Surprisingly Free

Taken as a whole, the internet is a resilient platform for free speech. However, individual platforms are increasingly being targeted by government and activist groups demanding censorship. Will and Neeraj discuss the recent history of this trend and how censorship might look at different levels in the internet infrastructure stack.Read: A History of Crowdfunding in the Wake of Violence by Will Duffield

Jerry and Alex discuss what is lobbying and what lobbyists do, the differences between the House and Senate, why Congress is dysfunctional and what can be done about it.

Ian Mier’s graduate work in cryptography pioneered the integration of zero-knowledge proof systems and cryptocurrency blockchains. Along with co-authors, he published the Zero-Coin and Zero-Cash research papers that eventually informed the creation of the Zcash blockchain and cryptocurrency. Peter and Ian discuss the importance of privacy in cryptocurrency technology, the tradeoffs made within different cryptocurrency projects, and the potential for future, fully private stablecoins and other user defined assets. 

FIRE focuses on campus free speech issues. It may be most well known for its work on guest speaker controversies but threats to speech in academia run much deeper than that. Sarah McLaughlin focuses on tracking how colleges and universities grapple with issues caused by some of their curriculum being illegal to discuss in parts of the world, particularly China. This issue has been complicated further by the recent transition to remote learning. She also tracks issues like blasphemy crimes and legal prosecution of dissidents around the world.

A pinch-hitting Peter Van Valkenburgh discusses what is Coin Center and what exactly we do in DC. Who do we represent and for what do we advocate? Find out as we address some common misconceptions about lobbying for crypto.

Ivor’s background is chemical engineering, but three years ago, unsatisfied with answers he was getting from his physician about heart disease risk, he dedicated himself to researching nutrition. Now he has a popular podcast and YouTube channel where he applies his own brand of meticulous root cause and statistical analysis to questions about diet, diseases of civilization (e.g. diabetes and heart disease), as well as the public health response to the recent novel coronavirus. We discuss how he ended up as “the Fat Emperor” and why the orthodox of nutritional science has blindspots and biases that have led to continually worsening health globally. If you appreciate Ivor’s work, you can support him on Patreon.

Neeraj Agrawal is well known on crypto twitter but perhaps less known for his home cooking.  Robin and Neeraj discuss Neeraj’s journey from “bro cook” to home chef, including the role of history, youtube and Instagram in his self education.  Enjoy this narrative on 17th and 18th century cooking, a bit about food and policy and how lessons learned from cooking can apply to your day job.

Saku is a fixture on Twitter who has crossed over into several smart communities with her consistently insightful commentary and writing. Her perspectives on the world are informed by a mix of rationalism and “tech optimism”--the idea that it’s indisputable that technology has and will continue to make the world a better place. We discussed today’s discourse around technology through that lense. Read more from Saku at https://saku.substack.com/ and @asteroid_saku

Former CIA analyst Martin Gurri discusses with Jerry the ideas in his prescient book, “The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium.” His thesis is that the explosion of information in the last two decades has exposed and undermined elites and led the public to revolt. In their discussion Jerry and Martin apply the framework to events in the time of Covid, Black Lives Matter, and Trump.

Why is it important for digital money systems to protect user privacy? Are cryptocurrencies networks like Bitcoin truly public goods? Is the open source software model still free and open or has it been co-opted by corporate interests? What does it mean for money to be “public?” These questions and more are discussed by Peter and Rohan, who agree on the need for privacy-protecting digital cash, but have some significant disagreements about who should build it and how.

Both Mark and Robin share a commitment to life work balance.  In this episode they talk about the career paths that lead them to their current jobs and the importance of the right organization and team to maintaining the balance they both have worked to achieve.  There are also a few extra tangents into COVID and working from home.

Mike is a technology journalist, Neeraj is a technology communications person. So they have different views on how things unfold on Twitter. In this unstructured conversation they share their views on how the platform has changed over the years, how people tend to use it, incentives, and more.

The topic du jour is central bank digital currency and in this episode we discuss why that is, as well as the finer points of how a CBDC could and should be designed. Is tiered anonymity acceptable and can it be built? Can privacy be reconciled with sanctions power? Would a larger Fed balance sheet politicize it? What are the prospects for continued dollar dominance? What about stablecoins? And what’s Bitcoin’s core value?

Everyone depends on a handful of apps for online communications and productivity, and, more often than not, those apps are hosted by servers owned and controlled by a third party. Even protocols that were designed to be peer to peer, like email and bitcoin, are typically accessed by non-technical people through intermediaries, like Gmail and Coinbase. What risks does that kind of intermediation create for personal privacy and security, and why is it necessary? Is it actually necessary at all? Matt and Keaegan have started a company called Start9 Labs that’s dedicated to moving computing power from the central intermediaries back to the edges of networks. Listen to find out how they plan to “put people back in charge of the things they interact with.”