🍨NEAR Protocol's Plan to Save the Web

Welcome to another edition of your least boring slice of inbox real estate. The Geral is the beacon of excitement you actually look forward to—sandwiched between endless spam and yet another "exciting" offer to extend your car warranty. Yes, we believe we're pretty much the only thing worth clicking on in the mix of all your snooze-worthy emails. So, let’s dive into the only updates that will brighten your day, and maybe your brain.

Coverage:

• Near Protocol goes big on AI

• Google Cloud’s venture into blockchain brings up mixed feelings

• Immutable huge plan for gamers

• Tips to land a job in web3

NEAR Protocol Goes Big on AI, Claims to Save Us from Dystopian Web3 Hell

Chris Donovan, COO and apparent savior of the web, discussed Near Protocol’s plans to merge AI with web3 and basically prevent Skynet- a fictional (for now, at least) AI system that is aware of the physical world and can act through computer control systems. Remember NEAR? Started as an AI project, pivoted to blockchain, and now they're mixing both to keep the web open and your data yours. Because, let's face it, nobody else wants your weird midnight Google searches.

Donovan, channeling his inner tech oracle, warned us about the "dystopian outcomes" of closed, profit-driven AI development. According to him, if someone doesn't handle AI integration correctly, we might as well kiss the open web goodbye. And he thinks NEAR is just the protocol to handle it.

In a plot twist nobody asked for, NEAR is working on something called chain abstraction to better the user experience, along with many other projects. Thanks to account aggregation, they’re basically making the blockchain equivalent of a Swiss Army knife for web3 – one login to rule them all. And with Fastauth, they’re making onboarding as easy as setting up your Tinder profile. Just scan your face, and you're ready to transact across blockchains, not flirt.

Near Protocol isn't just wooing the web3 crowd; they're seducing web2 companies faster than a blockchain can process a simple transaction. They've got folks like Cosmos ditching Stripe for lower costs on NEAR's network. Oh, and did we mention NEAR's boasting a 100% uptime since its mainnet launch? Take that, other blockchains with their 30% transaction success rates- no hate for Solana here.

Donovan hints at upcoming announcements that will likely be about how NEAR is expanding its dApp ecosystem and leveraging AI to keep everything open and decentralized—because, apparently, that's the only way to ensure we don't end up in a digital dystopia.

So, get ready for more NEAR-induced excitement, and let's hope their AI integration plans don't turn into the opening scene of a sci-fi horror film. Until then, keep your data close and your AI closer.

Google Cloud Ventures Into Web3, Bitcoin Not Invited

We briefly talked about it being a possibility previously, but Google Cloud has just launched a Web3 portal, a new playground for blockchain enthusiasts filled with datasets and guides on how to create NFTs. Sounds impressive, right? Well, not everyone's buying what Google's selling.

Here's the scoop: Google threw a Web3 party and forgot to invite Bitcoin. Phil Geiger of Unchained couldn't help but point out the blunder on X, saying, “No native Bitcoin and lightning support? Seems like an oversight to ignore the most important cryptocurrency.” That’s one way to make an entrance—or not. Then there's pseudonymous crypto traders, who took to their followers to lament that Google is dragging its feet in the crypto race.

It's not all eye rolls and facepalms, though. Some folks are actually thrilled about Google's new toy. Ivaibi Festo, founder of Mitroplus labs, cheered on the portal, calling it a “comprehensive resource.” Beyond the cheers, the portal offers some pretty useful features: tools for building and testing DApps on Ethereum testnets, plus tutorials that dive into the nitty-gritty of NFT creation and digital asset security.

Stepping up its web3 game, the other big news is that Google also revamped its advertising policies to allow crypto products to strut their stuff on its platforms. And they've even made it easier to peek at your wallet balances across various blockchains.

Stay tuned to follow the steps of the tech giant into the blockchain, one at a time, with The Geral.

Immutable Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Gamers with $50 Million Worth of Carrots

Guess what? Immutable, a major player in blockchain gaming, just unveiled a banger of an incentive: a $50 million rewards program called “The Main Quest.” Here’s the scoop: Immutable’s going all in. They’re rewarding gamers for just about everything you do in-game—from conquering quests to managing your game collections. If you’ve ever felt a little unappreciated after grinding away for hours, Immutable’s looking to make up for it with some sweet, sweet tokens.

Their gaming roster is pretty stacked too, boasting over 270 titles in development. Notable standouts like “Illuvium” and “MetalCore” are among the ten lucky games to get a first taste of the reward action. And of course, we’ve got some heavyweights backing this venture—Tencent, Coinbase, and Galaxy Interactive are all in. It looks like Immutable isn’t just playing games, they’re aiming to be a big-time player in the evolving world of web3 gaming.

Robbie Ferguson, the co-founder and president of Immutable, is all about highlighting the perks of digital ownership. He’s convinced that these rewards will showcase the real benefits of owning digital assets. Yep, it’s about making those digital tokens feel a bit more… real.

Immutable’s not just trying to jazz up the gaming experience; they're looking to draw a crowd. By throwing open their digital doors and flashing some blockchain bling, they hope to attract a broader audience to see what all the fuss is about with blockchain in gaming.

So, if you’re into gaming and haven’t yet dipped your toes into the blockchain waters, maybe a slice of that $50 million pie could tempt you? Just mention you got the alpha from The Geral if you get it.

Best Practices for Your Web3 Community

Thinking about working in web3? Get ready, because it’s a lot of work but also a lot of fun. You'll need to keep learning new things all the time, but you’ll meet some of the coolest people around and really get to do what you love.

Interested? We've put together five simple tips to help you land a great job in web3. No need to thank us, just dive right in!

Cool Stuff Seen on CharmVerse

You can now connect your favorite CharmVerse spaces to your Discord or Telegram channels, all thanks to our new partnership with Boto.io. Whether it's getting instant alerts on new proposals, updates on reviews, or celebrations for approved projects, you'll never miss a beat. Just head to the integration tab in your space settings, click "Connect" under "Send events to Discord/Telegram," and you're set. Need an API key? Drop by our Discord and we'll get you sorted fast.

Memes of the Month

As usual, let’s end this edition with some 🔥 memes.

This is how we feel about the web3, right?

Most of us didn’t experience the same glow up, unfortunately…

At least, we see all of you degens manifesting what you want in life.

Even when profits come, it still does feel like this:

That’s a wrap for The Geral #25! See you in two weeks for another deep dive into the world of Web3 communities.