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EartherCreator Shuts Down Popular Crypto Art Carbon Calculator for ‘Abuse and Harassment’
Cryptoart.wtf, the popular crypto art carbon calculator that allowed us to see the real impact the NFT buying craze is having on our poor planet, is shutting down. Its creator, Memo Akten, stated that he decided to take the site down after information from it was used “as a tool for abuse and harassment.” In … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
Tech NewsTerry Crews Has His Own Cryptocurrency Because Why Not?
Soon you could be spending money minted by Terry Crews—certainly an exciting piece of news if that’s been an ambition of yours. The former NFL player, actor, and game show host just launched his own social currency via the startup Roll, a platform that allows so-called “creatives” to crypto-monetize themselves and their own content via … Continued
By Lucas Ropek -
Tech NewsBeeple’s $69 Million NFT Sale Is a Good Time to Rethink Some Things
“It’s hard to be like, ‘Oh man, I hope it doesn’t flop!’” artist Mike Winkelmann aka Beeple chortled at the kickoff of his “Christie’s Closing Party” Clubhouse session this morning, about an hour before his Christie’s sale would close with the staggering bid of $69,346,250—making it the third-most valuable sale by a living artist. In … Continued
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EartherI Sold a Tweet About My Future Cat on the Blockchain and Helped Kill the Earth in the Process
Meet Larry, a very good boy, forthcoming addition to the McKay household, and possibly the subject of one of the first-ever cat tweets to live on for eternity in the Ethereum blockchain. Larry’s blockchain adventure comes through no fault of his own (quite the opposite, actually). This weekend, we finalized arrangements to adopt Larry, and … Continued
By Tom McKay -
EartherThe Regulations That Could Help Reduce Bitcoin’s Carbon Footprint
The price of bitcoin has hit record prices this month, and that’s bad news for the climate. As the price of the currency shoots up, so does the energy consumption as people are incentivized to mine more bitcoin. And a new paper published Wednesday in the journal Joule estimates that by the end of the … Continued
By Molly Taft -
EartherHow to Fix Crypto Art NFTs’ Carbon Pollution Problem
The “crypto-” carbon crisis is evolving. And after years of low-key use, art and collectibles tied to what are known as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have exploded into the global discourse as the Next Big Thing. Embedded with it, though, is an existential tension. Crypto-art buying is built on the same blockchain technology currently frying the … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
Tech NewsGadgetsHow to Use a Hardware Wallet to Store Your Crypto
Keeping your cryptocurrency in the exchange where you bought it, be it Kraken, Coinbase, or Gemini, is inherently dangerous. Most of us will dip a toe into the crypto markets by visiting one of these markets and buying a few hundred dollars in currency. But then what do you do with it? Well, you can … Continued
By John Biggs -
Tech NewsAtari Says It’s Launching a Crypto Casino Based on Its Old Games
In a move that’s not at all desperate, Atari claims it will be launching an online casino in May. More specifically, an Ethereum blockchain casino built around “Atari-themed games.” The venture is a partnership with Decentral Games, and according to the company’s blog, the Atari Casino will feature nostalgia-tinged games, with some being luck-based, while … Continued
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EartherA Chinese Province Could Ban Bitcoin Mining to Cut Down Energy Use
Over the past decade, bitcoin has put increasing stress on the largely coal-powered grid of China’s Inner Mongolia. Now, the province is clamping down. Late last week, province officials announced plans to ban all new bitcoin and other cryptocurrency mining ventures and quickly phase out existing activity in order to reduce electricity consumption. Cryptocurrency is … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
Tech NewsExiled WallStreetBets Mods Want to Make a Blockchain-Based Hedge Fund
As praises from celebrity investors and movie deals rained on the subreddit/memestock trading floor WallStreetBets, its two contingents of its moderators went to war, each accusing the other of profiteering off the community’s newfound fame. Now, those beaten in the squabble intend to start a competing community which will act like a “decentralized hedge fund.” … Continued
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Tech NewsIced Tea Company That Pivoted to Blockchain Has Its License Pulled by the SEC
I’ve got that deja vu feeling. In 2017, the price of bitcoin exploded, prompting a bunch of random companies to announce their business was pivoting to “blockchain” in some form or another before being forgotten when the mania subsided. Three years later, we’re seeing bitcoin’s price fall from another record high and Long Blockchain Corp … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsCommerceRemastered Nyan Cat Gif Sold for the Equivalent of $587,000 in a Crypto Art Auction
Nyan Cat is turning 10 years old in April (feel old yet?), and to celebrate the anniversary of one of the internet’s most wholesome memes, the artist behind the gif, Chris Torres, put a newly remastered version up for auction. On Friday, the piece sold for 300 Ether on the crypto art platform Foundation, which … Continued
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EartherBitcoin Miners Allegedly Steal $2 Million of Electricity in Malaysia: Report
Bitcoin miners in Malaysia have stolen over $2 million worth of electricity since the end of 2020, according to police in the state of Johor Bahru and a new report from the Malay Mail. Police reportedly seized 1,746 bitcoin mining machines this week and have arrested seven men who authorities have claimed are part of … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsBitcoin Hit All-Time High at Over $50,000, Leaving Us in Dire Need of Sound Financial Advice
Bitcoin is the future, again: this morning, it hit an all-time high value of over $50,000. Is there a lesson in here? Are Elon Musk’s tweets a good investment strategy? Should we get in on this? We have yet to learn. Or maybe we learn nothing, and the notoriously volatile currency will level out, unlike … Continued
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Tech NewsBitcoin Burning a Hole in Your Pocket? Now You Can Spend It Using Apple Pay
In case you haven’t noticed, Bitcoin’s having a bit of a moment. The cryptocurrency’s value reached record heights in recent weeks, you’ll soon be able tobuy a Tesla with it, and, as of Friday, you can now spend Bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies) via Apple Pay. BitPay, a popular cryptocurrency payment processing service, has announced that … Continued
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Tech NewsMiami May Start Paying City Employees in Bitcoin
Miami’s mayor, Francis Suarez, is champing at the bit to rebrand his city as a haven for tech entrepreneurs and the tax dollars that come in their wake. His latest branding effort involves a push to make the city offer its municipal workers the option to get paid in bitcoin, and he’d love it if … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsTesla Discloses $1.5 Billion Purchase of Bitcoin in Latest SEC Filing
Tesla has purchased $1.5 billion in bitcoin, according to its latest SEC filing on Monday. The electric car company made the purchase sometime since January 2021, though the filing doesn’t say what price the company locked into. From the SEC filing: In January 2021, we updated our investment policy to provide us with more flexibility … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsPro-Trump Extremists Got $520,000 in Bitcoin a Month Before Capitol Coup Attempt: Report
At least 22 individuals and groups, most with extremist pro-Trump sympathies, received roughly $520,000 in bitcoin a month before the violent siege on the U.S. Capitol that sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election, according to a new report from Yahoo News. And while there’s no evidence that the Dec. 8 distribution of funds has … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsIndia Weighs 18% Tax on Bitcoin After Legalization of Cryptocurrencies
The government of India is considering an 18% tax on all bitcoin transactions, according to a new report from the Times of India. It’s not clear whether the proposed goods and services tax (GST) would apply to other cryptocurrencies like ether, the second largest after bitcoin. The new proposal to tax all bitcoin transactions reportedly … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsRipple Claims Bitcoin Is ‘Chinese-Controlled’ While Announcing New Lawsuit From SEC
The Securities and Exchange Commission plans to sue Ripple in federal civil court for selling unregistered securities, according to a news release published online by the cryptocurrency company late Monday. Ripple defended its cryptocurrency, known as XRP, as a valid currency but then drifted into conspiracy-laden language, saying that competitor coins like bitcoin and ethereum … Continued
By Matt Novak