Blogmas, Bitcoin, Grantcoin and Steem Dollars

I've been doing so well on the blogging front last month and so far this month. But yesterday and today, I just didn't have anything to say that I was happy to publish or that I felt worthy of publishing. I did start to write a blogpost and then deleted it after writing two paragraphs. The stars weren't aligned or something and it just wasn't flowing. Plus, I was really busy trying to get some Christmas decorations finished to send to relatives and friends. Embroidery takes a long time to do. I like that it's slow and painstaking as it doubles as a kind of meditation without having to sit cross legged and chant.

Of course the buzzword du jour is bitcoin. My geekier friends who invested in bitcoin early on are now celebrating that a single bitcoin is now worth just shy of $20,000. Bearing in mind that this is a completely made up currency, that's pretty impressive. It's also fair to say that some people are having trouble converting their bitcoins into cash that can be used for everyday purchases. Another friend's status says that Visa is not allowing any bitcoin transactions so she's switched to Mastercard. It all seems a bit bonkers.

The only dabbling I've done in virtual currency is with Grantcoin. I've accrued some Grantcoin over the last year or so but have no idea if or when it will be worth anything. I like the idea of a virtual universal basic income and doing that in a virtual way may seem more palatable to those who see UBI as freeloading. A friend was signed up already so I signed up too in an attempt to get more of a handle on crypto currency. I can't say that I know much more about crypto currency than I did a year ago. I'm an observer and as an observer, I find it hard to get my head around not only how it works, but why it's working. I can't help feeling that Bitcoin is a bubble and it feels too good to be true but I'm hopeful that other crypto currencies have legs too, especially those with a more ethical or unique stance, such as Grantcoin. Grantcoin is currently mid-way through revamping their systems but it's still free to join and you can do that here. You'll get some free currency if you use that link to join and I'll get some too. Once you're signed up, you'll get the odd email but there doesn't seem to be anything else (currently) that is expected of you in order to participate.

The other bitcoin-esque thing I've been looking into is Steemit. It's a bit like Medium except you tip and receive using Steem Dollars. Unlike bitcoin, Steem's rate of exchange isn't going bananas and what you receive as tips is based on the content you produce and how well it's received. It's one of my resolutions to start using it to see how the Steem community works and to see if what I have to say is the kind of thing that would fly over there. I'm also reading that Steem Dollars are worth quite a bit of money. Since I'm already writing regularly, it would seem to make sense to do some writing over there. I think there is still a waiting list, but if you like writing or you like reading others' writing, then it might be for you. Check it out here.

If you have any tips about making the most of Grantcoin, Steemit or similar cryptocurrencie, feel free to comment.

Day 19/25 Blogmas

Recent event round-ups from my collaboration with Lloyd Davis/Tuttle Club & Truphone.

I recently held a series of five events with my friend and collaborator, Lloyd Davis, at Truphone's rather splendid offices in Canary Wharf. I did a round-up of all the events over on my Heroes of Mobile website so please follow the links below to see the videos of the talks and to find out more about what we covered and links to further coverage and reading.

Future of Mobile:Artificial Intelligence with James Tagg

Future of Work: Artificial Intelligence with Benjamin Ellis

Future of Work: Blockchain with Imogen Heap (yes, that Imogen Heap)

Future of Work: Drones, Robots and Internet of Things with Priya Prakash

Future of Work: Augmented and Virtual Reality with Eva Pascoe

Lloyd and I are working up some new event themes for the New Year. If you're interested in hosting and sponsoring the next series in the UK in the Spring (it doesn't have to be London), please get in touch.