First, couple of housekeeping things for the magazine website:
EVERYONE is invited to submit your Bitcoin related URL links. Just go to the
http://BitcoinRedLight.com website and on the right bar you will see the URL submit function, please mention your desired category (check first to see if it's already there).
Also, there is a new donation address -
thank you to those who have sent support!
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I also want to mention that there is a new twitter account located here:
http://twitter.com/#!/BitcoinRedLightFor those yet unfamiliar with the magazine - it is a, thinking, men's magazine. It has some socio-political commentary which is largely framed in macro-economics...all of which boils down to the fact that Bitcoin absolutely kicks-ass. That said, there is plenty of room for rational critique of Bitcoin and current events commentary.
At this juncture, I do not have big plans, but I would be delighted with the possibilities to monetize or branch, so any suggestions are more than welcome.
I fuckin' like it! I truly fuckin' like it! Sorry for the curse word(s) but for a second there I was visited by the ghost of George Carlin. Seriouly, though--I fuckin' like it!
Love the enthusiasm! Thank you Phin.
I personally use the site to help pump myself up for facing a world that is rapidly disintegrating.
One of my concerns was that Bitcoin folks can become somewhat myopic in spending all their time hyper-reflective on Bitcoin. This definitely has an advantage to the degree that we all push each other, but it can also be destructive. It is therefore important to remember the CONTEXT of the times in which we now live. The international banksters are engineering some really bad shit, and Bitcoin is one of those incredible beacons of light that can help inspire others out of their sense of helplessness and survival-apathy.
I really admire many of the minds represented on this board. There are a lot of smart young guys here.
-Jack
First off, I
fuckin' love your writing style. Your main and last paragraphs dumped so many images into my mind.
Compare this: (as one example)One of my concerns was that Bitcoin folks can become somewhat myopic in spending all their time hyper-reflective on Bitcoin.
With this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curb_Your_EnthusiasmDavid has explained the meaning of the show's title in TV interviews: It reflects his perception that many people seem to live their lives projecting false enthusiasm, which he believes is used to imply that "they are better than you."
Now this:I really admire many of the minds represented on this board. There are a lot of smart young guys here.
There truly are a lot of smart young, and older, guys and gals (white, black, brown, yellow, green, and what ever color trolls are) on this board.
I've learned from all of them.But most are only versed in a one or two fields. I feel we still have a security and marketing (PR) problem, and somehow these aspects still elude us. I'm not trying to split this post into several different tangents, although it may work out that way--my mind's in overdrive now.
In a nutshell, Bitcoin has a sliced bread problem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIVlM435ZgIn a world of too many options and too little time, our obvious choice is to just ignore the ordinary stuff. Marketing guru Seth Godin spells out why, when it comes to getting our attention, bad or bizarre ideas are more successful than boring ones.
In the late 80's, I was in my late 20's. A young guy with a young mind. I was a drywall hanger. A very good one. And I loved it. I was a subcontractor. One day I found myself inside my first geodesic dome home that needed the drywall hung. I looked around at all the angles and the stacks and stacks of drywall throughout the home. I called the drywall contractor and asked him why there was so much drywall in that house, whereupon he replied because you'll need every bit of it. I asked him if there was any drywall left over, will I be paid for all that is stocked in the house (I got paid per 4x12 foot board). He chuckled slightly and said yes. At the end of the project, I had exactly 97 boards left over. He paid me as agreed and then only had to pay the finisher 97 boards less than he previous thought he would have had to. All the scrap fit inside a pickup truck, whereas previously all the scrap would have filled a 2 ton dump truck. I even had less joints for the finisher to finish. The contractor asked me how I did it. I told him that after I cut the angle off one board, I flipped the other end and used it on the opposite wall. Prior, the subs simply tossed out those big pieces. I also told him that I could of done better if he would have stocked 14 and 16 footers, instead of all 12's. Although I wasn't a drywall finisher, I showed him how to save money on the finishing aspect and even make the the angles crisper. Needless to say, I did more than my fair share of geodesic domes homes in the Nashville area. Shortly thereafter, I supervised, then owned a drywall company. Now--I reclaim barn wood.
The point I'm trying to make, if there is one, is that a young mind can just about accomplish anything.
Let's get this GOD DAMN ball rollin', instead of this:http://haasventures.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/ball-rolling1.jpgGreat post, Phin, thank you! Sorry it's taken me a little while to reply.
It sounds like we're about the same age, which puts us well over the median for this crowd. But these guys are smart and I enjoy the energy (enjoyed your drywall tale)! And, as you rightly point out, there are all sorts of others who are gathering unto Bitcoin, as it were, and we each bring a useful set of tools and references.
RE: Bitcoin's 'sliced bread' problem.
The TED presentation was interesting and he made classic PR arguments: i.e. a) ideas that spread - win. b)We have way too many choices. C)Is it remarkable? D) We're ALL in the fashion business.
Now I think about those ideas relative to Bitcoin and it strikes me that Bitcoin is already SO radical, that its almost as if making Bitcoin boring is a good agenda. Bitcoin is very difficult for the vast majority of people to get their heads around. If fact, I don't think anybody can completely do it. The implications are just too vast.
In addition, we're in a very different economic environment than when that TED presentation was made. The current environment is primarily about shrinkage (lol, can't get a Seinfeld episode out of me head when writing 'shrinkage'), not expansion.
And in that context, people tend to go for the safe and known. Hence people are still buying bonds and clutching FRNs, despite massive indicators to the contrary.
In short, IMO we need far more of the Gavins than the Bruces.
