I can't think of a platform where could this story fit more than here. I'd kindly ask you to support this amazing place since all of us - Steemit users - are obviously big fans of cryptocurrencies and you probably want to hear what I have to say. Or more precisely you definitely want to visit a place I want to tell you about.
From the very beginning I was, too, amazed by the crypto technologies and I do my very best to promote them whenever possible. And as you can tell it is not exactly an easy thing to do. It might be easier with Steemit but it is undoubtedly much more of a trouble when talking about Bitcoin.
Therefore, I've always admired people, and institutions, that could communicate these sophisticated ideas effortlessly in a comprehensive way. This is when my story begins. I want to tell about a place/organization that has done for promotion of the crypto probably much more than any other entity. It is called Paralelni Polis and it is based in Prague, Czech Republic.
Paralelni Polis is a very unique nonprofit organization that was created by a Czech contemporary art group called ZTOHOVEN and a bunch of people from Slovak and Czech hacker spaces. It combines art & technology & science.
They all got inspired by a Czech dissident Vaclav Benda, a leading persona of the movement for greater political freedom in the 1970s , and Timothy C. May, one of the founding members of Cypherpunks and the author of The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto.
So let me describe you a bit more into details why I am actually writing this here.
As you step in you can congratulate yourself— you’ve just entered the world’s first bitcoin-only cafe— Bitcoin Coffee. Before your sight has a chance to explore the spacious room in front of you, your attention might get caught by a weird looking kiosk at your right hand side. A closer look reveals you that this big machine is nothing less than a true Bitcoin ATM.
Soon enough you’ll find out there is no space for any Fiat currencies — established as money under the force of law — in this house. Therefore, if you want to taste extraordinarily delicious coffee served here, the only thing you can do is to press the button on a small black box next to the ATM so it can print out a paper wallet containing a unique Bitcoin address with both your public and private key. Of course, you can also use mobile wallets on your smartphone.
As you are saying “goodbye” to your money — in this case Czech crowns — while inserting paper notes in the ATM, your paper wallet will immediately receive the inserted amount in bitcoins, right after having scanned your public key, and you are ready to go — with digital gold in your pocket!
The idea behind using Bitcoin as a currency is to bring visitors’ attention to use of new technologies in practice. Given the cafe’s goal to “ achieve a superior taste in every cup and reflect flavor profile and unique character of every variety and the influence of the environment in which the coffee grew” a newcomer has a pretty good incentive to take up this challenge.
Moreover, with paper honeycombs and barrels dominating the interior of this industrial building, one just can’t resist to feel the peculiar vibe all around. Music that complements it is strictly royalty free, released under the Creative Commons license only.
As you are peacefully sipping your coffee — 3D objects are being relentlessly printed just under your feet. Taking the stairs down to catch a glimpse of how these cutting edge technologies work is always welcomed, and even recommended. Apart from that, you can also attend regular 3D meetups, workshops and courses focused on various topics – from drone building to modeling in Blender. And in case you’ve ever wondered how does 3D printed chocolate taste – in MakersLab you will find that out too! And, of course, you pay for the services with bitcoins.
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Walk the wide staircase up and you’ll run into a very cozy co-working space. It truly lives up its name — Paper Hub — as the paper honeycombs are anywhere your sight lands. To get to a nice wooden terrace one needs to go through a tiny kitchen or conference room. Freelancers, coders, and young people working here on various projects pay their monthly memberships in bitcoins, and together create a vivid community.
However, there is still something more to discover in the house. The uppermost floor happened to be home of a Hackerspace and Institute of Cryptoanarchy. These two entities complete the unique identity of Paralení Polis to large extent. The Hackerspace holds regular meet-ups of programmers every week. The institute, however, hosts an interesting event everyday! The wide variety of topics the events are concerned with is breath-taking. Weekly Bitcoin meet-ups are focused on new trends in the crypto-world. The other week, had you attended the meet-up, you would have heard an entrepreneur presenting his intention to bring Bitcoin closer to ordinary people by introducing a possibility to buy and sell bitcoins in over 200 stores across the country. A week later you would have run into a gentleman working on a first decentralized crypto currency exchange — Bitsquare.
There is a bunch of other regular meetups too. Tired of Bitcoin? What about Ethereum meetup where you can learn about another interesting cryptocurrency? Tor meetup, on the other hand, gives you a chance to master web browsing anonymously. If you are not into talking and you prefer trying things in practice — just raise your hand and you will get some surprise into it. Literally! As one of the main topics is Transhumanism the Institute wants to shape the way humans interact with technology. And that’s why it is not unusual to run into cyborgs there. Yes you heard right. There are not that many people in the world, let alone the country, who have RFID chips implanted in their hands, but quite a bunch of them sip their coffee at Bitcoin Coffee regularly. If you want to meet them, find out more about the tiny little devices under their skin, or even better, get one for yourself the Institute is the right place.
Don’t despair, in case you are not into crypto-technologies at all there is still a good chance you will find something of your interest in the agenda. For example, every other Wednesday the so called Cinema 43 organizes screenings of documentaries on various social, psychological issues – from freedom of press to crowd psychology — always followed by open discussion with experts from the given field.
As you can see, the main theme underpinning the whole concept of Paralelní Polis is freedom. The founders also believe that we should be free to learn the way we want and is natural to us. That is why Thursday evenings belong to families adhering to principles of unschooling who gather there in order to exchange their best practices, and spread the word. They do so even though it’s not really legal in the Czech Republic. But the spirit of fighting for the right to choose—whether it’s currency, school, or privacy— is omnipresent in this house, and it glows out far beyond its walls.
This is exactly that reason why Paralelní Polis has become such an extraordinary place, and a symbol. It’s where liberty blossoms, and its very basic concept gets nourished and cultivated. It blazes up fervent public discussions about topics it raises, it challenges the status quo, and it defends foundations upon which a free society is built. And despite of being a target of hostile ideological — and occasionally physical — attacks, Paralelní Polis keeps being the lighthouse of freedom.
Please, if you find this place as much amazing as I do, support it by an upvote or directly on its website: http://paralelnipolis.cz