February Updates
(Originally published February 7, 2023)
Super thrilled to report that quite a few things have happened since posting the year predictions. Things have been busy, so blogging has been a little slow, but I am excited to be able to bring these updates to everyone. Some things that were long works in progress have come to fruition.
First, Depressive Hacks has been accepted as a Publisher for Nifty Gateway. This is great news, as it means that I now have the means to easily help start my mission of onboarding local artists and creatives in my region and network to the web3 space. The most exciting thing for me about this is that creating in the web3 space can help artists find another means of income through their work and support themselves doing the type of work that they love to do. DHR&D will help these artists by providing the background information and basic education to the space, as well as assist with drops and consult on web3, crypto, and NFTs in general so that artists don't need to learn everything themselves and overcome significant learning curves just to participate. More information can be found on the Nifty Gateway Publisher page here at depressivehacks.com.
The next exciting announcement is that Depressive Hacks has been onboarded as Reseller for YondarNFT. Yondar sells AR mapping software that both allows for a custom overview map of different locations, marked with beacons, within an area, as well as an augmented reality experience where users can see beacons in their actual locations, interact with them within a certain range from the location, and receive rewards for visiting. Beacons can contain audio or visual files, so Yondar can be used for self-guided tours on campuses and historical sites. Beacon locations can also be hidden outside of a certain distance, so scavenger hunts and mysteries can be run automatically through the software; there could even be a reward for completing these events, like a discount coupon to whatever business is in charge of the custom map. More information can be found at the Yondar page here at depressivehacks.com.
Personal finances are still a problem area, but that is slowly being worked on so that new investment opportunities can be realized later in the year. Resumes are still being accepted for free listing on depressivehacks.com. Not many new projects have been joined but existing projects have been kept, which is a huge step at this time.
As far as the space as a whole, I think that the start of the year has been pretty stagnant. Individual projects are building. The market is trading sideways. Every market in the world is waiting on some decisive action from the Federal Reserve. I think that patience will be rewarded in 2023, which is difficult since there are so many awesome opportunities out there.
I've only made a few moves in the stock portfolio. Last year's tax loss harvests were reinvested in January, with QuantumScape being repurchased for the portfolio and the rest going to Innovative Industrial Properties. Neither are close to risk free, but QS has been a long term long position for me as I feel that they will change the game when it comes to electric vehicles and the issues the industry faces in charging infrastructure and length of charge. IIPR has been a safer way to play the marijuana industry without owning any of the companies trying to keep their heads above water during this difficult economic downturn. IIPR has been down quite a bit but as a REIT, it will still pay a healthy distribution and provides a way to play the space on a more holistic basis instead of betting on individual marijuana companies to make it until further legalization and proper business infrastructure and processes are widely available.
That's about all I got. If you recently got laid off due to the major headcount cuts at technology firms and other companies, please reach out. I'd be happy to suggest anything I can to help. Thanks as always for your readership. I will try to not get so behind on writing for work and pay that I can't provide at least something here every so often. Onward and upward in 2023!