I have to be honest, I've been letting all the FUDsters get me down when it comes to Steem. I wasn't planning on powering down, but I was considering selling all my liquid Steem into another project... probably Ethereum.

However, today my bullishness has been rejuvenated.

A $47 airdrop? For me? Thanks guys!

So it appears that PALNet has created their own version of Steemit.com running in tandem with the main chain and website: https://www.palnet.io

It's clearly a clone of Steemit. I'm sure they'll customize it a bit more later. So why am I bullish about this? Well, besides getting free money it also shows how easy it is to run their own Condenser node.

Condenser

As I am slowly starting to grasp (don't quote me) the Condenser node is the centralized mothership node that has a lot of important functions. I believe that the Condenser node creates every single block on the chain. The witnesses are just there to sign them and make sure Steemit Inc. isn't breaking the rules.

Clearly, many of us are vastly underestimating the value of MIRA, because now that it is up and running, running a Condenser node no longer costs and arm an a leg. This is going to vastly increase our ability to decentralize the power structure of the platform.

I was very up in arms about the new economic incentives, but this development shows how easy it will become to fork/clone the platform if need be. Steemit Inc. is bringing a lot of value to the platform, and so is PALNet.

PAL

These guys made MinnowSupport, SteemMonsters, SteemEngine, and now PALNet. Clearly, they are bringing a lot of value to the space for everyone. This is commendable, and they deserve our support.

I just used SteemEngine for the first time ever. I deposited Steem into the Engine, they took their 1% fee, and used my Steem Pegged (steemp) coins to double down on the airdrop and add some liquidity to the market. My limit order to buy at 0.111 has already gone through and I powered everything up.