When people hear the word “blockchain,” they often think of cryptocurrency or finance. But there’s much more to it. At Stanford University, Dr. Nicolas Kokkalis saw that potential early on. He created and taught CS359B: Decentralized Applications on Blockchain, a course that helped students understand how blockchain could be used to build systems that are secure, fair, and useful beyond money. CS359B wasn’t just about theory. It focused on decentralization as a design principle. That means giving users more control, reducing reliance on central authorities, and building systems that work through shared trust. The course also explored how people interact with these systems, how design affects usability and how technology can be shaped by real human needs. At the time, other universities were starting to look into blockchain, but CS359B stood out. It was one of the first courses in the world to treat decentralization as a practical challenge, not just a techn...
The Shifting Code Of Pi