nostr:npub1cf3zeytdnwgwzz5pk2ax0vvmmlzad03xcft4d50ejrfhsh8pxcdsefx7gk the other day you said you were disappointed in my explanation about Bitcoin 2023. You're right. I should have done better. However, I used brevity in a quick note. I'd like to take a minute to expand upon what I meant and do the conference justice.

For me attending any conference, no matter, the subject, is about building relationships and networking. I love meeting old friends and making new ones. I love community building. For me, Bitcoin 2023 was about just that.

The conference gave Bitcoiners and Nostriches a place to meet up. It provided a destination. From walking around the hallways, to the lobby, to the expo area, no matter where I went, I found friends and family inside the conference.

I stayed away from the main stage for the most part, only watching four talks there. The majority of my conference time during conference hours was spent at the open source stage or in the expo area.

The expo area was where I got to talk to vendors about their products and services and I used it as a home base to hang out with like-minded folks. I always would find friends and family at the BTC Trading Cards, booth or the Damus booth.

Was conference daytime sessions as fun as evening events? No. It was not. But that isn't a dig on the conference. That's just explaining social time. Eating and drinking and having laughs and bonding with friends who are more like family, those events happened in the evening. Of course, those memories will be stronger. Of course those activities will be more meaningful to some.

But that's not to say that I didn't enjoy my conference hours. I mentioned above how I enjoyed the expo. The open source stage provided a great venue for me too. I knew I would find signal there and I did. The content that I'm going to rewatch or catch up on content that I missed, will be from the open source stage.

Did Bitcoin 2023 have a lot of Shitcoining or Ordinals? Absolutely. But in the grand scheme of things, that's okay. I get it. Bitcoin Magazine is about Bitcoin news and culture. The Bitcoin culture is larger, much larger than Bitcoin Maxis. What kind of asshole would I be if I told someone how they were allowed to use Bitcoin? The protocol is open and people can use it however they want. I don't have to agree with it, but I should understand why they can do it.

I plan on attending 2024 in Nashville and I'm incredibly excited for it. A a new city with the same old friends and family and hopefully some new ones. It's going to be a very large conference and they'll be plenty of aspects and enjoyable moments for everyone, no matter what Bitcoin means to you or them.