EP5 - 7 Dec 22 - Conversations with Steven Chien from @pressstartcap we discuss DCAing into beaten down coins & grail NFTs, MSM pushing narratives on SBF collapse, Jordi Alexander smoke and mirrors, Deep Fakes, Van Bush invention as poetry, Living off gri

Two Degens (resources, interviews, on all things crypto and some AI)

Recorded 7 Dec 2022
Kevin

• Market thoughts:
  • bought SOL - I like beaten down projects, agree with Burniske tweet on SOL v ETH, great Anatoly interview on Blockworks; consolidating more into ETH, sold some NFTs; DCA-ing a bit into BTC for Mom
• Content
  • Ungox: Is this parody? Keeping crypto assets safe can be extremely challenging
  • Link 1: Appears that Alameda made $4.1 billion in loans to cronies, mainly SBF, and MSM says SBF had nothing to do with that?
  • Link 2: AIs can be used to generate “deep fakes” while cryptographic techniques can be used to reliably authenticate things against such fakery... this reeks of real yin-yangery that extends to the roots of computing somehow

George

• Current market thoughts: no change on crypto position; watching what happens if stock market falls due to recession, impact on crypto and potential decoupling; yield curve inversion (10yr minus 3mo) in 00, 07,19, and now
• Parents said “SBF went from 26B to $100k, hope you are ok” - impressive how successful MSM is in spreading the narrative that SBF "lost" a fortune vs taking others’ fortunes
• Content
  • Zillow gone wild - fun twitter account that curates cool real estate
  • Kirsten dirksen - living off grid, alternative lifestyles

Steven (Co-founder @pressstartcap personal @StevenMeets)

• Current market thoughts:
  • DCAing 50/50 BTC/ETH; Researching grail NFT projects that collectors will deem “historical” in 5+ yrs: artblocks, otherdeeds, world of women, adidas, murakami, etc
• Content
  • Jordi Alexander: Smoke and Mirrors part 1, part 2:
    • “uses the time-tested strategy of fancy lingo to create an aura of sophistication... Use this sophisticated aura to convince these people that you are a giga-brain financial wizard, who’s figured out a money creating solution so incredible, it is too brilliant for others to fully understand.”
• Van Bush aka the “Forrest Gump of Science and Tech”
  • “An invention has some of the characteristics of a poem. It is said that a poet may derive real joy out of making a poem, even if it is never published, even if he does not recite it to his friends, even if it is not a very good poem. No doubt, one has to be a poet to understand this. In the same way, an inventor can derive real satisfaction out of making an invention, even if he never expects to make a nickel out of it, even if he knows it is a bit foolish, provided he feels it involves ingenuity and insight. An inventor invents because he cannot help it, and also because he gets quiet fun out of doing so. One has to be an inventor to understand this.”
• Starbucks blockchain loyalty program
• predictions on what Elon will do with Twitter: transparent content moderation