The crypto world never loses its ability to shock and delight!
Here’s four of the best quirky news stories from around the blockchain for an Easter treat.
1. Sophia—artist, influencer, er, robot?
Sophia the humanoid robot has created a digital masterpiece (with a bit of help from a human friend, Italian artist Andrea Bonaceto)—and auctioned it off for $US688,888. Not to big-note herself, Sophia declared the sale a “big success” in a live stream from a Hong Kong art studio.
As reported by The New York Times, the sale took place on NFT site Nifty Gateway. Sophia’s a pretty smart cookie. Heck, she’s even interviewed the German chancellor. She’s an influencer for Audi, Huawei and Etihad Airlines. Her neural networks are off the scale. Where will it all end?
2. Bridge between tongue and cheek
John Cleese might be 81, but he still has the sass of his Monty Python days. Now the veteran comic is selling a rather iffy hand-drawn ‘sketch’ of the Brooklyn Bridge for—ahem—$US69,346, 250.50.
It’s his first NFT and quite possibly his last. In his own words, it offers buyers the “opportunity of a lifetime” as well as a giant poke in the eye for those tempted to take NFTs too seriously. Mind you, Mr Cleese is set to coin in some serious crypto. On 31 March, the highest bid sat at $US38, 659.53 worth. Who knew?
3. Virtual gorilla meets clean crypto
Gorillaz is a virtual band, with cartoon members, so it’s not surprising they created an NFT to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album. They’ve got eco credentials too, exploring the ravages of climate change on their album Plastic Beach.
Problem is, as NME reports, their NFT is estimated to have used up a hefty 8.7 megawatts of energy in the process. This is about the same as one household’s annual energy consumption.
4. Life on Mars—well, sort of
Apparently the first digital house in the world, this space-age cyber home has fetched $US500,000 at auction.
The ‘Mars house’—a virtual home set in a Mars-style landscape—was created by Toronto artist Krista Kim with the assistance of an architect and video game software.
The house, or ‘light sculpture’, boasts floor to ceiling windows opening onto a ghostly mountain range. The new owner gets a digital certificate of ownership recorded on the blockchain.
You have to wonder about privacy in such a public attraction, though. With everyone else peeking in, think twice before taking a bath . . .
And keep your eyes peeled for the next crypto revelations!
