November 2022 - Black Blocs

OpenSea NFT Marketplace

OpenSea is an American online non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace headquartered in New York City. The company was founded by Devin Finzer and Alex Atallah in 2017. OpenSea offers a marketplace allowing for non-fungible tokens to be sold directly at a fixed price, or through an auction, based on the Ethereum ERC-721 standard, the layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum Polygon, the KIP-7 standard for Klaytn, and the SPL standard for Solana. In 2021, following a heightened interest in non-fungible tokens, the company’s revenue reached $95 million in February 2021 and $2.75 billion in September of that year. By January 2022, the company had been valued at $13.3 billion and has been considered the largest non-fungible token marketplace. The daily trading volume on the OpenSea marketplace reached a record $2.7 billion on May 1, 2022, but four months later had dropped by 99%.

Bitcoin Blockchain

The bitcoin network is a peer-to-peer payment network that operates on a cryptographic protocol. Users send and receive bitcoins, the units of currency, by broadcasting digitally signed messages to the network using bitcoin cryptocurrency wallet software. Transactions are recorded into a distributed, replicated public database known as the blockchain, with consensus achieved by a proof-of-work system called mining. Satoshi Nakamoto, the designer of bitcoin, claimed that design and coding of bitcoin began in 2007. The project was released in 2009 as open source software. The network requires minimal structure to share transactions. An ad hoc decentralized network of volunteers is sufficient. Messages are broadcast on a best-effort basis, and nodes can leave and rejoin the network at will. Upon reconnection, a node downloads and verifies new blocks from other nodes to complete its local copy of the blockchain.

NFTs For Dummies

Get a grip on NFTs and learn how to get in the game

It’s not often that a brand-new investment comes along that revolutionizes how we buy and sell digital assets. But that’s what non-fungible tokens (NFTs) did. Built on blockchain tech, NFTs are shaking up the world of digital commodity investing. And you can get your slice of the pie before everyone jumps into the arena.

In NFTs For Dummies, you’ll find straightforward answers to critical aspects of the NFT phenomenon. You’ll learn exactly what non-fungible tokens really are, how you can find them, and even how to create your own valuable NFTs. You’ll also discover:
* How to find reliable and safe NFT marketplaces where you can be sure you’re dealing with reputable buyers and sellers
* A peek behind the NFT curtain to see how NFTs work and what, exactly, you own when you buy or make an NFT
* Discussions of the kinds of digital properties that can be converted into an NFT

Perfect for anyone who wants to learn about the market for buying, selling, and creating crypto collectibles, NFTs For Dummies is the only resource you’ll need to get a handle on this cutting-edge tech and start making it work for you.

Edition: 1

Print length: 272 pages

Language: English

Publisher: For Dummies

Publication date: 3 Feb. 2022

Dimensions: 15.24 x 1.57 x 22.86 cm

ISBN-10: 1119843316

ISBN-13: 978-1119843313

Blockchain For Dummies

Unravel the mysteries of blockchains

Blockchain technologies are disrupting some of the world’s biggest industries. Blockchain For Dummies provides a fast way to catch up with the essentials of this quickly evolving tech. Written by an author involved in founding and analyzing blockchain solutions, this book serves to help those who need to understand what a blockchain can do (and can’t do).

This revised edition walks you through how a blockchain securely records data across independent networks. It offers a tour of some of the world’s best-known blockchains, including those that power Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. It also provides a glance at how blockchain solutions are affecting the worlds of finance, supply chain management, insurance, and governments.
* Get a clear picture of what a blockchain can do
* Learn how blockchains rule cryptocurrency and smart contracts
* Discover current blockchains and how each of them work
* Test blockchain apps

Blockchain has become the critical buzzword in the world of financial technology and transaction security — and now you can make sense of it with the help of this essential guide.