On the eve of our global launch in Prague, I said to multiple people, “this is the end of the beginning of a journey I began 7 years ago.” Nothing could have prepared me for how incredible the start of our new journey has been. The future of Blockchains is now dedicated to working towards our common goals. In addition to the roadmap we have set for ourselves, we are overwhelmed with the quantity and quality of the messages that have come through from the community and the brilliant minds that have expressed their desire to join our collaborative efforts. So many of you, like us, want to see a better world and we thank you for reaching out. We have an exciting road ahead of us and we will use this blog as one of the platforms for providing information on our progress.

Moving Forward



Partnerships



In late October, Blockchains and NV Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining the parties’ agreement to work together on energy projects powered by blockchain technology. Blockchains and NV Energy's shared vision will pilot concepts that place the customer in control of energy creation, consumption, storage and transactions.

Projects developed at Innovation Park will have the potential to be utilized to serve NV Energy's 1.3 million customers. Through this partnership, we will explore energy concepts to identify ways to improve the customer experience, including out-of-the-box applications that further the use of energy storage, renewable energy and collaborative energy conservation.

Infrastructure

Several weeks ago, we overcame our first regulatory hurdle for infrastructure development at Innovation Park. The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada approved our application to become a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC). The plan proposes a 102-mile fiber optic ring that spans Innovation Park, Reno and Carson City, and would allow Blockchains to provide high speed internet connectivity to homeowners, schools and businesses in our smart city and the remainder of Storey County. This is one of many steps that will form the foundation for all Blockchains’ digital transactions.

Education

Blockchains is providing support for an applied technologies program specific to blockchain technology. By continuing to work with local educational institutions in the coming months, we aim to cultivate and prepare the next generation’s workforce for careers in this emerging field. The intent is for the program to provide a wide overview of many of the topics relating to blockchain technology and decentralized applications.

As you can see, our focus on collaboration has begun in earnest. The initiatives mentioned above can act as the beginning steps toward the grand vision. We cannot wait to share details concerning the many other partnerships and collaborative efforts that are currently in the works and we are looking forward to an extremely busy 2019!

Fundamentals

As we have built our company, I have been mindful of the lessons that the internet has taught us. By trading privacy for free applications, including web search, e-mail, social media and games, individuals unintentionally fostered the creation of the massive, centralized “middlemen” that are now most of the wealthiest and largest companies in the world. Just as they monopolized the internet over time and have profited greatly from information that is rightfully the property of individuals, those same companies are now racing to create private/permissioned, centralized blockchains.

My background as a consumer protection attorney, and father, is what guides my every decision in getting this movement underway. We are at a critical moment with the infancy of this technology, and we have the collective power and responsibility to advocate for change -- turning the hands of power, updating economic and social systems, creating new securities, and rewriting “norms”. Thus, Blockchains is focused on developing essential applications for consumers in a decentralized blockchain ecosystem in the areas of energy, identity, custody and financial services. Additionally, to ensure that consumers are well-informed concerning blockchain technology news and issues, and that their rights are properly protected, we are also developing media and legal education resources.

Parting Words



I want to thank all the guests that attended our public launch and those that have listened to what I had to say. It’s your open-mindedness, words of encouragement, and shared passion for a better future that will propel Blockchains to do great things.

I believe that together, we can all effectuate great change; and that we, the blockchain community, will be the spark that ignites and accelerates that change.

Stay tuned for further announcements and developments in the coming months!

Jeffrey Berns

CEO and founder, Blockchains

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