The Ether: Thursday, August 6, 2026
Blocks: 25,692,173 - 25,699,361
Slots: 14,929,199 - 14,936,398
Posted to Farcaster.
The day in review
The day in review
Protocol- A researcher proposed Ashlar, a new hash function using squaring operations, for cryptanalysis and potential protocol use.
Apps- Optimism Foundation redirected unused airdrop tokens toward ecosystem grants and growth initiatives for the next funding cycle.
- MetaMask rolled out self-custodial agent wallets that let AI execute on-chain trades within user-set spending boundaries.
Optimism Foundation is reshaping its token allocation strategy by converting unused user airdrop tokens into a new fund for ecosystem grants and growth.
More: Optimism Governance · Arbitrum DAO
A researcher proposes a new hash function design using squaring-based operations instead of power maps, seeking community feedback on cryptographic soundness for potential protocol applications.
More: Ethereum Magicians
MetaMask lets AI agents execute on-chain trades within user-defined spending limits, extending wallet software toward autonomous smart-contract agents.
More: Bankless
Also in the news this day
Stories that gathered new coverage this day but broke earlier, so they live on their own day's page.