Blockchain stars in the Google Cloud
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Blockchain stars in the Google Cloud
Google likes Web3. Google loves blockchains. The Pac-Man lover who's done the Blur. Uniswap democratises NFT buying. Ankr is off the hook. Pay with crypto in France. You? Buy the Titanic NFT.
Hello y'all. What do you do if you are … 24-year-old, dropout and love Pac-Man? You build a billion dollar NFT Marketplace. B<L<U<R … That's how we feel. That's what it is called. We did none of that building 😮💨. Not then. Not now. We write The Token Dispatch, and we wait for our weekends. We like the French, we want to go to 🇨🇵. That's about it 🏆.
Web3 is the big pizza going around in the town. Everyone wants a slice. How can you leave out Google. The Google. The tech giant has recently announced that Google Cloud will become a validator on the Tezos network. Great. What does that even mean?
🔒 Secure the Blockchain's Network
Let's understand what validators do. Validators play a crucial role in securing the blockchain's network. They process transactions and add new blocks to the chain. On top of that, validators also play a part in the governance process by voting on network changes.
🤖 Google Cloud as a Validator
Tezos "bakers" can now set up nodes using Google Cloud to help secure the blockchain's network. But, Google Cloud has no plans to play a role in the governance process.
Now, why is Google Cloud interested in becoming a validator?
"As an infrastructure provider, Google Cloud views the evolution of blockchain technology and decentralised networks today as analogous to the rise of open source technologies that led to the internet 10-15 years ago," says James Tromans, engineering director of Web3 at Google Cloud.
"Just as open source developments were integral to the early days of the internet, blockchain is yielding innovation and value creation for consumers and businesses in Web3."
💼 Enterprise-level Support for Developers
Having Google Cloud as a validator means you also get their support for devs - just ask Solana and Aptos!👍 So, Google Cloud will provide enterprise-level support for developers building apps in the Tezos ecosystem. This level of support is vital for developers who are working on complex applications that require scalability and reliability.
🎉 Google Cloud in Web3
Google Cloud is no stranger to the world of Web3. Let's take a look at some of the exciting things they've been up to:
In Oct 2022, they launched a cloud-based node engine for Ethereum projects.
In Oct 2022, Google Cloud announced that they will start accepting crypto payments from a "handful" of customers through integration with Coinbase Commerce.
In Nov 2022, they announced running a validator on the Solana blockchain and bringing their Blockchain Node Engine to the Solana chain in 2023.
In Nov 2022, Google Cloud became a validator on the Aptos network.
And most recently, Neal Mohan, the new CEO at Google-owned YouTube, expressed bullish sentiments about Web3, saying that NFTs could help build deeper relationships between creators and fans.
🤫 And they don't talk about it much
Despite all their exciting ventures in the Web3 space, Google Cloud has been relatively quiet about their work. None of their recent Web3 partnerships were mentioned in the company's Q4 2022 report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
💻 From Cloud Computing to Web3
It's clear that Google Cloud is committed to exploring the world of Web3 and supporting developers in building decentralised applications. As technology continues to evolve, it's exciting to see big players like Google Cloud getting involved in the world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Who knows what other exciting developments we'll see in the coming years!
Dropout. Pac-Man lover. Founder of Blur. Doxxed 😵💫
Blur is taking the NFT world by storm these days!, Blur is the NFT storm! , unleashing war on OpenSea, winning it in terms of trading volume, aggressively airdropping million-dollar tokens (BLUR), and trying to be a forerunner of zero-royalty NFT marketplaces.
Who is the mastermind behind all of this? Pac-Man, the 24-year-old captain!
One of Blur's founders, Tieshun Roquerre, AKA "Pacman" (his online alter ego) has "doxxed" himself, revealing his identity on Twitter.
This guy has quite the resume:
Worked as a software engineer at the e-commerce site Teespring
Dropped out of high school to join Y Combinator's accelerator program.
Dropped out of MIT - with Thiel Fellowship – a prize which grants $100,000 to drop out and pursue whatever you want.
Cofounded StrongIntro
Founded Namebase in 2018, later sold to Namecheap in 2021.
Started NFT trading
Cofounded Blur
Overall, a genius!
"Web2 me vs. web3 me," he posted on Twitter late last night, finally coming to light, revealing his previously unknown identity in a thread.
We aren't explaining more. Hear it from him👇
"We focus on the NFT natives first and from there, we can expand, similar to how Binance expanded downmarket and broadened the offering." Maybe he wants to be the CZ of the NFT world? WDK.
TTD DYK💡
TheVitalik19 🦸♂️
Once upon a time, there was a WoW player named Vitalik Buterin who had a favourite warlock with a killer Siphon Life spell. But then the developers nerfed his beloved character! He cried himself to sleep, realising the horrors of centralised services, leading him to explore bitcoin and eventually create Ethereum. And, Vitalik Buterin was 19 when he wrote the Ethereum whitepaper.
He dropped out of university and became a crypto full-timer. Ethereum launched in 2015 with the help of Buterin and seven other founders, who were like a Fellowship of the Ring. Just as in the book, the group eventually split, and some went on to create their own cryptocurrencies.
Buy NFTs with any token ✔️
Uniswap just made buying NFTs even easier! You can now use any Ethereum-based token, like stablecoins or meme coins, to buy NFTs. It's called the Universal Router contract, and it finds the cheapest way to swap your tokens into the ones needed for the NFT you want. Plus, Uniswap is working on letting you use a combination of different cryptos to buy a single NFT - talk about convenience!
Well, this nifty new tool is perfect for all you Uniswap experts who love to trade big volumes of tokens. No more struggling to switch tokens manually before making sales – this tool has got your back! Plus, if you're worried about pesky tax implications, rejoice! It also reduces the number of taxable events.
TTD MTM 📉
Ankr is off the hook
ANKR token just went up by a whopping 73% thanks to teaming up with Microsoft and Tencent. They're really killin' it with a daily trade volume of over $1.5 billion. Apparently, Microsoft's support for blockchain technology got the price skyrocketing from 3 cents to almost 6 cents. Then Tencent came in and signed an MoU to build a bunch of blockchain API services.
The whole surge thing happened because of the regulatory action against exchanges that offered traditional staking. Kraken had to shut everything down in the U.S. and fork over a $30 million fine to the SEC!
Tracking Vitalik's $1B India donation 💉
Remember Indian Crypto Relief Fund? We have got some dirt on that!
It was said to be the biggest crypto donation of all time, worth an estimated $1 billion, to help combat the Covid crisis in India. - Polygon’s Sandeep Nailwal raised $1 billion, thanks to Vitalik Buterin.
But turns out, only $58 million (just 6% ) has been given to charities so far.
The pseudonymous nature of crypto and the difficulty of converting it into cash made it challenging to distribute such a huge sum.
Only $464 million was realised out of the donation, initially valued at an estimated $ 1 billion.
$274 million is sitting dormant in the Crypto Relief fund's wallets.
About $40 million in fiat is sitting in a Puerto Rican bank account
The final $100 million was sent back to Vitalik Buterin himself
$1.5 million was moved into an Alameda Research wallet at one point.
In total, only $58 million of the funds raised has so far made its way to charities providing relief work.
Here’s more to dig:
Pay with crypto. Now in France 🇨🇵
Do you like crypto? We like crypto. France wants to do crypto, ahem! 🔥
Binance and Ingenico have teamed up to bring the magic of crypto payments to French shops! The program is super easy to use, accepting over 50 cryptocurrencies and making it a breeze for merchants and customers to get on board.
And the best part? It's all done with one handy device! Initially, merchants will receive payments in crypto, but by Q2 of 2023, they'll be able to convert to fiat too. The program is currently available in France, with additional European countries, where Binance is an approved crypto operator, set to be added soon. Jonathan Lim, head of Binance Pay and Binance Card, said the all-in-one device will “accelerate access to consumers.”
TTD NFT Buzz 📯
Bring home the Titanic: Titanic's treasures are getting a web3 makeover! Through a three-way partnership, precious artifacts from the sunken ship will be transformed into NFTs using blockchain technology. The folks at RMS Titanic are teaming up with Venture Smart Financial Holdings and Artifact Labs to make this happen.
The Acquisition: Luxor Mining, a Bitcoin mining firm, recently acquired OrdinalHub, the primary platform for Bitcoin NFTs. The acquisition came amid the January launch of Bitcoin Ordinals, which created a stir in the crypto community. The Buyout. The anime NFT collection 0N1 Force was bought out by a consortium of investors, led by blockchain investment firm Old Fashion Research.
Hack protect: ZenGo, the crypto wallet security team, has released an NFT hack detector to monitor suspicious activity on OpenSea. They track trade amounts and flag any ratio that looks suspiciously low.
TTD Surfer🏄
The Bank of Israel published principles for regulating stablecoin activity in the country, including 100% reserve requirement.
A new project aims to use the Internet of Things to let smartphone users establish nodes, providing connectivity to IoT smart devices.
CEO of the Blockchain Association, says that the US Congress needs to take control of crypto legislation and make it a more open process.
Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot Moments NFTs meet the requirements to be considered a security, a federal judge rules.
Kevin Rose cancelled their Proof of Conference event planned for May due to "considerably less interest than anticipated."
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So long. OKAY? ✋
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