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Ben’s List 10

That’s right, you guessed it; we’re deep diving into NFTs this week!

According to Wikipedia, a non-fungible token (NFT) is a “unique digital file stored on a blockchain (a digital ledger). One NFT is a cryptographic token, but unlike cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and many network or utility tokens, NFTs are not mutually interchangeable, aka “not fungible.”

NFTs recently took the worlds of digital art and sport collectibles by storm with several jpg files sold for thousands and even millions of dollars. An auction at Christie’s recently broke the record for the most expensive NFT ever sold with “The First 5,000 Days” by Beeple.

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Without really planning it, I ended up listing 7 articles in this week’s list about NFTs, including: how you create them, their impact on the creator economy and the issues around them – in particular, environmental & copyright challenges.


Book

Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook & The World

On my wishlist

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Events

What if this moment was ultimately an opportunity to reimagine the future of fairs and events?

“Of course, physical connection is a fundamental element in establishing a relationship, but it is now impossible to imagine that it is the only one. Since the onset of 2016, we have invested significantly in our digital platform, MOM, to enable our community to communicate yearlong. The goal? To allow buyers and specifiers to be in touch with the brands through their new product catalogues.”


Diversity & Inclusion

Making steps towards a DEI aware universe

via Andreea, one of our former team members 🙂

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AI

Should CC-Licensed Content be Used to Train AI? It Depends.

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How I Learned to Judge” by John Sloan Photography, licensed CC BY-NC-SA.

NFTs

Non-Fungible Tokens Yearly Report 2020

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NFTs and a Thousand True Fans

“The second way NFTs change creator economics is by enabling granular price tiering. In ad-based models, revenue is generated more or less uniformly regardless of the fan’s enthusiasm level…Fan of Bitcoin? You can buy as much or little as you want, down to 8 decimal points, depending on your level of enthusiasm. Crypto’s fine-grained granularity lets creators capture a much larger area under the demand curve.”

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Are NFTs The Future Of Digital Music Or Just Crypto Snobbery?

“But for its proponents in the worlds of art and technology, NFTs have the ability to change the very nature of digital media, allowing artists to eliminate financial middlemen and make a profit from their work outside of the demands of mass popularity.”

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A Step by Step Guide to NFTs for Creators NFTs

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Here Is The Article You Can Send To People When They Say “But The Environmental Issues With CryptoArt Will Be Solved Soon, Right?”

“Many would call me unrealistic and naïve for this, unwilling to make compromises in the world we are living now because of an idealistic vision of a tomorrow; and to them I would like to say that we literally invented an extra-sovereign monetary system that within 10 years has generated trillions of dollars of worth and is held up with the power consumption of a small country.”

NFTs are a dangerous trap | Seth’s Blog A Word on NFTs

“The trap, then, is that creators can get hooked on creating these. Buyers with a sunk cost get hooked on making the prices go up, unable to walk away. And so creators and buyers are then hooked in a cycle, with all of us up paying the lifetime of costs associated with an unregulated system that consumes vast amounts of precious energy for no other purpose than to create some scarce digital tokens.”

A Word on NFTs

“The underlying misconception here is to think that in the digital world copies are indistinguishable from originals. In a trivial sense this is true. Let’s say you copy a digital artwork, you will now have exactly the same bit sequence as the original. But in a much more profound sense it is not.”


Science

Check out the most extensive map of black holes ever

“This first image, which covers four percent of the Northern sky, combines a decade of development and analysis, and nearly 11 days worth of radio emissions absorbed by LOFAR.”

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Consumer 3 days ago

Walking through the sprawling halls of IFA Berlin 2025, it’s immediately clear that this isn’t just another trade show. This year’s edition solidified IFA Next as Europe’s premier showcase of consumer technology startups, an event where innovation meets practical applications in a comprehensive hardware-focused startup environment. The heart of European consumer tech innovation IFA Next has evolved into Europe’s hub for the latest on consumer tech. It’s where the continent’s most promising hardware startups converge with global visionaries and industry pioneers. This isn’t just marketing speak — Hall H25, dedicated entirely to consumer-focused hardware, was in many ways the largest and most influential gathering of consumer technology startups in Europe. The centerpiece was the Dream Stage, where bold ideas are shared through keynotes, panels, and highly anticipated pitch battles. Unlike other tech conferences, IFA Next maintains laser focus on technologies that will directly impact how people live, work, and interact with their environments. The Dream Stage is also where Europe’s next consumer tech unicorns are spotted far before they take flight. The finale of this year’s IFA Next Pitch Battle 2025: Breakthrough Battle saw founders presenting concepts to investors, media, and industry experts, competing for visibility, investment, and growth opportunities. Complementing the Dream Stage was the IFA Lab, an interactive testing ground where exhibitors, investors and industry  professionals collaborate to bring innovations from prototype to store shelves. The Lab is where Europe’s startups refined their ideas, engaged with industry experts, and pushed new technologies from concept to market reality. Hall H25: Europe’s consumer tech capital Hall H25 was home to what has become Europe’s largest dedicated consumer technology startup space. Beyond the sheer numbers, the hall is an indicator of how mature Europe’s hardware ecosystem has become. IFA Next specifically champions hardware solutions that people can touch, use and integrate into their daily lives. The diversity and ambition on display were remarkable. Both European and international startups presented solutions spanning healthcare, sustainable products, and cutting-edge tech for everyday use.  What stood out Addressing a critical gap in healthcare technology that affects families across the world, Coro, which won an IFA Innovation Award, accurately measures milk supply in real-time during breastfeeding. This is exactly the kind of practical, user-oriented innovation that defines IFA Next’s positioning. LeydenJar Technologies‘ groundbreaking battery technology deserves special mention for fundamentally rethinking energy storage for everyday devices. This startup is tackling what will arguably be one of the biggest challenges for consumer electronics as AI-powered devices become ubiquitous in European homes: more energy storage while keeping the dimensions small. Dtablet’s medication management solutions address  healthcare challenges that affect millions of European families. Their focus on reducing dosing uncertainty represents the practical, user-centered approach that characterizes Europe’s tech startups. Paptic’s bio-based, recyclable packaging materials are made from renewable wood fibers, a distinctly European approach to sustainable products. The startup won multiple awards, demonstrating how European startups are leading global sustainability trends. Unframe showcased immersive applications combining virtual reality and artificial intelligence, a bellwether of  next-generation digital experiences. The startup’s user-centric approach to VR and AI reflects its emphasis on practical applications over pure technological spectacle. Broadcasting innovation: IFA’s Twitch strategy One of the most forward-thinking aspects of IFA 2025 was the creation of dedicated Twitch live rooms for presenting products and news in real-time. Modern users expect interactive, accessible content about the products that will impact their lives, so this integration of live streaming represents a crucial evolution in how innovations reach their intended audiences. Sessions like “Retro Tech Rewind” with IFA CEO Leif Lindner were specifically designed for Twitch, demonstrating IFA Next’s commitment to making innovation accessible beyond the convention floor. This approach to content delivery could set new standards for how European startups engage with their markets. Europe’s consumer tech ecosystem at scale What makes IFA Next compelling is its comprehensive approach to nurturing consumer-focused innovation. It’s not just about displaying finished products; the focus here is on creating an environment where startups can connect with VCs, retail partners, buyers, and over 4,500 journalists. This ecosystem brings together everything from AI-powered home devices, smartphones, laptops and sustainable products to smart health solutions and wearable technology. With dedicated spaces for both demonstrations and retail networking, IFA Next bridged the gap between cutting-edge research and retail opportunities, a critical pathway for European hardware startups. While cities like London, Berlin, and Amsterdam host numerous tech conferences, none of those events match IFA Next’s specific focus on hardware innovation or its ability to connect startups directly with the global consumer electronics retail ecosystem. Samsung’s strong AI focus Samsung has put in a lot of time and effort into comprehensively integrating AI across its consumer product ecosystem. Take for example Its AI-enabled refrigerator: besides keeping your groceries fresh, it can propose recipes, and even identify missing ingredients — it’s a masterclass in how established brands are setting the bar for startups to reach and surpass. Samsung also showcased its expansion beyond traditional consumer electronics into B2B applications. Its IoT systems and 3D building visualization software demonstrated how consumer tech innovations can scale into commercial applications — a pathway many European startups at IFA Next are actively pursuing. The future of European consumer tech IFA 2025 has demonstrated that Europe’s technology startup ecosystem isn’t just thriving — it’s defining global trends. From sustainable packaging solutions to revolutionary healthcare devices, European startups at IFA Next are solving real problems with practical, scalable solutions. The combination of established electronics giants setting innovation benchmarks, ambitious startups developing market-ready solutions, and innovative presentation formats showed that IFA Next has become more than Europe’s largest consumer tech startup showcase: It’s evolved into an essential preview of European technology leadership. For anyone interested in understanding where European consumer technology innovation is heading, IFA Next represents the definitive annual checkpoint. The innovations showcased here by European and international startups will likely be the everyday products of tomorrow, and Europe’s leadership in making that transformation happen is becoming undeniably clear. As Europe’s premier consumer tech startup showcase, IFA Next

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