If you’re watching Thursday’s House hearing on misinformation, where Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai are testifying, you might have noticed a clock-like device prominently displayed over Dorsey’s right shoulder. (It’s hard to miss — besides Dorsey, a window, and some houseware, it’s basically the only other thing in frame.) But the device doesn’t seem to be showing the time — or at least, I haven’t seen that. So what is it?
It’s a bitcoin clock. Specifically, Coinkite’s $399 BlockClock mini. If you’re even tangentially aware of Dorsey’s love of bitcoin, this will not come as a surprise.
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Dorsey is a huge fan of bitcoin:
Dorsey just seems to be into blockchain-based things in general, having just auctioned off his first tweet as an NFT for nearly $3 million. (He donated the proceeds to charity.)
As for the BlockClock mini, it can indeed show the time, but it’s also a Wi-Fi-enabled device that can also show you the current price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrency-related data. “Track prices from exchanges, see blocks as they are published by miners and connect Opendime to display balance, fiat value, and deposit QR codes,” reads a description on Coinkite’s store. (The current price of bitcoin is more than $52,000 as of this writing, if you were wondering.)
If you’re enamored with the BlockClock mini after seeing it on Dorsey’s counter, you may not get it soon. Coinkite lists it as a “long lead item” and notes in the clock’s description that “lead times may vary — no delivery date guarantees due to high demand.” The device’s main website also has a big button to “Reserve Now
Also, it’s $399.
