Blockchain: The Next Everything

by Stephen P. Williams

What is blockchain? Why does everyone from tech experts to business moguls to philanthropists believe it is a paradigm-shifting technology, bound to revolutionize society as significantly as the internet? Indeed, why is blockchain touted as The Next Everything? In this introduction to one of the most important innovations of recent times, Stephen P. Williams answers these questions, revealing how cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are just one example among dozens of transformative applications that this relatively new technology makes possible. He interprets the complexity into digestible anecdotes, metaphors, and straightforward descriptions for readers who don't know tech, and explains all of blockchain's most important aspects: why this so-called digital ledger is unhackable and unchangeable; how its distributed nature may transfer power from central entities like banks, government, and corporations to ordinary citizens around the world; and what its widespread use will mean for society as a whole.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology, Business, Economics, Education, Finance, Science

1 pages, Audio CD

Published March 26, 2019

Reviews

[Diego · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t waste your time or money

If you are looking to learn about blockchain and cryptocurrency this book will do you no good.
If you already know about these subjects and are looking for some new insight or trends, this book will do you no good.

Basically a discombobulated collection of equally discombobulated thoughts.

Reading Wikipedia would do you more good!

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good and simple introduction to Blockchain world!

[Carey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the most asinine things I have ever read. I understand that Blockchain is important. I can even buy the idea that it will eventually be revolutionary. But it isn't the goddamn neoliberal digital messiah.

Take a breath and change your underwear, Steve.

[Books and margaritas · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a mess of a book. I think the author wasn't sure what he wanted to do here: there are some parts that are educational but they aren't adequately researched nor deep enough to make a good nonfiction read. Other parts are just neoliberalism propaganda and it makes the author to sound very unprofessional and biased.

I had some limited knowledge of recent technologies and blockchain so I wanted a book that would expand my limited knowledge and, unfortunately, this book didn't deliver anything new for me.

Maybe if you don't know anything about blockchain and are looking for a book that feels like more of a podcast by a very enthusiastic average Joe, rather than a serious nonfiction writer, then this book may be a right fit for you. Otherwise, you will be disappointed just like me.

[Patience · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy to read but still insightful introduction to blockchain. I wish there were more technology books like this.

[Buddy Scalera · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started and then stopped this book in record time. It's that bad. Yet, because of the book designed (lots of whitespace), I made it pretty far before I finally quit.

This book is a technology book with few insights about technology. It is simultaneously about Blockchain and about nothing at all. Mostly it's about nothing. It's seriously the worst book I've attempted to read all year, and I've clawed through several clunkers this year.

The author makes random assocations that relate to Blockchain, but with no serious attempt at explaining what the heck he actually means. It's like a series of incomplete blog posts that have been pulled together based on keyword search. It's random thought association with the word "blockchain" inserted in each paragraph. Never before has blockchain wasted this much paper

If you told me that this book was written by AI software, I would actually think that it finally all made sense. In the meantime, it is a jumbled mess of a book that will probably sell at marketing and tech conferences. Not because it's good (because it's really bad), but because it's a good topic with a cool-looking design.

I will still look for good technology books, but not by this author.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blockchain: The Next Everything is about a new(-ish) technology called Blockchain, and its wide variety of capabilities. I listened to this as an audio book.

I did like this book a lot. To be honest, I think I liked it more than I would've if I had read it as a physical book. It introduced me to Blockchain, which, before, I had never even heard of. I found quite a few of the jokes the author made to be funny.

I've noticed a lot of negative reviews for this book. The reviews say a lot of things, and one of those things is that this book doesn't teach much about Blockchain. I agree. I could probably sum it up in a few minutes. But I don't think that's very bad, since this book isn't meant to teach every single thing about Blockchain. It's just an introduction.

I'm giving this book four stars rather than five because, even though I just said I don't mind very much, there wasn't much I learned. It is an introduction to the topic, yes, but I think there couldn't been a bit more information in there.

So, overall, I enjoyed listening to this book. I listened to it at night in bed, and it was actually kind of relaxing. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be introduced to Blockchain.

[Heather Penner · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a couple of years now, I've been meaning to try to understand what blockchain is. The only advantage of waiting so long is that now there are some really excellent books on the market to help me along. This book is one of them. In short sections, the author explains for a non-programmer what blockchain is, and most importantly why the technology has the potential to be so influential in all of our futures.

[David Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read but creates as many questions as it answers

[Odo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

[Deke Hardwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read. Trust me. I’ve read almost all the other main popular books on Blockchain and this one clearly lays out the whole thing better than most for the layperson, to help conceptualize the Big Picture.

I don’t know what some of these other reviewers are smoking. They obviously know very little about the mind of Vitalik Buterin, probably just read some old stuff about Bitcoin. They must not have even read the White Paper from ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’, as this book is a very good intro and is fairly comprehensive about the potentials of Blockchain, which is arguably much bigger than just crypto exchange altcoins and BTC.

Blockchain will change everything. It’s promise is so all-encompassing that it demands that we solve the carbon emissions issues to tap its potential. This book clearly lays out use cases and actual blockchain solutions being tested now that are absolutely mind-blowing.

Blockchain will demand our cooperation and prove trust with unhackable authenticated solutions, its decentralized nature empowers the Everyman and potentially compensates gross inequities, income disparities,it establishes provenance for the arts and any intellectual property or idea, its virtually limitless new frontier and game-changer.

This is the best book I’ve read yet that dives deep into decentralized applications on Blockchain while remaining an easy read. Your mind will be blown! Enjoy…

[Elwin Kline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and sweet introductory book on what blockchain is all about.

I would say this books greatest strength is that it is super easy to digest and doesn't get into the weeds much at all about the tech itself, and more focuses on the big picture that the mass majority will be able to easily grasp without any technical background.

At the same time... I do enjoy getting deeper into things and would have appreciated getting under the hood, even if it were just a little bit. It just wasn't this books agenda to get deep into the technical matters of the technology and I accept and am okay with that. I am sure I can easily find a book relevant to this subject that will satisfy this desire if I decide to pursue that in the future.

Everything was rock solid in this book and I had nothing bad to say about it... until towards the end where it starts to speculate on artificial intelligence a little bit and I didn't quite agree with everything that was said. Essentially, AI was unfairly favorably praised without any discussion of negative consequences or repercussions... call it user preference or whatever you want, but I would have appreciated a little bit of a discussion on how AI might not be such a "holy grail" and the potential downsides of it as well. -1 star for that.

Otherwise, this is a great book on blockchain and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about this topic in a more broad scope/non-technical format.

[Zach Freeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very quick read and the short, clipped “chapters” (often more like paragraphs) start off enjoyable and easy to digest, but once it becomes clear there’s not much substance they lose their charm. The author repeats the same points over and over using different examples and never truly gets to the heart of WHAT blockchain is or how it ACTUALLY gets used, instead talking over and over about its potential and what “people are saying.” It’s a frustrating, lightweight read they offers about as much information as a much shorter article might. He’s a talented writer so when he paints pictures of the meet-ups he goes to, it’s fun to read, but it never gets beyond a superficial recounting of what anyone even vaguely familiar with blockchain and Bitcoin already knows...

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing of blockchain other than it’s association with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, however, tech writer Stephen Williams defines and decodes the actual and potential applications of this amazing technology into easily understandable stories and metaphors. Blockchain is a ‘soulless and transparent’ yet ‘anonymous’ and emotion-free unique digital signature ascribed to any kind of transaction or record. From banking to digital identity to tracking climate change, blockchain’s unique coding date- and time-stamps everything the code is used. You have to read this easy to digest and understand book, and let your imagination and creativity run wild with what could, and will, be with this growing technology.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely wasn't written for a tech audience. It gives an overview of what blockchain is and how it might be useful, which is kind of what I was looking for. Never really addresses the elephant in the room, which is that the most exciting uses of blockchain (leveling the playing field for corporations and smaller businesses, allowing individuals to own and monetize their own data, holding corporations responsible for getting their supplies and labor ethically) are things that those in power have no financial motivation to push for, so the path forward isn't very clear. Not sure I'd recommend the book, but I don't regret reading it either.

[Hanie Noor · Rating 4 out of 5]

(reading in progress)

Basic introduction to blockchain. For someone who actually took a graduate course on fintech, there’s not so much new insights I’ve gain so I’d say it’s very beginner friendly. Plus point on how the author managed to explain it in simple terms which we didn’t really get in class probably because it was more technical and this one is definitely easy to digest though it ends to soon.

[Elizabeth StClair · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offered a good overview of what blockchain is and its potential. It got me excited about the future and thinking about various ways blockchain can be used both in my personal and professional life. Easy read.

[Haisten Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I finished this Amber was in my ear yelling “DogeCoin To the Mooon!” Lol. This gave me a really interesting perspective on blockchain and the role it’ll play in the future of our market and society.

[Adam Wallimohamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer on blockchain and it’s potential use cases.

[Andres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice light read about the blockchain can’t wait for my next read on the blockchain!

[Xonrad · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've been trying to understand recently why IT and tech in general has been floundering in the 2020's... this book has contributed to the answer.

This is a sort of modern Reader's Digest dumbing down of a concept that isn't actually hard to understand... until the get-rich-quick fanatics try to confuse you with their Crypto gospel.

A prime example of why blockchain has not evolved the way it was meant to, just like cryptocurrencies are now the exact opposite of what they were originally designed to do... every single consideration in this book is tied to the "Crypto will be the only thing of value after the apocalypse" mythos.

Skim through this one if you want to understand why so many people, including in the world of IT and coding, have become crypto zombies.

But if you really don't know what blockchain is and want to learn I can give you the following analogy:

Think of a biometric sign in/sign out system for a work place. Every employee or visitor's movements, in and out of the premises, are tracked and time stamped. JUST the entry/exits. All of the benefits of a fully traceable ledger of those movements and the trustworthiness of each of these unique biometric entities (people) that are on record... any and all benefits exist ONLY at the point when an audit of the ledger is required... whether to confirm all day pass holders and visitors are off sight come a predetermined "after hours" time of the day, immediate access to inventory (people) at an evacuation point during a fire alarm, who was onsite when a breach or crime was commited... etc.

Step away from the crypto-fortune obsession and you can see that "blockchain" does not require an entire book to explain and speculate upon. Nor are the potential uses a mystery of revolutionary proportions.

This book falls into the category of neo-tech-relgion: Praise the code, it will deliver you from the suffering of the flesh.

[SVEN · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like quite a few things I've read about Blockchain this book hardly taight me anything I did not know before while still remaining elusive on how exactly that works and what is the outlook.

I do understand that the premise of blockchain is for technology to take over the accrediation role of authorities like governments, notaries, financial institutions.
I do understand that this is achieved by enabling an Unhackable distributed Digital Ledger and that the technology can be used to uniquely identify transactions by appropriately carfted Distributed Applications : dapps.
I do understand that the current leader Bitcoin provides the relevant audit transparancy by massive computational use which in turns gives Blockchain an energy-cost. I learned that Ethereum uses proof of stake protocol, validation instead of mining, reward for realising chance of solving in order to reduce that energy cost.

What I do not understand is how it benefits society to have financial flows that are fully anonymous. In present form it seems to benefit only those who have too much and those who aquire means contrary to society's doctrine. I get that this can be morally good for individuals in autocratic environments and in failed state environments but I presume a regular state with regular state working is preferable over this "safety" fallback.

I also do not get how anything digital can ever be safe. The tought of my pc getting hacked is bd but my bank is worse. When my bank is hacked I have papers and politicians, what do I have when my blockchain is hacked ?

So, lacking those answers for me this book is fully redundant

[Kendall Cherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Blockchain: The Next Everything" by Stephen P. Williams is a comprehensive guide to understanding the technology behind blockchain and its potential impact on various industries. The book begins by explaining the basics of blockchain, including its origins in the creation of Bitcoin, and then delves into the various applications of the technology, including finance, supply chain management, and voting systems.

One of the most interesting sections of the book is where Williams explores how blockchain can be used to create decentralized platforms and how they could potentially disrupt existing power structures. He also addresses potential challenges and limitations of blockchain technology, such as scalability and regulatory concerns. In the end, the author provides a glimpse of how blockchain technology can shape our future.

Overall, this book is a thorough and accessible introduction to blockchain, providing a balanced look at the potential of blockchain and its limitations. It is a great read for anyone who wants to understand the technology and how it can change the future of many industries. The book provides an in-depth analysis of blockchain technology, and its potential use cases, as well as an overview of the current and future challenges of the technology. The book also outlines the regulatory and scalability challenges that are faced by blockchain, and provides an overview of future trends in the blockchain industry. The author has done a great job of explaining the technology in an easy-to-understand manner, making it a valuable resource for both those who are familiar and unfamiliar with the technology.

[Docmartn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book on CD. The author clearly states upfront this isn't a technical book which was ok with me. I did get some useful information out of it. Unfortunately the book repeats itself a lot and some of the sentences could have cut down dramatically. For example when the authors talks about the individual who wants to trade bitcoins for pizza in an email, the author lists every email address the message is sent to (seemed like 20 addresses) as well as the BCC emails. I didn't have forwarding ability and was ready to poke my ears out.

Since I listened to this on 5 CDs I don't know the book's page count. The book and therefore number of CDs could have been reduced dramatically! At least by 1/3. It needed to be better organized.

Bottom-line: If you're interested in learning about other and potential uses/applications for blockchain technology (outside of crypto currency) as well as some things (that may or may not happen) with blockchain in the future, the authors does a decent job of listing these issues including various pros and cons. If you're looking for a primer on the blockchain phenomenon you'll learn something new from this book. If you're looking for deep dive or something on the technical side, this isn't your book.

[Ted · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is exceptionally bad. I finished it to simply to add an easy notch on my Goodreads 2021 reading challenge.

At one point the author is discussing plagiarism and the blockchain and offers this insight to his writing style:

“...these days a person can just copy and paste. Many writers builder stories, chapters, books, movies, and love letters to their spouses by making a outline of copy and paste from a variety of sources. I started doing this myself a few years ago. To build a research story, I often string together a series of facts from a variety of different publications, tweets, or websites....”

This is exactly how the book reads. A jumble of disconnected copy and pasted thoughts from others, with the author changing words around and adding non-relevant personal details or anecdotes.

This is how a 7th grader writes about a book they didn’t read. Which is just this, because late in the book the author admits he’s never even bought bitcoin before.

[Axel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read as much non-fiction, informative work as I'd like as I find it hard to keep up a daily reading habit if there isn't a narrative to pull me along. One of the blurbs on the back of this book promised that it read like a novel, which is a slight exaggeration, but still, the brief chapters and the sense of being on a journey allowed me to keep making progress and I finished the book in around 3 days.

It gives you a sense of how blockchain works and what it could do without delving into the technical details much. Toward the end, I felt the tone was too evangelistic, but at least the prose made it interesting and not too dry.

In short, this is a good quick read to try and get a sense of why everyone is talking about blockchain nowadays.

[Sarena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely didn’t give me deep, technical information about blockchain, but I appreciated the writing and thoughts. I’m incorporating blockchain into my senior thesis (as a business major) so it gave me lots of inspiration to work with since there were so many application examples even if they weren’t explained with great depth. It wasn’t a long or difficult read! Also, there’s probably not much technical info since the author is a journalist, so in that sense, I think the book does what it’s supposed to do: give info in a condensed way that’s more or less understandable to the average person. Solid 4 stars from me!

[Ethan Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blockchain là một công nghệ, không đơn giản chỉ gói gọn trong lĩnh vực tiền ảo. Mình cảm giác vẫn chưa hiểu thật tường tận nó là gì, nhưng nhờ kiến thức từ sách mình khám phá được nhiều điều. Mình khá thần tượng Elon Musk và vì vậy gần đây nảy lên rất nhiều câu hỏi liên quan đến anh & Tesla: "Tại sao Tesla & Elon Musk gần đây lại đầu tư vào Bitcoin và chi phối nhiều như vậy?"; "Tại sao Elon lại phát biểu rằng Bitcoin "có hại cho môi trường?". Tầm nhìn của Elon là gì?"

Tất cả những câu hỏi này được ẩn giấu ở tiềm năng ứng dụng rất rộng lớn của công nghệ Blockchain trong tương lai.

[Inka Partanen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for an overview of the topic - something more than a wikipedia page, something written for the general public rather than tech people, something about risks and challenges, toi. That’s what I got. As a journalist (or ex-journalist) I usually don’t just want to understand a new thing myself but to be able to explain it to ”anyone”. After reading this I was able to explain blockchain to my mother (who is very much not-tech)! :)

If you’re looking for deeper (technical) knowledge, don’t read this one.

[Genifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shallow & useless.
I was hoping for a book that could translate the technicalities of blockchain into non-technical language and give insight into how the general population might be engaged with the tech. Instead, I was drowned in enough metaphors and empty stories of esoteric utopianism in the first three chapters that I’m inclined to write the whole concept off as New Age junk.
I’ll keep looking for books & stick to following blockchain advocates like Naval on Twitter.