Point systems in crypto have seen a rise in popularity in past months, with major protocols like Eigenlayer and Wormhole incentivizing initial engagement with point distributions to power users. These mechanisms have allowed many projects to bootstrap community engagement and compensate early adopters on their own terms. On the traditional side, loyalty point programs like Starbucks Rewards pale in comparison to the incentives offered by crypto projects, which begs the question: why have cryp...

Point systems in crypto have seen a rise in popularity in past months, with major protocols like Eigenlayer and Wormhole incentivizing initial engagement with point distributions to power users. These mechanisms have allowed many projects to bootstrap community engagement and compensate early adopters on their own terms. On the traditional side, loyalty point programs like Starbucks Rewards pale in comparison to the incentives offered by crypto projects, which begs the question: why have cryp...

Stripe's re-entry into the crypto payments space marks a significant shift in the fintech giant's trajectory. Nearly a decade after its initial flirtation with digital currencies, Stripe announced the comeback of crypto payments, with a focus on stablecoins. This strategic pivot was unveiled during the 'Pay with Crypto' demonstration at Stripe Sessions, their developer conference last week. Does this signal a renewed belief in the potential of tokens enhancing online trans...

Stripe's re-entry into the crypto payments space marks a significant shift in the fintech giant's trajectory. Nearly a decade after its initial flirtation with digital currencies, Stripe announced the comeback of crypto payments, with a focus on stablecoins. This strategic pivot was unveiled during the 'Pay with Crypto' demonstration at Stripe Sessions, their developer conference last week. Does this signal a renewed belief in the potential of tokens enhancing online trans...

The concept of 'retail' in the crypto world is as multifaceted as it is elusive. As the ecosystem matures, pinpointing the arrival of retail investors becomes obscured by a broadening horizon of behaviors and values. The days when crypto could be seen as a monolithic 'we', united by a singular vision, are gone. The growth in adoption has led to a splintering of ideals, with some championing crypto as a vessel for digital freedom, advocating for products that uphold civil l...

The concept of 'retail' in the crypto world is as multifaceted as it is elusive. As the ecosystem matures, pinpointing the arrival of retail investors becomes obscured by a broadening horizon of behaviors and values. The days when crypto could be seen as a monolithic 'we', united by a singular vision, are gone. The growth in adoption has led to a splintering of ideals, with some championing crypto as a vessel for digital freedom, advocating for products that uphold civil l...

AI agents are reshaping human interactions with software. With a few simple prompts, they can independently plan, execute, and critically assess a broad range of tasks. Agents can be defined as software systems that observe and act upon their environment. With recent advancements, agent capabilities have grown by quite a lot. This leap forward in technology is reshaping AI as a force for collective benefit. With this, the infrastructure that should be interoperable, and agents should be viewe...

AI agents are reshaping human interactions with software. With a few simple prompts, they can independently plan, execute, and critically assess a broad range of tasks. Agents can be defined as software systems that observe and act upon their environment. With recent advancements, agent capabilities have grown by quite a lot. This leap forward in technology is reshaping AI as a force for collective benefit. With this, the infrastructure that should be interoperable, and agents should be viewe...

With the rise in digital asset prices in the past few months, many NFTs haven't seen a proportional increase in worth. This trend is multifaceted, as digital assets are now much more dispersed across a variety of blockchains like Bitcoin, Tezos, Solana, and various L2s - diluting their “original” presence on Ethereum. So far, high-value NFTs and pieces one might consider “true art” have been overshadowed. Meanwhile, L2s like Base and Zora have brought in a wave of more casual, nonchalant...

With the rise in digital asset prices in the past few months, many NFTs haven't seen a proportional increase in worth. This trend is multifaceted, as digital assets are now much more dispersed across a variety of blockchains like Bitcoin, Tezos, Solana, and various L2s - diluting their “original” presence on Ethereum. So far, high-value NFTs and pieces one might consider “true art” have been overshadowed. Meanwhile, L2s like Base and Zora have brought in a wave of more casual, nonchalant...

As builders and advocates in the blockchain space, it’s easy to divorce ourselves from the rest of the world. For those truly invested in the growth of the crypto economy, however, it’s hard to ignore the massive role that macro conditions can play on the development of tech in the space. With election season just around the corner, and this presidential election gearing up to be the most consequential one for the future of crypto, the recent article from Blockworks set off a powder keg on so...

As builders and advocates in the blockchain space, it’s easy to divorce ourselves from the rest of the world. For those truly invested in the growth of the crypto economy, however, it’s hard to ignore the massive role that macro conditions can play on the development of tech in the space. With election season just around the corner, and this presidential election gearing up to be the most consequential one for the future of crypto, the recent article from Blockworks set off a powder keg on so...

Blockchain networks are churning out memecoins by the millions. How should traditional investors value them? The crypto market is in a Meme Spring. In the month of April alone, 640,000 tokens, virtually all memecoins, were launched on Solana. Many of the most popular crypto projects, like pump.fun and rug.fun, center on memecoins. Proponents are praising memecoins for injecting playfulness and collective joy into a ‘Dying Internet.’ Detractors are dismissing them as zero sum dopamine hits tha...

Blockchain networks are churning out memecoins by the millions. How should traditional investors value them? The crypto market is in a Meme Spring. In the month of April alone, 640,000 tokens, virtually all memecoins, were launched on Solana. Many of the most popular crypto projects, like pump.fun and rug.fun, center on memecoins. Proponents are praising memecoins for injecting playfulness and collective joy into a ‘Dying Internet.’ Detractors are dismissing them as zero sum dopamine hits tha...

Note: This piece was originally published by ChrisF. Highly recommend giving him a follow, and check out the original article here. “We shape our tools and then our tools shape us. The medium is the message. This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium - that is, of any extension of ourselves - result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs” - Marshall McLuhanIntroductionMcLuhan would be disappointed by how we are thinking about AI-enabled media...

Note: This piece was originally published by ChrisF. Highly recommend giving him a follow, and check out the original article here. “We shape our tools and then our tools shape us. The medium is the message. This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium - that is, of any extension of ourselves - result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs” - Marshall McLuhanIntroductionMcLuhan would be disappointed by how we are thinking about AI-enabled media...

Chris Pan's debacle on stage at Ohio State’s 2024 commencement was truly an introspective moment for the entire crypto community. Despite many projects hitting ATHs and major breakthroughs in the traditional financial industry such as the approval of the Bitcoin ETF in nations across the world, crypto is still far from mainstream adoption. Though CT might want to solely attribute the blame to a combination of bad press from traditional media, lack of education, and non-believers having l...

Chris Pan's debacle on stage at Ohio State’s 2024 commencement was truly an introspective moment for the entire crypto community. Despite many projects hitting ATHs and major breakthroughs in the traditional financial industry such as the approval of the Bitcoin ETF in nations across the world, crypto is still far from mainstream adoption. Though CT might want to solely attribute the blame to a combination of bad press from traditional media, lack of education, and non-believers having l...

Lattice has taken a bold step into the future of gaming with the launch of its Optimism Plasma chain, Redstone, offering a robust toolset for creating autonomous worlds and advanced onchain games. This stack, which also powers things like Base and Zora, has been optimized specifically for gaming applications. Redstone has hit the mainnet with a bang, bringing with it the promise of high-performance gaming experiences fully onchain, low transaction costs included. Redstone mirrors the ambition...

Lattice has taken a bold step into the future of gaming with the launch of its Optimism Plasma chain, Redstone, offering a robust toolset for creating autonomous worlds and advanced onchain games. This stack, which also powers things like Base and Zora, has been optimized specifically for gaming applications. Redstone has hit the mainnet with a bang, bringing with it the promise of high-performance gaming experiences fully onchain, low transaction costs included. Redstone mirrors the ambition...

As the U.S. grapples with a ballooning deficit, stablecoins continue to emerge as the dollar’s savior. The nation's debt has soared to levels that many deem unsustainable. With the economy near full employment, the government's persistent deficit paints a somewhat dark fiscal picture. The current monetary system shows cracks, but the political will to address this through spending cuts or tax hikes seems absent regardless of the administration. As monetary policy’s effects dwindle a...

As the U.S. grapples with a ballooning deficit, stablecoins continue to emerge as the dollar’s savior. The nation's debt has soared to levels that many deem unsustainable. With the economy near full employment, the government's persistent deficit paints a somewhat dark fiscal picture. The current monetary system shows cracks, but the political will to address this through spending cuts or tax hikes seems absent regardless of the administration. As monetary policy’s effects dwindle a...

The relationship between protocols and clients is tricky. After FarCon, some recent thoughts from @0xDesigner have sparked debates throughout the Farcaster and broader decentralized social communities. 0xDesigner @0xDesigner ironically leaving farcon more bearish on farcaster. the protocol wants to compete and win at the client level. clients want to win and avoid being dependent on the protocol. all roads lead to winner take all. what’s the point? 364 1:06 PM • May 5, 2024 Will Farcaster&apo...

The relationship between protocols and clients is tricky. After FarCon, some recent thoughts from @0xDesigner have sparked debates throughout the Farcaster and broader decentralized social communities. 0xDesigner @0xDesigner ironically leaving farcon more bearish on farcaster. the protocol wants to compete and win at the client level. clients want to win and avoid being dependent on the protocol. all roads lead to winner take all. what’s the point? 364 1:06 PM • May 5, 2024 Will Farcaster&apo...