Community Spotlight — David Milnes

Today we put the spotlight on community member David Milnes who came to our attention through social media. We enjoyed the engagement and like what David is up to. Enjoy a quick video from David, followed by excerpts from our ongoing dialogue.

Hello David, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Where are you from, and what do you do?

I’m from Brigantine NJ. I teach Piano, AP Music Theory and run the Jazz Band at Egg Harbor Township by Atlantic City.

When did you first get involved in blockchain/crypto?

I got fully involved after discovering XYO a few months ago. I always had an interest in crypto. When I learned about blockchain I started doing more research and reading everything I could about the technology and how it would be used. I have a 6 year old son and I’m always thinking about what things are going to influence his future. I want to be on the front end of those advancements and teach him along the way.

When did you first get involved in XYO? What inspired you to get involved?

It’s no secret the XYO has great marketing. Somewhere in my research I saw a well-placed ad for XYO. I knew about their “Find It” app and was curious to see what they were working on. After I saw the first video I was like “…….woah”. I’ve been hooked ever since! I purchased the mining kit in February 2019.

What excites you most about the project?

What I like most about the project is how it could be utilized in so many different ways. From basic package tracking and drone navigation to music distribution, the possibilities are endless.

Are there any potential use cases that you’ve seen in your day-to-day life?

I’m interested in seeing how the technology will influence the music scene. I see a future where blockchain helps distribute more music to more people while rewarding the true creators/writers the coin they deserve, not just the big wigs at a record label.

When did your students start getting involved? How are they learning about blockchain and using COIN?

I have a decal on my Mac of Yoshi eating the apple except I attached the XYO sticker to the apple. They wanted to know what the logo was for. That is when I introduced them to XYO. The first version of the COIN app didn’t have the “Auto Collect” feature. Since I am on the road a lot, I wanted to figure out a way to create a clicker to auto mine for me. I was soldering and programing an Arduino and a few students asked what I was doing. I taught them about the COIN app and how XYO was planning on using the location data. The students started coming during their lunch break to talk all about blockchain, XYO and the future of crypto. We would watch YouTube videos, track crypto and brainstorm ideas for how blockchain could influence their generation. It’s been an exciting side project. They all have the COIN app and have turned on their parents, peers and teachers to the XYO party. Two students were elated to show me that they had purchased a sentinel on eBay.

How do you think we can encourage education about new tech like blockchain in the US? How can companies like XY be a part of this?

Many of the conversations with my students have been based around how crypto and blockchain could be introduced in public education. We have STEM programs and they are amazing but there isn’t much education on this type of technology. The students are hoping for an after school program that would be centered on the study of crypto and blockchain. We have discussed creating a school based archivist and diviner. A company like XY could be of great assistance in a school setting. Working with the film department, we could create student generated “how to” videos that could be shared across educational platforms. The potential for growth is as limitless as XYO. Schools could team up and share data and projects. Wouldn’t it be cool if a high school in NJ questioned the oracle to see if there has ever been a bound witness chain that tracked itself to another high school in the country?

We have had fun connecting music theory and the blockchain. There are so many similarities. In music, there is order and patterns that can be linked. For instance, 7 notes can be 7 different scales if you start the pattern on a different note. The students see how links are made in music as is in blockchain.

Are there any other blockchain projects you’re interested in or excited about?

The students have started to explore other blockchain projects and we have been brainstorming how blockchain could be used in music. One of our exciting brainstorm sessions has been using blockchain to share music. They are imagining a blockchain system that makes sure the artist and creator gets paid as opposed to the crumbs that are left after the “suits” take their cut. The students are really hip to the idea of decentralization.

We’d like to give a shout out to CEO Arie Trouw for the Twitter shout out. That truly made their day!