👋 Hey I’m starl3xx and this is a publication that may or may not endure beyond a single issue. Subscribe to receive subsequent (purely hypothetical) newsletters.
🩲 News In Brief
Each week I write, record, and produce a brief news segment highlighting notable stories in web3 and crypto for OKX’s social media channels. Here’s this week’s ↓
NB: Full hyperlinks below direct to news source(s); “✦” hyperlinks are for added context only
Amazon is reportedly launching blockchain/NFT initiatives as early as this April
Doodles✦ announced an agreement to acquire the animation studio behind Rick & Morty
Ethereum’s “Shanghai” upgrade, which will allow withdrawals of staked ETH✦, is on track for March
We’re back with this week’s hottest 
76
What did I miss? @ me on Twitter or Farcaster.
💾 NFT of the Week
🏆 KEK PEPE BALLOON by Sasha Chudo ↓
Derivatives are the hot meta the last few weeks thanks to Jack Butcher’s outrageously popular Checks project, and I can’t help but love artist Sasha Chudo’s playful Pepe-fication of Chris Torres’s Nyan Balloon. The accompanying burn map is just as fun—I’ve got my eye on clown Pepe, personally—and I was delighted to see that unlike the first few drops, the Doge version has a sunset background trait. Nice.
Of course I had to board the derivative hype train myself:
Who’s hungry? 
“Checks - Mix Edition” is now minting: 100 editions @ 0.001950Ξ ea. (← the actual snack mix’s namesake was introduced in 1950)
Checks Mix is a CC0 derivative of @jackbutcher’s “Checks”
Mint now (+ watch for future flavors?):
“Checks - Mix Edition” is now minting: 100 editions @ 0.001950Ξ ea. (← the actual snack mix’s namesake was introduced in 1950)
Checks Mix is a CC0 derivative of @jackbutcher’s “Checks”
Mint now (+ watch for future flavors?):
app.manifold.xyz
Checks - Mix Edition (Traditional)
This mix may or may not be snackable. A derivative of Checks - VV Edition by Jack Butcher.
Naturally, you can burn two “Traditional” to redeem a “Cheddar.”
🔌 Tired/Wired
Tired: “For the kids.”
Wired: “For the culture.”
🫡,
starl3xx