How Ethereum’s Dencun Upgrade Could Lead to the Rise of Millions of Layer 3s

Ethereum’s long-awaited Dencun upgrade finally went live this week, and many L2s immediately saw their transaction fees fall dramatically, as was the intention. Among them was the Coinbase-incubated Base, which was created by Jesse Pollak. Pollak joined Unchained to discuss the impact Dencun was having on Base; how he thinks Layer 1s and Layer 2s will start to differ from one another and eventually spawn a multitude of specialized Layer 3s; his response to criticisms of the increasing use of Layer 2s, what he’s focusing on now, and why he supports using the word “onchain” over “crypto” or “web3.”

Human-Centered Design: Don Norman's Blueprint for Planetary Survival

In a profound and wide-ranging conversation, design legend Don Norman challenges our fundamental assumptions about how we approach global problems. Drawing from his decades of expertise and his latest book "Design for a Better World," Norman argues that our current approaches to challenges like climate change and waste management are fatally flawed by Western biases and oversimplified thinking. He advocates for a radical shift from human-centered to humanity-centered design, emphasizing that real solutions must consider entire ecosystems, communities, and future generations. Please enjoy the show. Visit www.thinkingonpaper.xyz for more.

Building the Hyperconnected AI Universe

Tech innovator Charlie Northrup discusses AI agents and the hyperconnected universe, explaining key systems like the Universal Framework of Things, Virtual Thing Machine, and multi-key infrastructure. He outlines how AI agents work within digital ecosystems and examines opportunities in the emerging agent-to-agent economy. As a serial inventor, Charlie explains digital brain development, machine learning, and AI consciousness in practical terms. He shows how technologies like IoT, smart cities, and digital currencies can work together in a unified, secure framework. His approach focuses on real applications for individuals and organizations looking to participate in new digital systems. For more show and tech, visit www.thinkingonpaper.xyz

Modular March EP 5: Value Accrual in The Modular Thesis with Tarun Chitra

The value accrual model in the modular stack is akin to that of the rise of the early internet. According to Tarun, founder of Gauntlet and a prominent angel investor, we will see more and more specialized usecases for applications which are highly expressive. As a result of this, the need for a modular stack becomes more and more apparent. We really enjoyed this conversation which drew inspiration from the evolution of the internet and computing to paint a clearer picture of the modular future. We’ve been quite deep in the technical weeds during Modular March (exactly where we want to be), so it was refreshing to host a discussion that goes beyond technicalities and instead touches on the practical application layer of modular blockchains. Hope you enjoy and feel free share with your friends who are trying to answer the question “why modularity?” & “where does the value accrue in the modular stack?” for the future of blockchain scaling.