Meet the Team - 5 Minutes with Researcher and Content Producer Matthew Warner

Where are you from and what is your work background?
After leaving teaching in 2015 I began writing for a couple of online publications around the cryptocurrency and blockchain scene - namely allcoinsnews.com and chain-finance.com. Soon after, I began to speak at events on the benefits of blockchain technology and, from contacts I made through this, I did some work for a few different companies - both writing and speaking - about how blockchain can revolutionise various industries. I’m currently living near London in the UK.

What is your role at Blockpass?
I do research and content production for Blockpass. The majority of my work is focused on writing or editing for Blockpass, which can cover anything from regulations or blockchain developments to important information on Blockpass or event highlights. As such, I also keep abreast of developments in the blockchain world. Besides this I also work on areas such as the whitepaper, FAQs and wiki entries and write the Blockpass newsletter. As part of the marketing team, I also attend events on behalf of Blockpass.

What do your daily activities look like?
I usually begin by checking the various social media that Blockpass operates on (Twitter, Telegram, Facebook, Reddit, Medium etc.) for anything that needs responding to or posting. I monitor these throughout the day but after the initial pass I usually start on latest articles I’m working on; this can be a piece I’m writing on my own or one I’m collaborating on with a colleague. After a topic has been chosen, I identify the key areas to discuss, research it, draw up an outline, write the initial draft, get it checked, then edit it to the finished piece. If I’m not doing this I will usually be researching a specific area for the Blockpass project or representing Blockpass at an event.

How did you get involved in Blockpass?
I had previously worked with some of the Blockpass founders on other projects. They approached me in December 2017 to conduct research and work on content production. Once they explained to me about Blockpass and its goals I was on-board!

What’s your favourite blockchain related benefit?
Decentralisation. Not only does it cut out inefficiencies such as unnecessary third-parties, but it also allows many more people to be involved in creating solutions which leads to greater innovation and competition and therefore results in improved solutions for the end users. It also contributes to the security of the network and, due to the efficiencies it creates, it allows vital services to be offered to those who couldn’t access them previously.

Where do you see the industry headed over the next 5 years?
This is something I have talked about in articles and at events before but I see a significant crossover of blockchain, AI and IoT happening - sooner rather than later. It’s beginning to be seen in the setup of events and discussions that are taking place but I think that these three technologies will become so intertwined that they are essentially three components of one larger, overarching infrastructure.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history, who would it be and why?
Archimedes. He was a genius mathematician and engineer from Syracuse who lived in the third century BC and is probably most well-known for Archimedes’ Principle (AKA the ‘Eureka’ moment) or the Archimedes’ Screw, which is still used for irrigation today. He was killed in Syracuse when Roman forces captured the city after a long siege, in which Archimedes had devised a number of defensive machines, including a massive ship-grabbing claw and a solar array that burned enemy ships. Archimedes was killed by a soldier as he was working on a mathematical problem despite the Roman General having given orders for him not to be harmed. His work was millennia ahead of its time and has influenced countless scientists, mathematicians and engineers. Were he alive today, I imagine he would be expanding our understanding and use of cryptography and blockchain to even greater heights.