The problem with most blockchain "explainers" is that they provide more detail than what matters to most people, using language that is foreign to most people, which winds up leaving people more confused than when they started. Instead, without worrying about being a technically perfect description, here's an explanation of blockchain your parents could understand.

Cryptocurrencies have become a global phenomenon in the past few years. Now Facebook is launching it’s own cryptocurrency, in association with Visa, MasterCard, Uber and others. Libra could become more successful than other cryptocurrencies like bitcoin because it has the backing of multiple large international corporations.

Last year HTC announced a blockchain smart phone, the Exodus 1. Pre-orders were subsequently opened in October and surprise! You could only pay for one with cryptocurrency. This limitation may not have worked out so well, because HTC will now take regular old dollars.

Nothing has signalled that we’ve finally entered the cyber future more than the rise of blockchain networks and cryptocurrency. And that makes HTC’s blockchain-based smartphone, the HTC Exodus 1, one of the most cyberpunk (and strange) devices yet.

In 2017, Bitcoin's value soared from $1200 to around $25,000 before dropping down to around $16,000 at the end of the year. Since then, it's value has risen and dropped sporadically from day to day, dragging smaller cryptocurrencies such as Ether and Ripple along with it.

On November 20, developer Ayrton Sparling posted an issue on the GitHub repo for "event-stream" — a JavaScript package that enjoys 1-1.5 million downloads per week and is used in some rather high-profile projects. The issue, simply titled "I don't know what to say", outlined some suspicious behaviour that, after extensive investigation, resulted in the discovery of a bitcoin-stealing payload deviously hidden inside.

Early this year, I decided to set up a cryptocurrency investment portfolio, using money I could afford to lose. Since then, the total value of my portfolio has fallen by 60 per cent. Here's why I'm holding on - and why you might want to consider buying bitcoin while prices are cheap. (Emphasis on 'might'.)

Bitcoin's price dropped sharply overnight, twice falling below $5000 per coin. At 6.30am AEDT, the benchmark cryptocurrency was trading lower by around 11.5% at $US4990. The collapse is being described by analysts as "like a house of cards." Yikes. Here are the details.

A mysterious, anonymous entity known as “Satoshi Nakamoto” posted a white paper on October 31 2008 entitled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”. It was the first time that the concept of Bitcoin entered the world.

A 'stablecoin' is a cryptocurrency that's price is pegged to a real-world asset like gold or the dollar. Here's a guide to what they're used for, how they work, and why people are excited about them.

Cryptocurrencies are either going to be the biggest investment opportunity of the 21st century or represent the biggest financial fraud in history depending on who you ask. Almost everything you read about cryptocurrencies is focused on one particular coin; Bitcoin. Currently trading at around US$6600, is the price set to plummet or could it reach reach $50,000 or even $100,000?

So you're ready to buy some cryptocurrency. Maybe you've been reading up on blockchain technology and you're convinced it really is the future. Or maybe you watched a friend get rich off Bitcoin and you're still kicking yourself for not doing the same.

The emergence of cryptocurrencies as an economic instrument has been one of the biggest tech and finance industry trends of the past five years. From a whitepaper written by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, it has emerged as a valuable commodity that is traded online through exchanges across the world. But is Bitcoin a scam? Is it really an object of value or are traders deluding themselves?

Video: We've already told you how to buy Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. But should you?

I've lost almost $400,000 worth of bitcoin so far. Now's the bit where I'm supposed to tell you it's all fake and I only lost it in the cryptocurrency trading simulation game Bitcoin Flip. But no, I actually bought $500 worth of bitcoin back when it was cheap, then left it in the hands of the Mt. Gox online exchange, which then lost it.

This week our guests are the hosts of Coin Talk, a podcast about Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and the blockchain. Journalists Aaron Lammer and Jay Caspian Kang talk to us about their show, their own adventures trading crypto, and the weird culture of ICOs, conmen and speculators that Aaron calls "Coinworld".

Cryptocurrency-tracker CoinMarketCap is one of the most popular websites around -- both for Blockchain enthusiasts and financially minded folk. Today, the site is celebrating its fifth birthday by launching a (long overdue) iPhone app to help you check the price of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on the go.

You may have heard some of the stories about how websites can, without your knowledge, harvest your computer's processing power to mine cryptocurrency.

UNICEF Australia want to use that technique for good: To generate cryptocurrency they can turn into real funds.

If you aren't an expert coder but have been a keen armchair observer of Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and every other increasingly niche cryptocurrency, you might be wondering if it's feasible to create your own.

In short: yes. But there are quite a few different options to consider - and caveats to keep in mind - before you dive in.