I'm kind of surprised about how simple a lot of the core concepts are. I think one of the most insightful pieces of the Bitcoin systems is the realization that

I'm kind of surprised about how simple a lot of the core concepts are. I think one of the most insightful pieces of the Bitcoin systems is the realization that with proper incentives, human behavior (ie, the miners) can be reliable enough that you can use it as a component in an engineered system. It's really changed how I think about social structures/governments/society as a whole.