Bitcoin.com is now an official sponsor of the Scaling Bitcoin conference in Hong Kong occurring December 6-7th, 2015 This is Phase II of the conference series; Phase I took place in Montreal in September. The conference is “no frills,” designed for the engineering and academic community. No exhibit booths –- or other distractions — are allowed.
Also read: Latin American Bitcoin Conference Sneak Peak: Who’s Who?
Bitcoin.com has donated bitcoin to the conference to become a Bronze sponsor. Other sponsors include itBit, Blockstream and the controversial Cryptsy. Roger Ver stated,
“Bitcoin.com made a Bitcoin donation, and I also said we will do what we can to promote the conference. I will attend in person, but mostly to listen rather than advocate for my own position. I’m not an expert on the technical intricacies, but from what I understand, I am in favor of bigger blocks.“
The block size debate is complex and confusing — but potentially the greatest threat facing the future of Bitcoin. Solutions such as BIP 100 and BIP 101 provide a path to generating blocks larger than 1mb. Bigger blocks will mean more transactions per second (TPS). Higher TPS may make Bitcoin usage more widespread. Sidechain developers, at the opposite spectrum, want to create “lightning networks,” which would allow Bitcoin’s block size to remain unchanged.
The Scaling Bitcoin series is different from other conferences like the TNABC series in Miami and the Inside Bitcoins series. You won’t see barely-clothed female models and shiny new Bitcoin ATM exhibits. Scaling Bitcoin is strictly business. And maybe, this is what Bitcoin needs.
The Conference will take place at the Hong Kong Cyberport. The Cyberport is wholly owned by the Hong Kong SAR government and is similar to a start-up incubator. Six hundred employees work in the Cyberport, developing new applications for technology.
Why Hong Kong? Chinese miners have long played an important role in the development of the Bitcoin protocol. Having a conference in close proximity to this niche group is definitely not a coincidence.
Conference organizers accepted proposals through November 9th. The authors of accepted proposals will have the opportunity to present either a 30-minute presentation or an hour-long interactive workshop on their specific topic. The discussion will center around many of the problems currently facing the Bitcoin ecosystem. These topics include anti-spam measures, block-size proposals, mining concerns, and network resilience.
Tickets for the event cost $300 USD, or $150 for attendees of the first conference in Montreal. For those unable to attend the conference, the event will be livestreamed. Online discussions via IRC will be available.
Will you attend the Scaling Bitcoin Conference in Hong Kong? Let us know in the comments below!
Images courtesy of Wikipedia and Lonely Planet.
