The Lightning Network (LN) is a rapidly growing second-layer payment protocol that works on top of Bitcoin to provide near-instantaneous transactions between two parties. With this practical guide, authors Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Olaoluwa Osuntokun, and Rene Pickhardt explain how this advancement will enable the next level of scale for Bitcoin, increasing speed and privacy while reducing fees.Ideal for developers, systems architects, investors, and entrepreneurs looking to gain a ...

Join the technological revolution that's taking the financial world by storm. Mastering Bitcoin is your guide through the seemingly complex world of Bitcoin, providing the knowledge you need to participate in the internet of money. Whether you're building the next killer app, investing in a startup, or simply curious about the technology, this revised and expanded third edition provides essential detail to get you started.Bitcoin, the first successful decentralized digital...

As the first blockchain platform to introduce the concept of smart contracts, Ethereum is the gateway to a worldwide decentralized computing paradigm. With this practical guide, the authors provide everything you need to know to start building smart contracts and DApps on Ethereum and other virtual machine blockchains.Through comprehensive coverage of Ethereum's internal workings, you'll understand not just the how but also the why of Ethereum's innovative technology. And practical...

Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain(Abridged Edition) by Andreas M. AntonopoulosJoin the technological revolution that's taking the world of finance by storm. Mastering Bitcoin is your guide through the seemingly complex world of bitcoin, providing the knowledge you need to participate in the internet of money. Whether you're building the next killer app, investing in a startup, or simply curious about the technology, this revised and expanded second edition ...

Mastering Ethereum: Building Smart Contracts and Dapps (Abridged Edition)by Andreas M. Antonopoulos and Gavin Wood Ph. D.Ethereum represents the gateway to a worldwide, decentralized computing paradigm. This platform enables you to run decentralized applications (DApps) and smart contracts that have no central points of failure or control, integrate with a payment network, and operate on an open blockchain. With this practical guide, Andreas M. Antonopoulos and Gavin Wood p...

As the first blockchain platform to introduce the concept of smart contracts, Ethereum serves as the gateway to a worldwide, decentralized computing paradigm. With this practical guide, Carlo Parisi, Alessandro Mazza, and Niccolo Pozzolini provide everything you need to know about building smart contracts and DApps on Ethereum and other virtual-machine blockchains.You'll find comprehensive coverage of Ethereum's internal workings to help you understand not just the how but also the...

This unique volume addresses the financial mechanisms that enable human trafficking - its actors, structures, and logistics. Viewing each stage of the market, human traffickers may need significant financial resources for recruitment, transportation, and exploitation.Drawing upon cross-disciplinary research expertise in criminology, sociology, law and economics, this book offers insights from law enforcement officers, policy makers, NGOs, and traffickers and their victims. Using th...

This brief offers a unique and innovative account of the role of internet and digital technologies in human smuggling and trafficking. It explores new illegal paths through the web by analyzing how traffickers and smugglers use the visible and dark web during different phases of the process, including recruitment, transportation, and exploitation. Featuring case studies from two European countries, Italy and the United Kingdom, it outlines the types of websites used in these processes, how...

New York Times Book Review Editor’s ChoiceSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2015 FINANCIAL TIMES AND MCKINSEY BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEARA New York Times technology and business reporter charts the dramatic rise of Bitcoin and the fascinating personalities who are striving to create a new global money for the Internet age.Digital Gold is New York Times reporter Nathaniel Popper’s brilliant and engrossing history ...

The definitive pioneering blueprint covering the what, why, and how of the blockchainBlockchains are new technology layers that rewire the Internet and threaten to side-step older legacy constructs and centrally served businesses. At its core, a blockchain injects trust into the network, cutting off some intermediaries from serving that function and disrupting how they operate. Metaphorically, blockchains are the ultimate non-stop computers. Once launched, they nev...

Now featuring a new preface by Peter ThielTwo renowned investment advisors and authors of the bestseller The Great Reckoning bring to light both currents of disaster and the potential for prosperity and renewal in the face of radical changes in human history as we move into the next century.The Sovereign Individual details strategies necessary for adapting financially to the next phase of Western civilization.Few o...

n The Fiat Standard, world-renowned economist Saifedean Ammous applies his unique analytical lens to the fiat monetary system, explaining it as a feat of engineering and technology just as he did for bitcoin in his global bestseller The Bitcoin Standard.This time, Ammous delves into the world's earlier shift from the gold standard to today's system of government-backed fiat money—outlining the fiat standard's purposes and failures; deriving the wider economic, political, and social...