DeFi's dirty secret: the AMM was never a revolution. It was a workaround we convinced ourselves was the future. The real problem — and what finally solving it looks like ... https://paragraph.com/@papajams/the-infra-problem-defi-struggled-to-solve?referrer=0x55A5705453Ee82c742274154136Fce8149597058

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** It's Easy To Forget... ** (my /firstdraft ) Personally, I find the meta blockchain/crypto discussions stimulating because it ends up revealing what a lot of sharp people think about the big picture of what we are doing here. But I think it also reminds me that it's easy to forget... It's easy to forget that @simbiosalabs.eth is helping creators make $500+ and moving through trusted creators week by week to build a mini creator economy. It's easy to forget that /gmfarcaster has done 300 episodes, multiple conferences, contests, special events to enhance the culture of Farcaster and build community multiple fold. It's easy to forget that @ampsfun & @qrcoindotfun are working to create an attention economy basically out of thin air. It's easy to forget that @ponder is giving people a 'normal' use case for experiencing a blockchain economy. It's easy to forget that @bracketgame is building a fun and lucrative experience for anyone to taste what web3 has to offer. It's easy to forget that @bankr is changing trading in this crazy new world. It's easy to forget that @tipn & @noiceapp are building tools that most of us couldn't even think of. It's easy to forget that @farcaster & @base.base.eth are literally cutting a path with machetes on uninhabited land. And it's easy to forget that several hundred people here are all in and devoting a fair bit of time, energy, and resources to build a new world we couldn't have dreamt up not long ago. I'm not a fan of 'toxic positivity.' Building a new world is hard. I disagree and am frustrated with things regularly, and I'm a nobody just curating and narrating this new world. But when I'm reminded that it's easy to forget something important, then I like to remind myself.... (and maybe a few others).

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Let's update the 'Crash Course' in better engagement, leaderboard rewards, & finding your place on FC--a topic that hasn't gotten a lot of new material recently, but I have a couple to add & the others are timeless. Share these with new people & those trying to find their way on FC Read/Do these, compare with your current practices, & see where you can improve...and be patient! It may not change in a week. It all starts with @pichi Unwritten Rules of Farcaster https://farcaster.xyz/pichi/0x2279a5d6 The leaderboard hound @bertwurst.eth is still a must read: How To Succeed on FC (don't be fooled by the dog) https://farcaster.xyz/bertwurst.eth/0xd212fc7a @patriciaxlee.eth Most People Don't Know How To Be Interesting (relevant for here and in life) https://farcaster.xyz/patriciaxlee.eth/0xb41aa7f2 You gotta know the lingo & @kylepatrick.eth has you covered: Dictionary of Farcaster Terms & Lingo https://farcaster.xyz/kylepatrick.eth/0x3ce38e6b Wonder why people are here and excited about FC? This more recent video is a great taste from a podcast outside the FC eco where @sriramk.eth talks about why many people are here: https://farcaster.xyz/farcaster/0x4c9939d4 @stellaachenbach Farcaster Unpacked For Creators https://farcaster.xyz/stellaachenbach/0xb3752b9c @v cofounder of FC reviews 10 accounts https://farcaster.xyz/v/0xca109506 @katekornish has a master class when you are ready to dig in and improve your account: FC 7-Day Challenge to Improve Your Account https://farcaster.xyz/katekornish/0x0ecf6ec2 @ted (we call her, yes her, the GOAT) with timeless, simple advice: Quick Take On Casting https://farcaster.xyz/ted/0x686b5d5a @bradq Underrated Ways to Be A Great Farcaster https://farcaster.xyz/bradq/0x2b78deec @bradq Finding Your Place In Farcaster https://farcaster.xyz/bradq/0x05c46374

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** Come For The Wallet, Stay For The Social Network ** (my /firstdraft ) Listening to @dwr on /gmfarcaster felt like a brief Master Class on Farcaster and was a refreshing example of why I'm here. There were many takeaways, but the over-arching one for me was understanding a recent shift in emphasis on the FC Wallet and how that fits into the big picture of FC growth. Up front, note that Dan made clear this isn't a shift away from the social network--which is here and continuing to be built. This month is 5 years since Dan & Varun started working on Farcaster. Dan noted that the one challenge they've always faced is finding a way to sustainably & repeatably grow the social network. They can do it when the team puts in effort--Rewards, Video emphasis, onboard journalists, etc. But they haven't found something that works on its own. Enter the FC Wallet. Recently, people have been commenting that it's the best wallet out there. The recent additions to trending, news, trade ideas has created a tool that isn't out there in the crypto world. People are opening the app to use the wallet features. Dan says the team is leaning into this with a lot more features and improvements coming. There are 100K funded wallets on FC, and there is a possible opening here to see that as a driving force for onboarding crypto native people. I appreciated how @nounishprof talked about onboarding her students to FC this semester for the first time ever because of how easy it was with FC & FC Wallet. It looks like this will be the season of 'come for the wallet, stay for the social network.' -- Dan's phrase, not mine. I'm happy to lean into that, even though it's maybe not the main feature that's appealing to me. I don't trade a lot and don't need as much news as some. But part of (all of us) building Farcaster is supporting the meta that supports Farcaster. Here is the episode, which I would highly encourage listening to--Dan is about a half hour in and lasts about a half hour: https://farcaster.xyz/nounishprof/0xe34a6d15 You'll learn a lot more than this little summary...For me, I'm going to be paying more attention to the FC Wallet and hope the focus helps Farcaster grow. If you made it this far, how much do you use the FC Wallet and what do you think of the new features we are seeing? Any thoughts on the new season of 'come for the wallet, stay for the social network?'

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The Farcaster Thinkers - Under The Radar (my /firstdraft ) I appreciated burr's under the radar list yesterday quoted below & it made me think of my list. I realized they were all 'thinkers' -- deep insights into life, people, and our web3 world. So I figured I'd tag along on her cast and share them. If you want to raise the intellect & depth of your feed: @danicaswanson - a thoughtful writer & thinker, building /slowcore-hq & sharing insights into a better life & a better web3 space @abundance - highly underrated I think, sharp insights into the creator economy and capturing value; he's not just talking about it, he's building; you may not always agree & tone can be sharp at times, but he will challenge you & make you think better about this space @patriciaxlee.eth - regulars will know her, but many new people will not; her depth of digging into ideas & experiments stands out; just follow her @jihad - an OG and maybe forgotten by some recently, a deep thinker and writer about message, narrative, & communication among other topics @joanwestenberg.eth - bigger account, but seems under the radar to me; sharp writer and simple YouTube vlogger; cultural critic, insights into life and this space @androidsixteen.eth - hard to call under the radar; he used to be top of the leaderboard, but feel like he's fallen behind the scenes; his content hasn't--depth to insights and often more FC/crypto specific @jonathancolton - founder of /nature & other channels, photographer, but especially more recently doing some banger writing on this space, FC, and the onchain economy @rileybeans - bio says it--writer and explorer; an enjoyable, thoughtful follow that shares whatever is on their mind at the time @sonyasupposedly - an established voice in the space, but I feel like she's under the radar to many here who don't already know her-want more to discover her; working for /splits she's a trusted voice in the space with great, broad insights And not under the radar in the least, but if you are new here make sure to follow @july who I consider to be kind of the lead on 'thinkers' on Farcaster with a breadth and depth few can match. https://farcaster.xyz/burr.eth/0x3de1119e

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** Supporting Slow Times On Farcaster ** (my /firstdraft ) There are known slow times on FC--Saturday afternoon EST and early evening most notably. But have you noticed there are a lot more slow times recently? It's easier to just log off--and you may need to--but if you are here during slow times, there are a couple things that can be really supportive & encouraging. 1. Go on a promiscuous liking run. During slow times, most people are getting 3 or 4 likes, a few of us going on a run would be helpful. This is one of the reasons I don't typically have micro tipping on so there is no hesitation of who or what I'm liking. 2. Notice people making genuine efforts in a cast that has 0 likes after an hour or more. It's frustrating to be a smaller account and putting in the effort and get nothing, especially not knowing that late mornings EST are no longer that active, early evenings EST are no longer that active in this season. 3. Find a few people that are doing good work--posting videos, writing paragraphs, talking about meaningful things and read and engage. Give them some good feedback or critique, encourage them to keep going. I'm not talking about spending hours on this. During a quiet time, it's remarkable what you can do in 20 minutes to support Farcasters instead of a 20 mindless scroll. I don't think I came up with this on my own. I don't know if they think about it intentionally, but during slow times on FC I feel like I see a handful of people doing this--probably just naturally. The recurring FCers I see are @garrett @milibooo @janicka @ashwinikumar.eth @retalien ... s/o to them. I'm sure there are others. I'd actually love to hear about people who are good at this if you want to tag them. Building a protocol and a community requires being intentional. Slow times are tough. Doesn't mean you have to be here and do this, but if you are it might be a great use of time and far outweigh anything else you could do during that time.

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** 2 Years of Thanks to /gmfarcaster (my /firstdraft ) Yesterday was the 2-year anniversary of /gmfarcaster. I hear the official celebration is tomorrow with @nounishprof live from Base Camp (Vermont, not Everest) & @adrienne not live from Mongolia 🤷‍♂️ We owe them a debt of thanks. In a space that moves fast and frantic, prof and adrienne help us keep up and stay sane. And they do it with fun and ease! It's easy to take things for granted when they become a staple, and after 289 episodes it's easy to take /gmfarcaster for granted. I hope we are reminded to say thanks and show our appreciation. I was doing some Maths in my head last night... 289 shows at an hour for each of them - 600 hours Let's think ultra conservative... 2 hour of prep for each show (it's more!) - 600 hours 2 hour to get the replay out (it's more!) - 600 hours Travel & shows for ETH Denver, FarCon, Base Camp etc etc - 300 hours Admin & Guest stuff each week 2 hours - 200 hours Building a bot, hypersub, mini app - 200 hours You get the point? That's 2000 hours and we haven't done it justice. I don't know what /gmfarcaster financials are, but I think it's a pretty small. What would be an ultra-conservative hourly rate? $50? That's $100K. I don't know if they've gotten even a fraction of that. And that doesn't scratch the surface. It's probably 3x, 4x that or more. This isn't an ad for GM Farcaster. It's simply a tangible, thought-out thanks. I like to make things concrete and vivid. It's clear that @nounishprof & @adrienne do what they do for really one reason: They love Farcaster. 💜 I hope a day comes when we can not only thank projects like this, but also support them better. For now, I hope we show our appreciation and remember not to take them for granted.

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** /firstdraft & Fueling Your Farcaster Journey ** (my /firstdraft ) I've completed a weekly /firstdraft every week this year--so about 35 straight. I joined because @mark did some weekly promo questions last December & it did enough to draw me in. First Draft is pitched as an 'accountability writing group' & it is that, but it can do more than that for you. It can help fuel your Farcaster Journey. So many people want help finding their place on Farcaster. Everyone's advice is be yourself and talk about things you love. That sounds great but can be tough to take hold of. Enter /firstdraft You have a weekly reason & a weekly expectation to write about a topic that you are interested in. You would be surprised at how over time that can help shape your role and your engagement here. It's not a magic pill--nothing is--and you have to be patient. I have been writing on some aspect of Farcaster culture & projects each week. I was already doing that, but 35 weeks of First Drafts has dramatically formalized that part of my role here and I've noticed that their is a growing expectation for what I might write about and what people will learn in my small, but important circle. @pichi was creating a few bangers about the algo and Dune related data, but I sense that prior to her joining First Draft it was hit or miss when she felt like it, now it's every week and I sense 3 out of 4 are bookmarkable posts. I noticed this week that @josephineoriaku is documenting her FC journey, @william0x.eth is documenting his web3 learnings. And today I noticed video banger creator @twochanz.eth made (his first?) first draft which caught my attention. So, all you new followers of mine--many from TBA & others wanting to learn more about how to find your place here... What's the topic that you want to write about for the next 10, 15, 25 weeks? What day and time do you want to post it? Tell me in the comments or ask me any questions for help. Soon your first, First Draft will be your 35th First Draft. Thanks to @mark for creating this for himself and running it so that the rest of us can benefit.

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** What @tipn $BETR Taught Me ** (my /firstdraft ) I've been a quiet skeptic of micro tipping. Not the experimenting with it--I find what Farcasters come up with to build fascinating. But I've felt like it wasn't the tipping we needed--I've been looking for bigger tips to fewer people. For the last 2 weeks, I was privileged to get a $BETR allocation with @tipn & while I haven't fully been won over, the experience has moved me from skeptic to intrigued & interested. Here's what I learned: 1. There is an undeniable elevation of vibes around a Tipn season. I don't mean that in some vague 'vibes are high' kind of way. People are genuinely excited to reward others, and 100-200 people with a few hundred thousand $BETR was enough to really impact the Timeline. 2. A Tipn season innovation like partnering with @simbiosalabs.eth has a significant impact on tangibly introducing people to great FC native projects. In this instance, I'm a BETR Believer but had never used Tipn. There were probably another 50 like me. Inversely, there were probably 50+ Tipn people who hadn't really done much with $BETR . Multiply that out over more partnerships and Tipn seasons and do the numbers. 3. The positive sum nature of Farcaster is on full display in these Tipn seasons and is a great way for people to experience positive sum culture and not just hear about it. I was given about 800K $BETR to tip over two weeks. I also received about 1 million $BETR in tips for my FC content. And I received 1 million $BETR just for being an allocator--I have no idea how that works by the way, just seems like magic internet money to me! There were 200+ people who experienced similar experiences--that's positive sum. Lastly, I'd like to point out that all this came about for me because @toadyhawk.eth & the @simbiosalabs.eth community were kind to me in my ongoing support of the project. Then @niftytime.eth had a good conversation with me about my 'concerns' about micro tipping and how Tipn is seeking to address creating a vibrant tipping culture. And lastly, toady also joined that conversation and generously addressed one of my 'concerns.' I don't know if I will have an allocation for this next season. I've haven't used @replyfarcaster so it won't come from there. Obvioulsly my 2 szns of $BETR may give me something. We'll just wait and see. But either way, these 2 seasons are exactly why we are here on Farcaster experimenting and building. I was part of 200 Farcasters that experienced it. I wonder what it will be like when it's 2,000 or 200,000.

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——— The Leaderboard Isn’t Your Mirror ——— I’ve seen too many people spiral this week because of their Rewards score. They look at the chart, see the number slide down, and assume it means their content is bad. That they’re being ignored. That they aren’t good enough. It’s not true. The leaderboard is not a measure of your worth. It’s not a measure of your reach. It’s just a reflection of one thing: who happens to interact with your casts in a given week. And you cannot control that. ━━━━━✁┈┈┈┈┈┈ Here’s the blunt part: ✷ You could post something brilliant and if the “right” people don’t like, comment or recast it, it won’t score. ✷ Not everyone is considered equal. Some people’s interactions weigh more than others. ✷ You could post something mid and if a few whales hit it, it scores well. ✷ The algorithm doesn’t care about consistency, or effort, or intent. It cares about spam labels and engagement weightings you don’t get to see. So when you tie your self-worth to it, you’re letting a black box decide how you feel about yourself. That’s not healthy. ━━━━━✁┈┈┈┈┈┈ If your number went down this week, it doesn’t mean your content got worse. It just means the dice rolled differently. What actually matters: - Are you making things you’re proud of? - Are you finding your people here? - Are you having conversations that feel good? Because the leaderboard won’t hug you when you’re burned out. ━━━━━✁┈┈┈┈┈┈ So if you need permission: stop staring at it. Go reply to a friend. Share something you love. Post something weird that makes you laugh. Your score is temporary. Your presence is not.

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The best skincare ingredients don’t come in $150 in a frosted glass bottle; they come in a plain $15 giant blue tub. It’s not sexy. No one’s flexing it in a shelfie. You’ve probably walked by it at CVS 25 times, and I ignored it, but that plain blue tub of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream is one of the most effective products you can put on your face. Your skin barrier is built like a wall: skin cells are the bricks, and ceramides are the mortar. Without enough mortar, the wall crumbles. Water leaks out, irritants get in, and sometimes the wall is so damaged that it leaks oil to try to repair itself. CeraVe is loaded with ceramides your skin recognizes and uses to repair its barrier. It doesn’t feel luxurious, but it quietly does the work that $150 serums can’t. It’s wonderful applied thick at night but may feel too heavy during the day unless you scale back. It’s also economical enough to use as a full-body moisturizer, and your skin will thank you!

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** The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year ** (my /firstdraft ) Everyone has a calendar that marks their life. For many, it's the school year. For others the seasons or holidays. For me (and many others) it's sports. And for some of those, it's Christmas week and you may notice that on Farcaster. The big 'holiday' is that College Football starts this coming week. For non-Americans (& some Americans) that seems strange. But for us, college football signals what The Olympics or The World Cup signal for the world. 'Our people' come together. You see, we are Americans--we don't sing the national anthem like you see at Soccer (I'm American!). We are sometimes patriotic and love our country, but you aren't going to find us wearing clothing that reflects that. Our allegiance and our deepest connection is often our college team--whether we went there or it's the home town team. It makes us feel something. Like we are part of something bigger than us and our lives. It makes us feel our history, the generations of our families. College football affinity is about families. We are Auburn people. They are Alabama people. If you are the first generation, then you are starting it. It makes us feel something. Memories. Identity. A story. When dan and ted were asking about what people wanted to see more of on Farcaster, do you remember the most popular answer? Sports. It makes us feel something. And you are going to see that for the next 14 weeks or so. I love almost everything that happens on Farcaster, but college football season brings out a different flavor because we all know that we are all feeling something special. I went to LSU & feel something when I see purple and gold or hear a certain Garth Brooks song. @debbie feels something in the fall when she sees orange and white or hears a seemingly archaic song about Rocky Top, TN @tldr feels something when he sees a cardinal on a helmet @eriks will stay up all night in Iceland on Saturdays to watch his Cyclones and feel something The list could go deep, but I won't. I didn't know what to write about this week and I usually just write about what I'm thinking about. This may seem like a departure from my normal /firstdraft on FC culture, but I actually think it fits right in. This is why people want more 'sports' on Farcaster. Almost nobody will likely see this b/c it's late on an incredibly slow Sunday night. Tim, Debbie, & Erik are obligated to see it cause of the tags, but if you do see it, help me explain what college football or other sports make you feel. We owe it to the confused Farcasters who don't yet know what they are missing. Shoutout to all the College Football Farcasters...looking forward to the new season! Oh, and Geaux Tigers...(iykyk)

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You’re Probably Washing Your Face Wrong And it’s costing you your skin barrier. The good news? Fixing it costs $0 and you can do it tonight. Most skincare advice starts with “buy this,” but not this one. You can get calmer, softer skin right now with what you already own. The secret comes from Asian beauty, and although I love my 12-step skincare routine, this isn’t about more products. Instead, I challenge you to change your cleansing habits and protect your moisture barrier (your castle wall) and acid mantle (rhe moat). Western routines often wreck both by over-cleansing. They encourage you to use too much product, the PH is too harsh, and they tell you to apply cleansers directly to your skin. This usually results in a tight, stripped face that overproduces oil and gets irritated (most of you reading this no longer have true oily skin, but you may think you do because your acid mantle is damaged and your skin is actually dehydrated and producing oil to compensate)! The $0 Fix Less is more. Tonight, start with a pea-sized blob of your cleanser. If it comes in a pump tube, put a rubber band or a hair tie on the neck so you can’t use too much. The manufacturer WANTS you to use plenty so you buy more! Foam first. Start with a wet face. Then rub your cleanser with water in your hands before applying so surfactants hit skin diluted, not concentrated. Asian skincare suggests foaming nets and foaming cups, but the next best thing is to spend a little time trying to make bubbles in your hands and placing the bubbles on your skin instead of the direct cleanser. Rinse longer. You need to rinse for at least 60 seconds with lukewarm water. Surfactant residue is what damages the acid mantle and dries you out. You can’t change the PH or strength of your cleanser right now, but you can ensure it’s all gone. One full minute of rinsing will seem excessive, but it’s worth it. Why this will work… Your moisture barrier stays intact when you don’t over-strip natural oils. The above steps will help you make the most of your current cleansers without dramatic changes. Your microbiome stays balanced instead of getting nuked. You probably don’t have the same bacteria on your face like you do on your hands, but most cleansers treat them the same! Long term, you want a lower PH (under 6) cleanser. This is hard to find in Western skincare and may take some AI and Google Fu to find the perfect one, but even these minor changes can help until you’ve got time to switch. My challenge to you is to try this next time you cleanse your face: same cleanser, new technique with less product, more foam, and way more rinsing. Your skin will thank you by morning. And if you want a bonus challenge, don’t use cleanser in the morning. Just rinse, a lot.

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** The Kindness Flywheel ** (my /firstdraft ) Something, something flywheel...you've seen that, right? I have a secret to tell you: On Farcaster, the 'something' is kindness. Full stop. Oh, I know people will define the Farcaster flywheel as this or that. But underneath what they define it as, is kindness. I've seen this a lot recently. I was struck yesterday by how @samantha saw @patriciaxlee.eth plane struggles and sent her $10 for 'snacks' and now patricia is running a giveaway for one of sam's candles. Another one this week: I'm new to @tipn and micro tipping so I was talking to @niftytime.eth about it and some of my reservations, and in steps @toadyhawk.eth with some kind and generous help to offset an issue--toady is notorious for such kindness to many. @bertwurst.eth is a little dog with big emotions and a big heart. I know sometimes people wonder about him being on the leaderboard a lot. I'd like to see a tally of what that little dog has given out in financial kindness and emotional kindness behind the scenes, so we could also talk about that. I hear those paws fly on DCs to help people. I'm just scratching the surface, and just in the last few days. The Kindness Flywheel is in full effect. It has been for a while, but there are times when each of us sees it more clearly. And the Kindness Flywheel is what makes Farcaster a special place and a success already. 💜 If you made it this far, why don't you share a kindess that you've seen or experienced on Farcaster recently. I've got a chunk of my $BETR allo left, and I'll tip people who share something genuine and authentic.

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CLIENT WARS: ATTACK OF THE BASE APP Turmoil grips the Farcaster galaxy. For years, alternative clients were small, self-funded outposts run by lone devs. But a new challenger has arrived : the Coinbase Alliance’s invite-only Base App, codenamed TBA. In just a few cycles (one week), TBA has surged from 18% to 23% market share, onboarding nearly 15,000 new citizens since mid-June. Still in beta, with a waitlist exceeding 700,000 recruits, TBA is onboarding carefully and intentionally (to this dismay of many in the galaxy waiting for invites). This disturbance in the force has nevertheless forced the Farcaster High Council to alter its own Creator Rewards program. The secret weapon forcing the change? Base Creator Rewards, a bounty system less than 30 days old, paying citizens to post from TBA. The Base flagship account has even begun acquiring posts with the vow to HODL forever. Coining every post may reap benefits we cannot fathom today. But discontent brews in the outer rim. Until now, Farcaster’s own Creator Rewards, some of which is funded by Farcaster Pro revenue, was open to ALL clients across the protocol. That era ended this week unexpectedly with zero community input causing a disturbance in the force. Other clients, aka all clients except TBA, remain eligible, but the timing of this pivot has many suspecting a deeper darker motive. Why not make the change when Base Rewards launched? Some believe it’s because the Farcaster client is losing too many users to TBA and the numbers give this theory weight. Citizens still have a choice, a new hope. The Base App has weaknesses. It lacks channels, forcing some, like myself, to alternate between serval apps depending on my casting needs. For those seeking glory on the Farcaster Rewards Leaderboard, the path is clear: post from ANY app EXCEPT TBA. To those rebels who have not found resonance with the Farcaster Rewards Leaderboard: post exclusively from TBA for one standard week as an experiment. Their leaderboard runs Monday 00:00 UTC to Sunday 23:59 UTC. You could start tonight. The Farcaster Rewards Leaderboard resets every Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. PST. Choose your start time wisely… and may the algo be with you.

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