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Quest to Build First Industry-Supported Digital Bridge between Web2 and the Web3 Blockchain: Dot Hip Hop, LLC Partners with The Cortex Network

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The Hip Hop community may soon unlock new avenues for ownership, monetization, and control by connecting their .HipHop websites to Blockchain domains.

POMPANO BEACH, Fla., Aug. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Dot Hip Hop, LLC, the domain name registry that operates the Top-Level Domain (“TLD”) extension .HipHop, has partnered with Web3 content network, The Cortex Network (“Cortex”), to develop a watershed integration between traditional Web2 domain names and Web3 blockchain domain names. Once completed and launched, this solution will afford creators, for the first time ever, opportunities for connection with users and additional revenue streams through new kinds of digital objects enabled by a registry.

The Dot Hip Hop/Cortex partnership was first announced on July 19 at a private rooftop party in NYC hosted by Nolcha Shows and attended by top Web3 movers and shakers. The project has since made tremendous strides, kicking off Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary with elements of its planned integration of Web2 with the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) marked completed. Through this partnership, .HipHop domain owners will be able to register a Web3 domain that would ultimately work as a digital wallet address for blockchain transactions, giving .HipHop registrants the ability to seamlessly register a ‘like named’ Web3 domain name that is integrated with the Ethereum Name Service (ENS).

Additionally, through the minting of full non-fungible token (NFT) subdomains, domain owners can create an NFT namespace that will allow them to create new kinds of digital objects like music, concert tickets, merchandise and more. Finally, these integrated domains will enable publishing on the user-controlled Web3 Cortex Network with content hosted on IPFS (InterPlanetary File System), a decentralized peer-to-peer file system for managing data.

On these integrated Web3 blockchain domains, users will be able to publish just about anything they’d typically publish on a traditional Web2 website or social media platform, but within the blockchain framework, granting new opportunities for monetization, ownership, and community-building. By tying physical real-world experiences to digital environments and assets, creatives from all trades can provide unique and engaging experiences for fans.

Let’s say that two iconic artists announce that they’re performing a one-night show. They can sell NFT tickets as subdomains to the concert that unlock exclusive merchandise and other perks just for the superfans in attendance, stirring up unmatched levels of hype. This idea translates to other trades too. For instance, a fashion designer or painter can embed a digital identity into each of their works–kind of like a link that can only be accessed through a QR code on the artwork itself.  Each person who comes in contact with it can add their signature and a note to the link, documenting their part in the piece’s journey. This creates a provable history of the piece that anyone can access, creating buzz and turning the otherwise static work into an interactive experience for fans of the creator and their art.

“We are thrilled to be teaming up with Dot Hip Hop to provide a scalable foundation for user-owned content,” says Leonard Kish, Co-founder of The Cortex Network. “Both of our teams value ownership in the hands of the creator, and we look forward to seeing the collaboration and creativity that the online Hip Hop community unlocks with access to Web3.”

“There is a clear need for a solid community-owned home for Hip Hop culture. As my partner Monte Cahn will often stress, .HipHop Websites, .HipHop email addresses and now other types of .HipHop digital assets in Web3, offer creators more control and full ownership over content, user data, and fan interaction,” explains Ajene Watson, Managing Director of Dot Hip Hop, LLC.  “The .HipHop domain extension is an immediate identifier that a platform and its creator are part of the community and global multinational culture of Hip Hop. The web3 layer would provide users of the .HipHop extension with an additional financial tool to generate, collect and protect the money earned from their talents.  Web3 tools like this further support artist independence while advancing the community’s effort to reclaim Hip Hop as its birthright.”

Cortex estimates the launch of this digital bridge to occur before or during October 2023.

About DotHipHop, LLC
Dot Hip Hop, LLC was founded in 2021 to serve as the exclusive ICANN Accredited domain name registry for the .HipHop top-level domain. Its mission is to give artists, entertainers, musicians, athletes, brands, the culture and community of Hip Hop, the ability to further brand their identity with domain names that fully represent and encapsulate who they are. Hip Hop is, and has always been, more than music. Hip Hop represents an eclectic culture, which has defined several generations around the world for nearly 50 years, and will continue to do so for many years to come.

About Cortex
The Cortex Network, a project of YouBase, Inc., takes on a multifaceted mission, pioneering the way Web3 content is published and distributed. Cortex is focused on addressing privacy concerns, enabling ease of use for Web3 tools, facilitating individuals and businesses in their adoption of Web3 technologies, creating provable history/record for data, and resolving existing architecture challenges in the transition from Web2 to Web3. As a critical feature of a digital identity stack, Cortex proves to be the underlying safety/validation layer to authenticate and identify a living history.

CONTACT: Scott Pruitt, scott@get.hiphop

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SOURCE Dot Hip Hop, LLC

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HKAGE Showcases Gifted Students’ Learning Journeys at InnoCarnival 2026

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Promoting “Technology for Good” Through Innovation and Creativity 

HONG KONG, Oct. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education (HKAGE) has been invited to participate in InnoCarnival 2026, organised by the Innovation and Technology Commission. Under the theme “Technology for Good, Innovation for All”, HKAGE will showcase the learning journeys of gifted students who have completed programmes on AI robotic arms, underwater archaeology, etc., demonstrating how technology can be harnessed to address societal needs.

Having proactively aligned its work with the education development strategies of the Education Bureau (EDB), HKAGE fully supports the EDB’s Blueprint for Digital Education in Primary and Secondary Schools, which seeks to advance the digital transformation of school education in Hong Kong. Building on its Talent Development Model, HKAGE systematically develops programmes, provides diversified learning experiences and engages in cross-sector collaborations to nurture gifted talents equipped with innovative capabilities, technological literacy, and a strong sense of social responsibility. At the exhibition this year, HKAGE will present how students applied knowledge gained through gifted education programmes and learning experiences in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, environmental science, underwater archaeology and sustainable development to design socially conscious solutions. These experiences reflect the students’ ability to serve society with knowledge and respond creatively to diverse challenges.

Among the highlights is the learning journey of students in the “Artificial Intelligence Course: Creative AI Robotic Arm for Inclusion”. After acquiring foundational knowledge in artificial intelligence, robotics and sensor applications, students designed, tested and refined intelligent robotic arm prototypes through real-time data analysis and algorithms. With the aim of improving the quality of life for the elderly and caregivers, students explored various application scenarios for intelligent robotic arms. Another showcase features the “Environmental Science Course: Bat Echoes – Voices of the Night”. Through acoustic monitoring, the exhibition demonstrates how students recorded bat voices and analysed related activity data and characteristics. The programme enabled students to gain a deeper understanding of local biodiversity and explore practical approaches to ecological conservation.

The HKAGE exhibition booth also features an interactive photo-taking device, allowing visitors to take photos with different gifted programme themes and share the joy of learning.

On the first day of the exhibition, a “Build Your Own Glider Parent-Child Workshop” is specially organised by HKAGE for the visitors. Under the guidance of instructors and assisted by HKAGE students, participants will learn the basic principles of aerodynamics, including lift, gravity, thrust and drag. They will also learn to design, assemble and decorate their own gliders by using lightweight and durable materials, experiencing the joy of science and engineering.

Mr WONG Chung Po, Acting Executive Director of HKAGE, said: “The Academy is committed to providing gifted students with diversified learning platforms and encouraging them to transform knowledge into innovative practices that generate positive social impact. Participation in this exhibition not only provides students with a valuable learning experience that helps consolidate the knowledge acquired in gifted programmes, but also enables the public to better understand how gifted education nurtures a new generation of creative and socially responsible talents to jointly advance the philosophy of ‘Technology for Good’.”

InnoCarnival 2026 – The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education

Date:

24 Oct – 1 Nov

Venue:

The Hong Kong Science Park

Booth:

C08-09

Time:

10:00 – 17:00 (Mon to Fri)

10:00 – 18:00 (Sat & Sun)

 

About the HKAGE

Established in 2008 and subvented by the Education Bureau, the HKAGE offers gifted education services actively to local primary and secondary school students to unleash their potential. It also provides gifted education-related information and support for teachers, parents, and other relevant stakeholders.

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SOURCE Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education

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LEAP Group Relaunches HumanView, a Growth Intelligence System Built to Explain Why Customers Behave the Way They Do

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Reimagined from the ground up, HumanView pairs statistical modeling with expert analysts to turn millions of real-world customer signals into business decisions

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LEAP Group today announced the relaunch of HumanView, its growth intelligence service. The new version has been rebuilt from the ground up and now has a dedicated home at leapgroupnetwork.com/humanview.

HumanView analyzes what customers say and do across social platforms, e-commerce sites, review platforms, search behavior and user-generated content, including signals from Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, Meta, Amazon and Walmart+ that general AI tools cannot always access. Because the data reflects unprompted, real-world behavior, it avoids the response bias built into surveys and focus groups.

The service works in three layers. HumanView captures signals at scale, decodes millions of records through validated statistical models such as regression, correlation and clustering, and then relies on experienced analysts to interpret the patterns. Clients receive clear, human-validated insights instead of another dashboard.

“Machines find the patterns. Humans find the point,” said Alan Gilleo, CEO at LEAP Group. “The first version of HumanView showed us how much customers reveal when nobody is asking them questions. This version is built to explain why they act the way they do, and to put those answers in front of everyone making decisions, from product to service to marketing.”

HumanView focuses on three areas:

Growth Intelligence: customer motivations and how people perceive a brand and its competitors

Market and Category Intelligence: product pain points, service friction, unmet needs and competitive gaps

Audience Intelligence: new segments, positioning opportunities and gaps in the market

Every model is designed and validated by data scientists and benchmarked before it informs a recommendation.

To learn more about HumanView, visit leapgroupnetwork.com/humanview.

About LEAP Group
LEAP Group is a boutique marketing agency holding company with offices in Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Chicago. Guided by the belief that brands should “Market Less. Matter More.,” LEAP gives clients access to specialized experts across its entire network. Learn more at leapgroupnetwork.com.

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SOURCE LEAP Group

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STEPHEN A. SMITH ADDRESSES WHITE HOUSE DINNER ATTENDANCE, REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO HBCUs AND PROTECTING CORPORATE INVESTMENT IN BLACK EDUCATION

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NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Stephen A. Smith, media mogul, New York Times bestselling author, and proud 1991 graduate of Winston-Salem State University, is addressing the public discussion surrounding his decision to attend a White House dinner with President Donald Trump, emphasizing his commitment to the long-term financial stability of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

For Smith, the decision was rooted in a commitment to institutions that have educated generations of Black leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, and public servants.

“I will always advocate for HBCUs and the students whose futures depend on them,” Smith said. “My reason for attending the White House dinner was to discuss the challenges these institutions face in securing long-term funding and to make the case that corporate America must continue to invest in them.”

Smith acknowledged federal support through the FUTURE Act while expressing concern that political tensions surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) could discourage private companies from supporting HBCUs. He maintains that these institutions deserve sustained corporate partnerships, philanthropic contributions, and public investment.

“If we truly believe in free-market capitalism, businesses should be able to support educational institutions and charitable causes without fear of criticism or repercussions,” Smith said. “HBCUs have made extraordinary contributions to this country. They deserve sustained public and private investment.”

Ashley Christopher, Esq., Founder and CEO of the HBCU Week Foundation, recognized Smith’s advocacy and decision to engage with the administration.

“Stephen A. Smith has been a powerful advocate for HBCUs, using his platform and influence to shine a national spotlight on our institutions,” expressed Christopher, “His continued support of HBCU Week helps advance our mission of connecting students with life-changing educational opportunities, and we are proud to have him as our ambassador.”

Since Smith became an HBCU Week Ambassador in 2019, the initiative has facilitated more than 15,000 on-the-spot college acceptances and raised and awarded more than $150 million in scholarships, according to the HBCU Week Foundation.

As public discussion continues, Smith is emphasizing the importance of ensuring HBCUs have the resources and partnerships needed to educate future generations and expand opportunities for students.

CLICK HERE to watch Smith’s full response to his White House visit.

MEDIA CONTACT:

media@mrsasinc.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stephen-a-smith-addresses-white-house-dinner-attendance-reaffirms-commitment-to-hbcus-and-protecting-corporate-investment-in-black-education-302918547.html

SOURCE Straight Shooter Media

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