ETHChicagoans,

As we swing fully into spring, the Ethereum ecosystem continues its growth. In the past month, we have seen notable increases in activity in the Base L2 ecosystem, led by memecoins (or is it scenecoins?) like $DEGEN. Farcaster continues to be the hub of the web3 social movement. Innovative experiments in community building, like the DEGEN tipping mechanism, are getting their start on Farcaster.

Josh Cornelius

@joshcrnls

people seem to like my scenecoin language so decided to canonize it...

The Scenecoin Opportunity

The memecoin opportunity is now well understood, but the emerging scenecoin opportunity less so. In both cases the token is the product, but how they derive their value and how you…

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2:47 AM • Apr 11, 2024

On the regulatory front, the recently announced Wells Notice against Uniswap by the SEC shows that there is work to be done in Washington to get blockchain-based finance aligned with legacy frameworks. The recently announced Illinois Blockchain Coalition, led by our Legal Lead, Nelson Rosario (@NelsonMRosario), is a great way to get involved. The web3 movement will continue to run amok with regulators without more legal clarity from Washington. It's up to us to make sure that happens.

Here are your headlines from the ETHChicago team:

1. Capture the Flag at CypherCon

2. Upcoming Events

3. Creator Spotlight: Twinrafters

4. What We're Reading

Capture the Flag at Cyphercon

The ETHChicago team put on a show at Cyphercon in Milwaukee last week! The innovative Capture the Flag event was a huge success. Here's a rundown by Amy, our new Volunteer Coordinator and Cyberjam OG:

ETHChicago’s Capture the Flag (CTF) booth at CypherCon MKE was an outstanding success, thanks to the sponsorship of ETHChicago, Vennity, Craft the Future and Cyberjam. The CTF booth stood out, offering a blend of hacking challenges, code-breaking, live music, and engaging hacker-centric events. Cyberjam’s Cat vs Dog CTF minted tons of flags. Thank you Patrick Collins for the game inspiration. Special thanks goes to Cullah, Nori Zkitty, Tippi, Thomas, and all the volunteers who contributed at the blockchain village. Their efforts made the Capture the Flag booth a huge success!

You can still check out the action and compete. https://cyberjam.ethchicago.xyz/

Upcoming Events

The ETHChicago team continues its ongoing partnership with 1871. Here are our two flagship events for the month:

April 17 - Web3 Innovation Summit

This month, 1871's inaugural web3 innovation lab wraps up with demo day, where 8 web3 innovative projects will present in front of investors, corporate leaders, and enthusiasts. ETHChicago community members will also be speaking on key panels throughout the day.

Web3 Innovation Summit

1871's Web3 Innovation Lab is for early startups, growth-scalers, corporates, and VCs to solve the industry hurdles with tech together.

https://1871.com

April 25 - For the Culture: The State of Onchain Media and Art

After that, crypto OGs Cyrus Younessi (@cyy.eth) and Willea Zwey (@WillZwey) stop by 1871 to drop some alpha on the state of onchain media and art.

For The Culture: The State of Onchain Media and Art · Luma

Join us for an insightful evening that bridges the past, present, and future of onchain media and art. "For the Culture" is a groundbreaking event designed to explore the evolution,...

https://lu.ma

For a full list of upcoming community events and to submit your own event, check out our Luma calendar below:

ETHChicago Events · Events Calendar

View and subscribe to events from ETHChicago Events on Luma.

https://lu.ma

Creator Spotlight: Twinrafters

Ceargio Bagenda, known by the alias Twinrafters, was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1993. He immigrated to the United States at the age of five, seeking refuge from civil conflict, and discovered his passion for creative expression through visual arts, finding immense joy and liberation in the process. In 2019, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Art, Media, and Design from DePaul University, infusing his mixed-media work with a rich tapestry of cultural themes and vernacular. 

Bagenda's versatile studio practice encompasses various mediums, including oil painting, 3D projection mapping, and digital collage animation. His artistic repertoire explores the interplay between structured, precise, and geometric elements on one side, and the fluid, vibrant, and emotionally charged aspects on the other. His identity as an Asian-American artist provides a distinct perspective, shaped by the convergence of cultural heritage and transformative technological advancements that define our contemporary era.

Bagenda's art has been featured in several group exhibitions, including his digital artwork in Paris as part of Artcrush Gallery's public arts initiative during NFT Paris 2023 and as a participant in EXPO Chicago's 2023 OVERRIDE Program, in collaboration with Chicago's DCASE. Lately, he exhibited his projection mapping installations during the inaugural ETHChicago conference at Willis Tower last September and collaborated with their team to develop a collectible NFT. Additionally, Bagenda featured his projection mapping at imnotHackathon’s Cyberjam. Currently, Bagenda lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.

What We're Reading

Ethereum Foundation Researchers' Proposal to Slow ETH Issuance Draws Pushback

The proposal, introduced in February, could harden Ethereum's native cryptocurrency, ether (ETH), as a form of money - by reducing the inflation of new supply. But some members of the community say if it's not broke, don't fix it.

https://www.coindesk.com

Here's what the current state of Bitcoin development looks like ahead of the halving

Many Bitcoin developers are looking to increase interest in the network via tools that will allow more users to join the blockchain ecosystem.

https://blockworks.co

Until next time,

The ETHChicago Core Team