SIGN GUY RETURNS: Urbit, a highly ambitious cloud computing project that imagines nothing less than a rewiring of the internet, finally plans to ship after years of trickling development. It’s also added an iconic crypto personality to its roster of developers: “Bitcoin Sign Guy,” who made headlines in 2017 as a 22-year-old holding up a “Buy Bitcoin'' sign behind then-Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen. Full story
NUCLEAR RENTALS: A state-owned nuclear power plant in Russia may soon fuel a bitcoin mining hub. Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation has opened a mining farm near the Kalinin nuclear plant 200 miles northwest of Moscow. Rosenergoatom isn’t planning to mine itself, but will sell electricity to heavy users and rent space for their equipment. Full story
HIDDEN RESERVES: Stronger privacy is coming to the largest stablecoin. At 11:27 UTC on Jan. 7, Tether conducted a cross-chain swap of some $15 million-worth of its USDT token from ethereum to Blockstream’s Liquid, a federated sidechain running parallel to the bitcoin blockchain. Thanks to a privacy tool that blinds asset values on public ledgers, these tethers may never see public light again. Full story
CONFERENCE CHARGE: Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith has been indicted over allegations relating to an event appearance in North Korea last April. Griffith has been charged by a grand jury in New York with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and faces up to 20 years in jail if found guilty. Full story
RALLY RETURN? Bitcoin has dropped nearly 6% from seven-week highs seen on Wednesday. Even so, the outlook remains bullish with key support near $7,600 intact. Moreover, it's been a low-volume pullback and could be reversed, so the path of least resistance remains to the higher side. Full story
NAKAMOTO CONTROVERSY: In today’s Markets Daily podcast, Adam B Levine and Brad Keoun dig into the controversy surrounding Nakamoto.com, a general interest crypto journal, following its Jan. 3 launch. Nakamoto’s contributors – including founder Balaji S. Srinivasan – say they are “pro-BTC for the long term,” though skeptics see the publication as using bitcoin’s brand to promote alternative cryptocurrency projects. Full story
