#what does nft stand for

[aideveloperr]

what does nft stand for

In the fields of fine art and collectibles, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) serve as a form of digital asset ownership proof. With the help of Blockchain Council's NFT education and resource-sharing initiatives, users will be better able to create, exchange, and value non-fungible tokens.

https://www.blockchain-council.org/smart-contracts/what-is-nft-what-does-nft-stand-for/

[itgirlgyu]

WOULD THEY EVADE TAX? ... txt

﹙𝗮.﹚ ⠀⠀ ⠀° 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁 ... it's WEIRD I GUESS ? ─── warnings ᯓ 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻? +NFTS(¬_¬") i feel like im gonna keep writing stupid headcanons until i finish my one shot. so yay suffer!

────YEONJUN.

He won't. On the contrary, would show off how much tax he is paying. Also gets called in for fraud for announcing a bigger sum as tax than his dues for clout.

Goes viral for his famous mug shots.

His court hearing is public, which he later uses to turn into a reality show.

Finally pays the amount of tax he had said he does, and even more.

Gets on some Forbes 30 Under 30 listing.

No one remembers him after a few years though.

Might try evading tax next time for attention who knows?

────SOOBIN.

He would try yeah.

Hundred percent tries to pass off his work as a non profit so that he won't have to pay the taxes. But the pesky little thing called moral (and the fear of IRS) has him come clean and start anew with completely legal documents. No one will ever know of his dark past.

Although has a blog somewhere on the internet completely journaling his brief stint.

Had the most potential to get away to be honest.

────BEOMGYU.

He would convert all his assets into NFT so he could evade tax.

Is so sure that he won't be caught.

And he is right.

Because NFT crashes soon because how utterly stupid that was and he loses all his money.

So now he lives in Taehyun's basement.

He does get away but at what cost?

────TAEHYUN.

Oh he pays taxes alright.

But it's just a front.

Acts like a dutiful citizen in front of everyone.

Standing up with a palm on his chest and shit for the national anthem.

But he has a side business which he uses to buy gold and turn into gold bar and takes a boat every other month to his secret place.

The address is made into a treasure hunt map so he can leave a legacy behind.

He also does this so that he won't have to leave a trust fund for his future kids, he won't be paying a dime more than what he absolutely has to for them to build their own life.

Leaves a few bars for beomgyu though and some for kai.

Has been on the radar for the longest time, might get busted at his death bed.

────KAI.

Literally yes.

He would do everything to evade the goddamn taxes.

Has an offshore account just for his side hustle.

Might as well declare him as part of a cult with the income as just “blessing”so that the government can't put their paws on it.

Has backpacked through out Indonesian jungles to get the IRS off his back.

Has drunk coconut water with an officer without realising he was shacking in with the enemy.

Also the most likely to get away with it as well.

© ITGIRLGYU⠀⠀. feedbacks and reblogs are appreciated! TAGLiST @viesin @jisungsdaydreamer @wonioml @1921choi @forever-in-the-sky2 @beoms-sugar

[dejabooooo]

The Anti-Pines family is utterly fascinating. We have the blueprint for an entire pseudo canon AU, and remarkably I have seen little input from the fandom in regards to it. I can’t imagine why because there is SO MUCH TO WORK WITH HERE.

Anti-Waddles being as nefarious as Anti-Mabel. “The first pig to ever go to jail for armed robbery.” Like 😭😭 imagine waddles standing upright and holding a tommy gun. Imagine no one in the bank their holding up taking them seriously because they’re an adorable little girl and a chubby pig, and mabel threatening to put a bullet between someone’s eyes like “u better cough up the bacon before this bacon smokes u.” I wanna see what other heinous atrocities the cutest crime duo in the multiverse get up to.

ANTI-SOOS BEING A FORBES BILLIONAIRE HOW AND WHY DID THIS HAPPEN

You’d think if Anti-Ford represents the opposite of Ford that you’d wind up with someone who is exceptionally normal and uninteresting but NOPE. Anti-Ford is easily the weirdest here. FUCKING??? YOUTUBER??? DJ?? A sixty-something year old man with 200 subscribers who posts about his dubstep set lists daily. Utterly baffling.

Anti-Stan and Anti-Dipper are the most understandable in terms of being complete opposites of their counterparts, but all of this makes me wonder how differently their stories would play out because of this. Anti-Mabel was “chased out of her dimension” for being so evil. How does her family feel about this? Are they trying to get her back? Does this bizarre cast embark on a comical and heartfelt journey to try and bring her home? A journey that ends in an emotional reunion? Perhaps one that Mabel fights as she clings to her indifferent, cold ideology while her family begs her to come home. All of them recollecting her horrible crimes with proportionately little exasperation and an abundance of fondness. Stan recounting when she stole all the money from a fundraiser he’d held so she could instead invest the funds into remodeling their entire house to have a monochrome minimalist decor. Ford reminiscing about the time she tried to use his channel to funnel money into a crypto/nft scheme. Dipper having countless stories. like how happy she’d make him when he’d get to skip school thanks to her (because she burned down the school, multiple times). About how she’d sabotaged pretty much all of his relationships, but it was a good thing in the end because it allowed him to realize that who he always really loved was that dorky socially awkward corduroy girl he hadn’t noticed at first. All of this retrospection from her family chipping away at her hardened heart and- phew, I'm getting carried away, but the possibilities, man! These characters could be so much more than a one time joke.

There is also the matter of Anti-Bill. “He is very boring.” Shut up??? Speak for urself, schmebulock, he sounds delightful. This is another character I believe you could expand in many interesting ways. I mean think about it, a being possessing the same caliber of bill’s omniscience and using it for good sounds amazing. Knowing all the beauty in all the universes and going out of his way to share it with weary minds through their dreams. Nullifying nightmares. What if he were a healing antidote to the mind, a medicine to bill’s mind unraveling madness? What if they knew each other?

Do you see my (delusional) vision here guys?

[souptastical]

💾Cursed Child Repository Info

All I ask in return for access to this collection is that you read this all & abide by the disclaimers in the directory file within the repository as its of legal importance💖

The above file delves more into it, but a quick & public disclaimer for Masters (not viewers) is here

Repository Updates Tags: #repoupdate (general)

#importantrepo (important, look through before messaging me)

New Requirement:

❗️If your coming from an empty/new blog, please tell me where you came from.❗️

MAJOR NOTE PLS ABIDE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD:

Stop mentioning my repo to others on tiktok. I love you all, but long story short, that app is insanely public & having this public like that ruins my ability to archive these performances, ruins your ability to have them/ones in the future, and drives this theatre niche underground. So please, stop mentioning it, stop posting clips there.

Now for the public disclaimers:

Disclaimer 1: I didn't originally record the performances, and I make no profit from them while also standing firmly against making any profit whatsoever by the sharing of media I do not own.

Disclaimer 2: Don't sell these files. You can gauge why but for further explanation, read all below.

Disclaimer 3: Do NOT post edits/clips/full videos of this on TikTok, Youtube, etc- making it ENTIRELY public is how access to these types of media dies. Even if its just a clip, then Encora gets back into the public eye which has been entirely wiped once already & made it so these files were insanely hard to find for a long time. Also, its against every single social media platform's terms & conditions to post bootlegged content, which they all take seriously. I know edits are fun, I get it, but please help keep this community alive & the joy in seeing this play accessible.

Continue to post under cut↓

|𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐑|

*note: password includes brackets*

》 I don't include NFT recordings. When they expire, I will include them. If you don't know, just ask & I'm more than happy to let you know when they do.

》 The Cursed Child Repository is not only password protected, but the password & link will cycle once every day. This is to avoid the repository being entirely public. Only PM me for the password when you're able to download- but am totally still down for you to PM me anytime about inquiries regarding which performances are in the folder, as well as asking for the cycled password/link.

》 I NEED you to read the "Directory" file in the repository before downloading- mainly, the disclaimers about the recordings & the revised script transcription/translation as well as noting file sizes before you attempt to download. I tried my best to catalogue information correctly but if you find I have made a mistake, feel free to reach out.

》 Keep in mind that the entire collection is over 50 GB. This is an important note if you are downloading on low bandwith, as well as an important note regarding Mega's transfer quota. The transfer cap from Mega does cap usually under 10 GB, but that all depends on server traffic / other, so i can't really tell you what your cap would be within a 24 hr period.

》 I kindly ask that you not share these downloads in fully public folders/links, and strongly command that you not sell them. I would like to lessen the possibility of law violation as much as possible, despite the fact I wasn't the one to record any of these. This repository/its files are not meant for profit, and I strongly am against them being sold due to the fact it takes financial revenue away from rights holders like JKR, Warner Bros and Broadway Licensing/associated theatre companies. This is media archiving & making hard-to-view media accessible. That's all it is.

[linkhundr]

So NFTgate has now hit tumblr - I made a thread about it on my twitter, but I'll talk a bit more about it here as well in slightly more detail. It'll be a long one, sorry! Using my degree for something here. This is not intended to sway you in one way or the other - merely to inform so you can make your own decision and so that you aware of this because it will happen again, with many other artists you know.

Let's start at the basics: NFT stands for 'non fungible token', which you should read as 'passcode you can't replicate'. These codes are stored in blocks in what is essentially a huge ledger of records, all chained together - a blockchain. Blockchain is encoded in such a way that you can't edit one block without editing the whole chain, meaning that when the data is validated it comes back 'negative' if it has been tampered with. This makes it a really, really safe method of storing data, and managing access to said data. For example, verifying that a bank account belongs to the person that says that is their bank account.

For most people, the association with NFT's is bitcoin and Bored Ape, and that's honestly fair. The way that used to work - and why it was such a scam - is that you essentially purchased a receipt that said you owned digital space - not the digital space itself. That receipt was the NFT. So, in reality, you did not own any goods, that receipt had no legal grounds, and its value was completely made up and not based on anything. On top of that, these NFTs were purchased almost exclusively with cryptocurrency which at the time used a verifiation method called proof of work, which is terrible for the environment because it requires insane amounts of electricity and computing power to verify. The carbon footprint for NFTs and coins at this time was absolutely insane.

In short, Bored Apes were just a huge tech fad with the intention to make a huge profit regardless of the cost, which resulted in the large market crash late last year. NFTs in this form are without value.

However, NFTs are just tech by itself more than they are some company that uses them. NFTs do have real-life, useful applications, particularly in data storage and verification. Research is being done to see if we can use blockchain to safely store patient data, or use it for bank wire transfers of extremely large amounts. That's cool stuff!

So what exactly is Käärijä doing? Kä is not selling NFTs in the traditional way you might have become familiar with. In this use-case, the NFT is in essence a software key that gives you access to a digital space. For the raffle, the NFT was basically your ticket number. This is a very secure way of doing so, assuring individuality, but also that no one can replicate that code and win through a false method. You are paying for a legimate product - the NFT is your access to that product.

What about the environmental impact in this case? We've thankfully made leaps and bounds in advancing the tech to reduce the carbon footprint as well as general mitigations to avoid expanding it over time. One big thing is shifting from proof of work verification to proof of space or proof of stake verifications, both of which require much less power in order to work. It seems that Kollekt is partnered with Polygon, a company that offers blockchain technology with the intention to become climate positive as soon as possible. Numbers on their site are very promising, they appear to be using proof of stake verification, and all-around appear more interested in the tech than the profits it could offer.

But most importantly: Kollekt does not allow for purchases made with cryptocurrency, and that is the real pisser from an environmental perspective. Cryptocurrency purchases require the most active verification across systems in order to go through - this is what bitcoin mining is, essentially. The fact that this website does not use it means good things in terms of carbon footprint.

But why not use something like Patreon? I can't tell you. My guess is that Patreon is a monthly recurring service and they wanted something one-time. Kollekt is based in Helsinki, and word is that Mikke (who is running this) is friends with folks on the team. These are all contributing factors, I would assume, but that's entirely an assumption and you can't take for fact.

Is this a good thing/bad thing? That I also can't tell you - you have to decide that for yourself. It's not a scam, it's not crypto, just a service that sits on the blockchain. But it does have higher carbon output than a lot of other services do, and its exact nature is not publicly disclosed. This isn't intended to sway you to say one or the other, but merely to give you the proper understanding of what NFTs are as a whole and what they are in this particular case so you can make that decision for yourself.

[raintemper]

Hi I'm back with another scuffed oc post. Redesign for Sunlit? More likely than you think. He's so silly,

Sketch page and additional oc info under the break

Tmw u have to convince your not-bf to save your life because your parents want to factory reset you because you're too obsessed with your not-bf

Starless is an early iterator who was not tasked with solving the great problem (at first), he mostly focused on discovering and treating illnesses that came with having a city above the clouds in perfect position to be laser beamed by the sun. Eventually it is also put to work to find the solution, but he does it alongside his previous work.

Sunlit comes along in the group and finds a deep fascination with Starless' research and wants to also do the cool things instead of solving the impossible problem a hundred other iterators are failing to solve. Starless, out of boredom, occasionally sends over some of its studies if asked. Sunlit is a little too engrossed in this and way too emotionally attached to Starless to do his job properly.

Think,,, he will try his best to impress Starless by discovering new viruses and then helping him find the treatments for it, but he is actually creating the new viruses to make it look like he found something. Starless is not very particularly impressed, just because this is what most of its functions focus on does not mean he likes doing it. (Imagine trying to impress an artist by showing them nft?? Lol idkk if that's a fair comparison)

Obviously Starless is almost instantly suspicious of them. No need for him to act on it though because Sunlit stands out so much as an outlier himself. Consistently ignoring his citizens, doesn't care about the problem, accidentally almost caused an epidemic with one of his (supposed to be secret) virus creations. So his creators had plans to completely reset his system. Starless was almost reset as well just by association but was thankfully able to avoid it.

So Sunlit is very sad and scared and asks Starless to please save his life. Starless is not completely unattached to him at this point, but knows whether it helps or not, it'll come to regret either path in the future. (Is Sunlit unhinged enough to figure out a way without its help and then haunt it later on. Perhaps?) Anyways after a little bit of pathetic whimpering from Sunlit(/j), Starless writes him a code to copy and preserve his self in a part of Starless' own system (how fun).

Post mass ascension, Sunlit gets rotted and corrupted and Starless has to deal with it's (what are they) trying to also corrupt it via suspicious links and data transfers.

(silly reminder that these guys are based off existing ocs of mine in which the roles are swapped. It was Starless doing the tormenting but he was much more charismatic about it.)

[chappydev]

Future of LLMs (or, "AI", as it is improperly called)

Posted a thread on bluesky and wanted to share it and expand on it here. I'm tangentially connected to the industry as someone who has worked in game dev, but I know people who work at more enterprise focused companies like Microsoft, Oracle, etc. I'm a developer who is highly AI-critical, but I'm also aware of where it stands in the tech world and thus I think I can share my perspective. I am by no means an expert, mind you, so take it all with a grain of salt, but I think that since so many creatives and artists are on this platform, it would be of interest here. Or maybe I'm just rambling, idk.

LLM art models ("AI art") will eventually crash and burn. Even if they win their legal battles (which if they do win, it will only be at great cost), AI art is a bad word almost universally. Even more than that, the business model hemmoraghes money. Every time someone generates art, the company loses money -- it's a very high energy process, and there's simply no way to monetize it without charging like a thousand dollars per generation. It's environmentally awful, but it's also expensive, and the sheer cost will mean they won't last without somehow bringing energy costs down. Maybe this could be doable if they weren't also being sued from every angle, but they just don't have infinite money.

Companies that are investing in "ai research" to find a use for LLMs in their company will, after years of research, come up with nothing. They will blame their devs and lay them off. The devs, worth noting, aren't necessarily to blame. I know an AI developer at meta (LLM, really, because again AI is not real), and the morale of that team is at an all time low. Their entire job is explaining patiently to product managers that no, what you're asking for isn't possible, nothing you want me to make can exist, we do not need to pivot to LLMs. The product managers tell them to try anyway. They write an LLM. It is unable to do what was asked for. "Hm let's try again" the product manager says. This cannot go on forever, not even for Meta. Worst part is, the dev who was more or less trying to fight against this will get the blame, while the product manager moves on to the next thing. Think like how NFTs suddenly disappeared, but then every company moved to AI. It will be annoying and people will lose jobs, but not the people responsible.

ChatGPT will probably go away as something public facing as the OpenAI foundation continues to be mismanaged. However, while ChatGPT as something people use to like, write scripts and stuff, will become less frequent as the public facing chatGPT becomes unmaintainable, internal chatGPT based LLMs will continue to exist.

This is the only sort of LLM that actually has any real practical use case. Basically, companies like Oracle, Microsoft, Meta etc license an AI company's model, usually ChatGPT.They are given more or less a version of ChatGPT they can then customize and train on their own internal data. These internal LLMs are then used by developers and others to assist with work. Not in the "write this for me" kind of way but in the "Find me this data" kind of way, or asking it how a piece of code works. "How does X software that Oracle makes do Y function, take me to that function" and things like that. Also asking it to write SQL queries and RegExes. Everyone I talk to who uses these intrernal LLMs talks about how that's like, the biggest thign they ask it to do, lol.

This still has some ethical problems. It's bad for the enivronment, but it's not being done in some datacenter in god knows where and vampiring off of a power grid -- it's running on the existing servers of these companies. Their power costs will go up, contributing to global warming, but it's profitable and actually useful, so companies won't care and only do token things like carbon credits or whatever. Still, it will be less of an impact than now, so there's something. As for training on internal data, I personally don't find this unethical, not in the same way as training off of external data. Training a language model to understand a C++ project and then asking it for help with that project is not quite the same thing as asking a bot that has scanned all of GitHub against the consent of developers and asking it to write an entire project for me, you know? It will still sometimes hallucinate and give bad results, but nowhere near as badly as the massive, public bots do since it's so specialized.

The only one I'm actually unsure and worried about is voice acting models, aka AI voices. It gets far less pushback than AI art (it should get more, but it's not as caustic to a brand as AI art is. I have seen people willing to overlook an AI voice in a youtube video, but will have negative feelings on AI art), as the public is less educated on voice acting as a profession. This has all the same ethical problems that AI art has, but I do not know if it has the same legal problems. It seems legally unclear who owns a voice when they voice act for a company; obviously, if a third party trains on your voice from a product you worked on, that company can sue them, but can you directly? If you own the work, then yes, you definitely can, but if you did a role for Disney and Disney then trains off of that... this is morally horrible, but legally, without stricter laws and contracts, they can get away with it.

In short, AI art does not make money outside of venture capital so it will not last forever. ChatGPT's main income source is selling specialized LLMs to companies, so the public facing ChatGPT is mostly like, a showcase product. As OpenAI the company continues to deathspiral, I see the company shutting down, and new companies (with some of the same people) popping up and pivoting to exclusively catering to enterprises as an enterprise solution. LLM models will become like, idk, SQL servers or whatever. Something the general public doesn't interact with directly but is everywhere in the industry. This will still have environmental implications, but LLMs are actually good at this, and the data theft problem disappears in most cases.

Again, this is just my general feeling, based on things I've heard from people in enterprise software or working on LLMs (often not because they signed up for it, but because the company is pivoting to it so i guess I write shitty LLMs now). I think artists will eventually be safe from AI but only after immense damages, I think writers will be similarly safe, but I'm worried for voice acting.

[throyalframes]

Masterpieces in Pixels: The Best of Digital Photo Artwork

When Technology Meets Imagination

Once, the masterpiece was born of brush and canvas. Today, some of the world's most breathtaking compositions begin with a stylus and screen. Welcome to the world of digital art painting, where creativity knows that there is no limit and pixels do not become poetry.

This article is a celebration of the digital renaissance - showing iconic digital photo artifacts, spotting impressive artists, and revealing how the technique is changing the visual stories.

The Rise of Digital Art: A New Chapter in Art History

The development of art has always been powered by equipment—stone, charcoal, oil, and acrylic. The digital era brought a new set of devices: graphic tablets, photo-editing software, and 3D rendering engines.

Why Digital Art Painting Deserves the Spotlight

Critics once rejected digital art as "less real," but the world of art has moved. Today, digital photo artwork is displayed in major galleries, collected as NFTs, and used in gaming, film, fashion, and advertising.

Here’s what makes it stand out:

 Versatility: From photorealism to essence, digital equipment suits every style.

 Efficiency: Premous, again, and layers use the experiment risk-free.

 Exception: Artists worldwide can cooperate, share, and sell their work.

Digital Masterpieces That Inspire

Let's dive into some standout examples that show the emotional and technical depth of digital art painting.

1. “Portrait of the Future” by Artgerm

A hyper-detailed science-fiction portrait that mixes Eastern aesthetics with the Western comic book effect. The signature of the artgerm is possible with the work of the complex layer in Photoshop.

2. “City of Light” by Beeple

One of the most famous digital artists of our time creates a dystopian world with quality like Bipal cinema. Their daily rendering leads the boundaries of digital storytelling.

3. “Dreams in Bloom” by Ross Tran

This colorful, chaotic, and joyful piece shows how digital equipment can reflect an artist's personality. Ross's bold brushstrokes and unique character design make their work immediately recognizable.

Behind the Scenes: How Digital Art Paintings Are Created

Creating a digital work includes more than just software. It is a process filled with vision, technology, and story.

Step-by-step Process:

Sketching the concept —just like traditional art.

Blocking in shapes and color —using layers for flexibility.

Adding depth and lighting—digital brushes simulate texture and light.

Refining details—highlights, shadows, effects, and final polish.

Meet the Masters: Influential Digital Artists

 Loish (Lois van Baarle)

Known for its dreamy characters and expressive brushwork, depiction and animation of bridges in a vibrant digital style.

 Feng Zhu

Concept artist for games like Star Wars and Transformers, Feng brings cinematic flair to every digital stroke.

 Magdalena Pagowska

Their fantasy-themed digital photo artifacts featured a mixture of realism and imagination, often accompanied by ethereal light and flowing texture.

How to Appreciate Digital Art

It is not certain how to read digital paintings. Here are things to see:

Brush technique: Is it painterly, smooth, or textured?

Lighting: Does it evoke a mood?

Composition: How are the elements balanced?

Emotion: What story is it telling?

Digital does not mean. In fact, with repetition and the ability to use it, digital art often captures deep emotional nuances.

Getting Started: Become a Digital Creator Yourself

Inspired? You can try your hand at digital art painting even as a beginner. Here’s how:

Beginner Tools: Try free apps like Krita or use an iPad with Procreate.

Learn the Basics: Study traditional drawing—digital is just a new medium.

Take Courses: Platforms like Skillshare, Udemy, and YouTube are goldmines.

Join the Community: Reddit, ArtStation, and Discord groups provide support and feedback.

The best way to improve? Just keep creating. Even the best artists started with stick figures.

The Digital Canvas: What's Next?

Technology leads the limits of creativity.

AI-assisted painting tools are helping artists generate ideas faster.

Augmented and virtual reality art is becoming more interactive.

NFTs and blockchain have created new art markets and collector experiences.

Celebrating Creativity in the Digital Age

Digital art painting is proof that artistry is not limited by medium. Whether it is painted on a canvas or prepared on a tablet, what matters is the story that tells it, and it is a feeling.

In Pixel, these works reflect the same passion, technology, and surprise that are hanging any oil painting in a museum. So next time you see a digital artwork, look closely - you can gaze into the future of art.

[idkaguyorsomething]

favourite doctor who episode? (idk why I'm asking, still. have fun ranting about your favourite episode if you want to)

what an ask, there are so many incredibly episodes across all the eras that are outstanding in all these different ways, with so many characters i adore who all manage to stand out despite the lengthy history of this show. but when you asked, there was one standalone episode that came to mind immediately. so sorry to all those other ones, but for today we're going to discuss one episode (it's gonna be a long one):

dalek. nostalgia definitely plays a strong part in my choice here, especially since i saw it for the first time at a pretty impressionable point in my life. but hey, it wasn't always even my favorite episode with the a dalek in it (shout-out to asylum of the daleks), it all kinda shifted for my on my rewatch of the revival last year.

starting with my most obvious bias, NINE EPISODE <3 !!! i think a lot of us can agree that this episode has got a standout performance from christopher eccleston, one which undeniably carries so much of the episode as he channels his rage and pain into the character of the doctor. being pretty fresh off the time war, this is just about the first time where we get to see exactly how hurt the whole experience left the doctor, and it gives us just a hint of how utterly terrifying he was during a period where he lost everything. it's not just an episode where we get to see an iconic classic villain, it's one that's essential to fleshing out the doctor's character for newcomers and his development for classic fans.

speaking of iconic villains, oh my gosh the dalek itself in this episode is fucking terrifying. nostalgia is definitely playing a factor here again, but this is honestly one of the first times i remember being legitimately terrified by a tv show. we have exactly one alien to face off against here, and it's gunning down people left and right. this story does such a good job of establishing the menace of the daleks (among other things, we'll get to that later) and basically obliterating any of the jokes you could've come up with about how goofy it looks or other tone killers, it's a perfect reintroduction to the daleks. even when they reappear in larger numbers and act less effectively than in this episode, i can't help but think back to all the damage that a single dalek was able to do in this episode and think "ah fuck". if you don't know what a dalek is going into the episode, you're going to shit your pants by the end, and if you do know, then the buildup before the reveal and first confrontation is going to have you on the edge of your seat before it pays off spectacularly. top-tier tension.

the bunker is a pretty brilliant choice of a setting as well, since having it be on earth instead of a spaceship helps reinforce the feeling that the doctor and the dalek are very much alone in the universe. there's other places out there that we've visited, sure, but now they're both trapped underground in this dingy backwater planet, cut off from their respective cultures that don't even exist anymore and the wide open world.

it's a smaller thing, but i also love to hate on the villain of van statten here. he's such a puffed-up wannabe who thinks that his money can get him anything or out of any situation, and in an age of dunking on all these techbro ceos who make increasingly dumbass choices that screw over tons of people, his character has aged surprisingly well. fuck this idiot, i bet he'd have been one of the first to buy in on nfts or kiss elon musk's ass if he'd still had his fortune by the end of the episode. (also adam is here but i don't think we're actually meant to dislike him in this episode, so let's just pretend that he doesn't exist)

okay but this episode really gives us a lot of interesting stuff about rose as well. personally i think the world war three/boom town episodes do this the best, but this might just be season 1 rose at her most unhinged. she touches a spooky sad trash can alien, it starts killing everything, then at the end she discourages the doctor from destroying it despite the fact that it's clearly suicidal. we get to see the extent that her compassion for all things reaches, and how it can be a flaw as much as a virtue for her. i'm not saying she or the doctor were entirely right while the other was entirely wrong, but their opposite stances on what to do with the dalek at the end is the lynchpin of the climax, and the way she snaps him into revealing his trauma is a perfect demonstration of why he keeps around companions. (though bringing adam on board the tardis was 100% a stupid decision, okay that's the last time i'll mention him)

but then we have the dalek itself. and i think the most impressive thing about this entire episode is how it legitimately manages to instill a sense of tragedy in the dalek's existence even though it is demonstrably a complete monster. it's another really fascinating parallel to the doctor that the titular dalek becomes infected by humanity as a means of coping post-time war, and this completely emotionally annihilates it. unlike the doctor, who committed some... morally dubious actions but was still relatively fresh off the boat when humans started rubbing off on him, this dalek has committed atrocity after atrocity after atrocity, the only thing that a dalek can know how to do. so those human emotions rubbing off on it and shifting its nature so that it becomes aware that there are other things to do, and what it has done is indisputably wrong is kinda perfect karma. and from its perspective, the dalek is experiencing the most horrifying fate that a dalek could experience. the implications of what it's going through, of having the very foundations of its self shifted in a way that is fundamentally incompatible with what it has known all its life, to the point where clinging on to its old hatred and self destructing before this change can progress any further, has just stuck with me for ages. when you read into how it's a foil to the doctor, and remember that the doctor has changed so much over the ages, especially during the time war, it gives you insight into both characters. it's tragic and fascinating and there are so many ways that you can read into it.

(here's a picture of iris wildthyme just to break up all the text)

anyways, dalek is a really well-written, incredibly tense, magnificently acted self-contained episode that still manages to tie into an be essential to the overarching narrative. i thought about it so much that i started writing a fanfic what-if about it. if you made it to the end of this post have a cookie.

[messydiabolical]

I've seen there's posts going round saying you need to delete all your art from tumblr, right now! This very second! Because it's gonna get scraped for AI!!! And I totally get anyone who does delete their stuff to avoid that, or at least deletes the old stuff and reuploads with glaze or nightshade But I dunno, I've reached the point where I feel like all these companies (the AI creators, and the social media sites etc.) are so blasé about your data, so out of any fucks about privacy and personal ownership and only care about £$ line go up, that it's probably all been scraped a thousand times already?! Tumblr's move will certainly make this even easier and more likely, but, whenever I post anything online anymore I am under the full belief that this is gonna get taken and used by anyone who wants to already 🤷‍♂️ Perhaps that is a negative mindset, but I dunno guys, it feels like the damage is largely already done and deleting all my art at this point will only serve to make my life less fun. On a more positive note, the kind of people that are running AI are ridiculous tech bros, the exact types that ran nft's and various other hair brained schemes straight into the ground, so there's hope there too. If AI was being developed seriously as an actual tool for artists to use it's one thing, and I think there could be legitimately interesting uses there. but the current state of affairs with the rampant theft and fuck you get mine attitude ignoring any copyright laws in their path, it could easily all crash and burn a couple of lawsuits later. Or people will just get bored and move on. In the mean time yes, it is doing real damage to artists, not arguing that. Just saying as negative as my attitude to this situation is, I also have hope that it may not be the all out artistic apocalyptic event some predict. But as it stands now, I feel like everything online is 'free real estate' to these people, no matter what checkboxes you ticked or watermarks you added, or new policies dickhead CEO's add to their social media sites. To be clear: It shouldn't be this way, it fucking sucks, and by all means delete your stuff if you feel it necessary. I don't plan to at the moment. I do have glaze set up for future posts. Anyway just my thoughts on the matter at the moment. Anyone else feel this way? Or, if you are deleting your stuff now, what are you going to do going forward? New websites/come back and repost with glaze/other?

[bidentrumprematch]

Unveiling “The Beltway Brawl”: A Political NFT Collection with Purpose

In an era where the digital and political landscapes are increasingly intertwined, a groundbreaking NFT project dubbed “The Beltway Brawl” is set to capture the essence of a pivotal moment in American politics. This isn’t just another digital collectible; it’s a dynamic slice of history, immortalizing the extraordinary showdown between Donald Trump, who faces 91 criminal counts, and Joe Biden, the oldest sitting president in U.S. history. At its core, this NFT collection is a vivid encapsulation of democracy’s trials, the intricacies of leadership, and the relentless march of time.

A Snapshot of Our Era

“The Beltway Brawl” does more than just chronicle a historical event; it represents the resilience of democracy amidst one of the most challenging periods in modern American politics. The collection features imagery and themes that reflect the high stakes and intense rivalry of the upcoming election, encapsulating the emotions and significance of this unprecedented battle for the nation’s future.

More Than a Keepsake

Owning a piece of “The Beltway Brawl” collection means more than just holding on to a digital souvenir. It signifies an active participation in the political process, a way to directly engage with the heartbeat of democracy. Upon minting, collectors can choose their allegiance — Republican or Democratic — thereby influencing where a portion of the profits will be directed. Specifically, 5% of the initial collection profits are earmarked to support initiatives and organizations closely aligned with the major issues championed by the political affiliation that receives the majority support from NFT holders, blending the worlds of cryptocurrency, art, and politics in an innovative show of support.

Join the Race, Make Your Voice Heard

The stakes are high, not just on the political stage but also within the “The Beltway Brawl” community. The project offers an exciting incentive: a race for 5 ETH in rewards if the collection sells out within the first 48 hours. This adds a layer of engagement and competition, mirroring the competitive nature of the political arena it represents. It’s a call to action for supporters of both political spectrums to rally, secure their piece of this momentous occasion, and let their political stances resonate within the digital sphere.

A Pivotal Moment in History

As we stand on the precipice of what could be one of the most talked-about elections in recent history, “The Beltway Brawl” offers a unique opportunity to be part of a moment that will be dissected and discussed for generations. This NFT collection is not just a passive investment but a statement, a way to align with a cause, and a testament to the power of collective action in shaping the future.

Stay Tuned

“The Beltway Brawl” is poised to be a significant milestone in the intersection of politics, art, and technology. As we gear up for its release, the anticipation builds for what promises to be a defining symbol of our times. Keep an eye on the horizon for more details on how you can secure your piece of political history and take a stand in the most innovative way possible.

In essence, “The Beltway Brawl” transcends the traditional boundaries of NFTs, offering not just a collectible, but a chance to be part of a larger movement. It’s a testament to the power of digital innovation in amplifying political engagement and a reminder of the pivotal role each person plays in the unfolding story of democracy.

[mariacallous]

As AI-powered image generators have become more accessible, so have websites that digitally remove the clothes of people in photos. One of these sites has an unsettling feature that provides a glimpse of how these apps are used: two feeds of what appear to be photos uploaded by users who want to “nudify” the subjects.

The feeds of images are a shocking display of intended victims. WIRED saw some images of girls who were clearly children. Other photos showed adults and had captions indicating that they were female friends or female strangers. The site’s homepage does not display any fake nude images that may have been produced to visitors who aren’t logged in.

People who want to create and save deepfake nude images are asked to log in to the site using a cryptocurrency wallet. Pricing isn’t currently listed, but in a 2022 video posted by an affiliated YouTube page, the website let users buy credits to create deepfake nude images, starting at 5 credits for $5. WIRED learned about the site from a post on a subreddit about NFT marketplace OpenSea, which linked to the YouTube page. After WIRED contacted YouTube, the platform said it terminated the channel; Reddit told WIRED that the user had been banned.

WIRED is not identifying the website, which is still online, to protect the women and girls who remain on its feeds. The site’s IP address, which went live in February 2022, belongs to internet security and infrastructure provider Cloudflare. When asked about its involvement, company spokesperson Jackie Dutton noted the difference between providing a site’s IP address, as Cloudflare does, and hosting its contents, which it does not.

WIRED notified the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which helps report cases of child exploitation to law enforcement, about the site’s existence.

AI developers like OpenAI and Stability AI say their image generators are for commercial and artistic uses and have guardrails to prevent harmful content. But open source AI image-making technology is now relatively powerful and creating pornography is one of the most popular use cases. As image generation has become more readily available, the problem of nonconsensual nude deepfake images, most often targeting women, has grown more widespread and severe. Earlier this month, WIRED reported that two Florida teenagers were arrested for allegedly creating and sharing AI-generated nude images of their middle school classmates without consent, in what appears to be the first case of its kind.

Mary Anne Franks, a professor at the George Washington University School of Law who has studied the problem of nonconsensual explicit imagery, says that the deepnude website highlights a grim reality: There are far more incidents involving AI-generated nude images of women without consent and minors than the public currently knows about. The few public cases were only exposed because the images were shared within a community, and someone heard about it and raised the alarm.

“There's gonna be all kinds of sites like this that are impossible to chase down, and most victims have no idea that this has happened to them until someone happens to flag it for them,” Franks says.

Nonconsensual Images

The website reviewed by WIRED has feeds with apparently user-submitted photos on two separate pages. One is labeled "Home" and the other "Explore." Several of the photos clearly showed girls under the age of 18.

One image showed a young girl with a flower in her hair standing against a tree. Another a girl in what appears to be a middle or high school classroom. The photo, seemingly taken discreetly by a classmate, is captioned “PORN.”

Another image on the site showed a group of young teens who appear to be in middle school: a boy taking a selfie in what appears to be a school gymnasium with two girls, who smile and pose for the picture. The boy’s features were obscured by a Snapchat lens that enlarged his eyes so much that they covered his face.

Captions on the apparently uploaded images indicated they include images of friends, classmates, and romantic partners. “My gf” one caption says, showing a young woman taking a selfie in a mirror.

Many of the photos showed influencers who are popular on TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Other photos appeared to be Instagram screenshots of people sharing images from their everyday lives. One image showed a young woman smiling with a dessert topped with a celebratory candle.

Several images appeared to show people who were complete strangers to the person who took the photo. One image taken from behind depicted a woman or girl who is not posing for a photo, but simply standing near what appears to be a tourist attraction.

Some of the images in the feeds reviewed by WIRED were cropped to remove the faces of women and girls, showing only their chest or crotch.

Huge Audience

Over an eight-day period of monitoring the site, WIRED saw five new images of women appear on the Home feed, and three on the Explore page. Stats listed on the site showed that most of these images accumulated hundreds of “views.” It’s unclear if all images submitted to the site make it to the Home or Explore feed, or how views are tabulated. Every post on the Home feed has at least a few dozen views.

Photos of celebrities and people with large Instagram followings top the list of “Most Viewed” images listed on the site. The most-viewed people of all time on the site are actor Jenna Ortega with more than 66,000 views, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift with more than 27,000 views, and an influencer and DJ from Malaysia with more than 26,000 views.

Swift and Ortega have been targeted with deepfake nudes before. The circulation of fake nude images of Swift on X in January triggered a moment of renewed discussion about the impacts of deepfakes and the need for greater legal protections for victims. This month, NBC reported that, for seven months, Meta had hosted ads for a deepnude app. The app boasted about its ability to “undress” people, using a picture of Jenna Ortega from when she was 16 years old.

In the US, no federal law targets the distribution of fake, nonconsensual nude images. A handful of states have enacted their own laws. But AI-generated nude images of minors come under the same category as other child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, says Jennifer Newman, executive director of the NCMEC’s Exploited Children’s Division.

“If it is indistinguishable from an image of a live victim, of a real child, then that is child sexual abuse material to us,” Newman says. “And we will treat it as such as we're processing our reports, as we're getting these reports out to law enforcement.”

In 2023, Newman says, NCMEC received about 4,700 reports that “somehow connect to generative AI technology.”

“Pathetic Bros”

People who want to create and save deepfake nude images on the site are asked to log in using either a Coinbase, Metamask, or WalletConnect cryptocurrency wallet. Coinbase spokesperson McKenna Otterstedt said that the company is launching an internal investigation into the site’s integration with the company’s wallet. Metamask is owned by Consensys, and while the tech company was unaware of the site prior to WIRED's reporting, it has now launched an investigation: “We will need to determine how our Terms of Use are implicated and what steps would be appropriate to ensure the safety of our users and the broader web3 ecosystem."

WalletConnect did not respond to a request for comment.

In November 2022, the deepnude site’s YouTube channel posted a video claiming users could “buy credit” with Visa or Mastercard. Neither of the two payment processors returned WIRED’s requests for comment.

On OpenSea, a marketplace for NFTs, the site listed 30 NFTs in 2022 with unedited, not deepfaked, pictures of different Instagram and TikTok influencers, all women. After buying an NFT with the ether cryptocurrency—$280 worth at today’s exchange rate—owners would get access to the website, which according to a web archive, was in its early stages at the time. “Privacy is the ultimate priority” for its users, the NFT listings said.

The NFTs were categorized with tags referring to the women’s perceived features. The categories included Boob Size, Country (with most of the women listed as from Malaysia or Taiwan), and Traits, with tags including “cute,” “innocent,” and “motherly.”

None of the NFTs listed by the account ever sold. OpenSea deleted the listings and the account within 90 minutes of WIRED contacting the company. None of the women shown in the NFTs responded for comment.

It’s unclear who, or how many people, created or own the deepnude website. The now deleted OpenSea account had a profile image identical to the third Google Image result for “nerd.” The account bio said that the creator’s mantra is to “reveal the shitty thing in this world” and then share it with “all douche and pathetic bros.”

An X account linked from the OpenSea account used the same bio and also linked to a now inactive blog about “Whitehat, Blackhat Hacking” and “Scamming and Money Making.” The account’s owner appears to have been one of three contributors to the blog, where he went by the moniker 69 Fucker.

The website was promoted on Reddit by just one user, who had a profile picture of a man of East Asian descent who appeared to be under 50. However, an archive of the website from March 2022 claims that the site “was created by 9 horny skill-full people.” The majority of the profile images appeared to be stock photos, and the job titles were all facetious. Three of them were Horny Director, Scary Stalker, and Booty Director.

An email address associated with the website did not respond for comment.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

ML Ficlet: Monster

(Inspired heavily by Epic)

Gabriel stands in his private sanctum underneath his mansion. He stares at the coffin holding his departed wife.

He closes his hand on his miraculous.

Gabriel:

How has everything been turned against me?

What have I done to suffer so endlessly?

How am I to reunite with my estranged?

Do I need to change?

I'm surrounded by the souls of those I've lost

I'm the only one whose line I haven't crossed

What if the greatest threat I’ll find across the city

Is me?

What if I'm the monster?

What if I'm in the wrong?

What if I'm the problem that's been hiding all along?

What if I'm the one who killed you

Every time I caved to guilt?

What if I've been far too kind to foes

But a monster to myself?

What if I'm the monster?

Is the black cat struck with guilt when he tries to kill?

Is he up in the middle of the night?

Or does he end my akuma to protect his friend

And then sleep knowing he has done him right?

When the ladybug cleanses the damage to protect her city is she going insane?

Or did she learn to be bolder when she got older and now she saves them the pain?

When my akuma comes down and makes a city drown

Is it scared that she’s doing something wrong?

Or does she keep them in check so they must respect her

And now no one dares to piss her off?

Does a peacock use a sentimonster to fight their foes 'cause they are vile?

Or do they throw away their remorse and save more lives with guile?

If I became the monster, and threw that guilt away

Would that make us stronger?

Would it keep the heroes at bay?

If I became the monster to everyone but us

And made sure we got you home again

Who would care if I am unjust?

If I became the

(Kwami chorus)

Monster!

Gabriel transforms into monarch.

Monarch :

Oh, ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves

[Kwami Chorus]

Monster!

Monarch:

And deep down I know this well

I lost my best friend

I lost my wife, my brother in Law

Countless akuma gone, this can't go on

I must get to revive Emilie and cure Nathalie

So if I must akumatize every single person in Paris

I'll go where Ladybug won't reach us

And if I gotta turn my son into an NFT

In an instant so I can get the miraculous?

Monarch glared at the Kwami commanding them to sing

(Monarch with Kwami Chorus)

Then I'll become the

Monster!

I will deal the blow

And I'll become the

Monster!

Like none they've ever known

So what if I'm the

Monster!

Lurking deep below?

I must become the

Monster!

And then I’ll bring you home!

Monster!

My Emilie

Monster!

and Nathalie

Monster!

Oh, ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves

Monster!

I'll become the monster

Monarch finished his speech and closed the casket.

“Now… let’s end this game.”

[blazehedgehog]

What do you think of AI stuff like DAll-E or Midjourney?

It's not as useful as some people want you to believe. A lot of people pushing for the acceptance of this kind of software are the same tech bros that invested in crypto currency and were trying to sell you NFTs, which should tell you enough.

All of this "it's democratizing art!" and "finally, people can make art even if they don't have natural talent!" is snake oil.

You know where my "natural talent" came from? I started drawing when I was 4 or 5 years old. I drew at least one thing per day for over 20 years. I earned the ability to crank out dumb doodles on a whim.

You can't just show up one day and think you deserve to make artwork without putting in the work to learn and get good at it. Art's importance comes from the length of time needed to learn to master it. And I don't just mean drawings, I mean music, film, food, everything. No matter what it is, effort is value.

Financial value, sentimental value, it doesn't matter. All value is derived from the effort required to make it.

If you can just push a button and churn out artwork en masse, that devalues the importance of art. I mentioned this back with the Martin Scorsese ask, but it's like, which has more value? An original hand-made piece of artwork, or a print of that artwork? Prints are easy to mass produce. You can get a nice, high quality, glossy print of the Mona Lisa almost for free at this point. But the actual Mona Lisa, the original product, is actually valuable beyond value.

Art prints are literally just replicating a single file over and over and over again, but the original is one-of-a-kind and where all the effort is most evident. All the layers of paint can be felt as DaVinci sought perfection in his work. That's what makes it special. That's what makes it important.

My uncle does woodworking. He's so good at it, he gave my Mom an end table that looks like it came from a high-tier furniture store. A mass-produced end table like that would be at least $100. He made it by hand. It is beautiful. I will treasure that end table forever.

Effort is value.

If you spend any length of time looking at art websites where AI art is allowed (such as deviantart or pixiv), what you'll often find is these AI art chumps submitting massive amounts of artwork. They'll submit 10, 20, 40+ images a day, all from the same prompt, all with slight differences, because to them, every single thing the generator produces is worth submitting.

Even when I was drawing regularly, I could only really do maybe one finished piece per day. Two if you were lucky. Not only because sketching, inking, coloring and shading would take so long, but because after I was done the tank was empty. I'd used up all my effort for the day and had no more creativity left to give.

All the claims of "letting people without artistic talent generate art" are bogus because it throws the whole signal-to-noise ratio out of wack. Too much signal in itself becomes noise. And it devalues the effort that real artwork takes, because real artwork is now part of that noise, instead of rising above it.

When anyone can vomit out hundreds or even thousands of AI generated images that are of decent-to-good quality, a lot of what would be considered "b-tier" artwork ceases to be important anymore.

In a world where AI generated images are normalized, only the top 0.1% of artwork (your Mona Lisas) are considered to have real value. And who benefits the most from that kind of stuff? Rich people. Rich people who can afford to drop a million dollars on a historic piece of hand-crafted artwork. And just to be clear: these are exactly the same people who are trying to sell you on how important AI generator software is going to be going forward.

Or to simplify it even more: the people who stand to profit the most from AI "art" are the ones trying the hardest to sell you on its benefits. Because it benefits them more than it will ever benefit you.

Because, full disclosure, over this last week, a friend of mine has been having a lot of fun with Bing's new image generator feature, and I couldn't help but also play with the toy. The quality of images it can generate is shocking.

Microsoft, in their endless desperation to get anyone to use Bing on purpose, is clearly playing with fire here.

When effort is value and value is effortless, nothing has any value anymore.

I understand how, if you aren't an artist, this is all probably incredibly difficult to comprehend. The lure of fast and easy artwork from a simple line of text is a net gain to you, and nothing else really matters to your perspective. But imagine all of the up-and-coming artists who get completely pushed out of the conversation because of how easy it is to crap out endless AI generator output. I spent 20 years drawing every day for results that can be beaten in 20 seconds.

How many future artists is that going to discourage? There's a lot of buzz, now more than ever, about "late stage capitalism" and the way that's manifesting in our lives. When AI generated images are "good enough", how is that going to change the world around us?

You can't just think, "we'll figure something out" because the people trying to control this narrative do not have your best interests in mind. The people trying to control this narrative think they still don't have enough money yet even though there's not much money left to give them.

Their solution is to stop paying people to do work that they can get a computer to do for free, even if it means destroying the entire foundation of human culture. Long term destruction for short term gain. The same old story.

Are they going to get away with it?

(Another good ask along this line is over here, from February.)

[bigvee1]

A Simple Guide to Staking: How to Earn Rewards with Your Crypto

If you’ve ever wondered how to make your cryptocurrency do more than just sit in your wallet, staking might be the answer you’ve been looking for. Think of it as a way to earn rewards while supporting the blockchain network. In this guide, I’ll walk you through what staking is, why it’s worth your attention, and how you can get started—especially with platforms like STON.fi.

What Exactly Is Staking

Imagine putting your money in a savings account that earns interest. You don’t lose your money—it’s just temporarily locked in, and the bank rewards you for it. Staking works in a similar way but in the world of blockchain.

When you stake your cryptocurrency, you “lock” it in a network, helping to keep the blockchain secure and functional. In return, you earn rewards, which can come in the form of more cryptocurrency or other benefits.

It’s like planting a fruit tree: you give it care and patience, and over time, it produces fruit for you to enjoy.

Why Should You Stake Your Crypto

Staking isn’t just about earning rewards; it’s about being part of something bigger. By staking, you’re actively contributing to the health and security of the blockchain network. Here’s why staking could be worth your while:

Passive Income: Earn rewards without actively trading. Your crypto works for you, even while you sleep.

Community Building: Some platforms, like STON.fi, offer additional perks like exclusive community access.

Eco-Friendly Contribution: Staking is more energy-efficient compared to mining, making it a greener option in the crypto space.

It’s not just about financial gains—it’s about participating in a decentralized future.

Why Choose STON.fi for Staking

STON.fi takes staking to another level by offering unique rewards and an easy-to-use platform. Here’s what makes it stand out:

1. Receive ARKENSTON

When you stake STON tokens, you get an ARKENSTON NFT. This isn’t your regular NFT—it’s soulbound, meaning it’s permanently linked to your wallet. You can’t sell it or transfer it.

Why does this matter? ARKENSTON will serve as your ticket to the STON.fi DAO—a private community where you can participate in shaping the platform’s future. Think of it as joining an exclusive club where your voice matters.

2. Earn GEMSTON Tokens

GEMSTON is a special token you earn as a reward for staking. It’s a tradable token within the STON.fi ecosystem and beyond. With GEMSTON, you’re not just earning passive rewards—you’re gaining assets that could appreciate over time.

How to Stake STON Tokens

Getting started with staking on STON.fi is straightforward and beginner-friendly.

1. Head to the "Stake" Section

Visit the STON.fi platform and click on the “Stake” tab.

2. Choose Your Amount and Duration

Decide how many STON tokens you want to stake and for how long. The longer you stake, the higher the potential rewards.

3. Use the Reward Calculator

Before confirming, use the built-in calculator to see exactly how much GEMSTON you’ll earn. This feature helps you make informed decisions.

4. Confirm Your Stake

Once satisfied, confirm your stake and start earning.

It’s that simple. No complicated steps or technical know-how required.

Things to Keep in Mind Before Staking

While staking is a fantastic opportunity, there are a few things to consider:

Lock-Up Periods: Your tokens will be inaccessible during the staking period. Make sure you’re okay with that before committing.

Market Volatility: The value of your staked tokens can fluctuate due to market changes.

Platform Reputation: Always research the platform you’re staking on. STON.fi is trusted, but it’s good to do your due diligence.

Think of staking like investing in a bond. You lock your funds for a fixed period, and in return, you earn interest. But, like any investment, it’s important to understand the risks.

Why STON.fi Is a Game-Changer

STON.fi isn’t just about staking—it’s about building a community. By staking STON tokens, you’re not just earning rewards; you’re securing a place in an ecosystem that values its contributors.

Your ARKENSTON NFT symbolizes your commitment and gives you access to decision-making power in the DAO. Meanwhile, GEMSTON tokens offer immediate and tangible rewards, making your staking experience both rewarding and meaningful.

It’s like being an early investor in a promising company—you’re not just earning; you’re helping to shape the future.

Final Thoughts

Staking is one of the simplest ways to make your cryptocurrency work for you. Whether you’re new to crypto or a seasoned investor, platforms like STON.fi make staking accessible, rewarding, and community-focused.

By staking your STON tokens, you’re not just earning rewards—you’re actively participating in the growth of a decentralized ecosystem. It’s a win-win: your crypto grows, and so does the network you’re supporting.

So, what’s stopping you? Dive into staking with STON.fi and watch your crypto journey transform.

Have questions or need guidance? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments.

[batwynn]

A semi-official announcement :

TLDR: I will no longer be participating in the ‘professional’ comic industry, but I will continue to make comics and art stuff as usual elsewhere. I may also delete my website after this last payment cycle ends because the cost does not seem worth it.

The long of it:

I’m done. I don’t want anything to do with the ‘professional’ comic industry, and I’ll be removing myself from the industry spaces. Yeah, it was my dream to work in comics for a large part of my life. I literally drew them since as long as I could pick up a pen. I loved to read them (and still do). I think a ton of people who work in comics are super cool and decent people, and I’m really glad to know some of them personally.

But no longer want to work there. Ever.

There’s really, genuinely, nothing more eye opening than watching the comic industry from the sideline for the past 20 years—more intimately for the past 10. Because that’s how you see how truly fucking horrible it is. How unkind people are, how abused other people are, how easily the scammers get away with stealing everyone’s money, how an entire group of misogynist racists still get good jobs and thrive, how the same four people get selected for major jobs and hey are they all white cis men?, how even the awards ceremonies will always choose the well-known names of famous people dabbling in comics over people’s actual years of amazing work, how most creators don’t get paid for months-years-ever, how every minority creator works until their fingers bleed and still don’t get any respect, how women creators are STILL treated like they don’t belong, how there’s a new story of a rapist/sexual harasser at comic-cons and in meeting rooms every single day, how the big companies all dipped into NFTs and AI art here and there while not hiring actual artists, etc etc etc.

It’s just… gross. It’s bad. And after years of putting in work, money, and time into it, I just don’t think I want to be a part of it anymore. I hate that it was all a waste, and I hate that this foolish kid-dream of mine has been thoroughly crushed, but I can’t even stand looking in from the sidelines anymore. It’s like watching multiple car crashes, constantly.

What this means for you:

I will continue to make comics! I’m not going to stop creating. I am going to stop applying for professional comics jobs, leave the comics discord/groups/etc., and possibly delete my website when the pay cycle comes around again. (That depends on how many people prefer to read my stuff there or who actually look at my portfolio for illustration stuff.)

So, really. Nothing is going to change much for y’all in regards to what you’ll see from me. In fact, it means I’ll have more time to dedicate to working on stuff for you, rather than wasting time on applying for jobs and gigs I don’t even want anymore. 🤗

So. I’m going to go cry a little bit, do some hurricane prep, and I’ll (probably) be back after the storm!