About
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For the past 2.5 years, I have been writing extensively about Bitcoin, Blockchains, Cryptocurrency and Decentralization, because I'm very passionate about these topics.
I was very lucky to have been directly involved along side other pioneers, technology leaders, entrepreneurs, startups, enterprise executives and practitioners who are at the leading edges of this new technological revolution.
This allowed me to produce a good amount of original thoughts that have been highly appreciated by a large audience, because it was helping them see the possibilities ahead. My work has been referenced in over 100 other publications or write-ups, a testimony to the quality of my thought leadership.
I have given numerous presentations on the blockchain, Bitcoin, Ethereum, cyptocurrencies and decentralization.
But many of my colleagues and friends kept asking me to write more, specifically a book.
So, I decided to put everything I know, and more new research into 2 books, starting with what I'm calling "The Business Blockchain Series".
Let me explain the blockchain, briefly.
If a new technological invention arrived and commanded an impact as profound as the Internet, every person would rush to pay attention, and ask: what do I need to know to understand it, and what are the implications I need to be prepared for?
The Blockchain technological revolution is that new invention, but it will enter the realm of business realization, only when everyone understands it and what it means for them.
So, what is the Blockchain? The Blockchain is a set of networked and cryptography-based technology infrastructure and programmable capabilities that facilitate a new category of trust-based services. These services can be created or exchanged without central intermediaries, affecting the flow of value and its lifecycle across assets, money, ownership, identity, rights, contracts, governance and regulation. Basically, the blockchain touches everything in society, business, and government.
In addition to the 50 blog posts I have already written on this topic, just in the past 12 months, here is a reading sample of some of the most significant pieces I have authored:
- Why the Blockchain is the New Website (Forbes)
- Blockchain 2015: Strategic Analysis in Financial Services (173,000 views on Slideshare)
- The Business Imperative Behind the Ethereum Vision (Ethereum Blog)
- How the Cryptoconomy Will be Created (Forbes)
- After The Social Web, Here Comes The Trust Web (TechCrunch)
- Understanding the Blockchain (O’Reilly)
I've already enjoyed great support via my blog readership that has skyrocketed in the past few months, but what's even more important to me is to connect with you, as someone interested in the blockchain's impact on our future, whether you wish to learn about it, or whether you are applying this technology in your domains of expertise.
The Business Blockchain will be the first in-depth business book on the blockchain, written by someone who has been as involved as I have in this space, and with the breadth of knowledge and experience in the technology sector.
The second book, Centerless, will depict how Decentralization is compelling us to rethink trust, wealth and information. We will be impacted by an increased pace of decentralization, one way or the other.
Your support will enable me to self-publish these 2 books with the highest possible quality, while proving that the power of crowd funding and fan level support can trump traditional publishers and old-school distribution methods. And you will be the first recipients of this valuable work. The first book will NOT be available to the general public until April, and you will receive the second book 2 weeks prior to anyone getting it from Amazon.
Self-publishing these 2 books is important because it avoids the excessive delays of traditional publishers who require authors to freeze their manuscripts 6-9 months prior to publication. In the dog-years world of Bitcoin and the blockchain, this means that the published work may be already outdated, whereas a self-published book can be out in the market only 3-5 weeks after the last word is written. And that's my plan.
To professionally produce a single e-book, including book cover design, inside layout, copy editing, proofing, distribution and marketing, but not including printing and shipping, costs about $US 7,000.
All backers at the $US 48 level and higher will be invited to a private Slack channel, to follow progress on the 2nd book and collaborate, via opt-in. Slack members will receive some early content access.
Finally, I will also share drafts and excerpts of the work in progress on Wattpad, which is a powerful platform where readers and writers meet. I believe Wattpad is a solid community for receiving further feedback, and interacting with another segment of readers.
Here are the details about what will be inside these books:
The Business Blockchain: A Primer on the Promise, Practice and Application of the Next Internet Technology
The fundamental characteristics of blockchains are puzzling to consumers, corporations, governments, policy makers and regulators, because their implementation challenges centrally orchestrated trust, and enables a new kind of trust: one that is distributed, decentralized, from peer to peer, and not centrally managed by any single entity. Take any service, and add “without previous center-based authority”, and replace by “peer to peer, trust-based network”, and you will start to imagine the possibilities.
My goal for this book is to describe a future that is influenced by fundamental shifts brought upon us by blockchain technology as the catalyst for change. However, that picture is only useful if you are convinced to be part of that change, and if you understand that the blockchain’s foray is inevitable.
We also need to be clear about the new roles and benefits of the blockchain, in a differentiated and augmented manner, and not merely seeing it as a replacement to something that already exists.
This book will represent a substantial blueprint for understanding how to frame the blockchain and how to uncover its related opportunities for change. It will be a call to action covering:
- What is the Blockchain?
- Obstacles and Challenges
- Opportunities and Possibilities
- Blockchain Touch Points
- Consumer Scenarios
- Business Applications
- Implementing the Blockchain
- Seeing the Future
Centerless: Rethinking Trust, Wealth and Information in the Age of Decentralization
Following The Business Blockchain, this second book will take you beyond the blockchain and into the world of decentralization, a powerful concept that redefines the role of the center by shifting power and control away from its previous constructs. With decentralization, centers will control less, but they will facilitate more.
Bitcoin and blockchain technology are necessary but not obligatory catalysts for this decentralization, because they are the enabling networks, technology infrastructure and facilitators of trust-based decentralized services.
We must not just ask what visible problems decentralization solves, rather we should let it create new opportunities, solutions and possibilities beyond what we see. The status quo doesn’t like to be disturbed, but it needs to be shaken in order to yield new results.
This second book will go beyond helping you to understand the relationship between decentralization and our future. It will save you time trying to figure it out, and you will be able to discover new opportunities and benefit from them.
Key Themes in the book:
Part I Decentralization Theory
Decentralization is going to influence every corner of our world. To understand it, I will break down its various components to help you identify where change will be required.
Part II Trilogy of Decentralization Impact
Trust: Law, Governance, Services (e.g. Financial, Government, Trade, Healthcare)
Wealth: Economic production, Flow of value, Transactions
Information: Content, Privacy, Security
Part III Practical Implementations
Peer-to-Peer: The Edges of the Network Light Up
Trust-based Systems and Services: Powerful, but Centerless
The New Flow of Value: A New Supply Chain is Born
Decentralizing Everything: There is a New Something for Everything
Autonomous Organizations: Putting Fiction into Reality
Wealth Creation in the Cryptoconomy: Booting up a New, Sustainable Economy
If you’re at the center, you may live in a dilemma of restrictions, but you need to challenge yourself to figure out how to disrupt some of your central pieces and align them to the new flow of decentralization.
Decentralization is already here, but it hasn't been evenly distributed. Let’s be prepared.
Risks and challenges
I have a goal of releasing the first book in April.
The 2nd book will be sent to production in early May, for a June release, and I look forward to some feedback and collaboration with some of you.
I'm a seasoned writer. These will be my 3rd and 4th book, so this means that I'm aware of what it takes to manage the scope of such projects.
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