Wikipedia states:
"Decentralization is the process of redistributing or dispersing functions, powers, people or things away from a central location or authority."
Decentralization in Bike Shops:
Last week, I had the not so nice NYC experience of having my back tire stolen from my bike that I use for commuting from my apartment on East 90th Street to our bitLanders.com work studio in Chelsea on West 27th Street in Manhattan. Fortunately, my new friends at Chelsea Bicycles are on 26th Street, and they gave me an upgrade on my "work" bike. New tires, tuneup, new lock (!!), new break pads. Today, I was a happy commuter!
My new friends at Chelsea Bicycles are like old-time artisans working in the big city metropolis of New York City. As they say on their website:
"For more than three decades we've pride our selves on inovation in all aspects of cycling. From inventive designs in Custom paint and frame work, to an array of artistic and masterful welding in all types of materials. Our skillfull staff has the ability to bond any and all hi-tech metals and fibers together as one. We also specialize in wheelchair repair, race retrofitting and design. Both in motorized and non-motorized variations. Our innovative attitude has placed us one step ahead of the competition, and always on top in customer satisfaction."
They really did a fantastic job, and it is like having a new bike! In a city where "Big Box" retailers have taken over, I love the "decentralization" of niche shopkeepers who really take pride in their work. They are many bike shops that are bigger and less cluttered, but these guys know how to satisfy their picky NYC clients.
Decentralization in bitcoin:
Coindesk is the leading news service on bitcoin, and they have an excellent overview page on bitcoin that states:
"The bitcoin network isn’t controlled by one central authority. Every machine that mines bitcoin and processes transactions makes up a part of the network, and the machines work together. That means that, in theory, one central authority can’t tinker with monetary policy and cause a meltdown."
Now this part of Bitcoin (the technology Bitcoin, not the currency bitcoin) is going to be controversial for years. My goal is not to answer which is better in the debate of Central Bank fiat currency versus decentralized bitcoin currency. My personal belief is there is room for both, and markets are more efficient when consumers have choices.
Decentralization @ bitLanders:
Finally, we come to the soft launch this week of bitLanders.com, which is defined as:
"Imagine a parallel universe that merges Bitcoin, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and WordPress into one content platform AND PAYS YOU based on your content, your data, your following and your sharing. Welcome to Bitlanders.com where a member gets paid for “content gaming” (defined as blogs, films, images, and sharing), and that content is measured for reach, influence, engagement, and quality. The payments made to contributors are in bitcoin, the global digital currency."
In the old internet, information was/is centralized around some very very big players that dominate the market. They are not going away, but there is certainly room for content creators to share in the revenues that are generated from YOUR content. Check out bitLanders.com and let us know what you think. With any luck, we will attract artisans of content similar to our new friends at Chelsea Bicycles.
