Popula

delectable things to read

the feast of reason, and the flow of soul

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Some interesting things on Popula equal parts horror and exhilaration --- intemperate exhilaration looks like the Karen Country Club dating is still terrible there securocrats, kind of, he says a riveting saga that spans generations principled journalism is a really hard discipline We're a 100% reader-supported publication: support us if you value independent voices
Comments on delectable things to read
Want to leave a comment? Commenting is available to Popula subscribers only. for unlimited access to Popula—and join our conversations—starting at just $4/month.

Each comment or response costs a tiny ETH fee of 0.00033 (about 5¢ in Ethereum cryptocurrency), payable from your Metamask.io wallet (the wallet is free, and takes just a moment to add to your browser). This system helps protect Popula conversations from trolls, fakers, Cambridges Analytica and other malign influences.

If you haven’t got any ETH yet and you’re a Popula subscriber, please write to hey@popula.com with your subscriber email address and MetaMask wallet address, and we’ll send you a little bit to get started! It’s pretty easy and a lot of fun to use, Yay.

If you’d like to learn more about cryptocurrency, Ethereum, and how Popula is using these new technologies to help protect speech rights and the free press, please visit our FAQ page.

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Welcome! To leave a comment, you’ll need to log in, and also have your MetaMask wallet ready with some ETH cryptocurrency available.

It’s easy! Just visit metamask.io to install an in-browser MetaMask wallet. If you’re a new subscriber, write to hey@popula.com for $2 in free ETH crypto!

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Thank you for being a Popula subscriber! As a subscriber, you may leave comments, but you have to be logged in as commenter here first. This is an additional login—the login for your commenting privileges—and you’ll stay logged in after you log in the first time.

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You need to activate MetaMask to leave a comment!

You’re logged in and ready to leave comments! All you need is a MetaMask wallet and a little ETH cryptocurrency, just like with our microtipping system.

If you know what MetaMask is and have it installed, activate MetaMask and refresh:

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Pay 5¢ to Post Comment

Each comment costs 5¢ in Ethereum cryptocurrency to post! Just write your comment and click the green button. Thank you, Popula subscriber, for joining us in the new world of cryptoeconomics! Please don’t forget to set your wallet address in order to receive tips on your comments.

Yay, you can receive tips on your comments!

Uh-oh, you’re not able to receive tips on your comments. Want tips?

Alas! commenting is not yet available on your mobile device. Each comment costs a little ETH cryptocurrency to post, and for now that requires a regular computer.

So please go to your laptop, install the MetaMask browser plugin, and hold forth!

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Jack Pendarvis’s Moby-Dick

Until your foot slips, and… horror… existential horror returns you to your body, the site of all horror.

King in the North

Like many others, when posting pictures of myself and friends on social media, I find myself captioning them #YaranNorthSide.

Hell’s Kitchens

The absurdities of our global economic system had arrived, via mysteriously luxurious Trojan food cart, in my neighborhood.

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OK, let’s activate MetaMask!

Hmm, looks like you don’t have MetaMask activated!

If you know what MetaMask is and have it installed, activate MetaMask and refresh:

If that doesn’t make sense to you, click here:

Please grant us access

The MetaMask window will pop up and ask if you want Popula to have access to your MetaMask. Click the ‘CONFIRM’ button.

Don’t see the MetaMask window? It might have popped up behind this window… Take a look and see if it’s hiding somewhere!

Still can’t find the MetaMask window? Click here to try again:

If you don’t see the MetaMask plugin popup, you may need to click the MetaMask icon in your browser toolbar (looks like this: the MetaMask icon; a geometric fox mask) and enter your password to unlock MetaMask.

Your MetaMask may be out of date

You have an old version of the MetaMask extension installed. Before we can continue, you must install the latest version.

Here’s how:

  • Uninstall (don’t just disable) the existing extension from your browser.
  • Restart your browser.
  • Go to metamask.io and re-install the extension.
  • Come back here and try again!

We know this step is inconvenient, but it’s necessary to make sure this all goes smoothly!

Oops, we need access!

Your MetaMask extension is running, but for privacy purposes you have to allow us to connect to your MetaMask wallet.

Looks like you’re on the test network!

You need to connect to the Main Net before you can continue. Click on your MetaMask icon so the window pops up, then select ‘Main Ethereum Network’ from the dropdown.

Ready to Tip!

How much do you want to tip?

You can adjust either amount to see how much ETH or USD you’ll be sending.

USD ≈ ETH

You can adjust the tip amount in the MetaMask popup window before confirming the transaction.

Author participation in the Popula tipping system is optional; if an author declines to participate in the tipping system, your tip will be refunded to you in full within 60 days.

Confirm Your Tip!

Your MetaMask window has popped up now, and you need to confirm the transaction.

Hit that ‘CONFIRM’ button to make it happen!

Decided not to tip?

Did you reject the transaction by accident? Want to adjust your tip amount? Click here:

Maybe you’re not quite comfortable with this yet?

Hmm, something went wrong.

That transaction didn’t go through for some reason.

Try clicking on the MetaMask button in your browser bar (looks like this: the MetaMask icon; a geometric fox mask) and see if you have any transactions listed at the bottom of the popup. If you don’t see the tip you just tried to leave, then try again:

Or just want to ask us about it? We’ll look into it personally for you.

WOW! THANK YOU!

Thank you so much for your tip, and for your direct support of journalism. The author will appreciate it a lot, and so do all of us at Popula.

Want a receipt?

To see your transaction logged in MetaMask, click the MetaMask button in your browser toolbar—this one: the MetaMask icon; a geometric fox mask—and your transaction will be listed in the popup.

You can also track the transaction on the Etherscan website. It usually takes under a minute to process, and you’ll get a notification from MetaMask when it’s done.

the Etherscan icon; a bar graph on top of a blue and gray circle Track on Etherscan

If you have any questions at all, please let us know!

the Popula logo; a globe with 'POPULA' written diagonally over it Home to Popula, please!
Contact Us

Questions? Problems?

We know this cryptocurrency stuff is new and weird. We’re here to help you understand. Ask us anything!

a line drawing of an envelope with motion lines hey@popula.com
Help: What is ETH?

ETH is Ether, a popular cryptocurrency generated on the Ethereum blockchain.

You’ll need some Ethereum cryptocurrency (ETH) in a MetaMask wallet in order to continue. Currently it’s not possible to use other cryptocurrencies, or in dollars or other fiat currencies.

For a comprehensive FAQ to help get you started, please visit our help page, “How to Tip Your Favorite Authors with Cryptocurrency on Popula!”

If you have any questions at all, please let us know!

OK, let’s activate MetaMask!

Hmm, looks like you don’t have MetaMask activated!

If you know what MetaMask is and have it installed, activate MetaMask and refresh:

If that doesn’t make sense to you, click here:

Please grant us access

The MetaMask window will pop up and ask if you want Popula to have access to your MetaMask. Click the ‘CONFIRM’ button.

Don’t see the MetaMask window? It might have popped up behind this window… Take a look and see if it’s hiding somewhere!

Still can’t find the MetaMask window? Click here to try again:

If you don’t see the MetaMask plugin popup, you may need to click the MetaMask icon in your browser toolbar (looks like this: the MetaMask icon; a geometric fox mask) and enter your password to unlock MetaMask.

Your MetaMask may be out of date

You have an old version of the MetaMask extension installed. Before we can continue, you must install the latest version.

Here’s how:

  • Uninstall (don’t just disable) the existing extension from your browser.
  • Restart your browser.
  • Go to metamask.io and re-install the extension.
  • Come back here and try again!

We know this step is inconvenient, but it’s necessary to make sure this all goes smoothly!

Oops, we need access!

Your MetaMask extension is running, but for privacy purposes you have to allow us to connect to your MetaMask wallet.

You can’t tip yourself…

You can’t conduct a transaction where the source and destination wallet are the same. Sorry! Maybe you need to switch wallets in MetaMask first?

Looks like you’re on the test network!

You need to connect to the Main Net before you can continue. Click on your MetaMask icon so the window pops up, then select ‘Main Ethereum Network’ from the dropdown.

Confirm your transaction!

Your MetaMask window will pop up in a few seconds, and you need to confirm the transaction in order for your payment to go through.

Hit that ‘CONFIRM’ button to make it happen!

Hmm, that comment couldn’t be posted.

Your comment was rejected! Here’s what the computer had to say:

You can try again if you want:

Want to fix that comment?

Maybe you’re not quite comfortable with this yet?

Decided not to comment?

Did you reject the transaction by accident? Click here:

Want to edit your comment first?

Maybe you’re not quite comfortable with this yet?

Hmm, something went wrong.

That transaction didn’t go through for some reason.

Try clicking on the MetaMask button in your browser bar (looks like this: the MetaMask icon; a geometric fox mask) and see if you have any transactions listed at the bottom of the popup. If you don’t see one for the comment you just tried to post, then try again:

Or just want to ask us about it? We’ll look into it personally for you.

COMMENT POSTED!

Comment posted successfully! Refresh the page to see the comment you just made. You’ll also receive an email notification of your transaction.

To see your transaction logged in MetaMask, click the MetaMask button in your browser toolbar—this one: the MetaMask icon; a geometric fox mask—and your transaction will be listed in the popup.

You can also track the transaction on the Etherscan website. It usually takes under a minute to process, and you’ll get a notification from MetaMask when it’s done.

the Etherscan icon; a bar graph on top of a blue and gray circle Track on Etherscan

If you have any questions at all, please let us know!

Ready to Tip!

How much do you want to tip?

You can adjust either amount to see how much ETH or USD you’ll be sending.

USD ≈ ETH

You can adjust the tip amount in the MetaMask popup window before confirming the transaction.

Participation in the Popula comment tipping system is optional.

Decided not to tip?

Did you reject the transaction by accident? Want to adjust your tip amount? Click here:

Maybe you’re not quite comfortable with this yet?

Hmm, something went wrong.

That transaction didn’t go through for some reason.

Try clicking on the MetaMask button in your browser bar (looks like this: the MetaMask icon; a geometric fox mask) and see if you have any transactions listed at the bottom of the popup. If you don’t see the tip you just tried to leave, then try again:

Or just want to ask us about it? We’ll look into it personally for you.

TIP SENT!

Your comment tip has been processed! Thank you so much. The comment author will appreciate it a lot, and so do all of us at Popula.

Want a receipt? (We won’t store your email address.)

To see your transaction logged in MetaMask, click the MetaMask button in your browser toolbar—this one: the MetaMask icon; a geometric fox mask—and your transaction will be listed in the popup.

You can also track the transaction on the Etherscan website. It usually takes under a minute to process, and you’ll get a notification from MetaMask when it’s done.

the Etherscan icon; a bar graph on top of a blue and gray circle Track on Etherscan

If you have any questions at all, please let us know!

Set your wallet address for tips

In order to receive tips on your comments, you must have a wallet address saved. Enter your wallet address below and click ‘Save.’

Or, you can:

If don’t want to accept tips, clear the address and hit ‘Save.’

We’ve automatically filled in the wallet address that you’re currently using in MetaMask. If you just have that one wallet, leave it as is and click ‘Save.’

That wallet address is invalid. It should start with 0x and be 42 characters long.
Hmm, we couldn’t save your wallet address. Try pressing the ‘Save’ button again.
Yay, your wallet address has been saved! You can now accept tips. Close this popup to continue commenting.
You have entered no wallet address, so you cannot accept tips. Close this popup if you're OK with that. Enter a wallet address if you want to accept tips.
Contact Us

Questions? Problems?

We know this cryptocurrency stuff is new and weird. We’re here to help you understand. Ask us anything!

a line drawing of an envelope with motion lines hey@popula.com
Help: What is ETH?

ETH is Ether, a popular cryptocurrency generated on the Ethereum blockchain.

You’ll need some Ethereum cryptocurrency (ETH) in a MetaMask wallet in order to continue. Currently it’s not possible to use other cryptocurrencies, or in dollars or other fiat currencies.

For a comprehensive FAQ to help get you started, please visit our FAQ page.

If you have any questions at all, please let us know!