PinnedPrivacy, Fungibility, AnonymityEven though Bitcoin is the worst privacy system ever, everyone in the community strongly values privacy [src] This isn’t unique to us, Bitcoin developers. This is a well-known and well-researched phenomenon called the privacy paradox. People claim to highly regard their privacy, yet they are observed to neglect it instead. However…Bitcoin8 min read
Feb 13Dolphins: The Collapse Of BitcoinOn Feb 13, 2022, a new Bitcoin attack vector was discovered by a pseudonymous Twitter contributor. ob_hodl formerly known as crypto_pirate is raising a concern about the Bitcoin reserves of the dolphin society. I verified his claim and indeed there are a worrisome number of boating accident reports in…Bitcoin2 min read
Dec 6, 2020Descending Powers of 2 CoinjoinsThis article is a light exploration and discussion of ideas by Yuval Kogman. Bitcoin Transaction You got 50 bitcoins from a friend and 23 from another. But now you want to spend 73 bitcoins on alpaca socks. So you create a transaction:Bitcoin4 min read
Sep 20, 2020Where do you draw the line?Fiat is terrible, so why don’t you fix it? Nah, it cannot be fixed, Bitcoin FTW! Bitcoin still has problems, so why don’t you fix it? Nah, it cannot be fixed, altcoin FTW! Altcoin still has some privacy leaks, so why don’t you fix it? …1 min read
Aug 28, 2020What is an xpub?You know that your Bitcoin Address is what you share to the world to get paid.Bitcoin3 min read
Jul 20, 2020The Practical Realities of Adhering to PrinciplesHarry Potter is raised in a muggle family where he did not belong to. He’s been constantly punished for his virtues and this makes us the reader feel sympathy for him. There’s no larger injustice than being blamed for wanting to do the right thing. …5 min read
Jun 14, 2020Few Words on Collaborative Software DevelopmentMauro, SHUT THE FUCK UP! It's a bug alright - in the kernel. How long have you been a maintainer? And you *still* haven't learnt the first rule of kernel maintenance? If a change results in user programs breaking, it's a bug in the kernel. We never EVER blame the user programs. How hard can…3 min read
May 6, 2020Few Words on Decentralization and Anonymous PaymentsSomething is centralized and something else is decentralized. Such binary thinking is prevalent in the Bitcoin community. Here I’d like to present a scale that describes reality in a better way. Our contenders are: Legacy Banking System, Chaumian E-Cash, Wasabi Wallet, JoinMarket, Bitcoin, and Bitcoin-as-envisaged. I recall an article that…4 min read
Apr 29, 2020Additively Homomorphic Cryptographic CommitmentsI have a pen. I have an apple.Bitcoin5 min read
Apr 22, 2020Confidential Transactions/BulletproofsRecently I’ve been working with the same cryptographic primitives that Confidential Transactions are using. In this quick article I’ll show you what Confidential Transactions and Bulletproofs are and how they are supposed to be used in Bitcoin. …Bitcoin3 min read
