Hello,
I am sad to inform you I have decided to close the FLAN pool. I understand that some people might be disappointed, and I apologize.
The FLAN pool was always decently sized, so we could invariably earn a few hundred dollars each month for our efforts after costs, or at least break even. It’s not a matter of not minting blocks; in an almost poetic twist, we just minted a block today, as a matter of fact. Nevertheless, I have decided to close the pool now while it’s still healthy and sustainable instead of when it’s languishing.
I’ve done some soul-searching as of late and had a chance to think about my role in the Cardano and wider crypto space. I’ve decided some things need to change.
Regarding the pool, I’ll fully admit that ever since I started working with Axo, I’ve been remiss with the Flan Clan, which pains me. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough hours in the day, and putting a roof over my head had to take priority. So, I never implemented many of the plans I had for the pool.
Some of you messaged me regarding this disappointment directly, and while I apologized, the fact remained that I couldn’t do anything to remedy the matter. I could half-ass a Discord, partner with different projects I haven’t fully vetted to give you a token of dubious value and do many other things to drum up support.
But I don’t think this would have been worthy of your trust in me. I think you deserve better, but I couldn’t meet that standard at this point in time.
Not being able to offer the best quality of service for the FLAN pool gnawed at me. My business partner and friend, who ran the pool’s infrastructure, always behaved admirably (as an aside, at least one person kept trying to attack the pool while it was in operation via DDoS whenever we announced a block, but my friend always batted him off with ease). However, I chewed off more than I could deliver on the community side.
If the stakepool had been my only focus, as was the intention at the start, it would not have been any trouble. But with managing clients full-time, just keeping the lights on with Flantoshi seemed like a Herculean task, so the extra projects were deprioritized, at least in the immediate future.
And now, with the coming year, I’ve decided it’s best to prioritize community wellbeing. This is not necessarily goodbye for the stakepool forever, but for the time being, it is farewell.
I thank you all for your support. It was an honor to help Cardano’s operations in some small way. If you are looking for other pools and aren’t necessarily looking to maximize ROI, then I’ll recommend the following:
- SEA — Run by lovely and knowledgeable members of the Cardano community, whom I think are underappreciated, though becoming Hosky rugpools certainly helped their operations.
- OTG — If Ted Kaczynski had a stakepool, it would be this one. His setup is a decentralized ideal, solar-powered, and working on Starlink. If nuclear war wipes most of humanity out, OTG will likely keep the blockchain going.
- PRIDE — One of the most helpful SPOs out there, he has a genuine passion for Cardano and helped us understand how to set up the FLAN pool. So I’m very thankful to him.
- STOIC — I had a lovely lunch with him a while back. He’s a fun dude and great to have a drink with. He’s also a rugpool if you’re into that sort of thing.
- SWAG — Jeff is one of the managers of AdaPulse, a Cardano news site. Early in Flan’s tenure, he helped the Flan Clan gain exposure. Support him in supporting Cardano-related journalism.
Whichever pool you choose, please change soon, as I’ll be closing down the pool in the coming weeks.
As for me personally, I’ll still be around. I might slowly change the character of the account and broaden it a bit, as I think there are many exciting topics to discuss in tech, history, and society. But Cardano will likely remain my bread and butter for the foreseeable future.
Again, thank you for having supported the FLAN pool while it lasted. Have a lovely New Year, and I’m excited to see what the future will bring.
Yours truly,
-Richard (Flantoshi)
