The mainstream media LOVES to shame Bitcoin mining for using more energy than Denmark, but contrary to popular belief, it’s still less than 1% of the total energy used by the United States. Media, bank executives, and misinformed individuals love spreading any type of fear, uncertainty, and doubt about Bitcoin at any opportunity. This is just awful and irresponsible. Blockchain technology/Bitcoin is the most innovative invention since the creation of the internet and the understanding of this technology continues to be convoluted due to the circulation of incorrect information. The majority of people fail to understand that we are witnessing the most incredible phenomena right before our eyes, for the first time in the civilized world, we are seeing the separation of state and money. Remember, if innovation and change were easy it would happen quietly. I plan to show you not only how wrong the media is about Bitcoin’s energy usage, but how other widely accepted practices expend much more energy than Bitcoin.

During the 2008 financial crisis, I was on my way to college eager to study finance and learn about the underlying mechanisms of our economy. However, it was really through watching the financial crisis unfold that I began learning how money and central banking worked. The aftermath of the financial crisis made it evident that there was a real need for non-state money. At times, many even fail to realize that fiat has only been a form of payment controlled by governments for the last 150 years or so. The need for a free-market form of money is real, similar to how individuals turn to gold during times of uncertainty or hedge against inflation. Bitcoin can fulfill this demand. When explaining the need for cryptocurrencies I draw from the analogy between the freedom to choose one’s religion and the freedom to choose one’s money. Simply put, Bitcoin is the separation of State and Money.

We are currently living in the midst of an Artificial Intelligence revolution with new research and applications coming to fruition. Advancements in AI technology, like deep learning, have changed everything from the recommendations on your Netflix account to how doctors are treating patients before they become ill. It seems like every day there are new developments and new tasks being accomplished by machines previously done by humans. Not too long ago, A.I. seemed like something only part of a science fiction novel. Today, AI is all around us.

In today’s digital world, online identity has reached a height of centralization and interconnectedness, where platforms like Instagram and Snapchat have the keys to our souls.