Introduction

Week 40 of Coffee with Captain brought us a diverse range of topics, from innovative NFT project expansions to surprising developments in the crypto market. We explored Pudgy Penguins’ move into physical arcades, VeeFriends’ venture into animated series, and the ongoing evolution of the ApeCoin DAO. The week also saw discussions on AI advancements, potential revelations about Bitcoin’s creator, and the intriguing world of Doodles’ Certified Virals.

In case you missed any of the shows, below is a small recap of each day with links to the podcast on Apple and Spotify. Links to other streaming platforms can be found on our buzzsprout page. Check out the timestamp if you want to catch the specific interviews. 

Monday

Arcades to ApeChain: Pudgy Penguins’ Arcade Machine + The Happy Ape Children’s Book

Pudgy Penguins launched their Polar Challenge game in arcades across the U.S., starting in California. This move into physical spaces continues the trend we’ve seen with their toys and plushies. I believe this strategy creates brand awareness that doesn’t have to be specific to NFTs. But when people fall in love with the brand and see it stems from web3, it’ll improve the image of the web3 space as a whole.

For Made by ApeCoin Monday, Bored Dev joined the Coffee Crew to discuss his limited edition book, “Kindness at the Park,” which utilizes Ape IP and incorporates NFC chips for digital collectibles. The NFC chip will provide access to a collectible digital pin minted on ApeChain, future rewards, discounts, and more. Bored Dev didn’t want to just be Ape-centric. He wanted to include other NFT communities and IP. He says there are people who want to use their IP, but maybe don’t know how.

ENS: The More You Know

Dave & Buster’s started with two entrepreneurs: David Corriveau and James “Buster” Corley. In the late 1970s, the two met in Little Rock, Arkansas, where David ran an arcade, and Buster owned a restaurant next door. They noticed that people often went from one business to the other, and an idea formed. In 1982, they opened the first Dave & Buster’s in Dallas, combining the best of both worlds: arcade games and a full-service dining experience.

Since then, the brand has grown nationwide, offering a mix of entertainment with arcade games, sports viewing, and food and drinks, making it a popular spot for both families and adults. Today, there are over 140 locations across North America.

Check this episode out on Apple and Spotify.

Tuesday

VeeFriends Teams Up with Moonbug + ApeQuest Updates from Vonga

Gary V and Andy from VeeFriends joined the Coffee Crew to share details about their new animated series in collaboration with Moonbug Entertainment, aimed at children ages 6-11. Set in the VeeFriends universe, the series follows VF characters as they navigate the VeeDome, an epic challenge arena, to address the pressing issues facing youths today. This follows a trend we’ve seen with other NFT projects like Doodles venturing into traditional media. One of the biggest challenges is having good IP, and also overcoming the stigma associated with NFTs.

Von Frontin also joined the Coffee Crew to provide updates on Vonga and ApeQuest, including details about their presence at ApeFest in Lisbon. There are 9 locations laid out on his X account @shopvonga. There is also an 8,000 $APE prize pool and additional rewards for Vonga customers. The first collection of Vonga is in full production, so if you ordered that in the spring then you should see it come out after ApeFest. Vonga is trying a new way to shop through this “concepts” collection. You don’t get charged directly during the order until a predetermined amount of the product is purchased. This allows Vonga to produce products that people want. From the point that it gets funded, it’s 90 days until you get the item. If you order in the funding window, you get 20% off the retail price.

Harpie Hack of the Week

In July 2020, one of the most high-profile crypto scams hit Twitter. Hackers took control of verified accounts belonging to several major celebrities, politicians, and companies, including Elon Musk, Kanye West, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Jeff Bezos, President Joe Biden, and even Apple. The hackers posted a fake Bitcoin giveaway, promising to double any Bitcoin sent to a specific wallet. The message read something like, “Send $1,000, and I’ll send you back $2,000,” creating a sense of urgency with a 30-minute time limit. The scam successfully duped people into sending over $120,000 in Bitcoin within a matter of hours. Despite being a clear fraud tactic, the use of verified accounts fooled many regular crypto holders and social media users.

What can we learn from this? Never trust any giveaway that asks you to send cryptocurrency first. No legitimate promotion will require you to send money to receive money. Always verify through official channels and remember, be careful where you connect your wallet, and stay vigilant with tools like Harpie

Check this episode out on Apple and Spotify.

Wednesday

Community Resilience After Hurricane Helene + Bitwise’s Surprise XRP ETF Filing

The Coffee Crew reflected on the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene and the resilience of affected communities. The conversation then shifted to Bitwise’s unexpected XRP ETF filing with the SEC. XRP doesn’t seem like one of those tokens with significant benefit or upside. But if you think a future ETF could be approved, then it’s definitely worth taking a shot because ‘normies’ or people outside of web3 recognize that token more than some of the others.

ENS: The More You Know

In 2020, the SEC filed a lawsuit against Ripple Labs, claiming XRP was being sold as an unregistered security. Ripple countered by arguing XRP should be classified as a currency, similar to Bitcoin and Ethereum, and thus, not subject to securities laws. The legal battle has had significant implications for the broader crypto industry, raising questions about regulatory clarity for digital assets in the U.S.

In 2023, a major development came when a judge ruled that XRP sales on public exchanges didn’t qualify as securities, offering some relief to Ripple and its supporters. However, institutional sales were still considered unregistered securities, meaning the case wasn’t a total win for Ripple. This mixed verdict has kept the legal status of XRP in a gray area, leaving the industry to speculate on future regulatory guidelines.

Check this episode out on Apple and Spotify.

Thursday

OpenAI’s Billion Dollar Boost + Transforming the Ape Ecosystem

We discussed improvements in ApeCoin DAO delegations and voting outcomes. On the topic of successful DAOs, ApeCoin DAO needs to decide what it wants. Does it want to give out all its funding to the ecosystem and be done or potentially replenish to keep giving members grants for projects. For any DAO, participation is key.

AI with Bunchu

Bunchu joined the Coffee Crew for our AI segment, highlighting OpenAI’s $6.6 billion funding round and its implications. The advanced voice mode has finally been rolled out to everyone who pays for OpenAI and it’s very good. There are so many different opportunities with voice now. The age-old question of “who are we giving our data to” remains, but for now Bunchu said it’s probably best to trust the major players (Apple, Google, etc.). The next biggest foothold will be energy and compute. Utilizing AI will require tons of energy and compute, so the bigger companies will have an advantage because they’ll have so much more funding.

Ape Ecosystem Update with Lost

Lost reiterates that you don’t need a Bored Ape or Mutant Ape to contribute to the ApeChain ecosystem. You can just start going to build on the testnet using ApeCoin as the token to pay transaction fees. Now is the time to start applying for grants if you have a potential idea. Also $200k was approved by the DAO for NFT Paris. They will need a lot of Ape support and content creation as well or else it’s just going out there and being another sponsor who paid a lot of money.

Check this episode out on Apple and Spotify.

Friday

Decoding Doodles Certified Virals + HBO’s Bold Satoshi Claim

HBO announced a new documentary, “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery,” claiming to have uncovered Satoshi’s identity. I think there are so many theories on who Satoshi is that we’ll never have concrete evidence. IF there was concrete evidence, it depends on who the person is whether it would be beneficial or detrimental.

The Coffee Crew also explored the phenomenon of Doodles’ Certified Virals, discussing potential motivations for collecting these digital assets.

ENS: The More You Know

Satoshi Nakamoto is the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin and the author of the 2008 whitepaper that kicked off the revolution in decentralized finance. In January 2009, Satoshi mined the Genesis Block, and from there, Bitcoin was born. Despite Bitcoin’s immense growth, Satoshi remains an enigma, having vanished from the public eye in 2010 after handing over control of the Bitcoin repository.

Speculation about Satoshi’s true identity has been a long-running topic in the crypto community. Some believe it could be Nick Szabo, whose work on “bit gold” laid the foundation for Bitcoin. Others point to Hal Finney, one of the earliest Bitcoin adopters and the recipient of the first-ever BTC transaction. Many people think Satoshi is a collective of people, with speculation going as far to think Bitcoin was created by the US government.

Satoshi’s decision to stay anonymous may be as critical to Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos as the code itself. Whoever they are, their creation laid the groundwork for everything we’re building in Web3 today.

Check this episode out on Apple and Spotify.

Wrap Up

Week 40 showcased the diverse and rapidly evolving nature of the web3 space. From Pudgy Penguins’ expansion into physical arcades to VeeFriends’ venture into animated series, we’re seeing NFT projects push boundaries and explore new territories. The improvements in ApeCoin DAO’s governance process and the ongoing developments in AI underscore the dynamic nature of this industry. As always, Coffee with Captain continues to provide a comprehensive look at the cutting edge of blockchain technology and its applications. If you missed Week 39, be sure to catch up here.

Be sure to check out:

• The Everything Token: A Book on Web3 and NFTs
• Making Coffee: Our Official Coffee Partner (Coffee with Captain sponsors)
• ENS: Ethereum Naming Service (Coffee with Captain sponsors)
• Harpie: The Onchain Firewall (Coffee with Captain sponsors)