We just returned from the Crypto-Currency Conference in Atlanta, and all I can say is WOW!
Just kidding, I have a lot more to say than that.
But first, a history lesson.
In 1975, a group of 32 technical enthusaists in Menlo Park California got together in Gordon French’s garage. They were excited to talk about what could be done with a new gadget that had just arrived, the Altair 8800. It was a computer, like the livingroom sized mainframes that some of these technicians had worked on, but much smaller. “Personal”, you might say, at least in size. But in practice, the device wasn’t very personable.
The Altair was clunky and unfriendly, but these proto-computer nerds were intent on making it better. They could see the potential of the technology, and it was world changing. So that’s exactly what they did. They changed the world.
Among that group of 32 was Lee Felsenstein, inventor of the first portable computer system, Jerry Lawson, inventor of the first cartridge fed video game system, some of the first computer hackers in the world, and Steve Wozniak, inventor of the Apple 1 and cofounder of Apple Computer Corp.
It’s a rare confluence of brilliant personalities that make a revolution like that possible. You might say the Homebrew Computer Club, while quite different in demeanor and specific skill, was not unlike the Constitutional Convention of the United States. Each group was brought together by common personal interest. Each group was comprised of minds uniquely suited for a task at hand, a task that had never been done before. And each group, in very short order, invented a new system that changed the course of human history.
I might be stepping out on a limb here to make such a big claim, but I think it’s happening again.
From beginning to end, the Crypto-Currency Conference was brilliant; the characters engaging, the insight dazzling. Even a fly on the wall would remember the people seen, from Jeffrey A. Tucker‘s double-breasted suit and bow tie to Phinnaeus Gage’s overalls and straw hat, tags still dangling, to Jason King’s unchallenged beard.
This conference also brought a unique perspective to the table. Emphasis on the liberating aspects of cryptocurrency was higher than you’d expect from a Silicon Valley based conference. Yes, there are fortunes to be made with bitcoin, but those fortunes only come if the decentralized, voluntary alternative currency is used. Cathy Reisenwitz shared why a free society needs a free monetary system, and Daniel Krawisz explained the special value that cryptography should have to anybody of a libertarian mind. In a way, the conversations blended what you might hear at the Consitutional Convention and the Homebrew Computer Club.
Beccy and I shared our experiences so far, explaining what obstacles we encountered, how we got over them, and what obstacles still lay in front of us. We expect our coming journey will be challenging and rewarding. In reality, the journey for bitcoin itself might be similar.
Our presentation is viewable below.
In short, it was a blast. We’re glad we could be a part of it, and we’re very looking forward to next year.