The collection of 3,333 images will change over time thanks to a technique called Evolving Inscriptions.
Taproot Wizards have waved their wands once again, creating an evolving Ordinal Inscription collection that pays tribute to the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto.
The Quantum Cats collection comprises 3,333 images of cats minted using the Bitcoin Ordinal standard. The artwork is meant to evolve over time in a deterministic manner, thanks to a technique dubbed Evolving Inscriptions.
Thanks to the technique, the total cost of inscribing the collection on the Bitcoin blockchain reached a whopping $66,000. The cost was high because of all the data that was initially inscribed – the collection uses 10 MB of data. Different versions of Quantum Cats are inscribed ahead of time, evolving as per the Op_Cat proposal process.
Connection to Satoshi
According to Udi Wertheimer, co-founder of the Taproot Wizards, “Op_Cat” is an old line of code used in Bitcoin during the days of Satoshi. It is an abbreviation for concatenate “in nerd speak,” said Udi in an interview.
Op_Cat was a scripting function that was disabled in 2010. It has now resurfaced as discussions over Covenants – a proposal that could enable Layer-2s, smart contracts and bridges to be built on Bitcoin – have emerged within the ecosystem
Wertheimer added that the images are encrypted so no one can see what future evolutions look like until they’re revealed.
Created by digital artist FAR, the 1/1 “Genesis Cat” has been chosen to be featured in a Sotheby’s auction. The auction kicked off today and will close on Jan. 22. As of writing, the winning bid sits at $26,000.
Ongoing Controversy
Launched a year ago, Bitcoin Ordinals are at the center of an ongoing controversy within the ecosystem. Maximalists staunchly critique them for allegedly spamming the blockchain, whereas Inscriptions sparked a flurry of activity across the network.
In late November, Taproot Wizards announced a $7.5M funding round led by Standard Capital and supported by UTXO Management and the Bitcoin Frontier Fund, among others.
Udi’s co-founder at Taproot Wizards, Eric Wall, said that Op_Cat and the Quantum Cats collection live at the center of the ambition to bring a non-custodial, scalable future “that Bitcoin deserves.”
The collection goes live on Jan. 24.
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