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Nifty News: Bitcoin NFTs cause spicy fees, Mastercard exec tokenizes resignation letter and more

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Users are posting massive files to the Bitcoin network via the Ordinals protocol, taking up block space and paying high fees to do so. Bitcoin Ordinals causes fees to spike The Bitcoin (BTC)-native Ordinals protocol is taking up record-breaking space on the blockchain and in the process is hiking the transaction fees on the network. The divisive newly launched protocol allows for nonfungible token (NFT)-esque assets on the Bitcoin mainnet by inscribing satoshis with content. So far, inscriptions have included content such as images, documents including a PDF file of the Bitcoin whitepaper and even a fully playable clone of the video game DOOM. The 31.2 kilobyte DOOM clone (pictured) will now forever be playable on Bitcoin. Image: Ordinals On Feb. 2, independent developer, Udi Wertheimer, tweeted he had conducted the “largest transaction in Bitcoin’s history” after using the Ordinals protocol to inscribe a 3.94-megabyte image of a sunglass-wearing, bald, bearded wizard lauding “magic i...

What Goldman Sachs' CEO misunderstands about private blockchains

Blockchains aren’t meant to provide big banks with another venue for imposing new fees on users. Only one of the following news items is real, but someday, all will sound equally comical. Headline, 1896: The owner of Wagoneer & Sons, a leading horse-drawn carriage maker, has announced the adoption of a new machine called the “internal combustion engine” to improve its manufacturing process. “Gas engines are powerful but dangerous,” the owner said. “We will use them to make better wagons. Headline, 1918: The American Association of Candle Makers has announced a new initiative to electrify its wax-making process. It believes that electricity is too dangerous to use for lighting but can be utilized to make cheaper candles. Headline, 1989: The United States postal service will adopt a new Technology called “the internet” to speed up the sorting and delivery of letters and postcards. Headline, 2022: The CEO of a major investment bank argues that blockchain, a technology invented to eli...