Quick Take
Starbucks announces Polygon-based NFT rewards.
StarkWare releases Cairo 1.0.
Optimism releases a Bedrock Alpha testnet.
Synthetix will suspend its contracts during The Merge.
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Starbucks Announces Polygon NFT Rewards
Starbucks announced plans to launch Starbucks Odyssey, an extension to its existing rewards program that will offer web3 experiences to U.S. members and employees. The program is being built on top of Polygon’s proof-of-stake chain as part of the coffee’s retailer commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.
Starbucks Rewards members will be able to engage in Starbucks Odyssey “journeys,” and will be rewarded with “journey stamp” NFTs. Members can also purchase limited-edition stamps using a credit card. The Starbucks Odyssey web app will feature a built-in marketplace that allows users to buy and sell journey stamp NFTs.
Members will be able to redeem NFTs for virtual classes, merchandise, and in-person events. The stamp artwork is co-created with Starbucks partners and outside artists with a portion of the proceeds being donated to charitable causes. There is currently a waitlist available for a chance to be part of the program when it launches later this year.
StarkWare Releases Cairo 1.0
StarkWare released Cairo 1.0, the first major upgrade to the project’s native programing language. Cairo 1.0 introduces Sierra, a safe intermediate representation layer between Cairo 1.0 and Cairo byte code. Sierra ensures that a Cairo run will never return a failed result. Cairo runs will only result in TRUE or FALSE.
Sierra also provides more robust DoS protection as it ensures reverted transactions can be included in StarkNet blocks. Cairo 1.0 includes a new compiler that allows developers to easily write StarkNet contracts. StarkWare said it will post more information about how Cairo 1.0 will affect its upcoming StarkNet regenesis.
Optimism Releases Bedrock Alpha Testnet
Optimism released an alpha version of its Bedrock testnet. Bedrock will be a new iteration of Optimism that introduces an EVM equivalent fault-proof and is expected to reduce the network’s codebase. Users and developers can test Bedrock by running a node, deploying contracts, and transacting on the network.
Bedrock Alpha uses Goerli as its L1 and is separate from the project’s production Optimism Goerli network. Bedrock Alpha will be spun down in early October as the testnet will need to undergo several restarts for improvements and bug fixes. A block explorer for Bedrock is currently available on Blockscout.
Synthetix To Suspend Contracts During Merge
Synthetix will be suspending its contracts roughly three hours before The Merge. Users will be temporarily unable to use synth exchanges, futures, loans, staking (claiming, mint, burn), and bridging functions until the contracts are unsuspended. SNX tokens and synth assets will still be transferable.
Open positions will remain open, although users will be unable to interact with their positions during the suspension. Synthetix will unsuspend the contracts after ensuring that Chainlink feeds and the protocol are stable. Synthetix will also unsuspend the PoW chain in the event that the PoS chain bears a chain id that is not 1.
Shell V2 Now Live On Arbitrum
Shell Protocol launched V2 of its protocol on Arbitrum, giving users access to low-gas transactions. Shell V2 includes an AMM engine called Proteus, which allows engineers to build custom AMMs without using Solidity. Shell V2 also includes Ocean, an accounting system that enables batch processing of complex transactions.