Wikipedia founder’s Strawberry iMac, NFT sold for about Rs 7 crore

New Delhi: Two things - an NFT memorializing Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales's first edit on the website and his personal computer used to programme the platform - has been sold at an auction at a total price of about $1 million. 

Of the two, the NFT (Non-Fungible Token) was sold for $750,000 while the Strawberry iMac was sold for $187,500. The auction was conducted by Christie’s, a British auction house founded centuries ago. 

The NFT which is sold in the JPEG format is an onscreen image of Wales posting the first words, "Hello world." On the other hand, the personal computer - a Strawberry iMac - is the same machine he used “for development and research at the time of the website's launch on January 15, 2001," Christie's said.

According to Christie's, the NFT buyer will be able to edit the page, "which can be reset with a timer to revert to its original state". 

The proceeds of the auction will be used to fund Wales's WT.Social project, a "non-toxic alternative" social media network that aims to rival Meta, Twitter and Snapchat. The social media network runs on an advertising-free model, according to a report by Bloomberg. 

For those uninitiated, NFTs are basically digital assets that represent art, music, videos, and photos, among others. Buyers and sellers usually trade in cryptocurrencies for the sale and purchase of NFTs. Also Read: Mahindra XUV700 SUV imagined as a pickup-truck, looks solid: Check here

In the past few months, the rise of NFTs has given a big boost to artists, actors, and sportspersons, among others. In India, Bollywood stars such as Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan have launched their NFTs. Cricketers such as Yuvraj Singh have also rolled out digital versions of top moments of their life. Also Read: IPO-bound Ola raises $500 million to accelerate future mobility

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