That the bitcoin price is highly volatile is no secret. Opinions differ on whether that is just an inevitable roadblock to be passed on the way to world domination or whether it represents a fundamental flaw that will prevent Bitcoin from ever achieving widespread use as a medium-of-exchange. Seasoned hedge fund trader and monetary systems expert Robert Sams, is of the latter view and has been among the leaders in conceptualizing what a stable cryptocurrency should look like. It’s an issue that is at the very heart of how the cryptocurrency ecosystem will develop. Topics covered in this episode: Why volatility is an obstacle to cryptocurrency adoption The two big problems of creating a stable cryptocurrency His proposal for a stable cryptocurrency: Seignorage Shares How finance professionals perceive Bitcoin Episode links: Seignorage Shares Whitepaper Robert Sams Blog Ethereum Blog Search for a Stable Cryptocurrency XeroClear Twitter This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/060

At just 20-years young, Vitalik Buterin is one of the most brilliant minds in the cryptocurrency space. Previously, a co-founder of Bitcoin Magazine, he has conceptualized Ethereum, the most radical and ambitious cryptocurrency project since Bitcoin. After raising $18m in a crowdsale, a team of over 30 are working on launching the project by March 2015. In his work on designing a system for the future, he has been grappling with many of the hardest problems in the cryptocurrency space over the past year. Topics covered in this episode: How Ethereum has evolved since the white paper The problems of Proof-of-Work Why Proof-of-Stake is the future of consensus protocols Why his main focus has been on consensus issues and scalability Why Bitcoin will never be stable enough to price things in The flawed ideology of ‘Bitcoin maximalism’ that prevents people from considering Proof-of-Work alternatives Episode links: Ethereum How to get started: Your first DApp in under one hour Ethereum Proof-of-Concept 7 Proof of Stake: How I Learned to Love Weak Subjectivity Slasher: A Punitive Proof-of-Stake Algorithm This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain and Sébastien Couture. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/058