This article is addressed to you, the business professional that has heard about Blockchain technology and how it will revolutionise every industry, including yours. You want to start a blockchain project in your company so that your competitors don’t do it first and beat you to the punch. You’ve been told by everyone around youContinue reading “Your blockchain project will fail because you don’t understand Bitcoin”
Author Archives: Ben de Waal
Bitcoin: Honest Money
Bitcoin is honest money. But what do I mean when I say that? The problem stems from the fact that most people don’t actually understand what money is, how it came to exist, or how it is created in our modern world. Therefore before I can even begin to talk about bitcoin, I’m going toContinue reading “Bitcoin: Honest Money”
A Response to CME’s “In-Depth Look at the Economics of Bitcoin”
This was written by request of a colleague as a response to this article published by the CME group in April of 2018 so that he could get a better understanding of my criticisms. It is intended to address the most salient and important points but does skip some detail where it wasn’t necessary forContinue reading “A Response to CME’s “In-Depth Look at the Economics of Bitcoin””
Beyond the renaissance: The modern polymath
The term renaissance man embodies an ideal born from a specific set of philosophical thoughts with their roots in the 14th century but coming more to fruition during the mid to late renaissance of the 16th and 17th centuries. The ideal is based on the concept that human knowledge is – at least in practical terms – limitlessContinue reading “Beyond the renaissance: The modern polymath”
Bitcoin: What you need to know
You’ve probably heard something about Bitcoin. What you’ve heard depends greatly on who you are and what circles you’re in. Most people have probably heard the name but don’t really know what it is beyond that it’s some kind of internet thing that either people seem to be making a lot of money with or alternativelyContinue reading “Bitcoin: What you need to know”
What is Consciousness?
The study of consciousness is fascinating in that there are so many different places you can start and so many different disciplines you can employ: neuroscience, informatics, philosophy, and many more. The most obvious and basic question is the one that is hardest to answer. It may in fact be unanswerable by its nature, but thatContinue reading “What is Consciousness?”
Lost in Translation: The meaning of what we say
The purpose of words is to convey meaning, and therefore it stands that all words have meanings that are commonly agreed upon by those who speak the language and know/use those words. Knowledge of any language – even your native tongue – is never truly complete. There are for example many cases where domain specific wordsContinue reading “Lost in Translation: The meaning of what we say”
The False Dichotomy: Technical Requirements versus Business Requirements
Something I hear far too often – and most recently just this Friday past from a member of senior management that should know better – is talking about all requirements as either being “technical requirements” or “business requirements”, where business requirements are those that are important to the business aspect such as increasing profit orContinue reading “The False Dichotomy: Technical Requirements versus Business Requirements”
Hiring software developers. What exactly do you want and what should you expect?
Having worked many years as a software developer myself and having interviewed many other people for software developer positions, I often find that there’s a dearth of understanding outside of the field about what it is that a software developer really is. Before you even start hiring, be sure you’re getting what you want. ThereContinue reading “Hiring software developers. What exactly do you want and what should you expect?”
Thoughts on anything and everything 