Hello everybody!
My name is Mickey, also known as Tezkatlypoka from Reddit,
and I would like to introduce you to the kind and down to earth person and genius CTO at Hoard, Dan Lipert.
Manual to this article: You have to read this article from front to back and show your grace. After all, that is how literature works, right?
(unless it is instruction manual, in which case no one reads them at all)
Introducing
Intermezzo
Thanks, man - I've got my sprint kickoff meeting this morning with my team but I will check it out after!!!
...the last day I worked for the US government I said: "I'm never shaving again" ;)
Lol, nice! Don't put this in the write-up but…
Lol yeah doing well today. Currently working at Shinjuku station.
Yeah definitely:) I'm a pretty down to earth guy I think.
Prologue
If you are already able to create your own mental image of this guy, there is no other need for me to write something for you anymore. But if you have, let's say...two or three ideas who this guy really is, or what a kind of character he has, then let me enhance your already created judgment about this exciting person with just a few of my very own statements.
Compassion. Loyalty. Humorous spirit. Discipline. Modesty. Sincerity … and since he’s an active developer in “sprint” mode, I hope very fast! These are a few of the words that describe a person looking to make an impact on the world by merging the capabilities of blockchain with financial services to empower people. With that, we need to add other descriptors like IT expert, blockchain evangelist, crypto-anarchist, hardcore coder, guru developer, and CTO of one of most promising crypto-related projects I have read about with an upcoming ICO slated for mid-September 2018. He’s a pretty down-to-earth guy as well.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Mr. Dan Lipert, the CTO and co-founder of Hoard.
Hoard is evolving into a mixture of a fiat-cryptocurrency gateway, a hybrid multi-functional wallet (currently in limited beta, with general availability very soon), and the upcoming ability to conduct instant payments with cross-chain benefits and portfolio tracking. It will make your crypto assets spendable for your bills, hobbies, and interests. You will be able to trade across the major exchanges. With Hoard, you just may be able to be your own bank. I personally believe that this project will be essential in the upcoming year.
Let's learn more from the person responsible for the technological vision behind this digital splendor.
Part One: Dan
Hello, Dan! Thank you for making some time in your tight schedule for this interview. First, I have introduced you as the CTO of Hoard. Please tell us something more about yourself and, more importantly, how you became the CTO of the project, team and organization?
I’m an American technologist originally from New Jersey, with some anti-authoritarian tendencies. I’ve been involved with internet areas throughout my life. I hope to bring more freedom to the world with this work and am incredibly stoked to have the opportunity to do this with the Hoard team.
I provided a bit of a Hoard introduction above. How would you introduce the concept to people who have not heard of the efforts before?
Hoard is a platform to increase cryptocurrency adoption through a killer mobile app and incredible blockchain tools, solving major pain points within the current ecosystem.
Can you provide an example from your real life where Hoard could help solve some issues in an ordinary person’s day?
One good example is wanting to make a payment without anyone else knowing. Our app will make sending private transactions safe and easy.
What's your favorite hobby, Dan?
Probably music! I’ve been doing something musical most of my life. Lately, I’ve been getting better acquainted with Ableton Live and producing some house music.
What is your relaxation ritual after trying to clarify what Hoard is doing to someone not genuinely interested in blockchain technology? :)
Probably taking a nap!
What were your favorite classes in school?
Mainly math, which initially came very easily to me but then got really challenging during my university years. Still fun though! I really liked participating in digital communications classes.
I am pretty sure that you were excellent in the art classes, right? :D
Ha, not so much! Although I did take an art history elective at one point, which was good. The art scene in Tokyo is amazing, so I explore as much of that as possible.
What is the most inspiring book you have ever read?
That’s a tough one - probably “Starship Troopers” or “Playing to Win” (by David Sirlin).
I see...and, by the way, what was your major at college?
Electrical engineering.
I read that you are a self-proclaimed “crypto anarchist.” How does it feel to be one of these guys and what does it mean for you?
For me, it means that I believe in the power of cryptography. I believe in the potential to change the life of everyone on the planet and make them more free. In many ways, this has already happened ... but I think we’ve only seen 1% of what is possible.
Tell us something about your past working experiences. Have you had jobs delivering newspapers, mowing lawns, working for the US government or other casual stuff?
I’ve worked in software all my life, except for some time right after college where I worked for the United States Department of Defense (DoD). I saw way too many shady happenings there, so I had to leave as soon as I could. Of course, I worked in high school in restaurants, on a farm, and other things like that.
I said in one of my articles that you look exactly like the legendary Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top. So let me ask you, Dan, what is your relation to music in general? Can you play an instrument?
I’ve played a lot of drums in my day, as well as some bass guitar and DJing - music has had a huge influence on my life.
Do you listen to the music when you want to relax? I remember you saying that you often listen to the sound of world news in the background as you are reading stuff.
Yeah, music or podcasts - lately, I’ve really been digging Econ Talk with Russ Roberts. He actually worked at the same racetrack that I did in high school, which is a weird coincidence!
What kind of music gets you in the mood to write some severe, competition ass-kicking, fire-breathing code? I would bet you are a Jazz-Art-Classic-NewMetal-Electro guy. How far am I from the truth here?
24/7 chill lo-fi hip-hop beats to study.
What do you think about the legacy of Satoshi Nakamoto and the work of “unicorn rider,” the legendary Vitalik?
Both amazing people who have given incredible gifts to society.
How did you get into IT?
I’ve always been interested in programming - I started with writing small scripts using EDLIN on a DOS terminal with no hard drive that took actual floppy disks. Later on, I got really involved with the BBS scene. So, I never had a second thought about my career path.
Can you tell me about the process of becoming a coder/ programmer and how your personal journey to professional kick-ass fire-breathing coder came to be?
I’d say the key is to have that curiosity and passion for computing. If you don’t have those qualities, I don’t think you can ever be a great coder.
Have you ever won some coding or IT-related contest?
I don’t think so - I’m not much for that type of thing. I keep all my competitiveness to playing Tekken. :)
Do you prefer to be a lone wolf or do you feel comfortable in the center of the group?
I’m definitely a lone wolf in many regards, but I also have a strong drive to provide great leadership and inspiration to those around me.
Are you able to share the story behind your work with the US government? Maybe this is top secret?
Not top secret at all. :) But, definitely classified! I worked at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington DC for awhile and later at the Space and Naval Warfare Center in San Diego. It mostly involved program management and acquisition work, but I did end up with an Admiral’s Commendation for blowing the whistle on a shady defense contractor (who just happens to be a household name).
How long have you been interested in blockchain technology and when did you make your first Bitcoin (BTC) purchase?
I first became interested in blockchain around 2012 from a technical perspective and tried mining for a bit - I didn’t actually purchase any BTC until approximately 2015.
Since you are deeply rooted in the cryptocurrencies industry, are you also a day-trader or more along the lines of an investing person?
Neither really. I’m here more for the technology. I do think trading is incredibly interesting though. From my days working at a horse racing track, I always knew there was money in any kind of para-mutual system.
How many years are you assuming that it will take for blockchain to become fully adopted in the ordinary life of everyday people?
Hmm… I don’t think we’re far off at all actually! Hopefully, Hoard goes a long way towards making that happen in the next few years. Why? Consider this.
We’ve created a user-centric multi-currency wallet that puts user interests first and empowers people to participate in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Next on our roadmap is a decentralized exchange that provides a simple, trustless exchange with zero insolvency risk. In addition to the Hoard DEX being decentralized, we’re adding a layer of zero-knowledge privacy tech that will shield trades and transactions. Within the app, the exchange is incredibly easy-to-use and comes paired with a variety of financial wellness services, AI-powered research, and technical analysis tools. It will also include educational resources that make navigating the crypto-finance world as simple as putting coins in a piggy bank.
More important is why we are building Hoard. We believe in a future where people can be their own bank. People shouldn’t be burdened by their financial partners with new and constantly shifting fees and penalties. Markets that close overnight and on weekends don’t sync with our modern international economy. Cryptocurrency has the potential to solve these problems and more. Our mission at Hoard is to ensure everyone around the world has access to next-generation financial tools.
Have you ever dreamed that you would one day be where are you now? A successful ambassador for your own project, traveling around the world, writing code at the train station, hitting the sack in Tokyo one night while resting on the other side of the planet a week later?
Yes! I dreamt about it my entire life. :)
How would you describe “cross-chain” to a young woman trying to pick up you at the grocery store (you can see her holding a Rolling Stone magazine with your slightly-edited LinkedIn picture as a central theme on the cover)?
Cross-chain basically means you have an operation that takes place on multiple blockchain platforms that are integrated together to accomplish something in a seamless and trustless way.
I do hear the word “JEEZ” a lot in your Telegram group! Is it some kind of inner circle conspiracy you have between core members?
Jeez, I don’t think so!
Dan, what is your prized lethal weapon of choice when coding: Apple, Dell, or another? What suits your needs the most?
One of each please! I use pretty basic tools software-wise, but I actually have a MacBook, a Dell, and a Razer laptop.
Part Two - What
How did you get together with Jason? Is there a little story behind it? :)
Jason and I met in a crypto Facebook group. We were each working on individual projects. We saw each other’s work and I reached out to him. After a few chats, we decided to join forces.
Hoard will allow you to do basic stuff like you can do with your bank (payments, transactions, and many others), but with very low or almost zero fees. Why is that and how is this possible?
While cryptocurrency transactions often have small fees, they are nothing compared to those that traditional financial companies charge. This is because the rules of cryptocurrency networks are set in code, rather than run arbitrarily by people who work at banks and in government. While this has various pros and cons, one big PRO is that your fees are low. There are no sudden shifts in policy resulting in new fees, penalties, and restrictions that you encounter with banks.
What has been your biggest coding challenge with Hoard so far?
Definitely, the biggest challenge is security - security is important for any software product. When you are responsible for people’s life savings, it really puts an emphasis on doing everything you can do to make sure your systems are as secure as possible.
What kind of protection will you be implementing into your Hoard application(s)?
Fingerprints are pretty much ok in my books, at least if you are not a professional room painter.
We’ll be integrating the latest and greatest tech available in smartphones - so (optional, of course) Face ID and Touch ID will be there, as well as industry-standard practices/processes like passwords and per-device PINs.
In your very technical white paper, I have read about Oracle. What is the oracle and what is the difference between a masternode and an oracle?
An oracle is a service that imports data from outside of a blockchain into the blockchain itself. For example, you can have an oracle that writes rainfall information onto a smart contract platform, which can then be used by on-chain crop futures smart contracts.
Masternode token requirements exist to ensure “skin in the game” for operators of these nodes and make it economically difficult for malicious groups to take over the network.
One of my development team members just authored a post about creating and running your own node.
There is a possibility to run your masternodes with Hoard. What is the minimum amount of tokens I need to run a master node?
The details are still being finalized as we approach our ICO/TGE, but we want it to be enough that it’s costly to do bad things in the network .... but affordable for our community members to actively participate in the program.
Am I helping Hoard by running my masternode?
Running a masternode helps the decentralized applications that run on top of the network Hoard has developed. The responsibility of maintaining the network relies solely on our community and Hoard will continue to develop the DAPP and related services.
We are incredibly focused on the needs of the Hoard community, as well as the many that are part of the open source movement. We have released our mobile wallet code on GitHub and look forward to working with many on various collaborations. People can read my post about why Hoard reinforces the open source community or they can head straight to GitHub and download the code !
I have heard some talk about Hoard’s network protocol (codename: Smaug). So, please tell me who the most significant fan of Tolkien is inside your team?
It's hard to say - I do think our dev team members are all big fans, but in different ways. I’m a big fan of the old-school, open source, rogue-like “Angband,” which takes place in the Tolkien universe (but not really into the movies).
Do you remember who Morgoth was? :)
I know he’s the boss of Angband!
Can you please try to describe a little bit about the codename: Smaug protocol? Tell me how many problems this mighty dragon can solve for Hoard?
Basically, the (codename) Smaug protocol provides a way for decentralized exchanges to maintain some of the advantages that centralized exchanges currently possess. We will continue to expand the capabilities of the software and there’s no limit to the problems we want to solve, but we’re focusing on fee-less, private, peer-to-peer transactions and a private decentralized exchange.
How will you continue with expanding the capabilities of the Smaug software?
It's challenging to tell exactly how many areas our efforts can address next. While we certainly have our own ideas, the technology in this space evolves extremely rapidly! We’ll stay nimble and respond to the needs of our users, while adopting the latest technology to increase freedom, access, and value for our users.
So, Smaug 1.0 relies on you staking your OAR tokens until the transaction is complete.
I understand Smaug 2.0 removes staking, but can you explain more about how it works?
Our initial vision was to require users to guarantee the settlement of their off-chain funds by providing their own reserves in escrow, which could be seized in the case of fraud. After getting feedback from the community, we’ve decided to move that responsibility to the nodes that maintain the off-chain ledger. This ensures they have appropriate “skin-in-the-game.”
Can you give me a quick example about the difference between the Lightning network, Raiden and Smaug?
The Lightning network and Raiden are complementary technologies to the Smaug protocol.
Are there any other features not listed in the white paper that you want to implement with Hoard to bring it to the next level after the roadmap is nearing completion?
Surely there are! :) We’d suggest that you and your readers stay updated by joining the Hoard team and community across our various company channels, especially Telegram and Twitter. We’re planning to release an updated website and white paper soon, so I’m sure there will be some new tidbits of information in there for everyone to gain more details about Hoard’s roadmap and plans.
What is Hoard's contribution to evolving and developing blockchain technology as a whole?
We want to increase the usefulness of all cryptocurrencies, allowing them to be transacted and swapped trustlessly and instantly. Remember, this is why we’re embracing and reinforcing the open source community as well.
You will move to your chain in the future. What advantage will running your own blockchain have?
We actually haven’t decided on this yet and are quite happy with Ethereum. That being said, if something that suits our needs better emerges we’ll definitely consider the adoption of an improved technology.
Dan`s video element
Best Cryptocurrency Wallet 2018 for Bitcoin, Ethereum and More
Epilogue
Me: Hey Mark! I just did an interview about blockchain technology and one thing that I am still don't get is that cross-chain idea. How would you describe “cross-chain” in the context of Hoard to a 12-year-old??
MarkPeo: Imagine that you are talking to your friend on Skype. He is in Japan and needs some Japanese yen, but you only have some Czech koruna. Imagine that your mobile device screen is the magical Hoard application and protocol. You put your koruna in your hand and as you pass it through the screen, it magically changes to yen and your friend can now take it from you. Your magic screen is the cross-chain. Your magic screen is Hoard.
If You have any questions regarding my article, send me a message in the bottle
(Prefer Tequila) at Telegram or shoot a shouted "Tweet".
Never stay tuned
Mickey
It is really cool how there will be a working app for launch and you can use it to invest in the ICO. This is the new benchmark for ICO's.
Great project and an awesome interview, nice one Mickey!
Great project and already a working product! Good job with the interview!
Added Video Element :) Just recently
Great Interview! I learned a great deal more through your efforts on in this interview. Keep up the great work - as I look forward to your next article.
Its all go. Super looking forward to this really exciting project.
Really awesome post Mickey, very informative and I love the tone :)
Very nice vlog
Coins mentioned in post:
Another great write up Mickey. Ive been impressed by everything I've seen with these guys so far.
Very nice vlog