Believe the hype? HTC.T VR, Dogecoin and Hydropothecary (THCX.V) public offering.

Hey, it’s Tuesday, let’s have some fun. Here are some hyped stories I saw today and thought were relevant to our interests.

So rich. Much valuation. Wat?

So Dogecoin, a joke cryptocurrency started on Reddit a few years back is back in the news. Based on the cute but inarticulate Doge meme, the currency was used to tip other reddit users as a joke on the then brand-new idea of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general.

Today multiple outlets are breathlessly reporting on how the market valuation of all the Dogecoin in circulation is over $2 billion USD.

3 years ago, 50,000 dogecoins was worth about eight pizzas.

The development of the software is dead, there are no more coins being mined, so the hipsters are all over this enforced scarcity.

Is Dogecoin a sign of things to come? I’ve made the $1M BTC argument before,  but Dogecoin? Dogecoin?!

Unlike most crypto, this currency was conceived as a joke, was used as a joke and for everyone but overheated investors looking for any crypto offering, it’s STILL a joke.

Even the founder says this is nuts in a BBC interview:

“The fact that most conversations happening in the media and between peers focus on the investment potential is worrying,”  -Jackson Palmer, founder/developer Dogecoin

Judgement: HYPE

 

When the VR hype going gets tough, the tough go PRO.

CES is upon us. All the elves Techno-Santa’s workshop are bringing out their shiny new toys for us to goggle at. It’s a good opportunity to spot trends, especially in VR gear.

HTC (HTC.T) Vive has the buzz so far with its announcement of it’s Vive ‘Pro’ headset. It’s got higher res screens, a lighter, more comfortable fit and with additional base stations can cover ten square meters of room space. Their other bit of news was confirmation of a wireless adapter for the headset later this year, but did not have a unit to display at the show.

I suspect Oculus and Sony will have similar announcements in the next 6-12 months, but this is the beginning of the 2nd wave of equipment. Much like Apple’s iPhone, the first wave is mindblowing, but is really a massive public beta test.

These next generation of headsets, lighter, more powerful with the freedom of wireless is going to be the first real wave of fully consumer-ready hardware. It’s another reason I’m still bullish on VR in general.

With the costs dropping, and the elimination of cabling and other user experience pain points, VR will only get easier for the layperson to pick up. It’s the same trajectory we’ve seen time and again with Radios, TVs, Computers, etc.

Judgement: Not Hype, but if 2018 isn’t a banner year, I will be wrong about that.)

We are THCX.V of Borg. resistance is futile.

I found an interesting Hydropothecary (THCX.V) article today basically confirming everything I have been saying about their strategy up until now. In a recent BNN article. the CEO fessed up to the Quebec focus they’ve been pursuing.

Of course the big news is their new public offering, but I’m more interested in the part where the CEO admits to wanting to control the Quebec market.

It was clear to me since I’ve been watching them their plan was to become the ‘Quebec Brand’ of weed. It’s a really smart play. Molson rebrands ‘Canadian’ as ‘Export’ in Quebec because regional tastes and buying patterns are very… distinct… in Quebec.

Quebecers like to buy local in a way that is very much tied in with their identity. There’s a raft of companies and institutions which have this golden ‘Chez-Nous’ aura. THCX is all over this idea and is working hard to get good press in the french media and making deals and providing photo-ops to government folks who get to say ‘Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.’

I have to credit their guy Terry Lake, a former B.C. MLA and Minister. I worked with him peripherally on some BC Transplant projects when I was in government. He was and still is a sharp operator.

I’ve like the company’s numbers, and I like their plans. Now they’re getting ready to move into the rest of Canada. By getting in bed with the poutine-industrial complex in Quebec City, they will have a nice backstop in La Bell Province as they expand outward.

Judgement: Serious as a heart attack caused by cheese and fries.