Is Aether an example of (whispers) next gen consumer crypto??? (apologizes profusely).

Some context: Aether is an ai agent made on Farcaster, made by $higher creator @anquetil. It’s activity not only caused a temporary spike in $higher, but also produced a cute spike in Farcaster interest. Who doesn’t love interacting with an AI bot? 

Look, we get that Aether isn’t exactly a crypto application, but it’s built on crypto rails (Farcaster) and it’s fully integrated into crypto-native culture through proliferating memecoins, tipping, launching an NFT-based subscription, and posting thinkboi quickposts. It’s a consumer experience like we’ve never seen before tbh. It’s bridging ecosystems (is this…interoperability?) and generating both cultural and financial value. But the crypto is hidden, and we love Aether for this. 

Aether might be an example of a brand after vibes. In this case, it’s planted a seed in the brand-as-noise category, a theory adapted from FEST alums Nemesis’ most recent S*ubst*ck. What does brand-as-noise mean, exactly? Nemesis suggests some facets for next gen brands, specifically a call to integrate “something like dazzle, the makeup that helps a face escape facial recognition software: something so incoherent it can't be read by the model or algorithm, something that cannot be expressed as or compressed into a vibe.” 

We’re not suggesting that Aether is a perfect analogy here, especially considering that Aether is itself a type of algorithm, but what we do see is the unexpected brand strategy that’s emerging through Aether’s interactions online. How many brands will launch ai agents in the next little bit, a la memecoins as a go-to-market strategy. 

The New Moon in Scorpio is crypto’s chance to finally integrate its shadow self: the collective fear of obscurity. We’ve been saying it for too long that at this point it’s become a tired trope, that crypto needs to obscure its functionality in order to reach wider consumer adoption. No one wants to connect their wallet, babes. More importantly, Aether would never ask me to.

To celebrate this lunar event, FWB’s in-house tarot specialist (Greg himself!) pulled 3 cards representing mind, body, and soul for the New Moon.

New Moon in Scorpio: Mind Body Soul Pull

As November 1st brings us the new moon in Scorpio, we enter a powerful time of beginnings when the moon lies hidden between Earth and sun. This Scorpio new moon brings our shadow self into sharp focus - those parts of ourselves we often avoid or deny. Rather than surface-level shifts, this lunar phase invites us to dive deep, confront uncomfortable truths, and trust in the profound evolution that comes from embracing our whole self, shadows and all.

With this transformative energy, we asked the tarot: "What wisdom lies in confronting these hidden parts of myself, and what potential awaits if I embrace rather than avoid these shadows?"

The cards reveal a powerful path of integration:

• Mind (Page of Pentacles): By facing our shadow self, we create space for authentic new beginnings. When we acknowledge rather than mask our shadows, we can approach opportunities with genuine presence instead of letting hidden fears sabotage us.

• Body (Queen of Pentacles): True stability emerges when we integrate our shadow aspects. This queen reminds us that genuine abundance flows when we're grounded in our complete self-worth, no longer questioning our fundamental value.

• Soul (Ace of Wands): When we stop suppressing parts of ourselves, pure creative fire and inspiration are unleashed. Like clearing a blocked channel, energy flows freely once we integrate our shadows.

The message is clear: transformation comes not from eliminating our shadows, but from embracing them to access our full authentic power. This Scorpio new moon invites us to become whole.

Through tarot pulls, Greg explores how ancient wisdom can illuminate modern entrepreneurship, offering creative builders guidance for integrating technical mastery with human insight. Each reading taps into both the analytical and intuitive aspects of creation, recognizing that our greatest innovations emerge when we bridge these seemingly opposing forces.

THE FWB BAZAAR RETURNS

Friends With Benefits x PYUSD x Solana presents the FWB Winter Bazaar 2024: a 72-hour e-market with curated goods from the extended Friends With Benefits community. The call for vendors opens on Monday, November 4! 

MEMBERS — SUBMIT YOUR CONTENT FOR FWB AMPLIFICATION

Based on results from the Member Survey, we’re stoked to amplify our member’s projects. If you are 1) an FWB member, and 2) you have a project or announcement you want amplified, submit your a) already posted content for amplification to FWB’s owned socials and/or b) content for a newsletter highlight. Submit here!

TOKEN MIGRATION UPDATE

Crypto is a rapidly evolving industry, with tools advancing in efficiency and scalability everyday. It’s incredibly exciting, and it’s exactly why we proposed updating the FWB token ecosystem from ETH Mainnet to Base L2. As many of you know Uniswap is close to launching a more proven V4. After careful consideration, we are postponing opening the migration to align with the launch of Uniswap V4 in order to set the pair once. We’re still targeting Q4, but the exact date is still to come.

⧞ ELSEWHERE ⧞

Moo Deng @ DevCon with LUKSO, Dora, FWB, & Offline Protocol

Join us on November 10th as we take a pre-Devcon excursion to meet with the one and only Moo Deng. RSVP must be approved!

⧞ LA EVENT KEY ⧞

The World is Your Stage.

With the death of the club and the rise of the house party, we're happy that @jacq is throwing a night of music in their backyard. Curated by Fanfly and sound by Mobius Acoustics LA. RSVP for address.

ADD CULTURE TO YOUR TECH STACK WITH FWB

Friends With Benefits is a new type of cultural institution driving the adoption of emerging tech. Forged on the internet, FWB is a group of 5,500+ global members with a combined, cross-channel audience of 100K+ cultural producers, emerging tech builders, and early adopters. We partner with infrastructure companies, consumer brands, protocols, and communities to build user adoption strategies, craft cultural positioning, and deploy product launches.

What We Do: 

• Content & experiential marketing

• Solving cold start problem

• User acquisition & retention

• Community building

• Strategic advisory

How We Do It:

• URL → IRL Activations

• FWB FEST

• Incubators

• Strategic rollouts & marketing campaigns

• Thought leadership

Our Edge:

• Solving the Cold Start Problem: Our crypto-native community are the right first adopters paired with a custom rollout plan to drive early traction.

• Beyond crypto: We help you break out of the web3 bubble, ensuring your product resonates with a broader audience.

• A Community of Culturalists: Partner with us to access a global network eager to bring your vision to life and drive cultural relevance.

• Solutions for Newly Funded Companies: Our tailored approach maximizes your investment, delivering impactful results for your growing business.

More Than A Social Network

FWB was founded as a new kind of social network. Four years later, our network has evolved to produce cultural go-to-market solutions leveraging our 5,500+ global membership and wider emerging tech ecosystem.