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Two All-Beef Patties and an NFT
McDonald’s proves anything can be an NFT
Most people are still confused by NFTs. They don’t know that the term means “Non-Fungible Tokens.” They have no idea that these are digital items with cryptographic signatures that make them impossible to copy or counterfeit. And they have no idea why some are worth millions of dollars.
If I’m being honest, I have no idea either.
As a student of Fine Art (I had a minor in it in college), I appreciate the works of the masters and am thrilled when I have an opportunity to stand just feet away from Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles or the Mona Lisa. I love to see the paint strokes in person and know that nothing but time separates me from the artists standing before that canvas carefully applying each stroke.
Bedroom in Arles has been endlessly copied, photographed, and reprinted, but there’s only one. If Van Gogh had lived in the age of NFTs, he could have made a digital version, signed it with a cryptographic signature (basically given it an immutable spot on the blockchain), and sold it on Rarible. He could’ve created subtle digital variations, signed those too, and sold them all as NFTs, as well.
Or, since Van Gogh was tragically never recognized as a great artist in his time, he could’ve worked at McDonald’s and whipped up the McRib used for one of 10 animated McRib NFTs (each initially worth $20 or, roughly 0.0046 Ether), which are really just animated trading cards, each with an image of a “delicious” McRib on it.
I’m not making this up. McDonald’s on Monday launched a McRib NFT contest on Twitter. To enter, you need only to retweet the original Tweet…
…and have a Cryptocurrency Wallet (something like Coinbase) where you can accept Ethereum, the lingua franca of NFTs. Did I enter? Of course. I have a tiny wallet and even a fraction of an Ether. I’m as ready as anyone to not hold my NFT winnings in my hands.
