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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

Hard Forks, Soft Forks, Defaults and Coercion

One of the important arguments in the blockchain space is that of whether hard forks or soft forks are the preferred protocol upgrade mechanism. The basic difference between the two is that soft forks change the rules of a protocol by strictly reducing the set of transactions that is valid, so nodes following the old rules will still get on the new chain (provided that the majority of miners/validators implements the fork), whereas hard forks allow previously invalid transactions and blocks to become valid, so clients must upgrade their clients

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

Francisco Motors and HDEX Announce Groundbreaking Partnership in The Hydrogen Sector.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MANILLA, PHILIPPINES JANUARY10, 2024 - HDEX and eFrancisco Motor Corporation proudly unveil a transformative alliance that will reshape the hydrogen landscape. This strategic partnership will harmonize with the distinctive business goals of both entities, offering a dynamic framework that allows for growth and innovation. Expressing enthusiasm about this groundbreaking collaboration, Aron Dutta Chairman of HDEX remarked, “This partnership marks a significant leap. We are confident that our combined strengths will propel us towards sustainable growth.” Elmer Francisco, CEO of eFrancisco Motor Corporation said, “We do not see

The Tightrope of Regulation

In a significant move at the recent G20 meeting in India, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Financial Stability Board (FSB) released a joint paper outlining a framework for the global regulation of cryptocurrencies. While the proposals mostly tread familiar territory, what’s new is their conviction in crypto’s unstoppable growth and success. A flurry of optimism greeted the G20’s endorsement of the report because it advocates that countries don’t ban crypto. Hidden in its text, however, are some worrying signs. For example, on the first page, they state, “Widespread

TruthGPT A Revolutionary Language Model Set to Change the Game

In recent years, natural language processing (NLP) has become a buzzword in the world of technology. With the increasing demand for AI-powered chatbots, virtual assistants, and content creation tools, companies are investing heavily in developing more advanced NLP systems. However, with the help of TruthGPT, the future may offer some light on the capabilities of biased AI models, despite their ability to sow social discontent, promote cultural differences, and create barriers around a more friendly and inviting globalized civic society. The Fate So Far: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots