Another month is in the books. Wow, 2020 has really gone by really fast, and considering all of what this year has brought upon us, we are eager to welcome 2021 already, but not without ending 2020 on a high note by fully funding the first home since the start of the project.

https://twitter.com/NewStoryCharity/status/1278406248107515904?s=20

As the homes in El Espino community in El Salvador continue to be built, the One More Home Project continues as active as ever in the effort of funding one of these homes and two additional ones in the two following years.

Teaming Up with Mr.Puckett

Web monetization is allowing us to find new friends across the different platforms that have joined the Coil family. Earlier this month, we teamed up with Mr. Puckett, my favorite Imgurian, to raise awareness about the work of New Story Charity.

It all started when Mr. Puckett took it to Twitter to ask his followers to do a “help the helpers” challenge where the charity with the most likes would get a $100 donation from him.

https://twitter.com/ImgurMrPuckett/status/1297608885226930183?s=20

So I decided to mention New Story Charity...

...which thanks to the awesome support from the XRP Community ended up being the winner of the challenge and recipient of the $100 donation, which was also matched by our great friend RTB in XRP!

https://twitter.com/ImgurMrPuckett/status/1297954227826892801?s=20

But the party didn't stop there...Mr. Puckett added New Story Charity in one of his famous Feel Nice. Nice. Imgur posts!

https://twitter.com/ImgurMrPuckett/status/1298666807725875201?s=20

So a big thanks to Mr. Puckett (be sure to check out his Imgur profile and follow him) and everyone involved in this awesome act of kindness!

https://media.giphy.com/media/26gsjCZpPolPr3sBy/giphy.gif

One More Home in Figures

As every month, here are some interesting facts and figures around the progress of the One More Home project so far:

Micro-donations: 23425 XRP Tips

XRP raised via micro-donations and direct deposits: 37619,80643

XRP raised via ILP deposits (Coil streams and boosts): 21553.462315

Current XRP Balance Tip Bot: 0.1 XRP

Current XRP Balance XRPL Address: 42151.931745 (+9000 on escrow)

XRP converted to USD and sent to New Story on previous setup: 710

Transfers made to New Story

As we have committed to already fund one home for a family in need in 2020, the process of transferring the funds to New Story has already started. For this, we are leveraging on the escrow feature of the XRPL to schedule

In 2019, we also had a fiat fundraising campaign which is also included in the funding for the 2020 home.

USD via 2019 campaign page: US$3425.00

XRP already transferred: 8000 XRP (US$2263.62)

Transferred so far worth: US$5.688,62

In escrow: 9000 XRP to be released to New Story in 3 payments of 3000 XRP each over the next three months. The final payment to reach the $10,000 commitment will be made 1st of December.

Totals and Funding Status

Total XRP Raised to Date*: 59173.268745 (US$16736.86)

Total Fiat Raised to Date: US$3425

Total Worth:

Which means, the goal of the project (US$30000) is currently 67.2% funded. In other words, as per XRP prices at the time of writing, we have two out of the three homes fully funded! 🎉

*Not including 710 XRP exchanged for USD and sent to New Story in 2019

Header Photo by New Story Charity

As a Web-Monetization enthusiast and Coil member, I've made my move and switched the default browser in my mobile from Chrome to Puma. I must say, I'm quite happy I've done so not only because I get to browse the web from a Web-Monetization powerhouse, but because of many other reasons I've come to discover along the way. Let's get to it!

Its Look & Feel

The main reason I like Puma is its overall look and feel. Its startup page -and more specifically its Collections feature- has quickly become my web surfing's best friend. It took me no time to get used to it. I just set up a number of collections based on my daily browsing, et voilá, my browsing in my mobile drastically improved. In fact, I find the Collections feature so genius I think legacy browsers should also have such a way of organizing my most visited websites, or those I want to keep easily reachable.

In Puma's startup page, the Collections are conveniently displayed just below the open tabs and the Top Sites, which you can also customize for easy access from the browser's settings.

Here's a screenshot of the startup page of Puma browser, and how I have arranged my Collections for quick access.

Also on the startup page, there are two additional groups of websites displayed. First, just below the Collections, there is a featured web monetization sites compilation which showcases some of the top websites that are web-monetized that you may or may not be aware of. And right below, at the bottom of the page, there is a set of resources to help you keep up with the latest about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its Privacy Focus

“I love being bombarded with ads and to be tracked while surfing the web” said no one ever. Featuring the possibility of choosing your search engine among different options, including privacy friendly Duck Duck Go and my absolute favorite, Runnaroo (ICYMI, Runnaroo is a Coil enabled privacy focused search engine, how cool is that !?!?!). By enabling these options Puma Browser places privacy at the forefront for a better user experience.

https://twitter.com/runnaroo/status/1298629413140144130?s=20

Charity Mode ON

Another of my favorite features of Puma is that as a Coil member I can stream payments to charitable efforts when visiting websites that are not Web-Monetized, or as Puma described it in their Charity Mode overview in their Devpost profile:

Stream money to charity of your choice while browsing addictive sites like FB and Reddit so you don't feel as bad.

This is an awesome and unique feature, (actually was awarded as a winner during the Xpring DeFi Hackathon) that currently allows you to select the charity out of three options, to which you wish to stream donations to, which you can change at any time in the settings.

Current choices for Charity Mode are The Good Souls Group, Internet Archive and Visiting Researchers.

Getting Involved

Sure enough as a fairly new browser still in BETA, things may not run perfectly from day one. But how can things get improved if these are not widely tested out? Contributing to the development of Puma by using it every chance I get was a very rewarding reason to set it up as my default browser.

With Puma Browser, in the XRP Community we have the luxury of having a tailor-made web browser that supports web-monetization and adds value to the ecosystem by showcasing another use case for XRP. From my experience the folks at Puma are really appreciative and very open to feedback.

For those of us who may not have the technical background, but still want to help build a better internet via Web.Monetization, I believe we can do so fulfilling different roles: as advocates, content creators or in this case as BETA users of Web-Monetization focused applications. I can’t help but invite you to join me in becoming part of this fascinating story.

Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash

Despite 2020 being such a challenging year, there hasn't been a single month since the COVID-19 pandemic started where there hasn't been at least a step forward for the One More Home project. And July marked a pretty big one. Perhaps more than a step, a leap forward, even.

New Story, the nonprofit organization the One More Home project supports, announced they are now accepting donations directly in cryptocurrency, including XRP. This means all XRP raised so far will be sent directly to their XRPL wallet without having to exchange to fiat first as in our previous setup.

https://twitter.com/NewStoryCharity/status/1278738214107439104?s=20

The tweet by New Story announcing the exciting news.

The way New Story has decided to explore cryptocurrency is remarkable. They have set up their own wallets on-chain themselves rather than going with exchanges or service providers, and are turning to the crypto communities to explore this space further. Here is the link to their blog post and the announcement:

https://newstorycharity.org/2020/06/three-reasons-were-now-accepting-cryptocurrency/

*One More Home in Figures*As every month, here are some interesting facts and figures around the progress of the One More Home campaign so far:

Micro-donations: 23371 XRP Tips

XRP raised via micro-donations and direct deposits: 37159.626743

XRP raised via ILP deposits (Coil streams and boosts): 21553.462315

Current XRP Balance Tip Bot: 0 XRP

Current XRP Balance XRPL Address: 52,463.89058

XRP converted to USD and sent to New Story on previous setup: 710

Donations made to New Story

USD via 2019 campaign page: US$3425.00

XRP transferred: 5000 XRP

Totals and Funding Status

Total XRP Raised to Date*: *57463.089058 (US$14022.83)*

Total Fiat Raised to Date:

Total Worth:

Which means, the goal of the project US$30000 is currently 58,15% funded.

*Not including 710 XRP exchanged for USD and sent to New Story in 2019

What's Next?

The motivation and energy to fulfill the commitment of funding three homes in the next three years remains intact. On the second half of the year the focus will be to continue to raise funds through the proceeds from this blog and community contributions, while optimizing the XRP deposits towards New Story so that the goal of funding this year's home is achieved by spending the least amount of XRP possible, by leveraging on price action.

I can't wrap up this update without thanking the amazing XRP Community for their generosity and support since the beginning of the project. 2020 has been a wild ride but you can rest assured that it will not end without helping build one more home for a family in need.

Header Photo by Faris Mohammed on Unsplash

The Web Monetization ecosystem keeps growing at an exciting pace as the world quickly discovers that it's possible to monetize content, websites and services without having to track users or sell their data to the highest bidder. To the Coil enabled browsers like Puma, and awesome social media platforms like gFam and MG.Social we now can add a search engine to the list of forward-thinking projects pioneering Web-Monetization: Runnaroo.

Runnaroo is aiming to become a better search engine and as part of the efforts to achieve that, they have recently announced they are trying out enabling Coil. This allows them to take a different approach to monetization and potentially become one of the legacy search engines given the advantage of ad-free, privacy focused web browsing.

https://twitter.com/runnaroo/status/1284487164592611328?s=20

The tweet where Runnaroo announced their Coil tests.

I had a first glance into Runnaroo and was really surprised not only by how fast the results turned out, but also by how clean this search engine looks. As a big fan of simplicity, it didn't take long before I set Runnaroo as my default search engine.

Runnaroo has a very clean and intuitive interface. With web results to the left and general information on your search term to the right of the screen.

New Features

One of the things that called my attention is all the new features and updates Runnaroo keeps coming up with, specially the dark mode for a night-owl like me and the possibility to apply date filters to your searches.

https://twitter.com/runnaroo/status/1283101623900872707?s=20

Runnaroo As Default Search Engine

There is no best way to support Runnaroo than by widely using it, and to do this, you can also set it up as your default search engine in your web browser, for example through their extension in Firefox recently released.

https://twitter.com/runnaroo/status/1283065182403678210?s=20

...or in the settings directly for Brave:

https://twitter.com/runnaroo/status/1282343290076094464?s=20

Also for our Brave fans out there, Runnaroo is also a Brave verified creator, so you can definitely support this project by tipping them in BAT.

Runnaroo on Social Media

Did you know Runnaroo has a profile right here in Coil? You can check it out here.

You can also follow Runnaroo on Twitter as they keep their followers updated with all the exciting features that are being added to the browser along the way. And if you're a Web-Monetization enthusiast like me, you can also help spread the word about this awesome new addition to the Coil Fam.

https://twitter.com/runnaroo

https://twitter.com/runnaroo

Photo by Agence Olloweb on Unsplash

Note: I am excited to highlight projects that choose Web Monetization as their revenue models and as new ways to improve their user experience. Runnaroo has not approached me or compensated me for this write-up in any way.

For some reason I have always pictured the XRP Community as a giant gathering of ones and zeros, where the zeros are those community members who have joined only to take from it without adding any value, by doing stuff like inducing unsubstantiated hopium and build unrealistic expectations just to fill particular agendas like build a following. The ones, on the other hand, have joined to contribute in building either a healthy community or a more robust XRP Ledger, depending on their motivation, skills and background. With time, it has become easier to distinguish between the two.

This week, I wish to show my appreciation to what I think is the most important group of individuals and teams within the ones: The XRPL Developers. From bringing the XRPL closer to mainstream users, to developing business intelligence applications for institutions to use when the time comes, the XRPL Devs have spent years relentlessly building on top of the XRPL regardless of price action, specially during this long crypto winter.

As part of this appreciation week, I will be focusing my activity here in the blog and on Twitter in highlighting the awesome work being done by the XRPL devs, including my learnings from writing the XRPLORE series, as well as an updated list of projects and a few other surprises.

To these amazing folks from which I have learned so much over the last month, my utmost respect and admiration.

Investing in the XRP Community Fund

As part of this Appreciation Week, the very first thing I would like to do is to contribute with the XRP Community Fund and share part of my Coil Boost payout from last month by investing 1000 XRP in the Fund. The XRP Community Fund is a fully incorporated official foundation, registered in The Netherlands on a mission to support building on the XRP Ledger and foster the use of XRP for payments.

As a XRP enthusiast and hodler, I don't really see this as a donation, but as a small investment, as I know these funds will be in good hands and will be used to improve one of my favorite projects in the crypto space.

Here is the link to the 1000 XRP payment sent over to the XRP Community Fund 💸🎉:

https://bithomp.com/explorer/E50FD2E6F8A259F764993B2E7CF92821445C2C54ECE83C2282ED6AA78AC76FF4

Get Involved

Would like to join me in XRPL Devs Appreciation Week? Here are a few things you can do:

✔️ I have put together a list on Twitter named XRPL Devs, you can give a follow to all the projects and developers in the list, or follow the list itself (Sorry if I have missed anyone, the list is work in progress). I find it mind boggling that riddlers and cartoon bears have more followers than our Devs, we need to set that straight!

✔️ If you are writing on Coil, you can dedicate one of your posts this week to your favorite XRPL Project or the projects in general to raise awareness.

✔️ If you can, donate some Zerps to the XRP Community Fund.

✔️ Let's sport a hashtag on our socials this week to show our support. How about:

Of course, the objective of appreciation week is to help raise awareness within the XRP Community about the work being done on the XRPL by these amazing teams and individuals far beyond the next days, so I hope you join me in making some noise.

Photo by Alexander Sinn on Unsplash

Another week is almost in the books and another batch of memes is out of the oven. For 3rd week in a row, I have created a few Coil themed memes hoping these bring a laugh as we kick start the 2nd half of 2020. I don't know about you but I have this weird perception of time for this year so far as I feel it has gone by so fast and taken forever at the same time. How is that even possible?

Anyway, picking up from last week's memes post, I am thrilled to bring you a few new memes which are also inspired by the experience of creating and consuming content here in Coil. I think the fact that I have been able to come up with Coil specific memes for three weeks straight (And I have even more in the pipeline) talks about how vibrant, unique and lively this community is.

By the way, if you would like to share any of these memes either from today's post or the previous ones on your Coil posts or on your socials, please feel free to do so! I am happy to share these with everyone, specially if it brings a smile to their face.

Wishing all a good weekend ahead. Stay safe, stay healthy and be excellent to each other!

Isn't it an amazing feeling, when you cross paths with an exceptional person along your journey exactly when you need it? Or even better, exactly when the world needs it? Whatever the outcome, from a happily ever after to a lifetime friendship or the dose of inspiration you need in a given moment of your life, these whims of fate that bring you in touch with the right person at the right time, are definitely something to be thankful for.

Today I want to take part in the Coil Gratitude Challenge and express how thankful I am for all those that have somehow marked, shaped, helped, taught, or inspired me to be a better person. And I wish to do so by sharing my latest experience of this kind just over the last few days.

On May 31st, a tropical storm (Amanda) hit my home country El Salvador, killing 27 people and damaging as many as 30,000 homes. As the storm arrived in the middle of a strict lockdown (El Salvador has some of the strictest measures in place in the world, even suspending public transport), its effect on thousands of families already deprived of their daily income was much more demoralizing and devastating than any storm or hurricane we have had in the past (and we've had quite a few).

The impact of having a pandemic and a tropical storm hit us at the same time made many families to go out to the side of the streets waving white flags, to ask for aid for those transiting through. A desperate cry for help that started soon after the lockdown and became a common scene throughout the country due to the storm, as if we are at war against nature:

https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1266088910104510466?s=20

I don't live in El Salvador right now, but in my networks, I started seeing and hearing about efforts from friends, family and contacts raising funds to help families that were impacted by the pandemic and the storm. I don't think I have ever seen so many initiatives being launched in parallel in my country.

I truly believe in the power of social media, so I started sharing in my socials about the different fundraisers launched by people I know and fully trust, including this GoFundMe initiative started by my aunt and my cousins to help two families rebuild their homes after losing everything to tropical storm Amanda.

https://twitter.com/rramentoll/status/1268471513906327553?s=20

I was moved by the awesome response by my friends in the XRP Community towards that campaign as they had 0 doubt (pun intended) to help with donations, retweets, and words of support.

I was blown away specially by one of those exceptional persons I've had the pleasure to come across with during our XRP journey, who took an extra step and reached out to know more about what had happened, and immediately motivated me to take further action while offering their generous support to help more affected families with their immediate needs and to help them get back on their feet.

We started exchanging and putting a plan in place with several ideas in mind, for both short and mid term as the economy slowly opens up again, and shortly after this amazing person generously sent funds my way to help give this mini project a go.

I remembered that a few days earlier, my sister told me she had raised funds with her friends and had sent them to my parents so they could help some of the families impacted. I told my friend about it and we quickly decided to join forces, so I sent the funds to my parents in El Salvador.

Altogether, we raised enough to prepare basic consumer good baskets for four families that would help them for the following two weeks. Each basket contained food like soups, pasta, corn flour, beans, oil and also items like soap, detergent, tooth paste, matches and hand disinfectant, all bought in small shops to also support them.

Preparing to deliver to the families.

The positive impact of the funds sent to El Salvador was double as the groceries were purchased in small local shops.

The man with the red had is my dad, delivering the much needed help to one of the families.

The baskets, delivered in the outskirts of the city of Santa Ana to four families that have been severely impacted by the economic downturn, are what is known as a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) since they did not expect anyone to come and help them. As there are no social programs in place in countries like El Salvador for these crisis, and these families have been cut off their incomes and the possibility to work, RAKs are all these families can count on.

This was awesome teamwork involving people living in different countries -and continents, even- where not everyone knows each other but it didn't stop them to work hand in hand to help those who need it the most. The baskets were delivered to the families on father's day in El Salvador (June 17th), hoping this could bring hope and relief to dads struggling to provide for their families in these difficult situations.

For the next phase of the project, we are aiming to come up with more sustainable support for these families that achieves more than covering basic, immediate needs.

To all the awesome people going out of their way to help those in need and to inspire others to take action: Thank you (and please never stop crossing paths in this journey).

Header Photo by Kevin Gent on Unsplash

This mini project has just gotten started, and the sky is the limit. If you'd like to help don't hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter!