It’s well understood that bitcoin can be used to buy and sell things/services, and the ecosystem of people accepting the cryptocurrency as payment is expanding. But what else can we use the underlying protocol for? How can we expand the same system that enables bitcoin-the-currency to flow and transactions to be recorded? This discussion (from the a16z Academic Roundtable 2014) examines that question, and answers why the currency is just the beginning of the story when it comes to this technology. You can watch video of the entire discussion here: http://a16z.com/2014/10/24/the-bitcoin-network-effect/

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The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by a16z. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, a16z has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation.
 
This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by a16z, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by funds managed by Andreessen Horowitz (excluding investments and certain publicly traded cryptocurrencies/ digital assets for which the issuer has not provided permission for a16z to disclose publicly) is available at https://a16z.com/investments/.

Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Please see https://a16z.com/disclosures for additional important information.

a16z Podcast: Beyond Bitcoin -- The Blockchain

Cosmic_Construction_Zone__How_Filaments,_Turbulence,_and_Fossil

Richard Dawkins - The Magic of Reality PART 1

Bitcoin quickly made its way from a whitepaper to a production network, which is pretty amazing when you think about it. But its scripting/ programming language was initially, intentionally, limited  for a few reasons, which meant that building new apps on bitcoin wasn't always easy.

Enter ethereum in 2014 -- a public blockchain platform that moved away from the "Swiss-army knife" approach to a more general protocol approach. This would in turn allow endless (and entirely new) use cases to be built on top of the blockchain, whether smart contracts or "app coins" that allow decentralized crowdfunding and decentralized business models. The results, at first glance, may seem just like a new way of financing a company. But it actually goes much deeper than that: They're really software protocols that are almost replacing centralized companies or what those companies would do. The possibilities are endless...

In this episode of the a16z Podcast, Ethereum inventor and co-creator Vitalik Buterin joins Fred Ehrsam, co-founder of Coinbase (an a16z portfolio company) in conversation with Chris Dixon. The conversation covers everything from the politics of open source (and value of network effects even when those networks split) to the challenges of mainstreaming and scaling tech. And what happens next?

a16z Podcast: Ethereum, App Coins, and Beyond

On July 19, 2015, at the invitation of UC Berkeley Center for Buddhist Studies in partnership with Khyentse Foundation and Siddhartha’s Intent Western Door, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche gave a talk entitled, “Is There Buddhism Without Rebirth?” on the UC Berkeley campus.

These days, many westerners view reincarnation as irrelevant to their engagement in Buddhism. Yet, for centuries, Buddhist texts have been filled with warnings about those who deny the existence of rebirth and the ethical ramifications of such views. How are we to understand such warnings? And if we discard what many consider to be “cultural trappings” to what is essential about Buddhism, what is left of a religion that teaches the lack of any independent existence?

In this talk, Rinpoche specifically addresses those Buddhists with materialistic, Abrahamic, or Brahmanic tendencies. Using the framework of relative truth and ultimate truth, Rinpoche expounds on how reincarnation fits the definition of valid relative truth, being usable on the relative level. Rinpoche also goes into detail about how, through Buddhist study, objects can be validated.  Also covered in this talk are: the main purpose of Buddhist teachings, concepts of direct teaching vs. expedient teaching, and union of relative truth and ultimate truth.
For comments, please visit:  https://www.facebook.com/djkhyentse/
For more information, please visit our website:  http://www.siddharthasintent.org
2015 年7月 19 日，宗薩蔣揚欽哲仁波切應邀至美國加州大學柏克萊分校，針對轉世這個西方人較為難以接受的佛教概念進行開示。仁波切的講話對象是針對那些帶有唯物主義、亞伯拉罕宗教或婆羅門教之殘餘影響的佛教徒，以世俗諦與勝義諦為框架，闡明了轉世符合正世俗的定義，在世俗諦上有其功用，然而在勝義層面上不能主張有轉世的存在。開示內容並且包含了佛教驗證事物的方式、教法的目的、了義與不了義的概念、世俗諦與勝義諦之雙運等等研習佛法的重要課題。

Is There Buddhism Without Rebirth 02 / 沒有來生的佛教存在嗎？第二集

On July 19, 2015, at the invitation of UC Berkeley Center for Buddhist Studies in partnership with Khyentse Foundation and Siddhartha’s Intent Western Door, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche gave a talk entitled, “Is There Buddhism Without Rebirth?” on the UC Berkeley campus.

These days, many westerners view reincarnation as irrelevant to their engagement in Buddhism. Yet, for centuries, Buddhist texts have been filled with warnings about those who deny the existence of rebirth and the ethical ramifications of such views. How are we to understand such warnings? And if we discard what many consider to be “cultural trappings” to what is essential about Buddhism, what is left of a religion that teaches the lack of any independent existence?

In this talk, Rinpoche specifically addresses those Buddhists with materialistic, Abrahamic, or Brahmanic tendencies. Using the framework of relative truth and ultimate truth, Rinpoche expounds on how reincarnation fits the definition of valid relative truth, being usable on the relative level. Rinpoche also goes into detail about how, through Buddhist study, objects can be validated. Also covered in this talk are: the main purpose of Buddhist teachings, concepts of direct teaching vs. expedient teaching, and union of relative truth and ultimate truth.
For comments, please visit:  https://www.facebook.com/djkhyentse/
For more information, please visit our website:  http://www.siddharthasintent.org
2015 年7月 19 日，宗薩蔣揚欽哲仁波切應邀至美國加州大學柏克萊分校，針對轉世這個西方人較為難以接受的佛教概念進行開示。仁波切的講話對象是針對那些帶有唯物主義、亞伯拉罕宗教或婆羅門教之殘餘影響的佛教徒，以世俗諦與勝義諦為框架，闡明了轉世符合正世俗的定義，在世俗諦上有其功用，然而在勝義層面上不能主張有轉世的存在。開示內容並且包含了佛教驗證事物的方式、教法的目的、了義與不了義的概念、世俗諦與勝義諦之雙運等等研習佛法的重要課題。

Is There Buddhism Without Rebirth 04 / 沒有來生的佛教存在嗎？第四集

with Chris Dixon and Fred Ehrsam

We’ve already talked about why bitcoin matters. But as the set of cryptocurrencies — and networks and “tokens” enabled by the underlying blockchain — grow (Ethereum being one of the fastest-growing ones), where do we go from here? How do we tease apart the signal from the noise, given all the buzz and critiques out there?

In this episode of the a16z Podcast, general partner Chris Dixon and Fred Ehrsam (former Goldman Sachs trader and a co-founder of Coinbase) break down the fundamentals of it all — from incentives, developer communities, and protocols, to new models of governance and the tradeoffs between centralized and decentralized systems (including central planning vs. letting a thousand experiments bloom). And then, given all the hype out there right now around crypto tokens and “ICOs”, how do we tell the difference between what’s promising/legitimate vs. a red flag? How could we value tokens? And what does it mean for incumbents when all the value that was created in the previous paradigm is being commoditized by the new one, and that value creation now has to happen at some new layer?

At the end of the day, the key word through it all is incentives. And it’s a testament to the power of getting incentive structures right that someone pseudonymously dropping a 9-page whitepaper onto the internet led to a $70 billion cryptocurrency, a whole ecosystem of companies and users, and the largest supercomputer network in the world. Then again… isn’t that how innovation happens?

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The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by a16z. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, a16z has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation.
 
This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by a16z, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by funds managed by Andreessen Horowitz (excluding investments and certain publicly traded cryptocurrencies/ digital assets for which the issuer has not provided permission for a16z to disclose publicly) is available at https://a16z.com/investments/.

Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Please see https://a16z.com/disclosures for additional important information.

a16z Podcast: Why Crypto Tokens Matter

In March 2018, Rinpoche taught at Deer Park Institute in Bir, India on ‘Hinamudra'. In this teaching (a play on Mahamudra) Rinpoche presents a groundbreaking and inclusive view of the ways that modern people can relate and actually do relate to the Buddhist path. 
Admirers of the Buddha, resonate with the words and actions of the Buddha, appreciating its noble aspirations for all beings, even though they may not identify as Buddhist.  
Buddhists take the Buddhist vow as a commitment to be guided by its wisdom. These people may not be engaged in formal practice.
Dharma practitioners are those who put the Buddhist teachings into practice and for whom the concerns of this life are less.

Hinamudra - 2

with Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong), Chris Dixon (@cdixon), and Sonal Chokshi (@smc90)

Where are we, really, right now -- in terms of what we can/ can't do with crypto today? And what will it take to get from vision to mainstream reality? This episode of the a16z Podcast covers all this and more. It's based on a conversation that took place between Coinbase CEO and cofounder Brian Armstrong and a16z crypto general partner Chris Dixon, interviewed by a16z editor in chief Sonal Chokshi, at our at our annual Summit in November 2018 -- following a series of presentations that covered everything from early adoption, myths, and the global need for crypto; to crypto as seen through the lens of trust; to key terms and concepts that enable entirely new use cases on top of crypto.

But what are the missing pieces needed to get us there? Is crypto is too much like a religion... and if so, how does one build a company, culture, community in such an intense environment? Where does the history of open source come in? And finally, what are some of the most interesting applications and trends in the space?

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Please note that the a16z crypto fund is a separate legal entity managed by CNK Capital Management, L.L.C. (“CNK”), a registered investor advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission. a16z crypto is legally independent and operationally separate from the Andreessen Horowitz family of fund and AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“AHCM”).

In any case, the content provided here is for informational purposes only, and does NOT constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase any investment solution or a recommendation to buy or sell a security; nor it is to be taken as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. In fact, none of the information in this or other content on a16zcrypto.com should be relied on in any manner as advice. You should consult your own advisers as to legal, business, tax and other related matters concerning any investment.

Furthermore, the content is not directed to any investor or potential investor, and may not be used or relied upon in evaluating the merits of any investment and must not be taken as a basis for any investment decision. No investment in any fund advised by CNK or AHCM may be made prior to receipt of definitive offering documentation and due diligence materials. Finally, views expressed are those of the individual a16z crypto personnel quoted therein and are not the views of CNK, AHCM, or their respective affiliates.

Please see https://a16zcrypto.com/disclosures/ for further information.

a16z Podcast: Building Crypto, from Vision to Reality

In this episode of the a16z Podcast -- which originally aired as a video on YouTube -- general partner Alex Rampell (and former fintech entrepreneur as the CEO and co-founder of TrialPay) talks with operating partner Frank Chen about the quickly changing fintech landscape and, even more importantly, why the landscape is changing now.

Should the incumbents be nervous? About what, exactly? And most importantly, what should big companies do about all of this change? But the conversation from both sides of the table begins from the perspective of the hungry and fast fintech startup sharing lessons learned, and then moves to more concrete advice for the execs in the hot seat at established companies.

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The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates.

This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investor or prospective investor, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund which should be read in their entirety.)

Past performance is not indicative of future results. Any charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. 

Please see https://a16z.com/disclosures for additional important information.

a16z Podcast: Fintech for Startups and Incumbents

Nagarjuna's Sixty Stanzas on Reasoning, Kathmandu, Nepal, 1-7 October 2015

The Buddha told Shariputra that the best and only way to understand shunyata is through devotion. Talking about it is a waste of time. Rinpoche advises us to do things such as go to a stupa, offer a flower and say, "May I understand this truly non-arising". Offer another flower, "May all sentient beings understand truly non-existing, truly non-arising".

For comments, please visit: www.facebook.com/siddharthasintent
For more information, please visit our website: www.siddharthasintent.org

龍樹《六十頌如理論》

佛教中觀派祖師龍樹菩薩提出了兼容並蓄的緣起性空論，是我們了解佛教哲學的關鍵思想家。其著作《六十頌如理論》為中觀應成派的基本論典，以六十頌説明緣起，常被引用，是佛弟子了解緣起和中觀要義的重要論典。

宗薩欽哲仁波切于2015年10月在怙主頂果欽哲法王圓寂紀念日之際，在尼泊爾加德滿都，以7天的時間，藉此討論般若智慧的開示，供養文殊上師。

問題與評論，歡迎前往: www.facebook.com/siddharthasintentchinese/
更多資訊，歡迎訪問: cht.siddharthasintent.org/

Cosmic_Construction_Zone__How_Filaments,_Turbulence,_and_Fossil

Stu Wright 4