Name: Nick Gracilla's review of Blockchain For Dummies by Tiana Laurence
Item: Blockchain For Dummies
Rating: 1
Author: Nick Gracilla

Tiana Laurence

Unravel the mysteries of blockchains Blockchain technologies are disrupting some of the world’s biggest industries. Blockchain For Dummies provides a fast way to catch up with the essentials of this quickly evolving tech. Written by an author involved in founding and analyzing blockchain solutions, this book serves to help those who need to understand what a blockchain can do (and can't do). This revised edition walks you through how a blockchainsecurely records data across independent networks. It offers a tour of some of the world’s best-known blockchains, including those that power Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. It also provides a glance at how blockchain solutions are affecting the worlds of finance, supply chain management, insurance, and governments. Get a clear picture of what a blockchain can do Learn how blockchains rule cryptocurrency and smart contracts Discover current blockchains and how each of them work Test blockchain apps Blockchain has become the critical buzzword in the world of financial technology and transaction security — and now you can make sense of it with the help of this essential guide.

Blockchain For Dummies

Christian Beck

Nick Gracilla

This is a terrible read. I imagined this "For Dummies" series, even if old, might be useful to quickly survey the industry with a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of blockchain technologies. Quite the opposite. This is, instead, a five year old breathless accounting of all the wonderous possibilities of blockchains, from a co-founder of a blockchain company herself -- revealed on the back cover and in a slight disclaimer in one of the mentioned sections. 

It veers wildly from "how to setup a wallet" (assuredly all out of date now) to potential industry "disruptions" to various implementations of blockchain technology — all while never taking a first principles approach to explaining the topic. Concepts will be used without introduction or explanation; no current concerns around the carbon footprint of blockchain use, identity, or security is taken seriously, and the overall pace and focus reads like a twitter thread. On top of this, it is riddled with typos and inaccuracies, and hypes the oddest of things — like John McAfee's blockchain email startup. Don't try to pull that website up, it's a pornsite now. 

Not, at all, recommended.

Christian Beck &
Blockchain For Dummies by Tiana Laurence

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Christian Beck &Blockchain For Dummies by Tiana Laurence

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Christian Beck &
Blockchain For Dummies by Tiana Laurence