Block & Mortar

The other side of web3 loyalty programs, and making web3 disappear

October 4, 2022

Last week's issue covered Starbucks and Chipotle launching web3-based loyalty programs. After we released that, we mused that those industry heavyweights had...

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Of loyalty and leadership titles

September 27, 2022

A web3 coffee odyssey Sorting out use cases for a new technology can feel daunting at times. It helps to understand what it really is, on a fundamental...

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Deconstructing a band, models (not the AI kind), and The Merge

September 20, 2022

It's been quiet in the land of crypto. Something happened on the Ethereum blockchain – "The Merge" – but it was such a small deal that we won't even mention...

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Workplace moon landing, NFT TVs, and No refunds? Maybe?

September 13, 2022

This sure beats your typical water-cooler chat A couple of weeks ago, we explored the different roles that metaverse properties will fulfill: The world is...

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Digital escapism, case law pioneers, and “Can't Be Evil” NFT licenses

September 6, 2022

Many of you are coming back to your inboxes after a long holiday weekend, so we'll keep this issue short. Metaverse properties as digital escapism Did you...

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Metaverse dive bars, edible adverts, and a little AI

August 30, 2022

So which one will be known as the dive bar? The world is still sorting out what counts as a "metaverse" and what it's good for, but metaverse properties are...

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Two loans, working punks, and Canadian clarity

August 23, 2022

Tokenize This ™ follow-ups We've gotten some very positive feedback from our recent Tokenize This™ segment and, as promised, we plan to do more. Would you...

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Tokenize This™ : prepaid services edition

August 16, 2022

Thankfully it's been a quiet week in the crypto space. Verrrrrry quiet. Definitely no accusations of money laundering, coupled with arrests and concerns of...

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Expensive code, free JPEGs, and coffee NFTs

August 9, 2022

Last week we promised you a segment on Tokenize This™, our thought experiments on applying web3 to a business … but with the big Things Go Wrong™ stories, we...

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New laws for digital goods? And keeping track of web3 assets

August 2, 2022

What's that word? Part of the Block & Mortar mission is to make web3 more approachable. As much as we stick to plain language, it's tough to write about NFTs...

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NFTs with benefits, the changing sands of Time, and investing in a country

July 26, 2022

NFTs with benefits When people think of NFTs, they probably think of deeds of ownership for digital artwork. Those prices can move around a lot (sometimes...

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Plotting a metaverse path

July 19, 2022

Finding that metaverse stride We talk a lot about defi meltdowns and cryptocurrency scams, but the primary focus of Block & Mortar's research is use cases...

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Newsletter Now, Pay Later

July 12, 2022

The crypto security arms race The web3 world has no shortage of crime stories. Hackers targeted the Instagram account and Discord server for the Bored Ape...

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Renting NFTs and a quick trip to Europe

July 5, 2022

Many of our US-based subscribers are rolling into a short work week after the long Independence Day weekend. You probably have a ton of e-mails piled up, so...

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NFTs: sight, sound, and … smells?

June 28, 2022

Last week's newsletter was a little heavy on DeFi, systemic risk, and Things Go Wrong™. Things are a little lighter this time around as we dip into the NFT...

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It's all connected … and that's the problem

June 21, 2022

Setting the stage It's been one hell of a week for crypto, right? Sort of. Depends on how you define "crypto." The term is often used as a catch-all, which...

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Supplying tools for the gold rush, and "the" metaverse

June 14, 2022

Picks and shovels In the early days of an emerging technology, you're always looking for signs that this New Thing will really turn into something bigger....

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This is not legal advice (but it's still worth a read)

June 7, 2022

Terminology time: what's a "DAO?" The acronym stands for Distributed Autonomous Organization. It's a web3 way for people to come together, pool funds, and...

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Money in, money out, and a little Hollyweb3

May 31, 2022

Making investments into crypto Technology is hot, investor money is pouring in from all sides, and companies are offering food delivery by bike messenger....

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More Luna fallout, GameStop, and tracking cheese

May 24, 2022

Things Are Still Going Wrong™: More Terra/Luna fallout You may recall from our previous newsletter – or, perhaps, from pretty much any other news source over...

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