Author: Twone
Cryptography is an ancient discipline closely related to the confidentiality and transmission of information.
From simple substitution ciphers to complex modern encryption algorithms, the progress of cryptography has not only driven technological development, but also laid the foundation for privacy protection and information security in the digital age.
At the beginning of the 21st century, with the concept of Bitcoin proposed by Satoshi Nakamoto, cryptography found a new stage - cryptocurrency. This is not only a technological innovation, but also a challenge to the existing financial system and social structure.
Cryptocurrencies use blockchain technology to ensure the security and transparency of transactions through decentralized networks, challenging the monopoly of traditional banks and financial institutions. More importantly, it raises a question:
What is the foundation of wealth, power, and trust in modern society?
In this exploration, cryptography and cryptocurrency have become tools for social change. They are not just technological innovations, but also the pursuit of freedom, equality, and decentralization. The rise of cryptocurrencies has promoted financial democratization, allowing millions of people without bank accounts worldwide to access the financial system. At the same time, it has also sparked deep thinking on issues such as privacy rights, digital identity, and internet governance.
April 23rd is World Book Day.
This is a great opportunity for us to look back on this history and reflect on the impact of cryptography and cryptocurrency on society. Through reading, we can not only understand the principles behind these technologies, but also deeply think about how they shape our world and affect our lives. Let us use the power of books today to explore the deeper meaning behind all of this and think about how we can participate in this ongoing social change.
On World Book Day, we are organizing a retrospective on the theme of "Cryptography and Cryptocurrency: Writing the Social Change of the Digital Age." Through reading and sharing, let us witness together how cryptographic technology and cryptographic ideas shape our world and reshape trust in the digital age.
Book/Article Title: "The Cryptopians"
The Cryptopians[1]
Recommended by: K
Review:
"The recent growth of crypto would have been all but impossible if not for a brilliant young man named Vitalik Buterin and his creation: Ethereum. In this book, Laura Shin takes readers inside the founding of this novel cryptocurrency network, which enabled users to launch their own new coins, thus creating a new crypto fever."
Book/Article Title: "Computer vs. Casino: Crypto's culture war"
Computer vs. Casino: Crypto's culture war[2]
Recommended by: zhoumo & Ada
Book Review: "Geeks and Gamblers: The Cultural War of Cryptocurrency"
Book/Article Title: "Crypto Wars: The Fight for Privacy in the Digital Age: A Political History of Digital Encryption"
Crypto Wars: The Fight for Privacy in the Digital Age: A Political History of Digital Encryption[3]
Recommended by: K
Review:
The author, Craig Jarvis, describes the development history and important historical events of encryption technology since the 1970s.
Book/Article Title: "Auguste Kerckhoffs"
Auguste Kerckhoffs[4]
Recommended by: Twone
Review:
"Who was the first to propose the cryptographic ideas that have had such a profound impact on modern society? Usually, people think of Shannon, the founder of modern cryptography, whose paper "Communication Theory of Secrecy Systems" based on information theory, takes "the enemy knows the system" as a security assumption when analyzing the security of a system. However, "the enemy knows the system" is just Shannon's refinement and summary of the ideas of his predecessors. The true inventor is Auguste Kerckhoffs, a 19th-century linguist and cryptographer."
Book/Article Title: "Cypherpunks: Freedom & the Future of the Internet"
密码朋克[7]
Recommended by: K & Larri
Review by K:
"Unlike 1984, which envisioned a dystopian society, this book tells me that I am now living in a dystopian world and calls on us to fight, defend freedom, and be a cypherpunk."
Review by Larri:
Questions discussed in the book "Cypherpunks":
To what extent should we share cultural products for free?
Cancel political donations, directly purchase lobbying power, and open instead of criminalizing bribery, how about that?
Will not censoring child pornography content promote the solution of real problems?
Does the dystopian society described by Assange bother you personally?
How did Paris or France influence your views on "self-awareness, diversity, and self-determined networks"?
Book/Article Title: "In the Second Depression of the Cypherpunk Movement"
In the Second Depression of the Cypherpunk Movement - coin[8]
Recommended by: Ada
Review:
This short article satirizes the depression of the cypherpunk movement and the disappointment in the ideal society of decentralization. It mocks DeFi, public chains, DAOs, governance, memes, etc.
(Note: Due to space limitations, only a portion of the content is displayed in this article. For more details, please visit: https://colib.app/community/59949)
After this curation, if you are also interested in these contents, we invite every member of the community to recall the words they have touched in this cryptographic exploration - not only about cryptocurrencies and cryptography, but also about books on topics such as cryptographic humanities, communities and societies, creator economies, crypto nomads, AI combined with cryptography, public goods, etc. Those books that have enlightened you, made your thoughts leap, and even changed your view of the world.
You are welcome to share these books or articles in our TG Unlib Community Library channel:
pic made by zhoumo
(Note: Unlib is a sub-brand of the Colib app, incubated by Colib and Uncommons.
Based on the Uncommons cryptographic research community scenario, it explores PCF (Product Community Fit) applications that serve the needs of online communities.
The goal is to become a public good that serves the needs of a wider range of online communities, helping more communities build their own "community libraries".)
Like sailors who first sense the breeze, sharing the positions of planets, currents, and storms with each other.
We invite you to enter this realm of cryptography together.
References:
[1] The Cryptopians: https://book.douban.com/subject/35415598/
[2] Computer vs. Casino: Crypto's culture war: https://showerthoughts.substack.com/p/computer-vs-casino-cryptos-culture
[3] Crypto Wars: The Fight for Privacy in the Digital Age: A Political History of Digital Encryption: https://www.routledge.com/Crypto-Wars-The-Fight-for-Privacy-in-the-Digital-Age-A-Political-History-of-Digital-Encryption/Jarvis/p/book/9780367642488
[4] Auguste Kerckhoffs: https://www.primitiveslane.org/post/auguste_kerckhoffs
[5] "Communication Theory of Secrecy Systems": https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~rist/642-spring-2014/shannon-secrecy.pdf
[6] Cypherpunks: Freedom & the Future of the Internet: https://archive.org/details/pdfy-ekVVZgGOThtG6fXb/page/n169/mode/2up
[7] 密码朋克: https://book.douban.com/subject/27054249/
[8] In the Second Depression of the Cypherpunk Movement - coin: https://coin.mataroa.blog/blog/depression/