Bitcoin 2022 hosted high-profile keynotes, announcements, and panel discussions. But it also became the center of attention of the plebs. The Bitcoin Marketplace was a place to get to know some of the most interesting projects in the Bitcoin product – not necessarily world-changing, but certainly refreshing.
Bitcoin for panties
“BTC — Be Really Confident”
— Briefs for Bitcoin
What I initially thought of as a weird Bitcoiner meme turned out to be high-end, Italian-made lingerie run by a lovely family. Pablo, the mastermind behind the business, is an Argentine expat with decades of experience in the underwear industry and a penchant for money away from government interference. A few years ago he combined his two obsessions and founded Panties for Bitcoin. With “no more nominal panties” and “Be Really Sure” as company slogans, Pablo and his family – his wife Silvia and son Michael – are doing their part for the circular economy by offering 10% off orders paid in bitcoin.
Check out the panties at pantiesforbitcoin.com. Although the family is considering starting a men’s collection, only women’s underwear is offered for now.
Buzz It Forward
“Look better. Feeling better. Do better.”
– Buzz It Forward
It seems like every major conference has a barber these days, and the Miami convention was no exception. Buzz It Forward wasn’t just offering a haircut; The mission of the project is to help disadvantaged children and youth through sponsored haircuts and mentoring. In other words, the person who had their hair cut at the conference sponsored three haircuts for those who were financially inadequate; The idea is that a good-looking hairline can be the deciding factor in a 16-year-old’s first job or in similar situations. When asked if he accepts bitcoin as a payment, the (very nice) barber at the box office replied that this is still something new for them, but they believe it is the future.
You can view this project at Buzzitforward.com.
Coinertime Blockwatch
“Goodbye factory time. Hello Bitcoin Standard Time (BST).”
— Coin Time
Need to check “Moscow Time” several times a day? Do you have an obsession with checking if blocks are processing at an average speed of 10 minutes? Worry no more, because now you can switch from fiat time to a universal Bitcoiner time with Blockwatch! This neat wearable allows you to switch between Moscow Time (sats per 1 USD), current block height, and QR code of the person’s public key. A Fiat UTC clock is also available, but only functions as a flash when certain buttons are pressed.
Coinertime (the company behind Blockwatch) is based in Florida, accepts Bitcoin for its products only through its BTCPay Server, and adheres to the open source philosophy, with both clock hardware and software available under an MIT license. Blockwatch is a hobby side project for the Coinertime team, their main business bentausA Bitcoin mining company that aims to establish small-scale mining farms in 50 states.
Check them out at coinertime.com.
A
“Bitcoin embodies this revolution – the most important of our time with a currency that I can leave behind, it offers a new alternative economy based on the principles of hard money that cannot be confiscated. It liberated me as an artist and, in many ways, like graffiti art, saved my life for the second time by empowering me to continue creating conscious art for a community that reflects the same sentiment – Bitcoin is the new graffiti.
— Mear One
There were quite a few artists at Bazaar and Mear One caught my attention because of their kick-ass t-shirt designs. Unfortunately, we were only able to spare time for a short chat, so I fully appreciated his work only after the conference, when I had a chance to examine his work in detail. I was very happy when I learned that Mear One designed the cover of Non Phixion’s “Future is Now” album. – one of my favorite hip hop albums of all time!
Mear One lives in Los Angeles and has traveled all over the United States to come to Miami.
Check out her work on Mearone.com and read her thoughts on Bitcoin and the arts here. Bitcoin Magazine.
SHAmory
“It’s always best to have the help of a friend.
That’s why Satoshi called a monster friend named Hal.”
— Good night Bitcoin
Bitcoin has been around for 13 years, and Bitcoin users mature as they get older. While mainstream journalists still portray us as teenagers chasing their Lambo dreams, there are more and more of us who are in reality 35+ years old with low-term preference values such as spouses and many children. And in every Bitcoiner’s home, kids will inevitably ask, “What’s that Bitcoin thing you keep talking about, Dad?” “Mom, dad wants to give me my pocket money. sellwhat is this?” “Who is that Satoshi guy you keep talking about?” etc. Naturally, we need kid-friendly resources to help young people learn about the orange coin.
Scott and Mallory Sibley were in a similar situation, so they created SHAmory, a memory-inspired card game about bitcoin mining. SHAmory is a simple game that even a three-year-old can play (personally verified claim 🙂 vocabulary.
SHAmory alone would have been pretty cool, but Scott and Mallory also wrote and illustrated “Good Night Bitcoin,” a simple in verse story about Satoshi, Hal, and the creation of Bitcoin. The best part? Both SHAmory and “Goodnight Bitcoin” feature the same cute monster-themed artwork, so kids naturally fall in love with both.
Learn all about SHAmory at SHAmory.com.
Scott and Mallory Sibley are the team behind SHAmory.
In SHAmory, children need to find a nonce that corresponds to the target; when they do, they get a bitcoin reward and expand the bitcoin’s blockchain with another block. But beware of those pesky difficulty adjustments!
Bitcoin’s Spirit, Sparkle and Smile
Besides the Bitcoin Bazaar, there were many interesting booths that filled the huge Expo Hall. If you want to meet your favorite Bitcoiners (I finally got some of Mandrik’s legendary baklava!), buy a book signed by Saifedean Ammous or Allen Farrington, or buy a new hardware wallet, this is the place for you. To be honest, I enjoyed mingling with the plebs in the cabin maze more than any conversation. You can always watch the conversations online later, but you can never recreate the feeling of meeting new friends, exploring niches of bustling Bitcoiner culture, or – if you manage a company booth – get first-hand feedback from your users.
Busy times at the Trezor booth.
Bitcoin 2022 was great; not so much for the high-profile opening notes, but rather to meet other orange-furred Bitcoiners who add soul, smile and sparkle to the monetary revolution.
This is a guest post by Josef Tětek. The opinions expressed are their own and may not necessarily reflect the views of BTC Inc. or Bitcoin Magazine.