Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies Course

[pilscoop]

Coursera launched this course a couple of weeks ago, you can still sign up for it.

https://coursera.org/course/bitcointech

COURSE CONTENT:

Intro to Crypto and Cryptocurrencies
Cryptographic Hash Functions
Hash Pointers and Data Structures
Digital Signatures
Public Keys as Identities
Simple Cryptocurrencies

How Bitcoin Achieves Decentralization
Centralization vs. decentralization
Distributed consensus
Consensus without identity: the block chain
Incentives and proof of work
Putting it all together

Mechanics of Bitcoin
Bitcoin transactions
Bitcoin scripts
Applications of Bitcoin scripts
Bitcoin blocks
The Bitcoin network
Limitations & improvements

How to Store and Use Bitcoins
Simple Local Storage
How to Store and Use Bitcoins
Secret Keys
Hot and Cold Storage
Splitting and Sharing Keys
Online Wallets and Exchanges
Payment Services
Transaction Fees
Currency Exchange Markets

Bitcoin mining
The task of Bitcoin miners
Mining hardware
Energy consumption & ecology
Mining pools
Mining incentives and strategies

Bitcoin and anonymity
Anonymity basics
Overview of Bitcoin deanonymization
Mixing
Decentralized mixing
Zerocoin and Zerocash
Tor and the Silk Road

Community, Politics, and Regulation
Consensus in Bitcoin
Bitcoin Core Software
Stakeholders : Who’s in Charge?
Roots of Bitcoin
Governments Notice Bitcoin
Anti Money-Laundering Regulation
New York’s BitLicense Proposal

Alternative Mining Puzzles
Essential Puzzle Requirements
ASIC Resistant Puzzles
Proof-of-useful-work
Nonoutsourceable Puzzles
Proof-of-Stake

Bitcoin as a platform
Bitcoin as an append-only log
Bitcoins as “smart property”
Secure multi-party lotteries in Bitcoin
Bitcoin as randomness source
Prediction markets & real-world data feeds

Altcoins and the Cryptocurrency Ecosystem
Short History of Altcoins
Interaction between Bitcoin and altcoins
Lifecycle of an Altcoin
Bitcoin-Backed Altcoins, “Side Chains”

The future of Bitcoin?
The block chain as a vehicle for decentralization
Routes to decentralization
What can we decentralize?
When is decentralization a good idea?

[CryptoTrout]

To anyone skeptical, just sign up.  It is free and the videos are great at explaining how each component of Bitcoin works to create a decentralized ledger system.

[gentlemand]

How effective is it at informing the technically disabled? Does it lay it out very clearly or does it assume a fair dose of knowledge already?

[CryptoTrout]

How effective is it at informing the technically disabled? Does it lay it out very clearly or does it assume a fair dose of knowledge already?

It is fairly technical but the lectures introduce one aspect at a time then build on it.  I had to watch a couple videos more than once, but they seem to get easier and easier after the first set of videos.  Also, you have 99 chances to pass each quiz so there is literally no risk in signing up.  If you don't care for the certification you can just sign up to download all the lectures then watch them at your own pace. 

[Possum577]

Let's make sure we're giving credit where it's due. The course is offered by the Princeton University (yes, Princeton). Coursera plays a huge role in making it free and Princeton is the caliber of the education...pretty sweet.

https://www.coursera.org/course/bitcointech

Similar courses are offered by Stanford and MIT, but those aren't free! 

[addy boy]

these course are very useful for me thanx for providing these courses about bitcoin i search hardly on net but i did not find these type of course that you provide.some sites take fee to teach these type of course but you provide free thanx for this from these course i gain some useful knowledge about bitcoin and i aslo know how to secure my wallet from these courses

[Mickeyb]

I must say that these are great courses. I have seen couple of them and I have even learned something new thing. I will definitely watch them all.

These can also come up as a great educational videos for the people that you are trying to introduce Bitcoin to. I will probably download them as well so I can forward them to all the people that show interest in learning.

[Ceizer54]

Do you have cource which tells the very important part of how to earn some bitcoins because i am not finding any reliable way of earning bitcoins online instead of just buying them and storing them?

[chennan]

Do you have cource which tells the very important part of how to earn some bitcoins because i am not finding any reliable way of earning bitcoins online instead of just buying them and storing them?

If you are looking for some get "rich" quick scheme, or some website that gives out a lot of bitcoin for free... there are none.  Best ways to earn bitcoins are going to be through offering a service, selling some product, or in this case on bitcointalk, through signature campaigns... other than that, there are riskier ways to earn... but if you want to "earn" bitcoins you would have to provide some type of service or good.

[Blawpaw]

Coursera launched this course a couple of weeks ago, you can still sign up for it.

https://coursera.org/course/bitcointech

COURSE CONTENT:

Intro to Crypto and Cryptocurrencies
Cryptographic Hash Functions
Hash Pointers and Data Structures
Digital Signatures
Public Keys as Identities
Simple Cryptocurrencies

How Bitcoin Achieves Decentralization
Centralization vs. decentralization
Distributed consensus
Consensus without identity: the block chain
Incentives and proof of work
Putting it all together

Mechanics of Bitcoin
Bitcoin transactions
Bitcoin scripts
Applications of Bitcoin scripts
Bitcoin blocks
The Bitcoin network
Limitations & improvements

How to Store and Use Bitcoins
Simple Local Storage
How to Store and Use Bitcoins
Secret Keys
Hot and Cold Storage
Splitting and Sharing Keys
Online Wallets and Exchanges
Payment Services
Transaction Fees
Currency Exchange Markets

Bitcoin mining
The task of Bitcoin miners
Mining hardware
Energy consumption & ecology
Mining pools
Mining incentives and strategies

Bitcoin and anonymity
Anonymity basics
Overview of Bitcoin deanonymization
Mixing
Decentralized mixing
Zerocoin and Zerocash
Tor and the Silk Road

Community, Politics, and Regulation
Consensus in Bitcoin
Bitcoin Core Software
Stakeholders : Who’s in Charge?
Roots of Bitcoin
Governments Notice Bitcoin
Anti Money-Laundering Regulation
New York’s BitLicense Proposal

Alternative Mining Puzzles
Essential Puzzle Requirements
ASIC Resistant Puzzles
Proof-of-useful-work
Nonoutsourceable Puzzles
Proof-of-Stake

Bitcoin as a platform
Bitcoin as an append-only log
Bitcoins as “smart property”
Secure multi-party lotteries in Bitcoin
Bitcoin as randomness source
Prediction markets & real-world data feeds

Altcoins and the Cryptocurrency Ecosystem
Short History of Altcoins
Interaction between Bitcoin and altcoins
Lifecycle of an Altcoin
Bitcoin-Backed Altcoins, “Side Chains”

The future of Bitcoin?
The block chain as a vehicle for decentralization
Routes to decentralization
What can we decentralize?
When is decentralization a good idea?

I'm actually doing this one !

The world of tomorrow will need people with digital currency expertise. This is the perfect opportunity for those who already have that expertise to become certified.