Before the year closes, it feels right to pause and acknowledge the people who stayed. The ones who kept showing up, kept supporting, and kept doing the quiet work when enthusiasm faded and attention moved elsewhere. Not because it was rewarding, visible, or particularly fun, but because consistency still mattered to them. When it would have been easier to disengage, disappear, or wait for someone else to carry the weight, they didn’t. Those moments rarely look dramatic, but over time they are what actually hold things together. Progress is usually built less on big gestures and more on people who choose not to leave when leaving would have been the simpler option.
Autumn hits Nouns DAO; leaves start falling, floor keeps falling, contributors start migrating like birds.
You open Discord; it’s just you, a bot, and a tumbleweed wearing Noggles quietly rolling by.
The 256th day of the year is celebrated as Programmer’s Day. I want to congratulate all programmers on this occasion, especially those who dedicate their work to keeping the internet and technology free, open, and neutral. They are the ones pushing humanity forward by building tools that empower rather than restrict. Of course, this does not extend to those who spend their time on censorship or creating obstacles for others. This day is really about honoring the people who use code to expand freedom and possibility.
Blockchain is not anonymous. It is pseudonymous. The folks pushing that to the next level deserve real credit. If we do not harden pseudonymity, make fungibility non negotiable, and treat privacy as table stakes, regulators slide in with bank-grade transparency and you wake up with an onchain ID. One tidy, traceable address per person. Collectible regret.
This is why the current push matters. Without it, crypto drifts into a future you would not bet on and probably cannot keep alive.
If you ever get real power, like the kind that lets you crush people if you want, staying fair gets way harder. Power messes with your head. You’re only honest as long as you stay away from it. Once that “I can do whatever I want and everyone has to listen” vibe kicks in, you’re not even the half-decent version of yourself anymore. Most dictators? They didn’t even realize they were dictators; they just drowned in the feeling of control.
2021: no leaders, no IP, just vibes
2025: nonprofit in wyoming, please submit your POAP spreadsheet
2029: cc0 is thriving, now with licensing tiers and quarterly stakeholder syncs 🧢📈
