The field of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and cryptocurrencies is incredibly fast-changing, a moving target, and therefore difficult to write about. So much of it is, also, a fantastic scam. As I write this, the entire crypto and NFT marketplace is in free fall, collapsing. Trillions of dollars of perceived value have dissolved overnight; many investors, both small and large-scale, have been fleeced.

Of course, the most well-known cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin and Ethereum, have already weathered a number of die-offs and resurrections. It may be the case again this time. Despite all of the financial skullduggery and craven greed, the underlying technology of blockchain — including NFTs, smart contracts, alt coins, and decentralized…