Unchained

Latest Episodes:

Why NFT OG Mitchell Chan Has Released Just One Project This Year - Ep.302 Dec 28, 2021

Show notes

Mitchell F. Chan, who released one of the first NFT projects on Ethereum back in 2017, discusses his projects, making art on a blockchain, how NFTs are transforming the traditional art world, and more. Show topics:

Mitchell’s art career before NFTs
how Mitchell was inspired by Yves Klein’s 1950's work 'Zones of Immaterial Pictorial Sensibility’
the story behind Mitchell’s OG NFT art project: ‘Digital Zones of Immaterial Pictorial Sensibility’
what the traditional world thinks about NFTs
who is collecting NFT art
the story behind Mitchell’s 2021 NFT project: ‘LeWitt Generator Generator’
why Mitchell has not minted any more NFTs this year – even though the market has been on fire
whether Mitchell thinks NFTs are changing the art world (hint: he thinks yes)
NFTs and the financialization of art
why Mitchell can empathize with some of the backlash about NFTs coming from the traditional art and gaming industries

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Episode Links

Mitchell Chan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mitchellfchan
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/4QdtdZWMpN
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellfchan/
Gallery: https://chan.gallery/

Content:

DIGITAL ZONES OF IMMATERIAL PICTORIAL SENSIBILITY (Sotheby’s NFT - $1M+)
Video Essays on NFTs (super interesting)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtUGpOe-zE4&list=PLVRveZVaYYqHZKN_5oH8wC5QBRMMlXdBT&t=25s
Sol Lewitt Generator Generator
- https://medium.com/@mitchellfchan/nfts-generative-art-and-sol-lewitt-e99a5fa2b0cb

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Unconfirmed: What Could the Crypto Media Do Better? Four Journalists Discuss - Ep.301 Dec 24, 2021

Show notes

Merry Christmas (Eve)! For this special episode of Unchained, three other crypto journalists and I discuss their favorite stories from the past twelve months, how they would grade crypto journalism in 2021, and what they are looking forward to covering in 2022. Show highlights:

what stories Michael, Michael, Jeff, and I will remember from a ~busy~ 2021
why 2021 is “clearly the biggest year” yet for the industry
how CoinDesk, Forbes, and Decrypt can improve their news coverage in 2022
what Michael, Michael, Jeff, and I think about all the negative energy directed at journalists from the crypto and tech space
how mainstream media can do a better job covering crypto
predictions for what the biggest stories of 2022 will be

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Michael Casey

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikejcasey
CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/
Unchained Appearances
- Why Bitcoin Now: Michael Casey and Niall Ferguson on How Bitcoin Fits in the History of Money
- - https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-bitcoin-now-michael-casey-and-niall-ferguson-on-how-bitcoin-fits-in-the-history-of-money/
- Live from SXSW: Michael Casey and Paul Vigna, Co-Authors of The Truth Machine, on Why the SEC Has Issued Subpoenas to ICOs
- - https://unchainedpodcast.com/live-from-sxsw-michael-casey-and-paul-vigna-co-authors-of-the-truth-machine-on-why-the-sec-has-issued-subpoenas-to-icos/

Michael del Castillo

Twitter: https://twitter.com/delRayMan
Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/

Jeff Roberts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffjohnroberts
Decrypt: https://decrypt.co/
Unchained Appearances
- Will Coinbase Do a Token Offering When It Goes Public?
- - https://unchainedpodcast.com/will-coinbase-do-a-token-offering-when-it-goes-public/
- Coinbase’s S-1: The Number That May Make the Exchange Nervous
- - https://unchainedpodcast.com/coinbases-s-1-the-number-that-may-make-the-exchange-nervous/

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This Noble Family's Art Was Taken by Nazis, But Is Being Saved by NFTs - Ep.300 Dec 21, 2021

Show notes

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Unconfirmed: $12 Billion Has Been Lost in DeFi Value to Crime. Here’s How - Ep.299 Dec 17, 2021

Show notes

Jess Symington, research lead at Elliptic, a blockchain forensics company, discusses the massive upswing in DeFi hacks during 2021, resulting in over $10 billion of DeFi value lost. Show topics:

the state of crime in DeFi
how much value has been lost to exploits
whether the majority of hacks are the result of user or developer error
the various types of exploits
how to confirm when a project did, in fact, rug pull
which blockchains are most susceptible to having exploits
what has been happening recently in ransomware
how DeFi hackers cash out
why ransomware attackers, who usually request payment in Bitcoin, have a tougher time cashing out than DeFi hackers
whether hackers trend towards a specific profile/demographics
how easy it is for law enforcement to find hackers
whether blockchain’s transparency is proving to be a helpful tool for regulators
Jess’s advice on how to prevent hacks for both protocols and users

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Episode Links

Elliptic

Website: https://www.elliptic.co/
Blog: https://www.elliptic.co/blog

Hack Coverage

Elliptic Research
- DeFi: Risk, Regulation and the Rise of DeCrime: https://www.elliptic.co/resources/defi-risk-regulation-and-the-rise-of-decrime
- https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/14/common-defi-crypto-related-scams-and-how-to-protect-your-wallet.html
- https://cryptobriefing.com/elliptic-estimates-12b-lost-to-defi-exploits/
Rekt Leaderboard (giving a dollar figure for recent hacks along with a summary of what happened)
- https://rekt.news/leaderboard/

Unchained Podcast on Ransomware

https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-ransomware-evolved-into-a-big-business/

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How Yield Guild Games Is Revolutionizing the Future of Work and Investment - Ep.298 Dec 14, 2021

Show notes

Gabby Dizon, cofounder of Yield Guild Games, discusses his background in gaming, why he started Yield Guild Games, the performance of Axie Infinity, and more. Show topics:

how Gabby fell down the crypto rabbit hole
what inspired Gabby to co-found Yield Guild Games
what Yield Guild Games does
how blockchain games improve upon games in the traditional world
a real-life story of Yield Guild Games improving a player’s life
why it’s difficult for Yield Guild Games players to cash out earnings and how Yield Guild Games is trying to solve this issue via a partnership with XLD
why Gabby thinks the value of $SLP in Axie Infinity is dropping
what sort of game and tokenization mechanisms work best for blockchain games
why Gabby wants a new Ethereum token standard
what Gabby thinks makes an in-game NFT valuable
why Axie Infinity is popular in the Philippines and Venezuela
where Yield Guild Games is attempting to expand next
how Yield Guild Games built out the tokenomics for YGG, the guild’s native token
what Gabby thinks about P2E games on chains outside of Ethereum
how Yield Guild Games is decentralizing
how blockchain games are changing the nature of work
what sort of jobs exist in the metaverse
why Gabby buys NFTs
Gabby’s crypto prediction for 2022

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Episode Notes

Gabby Dizon -- cofounder at Yield Guild Games

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabusch
Website: https://y.at/%F0%9F%95%B9%F0%9F%A5%8A%F0%9F%96%BC%F0%9F%A5%83
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabbydizon/
Cointelegraph profile
- https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/2021/04/15/gabby-dizon-making-computer-games-real
Metaverse job board
- https://twitter.com/gabusch/status/1416682528090460160

Yield Guild Games

Twitter: https://twitter.com/YieldGuild
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/ygg
Blog: https://medium.com/yield-guild-games
Primer: https://cryptobriefing.com/defi-project-spotlight-yield-guild-games-dao-titan/
A16z investment into YGG
- https://a16z.com/2021/08/19/investing-in-yield-guild-games/
YGG whitepaper
- https://yieldguild.io/YGG-Whitepaper-English.pdf
Scholarships
- https://medium.com/yield-guild-games/yield-guild-explains-play-to-earn-and-scholarships-bb1e097c2a61
Summary of 8 new YGG games:
- https://coinyuppie.com/a-three-minute-overview-of-yggs-latest-8-games-included-in-the-investment-landscape/

Miscellaneous

Axie Infinity documentary:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo-BrASMHU4
XLD Token = “real-world use case”
- https://twitter.com/gabusch/status/1467763722257301507
- https://xld.medium.com/xld-finance-and-yield-guild-games-partner-to-enable-play-to-earn-gamers-to-pay-bills-with-crypto-d35c80d29a0d
Play to Earn token economics
- https://twitter.com/mikojava/status/1459041371289841666
Axie Infinity + Filipino Workers
- Good:
- - https://twitter.com/kookoocryptotv/status/1461164984117784576
- Declining wages:
- - https://twitter.com/larsiusprime/status/1459191090100244483

Unchained Episodes on Axie Infinity

Axie Infinity’s July Revenue Tops $200 Million. Here’s How Filipinos Drove It (Leah Callon-Butler)
- https://unchainedpodcast.com/axie-infinitys-july-revenue-tops-200-million-heres-how-filipinos-drove-it/
How Axie Infinity Boosted Revenue 400%+ in 30 Days (Aleksander Larsen, Axie Infinity COO)
- https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-axie-infinity-boosted-revenue-400-in-30-days/

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Unconfirmed: 3 Things SushiSwap Needs to Get in Order, According to Arca - Ep.297 Dec 10, 2021

Show notes

Jeff Dorman, the chief investment officer at Arca, discusses the recent events surrounding SushiSwap, including CTO Joseph Delong’s departure this week, Arca’s proposal to create a hierarchical management structure for SushiSwap, and why Jeff is still excited about Arca’s investment in SushiSwap. Show topics:

what SushiSwap is and how it has performed since its inception
how Jeff views SushiSwap’s performance from an investor’s perspective
how the departure of 0xMaki affected SushiSwap
what Jeff thinks about the decentralization versus centralization
why Jeff thinks SushiSwap is in a fantastic position in which to receive investment
what happened with the controversy around Joseph Delong leading to his resignation this week
what Jeff thinks about how Joseph handled his departure
what three factors SushiSwap needs to figure out in order to function
why SushiSwap could benefit from creating a legal entity
why Jeff is in favor of hierarchical governance structures versus flat governance structures
how SushiSwap could become a trendsetter for DAOs in general

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Episode Links:

Jeff Dorman

Joseph Delong’s Departure

The Block’s coverage:
- https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/126411/sushiswap-cto-threatens-to-quit-as-infighting-escalates
- https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/126879/sushiswaps-cto-resigns-amid-infighting
The Defiant:
- https://thedefiant.io/sushiswap-leadership-crisis/

Sushi Bickering on Twitter

Screenshot of 0xMaki being ousted:
- https://twitter.com/makibacknow/status/1463078678724632576/photo/1
Joseph Delong on SushiSwap drama:
- https://twitter.com/josephdelong/status/1467498481573052427
Joseph Delong’s resignation:
- https://twitter.com/josephdelong/status/1468689021530427395
Boring Crypto on SushiSwap drama:
- https://twitter.com/Boring_Crypto/status/1467162233905893379

SushiSwap Proposals

Arca
- https://forum.sushi.com/t/sushi-dao-restructure-proposal/6282
Bridge compensation
- https://forum.sushi.com/t/bridge-compensation-for-sushi-core/6217/3

Miscellaneous

0xMaki transitioning to an advisory role
- https://forum.sushi.com/t/transition-into-advisor/5533
SushiSwap on leadership tumult
- https://hackmd.io/ipJtfxhuQmqW9B8igew_AA?view

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Crypto Philanthropy: How to Donate to Make Real-World Impact - Ep.296 Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

Some of the biggest names in the crypto industry discuss their personal giving philosophies, how blockchain technology could change the dynamics of giving to charity, and which crypto projects are making a lasting real-world impact. Guests include Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly Capital; Caroline Ellison, co-CEO of Alameda Research; and Arthur Breitman, co-founder of Tezos. Show topics:

the definition of effective altruism
why Haseeb thinks crypto is the best industry for effective altruism
how Haseeb and Arthur differ in their philosophy of doing good
why blockchain technology is less important than liquidity when donating money across borders
whether Axie Infinity is making a real-world impact
why Arthur thinks Axie’s impact will be short-term and not sustainable
whether people should donate now versus later
Haseeb’s and Arthur’s thoughts on how giving changes people
what people working in crypto can do to give back

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Brave: http://brave.com/Unchained

Episode Links

GiveDirectly

https://www.givedirectly.org/unchained — all donations made here will be matched! There are $50,000 in matching funds available!
https://www.givedirectly.org/crypto-for-good-2021/

Guests

Caroline Ellison
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-ellison-309216a7
Haseeb Qureshi
- https://twitter.com/hosseeb
Arthur Breitman
- https://twitter.com/ArthurB

Miscellaneous

Effective Altruism
- https://www.effectivealtruism.org/articles/introduction-to-effective-altruism/
Code to Inspire
- https://unchainedpodcast.com/crypto-actually-fixes-this-how-code-to-inspire-uses-crypto-in-afghanistan/
Pineapple Fund
- https://pineapplefund.org/
BitGive
- https://www.bitgivefoundation.org/

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Unconfirmed: How Ryan Zurrer Ended Up Spending the Most on a Single NFT Artwork - Ep.295 Dec 03, 2021

Show notes

Ryan Zurrer, founder of Dialectic, a crypto wealth multi-family office, discusses his recent $29 million purchase of Beeple’s Human One and his experience at Art Basel in Miami, along with his thoughts on the NFT space in general. Show highlights:

what Human One is and why Ryan purchased it
how Ryan and Beeple’s personal relationship factored into the purchase of Human One
why Human One is important to the metaverse
how Ryan defied the odds in purchasing Human One
how Miami’s Art Basel conference missed out by not capitalizing enough on NFTs
what Ryan thinks about the NFT industry being described as a bubble
how Ryan uses “proof-of-artwork” to determine which NFTs to buy
Ryan’s experience visiting Beeple’s art studio/campus
where Ryan thinks NFTs will go from here, and why he is so bullish on music NFTs in particular

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Episode Links:

Ryan Zurrer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kukulabanze
Previous Unchained appearances:
- https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-ryan-zurrer-would-like-to-see-a-new-dao/
- https://unchainedpodcast.com/all-things-cryptoeconomics-pt-1-with-olaf-carlson-wee-and-ryan-zurrer-of-polychain-capital/

Human One

Beeple x Christie’s interview:
- https://www.christies.com/features/Beeple-gets-real-with-human-one-11940-7.aspx
Barron’s on Human One purchase:
- https://www.barrons.com/articles/beeples-human-one-video-sculpture-and-nft-sells-for-nearly-29-million-01636506472
Ryan Zurrer purchase:
- https://twitter.com/kukulabanze/status/1458236032818819075?s=20
Proof-of-Artwork:
- https://www.decential.io/features/proof-of-artwork-ryan-zurer-on-his-29-million-purchase-of-beeples-human-one

Art Basel Miami

https://artbasel.com/miami-beach

Beeple saying NFTs are a “bubble:”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-21/prices-in-a-bubble-beeple-says-after-his-69-million-nft-sale

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Will Solana Be the Execution Layer and Ethereum the Settlement Layer? - Ep.294 Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

On Unchained, two co-founders of Solana Labs, Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal, dive deeply into the Solana ecosystem, discussing everything from the price of SOL to the Solana network outage to the competition between Ethereum and Solana. Show highlights:

why Raj thinks SOL’s market cap grew from $86 million to $68 billion in less than a year
Anatoly’s and Raj’s background and how they found themselves working together to build Solana
why Anatoly thinks Solana will be a general-purpose blockchain rather than specializing in gaming or high frequency trading
Anatoly’s goal to make Solana the first billion-user blockchain
why Raj thinks NFTs on Solana have been so popular
why, in the opinion of Raj and Anatoly, Solana’s purpose has shifted away from high-frequency trading
how NFTs could replace ads
why “everything is DeFi”
how Solana Labs plans to allocate the recent $314 million funding round it raised
what lessons Anatoly learned from the 18-hour September network outage
technically speaking, what happened to cause Solana’s network outage
why Anatoly believes that outages, at this stage, aren’t necessarily a bad thing
whether “trading mercenaries” dominated at Solana Breakpoint
why developers are interested in building on Solana
how Solana and Ethereum compare as execution and settlement layers
why Raj doesn’t like framing competition between Solana and Ethereum as a fight
how Anatoly views the competition between Ethereum and Solana
whether the arrival of Neon Labs, which is bringing EVM to Solana, could lead to developers leaving Ethereum
how NFTs and Phantom wallets are bringing in new users for Solana
whether Raj and Anatoly would roll back Solana if something like Ethereum’s DAO hack were to occur
why Solana has the competitive advantage in throughput, according to Anatoly
what would happen if FTX cofounder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried gave up on Solana
their predictions for Solana five years from now

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Episode Links:

Anatoly Yakovenko

https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko

Raj Gokal

https://twitter.com/rajgokal

Solana News

Anatoly Yakovenko -- It ‘doesn’t really matter’ if the network goes down again
- https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/124887/solana-labs-ceo-it-doesnt-really-matter-if-the-network-goes-down-again
Neon Labs
- https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/123744/neon-labs-developer-of-ethereum-virtual-machine-on-solana-raises-40-million
- - Aave + SushiSwap going to Solanas through Neon Labs
  - - https://twitter.com/joselitommutuc/status/1462043806207938563
Solana + Brave integration
- https://decrypt.co/85538/privacy-browser-brave-expands-beyond-ethereum-solana
ATH at $260
- https://decrypt.co/85457/solana-hits-all-time-high-of-260
Solana Breakpoint
FTX US + Solana NFTs
- https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/120044/ftx-us-launches-marketplace-for-trading-solana-based-nfts
Solana Outage
- The Block’s coverage
- - https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/117711/solana-blockchain-validators-restart-network-after-transaction-stoppage
  - https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/117624/solana-experiences-transaction-stoppage-as-developers-report-intermittent-instability
- Why the mainnet went down
- - https://twitter.com/buffalu__/status/1437792673784549383
- Potential ramifications
- - https://twitter.com/CometShock/status/1437870278684590091
- Anatoly Yakovenko Solana outage tweets
Solana $314M Fundraise
- https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/107749/solana-labs-raises-314-million-funding-a16z-polychain-capital

Solana Topics

Raj thinks Ethereum cannot be killed
- https://twitter.com/rajgokal/status/1458420316569489410
NFT Growth
Investment in gaming
Phantom wallet hits 1M+ users
- https://decrypt.co/85563/phantom-wallet-preps-mobile-launch-reaching-million-users-solana

Solana Basics

CoinMonk: https://medium.com/coinmonks/solana-more-update-for-sol-becb65024877
Solana Labs: https://medium.com/solana-labs/proof-of-history-a-clock-for-blockchain-cf47a61a9274
The Tie: https://research.thetie.io/solana-ecosystem/
Binance.Research: https://research.binance.com/en/projects/solana
Genesis Block: https://genesisblockhk.com/what-is-solana/
Block Explorers: https://explorer.solana.com/supply + https://solanabeach.io/supply + https://solanalysis.com/
Messari: https://messari.io/article/the-perpetual-sol-rise

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Unconfirmed: Why Astrologer Maren Altman Believes 2023 Will Bring an Innovative 'Cyber Pandemic' - Ep.293 Nov 26, 2021

Show notes

Maren Altman is a professional astrologer and crypto trader. On Unchained, she discusses her end-of-year price target for Bitcoin, how crypto fits into her natal chart, and how she uses planets to divine the price movement of crypto assets. Highlights:

why Maren believes she was born to trade cryptocurrencies
how long-term planetary transits explain the rise of cryptocurrency
why the transits of Uranus, North Node, and Jupiter could lead to a big, extremely innovative “metaverse/cyber pandemic/internet of things” development in spring 2023
how Maren determines the “natal chart” (a birth chart that determines a person or entity’s astrological chart) for cryptocurrencies
how Maren uses astrology to trade cryptocurrencies
Maren’s price prediction for BTC for the end of the year
what astrological factors make Maren think BTC could crash after December 30th
Maren’s EOY projections for ETH
what Maren thinks about crypto regulation
why Maren thinks CBDCs are inevitable
whether Maren feels giving alpha for free via TikTok hurts her trading