CoinGeek Weekly Livestream AMA: Ordinals plus behind the scenes at BTC Conference 2023

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On this episode of the CoinGeek Weekly Livestream, Kurt Wuckert Jr. answered viewers’ questions about Ordinals and the BTC Conference 2023. 

Bitcoin Conference 2023

Wuckert begins this podcast by recalling some of his experiences at BTC Conference 2023. He thought it would be difficult to top the cringe he experienced last year, but this conference managed to do it. He says it had an open-air festival vibe with many drunk people, others selling drugs, and other shenanigans.

As well as having a well-received debate with Justin Trudeau’s half-brother, who happens to be a Bitcoiner, Wuckert says that everyone he talked to was excited about Ordinals and the money they are generating. Most people he spoke with are somehow involved in mining, so that makes sense. It also indicates that the zero-tolerance view on Ordinals espoused by some BTC maximalists is not widely shared within the BTC camp.

Wuckert recalls trying to get a press pass to enter and cover the event in more depth, but he was met by a representative for Bitcoin Magazine, Michael, who would not allow him to have one. Michael told him that allowing an altcoiner in would undermine the real Bitcoin media, and he would not budge on this, prompting Wuckert to chuckle and leave early.

However, before he left, he did make eye contact with Jameson Lopp. “This guy could use one of my Hawaiian shirts as a sleeping bag,” Wuckert laughs, saying how Lopp avoided him and went out of his way not to come into direct contact with his Twitter nemesis.

Overall, Wuckert says he was made to feel he had invaded the BTC “safe space” and that it’s clear the official gatekeepers of the event do not welcome debate and dissenting views. This year, the conference was epitomized by a paranoia that the BTC blockchain is under attack. However, the genie will not return to the bottle no matter what the small blockers do.

Viewers questions and answers

Q. Was there much talk about Ordinals at BTC Conference 2023?

Wuckert says there were only really two topics that stood out: Robert Kennedy Jr. accepting BTC donations and Ordinals. Even Michael Saylor recognizes the value on-chain data brings, but he hasn’t yet realized BTC is technically incapable of handling it.

Q. What is the disconnect between the BTC Ordinals and 1sat Ordinals people?

Wuckert says it is “crystal clear” in his mind that there will be another BTC civil war due to Ordinals. This could lead to another chain split. BSVers have been unanimous for years about the importance of on-chain data, and that’s why Ordinals infrastructure, such as wallets, are dominated by BSV entrepreneurs.

Q. What’s more likely; Ordinals force BTC Core to stop block size limits, or they leave for BSV?

Wuckert says there are a couple of potential outcomes. First, the BTC chain could split, and the ORD chain, or whatever it ends up being called, could absorb a lot of the good ideas and mind space in BSV. The alternative is BTC Core finds a way to kill Ordinals, and the people involved will come over to the chain they’re welcome on, which is BSV, bringing their liquidity and ideas with them.

Q. What is the best business and value proposition for Bitcoin?

Wuckert says he has distilled it down to two things; if you need reduced payment friction or greater data integrity, Bitcoin is for you. The market is telling us it wants on-chain art, and micropayments can be used to fuel useful apps like Sentinel Node in the cyber security space.

Q. Where can we buy BSV?

Due to the delistings, this is becoming a more difficult question, but Rock Wallet is a good option in the United States. Wuckert uses it himself and vouches for them.

Watch: Tim Draper talks tokenization with Kurt Wuckert Jr.