I Can't Believe It's Not McAfee
One of the topics I would talk about frequently while I was doing the Crypto Degenerates show was the idea that humanity is going to require some important tools if concepts like freedom of thought, genuine individuality, and any measure of personal privacy and autonomy are to survive into the future. Recent events have all but proven the point, and some of these tools are beginning to emerge, while others continue to mature. One of the new arrivals is Aintivirus, a John McAfee themed, AI infused clearinghouse for tools to help people keep their activities and commuications private.
When I was approached to lend my support to the effort, 'sure' and 'NO!' were both on the tip of my tounge. I have an abiding interest in cryptocurrency, but that does not extend to the area of financial speculation. I understand why people do it, and I believe that the right to do it is an important part of making the American Dream possible for people that ordinarily would not have the opportunity to enjoy anything like it. But I personally feel it is a lot like gambling in that success or failure is usually dependent on luck. I never kick Lady Luck out of the bed, but depending on her is a bridge too far for me.
Given that the majority of the cryptocurrency space is enthralled with this activity, it can make it hard for me to engage. This is one of the reasons I stopped doing the show. Unfortunately, disinterest has slowly turned to disdain after listening to year after year of crypto speculators do something gamblers rarely do - blame everybody and their mothers for their losses. It has become like nails on a blackboard.
Honorable mention goes to the special breed of shrill-voiced complainers that sanctimoniously assume the moral high ground as part of their crusade to assign blame. Everywhere they look these people predictably see a scam, whether or not any fraud is in evidence. It is enough that someone, somewhere lost money. And listening to financial speculators, whose money knows no loyalty and whose bottom line is naked self-interest, take the moral high ground is enough to move my stomach.
Cryptocurrency exists as part of a financial marketplace, so there certainly is fraud and actual scams as with any other marketplace. Some of the earliest legal cases on record in the US involve land fraud - individuals selling land they did not own. During the gold rush, there were people that made their fortunes selling the rights to depleted gold mines to unsuspecting dupes. But there were also people that lost because they had bad luck and bought a crappy mine. In the cryptosphere, much of the noise comes from people who, when you look at the actual facts, just lost. I feel for the victims of genuine fraud and deceit, but the signal-to-noise ratio is enough to make a person stop caring and to look for something else to do.
Batting for the home team was the fact that the project memorializes John McAfee and promises to deliver on his vision for some of the tools he wanted and thought other people would also need. John was a friend of mine, and I'm a sucker for anything that stands to keep his name and his memory front and center and a permanent part of the zeitgeist. True, any such project will draw speculators. And they are needed to provide the fuel on which the project can develop into a sustainable ecosystem.
I appreciate them for this, but I regret that I will not be able to serve that portion of the marketplace. I will not tell you to buy this asset, to hodl it, to sell it. I will not suggest that you can 10x your money, or tell you when and how to do it. I will not dowse water for you or post charts that mean very little, blinding you with science and promising the world. What I will do is talk about John McAfee, the deliverables this project has promised and how well they execute, along with my outlook on the future of privacy in general.
I have already lent my public support to two other projects that honor John McAfee - Ghost and Whackd - each unique in their own way and both founded in part by John. Aintivirus, though not founded by John, is also unique in that the goal is to be something other than "just another meme coin." In the present memecoin-mania atmosphere that is a breath of fresh air, but it is more than that. It offers to intelligent investors a metric through which they can gauge the actual value of the asset and the teams commitment to promises.
Privacy focused products are already available in exchange for the token. As of this writing, both e-sims for private phone and internet service, along with gift cards for a variety of vendors and platforms can be bought privately and directly using $Ainti. Other products and services have been announced, along with a timeline to help people set expectations. Compare that to most new cryptocurrency projects that offer an idea, a picture and a moonshot that in the end will be realized by very few people.
But there is a fun side to the project as well. Aintivirus is the home of a purpose-built, highly trained AI representation of John McAfee. I am not a tremendous fan of AI due to some of the risks, but I do agree that it can be used for good things. This is one such instance, and having interacted with the entity I can say that it is pretty convincing. John would have been fascinated with the idea, and likely would have spent long hours debating and interacting with it. If someone else spins one up, and its good, I'd suggest pointing them at each other and letting them have at it. The result would probably be better entertainment than most of what is on offer these days.
Aintivirus is not without it's detractors, and it has had a rough start. The first effort had to be scrapped entirely, and there have been several controversies already in its short life span. But the sign above the door says "John McAfee" so I'd suggest this is par for the course. Those of us that knew John all know how strong the vendetta some people have against him is.
Hatred for John, and for what he represents, has followed him out of death. To this day there are people that will show up any time his name is publicly mentioned just to make trouble. People that I've done nothing to, except for knowing and liking John McAfee, will do what they can to ruin my day and foil any designs I might have. Others that knew and loved John also contend with this reality. It is remarkable and it is a nuisance, but unlike the Spanish Inquisition, it is expected. Since we live in a civil society, my only consolation is that accidents happen every day.
More unexpected has been the opposition from fans of John. People certainly have a right to their opinion, but I have seen some of these critics suggest what John would or would not have wanted. Most, if not all, of these people never met the man personally, let alone done something like share a drink and some thoughts. It is impossible for me to accept their word over my lying eyes and ears, lived experiences, and knowledge of the man. I regret that John isn't around to involve himself in this project, because he almost certainly would have if invited.
There are many angles to the Aintivirus endeavor I'd like to highlight, far too much for one article. The goal today has been to introduce the concept and document my interest in its success. I believe that now more than ever something like this is needed, and needed badly. More than that, I believe there are reasons why many people are now in the mood to listen. It will take me some time to get it all out on paper, but when I am finished, I believe that the series of articles I have planned will make the case that there is real value here, and that fans of John should support the effort. Stay tuned!
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When you blame yourself, you learn from it. If you blame someone else, you don't learn nothing, cause hey, it's not your fault, it's his fault, over there.
Joe Strummer
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