Support the show, consider donating: BTC: 1LvYWeH6kxhq3o99yNRRedyMufroWkAMkk (http://bit.ly/2pDNES7) ETH: 0x8cdb49ca5103Ce06717C4daBBFD4857183f50935 (http://bit.ly/2pEUs2f) Naming systems are an important component of any networked information system. It's difficult to imagine how the Internet could have been adopted by the masses had it not been for the Domain Name System, which translates machine-readable IP addresses into human-readable domain names. Blockchains, with their long and complex address formats, suffer from a similar problem. One might think a solution would be to apply the same naming system architecture we have for the public Internet to public blockchains. But DNS, in the eyes of many, is a largely flawed system. Centrally controlled by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Internet domain names are vulnerable to censorship and barriers to entry are kept artificially high – registering a new Top Level Domain (ex: .epicenter) costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. We're joined by Alex Van de Sande and Nick Johnson to discuss their approach to creating an open, secure and decentralized naming system for the Ethereum Network. The Ethereum Naming System (ENS) allows users to register .eth domain names, which can be used in supporting Ethereum wallets and clients. Names are reserved by placing a deposit in a smart contract and can be mapped to any Ethereum addresses. So rather than sending funds to 0x8cd...0935, one would simply need to type a memorable name like epicenter.eth into their wallet. Backed by the Ethereum Foundation, ENS will likely become the defacto standard for name registration in Ethereum. Topics discussed in this episode: - Alex and Nick's respective backgrounds and roles in the Ethereum Foundation - How the Internet's Domain Name System works - The problems and pain points with DNS and how it is governed today - What is ENS and what problems it is addressing - The ENS auction system and how names are registered - The different parties involved in ENS - ENS's technical architecture and governing smart contract - The current governance model of ENS and future plans for increased decentralization of governance - ENS's economic model and technical roadmap Links mentioned in this episode: - Ethereum Name Service: https://ens.domains - ENS Registrar: http://registrar.ens.domains/ - ENS Github Project: https://github.com/ethereum/ens/ - ENS Gitter Channel: https://gitter.im/ethereum/go-ethereum/name-registry - ENS Twitter Bot: https://twitter.com/EnsBot Sponsors: - Ledger: Smart card security for your Bitcoins - Get 10% off your first order when you use the code EPICENTER - http://ledgerwallet.com - Jaxx: Wallets that Unify the Blockchain Experience Across Devices - http://jaxx.io This episode is also available on : - Epicenter.tv: https://epicenter.tv/183 - YouTube: http://youtu.be/rBx5UPzF68w - Souncloud: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/eb-183 Watch or listen, Epicenter is available wherever you get your podcasts. Epicenter is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.

Support the show, consider donating: 1HK9HmWCTVvA6hH6nVQ33fycbU5ZrEFgwf (http://bit.ly/2huTEdi) Few crypto projects have gotten as much attention and caused as much controversy as Steem. The blockchain-based social media platform launched early this year and managed to gain real user traction building up a vibrant community of contributors. The Steem token quickly entered bubble territory reaching a market cap of almost $400m and losing 90% of its value since. Steem Co-Founder and CEO Ned Scott joined us to discuss the ambition of the project and its short tumultous history. We also discussed some of the accusations against Steem and its unorthodox launch. Topics discussed in this episode: - How Steem was launched out of the BitShares community - The different components and tokens of the Steem system - How Steem rewards content contributors - The controversial Steem launch and criticisms of the project - Why Steem transitioned from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake - The potential disbalance of power due to the Steem distribution - How Steem managed to build a vibrant user community Links mentioned in this episode: - Steem Website: https://steem.io/ - Steemit.com: https://steemit.com/ - Why Every Blockchain Needs a Constitution: https://steemit.com/blockchain/@dan/why-every-blockchain-needs-a-constitution - Charlie Shrem Article on Steem Launch: https://steemit.com/steem/@charlieshrem/was-the-launch-of-steem-a-scam-or-the-only-legal-way-thoughts-on-steem-by-charlie-shrem-a-week-later - The History of Steem Launch in Words of Dan Larimer: https://steemit.com/steem/@joseph/the-history-of-steem-steemit-launch-in-the-words-of-dan-larimer-from-the-early-launch-days - Bitcoin Talk Thread on Steem Launch: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1427230.0 - Bitcoin Stackexchange: What is Steem?: http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/46007/what-is-steem-and-steemit Sponsors: - Ledger: Smart card security for your Bitcoins - Get 10% off your first order when you use the code EPICENTER - http://ledgerwallet.com - Jaxx: Wallets that Unify the Blockchain Experience Across Devices - http://jaxx.io This episode is also available on : - Epicenter.tv: https://epicenter.tv/162 - YouTube: http://youtu.be/gg_MHqXa4yI - Souncloud: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/eb-162 Watch or listen, Epicenter is available wherever you get your podcasts. Epicenter is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain, Sébastien Couture & Meher Roy.

I caught up with Jamie Burke and Aron van Ammers, who are exploring a really cool direction - credit unions built using smart contracts. Credit Unions are organisations that match borrowers and lenders that have some level of mutual trust - for example connecting alumni of a university who have liquidity with current students needing liquidity (loans). We explore how smart contracts could enable the next generation of credit unions through themes such as: Current challenges with credit unions - underutilisation of capital, governance challenges. Advantages of moving to a smart contract architecture. Participants and design of money circle. Potential challenges with the idea. The team behind Money Circles. Check out the video to get an appreciation of how global jurisdiction independent blockchains and smart contracts could enable normal people to better achieve their financial aims and build a better society. - Visit our website: http://epicenterbitcoin.com - Subscribe to the podcast: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/ - Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/epicenterbtc

Crypto-enthusiasts must have chanced across the concept of the DApp browser - software that enables regular users to interact with Decentralised applications. Some people describe them as the equivalent of skin to the muscle and skeleton of Ethereum. I caught up with Aaron Davis, also known as Kumavis, who is developing Metamask, an extension that transforms a normal browser into a dapp browser. Topics covered include: What exactly is a Dapp browser and why do we need one? What components does a Dapp browser have? The aims and current status of the Metamask project. Differences between Metamask and Mist, the ‘official’ Ethereum Dapp browser. Check out the video if you’ve been confused about what Dapp browsers are or want to understand the future user interface to Decentralised applications. Links: Metamask website: https://metamask.io/ - Visit our website: http://epicenterbitcoin.com - Subscribe to the podcast: http://soundcloud.com/epicenterbitcoin/ - Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/epicenterbtc