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 Grant, who I see frequently use Haste Arcade and Duro Dogs, going so far to create user guides at udd.guide. He is also the creator of It Was Typed.
What is your favorite application built on Bitcoin and why?
Grant: I play Duro Dogs a lot with my son. It is something fun that we can do together, and it is also a great opportunity for me to teach him many valuable lessons about economics, blockchain technology, digital assets, programming, internet security, running a business, etc. I also like the Duro Dogs community, and I look forward to navigating through the future of BSV with the help of many of the friends I’ve made while playing Duro Dogs.
What application(s) do you use on a daily basis and why?
Grant: HandCash is part of almost everything I do in the BSV space. It is almost a weakness of mine because if something happened to HandCash it would be a big setback for me. I use HandCash for things like Duro Dogs, Haste Arcade, TakeItNFT, THE MORNIN’ RUN, Asset Layer, and Bark Battle and with various projects I’m working to build.
How long have you been a digital currency user?
Grant: I was first fascinated by Bitcoin in 2011, but I didn’t understand the potential of the technology. I didn’t start using digital currencies until 2017 when I became interested in Ethereum and Steem as they helped open my eyes to see the impact this technology can have on the world.
However, I didn’t start to actively use digital currencies until I started using Duro Dogs/HandCash in 2021. It was the first experience I had with digital currencies where I could see a path to mass adoption.
What other digital currencies do you use, if applicable?
Grant: The only other digital currency I have a significant interest in is Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR). I don’t use it nearly as much as I use BSV, but I do try and keep an eye on HBAR as I think it has a lot of potential even though it uses an account model and not a UTXO model like BSV.
However, the more I learn about the UTXO model of BSV, the more I appreciate the scaling advantage UTXO currencies have over account-based currencies.
What do you think the Bitcoin SV space needs the most?
Grant: One thing I really like about the BSV space is the emphasis on building things, and I think a continued focus on building things is very important for the future of BSV.
Are you still bullish on the BSV price?
Grant: I’ve never had much success with predicting prices, but I do feel quite confident that distributed ledger technology is going to have a huge impact on our world, and I think BSV has a very good chance of being a dominant player in this future, and it may even be the dominant player.
What overall impact (positive, negative, neutral) do you feel that Craig Wright and Calvin Ayre have on the space?
Grant: I haven’t researched Calvin Ayre as much as I have Craig Wright because I find Craig Wright’s story extremely interesting. I think Craig’s overall impact on the space has been, and continues to be, a huge net positive. The vision he has for the long-term future of Bitcoin SV helps others see its potential. I think the research of nChain is a huge positive as well, especially since nChain agrees not to assert pledged patents against implementations done on the BSV blockchain. I also like Craig’s focus on massive scalability and extremely low transaction fees.
Do you believe BSV needs better marketing?
Grant: The best technology doesn’t always win so you can’t completely disregard the role marketing can play, but I don’t think marketing is where the focus needs to be. I think the technology of BSV can win if it scales better than any other chain and has the lowest fees because that will encourage more developers to build their ideas on BSV.
What are your pain points and frustrations when it comes to using applications that integrate Bitcoin SV?
Grant: A lot of projects, including my own, are very weak in certain areas because it is difficult to justify the expense of assembling a team of experts in all aspects of building a great application. It can be frustrating to see great ideas get little traction because of fixable weaknesses, but I’m hoping this will likely change as more money and more people flow into this space.
What is the biggest risk in your opinion to Bitcoin achieving mass adoption?
Grant: Heavy handed government intervention is a huge risk, and lack of clarity from governments can be a risk too. I am not exactly sure what governments should do, but there are lots of ways for governments to mess things up.
What is a hot take you have on the space?
Grant: I think there is too much of an aversion to advertising in the BSV space. I understand that the current advertising model of the internet is a massive problem, but I would like to see more emphasis on finding new advertising solutions that are only possible with micropayments. I plan to keep poking away at various advertising models with my own projects because I think the potential exists to find a new advertising model where users, advertisers, and developers all win.
It Was Typed is a fascinating concept. How did you come up with the idea for the site?
Grant: The initial idea for IWT was to have just a simple text box where anybody could type something and see if anybody else typed the same thing. I thought it was neat that this could be done by simply storing and looking up part of a hash of what someone types. I’ve expanded on things somewhat with IWT, but the simplicity of the initial idea is still there.
Thank you, Grant, 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, NFTs with utility? How about power-ups for games
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