Ahri's unqualified thoughts #8

Random articles, quotes, videos, musings. Easy to consume content: 1 quote, 1 tweet/storm, 1 article/video and 1 song.

In today’s edition, we’re talking about MiCA, and a thread about being curious, and the opportunities at hand. Oh yea, slight difference - some friends told me that giving my opinion on such topics could be a good added value, so here goes, some unqualified thoughts directly to your inbox.

Let’s go!

1 quote

"Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything."—Muhammad Ali

1 tweet/storm

In this thread, rektdiomedes (you should follow him, his content is thought-provoking, even if he’s part of the defi mafia threadors :-)) touches upon an excellent topic: being intellectually curious.

I like the use of Gandalf/LOTR here to explain his train of thought, and also the other examples he gives about the Internet/AI opportunities.

As much as I agree with him about the value of being intellectually curious, it remains a luxury for a lot of people. It’s not as simple as “you have a laptop, do it”, or “I managed to do it, you can as well” (that’s survivor bias at its finest). There are socio-cultural, financial, and health factors to keep in the balance. Interesting debate, nonetheless!

TLDR: I agree with the essence of the message: being intellectually curious sets you on the path to success, or at least augments your chances.

1 article/video

In today’s article, Reuters talks about MiCA and its application starting in 2024 (well mid 2025, early 2026 really). Since I’m someone who’s pretty hip, I’ve asked ChatGPT to explain what is MiCA (keep in mind ChatGPT takes info from pre-Sept 2021):

Reuters article touches upon the agreement that Europe came around: MiCA is here.

While the SEC says that “it might take years to find a regulation around crypto”, Europe moved forward and is trying to tilt the power balance to its advantage. Now, what does this mean, for crypto/NFT/defi/shitcoin/blockchain enjoyers?

• European Council finally approved its regulation, next step is when it becomes law.

• They are pushing for AML laws(anti-money laundering law), crypto tax reporting, but also tons of other things such as digital euro (CBDC anyone?) and smart contract regulation (!), and cyber security law. Tons of topics mixed together under the “digital thingies” umbrella.

To be honest, there’s quite a lot to unpack from this new voting (please read this excellent LinkedIn post about it). Two points drew my attention:

• The Anti-Money Laundering Regulation includes DeFi, NFT platforms and DAOs, plus may ban privacy-enhancing coins. There are also proposed limits on commercial transactions involving self-hosted wallets.

• The Data Act, while meant to focus on data sharing between smart devices, has an article on smart contracts that may spill over to affect decentralized protocol developers with onerous measures if policymakers don't clarify the scope.

Look, I’m not one of the firmest believers in decentralization due to millennia of History (topic for another post), but I feel that those 2 elements of the new regulation are exactly the opposite of what crypto was initially created for, and what most blockchains stand for...?

I understand that there might be a need for government oversight at one point because of humans’ tendency to game games, find edges for personal profit/other reasoning, or simply because pure chaos can easily become the norm when no framework/ruleset is properly set.

Interesting topic to follow, between this and SEC hearings - tons of popcorn to be eaten.

1 song

I wrote this while listening to this set from Adriatique in Luxor, for Cercle. I often listen to this kind of set when I really need to focus. Also, I love techno/house, amongst other things.

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