What about a REAL Bitcoin community?

[the joint]

Here's a crazy thought I had.

So, I'm sure there are probably 1 or 2 extreme diehards lurking around here that will be seriously intrigued by what I'm about to say.  For everyone else, consider it a fun thought I had the pleasure of entertaining for the past few minutes.

I would estimate that there are a fairly large amount of people on this forum that all meet the following critera:  

1.)  They check Bitcoin everyday or almost every day  
2.)  They are invested in Bitcoin both financially and emotionally
3.)  They genuinely believe Bitcoin is an improvement upon traditional currency and believe it would be good for society
4.)  They are generally good and honest people

Additionally, I would add that these members likely have a wide variety of talents and abilities as a group.

So, how about all the people on this forum who meet these criteria liquidate all of their assets, collect their money, join together, and build their own community from scratch.  The cash from their "real world" lives could be used to establish rudimentary housing and infrastructure.  Then, Bitcoin would be used exclusively within this community.  Community members would work to collect food, keep the community area clean, sell basic products/services, etc.

While the community will (naturally) have a law prohibiting the use of fiat currency (punishable by stoning), there will be an exception in the case of paying the electric bill.  How else ya gonna mine?

If you ever wanted to see the price of Bitcoin increase, this would be chance of a lifetime!  With Bitcoin being the only legal means of acquiring goods and services, Bitcoin would be practically virtually (get it?) priceless!

Er...but what about the exchange rate?

You mean...no more fun on the exchanges?  No more rally cries while dawning donning viking hats and blowing kazoos, the smell of titanium in the air?

Now I'm all confused.  A community without Gox Live?  Fuck it.

[ALPHA.]

I pledge to live and sustain myself in a dedicated Bitcoin community, if one is made and if the love of my life doesn't become a permanent fixture and prevent me from doing so.

[the joint]

I pledge to live and sustain myself in a dedicated Bitcoin community, if one is made and if the love of my life doesn't become a permanent fixture and prevent me from doing so.

Maybe she's an impermanent fixture.

[Ryland R. Taylor-Almanza]

I'm turning 18 in about 9 months, and I'll be moving away. Someone make this community within 9 months so that I can live there!

[bluefirecorp]

I've considered this multiple times. Woodland around here is only 900 dollars or so per acre, the trees can be cut and converted into basic houses, the rest for firewood, simple network and VOIP for out-of-camp communication, food can be raised pretty easily once the woods are removed, in the mean-time, could survive via MREs/similar products and in tents for a while, until area is cleared. Taxes would be a reason for money, so we would have to sell off some of our produced products [food/whatever].

[ALPHA.]

I've considered this multiple times. Woodland around here is only 900 dollars or so per acre, the trees can be cut and converted into basic houses, the rest for firewood, simple network and VOIP for out-of-camp communication, food can be raised pretty easily once the woods are removed, in the mean-time, could survive via MREs/similar products and in tents for a while, until area is cleared. Taxes would be a reason for money, so we would have to sell off some of our produced products [food/whatever].

1. Register Bitcoin as a religion.
2. Say taxes are against scripture.
3. ?
4. PROFIT

[bluefirecorp]

I've considered this multiple times. Woodland around here is only 900 dollars or so per acre, the trees can be cut and converted into basic houses, the rest for firewood, simple network and VOIP for out-of-camp communication, food can be raised pretty easily once the woods are removed, in the mean-time, could survive via MREs/similar products and in tents for a while, until area is cleared. Taxes would be a reason for money, so we would have to sell off some of our produced products [food/whatever].

1. Register Bitcoin as a religion.
2. Say taxes are against scripture.
3. ?
4. PROFIT

Was thinking that, but then the govt would raid us as a religious cult.

[adamstgBit]

yes i'm one of these people.

[bluefirecorp]

https://www.costco.com/Common/Login.aspx?topnav=&whse=BC&ReturnUrl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.costco.com%2fBrowse%2fShoppingList.aspx%3ftopnav%3d%26whse%3dBC%26lang%3den-US&lang=en-US
An above ground 5000 gallon water tank, and about 10 ounces of silver for purification in the tank [keeps it from growing bacteria within it], filter the water when it comes out anyways - and boil it.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

https://www.costco.com/Common/Login.aspx?topnav=&whse=BC&ReturnUrl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.costco.com%2fBrowse%2fShoppingList.aspx%3ftopnav%3d%26whse%3dBC%26lang%3den-US&lang=en-US
An above ground 5000 gallon water tank, and about 10 ounces of silver for purification in the tank [keeps it from growing bacteria within it], filter the water when it comes out anyways - and boil it.

Just give me one of these and a river, and I'll forego the 5,000 gallon water tank. She could leave the straw at home, too.

[Jonathan Ryan Owens]

1.)  They check Bitcoin everyday or almost every day  
2.)  They are invested in Bitcoin both financially and emotionally
3.)  They genuinely believe Bitcoin is an improvement upon traditional currency and believe it would be good for society
4.)  They are generally good and honest people

1. Guilty
2. Guilty
3. Guilty
4. Guilty

Additionally, I would add that these members likely have a wide variety of talents and abilities as a group.

Skills test for admission is a must.

So, how about all the people on this forum who meet these criteria liquidate all of their assets, collect their money, join together, and build their own community from scratch.  The cash from their "real world" lives could be used to establish rudimentary housing and infrastructure.  Then, Bitcoin would be used exclusively within this community.  Community members would work to collect food, keep the community area clean, sell basic products/services, etc.

Ok, so we need the die hard libertarians and hippies to come together. This may be a problem. Die hard property rights types and communal living, statist types coming together. Ok, well.. At least there'd be no welfare, right? Everyone must do something.

While the community will (naturally) have a law prohibiting the use of fiat currency (punishable by stoning), there will be an exception in the case of paying the electric bill.  How else ya gonna mine?

Solar and methane reclamation from the sewer pits for cooking gas and generator gas.

If you ever wanted to see the price of Bitcoin increase, this would be chance of a lifetime!  With Bitcoin being the only legal means of acquiring goods and services, Bitcoin would be practically virtually (get it?) priceless!

Can we all buy russian wives with Bitcoin?

Er...but what about the exchange rate?

You mean...no more fun on the exchanges?  No more rally cries while dawning donning viking hats and blowing kazoos, the smell of titanium in the air?

We'll have our own block chain and people can take turns adjusting the BTC/WOOD, BTC/FOOD and other pairs based on supply and demand.

Now I'm all confused.  A community without Gox Live?  Fuck it.

Wait, you're joking?

[BTCurious]

1.)  They check Bitcoin everyday or almost every day
check
2.)  They are invested in Bitcoin both financially and emotionally
check
3.)  They genuinely believe Bitcoin is an improvement upon traditional currency and believe it would be good for society
check
4.)  They are generally good and honest people
check


"So, how about all the people on this forum who meet these criteria liquidate all of their assets, collect their money, join together, and build their own community from scratch."
Um, no. I'm not going to live in some small rural community cutting logs by hand and roasting rabbits over a campfire, if I've nearly finished university. If other people would do this I would probably support it, but sure as hell won't join in.

[bluefirecorp]

1.)  They check Bitcoin everyday or almost every day
check
2.)  They are invested in Bitcoin both financially and emotionally
check
3.)  They genuinely believe Bitcoin is an improvement upon traditional currency and believe it would be good for society
check
4.)  They are generally good and honest people
check


"So, how about all the people on this forum who meet these criteria liquidate all of their assets, collect their money, join together, and build their own community from scratch."
Um, no. I'm not going to live in some small rural community cutting logs by hand and roasting rabbits over a campfire, if I've nearly finished university. If other people would do this I would probably support it, but sure as hell won't join in.

Lol, in 6 months when you are unable to find a job, you'll be happy moving out there.

[netrin]

I propose Greenland. Independent nation, plenty of fresh water, more guns than fingers to shoot, low taxes, cheap hydro power, dry clean cool air, fiber optic between N. America and Europe, and more space per inhabitant than anywhere else on the planet (well except for that other big ass ice sheet in the south).

[BTCurious]

Why does it have to be rural/rustic? We have a bunch of bitcoins, we just trade them for what we want. This could be just as easily set up by picking a block in a major city and having everybody trade between themselves using bitcoins.

Because everything you can buy is bought with dollars/euros. There just isn't a lot of "trading between themselves" if you stay modern, so to speak. How often do you trade with your neighbours?

[Explodicle]

Maybe once I pay off my USD debts... I'm getting there. It would have to be someplace warm or I'd never convince my wife.

Who does the boring manual labor? We're mostly nerds, yes?

[netrin]

Who does the boring manual labor? We're mostly nerds, yes?

I've already got a non-digital ripple-esque network up here. Two of my buddies work with gold, silver, and everything else. We trade materials, knowledge, and labour, solving crazy problems everyday that challenge everything you learned in grade school. We nerds grow food in greenhouses, go out hunting, fishing, all while connected via radio relay, sat link, using portable solar, hydro, and diesel power. The capital has a fascinating mix of rustic and ultra-modern in the space-station sort of way. The frontiers are a nerd paradise as long as you don't mind using your two feet and two hands. It's not for the lazy, but perfect for the engineer.

[elggawf]

1. Register Bitcoin as a religion.
2. Say taxes are against scripture.
3. ?
4. PROFIT

Why do I get the feeling you're one of those idiots who believes that the Amish don't pay taxes?

[theymos]

Maybe on an island...

It Bitcoin hits $1000, I will try to attract a small group of freedom-loving Bitcoiners to buy an island that's big enough for us all, and on which we can install high-speed internet.

[Vandroiy]

I'm late to the thread. I love this. I still haven't decided where I will live in a few years, and depending on the set of rules you want to live by, this is an option.

I've been planning something similar, and have been wondering when the net offers enough smart people to pull this through. But it's not only about Bitcoin for me, it's about limiting government insanity in general. We must create a place on earth that is not drowning everything in idiotic dynamics. Unpunished corruption, patents + patent ceasefires, tax friction within productive cycles, government stealing and re-distributing funds in arbitrary fashion, hell, I HATE IT. I want to show these people the true power of a modern society, but the system is set up to throw as good as every cheaply available obstacle into my path. (They never throw expensive obstacles, the cheapskates. )

I think of a country that makes only few rules, rules that can be proven or very strongly indicated correct. Then, it makes sure everyone who breaks these rules is hit hard, hard enough to satisfy the requirements from game theory. It is the only functional type of society I know, and the place of my dreams. I believe anybody truly awake should be longing for a place like that. But this is the sad part: exist enough people who are "truly awake" by my definition?

I claim that current BTC price proves that 99.9999% (1-10^-6) of humanity cannot be awake. The lock-downs on free trade are causing damages beyond imagination, hitting everywhere around the world, on a scope a sane mind cannot grasp without turning into a cynic. Any glimmer of hope, like Bitcoin, should have people jumping and screaming. But the 10^6th fraction of the world, 7000 people, throwing in 2k USD on average, would close in on current Bitcoin market cap. There's no way Bitcoin is liquid enough to let even 1000 such people jump in invisibly.

So, this rough estimate gives that there are less than 1000 people on the entire damn planet who know what is going on and willing to do the easiest move! (And two of them are relatives of mine, they became Bitcoiners the moment they understood what it is, just like me). What the hell? This is scary!

foreveralone.jpg

This might be an issue on founding a super-country; if you can scoop up a whopping 1% of people who understand the need for the project (because the rest is not mobile right away), you may be left with just five guys who know what they actually want to achieve. And then there's a group of a thousand who came along for random reasons. That majority would most likely take control of the project, making it drift back into the bad dynamics we see everywhere.



The negative thinking aside, we have to try at least the first step. If I was to propose a set of rules or guidelines to try prevent degeneration from the start, is there anyone around who would seriously consider them? I'll warn you ahead of time, they will turn out heavy. Forget about it if you want law exceptions for children or drunks, categorically limit information transmission (yes, that includes child pornography), like patents, or want any lobby including religion influencing the result. A compromise does not work, so unless people understand the necessity, I can skip writing a text nobody cares about.

In case anyone still doubts it, I am serious. I think a new country can be built from scratch that easily outperforms anything mankind has seen. All we need is the correct set of rules, a qualified population of 1~10k, a patch of land with trade access, enough know-how and funds to bring up basic infrastructure, and an international payment method not blocked by trade barriers (heh, guess what! ).

One smooth path to create this is forming an organization that starts constructing the country once a certain amount of members is reached, and remains mostly digital until then.



Sorry for the wall of text. I had discussions surrounding this topic for years; it's difficult to stop flooding. I already cut out half the post.