Launch (01:30:25)
Security Team: How Does It Get Paid? (01:32:44)
Bug Bounty and Security Issues (01:36:00)
Distribution of Coins and Participation (01:37:29)
Peer-to-Peer Transactions (01:39:33)
Transparency of Coin Holdings (01:41:51)
Labeling The Team’s Staking Wallets (01:42:23)
First Dancers (01:45:31)
Charlie Shrem’s Role in Digital Gold (01:45:39)
The Litmus Test (01:46:03)
Importance of Charlie's Endorsement (01:46:31)
Highlighting Charlie's Character (01:47:31)
Addressing Potential Concerns (01:48:03)
User-Friendly Exchange Integration (01:48:42)
Future Selling of Coins (01:49:44)
Saying Goodbye (01:50:13)

Graphics for this interview:

[Ucy]

The issue with others is that the temptation to give up power (which includes money) is too strong for them. It was actually a rigorous testing to know true "cyberpunks" or principled ones. Only very few survived (and will continue to survive) the testing or whatever is thrown at them.
To scale through the test you have to hold strongly to what is right for Bitcoin/crypto regardless of what happens to you. For example no amount of temptation should make you attempt to hijack Bitcoin and make yourself a king, with no one to question your decision whether right or wrong.
Fortunately,  Bitcoin has been hardened to scale through any takeover attempt.  It will remain strong and extremely difficult to capture. But it's not going to be so with most networks.


I do not believe a potential god protocol for the centralized world (the matrix) will be truely decentralized. Infact, it will never be. No one can question the authority of the developers or coders of the system whether good or bad. They will be made to just trust. The only solution is a parallel system based on good/fair rules that include permissionlessness, community consensus/governance, decentralization, transparency, immutablity, trustlessness, "proof-of-work", reputation etc.

Well, I think of this God protocol in the same way that I think about watches. The average person can't open them up to change parts or even put one together from scratch. But it tells the time in a much more efficient way than hourglasses or solar clocks. Plus, you can have a local watch repairman in every town to serve as the verifier of the protocol.

Since we are dealing with decentralization, it would be more reasonable to have transparent watch factories anyone could just walk into and watch/observe the watch makers and fixers make/fix watches, to verify and validate every of the activity. Everyone including the observers earn points for every issue successfully identified and fixed. Those with highest points could get the opportunity to fix/make the watches and be rewarded.
Or anyone could just review the watches before they get to the market/owners after manufacturing or fixing. The welldone ones would pass the reviews, and the makers get their points, while reviewers who identify issues also get theirs. The makers/repairers and reviewers get more future recommendations and patronage from society.


I think we could also need gaint clock with the most accurate time in the Community. It will be the standard for time in the Community. Anyone can contribute in making sure the time is accurate by maybe comparing with their individual watches, nature, and other means that agree together. Otherwise we could have issues of collusions by bad actors to make the time abit faster or slower both on the individual watches and the gaint clock.



This is the basics of Bitcoin principles

[Vlad BTCTKVR]

Bitcoin Takeover Podcast, S16 E4: John Light on ZK Tech to Scale Bitcoin & Make it Private

John Light is one of the individuals who popularized ZK rollups in the context of Bitcoin. Originally, this kind of layer two was designed for Ethereum by using Zcash tech for data compression and optional privacy. But thanks to his research, Bitcoin can also get optimistically verified rollups and sovereign rollups (both of which are defined and described on bitcoinrollups.io: https://www.bitcoinrollups.io/the-basics

Previously, John Light has appeared on the Bitcoin Takeover podcast as an independent researcher, in a group interview which also included Super Testnet and Alexey Zamyatin: https://youtu.be/N2AR0mMJMho?si=NBWDdxQBex9467X9

In the meantime, he has joined Alpen Labs as technical product manager and he's trying to turn all the research he's conducted into something that truly helps Bitcoin scale. In a nutshell, Alpen Labs (alongside other ZK rollup projects such as Citrea) is building a financial layer which enables more advanced smart contract features. Users will be able to issue and borrow stablecoins against their BTC, while every parameter is controlled by a user-defined contract. There is no institutional middleman, everything consists of code. Of course, many other use cases which already exist on Ethereum can get built on Bitcoin via ZK rollups. The best part about it is that this second layer inherits the security from Bitcoin's base layer – which technically makes transaction finality much more powerful than Ethereum's.

Throughout this interview, we also spoke about the power of BitVM and what Bitcoin maximalism is really about.

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/ac8hsqpZY-A?feature=share
Listen to the interview: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/index.php?name=2025-01-16_s16_e4_john_light_on_zk_rollups_bitvm_alpen_labs_strata_-_16.01.2025_18.07.mp3

This interview's time stamps:

Introducing John Light (00:00:50)
John's Work at Alpen Labs (00:01:35)
Strata: A New zk Optimistic Rollup (00:02:35)
Understanding BitVM (00:02:52)
BitVM 1 vs BitVM 2 (00:03:14)
Challenge and Response Mechanism to Prevent Cheating (00:05:03)
BitVM vs Lightning Network (00:06:19)
Security of BitVM 2 (00:07:26)
Soft Forks and BitVM (00:13:01)
Potential Improvements from Soft Forks (00:14:06)
Citrea vs. Strata ZK Rollup Tech (00:15:58)
Side Chains vs. Rollups (00:17:46)
Data Availability in Rollups (00:20:44)
Transaction Fees for Bitcoin Miners (00:23:19)
Token Requirement for Rollups (00:26:25)
Comparing Rollups to Counterparty (00:27:06)
Drivechains and Their Potential (00:29:35)
Focus on Rollups (00:30:49)
Data Availability Challenges (00:31:42)
Increasing Bitcoin Block Size (00:32:52)
Importance of Data Availability (00:33:19)
Block Size Limit Increase (00:36:02)
Layer Two Solutions (00:37:46)
Bitcoin Maximalism Defined (00:40:19)
Vitalik's Definition of Maximalism (00:41:33)
Personal Views on Altcoins (00:46:25)
Zcash vs. Monero (00:47:51)
Zcash's Privacy Advantages (00:50:36)
Temporary Nature of Altcoins (00:51:07)
Zcash as a Scientific Experiment (00:52:32)
Consolidation of Currencies (00:56:43)
Zcash's ZK Technology in Bitcoin (00:57:35)
Zcash vs. Shielded CSV (00:58:15)
Privacy in Rollups (00:59:44)
EVM’s Popularity (01:00:50)
Inspiration from Bitcoin Inscriptions (01:04:00)
Security of Bitcoin Holdings (01:17:37)
Full Node Projects and User Adoption (01:22:01)
BitSeed's Hardware Evolution (01:23:35)
Bitcoin Node Legislation (01:26:31)
Government Involvement in Bitcoin (01:27:08)
Concerns about Strategic Bitcoin Reserves (01:27:49)
Natural Evolution of Government Bitcoin Holdings (01:29:31)
Future of Bitcoin Development (01:30:28)
Incentives for Bitcoin Expansion (01:31:01)
Challenges of Bitcoin Solutions (01:32:36)
Product Management in Bitcoin Development (01:34:02)
User Enthusiasm for Layer Twos (01:36:16)
Potential for New Bitcoin Solutions (01:37:25)
Cultural Shift in Bitcoin Discussions (01:40:37)
Engagement in Technical Discussions (01:42:10)
Following John Light's Work (01:42:53)

Graphics for this interview:

[Vlad BTCTKVR]

Bitcoin Takeover Podcast, S16 E5: Reuben Yap on Firo & ZK Privacy

In 2013, two groundbreaking papers were presented in order to improve Bitcoin's privacy with Zero Knowledge Proofs: Zerocoin and Zerocash. After Bitcoin developers didn't want to adopt either of the soft fork proposals, in 2016 they were launched as stand-alone blockchains under the names of Zcoin and Zcash.

Reuben Yap is a co-founder of Firo, the modern and rebranded incarnation of Zcoin. After starting out with a trusted setup just like Zcash, the project finally found its own identity in 2021 with the release of the groundbreaking Lelantus protocol: a "burn and redeem" way to achieve privacy with high anonymity set for the transaction sender. What's interesting about Firo is that it enforces privacy by default, but also allows users to opt for transparent addresses (especially useful for exchanges). How does that compare to Zcash's ZK SNARKs, though? And why aren't the CoinJoins on Bitcoin good enough?

It's definitely an interesting interview which breaks the usual echo chamber (in Bitcoin, the privacy conversation usually revolves around CoinJoins, Lightning Network and Liquid) and explains what Bitcoin can still integrate to fix the lack of monetary fungibility.

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/-sKg3eeSvPw?si=EsmvevJI32bke_6R
Listen to the interview on your favorite audio streaming platform: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/index.php?name=2025-01-30_s16_e5_reuben_yap_on_firo_zk_privacy_research_-_16.01.2025_18.07_-_30.01.2025_02.33.mp3


Interview time stamps:
Introducing Reuben Yap (00:00:48)
Reuben's Article on Tribalism (00:01:35)
History of Privacy Proposals Zero Coin & Zero Cash (00:04:29)
Firo vs. Zcash (00:06:25)
Lelantus Protocol Explanation (00:10:47)
Testing and Integration of Privacy Features (00:17:33)
Challenges of Confidential Transactions (00:19:24)
Privacy Sacrifices in Scalability (00:22:53)
Introduction of CoinJoin (00:23:48)
Privacy Limitations of CoinJoin (00:25:27)
Regulatory Concerns for Mixing Services (00:28:42)
Confidential Transactions and Tracking (00:29:22)
Chainalysis and CoinJoin Analysis (00:29:43)
Trust in Cryptography vs. Arithmetic (00:30:43)
Evolution of Privacy Protocols (00:31:55)
Quantum Computing Threats (00:32:03)
Importance of Privacy Innovations (00:34:23)
Historical Context of Privacy Protocols (00:35:48)
Diversity in Cryptocurrency Solutions (00:36:42)
Acceptance of Experimental Protocols (00:39:49)
Funding and Development Challenges (00:40:47)
Bank Account Freeze and VPN Business (00:41:48)
Challenges with Privacy Perception (00:42:57)
War on Privacy (00:43:54)
Building for Financial Freedom (00:46:09)
Monero Purchase Anecdote (00:47:18)
History of Firo (00:52:00)
Founding and Initial Challenges (00:54:04)
Technical Issues at Launch (00:56:35)
Transition and Evolution (01:00:49)
Introduction to Zero Cash Protocol (01:01:59)
Rebranding from Zcoin to Firo (01:03:00)
Political Election on Firo’s Blockchain (01:04:03)
Transition to Spark Assets (01:06:17)
Comparison with Other Projects (01:07:17)
Innovations in DeFi (01:10:40)
MimbleWimble Extension Blocks (01:12:05)
Real-World Use Cases for Firo (01:20:23)
Discussion on Serving Privacy Needs (01:22:03)
Regulatory Challenges for Privacy Coins (01:23:00)
Defining Privacy Coins (01:23:39)
Regulatory Definitions and Arbitrary Distinctions (01:24:08)
Frustrations with Privacy Coin Classification (01:25:12)
Impact of Regulations on Exchanges (01:26:16)
Peer-to-Peer Solutions (01:28:32)
Compliance Burdens on Exchanges (01:29:15)
Monero's Approach to Regulations (01:31:36)
Negotiations with Binance (01:32:39)
Zcash's Response to Regulations (01:38:17)
Value of Diverse Approaches (01:40:20)
Decentralized Exchanges as a Solution (01:41:03)
Liquidity Challenges in Decentralized Swaps (01:43:24)
Innovations in Atomic Swaps (01:46:00)
Price Decline of Firo (01:48:08)
Reflections on Project Value and Longevity (01:57:50)
Building Through Market Cycles (01:59:22)
Lessons from the Canadian Trucker Protests (02:05:04)
First World Country Realities (02:06:17)
Risks in Privacy Development (02:08:17)
Dandelion++ Protocol Explanation (02:09:11)
Comparing Privacy Solutions (02:15:34)
ZK-STARKs (02:17:27)
Chinese New Year and Symbolism (02:20:57)
Ethereum Classic Development Controversy (02:22:08)
Hostile Environment in Crypto Development (02:23:11)
Future of Firo as a Bitcoin Rollup? (02:26:39)
Confidential Layer Collaboration (02:29:28)
Future Vision for Firo (02:34:31)
Elon Musk's Influence on Crypto (02:39:56)
Discussion on Michael Saylor's Influence (02:41:41)
Bitcoin as Digital Gold (02:42:13)
ETF Allegations and CoinJoin Fund (02:45:52)
John Dillon's Influence on CoinJoin & DarkWallet (02:46:35)
Ethical Considerations in Exploiting Bugs (02:49:57)
Amaury Sechet's Integrity (02:51:01)
Ecash and Alternative Protocols (02:52:20)           
Concerns Over Bitcoin's Security Model (02:54:20)
Covenants and Layer Two Systems (02:58:55)
Centralization in Altcoins (03:02:07)
Discussion on Taproot (03:02:12)
Ordinals and Stamps (03:04:20)
Confidential Transactions Impact (03:05:49)
Masternodes and Network Incentives (03:06:33)
Criticism of Masternodes (03:09:04)
Masternodes vs. Proof of Stake (03:10:03)
Evolving Perspectives on Proof of Work (03:20:32)
Proof of Stake vs. Hybrid Systems (03:22:51)
Masternodes and Rewards (03:23:47)
ASICs and Proof of Work (03:24:00)
Zooko and Zcash Origins (03:28:01)
Privacy Pools Explained (03:29:00)
User Experience Issues with Railgun (03:31:30)
Blacklists and Compliance (03:32:58)
CoinJoin and User Experience (03:34:32)
Lightning Network Experiences (03:38:05)
Comparative Privacy Technologies (03:46:06)
Rivalry between Wasabi and Samourai (03:49:01)
Privacy Technology and Centralization Issues (03:52:25)
Legal Precedents and Privacy (03:55:16)
Privacy Normalization vs. Criminality (04:02:42)
Challenges in Privacy Development (04:05:14)
Firo's Evolution and Name Changes (04:07:11)
Accessing Firo Without Exchanges (04:08:14)
Market Impact of the Interview (04:09:56)
Community Engagement and Follow-Up (04:10:33)
Closing Remarks and Gratitude (04:12:24)

Graphics:

[Vlad BTCTKVR]

Bitcoin Takeover Podcast, S16 E6: Super Testnet on Monero vs Lightning Privacy

Super Testnet is quite a character: one of the most colorful personalities around, and someone who's been building Bitcoin tools for many years. More recently, he started a campaign in which he's trying to prove that Lightning Network is much better than Monero when it comes to privacy (if used correctly, which most users don't). So I've invited him on my podcast to talk about his reasoning, which mostly revolves around the superior sender privacy: Monero's ring signatures, which use 16 decoys, are weaker in comparison with the onion-like routing system that can be found in Lightning. But there's also something to be said about the data being collected by validating nodes and the footprint that every transaction leaves: in Monero, it's obscured by cryptography that may or may not get cracked in the future; on Lightning, transaction history is stored by the parties involved in a transaction – while routing nodes can't know anything specific.

If you're on either side of the debate (Monero bull or Lightning enthusiast), you will definitely find an interesting point of view to learn. Also, if you don't know too much about the types of privacy involved in a Bitcoin transaction (sender, receiver, amount, network-level), then this is a great opportunity for you to learn!


Listen to the interview on your favorite streaming platform: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/index.php?name=2025-02-04_s16_e6_super_testnet_on_monero_vs_lightning_network_privacy_-_04.02.2025_20.16.mp3
Watch the interview on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/VlP6AjM28hY?feature=share

This interview's timestamps:

Introducing Super Testnet (00:00:48)
Lightning on Dark Web Markets (00:01:08)
Lightning Network Privacy Features (00:01:40)
Analysis of Sender and Receiver Privacy (00:02:02)
Onion Routing Explanation (00:03:07)
Invoice Privacy Comparison (00:04:36)
Transaction Visibility in Monero? (00:06:08)
Information Storage in Lightning (00:07:12)
Liquidity and Large Transactions (00:08:10)
Amount Privacy in Lightning (00:09:34)
Private Channels in Lightning (00:11:25)
Routing Nodes and Privacy (00:13:59)
How Monero Transactions Work (00:15:08)
Encryption Standards in Monero (00:16:01)
Recipient Privacy in Monero (00:17:54)
Privacy Tech (00:18:52)
Network Level Privacy (00:19:02)
Tor Usage in Lightning Network (00:19:44)
Routing Node Configuration (00:20:07)
Dandelion++ (00:21:00)
IP Address Association in Lightning (00:21:22)
Encryption in Lightning Transactions (00:22:50)
Monero's Network Privacy by Default (00:23:18)
Chainalysis Video Reference (00:23:40)
Remote Procedure Call Limitations (00:24:38)
Custodial Solutions and Privacy (00:26:31)
Privacy Advantages of Mints (00:28:08)
Full Chain Membership Proofs (00:29:53)
Encrypted Senders in Lightning (00:31:52)
Comparison with Zcash (00:32:30)
Barriers for Lightning Network Adoption (00:34:05)
Exploring XMR Bazaar (00:35:02)
SideShift (00:36:03)
Paul Sztorc's Core Untouched Soft Work (00:37:14)
Drivechains Activation (00:38:27)
Ossification of Bitcoin (00:41:09)
Concerns About Ossification (00:41:51)
ZK Rollups Discussion (00:42:35)
Citrea’s Zero Knowledge Proof Rollup (00:45:05)
Community Concerns on Lightning Network (00:48:34)
Chainalysis and Dandelion Protocol (00:50:23)
LSP and KYC Privacy Issues (00:52:39)
Receiver Privacy in Lightning Network (00:53:28)
Phoenix Wallet Setup (00:54:15)
Sender Privacy Concerns (00:55:30)
View Key and Monero (00:57:10)
Chainalysis and Lightning Network (01:02:08)
Monero Tracing Capabilities (01:06:01)
User Input Error in Privacy (01:07:02)
The Lightning Network vs. Monero Privacy (01:10:56)
Conference Plans in Romania (01:12:00)
Monero Payment Channel Network (01:14:36)
Full Chain Membership Proofs (01:15:21)
Lightning Network and Sender Encryption (01:15:32)
Stablecoins and Lightning Network (01:16:22)
Monero Transaction Validation (01:18:05)
Zero Knowledge Proofs in Monero (01:18:56)
Bitcoin's Zero Knowledge Rollups (01:20:31
Rollups and Bitcoin Scalability (01:21:04)
Trojan Horse Concept in Bitcoin (01:23:46)
Tornado Cash vs. Coinjoin (01:25:36)
Coin Pool on Bitcoin (01:27:34)
Darknet Market Listings (01:29:13)
Nostr and Classified Ads (01:29:34)
Privacy in Darknet Transactions (01:30:50)
Risks of Direct Payments (01:31:54)
Exploring Shopstr Listings (01:32:43)
Comparing Shopstr and XMR Bazaar (01:35:00)
Privacy Improvements in Shopstr (01:37:13)
Lightning Network Developments (01:44:42)
KYC and Banking Issues (01:48:24)
Introduction to Bank Privacy Issues (01:48:59)
Financial Regulations in Romania (01:49:48)
Advice on Relocation for Financial Privacy (01:50:12)
Intrusiveness of Banking Regulations (01:51:03)
Personal Experience with Banking Scrutiny (01:51:34)
Living Arrangements (01:52:13)
Lightning Network Implementations Privacy (01:53:16)
Privacy Implications of Lightning Wallets (01:54:03)
User-Friendliness of Lightning Wallets (01:54:57)
BOLT 12 and Privacy Claims (01:56:29)
Improvements in BOLT 12 (01:57:09)
Critique of BOLT 12's Privacy Features (01:59:30)
Super Testnet’s Current Projects and Work Focus (02:00:15)
Development of Mint Market Cap Tool (02:01:30)
Title Transfer App and State Chains (02:02:30)
Ensuring Security in State Chains (02:03:32)
Nostr Wallet Connect Protocol (02:04:26)
Creation of Faucet Generator (02:05:40)
Creating a Testnet (02:06:36)
State Chains Discussion (02:07:12)
Prediction Market Concept (02:08:14)
Project Backlog Overview (02:10:14)
Super Testnet’s Music Career (02:12:29)
Upcoming Conferences (02:14:39)
Coin Pools Advantages (02:15:41)
Planning Conference Attendance (02:17:25)
Workshops and Commitments (02:17:56)
Health and Fitness Journey (02:19:08)
Should Bitcoin Increase the Block Size? (02:20:13)
Soft Fork Proposal (02:21:04)
Market Value of Transactions (02:22:47)
Workshop Availability (02:24:02)
Social Media Presence (02:25:14)
Scams and Fake Accounts (02:26:02)
Social Engineering Tactics (02:26:39)
Money Requests Clarification (02:27:34)
Social Links and Resources (02:27:58)
Audience Engagement (02:28:28)
Closing Remarks (02:29:01)


Graphics:

[Vlad BTCTKVR]

Bitcoin Takeover Podcast, S16 E7: Michael Parenti (Exiled Surfer) on Bitcoin Politics

Michael Parenti, better known as Exiled Surfer, probably the bitcoiner with the richest and most fascinating life story. He grew up in Malibu next door to school mates Charlie Sheen and Sean Penn, had the privilege of seeing famous bands like Nirvana before they were cool and established acts like Led Zeppelin in their prime, met a bunch of celebrities in his daily life, and then witnessed the early days of the internet and the rise of electronic money.

Parenti worked at the Bitcoin Foundation and has lots of stories to tell about his idealistic days of believing that he's changing the world of money. He organized events and conferences in the Bitcoin space (mostly in Central Europe), and he's met some of the most brilliant and fascinating individuals in the space. In many ways, Michael Parenti is the ultimate roadie: the guy who went on tour with the rock stars, and then decided to hang out with the cypherpunks. At 62 years old, he's really lived life to its fullest and keeps on contributing to the culture — and it's been an honor to have him on my podcast for the record-breaking time of 8 hours, 10 minutes and 34 seconds!


Listen to the interview on your favorite streaming platform: https://bitcoin-takeover.com/audio/index.php?name=2025-02-14_s16_e7_michael_parenti_exiled_surfer_on_bitcoin_poliics_rock_n_roll_v2_-_14.02.2025_02.51.mp3

Watch the interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/hP_7sqvUOkQ?si=O3YMGbb_8A6sehKk

This interview's timestamps:

Intro (00:00:48)
Why Michael Is Exiled (00:01:54)
Mainstream Adoption (00:02:11)
Price Manipulation? (00:07:02)
Debate on Bitcoin's Future (00:10:03)
Ethereum as a Layer for Bitcoin (00:11:22)
Bitcoin's Limitations (00:14:30)
Government Surveillance and Compliance (00:16:21)
Michael's Personal Experience with the Government (00:19:22)
Reality of Government Power (00:21:21)
Citrea (00:22:44)
Room Mates at Pizza Day (00:24:34)
Networking at Paralelni Polis (00:26:02)
Ethereum as a Sidechain with WBTC (00:28:16)
Bitcoin Foundation Experiences (00:32:06)
Concerns Over Bitcoin's Direction (00:35:17)
New York Agreement (00:37:28)
Lightning Network & Disappointment (00:41:10)
Bitcoin's Value and Community (00:45:13)
Layer Two Labs and Bitcoin Maximalism (00:47:23)
Challenges of Rootstock (00:52:17)
Blockstream & Fear of Change (00:54:23)
Incentives and Bitcoin's Stagnation (00:57:31)
Self-Custody Challenges (01:00:38)
Satoshi's Naivety (01:05:19)
Zcash Is Satoshi’s Vision (01:07:28)
Historical Context of Bitcoin (01:12:10)
Mt. Gox and Early Exchanges (01:14:55)
Vitalik Buterin's Contributions (01:16:36)
Toxicity in Bitcoin Development (01:18:35)
Legal Uncertainty in Bitcoin (01:22:00)
Ethereum's Development Model (01:24:19)
Bitcoin's Future and Upgrades (01:29:09)
SideShift (01:30:35)
NoOnes (01:32:28)
Dysfunction of Bitcoin Communities (01:34:06)
Bitcoin Foundation: The Good, The Bad, The Corruption (01:35:36)
Social Media's Role in Bitcoin's Evolution (02:01:10)
Wikileaks and Bitcoin Intersection (02:02:09)
Early Bitcoin Community Dynamics (02:04:20)
Cypherpunks Mailing List Involvement (02:05:03)
Wikileaks and Decentralized Media (02:06:45)
Bitcoin as a Response to Financial Blockades (02:12:34)
Transition to Bitcoin Foundation (02:15:55)
Reflections on Bitcoin's Growth (02:18:08)
Community Dynamics Across Cryptocurrencies (02:20:42)
Samson Mow (02:23:28)
Inflation and Daily Costs (02:27:00)
Crisis of Conscience (02:28:56)
Leaving Paralelni Polis and Event Fatigue (02:29:49)
Celebrity Encounters in Malibu (02:30:36)
Transition from Bitcoin to Ethereum (02:39:02)
Music Journalism, Television & Editing (02:43:24)
Crypto's Emergence (02:48:54)
The Evolution of Crypto Communities (02:52:27)
Government and Capital Accumulation (02:53:28)
Bitcoin's Role in the Future (02:56:58)
Critique of Stablecoins (03:02:37)
The Need for Multiple Cryptocurrencies (03:03:57)
The Absurdity of Bitcoin Narratives (03:05:02)
The Toxicity of Crypto Tribes (03:09:25)
Disillusionment with Cryptocurrency (03:20:43)
The Future of Bitcoin (03:24:05)
The Death of the American Empire, Climate Change & Economic Realities (03:25:19)
Disruption and Change (03:31:05)
Discussion on Realpolitik (03:34:00)
Julian Assange's Impact (03:34:56)
Podconf (03:36:10)
Future of Bitcoin Forks (03:38:10)
Redistribution of Satoshi's Coins (03:39:53)
Privacy Magazine (03:43:17)
Is Peter Todd Satoshi Nakamoto? (03:43:50)
Identifying Satoshi (03:46:22)
Early Bitcoin Experience (04:03:09)
MultiBit Wallet (04:04:41)
Advice to Younger Self (04:05:25)
Bitcoin Foundation Today (04:06:00)
Memes and Education (04:12:24)
Influence on Ethereum Community (04:15:50)
Regrets About NFTs (04:18:09)
Personal Aspirations vs. Wealth (04:23:18)
Trust Fund Kids in Los Angeles (04:24:50)
Nabila Yacht DJing (04:27:51)
Classic Cars vs. Luxury Vehicles (04:28:49)
Selling Family Heirlooms (04:34:07)
Being Neighbors with Mick Fleetwood and Chris Carter (04:34:40)
Disinterest in AI (04:36:43)
Focus on Privacy Tech (04:39:39)
Concerns About Universal Basic Income (04:41:55)
Geopolitical Implications of Technology (04:44:23)
Fascination with Physics (04:51:00)
Optimism for the Future & Aging (04:54:00)
Cultural Nostalgia (04:58:00)
MUSIC STUFF (05:00:00)
Opportunities in the Internet Age (05:05:05)
Historical Perspective on Human Advancement & Optimism (05:10:20)                                             
Current State of Layer Two Solutions (05:16:30)
Concerns about Bitcoin's Transaction Fees (05:19:27)
Future of Decentralized Exchanges (05:22:39)
Incentives for Bitcoin Holders (05:24:49)
Bringing Use Cases to Bitcoin (05:27:17)
Impact of Other Blockchains on Bitcoin (05:29:43)
Gold vs. Bitcoin Narrative (05:31:16)
Physical Gold Demand (05:34:00)
Lexus or Supra? (05:36:37)
Bitcoin Flipping Gold? (05:37:30)
Privacy Conference Planning (05:44:02)
Live Viewership Metrics (06:09:09)
Bob Dylan (06:12:45)
Tom Petty Anecdote (06:19:09)
Nirvana in Vienna (06:26:37)
Desert Sessions (06:28:17)
Early ZZ Top Albums (06:29:06)
Stevie Ray Vaughan (06:31:11)
Chess Records and Iconic Artists (06:31:44)
Meeting Little Richard (06:32:50)
Video Production Beginnings (06:32:50)
Gary Busey’s Music (06:35:04)
Malibu Music Scene (06:36:23)
The Doors Film Project (06:37:42)
Meeting Robin Williams in Acting Class (06:41:00)
Oingo Boingo and Danny Elfman (06:43:17)
Decline of Western Civilization (06:45:52)
Managing the Surf Punks (06:46:16)
Fear and Punk Scene (06:47:09)
Ramones Concert Experience (06:50:27)
Talking Heads and Ramones (06:51:03)
David Bowie’s Influence (06:52:40)
A Teenage Adventure with Led Zeppelin (06:54:07)
David Lee Roth in Hollywood (07:04:39)
Pink Floyd Tour Experience (07:10:47)
Record-Breaking Podcast (07:12:02)
First Big Concert Experience (07:14:47)
Introduction to Hip Hop (07:17:08)
Family's Music Background (07:22:21)
Meeting Donald Fagen of Steely Dan (07:26:38)
David Bowie Records (07:30:46)
Critique of Modern Music (07:38:13)
Music Journalism Experience (07:41:19)
Bitcoin Takeover Podcast Theme Song (07:41:59)
Girlfriend's Comment (07:43:11)
Regret Over 1965 Fender Twin Reverb (07:43:28)
Mesa Boogie Story (07:44:31)
Promotions (07:49:24)
Proof of Work Summit (07:50:05)
Difficult Questions at Conferences (08:00:06)
Experience in Music Journalism (08:01:29)
Cultural Judgment and Values (08:02:00)
Observations on Events (08:02:35)
Podcast Purpose (08:03:02)
American Exceptionalism (08:03:52)
Interpersonal Interactions (08:04:06)
Personal Growth and Change (08:04:40)
Tribalism and Online Culture (08:05:04)
Decentralization and Freedom (08:06:56)
Critique of Monero Community (08:08:00)
Record Podcast Duration (08:09:44)



Graphics: