28 Comments
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Jackson's avatar

Make the first webworm post an NFT and sell it please, David. For science.

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David Farrier's avatar

50 Ethereums

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Jackson's avatar

SOLD

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K Rench's avatar

Until we have global electricity generation that is carbon zero NFT, and any crypto that requires mining, will continue to have huge carbon footprints. Would be keen to see an interview with an expert on the environmental impacts. Bitcoin produces more carbon than NZs whole footprint, what will the impact be of more currencies be?

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David Farrier's avatar

Not good for the planet, I'm guessing. But that hasn't stopped us before! Ugh

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C Corn's avatar

You may have seen this and possibly doesn't count as expert but it helped me to understand just exactly how horrendous this trend could be, environmentally speaking. Just one of the several artworks on the new Kings of Leon album is equivalent in terms of energy usage to boiling a kettle 2 million times, and it appears that NFT/cryptocurrencies have exponentially increasing energy usage baked into how they work. Previous commenter also probably knows a lot more about this than me!

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Mothy's avatar

It’s very confusing but the most confusing part of this for me is that it’s Kings Of Leon doing this. You’d think it would be Trent Reznor leaving cryptic clues about it in venue bathroom or something.

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David Farrier's avatar

I think Kings of Leon jumping on an annoying trend is very on-brand! (sorry, just not a fan! :P)

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Lauren's avatar

“Any digital file you have on your grubby little hard drive can be tokenised.” This is both terrifying and extremely interesting at the same time!

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Linda.Baker's avatar

That art work is trippy cool! But my slow brain just cannot wrap itself around the whole cryotcurrency bitcoin thing..... 😕

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David Farrier's avatar

It's okay, none of us can.

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A. Michelle's avatar

I did not understand a word of this interview.

Had a friend who owned a really cool bar. When the bar closed for good a few years back, friend went into the crypto world. Incidentally, I have not seen or heard from him since that last night at the bar.

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Sarah Munn's avatar

Jack Dorsey and his horrible beard 🤣. That was incredibly helpful and I understand it so much more. I was aware of this kind of art sale because cool3Dworld has been selling stuff for ETH on super rare. (I discovered Cool3Dworld on the same day as you, thanks to Trent Reznor liking one of your tweets about a C3DW wedding. It was all so bizarre I had to find out what the hell was going on in that image. Sometimes TR really delivers. 😆) Anyway, I had no idea what C3DW was doing, I got to ETH being crypto and then shrugged. Now I know! It is fantastic if artists can make some decent money while they are still alive for a change.

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David Farrier's avatar

Cool3DWorld is always at the forefront! And yes, was very amused when I got a like on that. There are Cool3DFans everywhere, turns out

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Sarah Munn's avatar

I'm so glad you got that like. I spent the afternoon watching cool3Dworld videos, extraordinary and totally in love with it, then the next day watched Dark Tourist and thought you were wonderful. This was early in lockdown and it was all so comforting compared to the anxiety outside the window.

Really worried about Brian though, no updates lately and at least one of those boys is Shaman Rays'.

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Wojciech Kniaz's avatar

Wow, Richard's art is seriously cool. Since I'm a bit of a video game geek, I love all the floating consoles. Good on him for making good profit on his art.

I am equally surprised that Kings of Leon have a new album out... And thank you David, what did "Your sex is on fire" even mean? I still don't get it 13 years later.

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David Farrier's avatar

No one does. No one.

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Duncan Cole's avatar

I never listened to the song that deeply (or often) but I just assumed it a was about a particularly painful STD :P

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Captain Noodle's avatar

NFTs are an interesting technology, but the current hype is 100% due to them being associated with cryptocurrencies.

Richard pointed out that the buyer was trusting him not to sell more NFTs of his artwork, reducing its scarcity and value, but Richard is also placing an enormous amount of trust in the buyer, as there is nothing stopping him from distributing copies of his artwork. These copies need not be NFTs either.

Notice that this makes NFTs practically useless in this case. Richard could just as easily have made his artwork, and sold a single copy along with a certificate of some kind verifying its authenticity. No need for blockchain at any point. Both parties are placing the same trust in each other as before.

Don't get me wrong, I'm totally behind Richard exploiting the hype to make way more for his art. But the increased value has nothing to do with a perceived increase in scarcity and everything to do with a fixation on everything 'crypto'.

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David Farrier's avatar

But if everyone believes in crypto enough, it will work, right? That seems to be the motto.

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Lhara's avatar

I need art for my walls. Richards work is seriously cool when it moves so I’m super happy for him but how can I enjoy his stuff given I don’t have $8k or any idea how to get an NFT? I’m thinking 3D light boxes as a cheaper option. No more Redbubble $20 prints for Rich!

My boy Leo says it takes huge amounts of electricity to mine Bitcoin. The world is crazy.

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David Farrier's avatar

Yes, it's very very bad for the environment. A lot of crunch power to mine that shit. Uses a lot of resources. Yikes.

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TehTri's avatar

I am so pleased to have NFTs explained in a way I actually understand 🤣 I suppose in a digital era, it makes sense for files starting to be worth something like artwork in galleries is traded. The furthest I’d ever considered it before would be the worth of master files for albums and movies (like when someone famous loses a laptop etc.) Richard’s artwork is so beautiful, so it’s fab to see he can branch out intonation new way of selling it.

I still don’t quite get cryptocurrency. One of my best friends is a lawyer who specialises in dividing cryptocurrency as part of divorces. People though that was crazy at first, but her services are incredibly in demand now, and she gives talks to better explain cryptocurrency as an actual asset that’s treated just as real world money in the event of a break-up.

I’m not sure I’ll ever see dogecoin as anything but a meme. But maybe one day I’ll work it out!

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Robin Capper's avatar

I'm not sure if I just can't understand crypto or can't be bothered investing sufficient effort to understand it. Either way, because of the later, I don't.

Love the art, amazed to learn it's NOT a digital render.

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Kat's avatar

1. I am not smart enough for any of this.

2. I am uncomfortable with how much Jack Dorsey looks like James K Baxter. Though I reckon James K probably would have worn a nose ring if the offer was put to him.

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Kimberly's avatar

I would really like to also speak with the people buying these items. I have a lot of questions for anyone who wants to own the first tweet.

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Lauren's avatar

Thank you for writing an article about this! This subject has confounded me since I first heard about “rare Pepes” in the Feels Good Man doc - because of your recommendation! I think I can understand the concept as it relates to a digital image. But the first tweet thing is still confusing to me!

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