Thanks everyone for coming to Tezcon 2026 - this is our third year doing this but seems like it gets more and more wild every time!
So I have a confession to make - you might have noticed that we didn't use a single word of it in our marketing but this event actually comes from a community that has championed blockchain, crypto and NFTs since the very beginning. I know - we're all very much aware of what most people think about that stuff these days - sorry if we tricked you into coming. 😂
But it kind of goes with the theme of "enshittification" that we decided on this year - I was kind of nervous about using that term since I'm pretty sure we got censored by a lot of places for just having "shit" in the title but I was hoping that the grungy Seattle people wouldn't mind having a little edge in their events. We felt like it was the perfect word to describe what most people have been feeling lately and wanted to take a chance.
I hope that it's clear that we're not looking to have this event be a cynical or pessimistic one - because shit is shit but if you look at it from another perspective, shit is also the "fertilizer" for new things to come - the little plant growing out of our logo is supposed to be a symbol of hope that springs eternal.
Same goes with the whole blockchain thing - I've been in crypto for over a decade and I've seen the whole industry start with big aspirations and turn into a predatory casino and a literal monkey show but the folks we gathered here are all here because they still believe in the potential that this technology has to do some good in the world. And Erika's Voices of Iran project is a perfect example of that, put into practice. We were able to get exclusive information and perspectives coming out of that region right now that you will never see on any media platform or government reports because it was done through NFTs - which are censorship-resistant and crosses borders in ways that cannot be done any other way. So in a few minutes you're going to hear things about that country that you can't get anywhere else - especially during a crucial time that we're facing right now.
All of this was done through TEIA - an international, open-source, decentralized, community-owned and operated, non-profit organization (a mouthful, ain't it) that is run primarily through the passions of our very dedicated volunteers. All of the funding and distribution of the Voices of Iran project was done through the consensus of the community - from the birth of the organization (the name TEIA itself is Portuguese for "Web", which was also voted on), fundraising for the initial budget, approval and distribution were all done through a consensual, democratic vote. Tonight we're hoping to give people a glimpse into what can be done when tools are used in the way that it was intended, and nothing represents this more than the people here who have taken time out of their busy schedules to come together tonight. As we speak, there are 8 events happening all over the world, from Mexico, Greece, China,
Anyway, my hope is that people will find something interesting in the fertilizer event that we have going tonight. After Voices of Iran they'll be music provided by Sustainable Music Northwest, followed by an open-mic jam session where anyone is encouraged to participate. Thanks to Blangs from Tezos Commons for sponsoring and covering the event, and the Tezos Foundation for providing the grant to Erika's project as well. [TBD as more details get more finalized]
https://www.meetup.com/tezos-seattle/events/313542493/?eventOrigin=your_events
https://sustainablemusicnw.org