Bitcoin for the befuddled / by Conrad Barski and Chris Wilmer ; cover illustration, Conrad Barski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Barski, Conrad, author, illustrator.

Wilmer, Chris, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Electronic funds transfers.

Electronic commerce.

Money.

Exchange.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (270 p.)

Edition:

1st edition

Place of Publication:

San Francisco, California : No Starch Press, 2015.

Language Note:

English

System Details:

text file

Summary:

Bitcoin is an international digital currency known for its independence from a central bank or government. Already used by people and companies around the world, many forecast that Bitcoin could radically transform the global economy. The value of a bitcoin has soared from less than a dollar in 2011 to well over 1000 in 2013, with many spikes and crashes along the way. The rise in value has brought Bitcoin into the public eye, but the cryptocurrency still confuses many people. Bitcoin for the Befuddled covers everything you need to know about Bitcoin-what it is, how it works, and how to acquir

Contents:

About the Authors; Brief Contents; Contents in Detail; Preface; Acknowledgements; Chapter 1: What Is Bitcoin?; Why Bitcoin Now?; The Benefits of Using Bitcoin; The Complexity and Confusion of Bitcoin; What's in This Book?; Chapter 2: Bitcoin Basics; How Bitcoin Works in Simple Terms; Bitcoin Units; The Bitcoin Address; The Private Key; The Bitcoin Wallet; Creating Your First Bitcoin Wallet with Electrum; Acquiring Bitcoins in Your Wallet; Spending Bitcoins with Your Wallet; Bitcoin Addresses Generated by Your Bitcoin Wallet Program; The Blockchain; The Blockchain Lottery; Blockchain Forking

Transaction Confirmations, Double Spending , and IrreversibilityMining Bitcoins; The Complexity of the Bitcoin System; Chapter 3: Storing Your Bitcoins Safely, Securely, and Conveniently; Storing Your Private Key(s); Hot Storage vs. Cold Storage; Personal vs. Hosted Wallets; Safety, Security, and Convenience; Storing Small Amounts of Bitcoins; Online Hosted Wallet Services; Online Personal Wallet Services; Personal Hot Wallet; Storing Large Amounts of Bitcoins; Paper Wallets; Encrypted Paper Wallets; Offline Transaction Signing; Fragmented Private Keys and Multi-Signature Addresses

Special Mention: The Bitcoin Hardware WalletSpecial Mention: The Bitcoin Brain Wallet; Choosing the Storage Method That's Right for You; Chapter 4: Buying Bitcoins ; Why Not Just Mine Bitcoins?; Ways to Buy Bitcoins; Buying Bitcoins the Easy Way; Authentication Factors; The Hassle of Converting Dollars (or Other Currencies) into Bitcoins; Buying Bitcoins with Coinbase; Buying Bitcoins the Efficient Way; Buying Bitcoins from a Currency Exchange; Buying Bitcoins the Fun and Futuristic Way; Step 1: Finding Someone to Buy From; Step 2: Deciding on a Meeting Place

Step 3: Handing Over the Money and Getting Your BitcoinsSatoshi Square; Still Don't See a Buying Option That Works for You?; Chapter 5: Lost at Sea: A Cryptographic Adventure; Chapter 6: Why Bitcoin Is a Big Deal; A Brief History of Digital Currencies; The Dawn of Bitcoin; Bitcoin's First Four Years; Bitcoin's Early Impact; The Future Potential of Bitcoin; What Are the Existential Risks to Bitcoin?; What Role Might Bitcoin Play in the Future?; The Dangers of Decentralized Digital Money ; Chapter 7: The Cryptography Behind Bitcoin; A Brief Cryptography Overview; One-Way Functions

Cryptographic Hash Functions Verify InformationPublic Key Cryptography; Digital Signatures; Using Digital Signatures; Why Bitcoin Needs Cryptography; Authorizing Transactions with Digital Signatures; Verifying the Validity of the Transaction History; Proof-of-Work in Bitcoin Mining; Extra Protection for Bitcoin Private Keys ; Cryptographic Methods Used in Bitcoin; Cryptographic Hash Functions: SHA256 and RIPEMD160 ; Crowley and the Unfortunate Jelly-Filled Donut Incident; Moving Around on a Line; Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) ; The Safety of Bitcoin's Cryptography

Chapter 8: Bitcoin Mining

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781457188343

1457188341

9781593276539

1593276532

OCLC:

899134054