Crypto IRL

Preamble rant:The recent collapse of FTX, a large crypto exchange, and its associated entities, left many of us disappointed and disgusted with flashbacks to Enron and Lehman Brothers. Nothing is new under the sun. Unfortunately, whenever humans are involved, there is a potential for bad actors to make poor choices that wreak havoc. This has proven true across industries, countries

If you are like me, then you were a little awkward in college. Here’s an example of an interaction I had on campus as I walked from my dorm to class. Pretty college co-ed: “Hey! Do you want a free t-shirt?”Me: Uh! (Awkwardly looks away. Runs in the opposite direction.)Don’t hurt me🤕 It’s complicated.Let’s flash back a few months before this awkward interaction. So ma

PreambleMy wife and I recently packed our bags and relocated to New Jersey! Texas was good for us but now we are on to our next adventure in Greater New York City. Would love to meet up if you are in the area. It’s been fascinating observing people’s reactions when I say I work in crypto. Some acquaintances immediately start walking me through their crypto portfolio while other

I’ve got a confession. (Cue Usher’s hit single “Confessions”) I am not exactly sure what the metaverse is. There I said it. I feel so much lighter lol :-)Last year, “metaverse” burst onto our collective lexicon when Facebook announced it was reinventing itself as Meta. Mark Zuckerberg produced an hour-long video explaining what the metaverse was and how Facebook was goi

Hey y’all!This will NOT be a typical newsletter. I started writing as a forcing mechanism to learn more about crypto. It has been fun. Along the way, I’ve learned a ton, made new friends, started Bitcoin mining, and got a new full-time job in crypto. Thank you for coming on this journey of discovery with me.The vision of 5x5 Crypto was to simply explain the 5 most important dev

Hey y’all! Did you hear the remarkable story of how an inexperienced passenger safely landed a plane when the pilot became incapacitated? Here’s some background: I listened to the recording of the passenger calmly explaining the situation to the air traffic controller multiple times. I listened intently as the air traffic controller steadily guided the passenger to land the pla

What a difference a year makes! About a year ago the price of Bitcoin hit $63k, today it’s $43k (-30% YoY). But attendance at the annual Bitcoin conference in Miami increased 2.5x to 30,000 people this year. So what’s the deal? Let me tell you a little secret: it’s not just about price.The conference itself is a bit of a sideshow. Tons of people I know went to Miami without s

Weekly rant: Is Bitcoin religion?The crescent moon was spotted. Ramadan is here. This is a particularly holy time for the 4.5 billion Muslims, Jews and Christians around the world. Muslims are fasting from sunrise to sunset for a month. Jews are preparing for Passover. Catholics are giving up vices to observe Lent as all Christians gear up for Easter. But the world is losing religi

Is the economy gonna boom or bust? Lately, this question has been popping up everywhere. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has pushed oil prices sky high, inflation has been soaring and many people are feeling the pinch in their wallets. So what’s the deal? Apparently, the answer lies in men’s underwear🩲 Alan Greenspan, former head of the Federal Reserve, once said that sales of m

Hey y’all!I hope you had a terrific week! I’m visiting New Jersey this week. I checked into my hotel, walked towards the elevator when I ran into this: This is a first! I’ve seen Bitcoin ATMs before but never in a hotel. The narrative I’d heard was that there are 2 main sets of Bitcoin ATM users in the US. The first set are immigrants. They buy and send Bitcoin as a means o