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Blockchains have captured the attention of the financial industry. But as investors scramble to leverage the new technology, blockchains remain incomprehensible to those who aren’t cryptographers or engineers. This makes it difficult to separate the potential uses of the technology from the excitement surrounding it. This lecture will explain some of the fundamental principles that have made decentralized digital transaction systems like Bitcoin and Ethereum possible. Some of the novel uses of these concepts (like smart contracts and digital notaries), as well as ransomware and pseudonymous black markets, will also be discussed. Presenter: Jonathan Wilkes is a composer and computer programmer who grew up in Highlands. He completed his doctorate in theory/ composition at the University of California, Davis. Wilkes also writes software for the open source project Pure Data, which makes it possible for people to play live music using their computers. Jonathan is the son of David and Carol Wilkes of Highlands. Cost: $25/$35 Coordinator: Ed Mawyer