【Anne Marie Gonzales Archives】

The Anne Marie Gonzales Archivesblockchain is cool and all, but, and let's be honest, it's not like it'd ever get youtotally buck wild drunk.Before today, that is.

Sure, the tech is poised to reshape the fundamental power structures of society and blah blah blah we get it; however, up until now, the supposed benefits have been more promised than delivered. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am here to tell you those benefits have finally been realized — and they taste like Budweiser.

The first beautiful sip of our glorious future was poured this week at the Consensus blockchain conference in NYC, where aspiring influencers and likely scammers gathered together in a crowded hotel to herald the oncoming decentralized future. Oh, and to get "cryptobeer" out of a vending machine.

"[We're] excited to invite you to try out the world’s first ever blockchain-enabled beer vending machine," read an email from Civic, the company behind the contraption seemingly designed to ensure that you never have to talk to another human again.

The idea is straightforward on the face of it, if not on its back. To kick off your boozy adventure into anarcho-capitalism, first download the Civic app, then verify your age and identity, and then use the app at the cryptobeer vending machine to get your Bud. Simple! And if you happen to be at the Consensus conference, then your first beer is free.

I mean, just think of the possibilities: No pesky bartender asking for ID, and no corner store guy trying to make the thinnest of human connections with a clearly lost soul.

That is, assuming it all works. We hung around the machine for around ten minutes Tuesday and saw exactly one successful attempt (granted, it was before noon and the crowd didn't appear in a drinking mood yet).

We did encounter, however, some frustration.

At least one person struggled to get his beer, even after confirming that he had uploaded his driver's license to the system. Another scoffed at the app's size (241.6MB), while others had complaints of a different nature.

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But still, this is a day for celebration. The blockchain has been shown to actually be good for something — even if that thing is more complicated and time consuming than just handing over an ID and some cash.

So let's welcome our boozy future, one blockchain-enabled beer at a time.