Ruja Ignatova, 42, nicknamed 'Crypto Queen' went on the run after disappearing with over $3 billion of investors money with her scam crypto "OneCoin."
Documents discovered by two journalists claimed that Ruja Ignatova was actually killed on a drug lord's orders as he wanted to cover up his involvement in the OneCoin affair.
The incident allegedly happened on a yacht in Greece, in November 2018, after which Ignatova's body was dismembered and thrown into the Ionian Sea, as stated in the documents.
Documents discovered by two journalists claimed that Ruja Ignatova was actually killed on a drug lord's orders as he wanted to cover up his involvement in the OneCoin affair.
The incident allegedly happened on a yacht in Greece, in November 2018, after which Ignatova's body was dismembered and thrown into the Ionian Sea, as stated in the documents.
👏1
⚡️ BlackRock Issues Metaverse Thematic ETF
BlackRock becomes the latest ETF issuer in the United States to launch a thematic equity fund aimed at companies around the world that are shaping the evolution of the metaverse. The expense ratio of the NYSE Arca-listed iShares Future Metaverse. An Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is a collection of securities that can be traded on the stock market. It combines the traits of conventional shares and mutual funds because it is a group of securities dispersed across companies, much like a mutual fund, but it can also be traded as a package on the stock market, just like shares. BlackRock’s belief in the metaverse as the next major investment opportunity is supported by society’s growing interest. and music events all being transformed by metaverse technologies.
BlackRock becomes the latest ETF issuer in the United States to launch a thematic equity fund aimed at companies around the world that are shaping the evolution of the metaverse. The expense ratio of the NYSE Arca-listed iShares Future Metaverse. An Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is a collection of securities that can be traded on the stock market. It combines the traits of conventional shares and mutual funds because it is a group of securities dispersed across companies, much like a mutual fund, but it can also be traded as a package on the stock market, just like shares. BlackRock’s belief in the metaverse as the next major investment opportunity is supported by society’s growing interest. and music events all being transformed by metaverse technologies.
AlUla’s UNESCO World Heritage site Hegra open to visitors in metaverse
Saudi Arabia has opened its UNESCO World Heritage site, Hegra, to virtual visitors in the metaverse. Created in the vast online landscape of Decentraland, the digital Hegra offers desktop tourists a chance to get inside the site’s ancient tombs.
A digitally created image of the first UNESCO World Heritage site to enter the metaverse, the virtual recreation of the Tomb of Lihyan, which allows visitors to experience Hegra's history in vivid detail. Image provided on February 21, 2023. “As you visit the site in real world, in real life, you won’t be able to access the inside of the tomb for conservation reasons because it's a very delicate site that's obviously an ancient old site,” Ahmed H. Daoud, Executive Director of Innovation at the Royal Commission for AlUla said.
Saudi Arabia has opened its UNESCO World Heritage site, Hegra, to virtual visitors in the metaverse. Created in the vast online landscape of Decentraland, the digital Hegra offers desktop tourists a chance to get inside the site’s ancient tombs.
A digitally created image of the first UNESCO World Heritage site to enter the metaverse, the virtual recreation of the Tomb of Lihyan, which allows visitors to experience Hegra's history in vivid detail. Image provided on February 21, 2023. “As you visit the site in real world, in real life, you won’t be able to access the inside of the tomb for conservation reasons because it's a very delicate site that's obviously an ancient old site,” Ahmed H. Daoud, Executive Director of Innovation at the Royal Commission for AlUla said.
👏1
🔫 Manuscript of book that coined the term 'metaverse' to be auctioned by Sotheby's
The manuscript of the cult classic novel "Snow Crash," the book known for coining the term metaverse, is going up for auction online. The never-before-seen manuscript is expected to fetch between $40,000 and $60,000, Sotheby's said on Thursday. The sale will also include the typesetting manuscript of "Snow Crash," as well as 35 mm slides used to pitch the project — which was originally conceived as a graphic novel — and a hand-forged tachi sword inspired by the weapon wielded by the novel’s protagonist. Alongside the auction, Sotheby's is selling an NFT collection (Infocalpyse) with images related to the graphic novel project that preceded Snow Crash, "Dioxin Posse.". a hand-forged tachi sword inspired by the weapon wielded by the novel’s protagonist.
The manuscript of the cult classic novel "Snow Crash," the book known for coining the term metaverse, is going up for auction online. The never-before-seen manuscript is expected to fetch between $40,000 and $60,000, Sotheby's said on Thursday. The sale will also include the typesetting manuscript of "Snow Crash," as well as 35 mm slides used to pitch the project — which was originally conceived as a graphic novel — and a hand-forged tachi sword inspired by the weapon wielded by the novel’s protagonist. Alongside the auction, Sotheby's is selling an NFT collection (Infocalpyse) with images related to the graphic novel project that preceded Snow Crash, "Dioxin Posse.". a hand-forged tachi sword inspired by the weapon wielded by the novel’s protagonist.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang claimed that Nvidia's GPUs had boosted AI processing performance by a factor of ONE MILLION in the last 10 years – and that it will do it all over again in the next 10 years:
"Moore's Law, in its best days, would have delivered 100x in a decade," Huang explained. “By coming up with new processors, new systems, new interconnects, new frameworks and algorithms and working with data scientists, AI researchers on new models, across that entire span, we've made large language model processing a million times faster."
"Over the course of the next 10 years, I hope through new chips, new interconnects, new systems, new operating systems, new distributed computing algorithms and new AI algorithms and working with developers coming up with new models, I believe we're going to accelerate AI by another million times."
"Moore's Law, in its best days, would have delivered 100x in a decade," Huang explained. “By coming up with new processors, new systems, new interconnects, new frameworks and algorithms and working with data scientists, AI researchers on new models, across that entire span, we've made large language model processing a million times faster."
"Over the course of the next 10 years, I hope through new chips, new interconnects, new systems, new operating systems, new distributed computing algorithms and new AI algorithms and working with developers coming up with new models, I believe we're going to accelerate AI by another million times."
📣 Tencent to Offer Metaverse-Building Services for Asian Markets
Tencent, the Chinese software and tech company, has announced its metaverse suite of services designed to target Asian markets. The company revealed that it will revamp its media offering with its new “metaverse-in-a-box” proposal, which aims to facilitate the task of building. Tencent, one of the biggest Chinese tech companies, has revealed its hand regarding the future of its metaverse strategy. The company announced that it will focus on offering “metaverse-in-a-box” services to its customers through its cloud division. This move, which comes as a complement to the media services offering that the company launched last year, aims to facilitate the task of developing virtual worlds for Tencent customers. The tools launched by Tencent will reportedly be used to build and design these metaverse spaces.
Tencent, the Chinese software and tech company, has announced its metaverse suite of services designed to target Asian markets. The company revealed that it will revamp its media offering with its new “metaverse-in-a-box” proposal, which aims to facilitate the task of building. Tencent, one of the biggest Chinese tech companies, has revealed its hand regarding the future of its metaverse strategy. The company announced that it will focus on offering “metaverse-in-a-box” services to its customers through its cloud division. This move, which comes as a complement to the media services offering that the company launched last year, aims to facilitate the task of developing virtual worlds for Tencent customers. The tools launched by Tencent will reportedly be used to build and design these metaverse spaces.
Dapper Labs said to lay off 20% more of its full-time employees
Dapper Labs lays off another 20% of staff. Less than four months after parting ways with more than 20% of its employees, Dapper Labs decided to let another 20% of full-time staff go, according to a document obtained by The Block.Gharegozlou also said that the company is in a “strong cash position with no outstanding debt.”
In an email to investors on Dapper Labs’ CEO Roham Gharegozlou announced a “corporate restructure” and the layoffs. “As part of this restructure, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with team members representing 20% of full-time employees," he wrote. The move to let more staff go comes as the NFT market has recently shown some signs of rebounding after a prolonged downturn. Dapper Labs, once celebrated as one of the elite NFT shops around thanks to its early success with NBA Top Shot, at one point achieved a valuation of $7.6 billion.
Dapper Labs lays off another 20% of staff. Less than four months after parting ways with more than 20% of its employees, Dapper Labs decided to let another 20% of full-time staff go, according to a document obtained by The Block.Gharegozlou also said that the company is in a “strong cash position with no outstanding debt.”
In an email to investors on Dapper Labs’ CEO Roham Gharegozlou announced a “corporate restructure” and the layoffs. “As part of this restructure, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with team members representing 20% of full-time employees," he wrote. The move to let more staff go comes as the NFT market has recently shown some signs of rebounding after a prolonged downturn. Dapper Labs, once celebrated as one of the elite NFT shops around thanks to its early success with NBA Top Shot, at one point achieved a valuation of $7.6 billion.
🖼 Largest NFT collectors joined Undeads Metaverse NFT drop
Undeads Metaverse, a highly anticipated AAA Web3 game, has announced that its first public mint event attracted some of the most prominent nonfungible token (NFT) collectors. The whitelisting phase saw a surge in demand for the Legendary and other NFTs. As a reward for early supporters of Undeads Metaverse, the Legendary Box is a unique and extremely limited offering that represents a symbol of honor throughout the game’s lifespan. The Legendary Box includes an exclusive comic book produced by ALT Animation that showcases the history and artwork of the owner’s legendary zombie, available in both digital and physical formats. the Legendary Box comes with a complete 3D version of the owner’s game character that reflects the NFT artwork.
Undeads Metaverse, a highly anticipated AAA Web3 game, has announced that its first public mint event attracted some of the most prominent nonfungible token (NFT) collectors. The whitelisting phase saw a surge in demand for the Legendary and other NFTs. As a reward for early supporters of Undeads Metaverse, the Legendary Box is a unique and extremely limited offering that represents a symbol of honor throughout the game’s lifespan. The Legendary Box includes an exclusive comic book produced by ALT Animation that showcases the history and artwork of the owner’s legendary zombie, available in both digital and physical formats. the Legendary Box comes with a complete 3D version of the owner’s game character that reflects the NFT artwork.
Apple’s reportedly already working on a more powerful version of its rumored “Reality Pro” headset.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company is readying a second device equipped with a “more powerful” processor.
Apple’s set to debut its headset at WWDC June, which is rumored to come with next-gen hand-tracking and an external battery. But if you don’t want to spend upwards of $3,000 on the device, Gurman says Apple’s working on a cheaper “Reality One” headset as well.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company is readying a second device equipped with a “more powerful” processor.
Apple’s set to debut its headset at WWDC June, which is rumored to come with next-gen hand-tracking and an external battery. But if you don’t want to spend upwards of $3,000 on the device, Gurman says Apple’s working on a cheaper “Reality One” headset as well.
🔫 Fujitsu and Mitsubishi look to create Japanese 'metaverse economic zone'
A group of large Japanese companies — including Mitsubishi, Fujitsu and banking giant Mizuho — agreed to work together to create a "Metaverse Economic Zone" for the country, with the aim of building open metaverse infrastructure. Companies that signed the agreement will integrate their technologies and services. The new social infrastructure will be used for information dissemination, marketing and workstyle reform for domestic enterprises, the release said. Users will be able to engage in an RPG-like experience as they travel through different realms. The service could also be extended beyond Japan to other jurisdictions and governments. Mizuho will provide infrastructure for "metaverse coins," Mitsubishi will give capacity for "web3-type metaverse financial functions" and Sompo Japan Insurance will work on insurance and risk policy development for the web3 era.
A group of large Japanese companies — including Mitsubishi, Fujitsu and banking giant Mizuho — agreed to work together to create a "Metaverse Economic Zone" for the country, with the aim of building open metaverse infrastructure. Companies that signed the agreement will integrate their technologies and services. The new social infrastructure will be used for information dissemination, marketing and workstyle reform for domestic enterprises, the release said. Users will be able to engage in an RPG-like experience as they travel through different realms. The service could also be extended beyond Japan to other jurisdictions and governments. Mizuho will provide infrastructure for "metaverse coins," Mitsubishi will give capacity for "web3-type metaverse financial functions" and Sompo Japan Insurance will work on insurance and risk policy development for the web3 era.
An 18-year-old Fornite streamer named Mongraal has decided to sell the Golden Key from Yugalabs' Sewer Pass for 1,000 ETH, or -~$1.6M USD.
Mongraal, who's real name is Kyle Jackson, said the sale was made on OpenSea and royalties will be paid in full.
They key was awarded to the top score of Yuga Labs’ endless runner game Dookey Dash.
Mongraal, who's real name is Kyle Jackson, said the sale was made on OpenSea and royalties will be paid in full.
They key was awarded to the top score of Yuga Labs’ endless runner game Dookey Dash.
📣 Huawei to launch metaverse and Web3 Alliance for East Asia
The cloud branch of Chinese technology titan Huawei has entered into a ‘heavyweight’ partnership with multiple blockchain companies on the launch of its metaverse and Web3 Alliance project, which aims to facilitate the speedy adoption. Huawei Cloud announced cooperation with Polygon (MATIC), Deepbrain Chain (DBC), Morpheus Labs (MITX), and BlockChain Solutions, with others to follow in the future, at the 2023 Huawei Cloud Asia Pacific Partnership Leaders Summit in Bali, Indonesia, on February 23, as WeChat reported on February 25. Commenting on the partnership and launch announcement, the CEO of Morpheus Labs, Pei-Han, stressed his company’s involvement in the project as “one of the key partners in Huawei Metaverse – Web3 Alliance.”
The cloud branch of Chinese technology titan Huawei has entered into a ‘heavyweight’ partnership with multiple blockchain companies on the launch of its metaverse and Web3 Alliance project, which aims to facilitate the speedy adoption. Huawei Cloud announced cooperation with Polygon (MATIC), Deepbrain Chain (DBC), Morpheus Labs (MITX), and BlockChain Solutions, with others to follow in the future, at the 2023 Huawei Cloud Asia Pacific Partnership Leaders Summit in Bali, Indonesia, on February 23, as WeChat reported on February 25. Commenting on the partnership and launch announcement, the CEO of Morpheus Labs, Pei-Han, stressed his company’s involvement in the project as “one of the key partners in Huawei Metaverse – Web3 Alliance.”
According to a report from The Information, Elon Musk has approached AI researchers in recent weeks about forming a team to develop an alternative to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has been described by Elon as “woke.”
To spearhead the effort, Musk has been recruiting Igor Babuschkin, a researcher who recently left Alphabet’s DeepMind AI.
To spearhead the effort, Musk has been recruiting Igor Babuschkin, a researcher who recently left Alphabet’s DeepMind AI.
📣 Saxx uses its first metaverse store to promote new collection
The Canada-based brand sells products on its website as well as retailers like Nordstrom Rack, Dillard’s, REI and others. Men’s apparel offered in the virtual store include swimwear, long and short sleeve tops, hoodies, polos and of course, underwear. All of the tops feature UPF 50 and can be worn in the water. Virtual experience developer Emperia has been working with other brands to help launch metaverse spaces, most recently helping beauty brand Tatcha. The developer also worked with Bloomingdale’s ahead of New York Fashion Week in September and Lacoste for its own virtual store. Virtual experience developer Emperia has been working with other brands to help launch metaverse spaces, most recently helping beauty brand Tatcha. The developer also worked with Bloomingdale’s ahead of New York Fashion Week in September and Lacoste for its own virtual store.
The Canada-based brand sells products on its website as well as retailers like Nordstrom Rack, Dillard’s, REI and others. Men’s apparel offered in the virtual store include swimwear, long and short sleeve tops, hoodies, polos and of course, underwear. All of the tops feature UPF 50 and can be worn in the water. Virtual experience developer Emperia has been working with other brands to help launch metaverse spaces, most recently helping beauty brand Tatcha. The developer also worked with Bloomingdale’s ahead of New York Fashion Week in September and Lacoste for its own virtual store. Virtual experience developer Emperia has been working with other brands to help launch metaverse spaces, most recently helping beauty brand Tatcha. The developer also worked with Bloomingdale’s ahead of New York Fashion Week in September and Lacoste for its own virtual store.
Lil Pump Taps Into the ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Metaverse
After dropping his EP Tesla just last week (Feb. 24), 22-year-old rapper Lil Pump is already gearing up for his next project, LP2, by tapping into the metaverse. By way of Grand Theft Auto, the “Gucci Gang” artist created his own virtual world that encompass all facets of Lil Pump, including a strip club called “Pump Playhouse,”.
“We were intentional that we not only use GTA as a launchpad, but to migrate unique easter eggs throughout the experience.”. The Miami-born rapper has made recent headlines for his body transformation, $25,000 porcelain veneers and latest single “Tesla” alongside Smokepurpp, accumulating over a million YouTube views in three days. A collection of Lil Pump’s songs and videos play throughout the metaverse, including his Ty Dolla $ign-assisted “She Know.”
After dropping his EP Tesla just last week (Feb. 24), 22-year-old rapper Lil Pump is already gearing up for his next project, LP2, by tapping into the metaverse. By way of Grand Theft Auto, the “Gucci Gang” artist created his own virtual world that encompass all facets of Lil Pump, including a strip club called “Pump Playhouse,”.
“We were intentional that we not only use GTA as a launchpad, but to migrate unique easter eggs throughout the experience.”. The Miami-born rapper has made recent headlines for his body transformation, $25,000 porcelain veneers and latest single “Tesla” alongside Smokepurpp, accumulating over a million YouTube views in three days. A collection of Lil Pump’s songs and videos play throughout the metaverse, including his Ty Dolla $ign-assisted “She Know.”
🟠 Binance AI-powered NFT Generator Reaches Minting Cap In 2.5 Hours
Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the CEO of Binance, announced the introduction of a new non-fungible token (NFT) platform infused with artificial intelligence (AI) Wednesday. According to official data, there are currently 9,904 sole owners of the Bicasso AI collection. The AI-focused product is called Bicasso, and according to CZ, the beta version was only available for 10,000 mints yesterday. According to official data, there are currently 9,904 unique holders of Bicasso AI pilot collections. These images are part of a pilot and, therefore, not for resale. According to Binance’s official Twitter, users who missed the 10,000 NFT quota can still register for the full version of the waiting list. CZ said on Twitter yesterday evening that the first pilot of Bicasso has been completed, and 10,000 NFTs were minted within 2.5 hours (reaching the minting limit).
Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the CEO of Binance, announced the introduction of a new non-fungible token (NFT) platform infused with artificial intelligence (AI) Wednesday. According to official data, there are currently 9,904 sole owners of the Bicasso AI collection. The AI-focused product is called Bicasso, and according to CZ, the beta version was only available for 10,000 mints yesterday. According to official data, there are currently 9,904 unique holders of Bicasso AI pilot collections. These images are part of a pilot and, therefore, not for resale. According to Binance’s official Twitter, users who missed the 10,000 NFT quota can still register for the full version of the waiting list. CZ said on Twitter yesterday evening that the first pilot of Bicasso has been completed, and 10,000 NFTs were minted within 2.5 hours (reaching the minting limit).
Metaverse already needs competition scrutiny, says EU antitrust chief
The Metaverse could be next in EU competition regulators' crosshairs, said antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager on Thursday — with concerns about Meta's dominance at the top of the docket. It's already time for us to start asking what healthy competition would look like in the metaverse.
Vestager noted that there is already a political debate about the attention paid to digital markets, with all jurisdictions moving forward at different speeds. "We will not get the same legal framework," she said, adding: "And maybe that is not a bad thing. Because that will allow us to hone our toolkits in the process of mutual learning.". Meta, formerly Facebook, has made an audacious play to grab market share in this emerging tech area, putting billions on the line to develop hardware and software.
The Metaverse could be next in EU competition regulators' crosshairs, said antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager on Thursday — with concerns about Meta's dominance at the top of the docket. It's already time for us to start asking what healthy competition would look like in the metaverse.
Vestager noted that there is already a political debate about the attention paid to digital markets, with all jurisdictions moving forward at different speeds. "We will not get the same legal framework," she said, adding: "And maybe that is not a bad thing. Because that will allow us to hone our toolkits in the process of mutual learning.". Meta, formerly Facebook, has made an audacious play to grab market share in this emerging tech area, putting billions on the line to develop hardware and software.
🔫 ‘Digital twin’ tech is twice as great as the metaverse
Facebook went all in on the “metaverse” a year and a half ago. The company changed its name to Meta and started pumping a billion dollars a month into a Hail Maryboondoggle to achieve relevance in the post-social world to come. Now Meta finds itself entering a “metaverse winter”. The metaverse isn’t a set of technologies; it’s a vision about future human culture. It’s about what product companies and the public might do with a set of technologies — mainly live and work in virtual spaces and play in virtual worlds. Apple has been developing what it calls “extended reality” hardware for two decades, and is now expected to roll out its first goggles later this year. The glasses will be virtual reality (VR) capable, but Apple will emphasize augmented reality (AR).
Facebook went all in on the “metaverse” a year and a half ago. The company changed its name to Meta and started pumping a billion dollars a month into a Hail Maryboondoggle to achieve relevance in the post-social world to come. Now Meta finds itself entering a “metaverse winter”. The metaverse isn’t a set of technologies; it’s a vision about future human culture. It’s about what product companies and the public might do with a set of technologies — mainly live and work in virtual spaces and play in virtual worlds. Apple has been developing what it calls “extended reality” hardware for two decades, and is now expected to roll out its first goggles later this year. The glasses will be virtual reality (VR) capable, but Apple will emphasize augmented reality (AR).
Community Cries Fraud Following Closure of WazirX NFT Marketplace
The crypto community has lashed out at the WazirX’s unannounced closure of its non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace. WazirX faced the wrath of the artist community after it decided to sunset the NFT marketplace without consulting stakeholders.
The frustrated community members lashed out, saying they would boycott future products from the co-founders Nischal Shetty and Sandesh Suvarna. WazirX announced the closing down of the marketplace due to low volume and traction. The platform further claimed that in the past month, there were only 71 unique active wallets, 354 transactions, and a volume of some $112. When the community discovered the sunset message on the website, they criticized the team for not maintaining proper communication.
The crypto community has lashed out at the WazirX’s unannounced closure of its non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace. WazirX faced the wrath of the artist community after it decided to sunset the NFT marketplace without consulting stakeholders.
The frustrated community members lashed out, saying they would boycott future products from the co-founders Nischal Shetty and Sandesh Suvarna. WazirX announced the closing down of the marketplace due to low volume and traction. The platform further claimed that in the past month, there were only 71 unique active wallets, 354 transactions, and a volume of some $112. When the community discovered the sunset message on the website, they criticized the team for not maintaining proper communication.
🥰1
📣 Emmy-Winning, Disney-Backed Baobab Studios Launches ‘Momoguro’ Ethereum NFTs
Hollywood’s Baobab Studios has won nine Emmy Awards for its short films and virtual reality (VR) experiences. Now, they’re branching out into the world of Web3 with a family-friendly project called “Momoguro” and an accompanying Ethereum NFT collection. Created by multimedia director and animator Martin Allais and writer-director Nico Cassavecchia, Momoguro is a colorful fantasy world where creatures called “Momos” can fuse together to form hybrid characters. Momoguro is releasing NFTs as well as a NFT roleplay game (RPG) where players can go on “quests” across a world called the Uno Plane to combine Momos. The franchise is minting its genesis NFTs for 0.22 ETH apiece (about $365) Thursday, which are “Holoselves” players can adopt.
Hollywood’s Baobab Studios has won nine Emmy Awards for its short films and virtual reality (VR) experiences. Now, they’re branching out into the world of Web3 with a family-friendly project called “Momoguro” and an accompanying Ethereum NFT collection. Created by multimedia director and animator Martin Allais and writer-director Nico Cassavecchia, Momoguro is a colorful fantasy world where creatures called “Momos” can fuse together to form hybrid characters. Momoguro is releasing NFTs as well as a NFT roleplay game (RPG) where players can go on “quests” across a world called the Uno Plane to combine Momos. The franchise is minting its genesis NFTs for 0.22 ETH apiece (about $365) Thursday, which are “Holoselves” players can adopt.