Cantor, Dedekind, and the Rivalry Over Infinity
Amazing Math Story – Cantor and Dedekind and Infinity Did I already mention that @QuantaMagazine has the best science and math podcast out there? Here’s an amazing story I heard there recently. Cantor is famous for inventing Set Theory and for the amazing and elegant result saying “All infinities are infinite, but some infinities are more infinite than others.” He didn’t quite say that (that’s my Orwellian version of his result) but he did show that the continuum of numbers between 0 and 1 are more infinite than the infinity of natural numbers (0, 1, 2, …) even though both are, well, infinite. Mind blowing, isn't it? These results of Cantor are known to anyone who studied mathematics, and are quite accessible these days even to non-mathematicians. What’s new to me is the story by Quanta about how Cantor collaborated on these results with Dedekind, another famous mathematician. Cantor ended up stealing some of these results, publishing them without Dedekind’s consent, getting into a beef with Dedekind (twice), losing his support, getting on the nerves of Kroenecker, and finding himself in the end miserable, lonely, in a Sanitarium for the mentally ill, where he finally dies unknown and sad. Anyone who’s worked in academia has seen quite a few of these academic stories regarding credit attribution, who should appear on a paper, etc. I just wasn’t aware of this particularly interesting, bitter, complex story about such great figures. I don’t want to spoil it. Go read the article / kisten to the episode👇
Startups Aren’t “Shitcoins”; Success Demands Patience and Bravery
Talking about "shitcoins" is like calling startups "shitcompanies". Yes, most startups fail, and many of the successful ones take time to reach global PMF. I have a lot of respect for those brave enough to launch something, and I'm certainly proud...
Bitcoin Innovators Resist Change, Baffling Maxis' Rigidity
For a technology as innovative and disruptive as Bitcoin, it's surprising how some maxis are extremely opposed to any change. It's very confusing.
From Family Myth to Math Passion: A Journey
How did I end up a Mathematician? As a child, my dad said to me "our family isn't good in math" and I accepted this as truth. As an undergrad I studied Biology and CS. The plan was to go into...
Builders Must Ensure Security, Even When Users Ignore It
Even if users don't care about decentralization, quantum readiness, or other factors that contribute to security, builders should. In the same way I don't test my car's seat belts, ABS, or other safety features, it is the builder's responsibility to make...
Crypto's Early Stage Mirrors Internet's Dawn, Future Transformative
Broader picture conviction: crypto will transform our society, the same way the internet did. There are many parallels between crypto today and the early days of the Internet. The internet in its early days was slow, cumbersome, and with very limited functionality....
Developers Embrace Starkzap SDK for Simpler Crypto Apps
2.5K downloads and counting for the Starkzap SDK in the past 6 weeks. The way I read it: developers want an easier way to build crypto apps. So, who's building what? https://t.co/YoUcR95mtB
Builders Must Prioritize Decentralization, Security, Verifiability Always
Some users don't care too much about decentralization. Some users don't think too much about security in general, or post-quantum security in particular. Some users don't care about verifiability and all this technical stuff. That's understandable. But builders should care about it. A...
Start with Simple Softforks Like CAT, Stepwise
The cure should start with something simpler - going back to doing simple softforks, like CAT. One step at a time.
Starknet Prepares for Quantum-Resistant Future
This is big. Chains have to get ready for the quantum era, and Starknet is already taking its first steps. Starknet's architecture allows us not only to make the needed changes to become quantum-resistant, it allows us to do so in a...
Hormuz Is Broke; Saudi‑Israel Pipeline Expected in Five Years
As an expert predictor of geopolitics, here’s my prediction: Hormuz is broke. Expect a 5-10m daily barrel capacity pipeline between Saudi Arabia and Mediterranean, via Israel (Ashdod port) in 5 years time.
TEEs Have Been Fundamentally Flawed From the Start
I’ve been saying this for past decade at least. TEEs are a bad idea, from inception.
Starknet’s Future-Proof Design: ZK‑STARKs, Native AA, Decentralization
Starknet is future-proofed by design. Here are the elements that will lead us there: ZK-STARKs for: - Post-quantum security - Privacy -Scale Native AA for: - Superior UX - Optimized devX Decentralization (not fully there yet, but actively progressing on our decentralization roadmap) for: - Security - Self-custody - Censorship...
Bitcoin Must Start Quantum-Resilience Work Today
Bitcoin needs to get ready for the quantum era. We need to strengthen initiatives like BIP 360. We need to invest more efforts in finding creative, smart solutions to ensure Bitcoin is post-quantum secure. Saying that quantum computers are coming is not FUD....
Starknet Powers High‑Compute Apps with New Architecture
Some apps need different tech to power them. It's not just about more throughput, it's about a different kind of architecture. For things like gaming, perps exchanges (maybe also AI), the ability to handle big computational transactions makes all the difference. Starknet is...
Crypto's Biggest Obstacle: TradFi's Bear Hug, Not Freedom
Said it once, I'll say it again: Biggest problem for crypto is Tradfi Bear Hug. Let's get back to what crypto is about: FREEDOM. OWN YOUR LIFE. NOT THRU TRADFI. https://t.co/I4GMQYXz7r
Starknet’s Proven ZK‑VM Safeguards Trillions in Value
Which ZK tech can you trust with your Dollars? Of recent, in the cross fire of the battle between Canton and Ethereum and Solana, the question of ZK safety has come up. As co-founder of @Zcash and @StarkWareLtd, both powered by...
Blockchain's Value Lies in Decentralization, Not Complexity
Blockchain without decentralization is just very complex tech. The only reason to build such a complex system is to enable decentralization.
From Academia to Blockchain: A Mathematician’s Turning Point
Here is the story of the most important moment in my career. I call it: Mathematician walks into a Bitcoin conference. In 2013, I attended the Bitcoin Conference in San Jose. I entered as an academic, and left it on...
Corporate Blockchains Adopt Tech, Lose Decentralization Value
Here is what I think about corpo chains: they will drive some adoption, and they won't last. The important element of blockchain is getting rid of a central entity. It comes at a cost: A very complex technology that's hard to...
Privacy Solution Arrives for DeFi: Introducing STRK20
Privacy is one of the most important missing pieces for DeFi adoption. We're building it. STRK20 is coming soon. https://t.co/1qXEkrjvY9
Vladimir: Feminine Reimagining of Nabokov’s Lolita
Finished watching Vladimir on Netflix, and only at end realized Vladimir refers to Nabokov, and that the whole book is some weird take on his Lolita, but coming from the feminine side. Just started reading the book, but Lolita is a...
Native Account Abstraction Unlocks New Blockchain Possibilities
ZK is to scale and privacy what Account Abstraction is to flexible, programmable, optimized UX. But there's nuance: you can have AA added to a blockchain, or you can have it baked into the blockchain’s DNA (what we call native AA). Native...
Zero‑Knowledge AI Guarantees Human Proof and Uncensored Agents
AI x ZK x Blockchain I wrote something about two use cases I believe in: 1. Proving you're human, over time 2. Ensuring agents aren’t censored Read, comment, share your thoughts (and if you're building this, DM!)
From Infrastructure to Adoption: STRK20 Marks New Era
For 8 years, we’ve been building the best infrastructure in crypto. Now we're building adoption. STRK20 is just the beginning.
Missing Twitter's Classic Crypto Conversations Amid Censorship
Want to highlight this thread. I'm not taking any position here but it's refreshing to see once in a while a good discussion on Twitter related to crypto, like the good old days. I wish Twitter supported more of these...
Seeking Trading Signal Providers for Zk-Threads Research
If you've ever been a trading signal provider on any trading platforms (eToro, OKX, Bybit, etc.), we would love to interview you to get input for a zk-threads infrastructure research we're running. If you know any notable signal providers, send them...
AI Revives Ethics: Fairness and Safety Demand New Experts
One cool aspect that AI brings about is a revival of philosophy, in particular, ethics. Even more interesting is connecting ethics with computer science and math. There are various notions that all fall under ethics which we now burningly need to apply...
Sin, Salvation, and Sacred Horror in Mann's Holy Sinner
Book Recommendation: The Holy Sinner by Thomas Mann I’m reading this book for the second time, which I read as a teenager and it left a deep impression on me. It’s content is between NR and NC-17. Really way beyond rated...
Crypto Will Become the Backbone of All Value
Crypto IS NOT just DeFi So far in crypto, the one area that found most product-market fit is DeFi -- decentralized financial applications for borrowing, investing, swapping, leveraging and predicting prices of assets. It won’t stay this way. Just like the internet's...
Make Bitcoin Quantum‑Ready Now to Preserve Trust
Quantum computers pose two threats to Bitcoin: Threat 1: A quantum computer will be built and used to break Bitcoin's cryptography. Threat 2: Even before a QC is built, delaying the preparations to ensure Bitcoin is quantum ready will lead to people...
Explore a Mind‑Bending Quantum Mechanics Mystery in This Podcast
An interesting episode to add to your podcast list 👇 (There are many unintuitive parts when trying to understand quantum mechanics. This excellent episode explains one of them.)
Crypto Winter Expected to End in About Three Months
Crypto Winter prediction – How long will it last? It’s that time again, and if you’ve been around long enough you know the feeling. Crypto winter. The tulippers are out shouting "Bitcoin to Zero" for the n’th time. No amount of...
Starknet Pioneers Scalable ZK Privacy for DeFi
Starknet is building the best Privacy solutions and it will be The place to find Privacy and DeFi. Balancing Privacy with smart UX and composability is not trivial, but we have the right tech and the ZK expertise to do that.
ZK‑Rollups Scale Without Guaranteeing Transaction Privacy
Did you know: The term ZK-Rollup doesn't necessarily mean Privacy. Here's the nuanced thing about ZK: ZK proofs allow to process transactions and send a proof of their validity. The verifier can rely on the proof alone. It doesn't need the data...
Vibe Coding Removes Cairo Barrier, Boosts Starknet Adoption
The impact of vibe coding on Starknet will be: more devs coming to Starknet. I'll explain: - Cairo is the best smart contract programming language out there - Up until now, having to learn it posed a barrier - Vibe coding cancels that barrier....
ZK‑STARKs Survive Quantum Attacks; Most Crypto Won’t
Reminder: ZK-STARKs are post-quantum secure. But not all cryptography is quantum resistant. Here is a simplified explanation on how quantum computers, when they arrive, will be able to break certain types of cryptography: (note: I am not a quantum computing expert) In quantum...
Starknet Delivers Multi‑chain Scaling, Privacy, and 10k+ TPS
Here's what Starknet is achieving today: - Scaling both Ethereum and Bitcoin - Building the best privacy solutions for users and institutions (STRK20, strkBTC, and more) - A path to 10k+ TPS - App revenue at $60M/year - A growing dev community - Best UX thanks...
Reintroduce OP_CAT to Ready Bitcoin for Quantum Future
Bitcoiners, it's time for OP_CAT: 1. It's not a massive change 2. It was part of Bitcoin's code in the past 3. Bitcoin MUST practice changes if we want to make it quantum-ready. Starting with OP_CAT would be a good practice
Starkzap Elevates Crypto DevX for Seamless Onboarding
Starkzap is one of the best tools out there for blockchain developers. Building and onboarding apps is now effortless. I read a million tweets about the importance of making crypto UX as smooth and seamless as possible. Well, crypto devX is...
Crypto Thrives when Multiple Chains Coexist, Not Compete
I don't get maxiness, as in the part where you root for one chain, and feel the need to deny the fact that other chains also have value. I understand why it's happening though. People think it's a race and they...
Starknet’s Future‑Proof Design: ZK‑STARKs, Native AA, Cairo
(Question at the end of the tweet) ZK-STARKs Native AA Cairo These are the design choices that make Starknet future-proofed. All of these choices were innovative at the time we made them, and some all were even unpopular. We made them anyway because they are...
Freedom Means Choosing, Not Labeling Coins as Trash
If you truly believe in freedom and self-sovereignity, you shouldn't be calling anything a shitcoin. Don't like it? Don't hold it. No reason to shit on it.
Bitcoin's Shift: From Retail Revolution to Institutional Dependence
I started interacting with the Bitcoin community (mostly protocol devs) as early as 2013. I fell in love with Bitcoin at the San Jose conference. It has changed a lot since then. For one, Bitcoin used to be this very...
ZK, Native AA, and Cairo Power Unmatched Tech
ZK + Native AA + Cairo These foundations deliver the best tech. Each and every time.
Use Blockchain only when You Need Decentralization
Blockchains are needed only if you want decentralization. If you're operating on a blockchain and leaving the decentralization part out, then you're just using a very complex technology for no good reason. Whatever it is you want to achieve, it can...
Empowering Individuals Is Blockchain’s Core Competitive Edge
The one feature that will always give blockchains an edge over centralized systems is this: Empowering individuals. Letting people to be in full control of what's theirs is the secret ingredient to any use case out there, be it DeFi, gaming,...
Crypto Dip Temporary; War and AI Hype Will Fade
ALPHA: Crypto prices (like BTC) are depressed for two main reasons: Iran war and AI Tsunami. The war will peter out soon, and the AI Tsunami will go away as well. AI will stay, and we'll all use it. Then...
Satoshi's Trio: Decentralization, Rewards, Verifiability—Boosted by ZK-STARK
Satoshi’s innovation -- these 3 things: 1. Decentralization: open to all, no permission needed, no censorship possible 2. Mining rewards: incentives to run the network with integrity 3. Public verifiability: anyone can check the system’s fairness ZK-STARK amplify #3.
Early Crypto Users Reflect on Their First Blockchain App
To all 17 people still on CT: What made you come to blockchain and which app was the first one you interacted with?
