Living on Blockchain

Crypto feels… quiet right now. No big narratives. Less hype. Fewer people talking about it. So is crypto dead? In this episode, I break down what actually happened over the last 12 months—from liquidity drying up and retail disappearing, to AI taking over attention, and why most products failed to retain users once incentives dropped. This isn’t a hype take. It’s a grounded look at what’s changed,...

Stablecoins rule crypto—but 92% of the market is controlled by just two centralized players: USDT and USDC. In October 2025, Phantom quietly launched Phantom Cash ($CASH)—a fully on-chain, Solana-native stablecoin backed by liquid staking assets like mSOL and bSOL, minted with zero fees, and embedded directly into the Phantom Wallet. In this deep dive, we explore: ✅ Why stablecoins are broken ✅...

In this solo deep dive, I explore Freename, the blockchain-based domain platform that’s reimagining digital identity—one TLD at a time. With a fresh $6.5M Series A (July 2025) and cross-chain support, Freename lets anyone not just register domains—but own and monetize entire top-level domains (TLDs) like .studio, .dao, or .creator. We unpack: Why Web2 domains are broken How Freename bridges Web2 +...

In this deep-dive episode, I explore Humanity Protocol, which officially launched its mainnet on August 8, 2025, with a $1.1 billion valuation backed by Jump Crypto and Pantera Capital. At its core, Humanity Protocol is a privacy-first identity layer using zkTLS (zero-knowledge Transport Layer Security). It enables Web2 credentials—like your airline or hotel loyalty programs—to be verified and use...

In this solo deep dive, we explore ElizaOS—a modular operating system built for the next generation of crypto infrastructure. As Web3 evolves, mono‑chain architectures give way to composable systems. ElizaOS embraces this, offering developers a seamless, extensible interface to build AI‑empowered apps and rollups across platforms. We unpack: What makes ElizaOS modular and Web3-first How it simplif...

In this solo deep dive, I explore Olas, the newly rebranded evolution of Autonolas — a decentralized platform for building and coordinating autonomous AI agents on-chain. We’ll unpack how Olas enables off-chain agents to act on-chain, coordinate with smart contracts, earn rewards, and even participate in governance — making it one of the most Web3-native approaches to the AI revolution. From the P...

Creators deserve more than just social attention—they need revenue, identity, and community ownership. On this episode of Living on Blockchain, we dive into CyberConnect v3—a live, identity-based Web3 social network with over 1 million profiles and powerful monetization tools. We unpack: How CyberConnect uses decentralized profiles to power content ownership Monetization tools: memberships, token-...

Gas fees slowing you down? Neon Stack might be your answer. On this episode of Living on Blockchain, we explore Neon Stack, the Ethereum-compatible stack now live on Solana mainnet—designed to let devs write in Solidity and deploy with Solana’s speed. You’ll learn: How the Neon EVM Program runs bytecode inside Solana’s Sealevel engine What tools come with Neon Stack (MetaMask, NeonScan, NeonPass)...

Quantum computing is coming—and it could break the cryptography underpinning most of the internet. In this episode of Living on Blockchain, Tarusha dives deep into Naoris Protocol, the first live, decentralized cybersecurity mesh built for a post-quantum world. We cover: 🔐 What “post-quantum security” actually means for Web3 🕸️ How Naoris turns every device into a trust validator 🧠 Their dPoSec...

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, we dive deep into Lightchain AI — a newly launched Layer 1 protocol that’s trying to decentralize artificial intelligence itself. With its Proof of Intelligence consensus mechanism, AIVM, and AI staking model, Lightchain is promising a world where AI runs on-chain. But how much of it is real — and how much is vaporware? We unpack: What Lightchain AI actuall...

What if you could message without internet, cell signal, or even a phone number? In this episode of Living on Blockchain, Tarusha dives deep into Bitchat, the radical new Bluetooth mesh messaging app from Jack Dorsey. Launched in July 2025, Bitchat promises anonymous, encrypted, decentralized communication without relying on any centralized infrastructure. We explore: How Bitchat works (and what m...

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, we dive into Pear Protocol, a project that launched in July 2025 and is quietly reshaping on-chain trading. Built on top of Hyperliquid, Pear Protocol offers permissionless pair trading infrastructure—bringing long/short strategies, basis trades, and market-neutral positions into DeFi with just a few clicks. From its intuitive interface to over $900M in tra...

  Qubetics launched in June 2025 with a 950% pump, a promise to tokenize real-world assets, and the ambition to be the ultimate multichain aggregator. But does it live up to the hype? In this episode of Living on Blockchain, I take a critical deep dive into Qubetics and its native token $TICS—exploring its tech stack, tokenomics, staking model, stablecoin plans, and developer IDE. I also examine w...

Pudgy Penguins have gone from meme-worthy NFTs to launching one of 2025’s most ambitious Web3 ecosystems — powered by their new native token, $PENGU. In this episode of Living on Blockchain, we take a deep dive into: The June 2025 launch of $PENGU on Solana How it powers everything from Pudgy World to Pengu Clash Their multi-chain strategy across Solana, TON, and Abstract The bold vision to create...

In this Deep Dive episode of Living on Blockchain, we explore Kiosk, Zora’s latest permissionless storefront builder, launched on Base in July 2025. From NFT minting to storefront curation, Kiosk empowers creators and curators to launch their own onchain shops — no code required. We break down how it works, what makes it stand out, and the questions it raises around UX, ecosystem consolidation, an...

In this deep dive on Living on Blockchain, host Tarusha explores the newly launched Base App—Coinbase’s bold entry into the world of Web3 super apps.   Packed with everything from wallets to Farcaster-powered feeds, AI agents, USDC payments, and mini-apps, Base App promises a frictionless Web3 experience. But is it doing too much, too soon?   💡 What you’ll learn: How Base App bundles social, fina...

What happens to smart contracts in a post-quantum world? In this episode, Tarusha sits down with Ian Smith, the founder of Quantum EVM, to discuss what it takes to make blockchain infrastructure resilient to quantum threats. A Web3 builder since 2016 and a polymath developer fluent in 25+ programming languages, Ian shares how Quantum EVM is reimagining smart contract execution using post-quantum c...

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, I sit down with Rob Segers, the sharp mind behind Bitsaga, to explore what it truly means to live bankless by design. Rob is a staunch advocate for Bitcoin self-custody, personal sovereignty, and building systems that reduce reliance on traditional financial infrastructure. We dig into: Why Rob believes Bitcoin is not just an investment but a lifestyle shif...

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, I sit down with Temujin Louie, CEO of Wanchain, the pioneers behind the world’s first decentralized cross-chain bridge. Tem brings a unique perspective shaped by a decade of experience in transformative tech and an early academic deep dive into Bitcoin's impact at the London School of Economics. In this conversation, we explore: 🧠 Why simplifying blockchai...

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, we sit down with Sathvik Vishwanath, the co-founder and CEO of Unocoin—India’s first and leading Bitcoin exchange. We dive into: The early days of Bitcoin in India and how Unocoin was born Navigating regulatory ambiguity and building trust in a skeptical market The future of crypto adoption in India and globally Lessons in resilience, innovation, and buildi...

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, we dive into one of the fastest-growing names in decentralized trading: Hyperliquid. Built on its own custom Layer 1 chain, Hyperliquid isn’t just another DEX — it’s a high-performance, MEV-free, orderbook-style perpetuals exchange that feels shockingly centralized… in all the right ways. We cover: ⚡ How Hyperliquid achieves sub-second finality and high th...

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, I’m joined by Janna Scott, founder of DeFi Tax, the real-time, audit-ready platform reshaping how Web3 users approach crypto compliance. Janna brings unmatched clarity to a topic most of us avoid — crypto taxes. Drawing from her rare perspective bridging regulators and users, she shares: Why most crypto tax tools fail to meet IRS standards How audits are ac...

In this deep dive, we explore Zetachain, the trailblazing blockchain designed to unify all chains—with and without smart contracts. Whether you’re a developer navigating fragmented ecosystems or a founder eyeing true cross-chain UX, Zetachain is solving one of Web3’s most pressing problems: seamless interoperability. We cover: What Zetachain is and how it works The novel use of ZRC-20 tokens How Z...

In this Deep Dive episode of Living on Blockchain, we explore Vaultro Finance — a newly launched decentralized finance protocol built natively on the XRP Ledger. Vaultro is aiming to bring high-speed, low-cost DeFi services like lending, borrowing, and yield farming to the XRP ecosystem, all while leveraging XRP’s ultra-fast settlement capabilities and low fees. We break down: What makes Vaultro d...

In this episode of Living on Blockchain, we sit down with Jaime Schwarz, founder of MRKD and the author of the first-ever NFT patent filed in 2017. Jaime is no stranger to the intersection of art, tech, and intellectual property. From collaborating with cultural legends like Public Enemy’s Keith Shocklee to building tools that empower creators to mint, manage, and monetize their digital work — his...