The below snippet is from a piece written by our friend Conner Brown that dives into the idea of smart contracts from first principles, describes how chains dedicated to smart contracts are making critical design mistakes, and why smart contract enabled applications built on top of Bitcoin, like the Lightning Network, have made better long-term design decisions.

Conner eloquently explains something we've been preaching here in this rag for quite some time; there is beauty in Bitcoin's simplicity. Bitcoin does very basic things very well. The assurances of the base layer allow for more complex problems to be pushed to second and third layers. More importantly, Bitcoin's base layer design decisions provide a source of confidence in the long-term viability of the project. Keeping the blockchain as lean and mean as possible so that as many people as possible can download the chain and verify the transactions they are receiving for themselves. Mountain men for the win!

I highly recommend you freaks give it a peep when you get a chance. Conner does an incredible job of explaining this sometimes daunting topic in layman's terms.

Don't let the shiny toys distract you. Think.

Final thought...

Pools man. Still not a fan.