#Why Are LSTs Gaining Popularity?

[intelisync]

Liquid Staking for Novices: A 2024 Introductory Guide

Unlock the full potential of your cryptocurrency investments with liquid staking, where liquidity meets profitability.

Liquid staking is transforming the cryptocurrency landscape by offering a solution to the liquidity problem associated with traditional staking. By issuing Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs), this innovative approach allows users to stake their assets while retaining the ability to trade or use these tokens in various DeFi protocols. This dual benefit of earning staking rewards and maintaining liquidity makes liquid staking an appealing option for investors, particularly those involved with major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Solana.

Liquid staking is transforming the cryptocurrency landscape by offering a solution to the liquidity problem associated with traditional staking. By issuing Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs), this innovative approach allows users to stake their assets while retaining the ability to trade or use these tokens in various DeFi protocols.

This dual benefit of earning staking rewards and maintaining liquidity makes liquid staking an appealing option for investors, particularly those involved with major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Solana.

The process of liquid staking involves depositing cryptocurrency into a staking contract, which then issues a liquid staking token representing the staked assets. These tokens can be utilized in decentralized exchanges, lending platforms, and yield farming protocols, providing users with the flexibility to optimize their investment strategies. This increased liquidity and flexibility allow users to respond quickly to market changes and new investment opportunities, making liquid staking a valuable tool in the crypto ecosystem.

Despite its benefits, liquid staking presents certain challenges, including the risk of validator penalties and smart contract vulnerabilities. Additionally, the regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies is continuously changing, which may impact staking practices. Nonetheless, liquid staking is poised to play a pivotal role in the future of blockchain finance, enhancing the value of crypto assets through improved accessibility and liquidity. Intelisync offers tailored blockchain solutions, including liquid staking, to help businesses Learn more.....

[northgeorgiasportsman]

Two Dallas companies join forces to bridge the esports marketing gap

Just about everyone under the sun is trying to grab a piece of esports mania.

Others who are still in the dark are wondering what the heck all of the commotion is about.

Now two Dallas companies — a veteran in the esports events business and a sports marketing agency that includes Roger Staubach — have joined forces to cater to both worlds.

The Trade Group and LST Marketing just launched eGency Global to help esports teams, leagues, venue owners and hopeful corporate marketers figure out the lay of this land that’s expanding quickly.

In its most basic definition, esports is a multiplayer video game played competitively by amateurs and professionals for an audience. Most fans of a specific esport event are enthusiastic players of those games.

For the last six years — an eternity in this genre — the Trade Group has produced major professional gaming events, building stages and arenas and adding entertainment features for some of the biggest tournaments in the country.

Gaming competitions were once held in garages, then bars, hotel ballrooms and movie theaters. Now they take over places like Staples Center in Los Angeles and Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie. They last several days, pay upwards of $2 million in prize money to the pros, and attract tens of thousands of fans who are just as rabid as those cheering for the Dallas Cowboys.

North Texas gold rush

New teams and leagues are forming. Billionaires are investing millions. Specially designed venues are cropping up.

And North Texas is at the epicenter of this activity.

That’s why the Trade Group and LST Marketing intend to strike while the iron’s red hot by linking their complementary expertise to create one of the largest marketing and events agencies focused solely on esports.

Chris Stone, founder and co-owner of Trade Group, is CEO of eGency, while Starke Taylor IV, grandson of the late Dallas mayor of the same name, is president of the venture.

The two were connected via a mutual friend in early 2017, when LST Marketing bought Roger Staubach’s 24-year-old sports marketing firm. Staubach remains a partner.

The Trade Group, primarily an event production company specializing in trade shows and outdoor activations for brands, entered the esport world through a backdoor when a major gaming publisher needed an exhibit for a trade show.

“I didn’t get it then, but I get it now,” says Stone, 55. “I’m not a huge gamer, but I certainly understand the audience and what they’re passionate about and the attraction from a brand standpoint in the interest in attracting that audience.”

Esports Ninja warrior

LST caught wind of esports about five years ago, when marketing execs from clients like DHL, Volkswagen and PVH, formerly Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., started asking for help in this segment.

“Esports has grown so quickly that big brands are having a hard time getting their minds around it,” Taylor says. “Bridging that gap is the driving reason and force of us forming the joint venture.”

Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, esports’ brightest star and biggest moneymaker, recently broke Twitch.tv’s streaming record with 678,000 fans simultaneously online as he played Epic Games’ super-popular "Fortnite: Battle Royale," the hottest title in gaming right now, mixing elements of crafting, third-person combat and cooperative play.

“The brands are interested in that kind of viewership and excitement,” says Taylor. “Esports reaches that specific young demo that’s hard and expensive to reach.”

Both companies are privately held and don’t give out financials. But industry sources place the event company’s revenue at $40-plus million and the boutique sports marketing agency at under $20 million.

Forget a five-year plan. Things are moving so fast, Stone says, it’s hard to see beyond the next quarter or two. “Within 12 months, I think we’re probably in the $3 [million], $3.5 million range. Going into 18 months, on an annualized basis, I think we’re going to be over $5 [million]. And there could be some significant exponential growth.”

Competition?

“All of the big traditional agencies will be competitors,” says Stone. “They have relationships with brands and they’re not going to shy away from them.”

The billionaires’ club

The city of Arlington and Texas Rangers co-owner Neil Leibman recently announced plans for Esports Stadium Arlington, a $10 million, 100,000-square-foot mecca for competitive gaming bouts and other facilities for esports teams and fans. It will use space that was the city’s convention center.

Leibman, lead investor in Infinite Esports & Entertainment, is exploring ways eGency might help bring events and sponsorship partners to Arlington’s stadium, which is expected to open this fall.

“The growing business community and population in North Texas make it a key market for esports, its fans and the brands that are looking to capitalize on this growing sport,” says Leibman. “It’s only fitting that two respected companies in this community would form a world-class agency dedicated to esports that will enhance the region’s claim to being an esports hotbed.”

In addition to Leibman, the esports billionaire owners’ club includes Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Fort Worth real estate magnate John Goff, and Ken Hersh, formerly of wheeling-and-dealing energy fame and now CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

Last week, the Trade Group finished Cuban’s studio in Deep Ellum for his team, Mavs Gaming.

“We are excited to be part of the esports explosion in North Texas,” says Cuban. “Working with partners like eGency will give us a unique opportunity to leverage Mavs Gaming and all of our esports assets.”

Vocational education?

eGency’s first event will be OP Live Dallas, a collaboration with SMU Guildhall, widely considered the leading graduate school for video game design.

Guildhall was a natural fit for the concept debut, says Taylor. “The idea is to put together a successful event here in Dallas and then add others around the country.”

It’s slated for Sept. 22-23 on the 50,000-square-foot floor of the Irving Convention Center and is expected to draw at least 16 collegiate and a half dozen professional teams from around the country.

There will be a high school hackathon, where students will compete to identify, defend and terminate cybersecurity threats in a fictional small business.

In addition, competitions will be live-streamed from a number of platforms so fans can watch the action from home.

eGency Global expects 7,000 to show up and pay between $20 for general admission to $150 for the full VIP monty.

Mark Nausha, director of SMU Guildhall, was thrilled when eGency offered to produce and finance his stretch goal of hosting one of the largest esports events in the D-FW area.

“I can’t imagine a better group to work with in executing such an awesome event,” he says. “eGency Global has both the production and marketing capabilities in esports that no other group has in North America.”

His students will gain real-world experience helping with the event and learning about what makes esports fans tick.

OP Live will also show off the latest video games created by Guildhall students and alumni, pro esports player meet-and-greets, an exhibitor hall, mini-TED-like talks by industry experts and parental education.

Parental education?

“A big part of the event is about educating parents, students and professionals about career opportunities that are available within the gaming ecosystem,” says Stone. “If I’m a normal parent and I see my kids on the couch playing games day after day, I’m going to wonder if this is going to be a long-term problem. But there are significant skills that kids garner in doing that. And there are many careers where they can apply that passion.”

Chris Stone, president and founder of the Trade Group and CEO of eGency Global at LST Marketing in Dallas, Texas on May 8, 2018. (Nathan Hunsinger/The Dallas Morning News) Chris Stone

Title: CEO, eGency Global

Age: 55

Grew up: South Portland, Maine

Education: Majored in business at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass.

Personal: Married to Sue for 29 years. They have a daughter, 25.

Starke Taylor, CEO of LST Marketing and president eGency at LST Marketing in Dallas, Texas on May 8, 2018. (Nathan Hunsinger/The Dallas Morning News)

Title: President, eGency Global

Age: 49

Born and raised: Dallas

Education: Highland Park High School, 1987; majored in marketing at St. Edward’s University in Austin.

Personal: Married to Elizabeth for 23 years. They have a daughter, 18, and a son, 14.

Source Article

The post Two Dallas companies join forces to bridge the esports marketing gap appeared first on How To Find The Best Apartments 75052.

Learn More: http://www.northgeorgiasportsman.com/two-dallas-companies-join-forces-to-bridge-the-esports-marketing-gap/

[ianmkeenan]

Monster Cropping Marijuana

How to Monster Crop Marijuana:

How to Monster Crop Marijuana Plants

Monster Cropping Creates Monster Buds

Monster cropping is a powerful method of creating huge buds from flowering cannabis plants. Also known as Flowering Clones, it’s not as popular as other training techniques but it often leads to remarkable harvests.

By taking the budding clones and putting them back to vegetation, we create a bunch of plants with more colas. Thus, its name is an apt description of what to expect when we practice it. In monster cropping, that’s exactly what we’ll get: gigantic plants that produce monster buds.

While it leads to successful results outdoors, monster cropping is even more useful in the grow room. As any indoor cannabis grower knows, it’s tough to maximize every inch of space and light in an indoor setup. Most of the time, the plants don’t get equal amount of light, so some would be flowering while others are still vegetating.

To combat this problem, it makes sense to grow cannabis plants that are already in the same stage of the flowering cycle. As such, instead of just one mother plant hogging the light and air, they will be optimized by several clones.

Additionally, the cloning process boosts their energies to grow long side branches and produce more THC. As a result, we get bushy plants that create huge delicious buds.

To get the best results, the right knowledge is necessary as well as a bit of growing experience. So, in this article, we will discuss everything there is to know about monster cropping. Once we understand the basics, we can apply this method with confidence.

How to Monster Crop Marijuana Plants

It’s not typical to take clones from flowering cannabis and many experts would even say that it’s not a smart move. However, growers who try it enjoy enormous results, and the science behind it checks out.

Before we start taking clones, it’s best to read up on the procedure to avoid mistakes. Basically, the process is the same except that in monster cropping, we take the cuttings while the plant is budding. But first, let’s look at some vital information to help us understand more.

Learn the Basics

Learn the Basics – Image powered by Royalqueenseeds.com

Monster cropping can cause considerable stress to the cannabis plant. Cutting good parts of it to grow the clones places a huge burden on its overall health. If not done right, it could weaken the plant and even cause it to stop growing.

Stress Rejuvenates Cannabis

Interestingly, if done properly, the effects of stress can be beneficial to the plants as it can trigger the development of desired traits. This includes the more vigorous growth of leaves and branches as well as more nodes and bud sites.

Best of all, experts believe that the stress response of cannabis plants is to release high levels of THC. And this is why training techniques often produce high-quality weed.

Monster Cropping is Not for All Strains

Unfortunately, due to the trauma on the plants, monster cropping is suitable only for regular photoperiod strains. Even so, they need enough time to recover from the damage. Luckily, regular strains have long life cycles which help them get more time to heal and finish flowering.

However, auto-flowering varieties require only a few weeks to grow which is not ideal for cutting out clones. Hence, it’s better not to apply high-stress methods like monster cropping on them. On the other hand, they can handle all kinds of low-stress methods like LST, ScrOG, and super cropping.

Gather Materials

Gather Materials – Image powered by Greenrushdaily.com

When doing the procedure, always use clean and sharp scissors to reduce any chances of infection. In fact, some growers go to the extent of sterilizing their cutting tools. This is vital to help the plant heal easily from the damage and the clones to root successfully. Of course, we also need a container with clean water to soak the stem of the clones and make it root.

Start Monster Cropping

Now that we have the essentials, it’s time to learn about the steps. In this section, we will demonstrate how to execute monster cropping correctly.

Step 1: Choose the Clones

Choose the Clones – Image powered by Marijuanaclonesforsale.com

The best time to cut some clones is when the marijuana plant is about 3 weeks into the flowering stage. But it’s also okay to take them later as this won’t affect the outcome.

When choosing which parts to take, go for the lower branches as they tend to root faster than from the ones on the top. And cut diagonally across the stem so there’s more surface for nutrients and water to get in. Additionally, it will provide more surface for the roots to grow.

When planning how many clones to take, keep in mind that not all of them will survive. Due to some unforeseen variables, some clones will just not sprout new leaves. So, it’s wise to keep a balance between how much to take and how much to leave for the donor plant to still produce a decent harvest.

Step 2: Root the Cuttings

Root the Cuttings – Image powered by Nimblemill.com

After taking the clones, place it in a glass of water and let it sit there for some time. This will ensure that no air seeps into its fragile vascular system. Otherwise, the clone will suffer from a fatal condition and all our efforts will go to waste.

Step 3: Revert to Vegetation

Revert to Vegetation – Image powered by Growingmarijuanatips.com

To get the clones back to the vegetative state, simply utilize the light schedule for that stage. Depending on what we prefer, we can choose 18/6, 20/4, or 24/0.

And don’t worry about the light’s intensity since the clones don’t need much to survive. Just be sure not to disturb the buds on the clones or they will stop growing.

Boost with SCROG

Boost with SCROG – Image powered by Icmag.com

To maximize the product of our hard work, we can combine monster cropping with the ScrOG method. To any serious cannabis grower, this makes a lot of sense as ScrOGging is easy to apply and highly effective. For sure, this combo will create heavy branches of monster buds in the shortest time.

Monster Cropping Creates Monster Buds

When it comes to training methods, monster cropping may not be the most popular or common, but it sure offers amazing results. As such, we get several clones that grow great buds at the same time with the donor plant. So, it’s a great way to get an endless supply of superior weed.

To make monster cropping work, it’s important to focus on each step so we can avoid errors. Moreover, this method requires a lot of work, so commitment to the craft is essential. But once we see the stunning results, all the hard work will make all the trouble worth it.

Though experience on cloning is an advantage, newbies can still be successful with a bit of patience and knowledge. So, refer to this article to get guidance on how to go about this method. With enough practice, we will gain the confidence to use it as often as we want to get as many quality buds as possible.

The post Monster Cropping Marijuana appeared first on I Love Growing Marijuana.