Introduction to web3, Crypto & DeFi

Join Stephen Reid, celebrated teacher and technologist and creator of the dandelion.earth platform, for a four-week deep dive into the world of web3, blockchain, cryptocurrency, decentralised finance (DeFi) and its regenerative promise. The course is suitable for enthusiastic beginners but will also be of interest to those with some expertise in the area seeking to connect with likeminded others.

The course will take place 4pm-6pm UK time (UTC/GMT) via Zoom on:

• Wednesday 2nd Feb 2022
• Wednesday 9th Feb 2022
• Wednesday 16th Feb 2022
• Wednesday 23rd Feb 2022

You will be sent pre-reading/watching a few days before each session (allow 1 hour), and homework at the end of each session (allow 1 hour). To get the most out of the course you should also set aside at least 2 hours per session to go back through the notes, read some of the links provided and make sure you understand everything we've covered. So that's a minimum of 6 hours per session for maximum benefit (2 hours live, 1 hour pre-reading/watching, 2 hours revision, 1 hour homework). If you are an absolute beginner it is particularly important to do all the above.

• Sessions will be recorded and shared (so you can catch up if you're late/miss one).
• There are only 5 low income spots – please bear this in mind if considering this option.
• If you can afford it, please select the 'Abundant' ticket type, which helps cover the cost of the low income spots.
• The course is capped at 50 participants.
• Every participant will be offered a 10-minute private consultation during the course.

Feedback from previous editions

“My only regret is that I did not take this course much, much sooner… Stephen's calm, insightful, clear knowledge, delivered through this thoughtfully constructed and detailed course cut through the noise to the signal. I took the course due to a mild curiosity in this thing called crypto, thinking that crypto = Bitcoin. Instead, a techie and financial Luddite in equal measure discovered how much the area of crypto and DeFi is a paradigm for a vastly different, more equitable world that is already being realised, with life-changing ramifications for us all. Excellent, I could not recommend it more!”

“A fantastic and very thorough grounding in crypto. Stephen really knows his stuff and covers a lot(!) in very little time. I’ve really enjoyed it all look forward to continuing to learn (and revisiting the notes periodically) and building from this excellent base of fundamentals.”

"The course exceeded my expectations by far. As a crypto and DeFi novice, I learned a ton of information that Stephen broke down nicely in digestible bits. The variety of topics covered was fascinating, providing a taste of possibilities of a future decentralised world. Well done Stephen for having pulled together a very interesting course which I can highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about these topics."

“The course covers a tremendous amount of material in a very short time. This is only possible because the teacher is outstanding. On offer are directly applicable advice and strategies to take advantage of the new economics made possible by the development of the internet and cryptography."

“Worth every gwei! Fantastic introduction, really detailed notes that I have already gone back to several times to help clarify my subsequent interactions with the crypto world. I feel like I went on a journey over the course of the month - from crypto curious, to crypto trader, and have come out the other side as a better informed, slower-paced crypto enthusiast. Crypto and DeFi are really energetic and hypey spaces and it's easy to get lost in the buzz. Stephen's grounded approach and thoughtfulness about the field helped pull me out the other side and consider how I can help meaningful crypto projects rather than fixate on crypto as a cash cow.”

“Insightful peak into the mysterious world of crypto! Thank you Stephen for creating and delivering this course which I think is well suited to beginners like myself. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but feel like I have peeked into another world - one that gives another alternative reality and story away from the “beaten track” of centralised banks and systems that are all we know today. Would recommend to friends!”

Course schedule

The schedule is subject to change to ensure maximal relevance in this fast-changing space.

Session 1: Introduction to Crypto

• 10,000 foot view: what is Bitcoin?
• Censorship resistance
• Cryptography
• Hashing
• Public key (asymmetric) cryptography
• Blockchains
• The simplest possible blockchain
• Proof-of-work
• Ledgers
• Distributed ledgers
• Bitcoin: the first cryptocurrency
  • Nakamoto Consensus
  • 51% attacks
• Ethereum: the world computer
  • Smart contracts

Session 2: web3 and the EVM

• What is web3?
• EVM-compatible chains: Avalanche, Polygon, Fantom & BSC
• Layer 2
  • Universal (EVM-compatible): Arbitrum, Optimism & Boba Network
  • Specialised: dYdX & Loopring
• History of DeFi
• CeFi v DeFi v CeDeFi v TradFi
• DeFi newsletters, channels & podcasts
• ERC-20 and WETH
• Fiat-backed Stablecoins: USDC & USDT
• Wrapped Bitcoin: WBTC
• The first decentralised stablecoin: DAI and Maker
• Automated Market Makers: Uniswap, Sushi and Curve
  • Slippage (price impact/loss rate)
  • Buy-And-Hold vs. Constant-Mix (aka impermanent loss or divergence loss)
• Aggregators
• Money markets: Aave and Compound
  • Short selling
• Yield farming (liquidity mining)
  • Parallels with platform co-operativism
  • What about 'effort/contribution mining'?
• Automated farming: Yearn and Beefy
• Self-repaying loans: Alchemix
• Protocol Owned Liquidity: Olympus

Session 3: Beyond the EVM: The Cosmosphere, Solana and THORChain

• The Cosmosphere
  • Proof-of-stake
  • Delegated proof-of-stake
  • IBC: Terra, Crypto.com, Cosmos, Osmosis and friends
  • Terra 'TeFi'
    • UST & LUNA tokenomics
    • Anchor
    • Mirror
• Solana
  • Proof-of-History
  • Raydium
  • Tulip
• THORchain

Session 4: ReFi and closing

• Regenerative Finance 'ReFi'
  • KlimaDAO
  • Regen Network
  • Proof of Humanity UBI
  • Panvala
  • Gitcoin
  • Celo
• Investing v trading
• Taxes
• That's a wrap!

About Stephen

Stephen Reid is a teacher and technologist devoted to the flourishing of Life on Earth who has trained in the fields of complexity science, physics, software development, meditation, psychotherapy, plant medicine, conscious sexuality and political activism. He is currently teacher of the How to DAO, Tools for the Regenerative Renaissance, The Promise of Decentralisation & Introduction to Crypto & DeFi courses, and a member of the not-for-profit worker co-operative Dandelion Collective, where he leads the development of the Dandelion platform for ticketed events and co-created gatherings.

Previously, he was the youngest ever board member of Greenpeace UK and consulted for organisations including the New Economics Foundation, the Living Wage Foundation and 350.org. Stephen has an MPhys in Physics from the University of Oxford, where he specialised in quantum field theory, and an MRes in Complexity Sciences from the University of Bristol.

Please note that the purpose of this course is education and nothing in the course constitutes financial advice.

REFUNDS POLICY: Please note, we do not arrange refunds or exchanges. When possible we encourage reselling on Ticketswap.

ACCESS:  We do our best to include everyone in our events, regardless of health circumstances. If you have access requirements please email the event organiser directly to discuss. Many facilitators are able to offer reduced ticket prices for those truly unable to afford the ticket price. If this applies to you, do please get in touch with the event organiser.

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