Topic: [ANN] Bitcoin on Blueseed, the international waters startup ship - page 3. (Read 24401 times)

I'm sure this will be the case, I was just a little taken aback since I've only seen USPS locations referred to as post offices.

On a related note, how would one receive packages on board? Will Blueseed have its own postal code? Would shipments from the US have to pass through customs?

I'm very pleased to see your involvement with Bitcoin. Bitcoin and Seasteading are two things that fascinate me.

Since this seems an AMA, I'll shoot my questions too.
I've noticed you do intend to provide a considerable level of economic freedom on board, by not collecting taxes, by choosing contractual arbitration as preferred resolution dispute etc. That's awesome. I hope to soon see Blueseed on the top of indexes like those of the Fraser Institute or the Heritage Foundation.

But what about the more "social aspects" of freedom? Some of them tend to be a taboo in US (and many other places), where things as banal as drinking alcohol outside might be illegal. I hope you're not willing to mimic these authoritarian behaviors. So...

• Will gambling be allowed?
• Will recreational use of marijuana be allowed? Now that some US states have allowed it, you'd start worse than them if you don't.
• Will prostitution be allowed? Banning the "oldest profession on Earth" is so stupid I don't even have words for it. And since you're focusing on IT startups, you'll likely not have a balanced men/women ration. I would advice at least a tolerance-policy towards prostitution.
• Will individuals be allowed to carry guns on board? Will there be a place to practice shooting? If you allow the inhabitants to be the "preventive police" of the place, you may save a lot on security.

I also have a question of more practical nature: will there be a nursery/hospital on board? Will health insurance be possible? Do you have an estimate of costs?

And finally, I'm intrigued by these restrictions being mentioned on this thread, related to the fact that the chosen place is a "protected sanctuary" of some kind to some environmentalist religions. Isn't the place outside of US territorial waters? How can US enforce the protection of a sanctuary outside of its jurisdiction? Or does it just ignore international conventions on territorial waters?

Thanks, and congratulations for your work. I really hope you succeed.

What would be the source of energy to keep the ship moving? Diesel transported to the ship by ferry? Solar or other electric motors?

The description makes it sound as if this will mostly be computer labs for software development and engineering with computer simulations. Will you have science research labs that would allow researchers to build and develop technology onboard? Two things instantly came to mind: sea-based energy generation, such as through waves or wind, and sewage and waste water recycling for farming. It would be much more ecologically sound to have a large barge somewhere near by where food can be grown experimentally, and fertilized by the people eating that food.

Would you consider adding research or other modular barges to the area? It would be nice to have a floating runway. Helicopters are nice, but they're ridiculously expensive and complicated compared to a prop plane, and as mention in last paragraph, extra space to work and research on would be nice.

I know the boat will be privately owned, but will you allow businesses to set up and sell their own services, such as afformentioned energy and food, or internet access, or other things that may not be considered savory in some countries? Or will all business have to go through your approval and require to pay you a cut?

Will you follow any regulations such as FCC radio band reservations, or will it basically be a free-for-all with conflicts resolved privately?

Will you be capable of providing a safe haven in case of a zombie outbreak on the mainland, including a well trained medical team to inspect arriving refugees for signs of infection, and a well armed security force to suppress any issues should an infection threat come on board?

Hi Dan,

I exchanged emails with Max back in January about opening a 100% Certified Organic cafe onboard.  Nothing could make me happier than to accept Bitcoin as the official currency in the cafe.  Have you investigated ATMs or smart cards or other user friendly vehicles yet?

Thanks,
Oaxaca

Wow, this I did not know. You have my money already, you just don't know it yet. Heck yeah I'll invest a grand in seasteading! I want to move out on one as soon as I can make it make financial sense. Even if I have to convert some bitcoin back into playmoney for you

+1     That's the real way to build a community:  use the ship as a core unit that supplies power and Internet, around which a stable constellation forms.  The owners of the core dictate "building codes" by virtue of requiring certain seaworthiness and navigation aspects for any core connections.

My question centers more on expansion. Let's say I built a floating concrete-dome house and floated it up, would it be possible to moor it to the ship somehow, using the ship as a hub from which to expand from, in essence. We'd be renting your stable mooring in essence.

International waters; 12 nautical miles out.

People like ASICMINER have created shares and those are sold as passthrough on exchanges... I highly recomend BTC-TC, you might want to shoot burnside a PM asking if that would be something possible/doable, with either a set determined company value or by putting up pass-through shares on his exchange... or selling some on those forums.
You can look in the post history how ASICMINER started from nothing, raised funds, and is now bringing shareholders dividends... Although the legal grey waters you'd have to wade through might not be worth it, it's good to consider options.

Possibly, but such a structure would be permanently attached to the seabed, and within the EEZ, would be under the jurisdiction of the U.S - see UNCLOS Article 60.

Wouldn't it be cheaper to build a platform in international waters than purchase a cruise ship?

Like so:

You would need a registered share dealer to sell pass through shares through bitpay most likely, or accept them directly. I think you have to be a qualified investor though.

That's a core aspect of the project, and we've done extensive research (short of a basin study with a ship model, which is too expensive for the funding stage we're at).

First, NOAA buoys around the location have been recording wave and current data since 1980. BitcoinNordic founder Lasse Birk Olesen (fimp here on the forum) analyzed the wave data while he interned for us, and constructed this chart of durations of large wave events:

http://blueseed.co/media/Blueseed_vessel_stability_vs._ocean_waves.png

If you total the numbers, it amounts to a significant wave height under 3 meters, 93% of the time.

Second, a smaller offshore accommodation vessel, the Dan Swift (149m x 24m) was shown (mirror in Spanish) to have a Motion Illness Ratio within the acceptable European standards for ferries, in ocean conditions near Brazil worse (3.5m significant wave height, double wind speed, 15m/s) than those we are likely to encounter.

Third, there is still roll, and there is still that 7% of the time with taller waves. There are two solutions to this:

1. Cruise ships are equipped with stabilizer fins. They work when the ship is in motion; the higher the speed, the better they work. One solution is to run the ship in a very large circle or figure 8.

2. Another, greener, solution works while at anchor or at low speed, using actively-controlled fins (such as the Stabilisation at rest system developed by Rolls Royce that oscillate to counteract wave motion), and rotary cylinders employing the Magnus effect (developed by Quantum Med Marine under the MagLift™ Zero Speed™ name).

Which solution we'll choose is a tradeoff between the initial capital investment and operating cost.

---

BTC investments


I've been thinking about that since I saw the Reddit thread "Any Bitcoin millionaires here on reddit" (I responded to the folks there, albeit a bit too late). There have been a few more threads of that nature in the meantime, Today I'm a millionaire (deleted account), Bitcoin millionaires, do they (really) exist ?, How 23-year-old Charlie Shrem became a millionaire through Bitcoin. Unfortunately, I don't have access to http://www.reddit.com/r/BitcoinMillionaires...

We're already running a round on AngelList, accepting USD investments in exchange for equity.

What would the community suggest as ways to enable Blueseed to raise investments in BTC?

It was already mentioned that it will not be static. Moving at a constant rate of "<5kn in a figure-8 pattern".

Dan, with so many potential investors using Bitcoins I'd suggest you try to iron a way for BTC owners to invest in Blueseed. I sure would like to own a piece of a seastead - This is a shared ideal by many, to get away from the politicians enslaving us and get a step closer to full freedom.
Locationwise though, I'm worried about the stability of the ship - a cruise ship can feel wobbly enough when static, what methods are going to be used to stabilize the seastead?

*edit*  - don't write posts when coming back from a night of drinking else others will jump you for the spelling and grammar - Seaste[a]d - Chears Dan!
-> Go Blueseed!

Love the Blueseed idea, hope it succeeds.

Recommend paying via Bitcoin, but perhaps due to volatility lock your prices at some other currency.

Hm...

Blueseed has always seemed extremely cool to me.

I'm absolutely thrilled to see Blueseed reaching out to the bitcoin community and trying to incorporate bitcoin into their plans.

Best of luck!

Is there a way to get on the waitlist as a "lifestyle business"? Or, just to live there? I found this to be a bit unclear on the website.

Initial quotes from Truston Mooring and a dynamic positioning provider indicate that moving the ship at <5kn in a figure-8 pattern would be a more cost-effective option to start with, and will make it easier to move out of the way of storms.


Correct. If we mentioned a Half Moon Bay airport anywhere, please point me to that instance, as it needs clarification. HMB has a small airport, and we will provide helicopter transportation, but the main airport to access Blueseed will be SFO, from where visitors will take ground transportation to Half Moon Bay, or, will board a ferry departing from Pier 39 or the like.


Thanks for that chart. I couldn't quite find that particular telecom cable, but Submarine Cable Map (the resource we've used so far) shows one going NW-SE. The problem with submarine cables is that the cost of permits is about 8-10x the cost of the cable laying itself. However, the fiber-optic-level speed makes this a compelling option for a post-launch phase.



Actually, I'm surprised you didn't bring up the open ocean docking problem in 6ft Hs. Did you have in mind heave-compensated hydraulic gangways like the OAS[1], or just using a (decommissioned military) ship with a well dock[2]?

Of course, we'd love to have you tie your sailboat to the solution we'll end up using, as long as you don't plan to ride around it in a jet ski (motorized personal watercraft are forbidden in the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary, as you probably well know), and as long as you'd rather visit the many restaurants onboard (we'll cater to a variety of cuisines, reflecting the 60+ countries where entrepreneurs will come from) - a gambling casino, is a really risky PR move, and we'll stay away from that sort of activity.

---

Links for those unfamiliar with solutions for the Transfer of Personnel to and from Offshore Vessels:
[1]: Offshore Access System, by Offshore Solutions BV, handling 3 meter waves
[2]: well docks are hangar-like decks in the stern of some amphibious ships

Probably UPS and a lot of other private package shipping systems.  Alternatively, simply a service to ferry your US mail to the USPS on shore.

One of the conveniences the website says Blueseed will offer is a "post office." Will that be a US post office? How will that work?