The primary episode of the “Bit Speak” podcast discusses latest developments on the earth of Bitcoin. Hosted by Akiba and James from CryptoSlate in addition to Bitcoin pioneer Nick from Mercury Pockets, the podcast is a bite-sized, easy-to-consume bi-weekly overview of the Bitcoin community.
This episode begins with the adoption of Bitcoin in Africa, with increasingly folks utilizing the lightning community. The lightning community is a second-layer cost protocol that operates on high of the Bitcoin blockchain, permitting for quicker and cheaper transactions.
The hosts additionally talk about the state of Bitcoin mining, mentioning that some miners are struggling because of the bear market and the growing issue of mining. The bear market refers back to the decline within the worth of Bitcoin over the previous few years, which has made it tougher for miners to show a revenue.
The podcast additionally features a phase known as “Bitcoin Climate” with James from CryptoSlate. On this phase, James supplies a short overview of the present state of the Bitcoin market, together with latest worth actions and key developments. This phase supplies listeners with a fast and concise abstract of a very powerful on-chain occasions within the Bitcoin world.
The hosts additionally point out that there have been improvements in mining expertise, reminiscent of using various power sources and residential mining. Up to now, most Bitcoin mining was carried out by massive industrial farms, however now there’s a push for extra decentralized and sustainable strategies of mining. For instance, some firms want to use stranded power sources, reminiscent of biomass, to energy their mining operations. This not solely reduces the carbon footprint of mining but additionally makes it extra accessible to people who could not have entry to low cost electrical energy.
The hosts conclude by discussing the way forward for Bitcoin and the potential for it to turn out to be extra mainstream. They point out that Bitcoin nonetheless faces challenges by way of regulation and public notion, however they’re hopeful that these points shall be resolved over time. Additionally they point out that the continued improvement of the lightning community and different applied sciences will play a key position in making Bitcoin extra accessible and user-friendly.