Key Points
- Ordinals creator Casey Rodarmor revealed important suggestions for Bitcoin developers.
- He addressed multiple subjects during the Ordinals Asia event back in May.
Although the Ordinals Asia event took place back on May 11, Casey Rodarmor’s advice and suggestions for Bitcoin developers will be always up to date.
During the important event, he took the stage alone at the end for about 15 minutes and addressed important Bitcoin-related matters.
He began by talking about “Hell Money” which is the name of his podcast, and he highlighted that it means “paper money” – a translation of the Chinese term “ming chao.”
He mentioned that one way in which Chinese people worship ancestors is with “Hell money” which is the currency used by ancestors who have passed away.
Rodarmor explained that the name of his podcast “Hell Money” has a dual sense:
- Fiat money is the “currency of the devil” and it’s issued in such quantities that it might as well be burnt like “Hell money.”
- He also said that Bitcoin is “Hell Money,” but unlike fiat, BTC is so strong and robust, that it captivates everyone.
Resistance and the Long Game
Rodarmor says that building on Bitcoin involves resistance and a long-term struggle. He mentioned that over the past 11 years, the government resistance that Bitcoin had to face has been minimal, as none of the big powers including China and the USA launched a “real attack” against it.
However, he noted that we must always remember that the threats coming from governments to Bitcoin exist, and no one can guarantee what the future will bring.
This is the reason for which he reportedly builds on Bitcoin – if government really wanted to attack crypto, BTC is the only technology and platform capable of mounting an effective defense.
He also mentioned that there are other chains and protocols beyond Bitcoin with a lot of money, but this is their only advantage. Other than this, they are complex, highly centralized, and fragile.
If a worse future were to arrive, they would be destroyed or would collapse, even become tools for regulation and censorship.
4 Suggestions for Bitcoin Builders
Rodarmor also offered important suggestions for developers who are building on Bitcoin.
Keeping it simple
His advice for Bitcoin builders and beyond is to keep it simple. Rodarmor believes that builders should keep their creations simple and practical because complexity always drives people crazy and makes things difficult.
He says that in Ordinals and Runes, despite the complexity, they are trying to keep things as simple as possible.
Adpating ideas to Bitcoin, not viceversa
Rodarmor said that when people build on other chains outside of Bitcoin, they might have a great idea about what they want to do, and those chains passively match the idea. But on Bitcoin, people have to reverse this approach – the ideas need to adapt to Bitcoin.
He said that it’s more appropriate to have a goal to realize your idea, and then remind yourself to align the design with Bitcoin. Bitcoin will not adapt to any ideas, it has to be the other way around.
The stupidest thing could work
Rodarmor addressed the success of Ordinals, inscriptions, and runes, saying that the answer is that they are the simplest ideas.
When things are complicated, they cannot achieve mass adoption, he said. He compared silly Runes with the more complex Taproot Assets, saying that the Runes managed to gain adoption and enthusiasm.
It is not tech
Rodarmor advised people not to see Ordinals, inscriptions, and the Runes ecosystem as a technology ecosystem. He said that if people regarded them as a future finance or a revolutionary market, this would be tempting.
But, he highlighted the current reality that these are technologies effective for social, gambling, and entertainment purposes where all Degens can be happy.
According to him, no currency is better suited than Bitcoin for this “space casino” of Ordinals, inscriptions, and Runes.