Mother’s Day message to all moms with a child in prison

Lyn and Ross, 1985

Today is a bittersweet day for us. We are blessed to have our child. But when that child is in prison, we mothers are imprisoned too. When they suffer, we suffer. We can never forget them; we can never rest as long as they are caged. Ross said that he and other inmates were talking about their mothers, and everyone agreed it is mom who will stand by you for no matter how long, no matter what comes. It is mom who will always love you.

This is not because we’re such great people. It’s because we have no choice. We are bound by mother love. It has been discovered that cells pass from the unborn child to the mother, and then persist in the mother’s body for the rest of her life. We are our children.

Motherhood is an instinctual call to arms against whatever harms one’s child. And that’s why a devoted mother will defend and fight for her child to the end of her strength. And that’s why, no matter how small we are as just one person, we are a formidable force.

The post Mother’s Day message to all moms with a child in prison appeared first on Free Ross.

from Free Ross https://freeross.org/2020/05/10/mothers-day-message-to-all-moms-with-a-child-in-prison-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mothers-day-message-to-all-moms-with-a-child-in-prison-2
via IFTTT

The Fiercest Animal: A Mother’s Day message

 

When your loved one is in prison, holidays are especially difficult. Mother’s Day is no exception. No matter what mistakes our children may have made, we mothers steadfastly love them. If they suffer, we suffer. If their lives are wasting away in a cage, we are also trapped. This is true even when they have done something truly terrible. But when they are good, harmless people it is especially agonizing. It is impossible to see how the suffering inflicted, not only on them but on their families, helps anyone or anything. How wasting their lives serves any good purpose. There are multiple thousands like this, being warehoused in prisons throughout the U.S. And I know many of their mothers.

It is said that the fiercest animal is the one defending her young. It is a primal, irresistible force that works within us mothers. A devoted mother will fight for her child to the end of her strength and at her own risk.  It is true from penguins to grizzlies, orangutans to whales.

So take notice you people who are caging our children to further your agenda. You are incurring the wrath of a growing army of desperate and determined mothers who will never, who can’t ever, give up until our children are home.

 

 

The post The Fiercest Animal: A Mother’s Day message appeared first on Free Ross.

from Free Ross https://freeross.org/2018/05/13/the-fiercest-animal-a-mothers-day-message/
via IFTTT

Ross Ulbricht turns 34 today

Ross Ulbricht turns 34 today. It is his fifth birthday spent in prison, serving a double life sentence for all non-violent charges. If District Court Judge Katherine Forrest has her way, Ross will spend all his future birthdays there too, until he is carried out as a corpse.

Each passing birthday brings home how Ross’s life is ticking away, separated from his family, friends and ways to contribute to society. His imprisonment hasn’t stopped drug use, drug sales or dark net markets. It has accomplished nothing but the waste of yet another life in the rapidly growing U.S. prison system. Like that of multiple thousands warehoused in American prisons, Ross’s incarceration is a colossal waste at enormous tax-payer expense. This excessive punishment of our people―so many of them, like Ross, non-violent or reformed and a threat to no one―is a national disgrace and a humanitarian crisis. It is a cancer that is metastasizing at an alarming rate, with the number of life sentences quintupled since the ‘80s and the overall incarceration rate up 400%.

There are benefits, however, at least to some. The prison industry is an entrenched and lucrative money-maker and a massive jobs program that has spawned countless subsidiary industries to service it. Excessive sentences like Ross’s feed this monster: the longer inmates are kept, the more tax-payer money is spent. This begs the question: If the inventory is human beings, does that make it human trafficking?

The failed drug war also fuels this evil system, with drug offenders making up over half the prison population. No wonder private prisons, prison guard unions and police unions are among the top lobbying groups opposing marijuana legalization. Gotta keep that inventory well stocked!

We can’t be with Ross on his birthday. It’s not a visiting day at USP Florence. But our gift to Ross is to keep fighting, not only for him but to reform a system that is a blight on our nation. Please join us at freeross.org.

The post Ross Ulbricht turns 34 today appeared first on Free Ross.

from Free Ross https://freeross.org/2018/03/27/ross-ulbricht-turns-34-today/
via IFTTT

Four Years Ago Today

 

October 1, 2017

Today marks four years that Ross Ulbricht has been incarcerated. He was recently moved from New York to USP-high Florence, Colorado, a maximum-security prison where the Bureau of Prisons puts its most violent offenders. This is not because Ross is violent, but because of his excessive sentence of double life plus 40 years, without parole.

Read more on Four Years Ago Today…

The post Four Years Ago Today appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/four-years-ago-today/
via IFTTT

Doherty from Reason on “Kingpin” book

As always, Brian Doherty gets it. Just a couple of corrections: Ross says his purpose in creating Silk Road was to provide an open free market where people could exchange goods beyond government interference. What was exchanged was buyer/vendor driven. Although it became a predominantly drug market, due to the anonymity, drug sales were not the goal. Also, Preston Bridges’ tragic death was never proven to be from drugs bought on Silk Road.

Read more on Doherty from Reason on “Kingpin” book…

The post Doherty from Reason on “Kingpin” book appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/doherty-from-reason-on-kingpin-book/
via IFTTT

So much for Judge Forrest’s deterrence

Judge Forrest used her draconian sentence of Ross Ulbricht to set an example and send a message, to frighten other would-be dark net marketeers from opening websites. Instead those markets are bigger and badder than ever. Good work judge!

Read more on So much for Judge Forrest’s deterrence…

The post So much for Judge Forrest’s deterrence appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/much-judge-forrests-deterrence/
via IFTTT

Good summary of 2nd Circuit Appellate Ruling

Brian Doherty of Reason gives a good overview of the Second Circuit’s ruling upholding all convictions AND double life sentence for all non-violent charges in Ross’ case.

The post Good summary of 2nd Circuit Appellate Ruling appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/good-summary-2nd-circuit-appellate-ruling/
via IFTTT

Appellate Court Ruling a huge shock and blow

I’m in shock. I feel like I’m reliving the day Ross was sentenced and now must go tell Ross that the Second Circuit has upheld his convictions and double life sentence.

Read more on Appellate Court Ruling a huge shock and blow…

The post Appellate Court Ruling a huge shock and blow appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/appellate-court-ruling-huge-shock-blow/
via IFTTT

Two years ago today…

Read more on Two years ago today……

The post Two years ago today… appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/two-years-ago-today/
via IFTTT

The book American Kingpin is Based on Unproven Allegations

The post The book American Kingpin is Based on Unproven Allegations appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/book-american-kingpin-based-unproven-allegations/
via IFTTT

American Kingpin: Sensationalism, not Truth

A book called American Kingpin by Nick Bilton claims to be the “unbelievable true story” of my son, Ross Ulbricht. After reading an online adaptation, I agree: it’s unbelievable.

Just the headline and subhead demonstrate the hyperbole, sensationalism and inaccuracy of this coverage:

Read more on American Kingpin: Sensationalism, not Truth…

The post American Kingpin: Sensationalism, not Truth appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/american-kingpin-sensationalism-not-truth/
via IFTTT

DPR logged into Silk Road forum 7 weeks after Ross was in Custody

Along with evidence tampering, a recently discovered record in the government’s discovery evidence proves that someone using the Dread Pirate Roberts (DPR) account logged into the Silk Road forum on Nov. 18, 2013, nearly seven weeks after Oct. 1 when Ross Ulbricht was arrested and put into federal custody (four days before the Silk Road forum was taken offline on November 22, 2013).

Read more on DPR logged into Silk Road forum 7 weeks after Ross was in Custody…

The post DPR logged into Silk Road forum 7 weeks after Ross was in Custody appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/dpr-logged-silk-road-forum-7-weeks-ross-custody/
via IFTTT

Proof of Evidence Tampering Announced

An essential piece of evidence, proving tampering in Ross Ulbricht’s case, was discovered a few months ago, buried deep within the 6 terabytes the government produced in the discovery and presented to the jury at trial.

Read more on Proof of Evidence Tampering Announced…

The post Proof of Evidence Tampering Announced appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/proof-evidence-tampering-announced/
via IFTTT

Dear President Obama, please pardon Ross Ulbricht

Dear President Obama:

Our 32-year-old son, Ross Ulbricht, was sentenced to double life without parole, for all non-violent charges, in a high-profile Drug War case involving the online market Silk Road. He received a harsher sentence than is often given to murderers, rapists and other violent offenders.

Read more on Dear President Obama, please pardon Ross Ulbricht…

The post Dear President Obama, please pardon Ross Ulbricht appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/dear-president-obama-please-pardon-ross-ulbricht/
via IFTTT

2017 Social Media Predictions are Missing a Game Changer.

Sometimes a Disruptive Technology is in Front of Your Face and You Still Can't See It.

Many of the social media professionals who wrote in their predictions for this article, "2017 Predictions for Social Media and Content Marketing" are connected with me all over social media. I have known most of them for four years or more. Anabell and I have great respect for our peers. Without their trail breaking I would probably not be as successful as I am today.

Predictions for Social Media in 2017 that are Huge.

1. User Generated Content will Continue to Grow.
2. Data Mining will Grow as Companies Try to Improve the Bottom Line.
3. Video will Continue to Grow.
4. Live Streaming will Mature.
5. Our Mobile Device is Where the Action Will Be.
6. Automation will Increase
7. Content Needs to be Top Notch in the Attention Economy.
8. Influencer Marketing will Increase for Brands.
9. Niche Marketing will Flourish.

My 2017 Social Media Predictions.

1. 2016 was the first instance of a successful launch of a Blockchain based social media platform. The success of Steemit in 2017 will attract attention from the media. Neil Strauss of Rolling Stone was just the first influencer to notice. It was great meeting you Neil!

2. When top notch content producers realize they can have another revenue stream via sites like Steemit or Busy.org they will flock to the platforms. Why would I post my content on Medium first when I could earn income on a site like Steemit? I then can repost my content on Medium with a link back to the original content on the blockchain.

3. User content will shift to paid in the attention economy. Youtube was the first successful test of paying content creators. Now we will see it for every aspect of content creation.

4. The ability of blockchain companies to offer almost instantaneous digital money transfers via mobile wallets will bring millions of the unbanked into the world of content creation. Imagine a young woman in Venezuela who earns less than $1 a day at her job earning an extra $100 a month via Steemit converting that Steem currency to Bitcoin and buying products on Amazon sent directly to her home. Oh wait there are people already doing it in Venezuela! Look at @luisucv34 as a perfect example.

 

 

5. Social media companies will continue to struggle to find new ways to profit off the use of their social networks. I believe we will see a continued shift of companies like Facebook forcing users to stay on its platforms and a throttling of content with links off platform.

6. Censorship will continue unabated as pressure from government and media companies force social media companies to crack down on any content they deem does not fit their narrative. Forcing content producers to seek alternatives.

7. Steemit will be the platform that brings flocks of non crypto currency users to blockchain technology.

An Amazing Conversation I had Last Night.

Anabell and I were at a hotel in old town Panama City and we struck up a conversation with a local lawyer. She was in her early 30's. I asked her if she knew what Bitcoin was and if she was using it yet. She said, "what is it?" Ten minutes later she is wide-eyed and super excited to start using it for herself and her business. She said she could speed up her business many times over and maneuver around currency controls in countries like Venezuela.

I showed her our Wirex Bitcoin debit card. I showed her how to open a Bitcoin wallet. We told her about the Bitcoin embassy we will be opening in Panama City and she was thrilled.

The key is that most people still have no idea about blockchain technology, Bitcoin or even social media platforms like Steemit. When they take the time to learn they will be blown away! I think you will be also.

To Read the Original Article on Steemit Click Here, "2017 Social Media Predictions are Missing a Game Changer".

Post Source Here: 2017 Social Media Predictions are Missing a Game Changer.

A letter from Ross about his prison journey

Ross sent us this beautiful letter and poem. It gives insight into who he is.

He wrote: An old friend of mine recently sent me the following poem…

Invictus

By William B. Henley (1875)

Read more on A letter from Ross about his prison journey…

The post A letter from Ross about his prison journey appeared first on Free Ross Ulbricht.

from Free Ross Ulbricht https://freeross.org/letter-ross-prison-journey/
via IFTTT

How My Love for Blogging Returned Thanks to Steemit

Blogging Became a Chore for Me. I No Longer Enjoyed Doing It.

Then back in July I was introduced to the blockchain social media platform Steemit. My love of blogging has returned with a vengeance. I have written more in the last three months than I did in the prior four years on my personal blog RandyHilarski.com.

I started blogging back in 2011 for a few clients. I was paid nicely for my blogging. My blog posts about gold, silver, economics, trade and Panama would earn me $100-$250 per post. I would sit and write 3-4 posts in one day and take the rest of the week off enjoying time with my wife Anabell and beautiful Panama.

At the same time we were perfecting our social media skills and growing an amazing following on Google Plus. We became masters of getting content to go viral on the social network. I was motivated to produce content because my following rewarded me with accolades. It sure felt good even though there was no financial reward.

Then the money from blogging dried up as the precious metals market went into a tough period financially. On top of that the travel website I was writing for about Panama pulled their funds due to issues with the parent company. We were in a pickle. It was time to start monetizing our social media skills since blogging money evaporated overnight.

Blogging for My Personal Brand.

This may seem odd to my fellow bloggers on Steemit but there was a time when a blogger had to find other ways to earn an income. Thousands of bloggers are still struggling and trying to find ways to monetize their work. Here are some of the ways bloggers traditionally make money.

1. Affiliate Marketing
2. Brand Ambassadors
3. Product Reviews with Links to the Products on Amazon.
4. Blogging for Brands.
5. Blogging for Media Outlets.
6. Producing and Selling eBooks and Training Courses.
7. Google Adsense Revenue.
8. Selling Ad Space on Their Blogs.
9. List Building.

Over my years of blogging I have known people who have used each of these techniques to monetize their content. In our case we used our blogging to build our personal brand in order to sell our social media services. It has worked like a charm because over time we built a great reputation online. The hardest part for us is complete. Now it is all about maintaining and growing our presence online. I like to use the term, "rinse and repeat". That is the key to success online.

My Blogging Hit a Wall in 2016.

In early 2016 my love of blogging really took a hit. Our favorite social network Google Plus was no longer fun to participate on. My favorite way to collaborate with fellow bloggers Triberr.com was loosing its brilliance. My blogging traffic was down about 30% over the previous year which sure did not help my motivation. Our business VIP Panama Tours was floundering after the Zika Virus news broke and traffic to our site was down 50%. I was dismayed with blogging.

Then the Blockchain Blogging Platform Steemit Appeared!

I don't know why it took me so long to take Steemit serious. When I say a long time I mean a few weeks. Since Anabell and I are heavily involved in the crypto currency and Bitcoin communities it just made sense that we would start blogging on Steemit. Like I said above, the joy of blogging disappeared. Then one day my friend and client Jeff Berwick of the Dollar Vigilante wrote a post where he made $15k on Steemit. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw it.

So without hesitation all of that drained energy came back in a rush of excitement. My first post on Steemit netted me $5,209 worth of Steem.

I was hooked and I decided that I was going to write everyday on Steemit for the next 30 Days. In that time I made about $8,000 in Steem. It was good times indeed. At that time the price of Steem, the crypto currency used on the Steemit Blockchain, was valued much higher than it is currently. Today I typically make between $10-$20 worth of Steem per post.

Those numbers are deceptive because the great thing about Steemit is that when I blog half of my earnings go back into my SteemPower which is my investment in the platform. During my first month I would immediately sell my liquid half of my earnings. Today I choose to invest 100% of my earnings back into SteemPower.

I know you are wondering how we are paid on Steemit. Well we earn when other members upvote our posts. The more SteemPower an account has the more you can potentially earn when the account upvotes you. We like to call the big accounts on Steemit, whales. Medium accounts are called Dolphins and small accounts are minnows. Everyone starts off as a minnow. Most whale accounts are founders and part of the development team. Most of the dolphin accounts are people like myself who rose up through blogging on the Steemit platform.

The next question you might ask is, "where does this magic internet money Steem come from?" Steem is mined like many other crypto currencies. The difference is that a portion of the mined Steem are used to reward content creators when a fellow Steemian upvotes your content on Steemit.com. This is how bloggers are paid in the steemit attention economy. Steems value is based on the perceived value of people holding and trading Steem within the crypto currency economy. The price fluctuates minute by minute like any other currency.

Infographic Explaining How the Steemit Economy Works.

Why Bloggers Should Get Involved with Steemit Today.

If you are a blogging veteran then you understand first mover advantage. I went through this once before when Google Plus launched. I joined early and took the platform serious which helped my growth immensely. The same is happening on Steemit. The platform is currently in Beta but that won't last for long.

We recently had our first SteemFest in Amsterdam the first week of November and it was amazing. The applications for Steemit are groundbreaking. The Steem blockchain will be used to power many other social media applications where you will be able to earn an income in the attention economy.

CEO Ned Scott Opens SteemFest in Amsterdam.

Join Us Today on Steemit and Make Sure to Engage with Other Steemians.

Warning, once you go down this path you will no longer enjoy creating content for platforms where you do not have an opportunity to earn an income for your time and energy. See the Original Post on Steemit.

More Articles by Randy Hilarski Here: How My Love for Blogging Returned Thanks to Steemit

The Adoption of Crypto Currencies will Accelerate Faster Than Anyone can Imagine

Predicting the Rise of Digital Money.

Humans are not very good at predicting the future. Predicting where the use of digital currencies will be in 5, 10 or 20 years is a fools game but I am happy to be one of the fools. I saw this article electrek.com talking about the adoption of autonomous vehicles and it got me thinking.

I truly believe people who are betting that crypto currencies are not going to spread like wildfire have their head in the sand. Imagine if your business was horse carriages in 1900. You were humming along making a good living and then you saw a car on the streets. You might have thought, "that is cute but there is no way regular people will buy those things". Within 3 years the numbers flipped and if you were in the horse buggy business you were crushed.

The Power of Decentralized Crypto Currencies.

Last week we saw India ban the 100 and 50 Rupee notes. The War on Cash is well underway. The great thing about the internet and free markets is that we don't have to use the digital currencies that the governments force upon us. Their currencies rob the wealth of the people through inflation and control.

If you have been a user of Bitcoin over the last few years you have seen your wealth protected. Bitcoin and most crypto currencies are much less inflationary than government currencies. Banks are now paying negative interest rates to hold your cash! Did you know that if you had 1,000 Dash set aside in a Dash Master Node you would be earning 1% monthly? What bank can compete with that?

Crypto Currencies also offer us the opportunity to transact securely, rapidly and if you desire anonymously. The competition for digital cash is underway and the century of government cash monopolies is threatened. The benefits of going digital with crypto currencies is immense.

This year Anabell and I decided to take our business $200 Social in a different direction and that meant accepting crypto currencies. We want to be the Social Media Company to the Decentralized Economy. So in order to do that we had to start accepting crypto currencies as payment for our services. It was the best decision we have ever made for our business! If you are wondering how we manage to run a business using crypto currencies you can read these articles.

Access Your Bitcoin Using the Wirex Bitcoin Debit Card.
Paypal Shenanigans? Time To Use Bitcoin and Crypto-Currencies.
Panama Cost of Living
Bitcoin and Dash CTM/ATM Now Available
How I Just Bought Plane Tickets to laBITconf in Argentina Using Bitcoin on aBitSky

Where is Crypto Currency Adoption Heading?

The great thing about the adoption of crypto currencies is that it is not going to be the typical players that make it happen. The unbanked people of the world will be the ones who provide the fuel of growth. Did you know 2.5 billion of the worlds population do not use banks? This makes me giddy with excitement. The only entry requirement to use crypto currency is a smart phone! Imagine what happens when companies like Tigo CTM have thousands of Bitcoin/Dash CTM's deployed around the world. It is already happening here in Central and South America.

 

 

You can Either be Involved or Sit on the Sidelines!

I don't know how you feel but this is the most exciting thing I have ever been involved in. Whether it is blogging on Steemit, promoting Arcade City and their decentralized economy, chatting with Christoph about the direction of BlockPay or opening a Bitcoin Embassy in Panama with Ira Miller. All I know is that the direction of growth for crypto currencies is to the moon.

Find the Original Article on Steemit.

More Articles by Randy Hilarski Here: The Adoption of Crypto Currencies will Accelerate Faster Than Anyone can Imagine

Twitter Censoring Alt Right Groups, What is Next? Use Steemit Instead!

Twitter has Decided to Go Down a Slippery Slope.

For many the idea that a private company would censor a group that they do not agree with is palatable. The only problem is where does this censorship end? If every time we disagreed with a group, we shut off their voice we create an echo chamber of our own voice. We all know what happens when one groups ideas are the only prevailing voice in media.

One of My Teachers Showed Me This Long Ago. It Touched My Heart and I Have Been a Fan of Free Speech Ever Since.

Pastor Niemöller created multiple versions of the text during his career. The earliest speeches, written in 1946, list the communists, incurable patients, Jews or Jehovah's Witnesses, and civilians in countries occupied by Nazi Germany. In all versions, the impact is carefully built up, by going from the "smallest, most distant" group to the largest, Jewish, group, .... and then finally to himself as a by then outspoken critic of Nazism.

What Can We Do to Fight Censorship.

The key is to understand that it is not about the content of what the groups say. It is about group think. If we just allow a very small percentage of people to control the content we consume then the result will be a controlled society with little chance for an opposition group to rise.

Is this the type of world we want to live in? I sure don't want to live in a world like that! Over the years my ideas about life have changed thanks to exposure to other opinions. 20 years ago I was a Patriotic, flag waving Republican. Today I am a happy voluntaryist who does not believe in forcing others to accept my opinions. I can't imagine having a conversation with my former self, it would have been so frustrating. Thanks to other peoples opinions and my open mind I have changed the direction of my life.

Try to let people know that it is ok for companies like Twitter and Facebook to choose to censor but in the end they will become echo chambers of group think. It will no longer be a place of conversation but rather just echoes!

Why Use Steemit?

Steemit has been a breath of fresh air for me. It has been a place online where I can express my opinions freely. Sure I still have people who don't agree with my thoughts but that is ok. Conversation is part of life! What I love about Steemit is that people who are positive are rewarded and the negative troll types are left on the fringe but they are not forced to leave, like on Twitter.

Is their censorship on Steemit? I imagine a few people think there is due to the downvote button but in the end very few people use that option. We saw what happens when a small group of people start a downvote war.

Thor Says it Best.

 

 

I Will Continue to Use Twitter but I Understand that the Day Might Come When My Opinions Differ Too Much.

Start using other social media channels today to avoid what is happening on Twitter. I believe that Facebook will follow closely behind. If you are a free-thinking person then your opinions will probably clash with the group think. Prepare yourself today for the possible events that can happen tomorrow.

 

Find the Original Post on Steemit.

More Articles by Randy Hilarski Here: Twitter Censoring Alt Right Groups, What is Next? Use Steemit Instead!

Arcade City ICO, Whitepaper and Hackathon #Blockchain

Arcade City ICO Launching Today November 1!

This post was originally published on Medium a few hours ago. So I expect Cheetah the content detection bot to stop by and say hi.

Introducing the Arcade City Whitepaper, Token Sale, and $100K Hackathon
(Adapted from last week’s Reddit thread and updated with new information.)

Token sale address (confirm on our website and Twitter): 0xAc709FcB44a43c35F0DA4e3163b117A17F3770f5

At long last, we’re excited to present to the Ethereum community the release version of our whitepaper, including plans for our token sale now scheduled for Ethereum block 2547923, or November 1st at approximately 3pm UTC.

We’ve been banging on pots and pans since January that we intended Arcade City to be the decentralized, Ethereum-based answer to Uber.

In April we laid out our multi-stage path to complete decentralization over time, then announced plans to submit a DAO proposal — oops! — and just recently added a crew of experienced Ethereum developers who’ve built a functioning Ethereum ridesharing prototype in record time.

In the meantime we’ve made substantial progress ‘on the ground’ in cities all over the world, with our flagship ridesharing network in Austin giving tens of thousands of safe rides in a completely decentralized manner.
Now we’re ready to combine our decentralized organizational model with the solid decentralized tech that can propel our project further into the mainstream.

Arcade City Resources

Download Whitepaper PDF
Token sale address (confirm on our website and Twitter: 0xAc709FcB44a43c35F0DA4e3163b117A17F3770f5
Live demo of Arcade City ridesharing app prototype on Ethereum testnet
Arcade City website
Arcade City GitHub — Direct link to token contract
Zeppelin’s security review of the Arcade City token sale contract and our subsequent code changes
Arcade City on Twitter and YouTube— More updates than you can shake a stick at
Video: Ethereum Developers Join Arcade City— Stefaan’s introduction of our Ethereum development team
Hangout Video: Introducing the Arcade City Whitepaper
Video: Latest demo of the Arcade City Ethereum ridesharing app
Video: On the need for the ARC token
Video: Why participate in our token sale

A hackathon, you say?

Assuming our token sale sells out by the end of November, we’ll be throwing an online hackathon open to any Ethereum developers, with a minimum of $100K USD value in prizes, payable in ETH or ARC.

We’ll announce super final details about start and end dates, judges and such, after the sale, potentially as soon as the first week of November.

The basic idea of the first hackathon will be to build out the functionality described in the Arcade City Infrastructure section of the whitepaper: the offers, disputes, guilds, referrals, reputation, and assurance systems, with a likely priority on the reputation system.

We intend to crowdsource the majority of our Ethereum development via multiple hackathons with everything open-source on GitHub.

Check out the eye-popping revenue projections in our whitepaper! Then imagine the majority of that revenue flowing into the Ethereum community by way of incentive prizes to accelerate the decentralization of the sharing economy…

Some Arcade City Press

IBTimes UK —  ‘Decentralised Uber’ Arcade City wins Europe’s biggest blockchain competition
Bitcoin.com —  ‘Decentralized Uber’ App Delivers 1,000 Meals in Austin, Texas
Our Austin push was featured in TechCrunch, The Guardian, National Review, VICE, Austin Inno, CoinTelegraph and more, with mentions in Newsweek, Bloomberg, The Economist, The Atlantic, Reason, Business Insider, and countless local media outlets.

Arcade City Team Bios

Christopher David — Janitor

Christopher David founded Arcade City in December 2015. A former Uber driver, Chris initially envisioned Arcade City as a decentralized, driver-run competitor to Uber. As a blockchain enthusiast and proponent of radical decentralization, Chris was the first to recognize the larger potential of Arcade City as an unstoppable engine of mass peer-to-peer transactions across countless industries and countries all over the world. Using skills acquired during years of grassroots political organizing, he led the growth of Arcade City from an idea into a global movement on a shoestring budget. After much trial and error, he somehow managed to attract an amazing team of talented visionaries passionate to fulfill on the greater vision of Arcade City to ‘decentralize all the things’. Chris has a bachelors degree in international relations, a black belt in tang soo do, and a really loud mouth. And he thinks you should read Swarmwise and Freedom(tm).

Jennifer Williams — Vice Mayor

Jennifer Williams is a founding member of the Arcade City Swarm and has served as the Director of Support since February 2016. She contributes on a full-time basis to expanding operations globally with the other founding members. Together they give new members the necessary tools and resources needed to efficiently and effectively navigate the Arcade City ecosystem. Her primary motivation is to guide, educate and liberate individuals by making information accessible through email, social media, and the Arcade City Help Desk that she designed. After her studies in graphic design and holding several corporate managerial positions she decided to exit the proverbial ‘hamster wheel’ and pursue her entrepreneurial goals which led her to ridesharing. Jennifer has 2.5 years of rideshare experience, has mentored 400+ new drivers, and served as a marketing coordinator, brand ambassador and recruiter, which has given her extensive knowledge of the industry. Through her work with Arcade City she has gained interests and insights into cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, and she believes that implementing the latest technologies will help Arcade City supercede the ridesharing competitors by eliminating the middlemen and allowing drivers to earn fair wages and build stronger communities while saving riders from price gouging.

Lauren Slade — City Manager

Lauren Slade is an accomplished operations and support professional with over four years of direct experience providing tactical strategies ranging from small startups to large scale teams operating globally. As a forward thinking tech leader she believes in pairing laser-focused user observation with a great amount of drive to constantly improve ways of operating as the most definitive route to unstoppable success. Lauren is steadfast and committed to collaboratively solving meaningful problems with a team who values getting things done. She joined Arcade City full-time in June of 2016 to direct the V2 integration of decentralized management systems and develop operational growth processes. Lauren looks forward most to ensuring Arcade City becomes a self-sustaining business model, free of a central governing council from the top down. Her passion for process-minded management and developing teams inspires her to successfully scale and balance hyper growth within talent and project recruitment. As a natural planner she enjoys getting down to the detail on performance and tracking metrics.

Kristien De Wachter — City Planner

Kristien De Wachter has over 10 years of experience in project management and operations. In the beginning of 2015 she reinforced A-Labs, the City’s digital innovation lab. As lead of A-Labs, making the bridge between experiments and the “outside world”, tackling all problems that obstruct the way towards a good end-product, making sure all team members can work and think freely towards the common goals. Working on decentralization for more than a year. She joined forces with Arcade City on the 23th of September, as a liaison between the dev team in Antwerp and the swarm and swarm leaders, making sure all the cats run in the same direction, always with respect for everyone’s individuality and strengths. Believes Arcade City will bring freedom to every individual.

Stefaan Ponnet — Engineer

Stefaan has 15 years of experience in software development, design and architecture. He managed a software company for 6 years and worked for large companies as well as emerging start-ups. Interested in the possibilities of decentralized systems, he was an early Ethereum follower. Since september 2015 Stefaan has been full-time involved in developing Ethereum prototypes for government in the city of Antwerp. Stefaan has a passion for open source methodology and loves to solve technological problems.

Stefaan and the Antwerp team joined Arcade City in September 2016 by publicly pledging our support to the community. Stefaan will add his expertise by developing all necessary building blocks — like Smart Contracts , Dapps, APIs, and anything else needed to make this new economy a reality.

Michael Thuy—Construction Worker

Michael Thuy has been studying and working on decentralized technology for the past 2 years, mostly from within the City of Antwerp’s digital innovation lab ‘A-Labs’. In the past year he has been working on concepts like Blocktube and Locals World. From a strong ideological and technical background he manages to mash up cutting edge technology to come up with all-round concepts. Meeting Arcade City, he felt he had no other purpose in life than to contribute to Arcade City’s swarm. Michael is co-authoring the Arcade City whitepaper/concept and building on the Polymer/Ethereum prototype. With Arcade City, Michael wants to make sure his kids grow up in a different economic model than he did. He also would like Arcade City to be the de facto economic model on Mars.

Ben Adriaenssen — Brand Architect

Ben Adriaenssen after finishing his studies in ‘Visual Arts — Graphic Design’ found that working in advertising agencies or graphic studios was not fulfilling his strong urge to do something good for the world and the people in it. Applying his skill-set to communicate about random services or products wasn’t enough; he wanted to make a difference. Working for the City of Antwerp was a big step in this direction. While starting and working in the City of Antwerp’s digital innovation lab ‘A-Labs’, his lifelong passion for creating digital interactive things has been reignited. Focusing on blockchain-technology was another big step to combining the love for design with the passion for people. Ben is thrilled to be able to contribute his value to a project like Arcade City. Working in this innovative decentral way, with like-minded people in a swarm structure, is for Ben a dream come true. He hopes Arcade City can put the power, literally and figuratively, back into the hands of the common man.

More Arcade City Information

Video: Arcade City mayor hands over his key to the city
Video: Introducing Arcade City’s first external keyholder & advisor, Bernd Lapp.
Video: Arcade City developers’ interview with Coin Interview
Video: How to create a new user in the app
Video: Our path to a totally decentralized ecosystem
Video: Arcade City revenue models

As Many of you know I am helping the Arcade City team with their social media.

I truly believe in the Decentralized Economy. Join us in bringing crypto currency to the masses!

The original article was found on Medium.

Originally Published Here: Arcade City ICO, Whitepaper and Hackathon #Blockchain