Tag Archives: NFT

To be better at being anti-crypto

Posted on April 20, 2022 by VM

Molly White has a difficult read, one that I’m forced to agree with in spite of my vehemently anti-cryptocurrency position. Three representative paragraphs from her post: I … think that [cryptocurrency-based financial solutions] are enormously attractive to people who see them … Continue reading →

Posted in Op-eds, Tech | Tagged cryptocurrencies, Molly White, NFT, upper caste, upper class | Leave a comment

NFTs aren’t thriving – they’re often in the hospital

Posted on April 11, 2022 by VM

This is not a real anniversary but it’s worth commemorating, if only to remember the pseudo-events propping up the NFT business-culture. One month and one year ago, a cryptocurrency user named Metakovan purchased an NFT associated with a piece of … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Tech | Tagged Beeple, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, Ethereum, gatekeeping, Metakovan, NFT, Ponzi scheme, Vitalik Buterin | Leave a comment

Intro to NFTs

Posted on March 25, 2022 by VM

A far-too-simplified introduction to cryptocurrencies and NFTs. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFT, non-fungible tokens, permissionless, proof of stake, proof of work, trustless | Comments Off

Art is something for cryptocurrencies to con

Posted on February 22, 2022 by VM

Cryptocurrencies have emerged as a way to fund art, and therefore supposedly support artists, using the Trojan horse of NFTs. Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Culture | Tagged art trading, cryptocurrencies, NFT, non-fungible tokens, Yakov Golyadkin | Comments Off

If WordPress supports NFTs, should I boycott it?

Posted on February 17, 2022 by VM

“I make use of the tools available to me. That doesn’t mean I have to applaud every advance in the field.” Continue reading →

Posted in Tech | Tagged blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFT, non-fungible tokens, web3, WordPress | Comments Off

The persistence of NFTs

Posted on February 10, 2022 by VM

NFTs freak me out. One of the ways in which my grandmother lost touch with her daughter – my mother – was my mother’s generation’s access to and use of computers, smartphones and the internet. And one of the ways … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Culture | Tagged cryptocurrency, metaverse, NFT, non-fungible tokens, Silicon Valley | Comments Off

Pseudoscientific materials and thermoeconomics

Posted on July 6, 2021 by VM

The Shycocan Corp. took out a full-page jacket ad in the Times of India on June 22 – the same day The Telegraph (UK) had a story about GBP 2,900 handbags by Gucci that exist only online, in some videogame. The Shycocan product’s science is … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Science | Tagged capitalism, consumerism, eco-economic decoupling, flygskam, Greta Thunberg, Gucci, infinite growth, Michael Liebrich, nationalism, negative entropy, NFT, non-fungible tokens, pseudoscience, Shycocan, thermoeconomics | Leave a comment

On crypto-art, racism and outcome fantasies

Posted on March 23, 2021 by VM

If you want to find mistakes with something, you’ll be able to find them if you tried long enough. That doesn’t inherently make the thing worthless. The only exception I’ve encountered to this truism is the prevailing world-system – which … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Op-eds, Tech | Tagged art criticism, art patronage, Beeple, Big Tech, Bitcoin, bitcoin mining, blockchain, capitalism, Christie's, consensus algorithms, crypto-art, cryptocurrencies, Ethereum, Everydays, financial transactions, Metakovan, Metapurse, NFT, non-fungible tokens, power consumption, proof of stake, proof of work, racism, settlement finality, Silicon Valley, Sybil attack, The First 5000 Days, Tim Swanson, Twobadour | Leave a comment