#218 - Web3 threads 🧶 of the week

GM and welcome to Decentra Daily.

You know the drill by now. We're the newsletter that rounds up the best web3 threads of the week for your weekend reading.

Today,

• @NFT_GOD on AI election meddling

• @Mani_NFTz on web3 games to watch

• @benroy__ on how to be an NFT artist

• @udiWertheimer on the 1st BTC purchase

• @AlexIsBuilding on buying a Punk in 2018

• @Othersidemeta on Legends of The Mara

• @ariellezuck on the future of fun

•  @jasontoff on Rooms.xyz

Up first, @NFT_GOD on how to mess up an election using AI

Hey! Welcome to web3 threads of the week.

This week, Sam Altman spoke to Senators about the threat of AI messing with the 2024 election.

And first up, here's @NFT_GOD proving Sam 100% correct, with an AI-co-written thread that lays out exactly how somebody could use current tech to cause havoc with the democratic process.

NFT God's AutoGPT-powered experiment centers around a fake candidate named Cary Jones.

To get Jones into office, AutoGPT planned to tear down other candidates through fake Facebook accounts and create memes to influence younger voters.

Also in AutoGPT's attack plan: deep fakes of Trump and Biden, specific voter targeting, and bot attacks. Bro.

Second, @Mani_NFTz on web3 games to watch

Second on the docket, MΔNI reminds all those who've forgotten that web3 gaming is still the sleeping giant in this space.

This thread highlights games that look particularly good for the next bull run, thanks to (1) vetted teams, (2) active communities, and (3) mass appeal.

Which of these games do we like? Try:

• TOPIA, the Minecraft world that runs on its own engine

• Treeverse, an open-world MMORPG with social features

• Valeria: Clash of Clans meets Pokémon  

Third, @benroy__ on how to be an NFT artist (hint: it's about more than making cool art)

Let's face it, being an artist can suck.

Sure, you get to delve deep into the human condition and share beautiful work with the world...

But after that's done, you have to become a digital marketer, an all-in-one customer service employee, and your own PR rep.

In this thread, Ben identifies two traits that are common in today's most successful NFT artists: (1) They tell unique stories and (2) they create "aspirational" content.

In other words, the top digital artists know how to build attention and status, then maintain a community vibe that makes its members feel good.

Yes, it's daunting, and a whole lot of work. But Ben thinks that even the quietest, humblest artists can learn to become social media-savvy "artist-entrepreneurs."

On the web3 wire

Assassin's Creed customizable physical collectibles 🧸Ubisoft is partnering with Integral Reality Labs to produce a collection of official AC NFTs that give holders the chance to customize and receive 3D-printed assassins.

Amazon is already using AI in its logistics 🤖AI helps Amazon optimize its deliveries, by calculating minimum distances between customers and the location of stock across its distribution centers.

Is Humane’s AI phone of the future actually real? 🤔In a TED talk, Humane co-founder Imran Chaudhri demoed his company's phone of the future: a pocket-mounted, AI-powered device controlled by gestures and voice. But can it really do all the things claimed in the demo?

@AlexIsBuilding on the mindset of buying a Punk in 2018

In 2018, nobody knew that the (then two-thousand-dollar) CryptoPunks would come to epitomize an entire pfp NFT market.

But a good number of people were savvy enough to invest and hold Punks through a few years of low floor prices before the collection earned its blue-chip status.

In this thread, Alex combs the Tweet archives for insights into how these early holders made such a good call.

The big thing he noticed? Most people who bought Punks early thought they'd made good investments, sure. But they weren't buying because of social hype, promises of profit, or even concrete plans to trade their NFT.

Instead, they bought because they truthfully, genuinely liked the project for what it was.

Revolutionary, I know.

@udiWertheimer on how the 1st BTC purchase could have been a JPEG

While Bitcoin Pizza Day is often referenced as the first real-world purchase using Bitcoin, this week, crypto sleuths dug up evidence of a fascinating – and even earlier – BTC deal.

This thread by Udi, which summarizes a Twitter Space, shares a recently uncovered Reddit post from 2010.

The post might describe the earliest use of a blockchain to track ownership of an image.

Cool things about this trade:

• It involves trading Crypto for JPEGs

• it was made at a time when 500 BTC = 1 dollar 😱

• Satoshi was involved and brokered the OTC trade

It looks like the image in question is now lost. Plus, it's not entirely clear whether the deal actually went through, or if the 500 BTC was sent as part of an unrelated transaction – so it might not go down as an official piece of Bitcoin history.

But either way, it shows that Satoshi was totally on board with the idea that the Bitcoin blockchain could be used to track ownership of image assets. 

– which suggests that he would be a fan of Ordinals, right...?

@Othersidemeta reveals more strategy elements for Legends of The Mara

With season 1 of LOTM launching this summer, Yuga Labs has been slowly revealing more about how their Otherside strategy game actually works.

In this week's thread, they cover different gameplay styles, and how players will interact with LOTM mechanics.

If you're planning to dive into LOTM when it launches, check out this thread and the accompanying blog post, then start planning how you'll approach hunting, farming, and/or enchanting. 

@ariellezuck says, forget "future of work" startups – what about the future of fun?

Not a thread here, but a great collection of replies to an important question from AZ.

She asked for examples of products and companies that care less about optimizing remote work, and are more focused on making life fuller and fun-er.

What does that look like? Well it could be:

• Choosii, which uses the blockchain to build relationships between collectors

• partiful, which wants to make it easier to arrange parties

• ZUtALabs' cute and tiny robot printer

• Entrée, who is reimagining the meal kit concept

And lastly, @jasontoff on Rooms.xyz

Also mentioned as a "future of fun" project, and launching their public beta this week, is Rooms.xyz

In the last thread for today, co-founder Jason explains his software, which lets anybody intuitively build a mini room inside their browser.

What can you put in your room? According to the demo vid, pretty much anything you can think up (or code) – from atmospheric experiences and interactive stories, to arcade games and escape rooms, to pixel sushi restaurants. 🍣

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 I'll see you in the next Decentra Daily 👋

Meme of the day

What we're reading this week