A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. Wikipedia
We gathered you 11 free lectures to answer many questions about Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies like:
- How do Bitcoin and its blockchain actually work?
- How secure are your bitcoins?
- How to Store and Use Bitcoins?
- How anonymous are users of cryptocurrencies?
- Can cryptocurrencies be regulated?
And more questions and answers can be found in these lectures, enjoy watching and learning.
1- First lecture: Intro to Crypto and Cryptocurrencies.
In this lecture:
- Cryptographic hash functions 1:51
- Hash pointers and data structures 20:28
- Digital signatures 29:25
- Public keys as identities 39:04
- A simple cryptocurrency 44:39
2- Second lecture: How Bitcoin Achieves Decentralization.
In this lecture:
- Centralization vs. decentralization 1:12
- Distributed consensus 4:45
- Consensus without identity: the block chain 17:46
- Incentives and proof of work 35:43
- Putting it all together 55:39
3- Third lecture: Mechanics of Bitcoin.
In this lecture:
- Bitcoin transactions 1:44
- Bitcoin scripts 11:42
- Application of Bitcoin scripts 27:20
- Bitcoin blocks 42:09
- The Bitcoin network 47:58
- Limitations & improvements 1:08:02
4- Fourth lecture: How to Store and Use Bitcoins.
In this lecture:
- Simple Local Storage 0:27
- Hot and Cold Storage 6:28
- Splitting and Sharing Keys 19:52
- Online Wallets and Exchanges 30:54
- Payment Services 50:17
- Transaction Fees 58:30
- Currency Exchange Markets 1:04:09
5- Fifth lecture: Bitcoin Mining.
In this lecture:
- The task of Bitcoin miners 0:15
- Mining hardware 10:17
- Energy consumption & ecology 33:38
- Mining pools 50:16
- Mining incentives and strategies 1:04:29
6- Sixth lecture: Bitcoin and Anonymity.
In this lecture:
- Anonymity basics
- Overview of Bitcoin deanonymization
- Mixing
- Decentralized mixing
- Zerocoin and Zerocash
- Tor and the Silk Road
7- Seventh lecture: Community, Politics, and Regulation.
In this lecture:
- 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
8- Eighth lecture: Alternative Mining Puzzles.
In this lecture:
- Essential Puzzle Requirements
- ASIC Resistant Puzzles
- Proof-of-useful-work
- Nonoutsourceable Puzzles
- Proof-of-Stake
9- Ninth lecture: Bitcoin as a Platform.
In this lecture:
- 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
10- Tenth lecture: Altcoins and the Cryptocurrency Ecosystem.
In this lecture:
- Short History of Altcoins
- Interaction between Bitcoin and Altcoins
- Lifecycle of an Altcoin
- Bitcoin-Backed Altcoins, “Side Chains”
11- Eleventh and final lecture: The future of Bitcoin?
In this lecture:
- The block chain as a vehicle for decentralization
- Routes to decentralization
- What can we decentralize?
- When is decentralization a good idea?