Vampires, Trash Walks & Crypto Payments: Hive Summit Went Off the Rails (In the Best Way)

19 hours ago

DISCLAIMER: Look, I did my best. I was juggling inspiration, laughter, note-taking, and trying to figure out if I could mint my leftover bratwurst as an NFT. So if I missed a detail, blame the fact that literally every single speaker was fascinating. Yes, even the vegetarian vampire guy, @kreklow . Maybe especially him (LOVED his guided tour at the walk on day three btw!).

Let’s jump into the final block of Hive Summit Aachen—and let me tell you, things got wild.

🧛‍♂️ Hendrick Kreklow – Comics, Rucola, and Emotions on the Blockchain

Plot twist: The dude making the deepest emotional impact at a blockchain summit wasn’t a dev. It was a comic book artist.

Hendrick Kreklow started out doodling on PowerPoint slides (relatable), realized people connect better with drawings (fact), and is now writing books—one of which is about a vegetarian vampire named Graf Rucola.

Naturally.

But wait—it gets better: Hendrick’s now telling Hive’s story in a comic book. And if that doesn’t get new people interested, then I guess we’ll just keep arguing about tokenomics until the end of time.

Support him here: @kreklow He deserves it. Not just because he’s creative, but because he’s brave enough to try making blockchain fun.

🆕 Kristin Rosenow @dandegrischdine – The Hive Newbie Experience (aka RTFM: The Saga)

Kristin came in swinging with a beautiful reality check.

Coming from the marketing world, she was used to real social media. You know, the kind where you can post a latte pic without needing a whitepaper and a six-week tutorial.

Then she discovered Hive.

Cue the struggle:

Onboarding? Confusing.
Apps? Too many.
Rules? All of them.
Downvotes? Ouch.
Voting mana? Dead.
Competitions? Missed.
Existential dread? Optional.

BUT—and here’s the important part—she stayed.

Because Hive, for all its flaws, has community, kindness, reward, and real connection. Kristin now posts in beer, pets, travel, and foodie communities—and she’s one of the most relatable speakers of the whole summit.

Her suggestions?

Mentorship onboarding → A newbie joins, gets paired with a veteran, and the mentor gets rewarded? Brilliant.
Promote @ryzeonline’s newbie course like it’s the next Taylor Swift album.
Gamify the learning process. (Because yes, learning Hive right now is like solving a Rubik’s cube underwater.)

💸 Sorin @sorin.cristescu & Sonia @soniabr – Innopay: Real-Life Payments on Hive? Yes, Please.

If you ever thought crypto payments were just for online nerd fights and overpriced JPEGs… think again.

Innopay is a Hive-powered point-of-sale system that lets you pay in crypto (HBD) in real shops. In real life. For real stuff. 🤯

Why merchants love it:

Zero fees
No expensive terminals
No receipts (because paper is so last century)
New audience reach
Fast, secure, and instant Hive-to-Hive payments

Why you might use it:

Curiosity
Freedom
Support local businesses
Cashback (via Distriator)
Stake what you don’t spend at 15% APR (Hello??)

Hive isn’t just for blogging—it’s becoming a real economic ecosystem. You can earn Hive, spend Hive, save Hive, and annoy your accountant all at the same time. It’s a beautiful thing.

🌍 Michael Berns @masterswatch – Clean Planet: Picking Up Trash for Crypto (and the Planet)

The last speaker? Not a dev. Not a founder. Not a vampire.

He’s a guy with a trash bag, changing the world.

Clean Planet is a Hive-based initiative that rewards you for doing what governments should’ve been doing this whole time: Cleaning up after ourselves.

Started in 2018 by @yann0957 and supported by @tibfox, Clean Planet has:

Almost 4,000 members
Over 38,000 clean walks
And yes, you get paid to clean up

How to join:

Pick up trash
Take a selfie with it (yes, really)
Post to Hive with #cleanplanet
Feel good about yourself
Collect some crypto
Rinse and repeat (pun very much intended)

The best part? You’re saving the environment and showing off Hive in action. It’s like eco-friendly flexing.

🧠 Final Panel: Why Hive… Or Why Not?

A few rapid-fire insights from the final panel of the day:

@roelandp: Not sure social media on a blockchain is always a good thing. “What I post today could still be here in 30 years.” Yeah bro, welcome to the blockchain. Permanent receipts for everyone!
@Michael.: Big Hive fan. Wants more Germans on Hive, but tax law is a buzzkill. Also raised the question: Why are people allowed to use AI at work all day, but get side-eyed for using it on Hive? A discussion worth having.

🎯 Afternoon Takeaways

Hive isn’t just tech—it’s people.
It isn’t just Web3—it’s reality.
It’s not perfect—but nothing great starts perfect.

Whether you’re drawing vegetarian vampires, paying for snacks with HBD, picking up trash for tokens, or accidentally downvoting your new Hive friend—you’re part of something that matters.

Hive has gone from blogchain to brainchain to heartchain.

📝 Final Disclaimer: This was one hell of a summit. And I did my best to keep up. If I skipped over something huge, it’s because I was too busy fist-pumping at the thought of paying for coffee with HBD.

That’s a wrap on Hive Summit Saturday. Now go out there and build, connect, create, clean up, and maybe—just maybe—make a comic about it.

Because Hive isn’t waiting for permission. It’s already happening.

—Borniet (Still considering a vampire DAO and a trash bag NFT collection. Don’t judge.)

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