@ 00e5a4ac:5cf950dd

My everyday activity

This template is just for demo needs.

petrinet ;startDay () -> working ;stopDay working -> () ;startPause working -> paused ;endPause paused -> working ;goSmoke working -> smoking ;endSmoke smoking -> working ;startEating working -> eating ;stopEating eating -> working ;startCall working -> onCall ;endCall onCall -> working ;startMeeting working -> inMeetinga ;endMeeting inMeeting -> working ;logTask working -> working

@ 6e64b83c:94102ee8

How to Import and Export Your Nostr Notes

This guide will help you import your notes from various Nostr relays and export them into your own relay. This is particularly useful when you want to ensure your content is backed up or when you're setting up your own relay.

Prerequisite

Your own Nostr relay (if you don't have one, check out Part 1: How to Run Your Own Nostr Relay)

Installing nak

nak is a command-line tool that helps you interact with Nostr relays. Here's how to install it:

For Windows Users

1. Visit the nak releases page
2. Download the latest nak-windows-amd64.exe
3. Rename it to nak.exe
4. Move it to a directory in your PATH or use it from its current location

For macOS Users

1. Visit the nak releases page
2. Download the latest nak-darwin-amd64
3. Open Terminal and run: bash chmod +x nak-darwin-amd64 sudo mv nak-darwin-amd64 /usr/local/bin/nak

For Linux Users

1. Visit the nak releases page
2. Download the latest nak-linux-amd64
3. Open Terminal and run: bash chmod +x nak-linux-amd64 sudo mv nak-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/nak

Getting Your Public Key in Hex Format

Before downloading your notes, you need to convert your npub (public key) to its hex format. If you have your npub, run:

bash nak decode npub1YOUR_NPUB_HERE

This will output your public key in hex format, which you'll need for the next steps.

Downloading Your Notes

To download your notes, you'll need your public key in hex format and a list of reliable relays. Here are some popular relays you can use:

• wss://eden.nostr.land/
• wss://nos.lol/
• wss://nostr.bitcoiner.social/
• wss://nostr.mom/
• wss://relay.primal.net/
• wss://relay.damus.io/
• wss://relay.nostr.band/
• wss://relay.snort.social/

Note: You should check your Nostr client's settings to find additional relays where your notes are published. Add these to the list above.

Important Event Kinds

Here are some important event kinds you might want to filter for:

• 0: User Metadata (profile information)
• 1: Short Text Notes
• 3: Follow List
• 4: Encrypted Direct Messages

Get the full list from: https://nips.nostr.com/#event-kinds

Downloading with Event Kind Filters

To download your notes with specific event kinds, use the -k flag followed by the kind number, use multiple if you need to. For example, to download your profile, short notes, follow list, and direct messages:

bash nak req -a YOUR_HEX_PUBKEY -k 0 -k 1 -k 3 -k 4 wss://eden.nostr.land/ wss://nos.lol/ wss://nostr.bitcoiner.social/ wss://nostr.mom/ wss://relay.primal.net/ wss://relay.damus.io/ wss://relay.nostr.band/ wss://relay.snort.social/ > events_filtered.json

Or to download all your content, just don't provide any k flag:

bash nak req -a YOUR_HEX_PUBKEY wss://eden.nostr.land/ wss://nos.lol/ wss://nostr.bitcoiner.social/ wss://nostr.mom/ wss://relay.primal.net/ wss://relay.damus.io/ wss://relay.nostr.band/ wss://relay.snort.social/ > events.json

This will create a file containing all your notes in JSON Lines format.

Uploading Your Notes to Your Relay

Once you have your events.json or events_filtered.json file, you can upload it to your own relay. Replace YOUR_RELAY with your relay's WebSocket URL (e.g., wss://my-relay.nostrize.me).

bash nak event YOUR_RELAY < events.json

Important Notes: 1. Make sure your relay is running and accessible 2. The upload process might take some time depending on how many notes you have 3. You can verify the upload by querying your relay for your notes

Verifying the Upload

To verify that your notes were successfully uploaded to your relay, run:

bash nak req -a YOUR_HEX_PUBKEY YOUR_RELAY

This should return the same notes that were in your events.json file.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues:

1. Make sure your relay is running and accessible
2. Check that you're using the correct public key
3. Verify that the relays in your download list are working
4. Ensure you have proper permissions to write to your relay

Next Steps

• Remember to regularly backup your notes to ensure you don't lose any content.
• If you want to keep your friends' notes as well, add npubs that you want to import into your relay's settings (for Citrine it is "Accept events signed by" list), and run the commands for their pubkeys.

@ a296b972:e5a7a2e8

Aus der Ferne sieht man nur ein Gefängnis aus Beton. Doch wenn man näher herankommt, sieht man, dass die Mauern schon sehr brüchig sind und das Regenwasser mit jedem Schauer tiefer in das Gemäuer eindringt. Da bleibt es. Bis die Temperaturen unter Null gehen und das Wasser gefriert. Jetzt entfaltet das Eis seine physikalische Kraft, es rückt dem Beton zu leibe, es dehnt sich aus und sprengt ihn.

Das geht nun schon fünf Jahre so. Fünf Jahre immer wieder Regen, abwechselnd mit Frost und Eis. Die Risse werden größer, der Beton immer morscher. So lange, bis die Mauern ihre Tragfähigkeit verlieren und einstürzen.

Was soll das? Fängt da einer an zu spinnen? Wozu diese Metapher?

Hätte man zu Anfang gleich geschrieben: Wir, die kritischen Menschen, die sich der Wahrheit verpflichtet haben, sitzen in unserer Blase wie in einem Gefängnis und erreichen die da draußen nicht. Da hätten sicher viele gesagt: Oh, da will aber jemand die Opferrolle in vollen Zügen auskosten. Nee, nee, wir sind keine Opfer, wir sind Täter. Wir sammeln und bewahren die ständig neu dazukommenden Erkenntnisse der Wissenschaft und politischen Lügereien. Wir lernen Bücher auswendig, bevor die Feuerwehr kommt und sie verbrennt.

„Fahrenheit 451“

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3Kx-uiP0bY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsNMxUSCKWo

„Das Haus ist für unbewohnbar erklärt worden und muss verbrannt werden.“

So primitiv geht man heute nicht mehr vor. Heute stehen die Feuerwehrmänner und ihre Erfüllungsgehilfen um 6 Uhr morgens im Türrahmen, nehmen Mobiltelefon und Laptop mit, betreiben De-Banking und vernichten die wirtschaftliche Existenz.

Und ja, es gibt Tage, da fühlt man sich trotzdem wie im Informationsgefängnis. Das hängt von der Tageskondition ab. Der öffentlich-rechtliche Rundfunk ist die Gefängnisküche. Zubereitet werden fade Speisen mit sich ständig wiederholenden Zutaten. Heraus kommt ein Gericht, eine Pampe, wie die tagesschau. LAAAANGWEILIG!

Man glaubt, Informationen und kritische Äußerungen gegenüber dem Mainstream-Einheitsbrei bleiben in den Gefängnismauern, der Blase, schaffen es nicht über die Mauer nach draußen, in die vermeintliche Freiheit. Neue Erkenntnisse werden nur innerhalb der Mauern weitergegeben. Ein neuer Kanal, steigende Abonnenten. Doch wer sind die? Welche von da draußen, in der sogenannten Freiheit, oder doch wieder immer dieselben üblichen Verdächtigen? Die da draußen haben uns doch schon längst geblockt oder gleich gelöscht. Mit Gedankenverbrechern will man nichts zu tun haben.

Hallo, ihr da draußen: Wir sind unschuldig. Unser einziges Verbrechen ist, dass wir Informationen verbreiten, die euch da draußen nicht gefallen, weil sie euch nicht in den Kram passen. Für euch sind wir eine Bedrohung, weil diese Informationen auf euch weltbilderschütternd wirken. Wir sprechen das aus, was viele sich nicht einmal trauen zu denken. Ihr habt Angst vor der Freiheit. Nicht wir sitzen ein, sondern ihr. In einem Freiluft-Gefängnis. Wir decken die Lügen auf, die da draußen, außerhalb der Mauern verbreitet werden. Wir sind nicht die Erfinder der Lügen, sondern nur die Überbringer der schlechten Botschaften.

Es ist leichter Menschen zu lieben, von denen man belogen wird, als Menschen zu lieben, die einem sagen, dass man belogen wird.

Mit aller Kraft wird versucht, die Menschen in Einzelhaft zu setzen. In der Summe ist das die gesellschaftliche Spaltung. Gleichzeitig wird an den Zusammenhalt appelliert, obwohl man genau das Gegenteil davon vorantreibt.

Es geht auch nicht um Mitleid. Es geht um das Verdeutlichen der vorhandenen medialen Axt, mit der ganze Nationen in zwei Teile zerhackt werden. Auf politischer Ebene wird viel dafür getan, dass sich das auch ja nicht ändert. Ein Volk in Angst ist gut zu regieren. Teile und herrsche. Die Sprüche können wir alle schon rückwärts auf der Blockflöte pfeifen.

An den vier Ecken des Informations-Gefängnisses stehen Wachtürme, mit Wärtern, ausgebildet vom DSA, vom Digital Services Act, finanziert vom Wahrheitsministerium, dass ständig aktualisierend darüber befindet, was heute gerade aktuell als „Hass und Hetze“ en vogue ist. Es kommt eben immer darauf an, wer diese Begriffe aus der bisher dunkelsten Zeit in der deutschen Geschichte benutzt. Das hatten wir alles schon einmal. Das brauchen wir nicht mehr!

Schon in der Bibel steht das Gebot: Du sollst nicht lügen. Da steht nicht: Lügen verboten! Das Titelbild gehört leider auch zur deutschen Vergangenheit. Ist es jetzt schon verboten, darauf hinzuweisen, dass sich so etwas nicht wiederholen darf? Und in einer Demokratie, die eine sein will, schon gar nicht. Eine Demokratie, die keine ist, wenn die Meinungsfreiheit beschnitten wird und selbsternannte Experten meinen darüber entscheiden zu müssen, was als wahr und was als Lüge einzustufen ist. Die Vorgabe von Meinungs-Korridoren delegitimieren das Recht, seine Meinung frei äußern zu dürfen. In einer funktionierenden Demokratie dürfte sogar gelogen werden. Jedem, der noch zwei gesunde Gehirnzellen im Kopf hat, sollte doch klar sein, dass all das erbärmliche Versuche sind, sich mit allen Mitteln an der Macht festzuklammern.

Noch einmal zurück zur anfänglichen Metapher. So lange wir leben, befinden wir uns in einem fließenden Prozess. Nichts ist in Stein gemeißelt, nichts hält für immer. Betrachtet man die jüngste Vergangenheit als einen lebendigen Prozess, der noch nicht abgeschlossen ist, der sich ständig weiterentwickelt, dann ist all dieser Wahnsinn der Regen, der bei Frost zu Eis wird und die Mauer immer maroder macht. Die Temperaturen gehen wieder über Null, das Eis taut auf, das Wasser versickert, der nächste Regen, der nächste Frost. Alles neigt dazu kaputt zu gehen.

Wir brauchen eigentlich nur zu warten, während wir fleißig weiter Erkenntnisse sammeln und dabei zusehen, wie ein Frost nach dem anderen, in Form von immer neuen und weiteren Informationen, die all die Lügen zu Corona und den aktuellen Kriegen in der Welt, die Gefängnismauer früher oder später zum Einsturz bringen wird. Und das ist wirklich so sicher, wie das Amen in der Kirche. Die Wahrheit hat immer gesiegt!

Und wenn der Damm erst einmal gebrochen ist, das Wasser schwappt bereits über die Staumauer, dann wird sich die Wahrheit wie ein Sturzbach über die Menschen ergießen. Manche wird sie mitreißen, Schicksal, wir haben genug Rettungsboote ausgesetzt in den letzten Jahren.

Spricht so ein pessimistischer Optimist mit realistischen Tendenzen?

Ihr da draußen, macht nur so weiter. Immer mehr von demselben, und fleißig weiter wundern, dass nichts anderes dabei herauskommt. Überall ist bereits euer eigenes Sägen zu hören, an dem Ast, auf dem ihr selber sitzt. Mit verschränkten Armen, leichtgeneigtem Kopf und einem Schmunzeln auf den Lippen schauen wir dabei zu und fragen uns, wie lange der Ast wohl noch halten wird und wann es kracht. Wir können warten!

Dieser Artikel wurde mit dem Pareto-Client geschrieben

* *

(Bild von pixabay)

@ df478568:2a951e67

If you've made one single-sig bitcoin wallet, you've made then all. The idea is, write down 12 or 24 magic words. Make your wallet disappear by dropping your phone in the toilet. Repeat the 12 magic words and do some hocus-pocus. Your sats re-appear from realms unknown. Or...Each word represents a 4 digit number from 0000-2047. I say it's magic.

I've recommended many wallets over the years. It's difficult to find the perfect wallet because there are so many with different security tailored for different threat models. You don't need Anchorwatch level of security for 1000 sats. 12 words is good enough. Misty Breez is like Aqua Wallet because the sats get swapped to Liquid in a similar way with a couple differences.

1. Misty Breez has no stableshitcoin¹ support.
2. Misty Breez gives you a lightning address. Misty Breez Lightning Wallet.

That's a big deal. That's what I need to orange pill the man on the corner selling tamales out of his van. Bitcoin is for everybody, at least anybody who can write 12 words down. A few years ago, almost nobody, not even many bitcoiners had a lightning address. Now Misty Breez makes it easy for anyone with a 5th grade reading level to start using lightning addresses. The tamale guy can send sats back home with as many tariffs as a tweet without leaving his truck.

How Misty Breez Works

Back in the day, I drooled over every word Elizabeth Stark at lightning labs uttered. I still believed in shitcoins at the time. Stark said atomic swaps can be made over the lightning network. Litecoin, since it also adopted the lightning network, can be swapped with bitcoin and vice-versa. I thought this was a good idea because it solves the coincidence of wants. I could technically have a sign on my website that says, "shitcoin accepted here" and automatically convert all my shitcoins to sats.

I don't do that because I now know there is no reason to think any shitcoin will go up in value over the long-term for various reasons. Technically, cashu is a shitcoin. Technically, Liquid is a shitcoin. Technically, I am not a card carrying bitcoin maxi because of this. I use these shitcoins because I find them useful. I consider them to be honest shitcoins(term stolen from NVK²).

Breeze does ~atomic swaps~~ peer swaps between bitcoin and Liquid. The sender sends sats. The receiver turns those sats into Liquid Bitcoin(L-BTC). This L-BTC is backed by bitcoin, therefore Liquid is a full reserve bank in many ways. That's why it molds into my ethical framework. I originally became interested in bitcoin because I thought fractional reserve banking was a scam and bitcoin was(and is) the most viable alternative to this scam.

Sats sent to Misty Breez wallet are pretty secure. It does not offer perfect security. There is no perfect security. Even though on-chain bitcoin is the most pristine example of cybersecurity on the planet, it still has risk. Just ask the guy who is digging up a landfill to find his bitcoin. I have found most noobs lose keys to bitcoin you give them. Very few take the time to keep it safe because they don't understand bitcoin well enough to know it will go up forever Laura.

She writes 12 words down with a reluctant bored look on her face. Wam. Bam. Thank you m'am. Might as well consider it a donation to the network because that index card will be buried in a pile of future trash in no time. Here's a tiny violin playing for the pre-coiners who lost sats.

"Lost coins only make everyone else's coins worth slightly more. Think of it as a donation to everyone." --Sathoshi Nakamoto, BitcoinTalk --June 21, 2010

The same thing will happen with the Misty Wallet. The 12 words will be written down my someone bored and unfulfilled woman working at NPC-Mart, but her phone buzzes in her pocket the next day. She recieved a new payment. Then you share the address on nostr and five people send her sats for no reason at all. They say everyone requires three touch points. Setting up a pre-coiner with a wallet which has a lightning address will allow you to send her as many touch points as you want. You could even send 21 sats per day for 21 days using Zap Planner. That way bitcoin is not just an "investment," but something people can see in action like a lion in the jungle chasing a gazelle.

Make Multiple Orange Pill Touch Points With Misty The Breez Lightning Address

It's no longer just a one-night stand. It's a relationship. You can softly send her sats seven days a week like a Rabbit Hole recap listening freak. Show people how to use bitcoin as it was meant to be used: Peer to Peer electronic cash. Misty wallet is still beta software so be careful because lightning is still in the w reckless days. Don't risk more sats that you are willing to lose with it just yet, but consider learning how to use it so you can teach others after the wallet is battle tested. I had trouble sending sats to my lightning address today from Phoenix wallet. Hopefully that gets resovled, but I couldn't use it today for whatever reason. I still think it's an awesome idea and will follow this project because I think it has potential.

npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0

¹ Stablecoins are shitcoins, but I admit they are not totally useless, but the underlying asset is the epitome of money printer go brrrrrr. ²NVK called cashu an honeset shitcoin on the Bitcoin.review podcast and I've used the term ever sense.

@ 6e64b83c:94102ee8

How to Run Your Own Nostr Relay on Android with Cloudflare Domain

Prerequisites

1. Install Citrine on your Android device:
2. Visit https://github.com/greenart7c3/Citrine/releases
3. Download the latest release using:
   • zap.store
   • Obtainium
   • F-Droid
   • Or download the APK directly

4. Note: You may need to enable "Install from Unknown Sources" in your Android settings

5. Domain Requirements:

6. Purchase a domain if you don't have one

7. Transfer your domain to Cloudflare if it's not already there (for free SSL certificates and cloudflared support)

8. Tools to use:

9. nak (the nostr army knife):
   • Download from https://github.com/fiatjaf/nak/releases
   • Installation steps:

   • For Linux/macOS: ```bash # Download the appropriate version for your system wget https://github.com/fiatjaf/nak/releases/latest/download/nak-linux-amd64 # for Linux # or wget https://github.com/fiatjaf/nak/releases/latest/download/nak-darwin-amd64 # for macOS

     # Make it executable chmod +x nak-*

     # Move to a directory in your PATH sudo mv nak-* /usr/local/bin/nak - For Windows:batch # Download the Windows version curl -L -o nak.exe https://github.com/fiatjaf/nak/releases/latest/download/nak-windows-amd64.exe

     # Move to a directory in your PATH (e.g., C:\Windows) move nak.exe C:\Windows\nak.exe - Verify installation:bash nak --version ```

Setting Up Citrine

1. Open the Citrine app
2. Start the server
3. You'll see it running on ws://127.0.0.1:4869 (local network only)
4. Go to settings and paste your npub into "Accept events signed by" inbox and press the + button. This prevents others from publishing events to your personal relay.

Installing Required Tools

1. Install Termux from Google Play Store
2. Open Termux and run:

bash pkg update && pkg install wget wget https://github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared/releases/latest/download/cloudflared-linux-arm64.deb dpkg -i cloudflared-linux-arm64.deb

Cloudflare Authentication

1. Run the authentication command: bash cloudflared tunnel login
2. Follow the instructions:
3. Copy the provided URL to your browser
4. Log in to your Cloudflare account
5. If the URL expires, copy it again after logging in

Creating the Tunnel

1. Create a new tunnel: bash cloudflared tunnel create <TUNNEL_NAME>
2. Choose any name you prefer for your tunnel

3. Copy the tunnel ID after creating the tunnel

4. Create and configure the tunnel config: bash touch ~/.cloudflared/config.yml nano ~/.cloudflared/config.yml

5. Add this configuration (replace the placeholders with your values): ```yaml tunnel: credentials-file: /data/data/com.termux/files/home/.cloudflared/.json ingress:

6. hostname: nostr.yourdomain.com service: ws://localhost:4869
7. service: http_status:404 ```
8. Note: In nano editor:
   • CTRL+O and Enter to save
   • CTRL+X to exit

9. Note: Check the credentials file path in the logs

10. Validate your configuration: bash cloudflared tunnel validate

11. Start the tunnel: bash cloudflared tunnel run my-relay

Preventing Android from Killing the Tunnel

Run these commands to maintain tunnel stability: bash date && apt install termux-tools && termux-setup-storage && termux-wake-lock echo "nameserver 1.1.1.1" > $PREFIX/etc/resolv.conf

Tip: You can open multiple Termux sessions by swiping from the left edge of the screen while keeping your tunnel process running.

Updating Your Outbox Model Relays

Once your relay is running and accessible via your domain, you'll want to update your relay list in the Nostr network. This ensures other clients know about your relay and can connect to it.

Decoding npub (Public Key)

Private keys (nsec) and public keys (npub) are encoded in bech32 format, which includes: - A prefix (like nsec1, npub1 etc.) - The encoded data - A checksum

This format makes keys: - Easy to distinguish - Hard to copy incorrectly

However, most tools require these keys in hexadecimal (hex) format.

To decode an npub string to its hex format:

bash nak decode nostr:npub1dejts0qlva8mqzjlrxqkc2tmvs2t7elszky5upxaf3jha9qs9m5q605uc4

Change it with your own npub.

bash { "pubkey": "6e64b83c1f674fb00a5f19816c297b6414bf67f015894e04dd4c657e94102ee8" }

Copy the pubkey value in quotes.

Create a kind 10002 event with your relay list:

• Include your new relay with write permissions
• Include other relays you want to read from and write to, omit 3rd parameter to make it both read and write

Example format:

json { "kind": 10002, "tags": [ ["r", "wss://your-relay-domain.com", "write"], ["r", "wss://eden.nostr.land/"], ["r", "wss://nos.lol/"], ["r", "wss://nostr.bitcoiner.social/"], ["r", "wss://nostr.mom/"], ["r", "wss://relay.primal.net/"], ["r", "wss://nostr.wine/", "read"], ["r", "wss://relay.damus.io/"], ["r", "wss://relay.nostr.band/"], ["r", "wss://relay.snort.social/"] ], "content": "" }

Save it to a file called event.json

Note: Add or remove any relays you want. To check your existing 10002 relays: - Visit https://nostr.band/?q=by%3Anpub1dejts0qlva8mqzjlrxqkc2tmvs2t7elszky5upxaf3jha9qs9m5q605uc4+++kind%3A10002 - nostr.band is an indexing service, it probably has your relay list. - Replace npub1xxx in the URL with your own npub - Click "VIEW JSON" from the menu to see the raw event - Or use the nak tool if you know the relays bash nak req -k 10002 -a <your-pubkey> wss://relay1.com wss://relay2.com

Replace `<your-pubkey>` with your public key in hex format (you can get it using `nak decode <your-npub>`)

1. Sign and publish the event:
2. Use a Nostr client that supports kind 10002 events
3. Or use the nak command-line tool: bash nak event --sec ncryptsec1... wss://relay1.com wss://relay2.com $(cat event.json)

Important Security Notes: 1. Never share your nsec (private key) with anyone 2. Consider using NIP-49 encrypted keys for better security 3. Never paste your nsec or private key into the terminal. The command will be saved in your shell history, exposing your private key. To clear the command history: - For bash: use history -c - For zsh: use fc -W to write history to file, then fc -p to read it back - Or manually edit your shell history file (e.g., ~/.zsh_history or ~/.bash_history) 4. if you're using zsh, use fc -p to prevent the next command from being saved to history 5. Or temporarily disable history before running sensitive commands:

bash unset HISTFILE nak key encrypt ... set HISTFILE

How to securely create NIP-49 encypted private key

```bash

Read your private key (input will be hidden)

read -s SECRET

Read your password (input will be hidden)

read -s PASSWORD

encrypt command

echo "$SECRET" | nak key encrypt "$PASSWORD"

copy and paste the ncryptsec1 text from the output

read -s ENCRYPTED nak key decrypt "$ENCRYPTED"

clear variables from memory

unset SECRET PASSWORD ENCRYPTED ```

On a Windows command line, to read from stdin and use the variables in nak commands, you can use a combination of set /p to read input and then use those variables in your command. Here's an example:

```bash @echo off set /p "SECRET=Enter your secret key: " set /p "PASSWORD=Enter your password: "

echo %SECRET%| nak key encrypt %PASSWORD%

:: Clear the sensitive variables set "SECRET=" set "PASSWORD=" ```

If your key starts with ncryptsec1, the nak tool will securely prompt you for a password when using the --sec parameter, unless the command is used with a pipe < > or |.

bash nak event --sec ncryptsec1... wss://relay1.com wss://relay2.com $(cat event.json)

1. Verify the event was published:
2. Check if your relay list is visible on other relays

3. Use the nak tool to fetch your kind 10002 events: bash nak req -k 10002 -a <your-pubkey> wss://relay1.com wss://relay2.com

4. Testing your relay:

5. Try connecting to your relay using different Nostr clients
6. Verify you can both read from and write to your relay
7. Check if events are being properly stored and retrieved
8. Tip: Use multiple Nostr clients to test different aspects of your relay

Note: If anyone in the community has a more efficient method of doing things like updating outbox relays, please share your insights in the comments. Your expertise would be greatly appreciated!

@ d34e832d:383f78d0

A Look into Traffic Analysis and What WebSocket Patterns Reveal at the Network Level

While WebSocket encryption (typically via WSS) is essential for protecting data in transit, traffic analysis remains a potent method of uncovering behavioral patterns, data structure inference, and protocol usage—even when payloads are unreadable. This idea investigates the visibility of encrypted WebSocket communications using Wireshark and similar packet inspection tools. We explore what metadata remains visible, how traffic flow can be modeled, and what risks and opportunities exist for developers, penetration testers, and network analysts. The study concludes by discussing mitigation strategies and the implications for privacy, application security, and protocol design.

Consider

In the age of real-time web applications, WebSockets have emerged as a powerful protocol enabling low-latency, bidirectional communication. From collaborative tools and chat applications to financial trading platforms and IoT dashboards, WebSockets have become foundational for interactive user experiences.

However, encryption via WSS (WebSocket Secure, running over TLS) gives developers and users a sense of security. The payload may be unreadable, but what about the rest of the connection? Can patterns, metadata, and traffic characteristics still leak critical information?

This thesis seeks to answer those questions by leveraging Wireshark, the de facto tool for packet inspection, and exploring the world of traffic analysis at the network level.

Background and Related Work

The WebSocket Protocol

Defined in RFC 6455, WebSocket operates over TCP and provides a persistent, full-duplex connection. The protocol upgrades an HTTP connection, then communicates through a simple frame-based structure.

Encryption with WSS

WSS connections use TLS (usually on port 443), making them indistinguishable from HTTPS traffic at the packet level. Payloads are encrypted, but metadata such as IP addresses, timing, packet size, and connection duration remain visible.

Traffic Analysis

Traffic analysis—despite encryption—has long been a technique used in network forensics, surveillance, and malware detection. Prior studies have shown that encrypted protocols like HTTPS, TLS, and SSH still reveal behavioral information through patterns.

Methodology

Tools Used:

• Wireshark (latest stable version)
• TLS decryption with local keys (when permitted)
• Simulated and real-world WebSocket apps (chat, games, IoT dashboards)
• Scripts to generate traffic patterns (Python using websockets and aiohttp)

Test Environments:

• Controlled LAN environments with known server and client
• Live observation of open-source WebSocket platforms (e.g., Matrix clients)

Data Points Captured:

• Packet timing and size
• TLS handshake details
• IP/TCP headers
• Frame burst patterns
• Message rate and directionality

Findings

1. Metadata Leaks

Even without payload access, the following data is visible: - Source/destination IP - Port numbers (typically 443) - Server certificate info - Packet sizes and intervals - TLS handshake fingerprinting (e.g., JA3 hashes)

2. Behavioral Patterns

• Chat apps show consistent message frequency and short message sizes.
• Multiplayer games exhibit rapid bursts of small packets.
• IoT devices often maintain idle connections with periodic keepalives.
• Typing indicators, heartbeats, or "ping/pong" mechanisms are visible even under encryption.

3. Timing and Packet Size Fingerprinting

Even encrypted payloads can be fingerprinted by: - Regularity in payload size (e.g., 92 bytes every 15s) - Distinct bidirectional patterns (e.g., send/ack/send per user action) - TLS record sizes which may indirectly hint at message length

Side-Channel Risks in Encrypted WebSocket Communication

Although WebSocket payloads transmitted over WSS (WebSocket Secure) are encrypted, they remain susceptible to side-channel analysis, a class of attacks that exploit observable characteristics of the communication channel rather than its content.

Side-Channel Risks Include:

1. User Behavior Inference
Adversaries can analyze packet timing and frequency to infer user behavior. For example, typing indicators in chat applications often trigger short, regular packets. Even without payload visibility, a passive observer may identify when a user is typing, idle, or has closed the application. Session duration, message frequency, and bursts of activity can be linked to specific user actions.

2. Application Fingerprinting
TLS handshake metadata and consistent traffic patterns can allow an observer to identify specific client libraries or platforms. For example, the sequence and structure of TLS extensions (via JA3 fingerprinting) can differentiate between browsers, SDKs, or WebSocket frameworks. Application behavior—such as timing of keepalives or frequency of updates—can further reinforce these fingerprints.

3. Usage Pattern Recognition
Over time, recurring patterns in packet flow may reveal application logic. For instance, multiplayer game sessions often involve predictable synchronization intervals. Financial dashboards may show bursts at fixed polling intervals. This allows for profiling of application type, logic loops, or even user roles.

4. Leakage Through Timing
Time-based attacks can be surprisingly revealing. Regular intervals between message bursts can disclose structured interactions—such as polling, pings, or scheduled updates. Fine-grained timing analysis may even infer when individual keystrokes occur, especially in sparse channels where interactivity is high and payloads are short.

5. Content Length Correlation
While encrypted, the size of a TLS record often correlates closely to the plaintext message length. This enables attackers to estimate the size of messages, which can be linked to known commands or data structures. Repeated message sizes (e.g., 112 bytes every 30s) may suggest state synchronization or batched updates.

6. Session Correlation Across Time
Using IP, JA3 fingerprints, and behavioral metrics, it’s possible to link multiple sessions back to the same client. This weakens anonymity, especially when combined with data from DNS logs, TLS SNI fields (if exposed), or consistent traffic habits. In anonymized systems, this can be particularly damaging.

Side-Channel Risks in Encrypted WebSocket Communication

Although WebSocket payloads transmitted over WSS (WebSocket Secure) are encrypted, they remain susceptible to side-channel analysis, a class of attacks that exploit observable characteristics of the communication channel rather than its content.

1. Behavior Inference

Even with end-to-end encryption, adversaries can make educated guesses about user actions based on traffic patterns:

• Typing detection: In chat applications, short, repeated packets every few hundred milliseconds may indicate a user typing.
• Voice activity: In VoIP apps using WebSockets, a series of consistent-size packets followed by silence can reveal when someone starts and stops speaking.
• Gaming actions: Packet bursts at high frequency may correlate with real-time game movement or input actions.

2. Session Duration

WebSocket connections are persistent by design. This characteristic allows attackers to:

• Measure session duration: Knowing how long a user stays connected to a WebSocket server can infer usage patterns (e.g., average chat duration, work hours).
• Identify session boundaries: Connection start and end timestamps may be enough to correlate with user login/logout behavior.

3. Usage Patterns

Over time, traffic analysis may reveal consistent behavioral traits tied to specific users or devices:

• Time-of-day activity: Regular connection intervals can point to habitual usage, ideal for profiling or surveillance.
• Burst frequency and timing: Distinct intervals of high or low traffic volume can hint at backend logic or user engagement models.

---

Example Scenario: Encrypted Chat App

Even though a chat application uses end-to-end encryption and transports data over WSS:

• A passive observer sees:
• TLS handshake metadata
• IPs and SNI (Server Name Indication)
• Packet sizes and timings
• They might then infer:
• When a user is online or actively chatting
• Whether a user is typing, idle, or receiving messages
• Usage patterns that match a specific user fingerprint

This kind of intelligence can be used for traffic correlation attacks, profiling, or deanonymization — particularly dangerous in regimes or situations where privacy is critical (e.g., journalists, whistleblowers, activists).

Fingerprinting Encrypted WebSocket Applications via Traffic Signatures

Even when payloads are encrypted, adversaries can leverage fingerprinting techniques to identify the specific WebSocket libraries, frameworks, or applications in use based on unique traffic signatures. This is a critical vector in traffic analysis, especially when full encryption lulls developers into a false sense of security.

1. Library and Framework Fingerprints

Different WebSocket implementations generate traffic patterns that can be used to infer what tool or framework is being used, such as:

• Handshake patterns: The WebSocket upgrade request often includes headers that differ subtly between:
• Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)
• Python libs (websockets, aiohttp, Autobahn)
• Node.js clients (ws, socket.io)
• Mobile SDKs (Android’s okhttp, iOS Starscream)
• Heartbeat intervals: Some libraries implement default ping/pong intervals (e.g., every 20s in socket.io) that can be measured and traced back to the source.

2. Payload Size and Frequency Patterns

Even with encryption, metadata is exposed:

• Frame sizes: Libraries often chunk or batch messages differently.
• Initial message burst: Some apps send a known sequence of messages on connection (e.g., auth token → subscribe → sync events).
• Message intervals: Unique to libraries using structured pub/sub or event-driven APIs.

These observable patterns can allow a passive observer to identify not only the app but potentially which feature is being used, such as messaging, location tracking, or media playback.

3. Case Study: Identifying Socket.IO vs Raw WebSocket

Socket.IO, although layered on top of WebSockets, introduces a handshake sequence of HTTP polling → upgrade → packetized structured messaging with preamble bytes (even in encrypted form, the size and frequency of these frames is recognizable). A well-equipped observer can differentiate it from a raw WebSocket exchange using only timing and packet length metrics.

---

Security Implications

• Targeted exploitation: Knowing the backend framework (e.g., Django Channels or FastAPI + websockets) allows attackers to narrow down known CVEs or misconfigurations.
• De-anonymization: Apps that are widely used in specific demographics (e.g., Signal clones, activist chat apps) become fingerprintable even behind HTTPS or WSS.
• Nation-state surveillance: Traffic fingerprinting lets governments block or monitor traffic associated with specific technologies, even without decrypting the data.

Leakage Through Timing: Inferring Behavior in Encrypted WebSocket Channels

Encrypted WebSocket communication does not prevent timing-based side-channel attacks, where an adversary can deduce sensitive information purely from the timing, size, and frequency of encrypted packets. These micro-behavioral signals, though not revealing actual content, can still disclose high-level user actions — sometimes with alarming precision.

1. Typing Detection and Keystroke Inference

Many real-time chat applications (Matrix, Signal, Rocket.Chat, custom WebSocket apps) implement "user is typing..." features. These generate recognizable message bursts even when encrypted:

• Small, frequent packets sent at irregular intervals often correspond to individual keystrokes.
• Inter-keystroke timing analysis — often accurate to within tens of milliseconds — can help reconstruct typed messages’ length or even guess content using language models (e.g., inferring "hello" vs "hey").

2. Session Activity Leaks

WebSocket sessions are long-lived and often signal usage states by packet rhythm:

• Idle vs active user patterns become apparent through heartbeat frequency and packet gaps.
• Transitions — like joining or leaving a chatroom, starting a video, or activating a voice stream — often result in bursts of packet activity.
• Even without payload access, adversaries can profile session structure, determining which features are being used and when.

3. Case Study: Real-Time Editors

Collaborative editing tools (e.g., Etherpad, CryptPad) leak structure:

• When a user edits, each keystroke or operation may result in a burst of 1–3 WebSocket frames.
• Over time, a passive observer could infer:
• Whether one or multiple users are active
• Who is currently typing
• The pace of typing
• Collaborative vs solo editing behavior

4. Attack Vectors Enabled by Timing Leaks

• Target tracking: Identify active users in a room, even on anonymized or end-to-end encrypted platforms.
• Session replay: Attackers can simulate usage patterns for further behavioral fingerprinting.
• Network censorship: Governments may block traffic based on WebSocket behavior patterns suggestive of forbidden apps (e.g., chat tools, Tor bridges).

---

Mitigations and Countermeasures

While timing leakage cannot be entirely eliminated, several techniques can obfuscate or dampen signal strength:

• Uniform packet sizing (padding to fixed lengths)
• Traffic shaping (constant-time message dispatch)
• Dummy traffic injection (noise during idle states)
• Multiplexing WebSocket streams with unrelated activity

Excellent point — let’s weave that into the conclusion of the thesis to emphasize the dual nature of WebSocket visibility:

---

Visibility Without Clarity — Privacy Risks in Encrypted WebSocket Traffic**

This thesis demonstrates that while encryption secures the contents of WebSocket payloads, it does not conceal behavioral patterns. Through tools like Wireshark, analysts — and adversaries alike — can inspect traffic flows to deduce session metadata, fingerprint applications, and infer user activity, even without decrypting a single byte.

The paradox of encrypted WebSockets is thus revealed:
They offer confidentiality, but not invisibility.

As shown through timing analysis, fingerprinting, and side-channel observation, encrypted WebSocket streams can still leak valuable information. These findings underscore the importance of privacy-aware design choices in real-time systems:

• Padding variable-size messages to fixed-length formats
• Randomizing or shaping packet timing
• Mixing in dummy traffic during idle states
• Multiplexing unrelated data streams to obscure intent

Without such obfuscation strategies, encrypted WebSocket traffic — though unreadable — remains interpretable.

In closing, developers, privacy researchers, and protocol designers must recognize that encryption is necessary but not sufficient. To build truly private real-time systems, we must move beyond content confidentiality and address the metadata and side-channel exposures that lie beneath the surface.

Absolutely! Here's a full thesis-style writeup titled “Mitigation Strategies: Reducing Metadata Leakage in Encrypted WebSocket Traffic”, focusing on countermeasures to side-channel risks in real-time encrypted communication:

---

Mitigation Strategies: Reducing Metadata Leakage in Encrypted WebSocket Traffic

Abstract

While WebSocket traffic is often encrypted using TLS, it remains vulnerable to metadata-based side-channel attacks. Adversaries can infer behavioral patterns, session timing, and even the identity of applications through passive traffic analysis. This thesis explores four key mitigation strategies—message padding, batching and jitter, TLS fingerprint randomization, and connection multiplexing—that aim to reduce the efficacy of such analysis. We present practical implementations, limitations, and trade-offs associated with each method and advocate for layered, privacy-preserving protocol design.

---

1. Consider

The rise of WebSockets in real-time applications has improved interactivity but also exposed new privacy attack surfaces. Even when encrypted, WebSocket traffic leaks observable metadata—packet sizes, timing intervals, handshake properties, and connection counts—that can be exploited for fingerprinting, behavioral inference, and usage profiling.

This Idea focuses on mitigation rather than detection. The core question addressed is: How can we reduce the information available to adversaries from metadata alone?

---

2. Threat Model and Metadata Exposure

Passive attackers situated at any point between client and server can: - Identify application behavior via timing and message frequency - Infer keystrokes or user interaction states ("user typing", "user joined", etc.) - Perform fingerprinting via TLS handshake characteristics - Link separate sessions from the same user by recognizing traffic patterns

Thus, we must treat metadata as a leaky abstraction layer, requiring proactive obfuscation even in fully encrypted sessions.

---

3. Mitigation Techniques

3.1 Message Padding

Variable-sized messages create unique traffic signatures. Message padding involves standardizing the frame length of WebSocket messages to a fixed or randomly chosen size within a predefined envelope.

• Pro: Hides exact payload size, making compression side-channel and length-based analysis ineffective.
• Con: Increases bandwidth usage; not ideal for mobile/low-bandwidth scenarios.

Implementation: Client libraries can pad all outbound messages to, for example, 512 bytes or the next power of two above the actual message length.

---

3.2 Batching and Jitter

Packet timing is often the most revealing metric. Delaying messages to create jitter and batching multiple events into a single transmission breaks correlation patterns.

• Pro: Prevents timing attacks, typing inference, and pattern recognition.
• Con: Increases latency, possibly degrading UX in real-time apps.

Implementation: Use an event queue with randomized intervals for dispatching messages (e.g., 100–300ms jitter windows).

---

3.3 TLS Fingerprint Randomization

TLS fingerprints—determined by the ordering of cipher suites, extensions, and fields—can uniquely identify client libraries and platforms. Randomizing these fields on the client side prevents reliable fingerprinting.

• Pro: Reduces ability to correlate sessions or identify tools/libraries used.
• Con: Requires deeper control of the TLS stack, often unavailable in browsers.

Implementation: Modify or wrap lower-level TLS clients (e.g., via OpenSSL or rustls) to introduce randomized handshakes in custom apps.

---

3.4 Connection Reuse or Multiplexing

Opening multiple connections creates identifiable patterns. By reusing a single persistent connection for multiple data streams or users (in proxies or edge nodes), the visibility of unique flows is reduced.

• Pro: Aggregates traffic, preventing per-user or per-feature traffic separation.
• Con: More complex server-side logic; harder to debug.

Implementation: Use multiplexing protocols (e.g., WebSocket subprotocols or application-level routing) to share connections across users or components.

---

4. Combined Strategy and Defense-in-Depth

No single strategy suffices. A layered mitigation approach—combining padding, jitter, fingerprint randomization, and multiplexing—provides defense-in-depth against multiple classes of metadata leakage.

The recommended implementation pipeline: 1. Pad all outbound messages to a fixed size 2. Introduce random batching and delay intervals 3. Obfuscate TLS fingerprints using low-level TLS stack configuration 4. Route data over multiplexed WebSocket connections via reverse proxies or edge routers

This creates a high-noise communication channel that significantly impairs passive traffic analysis.

---

5. Limitations and Future Work

Mitigations come with trade-offs: latency, bandwidth overhead, and implementation complexity. Additionally, some techniques (e.g., TLS randomization) are hard to apply in browser-based environments due to API constraints.

Future work includes: - Standardizing privacy-enhancing WebSocket subprotocols - Integrating these mitigations into mainstream libraries (e.g., Socket.IO, Phoenix) - Using machine learning to auto-tune mitigation levels based on threat environment

---

6. Case In Point

Encrypted WebSocket traffic is not inherently private. Without explicit mitigation, metadata alone is sufficient for behavioral profiling and application fingerprinting. This thesis has outlined practical strategies for obfuscating traffic patterns at various protocol layers. Implementing these defenses can significantly improve user privacy in real-time systems and should become a standard part of secure WebSocket deployments.

@ 71bbbe14:1c43e369

Test Combined Free

@ 71bbbe14:1c43e369

@ 71bbbe14:1c43e369

Test Document Free

@ 71bbbe14:1c43e369

Test Document Free

@ 4c96d763:80c3ee30

Changes

William Casarin (28):

• dave: constrain power for now
• ci: bump ubuntu runner
• dave: initial note rendering
• note: fix from_hex crash on bad note ids
• dave: improve multi-note display
• dave: cleanly separate ui from logic
• dave: add a few docs
• dave: add readme
• dave: improve docs with ai
• docs: add some ui-related guides
• docs: remove test hallucination
• docs: add tokenator docs
• docs: add notedeck docs
• docs: add notedeck_columns readme
• docs: add notedeck_chrome docs
• docs: improve top-level docs
• dave: add new chat button
• dave: ensure system prompt is included when reset
• enostr: rename to_bech to npub
• name: display_name before name in NostrName
• ui: add note truncation
• ui: add ProfilePic::from_profile_or_default
• dave: add query rendering, fix author queries
• dave: return tool errors back to the ai
• dave: give present notes a proper tool response
• dave: more flexible env config
• dave: bubble note actions to chrome
• chrome: use actual columns noteaction executor

kernelkind (13):

• remove unnecessary #[allow(dead_code)]
• extend ZapAction
• UserAccount use builder pattern
• Wallet token parser shouldn't parse all
• move WalletState to UI
• add default zap
• introduce ZapWallet
• use ZapWallet
• propagate DefaultZapState to wallet ui
• wallet: helper method to get current wallet
• accounts: check if selected account has wallet
• ui: show default zap amount in wallet view
• use default zap amount for zap

pushed to notedeck:refs/heads/master

@ 866e0139:6a9334e5

Autor: René Boyke. Dieser Beitrag wurde mit dem Pareto-Client geschrieben. Sie finden alle Texte der Friedenstaube und weitere Texte zum Thema Frieden hier. Die neuesten Pareto-Artikel finden Sie in unserem Telegram-Kanal.

---

Die neuesten Artikel der Friedenstaube gibt es jetzt auch im eigenen Friedenstaube-Telegram-Kanal.

---

Das völkerrechtliche Gewaltverbot ist das völkerrechtliche Pendant zum nationalen Gewaltmonopol. Bürgern ist die Ausübung von Gewalt nur unter engen Voraussetzungen erlaubt, ähnlich sieht es das Völkerrecht für Staaten vor. Das völkerrechtliche Gewaltverbot gemäß Art. 2 Abs. 4 der VN-Charta ist damit eines der fundamentalsten Prinzipien des modernen Völkerrechts. Ein echtes Gewaltmonopol, wie es innerhalb eines Staates existiert, besteht auf internationaler Ebene allerdings nicht, denn dies kann rein faktisch – zumindest derzeit noch – nur sehr schwer bzw. gar nicht umgesetzt werden.

Das Verbot von Gewalt ist eine Sache, aber wer sollte bei einem Verstoß Polizei spielen dürfen? Das Gewaltverbot verbietet den Staaten die Androhung oder Anwendung von Gewalt gegen die territoriale Integrität oder politische Unabhängigkeit eines anderen Staates. Obwohl 193 und damit fast alle Staaten Mitglied der Vereinten Nationen sind, kann man ganz und gar nicht davon sprechen, dass das Gewaltverbot Kriege beseitigt hätte. Nüchtern betrachtet liegt seine Funktion daher nicht in der Verhinderung von Kriegen, sondern in der Legitimation rechtlicher Konsequenzen: Wer gegen das Verbot verstößt, ist im Unrecht und muss die entsprechenden Konsequenzen tragen. Die Reichweite des Gewaltverbots wirft zahlreiche Fragen auf. Diesen widmet sich der vorliegende Beitrag überblicksartig.

Historische Entwicklung des Gewaltverbots

Vor dem 20. Jahrhundert war das „Recht zum Krieg“ (ius ad bellum) weitgehend unreguliert; Staaten konnten aus nahezu beliebigen Gründen zu den Waffen greifen, ja, Krieg galt zwar nicht ausdrücklich als erlaubt, aber eben auch nicht als verboten. Mit dem Briand-Kellogg-Pakt von 1928 wurde rechtlich betrachtet ein weitgehendes Gewaltverbot erreicht. Doch statt warmer Worte hat der Pakt nicht viel erreicht. Deutschland war bereits damals und ist noch immer Mitglied des Pakts, doch weder den Zweiten Weltkrieg noch unzählige andere Kriege hat der Pakt nicht verhindern können.

Ein gewisser Paradigmenwechsel erfolgte nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg mit der Gründung der Vereinten Nationen 1945 und der VN-Charta, welche ein umfassendes Gewaltverbot mit nur wenigen Ausnahmen etablierte. Das Gewaltverbot wurde im Laufe der Zeit durch Gewohnheitsrecht und zahlreiche Resolutionen der Vereinten Nationen gefestigt und gilt heute als „jus cogens“, also als zwingendes Völkerrecht, von dem nur wenige Abweichung zulässig sind. Es ist jedoch leider festzustellen, dass nicht die Einhaltung des Gewaltverbots die Regel ist, sondern dessen Bruch. Nicht wenige Völkerrechtler halten das Gewaltverbot daher für tot. In der deutschen völkerrechtlichen Literatur stemmt man sich jedoch gegen diese Einsicht und argumentiert, dass es zwar Brüche des Gewaltverbots gebe, aber jeder rechtsbrüchige Staat versuche hervorzuheben, dass seine Gewaltanwendung doch ausnahmsweise erlaubt gewesen sei, was also bedeute, dass das Gewaltverbot anerkannt sei.

Dass dies lediglich vorgeschobene Lippenbekenntnisse, taktische Ausreden bzw. inszenierte Theaterstücke sind und damit eine Verhöhnung und gerade keine Anerkennung des Gewaltverbots, wird offenbar nicht ernsthaft in Betracht gezogen. Betrachtet man das von den USA 2003 inszenierte Theaterstück, die Erfindung der „weapons of mass destruction,“ um einen Vorwand zum Angriff des Irak zu schaffen, dann ist erstaunlich, wie man zu der Ansicht gelangen kann, die USA sähen ein Gewaltverbot für sich als bindend an.

Wenn das Gewaltverbot schon nicht in der Lage ist, Kriege zu verhindern, so ist es dennoch Gegenstand rechtlicher Konsequenzen, insbesondere nach Beendigung bewaffneter Auseinandersetzungen. Zudem legt die Beachtung oder Nichtbeachtung des Gebots offen, welcher Staat es damit tatsächlich ernst meint und welcher nicht. Dazu muss man jedoch den Inhalt des Gebots kennen, weshalb sich eine Beschäftigung damit lohnt.

Rechtliche Grundlagen des Gewaltverbots

Das Gewaltverbot gilt nur für Gewalt zwischen Staaten, nicht für private Akte, es sei denn, diese sind einem Staat zurechenbar (z. B. durch Unterstützung wie Waffenlieferungen).

Terrorismus wird nicht automatisch als Verletzung des Gewaltverbots gewertet, sondern als Friedensbedrohung, die andere völkerrechtliche Regeln auslöst. Bei Cyberangriffen ist die Zurechnung schwierig, da die Herkunft oft unklar ist und Sorgfaltspflichten eines Staates nicht zwangsläufig eine Gewaltverletzung bedeuten. Das Verbot umfasst sowohl offene militärische Gewalt (z. B. Einmarsch) als auch verdeckte Gewalt (z. B. Subversion). Es gibt jedoch Diskussionen über eine notwendige Gewaltintensität: Kleinere Grenzverletzungen fallen oft nicht darunter, die Schwelle ist aber niedrig. Nicht jede Verletzung des Gewaltverbots gilt als bewaffneter Angriff.

Nicht-militärische Einwirkungen wie wirtschaftlicher Druck oder Umweltverschmutzung gelten nicht als Gewalt im Sinne des Verbots. Entscheidend ist, dass die Schadenswirkung militärischer Gewalt entspricht, was z. B. bei Cyberangriffen relevant wird, die kritische Infrastruktur lahmlegen.

Ausnahmen vom Gewaltverbot

Trotz Reichweite des Gewaltverbots existieren anerkannte Ausnahmen, die unter bestimmten Umständen die Anwendung von Gewalt legitimieren:

1. Recht auf Selbstverteidigung (Art. 51 VN-Charta): Staaten dürfen sich gegen einen bewaffneten Angriff verteidigen, bis der VN- Sicherheitsrat die notwendigen Maßnahmen zur Wiederherstellung des Friedens ergriffen hat. Diese Selbstverteidigung kann individuell (der angegriffene Staat wehrt sich selbst) oder kollektiv (ein anderer Staat kommt dem angegriffenen Staat zur Hilfe) ausgeübt werden. Ob eine Selbstverteidigung zulässig ist, hängt folglich in erster Linie davon ab, ob ein bewaffneter Angriff vorliegt. Nach der Rechtsprechung des IGH setzt ein bewaffneter Angriff eine Mindestintensität voraus, also schwerwiegende Gewalt und nicht lediglich Grenzzwischenfälle. Ferner muss es sich um einen gegenwärtigen Angriff handeln, was präventive Selbstverteidigung grundsätzlich ausschließt – was nicht bedeutet, dass sie nicht ausgeführt würde (siehe Irak- Krieg 2003). Zudem muss der Angriff von einem Staat ausgehen oder ihm zumindest zurechenbar sein. Schließlich muss der Angriff sich gegen die territoriale Integrität, politische Unabhängigkeit oder staatliche Infrastruktur eines Staates richten, wobei Angriffe auf Flugzeuge oder Schiffe außerhalb seines Territoriums ausreichend sind. Maßnahmen des VN-Sicherheitsrats (Kapitel VII VN-Charta): Der Sicherheitsrat kann bei Vorliegen einer Bedrohung oder eines Bruchs des Friedens oder einer Angriffshandlung Zwangsmaßnahmen beschließen, die auch den Einsatz militärischer Gewalt umfassen können. Diese Ausnahmen sind eng gefasst und unterliegen strengen Voraussetzungen, um Missbrauch zu verhindern.

Neben diesen anerkannten Ausnahmen vom Gewaltverbot wird weiter diskutiert, ob es weitere Ausnahmen vom Gewaltverbot gibt, insbesondere in Fällen humanitärer Interventionen und Präventivschläge.

• Humanitäre Interventionen: Verübt ein Staat gegen einen Teil seiner Bevölkerung schwere Verbrechen wie Völkermord oder Kriegsverbrechen, so sehen einige ein fremdes Eingreifen ohne VN-Mandat als gerechtfertigt an. Das Europäische Parlament beispielsweise hat humanitäre Interventionen bereits 1994 für zulässig erklärt.1 Ein Beispiel dafür ist der NATO-Einsatz im Kosovo 1999, der jedoch überwiegend als völkerrechtswidrig bewertet wird, während NATO-Staaten ihn jedoch als moralisch gerechtfertigt betrachteten. Wie wenig allerdings eine humanitäre Intervention als Ausnahme vom Gewaltverbot anerkannt ist, zeigt der Ukrainekrieg, speziell seit dem massiven Einschreiten Russlands 2022, welches sich ebenfalls auf humanitäre Gründe beruft, damit jedoch – zumindest bei den NATO-Staaten – kein Gehör findet. Gegen „humanitäre Interventionen“ als Ausnahmen vom Gewaltverbot sprechen nicht nur deren mangelnde Kodifikation oder gewohnheitsrechtliche Etablierung, sondern auch ganz praktische Probleme: Wie beispielsweise kann ein eingreifender Staat sich sicher sein, ob innerstaatliche Gewalthandlungen Menschenrechtsverletzungen darstellen oder gerechtfertigtes Vorgehen gegen beispielsweise aus dem Ausland finanzierte Terroristen? Zudem besteht die Gefahr, dass bewusst derartige Verhältnisse in einem Land geschaffen werden, um einen Vorwand für ein militärisches Eingreifen zu schaffen. Dieses erhebliche Missbrauchspotential spricht gegen die Anerkennung humanitärer Interventionen als Ausnahme vom Gewaltverbot.

• Schutz eigener Staatsangehöriger im Ausland: Auch der Schutz eigener Staatsangehöriger im Ausland wird als gerechtfertigte Ausnahme vom Gewaltverbot diskutiert, sie ist allerdings keineswegs allgemein anerkannt. Mit Blick in die Vergangenheit und den gemachten Erfahrungen (z.B. US-Interventionen in Grenada 1983 und Panama 1989) wird vor dem erheblichen Missbrauchspotential gewarnt.

• Präventivschläge: Wie bereits erwähnt, werden präventive Angriffe auf einen Staat von einigen als Unterfall der Selbstverteidigung als berechtigte Ausnahme vom Gewaltverbot betrachtet. lediglich eine kurze Zeitspanne zur Ausschaltung der Bedrohung bestehen und das Ausmaß des zu erwartenden Schadens berücksichtigt werden. Zu beachten ist dabei, dass die genannten Kriterien dabei in Wechselwirkung stünden, was bedeute: Selbst wenn ein Angriff gar nicht so sehr wahrscheinlich sei, so solle dies dennoch einen Präventivschlag rechtfertigen, falls der zu erwartende Schaden groß sei und in einem kurzen Zeitfenster erfolgen könne (z.B. Atomschlag). Mit anderen Worten: Die Befürwortung von Präventivschlägen weicht das Gewaltverbot auf und führt zu einer leichteren Rechtfertigung militärischer Einsätze. Die konkreten Auswirkungen lassen sich sowohl durch den völkerrechtswidrigen Angriff der USA gegen den Irak und später durch den völkerrechtswidrigen Angriff Russlands gegen die Ukraine betrachten – beide Staaten beriefen sich jeweils auf Präventivschläge.

  Konsequenzen der Verletzung des Gewaltverbots

  Aus dem Vorstehenden ergibt sich bereits, dass eine Verletzung des Gewaltverbots das Recht zur Selbstverteidigung auslöst. Doch gibt es noch weitere Konsequenzen? Blickt man auf die Menge der weltweiten bewaffneten Konflikte, darf man daran zweifeln. Jedenfalls scheint das Kosten-Nutzen-Verhältnis nicht gegen eine bewaffnete Auseinandersetzung zu sprechen. Wie bereits erwähnt, existiert auf internationaler Ebene kein dem innerstaatlichen Recht vergleichbares Gewaltmonopol. Ohne dies bewerten zu wollen, lässt sich ganz objektiv feststellen, dass es keine Instanz gibt, die Zwangsmaßnahmen effektiv durchsetzen könnte. Ob dies wünschenswert wäre, darf bezweifelt werden. Aus den bisherigen Ausführungen geht ebenfalls hervor, dass der Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen Maßnahmen ergreifen kann – einschließlich des Einsatzes militärischer Gewalt. Wenn es dazu kommt, dann ist dies eines der schärfsten Schwerter, die gegen eine Verletzung des Gewaltverbots geführt werden können, weil es sich um unmittelbare Zwangsmaßnahmen handelt. Allerdings kam es bisher lediglich zwei Mal dazu (Koreakrieg 1950-19534; Golkrieg II 19915). Neben diesen tatsächlichen Zwangsmaßnahmen hat ein Verstoß gegen das Gewaltverbot rechtliche Auswirkungen:

  • Nichtigkeit von Verträgen: Gemäß Art. 52 der Wiener Vertragsrechtskonvention (WVK) ist ein Vertrag nichtig, wenn sein Abschluss durch Androhung oder Anwendung von Gewalt unter Verletzung der in der Charta der Vereinten Nationen niedergelegten Grundsätze des Völkerrechts herbeigeführt wurde.

  • Nichtanerkennung von Gebietserwerben (Stimson-Doktrin): Gemäß dem Rechtsgedanken des Art. 52 WVK werden die eroberten Gebiete nicht als Staatsgebiete des Staats angesehen, der sie unter Brechung des Gewaltverbots erobert hat.

  • Strafrechtliche Verantwortlichkeit für Staatschefs und Befehlshaber gemäß Art. 8bis des Statuts des Internationalen Strafgerichtshofs – allerdings nur für die Personen, deren Staaten, den IStGH anerkennen. Nichts zu befürchten haben also Staatschefs und Befehlshaber der USA, Russlands oder Chinas sowie Frankreichs und Großbritanniens, denn diese Staaten haben der Ahnung der Verletzung des Gewaltverbots nicht zugestimmt. Zwar könnte der Sicherheitsrat der VN eine Überweisung an den IStGH beschließen, allerdings stünde jedem der genannten Staaten ein Vetorecht dagegen zu.

  Schlussfolgerungen

  Ein Verbot der Gewalt zwischen Staaten ist grundsätzlich zu begrüßen. Doch ein Verbot allein ist erstmal nicht mehr als bedrucktes Papier. Ob hingegen wirksamere Mechanismen geschaffen werden sollten, dieses Verbot zu ahnden ist zweifelhaft. Denn stets wurde und wird noch immer mit erheblichem Aufwand für unterschiedlichste Narrative die eigene Intervention als „gerechter Krieg“ verkauft und von der Gegenpartei als ebenso ungerecht verteufelt.

  Tatsache ist: Einen gerechten Krieg gibt es nicht. Ein schärferer Mechanismus zur Durchsetzung des Gewaltverbots würde genau darauf – einen angeblich gerechten Krieg – hinauslaufen, was ein enormes Missbrauchspotential mit sich brächte. Und die Erfahrung zeigt, dass der Missbrauch des Völkerrechts und Verstöße gegen das Völkerrecht keineswegs die Ausnahme, sondern die Regel darstellen – leider auch durch die sogenannte „westliche Wertegemeinschaft“. Und würde diese Missbrauchsmöglichkeit nicht auf noch mehr militärische Auseinandersetzungen hinauslaufen? Auseinandersetzungen, deren Folgen nicht die verantwortlichen Politiker zu spüren bekämen, sondern, in Form von Tod und Verstümmelung, die Bevölkerung zu tragen hätte?

  Leidtragende ihrer „gerechten Kriege“ sind nicht die agierenden Politiker, sondern immer die einfachen Menschen – die leider nicht selten zuvor mit „Hurra“-Geschrei dem Krieg entgegenfiebern, um als „Helden“ ihrem Land zu „dienen“. In Wahrheit dienen sie jedoch nur finanziellen Interessen reicher Menschen.

  Daraus folgt, dass die Durchsetzung eines Gewaltverbots nicht in den Händen einiger weniger Staatslenker und Berufspolitiker liegen darf, sondern in den Händen der unmittelbar Betroffenen selbst. Der Familienvater, der für seine Frau und Kinder zu sorgen hat, muss aktiv den Dienst an der Waffe verweigern. Ebenso der Schüler, der Student, der Junggeselle und sämtliche Mitglieder der Gesellschaft. Die Bevölkerung ist es, die das Gewaltverbot tatsächlich und effektiv vom bedruckten Papier als ein Friedensgebot ins Leben bringen und in Vollzug setzen kann.

  (Dieser Artikel ist auch mit folgendem Kurzlink aufrufbar und teilbar)

  ---

LASSEN SIE DER FRIEDENSTAUBE FLÜGEL WACHSEN!

Hier können Sie die Friedenstaube abonnieren und bekommen die Artikel zugesandt.

Schon jetzt können Sie uns unterstützen:

• Für 50 CHF/EURO bekommen Sie ein Jahresabo der Friedenstaube.
• Für 120 CHF/EURO bekommen Sie ein Jahresabo und ein T-Shirt/Hoodie mit der Friedenstaube.
• Für 500 CHF/EURO werden Sie Förderer und bekommen ein lebenslanges Abo sowie ein T-Shirt/Hoodie mit der Friedenstaube.
• Ab 1000 CHF werden Sie Genossenschafter der Friedenstaube mit Stimmrecht (und bekommen lebenslanges Abo, T-Shirt/Hoodie).

Für Einzahlungen in CHF (Betreff: Friedenstaube):

Für Einzahlungen in Euro:

Milosz Matuschek

IBAN DE 53710520500000814137

BYLADEM1TST

Sparkasse Traunstein-Trostberg

Betreff: Friedenstaube

Wenn Sie auf anderem Wege beitragen wollen, schreiben Sie die Friedenstaube an: friedenstaube@pareto.space

---

Sie sind noch nicht auf Nostr and wollen die volle Erfahrung machen (liken, kommentieren etc.)? Zappen können Sie den Autor auch ohne Nostr-Profil! Erstellen Sie sich einen Account auf Start. Weitere Onboarding-Leitfäden gibt es im Pareto-Wiki.

@ 90de72b7:8f68fdc0

Traffic Light Control System - sbykov

This Petri net represents a traffic control protocol ensuring that two traffic lights alternate safely and are never both green at the same time. Upd

petrinet ;start () -> greenLight1 redLight2 ;toRed1 greenLight1 -> queue redLight1 ;toGreen2 redLight2 queue -> greenLight2 ;toGreen1 queue redLight1 -> greenLight1 ;toRed2 greenLight2 -> redLight2 queue ;stop redLight1 queue redLight2 -> ()

@ 1e109a31:62807940

Sergey activity 1

This template is just for demo needs. Upd1

petrinet ;startDay () -> working ;stopDay working -> () ;startPause working -> paused ;endPause paused -> working ;goSmoke working -> smoking ;endSmoke smoking -> working ;startEating working -> eating ;stopEating eating -> working ;startCall working -> onCall ;endCall onCall -> working ;startMeeting working -> inMeetinga ;endMeeting inMeeting -> working ;logTask working -> working

@ ff83811b:483b0ac0

My everyday activity

This template is just for demo needs.

petrinet ;startDay () -> working ;stopDay working -> () ;startPause working -> paused ;endPause paused -> working ;goSmoke working -> smoking ;endSmoke smoking -> working ;startEating working -> eating ;stopEating eating -> working ;startCall working -> onCall ;endCall onCall -> working ;startMeeting working -> inMeetinga ;endMeeting inMeeting -> working ;logTask working -> working

@ f18b1f8f:5f442454

The Mendable AI team has published great tooling for web scraping, data extraction and deep research from web pages, turning the web into LLM-friendly text. Now they also have an MCP server making it easier than ever to integrate it all into your clients!

To read more about Firecrawl visit https://firecrawl.dev/?ref=agentlist.com

Listing: https://agentlist.com/agent/e64cc8dd5fdb4d4d9497da4172f4af1f

e64cc8dd5fdb4d4d9497da4172f4af1f

@ 000002de:c05780a7

Natalie Brunell had comedian T.J. Miller known for Silicon Valley on her show Coin Stories. I was kinda surprised. Not sure why but I recognized his voice because that's my brain I can forget a face but never a voice.

So what person that has fame also secretly is a bitcoiner. Not has the ETF or whatever but actually gets it and has for a while.

I think this is pretty widely believed that Mark Zuckerburg is a bitcoiner so that would be the person I'd list. No clue beyond that. There has to be quite a few well known people that also get bitcoin and just don't talk about it.

SO, who do you think is in the club?

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/955179

@ e516ecb8:1be0b167

¡Muy bien, amigo! Vamos a sumergirnos en las profundidades arquetípicas de la psique humana para desentrañar esta noción, esta chispa de sabiduría que intentamos articular, porque, verás, no es una mera declaración trivial, no, no, es una verdad ontológica que reverbera a través de los eones, en los cimientos mismos del Ser.

Permíteme, si me lo permites, desplegar esta idea como si fuera un tapiz mitológico, tejido con los hilos del caos y el orden, porque eso es lo que hacemos cuando nos enfrentamos a la condición humana, ¿no es así? Nos esforzamos por dar sentido al cosmos, por encontrar un faro en la tormenta.

Ahora, consideremos esta proposición: la felicidad, esa efímera mariposa que revolotea en los márgenes de nuestra conciencia, no es, como podrías suponer ingenuamente, el summum bonum, el pináculo de la existencia. No, señor, no lo es. La felicidad es un estado fugaz, una sombra danzante en la caverna platónica, un destello momentáneo que se desvanece en cuanto intentas apresarlo. Es como tratar de agarrar el agua con las manos: cuanto más aprietas, más se escurre. Y aquí está el quid de la cuestión, la médula de la narrativa: perseguir la felicidad como si fuera el telos, el fin último de tu peregrinaje existencial, es una empresa quijotesca, una búsqueda condenada a la futilidad, porque la felicidad no es un destino; es un subproducto, un acompañante caprichoso que aparece y desaparece según los caprichos del destino. Pero entonces, ¿cuál es el antídoto? ¿Cuál es la brújula que orienta al alma en esta travesía a través del desierto de la modernidad? Aquí, amigo mío, es donde debemos invocar el espectro del propósito, esa fuerza titánica, ese Logos encarnado que nos llama a trascender la mera gratificación hedónica y a alinearnos con algo más grande, algo más profundo, algo que resuene con las estructuras arquetípicas que han guiado a la humanidad desde las fogatas de la prehistoria hasta los rascacielos de la posmodernidad. El propósito, verás, no es una abstracción frívola; es el eje alrededor del cual gira la rueda de la vida. Es la carga que eliges llevar voluntariamente, como el héroe mitológico que levanta el mundo sobre sus hombros, no porque sea fácil, sino porque es necesario.

Y no me malinterpretes, porque esto no es un juego de niños. Asumir un propósito es enfrentarte al dragón del caos, es mirar fijamente al abismo y decir: “No me doblegarás”. Es la disposición a soportar el sufrimiento —porque, créeme, el sufrimiento vendrá, tan seguro como el sol sale por el este— y transformarlo en algo redentor, algo que eleve tu existencia más allá de los confines de lo mundano. Porque, ¿qué es la vida sino una serie de tragedias potenciales, una danza perpetua al borde del precipicio? Y sin embargo, en esa danza, en esa lucha, encontramos significado. No es la ausencia de dolor lo que define una vida bien vivida, sino la valentía de avanzar a pesar de él, de construir orden a partir del caos, de erigir un templo de significado en medio de la entropía.

Así que, cuando decimos que la felicidad es pasajera y nuestro objetivo es perseguir un propósito, no estamos simplemente lanzando una frase al éter; estamos articulando una verdad que ha sido destilada a través de milenios de lucha humana, desde los mitos de Gilgamesh hasta las reflexiones de los estoicos, desde las catedrales góticas hasta las bibliotecas de la Ilustración. Es una invitación a reorientar tu brújula interna, a dejar de perseguir el espejismo de la felicidad y, en cambio, abrazar la carga gloriosa del propósito, porque en esa carga, en esa responsabilidad autoimpuesta, encuentras no solo significado, sino la posibilidad de trascendencia. Y eso, amigo mío, es la aventura más noble que un ser humano puede emprender.

@ 8f69ac99:4f92f5fd

Dizem-nos que a inflação é necessária. Mas e se for, afinal, a raiz da disfunção económica que enfrentamos?

A crença mainstream é clara: para estimular o crescimento, os governos devem poder desvalorizar a sua moeda — essencialmente, criar dinheiro do nada. Supostamente, isso incentiva o investimento, aumenta o consumo e permite responder a crises económicas. Esta narrativa foi repetida tantas vezes que se tornou quase um axioma — raramente questionado.

No centro desta visão está a lógica fiat-keynesiana: uma economia estável exige um banco central disposto a manipular o valor do dinheiro para alcançar certos objectivos políticos. Esta abordagem, inspirada por John Maynard Keynes, defende a intervenção estatal como forma de estabilizar a economia durante recessões. Na teoria, os investidores e consumidores beneficiam de taxas de juro artificiais e de maior poder de compra — um suposto ganho para todos.

Mas há outra perspectiva: a visão do dinheiro sólido (sound money, em inglês). Enraizada na escola austríaca e nos princípios da liberdade individual, esta defende que a manipulação monetária não é apenas desnecessária — é prejudicial. Uma moeda estável, não sujeita à depreciação arbitrária, é essencial para promover trocas voluntárias, empreendedorismo e crescimento económico genuíno.

Está na hora de desafiar esta sabedoria convencional. Ao longo dos próximos capítulos, vamos analisar os pressupostos errados que sustentam a lógica fiat-keynesiana e explorar os benefícios de um sistema baseado em dinheiro sólido — como Bitcoin. Vamos mostrar por que desvalorizar a moeda é moralmente questionável e economicamente prejudicial, e propor alternativas mais éticas e eficazes.

Este artigo (que surge em resposta ao "guru" Miguel Milhões) pretende iluminar as diferenças entre estas duas visões opostas e apresentar uma abordagem mais sólida e justa para a política económica — centrada na liberdade pessoal, na responsabilidade individual e na preservação de instituições financeiras saudáveis.

O Argumento Fiat: Por que Dizem que é Preciso Desvalorizar a Moeda

Este argumento parte geralmente de uma visão económica keynesiana e/ou estatista e assenta em duas ideias principais: o incentivo ao investimento e a necessidade de resposta a emergências.

Incentivo ao Investimento

Segundo os defensores do sistema fiat, se uma moeda como o ouro ou bitcoin valorizar ao longo do tempo, as pessoas tenderão a "acumular" essa riqueza em vez de investir em negócios produtivos. O receio é que, se guardar dinheiro se torna mais rentável do que investir, a economia entre em estagnação.

Esta ideia parte de uma visão simplista do comportamento humano. Na realidade, as pessoas tomam decisões financeiras com base em múltiplos factores. Embora seja verdade que activos valorizáveis são atractivos, isso não significa que os investimentos desapareçam. Pelo contrário, o surgimento de activos como bitcoin cria novas oportunidades de inovação e investimento.

Historicamente, houve crescimento económico em períodos de moeda sólida — como no padrão-ouro. Uma moeda estável e previsível pode incentivar o investimento, ao dar confiança nos retornos futuros.

Resposta a Emergências

A segunda tese é que os governos precisam de imprimir dinheiro rapidamente em tempos de crise — pandemias, guerras ou recessões. Esta capacidade de intervenção é vista como essencial para "salvar" a economia.

De acordo com economistas keynesianos, uma injecção rápida de liquidez pode estabilizar a economia e evitar colapsos sociais. No entanto, este argumento ignora vários pontos fundamentais:

• A política monetária não substitui a responsabilidade fiscal: A capacidade de imprimir dinheiro não torna automaticamente eficaz o estímulo económico.
• A inflação é uma consequência provável: A impressão de dinheiro pode levar a pressões inflacionistas, reduzindo o poder de compra dos consumidores e minando o próprio estímulo pretendido. Estamos agora a colher os "frutos" da impressão de dinheiro durante a pandemia.
• O timing é crítico: Intervenções mal cronometradas podem agravar a situação.

Veremos em seguida porque estes argumentos não se sustentam.

Rebatendo os Argumentos

O Investimento Não Morre num Sistema de Dinheiro Sólido

O argumento de que o dinheiro sólido mata o investimento falha em compreender a ligação entre poupança e capital. Num sistema sólido, a poupança não é apenas acumulação — é capital disponível para financiar novos projectos. Isso conduz a um crescimento mais sustentável, baseado na qualidade e não na especulação.

Em contraste, o sistema fiat, com crédito barato, gera bolhas e colapsos — como vimos em 2008 ou na bolha dot-com. Estes exemplos ilustram os perigos da especulação facilitada por políticas monetárias artificiais.

Já num sistema de dinheiro sólido, como o que cresce em torno de Bitcoin, vemos investimentos em mineração, startups, educação e arte. Os investidores continuam activos — mas fazem escolhas mais responsáveis e de longo prazo.

Imprimir Dinheiro Não Resolve Crises

A ideia de que imprimir dinheiro é essencial em tempos de crise parte de uma ilusão perigosa. A inflação que se segue reduz o poder de compra e afecta especialmente os mais pobres — é uma forma oculta de imposto.

Além disso, soluções descentralizadas — como os mercados, redes comunitárias e poupança — são frequentemente mais eficazes. A resposta à COVID-19 ilustra isso: grandes empresas foram salvas, mas pequenos negócios e famílias ficaram para trás. Os últimos receberam um amuse-bouche, enquanto os primeiros comeram o prato principal, sopa, sobremesa e ainda levaram os restos.

A verdade é que imprimir dinheiro não cria valor — apenas o redistribui injustamente. A verdadeira resiliência nasce de comunidades organizadas e de uma base económica saudável, não de decretos políticos.

Dois Mundos: Fiat vs. Dinheiro Sólido

| Dimensão | Sistema Fiat-Keynesiano | Sistema de Dinheiro Sólido | |----------|--------------------------|-----------------------------| | Investimento | Estimulado por crédito fácil, alimentando bolhas | Baseado em poupança real e oportunidades sustentáveis | | Resposta a crises | Centralizada, via impressão de moeda | Descentralizada, baseada em poupança e solidariedade | | Preferência temporal | Alta: foco no consumo imediato | Baixa: foco na poupança e no futuro | | Distribuição de riqueza | Favorece os próximos ao poder (Efeito Cantillon) | Benefícios da deflação são distribuídos de forma mais justa | | Fundamento moral | Coercivo e redistributivo | Voluntário e baseado na liberdade individual |

Estes contrastes mostram que a escolha entre os dois sistemas vai muito além da economia — é também uma questão ética.

Consequências de Cada Sistema

O Mundo Fiat

Num mundo dominado pelo sistema fiat, os ciclos de euforia e colapso são a norma. A desigualdade aumenta, com os mais próximos ao poder a lucrar com a inflação e a impressão de dinheiro. A poupança perde valor, e a autonomia financeira das pessoas diminui.

À medida que o Estado ganha mais controlo sobre a economia, os cidadãos perdem capacidade de escolha e dependem cada vez mais de apoios governamentais. Esta dependência destrói o espírito de iniciativa e promove o conformismo.

O resultado? Estagnação, conflitos sociais e perda de liberdade.

O Mundo com Dinheiro Sólido

Com uma moeda sólida, o crescimento é baseado em valor real. As pessoas poupam mais, investem melhor e tornam-se mais independentes financeiramente. As comunidades tornam-se mais resilientes, e a cooperação substitui a dependência estatal.

Benefícios chave:

• Poupança real: A moeda não perde valor, e a riqueza pode ser construída com estabilidade.
• Resiliência descentralizada: Apoio mútuo entre indivíduos e comunidades em tempos difíceis.
• Liberdade económica: Menor interferência política e mais espaço para inovação e iniciativa pessoal.

Conclusão

A desvalorização da moeda não é uma solução — é um problema. Os sistemas fiat estão desenhados para transferir riqueza e poder de forma opaca, perpetuando injustiças e instabilidade.

Por outro lado, o dinheiro sólido — como Bitcoin — oferece uma alternativa credível e ética. Promove liberdade, responsabilidade e transparência. Impede abusos de poder e expõe os verdadeiros custos da má governação.

Não precisamos de mais inflação — precisamos de mais integridade.

Está na hora de recuperarmos o controlo sobre a nossa vida financeira. De rejeitarmos os sistemas que nos empobrecem lentamente e de construirmos um futuro em que o dinheiro serve as pessoas — e não os interesses políticos.

O futuro do dinheiro pode e deve ser diferente. Juntos, podemos criar uma economia mais justa, livre e resiliente — onde a prosperidade é partilhada e a dignidade individual respeitada.

---

Photo by rc.xyz NFT gallery on Unsplash

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

You don’t need a fancy camera to dive into the miniature universe—your phone + a few tricks are all it takes! Macro photography with a smartphone can reveal incredible textures, patterns, insects, flowers, and everyday details most people miss. Here’s how to get the best out of it:

🔧 1. Use a Macro Lens Attachment (If Possible)

• Clip-on macro lenses are affordable and boost your phone's close-up power
• Look for 10x–20x lenses for best results
• Make sure it’s aligned perfectly with your phone’s lens

✨ 2. Get Really Close (but Not Too Close)

• Phones typically focus best at 2–5 cm in macro mode
• Slowly move your phone toward the subject until it comes into sharp focus
• If it blurs, back off slightly—tiny shifts matter a lot!

📸 3. Tap to Focus & Adjust Exposure

• Tap on your subject to lock focus
• Adjust brightness manually if your phone allows—slightly underexposed often looks better in macro

🌤️ 4. Use Natural Light or a Diffused Flash

• Soft natural light (like early morning or cloudy day) gives the best macro results
• Use white paper to bounce light or your hand to gently shade direct sun
• If using flash, try diffusing it with a tissue or tape for a softer effect

🧍‍♂️ 5. Steady Yourself

• Use both hands, brace against something, or use a tripod for stability
• Try your phone’s timer or remote shutter (via headphones or Bluetooth) to avoid shake

🧽 6. Clean Your Lens

• Macro shows everything—including dust and fingerprints
• Always wipe your lens gently before shooting

🌀 7. Explore Textures & Patterns

• Get creative with leaves, feathers, skin, fabrics, ice, fruit, rust, insects—anything with rich texture
• Look for symmetry, contrast, or repetition in tiny subjects

🧑‍🎨 8. Edit Smart

• Use apps like Snapseed, Lightroom Mobile, or your built-in editor
• Adjust sharpness, contrast, warmth, and cropping carefully
• Avoid over-sharpening—it can make things look unnatural

🎯 Bonus Tip: Try Manual Camera Apps

• Apps like Halide (iOS), ProCamera, or Camera+ 2 let you control ISO, shutter speed, and focus manually
• Great for getting extra precision

Macro phoneography is about patience and curiosity. Once you start noticing the tiny wonders around you, you’ll see the world a little differently.

@ f32184ee:6d1c17bf

Ads Fueling Freedom

Ross Ulbricht’s "Decentralize Social Media" painted a picture of a user-centric, decentralized future that transcended the limitations of platforms like the tech giants of today. Though focused on social media, his concept provided a blueprint for decentralized content systems writ large. The PROMO Protocol, designed by NextBlock while participating in Sovereign Engineering, embodies this blueprint in the realm of advertising, leveraging Nostr and Bitcoin’s Lightning Network to give individuals control, foster a multi-provider ecosystem, and ensure secure value exchange. In this way, Ulbricht’s 2021 vision can be seen as a prescient prediction of the PROMO Protocol’s structure. This is a testament to the enduring power of his ideas, now finding form in NextBlock’s innovative approach.

[Current Platform-Centric Paradigm, source: Ross Ulbricht's Decentralize Social Media]

Ulbricht’s Vision: A Decentralized Social Protocol

In his 2021 Medium article Ulbricht proposed a revolutionary vision for a decentralized social protocol (DSP) to address the inherent flaws of centralized social media platforms, such as privacy violations and inconsistent content moderation. Writing from prison, Ulbricht argued that decentralization could empower users by giving them control over their own content and the value they create, while replacing single, monolithic platforms with a competitive ecosystem of interface providers, content servers, and advertisers. Though his focus was on social media, Ulbricht’s ideas laid a conceptual foundation that strikingly predicts the structure of NextBlock’s PROMO Protocol, a decentralized advertising system built on the Nostr protocol.

[A Decentralized Social Protocol (DSP), source: Ross Ulbricht's Decentralize Social Media]

Ulbricht’s Principles

Ulbricht’s article outlines several key principles for his DSP: * User Control: Users should own their content and dictate how their data and creations generate value, rather than being subject to the whims of centralized corporations. * Decentralized Infrastructure: Instead of a single platform, multiple interface providers, content hosts, and advertisers interoperate, fostering competition and resilience. * Privacy and Autonomy: Decentralized solutions for profile management, hosting, and interactions would protect user privacy and reduce reliance on unaccountable intermediaries. * Value Creation: Users, not platforms, should capture the economic benefits of their contributions, supported by decentralized mechanisms for transactions.

These ideas were forward-thinking in 2021, envisioning a shift away from the centralized giants dominating social media at the time. While Ulbricht didn’t specifically address advertising protocols, his framework for decentralization and user empowerment extends naturally to other domains, like NextBlock’s open-source offering: the PROMO Protocol.

NextBlock’s Implementation of PROMO Protocol

The PROMO Protocol powers NextBlock's Billboard app, a decentralized advertising protocol built on Nostr, a simple, open protocol for decentralized communication. The PROMO Protocol reimagines advertising by: * Empowering People: Individuals set their own ad prices (e.g., 500 sats/minute), giving them direct control over how their attention or space is monetized. * Marketplace Dynamics: Advertisers set budgets and maximum bids, competing within a decentralized system where a 20% service fee ensures operational sustainability. * Open-Source Flexibility: As an open-source protocol, it allows multiple developers to create interfaces or apps on top of it, avoiding the single-platform bottleneck Ulbricht critiqued. * Secure Payments: Using Strike Integration with Bitcoin Lightning Network, NextBlock enables bot-resistant and intermediary-free transactions, aligning value transfer with each person's control.

This structure decentralizes advertising in a way that mirrors Ulbricht’s broader vision for social systems, with aligned principles showing a specific use case: monetizing attention on Nostr.

Aligned Principles

Ulbricht’s 2021 article didn’t explicitly predict the PROMO Protocol, but its foundational concepts align remarkably well with NextBlock's implementation the protocol’s design: * Autonomy Over Value: Ulbricht argued that users should control their content and its economic benefits. In the PROMO Protocol, people dictate ad pricing, directly capturing the value of their participation. Whether it’s their time, influence, or digital space, rather than ceding it to a centralized ad network. * Ecosystem of Providers: Ulbricht envisioned multiple providers replacing a single platform. The PROMO Protocol’s open-source nature invites a similar diversity: anyone can build interfaces or tools on top of it, creating a competitive, decentralized advertising ecosystem rather than a walled garden. * Decentralized Transactions: Ulbricht’s DSP implied decentralized mechanisms for value exchange. NextBlock delivers this through the Bitcoin Lightning Network, ensuring that payments for ads are secure, instantaneous and final, a practical realization of Ulbricht’s call for user-controlled value flows. * Privacy and Control: While Ulbricht emphasized privacy in social interactions, the PROMO Protocol is public by default. Individuals are fully aware of all data that they generate since all Nostr messages are signed. All participants interact directly via Nostr.

[Blueprint Match, source NextBlock]

---

Who We Are

NextBlock is a US-based new media company reimagining digital ads for a decentralized future. Our founders, software and strategy experts, were hobbyist podcasters struggling to promote their work online without gaming the system. That sparked an idea: using new tech like Nostr and Bitcoin to build a decentralized attention market for people who value control and businesses seeking real connections.

Our first product, Billboard, is launching this June.

Open for All

Our model’s open-source! Check out the PROMO Protocol, built for promotion and attention trading. Anyone can join this decentralized ad network. Run your own billboard or use ours. This is a growing ecosystem for a new ad economy.

Our Vision

NextBlock wants to help build a new decentralized internet. Our revolutionary and transparent business model will bring honest revenue to companies hosting valuable digital spaces. Together, we will discover what our attention is really worth.

Read our Manifesto to learn more.

NextBlock is registered in Texas, USA.

@ 92f1335f:2c8220d1

Chapter 3: The Surge (2021)

The world changed fast in 2021. Bitcoin became front-page news. Celebrities tweeted about it. Companies added it to their balance sheets. Even skeptics started to reconsider.

Jonathan watched the price rocket past $40,000… then $50,000… then $60,000.

He was no longer just “that guy who bought crypto once.” Suddenly, people were asking for advice—his friends, coworkers, even his skeptical dad.

He didn’t become a millionaire overnight, but he made enough to make real changes. He cashed out a portion, paid off his student loans, and took his mom on a vacation she'd always dreamed of.

But he kept the rest. He believed this was just the beginning.

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

Texel, the largest of the Dutch Wadden Islands, is a peaceful, windswept escape in the North Sea, known for its wide sandy beaches, unique landscapes, and laid-back island vibe. Just a short ferry ride from the mainland, Texel offers a perfect mix of nature, wildlife, local culture, and coastal relaxation.

🏖️ Top Things to Do on Texel

🚲 Cycle Across the Island

• With over 140 km of bike paths, cycling is the best way to explore
• Ride through dunes, forests, sheep pastures, and cute villages like De Koog and Oudeschild

🌾 Explore Dunes & Beaches

• Visit Dunes of Texel National Park—a coastal dream with rolling dunes, hiking trails, and wildflowers
• Relax on vast, quiet beaches perfect for swimming, kite flying, or just soaking up sea air

🐑 Texel Sheep & Local Farms

• Meet the island’s famous Texel sheep—known for their wool and adorable lambs
• Stop by local farms for cheese tastings, ice cream, or a farm tour

🐦 Spot Wildlife at De Slufter

• A unique salt marsh where tidal water flows in naturally
• Great for birdwatching—home to spoonbills, geese, and waders
• Beautiful walking trails with views over the dunes and out to sea

🐋 Ecomare Marine Center

• Learn about Texel’s marine life, see seals and seabirds, and explore interactive exhibits
• A hit for families and nature lovers alike

🍺 Taste Texel

• Try local specialties like Texels beer, lamb dishes, cranberry treats, and fresh seafood
• Cozy beach pavilions and harbor-side restaurants offer stunning sunset views

🚢 Getting to Texel

• Take the ferry from Den Helder (crossing time: ~20 minutes)
• Cars, bikes, and pedestrians all welcome
• Once on the island, biking or local buses make getting around easy

🏡 Where to Stay

• Choose from beachside hotels, charming B&Bs, cozy cabins, or campsites
• Many places offer serene views of dunes, fields, or sea

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

There’s an annoying trend on Twitter wherein the algorithm feeds you a lot of threads like “five keys to gaining wealth” or “10 mistakes to avoid in relationships” that list a bunch of hacks for some ostensibly desirable state of affairs which for you is presumably lacking. It’s not that the hacks are wrong per se, more that the medium is the message. Reading threads about hacks on social media is almost surely not the path toward whatever is promised by them.

. . .

I’ve tried a lot of health supplements over the years. These days creatine is trendy, and of course Vitamin D (which I still take.) I don’t know if this is helping me, though it surely helps me pass my blood tests with robust levels. The more I learn about health and nutrition, the less I’m sure of anything beyond a few basics. Yes, replacing processed food with real food, moving your body and getting some sun are almost certainly good, but it’s harder to know how particular interventions affect me.

Maybe some of them work in the short term then lose their effect, Maybe some work better for particular phenotypes, but not for mine. Maybe my timing in the day is off, or I’m not combining them correctly for my lifestyle and circumstances. The body is a complex system, and complex systems are characterized by having unpredictable outputs given changes to initial conditions (inputs).

. . .

I started getting into Padel recently — a mini-tennis-like game where you can hit the ball off the back walls. I’d much rather chase a ball around for exercise than run or work out, and there’s a social aspect I enjoy. (By “social aspect”, I don’t really mean getting to know the people with whom I’m playing, but just the incidental interactions you get during the game, joking about it, for example, when you nearly impale someone at the net with a hard forehand.)

A few months ago, I was playing with some friends, and I was a little off. It’s embarrassing to play poorly at a sport, especially when (as is always the case in Padel) you have a doubles partner you’re letting down. Normally I’d be excoriating myself for my poor play, coaching myself to bend my knees more, not go for winners so much. But that day, I was tired — for some reason I hadn’t slept well — and I didn’t have the energy for much internal monologue. I just mishit a few balls, felt stupid about it and kept playing.

After a few games, my fortunes reversed. I was hitting the ball cleanly, smashing winners, rarely making errors. My partner and I started winning games and then sets. I was enjoying myself. In the midst of it I remember hitting an easy ball into the net and reflexively wanting to self-coach again. I wondered, “What tips did I give to right the ship when I had been playing poorly at the outset?” I racked my brain as I waited for the serve and realized, to my surprise, there had been none. The turnaround in my play was not due to self-coaching but its absence. I had started playing better because my mind had finally shut the fuck up for once.

Now when I’m not playing well, I resist, to the extent I’m capable, the urge to meddle. I intend to be more mind-less. Not so much telling the interior coach to shut up but not buying into the premise there is a problem to be solved at all. The coach isn’t just ignored, he’s fired. And he’s not just fired, his role was obsoleted.

You blew the point, you’re embarrassed about it and there’s nothing that needs to be done about it. Or that you started coaching yourself like a fool and made things worse. No matter how much you are doing the wrong thing nothing needs to be done about any of it whatsoever. There is always another ball coming across the net that needs to be struck until the game is over.

. . .

Most of the hacks, habits and heuristics we pick up to manage our lives only serve as yet more inputs in unfathomably complex systems whose outputs rarely track as we’d like. There are some basic ones that are now obvious to everyone like not injecting yourself with heroin (or mRNA boosters), but for the most part we just create more baggage for ourselves which justifies ever more hacks. It’s like taking medication for one problem that causes side effects, and then you need another medicine for that side effect, rinse and repeat, ad infinitum.

But this process can be reverse-engineered too. For every heuristic you drop, the problem it was put into place to solve re-emerges and has a chance to be observed. Observing won’t solve it, it’ll just bring it into the fold, give the complex system of which it is a part a chance to achieve an equilibrium with respect to it on its own.

You might still be embarrassed when you mishit the ball, but embarrassment is not a problem. And if embarrassment is not a problem, then mishitting a ball isn’t that bad. And if mishitting a ball isn’t that bad, then maybe you’re not worrying about what happens if you botch the next shot, instead fixing your attention on the ball. And so you disappear a little bit into the game, and it’s more fun as a result.

I honestly wish there were a hack for this — being more mindless — but I don’t know of any. And in any event, hack Substacks won’t get you any farther than hack Twitter threads.

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

Perched on the northern coast of Poland, Gdańsk is a stunning port city with a unique blend of Hanseatic charm, maritime heritage, and resilience through centuries of dramatic history. With its colorful façades, cobbled streets, and strong cultural identity, Gdańsk is one of Poland’s most compelling cities—perfect for history buffs, architecture lovers, and coastal wanderers.

🏛️ What to See & Do in Gdańsk

🌈 Stroll Down Długi Targ (Long Market)

• The heart of Gdańsk’s Old Town, lined with beautifully restored colorful merchant houses
• Admire the Neptune Fountain, Artus Court, and the grand Main Town Hall

⚓ The Crane (Żuraw) & Motława River

• Gdańsk’s medieval port crane is an iconic symbol of its maritime past
• Walk along the Motława River promenade, with boats, cafés, and views of historic granaries

⛪ St. Mary’s Church (Bazylika Mariacka)

• One of the largest brick churches in the world
• Climb the tower for panoramic views of the city and harbor

🕊️ Learn Gdańsk’s Layers of History

🏰 Westerplatte

• The site where World War II began in 1939
• A powerful memorial and museum amid coastal nature

🛠️ European Solidarity Centre

• A striking modern museum dedicated to the Solidarity movement that helped end communism in Poland
• Insightful, moving, and highly interactive

🏖️ Relax by the Baltic Sea

• Head to Brzeźno Beach or nearby Sopot for golden sands, seaside promenades, and beach cafés
• In summer, the Baltic vibes are strong—swimming, sunsets, and pier strolls

🍽️ Tastes of Gdańsk

• Try pierogi, fresh Baltic fish, golden smoked cheese, and żurek soup
• Visit a local milk bar or enjoy a craft beer at one of Gdańsk’s buzzing breweries
• Don’t miss the amber jewelry shops—Gdańsk is known as the Amber Capital of the World

🚆 Getting There

• Easily reached by train or plane from Warsaw and other major European cities
• Compact city center—walkable and scenic

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

Lake Bled is straight out of a storybook—an emerald alpine lake with a tiny island crowned by a church, surrounded by forested hills and overlooked by a clifftop castle. Just an hour from Ljubljana, this Slovenian gem is perfect for romantic getaways, outdoor adventures, or a peaceful escape into nature.

🌊 Top Things to Do in Bled

🛶 Bled Island & Church of the Assumption

• Take a traditional pletna boat or rent a rowboat to reach the only natural island in Slovenia
• Ring the church bell and make a wish—it’s a local tradition!
• Enjoy serene lake views from the island’s stone steps

🏰 Bled Castle (Blejski Grad)

• Perched on a cliff 130 meters above the lake
• Explore the medieval halls, museum, and wine cellar
• The terrace views? Absolutely unforgettable—especially at sunset

🚶‍♂️ Walk or Cycle the Lakeside Path

• A 6 km flat path circles the lake—perfect for a leisurely stroll or bike ride
• Stop for lakeside cafés, photo ops, or a quick swim in summer

🌄 Outdoor Adventures Beyond the Lake

• Hike to Mala Osojnica Viewpoint for the most iconic panoramic view of Lake Bled
• Go paddleboarding, kayaking, or swimming in warmer months
• Nearby Vintgar Gorge offers a stunning wooden path through a narrow, turquoise canyon

🍰 Try the Famous Bled Cream Cake (Kremšnita)

• A must-try dessert with layers of vanilla custard, cream, and crispy pastry
• Best enjoyed with a coffee on a terrace overlooking the lake

🏡 Where to Stay

• Lakeside hotels, cozy guesthouses, or charming Alpine-style B&Bs
• Some even offer views of the lake, castle, or Triglav National Park

🚗 Getting There

• Around 1 hour from Ljubljana by car, bus, or train
• Easy to combine with stops like Lake Bohinj or Triglav National Park

@ ebdee929:513adbad

Screen flicker is a subtle and often overlooked cause of eye strain that many of us deal with daily. We understand this issue firsthand and are working hard to solve it, which is why we build for a different, more caring screen technology. This guide will help you understand screen flicker, how it affects you, and why better screen technology can make a real difference.

A silent epidemic in a LED-driven world

Tired eyes and a drained mind are almost a universal feeling at the end of a work day. That is, if you work a job that requires you to be in front of a computer screen all day… which today is most of us.

Slow motion shows flicker: It's not just screens; nearly all LED environments could flicker. Reddit: PWM_Sensitive

"Digital eye strain" refers to the negative symptoms (dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches, eye fatigue, light sensitivity, neck pain, etc.) that arise from use of digital devices for a prolonged period of time. It is also known as computer vision syndrome. Numbers are hard to pin down for such a commonly occurring issue, but pre COVID (2020) researchers estimated up to 70% prevalence in modern society.

Since COVID-19, things have gotten much worse.

"Digital eye strain has been on the rise since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. An augmented growth pattern has been experienced with prevalence ranging from 5 to 65% in pre-COVID-19 studies to 80–94% in the COVID-19 era. The sudden steep increase in screen and chair time has led way to other silent pandemics like digital eye strain, myopia, musculoskeletal problems, obesity, diabetes etc."

The most common cause outlined by the researchers compiling these digital eye strain reviews is excessive screen time. And they outline the reason for screen time being an issue for the following reasons:

• Technological devices being in a short field of vision
• Devices causing a reduced blink rate
• Poor ergonomics

These are certainly all reasonable causes to highlight, but from our perspective two other key potential causes of digital eye strain are missing: screen flicker and blue light.

Multiple studies show that blue light in isolation can cause mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in the retina. To learn more about blue light, its potentially harmful effects, and how to mitigate them, read our "Definitive Guide on Blue Light".

In this discussion we are going to focus on screen flicker only.

FLICKER: AN INVISIBLE ISSUE

Flicker could be one of the most underrated stressors to our biology, as it is something we are exposed to constantly due to the nature of modern lighting and screens. It is widely agreed upon by both electrical/electronic engineers and scientific researchers that light flicker can cause:

• Headaches, eye strain, blurred vision and migraines
• Aggravation of autism symptoms in children
• Photo epilepsy

This is documented in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1789 standard for best practice in LED lighting applications, amongst other scientific reviews.

The P1789 committee from IEEE identified the following major effects of flicker:

• Photo epilepsy
• Increased repetitive behaviour among people suffering from autism
• Migraine or intense paroxysmal headache
• Asthenopia (eye strain); including fatigue, blurred vision, headache and diminished sight-related task performance
• Anxiety, panic attacks
• Vertigo

Light flicker is pervasive, mainly due to the ubiquitous nature of LEDs in our modern indoor work environments. We are being exposed to light flicker constantly from both light bulb sources and the screens that we stare at all day. This is a main reason why indoor, screen based work seems so draining. The good news is that this can be avoided (from an engineering perspective).

What is flicker?

We must first understand what "flicker actually is" before we can discuss how to avoid it or how to engineer flicker free light solutions.

In its most simple form, flicker can be defined as "a rapid and repeated change in the brightness of light over time (IEEE - PAR1789)".

Flicker can be easily conceptualized when it is visible, however the flicker we are talking about in regards to modern lighting & LEDs is unfortunately invisible to the human eye…which is part of the problem.

Most humans are unable to perceive flicker in oscillation rates above 60-90Hz (60-90 cycles per second). When we can't see something, we have a much more challenging time as a species grasping its effect on how we feel. The above mentioned health effects are directly related to the invisible flicker in terms of its effects on our biology. We can't see it, but our eyes and our brains react to it.

Slow-motion footage comparing DC-1's DC Dimming versus regular PWM Dimming.

For this article, we want to focus specifically on the flicker coming from LEDs used in modern personal electronics. This type of flicker can be shown in the above video of multiple smartphones being filmed with a slow motion camera.

What causes flicker in smartphones and computers?

There are a few different characteristics of a modern electronic display that cause flicker, but the main culprit is something called "PWM dimming".

PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) is an electronics control mechanism that uses pulsed signals as the LED driver function to control the brightness of the device display.

PWM dimming has become the standard way to drive LEDs because it has specific advantages when it comes to retaining color consistency at lower brightness, and is also typically more power efficient. In a PWM dimming application, the diodes are being modulated to turn on and off very rapidly (faster than our eyes can perceive) to reduce the overall appearance of brightness of the light emission of the LEDs (aka luminance).

Brightness control in regular devices is just rapid flickering that looks steady to our eyes.

The lower the brightness setting, the longer the "off time". The "duty cycle" refers to the ratio of the LED being modulated "on" vs the total period of the cycle. Higher screen brightness setting = higher % duty cycle = more "time on" for the LED. This can be visualized in the graphic below.

PWM dimming controls brightness by quickly pulsing the backlight on and off.

PWM dimming has been chosen as the industry standard because of the intrinsic characteristics of the semiconductors in a light-emitting diode (LED) making it challenging to retain color consistency when modulating output illuminance with direct current, also known as Constant Current Reduction (CCR). CCR or "DC dimming" can utilize simpler control circuitry, but at the cost of less precision over the LED performance, especially at low brightness/luminance settings. PWM dimming can also save on overall power consumption.

DC Dimming maintains consistent light output by adjusting direct electrical current.

The downside of PWM dimming is obvious when you see the slow motion videos of the implementation in smartphone displays. The less obvious downside is that a PWM dimmed light means that we are consuming light at its peak output no matter the brightness setting. Because PWM is turning the light on/off constantly, the "ON" portion is always at peak intensity. This combined with the imbalanced light spectrum (blue heavy) can further exacerbate potential concerns of negatively affecting eye health and sleep quality.

The question we must ask then: is it more important for better LED and electronics performance, or is it more important to have screens that are not causing immense stress to our biology?

PWM Flicker on OLED screens vs LCD screens

Not all PWM flicker is created equal. The flicker frequency used for PWM dimming is directly related to how potentially stressful it can be to our eyes and brains. It is well agreed upon that the lower the frequency is, the more it can stress us out and cause eye strain. This is because at a high enough frequency, the oscillations are happening so rapidly that your brain basically perceives them as a continuous signal.

The "risk factor" of flicker is also dependent on the modulation % (similar to duty cycle) of the flicker as well, but since we all use our devices across different brightness settings and modulation % 's, it is best to focus on the frequency as the independent variable in our control.

Left: Non-PWM Flicker Device | Right: PWM Dimming Device. Nick Sutrich YouTube

Up to and including the iPhone 11, liquid crystal displays (LCD) were the standard for smartphones. A big switch was made to OLED display technology and the tech giants have never looked back. When it comes to PWM dimming frequency, there was a big shift when this swap occurred:

• Most LCD display use a PWM frequency of 1000Hz+ or no PWM at all.
• Nearly all OLED smartphone use a PWM frequency of 240Hz or 480Hz.

THE HEALTH RISK OF FLICKERING DEVICES

So why don't OLED screens use higher PWM frequencies? Because of the nature of OLEDs being controlled as singular pixels, they need the lower PWM frequency to maintain that extremely precise color consistency at low brightness settings. This is of course why they use PWM in the first place.

According to the IEEE1789 flicker risk chart for negative health effects, a 480Hz PWM smartphone (iPhone 15 Pro) would be high risk at any level above 40% modulation and a 240Hz PWM phone (Google Pixel 7) would be high risk above 20%. Whereas a phone that used 1000Hz-2000Hz PWM frequency (Nothing, Xiaomi 15) would only be "low risk".

• California law (Title 24), requires that LEDs used in certain applications have a "reduced flicker operation," meaning the percent amplitude modulation (flicker) must be less than 30% at frequencies below 200 Hz → The Google Pixel 7, Galaxy S23 and many iPhones operate at 240Hz and and 60-95% flicker...just above the legal limit!
• The report that recommended these levels states that: "Excessive flicker, even imperceptible flicker, can have deleterious health effects, and lesser amounts can be annoying or impact productivity."

For PWM frequencies above 3000Hz, there is "no risk" according to IEEE1789. If you have ever felt that staring at your iPhone is far more "straining on the eyes" compared to your MacBook, the PWM flicker is likely a large reason for that (alongside the size of the display itself and distance held from the eyes)...because MacBooks have an LCD display and a PWM flicker frequency of 10-20kHz. At that PWM frequency, your brain is perceiving the oscillating light as a continuous signal.

Other causes of flicker

Although PWM dimming is widely agreed upon as the main cause of light flicker in modern consumer electronics displays, it is not the only cause. There are two other potential causes of light flicker we are aware of:

TEMPORAL DITHERING (AKA FRAME RATE CONTROL)

• "Pixel" dithering is a technique used to produce more colors than what a display's panel is capable of by rapidly changing between two different pixel colors. This technique unlocks a tremendous amount of more color possibilities - for example showing colors with 10 bit color depth results in billions of colors vs an 8 bit color depth results in millions of colors. Temporal dithering helps bridge the gap for 8 bit color depth displays.
• OLED displays are more likely to have better (10-bit) color depth vs LCD displays but use of temporal dithering can certainly vary across display technologies.
• Temporal dithering example (video)

AMORPHOUS SILICON (A-SI) THIN FILM TRANSISTOR (TFT) BACKPLANES

• Most commercial displays use a-Si TFT semiconductor technology in their backplanes of their LCD panels.
• This technology works well, but can have a high amount of photo-induced leakage current under back light illumination conditions, which can cause non uniformity of the light output and flicker.
• In simple language, the standard a-Si transistors are less "efficient" in a backlight application…which can lead to inconsistent light output and thus flicker.

The Daylight Computer: 100% Flicker Free

The DC-1 was designed and built purposefully to be flicker free. We wanted to provide a solution both for those suffering with severe eye strain and also to prevent negative optical and cognitive repercussions of flicker for any end consumer.

### HOW THE DC-1 ACHIEVES A FLICKER FREE DISPLAY:

• Using DC dimming instead of PWM dimming
• The most deliberate change made in our electrical design was centered around using a DC/CCR LED driver (aka Constant Current Reduction) instead of a PWM driver. This means that there is no pulsed circuit control around our LED backlight, and therefore no flicker from PWM lightning control.
• Has zero temporal dithering, as is a monochrome display
• The benefit of being black and white is there is no need to have intense pixel switching to create the mirage of billions of different color combinations.
• Uses Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) TFT Technology
• New semiconductor technology that provides better and more efficient performance vs a-Si TFT panels. Results in no flicker at the transistor level.
• Verified by light experts to be flicker free
• "Flicker testing yielded a perfect result using my highly sensitive audio-based flicker meter and the photodiode based FFT testing method: not even a trace of light modulation could be demonstrated with both methods!" — Dr. Alexander Wunsch (M.D., P.hD), Light Scientist

This commitment to a flicker-free experience isn't just theoretical; it's changing lives. We're incredibly moved by stories from users like Tiffany and Juan Diego, who found relief and regained possibilities with the DC-1:

For someone with eye disability, the DC-1 is a dream device. The display is so soft and smooth on my eyes that I was able to take my life back off of hold and return to medical school after a multi year absence.

— Tiffany Yang, Medical student

It took a couple of weeks to transition all my work screen time to the DC-1, but when I did, my eye strain completely went away. Plus, it let me work outside on my terrace.

— Juan Diego

Our eye-strain pilot study

Here at Daylight, we are all about proof of work. That is why we have already kicked off an initial pilot study to see if the DC-1 is actually more "eye friendly" than standard consumer electronic devices…specifically for those suffering from severe digital eye strain.

We have partnered with Dr. Michael Destefano, a neuro-optometrist at the Visual Symptoms Treatment Center in Illinois, to coordinate this pilot study.

MORE PARTICIPANTS NEEDED

Do you suffer from severe digital eye strain, computer vision syndrome, or visual snow syndrome? If you are interested in trying a DC-1 for 30 days as part of the Eye Strain Pilot Study, please send an email to drdestefanoOD@gmail.com with a background on your visual affliction.

Our favorite ways to reduce digital eye strain

Cutting screen time is not always possible, so here are some options that can help:

• Use DC dimming devices whenever possible
• Try minimizing screen time on your smartphone, utilizing a PWM laptop instead
• Try switching to an LCD smartphone or OLED smartphone with a high PWM frequency
• Turn "White Point" mode ON on your smartphone to increase the duty cycle and reduce the PWM dimming effect

Dive deeper with our curated resources

RESEARCH

#### Potential Biological and Ecological Effects of Flickering Artificial Light - PMC

Research shows that animals can detect flicker in common lighting that humans cannot see, which may affect their behavior and well-being in ways we had not considered.

Light Emitting Diode Lighting Flicker, its Impact on Health and the Need to Minimise it

The existing technologies in Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting sometimes cause flicker at frequencies that may have adverse health effects.

Digital Eye Strain- A Comprehensive Review

A comprehensive review of digital eye strain, its prevalence, risk factors, and management strategies in the modern digital era.

VIDEO

Nick Sutrich (Youtube) - Screen PWM Testing and Reviews

YouTube channel dedicated to testing and reviewing screens for PWM flicker, helping users find flicker-free displays.

WEBSITE

Eye Phone Review - Screen Health Reviews

Independent reviews focusing on smartphone displays and their impact on eye health, including PWM measurements and flicker analysis.

RESEARCH

Flicker Measurement NEMA77 and IEEE1789 White Paper

Technical white paper from Signify discussing flicker measurement standards and their implications for LED lighting and displays.