Imagining an NFT that updates for a century, and the role of “semantic contracts” — This post describes a “semantic contract” that modifies a token on another NFT contract. It is a simple extension of the composability concept, but motivated by simplifying contract interaction into a kind of “on-chain dApp.” I then show a working proof of concept on the project the_coin. But first, to…

Small, experimental NFT project visualizing the social aspects of public blockchain and more — Table of Contents Summary / tl;dr Background Effects of the Panopticon For Owners: Welcome to “The Mesh” 4.1 Distribution 4.2 Contract 4.3 Visualization 4.4 DAO Mechanics 4.5 Charities 4.6 Guide to Contract Interaction 4.7 Terms and Conditions ✳️ Conclusion Endnotes Main landing site for The Mesh: https://the-mesh.eth.link

Classifying fully on-chain non-fungible tokens — Table of Contents Introduction Classification Scheme #1: Michelin Guide – External pointer (❌) – Calldata (⭐️) – Parameters + code on chain (⭐️⭐️) – Entire NFT on chain (⭐️⭐️⭐️) Classification Scheme #2: Practical Implications – Recoverable – Summonable – Composable – Evolvable How Can You Tell? – Art Blocks example Conclusion Background and…

A very simple “n of 1” contract formulation to add new value to existing tokens — Projects in the NFT space often introduce ways to create new value for collectors. One prominent theme in 2021 was a kind of “membership” model, especially with PFPs. Ownership of a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT, for example, secured entry to a party during the NFT.NYC conference this past November…

A little gumshoe adventure in cryptoart — This brief post details some mild “chain archaeology.” It describes my hunt for the identity of an artist who made a particular work called “Priestess,” on KnownOrigin in 2018. Cryptoart leaves all kinds of traces, on traditional web platforms, but also in the cavernous depths of the chain. …

NFT projects reflect their network niche, and they are evolving — As a concept, “meme” was born in the late 1970’s, in the famous book The Selfish Gene. Described by analogy with genes, the concept of a meme is a unit of cultural and behavioral selection. Memes are transmitted from person to person — a hairstyle, a song, a way of…

Visual expression of time and ownership on chain — Summary / tl;dr A Gaussian timepiece is a simple NFT trinket. A timer. It’s an oscillator that cycles through a fixed number of seconds based on Ethereum’s average block time. But an owner’s relationship to a Gaussian timepiece is more complex. A timepiece contains “complications,” as they are called in watch-speak. …

A tribute to the cryptoart of hex6c — Blockchain is an alluring synthesis of the automatic and the spontaneous, the machine and the human. Blockchain permits automation of many economic activities. But behind these automations are the complex intentions of human agents. Perhaps more than anywhere else, it is cryptoart where this marriage of ideas is most complete…

SVG + just a bit of CSS yields an amazing variety of visualizations — “…because these modest visualizations live on chain, this encoding of Bitcoin — as an idea, as a history and as a transformative economic contribution to human civilization — will propagate long into the future. Like a digital time capsule.” the_coin “the_coin” is an experimental, small-scale NFT project encapsulating Bitcoin history…