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Alex
Happy Halloween, journal friends.
Spending any time on tech Twitter recently, you'll notice topics come and go quickly. One week it's quantum computing breaking encryption, the next it's x402 enabling trustless payments, or new drama in the AI world. Lot's of boom and bust in tech.
It's a tough time for the Arweave community and altcoins overall. Token prices aren't looking great, and we feel it too at the Permaweb Journal. People don't care about our long technical articles, contrarian takes, or us shouting into the void that "Arweave is actually better than... because..." People just want to see the number go up.
We're trying to do our best to bring fresh perspectives that aren't just shilling the protocol. Two articles from the permaweb's chief wordcel, Pierre, this month brought up a few unique takes on popular topics worth revisiting.
In Schrödinger's Scarecrow, Pierre argues that Arweave and AO are positioned to become first movers in adopting quantum-secure standards.
Why? Older blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum have more dormant wallets, making consensus on migration messy. Arweave's smaller, more aligned community can move faster with a coordinated strategy.
x402 introduced a protocol for micropayments over HTTP. This is big news, except HTTP 402 has existed since the '90s and never gained traction. Why not?
Why HTTP 402 failed before:
Humans hate micro-decisions; we prefer subscriptions even when pay-per-use is cheaper
No payment infrastructure (crypto solves this but adds UX complexity)
Why x402 could fail again:
Most blockchains can't speak HTTP natively; they need API translators
AI agents will evade payments when possible and pay fines later
Kills UX for humans (constant humanity proofs or pay-per-click for everything)
Why x402 could succeed:
Payment infrastructure exists now with crypto; just needs better UX
x402 represents blockchains finally discovering HTTP
Arweave and HyperBEAM are HTTP-native (interoperable with existing internet infrastructure)
The Permaweb Journal's first print edition was teased at Arweave Singapore in early October and sent to early contributors. Public release is coming very soon.
There's something special about holding a piece of permaweb history. Only 500 copies will ever be made, and each comes with a 1-1 proof-of-ownership NFT that will be your ticket to an exclusive community.
Subscribe to this newsletter and follow @permawebjournal for the latest on the print drop.
Until next time,
Alex
Founder & Editor
@afmedia_
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