By: Cielito F. Habito - @inquirerdotnetPhilippine Daily Inquirer / 05:06 AM July 17, 2018


If you’ve been hearing about blockchain but don’t quite understand what exactly it is and how it could affect people’s lives, worry not—you’d be among the 99 percent of us in the same boat.

I had to do a bit of research to write this article, which I felt useful given the looming importance of the technology and how it’s poised to overturn much of how things are being done in various areas of our lives.

I’ve written on how the Fourth Industrial Revolution is disrupting traditional ways of doing business. Most recently I wrote on the “Internet of Things” and its importance in planning our future. Today, let’s turn to blockchain.

Most of us may think that blockchain is the same as bitcoin, the best known of the cryptocurrencies that have taken the financial markets by storm.

Blockchain is the technology behind bitcoin and the various cryptocurrencies on the scene, but I’m more interested in its applications far beyond cryptocurrencies, in areas that can help improve the lives of everyone, producers and consumers alike.


But first things first: What is (a) blockchain? It is a continuously growing list of time-stamped records (“blocks”), linked and secured via encryption, where each block contains an encrypted record of the previous block, along with data on the transactions that created the new block. Imagine a document—a record of accounts—that is shared across thousands of computers in a network, where the record is constantly updated with every new transaction.


Once recorded, the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without altering all subsequent blocks. Thus, any alteration would require that all members of the network agree to the change, implying next-to-impossible collusion on a massive scale. All records are thus virtually permanent and incorruptible.

As such, blockchain is the ultimate in transparency. It also eliminates the need for an intermediary between transacting parties, like a bank to consummate a payment transaction, or a lawyer to seal a contract. With blockchain technology, a buyer can deal directly with a seller online without having to go through Amazon, Alibaba or Lazada, and a rider can deal directly with a driver without going through Uber or Grab.

As each player’s track record is accessible from the blockchain, one doesn’t need an Uber or Lazada to compile data on the reliability and past behavior of the transactors. If ride-sharing apps and e-commerce platforms had disrupted the taxi and retail industries, blockchain is about to disrupt the erstwhile disruptors! It’s the age of disruption indeed.

Beyond bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, in what other areas can blockchain potentially help? Out of so many possibilities, I’ll focus on applications in a sector critical to our economy, agriculture—the sector where most of the Filipino poor are. It is where primary producers, the farmers, are known to reap the least share of the fruits of their labor.

This is largely because they are far removed from their products’ final consumers, insulated by layers of supply chain actors. They also have the least access, if at all, to information on the market, and much of the inequity in the economy stems from such lopsided access to information.

Now imagine if farmers (and all players in the value chains) can access all information on transactions that happen to their products all the way from field to fork, so to speak, via blockchains. Exploitative market practices that leave farmers with the short end of the stick would be curbed.

Agriculture is also a sector where products on the market come from large numbers of producers, with consumers largely unaware of the quality and safety of the products they buy. Was the fruit or vegetable sprayed with toxic pesticides? Did the meat come from a diseased animal?

Is a food product labeled “organic” or “Halal” strictly grown according to those standards? With blockchains in agriculture, all that could be readily answered.

We’ve barely scratched the surface on how blockchain can change our lives. I don’t believe it to be an exaggeration when people say that blockchain will be as earthshaking as the internet itself. And it’s not just about bitcoin.


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Read more: http://opinion.inquirer.net/114657/blockchain-and-farmers#ixzz5LT7vFf00 

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There are a lot of events covering blockchain and cryptocurrencies these days, though few have touched on the impact the technology will have on the mainstream public.

The event “Blockchain of the Future: Smart Cities, Media, Smart Contracts & Beyond” gave us a look at how blockchain can affect our lives on a more social level.

BlockchainNYC.org has hosted numerous events often focusing on finance, healthcare, and logistics, areas where blockchain has an obvious fit.

They’ve done well bringing in well-known names as speakers on their panels and attracting huge crowds as New York City’s largest blockchain group. Going in to this event held at the eBay NYC event space, it wasn’t surprising to see so many people enjoying drinks and networking, though it had a distinctly lighthearted feel.




Talking to those who attended, it was clear that they were hungry for ways to connect blockchain to their peers who don’t have much knowledge on the space.The diverse set of speakers certainly delivered.

Meggie Hsu of Air Swap, a decentralized token exchange on Ethereum, brought in the expertise on cryptocurrencies and blockchain that we’ve come to expect from events on the topic.

Though speakers like Tyler Gold of Vice Media; Lillian Ruiz from Civil, a journalism-focused blockchain company; and Karen Bhatia, who works with EDCNYC, were able to connect those ideas to the mainstream public.

Most people have taken a backseat in blockchain developments, not realizing nor understanding how great an impact it can have. These impassioned speakers connected to this audience and sparked a thirst for knowledge in a wider demographic of people. During the event, Lillian Ruiz from Civil remarked:  

Blockchain itself is not going to unlock anything. We need a wider depth of field…a less capitalist world view. We’re talking about a seismic shift in technology, so it benefits us all to think a little bigger.

They talked about social media and how cryptocurrencies will allow people to earn tokens from their original content. An issue many currently have due to content being stolen and reposted, with little to no reward for their efforts.

Platforms like Steemit and Civil were highlighted as a means to achieve compensation for content creation, not only driving a community of sharing from content providers, but allowing people to feel secure in the fact that their private information won’t be sold to advertisers.

As social media has become a major aspect of people’s everyday lives, hearing of these revolutionary changes was enough to convince those more passive towards blockchain about its importance in the future.





It opened a lot of doors, and I noticed more people taking notes and an active interest in the topics than I’ve seen before at similar events. Transitioning into smart cities, it began to make sense to those less knowledgeable how building city infrastructures on secure data could impact their lives and not just the behind the scenes of how cities are run. Estonia was a great example of this. Nasdaq notes:

Is it any surprise that our cities are growing up and getting smarter? From the 1950’s onwards, cities were built around cars; now smart cities are being built around data and information. The obvious next step is to share data which is a good reason why sharing and decentralization on blockchain is important.

With these points established, it was easier for people on the less technical side to absorb information about blockchain, the role cryptocurrencies play, and what smart contracts are and how they can be utilized. These aren’t topics that only investors should be keeping an eye on.

This technology will play a pivotal role in everyone’s lives. It was inspiring to see everyone in agreement and actively taking an interest in this transformative technology.

Seen any good events recently? How do you think blockchain will impact the mainstream public in the future? Let us know at Bitcoinist here: http://bitcoinist.com/blockchain-of-the-future-event-coverage/

Big news! Bitcoin futures trading on CBOE, the world’s largest futures exchange, just launched today at 5:00 pm Central Time.

The technology cryptocurrency is based on is called blockchain. Blockchain has exciting applications in many industries that are just beginning to emerge.

Blockchain for Business 2018 is now accepting proposals for Speakers and Sponsors for a Spring conference to be held in Los Angeles, CA.

 Blockchain and digital ledger technology holds immense promise for industries like finance, healthcare, government, manufacturing, and more.


A whole new digital fabric is being created that could help businesses transact more smoothly and efficiently and re-imagine entire business processes.

 We are looking for speakers and sponsors who can help educate and inform the business community on topics such as these:

• What is Bitcoin and Blockchain?
• How does blockchain and distributed ledger technology work?
• What transaction workflows could be digitized?
• What is a smart contract?
• What is an ICO?
• Other suggestions welcome

Do you have information and experience that would add meaningful value to the Blockchain for Business conversation?
Are you looking for sponsorship opportunities in this exciting and growing space?
If so, please email [email protected] for more information. We look forward to hearing from you.
Discover and learn more from Huffpost here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/blockchain-for-business-2018_us_5a2eb180e4b0d7c3f26224fa

La nueva era del Internet descentralizado

¿Es Blockchain una tecnología revolucionaria que va a cambiar nuestras vidas?

¿Blockchain va a afectar a los sectores más diversos como finanzas, energía, telecomunicaciones?

¿Exige la reinvención de nuestros negocios?¿Qué son los contratos inteligentes y cómo pueden cambiar nuestras relaciones y negocios?

¿Qué posibilidades abre Blockchain para negocios inclusivos?¿Van los negocios Blockchain a cambiar nuestra forma de trabajar? 

Te invitamos a a descubrir más sobre este nuevo tipo de tecnología y cómo integrarla en tu negocio u organización a partir de las ponencias de un panel de expertos.

 

PROGRAMA:

12:00h-13:15h Mesa redonda



Modera la mesa: 

Almudena de la MataExperta en Innovación SocialApasionada del cambio social a través de la innovación, Almudena ha buscado tener un impacto positivo como directivo internacional en el sector privado, el público y también como emprendedora y académica.

Socia de Impact Hub Madrid desde su fundación, apoya en particular la internacionalización de startups. Motivada por la búsqueda de caminos innovadores para resolver los grandes retos de la sociedad actual cocreó Innovation for Change, plataforma que trabaja con universidades, empresas e individuos en el fomento de la innovación, procesos de cambio y pensamiento crítico.

Ha sido Advisor del Bundesbank y la Comisión Europea, investigadora del Max Plank Institut y docente desde el 2000 en varias universidades europeas (actualmente en el IE). PhD Max-Planck-Institut Hamburgo.

  

Alex Preukschat

Digital Transformation and Blockchain Expert Desde 2012 es asesor de desarrollo estratégico, gestión de proyectos y formador de mandos en empresas multinacionales y start ups dentro del ecosistema Blockchain.

A lo largo de su carrera ha trabajado en el sector financiero (FinTech) y turismo en facetas vinculadas a tecnología, marketing digital y desarrollo de negocio en distintos países.

Autor y productor de la primera novela gráfica del mundo sobre Bitcoin (BitcoinComic.org), así como de juegos móviles, inspirados en el mundo de las criptomonedas, desde MoneyFunGames.com.

Estudió en la Universidad Pontificia Comillas-ICADE E-4 en Madrid/España y ESB Reutlingen/Alemania. 



Carlos Kuchkovsky Jiménez
CTO New Digital Business at BBVA

Ingeniero informático apasionado por la continua transformación social propiciada por la tecnología y de la nueva economía P2P. Ha trabajado como desarrollador dentro de la industria del juego y, actualmente en el BBVA, para mejorar la interacción persona-finanzas dentro de la banca.

Co-Fundador y Coorganizador de los grupos de interés APIHour y El Mundo descentralizado y desarrollador de otros proyectos más íntimos y personales como L8SmartLight.

 

Daniel Díez García
Blockchain & DLT Lead @Everis

Daniel es un adoptador temprano y emprendedor de Bitcoin y Blockchain. A lo largo de los 4 últimos años ha desempeñado el cargo de Director de Estrategia y Desarrollo de Negocio en Bit2Me (la primera aplicación que conectó a la red ATM tradicional, galardonada como mejor Startup de España en 2015), así como co-fundador de la primera consultora española de Blockchain, Furai. Daniel es actualmente responsable de Blockchain para EMEA y Latam en everis, desde donde coordina la estrategia tecnológica multi-sector.

 13:30h-14:15h Entrevista Q&A con Robert Haastrup – Timmi



Robert Haastrup – Timmi
Chief Visionary Officer at BC, DiverseRecruiting & Brexitjob

Fundador  de startups en serie y apasionado de la tecnología y la innovación, Robert Hasstrup-Timmi ha fundado Blockchain Company – http://www.blockchaincompany.info.

Un nuevo ecosistema que tiene como objetivo acercar al público general las tecnologías leger distribuidas y las criptomonedas a través de una plataforma con al rededor de 30 aplicaciones que utilizan el sistema Blockchain.

Learn more about this event here: http://madrid.impacthub.net/evento/transformar-el-mundo-con-blockchain/

Click here to Create a Free member account on Blockchain Company and start earning points for making comments, sharing content you love, invites and other activities. Your points may be converted into tokens in a future BlockchainCompany.info ICO (Initial Coin Offering). Start learning the impact of Blockchain as a new technology and how it affects you!

CONSENSUS 2017

CoinDesk is proud to present our 3rd annual blockchain technology summit, May 22-24, 2017 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

Consensus 2017 will feature 100+ speakers and 2,000+ attendees from the leading industry startups, investors, financial institutions, enterprise tech leaders, and academic and policy groups who are building the foundations of the blockchain and digital currency economy.

We expect to shatter our 2016 attendance record, so reserve your spot today!

Learn more: http://www.coindesk.com/events/consensus-2017/

According to an IBM report, 15 percent of the top banks and 14 percent of financial markets institutions are intending to introduce full-scale, commercial blockchain products in 2017.

Are you and your clients aware of the leading legal issues in blockchain and are you strategically positioned to benefit from this rapid change?The rapid development and implementation of blockchains has already begun to disrupt and revolutionize the financial system, among other industries. Change is here.

Change can present challenges, but change also provides opportunities. The question is to determine how the legal system can best foster the development of this new business sector by truly understanding the nature of blockchain transactions, the implications of differences in business models, and by developing an appropriate approach to address the many legal issues resulting from this paradigm shift.

This comprehensive, focused and practical one-day program is led by Program Chairs Addison Cameron-Huff, the top result on Google for “Toronto Technology Lawyer”, and Donald B. Johnston, a practitioner regularly recognized and recommended as a leader in the area of technology law. Our program has been developed with a more sophisticated audience in mind and is presented by a faculty comprised of legal thought leaders in order to address the following four prominent issues:Opportunities for Blockchain in the Settlement SystemInitial Coin Offerings (ICOs)Smart Contracts and Transaction CostsAnalyzing the Nature of Blockchain Transactions and the Impact of Different Business ModelsLearn more: http://www.osgoodepd.ca/upcoming_programs/critical-issues-blockchain-law/?utm_medium=events&utm_sour...