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Bitcoin Part 3 – Hashes, Public Key Cryptography “for Dummies” and the Block Chain

This is part 3 of my series of blog posts on the topic cryptocurrencies. The first, introductory part can be found here. The second part on mining can be found here.

Recap – Bitcoin = direct electronic transactions without intermediary

To recap, I explained the main idea behind the Bitcoin protocol, which allows electronic peer-to-peer transactions without an intermediary. In brief, the process works as follows:

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Bitcoin Part 1 – Byzantine Generals and Pseudonyms or: What is Bitcoin?

In preparation for my upcoming presentation at the American Translators Association’s 56th conference in Miami with the title “Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies – Illegal Money or a New Global Payment Option?,” I am going to write a series of blog posts on the topic. To anticipate the answer to the question in the title of the presentation: Bitcoin is both, or neither, depending on how you look at it.

Now, that’s not a very satisfying answer, so let’s start at the beginning:

What IS Bitcoin?

Actually, let’s go back even further: What is the IDEA behind Bitcoin?

The idea behind the Bitcoin protocol is to facilitate virtual transactions without a trusted intermediary.

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Global Voices: We Are Working To Prevent Explosions – Spoken Word in East Africa

“The youth… are like time bombs. We are working to prevent explosions. If words are never let out, we’ll explode!” … Read the whole article on Global Voices.

I have just translated another article for the German edition of Global Voices, this time about art and freedom of expression in Africa. The translation can be found here: “Wir wollen Explosionen verhindern: Spoken-Word-Vorführungen in Ostafrika”.

Stark Photos Show Nepal’s Heritage Sites Before and After the Quake

Stark Photos Show Nepal’s Heritage Sites Before and After the Quake

The earthquake has left an indelible scar in Nepal. Despite the devastation and destruction, however, Nepalis haven’t lost their hopes to rebuild their historic monuments and sites. Full article on Global Voices.

I have just translated the above article about the devastation the recent earthquake left in Nepal for Global Voices into German. Link to my translation: Dramatische Bilder von Nepals Kulturgütern vor und nach dem Erdbeben . The article is now part of the Global Voices auf Deutsch dossier on the earthquake in Nepal, “Erdbeben in Nepal: Trauer, Angst und Wiederaufbau.”

Global Voices: Yemen’s Catastrophic Infographics Highlight Tragedy in Numbers

I just translated another post for Global Voices with the title “Yemen’s Catastrophic Infographics Highlight Tragedy in Numbers“.

Yemen in Numbers

Under the hashtag #YemenInNumbers, Yemeni student Ruba Aleryani has creatively presented Yemen’s catastrophe in eye catching and simple infographics. Noon Arabia shares this selection of tweets which highlight the tragedy. … Read more on Global Voices

Here is the link to my German translation, “Infografiken sagen mehr als tausend Worte über die menschlichen Tragödien im Jemen“.