Are there any downsides to taking part in upsides?In Episode #512 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: how the internet moved from corporate networks to open protocol networks to blockchain networks, Dixon’s framing (read, write, own), why he thinks open protocols like RSS struggled against corporate platforms, where blockchains might change take rates, the real-world viability of tokenomics, if ownership will matter for in a future of AI, micro‑payments and abundant digital goods, games vs music business models and whether people will actually care about on-chain ownership if everything becomes cheap and effortless to access.  No support for this week :'(Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortalsTimeline: (00:00:00) Intro(00:00:25) Book pick: Read, Write, Own by Chris Dixon(00:04:16) Corporate vs protocol networks; email and the open web(00:07:23) Owning the network: why blockchains change incentives(00:13:25) Governance, take rates and platform lock-ins(00:17:56) Music vs gaming revenues: models and innovation(00:21:30) Protocol pessimism and the RSS debate in podcasting(00:25:04) Value for value: Podcasting 2.0 funding dilemmas(00:30:08) Could a blockchain fund open infrastructure?(00:34:27) Designing a micropayments-first podcast app(00:38:22) Do users care about digital ownership?(00:41:48) Abundance thesis: free content and data trade-offs(00:45:30) Will advertisers pay users directly?(00:49:45) Will ownership still matter in an abundant world?(00:53:01) Digital status, scarcity and beachfront reality(00:58:48) Extreme efficiency futures: cars, housing and cost curves(01:03:05) Human status, achievement and digital provenance(01:08:33) Voice-first generation and app-less experiences(01:14:47) Ownership vs access: memories, messages and guarantees(01:16:54) Wrap-up: book verdict and sign-off  Connect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcastsValue 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast