The Genesis Block

DJ: You're listening to Think Blockchain, with your host, Jerry Cuomo.

Jerry Cuomo: Thank you, DJ and welcome all to Think Blockchain, a podcast for those curious about blockchain's evolution to a Web3 future. This is it. The start of a new podcast that is based on topics covered in my new book of the same name. In this short episode, which I'm appropriately calling The Genesis Block, and if you don't get this inside joke, it is covered in chapter three of the book. So today, DJ and I will introduce the podcast, describe who it's for, and hint at some guests and topics that we've teed up for future discussions. Oh, DJ is Digital Jerry. You heard his voice at the very beginning of this podcast. In fact, Hey DJ, why don't you join me for a quick interview, as a way to introduce the podcast to our listeners.

DJ: Okay. That will be fun and certainly a little different and maybe even a tad strange. Anyway, can I jump into the first question?

Jerry Cuomo: Sure thing.

DJ: Jerry, we covered that the name of the podcast is Think Blockchain and it is derived from your new book of the same name. Can you share a little bit about the book and how it will relate to the podcast?

Jerry Cuomo: Yeah, sure. You see the book and the podcast share the same goals and they relate to shaping the future of the internet, which many call Web3. Now to improve our future, we need to understand the issue of today's Web2 internet; issues like identity theft, issues with data privacy, a balanced reward system for those creating and contributing valuable data to the internet, and even going beyond the two dimensional internet into an immersive 3D metaverse. And last but not least producing a safe, easy and trustworthy approach to digital money. You see all these topics are areas that need attention and are areas that we feel blockchain technology uniquely possesses attributes, to take a real run at solving these problems, hence the title of the podcast and the book, Think Blockchain.

DJ: Makes sense. So, what can the listeners expect to hear in upcoming episodes?

Jerry Cuomo: Inspirational examples from inspirational people, that's what they can expect. Now, many people feel that blockchain is Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. Not quite true. I'd like to say that if there are a thousand applications of blockchain, crypto is just one. So you can expect to hear a great deal about the other 999 applications. Oh, and these applications are amazing and are poised at making everyday life better for you and me. Now, would you believe me if I said that blockchain based applications have taken aim at some of the biggest problems of today's society, including reducing foodborne illnesses and deaths, eliminating counterfeiting and big data breaches, and that blockchain can help make AI and IOT less bias and more trustworthy. Now, would you believe me if I said that enterprises like the NBA and NHL are showing early examples of how to use digital tokens or NFTs, for customer loyalty, where you can become a collector of part of sports history? And DJ, this goes well beyond the trading cards I had growing up. Would you also agree that if half of these things were to come true, that blockchain would be changing everyday life for the better? Well I do. And quite frankly, this is why I'm here and your enthusiastic host because I believe, as a technology and as a mindset, blockchain breeds trustworthy computing and becomes the fuel that propels Web3 and the future of our internet for good. These are the sorts of stories along with the personalities that go with them that are in store for you on Think Blockchain.

DJ: Next, who is this podcast for?

Jerry Cuomo: Well, a little story. A Student's Guide to Blockchain, was my original working title for the book. However, while testing the title with a few friends, we concluded that the topics covered in the book would also be valuable to just about anyone curious about the evolution of blockchain technology. So, we replaced the word student, with the word thinkers, to welcome a broader audience. Now, The Thinkers Guide To Blockchain, was somewhat of a mouthful. And after a brief conversation with my wife, Steph, we decided that, Think Blockchain, was it. So, if you're a student of business or technology, the topics covered in this Think Blockchain podcast, should prove valuable to just about anyone curious and ready to become a scholar of blockchain and Web3.

DJ: Okay. I think that's a good start and you did a good job of painting a picture of what's in store for future episodes. Thanks everyone. See you soon and back over to you, Jerry.

Jerry Cuomo: Thanks DJ. Well, this Genesis Block Episode is done and ready to be committed to the chain of podcast episodes. One last thought. If a tree, or should I say a podcast, falls in the woods, does it make a noise? Well, Think Blockchain has a few sponsors who will be helping us make some noise by providing support for marketing The Think Blockchain Podcast and book. Since royalties from the book are being donated to the American Cancer Society, we want to get the word out and make some noise. So, this episode is brought to you by IBM. IBM continues to be a thought leader and world class implementer of world scale blockchain solutions. Blockchain for business is IBM's thing. And Think Blockchain book is filled with examples like Food Trust, TradeLens, and the New York Excelsior Vaccine Pass, all built by IBM. IBM puts the think in Think Blockchain. I'm also proud to announce that this podcast is also brought to you by Kaleido, blockchain made radically simple for the enterprise. Visit Kaleido IO today, where you can take a free ride on the blockchain business cloud. Here you can stand up and enterprise blockchain in minutes on AWS/ Azure or on your own private cloud. Kaleido's blockchain as a service, combines the dramatic simplicity of software as a service, with performance, security, and global reach. Now, if you're a developer, you know building Web3 apps is not a walk in the park. All I'm going to say is Kaleido recently introduced Hyperledger Firefly and a super node for enterprise web three. I hope I peaked your interest here, and if I have, you can find links to IBM and Kaleido in the description section of this podcast, where you can also find a link to buy a bunch of copies of Think Blockchain. And remember buying is donating to fight cancer. Well, that's it for today. Thanks for joining. This is Jerry Cuomo, IBM Fellow and VP for Technology at IBM. See you soon on an upcoming episode.