Good morning and happy Friday!

It has been a long week.

We are on to our last day at ETH Denver (though the conference goes through Sunday), and I have accumulated enough stickers, hats, and T-shirts to make the suitcase tough to close.

The conference has been nothing short of incredible, and I’m going to give you the recap of day four down below.

Before we get to that, you must see what I saw. (Skip to 1:26:49)

Warning: ‘F’ bombs (Don’t play at work over a speaker, or do, I don’t care)

I promise that doesn’t represent all the great builders at the conference. In year 8 they can organize better on-stage performances. For now, I’ll just take all the connections we made!

Also, be sure to check out this week’s Mix of Mixes by our very own Mac Patterson. This dude knows a jam when he hears one, check them out!

-Wally

Key Stories

Speedrun

• Blockchain is back

• Mix of Mixes - MacEwen Patterson

• On This Day

• Elon sues OpenAI

• Headline Palooza

• Decent Destination

ETH Denver

It’s Time to Face the Music

If you're still doubting the blockchain and crypto scene, it's high time for a reality check.

Day 1 at the ETH Denver Expo was nothing short of a revelation. The National Western, typically a stage for livestock showdowns, was buzzing with a different kind of energy, packed with booths showcasing the frontier of blockchain technology.

The atmosphere was charged, a clear signal that the blockchain world is entering a phase of major expansion. From veteran players like Beefy Finance to emerging game-changers, the variety was staggering. And let's not forget the digital residency in Palau – yeah, blockchain is making global citizenship a thing.

RFK Jr. making an appearance is a bit of a quirky side note but it's also a testament to the serious attention the web3 space is pulling. Politics aside, when figures of his caliber engage, it proves the relevance and potential of blockchain technology and the size of its community.

The cherry on top? Connecting with the brains behind networks poised to reshape the industry. Take XDC, for example. The passion from the XDCS community, driving the network's booth, was palpable. They're tackling real-world asset tokenization head-on, and the builders are powering it’s growth.

After a couple of tough years for the blockchain community, ETH Denver's expo has reignited a sense of optimism and purpose. It's a reminder that beneath the market's ebb and flow, the heart of blockchain – its builders and believers – is growing. So, if you've been on the fence about blockchain and crypto, maybe it's time to dive in, The water's fine!

Decent Music

Mix of Mixes

Weekly list of DJ Mixes (this week available on YouTube) as compiled by MacEwen Patterson

I pick DJ sets at random and jot down the ones that move me. Maybe they’ll move you too. This week I went down the Boiler Room rabbit hole on YT and it was rewarding!

Week of 3/1/24

Anastazja | Boiler Room LA: Donavan's Yard - This was enthralling. She’s ambitious and it pays off weaving intricate and funky beats, time signature, bpms, genres, and anything else she likes, she is in complete control of an incredible journey. Highly recommend.

nasthug | Boiler Room Tokyo: Tohji Presents u-ha - Yo. This is straight up energy mainlined straight into your jugular. I loved every minute of this performance. She is masterful in the mix, her programming is on point, and the crowd eats her up end to end.

Taylah Elaine | Boiler Room Festival Amsterdam: Rap Fantasy - A dreamy tapestry of expertly blended funk, soul, rap, trap, afrobeats, and more, all in a daring and intimate swirl of carefully crafted crescendos. Looking forward to much more from this DJ.

James Blake | Boiler Room London: Soulection - Really big fan of his production work. Didn’t realize how many sets he’s done for BR but definitely makes me stoked to dig into them. This one is cool. He really goes out on some limbs and the crowd goes right there with him.

Thom Yorke Boiler Room London DJ set - I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this. Giant fan of Thom’s work with Radiohead, The Smile, his solo work, really anything he touches just reeks of authenticity. And this DJ mix is right there. I believe most tracks are remixes of Radiohead works. The mixing isn’t technically advanced but the passion comes through. This is legendary.

What’s a mix you like to move to? Shout out.

MacEwen likes music just like you do.

On This Day

1872: World’s First National Park

In 1872, Congress played it cool with nature by declaring Yellowstone the first National Park in the U.S., and indeed the world. Kudos to them for diplomatically recognizing a colossal, simmering super volcano. Maybe they thought giving it park status would keep it from blowing us all up.

Headline Palooza

Artificial Intelligence

Let the AI Battles Begin

Elon Musk is taking OpenAI to court, claiming they've strayed from their save-the-world script in favor of a cozier plotline with Microsoft.

Musk, who once sat at the OpenAI table, argues that the AI research outfit has ditched its open-source mission for Microsoft's golden handcuffs, prioritizing profit over planetary well-being.

At the heart of the suit is GPT-4, OpenAI's language model, which Musk says is being kept under lock and key for Microsoft's exclusive commercial gain. It's vastly different from the open AI utopia Musk and co. envisioned, where advanced AI tech would be humanity's shared treasure, not a trade secret.

To further Musk’s claims he points to when Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, was briefly shown the door, only to be brought back in, allegedly with Microsoft pulling the strings. This boardroom turmoil, Musk suggests, has left OpenAI's governance in the hands of profit-seekers rather than the original brains behind the tech.

As this story unfolds, one can't help but wonder: in the race to AI supremacy, have we lost sight of the finish line?

Decent Destinations

Son Doong Cave, Vietnam

Venturing into Vietnam's Son Doong Cave is like stepping into another realm where scale defies reality. It's so colossal (world’s largest cave), you half expect a dragon to swoop by. With its own weather system and jungles within, Son Doong is a world beneath our feet. Just watch your step – it's a long way down!