What is Bitcoin? Blockchains as we know them are still less than a decade old. Bitcoin (BTC) popped up in 2009, two whole years after the first modern smartphone, but, like the smartphone, its breakneck rate of progress and fast worldwide adoption make it feel like it’s been around a lot longer. Some already see
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What is Steem? Steem is a blockchain which enables users to reward content creators for quality content posted on the Steem social media site. It has tokens and can be traded on exchanges, but rather than being mined, it is given out according to activity on this website. The whole project can be thought of
This infographic on Bitcoin has long been overdue because I've been meaning to do one on the founder of all cryptocurrencies. I came across some interesting stories on the web about Bitcoin why I figured why not compile them into a fun graphic just cause? Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoy the graphic. If you
I thought I'd do another infographic for Ethereum seeing how much people like them. I know the title for the infographic is a bit sensationalist, but it was intentional to poke some good fun at crypto memes, jokes and puns on the cryptocurrency that sort of started all the “to the moon” memes. But in
What is Bitshares? Many cryptocurrencies are targeted at improving aspects of the current financial system—payments, contracts, speed, privacy—but Bitshares (BTS) aims to have it all: a universal asset exchange equivalent to something like the NASDAQ, a price-stable cryptocurrency, a lightning-fast transaction network, a corporate finance platform, and more. Bitshares has a lot of complex layers,
What is Bytecoin? Though it has recently experienced a resurgence of interest, Bytecoin (BCN) has been largely stuck on the sidelines since its creation in 2012. Nonetheless, it is one of the earliest cryptocurrencies developed and is the first to be based on the Cryptonote protocol—a technology also used by its more successful heir, Monero.
What is Siacoin? Data stored in the cloud generally heads straight to one of a few big companies that put it on machines in a few big warehouses. Siacoin (SC), on the other hand, is one of several cryptocurrencies that plans to make the cloud much more cloud-like by taking your data, encrypting it, splitting
It has been a while since I've posted about Ripple XRP. The last time I posted about Ripple XRP was January 6, 2018 on the piece called Why I am Bullish on Ripple XRP Solving the Cross-Border Payments Problem. Rest assured, I am still a Ripple supporter as much as the next guy. In light
What is Zcash? The “Z” in Zcash (ZEC) stands for “zero,” as in “zero-knowledge proof.” This refers to the cryptocurrency's main feature: the ability to prove that a transaction is valid without any information about that transaction actually being revealed. Users can make their transactions virtually untraceable—unlike Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, where the history is
What is Dash? It started out as “XCoin,” then became “DarkCoin,” and in 2015 it came to its current name: “Dash,” (DASH) which is a portmanteau of “digital cash.” Its naming history sums up its purpose: it is focused on both privacy and speed and is only meant to be used as a currency (no
What is Monero? While most cryptocurrencies are fairly anonymous, Monero’s (XMR) goal is to make every transaction completely untraceable. It is arguably the most private cryptocurrency available at this time, which has made it, for better or worse, the cryptocurrency of choice for users with an interest in avoiding the law. It is hardly surprising
What is Lisk? “Decentralized apps” (dApps) have been growing in popularity since Ethereum made it possible to put programs on a blockchain. However, not many apps have actually been designed yet, and average users do not have an easy way to find the programs that do exist. Lisk (LSK) is attempting to solve these problems
Cryptocurrency startup Tether Limited, as well as one of the world’s largest exchanges, Bitfinex, were reportedly issued subpoenas by U.S federal regulators on December 6th, 2017. This news came to light after the company ended its relationship with Friedman LLP—an auditing firm it had employed to confirm its financial stability—on January 27th. What is this
What is OmiseGO? Founded by a Southeast Asian fintech group operating primarily in Thailand, OmiseGO (OMG) has been generating significant buzz since Vitalik Buterin (creator of Ethereum) declared it his favorite token. The reasons he gave boil down to this: it’s a token with a purpose that goes beyond money replacement and has a clear
What is Dogecoin? Originally started as a “joke currency” based on a meme about a happy-looking Shiba Inu (known as “Doge”), Dogecoin (DOGE) has gradually been building in value and can be easily traded on a wide variety of exchanges. It gained notoriety for its sponsorship of the Jamaican bobsled team in the 2014 Sochi
What is Request Network? Smart payment applications, like Venmo or Stripe, are growing increasingly popular, but they are typically limited to a few main functionalities and currencies. Request Network’s (REQ) mission is to, as their whitepaper says, “become the backbone of world trade” by making payment possible between anyone, anywhere, using any currency, with invoices
I am a huge fan of the Basic Attention Token (BAT) project and everyone seemed to like these infographics so I thought why not another? I hope the graphic helps to summarize some of the major recent developments of the BAT project and Brave for 2018 in a visually acceptable infographic. Feel free to share.
What is Raiblocks? The scalability issues plaguing Bitcoin have created a demand for no-fee, fast cryptocurrencies. Raiblocks (XRB) was created to be an answer to that demand, and it’s been growing in popularity much faster than a coin not listed on any major exchanges generally does. While there is some speculation about Raiblocks becoming an
There has been a lot of buzz about Stellar Lumens (XLM) as of late about FairX, IBM, and just everything in between so I thought I would do another infographic since some of my readers expressed that they liked my previous one on Ethereum. Feel free to share the infographic. All I ask is to
What is Vechain? A Singapore-based cryptocurrency focused on tracing supply chains, Vechain (VEN) is an Internet of Things (IoT) proect that already has some functioning use cases for luxury goods. By connecting technologies like RFID, NFC, QR codes, or even bar codes to a blockchain, items can have a universally readable identity. This allows them
If you’re confused about Ripple (XRP), don’t worry. The term Ripple is often used interchangeably for the digital currency (XRP), the open payment network that the currency is transferred, as well as the holding company. Ripple is a privately held, cash flow positive company that aims to create and enable a global network of financial
What is Waltonchain? Waltonchain is a Chinese and Korean blockchain project targeted at transforming supply chain management. Named after Charles Walton, the inventor of RFID technology (most popularly used as “E-Z Pass”), WALTON is an acronym for Wisdom Alters Label, Trade, Organization, and Network. That meaning may be somewhat unclear, but the project definitely stays
What is QTUM? The QTUM cryptocurrency was built by the Singapore firm, Quantum Foundation. The foundation plays a central role in bringing widespread adoption of blockchain technology in parts of Asia. Quantum has a long-term plan that does not compete with Ethereum and other leading currencies like Bitcoin, rather its goal is to form QTUM
What is NEM? NEM is known as the New Economic Movement (NEM). The cryptocurrency operates a platform consisting of both public and private blockchain technologies to enhance its security. The New Economic Movement coin is different from other cryptocurrencies because of the nature of their blockchain infrastructure and is oriented towards big businesses. The blockchain
I thought I would mix things up a bit and offer some exciting news on the popular cryptocurrency, Ethereum, for the year 2018 in the form of an infographic. The details about Ethereum displayed was provided courtesy of Reddit by barthib. I came across the post and figured the post deserved a facelift to get
What is Litecoin? Started in 2011, Litecoin (LTC) was one of the first blockchain projects to branch off of Bitcoin. Thus, the core technology is the same with a few key differences. Most notably, its transactions are faster and cheaper, and it is easier for individual miners to participate in the network. As one of
If you haven't heard yet, the Basic Attention Token (BAT) team behind the Brave web browser has announced a free giveaway amounting up to $1 million BAT for users to promote verified BAT publishers on a first-come basis. Each individual is able to claim their free $5 promotional BAT (limited time) by installing the Brave browser
What is EOS? EOS is one of the newest cryptocurrencies currently in the initial coin offering (ICO) phase. The concept behind it is similar to that of Ethereum with the crypto-economic incentive of the currency being able to access a powerful and decentralized operating system. You can think of EOS as a blockchain operating system,
What is Verge? Verge (XVG) is a cryptocurrency designed by its developers to be a common currency centered around user privacy. The project revolves around a decentralized currency in XVG, which functions to be an utility token on the open source platform called the Verge network. One thing to note is that there is no central
What is IOTA? IOTA sounds small, but its ambitions are huge. The Internet of Things(IoT)—a term encompassing all internet-connected devices—transacts massive amounts of data and resources every day, and this blockchain-alternative project aims to make machine-to-machine transactions into their own economy, trading data and resources between themselves. Ultimately, they hope to become “The Ledger of