With more than 1,500 cryptocurrencies out there, it is getting ever more difficult to come up with a concept that hasn’t already been blockchainified.
Indeed, over the past year we have seen (over)ambitious entrepreneurs seeking to put all sorts of different things on the blockchain – from board games and alchemy-powered transmutation tools to celebrities and adult cam models.
With so many blockchain insiders at TNW Conference in Amsterdam, we didn’t want to miss a chance to speak some of the experts present to find out how viable this trend to decentralize actually is.
And this is precisely what we did. We went ahead and asked the blockchain community about some of the most ridiculous uses cases they have heard about.
So without further ado, here are some of the most unorthodox undertakings you might have seen on the blockchain:
Ice tea
“One of the funniest things I’ve seen in the past five years I’ve been in blockchain… This company called Long Island Ice Tea, which is a company that sells non-alcoholic beverages, changed their name to Long Blockchain. And just like that its stock price jumped 289 percent overnight.”
“They didn’t even have a use case for the technology – they merely said they are interested in investing and experimenting with blockchain. But it goes on to show the craze around blockchain and cryptocurrency: ice tea might be the most removed thing from the technology, but just adding “blockchain” to its name can cause its stock to soar.”
Alejandro De La Torre, VP Business Operations at BTC.com
Your banking history
“There was a bank – and I’m not mentioning any names – but they were trying to put your public data on the blockchain to make it possible to use every other banking app. This practically means that your banking history would be uploaded to the blockchain and publicly available for everyone else to see. In my book, this is a pretty outrageous use case.”
Ivo Jonkers, blockchain consultant
A token that gives a FUCK
“The most ridiculous idea that comes to mind is the FUCK token. It is basically a brotherhood – or a community – that promises to offer support to people struggling with personal issues, whatever they might be. The main point is that people nowadays do not “give any fucks,” and in order to show your friends that you care about them (“give fucks”), you can send FUCK token tips to their wallet. For example, your friend is sulking about his marital problems? Give him a FUCK or two and watch his smile brighten up.” thousands of FUCKs are given every minute. This is pretty much it.”
Masha Beetroot, Head of Communications at KICKICO
Jobs
“There are plenty of platforms seeking to do match-making to help you find the perfect job. But here is the problem: these are not free services, you have to pay cryptocurrency to interact with these platforms. The whole idea is that you have to make payments to see the profiles of applicants; or if you are an applicant, you have to pay to get listed on the website in the first place.”
Guillame Berche, Blockchain.io
Decentralized nature
“I know about a company that is working on a technology that will enable you to plant a tree and put a wallet on it, with a small micro-controller. The tree will then be connected to the blockchain. Thanks to the sensors embedded in it, the tree will be able to detect when people pass by and basically charge them cryptocurrency for the oxygen it has produced – and they have consumed.”
“This is one of the craziest ideas I have heard about, but the best part is that I don’t think it’s quite impossible to make this happen. In a way, I’m really impressed by the concept.”
Emilian Enev, Recheck
Even though blockchain and cryptocurrency might not be perfect yet, we’re exploring the possibilities at TNW Conference 2018. Check out the experts speaking at this year’s event here!
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