Author: Jeremy Ryan

Known for its high-performance blockchain network, Solana has made tremendous progress in the past year. With its impressive transaction speeds and low fees, Solana has attracted a lot of developer attention and the recent Solana Breakpoint event hosted in Amsterdam showcased the platform’s capabilities and upcoming developments. —From interoperability solutions and payment processing, to how a unique boba tea brand is utilizing Web3 and more, here’s a breakdown of the highlights from Solana Breakpoint 2023.Interoperability SolutionsA common problem that has been presented among blockchain networks is the lack of interoperability. This means that different blockchains cannot communicate with each other,…

The latest episode of “The Simpsons” skewered NFTs in front of millions of home viewers on Sunday—but before the tech became a viral, television punchline, the seminal show released two NFTs that fans could purchase and trade. Offered in November 2021 through Disney and the digital collectibles marketplace VeVe, “The Simpsons” immortalized Bart and Homer, and the long-time ne’er-do-well’s skateboard, as NFTs—which sold out globally for $60 apiece. “This Golden Moment between father and son embodies the spirit of ‘The Simpsons’ in a first-ever NFT,” a description of one collectible states, just below a depiction of Homer and Bart choking…

The long-awaited “crypto spring” may be upon us as Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrency markets rise in anticipation of a full-on bull market. Over the recent crypto winter, many different projects have been growing, gaining users and building new networks. Some of these, like Polygon, are layer-2 (L2) solutions to help scale the primary protocol, Ethereum. But what are the implications of L2s? Are they a better protocol to build on or invest in? Are other layer 1s (L1s) doing anything to stay competitive? These questions and more are the focus of a new report from the Cointelegraph Research Terminal.…

ShuttleFlow, the ecosystem multichain protocol operated and maintained by Conflux Foundation, also known as the Shanghai Tree-Graph Blockchain Research Institute, will shut down after two years. The ShuttleFlow technology stack will instead be transferred to Web3 studio Zero Gravity, which will continue to develop the protocol under a new brand. “All user funds are secure and will be migrated from ShuttleFlow to Zero Gravity,” developers wrote, adding, “Users who have previously bridged through ShuttleFlow and completed the claim of their bridged assets on the destination chain do not need to undergo any additional operations for the migration.” “After ShuttleFlow shuts…

Attendees of Bored Ape Yacht Club’s ApeFest concert have reported experiencing extreme eye pain that’s prompted some of them to visit the hospital. “To all my friends who suffer now: go get your eyes checked. You’ve likely most literally got your eyes burnt with UV like I did, which requires medications, eye drops, eye protection, antibiotics, and specialist care,” wrote one attendee. “Don’t ignore this health hazard. Without proper treatment, it may cause long-lasting vision impairment and other serious damage.” Similar tweets abound, with at least one suggesting that symptoms were the result of photokeratitis. Photokeratitis is akin to sunburn…

Blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) have long been paired to change how people view identity and verification. Between those innovations come data, described by experts as the new oil — extracted, amassed, refined, processed and turned into something useful. While most blockchain and AI use cases are still experimental and success can’t yet be measured, a developing app employs users’ personal data to contribute to research on prolonging human life. Speaking with Cointelegraph at the recent Cardano Summit, Jasmine Smith, chief executive of Web3-based wellness app Rejuve.AI, said that crowdsourcing data from multiple sources helps accelerate longevity research. She explained…

Non-fungible token (NFT) collections by sportswear giant Nike and virtual sneakers and collectibles creator RTFKT have seen $170 million in earnings and a whopping $1.4 billion in trading volume. There are two notable factors to keep in mind. One, Nike and RTFKT have joined hands less than two years ago. Two, most of this time, the crypto market was covered in snow. And yet, the duo’s collections flourished. The Block Research first found that since December 2021, these NFTs amassed nearly $1.4 billion in trading volume, and the collections together earned $170 million. According to the data provided by DeFi…

ApeFest 2023 was held in Hong Kong from November 3 to November 5. At least 15 allegations of impairment of vision have surfaced online. The parent business of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), Yuga Labs, hosted the much awaited return of its big in-person event, ApeFest 2023, which was held in Hong Kong from November 3 to November 5. This year’s Hong Kong event did not focus on music in the same way that last year’s New York City events did during NFT.NYC. Instead, the festival was focused on a “new adventure” that encourages attendees to discover the city’s hidden…

Crypto analyst Jamie Coutts highlights that blockchain technology sees adoption irrespective of the cryptocurrency market’s positivity or negativity. “5 million daily crypto users today, is likely to be 100m in less than 5 years,” he noted. Blockchain Forges Its Unique Path Coutts asserts that blockchain adoption rates remain consistently high, regardless of the prevailing market cycle in the crypto space, be it a bull or bear market. “Bear market/Bull market adoption of blockchain technology continues unabated. Not having exposure to one of the largest structural trends of the next decade could be costly.” Meanwhile, a recent PwC report emphasized the…

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the blockchain made a special appearance on The Simpsons, Sunday night U.S. time. During Treehouse of Horror 34, the Halloween special episode of the iconic animated series, the show made numerous references to the overvaluation of on-chain NFTs in the first chapter of the episode titled “Wild Barts Can’t Be Token.” NFTs are a special type of crypto asset that allows holders to prove their ownership of real or digital items. Read more: What Are NFTs and How Do They Work? In the episode, Marge battles through the blockchain to rescue Bart, now a living NFT,…