WWW Code For Sale as NFT

[yogi]

https://www.reuters.com/technology/worl ... 021-06-15/

Since we were talking about Non-Fungible Tokens in another thread, I thought you might be interested in reading about another sale at Sotheby's involving said token. The guy who invented the World Wide Web and coded it in the Objective C language has now immortalized it as an NFT. Opening bids are $1000, but you can be certain it's going to be purchased for a bit more than that. He did it all on a NeXT computer which Steve Jobs founded after he was fired from Apple the first time. I completely forgot about NeXT until I read about it in the article. It's hard to believe THAT is how it all started.

[Kellemora]

Interesting article!

Now I'm going to have to study to find out what NFT is and how it protects something.
I did catch the word blockchain in the commentary.

[yogi]

The blockchain concept is not fully understood by yours truly. The first I heard of it was when crypto currency started to become popular. The transactions associated with it were done in a blockchain. The generic explanation is that a blockchain is a public journal documenting all the transactions of a given currency. OK, that's nice, but what purpose does it serve? One answer to that question was in the news recently where the FBI recovered some ransomware paid out in cryptocurrency. The pipeline company paid out something like $3 million and a little more than $2 million was recovered by a forensic review of the blockchain. The explanation didn't go any further than that, but it came across as merely a paper trail of all transactions involving the currency. Again, what purpose does that serve for the currency transactions? It must be something wonderful because a few big companies have decided to do business using the blockchain model.

The non-fungible characteristic you can attach to a digital file is something very similar to a private encryption key. Only the person creating the key knows what it is. If that code is embedded into the file, much like Micorsoft does when you securely boot Windows, then that signed file is a one of a kind item. You know it's authentic because the author of the file has the code and will share it if you take ownership. Thus even if the file is replicated, only the original signed file is the one of value. And, of course, when you buy this signed non-fungible file, you will changed the signature to your own so that it's uniqueness is retained.

That's the process, but I don't know the details. There is software to accomplish all this and the actual buying and selling is done on specific exchanges designed for this purpose. The currency used to trade tokens is ... cryptocurrency.

[Kellemora]

The way I sorta understand a blockchain is that it works similar to the NFTS file system used by Windows.
All data is stored in blocks that are daisy chained together one after the other. Once entered they cannot be changed.
Even so, blockchain is not immune to hackers.
Beyond that, how they get thousands of people all maintaining the same data is beyond my comprehension.
I had a wallet for a time, then closed it, so I imagine my original wallet is still out there in the chain, and if I'm right, each transaction created a new block, since the existing block cannot be changed or altered. The data is copied to a new block with the addition or subtraction of the amount in the wallet, where it went or came from, etc.
So, if someone does 100 transactions per day, his wallet would be spread across 100 new blocks per day.
So the amount of blocks must continue to grow exponentially daily.
I'm sure they figured out a way to remove old dead blocks, like my closed wallet, else the system would collapse.

In my industry NFT stood for Nutrient Film Technique, hi hi.
I just read up a bit on NFT and it seems, although it cannot be duplicated, it can be stolen.
Seems like another scheme for someone to make a bunch of money before the hackers ruin the whole system.

[yogi]

The NFT's and their blockchain of cryptocurrency transactions are handled by brokers. Each currency has it's own brokers so that if you trade in Ethereum and in Bitcoin you are dealing with two different blockchains and two different networks of brokers. The accounts are called wallets in that your assets, cryptocurrency, are posted there for security and accounting purposes. Those wallets are keyed with unique encryption codes, which is what the Bitcoin miners are looking for when they do their thing. When you have the key, you can manipulate the assets; that is to say, steal them. But getting that key is a monstrous task. Likewise uncovering the key for an NTF is no easy gig. In theory it is possible. In practice, not so much.

[Kellemora]

I don't know Yogi, I've heard a lot of money, up in the billions, has been stolen by hackers.
I really don't like to get involved in things I don't fully understand how they work.

I have two doctors appointments this morning.
Hope the news isn't too bad for this month. My last visit was a real killer.
Lung function dropped from 55% down to 22% and I know it is much lower than that now.
I just hope the end isn't too near yet, hi hi.

[yogi]

There is a risk in any investment and in any business. Those risks can be minimized, but they persist nonetheless. People dealing with big time investments every day expect losses as a natural part of the operation. To them a few million here and a few million there makes no difference. You would be facing the same risks as the big time investors, but as you rightly point out the lack of experience and knowledge of how it all works is a big red flag. In your case you don't have a lot to spare so that even a small loss would be significant.

On the other hand, NTF's are assets created from things you might already have laying around underutilized: book cover art, for example. You put a lot of effort and time into crating those covers and you may never recover your costs even if there were a lot of eager people interested in collecting your works. Should you decide to make one of those artworks an NTF and find a buyer, you will have that money in the bank. That is, it will be in the bank assuming you take it out of your crypto wallet and transfer it to your bank account.

Then, if some hacker finds a way to steal your NFT's signature, or even break into your wallet, what is actually lost? You lost the right to say you own that artwork, but everybody knows you crated it. If the stolen artwork is worth thousands of dollars to collectors, the thief would own this valuable asset, but you have that money from the original sale in the bank. All you would lose is the potential commission on future sales. As far as commandeering your crypto wallet is concerned, that could only be an issue if you keep a balance in it.

In spite of all that, there is a need for you to be able to sleep comfortably at night. If you don't feel comfortable with the process, you are doing the right thing by avoiding it.


I have my fingers crossed for you and am hoping that your visits to the doctors will not involve any bad news.

[Kellemora]

Technically, I always invested in my own business ventures first, then after they became profitable I would sell them to my best employee, normally on a 5-year buy-out plan. It worked out very well for me doing that, back when I could!

Maybe if I was a dozen years younger, I would study up on NFT to see if I could utilize it. But right now, just trying to breathe is a major effort.

It's a lot easier to convert BitCoin's to cash than it was back when I was doing it. I first had to find someone who wanted to buy my BitCoin's or should I say my percentage of a BitCoin, hi hi. Now there are numerous places to convert BitCoin's to cash for a fee.

You can laugh at me because I have six Eider Down pillows. I sleep on two, and pull one over my head at night.
I use all six piled up to lay belly down on to work crosswords and other puzzles before I'm ready to fall asleep.

It takes a few days to get my lab results back, but the things the normal docs check for don't usually change much, most things stay within the normal range. If not he just prescribes another pill to take, hi hi.

[yogi]

Yes, you probably would have to study a bit in regard to how NFT's work. What I explained here and the article I cited is all there is to it, but of course there is nothing you can study to gain confidence in what you are doing. You simply have to do it and be successful. Part of the reason for my suggestion is the many stories you tell me about the "stuff" you have collected over the years. Much of it is auction material, but some of it can be more valuable than that. In order to realize a profit for all those idle assets you would have to sell them someplace other than an auction or flea market. NTF's seems to be the way to go, if you were so inclined.

Yes, lab results are not always quickly available in spite of their being automated. You mentioned a loss of lung capacity a time or two and that would seem like an important test a pulmonologist would perform. When I accompanied mom to her doctor, he had her blow some air into a contraption that had a moveable diaphragm. The amount of air she would use to raise the diaphragm was a measure of her lung capacity. They didn't do that every time she visited, but they did check quite often. It was a simple test with immediate results. I'm certain you must have had that test too.

[Kellemora]

Ah yes, I've had many types of lung function tests.
The old ones were easy to fool if you could practice with the device, you could get it to hold almost anywhere you wanted it too.
But these new computerized units, the small ones give me a higher reading than the large ones with no backpressure of any kind.
You are basically blowing through a screen, but they say it is the most accurate measurement of them all.

I get most of my lab test results later on in the day, but not the bloodwork where they test some of it in house, and send some of it out to larger lab. They e-mail me that a report is ready, but I got to where I wait like 3 or 4 days before I go read them all.
If there was something way out of whack the nurse would call me right away with a change on one of my scripts, or with a new script.

I don't see how an NFT would help with physical items. Seems it would be geared more to digital items.

[yogi]

Among her other ailments, mom suffered congestive heart failure. Apparently the heart and the lungs are functionally related, meaning that not only were they concerned about fluids accumulating around mom's heart but also fluid in her lungs. The CHF would cause both to happen. Thus the lung capacity test for mom more or less determined how much fluid she accumulated, which in turn was the basis for an intervention decision. Too much fluid and they had to physically drain it from her lungs. It sounds gory, I know, but it was quite simple and painless. They just stick a long needle into the lung and drain the fluids that way. Your lung function problems aren't the same as mom's were, but the tests could be similar. In any case, it is indeed good news if you don't get an immediate follow-up call from the doctor or nurse. No news is good news.

And, you are correct. NTF's pertain to digital resources.

[Kellemora]

Sorry to hear about you mom, but a similar thing is what happened to my dad too.
They didn't have the medicines a few years back that they have today, and he got an enlarged heart.
Ironically, for a lifelong smoker, his lungs were just fine though. Even in the end he didn't need oxygen.

My mom's dad died from Emphysema, and he only smoked a pipe once in the evening, and never inhaled.
I guess what is going to take us down is going to do so regardless of what we do to prevent it.
The salesman who sold me three of my cars, healthy as an ox, didn't drink, didn't smoke, exercised big time, got killed when a drunk driver smashed into him. Turns out it was in a stolen car and they never did catch the guy who killed him.

[yogi]

Your mom's dad and I had the same smoking habits. I started smoking pipes and cigars about the age of 20. I tried cigarettes but they were terrible tasting and I didn't like the notion of filling my lungs with smoke. Of course, even not inhaling pipe/cigar smoke does not keep the debris out of the lungs. In fact any non smokers in the area will also take in the smoke. I liked the aroma of pipe tobacco and my wife didn't object to it, all of which allowed me to continue the habit until I scared the hell out of myself one day. I don't know the exact date anymore but somewhere around twenty-five years ago I acquired a bad case of Pleurisy. It was painful and was caughing up blood for a couple weeks. The doctor could not assure me how I came down with it, but after that episode I never smoked anything again. I quit cold turkey, as they say.

A dozen years or so after that Pleurisy encounter I ended up in the ER with very little room to breathe. The first question they asked was if I was a smoker. The nurse thought that it was good I quit and that the lungs return to near normal after about ten years of abstinence. I don't know how true that is, but I felt that I did something to improve my well being by quitting. The shortness of breath that landed me in the hospital was due to massive pulmonary embolisms. Apparently blood clots formed in my feet and broke loose at a most inopportune moment. Their travel was stopped by my lungs, just short of the heart and a direct path the the brain where a stroke would have been a certainty. So, I quite smoking to save my lungs, but almost died anyway for different reasons. Again, the health care community could not assure me of how and why the clotting formed, but a lot of reading after that event made sitting all day at a computer terminal a prime suspect.

The lesson learned is to get up and move around often. I don't do that often enough, but then, I am 76 years old and intend to be here 17 more years.

[Kellemora]

Sorry to hear that you had those problems Yogi!
I now sit all day too, but am up often walking around to fetch something I need.
I also exercise 3 days a week without fail.
Even so, I'm going to hell in a hand basket way to quick.

I know when I've had a bit too much salt, because my feet will swell up as a warning.
This time, since use almost no salt on anything, I know it came from a dinner that tasted super salty to me.
The wife adds no extra salt, but some of the sauces she uses has a high amount of sodium, so she uses about half of what the recipe calls for. But sometimes, it acts just like pure salt just the same, hi hi.

Heck, the odds of me even making it to 76 are very slim. I'm already 3 years past how long my doctors thought I would live.
I have a new doctor now who thinks I'm really pushing it, but glad to see I'm still among the living and hangin' in there.
He just says, whatever you are doing, keep doing it, because it seems to be working for me.

[yogi]

I ended up in the hospital on two occassions with those embolisms separated by about three years. That second trip was when they decided I need to take rat poison on a permanent basis. An interesting aside is that my son-in-law sat in a jury for a court case involving Warfarin (which they do in fact use to kill rats). Apparently he heard a lot of bad things about it during the testimony and told me he would rather die than take that stuff. I wasn't that put out by it in spite of the bad publicity and continued to take the medication until I moved down here to Missouri. A dermatologist I visited prescribed some antibiotics and by some odd coincident the Warfarin failed and clots formed in my leg. We caught it early enough to fix the problem by switching to some other anti-coagulant that Medicare refuses to support. They claim the two events were not related and my body just built up a resistance to the Warfarin. Based on what I've read, antibiotics and any blood thinner does not get along and some combinations are worse than others. I blame the dermatologist for not prescribing the right thing or just being uninformed about the possible interaction. Be that all as it may, the routine recommended for us geeky types is a 20-20 sequence. That is to say, sitting 20 minutes at the terminal should be followed by 20 minutes of walking activity. Well, that's a lot of walking which is healthy, but all that walking time is non productive. At Motorola I could never do such a thing and here at home ... I'm just too lazy. I do walk 30 minutes (3200 steps) every night, but in theory that's not enough.

When I was a kid I disliked any kind of seasoning, including salt and pepper. Mom was a pretty good cook and knew the value of salt, but sometimes she would give me things to eat that were not salted at all. I could tell the difference and loved it. When I married and switched cooks, my wife just did what her mom did and tossed salt and pepper on everything. She overdoes it in fact because she likes the taste. I never could understand the theory of salt (and spices) having the ability to enhance flavor. Yes, my lettuce salad does taste different when salted, but it's just as yummy without it. So, anyway, I naturally take in less salt than the average bear. Even now that I am the executive chef I am stingy with the sodium. My feet do swell from time to time but it has to do with the venous insufficiency more than with the chemicals I take in. Certain blood pressure pills will cause swelling too which makes more sense than the salt theory. Lower blood pressure means it is harder to get the fluids up from the feet to the heart.

I have mixed feelings about the realities of life. I know we all end up in the same place, but I don't need my doctor's affirmation of such a fact. And, should my doctor be surprised that I am still alive ... I dunno Gary. I might want to find a more optimistic healer.

[Kellemora]

I've had a couple of medications that did not play nice with other medications, or with me for that matter.

I've not had edema in my feet for a long time, but I just started some Fluticasone Propionate and although it stopped my nose from dripping like a broken faucet, for the past two days my feet have swelled, so I'm not using it today at all, mainly to see if that is the culprit, or the expensive Perforomist I just managed to afford a months supply of. I've had the Perforomist before with no problems.

My grandfather would add salt to brine before he tasted it to see if he wanted to add more salt, hi hi.
I like salt, but really watch how much salt I do get in a day.
Heck, half of my medications are sodium this or sodium that, hi hi.
But I am getting used to not using salt on most of the foods I eat, and I don't like those herbs that are supposed to replace it.
So I'm doing good at keeping my sodium intake way down, which does please the doctors.

As far as doctors go, I've changed them a few times. In fact, one of my doctors just upped and quit his practice, which forced me to get a new one. Trying to find a doctor who is not already brain washed is fairly hard to do, hi hi.

[yogi]

Here is an update to the original topic: https://thenextweb.com/news/tim-berners ... ins-errors

Sir Tim Berners-Lee has sold an NFT of the original source code for the world wide web for an eye-watering $5.4 million, but the buyer could be in for an unpleasant surprise: a security researcher has spotted errors in the code.

Apparently the buyer of the code ownership is getting more than expected. The code is actually a package of several things and one of the video representations has coding errors in it. It has not been determined how that would affect the value of the NTF. Collectors have some strange ideas about flawed merchandise.

[Kellemora]

I just read this morning something similar, but it only had to do with electronic images of an artists work of art.
In a way similar to numbered Lithographs, each copy of the original has an embedded signature in the image.
If you make a copy of that image, that signature would either disappear, be unreadable, or if it was rendered at a high enough resolution to be readable when scanned or copied, it would cause more than one of the same image to be in the public sector.
But one of the tricks they are using is, this signature is in like 6 or 7 different places on the original copies, and done in different ways. Only the original duplicating company can verify if a copy is original or not. But nothing at all was said about NTF being used to do what they do to ensure an original copy is in fact an original copy. That part was kept secret, hi hi.

[yogi]

An NTF is simply a digital file with a private encryption key embedded. Only the original creator knows what that key is. It gets more complicated than that, but there apparently is software readily available for the task. NTF's are bought and sold using crypto currency and only certain brokers are capable or willing to do that. It really doesn't matter how many copies of a token are floating around in the wild. Only the original is properly signed and verifiable.

As you know, it's fairly easy to reproduce digital images. Looking at the reproductions on your computer monitor would not verify that what you are seeing is the item the artist created. I guess the visible signature trick(s) is a step in the right direction, but there are some pretty clever Photoshop artists out there. I believe that in theory the NTF encryption key can be broken, but it would take more than the average hacker to do it. In other words it's not likely.

You don't have to take my word for any of this. But the guy who bought Sir Tim Berners-Lee code (errors and all) was willing to put 5.4 million dollars on the line to own a digital token. You could say the buyer was stupid, but I don't think stupid people possess that kind of money.

[Kellemora]

Because a computer is limited to so many pixels, I don't see how they can blow up an area to see something hidden in it.
But considering one can take an image, take of me for example, and have it come out looking right as a favicon icon, you know they are doing something there somehow.
Now I've had some printed Lithographs that were not cheap. They were numbered at the bottom 36 of 280 for eg.
I'm sure some printer could copy that lithograph and make a hundred copies of 36 of 280 with little to no difficulty.
However, a copied image, even when done with a high tech imaging camera, cannot pick up needlepoint hidden things in the original lithograph. Art dealers know where to look for those hidden proof of original markings or codes that don't appear on copies, no matter how good those copies are.
Sometimes it is the paper itself the original was printed on.
I know when I print something out of my laser printers, if you use an infrared light or even a blacklight, you can find the serial number of the printer and other symbols all over the page, and I think even the date of printing, hi hi.
On a printed document, the letters X Q Z and J are the least used letters of our alphabet.
Font makers use the letter M or W to identify their fonts, while security experts will hide a code in the least used letters.
How it is done for security on printed documents I have no idea, I just know some special documents have such codes hidden on them, just not how it is done.

On digital images, if you convert them to ascii text, it is possible to hide lines of words within the image. I've seen it myself, but don't know how they do it without crashing the image, hi hi.
I used to put some info on documents as non-printing characters, by typing a line I wanted in there, and changing the color from black to white. And since black n white printers don't print white, the only way you would know it is there is by reading the file copy and knowing to change all text to black, else it doesn't appear on the computer either, unless you use a color background for the page.