NFTs, cryptocurrency, metaverse, Bigfoot and Skunk Ape

A couple of days ago, I got up a bit earlier than usual and hit the road bicycling. I listened to a local radio station. The host had a guest on who was talking about the metaverse, NFTs, and cryptocurrency...that golden triumvirate. It sounded as though both were "older fellows", but the person being interviewed really seemed to know what he was talking about. Didn't catch his name, but he described himself a financial guy, an investor in stocks and cryptocurrencies. The host, by the questions he asked, was clueless.

Surprisingly, it was the "Coast to Coast" radio show that was playing. This is the show that usually focuses on UFOs and aliens. Or, Bigfoot or the Yeti or the Chupacabra or the Skunk Ape. (Skunk Ape needs more love and press time.) But, this morning, they were having a rather lucid explanation of how metaverse/NFTs/cryptocurrency is changing a whole lot of things we do.

Some of the points being made:

• The metaverse is here and coming even more, like it or not. You can say it's dumb, but it's not going away.
• Virtual real estate was used as an example. The host was stunned that people are buying metaverse land. The host said something like, "One day someone will buy an apartment building and rent out rooms." The guest said, "They're already doing that." This amazed the host.
• NFTs are the "things" you see in the metaverse and cryptocurrency is how you buy them. What's up with that guy dressed in a chili-dog costume? The costume is an NFT. He spent cryptocurrency to buy that sweet outfit.
• Nike spent a ton of money recently to buy a metaverse shoe company. This also amazed the host in that people would buy virtual shoes or clothes. "You can't wear them," he said. "But, your avatar can," the guest explained.
• Office meetings will likely be held in the metaverse soon, Zoom is so 2020.

The host evidently really respected the guest's financial acumen, and asked, "Have you invested in this metaverse business?" The guest said, "No, but only because I don't understand the technical side well enough to do so." He did say he invests in cryptocurrency, and in that way, he sort of is investing in the metaverse. His logic: buying in the metaverse requires the native token/coin, which is often purchased via a more common cryptocurrency. For instance, MANA is used in Decentraland, but often bought using ETH. Thus, holding ETH could be worthwhile as things grow in Decentraland.

The show's host seemed genuinely stunned that there was big money going down. The fact that reputable Nike dropped a few hundred million was unbelievable to him. What stunned me was that, at the end, the host said that in over 20 years of the nightly show, all this metaverse business was like top five in the most bizarre things he'd ever heard of. Wait, what? Most bizarre on this show?

I'm not sure what this all means. The fact that an older financial guy really had his game up on these issues is affirming. The fact that it was being discussed on the UFO/alien/Sasquatch network, maybe not so affirming.

Overall, I saw this as a good thing. I guess it does mean all this metaverse/NFTs/cryptocurrency business is really getting out there and it's really getting around.

Love to the Skunk Ape.