In the Middle Ages, due to high illiteracy rates, paintings often served as the main medium of communication. Today, media communicates through monitor screens and their pixels. Pixels are rectangular dots created by hardware that combine to form text or images. Currently, the pixel is the smallest unit of media communication. Cryptopunks, NFTs created by Canadian software developers Matt Hall and John Watkinson in 2017, are images composed of rough-resolution pixels. Although their value has increased due to their historical significance, ‘Cryptopunk #7523’ from the series was sold for $11,754,000 at Sotheby’s auction on June 10, 2021, because it conveyed rarity and history through its rough pixelation. This NFT, which utilizes square pixels as a tool, conveys a similar concept to Lego blocks, which are meant to be constructed with blocks. In media, messages are created, distributed, and valued based on the nature of the expression tool. The tool is the message. - Joseph’s “just my th...
Umbilicaria esculenta is a kind of mushroom. To pick this mushroom up, a picker must climb a high mountain and approach a dangerous cliff because this mushroom is growing up between rocks. Therefore, umbilicaria esculenta is more expensive than other kinds. One day, the TV show "Korean's Dinner Table" on KBS 1TV showed an episode about the mushroom picker and his old mother. "Don't sell this mushroom at a high price." said the mother, because this would be sold at a higher price, many pickers would die from over-picking even dangerous situations. We should deeply consider what is the mission of our businesses. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”