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THE BATTLE OVER AFRICA'S GREAT UNTAPPED RESOURCE: IP ADDRESSES

A Chinese entrepreneur has spent ten years collecting millions of IP addresses in Africa to lease to companies outside of Africa.

DURABLE CONSUMABLES

The rational response to constantly shifting frontiers and accelerating progress is a shorter time horizon, faster replacement cycles, and less investment in permanence.

GEMINI APP DOWNLOADS ARE CATCHING UP TO CHATGPT

Gemini users spend more time in the app than ChatGPT users.

JAPAN UNVEILS HUMAN WASHING MACHINE, NOW YOU CAN GET WASHED LIKE LAUNDRY

Japanese tech company Science has created a capsule-style device that lets users lie inside and enjoy a full-body cleanse.

Go under the hood of Optimizely Opal.

CLAUDE 4.5 OPUS' SOUL DOCUMENT

There appears to be a document in the character training for Claude compressed within Claude's weights. While it is possible for the model to hallucinate the text, it appears to be real. This post details how the document was extracted. The full output of Claude's Soul Document is available in the post.

OPENAI MAY DEPLOY ADS SOON

A recent update to the ChatGPT Android app included references to an “ads feature” with “search ads” and “bazaar content”.

DATABRICKS REPORTEDLY IN TALKS TO RAISE $5B AT $134B VALUATION

Databricks is reportedly in talks to raise $5 billion at a $134 billion valuation. The company has resisted pressure to go public, but an IPO would likely be well-received. Databricks has more than 20,000 customers, including OpenAI, Block, Shell, and Toyota. Its platform offers tools that support the full lifecycle of AI development, including feature engineering, model training, evaluation, and deployment.

HOW PROMPT CACHING WORKS

Prompt caching works per-content, not per-conversation. Prefix caching works at the token level, not the request level, which is why it works across requests. Any change in the prefix breaks the entire hash chain.

ARE WE IN A GPT-4-STYLE LEAP THAT EVALS CAN'T SEE?

Chat is a terrible way to evaluate models. GPT-4 was so significantly better at answering questions that it was an obvious step forward. The industry needs to add more types of benchmarking. Models are currently being evaluated like students in an exam, but that's not representative of how the world works.

the whole team. Read the blog

WHAT MAKES A GREAT CHATGPT APP

The biggest mistake developers make is trying to port entire products into ChatGPT when they should instead expose a few powerful capabilities the model can orchestrate mid-conversation. Devs should organize around giving ChatGPT new data it can't access ("know"), enable real actions like booking appointments or playing games ("do"), and present information through richer UI than text walls ("show").

CONTEXT PLUMBING

Context is always changing, as it is dynamic. The context is not always where the AI runs. To make an agent run really well, you need to move the context to where it needs to be. Agents shouldn't have to look up context for every single query, because that's slow. Engineers need to build pipes that continuously flow potential context from where it is created to where it is going to be used.

EMBODIED COGNITION BENCHMARKING

ENACT is a benchmark for evaluating embodied cognition using egocentric world modeling.

IT'S HARD TO FEEL THE AGI

Some of the most accomplished minds in AI are beginning to revise their projections for the near future. This may not be entirely unexpected for those who follow the field. LLMs and other generative models have undoubtedly made many tangible achievements. Discovering their limits remains a challenging task that could be lost if industry climate drops to a new 'AI winter'.

VIBE PROVING IS HERE

An AI model just proved Erdos Problem #124 in Lean by itself. The problem has been open for nearly 30 years. The achievement shows how mathematical superintelligence is getting closer. The technology will change and dramatically accelerate progress in mathematics and all dependent fields.

AI ADOPTION RATES STARTING TO FLATTEN OUT

This post contains charts that show how AI adoption rates are flattening out across all firm sizes.

THE THINKING GAME

The Thinking Game is a documentary that covers the pivotal moments over five years at DeepMind, an AI company founded by Demis Hassabis.

INSIDE GEMINI 3 WITH SUNDAR PICHAI (27 MINUTE VIDEO)

Google CEO Sundar Pichai reflects on the company's long-term AI strategy, the evolution of Gemini 3, and future bets like quantum computing in a conversation on the Google AI podcast.

BITCOIN ETFS ARE BLACKROCK'S TOP REVENUE SOURCE

BlackRock's Bitcoin ETFs became the firm's top revenue source despite managing 1,400+ ETFs with $13.4 trillion in total assets. Allocations are nearing $100 billion. IBIT launched in January 2024 and reached $70 billion in assets in a record 341 days, currently sitting at $70.7 billion with net inflows exceeding $52 billion in its first year, while generating an estimated $245 million in annual fees by October. The ETF now holds over 3% of Bitcoin's total supply as BlackRock's own Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio increased its IBIT stake by 14%. Recent outflows are attributed to expected retail behavior during price drops rather than fundamental weakness.

UK CONFIRMS NEW CRYPTO REPORTING RULES

The UK's 2025 Budget confirms Cryptoasset Reporting Framework implementation from January 1, requiring UK-registered exchanges to collect customer cryptocurrency transactions and tax reference numbers, with HMRC forecasting £315 million ($417.3 million) in additional tax revenue by April 2030. Investors failing to provide details face £300 fines, while exchanges risk £300 per unreported customer, and information collected in 2026 will be reported to HMRC in 2027 to verify capital gains tax compliance. Experts warn compliance costs will be passed to customers as exchanges struggle to collect tax details from wary users, potentially driving some traders toward noncompliant platforms until international alignment creates a crypto equivalent to Common Reporting Standard and FATCA. Separately, HMRC published a summary indicating the government leans toward recognizing DeFi lending and staking as taxable only when gains are realized through fiat conversion, though no final decision or timeline has been set.

VISA EXPANDING STABLECOIN SETTLEMENT ACROSS EMEA

Visa partnered with crypto infrastructure provider Aquanow to expand stablecoin settlement across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, enabling 365-day settlement for issuers and acquirers using approved stablecoins like USDC. The integration eliminates weekend and holiday delays from traditional banking rails as Visa's stablecoin settlement volume reached a $2.5 billion annualized run rate, with plans to add four stablecoins across four blockchains.

NON-CUSTODIAL USDT VISA CARD LAUNCHING IN EL SALVADOR

Truther will launch a non-custodial USDT Visa card in El Salvador on January 29, enabling real-time spending from self-custody wallets on Polygon without preloading funds, charging 2% currency conversion fees with no IOF tax for Brazilian users as it extends its $40 million daily PIX-connected infrastructure. The card draws funds at the point of purchase rather than requiring top-ups or custodial accounts. Truther plans to migrate to the Liquid network for enhanced privacy while expanding the Swapix API to Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and Russia, targeting 24/7 QR code-based payment systems. Its wallet currently supports BTC, USDT, and Brazilian real stablecoins. Early 2025 integrations have been planned for tether gold and Argentine peso tokens.

TETHER'S INTEREST RATE TRADE

Tether is running an interest rate trade – buying gold and Bitcoin, anticipating Fed cuts that would crush their interest income. A 30% decline in these positions would wipe out equity and render USDT insolvent. However, its disclosed reserves operate under a "matching philosophy", showing only liability backing. A separate undisclosed equity balance sheet holds mining operations, equity investments, and corporate reserves funded by $10 billion annual profits from $120 billion treasuries at 4% yields. Tether's equity, valued at $50-100 billion, provides a buffer sellable to cover balance sheet gaps. The company operates at significantly higher collateralization than banks' 5-15% fractional reserves, despite lacking lender-of-last-resort protection.

THE STATE OF ETHEREUM: DIGITAL OIL, L2S, TPS, ETFS, DATS

Ethereum still dominates DeFi TVL and is rapidly integrating with TradFi via spot ETFs and ETH treasury companies, but ETH has underperformed BTC as investors debate how much value accrues to the base layer vs L2s. The upcoming Fusaka upgrade aims to massively increase throughput and data availability while making it cheaper to run nodes, reinforcing Ethereum's role as the modular settlement and Data availability (DA) layer for L2s and tokenized assets.

STABLECOIN YIELDS ON AAVE SLIDE BELOW T-BILLS

Stablecoin supply APYs on Aave v3 Ethereum have fallen from ~5% in late summer to just above 3%, with USDC/USDT/DAI topping the pool and newer stables like USDe, RLUSD, and USDS under 1.5%. Yields are slightly better on some L2s, but in general, onchain stable rates now sit below the 3-month US Treasury yield (~3.8%), signaling cooling DeFi borrowing demand.

MONAD VS. “JUST ANOTHER L1” – KEONE RESPONDS TO HAYES

Monad is meaningfully different from other L1s as it has sub-2s finality with ~170 global validators, a from-scratch C++/Rust codebase, and new consensus and execution designs. It aims to prove that high throughput and decentralization are compatible. Furthermore, MON's Coinbase sale was structured to favor broad distribution over whales.

POLYGON'S PAYMENTS ECOSYSTEM REACHES ESCAPE VELOCITY

Payment apps on Polygon processed $1B in volume in November (up ~3x from January), while local-currency stablecoins like XSGD, BRZ, and JPYC have now done $10B+ lifetime onchain.

X HIRING MONEY TECHNICAL LEAD

X is hiring a Technical Lead for its Money division.

SPOT ETFS SEE FIRST POSITIVE INFLOWS SINCE OCTOBER

The Bitcoin and Ether ETFs broke four and three-week streaks of outflows on Thanksgiving week.

ETH BURN AND FUSAKA'S BLOB ECONOMICS

$12B worth of ETH has been burned since EIP-1559 went live.

CREATE INTERFACES FROM A PROMPT: FIGMA GETS GEMINI 3 PRO

Google's new Gemini 3 model is now integrated into Figma Make, where it can generate layouts, components, design systems, and even HTML/CSS from text prompts or reference images. It speeds up prototyping with animations and states, and while it still needs refinement for complex work, it significantly lowers the barrier for beginners and boosts efficiency for pros.

APPLE GAVE VISION PRO TWO BIG, VERY NEEDED UPGRADES RECENTLY

Apple has significantly improved Vision Pro in two areas: lifelike spatial Personas in visionOS 26 and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The updated Personas now look realistic and enable convincing shared spatial experiences, while the new band improves weight distribution, making long sessions more comfortable even though the headset itself still needs to get lighter.

PROJECT GRAPH IS ADOBE'S MOST IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE YEAR

Project Graph is a node-based system that enables users to create custom workflows by connecting tools across Adobe Creative Cloud and third-party AI models through simplified interfaces called "capsules." Unveiled at Adobe's MAX conference, the tool emerged from Adobe's Incubator program to address AI's overreliance on prompts, offering professionals greater tactile control over their creative processes. Project Graph allows users to combine features from Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and external AI partners into reusable tools that work throughout Adobe's ecosystem.

IS CREATIVITY REALLY DEAD?

D&AD's new Uncommon-led manifesto boldly asks whether creativity is “dead or alive,” blaming apathy and over-talking while urging creatives to “shut up and make.” However, critics argue it simply creates more noise, rehashes a tired question, and ignores the real structural issues—AI, unstable incomes, shrinking budgets—that creatives urgently need leadership and clear guidance on.

QUANTIFYING UX SUCCESS AND PROVING VALUE

Success is best demonstrated through clear metrics: combine qualitative stories with hard quantitative data (ideally tied to financial impact), align your KPIs with organizational goals, and measure across engagement, usability, and conversion rather than a single metric. After, report results through storytelling, dashboards, impact reports, and demos—because showing the monetary value of UX improvements is what truly motivates stakeholders and drives organizational change.

UX IS YOUR MOAT (AND YOU'RE IGNORING IT)

Research shows new products must be nine times better to overcome users' attachment to existing tools, yet AI companies focus on incremental benchmark improvements while ignoring that user experience and interface comfort create the real competitive moat. Netflix's streaming dominance, despite lacking the best content, exemplifies how seamless, friction-free experiences trump raw capabilities, a lesson AI companies overlook as they compete on model performance rather than building interfaces that make users feel at home.

MARKDOWN EDITOR FOR COLLABORATIVE TEAMS

Haxiom is a free online markdown editor that uses AI to organize your team's knowledge. Go from a messy wiki to a unified team knowledge base connected directly to your GitHub MD workflow.

AI-POWERED STORYTELLING

Build choose-your-own-adventure stories with AI-generated images and videos.

BUILD WITH AI AND REFINE BY HAND

Build web apps reliably with a structured approach. Raydian provides a chat-to-build experience, a visual editor, and an integrated backend, database, auth, and hosting.

MONOPO'S REBRAND FOR NKORA PUTS THE CALM BACK INTO COFFEE CULTURE

NKORA's rebrand by Monopo emphasizes the café's warm, lived-in character, moving away from the minimalism common in modern coffee culture. Centered on “slow coffee” rituals, the new identity introduces Miles—a hand-carved linocut mascot—along with tactile typography and local walking-route illustrations, creating a human, soulful visual world that connects all seven locations while preserving NKORA's independent spirit.

DESIGN TOKENS AREN'T ENOUGH. ARCHITECTURE DECISIONS NEED A PLACE IN YOUR DESIGN SYSTEM

Design Tokens reveal what design decisions are, but Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) capture the crucial "why" behind those choices. ADRs document principles like avoiding hierarchy terms (primary and secondary) in favor of emphasis descriptors (strong, standard, and subtle), providing context that keeps decisions consistent and searchable. This living documentation helps onboard new team members, jog future memory, and train LLMs to maintain system integrity across projects.

HOW TO BECOME A SENIOR DESIGNER

Career growth in design requires intentional, proactive effort rather than waiting for good work to be automatically recognized. Designers should identify organizational blind spots with significant impact potential but without ownership. Focusing on these fundamental UX improvements, combined with strategic visibility and stakeholder engagement, creates pathways from smaller to more impactful projects.

WHEN CREATIVE BRIEFS BECOME NIGHTMARES: INSIDE THE SCOPE CREEP

“The Scope Creep” is a retro-horror–styled interactive story where tarot-like choices, escalating chaos, and darkly comic visuals simulate the inevitable meltdown of a creative project.

IS RETRO DESIGN MAKING A COMEBACK?

Retro design is experiencing a resurgence as designers revive vintage aesthetics like pixel art, skeuomorphic buttons, and neon palettes to combat minimalist fatigue and create emotional connections through nostalgia.

10 BEST MINIMAL JAPANESE DESIGNS FOR THOUGHTFUL GIFT-GIVING

This showcase features 10 minimalist Japanese-designed products that transform everyday tasks into meaningful moments through thoughtful engineering and honest materials.

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