Ready for Merge

Christine D. Kim
  • 5.0 (1)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A podcast about what’s ready for merge in Ethereum and Bitcoin Core— the world’s most valuable open-source protocols. christinedkim.substack.com

  1. Ready for Merge Ep. 24 👾

    2D AGO

    Ready for Merge Ep. 24 👾

    Christine D. Kim shares high-level updates on the upgrades planned for Bitcoin Core and Ethereum. She also dives into groundbreaking findings by the Google Quantum AI team on the feasibility of quantum attacks on public blockchains, and the responses by the Bitcoin and Ethereum developer communities.  This episode was recorded on April 7, 2026. Timestamps: (0:52) Show announcements (2:28) Bitcoin Core v31 updates (6:58) Ethereum Glamsterdam developments (11:29) Ethereum Hegota upgrade planning (15:00) Google’s quantum crypto whitepaper (26:37) Next week’s show Enjoying this content?  Subscribe to the newsletter: https://christinedkim.substack.com/ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge Follow on X: https://x.com/ready4merge Interested in sponsoring the show? inquiry@protocolwatch.com  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe

    27 min
  2. Ready for Merge Ep. 23 👾

    APR 1

    Ready for Merge Ep. 23 👾

    In this episode, Christine D. Kim discusses Bitcoin developer community-building, culture, and events with niftynei from Bitcoin++ and Charlie Spears from Blockspace Media.  This interview was recorded on April 1, 2026. Timestamps: (1:23) What Charlie and niftynei do in Bitcoin (5:50) Changes in the Bitcoin developer community culture (12:12) Navigating the politics of Bitcoin development  (17:40) Bridging the gap between Bitcoin developers and institutions (29:09) niftynei’s goal and vision for Bitcoin++ (37:17) The need for better Bitcoin UX Links:  Niftynei’s X profile (https://x.com/niftynei)    Charlie Spears’ X profile (https://x.com/cbspears)    Blockspace Media (https://blockspace.media/)  Opnext Conference (https://opnext.dev/)  Bitcoin++ Events (https://btcpp.dev/)  OpenSats (https://opensats.org/)  Enjoying this content?  Subscribe to the newsletter: https://christinedkim.substack.com/ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ready4merge Follow on X: https://x.com/ready4merge Interested in sponsoring the show? inquiry@protocolwatch.com  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe

    42 min
  3. Ready for Merge Ep. 22 👾

    MAR 25

    Ready for Merge Ep. 22 👾

    In this episode of Ready for Merge, Christine D. Kim shares a biweekly brief on the latest Bitcoin and Ethereum protocol developments, covering Ethereum’s upcoming Glamsterdam and Hegota upgrades alongside the nearing release of Bitcoin Core v31. This episode was recorded on March 25, 2026.  Timestamps:  (2:03) Ethereum development updates (16:55) The debate on FRAME (21:30) Bitcoin development updates (31:49) Next week’s show Links:  - Frame Transactions vs. SchemedTransactions for Post-Quantum Ethereum (https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/frame-transactions-vs-schemedtransactions-for-post-quantum-ethereum/28056)  - ACD After Hours Newsletter (https://christinedkim.substack.com/s/acd-after-hours)   - Bitcoin Core v31 Release Schedule (https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/issues/33607) - Bitcoin Core v31 Release Candidate 1 Announcement (https://x.com/fanquake/status/2033836033742410118?s=20)   - BTC Before Light Issue #29, The main features of Bitcoin Core v31 (https://christinedkim.substack.com/p/btc-before-light-issue-29)  - BTC Before Light Issue #32, Preparing for the AI future (https://christinedkim.substack.com/p/btc-before-light-issue-32)   This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe

    34 min
  4. Ready for Merge Ep. 21 👾

    MAR 18

    Ready for Merge Ep. 21 👾

    Meet Mark, a developer working for Sigma Prime on the Ethereum consensus layer (CL) client, Lighthouse. In 2013, Mark first heard about Bitcoin in a rap song. Three years later, the DAO hack introduced him to Ethereum — and set him on a path that would eventually lead him to become a core developer. After teaching himself Rust during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Mark began contributing to the Lighthouse client, and today he helps shape some of Ethereum’s most important upgrades. In this interview, Mark shares how he went from a curious outsider to a protocol developer and the lessons he’s learned along the way. This interview was recorded on August 20, 2025. Timestamps: (1:36) Mark’s biggest contribution to Ethereum (7:03) How Mark became a full-time Ethereum developer (16:07) Mark’s vision for Ethereum (33:10) An average day as an Ethereum developer (36:55) Advice for new contributors (40:20) Rapid-fire questions round Links:  Mark Mackey X: https://x.com/EthDreamer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mackey-677b3679/ GitHub: https://github.com/ethDreamer Sigma Prime Official Website (https://sigmaprime.io/) Blog (https://blog.sigmaprime.io/) Lighthouse Official repository (https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse) Good first issues for new contributors to take on (https://github.com/sigp/lighthouse/issues?q=state%3Aopen%20label%3A%22good%20first%20issue%22) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe

    52 min
  5. Ready for Merge Ep. 20 👾

    MAR 11

    Ready for Merge Ep. 20 👾

    Meet Preston, a developer working for Offchain Labs on the Ethereum consensus layer (CL) client, Prysm. Preston’s biggest contribution to Ethereum development is co-founding the Prysm team. Preston, along with three other developers, formed the first dedicated team to build software for Ethereum’s proof-of-stake transition. The software they built, called Prysm, was the most widely used CL client during and in the first few years after the launch of Ethereum’s proof-of-stake blockchain, also called the Beacon Chain. In this interview, Preston recounts the story behind Prysm's founding in 2018, its acquisition by Offchain Labs in 2022, and its continued development in 2025. This interview was recorded on September 2, 2025. Timestamps: (3:26) Preston’s biggest contribution to Ethereum (5:24) How Preston found out about crypto (22:06) The early days of Prysm development (34:54) Key role models in Preston’s journey as a core developer (38:47) How Prysmatic Labs got acquired (58:02) How to get involved in Prysm development Links:  - Preston van Loon X (https://x.com/preston_vanloon) LinkedIn (http://linkedin.com/in/prestonvanloon) GitHub: (https://github.com/prestonvanloon) - Offchain Labs Official Website (https://www.offchainlabs.com/) Blog (https://medium.com/offchainlabs) - Prysm Official repository (https://github.com/OffchainLabs/prysm) Discord (https://discord.com/invite/prysm) - Ethereum Protocol Fellowship GitHub (https://github.com/eth-protocol-fellows) Wiki (https://epf.wiki/#/)  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 1m

  6. MAR 5

    Ready for Merge Ep. 19 👾

    Summary: In this bi-weekly brief, Christine D. Kim breaks down the latest developments in Bitcoin and Ethereum protocol development. She covers the upcoming Bitcoin Core v31 release and the growing debate around post-quantum cryptography. She also covers Ethereum developers’ discussions around the FRAME proposal and upgrade scoping for Hegota and beyond. This episode was recorded on March 4, 2026.  Timestamps:  (2:03) Bitcoin Core v31 feature freeze (3:35) Cluster Mempool status update (8:07) Bitcoin’s post-quantum roadmap (20:11) Ethereum’s post-quantum roadmap (23:39) The debate about FRAME (28:51) Next week’s show Links:  - BTC Before Light Issue #29 (https://christinedkim.substack.com/p/btc-before-light-issue-29)  - BTC Before Light Issue #28 (https://christinedkim.substack.com/p/btc-before-light-issue-28)  - The limitations of cryptographic agility in Bitcoin (https://groups.google.com/g/bitcoindev/c/O6l3GUvyO7A)  - Introducing strawmap, a strawman roadmap by EF Protocol (https://x.com/drakefjustin/status/2026755969540108659)  Song Credits: Special thanks to Calios for the music featured in this episode. You can listen to the full track, “Our Lives,” and other songs by Calios on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6qs62M8pLHGZuttTwgP6JK. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min

  7. FEB 26

    Ready for Merge Ep. 18 👾

    Summary: In this episode, Christine D. Kim discusses the Hegota execution layer (EL) headliner selection with two Ethereum developers: Jannik Luhn, Researcher and Engineer at Brainbot, and Justin Florentine, Besu client developer at Consensys. Both are backing LUCID, a proposal that would introduce encrypted transactions to Ethereum. Together, they unpack the motivation behind LUCID, how the design works in practice, and why they believe it should be prioritized for inclusion in Hegota. Their conversation also zooms out to cover broader questions about Ethereum’s development process, areas for improvement, and the emerging role of AI in protocol governance.  This interview was recorded on February 25, 2026. Timestamps: (2:07) Why EEM was retracted from the Hegota headliner discussions (6:02) An overview of how LUCID works (15:08) Concerns about LUCID adoption  (25:15) Concerns about LUCID implementation readiness (28:40) Why LUCID over FRAME and SSZ (32:25) Thoughts on the outsized influence of Vitalik and the EF (38:21) Areas for improvement in Ethereum governance (43:39) AI’s role in Ethereum governance Links:  Jannik’s X profile (https://x.com/AnotherJannik)   Justin’s X profile (https://x.com/robocopsgonemad)  Meet the Devs: Justin Florentine podcast episode (https://christinedkim.substack.com/p/mtd-justin-florentine)  Brainbot website (https://brainbot.com/)   Consensys website (https://consensys.io/)   Hegota Headliner: LUCID encrypted mempool (https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/hegota-headliner-lucid-encrypted-mempool/27658)    Hegotá Headliner Proposal: EIP-8105 Universal Enshrined Encrypted Mempool (https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/hegota-headliner-proposal-eip-8105-universal-enshrined-encrypted-mempool-eem/27448)   All Core Developers Execution Call #231 agenda and meeting details (https://github.com/ethereum/pm/issues/1931)  ACD After Hours: ACDE #230 🌙 post covering LUCID vs EEM (https://christinedkim.substack.com/p/acde-230)  ACD After Hours newsletter (https://christinedkim.substack.com/s/acd-after-hours)  Song Credits: Special thanks to Calios for the music featured in this episode. You can listen to the full track, “Our Lives,” and other songs by Calios on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/artist/6qs62M8pLHGZuttTwgP6JK). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe

    47 min

  8. FEB 19

    Ready for Merge Ep. 17 👾

    Summary: In this episode of Ready for Merge, Christine D. Kim sits down with Ethereum Foundation researcher Jihoon Song and Miga Labs founder Leonardo Bautista-Gomez to debate the two consensus-layer headliner proposals competing for inclusion in the Hegota upgrade: FOCIL and 2D PeerDAS. Jihoon makes the case for FOCIL. Leo argues for 2D PeerDAS. Each lays out the technical vision, trade-offs, and urgency behind their proposal—and why they believe it deserves priority in Ethereum’s roadmap. Beyond the upgrade itself, the conversation extends to broader questions about Ethereum governance, coordination, and the emerging role of AI in shaping the protocol’s future. This interview was recorded on February 17, 2026. Timestamps: (1:21) 2D PeerDAS overview (4:03) FOCIL overview (8:47) The urgency of 2D PeerDAS (10:41) The urgency of FOCIL (18:49) Hegota CL headliner predictions (22:18) Glamsterdam timeline predictions (29:35) Improvements to the headliner selection process (33:27) AI’s role in Ethereum governance (36:18) The vision behind Ethereum development Links:  Jihoon’s X profile (https://x.com/jih2nn)  Leo’s website (https://leobago.me/)    Ethereum Foundation Protocol Prototyping website (https://prototyping.ethereum.foundation/)  Miga Labs website (https://www.migalabs.io/)  EIP-7805: Fork-choice enforced Inclusion Lists (https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-7805)  Hegota Headliner: Partial Reconstruction and 2D PeerDAS (https://ethereum-magicians.org/t/hegota-headliner-partial-reconstruction-and-2d-peerdas/27652)  Cell-Level Deltas for Data Column Broadcast (https://github.com/ethereum/EIPs/pull/11176/files)  ACD After Hours: AI and the future of Ethereum governance (https://christinedkim.substack.com/p/acdt-70)  Song Credits: Special thanks to Calios for the music featured in this episode. You can listen to the full track, “Our Lives,” and other songs by Calios on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6qs62M8pLHGZuttTwgP6JK. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christinedkim.substack.com/subscribe

    39 min
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About

A podcast about what’s ready for merge in Ethereum and Bitcoin Core— the world’s most valuable open-source protocols. christinedkim.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Christine D. Kim
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Christine D. Kim
  • Show Website
    Ready for Merge

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