Mad News Issue #53 🛥️ Never Stop Shipping
Backpack Wallet navigation takes one step closer to world class, Polyhedra’s hotly contested $ZKJ token listed, BODEN and HABIBI bring the memes to Backpack Exchange and much more!
Welcome to the Mad News!
Fresh changes to Backpack Wallet UI ↔️
$ZKJ token listed on Backpack Exchange 🪙
Armani Ferrante on top of the stage at Solana Summit 🎤
Jupiter x Backpack hosting private event 🥂
BODEN and HABIBI bring the memes 😄
Keystone hardware wallet integration with Backpack 🔒
Solana scales the ecosystem by adding new builders 🫰
Backpack Wallet navigation takes one step closer to world class ↔️
Backpack’s multichain wallet experience has improved steadily since launch and the navigation bar now boasts a clear visual indicator showing what blockchain is in use.
Shuffle 🤝 Mad Lads
Shuffle’s $SHFL was one of the first EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) tokens to grace the Backpack Exchange.
The token is used for wagers or bets on table games, slots and sports.
The ‘SHFL and Earn’ trading events have awarded millions of SHFL to Exchange users.
The 1m $SHFL has been distributed to the winners! Check the Questlog on Backpack Exchange to claim your rewards.
The winner of the 50k SHFL POOL's alias is extra-small-authority-5514!
Shuffle has embraced the JPEG business unit of Backpack and is planning a Mad Lads NFT giveaway.
Follow Shuffle and our friends Backpack & MadLads, we'll be giving away a couple of Madlads soon, stay tuned on how you can win!
Listen to this Solana Legend-hosted Twitter Space to learn more about Shuffle and their experience working with the Backpack team.
Polyhedra’s hotly contested $ZKJ token available on Backpack Exchange 🪙
Spot trading for ZKG launched on the Backpack Exchange last week alongside a generous trading contest featuring the new ‘Lucky Trade’ prize component.
One user who makes at least one ZKJ/USDC trade will be entered into a drawing for a 20k prize pool
The top 70% of ZKJ/USDC traders will share a 140k ZKJ prize pool
The top 10 traders of ZKJ/USDC by volume will share a second 140k ZKJ prize pool
Polyhedra began operations in 2023, the prolific blockchain builder is one of the most notable newcomers to Ethereum L2s.
ZKJ is the primary utility token used by Ethereum-based Polyhedra tools like ZkBridge, ZkNFT, ZkDID and ZkLightClient.
The Polyhedra team recently introduced a new method for verifying Zk proofs on the Bitcoin network ('Zk' stands for zero knowledge).
Like many Ethereum L2s, Polyhedra uses ZKJ in lieu of ETH for transaction fees on their platform.
Trade ZKJ on Backpack Exchange today!
Armani Ferrante on top of the stage at Solana Summit 🎤
Solana Summit (APAC) kicks off on June 20th in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Solana Summer APAC 2024 is designed to unite the best of best of the Solana Community in the Asia Pacific for three days to code, connect, collaborate & conquer.
Armani Ferrante will be leaving the Backpack war room in Tokyo and journey to the main stage of Solana Summit.
Admission fees are free for Solana Summit and a simple registration process is all that is needed to gain entrance to the event.
Jupiter x Backpack hosting private event during Solana Summit 🥂
Watch Armani’s panel during the daytime and head to the Jupiter x Backpack Wallet event once the sun goes down.
Get ready for a night of fun and connections! Jupiter and Backpack wallet are teaming up to throw an epic event for Solana partners, founders, and builders.
Mingle with the coolest minds and just have a blast. It's the perfect chance to grow your network and make lasting memories with fellow innovators. Don’t miss out on the fun!
BODEN and HABIBI bring the memes to Backpack Exchange 😄
So far the Experimental Assets category on Backpack Exchange has been a fancy way of saying “we’re listing memecoins”.
$BOME and $MEW were the first wave of memecoins added followed by $BODEN and $HABIBI this week.
BODEN is a Solana native memecoin that launched on March 26th and quickly became one of the most traded tokens on the blockchain.
The founders of BODEN infamously offered an airdrop reward to anyone who created a BODEN sign and pictured themselves with it at a Donald Trump presidential rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
HABIBI is the first cryptocurrency token built for Sheikhs on Solana.
The Arab narrative is kicking off, and $HABIBI was and always will be at the forefront.
Let the games begin.
The Habibi team has embraced meme culture and their online presence is dominated by high quality shitposts.
The $HABIBI and Earn trading event is ongoing with a total prize pool of 5.5M tokens which will be distributed to three categories of winners.
Habibi appears to have embraced the Mad Lads as well, community lore dictates that one Mad Lads NFT = an apartment in Dubai.
LAD OF THE WEEK: Solana Legend 🎒
Solana Legend has placed Mad Lads and Backpack on top since day zero.
This weeks LOTW is the de facto Mad Lads Townhall host, consummate Backpack bull poster and unwavering supporter of the movement.
Legend has been an integral part of the Mad Lads story since before the name Mad Lads even existed.
Almost 2 years ago I reached out to my friend Tristan (Yver) to learn about what he and Armani Ferrante were building, what would become Backpack
It’s the story of a community where the total is greater than the sum of the parts…
He may be the single most referenced person in Mad News (outside of Armani and Tristan) and has been a consistent pillar for the brands.
If you haven’t already followed Legend, do it now!
Keystone announces hardware wallet integration with Backpack 🔒
Cryptocurrency hardware wallet manufacturer Keystone announced an upcoming integration with Backpack Wallet.
The hardware wallet industry is contained within less than two dozen brands and manufacturers (with Ledger and Trezor leading the pack).
Undoubtedly Backpack has the best Ledger experience.
Always struggled with picking derivation paths and finding the right address and ended up with different sets on the live software and a whole different bunch on the extension wallet
Backpack hand holds you through it all
Of those two dozen hardware wallet brands, only a few have launched since the crypto boom of 2021.
Chinese brand Keystone has been building since 2017, they launched primarily as a platform for Ethereum and Bitcoin tokens but has expanded to include SOL, BNB, XRP, ADA, MATIC and dozens of others.
Armani Ferrante has emerged as one of Solana’s most prolific interviewees 🎥
Armani Ferrante is no stranger to the camera and has been advocating for Backpack and Mad Lads on a near-weekly basis for the last two years.
This week is no different with an appearance on the Empire Podcast.
In this episode, Armani, the founder of Backpack, dives into the technical and regulatory hurdles of running an exchange, the vision behind Backpack's product offerings, and the valuable lessons learned from the rise and fall of FTX.
He discusses the importance of focusing on the Solana ecosystem, the challenges of expanding into Japan, and the keys to long-term success in crypto.
Japan’s open welcome of blockchain technology has resulted in a strong culture of crypto 🗾
The Japanese Financial Services Agency has introduced a robust set of crypto regulations aimed at protecting civilian users and creating a framework for builders to operate in.
Japanese crypto maxis gathered to celebrate the launch of Solana’s newest regional arm, Superteam Japan.
Tristan Yver warmly embraced the new community with a welcoming speech and Mad Lads swag was prevalent at the event.
A major component of the Superteam Japan missions revolves around bolstering the Japanese developer community with free training bootcamps that cover Solana basics, coding in Rust and earning rewards through the Superteam Earn system.
Follow the Superteam Japan journey here.
PayPal introduces crypto to 400M+ new users 💳
PayPal dominated crypto news headlines after announcing their new Solana-native token, PYUSD, during the Consensus conference.
PYUSD allows users of PayPal to make purchases in crypto and enables transfers of crypto from PayPal to non-custodial crypto wallets.
Functionally this means that 400M+ PayPal customers will be able to use the app as a crypto onramp.
PayPal USD is a stablecoin, a type of cryptocurrency backed by US dollar deposits, US treasuries, and similar cash equivalents.
You can buy or sell PayPal USD on PayPal, using your US PayPal balance, or a PayPal-linked debit card or bank account.
Solana Ecosystem Calls have evolved into one of the most popular events in the ecosystem ☎️
Thousands of Solana enthusiasts tune in live each month for more than an hour of ‘celebrating Solana wins’ and community vibes.
The show is hosted by Kash Dhanda, longtime Solana proponent and face of the blockchain, who is joined by representatives from the biggest platforms.
This months show featured:
Solana Ecosystem Call recordings are occasionally released on YouTube however the last several months are only available on Twitter.
Watch the Solana Ecosystem Call (June) here.
Jito’s Midcurve Media showing the Solana story in a new light 🔍
Jito launched their own content firm Midcurve Media as a way to document the history of Solana builders.
Their first podcast episode ‘wtf is Midcurve?’ was released in February and since then they have released a dozen episodes covering the state of Solana.
The team covered Jito’s event during Consensus and captured this gem from Solana Legend discussing behind the scenes of Mad Lad’s success.
Solana scales the ecosystem by adding new builders 🫰
Superteam Earn is a powerful tool for developers and creators in the Solana ecosystem who are looking for contract gigs, bounties, grants and full time roles.
The concept of ‘earning your first crypto’ is baked into the Superteam movement and routinely touted by founding member, Akshay BD.
Listings range from copywriting, graphic design, smart contract development and other professional roles.
PODCAST CORNER 🎙️
Validated
Austin visits Jump Crypto's office in Chicago (The Pit) to talk about Firedancer, Solana's second independent validator client. They discuss its roadmap, its rollout, and the ways in which it will optimize and improve upon the architecture of Solana's existing client.
Kevin elaborates on his unconventional views on programming languages, scaling solutions, data flow optimization, and much more.
Lightspeed
Gm! This week we invite Austin Federa to the show for a discussion on the current state of Solana & the most exciting developments happening in crypto.
We deep dive into the current state of Firedancer, how to build community within crypto & attracting developers to Solana. We then debate is economic security a meme & of course the latest meta... social tokens & meme coins.
EXODUS
仮想通貨（暗号資産）マーケット情報／「Backpack」が番組の新スポンサーに！／DMM Bitcoin で482億円相当のビットコイン不正流出、顧客資産は全額保証／日本の事件、あまり世界で話題になっていない？／セルフカストディの重要性／バイデン大統領、SECの暗号資産会計ルール「SAB121」無効化法案に拒否権発動／ペイパルの独自ステーブルコイン「PayPal USD（PYUSD）」、ソラナに対応開始／日本のUSDC上陸はいつ？／Ledger社、Ledger Stax™の予約者への配送開始
Midcurve
In this live interview with the Solana Legend himself, we dive into the latest memecoin explosion and discuss whether NFTs are making a comeback. We also explore the rise of celebrity coins and the concept of ideologies as meme coins.
We also touch on the intersection of AI, DePin, and crypto, and how these technologies are evolving.
State Of The Network
State of the Networks is a weekly show covering what’s going on in the DePIN space and the world of Gristleking.
Problems, challenges, opportunities, new stuff; it’s all in the State of the Networks. 0900 Pacific Wednesdays, put it in your calendar!