DIS Weekly #16
DIS Weekly covers developments in the space of decentralized infrastructure solutions.
If you’d like to submit your project updates or podcast episodes for the next round of DIS Weekly / DIS Moment, email us at dis@pokt.network or DM us at @DISweekly.
//NODE INFRASTRUCTURE//
DAppNode | @DAppNode
DAppNode is a plug n’ play full-node solution focusing on increased privacy and user control. Currently supporting Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Monero.
In case you missed out on DevCon5, Pol Lanski shared his talk post-conference in a similar manner to Kevin Owocki, with his Web3 Business Models presentation. It’s titled “Better Than Free? End of FAANG”.
We highly recommend scrolling through this Twitter Thread in order to grasp the inherent value of decentralization and the importance of a people-run distributed cloud.
Pocket / Figment | @POKTnetwork / @FigmentNetworks
Pocket is a trustless API layer, providing easy access to any blockchain. Figment Networks is an institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure and staking provider.
Portis recently shared a talk from their Tel Aviv Blockchain Week meetup titled “An Optimistic View on Decentralization”, by CEO of Pocket Network Michael O’Rourke, covering the role decentralized infrastructure plays in creating a path to a robust, unstoppable Web3 ecosystem and how Pocket is making that a reality.
Pol Lanski, from DAppNode, did an excellent job explaining Load Balancing that Pocket utilizes for optimized node infrastructure. The Dispatch Node (orchestrator) coordinates the API requests between an application and set of Service Nodes that most suite your needs. Combined with a diverse set of nodes (plug n play solutions, multi-cloud providers, data centers, etc), a developer can expect their decentralized application to always remain online.
Samourai / Nodl | @SamouraiWallet / @NODL_IT
Samourai DOJO is a self-hosted bitcoin full-node server that automatically syncs and privately powers your Samourai Wallet. NODL is your personal bitcoin assistant.
Nodl shared a couple of new, interesting factoids about the Nodl Samourai edition hardware node in a thread on Twitter.
First off, the “red box” comes with a kill switch. In other words, if the box is ever opened, then the power to the CPU board is severed and the encryption keys are lost. However, you can recover them by restarting the node and re-entering the encryption password at boot time. Another cool fact, it will come with slots for antenna connectors, which allows users to add internal radios for either LoraWAN or BlockStream blocksat. They’ve also designed the RAM to be located in a position that makes freezing attacks much harder than other bitcoin node plug n play solutions.
In the same thread, Nodl teased that an all-in-one satbox is planned for 2020.
//WEB3 TOOLBOX//
3Box | @3boxdb
APIs for identity, profiles, storage, messaging, and comments.
3Box announced its latest release of 3Box Hub: Hub Search. It enables users to search for other users by their Ethereum addresses.
In the following versions, users will also be able to search for other users through any of the public information available on their profiles. Once a user finds another user they’ve been looking for, they can proceed to follow them and continue to build out their web3 social graph.
Try it out at 3box.io/login! (privacy tip: use a fresh ethereum address)
Status | @ethstatus
Status is an open-source, secure, private messenger, crypto wallet, and Web3 browser.
Version 3.0 of the Status Keycard was released last week. It added a “Cash Applet” for payments and burner wallet scenarios. It also contained breaking updates such as “Removed the DUPLICATE KEY command” and “Removed SET NDEF command”. It actually broke the compatibility with WallETH, which is currently being worked on to fix it.
Status also recently introduced SubSpace, which is a framework-agnostic JS library that embraces reactive programming with RxJS by observing asynchronous changes in Smart Contracts. It can be used in a browser, node, or native script environment. Subspace ensures a DApp always syncs from the last know point by saving the state to a local database.
Eauth | @PingChenTW
Eauth is an OAuth2 compatible Ethereum authentication tool, similar to traditional web2 social logins.
Ping received a $5000 grant from the Ethereum Foundation to continue developing Eauth. It’s an OAuth compatible Ethereum authentication tool that enables users to signup with their Ethereum address or ENS domain name in a familiar web2 scenario (ie google and social logins). It currently supports injected web3, fortmatic, and remote login.
This is great, especially for those that want to maintain a pure Ethereum experience without sacrificing user onboarding experience.
//WALLETS//
Alice | @HeyAliceApp
The WeChat of the Web3 World. It’s a SuperD/app that houses all your favorite applications, even non-crypto like duck duck go, as mini-dapps.
Alice will ship with a beautifully designed dark mode. Will you join the dark side?
Portis | @Portis_io
Portis is a universal Web3 interface with a user-friendly, familiar email and password login mechanism that doesn’t need a third-party installation.
Portis and Carbon worked together to provide one-click onboarding from fiat to xDAI (for non-US residents only ATM). It doesn’t require KYC verification for purchases of under $250 USD per day.
Follow along this step by step guide to try it out!
Dapper | @HelloDapper
Dapper is a smart contract wallet, currently available as a chrome extension, but with iOS and Android support coming soon.
Dapper Labs released another update (v1.0.0-beta.30) for its smart contract wallet. It extends the Rescue Kit feature to approved, secondary devices. This ensures that you’ll never lose access to your accounts or assets.
Beforehand, the Rescue Kit could only be generated from a primary device. If anything happens to it, you can rest assured that you can recover your assets and accounts.
MyEtherWallet | @myetherwallet
MEW is a free, client-side interface for users to interact with the Ethereum blockchain.
On October 21st, My Ether Wallet officially ended support for VintageMew. It’s no longer available. If you try to access the old interface, you’ll be redirected to MEW5.
The next day, MEW added Multi-Coin ENS support, starting off with ETH, BTC, ETC, and LTC. Then, the following day they added support for even more cryptocurrencies, including RSK, XRP, DOGE, BCH, and MONA.
Tell My Ether Wallet your personal DeFi user journey for a chance to win some cool MEW branded swag!
//DEFI//
PoolTogether | @PoolTogether_
PoolTogether is a no-loss, audited savings game powered by ethereum.
PoolTogether has a new product update to share. It improved transparency around odds, as well as, included a “Prizes” selection for both current and previous winners.
The PoolTogether team plans to introduce a couple of new features to empower their smaller users against “whales”. This includes tokenizing tickets and giving users the ability to join pods.
They’ve also updated the ticket purchase flow.
Dharma | @Dharma_HQ
Dharma is powered by an upgradeable, meta-transaction enabled, non-custodial, multisig smart wallet for earning interest on stablecoins through leveraging the Compound protocol, while retaining custody of funds.
Last week, Dharma announced its officially live and open to the public, after spending two months in beta. There is already over $1.5 million USD of user deposits earning up to 7.4% APR interest on Dharma.
They’ve framed this product as one you introduce to your family and friends to DeFi. It really is simple and easy to use. There’s no seed phrases to write down, neither transaction fees to pay, nor browser extensions to download. Just signup with your Coinbase account, then send DAI or USDC to your new Dharma account, where it will immediately start earning interest. And Dharma keeps your funds safe with its smart wallet.
Watch your money grow in real-time with their interest ticker!
Totle | @TotleCrypto
Totle enables access to decentralized exchange (DEX) liquidity and trade data for ETH/ERC20 markets, including stablecoins such as DAI, by aggregating DEXs into a single API.
Totle and Cryptowatch have joined forces to fill in the void created from the separate development that has grown between centralized cryptocurrency exchanges and decentralized financial (defi) markets. This partnership unites the two, giving users the ability to execute cryptocurrency trading strategies on both centralized exchanges and defi applications from a single platform.
Totle provides a tap into a liquidity-rich ecosystem with a single API. It aggregates pricing information from top DEXs including Kyber, Bancor, 0x Mesh, Airswap, UniSwap, and other leading liquidity stores. Cryptowatch pulls this rich information from the Totle API to display real-time on-chain trade data for top ERC20 tokens across decentralized exchanges.
In the near future, we can expect to see fully integrated decentralized trade execution.
//BLOCKCHAIN GAMES//
Gods Unchained | @GodsUnchained
Gods Unchained is a digital trading card game (TCG) where users can trade cards they purchase or earn for real-world currency.
The Gods Unchained Genesis Invitational, a sponsored tournament, kicked-off the other day. It pitted together 8 of the top Gods Unchained gaming streamers for the title of GU Invitational Champion. Andrew Biessener (aka Tides of Time) took home the championship title!
At the end of last week, Gods Unchained released a new update. It added four new tribes, major optimization, fixed a handful of bugs, improved card text, and much more.
In other news, Gods Unchained took a stance against the censorship China forced upon Blizzard, where a Hong Kong Hearthstone player was removed, suspended, and stripped of his winning from the HearthStone Grand Masters tournament for expressing his beliefs. It also showed the vulnerability of centralized games face. Unlike HearthStone, Gods Unchained has uncensorable items with an open economy and market. We need more games like this, unstoppable and uncensorable.
Neon District | @NeonDistrictRPG
Neon District is the cyberpunk role-playing adventure and flagship game developed by Blockade Games. Players battle to progress through a sci-fi dystopia and earn in-game NFT items.
Neon District recently announced that its first-ever public sale is live with the Season One Public Loadout. If you missed out on the Founders Loadout session, this is the next opportunity to jump on.
Over the next six weeks, they’ll be releasing 1200 assets across all classes of rarity. You can use either USD or ETH to buy in-game assets at portal.neondistrict.io!
//PODCASTS//
Wizard of Dapps | @wizardofdapps
Clovers Part 2 (post-launch) with Billy Rennekamp
Hashing It Out | @HashingItOutPod
Epicenter | @epicenterbtc
StarkWare – Productizing zk-STARKs to Provide Blockchain Scalability and Privacy
Unchained | @LauraShin
How the Hong Kong Protests Gave a Boost to Gods Unchained
DAO Cast | @DAO_cast
Zero Knowledge | @zeroknowledgefm
Dan Boneh on the past, present & future of cryptography
Chorus One Podcast | @ChorusOne
Edgeware: Experimentations on Token Distribution & Blockchain Governance with Dillon Chen
Block, stock, and barrel | @Ashliechin
Tom Menner - Director, Solution Architecture at R3
//DIS MOMENT//
No. 9 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1163943379564150784
No. 10 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1167156913156612097
No. 11 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1170031387694567425
No. 12 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1172477041872121856
No. 13 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1174730106436239360
No. 14 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1177605005584539651
No. 15 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1179809079709097984
No. 16 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1182671105754128385
No. 17 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1184138794993442823
No. 18 https://twitter.com/i/moments/1187750326151143424
For more moments and tweets, follow DIS Weekly on Twitter at @DISWeekly.
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