The first round of the 2023 National Football League (NFL) Draft was held on April 27 in Kansas City, Missouri. As expected, the Carolina Panthers selected University of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young as the first overall pick. Two other quarterbacks—C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson—were taken in the first four picks. Alabama linebacker Will Anderson was the third overall pick, drafted by the Houston Texans.  

1. Quarterback Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers) 

The betting favorite to be the first overall pick, Young is primarily a pocket passer but has shown the ability to extend plays on the ground with his mobility. He threw for 32 touchdowns and 3,328 yards with five interceptions in 12 games last season with Alabama. He also had 49 rushing attempts for 185 yards. Young won the Heisman Trophy in 2021, a year in which he set Alabama's single-season records for touchdowns (74) and passing yards (4,872).  

Young is expected to be the Panthers' starting quarterback in Week 1 of the 2023 regular season and is a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. 

2. Quarterback C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans) 

The Texans used the first of their consecutive picks to select Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. A 6-foot-3, 215-pound player known for his intelligence on the field, Stroud finished top four in Heisman Trophy voting in each of the last two seasons. He threw for 41 touchdowns and 3,688 yards with six interceptions in 2022.  

Houston has desperately needed a quarterback since trading Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns. Davis Mills, last year's starter, had the third highest off-target percentage among all quarterbacks. Stroud should be in contention for the Rookie of the Year in 2023. 

3. Outside Linebacker Will Anderson Jr. (Houston Texans) 

The Arizona Cardinals held the third overall pick but traded it, along with pick No. 105, on draft night to the Texans in exchange for picks No. 12 and 33 and a pair of picks in 2024. Houston seized the opportunity to select the most talented defensive player available in Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr.  

Anderson finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2021 after recording 101 tackles and 17.5 sacks. He finished last season with 51 tackles, 10 sacks, and one interception in 13 games. 

4. Quarterback Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts) 

The Indianapolis Colts selected Anthony Richardson, a 6-foot-4, 244-pound quarterback, with the fourth overall pick. While there are concerns about his accuracy and consistency in throwing the ball, he led all college quarterbacks in yards per rush (6.4) last season. Richardson threw for 24 touchdowns and 3,105 yards with 15 interceptions in 22 career games with Florida. 

The 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) offseason featured plenty of player movement, with 22 teams spending more than $100 million in free agency. The New York Yankees signed slugger Aaron Judge to a nine-year, $360 million contract. Eight other players signed contracts worth more than $100 million. 

Teams didn't only utilize free agency to improve their rosters. There have been more than 60 trades since November 6, 2022, and many, including the three here, involved impact players.  

Toronto Acquires Daulton Varsho 

The Toronto Blue Jays added an elite defender as well as some speed and home run power to its lineup by acquiring center fielder Daulton Varsho from the Arizona Diamondbacks on December 23. Toronto sent outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and catching prospect Gabriel Moreno to Arizona in the trade. 

Varsho, who can also play catcher, hit a career-best 27 home runs to go along with 74 RBIs and a .235 batting average in 2022. The former second-round pick also had 16 stolen bases. Varsho's speed also helps him track down fly balls better than any player in baseball. He led all outfielders in outs above average (+13) and runs prevented (+11) in 2022. 

Gurriel Jr. had just five home runs and 52 RBIs in 2022 but is just one year removed from a 21-home-run, 84-RBI campaign. Moreno, meanwhile, had one home run and seven RBIs in 25 games with the Blue Jays last season. He spent most of the year with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. MLB ranked him as the league's seventh-best prospect before the 2022 season. 

Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins 

The Miami Marlins also added an elite defensive player in Luis Arraez. Miami acquired the 25-year-old second baseman from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for starting pitcher Pablo Lopez, shortstop prospect Jose Salas, and outfield prospect Byron Chourio. Arraez, who can also play first and third base, was the American League (AL) batting champion in 2022 and finished the year with a .316 average to go along with eight home runs and 49 RBIs. He's the first reigning batting champion to be traded since Rod Carew in 1978. 

Lopez, the key piece in the trade for the Twins, pitched a career-best 180 innings in 2022 and had a 3.75 earned run average (ERA). Salas, a 19-year-old from Florida, was a top-five prospect for Miami in the MLB Pipeline rankings before the trade. 

Seattle Adds Teoscar Hernandez 

Before acquiring Varsho from the Diamondbacks, the Blue Jays dealt power-hitting outfielder and designated hitter Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners for pitchers Erik Swanson and Adam Macko. Swanson, a 29-year-old relief pitcher, allowed just 39 hits in 53.2 innings pitched in 2022 and finished the year with a career-best 1.68 ERA. 

Hernandez should be a good addition to the Mariners lineup. The 30-year-old Dominican outfielder won a Silver Slugger award for the second consecutive season in 2022 after finishing the year with 25 home runs and 77 RBI. He has at least 20 home runs in four of the last five seasons. 

According to the American Pet Products Association, roughly 44 percent of all households in the United States had a dog between 2015-16, while about 35 percent of households had a cat. These pets and other domesticated animals provide comfort and companionship. Thus, it's not surprising that pet ownership increased dramatically during the onset of the pandemic, when most businesses shut down and people became more isolated from each other.  

1 in 5 Households Adopted a Pet 

In May 2021, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) reported that around 23 million American households adopted a dog or cat since the beginning of the pandemic. This equates to about 1 in 5 households. It arrived at this figure after conducting a national poll involving more than 5,000 respondents. 

Although there were many stories about people returning to normalcy and having to give up their new pets for adoption, the ASPCA also found that this wasn't as concerning a trend as it was made out to be. One year removed from the start of the pandemic, its poll found that 90 percent of households still had their adopted dogs.  

"This incredibly stressful period motivated many people to foster and adopt animals, as well as further cherish the pets already in their lives, and our recent research shows no significant risk of animals being rehomed by their owners now or in the near future as a result of the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions," explained ASPCA president and CEO Matt Bershadker. 

Increases in Vet Care and Other Services 

The pet industry as a whole benefited from the increase in dog and cat adoption. Americans spent nearly $50 billion on dog food and non-medical pet products through the first 11 months of 2021, according to Euromonitor International. Many boarding centers and doggy day cares were also reporting months-long waiting lists as of December 2021.  

Barkbox, which sends monthly dog treat boxes to subscribers, experienced a 39 percent year-over-year membership increase in 2021. Moreover, its revenue rose 130 percent between April and September 2021 compared to the same six-month stretch in 2020. 

Dog Walking Becoming More Popular 

Dog walking has become a much more popular form of gig work since the pandemic. While opportunities for work declined for many dog walkers in the early stages of the pandemic, business picked up as society began reopening and people started taking vacations. Wag!, a platform through which dog owners can find qualified dog walkers and sitters, projected revenue of $42 million in 2022, up 120 percent from the year prior. The company was valued at $44 billion in 2020. 

While it is largely associated with cryptocurrency, blockchain is a powerful technology that can increase security, as well as trust and transparency in business and government. Based on principles of decentralization and cryptography, blockchain is an inherently secure technology that creates records that are unable to be altered, thus preventing fraud and other unauthorized activity.  

Once a fringe technology, blockchain is now used by four-fifths of the world's top companies, according to Blockdata research. There are also several conferences and seminars focusing on the technology, including the DC Blockchain Summit, which was attended by more than 800 people at Capital Turnaround in May 2022.  

Hosted by the Chamber of Digital Commerce 

The 2022 DC Blockchain Summit was the first edition of the annual event since 2019 and the largest since its inception. Whereas past events were co-sponsored by Georgetown University, the one-day conference in 2022 was hosted by the Chamber of Digital Commerce, which represents blockchain companies. It was the largest event the trade association ever hosted and had a much different feel than in year's past. 

"We've gone from 'Is this magical Internet money for real?' to 'No question, this is definitely a thing,' " noted Perianne Boring, the Digital Chamber's founder and president, during the opening address.  

Speakers and Agenda 

The speakers list for the 2022 DC Blockchain Summit highlights the shift in perception, especially in Washington, of crypto and blockchain. This year's event featured 18 speakers in government, including senators Cory Booker (NJ), Steve Daines (MT), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), and Cynthia Lummis (WY). Notable industry speakers included Roger Brown (Chainalysis) and Brian Dixon (Off the Chain Capital). 

Following the opening address, U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, co-chair of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, led a session titled, "Congress Can't Ignore Crypto." Other sessions included, "Can Regulation and Innovation Coexist?" and "Crypto Consensus: Bringing Bipartisanship to Blockchain." 

Supportive Senators 

There's already at least some sense of bipartisanship in blockchain. At the 2022 summit, Lummis, a conservative, and Gillibrand, a progressive Democrat, spoke about the crypto bill they're leading: the Responsible Financial Innovation Act.  

The bill, introduced in the Senate in June, intends to grant the Commodity and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) crypto jurisdiction. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is hoping to handle crypto regulation, but hasn't been as favorable toward the decentralized currency as the CFTC. Speaking to the crowd at the summit in May, Lummis noted she doesn't want to "over-regulate" crypto as it may hinder further innovation. 

The Responsible Financial Innovation Act has to go through oversight hearings with four committees before it can pass the Senate and move on to the House. The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs held hearings in July and September. 

While cryptocurrency has the potential to transform society, it has been the subject of criticism due to its dramatic energy requirements. Bitcoin, the most well-known of more than 19,000 cryptocurrencies, consumes approximately 150 terawatt-hours of electricity per year—more than many countries.  

Crypto miners, which use a computing system known as proof-of-work to essentially "mint" new coins, could increase energy demand by as much as 6 gigawatts by mid-2023. This would be like adding another Houston, a city of 2.3 million people, to the grid. 

Fortunately, some crypto and blockchain companies are working to find alternative ways to mine coins that will promote a sustainable future for the relatively new monetary system—and the planet. HIVE Blockchain, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is a Bitcoin and Ethereum crypto mining company which has had a committed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy since its inception. Moreover, all of its mining activities are powered by clean energy. 

Here are three things you need to know about HIVE Blockchain: 

1. It Has Operations in Sweden, Canada, and Iceland 

HIVE operates crypto mining facilities in Canada, Iceland, and Sweden. One of its flagship facilities in Sweden is an 86,000-square-foot warehouse in the military town of Boden. All of its 15,000 crypto mining computers are powered by a nearby hydropower plant. The HIVE facility utilizes excess clean energy that otherwise would have been wasted. 

In 2021, HIVE announced it had purchased a 4.6-megawatt facility in the Swedish town of Robertsfors. The company, which began operations in Sweden in 2018, has more than 33 MW of capacity in the European country, and more than 130 MW of clean energy capacity worldwide. 

2. It Is the First Publicly Traded Crypto Miner 

HIVE became the first publicly traded crypto mining company when it was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) in 2017. The company was listed on the Nasdaq's Capital Markets Exchange (Nasdaq) in 2021. As of August 15, 2021, it was trading at $9.15 and $7.18 on the TSX and Nasdaq, respectively. 

3. It Had Record Annual Revenue in the Most Recent Fiscal Year 

HIVE has proven that a clean energy crypto mining company with a committed ESG policy can thrive financially. The company recently announced it achieved a record annual revenue of $211.2 million for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. This was up 212 percent from the year prior. It also reported a record net income of $79.6 million, up from $24.1 million at the end of previous fiscal year. Basic income per share and gross mining margin also grew considerably. 

"Despite the effects of COVID-19, such as global logistics and inflation, we have achieved record results on a per share basis and continued to increase our Ethereum and Bitcoin mining capacity, without taking risks to stake our BTC or ETH to earn a yield on our assets," commented HIVE executive chairman Frank Holmes. "We are also proud that during the year we were able to pay down our debt by over $5.5 million." 

The non-fungible tokens (NFTs) market exploded in 2021 as art enthusiasts and crypto investors alike rushed to acquire the intellectual property (IP) rights for unique digital collectibles. Functioning in a similar way to car titles and house deeds, an NFT represents ownership of a digital asset (i.e., a music clip, GIF image, NBA highlight reel, or a randomly generated avatar). 

While it wasn't the first avatar-focused NFT initiative, the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) is one of the most popular and pricey NFT series. Justin Bieber famously spent $1.3 million on a pair of BAYC NFTs, while other celebrity owners include Shaquille O'Neal, Mark Cuban, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Yuga Labs, the BAYC parent company, cemented its status as a leader in the NFT market in March 2022 by acquiring the IP of Larva Labs' CryptoPunks and Meebits collections. 

Financial Figures 

While the exact terms of the deal weren't disclosed, Yuga Labs controlled roughly $5 billion in digital art market capitalization following the merger. Specifically, it acquired 1,711 Meebits and 423 CryptoPunks. Both are unique computer-generated avatars stored on the Ethereum blockchain. Around the time of the deal, Meebits and CryptoPunks were selling for an average of $16,100 and $177,420, respectively. The entire Meebits collection has facilitated $7.54 billion in sales since its inception, while CryptoPunks has $4.2 billion in lifetime sales. 

Transferring IP Rights to Buyers 

Despite CryptoPunks' waning popularity in recent months, one sold for almost $24 million in February 2022, and Visa purchased one in August 2021, signaling somewhat of an embrace of the decentralized finance space by traditional financial service companies.  

Yet, Larva Labs has been hands-off in its management approach to CryptoPunks, and avatar holders have been increasingly critical of the management team. Conversely, Yuga has found ways to keep buyers engaged with rewards such as access to exclusive real-life events. 

Larva Labs was also reluctant to grant buyers the IP rights to individual NFTs, but Yuga Labs announced that it will do this following the merger. 

What is the Bored Ape Yacht Club? 

The BAYC is composed of 10,000 unique digital collectibles with ownership signified by NFTs. The computer-generated apes were sold for an original price of 0.08 ETH, or the equivalent of about $244 as of April 11, 2022. Today, avatars can be sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars on OpenSea. 

In addition to being the sole owner of the unique digital asset, buyers receive access to a collaborative graffiti board known as THE BATHROOM as well as other members-only perks. 

The rise of cryptocurrency has been well-documented. The digital currency became part of the cultural zeitgeist with the introduction of Bitcoin in 2009 and—combined with blockchain technology—has transformed into a multi-purpose currency with the potential to transform the economy and society as a whole. 

Despite its benefits, critics of cryptocurrency are concerned with the amount of energy required to mine coins, or digital tokens. More than 2,264 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity (enough to boil 1,500 kettles) is required to power one Bitcoin transaction. Moreover, Bitcoin production alone generates roughly 22 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. 

The crypto industry will need to enact widespread changes to the way in which it mines coins and processes transactions to alleviate these environmental concerns. Some developers are already making strides in that regard. 

Chia 

Cryptocurrencies that require substantial energy input for mining coins typically employ a proof-of-work approach that relies on computer processors. Chia, however, utilizes a proof-of-space approach that depends on hard drives to "farm" its digital tokens. Each transaction on the Chia blockchain consumes only 0.023 kWh and the crypto itself consumes 0.16 percent of the yearly energy consumption of Bitcoin. 

Beyond being more Eco-friendly in its operational processes than traditional cryptocurrencies, Chia supports the Circular Drive Initiative, which strives to lower e-waste by promoting the reuse of storage hardware. 

Cardano 

Created by Charles Hoskinson in 2017, Cardano is among the most popular eco-friendly cryptocurrencies. It is approximately 1,290 times more energy efficient than Bitcoin and, like Chia, employs a PoS-powered blockchain. It is also associated with additional efforts to improve the environment. 

The Cardano Foundation, which functions as custodian of the blockchain, formed a partnership with Veritree in 2021. As part of the agreement, the worldwide tree planting verification and land restoration company agreed to plant one tree for every Cardano token (ADA) it received from donors. It had already planted more than 165,000 trees as of September 2021. 

Cardano Foundation CEO Frederik Gregaard believes blockchain, if utilized correctly, could actually promote environmental stewardship and drive efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions worldwide.  

"Blockchain can enable carbon accounting and other sustainability programmes by allowing companies to collect and track reliable data," he told Capital.com. 

BitGreen 

 A purpose-built blockchain built on top of the Polkadot Network, BitGreen was created to serve as an eco-friendly alternative to Bitcoin and is used to encourage individuals to exhibit positive environmental behavior. For instance, users can receive tokens for carpooling or drinking sustainable coffee. These tokens can then be used to purchase products from BitGreen's partners or traded on exchanges. 

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital assets stored on the blockchain to signify ownership of a specific asset, e.g., a piece of art or music album. Buyers purchase a token that gives them ownership of the asset, although the original artist or creator maintains its copyright. Although NFTs have been around for less than a decade, the market reached a valuation of $250 million in 2020 and has continued to grow with the involvement of corporations and sports leagues. For instance, Burger King launched an NFT campaign in September 2021, while the NBA is selling highlight clips as NFTs. 

Similar to the cryptocurrency space, there are several slang terms and definitions commonly used in the NFT ecosystem. The following is a look at four key terms. 

1. 10k Project 

The CryptoPunks collection, released in 2017, popularized a specific type of NFT focused on unique art and avatar character renderings. CryptoPunks involve 10,000 uniquely generated characters, each of which are stored on the Ethereum blockchain and owned by a single individual. Each character can be purchased on Ethereum's embedded marketplace for a specific price as listed by the owner. As of February 2, 2022, the lowest price for a CryptoPunk was 78.95 ETH, which, at the time, was equal to around $211,000. 

The success of CryptoPunks led to several other art projects involving 10,000 unique avatars, now known as 10k projects. The Bored Ape Yacht Club is one of many popular ape-themed 10k projects. Others include Cool Cats, CrypToadz, and CyberKongz. Not all of these have 10,000 generative NFTs, however. 

2. Burn 

The aforementioned 10k projects are among the most popular of the NFT subset and have sold tokens/avatars for thousands of dollars. Others, however, may have fallen short in selling their desired amount of NFTs in a specific collection and essentially choose to destroy those NFTs. This is known as burning. Alternatively, some projects allow owners to "burn" a pair of NFTs to earn a single, rarer NFT.  

3. Gas 

Gas, essentially, is a tax placed on all transactions across the blockchain network. Fees vary based on supply and demand. Ethereum, which is easily the most popular NFT blockchain, usually has gas fees exceeding $50 for each transaction. Consumers can find cheaper alternatives on less congested networks like Tezos and Solana. 

4. Mint 

Mint is used to describe the creation and circulation of assets on a blockchain. On Ethereum, digital assets are minted and traded as ERC720 Tokens. While the process can be confusing for those unfamiliar with the NFT ecosystem, platforms like Rarible and OpenSea make it relatively easy. Creators need to pay a gas fee to mint their NFTs.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have exploded in popularity. The market for ownership of the unique digital items reached $22 billion in 2021, up from just $100 million in 2020. The NFT Everydays: The First 5000 Days, a digital collage created by artist Mike Winkelmann under the pseudonym Beeple, sold for $69.3 million in March 2021. 

Despite the boom in interest in 2021, the concept of NFTs actually dates back to 2012. The following is a look at four key points in the history of digital assets. 

Origins on the Bitcoin Blockchain 

Meni Rosenfeld is credited with laying the groundwork for NFTs with his concept of Colored Coins. The mathematician introduced the idea in a December 2012 paper as a means of authenticating ownership of real-world assets such as cars and real estate through the Bitcoin blockchain. Rosenfeld, along with authors Yoni Assia, Vitalik Buterin, and Lior Hakim, further explored this idea the following year in the paper "Colored Coins - BitcoinX." While the Colored Coins concept never came to fruition, it prompted others to experiment with the idea of NFTs. 

Quantum: The First Known NFT 

Digital artist Kevin McCoy minted the first-ever NFT on May 3, 2014. The one-of-a-kind artwork, known as Quantum, is an entrancing pixelated octagon filled with a variety of shapes. It sold for more than $1.4 million in a November 2021 Sotheby’s auction. 

Growth on Ethereum 

Bitcoin 2.0, also known as the Counterparty platform, provided a market for NFTs as it allowed users to create unique digital assets. Spells of Genesis later pioneered the use of video game assets as NFTs. However, the Ethereum blockchain, which went live in July 2015, pioneered additional opportunities for creators and was home to early success projects like CryptoPunks and CryptoKitties. Activity for the latter, a virtual game in which players can breed and trade virtual cats, facilitated a sixfold increase in pending transactions and clogged the Ethereum blockchain upon its release in December 2017. 

Going Mainstream in 2021 

In 2021 there was a massive shift in the NFT industry as athletes, celebrities, and major brands including Nike and Adidas began issuing their own NFTs. Coca-Cola, meanwhile, generated more than $575,000 through the sale of NFTs such as a custom jacket for use in the metaverse world of Decentraland. 

George Monaghan, a data analyst at the research firm GlobalData, is one of many experts who believe these unregulated and expensive NFTs are risky assets. He expects the NFT market to eventually become more stable and risk averse, but not in the immediate future. 

Cryptocurrency is still in its infancy (Bitcoin, the first-ever crypto was launched in 2008), but it has already become a useful resource with real-world applications. Many businesses accept Bitcoin and other digital currencies as payment for products and services. As of November 2021, Bitcoin had a market cap exceeding $57 billion. Several other cryptos, including Ethereum, Maker, and Kusama, were worth more than $300 million.  

The following are three reasons why proponents of crypto are excited about its potential to not only improve economic conditions but society as a whole. 

Reduce Fraud and Corruption 

In 2020 American consumers reported to the Federal Trade Commission more than 2.1 million instances of fraud totaling losses of more than $3.3 billion. Imposter scams and online shopping were the two most common sources of fraud. Scammers can set up unsecured sites through which they can steal an individual's credit card number and other personal information. 

Crypto, however, has the potential to reduce fraud, as it is a decentralized form of payment that isn't associated with a banking account. Instead, transactions are facilitated electronically and securely via blockchain technology. Moreover, transactions are permanently stored and cannot be altered in the ledger. This visibility makes it easier to detect fraud if it does occur. 

Encourage Scientific Advancements 

Governments and corporations don't always share important data and information, and, as such, can impede potential scientific advancements. Crypto and blockchain technology will allow for more transparency and real-time data sharing that could be useful for innovation in all aspects of society. 

NanoVision is one company that is working to deliver on this promise through its Cure Platform. The platform incentivizes the collection and sharing of real-time biological data and empowers science enthusiasts, or "global citizen scientists," to be involved in research and conduct their own trials. 

Empower People in Poorly Banked Countries 

According to the World Bank, more than 1.6 billion adults worldwide are considered unbanked, meaning they have no access to checking or savings accounts as well as financial products such as insurance and loans. Morocco, Egypt, Mexico, and Peru are among the 10 countries in which more than 50 percent of adults are unbanked. Crypto and blockchain technology allow individuals in these countries to transfer and receive money without relatively high banking fees via mobile applications. 

While two-thirds of those who are unbanked have smartphones, there are other options for those who don't. Bitcoin ATMs, of which there are thousands worldwide, allow individuals to exchange cash for crypto. The majority are in the US, but countries like Nigeria, Dominican Republic, Lebanon, and Argentina have multiple Bitcoin ATMs.