Tag: # BlockChain

A blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks, that are linked together using cryptography. It’s also described as a “trustless and fully decentralized peer-to-peer immutable data storage” that is spread over a network of participants often referred to as nodes.Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data (generally represented as a Merkle tree). The timestamp proves that the transaction data existed when the block was published in order to get into its hash. As blocks each contain information about the block previous to it, they form a chain, with each additional block reinforcing the ones before it. Therefore, blockchains are resistant to modification of their data because once recorded, the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without altering all subsequent blocks.

International payment using the radio waves

In a first, Bitcoin developers have done something amazing amid the criticism over the lightning network and issues associated with it. A team of developers has made an international payment using the radio waves on the lightning network.

Rodolfo Novak, the co-founder of the startup CoinKite sent out a Bitcoin transaction to Bloomberg columnist Elaine Ou from Toronto Canada to San Francisco, California. The current feat is quite remarkable given how dependent our current system of banking is on the internet. So, under the circumstances of an Internet shut down, you can still send or receive Bitcoin using the radio waves

With 🧡

Bitcoin White Paper turn 15

Bitcoin white paper turns 15 and the Legacy of Satoshi Nakamoto lives on.

“I’ve been working on a new electronic cash system that’s fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party,” Satoshi Oct. 31, 2008.

Satoshi’s email notifying other CypherPunks about the release of the Bitcoin white paper. Source: Satoshi Nakamoto Institute

The white paper was proposing a decentralized system that could facilitate peer-to-peer transactions, which could solve the “double spending” problem often associated with digital currency.

This was achieved via a network of nodes to validate and record transactions through a proof-of-work consensus mechanism, launching just two months later on Jan. 3, 2009.

How Bitcoin was brought to life

Satoshi’s computer science breakthrough came on the back of other impressive developments in the cryptography and e-money spaces.

The first reference cited in the Bitcoin white paper is Wei Dai’s invention of B-money, an electronic peer-to-peer cash system that never launched but nonetheless played a key role in Satoshi’s plans for Bitcoin.

Like Bitcoin, B-money proposed that participants in the system maintain a database of account balances, which keep track of the ownership of money.

Transactions would be initiated and completed by a broadcast message to all participants, which would update the account balances of those involved in a specific transaction.

In many ways, it could be seen as a precursor to the nodes of Bitcoin’s protocol, which keep a record of the constantly growing blockchain.

This process requires proof-of-work, a form of cryptographic proof in which one party proves to others that a certain amount of a specific computational effort has been expended.

Satoshi implemented this into Bitcoin, citing Adam Back’s invention of Hashcash in 1997, which incorporated proof-of-work to limit email spam and denial-of-service attacks.

The Cypherpunks and Fathers of Bitcoin

• Hal Finney: Reusable PoW
• Adam Back: Hashcash
• Wei Dai: B-money
• David Chaum: DigiCash
• Nick Szabo: BitGold
• Phil Zimmermann: PGP
• Bram Cohen: BitTorrent
• Tim May: Crypto Anarchist Manifesto

With 🧡

The First Step

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Lao Tzu

The First step …🤔🙄🤔 Brings me back on the memory lane… In the ancient times of 2011, when I read for the first time about this BitCorn thing…

Then, I read the WhitePaper… As much or little as I understood at the time, I had a strange Sehnsucht about it and went down the proverbial rabbit hole…

Only to discover with amazement and dismay… It’s the Moria’s Mines down here…

That’s why it’s called a DYOR universe !!!

You need to Do Your Own Research folks !

It’s the only way for an Sovereign citizen !!!

Yours trully Free Spirit

Bitcoin Tree

Plant the Seed.
Make the tree grow!
You'll never enjoy it's shadow!
But you joice knowing the next generations to come,
Will thrive under it's Legacy...

Best P2P exchange to buy/sell Bitcoin

What are Peer-to-Peer Cryptocurrency Exchanges?

P2P crypto exchanges simply remove the middlemen, the core strength of Bitcoin’s design. Allowing users to buy/sell directly with each other without any trusted third-party to help carrying out transactions.

It is this 🤓 miners strong believe and best practice that privacy and security matter, then P2P exchanges will likely be a better option than the regular exchanges for handling your cryptocurrency!

Peer-to-peer bitcoin exchanges offer anonymous ways to buy and sell Bitcoin with a wide range of payment methods.


It’s no surprise that the P2P marketplaces have grown considerably in recent years.

“Bitcoin Accepted Here” Map

The Map

https://btcmap.org/

About Us

BTC Map is a free and open source project powered by volunteer bitcoiners and bitcoin-friendly merchants around the world.
Merchants

Merchants are at the heart of BTC Map. These businesses are front-running the paradigm change and positioning themselves for continued success.

Any merchant who accepts bitcoin can be listed on BTC Map.
Communities

Bitcoin communities help drive global adoption by onboarding new users locally!
Integrations

COMMUNITY INTEGRATIONS

Projects using BTC Map:
PROJECT INTEGRATIONS

BTC Map uses these projects:
Contributors

Anybody can contribute to BTC Map in many different ways. If you would like to get involved please don't hesitate and come join the fun!
Core Team

Nathan Day

Nathan is a tech entrepreneur turned pleb-at-large. He brought the core team together to accelerate app development. Having built, sold, invested in and advised tech businesses over the years he is now focused on bitcoin, building BTCMap.org, gamertron.net and delivering bitcoin education for kids.

Igor is a long time bitcoiner, mapper, and digital nomad living abroad. He created BTC Map as an Android application and the project has since gained worldwide momentum from there. He now also maintains all of the backend infrastructure for the project.

A self-taught Web Developer, secondl1ght dove head first down the bitcoin rabbit hole and left his fiat career to focus on bitcoin development full-time. He created and maintains the BTC Map web application and works on lightning network tools at Amboss Technologies.

Karnage is the lead designer on the web app and created the BTC Map brand. He has contributed to many high profile bitcoin open source projects. His mission is to help startup founders succeed and creates products to achieve this goal. Pixel-perfect product design every time. Get it shipped.
All credit and Kudos goes to :

https://btcmap.org/

We’re on a mission to help Bitcoiners easily find places to spend sats.

Useful Links:

  • International payment using the radio waves
    In a first, Bitcoin developers have done something amazing amid the criticism over the lightning network and issues associated with it. A team of developers has made an international payment using the radio waves on the lightning network. Rodolfo Novak, the co-founder of the startup CoinKite sent out a Bitcoin transaction to Bloomberg columnist Elaine … Continue reading International payment using the radio waves →
  • Happy New Year !!!!
    Happy New Year!May the coming year be full of grand adventures , peace, prosperity and opportunities.Dream big and make the most of 2024!
  • Discipline Quotes
    My inspiration for this page was given to me by my new aquired friend, a fellow Truth Seeker – Joris and to whom I dedicate this page… Wish you… as well as to all my readers, to find a sparkle of wisdom in these quotes, that shall illuminate your path/s…. Always in my heart and … Continue reading Discipline Quotes →
  • Merry Christmass and A Happpy New Year to all
    To all my readers from the bottom of my heart I wish you Happy Holiday among family and friends, a jolly Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and may 2024 bring you all what you strive and work for so hard! Yours truly, Free Spirit with Joy & Love
  • Bitcoin White Paper turn 15
    Bitcoin white paper turns 15 and the Legacy of Satoshi Nakamoto lives on. “I’ve been working on a new electronic cash system that’s fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party,” Satoshi Oct. 31, 2008. The white paper was proposing a decentralized system that could facilitate peer-to-peer transactions, which could solve the “double spending” problem often … Continue reading Bitcoin White Paper turn 15 →

CypherPunk Movement

THE CYPHERPUNK MOVEMENT

Let’s make a journey back in time to see where blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies came from. It will take us back to the CypherPunk Movement starting in the 1970’s.

Cryptography for the People

Encryption was primarily used for military purposes before the 1970s. People at that time were living in an analog world. Few had computers and even fewer could imagine a technology that would connect almost every human being on the planet – the internet.

Two publications brought cryptography into the open, namely the “Data Encryption Standard” published by the US Government, and a paper called “New Directions in Cryptography” by Dr. Whitfield Diffie and Dr. Martin Hellman, published in 1976.

Dr. David Chaum started writing on topics such as anonymous digital cash and pseudonymous reputation systems in the 1980s, such as the ones described in “Security without Identification: Transaction Systems to make Big Brother Obsolete”. This was the first step toward the digital currencies we see today.

The Cypherpunks

We walk on shoulders of Giants!
Hughes, May, Back, Finney, Gilmore, Szabo

It wasn’t until 1992 that a group of cryptographers in the San Francisco Bay area started meeting up on a regular basis to discuss their work and related ideas. They built a basis for years of cryptographic research to come.

Besides their regular meetings, they also started the Cypherpunk mailing list in which they discussed many ideas including those which led to the birth of Bitcoin.

In late 1992 Eric Hughes, one of the first cypherpunks, wrote “A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto” laying out the ideals and vision of the movement.

Note: We encourage you to read A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto. The Manifesto is just as relevant today as it was in 1992. This short read takes only a few minutes of your time. It’s astonishing to see how much foresight the early members had when most people didn’t even think about computers yet.

A Cypherpunks’s Manifesto

An excerpt from the Manifesto:

“Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age.

Privacy is not secrecy.

A private matter is something one doesn’t want the whole world to know, but a secret matter is something one doesn’t want anybody to know.

Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world.”

“Privacy in an open society also requires cryptography.

If I say something, I want it heard only by those for whom I intend it.

If the content of my speech is available to the world, I have no privacy.

To encrypt is to indicate the desire for privacy, and to encrypt with weak cryptography is to indicate not too much desire for privacy.”

“We must defend our own privacy if we expect to have any.

We must come together and create systems which allow anonymous transactions to take place.

People have been defending their own privacy for centuries with whispers, darkness, envelopes, closed doors, secret handshakes, and couriers.

The technologies of the past did not allow for strong privacy, but electronic technologies do.”

“We the Cypherpunks are dedicated to building anonymous systems.

We are defending our privacy with cryptography, with anonymous mail forwarding systems, with digital signatures, and with electronic money.”

Electronic Cash

Although you might have just heard about this movement for the first time, you have most definitely benefitted from the efforts of some of their members in building Tor, BitTorrent, SSL, and PGP encryption. It should not surprise you that many concepts and ideas that originated from this group led to the emergence of cryptocurrencies.

In 1997, Dr. Adam Back created HashCash, which he proposed as a measure against spam. A little later, in 1998, Wei Dai published his idea for b-money and conceived the ideas of Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake to achieve consensus across a distributed network. In 2005 Nick Szabo published a proposal for Bit Gold. There was no cap on the maximum supply but he introduced the idea to value each unit of Bit Gold by the amount of computational work that went into producing it. Although this is not how cryptocurrencies are valued, the price of production (comprised of hardware and electricity cost) plays a role in the pricing of these digital assets.

In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto released the Bitcoin white paper, citing and building upon HashCash and b-money. Citations from his early communications and parts of his white paper, such as the following on privacy, suggest Nakamoto was close to the cypherpunk movement.

“The traditional banking model achieves a level of privacy by limiting access to information to the parties involved and the trusted third party. The necessity to announce all transactions publicly precludes this method, but privacy can still be maintained by breaking the flow of information in another place: by keeping public keys anonymous. The public can see that someone is sending an amount to someone else, but without information linking the transaction to anyone. This is similar to the level of information released by stock exchanges, where the time and size of individual trades, the ‘tape’, is made public, but without telling who the parties were.”

Technology did not enable strong privacy prior to the 20th century, but neither did it enable affordable mass surveillance. We believe in the human right to privacy and work towards enabling anyone who wishes to claim his or her privacy to do so. We see a cryptocurrency with selective privacy as a good step in the right direction of reclaiming our privacy.

Block 170 – First ever bitcoin transaction

2009-01-12 04:30
#1 bitcoin transaction

The first ever bitcoin transaction from one person to another, on 2009-01-12 at 04:30 used Pay-to-Public-Key (P2PK), when Satoshi Nakamoto sent coins to Hal Finney in Block 170.

P2PK is no longer used because it is a more expensive, less private, and less secure way of receiving bitcoin than other methods.

Pay-to-Public-Key (P2PK)
Quick facts
• Transaction:
 f4184fc596403b9d638783cf57adfe4c75c605f6356fbc91338530e9831e9e16

Timestamp: ‎

2009-01-12 04:30 (14 years ago)

Fee:	0 sat / $0.00

Fee rate: 0.00 sat/vB

• Details

Size	: 275 B

Virtual size: ‎275 vB

Weight: ‎1.1 kWU

Version	: 1

Locktime	: 0

Transaction hex:

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

• Inputs & Outputs

P2PK:	‎50.00000000 BTC

ScriptSig (ASM):

OP_PUSHBYTES_71 304402204e45e16932b8af514961a1d3a1a25fdf3f4f7732e9d624c6c61548ab5fb8cd410220181522ec8eca07de4860a4acdd12909d831cc56cbbac4622082221a8768d1d0901

ScriptSig (HEX):
	47304402204e45e16932b8af514961a1d3a1a25fdf3f4f7732e9d624c6c61548ab5fb8cd410220181522ec8eca07de4860a4acdd12909d831cc56cbbac4622082221a8768d1d0901

nSequence:	 0xffffffff

Previous output script:

OP_PUSHBYTES_65 0411db93e1dcdb8a016b49840f8c53bc1eb68a382e97b1482ecad7b148a6909a5cb2e0eaddfb84ccf9744464f82e160bfa9b8b64f9d4c03f999b8643f656b412a3
OP_CHECKSIG

Previous output type:	P2PK

P2PK: ‎10.00000000 BTC	

ScriptPubKey(ASM):

OP_PUSHBYTES_65 04ae1a62fe09c5f51b13905f07f06b99a2f7159b2225f374cd378d71302fa28414e7aab37397f554a7df5f142c21c1b7303b8a0626f1baded5c72a704f7e6cd84c
OP_CHECKSIG

ScriptPubKey (HEX):	

4104ae1a62fe09c5f51b13905f07f06b99a2f7159b2225f374cd378d71302fa28414e7aab37397f554a7df5f142c21c1b7303b8a0626f1baded5c72a704f7e6cd84cac

Type: P2PK

P2PK: ‎40.00000000 BTC

ScriptPubKey (ASM):

OP_PUSHBYTES_65 0411db93e1dcdb8a016b49840f8c53bc1eb68a382e97b1482ecad7b148a6909a5cb2e0eaddfb84ccf9744464f82e160bfa9b8b64f9d4c03f999b8643f656b412a3
OP_CHECKSIG

ScriptPubKey (HEX):
	410411db93e1dcdb8a016b49840f8c53bc1eb68a382e97b1482ecad7b148a6909a5cb2e0eaddfb84ccf9744464f82e160bfa9b8b64f9d4c03f999b8643f656b412a3ac

Type	: P2PK

50.00000000 BTC

• Details

Size: ‎275 B

Virtual size: ‎275 vB

Weight	: 1.1 kWU

Version: ‎1

Locktime: 0

Transaction hex:

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

Source: https://mempool.space/

20 Security Rules for bitcoin

Questions & Answers Chapter

20 Rules for Security in bitcoin

Here’s a short list of common sense Rules, to use and implement for a better Security while using bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

In the hopes that they are quite self-explanatory Rules, please do try for your own good and your assets, to follow them…

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask in the comments.

  1. Keep your private keys safe and secure, and never share them with anyone.
  2. Use a hardware wallet to store your bitcoins offline and away from potential hackers.
  3. Use a strong and unique password for your wallet and any exchange account.
  4. Be wary of phishing attempts and never click on links from unknown sources.
  5. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever possible to secure your accounts.
  6. Use a different password for each account and change them frequently.
  7. Avoid using public Wi-Fi networks for sensitive transactions.
  8. Keep your computer and mobile devices secure with updated antivirus and anti-malware software.
  9. Use a separate address for each transaction, and avoid reusing addresses.
  10. Verify the authenticity of any website or service you use for Bitcoin transactions.
  11. Use a reputable and secure Bitcoin exchange or wallet service.
  12. Use a hardware token or other secure means of 2FA, avoid using SMS.
  13. Be mindful of social engineering and do not reveal personal information to unknown parties
  14. Use a unique email address and phone number for every exchange account.
  15. Keep a copy of your private key, Seed Phrase or wallet recovery phrase in a safe place.
  16. Be skeptical of unsolicited offers, promotions or services.
  17. Learn about the security features of your wallet and use them.
  18. Do not leave your funds on exchange for long time.
  19. Educate yourself about the risks of using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
  20. Regularly monitor your accounts and transactions for suspicious activity.
With 🧡

Running bitcoin – Hal Finney

Wonder In Peace Bright Mind

Join Honorary Chair Fran Finney and the Running Bitcoin Challenge Committee as we honor legendary cypher punk, Hal Finney.

This is THE EVENT that combines Hal Finney’s love of running and Bitcoin and is raising funds and awareness to help defeat ALS, which ultimately claimed his life in 2014.

You are challenged to run (or walk, roll, or hike) the equivalent of a half marathon — cumulatively or all at once — by the end of January 10, 2023.

From wherever you are, spread the word about Bitcoin, participate in a healthy activity, feel good about doing your part to defeat ALS, and start the year off right

Hal Finney, one of the earliest bitcoin contributors, died eight years ago from complications of nervous system disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

His spouse, Fran Finney, is now organizing a half marathon to raise funds for ALS research via bitcoin.

The “Running Bitcoin Challenge” is set to take place between Jan. 1 and Jan. 10. The timing of the occasion leads up to the anniversary of Hal Finney’s “Running bitcoin” tweet, in which Finney famously disclosed he was deploying a Bitcoin node.

There is no set location — participants can choose to join anywhere they wish. Players are encouraged to either run, walk, roll or hike the equivalent of a half marathon (Hal’s favorite distance) either in one go or over the entire 10-day period.

Donors contributing at least $100 will receive an official shirt with the half marathon’s logo, while the event’s top 25 fundraisers will get a Hal Finney collectible signed by his wife.

As of Wednesday morning, the event has already managed to secure nearly $10,000 in bitcoin donations.

An advocate of cryptography and digital privacy, Finney was the recipient of the first-ever bitcoin transfer from the network’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

The bitcoin community often suspected Finney was Nakamoto, a claim he consistently denied. He reportedly found out about his condition in 2009 and decided to move away from the project.

Hal’s name is high in the Bitcoin pantheon as one of the first people to voice support for Satoshi Nakamoto’s invention and for being the first person to receive a Bitcoin transaction from Satoshi.

He was, for a time, considered one of the top contenders on the list of potential Satoshis himself (many in blockchain who reject Dr. Craig Wright’s statements still falsely believe Finney to be Bitcoin’s real creator).

Hal, who referred to himself as a “cypherpunk,” was a cryptographic activist who went from developing video games to working on the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) project in the 1990s. He described his PGP work as “dedicated to the goal of making Big Brother obsolete.”

PGP creator Phil Zimmerman hired Hal as his first employee when PGP became PGP Corporation in the early 2000s. He described Hal as a “gregarious man” who loved skiing and long-distance running.

Despite gradual paralysis that eventually forced him to stop working, Hal continued to code software and follow the Bitcoin project.

Almost as famous as his 2009 tweet is his “Bitcoin and me” post on BitcoinTalk.org in March 2013, the last he’d ever make.

It’s a long post, and Hal was “essentially paralyzed” at the time, using an eye tracker to type. Forum stats show the post has been read over 278,000 times.

“When Satoshi announced the first release of the software, I grabbed it right away,” he wrote. “I think I was the first person besides Satoshi to run bitcoin. I mined block 70-something, and I was the recipient of the first bitcoin transaction when Satoshi sent ten coins to me as a test.

I carried on an email conversation with Satoshi over the next few days, mostly me reporting bugs and him fixing them.”

Hal himself always denied being Satoshi Nakamoto, adding later that he’d sold most of the Bitcoins he mined (at pre-2014 prices) to pay for his treatments. He also mentioned putting some in a safe deposit box for his children.

“And, of course, the price gyrations of bitcoins are entertaining to me.

I have skin in the game.

But I came by my bitcoins through luck, with little credit to me.

I lived through the crash of 2011.

So I’ve seen it before.

Easy come, easy go.”

Hal Finney
www.runningbitcoin.us
Admiration and great Respect
With 🧡