Monatliches Archiv: März 2023

• John Knopf, an Emmy Award-nominated landscape photographer, is an early adopter of NFTs.
• He helped found FOTO, a collective geared at training artists to work in Web3.
• Time magazine partnered with FOTO on its own NFT drops and Knopf’s work has also been featured.

John Knopf: A Digital Culture Pioneer

John Knopf is an Emmy Award-nominated landscape photographer who works for National Geographic and was an early adopter of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Together with seven other prominent photographers, he founded FOTO – a collective aimed at training digital artists to use Web3 technologies. The organization has hundreds of members from amateurs to professionals and curates their art for exhibitions and events. Time magazine even partnered with FOTO for its own series of NFT drops, and Knopf’s work has been featured as well.

The Potential of Web3

Knopf initially came into crypto during the bull market with hopes of making a quick buck, but he quickly became enthralled with the potential of distributed networks. He believes that Web3 is all about “elevating one another and working to advance the art form” – something that photography can uniquely benefit from due to its technical nature as much as artistic sensibility.

FOTO: Turning Industry Into Community

The main purpose behind founding FOTO was to turn what could have become a highly exclusive industry into a community that values collaboration over competition. It serves as both a platform where people can display their artwork and also provides valuable resources such as news articles or tutorials on how best to prepare artwork for sale on the blockchain space. With such efforts, larger organizations like Time magazine have taken notice which has led to further exposure for the artworks produced by members of FOTO.

Achievements & Accolades

As mentioned previously, John Knopf’s work has been featured in many places including his recent partnership with Time magazine for multiple NFT drops featuring his photos plus those of other artists associated with FOTO. This is only part of his success story though; he received an Emmy award nomination in 2019 for his documentary called „Bored Apes“ which explored digital culture through interviews conducted around the world; this project provided him invaluable insight into how technology influences our lives today as well as what it will look like tomorrow.

Conclusion

In conclusion, John Knopf has proven himself time and time again not just as a talented photographer but also as someone who understands how technology can be used creatively to improve our lives – whether it be through exploring digital culture or turning what could have become an exclusive industry into one that values collaboration above all else using cryptocurrency platforms like Ethereum’s blockchain network via non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

FTX Reaches $45M Deal to Sell Interest in Sequoia

• FTX’s investment arm, Alameda Research, has struck a $45 million cash deal to sell its interest in Sequoia Capital to the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund.
• The agreement requires approval from a Delaware bankruptcy court as the failed exchange seeks to raise funds for creditors.
• The would-be buyer, Al Nawwar Investments RSC Limited, is ultimately owned by the government of Abu Dhabi and already invests in Sequoia.

Background on FTX Bankruptcy

FTX group filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2020. In January 2021, Judge John Dorsey granted permission for some of FTX’s more easily separable assets – including derivatives arm LedgerX, stock-clearing platform Embed, and Japanese and European units – to be offered for sale. However, poor record keeping at the company had left a large balance sheet shortfall.

Agreement with Purchaser Details

Following indications of interest from four parties and negotiations with two potential buyers, FTX decided to enter into an agreement with a purchaser based on their superior offer and ability to execute the sale transaction quickly. The agreement is subject to approval by Delaware bankruptcy court Judge John Dorsey and could be closed as soon as March 31.

Buyer Information

The would-be buyer is Al Nawwar Investments RSC Limited which is ultimately owned by the government of Abu Dhabi. It already invests in Sequoia Capital Fund.

Conclusion
FTX’s agreement with Al Nawwar Investments RSC Limited is subject to approval by Delaware bankruptcy court Judge John Dorsey before it can be finalized. If approved, this deal will help provide funds for creditors who have been affected by FTX’s financial struggles due to poor record keeping at the company.

• NFTs have a ‚digital first sale‘ problem due to outdated copyright laws.
• Short interest is rising on China tokens while Bitcoin treads water just above $23,000.
• Prices for Bitcoin, Ethereum and other Chinese tokens are in the red as of March 1st.

NFTs Have a ‚Digital First Sale‘ Problem

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been gaining considerable attention lately, but their widespread adoption is being hindered by outdated interpretations of copyright law. These interpretations are mired in an era before blockchain technology existed and fail to recognize the concept of digital-first sales which could revolutionize the art world and beyond.

Short Interest Rising on China Tokens

As Asian markets opened on March 1st, several China tokens were seeing declines in price. Web3 ecosystem token Neo was down 8%, Conflux’s CFX token was down 12.5%, and Filecoin’s FIL token declined 5.5%. Short interest has been increasing rapidly on these tokens, with NEO split 50/50 between long and short positions while CFX has slipped into a majority short position at 52.71%. FILECOIN’s FIL is nearly even between long and short positions as well.

Bitcoin & Ether Prices In The Red

The top two cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin and Ether also began trading lower today as well. Bitcoin opened trading at $23,141, down 1.3% while Ethereum dipped 22 points to $1,607 or 1.4%. Other crypto prices from CoinDesk Market Index (CMI) showed an overall decline of 18 points or 1.6%.

Gold Price Rises As Treasury Yield Falls

In contrast to the negative sentiment seen in crypto markets today, gold prices rose 14 points to $1,831 or 0.8% according to COMEX spot price data . Meanwhile treasury yields fell back towards recent lows with 10 year yields reaching 3 .92%, down 0 from yesterday’s close .

Conclusion

Despite weak performance in many crypto markets today , gold prices continue to rise as investors seek safe haven assets amid economic uncertainty . Copyright legislation will need to catch up with modern technology before NFTs can fully realize their potential , leaving digital artists unable to capitalize on their creations until then .