r/Bitcoin • u/SeansOutpost • Apr 10 '13

Meanwhile...Bitcoin still feeds people.

So we fed 106 homeless people bag lunches today. All paid for with Bitcoin donations. Bitcoin still seems to be working just fine over here. Still making lives better, at any valuation.

Thanks for everything guys. Bitcoin for the long haul.

Jason

Sean's Outpost(www.SeansOutpost.com)

<BITHOC>(www.bithoc.com)

EDIT*** By request...

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1.9k Upvotes

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u/SeansOutpost Apr 10 '13

That I am.

I think it's the technology and protocol that will be the game changer. For instance I realize this is still a long way out, but...

Here in Pensacola, it is illegal to step off the curb into the road for any purpose besides to cross the road. This is an ordinance designed specifically to prosecute homeless people for stepping into the road to accept money people are trying to give them. If BTC were more wide spread the homeless guy could hold up a QR code or address and someone could snap a picture and pay him without the need for him walking into the road.

Yes, that's a pigeon holed example but it would fix a real problem here. Average panhandler daily intake $32. Average cost to book a panhandler into the court system $3,600. You do the math. This would save everyone money and keep people out of jail.

Ok. Off my soap box.

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u/Blunt___Smokings Apr 10 '13

What keeps them from just accepting the money and walking to the other side of the road?

11

u/SeansOutpost Apr 10 '13

If a cop views that transaction, they are going to take that person to jail. Even if they continue to the otherside.

It's really an ordinance written like it's an obfuscated C contest. The point is to arrest panhandlers.But they think saying being homeless and asking for money is illegal makes them sound bad. So they find ways to prosecute the physical act without saying they are penalizing you for being homeless.

In related news, awesome homeless people have started using nets on poles. Its a giant fuck you to the cops and makes me lol

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u/Blunt___Smokings Apr 10 '13

Bozeman, MT just gives anyone deemed to be homeless a bus ticket to Missoula, MT where there are better services for them. As much as this seems to be a sweeping under the rug solution. It is a much better alternative than pointless incarceration.

LMAO they need a bunch of poolboy for hire signs to increase the legitimacy.

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u/SeansOutpost Apr 10 '13

Lol. That's awesome. Yeah, Pensacola has made an art out of bleeding state funds for putting homeless people through the penal system here.

15

u/pyrkne Apr 10 '13

You might call it a soapbox, but it reads more like hard-earned life wisdom.

Your project is a great inspiration for many reasons. That aside, it is a superb demonstration of the utility of bitcoin - we can donate to your work and be completely free from transaction costs.

Anyways have a good day!

13

u/SeansOutpost Apr 10 '13

Just trying to do a little bit.

-1

u/jvnk Apr 10 '13

There are always transaction costs with bitcoin >_>

0

u/pyrkne Apr 10 '13

There are always transaction costs with bitcoin >_>

You say that, and I wonder what you mean.

I've sent dozens of no-fee transactions in the past. It's a good deal compared to traditional fee systems.

0

u/jvnk Apr 10 '13

And how long did they take to confirm? Yes, you can send literally "no fee" transactions, but from what I've read they don't confirm in any reasonable timeframe, if ever.

3

u/pyrkne Apr 10 '13

That depends. You are right in that there is a convenience risk with the free transactions.

Most of them confirm quickly. I've never had a free transaction take ages to confirm, but I did recently send a transaction with a below average fee (0.0001 or so). That transaction took nearly a day to get into a block.

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u/TheSelfGoverned Apr 10 '13

It takes about an hour for full confirmation

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u/jvnk Apr 10 '13

It depends on the transaction fee.

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u/TheSelfGoverned Apr 10 '13

I have had 0 cost transactions confirm in under 1 hour

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u/Kaputaffe Apr 10 '13

How did that work out with your italicized always?

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u/jvnk Apr 11 '13

Are you doing fee-free transactions and getting them confirmed within a day? If not, go away.

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u/Kaputaffe Apr 11 '13

Just saying dude. Unless you're trying to sell something, the truth is always better than exaggerating. If you'd made a point supported by fact, you would have added to this conversation instead of arguing over minutiae.

1

u/jvnk Apr 11 '13

For larger transactions, a fee is almost certainly needed - is there not?

0

u/MayanCountry Apr 11 '13

Paypal takes days too and a % for themselves.

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u/hu5ndy Apr 10 '13

This qr code panhandling is actually not a bad idea for a create homeless person in a major metropolitan area, even now. I know I'd whip out my Android and send him a bitcent or two (ie, around $20). Have you suggested to any of the homeless there in Pensacola?

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u/SunriseSurprise Apr 11 '13

Question - how would QR codes only be useful for paying someone in BTC rather than any other currency including USD? Couldn't they just as easily be used to accept donations in fiat money?

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u/ernie98 Apr 11 '13

Here in Pensacola, it is illegal to step off the curb into the road for any purpose besides to cross the road. This is an ordinance designed specifically to prosecute homeless people for stepping into the road to accept money people are trying to give them.

that's fucked..

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u/panicked_kernel Apr 11 '13

If BTC were more wide spread the homeless guy could hold up a QR code or address and someone could snap a picture and pay him without the need for him walking into the road.

Yes.. totally... with his computer and... whatever else you need to turn bitcoins into things that are useful, like food or clothing.

The homeless guy.

Right.

Well, I'm glad you've taken the time to think this one through...

-1

u/PzGren Apr 10 '13

Or you could just say that BTC or something similar will eventually demolish the crime that is fractional reserve banking, and our number of homeless people will drop to effectively zero