Of Blockchains, Crypto and NFTs: Essential Blockchain and Crypto Mechanics for Engineers
This talk serves as an introduction to important Web3 technologies such as DAOs, blockchains, cryptocurrencies, NFTs and has special focus on blockchain and crypto mechanics. Consensus algorithms, random number generators, and use of cryptographic hash functions will be discussed as well as “proof-of-work” and “proof-of-stake” techniques employed by most common cryptocurrencies.
The aim of this talk is to provide a deeper level of understanding of these technologies than the overly simplistic and often inaccurate explanations of blockchain typically espoused by the media.
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- Tampa, Florida
- United States
- Starts 13 April 2022 01:00 PM UTC
- Ends 19 May 2022 09:30 PM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Dr. Michael A Ramalho of AcousticComms Consulting
Biography:
Michael A. Ramalho, Ph.D. is an IEEE Senior Member and a recipient of the 2021 IEEE Florida Council Outstanding Engineer Award. Dr. Ramalho has extensive experience as a director, lead/chief architect, and principal investigator in networking, media signal processing, unified communications, and acoustic spread-spectrum communication technologies. He was especially active in Internet Telephony in the Web1 era during which time he ran an Internet Telephony research program at Telcordia Technologies, was co-chair of the Voice Over IP Forum, and was Chief Telephony Technologist at Voxware, Inc. during its IPO. He has worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories and for Cisco Systems. He holds a Ph.D. from Rutgers University and a M.Eng.E.E. from Cornell University. He holds over 50 patents and has authored many standards in the IETF, ITU-T, ETSI, ANSI Committee T1 and IMTC.
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Agenda
The next phase of the Internet, commonly referred to as Web3, aims to solve many of the problems of Web2 by moving data ownership and power to individuals and away from captive, closed platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and popular e-commerce platforms.
Key in the Web3 transition are Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) that are organizations represented by rules (ensconced in computer code) that are transparent, controlled by DAO members, and are not influenced/controlled by a central government. Individual cryptocurrencies and NFT marketplaces are examples of DAOs.
Blockchain technology - while it is not exclusively Web3 technology and it has many applications outside of Web3 - represents an essential component used in many Web3 advances.
Most introductory blockchain material for layperson audiences uses overly simplistic and often inaccurate explanations of blockchain technology, such as “solving a complex puzzle” or “mining” in the case of Bitcoin. Engineering practitioners need a deeper layer of understanding before they can fully appreciate and assess some of the finer points of the technology, thereby attaining “buy-in” of the widely pontificated benefits of crypto, blockchain, or Web3.
This talk aims to span this technology chasm by an engineering analysis of blockchain and essential technologies used in blockchain and common cryptocurrencies such as: consensus algorithms, random number generators, and use of cryptographic hash functions (widely used within crypto). Attendees will learn specifically how Bitcoin blocks are “chained” and should appreciate the ESG-related differences between the so-called “proof-of-work” and “proof-of-stake” used in common crypto models.
The talk will conclude with personal predictions for crypto, NFTs, and Web3.