Catch up on nonfungible token (NFT)-related news this week from restaurants to movies and music. Below is a roundup of stories you don’t want to miss. Melania Trump’s eyes become an NFT Former first lady Melania Trump launched her own NFT platform and dropped her first digital collectible titled “Melania’s Vision,” which will be on sale through the rest of the month. “Melania’s Vision” is a watercolor art piece by artist Marc-Antoine Coulon. The limited-edition digital artwork will be available for 1 SOL ($150) and includes an audio recording from Mrs. Trump. The Melania Trump NFT platform utilizes the Solana blockchain protocol and is powered by Parler, an alternative social media network. “Melania’s Vision” NFT...
Chipotle announced it’s opening a new “Digital Kitchen” restaurant this month in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (about 40 miles south of Cleveland) — which will exclusively accept online orders. Hungry customers should avoid knocking on that pickup window expecting to have their order taken The prototype location will offer its pickup-only drive-thru “Chipotlane,” some outdoor seats and tables for eating (no dining room), and a walk-up window. Hungry customers should avoid knocking on that pickup window expecting to have their order taken. Instead, order online or on the Chipotle app and then check back at the window or roll up to the drive-thru. Imagine begging the Chipotle worker at the window to let you get a few drips of this magical kicker of a sauce.Image: Tabasco Chipotle says that there are ...
So the holidays are just days away, and you’re panicking because you still haven’t found a gift yet. Perhaps the present you wanted to give simply won’t arrive in time, or maybe you’ve just been too busy — or lazy — to pick something up (no judgment there). Whatever the reason, don’t worry; thanks to the internet, procrastinators, busy bees, and even lazy folks can still buy some great digital gifts without needing to leave their house. The only problem? There are tons of digital gifts to choose from, ranging from streaming subscriptions to concert tickets, and finding the right one can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve rounded up a few gift ideas across a number of popular categories, including film and travel, so you quickly choose, click, and close your shopping in seconds. A streaming ...
Spider-Man: No Way Home hit theaters today, which means that (of course) Twitter was immediately flooded with spoilers for the latest superhero flick. The problem isn’t a new one: people either intentionally or inadvertently spoiling major twists and turns in big films or TV shows is inherent to the idea of surprise reveals in media. And it’s only grown as Twitter (and to a larger extent, the entire internet) has been around and entwined with the hype cycles of these movies. But No Way Home’s spoiler-palooza does highlight just how poorly Twitter’s design handles spoilers and sensitive information. Facebook and Instagram tend to limit your reach to whoever you follow or are friends with. YouTube and TikTok leave you to the mercy of their algorithms. Twitter, on the other hand, makes it eas...
An Amazon delivery driver in Illinois was told to keep delivering packages after she reported hearing tornado sirens, with the dispatcher saying that the sirens were “just a warning.” According to a report by Bloomberg, which includes screenshots of the conversation, the driver was told that returning to the warehouse would be viewed as a route refusal, “which [would] ultimately end with you not having a job come tomorrow morning.” The conversation reportedly happened on Friday evening, around an hour and a half before a tornado hit an Amazon facility around 30 miles away from the driver. After being told twice to “just keep delivering,” the driver was eventually instructed to shelter in place “for 15-20 minutes, then continue as normal.” (The instructions to shelter in place were repeated...
Singer and artist Tommy Cash has launched a wearable NFT in partnership with the digital wardrobe platform ZERO10. Cash, who has previously worked with brands such as Maison Margiela and Rick Owens, designed three different artworks for the release. Inspired by post-Soviet aesthetics, there’s a Transformers-like suit of cars, a jacket made out of bread and a leaf waist garment that repurposes the imagery of the Biblical fig leaf. With the new collaboration, Cash sought to confront prejudices and utilize a creative approach to exemplifying themes of identity, inclusivity and body positivity. Available for 0.1ETH exclusively through the ZERO10 app, the Virginity Leaf NFT allows users to try on, purchase, own and wear the digital item. Meanwhile, the Bread Jacket and the Soviet Car Transforme...
Micah Johnson has always embraced change. As a Major League Baseball player, his career saw him hop between the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves before retiring from baseball after the 2018 season. But in his newfound free time, Johnson honed his creative side and opened an art studio in New Hampshire, creating both physical and digital works. The 30-year-old has now focused his efforts on creating change across the digital landscape, promoting his mission to empower youth of color and diligently working to make NFTs accessible to everyone. In February 2021, Johnson debuted his crypto-native NFT character named Aku — a boy in an astronaut helmet — that was inspired by a conversation he overheard between a young boy and his mother: “Can astronauts be Black?” In less...
Reddit announced earlier this week that it has started the process of taking the company public, by filing a confidential S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. “The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined,” the company wrote in its announcement. “The initial public offering is expected to occur after the SEC completes its review process, subject to market and other conditions.” “We are in a quiet period, and for regulatory reasons, we cannot say anything further,” the company added. Hi, we have some news. pic.twitter.com/DjkjBRloHF — Reddit (@Reddit) December 16, 2021 Rumors had circulated that Reddit had been considering an IPO prior to the official announcement, and earlier this year, the company disclosed that ...
The Christmas holiday is just one week away. I repeat: seven days from now is Christmas Eve. Let that sink in for a moment, but don’t panic just yet. There is still time to get gifts in time for the holidays before we reach cutoff times for shipments, though we’re getting a little tight on time. Just because you’re cutting it close doesn’t mean you have to overspend. Today, we have a bunch of great deals at a variety of price points — many of which can make exceptional gifts for a friend, family member, or yourself. Starting off, Vizio’s midrange 70-inch MQ7 4K LED TV (M70Q7-J03) with voice controls and HDR is just $749.99 at Best Buy. That’s a $350 discount on quite a large TV. You may ask, “How can I gift a 70-inch TV to just one family member?” Well, this is one of those great gifts you...
Tencent is adding to its already large roster of video game studios by acquiring Slamfire, the parent company of Back 4 Blood developer Turtle Rock Studios. Turtle Rock will be “retaining its independent operations” in California and the current leadership team will still run the studio, according to a press release. Tencent is behind some of the biggest games on the planet. It owns the studio behind the hugely popular MOBA League of Legends; the developer of the mobile hits Call of Duty: Mobile, Honor of Kings, and Pokémon Unite; and has a 40 percent stake in Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite and Unreal Engine. And the company has made many significant investments just this year, including acquiring British game studio Sumo, buying a majority stake in Don’t Starve developer Klei Enter...
TikTok said Friday that it’s working to remove “alarmist warnings” about a supposed day of school violence that was rumored to take place on Friday, December 17th. A supposed threat of a nationwide day of violence at schools across the country, that allegedly started as a TikTok challenge, prompted some districts to cancel classes Friday even as law enforcement mostly determined that the threats were not credible. TikTok said on Twitter that the warnings violated its misinformation policy, which prohibits the spread of hoaxes or warnings about hoaxes that treat them as real. After searching “exhaustively,” Tiktok said it had not found content on its platform promoting violence at US schools on Friday, despite the widespread but unsubstantiated rumors. “What we find are videos discussing th...
Verizon has sent an email to customers to let them know they’re getting opted in to its Custom Experience data collection scheme after reports came out about it being turned on by default for some users. If you (understandably) trashed the email without reading it, the TL;DR is that Verizon’s program collects data about your apps and web browsing activity to help “provide you more personalized experiences with Verizon.” But of course, Verizon says, you have a choice — you can turn it off anytime because your privacy is important to it (though not important enough to make the program opt-in instead of opt-out). Custom Experience is a sort of spin-off / successor / rebrand of Verizon Selects, which people were enrolled into when they used the Verizon Up rewards program. Verizon Selects has n...