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Welcome to Arry's AirDrop #04 Hi All, This week the political and economic signals have created an exciting chorus of support for the world's eyes and ears to focus on. I’ve summarized some of the big stories below, check them out, and if you have any questions, just hit ‘reply’, I’d love to chat more. Curious what to expect from my Blockchains & Cryptos Fundamentals course? I’ve boiled down the 6 major learning outcomes this 3-week hyper-curated course offers. Once you’ve completed it, you will:
If you want training and support to achieve these outcomes, class starts in just 2 weeks. Seats are now 60% sold out. Last week’s 15% off early bird discount code for newsletter subscribers is good until midnight tonight (August 31st at 11:59pm PST). Use the code AIRDROP15 to get 15% off. AIRDROP10 will get you 10% off until the final application deadline of September 7th, at 11:59PM PST. Sign up before this cohort is full!  More Signs That Crypto Is Going Mainstream VISA purchased the CryptoPunk 7610 NFT for 49.5 ETH or ~$140k US and published a white paper to help businesses understand how they can help to integrate and transact NFTs into their platforms. El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele announced that the country’s official Bitcoin wallet (called Chico) will be available for download on September 7th. Users who download it will receive $30 in BTC during the setup process. Microsoft recently won patent rights to build a distributed ledger (basically a blockchain) to allow its millions of users to create and manage crypto tokens. PayPal will allow customers in the United Kingdom to access cryptocurrencies. U.K. residents will be able to buy, hold, and sell cryptocurrencies. This is PayPal’s first expansion of crypto services outside of the United States. A new survey by Deloitte suggests that crypto could replace USD in half a decade. Financial services companies expect to heavily rely on blockchain in the very close future, according to the lead analyst, “The foundation of banking has been fundamentally outlived. Financial services industry players must redefine themselves and find innovative ways to create economic growth in the future of money.” OnlyFans Debacle Exposes Highly Politicized Banking System OnlyFans’ decision (now reversed) to ban porn reveals the arbitrary power of banks to delist products they don’t like. The Department of Justice (DoJ), in conjunction with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), realized in 2012 they could exert pressure on politically disfavored industries while professing to eliminate fraud. The ‘Operation Choke Point’ initiative was devised to threaten banks with expensive and reputation-damaging investigations and subpoenas if they failed to coerce payment processors servicing industries in question by cutting them off. This approach was and remains legally questionable. Through Choke Point, the DoJ and FDIC essentially deputized banks and turned them into an enforcement arm of the government. Summary: This story is not about porn as an industry, for better or worse. The real story here is how the mechanics of control work to manipulate businesses when governments and banks collaborate. OnlyFans should be a potent reminder: You simply never know when you’ll be on the receiving end of the stick.  Plug Into Our Community The WTIA Cascadia Blockchain Council helps blockchain companies reach their full potential and serves as subject matter experts and a collective voice to better advocate for constructive public policy, educates key stakeholders and investors. The Cascadia Blockchain Council Slack group is a place for all of the above to network, connect and share resources, and we are accepting new members (for free!) New to crypto? Start with Bitcoin knowledge basics, I’ve put together a simple, straightforward guide on where to buy Bitcoin (BTC) here. Check out Gradually Then Suddenly, an amazing series of essays to understand the context and history behind Bitcoin written by Parker Lewis. Join my weekly AMA every Friday, 12-1pm PST Blockchain is a game changer as a powerful alternative technology to what most businesses use today. Cryptocurrencies and other kinds of digital tokens are fascinating, as we have seen their rise over the past couple of years. This meet up is all about authentically focusing our time on global impactful topics, not just crypto-fluffery. Join us if you want to get into real authentic discussions about what really matters in the blockchain space and have some actual FUN while we're at it, via the Blockchain Underground.  Coming up:
– Arry @ArryinSeattle P.S. Like this post? Get it weekly in your inbox by signing up to get the email here: eepurl.com/hD2tND
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Welcome to Arry's AirDrop #03 Listen to my newsletter here: https://youtu.be/8k2qYTVf1e8 Seats are going fast for my Blockchains & Cryptos Fundamentals Course. Here's what a recent former student had to say about it: If you're interested in the fundamentals of blockchain, then this course is great. Having taken the intensive version (full time 12 week bootcamp) from Arry, I believe that this condensed 3-week class is going to deliver the needed information very effectively. With Arry as an instructor, it'll be a breeze to finish such a course and stay engaged. I know firsthand that this is what makes Arry an awesome instructor. 💪🏼 – Ahmed Khoj, Previous Student (January - April 2021) The early bird 15% discount code exclusive to newsletter subscribers is good until August 31st at 11:59pm PST. Use the code AIRDROP15 to get 15% off. Sign up now before this cohort is full. Coinbase gets board OK to add $500 million in crypto to balance Coinbase, the world's first publicly traded crypto exchange ($COIN), announced it will be adding $500M in cryptoassets to its balance sheet, and investing 10% of its profits moving forward in crypto. Based on quarterly earnings disclosure, that means, last quarter they would have bought $160 million worth. So this represents an investment of roughly $600 million to $1 billion per year. Why this is significant: This decision required executives to receive board approval. This move makes Coinbase the first publicly traded company to hold Ether (ETH) on their balance sheet. No wonder the crypto prices nudged up this past week, with bitcoin hovering near $50,000 now. Walmart hiring crypto expert to develop digital currency strategy According to a recent LinkedIn job advertisement, Walmart is hiring a cryptocurrency product leader. The ad describes the person the company is looking for as a “visionary leader,” responsible for developing the Digital Currency strategy. The company is hiring an expert in Digital Currencies/Cryptocurrency and Blockchain to drive the vision for the product and capabilities roadmap and to identify crypto related investment and partnerships. Interesting note: Walmart’s job ad was spotted weeks after rumors that Amazon could make a big entrance into the crypto market and listed its own related position for a Digital Currency and Blockchain Lead. The battle of the ecommerce giants continues onward. Words, words, words Do you know what a ‘nonce’ is? If you had done a quick CTRL-F of the Blockchain Super Glossary, you’d know!  Blockchain can be an intimidating space with jargon and language that is so loaded, it seems to take at least four years and a diploma to unpack. Shortcut the degree by extracting insights from our 40 page (and growing!) crowd-maintained, consolidated Blockchain Super Glossary. Read it, use it, update it, and share it! Join my weekly AMA every Friday, 12-1pm PST Blockchain is a game changer as a powerful alternative technology to what most businesses use today. Cryptocurrencies and other kinds of digital tokens are fascinating, as we have seen their rise over the past couple of years. This meet up is all about focusing our time on global impactful topics, not just crypto-fluffery. Join us if you want to get into real authentic discussions about what really matters in the blockchain space and have some actual FUN while we're at it, via the Blockchain Underground. Coming up:
– Arry @ArryinSeattle P.S. Like this post? Get it weekly in your inbox by signing up to get the email here: eepurl.com/hD2tND
To all the builders, innovators, investors, policy makers, and warriors interested in joining the digital evolution: We need your attention, discipline, and resources pointed towards 'unsexy' work to build solidarity across the industry – and world – around the definitions, guidelines, education, frameworks and standards that govern the blockchain industry. An alliance across these key fronts will galvanize the industry and accelerate adoption. I meet regularly with councils, associations, and coalitions across the US and the world, and this is the key work that I hear a huge need for every day. We saw the implications of this unmet need in the Infrastructure bill recently passed by the Senate. We need more resources and continued effort to forge a strong and unified crypto and blockchain support system. Please make sure you or your company does its part in supporting the pioneering efforts to build our digital future. Let me know if you or your company is interested in engaging more on this. Early Bird Discount 🐥 My brand new in-depth deep dive into blockchain and cryptocurrency launches in just under a month. I’m excited to share what you can expect when you sign up for the course. At the end of the 3 week "Blockchains & Cryptos Fundamentals" course, you’ll be less likely to be fooled by crypto scams and shills, because you’ll understand the history, theory and best practices to safely invest and explore crypto. Crypto and the blockchain industry is fast-moving and growing. At the end of the course you’ll also know where to go in the future to get trusted information and how to stay on top of developments. Sign up before spots are gone. As a thank you, I’m offering an early bird community discount exclusively to newsletter subscribers. Use the code AIRDROP20 to get 20% off until August 24th at 11:59pm PST. U.S. Senate Passed The Anti-Crypto Bill–Now What? The infrastructure bill currently contains no amendments to the problematic provisions forcing crypto brokers to complete KYC procedures and follow strict tax reporting rules. Although the Senate has passed the bill, there may still be a little glimmer of hope for the crypto sector as the House of Representatives has to vote on the bill. Contact your House Representative to voice your support in stopping the bill from being passed as is. Of course, a "Plan B" is in the works as well. More to come on that. The silver-lining of the anti-crypto bill drama? Bitcoin fans have shown up as a political force. "Crypto is more than an industry. There is an entire network of individuals building & supporting those networks. That has turned out to be an incredibly organised community.” -- Kristin Smith, Blockchain Association Largest Hack in Crypto History Has A Twist Ending The Polygon network, a Layer 2 blockchain protocol that interoperates with Ethereum but without the high gas fees, was hacked last week. The attacker syphoned more than $600M worth of crypto. In a surprising turn of events, shortly after, the ‘White Hat’ attacker returned all $611 million stolen funds and left some public messages embedded in blocks on the Ethereum network. Click here to see the hacker’s messages outlining his motivations and goals. Very interesting. The Polygon team confirmed that almost all of the funds have been recovered, except for $33 million worth USDT stablecoins frozen by the Tether foundation. In an on-chain message, the team offered the hacker a $500,000 as a thank you for exposing a security bug. WTF Happened in 1971? Gradually Then Suddenly, a series of essays to understand the context and history behind Bitcoin by Parker Lewis. In 1971, the U.S. went off the gold standard. See the impacts of what happened when the U.S. dollar became fiat money. Local Bitcoiner, Vijay Boyapati has published his essay on “The Bullish Case for Bitcoin”. Support him by checking out his book for $21 USD. (21 is NOT a coincidence). Coming up:
What would you like to see more of in this newsletter? Hit ‘reply’ and let me know. See you next week! – Arry @ArryinSeattle P.S. Like this post? Get it weekly in your inbox by signing up to get the email here: eepurl.com/hD2tND
Welcome to Arry's Airdrop! Arry here. Welcome to my brand spankin’ new newsletter, I’m really glad you clicked open! In the world of crypto, an ‘airdrop’ is a way of distributing crypto to a bunch of wallets as a reward or ‘thank-you’ for holding a given token. By joining Arry’s Airdrop, each week you’ll get:
To get started, I’ll be focusing on the Pacific Northwest – but in time, this newsletter and the news, events and insights will span the country – and soon, the world! *benevolent chortling* I’ve been in crypto since 2016, and have learned a lot in my time. I also love to bring people together, so this newsletter is a way to provide a reliable and trustworthy resource for my friends, colleagues, and fellow crypto, DeFi, NFT, and blockchain nerds, and to distribute knowledge, experience, and connections. So let's dive in! Misguided crypto bill provision amended, then dies in Senate Last week, a last minute crypto tax provision in the $1.7 trillion infrastructure bill (H.R. 3684) threatened to stifle innovation and make Americans poorer. Yesterday, Senators Warner, Wyden, Toomey, and Lummis after days of iterations, calls, and amendments proposed a compromised amendment to the provision, ensuring financial surveillance will not dramatically expand and human rights are not undermined. More than 100 stakeholders in the crypto ecosystem wrote a letter to Mr. Schumer and Mr. McConnell urging them to support the Wyden-Lummis-Toomey amendment. Policies that impact basic freedom and the future of the Internet should be debated carefully and never be attached to must-pass bills. The new amendment compromise was not perfect, but it protected innovation and didn't choose winners and losers. IRS reporting rules had been clarified so reporting requirements were not imposed on stakers, miners and other non-brokers. Many thanks to Senator Lummis (WY), Senator Toomey (PA), and Senator Wyden (OR) for their leadership. Next up, the Infra Bill heads to the House, and related to it, the Crypto-Colloquy is being worked on by our coalition allies now. The battle continues in the House -- stay tuned. NFT hype wave continues We are now in the 3rd hype wave for NFTs (Nonfungible Tokens). The first wave was colored coins on the Bitcoin network in 2012. The second and even bigger wave came with the explosion of Cryptokitties in 2017. Now we’re in the third wave of 2021. Weekly trade volumes for NFTs have increased by more than 70% since mid-July to over $300 million. CryptoPunks was about $207 million of that volume. The next most popular platform was the game Axie Infinity. Last week on Windshield Time Check out the latest episode of my podcast Windshield Time where Alex Mashinsky, founder and CEO of Celsius.Network shares insights on topics including:
Blockchain & Crypto Fundamentals course launch Registration is now open for my 3 week part-time course: Blockchain & Crypto Fundamentals. Students will get a practical view into the context, history and theory behind everything blockchain and crypto. This course is an end-to-end starter kit for the fundamentals of the new world of cryptographically secured networks of value exchange. A place where digital artifacts (Bitcoins, cryptocurrencies, tokens, NFTs, etc) are exchanged with brand new software protocols built over the internet. The inaugural cohort launches September 13, 2021 -- Apply today because spaces are limited! Coming up:
– Arry @ArryinSeattle P.S. Like this post? Get it weekly in your inbox by signing up to get the email here: eepurl.com/hD2tND 
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The AirdropAbout Airdrop:
This newsletter is a way to provide a reliable and trustworthy resource for my friends, colleagues, and fellow crypto, DeFi, NFT, and blockchain nerds, and to distribute knowledge, experience, and connections. Subscribe via the button above! BTW, I host a weekly AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Fridays, 12-1pm PST. You can sign up on meetup.com under the Blockchain Underground. If you want to learn more in a small cohort based environment via a super curated synthesized 3-day Blockchain Crypto Fundamentals Workshop, apply here: https://maven.com/yuv-dojang/blockchain-crypto. Author:Arry is the Chair of the Cascadia Blockchain Council, a group supported by the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA), the largest US tech association representing technology companies from Oregon to British Columbia. She is also the co-organizer for the States' Assn for Blockchain and was one of the early pioneers that completed a $32m tokensale in an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) back in 2017. She founded the Cascadia Blockchain Council in 2018 and has been an avid educator, advocate, investor, and innovator in the space since 2016. Archives
October 2021
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