Hanging with the World Crypto Network Crew (TCConf 2019)

## Hanging with the World Crypto Network Crew (TCConf 2019) - Episode Summary

1. Narrative Summary:

This podcast episode, recorded at TCConf 2019, captures a lively and insightful conversation with the World Crypto Network (WCN) crew. The discussion begins with anecdotes from their experiences at the conference, including a memorable tour of a salt mine that they likened to the deep dive one takes when discovering cryptocurrency. The crew shares humorous stories about networking, socializing, and even a late-night event called "Get Wrecked Pie." The conversation then takes a more philosophical turn, exploring the complex role of trust in the cryptocurrency space and broader society. They critique the prevalent "trust, don't verify" mentality, contrasting it with the original ethos of verification and control. Drawing on John Nash’s Game Theory, particularly the Prisoner’s Dilemma, they analyze how the removal of trust, as attempted by Bitcoin, impacts human interaction and whether it has ultimately been a positive development. The episode concludes with reflections on the importance of trust in smaller communities and a desire to expand the panel's perspectives.

2. Main Topics Discussed:

• Conference Experiences: Networking, socializing, and humorous anecdotes from TCConf 2019.
• Salt Mine Tour: A metaphorical representation of the "rabbit hole" experience in cryptocurrency discovery.
• Trust vs. Verification: Examining the dangers of blindly trusting perceived experts and the importance of verification in the crypto space.
• The Nature of Trust in Code: Acknowledging the inherent trust involved in using any code, even with audits.
• Game Theory & the Prisoner's Dilemma: Analyzing how this concept influences trade and consumer behavior.
• Bitcoin & Trust Removal: Discussing Bitcoin's attempt to remove trust from transactions and its potential consequences.
• The Role of Trust in Society: Contrasting trust in smaller communities with the skepticism fostered by rational consumerism.
• Open Source Security: Concerns about the assumption of code safety in open-source projects.

3. Key Quotes:

• "That was proof of work, man. They dug a hole." (Referring to the salt mine)
• "Trust, don't verify is actually what most people do."
• "Bitcoin...that's what we're trying to do, dark markets. If you can trade something and remove trust completely, then that flips that kind of game theoretical experiment on its head."
• "If you cannot pass it [the corkscrew test], you should not." (Referring to the corkscrew's complexity as an IQ test)

4. People Mentioned:

• World Crypto Network (WCN) Crew: The primary speakers and participants.
• Crypto Raptor: Member of the WCN crew.
• Peter Todd: Gave a talk on developer dishonesty and code signing.
• Dominique Frisbee: Mentioned in passing.
• Adam McInt: Mentioned in passing.
• Fio: Member of the WCN crew.
• Peter Thompson: Mentioned in passing.
• Ben: Member of the WCN crew.
• John Nash: Game Theory pioneer, referenced in discussion.
• Unnamed Panelist: Briefly interrupted the conversation.

5. Bitcoin Prices:

• No specific Bitcoin prices were mentioned in the episode.

The speakers also briefly mentioned a conference ("the bottom") and a desire to get someone onto a panel.