Introductions - Tell us about yourself and what brings you here!

[larry.kubin]

Hello! This thread is for introducing yourself. We’d like to get to know a bit more about you and what brings you here. I’ll start…

A bit about myself

I’m Larry and I’m a Developer Relations Engineer here at Coinbase. Prior to joining Coinbase, I worked in gaming and on SaaS startups as both a UI and backend software engineer. Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of my free time teaching game development and Python for finance both in person and online.

What excites me about the web3 / crypto space

I think that interesting things occur at the intersection of different disciplines, and have found that crypto intersects with many of my career and personal interests. A few personal examples:

Finance

1. One of the first DeFi apps I tried was Zerion. The experience of connecting my wallet to this dapp for the first time and immediately seeing a full dashboard of my transaction history, all of the digital assets I own, and performance metrics was super cool. Contrast this with traditional finance apps I use like Personal Capital - you have to search for each account, enter your username and password for each of your personal accounts, receive text messages, and wait for each account to sync (which frequently breaks).

2. As someone who creates financial programming tutorials, real-time and historical stock market data is very expensive. When I first experimented with crypto exchange APIs, I loved how quick and easy it was to get free detailed historical price data and connect to real-time websocket data. As someone who primarily does this as a hobby on the weekend, the ability to create a bot that can run any time makes it easier for me to experiment with ideas and analyze real-time price action.

Gaming

1. I have worked on multiple games that involve the purchase and exchange of virtual goods, so I am naturally interested in how gaming companies use blockchains in the coming years . Many years ago, I worked with a friend to create a multiplayer indie game called Battle Dex, which was described as a cross between Advance Wars and Magic the Gathering. Ownership and card trading was tracked using MySQL and stored procedures. Even though certain cards were “rare”, anyone with admin panel access or database access could insert another record or transfer ownership behind the scenes. And since it was an indie game where I was one of only two developers, we eventually needed to shut the game down. So the history of matches, purchases, tournament results, trades, user profiles, and ownership are no longer online – it would be cool if this history was connected to my wallet and lived on.

2. I also worked at a game studio called Crowdstar (now part of Electronic Arts), makers of Design Home and Covet Fashion. These have been some of the top grossing mobile games on the app store. Design Home allows you to use furniture from real brands like West Elm and Pottery Barn in design competitions. Likewise, Covet Fashion lets you use clothing items from brands like Badgley Mischka. While these are not blockchain games and NFTs are still very controversial in the gaming community, I am interested in seeing how brands like Adidas and Nike incorporate their brand in virtual spaces. Also, former coworkers are now working on games like Mini-Royale, which uses Solana. Another has now joined Forte gaming. I’m excited to see what they come up with.

Creator Economy

Over the past few years, I have put a lot of time into creating coding tutorials on YouTube. I love YouTube and it provides a valuable service in helping audiences discover your content. But this service comes at a steep cost since the videos are frequently interrupted with ads and YouTube takes 45 percent of revenue. So I am interested in seeing how web3 enables alternative ways for creators of all types to be rewarded for their efforts.

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What about you? Tell us a bit about your background and what brings you here.

[ljharb]

A bit about myself

I’m Jordan, and I’m also a Developer Relations Engineer here at Coinbase. Prior to joining Coinbase, I had a brief stint at Opendoor before Covid layoffs, and before that, I was at Airbnb for 4 years, where I ran their Open Source efforts. I participate extensively in Open Source and standards: I maintain over 300 npm packages; I’ve served on TC39 (the JS specification committee) since 2014, spending 3 of those years as an editor of the specification; and I’ve been heavily involved in node.js and the OpenJS Foundation for many years.

My role at Coinbase

I’m building an Open Source Program Office for Coinbase Cloud, eventually expanding it to encompass all of Coinbase. This will involve establishing consistent policies around consumption, contribution, and publication; leading efforts to invest in the wider crypto and open source ecosystems via grants and sponsorships; shepherding our participation in standards organizations; etc.

If you have ideas for how we can better support the crypto and open source communities, please reach out! We’ve got a lot of things in progress as our program ramps up this year, and the more feedback we have, the more we can fine-tune what we’re doing.

[staff1]

A bit about me

I’m Sarah, aka “Dr G” or “Dr Guthals”, and I’m also a Developer Relations Engineer here at Coinbase Before this, I was a DevRel Engineer at Microsoft, Engineering Manager at GitHub, ran a startup, consulted on products that teach people to code, wrote technical books, taught at University of California, San Diego in the computer science and education departments, and did my PhD in computer science with a focus on education.

Developer Relations and Me
My favorite thing to do is support other people in their efforts to create amazing solutions that I would have never come up with. I especially love this in the tech space because it is something that I found after getting college that has allowed me to bring 4 generations of my family out of poverty. But it’s not just a source of income, it’s also a source of inspiration and creativity in addressing problems that effect us in all aspects of life.

I also simply love the activity of coding. I went to college initially to become a medical doctor but I could not handle the requirement of memorization. I was excited to find that, while “knowing” things is important and beneficial, coding is about figuring things out.

I also believe that the best software is written by a diverse community of people. I’ve had the chance to learn from so many incredible humans and explore so many areas I never imagined exploring because of the diversity of experiences in the people I’ve met.

So, that’s why I love DevRel! This role allows me to be technical, collaborate on code and work with the engineering teams to build great products, while also being a community builder, introducing novices to new spaces and supporting more senior folks on their endeavors to impact our world!

Me and Crypto/Web3/Blockchain
I’m newer to the crypto space but have been immersing myself from both a technical and impact perspective. I’m am most interested in learning and understanding how this space can influence non-technical decisions and spaces - especially for folks who are limited by the opportunities given to them based on where they were born or how they identify.

I believe that this space is worth exploring with an open and critical mind and heart, and the more diversity in experience we can bring to the conversation - the more likely we are to support the growth of something truly transformational.

Me and Coinbase
My role here at Coinbase is mostly focused on the Coinbase Cloud Application APIs. This technical focus aligns really well with why I love tech and DevRel because the application APIs is that middle layer that supports other orgs and developers to build on top of Coinbase instead of needing to re-invent it.

That being said, a huge part of my role is authentically representing the community back to Coinbase. I am not here to declare a solution, but to discover and create one with you! So as we continue to release support for developers in this space, I want to know what you want to be able to do, how you want to do it, and why!

Happy Coding

[DrMoo]

Hi! I’m a long-time dev, working across multiple industries and stacks. Primarly focused on backend and infrastructure. Relatively new to crypto, but super excited about all the things to come.

What excites me about the web3 / crypto space

The ability for the average user and creator to benefit more directly from the engagement they drive. In web2, there is too much value capture by the big corporations at the top.

[0xAlec]

Hi all,

I’m Alec, and I’m currently a student studying Computer Science and Sociology at UC Irvine.

Excited to build open, transparent, and more equitable systems for all!

Find me on Twitter.

[larry.kubin]

Welcome @0xAlec and @DrMoo. Great to have you here! Just gave you a follow. Thanks for introducing yourself.

[oliver]

gm

I’m Oliver. I’ve always been very interested in philosophy, computer networks, and distributed systems. This led me to discover crypto land many years back. Quite a colorful journey it’s been. For the past years, I’ve set a focus on building best-in-class blockchain data products at Blockwatch. Excited and optimistic about the unfolding of web3 and grateful to be here with you all.

[larry.kubin]

Hey @oliver, welcome! Sounds awesome. I studied philosophy myself and share similar interests. Checking out the Blockwatch page now to get an understanding of what you are building. I will create a thread to share projects. Thanks!

[DasHutch]

Hi All,

I’m Greg, an Engineering Manager here at Coinbase Cloud… excited about the new forum and opportunities to connect with more folks using our products to build awesome things!

[Joe]

Hi everyone! My name is Joe - I’m a classical musician turned software engineer, and I’ve been working in tech for about 2 years now. I started dabbling in web3 over the summer, mostly focusing on the solana ecosystem. Lots of exciting things happening and I’m glad to be here!

[Princedede]

I am an enthusiastic blockchain developer/consultant/Project Manager. I am here to learn, share my knowledge and to make contribution to this awesome space. Glad to meet everyone here! And i would like to connect also and make friends on the space! Thank you!

[AlexRokin]

Hey everyone!

My background includes being project manager, director, managing some large forums/ conferences, being involved in IT projects development. COVID changed a lot in my activity & inspired me to build some projects in & for Web3.

Founder of CloutForum. Its mission is to facilitate the merge of creator economy and Web3 through media coverage & launching projects. We were born on DeSo and under the influence of its vision.

Here to interact with community, provide help, find partners for launching new projects. For example, we are looking a frontend developer (React) to join our team for NFT field project. Open for any communication!

[pash]

Gm!

I am Nik and I’m a web3 developer building Redeemable.app and a number of other projects for the Nugbase Syndicate. I’m super excited to be here and huge shouts out to the Coinbase team for everything they do for the devs

A little about me, I am focused on building web-based NFT experiences, and work primarily on Polygon chain for cheap & near-instant transactions. This quarter, I’m working on some very dope projects and I can’t help but share my enthusiasm. In the next couple weeks, I’m planning on releasing the Alpha version of the Redeemable web app. Ever since I built a QR-code NFT redemption system for the Flowerpatch crypto-farming game, I have noticed growing industry demand for a reliable way to transform NFTs into claimable URL rewards. With Redeemable, I’m first building a fully decentralized Alpha experience as a proof of concept - including a full-stack client-server-database wrapper around the Redeemable smart contract, then once the mvp is released and collecting emails, I’ll start working on a more centralized B2B solution for bulk Redeemable giveaways and gas-less solutions for newly created wallets. I am hoping Redeemable will help onboard as many new people onto NFTs as possible, and am building for the crypto-noob users first.

As I’m sure many of you are, I am laser focused on all the cool stuff I’m building this year. If you’re working on similar cool mvp projects, I’d be happy to connect and chat about what you’re building! I love the energy in this space and am grateful to be a part of this movement

[CmdrNFT]

gm

Long time blockchain developer who has always been better at spending rather than hodling. Long time coinbase customer. Have added coinbase checkout flows to a couple of websites over the years. Dropped out of the blockchain game for many years until seeing what ethereum and dApps where bringing to the table. Dipping my toes back in with:

• Running an Urbit node
• Running a small bitcoin / lightning node
• Working with some old frens on a silly gamified dApp

Decided to create a new persona for this work, so not much to show on my fresh github and whatnot, but have several things in the works-- tutorials and applications.

This is all an on-the-side part-time thing, so taking things slowly and at my own pace. My interest isn’t for a moonshot, as I believe that deflationary assets are terrible in the long run, but to learn and grow.

GL HF

[XelotX]

Hi there,

I’m a developer with more than 15 years spread between multiple technologies and programming languages.
I do have a close affinity to decentralized systems and trading systems (both analytics and automated trading software).
Currently developing some Defi solutions and benchmarking different blockchains and their pro/cons.

Glad to meet you all, cheers.

[SubStandard]

Aloha!
I am doing a career change from working on submarines into programming. I have really enjoyed learning about blockchain, web3 and the new developments occurring around the world with cryptocurrencies. My primary focus right now is learning how to use the Coinbase APIs and seeing what tools are available to build with in python. I’ve got some ideas and look forward to implementing them with Coinbase. I was hoping to find official CoinBase libraries for Python that work with the newest versions of Python. I may delve into other languages in order to keep learning and create the product if it’s not possible in Python. I look forward to learning/creating with you all!

[larry.kubin]

Hey @DasHutch, thanks for getting involved! Would love to have more Coinbase EM’s and PM’s on here to share some their insights and connect with developers in the community.

Hello @Joe, love the Solana focus. I just wrote my first basic Solana program a few weeks ago. I found Rust a bit trickier than most languages I’m familiar with, but enjoyed trying something new.

@Princedede, welcome! Just followed your Twitter. Looks like you have been working on a decentralized exchange for Binance Smart Chain? Would love to hear about it.

@AlexRokin, I’ve been meaning to learn more about DeSo. I was intrigued when Bitclout launched, but there was a lot of controversy surrounding it. Curious how things have evolved since then. Welcome!

gm @CmdrNFT! Looks like you already have a Hatchable creature repo on your Github. Cryptocoven had a similar approach in that the witches were only revealed twice a week.

Hello @pash and welcome to the forum. Just browsed your sites. Always surprised at the variety of NFT projects and the areas they intersect with :).

Welcome @XelotX. Cool that you have some experience with automated trading, I have spent a lot of time experimenting with various exchange API’s. Would love to hear your thoughts on Defi and trading as you run your benchmarks.

Aloha @SubStandard :). I use Python frequently myself, let us know what specific API’s you are trying to use and we can help point you in the right direction. If it’s a REST API, you should be able to use Python + the requests package to use any of them. There have been various official and unofficial libraries over the years, some of which are no longer supported, so depends what you are trying to do.

@Robert, coincidentally I rewatched the first Matrix last weekend. I never got into the sequels :). As far as Discourse, we are definitely thinking a lot about badges and rewards, so if you have any thoughts and recommendations, we’d love to hear them.

[jojenki]

Hi. I’m a long-time dev and crypto hobbyist. I was playing around with the APIs and was looking for a fun weekend project.

[AlexRokin]

Oh! In two words, DeSo is getting mature. It has abonded the previous practice of hype & now is investing in projects development on its blockchain, which is more sustainable model. Though DAU is still not enough.

I would love to share more info about it. It just might be off topic here. So what’s the best way: create another topic about Decentralized Social Networks? Or the category would be better, I believe. As there are several social media to cover like DeSo, Monaco NFT planet, Metafluence etc.

I would suggest my services to curate/ moderate this thread and would bring some DeSo, Monaco guys to talk about it.

[AlexRokin]

Wow! Your project is awesome! We are building something similar! If your project is about giveaways and instant access to NFT. Our project is about gifting experience of NFT. I’d love to connect with you and to talk about collaboration.

You can read our Whitepaper here: GFT WhitePaper.pdf - Google Drive

Let me know, if you are up for a chat.