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Next stop: space!

With space tourism looking closer to reality than ever before, it is only natural to wonder what accommodation in the outer world would look like. 

Well, a team of Japanese researchers has the answer. At a recent conference, a team from Kyoto University and construction firm Kajima Corporation revealed renderings of an artificial gravity system to support long-term human occupancy. Named The Glass, it is expected to be 1,300 feet tall and designed to mimic conditions on Earth. 

Meanwhile, in a strange case of trademark infringement, Meta (parent company of Facebook) filed and won a suit against a local bakery in Bengaluru. Named “Facebake”, the bakery’s name and font style both held a strong resemblance to the social media giant’s branding. 

Last but not least, keep your eyes glued to the sky if you want to witness this year’s largest supermoon today, marking the Moon’s closest approach to Earth. 

PhysicsWallah gets web series

For edtech startup PhysicsWallah (PW), 2022 has been a good one so far! In June 2022, the Noida-based edtech startup became India’s 101st unicorn. But that’s not all. 

PW also caught the attention of About Films, a Mumbai-based production house, for a six-episode web series on the startup and founder and CEO Alakh Pandey’s journey. 

The show—named after the startup—is expected to release in the next two-three months. It is directed and produced by Abhishek Dhandharia, an IIT Kanpur graduate and founder of About Films. 

From YouTube to OTT:

• Alakh, who aspired to be an actor earlier, is known for his unconventional teaching style that attracts many students and keeps them hooked to his videos. 
• About Films reached out to Shreedhar Dubey—who had earlier featured in Gangs of Wasseypur, Masaan, and Paatal Lok—to play the central character.
• The production house also approached television actor Radha Bhat to play Alakh’s sister Aditi—an important figure in the founder’s life. 

Rise of dynamic NFTs in P2E games

Metaverse and blockchain-based gaming is being adopted rapidly across the world. While the sector generated $320 million in revenue in 2020, NFT-based games earned $2.32 billion in Q3 FY22 alone.

Thanks to P2E (play-to-earn) games, monetisation trends in the industry have been strong. But why are they ruling the roost?

It’s all due to Dynamic NFTs, which form a core piece of the Web3 metaverse and gaming economies. As their metadata can be updated, such NFTs can be coded into smart contracts and updated throughout the game. 

They can be a literal game-changer in the industry, finding use cases such as upgrading, minting, renting, leasing, fractionalising, etc.

Advantages of dynamic NFTs:

• Synchronisation of on-chain and off-chain databases.
• Enables building of no-code dashboard to give visibility about the game rules.
• Replaces serum-based NFTs that don’t allow for the preservation of the previously held NFTs.

Business class for co-living

Imagine a co-living space that comes with all modern conveniences, on par with business-class hotels, with services such as enhanced security, full-time concierge, and community-building activities.

In a market set on the idea of providing cheap, shared housing, Gurugram-based startup Housr is focussing on luxury.

Founded in 2018 by Deepak Anand and Kalpesh Mehta, Housr has over 55 properties with 5,000 beds under its fold.

Key takeaways:

• Housr recently added Bengaluru as a location following the acquisition of StayAbode for an undisclosed value which was announced in June this year.
• The co-living properties are priced in the range of Rs 26,000-45,000. 
• Under its business model, Housr enters lease rental agreements with the real estate developers where the latter make all the capital expenditure. It then pursues a standard lease of 11 months with customers.

Three months ago, the co-living startup diversified its offerings with the launch of Housr Homes. “Co-living was focused on single working professionals but we figured out there were small families who also need managed living,” Deepak said.

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