(originally sent on Nov 30. Subscribe to our newsletter now)

Hi Everyone,

It’s been a stressful few weeks to start November for the United States. First, the election, to which some claim is not over. Then, the rampaging COVID outbreak, to which some act as if public health is not a big deal.

I won’t say more.

Instead, I’d like to highlight our team’s recent work on the Hope in Crisis Podcast, a collaboration with Girls in Tech, a global non-profit organization focused on the engagement, education, and empowerment of women in technology.

Subscribe via — Apple Podcasts, SoundOn, Spotify…

by Shannon Appelcline.

As the Bitmark blockchain becomes more popular for NFTs, health data, music royalties and other types of digital property, we are frequently asked about the energy impact of the Bitmark blockchain and of blockchains in general.

Energy & The Blockchain

The energy usage of blockchains has been in the news a lot lately. What’s that about?

Q: Why do Blockchains Use Energy?

A: The most widely used methodology for securing blockchains is the “proof-of-work” algorithm, which is at the heart of Bitcoin, as well as the Bitmark blockchain.This means that you have to do work in the form of extensive cryptographic…

(originally sent on Oct 28. Subscribe to our newsletter now)

Hi Everyone,

A major discussion we’ve been continuing internally is about how Bitmark can make the control of digital rights accessible (applicable) to everyone. As hard as we’ve worked in the areas of personal data, healthcare, music, and art, there remains a significant learning curve for most people to join in. Many of us in the United States are used to signing our rights away without really considering what we’re reading. That’s the way it is.

If you’re now told you should have better control over your rights and this…

To: Bitmark Investors & Advisors
From: Sean Moss-Pultz

Note: This article series is taken from Sean’s quarterly letters to Bitmark investors. We share them publicly one quarter after they are written to give everyone a deeper, transparent look at Bitmark’s perspective of the world.

Dear Investors & Advisors

Bitcoin appears to be emerging from the trough of despair. The fundamentals are looking strong. Taproot, one of the most important improvements to the Core Protocol, was merged. That will enable more flexible (and private) smart contracts when activated. Or price, if that’s your signal, is again back to nosebleed levels. When…

To: Bitmark Investors & Advisors
From: Sean Moss-Pultz

Note: This article series is taken from Sean’s quarterly letters to Bitmark investors. We share them publicly one quarter after they are written to give everyone a deeper, transparent look at Bitmark’s perspective of the world.

Dear Investors & Advisors

Observations (from the future)

This is a letter from the future. It’s August of 2021 and even though we do have a vaccine, it’s not widespread. IP disputes between the US, Germany, and China (all contesting patents) are holding back deployment while the pandemic continues to punish society. But there is some…

Thanks for reaching out. I know a lot of people like PoS. We're not sure yet. We talked about this a couple of years ago: https://medium.com/clean-titles/a-philosophy-of-blockchain-what-would-satoshi-nakamoto-think-of-proof-of-stake-f9aac8e4d005

-Michael

On March 19th, at 10AM PST, Bitmark is proud to launch Feral File with the software art exhibition Social Codes curated by renowned artist and Processing programming language co-creator Casey Reas. The following is adapted from Close-Ups on Feral File.

At Bitmark, we believe that agreements around digital property (data, artwork, collectibles) cannot be resolved purely through traditional legal contracts or technology-based smart contracts. Legal contracts can’t handle the fidelity of digital assets (such as defining and enforcing the boundaries of digital property) at scale, technology-based smart contracts can’t handle the incomplete nature of contracts. No contract, and thus no…

by Shannon Appelcline.

In the last few years, headlines have blared that Bitcoin has grotesque energy costs. The Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index (Footnote 1) currently estimates 78 TWh a year. More importantly, in these years of climate change, which is a real, global crisis, they note a carbon footprint of 37 Mt CO2. The sensationalist headlines usually note that this is the same as New Zealand.

Though these numbers may be technically correct, that’s the worst type of correct, because the headlines are pure clickbait. They create outrage without offering context and in doing so create a false impression. …