Seven years ago today, legendary computer programmer and recipient of the first-ever Bitcoin transaction Hal Finney passed away as a result of complications of ALS. Finney worked as a video game developer and then as a developer for PGP Corporation, an early public-key cryptography software provider. He was also an active member of the cypherpunks mailing list and, in 2004, created the world’s first reusable-proof-of-work (RPOW) system, a variation on the proof-of-work system that would later define Bitcoin. But Finney is probably best remembered by Bitcoiners for his early insight into how revolutionary the project ... (full story)