The altcoin world is peppered with slang, thanks to the comments of contributors on Reddit and other internet message boards. The terms “moon” or “mooning” can trace their origin back to forum threads, where you’ll often see claims that an altcoin is “mooning.” “Moon” or “mooning” is just an extreme […]
An ICO is held when the network behind a new coin has “pre-mined” a certain number of coins and floats those coins much like you’d float stock in a new company in an initial public offering, or IPO. Even before that happens, however, you might see a token presale. A […]
“Hodl,” but in English “Invest for the long term.” It is the most basic financial adage on the planet. It is even the principle your 401(k) is built around. Invest a small amount now and keep consistently investing small amounts, and as your tiny seeds of money grow, by the […]
You likely remember high school math and being told to “show our work.” It was not just that you had to get the right answer. You had to show the teacher that you understood the process. Who knew that, years later, you would be asked the same question about mining […]
You might not often think about the system that underlies how you spend money. If you do think about it, in every transaction, there is a middleman you trust. You swipe a card, and the card processor handles the transaction, protecting both you and the merchant against fraud. You write […]
Imagine, for a moment, you have been hired to destroy a shed and haul off the debris. You could strike out on your own with a sledgehammer and a crowbar, drag all that wood into the back of a truck, and drive it to the dump. Wouldn’t it be more […]
In altcoin jargon, you may have heard or read about a “Dapp.” Short for “decentralized app,” it sounds more intimidating than it actually is. Decentralized apps are open-source, autonomous apps that live on blockchains. To understand decentralized apps, let’s start with the example of a “centralized” app. You’re using one, […]
A bitcoin node maintains the blockchain and helps ensure transactions are swift and coins are mined. To understand a bitcoin node, think of the difference between a car radio and a citizen’s band radio. With a car radio, you can only receive signals, hearing about accidents and traffic reports before […]
Multisignature addresses are basically permission slips to make digital currency transactions and they help protect against fraud. To understand multisignature addresses, the best analogy is the signatures needed for a business check. You know how, if a business plans to write a check for a large amount of money, the […]
