Altchains
Altchains of interest to Africa.
Fireside Chat with Arthur Hayes Part 1
This discussion between Arthur Hayes, Sinclair Skinner and John Wainaina Karanja covers multiple topics related to cryptocurrency, particularly Bitcoin, and its role in both developed and developing economies. The text first highlights the potential for Bitcoin to act as a decentralized currency that gives ordinary people, not just the political elite, a means to trade…
ProofOfWork Show S01E05 Chaining em Blocks!
Blockchain is a data structure that stores records in a queue system. There are two types of blockchains: public and private. Public blockchains, like Bitcoin, allow anyone to view all transactions, while private blockchains restrict access to authorized individuals. In this session, we explain that a “block” is essentially a bundle of transactions. This bundling…
ProofOfWork Show S01E04 Coin Supply & Demand!
In this episode we explain that supply and demand, fundamental principles in economics, also apply to Bitcoin and its pricing. These forces can either increase or decrease supply and demand, thereby affecting price. Bitcoin was developed to address issues like inflation that erode people’s purchasing power over time. Traditional financial systems, managed by governments or…
ProofOfWork Show S01E03 Incentives in Crypto!
In this episode, the focus is on the role of incentives in blockchain technology, specifically in Bitcoin, to ensure network security. Two main consensus algorithms for providing these incentives are discussed: Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS). In PoW, miners use computational power to solve complex equations, thereby creating new coins and…
ProofOfWork Show S01E01 Laptops are for Mining!
In this episode we discuss how the Melanin Solar project uses blockchain technology and CPU mining to enable community members to trade electricity. Utilizing the Lightning Network and the Whive protocol, the system allows energy to be stored and shared as digital tokens. Over 2,000 people are expected to gain affordable power access through this…
Driving Sustainable Energy Adoption across Africa using Blockchain
John Karanja, CEO of Melanin Solar and co-founder of BitHub Africa, presented at a conference on the topic of utilizing blockchain technology to advance sustainable energy adoption across Africa. Speaking from a rural region in Kenya, John highlighted that a significant portion (around 65%) of the African population lacks access to consistent energy, even though…