Random Talkers E19: Blockchain Applications, “American Kingpin” Reviewed

Random Talkers is the show where two data scientists (aka myself and Matt McKim) talk tech news and books. New clips every Tuesday. We're available in podcast form via iTunes or SoundCloud. Help Google's algorithms view us in a favorable light by subscribing on YouTube!

We commiserate over Bitcoin's collapse, then take a step back to ask if the blockchain will ever generate useful consumer applications? Could a hypothetical Transit blockchain protocol disrupt a powerful incumbent like Uber?

Beyond The Bitcoin Bubble by Steven Johnson: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/16/magazine/beyond-the-bitcoin-bubble.html

For our book review we breakdown American Kingpin by Nick Bilton, a "narrative non-fiction" work detailing the rise and fall of Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road.