Maybe you've been hearing or reading about that young crypto exchange founder who went from a net worth of $26 billion to nothing recently. But how does something like this happen? Is all that money really gone? Does FTX's token FTT mean anything? We're talking about what spurred this revelation that FTX execs have been placing extremely leveraged and risky bets with user funds, the drama that has played out since the collapse and the fallout Sam Bankman-Fried is facing and the domino effect it could have across other platforms. We give our advice for how to make sure you don't get caught up in this kind of scam in the future and protect your assets if you use a centralized exchange. We also talk about what this means for the future of crypto and blockchain adoption -- highlighting the irony that blockchain exists so that this exact scenario can be avoided. We also talk about the most cost effective route to continue your education or make a career pivot (especially if you want to get into tech and coding). Enjoy this episode and let us know what you think by following us and reaching out @herandthenerd on Twitter and IG.

Self sovereignty and IP ownership is a huge benefit of Web 3 - especially if you're a creative. In this episode, Estefania Ochoa aka @NFTmami joins us to discuss many hot topics and interesting aspects of web 3 and blockchain technology. We specifically talk about the benefits of NFTs for creatives and the opportunities blockchain technology creates for artists of all types to truly own their creations. We talk about antiquated processes in the art world and how blockchain tech can streamline, verify and secure the buying and selling process. We talk about what you need to know if you're just getting into web 3, cool projects that are utilizing blockchain tech to solve major problems in our world, NFT projects Stef supports, the biggest benefit to blockchain in her opinion, challenges we will need to watch out for as the space grows and evolves, the timeline for when blockchain will integrate into mainstream culture, and what she's creating to help onboard people into the space. Clearly we cover A LOT in this episode and we hope you enjoy our first guest interview!

More of what we talk about:

-how Keegan and Stef met and her role at Reach

-how Stef became interested in Web 3 and her onboarding experience

-how IP ownership via NFTs benefits artists

-recommended resources to learn more about NFTs and web 3

-different utilities and examples of NFTs and DAOs

-Stef's thoughts on CBDC and rethinking the financial system as a whole with blockchain

Resources and Links:

Check out nofunzone.xyz

Follow Stef @NFTmami on Instagram and Twitter

Pizza DAO

Surge DAO

Creator Cabins

Wow, there's a lot going on in the web 3 space! In the 6 months since we started this show, we've seen a notably increase in news items about big name companies integrating blockchain technology and/or partnering with web 3 companies in BIG ways. This week we're chatting about recent news in the web 3 space and what it means. With the digital landscape expanding rapidly, this news only further validates the utility and opportunities in this emerging space.

We talk about: FIFA partnering with Algorand, Binance's investment in Twitter, Google's web 3 team announcement, Meta integrating NFTs on Instagram and Facebook, and the Billboard president stepping down to be the CEO of a popular NFT project. We also talk about the mega-giant investment company Blackrock owning the world and how decentralization/blockchain can make sure big businesses are run ethically and transparently. 

We also share our weekend highlights, views on Elon Musk buying Twitter, and the importance of having a global perspective.

In this episode we're talking blockchain 101: what is it, how does it function, and what products are built on blockchain. We go into how blockchain works (staking and mining), NFTs, smart contracts and cryptocurrencies. Keegan shares what to look for when investing in different cryptocurrencies and his investing strategy (this is NOT financial advice and based on his personal opinion and research.) We also go into the "trilema" that all blockchains take into account; decentralization, scalability and security. Note: Keegan fudged up and said "speed, security and scalability" in this episode.

On a personal note we recap our recent travels, what's going on with each of our work projects and share what's been nourishing to the soul lately.

In this episode we talk about the recent vulnerability in Humble Swap Keegan's company had to address and the complex nature of testing and checking for potential exploit opportunities in web 3. We talk about whether web 2 or web 3 is technically the more safe option for investing and trading money. Keegan shares his thoughts on how Instagram could integrate smart contracts and NFTs and web 3 adoption and how he sees it growing this year. Then, Jules pitches her thoughts and ideas on how a DAO could work and they run through the viability of some ideas. Keegan discusses the utilization of DAOs and what they could be used for. Finally, Keegan shares his vision for the dApp he's working on that could help musicians take advantage of NFTs. 

Resources:

rekt.com

@blockworks_

Follow us on Twitter and Insta: @herandthenerd

Part 2 of 2: You thought Keegan was obsessed with dApp development and web 3 before? Well, believe it or not, Reach's Retreat turned his passion up a notch or two. In this part 2 episode, Keegan talks about his talented coworkers and the impact the co-founders of Reach has made on him, and how this experience relates to the excitement of the web 3 space in general. Hear the best advice he heard from the CEO of Reach, how Reach got started, how they run the company with integrity, and why Keegan believes a shift to building on blockchain is inevitable. Keegan also shares some funny stories and gives insight on how to do a company retreat RIGHT.

Part 1 of 2: Time to catch you up on what we've been up to! We talk about our move to Kensington and what we're loving about this cute San Diego neighborhood. Keegan has just returned from a work trip to Austin, TX with his company, Reach. We talk about Reach Summit, who attended, the panels Keegan spoke on, and what his takeaways were from meeting entrepreneurs and CEOs interested in the blockchain space. He talks about going out in Austin, which leads to a discussion about the signs of quality friendships, how disagreeing with people isn't a bad thing, and how the way we were raised has influenced our ability to speak our truth as adults. We also talk about core values and what to look for in good friends. We love sharing what's on our hearts and what randomly comes up in our chats! If you want to hear about the Reach Retreat and the behind the scenes of how Reach was made and the founders, tune in to our next episode for part 2. Follow us on Twitter @herandthenerd for more.

We talk about:

We're answering some of the questions we've been having based on the latest cultural events and trends in the market in this episode. If you're curious about understanding what blockchain actually is, in this episode we give an overview of what's covered under the blockchain umbrella and dive into each piece. For example, if you are curious about how  DAOs actually work, we discuss Keegan's upcoming work project, what a potential standard would need to include and potential use cases for them.

Then we move onto cryptocurrencies, and what's going on with all this talk about crypto winter. Keegan shares what he thinks, and how current worldwide events are effecting the markets overall.

Finally, we discuss what's going on with all of these rugs (like what happened with Opensea) and scams happening within the NFT world. Keegan shares his guess at how many projects will fail this year, and when the hype bubble we pop. We talk about what you can do and look out for to avoid becoming victims of these scams, and how to know if any current projects you're investing in are legit before it's too late.

Listen to the end. You’ll get it.

Life’s Weird. And hard. And fun. Keegan interviews Julia this time, and this episode is vulnerable AF. We talk about the challenges we're facing, the biggest struggle we’ve had in the past year, the growth we've seen, why some friends grow closer and apart as you get older, things Julia has learned through grief, how Keegan almost failed a programming class in college, the benefits of getting into web 3.0 and the unique opportunity it provides, and Julia’s Saturn Return.