A block party aiming for a combined total hashrate of 7EH on solo.ckpool.org is planned for this Saturday the 5th. It's being coordinated here
Bitcoin mining difficulty had its biggest drop in a very long time of 7.5% to ~117T. Still insanely high but won't last and will no doubt return to the same level as previously once the weather in Texas becomes inclement. It will also take less time to return to its former self.