By Adam Reiser, Cryptographic Pioneer and Web3 Innovator
August 15, 2025
I was building in tech before “crypto” was a word, before the internet had pictures, and before most of today’s blockchain founders were out of diapers. Back then, we weren’t minting tokens—we were fighting mainframes, wrangling TCP/IP into submission, and praying that ASCII-to-EBCDIC conversions didn’t turn our quarterly reports into hieroglyphics.
Now, forty years later, I’m still seeing the same rookie mistakes—only this time, they’re wrapped in billion-dollar blockchain hype. And let me tell you: Web3 has swagger, but it’s still wearing Velcro sneakers.
The Wallet That Lied
Today my blockchain team hit a problem that sums up why crypto still isn’t ready for prime time.
Two Ethereum wallet addresses. Look identical. Both 42 characters with the classic 0x prefix. But here’s the dirty detail:
String 1: 0xAC88646E4Ac8A84A6а02197B0B69a23b86a0b132 String 2: 0xAC88646E4Ac8A84A6a02197B0B69a23b86a0b132
See it? You probably don’t.
String 1 hides a Cyrillic “а” (Unicode U+0430) at position 20. String 2 has a Latin “a” (Unicode U+0061).
They look the same to your eyes—but to the blockchain, they’re as different as my IBM punch cards and your iPhone. One sends your ETH to the right place. The other sends it into the void.
In the ‘80s, this is exactly the kind of chaos you’d get if you skipped EBCDIC-to-ASCII translation. In 2025, it’s the kind of chaos that still makes seasoned engineers groan.
Why Web3 Still Fails the Grandma Test
UX Gaps – Copy-pasting hex strings is like defusing a bomb blindfolded. Where’s the homoglyph detector?
Security Landmines – One invisible swap and your money’s gone. Bad actors love this trick.
Wild West Standards – We solved the ASCII/EBCDIC wars with protocols. Web3’s still in the bar fight stage.
Education Gap – Nobody knows a Latin “a” from a Cyrillic “а.” They shouldn’t have to.
It’s Not All Doom
We are making progress. ENS domains are replacing hex strings. Wallets are getting sleeker. Interfaces are starting to hide the machinery. It’s the same tech arc I’ve seen my whole career: ugly, dangerous, clunky—then smooth, safe, and invisible.
Remember when you had to run FTP in “ASCII mode” or risk data garbage? Nobody thinks about that now. One day, sending crypto will be the same.
The Fix List
- Smarter Validation – Wallets should scream about homoglyphs.
- Human-First Design – Hide raw hex from normal users.
- Safety Education – Teach risks in everyday language.
- Shared Standards – Agree on the rules before mass adoption.
I’ve lived through the shift from mainframes to minicomputers, PCs to the internet, and now the blockchain wave. Every time, the winners weren’t the flashiest—they were the ones who made it safe, simple, and standard. Web3 can get there. But right now? Grandma still isn’t ready to hodl*. *HOLD ON FOR DEAL LIFE
And as the OG in the room, I’m telling you: it’s on us to fix it.
About Adam Reiser
Adam Reiser is a U.S. Navy veteran, entrepreneur, technologist, and eco-warrior. Founder & CEO of Verity One Ltd., he has been building secure, decentralized, and transparent systems since the days of IBM mainframes. The creator of the blockchain-based Nutrient Credit environmental asset class, Adam has worked across certification, supply chain transparency, regulatory tech, oyster reef restoration, and tokenized sustainability. From ASCII/EBCDIC migrations to multi-chain NFT deployments, his mission is to bring truth, trust, and usability to the digital world.