Bitcoin Forum

Map: http://goo.gl/CflUH (http://goo.gl/CflUH)
Twitter: twitter.com/therealplato (http://twitter.com/therealplato)
Blog: therealplato.com (http://therealplato.com) (RSS at bottom)
Email: plato at subvert.me


Update, 06.13: http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=4752.msg212128#msg212128
Update, 05.30: http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=4752.msg152973#msg152973
Update, 05.11: http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4752.msg116126#msg116126
Update, 04.07: http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4752.msg81244#msg81244



Stuck in Hartford with no job or rent money, I've been tossing around the idea of leaving my apartment and road tripping across the US. I've decided to do it; I'm leaving as soon as I can develop a coherent plan - which I need, because my goal is to not spend any fiat money, either cash or credit, between leaving Hartford and arriving in LA... only bitcoins.

I have enough bitcoins now to get to, probably, Florida; I'm hoping to make it the rest of the way through micropatronage. ("Patronage" being the centuries-old idea that someone with money pays an artist's living wage so they can create their art; micropatronage meaning that a bunch of people each send me a bitcoin or three.) In exchange for your contributions, you'll get to hear my stories about what it's like to live on Bitcoins.

I'll chronicle my adventures in a blog as I travel, using a laptop and 3G tethered cell. I'll release podcasts where I interview the people I meet along the way. My blog is located at therealplato.com (http://therealplato.com), and my twitter feed is at twitter.com/therealplato (http://twitter.com/therealplato).

I intend on couch surfing and camping instead of paying for lodging, so the only things I will need to buy are a 3G cell connection, gasoline, car repairs, and food.

I'm not sure what my total cost will be, but I imagine it'll be somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 - 1500 bitcoins, depending on the route I take. I'll set up a counter on my blog showing a list of donations, as well as details about what I'm spending the bitcoins on.

I have 200 bitcoins of my own to start out with. I'll start driving as soon as it's apparent that the trip is possible through your contributions. I'd like to leave soon - hopefully in April. My biggest concern is gasoline; my car gets about 250 miles to the tank, so I will need to find people spread out along the route I end up taking. Are you in the US, and willing to sell me gasoline for bitcoins? Please drop a red pin at your location on my road trip map to help me plan my route - http://goo.gl/CflUH (http://goo.gl/CflUH)!

My motive for this trip is primarily an overdeveloped sense of adventure, but as a close second, I want to evangelize Bitcoins. As I talk to people I meet in my travels, I'll be explaining Bitcoin and why it's great. I'd love to stop by universities, libraries, or other venues along the way and speak about my trip and bitcoins - drop me a line if you want to set something up. (Also contact me if you want to buy ad space on my bumper for your Bitcoin project.)

--
PLATO

Now, the question is, where would you get food and water for Bitcoins?

Try to figure it out first locally. You don't need to go on a trip to find out if you can find those from a store. :)

Vladimir: I posted in that thread; the original bounty poster said he wouldn't fund this unless I bought my car, clothes, etc. with bitcoins. Too much trouble; this is going to be hard enough as is.

fabianhjr: I expect my food + drink will be pretty spartan. I'm not too concerned about water as I can just fill up jugs at public sources. I will probably make a large amount of granola/pemmican/trail mix before leaving, for the times when I can't find anything.

If you'ld consider a passenger (or passengers) for segments of the trip, there are rideshare directories:

• http://www.ridester.com
• http://www.roadsharing.com

might help defray the cost a bit without making things too much more complicated.

This is awesome! 

Come through Fayetteville and I'll help with gas / sofa in the sunroom!  Also, I'm VERY interested in doing an article on your trip.  Sounds like there are some great stories.

What an adventure!

-Spencer

You can help me finance this by buying stuff I've listed on -OTC:
http://bitcoin-otc.com/vieworderbook.php?sortby=price&sortorder=ASC&type=&nick=PLATO&thing=&otherthing=&eitherthing=&notes=

Plato, i live very close to you but I have contacts in Colorado. I may be able to arrange for you to purchase a tank of fuel near Hudson CO. 

Just read your last post on Tumblr, and I'm glad your still trying to figure out the logistics.  What's the latest word?

Status report:

Thanks for the pins, everyone! I have enough to get to Florida - http://goo.gl/CflUH.
I haven't picked a hard departure date yet but I'm leaning towards the week of April 10th. I'm gonna head to MIT in Boston for a day or two (thanks Llama!), then head to Schenectady NY to give a talk on Bitcoin at my alma mater, Union College. I'll be explaining how the system works, what it is, etc. and talk about my trip. Details to follow when they're hashed out. I'd love to give more talks along the way, so if you know of a potential venue, get in touch with me.

Here's some pics of my ride: http://imgur.com/a/MixaF

God I can't wait to get to some warm states - Connecticut has not been warm since September.

PLATO

Will you take any video footage? Be good to youtube a video diary or something.

Why don't you see bigger and raise a bounty to finance an "around-the-world with bitcoins" trip?

It's not an adventure unless you're eating pemmican! Good luck.

Also, if you make a detour through Saint Louis, I can proxy buy you food/gas/etc. I've put a pin on the map just in case.

There is a chance your route has toll roads...how will you deal with this?

I'd like to, but I don't have a working camera. I have a webcam and my cell, a T-Mobile G1. If anyone wants to lend me a better camera, or sell me one cheap, I promise to take tons of awesome pics + video (probably enough to make a documentary)

My preloaded EZ-Pass should work for some states. Otherwise I'll consider it on a case-by-case basis, and pick whatever'll make a better story.

I will probably end up making some exceptions like using USD for toll booths or any mandatory fines I end up with. I'm also going to allow myself to buy more bitcoins with USD along the way.

mandatory fines?   a fine is a legal agreement .. hence you SIGN a ticket and agree to pay the contract .. don't sign the contract .. and hence .. don't pay ... that's lawful.

Wonder how that argument would go over with the local law enforcement...

Someone please bitcoin Plato a decent cam-corder to film this adventure.

I'd sell you one myself if I were on your route Plato, but I don't think you'll be detouring to Europe.:)

I put my pin in central Florida. My advice is don't go down to the bottom unless you just really want to see Miami or Fort Myers (or get some sponsors there). Getting from the east side to the west side is a huge waste of time and gas if your purpose is getting the word out about Bitcoin. I would take I-4 straight across. Which isn't to say I don't like south Florida, but in terms of a mission and a limited budget, you might be better off otherwise.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I'm part of a group that may be interested in having you speak (and may be willing to donate) in Orlando.

this (long) post has a lot of evidence supporting that: http://realitybloger.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/killing-your-strawman-2-a-free-mans-chronicle/

But, I think I'd rather pick my battles... 'Officer I swear they have value just go to mtgox.com'

Distribution: I got an offer of a free tank of gas in Palm Beach; the guy pulled his pin from my map for privacy concerns. I did kinda have a vision of pulling up my firebird in some Miami parking lot, plugging in an extension cord and amp, and throwin' down a random party.

Here's the VCI-100 I use for DJing:
https://i.imgur.com/0rpGPl.jpg (http://imgur.com/0rpGP)

Cool, as long as you have a plan, otherwise, it could be a waste of 12 hours. But yeah, let me know when you might be here. That group meets once a month and they're pretty big, so I could get you as a speaker to talk about Bitcoin and what you're doing. And like I said, many of them are pretty generous, so you might get some donations (I guess it would have to be like food and gas though). And maybe you could give them back a Bitcoin or something, just to get them started.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0040702IE/ref=dp_olp_new_map?ie=UTF8&qid=1301618677&sr=8-4&condition=new (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0040702IE/ref=dp_olp_new_map?ie=UTF8&qid=1301618677&sr=8-4&condition=new)
Flip are one of the best portable hd cams out there. If you have a laptop + mcdonalds+ free wifi+one of these would that be all you need ?

I have a few amazon gift vouchers I havent sold yet which came from people in the bitcoin community using my links to buy stuff. I would like to use them to purchase a cam and ship to you for the trip (courtesy of witcoin.com)

If anyone else wants to chip in an extra 50-70btc we could get the version with more storage but if not the basic one will be  sufficient. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0040702HK/ref=dp_olp_new_map?ie=UTF8&qid=1301618677&sr=8-3&condition=new (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0040702HK/ref=dp_olp_new_map?ie=UTF8&qid=1301618677&sr=8-3&condition=new) is the one with more storage.



I will get someone from the US to organise it who I trust to buy it and get it there.


P.S.
I wish there was a way to track chip-ins with bitcoins   :)

I'll be bringing a laptop and external hard drive so I can dump video as often as I need to.
This has image stabilization, 720p, 60fps and retails for $229.99: http://cgi.ebay.com/Flip-MinoHD-120-Minutes-Camcorder-8GB-Brushed-Metal-/330547682632

I'm going to set up a page tracking any bitcoins or contributions I get, anonymous or otherwise. My current bitcoin balance is about 350.

Is there any existing project to map out bitcoin users and cash exchanges? Maybe some of the pins on my map (or people I meet) would be interested in adding their own information.

e: noagendamarket - I realized that even using McD, Starbucks, etc for wifi might be tricky... I wouldn't buy anything from them with dollars

I've got a Flip camcorder you can borrow if you want. I've put a pin on your map.

jacroe - you are the shit - I'll PM you

I'm starting my roadtrip this weekend!

I haven't gotten in touch with jacroe yet for his camcorder but something'll work out. Thanks to davidonpda for selling me a Nikon still camera, I can't wait to try it out. Buy the rest of his electronics! (http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5026.0)

As a sort of prequel to my roadtrip blog I stopped by an abandoned theme park in Waterbury, CT, called "Holy Land USA" yesterday. I took some pics and uploaded them - blog, (http://therealplato.com/)permalink (http://therealplato.com/post/4415055700/04-07-11-urbex-1-holy-land-usa). I plan on posting stuff like this during my whole trip.

I just talked to my mechanic, he says I have a front sealed transmission leak due to a worn shaft and various small oil leaks, some of which might be getting into my antifreeze. He also says that if I keep my fluids topped off I will be fine - so we are go for launch this weekend.

Couple questions -
Is there a good way to access these forums via mobile?
Has anyone seen a mybitcoin.com widget that would let me show my current bitcoin balance on my website?

--
PLATO

Excellent! I can't remember whether I posted my pledge yet, but here are the details:

I pledge 200 bitcoins if you make it coast-to-coast. I'll pay the first 100 when you make it half way. My only requirement is that you document the journey. If you end up paying for some things with USD instead of BTC, I may proportionally reduce the pledge amount, but it won't invalidate the pledge as a whole.

Just turn off "load images" in your browser, and these forums load fast with minimum bandwidth. I regularly browse the Bitcoin Forum on my phone. Even with image loading turned on, the pages are fast unless it's one of those few pages where people post big images.

I see you will be nowhere near Wisconsin. If you get lost and find yourself there anyway, I have a spare bedroom, and  can sell you some gas/food for almost nothing. Free if you want, I just thought you might want to buy as part of your project.
Happy travels.

Thanks for the pledge. I'll be documenting everything through my site, www.therealplato.com. When I find time I want to add a live Mybitcoin balance and a live map (and live twitter feed ofc) onto that page.

My goal is to not spend any USD from this saturday until I arrive in LA. I will however work for USD along the way, and exchange the cash for bitcoins when possible. My bitcoin balance right now is about 350 bitcoins.

RodeoX: Maybe I'll stop by when I'm returning, who knows? Drop a pin on the map anyway!

If you have an android or iPhone, check out Google Latitude. It'll track your position live and give you a map you can put on your site.

I'm not sure if I'm too far off of your route to be useful but I have two houses in two different cities so I put two pins on the map, one in Montgomery, AL and the other in Huntsville, AL. I'll sell you gas for really cheap. I'll charge just enough so you can say you paid for your gas with BTC. Good luck!

+1 Plato!

He just stayed with me Sunday night into Monday morning, and he's a great guy. Plato, good luck on the rest of your journey!

Hey thanks Llama!

My online updates have been minimal so far because a community member convinced me to use Arch Linux and I'm like 10% along the learning curve.

I'm in Schenectady NY now. I'm going to be here until Thursday, when I'll talk about Bitcoins at Union College. I'm heading down to NYC after that.

Tonight and tomorrow I'll be working on therealplato.com; I'll be adding a new post or two, and (eventually) a map showing my location and route, my current bitcoin balance, and a ledger of stuff that I bought with Bitcoins.

Keep it up man!  Can't wait for you to get to middle america!

If you can't get on IRC some places you can PM me here too. Just tell me when/where you want some ejuice sent :)

Plato,

I'm assuming since you're destination is L.A., that you have someone here to house you, but I'm in L.A. and I got your back on a couch, gas stop, food etc. if need be.  If nothing else let me buy you lunch.  PM me if you're interested.  I was thinking also, would it defeat the purpose to have a refillable gas card
http://www.shell.us/home/content/usa/products_services/shell_cards/refillable/
that could somehow be exchanged for btc?  I mean you have to exchange btc for dollars at somepoint to pay for the gas, unless the point is to pay someone in bitcoin. 

sent you 10 BTC

-N

Thanks for the coins, ne1watching and anonymous donor! ne1 - I don't know anyone in LA, I've just always wanted to go to the west coast. I will definitely take you up on the lunch - drop a pin on my map.
The gas card idea is a good one, it would be really helpful if when I get stranded. I wonder if mndrix could integrate it into Coincard...

Here's the blurb I wrote up for my Thursday talk. It'll go on advertisement posters around campus.


btw I'm now like 12% along the Arch Linux learning curve. I have managed to connect to the internet and install links and ftp. \m/ edit: next stop, X and Firefox

wow.
this is epic.

Shouldn't we find a journalist to join Plato for a bit and report about bitcoins and Platos great courage?
who knows a journalist in the us who could be interested?

Hah that would be awesome! At the moment it's just me, but I'm certainly willing to bring someone along.

I just uploaded a new post testing the camcorder Jacroe lent me (blog (http://therealplato.com), permalink (http://therealplato.com/post/4638481555/vlog-1-testing-out-jacroes-flip-camcorder)). Video quality is awesome, I'm going to definitely use this extensively. Ideally I can cut the footage into a documentary at the end of the trip.

Also, pasting this line from my last blog entry -
"Incidentally, anyone want to proxy buy this data cable (http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-Cable-Cord-Nikon-CoolPix-885-800-4300-5000-8700-/190474799464?pt=Camera_Cables_Cords&hash=item2c592ec968) for me so I can get pics off [my camera]?"

Just caught the tail end of the show you were on... planning to watch the whole thing when it's on YouTube.   Hit me up if you're in or near Bakersfield or Santa Cruz, Ca.  I might be able to get you an opportunity to speak to an introductory computer class at UCSC of about 300 people.

-EP

Update -
I'm in Raleigh, NC. I met up with Jake Parrish and Dave Parrish to proxy buy some gas and talk about bitcoin politics. Tonight I'm meeting up with a couchsurfer in the area who uses Bitcoins, I'm hoping that we can set up a small meetup this Friday somewhere around Raleigh.

I still need this data cable (http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-Cable-Cord-Nikon-CoolPix-885-800-4300-5000-8700-/190474799464?pt=Camera_Cables_Cords&hash=item2c592ec968) so I can start uploading the pictures I'm taking. Let me know if you're willing to proxy buy it for me.

Also, I'm running out of music to listen to along the way. Send me mp3's or recommendations!

I saw you on the Bitcoin show (http://onlyonetv.com/#1) and added a pin in the St. Louis area.  Should you happen to stop through (on your way west, hint hint), I'd be more than happy to fill your tank for improving my meager holdings in Bitcoin.  :)  Might be able to provide more, maybe not.  Depends on the timing.  Just don't stay too long... you might never leave!!

EDIT: I'm new to the colab map stuff.  Not positive my pin is useful and not just a smudge.  Some quick tips for interested parties leaving pins (so you can actually contact them) might be a good idea.

Want something to see while you're here?  Interested in architecture, spelunking?  Not my site, but might be of interest: http://builtstlouis.blogspot.com/

You used the term Couch Surfing, but I don't see it explicitly linked anywhere, so I'll plunk this down:  http://www.couchsurfing.org
I haven't participated, but seems like a good crowd.  I'd imagine they could be a big help to you.  I imagine Bitcoin could be a big help to them!

Seems that somewhere along this journey you should swap rides with someone.  Get a bike or electric car or something.  Make it epic!!

If you can provide a shipping address (perhaps to someone who you'll be staying with along your journey..with their permission of course), I'd be happy to buy the cable and have it shipped to them/you.

PLATO you are a hero!

Just brainstorming some more ideas:

* you could host a bitcoin barbecue somewhere on the way. people bring the meat and beer, you eat, and in eating pauses tell them about bitcoins
* Bitcoin fireworks. lets get some people to stand in the bitcoin coin symbol arrangement and fire some fireworks in the sky
* you draw a bitcoin onto the map (round shaped coin + the "B" symbol by making this your trip pattern) I am happy to donate some coins if you need more fuel for the car

I just watched the first episode of the bitcoin show on http://onlyonetv.com/ (http://onlyonetv.com/) and would like to wish you good luck. Also sent you couple bitcoins  ;) Hope you don't run out of gas/petrol!

If he wants, he can have it shipped to me. I'm in Florida, which he is getting close to, and I've already pledged some gas.

You know what might help? If in the places you are going, you are speaking or doing some kind of event, you could have a pre made press release that you could give to someone in that area to put out. It might give you more publicity.

+1 for BBQ. Barbecue makes everything better.

Oh man a bitcoin barbecue would RULE! mizerydearest says he/she's found a lot of Bitcoiners in the San Francisco area, so we should meet up there. Actually I'm meeting up with a few more Bitcoiners in the Raleigh area tonight at 10pm. Tomorrow morning I plan on heading to Charlotte, NC, then onwards to Huntsville, AL, where I'll be giving a presentation on Bitcoins at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. That should be Tuesday or Wednesday.

Distribution: Premade press releases is a good idea. I've also found myself wanting business cards with my contact info, etc to hand out to the random people I meet. Unfortunately I might end up skipping FL, now that I have this gig lined up in Huntsville - just to save some miles. My transmission was making some weird noises a few days ago. They've since stopped but I'm kinda leery.

Gotta run and get some lunch with another Bitcoiner! I'll be back later this afternoon.
PLATO

I just received my Bitcoin branded Tshirts that I proudly wear in Switzerland.
Got them made in the US (with Bitboy's approval of course) and will gladly ship one to you, should only take a few days.
Do you know where you will be in a week?

front
http://img.printfection.com/2/355/11111782/6TxZf.jpg
back
http://img.printfection.com/1/355/11111783/6TxZf.jpg

Accompanied by

http://img.printfection.com/1/3089/11111962/VHIz4.jpg
http://img.printfection.com/1/3089/11111963/VHIz4.jpg

My hats off to you roadtripper. This is awesome!

I'll send some coins your way when I get the next pooled mining payout. Truly awesome! :)

Just love your adventurous attitude!

I suggest that everyone that reads this thread submits the story about the roadtrip to wired.com, so that they will write about it, or any other news media. I've already submitted it to wired.com.

When will you be coming through Atlanta?  I could meet you and sell you things you need for BTC.

Steve-
I skipped atlanta, I heroically drove 700 miles from NC to AL yesterday. I'm meeting up with bitcoin2cash now.

I emailed Wired and Ars when I was starting the trip but never heard back. What I would REALLY love is for Joe Rogan to pick up on this and have me on his podcast when I reach LA. I'm pretty sure he would love the idea of Bitcoins. Tweet @joerogan and tell him what I'm doing!

How did the talk come out? Did many people show up? Were they interested or what?

Aw man, I wish I had noticed this topic sooner.  I could have met you for lunch in Atlanta if you had ended up staying.

Watch out for tornadoes!

Are you OK?

Hey Bit_Happy -

I'm alright, I haven't had time to post much in the past week. Note that my twitter feed (http://twitter.com/therealplato) is more active than my blog. I'm in Montgomery AL and have been for a few days. I'm heading back to Eclectic AL to continue cleaning up tornado damage (see sig.)

Also, Ribuck paid his pledged 200 BTC. Thanks dude!

you're backtracking?

nope, that's just old info. i'm pressing on westwards midweek. gonna stop in Louisiana and meet up with EvanR.

if u get into a real pinch for gas, let me know.  i think i can get u all the way across the US.

Great, have fun.  :)

PLATO bought a tank of gas from my grandmother for 16 BTC. :D

She's like "what the heck do I do with these things?" and I told her to give them to me for my birthday so she is.

CHA-CHING! 8)

We are trying to send plato a shirt (maybe two cus laundry on the road sucks!) for his road trip.

Apparently he is going from TX->OK->CO if anyone along the way there can accept a shirt for him please let him know.

Sup guys -

I'm at EvanR's apartment in Baton Rouge now. I'm packing my stuff up, planning to leave in about an hour. My next known destination is Austin, TX, where I will do a podcast with AtlasLGo.

I am also trying my damnedest to get on Alex Jones' show and Joe Rogan's podcast. I would appreciate any support you guys can offer, whether it's twitter mentions, contact forms, or any other ways you can try to get in touch with these guys. Both have extremely open-minded audiences who would love to hear about Bitcoins.

Keep an eye on my Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/therealplato), I post more regularly there than therealplato.com (http://therealplato.com).

Cheers!

Sup everyone -
I just reached Denver. I'm happy to report that I'm well over halfway across the country without spending a single dollar. I uploaded a ton of pictures here (http://goo.gl/a5muR) and video will be uploaded when I have some hours to paw through my footage. Yesterday I was too close for comfort to the deadly tornado in Joplin, MO... got stuck in a hailstorm for a bit.

My plan is to stick around in Denver for about a week, since I have some family here, then continue to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. I'm hoping to arrive in San Diego during the first week of June then continue north to LA. My initial goal was to reach LA on bitcoin alone so I may start spending dollars as I travel up the coast... thoughts?

As always, any donations are appreciated!
-PLATO

little confused, did you end up going through Austin?  I've got peeps in Austin and Salt Lake City.

Yep I hit Austin about a week ago. That's a pretty cool town, I met some fun people. I'll be in Salt Lake in about a week. Also gonna try and edit my map to make it a bit more readable.

If you find yourself near Chicago or Indianapolis, let me know.  I just got started with bitcoin but I can see what i can do to help.

Awesome journey! This should be filmed.

Update!

I'm about to head out of Denver. I'm going to meet mndrix in Wyoming and get some gas, then look for a national forest where I can camp for the night. Bright and early Tuesday morning, I'm heading westwards to Salt Lake City. I'm planning on staying in Salt Lake for a few days; I would really like to tell some businesspeople about Bitcoins. If anyone has contacts in SLC who are interested I'd be glad to sit down and explain the system. Also, I haven't lined up places to crash in SLC yet.

I went skydiving with my uncle on Saturday and paid him some bitcoins. I need to find a simple video editing suite for Linux so I can cut together the footage that I took. I have like 30 gigs of video sitting on my hard drive that needs to be edited, so any recommendations are appreciated!
-PLATO

check these two posts for ubersimple, uberportable video editing

Cut up video files with ffmpeg
http://webhostingneeds.com/Cut_video_using_ffmpeg

Put them together with mencoder
http://www.misterhowto.com/index.php?category=Computers&subcategory=Video&article=join_with_mencoder

Saw your piece on Corbett today.  Nice piece.  I will donate bitcoins to you if I can ever get it working.

I posted an AMA to Reddit, help me hit frontpage? http://redd.it/hql62

 I got some sick vinyls on my car thanks to casascius's wife, I'll upload some photos to my blog tomorrow. I'm going on air on KTKK tomorrow morning to talk about Bitcoins, liberty and agorism with Clint Richardson and a constitutional lawyer, then I'm heading south to Vegas!

Sounds like fun as long as you avoid too much daytime heat.  :)

Yo Man, if you're still in salt lake let me know.  I've got peeps there.  I can get you hooked up with some bomb sushi.

Should have let us know at /r/Bitcoin (http://www.reddit.com/r/bitcoin), we could have helped upvote it. Next time I guess.

In Vegas yet? We've got a Bitcoin meetup down here and could get together. Let me know if you're interested.

true - Sorry, you missed me. :-/ I'm in LA! (Or close enough to count :D)

I met up with BrightAnarchist in Vegas then Dissipate in San Diego. Now I'm staying with Coinman in orange county.

I've got in touch with everyone on my map who's in LA but I've probably missed some people. I'm gonna go to the Crash Space hackerspace at 8pm tuesday and maybe give a presentation there. Bitcoin meetup?

I am going to stick around for about a week and continue north to SFO / Portland / Seattle / Vancouver. I'm having too much fun to stop now. So far I love San Diego and California, I'm looking forward to seeing what lies north.

I'd like to plan out my route more carefully now that I'm on the tech-heavy west coast, so let me know if there's anyone I should meet, anywhere I should talk about Bitcoins, or anything I should see or do.

Thanks a ton to everyone who's helped me make it this far - everyone who's sent me coins, you rule, everyone who I've met, you rock.

PLATO

really nice idea. hope you could "convert" some people to Bitcoin :D

What? PLATO you did'nt die??? Great, I guess I lost 2BTC on that bet. :-[

j/k Nice job man.

It's been a pleasure to see you through the "beginning" of your journey!  We'll be glad to have you back anytime you're around the left coast.  Keep on keepin' us up-to-date!

CoinMan
 

Met Plato last night to fill up his Firebird.  We had some drinks at a Subway across the parking lot and chatted about bitcoins for about an hour.  Very cool guy.  So many business ideas were flying around.  It's almost unlimited to what kind of business you could get off the ground in the bitcoin industry right now.  Our conversation didn't really focus on one topic, we were flying off on tangents every ten seconds.  Always nice to chat with another intellectual.  He also told me that he likes the west coast so much that he plans on moving here!  At a couple points in the conversation I think I lost his attention while he watched some of our west coast girls walk by  ;D .  And that was only our ugly Corona girls, hahaha!  Anyway, amazing trip and awesome meeting you Plato.  Keep us updated, and take more photos!

It was a blast, Plato! Anytime you're in Vegas again drop me a line

this sounds awesome!  i would love to do this.  maybe we could come up with a group who would like to do an intercontinental trip.  everything should be video documented and could be a great bitcoin human interest piece.