Blockchain (ePub)

Bitcoin is starting to come into its own as a digital currency, but the blockchain technology behind it could prove to be much more significant. This book takes you beyond the currency ("e;Blockchain 1.0"e;) and smart contracts ("e;Blockchain 2.0"e;) to demonstrate how the blockchain is in position to become the fifth disruptive computing paradigm after mainframes, PCs, the Internet, and mobile/social networking.Author Melanie Swan, Founder of the Institute for Blockchain Studies, explains that the blockchain is essentially a public ledger with potential as a worldwide, decentralized record for the registration, inventory, and transfer of all assetsnot just finances, but property and intangible assets such as votes, software, health data, and ideas.Topics include:Concepts, features, and functionality of Bitcoin and the blockchainUsing the blockchain for automated tracking of all digital endeavorsEnabling censorship?resistant organizational modelsCreating a decentralized digital repository to verify identityPossibility of cheaper, more efficient services traditionally provided by nationsBlockchain for science: making better use of the data-mining networkPersonal health record storage, including access to ones own genomic dataOpen access academic publishing on the blockchainThis book is part of an ongoing OReilly series. Mastering Bitcoin: Unlocking Digital Crypto-Currencies introduces Bitcoin and describes the technology behind Bitcoin and the blockchain. Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy considers theoretical, philosophical, and societal impact of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies.