Lately everyone is talking about NFT. Even the non-crypto people. As you all know that NFT = Non-Fungible Token. Now for most people it still doesn’t mean much. The concept is rather simple and has nothing to do with ‘art’. Most cryptocurrency tokens are fungible. Meaning, there is no difference between one hive token to the other. It is basically ‘money’. One USD bill and the other USD bill are the same, there is no difference in value between them, they are non-unique. So Hive or USD or BTC are all fungible tokens. But a Splinterland card, say a gold Dragon Jumper (a beautiful card) is unique. It has a unique ‘serial number’. Although my gold Dragon Jumper may look identical to your gold Dragon Jumper, each of ours has a unique card ID. No basically NFT means, it's a digital item which is unique. Mind you it doesn’t have to be ‘singular’, it can have multiple editions.
This is where the product begins to have a similarity with art. Paintings in particular. For centuries, paintings have been considered ‘collectibles’. They are not only wonderful forms of expressions of inner feelings, but to the ‘right’ person it can have physical value, sometimes, extraordinary physical value. Christie is a world renowned auction house, and I track it quite regularly to see what is getting sold at what price, just as a hobby. So, just to give people an idea the following two paintings from Picasso were sold for $179 Millions and $103 Millions respectively:
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-5895962 (sold in 2015)
https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6318426 (sold in 2021)
It is not common to get paintings to be sold for over $100 Millions, but it is quite common for even relatively less known paintings to be sold for $1M. These are all well known facts. So when I saw the news this year that Everydays: The First 5000 Days was sold for $69 Million, I wasn’t that surprised, but then when I looked up I realized that it is an NFT! This is where my surprise really blossomed. I thought just like you, since it is digital, basically someone paid $69 Millions for a picture from the internet!!
https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/beeple-first-5000-days/beeple-b-1981-1/112924 (sold 2021)
I will let you read the details of that NFT from the link above. But this to me begs two fundamental questions:
Mind you, there is no real answer to either question. Common people and critics both struggled for ages to define art. Neither Van Gogh, nor Jackson Pollock sold virtually nothing when they were alive and there was nearly a 100 years time difference when they were active. People started liking their work after they passed away, and even that took time! Also at least if the art is physical you can touch it. You can hang it on the wall. What can you do about a digital picture? Also can’t people just copy it from the internet? Yes, and No. Maybe they can copy it, but since they are NFT (unique) they can’t be forged (while a painting can be). Often it is not easy to discover the forgery of a famous painting. Since so far there is no technology to forge an NFT, it handles the age-old issue of a forged painting nicely. There still remains the problem, that I can’t really hang it on the wall (yeah, I can print and hang it, but it's not the same). There is that problem that doesn’t have a simple solution at least to me. But hey, that is not bothering a lot of people. Looks like year 2022 will be the year of NFT!
As of October 15, 2021, the aggregated sales value over 30 days amounted to roughly 336.6 million U.S. dollars.
- @Hyacinth
Have you ever done transactions by yourself or were there people doing it for you? May it be a physical or online transaction, it is important to have clarity in it. Many a time we give our secure documents to our people and they tend to betray us sooner or later. Not denying that any relationship is not reliable but trying to specify that too much negotiation about financial transactions are not wise nor is effective communication. With each relationship, a test comes side by side.
It is important to analyze before than procrastinating later. When trust, loyalty, and honestly are in alignment there is no question asking for dishonestly or disloyalty. If it is hinted in the conversation it is to be omitted immediately, if prolonged it is not safe to be in that commitment along with financial insecurity.
Fragments of issues correlate once the topic is regarding investment, investment of time, energy, and devotion. Earning is not quite an easy job nor is maintaining it. One holds the power to conceal their transaction through confidentiality or may choose to do the opposite.
On a daily basis, each of us here in HIVE does transactions but how much of it is really confidential? Now, comes the topic of transparency. When transparency is what our method relies on, with transparency comes responsibility for security; hand in hand.
Back to the same point, confidentiality. No matter which kind of transaction we are involved in, the thought of security is always the first priority. Let it not skip your system. Each second you pass in the transaction, the more you are to be aware of how secure you are. With every step, responsibility takes a different shape. Keeping in mind all of the aspects, one is to move forward in success.
Best wishes to all in achieving successful transactions till now and for the future.
The skinny hand of yours
Slowly brushed through the tangled of short, uneven hair
The greyness has finally started to show off its presence
Just like the sickness, slowly but surly
Vaporising the last bit of life
And I watched, ever so helplessly.
As you tried so hard to smooth the tangled mess,
The dried skinny arms, crinkled clothes, bloodshot hollow red eyes
The self-conscious thread of doubt has been eating you up for years
And I wish I could’ve told you how beautiful you are to me, at least for once.
But the words get stuck when you refuse to meet the eyes
Scared to find pity but never managed to witness the self-inflicted hurt.
Sometimes I hate the blurriness that clouded the memories
The simple forgetfulness or the blockage of past
Because that means I could never remember how you smiled before the sickness swallowed you completely
I could never remember how you walked or talked without the tired rhythms,
What you used to sing when you thought no one was watching
What you love to cook or eat
What was your favourite book to read
Did you ever travel anywhere alone?
What you used to dream before the cruel reality robbed you of it?
I wish I could remember a single memory of yours not being so fragile
Of touch, words and emotions
In where your eyes never averted from mine in self-consciousness
Where the conversation never got stuck around simple greetings in hospital beds
Who knows, maybe I am just a coward who wants an escape route from the hollowness your empty shell has created
In the end, maybe I am just like everyone else,
Because I hate sitting in the waiting room with the fear of losing
I hate every threshold of your beds, every hello along with goodbyes
But mostly I hate that sad smiles of yours, reassuring everyone but yourself
Probably the only unfortunate thing I will be left to remember
And how I wish for you to look at me for once
Without the apparent hesitation and see
The silence speaks louder than my words has ever been.
- @Toushik
One fine night, the stars went to the moon and said, "Can you tell who is brighter?
The moon proudly says it must be me.
Stars started laughing and said, no, it’s not you alone; it’s us.
Moon said, no, it’s me alone.
They said, “Okay, let’s ask the kids what they say.” Let’s see who is brighter according to them.
So they went to a window and asked the kids, tell us, who is shining brighter.
The children said, " Moon."
Suddenly a big cloud appeared in front of the moon, this time the children said “Stars.”
When the clouds disappeared, they said again, “moon.”
The stars said, "Let’s go to someone else and ask about it.
The two of them went to another window and saw an older man. So they asked the old man, who is the brightest among us?
The old man said, "Oh, it’s hard for me to say that because I’m too old and can’t see clearly. So, I’m sorry I can’t help you.
Then they went to another window, and there they saw a mother singing a song for her baby so he could get sleep. So they asked her to tell who is brighter among us. She replied, To me, my baby’s face is more optimistic than both of you.
Then they came to Earth. Moon was pleased then because she felt that Mother Earth would bless him.
After asking the Earth, he replied, “It is true that the moon shines brightly at night, which is good for the earth; its light is good for fruits, vegetables, and green plants.” But! Don’t be too proud. Remember, you get this light from the Sun, which is what shines at night. So don’t be proud of what is not your own.
Earth also says, "The flickering little stars are not really that small. They are close friends of the Sun because the Sun itself is a star. Be a little wise; If few stars want to shine on the Earth, there will be so much light that their heat and light will be unendurable for us. On the other hand, the sparkling light of the stars adds beauty to the night. People on Earth fail to count the number of stars; it is impossible to determine the exact number of stars. So don’t be too proud of your power.
They both felt happy and thanked Earth.
Goal, goal & goal…! Do you know why I said this word three times? Well, then let me explain it, We are all very familiar with the word "goal" and it is deeply involved in our lives. We all have goals in our lives and there are many of us who grow up with a goal from a young age and strive to achieve that goal. But when unlucky they fail to achieve their goal they feel very sad and begin to suffer in frustration with their lives. Those who succeed in working with the same goal from childhood, I would say they are the luckiest people in the world, but the number of such people is very minor.
Here, I would like to say something about The majority people who have a goal from his/her childhood, worked very hard but unlucky they are unable to achieve their childhood goal. I prefer broken goals like a sweet dream of the morning. When you have a good dream in your sleep and your dream is shattered as soon as you wake up in the morning then how do you feel? Definitely very bad, In the same way, if your goal break, you will feel the same as like the feeling of broken the sweet dream. I know It is normal to feel sad but this does not mean that there is nothing else in your life that you can do nothing in life. That's not true at all.
Let me tell a story, I have known a guy since childhood who from childhood he was aiming to become a doctor. It was his only goal and he never focus on anything without it. He never went to hang out with friends and most of the time he loved to study. But recently when he went for medical admission test, everyone thought that he will get a chance in medical college easily. But, unlucky he was just short one mark to get change a medical college. When the result was published as soon as he saw his result that was just one mark short to get chance he got shocked and he felt very very sad and afterwards, he became very frustrated. As a result of the depression, he became very ill and had to be admitted to the hospital. Luckily now, he is alright.
It is not always possible for everyone to reach their goal only if he works hard. Sometimes fate works in an opposite direction. Once I was in school a teacher of mine always said to us, " Sometimes we can't achieve our goal even after working too hard on it. But the journey of life does not end here. You should have some alternative option in your hands. And believe that something wonderful will happen which is better than the past."
I think we can only work hard on our goals, success or failure depends on luck. Although you fail, never stop working hard. And believe that something magical will happen by only working hard.
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@sarashew
@riazud