A personal story from The Bitcoin Masterclasses #6: There are some good people out there

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

In a world where we are surrounded by negativity on social media and the news, it is easy to forget that there are some good people out there.

Something amazing happened to me during Dr. Craig Wright’s The Bitcoin Masterclass #6 in London, and I wanted to share it with as many people as possible. My story is a beautiful example of genuine human kindness and how Dr. Wright’s invention can help make our daily lives easier.

Bright and early on Day One of The Bitcoin Masterclasses, I jumped in a black taxi at London’s Charing Cross train station to avoid the sweltering Bakerloo Tube Line before going on camera all day. I had 30 minutes to go 1.5 miles, and the cab was airconditioned—I was so happy with my clever plan. Twenty minutes later, we had barely moved due to road closures, and I was starting to get flustered. The driver said I should jump out, walk to the other side of the road works and grab another taxi to arrive at the venue on time. The meter said £11, but the driver didn’t feel right charging so much for going so little a distance, so he asked for a fiver instead.

Following the driver’s advice, I caught taxi number two on the other side of the closure, but on the way to the venue, I discovered I left my nice pair of shoes in taxi number one. For those of you who saw me at the London Blockchain Conference, you know I have a thing for high-heeled shoes, and I was heartbroken! I had no way of reaching taxi driver number one.

As soon as I reached the venue, I dropped my things and raced to reception, telling the lady there what happened. I asked for the closest store where I could buy a replacement pair of shoes because, let’s be honest, my sneakers would not work with the outfit! When I returned to the venue, the lady at reception said, “You are not going to be believe what just happened,” and held up my beloved shoes—we both came close to tears.

While I was out, taxi driver number one made his way to the venue (an address he somehow remembered?!) and dropped off the shoes I had left in his car. I asked the receptionist if the driver had left any information so I could thank him, but he did not. All we know is his name is Darren, and this man is an angel.

Darren’s act of kindness spread like wildfire throughout the day as I told the story repeatedly to anyone at the Masterclasses who would listen, including Dr. Wright himself. In addition to inspiring us all “to be good to each other,” as my colleague Kurt Wuckert Jr. always says, it also inspired us to think of ways to avoid “lost and found” situations like this using the latest technology.

As Dr. Wright was present and available to answer questions from the Masterclass participants, I asked him directly for his thoughts on the matter.

“Potentially in the future, if we have practically everything recorded, we will be able to [avoid these situations]. So your laptop, your shoes, anything that has any real value could have something associated to a wallet,” he told me.

“Now, what that would mean is there’d be no reason to steal [an item] because it would come up as stolen goods. If you agree that it’s abandoned, then someone could take it. But they can see if it’s not, someone could see that it’s owned and now lost and potentially they could send a message that would get to your wallet,” he said.

“For instance, by sending something to the transaction ID, it could be broadcast and get to your wallet individually,” Dr. Wright clarified.

After talking with Dr. Wright, I brought the scenario to a group breakout discussion later in the Masterclasses. We explored the ideas of IoT to IoT exchange and using micropayments to get access to data and spatial control of information.

It was such a special Masterclasses, beginning with a random act of kindness and ending with a lightbulb going off on how everyday challenges will be made easier by using the technology Dr. Wright has created for us.

I hope this story of mine has inspired you to be kind to others and to think about how we can improve the world around us using the latest technology. I’d like to send a big, HUGE thank you to Darren; I am sure the universe will deliver something fabulous to him soon if it has not already.

Another big thank you goes to Dr. Wright, who continues to inspire us each and every day with his innovative mind. We cannot wait for what he has in store for us at Bitcoin Masterclass #7.

Watch: Bitcoin is rooted in economics