And since the Zuiderkerk has pretty interesting ties with the legendary painters Rembrandt and Claude Monet (who painted the church as well), I made sure to dress like a painting that day! I felt like at a movie premiere or Oscar ceremony entering the church and walking on the red carpet by the entrance. I don’t know how Roeland manages to score these wonderful venues for us. This one was absolutely impressive! Right in the heart of Amsterdam!
The day was packed with interesting talks. Varying, from updates on curation projects and other community projects to a musical performance on stage by @steevc. Presentation on Satoshi Nakamoto (it focused on Craig Wright, meep, he is not my Satoshi, no way!). There were updates on fun games like Crypto Shots and Rising Star. I did not know about either of them until now.
The Rising Star started their presentation in a fun and surprising way! @steevc starred as an illegal busker on stage and was interrupted mid-song by a police officer! For a moment I thought it was for real because I did not know the context of what was happening, but then I learned that it was a little skit performed representing the events in the game! Well done! They had my full attention after that, and it seems like an awesome game!
And in my previous Hivefest post, I mentioned how Hive’s infrastructure sometimes is lacking or is a bit complicated for new users. I was very impressed with HiveAuth created by @arcange. This service makes the login and key signing process much easier and more secure.
Let’s say you want to use a device that is not yours or use applications that you don’t want to have access to your keys but still want to use them. You store your keys (memo, posting, and active, but never the owner key) in a trusted key holding app like Hive Keychain on your phone, for example.
Then you sign in through HiveAuth and it acts as a bridge between the devices on web apps. You want to borrow your friend’s laptop. You sign in on PeakD through HiveAuth. Type in your username, and a QR code pops up on the screen. You scan it with the Hive Keychain on your phone and it links the keys in your Hive Keychain on the phone to the PeakD on your friend’s laptop. No keys get stored on their laptop, but you still have access to your account.
HiveAuth also has some pretty neat features such as authenticating devices for a certain time, like 1 hour, for example. After the time has passed the log-in is no longer active until you make a new request to authenticate. I certainly see how HiveAuth can make people's lives and experiences on Hive better! Great job!
And after the presentations, it was time for the JukeBells concert by Gideon Bodden. The list of songs to be played was directly impacted by Hivians either at Hivefest or from the comfort of their homes all around the world. So all those who voted were playing church bell music for an hour to people and strangers in Amsterdam! It was such a treat!
The bell system (carillon) reminded me of a strange piano built from stringed-up bells. Each note has a different sounding bell attached to it or something of the sort. Honestly, I have no idea how it works, but it was pretty epic! I had never experienced anything like it, and to my surprise, the songs that were played were very recognizable as well.
The next day was meant to be a bit more touristy day in Amsterdam. However, the tiredness had taken over, and a lot more sleep was needed. The deficit had accumulated over the past few days. So, unfortunately, we did not get to see as much as we hoped of the city itself. But that is one more reason to return there soon!
It always seems like time flies at Hivefest, and I think it is because we are always having such a blast. Thank you, @roelandp, and the team of volunteers, everyone who has helped out to make these events happen! You guys are amazing! Year after year, I am looking forward to this event with great anticipation. And I admire you all for your attention to detail and efforts to make it run smoothly. It takes a lot to make something so awesome. Thank you a hundred times! And I am happy to know that you do it because you love making these things happen and that it comes from the heart! I hope to be there next year as well!
Ah, the view on the outside terrace! Looking over the Amstel river. All the pretty buildings on the other bank and the slightly swirling reflections in the calm waters.
It felt bittersweet and wonderful at the same time. It was our last day with all the lovely Hivians who traveled from around the world to meet each other there. But I don’t like to say goodbyes. Instead, I say until we meet again! That way it takes away some of the sadness that might come along when it is time to part ways.
This year not so many Hivians made it to Hivefest. I think it was about 96 people if I remember correctly. The times have not been the easiest. The pandemic for years, financial problems across the world, and war. Crypto was doing so well for a while until it didn’t. Crypto doing the crypto things. But all that still impacts so many people in the world, and so they could not come :( I hope next year and years will be better for all of us, and we can double, triple, if not quadruple that number! Because Hivefest is a whole experience of its own. It is where you get to meet the people you might have interacted with only on the chain or chats before. And it is worth it!
I think in the end, we all felt a bit like Juka and Kimchi in the photo above. We were tired but happy at the same time. We listened to the beautiful poem by @poezio, hugged, and then it was time to let the moment go. Until next year!
Thank you all! I am honored to be part of the Hive community. Meeting you all has given me so much motivation and energy! I feel it now, and it has been weeks already since. <3
Song of the day: LOOR, Litherland - Erosions, Remix