Author: Vidya Saras

Introduction Erick Calderon, better known in the NFT space as Snowfro, is preparing to mint the last Chromie Squiggle, #9999. This event not only marks the end of an era for one of the most iconic generative art projects on the blockchain but also stands as a testament to the vibrant community that has grown around it. Erick’s journey with Chromie Squiggles has been nothing short of revolutionary, and the final mint is set to be an occasion to remember, especially as it is destined for the prestigious Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The Final Mint: Squiggle #9999…

At the recent Bitcoin conference in Nashville, the former president made a bold promise: if elected, he would make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet” and usher in a “Bitcoin superpower.” The crowd erupted in cheers, but beyond the hype, what does this really mean for the future of Bitcoin? Trump’s embrace of crypto is undoubtedly a political maneuver. His campaign has already raked in millions in cryptocurrency donations, and his Nashville appearance likely generated a further windfall. The price of Bitcoin surged following his speech, reaching its highest point in weeks, before settling back down. Can He Keep His Promises? But are…

Synthetic voices have been proliferating for years, and the generative AI boom of the new ’20s has sped that process right along. AI voices are everywhere—in podcasts, in political campaigns, and in chatbots where they maybe-not-so-subtly replicate celebrity voices. Soon, they’ll be all up in your audiobooks too.Audible, the Amazon-owned audiobook company, announced a trial program for generating AI voice clones to read works in its audiobook marketplace. The announcement came via a post in ACX—Audiobook Creation Exchange—Audible’s service that lets authors and publishers turn written books into audiobooks.“We’re taking measured steps to test new technologies to help expand our…

Take, for example, the other recently solved internet mystery: The source of the song that became known as “Everyone Knows That.” After nearly three years of online investigative work, a pair of Redditors found the song—titled “Ulterior Motives”—after hearing a similar song in an adult movie clip on YouTube and watching literal hours of porn that had possibly been scored by the songwriters credited on that clip.During the hunt there had been speculation that the song was AI-generated or part of some stunt. If the detectives had gotten too distracted by that, or if someone had tried to use AI…

Bitcoin’s “anxiety stage” suggests more potential September downside before the next leg up, recent price analysis suggests. 

Sys Labs, the developer behind the Syscoin blockchain, which aims to combine Ethereum-style programmability with Bitcoin’s security, has launched a “layer 2” network called Rollux for cheaper and faster transactions. Like the main Syscoin blockchain, the Rollux network is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine or EVM, the software that executes smart contracts on Ethereum. The project gets its security from Bitcoin miners via a process known as merged mining that originally was presented by Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto in 2010. Just as layer 2 networks or “rollups” atop the Ethereum blockchain allow for faster transactions, the Rollux network can…

Eve Online creator CCP Games has officially renamed its upcoming blockchain-based game—formerly known as Project Awakening—to Eve Frontier.The game is being developed on the Ethereum ecosystem, utilizing its layer-2 network, Redstone, which is built on Optimism technology.With Eve Frontier, CCP Games is integrating blockchain-based features like tokenized economies and player-driven infrastructure, marking its debut into the blockchain gaming space. Source: Eve FrontierWhat is Eve Frontier?Eve Frontier is a space survival simulation game where players must work together to build and expand within a persistent, on-chain world.The game, designed with blockchain technology at its core, allows players to construct and customize…

Metaversal is a Bankless newsletter for weekly level-ups on NFTs and the onchain frontierDear Bankless Nation,When it comes to market performance, many Ethereum NFT collections have been having a rough go of it lately.Why the bleedout, especially when the wider cryptoeconomy has been heating up recently?Well, a large amount of capital remained in Ethereum NFTs since the 2021 bull run. And over the past few months, new metas have surged to the fore. Think AI tokens, the Bitcoin Ordinals boom, the explosion of memecoins on Solana, the return of airdrop hunting, and the rise of Farcaster-driven L2 mints like Onchain…

According to market-fixated tech pundits and professional skeptics, the artificial intelligence bubble has popped, and winter’s back. Fei-Fei Li isn’t buying that. In fact, Li—who earned the sobriquet the “godmother of AI”—is betting on the contrary. She’s on a part-time leave from Stanford University to cofound a company called World Labs. While current generative AI is language-based, she sees a frontier where systems construct complete worlds with the physics, logic, and rich detail of our physical reality. It’s an ambitious goal, and despite the dreary nabobs who say progress in AI has hit a grim plateau, World Labs is on…

According to Geoff Kendrick, Head of Crypto Research at Standard Chartered bank, a Donald Trump victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election could drive Bitcoin to $125,000. However, Kendrick notes that new all-time highs (ATHs) for Bitcoin are likely no matter who wins the election, with Bitcoin still expected to hit $75,000 if Vice President Kamala Harris secures the presidency.JUST IN: A Trump victory could send #Bitcoin to $125,000, but new ATHs are likely no matter who wins election, says Standard Chartered bank 🚀 pic.twitter.com/SfGoRSyKwn— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) September 12, 2024 In the new report, Kendrick explained that while the…