Let’s just say we all meet up in person. And let’s say that we can produce whatever experience we’d want. Wouldn’t you want to play PacMan at Pizza Hut and trade Garbage Pail Kids?
If I sent you a cold dm with an invitation link, would you trust that it’s a real event, with real humans that really want to hang out IRL together? Nah, I’d block and report too.
However, we should make pizza and play games together!
Insights
I stared at the ceiling a lot in 2025. Markets change at the speed of crypto. AI is eating the world. Marines were in Los Angeles. Lots to puzzle together.
Ever get the feeling that the internet is devolving to the lowest common denominator? Are you always wondering how often you’ve been had by something that might seem real, but is actually another robot or scam? Do you ask AI to write for you, and then remove the em-dashes and add a couple spelling mistakes to camouflage your robot assistant?
It’s not that I’m anti-robot; it’s that I’m very very pro-human. I like to feel photons on my skin, cook for people I love and keep my nails short, so it’s easier to work in the garden. Considering everyone I talk to, you probably feel similar, but with your own personal preferences.
Imagine growing up today. Corporations will be calling you Doubting Thomas, because you need to touch to believe. All the while, they’re gaslighting, creating the circumstances that produce your nihilism.
It’s no wonder that nostalgia is so prevalent! We came to the internet to connect, but the internet today is loud with noise, so we crave a place where we can be together. That’s not localism, because that only addresses the privileged who are lucky enough to live where their best friends live.
We need the internet for the rest of us who found our tribe to be global. But we need to be able to find the signal in the noise, the humans in the algorithm.
The feed is so boring. I can’t find my friends, unless I go out of my way to directly reach them. Even if I try to follow a curated selection of brands, I’m still fed whatever the algorithm feeds me, like I prefer kibble over my son’s BBQ.
If you try to compete in the reach game, you’re up against bot farms, now with AI tools. No one wants to be had, especially by a robot. Thus, we don’t believe anything we see.
You can try to contract influencers, but brand placement in any content looks manipulative. If you’re an influencer, it’s best to actually say you’re sponsored by a brand, then try to fake anything.
What we really need is a club house, up in a tree, with a rope ladder, tire swing and a secret password to get inside.
What’s exclusive isn’t what’s rare, it’s what holds attention. Everything can be fractionalized and made fungible, so anyone can own a piece of anything. Thus, what’s exclusive is what holds attention over time.
Let’s say Trump decides he owns the Kennedy Center. To pay for renovations, he might sell tokens that you, I or anyone else could buy. These tokens would represent our percentage of ownership. The tokens would all be identical, which means that we could buy, sell and trade them, as fast as the degens pump and dump.
Compare that to Apple. I really like my MacBook. I’m writing on it right now, sitting at a picnic table in the park. When it’s finally time to replace it, I’ll probably get another Apple. If you own Apple stock, you’re probably holding on to it.
Tastemakers not DevRel
Culture drives attention; tech drives opportunity.
Someone with cultural relevance can ask Claude, or Cursor, or any of the other AI building tools to make whatever they imagine.
The Row could vibe code an AI agent that anyone with enough money could hire as a personal stylist? A24 could vibe code a fanfic AI agent that let members customize social content to look like they’re in any A24 movie? No one wants dev tools, except the LLMs that already consumed all of GitHub.
Impact
As Chones evolved in 2025, we focused more on our valuable network, and less on ecosystem weaving as a service. Thus metrics show more virtual events across various time zones and the launch of our own curated digital maker space.
| 392 | CHONES |
| 1 | CHONES BRAND REDESIGN |
| 1 | CHONES DIGITAL MAKER SPACE LAUNCH |
| 18 | CURATED MAKER SPACE MEMBERS |
| 2 | COMPROMISED WALLETS WITH ASSET RECOVERY |
| 13 | CHONES PARTY & OFFICE HOURS INTERVIEWS |
| 22 | VIRTUAL BUILDERS HAPPY HOUR WITH PLOR |
| 6 | MONTHS, WEEKLY POST YER ALE HAPPY HOUR |
| 30 | VIRTUAL COWORKING SESSIONS |
| 2 | NEW KERNEL FELLOWS |
| 6 | IRL EVENTS |
| 9300 USDC | FUNDING RAISED |
| 33 | FACILITATED PARTNERSHIPS |
| 4 | APPS ALPHA TESTED |
| 52 | SEASONAL SUPPORTER NFTS |
For more detailed information, see Chones public kanban at https://trello.com/b/OUbgoIXJ/chones
I could have never predicted, nor prescribed, how brilliant and conscientious the people we’ve been lucky enough to consider Chones Friends & Family!
To learn more about what our network has been creating and building, take a look at our Showcase page at https://chones.xyz/showcase/
Digital Maker Space
Launched Groundhog Day 2026, Chones Digital Maker Space (CDMS) is like a physical maker space, but instead of saws and 3D printers, we have AI and APIs.
In the vast inhospitable space of the internet, CDMS is Chones’ planet to terraform. We found a well, but need to build a way to get the water out. We have fire.
Learn more at https://chones.xyz/space/
Gratitude
Thank you rg4w, plor, Jordanisgreen, Addigator, Sky and Chones friends & family for all our conversations, deciphering this wild and beautiful experience!
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