Web3 Wallet Woes & AI Art Wins — Ohnahji U Syllabus for October 14, 2023
🎼 “Rollercoaster, I don’t say no / Rollercoaster, when you don’t say no / And it’s such a rollercoaster / Some killer queen you are” 🎵
We’re back with a brand new Syllabus from our recent Ohnahji U Saturday space! Our ONJU Student Body reps join us — Lena brings her business chops, and Jamal with his tech know-how. Both are ready to highlight all the key takeaways and tips from each topic; let’s jump right in!
This space was live on 10/14/23 @ 10 am PST and hosted by ONJU Dev & Co-founder Ohnahji B, with Dean of Communications BOSS2.0 and Dean of Technology EyeSeeThru as co-hosts. In this space, we explore how black businesses can succeed in web3 and dive into some newly released AI art tools. Education — it’s all about The U!
THE METAMASK MESS
This ONJU Saturday opened with the breaking news of MetaMask being temporarily removed from the Apple App Store. The self-custodial wallet is pretty much synonymous with Web3, so the information threw the entire space into a tizzy. Just a few hours later, Metamask was back in the App Store, no harm, no foul, but the panic revealed much of the space’s anxiety about their wallet hygiene and security. Ohnahji B stated, “When these little incidents happen, it’s crazy to see just how many people in this space aren’t really moving securely in the way that they should.”
Speaker Miyagi makes a passionate case for using alternatives like Trust Wallet:
“It behooves us to look into other resources to keep us secure. We can’t put all of our eggs in one basket. Like, you can’t do that, even with security. Have one that keeps your wallet safe, have one that keeps your desktop secure, have one that keeps certain accounts secure. I also have safe wallets that I use for myself. So yeah, MetaMask is not the only option at all. It’s just the most popular.”
ONJU Dean Rica recently dealt with her Metamask wallet getting compromised and having some ETH stolen from it. Though it wasn’t a large amount taken, it left a bad taste in using Metamask, which has been her primary wallet since her Web3 journey began. Upon recommendation from Dean JT, she moved to using Trust Wallet and hasn’t looked back since.
The key takeaway is that having multiple wallet options and proper security practices are essential in staying safe. Relying solely on MetaMask can leave you vulnerable, so here’s Techie Jamal with a few tips that always bear repeating.
- Don’t put all your trust in one wallet — diversify
- Make sure you have proper seed phrase backup and security practices
- Be cautious of scam links and transactions
- Explore different wallet options like Trust Wallet
- Keep refreshing your security knowledge as threats evolve
- Don’t panic during incidents — assess options calmly to avoid making the situation worse
REVISITING BLACK BUSINESS SUCCESS IN WEB3
Continuing a conversation from earlier in the week during our Wednesday “The Commons” space, speakers touch on the challenges Black businesses face in the tech space. Boss provided background from the previous space, explaining the question: “What do Black businesses need to do to succeed like others in Web3?”
Keeping on brand for an Ohnahji U space, the speakers shared plenty of great opinions.
Ohnahji elaborates on a key takeaway from the conversation, specifically from Dean EyeSeeThru, realizing that defining terms is crucial, as “black business” could mean completely different things to a million different people.
Miyagi weighs in, arguing that “you can thrive Being a Black-owned business without needing to tell people you are a Black-owned business.” Though the landscape is still uneven, with bias benefiting some founders more than others, he maintains, “the space is not old enough, really, to be able to say if can we thrive in this, because the answer is yes.”
Rica shares her experience as a Black woman entrepreneur, noting that identifying as a Black-owned business can help draw supportive customers. However, she says it shouldn’t define your entire brand, stating, “I am an artist just because I am an artist. I draw not because I’m a black woman; I draw because I am an artist.” Blanco co-signed, discussing the “double-edged sword” of emphasizing black identity, as people may pre-judge and limit you.
Check out the entire conversation here and the expanded op-ed piece from BOSS on Mirror.
MAXIMIZING CREATIVE POTENTIAL WITH DALL-E, MIDJOURNEY, & MORE
Back to the tech topics, the speakers dove into how to get the most out of the recently released AI image tools, with tips on specific prompts and approaches.
Dall-E has been making big waves lately with its ease of generating specific images, even some with words, which other models still struggle with.
EyeSeeThru explains how these tools, specifically Dall-E, take your text prompt and rewrite it before generating images. So you have to tell it to follow your prompt exactly. This shows the learning curve with these newer, more creative AIs than those that do all the work for you, like Midjourney.
From there, an inspiring back-and-forth ensues between EyeSeeThru, JT, and Miyagi over how to get the most out of these tools. A few specific tips they mentioned for each AI image model are below.
DALL-E :
- Allows controlling prompt consistency and parameters through natural language, so ask it to do what you want it to
- Be explicit in your prompt if you want it followed precisely, and ask it to use the same prompt to get consistent results
- Ask it to use different seed numbers for variation while keeping other parameters the same
- For even more control, alter the number of generation steps and prompt between images
- Can be paired with ChatGPT for added control over image generation
Midjourney:
- More “creative” and whimsical images compared to DALL-E, but it has limited ability to control parameters or ensure consistency
Stable Diffusion:
- SD’s open-source model lacks control without additional guidance systems. For the guidance and control you’re looking for, add it to ControlNet
Bing AI:
- More limited than DALL-E, constraints on content generation
- Try workarounds like using different languages for the blocked word to work around those constraints. Be aware that the system adapts quickly, so the workaround may only be effective temporarily.
