DAOs

My MetaMask Chrome Extension Wallet was hacked. The ETH is gone forever. Even though I can clearly see that address of the wallet that stole it, there's nothing I can do to get it back. I'm just writing this blog post as a warning for anyone who thinks keeping more than a few hundred dollars in a "hot wallet" is a good idea. I always keep a small amount of ETH in my MetaMask wallet to buy virtual goods and NFTs and game tokens, etc. I have been aware that the wallet was vulnerable to attack, but this hack is remarkable. They must have figured out my password – which is hard to do. Here's a chronicle of the events. I'll keep it updated. Continue Reading →

You know how to amass a $1 million fortune investing in NFTs? Start with $5 million. If you are trying to “get rich quick,” stop reading now. There’s nothing here for you. If, on the other hand, you want to dig a little deeper into the most popular use cases for NFTs and the transitional technologies empowering web 3, read on. Continue Reading →

ConstitutionDAO (a decentralized autonomous organization created to purchase a rare copy of the U.S. Constitution) raised $49.8 million in ETH. Its auction bid was not successful, so it began refunding the unused ETH to members of the DAO. Continue Reading →

Crypto developer Matthew Jensen was forced to close his JRR Token business as part of a settlement with the estate of "Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkein. The estate’s lawyer, Steve Maier, described the case as a “particularly flagrant case of infringement,” adding that the estate is “pleased that it has been concluded on satisfactory terms.” Continue Reading →

MODA DAO is the kind of project that has the potential to change our fundamental assumptions about how the music industry (or any content-based industry) functions. Continue Reading →

During an upgrade to the Compound platform, a bug caused the system to transfer close to $90 million in COMP (their cryptocurrency) to random users. In a desperate tweet, Compound’s CEO begged the users to give the money back. He threatened to dox the users. (That’s a slang term for making user identities public or, in this case, reporting them to the IRS.) Then offered a 10 percent reward for “doing the right thing.” Continue Reading →

Are you wondering why it is taking so long for blockchain to become as ubiquitous as AI or IoT? One of the biggest stumbling blocks (pardon the pun) is that Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, and the vast majority of other blockchains are proprietary ecosystems (walled gardens) that cannot easily share data or exchange value with other blockchains. This is not a new problem, but there are new, well-funded solutions emerging with exciting roadmaps that point to explosive growth in the near-term. Here’s a quick overview of some projects that have my attention. Continue Reading →

OnlyFans (OF) announced that—for business reasons—it was going to ban sexually explicit content. Five days later, the company reversed its decision. Luckily, this article isn't about their decision-making process... it's about how you might build an alternative app. Continue Reading →

For crypto speculators, newbies, and "get rich quick" thrillseekers, last week was tough. The Chinese government re-signaled its displeasure with bitcoin and all things crypto, the IRS announced it is going to do what it can to tax every possible crypto transaction, and Elon tweeted, scaring the hell out of people who pay attention to him. Panic ensued. When it was over, Wednesday's crypto crash vaporized about $1 trillion of market value. The currency may be virtual, but for those who sold at a loss, the losses were real. And while it came back a bit after the crash, this rollercoaster ride is getting even more extreme. Which is why it is no surprise that so many well-respected businesspeople and financial experts chose this past week to declare that crypto is "valueless," or "nutso," or "dead." But think about this... Continue Reading →

Dfinity launched Internet Computer last week, and ICP, its cryptocurrency, already has a market cap of over $30 billion. This article is not about the value of owning ICP or how or why you may or may not want to trade crypto. I'm not going to offer any financial advice here. What interests me is how strongly Dfinity's vision aligns with my essay Tales from under the Merkle Tree. In the essay, I ask you to imagine a world powered by decentralized apps (Dapps), where currencies are traded on decentralized exchanges (DEXs), and people transact business on distributed ledgers (aka blockchains). I also suggested that the future I asked you to envision "is literally just months away." I was wrong. It's happening right now. Or is it? Continue Reading →