What is money?
Money is something we know best yet least — we use it every day, but rarely ask where it comes from or where it goes.
We once thought money was metal, then a token representing physical goods, and finally money itself plus credit.
In fact, our ancestors saw the truth long ago. As recorded in the Shuowen Jiezi: money has two faces — desire (human nature and desire) on one side, and trust on the other. Money is something that lets you fulfill desires; but its foundation is "loyalty and trust." The essence of money is nothing more than a promise. Gold, silver, paper, code — money is just a void, a symbol, a desire, a promise. True money exists only in the human heart.
For ages, the human heart has searched for more reliable "loyalty and trust." The arrival of the digital information age has opened more possibilities.
On November 1, 2008, a mysterious figure calling himself Satoshi Nakamoto posted a research paper to a small cryptography mailing list outlining a new vision for electronic currency — and Bitcoin was born!
Built on computer algorithms and cryptography, Bitcoin offers extreme security, privacy, and stability that non-experts struggle to grasp. From day one, many authorities have been skeptical — one website has even collected 200 articles announcing Bitcoin's "death," many from Wall Street veterans. Bitcoin's price has fluctuated wildly over nine years, but at the time of writing it sits at $11,600.
How does Bitcoin differ from traditional currency? What has earned this emerging "currency" such broad attention? What do the related buzzwords — distributed ledger, blockchain, decentralization — actually mean? How do you buy and use Bitcoin?
BCIC (Boston Chinese Investment Club) has invited two crypto-circle experts to unpack these questions.
Speakers:
Xiaoyu — Started exploring Bitcoin in 2015 — trading, arbitrage, and mining. Currently leads the ICO project and crypto exchange platform development at Circle, focusing on blockchain applications and smart-contract development.
Wang Yingtian — Independent blockchain thinker, evangelist, and investor.
Time: December 15, 6:30 pm
Location: MIT (specific room emailed after registration)
Language: Chinese
