There is a lot of hype surrounding blockchain1, ICOs, crypto assets, etc. You can find thousands of articles on distributed ledger technology and its potential applications.
As usual, the quality of these pieces varies greatly. Few are worth your time. Below are some links to explanations that I found useful.
If you’re new to blockchain, you’ll like David Andolfatto’s Why the Blockchain should be familiar to you. He does a good job introducing the idea behind the technology. And it’s a short read.
In WTF is the Blockchain?, Mohit Mamoria explains the technology behind blockchain with pictures and examples. It’s a great post for people that are not afraid of technical details.
Oscar Torson discusses the nature of the “money” that start-ups sell during initial coin offerings (ICOs) in That thing about ICOs and monetary systems. This post is probably best suited if you’re already interested in banking and economics.
Adam Ludwin compares decentralized applications to current software models in A letter to Jamie Dimon. The article is rather long. To get to the conclusions, search for “bottom line”.
If you have a lot of time and you like podcasts, you should check out the conversation between Nick Szabo, Naval Ravikant and Tim Ferriss. They discuss a range of crypto/smart contract related topics.
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If you’re having a blockchain overdose, you might be interested in Bankers are people, too. My book doesn’t mention blockchain.
- The cult-like belief in blockchain is probably best illustrated by this title: Why everyone missed the most important invention in the last 500 years.