Paragraph

Back w/ the 41st edition of Paragraph Picks, shining a light on some great posts from the past week or so ⤵️

@darkstar critiques crypto’s obsession with infrastructure metrics and algorithmic growth, urging builders and investors to refocus on human users, durable products, and long-term impact.

"Success in crypto has become a loop of infrastructure funding itself — with little regard for actual adoption."

@debbie profiles @ted, a Farcaster OG & power user turned team member, whose journey from aspiring doctor to DeFi to Farcaster shows how belief, curiosity, and connection can reshape the internet.

"You realize just how steep the climb is to make consumer crypto work. But being part of such a focused and passionate team makes it all feel worthwhile."

@debbie profiles @ted, a Farcaster OG & power user turned team member, whose journey from aspiring doctor to DeFi to Farcaster shows how belief, curiosity, and connection can reshape the internet.

"You realize just how steep the climb is to make consumer crypto work. But being part of such a focused and passionate team makes it all feel worthwhile."

https://paragraph.com/@debbie/meet-a-maverick-ted

@dbarabander writes about how a decentralized ecosystem of autonomous agents (if it emerges) will require crypto to provide the trust, payments, and verifiability needed to function at scale in a low-trust environment.

"It will be very difficult for the agents in the long tail to build the sufficient reputation needed to earn the imprimatur of trust."

@dbarabander writes about how a decentralized ecosystem of autonomous agents (if it emerges) will require crypto to provide the trust, payments, and verifiability needed to function at scale in a low-trust environment.

"It will be very difficult for the agents in the long tail to build the sufficient reputation needed to earn the imprimatur of trust."

https://blog.variant.fund/agents-in-a-bazaar

@chukwukaosakwe explores how applying first principles thinking to digital product design can lead to intuitive, user-centered solutions that truly solve real problems.

"Design is about making the best possible solution to a particular problem that a particular user has."

@chukwukaosakwe explores how applying first principles thinking to digital product design can lead to intuitive, user-centered solutions that truly solve real problems.

"Design is about making the best possible solution to a particular problem that a particular user has."

https://paragraph.com/@thearcadia/design-from-first-principles

@fredwilson.eth shares his amazing fireside chat with @dwr.eth from FarCon 2025, full of memorable quotes and stories.

@fredwilson.eth shares his amazing fireside chat with @dwr.eth from FarCon 2025, full of memorable quotes and stories.

https://avc.xyz/farcon-fireside

@jacque weaves together poetry and introspection to create a lyrical meditation on self-compassion, creative resilience, and the quiet power of blooming even in life’s darkest moments.

"Even in the darkness, buds will bloom and become bright shining lights through and through."

@jacque weaves together poetry and introspection to create a lyrical meditation on self-compassion, creative resilience, and the quiet power of blooming even in life’s darkest moments.

"Even in the darkness, buds will bloom and become bright shining lights through and through."

https://paragraph.com/@jacque/blooming-in-the-darkness

That's all we have for this week — what did we miss?

Let us know what you think!

@darkstar critiques crypto’s obsession with infrastructure metrics and algorithmic growth, urging builders and investors to refocus on human users, durable products, and long-term impact.

"Success in crypto has become a loop of infrastructure funding itself — with little regard for actual adoption."

https://darkstarcrashes.xyz/build-for-humans-not-hashrates