Hi Zeeps,
I used to play with my dad’s old radios when I was young. He collected them. I now own a couple of his, and I later bought one to fix up with his help as a young man. The older ones are full of dusty vacuum tubes and metal dials hidden behind rich wood encasements, which still feel very alive.
My dad’s radios weren’t flashy or new, and my favorite smelled like the must of an old attic. That one was special as it was a short wave, allowing me to find broadcasts in languages I didn’t understand, signals from people thousands of miles away.
Radios are a centerpiece of a book called “All The Light We Cannot See.” The book is as alive and rich as the wood surrounding the magic technology of my dad’s old radios. I won’t tell you the story. I hope that you will instead read it.
But I will share that radios are the connective tissue in the novel, connecting people from miles away. They were the technology that allowed Marie-Laure and her great-uncle to communicate with the resistance against Nazi Germany. And they were used by Nazi Germany to both broadcast propaganda and track signals from their enemies. Radios were a wonderfully powerful technology used for good and for evil. They were used for both liberation and subjugation.
In the end, the radio was the means to deliver human connection, redemption, and hope in the novel. My dear friends, I don’t need to explain the parallels between radio technology and Zcash to you. This isn’t a metaphor. The technology we have built and are building is connecting the world.
Encrypted money is not something to be feared, as some in power may claim. It can be used for good and evil. But in the end, liberation, human connection, and hope will prevail. It is this very technology that will deliver all the light we cannot see.
The light from ECC this week:
Zashi Product
What we did:
- Zashi 2.0.3 released to production
- A new iteration of Cross-Chain Payments designs has gone through a team review and received great feedback.
- We clarified how to implement Cross-Chain Payments with the Near 1Click API. We started the integration process and worked on the new UI. We believe we can deliver it as early as June.
- We have made significant progress in researching Swapkit API for Maya DEX integration.
What’s up next:
- Finalize and test implementation of transaction submission over Tor (Zashi 2.1 release tentatively scheduled for June 2nd/3rd).
- Finalize designs for Cross-Chain Payments with Near 1Click API and build a prototype that we can start testing.
- Understand how the UI/UX and the underlying tech will change once we integrate the Swapkit API.
- Determine what can be done in design/development before Swapkit rolls out Zcash support.
iOS Analytics
- Unique Installs: 7.96k
- Total Downloads: 9.56k
- AppStore Rating: 4.9*
Android Analytics
- Unique Installs: 3.76k
- Total Downloads: 18.7k
- AppStore Rating: 4.456*
Zashi Product Marketing
What we did:
- Maya Announcement
- Zashi 2.0.3 Announcement
- The Privacy Illusion paper
- Research on integration with Banxa
- Misc Zashi UX in Figma (Cross-chain payments, shielded vs transparent explainer, etc)
What’s up next:
- Zashi 2.1 comms (Tor)
- Zashi threat model work
- Zashi website redesign
Zcash Core
What we did:
- R&D for the lockbox distribution mechanism
- Found and fixed a bug in zebrad
- Zallet development
- Various reviews
- ZIP reviews and support
What’s up next:
- Meetings with Sean Bowe on the next steps for Project Tachyon
- Specification work in support of NU 6.1
Other
The next Z|ECC Summit will be held in Prague the week of July 7th. More information and an application to participate is available here.
Maya launched Zcash support this week. This is a massive and transformative unlock that will allow Zcash to flourish outside centralized exchanges burdened by antiquated compliance measures. We’ve already seen the impact of NEAR Intents support. The data speaks for itself.
I participated in an invite-only symposium hosted by Coin Center in Washington, DC. The day was filled with short presentations and roundtable discussions about privacy and identity. There were 40 people in attendance, including developers (Zcash, Bitcoin Core, ALEO, etc.), industry thought leaders, policymakers, and regulators.
Delivered the monthly PGP session. A thread of lightning talks is on X. I spoke about crypto security threats.
Paul and I attended the Solana Accelerate conference in NYC to build bridges and connect with other Zcashers who flew in from around the world. I met Madars and Boston Zcash in person for the first time after all these years. Some crazy things went down. Also, look for a forthcoming podcast.
We began work on a Z.cash website redesign.
We are developing a grant submission package for coinholder vote once the distribution mechanism and submission process are in place.
That’s all for this week.
In the light,
Onward.
.