Map:
http://goo.gl/CflUHTwitter:
twitter.com/therealplatoBlog:
therealplato.com (RSS at bottom)
Email: plato at subvert.me
Update, 06.13:
http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=4752.msg212128#msg212128Update, 05.30:
http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=4752.msg152973#msg152973Update, 05.11:
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/m.116126Update, 04.07:
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/m.81244Stuck in Hartford with no job or rent money, I've been tossing around the idea of leaving my apartment and road tripping across the US. I've decided to do it; I'm leaving as soon as I can develop a coherent plan - which I need, because my goal is to not spend
any fiat money, either cash or credit, between leaving Hartford and arriving in LA... only bitcoins.
I have enough bitcoins now to get to, probably, Florida; I'm hoping to make it the rest of the way through micropatronage. ("Patronage" being the centuries-old idea that someone with money pays an artist's living wage so they can create their art; micropatronage meaning that a bunch of people each send me a bitcoin or three.) In exchange for your contributions, you'll get to hear my stories about what it's like to live on Bitcoins.
I'll chronicle my adventures in a blog as I travel, using a laptop and 3G tethered cell. I'll release podcasts where I interview the people I meet along the way. My blog is located at
therealplato.com, and my twitter feed is at
twitter.com/therealplato.
I intend on couch surfing and camping instead of paying for lodging, so the only things I will need to buy are a 3G cell connection, gasoline, car repairs, and food.
I'm not sure what my total cost will be, but I imagine it'll be somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 - 1500 bitcoins, depending on the route I take. I'll set up a counter on my blog showing a list of donations, as well as details about what I'm spending the bitcoins on.
I have 200 bitcoins of my own to start out with. I'll start driving as soon as it's apparent that the trip is possible through your contributions. I'd like to leave soon - hopefully in April. My biggest concern is gasoline; my car gets about 250 miles to the tank, so I will need to find people spread out along the route I end up taking. Are you in the US, and willing to sell me gasoline for bitcoins? Please drop a red pin at your location on my road trip map to help me plan my route -
http://goo.gl/CflUH!
My motive for this trip is primarily an overdeveloped sense of adventure, but as a close second, I want to evangelize Bitcoins. As I talk to people I meet in my travels, I'll be explaining Bitcoin and why it's great. I'd love to stop by universities, libraries, or other venues along the way and speak about my trip and bitcoins - drop me a line if you want to set something up. (Also contact me if you want to buy ad space on my bumper for your Bitcoin project.)
--
PLATO