The intention of this shirt is to serve as an infographic with important notes we've collected to help people avoid the pitfalls of crypto and NFTs. A lot of the general talking points on the news or on social media seem to be positive ones, or at least ones that drive fomo - We as artists hear about people making tons of cash and it makes us feel like we should be too, but it's important that we analyze things with logic and not with dollar signs in our eyes. This shirt simply does that, it brings up strong points from people in a variety of sectors with very logical facts...and that's all we are doing with this shirt. If it helps anyone re-align or push them towards a direction that better syncs with who they are meant to be as a person, even 1 single person, the project is worth it.
It's very important to note, that every single Mirage shirt that is sold, Neo4ic is giving half of the revenue in food and supplies to rehabilitation centers in Tecate, Mexico.
That's something good that you will be doing in the world. So, thank you ahead of time for your love and support.
The shirt crystalizes concepts like greater fool theory, phishing, centralized ownership and NFT pitfalls and theft enablement.
Some of the cited thoughts come from:
https://www.profgalloway.com/web3/
https://antsstyle.medium.com/why-nfts-are-bad-the-long-version-2c16dae145e2
https://youtu.be/_1PSvqho8UE
https://youtu.be/UKzup7XDyq8
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The promise of anonymity incentives bad behavior, not prevent it.
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If you can compromise a user, by getting them to reveal their password or in any other way, you can now bypass all the other security mechanisms: they no longer matter. For example, if you owned an NFT on withFND that uses the Ethereum blockchain, someone who can compromise your user credentials can log in, transfer your NFTs to their own account, and that’s that. Encryption, blockchains — none of that can help you then.
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The advertised decentralization of power out of the hands of a few has, in fact, been a re-centralization of power into the hands of fewer. The top 9% of accounts hold 80% of the $41B market value of NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain. The practice of “whitelisting” keeps the bulk of NFT profits within a tight circle of insiders. Bitcoin is even more centralized: The top 2% of accounts own 95% of the $800 billion supply of Bitcoin, and 0.1% of Bitcoin miners are responsible for half of all mining output. If it were a country, Bitcoin would have the greatest inequality in the world.
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Using the word “decentralized” is a corporate sleight of hand that boxes detractors into a position of bad faith. Like “pro-life,” or “tort reform,” it defines the terms before the debate begins. Who wants centralization? That sounds bureaucratic, stifling, and corrupt. The Wild West was decentralized. And we soon discovered that towns need sheriffs and central protocols (i.e., laws). Theft runs rampant on web3. Losses from crypto scams and thefts totaled $14 billion in 2021. Decentralization promised to replace the middleman (the bank) with blockchain technology, but instead it’s created a Coachella for fraud, where anonymity, yogababble, and complexity protect the fraudsters from oversight or accountability. I just reread the last sentence, and it’s clear I’m so desperate to be in a crowd of fellow humans (who aren’t my family), I’ve incorporated music festivals into my metaphors. Anyway.
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The infrastructure of web3 is predicated on the existence of middlemen. Many of the most popular “decentralized” apps rely on an application called Infura that provides “ETH nodes as a service.” There are many more of these services, such as Alchemy (“powering blockchain developers globally”) and Moralis (“build, host, and scale killer dApps”). The truth is, people don’t want to run their own servers, and they don’t want to have to write code every time they buy a loaf of bread, so “centralized” services will inevitably arise to make web3 actually work for regular people.
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None of this is the technology’s fault. There is likely great potential in blockchain technology, tokens, and smart contracts, and much of this innovation will be enduring. DAOs offer the potential to modernize organizational and corporate governance, a cornerstone of American capitalism that is still largely misunderstood by the public. NFTs offer the potential for creators to be better compensated for their work. There are also positive signs that firms will continue to innovate and invest in hardware and services that should reduce fees and increase security. However, like most “revolutionary” technologies, they will ultimately prove evolutionary, changing lives in ways that are meaningful, but likely less dramatic than envisioned. This is the great truth of technological progress: It’s always more boring than we expect. The externalities of these innovations have scaled at a similar pace, and they’ll present the same risks if we continue to let our idolatry of innovators overrun our slow-thinking government.
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Why don’t NFTs work? The primary reason they don’t work is that they are trying to solve an unsolvable problem: proof of ownership. Before explaining anything else, we must first establish what it means for an NFT to “work”. This means the following: 1. It must be unmodifiable by any means (the second condition requires this in any case) 2. It must categorically prove ownership of an item The first condition isn’t achieved because the technology isn’t capable of it (as it’s decentralised), and the second condition isn’t achieved because it’s physically impossible with any technology.
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I4 BILLION USD IN FRAUD CLAIMS FILED IN 202I
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Seek Truth
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Neo4ic is giving half of that in food and supplies to rehabilitation centers in Tecate, Mexico.
That's something good that you will be doing in the world. So, thank you ahead of time for your love and support.
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HYPR CLOTH® v6 is ethically sourced, produced and printed in Southern California.
Soft Combed + 95% Ringspun enzyme washed cotton / 5% Spandex - Long Fit - ECO Friendly hand mixed water based ink - oven cured and double printed - Pre-Shrunk
The body runs slightly longer than average shirts.
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Crew Neck Shirt ( inches ) |
Size |
Chest Width |
Body Length |
Small |
17.5 |
28 |
Medium |
19 |
29 |
Large |
20 |
30 |
X-Large |
22.5 |
31 |
XX-Large |
25 |
33 |