Bridging Blockchains and Bats • CEO Letter #66

Taylor Culbertson -

Happy October! Some say that the best part of Halloween is the friggin' bats. Others say that it’s me, Taylor, CEO of Hedgehog, the portal between your crypto portfolio and the whole universe of crypto. Don't worry, the portal only opens on demand — but it's there whenever you need it.

Reminder, there's a giveaway question at the end of every newsletter. Will that question be spooky? You'll have to keep reading to find out 👻

Here's a nice educational piece from The Defiant: "What is Bridging?" The article explains DeFi bridges, a crucial yet dangerous piece of web3 financial infrastructure:

By connecting different blockchain networks, cross-chain bridges are instrumental in making digital assets interchangeable. The most popular use of bridging is when Bitcoin is converted to Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), an ERC-20 token holding the same price as BTC but compatible with Ethereum.

Although crypto bridges are important to connect blockchains into a meta-network of digital assets, investors should be aware of their inherent faults. For starters, they have been heavily targeted and victimized by hackers.

Learn about bridges — how the technology works (on a high level) and why people use bridges despite the risks.

Tldr: I've got a bridge to sell you. I'm not saying it's the Golden Gate Bridge, but it's not not the Golden Gate Bridge.

Did you know there's going to be a crypto game based on The Walking Dead?! I wasn't aware of this until today. Actually I'm not 100% positive that it's a game — this is the description on the website: "The Walking Dead Lands is a post-apocalyptic open-world build-and-earn experience based on The Walking Dead universe." I mean… that does sound like a game, right? Maybe I'm overthinking this.

Anyway, it's currently open season for minting the avatar NFTs that allow you to participate in The Walking Dead Lands. Each avatar costs approximately $80 (priced in ETH). However, I wouldn't be surprised if the NFTs are already sold out by the time you get this email. I wouldn't be shocked if they aren't, either, since we're nowhere near the heights of hype from last year, but The Walking Dead is a pretty big deal. I'm sure there are lots of fans in the crypto world, not to mention eager speculators.

It's cool that more premium IP is coming to the blockchain — big brands are clearly paying attention to this space, and more and more established companies want to get involved. (Like Disney and Starbucks from last week and the week before. This is a bona fide trend!)

Tldr: Nice to see that Electronic Arts' beloved pay-to-play practices have found their way to blockchain. Nothing better than paying for a roster update on a game that hasn’t been improved since 2013.

Cheerful news from the ETH ecosystem: "Ethereum Name Service (ENS) had a stellar September as both registrations and renewals hit all-time highs above 437,000 and 45,000 respectively."

Perhaps it's a good time to jump into the world of ETH names? Let Lipsa and Ryan be your guides:

At the time, 100 ETH was worth just under $115,000. Two lessons: ENS is serious business, and clever creators can use ENS as a platform to build community. The opportunity is global.

Tldr: Who owns a .eth domain? Follow up, who owns a .eth domain that matches their AOL Instant Messenger account name? For you youngsters out there, I'll accept domains that match your MySpace username as well. MySpace is still relevant, right?

Quick Hits

Feds seized $311M in Bitcoin, then the hacker stole it back
Tldr: That title is… hilarious. Just absolutely hilarious.

Jenny from the Block... chain 💃
Tldr: My colleague Jon interviewed this NFT-focused influencer to find out what makes her tick. He really nailed the title of this article too.

Inflation is at a 40 year high. What can history teach us?
Tldr: Cool interactive demo, best paired with a longform analysis like Lyn Alden's.

Giveaway question of the week: This week, I'm going to change things up and ask about a heated topic: SPORTS. What's your favorite sports memory of all time, and why?

So, I grew up in Pittsburgh, and my family would always go to Steeler Breakfasts with a bunch of our family friends. I must have been 10-ish at the time, and I have no idea what was actually happening in game, but I know we were losing... until my Mom decided to put a couch sleeve on her head, hoping it would bring the team good luck.

Did it work? Yes. Yes it did.

The Steelers won, and for the next several weeks, my Mom would continue to wear this couch sleeve as a hat to bring the team good luck.

Did it continue to work? Yes. Yes it did.

Reply to this email with your answer for a chance to win the Hedgehog swag of your choice. Options include a hoodie, baseball cap, stainless steel water bottle, and more.

All hail the almighty couch sleeve,
— Taylor

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