Select a username?
This should be fun! I’ve been mulling over which name to use for almost a week now – ever since discovering Steemit. I want a name that's easily remembered, even for all the wrong reasons. My name is Phillip Rhodes, but that says nothing about me as a person, or my many and varied interests. Accordingly I selected @TheBitcoinBomber. That said – don’t panic – no need to call the Department of Homeland Security or the British Security Service (MI5)…
Vickers Wellington
My username hints at just two of my many interests, namely crypto-currency and military aviation history, in the shape of a number of British wartime bomber aircraft, that once flew from the now abandoned aerodromes near my home. I live in Kingston upon Hull, located in the East Riding of Yorkshire, which was the birthplace of William Wilberforce, and is currently enjoying the limelight as UK City of Culture 2017.
My other interests include film-making, photography, left-of-centre politics, being a wannabe scuba diving, and campaigning to save our aeronautical heritage. I’m also a writer and graphic artist.
Although we live in interesting times, reminiscing about our collective past features prominently in my daily life. My Dad was once an airman in the Royal Air Force, and accordingly I was born in an RAF Hospital in Cyprus. As a child I was obsessed with making Airfix models, playing with my Action Man (GI Joe), and watching Dad’s Army (classic BBC situation comedy) and classic war films on TV, like Reach for the Sky (1956) and The Great Escape (1963). I was born in 1965 (twenty years after the end of the Second World War), so was a child of the glorious 1970s. Today we have the internet, digital on demand television, games consoles and mobile phones, but this is nothing compared to what we had back then. We had freedom. We had our imagination. The world wasn’t kinder, far from it, but life was less stressful and less complicated.
I’m growing old, and for some considerable time now, I’ve convinced myself that the best of times are behind me. My contribution to society has been negligible. Accordingly I want something to finally be proud of. Something tangible. Something historic. And perhaps something airworthy.
Why TheBitcoinBomber?
I’m passionate about preserving our past – especially the past that influenced my childhood. My generation was the second to be heavily influenced by the war. My grandparents lived through the war. My parents were born in the war. Growing up in the 1960/70s, it was natural that my generation would be fed an endless diet of war films, television dramas and documentaries, plus an endless diet of plastic model tanks, battleships and aircraft. Those around us – our elders were in the war. They served in the military or on the home front. And now, that “Special Generation” will soon pass into history. What remains will become exponentially more precious to future generations, including the instruments of war.
Fairey Battle
Funding any heritage project can be daunting. We live in difficult times. Money is tight. Priorities have to be made, and there isn’t a money tree for those wishing to restore a building or aircraft or steam engine, and the more complex the restoration, the more expensive it becomes. My ambition is to see a classic British bomber aircraft return to the skies. It could be a single-engined Fairey Battle or a twin-engined Vickers Wellington.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not some right-wing warmonger, but I do believe our heritage should be preserved and protected.
I would like to see if crypto-currency has a place in the scheme of things. I honestly don’t believe trading in Bitcoin or Bitconnect or any coin will make a huge difference, but I seek the advice of others. Perhaps a new coin could help finance a number of projects? That said, there are now over 970 currencies listed on coinmarketcap.com.
Me, Phillip Rhodes!
Over the coming weeks, I will be publishing a lot of my work on Steemit, including my photography and graphic artwork. I will also go into more detail on my wish to see a classic British bomber return to the skies. Also expect articles on my childhood, diving, cryptocurrency, abandoned aerodromes, 1960s packaging, and even Miss Piggy!
Watch this [pig in] space...!
My apologies...
I decided to hit the "Post" button, even though I'm not 100% happy with the quality that my images have been reproduced on this page. I've tried several methods, and nothing works to my satisfaction. My images are "parked" or hosted by postimg.org. They retain the same quality as the originals that rest on my desktop. Only when they are displayed on this Steemit post, does the quality diminish. Images are somehow enlarged, with no indication of why or how.