This week we talk about (1) the unveiling of a humanoid robot prototype from Tesla, (2) China betting big on methanol cars, (3) Ethereum’s long-awaited energy-saving ‘Merge’ upgrade, (4) how today’s technologists are pitching a vision in which players don’t just control Sims-like characters, they become them.
📧 Welcome to Tenedos
I round up the best articles of the week and send them to a group of people who are as passionate about the world of technology as I am. I do this to keep up with this rapidly changing world. My main areas of interest are emerging technologies, blockchain and the world of innovation in general.
📚 In short
- Are we witnessing the beginning of the humanoid robots mass production era? Last Friday Elon Musk has unveiled the humanoid ‘Optimus’ robot at the Tesla’s AI day [link, #robot #humanoid #tesla]
- We hear a lot about electric cars, but what about alternatives? China is investing on methanol cars as an alternative to electric vehicles [link, #methanol, #methanolcars]
- Ethereum, the second largest blockchain network after Bitcoin, finishes its long-awaited energy-saving ‘Merge’ upgrade [link, #ethereum #ethereummerge]
- More than three decades after SimCity, tech companies, retailers and governments are using the game’s basic building blocks to create three-dimensional worlds [link, #digitalcities, #smartcity, #simcity]
🔝 Must reads
Humanoid robot unveiled at Tesla’s AI Day
A prototype of the humanoid robot ‘Optimus’ took the stage and greeted the seated audience. A video was shown in which the robot carried a box, watered plants and moved metal bars in the automaker’s plant.
Are we observing the beginning of the era of mass production humanoid robots?
China is investing on methanol cars
Methanol (commonly called “wood alcohol”) is a simple organic chemical that can be produced from a variety of sources, including coal, natural gas, biomass, and captured carbon dioxide.
As a fuel methanol is as powerful as traditional fuel, but greener. It has already been widely used in race-cars because it gives the engine more horsepower while keeping it cooler.
In some scenarios like long-haul transportation, methanol-powered vehicles can be more affordable and dependable than EVs.
Ethereum finishes its long-awaited energy-saving ‘Merge’ upgrade
The Ethereum, the second largest blockchain network after Bitcoin, completed the crypto world’s biggest and most complicated software upgrade to date (according to its co-founder Vitalik Buterin).
Called the ‘Merge’, it replaced power-hungry computers that were used to order transactions on the network with a more energy-efficient set-up using piles of the network’s native token, Ether, placed in special, so-called staking wallets.
As a result, Ethereum’s energy consumption will decline by an estimated 99%.
How do you build a digital city?
Today’s technologists are pitching a vision in which players don’t just control Sims-like characters: they become them.
While nothing, or very little, exists today that holds all the component parts of a city in one cohesive package, individual developers and large corporations are creating metaverse spaces that could function as essential parts.
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Disclaimer: the content of this newsletter is for informational purposes only and it represents the opinions of Michele Remonato.
