Trust Me Bro Show

Welcome to the Trust Me Bro newsletter where Lens Protocol, Web3, AI and the joy of beer unite 🎙️

Welcome back to our newsletter. Ready for a quick rundown of Lens-related updates and more? Let's dive in 

Hey Lens fam 👋🏽 Gateway Miami is gearing up to set the stage on fire during Miami Art Week, and Lens Protocol is right there in the spotlight, ready to elevate the digital art experience.

by teaming up with NFT Now, bringing a fusion of creativity and technology to the vibrant atmosphere of Miami Art Week.

NFTNOW, the creative powerhouse, caught up with some incredible artists who are set to showcase their latest works. The Lens x NFT Now activation promises an exclusive opportunity to claim Clem, the tropical Fini, whose moods sync with your Lens Protocol activity. Sick, ain't it?

 at Gateway Miami, a showstopper exhibition featuring 600 unique art pieces in the Ekos Genesis Art Collection. This collection boasts 1/1 digital art by visionaries like David Maisel, founder of Marvel Studios & Mythos Studios, and artists Michael Turner & Peter Steigerwald. 

 to be part of this artistic extravaganza.

The crypto scene is warming up, and web3 is stepping into the spotlight right on cue for Gateway Miami. Imagine this: the fabulous Faena Forum in South Beach is turning into a vibrant digital art garden. 

Lens Protocol is right there, rubbing shoulders with big names like 

Expect a great venue, fireside chats, keynote speakers, and a dose of surprise announcements from all the participants. This year's theme, "

" celebrates the creativity and resilience of artists in full bloom. Like our garden, IYKYK 

Make sure your calendar is marked for Gateway Miami 2023. Lens Protocol, NFT Now, and a myriad of creative minds are gearing up to turn Miami Art Week into an unforgettable experience. 

Planning to be in Miami? Drop us a line and, if you make it to the event, share your pics with us 🙌🏼

Lens V1 posts are back for collection 🤝🏽

During the migration from Lens V1 to V2, a snag emerged – the inability to collect posts shared pre-V2. This caught the attention of some Lens OGs who had been actively posting and reposting the issue.

But guess what? There's good news! The Lens Devs Team, led by the one and only 

, swiftly intervened and worked their magic to solve the issue 

This is not the case anymore; you can now collect V1 follow-only publications!

Now, collecting those cherished V1 posts is back on the menu, showcasing the collaborative spirit of the Lens community and its Devs in tackling web3 challenges 

Last but not least, we need to give a huge shoutout to 

https://hey.xyz/posts/0x06-0x01e9-DA-cc95bcf4

Here's some quick updates from the One Man Show 

 just got even more exciting with some fresh features on the menu.

1 - Add or remove profile managers 🤝🏽

(If you are not using Buttrfly yet, you can check it and download it here : 

 week is still in full swing. Haven't shared your favorite AI-generated Lens collectibles yet? Now's the perfect moment!

 Drop those mesmerizing AI art links in the comments and let the creativity flow. Winner will take 5 WMatic home! Nominations are open until next week! 

 Don't miss out on the chance to support our talented creators and be part of AI art celebration, by collecting the post for as little as 0.25 WMatic.

This one is a great post! Here's the lowdown 👇🏼

 took a stroll through a German forest with his four-legged buddy, decided to film it and it turned into a wild adventure 

He found mini creatures, a sneaky salamander, and decided to taste some forest mushrooms 

Things got interesting, to say the least 

 The cherry on the top? The narration! Picture David Attenborough, but more laid-back!

This isn't your usual documentary; it's a chill and amusing forest exploration! 

World's Top 5 Beers 2023: Sip Around the Globe

Hey beer enthusiasts! In a world where beer unites us all, let's take a journey through the globe's most beloved brews. With a market valued at a whopping $790 billion, beer is the universal language of celebration and friendship.

According to Brand Finance, Heineken leads the pack as the world's most valuable beer brand, valued at a staggering $7.6 billion. Corona Extra follows closely at $7.4 billion, showcasing the global preference for high-quality premium lagers.

The beer community on Untappd has spoken! Check-ins reveal a mix of American and European favourites. Guinness Draught leads the pack, proving that this macro stout transcends borders, capturing the hearts of beer enthusiasts worldwide.

GlobalData Consumer's sales data unveils the best-selling beer brands worldwide. From Snow to Budweiser, these beers have achieved international acclaim.

 Sip your Heineken in Amsterdam, raise a beachy toast with Corona, or chill with a Snow in China. Cheers to these global thirst-busters!

So, what's your favourite beer from these lists? Let us know 

Big thanks for diving into this week's newsletter with us 

Show some love by collecting, sharing, and hitting subscribe.

TMB #07

Lens in Miami | V1 Posts Are Back | Buttrfly Updates & More

Thumbs' Update

I've always been a leftist. My single mom was a union member, I leveraged student loans and other socialist benefits throughout my life to get to where I am today, and I believe strongly that 

One thing that has changed throughout the years is my belief that the state (which many conflate incorrectly with leftism) is capable of reflecting the will of the people or providing for their needs. I came to the realization that centralization, in any form, is undoubtedly a corrupting force.

The irony of this newfound belief is that for years I told anarchist friends that there was no way their ideals could materialize, that anarchy instinctively gives way to chaos and that in chaos violence thrives. I felt that if we removed the centralized power, there could be no countervailing force to protect this idyllic anarchy from those who would enforce a new feudalism. I feared a Mad Max, anarcho-capitalist future, where the greedy reign supreme. At times, I still do.

However, one thing has happened since I got into crypto. I discovered the beauty of decentralization; how when the given the tools, individuals can protect themselves from the overreaching state or corporate entity, and how, with this protection in place, they could choose what they truly wanted to be or to do. In a surprising number of cases they chose to do the unexpected...

There's a lot of misconceptions about anarchism. In the June 2023 issue of this newsletter, titled "

At the time I had just finished a short but succinct book by Noam Chomsky called 

. It features excerpts from his essays, books, and speeches and references to a number of iconic moments in anarchist history. I definitely recommend it.

Recently I picked up another text on this subject: an english version of a french book whose translated title is 

. In it, Francis Dupuis–Déri, a professor of political science, specializing in anarchy debates with his father the merits of anarchism, citing historical movements, academic writings, and rationalist arguments.

It was through this book that I learned about Pyotr ("Peter") Kropotkin, the geographer and anarchist philosopher who debated Marx and other prominent socialist and communist. Like 

 who I wrote about in “All Together Now,”

Elements of anarcho-communism, anarcho-syndicalism, and market socialism can be found throughout crypto, even while many of its loudest proponents decry these ideologies. But debating the merits of socialism versus capitalism is not something I intend to do in this particular issue of the newsletter. Rather I've brought up Kropotkin because of a specific book that he wrote.

Kropotkin's work in the sciences led him to examine the writings of Darwin and his contemporaries through a socialist lens. In one of his most well-known books, Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution (available for free 

), he points to the flaws in what would later be come to be known as 

, Darwin himself backtracked on the idea of survival of the fittest from his earlier work 

—on which social darwinists base their entire worldview.

He argued that Darwin could point to far more examples of pluralism in nature than of individualism. Species that survive often do so by providing forms of 

Kropotkin was using science to explain the virtues of socialist and communist principals. And while I won't claim his assertions are without their own flaws, one thing feels true to me: helping others feels natural, moral, and right; whatever any of those words truly means.

I suspect that this is why, when blockchain technology entered the fray, it wasn't long before people came up with ways to use it for collective, not just personal gain; for support, not just transactionality.

Regardless of your feelings about the term, we in the midst of the transition to web3. This is in part because so much of the web can now interact with blockchain, and in part because so much of the web (outside of twitter, google, and facebook's platforms) can interoperate. You see I would argue that data portability is as much a feature of “web3” as blockchain. And it all began with Bandcamp.

Well perhaps, not Bandcamp, but it was an idea, forged in the successes of that platform, fuelled by the dream of direct artist-to-fan relationships that inspired a movement, no exodus, from gate-kept marketplaces who stole the lion's share and could make or break an artist's career, to so-called “patronage platforms.” The most notable of these platforms, is Patreon (although Substack comes close).

The idea is simple: you like what I do? Support me, so that I can continue to do so. This works well for established creators who can bring an audience with them, releasing themselves from the shackles of big platforms' terms of service and monopoly rents. But, interestingly, these platforms provide something that the algorithmic feeds and ad-powered models can't: a sustainable business model for niche creators.

I've written a lot about my belief in the patronage model, including why I believe web3 is a better home for it, and why blockchain is the perfect tool for creatives. I consolidated the majority of these opinions into my blog post ”

In that post I talk about an idea I've espoused on social media dozens of times: that NFTs are nothing more than a proof-of-payment, which makes them the perfect technology for patronage. Think about it: each time I write these articles, if you like what you read, you can mint them on Mirror or Paragraph, support my work financially, and get an onchain collectible that essentially says to everyone who sees it that you are a fan, a believer, a patron.

Every time you encounter an NFT of a song, an artwork, a piece of writing, etc you can decide, all hype aside, whether or not you want to support the person who minted that NFT. If the answer is yes, and you can afford to, you know what to do. If the answer is no, then you'll have to either decide if you want to speculate on its future value, or quell your fomo some other way.

Blockchain cryptocurrencies can be sent near instantly across borders to anyone with a wallet. That means they are, by far, the best means of providing support of the most socially acceptable variety: charitable giving.

We've seen the power of this unleashed since the war in Ukraine began with organizations like The Giving Block coming to the forefront to provide cryptocurrency donation services for traditional non-profits. In fact, if you want to support Palestinians in their time of need—aside from calling on your politicians to demand a permanent ceasefire—you can use The Giving Block to donate to the UNRWA (

) to name just a couple of organizations.

Because of the way cryptocurrency works, allowing for peer-to-peer payments, it's also perfect for direct giving in circumstances where you know the address of the person or group you want to support. Just be aware of the consequences of publicly surveilled blockchains and absurdly capricious regulators. It’s in your best interest to be aware of rules around international money transfers in your jurisdiction before sending crypto. And obviously you want to know who you're sending to and not support anyone doing anything illegal or against your own principals and morals.

As Kropotkin suggested, support is an inherent social behaviour, so its no wonder that with the advent of blockchain technology that online social communities sprung up and created tools for onchain mutual aid. There are a number of such tools but perhaps the most well known are 

The key distinction between onchain mutual aid and onchain venture capital (as we see with ICOs) is the expectation of profit. Givers on platforms like Gitcoin are helping to reward and finance underfunded projects, usually in the open-source world. They provide funding, without the expectation of any return, for what are called 

Essentially public goods are those which are freely available and not limited in supply like air. Digitally speaking, we think of open-source software as a public good but interestingly, since the advent of funding mechanisms like Gitcoin, the discussion about “what is a public good” has evolved.

People wonder if a public good can have a fee attached, if it can be profitable, if it has to be broadly useful or if niche goods, when available for everyone, qualify. This is even more contentious thanks to Optimism, or to be more specific, the Optimism Collective.

The third round of Optimism's Retroactive Public Goods Funding (RPGF3) experiment is currently in the voting phase and debates about what qualifies as a public good are getting heated. In many ways, the debate is about what should be funded at all. Is it those things that match the strictest definition of a public good? Do voters consider financial need?

It's a complex subject and I won't claim to have the answers. But I will say that I believe there are some projects which are definitely worth considering for votes. These projects offer something of value, for free, like, for example, educational content, and are not funded by some larger, more extractive entity.

Of course, I'm being a bit tongue in cheek. You see I am a nominee for RPGF3 in the Education category. Several months ago, I looked for good content about Optimism's modular OP Stack and what it would mean for the future of Optimism as well as the rest of the Ethereum ecosystem. I couldn't find a single article that did a good job of explaining this complex system. So what did I do? I spent a full month, perusing every doc, gathering every blog post, watching every video from developer conferences, and listening to every podcast episode, and I wrote what I believe is still the most informative and easy to read explainer on the OP Stack to date.

The secret to scaling Ethereum is open-source, modularity, and Optimism.

Foundation: Bedrock & The OP Stack, Explained

I implore you to read that article, and to any voters reading, if you believe that article and my other educational content adds value to the Optimism ecosystem, please consider voting for me.

This project is still woefully underfunded.

In last month's newsletter, I talked about my experimental crowdfunding campaign to try to raise money to buy a laptop. For years, I've been creating all my content on a work-issued macbook that I may soon lose access to.

Unfortunately that campaign came to an end without reaching its goal and only one of the people who pledged support decided to carry on with their support afterwards. On the bright side, something completely unexpected happened in the middle of all this.

First, I had received the Celestia airdrop, and while I sold it immediately (a decision that would later prove to be 

), I was able to set several hundred dollars aside in savings. Then, unexpectedly, one of my Mirror articles was featured in a quest on Layer3, and a number of people decided to collect the article.

PoolTogether is the pinnacle of of prize savings

This is What Saving Looks Like

In fact, that article, all about PoolTogether v5, became by most collected article by far earning me over $1000, which I combined with basically every dollar of my savings to purchase a refurbished Macbook Air M2.

So while the campaign was not exactly successful and I am still in a financially tough position, I am no longer reliant on a work laptop and thus have a certain amount of security to continue this project into the foreseeable future. So thank you to everyone who minted that article 

I've already been using my new laptop to make content, including my first Youtube video in a year! Check it out 

Don't forget to like and subscribe! And if you want to collect this video as an NFT, 

If you like what you've read and seen and you want to contribute to help me replenish my savings and fund other costs of this project like website domain renewal, software subscriptions, gas costs etc, consider minting my articles on Mirror.

Alternatively you can mint my patronage NFT on 

. I worked together with a skilled animator named Joshua Franco, who worked on Robot Chicken and several other shows, to create a charming animation out of real clay which serves as the visual for this onchain token of support.

In the future, this token could unlock special perks like airdrops and token-gated extras, but for now it offers one unique perk...

This month's question comes from the incredibly talented 

 in last month's newsletter. elle contributed to the laptop crowdfunding, and I'm beyond grateful for the generosity, not to mention the excellent question. So let's get into it!

This is such a perfect question, especially with all that's been happening around OpenAI. I think we're all worried that AI is going to be in the hands of people who really don't care about the quality of its inputs or outputs or the safety of its use cases.

I could answer your question sarcastically, by simply saying "yes," but I won't do that. At least not in so few words 

You know, I always say about web3 that “it's just the internet.” It's an evolution of what came before; a stepping stone towards whatever comes next. I think in a lot of ways this era of AI can be viewed in the same way.

Some people might be inclined to call this era “AI 1.0” but I think that's giving too much credit to Sam Altman and not enough credit to Alan Turing. Even if we ignore the 20th century advancements that paved the way for modern AI, that modernity should still be considered nearly 20 years old.

The techniques that GPT and Dall-E use are the closely related to what we've seen in so many other places, without ever calling it AI. YouTube's caption generation, Facebook's facial recognition and tagging, Snapchats "augmented reality" filters all make use of deep-learning, large language models, and computer vision. The core strength of OpenAI's software, however, is the interface.

It looks like a chat window, complete with the illusion that the AI is typing its response. This makes it feel human. Sometimes disturbingly so. But it's still just a really good 

 large language model. The uncanny humanness of it, combined with tons of marketing, and market mania has led to a huge influx of capital, and so the pace of advancement has accelerated and will likely continue to accelerate for years to come.

So back to your question: do I think AI is good or bad for the internet? Yes.

It will undeniably be both. In ways that create their own unique externalities. The way we solve each of the negative outcomes will determine whether we view it in a more positive or negative light, but regardless of our views, there will undoubtedly be as much good as there is bad.

And as far as indiscernible bot activity: that's another resounding yes. But, you know, look at spam email. It's horrible. But we accept that it exists and we have found ways to circumvent it. We'll just need to add some tools to help us filter the spam and teach ourselves not to engage with scams.

The thing is, the internet was always a dangerous place, so the important thing is to arm ourselves with knowledge, skepticism, patience, and kindness. In other words: humanity. So long as we have these tools, we should be just fine poking around the AI-hivemind that is the future internet.

I hope that answered your question. If not, I'm sure GPT-4 can do a better job 

I feel like I've been talking forever though, so let's wrap this up with some...

In October, venture capitalist Marc Andreesen wrote a so-called Techno-Optimist's Manifesto which was not so much about techno-optimism as it was an incessantly pro-capitalist scrawl. I read that long and repetitive piece of crap twice start to finish and it left me less bullish technology than I have ever been.

Fortunately, I wasn't alone in that sentiment and there have been countless critiques of Andreesen's "manifesto." There have also been so many memes and parodies; my favourite is 

A few days ago, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin shared his take on techno-optimism. While I don't agree with all of it, it's far more coherent and well-reasoned than its inspiration. I read it three times, and I would say that if you read one piece on techno-optimism, make it this one 

My own feelings about techno-optimism are warm, but nuanced. I believe in a future that is vastly brighter than the present thanks to radically transformative technology, and I believe in humans and humanity. I reject the mentality that the best we should try to do is to keep the world roughly the same as today but with less greed and more public healthcare.

My techno-optimism

Next up, I wanted to share this little blog post from Cory Doctorow, the prolific writer and author of 

The post, called "The (open) web is good, actually" ponders where we lost the soul of the internet, it's open roots. Here's a quote from the article that I loved.

The great irony of the platformization of the internet is that platforms are intermediaries, and the original promise of the internet that got so many of us excited about it was disintermediation - getting rid of the middlemen that act as gatekeepers between community members, creators and audiences, buyers and sellers, etc.

Pluralistic: The (open) web is good, actually (13 Nov 2023)

And finally, something completely different. Ever since Elon took over twitter, I've found social networks tire me out, mentally. I think it's good, like a sign that I've broken the addiction or the spell that held me captive on the feed. I find myself wanting to do other things. I take a phone-free hour every day now. I go for more walks, read more, and recently started playing video games again.

I own a Nintendo Switch and I've been enjoying the recent remake of Mario RPG, a game that I absolutely loved to play on the Super Nintendo when I was young. As I'm over halfway done, I decided to take a break and I've been playing a newly discovered (but actually old) gem of a game: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap for Gameboy Advance.

 because I was so surprised that I'd never played this game before. I can't put it down, I'm enjoying it so much. So my recommendation, besides that you should go out and get yourself an emulator and a rom of this game (sorry not sorry, Nintendo), is that you should check out this wonderfully nerdy episode of the Vergecast about video game preservation and emulation 

The flagship podcast of horizontal scan lines.

The fight to save old games - The Vergecast

And with that, happy holidays, and until the new year,

If you enjoyed this blog post, consider collecting a copy. It's like tipping and receiving a unique digital collectible as a receipt.

 and unlock special perks, like Q&A in the newsletter, you can mint my non-fungible patronage NFT on 

zs17a2mhl6xeu56cqqeqync9kddyg8gggcy6253l5evjdyw8l8j8f60eg40exr4wk27hnvfgkkgnju

Building for good.

Thumbs Update: Pillars of Support

Everything Blockchain

Ready for a chance to snag another substantial airdrop?

Dive into the buzz surrounding the upcoming @LineaBuild airdrop!!

Don't miss out on this potential opportunity! 

Launched by Consensys (the minds behind MetaMask and Infura)

Raised $725M in funding from J.P. Morgan, Microsoft, and others

One of the fastest-growing zkEVM L2 ecosystem (over 1.65M users and 17M transactions)

- Enter the amount you want to bridge (ETH)

Bonus- Some of these bridges might have upcoming airdrops too

Visit the official link and perform a token swap

Image

- Consider listing the acquired NFT for sale

Linea is running a campaign in collaboration with @IntractCampaign

Get in on the action, interact with the network, and build up some XP

Check out the details of the entire DeFi Voyage

https://linea.mirror.xyz/Y7Co9H1-oV0O51nKYW0eFPZSs2xn--YJ2wRJzEecN6o

Preview

If you find this helpful, please support us by subscribing and following.

In pursuit of simplifying the different blocks of the chain metaverse

The information provided through this work is intended solely for educational purposes and must not be treated as investment advice. Any lapses in presenting any of the information correctly are ours alone. We disclaim any liability associated with the use of this content.

LINEA Airdrop (Thread)

osschain.eth

Launching our website, a gateway to next-gen digital solutions. At 

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Snapshot

Website update

Step into the Future with OSSChain.com

kyle

Analyzing Coinbase’s Business Model

W3A PRO | Is $COIN a Good Investment?

Frank Announces New Roadmap

A DeGods Comeback or Another Flop? 💀

In just 72 hours, @Blast_L2 has skyrocketed to $430M+ TVL!

Backed by Paradigm, StandardCrypto, and Blur's Pacman, this airdrop is the talk of the town!

Don't miss the confirmed airdrop and the race for points!

f99fd046-e3b6-44b4-b920-dfc6eacd4fc2.png

- Brought to you by @PacmanBlur of @blur_io fame

- $20M in funding from heavyweights like Paradigm, Standard Crypto, eGirl Capital, Primitive Ventures, Andrew Kang

- Call it an airdrop frenzy but the protocol has witnessed staggering growth with a $430M+ TVL in just 72 hrs

Pioneer L2 platform featuring native yield

Automatic compounding of your balance (ETH/stablecoins) while reaping additional Blast rewards on top

Everyone who joins will be rewarded with Blast Points

Head to http://blast.io & enter the code to sign up

Link your Twitter, follow Blast & Join Discord

Connect your wallet & deposit funds to kickstart your journey!

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Your funds are directed to an upgradeable contract owned by a 3/5 multi-sig

https://etherscan.io/address/0x5F6AE08B8AeB7078cf2F96AFb089D7c9f51DA47d

4fbd73f7-e5ac-4a3d-8559-ea572ab88a19.png

Invite others using your unique codes = Watch your points soar

The more you invite and the greater the volume, the more points you earn!

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The team recently published a thread explaining the nuances/technicalities of the multi-sig's security

An announcement for all Blast community members to claim a 7-day 2x Points Multiplier Bonus

https://x.com/Blast_L2/status/1728096087351914736?s=20

Blast - New L2 with Confirmed Airdrop (Thread)

Author Allen Taylor

The news and views of author Allen Taylor featuring insights on travel, Web3, Christianity, and speculative fiction.

Collect this post and receive 500 Taylor tokens.

Regular readers of this newsletter know I am sold on Hive. I like Web3, for the most part, but so much of what calls itself Web3 isn't really Web3. It's become a buzz word, something founders and developers say about themselves in an attempt to sound cool, but when you check under the hood, many of these projects are anything but Web3. They may be nominally Web3, but they do not adhere to Web3 principles.

Hive, on the other hand, meets Web3 principles head on and delivers. 

So, what are these Web3 principles that I am talking about? Here are three specific Web3 principles that Hive absolutely delivers on where other so-called Web3 social media platforms fail.

The 5 Things I Like Most About the Hive Blockchain

There are several things to like about Hive. The following list are the five things I list most about the blockchain, and just to be clear, I am coming from the perspective of a content creator who has been creating content online, either full-time or part-time, since the mid-1990s. The World Wide Web has become a major part of my life and I've been an online creator for the better part of three decades. 

Now that I've aged myself, here are the 5 things I like most about the Hive blockchain and Web3 social media platform: