🍨SIM Swap Schemes Be Gone: Chainlink to Save the Day in Web3!

You might still have snow in your backyard but some might argue crypto winter is already over. Regardless, that’s not what we’re here to talk about. We’ve been following builders since the lows and are more excited about what cool stuff a 26-month high for Bitcoin will bring rather than the sole price. Because yes, some of us are actually here for the tech…

Let’s get into what we got for The Geral #20.

Coverage:

• Phone carriers partner up with Chainlink

• Mondelez experiments with blockchain

• Black Mirror Smile-to-Earn is here

• Strategies to build your NFT community

• CharmVerse integrates Farcaster Frames

Telefonica & Chainlink: Making Web3 a Safer Playground

Here's a tech mashup that's more exciting than a superhero crossover: Telefonica, the Spanish telecom titan, is teaming up with Chainlink, the oracle precursor. Why? To boost up security in the universe. Because, honestly, the world would be so much more fun if we’d be sure no one would steal your digital identity, right?

So, here's the scoop: Telefonica and Chainlink are joining forces to tackle one of Web3's nastiest villains – SIM swap fraud. You know, that thing where hackers pretend to be you by hijacking your phone number? Yeah, you probably saw on X the number of celebrities, companies, investment funds it happened to, and they're putting a stop to that. This duo is bringing something called Chainlink Functions to the party. It's like a bridge between your phone's SIM card and the world of Polygon-based smart contracts. The goal? To check if someone's been messing with your SIM card.

A little like a watchdog for your phone. Here’s the cool part: This tech isn't just for show. It's going to help prevent all sorts of issues. Think better two-factor authentication, a shield against identity theft, and even smarter transactions for banks in the future. The first one to roll out this tech magic? Vivo, Brazil's top company in telecom and Telefonica's very own. They're setting the stage for this new era of digital safety in South America. Johann Eid from Chainlink Labs is buzzing about it, saying it's a game-changer for security in the blockchain world. Yaiza Rubio, the Chief Metaverse Officer at Telefonica (yep, that's a real title), is all about this move. She's saying it's putting Telefonica on the map as the "enablers of web3”.

In short, Telefonica and Chainlink are on a mission to make the web3 world a safer place, one SIM card at a time. So, folks, what do you think? Is this the superhero team-up web3 needs?

Mondelēz is Going Blockchain! Because, Why Not? 🍪

Mondelēz International (yep, the Oreo and Cadbury folks) just hopped onto the blockchain bandwagon. They're joining the Hedera Council – think of it as a club for companies who love to talk about things like decentralized ledgers at parties. Mondelēz isn't just crashing the blockchain party for fun. They've got a seat with 30 other companies in the Hedera Council. Big move for a company that's usually more about snacks than tech.

Their goal? Use blockchain to make their business smarter and faster. Think digital upgrades and a more efficient supply chain. Bill Miller from Hedera can't stop talking about it. He's convinced Mondelēz will shake up the snack industry with blockchain. Let's hope it's more about speeding up snack delivery and less about complicating it with tech jargon.

It's not just Mondelēz getting starry-eyed over blockchain. The whole industry is betting on this tech – nothing much, just like a $103 billion bet by 2030. So, maybe there's something to this whole blockchain-snack combo.

Hedera's not just hanging out with ledger nerds. They're investing big in tech projects – like a $250 million partnership in Riyadh. Seems like they're serious about pushing the tech envelope. There's buzz about Hedera and Ripple maybe teaming up. Spotted at the World Economic Forum, it looks like they're keen on exploring blockchain adventures together. In a nutshell, Mondelēz joining the Hedera Council is a bold dive into the blockchain pool. Will it change the way we think about snacks? Only time will tell.

So, keep an eye out, the snack aisle might just get a new upgrade. 🚀🍪

Black Mirror, the Netflix show that's been freaking us out about technology for years, is now diving headfirst into Web3. Meet 'Smile Club,' the newest brainchild of Pixelynx, where dystopia meets digital reality.

👁️ Black Mirror Does Web3: Seriously?

Yeah, you heard that right. Smile Club is the first of Black Mirror's Digital Experiences, brought to life by Pixelynx. Remember that “Nosediv” episode with the social credit score? Well, now you get to live it – kind of. This experience challenges you to earn points in a very Black Mirror-esque way: by smiling. To get in, you need a Smile Pass digital asset. How do you get it? Just flash those pearly whites to log in. Then keep smiling, refer friends, and complete challenges to climb up a global leaderboard. It's like a creepy happiness contest.

Pixelynx CEO Inder Phull is basically saying, "Forget the reality; come join the happiest (and creepiest) community on Earth." He’s pumped about bringing fans closer to the Black Mirror universe with this interactive, smile-centric storytelling. Decrypt and Rug Radio are jumping on board with Pixelynx for a series of Web3 events tied to the Smile Club. It's like a big, digital party where your ticket is how much you can grin. The whole thing is built on Coinbase's layer-2 protocol, Base. So, it’s not just a wild concept, it's got on of the trendiest L2 chains backing it up.

Pixelynx isn't just some random company. It’s an Animoca Brands child, founded by a squad of musicians like deadmau5 and Plastikman, plus some big music industry names. Let's not forget the geniuses behind Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones. They've been giving us techno-paranoia on Netflix, and now they're bringing it to our doorstep.

So, are you, as a reader of The Geral, ready to join the Smile Club? It's like stepping into an episode of Black Mirror, except you’re in control – until know. Just don’t forget to smile!

Best Practices for Your Token Community

You might have seen the recent craze around Pandora and ERC-404 tokens. This experimental token standard has shown that NFTs might not be dead, with the innovative feature of being semi-fungible. Holders that purchase a full token unit can mint an NFT, which is then burned when the token is sold and re-minted for the next buyer. A lot have shown interest in building upon this standard, and if you’re one of them, let us treat you with our specialty: expertise in building a community, this time around NFTs.👇

Cool Stuff Seen on CharmVerse👀

You’ve been asking for it so here it is… We've brought Farcaster Frames on CharmVerse. Remember when everyone lost their minds over digital cows? We're bringing that same excitement to our platform. Adding cool stuff like new mints, polls and games to your pages is now as easy as typing "/frames" – yeah, seriously… Want to see what it looks like? Head here!

Memes of the Month🔥

And here we go with the best way to end your Saturday night or begin your Sunday morning. If only it was every week…

So this week we had Valentine’s Day, which some of you celebrated, let’s say, differently..

Because, yes, crypto is up.

Let’s not get too excited though… It’s all a matter of perspectives.

Is it the ETF that caused all of this?

That’s a wrap for The Geral #20! See you in two weeks for another deep dive into the world of Web3 communities.