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> I can go to Africa right now and I can imagine that even some of the remoter parts will be aware of bitcoin. The Bay Area, ladies and gentlemen. In all seri

> I can go to Africa right now and I can imagine that even some of the remoter parts will be aware of bitcoin. The Bay Area, ladies and gentlemen. In all seriousness, I doubt people in most of the world have heard of either.

Kinnard 9y ago
I know cryptoppl active in Africa and ppl in remote parts of Africa who have heard of Bitcoin.
- skinnymuch 9y ago
  I don't think that's the point. Of course people on Hacker News are likely to know people in remote places or barely 3rd world places who know about things like crypto[currency]
adamnemecek 9y ago
I don't live in the bay area. idk if you saw this but UN has previously used Ethereum to send aid to refugees. https://www.coindesk.com/united-nations-sends-aid-to-10000-syrian-refugees-using-ethereum-blockchain/ https://www.coindesk.com/united-nations-sends-aid-to-10000-s... You have to realize that in the US you have the luxury of stable (corrupt, but stable) government. A lot of other countries dont have that luxury. An international standard is a lot more enticing to someone from such a country than it is for you. Like stability is relative. What you can perceive as unstable, someone can perceive as unstable but stabler than the default.
- Cacti 9y ago
  Using a blockchain as a ledger device is far, far different from investing in a cryptocurrency.
- JumpCrisscross 9y ago
  > A lot of other countries dont have that luxury The intersection of (a) countries with reliable Internet access and broadly-available Internet-connected devices, (b) a useless national currency and (c) effective controls on the use of cash hard currency is small. The GDP of that intersection certainly doesn't support anything close to Bitcoin's price.
  - adamnemecek 9y ago
    You don't need A. Re B, which countries have a useful currency really? Say Hungarian Forint. Do you consider that a useful currency? Ok what do you think would be a justified price and why?
    - imtringued 9y ago
      A useful currency is a stable currency with predictable small inflation or deflaction. It doesn't really matter if this currency is implemented with people having "faith" in the currency, backing the currency with real assets or via a blockchain without a central bank. A "currency" that can rise or fall by 30% on a single day is not useful as a currency.
      - adamnemecek 9y ago
        We are very early on. Like' it's still very much in the beta stage.
  - alexanat 9y ago
    I can't think of a national currency that is useful beyond faith.
- rtkwe 9y ago
  > the project run by the United Nation's World Food Programme (WFP) was designed to direct resources to thousands of Syrian refugees by giving them cryptocurrency-based vouchers that could be redeemed in participating markets. They're not really using the actual Etherium blockchain in any meaningful sense though. They just gave vouchers that could be spent at participating markets. It reeks of a marketing ploy by Parity Technologies for some press.
BoorishBears 9y ago
As a person from (West) Africa, I can tell you they've not only heard of Bitcoin but they're mining it, even in villages.
- adamnemecek 9y ago
  I feel like some people really misunderstand developing countries. People living there are very much looking to participating in the world economy, because the local one isn't great.
- Kinnard 9y ago
  What country are you in?
  - BoorishBears 9y ago
    I’m in the US, but I’m from Ghana, see above comment for details...
- fivethree 9y ago
  You 6 days ago: >I lived in Downtown Hartford until last month, I don't recall many, if any bikes on roads. Then again, I do recall traffic being generally unsafe, I definitely would avoid riding a bike there.
  - BoorishBears 9y ago
    Look back further in my history and I mention being Ghanaian multiple times... If you need my life story I’m 23, was born in Ghana and spent about 10 years of my life US so a sizable portion, but spent 3 years in Ghana somewhat recently, and most of my family is still in the country. What a time we live in when people will dig into your history half-heartedly to try and claim you’re lying about where you’re from instead of believing us stupid monkeys have learned what a computer is or how to look up incredibly popular terms. My father recently forwarded me a blockhain convention (misremembered the link) in Ghana.
  - BoorishBears 9y ago
smnrchrds 9y ago
> The Bay Area, ladies and gentlemen. Hear, hear. Meanwhile in remote areas of Africa, this is more like what functions as currency: "If you're in South Sudan and something big happens in your life — you get married, you buy property or pay a penalty for a crime — cows are most likely involved. Cows are currency and credit card and bank account rolled into one. In South Sudan, banks can go bankrupt — cows are more reliable. At least that's how it used to be." From Planet Money: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/11/15/563788464/episode-805-war-and-peace-and-cows https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/11/15/563788464/epis...
- TheCoelacanth 9y ago
  South Sudan is hardly typical of Africa, though. In 2017, it had the single highest score on the Fragile States Index (formerly called the Failed States Index) of any country in the world.
pteredactyl 9y ago
Comment written on software and hardware designed in the Bay Area.

Kinnard 9y ago

I know cryptoppl active in Africa and ppl in remote parts of Africa who have heard of Bitcoin.

skinnymuch 9y ago
I don't think that's the point. Of course people on Hacker News are likely to know people in remote places or barely 3rd world places who know about things like crypto[currency]

adamnemecek 9y ago

I don't live in the bay area. idk if you saw this but UN has previously used Ethereum to send aid to refugees. https://www.coindesk.com/united-nations-sends-aid-to-10000-syrian-refugees-using-ethereum-blockchain/ https://www.coindesk.com/united-nations-sends-aid-to-10000-s... You have to realize that in the US you have the luxury of stable (corrupt, but stable) government. A lot of other countries dont have that luxury. An international standard is a lot more enticing to someone from such a country than it is for you. Like stability is relative. What you can perceive as unstable, someone can perceive as unstable but stabler than the default.

Cacti 9y ago
Using a blockchain as a ledger device is far, far different from investing in a cryptocurrency.
JumpCrisscross 9y ago
> A lot of other countries dont have that luxury The intersection of (a) countries with reliable Internet access and broadly-available Internet-connected devices, (b) a useless national currency and (c) effective controls on the use of cash hard currency is small. The GDP of that intersection certainly doesn't support anything close to Bitcoin's price.
- adamnemecek 9y ago
  You don't need A. Re B, which countries have a useful currency really? Say Hungarian Forint. Do you consider that a useful currency? Ok what do you think would be a justified price and why?
  - imtringued 9y ago
    A useful currency is a stable currency with predictable small inflation or deflaction. It doesn't really matter if this currency is implemented with people having "faith" in the currency, backing the currency with real assets or via a blockchain without a central bank. A "currency" that can rise or fall by 30% on a single day is not useful as a currency.
    - adamnemecek 9y ago
      We are very early on. Like' it's still very much in the beta stage.
- alexanat 9y ago
  I can't think of a national currency that is useful beyond faith.
rtkwe 9y ago
> the project run by the United Nation's World Food Programme (WFP) was designed to direct resources to thousands of Syrian refugees by giving them cryptocurrency-based vouchers that could be redeemed in participating markets. They're not really using the actual Etherium blockchain in any meaningful sense though. They just gave vouchers that could be spent at participating markets. It reeks of a marketing ploy by Parity Technologies for some press.

BoorishBears 9y ago

As a person from (West) Africa, I can tell you they've not only heard of Bitcoin but they're mining it, even in villages.

adamnemecek 9y ago
I feel like some people really misunderstand developing countries. People living there are very much looking to participating in the world economy, because the local one isn't great.
Kinnard 9y ago
What country are you in?
- BoorishBears 9y ago
  I’m in the US, but I’m from Ghana, see above comment for details...
fivethree 9y ago
You 6 days ago: >I lived in Downtown Hartford until last month, I don't recall many, if any bikes on roads. Then again, I do recall traffic being generally unsafe, I definitely would avoid riding a bike there.
- BoorishBears 9y ago
  Look back further in my history and I mention being Ghanaian multiple times... If you need my life story I’m 23, was born in Ghana and spent about 10 years of my life US so a sizable portion, but spent 3 years in Ghana somewhat recently, and most of my family is still in the country. What a time we live in when people will dig into your history half-heartedly to try and claim you’re lying about where you’re from instead of believing us stupid monkeys have learned what a computer is or how to look up incredibly popular terms. My father recently forwarded me a blockhain convention (misremembered the link) in Ghana.
- BoorishBears 9y ago

smnrchrds 9y ago

> The Bay Area, ladies and gentlemen. Hear, hear. Meanwhile in remote areas of Africa, this is more like what functions as currency: "If you're in South Sudan and something big happens in your life — you get married, you buy property or pay a penalty for a crime — cows are most likely involved. Cows are currency and credit card and bank account rolled into one. In South Sudan, banks can go bankrupt — cows are more reliable. At least that's how it used to be." From Planet Money: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/11/15/563788464/episode-805-war-and-peace-and-cows https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/11/15/563788464/epis...

TheCoelacanth 9y ago
South Sudan is hardly typical of Africa, though. In 2017, it had the single highest score on the Fragile States Index (formerly called the Failed States Index) of any country in the world.

pteredactyl 9y ago

Comment written on software and hardware designed in the Bay Area.