PODCAST · news
Crypto IRL
by Afolabi O
Some say Crypto is a scam. Others swear it's a breakthrough technology. But which is it? Join us, as we explore Crypto in real life (IRL). afolabio.substack.com
Episodes
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Ep. 54 Hivemapper: Google Maps killer?
Preamble rant: The recent collapse of FTX, a large crypto exchange, and its associated entities, left many of us disappointed and disgusted with flashbacks to Enron and Lehman Brothers. Nothing is new under the sun. Unfortunately, whenever humans are involved, there is a potential for bad actors…
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Ep 53. Credit: It's complicated 🐦
If you are like me, then you were a little awkward in college. Here’s an example of an interaction I had on campus as I walked from my dorm to class. Pretty college co-ed: “Hey! Do you want a free t-shirt?” Me: Uh! (Awkwardly looks away. Runs in the opposite direction.) Don’t hurt me🤕 It’s...
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Ep 52. The Celsius Bankruptcy
Preamble My wife and I recently packed our bags and relocated to New Jersey! Texas was good for us but now we are on to our next adventure in Greater New York City. Would love to meet up if you are in the area. It’s been fascinating observing people’s reactions when I say I work in crypto. Some...
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Ep 51: Metaverse 101
I’ve got a confession. (Cue Usher’s hit single “Confessions”) I am not exactly sure what the metaverse is. There I said it. I feel so much lighter lol :-) Last year, “metaverse” burst onto our collective lexicon when Facebook announced it was reinventing itself as Meta. Mark Zuckerberg produced…
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Ep 50. Time to dream again
Hey y’all! This will NOT be a typical newsletter. I started writing as a forcing mechanism to learn more about crypto. It has been fun. Along the way, I’ve learned a ton, made new friends, started Bitcoin mining, and got a new full-time job in crypto. Thank you for coming on this journey of...
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Ep 49. Built different🍄
Hey y’all! Did you hear the remarkable story of how an inexperienced passenger safely landed a plane when the pilot became incapacitated? Here’s some background: I listened to the recording of the passenger calmly explaining the situation to the air traffic controller multiple times. I listened...
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Ep 48. Lightning⚡Baby!
What a difference a year makes! About a year ago the price of Bitcoin hit $63k, today it’s $43k (-30% YoY). But attendance at the annual Bitcoin conference in Miami increased 2.5x to 30,000 people this year. So what’s the deal? Let me tell you a little secret: it’s not just about price. The...
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Ep 47. Is Bitcoin religion?
Weekly rant: Is Bitcoin religion? The crescent moon was spotted. Ramadan is here. This is a particularly holy time for the 4.5 billion Muslims, Jews and Christians around the world. Muslims are fasting from sunrise to sunset for a month. Jews are preparing for Passover. Catholics are giving up...
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Ep. 46 Oily Bitcoin + Underwear 🩲
Is the economy gonna boom or bust? Lately, this question has been popping up everywhere. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has pushed oil prices sky high, inflation has been soaring and many people are feeling the pinch in their wallets. So what’s the deal? Apparently, the answer lies in men’s...
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Ep 45. First Bitcoin Mortgage🚀
Hey y’all! I hope you had a terrific week! I’m visiting New Jersey this week. I checked into my hotel, walked towards the elevator when I ran into this: This is a first! I’ve seen Bitcoin ATMs before but never in a hotel. The narrative I’d heard was that there are 2 main sets of Bitcoin ATM users...
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Ep 44. Crypto Pi Day 🥧
Tomorrow (3/14) is Pi day! Yes, guilty as charged. I’m a recovering math and science nerd. Pi day is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant “pi” which relates to the circumference of a circle. It’s also a great excuse to eat lots of pie. In honor of Pi day, I wanted to take a walk...
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Ep 43. An ode to squirrels
What’s your favorite animal? For a long time I really didn’t have one. When asked, I’d sometimes pick a random African animal or something philosophical to try and impress whoever I was with. Ugh. Thankfully I’ve passed that stage. Lately, I’ve been watching squirrels. I see them everywhere from...
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Ep 43. An ode to squirrels🐿
What’s your favorite animal? For a long time I really didn’t have one. When asked, I’d sometimes pick a random African animal or something philosophical to try and impress whoever I was with. Ugh. Thankfully I’ve passed that stage. Lately, I’ve been watching squirrels. I see them everywhere from...
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Ep 42: I spy a metaverse
Happy New Year! E ku odun! Bonne année! Feliz ano nuevo! I started writing this edition 2 weeks ago but then I became unwell. Thankfully, I am feeling much better now. I hope 2022 brings more joy, growth and good health. Please stay safe out there. I spy a metaverse🕵️ Steve Jobs unveiled the…
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Ep 41. Winter is coming?!❄️
My wife and I typically do a quick getaway at the end of the year. It’s nice to ring in the new year in a new city but we also invest time to review our goals and set new ones. We hit all the big ones: relationship, fitness, financial goals and more. This year, crypto has become a bigger share of...
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Ep 40. Get the bag💰
Hey, In recent months, lots of high profile personalities have announced plans to get paid in crypto. The Mayors of New York and Miami joined athletes like Aaron Rodgers and Odell Beckham; and artists like 50 Cent and Mel B to get partially or fully paid in crypto. Coinbase recently partnered…
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Ep. 39: New beginnings🚀
Hey friends, About a year ago, I started publishing this newsletter as a forcing mechanism to document my learning, clarify my thinking and keep up with crypto news. I decided to share in the event that someone else might find it useful. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. #wagmi!…
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Ep 38. Crypto Purpose?
Hey friends! My wife and I recently drove out for a beach weekend to celebrate my birthday. It was great to hear the crashing waves and feel the sand beneath my feet. I like to watch the sunrise on my birthday. I start the day with gratitude then I reflect on my purpose and aspirations. Recently,...
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Ep 37. Crypto: It's 1998!
Hey friends! I want to invite you on a trip down memory lane. Can you guess which year these events happened? * President Clinton is engulfed in a sex scandal * Titanic becomes the first movie to gross over $1B * The word’s largest company is born when Exxon acquires Mobil for $74Bn It’s 1998....
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Ep 36. Toy or Next Big Thing?
Last week, I enjoyed sharing my thoughts on Pay like you email in longer form. Thanks for the feedback. This week, I have been reflecting on toys, Facebook and Kim Kardashian. Read on to learn how these relate to crypto. 1. Toy or the next big thing? 6 hours! We were all forced to detox from...
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Ep 35. Pay like you email
Last week, I scored a personal win. I deadlifted 405 lbs! I remember when I was first struggling to deadlift just the 45lb bar. Now I have lifted 9x that! But it was not smooth sailing. I tried and failed to lift 405lbs at least 5 times over the past month. Truth is, I was intimidated. My mindset...
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Ep 34. The Rising Sun
It only took 5 years. But, I finally did it! I visited the Big Bend National Park over the Labor Day weekend. The park is bigger than the state of Rhode Island and it has well preserved dinosaur fossils. The rivers carved temple-like canyons in the ancient limestone and the night skies are as…
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Ep 33. Culture eats Finance
They say history does not repeat itself but it rhymes. Today, Hurricane Ida hit the Louisiana coast on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I have gone through a couple hurricanes, they can be awfully devastating. Ida seems particularly nasty. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone...
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Ep 32. Lightning: life or death?
This weekend, Warri, a city I grew up in crowned a new king. I loved seeing the pomp and tradition on display. The new king is just 37 years old, very young in a country where monarchs are often crowned in their 50s through 70s. His speech spoke of history, inclusion and ambition. Hmm, that word:...
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Ep. 31: Banking the Other Half
Hey y’all! Today we are doing a special edition exploring the opportunity for crypto in the developing world. This is a topic close to my heart as I was born in Nigeria. I have been fortunate to have lived and worked in Africa, Europe and North America. This has given me a perspective on how...
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Ep 30. Crypto 200M users!
Thrilling week Hey y’all! I love the Olympics. I admire the passion, discipline and resilience to win. There have been so many triumphs and disappointments. I particularly enjoyed seeing Philippines and Bermuda win their first gold medals EVER. What a thrill! It’s also been a thrilling week in...
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Ep 29. I'm back!
I’m back! I took a couple weeks off to recharge. I surprised my wife with a beach getaway to the Caribbean. It was sunny, sandy and so much fun. Unfortunately, I got pretty sick on our last full day. Thankfully I’m fully vaccinated and it wasn’t COVID. My doctor urged me to go straight from the...
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Ep 28. Taproot + Texas - China = ?
Time flies when you are having have fun. It’s been about 6 months since I wrote my first newsletter. I’ve learned a lot. I hope you have too. If there is anything that’s you on your mind - just go for it AND stick to it. Now that we have gotten the pep talk out of the way, let’s dive into key...
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What crypto consumers want?
This is a special edition of 5x5 Crypto News. I hope you enjoy it. As always I welcome your feedback. They say curiosity killed the cat. Fortunately, I’m not a feline. Ha! Jokes aside, my mind is frequently buzzing with questions. Lately, I have been thinking about the future of cryptocurrency...
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Ep 27. Bitcoin 2021: What I learned? (Part 2 of 2)
This is a special edition of the 5x5 Crypto News focused on the Bitcoin 2021 conference. Last weekend, I attended the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami. My goal was to learn and connect. I figured I could watch the presentations on YouTube on my own time but I could not recreate the networking...
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Ep 26. Bitcoin 2021: First impressions (Part 1 of 2)
This is a special edition of the 5x5 Crypto News focused on the Bitcoin 2021 conference. Last weekend, I attended the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami. I’m new to this space so I figured it would be a great way to learn and connect with others. This is an attempt to capture some of my thoughts....
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Ep 25. Red, white and blue
It’s Memorial Day weekend. This is a time for somber reflection. Thank you to all who gallantly serve in the military. My thoughts are particularly with the families of those who are deployed and those who fell in the line of duty. One of my buddies is a captain in the US Air Force. He grew up as...
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Ep 24. Blessing in disguise
I hope you got a slice or two. Yesterday was Bitcoin Pizza Day. On May 22 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz bought 2 Papa John’s pizzas with 10,000 bitcoin. It was the first commercial transaction with bitcoin. Today, those pizzas would be valued at $333M. That’s a pretty penny per slice. Crypto enthusiasts...
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Ep 23. Crypto: Force for good?
This week I spent some time with family. We had lots of great conversations. I was persuaded to change my position on a couple topics. This led me to reflect on the importance of being open-minded and willing to adjust views when presented with new evidence. The tragedy is that many people miss…
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Ep 22. Bitcoin showers anyone?
Mayday! Mayday! We have a situation. Crypto continues to move at the speed of light. Also, it’s May already! There’s still time to hit the gym to get that summer bod. Get it. This week, a lot of the developments point to the continued maturation of the sector. Obviously, there is still a long way...
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Ep 21. Blockchain for good & gold
Spring is upon us! Flowers are blooming, the sun is shining and allergies are in season. (Sneeze!) This week I gave a Blockchain 101 presentation for an Austin-based company. It was great discussing what blockchain is and how it could impact a variety of industries. I’m super pumped about the...
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Ep 20. Rich people problems
Woohoo! This is my 20th edition! I started writing on a whim without a plan. I knew I wanted to learn more about crypto and share with others interested and so I just started. Thanks for coming along on this ride. Be sure to invite others who might get a kick out of this too. There is room at the...
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Ep 19. Big sell off!
Mid April usually means one thing tax day. This year, the IRS has postponed the deadline by a month. Get on it if you are running behind! This year, mid April is all about COVID vaccines. Good news is that I’ve now received my second dose of the COVID vaccine. Bad news is that I’m feeling a bit...
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Ep. 18. Monster in waiting
I hope you had a great week. It’s been sunny in Texas, almost feels like summer is here. Meanwhile, the crypto news cycle continues heating up. Next week is the much anticipated Coinbase IPO. But first let’s dive into some highlights from last week. As always, I look forward to your feedback.…
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Bitcoin Billionaires: Book review
Today, I am doing a special session. It’s a review of a book called Bitcoin Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. Accessibility: A Learning: A Enjoyment: A Overview Bitcoin Billionaires is one of those books you could see being made into a movie. It’s not that far fetched given that the author, Ben…
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Ep. 17. Fast & Furious: New Visa payments
Welcome to the 5x5 Crypto podcast. Each week, we cover the “so what’ of 5 key crypto stories in about 5 minutes. My name is Afo and I’m interested in crypto. I think you’ll enjoy this week’s episode. Like and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Substack. Let’s go! Happy Easter y’all! Q1 2021 is…
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Bitcoin Mining for Dummies
I periodically do a deeper dive on relevant topics. I am simply sharing my thoughts not offering financial advice. My thoughts are subject to change. I am not a registered financial adviser. They shuffled around excitedly jabbering on about hash rates and mining pools. It sounded like Greek to…
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Ep 16. Crypto bringing the Heat
This week, I have been reflecting on the journey so far. I did not start out with the intention of creating a newsletter or a podcast. Rather, my goal was to learn more about crypto. Then it evolved to sharing my learnings with others curious about the space. Lately, I have been considering how...
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Ep. 15: Bitcoin not Fried Chicken
Welcome to the 5x5 Crypto podcast. Each week, we cover the “so what’ of 5 key crypto stories in about 5 minutes. My name is Afo and I’m interested in crypto. I think you’ll enjoy this week’s episode. Like and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Substack. Let’s go! The 15th of March aka The Ides of...
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Book: Bitcoin & Black America
Hey, so I am trying something new. I have been reading books as I’ve been going down the crypto rabbit hole. Figured it might be helpful to share some key takeaways and guidance if you are also on this journey. Today, I'll be providing a quick book review of Bitcoin & Black America by Isaiah...
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Ep. 14: Can an old dog learn new tricks?
Welcome to the 5x5 Crypto podcast. Each week, we cover the “so what’ of 5 key crypto stories in about 5 minutes. My name is Afo and I’m interested in crypto. I think you’ll enjoy this week’s episode. Like and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Substack. Let’s go! Ladies and gentleman, it’s finally...
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Ep 13. Pay with crypto, Brave & more
Welcome to the 5x5 Crypto podcast. Each week, we cover the “so what’ of 5 key crypto stories in about 5 minutes. My name is Afo and I’m interested in crypto. I think you’ll enjoy this week’s episode. Like and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Substack. Let’s go! This year has been flying by.…
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Ep 12. Fed outage, NFT soars & more
Each week, I cover the “So what?” of 5 key crypto stories in about 5 minutes. Let’s go. This week: * Federal Reserve Outage * MIT to strengthen bitcoin * Coinbase is $100B * NFT record art sale * Dubai Fund sells bitcoin, buys Cardano and Polkadot * Federal Reserve outage exposes single point of...
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Ep 11. Trillion dollars. Texas freeze crypto impact.
Each week, I cover the “So what?” of 5 key crypto developments in about 5 minutes. Let’s go. * Bitcoin now has a $1 trillion market cap * This week the price of bitcoin soared to new highs over $56,000 * Adoption continues to grow as BlackRock revealed it has started “to dabble” in bitcoin....
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Triangular flows: Planes vs Payments
Nigerians go gaga over education. Parents strain to send their children to the best schools possible to give them an edge in a country plagued by rampant unemployment. About 15 years ago, my mum told me about her friends who were sending their teenagers to boarding school in Kenya. The school had…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Some say Crypto is a scam. Others swear it's a breakthrough technology. But which is it? Join us, as we explore Crypto in real life (IRL).
afolabio.substack.com
HOSTED BY
Afolabi O
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Crypto IRL have?
Crypto IRL currently has 55 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Crypto IRL about?
Some say Crypto is a scam. Others swear it's a breakthrough technology. But which is it? Join us, as we explore Crypto in real life (IRL). afolabio.substack.com
How often does Crypto IRL release new episodes?
Crypto IRL has 55 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Crypto IRL?
You can listen to Crypto IRL on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Crypto IRL?
Crypto IRL is created and hosted by Afolabi O.
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