A blockchain is a decentralized, distributed and public digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers so that the record cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the consensus of the network.
Ethereum’s Merge is Complete- Behind the Scenes of a Pivotal Moment in Blockchain | Forbes
Ethereum Core Developer Preston Van Loon shares his experience of working on the blockchain’s long-awaited transition to proof-of-stake, now complete.
At 6:42 A.M. Coordinated Universal Time (2:42 A.M. EDT), the Ethereum blockchain merged with a special-purpose decentralized ledger called the Beacon Chain, concluding its transition to near-carbon neutrality. The shift may not only mute criticism of blockchain energy usage and serve as a boost to the struggling industry, but it could also help take crypto mainstream. Ethereum underpins the vast majority of Web3 applications such as decentralized finance protocols and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), as well as ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency with a $195 billion market value. The token has risen 3% since the Merge was completed but is currently trading at $1,593, down 0.81% over the past 24 hours.
Since its inception, Ethereum has been using the proof-of-work system for verifying transactions. Popularized by bitcoin, proof-of-work relies on operators of powerful computers, known as miners, that validate each new block of transactions added to the chain by solving complex math puzzles and get rewarded for the effort in the blockchain’s cryptocurrency. The approach has drawn widespread criticism from crypto-skeptics and environmentalists because of its immense energy usage—Ethereum’s carbon footprint has been compared to that of Finland.
Starting today, Ethereum will use an alternative mechanism called proof-of-stake. The switch has been part of the project’s roadmap since early days but faced repeated delays as the proof-of-stake technology evolved. Miners are now replaced with validators, who pledge, or stake, ether tokens as collateral to verify transactions and accrue interest on the staked assets as a reward. As a result, the network’s energy usage should drop by more than 99%, according to the Ethereum Foundation.
Bonus video: What AI art means for human artists
Every technological development brings fears that human workers will be replaced by machines, but those predictions are not always accurate. Now, as AI systems are proving capable of surprisingly creative work, we asked a group of artists, art historians, and others how text-to-image technology will affect those who make a living making images.
The AI that creates any picture you want, explained
How programmers turned the internet into a paintbrush. DALL-E 2, Midjourney, Imagen, explained.
Alternative Uses for Blockchain – Computerphile
Blockchain has a controversial reputation, linked as it is to cryptocurrency but Professor Peter McBurney of Kings College London thinks it’s an important an invention as the web itself.
Why Instagram Reels Is Struggling to Compete Against TikTok | Tech News Briefing Podcast | WSJ
Instagram’s short-form video feature Reels is far behind its biggest rival, TikTok. Internal research reviewed by The Wall Street Journal shows Reels is struggling to get people to watch and create content for the platform.
This Invention Could Supercharge Solar Panels
We’re always chasing better performing and more efficient solar panels to help power our renewable energy future, but no matter how efficient a panel is there are location-based impacts to performance. Solutions like solar trackers can help to overcome some of these issues, but they’re usually not worth it in most cases. Instead of creating more efficient solar cells or tracking the sun, a research team at Stanford has boosted photovoltaic efficiency, even on cloudy days, by concentrating the light that reaches the solar cells without any moving parts. Is improving solar generation really that simple? Let’s see if we can come to a decision on this.
Fix Faces In Your AI Artwork for free! Let’s see GFPGAN to fix those MidJourney & Dalle-2 faces!
Using the power of AI, we can fix those MidJourney, Dalle-2, and Stable Diffusion faces. It turns out that there are some great AI tools out there used to restore faces, so we will leverage those to fix our MidJourney face issues. I will show you using an image I did in my live stream yesterday where I was working on my entry for a weekly AI Art challenge for the 7 Deadly Sins.
We’re just scratching the surface of the blockchain, says Pantera’s Morehead
Dan Morehead of Pantera Capital joins the ‘CNBC Special: Crypto Night in America’ to discuss the blockchain and the impact of the ethereum merger.
Crypto Crashed, Coinbase’s Stock Followed | What Went Wrong | WSJ
Coinbase went public with a highly anticipated listing in 2021, but as the crypto market crashed, the company’s share price dropped by more than 80%. Now it’s working to diversify its revenue.