We are at the threshold of a new area of the internet that promises to transform the way we engage financially and take the power of data and privacy back from big corporations and give it to the individual through decentralization. This is sometimes called Web 3.0. While Web 1.0 transformed information sharing and commerce and brought us giants like Google and Amazon and Web 2.0 unlocked the social potential of the internet and created Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat, exactly what will come of Web 3.0 remains to be seen. It is indisputable that the seed of Web 3.0 is the technological, social, and economic innovations that came together in Bitcoin and the blockchain technology it created. But where the first web iterations were relatively straightforward to understand, the inner workings of Web 3.0 remain more opaque and shrouded in mystique. Current voices on Bitcoin and the blockchain revolution fall squarely into one of two camps; either technological "experts" who are all also invariably personally invested in the success of Bitcoin and the blockchain or "critics" who are typically deeply invested in the status quo and the failure of Bitcoin and blockchain. It seems like there is a need for a middle ground to provide the public with a more unbiased view of this important technology. This book therefore aims to unveil some of the mystique and show how to unlock the potential of the blockchain revolution in a manner that does not dismiss out of hand even radical and outlandish ideas nor jumps on the bandwagon of hailing Bitcoin and the blockchain as the answer to all problems. What you'll learn The nature of blockchain technology, how it works and what it does. The history of the technological developments that lead to the blockchain. A historical analysis of who the likely creator of Bitcoin is. How bitcoin and cryptocurrencies fit in the history of human exchange. The nature and history of electronic money. How blockchain technology solves problems in a novel way and what it cannot be used for. What web 3.0 could be. Who This Book Is For This book is for a general non-technical audience trying to understand the difficult and complex nature of blockchain and cryptocurrencies and the contours of the Web 3.0 revolution.

Although originally trained as a classical scholar with a PhD in Roman history, Anders Lisdorf has been working in the tech industry for decades bringing innovative technologies forth to solve real world problems. With an experience across many different industries, public as well as private, he has a wide interest in how we can make use of technology and data to improve the lives of everyone. As an entrepreneur he has started multiple tech companies and as an Enterprise Architect he has been responsible for modernization and development of the Data Services of the City of New York. Anders is the author of Cloud Basics and Demystifying Smart Cities (Apress).