Here's an interesting story out of Stanford University, an institution held in very high-regard here in the States and around the world, that should send a shiver down all of your spines. There are professors shilling shitcoins in the classroom. And Ripple no less!

My college days are getting further away from me as I look in the rear view mirror of my life, and (luckily for me, it would seem) I did not have the opportunity to take a class on Bitcoin, or even have it broached as a subject throughout the course of my studies. As Bitcoin and the scams created in its wake continue to proliferate, it only seems natural that the subject will become more commonplace in the halls of our failing, extortionately expensive academic institutions. With this being said, it shouldn't be surprising that shitcoiners would infiltrate these halls in an attempt to mislead their unsuspecting pupils, as seems to be the case here at Stanford.

In an attempt to position Ripple as a superior cryptocurrency to Bitcoin, Conner's professor (who will not be named in this rag. we don't give these lowly snake oil peddlers the benefit of the Streisand Effect) dropped a few overt untruths and displayed a fundamental misunderstanding of the way Bitcoin works as an incentive system and messaging protocol. On top of this, it turns out that the professor who will not be named is in bed with the Ripple company, working as a paid advisor. Shameless.

I feel for the unwitting classmates of Conner who were in the process of taking a deep dive into this subject with earnest curiosity only to be massively misled by the person they're supposed to be trusting to provide quality information. Or at least facts which they can digest and use to paint an accurate picture of the way Bitcoin works. This instance of classroom capture by special interests highlights the fact that the best way to learn about Bitcoin is in the same spirit in which it was created; free and openly on the Internet. Especially considering the fact that a lot of people come to understand Bitcoin from different angles when first starting out. To think a structured curriculum that allows paid shills who are out of touch and fundamentally unable to grasp core concepts to come and cloud your understanding will be the best way to learn about this alien technology is asinine.

If anything, our boy Conner's email perfectly exemplifies what a true scholar looking to explore and understand this technology looks like. Using information that has been sourced online for free by Bitcoin users and builders, displaying that he was able to use these free tools to develop a better understanding of the subject than the person he paid to teach him about it.

Let that sizzle on the mind for a few seconds...

Free yourselves from the tyranny of conventional thinking and norms around the way we think we're supposed to learn. The current paradigm dictates that we sit in front of someone and take their word as authority. We're even getting to a point where special interests are able infiltrate the classroom and misle students without disclosing their associations.

You'll learn more by teaching yourself and learning with others in a collaborative fashion online. Bitcoin Twitter provides a free education every day. Don't fall victim to the confining nature of your typical university syllabus. Think for yourself and seek out the information sourced from the people who truly understand this subject and are nowhere near a classroom.

Final thought...

Song of the week.