ForkLog — digital economy, AI, singularity, future is now

BitMart founder denies misappropriating user fundsSheldon Xia said he isn’t hiding and didn’t take user funds; withdrawals have faced delays since July 26.

On August 8, BitMart founder Sheldon Xia responded for the first time since the shutdown announcement, saying he is not hiding and did not take user funds. Users say they have been unable to withdraw since July 26.

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News and Analysis65

Bitcoin network splits over BIP-110 soft forkOn Aug. 8 Bitcoin split at #961,632; the fork mined two blocks in eight hours.

On August 8, the Bitcoin network split at height #961,632. In eight hours, the new branch mined two blocks.

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Longreads

Longreads82

AI firms seek ‘organic’ data: buying pre-2022 books and licensing faces amid fears of model collapseWhy AI firms buy books and license faces amid a flood of machine-generated content.

Why people sell their faces and AI firms destroy millions of books as the internet floods with machine-generated junk.

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Longreads164

A New Short: Why Michael Burry Is Betting Against SemiconductorsBurry shorts chipmakers amid AI boom, shortages, rising costs and accounting risks

The famed investor who foresaw the mortgage crash is betting against a sector up 92% in a year

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Longreads107

Quantum & After. Question 3: Can the quantum internet be hacked?QKD’s physics help, but hardware and implementation keep networks vulnerable.

We break down how QKD works and why the “unhackability” of the quantum internet runs into imperfect hardware, implementation gaps, and the human factor.

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Longreads173

‘Sleep at Night Technology’: How a Coldcard flaw turned peace of mind into a nightmareA Coldcard flaw led to major thefts and rattled trust in hardware wallets.

How a Coinkite error led to a multimillion-dollar theft and raised doubts about hardware wallet security.

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OneLiners

OneLiner

Experts Warn of Risks in DAOs Holding Reserves in Their Own Tokens

According to research by GSR, DAOs typically hold about 70% of reserves in their own tokens. Analysts warn this creates a procyclical vulnerability, as a drop in token value devalues collateral, reduces protocol revenues, and decreases market activity.

OneLiner

OpenAI Acquires AI Presentation Generator Developer NextSlide

Ahmed Beshri, founder of NextSlide, announced the company's acquisition by OpenAI, with the team now working on ChatGPT. NextSlide developed a service that turns text queries and research materials into editable presentations. The deal was completed in early 2026, but terms remain undisclosed.

OneLiner

xAI Updates Image Generator in Grok

xAI has introduced Imagine Image 2.0, a new version of its image generator designed for precise execution of text instructions and typography. The model also features an expanded set of local editing tools, including pinpoint editing of selected areas without altering the rest of the scene, background removal while maintaining transparency, the ability to combine up to five source images in a single request, and automatic adaptation to various proportions. According to the developers, the model ranks second on the Arena platform for text-based generation and editing.

OneLiner

Opinion: Bitcoin Unlikely to Fall Below $60,000 Again

Alex Svanevik, founder of Nansen, stated that Bitcoin will never again drop below $60,000, identifying the current level above $64,000 as the cycle's minimum. He attributed his stance to Bitcoin's role as a hedge against central banks' monetary expansion.

News and Analysis54

Developer Warns of Bitcoin Loss Risk Due to BIP-110Kevin Loaec warns of Bitcoin loss risk from BIP-110.

Blockchain specialist Kevin Loaec has warned that attempting to sell coins obtained from a potential soft fork of BIP-110 could lead to the loss of actual bitcoins.

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News and Analysis41

US Treasury Expands Sanctions Against Iranian Crypto ExchangesUS Treasury sanctions Iranian crypto exchanges for money laundering.

The U.S. Treasury's OFAC has sanctioned crypto exchanges Shelbit and Aban Tether, accusing them of laundering funds for Iran's IRGC.

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News and Analysis28

SharpLink Warns of Threat to Ethereum’s Key Advantage Over BitcoinSharpLink CEO warns EIP-8363 threatens Ethereum's edge over Bitcoin.

SharpLink CEO Joseph Chalom stated that EIP-8363 will strip Ethereum of its main competitive edge over Bitcoin — the ability to generate income simply by holding it.

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News and Analysis28

Hackers Exploit BTCPay Vulnerability to Drain Lightning NodesHackers exploited a BTCPay vulnerability to drain Lightning nodes.

On the night of August 8, hackers drained funds from Lightning Network nodes operating through the BTCPay payment server. Developers confirmed the theft and urged users of the LND software to immediately update to version 2.4.2 or disable the server.

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What are tokenized ETFs and how do they differ from perp-ETFs?What tokenized ETFs are and how they differ from perp-ETFs

What tokenized ETFs are, why investors might use them, and how they differ from perp-ETFs

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What are tokenized deposits and how do they differ from stablecoins?What tokenized deposits are and how they differ from stablecoins.

Why banks need tokenized deposits and how they differ from stablecoins.

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What are federated systems and the Fediverse?An overview of federated systems, the Fediverse, and Matrix.

How federated protocols protect the privacy of individuals and organizations.

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What Are Agentic Payments?How agentic payments work, who builds them, and the role of x402.

What digital assistants do in payments and how autonomous they are.

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News and Analysis39

Bybit Files Lawsuit Against North Korea and Lazarus GroupBybit sues North Korea and Lazarus Group over $1.5B theft.

Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit announced a civil lawsuit against North Korea, its intelligence agency, and hacker group Lazarus Group over the theft of $1.5 billion in February 2025

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News and Analysis14

Why Is Jim Cramer Urgently Selling Bitcoin?Latest "Deconstruction" text version.

Text version of the latest "Deconstruction."

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News and Analysis143

Trump Media Shuts Down Cryptocurrency DivisionTrump Media ends crypto division, citing market conditions.

Crypto.com, Trump Media & Technology Group, and SPAC company Yorkville Acquisition Corp. abandoned plans to create a public treasury for the CRO token, citing market conditions and shifting business priorities.

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News and Analysis70

macOS crypto stealer, hotel Wi-Fi spying, and other cybersecurity newsThis week’s top cybersecurity news.

We gathered the week’s most important cybersecurity news.

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Longreads82

AI firms seek ‘organic’ data: buying pre-2022 books and licensing faces amid fears of model collapseWhy AI firms buy books and license faces amid a flood of machine-generated content.

Why people sell their faces and AI firms destroy millions of books as the internet floods with machine-generated junk.

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News and Analysis22

CEX Perpetual Futures Trading Volume Hits 2023 LowCEX futures trading hit a 2023 low in July.

In July, trading volume for perpetual futures on centralized crypto exchanges fell to $4 trillion, marking the lowest level since December 2023.

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News and Analysis108

SpaceX, Tesla to invest $16.8B in Terafab chip plant in TexasTotal costs could reach $119 billion

On August 6, SpaceX and Tesla picked Grimes County, Texas for the Terafab chip plant and announced an initial $16.8 billion investment.

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News and Analysis50

Demand for hardware crypto wallets rises in RussiaM.Video Q2 sales +107% vs Q1; Wildberries H1 demand +84% y/y.

Russian marketplaces report rising hardware wallet sales: in Q2, devices sold on M.Video increased 107% versus January–March. On Wildberries, demand in the first six months rose 84% year over year, RIA Novosti reported. M.Video said category turnover grew 92%. About 40% was Ledger (almost 30% of sales) and over 20% was Trezor (20% of devices).

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News and Analysis71

Former OpenAI Researcher Joins ‘Telepathic’ Startup ConduitNaomi Bashkansky joins Conduit to develop AI for reading thoughts.

Former OpenAI employee Naomi Bashkansky has joined Conduit as a founding researcher. The startup is training AI models for "non-invasive reading of human thoughts."

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News and Analysis90

AWS researcher presents quantum algorithm that could challenge post-quantum cryptography assumptionsAWS’s Daniel Simon proposes quantum algorithm with potential PQC implications.

AWS researcher Daniel Simon presented a new quantum algorithm that could speed up solving some problems underpinning post-quantum cryptography.

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News and Analysis34

Ether.fi Moves Restaking from weETH to Separate TokenEther.fi moves restaking from weETH to weETHs token.

Developers of the Ether.fi protocol have removed the restaking function from weETH and transferred it to a separate liquidity token, weETHs, based on Symbiotic.

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News and Analysis89

AI Designs Complete Viral Genomes for the First TimeAI designs entire viral genomes for the first time.

Scientists at Stanford University have used artificial intelligence to design entire viral genomes for the first time. The AI-designed viruses successfully replicated in laboratory conditions.

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