wizardwatson
12-19-2015, 08:53 PM
Bitcoin Hot Potato - The Genesis Thread
Let's play a game.
I. How to play "Bitcoin Hot Potato"
IMPORTANT NOTE: The entire premise of Bitcoin Hot Potato is that you are transacting PUBLICLY. If you already are using Bitcoin for other reasons you may want to create a separate wallet that is designated for your public transactions (which would include but not necessarily be limited to this game) if you care about that sort of thing.
Bitcoin Hot Potato Rules:
1. Pay attention!
2. Bitcoin Hot Potato is for members of RonPaulForums.com to play. If you aren't a member (member, not guest) you can't play.
3. To join the game you post your wallet address in this thread, specifying it as such according to the specifications for posting actions (see rule 9).
4. Every day a different person is "it". Who is "it" is determined by taking the integer day of the year (1-366) plus 357, times the number of posts in the thread before 12:01am (all times Central US - RPF time) the day before, minus the reverse integer of the day of the year, minus the reverse integer of the number of posts in the thread before 12:01am the day before, then divide that number by the number of users playing the game before 12:01am the day before, and use the remainder +1 to determine who is "it" in the list. The order of the list is always who posted their wallet address first (unless they've sumbitted a "quit" action), even if they updated it later in the thread. No one is "it" until at least the third day. You also cannot be "it" if your RonPaulForums.com join date is not at least two months before the current calendar month and year. For example, to be eligible to be "it" in December of 2015 you must have a join date of October 2015 or before.
5. If you are not "it" and you have $5 or more in your public wallet (validated by a "DEPOSIT" action, see rule 9), you must transfer at least $5 to whoever is "it" unless you have already done so in the current calendar month. You obviously don't "have" to deposit anything into your public address but doing so in excess of $5 will indicate future commitment.
6. If you are "it" you cannot do anything on the day you are "it". The day AFTER you are "it" on a day you are not "it" (as you could be "it" two days or more in a row) you either spend the money on what the group voted for assuming conditions are met, or you transfer the money to the new person who is "it". If you spend the money, whatever is left over should be transferred to whoever is "it" on that day. If you don't have the required amount (initially $100) you must transfer whatever you have to the person who is "it". If you have a multiple of the amount you still only spend the $100. For instance, if you have $250 and the target amount is $100 you would spend $100 and transfer the other $150. You would not spend $200 and transfer $50. You do not "have" to spend the money. Whatever your reason for not wanting to (lack of time, don't know how, scared, etc.) you can always just transfer the money to the next person who is "it" (hence "hot potato"). However, you must transfer the money to the next person who is "it" or you are out of the game until you reconcile that amount (pay it back).
7. The players vote weekly on what to spend the money on. Submissions are done on Monday. The list audited on Tuesday and voted on Wednesday through Sunday and then it starts all over. It is the job of the person who is "it" to make sure they are spending the money the right way according to the voting. They are bound to follow the protocol starting on the Wednesday following Sunday's vote through Tuesday of the following week. The amount of money spent is fixed at $100 worth of bitcoins. Each player can submit one entity to receive this money. The submission should be related to the production or contribution to some kind of public good. Only 50 submissions will be voted on. If more than 50 submissions are provided, this list will be handled the same way that determining who is "it" is handled and the 49 sumbissions after that will also be included (going back to the beginning of the list if this causes a run up against the end of the list). $100 to the Rand Paul 2016 Presidential campaign will always be the 1st option (for a max total possible of 51 items) for as long as he is running, and if he's not, then $100 to RonPaulForums.com will always be the first option. Each person gets one vote. You can change your vote (revote) until the cutoff time. Your last vote is what is counted. Whatever submission gets the most votes wins. Ties go to whichever is closest to the beginning of the list.
8. Rule changes are voted on and submitted in precisely the same way with the only difference being you can vote against a rule change as well as for it. A rule change only passes if it has at least 3 "for" votes and 2/3rds or greater of the votes are "for". There is no limit on number of rule changes (that one person submits, there is still a limit of 50 in the same way that expenditures are limited), it is assumed players will not vote for bad or contradictory rules and if such rules were to pass players will likely quit.
9. Official actions should be formatted exactly to specifications.
GAME ACTIONS
A. #SUBMIT_RULE_CHANGE#Text of rule change(s).#
Only one per Monday. Only last one counted. To cancel: #SUBMIT_RULE_CHANGE##
B. #SUBMIT_EXPENDITURE#Identification of Expenditure#
Only one per Monday. Only last one counted. To cancel: #SUBMIT_EXPENDITURE##
C. #VOTE_FOR_RULE_CHANGE#Number assigned to rule change#
Only one Wednesday through Sunday per rule. Only last one counted.
D. #VOTE_AGAINST_RULE_CHANGE#Number assigned to rule change#
Only one Wednesday through Sunday per rule. Only last one counted.
E. #VOTE_FOR_EXPENDITURE#Number assigned to expenditure#
Only one Wednesday through Sunday. Only last one counted.
F. #PLAY_BHP#your public bitcoin wallet address#
Only need to post once. Post again to change address.
G. #QUIT_BHP#your public bitcoin wallet address#
Only need to post once.
Examples:
A. #SUBMIT_RULE_CHANGE#Rule 11. Don't do drugs#
B. #SUBMIT_EXPENDITURE#Salvation Army#
C. #VOTE_FOR_RULE_CHANGE#3#
D. #VOTE_AGAINST_RULE_CHANGE#3#
E. #VOTE_FOR_EXPENDITURE#10#
F. #PLAY_BHP#1dJHA4yKDBrE4T7MBAW1jzLpXW5h#
G. #QUIT_BHP#1dJHA4yKDBrE4T7MBAW1jzLpXW5h#
PAYMENT ACTIONS
A. #DEPOSIT#your public bitcoin wallet address#bitcoin transaction id#
Should be logged when you transfer bitcoins to your public wallet address.
B. #TRANSFER#the "it" person's public bitcoin wallet address#bitcoin transaction id#
Should be logged when you transfer bitcoins to the "it" person.
C. #PAYMENT#the expenditure target's public bitcoin wallet address#bitcoin transaction id#
Should only be logged by the person who was "it" yesterday, and not today.
II. Getting Started
If you don't "get it" but would like to play anyway, you can sign up for a free account at www.coinbase.com, a bitcoin "service provider". Just signing up will get you a wallet address. You don't have to worry about buying bitcoins or anything until you understand what you are doing. If you are a high level ambitious nerd, you are welcome to get a "full wallet" or dive into bitcoin as deep as you'd like. A Coinbase account is geared towards beginner users and making things simple.
III. What is the point of this game?
There are a lot of points. The main one is probably to get people to understand the point of the game. The point of the game has to do with understanding what makes bitcoin such an interesting and promising technology, and also how this type of technology can be used for decentralized collaborative group action. From my perspective, it has a lot to do with grassroots activist strategy related to "liberty". Specifically, addressing the challenges of trust, identity, economics, among many other things. I'm posting the game itself, which is really just a simple prototype for decentralized group action in hopes that it will be a learning tool for those interested in such things. I think it would be counterproductive to try to summarize and would rather answer questions as they arise. The rules are relatively simple.
IV. Who controls the game?
No one. It's algorithmic, which just means that the game is based on rules. These rules are tied to the clock. If I died a week from now the game could continue without me. This game was designed with the idea of being a sort of analogy for what bitcoin terms "the blockchain". The blockchain is the magic of bitcoin, and if you understand it, you will understand the promise of that technology. Understanding Bitcoin Hot Potato will help you understand the blockchain.
V. Bitcoin is unstable, I don't trust it.
Neither do I "as a currency". But the way Bitcoin Hot Potato works, we would all gain/lose together. There are issues with Bitcoin as a currency, but it's my hope that people will see past that problem (correctable in my opinion) and understand the blockchain concept that underpins bitcoin which is far more important and fascinating and should outweigh any fears of currency instability that would prevent one from trying to understand it and use it, even if only for social experimentation.
Ultimately, what we call "trust" is at the heart of many if not most of the worlds problems. Bitcoin was created with that in mind.
Consider this forum reply by Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin:
> 3. The bitcoin system turns out to be socially useful and valuable, so
> that node operators feel that they are making a beneficial contribution
> to the world by their efforts (similar to the various "@Home" compute
> projects where people volunteer their compute resources for good causes).
>
> In this case it seems to me that simple altruism can suffice to keep the
> network running properly.
It's very attractive to the libertarian viewpoint if we can explain it
properly. I'm better with code than with words though.
Satoshi Nakamoto
With that, I will make the first move.
#PLAY_BHP#1dJHA4yKDBrEbGq1A4T7MBAW1jzLpXW5h#
Open for discussion.
You don't have to be playing the game to post in this thread.
Resources:
1. Bitcoin main web address: https://bitcoin.org/en/
2. Coinbase (a bitcoin service provider) main web address: https://www.coinbase.com/
3. Blockchain information for determining whether bitcoin addresses and transactions are real/valid: https://blockchain.info/
Let's play a game.
I. How to play "Bitcoin Hot Potato"
IMPORTANT NOTE: The entire premise of Bitcoin Hot Potato is that you are transacting PUBLICLY. If you already are using Bitcoin for other reasons you may want to create a separate wallet that is designated for your public transactions (which would include but not necessarily be limited to this game) if you care about that sort of thing.
Bitcoin Hot Potato Rules:
1. Pay attention!
2. Bitcoin Hot Potato is for members of RonPaulForums.com to play. If you aren't a member (member, not guest) you can't play.
3. To join the game you post your wallet address in this thread, specifying it as such according to the specifications for posting actions (see rule 9).
4. Every day a different person is "it". Who is "it" is determined by taking the integer day of the year (1-366) plus 357, times the number of posts in the thread before 12:01am (all times Central US - RPF time) the day before, minus the reverse integer of the day of the year, minus the reverse integer of the number of posts in the thread before 12:01am the day before, then divide that number by the number of users playing the game before 12:01am the day before, and use the remainder +1 to determine who is "it" in the list. The order of the list is always who posted their wallet address first (unless they've sumbitted a "quit" action), even if they updated it later in the thread. No one is "it" until at least the third day. You also cannot be "it" if your RonPaulForums.com join date is not at least two months before the current calendar month and year. For example, to be eligible to be "it" in December of 2015 you must have a join date of October 2015 or before.
5. If you are not "it" and you have $5 or more in your public wallet (validated by a "DEPOSIT" action, see rule 9), you must transfer at least $5 to whoever is "it" unless you have already done so in the current calendar month. You obviously don't "have" to deposit anything into your public address but doing so in excess of $5 will indicate future commitment.
6. If you are "it" you cannot do anything on the day you are "it". The day AFTER you are "it" on a day you are not "it" (as you could be "it" two days or more in a row) you either spend the money on what the group voted for assuming conditions are met, or you transfer the money to the new person who is "it". If you spend the money, whatever is left over should be transferred to whoever is "it" on that day. If you don't have the required amount (initially $100) you must transfer whatever you have to the person who is "it". If you have a multiple of the amount you still only spend the $100. For instance, if you have $250 and the target amount is $100 you would spend $100 and transfer the other $150. You would not spend $200 and transfer $50. You do not "have" to spend the money. Whatever your reason for not wanting to (lack of time, don't know how, scared, etc.) you can always just transfer the money to the next person who is "it" (hence "hot potato"). However, you must transfer the money to the next person who is "it" or you are out of the game until you reconcile that amount (pay it back).
7. The players vote weekly on what to spend the money on. Submissions are done on Monday. The list audited on Tuesday and voted on Wednesday through Sunday and then it starts all over. It is the job of the person who is "it" to make sure they are spending the money the right way according to the voting. They are bound to follow the protocol starting on the Wednesday following Sunday's vote through Tuesday of the following week. The amount of money spent is fixed at $100 worth of bitcoins. Each player can submit one entity to receive this money. The submission should be related to the production or contribution to some kind of public good. Only 50 submissions will be voted on. If more than 50 submissions are provided, this list will be handled the same way that determining who is "it" is handled and the 49 sumbissions after that will also be included (going back to the beginning of the list if this causes a run up against the end of the list). $100 to the Rand Paul 2016 Presidential campaign will always be the 1st option (for a max total possible of 51 items) for as long as he is running, and if he's not, then $100 to RonPaulForums.com will always be the first option. Each person gets one vote. You can change your vote (revote) until the cutoff time. Your last vote is what is counted. Whatever submission gets the most votes wins. Ties go to whichever is closest to the beginning of the list.
8. Rule changes are voted on and submitted in precisely the same way with the only difference being you can vote against a rule change as well as for it. A rule change only passes if it has at least 3 "for" votes and 2/3rds or greater of the votes are "for". There is no limit on number of rule changes (that one person submits, there is still a limit of 50 in the same way that expenditures are limited), it is assumed players will not vote for bad or contradictory rules and if such rules were to pass players will likely quit.
9. Official actions should be formatted exactly to specifications.
GAME ACTIONS
A. #SUBMIT_RULE_CHANGE#Text of rule change(s).#
Only one per Monday. Only last one counted. To cancel: #SUBMIT_RULE_CHANGE##
B. #SUBMIT_EXPENDITURE#Identification of Expenditure#
Only one per Monday. Only last one counted. To cancel: #SUBMIT_EXPENDITURE##
C. #VOTE_FOR_RULE_CHANGE#Number assigned to rule change#
Only one Wednesday through Sunday per rule. Only last one counted.
D. #VOTE_AGAINST_RULE_CHANGE#Number assigned to rule change#
Only one Wednesday through Sunday per rule. Only last one counted.
E. #VOTE_FOR_EXPENDITURE#Number assigned to expenditure#
Only one Wednesday through Sunday. Only last one counted.
F. #PLAY_BHP#your public bitcoin wallet address#
Only need to post once. Post again to change address.
G. #QUIT_BHP#your public bitcoin wallet address#
Only need to post once.
Examples:
A. #SUBMIT_RULE_CHANGE#Rule 11. Don't do drugs#
B. #SUBMIT_EXPENDITURE#Salvation Army#
C. #VOTE_FOR_RULE_CHANGE#3#
D. #VOTE_AGAINST_RULE_CHANGE#3#
E. #VOTE_FOR_EXPENDITURE#10#
F. #PLAY_BHP#1dJHA4yKDBrE4T7MBAW1jzLpXW5h#
G. #QUIT_BHP#1dJHA4yKDBrE4T7MBAW1jzLpXW5h#
PAYMENT ACTIONS
A. #DEPOSIT#your public bitcoin wallet address#bitcoin transaction id#
Should be logged when you transfer bitcoins to your public wallet address.
B. #TRANSFER#the "it" person's public bitcoin wallet address#bitcoin transaction id#
Should be logged when you transfer bitcoins to the "it" person.
C. #PAYMENT#the expenditure target's public bitcoin wallet address#bitcoin transaction id#
Should only be logged by the person who was "it" yesterday, and not today.
II. Getting Started
If you don't "get it" but would like to play anyway, you can sign up for a free account at www.coinbase.com, a bitcoin "service provider". Just signing up will get you a wallet address. You don't have to worry about buying bitcoins or anything until you understand what you are doing. If you are a high level ambitious nerd, you are welcome to get a "full wallet" or dive into bitcoin as deep as you'd like. A Coinbase account is geared towards beginner users and making things simple.
III. What is the point of this game?
There are a lot of points. The main one is probably to get people to understand the point of the game. The point of the game has to do with understanding what makes bitcoin such an interesting and promising technology, and also how this type of technology can be used for decentralized collaborative group action. From my perspective, it has a lot to do with grassroots activist strategy related to "liberty". Specifically, addressing the challenges of trust, identity, economics, among many other things. I'm posting the game itself, which is really just a simple prototype for decentralized group action in hopes that it will be a learning tool for those interested in such things. I think it would be counterproductive to try to summarize and would rather answer questions as they arise. The rules are relatively simple.
IV. Who controls the game?
No one. It's algorithmic, which just means that the game is based on rules. These rules are tied to the clock. If I died a week from now the game could continue without me. This game was designed with the idea of being a sort of analogy for what bitcoin terms "the blockchain". The blockchain is the magic of bitcoin, and if you understand it, you will understand the promise of that technology. Understanding Bitcoin Hot Potato will help you understand the blockchain.
V. Bitcoin is unstable, I don't trust it.
Neither do I "as a currency". But the way Bitcoin Hot Potato works, we would all gain/lose together. There are issues with Bitcoin as a currency, but it's my hope that people will see past that problem (correctable in my opinion) and understand the blockchain concept that underpins bitcoin which is far more important and fascinating and should outweigh any fears of currency instability that would prevent one from trying to understand it and use it, even if only for social experimentation.
Ultimately, what we call "trust" is at the heart of many if not most of the worlds problems. Bitcoin was created with that in mind.
Consider this forum reply by Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin:
> 3. The bitcoin system turns out to be socially useful and valuable, so
> that node operators feel that they are making a beneficial contribution
> to the world by their efforts (similar to the various "@Home" compute
> projects where people volunteer their compute resources for good causes).
>
> In this case it seems to me that simple altruism can suffice to keep the
> network running properly.
It's very attractive to the libertarian viewpoint if we can explain it
properly. I'm better with code than with words though.
Satoshi Nakamoto
With that, I will make the first move.
#PLAY_BHP#1dJHA4yKDBrEbGq1A4T7MBAW1jzLpXW5h#
Open for discussion.
You don't have to be playing the game to post in this thread.
Resources:
1. Bitcoin main web address: https://bitcoin.org/en/
2. Coinbase (a bitcoin service provider) main web address: https://www.coinbase.com/
3. Blockchain information for determining whether bitcoin addresses and transactions are real/valid: https://blockchain.info/