Thread by @baconesq

Overview of @WithoutTheRope weekly AMA in the $STRONG Telegram ⬇️⬇️⬇️

$STRONG Q: Hi David could you give us any updates on any changes to node rewards . As I believe you and the team have been working on ways to make the project sustainable with halvings?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope We have several models. Working with our advisors, we’re trying to come up with a hybrid model that will include validator and other pools. These pools would in turn contribute to the sustainability of rewards.

$STRONG Q: did strongblock manage to get a deal for the polygon node reward structure? If yes when will this be shared?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Polygon will be providing a grant. We’re still discussing its regularity. $MATIC

$STRONG Q: David on top of this, really interested to understand fundamentally how strong receives value back from whatever chain it supports-what is it actually looking like to receive compensation from new chains I exchange for the robustness we as an organization provide them?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope We believe that one of the ways we can get value back from each chain is by helping to boost its stability, which in turn helps adoption. If we are also running validators in that chain, StrongBlock nodes benefit from those rewards.

$STRONG Q: David, how should we understand mining. Do we "burn" our strong when we mine them in the same way we burn them to make nodes?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Hmm. We haven’t really talked about mining, but let’s look at validators - they are nearly always rewarded in a protocol, but the barrier to entry is high. Collectively, we believe the #NodeArmy can break that barrier (1/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope allowing more people to participate in validator rewards. In that scenario, there might be a combination of STRONG contribution and simply locking for an extended period. (2/2)

$STRONG Q: David, I understand this is how we ADD value to the network. Strong makes it more stable, buy how does Strong *receive* value back - seems like you've mentioned grants from polygon. $MATIC

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Grants, validator rewards, and revenue. $DVPN - at some point - will provide revenue directly to each node.

$STRONG Q: I suppose the details regarding the reward mechanism and node creation are still being discussed, but can you give us your feeling, are you pleased with the way it's going? Are those partners may be more involved than $dvpn?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope, @0xPolygon and @FantomFDN have been generous and supportive. We’re excited to work with them. We still like the concept of $DVPN they are rolling out their rewards-for-nodes slower than expected. StrongBlock nodes represent over 80% of all their nodes

$STRONG Q: what about fractional nodes to make it available for smaller investors and allow people with small number of nodes faster achieve profit that waiting for next 10?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Think fractional nodes AND fractional validators.

$STRONG Q: @TheNodeCatcher Any plans to work with kaiju cards? @KaijuCards

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope KaijuMIke and the Kaiju team are very close to us.

$STRONG Q: Will our $dvpn nodes in the future start producing bandwidth rewards?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope That is 100% up to Sentinel. That has always been their plan. Last week we heard that it was coming in Q4. So, slower than expected, but $DVPN bandwidth and node rewards are coming.

$STRONG Q: $DVPN is still a fairly obscure and unknown blockchain. I think if it takes away from the development for more well known blockchains development, it may not be worth it currently. But keep it something we can build on later?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Yes. We expected that their rewards model would be released in May. So, the slower release has also slowed their adoption. $DVPN

$STRONG Q: I love the idea behind what $DVPN is trying to produce. If us expanding their nodes help them achieve that goal it would be a huge boom for what strongblock nodes can do for others.

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Agreed. There are many other such protocols. We’re trying not to bet on on any one. The goal instead is to provide the ability to launch nodes into many environments, and let the community decide it it makes sense to continue to support them.

$STRONG Q: @RsrFren any idea how long we have before a halvening / the NUBI changes in some way shape or form?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Well, we were ready to discuss some new models two weeks ago. Then, in an advisor session, we had a breakthrough on longer-term sustainability of deploying capital to create validator and other pools. (1/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope So we’re now working on those models as well. The goal is always towards long-term stability. (2/2)

$STRONG Q: Excited about the launches on Polygon & Fantom. Congratulations on this. Currently both ecosystems aren’t able to deal with heavy load. There’s a lot of lag etc. so STRONG should definitely help here. (1/2)

$STRONG Q: I’m wondering, for those who are buildings applications on top of Polygon & Fantom, are there ways to ensure availability of the nodes? I understand that the planned node balancers should help with this? Do you have any updates about this? (2/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Availability of RPC endpoints? One of the biggest issues in any blockchain is a combination of how validators mesh and the consensus algorithm. It’s different on each chain. Many are theoretical so, once they go into production (1/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope they encounter unintended consequences of their meshing and algorithms. We saw that on Solana on Thursday. $SOL (2/2)

$STRONG Q: When new protocols are launched and 10 strong is still required to launch nodes. If rewards are full subsidized by the new protocol in their native token. Would that not boost our sustainability heaps and the reward pool is being filled and less if being rewards back

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope The idea is to have more STRONG coming in than going out. That can be accomplished many ways. What we’re working on is providing different rewards methods that are stable and reliable, combined with other places to stake (1/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope your STRONG once you’ve earned it. A bigger ecosystem is required than simply putting STRONG into new nodes or the STRONG pool. (2/2)

$STRONG Q: David, when press conference about you said week ago, with new protocol? 😁 Any fixed date or who it is?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope We’ve announced two protocols in the past 3 weeks. We’re trying not to get too far ahead of ourselves. We’re in discussions with 3 protocols right now and, depending on how fast each discussion moves will determine the next one we’ll announce.

$STRONG Q: Hi David the haters call the strongblock platform a Ponzi. What is your response to this?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope I don’t respond to them. People call the US dollar money-printing machine a scam. Who’s going to pay for the trillions we printed during COVID? It’s a rabbit hole question down which it makes no sense to go.

$STRONG Q: Have the team looked further into removing the need to claim rewards when simply building a new node at 10 Strong coins, this will likely increase the incentive to build/keep coins in the system

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope That is already an engineering ticket. Please note that we are also looking for other ways to allow you to use your STRONG once it’s earned.

$STRONG Q: I know Ankr sucks with many support problems they have on different nodes they support. How are you overcoming those operational and upgrade and availability issues? Outsourced to external party or parties or by yourself? Better yet why not make the protocol (1/2)

$STRONG Q: builders if blockchains themselves take that responsibility if you make them work with your hosting providers? This is something I think we need before commercializing our nodes and enterprise adoption. (2/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Launching a single node is non-trivial. What we’ve built is an automated, repeatable, reliable, fast and secure launching mechanism. We can’t rely on the protocols to build those for us. We instead rely on their specs or github (1/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope to take their best practices and automate them. That’s part of our secret sauce. (2/2)

$STRONG Q: How do we avoid system outage? Are we going to AWS and Google cloud of nodes?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope We have multiple redundant systems in many regions and across many providers.

$STRONG Q: does that mean that a $Matic/Strong Node may not be equivalent to $FTM/Strong Node in terms of rewards?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope The idea is for them to be different but equal - the same amount of rewards from a basket of tokens, not just STRONG.

$STRONG Q: So you have dedicated teams to work constantly and stay abreast on each protocol? This is where Ankr sucked. Very inexperienced they were. Guys at Allnodes have been very good at a platform level on that point of view.

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Yes that’s why we take a while before we bring another node protocol online. It’s a lot of automation work, and a lot of testing, to get it to launch behind the scenes. Our team has a lot of experience in building out large infrastructure projects (1/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Our CTO and I met when we were building out a hybrid metal/cloud 1.5b transactions per day adtech platform. (2/2)

$STRONG Q: any news if Strong will be added to any other exchanges?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope At some point, we will add other exchanges. Timing is important.

$STRONG Q: Good morning David first and foremost thank you for everything…….what are the odds rewards can potentially stay at .1 with the new model being implemented? Thanks again sorry if this was asked already

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Right now, rewards will stay as-is. We’re working on a hybrid model that might include rewards changes over time and new sources of rewards from pools.

$STRONG Q: @TheNodeCatcher If we were to integrate onto polygon. Would we have to do anything for that? Or will this all be handled by Strongblock?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Polygon and Fantom and others will be like $DVPN - you’ll be given an option to launch a different type of node. If the protocol is EVM-compatible, like Polygon, wallet connection is much easier - you would just be prompted (1/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope to point your metamask to a different chain. Our approach is to make this as easy as possible for non-technical users to participate. We do that by automating everything. (2/2)

$STRONG Q: How can we mine a gold NFT this summer?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope We’re putting the finishing touches on that. We hope to announce in the next few weeks, at which point we’ll also be putting a limit on how many Silver and Gold NFT’s will be sold before we place them in rewards pools.

$STRONG Q: Hi David, with the increase in node cost rising, do you think part ownership will be introduced in the near future ?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Yes

$STRONG Q: On a scale of 0-to-holy-moly-what-have-I-gotten-myself-into, how difficult does it look from your end to move some or part of our infrastructure to something like Polygon to reduce operating costs (gas)? Should we hold our breath on that one?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope In tech it’s called a forklift. Just moving the tech is one thing. Then you need to consider where the tokens live. Do they become native to that protocol? For example, is STRONG still an ERC-20 token? That’s a BIG consideration. (1/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Liquidity, volume, bridges, security - many factors to moving off of something as established - but expensive - as Ethereum 1.0. And Ethereum 2.0 IS coming. (2/2)

$STRONG Q: How is it even possible to provision resources for CPU, IO, bandwidth and memory-intensive workloads such as Eth nodes for only $15 a month, and be able to keep up with the demand?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Like I said, our team has a history of building mass-scale architecture.

$STRONG Q: With more protocols added, will the 200 Node limit be for the Node type (e.g. Eth 1.0 Node)? or will it be applicable for all Strong Nodes (Polygon, FTM, DVPN, Others as they come along)?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope It will likely be 100. It will apply per wallet. Each new node protocol has its own smart contract, but also integrates to the main rewards and NFT staking contracts. We have to be mindful as that scales to not increase (1/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope math complexity, which increases gas costs and processing time. (2/2)

$STRONG Q: The current gas fees prevent me personally from claiming and creating a new node. Have you considered any way for us to bypass the existing process of CLAIMING then CREATING a new node to creating a new node straight from the app without having to claim 10 STRONG?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope There would still be some gas involved, since you’re moving something on the network, but it will be less to move it directly to creating a node OR staking in another pool.

$STRONG Q: David, do you think we will see a future where Strong is the supporting backbone of the next generation internet?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope That’s pretty ambitious. Many claim they will be the “internet computer”. I guess we’re more humble. We just want everyone to have a chance to support multiple protocols and get rewarded without having to be Vitalik.

$STRONG Q: Would movin to Polygon be a potential solution to any problems/ slowdowns/ STOPS the SEC case against Uniswap could incur?

Are you worried about the SEC case against Uniswap?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope I’m baffled by the case. With everything else going on in blockchain and DeFi, it makes no sense.

$STRONG Q: Would a possible peg in usd or payouts in $eth instead of strong be a good idea for sustainability once new protocols are on boarded? Thanks

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope That depends on how the pools approach we are modeling will work. Again, the goal is to provide a basket of liquid, relatively stable rewards instead of just STRONG.

$STRONG Q: One of my favorite features in the last roadmap was node clusters/gamification of nodes. Is this feature still planned in the future after the current priorities have been developed ?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Still on the list. Moved down a bit due to so much interest from different chains to have us add node-launching.

$STRONG Q: @TheNodeCatcher Will reward reductions affect all nodes or only the ETH nodes?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope If we do rewards reductions, they would likely affect all protocols. We’re trying to avoid them.

$STRONG Q: Does this mean that our current $ETH nodes would also be rewarded in various currencies in the future?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Not certain.

$STRONG Q: No problem, yeah just wondering if our payouts would be the same $ value for example strong paying .1 = around $57 per day would we be paid out similar to the current rewards in other protocols or $usdc etc.

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Yes, that’s what I’ve been saying. That’s the definition of a “basket” of rewards. The basket needs to provide equivalent value.

$STRONG Q: Is there a timescale on when the fantom and polygon nodes will be available to everyone? $MATIC $FTM

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope It will be Polygon first, then Fantom. They’re not likely to be available for a few weeks. Automation is being built right now. $MATIC $FTM

$STRONG Q: Hi David, has @zilliqa reached out to you yet? $ZIL

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Yes $ZIL

$STRONG Q: How will you be able to know the percentage when all of the assets have values that are moving?? Constantly going up and down

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Algorithms and Oracles.

$STRONG Q: Any updates on the economist mentioning “infinite” for rewards capabilities? I know it’s been mentioned that reward halving has been suspended for now, any update for that as well? ie. will we retain our current .1 for how much longer?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope That’s what I’ve been discussing today. The idea is to leverage all of the rewards available in a protocol to make them available to the community. They would then be disbursed to those staking in pools and to node runners.

$STRONG Q: How do we keep the value of Strong up if we start rewarding fully in other tokens?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope More STRONG in, less STRONG out.

$STRONG Q: Thank you for coming to the Telegram to talk to us degens. Also would love to see a Discord started for StrongBlock. It's better organized than Telegram.

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope We’re considering a Discord. We have a new Social Media manager who has that on her list to explore.

$STRONG Q: Have you considered Monero? They have a limited node footprint.

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope It’s on our list. We have not yet spoken with them. So many protocols, so little time. The goal is to at least have discussions with every protocol on our 80+ list over the next few months, so we can have a better idea of what 2022 and beyond looks like

$STRONG Q: Would it ever be possible to take a loan out for a node with a reduced reward to pay it back?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope That’s called collateralization. Yes, we’re exploring that.

$STRONG Q: is @coinbase still on the agenda?? I think I remember you mentioning applying to go onto Coinbase once we hit a certain market cap 👀

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope There is a proper time for moving to Tier 1 exchanges.

$STRONG Q: So if I understand this correctly, lets say $MATIC has a range of items that can be used as rewards in their protocol, such as tokens, NFTs, DeFi products etc. Does it mean OUR rewards as Strong node operators will be a mixture of those?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope It would need to be more stable than that. Think in terms of different ways to earn the token ( $MATIC for example), including validator rewards.

$STRONG Q: Does polygons recent announcement that it is helping Coinbase organize itself mean anything for strong? Would we be a part of that?

Or just simply, more people knowing about us and possibly being interested in making a node.

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope We’re not a part of that discussion. We are working with several different groups at Polygon though. $MATIC

$STRONG Q: Will we get a month or so heads up before a new reward structure is put in place? A chance to "prepare" if you may.....

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Yes

$STRONG Q: is the plan to average add like 2 protocols a month coming months?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope It really depends on the protocols. We are ramping up discussions and technology creation. We have big plans, but they are with multiple other protocols, and we will move in a way that’s comfortable for us and them.

$STRONG Q: any plans to build a customized strongblock chain (eg an eth sidechain) to allow txs to be performed faster and cheaper? Can also run strong native nodes in the future😎

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope We’ve actually been talking seriously about this for the past few weeks. We’ll let you know how the discussions turn out.

$STRONG Q: are there any downsides to rolling out multiple protocols within a short time period?

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope It always depends on the tech. If we have an automation template we can mostly re-use from one protocol to the next - like Polygon and Fantom, both EVM-compatible - it makes it much easier. $DVPN, $SOL, $Tezos, $DOT (1/2)

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope and others are each customized, which means more engineering and more testing. (2/2)

$STRONG Q: have u guys thought of a migration to flare? if they succeed with their release...evm compatible? fast, low fees...etc

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope Not sure about a migration, but possibly we would launch their nodes and/or be a validator. Migrating is problematic. Please see earlier discussions today about liquidity, bridging, etc.

$STRONG Q: how is development of our own market place going? For NFT'S and maybe nodes

$STRONG A: @WithoutTheRope It’s in planning, not yet in development. We need to finish our rewards model, which has been expanded in the past few weeks to include some new approaches to acquiring rewards for the community.

So that is it from this weeks AMA with @WithoutTheRope. Trusting the teams vision more and more each week as we learn what's going on behind the scenes. Very excited for the future as more protocols are launched! $STRONG $DVPN $MATIC $FTM

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