Not too long ago, I provided some ideas on how to use the blockchain that didn’t involve cryptocurrencies. Well today we’re revisiting the topic. First, I’ll make the same assumptions as I did in the first article. Also like the first article, the purpose will be to show how the blockchain is more useful than our current societal perception of it. While I advocate using the blockchain to increase visibility and hence scrutiny into certain areas, I want to be clear that this isn’t necessarily an invitation for more regulation. Transparency merely for the sake of transparency is still worthwhile.
In the previous article, I touched upon the arena of male bragging rights, and the blockchain could help us yet again. A bet between two friends could be recorded onto the blockchain, whether it would be on the result of a sporting event, the outcome of a prank on a third party, the winner of a round of golf, whether someone or not will get engaged first and so on. Since the blockchain essentially serves as a ledger between two parties, it can easily be used to track friendly wagers. The permeance and publicity of the entries will raise the stakes, since once recorded, there will be no backing out the bet.
Young men also love to brag about gym sessions and how often they allegedly go (the same holds true for various other activities such as boxing/MMA gyms, martial arts dojos, shooting ranges, and so on). While it is obvious who puts in the time in these endeavors (cauliflower ears, calloused hands and vascular forearms being dead giveaways), there are many more cases that the one who basically lives there in fact does not. If key fob entries to these facilities automatically logged to the blockchain, it would give anybody the chance to confirm or debunk the frequency of such visits. Specific to the realm of martial arts, belt rankings can be documented on the blockchain as well. This would come in handy when verifying the claims of the slobbering loudmouth at the bar who claims is totally a blackbelt. To avoid being sexist, the same key fob-to-blockchain pipeline can be used on female-heavy routines such as dance class, spin, Zumba, yoga and so on. Blockchain transparency is for the entire gender spectrum!
“Dan! Nobody cares about dude-bros and their ridiculous shenanigans. Give us something more wholesome and family-friendly!” As children, most of us made artwork that we then gifted to our parents with the hopes that they would keep them forever. With the help of the blockchain, that is now possible. Parents can capture their little cherub’s artistry as a PDF and then use the blockchain to mint them into NFT’s. The permanence of the blockchain will ensure the survivability of the masterpiece well after you’ve upgraded to a stainless-steel refrigerator.
I touched upon the previous article about the usefulness of the blockchain in the workplace regarding job offers, but the utility doesn’t end there. Annual performance reviews can be hosted on the blockchain as well. Embedded into the entry would be a PDF of the written report that the manager gives to their employee, for all to see and download if they wish. The public viewing of the annual review could help future employers gain a firmer grasp on who it is that they are interviewing and considering hiring. If there is a candidate that has a long history of verifiably positive annual reviews at previous employers, then it would help employers make better hiring decisions. It could also be used in reverse, since it could also help employers avoid candidates who are smoothly charismatic during interviews but wind up being less-than-stellar once hired. Employees who constantly complain about their bosses would benefit as well, since they would be able to confirm whether or not their manager is an idiot or not.
The blockchain could also be used to track attendance to civic-related events as well. As the world’s greatest anti-meme scholar mentioned in his hard-hitting debut book, there is a wide gap between claiming to support a cause and actually doing the legwork. Many love to exaggerate their involvement in their causes of choice. Imagine if attendances to rallies and marches were posted on the blockchain; then it would be instantly verifiable who actually was involved and thus further bolster their bragging rights belief in the cause. Furthermore, it could work the other way; imagine if the ProudBoys that stormed the Capitol on January 6th had their attendance documented on the blockchain. The permanence of the blockchain would ensure that their involvement in a literal coup d’état attempt would follow them for life, unable to obfuscated. This would certainly help law enforcement, potential employers, prospective mates and bank lenders all avoid such unsavory characters.
Car buying is another realm where the blockchain would be of great service. Imagine if purchases made by the dealership were listed on the blockchain; the public views attached to a particular VIN number would ensure the customer knows exactly what the dealership paid for that specific car, thus helping the customer understand if the car is priced fairly or not. In a negotiation, information is key and the blockchain would bring some much-needed sunlight to the table. The only ones would oppose such a favor are the middlemen dealerships themselves.
Mining for lithium, gold or other important/precious metals is another way that the blockchain would come in handy. Every lot (denoted by metric ton or other unit of measurement) legally mined from a country will be put onto the blockchain and given a unique identifier (similar to what is done now with diamonds). The presence of the lot on the blockchain will provide traceability to the lot of the lithium/gold/whatever to ensure that it is obtained through non-exploitative means. In areas where the local government has a corruption problem or has incredibly lax regulations of mining, the blockchain entries can be entered by an international third party instead. If the lot doesn’t appear on the blockchain, then it has suspect origins.
Sports referees are yet another area where the blockchain could bring some much-needed visibility. Often, fans watching games will complain about poor refereeing and often cast doubt upon the competence of the ref. Many leagues, such as the NFL and the NBA conduct reviews of each referee in the offseason, however this information is rarely made public (if at all). Now, assume a world where the leagues were required to list these reports on the blockchain; the players, coaches and fans would quickly find out which zebra is calling a fair game and which ones aren’t. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
Again, the point of this article isn’t to be dystopic but merely to create visibility where bullshit, nonsense and nefarious players like to hide. The blockchain can set us free, all we have to do is let it.
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