# ETHChicago Monthly - August 2024 *The best of web3 news and events in the Midwest* By [ETHChicago](https://paragraph.com/@ethchicago) · 2024-08-20 events, community, news --- ETHChicagoans, Did you get enough sunlight this summer? Are the winds of seasonal change creeping up on you yet? This time last year, the ETHChicago team was furiously scrambling to put together a jam-packed weekend of talks, workshops, and networking at Willis Tower. The enthusiasm that was built off of that first year conference led directly into this community newsletter. We're thrilled that you are still with us! This week, Chicago is playing host to the DNC. With crypto a hot political topic this election cycle, we are deep in the trenches spreading the crypto gospel. Make sure you join us tomorrow for [CryptoDNC](https://lu.ma/zwl01tfw?tk=9cd02y), a two-part networking and evening dinner event! Traditionally, the end of the summer season also marks a renewed focus on crypto markets. Last year, as Base's onchain summer concluded and narrative excitement about Solana picked up, a new crypto bull market quickly picked up steam. As this summer has languished in relative political purgatory, the fall season may yet signal a return of enthusiasm. [Ethereum L2s continue to grow in transaction volume and locked value](https://l2beat.com/scaling/summary), while reducing gas fees to fractions of a penny. This is an exciting development for those building fully on-chain social platforms and games. [![User Avatar](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/ef59d577c5a9608ceb5a85e8437dd3f1.jpg)](https://twitter.com/surfcoderepeat) [Adam](https://twitter.com/surfcoderepeat) [@surfcoderepeat](https://twitter.com/surfcoderepeat) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/surfcoderepeat/status/1820662124219081031) This is the best written thesis and the one that most makes sense for fully onchain games [ ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/4714ee77fc60dd1b1b26674d1618101e.png) bitkraft.vc Exploring the Future of Gaming: The Rise of Fully Onchain Games --------------------------------------------------------------- BITKRAFT Ventures ](https://t.co/Nio584Ritj) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 166](https://twitter.com/surfcoderepeat/status/1820662124219081031)[ 10:24 PM • Aug 5, 2024 ](https://twitter.com/surfcoderepeat/status/1820662124219081031) Summer vacation over. Crypto szn here. Here are your headlines from the ETHChicago team: 1. **Pop-Up Village Roundup** 2. **Upcoming Events** 3. **Cyberjam's Creator Spotlight: Mie** * * * Pop-Up Village Roundup ====================== The ETHChicago team has been bullish on pop-up villages since the beginning of the year. First highlighted in [this ETHChicago article](https://paragraph.xyz/@ethchicago/vitalia-revisted) and [podcast episode](https://youtu.be/3WyW378q0Os), the concept has materially gained traction over the past 8 months. There are now multiple new villages proposed around the world almost every month. For a deeper analysis of pop-up villages, check out Jon Hillis' fantastic article below: [ ![](https://words.jonhillis.com/content/images/size/w1200/2024/06/6540e500040b37f922fa67c6_VitaDAO-Zuzalu-Montenegro-Longevity-City-Network-State.jpg) https://words.jonhillis.com Learning from popup villages ---------------------------- I have participated in 3 popup villages (Zuzalu, Vitalia, and Edge Esmeralda) and each one has given me increasing conviction in popup villages as an important form-factor for growing network societies. This essay includes some reflections on successful popup villages, why they work, and where they could go next. The ](https://words.jonhillis.com/popup-villages/) As we've evangelized our experiences at these events to the local community, we've heard a desire to learn more and get involved. Here are a few highlights coming up later this year: Builder Monastery ----------------- **Dates:** September 16 to October 7, 2024 **Location:** Ericeira, Portugal [ ![](https://www.buildermonastery.com/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fcircle.png&w=1920&q=75) https://www.buildermonastery.com Builder Monastery ----------------- Frontier tech ZuVillage ](https://www.buildermonastery.com/) Edge City Lanna --------------- **Dates:** October 10 to November 10, 2024 **Location:** Chiang Mai, Thailand [ ![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65b2cb5abdecf7cd7747e170/664dac9a0a03b101e05ca776_8.png) https://www.edgecity.live Edge City Lanna | Chiang Mai, Thailand -------------------------------------- A popup village to incubate new technologies and ways of living 🌞 Oct 10-Nov 10 ](https://www.edgecity.live/lanna) ZuGarden -------- **Dates:** November 10 to 30, 2024 **Location:** Thailand, exact location TBD ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/bf78467751d0d9e512c35033d110e397.png) ### **Zu-Grama India** **Dates:** Q4, exact dates TBD **Location:** Bangalore, India [ ![](https://framerusercontent.com/assets/atSUATK5OdZ3VhYjmZRNS0XCs.png) https://zugrama.org Zu - Grama ---------- Zu-Grama: A pop-village experiment focused on India. ](https://zugrama.org/) For more comprehensive listings, check out the links below: [https://www.zuzalu.city/dashboard/home](https://www.zuzalu.city/dashboard/home) [https://app.sola.day/](https://app.sola.day/) * * * Upcoming Events =============== Aug 21 - CryptoDNC ------------------ [ ![](https://social-images.lu.ma/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=cover,dpr=1,background=white,quality=75,width=800,height=419/api/event-one?calendar_avatar=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.lumacdn.com%2Fcalendars%2F3x%2F76e662af-e663-4af9-aa49-bf5b6bda8bd2&calendar_name=Awen&color0=%237a7b7d&color1=%23e2edf5&color2=%233967a1&color3=%23904456&img=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.lumacdn.com%2Fevent-covers%2Fg3%2F72604588-2f52-44c3-8244-9c77a61dfe82&name=CryptoDNC) https://lu.ma CryptoDNC · Luma ---------------- Join us for CryptoDNC at 1871 right in the heart of Chicago's lively Near North Side during the 2024 Democratic National Convention. In partnership with... ](https://lu.ma/vsrxgnzj?tk=sPA68l) Aug 21 - CryptoDNC Evening Social --------------------------------- [ ![](https://social-images.lu.ma/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=cover,dpr=1,background=white,quality=75,width=800,height=419/api/event-one?calendar_avatar=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.lumacdn.com%2Fcalendars%2F3x%2F76e662af-e663-4af9-aa49-bf5b6bda8bd2&calendar_name=Awen&color0=%23817073&color1=%23fbfafb&color2=%23336198&color3=%2381b9dc&img=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.lumacdn.com%2Fevent-covers%2Fke%2F462923d9-68e0-4250-85f9-c4004f61dcd2&name=CryptoDNC%20Evening%20Social) https://lu.ma CryptoDNC Evening Social · Luma ------------------------------- Join us for CryptoDNC Evening Social at Tortoise Supper Club right in the heart of Chicago's lively Near North Side during the 2024 Democratic National... ](https://lu.ma/zwl01tfw?tk=9cd02y) Aug 22 - Dosas 'n Crypto ------------------------ [ ![](https://social-images.lu.ma/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=cover,dpr=1,background=white,quality=75,width=800,height=419/api/event-one?calendar_avatar=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.lu.ma%2Favatars-default%2Fcommunity_avatar_14.png&calendar_name&color0=%238c52ff&color1=%23f2acf5&color2=%239c1c15&color3=%2323edf4&host_avatar=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.lumacdn.com%2Favatars%2Fp7%2F107e5e39-695c-4100-a1b1-9d05eb97635d&host_name=Gabby%20Kusz&img=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.lumacdn.com%2Fevent-covers%2Fgs%2Fbe5b7f23-3573-4880-a570-2374e3a583e2&name=Dosas%20%27n%20Crypto%20-%20DnC%20%23Crypto4Harris) https://lu.ma Dosas 'n Crypto - DnC #Crypto4Harris · Luma ------------------------------------------- JOIN US! for "Dosas 'n Crypto" an amazing way to celebrate the power of the crypto community in supporting the Harris / Walz Campaign alongside the DNC... ](https://lu.ma/610zffsz) **For a full list of upcoming community events and to submit your own event, check out our Luma calendar below:** [ ![](https://social-images.lu.ma/api/calendar-social-image?calendar_avatar_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.lumacdn.com%2Fcalendars%2Ft9%2Fd224ebac-1873-4569-9be0-2616bf66574a&calendar_geo_city=Chicago&calendar_name=ETHChicago%20Events&calendar_tint_color=%23e83b47) https://lu.ma ETHChicago Events · Events Calendar ----------------------------------- View and subscribe to events from ETHChicago Events on Luma. ](https://lu.ma/ethchicago) * * * Cyberjam Creator Spotlight: Mie =============================== ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/0501b12f90807e4ac54c23f1b45c8eb5.webp) At just 28, **Maggie Schmidt**, better known as **Mie**, has turned her tumultuous past into a force of artistic brilliance. From a strict upbringing filled with psychological challenges to a breakthrough artistic awakening, Maggie's journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Her EP "Alchemy" isn't just music—it's a powerful testament to survival and healing, inspiring countless others to find their own strength. But Maggie’s impact goes beyond art. She’s now the face of a groundbreaking campaign, blending technology and philanthropy to promote blood donation in a way you’ve never seen before. Ready to dive into Maggie’s captivating story of resilience and creativity? Click below to read **JP Miller**'s full piece and discover how she's turning pain into power. [ ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/3524f44ca43d598cc32b4c0eea63e5d9.jpg) https://paragraph.xyz Cyberjam Creator Spotlight: Mie ------------------------------- At just 28 years old, Maggie Schmidt, better known by her stage name, Mie, has already lived many lives. A performer since th... ](https://paragraph.xyz/@ethchicago/creator-spotlight-mie?referrer=0x1234567890) Until next time, _The ETHChicago Core Team_ ![](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/callout/tip-icon.png) Stay up to date with us on social: **X: (**[**@0xETHChicago**](https://twitter.com/0xEthChicago)**) Instagram: (**[**0xETHChicago**](https://www.instagram.com/0xethchicago/)**)** **Warpcast: (**[**ETHChicago**](https://warpcast.com/ethchicago)**)** --- *Originally published on [ETHChicago](https://paragraph.com/@ethchicago/ethchicago-monthly-aug2024)*