1.love 2.projects 3.women 4.art 5.trump

I confess to the presence of love that I felt in every room I entered at bitcoin nashville. It is in the faces of everyone I have come to know and every new person I meet. I mean love in the sense that joy, friendship, encouragement, and genuine interest were mixed into the air, competing with oxygen and winning. Let me say, however, I didn’t enter all that many rooms, at least inside the conference center. My general admission pass was limited, plus I didn’t find the schedule on the official app until the third day. And then beyond that, I refused to stand in line for an hour. I’m not a good event attendee. When I was inside the conference center, I mostly sought out a quiet corner and hunched over my phone or laptop. Shameful, but I was among the 50 percent of people who were doing this at all times. The love I felt was not within the brightly-colored branded halls, but in the satellite spaces, like bars and restaurants, and Bitcoin Park. The best thing I heard all week was shouted to me over the live music on a rooftop bar: “What’s different about us is that we’re all following our dreams.” Excuse my indulgences in sentiment. But being surrounded by love is a signal to me that I’m going the right way in my life. I acknowledge it, I am thankful for it. Maybe that's cringe, but who would rather have hate souring the air?

When I wrote previously about my expectations, I was worried about the conference feeling like a performance. Not that that’s wrong. A conference is the opportunity to present what you do. If that’s framed with a little falsity, it’s only natural and necessary sometimes. I worried over it just because of me, because I have a preference against participating in the show. Anyway, I need not have worried. Of course I wondered a little about all the people I was seeing and what their involvment is inside this space. Often their clothes told me¹. Still, I never felt particularly bothered by anyone. After the first day, I released myself from being the judge of everyone’s intent, and just enjoyed the conference.

—> BitEscrow —> Compass coffee —> Voltage

—> Wavlake —> Thriller —> Zeus —> Tunestr —> ZBD —> ZapConf —> Joe Martin —> JustLoud —> Sara Jade

—> Strike —> Fold —> Bitaxe —> Bitcoin Larp

—> Yopaki —> CASCDR —> Damus

—> El Tor

—> Dirty Coin —> The Bitcoin Editors —> Access Tribe —> pleb devs —> pleb print shop

There were a lot of women. No shortage of women. Not as many as men, but still, a lot of women. Each woman I spoke with was so happy to be there. So hey, that’s nice!

The art museum was just two blocks away from the conference center. I had to go. They were exhibiting the work of Alexander McQueen, a fashion designer, late 90s, early 2000s. People wear his clothes on red carpets. He was totally uninhibited in his creative vision, and that was evidenced by his theatrical runway shows. The exhibition was shared with photographs taken by his close friend from behind the scenes, and in them the life remains in the clothes. I never thought I would look at haute couture. It was very cool, and that’s all I’ll say for now but I do have many thoughts here. Pin it for later.

Trump did an awesome 50 minute comedy set. I really enjoyed it. What I heard most from people was some things he said could change things, but none of it disrupts our focus. Bitcoin is a ride we’re all on. Bitcoin doesn’t have a president. It’s technology unleashed, and the world will grapple. If anything, it was a nod from power, an acknowledgement, that bitcoin is something deserving of respect, and I appreciate that. Trump did not have to come, so it means something that he did. Whether he’s aware of what it means, I’m not convinced, but I don’t require his understanding. I don’t expect that from him. From the speech, I gathered that Trump knows three facts about bitcoin: there will only be 21 million, it’s made possible by smart people, and you shouldn’t sell it. One point he made is that the US should dominate, in all things. This was explanation for why he has a welcoming stance on bitcoin. I’m not convinced that US domination is necessary, it’s not the thing to strive for. That’s the desire that ends with our nation crumbling apart like it currently is, and many nations before it. However, it is tricky to determine a common goal for a united people that doesn’t spell destruction. Are we working on this?

I liked the conference! I had a great time. It is a monumental effort that makes it happen, congrats to the people who put in that work.