Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Bootcamp

From Mining and the Blockchain to Ethereum and Smart Contracts

4.54 (2228 reviews)
Udemy
platform
English
language
Cryptocurrency & Blockch
category
instructor
Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Bootcamp
9,829
students
8.5 hours
content
Jun 2018
last update
$99.99
regular price

What you will learn

Understand the personal and business applications of Blockchain, Smart Contracts, DApps, and Tokens

Explain Bitcoin and Ethereum to your parents/grandparents/dog

Purchase your own cryptocurrency (if you want, but no pressure otherwise!)

Understand the ins and outs of the culture, concepts, and history behind Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the Blockchain

Formulate conspiracy theories about Satoshi Nakamoto

Why take this course?

Do you like learning about fascinating technology? Are you considering investing in Bitcoin or Ethereum? Are tired of wondering what the heck the Blockchain is? Or maybe you'd just like to hold your own in a conversation on cryptocurrencies at the office?

This course is for students who wish to confidently navigate the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrency, and it's taught by developers who love technology, rather than investors looking to pitch you.  Many courses focus on teaching you how to purchase Bitcoin, but very few explain how it works or why it has become so popular. 

The course begins with a basic overview of the history, concepts and vocabulary of cryptocurrency: What it is, how to acquire it, how to send and receive it, how it differs from differs from stocks and bonds, and what the heck a miner is. With that foundation, you will be ready to take on cryptocurrency's more advanced concepts: mining, forks, digital signatures, hashing functionssmart contracts, tokens, and distributed applications (DApps).  

This structure makes our course suitable for students of all levels.  No math or coding experience is necessary.

By the end of this course, you'll have no trouble answering the following questions:

  • What is a Bitcoin?  Can I touch it?  Where do I get some?
  • What is Ethereum? (and, yes, how to buy it)
  • How and why cryptocurrency Mining works.
  • What exactly happens behind the scenes in a Bitcoin transaction?
  • What is a Blockchain? What can it do? What can't it do?
  • What is a Smart Contract? What can it do? What can't it do?
  • What is an Ethereum Token?
  • What i the difference between Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash
  • What is an Address? A Wallet? A Private Key?
  • What is SHA-256?  RSA?  ECDSA?  Why does it matter?
  • What is a Digital Signature and why does it prevent someone from stealing my Bitcoin?
  • What the heck is Segwit?

This is not a course designed to pitch Bitcoin, Ethereum, or a token!  This is a course taught by developers who love technology, rather than investors looking to pitch you.  

This course is for information purposes only.  It is not intended to be investment advice.


Content

Introduction

Introductions. Start Here!
Course Overview: IMPORTANT!
Bitcoin in 3 Minutes

Money

Supplement: Slides PDF
Types of Currencies
Quiz: Types of Currencies
Digital Money
Quiz: Digital Money
Creating Our Own Digital Currency: RainbowCoin
Problems with RainbowCoin
Earlier Attempts at Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin Basics

Introduction to Bitcoin
Acquiring Bitcoin - Three Ways
Quiz: Acquiring Bitcoin
A Bitcoin Transaction in Depth
Quiz: A Bitcoin Transaction in Depth
A Real Transaction - Kevin Sends Colt Bitcoin :)
What Happened After We Hit Send?
Quiz: What Happened After We Hit Send?
An Overview of Mining
Quiz: An Overview of Mining

Cryptography and Fingerprinting

Introduction To Cryptography
One Way Functions
Quiz: One-Way Functions
Thumbprints: A Wedding Cake Mystery
Introduction to Hashing Functions
Properties of SHA-256 and Other Hash Functions
A Demo of SHA-256 and Moby Dick
DEMO: Verifying a Download With SHA-256
Hashing Passwords Demonstration
Review: SHA-256 and Hash Functions

Blocks and the Blockchain

Introduction to Blocks
Introducing the Blockchain
Quiz: Introducing the Blockchain
Demo: The Interactive Block Explorer

The Mechanics of Mining

Mining: How and Why
Quiz: Mining: How and Why
Introducing The Nonce
Quiz: The Nonce
HashCash Overview
Quiz: Hashcash
Demo: HashCash Illustrated
Quiz: Hashcash Targets
Demo: Proof Of Work Interactive
What are Target and Difficulty?
Demo: HashCash Mini Mining Walkthrough
Review: Mining

More About Mining

Mining Rewards
Orphan Blocks
Tamper Resistance
Quiz: Tamper Resistance
Double Spends
Quiz: Double Spends
Block Size and Fees

Public Key Cryptography

Symmetric Key Cryptography Intro
Quiz: Symmetric Key Cryptography
The World of Public Key Cryptography
Demo: Simple Public Key Example
Quiz: Public Key Cryptography
RSA and ECDSA and Some Math!
Quiz: Math Basics for RSA
An RSA Example
Review: RSA and Public Key Cryptocraphy

Digital Signing and Bitcoin

Private Key Signing Part 1
Private Key Signing Part 2
Quiz: Digital Signatures
Bitcoin and Private Key Signing
Quiz: Bitcoin and Private Key Signing
Signing and the Block Explorer
Transactions: Ins and Outs
Quiz: Transactions Ins and Outs

Ethereum Basics

Wait there are other Cryptocurrencies??!
Quiz: Wait, other Cryptocurrencies??!
Introducing Ethereum
Quiz: Introducing Ethereum
Smart Contracts
Quiz: Smart Contracts
A Simple Election Contract
Comparing Bitcoin and Ethereum
Quiz: Comparing Bitcoin and Ethereum
Ethereum Transactions Explained
Quiz: Ethereum Transactions Explained

More About Ethereum

A Simple DApp
Quiz: A Simple DApp
Exploring the Ethereum Blockchain
The Ethereum Virtual Machine
Quiz: The Ethereum Virtual Machine
What is Gas?
Quiz: What is Gas?
A Real Ethereum Transaction
Ethereum Tokens
Tokens Visualized
Quiz: Tokens
The DAO

Appendix

Appendix: Can Addresses Collide?
Appendix: Mnemonic Seeds
Appendix: Mnemonic Seeds Demo
Quiz: Mnemonic Seeds
Appendix: Privacy
Appendix: Safety
Appendix: Public Key Vs. Address
Quiz: Appendix: Public Key Vs. Address
Appendix: 51% Attack
Appendix: Segwit
Appendix: Bitcoin Cash
Quiz: Bitcoin Cash
Appendix: Base 58 Encoding
Appendix: RSA Note on N and Public Key
Quiz: RSA Note on N and Public Key

Getting Started

Picking an Exchange
Picking a Wallet App

Screenshots

Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Bootcamp - Screenshot_01Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Bootcamp - Screenshot_02Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Bootcamp - Screenshot_03Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Bootcamp - Screenshot_04

Our review

--- **Course Review: Understanding Cryptocurrency & Blockchain Technology** **Overall Rating:** 4.54 / 5 **Pros:** - **Comprehensive Content:** The course delivers a thorough understanding of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, suitable for both beginners and those with some prior knowledge. - **Engaging Presentation:** Instructors Colt and Kevin use humor and analogies to explain complex concepts, making the learning process enjoyable and less intimidating. - **Clear Explanations:** Even the most intricate aspects of cryptographic mathematics are explained in simple terms, demonstrating a talent for simplifying complex ideas. - **Real-World Applications:** The course provides practical examples and uses real-world scenarios to illustrate how blockchain and cryptocurrencies function. - **Interactive Style:** The conversational and interactive teaching style keeps the audience engaged throughout the course. - **Technical Depth:** As the course progresses, it delves into more technical aspects of blockchain and cryptocurrency, offering a solid foundation for understanding the technology's underpinnings. - **Fun Learning Experience:** The light-hearted tone, including dad jokes and witty humor, adds an entertaining dimension to the educational content. **Cons:** - **Content Updates Needed:** Some recent reviews mention that the course content has not been updated past 2018, which could be relevant for topics that have evolved since then. - **Technical Issues:** A few reviews point out that some links in the resources provided were outdated or no longer functional. - **Pacing and Structure:** A couple of reviewers suggest that the course could benefit from recaps or overviews before moving on to new subjects, which would aid in comprehension for those who may have missed earlier information. - **Jokes and Distractions:** While humor is a positive aspect of the course, some learners found the frequent jokes to be distracting, potentially detracting from the educational content. - **Potential Overlap:** A few reviews indicate that the course might be too comprehensive for complete beginners, with the pace and complexity perhaps better suited to those with existing knowledge in the field. **Additional Notes:** - The instructors' personalities and humor are a standout feature of this course, contributing to its high engagement scores. - It is recommended to look for updated content or additional courses if specific details have changed since the last update of this course. - The course is highly recommended for anyone looking to understand the basics of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, as well as delve into more technical aspects of blockchain technology without needing to code. **Final Thoughts:** This course offers an exceptional blend of educational content with engaging delivery methods, making it a favorite among learners. While there are some considerations regarding the course's pacing and relevance of the content to current events, the majority of reviews praise its ability to explain complex topics in an accessible manner. For those interested in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, this course provides a solid foundation with a touch of humor that sets it apart from others.

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1664822
udemy ID
4/26/2018
course created date
3/17/2019
course indexed date
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