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More Blacks are Fleeing to the Metaverse. Are you developing the Skills?


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Bitcoin, NFT's, Meta or better verse. LOL

Most folks whom I know peer at this digital financial world and see something suspicious and risky. A few folks swear by it. But of course, they haven't made their fortunes yet.

Until it shakes it out, with the originators and the most talented crooks climbing to the top, it's just another messy gift to the greedy, the unconscionable and thieves who can hide anywhere. Even next door.

"For the love of money is the root of all evil, which some coveted eagerly, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows," Paul wrote at 1st Timothy 6:10.

The latest on the get rich frenzy, which includes two additional links related to digital thievery:

Two men charged NFT fraud scheme
 

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On 3/15/2022 at 4:51 PM, Mel Hopkins said:

daniellegfnyI'm not sure what you mean by " this particular down. "  Also, I'm not a blockchain technology expert.  My vocation is journalism. I'm an expert at gathering and disseminating information.  In short, I read a lot.

DAO not down. Writers are needed. Have the DAO explained is one of the the things which would be most helpful. And it’s more about explaining the method of preserving and presenting Black History which I envision you could be helpful with.

Everyone is invited https://www.clubhouse.com/join/nft-artists-n-collectors/vVFcyEbt/xkOGLDRK?utm_medium=ch_invite&utm_campaign=OxOf1lnYnRxbBbRmz3aBgg-119310 

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On 3/9/2022 at 6:41 PM, Troy said:

@daniellegfny did anyone buy your NFT yet?

I made my first NFT sale a little more than an hour ago.

 

 This is the particular item. I minted 9998 of them and if people buy three for the first week I will mail them a copy of 6 Magic Cans of Happiness Act 3 which is being released April 1, 2022.

 

https://opensea.io/assets/matic/0x2953399124f0cbb46d2cbacd8a89cf0599974963/46223523598365333350210505486367128690609370038850234427737026833614733584142/

 

Because it’s on the blockchain proof of sale is transparent. Thank everyone on this forum for your encouragement.

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On 3/19/2022 at 10:32 AM, Mel Hopkins said:

 

If we're going to bring our community up to speed, we must discuss emerging technologies in plain language.

 

   


This is true. 

What really annoys me is when we people joyously promote Crypto, Blockchain and the Metaverse, they rarely offer explanations and definitions in easy to understand wordage. Just endless cheerleading. 

But  am happy that a precious few actually do.

I am deeply skeptical of a digital currency created by a Japanese computer scientist, based on a system that boasts unchangeable protections at the creation of digital information, (which is true), but based on a system that seems to be hacked every couple of months in which billions in digital value are lost.

But yup, teaching and carefully explaining this information must be simplified if our people are going to have any chance of surviving. 

There is nothing wrong with anyone improving their financial standing and I encourage it. I worry about those who don't have access to computers, the Internet or decent schools. 

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Hey @daniellegfny congrats on the sale of your NFT.  But did you say that when people buy the NFT they get a copy of you book too?

 

Also I've never actually looked at the block chain to check on proof of a transaction, so I'll just take you word for it.  So how much did you make on the deal.  Sales price minus transactions costs and cost to create the image?

 

What do you envision the person who purchased the image will do with it?  In other words what utility or value do you think it gives the buyer?

 

@Stefan of course this is true, but this is always the case with new technology before it becomes ubiquitous. 

 

I clearly remember many in our community strongly resisting buying things on the web.  Today, just 20 years later, many of us buy things from Amazon we don't need or can easily walk down the street to buy -- even paying Amazon an annual fee for the privilege.

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@Troy

This is true. Computers were high priced 30 years ago.

Some items can no longer be found in retail outlets and this forces those without computers or a smart phone to lean on a friend or neighbor to buy certain things. I'm a model railroader who is forced to peruse online outlets for some items.

Buying online entails dealing with the risk of package theft, difficulty returning items and neighbor curiosity.

Not all own a computer. That statement may seem alien to some, but it's true in some cases. And not all can afford Internet service.

I just hope it's higher PC and MAC ownership than when I taught Writing in Business Schools and tutored at Literacy Volunteers in three states and for some union members. Many of my students did not have access to a computer, but they could reach me by phone 24/7.  Some went to a library to print out their papers while others went to a friend's house.

Right now, there's just too many scams in crypto. 

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9 hours ago, Troy said:

But did you say that when people buy the NFT they get a copy of you book too?

I made the offer that if you buy 3 NFTS you will get a book. I made the sale before I made the offer because I first needed to know how much I was going to make per sales. So all they got was the NFT. But the NFT will have a utility added to it later. The sale was made in a Twitter Space centered around pitching NFTS. Friday my NFT book giveaway ends. 
 

Are there any Black On Demand Book printers?
 

I had a great Birthday and Launch Party yesterday on Clubhouse. 

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IMO, we've reached a point now that anyone who really wants a computer can get one.

 

Schools provide computers to under-privileged students. Organizations provide refurbished computers to the poor. 

 

Libraries and other places provide free Wi-Fi service. Internet service providers offer senior citizens a reduced fee in some areas.

 

The biggest hurdle isn't technological, it's computer literacy i.e. teaching folks who didn't grow up with computers and/or never had to use them. 

 

Getting back on topic, the folks I'm referrring to have no business fooling with crypto.😁😎

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10 hours ago, Troy said:

What do you envision the person who purchased the image will do with it?  In other words what utility or value do you think it gives the buyer?

This was a project that utilized altered images from my first book. 8% of the second sale of about $5. So there was not any real cost save time at this point. The value will increase as I develop different projects. 
 

Utility is a subjective matter. Some find utility in just owning a piece of history. Some just Think it’s pretty. 

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17 hours ago, ProfD said:

IMO, we've reached a point now that anyone who really wants a computer can get one.

 

Schools provide computers to under-privileged students. Organizations provide refurbished computers to the poor. 

 

Libraries and other places provide free Wi-Fi service. Internet service providers offer senior citizens a reduced fee in some areas.

 

The biggest hurdle isn't technological, it's computer literacy i.e. teaching folks who didn't grow up with computers and/or never had to use them. 

 

Getting back on topic, the folks I'm referrring to have no business fooling with crypto.😁😎


Actually, you are incorrect.

Not all schools provide computers. During the worst of the pandemic one of my nieces, who teaches deaf and hard-to-hearing grade school students in Newark, N.J., had to beg for laptop donations for her pupils when their public school was closed temporarily.

A close friend, who is a long-time public school teacher in New York City, told me not every student received a laptop to use at home during those same weeks. Other friends who were counselors, maintenance men and women, or security, told me the same thing.

When breadwinners are paying more than 40% or 50% of their salaries toward high rent and have children or aged relatives living with them who also need to eat, there is little disposable income left over. That is the case with the working poor in New York City.

And not everyone can read and write well. Many are burdened with learning disabilities, were victims of social promotion and really bad teachers. 

I do not understand why truth this is ignored. 



 

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@Stefan, that is unfortunate.  The politicians running New York and New York respectively need to be pulled on the carpet if they are not providing laptops to students in need. It is essential to their learning especially when schools are closed for whatever reason. 

 

 Businesses and institutions of higher learning dispose of computers that can be refurbished and recycled. So, it's not like they aren't available. 

 

But, these are the types of platform issues voters should be aware during election  time. 😎

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On 4/2/2022 at 9:32 PM, ProfD said:

The folks I'm referring to who're just learning how to use a computer probably aren't using CashApp or Bitcoin either. 😁 😎

Which is why an onboarding process to using smart devices and payment systems is so necessary. If you don’t know the basics of Crypto security you will be victimized. The world doesn’t stop impacting you because you refuse to adapt to the current conditions.

7 hours ago, Stefan said:

Not all schools provide computers. During the worst of the pandemic one of my nieces, who teaches deaf and hard-to-hearing grade school students in Newark, N.J., had to beg for laptop donations for her pupils when their public school was closed temporarily.

Smartphones are pocket computers. 80% of my own line and computer uses are done with my phone. Phone and cable companies are giving away tablets with certain plans.

 

There is a lack of recognition of the powerful tools we have available because 1. We are not looking at purpose. 2. We are promoting an antiCritically thinking culture. “Oh, I am computer illiterate hehehe”. Isn’t cute, it’s an embarrassment. The laugh should be interpreted as a nervous response to shame not “Me Too”. 

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@ProfD

This is why I was always ready to put time in with Literacy Volunteers and other groups once I fully retired. Our people have been cheated by the educational system, especially in inner cities, and some need help.

I've been volunteering for years, as a writing teacher, as a counselor and as a photographer. You'll never help everyone or manage to fully change someone's circumstances. But you can give an individual confidence to keep going. And at least you're trying to help, not hurt or put down as so many others do. 

Know whom I admire the most? The ones who try to teach Financial Literacy, the pitfalls of loans, credit card interest and the best banks for savings. Folks like that will prevent many Blacks from falling into endless debt.

I'm not qualified to expound on such subjects. But after 26 years of Print Journalism and guest lectures, I am definitely qualified to teach writing, so I always did that. 

I could care less what most Republican Party lovers of today think: Our people are quite capable of learning skills that were unimagined years ago and excelling at same. 

We don't need haters or bullchitters. We need patient teachers and explainers.

 

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6 hours ago, Stefan said:

Know whom I admire the most? The ones who try to teach Financial Literacy, the pitfalls of loans, credit card interest and the best banks for savings. Folks like that will prevent many Blacks from falling into endless debt.

I didn’t know you admired me most. 

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On 4/3/2022 at 4:10 AM, daniellegfny said:

Utility is a subjective matter.

 

Utility is not subjective it serves a function, as in has a use.  That said owning history is an interesting notion...

 

High speed internet access and access to PC is not ubiquitous.  I discovered this teaching during the pandemic as well.  The university have out 5,000 laptop with wifi hotspots -- professors needed them too! 

 

Out side of major urban centers the challenges are greater.  Much of the poverty in America is hidden, so it is easy to assume we are much better off that we truly are.

 

 

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On 4/5/2022 at 4:30 AM, Troy said:

Utility is not subjective it serves a function, as in has a use.

I would call using a hammer 🔨 to bash someone over the head versus build a house very subjective. Historical gun power being used for fireworks versus firearms is subjective. I am saying that function is a product of imagination and situation.

 

Specifically in the realm of computers you can see how people use their cell phones to play games or conduct billion dollar enterprises. 

On 4/5/2022 at 4:30 AM, Troy said:

Out side of major urban centers the challenges are greater.  Much of the poverty in America is hidden, so it is easy to assume we are much better off that we truly are.

That is a global phenomena. Speaking with people in different parts of the world would say about urban vs rural areas. The thing is that the community can resolve the lack of internet if we choose to.

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1 hour ago, daniellegfny said:

 

Specifically in the realm of computers you can see how people use their cell phones to play games or conduct billion dollar enterprises. 

That is a global phenomena. Speaking with people in different parts of the world would say about urban vs rural areas. The thing is that the community can resolve the lack of internet if we choose to.


This is the problem with people who love Trump. Their mantra is: "I got mine! The hell with you!"

Just because some folks have mobile phones and they're seen using them, this does not mean they may have reliable Internet service where they live.

"The community" cannot bring Internet service to their neighborhoods without engineers, equipment and more importantly, billions of dollars. And besides, technology has leaped so far forward, cable ethernet service is needed everywhere now. And we doom the young in "our community" by refusing to advocate for a low cost service. Instead, some would rather blame those without access.

And there are still too many people in this country who actually DO NOT want Blacks to become digitally capable. For the same reasons they demanded "Separate, but Equal" in school buildings.

Redlining delays bringing Broadband to Black neighborhoods

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2 hours ago, Stefan said:

This is the problem with people who love Trump. Their mantra is: "I got mine! The hell with you!"

Please do something about your Trump hatred. It has you asking the wrong questions. I see the question as how can we better utilize Starlink which was demonstrated in the Ukrainian Conflict.

2 hours ago, Stefan said:


"The community" cannot bring Internet service to their neighborhoods without engineers, equipment and more importantly, billions of dollars. And besides, technology has leaped so far forward, cable ethernet service is needed everywhere now. And we doom the young in "our community" by refusing to advocate for a low cost service. Instead, some would rather blame those without access.

You are only person blaming. The national dialogue is on how do we produce more of these needed assets.

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Dude, you have been brainwashed into believing each and every ill, failure, or catastrophic event that befalls some in the Black community is the fault of same.

You never offered a solution. Just bullcrap that the Black Community could bring broadband to their residents if only they wanted to.

I don't hate Trump. I just cannot abide the fruit loops who ignore his racism, give him a pass at the slaughter and suffering of thousands and his lies upon lies upon lies.

Read the news story for the link I posted. Trump has got you and others believing Black people are unworthy and undeserving of Fair Play.

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the link the @Stefan’s is broken above this one should work: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/the-broadband-gaps-dirty-secret-redlining-still-exists-in-digital-form/

 

You can not take a class on a cell phone. I’ve been teaching at the college level for the last 5 years the pandemic has been the worse two years and I’m about to give it up. i really feel for students over the past two years … zoom is certainly better than nothing, but inferior to in person instruction, in my opinion. 

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On 4/9/2022 at 5:53 AM, Troy said:

You can not take a class on a cell phone.

Says who? I am learning both Spanish and Computer programming on a cell phone.

 


 

Check out my progress learning Spanish on Duolingo!
Learn a language with me for free! Duolingo is fun, and proven to work.

https://invite.duolingo.com/BDHTZTB5CWWKSJSG56QSITI2PA?v=la

 

 

Join me and learn how to code on your iPhone with Mimo! 🙌 https://itunes.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1133960732?pt=1335685&ct=share&mt=8
 

 

image.png

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