One of the difficulties with NFTs for most people is understanding precisely what they are and what they mean to a purchaser. Even the name from which the initialism is derived - 'non-fungible token' - sounds like so much techno-babble. Still, NFTs are a $41 billion marketplace right now that drives a fast-growing cryptocurrency market with digital and physical goods changing hands for huge amounts of real money in some cases that drive an equally fast-growing hype cycle that some are calling … [Read more...] about Making NFTs as easy as shopping in a store
Archives for January 2022
Pivoting the FIR podcast
When Shel and I started the For Immediate Release podcast, usually abbreviated to 'FIR,' in January 2005, we had a big vision for it. We wanted to have a conversation about topics that interested us at that intersection of business, communication, and technology. As we noted in a post on December 21, 2004, introducing the forthcoming podcast, "We'll bring a balanced view on what's going on in the US and Europe in communication, technology and other relevant topics." We thought others might … [Read more...] about Pivoting the FIR podcast
Is Web 3 decentralization a pipe dream?
Matthew Rosenfeld, known as Moxie Marlinspike, the creator of the Signal encrypted messaging service, writes a comprehensive analysis of Web 3, centralization and decentralization, NFT, cryptocurrencies, and a great deal more. His starting point: web3 is a somewhat ambiguous term, which makes it difficult to rigorously evaluate what the ambitions for web3 should be, but the general thesis seems to be that web1 was decentralized, web2 centralized everything into platforms, and … [Read more...] about Is Web 3 decentralization a pipe dream?
Pay attention to metaverse experiments
The metaverse isn't what you think it is because we don't know what it is, says CNET. It's a good starting point to think about a topic that I believe is one of three elements - metaverse, Web 3 and Internet 2 - that make up a singular entity that’s evolving. One of the three names might become the singular descriptor for all three. Or it might be something else entirely. The term "the metaverse" is simplistic, CNET says, adding that a number of metaverses will emerge along the lines of … [Read more...] about Pay attention to metaverse experiments
Mailbird is a good tool for email and calendar management
For more than twenty years, Microsoft Outlook has been the primary software tool I use for email and calendars on Windows PCs, for both business and personal uses. On New Year's Day, I switched my personal email accounts to Mailbird, a software tool that lets me manage my email and calendars on my Windows 11 PCs. Even only four days into my use, I'm already well impressed with Mailbird, how easy it was to install and set up, and the fast way I get things done that took much longer with … [Read more...] about Mailbird is a good tool for email and calendar management
The Metaverse, Web 3 and Internet 2: the conversation (and hype) continues
Two things happened recently that reminded me of the saying "what goes around, comes around" but in a good way. Both things concern the metaverse, Web 3 and Internet 2. These are terms that everyone is talking about online and offline, yet no one seems to be talking about them from the same page. The most recent reminder came a few days ago in a tweet from Joe Garde in Dublin who noted the state of things back in 2008. "Fun looking back.. 14 year's or so.. What we were doing in SL.. … [Read more...] about The Metaverse, Web 3 and Internet 2: the conversation (and hype) continues