📔 Weekly Journal: Trump Proves The Power of Crypto
[6 min read] Your weekend guide to getting ahead on the digital frontier. Today, the usual market news as well as what Trump’s $12B overnight token proves about the power of cryptocurrency.
Welcome to this week’s Weekly Journal 📔, your guide to the latest news & innovation in emerging technology, digital assets, and our exciting path to the Metaverse. This is week 111 of the 520 weeks of newsletters I have committed to, a decade of documenting our physical and digital lives converge.
New subscribers are encouraged to check out the history & purpose of this newsletter as well as the archive.
- Ryan
🌐 Digital Assets Market Update
To me, the Metaverse is the convergence of physical & virtual lives. As we work, play and socialise in virtual worlds, we need virtual currencies & assets. These have now reached mainstream finance as a defined asset class:
🔥🗺️ 7-day heatmap below, showing the current share of the market for the top cryptocurrencies, and their change in price over the last week.
🎭 Crypto Fear and Greed Index is based on volatility, social media sentiments, surveys, market momentum, and a few other bits and pieces.
🗞️ Interesting news from this week
Trump Launches $12 Billion Memecoin: $TRUMP
President-elect Donald Trump has launched a memecoin named “TRUMP,” making waves in both the cryptocurrency and political worlds. Announced late Friday night, just days before his inauguration, the coin opened trading at a few cents but surged by 4,000% within hours, trading above USD$60 as this newsletter goes out.
Currently, only 20% of TRUMP’s total supply is in circulation, giving it a market cap of $12 billion. The fully diluted valuation, representing the total value if all tokens were available, exceeds $60 billion, making TRUMP (on paper) worth more than General Motors, 3M, and Goldman Sachs 🤯. The remaining 80% of the tokens, held by Trump-affiliated entities CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight LLC, will gradually enter the market over the next three years.
The coin’s launch coincided with a high-profile black-tie event in Washington, D.C., attended by financial executives, crypto leaders, and celebrities, including Snoop Dogg. Trump’s Treasury Secretary nominee, Scott Bessent, was also present, signalling the administration’s strong pro-crypto stance.
This move aligns with Trump’s vision to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet” and establish a national bitcoin reserve. The launch has pushed cryptocurrency further into mainstream consciousness, raising questions about the future integration of digital assets in governance.
While TRUMP’s rapid ascent highlights growing interest in crypto, memecoins remain highly volatile. Whether the coin maintains its momentum or collapses, it represents a bold and unprecedented step in merging politics and cryptocurrency, solidifying Trump’s role as a key player in the digital economy.
Metaverse Technology Accelerates Despite AI's Rise: The Metaverse Standards Forum (MSF) reports that metaverse initiatives continue to progress robustly, even as artificial intelligence garners significant attention. The MSF emphasizes that advancements in spatial computing and virtual environments are maintaining momentum, underscoring the metaverse's enduring relevance in the evolving tech landscape. Read more here: campustechnology.com.
Government Adoption of Metaverse and Spatial Computing Technologies: Governments are exploring the integration of metaverse and spatial computing technologies to improve public services and civic engagement. Applications include virtual city planning, immersive public consultations, and enhanced emergency response simulations, demonstrating the potential of these technologies to transform governance and public interaction. Read the whole thing here: deloitte.wsj.com.
👓 Read of the Week: “Apple Leads the Spatial Computing Wave”
While initial excitement for Apple’s Vision Pro has moderated since its announcement, the company’s broader vision for spatial computing remains a focal point. Apple is positioning VisionOS, the operating system powering the Vision Pro, as a transformative platform for immersive experiences. This system introduces innovative features such as 3D app interfaces, spatial audio integration, and hand gesture controls, setting a new benchmark for interaction in virtual and augmented reality environments.
Apple's long-term strategy reflects a commitment to building an ecosystem where hardware and software converge seamlessly, a hallmark of the brand’s success in other domains like smartphones and wearables. Developers are already working on applications for VisionOS, spanning industries such as healthcare, education, and entertainment, highlighting the technology’s versatility.
As competitors race to catch up, Apple’s focus on precision-engineered hardware and optimised software experiences could ensure its leadership in the spatial computing market. The Vision Pro’s upcoming release in early 2024 will be a critical milestone for both Apple and the wider adoption of spatial computing technology. Check out the full article here: yahoo.com.
🎥 Watch of the week: “Quantum Computing Comes into Focus”
CNBC's Kate Rooney reports on the latest regarding quantum computing stocks, was 2024 the peak of the hype cycle?
AI 🎨🤖🎵✍🏼: “AI Integration in Public Services: Surrey’s Pothole Detection Initiative”
In the Metaverse, AI will be critical for creating intelligent virtual environments and avatars that can understand and respond to users with human-like cognition and natural interactions:
Surrey County Council in the UK is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence to address a persistent public infrastructure challenge—potholes. Leveraging computer vision technology, the council has outfitted highways vehicles with AI-powered cameras that can identify and photograph potholes in real time.
The system automatically records critical data about the location, size, and severity of potholes as vehicles travel through the county’s road network. This information is then transmitted to a centralised system for analysis and prioritisation, enabling road crews to address the most pressing issues more efficiently.
Traditionally, pothole detection relied on manual reporting or periodic inspections, which were often time-consuming and incomplete. By automating this process, Surrey’s initiative aims to not only expedite road maintenance but also reduce costs and improve safety for drivers.
The council believes this AI integration will serve as a model for other municipalities looking to modernise infrastructure management. The long-term vision includes expanding the technology to monitor other road defects and integrating it into broader smart city initiatives.
This project highlights the growing role of AI in public services, offering a glimpse into how technology can transform traditional maintenance workflows and improve quality of life for residents. Read more at: bbc.com.
That’s all for the free version this week! If you have any organisations in mind that could benefit from learning about emerging technology, be sure to reach out. Educational workshops are one of many consulting services I offer.
DCA With Me 🤑
Dollar Cost Averaging is an investment strategy in which an investor regularly invests a fixed amount of money into a particular asset/asset class at regular intervals, regardless of its current market cycle. By doing so, the investor can reduce the impact of market volatility and potentially earn a better return over time. Motto = time IN the market beats trying to time the market
To experiment with this, I invest $50 NZD into a Digital Asset every week. Each week I will choose an asset that seems underpriced in the short term and has positive long-term potential. My timeframe is 3-5 years. I don’t give financial advice but if you want to follow along with me you can use my easycrypto.co.nz referral link to support this newsletter. Let’s dive into this week’s pick:
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