# Top stories on Kiwi News, week 17 2024 Mon 22 to Sun 28 April 2024 Page: https://news.kiwistand.com/weekly/2024-W17 The 20 top stories on Kiwi News from Mon 22 to Sun 28 April 2024, ranked by upvotes, comments and clicks, with 18 comments in total. Summaries are AI summaries of the linked article. ## 1. Meme Coins Are Causing 'Damage' to Crypto, Says Andreessen Horowitz Exec - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Meme-Coins-Are-Causing-Damage-to-Crypto-Says-Andreessen-Horowitz-Exec?index=0x662ac8ba8acef682d6e5de84ecbf6a24195336a652941d2245a2d5286c1bce39df0aa041 - Source: https://decrypt.co/228099/meme-coins-causing-damage-crypto-andreessen-horowitz-exec - Submitted by misha, 16 upvotes, 1 comment Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) CTO Eddy Lazzarin argues that meme coins are a "risky casino" that damage crypto's long-term prospects, affecting adoption, regulation, laws, and builder behavior. In a April 24, 2024 post on Twitter (X), he said that meme coins distract from building new networks and give regulators reasons to pass harsher rules. Tokens such as Dogwifhat (WIF), Bonk (BONK), and Book of Meme (BOME) have recently posted large returns. Jesse Walden, founder of the crypto VC firm Variant, disagreed, saying meme coins offer only volatility and entertainment and do less damage than claimed. ## 2. Consensys Sues the SEC to Defend the U.S. Ethereum Community - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Consensys-Sues-the-SEC-to-Defend-the-US-Ethereum-Community?index=0x662aaee6c8e6119056083351c44138e601e5b75bdb097d98816e2fec91858d76987504e1 - Source: https://consensys.io/crypto-regulations/defend-ethereum - Submitted by pedrovilela.eth, 10 upvotes, 1 comment Consensys and the SEC have agreed in principle to dismiss the securities enforcement case concerning MetaMask, pending Commission approval, according to Consensys. The SEC would file a stipulation with the court that effectively closes the case. Consensys says its lawsuit against the SEC caused the agency to drop its Ethereum investigation, and it credits Matt Corva and its legal team for the work. ## 3. Safe token is now transferable - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Safe-token-is-now-transferable?index=0x66278f08e3e77ae2eaca110ea7016609d7eec6b08462dc05888a74e2da4d0f5b57d8c33e - Source: https://safe.global/token - Submitted by misha, 8 upvotes, 2 comments ## 4. Chat with ZKasino team about doxxing - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Chat-with-ZKasino-team-about-doxxing?index=0x6628c308a03434b5a278271a7d507c13c807224e074fba277797afe99eaa17d2b19e571c - Source: https://twitter.com/BlackDragon_io/status/1782678284775444806 - Submitted by macbudkowski.eth, 8 upvotes, 3 comments ## 5. Why niches matter - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Why-niches-matter?index=0x66292cf10fc72e2391ff7127e52256aa206bee0a4dd0a47aeeb0f2605f20b4e47cc5d0f8 - Source: https://kanfa.macbudkowski.com/why-niches-matter - Submitted by macbudkowski.eth, 9 upvotes, 0 comments Niches matter, the author argues, because bringing people with a shared specialty together can drive major progress and give them a sense of belonging. The text cites Renaissance Florence, the Manhattan Project and Silicon Valley as projects that gathered niche-focused people to cooperate, compete and build on each other's work. It also points to open source, where 99% of new software projects reportedly rely on open source components, and to the crypto community, which it says led to a $2T+ industry. The text adds that niche communities offer belonging, and that a niche makes it easier to stand out than the crowded mainstream Internet. ## 6. NFT Art: Beyond JPEGs - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/NFT-Art-Beyond-JPEGs?index=0x662bb8a016921d7f64d1cb3412ad96f7078e450c53d3ee62ac3178e460626b414ed8e981 - Source: https://medium.com/@miragenesi/nft-art-da826db9bfdb - Submitted by miragenesi.eth, 6 upvotes, 0 comments The article argues that NFTs are a medium for making art in their own right, not just a way to sell digital images, and it sets aside markets, prices and speculation to focus on on-chain NFT art. It explains that most NFTs are still pictures or animations, so the buyer owns a URL, while generative NFTs let artists define rules rather than select outputs. Examples include Autoglyphs by Larva Labs, where the look comes from randomness at purchase, and Chaos Roads by Chainleft, which changes over time toward higher entropy. The piece also cites The Mesh by Takenstheorem, which reads owner data from the blockchain, and Gold by James Bloom, which repaints itself based on its trading history. ## 7. a very important internet history chart - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/a-very-important-internet-history-chart?index=0x6629ed8c45679612b5b6c1bbc8c66433c5739491bdabefaea3973730a6469f26e87eab10 - Source: https://webspace.merz-akademie.de/~helene.dams/icanhashistory - Submitted by misha, 7 upvotes, 1 comment ## 8. A Social and Financial Study of Memecoins - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/A-Social-and-Financial-Study-of-Memecoins?index=0x662a806dba2ff74575d28ab792e0d74abc83b980ca203da6801774618dfe0133dbf2f1fa - Source: https://read.cryptodatabytes.com/p/a-social-and-financial-study-of-memecoins - Submitted by 0xluo.eth, 7 upvotes, 1 comment The author proposes a dashboard that scores Farcaster memecoins on social and financial health, placing tokens into five categories from "Extreme Risk" to "Well Established," and finds that the results roughly match expectations, with DEGEN far ahead of the rest. The social score uses the activity level of ticker mentions, adjusted by week-over-week growth in unique casters and recipient casters, while the financial score uses non-token liquidity and DEX volume, adjusted by week-over-week liquidity growth. The analysis does not yet filter out sybil accounts and bots, so social scores for some tokens may be skewed. The article also lists open research questions about bot scoring, growth correlations and meme lifecycles. ## 9. The Tech Baron Seeking to “Ethnically Cleanse” San Francisco - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/The-Tech-Baron-Seeking-to-Ethnically-Cleanse-San-Francisco?index=0x662cef6a2a0e66141c4387a3a72b52c14ae0871da3edf55ba1f0e3f7ab2e838224760a66 - Source: https://newrepublic.com/article/180487/balaji-srinivasan-network-state-plutocrat - Submitted by tim, 8 upvotes, 0 comments Tech figures linked to the Network State movement are seeking political control of San Francisco, with Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan as a leading example. Balaji Srinivasan, who wrote the 2022 book The Network State, told the Moment of Zen podcast that loyalty-based "Grays" would push out "Blues," the liberal voters he blames for the city's problems, and called a Gray Pride parade with 50,000 Grays a huge win. Tan, who was named CEO in 2022 after writing that Y Combinator is a prototype of the Network State, has used his platform to campaign for political control of San Francisco and to attack local journalists. ## 10. Kakarot: move fast and break a few eggs - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Kakarot-move-fast-and-break-a-few-eggs?index=0x662a2e6e693d8d65ef996746a5bdcf03ec1eee3f261fc7fae66db674d4d8c58e6374c2c8 - Source: https://blog.kakarot.org/kakarot-move-fast-and-break-a-few-eggs-a37741aa4750 - Submitted by lisaakselrod.eth, 5 upvotes, 1 comment Kakarot, an EVM-compatible ZK-rollup built on Cairo, argues that it can adapt to new Ethereum needs faster than other zkEVMs, and it is launching a testnet this month. The article says that most existing zkEVMs are built on circuits, which are harder to change, while Kakarot is built on the Cairo zkVM and can add features quickly. As an example, it says Kakarot added EIP-3074 in a few hundred lines of code across both its execution engine and proof system. It describes feature cycles of one month, compared with two years for a typical EIP. ## 11. Invite your friends to Kiwi News - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Invite-your-friends-to-Kiwi-News?index=0x6627da248a9d6166128a3a7f93bc3e461111957f11e2d29b43c6bf0a66f20926ba7c6213 - Source: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfsA8tI2gi-6b2oUY7G6c1KPDHiCYhk6mN4CZ3M3L579dFmUw/viewform?usp=sf_link - Submitted by tim, 7 upvotes, 0 comments ## 12. Farcaster.vote introduces Degenchain-based Communities - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Farcastervote-introduces-Degenchain-based-Communities?index=0x66293730a3f0fd294d2a9a777d3590f24d220ac4da5627917c047a4ad4dc54aa690b43c1 - Source: https://warpcast.com/vocdoni/0x9809d7b9 - Submitted by ferran.eth, 7 upvotes, 0 comments ## 13. Stripe starting to accept USDC stablecoin as payment method - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Stripe-starting-to-accept-USDC-stablecoin-as-payment-method?index=0x662a932aa53e318a08bae5675d882d1efe9f34eb23df00999c4c86de03e24b0571f6dfee - Source: https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/25/after-6-year-hiatus-stripe-to-start-taking-crypto-payments-starting-with-usdc-stablecoin - Submitted by ciefa.eth, 4 upvotes, 1 comment Stripe announced that it will let customers accept USDC stablecoin payments, initially only on Solana, Ethereum and Polygon, its first crypto payments since dropping Bitcoin in 2018. The move follows its 2022 USDC payouts service, which named Twitter as its marquee customer, while this announcement names no customers. John Collison, Stripe co-founder and president, is due to announce the news at the Connect developer conference in San Francisco this week. ## 14. The World Is Assuming A Pre-War Posture - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/The-World-Is-Assuming-A-Pre-War-Posture?index=0x66269053bf9bd8924253a1bac3d961d4d521862eeafd01816897797297b73ee823a53f27 - Source: https://www.noemamag.com/the-world-is-assuming-a-pre-war-posture - Submitted by leosn.eth, 5 upvotes, 0 comments Nathan Gardels argues that the post-war order is ending and the world risks entering a pre-war era in which battle lines harden globally. He points to Iran's drone and missile attack on Israel, Israel's return strike, and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East as examples of red lines being crossed, with the danger that actions in these conflicts could draw hardening alliance systems into a world-scale conflict. He cites the Biden administration's trilateral military coordination with Japan and South Korea, China's economic support for Russia, and a Baltic Sea now surrounded by NATO members. He also notes that Germany, Japan, South Korea and Australia remain economically entangled with China, which he sees as a possible moderating factor. ## 15. Learning how to monetize sustainably: episode 1 - Orb Social - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Learning-how-to-monetize-sustainably-episode-1-Orb-Social?index=0x6629442c582b4be79ebcd8dfe543514c139c18a80722b7d787a234917bca68f2c86e9522 - Source: https://app.t2.world/article/clvdtu8161280261ymclf7xrgyh - Submitted by pedrovilela.eth, 5 upvotes, 0 comments Lens is presented as a decentralized social protocol where users keep their profile, data and social graph, and this guide explains how to monetize content on Orb Social, a Lens app. The guide says users need a crypto wallet and some $MATIC to mint a profile, which costs a one-time fee of $10 or 8 $MATIC. It recommends low mint prices kept open for several days, since big prices discourage collecting, and suggests open editions priced at 20-40 USD or 400 $BONSAI at the time of writing, using the Dune Analytics dashboard by Seaport to check pricing. ## 16. It's a torturous chaos until it isn't - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Its-a-torturous-chaos-until-it-isnt?index=0x6626687ec53075311b4047ed1a62f47341c7bad6db1dfbddbf4997ee8c96b76c5eb747f6 - Source: https://longform.asmartbear.com/chaos-at-start - Submitted by macbudkowski.eth, 5 upvotes, 2 comments The essay argues that the early years of startups, and of other long-odds ventures, are chaotic and painful whether or not they eventually succeed, so the hardship alone cannot tell a successful path from a failing one. It cites HubSpot, which ended 2006 with 3 customers and 2007 with 48, and co-founder Dharmesh Shah's chart showing slow linear growth for three years before fast growth for five. It also points to rejection histories, such as Robert Pirsig's book being turned down by 121 publishers before its 1974 publication, and to J.K. Rowling being rejected 12 times. ## 17. CryptoPunks: Free to Claim - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/CryptoPunks-Free-to-Claim?index=0x6626b99f6d650d0b59257ce46d07d561be7ddee3f8c430982d001c072b610bee9cebc6bb - Source: https://hub.cryptopunks.app/goods - Submitted by pedrovilela.eth, 5 upvotes, 1 comment CryptoPunks, a collection of 10,000 generative 24×24 pixel portraits created by Matt Hall and John Watkinson of Larva Labs, launched in June 2017 and were initially offered "free to claim" by anyone with an Ethereum wallet, paying only the network fee. Each Punk is built from 87 attributes across five types: 6,039 male humans, 3,840 female humans, 88 green zombies, 24 brown apes, and 9 blue aliens. In May 2025, the Infinite Node Foundation (NODE) acquired the full intellectual property of CryptoPunks, and the article lists museum holdings including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. ## 18. Visa onchain analytics for all 4 stablecoins - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Visa-onchain-analytics-for-all-4-stablecoins?index=0x662d7951aa14d876646decf910bd233f920b9b552af7cbb247e561b822e08fe689299373 - Source: https://visaonchainanalytics.com - Submitted by thatalexpalmer.eth, 5 upvotes, 0 comments ## 19. Go Outside and Touch Grass - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/Go-Outside-and-Touch-Grass?index=0x662c1c722412322e361b9863bfff073f00b8a6e101bbc627a5ae7b7791f0ebbd57dc94d0 - Source: https://tglens.substack.com/p/go-outside-and-touch-grass - Submitted by pedrovilela.eth, 3 upvotes, 3 comments Touch Grass is a newsletter launched to surface what is happening onchain and on Lens, covering pop culture, art and news from the onchain social space. The newsletter argues that no one holds the authority to decide what is cool in these permissionless, decentralized spaces, and that its voices should be equally open. Its first issue highlights a range of projects, including letsglitchit's work on Orb, Refraction's open call for its ETHBerlin exhibition, and Garden.wtf, a project by Cody Brown and Jon Bo. It also features Steph's announcement of joining FWB as CMO and the MadFi team's request for builders for its Bonsai initiative. ## 20. SEC sued over Ethereum, crypto firm asks court to state token is not a security - Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/SEC-sued-over-Ethereum-crypto-firm-asks-court-to-state-token-is-not-a-security?index=0x662a9d4c54fdc21a0787463dcd60530f8a479f6ad41ee1291b08d2ddf453a9764b9c3929 - Source: https://fortune.com/crypto/2024/04/25/sec-sued-over-ethereum-crypto-firm-asks-court-to-state-token-is-not-a-security - Submitted by m-j-r.eth, 3 upvotes, 1 comment Consensys, a major backer of the Ethereum blockchain, sued the SEC in Texas federal court, asking the court to rule that Ether is not a security and to head off an expected SEC lawsuit over MetaMask's staking feature. The 34-page complaint argues that the SEC's claimed authority over Ethereum is illegal and would halt use of the blockchain in the United States. According to the complaint, the SEC issued a Wells Notice earlier this month and told Consensys in a phone call that MetaMask was operating as an unlicensed broker dealer. Consensys founder Joe Lubin told Fortune that the theory that staking turned Ethereum into a security is "preposterous," while the SEC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.