crypto is a joke 🤡 (well, sort of)

WEB3
Crypto’s crushing it on many fronts!

Dencun on mainnet ✅ Blobs ✅ L2 lower fees ✅

The major change on Wednesday went smoothly, resulting in several improvements to the Ethereum network, with significantly lower fees for L2 rollups being the most important one.

The concept called Proto-Danksharding introduces a temporary method of storing 'blobs' of data, increasing data availability and resulting in lower fees and higher speeds across the network.

Other upgrades include programmable staking exits, transient storage, more efficient smart contracts, and more, all aimed at improving scalability, security, and the overall user experience.

With this update, the Surge era begins for Ethereum's roadmap, aiming to achieve 100,000 transactions per second and beyond.

Shout out to ETH developers for the amazing transition. Next move: Petra!

• Coinbase plans to offer $1 billion in convertible senior notes through a private offering

Qualified institutional buyers can convert the notes maturing in 2030. Coinbase will use the funds to repay existing debts and for general corporate purposes.

The point? Another strategic move to prove the crypto confidence in the long-term.

• Tensor announces its $TNSR token

The largest NFT marketplace on Solana, along with the upcoming token will govern its protocols. So far, over $2 billion worth of Solana NFTs have been traded.

The point? As a long-anticipated token, dedicated builders and creators will play a crucial role in Solana's soon-to-be incentivized ecosystem.

• Shipping the Bitkey has begun

Customers have begun receiving the self-custody Bitcoin wallet from Jack Dorsey's company, Block, priced at $150. Bitkey includes a mobile app, a hardware device, and recovery tools, offering a two-of-three multi-signature wallet system for enhanced security.

The point? Easy-to-use self-custody wallets provide individuals and brands with the confidence to navigate the decentralized era, where security remains an ongoing challenge.

• Wyoming's new law grants nonprofit status to DAOs

This state has expanded its legal framework for DAOs, enabling groups of at least 100 members to form unincorporated nonprofit associations. These associations can engage in profit-making activities aligned with their nonprofit purpose.

The point? The 'Oasis for DAOs' state’s mission is to support and attract blockchain projects by offering a positive regulatory landscape for protection.

• Dogwifhat (WIF) will be featured on the LV Sphere

The memecoin, featuring a dog with a pink beanie living on Solana, has completed a community fundraising campaign, raising $690,000 in USDC stablecoin to showcase its mascot on the famous Sphere.

The point? Community initiatives surrounding memecoins are common during bull runs, highlighting their popularity and influence within the crypto world.

• MoviePlus now accepts Bitcoin

This move makes it the first-ever streaming platform to accept Bitcoin as payment for its services.

The point? Another brand joins the growing list of businesses accepting cryptocurrencies, enjoying lower fees, increased security, broader customer reach, and simplified international transactions.

INSIGHTS
What are memecoins?

It's natural for people to crack jokes in almost any situation. With the rise of the internet, these jokes have evolved into digital memes.

While crypto experts focused on decentralizing financial systems with digital currencies, memes have become their playful sidekick.

Today, memecoins boast a market cap of around $58 billion, attracting more attention with each bull run.

What's the deal with memecoins and memecoin mania? We've got all the details right here.

Give it a read 🔗

AI
Change is inevitable. Progress is optional.

The first AI software engineer has a name - and it’s Devin 👋

Developed by Cognition Labs and introduced on Tuesday after a lively debate in the tech world, Devin isn't just your average coding helper. It's a full-fledged AI software engineer with sophisticated long-term thinking abilities.

In other words, Devin can handle tasks like planning and executing software engineering tasks, remembering important details, improving over time, and correcting errors!

Devin comes with its code editor, shell, and web browser, allowing it to proficiently navigate unfamiliar technologies, refine its AI models through training, contribute to established production repositories, and even tackle real tasks and projects listed on platforms like Upwork.

Users can also track Devin’s progress in real time, as it's capable of providing updates, accepting feedback, and collaborating on design choices as necessary.

Devin correctly resolves 13.86% of the issues unassisted, making it the latest state-of-the-art achievement on the SWE-bench coding benchmark.

Apply for Devin’s early access here.

• Perplexity brings Yelp to its chatbot

The integration of Yelp data will enable users to access additional information such as reviews, maps, and other details within the responses provided by Perplexity.

The point? The increasing reliance of users on AI chatbots demands fast, real-world, and reliable responses.

• Deepgram introduces Aura, its AI voice model

Developers can now leverage the real-time text-to-speech API to deploy AI agents capable of engaging in conversations with highly realistic voice models, all while prioritizing speed, reliability, and qualitative conversation.

The point? AI agents equipped with human-like AI voice can support various use cases such as customer support and ordering systems to begin with.

• SafeChat+ by DoorDash detects verbal abuse

The AI-powered feature will automatically detect instances of harassment in DoorDash customer conversations within the app. It provides options to report the incident, and cancel the order or delivery, while the support team is responsible for issuing warnings for inappropriate language.

The point? Verbal abuse is a common occurrence on the Internet. With the assistance of AI, it can be swiftly and effectively detected and mitigated.

• Pi gets even more empathetic and supportive

Inflection made a significant upgrade to its AI-powered personal assistant, enhancing its ability to provide emotional support, kindness, humor, and diplomacy while interacting with users, all thanks to its latest LLM, Inflection-2.5.

The point? The latest upgrade brings Inflection closer to ChatGPT capabilities, as Pi boasts 1 million daily active users and an average conversation time of around 33 minutes.

• The EU adopts the AI Act

With 523 votes in favor and 46 against, MEPs passed the AI Act, which will apply to users, deployers, providers, and importers of AI. Non-compliance will result in heavy penalties of €35 million or 7% of annual turnover, whichever is greater.

The point? In the EU, AI is now broadly defined, and AI risks are categorized as limited, high, and unacceptable, aiming to promote trustworthy AI and innovation. A special 'AI office' is being established to support companies in complying with the rules before they come into force.

• Amazon allows link-to-product pages

The upcoming AI-powered feature will enable US sellers to paste a link from an external source and transform it into a complete product page with content and ready-to-use images.

The point? AI's sophisticated algorithms and automation overhaul traditional manual tasks, significantly reducing the time users spend on routine activities.

SCOOPS OF THE WEEK

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