ghost in the dotted land

Enterprise Blockchain // Advisor @KylixFinance @G6Network // DV Cohort #1 // Fmr Talisman/Signet

[ghost in the dotted land @replghost]

Taiwan has the highest JAM per capita of anywhere in the world! @Polkadot

Two local teams (of the 35 total) are building clients for this next generation protocol!

And the room is packed at the @pala_labs JAM tour at @taiwan_tech!

[ghost in the dotted land @replghost]

@KarimJDDA Elit3

[ghost in the dotted land @replghost]

🧐

[ghost in the dotted land @replghost]

@Joseptec @Web3foundation Here is their product: https://t.co/awiBbj3fgD - it mentions open source on the website

[Daniel Cukier @danicuki]

I just created a PR to add some @polkadot JAM related data to the @ElectricCapital Developer Report. This report methodology required that every team self claim their participation into specific Ecosystems. I saw many missing Polkadot repos in the list - including the Graypaper repo. I strongly suggest that all @polkadot devs make PRs like this one to make sure we appear strong in the next report that comes out by the end of the year.

Only public repos are allowed, so many jam related stuff still remains under the radar until JAM prize submissions open.

https://t.co/pbaR8O4i5F

[ghost in the dotted land @replghost]

@xcjeeper 🏈 or ⚽️?

[OpenZeppelin @OpenZeppelin]

We're excited to announce our expanding collaboration with @Polkadot 🎆

This year, smart contracts are coming to Polkadot!

And we’re shipping contracts libraries, development tools, and parachain runtimes that will power builders across the entire Polkadot ecosystem👇

[Daniel Cukier @danicuki]

1 - Being a long-term builder doesn’t mean the treasury should fund someone indefinitely. Every serious project needs a path to sustainability—whether through market fit, revenue, external investment, or token offerings. Innovation is vital, but so is viability.

2 - With any proposal, the size of the ask matters. Treasury is a limited resource. Every call for funding must come with a clear sense of ROI to the ecosystem. That’s not easy to measure, but it’s a challenge we need to face—together—with honesty and care.

3 - And perhaps most importantly, we as an ecosystem need to get better at discussing strategy. Without shared strategic goals, DV votes become fragmented units of decision-making—coherent individually, maybe, but lacking collective direction. Without alignment, we risk reacting instead of building toward a common vision.

[PolkaWorld @polkaworld_org]

📊 Here’s a summary of PolkaWorld’s OpenGov voting decisions for this week — shared with the community.

#1526 Subsquid (SQD) – ❌ NAY
https://t.co/TE0Cq9l8lg

Not a public good infra. Already tokenized, charges ecosystem teams. Questionable utility & unclear value.

#1531 Polkadot Ecology Research Institute – ✅ AYE (after initial NAY)
https://t.co/aqvTmvuS0k

We raised concerns on metrics, vague KPIs, exaggerated numbers & past delivery.

Team responded with clearer OKRs and budget. We support quality Chinese content — with accountability.

#1535 PoKe Berlin Extension – ❌ NAY
https://t.co/BbhL7VnADI

Too vague. Key info missing.
What differs from their DF grant? Where’s the proof of traction? What happens if MoUs don’t convert? Treasury deserves clarity.

#1538 Bifrost vDOT Liquidity Loan – ✅ AYE
https://t.co/YvXqq1Pieb

Track record of repaying Treasury loans + 6% yield.
Clear design. Cross-chain LSD infra. Low-risk, high-return move for the DOT economy.

#1539 JAM China Academy – ✅ AYE
https://t.co/A6PdDH9aab

The most detailed, cost-efficient proposal we’ve seen this month.
Clear strategic value. Strong founders. $22.8/hr vs ecosystem avg of $100/hr.
Grassroots JAM education across China, self-funded until now. Respect.

🤔 Reflections from this week’s proposal reviews:

One observation that stood out is the significant disparity in labor costs across regions. In many Asian proposals, we’ve seen hourly rates around $20/hour, while in Western contexts, there seems to be an unspoken baseline of $100/hour, regardless of whether the role is full-time or part-time.

This raises an important question: Should the @Polkadot Treasury consider establishing guidelines or benchmarks for labor costs? After all, the Treasury is not a bottomless fund — and we believe it should retain the ability to negotiate and assess value fairly across the ecosystem.

From another perspective, it’s also clear that some proposals could be delivered more cost-effectively. This leads us to a second question: Should we encourage competitive bidding for certain categories of work?

To illustrate this, a team once messaged us claiming their proposed scope was essentially one-tenth the cost of another proposal (specifically, one submitted by Conor Daly), offering what they framed as a more efficient alternative.

In cases like this, if multiple teams are able to bid on similar outcomes, the Polkadot DAO may be better positioned to select the most effective and sustainable path forward — rather than feeling locked into a single accepted proposal and dismissing all subsequent efforts.

These are just thoughts for further discussion as we continue to explore how OpenGov can balance fairness, efficiency, and long-term impact.

At the end of the day, treasury ≠ charity. It’s the engine of Polkadot’s future.
We vote with a mix of caution & vision.
Let’s fund wisely, grow boldly.

[Daniel Cukier @danicuki]

We’ve noticed some concern about the number of NAY votes coming from JAM DAO members in OpenGov. It’s a valid observation—and worth talking about.

Speaking for myself—not necessarily all DAO members—I see this not as gatekeeping, but as a call for higher standards and dialog.

As @gavofyork said (and I agree), @Polkadot thrives when it supports missionaries, not mercenaries. Builders who are here for the long run—not just chain-hopping for the next grant.

Funding is essential, of course. But so is clarity of purpose and the ability to communicate it. If a proposal can’t convince its closest peers, it’s hard to imagine it gaining traction in the broader market.

I’m always open to honest dialogue and improving proposals. A NAY vote is not a closed door—it’s often an invitation to refine and come back stronger.

Let’s keep building—together.

[PolkaWorld @polkaworld_org]

🗳️ This week, PolkaWorld reviewed and voted on 10 Treasury proposals across infra, gaming, education, music, and branding.

Here’s our voting summary 👇

✅ AYE:

#1504 PolkaBiz (248K)
#1513 Talisman Funding Recovery (598K)
#1516 IBP Bounty Top-Up (1.03M DOT)

❌ NAY:

#1500 Porsche Sponsorship (295K)
#1505 SportStake Wallet Marketing (272K)
#1506 Artist Education Program (316K)
#1509 SAGE Game Engine (80K)
#1517 GL+1 Music Panel Series (388K)
#1518 Incognitee Privacy Sidechain (201K)
#1523 Humanoid Robot SDK (618K)

🧭 Common reasons for NAY:

– Unclear goals / misaligned with current Polkadot priorities
– Vague or incomplete budgets
– Risk of offloading operational costs onto the Treasury
– Overlap with existing ecosystem tools

🌱 Why we said AYE:

– Clear, verifiable deliverables
– Addresses ecosystem gaps
– Transparent budgeting
– Measurable milestones & impact metrics

📣 We encourage all proposers to offer more clarity so the community can make informed decisions. A “NAY” vote isn’t a rejection—it’s part of long-term, constructive growth 💪

Want to see our detailed comments? Check the comments on [Subsquare/Polkassembly].

💬 Join our open TG to discuss proposals & stay updated: https://t.co/llYwy06Aip

[Tiến Nguyễn Khắc @TienNguyenK]

Users seldom realise most DApps aren't truly decentralised as they're dependent on trusted RPCs.

#Polkadot lets you connect to secured light-clients running directly on your machine!

And now, DApp builders can access that power with just a few LoC using #ReactiveDOT & #PAPI.

[#Lily M @lily_mendz]

Deep in the trenches, the work has been non-stop.

This year, Polkadot will enable smart contract execution in Solidity v0.8.0+.

Here’s what you need to know.

A thread on the progress, testing timeline, and key features of the initial launch.

(1)

[Luke @luke_fishman]

🚨 The JAM Prize is a genius move by @Polkadot .

A lot of people don’t see it yet, but when they do, it’ll be too late.

Here’s why it’s one of the best incentive structures in crypto right now. 🧵👇

[ghost in the dotted land @replghost]

@KarimJDDA @kusamanetwork @bkchr @tuxkimo If we paid a higher price before does this update give us a refund????

[ghost in the dotted land @replghost]

@KarimJDDA @kampela_signer A second option is the DF-funded Kwikbit by @celadari_dev, but I believe this is in progress rather than released already:

https://t.co/UP0gW2SKdT

[ghost in the dotted land @replghost]

I believe one that is currently in use is the Kalatori plugin from the @kampela_signer team:

"With Kalatori, we intend to fix that, and deliver to the community a set of free, opensource plugins for the major eCommerce engines which would allow shop owners to receive both AssetHub-powered and “chain-native” tokens in exchange for the goods/services they are selling, without having to trust their money to any intermediaries in the process."

This was funded in Ref 370:
https://t.co/gFE4JCWwoW

[ghost in the dotted land @replghost]

@elmerlopeztech Script

[Polkadot @Polkadot]

As a thank you to our community, we're giving away 50X LEDGER FLEXES!

Yes, FIFTY! 5-0!

$250 value each. E-Ink touchscreen. Secure Element Chip. Only the best for you... Enter NOW 👇

1️⃣ Follow @Polkadot & @Ledger
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Good luck!