BRC20 Innovation — Cursed Inscriptions and Recursive Inscriptions

The Bitcoin ecosystem has undergone a surge in the first half of this year, with concepts like Ordinals, Inscription, and BRC20 attracting mainstream attention. Following the deployment of Cursed Inscriptions by the Bitcoin Ordinals protocols in early June, a new innovation called Recursive Inscriptions has recently been introduced. These innovations have greatly impressed the entire crypto community, as they are changing the future of the Bitcoin ecosystem and Bitcoin-based NFTs.

So, what are Cursed Inscriptions and Recursive Inscriptions? And how do they impact the development of the Bitcoin ecosystem?

What are “Inscriptions”?

Before delving into these innovative concepts, it’s important to understand what “inscriptions” is.

Bitcoin is a homogeneous token, and its smallest unit is a satoshi (sat), where 1 bitcoin can be divided into 100 million satoshis. Each satoshi has a corresponding ordinal value, enabling unique identification and numbering. Inscription is a process of inscribing data onto a particular satoshi. By inscribing data onto individual satoshis via Ordinals, we can deploy, mint, and transfer fungible tokens.

What are Cursed Inscriptions?

“Cursed Inscriptions” are inscriptions that become invalid and unrecognizable due to the misuse or deliberate abuse of opcodes to create Inscriptions. In order to address this issue, Casey, the founder of Ordinals, announced an upgrade in April that aimed to cure over 71,000 invalid or “cursed” inscriptions, allowing them to be traded.

In simple terms, Cursed Inscriptions are similar to misprinted banknotes that circulate in the world. Due to their rarity, they often get speculated and traded at prices far exceeding their actual value. People are always fascinated by rare items, and Cursed Inscriptions are no exception.

What are Recursive Inscriptions?

Recursive Inscriptions are a way of engraving data on the blockchain that possesses self-referential characteristics. In previous inscription methods, each inscription existed independently without any connection to one another. Recursive Inscriptions enable developers to employ an intricate web of interconnected data sources to request the data of other inscriptions, introducing limitless possibilities.

In essence, Recursive Inscriptions offer developers a more flexible and cost-effective way to create complex NFT collections on the blockchain. Instead of individually engraving a large number of images, users can upload a few components and combine them using the data source of Recursive Inscriptions. This overcomes the limitations of inscription capacity.

In the future, we can expect more innovations and improvements, not only in the field of Recursive Inscriptions but also in the entire blockchain and NFT ecosystem. Recursive Inscriptions are just a step into this world of infinite possibilities, showcasing the marvelous combination of creativity and technology and how we are exploring and defining value in the digital age.