Strange Water Podcast

Guest: Norton Wang ( Twitter: @floatfloatboat ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) In March 2022, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) initiated a series of over 10 interest rate hikes after years of near-zero rates in the crypto space. This shift affected various industries, with US treasury bills yielding significant returns for the first time in decades, attracting liquidity. Despite th...

Guest: Steven Gates ( Twitter: @stvngts ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) In today's episode, Steven Gates, the founder of GoGoPool, a prominent staking service for Avalanche, is featured. The episode delves into GoGoPool's role in the Avalanche ecosystem, not only as a staking service for AVAX but also as a key player in supporting builders deploying sovereign app-chains secured by...

Guest: Scott Dykstra ( Twitter: @ChiefBuidl ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) Try out Space and Time at app.spaceandtime.ai In the realm of Zero-Knowledge Cryptography, recent research is reshaping the role of cryptography beyond mere encryption, making it a pivotal tool for decentralized computing. ZK rollups, exemplifying this shift, address the trustless but costly nature of Ethereum&#39...

Guest: Kartin Wong ( Twitter: @0xKartin ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) ZK cryptography enables the projection of computation across diverse computing environments, particularly in the context of blockchains that prioritize credible neutrality and trustlessness over performance. Prior to ZK, basic computation was limited within the blockchain environment, but ZK allows the use of high-per...

Guest: Kobi Gurkan ( Twitter: @KobiGurk ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) Geometry Research was established as a research and investment firm to catalyze the growth of the ZK community. The author expresses excitement about Geometry's role in funding innovative ZK-based projects and interviews Kobi Gurkan, Geometry's co-founder and head of research, discussing the state of the ZK in...

Host: Leo Fan ( Twitter: @leofanxiong ) Guest: Rex Kirshner ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) Despite the optimism and entrepreneurial energy surrounding zero knowledge cryptography (ZK), there are challenges, including the complexity of concepts, difficulty in finding and using tools, and integration issues with existing primitives. The episode introduces Leo Fan, founder of Cysic, a company addressin...

Guest: Uma Roy ( Twitter: @pumatheuma ) Host: Rex Kirshner ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) In every builder's career, there's a common experience of getting caught up in implementation details while solving complex problems, leading to the creation of custom tools or thoughtless architectures. The realization that others likely face the same challenges prompts some developers to invest time i...

Guest: Marcello Bardus ( Twitter: @0xMarcello ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) In the current stage of Ethereum's development, we are confident that Ethereum will scale with the rollup-centric roadmap, envisioning various blockchains connected to the Ethereum mainnet. However, challenges arise in coordinating communication among these Layer 2 solutions (L2s). The discussion introduces...

Guest: Sydney Huang ( Twitter: @0xSydney ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) The Ethereum ecosystem has been predominantly centered around the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) since its inception in 2014. However, after nine years, there is a growing interest in exploring alternative approaches. Solana, a blockchain emphasizing speed and efficiency, has gained traction with its Solana Virtual M...

Guest: David Wong ( Twitter: @cryptodavidw ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) The growing significance of Zero-Knowledge (ZK) cryptography in the upcoming cycle is becoming more and more obvious, evident in the increasing number of startups securing funding for ZK-related projects. However, navigating the complexities of ZK involves not only advanced mathematics but also addressing challenge...

Guest: Charles Cooper ( Twitter: @big_tech_sux ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) Charles Cooper, a core developer of Vyper, an alternative language for Ethereum, highlights the possibility of translating a new language into the same bytecode as Solidity to address its limitations. Understanding programming languages' functioning and their design's impact on developers' capabilit...

Guest: Carl Beekhuizen ( Twitter: @CarlBeek ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) The core decision in Ethereum's decentralization revolves around the minimum computer requirements for running its software, impacting its capacity and accessibility. In response to this challenge, a strategy called Danksharding is introduced as a technical upgrade aiming to address Ethereum's limitations....

Guest: Joey Santoro ( Twitter: @joeysantoroETH ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) Today’s guest is Joey Santoro, a prominent figure in the De-Fi 2.0 era. The primary focus of the discussion revolves around ERC-4626, a specification accepted by the Ethereum community, now integrated into the Ethereum protocol. ERC-4626 holds significance as a tool necessary for Joey's FEI protocol, reflec...

Guest: Jason Morton ( Twitter: @jasonmorton ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) In the realm of Zero-Knowledge (ZK) cryptography, where the challenge of building a functional product is immense and even a minor mistake can result in significant consequences, Jason Morton is developing EZKL. EZKL aims to simplify the implementation of ZK cryptography, allowing developers to focus on building a...

Guest: Superphiz (Twitter: @Superphiz) Host: Rex (Twitter: @LogarithmicRex) The Ethereum community is currently immersed in many dramatic developments, and yet amidst all this, one critical concern remains constant: the preservation of decentralization, particularly in the core Ethereum protocol. While Ethereum is mostly decentralized now, the risk of centralization threatens its credibility as a...

Guest: ChainLinkGod ( Twitter: @ChainLinkGod ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) The security of Ethereum and similar smart contract-based blockchains is attributed to their isolation from the external internet, which minimizes digital vulnerabilities. However, this security comes at the cost of limiting the capabilities of smart contracts to self-referential and uninteresting applications wi...

Guest: Hamzah Khan ( Twitter: @_khanhamzah ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) Despite the bear market, there's still significant activity in the crypto world. Builders and speculators are active, and various developments are ongoing. It's a valuable time for individuals to reflect on their experiences from the previous market cycle and learn from winners and losers. The podcast featu...

Guest: Trent Van Epps ( Twitter: @trent_vanepps ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) I believe that Ethereum is the ultimate embodiment of the open-source software movement, allowing everyone to benefit financially from its developments. However, there is a need for real funding to support the development of Ethereum's infrastructure. Today’s episode is a conversation with Trent Van Epps,...

Guest: Yi Sun ( Twitter: @theyisun ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) The current landscape of cryptography is exceptionally dynamic and promising. However, there is a significant hurdle to overcome: the intricate and abstract nature of cryptographic mathematics has made it difficult for application developers and those without a strong math background to utilize these powerful tools effecti...

Guest: Daniel Shorr (Twitter: @realDanielShorr) Host: Rex (Twitter: @LogarithmicRex) This episode of the Strange Water Podcast discusses the competition and convergence of two cutting-edge fields: cryptography/blockchain/distributed computing and machine learning. It highlights the uncertainty regarding how these technologies will intersect but expresses confidence that they are essential componen...

Guest: Omer Shlomovits ( Twitter: @OmerShlomovits ) Host: Rex ( Twitter: @LogarithmicRex ) Zero Knowledge (ZK) cryptography has become a prominent topic in the tech industry. It represents a shift from traditional cryptography, which focused on encrypting data, to using cryptographic techniques for trustless computation. However, understanding and effectively using ZK cryptography is challenging d...

Guest: Ben Edgington ( Twitter: @benjaminion_xyz ) Host: Rex ( ⁠Twitter: @LogarithmicRex⁠ ) Upgrading Ethereum (formerly eth2book) Ben Edgington is not just a writer and educator; he's a vital figure in the Ethereum community due to his dedicated work on building Ethereum infrastructure as a leader at Consensys. His passion project, "Upgrading Ethereum," has become an invaluable reso...

Guest: Alex Golubitsky ( Twitter: DumbApe69420 ) Host: Rex ( ⁠Twitter: LogarithmicRex⁠ ) The Strange Water Podcast welcomes Alex Golubitsky, an attorney turned crypto enthusiast, who once specialized in off-shore finance before immersing himself in Ethereum. He brings insight from his experience in the more enigmatic realms of global finance in the US Virgin Islands. This episode explores the conc...

Guests: Tim Carstens (Twitter: intoverflow ), Wolfgang Welz (Github: Wollac ), Rami Khalil (Twitter: hashcashier ) Host: Rex (Twitter: ⁠LogarithmicRex⁠ ) As of 2021, I believed Ethereum would revolutionize finance, drawing from my financial background. While I still hold that belief, my perspective has shifted over the past couple of years. I now see Ethereum's purpose as trustless computation...

Guest: 0xTaiga (Twitter: @0xTaiga ) Host: Rex (⁠Twitter: ⁠⁠@LogarithmicRex⁠⁠ ) Smart contract auditing involves specialized teams meticulously reviewing developers' code for errors, bugs, and vulnerabilities to ensure safety and readiness for production. The episode's guest, 0xTaiga from Consensys Diligence, sheds light on the intricacies of smart contract auditing, discussing the audit pr...