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Week of August 25, 2023

Weirdo's Weekly Update — 25 Aug, 2023

The FBI tracks DPRK-linked cryptocurrency theft potentially exceeding $40 million in Bitcoin, while Solana Labs partners with Shopify to integrate Solana Pay for USDC transactions and NFT loyalty programs. The team is based in Tallinn, Estonia after visiting Rahkla village, with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 Turbo fine-tuning and AIPRM for ChatGPT as the tool of the week.

Crypto News

FBI Tracks Stolen Cryptocurrency Linked to DPRK

Federal authorities identified blockchain activity connected to Democratic People's Republic of Korea-affiliated theft of millions in cryptocurrency. The stolen funds, potentially exceeding $40 million in bitcoin, are distributed across multiple addresses. The actors responsible have connections to other significant cryptocurrency heists.

Regulation Updates

Coinbase received approval from the National Futures Association to operate as a futures commission merchant, enabling U.S. customers to access crypto futures trading. Approximately eleven companies have submitted applications for Ether futures-based ETFs, with potential SEC approval anticipated in October.

Bitcoin Hodlers and Wealth Transfer

Short-term holders are liquidating positions while long-term accumulator holders continue building. This represents a "transfer of wealth from weaker hands to stronger hands."

Solana Labs and Shopify Partnership

Solana Labs partnered with Shopify to integrate Solana Pay as a payment method. Customers can transact using USDC stablecoin with near-instantaneous settlement. The collaboration enables merchants to create NFT loyalty programs offering Solana Pay discounts, potentially accelerating crypto adoption.

Price Changes (Last Week)

  • Bitcoin: $26,042 (-1.4%)
  • Ethereum: $1,653 (-1.3%)
  • Gold: $1,914.15

AI News

OpenAI introduced fine-tuning capabilities for GPT-3.5 Turbo and released new models (babbage-002, davinci-002) for customization. This allows developers to tailor AI outputs for specialized applications.

The update outlines automation levels:

  • Level 1: Assistance (ideas, suggestions)
  • Level 2: Advanced Assistance (co-driver functions)
  • Level 3: Conditional Automation (supervised automation)
  • Level 4: High Automation (autonomous with oversight)
  • Level 5: Full Automation (complete independence)

The guidance emphasizes incremental approaches: identify delegable, automatable, or eliminable tasks within your business operations and gradually enhance efficiency.

Suggested Prompt: Identify tasks within your business contributing to revenue goals that could be delegated, automated, or eliminated, with rationale and time-saving calculations.

Travel Update

Currently based in Tallinn, Estonia after visiting Rahkla village (2 hours from Tallinn). The region offered nature experiences including mushroom foraging, sauna bathing, and local Estonian cuisine and vodka. Tallinn's Telliskivi district features industrial aesthetics with numerous coffee shops and craft breweries, notably Pohjala Brewery. The city blends medieval charm with modern development. Departure planned for Saturday, with Austria stopover before traveling to Georgia.

Currently Consuming

Listening: Lex Fridman podcast episode #393 featuring Andrew Huberman discussing relationships, drama, betrayal, sexuality, and love

Watching: "Is Topical Authority Real?" with Koray Tuğberk Gübür on YouTube

Reading: $100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No by Alex Hormozi

Tool of the Week

AIPRM for ChatGPT — A Chrome extension providing access to thousands of pre-engineered prompts for OpenAI's ChatGPT. The tool enables more natural interaction and offers pre-set prompts for various tasks, making it particularly valuable for ChatGPT beginners.

Quotes

"Understand, don't memorize." — Prof. Feynman

"You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think." — Marcus Aurelius

Reflection Questions

  • In what areas do you communicate effectively?
  • Where does your communication need improvement?

Productivity Focus: Rediscovering Your 'Why' to Enhance Productivity

Understanding your purpose maintains focus and motivation while clarifying priorities. It sustains you through challenges, smooths decision-making, and reduces wasted effort. Your purpose strengthens resilience after setbacks and enriches task engagement. It directly influences choices and accelerates goal achievement.

Example: Writing a book demands time and inspiration. When reconnected with your purpose—sharing a unique, inspiring narrative—you gain direction for focused writing sessions, overcoming creative obstacles and maintaining momentum through challenging phases.