Hey there,

We're back with the 35th edition of Paragraph Picks, highlighting a few hand-selected pieces from the past couple of weeks.

Check them out & let us know which is your favorite!

The mall

@naomiii writes about the disorienting yet oddly human experience of visiting a shopping mall, weaving together personal memories, critiques of consumer culture, and the quiet beauty of fleeting interactions in a world increasingly shaped by isolation and digital life.

Somewhere, I read that even such small interactions with strangers go a long way in making us feel less alone in the world — a part of something else.

The Slow Hunch Podcast: Episode 8 with Fred Wilson & Brad Burnham

@nickgrossman.eth shares his conversation with Fred Wilson and Brad Burnham, highlighting their curiosity-driven approach to investing and the evolution of Union Square Ventures through shared values, slow hunches, and a willingness to embrace the new and unexpected.

What strikes me most about Fred and Brad is their endless curiosity.

The Collector Funnel

@blockchainbrett explains how the crypto media ecosystem is shifting from scarce, exclusive tokens to more accessible, low-friction models like open editions and coins to grow collector bases and deepen creator-audience relationships.

The relationships that are forming onchain are already more substantive than anything we have in today’s platforms, and they will continue to be surfaced and extended upon.

Quantum Symmetries

@stc explores how quantum computing — specifically quantum randomness, entanglement, and noise — can be harnessed for generative art, blurring the boundaries between technology, philosophy, and perception.

Both the I Ching and quantum mechanics embrace true randomness and the observer’s role, suggesting that meaning and conventional reality takes form only through subjective interactions with an unfixed, probabilistic universe.

Building castles without kings

@macbudkowski explores the ideological foundations of Ethereum and encourages the community to evolve toward greater usability and broader relevance without losing its core values.

So this is why I think we are here.

Because we believe in something, and despite 10 years of people ignoring, laughing, and fighting Ethereum, the mission stayed the same.

Non State State Machines

@mariapaula reflects on the inclusive potential of blockchain technology, arguing that despite recent missteps in the space, blockchains should remain audience-agnostic and empower everyone — regardless of identity or background — to explore, build, and reinvent themselves.

Technology should be agnostic and serve as many people as possible.

That's all we have for this week — what did we miss?

Let us know what you think!