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The Bitcoin Tutorial: Develop an intuitive understanding of the currency and blockchain technology
Bitcoin has attracted its share of headlines, hype, and hyperbole. Do you want to truly understand the crypto-currency and its underlying blockchain technology, so you can reach your own conclusions and make informed decisions?
The Bitcoin Tutorial is a unique approach to fully understanding Bitcoin. It starts by explaining contemporary cryptography and confidently works through the blockchain and the currency. Each concept is explained from first principles, building upon the preceding material. Intuition is developed step-by-step, fostering real understanding.
Some elements of Bitcoin are counter-intuitive, for example, the bitcoin blockchain is completely public AND the bitcoin currency is fantastically secure. That may strike you as contradictory because, based on conventional thinking, "public" connotes unprotected and "secure" implies secret.
The Bitcoin Tutorial pulls back the curtain and de-mystifies key elements including cryptography, transactions, blocks, the blockchain, the peer-to-peer network, full nodes, mining nodes, wallets, and of course, the bitcoin currency. Counter-intuitive elements are explained and contradictions are resolved.
The Bitcoin Tutorial is written for a broad spectrum of readers, from the intellectually curious to the technically savvy:
New users deciding if and how to get started Existing users wanting more knowledge and confidence Developers eager to understand the technology behind the APIs Investors performing due diligence on blockchain companies Chapters are structured in sections of increasing detail to match your level of interest:
"The view from 30,000 feet" sections provide a non-technical summary of the topic at hand making use of physical-world analogies. The material is simple and accurate, without being dumbed down.
"The view from the ground" sections present the core of the topic step-by-step, building complete understanding. There are lots examples--many using actual transactions and blocks in the bitcoin blockchain--explained in their entirety without hand-waving or shortcuts.
"The view for the truly curious" sections take a deep-dive into select topics. The material is intended for those of you keen on "sticking your head under the hood" for a closer look at the underlying machinery.
Blockchain technology has tremendous potential in applications outside crypto-currency: there is broad interest in financial, legal, government, and other circles. The Bitcoin Tutorial focuses on the bitcoin blockchain, as it is both widely recognized and wonderfully accessible to everyone.
[from the author] While researching Bitcoin for my own work, I realized that most of the literature tells the story awkwardly: starting with bitcoin the currency and slowly working back to the underlying blockchain technology. Mystifying concepts are presented and readers are left hoping they'll "get it" later. The innovative blockchain technology is oversimplified. Essential fundamentals such as cryptography are glossed over. None of that helps readers develop an intuitive understanding of Bitcoin.
As explained above, The Bitcoin Tutorial takes a different approach. You'll learn and understand more about bitcoin and blockchain technology. My ultimate objective for writing this book? Equip you with the intuitive understanding needed for informed, confident use and exploration of the bitcoin currency and blockchain technology!
The Bitcoin Tutorial is a unique approach to fully understanding Bitcoin. It starts by explaining contemporary cryptography and confidently works through the blockchain and the currency. Each concept is explained from first principles, building upon the preceding material. Intuition is developed step-by-step, fostering real understanding.
Some elements of Bitcoin are counter-intuitive, for example, the bitcoin blockchain is completely public AND the bitcoin currency is fantastically secure. That may strike you as contradictory because, based on conventional thinking, "public" connotes unprotected and "secure" implies secret.
The Bitcoin Tutorial pulls back the curtain and de-mystifies key elements including cryptography, transactions, blocks, the blockchain, the peer-to-peer network, full nodes, mining nodes, wallets, and of course, the bitcoin currency. Counter-intuitive elements are explained and contradictions are resolved.
The Bitcoin Tutorial is written for a broad spectrum of readers, from the intellectually curious to the technically savvy:
New users deciding if and how to get started Existing users wanting more knowledge and confidence Developers eager to understand the technology behind the APIs Investors performing due diligence on blockchain companies Chapters are structured in sections of increasing detail to match your level of interest:
"The view from 30,000 feet" sections provide a non-technical summary of the topic at hand making use of physical-world analogies. The material is simple and accurate, without being dumbed down.
"The view from the ground" sections present the core of the topic step-by-step, building complete understanding. There are lots examples--many using actual transactions and blocks in the bitcoin blockchain--explained in their entirety without hand-waving or shortcuts.
"The view for the truly curious" sections take a deep-dive into select topics. The material is intended for those of you keen on "sticking your head under the hood" for a closer look at the underlying machinery.
Blockchain technology has tremendous potential in applications outside crypto-currency: there is broad interest in financial, legal, government, and other circles. The Bitcoin Tutorial focuses on the bitcoin blockchain, as it is both widely recognized and wonderfully accessible to everyone.
[from the author] While researching Bitcoin for my own work, I realized that most of the literature tells the story awkwardly: starting with bitcoin the currency and slowly working back to the underlying blockchain technology. Mystifying concepts are presented and readers are left hoping they'll "get it" later. The innovative blockchain technology is oversimplified. Essential fundamentals such as cryptography are glossed over. None of that helps readers develop an intuitive understanding of Bitcoin.
As explained above, The Bitcoin Tutorial takes a different approach. You'll learn and understand more about bitcoin and blockchain technology. My ultimate objective for writing this book? Equip you with the intuitive understanding needed for informed, confident use and exploration of the bitcoin currency and blockchain technology!
239 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 27, 2016
20 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 24, 2017
Finally, a great book on Bitcoin that doesn't dumb down the subject and doesn't shy away from the gory details that make the system work.
Is this book diffucult to read and understand? Yes, from time to time. Just go back & re-read it in a week, and all will be good. Your understanding may not be intuitive, but will be real.
Is the writing good and clean? Overwhelmingly yes, with one glaring exception: WAY too many useless footnotes that contribute absolutely nothing to the discourse but instead serve as a self-jerk that shows how witty the author is.
I would say about 50% of all footnotes are utter garbage, and had the book gone through a good editor, they would be thrown away. The other 50% however are realy helpful, which makes this issue even more infuriating: you can't just skip them stupid footnotes!
If the author is reading this: Dude, PUH-LEASE remove this garbage. You KNOW what I'm talking about.
Having vented my mighty anger, I still think that this book is indeed the best one on the subject I've read — and I've read more than 20 so far.
Want to know how Bitcoin really works? Grab 'The Bitcoin Tutorial', and read it at least twice.
Is this book diffucult to read and understand? Yes, from time to time. Just go back & re-read it in a week, and all will be good. Your understanding may not be intuitive, but will be real.
Is the writing good and clean? Overwhelmingly yes, with one glaring exception: WAY too many useless footnotes that contribute absolutely nothing to the discourse but instead serve as a self-jerk that shows how witty the author is.
I would say about 50% of all footnotes are utter garbage, and had the book gone through a good editor, they would be thrown away. The other 50% however are realy helpful, which makes this issue even more infuriating: you can't just skip them stupid footnotes!
If the author is reading this: Dude, PUH-LEASE remove this garbage. You KNOW what I'm talking about.
Having vented my mighty anger, I still think that this book is indeed the best one on the subject I've read — and I've read more than 20 so far.
Want to know how Bitcoin really works? Grab 'The Bitcoin Tutorial', and read it at least twice.
Displaying 1 of 1 review