Blockchain Radio is a web app that synthesizes Bitcoin transactions and block confirmations into musical notes in real-time. The web app is hosted at https://jacobajit.github.io/blockchainRadio/. Simply open the web app, listen, and watch; no additional interaction is required. Occasionally, it seems that no audio/data loads; if that occurs, refresh the page a few times.
For some background on the data the web app works with, Bitcoin, along with many other cryptocurrencies, operate on a peer-to-peer distributed network to propogate transactions. Each transaction consists of several inputs (which were unspent outputs from a previous transaction), and several outputs. The value contained in an output is then assigned to whoever it was sent to, for that person to spend using a digital signature based on their private key. Finally, these transactions are "confirmed" by a miner, who solves a cryptographic problem to prove that they spent computational power, and then publishes this block of transactions onto the Bitcoin blockchain, a decentralized public ledger of all transactions within the network.
Blockchain Radio represents transactions in the form of musical notes. Each transaction is converted into a musical note based on the value of the transaction (the larger the transaction value, the higher the pitch of the note). Meanwhile, the numbers appearing within the circle at the center of the page represent the transaction value in units of Bitcoin. The background color of the circle changes to random colors on each transaction, to draw attention to the transaction and better represent how fast transactions are occuring, along with the tempo of the notes. Finally, when a new block is confirmed (occurs on average every 10 minutes, but varies), a gong sounds.
Ultimately, Blockchain Radio allows for a simple way to get a grasp of what's going on within the Bitcoin network/blockchain in real-time through a multi-sensory experience. Listening to the pitch change gives an idea toward the amount of value being transacted while the tempo of the notes represents transaction velocity, or what the network throughput is. The audio is matched with visual cues, including the numeric transaction values and the changing colors on transaction.
Blockchain Radio provides a glimpse of what's possible when data is decentralized and transparent. Thanks to open APIs that tie into the Bitcoin network, anyone can build an app to work with events and data. Blockchain Radio represents the capabilities of a truly public ledger, since anyone using the web app will be hearing the same audio (hence "Radio"). Sit back and become one with the blockchain TM.
The app uses a Websocket API of Blockchain.info; more details are in DESIGN.md. A video demo can be found at https://youtu.be/UDytdUvWwqY.