Power Users of BSV – DT Mining

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This is the latest article in a series where we interview actual users of BSV applications to understand which applications they use, what the pain points are and what is needed moving forward to scale and reach mass adoption. The intention of this series is to learn the thoughts of those with “boots on the ground” instead of just the entrepreneurs and developers.

I interview power user Daniel Tucker, who is a miner, artist and has created many great memes, especially for BSV exclusive miner Gorilla Pool.

What is your favorite application built on Bitcoin and why?

Daniel Tucker: My BSV world revolves around TakeIt at the moment—I’ve been producing NFT collections for Gorilla Pool there (‘NANA GANG shout out and GorillaBalls holders I salute you), and recently started releasing my own abstract generative art collections there as well.

HandCash pairs nicely with TakeIt… the login experience is so smooth, and the way HandCash pfp’s show up for each “take” at TakeIt makes the NFT experience very social and fun. Haste and HandCash teams have got some magic right now and I’m glad Kurt nudged me to consider them as a home for our GorillaPool NFTs.

What application(s) do you use on a daily basis and why?

Daniel Tucker: TakeIt and HandCash. I’m also a fan of RareCandy, they got me into art NFTs at a time when I was hearing a lot of cynicism about NFTs, I found the experience at RareCandy really fun. Onis and Apes especially, and Randy’s various balls. It was like the BSV community having a game room with dart boards and good vibes.

Comparing Astro Ape pfps and frogs with bananas on their heads with other GorillaPool guys… I’d been advocating for BSV since its inception and mining since last year, and both are a bit dry, so having bursts of colorful art really helps.

How long have you been a digital currency user?

Daniel Tucker: A blockchain enthusiast since around 2017. BTC’s price action grabbed my attention, then I found ETH to be more interesting future-tech, so I lost money in both while simultaneously discovering Craig Wright and getting oriented to the full bitcoin vision. There is so much that BSV / Bitcoin / a scalable global blockchain can make possible… I hope we succeed in bringing it to fruition.

What other digital currencies do you use, if applicable?

Daniel Tucker: I’m BSV focused, it’s the only one that I use. But I’ll tell you what—holding 100% BSV to $35 sure will teach you to diversify your investment holdings. BSV is a long game, but BTC is having its day in the sun. Some altcoins are also interesting, although it seems like SEC actions could make the next couple years dicey for those.

What do you think the Bitcoin SV space needs the most?

Daniel Tucker: For Craig to clear up his identity as Satoshi Nakamoto sufficiently for 80% of people to recognize it. Until then, every BSV project is building against an intense headwind. Of course, later perhaps we’ll get an unearned tailwind; and hard times show you what you’re made of. But practically speaking, the dominant false narrative about Craig is the biggest hindrance to BSV’s adoption. I think he’s in like a 10-year process of remedying this, using each court case to release a portion of the evidence. Ultimately, he may have to sign in front of a judge but as Zem has written, this would be signing as the capstone of his proof; Craig is adamant that other forms of evidence form the foundation, as part of demonstrating Bitcoin’s compatibility with property rights and rule of law. It’s probably the right approach, but painfully slow.

Are you still bullish on the BSV price?

Daniel Tucker: In the long term yes. I expect great things from BSV in the future, in terms of scaling, adoption, and price. But for now it’s hard work, long term vision, and tough decisions about where to store investment value in the short to medium term.

What overall impact (positive, negative, neutral) do you feel that Craig Wright and Calvin Ayre have on the space?

Daniel Tucker: I see Craig Wright as a brilliant and curmudgeonly inventor, whose work will contribute enormous positive value to society. And Calvin as a billionaire who gets it and is doing everything in his power to bring Craig’s vision into existence. Calvin’s contributions to BSV mining, conferences, and media, and behind the scenes… I respect it.

What are your pain points and frustrations when it comes to using applications that integrate Bitcoin SV?

Daniel Tucker: There are a zillion pain points, but it’s awesome and inspiring to see the teams that are solving problems and building great applications, like HandCash, Haste, Twetch, Gorilla Pool, and many others.

We should all find the teams we believe in and support them in any way we can.

What is the biggest risk in your opinion to Bitcoin achieving mass adoption?

Daniel Tucker: I don’t really think like that. I can see Bitcoin’s destiny and am contributing to that.

What is a hot take you have on the space?

Daniel Tucker: The economics of mining BSV—or more accurately, of being a hash power provider—is 99% dominated by BTC’s price, so having a good understanding of BTC’s four-year halving-driven boom and bust cycle is essential.

As a miner yourself, can you describe why you are such a fan of GorillaPool?

Daniel Tucker: Gorilla Pool is fundamentally an expression of the desire to see the BSV ecosystem flourish. In 2021 I saw Kurt and Root solving problems for app developers in real time on Twitter, and it got me excited about the role independent mining could play.

When I learned about colocation hosting, which enables small batches of machines to be hosted and maintained by professional third parties at industrial electric rates, the opportunity to profit while serving BSV was very enticing, and I leapt in. I started sharing brainstorms and photoshop memes with Kurt and he was very receptive, so that grew into an enjoyable creative outlet for me.

Thank you, Daniel, for taking the time to answer my questions. I hope the readers understood more about the space from a daily users’ perspective.

Watch: BSV Global Blockchain Convention panel, Metaverse, NFTs, Web3: How do you gauge utility?