Bitcoin is a secure form of currency that exists purely on the internet. To some it’s the world’s most advanced peer to peer cryptographic system. To others it’s a medium of value exchange. Whatever Bitcoin is, it’s undeniable that it is making a splash in fields spanning technology, politics, economics and lawmaking. It was recently lauded by Ben Bernanke, banned by the Chinese government and has been attracting comment and debate right across the mainstream media.

One of the primary features of Bitcoin is that it’s computationally impossible for anyone to fake their bank balance, or commit fraud by spending their money twice. In the wake of the Edward Snowden leaks, we now know that little of what we do can truly be considered private. In this context, bitcoin offers many an alternative; a robust, peer to peer system not linked to any one government or central bank. Does moving our money onto the internet in a secure way protect us in this increased era of institutionalised espionage? In this talk, Sam Phippen will explore how Bitcoin works, take us through some of the controversy that surrounds it, take a look at some of the motivating reasons for its creation and ask what the future holds for cryptocurrency.

A bit about Sam: Sam Phippen is a beardy hacker who loves ponies. He pootles around London with a laptop. He fights against the forces of injustice as a maintainer of a number of open source projects. He sings, he dances, he’s trying to hide from the NSA.

Some may remember Sam from a talk he gave in the Studio in 2012 - The Most Dangerous Game: Exposing Sixth Formers to Power Tools

This Lunchtime Talk is part of Open Studio Friday, which takes place at the Studio every week.

Do you want to find out what is going on at the Pervasive Media Studio? Are you interested in meeting our residents, talking about a specific project or curious about pervasive media? Why not pack a sandwich and join us for one of our Lunchtime Talks and Open Studio Friday.

Lunchtime Talks are informal presentations by Studio residents and associates. They normally take place at 1pm on Friday, are free and open to everybody who’s interested in what we do.

After the Talk, we also invite you to stay with us for the afternoon to continue the conversation or work on your own projects. We provide chairs, tables, wireless and a great space. You bring what you need to work with (laptop/mobile). Our open afternoons close at 5pm.
Let us know if you’d like a tour of the space and we'll be happy to show you around. Send an email to admin@pmstudio.co.uk