Since you've been gooooone, I'm still Taylor, CEO of Hedgehog, where you can track and trade your crypto portfolio in one convenient spot. My weekly newsletter covers interesting events in the crypto world, plus random jokes. Do you laugh at my jokes? Maybe. Do I laugh at my jokes? Yes. Does my fiancé laugh at my jokes? Occasionally. She's a tough audience.

If you want a chance to win a Ledger Nano S hardware wallet, don't forget the giveaway question at the end of the newsletter! Last time, I asked for your opinion on pizza toppings. The results?

  • Pineapple: 👍
  • Pickles: 🤮
  • Hot dogs, shrimp, lentils: ಠ_ಠ

Completely unbiased by my own opinions, I assure you. Now for the news:

Take a scenic stroll with Solana, an L1 cryptocurrency that 30x'd this year. What's got those investors so excited? For extra credit, compare and contrast with Polkadot's angle on scalability, or the lively Cardano ecosystem.

While you're at it, don't forget Hedgehog's accessible ETH2 explainer (AKA what even is it and why bother??) Switching to proof-of-stake has been a long-term goal for Ethereum, and now it's actually in the process of happening.

Tldr: I would bet satoshis that hugging Vitalk's subconscious feels like rainbows and unicorns. I wouldn't bet ETH though. Gas is too expensive.

Meanwhile: A new DAO has raised, at the time of writing, $23.6 million (in ETH) to purchase a first-edition copy of the United States Constitution from 1787. The project is called… 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁… ConstitutionDAO. Yes of course they have Nic Cage jokes, would you expect any less?

Tldr: Love him or hate him, you gotta agree that Nic Cage is a national treasure 😜

Neat bitcoin project: "Agora is a project that allows anyone to sell files on the web for bitcoin using the Lightning Network. Everything on this site is served by an Agora instance run by the Agora developers. Agora is free and open source, so anyone can run their own Agora instance." Check out the code on GitHub.

Tldr: Agora agora agora, Agora; agora agora (agora). I assume that's a grammatically correct sentence.

Tra-la-LA, crypto Christmas in California: "Staples Center to become Crypto.com Arena in reported $700 million naming rights deal," to be paid over 20 years. "The name will change when the Lakers host the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA's annual Christmas showcase."

Tldr: Season ticket bagholders will be stoked to watch the LA Moonshots in the Crypto.com arena next year.

Mind-blowing NFT project: "SOL Parasites are a collection of 10,000 one of a kind living, breathing, NFT organisms. They scan your wallet for an acceptable host NFT and turn themself into a mutated version of it. This process repeats every 24 hours. If left alone by themselves or only with other parasites, they will revert to their original form." Check 'em out on Magic Eden.

Tldr: Why am I getting Alien flashbacks? If these critters escape the blockchain we're all screwed.

Some company news! I'm delighted to announce that Hedgehog hired Colin Popell as a product manager to help make sure everything we build is amazing. Folks, this is Colin:

A product manager with an eccentric and varied background. My career has ranged from control systems research, to magnetic modeling of nuclear submarines, to business intelligence, to product management. I believe product can move from good to magical with a little more thought, a little more understanding.

My fascination and belief in the cryptocurrency space comes from wanting to bring the physical world into the digital world — whether it be via things like the metaverse, the day one payment capability of web3 applications, or utility coins.

In my spare time I lift weights, dance, read the Great Books, and argue online.

Reminder, you are encouraged to hang out with Colin, me, and the rest of the Hedgehog team in our Discord! We have a friendly, chill community of crypto enthusiasts, all different skill levels. Someone is usually around to shoot the shit or help you figure out a problem. Plus there are occasional airdrops and other rewards for active members 🤫

Tldr: Colin is the second Hedgehog hire who was a Discord regular before coming on board full-time, and we're thrilled to have him on the team.

Every week I give a Ledger Nano S to one lucky reader who answers my question. This week I want to know… what's your favorite Nic Cage movie, and if you were to steal a famous artifact, what would it be?

The Declaration of Independence? The original script for National Treasure? All the bitcoin held on Mt. Gox? Detailed plans about your heist are required. Massive bonus points if your plan involves a double-cross. Quadruple bonus points if it involves a DAO. Ridiculous number of points of you subvert my expectations entirely.

Call me maybe,
— Taylor

P.S. Important fintech topic that has nothing to do with crypto (yet): "If we look at the 2020 census data, [...] 25% of the American adult population receives Social Security benefits. Many millions of these people rely on a representative payee to partially or wholly manage their finances — making these Americans completely dependent on others to decide their financial future. But rather than expecting and requiring people who need support with finances to be completely dependent on the person managing their finances, I believe in shooting for financial interdependence." — Keeri Tramm, social worker

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