One of the great things about producing podcasts covering the Bitcoin space is that there is no shortage of enlightening, bizarre and intellectually challenging conversations to be had. Strangely enough, Mark Beylin, an intrepid and perhaps disenchanted member of the Ethereum community might have said it best in a recent tweet:
With that in mind and 2019 coming to an end, now is a good time to share some of our favorite and most prescient Bitcoin Magazine-produced podcasts from the year, presented in chronological order. If you haven’t heard them yet, be sure to give them a listen over your holiday break.The Bitcoin Magazine Podcast: Reclaiming Privacy With Jameson LoppIn a staggered fashion, Bitcoin Magazine launched five different podcast titles focused on conversations outside and within our humble citadel. The Bitcoin Magazine podcast itself was first launched back in April 2019 with Dave Hollerith and Grahm Petersen as hosts, featuring news and interviews with people whose work impacts Bitcoin. Episode one of this show featured a deeply personal conversation with Jameson Lopp, one of Bitcoin’s best-known community members, about the difficult journey he has undertaken to reclaim online and physical privacy.The Bitcoin Magazine Podcast: What Makes Bitcoin Secure with Dan HeldIn this episode of the Bitcoin Magazine podcast, Hollerith and Petersen covered the news at the time — including stories about shadow banking, Binance’s spin-off company and explaining Bitcoin to your dad — that have surprising relevance even today. Then they talk with Bitcoin HODLer and long-form writer Dan Held. In the episode, they discuss Held’s essay on Bitcoin’s security, the halvening and what Held sees as Bitcoin’s best use case.The Bitcoin Magazine Podcast: What It’s Like to Be John McAfeeWho knows what the infamous John McAfee is eating this holiday season? The internet’s favorite tech CEO famously predicted that the bitcoin price would hit $1 million by 2020. While McAfee has never been followed as a thought leader for his pragmatism, his absurdity has always brought joy and minor terror into our hearts. This episode featured an in-depth and freewheeling conversation with McAfee in July 2019.The Bitcoin Magazine Podcast: Creating the Animated Series Bitcoin & Friends With Robert AllenThe Bitcoin community is full of creative free spirits who do incredible things outside of developing the technology itself. Robert Allen, executive producer of the animated adult web series Bitcoin & Friends, is one such spirit. In this episode, Allen, Hollerith and Petersen discussed what it’s like to produce an animated series about Bitcoin, some of the references behind the characters and jokes, Allen’s inspiration and why some of the funniest people are brought up in religious households.Weekly Bits: Gab, QuadrigaCX and the New Crypto TaxSpun out of the original Bitcoin Magazine podcast, Weekly Bits, hosted by senior editor Peter Chawaga, is a show on the Bitcoin Magazine podcast feed that takes a closer look at the most impactful stories coming from the newsroom each week. In the first episode, Chawaga and staff writer Colin Harper discuss the precarious yet censorship-resistant social media project Gab, fall out from the QuadrigaCX court case and the latest cryptocurrency tax guidelines issued by the IRS.Weekly Bits: Living on Bitcoin in EuropeOne of the most recurring topics in the Bitcoin Magazine newsroom that of exploring Bitcoin’s adoption around the world and how it is still a challenge to live every day exclusively using BTC. In this episode of Weekly Bits, Harper recounts his experience living on Bitcoin while traveling through Europe.Bitcoin Magazine Podcast: Understanding Blockchain Analysis With Philip GradwellThe impact of blockchain analysis companies like Chainalysis cannot be overstated. Because the Bitcoin blockchain is public, these companies can leverage financial transactions in more sophisticated ways than can be conducted for typical fiat currency. Obviously, this is not a preferred outcome for most of the Bitcoin community. Cypherpunks, privacy advocates and the human rights community are especially wary of these companies’ ability to track and trace bitcoin. This is all the more reason why our interview with Chainalysis’ senior economist, Philip Gradwell, is an important listen.Bitcoin Happy Hour: Mining, (Mis)use and MediaThe Bitcoin Happy Hour is by far our most fun and censorship-resistant podcast. Available on the Bitcoin Magazine feed, each episode of the show features an off-the-cuff discussion where staff members digest local beer and the week’s most important news topics in and outside of the crypto space.In episode nine of the show, the crew discussed the current state of cryptocurrency mining and a provocative op-ed on cryptocurrency’s overall utility, as well as the role of media and journalism within the space.What’s Halvening?: Bitcoin’s Energy ConsumptionIn light of understanding the consequences of Bitcoin’s 2020 halvening, What’s Halvening? chronicles the latest developments taking shape across the cryptocurrency mining industry. Hosted by mining expert and aficionado, Cassie Clifton, the show interviews technologists, business executives and general enthusiasts. In episode two of What’s Halvening?, Clifton spoke with two mining researchers about the energy consumption of cryptocurrency mining.Bitcoin in Asia: The Early Days of Bitcoin in AsiaWith the Chinese government’s recent positive recognition of blockchain technology, many people expect 2020 to be a major year for cryptocurrency in Asia overall. But what about bitcoin? Hosted by Bitcoin Magazine’s John Riggins, the Bitcoin in Asia podcast gives listeners insight into the minds of the leading experts in the Asian Bitcoin community. For beginners and experts, each episode tackles the complex and significant topics with the hopes of bridging the information gap between the East and West.In this episode, Riggins was joined by Richard Bensberg, a long time Beijinger and the newly appointed director of sales and integrations at Blockstream, where he focuses on its Liquid product. The conversation covers the early days of Bitcoin in Beijing, the culture at the cryptocurrency exchange OkCoin and Bensberg’s perspective on the state of Bitcoin in China.
