Everything web3, crypto, defi, degen
The United States on Tuesday announced that it is seeking the forfeiture of 127,271 Bitcoin, currently worth over $14.2 billion, in the largest such forfeiture action in the history of the Department of Justice.The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Department’s National Security Division filed the civil forfeiture…
In brief Bhutan’s national digital ID platform will issue credentials through Ethereum. The system, initially built with Cardano developer IOG, is scheduled to undergo a full migration by early 2026. Observers warn that putting national IDs on public blockchains might raise privacy risks despite greater transparency. Bhutan has integrated its National Digital Identity platform with…
In brief Bitcoin dropped from $121,000 to $106,000 on Friday after Trump announced 100% tariffs on China, triggering $19 billion in liquidations within 24 hours. The crash hit leveraged traders on centralized exchanges hardest, with 1.6 million positions liquidated as the timing—after market close—left crypto as the only outlet for investor reaction. Leverage amplifies both…
In brief Penn State researchers found that “very rude” prompts outperformed “very polite” ones in accuracy. The results contradict prior studies claiming LLMs respond better to a courteous tone. Findings imply that tone itself, once dismissed as etiquette, may be a hidden variable in prompt engineering. Being polite might make you a better person, but…
In brief Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize for Literature last week. His story links crypto and blockchain with trust, portraying them as systems that ensure authenticity without human intermediaries. The narrator argues that “the model already exists in crypto,” presenting it as proof that belief can still structure a broken…
In brief Larry Fink said he had to “relook at [his] assumptions” about Bitcoin. BlackRock now manages several crypto-linked ETFs amid growing investor interest. Some firms, including Hargreaves Lansdown, remain wary despite offering crypto products. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has once again reiterated cautious approval of crypto investments and walked back previous comments he made…
In brief Meme coins including SHIB, PEPE, PENGU, BONK, and WIF are leading crypto’s recovery from Friday’s crash, pushing the total meme coin market cap to $69 billion. Friday’s selloff triggered nearly $20 billion in liquidations, the largest single-day wipeout in crypto history, as Bitcoin plunged from $121,000 to $109,000 before rebounding. Analysts told Decrypt…
In brief Friends and collaborators described Pagotto as “super creative” and “discreet and humble.” RTFKT cofounder Steven Vasilev and BAYC’s Greg Solano were among those who paid tribute online. Pagotto helped build RTFKT into one of digital fashion’s most influential brands before Nike acquired it in 2021. Benoît Pagotto, co-founder of the digital fashion studio…
In brief China’s Aheadform unveiled its Origin M1 robot head, reviving debate over how human is too human in machine design. Spanish researchers found that moderately human-like robots inspire more trust than highly realistic ones. Analysts project the global service-robot market will surpass $293 billion by 2032 as humanoids enter daily life. A new ultra-realistic…
In brief A new study shows LLMs can mimic human purchase intent by mapping free-text answers to Likert ratings through semantic similarity. Method achieved 90% of human test–retest reliability on 9,300 real survey responses. The study raises questions about bias, generalization, and how far “synthetic consumers” can stand in for real people. Forget focus groups:…
