Each of these became their own NFT collection which were added to their own Oncyber Galleries, with some of the students adding a audio version of their stories to the gallery. All of the collections were deployed on Base.

I created my own example of this you can find here on Oncyber, with the collection on Zora. In addition, some of the pieces have been token gated and can only be minted by holders of Outcasts by Sum. This gave me an opportunity to teach how to add a collection to an allowlist.

It's been an exhausting semester, but the results are really fun. Before the OP Stack and the incorporation into Zora, I would not have been able to achieve this result. We've done a collection each year but this was by far the most hands on experience for the students. See the collections and Oncyber Galleries of each of the students below. If you've got some $enjoy to tip, consider tipping the student projects if you see any you'd like to mint.

This collection is an example for my NFTs & the Metaverse class for their Last Bookstore Projects.

Once upon a time, in the quaint town of Booksville, there stood a peculiar establishment known far and wide as "The Last Bookstore." Despite its name, it wasn't a gloomy place filled with dusty tomes. Quite the contrary, it was a whimsical haven for book lovers and adventure seekers.

Collect NFT

"Voyagers of the Void: Pixel Legends" is a captivating NFT collection that brings to life the adventures of intrepid explorers navigating the endless mysteries of the cosmos, all through the medium of meticulously crafted pixel art. Each piece in the collection embodies the spirit of adventure, featuring characters, artifacts, and landscapes that tell tales of bravery, discovery, and the eternal quest for knowledge across pixelated starscapes and beyond. This series appeals to collectors and enthusiasts alike, offering a unique blend of art, storytelling, and digital collectibility that invites holders to become part of a community celebrating the confluence of technology, creativity, and the uncharted territories of space.

Collect NFT

In a submerged world bereft of land, Lyla embarks on a daring quest for Atlantis, a mythical city promising salvation. Leading a makeshift crew aboard a graffiti-laden submarine, they navigate perilous depths teeming with wonders and dangers alike. Alongside First Mate Kael's internal struggles and tensions, they face savage pirates and ancient terrors. Arriving at an underwater bookstore, they confront trials and rivals in pursuit of Atlantis's secrets. Amidst betrayal and adversity, Lyla's resolve strengthens, leading her crew to emerge victorious, clutching the map to a new destiny.

Collect NFT

In the heart of a city where the Wi-Fi signals had long since fizzled out, and smartphones were now just fancy paperweights, stood the defiant and perhaps slightly dusty Last Bookstore. This peculiar establishment was a proud anomaly in a world that had quietly misplaced its voice, courtesy of the Great Hush—a calamity that turned everyone into the strong, silent type.

Collect NFT

Echoes of the Unknown is a collection of hyper-realistic portraits set in a mystical bookstore, capturing the essence of five characters: Ava, Samuel, Nora, Ethan, and the proprietor, Elias. Each portrait reflects their unique journey into the supernatural and the mysterious, from Ava's adventurous spirit to Samuel's scholarly curiosity, Nora's introspective exploration, Ethan's creative inspiration, and Elias's enigmatic presence. This collection invites viewers into a world where tales of horror and mystery blend with reality, embodying the allure and depth of the unknown.

Collect NFT

Dive into the mysteries of a lost civilization with this captivating NFT collection, showcasing relics and characters from a bygone era buried beneath the sands of a barren wasteland. From the elusive wanderer Echo to the majestic Sun Sovereign, each artwork offers a glimpse into the transition from a thriving civilization to a desolate landscape teeming with ancient secrets. Explore the celestial wonders of the Luminary Codex and brave the dangers of the Scorch Scorpion as you unravel the enigmatic tales woven within the desert sands.

Collect NFT

The Direlict District Last Bookstore NFT collection represents the visitors and stories found within the warm walls of the Last Bookstore. Mint a version of the adventurous Sam, an adorable feline companion or a dusty tome from the bookstore's shelves. Each NFT comes with a little story associated with the character in the setting, with more on the way.

Collect NFT

"Shadows of Etherium" is a gripping collection of vigilantes, each with a unique origin and a shared dedication to ridding their city of corruption. Shadow Veil, once a detective, embraces the shadows to mete out his brand of justice. Crimson Fury, a former firefighter, harnesses mystical flames to cleanse the city of its vices. Galesmith, a visionary engineer, soars above the city with the power of the winds, battling against corruption and stifled innovation. Nightshade, a former botanist, manipulates darkness to redeem herself and purge the city of the corruption she once succumbed to. United by a mysterious Guardian that came from the last bookstore in the city who draws his powers from legendary heroes' stories that are kept deep within the bookstore, this eclectic group forms a formidable force against the darkness, embodying hope and the belief that within the pages of their tales lies the power to change their world. "Shadows of Etherium" weaves a narrative of redemption, justice, and the enduring light that can be found even in the darkest corners of the city.

Collect NFT

I thought voting was going to be tough with 38 props to review and rank but honestly it wasn't. I had a mini rubric that I kept in mind while reading and it made it easy to surface the best options.

Here was the criteria I had while going through the proposals to vote:

⌐◨-◨ Do they use & understand Farcaster/Warpcast? If you only included Twitter socials this is a BIG problem. Yes, I looked at your profile on Warpcast.

⌐◨-◨ Do they understand the Nouns ecosystem (or at least are attempting to)?

⌐◨-◨ Are they building it for the entire ecosystem NOT just Nouns holders?

⌐◨-◨ Is prop well written to convey the roadmap, timeline, team, tech, visuals?

⌐◨-◨ Is the Team known and have the right mix of experience? Can they work without a ton of feedback and handholding? (it is difficult to get feedback and everyone has different priorities -- need to be able to make your own decisions independently)

My top 8

Yeah there were just too many good ones! I couldn't pick only 3. All of the props I'm mentioning received at least one vote from me (even the honorable mentions).

NounSpace – this one is honestly pretty amazing - customizable, fidgets are interesting, good understanding of both Farcaster AND Nouns ecosystem

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/21

Nero: An app for people with a nounish algo – incredible Farcaster OG on team with extensive experience in the space; incorporates useful tools like Hats Protocol, herocast etc

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/19

Nouncaster - Algonouns + NounTok – interesting & fun approach; experienced team

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/10

BCard x Nouns x Farcaster – another incredible Farcaster OG on team; interesting experiment to incorporate $nogs and use as incentive; looking beyond just Nouners

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/18

Noggled: A Nouns + Holder Mobile App – good understanding of Farcaster and strong experienced team; thinking beyond Nouns proper to other nounish daos and communities (good video intro)

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/25

The Mega Big Super Fun Awesome Nouns App! – good understanding of Farcaster and Nouns but could benefit from adding more Nounsfolk to the team (see suggestions below); incorporation of all aspects of Nouns and nounish communities;  “I've learned that nouns are sometimes opinionated and like to discuss things at length" may be the understatement of the year.

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/11

Lighthouse x Nouns x Farcaster – more focus on governance unlike other proposals which is good; working prototype shows initiative

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/3

Nounster – good understanding of Farcaster and good demo site; not enough incorporation of the overall nouniverse

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/17

Nounish Honorable mentions:

Some of these props have good pieces that I feel might be able to be integrated into other larger clients but may not be robust enough for a stand alone client or may need additional refinement. The three Nouners mentioned here could be added to other teams and help those teams to better understand the ecosystem and add pieces of their clients to those larger projects (or smaller funding to develop these aspects that might have more limited BUT useful scope):

Nouns Expansion Packs – Index - scope too small but interesting experiments that could be added to other clients

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/37

498.wtf – Gabriel Ayuso - some great ideas and Gabriel is a Farcaster OG AND longtime Nouner who would be valuable to a larger team but the scope here is too small

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/38

Nouniverse by NNS Labs - not enough understanding of Farcaster but some good elements and if B card team won, would be a good advisor there (or for other teams wanting to incorporate $nogs)

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/29

Other Honorable mentions:

Nouns Social – the focus on reddit like client and minting aspects seem useful

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/31

Nouncaster.wtf – concerned that channels are not a priority until after 3 mo sprint – should be one of THE priorities imo

https://prop.house/0x767a3bdf2aa3b3201b794927a997fcf4e50d4702/9

My final top 3 would be very different from each other so we could see different approaches over the next 3 months.

To the teams that win

I highly recommend incorporating governance aspects beyond just Nouns Camp -- Nouns Agora for one, as many of us use that platform and Yitong could be a great resource for you.

Also, get to know some of the other existing nounish tools like BotFrens and Nerman for alerts; The Noun Square and Nounish for content; Noundation for ⌐◨-◨.

Be sure to think about nounish communities such as Nouncil, Lil Nouns, and Gnars as well as Nouns Builder and the DAOs built on it like Purple and Yellow. They will be frequent users and those needs should be considered as much as Nouners.

Also, think about how nounsfolk are consuming content -- for example, Nouns.wtf is being sunsetted in some ways but still provides one of the best ways to read proposals imo. Make this a client that people are excited to use.

Lastly, think about how it works with Farcaster/Warpcast and not as a competitor to it. Personally, I'm a power user of Warpcast (got the badge and the podcast to prove it) so at this time I have no idea how often I'd use a Nouns client that took me too far away from the rest of the Farcaster ecosystem.

Good luck to all the teams! We are lucky to have you building for Nouns!

⌐◨-◨

My father had fallen asleep in his recliner, my Mom went to wake him up to nudge him to bed and couldn’t wake him. When you’re awaken by a call from your mom after midnight, it’s never good news. I went to the hospital, then back to their house, then back home to get my son off to school.

I felt paralyzed and couldn’t find the words and didn’t know what to do. I looked in the fridge and there was a chocolate cupcake. Yes, we were having chocolate cake for breakfast.

“Dad is great, give us the chocolate cake” rang in my head. It was from Bill Cosby Himself, a comedy special I had watched a zillion times with my Dad (don’t @ me – this was pre-revelations when we still thought he was Dr. Huxtable).

In that moment, chocolate cake for breakfast was a momentary reprieve and a connection to my Dad who I couldn’t comprehend was no longer in this world. How was that even possible? He was just here. How can someone who has been there for every breath of your life just be gone in a New York minute?

It’s hard to believe it has been 7 years since that day; 7 years that feel like multiple life times. And also it feels like just yesterday, all at once. I remember some of those moments from that day so clearly; the shock, the anger, the sadness all rolled in a ball of emotion, not knowing what to do with all of that. It would take a couple years to process it all. And even today, I’m still processing.

Each year since, my son and I have had chocolate cake for breakfast on or around this day. And yet today, I forgot the chocolate cake. I didn’t connect the date until later in the day. So to the store I went, and the chocolate cake is ready for tomorrow.

While writing this, I’ve been listening to a playlist of songs that remind me of my Dad and remind me of moments with him. A mix of Sam & Dave, Elvis, the Beatles, bagpipes and Walking in Memphis. And Hallelujah.

Some are his favorite songs, others remind me of his favorite show (West Wing) or his favorite stories he told over and over (Amazing Grace at the Tattoo) or our last last family trip to Hawaii where my parents renewed their vows (Somewhere over the Rainbow and yes those 2 lasts were intentional since we he would guilt us into family trips by saying it was the last. There were at least 7 of those last family trips over the years). I danced with him to “Shower the People” at my wedding. And he used to play “Hey Jude” loudly on an 8-track tape in quadraphonic sound on the 1970’s stereo when I was kid.

And “True Companions”– a nod to my parents 52 year marriage – and the inscription on his headstone. Because yes, he had designed his stone and planned is funeral years before he died. He would say it was to make it easier on us. But he just wanted to make sure we didn’t mess it up. All of these songs bring special bittersweet memories. And bring me closer to him. And bring tears as well. Tears are cleansing. Tomorrow morning I’ll wake up and listen to this playlist again while eating chocolate cake.

Time may heal all wounds, but it leaves scars. Chocolate cake for breakfast makes those scars just a bit more tolerable.

*DooDoo – short for Giddoo, Lebanese for grandfather

I knew back in June when I was in that room in Boston that FarCon was a special experience. What I didn't realize at that time was that it was a truly life changing experience. This is not hyperbole. It literally changed my life.

From my first Unpacking with Prof post right after FarCon 2023:

Last week I made the decision to leave my full time teaching position and dedicate full time effort to building GM Farcaster, the passion project I started with Adrienne back in September. We've been building this Farcaster focused live stream/podcast for about six months, an idea born post FarCon as way to contribute to the ecosystem. And now we're all in. A scary, exciting moment but a decision I feel confident about, especially after yesterday.

We launched on Hypersub yesterday, offering a way for the Farcaster community to support our efforts and to bring them along on our journey. I am overwhelmed at the response. This show of support is not something you find on twitter.

And last week we were in Denver spending time with some of these amazing humans in person. It was incredible. Any hesitation and doubt I had about this decision to go full time into GM Farcaster was lifted. I want to not only build GM Farcaster the show but build GM Farcaster the Network and shine a brighter spotlight on everyone building on Farcaster.

Because these builders are something special.

All of this would not be happening if it weren't for FarCon, a permissionless unconference dreamed up by Grin and Cameron. It's important to note that this was community driven, not organized by the Merkle Manufactory team. But the permissionlessness nature of Farcaster itself and the blessing that Varun and Dan gave to this event is also something you just don't see everyday.

And it's this same permissionlessness that has allowed for GM Farcaster to grow and flourish. I'm not sure where we'll be by FarCon 2025 but I know that in May for FarCon 2024, Adrienne and I will stream GM Farcaster episode 100 from FarCon. That is mind blowing. And it wouldn't have happened without FarCon 2023 (The Beta).

So thank you Dan and Varun for your generosity in making Farcaster open to builders of all kinds. And thank you Cameron and Grin for your efforts in creating the first FarCon experience. I will be forever grateful.

See you in LA!

Every working mom lives with an undercurrent of guilt—guilt when you’re working that you’re not with your kids; guilt when putting your career on hold or having to put family before work. It feels like there’s never enough time and no one is getting the best of you, certainly not yourself. And if you have a partner, hopefully they are a true partner. But if not, the added stress is tremendous.

And all of this timing is controlled by biology. Listening to Deana on Boys Club talk through the thought process on of this consideration at 39  “if I get pregnant now…” and talk through all that comes with it and the trade offs of ambition brought me right back. When the clock is ticking down, emotion takes hold.

About 7 years ago, I had to have a hysterectomy due to extreme endometriosis, fibroids and a couple tumors thrown in for good measure. In that moment watching the door close for having any more children brought out this sudden panic.

I even went to a fertility doctor to see if I had any eggs to freeze. Which to any sane person in that moment facing all the medical issues above would know how ridiculous that is and that it was highly unlikely without even checking. But I did anyway. The test results were unsurprising. No viable eggs to freeze. Although I had no desire to have another child before this news, this overwhelming grief at not being able to was surprising.

Post surgery and free of pain I lived with for years, the past 7 years have been some of the best. There’s a bit of freedom in the closing of that door. It’s the time while making the decision, when the door is still ajar, that is frought with emotional turmoil. As was noted on the episode, “That limbo is a much harder place to be in.” Couldn’t agree more Natasha. Once the decision is made, it’s much easier to accept the next phase and move on.

But the balance of family and ambition is always much more difficult for women. Men have longer time horizon for all the choices. The door is open much longer. And society rarely faults a man for making his career a priority.

“A man does that all the time. He takes up space in the world as a man, as his independent person, and not as somebody who carries other people along with them. . . .as soon as you’re pregnant in the world it’s impossible. It’s completely impossible. And people want to talk to you about being a mom, your family, how you decided to make these decisions. All of sudden it’s absolutely impossible to show up in the world as Deana. You’re showing up in the world as a mother. Of course all the things you do for your job wouldn’t be the same.”

This truth may surprise many but not any moms. I’m an offender as well. I have a phone full of numbers that are “so and so’s mom.” That is their only identity to me.

So there is freedom in that door closing. As kids get older, it’s easier to focus on career and ambition. And you can once again find your way back to your whole self. The mom guilt remains but lessens.

There are no easy answers for this and the answer is different for each woman. Egg freezing gives no guarantees and just postpones these decisions.

So maybe it’s time to just allow moms to also be whole humans?

And for the love of eth, please do NOT ever rub a pregnant woman’s belly without an invitation. Ever. Do not even ask. We hate that.

Thanks reader/subscribers for hanging in there -- been a bit inconsistent lately but we're heading into the end of the semester so I'm committing to writing 3x/week for the month of December. Let's see how this goes!

Yup -- that sounds a bit crazy. But it has been a fun experiment in web3 media. I've been jokingly calling it sufficiently decentralized media but it's not quite that yet. But that's the goal.

It's been fun to chat live with Adrienne three days a week, just a couple friends having coffee and talking about the scienus. And been loving when we have some other friends in the chat. Thought it might be helpful to do a weekly summary with the episodes embeded below along with the show notes.

We'll be back Monday, November 6 at 8:30 am ET for another GM Farcaster!

GM Farcaster Episode 18, October 30, 2023 - Halloween edition:

Collect NFT

Show Notes and Links – some of the stuff we talked about:

Outcaster 016 – with Adrienne curating! https://warpcast.com/ghostlinkz.eth/0x1a741d25 https://outcasters.xyz/snapshot-016

Warps! https://warpcast.com/v/0x1940e1c9 https://warpcast.com/dwr.eth/0x058007af https://warpcast.com/dwr.eth/0xb60725c1 https://warpcast.com/alexgrover.eth/0xc990002c

The Network State conference: https://warpcast.com/maxp.eth/0xd640f289 https://warpcast.com/balajis.eth/0x984e2b26 https://warpcast.com/ivy/0xc5f85065 https://warpcast.com/gilles/0xac0b511f s/o @grin who was the first speaker!

And some other casts we didn’t get a chance to chat about:

Smart & Funny: https://warpcast.com/survey/0xff641ba7

Needs more green Owocki: https://warpcast.com/owocki/0xf49b21fb

Measure what matters: https://warpcast.com/kbc/0x8cc6e1e1

And our musings elsewhere:

Adrienne: Some of the Things #21 October Roundup https://someofthethings.substack.com/p/october-roundup

And Adrienne’s Podcast – Four Old College Friends: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/four-old-college-friends/id1700592867?i=1000631680007

Nounish Prof: Unpacking with Prof – Purple: https://paragraph.xyz/@nounishprof/purple

AND www.gmfarcaster.com is live!

GM Farcaster episode 19 November 1, 2023 - mole edition:

Collect NFT

Show Notes and Links – some of the stuff we talked about:

Farcaster Fall is here! https://warpcast.com/cameron/0x00163257

Button Swap: https://warpcast.com/v/0xe4f951a0

Image previews: https://warpcast.com/dwr.eth/0x00b6fc37

Suggest a channel: https://warpcast.com/dwr.eth/0x7a6ba656

AMA with @barmstrong: https://warpcast.com/barmstrong/0x98dc11eb

Warp Rewards! https://warpcast.com/v/0x9a26495f https://warpcast.com/vm/0xae637809

AND so much mole! https://warpcast.com/farcasteradmin.eth/0x1183b95b https://warpcast.com/briang/0xe6eab9ef https://warpcast.com/nonlinear.eth/0x0fc3f8ed https://warpcast.com/pugson/0xc8ee6eb7 https://warpcast.com/goose/0x56b1c906 https://warpcast.com/obxium/0x6151cf70 https://warpcast.com/iammatthias/0x289312c4 https://warpcast.com/segurado/0x0599c3cd https://warpcast.com/iammatthias/0x76803e3f https://warpcast.com/woj.eth/0xfd1245ce

And some other casts we didn’t get a chance to chat about:

Linda has a brainstorm bounty for you: https://warpcast.com/linda/0x66dff0c1

far.quest: https://warpcast.com/jc/0xa83b5dae

AI at the coffee shop: https://warpcast.com/ted/0x1d31b228

New features on farcasteruserstats.com: https://warpcast.com/fun/0xa4fd2b62

And our musings elsewhere:

Adrienne: Some of the Things #21 October Roundup https://someofthethings.substack.com/p/october-roundup

And Adrienne’s Podcast – Four Old College Friends: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/four-old-college-friends/id1700592867?i=1000631680007

Nounish Prof: Unpacking with Prof – Purple: https://paragraph.xyz/@nounishprof/purple

AND www.gmfarcaster.com is live!

GM Farcaster episode 20 November 3, 2023 - Farcaster Fall is here:

Collect NFT

Show Notes and Links – some of the stuff we talked about:

Farcaster Fall is here! https://warpcast.com/cameron/0x00163257 https://warpcast.com/cameron/0x1a48a61a https://warpcast.com/chriscocreated.eth/0x26855e2d https://zora.co/collect/base:0xe2fb0e28d391ca747481b3f0dff906644416fac9/2?referrer=0x5C8F77BE6639CBd5B669e409c610926Cc4E0E6Ae https://warpcast.com/j4ck.eth/0xabda1fd3

Mint reminders? https://warpcast.com/cameron/0xc2e37344

Prints.cool: https://warpcast.com/alexgrover.eth/0x742bdf5a

LA meetup: https://warpcast.com/ted/0xf25d43e7

Danger Will Robinson: https://warpcast.com/dangerwillrobin

AND a lil mole again! https://warpcast.com/ds8/0x14130aa0

Purple retro funding prop house: https://warpcast.com/dylsteck.eth/0x354ecd32 https://prop.house/purple/retroactive-funding-round-4

1337 game: https://warpcast.com/nounishprof/0x5df212e7

And some other casts we didn’t get a chance to chat about:

Farcaster store: https://warpcast.com/accountless.eth/0xfc281551

Linda has a brainstorm bounty for you: https://warpcast.com/linda/0x66dff0c1

New features on farcasteruserstats.com: https://warpcast.com/fun/0xa4fd2b62

And our musings elsewhere:

Adrienne: Some of the Things #21 October Roundup https://someofthethings.substack.com/p/october-roundup

And Adrienne’s Podcast – Four Old College Friends: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/four-old-college-friends/id1700592867?i=1000631680007

Nounish Prof: Unpacking with Prof – Purple: https://paragraph.xyz/@nounishprof/purple

AND www.gmfarcaster.com is live!

Join us this week Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 8:30 am ET for 21 minutes of Farcaster news to start your day streaming live on Unlonely and recording dropped on Zora after. We'll share another weekly summary next week!

GMFarcaster.com

Unlonely channel: https://www.unlonely.app/channels/@nounishprof

GM Farcaster recordings:

Collect NFT

It’s really impressive to see that Purple has survived a year and is still thriving. This is no easy feat. I’ve watched many nounish DAOs come and go over this past year. Purple has managed to capture and keep attention. 

I often point out that there are three key things that help a nounish DAO find success:

1)     Strong Mission

2)     Minimum Viable Community

3)     Great Art!

I’ve joked that Purple had the first two nailed and 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. The mission of supporting the Farcaster ecosystem and proliferating purple came with its own minimum valuable community – the OG Farcasters!

BUT in reality, they had all three elements – I just framed it incorrectly.  Memeable art is even better! And the Purple square was perfectly memeable.

It took me a while to finally join Purple but finally grabbed a Purple square just in time, because the art is about to change.

“But Prof – you just said that the Purple square was great art?” It’s memeable art and served Purple well for year one. But it’s a great time to make a change. Not only will it allow a Farcaster artist to shine but it gives existing holders another reason to bid on new tokens. And the art is what often grabs attention first.

But what truly drives Purple’s success is the Farcaster community – both those who are members of Purple and those yet to join. Because the scenius is strong and Purple has been supporting it in new ways over this past year. Regardless of whether you are a member of the DAO or not, you’ve benefitted from its efforts. It’s added liquidity to the conversation. And sometimes even a little drama. Purple is how I first learned of Farcaster.

So congratulations to Purple DAO – the first DAO launched on Nouns Builder one year ago today. It’s been a pleasure to watch you grow!

GM Farcaster for October 25 has lots of love for Purple! View it and/or mint it on Zora.

And about that -- @adrienne and I started a lil morning show bringing you 21 minutes of Farcaster news three days a week. Visit gmfarcaster.com for the full schedule and updates.

I get asked this question a lot. And my answer always starts with: I came in through the Side(noun) door.

SideNoun is an extension of Nouns with cute isometric Nouns “looking highly suspicious” that launched in December 2021 supported by a small grant from Nouns DAO. I found Sidenoun via another project I was involved with called POAPathon – Sidenoun had a bounty up to create a POAP for the Sidenoun community. I had been following Nouns a bit but hadn't really dove in too much.

And upon finding Sidenoun, I minted my first nounish thing: the HODL piano vent. Yes, the head trait is a vent but when I first looked at it, I thought it was a piano.  I was quickly corrected by nonother than David Horvath, a Sidenoun fan I met in the discord. And thus began my obsession with Nouns traits. AND the way the glasses hit on the vent, it also looks like it says HODL – hence the HODL piano vent! I went on to collect a few others from Sidenoun. The project got a bit caught up in bull hype of the moment but it was a great beginning of my crazy nounish journey.

thenounishprof.eth ᵍᵐ ⌐ⓝ°ⓒ profwerder.⌐◨-◨

@ProfWerder

⌐🄶-🄼 happy birthday to my first #nounish NFT: @sidenoun 236 aka HODL piano/vent! I thought it was a piano @davidzhorvath set me straight. I can’t believe it’s only been a year. Grateful to @sidenoun as my first nounish fren on this crazy journey! (And @pxlmnml who was 2nd!)

18

11:00 AM • Feb 4, 2023

Sidenoun received one of the first small grants from Nouns DAO to help deploy the collection. And he was using a tool called Factoria – an early no code platform for minting. It was pre Manifold and Zora and there weren’t many options available.

This gave me an idea: I had just launched my blockchain class and really wanted to see if we could create an NFT project as part of that class. But I would have to cover the costs myself and I also realized that we would not be able use our own college mascot and logo. But I could use the cc0 Nouns assets. And maybe we could also get a small grant to assist?

So I asked Sidenoun about his process and ended up doing just that. FloriNouns received a small grant courtesy of Noun22 and we launched on Factoria, the same platform as Sidenoun, with his help and advice. Which also led me to joining Nouncil in the second group who joined, joining Nouncillor #1 – Sidenoun himself.

I still love these highly suspicious sidenouns – there’s something so fun about them. And the HODL piano vent is my forever sidenoun, the one that started it all.

⌐◨-◨

It’s really interesting to hear about how different nounsfolk ended up in the Nouns ecosystem. Everyone has a different journey. As I started writing about mine, I realized this was going to take a while. This is merely part 1 of many chapters.  A few more to come:

Brewski (it was for the noggles) ⌐◨-◨  Toga Time (Welcome to Nouncil) ⌐◨-◨ Eres mi Flamingo (FloriNouns) ⌐◨-◨ It’s Noun o’ Clock somewhere (NFT NYC 22/VeeCon) ⌐◨-◨  Airhorns and FOMOnouns (TNS) ⌐◨-◨ Milk & Cookies (ode to FoodNouns) ⌐◨-◨ A Lil Flamingo and Lil Sisters ⌐◨-◨ UGLY ⌐◨-◨ One Click DAO (Nouns Builder and more flamingos) ⌐◨-◨ Beyond Basel ⌐◨-◨  Bowling, Nounders and a tiara: The Rose Parade ⌐◨-◨ Proliferatoooor (Miami NFT Week, OPJ and Prop House) ⌐◨-◨ Pigtail maxi (The Boneys, PeeperToadz and Cryptoadz) ⌐◨-◨ Bagels & Builders (NFT NYC 23) ⌐◨-◨ FarCon (and a debate about DAOs) ⌐◨-◨ OPJ and Pengus ⌐◨-◨ What time is it in Australia? ⌐◨-◨ Nouniversary and a painted cake ⌐◨-◨ One Year of Builder ⌐◨-◨ Lil Basel 

These may end up out of order – may need to jump around a bit. But I want to unpack all the crazy fun of these past couple years. So we do a lil writing . . .

to be continued… ⌐◨-◨

I come from a large extended family – lots of cousins, aunts, uncles. As I get older, more of those staples of my childhood are reaching their 80s and leaving us.  This one hits harder. With people who’ve been in your life before you were even born, it’s hard to imagine it continuing without them. Or certain aspects anyway.

When I was a kid, my family would draw names of the 8 grandkids (me being one) and each of the 4 families would get 2 to buy for. My Aunt Joy always seemed to end up with me. Yup, the fix was in and I wasn’t complaining! She was a shopper and always went overboard. I lucked out.

Aunt Joy had been dealing with health challenges for years, and I knew this summer would likely be my last visits with her. So visit we did. And laugh we also did. And she got in some last gifts too. She bought me this hilarious mini tv that now sits on my desk and plays clips from Friends. Just because. Just because she saw it and knew I’d love it. She was a “just because” kind of gift giver.

We had our last meals too over the summer. Aunt Joy was Italian so food was love. Up until a couple months ago, she would be wheeling around on a desk chair in the kitchen, cooking away. As well as making fudge.

OH THE FUDGE! She made the best chocolate fudge like none I’ve tasted anywhere else. She would complain when she couldn’t get it quite right. No one else ever complained about a bad batch. And this summer her fudge was especially good. Extra love added I suppose.

Most of the time, fudge was for holidays and special occasions. But over the years, a box with fudge would appear on my doorstep to brighten my day. In college, it was a random care package. When my Dad died, it was about the only thing that would bring a smile. When I had Covid (the first time), the loss of taste was devastating – would I ever taste that melt in my mouth chocolate flavor again? It came back long before my sense of smell, just in time for a post-Covid care package from Aunt Joy.

Fudge was comfort.

Fudge was healing.

Fudge was love.

When I lost my Dad, it was sudden and unexpected.  What I wouldn’t have given for moments at the end, to say all the things I didn’t get to say.  The flip side is you have to watch as your loved one suffers. My cousin and I had discussed this a couple times recently and it’s hard to know which is worse. As awful as it is to know what’s coming, it’s hard to explain the gut punch that comes from a sudden loss.

But now Aunt Joy is hanging with Dad. And I guarantee one thing – his first words were, “where’s the fudge?”

I do not want to write this. I don’t want to have to femme-splain (is that a word?) all the problems with this prop. It opens me up to a whole bunch of potential criticism and bs that I just don’t want to deal with. I don’t want to have to call on my brothers in the DAO to step up and do the right thing here.

But who else will if I don’t speak up in this moment? It’s too important so here we go. And I’m going to be as diplomatic as possible so please read between the lines where needed.

This prop is “problematic”

“Note: The project's creators have chosen to maintain their anonymity, prioritizing a focus on the project's message and artistic vision rather than individual recognition.”

Problem 1: Team who’s so concerned about connecting their reputation to this prop they insist on staying anon. 🚩🚩🚩

“The tone of the project will be one of inclusivity, respect, and open-mindedness.” If this is true then why are the proposers anon?

If you’re not willing to stand behind your prop this begs the question why? If there’s nothing seedy about this, shouldn’t you be proud to present this to the DAO? If not, I question your motives with this type of prop.

Problem 2:

“These pieces will be thoughtfully curated to explore various facets of sensuality, including its ties to human emotions and the natural world.”

By whom? How do we know you have the skills or eye for this type of curation?

There are no mock-ups or any description of what the images may look like so no way to know if they will actually be “inclusive” and “respectful.” And what does inclusivity even mean to you anon?

Problem 3: the artist. DYOR for yourself on that one. I do not think it is wise to make this connection via funding this particular artist. And if something does go wrong with this, could there be legal liability for the DAO?

Women as objects vs muses

There is a long history of nudity in art. Some quite beautiful and classic. But that history also shows that much of it was framed in that way but in reality women were used, taken advantage of, and objectified. Again because the proposer(s) are anon and due to this particular artist there is absolutely no way to know what direction this will land. A risk that has no up side here.

What some may claim is “sensuality” others will see clearly as objectification and it will be yet another reason for women to see Nouns as a boys club. There are many amazing women founders, artists, influencers who could afford to buy Nouns. But they don’t. Ever ask yourselves why?

And I know what you’re thinking …

“But Prof, it’s cc0 they could do it anyway?”

Yes, BUT we don’t have to fund it.

“Well someone is eventually going to do something like this. Why not ensure a more artistic route?”

Sure, BUT we don’t have to fund it.

“Anonymity is part of the ethos of web3. Shouldn’t builders be able to stay anon?”

Of course, BUT we don’t have to fund it.

Passing this prop signals to the world that Nouns supports this project and this artist. If the proposer(s) are so convinced of its merits, they could put it out in the world and individual Nouners and others could support by buying the art if they want. If it has product/market it and is truly all the things the prop purports it to be, then it will find an audience.

But WE don’t have to fund it.

I'm going to guess not many SEC Commissioners have ever had a fanbase, but Commissioner Peirce has a growing one. This week's statement in response to the SEC's enforcement action and settlement with Impact Theory LLC is the latest display of Commissioners Peirce & Uyeda's rational and measured approach to the crypto space as it relates to securities. This especially stood out to many in the space:

The handful of company and purchaser statements cited by the order are not the kinds of promises that form an investment contract. We do not routinely bring enforcement actions against people that sell watches, paintings, or collectibles along with vague promises to build the brand and thus increase the resale value of those tangible items.

NFTs & the SEC: Statement on Impact Theory, LLC

This stood out to me so much so that I felt it was time to start minting these statements and rulings onchain. And L2s make this cost effective to do. Figured I might as well have some fun with it and make it nounish of course, although with the full statement in the description, on the blockchain forever.

thenounishprof.eth ᵍᵐ ⌐ⓝ°ⓒ profwerder.⌐◨-◨

@ProfWerder

this watch might be a security

Since it only costs about 28cents now to put this onchain via L2s, thought it was time to put the statements/dissents from my fave Commissioner onchain. Free to mint on Base via Zora. Details

17

11:45 PM • Aug 28, 2023

That statement echoes something I've said many times -- there is no way that all NFTs are securities. Are some securities under the Howey test? Certainly. Are all of them? Definitely not.

Nike sells sneakers. Some Nike sneaker drops are purchased strictly with the intent to resell for a profit. Due to Nike's efforts, these buyers purchase the sneakers as a speculative asset with the hopes of reselling and making a profit. So are sneakers a security now? Because if the SEC is going to point to all NFTs as securities, then they will need to do the same for sneakers, baseball cards and, as the Commissioners pointed out, watches.

If you read the full statement, you'll also see nuance threaded throughout. The Commissioners clearly indicate that they don't necessarily care for the actions by this particular company but they are able to separate that from the whole industry. Nuance is lost on most administrative agencies and certainly lost on the current SEC Chair.

So I've put this statement onchain and it can be minted here OR as a collectible for this post. All funds raised from Zora rewards or from the collectible mint in this post will be donated to Stand with Cypto, Coinbase's effort to bring about reasonable crypto legislation through education so we can have guardrails that make sense.

And I'll be doing more of this with new rulings and statements so that we mark these moments and hopefully do some good in the process.

You can mint this NFT with the full statement in the description on Base via Zora or mint the collectible in this post. All proceeds will go to Stand with Crypto via shield minting.

Mondoir

@mondoir

GM

My first ever publication titled “The Art of Connectivity: Unveiling the Magic of NFTs” is now available on Amazon.

This book is about my journey into the world of NFTs and digital art, my ups and downs and my personal experiences in this space.

I have talked about the…

591

1:04 AM • Aug 10, 2023

From the explanation of gm to seeing artists I adore featured, it was fun to dive in, so much so that I ordered a second copy to keep in my oncampus office to share with students and colleagues.

From the first pages, I was hooked. The explanation of gm pulled at my heartstrings with its capture of the daily sentiment.

"In the world of Web3, GM is a delightful abbreviation for "Good Morning". It has become a cherished and signature way for individuals to begin conversations. This friendly greeting encapsulates the spirit of connectivity and camaraderie that permeates the Web3 community, where people from diverse backgrounds come together to explore the fascinating possibilities of blockchain technology and NFTs. So, with a warm "GM" in tow, Web3 enthusiasts embark on their daily adventures, united by their shared passion for this transformative digital frontier."

prologue, The Art of Connectivty by Mondoir

It reminds me of TIMEpieces' @MissMayaD's pinned tweet and her love for gm.

MissMayaD ᵍᵐ

@missmayad

GM,

For a year, every morning, I’ve gotten on this platform and said GM. Sometimes it was a GM in the PM but it was a consistent practice - probably the only one I’ve been able to sustain for 365 days with no misses. Ever. (1/13)

378

7:56 AM • Jan 1, 2023

And it may be all the TIMEpieces connections that really drew me into this book. But also the way in which Mondoir was able to capture the special art collector/artist connection that seems to only occur in this space; so much less so in the trad art world.

Although I've always appreciated art and studied it a bit, I did not collect physical pieces beyond works from my very talented child. I've spent many hours in museums and galleries but owned little of my own and wouldn't have called myself a collector. But now yes, I would. NFTs and digital art have allowed me to be just that and to even create my own galleries to display some of my most favorite pieces. (And I really need to start doing some fun events in these great spaces!)

thenounishprof.eth ᵍᵐ ⌐ⓝ°ⓒ profwerder.⌐◨-◨

@ProfWerder

Getting ready for the #globalpizzaparty tomorrow with @Pizza_DAO with our event co-sponsored by @TIMEPieces and @foodnouns. So I got this video ready to roll of my @oncyber gallery that I'll have going on our screens at the event. Can't wait! partiful.com/e/RKoMTk05cZDn…

19

7:53 PM • May 21, 2023

But it's connecting with artists that has been my greatest joy! Meeting these amazing humans, getting to know their stories and understand their passion has been truly enhancing to my life. And much of that has been centered around TIMEpieces. So seeing Parin Heidari, Jake Andrew, Joanne Hollings, and MGOGLKTKO featured in this book was such a fun surprise - these amazing artists I've gotten to know over the past 2 years that I wouldn't have known if I hadn't started collecting.

MGOGLKTKO.eth

@MGOGLKTKO

gmgm!

What a wonderful start to the day! I'm absolutely thrilled about the arrival of "The Art Of Connectivity," the incredible book by my dear friend, collector and activist @mondoir
I can't wait to delve into its pages; I have no doubt that it's a truly unique masterpiece.…

11

11:43 AM • Aug 18, 2023

Beyond this personal connection, The Art of Connectivity captures what's special about NFTs and explains it beautifully for those in the space as well as to a more traditional art audience.

"This book is the story of how a simple passion for collecting led me down an extraordinary path, where the boundaries of art, technology, and community merge to reshape the art landscape for future generations. Welcome to uncharted territories of NFTs and the digital art revolution."

Introduction, p. 14, The Art of Connectivity by Mondoir

Mondoir has also tied the tech to the physical book. Each artwork featured includes a qr code leading you to the piece on OpenSea and Mondoir has even included an NFT to collect at the end -- a Proof of Reading Collectible -- and in a way that doesn't require the reader to already have a wallet. Quite meta actually: connectivity in the art Mondoir created.

My brother once asked me "why would I bother buying NFT art?" I finally have an answer that he might actually appreciate articulated in a way I just couldn't quite do. Guess what he'll be getting for Christmas this year.

Thanks Mondoir for taking the time to share your passion with the world and for connecting the traditional art world with our new adventure.

Built on Base - an L2 chain - BasePaint launched a little over two weeks ago during Onchain Summer. Anyone can mint a brush with 100 pixels and approved pixel artists are given more pixels. Brush holders apply their pixels, save to the canvas and contribute to an overall work of art that's minted with the contributing brush holders earning a pro rata piece of the mint proceeds.

This has become one of my favorite creative outlets both from contributing but also just watching the art develop throughout the day and the final creation playback. The level of artistry is insane! I'm continously impressed and am trying to improve my skills to better contribute and try new things. And of course, when you watch any playback I contributed to, you're likely to see some ⌐◨-◨ although they may be covered in the final result. The Banksy inspired canvas was one of my favorites!

BasePaint

@basepaint_xyz

Banksy minting now
basepaint.xyz/mint

69

1:00 PM • Aug 21, 2023

I've learned to accept that my contributions may end up covered, and usually by much better artists than myself. I was a bit sad that my cute little old school mac mouse didn't make it through but it makes me happy to see it in the playback. My hourglass did remain! I spent some time looking at photos to try to get some accuracy on the mouse and hourglass.

BasePaint

@basepaint_xyz

Watch the cursor!

Day 11 MacPaint is minting now basepaint.art/mint/11

91

1:10 PM • Aug 20, 2023

I love the moving cursor in the playback! The creativity around some of the animations is just amazing. And you saw the ⌐◨-◨ right?

But with anything new, there's always lessons learned and the team has been quick to respond and try to adapt. A few vandals attacked one day and I spent some pixels trying to cover up some unpleasantries. The team burned those brushes and added some moderators to help keep the art on track. They move quickly and continue to make improvements and try new things.

The lofi themed piece was another favorite and the most minted thus far. I struggled to make a musical note inside a heart but luckily someone fixed my note and made it so much better. And my ⌐◨-◨ actually made it the end in this one!

BasePaint

@basepaint_xyz

LoFi minting now
basepaint.xyz/mint

96

1:00 PM • Aug 25, 2023

This really has inspired me to learn more about pixel art and work on my skills. But even my tiny contributions have brought me so much joy.

Just one question -- when BasePaint DAO?

I can still see the painting on the wall in the waiting room -- this abstract 1970's era art with silhouetted kids holding primary color balloons -- banksy-esque in a way. And the kid sized bookshelf that always had Highlights magazine of course.

My brother went into the business too, while I had zero desire to go into dentistry. I worked in the office for two weeks one summer and hated every minute. I didn't mind going there for appointments but cleaning instruments and helping develop xrays just wasn't for me.

My Dad retired about 9 years ago and passed away suddenly 3 years later. And going to the dentist became a very different experience. It's frought with emotion that has nothing to do with fear of drills or the usual pains. It is tied to my Dad and grief just wells up without warning. So I've slacked off on my dental health to avoid emotional pain and ended up in major physical pain.

So for the past two months I've been dealing with an infection, root canal, and today part one of a crown to cap it off. And once again I found myself holding back tears because the sense memory of being in a dental office is just too much. The physical pain is actually easier. There's Advil for that. But grief has been one emotion I have yet to conquer. I'm better at managing it now this many years later but wow it can come at me like a wave I don't even see coming.

It's funny -- I have a photo of my Dad in my living room that I see every day and never get emotional. But I walk into a dentist office and immediately it all rushes back. So it makes sense I've been avoiding going to the dentist but now it's getting expensive too.

So Dad -- I've heard you loud and clear and the 6 month check-up appointment has already been made. But no one will ever replace you.

And thanks subscribers - I'm back - and yeah that one I just had to get out of my head. If you're new here, welcome but also, this blog/newsletter thingy can go anywhere so buckle up! It might be nounish, it might not. It might be about DAOs or the dentist or penguins. It might even be about me sitting in my car. But I'm going to try to get back to daily writing and creating collectible art to go with it. It's been a great outlet and I appreciate you joining me on this journey!

When Nouns Builder launched at the end of October 2022, I deployed one of the first DAOs on mainnet – Just the Flamingo. (sidebar: YES I do have a small obsession with the Nouns Flamingo head but more on that at another time.) It cost .148 eth ($248) to deploy at that time. Although Nouns Builder didn’t charge any fees, and gas was fairly low at the time, there were still some costs to deploy.

Yesterday I launched Based Mingos (yes, more nounish flamingos!) on Base, an L2 chain by Coinbase. The cost difference stunned me! I launched this DAO during the DAO workshop in the Nouns Builder discord. It took about 30 minutes to do while explaining the process and answering questions. So yes, it is also fast if you have your art ready and have determined your set-up parameters ahead of time. The cost to deploy was .008 Base eth ($13.78). WOW! This is an amazing savings for deploying a DAO!

More importantly, the reduced cost for voting and proposing now makes onchain DAOs actually affordable for non-profits and education. When I originally started my blockchain class in January 2022, I had wanted to create a DAO with my students. It would have been clunky so we never did. Even creating an NFT collection was challenging. Manifold was still in beta and I don’t think Zora was live yet. We ended up using Factoria but it did take some student devs to pull it off. Now we have so many easy to use tools, this has opened up more possibilities.

But still the challenge has been getting eth to the students and having enough to really explore onchain. It’s cost prohibitive even with free mints. And would be unworkable for DAO voting, settling auctions, proposing.

But now we are talking pennies! I submitted a proposal with 15 transactions (to airdrop Based Mingos to Just the Flamingo holders) and the cost was .00046 – or about 77 cents.  I expect voting to be even less! And I realized that now we can create a DAO for the class, provide a small amount of Base eth to each student, and allow them to actually transact onchain with minimal cost. This helps to bring it all to life!

They will also be able to create their own NFTs via Zora’s Base L2 and mint other students’ work. In previous semesters, I’ve selected one student’s work to deploy as an NFT.  Now they ALL can! This is huge!

For BuilderDAO, this also makes it much more affordable and feasible to seed DAOs and help them get off the ground. One of the challenges DAOs that started on mainnet had was keeping auctions going when gas was high. If it costs more to settle than the actual cost of the auction, the economics don’t make sense. And no one wants to spend eth to vote. With minimal transaction fees, a DAO could even do voter refunds and cover settlement.

As I’ve been developing and teaching my Blockchain Applications class and my new NFTs and the Metaverse class, I’ve planned to develop that curriculum to share with other educators. This makes it feasible to do now and to provide guidance on the experiential side. Doing is always better than just talking about it. Learning only solidifies when you practice it. And L2’s will help make that happen.

Happy onchain summer indeed!

Mint this fun Nounish DAO pac-man edition on Base via Zora. Funds will go towards DAO education.

AND join me for another workshop next week in the Nouns Builder discord!

thenounishprof.eth ᵍᵐ ⌐ⓝ°ⓒ profwerder.⌐◨-◨

@ProfWerder

Build your DAO on Base! Or Optimism or Zora! @nounsbuilder now available on L2s! Learn about building your DAO including all the features of Nouns Builder on Wednesdays for the rest of #OnchainSummer and get your DAO questions answered! 5 pm est Aug 16, 23 & 30!

discord link:…

48

12:07 PM • Aug 14, 2023

thenounishprof.eth ᵍᵐ ⌐ⓝ°ⓒ profwerder.⌐◨-◨

@ProfWerder

And here we go! Been working w/ @LucaNetz on this amazing @nounsdao x @pudgypenguins collab & the prop is now live!

nouns.wtf/vote/325

⌐◨-◨ x

Incredible proliferation opportunity w/ a net positive for Nouns! LFG! #Vote4Pudgy

115

2:04 PM • Jul 5, 2023

From the outside looking in, the process may seem simple: you submit a prop; the Nouns holders vote on it; if it passes, you get whatever the ask is. But that’s like watching "How a Bill Becomes a Law" and thinking “oh, that seems easy enough.” But of course, it’s not. There’s so much nuance, dao politics and strategy that goes along with it.

And it takes sometimes months for it to go from idea to executed proposal. But it does start with an idea. And in this case, a fateful meeting.

How it started

Back in March, I met Luca at an Overpriced Jpegs Happy Hour – the first one actually – in Miami. Julian Holguin, CEO of Doodles, was the guest that Carly Reilly interviewed. It was an amazing event. And of course I was sporting ⌐◨-◨ and chatted briefly with Luca about a possible collab with Nouns. He already had an idea percolating! A few dm’s and months later, Luca circled back with a great idea inspired by his meetup with Klim from Big Shot Toy Works at the Licensing Show in Las Vegas. He was ready but didn’t know where to start.

⌐◨-◨ BiGSHOT⌐◨-◨

@bigshottoyworks

Had a chance to meet with the crew @licensingexpo and their general
Vibe, energy and enthusiasm for Nouns makes me super bullish on this prop and anything that happens after. It is a win for both communities and will bring Nouns to a much bigger audience in the long run

2

4:19 PM • Jul 11, 2023

Enter the Prop Concierge

And this is where my time and experience in the Nouns ecosystem came in handy. With a DAO – especially Nouns – there’s no one in charge of partnerships or collabs like a traditional business. There’s no biz development manager or a marketing department. You have to find someone within the ecosystem who can tell you where to go and what to do. A prop concierge if you will to help you with this crazy process.

We started with writing the prop. I gave him a template and an outline then he added the details of the idea. We refined it a bit. Then I threw it at my favorite nounish curmudgeon to review it and tear it apart to figure out what potential objections the prop might face. We revised it again and discussed some potential different directions but ended up with essentially Luca’s original idea of a special Pudgy Penguin high end collectible with Nouns glasses with some of the proceeds to go towards buying a Noun and having the Huddle join the DAO. This is not just any toy but a collectible drop on NTWRK with a digital experience built in. It would be similar to the Shark penguin drop which sold out in seconds.

Pudgy Penguins

@pudgypenguins

Here is the Pudgy Penguins “Shark Suit” Collectible unboxing and experience walkthrough.

We’re bringing blockchain technology and unique experiences to the everyday consumer.

422

5:05 PM • Jun 22, 2023

There were numerous dm’s, emails and a couple calls to refine it. Then I found a sponsor to delegate two Nouns so that Luca could put the prop onchain (thanks Shan!). I got on a call with Luca as he submitted the prop to walk him through the process. As soon as it was submitted the bot alerts went out and the Nouniverse heard the news. It happens almost instantaneously so a proposer has to be ready when they hit that submit button.

The “wen” strategy

Deciding when to put the prop onchain for voting is dependent on a number of factors. We were writing the prop right before the 4th of July weekend in the US and I knew that we should wait until after but also had to take into account the timing of meetings, spaces and how to best wrangle Nouner attention.

So I knew that Wednesday July 5 would be the best option, knowing that The Lil Nouns Show had delayed to that date that week and was a show that Luca needed to be on and would be the best option for announcing the prop. So I got that scheduled in back channels but asked them not to announce it until the prop was onchain.

Why? Because I knew that as soon as this prop went onchain, there would be immediate attention and I wanted to capture that moment best we could. So the prop went on chain early afternoon and he was on spaces around 6 pm that evening. I also knew that the guest for TLNS was Zeneca and that would be an amazing audience for this announcement. (TLNS has a guest interview followed by a builder usually with an active prop – Zeneca was the guest; Luca was the builder). That team of Lils is fabulous -- highly recommend this space!

The Lil Nouns Show ⌐◨-◨

@TheLilNounsShow

Today on TLNS, we will be joined by two of Web3's most well known voices!

- @Zeneca - to give an update on @ZenAcademy and it's future pfp project; and

- @LucaNetz from @pudgypenguins - to talk about nouns.wtf/vote/325

See you then! ⌐◨-◨

24

2:40 PM • Jul 5, 2023

I also scheduled Luca for the Nouncil meeting the next morning. Both Lil Nouns (who hold 17 Nouns) and Nouncil (with 7 Nouns delegated) vote early so we needed to get in front of them first. This also allowed for an opportunity to jump start the excitement. And that’s exactly what happened. I love the Lils – they are mostly Builders and understood immediately how great this would be for Nouns. And Nouncil is a council of Nounish Builders – a perfect fit for an entrepreneur like Luca. And we were off to a good start.

Lil Nouners ⌐◨-◨

@lilnouners

Vote 4 @pudgypenguins lil's lilnouns.wtf/vote/nounsdao/…

thenounishprof.eth ᵍᵐ ⌐ⓝ°ⓒ profwerder.⌐◨-◨

@ProfWerder

And @LucaNetz is now a @lilnounsdao holder too! Grabbed this igloo the other day on @lilblockparty so he can jump in @lilnouners private & chat about the prop!

8

7:09 PM • Jul 5, 2023

I also made sure Luca knew which discords to jump into, tagged him appropriate channels and even gifted him a Lil Noun (igloo of course) for access to Lil Nouner private. I wanted to make sure he could communicate directly with voters and answer questions.

Don’t Panic (spoiler alert: I panicked a lil)

Then came some less than positive takes on the prop. I was expecting this – but not from Gremplin (although he seemed to come around). Or a couple others. This got a bit a nerve wracking.  The criticisms were fair. Just unexpected. And coming from someone who I have the upmost respect for hits harder. But Luca handled the criticism well -- better than I did. And a certain tweet helped calm my fears. And started a mini meme. I’m also pro pudgy (personally).

4156

@punk4156

pro pudgy (personally)

170

5:40 PM • Jul 6, 2023

The Boneys

@theboneys

pro boney (personally)

25

9:35 PM • Jul 6, 2023

gorpnol

@gremplin

Never tweeting again (fursonally)

55

8:03 PM • Jul 6, 2023

And since we had Noun O’ Clock already lined up for Friday, this was an opportunity to address those concerns. And he did it well. Even at 12:30 am – yup twitter spaces after midnight – because that show follows the Nouns auction around the clock. Is it crazy – yup. But Luca was a trooper. And that really showed he was dedicated to this prop.

The Noun Square ⌐◨-◨

@thenounsquare

"It turns out that the Nouns corner has just what I've been looking for." @pudgypenguins project owner @LucaNetz, talking about his introduction to @nounsdao via @ProfWerder and TNS.

39

9:13 PM • Jul 10, 2023

This is all happening during the “pending phase” before voting opened. And the above mostly happened in the first 36 hours.

Now it’s up to the Voters

Understanding the voters in Nouns and their motivations is important when you write the prop but you really never know what’s going to happen until it does. What was pleasantly surprising was the excitement, not only from the Nouns side but from the Pudgy Penguin side! So many nounish penguin gifs!!! That gave a lot more visibility to the prop and brought some voters in that usually don’t vote.

thenounishprof.eth ᵍᵐ ⌐ⓝ°ⓒ profwerder.⌐◨-◨

@ProfWerder

gm

⌐◨-◨ x

14

7:52 AM • Jul 12, 2023

Before putting up a prop, it’s good to analyze recent vote patterns, check delegations, and have an idea of where your likely FOR and AGAINST voters will come from. Sometimes you just don’t know. And sometimes you get pleasantly surprised by someone you put in the probably NO column (yes an actual column – spreadsheets help here).

Some voters have more influence than others, usually due to their thoughtful and well written reasons. Noun40 is usually one of those – I always take notice of his vote and reasons. And really appreciated the time he took to consider this prop. But it’s not always those with a lot of voting power that have influence. Onnnnnnnion and Wilson both have big influence with limited votes. Onnnnnnnion even had influence with 0 votes because of threads analyzing props. He’s a good one to watch.

With this prop we had quite a few surprise FOR votes that really helped (thanks POAP.eth!) but even as we came to the last day, by my count there were 80 likely AGAINST votes still hanging in the ether. Would they come in? A couple wallets I was watching had voted NO on props before and after prop 325 but seemed to skip that one. Hmmmmm.  My guess is this was in deference to Luca but I really don’t know for sure.

ZeroPod

In the midst of this, The Noun Square launched a new podcast and had Luca as the first guest. So I helped Toady Hawk with the interview and SuperTight Woody pushed out the edit with lightning speed to get it out before the vote ended. It's pretty awesome -- give a look!

The Noun Square ⌐◨-◨

@thenounsquare

What's so great about the @nounsdao Noggles anyway?

@LucaNetz (@pudgypenguins CEO) joined us for the 1st episode of our new Zero Rights Reserved Podcast & in this clip talks about his appreciation for the ⌐◨-◨ as a cultural symbol.

Watch the full Pod using the links below

66

4:49 PM • Jul 14, 2023

The Governance Pool dilemma

And then just to add to the insane game theory that is NounsDAO, we had to deal with the new Governance Pool. This a new curveball that allows Nouners to delegate their Nouns to a pool and those votes can be bid on and essentially “bought” as for, against, or abstain votes.

When I first met with Luca about the prop I explained this new dynamic and advised him to just steer clear of this option. And he agreed immediately. It would have been a bad look for him to bid on those votes. And I’m on record against it so I wasn’t going to.

But there were 42 votes up for bid and a starting AGAINST bid was on the table. I was really hoping that these votes would not be a factor but there was no way to know for sure. There were a couple other Nouners ready to put in a bid but I really didn’t want them to have to.

Luckily, this worked out and those against votes weren’t enough to change the outcome. And we avoided the governance pool. But I was holding my breath refreshing the page until the time ran out.

Success!

The prop succeeded! “And there was much rejoicing.” This process is not easy, and if you are not familiar with it, it can seem really convoluted. We do really need to find a way to make it easier for those with amazing ideas to find a way through the process. But for now, it is what it is. With the Nouns Fork looming and tensions high, the prop process in Nouns will not get any easier any time soon.

And I don’t think it needs to be easy – just easier. I’m not exactly sure how to do that yet. But I’m working on it. This essay is part of that. There’s so many small nuances I can’t even capture here but it’s a good start. Hopefully, this gives you a bit of insight along with the How to Prop post (which I wrote while working on the Pudgy Penguins Prop--just couldn't tell you that at the time).

But please don’t @ me right now. I’m exhausted.  

Epilogue

There’s been a lot of surprises from this prop. I knew it would get a lot of attention – it was different from what we usually see and was fun – but I didn’t expect the level of attention it got within the overall NFT ecosystem. There were tweets, articles, newsletter posts, spaces talking about it from outside the Nouns ecosystem and we don’t see that often.

adam

@Web3Adam

how can i get more tapped in with the @nounsdao ecosystem?

love what the guys over at @nounsesports are doing.

88

12:34 PM • Jul 11, 2023

I knew the proliferation of ⌐◨-◨ would be amazing when the toy drop happens and the media that would come with it. I just didn’t anticipate how much proliferation would happen just from the prop itself.

thenounishprof.eth ᵍᵐ ⌐ⓝ°ⓒ profwerder.⌐◨-◨

@ProfWerder

I love the art that the nounish artists have created inspired by @LucaNetz’s @pudgypenguins prop. This @messhup x @theboneys piece is !!

MΞSSHUP

@messhup

I mean, we are all boneys on the inside.

11

7:11 PM • Jul 16, 2023

AND the excitement from not only Nouns and Pudgy Penguins but from others who just like this idea of a true web3 collab. Exciting to say the least! It also has drove quite a few people to take a look at our governance – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

LOOP⚡️

@LoopxNFT

An extremely important vote just concluded that you've never heard about

In my mind this is one of the most important stories in Web3 in months.

So what happened? Let's dive in

The Pudgy Pengiuns x Nouns Dao proposition 325 has just passed.

So what was it?

On July 5th,…

265

5:03 PM • Jul 15, 2023

And speaking of Ugly – I have to give a shoutout to my UglyDAO fam. This is a stressful process and they always help keep me grounded—they are my best cheerleaders and my best critics—and just provide a level of support that you don’t see in many organizations. It’s a special crew that just gets me. I can count on them like few others. They were in the background of all of this.

thenounishprof.eth ᵍᵐ ⌐ⓝ°ⓒ profwerder.⌐◨-◨

@ProfWerder

⌐◨-◨ from the Shipping Department: Penguin Edition is out now! and yes this week's news from @uglynouns was a little bit @pudgypenguins heavy and includes a cute collectible with a @skipperlee_eth drawing enhanced with @NounsAI_wtf.

Read it here: paragraph.xyz/@shippingdepar…

9

1:29 AM • Jul 14, 2023

As well as a few others who helped early on in the process and right until the end. Don’t know what I would have done without those fabulous Aussies Jarmen and 87B0nes. Again – they cheer you on and tell you the real truth when you need to hear it.  We need more like them in the DAO. Preferably with those accents.

I can’t wait for this prop to actually come to life. This is merely the start. I can’t wait for this collectible to drop. It’s going to be quite a moment! But more so, I love watching Luca and the Pudgy Penguins team as they cook. They are really ones to watch. Don’t keep your eyes off them. And get ready for that drop – it’ll be here before you know it!

Oh and if you voted for the prop in Nouns or Lil Nouns, grab the commemorative POAP. And thanks!

thenounishprof.eth ᵍᵐ ⌐ⓝ°ⓒ profwerder.⌐◨-◨

@ProfWerder

Celebrating ⌐◨-◨ x with a special POAP—art by @BrettDrawsStuff with @LucaNetz ‘s ok to use!

Sent via delivery to everyone who supported prop 325 either in @nounsdao or @lilnounsdao so you can claim it here: poap.delivery/pudgynouns

Thanks for help getting this done!

36

10:32 PM • Jul 16, 2023

{thanks subscribers and sorry for this 2 week hiatus -- blame the penguins while grabbing this collectible}

Growing up in the cradle of Liberty – Massachusetts – history is all around. It lives not just in museums but on the streets with a red line in the bricks to show the way; in the pubs where the tea party was planned; in the fields where the shots were actually fired. When I worked in Boston, we were closed for Patriots Day and Evacuation Day – distinctly Massachusetts holidays celebrating those first shots of revolution and the exit of the British from Boston.

When I passed the bar in Massachusetts, I was sworn in at Faneuil Hall where I took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. I’ve studied government and law my whole life and now teach it. I give all my students in my Legal Strategies for Start-ups class their own pocket Constitution. I joke that it will come in handy should a feisty debate on the First Amendment come up when they are out at the Keys Bar some night.

But I always keep in mind – this is the American EXPERIMENT. And it is so often messy and flawed by the people in it. And during my lifetime, I’ve actually watched my rights under this Constitution diminished, which is saddening, maddening even, but fighting it at this point feels futile. In many way, my rebel spirit has been crushed by reality.

However, those core principles do provide a guiding light; a dream of democratic principles as a foundation for governing and those I still believe in. I’ve always liked those wise witty words of Winston Churchill:

"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…"

Do I still feel Democracy is the best form of government, except for all the others? Sure. But I also think we can do better. And I think the blockchain may be a way forward to a more better union. I get frustrated seeing DAOs try to replicate current governmental structures – we can do better than that, while using these special, enlightened documents as a foundation.

When my kiddo was 6 years old, we spent 4th of July at the National Archives and joined in a live reading of the Declaration of Independence, with actors portraying the founding fathers and prompts to yell “Huzzah!” It is still my favorite 4th of July memory.  It was pre-2016 election; pre-Covid; pre-current day polarization. It was a pure celebration of our Republic. And I think of that joy each year.

Another favorite quote of mine came after the Constitutional Convention when Benjamin Franklin was asked: Well, Dr. Franklin have we got a republic or a monarchy?

“A Republic…if you can keep it.” 

Happy Independence Day America. Hope we can keep it.

Ideate

The first step is an idea. BuilderDAO had a prop house round called “Ideas are Valuable” and I disagree with this title. Ideas are not valuable – until they are executed and become tangible. I have more ideas than time. What I put my energy into will be the ideas that come to life and add value. So that idea is a great start – but now what are you going to do with it?

Write it up

Writing a prop has a couple components; the language, the format, the communication of your idea. From the formatting side, using Hackmd.io is extremely helpful in order to then copy over that markup and drop it into the proposal form in your nounish DAO.

For BuilderDAO, I created a HackMD template you can use which includes some language from the proposal guidelines to help hit the key points that voters will use to evaluate your proposal. You can find it here and copy/paste to use for your own BuilderDAO prop or adapt it for your own DAO: https://hackmd.io/@profwerder/builderdaotemplate

When writing, try to anticipate voter questions and objections and address them in your prop. Although some holders may interact and ask questions when your prop goes live, most will only use the prop itself in their decision making process so make sure it’s thorough. Be sure to explain why this is beneficial for the DAO – that is vital.

Put it onchain

When your prop is ready and you feel you’ve gathered enough feedback, go to the “Activity” tab on the BuilderDAO website and click “Submit Proposal” to bring up the proposal interface. If you do not see this button, make sure your wallet is connected AND that you have enough of that DAO token to put a prop up. For BuilderDAO you will need .5% of the supply or 2 tokens at this time.

You’ll first select the type of transaction you want for this prop. Most often it is a transfer of eth. You may do more than one. Add to transaction queue and click Continue.

Then, from your HackMD draft, copy it over into the proposal interface on the BuilderDAO website. Be sure to preview it and adjust where needed. Some formatting may be lost in translation and need to be adjusted. For example, if you are not seeing your images, make sure that your HackMD draft is in “Published” mode. You can also write it directly into the interface without using HackMD or another editor.

Once it’s ready, click submit and sign with your wallet to put it onchain.

The Campaign

Now the fun begins! Share your prop – the bots will too – and get ready for questions from members of the DAO. For BuilderDAO, you can create a discussion channel in the discord (or the Community Resident will likely do so as soon as she sees the prop go up) so you can address concerns. Twitter and Warpcast will also provide communication channels, as well as Twitter Spaces. For BuilderDAO, contact Prof Werder about coming on BuilderBox to chat about your prop. This recorded space can also be shared on other platforms for those unable to attend live. Voice chats can be helpful for providing more context.

Every DAO is different with different norms, culture and opportunities to share about your prop. NounsDAO is a whole different animal for example and will require a very different approach from BuilderDAO. Be sure to understand the environment before putting a prop up. DYOR is your friend here.

To the polls!

After a “Pending” period, the prop will be live for voting. This can be both exhilarating and scary as you see votes and reasons roll in. Review the reasons carefully and take in the feedback. You may even want to consider canceling the prop if you believe you need to make adjustments. This happens often – don’t be afraid to step back, revise and put it back up in a form that better meets what you are seeing from feedback. Same if the prop is defeated.

If the prop passes, first off, Congratulations! But also, don’t forget to “Queue” and then “Execute” the prop to transfer funds. The Queue time period does allow for a veto to be executed in the case of a prop that passes that poses some kind of existential threat the DAO. This would be highly unusual but that is what this time period is for.

Once the prop is executed, the transactions (such as eth transfer) will process automatically.

This whole process may see like a lot at first glance, but if you work through it once step at a time, it’s not that challenging. As they say, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Why is it that I have this big compulsion to clean my house before I go on vacation? I literally never have that compulsion otherwise. EVER. But whenever I know I’m getting on a plane, I suddenly need to clean everything. 

Is this some kind of weird subconscious thing? Like my brain is thinking, “if I die in a plane crash I don’t want my house to be messy when people are cleaning it out?” I really have no idea. So that’s how I’ve spent today. Cleaning and running errands and getting ready.

OR maybe it's a subconsious way of ignoring the low level anxiety that comes with seeing a very large group of extended family. And friends from high school. That’s always a bit anxiety filled. And gearing up for three weeks of lots of small talk. Which I truly despise. Plus most of my insecurities and self-esteem issues can track back to some of these folks.

But it’s also a time when I get to connect with some of the people that I love most in the world. The ones who made me who I am today, good and bad. The ones who know my flaws, who've seen me in good times and bad, and who stood by me through it all. So that’s what makes it worth it.

So I’ll do the laundry. And the dishes. And make my bed tomorrow morning before I leave for the airport, even though that’s not something I do very often. Leaving a nice neat house behind to come back to.

And I’ll return to that place I call home, even though it hasn’t been my home for almost 22 years. And relive the memories good and bad. 

Because that’s what I do in July. Right after I finish cleaning. 

4156

@punk4156

procrastination is the act of sorting by most interesting instead of most important. those who procrastinate are therefore more likely to be interesting people

519

1:17 PM • Jun 24, 2022

“procrastination is the act of sorting by most interesting instead of most important. those who procrastinate are therefore more likely to be interesting  people” @punk4156

I think about this tweet from time to time—like whenever I need to justify my procrastination. Like now, as I sit at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on the last day of the month, renewing my registration on the last possible day. I can hear my mother now, "why do you always wait until the last minute???!!!"

Why do I do this? I’ve probably paid stupid money in late fees due to this. But I have such a hard time spending time on things I have to do that I just don’t want to do. Like going to the DMV. No wants to be here. Even the employees. 

I would much rather spend this time on the more interesting rather than the “important.” Who wouldn’t? I’m in my best zone when these overlap; when I’m spending my time doing something that is both interesting and important in my eyes. 

What I deem important may be trivial to you. And certainly what I see as interesting may bore you entirely. So who determines what’s “important?”

Maybe important is the wrong word in this context. Necessary seems more accurate. In order for me to drive my car legally, it is necessary that I have an up-to-date registration. It’s probably neither important nor interesting. Just necessary. 

Also in this category: laundry, paying bills, going to the dentist, doing dishes, dusting—all necessary. And all things I procrastinate until I just can’t wait any longer. 

AND unpacking. Yup — the suitcase is still on the floor. And now I’m re-packing for another trip. It just got to the point that it made more sense just to leave it since I was packing again anyway. This was predictable if you know me. 

I once left my Christmas tree up for a whole year. Time just kept marching and suddenly it was May. Then June. Then “well why bother now?” So the tree stood until January 2 the following year. I mean, the year was 2020 so I think that’s justification enough. It just wasn’t important enough to take it down.

But renewing my car registration is necessary. 

And they are calling my number.