This was my first attendance at a Bitcoin Conference. I’m more the stay humble stack sats guy and tickets for the conference including accomodation and travels are not cheap. The last few years I have decided to stack the sats. This year, the time had finally come and I just had to go. And what can I say? I missed the buzz.
I should have come much earlier. There’s no better place to network with like-minded people and get an idea of current topics in the “industry”. I will be back. That’s for sure.

The sitze and construction of the main stage was overwhelming. Great design great animations on the massive video walls. Shoutout to @8f8d5...6074a and @4d5f9...e5479 and the whole team from @d7a74...9a77d for rolling this big. 👏👏

A talk I did not want to miss out was Bitcoin Adoption in Africa by  @b8851...20ba1 . Sooly did not dissapoint. My key take away:

Bitcoin doesn’t spread like a product. It spreads like a rumour

Great to see so much innovation in Africa. 🙏

The example of the Virunga Bitcoin Cocolate Project in Congo in particular. Mining with hydropower and using ASIC heat to dry cocoa. This shows the potential that arises when creative minds come together with innovative technology. Onward 🫡

Then I went up to the expo. What should I say? 🤯 Crazy how much the industry has evolved. Shoutout to SatoshiLabs for the best SWAG and to SatoriCoin for the most beautiful “paperwallet” i have ever seen.

Afterwards, I watched some panels and keynotes on the main stage. A hot topic that has been on my mind a lot lately: Cypherpunks vs. Institutions: Who Owns Bitcoin’s Future? Spoiler. I’m not writing code, but I’m on the side of the cypherpunks.

@020f2...81c3e summed it up very well for me on the second day of the conference:

Everyone gets the price they deserve but Goverments should be buying at a much higher price – its to early

My personal little safe space was definitely the booth of @3e201...68a5a . I probably spend a small family home of my unborn grandchildren (sorry) for beer and enjoyed some the excellent food in the beautiful weather in front of the halls.
Paying for real things with sats in meetspace is a very special feeling. After that I finally felt like a penguin in water. I was flying. Welcome to magic internet money wonder land! Welcome to the future.

Thanks to the guys from @532d8...f93cb for the 2100 sats voucher. Great marketing tool 👏 I hoped it helped onboarding lots of people to Nostr🫡
I encouraged a lot of people to check it out.

Speaking of Nostr… one of my key take aways from the expo was mentioned by to @d61f3...6ef4a on the last panel from day one:

FAFO: Fuck Around And Find Out

Doing this right now. Will do more in the future. Looking forward to see what the community will develop Nostr into.

After the conference I strolled through the streets of Prague (wonderful buildings, wonderful city) to Bar No.7 to avoid having to leave BTC Wonderland.

I had a lot of good conversations there and it was balm for the soul that other bitcoiners from all over the world had similar experiences with their normie friends as I have had in the last few years. they don’t want to deal with the topic. they don’t want to bring in the proof of work. they are too lazy or they have no need (to fix the world) 😔 but they sure know every result of their local soccer league and which player is moving to another club at what price. i guess everyone gets the bitcoin price they deserve in the end after all…

One thing I learned that night (though I could barely understand another word the guy said):

OG does not stand for Original Gangester, but for Old Guardian

Will stick to this my unintelligible unknown friend 🫡

On the way home, I went to a few bars along the way and tried to pay with Bitcoin - after all, we are in Europe’s Bitcoin capital. The response was more sobering than the fresh air along the way. Mostly a rather disdainful, narrow-lipped “no”. We still have a long way to go…

On day two, the atmosphere was even more relaxed than on the first day. This is not a trade fair, this is a festival! I had the opportunity to shake hands with many of the familiar faces in the space or even have a quick chat. That lifted my spirits. 🙏

Then the “highlight” of the Expo. @saylor
Even before his keynote, there was a crowd of people in the anteroom to take a selfie with him. During his speech, the room was filled to the last seat… All just for a proper sales presentation.

DCA $50k per year. That’s the minimum requirement.
Go into debt to your family, your friends and anyone who is willing to lend you some money - then you’ll make it. You will outpace wallstreet.
21 Million a Coin in 21 Years.

To be honest, it was a speech that made me leave the room with mixed feelings. Will Wall Street end up sitting at the longer end of the table? Is it ultimately just about making more money and no longer about the idea of separating money from state? Is it about a more stable, sustainable life for every human being on this planet anymore?
At least he gave the advice not to get into short-term debt for too high interest rates.

Don’t become a Loan Shark Victim.

Be careful my friends. Stay humble. Stack sats.

Then - surprisingly and to my great delight - @c4eab...bc4e0 makes another appearance at the end of day two. The auditorium was not as full as Saylor’s (some had probably already left the conference), but there was no time limit for Jack.
A Millennial’s Manifesto.

The speech you ask? I had goose bumps and tears in my eyes. At least a glimpse of hope for my unborn grandchildren. Thank you Jack.
#fixthemoneyfixtheworld #makewarunaffordable