Western commentators on crypto are caught in this weird bind:
they and their audience are the small minority who need crypto *least*, yet they feel compelled to declare judgement on the whole project.
Dec 14, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Brandolini's Shadow: A space where bullshit thrives in the orbit of a real innovation.
Exists close enough to the real innovation to inherit reputation, but far enough away from the core that the people who know better won't spend time explaining why it is bullshit.
@ercwl is a stalwart explorer of Brandolini's Shadow
Jul 14, 2022 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
0. Fun piece of history about this:
the deposit contract the community used was just the first one to be uploaded w/ the verified bytecode
as far as I know, no one even knows who deployed it!
It wasn't "official" until the community opted to use it
1. When it first appeared, community members thought it was a malicious fake, as everyone was on high-alert for phishing schemes
several people tweeted warnings about it, and etherscan put a flag on it
Jul 12, 2022 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
Suitcase Handle Words:
"Imagine an old, heavy suitcase whose well-worn handles are hanging by a few threads.
The handle is “Trust the Process” or “Story Is King”—a pithy statement that seems, on the face of it, to stand for so much more." 0/
"The suitcase represents all that has gone into the formation of the phrase: the experience, the deep wisdom, the truths that emerge from struggle. Too often, we grab the handle and—without realizing it—walk off without the suitcase." 1/
Apr 13, 2022 • 21 tweets • 4 min read
0. Atoms, Institutions, Blockchains
This is my answer to why crypto matters, what problem blockchains solve, and how Ethereum can change the world.
stark.mirror.xyz/n2UpRqwdf7yjui…1. Human civilization depends in part on our ability to make the future more certain in specific ways.
For instance, money, law, and government require a level of durable permanence. For them to be useful, certain aspects of them must be predictable.
We're trying to only count revenue earned by "creators", but not people who only trade NFTs.
We did this by measuring revenue from ERC-721 mints directly on Ethereum, and looking at sales & royalty data from leading marketplaces.
Nov 8, 2021 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
1. When @ethereum switches to Proof of Stake, the energy use of the network will be reduced by about ~99.95%.
One common reaction to this:
"how can you be so sure?"
2. People are rightfully skeptical of claims about reduced energy use.
When companies claim to be reducing emissions, the improvements are often marginal (and sometimes false).
In that context, a reduction of 99.95% sounds too good to be true - more crypto snakeoil.
Oct 7, 2021 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
One common error people make when critiquing new technologies like the internet/crypto/NFTs:
Mistaking a "new category" for a "new product" /1
A product is a specific thing. An app, a game, a tool.
Reasoning about a product can be easy. A product might have a specific purpose or goal. Does it solve it? It can also be personal. Would you buy this? Do you like using it? /2
Mar 11, 2021 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
0. With NFTs and Eth's move to Proof of Stake in the news, I often see comments like:
"Eth has been promising to move to PoS for years, but..." or "Eth2, still under development, may launch in a year or two...."
But how many people realize that Eth2's PoS is already... live?
1. In December, the Ethereum community launched Eth2's Proof of Stake mechanism - it's called the Beacon Chain. It has been running smoothly since launch - you can watch it live here: beaconscan.com
Feb 26, 2021 • 14 tweets • 3 min read
0. A thread of 100 half-baked NFT ideas & thoughts:
1. Maybe every cultural product - novel, film, poem, installation - ends up with a 1 of 1 NFT issued by the authentic creator. If issuance cost goes to 0, why not?
Maybe cultural products without an NFT become more valuable, a choice to forgo a digital version.
Jul 5, 2019 • 9 tweets • 4 min read
Was going over some old writing and decided it would be fun (embarrassing?) to share here - neat to see what held up, and what didn't.
In 2015 - 2016 I wrote 7 posts under a pseudonym, a mix of essays about crypto and short stories that tried to illustrate its potential:
1: A simple view of blockchain
- An ultra basic pitch for why crypto & blockchain tech matter
- Remember “blockchain” as proper noun? I’m sorry.
