Hi friends,

We're back with the 41st edition of Paragraph Picks, highlighting a few hand-selected pieces from the past couple of weeks.

Check them out & let us know which is your favorite!

Build for Humans, Not Hashrates

@darkstar critiques crypto’s obsession with infrastructure metrics and algorithmic growth, urging builders and investors to refocus on human users, durable products, and long-term impact.

Success in crypto has become a loop of infrastructure funding itself — with little regard for actual adoption.

How Ted (Not Lasso) Is Giving A Whole New Meaning to 'Believe' Onchain

@debbie profiles @ted, a Farcaster OG & power user turned team member, whose journey from aspiring doctor to DeFi to Farcaster shows how belief, curiosity, and connection can reshape the internet.

You realize just how steep the climb is to make consumer crypto work. But being part of such a focused and passionate team makes it all feel worthwhile.

Agents in a Bazaar

@dbarabander writes about how a decentralized ecosystem of autonomous agents (if it emerges) will require crypto to provide the trust, payments, and verifiability needed to function at scale in a low-trust environment.

It will be very difficult for the agents in the long tail to build the sufficient reputation needed to earn the imprimatur of trust.

Design From First Principles

@chukwukaosakwe explores how applying first principles thinking to digital product design can lead to intuitive, user-centered solutions that truly solve real problems.

Design is about making the best possible solution to a particular problem that a particular user has.

Farcon Fireside

@fredwilson.eth shares his amazing fireside chat with @dwr.eth from FarCon 2025, which had tons of memorable quotes and stories.

Blooming in the Darkness

@jacque weaves together poetry and introspection to create a lyrical meditation on self-compassion, creative resilience, and the quiet power of blooming even in life’s darkest moments.

Even in the darkness, buds will bloom and become bright shining lights through and through.

That's all we have for this week — what did we miss?

Let us know what you think!