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                        <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/en/posts-fr-fr</id>
                                <link href="https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/en/posts-fr-fr" rel="self"></link>
                                <title><![CDATA[LIDO Nation Français]]></title>
                    
                                <subtitle>LIDO Nation News RSS feed.</subtitle>
                                                    <updated>2026-04-13T09:52:50+00:00</updated>
                        <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[This really is a job for blockchain]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/this-really-is-a-job-for-blockchain/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/359</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[##Why not just use a database?

Centralized systems can store information, but they struggle with something regulators and enterprises care deeply about: record continuity.

Sustainability programs are **long-lived**. Governments and large enterprises want to track and prove sustainability improvements across decades. Goals may be set that only our children will live to see fulfilled. Meanwhile, recovery partners change over time. Many different partners may participate in a single large effort. Vendors may disappear after a year or a single short...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-04-13T09:52:50+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[The Economics of Plastic, Reconsidered]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/the-economics-of-plastic-reconsidered/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/358</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[How’s this for an inconvenient truth: **New plastic is cheaper than recycled plastic.**

This little detail explains more about the plastic problem than most marketing or sustainability campaigns ever do. If you are in business and have a product or a package made of plastic, how are you choosing your supplier? If cost is a deciding factor (and it always is) recycled plastic doesn’t even get an audition.

It’s not a moral failure. It’s a market one.

Recycled plastic has...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-31T13:00:03+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Driving Effective Governance in Voltaire]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/driving-effective-governance-in-voltaire/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/325</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Just over 1 year ago, Cardano entered the Voltaire era - and beyond. Network parameters are no longer just background configuration settings. They are governance objects. ADA holders and dReps can propose and vote on changes that affect transaction costs, resource limits, treasury mechanics, and other structural features of the chain.

This shift created a new requirement: literacy. Not just technical literacy for developers, but governance literacy for participants. 

At the start of this project, information about Cardano parameters existed....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T01:21:14+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Africa is Building]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/africa-is-building/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/324</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Bellinda Githu]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[After months of preparation and anticipation, Nairobi finally welcomed the Cardano Africa Tech Summit 2026 (CATS26), a landmark moment for the African Web3 and blockchain ecosystem.


The summit came together through collaboration across the Cardano ecosystem, by partners who have been working to grow the Web3 community across Africa and connect local builders to the global stage. Seeing it finally come to life felt like watching months of effort turn into something real.


From the moment the gates opened, the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-02-23T14:18:19+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Gero Wallet, Rebuilt: New Ownership, New Direction, New Priorities]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/gero-wallet-rebuilt-new-ownership-new-direction-new-priorities/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/323</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[At the Cardano Summit 2025 in Berlin, I attended a lunch-and-learn session hosted by Gero Wallet that filled in a lot of missing context about this long-running Cardano project. Out on the Summit expo floor, many of us had seen Gero’s huge announcement of one of Cardano’s first crypto payment cards. This session wasn’t about promoting that card. Instead, current CEO Adam Cazes explained how the current team got there, and why **today’s Gero is not the same project many...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-02-18T18:28:00+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano Africa Tech Summit – Nairobi]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-africa-tech-summit-nairobi/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/322</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Bellinda Githu]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[For a long time, Africa only appeared in the global tech conversation as observers watching the story unfold elsewhere. The world talked about us as “up next” in tech, full of promise but always just out of reach. Not anymore. Africa isn’t waiting for innovation to show up. It’s building it right now.

The [link link_id=12766]Cardano Africa Tech Summit 2026 (CATS26),[/link] happening this week, February 13 in Nairobi alongside [link link_id=12767]Africa Tech Summit week,[/link] reflects this shift. It brings together...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-02-10T06:20:40+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Same Headline, Different Vision]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/same-headline-different-vision/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/321</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[As I walked the expo floor at the Cardano Summit 2025 in Berlin, I bumped into one really exciting announcement – twice. Two separate booths were drawing steady traffic, and not just because of their above-average swag. Both EMURGO and Gero Wallet were announcing something Cardano users have wanted for years: a way to spend ada in the real world, using a familiar piece of plastic that works anywhere cards are accepted.

Without sounding like a hypester, I was frankly...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-02-02T21:02:39+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[collateral_percent]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/collateral-percent/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/320</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today, we turn our attention to **collateral_percent**, the critical safeguard that determines how much users must set aside as insurance when executing smart contract operations. While transaction fees cover the normal costs of blockchain operations, **collateral_percent** establishes the security deposit required to protect the network from malicious or failing script execution. This means every Plutus smart contract transaction must include collateral covering a specified percentage of the transaction's fee as protection against potential script failures.

As of this writing, the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T11:10:22+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Decentralization & the D-words: The reboot]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/decentralization-the-d-words-the-reboot/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/319</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[### Decentralization

#### What is it? 

In today’s world, our businesses, our money, our games, our social networks, our mailboxes, and all our children’s photos and personal documents are all primarily digital. All the digital logins and passwords that allow us to access our most important stuff are held by the various companies offering those services. The “stuff itself” - all the bits and and bytes of your life - are largely stored under two or three massive web umbrellas,...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-20T08:24:33+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[price_mem]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/price-mem/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/318</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today, we explore Cardano's **price_mem**, the critical counterpart to [link post_id=316 /] that determines how much users pay for memory consumption in smart contract operations. While price_step governs computational processing costs,  **price_mem** sets the price for memory allocation. This means every byte of data storage, variable declaration, and intermediate computation that Plutus scripts require during execution. As of this writing, the current value is 577/10,000 lovelace per memory unit.
## What is it
The **price_mem** parameter establishes the cost per...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:47:45+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Don’t Take My Word for It]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/dont-take-my-word-for-it/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/317</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## From Records to Financial Identity

Millions of producers around the world are excluded from modern financial systems. This is especially true in very rural areas and developing nations. Their exclusion has little to do with productivity or even trustworthiness. It has everything to do with proof. Crops are sold for cash. Payments are informal. Records are thin or nonexistent. Without documentation, there is no income history. Without income history, there is no credit, insurance, or financing. Without credit or...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-05T18:46:46+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[price_step]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/price-step/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/316</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today, we turn our attention to **price_step**, one half of the critical executionPrices configuration that determines how much users pay for smart contract operations. While its partner price_mem governs the cost of memory usage, **price_step** sets the price for computational processing power—every logical operation, cryptographic calculation, and algorithmic step executed by Plutus scripts. As of December 2025, the current value is 721/10,000,000 lovelace per execution step.
### What is it
The **price_step** parameter establishes the cost per CPU execution step...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:45:15+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Proof, Not Promises: 2025 Cardano Summit Masterclass with zenGate]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/proof-not-promises-2025-cardano-summit-masterclass-with-zengate/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/315</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[# “Trust has become the most counterfeited ingredient in global supply chains.”

That is the backdrop against which a new story is emerging. It starts in the buzzing forests of Zambia, and in the honey processing facilities of Lusaka, and among a growing network of food producers around the world who are learning how to *prove* what they’ve known all along: their products are real, authentic, and responsibly made.

It’s also a story about how traceability is shifting from a...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-12-22T14:09:40+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[max_tx_ex_mem]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/max-tx-ex-mem/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/314</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today, we turn our attention to max transaction execution memory (**max_tx_ex_mem**). While its sibling parameter max_block_ex_mem governs memory usage across an entire block, **max_tx_ex_mem** sets the boundaries for individual transactions. It ensures that no single smart contract interaction monopolizes the network's computational resources. As of December 2025, the current value is 14,000,000 memory units.

## What is it

The **max_tx_ex_mem** parameter establishes a ceiling on how much memory a single transaction can consume when executing scripts. Unlike regular ada transfers...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:43:10+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Honey, Trust Me]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/honey-trust-me/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/313</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[African honey has a trust problem.

For years, honey buyers in Europe and the United States have been wary of shipments from Africa. They are not wrong to be cautious. Shipments labeled “pure organic honey” sometimes arrived adulterated, blended with cheap filler, or without verifiable data as to its origin and quality. Even a handful of  incidents like this can erode confidence across an entire supply chain.

The consequences have been costly. African honey producers remain largely excluded from networks...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-12-22T21:27:59+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[min_fee_b]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/min-fee-b/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/312</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today, we are exploring a parameter that serves as the foundation of Cardano's economic security model. Our parameter for the day is the **min_fee_b** parameter. In a previous installment in the series we wrote about its counterpart [**min_fee_a**](https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/min-fee-a/). Unlike min_fee_a, which scales with transaction size, **min_fee_b** is more fundamental: the baseline cost that every single transaction must pay, regardless of its size or complexity.

When a transaction is made on the Cardano network, a certain fee is associated with it....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:50:09+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Driven to Extraction]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/driven-to-extraction/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/311</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Zambia’s economy depends on copper. The copper mines bring jobs and foreign trade, but they also bring population growth, deforestation, and pressure on rural landscapes. In areas surrounding the country’s copper belt, trees are cut for timber, fuel, and farmland to support industry - and people. Even traditional beekeeping - once a sustainable forest-based livelihood - has become part of the problem.

For generations, Zambian beekeepers have used bark hives: hollowed sections of tree trunk hung high in the canopy,...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-11-24T14:36:08+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[cost_models  (Plutus Script Execution Costs)]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cost-model-plutus-script-execution-costs/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/310</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**In this installment, we will be looking at Cardano’s cost_model parameter.** 

Any sophisticated computing system needs precise rules to manage resource allocation. Think about it – processing power, storage, and time are all valuable resources. They must be doled out fairly, and in a way that allows the system to work for everyone. 

Blockchain networks are no different. Consider these questions:
+ What should happen when someone submits a smart contract that is written in a way that it could...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:50:42+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Ambassadors Assemble @CardanoSummit Berlin 2025]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/ambassadors-assemble-at-cardanosummit-berlin-2025/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/309</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## The Setting: Projektraum Drahnsdorf

Our venue was Projektraum Drahnsdorf, a centuries-old manor turned retreat center, one hour from the city. Once a landowner’s estate, later a Catholic property, then a kindergarten, a refugee shelter, and even a wartime prison, the house has lived many lives.

After decades of decay, it was purchased and restored by a visionary couple who preserved its soul while giving it new purpose. They welcomed us with the belief that the history in those walls...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-11-11T01:01:33+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Lido Nation Named Official Media Partner of Cardano Summit 2025]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/lido-nation-named-official-media-partner-of-cardano-summit-2025/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/307</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**Berlin, Germany** – Lido Nation is thrilled to announce that we are a media **partner of Cardano Summit 2025,** a crucial gathering and event showcasing blockchain, enterprise, and the Cardano ecosystem. The Summit will take place at the iconic **Gasometer Schöneberg in Berlin** on **November 12–13, 2025,** bringing together leaders, innovators, and builders from across blockchain, finance, and technology.


This year’s Summit features a host of expert speakers, including global investor **Tim Draper**, as well as senior representatives from **Mastercard,...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-10-28T13:14:36+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Builds a Home]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-builds-a-home/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/306</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[#### VERY REAL
The money at stake (millions of ada) is real. So is the work being done: Real projects, real products, real marketing, and real careers being built on a fully decentralized blockchain platform.

#### VERY MERCURIAL
It’s an ongoing experiment, and it shows! Things change with every round; some things work and some things don’t. People get testy. This is not any kind of traditional funding institution. It’s not the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation who might agree...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-08-13T18:28:49+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[pool_pledge_influence]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/pool-pledge-influence/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/305</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano has network parameters, economic parameters technical parameters, and governance parameters. Some are updatable others are not unless you’re spinning up your own private Cardano chain in your lab. 

Most of the time, these parameters just run quietly in the background without fuss or controversy. A handful of them, however, spark lots of debate. https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/optimal-pool-count/, is one famously polarizing parameter. Our parameter today, **pool_pledge_influence** (aka a₀ pronounced “a naught”), also falls in this small group of notoriously controversial parameters. 


###...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:51:51+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Atala Prism is now Hyperledger Identus]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/atala-prism-is-now-hyperledger-anoncreds/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/297</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[At Rare Evo 2024, David Harding from Atala challenged us to rethink our current attitudes toward our own digital identity. He explained that our digital identities - our emails, our social media, our bank logins - are scattered across hundreds of accounts owned by companies that control our personal information, often without our permission. It doesn’t have to be this way. Harding’s message was clear: it’s time to take back control.
This system, which we’ve been using for decades is...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-07-07T18:32:27+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[protocol_minor_version]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/protocol-minor-version/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/296</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In another article we covered the [protocol_major] parameter (https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/protocol-major-version/) , the parent parameter of sorts to our parameter of the day. Today we will be looking at the protocol_minor parameter.  

## What is a Protocol Minor Parameter?
The Cardano protocol is an abstraction around many (not all) of the rules that that nodes in the network agree to follow. Versioning these rules, helps nodes to keep track of which set of rules they are adhering to and also allows for...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-17T17:58:39+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Blockchain Centre NBO]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/blockchain-centre-nbo/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/295</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Donbosco Otunga]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## The What

On June 1, 2025, the **Blockchain Centre NBO** opened its doors to the public. The Blockchain Centre is an innovation hub devoted to Web3, blockchain technology, and digital transformation. It’s a one-stop venue for communities, events, meetups, hackathons, podcasts, and coworking in Nairobi, Kenya. The goal is to create a friendly space where communities can come together, learn, work, and interact with Web3 and blockchain ideas. The result will be increasing awareness and adoption of blockchain both...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-06-25T19:45:38+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[max_tx_ex_steps]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/max-tx-ex-steps/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/294</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In this installment of our series to explore these parameters, we will be covering the max transaction execution steps, aka the  **max_tx_ex_steps** network parameter. 
In a previous article we covered the [max_block_ex_steps](https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/max-block-ex-steps/ ), the parent parameter of sort to our parameter of the day. 
## What is max_tx_ex_steps?
Both **max_tx_ex_steps**  and its parent max_tx_block_steps defines the upper limit on the number of Plutus script execution steps allowed in a single block. The difference between the two is that the parent...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:53:35+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Introducing AdaPay]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/introducing-adapay/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/293</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Introducing AdaPay Accept ADA Payments on Your WordPress Store

WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet today, and WooCommerce turns millions of those sites into thriving online stores. If you’re running an online store, you know it is essential to offer your customers a seamless checkout experience. And if you want to play in the Web3 market, you also know how important it is to provide payment options that match the community's needs.

Today, we’re excited to...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-06-10T20:46:05+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Introducing AdaPayx]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts//" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/292</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Introducing AdaPay
Accept ADA Payments on Your WordPress Store


WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet today, and WooCommerce turns millions of those sites into thriving online stores. If you’re running an online store, you know it is essential to offer your customers a seamless checkout experience. And if you want to play in the Web3 market, you also know how important it is to provide payment options that match the community's needs.

Today, we’re excited to...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-06-10T20:43:19+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[max_block_ex_steps]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/max-block-ex-steps/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/291</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In this installment of our series to explore these parameters, we will be covering the **max_block_ex_steps** network parameter.  

In a previous article we covered the [max_block_ex_mem](https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/max-block-ex-mem/), the other peas in the typical pod when it comes to rating a the power of a computer system. If you ever purchased a computer chances are two things that came up in the conversion are processing power and memory.  If **max_block_ex_mem** is about how much RAM (memory) a block can consume, then max_block_ex_steps...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:54:10+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Scan Me If You Can: Fighting Fake Wine with Stickers and Blockchain]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/scan-me-if-you-can-fighting-fake-wine-with-stickers-and-blockchain/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/290</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[The prevalence of counterfeit goods in the world is shockingly high. Counterfeits are by definition a little hard to track precisely, but estimates suggest that more than 3% of globally traded goods are fake, and that the problem is growing fast. By 2030,[link link_id=12756] 1 out of every 20 dollars may be spent on counterfeit goods. [/link] And of course, the pain isn’t spread evenly across all industries: the most commonly faked items are luxury goods. We’ve all had the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-05-26T18:24:12+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[drep_activity]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/drep-activity/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/289</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**Our parameter today is the drep_activity governance parameter.**

In Cardano's recently launched on-chain governance framework, Decentralized Representatives (DReps) are the blockchain's elected opinion-holders. Their job? Vote on governance proposals, signal community priorities, and steer Cardano's decentralized agendas.

## What Is the drep_activity Parameter?
Just like a morning roll call at school or the "ping" of a health monitor, the drep_activity parameter controls how a DRep proves they’re still engaged. As of this article the drep_activity parameter is set to 20....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:54:44+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano Intersect 2025 ~Budget~ Mayhem Process]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-intersect-2025-budget-mayhem-process/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/288</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Since Cardano introduced global decentralized governance in late 2024, Intersect, a Members Based Organization for the Cardano ecosystem was tasked with the misfortune of defining, executing, and administering a Cardano Budget. As we are on our third pivot, and maybe finally halfway through a semblance of a codifyable process, this article is an attempt to help stragglers and lurkers understand the current state of the budget process and document the Lido DRep participation. 

### A brief history
In September of...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-05-13T10:04:35+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Intersect MBO]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/intersect-mbo/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/287</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Donbosco Otunga]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[If you have been in the Cardano ecosystem for a minute, the name “**Intersect**” has popped up in a few discussions on governance, proposals and budget. **So what is Intersect MBO, and why should you care?** 

## What is Intersect? 
For starters, it is in the name: it is an MBO, which stands for Member-Based Organization. This means actions and directions are guided not by any individual or small cohort running the thing, but by the members. As the age...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-05-08T09:21:42+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Decentralized Storage: Beyond the pin]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/decentralized-storage-beyond-the-pin/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/286</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Last time, we wandered through the Inter-Planetary File System (IPFS)—a place where files live not on a centralized corporate server farm, but in a vast, open garden tended by everyone. We saw how IPFS reshapes the way files are tended and harvested, offering resilience, speed, and censorship resistance.

But this wild garden has a flaw: without gardeners, seedlings may wither. In IPFS, without someone willing to "pin" a file, it can quietly vanish. There’s no built-in reward to keep files...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-04-28T13:02:25+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[max_block_ex_mem]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/max-block-ex-mem/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/285</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In this installment of our Cardano Network Parameters series, we examine max block execution memory (max_block_ex_mem). This parameter sets a limit on how much memory can be used for all scripts within a single block. It helps balance everyday transaction efficiency with the needs of more intense – and perhaps less frequent – tasks.
The current value of the max_block_ex_mem is set to 62000000 (62 Million Units). But what does that mean, and why does it matter?
 
### What is...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:57:17+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Decentralized Storage]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/decentralized-storage/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/284</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Our digital life is data-driven. The bedrock of our digital future is trustworthy, resilient data storage. Today, that market is dominated by centralized cloud services - Dropbox, AWS, Google, and iCloud know more about me than I do. But this model comes with inherent risks and downsides: censorship, data loss, and exploitation by profit-seeking platforms. Ultimately, you don’t own your data and someone else is holding the keys. 

Wait a minute… this sounds like a case for…. DECENTRALIZATION!

Enter decentralized...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-04-15T01:30:37+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[min_utxo_value]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/min-utxo-value/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/283</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today we will be digging into a parameter that comes into play every time you interact with your Cardano blockchain account: **min_utxo_value**.  

Have you ever noticed that your wallet has more ada than you are able to send? Or perhaps that when you’re filling in the ada amount to send, the wallet field is red until you enter a high enough amount? This is the **min_utxo_value** doing its work.  

### What is it?
**min_utxo_value** is short for minimum unspent transaction...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:56:45+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Lido Votes on Net Change Limits]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/lido-votes-on-net-change-limits/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/282</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In early 2025 the Cardano blockchain successfully carried out a hard fork (a network upgrade) that dramatically changed the way decisions were made for the chain. Until then, the three founding entities planned, budgeted, and paid for all network changes and updates. With the 2025 Plomin hard fork, that came to an end. All of the 7 cryptographic keys used as passwords to the system were destroyed. In their place are now a set of algorithms to facilitate all decision...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-03-31T13:03:47+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Blockchain Stampede Speaker Series at University of Wyoming]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/blockchain-stampede-speaker-series-at-university-of-wyoming/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/281</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## A Personal Welcome and Unlikely Beginnings
It’s always a pleasure to be here. I split my time between Wheatland and Longmont—raising bison on a ranch and farming when I’m not immersed in technology. It’s a grounded way to live, and somehow the bison haven’t killed me yet, so I must be doing something right. But today, I want to talk to you about something far less rural and far more revolutionary: the blockchain industry.
When I started out in...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-04-23T11:31:28+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[No Dumb Questions: Episode 8 Is this even safe]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/no-dumb-questions-episode-8-is-this-even-safe/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/280</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Can an outsider see how much ada you have in your wallet, or is it private like banks?

Blockchain ledgers are publicly viewable. On the one hand, this is a design feature that provides safety and security: shady activities can’t really be hidden. On the other hand, the idea that anyone can peek in your wallet and see what’s in there can be pretty unnerving, or might feel unsafe in other ways. 

**So is this even safe?** It certainly...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-03-18T19:21:57+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[optimal_pool_count]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/optimal-pool-count/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/279</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Of all the parameters guiding Cardano, few spark as much debate as **optimal_pool_count** — better known as k. Cardano has dozens of parameters shaping its security, performance, and governance. So why does k get so much attention?

### What is optimal_pool_count (k)?

The **optimal_pool_count (k)** is a protocol parameter that defines the ideal minimum number of stake pools to efficiently run the Cardano network. It enforces this ideal minimum by influencing how delegation incentives are structured.

In a proof-of-work (PoW)...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T10:01:00+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[max_lovelace_supply]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/max-lovelace-supply/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/278</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[The **max_lovelace_supply** parameter is one of a few parameters that are written in stone: designed to be non-updatable. Here is what **max_lovelace_supply** does, and why you might care.  

### What is it
The most critical parameter governing most digital assets on a blockchain system is its maximum supply—the hard limit on how many units of the currency can ever exist. Cardano (ada) is no exception, with a fixed supply cap of 45,000,000,000,000,000 lovelaces (or 45 billion ada). This number will...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-31T15:10:34+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[pool_retire_max_epoch]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/max-epoch/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/276</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today we are talking about a parameter that every Ada holder should be aware of: ‘pool_retire_max_epoch’ or 'e_max.'  

Cardano stake pools are computer servers operated by individuals and entities around the world as part of a global connected permissionless network. This decentralized network processes transactions for Cardano, forming the Cardano blockchain. It is permissionless because anyone can set up a server and join their server to the network. An ada deposit, specified by the pool_deposit parameter is required to join...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T10:08:54+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[No Dumb Questions: Episode 7]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/no-dumb-questions-episode-7/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/269</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In any Lido Nation blog that mentions the financial side of blockchain, we may offer the disclaimer “Not financial advice!” We want to be clear that our insights into how this new financial system works are not intended to guide your personal decisions about how you use it.

And yet - the questions that roll in from new users belie the fact that lots of people are drawn to crypto because they believe or hope that they might find a...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-02-18T06:05:08+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[gov_action_deposit]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/gov-action-deposit/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/268</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In September 2024 Cardano bootstrapped its efforts to transition to on-chain governance with the Chang hardfork major software update. Since September there’s been a number of additional big milestones including:
* 50 global workshops to co-create a constitution
* A constitution convention in Argentina and Kenya
* A second hardfork to enable Cardano holders to propose 7 different types of governance changes, including proposing withdrawals from the treasury.
* Intersect and Pragma, which are two Cardano Members-Based Organizations, create two...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T10:02:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Standing at the end of Cardano’s original roadmap and peering ahead]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/standing-at-the-end-of-cardanos-original-roadmap-and-peering-ahead/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/267</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[# Where we’ve been

Cardano has built a blockchain ecosystem rooted in formal methods, peer-reviewed research, and a commitment to decentralization.  

>“We wanted to change the economic, political, and social systems of the world.”
Since its launch, Cardano has introduced a native asset framework (Mary Hard Fork), smart contracts (Alonzo), and the world’s largest decentralized governance system through Project Catalyst. With over 8 million assets issued and thousands of dApps, Cardano has laid the groundwork for a scalable and decentralized...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-03-11T06:27:13+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[gov_action_lifetime]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/gov-action-lifetime/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/266</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## 2025: The Completion of Cardano’s Original Roadmap
This year marks the completion of Cardano’s original development roadmap. Since the beginning, Cardano’s progress has been guided by its three founding entities. These entities defined the roadmap and set the network’s parameters based on rigorous research. Parameters are the settings that define how the blockchain operates.  

Over the years, some parameters have been adjusted. In some cases, the changes were part of the original plan—like the gradual phasing out of the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T10:04:15+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[No Dumb Questions: Episode 6]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/no-dumb-questions-episode-6/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/265</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[It’s normal for newcomers to have questions about the smartest, safest way to get into crypto. If you’re looking for advice about the fastest way to 10x your money, you can easily find it on the internet (not saying that’s a great idea). If you’re interested in some level-headed answers to balance the hype, this article is for you.

## I saw an article and the heading was" Where to buy Cardano cheaply." Does this mean that Cardano's price varies...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-02-18T06:05:25+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[min_pool_cost]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/min-pool-cost-cardano-network-economic-parameter/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/264</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano's **min_pool_cost** parameter was a point of consternation for many within the Cardano community for a long time. Here is what the parameter does, and why you might care.  

## What is it

The **min_pool_cost** sets a **minimum fixed fee** that every stake pool operator (SPO) must charge to run a pool.  

## Why a Minimum Cost?

Running a stake pool isn’t free. You need hardware (or cloud servers), electricity, and time to keep everything secure and up to date....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T10:49:41+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[No Dumb Questions Episode 5]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/no-dumb-questions-episode-5/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/263</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[These “Blockchain basics” questions all relate in one way or another to a core blockchain service: The Exchange. There are two basic kinds of exchange. Centralized Exchanges and Decentralized Exchanges. If those terms are new to you START HERE.
For these followup questions from beginners about Exchanges, we will try to answer in a  general way, but in many details we will primarily focus on answers for Cardano (ada) holders.

## Can one trade one crypto for another crypto?

Most...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-02-18T06:05:35+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[treasury_growth_rate (τ)]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/treasury-growth-rate-t/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/262</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Just like anyone can use the internet to put up a website, anyone can launch a blockchain network using some new or repurposed version of blockchain technology and software. But will it last? Will there be funding to feed it beyond the exciting launch phase? Will its decentralized participants be able to cooperate on decision-making? **These questions about sustainability and governance are at the core of the parameter we will be talking about today: the Treasury Growth Rate often denoted...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T10:52:27+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Decentralization Drama: Wherein it turns out that sharing power is hard]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/decentralization-drama-wherein-it-turns-out-that-sharing-power-is-hard/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/261</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[While the constitutional conventions in Argentina and Kenya was the headline-grabbing news for Cardano in December 2024, the editorial pages and gossip columns were all about the Cardano Foundation. And by this, of course I mean all the scuttlebutt on X – including rants, comments, threads, live chats in public X spaces, and video retorts. The nature of that platform is that all its moments and insights are fleeting. Today’s article is here to capture a quick snapshot of the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-13T09:07:11+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Exploring Consensus -- and why YOU matter!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/exploring-consensus-and-why-you-matter/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/260</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Proof of Importance

Proof of Stake is a well-known and widely used consensus mechanism. The concept of Stake demonstrates that you have skin in the game, which can earn you the right to participate and earn rewards. But of course, you have to have the money to earn the money. 

Proof of Importance takes this idea of skin in the game, and tries to measure it in other ways beyond just account balances. Choosing a validator in a PoI...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-12-16T18:42:12+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Building Blocks of Blockchain: Consensus]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/building-blocks-of-blockchain-consensus/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/259</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[# Network + Ledger + Cryptography + Consensus = Blockchain

A public permissionless blockchain consists of a decentralized network of computers which collectively maintain a distributed ledger – like a big spreadsheet where everyone keeps an updated copy. Participating nodes do the work of validating and adding new lines to the ledger – these are called “blocks.” Transactions are secured using cryptography. Participants are rewarded for the work they do  with a network token – since these tokens are like...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-12-10T01:38:17+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[All the news that’s fit to print]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/all-the-news-thats-fit-to-print-cardano-gets-a-constitution-maybe/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/258</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano’s first inception was in an essay, published in 2017. In that essay, the vision was for a public, permissionless, decentralized blockchain network that insisted on **transparent governance by participants of the system** as a fundamental requirement. The original roadmap of Cardano outlined a “Voltaire” milestone that would deliver this aforementioned future. You can read our article about Cardano’s full roadmap here: [link post_id=3 /] . 	

>**Trivia**: The Voltaire milestone was named after François-Marie Arouet (1694–1778), known as Voltaire, an...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-12-02T21:49:52+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[No Dumb Questions: Episode 4]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/no-dumb-questions-episode-4/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/257</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[NFTs made a big boom in 2021, with sales of the “**new tech**” reaching an estimated 17 billion with a “**b**” that year. Certain individual NFTs sold for millions apiece. Many people in the general public gathered a vague understanding that NFTs meant owning something digital — and a lot of people thought it was pretty dumb. Was it because some high-value NFTs featured unremarkable renderings of grumpy gorillas, or because the concept of “**owning**” an image feels silly in...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-02-18T06:05:46+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Decentralized Identity on Cardano - How is it going so far?]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/decentralized-identity-on-cardano-how-is-it-going-so-far/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/256</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[# Why identity 

Cracking the “**Decentralized Identity**” problem is one of the most important hurdles that blockchain technology must clear in order to fulfill some of its future potential. Blockchain is famous for its users’ ability to operate anonymously – but some things we’d like to do with blockchain will require identity.

Consider some of the big dreams for the future of blockchain - making it the secure, decentralized, corruption-free trust layer for education credentials, deeds of ownership, and real-world...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-13T10:11:27+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[On the Road to the First Blockchain Constitution]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/on-the-road-to-the-first-blockchain-constitution/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/255</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In October, at the 4th annual Cardano Community event in Buenos Aires, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson delivered a keynote that addressed the questions of: "Why Blockchain?" "Why now?" and "Why Here?." You can read our write up about the keynote [link post_id=254]HERE.[/link]

It is no surprise that Charles was in Argentina this year, giving this keynote. Also in Argentina is where the Cardano ecosystem is planning to kickstart the future of its blockchain, **and perhaps a new era for the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-11-12T13:40:13+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Blockchain & Argentina: Past & present]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/blockchain-argentina-past-present/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/254</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Argentina has a legacy of cryptocurrency adoption, and it's no mystery why. Cryptocurrencies aren’t adopted because everything is perfect but because things are falling apart—when trust in government and currency erodes, people start looking for alternatives. It's similar to early 20th-century Europe, where political systems were reimagined as people moved away from traditional governance structures.

Today, we're at another global inflection point. The effects of globalization have led to a growing divide—those who have are thriving, while those without are...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-13T10:28:47+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano + Bitcoin: The big announcement at Cardano Summit 2024]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-bitcoin-the-big-announcement-at-cardano-summit-2024/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/253</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Every year at the Cardano Summit there are multiple announcements and unveilings. This year, the “Big One” arrived near the end of day two, on the Summit Main Stage in a session titled: **“Cardano & Bitcoin: an interconnected and inclusive ecosystem.”**

# On the stage

Vladimir Shapovalov, reporter at @CoinTelegraph moderated the session. Edan Yago from BitcoinOS @btc_os made the big announcement itself. Also on stage to offer their perspective were Andrej Majcen from @BitcoinSuisseAG, Fisher Yu @babylonlabs_io, Marvin Bertin...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-10-28T10:39:02+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA["Should K be increased?”]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/should-k-increased/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/252</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Just two months ago the cardano community bootstrapped a new era for the Cardano  network as well as the entire blockchain space: [link post_id=242]Chang Hardfork 1[/link]. With this major network upgrade, all decisions around the network’s evolution and continuity is being passed from the founding entities to all ada holders. Let's check on the bootstrapping so far and give you an update on Lido Nation participation. 

The upgrade itself comes in two parts: part one for bootstrapping with some guardrails...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-18T10:12:59+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[No Dumb Questions: Episode 3]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/no-dumb-questions-episode-3-cardano-who/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/251</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Is Cardano an individual person’s project?

Yes and no. Cardano people, including us at Lido Nation, love to talk about how a decentralized ecosystem like Cardano belongs to everyone, and anyone can participate. But nothing is decentralized from the very beginning – there has to be a spark of an idea in someone’s head, which must meet with the kindling of opportunity, ability, and materials to catch fire! 

In the case of Cardano, that spark of origin is credited...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-02-18T06:06:00+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[No Dumb Questions: Episode 2]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/no-dumb-questions-episode-2/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/250</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[# How do smart contracts work?

A smart contract is really just a piece of software. The software defines certain conditions, and when they are met, it performs an outcome. An easy example is just a purchase transaction. When exchanging money for goods, in the absence of a smart contract, one party or the other has to exercise some trust. Either the buyer has to fork over the money and trust that the seller will deliver the goods, or (less...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-02-18T06:06:10+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Intersect Regional Hub Launch Nairobi]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/intersect-regional-hub-launch-nairobi/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/249</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Donbosco Otunga]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Intersect Wada x Africa Hub is a collaboration between Cardano’s Intersect Members Based Organization (MBO) and Wada. The goal of this collaboration is to set up regional “Hubs” all over the African continent.  These hubs exist in order to invite active participation from these regions in Cardano governance decisions.

> As part of the Voltaire era, it is now more important than ever to get the community involved in decision making processes in the Cardano ecosystem. 

You can follow the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-13T11:11:47+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[No Dumb Questions: Episode 1]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/no-dumb-questions-episode-1/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/248</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[# Is blockchain a type of DLT?

Yes it is! DLT stands for Distributed Ledger Technology. DLT refers to any system where data is distributed and synchronized between different servers. In DLT, there isn’t a single source of true data but instead there are numerous copies, with systems in place to keep the copies in sync. 

Not every DLT is a blockchain. But every blockchain is a type of DLT, and it’s probably the most familiar type. Blockchain is one...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-13T11:23:35+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[The Nairobi Cardano Constitutional Workshop]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/the-nairobi-cardano-constitutional-workshop/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/247</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Donbosco Otunga]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Why?

The Cardano ecosystem recently underwent a hard fork with the Chang upgrade. A hard fork is a major upgrade to the blockchain that is incompatible with the previous version. In accordance with the upgrade, a constitution must be developed and followed. The constitution is a founding document: a set of fundamentals and precedents, by which a body agrees to be governed. Cardano’s constitution should, among other things, underscore the Cardano vision of inclusivity, decentralization, and transparency. The first...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-09-16T14:24:24+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Dubai Awaits: The Cardano Summit 2024 Experience You Can’t Miss]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/dubai-awaits-the-cardano-summit-2024-experience-you-cant-miss/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/246</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[If you are a Cardano fan, or even just blockchain-curious, you gotta get yourself to the Cardano Summit. I’ve had the good fortune to attend the last three summits in Wyoming, Switzerland, and Dubai. Before these events, I would have characterized my interest in blockchain as casual at best, but I’m always interested in learning something new. That spark of curiosity is all you need, because the summit provides ample kindling for your interest to catch fire.

This year’s summit...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-13T11:32:16+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[1694.io]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/1694io/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/245</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano governance is being bootstrapped! On  21.45 UTC on September 1st the Cardano network Hard Forked. A hard fork is when a blockchain makes a non-backwards compatible upgrade. With this first of a two part upgrade, the platform reaches 1 step shy of bookending an eight year long initial roadmap. The bootstrapping phase is meant to give the community time to get acquainted with the new governance tooling for a period of at least 90 days. One new role that...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-09-03T09:02:50+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Saylor’s Triad includes Cardano?]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/saylors-triad-includes-cardano/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/244</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Free Stables]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## A New Pillar of Global Financial Security

The inflection point in this transformative journey stems from recognizing the crypto dollar as more than a mere digital currency. It represents digital property backed by robust property rights, ethical considerations, technical and economic soundness.Most importantly, **it is an instrument of economic empowerment.** Experts are increasingly recognizing the importance of building digital currencies on strong blockchain platforms like Cardano. This approach supports the idea that these currencies can help people achieve greater...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-08-27T01:20:13+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano's coming Voltaire era: What's the impact?]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardanos-coming-voltaire-era-whats-the-impact/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/243</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## CIP-1694 Governance Impact

Cardano is transitioning into the long-awaited Voltaire era with the upcoming Chang Hard Fork. This update isn’t just a technical milestone. It represents a shift in how Cardano will be governed, secured, and scaled in the years to come. The implications of this transition touch on everything from decentralization and community empowerment to business adoption and regulatory compliance. What will these impacts mean for Cardano, and for the future of blockchain? We don’t know for sure,...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-13T11:41:25+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[CIP-1694: Enhancing Cardano Governance with Chang]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cip-1694-enhancing-cardano-governance-with-chang/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/242</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Over the weekend there was a big social media push to get stake pool operators to upgrade their servers as a signal of acceptance of the coming era and readiness for the switch over. As of this article, 65% of all Cardano pools have upgraded. 3 exchanges have signal readiness and many more have already started the upgrade process. For the network to switch to the new era 70% of the blocks will need to be produced by nodes running...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-09-04T11:52:51+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Coming soon to Cardano: Chang Hard Fork]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/coming-soon-to-cardano-chang-hard-fork/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/241</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[The roadmap for building the Cardano network was initially planned with five “**eras**.” Each era is marked by new functionality, which is introduced via a hard fork update. The upcoming Chang hard fork is significant because it brings us to the final, “**Voltaire**” era. Voltaire is supposed to bookend the initial scope set for Cardano and put in place a mechanism for deciding and managing the technology going forward. Voltaire is Cardano governance. Voltaire takes Cardano out of initial development...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-13T12:02:29+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Why isn’t your mom using blockchain?]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/why-isnt-your-mom-using-blockchain/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/240</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Most blockchain enthusiasts readily acknowledge that the technology has some hurdles to clear before massive popular adoption will happen. Some of the hurdles that come to mind are:

+ **Usability:** If you are a blockchain OG, you’ve gotten used to the process of creating a wallet and safely storing your keys. But the first time anyone tries it is quite a learning curve! Depending on the ease of the interface and the skills of the new users, even this entry-level...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-07-30T00:39:00+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[So you’ve heard the buzz about blockchain. Now what?]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/so-youve-heard-the-buzz-about-blockchain-now-what/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/239</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[So if you are interested in blockchain, but not necessarily looking to park your paycheck on a wild roller coaster, how can you participate at all?

This article is here to offer a few ideas about how you can get involved, interact with real blockchain apps, and get your hands on some crypto assets with very little investment of your own fiat money.

> **First things first:** to do anything at all with blockchain, you’ll need a Cardano wallet. Wallets...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-13T12:36:26+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Understanding Cardano's Governance System: The Constitutional Committee]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/understanding-cardanos-governance-system-the-constitutional-committee/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/238</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Introduction
As an open-source, third-generation blockchain, it is crucial to ensure that Cardano is sustainable and grows in a decentralized and organic manner. **Decentralized governance and decision-making are vital to give everyone a voice and control over the protocol's future development.** The community is central to Cardano's identity, and Cardano's governance model reflects this by demonstrating the achievability of **liquid and representative democracy.** Through individual participation and immutable vote recording, ADA holders can decide treasury fund distribution and the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-07-15T23:28:06+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[protocol_major_version]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/protocol-major-version/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/237</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano is renowned for its rigorous, research-driven approach to development. What is less well known is the set of meticulously defined network parameters that make the entire system function smoothly. In today’s installment of our Cardano Parameters series, we will cover the protocolMajor parameter.    


# What is it?

The protocolMajor parameter is a number that counts the major upgrades (hard forks) within the Cardano network. It denotes the current version of the protocol rules that the Cardano network is running....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-31T15:17:08+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Fund 12: The Vote is On!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-fund-12-the-vote-is-on/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/236</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Quick Pitches

If you have any proposals on the ballot for Fund 12, you are probably biting your nails now that voting is live, and perhaps also wondering what you can do to spark voter interest in your project. **At Lido Nation, you can pair your proposal with a QuickPitch to get some attention!** 

The idea here is the same as an “Elevator Pitch” - what would you tell the voters if you had 1 minute on stage to...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-07-01T19:55:27+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Introduction to DPIN]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/introduction-to-dpin/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/235</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**DPIN stands for Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network.**

In the deepest roots of human history, infrastructure was pretty decentralized. If you lived in a house or a cave, it was because you built it or found it. If you drank from a well, it was because you or someone in your small community dug it. If you ate dinner, it was because you grew it or found it in your close proximity. While perfectly decentralized, living this way was inefficient and...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-24T19:27:39+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Meet The Candidates]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/meet-the-candidates/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/234</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[On Friday June 14, 2024, representatives from Intersect, the Cardano Foundation, and IOG held and moderated a 4+ hour long Twitter space. The big idea was to give individuals and entities running for a seat on Cardano’s upcoming “Interim Constitutional Committee” (ICC) the opportunity to introduce themselves and respond to some questions. More than a dozen individuals and entities were represented. Each was allotted a short time to present themselves, and then they were asked a set of questions.

The...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-17T18:54:44+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Fund 12 Proposal: Cardano Component UI Library]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-fund-12-proposal-cardano-component-ui-library/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/233</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## The Problem

Developing applications on the Cardano blockchain often involves repetitive tasks. Each project must recreate basic HTML and CSS to display the same on-chain data. This significantly slows down development and hinders rapid prototyping. Developers are constantly "reinventing the wheel" for common tasks like signing transactions, displaying NFTs, and showing stake pool information.

## The Solution

Lido Nation proposes creating a comprehensive library of Cardano and Catalyst-specific UI components. This library will include professionally designed templates that developers...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-13T13:00:20+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Fund 12 Proposal: catalystexplorer.com Open Source]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-fund-12-proposal-catalystexplorercom-open-source/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/232</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## The Problem

Project Catalyst is rich with data from many proposals and funded projects. However, accessing, analyzing, and utilizing this data effectively remains a challenge. Without a robust tool, stakeholders, including researchers, project teams, and voters, struggle to make informed decisions and maximize the potential of the resources available.

## The Solution

The solution is to open source the existing Lido Nation Catalyst Explorer and transition it to a dedicated domain: catalystexplorer.com. This platform will build upon the foundation...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-14T12:08:05+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Fund 12 Proposal: Cardano Parameters Explorer]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-fund-12-proposal-cardano-parameters-explorer/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/231</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Lido Nation proposes a solution to cultivate an educated Cardano community: the Cardano Parameters Explorer. This multimedia hub will not only provide explanations of Cardano’s parameters but also feature interactive and engaging educational content.

### The Cardano Parameters Explorer

The proposed Explorer will offer a variety of learning tools:

+ **Educational Articles and Podcasts**: Each of the 30+ Cardano parameters will have a dedicated page featuring an informative article and a podcast episode, making the information accessible regardless of the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-14T12:19:01+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Leading with Knowledge: The Cardano Foundation Partners with Dubai Blockchain Center]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/leading-with-knowledge-the-cardano-foundation-partners-with-dubai-blockchain-center/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/230</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Who?

The Cardano Foundation has partnered with the Dubai Blockchain Center (DBCC) to offer some first-of-its-kind learning opportunities to the world. This collaboration brings together two entities: 

The Cardano Foundation, whose mission is to “scale the diversity, quality, and quantity of on-chain activities,” with its focus on operational resilience, education, and adoption. [link link_id=12719]cardanofoundation.org[/link]

Dubai Blockchain Center (DBCC), whose slogan is “Where Blockchain Visionaries Unite for a Transformative Future”. The website also offers this impressive blurb:
> Dubai Blockchain...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-14T12:38:11+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Fund 12 Proposal: Cardano Compass]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-fund-12-proposal-cardano-compass/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/229</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[When you are trying to choose between product and service providers, few things are as handy as a comparison chart to help you quickly decide which tool or service is right for you. Whether you’re scanning for the features you need or the price point you can afford, comparison charts have your back. 

Except for a few big problems: everything changes so fast! New products come on to the market every day, and well-established tools are rapidly growing and evolving....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-01-15T08:25:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Working Group in Nairobi]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-working-group-in-nairobi/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/228</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano and Project Catalyst have been in Kenya for a while now, since our fund 7 funded proposal, “Cardano Blockchain Lab in Kenya.”  Efforts like DirectEd and IOG’s RealFii have generated additional interest and investment in the region. It was no surprise then that Nairobi got picked as one of the physical locations to launch Fund 12 and host an in-person working group session. I was fortunate to attend in person. The two-day event was filled with lots of hard...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-05-27T06:01:44+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Catalyst FC 12]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/catatalyst-fc-12/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/227</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[The number twelve has always held high significance. There are twelve zodiac signs, twelve calendar months, twelve hours on the clock. Perhaps it is no coincidence that some big changes are being introduced or refined in Cardano’s Project Catalyst twelfth iteration. 

If you’re new around here… 
 
> Project Catalyst is an experiment to bring on-chain governance to Cardano. Teams and individuals building on or for Cardano can receive financial and other support from the Cardano treasury to build cool stuff...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-05-06T11:29:35+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Completion NFTs for Project Catalyst]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-completion-nfts-for-project-catalyst/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/226</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[The idea for this project stemmed from our observation that Catalyst project completions were anticlimactic. After months of hard work and community accountability, project teams submitted their final reports to a quiet bean-counter in the cloud. They might get a confirmation email, and hopefully they would see their project status changed on the Google Doc. But unless you brought your own balloons, there was no fanfare, no press release, no book signing tour. 

## These Project Completion NFTs are our...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-04-22T15:15:28+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Scalability! / Cardano forges forward / Basho shows the way]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/scalability-cardano-forges-forward-basho-shows-the-way/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/225</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[With all signs pointing toward a lively market in the coming months, it’s a great time for any blockchain that wants to keep up with the hype to be thinking about scalability. Cardano’s “Basho” era, which we are in right now, is all about scalability. Chapter 8 of “Cardano for the Masses” covers this topic as well. 

In simple terms, scalability refers to the network’s capacity to handle increasing usage. When you get into the details, what it really means...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-04-19T16:47:24+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[coins_per_utxo_word]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/coins-per-utxo-word/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/224</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Among Cardano's parameters, the **coins_per_utxo_word** parameter is one of those little rules in Cardano that most people don’t think about—until they run into it. Here is what the parameter does, and how to recognize it when you see it:



## What is it

Lets break down the jump what appears to be a random jumble of words: 
+ coins simply means ada (or lovelace, the smallest unit of ada).
+ per_utxo refers to each UTXO (Unspent Transaction Output).
+ size...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-31T15:16:50+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Proposer and Milestone Reviewer Perspectives]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-proposer-and-milestone-reviewer-perspectives/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/223</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Project Builder Perspective

As a Project Builder, using the Milestone Module presents a new challenge to learn and use, but it feels like a move in the right direction. During Fund 10, in 2023, funded projects had to use the Milestone Module AND STILL DO monthly reporting. That was the worst of all possible worlds, and I felt like I spent more time reporting than actually working on projects. Starting in January 2024, all active projects that are using...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-04-01T20:22:35+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst - Milestone Module]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-milestone-module/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/222</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In traditional organizations, even (perhaps especially) big ones, the mechanisms to decide what to build, and who will build it, and to test and approve what gets built, are fairly hierarchical and fairly rigid. If you are an individual contributor at the small end of the food chain, you don’t have any ultimate power to decide what product you will build or design. If you are a project manager, you won’t have much leeway to get your hands dirty in...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-03-25T12:43:57+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[max_block_body_size]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/maximum-block-body-size/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/221</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Among Cardano's parameters, the maxBlockBodySize or max_block_size parameter is one of the famous (or infamous) parameters among developers and entrepreneurs. The maxBlockBodySize plays an integral role to Cardano’s efficiency, security, and scalability.

> What is the maxBlockBodySize, and why might a budding entrepreneur, developer or all of us vested in the Cardano ecosystem take a minute to understand it?

For the uninitiated, let's first start with some basics. A blockchain acts as a decentralized database - a ledger of transactions...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T09:49:40+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[How To Check Your Cardano Wallet For Scam Tokens]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/how-to-check-your-cardano-wallet-for-scam-tokens/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/220</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[One common blockchain scam looks like this: the scammer sends an unsolicited Token or NFT to your wallet. If you have been playing around with DeFi, interacting with new projects, or grabbing new tokens at DripDropz.io, you might have dozens of silly tokens in your wallet  – a couple of extras COULD blend right in! 

Making it even trickier, the scam tokens will usually mimic a legitimate brand. They usually have some enticing language like “Reward token” or “Bonus Air...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-05-13T10:36:45+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Blockchain - SCAM? Some Perspective]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/blockchain-scam-some-perspective/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/219</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[New technologies have always enabled new criminals. Mail fraud laws in the United States date to 1872, suggesting that the first hundred years of national mail service in the country included a few felonious hiccups. Just 4 years later the telephone was invented. A new platform for new forms of fraud to which my grandparents’ generation is still particularly susceptible. 

The first quarter of the 20th century introduced radio and television. These broadcast technologies proved  less useful as a tool...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-04-24T11:22:11+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[max_block_header_size]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/maximum-block-header-size/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/218</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today, we're looking at the **max_bh_size**, aka “maximum block header size.” 

Cardano, renowned for pioneering the first-of-its-kind permissionless, self-custody, proof-of-stake mechanism, has meticulously designed its infrastructure to balance between robust security measures and unparalleled efficiency. At the core of this balancing act is the maximum block header size. 

> So what exactly does the **max_bh_size** mean, and why should you, as an enthusiast or investor in the Cardano ecosystem, pay attention to it?

A blockchain is just a database, or...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-31T15:15:38+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[The Heartbeat of Cardano Shifts to Aiken ♥]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/the-heartbeat-of-cardano-shifts-to-aiken/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/217</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Our last Chapter review from Cardano for the Masses was “Chapter 7: Marlowe” from the Age of Voltaire edition, published just 13 months ago. Knowing that a newer edition was in the works and available online, I went to check it out. There, I was surprised to see that Chapter 7: Marlowe was gone, replaced by a new “Chapter 7: Aiken ♥".

I was curious about the change, so I reached out to author John Greene to ask about it....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-02-19T20:49:02+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Smart Contracts on Cardano & Ethereum]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/smart-contracts-on-cardano-ethereum/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/216</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Smart contracts have revolutionized the way we think about digital agreements by automating execution without the need for intermediaries. At the forefront of this revolution are two blockchain giants: Ethereum and Cardano. Both platforms have made significant strides in the development and deployment of smart contracts, but they have approached the idea with different philosophies and technologies. Let's explore their unique features, community involvement, and the implications of their differing approaches.

## Building on Ethereum: A Hub for Decentralized Innovation...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-02-12T17:42:14+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Gas, Tips and  Fees on Ethereum & Cardano]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/gas-tips-and-fees-on-ethereum-cardano/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/215</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Blockchain platforms are, at their core: a collection of computer software (lots of it), hardware, and communication protocols. Running all those things costs money. To pay for network operations, all public blockchain networks have a way of taxing activities on the system. The mechanisms they use to manage and calculate transaction fees are as varied as the applications they support. 

Ethereum and Cardano, two of the most prominent blockchain platforms, have very different approaches to handling fees. These differences reflect...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-02-05T17:32:47+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Two Blockchain Maxis Walk into a Bar]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/two-blockchain-maxis-walk-into-a-bar/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/214</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Ethereum and Cardano each bring unique strengths, innovations, and visions for the future of decentralized technology. Learning about various blockchains isn’t about determining a single winner. Instead, it's about appreciating the advancements that each contributes and the strengths they may have.

Ethereum laid the groundwork for decentralized applications and smart contracts, creating a robust ecosystem that continues to grow and evolve. Cardano, on the other hand, offers a fresh perspective with its research-driven approach and emphasis on sustainability and scalability....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-01-29T18:13:53+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Your Ada = Your Impact]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/your-ada-your-impact/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/213</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Lido Nation’s answer is our Catalyst Explorer Voter Tool. There are lots of ways to use the Catalyst Explorer to do research, answer questions, build lists for yourself, and share them with others. **With voting for Fund 11 kicking off on January 24th, 2024 we will focus today on how to use it for voting with Draft Ballots.**

## Make it easy

Using the voter tool to create a Draft Ballot is as easy as 1-2-3:

**STEP 1 Create a...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-04-21T15:54:06+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano & Ethereum: Assessing Decentralization]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-ethereum-assessing-decentralization/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/212</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Decentralization is a foundational principle of blockchain technology. Decentralization  means there is no central source of truth or power - and conversely, no single point of weakness. If done well, decentralization is about tools that offer users security, transparency, and community governance. **Decentralization isn’t a starting point, it’s a destination; a forest fire is decentralized, but it starts with a single spark.**  

When we look at systems that are aiming for decentralization, it can be interesting to look at the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-01-15T18:59:19+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano & Ethereum: Governance Results, Insights]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-ethereum-governance-results-insights/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/211</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Governance can be an intimidating word, but it need not be. For any sustained human effort: how do we make decisions about what is done, who will do it, and who they are accountable to? The answer is governance. 

Nations usually have layers of politics that enshroud the actual governance, but it’s in there. Within a company or civic organization, bylaws might guide how decisions are made and roles are assigned. The ethical and behavioral standards you hold for yourself,...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-01-08T22:35:33+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano and Ethereum: Governance models]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-and-ethereum-governance-models/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/210</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[How do different blockchain projects approach the critical issue of decision-making? To the always-fraught question of governance, Web 3 and blockchain have introduced the value of decentralization. Instead of traditional, top-down decision making, a web of dreamers connected by internet tubes imagine a world of distributed, sovereign participants, who each have a part to play in governing.   

So what does that look like? The story of decentralized governance, enabled by blockchain technology, is just getting started. Different projects are trying...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-01-01T22:20:47+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano and Ethereum: Origin stories]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-and-ethereum-origin-stories/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/209</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano and Ethereum, two of the most prominent blockchain platforms, have unique origin stories that set them apart not only from each other but also from other blockchain technologies around the world. Their development stories, foundational principles, and the vision of their creators have significantly influenced the evolution of the blockchain landscape.   

## Ethereum: The Birth of a Programmable Blockchain
Ethereum, conceptualized in late 2013 and launched in 2015, is often credited with introducing the idea of a programmable blockchain....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-12-26T10:22:41+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Ethereum and Cardano Road Ahead]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/ethereum-and-cardano-road-ahead/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/208</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Introduction
Ethereum and Cardano are two prominent blockchain platforms - each with a different vision and roadmap. Ethereum, with its recent shift from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, and Cardano, steadily progressing through its meticulously planned developmental phases, both aim to revolutionize how we perceive blockchain technology. This article compares the roadmaps of Ethereum and Cardano as a way to understand their differing approaches and ambitions.  

## Ethereum's Roadmap: A Journey Towards Scalability and Sustainability
Ethereum, the second-largest blockchain platform, is...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-12-18T16:51:38+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano Mobile Wallets]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-mobile-wallets/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/207</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[...if crypto is to achieve mass-adoption beyond the current in-crowd of computer geeks, having excellent mobile wallets will be of critical importance.]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-12-11T18:26:52+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano & Ethereum: Contributions to Blockchain]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-ethereum-contributions-to-blockchain/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/206</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Bitcoin, the granddaddy of modern public permissionless blockchain networks, was launched in 2009. It was designed for mostly financial applications. We now call it a “generation 1” blockchain, because there were more generations coming. Today we will consider the contributions of a couple of its descendents.  

## Ethereum: Trailblazing in Blockchain Innovation
Ethereum was launched in 2015, and it brought transformative new ideas to blockchain. Ethereum's innovation lies in its ability to host decentralized applications (dApps), making it a cornerstone...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-12-04T17:50:38+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA["The legacy world is merging with the Crypto world"]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/the-legacy-world-is-merging-with-the-crypto-world/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/205</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Hi everyone, this is Charles Hoskinson. I wanted to talk about the Binance situation briefly. Many of you know that my friend CZ stepped down [as CEO of Binance].

![Twitter_CZ_Binance](https://www.lidonation.com/storage/23988/CZ-Binance-Steps-Down.png)

CZ was part of a class of entrepreneurs in the cryptocurrency space who really epitomized the “Move fast, grow, and innovate” side of things. He ran a business that was regulated or quasi-regulated - depending upon the jurisdiction - and during the early days of crypto, nobody cared. 

I'm old...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-27T15:06:41+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Global Impact Challenge Progress Report]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/global-impact-challenge-progress-report/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/204</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[At the 2023 Cardano Summit in Dubai, Alvaro Cosi, head of innovation and communication at Switzerland for UNHCR, took the main stage to do what he does best: advocate for the refugee cause through education and innovation.

Alvaro posited that much of the world is misinformed, or has mistaken impressions about who refugees really are. Most refugees don’t live in camps. Instead, the vast majority live in urban settings in their host countries. 70% of refugees are hosted by a...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-21T13:30:40+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[From Dubai to your Doorstep: Project Catalyst Fund 11 Updates - Part 2]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/from-dubai-to-your-doorstep-project-catalyst-fund-11-updates-part-2/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/203</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Campaigns

**What Happened?**

The intent of Catalyst is to learn how to run a decentralized innovation program. Among the many variables in the experiment are the Campaigns – funding categories that define the scope of proposals that should be funded. To try to “decentralize” campaign-setting, the campaigns themselves were something that could be proposed and voted on. Campaign proposers didn’t receive direct funding if they won, but they could suggest what they thought the scope and budget of the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Accentuate the Positive: Project Catalyst Fund 11 Updates Announced at Dubai Summit]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/accentuate-the-positive-project-catalyst-fund-11-updates-announced-at-dubai-summit/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/202</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[At the 2023 Cardano Summit in Dubai, **the Fund 11 launch date was announced for November 15, 2023.** You can start submitting proposals for the new round in less than 2 weeks. 50 million ada is allocated pay proposers, reviewers in many roles, and voters for their participation. The Catalyst team is committed to an ongoing pace of 3 funding rounds per year for the foreseeable future. It seems they are also committed to engaging actively in iterating on the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-12-02T16:28:07+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[The universe of NFTs - Supergiants and Rising Stars]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/the-universe-of-nfts-supergiants-and-rising-stars/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/201</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Introduction

One of the most exciting developments in the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency is the rise of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). NFTs are unique digital assets that represent ownership or proof of authenticity of a digital item on the blockchain. According to a report published by globenewswire in 2022, the majority of NFTs are created on the Ethereum blockchain. However, NFTs are now common on many blockchains. In the hot market of 2021, NFT sales surged past 41 Billion...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Staking on Ethereum and Cardano: Participating in decentralization]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/staking-on-ethereum-and-cardano-participating-in-decentralization/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/200</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Consensus 

In our article about blockchain consensus: [link post_id=198 /], we learned the difference between Proof-of-Work (PoW - like Bitcoin) and Proof-of-Stake (PoS - like Cardano and Ethereum 2.0) consensus protocols. We concluded that we are more interested in a future that features PoS blockchains that can scale to serve the whole planet, without needing to fuel an arms race between massive computing engines to do it. 

## Validators

Next we dialed in the lens from consensus on the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Proof-of-Stake on Ethereum and Cardano: Running a Validator Node]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/proof-of-stake-on-ethereum-and-cardano-running-a-validator-node/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/199</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Introduction: 

A blockchain is a distributed ledger, where many **computer nodes** all maintain copies of the same transactions and data. New transactions from network users are put together and finalized by one of these nodes; **this is called “minting a block.”** Other nodes in the network check the work and agree that the block is correct, in a process called **consensus**. So the work of every node in a blockchain network is threefold: maintaining an updated copy of the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Consensus on Ethereum & Cardano]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/consensus-on-ethereum-cardano/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/198</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[### Introduction

An essential feature of any blockchain is its consensus mechanism - the way the network achieves distributed agreement about the ledger’s state. Bitcoin became the first widely established blockchain using a consensus mechanism called Proof of Work (PoW). It worked well in terms of secure consensus, but has some big drawbacks in the area of scalability and energy consumption. Other blockchains have since debuted another type of consensus mechanism, called Proof of Stake (PoS). PoS consensus offers the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:25+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Web3 101]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/web3-101/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/197</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Web1
In the beginning, computers connected to each other. Users could send each other messages and visit public websites. Web1 revolutionized the speed and reach of human communication. The impact was lightning-fast and profound -- even though those first millions of corners of the new internet were not especially interactive.
 
## Web2
In Web2, users became creators. Myspace gave way to Facebook and other social platforms. Anyone can now curate a global public persona and network. Wikipedia shook down...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-22T22:23:18+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[There is no sin but ignorance – Christopher Marlowe]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/there-is-no-sin-but-ignorance-christopher-marlowe/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/196</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[The Cardano blockchain is written in the famed and feared programming language, Haskell. Haskell is the basis of both Cardano programming languages, Plutus and Marlowe. Plutus is the general purpose programming language for all manner of smart contracts on Cardano. **Marlowe is a simpler programming language specifically for writing financial smart contracts.** A language like Marlowe that is specialized for one focused use is called a “Domain Specific Language,” or DSL. Rather than being aimed at computer developers generally, Marlowe’s...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-04-23T11:41:44+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Backstage at the Lab: Building Dynamic Rich Twitter Cards for Catalyst Proposals]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/backstage-at-the-lab-building-dynamic-rich-twitter-cards-for-catalyst-proposals/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/195</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Project Catalyst, Cardano’s mechanism for funding teams building on Cardano, wrapped up voting for the 10th round of funding on September 14. This was a milestone round in terms of real-time data accessibility. For the first time in Project Catalyst history, third-party teams like Lido Nation were able to build infrastructure to provide real-time data on proposal engagement during voting. While the data remains anonymous—showing neither who voted nor how—it reveals how many votes each proposal garners, acting as a...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Pioneering Decentralized Identity for a Web3 World]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/pioneering-decentralized-identity-for-a-web3-world/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/194</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Your identity is the complex, living core of who you are. It comprises everything you have done, everywhere you have been, everything you have earned, and that belongs to you. The paths you will walk today are both limited and enabled by the identity you assembled in days past.

If you haven’t earned a law degree, you won’t be practicing law today. 

If you aren’t 21 years old yet, you won’t be going to that club.

If you CAN remember...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Book.io - Building the Future of Books]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/bookio-building-the-future-of-books/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/193</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Book.io is using blockchain technology to bring books into the Web3 future. At first I didn’t understand why “blockchain books” would be any better or different than any other digital book, but after a great conversation with @JasonManske at the Books.io booth at @RareEvo, I am convinced!

Using the Books.io Platform, both authors and publishers can release digital and audio books for purchase, and readers can buy them. In this way, it is like any other media marketplace. However, when...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Rare Evo 2023: Cardano SPO Panel with Hosky]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/rare-evo-2023-cardano-spo-panel-with-hosky/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/192</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[At this weekend’s Rare Evo blockchain community event in Dever, Colorado, [link link_id=8140]Hosky[/link] and a handful of his [link link_id=8135]Rug Pool operators[/link] appeared on a Panel Discussion. It was a lighthearted peek into this corner of the Cardano ecosystem, where people are having fun doing work that they are serious about. Four Rug Pool operators appeared on the panel, including the moderator, and I spotted several more in the audience, including EPOCH, VEGAS, and LIDO. For this article, we will...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[min_fee_a]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/min-fee-a/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/191</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today, we are digging into a mechanism that plays an essential role in the Cardano transaction model. Our parameter for the day is the 'min_fee_a' parameter. At first glance, the naming might sound enigmatic, but the min_fee_a parameter plays a foundational role almost every time you sign a transaction.  

When a transaction is made on the Cardano network, a certain fee is associated with it. This fee serves several functions: it remunerates the stake pool operators for running the network,...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-03-12T13:15:52+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Programming for the future with Plutus]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/programming-for-the-future-with-plutus/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/190</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In Chapter 6 of Cardano for the Masses, this reader took a deep breath before diving into a 30 page exploration of Cardano’s smart contract programming language, Plutus. A “real programmer” (I am not) will doubtless understand more of this chapter than I did. However I believe that anyone with an interest in Cardano can learn valuable things by touring the full landscape. Aside from a cryptic quote on the chapter’s opening page about gold, the author didn’t address my...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Beyond Blocks]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/beyond-blocks/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/189</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[As a community that likes blockchain, we talk about putting lots of things on the blockchain. Blockchain offers advantages of durability, security, and decentralization. Users can control what belongs to them, without needing the trust or approval of a central authority or third party. **So it makes sense that this could be useful for things beyond simply records of money changing hands.** In other articles we’ve talked about using blockchain for things like contracts, deeds, educational records, identity documents, and...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Max Epoch]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/max-epoch-2023/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/188</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano has around 30 network parameters. Parameters are the mechanisms that control how the Cardano Blockchain works.   

Today we are talking about a parameter that every Ada holder needs to be aware of. Our parameter today is the ‘**max_epoch**.’   

Stake pools are servers operated by individuals and entities around the world as part of a global connected permissionless network. The network is used for running many computer related tasks, including processing transactions for Cardano. It is permissionless because anyone can...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2025-02-25T19:46:52+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[From Prototype to Powerhouse: Catalyst Explorer in Fund 10 and beyond]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/from-prototype-to-powerhouse-catalyst-explorer-in-fund-10-and-beyond/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/187</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Half of what we do here at Lido Nation is education, in simple English, Spanish, and Swahili. The other half of our time is spent building new things. We build and host lidonation.com. We built the Every Epoch one question giveaway for over 40 epochs now. We recently built a learning management system to power our Swahili “learn to earn” funded project proposal. 

We also built the Catalyst Explorer, which many in the community consider the best place to research...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano Project Catalyst Fund 10 and beyond]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-project-catalyst-fund-10-and-beyond/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/186</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Project Catalyst Fund 10 launched in June 2023. While earlier rounds of the experiment brought incremental changes with each round, the long pause between Funds 9 and 10 allowed deep thinking and big changes. The aims of these changes are to increase accountability, to fix flawed incentives, and to add more transparency and community control. 

## More Accountability
Prior to fund 9, it was challenging to audit funded teams and verify they were delivering on intentions. This is because  all...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Incentivized Cardano Onboarding and Decentralized Identity in Africa]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/incentivized-cardano-onboarding-and-decentralized-identity-in-africa/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/185</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[If you can think back to the days before you had your Eternl wallet always at the ready in your Chrome Extensions, or your Trezor nearby in the locked desk drawer - if you’re honest - you’ll remember that figuring out how to participate in blockchain is slow and tedious. It’s no surprise that a large number of the people who are in the space now are those with backgrounds and careers in tech; lacking that, the barriers to entry...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[monetary_expand_rate]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/monetary-expand-rate/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/181</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today we are talking about a parameter that is as old as currency and money itself. Our parameter today is the ‘**monetary_expand_rate**.’ This is the parameter that controls the rate at which Ada in reserve is put into circulation.   

Cardano’s currency has a fixed supply of 45 billion. However, not all 45 billion is available to the public to use. Initially, just over 31 Billion was released. The remaining amount was put into a reserve. Every five days, when incentivisation...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-31T15:14:28+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Catalyzing Cardano Adoption in Africa]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/catalyzing-cardano-adoption-in-africa/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/180</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[As described in our last article, the Project Catalyst funded “Swahili Learn to Earn” project provided funding for Lido Nation to build a Swahili language Cardano education program with 75 modules and quizzes. Swahili is widely spoken in southeast Africa, a target area for Cardano impact. Users who speak Swahili could register for the program, connect a Cardano wallet, take daily quizzes as they learned, and ultimately earn up to $25 dollars worth in ADA. 

**In many ways, this project...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Can new blockchain users be incentivized to clear the “barriers to entry” in Africa?]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/can-new-blockchain-users-be-incentivized-to-clear-the-barriers-to-entry-in-africa/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/179</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In Project Catalyst Fund 9, the “Grow Africa Grow Cardano” campaign called for projects with solutions to Cardano infrastructure and education concerns in Africa. The campaign goals were onboarding new Cardano users in Africa and forging new partnerships on the continent. Success metrics were looking for numbers of new users and local impact. Lido Nation took aim at the bulls-eye of this campaign with a project called [link link_id=5978]Swahili Learn to Earn.[/link] This project capitalized on our existing library of...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-20T09:03:19+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[max_transaction_size]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/max-transaction-size/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/178</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**Today we are talking about the max_tx_size parameter.**

In episode 5 we learned about the parameter that controls how big each block that’s added to the Cardano blockchain can be. The other parameter that controls how much and what kinds of data can be stored on the Cardano blockchain is the max_tx_size, or the Max Transaction Size. The **max_tx_size** parameter controls the maximum size an individual transaction that goes INTO a block can be. The current value of the **max_tx_size**...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-31T15:14:14+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[A Rose by Any Other Name]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/a-rose-by-any-other-name/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/177</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Chapter 5 of John Greene’s “Cardano for the Masses” falls squarely in the middle of the book’s ~380 pages. At 50 pages, it is also the book’s longest chapter - and to be honest it felt like it! After four chapters of background, introduction, and blockchain basics, this chapter dives into the deep end, with detailed explanations of smart contracts, metadata, native tokens, and UTXOs. 

This is important, meaty content. **Smart contracts and native tokens are the flexible, functional tools...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[pool_deposit]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/pool-deposit/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/176</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**Today we are talking about the *pool_deposit* parameter.**

Cardano, unlike Bitcoin, is a Proof-of-Stake blockchain. On bitcoin, the blockchain is secured by expensive computer hardware using lots of electricity. These machines are distributed across the planet. Every time new data needs to be stored, 51% or more consensus is required among this global network of devices. The idea is that since these expensive machines are distributed worldwide, it would be very hard for a single group to control more than...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-31T15:13:48+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[ADA Conversion to Kenyan Shillings using Yellow Card]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/ada-conversion-to-kenyan-shillings-using-yellow-card/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/175</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Sallyanne Atieno]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[To convert your ADA to Ksh, you need to have these 3 things:
+ A Cardano wallet
+ A yellow card account
+ An active Mpesa number 

## Steps of converting ADA to Ksh
We will assume that you already have a Cardano wallet, and an active Mpesa number. (If you need a Cardano wallet, [link link_id=5974]see instructions here[/link])

The final thing you need is a Yellow Card account. Here are the steps to create one:

1. Go to [link...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T04:20:43+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[LIDO Nation Votes On-Chain for K and minPoolCost parameters]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/lido-nation-votes-on-chain-for-k-parameter-and-minpoolcost-parameters/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/174</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Alongside the millions of lines of Haskell code that make up the Cardano blockchain network, there is a set of about 30 parameters. These parameters are the mechanisms that control how the Cardano Blockchain works. These parameterized knobs and switches are a way to give the Cardano community control over the network when the Voltaire era of development is realized.   

The worldwide Cardano community is currently deep in thought and debate about Voltaire via a Cardano Improvement Proposal (CIP 1694)....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:02+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Partnerships in All Shapes and Sizes]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/partnerships-in-all-shapes-and-sizes/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/173</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Blockchain technology could change the world. Decentralization pushes power to the edges, where every person has the power to participate and influence that change. The future is for everyone. 

The Cardano community is known not just for holding these values, but for taking action to make them reality. This is a continuation of the exciting storyline unfolding between Switzerland for UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency), the Cardano Foundation, and the grass roots Cardano community.

In our previous article we discussed...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:02+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano Partnership with UN Refugee Agency]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-partnership-with-un-refugee-agency/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/172</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Last November, the Cardano Foundation announced that it is partnering with [link link_id=5966]Switzerland for UNHCR[/link] (the United Nations Refugee Agency). This partnership emerged from the second annual Global Impact Challenge, an opportunity for Cardano to forge new partnerships that showcase the ability of blockchain to impact the world for good. 

The announcement was an exciting moment at the 2022 Cardano Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland. The project was launched with two basic parts:

+ First, Switzerland for UNHCR launched a new...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T04:29:22+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[max_block_size]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/max-block-size/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/171</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**Today we are talking about the max_block_size parameter.**  

Blockchain systems work by taking many different pieces of data, putting them into a digital box or “block,” applying some labels and metadata to that block, and ultimately replicating that assembled block across many, many computers. On Cardano, a new block is replicated across over 3000 computers worldwide every 20 seconds as of this publication!  

For various reasons, almost all blockchains will directly limit how big a single block can be. On...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-31T15:13:32+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Decentralization by Design]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/decentralization-by-design/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/170</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[After introducing the basics of blockchain, Cardano, and Proof-of-Stake in chapters 1-3 of Cardano for the Masses, author John Greene turns his attention to the “eras” of Cardano roadmap. Each named for an interesting historical figure, the eras represent the planned milestones of Cardano’s development plan, and they make a neat organizational structure for the book’s next chapters. The book skips over the first era, Byron, which represented Cardano’s launch and its first years as a newborn network, still largely...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[epoch_no]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/epoch-no/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/169</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Some parameters have existed since Cardano launched. Some parameters, like the [link post_id=153]decentralization parameter[/link], get removed. Other times new parameters are added. Even more often, the value of a parameter gets changed. 

**Our parameter today is epoch_no.** This parameter tells the system when other parameter changes should take effect.  

In Cardano, most changes happen at the beginning of an epoch. As we learned in Episode 2, [link post_id=158 /], an epoch in Cardano is made up of 432,000 seconds –...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-31T15:13:07+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Decentralized, Stable, and Secure]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/decentralized-stable-and-secure/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/168</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Every blockchain has something called a “consensus protocol.” This phrase is handy for making peoples’ eyes glaze over in casual conversation! However, the concept is really important.  

We are all accustomed to the workings of centralized institutions - like banks, universities, or Twitter - where these authorities determine what is true and what happens next. How much money is in your account? What credits do you need to earn your degree? Whose tweets will appear in your feed? In each...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Reasoning from First Principles]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/reasoning-from-first-principles/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/167</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[*“We’re Cardano. And, if you’ll permit us, we’d like to change the world.”* 
–Charles Hoskinson
[link link_id=5951]Youtube Video 8:22[/link]

This quotable line captured the hopes and dreams of Cardano believers around the world when it ushered in Cardano’s “Shelley Era” in July 2020. A google search of the quote turns up Reddit threads, industry articles, and many Cardano Stake Pool landing pages.  
 
But wow - there’s a lot baked into these first sentences!  

What *is* Cardano?   
In what way does...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T04:33:53+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[In the Beginning]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-for-the-masses-in-the-begining/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/166</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Far more than a literary device, the chapter's opener of the 'truth being stranger than fiction' sets the stage perfectly for the dizzying historical menu of ways humans have attempted to represent money or exchange value. It was a fascinating hook and sneakily thrusts you into the rest of the chapter. If you want to slow down and dive into some history, there is a britannica.com link in the footnote to a longer read on the history of money.  

Once...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T04:35:35+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Your Cardano Wallet]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/your-cardano-wallet/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/163</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[When I got my first Cardano wallet, I thought the only thing it was good for was holding the ada I had purchased on Coinbase and transferred over. It turns out there’s a lot more it can do! Some practical, and some just fun, all of it is worth learning so that you are ready for new opportunities in a Web3 future!  

In this series, we have explored [link link_id=5939]how to open a GeroWallet[/link] , [link link_id=5940]how to buy,earn,and stake...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-28T08:30:40+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Your first NFT]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/your-first-nft/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/162</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[NFTs have been fueling headlines, Twitter rants, and rumor mills for a while now. This article won’t try to explain everything about NFTs. Instead, we will say this - if you have as little as 10 ada in a Cardano wallet, you can go buy one for yourself. 

If you still need a Cardano wallet, [link link_id=5926]start here[/link]. In this article, we highlight the user experience in GeroWallet, but most of this applies to other Cardano wallets too.

## Buy...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-23T01:16:41+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[How to Convert $ADA to Kenyan Shillings]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/how-to-convert-ada-to-kenyan-shillings/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/165</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Sallyanne Atieno]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[To convert ada to Ksh, you need to have 4 things:
* A Cardano wallet
* A bank account
* A debit or credit card linked to your bank account
* A Coinbase account

## Getting Set Up in Coinbase

We will assume that you already have a Cardano wallet, bank account and a bank card. (If you need a Cardano wallet, [link link_id=5926]see instructions here[/link])
The final thing you need is a Coinbase account. Here are the steps to...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Flexing your first Cardano Wallet]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/flexing-your-first-cardano-wallet/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/161</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In a [link link_id=5926]previous article[/link], we learned how to set up a Cardano wallet. Now what? This article will explore the first steps you might take with your wallet. 

We are highlighting some of the specific features of GeroWallet, but most things mentioned here will work for any wallet.

## Get some ada

If you don’t have any of Cardano’s native currency, ada, you might want some. GeroWallet makes this extremely easy: There is a button in the wallet that...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-23T01:17:57+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Introducing: Catalyst Explorer]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/introducing-catalyst-explorer/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/164</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[To date, Cardano’s Project Catalyst has inspired more than 2,500 people to submit more than 4300 project proposals for community consideration. An even wider circle of participants have served as Proposal Assessors and Veteran Proposal Assessors, rating and reviewing every single proposal before community voting. More than 1600 project proposals have won funding, to the tune of 39 million dollars in ada. Funded projects dutifully submit monthly reports and completion reports, while building websites, DApps, Discord channels, physical community hubs,...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[How to open a Cardano Wallet: GeroWallet]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/how-to-open-a-cardano-wallet-gerowallet/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/160</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[GeroWallet is one of numerous non-custodial Cardano Light Wallets that you could use to interact with your digital assets on the Cardano network. Non-custodial just means that your wallet is not in someone else’s custody, like at a centralized exchange - it’s all yours! And the term “light wallet” puts Gero in contrast to desktop and hardware wallets; a light wallet lives in your computer browser or phone app, making it very convenient for frequent use.

As discussed in [link...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-23T00:32:41+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[key_deposit]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/key-deposit/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/159</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today we are talking about a parameter that affects every ada holder wishing to actively contribute to the security of Cardano.   

Our parameter today is the key_deposit parameter. Before we define this parameter, let’s set the stage:

Cardano is a proof-of-stake blockchain. This means that to participate in keeping the network secure, you don’t need to buy special computer hardware  –  you simply need to acquire and hold the network currency, ada.

Once you have some ada, you could contribute...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-31T15:12:50+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[epoch_length]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/epoch-length/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/158</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**Today we are talking about a parameter that drives a lot of the day-to-day activity for the Cardano network and Community.** This parameter is the **‘epoch_length.’** 

## Epochs

First, what is an epoch? Put simply, an epoch is a unit of time. The earth’s epochs are geological periods measured in tens of thousands of years. We are currently in the earth’s Anthropocene epoch, which started over 11 thousand years ago. That was when human activity began to impact the planet...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-04-02T11:33:46+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[MuesliSwap.com]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/reviews/muesliswapcom/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/157</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[* MuesliSwap is a decentralized exchange on the Cardano blockchain that provides classic Order Book swaps, AMM swaps, liquidity pools for 47 tokens (at present), farming, and staking. Although they exist as a desktop-only site, their recent partnership with Eternl Wallet means they are available in the "swap" section of both the desktop and mobile versions of the Eternl Wallet.
* Though their UX/UI typically comes second or third best among Cardno DEXs for style and new-user ability, their "under-promise, over-deliver" methods have garnered a loyal following.
* Their thorough "?Support" channel in their Discord is highly responsive with enthusiastic representatives.]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-25T10:03:09+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst by the Numbers]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-by-the-numbers/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/156</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Project Catalyst is described as an “experiment” with aspirations to make big, impactful discoveries. If the experiment works, we will learn what we need to move into Cardano’s Voltaire era with the knowledge and ability to execute decentralized global governance in a way that might really change history. To that end, Project Catalyst touts many of the trappings of a good experiment: some constants, some variables, a global “lab” of eager scientists, and lots of repetition. **What seems to be...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:03+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Governance for a Decentralized Future]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/governance-for-a-decentralized-future/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/155</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[“Decentralized Governance” and “Power to the edges” are two ways of framing one oft-cited promise of a blockchain future. In today’s world, centralized power and de-facto oligarchies are global realities which lead to problems, great and small. Some who imagine different possibilities see blockchain as a tool that could facilitate that future. [tweet post_id=155 tweet='Come read one observation of the recent Catalyst Circle 4 Vote and look at some of the data that came out of it all.']Today we will...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T05:01:26+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Boats, Manga, & the Metaverse:]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/boats-manga-the-metaverse/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/154</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[This week, the YouTube creator and Twitter Space Host, JCrypto, shares his origin stories, and confirms he is JUST getting started!]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T05:03:02+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[d]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/the-d-parameter/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/153</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Today, we are talking about one of the oldest parameters, the Decentralization parameter - also known as the **“D” parameter.** While the ‘D’ parameter has now been retired, it’s an interesting part of the origin story of Cardano.

## So what was it for?

Every blockchain starts with a few people turning on the network. Then, slowly, others around the world can join that network. 
The job of the Computers on a blockchain network is to process messages and make...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-31T15:11:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Many Minds:]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/many-minds/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/152</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In a recent interview, Tyler discussed his beginnings in Cardano and offered insights into his journey with collaboration.]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T05:05:20+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Let's Take a Moment to Lido:]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/lets-take-a-moment-to-lido/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/151</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Welcome back to this little series of recent highlights from Lido Nation. A few months ago, the [link link_id=5855]Cardano Foundation[/link] contributed their 14.5M ada delegation to our LIDO stake pool. Before that influx of capital, LIDO only saw around 200,000 ada staked. This amount wasn't sufficient to consistently mint blocks for our delegators––who were contributing to our work for sporadic rewards out of the kindness of their hearts. We want to express our gratitude for your belief in our work....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T05:07:09+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano Summit 2022]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-summit-2022/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/150</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Two weeks ago, about 50 people gathered in a room to discuss the values that should underpin Project Catalyst. The setting was the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the 2022 Cardano Summit. Many participants have worked side by side in the Project Catalyst ecosystem for many months and were meeting in “In Real Life” for the first time! As introductions and greetings were made, there were exclamations about how unexpectedly tall or short someone was, jokes about how...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T05:08:54+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Beans, Brains, & Blockchains:]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/beans-brains-blockchains/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/149</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In this article, we look at how resilience and a desire to contribute have led David Baxter and comrades to address prevalent societal issues and work on ways their example can inspire others across the globe!]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:26+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano Open For RealFi Businesses]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-open-for-realfi-businesses/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/148</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Introduction
With the increased tweets and Twitter Space discussions about the lackluster state of Cardano developer tooling and services for companies wanting to build on Cardano, we decided to add our two lovelaces to the conversation. Blockchain ecosystems live or die by the quality of lives of the people on the ground, helping businesses adopt and implement the technology in solving real-world problems. This is not unique to blockchain and could be said for any human enterprise–the people doing...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:26+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Mentorship:]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-mentorship/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/147</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In today’s article, you’ll see how one man's sincere questions seem to grow into natural opportunities for a sort of mutual mentorship. We’ll look at how respect and communication both contribute to collective success, how this type of collaboration helps raise the bar for quality in the Catalyst ecosystem––and a few tips on how you might also get started!]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:26+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[The Avalanche Blockchain Platform]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/the-avalanche-platform/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/146</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[If you've spent any amount of time in the Cardano and Catalyst communities, you've likely noticed a *cross-chain positive* tone in conversations regarding other cryptocurrencies. In that spirit, [tweet post_id=146 tweet='Cardano and Catalyst communities are known for their cross-chain positive tone. In that spirit, we dove into Avalanche over the last week––check it out!']We dove into Avalanche over the last week[/tweet], downloaded the wallet, and bought some AVAX (Avalanche's native token) to see what happens when the rubber meets the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:26+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst - Africa Vision]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-africa-vision/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/145</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Last week we embarked on a blockchain-inspired safari in Nairobi, Kenya. In last week’s article, I described what I learned from research and my first in-person experience on the continent about why Africa is especially fertile ground for blockchain tools to take root. I also introduced the projects that Lido Nation has already launched in Nairobi - namely the Ngong Road Blockchain Lab. 

This week we turn our gaze to the future. While in Nairobi, I was amazed by the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-27T13:39:18+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst – Africa impact]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-africa-impact/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/144</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Kenya, located in east Africa, is bordered by Ethiopia on the north, Tanzania on the south, Lake Victoria and Uganda on the west, Somalia and the Indian Ocean on the east. The climate is like perfect summer most days of the year, with warm days, pleasantly cool nights, and enough rain to sustain the wide variety of plants and animals that fill the Serengeti plains. There are no squirrels hopping through the trees, but there are monkeys. In the capital...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-23T00:06:42+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst: Auditability Gets an Audit]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-auditability-gets-an-audit/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/143</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Software Development for Dummies

In my job as a technology consultant and developer, I work with clients to build solutions that solve real business problems. At different times we may use a more “agile” approach, and at other times it’s an old-fashioned “waterfall”. Regardless of the methodologies in play, there is a fundamental truth underpinning all our work: **If the users don’t understand what we built, our solution has no value.** Furthermore, if we fail to communicate closely throughout...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Let's Take a Moment to Lido:]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/lets-take-a-minute-to-lido/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/142</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Wow, have we been BUSY! Since the Cardano Foundation's temporary 14.5M ada delegation to the LIDO stake pool in July, we've been building & creating non-stop!

This article covers all those efforts, with plenty of links to help you find your way around!]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T08:30:16+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Blockchain the Builder]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/blockchain-the-builder/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/141</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Lido Nation connects people to education about blockchain technology. Whether you are here to invest, help the space grow, or utilize it for your existing endeavors––welcome. This article explores a few industries that have live blockchain use cases. We hope that as you read through these examples, you'll find inspiration in the diversity of ways the immutable ledger can be used.  


As you may know, a blockchain is a distributed digital ledger that records transactions efficiently and in a verifiable...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:26+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[The Cost of Honesty]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/the-cost-of-honesty/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/139</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In recent years, Blockchain has benefited from an increase in well-informed users and ever more technologically aware governments, organizations, and institutions. As we all learn about the nascent capacities of the tech, we see that, on the one hand, it can help users privatize their personal data, and on the other, just how transparent it also is. Both are inevitable elements of blockchain technology, though the latter is our concern today.  

By their very nature, most blockchains are fully transparent;...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:26+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[The Vasil Upgrade on Cardano]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/the-vasil-upgrade-on-cardano/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/140</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[At the time of this writing, Cardano's ADA holders are hours away from the Vasil upgrade. The time it took to get here, the thorough advancements carefully planned for and executed, the months of poring over code, peer-review stages, and Twitter threads that ultimately led to stronger ties for all have all led up to this: [tweet post_id=140 tweet='The Vasil upgrade for September 22, 2022. Check out the article here 👇']The Vasil upgrade for September 22, 2022.[/tweet]

This is the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Ethereum and Cardano Node Clients]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/ethereum-and-cardano-node-clients/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/138</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Some basic definition
A core part of the technology stack in a blockchain network is the nodes and the client that helps humans operate the nodes. Today we will compare and contrast how these elements work in the Ethereum and Cardano networks. Before we dive in, let’s get some basic definitions out of the way.  

In computer science, a **node** is a physical device within a network that is able to send, receive, or forward information. Under the hood,...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:26+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Blockchain 101: What's a DEX?]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/blockchain-101-whats-a-dex/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/137</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[If you’ve been hanging around in the Crypto space for a while, you’ve heard the term DEX, and maybe you already know that it stands for **Decentralized Exchange**...but why are DEXes so interesting?]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T08:41:10+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Big Announcement for Cardano at Binance.us]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/big-announcement-for-cardano-at-binanceus-what-do-you-need-to-know/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/136</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Binance.us recently announced that it now supports staking ada, right on its platform. It promises its users a 6.1% APY return on their staked ada, with no unstaking period. 

With this announcement, Cardano joins a limited but growing list of “proof of stake” crypto assets available for direct staking on the Binance platform. Since “all press is good press,” we are delighted to see Cardano growing in renown and recognition from prominent institutions, but what’s the news behind the headline?...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[EMURGO Academy is official sponsor of the Cardano Hackaton in Argentina]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/emurgo-academy-is-official-sponsor-of-the-cardano-hackaton-in-argentina-proposal-funded-by-project-catalyst-in-fund-8/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/135</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Sebastian Pabon]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In essence, we seek to exercise with honor the noble task of providing education to people who seek to govern their own destiny, to make their communities worthy places to inhabit, and to restore to the world the decency lost in a deliberate exchange of profit for principle.  We are simply educators whose goal is to put in the hands of our students the tools that will enable them to design their own solutions to their own problems. And without...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T08:46:17+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[What About The How?]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/what-about-the-how-a-conversation-on-mechanizing-blockchain-with-adam-dean/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/134</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Advancements in technology and the bear market we’re in have reignited the conversation of how to use blockchain outside of cryptocurrency. A simple search on the topic brings up everything from proven use cases to pie-in-the-sky ideas that are still years off. What's more, they primarily seek to answer WHAT can be stored on the blockchain and not HOW to do it––the reason we're all here!

To get some answers, I decided to find a developer to speak with. To...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T08:53:16+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Voting]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-voting-who-what-where-when-why-how/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/132</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Voting for new Project Proposals in Fund 9 is scheduled to kick off on September 5th, 2022, and will run through September 19th. There are over 1000 proposals in this round. More than half of these belong to first-time proposers. Hundreds more are from folks with only one proposal in the hat. Finally, there are many proposals from seasoned veterans - the experienced and invested all-stars who have been in the trenches for numerous rounds, working hard to build the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:04+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Voting Basics + Fund 9 News Updates]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-voting-basics-fund-9-news-updates/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/131</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[One exciting concept that energizes blockchain enthusiasts is the idea that it doesn’t only decentralize the control of money and financial tools. **It has the potential to transform other forms of power as well,** thanks to the security and transparency inherent in blockchain. 

A Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) is a new idea that decision-making, work, and wealth could be shared among a collective in a new way, and it’s all made possible by blockchain, secure voting, and smart contracts. On...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:04+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Wallets on Cardano and Ethereum]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/ce-wallets-on-cardano-and-ethereum/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/126</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Whether the first Blockchain you interacted with was Ethereum, Cardano, or some other chain, it’s likely that one of the first things you did was set up a “Wallet.” In this series, we are learning about Ethereum and Cardano by comparing them side-by-side, to see what we can learn from each. Today we will consider that universal starting point, the blockchain “Wallet.”

## Introduction
For most mainstream blockchain users, almost every interaction begins and ends with a blockchain wallet. Wallets...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:27+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[A Focus on Cardano Staking Part II]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/a-focus-on-cardano-staking-part-ii-lido-lidonationcom-phuffycoin/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/128</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Welcome back! In part one of this series, we discussed Proof-of-Stake blockchains, how most work, and some essential details that differentiate the Cardano Blockchain. We went on to mention why it's a great but time-sensitive moment for the LIDO pool––check out our recent news release on the topic below.

Today we'll share a few next steps for our staking learners and look at some of what the Lido team has been up to. We'll end with PhuffyCoin: the heart of...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:05+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[A Focus on Cardano Staking Part I]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/a-focus-on-cardano-staking-part-i-from-the-wide-view-to-a-lido-depth-of-field/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/127</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In this two-part series, we'll zoom out to discuss Proof-of-Stake (PoS) in a general sense. Then we'll focus on staking with the Cardano Blockchain, learn about the world of stake pools, and finish by highlighting some recent updates at the LIDO pool. In the second installment, you can expect a more revealing discussion on Cardano staking, a deeper look at the work we do at Lido Nation, and a wrap-up that brings into focus the crown of the LIDO stake...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:05+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[What is Blockchain? - one newcomer’s journey]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/what-is-blockchain-one-newcomers-journey/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/130</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Perpetual]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[As a newcomer in the blockchain space, understanding all the terms and how it all fits together can be a challenge. There is a lot of information online, and it doesn’t all point in the same direction! Perseverance is rewarded, and with enough time - and a little luck - the pieces start to fall in place. This article represents some parts of my journey to answer the question: What is Blockchain?
Blockchain.com – seemed like a good place to...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:27+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano's Builders: A look at Wada]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardanos-builders-a-look-at-wada/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/129</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Tabitha Ongachi]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In my previous article I talked about Cardano in Africa. Cardano is partnering with African countries to build infrastructure and to solve real world problems by providing necessary resources - while Cardano benefits by getting mass adoption. We talked about Cardano in Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia. To read more about this article here is the link https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-in-Africa. 

## Wada

Cardano and Africa`s bright future go hand in hand. In Africa there is an alliance which is a resource network for...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:05+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Lido Nation Receives Cardano Foundation Delegation]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/lido-nation-receives-cardano-foundation-delegation/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/125</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## How did this happen?

The Lido Nation staking pool launched on the Cardano mainnet in December 2020. From there, a couple of dreamers started to talk about what our little corner of the network should look like. As a pair of curious birds who get excited about learning and sharing knowledge, we noticed that there wasn’t enough of the kind of material we wanted to read about blockchain, and Cardano. So we started to write it!

Blockchains are about...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:05+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano in Africa]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-in-africa/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/124</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Tabitha Ongachi]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano already has a big presence in Africa and it plans on going even further to be recognized in many more African countries.

Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, has spoken about the large potential of the African continent for adoption of blockchain technology. During an interview with John O`Connor, who is the Director of African Operations at IOG announced that IOG`s projects in Africa are great. 
 
IOG is currently engaging locals by delivering projects that solve real-world problems. There...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:05+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[DirectEd + Cardano: building a bright future with Smart Contracts]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/directed-cardano-building-a-bright-future-with-smart-contracts/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/123</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Sallyanne Atieno]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Education is a crucial factor in a country's economic development, but despite its importance, it is generally underfunded and deprioritised. DirectEd is a group that wants to use blockchain technology to support scholars in developing countries.  **DirectEd enables donations for Education powered by the Cardano Blockchain, by combining blockchain transactions, smart contracts, decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials.** These enable a transparent, secure, and low-cost method of sending conditional peer-to-peer donations to students across the globe. By processing donations directly through...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T08:56:11+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Funds - 5-9]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-funds-5-9/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/122</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Perpetual]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## CARDANO FUNDS PART II

In part one we looked at the beginning of Project Catalyst, starting with the trial fund, through to Fund 4. In this part we will dive into details about Fund 5 to Fund 9 which as I am writing is at the beginning stage. Every fund starts with a number of campaign challenges which define the problems that proposers are tasked to solve. 

## Fund 5
In this Fund there were nine challenges and a...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T08:58:09+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst - All the news that’s fit to print - July 2022]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-all-the-news-thats-fit-to-print-july-2022/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/121</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## Community Advisors Renamed: Proposal Assessors

An important role in Project Catalyst is that of the project reviewers. This small army of anonymous humans reads every one of the 1200+ proposals submitted in each round, rates them on a five-star scale, and writes helpful, nugget-sized reviews of each project. These reviews are helpful to voters and to proposers who may glean practical advice from constructive critique. 

In the past, the job title of this role was “Community Advisor,” or CA....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:00:31+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[The Nervous Man’s Guide to Becoming a P.A.]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/the-nervous-mans-guide-to-becoming-a-pa/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/120</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Benjamin Hartin]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Hi, I’m Benjamin. Sometimes I get anxious and over-educate myself for tasks I’m currently capable of executing well. For instance, I came very close to enrolling in not one but two ‘at your own pace’ journalism courses in preparation for the article you are reading at this moment. Sure, that might be reasonable if I were not a professional writer with journalistic experience. Thankfully, a helpful colleague prompted me to just get it done. I soon realized the correlations between...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:02:50+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Introduction to Ethereum and Cardano]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/introduction-to-ethereum-and-cardano/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/118</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[An anonymous group of developers debuted the Bitcoin network in 2009. They used cryptography, proof of work, and decentralized computer networks. The principles that guided them were: 
* How do we ensure a strong control of ownership of value (using cryptographic keys)?
* How do we remove intermediaries? 
* How do we incentivize random people across the planet to behave in a way that most benefits the collective?

What they created was a way to mint and manage the value...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-27T13:25:49+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst: Quality assurance of proposals]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-quality-assurance-of-proposals/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/116</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Tabitha Ongachi]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In each round of funding the Cardano community always comes up with a challenge that people have to come up with the solutions/ proposals to. The proposals that are sent are usually submitted and managed at https://cardano.ideascale.com/. After the proposals have been submitted, they are reviewed by Proposal Assessors (PAs – formerly known as Community Advisors/CAs). PAs rate proposals on whether they fit the challenge, and on their overall quality. They also are able to comment on proposals to add...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:07:05+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Funds - Inception thru Fund 4]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-funds-inception-thru-fund-4/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/115</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Perpetual]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano is a proof-of-stake blockchain platform: the first to be founded on peer-reviewed research and developed through evidence-based methods. Project Catalyst is a series of experiments in Cardano which seeks to generate the “highest levels of community innovation''. A funding round for Project Catalyst happens around every 12 weeks. Through it, they have come up with campaigns where they fund peer proposals that aim to solve problems that have been laid out in time through challenges. In each funding round,...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:16:26+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst: Make your proposal a winning proposal]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-make-your-proposal-a-winning-proposal/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/114</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Sallyanne Atieno]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Project Catalyst is an experiment in community innovation where ideas are brought to the table and turned into impactful projects that are meant to develop the Cardano ecosystem. Proposals as we know are usually submitted to Project Catalyst through [Ideascale](Cardano.Ideascale.com). A funding round for Project Catalyst takes place about every 12 weeks. During each round,  new proposals are submitted.If you have any proposal, then you submit it in any of the challenges that are available for that funding round. After...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:20:56+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Lido Nation - Getting in the middle of it]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/lido-nation-getting-in-the-middle-of-it/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/113</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[So what is blockchain? First and foremost, blockchain is about decentralization. Instead of a world-wide-web that is mostly controlled by a few huge service and data storage providers, the best blockchain network is run by you, and me, and the kid next door, and thousands of other people around the globe. Through global decentralized participation, blockchains can offer unprecedented security, permanence, and trustworthiness. Furthermore, since it is not controlled by any central body, the services and opportunities offered by a...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-22T22:40:08+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Smart Contracts - Speed & Convenience]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/smart-contracts-speed-convenience/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/112</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Sallyanne Atieno]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano has been known to achieve 250 Transactions Per Second (TPS) with plans to grow this number much higher. The 250 TPS simply means the number of transactions that get to be processed on the blockchain each second. This number compares very favorably to other popular networks: Ethereum, for example, is currently at only 30 TPS, which leads to network congestion and high costs for users.
 
The birth of Smart Contracts was back in 2014, when Charles Hoskinson and others...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:14:39+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Funded Proposals Part II - Mad Scientists on Parade]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-funded-proposals-part-ii-mad-scientists-on-parade/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/111</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Steph King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[The nature of the work of a funded proposer varies widely, depending on the nature of the work. Some projects amount to a few days’ work for a single person; some are longer-term and focus on, for example, translation, resource building, or coding an app. Others involve hiring and organizing a team of different roles to execute a large project. Whatever the size and scope of the work, all funded proposers follow a similar pattern for reporting, funding, and project...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:22:44+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Funded Proposals - Mad Scientists on the Launchpad]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-funded-proposals-mad-scientists-on-the-launchpad/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/110</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[If you know about Project Catalyst, you likely know mostly about the public-facing front end: The Campaigns, the proposals, the votes. In the 8 rounds of Project Catalyst to date, you may have participated by attending the weekly “Town Hall” meeting, perhaps by serving as a paid “Community Advisor” to assess proposals, or (hopefully!) by voting for the best project proposals in the Catalyst voting app.

**What happens after voting is still a bit of a black box for many.**...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:24:05+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst - An Invention with 1000 Steps]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-an-invention-with-1000-steps/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/109</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[For curious minds bent on discovery and innovation, few things beat an old fashioned experiment… except, perhaps, 1000 experiments! 

Thomas Edison is famous for inventing the lightbulb. But he conducted more than 1000 lightbulb experiments that failed, before one finally succeeded. When asked by a reporter, “How did it feel to fail 1000 times?”, Edison simply replied, “I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

Project Catalyst is a global experiment for the Cardano...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:28:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Dapps on Cardano - A Unique Approach]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/dapps-on-cardano-a-unique-approach/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/108</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In previous articles, we learned that DApps are just “Apps” that allow people to use blockchain Smart Contracts through a friendly user interface. We looked at the range of examples of DApps, from Gaming to DeFi, and more. Broadly, these definitions and examples apply to DApps as they exist on any blockchain network that supports Smart Contracts, including Ethereum, Algorand, Cardano, and numerous others. However, when you look under the hood, there are interesting differences in how different protocols handle...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:31:57+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[DApps in the Real World: Present and Future]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/dapps-in-the-real-world-present-and-future/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/105</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[It’s not always clear what it means to “build on the blockchain” or which parts of a product or service will live on on the blockchain. DApps are trendy and new, so it’s tempting to ride the hype and think that any new application can or should be a DApp! The point to remember is that blockchain is good at recording **transactions** and certain types of metadata. In a previous article, we wrote more about what DApps are. Now, here...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-05T19:42:59+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Technical Overview: Plutus Architecture]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/technical-overview-plutus-architecture/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/103</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Since you’re here, you’ve probably heard of Cardano. If you’ve been here for a while, you might know what a “smart contract” is. Here is something that still isn’t well-known to many: Plutus. Drawing from a video published to IOG’s YouTuve channel in April, this article describes what Plutus is and its importance in the Cardano architecture.  

The foundation of the Cardano blockchain platform is built on two separate layers: A Cardano Settlement Layer (CSL) and a Cardano Computation Layer...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:40:50+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano Project Catalyst by the Numbers]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-project-catalyst-by-the-numbers/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/102</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano was founded and launched by IOG, Emurgo, and the Cardano Foundation. To a great extent these entities still lead development and decision-making for the network; in other words, it is largely “Centralized”.   

Someday, however, this power will be transferred entirely into the hands of Cardano-holders. The Cardano network will be managed by a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). **Project Catalyst is the proving ground and laboratory for the Cardano Community to learn what it means to function as a DAO:**...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-05-04T11:10:29+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Announcing: LidoNation launches Cardano Blockchain Lab in Kenya]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/announcing-lidonation-launches-cardano-blockchain-lab-in-kenya/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/95</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Last year, Lido Nation connected with a group of young college graduates, who worked with us as we started to explore what a partnership and training program could look like in Kenya. Darlington started a developer mentorship program with two young people, and Stephanie spearheaded a “test project” with another group to translate some of our articles into Swahili, one of the official languages of Kenya. 

The Swahili translation project led to one of our first funded proposals on Project...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:06+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano Flirts with Representative Democracy]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-flirts-with-representative-democracy/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/94</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Picking up where the United States stopped, and Britain before them, and the Roman republic before that, Cardano is flirting with representative governance. After months of hints that researchers at IOG were exploring the next phase of governance on Cardano, IOG introduced on their blog on "April 10 the concept of “Delegate Representatives (dReps).”]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[An Open Letter to News Media, Journalists, and Podcasters : There’s more to the Blockchain story!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/an-open-letter-to-news-media-journalists-and-podcasters-theres-more-to-the-blockchain-story/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/93</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[By now I’m used to sighing and bracing myself when popular media covers blockchain technology news. No matter what the actual story is, someone will squeeze in a contemptuous sneer or dismissal: Bitcoin uses more energy than Argentina! Crypto is killing the planet!
 
But I dare say I hoped for better from my favorite podcast “about the internet”. There’s a treasure-trove of great stories about blockchain to tell - if you’re willing to look past the blooper reel! 
Blockchain is...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:38:06+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Introduction to Decentralized Applications]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/introduction-to-decentralized-applications/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/92</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Smart Contracts and DApps are the software programs and interfaces that enable these fascinating possibilities, which extend far beyond “cryptocurrency”. As with any pioneering technology, what are the benefits, potential risks and how can we explore it safely?]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:28+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Innovation Fatigue: The Cardano Community Takes a Deep Breath]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/innovation-fatigue-the-cardano-community-takes-a-deep-breath/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/91</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano Staking, made possible by a hard fork combinator (HFC) event in July of 2020 (Epoch 208, Slot 4492800), ushered in the “Shelley Era” of the network’s roadmap. This event opened the floodgates of interest and activity in the community. Since then, it’s been a mad dash from the top of one hill, to the next, and the next. We are now seeing signs that this has begun to lead to some innovation fatigue. This is something the community is...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:34:49+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst Fund 8 Governance in full swing]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/project-catalyst-fund-8-governance-in-full-swing/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/89</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[On Thursday March 17, Cardano’s Project Catalyst crested the hill of Fund 8. Thousands of proposals have been Submitted, Refined, and Finalized. Now the “Governance” phase has begun, starting with Assessments and ending next month with Voting. When it’s all over, we will have witnessed the biggest funding round so far: the $12.8M budget is DOUBLE that of the previous round. This amount will fund hundreds of Cardano projects for new and returning proposers.  

If you’d like to back up...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:06+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Become a Project Catalyst Proposer - Part III: Market your idea and help get out the vote!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/become-a-project-catalyst-proposer-part-iii-market-your-idea-and-help-get-out-the-vote/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/88</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Technically, this step is optional, and we certainly don’t know of a one-size-fits-all strategy. However, putting some effort into spreading the word about your proposal is a win-win investment of your time. The more excitement and awareness you can generate among other ADA holders, the more likely they are to look for your proposal and give you a “Yes” vote! Just as importantly, when you engage with the community, you are likely to get other benefits: feedback and questions you...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:28+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Become a Project Catalyst Proposer - Part II: Anatomy of a Proposal]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/become-a-project-catalyst-proposer-part-ii-anatomy-of-a-proposal/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/87</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[## First, it’s helpful to understand that you have two audiences for your proposal. The biggest audience, as you know, is the voters. The other, and just as important, is the Community Advisors (CAs), who will review and rate your project before voting begins. These ratings have a huge impact on voting results - most voters won’t read into the details of each of the hundreds of proposals in each round. Instead, they will trust the CA ratings to a...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[ccvault.io Wallet]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/reviews/ccvaultio-wallet-review/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/86</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[* ccvault.io is a Cardano wallet for Chrome and Firefox browsers, or Android and iPhone mobile devices.  ccvault.io provides a full set of features for interfacing with Cardano to receive and send ADA and NFTs, vote, manage stake pool delegation, and interact with decentralized applications (DApps).  
* ccvault.io gets high marks for having many great features: over 17 to date. However it has room to grow in the areas of newcomer-friendly interface and user experience.]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-01-20T21:41:34+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Becoming a Project Catalyst Proposer - Part I: The Right Challenge for You]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/becoming-a-project-catalyst-proposer-part-i-the-right-challenge-for-you/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/85</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[One of the most common questions we hear from you is: How can I submit a proposal to Project Catalyst? In this 3-part series, we will guide you through the basics and give you our guidance on how to submit a winning proposal.]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Blockchain: More than Just Cryptocurrency]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/blockchain-more-than-just-cryptocurrency/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/84</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Awareness of blockchain technology is spreading beyond the walls of software companies, dorm rooms, and other enclaves of seemingly irrelevant nerdery. Almost without exception, the first application of blockchain technology that people hear about is “Cryptocurrency”:

*“Bitcoin hits an all-time high”*

*“Dogecoin makes a coin based on a dog meme”*

*“Someone’s investment goes 1000x in a month”*

*“Tesla accepts Cryptocurrency as payment”*

These stories are the headline-grabbing face of blockchain. It makes sense: Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency, was the first...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano goes Big on Pioneering Blockchain Governance in 2022]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-goes-big-on-pioneering-blockchain-governance-in-2022/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/83</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**Governance**: “The system by which an organization is controlled … the mechanisms by which [an organization and](https://www.governanceinstitute.com.au/resources/what-is-governance/) its people are held to account.”  

Every project or organization is ‘governed’ somehow; goals must be set, and decisions must be made. We are mostly accustomed to governance in a top-down structure, as in most companies, or in a representative democracy, as in many countries. **Blockchain technology has the potential to disrupt our long-standing assumptions about how governance works.**  

2022 promises to be...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:11:07+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano's Catalyst Circle, An Experiment In Blockchain Governance]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardanos-catalyst-circle-an-experiment-in-blockchain-governance/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/82</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[One of the most exciting things about Blockchain is the idea that it can be used to share responsibility and decision making in a way that is fair and equitable. One of the most mysterious things is fathoming how this really works. 

This idea of distributed governance supported by secure blockchain contracts is called “Decentralized Autonomous Organization” (DAO). The Cardano roadmap indicates that in its final state, the entire Cardano network will be governed and maintained by a DAO. 

**A...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[DeFi: Financial tools for the future!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/defi-decentralize-finanace/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/78</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[DeFi (Decentralized Finance) refers to peer-to-peer financial instruments built on a blockchain network. Blockchain networks like Bitcoin and Cardano introduced cryptocurrency, which challenged and changed our ideas about money. Now we are venturing into the next chapter of blockchain - questioning the role of institutions like Visa, Paypal, or Wells Fargo. DeFi seeks to migrate financial instruments like loans, bonds, stocks, futures, ETFs, etc to the blockchain. These tools could eliminate our need or change the role of Wall Street intermediaries like brokerages, exchanges, and banks.]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:29+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[The "D" Words]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/the-d-words/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/79</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**DeFi (Decentralized Finance)**

DeFi refers to all the monetary functions and applications that use blockchain technology. This includes digital money itself, like Bitcoin and Cardano Ada. It also includes the fast-growing ecosystem of tools that enable transacting with digital money. For example, using digital money to buy goods and services, or replicating other financial services like loans, insurance, and crowdfunding. 

For each of these types of services, we are accustomed to dealing with middlemen: Visa or PayPal to process payments,...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[What’s the Deal with Decentralization?]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/whats-the-deal-with-decentralization/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/77</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Ugatuaji unamaanisha kwamba hakuna chanzo kikuu cha ukweli au mamlaka - na kinyume chake, hakuna udhaifu hata mmoja.

Katika mtandao wa blockchain, neno MTANDAO hufanya kazi nzito kama "blockchain". Teknolojia ya Blockchain ina uwezo huo kwa sababu ipo kwenye mtandao uliosambazwa wa nodi za kompyuta. Kila nodi kwenye mtandao inadumishwa na watu tofauti, na kila mmoja ana nakala kamili ya data ya mtandao mzima (leja). Nodi hizi huendesha na kulinda mtandao kwa kuthibitisha na kuridhia shughuli mpya, na kuweka nakala zilizosasishwa za leja kwa shughuli zinazoendelea. Kadiri nodi zinavyozidi - ndivyo tofauti zaidi, vyombo visivyohusiana vinashikilia nakala ya leja nzima - kadiri mtandao unavyogatuliwa zaidi.]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-23T00:40:35+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[2021 Reflections & The Year Ahead: with Charles Hoskinson]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/2021-reflections-the-year-ahead-with-charles-hoskinson/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/74</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[*“It doesn't matter who wins, because we win. Humanity wins. The people win. [We are doing this] as an industry to do better, to live in a more fair world, a more equal world…[We are doing this] as an industry so that we together don't have to pessimistically, cynically accept what has been given to us. That is the rally cry: ‘Just do better!’”*]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T09:59:43+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Whiteboard Video Part #4 - Sustainability]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/whiteboard-video-part-4-sustainability/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/73</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**The third pillar of a third generation blockchain - and probably the most important - is sustainability.** 

The concept of sustainability can be broken into two components:

**1) How do we pay for things?**

Crypto currencies are not companies. Even if a cryptocurrency is a security, it's still somewhat decentralized. It's still infrastructure. It's much more like roads and bridges; it's much more like TCP/IP and their protocols. So when you talk about a protocol that's open-source, the idea is...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:06:08+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Yoroi Cardano Wallet]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/reviews/yoroi-cardano-wallet-review/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/69</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[* The Yoroi wallet provides a simple newcomer-friendly interface for Cardano ADA holders to receive and send ADA and NFTs, vote, and manage their stake pool delegation.
* Yoroi gets high rating for its ease for getting started in Cardano via browser or mobile, however there’s lots of room to grow in the areas of stability and customer support.]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-01-20T21:41:55+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Creating Good Blockchain Citizens - #NotJustDigitalMoney]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/inventing-on-the-blockchain-notjustdigitalmoney/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/71</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[The wheel - The steam engine - The internet - Blockchain.
Disruptive technologies turn the page in our collective history book. 
Together, we decide what goes on each fresh page. 


**With blockchain technology, we now have an opportunity to be citizens of the world in a new way**. Blockchain has the power to change our paradigms for secure personal identities, trustworthy voting, and equitable financial tools. It presents the opportunity to update how we think about sharing work and responsibility....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:29+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Whiteboard Video Part 3: Interoperability]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/whiteboard-video-part-3-interoperability/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/70</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[There is not going to be one blockchain currency to rule them all. There are going to be many networks - like Ethereum and Bitcoin and Ripple. Furthermore, there will be legacy systems like traditional banks, running on older protocols, and older settlement networks like ACH and so forth. These systems all speak their own languages and have their own business logic and rules. Currently, it's very difficult for Ethereum and Bitcoin to understand each other. This is even more...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:02:49+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[IOHK Secret 20 Million CFund]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/iohk-secret-20-million-cfund/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/68</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[CFund is a traditional “early-stage sector-agnostic venture firm in the Blockchain industry” according to the website. The goal of the firm is to back BIG, ambitious projects that are building on Cardano. They are looking to bring “world-changing ideas and solutions to market” quickly.]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Whiteboard Video Part 2: Scalability]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/whiteboard-video-part-2-scalability/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/67</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[**In Part 1, we learned that the 3rd Generation of cryptocurrency is about solving the problems of Scalability, Interoperability, and Sustainability. In this second excerpt from the whiteboard video, Charles explains the Cardano solution to Scalability:**

Scalability has a lot of meanings, but from a cryptocurrency perspective, you can think of it three ways:

**1) Transactions Per Second (TPS)**

You'll often hear people say, “Well Bitcoin has 7 transactions per second” or “Ethereum has 10 or 20 transactions per second”....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-06-23T01:24:40+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[8 Ways to participate in Project Catalyst and Earn Monies in Fund 7!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/ways-to-participate-in-project-catalyst/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/63</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[On Nov 11, during the weekly Cardano town hall meeting, Charles Hoskinson announced the kickoff of Project Catalyst Fund 7. I counted 500+ Zoom attendees; not many months ago, town halls commonly had around 50 in attendance. This growth is reflected in every part of the Catalyst experiment. The budget for example has doubled with every round. In this round, 6.4 million dollars is available to teams proposing solutions to challenges across 21 categories. There is also 1.6 Million available...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:29+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA["The Whiteboard Video" Part 1: The Evolution of Cryptocurrency]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/whiteboard-video-part-1-the-evolution-of-cryptocurrency/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/65</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[### Whiteboard Video Part 1: The Evolution of Cryptocurrency
To understand Cardano, first you have to understand where Cardano came from. So let’s talk about the first generation of cryptocurrencies.   

### 1st Generation

So the first generation is Bitcoin.  
**The problem that Bitcoin was trying to solve was, “could we create decentralized money?”**  

* Could we create a token that lives on a decentralized blockchain maintained by people all around the world? 
* Could that token be both scarce and...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:11:14+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[New Cardano Partnership = Exciting future for your phone!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/new-cardano-partnership-exciting-future-for-your-phone/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/64</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[At the Cardano Summit in September 2021, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson announced a new partnership with Dish Network. This news holds tangible and exciting potential for all of us. 

Dish Network built its reputation as a satellite TV company starting in the 1980s, but the legacy tech company has recently positioned itself to grow into the new millennium. They have mounted an aggressive acquisitions and partnership strategy that is laser-focused on the cutting edge of technology and consumer demand. Their...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:14:29+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Twitter's iPhone users can now tip author in Bitcoin]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/twitters-iphone-users-can-now-tip-author-in-bitcoin/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/61</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[If you are a regular Twitter user, this is no news to you. For everyone else: on September 23rd, Twitter announced that iPhone users can now “tip” each other on Twitter’s iPhone app using Bitcoin. The company also plans to add support for other gen-z favorites, like venmo, cash app, etc. Additional new blockchain-related features will allow Twitter users to verify ownership of the NFTs they post. This is huge progress on a mainstream platform, solidifying blockchain technology into yet...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:17:03+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Side Chains and State Channels on Cardano]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/side-chains-and-state-channels-on-cardano/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/2</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In the world of blockchain technology, a “side chain” is when you link one blockchain network to another in a parent-child relationship. The blockchain designated as the “child” is the side chain. The parent is typically referred to as the “main chain,” “layer 1”, or “base chain”. Side chains can provide functionality that the main chain does not, such as more speed, potentially cheaper or free transactions, or running DApps from originally made for other blockchain networks. It’s like when...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2024-04-09T13:08:57+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[The Cardano Roadmap: the history, the future, and YOU]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-roadmap-history-future-and-you/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/3</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Every blockchain network is fundamentally a software development project. It starts with a small team and a big idea. If the idea works, the resulting technology will require constant attention over time. The birth of a new technology is not an endpoint - it is just the beginning!  

We all experience this process in a personal way with our phones and other devices. Sometimes it’s a sudden security patch to ward off the latest bug. Other times, a planned upgrade...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:30+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano launches Smart Contracts; What does it mean?]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-launches-smart-contracts-what-does-it-mean/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/1</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[On September 12 at 21:44:51 UTC the Cardano blockchain crossed over from epoch 289 to 290. At that moment, the ecosystem entered the long awaited Goguen era. Goguen is the third of five developmental milestones on the Cardano roadmap, launching smart contracts onto the chain. The design of Cardano’s smart contracts is different from its predecessors in important ways. This successful launch will lead to the next stop on the roadmap, which will add more tools for end users.  

Remarkably,...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-18T11:10:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Ideafest! Come meet over 70 Catalyst Proposals and the humans behind them!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/ideafest-come-meet-over-70-catalyst-proposals-and-the-humans-behind-them/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/4</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[This Saturday starting at 15:00 UTC, the Cardano community will get a chance to hear from dozens of Project Catalyst 6 proposal teams! Teams are required to present their proposal live; pre-recorded presentation will not be admitted. Cardano is the “people-first” blockchain, so the ethos of the festival is to allow you to meet and see the faces behind the proposals.

Project Catalyst is one initiative of the self-funding Cardano Treasury. It’s purpose is to blaze trails in collaboration and...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T11:09:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Crypto Wallet: Your Cardano Citizenship Center]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/blockchain-crypto-wallet-your-cardano-citizenship-center/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/37</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Your Crypto Wallet is the most central component of your personal interactions with a blockchain network. Despite their centrality, the basic choices and details about crypto wallets are not easy to understand.  

Fundamentally, a crypto wallet stores a copy of the digital keys that control all of your assets on the blockchain. In western cultures, a wallet is the thing most men use to keep some cash, a form of Identification, membership cards, and pictures of their kids or pets....]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T11:13:09+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[ShapeShift is Decentralizing]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/shapeshift-is-decentralizing/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/38</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In the coming year, a company of about 65 people and 6.5 Million USD in revenue will relinquish control of its future to its 1 Million plus customers. Shapeshift is transitioning from a typical corporation to a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). Currently, Shapeshift is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, and is run out of Denver, Colorado, USA. After the transition, the company will be fully controlled by its 1 million customers, employees and community members. If a “DAO” is a new...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T11:14:51+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/reviews/project-catalyst/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/39</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-01-20T21:42:18+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano's Project Catalyst: Experiments in Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO)]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardanos-project-catalyst-experiments-in-decentralized-autonomous-organization-dao/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/40</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Project Catalyst is an experiment in collaboration and innovation for Cardano. This experiment is made possible by the Cardano blockchain. The format of Project Catalyst is a series of funding rounds, wherein challenges are presented, and anyone in the world may propose solutions. The Cardano community votes for the solutions they like. **Winning proposals receive funding to deliver their solutions.**   

[In a previous article we learned about Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO),](https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/decentralized-autonomous-organization-organization-that-put-people-first) which is a way of organizing and sharing work...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T11:17:17+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano launches support for smart contracts on testnet]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-launches-support-for-smart-contracts-on-testnet/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/41</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[On August 2nd, 2021, Cardano enabled smart contracts in their public test network. The concept of “Smart Contracts” goes back to the 1990s. It simply means that a computer can execute an action automatically, in response to a predefined event. When smart contracts are combined with blockchain technology, their potential is tremendous.  

The first hurdle to understanding smart contracts is imagining the real-life scenarios where they might be useful. Here are some examples to spark your imagination:  

–> When someone...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T11:18:56+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Lido Nation Elevator Pitch]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/lido-nation-elevator-pitch/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/42</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Blockchain technology is a powerful way of using and extending the internet as we know it, and it’s going to change our world. Like the internet, that change will bring lots of new opportunities, but at this point it seems very new and mysterious to most people. Finding good information about the blockchain can be challenging. Most information online is relegated to tech developer forums or heady discussions among finance wonks. Even worse, although predictable, is the proliferation of the...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T11:21:22+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[DAOs Demystified: Organization that puts people first]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/decentralized-autonomous-organization-organization-that-put-people-first/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/43</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) is an emerging way to organize work that changes the usual model of hierarchical power. In this new way of organizing, the arrangement of the participants is less like a pyramid, and more like a round table. This way of organizing keeps work personal. DAOs move key decisions closer to the individual contributors, giving each person more power, agency, and stake in the outcome of the work.  

## The History of Work
The need to organize...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2023-11-22T14:40:21+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano ADA coming to a bank near you!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-ada-coming-to-a-bank-near-you/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/44</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In July month, the Cardano Foundation released a 36 minutes video outlining their plans for the next five years. They outlined five areas of focus that will drive and guide their work: community, adoption, partnerships, governance, and legislative standards.  

The goals described in the densely packed half-hour were ambitious and inspiring. One of the near-term objectives in the “partnerships” focus area is to onboard 50 banks by the end of 2022. This is huge! There are many unanswered questions; no...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:55:20+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Kids these days! Cryptocurrency for the next generation...and you!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/kids-these-days-cryptocurrency-for-the-next-generationand-you/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/52</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Someone in my extended family who shall remain nameless has earned a reputation, and more than a few eyerolls, for continuing to whip out his checkbook when the waiter brings the bill. As you know, this method of payment fell out of favor at public establishments a couple decades ago. But - change is hard! I’m sure the now-commonplace method of paying for everything with a piece of plastic seemed absurd to him at first, and apparently is still something...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:23:09+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Amazon to start accepting Crypto: Including Cardano]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/amazon-to-start-accepting-crypto-including-cardano/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/45</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In late July 2021, exciting clues emerged that Amazon is getting ready to join the blockchain revolution. Rumors started to swirl when the company opened up a new job posting for a “Digital Currency and blockchain lead”. The ecommerce giant has yet to release official news, but an anonymous insider claimed that Amazon will start accepting Bitcoin within this calendar year. What’s more, it was stated that the next currencies in the queue are Ethereum, Cardano, and Bitcoin Cash.  

The...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:50:56+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Project Catalyst reaches 200,000 plus voters]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-project-catalyst-reach-200000-plus-voters/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/46</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[On July 2, the Cardano Project Catalyst team posted the final voting results for “Fund 4”. According to the project’s website: **“Project Catalyst is a series of experiments which seeks to generate the highest levels of community innovation.”** Every six to eight weeks, the project puts up money from the Cardano treasury to anyone who wants to build a business or service on the Cardano platform. Members of the Cardano community have the opportunity to review all the ideas, and...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:48:58+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[University of Wyoming Research Lab Launches Cardano Staking Pool]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/university-of-wyoming-research-lab-launches-cardano-staking-pool/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/47</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[In an exciting reprise of the old Wild West days, Wyoming is forging trails in new territory. In 2020, the University of Wyoming established the Wyoming Advanced Blockchain Laboratory (WABL). This spring, WABL launched a Cardano staking pool, which has minted 180 blocks and counting.   

This is a wonderful opportunity for students to gain real-world experience with cutting-edge technology. Furthermore, the learning is fully cross-disciplinary: Initial pledge to the pool was provided by the College of Business Portfolio Management class;...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:45:25+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Why does crypto currency price go up and down]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/why-does-bitcoin-cryptocurrency-price-go-up-and-down/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/53</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[The prices of cryptocurrencies rise and fall for the same reason it takes more genetic information to create a tomato than a human; for the same reason NASA lost track of Pioneer 10, and 11; for the same reason most people find love before they carry on. That is to say, forecasting what a stock, national currency, or cryptocurrency will be valued at in 6 months or 10 years is still somewhat of a fringe science. Even so, learning about...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:20:53+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Grayscale Investments adds Cardano to its Fund - as its 3rd larges holding!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/grayscale-investments-adds-cardano-to-its-fund-as-its-3rd-larges-holding/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/48</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Stephanie King]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[Cardano has been invited to the big kid table at Grayscale Investments. The world’s leading digital asset management fund recently rebalanced its portfolio, selling some existing assets in order to buy Cardano. ADA is now the fund’s third-largest holding, after crypto-giants Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Now, ADA accounts for 4.26% of Grayscale’s total portfolio, which is more than 4x their holdings in any other altcoin. Following the exciting announcement on Twitter, Cardano prices jumped more than 6%, securing its spot as...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:42:45+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Cardano Cash! Ahhhhhhh!!!]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/cardano-cash-ahhhhhhh/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/49</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[About a week ago Cardano's Director of Afican Operations tweeted a crypto moon-landing like tidbit that largely went unnoticed by crypto media. We here at LIDO Nation think this was as epic as man landing on the moon for the first time. The very challenge is not one taken up by any other crypto projects, and we know about a lot of other crypto projects. Of course, we can't know every single crypto project. After reading this article, if you...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:40:15+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[University of Wyoming may be staking ADA]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/university-of-wyoming-may-be-staking-ada/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/51</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[If you live in the United States (or elsewhere for that matter), “Wyoming” and “crypto currency” in the same sentence might seem like a strange pair. But in fact, the state of Wyoming has become increasingly bullish on crypto currency in the last few years. They have outpaced any other region in the country when it comes to college level education and providing regulatory guidance for blockchain technologies. Between 2018-2020, the state legislation passed about 13 Bills cementing its title...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:24:51+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[Ethiopia integrating IOG's Cardano based system to manage student records]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/ethiopia-integrating-iogs-cardano-based-system-to-manage-student-records/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/50</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[Darlington Kofa]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[IOG, too excited to wait for their official media livestream tomorrow, posted to their twitter account key details of tomorrow’s announcement at 2:31 PM · Apr 27, 2021 UTC.   

“We couldn't make you wait until Thursday! We're announcing our partnership with Ethiopia's Ministry of Education to create a blockchain-based national ID and attainment recording system. Rolling out to 5M students, this is the world’s largest blockchain deployment”  

The deployment will be based on Atalla PRISM, the announcement said. According to...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2026-01-21T10:29:04+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
            <entry>
            <title><![CDATA[How to buy Cardano ADA]]></title>
            <link rel="alternate" href="https://www.lidonation.com/en/posts/how-do-i-buy-ada/" />
            <id>https://www.lidonation.com/index.php/56</id>
            <author>
                <name><![CDATA[LIDO Nation Foundation]]></name>
            </author>
            <summary type="html">
                <![CDATA[So you’ve decided you want to own some ADA, but all you have is Dollars (or any kind of fiat money). What you need...]]>
            </summary>
                                    <updated>2022-12-13T01:34:38+00:00</updated>
        </entry>
    </feed>
