Funko Quietly Gave Up on NFTs

Funko as a brand, is struggling. They've tried various gimmicks, with some working out well and others falling flat on their face. A number of years ago, a lot of people were into NFTs and the idea of owning digital tokens of art, or whatever. It was a thankfully short-lived fad, but Funko did dabble in it with the admittedly fun fact that when you opened their NFT, "Packs," you had the chance to get a token you could redeem for a real (physical) Funko Pop to be shipped to your house. For some time, little had been happening, with many stating the program was most likely dead. About a month ago, Funko made it official with a little press release that received minimal fanfare (although props to the streamers known as Gastlecast for, "Calling it," months in advance that Funko NFTs were dead). No more Funko NFTs, and they're shutting down the digital market, Droppp, that was utilized for the Funko NFTs, so at least folks were given a warning to take their money out as opposed to this being a, "Rug pull," situation.

I have always been critical of NFTs and cryptocurrency (Bitcoin or any others) in general. I don't like it, trust it, or use it. I am always interested in new and cutting-edge technology, but crypto always seemed more like a scammer's dream than that of an inventor. I'm frankly surprised it took Funko this long to give up on NFTs, and even though I buy their products a lot less these days, I do still find their stuff fun and charming enough that I hope the company manages to keep existing. I won't miss the NFTs, though.

NFTs Are Cratering. We All Predicted This

Remember when those pieces of digital art people claimed they could, "Own," via the blockchain were popular with a number of gullible rubes? They were called NFTs and they combined the worst aspects of cryptocurrency with the art World. The whole market fell apart, but one saving grace was at least artists would make some money from their NFTs getting bought, sold, and traded, right? Apparently not, with the idea of giving artists royalties fragmenting the so-called NFT market even more and leading to a bunch of lawsuits. 

You've got NFTs that have lost 95% of their so-called value, artists getting nothing for their work, and the one NFT line that seems to be selling is Donald Trump-related. I guess scamming suckers is pretty on-brand for him. Everyone with some sense warned against cryptocurrency and really raised red flags about NFTs. Seeing they are faltering reminds me of that one Loki meme I shall now share:

I mean, really, it is sad folks have lost money, but they should've known better than to invest in something so foolish. Some people made a lot of money on cryptocurrency and NFTs, but those same people seem to have quickly gotten out of the market before it crashed. Everyone left, "Holding the bag," discovered their sack full of gold was actually pyrite (fool's gold) and that's the best metaphor I can offer for crypto and NFTs.

247 Comics Could Be an Cool New Publisher Except it has an Interest in NFTs

Cryptocurrency is a stupid idea, as I've repeated on this site many times regardless of whether it is supposedly going up or engaging in an inevitable crash. NFTs are a horrible idea as well, serving as a piece of code that you have showing you, "Own," a picture/comic/dumb digital asset. When I heard about a new comic publisher called 247 Comics that would have some cool talent I was intrigued...until I saw those dreaded three letters in a row, NFT. Creators will be able to make more money from their works via the blockchain--somehow. Plus the people reading the comics will be vital (I mean, obviously) as they are apparently thinking about, "...collectors, who can directly participate in the growth and expansion of each franchise, as well 247’s impact on the overall world of entertainment in all its forms from the blockchain to the bookshelf." Apparently, buying-up big pieces of the blockchain for a comic will show it is popular. How inventive and not at all just like how if people buy a bunch of issues of a comic it does well and more volumes get made.

The whole press release that Comicsbeat presents with surprisingly little criticism in their article just reads like the usual, "Web 3.0," bluster of catchphrases and inventing things that already exist. When you throw out empty sentences like calling blockchain, "...a paradigm shift towards decentralization and democratization of entertainment and commerce," my eyes just glaze over. I mean, you've got Justin Jordan of, "Luther Strode," fame among other stuff, talented creator Priscilla Petraites (she was amazing on the, "Chariot," mini-series), and plenty of other cool folks at your new publisher and you want to talk to me about, "...a decentralized community ownership model made possible by emerging technology," when you could be selling me on comics? 

Cryptocurrency and NFTs are quite possibly the dumbest inventions of this century (and we're early in this century which I doubt I'll live to see the end of, but I'm pretty sure by 2100 the history books will discuss how awful Crytpo-anything was). You can check 247 Comics out online, and while I might read their actual comics, I won't touch any of the blockchain junk they're so eager to dabble in.

The Grammy's 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop Tribute Makes Me Tempted to Tune In

I have been critical of the Grammy's to a relentless degree on my blog. After all, the chances are surprisingly good they are corrupt, rigged, and generally repellent. Besides that time OutKast essentially took over the awards it has rarely been that fun to watch, an occasional fantastic performance by Kendrick Lamar or Kacey Musgraves winning a significant award aside. All of that said, I believe I want to watch it this Sunday due to a big tribute to Hip-Hop being planned.

Many agree this year is the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. There may be some disagreement, but exact date you want to say rap music started aside, a big special segment is going to happen dedicated to Hip-Hop during the Grammys--the line-up is totally stacked too. From older artists to newer ones you've got everyone from Big Boi (of OutKast), to Nelly, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliot, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Rakim, Queen Latifah, Eminem, De La Soul, and so many more. LL Cool J is going to introduce the segment and Questlove is the musical director/producer for it. I am legitimately interested in seeing this segment so I may need to watch the show as it is broadcast from the Crypto.com arena (yes, that is the actual arena's name for now until cryptocurrency finishes cratering and it changes names again). 

Even if I don't want to watch the rest of the show, I can always DVR it and view the tribute segment, I suppose. The Grammys will be on tomorrow, February 5th (at various times depending on your time zone, so check your local listings). I can't speak to the quality of the whole show, but this special part will at least be full of great artists!

Stop. Making. Your. Games. Dependent. On. Cryptocurrency!

Another day another story about a game that depended on cryptocurrency going bust. "Untamed Isles," was a Pokemon-styled online game but with the addition of cryptocurrency within it as a big element. This resulted in the usual, "Play to earn," buzzwords and lots of people backing it to the tune of half a million dollars on Kickstarter anticipating that they too would somehow make money from the scheme that is crypto (although, as crypto was advertised as an optional element there were some backers who just thought it sounded like a fun game, I do sympathize with those specific backers). This has, as expected, all come crashing down. Development is going, "On hold," in a manner that sounds more permanent than the term, "Hiatus," usually implies. Also, they're broke (they claim) so nobody is getting a refund. The fact that the crypto market crashed did not help the fact they were gambling on it going, 'To the moon," or something.

All I and everyone else can do is emphasize that you should not ever have your video-games be dependent on cryptocurrency. You shouldn't really have anything dependent on crypto if you know what's good for you, frankly. I'd say to let what happened with, "Untamed Isles," be a lesson to folks, but some individuals just refuse to learn.

A, "Web 3.0," Console Sounds Sufficiently Scammy and Dystopic

In news that had Kotaku absolutely cracking up at how obvious a scam it is, a supposed new console has been announced that will be focused on Cryptocurrency, NFTs, and otherwise is fake and stupid. Called the Polium One, it has no announced games, zero detailed specs, and is supposedly coming as soon as 2023 or as late as 2024 for an unclear amount of money/digital imaginary dollars. The logo also looks like they ripped off the Gamecube logo. My opinions on Crytpo/NFTs are well-known whether they are doing, "Well," or outright crashing. A video-game console designed with that grift in mind that is itself a scam is a bit of a perfect metaphor for all of this.

Bits of News, Links, and Other Junk for June 2022

The Long Days of June!

I think it has been a bit since I did a post where I gathered up interesting bits of news and shared them with you, my dear readers. Let's rectify that now and enjoy some links as we prepare to kick off Summer this upcoming June 21st (or if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, you start Winter).

News and Things to Learn About

Christopher Priest is a fantastic writer who has created a ton of great stuff over the decades. A recent superb run of his was on, "Deathstroke," and he's currently doing a bunch of, "Vampirella," related comics that made me interested in the character for the first time ever. He'll be writing a new, "Black Adam," comic coming out very soon in addition to a surreal-sounding comic titled, "Entropy," published by Heavy Metal. It takes place in the Heavy Metal comic universe of, "Taarna," and features the origin of a new villain, but I'm just excited because I enjoy almost anything Priest creates.

"Jurassic World: Dominion," received lukewarm-to-awful reviews, but it still is a movie with dinosaurs so it is raking in the cash. I'll see it with my brother-in-law sometime soon and as long as it's moderately entertaining I'll be happy.

Ever since Marvel aligned itself with Penguin Random House as the main distributor of its comics there have been concerns over the packaging. Apparently, changes are being made to help keep the comics a bit safer. I mean, less ruined comics would be good.

Cryptocurrency/NFTs are faltering, but influencer/lifestyle guru Gary Vaynerchuk’s NFT should succeed thanks to it involving him, as he tells it. I'd never heard of him, but apparently, he has quite the fanbase that might make any project he does fruitful, even (*shudder*) Crytpo.

In movie news that involves a video-game, the creative team behind, "Cobra Kai," are making a, "Duke Nukem," movie. I could see this actually working if it is really self-aware and meta as Duke Nukem's character is...well, not so much a character as a stereotype of a sexist jerk who says random movie quotes he stole.

In video-game news that draws from a movie, "The Thing," was a fantastic movie with a game that tried to be great but just couldn't achieve it's lofty goals. Patrick Klepek, of Vice, wrote about the game on its 20th anniversary (and the movie is now 40 years old, which is just wild).

Let's Have a Great Summer!

I hope everyone can have a great Summer season (or, again, if they're in the Southern part of the World they have a great Winter)! Now get out there and have some Summer fun!

Crypto is Crashing, I'm Not Shocked

Back in December of 2017, I advised people to stay away from Bitcoin. In January of 2021, I still said Cryptocurrency was not a risk I'd take. In April of last year, I said how NFTs just befuddled me. Simply put, I've never trusted the idea of Crypto because the only thing giving it value was people believing it somehow had value. As James Surowiecki of The Atlantic discusses, that means it could all evaporate without warning, which it currently is doing. Stocks are suffering and we may be entering a recession, but what is happening in the stock market is nothing compared to the immense loss of, "Value," that Crytpo has had. Every single version of Crytpo seems to be melting down. 

Yes, even if you bought things cheap years ago you still have made a, "Profit," but tons of folks seem to have invested a lot of money that's now simply evaporated. I am not surprised Crytpo is crashing, but I do feel bad for those who were convinced by others it was a smart investment when it clearly was not. Will Cryptocurrencies recover at some point and this is just the market stabilizing, correcting, or whatever? Maybe, but at this rate I could see the whole thing going down in flames. NFTs really need to end too, that is something I would douse in gasoline to help the fire go even faster.

Kickstarter Wants to do Stuff with Crypto/Blockchain for...Reasons?

Blockchain/ Cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin) is stupid. NFTs are even more stupid. When you ask a lover of these pyramid schemes for an actual valid reason why they are a good idea they offer reasons. Not good reasons, but reasons nonetheless that involve empty catchphrases like, "Web 3.0," and, "Metaverse." The only honest answer is its a scam to make money (before the scheme collapses under its own weight), but other empty reasons are given too. Some game companies have CEOs getting into NFTs and Crypto and to the disappointment of many it seems that the biggest crowdfunding platform around, Kickstarter, is getting in on the grift too.

Lots of folks don't want Kickstarter to mess around with the Blockchain, they are against it. Kickstarter heard their statements and has said, "Too bad, shut up because we are doing this." Kickstarter has made it clear they don't care what people think because they believe there's a way to turn a profit before this whole house of cards comes crashing down. It is all so idiotic.

Confession: NFTs Just Confuse Me

I've written posts critical of cryptocurrency before. People have made a lot of money from it, but I still worry it will turn into a house of cards that comes crumbling down at some point (I could be wrong and just look like an out-of-touch old fogey, but so is life). To complicate things further there are now NFTS (Non-fungible tokens), which are basically digital pieces of art that utilize blockchain technology (like crypto uses) to make a piece of art that has unique data making it valuable because...well, just because. This article by Mitchell Clark helps explain things a little bit but don't worry if you're still bewildered, I am too. It's basically jpegs worth thousands or sometimes millions of dollars because they contain unique coding, as I understand it. 

Blockchain mining is of course pretty bad for the environment and some think NFTs just sound like a big scam, but a lot of artists have found it helpful to them when it comes to making some money. Corporations, of course, are interested now too, be they a video-game studio such as Sega, make Magic cards like Hasbro, or comic companies thinking about making NFTs. The whole thing just confuses me even as I try to learn about it. I won't be, "Investing," in NFTs, but more power to those who do.

I Really Wish the Song, "Whoopty," was Literally About Blue Cheese

There is a new song by the music artist CJ. It is titled, "Whoopty," and is pretty catchy. It has a weird little melody with a chanting lady, a solid beat, and the lyrics are your usual bragging-while-rapping, but he does it with a solid enthusiasm and good speed of lyric-spitting. The thing I really liked about the song, however, was when he repeatedly said he was, "Addicted to blue cheese." I thought he was maybe being literal and I pictured how a music video could have him sitting at a dinner table surrounded by copious amounts of blue cheese he excitedly eats. It would just be so random. This isn't the case, sadly.

In an interview, CJ clarified he was referring to the new 100 dollar bills with, "Cheese," being like the slang of cheddar representing money. "When I say ‘blue cheese’, when you look at the new one-hundred-dollar bill, you can see a blue strip in the middle," he explained. CJ is not actually eating a ton of blue cheese due to an affinity for that unique kind of dairy product, he just is a big fan of the new printing style for Benjamins. It is still a fun little lyric, but as I said, deep down I was hoping CJ just absolutely loved blue cheese and was spending all his money from rapping on it. There are weirder things to blow your money on after all (like Bitcoin). I haven't misunderstood a rap lyric this badly since that time DRAM sang about how much he adored, "Broccoli."

Cryptocurrency Still Isn't a Risk I'd Take

Back on Christmas Eve of 2017, I expressed my hesitancy about cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Digital money that doesn't, "Exist," in a physical sense and has no assets to back it up results in something highly volatile. As Medium observed in a new article by James Surowiecki, "The Bitcoin Dream Is Dead." At least, it is in the sense of one aspect. People aren't actually using Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies to actually buy and sell things. They simply buy and sell the cryptocurrency itself and hoard it like an asset. Bitcoin is treated more like gold these days in that it is bought and held--the difference being gold is an actual thing you can hold with a real value--cryptocurrency just kinda-sorta exists. 

Bitcoin is always volatile, reaching new highs and then crashing down double digits of percentage points. Other cryptocurrency options exist that maybe are better for buying and selling actual goods, but they lack as much popularity. Even though more and more apps are making it possible to invest in these digital monies (PayPal has added features, for example), I still just don't trust cryptocurrency as an investment. It all just still seems like a house of cards that could collapse someday without warning for those who didn't sell their cryptocurrency assets in time for actual cash. Plus, good luck if you ever forget your password to access your money.

Christmas Eve Advice: Stay out of Bitcoin

Here is some Christmas Eve advice for you, my pre-Christmas gift, if you will: Stay out of Bitcoin (and if you don't know what that is, here is some basic info here and here). People know I like technology, the news, etc. Therefore, folk have asked me what I think about Bitcoin at various times. They'll say, "David, what's your advice for getting into Bitcoin and I'll say, "Don't." Cryptocurrency has very little in the way of market stability in that it has no market stability, and Bitcoin is the most famous of all the Cyptocurrencies.

People said I was just being a downer about Bitcoin as it kept going up and up in value...and now it just crashed spectacularly. Cypto markets are broken and have been horrendously flawed from the start. Bitcoin isn't necessarily a hoax, but it is a horrible idea.