My name is Daniel James, and I am from Swansea, UK. I'm 38 years old, and I have been living in South Korea for 14 years. I now live in Seoul, where I work at a university, having completed my MA in English Studies at Sheffield University and BA in Literature at the University of Wales. I also gained qualifications in the ESL (English as a Second Language) sector, such as a CELTA and TESOL, in order to prepare me to teach. I have worked in multiple roles in South Korea, including at a Korean military university where I taught officers.
I am excited to be working on this immense project as the Editor-in-Chief and have built an incredibly talented and hard-working team. I expect our productivity and outreach to expand exponentially over time and for the community's success to correlate to the Internet Computer's success directly.
I am hoping and expecting for Dfinity Community to be the biggest community in the Internet Computer eco-space, and over time, one of the most significant crypto communities, period. I will be working tirelessly to ensure that this becomes a reality.
Why I bought ICP- What is it that I love about this project?
It is usual for people to want instant gratification, and there is no more significant example of this than in cryptocurrency. People expect instant 1000 x returns by investing in the latest meme coin that clearly has no fundamentals and which predictably becomes obsolete once the fad is over.
Naturally, there is some frustration following the market correction that came about just as ICP launched. ICP had not had enough time to establish itself and gain a reputation, and most importantly, most people still do not understand what the project is trying to achieve.
The Internet Computer is a long-term project with a 20-year roadmap. While it might initially be a slow burner, given time, it is set to become a technological juggernaut. For this reason, I staked my ICP for eight years at a fantastic ROI
Let’s dive into why the Internet Computer could be incredible value for money right now:
1. The Team
Comprised of 212 team members spread across three research centers, Dfinity boasts a team of gifted cryptographers, scientists, engineers, and technical staff, to name but a few. Many of the members held esteemed roles in big tech companies and have impeccable educational and work-related credentials. See for yourself in the link above.
2. Investment
One of the best things to do when researching the legitimacy of a project is to look at who has invested in it. Before the Genesis launch, Dfinity had attracted massive investment from Andreesen Horowitz (they invested early in Facebook, Twitter, Groupon, Coinbase, Roblox, etc.), Polygon Capital, SV Angel. Aspect Ventures, Village Global, Multicoin Capital, Scalar Capital, and so on.
“When you look back on every decade in tech, there’s one thing that really dominated. I think [the Internet Computer] will be the one in this next decade... I think you should take a hard look at this space. Because we’re not only changing the platform on what you build, but we’re changing what you can build. It’s a new kind of platform.”
-Chris Dixon, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
The latest news is that Grayscale is looking to add ICP to their portfolio, and if this does indeed go ahead, this will be another significant institutional backing.
Most importantly, the Internet Computer encourages developers to build on its platform through a series of grants starting with the Beacon project and now, the latest, a $223m program designed to attract the best minds. (See below) This seems to be working well, with 6000 proposals already submitted just over a month after launch.
3. Advanced Innovative Tech
The Internet Computer is the world’s first frictionless blockchain with web speed and internet-scale, reimagining how you build everything.
One such innovation is Chain Key Technology, an innovative 48-byte public chain key rendering old blocks unnecessary, enabling the Internet Computer to operate at web speed. Chain Key Technology allows the Internet Computer to finalize transactions that update smart contract state in 1–2 seconds! Transactions on the network are finalized in 3-5 seconds compared to an hour for Bitcoin and 10 mins for Ethereum.
Many are under the false impression that Dfinity appeared out of nowhere when it suddenly appeared in the top 5 crypto market cap. However, most fail to realize the project had been in development for over six years.
It has launched with multiple ecosystem companies built to prove out its technology stack, including Enso Finance (a decentralized exchange), Distrikt (a professional social network), Fleek (infrastructure for the decentralized web), and Origyn (a provenance platform for luxury goods), among several others.
At the time of writing, the platform is already approaching 150,000,000 blocks, and the ecosystem is growing exponentially, with over 4000 canisters (advanced smart contracts) implemented.
4. The Vision
Technical Overview- 20-year road map
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and long-term price stability in any industry is based on fundamentals rather than speculation. The Internet Computer’s future will be based on computational power and the purchasing of cycles and thus will remove the asset from the instability of market fluctuations based on conjecture.
The project aims to decentralize the internet, giving netizens their own identity free from big-tech manipulation and supervision. Social Media platforms will run on free speech rather than big tech being the arbiters of ‘truth,’ and it will be a cheaper and safer option for companies looking to run their websites. Read more about the overall vision in this slide show .
Thank you for taking the time to read about me and why I am a Dfinity enthusiast!
If you wish to contact me on Discord : Daniel James#2785
*Note: I am the first point of contact for projects looking for partnerships with Dfinity Community as well as article publication.
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