NEO: The Future of Smart-Contracts?

As one of the frequently discussed features of cryptocurrencies, smart-contracts are perhaps the most disruptive component of blockchain technology. First proposed in 1994 by the cryptographer Nick Szabo, smart-contracts were initially described to be functional upgrades of their paper-based predecessors and containing the protocols and terms necessary for one or more parties to execute a self-fulfilling contract.
Today, smart-contracts are essentially digital contracts that operate via blockcha