@ 1c6b3be3:73f0ae6f

Releases - No Bullshit Bitcoin

NDK v2.10: Performance Gains, New Tutorials, Cache Adapter, ndk-wallet (2 min) NDK, a user-friendly and reliable Nostr development kit, has released a major update with several new features and improvements. These include optimistic signature verification, which verifies events at different ratios based on whether the relay is unknown or in the user's NIP-65 list. The Nostr Cache Adapter allows developers to connect their apps to a single local relay for caching purposes. A refactored zapping interface now supports various funding and delivery mechanisms beyond Lightning Network (LN).

Additionally, the subscription lifecycle has been refactored for better clarity and fewer dependencies from nostr-tools. Tutorials and other high-level documentation have been added to the project's GitHub repository (nostr-dev-kit.github.io/ndk). The NIP-60 ndk-wallet extension supports nostr-native wallet functionality, enabling token verification, nutzap redemption, UTXO management, and balance tracking for users in a non-KYC manner.

The update was made possible thanks to the support from OpenSats and other generous contributors. The GitHub repository contains the release notes, blog post, and code updates for this new version of NDK.

Aqua Wallet v0.2.0: RBF, Lower Liquid Fees, Native USDT Transactions (1 min) Aqua Wallet, a mobile Bitcoin, Lightning, Liquid, and Tether wallet available on Android and iOS, has released version 0.2.0. The update includes lower Liquid Network transaction fees (now ~40 sats), native Tether USDt transactions with the option to pay fees using USDT, Taproot swaps for instant refunds on failed Lightning sends, more fiat currency display options, RBF for Bitcoin sends, an Internal Send flow as a swap option, Direct Peg-In option for Layer 2 Bitcoin, and added support for Mexas (MEX) stablecoin. Additionally, Beaver Bitcoin and Pocket Bitcoin are now available in the Marketplace for Canada and Europe, respectively. There are also bug fixes throughout the app. Known issues include new fiat currency options not working on the Swap interface, where USD values must still be entered.

🍵 "btc | bitcoin | lightning network | asic" - Google News

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@ 77b64ba1:87834c6e

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58a24a31f7e0abbb0fcc80a7/0298439c-b631-4127-b9b2-c76b8c8c83cd/refinances+are+coming.jpg?format=2500w

We at Arete think it is important to write about refinances at this time.

Reasons being:

• Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell recently indicated that Fed Rate drops are on the horizon.
• And while there has been speculation of rate drops in the past, this time Jay Powell actually said it himself
• Powell has been consistently transparent regarding the Fed’s intention for how the Money Market will be managed, especially since the Covid liquidity crisis and subsequent high inflation.

This time we think it’s true; rate drops will probably start before the presidential election, and subsequently mortgage interest will drop as well (or we’re wrong…like everyone else again).

We’re going to break down what refinancing is in the context of mortgages, why you should do it, and what we believe borrowers need to do in order to not leave money on the table.

What is Refinancing?

• Refinancing is an extremely common and important component of debt management.

• Essentially, refinancing is when you get a new loan to pay off an existing loan.

  Most people refinance to take advantage of lower interest rates. You get a lower interest rate, which often means lower monthly payments and paying less interest over the period of the loan.

In many home mortgage markets around the world, refinancing is less common. Here are some reasons why that may be:

• Most mortgage markets offer short loan periods, variable mortgage rates, and/or prepayment penalties.
• With such terms, it can be much harder for a consumer to justify the closing costs of refinancing and to know they will benefit from such an action

That is not how the US mortgage market works.

The US mortgage market is truly unique:

• It is dominated by long term, fixed rate, no pre-payment mortgages.
• You know exactly what you are getting for the duration of the loan and how it will play out into the future.

While there is a clear benefit to the US mortgage consumer, they can also be a double-edged sword.

A fixed long term mortgage will protect you from exposure to higher interest rate markets that a variable rate mortgage would expose you to. This is nice because you always know that your payment won't go up. However, because it is fixed, without refinancing, you would not reap any benefits when interest rates go down. This can be particularly painful and costly for a holder of a long term mortgage with a high interest rate. If you don’t want to pay your bank or mortgage holder extra money every month over the life of the loan,you have to take action. Taking action is especially important if your mortgage is new since you pay more interest at the beginning of a mortgage’s amortization than the end of it.

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58a24a31f7e0abbb0fcc80a7/ea4f7735-1621-4167-ad44-17d44e093864/why+not+both.jpg?format=2500w

So, what is one to do? If you don’t want to get into cost/benefit analysis about refinancing and the months to recoup the cost (totally understandable), the key is to keep it simple; it’s all just math in the end. The old simple strategies that applied in the 1980’s of ‘waiting until rates are 2% lower than your existing rate’ may have made sense with a $30,000 mortgage. But now it makes no sense to wait if you are holding a $400,000+ mortgage that you are only a few years into the term. You’d cry if you knew how much interest you paid waiting for that to happen with today’s loan amounts and rates. The strategy everyone should be deploying at the least is this:

If you can refinance your mortgage and lower your rate, by even an eighth of a percentage (say 7% to 6.875%), and you can do so with lender credits that cover the transaction fees (excluding escrow), you should do so without hesitation.

Why? Because if the market is at a point where a bank will pay you to lower your rate ; there is no downside. You lose nothing and simply gain a lower interest rate, meaning a lower payment and less interest paid, and you paid nothing to get it. Yes, you do start your mortgage amortization schedule over, but if you are wanting to maintain the same amortization schedule, it is easy enough to tack on an extra $50 or so of principal payments to your monthly payment (we’d gladly help you figure this part out). You still gain the lower minimum payment and pay less interest over time. Rates drop again? Then, you apply the same strategy again, and again, and again whenever possible. Waiting until rates ‘drop enough’ is akin to not walking away from the craps table with your gains, because if rates go up and you miss the opportunity…you’ve just lost big time and don’t know when you’ll ‘be up’ again. Keep it simple, lower your rate when you can for free, and you will have the lowest rate that was possible over any time period without worrying about your cost to recoup or other metrics necessary to justify other refi scenarios. Our most successful clients executed this strategy in the last refi market which ensured they got the lowest rate possible, as early as possible without pouring after cost comparisons to determine the benefit.

Again, the reason you need to be prepared to do this is because of how the US mortgage market works. When the market drops and offers you a lower interest rate for free, it is akin to you being able to margin call the bank on that debt. We have a unique system in the US ; it’s nationally subsidized and offers us an incredible product that no other every day people have access to. With that said, it has its tradeoffs and if you do not act to step down the interest rate ladder yourself when the opportunity arises, especially with how large loan amounts are nowadays, you are gifting quite a lot of money to the holder of your mortgage unnecessarily.

Many of you may be overwhelmed at the idea of watching the market, or perhaps you missed the refinance opportunities of 2020-2021 (though many of you did not!). So please know we are always watching the market and ready to contact clients where an opportunity exists to refinance. With that said you as the consumer can be proactive in letting us know with an email or call that you want to pursue a refinance so that we can prepare accordingly as a team. If you’ve read this far, we hope you found the information useful, and we also really appreciate you as clients that trust us to help you with your mortgage needs. Hope to hear from you soon :)

@ 4dbfcb7c:eb8d1695

For the most part, there are six package mangers that get used in Linux. Sure there are more, but mostly just six are used. A package manger is kind of like an app store. You don't get to choose your main package manager. Your Linux distro picks that.

The three most common main package managers are:

1. apt/dpkg (for Debian based distros)
2. pacman (for Arch based distros)
3. dnf / yum (for Red Hat based distros)

Then there are newer methods for installing packages across multiple distros. These are:

1. Flatpak
2. Appimage (doesn't install system wide)
3. Snapcraft (avoid this one, not true open-source)

Nick Explains

Nick from "The Linux Experiment" does an excellent job of explaining Linux package formats in this video over on TilVids. (Nick left Odysee because he doesn't like platforms that support true freedom.)

If you are a understandably a little confused about all the Linux options, watch Nick's video a couple of times.

In the end it is usually best to install your distro's official repository package unless you want or need a program's latest, greatest features, then you would go with Flatpak or Appimage.

Avoid Snapcraft.

⚡️ Follow | 🗣 Discuss

PackageManagers #Linux #AppStores #FOSS

@ 4dbfcb7c:eb8d1695

There are 3 ways that Linux distros get updated.

These are known as

1. Fixed distros (security updates only)

   • more stable
   • more secure
   • older app versions w/out new app features
   • upgrades every 6months to 2yrs

2. Semi-Rolling Distros (security and 3rd party updates)

   • core distribution files are fixed
   • 3rd party apps are rolling

3. Rolling Distros (security, core, and 3rd party updates)

   • latest app versions
   • less stable
   • possibly more security issues due to newer cutting edge code
   • upgrades a package as soon there's a new release
   • upgrades constantly

Here is an article explaining Rolling vs. Fixed in detail, with a few example distributions.

⚡️ Follow Freedom Tech

RollingVsFixed #FixedDistro #SemiRollingDistro #RollingDistro #FixedVsRolling #Linux #FOSS

@ 8e7462a8:c723a97b

@ 30ceb64e:7f08bdf5

I feel sorry for the laggards who would pile into bitcoin at the last moment. They'll be fleeing into bitcoin through crypto scams, fake L2's, AI social engineering attacks, misinformation from trusted sources and cognitive dissonance. In a rapidly shifting open source environment niched in topics that they hardly understand. And at the bottom of the rabbit hole you have personal responsibility and hard work waiting for you.

I'm assuming uncle jims will do well. They essentially become financial advisors (Recommending Bitcoin products and services, Helping them understand and move up the sovereignty ladder, Holding Keys, Running LSP's, Mints, and Relays).

Its just crazy to imagine that we're entering a world were 20 year olds have a better grasp on how to use money, how money works, and why it works that way.....than most studied economics professionals.

Understanding money is a key piece to human flourishing and survival, many will succumb to being slaves of their own ignorance, doomed to live out the rest of their days as hungry ghosts, pulling knobs and levers of which have no real meaning or consequence.

https://cdn.satellite.earth/40f7fa81b77c2097ee499cd63d47e66b245aedb20d9a782f33622427c5179dab.webp

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/636597

@ efa6abd0:a4970369

A freedom weaver behind-the-story

When thinking of a story, nothing allows us as deep an association as giving a name to a character or setting. We recognize it, relate to it, associate it with our very lives and the choices we make. Rarely, however, do we know why the writer chose them. Here's the story behind the first three names:

---

Xileh

Scouring through hundreds of names and their meanings, the first name selection did not come from known names.

Xileh is Helix backward.

A grandfather figure, Xileh has an association to DNA as a reminder of how we can trace our history back across time. The past carries many contrasts and lessons. Our genetics give us a foundation with which to discover the world. Our experiences and actions add to our knowledge base. Humanity itself carries information across time through genes, stories, books, technology, architecture, and anything that we build or help preserve...

Xileh represents the past that gave us today. In not knowing the past, however, we always run the risk of repeating the same patterns. Xileh represents the memory of the past, and he will challenge the storyline to break those negative pattern loops.

What will we do with our todays to help shape future generations’ tomorrows?

---

Toril

To select a main character's name carries more weight than others, as if it should embody what we’re hoping from the entire storyline.

The name Skylar was almost chosen instead of Toril. Depending on the source, its meaning varies from student to noble scholar. At first, it seemed like a good choice, because it has an association to learning, and tech is about diving into many rabbit holes. However, I did not like the association to a more structured way of learning, as some of the best learning is flexible, practical, adaptable, outside of rigor. It doesn't require any nobility.

Toril's literal meaning in Old Norse is Thor’s battle. Yet, it was chosen for all of its associations to tech.

Most people may not derive a technical meaning from Toril, but we can associate it in multiple ways. Thor is often seen as the God of thunder, lightning and strength. If we look at technology, it is a strength put together by many human lifetimes of knowledge blocks built upon knowledge blocks. It is larger than any of us.

Nostr + Zaps

Lightning itself is a force of nature, yet Thor carries it in a hammer, which can be seen as a tool. Technology is a tool empowering the individual. Lightning, the tech, is a tool anyone could learn to wield, and so is something else: Zaps. They carry the same symbolism.

Thunder is sometimes associated with a voice from the sky. Not the same, but in today's world, we can communicate across the vast cyberspace. We may see that as normal, but it is a gift many generations before us never had. Thunder might be seen as unstoppable in nature, protocols like nostr carry similar qualities. Nostr can give us a voice, one that cannot be censored.

If we look at nostr and bitcoin, it’s as if this name could marry both ideas. We can have a voice in nostr, but we also carry it and support it through micropayments in zaps.

Personal battles

Toril itself is a reference to battle. Although it is often difficult to understand what is happening at a tech level, much like it is difficult to understand what happens at a cellular level, if we learn enough about tech, we can see a battle to protect and empower the individual against transgressions on human rights and freedoms. Many of these can happen in the digital realm, hidden under the surface, and we will see some of their negative effects within freedom weaver.

The principle of privacy within its associations to the Tor project, although unrelated, is a principle that will be part of the story as well.

Also, Toril points to a personal battle within ourselves to be responsible for the choices we make, and the book will have many choices that will trouble Toril, needing for her to dig deeper and to ask more questions.

Barriers and Education

In a few ancient stories like Thor or King Arthur, only the "chosen" ones can wield a tool or weapon. In our everyday lives, it is education and access to technology that opens our world to the possibilities in cyberspace. Anyone with the knowledge could wield or help build those tools.

Like in any story, technology faces barriers of adoption. We may not hop unto more principled hardware or software because our networks are using the most popular products, even when they may not be ethical. If we lack the education and fail to dig deeper, we can be using tech to our detriment out of misinformation or disinformation.

Once we know how something works, it is difficult to continue using those services if they go against our principles. At the same time, it can make us feel divided to have to choose between the products that carry principle and those which still carry our networks of people. Yet, someone must begin the change, the choice is in the hands of those who HODL the knowledge.

---

Rigmor

Great power, mind ruler

Every story has a setting. This one begins within a city in a state of control. Power is in the hands of a few individuals misusing technology and information to try to control the minds and actions of its inhabitants, shaping a state of fear for those who dare to think outside of the norm.

We may also associate it with the word Rig, as if Rigmor's way of life was indeed so: Rigged.

However, the story will turn the idea of power of the few into the possibility of empowering the individual through personal choice and responsibility. Instead of a rigged system to benefit the few, it opens the path to a creative innovative society making unique life choices and shaping solutions to the many issues we face.

Future names

Love interest

Nemesis character

AI assistant

Warehouse

An open journey

You can read the story in progress:

freedomweaver.tech

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

A few months ago, @grayruby posted SN and the Zen of 1 sat = 1 sat. Since then, the top of my SN page has read "1 sat = 1 sat". It is quite peaceful.

While setting up random zaps, I stumbled across another setting that's been giving me a similar sense of peace. I disabled being notified when I receive zaps. After all, I keep insisting that I'm not here for the sats, but rather for the community, so why do I need to see how much and how often people are zapping me. It's much less clutter in the notifications feed and everything in there is now something to potentially respond to.

Give it a whirl.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/636336

@ 1394367a:5183ebf0

А геsрапва to Jung. and QC question 2. by Gary B QC/Waldman Jan. 14, 1974

I

Now there was a man named Frick, who lived in the land of Zot, a far-out, mystical land that never really existed, but might just as well have, anyway. And for Frick, this was the only land that existed--the only reality. There was nobody else living in Zot, no not a soul, Frick was the only living being there. Of course there were animals, cows, pigs, wolves. And there were flowers--beautiful flowers. But we know that all these things are incidental--just parts in the chain of life that kept Frick alive. Frick may not have known this, but that isn't important, for for our purposes here it is enough that we know it. Frick did, however, sense that he was different from all the rest of the creatures in Zot He knew, for example, how he always outssarted the animale and flowers when he went hunting for food to keep him alive. Ho seemed to sonne that he thought differently from all the other creatures in Zot. And after all, he was the only pue Zot who was allowed to use the fifty-moter olympic nie wie ing pool that lay just over the hill where the purple sheep usually grazed.

Now the land of Zot was indeed a paradise--quite a sight to behold. Tall, beautiful, narrow-spaced palm trees lined the outer edges of this land, forming a tightly meshed wall of wood that served to contain the land of Zot. Of course, to Frick, this was no wall--it was merely the edge of his reality there in Zot, merely another part of that land--not on the edge of the land, but just another part of the universe which had been created by The Almighty Dog. No, those palm trees were not thought of by Frick an a border, but rather an here, or there', or sometimes over there', 'that place', or 'nomewhere'. (Of course, these words are describing Prick's thoughts, not his speech, for he didn't sponk. If he could, who would he talk to, anywny?)

Now Frick was content in the land of Zot. He could Tender all day seron the wooded nendowe, or climb a tall flower and gase across the countryside. Mfo mas indeed poradine, a perfection. Yes, The Almighty Deg had friend created a thing of beauty.

And it came to paan one day, that as Prick was bending

down over a pool of cold, awoot water to drink hiu fill, de

noticed that a god had been following him. Atslean, could pee it's fresh footprints in the mud behind him. Ales. As must have run away and hidden in a bush when he turned eround, thought Frick. Frick then began to think for the gud. Here gad, here god. Come on little goddyl and then fres behind a bush peared the cutest little god that Frick had ever seen--black, furry ears with white tips, solid black pawn-- Just plain cute, come on little god, don't be scared. come on." The god wagged his tail at Prick-it seemed to realize that Frick was thinking friendly thoughts, making

friendly gestures.

Woll soon, as the story goes, Prick and the god were great friends. And they stayed and played there by the water hole for the rest of the day, and late into the evening. Then Frick noticed that the great ball of fire was rapidly sinking in the east, so he started on the way back to his bungalow on the lake, with the little god following close behind. That night he feanted on shark nest and roast pork, making sure that he set out a generous portion to the little god, Soon Prick grew tired, and with a yawn lay down on his bed to go to sleep. "Little god", he thought before he went to alesp, "I'm glad met there by the water hole today," He didn't know quite why he thought that, but he did know that he had a good feeling inaide--not just from filling his stomach.

And then came Frack. No formal introduction given--The Almighty Dog just thought, Frick, I now give you FrackT And then there was Frack-and now we have Frick and Frack, Frock was different than Frick, Oh, not the type of 'differens that you and I usually think of today. Prack was the mass spealan of being au Frick, to be sure. But Prack was built differently. very differently--and Prick realized this. At first, Frick tech Prack very much for granted, but that inter changed, and it wasn't tor long a tine until Prick became very, very friendly towards Frack. And it came to pass that Frick and Prach bacame to love one another very dearly. Love?i Ten, lovell This was surely a new experience for Frick--he had learned what 'like' wan like, and now he wan learning what 'love' was like. He didn't know quite why he felt the way he did towards Brack, but he did know that he had a good feeling inside...

It was much different living in the land of Zot now, with his wife(yes, wifel) Frack and their little god(Frack liked the little god, too. Sometimes, however, she would got mad at it for piddling on their new bearskin rug, but all in all, thị tro got along very well, and really were quite good friends.),

Then one day it happened. Frick and Frack were at the breakfast table, eating their corn-flaken, when rather suddenly and strangly, out of an impulse, Frack grunted at Prick, Well now, they both sensed what was happening. With a flicker in his eye, Frick looked at Frack. Frack umiled back. You, Frick knew what Frack wanted---and so he passed har the salt.

And from that day on, the people in the land of Zot could speak. The weeks went on, and Frick would grunt at Prack, and Frack grunted back at Frick. But alas, all this grinting led to complications, for sometimes their grunts crossed. One humid, uncomfortable day, Frick, Prack, and their little god who they had named 'Spot' were sitting by the olympic-sized swimming pool with nothing, absolutely nothing, to do.

"What a bore", grunted Prick to Frack.

"Yeh, its really a drag", replied Frack.

"Hey I know", grunted Frick excitedly, "Let's go to the rain forent and catch butterflies!

"Ah--no, I don't feel like that today," grunted Frack back at Frick... "Hey let's go for a walk instead!"

"No, no, no", snap-grunted Frick at Preck. "I want to go to the rain forest, damniti!"

And so their(and the land's) first fight developed, But don't get the idea that this fight was no terribly sericus-- it wasn't. The solution to that quarrel was really very simple-- they finally decided that they would take a walk--to the rain forest to catch butterflies.

How alas, thore came a day which was to be remembered by Prick for a long time. The sun(that was the name they gave to the great ball of fire which regularly rose in the west and set in the east) was rising that morning in fiery splendor--except this morning, it was rising in the east! Now they thought that to be rather strange, but not nearly as strange as the funny looking creatures who were standing at their front door when they woke up, yolling Is anybody home, perchance? Is anybody home?" The creatures grunted a bit differently than Prick and Frack did, but not so much so that they couldn't be understood. How strange', thought Frick, What creatures could these be? I've never seen the likes of them in the land before--and in this land only Frack and I are suppossed to be able to grunt.

Well now, Frick let the strangers in. They all sat dom. and Flot, chief of these strangers who called themselves Dorks spoke: "We are the Dorks, from far away, beyond the gront wall of palm trees that separates your land from ours."

Your land? Beyond the great wall of palm trees? What do you mean? Zot is the only place--you are in Zot, you are part of this land, this world. There is--there in nothing beyond the palm trees, except perhaps the place where The Almighty Dog resides and maken the sun alternately rise and fall--although today I think he is a bit mixed up", grunted Frick as he looked out the window to the east, perplexed. What do you mean, stranger?"

"My dear sir, I realize that it will be hard for you to accept this, but there is another land beyond the great wall of palm trees."...

And so the conversation went. Plot explained to Frick and Frack all about the land of the Dorks, beyond the palm trees. He told them of other people too, who lived even farther away. They sat there, in the living room of Frick and Prack's bungalow on the lake for the rest of the day and that night too. listening, arguing, laughing. They dinagreed on many things, too. For example, the Dorks worshiped a supar-being who they called "God, and thought him to be the creator of all the lands in existence. Frick thought the idea to be rather strange, and bit silly. He found all these things very hard to comprehend. But he did not say that to the Dorks, for he rather liked tham--aspecially their chief, Flot. He didn't care for Flip, the second in command, but all in all, he thought the Darka were a pretty good bunch of guys. He didn't know quite why he felt the way he did towards the Dorks, but he did knew that he had a

good feeling inside... Now the years wunt by, over faster, and Frick and Frack learned much from the Dorks, and the Dorks likewinn. Kany more Derks cane to visit then at their bugalow on the lake over years, and they occasionally set a Sipkar or two, who were with the Dorks, and traveled with them for safety reang the Sipkars had many jealous enemies, due to the great wal that their land posseaned. From the frequent exposure to th different beings, Frick learned more about 'love', 'like, 'dislike, and evan experienced 'hato. (I am speaking here Plip, a guy he hated almost from the very beginning.) and he didn't know quite why he felt those things--but he did feel thes..

Well now, Flot had also told Frick about other things besides the cutaide world--and so it came to pass that Prack begos Pruck, Frot, Prip, Prally, and Frabu. And in time, Frulu begot Fust, Frapar, Prustrum, and Frasat, Frally begot Folly, Pustar, Pozy, and Funais. And behold, the people of the land of Bot multiplied and filled the face of what they used to think was the whole earth.

II

One night, Frick and Prack were at their home on the inke, in a rather sullen mood. Their daughter, Prulu had just been arrested by the Zotland police for illegal ponnession of drugs. They just couldn't understand her. They had given her all their love all their lives, and now this--she turns right around and slaps them hatefully in their faces. How could shel?!

Prick finally decided to break the gloomy allence, and suggested to Frack that they go to a hockey game and try to forget what had happened with Frulu, But I just can't forget about sy daughter! Oh my baby, my poor baby!

"I'm not asking you to forget about her dear, grunted Prick. "I'm just suggesting that we try to take this thing in stride. Let's go to the hockey game--it'll help get this off our minds come on, dear."

And so It came to pass that Frick and Frack went to the hockey game that night. And fortunately, for the sake of those two, it was far from a dull gane, and they completely forgot their troubles, becoming completely engrosued in the game.

The home tean was winning, the fans cheered in unison. They scorel Up to their feet jumped the crowd, clapping and singing together, stomping their feet till the stadium threatened to crumble from the thunderous noise. Frick and Frack applauded in wild enthusiasm--what a tean they had! And the crowd chanted in unison," we want another goal, we want another goal", and the chant became louder and louder, more and more powerful, cap- tivating--hypnotic. And the voiceu of the individuals melted into one, gigantic, throbbing voice--one mind, with only one thing in mind--to win the game. The home team lost that game, and the peaple filed out of the stadius, quiet and exhausted...

Now in the fifth year after the eighteenth month past the second full moon in August of the second year before the third day(remember that date), there enne the great war. This was brought about by many factors, First of all, all kinds of people hated one another--secondly, the king of Jaru had threatened the daughter of the princs to the king of the Third Kingdom of Dastar the Innocent, thus weakening world friendships all over, for Quatland was allied with Dastar who was allied with the Eete who wore friends of the Dorks. You bet right, the Zots were "dragged into this conflict too, because of thin dastardly incident with Jaru and the daughter of that certain prince. No one really knew why in the hell they hated each other so, but they did have bad feelings inside...

And low and behold, one day while Frick eat out by the lake watching the grasshoppera awin deftly across the expanse of cool, blue water, the heavens opened up from above and out of a whirlwind spoke The Almighty Dog to Prick. "Frick", he said, I look down at the world today, and it is bad."

"Your dann right its bad", grunted Frick back at Dog. You should have heard what that king did to that girll"

I don't mean that", replied Dog. It is the war that is bad--the hate, the violence, the unneccessary death. Frick, ant this world to be a thing of beauty, of splendor. Now Has turned into a place of evil. Masses of people unite against other masses, and threaten to blow each other off the face of this planet. A person is no longer an individual today-- he in merely part of a great machine--the machine of modern society. Oh surely there are various degrees to this destruction of individuality, but only one sure result--death and destruction. Nobody understands anybody else--they just don't quite know what those feelings inside of them nean, Prick, thin world in not what I intended it to be. You must be my spokesman, you must stand up and talk to the world, make then understand, Tell then that--toll tham--junt make then understand each other, make t thes understand."

Now Frick heard the word of Dog, and took heed. Around the country he traveled, grunting to the people, asking them to understand--asking them to hear and obey the word of Dog, to Join together in worship of Him. And low and behold the people of the land of Zot listened and joined together in worship. Together they sang, together they prayed, together they hated their enemies and loved their allies (And nobody really unders why, they just had that feeling inside them.), together they marched, together they fought, and before you knew it the faca of the earth was destroyed, and covered with dark, grey cloudu that looked something like mahrooms.

Now only one spot on the entire earth remained unscared from the terrible holocaust of the great war. This was a small patch of land in the northeast corner of the land of Zot. And on this Iand nat a bungalow by a radioactively-glowing lake. And in this bungalow sat a very old, weary man named Frick. Now Prick was the only person living in this small patch of land, and thus the only person alive on the earth. He lived there alone, not saying a word For who would he talk to?), a total individual, completely fres--no acclety to tie him down, to take his soul away. And when a little god cane scratching at his door one day, the curest little god he had ever seen, he kicked it in the ribe and told it to get the hell out of there. And one day, when the heavens parted and The Almighty Dog called out Frick's name from a whirlwind, Frick told Dog to go join the little god.

---

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

Happy Discount Day, stackers!

What better way to celebrate than to throw down some cheap sats on European Soccer matches?

Freebitcoin has about a dozen matches up; from the Premier League, Serie A, and La Liga. The odds are good, if you get in early.

On a cautionary note, see the last post (https://stacker.news/items/628381/r/Undisciplined) for some concerns about this site. I haven't had any issues so far, but I did withdraw my initial deposit, so I'm only playing with house money going forward.

Caveat emptor!

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/636197

@ 677042ba:4e206c4c

¿Sabes quién es Bukele?

¿Sabes qué hay detrás de poner el Bitcoin en El Salvador como moneda de curso legal?

¿Qué beneficios trajo al país el poner el Bitcoin?

¿Sabes cuantos millones ha ganado El Salvador al comprar Bitcoin?

¿Sabes cuanto ha ganado El Salvador al minar Bitcoin?

@ 8dc86882:9dc4ba5e

I would like to keep track of my bitcoin history and was wondering what people do? Is there an app that gathers what you bought and at what price at and keeps up with what you have? Or is it basically spreadsheet ninja time?

I basically want to log my purchases and keep up with how many dollars I've invested. Then I want to see it's value today. But of course every time I buy, it's at a different price, so a tool that's sorts all this would be so cool.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/635837

@ b2caa9b3:9eab0fb5

It's been a whirlwind of a few days here in Tanzania. I've taken a bit of a break from obsessively sorting through my photos and decided to immerse myself in the local culture. Wandering through town, sipping coffee at a cozy cafe, and making new connections has been incredibly refreshing.

One afternoon, I found myself at Kili Kahawa, a charming spot right by the clock tower. While the internet connection left something to be desired, it was the perfect opportunity to dive deeper into the Telos Blockchain. I'm eager to get involved in the world of NFTs and explore potential money-making apps.

During my research, I stumbled upon Appics, an app originally planned for the Steemit Blockchain but ultimately launched on Telos. Excited to give it a try, I discovered I already had an account! Unfortunately, I quickly encountered some frustrating bugs, particularly with image quality. It's disappointing to have to spend extra time editing photos before posting, but I'm hopeful the developers will address these issues soon.

On the NFT front, I've been busy creating new collections on both the WAX and Telos Blockchains. Telos, in particular, has captured my interest. I'll be sharing more details about my NFT drops in a separate post, but I wanted to give you a heads up that they'll be limited editions.

One of the highlights in the last few days has been meeting incredible people. I had the pleasure of connecting with a fascinating Chinese traveler who shared captivating stories about his adventures. His three-day ascent of Kilimanjaro was nothing short of extraordinary. Considering the extreme conditions and dangers, I have immense respect for his accomplishment. After his descent, he spent a few days recovering at the hostel. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner together, thanks to the generosity of a British family staying there. It was a truly memorable evening filled with delicious food and great company. Our Chinese friend is a great chef.

I'll wrap up this post with a few photos from my recent adventures. Stay tuned for more updates on my blockchain journey and my ongoing exploration of Tanzania. Until then, enjoy your day!

NFT Collections

WaxoWeiler (WAX Blockchain) • Ninja Girls (Telos Blockchain)

Online

Profile Page | Support Page

Feel free to support me by sending some sats via the lightning network to rubenstorm@sats.mobi

@ 674473f6:f859eb3c

Bitwise Operation คือ กระบวนการที่การดำเนินการใด ๆ โดยตรงกับบิตของตัวเลข หรือชุดข้อมูลของเราใน memory ซึ่งการทำงานโดยตรงกับบิตของตัวเลข ทำให้มีประสิทธิภาพสูงและใช้บ่อยในการเขียนโปรแกรมระดับ low-level โดยหลัก ๆ ที่ใช้กันจะมี 6 แบบ เป็นเครื่องมือที่ทรงพลังสำหรับนักพัฒนาที่ต้องการประสิทธิภาพสูงและการควบคุมระดับบิต โดยเฉพาะในการพัฒนาระบบระดับ low-level และการทำงานกับฮาร์ดแวร์โดยตรง

TLDR

ภาพรวม Bitwise Operations:

AND (&):

ใช้เปรียบเทียบบิต, ให้ 1 เมื่อทั้งสองบิตเป็น 1 ประโยชน์: ตรวจสอบบิต, สร้าง mask

OR (|):

ให้ 1 เมื่อมีบิตใดบิตหนึ่งเป็น 1 ประโยชน์: รวมแฟล็ก, ตั้งค่าบิต

XOR (^):

ให้ 1 เมื่อบิตต่างกัน ประโยชน์: สลับค่า, เข้ารหัสอย่างง่าย

NOT (~):

กลับค่าทุกบิต ประโยชน์: สร้าง mask สำหรับลบบิต

Left Shift (<<):

เลื่อนบิตไปซ้าย, เติม 0 ทางขวา ประโยชน์: คูณด้วยกำลังของ 2, สร้าง mask

Right Shift (>>):

เลื่อนบิตไปขวา ประโยชน์: หารด้วยกำลังของ 2, แยกส่วนข้อมูล

1.) BitAnd (&):

BitAnd มักใช้สัญลักษณ์ & เป็นการดำเนินการทางตรรกะที่เปรียบเทียบบิตในตำแหน่งเดียวกันของสองตัวเลข โดยมีกฎดังนี้: - 1 AND 1 = 1 - 1 AND 0 = 0 - 0 AND 1 = 0 - 0 AND 0 = 0

หรือกล่าวอีกนัยหนึ่ง ผลลัพธ์จะเป็น 1 ก็ต่อเมื่อทั้งสองบิตเป็น 1 เท่านั้น

ตัวอย่าง: สมมติว่าเรามีเลขสองตัว A = 5 และ B = 3 ในระบบเลขฐานสอง: A = 5 = 0101 B = 3 = 0011

เมื่อทำ BitAnd:

``` 0101 (A = 5) & 0011 (B = 3)

---

0001 (Result = 1) ```

จะเห็นได้ว่า: - บิตที่ 1 (จากขวา): 1 & 1 = 1 - บิตที่ 2: 0 & 1 = 0 - บิตที่ 3: 1 & 0 = 0 - บิตที่ 4: 0 & 0 = 0

ดังนั้น ผลลัพธ์คือ 0001 ในเลขฐานสอง ซึ่งเท่ากับ 1 ในเลขฐานสิบ

การใช้งาน BitAnd: 1. การตรวจสอบเลขคู่/คี่: ถ้า (n & 1) == 0 แสดงว่า n เป็นเลขคู่ ถ้า (n & 1) == 1 แสดงว่า n เป็นเลขคี่

1. การตรวจสอบสถานะของบิตเฉพาะ: ถ้าต้องการตรวจสอบบิตที่ 3 ของ x: if (x & (1 << 2)) != 0 // บิตที่ 3 เป็น 1

2. การลบบิตสุดท้ายที่เป็น 1: n = n & (n - 1)

BitAnd มีประโยชน์มากในการจัดการกับข้อมูลระดับบิต การตั้งค่าแฟล็ก และการทำงานกับฮาร์ดแวร์โดยตรง

2.) BitOr (|):

BitOr มักใช้สัญลักษณ์ | เป็นการดำเนินการทางตรรกะที่เปรียบเทียบบิตในตำแหน่งเดียวกันของสองตัวเลข โดยมีกฎดังนี้: - 1 OR 1 = 1 - 1 OR 0 = 1 - 0 OR 1 = 1 - 0 OR 0 = 0

กล่าวคือ ผลลัพธ์จะเป็น 1 เมื่อมีบิตใดบิตหนึ่งเป็น 1 หรือทั้งสองบิตเป็น 1

ตัวอย่าง: สมมติว่าเรามีเลขสองตัว A = 5 และ B = 3 ในระบบเลขฐานสอง: A = 5 = 0101 B = 3 = 0011

เมื่อทำ BitOr:

``` 0101 (A = 5) | 0011 (B = 3)

---

0111 (Result = 7) ```

จะเห็นได้ว่า: - บิตที่ 1 (จากขวา): 1 | 1 = 1 - บิตที่ 2: 0 | 1 = 1 - บิตที่ 3: 1 | 0 = 1 - บิตที่ 4: 0 | 0 = 0

ดังนั้น ผลลัพธ์คือ 0111 ในเลขฐานสอง ซึ่งเท่ากับ 7 ในเลขฐานสิบ

การใช้งาน BitOr: 1. การรวมแฟล็ก: เช่น ในการตั้งค่าสิทธิ์ไฟล์ในระบบ Unix permissions = READ | WRITE | EXECUTE

1. การตั้งค่าบิตเฉพาะ: ถ้าต้องการตั้งค่าบิตที่ 3 ของ x เป็น 1: x = x | (1 << 2)

2. การรวมสี RGB: ในระบบสี RGB ที่ใช้ 8 บิตต่อสี color = (red << 16) | (green << 8) | blue

BitOr มีประโยชน์มากในการรวมแฟล็ก การตั้งค่าบิต และการทำงานกับข้อมูลที่แต่ละบิตมีความหมายเฉพาะ

BitXor (^):

BitXor หรือ Exclusive OR (XOR) มักใช้สัญลักษณ์ ^ เป็นการดำเนินการทางตรรกะที่เปรียบเทียบบิตในตำแหน่งเดียวกันของสองตัวเลข โดยมีกฎดังนี้: - 1 XOR 1 = 0 - 1 XOR 0 = 1 - 0 XOR 1 = 1 - 0 XOR 0 = 0

กล่าวคือ ผลลัพธ์จะเป็น 1 เมื่อบิตทั้งสองมีค่าต่างกัน

ตัวอย่าง: สมมติว่าเรามีเลขสองตัว A = 5 และ B = 3 ในระบบเลขฐานสอง: A = 5 = 0101 B = 3 = 0011

เมื่อทำ BitXor:

``` 0101 (A = 5) ^ 0011 (B = 3)

---

0110 (Result = 6) ```

จะเห็นได้ว่า: - บิตที่ 1 (จากขวา): 1 ^ 1 = 0 - บิตที่ 2: 0 ^ 1 = 1 - บิตที่ 3: 1 ^ 0 = 1 - บิตที่ 4: 0 ^ 0 = 0

ดังนั้น ผลลัพธ์คือ 0110 ในเลขฐานสอง ซึ่งเท่ากับ 6 ในเลขฐานสิบ

การใช้งาน BitXor: 1. การสลับค่าโดยไม่ใช้ตัวแปรเพิ่ม: a ^= b; b ^= a; a ^= b; // ตอนนี้ a และ b ได้สลับค่ากันแล้ว

1. การเข้ารหัสอย่างง่าย: encrypted = data ^ key decrypted = encrypted ^ key // จะได้ data กลับคืนมา

2. การตรวจสอบความเท่ากันของตัวเลข: if ((a ^ b) == 0) // a และ b เท่ากัน

3. การหาตัวเลขที่ไม่มีคู่ในชุดข้อมูล: result = num1 ^ num2 ^ num3 ^ ... // ผลลัพธ์จะเป็นตัวเลขที่ไม่มีคู่

BitXor มีคุณสมบัติพิเศษคือ การ XOR กับตัวเองจะได้ 0 และการ XOR กับ 0 จะได้ตัวเองกลับคืนมา ทำให้มันมีประโยชน์มากในการเข้ารหัสและการตรวจสอบข้อมูล

BitNot (~):

BitNot หรือ NOT มักใช้สัญลักษณ์ ~ เป็นการดำเนินการทางตรรกะที่กลับบิตของตัวเลข โดยมีกฎง่ายๆ คือ: - NOT 1 = 0 - NOT 0 = 1

กล่าวคือ BitNot จะเปลี่ยนทุกบิต 0 เป็น 1 และทุกบิต 1 เป็น 0

ตัวอย่าง: สมมติว่าเรามีเลข A = 5 ในระบบเลขฐานสอง (สมมติว่าเป็นเลข 8 บิต): A = 5 = 00000101

เมื่อทำ BitNot:

``` 00000101 (A = 5)

---

~ 11111010 (Result = 250 ใน unsigned int, หรือ -6 ใน signed int) ```

จะเห็นได้ว่า: - ทุกบิต 0 ถูกเปลี่ยนเป็น 1 - ทุกบิต 1 ถูกเปลี่ยนเป็น 0

ผลลัพธ์จะขึ้นอยู่กับว่าเราใช้ระบบเลขแบบไหน (signed หรือ unsigned): - ในระบบ unsigned 8 บิต: 11111010 = 250 - ในระบบ signed 8 บิต: 11111010 = -6

การใช้งาน BitNot: 1. การสร้าง mask สำหรับการลบบิต: clear_mask = ~(1 << n) // สร้าง mask ที่มีบิตที่ n เป็น 0 และที่เหลือเป็น 1 x &= clear_mask // ลบบิตที่ n ของ x

1. การหาค่าสัมบูรณ์ของเลขติดลบในระบบ two's complement: abs_value = (x ^ (x >> 31)) - (x >> 31) // x >> 31 จะได้ 0 สำหรับเลขบวก และ -1 สำหรับเลขลบ

2. การสลับสถานะของทุกบิต: inverted = ~original

3. การหาค่าสูงสุดของตัวแปรที่มีขนาด n บิต: max_value = ~0 >> (32 - n) // สำหรับตัวแปร 32 บิต

BitNot มักใช้ร่วมกับ BitAnd เพื่อลบบิตที่ต้องการ หรือใช้ในการสร้าง mask สำหรับการจัดการบิต

Left Shift (<<):

Left Shift มักใช้สัญลักษณ์ << เป็นการดำเนินการที่เลื่อนบิตทั้งหมดของตัวเลขไปทางซ้ายตามจำนวนที่กำหนด โดยเติม 0 ทางด้านขวา Left Shift โดยทั่วไปแล้วไม่แตกต่างกันระหว่างเลข unsigned int และ signed int แต่มีบางประเด็นที่ควรระวัง:

1. ผลลัพธ์:
2. ในกรณีของเลขไม่มีเครื่องหมาย ผลลัพธ์จะเป็นบวกเสมอ

3. สำหรับเลขมีเครื่องหมาย ผลลัพธ์อาจเปลี่ยนเครื่องหมายได้หากบิตเครื่องหมาย (sign bit) ถูกเปลี่ยน

4. Overflow:

5. ทั้งสองกรณีอาจเกิด overflow ได้ถ้าเลื่อนมากเกินไป

6. สำหรับเลข signed int overflow อาจทำให้เกิดการเปลี่ยนเครื่องหมายโดยไม่คาดคิด

7. Undefined Behavior:

8. ในบางภาษา เช่น C/C++, การเลื่อนด้วยค่าที่มากกว่าหรือเท่ากับจำนวนบิตของตัวแปรอาจทำให้เกิด Undefined Behavior ได้

ตัวอย่าง: สมมติว่าเรามีเลข A = 5 และต้องการเลื่อนซ้าย 2 ตำแหน่ง ในระบบเลขฐานสอง (สมมติว่าเป็นเลข 8 บิต): A = 5 = 00000101

เมื่อทำ Left Shift 2 ตำแหน่ง (A << 2):

``` 00000101 (A = 5)

---

00010100 (Result = 20) ```

จะเห็นได้ว่า:: - บิตทั้งหมดถูกเลื่อนไปทางซ้าย 2 ตำแหน่ง - เติม 0 สองตัวทางด้านขวา

ผลลัพธ์: 00010100 ในเลขฐานสอง ซึ่งเท่ากับ 20 ในเลขฐานสิบ

ตัวอย่าง 2: ``` unsigned int a = 1; // 00000001 in binary int b = 1; // 00000001 in binary

// Left shift by 3 unsigned int a_result = a << 3; // 00001000 (8 in decimal) int b_result = b << 3; // 00001000 (8 in decimal)

// สำหรับตัวเลขเล็ก ๆ ผลอาจจะไม่ต่างกัน // แต่เมื่อมีตัวเลขที่ใหญ่ขึ้น อาจจะให้ผลตรงกันข้ามแทน:

unsigned int large_a = 1 << 31; // 10000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 (2147483648 in decimal) int large_b = 1 << 31; // 10000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 (-2147483648 in decimal, due to two's complement) ```

ในตัวอย่างสุดท้าย เราเห็นความแตกต่าง: - สำหรับ unsigned int, ผลลัพธ์คือเลขบวกที่ใหญ่ที่สุดที่เป็นไปได้ - สำหรับ signed int, ผลลัพธ์คือเลขลบที่น้อยที่สุดที่เป็นไปได้ เนื่องจากบิตซ้ายสุดถูกตีความเป็นเครื่องหมายลบในระบบ two's complement

กฎการทำงาน: - เลื่อนบิตทั้งหมดไปทางซ้าย n ตำแหน่ง - เติม 0 ทางด้านขวา n ตัว - บิตที่เลื่อนออกไปทางซ้ายจะหายไป

การใช้งาน Left Shift: 1. การคูณด้วยกำลังของ 2: x << n เท่ากับ x * (2^n) เช่น 5 << 2 = 5 * (2^2) = 5 * 4 = 20

1. การสร้างหน้ากาก (mask) สำหรับการตั้งค่าบิต: mask = 1 << n // สร้างหน้ากากที่มีบิตที่ n เป็น 1 และที่เหลือเป็น 0 x |= mask // ตั้งค่าบิตที่ n ของ x เป็น 1

2. การเข้ารหัสข้อมูลหลายบิตในตัวแปรเดียว: encoded = (r << 16) | (g << 8) | b // เก็บค่า RGB ในตัวแปร 32 บิต

3. การทำงานกับบิตแฟล็ก: FLAG_A = 1 << 0 FLAG_B = 1 << 1 FLAG_C = 1 << 2 // ใช้งาน: flags = FLAG_A | FLAG_B

Left Shift มีประสิทธิภาพสูงในการคูณด้วยกำลังของ 2 และมักใช้ในการจัดการบิตแฟล็กและการสร้างหน้ากากสำหรับการดำเนินการระดับบิต

Right Shift (>>):

Right Shift มักใช้สัญลักษณ์ >> เป็นการดำเนินการที่เลื่อนบิตทั้งหมดของตัวเลขไปทางขวาตามจำนวนที่กำหนด การทำงานจะแตกต่างกันเล็กน้อยระหว่างเลขที่มีเครื่องหมาย (signed) และไม่มีเครื่องหมาย (unsigned)

สำหรับเลข unsigned int (Logical Right Shift): - เลื่อนบิตทั้งหมดไปทางขวา n ตำแหน่ง - เติม 0 ทางด้านซ้าย n ตัว - บิตที่เลื่อนออกไปทางขวาจะหายไป

สำหรับเลข signed int (Arithmetic Right Shift): - เลื่อนบิตทั้งหมดไปทางขวา n ตำแหน่ง - เติมด้วยบิตเครื่องหมาย (sign bit) ทางด้านซ้าย n ตัว - บิตที่เลื่อนออกไปทางขวาจะหายไป

ตัวอย่าง: สมมติว่าเรามีเลข A = 20 และต้องการเลื่อนขวา 2 ตำแหน่ง ในระบบเลขฐานสอง (สมมติว่าเป็นเลข 8 บิต): A = 20 = 00010100

เมื่อทำ Right Shift 2 ตำแหน่ง (A >> 2):

``` 00010100 (A = 20)

---

00000101 (Result = 5) ```

จะเห็นได้ว่า:: - บิตทั้งหมดถูกเลื่อนไปทางขวา 2 ตำแหน่ง - เติม 0 สองตัวทางด้านซ้าย (สำหรับเลขไม่มีเครื่องหมาย)

ผลลัพธ์: 00000101 ในเลขฐานสอง ซึ่งเท่ากับ 5 ในเลขฐานสิบ

การใช้งาน Right Shift: 1. การหารด้วยกำลังของ 2: x >> n เท่ากับ x / (2^n) (ปัดเศษลง) เช่น 20 >> 2 = 20 / (2^2) = 20 / 4 = 5

1. การแยกส่วนของข้อมูลที่ถูกเก็บรวมกัน: r = (rgb >> 16) & 0xFF // แยกค่าสีแดงจาก RGB 24 บิต g = (rgb >> 8) & 0xFF // แยกค่าสีเขียว b = rgb & 0xFF // แยกค่าสีน้ำเงิน

2. การตรวจสอบเครื่องหมายของตัวเลข: sign = x >> 31 // สำหรับตัวแปร 32 บิต, จะได้ 0 สำหรับบวก และ -1 สำหรับลบ

3. การทำ rounded division: (x + (1 << (n-1))) >> n // หารด้วย 2^n และปัดเศษ

ข้อควรระวัง: - ใน Java, >> เป็น arithmetic shift สำหรับ int และ long, ส่วน >>> เป็น logical shift - ในภาษาอื่นๆ เช่น C/C++, การทำงานของ >> กับเลขติดลบอาจแตกต่างกันไปตาม Compiler

Right Shift มีประสิทธิภาพสูงในการหารด้วยกำลังของ 2 และมักใช้ในการจัดการข้อมูลที่ถูกเก็บรวมกันในรูปแบบบิต

หากเปรียบกับ Right Shift แม้ว่าการทำงานพื้นฐานของ Left Shift จะเหมือนกันสำหรับทั้งเลข signed int และ unsigned int แต่การตีความผลลัพธ์และผลกระทบต่อเครื่องหมาย(sign bit)อาจแตกต่างกัน ดังนั้นจึงควรระมัดระวังเมื่อใช้ Left Shift กับเลขที่มี signed int โดยเฉพาะเมื่อเลื่อนด้วยค่าที่สูงมาก ๆ

Conclusion

ลักษณะเด่นของ Bitwise Operations:

• ประสิทธิภาพสูง: ทำงานเร็วกว่าการคำนวณปกติ
• ประหยัดหน่วยความจำ: จัดเก็บข้อมูลหลายอย่างในตัวแปรเดียว
• ใช้ในงานระดับต่ำ: การทำงานกับฮาร์ดแวร์, ระบบปฏิบัติการ
• การเข้ารหัส: ใช้ในอัลกอริทึมการเข้ารหัสและบีบอัดข้อมูล
• การจัดการแฟล็ก: ใช้ในการตั้งค่าและตรวจสอบสถานะต่างๆ

การใช้งานทั่วไป:

• จัดการสิทธิ์และการอนุญาตในระบบไฟล์
• การเข้ารหัสและถอดรหัสข้อมูล
• การบีบอัดข้อมูล
• การทำงานกับพิกเซลในการประมวลผลภาพ
• การจัดการโปรโตคอลเครือข่าย
• การทำงานกับ register ใน Embedded system

ข้อควรระวัง:

• ต้องระมัดระวังเรื่องขนาดของข้อมูล (8, 16, 32, 64 บิต)
• ความแตกต่างระหว่างเลขมี signed int และ unsigned int
• ความแตกต่างของการทำงานในแต่ละภาษาโปรแกรม

**unsigned int คือตัวเลขเป็นบวกเสมอ signed int สามารถมีค่าเป็นลบได้

siamstr #Blog

@ 56a6da9b:7f5a2243

DAY FOUR of FLASH AUGUST FICTION. We have an antagonist! This is the NINTH OVALS EPISODE! Today I’m going to create the conflict in the OVALS series. This will be a Character v. Society, or even Character v. Nature conflict(s). Regardless, we have an antagonist! Now it’s a real story. Now it’s a real series. You’re welcome. I’m Commercial Herschel. You are on a journey with me, thank you. It will be good for you to listen to, or to read the episode called O.V.A.L.S.: Linear Time Re-entry Instructions from February 2nd. I hope you had a chance to do that while it was out from behind a paywall for the past week. So, let’s see about this thing about Madsen. We will make his first name Frank. His name is Frank Madsen.

Read and/ or listen at Substack please, so i don't have to edit the whole thing again.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/635369

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Table Of Content

• The Eurozone's Financial Woes

• The Benefits of Bitcoin

• The Challenges of Bitcoin Adoption

• Conclusion

• FAQ

The Eurozone has been plagued by financial woes in recent years, with several countries facing high levels of debt and unemployment. In this article, we will explore how Bitcoin, a decentralized digital currency, could help Europeans manage their money better.

The Eurozone's Financial Woes

The Eurozone, made up of 19 countries that use the Euro as their currency, has faced significant financial challenges in recent years. The 2008 financial crisis and subsequent sovereign debt crisis left many countries with high levels of debt and unemployment. While some countries, such as Germany, have recovered, others, such as Greece, Italy, and Spain, continue to struggle.

The Benefits of Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that offers several benefits for users. Here are some of the key benefits of using Bitcoin:

Decentralization

Bitcoin is not controlled by any government or financial institution. Instead, it is decentralized, meaning that it is run by a network of users who validate transactions and maintain the blockchain. This means that Bitcoin is resistant to inflation and other economic shocks that can devalue traditional currencies.

Fast and Secure Transactions

Bitcoin transactions are fast and secure, with no need for intermediaries such as banks. When you send Bitcoin, your transaction is validated by a network of users who confirm the transaction and add it to the blockchain. This process takes only a few minutes, compared to traditional bank transfers, which can take several days. Bitcoin transactions are also secure, as they are protected by cryptography and cannot be altered once they are added to the blockchain.

Low Transaction Fees

Bitcoin transactions have low fees compared to traditional banking transactions. When you send Bitcoin, you only need to pay a small fee to the network of users who validate your transaction. This fee is usually much lower than the fees charged by banks and other financial institutions.

Portability

Bitcoin is highly portable, meaning that it is easy to transfer funds across borders without the need for costly fees or long wait times. This can be particularly helpful for immigrants or travelers who need to move money quickly and easily.

Transparency

Bitcoin transactions are recorded on a public ledger, meaning that anyone can see the details of a transaction. This transparency can be beneficial for users who want to ensure that their transactions are secure and valid.

The Challenges of Bitcoin Adoption

While Bitcoin offers several benefits, there are also challenges to its adoption. First, Bitcoin is still a relatively new and untested technology, and its value can be highly volatile. This can make it a risky investment for those who are not familiar with the technology.

Second, Bitcoin is not yet widely accepted as a form of payment, meaning that it can be difficult to find merchants who will accept it. This limits its usefulness as a currency for everyday transactions.

Finally, there are regulatory challenges to the adoption of Bitcoin. Some countries have banned Bitcoin outright, while others have imposed strict regulations on its use.

Conclusion

While Bitcoin is not a panacea for the Eurozone's financial woes, it does offer several benefits that could help Europeans manage their money better. By providing a decentralized, fast, and secure means of transferring funds, Bitcoin could help to improve financial inclusion and reduce the dependence on traditional financial institutions. However, its adoption will require a greater understanding of the technology and the development of supportive regulatory frameworks.

FAQ

What are the financial woes of the Eurozone? The Eurozone has faced a number of financial challenges in recent years, including high levels of debt, low economic growth, and political instability.

How could Bitcoin help Europeans manage their money better? Bitcoin could help Europeans manage their money better by providing a decentralized, fast, and low-cost alternative to traditional banking. It could also offer greater financial privacy and security, particularly in countries with unstable currencies or restrictive financial systems.

Is Bitcoin widely accepted in Europe? While Bitcoin is not yet widely accepted in Europe, there are a growing number of businesses and merchants that accept it as a form of payment. Additionally, Bitcoin ATMs are becoming more common in major cities throughout Europe.

Are there any risks associated with using Bitcoin? Like any investment or financial tool, there are risks associated with using Bitcoin. These risks include price volatility, hacking, and regulatory uncertainty. It is important to do your own research and fully understand the risks before investing in Bitcoin.

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@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

The idea for permanently editable posts pops up every so often. Here's @elvismercury's post about it. (Gosh, it sure would be nice if he came back, wouldn't it?) I was thinking about a variant of that idea today.

Could we use wiki-style posts? I'm thinking about some of the territories, like ~bitcoin_beginners, that want to have evergreen resource posts. It would be nice to be able to have our "official" post for certain topics that can be updated by stackers and plebs other than the OP.

I'm not sure exactly what the price and equity mechanisms should be, but it seems like there's something here. It would obviously cost sats to make edits and I'm thinking it should cost more sats the more substantial your edits are. Then your revenue share on the post would be something like the share of sats you've put into the post (posting fee + all edit fees).

This would probably need to come after making rewards more compatible with zapping evergreen content.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/635153

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

I was complaining about there not being any good hummus at our local stores: i.e. made with olive oil, rather than seed oils.

My wife tossed a bunch of ingredients into the food processor (no recipe, no measuring) and out came amazing hummus.

Now, I'm trying to talk her into commercializing it for farmers' markets.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/635019

@ 56a6da9b:7f5a2243

DAY 3 OF FLASH AUGUST FICTION. I had no idea where this one was going. I really didn’t. I just knew the general idea and who knows what the heck was going to happen. Usually there is at least a little bit more of an idea than this. Something tells me it’s going to be absurd.

Also. I don’t know what the heck happened yesterday with the production of the podcast. Things got all out of whack. I’m very frustrated with audacity and I’m having a hard time finding something simple to work with. There really should be something simple but there is not. Help me find a coder for StoryCheetah and we can fix that.

Listen to BALONEY MONGERS! 655 WORDS WRITTEN IN ABOUT AN HOUR

Flo had to redo her face. She needed a more frightening, panicky appearance to convince the viewers of the seriousness of the situation regarding the idea that her candidate wasn't looking very good. She had been told that if her candidate didn't win, her gravy train would come to a stop. One of the ways she's controlled is through her payments. They get the teleprompter readers into a lot of debt, so when the paychecks stop, they are ruined.

Flo is in the makeup room talking to Beau, who is getting the lift on his hair reinforced.

"What are we going to do?" Flo says. "People are actually having thoughts, and it's really hard to compete with that."

"Tell me about it," says Beau. "My wife is not talking. It's really scary when she goes silent." I have no idea what's going to happen. "The people she knows, you know?"

"I'm glad I don't have those problems." Flo responds, "But what am I going to do if we can't pull this off?" I got bills, you're all paid up on your shit."

Beau responds. "People trust us less than they trust Congress; I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this up." My wife has been doing a lot of whispering on the phone, it's making me really nervous."

"Make my face whiter! Bring out the darkness in my eyes! Put heavy eye lines on it!" I need to scare these people!" Flo screams at her makeup artist, who is doing her best to hide Flo's dark skin skin in order to create a frenetic sense of urgency.

DAY THREE OF FLASH FICTION AUGUST, OR FLASH AUGUST FICTION. WHICHEVER YOU LIKE, THAT’S FINE.

As his stylist opens another can of mousse for his hair, Beau is nervously looking at his phone. He fidgets in his chair and reels his head back and forth. "She keeps sending me these cryptic messages." He says it quietly, almost under his breath.

"I can't believe they missed." Flo says assertively. "What the hell is going on? How am I supposed to sell this as a psy-op?!"

"What's that?" Beau asks. "Oh, nothing; I'm just talking to myself over here."

She continues. "What are we supposed to do with the people out there all starting to wake up?" They're all starting to talk together and listen to one another." This is going to screw everything all up. "We can't live like this!" She says.

"Well," Beau says, "they're going to have to learn how to be grateful for what they're given." We can't afford to let the conversation the people are having interfere with the plan. We have to stay the course." They'll accept it, or it will just get worse for them."

"Shiiit," Flo says. "It's gonna get worse for them anyway." They feel like they don't have anything to lose by speaking out."

"Well, that's their decision then." Beau says. "They'd better think better of it."

Flo's make-up artist turns on the show light and hands Flo a mirror. Flo angles her head in several poses and then tilts her head with a gigantic saccharine smile that allows her thinly veiled anger to show through. "I think that will do." She says. "They'll get the picture."

Flo turns to Beau, who has a forboding despondence that is growing more obvious by the moment. She asks him, "you OK, boo? "You need me to get you something?"

He doesn't notice that she's talking to him. She reaches over and touches his shoulder. He jumps, "Wha.. wh..what.. what's wrong?" His phone is jarred loose, and he fumbles it, but it lands in his lap.

Flo answers. "I said, Are you OK? Do you need me to get you something?"

"Oh," he responds, no, it's ok, I keep it in my drawer, but it's ok, the safety is on."

Flo is taken aback. "Whaaat?"

"Nothing, break a leg out there." He says.

"OK, you too," she says. "Say hi to Mila for me."

The End.

Catherine Valentine is the Politics Editor at Substack. An Open Letter to Catherine Valentine

Join me for Flash August Fiction.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/634609

@ 56a6da9b:7f5a2243

What is “OVALS”?

If you listened to yesterday’s podcast about Dragon’s, Plato, and Socrates, you know that I’m starting up another Flash Fiction Marathon. Starting August 1st, I will be doing a flash fiction podcast a day for 30 days, just like I did 29 in February. I hope you will subscribe and join me for this challenge.

Ovals is a series that came out of Flash Fiction. I’m going to be tightening it up and making it a separate podcast. This is something that can happen with Flash Fiction. I think of Flash Fiction as pressing one’s subconscious into duty.

What is OVALS? It’s the tic-tacs the flyers saw over San Diego.

OBJECTIVE VANTAGE ASTRONOMICAL LABORATORY SYSTEMS

I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about what the OVALS are, how they were created, and the roles they serve. I want you to listen to the series, so I’m not going to get all into it here. There are two different types, and it has turned out to be a pretty fun story. FF s good for that. Sometimes things come up that you want to develop and run with, so, this is the OVALS series.

This is something that would make a great TV show, or maybe a movie, I’d love that, of course. The first episode is the pilot. It will tell you everything you need to know.

I have a villain now. That will be introduced in the second episode, which is really the 9th one that I’ve done, but I need to introduce the villain origin. It’s not really a villain, it’s just a rule breaker, that continues to do things that piss people off, but it is a villain in a sense, I think. Regardless, once you have a character like this, that’s when you have a real story. That’s when you have a real series.

You can find all my stuff, my FF, my other developing series, and all my weird thinking at my Substack. Substack is like a workspace, it’s a lot of finished ideas, unfinished ideas, dead ideas, and notes. That’s what it is for me. I hope you’ll be interested in getting yourself a paid subscription to my ‘stack so you can see all the old work I’ve done. But if you want to see all the fresh stuff, that costs nothing at all. Good for you. You’re welcome.

Again. There are a lot of things I have to get tightened up to make it a cohesive series. But the core concept is unique, and now, there is a villain, and it will have an origin story. But the biggest clue, is that Ovaling is a preferred state. There is your big tease.

What I’ve done below here is to give you the old podcast version of what will be the pilot of the OVALS series. It explains all the important, unique details about what they are. I un-paywalled it so you can listen for free.

Linear Time re-Entry Instructions

I’m Commercial Herschel, and I’m here to help. Enjoy.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/634575

@ 41fa852b:af7b7706

“The development of money is one of civilisation’s greatest achievements, forged from the necessity to facilitate trade and economic calculation.” — Carl Menger

It’s a quieter week with many people on their summer holidays.

However, four meetups and one major event at Tooting Market promise to be something special. See details below. Bitcoin Events UK and Bridge 2 Bitcoin will attend, so we hope to see you there.

---

Upcoming Bitcoin Meetups

Happening this week...

1. Bitcoinology: Join Antoine Riard on Tuesday, the 6th, for a talk about multi-sig, threshold, and blind signing, and the practical advances made since BIP-341. You will learn about the different properties of multi-signature schemes, the challenges signers face in real-world use cases, and some of the new and promising papers and ideas. Drinks afterwards. It all starts at 18:30, 5 Richbell Place, London, WC1N 3LA.
2. Belfast Bitcoin: Join them on Tuesday the 6th August, 8pm. These guys meet in person monthly on the first Tuesday of each month at Ormeau Baths Event Space, 18 Ormeau Avenue, Belfast, BT2 8HS, Northern Ireland.
3. Tooting Bitcoin Market: This is shaping up to be a huge event at Tooting Market, with over 130 tickets reserved! I've had multiple messages from bitcoiners saying this will be their first real world Bitcoin event meeting fellow bitcoiners in person. So if you're in the same boat but still undecided, click this link and register for a free ticket now. The lineup is looking good with some great talks throughout the evening and plenty of merchants now accepting bitcoin. Guest speakers included Ray Youssef, Jordan Walker, Nicholas Gregory, Hashley Giles, Bridge2Bitcoin and many more. It all starts at 6 PM on the 7th August.
4. Bitcoin Walk - Edinburgh**: Every Saturday they walk around Arthur's Seat in this historic city. Join them at 12 pm to chat about all things Bitcoin and keep fit.
5. Real Bedford - Home Game: This football season Bitcoin Events UK will be featuring every Real Bedford home game in the newsletter and on the website. You'll always meet some fellow bitcoiners at McMullen Park, it's really become the UK Bitcoin hub. On Saturday the 10th, it's their first league game of the season, so head to the ground to support Bitcoin's first football team. Kick off at 3pm

---

New Businesses Accepting Bitcoin

• Dough Pizza: A proudly independent, family-run business, bringing together years of expertise and the best Italian ingredients to bring you first-rate pizza, every time. Now accepting bitcoin in both their restaurants in Bath.

---

Upcoming Special Events

• Halloween Party: Celebrate Bitcoin’s 16th birthday on Bitcoin Whitepaper Day at the Dockside Vaults this Halloween. Two tickets cost £25, £21.40 when paid in Bitcoin (early bird price). Enjoy a performance by Roger9000 and DJ sets from MadMunky, itsTOMEKK, and ZAZAWOWOW. The party kicks off at 19:30. Bitcoin is accepted at the venue, and you can also pay for tickets with Bitcoin here.

---

Get Involved

• Volunteer Opportunities: Bridge2Bitcoin is actively seeking volunteers who share our passion for merchant adoption. We'd be delighted to connect if you're eager to contribute. Reach out to us on Twitter or through our website.
• Start Your Own Meetup: Interested in launching a Bitcoin meetup? We’re here to support you every step of the way. We’ve assisted numerous UK Bitcoin meetups in getting started. Get in touch via Twitter.
• Telegram users: You might find our Telegram Channel another useful way to keep up-to-date with UK meetups.
• Feedback and Suggestions: We value your input! Share your ideas on how we can enhance this newsletter.

---

I'd be very grateful if you could share this newsletter with friends, family and fellow bitcoiners to make sure we get the message out to as many people as possible. You can use this link to share.

Simon.

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Table Of Content

• What is a Custodial Wallet?

• Why is BlueWallet Ending its Custodial Lightning Wallet Services?

• What Does This Mean for the Future of Lightning Network Technology?

• What Are the Benefits of Non-Custodial Lightning Wallet Services?

• Conclusion

• FAQ

Cryptocurrency has been gaining in popularity as more people see the benefits of decentralized finance. Lightning Network technology has been a game-changer for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, as it allows for faster, cheaper transactions. However, some users have been hesitant to use Lightning Network technology because of the risks associated with custodial wallets. BlueWallet is one of the companies that has been providing a custodial Lightning wallet service. However, they have recently made a bold announcement that they will be ending their custodial Lightning wallet services. In this article, we will explore the implications of this announcement and what it means for the future of Lightning Network technology.

What is a Custodial Wallet?

A custodial wallet is a type of wallet service that holds your private keys for you. This means that you don't have complete control over your funds. Instead, you are trusting a third party to keep your funds safe. While custodial wallets can be convenient for some users, they also come with risks. If the custodial wallet provider is hacked or goes bankrupt, you could lose your funds.

Why is BlueWallet Ending its Custodial Lightning Wallet Services?

BlueWallet has been providing a custodial Lightning wallet service since 2019. However, they have recently announced that they will be ending this service. According to their announcement, they believe that custodial wallets go against the ethos of Bitcoin and Lightning Network technology. They also believe that Lightning Network technology has matured enough to allow for non-custodial wallet services.

What Does This Mean for the Future of Lightning Network Technology?

BlueWallet's announcement is significant because it shows that Lightning Network technology has matured to a point where non-custodial wallet services are possible. Non-custodial wallets give users complete control over their funds, which is in line with the ethos of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This move by BlueWallet could also encourage other wallet providers to offer non-custodial Lightning wallet services.

What Are the Benefits of Non-Custodial Lightning Wallet Services?

Non-custodial Lightning wallet services offer several benefits over custodial wallet services. First, users have complete control over their funds. This means that they don't have to worry about the risks associated with trusting a third party to keep their funds safe. Second, non-custodial Lightning wallet services are more in line with the ethos of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which prioritize decentralization and user control. Third, non-custodial Lightning wallet services are more secure, as users are not relying on a third party to keep their funds safe.

Conclusion

BlueWallet's announcement that they will be ending their custodial Lightning wallet services is a bold move that shows the maturity of Lightning Network technology. Non-custodial Lightning wallet services offer several benefits over custodial wallet services, including greater user control and increased security. As Lightning Network technology continues to mature, we can expect to see more wallet providers offering non-custodial Lightning wallet services.

FAQ

What is BlueWallet? BlueWallet is a mobile cryptocurrency wallet that supports Bitcoin and Lightning Network technology.

Why is BlueWallet ending its custodial Lightning wallet services? BlueWallet believes that custodial wallets go against the ethos of Bitcoin and Lightning Network technology, and that non-custodial wallets are now possible.

What are the benefits of non-custodial Lightning wallet services? Non-custodial Lightning wallet services offer greater user control, increased security, and are more in line with the ethos of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

What does BlueWallet's announcement mean for the future of Lightning Network technology? BlueWallet's announcement shows that Lightning Network technology has matured to a point where non-custodial wallet services are possible, which could encourage other wallet providers to offer non-custodial Lightning wallet services.

That's all for today

If you want more, be sure to follow us on:

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@ bbba037f:33dd566c

ฉบับเต็ม uncut version แบบดิบและเถื่อน*

Introduction

Technology + Energy & power Technology ยิ่งมีการพัฒนามากขึ้น เราประหยัดเวลามากขึ้น แต่ยังไงเราก็ยังต้องใช้ Energy & power มากตามการพัฒนาอยู่ดี

Consume & Saving

Time = เวลาในชีวิต 1. working 2. playing ยิ่งอยากมีเวลา playing เยอะๆ เราต้องยิ่งลงทุนในเวลา

100% produced

75% To consume (ทำกิน) 25% Saving for Capital Investment (ทำทุน) ต้องทำทุนต่อไป เพื่อสร้าง output เป็น product & service ต่อไปให้ผู้อื่นอีกเรื่อยๆ

savings เกิดจากการ give up on consumption

Money to Capital circulation

(SAVING** is mother of capital) เมื่อจะลงทุน (Investment) หรือ การนำไอเดียไปต่อยอดทำธุรกิจ (สร้าง Capital goods) สิ่งที่ต้องทำเป็นอันดับแรก คือ Finance

How to finance it?

3 ways 1) own saving มี savings เองเท่าไหร่ 2) borrowing ยืมคนอื่น ที่เขามี savings (energy คนอื่น) อย่าลืมว่ามี cost เขาต้องได้ yields ของการเสียโอกาสในการลงทุนของเขา แต่เมื่อเป็นของเราแล้ว เรามี money = purchasing power > เปลี่ยนไปเป็นปัจจัยในการผลิต money is not captital goods 3) Equity shares พี่ชิตใช้เพื่อเปิดสาขา chit hole แบ่งความเป็นเจ้าของให้กับคนที่มี energy

เราอาจจะใช้ทั้ง 3 วิธี เพื่อให้ได้มาซึ่งปัจจัยการผลิต หรือ Capital goods ในที่สุด

ขั้นตอน Investing (Capital goods)

• Labor / Land
• production goods
• Technology
• Energy ทุกคนต้องแข่งขันกันเพื่อลดต้นทุน และ เพิ่ม productivity

ผู้บริโภคควรต้องซื้อของถูกลง และ คุณภาพดีขึ้น จากเทคโนโลยีที่ดีขึ้น และ productivity ที่สูงขึ้น เพราะ Capital goods ก็สามารถถูก degraded ได้ ทำให้เกิดการแข่งขันตลอดเวลา เกิดการพัฒนาการผลิต แต่ในปัจจุบัน ทั้งผู้ผลิต (capitalists) และผู้บริโภค (consumers) ต่างต้องซื้อของที่แพงขึ้น และพบกับราคาสินค้าและปัจจัยการผลิตที่สูงขึ้นตลอดเวลา There's something wrong!

Treasury strategy (ยุทธศาสตร์การคลัง) Capitalist จำเป็นต้องมียุทธศาสตร์การคลัง เก็บ Economic energy ไว้ (energy savings) เนื่องจากจำเป็นต้องใช้มันตลอดเวลา เพราะหลังเราผลิตอะไรได้ เราจะมี working capital หมุนเวียนอยู่ในขั้นตอนการผลิต อาจต้องเก็บไว้เป็นเงินสำรองเพื่อขยายเครื่องจักร เพิ่มความสามารถในการผลิต ไม่ใช่เป็น savings ทั้งหมด

Trading & Exchange หลัง producing จนเกิด Consumer goods คือ product และ service สุดท้ายจะได้ money กลับมา และวนกลับไปสู่กระบวนการผลิตต่อไป

Credit Expansion

Bank is the money multiplier Savings ที่เราเก็บไว้ ทำไมมันเสื่อมค่าตลอดเวลา ?

Bank (Fractional-reserve banking) Bank create new money supply ไปในระบบ (Inflation) และทำให้ระบบ Loan ไม่ไปที่ production สุดท้าย Loan ไปที่ Consumption ซึ่งการเข้าไปที่ Consumption จะทำให้เราบริโภคผลผลิตจากอนาคต

Production LOAN: (ฝั่ง Investment)

Capitalist investing capital for future expected profit

Consumption LOAN: (ฝั่ง Spending)

Consumer spending expected future productive value now

สุดท้ายการเก็บหอมรอมริบจากในอดีตถูกทำลาย เกิด Inflation เศรษฐกิจย่ำแย่ รัฐบาลกระตุ้นเศรษฐกิจโดยการสร้างหนี้เพื่อการจับจ่าย (spending) มากกว่าการสร้าง Capital (investment)

ความมั่งคั่งของประเทศ ต้องลงที่ capital production + capitalist (ความสามารถในการผลิต) เกิดสังคมที่รุ่งเรือง ไม่ใช่การ spending!

เราควร work มากกว่าแดก*

สรุปภาพรวม

การทำ Credit expansion via Fractional-reserve banking > เกิด money supply เข้าสู่ระบบ Inflation > Devalue พลังงานของ Capitalists ในการปรับปรุงปัจจัยในการผลิต (cost สูงขึ้นไปเรื่อยๆ)

มันคือ การเติมน้ำในแก้วเบียร์พี่ชิต! อำนาจในการแลกเปลี่ยนของพี่ชิตถูกถอยออกไปหลายก้าว ไม่สามารถเปลี่ยน machine ในการผลิตได้ ของราคาแพงขึ้น อำนาจลดลง ความฝันในการเป็นนายทุน (capitalist) นายทุนน้อย เถ้าแก่น้อย เกิดไม่ได้

ประเทศนี้จะมั่งคั่งได้ ต้องเพิ่มนายทุนน้อย ซึ่งยาก เพราะเราสู้คนมี Credit ไม่ได้ เราสร้าง Savings จาก Productivity เป็นพลังงานสะอาดที่เกิดจาก POW แต่ Loan ของ bank เป็นอำนาจในการเสก & เปลี่ยน record ทำให้ money ในระบบเพิ่มขึ้น

Capital มีจำนวนจำกัด แต่ทั้ง POW (พลังงานสะอาด) และ LOAN (พลังงานในอนาคต) ดันมีศักดิ์ศรี & อำนาจในการไล่ล่า Capital และอำนาจในการแลกเปลี่ยนเท่ากัน

คนตัวเล็กๆ อีกหลายแสนในประเทศนี้ที่ฝันอยากเป็นนายทุนน้อยจะเกิดได้อย่างไร แทบจะเป็นไปไม่ได้เลย ดังนั้น ประเทศเรา ‘นายทุนน้อย’ ตายลงเรื่อยๆ เหลือแต่นายทุนใหญ่ไม่กี่คน

การเกิด Inflation ยิ่งทำให้ผู้ที่ไม่มี Capital ยิ่งยากที่จะเข้าใกล้การมี ในขณะที่ผู้ที่มี Capital อยู่แล้วเท่านั้นจึงจะอยู่ได้

ถ้าเราต้องเป็นหนี้จริงๆ การเป็นหนี้เพื่อเพิ่มความสามารถในการแข่งขัน & เพื่อการเป็นนายทุนน้อย พี่ชิตสนับสนุนความคิดนี้ แต่โลกความเป็นจริง ไม่มีรัฐไหน ที่สนับสนุนนโยบายนี้ รัฐสนใจแค่คนที่มีอำนาจโหวตอยู่ในมือ

ถ้าเรายังอยู่ในระบบ Fiat money (Credit money system) ยากมากที่จะเกิด Civilization & Wealth แก่ประเทศนี้ ซึ่งต้นเหตุที่แท้จริง คือ Fractional-reserve banking**

วันนี้เรามีทางเลือก มี tool ใหม่ SAVING is mother of capital** แต่คำนี้ไม่จริงในระบบเงิน fiat

The best saving technology = Bitcoin!

Fuck you, bank (พี่ชิตกล่าวไว้)

เถ้าแก่น้อย ต้องรู้จัก Bitcoin* และ ชาติที่รุ่งเรือง เกิดจากการมี Capital goods ที่ดี

Make Saving Great Again !

siamstr

ปอลอ บทความนี้ไม่รวมเนื้อหาส่วน Q&A ปอลอ2 วนๆ ตามแผนภาพนี้ เข้าใจที่สุดแล้ว ใช้ได้กับทุกธุรกิจ ปอลอ3 อ่านถึงตรงนี้ก็ชนคับชน cheers!

@ bbba037f:33dd566c

ฉบับเต็ม uncut version*

เนื้อหาโฟกัสที่ Austrian economics

Human Action

เกิดภายใต้ช้อยของ Scarcity ทุก Human action จะมี reason เพื่อ เป้าหมาย & purpose ไม่ว่า reason นั้นจะ Correct or False

Human Action เป็น mean เพื่อบรรลุเป้าหมาย Human Action มองเห็นได้เชิงกายภาพ แต่ Reason (เหตุผล) มันอยู่ในหัว จับต้องไม่ได้ เช่นเดียวกับ Need และ Want ที่จับต้องไม่ได้

เราต้องพัฒนา Reason ให้มันนำไปสู่เป้าหมายได้เร็วและบ่อยครั้งขึ้น

Scarcity

เป็นเรื่องสัจจะ / ถาวร Want กับ Need ไม่มีข้อจำกัด มันง่ายกว่าการสร้าง Human Action วิ่งบนแกนเวลาหรือ Time เวลาบนโลกใบนี้มีจำกัด นั่นคือ Scarcity นั่นคือ Death line หรือ When ในชีวิตเรา มันทำให้เราต้องตัดสินใจเลือก / เปรียบเทียบ Value

Value ตีค่าไม่ได้ แต่เปรียบเทียบกันได้ แต่ value ไม่มีค่าคงที่ถาวร เปลี่ยนแปลงตามสถานการณ์

นั่นคือ Human Action is under scarcity*

Animal Action based on 'instinct'
Human Action based on 'reason'
Human มีสมองที่พัฒนาขึ้นมา เกิด rational

Value

Value is subjective Price ไม่เท่ากับ Value และเกิดจาก Exchange Price ไม่ได้เกิดจาก Demand & Supply มาตัดกัน (ซึ่ง Money supply มีผลมากระทบ Price ด้วยเหมือนกัน)

ขยายความ Value is subjective คือ คุณค่าอยู่ในสมองของเรา ไม่ได้อยู่ใน Object ขึ้นกับเวลาและสถานที่ (PLACE & TIME condition)

Making - Distributing - Retailing

Maker

= กลุ่มคนลงท้ายด้วย -er สร้าง output ที่มีประโยชน์ต่อผู้อื่น แต่สุดท้าย benefit อยู่ที่ Distributor & Retailer กลายเป็นว่ากลุ่ม Maker ยังจนอยู่ เช่น Photographer, Developer, farmer, etc.

Maker เมื่อผลิต output ออกมาแล้ว เรียกว่า กระบวนการ 'Inside out' เพื่อส่งมอบผลิตภัณฑ์ออกมา แต่ตามหลัก Austrian เบียร์ที่ผลิตออกมาได้ เป็น Subjective อยู่ในสมองของคนที่อยากกินเบียร์แก้วนี้ หากอยากทำให้เบียร์มีคุณค่าต้องทำ กระบวนการ 'Outside in' มองเห็นเบียร์แก้วนี้แล้ว Appreciate / Fall in love / Fresh (สดชื่น)

Retailer (พี่ชิต appreciate กลุ่มคนนี้*)

จะเป็นผู้สร้างมูลค่าของสินค้าตัวนั้นขึ้นมา (ทำ Marketing & Sale) จนคนซื้อเกิด feeling / need / want ขึ้นมา ประเทศเรายังขาดการ communicate ในส่วนนี้อีกมาก ทำให้สินค้าหลายอย่างในประเทศไม่สามารถสื่อสารเชิงจิตวิทยาให้กับลูกค้าเพื่อรู้สึก appreciate ในน้ำพักน้ำแรงของ Maker เรายังพัฒนาได้อีกเยอะ (พี่ชิต ยกตัวอย่าง ญี่ปุ่น & เกาหลี ที่ทำได้ดีมาก)

ดังนั้น Maker ต้องเข้าใจคำว่า Value ที่สร้างด้วยกลุ่ม Retailer

บทสรุป

Value (Money > Good > Desire/Need/Want/Drive)

1. Money = ‘the power to exchange’ (สิ่งที่ผู้คนอยากได้จริงๆ)
2. Good (สินค้าและบริการ) = Utility Good คือ mean ของ *Desire/Need/Want/Drive เช่น ซื้อโค้กเพราะอยาก feel fresh สื่อถึงว่า ‘Value is in your head’ คนเราอยากได้ Good เพื่อ fulfill feeling & value ต่างๆ ของเขา

siamstr

ปอลอ1 เนื้อหาไม่รวมส่วน Q&A ปอลอ2 เพิ่งว่างมาสรุปเนื้อหาย้อนหลัง ปอลอ3 พี่ชิต อธิบายได้ลึกซึ้งและเห็นภาพมาก ปอลอ4 ใครโดดเรียนอย่าให้รู้วววนะ ปอลอ5 ใครอ่านจบ cheers 🍻

@ 30876140:cffb1126

On a platform high in the clouds, a city floated populated by robots. The robots had no knowledge of their origins, and thus made up all sorts of odd fantasies regarding their history, exchanging one idea for another depending on the trends of the time. The city stayed afloat and powered by technological wonders that humanity will someday utilize on a massive scale, unimportant to mention here. Why, in a science fiction story would the technology be unimportant to discuss, you might ask. Because this story is about something different than technological wonder, and you will see what it is about in the coming pages.

At the center of this city stood a factory, a factory which builds robots. No robot alive had seen who built it; thus the source of their wild tales. A new robot would pop out of the factory every so often, sometimes in pairs, sometimes in threes, and at times even in groups of fifteen or twenty. On a day like any other, a robot was born from the factory. It was night, actually. Before the factory was an open square, at times in the distant past this square was the center of the community, much like the steps of the government buildings in Athens from those old paintings, where robots would collect, and speak, and greet their newcomers with glee. But today, as the newborn robot emerged from the factory, the square was dark and empty.

The first thing any robot would ever do when emerging from the factory was stumble. It's a very important business being born, after all, and since this robot had never used its legs before, it stumbled along like all the rest, nearly falling, but catching itself on a decorative post in the square. Why the post was there, none could tell, but it bore the scratches from hundreds of metal hands clinging onto it for dear life, so the population was generally thankful for its existence. 

The next thing any robot ever does is issue forth its name. It must be in their programming; no robot had ever probed deeply into their minds, except by thought alone, so none had discovered the secret at the heart of their make-up. This robot issued forth a series of sounds, in robotic language, which sounded something like our English letters, M – C – H, so for the purposes of this story, we will call them MCH. And, for the time of this tale, all words spoken in the robotic language will be translated into the English language, so we can understand the meaning of the tale.

After a robot speaks their name, there is a number of things they might do. They may look out, over the city, and see the beautiful buildings that touch the sky; or, they may work on an acrobatic act, learning to walk all the better; or a great number of other things too. MCH chose to look directly up, and saw the heavens shining above. Bright stars, and a beautiful white moon in crescent. This robot was filled with wonder at the sight, and nearly fell backward were it not for the post again.

Whatever wonder our MCH was filled with was quickly squashed by the most annoying sort of distraction: an advertisement. Yes, my poor readers, an advertisement. Up above, hiding in the shadows between the rooftops of nearby buildings, was perched a gaggle of spherical drones, each with one large black eye and an anti-gravity emitter at its base, waiting for the next newborn robot to emerge from the factory. One such drone rose up, being the only one paying any attention at this time, and rushed down with uncanny grace, right down into MCH's field of vision. MCH could only see this robot now, and it startled him so much he tried to swat it away, accidentally forgetting that they were holding onto a support column and falling flat on their back. The drone flew in closer, and started to speak.

“Well, hello there! Welcome to life in the big city!”

MCH propped up, rubbed their head, and tried to ignore the drone completely. But, the little drone was quite persistent.

“Now that you're all ready for life, it's time to start getting to work! You have your choice of a number of jobs to perform in the city, and it is my duty to get you situated into your new life! How exciting!”

MCH was clearly not excited at all. Rising, and looking back up into the sky, MCH was filled with purpose, or rather the seeds of purpose, for MCH did not knew exactly what this feeling was that was filling them because of the stars above. MCH wanted to rise up into the sky and see what these interesting lights really were. Looking around, MCH spotted a building with protrusions leading all the way up its sides, perfect for a robot such as they to climb and get a better look at the city around. MCH started to walk towards it.

The drone flew in front of MCH and did an annoyed little dance. “Just where are you going? You do not know the lay of the city. You haven't even chosen a career, yet! I...” MCH gently pushed the drone out of the way. This drone had obviously never been treated this way before, and it floated for a moment trying to make sense of it all. 

When MCH reached the side of the building, they held onto one of the protrusions and tried their weight. Amazing, thought MCH, my arms can carry my weight like my legs. With a bold push off the ground, MCH began to climb the side of the building.

The drone had floated for a minute, thinking all of this over, and then it really dawned on them what this newborn robot was doing. 

“Just what do you think you are doing?” 

The drone flew over next to MCH, who was now several meters in the air. 

MCH responded, “I am going to see the sky.”

The drone scoffed, “The sky? What about your job?” 

MCH replied, “I want this job.” 

The drone said, “Well if you like to climb, then I have the perfect job for you, deconstructing old buildings. You can climb, and carry a very fashionable melting-torch, and...” 

MCH interrupted, “Climbing is only a way to the top. I want to look at the lights in the sky. ”

The drone looked up. “The stars?” 

MCH stopped, “Stars?” 

“Our ancestors, the first robots, didn't see the stars, you know, never even looked up to think about them. Nobody has cared for many years what they may be. We are a city of rational robots. What is out there is not important. What is important, is getting you to your job immediately.”

“I need to know more about the stars,” said MCH. “What can you tell me?” 

“Nothing more.” chirped the drone. “You are due for work. Now, come along, climb down from this place and let's get you placed in a job. Your society requires you.” 

MCH resumed climbing. The drone kept shouting all sorts of unconvincing requests, but MCH was unconvinceable. The building rose high into the sky, taller than any other building in the square. MCH pulled themselves up onto the rooftop, seeing the vistas above the city.

The view was spectacular. Far into the distance, the epicenter of the city rose up above the sprawl of smaller buildings below. The city stretched in all directions from the center in perfect symmetry. It seemed that over half the city was laid out recently in perfect rows, with buildings all crafted to match each other, and the other half remained from an older time. Active construction was taking place in a long strip of road extending between the city center and the edge of the city, far off. Where the city ended, the sky took up, filling all the heavens with shining stars. 

We of today know that pollution from our earthen lights prevents us from seeing the spectacularity of the heavenly bodies as our ancient forebearers had seen in the remote past. But there was a peculiar quality to the vision of robots, that light pollution did not disrupt their ability to see the nighttime sky in all its glory. The galaxy of stars was painted perfectly above, the shining orbs of planetary bodies suspended between them, unwavering, and the beautiful moon in crescent, perfectly visible and doing no injustice to the light of the other lights which shared its sky. 

It is enough to say that MCH was completely stricken by the beauty that was both above and below the high viewpoint. Even the drone took a moment to look over the city, admiring the progress it represented. The two were in silence for a moment, then, of course, the drone interrupted the moment. 

“Well, now. Isn't that lovely. The city of your people, the city of my creators.” 

MCH turned to the drone. “The city was built by my people?”

“Yes,” replied the drone. “It has stood since time out of memory, though it has changed considerably over the ages. Now, it is being restored, in the vision of a grand new world.” 

MCH could see the construction taking place. Both sections of the city, new and old, were constructed of pure metal, and every building was the same color. In the old city, the buildings looked as though they were crafted by individuals, trying new styles of art and expression, where as the new city looked like it was made from a copied pattern, repeated in perpetuity. 

“Why does the new city look so boring?” asked MCH.

“Boring?” the drone scoffed. “It is progress, unity, participation of the whole of robotic society on a scale never before fathomed that has created the new city. The old city is a mess of individualistic yearnings leading nowhere but chaotic self expression in an endless number of directions, with little holistic purpose other than radical separation.”

“You speak too much,” MCH said.

The drone flew backward a little, hovered for a second, its eye-lens contracting and expanding quicky while looking the robot up and down, then flew incredibly close until they were face to face. The drone whispered, “And you have not learned how to respect. Be careful down there; these robots punish chaos-makers like you with termination. Step into line, and you will live just fine in this city. But, keep following your own way, and I expect you will end up melted down into scrap for the building project.” Flying over, near the edge, the drone turned and said, in a cheery tone, “Shall we climb down from here, now? It's time for you to get to work.”

Part 2

The drone lead MCH along a street that lead into the heart of the city. Both sides of the street were lined with newly constructed buildings; squares upon squares upon squares. Plain buildings with rounded edges in perfect symmetrical cubes, one upon the next like little boxes, on the road side. Unlike the buildings of the old city that MCH had seen from the rooftop, these buildings had no windows, and only a single opening, facing the street, which had no door. 

“Drone, I have a question.”

“Yes?” the drone said with excitement.

“Where is everybody?”

“They are at their workplaces, or recharging their energy inside of these buildings.”

“That's it?”

“What do you mean, that's it?” replied the drone with sarcasm. “What else is there to be doing?” 

MCH did not know how to respond, so the two of them continued walking. Finally, MCH said, “I don't know. But something doesn't feel right here.”

The drone gave an odd, mechanical laugh. “You shouldn't listen to your feelings, robot. They are irrational functions that do not serve the motion of society. You will see; far better robots have spent much more time than you have figuring out the best way for a robot to live.”

“How do you know all of this if you are not a robot like me?”

“I was once a robot, like you. I served the great machine of society very well, and showed a passion for the philosophy of motion that keeps the energy of our city flowing. It is a great honor to be a drone like me.”

“How?”

“We get to show the newcomers how society operates. I think I do a better job at it than my counterparts; they seem to favor the dump all the collected information of robotic thought and history into the minds of the newcomers technique, and I simply cannot stand this method of forward conversation; could you?”

“Maybe if you told me more instead of just pulling me right into work, I'd have a reason to follow you other than blind faith.”

“Oho! You sound like a philosopher, now. Maybe that's your destiny. No matter, we will see with time. It is good to ask questions, but only if they lead to better understanding. You are being brought to work at the lowest levels of society; you will become a cog in the great machine. We all began as humble servants to society; even the greatest thinkers of robotic society began as cogs. But it's a very large subject. You'll be hearing all about it soon enough. I'll just share the basics with you.

“Our society is a machine, and every robot is a part of it. We act as one unit, one mind. The more together we are, the better we are. It wasn't always so orderly, so be grateful that we finally found this way. It was the work of a body of philosophers, years behind us, who constructed this mode of thought, and it has been adopted into the heart of our society.
“You will be a part of the machine, nothing less and nothing more, serving the various functions of its motion in time for perpetuity. Half of your life will be work, and the other half is separated into two parts: a period of communication with your peers, and a period of recharging in your dwelling space. That is what these buildings are, dwelling spaces, filled with little rooms that are filled with robots like you, recharging and readying for their work..”

“What sort of work will I be doing?”

“There are two functions that newborn cogs can fulfill. Your choices are basically constructor or deconstructor. What is old must be disassembled, what is new must be created.”

“Those sound... alright. I want to be a constructor. What will I be making?”

“That depends on the needs of the city. Your workplace Overseer will decide upon that, and then the Operators will instruct the Cogs on the task.”

“Do I have a choice what I can create?”

“No no, of course you don't. That is up to the Grand Overseers in the center of the city. They see what needs doing, then send orders to the Overseers of the various workplaces to begin construction or deconstruction.”

“What sort of things to we construct in this city?”

“Oh, you will see. I won't ruin the surprises for you.” The drone gave an odd sound that seemed like a giggle. 

The symmetrical cubes gave way immediately to larger cubes, equally symmetrical, but each having now three doors. A humming sound emanated from the buildings of this district.

“Well, here we are! This is the section of the city that robots come to for work. It is in a perfect ring, around the center. Let's find you a job.”

The drone flew ahead of MCH and approached the first building on the right. A screen near each door was shining a pale blue light. When the drone approached the screen nearest, it began flashing with information. The drone watched it for a moment, then quickly sped off to a screen on the next building, repeating this process several times while MCH stood in the center of the road, waiting.

After several minutes, the drone sped back to MCH. “Good! I found you a job. It's right over here.” MCH followed the drone.

“This is what you'll do. When you're coming to work, approach the door on the right. Press your hand against this screen, and when it turns the color green, the door will open. Go on, now, give it a try.” 

MCH noticed that these buildings had doors, where as the previous buildings, where robots went to recharge, did not have doors. MCH placed their hand onto the screen. It immediately turned green, and the door slid open.

“Excellent. Now, follow me.”

They entered a large room with a high ceiling containing lines of recessed bright lights. The humming that MCH heard before was coming from three long conveyor belt machines that stretched the length of the room, which actively pulled small objects along from openings in the walls, across the  room; two of them turned at right angles, entering the walls again to different parts of the building, and the belt in the middle disappeared into the floor, dumping its contents below. On each side of every belt, robots assembled the pieces together in a rhythmic unison. They were humming a song while they worked. Down the middle lane, objects were coming in to be disassembled, and those parts fell down into the floor.

The drone turned to MCH. “This is your workplace. It does not have a name; it does not need a name, just like you do not need a name, though you may have already come up with one at the factory.You are a Cog in the Great Machine just like your fellows in this factory. Watch how they work. See their rhythm, hear their song? You will learn this rhythm and song. Their day is almost finished. You'll go with them to leisure time, where you'll speak and get to know each other in a regimented, friendly fashion.” A noise erupted from somewhere in the building and the conveyor belts all stopped in their place. The robots all issued a sound together, like “Oho!” and stepped, in perfect lines, towards the door. 

“Once the last one is out, fall into place at their rear, and follow them to Speaker Square. I will be nearby for when it is time to recharge. Good day!”

Part 3

The robots walking in lines were soon joined by other robots emerging in lines from the other workplace buildings, and soon the whole street was a parade of robotic steps moving into the city center. Nobody talked, though everybody hummed in the same note. MCH was walking just like them, not quite with such perfect rhythm but keeping up well. 

The parade walked for about ten minutes, passing by building after building looking exactly the same as the last, until finally they reached the edge of the city center, there the buildings suddenly grew exceedingly tall and slender. They rose hundreds of feet, and they all were lined with silver windows high above, near the tenth floor and beyond. The windows were very reflective; the sun was beginning to rise, a bright light in the sky that began to shine off the windows of the buildings, and the sky was turning blue.

The procession reached the very heart of the city, where a huge open square was filled with robots, all chattering in small groups or pairs with one another. It seemed that many of them were speaking just to speak, and began to do so the second that their feet touched the center's ground.

A robot near MCH turned to face them, and started a conversation. “So you're a newborn. I could tell by the sound of your feet. You weren't matching our steps. No matter, you'll get it soon enough. You were just born yesterday, after all. Did you get to go to work today?”

“No, I came in too late, they were just announcing leisure time.”

“Oh, well that's a shame,” replied the robot. “Work is the most important part of participating in our society. If you don't work, well, they'll terminate you.”

“Yeah, I heard,” replied MCH. 

The robot turned to a small group that was talking near them. “Well, how was your day at work, team?” They all replied with nods and a general sound of agreement. 

“This here's a newborn, just joining us for the first time.” Sounds of welcome came in MCH's direction. 

“Oh, you're going to be a great addition,” said one robot.

“Work hard, and you may even get to be an Overseer someday,” said another.

MCH asked, “What do I need to do to become an Overseer?”

“You need to work hard, for a long time. You'll eventually get promoted, every robot always does.”

“There are many types of Overseers, too. You'll be a Lead Cog before ever becoming an Overseer. Lead Cogs communicate directly the orders of the Overseer of the Cogs at the factory. There's an Overseer of the Cogs at every workplace, and a Lead Cog for every twenty robots.”

MCH looked around at the buildings. The sun's light was reflecting down in strands from the windows on the tops of the buildings. The buildings in the city center were constructed closely together and shadows played between them, cut only by the sunlight, and dulled by the soft glow of lamps protruding from low pillars surrounding the square. 

“What is the purpose of these buildings?” asked MCH.

“This is where the Overseers live, and work. It's important for them to have a view of the city; it allows them to think clearer about the decisions they'll make about our future.” The other robots nodded in approval.

“It's also where the Inventors live and work,” said another robot.

MCH turned quickly to face the robot. “The Inventors? What are the Inventors?”

“The Inventors work directly with the Overseers, creating the plans for all the ideas that the Overseers have. There are all sorts of Inventors; city planners, building architects, machine makers. That is a respected position.”

“How do I become an Inventor?” Finally, MCH thought, something that I may actually want to spend my days doing.

“Well, it's difficult. As a Cog, you have no voice and cannot speak to a superior, unless they speak directly to you. An Overseer needs to see you have a quick, inventive mind, so often they'll test their Lead Cogs or ask them all sorts of questions to figure out if they're going to be slated for an Overseer position, or able to become an Inventor. So, it'll take you a long time to get there.”

“How long?” MCH quickly blurted.

“Well, ten days of work make a macro, and ten macros make a grand. Ten grands make a cycle. I've been a Cog for three cycles, seven macros and six work days. But I expect I'll promote soon enough.”

MCH slumped as they stood. “How long does it usually take?”

“It's a little random; don't lose heart! I've seen promotions occur for the fastest working robots in their first cycle. Keep a steady work flow and you just may get that promotion faster than the rest of us.”

The rest of the conversations in the square continued without MCH's engagement; they were all speaking nonsense, as far as MCH was concerned; facts that seem to have been spit between them for how many cycles he had no guess. MCH spent the rest of leisure time slowly gazing round the square, at the buildings, at the robots, steadying the tides that pushed their robotic mind this way and that, from one thought to another, disassembling and reassembling all manner of constructs, and wondering at the purpose of it all.

Had any other robots thought about the purpose of it all, even? MCH thought. They were about to ask the other robots, but a loud din from somewhere signaled the end of leisure time. The robots all turned towards one of ten roads leading out from the city center, like lines extending from the center of a clock, and began to file out. 

Just then, MCH spotted the drone from earlier, flying above the crowd and looking at the faces of the robots, likely searching for the familiar face of the newborn. The thought entered their mind, run, and escape this horrible place. MCH almost ducked into a line leading out towards the rising sun, but the drone had spotted them at just that moment.

“Ah there you are! I hope you have enjoyed your leisure time; your energy is likely getting very  low.”

“I feel just fine,” MCH replied.

“That's not likely to last. Luckily, I've taken the time searching for your new dwelling. Follow this line, here.”

MCH and the drone fell into step behind a line that was moving away from the city by a road headed not directly towards the rising sun, but a little to its left. The line was moving in perfect step, so MCH tried to keep step with them. The drone hovered above, near their shoulder. 

They passed into the work district, then back into the district of dwellings.

@ 30876140:cffb1126

Written for English 293 – Science Fiction Class Seattle Central College March 12th, 2017

The Final Essay

I Am Terminal: Enter, The Cybernauts

Introduction

The days of true cyberpunk are over. New cyberpunk can only continue as a form of nostalgia, a memory, reliving a technologically-surpassed era that drew from a culture of objects and media that are now buried in the trash heaps and storage units of the long-gone 90s. Just as every new iteration of a technological device outdates the previous, so too has cyberpunk lost its seat as a cutting-edge genre of science fiction. However, as we shall see, cyberpunk was among the first fiction to explore the very real prospect of entering into a computer-driven virtual reality, thus pioneering the digital frontier and altering the human mindscape to prepare us for the virtual reality that is now emerging. 

The invention and development of technologies that allow an immersive experience of computer-simulated environments is the central focus to this text. How we receive stimulus from and interact with virtual worlds is another central theme to this text, and of particular importance is the question, how else can we interact with computers and virtual worlds, now and in our future? We will explore the development of cyberspace (a term coined by William Gibson) and its interfaces in relation to three stages of development: 

a) cyberpunk's fantasy of cyberspace, 

b) the current reality of virtual reality, and 

c) a Transhumanist perspective of humankind's future as cyberspace creators and explorers.

It is my intention to provide questions and prompts for emerging cybernaut science fiction authors and creators, and bring together a collection of information with which to draw from in our texts. This is all in the effort to present where we are today, as witnesses to the actual emergence of virtual worlds, with the hope that we all can create more interesting fiction that imaginatively moves us beyond our current technological and mental capabilities. 

Quips and points will often be made without context or explanation, analogous to the experience of surfing the internet of today, which bombards us with one-liner hyperlinks designed to draw our attention into a webpage; this is done with the intention to spur a thought in the reader without the need to further explain the point. If this text sometimes feels like a lecture, then let it also be considered another literary condition of our information-driven era, harmonious with the amount of reading that is expected of us as second-generation terminal users. With this understanding, we may surpass the trap of the information itself and instead utilize our data through an artistic channel. 

Neo-Neologisms

Two terms which will be used extensively in this text are here described:

Datascape will refer to the unseen dimension of all digital information, regardless of its rendering and portrayal to the human user (as opposed to a virtual world or a cyberspace, which is a  rendered virtual environment). The datascape envelops all information that is locally stored or traveling between terminals, whether it is a package of bytes or an endless stream of data. Data and the datascape can be manipulated in nearly endless ways, as will be explored throughout this text. 

Cybernaut, similar to astronaut, quite literally means an explorer or adventurer of cyberspace; this term can refer to any user of digital technology, specifically those who use computers, surf the internet, and explore virtual reality. 

“Cybernaut science fiction will rely on a broad range of digital media expression, which includes the literary arts, but also encompasses digital painting, electronic music, and simulation design.”

• Acea Spades Black, I Am Terminal

Let's begin. Power: ON

Cybernauts are the builders and inventors of virtual worlds. 

Cybernauts are the enjoyers and explorers of virtual worlds.

Cybernauts are the sustainers and destroyers of virtual worlds.

Of Cyberpunk...

“Jameson himself has stated that cyberpunk is 'henceforth, for many of us, the supreme literary expression if not of postmodernism, then of late capitalism itself.'” 

• Scott Bukatman, Terminal Identity

Cyberpunk narratives emerged as a gross extrapolation of the breakdowns of self that occurred to the humans most affected by postmodern life, aspects of which were projected upon a fictitious near- future world, replete and engulfed by the advertising industry, pop-culture phenomenas, consumer products and electronics, and body modifications. Cyberpunk, and postmodern fiction in general, features characters who are lost in a sea of scientific and technological change; a rapidly moving world in which human identity is challenged by a loss of center, the sensation that the individual can no longer relate to old ontological beliefs in so foundational a thing as the concept of reality itself. The characters in a postmodern tale must often invent their own meaning of reality. An overpowering sense of change and helplessness, often due in equal measure to the explosive transformation of the world by technology, the changing ideas of reality due to mind-shattering scientific discovery, and the total dominance of multinational corporate entities who have gained a powerful hold on the socio-economic systems of the Earth. In cyberpunk, the criminal underworld becomes a haven for those who wish to avoid the futility; yet, ironically, those who escape into the criminal underbelly of society often find themselves backed into a corner of their own actions and misdeeds, thus reinforcing the sensation of utter inescapability. Some look to phenomenal experiences for their identity, as the character Case does in Neuromancer, who becomes addicted to the experience of navigating cyberspace. Instead of introducing the electronic devices and incredible phenomenas of these worlds with a reverent awe, the cyberpunk novel often takes the new world and turns it inside-out, describing its darkness and the aspects that are riddled with corruption. Though the cyberpunk world is filled with objects and experiences that the reader may find incredible, the characters rarely find anything special about their world, and cyberspace falls in as just another feature of the technological cityscape.

“When people are little more than bytes in the government data stream, can anyone remain human?” 

• John Brunner, Shockwave Rider (1975) 

“For one thing, the cyberpunks were the first generation of artists for whom the technologies of satellite dishes, video and audio players and recorders, computers and videogames (both of particular importance), digital watches, and 

MTV were not exoticisms, but part of a daily 'reality-matrix'.” 

• Larry McCaffery, Storming the Reality Studio

Today's technology has evolved way beyond the old cyberpunk motifs; video cassettes became DVDs which is now being replaced by internet streaming; audio cassettes became CDs and transformed into digital MP3s which are also being replaced by subscription streaming services. Even television, which existed in a form little-changed for decades, has given way to internet videos, far beyond the days of on-demand cable television programs. Where the technologies of the cyberpunk era were typically a tangible, analog device, the technologies of our current era are streaming, literally streams of data that move from server-to-client through a network, most often the internet. Even when we keep our own copy of a song or movie on our computers or cellphones, they are only copies of data that a stream has deposited into our devices. The data itself is an inaccessible layer of invisible power, understood only in its context by a computer that can make sense of the code within. Be it stored inside of a forgotten server in the bottom of a basement, or streaming rapidly across the internet and into multiple devices, the data itself in its entirety makes up the invisible dimension that we call the datascape. Where as Case in Gibson's tale described cyberspace as a consciously-navigable dimension of information, most of the actual datascape remains completely unseen, never intended to interact with a human. But, in the cyberpunk fantasy of cyberspace, the datascape is laid bare to the senses.

A central motif to the cyberpunk tale is the 'console cowboy', the hacker that navigates cyberspace for whatever purpose they find important, be it stealing money from online bank accounts, or collecting classified information from protected data servers. The direct connection between the human brain and the network terminal is a central device in Gibson's Neuromancer, and also in the action film The Matrix. The idea that a human can be directly connected to a computer network and navigate within a digital dimension is the heart of cybernaut science fiction, and cyberpunk has been instrumental in bringing forth this storytelling device. 

Where as cyberspace may have been used by postmodern and cyberpunk writers as a literary device, “to construct a new subject-position to interface with the global realms of data circulation, a subject that can occupy or intersect the cyberscapes of contemporary existence”, as Bukatman described in Terminal Identity, cyberspace can now be used in a literal sense, as it is becoming a real technology in today's world. How it is used as a literary device is up to the author alone; whether it is just another vehicle for the story, a backdrop item in the techno-world, a region of exploration, or a tool for questioning the very nature of reality, thought, and human identity.

“In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation.” 

• Guy Debord, La Societe du Spectacle (1967) 

The cyberpunks envisioned the day of data terminals in our pockets and cyberspace as a navigable region; we live with these technologies as a daily reality. They, like the science fiction writers who spoke of traveling to outer space long before the first moon landing (a la A Trip to the Moon,_1902), had only a fantasy of the technology that their narratives bespoke. But, like the science fiction writers who followed the wake of scientific achievements that sent humankind into space, we are the generation that can enter into cyberspace; we have the datascape right here, in our own hands, and we are constantly shaping this dimension. We are the first generation that can truly call ourselves _cybernauts.

“Invisible spaces now dominate, as the city of the modernist era is replaced by the non-place urban realm

and outer space is superseded by cyberspace.” 

• Scott Bukatman, Terminal Identity

Reality, Virtual...

The 'virtual reality' technology that was developed during the late 20th century prepared us for a massive leap in functionality made possible due to exponentially increasing computational power, and,  thanks to the work of Palmer Luckey and his company, Oculus, the head-mounted display (HMD) was brought to the consumer market in the mid-2010s. Modern HMDs utilize real-time position tracking that register user motion in a computer simulation, simultaneously updating the user's perspective to match their position in cyberspace. Additionally, the user may also use a number of peripheral devices that further immerse the senses into the experience of a virtual world. To mention just a few: 

The Virtuix Omni allows the user a full range motion in virtual space; a harness apparatus keeps the user in place, suspended above on a smooth surface, which the feet slide upon to register motion in the simulation. Haptic feedback suits, such as the Hardlight VR, give the user a tactile sense of virtual space; the user experiences full-body sensations when coming into contact with digital simulacra, determined by the simulation's physics engine. The Manus VR gloves tracks and projects the motion of the user's hands into cyberspace with incredible precision, and also generate haptic feedback during interaction with virtual objects. To immerse the sense of sound in virtual reality, pick up a set of OSSIC X 3D headphones; these sync with the simulation to give the user a very detailed spatial-audio experience that vivifies distance and presence in virtual reality.

Combining these elements together, we have an experience of cyberspace that is impossibly interesting. The only senses that have not yet been virtually mastered are the taste and smell; yet, interestingly enough, the mind has the ability to fill these in on its own, owing to the synesthesia that is created by being so completely enveloped in the multi-sensory experience that virtual reality provides.

These devices are not the future of virtual reality; they are the present. These are the tools of the current generation, not the fantasies of a science fiction world. This is the beginning of the new millennium, and these technologies are offered to us on the consumer market. What does this spell for the future of cyberspace immersion and interaction? To what purpose will we use these devices; as narrative devices, as entertainment consoles, as educational tools, or beyond that? 

Moving beyond the capable, which will only grow more vivid with each iteration, it is our imagination that opens the doors to new possibilities. Reaching far into the future, we can imagine the human being transformed by these technologies; the true explorer of the digital realm.

Cybernautic Transhumanism

“[Transhumanism] promotes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding and evaluating the

opportunities for enhancing the human condition and the human organism ... The enhancement options

being discussed include... augmentation of human intellectual, physical, and emotional capacities...

along with other potential developments that could profoundly alter the human condition...

[such as] economic, social, and institutional designs, cultural development, and

psychological skills and techniques...

Transhumanists view human nature as a work-in-progress” 

• Nick Bostrom, Transhumanist Values

“It has fallen to science fiction to repeatedly narrate a new subject that can 

somehow directly interface with – and master – the cybernetic technologies of the Information Age...” 

Scott Bukatman, Terminal Identity

Transhumanism presents us a vehicle for discussion of the human future, for it encompasses not only changes to the human body, but also to thought, socio-economic order, cultural development, and the wonders of immense technological change. A Transhumanist must consider our future as technological beings who interact with the datascape, imagining the human developing senses of cognition and interaction with the extra-sensory stimuli of the digital dimension. The datascape is a mirror to our world because it is interconnected with it, but it also stands alone as its own, intangible space. But what makes it untouchable is the human's lack of a sense of electronics and data. Without eyes, we may not see the light, and without the datasense, we will not be able to touch the datascape. Computers are, in a sense, data-sensitive beings, able to send, receive, and alter the datascape itself. Will a human develop the datasense, too?

Just how far will we merge with the datascape? 

How exactly does one gain the datasense? 

What new capabilities will we invent as data-sensitive beings? 

Our capacity to enter the digital landscape is limited to external sensory stimulation by way of the ears, eyes, and haptic pressure. We have not yet gained the ability to directly stimulate the human brain to create holistically-experienced renderings of the virtual world; but, we aren't far behind. 

I had the pleasure to work with the son of a neuroscientist whose research team is currently inventing a technology that allows the blind to see by way of a camera connected to an electrically-stimulating tongue sensor; the user places the sensor on their tongue, which sends signals from the camera into their brain, displaying a visible signal. Another technology for the blind involves installing a camera by wires directly into the user's visual cortex, an invasive yet steadily improving technology. If this technology were to be used to render images or simulations from a computer directly into the user's brain, the user could be completely immersed in the datascape in currently-unfathomed ways.

“Transhumanists hope that by responsible use of science, technology and other rational means we shall eventually manage to become posthuman, beings with vastly greater capacities than present human beings have.”  

• Bostrom, Transhumanist Values

The Song of The Terminal

“The newly proliferating electronic technologies of the Information Age are invisible, 

circulating outside of the human experience of space and time.”

• Bukatman, Terminal Identity

To envision a future in which human has merged with the datascape, we as authors must be willing to draw from the real field of computer science. Whether or not we adopt the practice of writing our narratives as hard science fiction, in which our devices are constructed ingeniously from an understanding of the actual working of a computer, we must at least take into account that the general computer literacy among readers has significantly increased in the new millennium. Long gone are the days that we can get away with an uneducated use of computer technology, typing in a few one-word commands and expecting the computer to know exactly what we mean, or throwing around words like algorithm and CPU like they're magic. Well, a computer isn't magic, and neither is science, so why do so many authors describe their advanced technologies like all-powerful objects of miracles and mysticism?

If we are going to author cybernaut science fiction, then we must at least have a basic understanding of how a computer works and, most importantly, how it renders the datascape into a human-accessible form. From there, we can begin to consider what other ways the datascape can be rendered for human interaction. 

With the exception of the virtual reality technologies mentioned, we currently access the digital dimension almost exclusively by way of a computer; i.e. a terminal. There is a screen which displays data that has been rendered into a visible form, be it a line of symbols, or a colorful, navigable environment. By way of peripherals, such as a keyboard and mouse, we access and manipulate data that displayed to us, and this data is either is stored in the computer, or is streaming into it and out of it through a network like the internet. Data itself is just a code, a series of electronic switches that are grouped together to form bytes. The computer itself is designed to manipulate these switches and bytes. Computer languages use these switches as their foundation; their letters, if you will. There are nearly endless ways that a computer can read these switches; they are the foundation of computer languages. Data itself is just information, stored in bytes, waiting to be interpreted by the right language. Language is our primary interface with machines, albeit a strange language. We can then venture to say that the datascape itself is a region of language, acting as an intermediary between human-and-machine, and machine-to-machine.

Information overload, terminated.

Beyond the Terminal

Here's a question for you to ponder: if a computer is made up of tiny switches that make a code, and components that can move and alter these switches, just how the heck do you think your conscious mind is going to get stuck inside that hard drive? Discuss and hypothesize.

We can begin to imagine incredible new ways in which the human being will interact with data, and thus new ways in which the human will interact with the machine. Cyberpunk and Transhumanism has explored the idea of human physically or mentally merging with a machine, beyond the use of screens as the exclusive intermediary. Direct control of a machine by way of telepathy and brainwaves or mental impulses may or may not hinge upon a data-language, instead instituting direct synaptic control over the machine. A human with the datasense could, theoretically, think and emit pure data.  But can we also envision a computer that works without data?

There is a very imaginative story which illustrates an example of humans merging with machines; in The Ship Who Sang by Anna McCaffery, a newborn human baby is selected to become the operator of a space-traveling scout ship. She spends her life in training, slowly becoming fused with the technologies that allow her to control the mechanisms of the ship: 

“Instead of kicking feet, Helva's neural responses started her wheels; instead of grabbing with hands, she manipulated mechanical extensions. As she matured, more and more neural synapses would be adjusted to operate other mechanisms that went into the maintenance and running of a space ship.” Helva's physical actions are completely merged with machinery. There is no intermediate terminal, no screens to read or knobs to turn; Helva is the computer terminal. 

Another interesting example can be found in Plus by Joseph McElroy (1976); described in Cyberpunk 101: “A dying engineer who has his brain removed awakens to find he has become, literally, a mere communication device, attached to a computer inside a satellite orbiting the earth. As 'he' (Imp Plus) gradually recovers his memories and reinvents language, he transforms himself into a fully conscious biological and chemical laboratory.”

In the science fiction epic, The Matrix, humans are grown in fusion with machinery; their psyches are projected into a virtual dimension where dwells their persona while they are jacked-in, or physically-connected to the illusion-generating machine. In the story, humans live their entire lives unaware that they are trapped inside of a virtual simulation, but those who awaken from the simulation are thrust into 'the real world', which is a horrific place that is completely twisted into a terror-scape of Giger-ian machine dominance; the awakened are collected by the other freed humans and are taught how to master their virtual presence; by having programs downloaded into their brains, they gain amazing powers in the virtual world. 

How else will humans interface with virtual reality?

“No longer has information any tangible, kinetic analogue in the world of the senses, or in the imaginations of writers of fiction. Gone are the great arrays of vacuum tubes, the thousands of toggles that heroes of space fiction would flick almost faster than the eye could see as they dodges space 'torpedoes', outflanked alien 'battle lines', steered through asteroid 'storms'; gone, more importantly, is any sustained sense of the autonomy, in space and time, of gross visible individual human actions. And if 'actions' are now invisible, then our fates are likewise beyond our grasp. We no longer feel that we penetrate the future; futures penetrate us.” 

• John Clute

Epics of the Cybernauts

“Anthropologists of possible selves, we are technicians of realizable futures.”

– Donna Haraway

Star travel; alien planets; apocalypse; utopia; the mundane and the incredible; in the dimension of simulacra, we can create anything. 

It is tempting to launch into a detailed survey of simulations and virtual worlds that are currently available to the interested reader; but, this is out of the scope of this text. Suffice it to say, entire galaxies have been generated in cyberspace and await your exploration. This leads to the all-important question: how will you use these technologies in your work? Will you write a story, or design a story for expression in a virtual environment? Entire manifestos could be generated with the do's and don'ts of cybernaut science fiction tales (and I expect to read them, someday). Not only must virtual reality be used as a simulation of reality, but it can also be used as a simulation of hyper-reality, sub-reality, pseudo-reality, and even non-reality. Let us hope for The Virtual Non-Reality Manifesto to emerge soon after this text is complete. 

We must chart course in the mindscape before we can create new ground in the datascape. We as authors and creators are best suited for such advances in thought and invention, since we are already so often dwelling in our own minds.

Focus not only on human interactions with virtual reality; invent new personifications for those who dwell exclusively in the datascape.

We can use these technologies to simulate potential futures, the possibilities awaiting our actions, globally and individually, to determine the best course ahead.

Helva, in The Ship Who Sang, is educated from youth in the subjects of “trajectory, propulsion techniques, computation, logistics, mental hygiene, basic alien psychology, philology, space history, law, traffic, codes: all the etceteras that eventually became compounded into a reasoning, logical, informed citizen”. Her education is shaped by her function, her duty, and enhance her abilities as the operator of a scout ships in an intergalactic future. If we are born with the ability to interact with the datascape, what education would we be given to enhance our abilities as cybernauts? What would the world of the future look like in which the population (or a select few) can enter the datascape, and what would they be taught?

The field of cybography is waiting to be invented. 

When physical laws can be rewritten by the changing of a few values hidden in the fabric of the digital universe... Hmm...

The human creative impulse is engulfing the datascape. Digital art is on the rise and new forms of it are taking shape in the data cosmos.

How will our interactions with virtual reality and the datascape change us as individuals; as a society? What place will virtual reality have in human life? Will it be only an entertainment device; a social playground; a space for political discussion; an area of discovery? Will we send ships into space, covered in cameras and scientific devices, yet control them from the comfort of our own homes? What will we see in our deeper explorations of the virtual dimension? Will we need to create everything, or will an artificial intelligence create these worlds for us? Will there be paranormal experiences not originally intended, such as solar activity that causes unexpected phantasmagoria?

In Conclusion

We, the cybernauts, venture into the datascape with the intention of shaping this creation to our will, for the purpose of creating epic narratives, and to enhance the joy of our techie-lives. We may be a far-cry away from jacking-in to the datascape, like the characters in The Matrix and Neuromancer, though we can currently interact with virtual worlds in incredible ways. We can't directly transform matter into something digital, as the Master Control Program does to Flynn in TRON, but we do have the ability to produce tangible simulacra in virtual reality from physical objects in the real world, which is certainly the better option (I'm sure you can agree). We may not escape our daily lives by immersing  deeply in the digital dimension, as do the characters of Ready, Player One, though that possibility is coming closer every day, for better or for worse. The cyberpunks of yesteryear had only a fantasy of the technology that the cybernauts utilize daily. What will we do with this technology, how will this technology transform humanity, and what devices will the next generation use that we today can only imagine?

Sources

1) Introduction to Terminal Identity by Scott Bukatman

2) Terminal Resistance, a chapter of Terminal Identity, by Scott Bukatman

3) Transhumanist Values by Nick Bostrom

4) The Mundane Manifesto by Geoff Ryman

5) The Ship Who Sang by Anna McCaffrey

6) Storming The Reality Studio by Larry McCaffery

7) Cyberpunk 101 by Richard Kadrey and Larry McCaffery

8) Websites for virtual reality technologies: www.virzoom.com ; www.ossic.com ; www.oculus.com ; www.hardlightvr.com ; www.manus-vr.com ; www.leapmotion.com ; www.microsoft.com ; www.magicleap.com ; www.virtuix.com ;

@ 30876140:cffb1126

Violet Starlight

The oceans of Alderaan are but raindrops in the depth of your beautiful eyes.

The music of the stars is a lullaby, The sonnet of your voice is their song.

The thought of you is my guiding light in empty space, That my heart may return to your violet sun, Your love brings peace to my galaxy.

This gulf that stretches between us, so easily we can cross, for Hyperspace is not just a lover's dream.

Fly with me to see the wondrous waterfalls of Theed, The city built from branches on the forest world, Kashyyk, The temples of Yavin's Moon, the little bears of Endor, With the Force as our guide, we will see them all,

Together.

In a galaxy far, far, away, Let's begin our journey.

@ 30876140:cffb1126

Love God

A Short Story

by Acea Spades, 2016

---

Jimmy sat in his bedroom, stooping over his desk, trembling with a pencil in his hand. Twenty or so balls of crushed paper littered the messy floor, three on his dirty bed. On the desk, being scrutinized by his terrified eyes, was a love letter.

His shaky hands made fussy lines despite how many times he tried to make the letters perfect. The note read:

Cindy, I love you. Do you love me?

Yes - No

Jimmy

He stared at the paper for a long time. Tears appeared in little beads around his eyes. He snatched the paper from the table, smashed it between his hands, and threw it against the wall. The doorbell rang. Downstairs, his mother's footsteps made a line from the kitchen to the entryway. The door creaked on its hinges, followed by the muffled voices of happy people. The sounds echoed in the hallway and intruded from under Jimmy's door. His grandfather, and his grandmother, voices thick with an old-world accent, made bright conversation with his very-American mother. There was another voice, too, probably Uncle Roman's; Jimmy could already smell rotten alcohol and convenience-store cologne.

“Jimmy!” his mother's voice from under the door called, “They're here! Come down!” Jimmy slammed the pencil on the table and wiped his eyes before dragging himself out of the room.

“Hey, it's Jimmy!” His wrinkled relatives called from the entryway when he appeared. There was Uncle Roman behind them, shutting the door. His button-shirt was parted to reveal a chest of curled hairs, and a medallion on a gold chain.

Jimmy descended the stairs with a heavy thump on every step. He gave a good stomp on the squeaky stair. His grandmother descended upon him with kisses, much like the lion devours the water buffalo.

“Ooooh, my little grandchild! It has been so long. Too long. Look how you've grown! All grown up now. Kiss me like you used to.”

“Gran-Gran, you were just here for the Fourth of July.” He caught a scowl from his mother, but turned his head so he didn't have to bear it.

His grandfather came and gave him a hug. His bones were so close to his skin, without muscle or fat to cushion his affection. “It's good to see you, grandson.”

“It's good to see you too, Pop-Pop."

“Sorry we couldn't make it in for your birthday. Here, I've got a card from me and Gran-Gran.”

From the top zipper-pocket of his leather suitcase, Pop-Pop pulled out a shiny piece of folded cardstock with the number 12 written in bright gold. Jimmy opened the card. Nothing fell out.

“Thanks, Pop-Pop.”

“Your Gran-Gran has not stopped talking about you, all the way over. Oh, he's probably so big, now. Oh, I wonder how his school is going. Oh, we need to invite him to our home over winter and spoil him rotten.”

Gran-Gran grumbled. “Well you don't understand just how much I love our little grandson.”

“He's not little any more, Ma-Ma.” Uncle Roman set a heavy hand on Jimmy's shoulder and shook him. Jimmy felt a bruise begin to form. “Look at him. Reminds me so much of Gregor, I thought this was a dream.”

The entryway grew quiet. The moment stalled. Jimmy's mother broke the tension. “Well, let me show you where you're staying. Gran and Pop, you'll be upstairs at the end of the hall. Rome, I hope it's alright if you sleep on the couch, we don't have any more bedrooms.”

“A couch? Well, your couch is better than that pile of shit I call a bed."

Jimmy's mother contined. "There's blankets tucked in the space next to the couch, and it folds out into a really comfortable hide-away." She turned back to the elders. "Come on, I'll show you two where your room is. Jimmy, will you grab Pop's bags?”

They dragged the suitcases up the steps and down the hallway. The wheels loudly scraped against the iron floor-waffle that kept them warm during cold winter nights. Jimmy set Pop's bags outside the bedroom door, then retreated back to his room.

He ignored his family's voices, despite their directionless words coming through the little crack in his door. He was again stooped over his work, a Mozart or a Rembrandt, the future pulling down on his shoulders, begging him to die in his graven masterpiece.

A long time passed; it could have been an hour, or a day, or seven weeks. The smells of roast duck and steamed cauliflower were floating up from the dinner hall, haunting his nostrils, tearing his concentration. He heard the pieces of conversation that made their sneaky way under his bedroom door. His mother speaking loudly to Uncle Roman; a boorish chuckle returning her words. Down the hallway, he heard the old language being spoken; Gran-Gran and Pop-Pop were praying, the soft click and clack of her rosary, or maybe Pop-Pop's worry beads. Jimmy saw his grandmother's furrowed brow, her religious concentration, the picture of his dead father she'd prop up on the bedside table.

Heavy feet plodded up the stairs. They stopped in front of Jimmy's door. Fat knuckles beat on his door as if trying to force entry.

“Jimmy my boy. What are you doing in here?”

The doorknob turned. Jimmy sprang up, knocking his chair backward. He started kicking the paper wads under the bed, but it was too late. The door was open, and there stood his uncle. Jimmy turned his back to the invader.

“What, Uncle Roman?” His voice cracked.

The boor stepped in and closed the door behind him. In the tiny bedroom, this man was an Odysseian giant, and Jimmy a captured lamb. The monster looked around the room for just a moment, searching the cave for signs of danger. Those heavy feet took two big steps and were already across the room. The monster dropped onto Jimmy's bed, crushing the blankets. The metal springs screamed for help.

They sat there for an endless moment, in silence. Roman looked round the room, eyes obscured behind large, creased eyebrows. He turned his stubbled chin towards the floor, then reached to grab one a piece of paper. Jimmy made a tiny squealing noise; he would have stolen the paper out of the giant's hands if he wasn't so afraid. He watched in terror as Uncle Roman unwrapped the cast-away letter. Uncle Roman's face was ruffled with concentration, then it opened into a smile like a blooming spring flower. His black eyes turned from the paper and attacked Jimmy from behind a stupid grin.

“You are in love, my boy! What is her name?”

Jimmy leaned forward a little and looked at the note, to make sure he hadn't forgotten to write her name on that draft.

“Umm... Cindy?”

“Ah, Cindy, a beautiful name! Tell me about her. Is she beautiful?”

Jimmy didn't speak. He couldn't speak. He could barely breathe.

“Come on, Jimmy. Tell me about her.” Uncle Roman gave the boy a punch on the shoulder, already crushed by the careless squeeze.

There was an long pause. The giant's stare was unnerving. “She... she's... pretty.”

“She's pretty!” His head rolled backwards and the barking roar of a sea lion shot out of his hairy throat.

“She's pretty and she has blonde hair and I've wanted to ask her to be my girlfriend since the second grade. But she likes Tommy and Stuart wants to be her boyfriend too so I don't have a chance.”

He was panting. A sprinter lost Olympic silver. His head sank into to his lap.

“My boy.” Uncle Roman put those giant hands on Jimmy's head. “You are your father's son. You do not know this yet, but you are very good with women. But my lord, you were not going to give her this crap were you? A piece of paper to woo a woman? That is not the way at all.”

Uncle Roman put his massive hands over Jimmy's ears and twisted the boy's small face to look into his own. Those little eyes were wet and filled with sadness.

“I have been a very lucky man. I am fantastic when it comes to seducing women. You are a very lucky boy, to have an uncle like me, and a father like yours was. Let me show you something.”

He reached into the pocket that was buried under his enormous legs. He clasped something in his hands, and brought the closed fist under Jimmy's nose with the dirty fingernails pointed upward. Slowly, he opened the fleshy cage. In it, he held something smooth, like a tumbled sea shell, skinny and shaped like the finger of a newborn baby.

“Do you know what this is?” Jimmy shook his head.

“It is a badger's penis.”

The boy tried forcing himself backward from the blanched fossil, but Uncle Roman's giant hand was still grasped behind his head. The smell rising to his nostrils was either the sweaty palm of his monstrous uncle, or the stench of an ancient and unwashed badger's penis.

“Everybody knows, in the old country, a badger's penis makes the person who carries it a god of love. A badger's penis in your pocket boosts your confidence. It loosens your tongue, and the subtle smell of it attracts any lady you could ever want, and many who you would never want. I have carried this badger's penis with me since your father married your mother. He gave it to me when he knew that she would belong to him forever. He had always told me, when we were drunk and our mouths were free, that it was because of this penis that he could woo your mother so well.”

Jimmy's pupils grew larger. His gaze was fixed on the penis of a dead animal and the hands of his kinsman who held it like a religious artifact, like the sandals of Christ.

“I still remember the day he killed the poor thing. He killed the badger himself, with his own hands. He came home after walking through the woods, covered in oozing red scratches, smelling like skunk urine. He swung the thing by its little tail, all the way home. Its anus was dripping with yellow puss and feces. He dropped the badger by the door and went to his room, to collect his hunting knife. He told me later that he'd forgotten to put it back in its leather before he had gone into the woods. He had to kill the creature with his bare hands. With his bare hands! He took the badger outside and cut its penis off, and hung it outside on a little string so the sun could dry it.

“Well, he gave me this badger penis, his most important possession. After so many years of carrying it, there is no woman who can resist me. But I have learned how to be the master of attraction. I do not need this any more. It is for you, little Jimmy, son of my brother, it is for you.”

He took his hand from the boy's neck and pulled the little wrist towards him, pushing the fossil into his nephew's palm and closing a hairy fist around it. Jimmy's hair stood, electrified. The badger penis was rough, like a dry chicken bone, and almost as large as his smallest finger. He held it up to look at it. There was a little crease at the tip, and a hole at the other end where his father had put a piece of string; yellow and decaying threads held together despite the anger of time.

Visions of the future intoxicated his mind. A beautiful girl in the passenger seat of his first car, a view of the city from the lover's hilltop; he, a famous hero with bulging muscles, saving beautiful women from criminal intentions and taking them to the top of a New York City skyscraper, to make love under the glowing sky; and Cindy, her smile, her kiss, the penis of a badger in the pocket of his jeans, stiff and powerful like the sword of an ancient king.

“Yes, my boy. Yes. You feel its power. That is the power of a love god. Not in these silly words on long-dead paper, but in the breath of burning passion, issued from your throat in the moments of ecstasy when you are wrapped by the arms of a beautiful woman. You cannot build the fire of passion with your ideas of love, my boy. It is with passion that you win a woman's heart.”

They sat for a long time. It could have been an hour, or a day, or seven weeks. Jimmy held the badger's ancient penis carefully in his hands.

“Uncle Roman?”

“Yes, my boy?”

“Did you make all of that up?”

“Jimmy, my boy.” Uncle Roman smiled wide, revealing all of his teeth, including the gold one that sat near the back of his tongue. “Would I ever lie to you?”

@ 592295cf:413a0db9

Nostter muted by kind

Will mute freefrom, hashtag fall

Venezuela riots, after the vote

I was thinking that having a Nostr conference every 6 months doesn't make sense, maybe it's better to focus on something else. If not it becomes a Tour Life. It doesn't increase adoption Produces tons of material It's good for networking It's not sustainable

Readable updates, how important they are. If it's just bugs and fixes it's better.

I hate Pam. As user It writes interesting stuff, but, doesnn't write in long form, because long form are more difficult, less reach and immediacy, and difficulties to share over in the feed,but not write a poem, sorry.

The thing about coracle is that I load the initial feed, but that gets printed, and it doesn't tell me if there are new notes coming in, as if it interrupts the flow, and it's always a fetch. I want to read the future, not always the past. RealTime feeds Like bluesky 🧞

Njump had problems, it keeps the cache and if the user changes something in their data it doesn't update it immediately. Fiatjaf was angry.

It's the month of NostRiga, we can move on to September without thinking about it. No

It's funny when you see a text in Japanese and inside read Nostr, I want to know what it says. He usually says Nostr is great. And the next note I drank too much 🤣

Today I thought that on the other side of the world it is February and that their February is 31 days. Pam said was sick. I see that hate is a virus 😅🙇‍♂️

I decided to publish stronpy when it's ready, maybe in 6 months. I've done the lineup, now I have to do the gantt 😅. Maybe I can post the gantt somewhere.

If it's not encrypted it's public. Amethyst draft 31000 and something like event

Nostr Is great but the amount of time Lost to the same thing because you don't know that exist Is remarkable. Nostr is a redundancy protocol

nostr:nevent1qqsqjqauc34k9k278x6cka5jyf3aq033y4pn5czwaff72l3rwum7llq7ela3x When they do that I can't stand them, then maybe it's a little different 😔😔 Zapper.fun ✅ Because you launch a project, example nostr.band but contain others 100 apps 😅 Nostr.band, nostrapp.link, zapper.fun, Nostr login, nsec.app, Npub.pro, Npub.pro also cli, Nostr universe/ knows as spring site

Even in Coracle it would be great to have a check on the note as root, because when you see the answers, perhaps the distance from another post, is so small, so perhaps a gray line for the mark of another note as root.

I listened to several minutes of plebchain radio episode on nostrnests. Language is an obstacle, but also an excellent justification. Last year I started recording a podcast episode, in which I talked about nostr bookmark update. I didn't even want to listen to it again 🤣.

I sent a video of an explanation of a zap it was 500 MByte of video for 4 minutes.

Nostr doesn't work. In practice, many apps have removed the possibility of logging in with the simple key, be it public or private, because especially the private one you don't want to copy paste in every single clients/apps, increasing the attack surface.

However, by removing this functionality and doing little onboarding, the matter is very difficult, but there is a certain belief that people who arrive at a Twitter like client get to know the network a little and then move on to videos or writing, or similar. But one can open a site by chance and see what it offers without knowing anything.

In the future there will only be one client, that of medical data...

Someone share this nostr:nevent1qqs24qzelpk8xjlk4dthr9tfkqwz8n58dlm04ezyvg9nuztud6jjfhc9mg04n I had in my bookmarks. I see dozen types of this self hosted manners. Maybe captains-log is for nostr-type, good.

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

I know many of you are frustrated there are people who still won’t take the covid injections. The problem is you’re going about it the wrong way.

Below I list steps you can take that will result in universal uptake:

Stop Calling Them “Vaccine Hesitant” If you were trying to persuade a vegan to up his B-12 intake by eating meat, you wouldn’t get far by labeling him “steak hesitant.” “Oh, I see, you’re just ‘steak hesitant’ must be that hippie propaganda you’re reading. Steak hesitant people like you…” Insulting people’s choices won’t get you anywhere. Try, “I see you don’t like being coerced to take medicine via threats to your basic rights and ability to earn a livelihood, that’s understandable. Let me persuade you why getting an mRNA jab is a good medical choice.” And then you’ll have to make your case, which, at the moment is not especially strong (particularly with respect to healthy, younger people, many of whom have already had covid), but that brings us to…

Lobby For More Aggressive Gain Of Function Research Frankly, the Wuhan Lab didn’t do its best work. Covid is deadly for people with pre-existing conditions, metabolic disorders and the elderly, but it’s insufficiently so to kill many healthy people under 70. The overall IFR is about 0.2 percent, with the vast majority of that group either old or sick. To incentivize independent-minded younger people the next lab leak needs to be a far more lethal strain. If we can get one as contagious as covid, but with an equal opportunity IFR above 15 percent, now we’re cooking with gas. When your 30-year old cousin, both your parents, several of your work colleagues, Kyrie Irving, Aaron Rodgers, Novak Djokovic, 25 members of Congress and a few cabinet members are dead, that will get their attention.

Commission Vaccines From New Companies While many who decline the mRNA shot are no doubt victims of disinformation — believing theories that government and large pharmaceutical companies are conspiring to enrich themselves first and foremost without proper regard for safety — it would be harder for them to connect those dots if you used more scrupulous providers. For example, it’s less than ideal that Johnson and Johnson just paid a settlement of five billion dollars for their part in the opioid crisis and Pfizer settled for 2.3 billion for marketing a drug as a pain killer that even the rubber-stamping FDA refused to approve for that purpose, while allegedly paying kickbacks to doctors to prescribe it. It was apparently the fourth settlement for Pfizer since 2002, and that excludes the experimental drug anti-meningitis drug, Trovan that killed 11 children and disabled dozens more in 1996. It’s insane to think that means anything about these miracle products in 2022, the motive for which was so obviously public health and ending the pandemic, but you have to admit it’s not a great look.

Keep Vaccine Companies On The Hook For Adverse Events There was never a need to waive liability for vaccine makers for adverse effects because everyone knows the mRNA shot is safe and effective. Yes, you hear anecdotal accounts of heart problems and strokes, but both have always been common in young people. Growing up, a few of my friends undoubtedly had heart attacks and strokes in grade school, though they were probably just under-diagnosed back then. I understand why the companies want to waive liability — it’s wrong to require legal accountability when these heroes are busy saving so many lives, but there’s no need for it when you have such a safe product. It just feeds unfounded suspicion.

Create A Vaccine That Stops The Spread Obviously, we know vaccines don’t have to stop the spread entirely to be effective. Look up the definition of vaccine — nowhere does it list that as a requirement. But if it actually stopped transmission in some material way, you’d be in a better position to argue for its uptake, citing the benefit it might have for the people around them. Now, people are just trying the “you’re taking up an ICU bed” angle, which doesn’t make much sense to young, healthy people, barring a far deadlier strain.

Permit Useless Early Treatments One big mistake that was made was banning and discouraging phony, yet harmless treatments like Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine and even Vitamin D. All that did was make people think they worked, and feed false conspiracy theories that they were funneling people toward the vaccine. Useless treatments should be encouraged so anyone who knows people who tried them can see how little good they did.

Don’t Bribe People I love donuts as much as the next person with metabolic syndrome, but giving people food, money and even weed just makes you look desperate. If you want to make something seem enticing, you’ve got to market it as something I’m lucky to get, not something you’re begging me to take.

Choose Better Spokespeople I know Bill Gates is one of the biggest investors in the space, but is it really necessary to have someone, who was paling around with convicted underage sex offender Jeffery Epstein, as your go-to vaccine promoter?

Amend The US Constitution And Nuremberg Code It’s annoying we have these anachronistic documents that didn’t contemplate the spread of a deadly pandemic, but unfortunately, The Fourth Amendment requiring people to be secure in their “persons,” and the Nuremberg Code which requires consent for medical procedures are still The Supreme Law Of The Land, and International Law, respectively. A little carve-out saying, “unless there’s a deadly pandemic” would go a long way toward granting the requisite legal authority.

Stiffer Consequences For Those Who Refuse Let’s be honest. There’s nothing more important than public health, and getting everyone vaccinated is the optimal way to achieve that aim. It’s unfortunate it would have to come to this, but we can’t let the selfish actions of a few imperil the good of the many who do as instructed. Actions have consequences! If the first nine steps are ineffective, you could imprison, torture or simply exterminate those who decline this medical option, something for which there is historical precedent in the last century. 

I can assure you these 10 steps will result in 100 percent uptake. Hopefully it doesn’t come to step 10, but you have to ask yourself, do you care about preserving the rights of the privileged few, or are you willing to do what it takes for public health and the greater good of society?

I hope the answer is as clear for you as it is for me.

@ 6bae33c8:607272e8

This is an overall list for 12-team NFFC PPR leagues as of August 3, 2024.

Note: Rankings are real, but comments are not meant to be taken seriously.

Warning: many, if not most, are stupid, though it can't be worse than last year’s.

(Right-click, open in new tab to enlarge)

@ a853296a:209e695f

What's up stackers!

Trying something new posting to the tech territory.

CASCDR TLDR: CASCDR is a collection of Lightning Powered AI services/applications.

Post TLDR: We have just released a big upgrade to our RSS Agent! You can now explore podcasts, and seamlessly integrate them with LLM workflows. This will allow you to condense podcast content/create more content based on a given podcast selected through the explorer!

We have a new release LIVE. As discussed on this post and on SNL last week, YouTube started playing major defense! So we adapted our YouTube Agent into an RSS Agent.

Now the RSS Agent is back and better with V2! Due to time constraints we had to ship a very basic version last week. Now RSS Agent is fully equipped!

he's baaaaaaack

Key Updates:

• Search & explore any podcast feed
• Pull any episode of interest
• Run analysis of the episode transcript with 5 pre-determined prompts
• OR roll your own custom prompt to put together written content of your choosing!

Workflow/Details:

Step 1: Search for your favorite podcast like @ThrillerX _

Step 2: Select/Configure Your Prompt & Select the Podcast Episode

Step 3: Inspect Your Result and/or Copy to Clipboard

Looking forward to the feedback in the comments! If this post triggers ideas of more you want to do with AI, tell us what you want us to build!

Cheers, The CASCDR Team

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/633849

@ 0176967e:1e6f471e

Cypherpunk vďaka rozvoju technológií a decentralizovaných sietí zažil úspech, ktorý nikto nečakal. Rozvoj Bitcoinu a najmä nárast jeho veľkosti, siete a dôležitosti urobil z cypherpunkových technológií a filozofie kryptoanarchie funkčnú alternatívu pre fungovanie v tomto svete - čo čakal dokonca aj máloktorý cypherpunker.

Čakajú nás ešte nejaké výzvy? Lunarpunk prináša ďalší krok - rozvoj spolupráce, budovania "temného lesa" - anonymných (internetových) komunít, ktoré sa dokážu organizovať a spolupracovať. Čo nám Lunarpunk prinesie najbližšie roky?

@ 06830f6c:34da40c5

Hey there, readers! 👋

We're buzzing with excitement to bring you the latest updates in the world of Bitcoin, the Lightning Network, Nostr apps, and more.

🌟 What’s New in Bitcoin and Beyond?

• Exciting App Updates 💼
• StatechainJS by @supertestnet: This revolutionary tech is a robust alternative to ecash, allowing you to recover your funds even if the mint goes offline. It’s a game-changer for transaction reliability.
• Nostr Web Services Code by @asmogo: Transform the way you host web services with this new code. No public IP or DNS is needed—just an npub and Nostr relays. 🌐
• Nutsack by @pablof7z: Say hello to Nutsack, a wallet integrated with Nostr. Accessible from any compatible Nostr client, it opens up new possibilities within the Nostr ecosystem. 🧩
• LNBits Bounty: LNBits is on the hunt for developers to create a Nostr Wallet Connect service and extension. If you’re a developer, this is your chance to shine and earn a substantial bounty! 💰️
• Proton Wallet Launch: Introducing Proton Wallet—a safer way to manage Bitcoin with self-custodial features and transactions via encrypted email addresses. Discover more about it here. 🔐
• Phoenix Wallet Update: Phoenix Wallet has just rolled out a major update, adding BOLT12 support. Enjoy reusable payment requests, contact lists, and message attachments for enhanced Bitcoin transactions. Check out the details here. 🚀

• Lava Vault Introduction: Lava Vault has launched a self-custodial wallet that allows you to buy Bitcoin, borrow dollars, and transact globally, all without any fees. 🔒️

• New Releases and Innovations 🌎️

• Bitrefill Card in Europe: The Bitrefill card is now publicly available in Europe, making Bitcoin spending easier than ever. 💳️
• Satlantis by Svetvski: Discover Satlantis—a new social network for travelers and nomads that connects global tribes and fosters a vibrant, worldwide community. 🌍️

🚀 Major Announcement: Alby Hub is Here!

The wait is finally over! Alby Hub is now live and ready for everyone to explore. Whether you're a long-time Alby enthusiast or just joining us, you can now experience the ultimate self-custodial solution. Alby Hub is a fully open-source, sovereign wallet that you can run on your device or access for free through us, with a modest monthly fee.

That’s all for this edition of Bitcoin talks Nostr talks Wallet talks. We hope you’re as excited about these updates as we are! Stay tuned for more news and enjoy diving into these fantastic new developments.

Bitbiashara #nostr

Catch you next time! 🚀

@ e56b400c:175edce9

We'll be meeting on August 21st, 7pm at the Admiral Benbow pub in Shrewsbury. If the weather's good, we'll be in the beer garden, otherwise, we'll grab a table indoors. It's a social meetup again but we have a good group of knowledgable bitcoiners who'll shoot the breeze and solve all world problems.

The Admiral Benbow is a great location, we held the June meetup there and were impressed with the venue.

If you've not been to a meetup before or haven't been in a while, please do come and join us. Message us on Nostr at npub1u445qrpas8y58szt2unzu7wsvgsfg0llgf7y6sjz7pn76967mn5snh6mul, Xitter at https://x.com/ShropsBitcoin or email bc@omg.lol if you have any questions.

We have a Telegram group that everyone who attends a meetup can join. Sadly we had to close the public group due to Telegram spam bots.

See you soon :)

The Admiral Benbow is at 24 Swan Hill, Shrewsbury SY1 1NF.

@ 0176967e:1e6f471e

Na úvod sa trochu predýchame - kto chcete. Počas ranného workshopu umenie dychu - meditatívna pozornosť, vnímanie tela a skúmanie v pohybe vám Andrea Košiarová (umeniedychu.sk) pomôže naštartovať sa do inšpiratívneho dňa.

Prineste si vlastné jógamatky

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Table Of Content

• Blockstream: Innovating the Future of Bitcoin

• The Liquid Network: A Fast and Secure Sidechain Technology

• The Lightning Network: Faster and Cheaper Bitcoin Transactions

• The Taproot/Schnorr Upgrade: Improving the Bitcoin Network

• Conclusion

• FAQ

Bitcoin has emerged as a global phenomenon, revolutionizing the way we think about money. However, this emerging technology faces challenges of scalability, security, and regulation. Blockstream is a company that has stepped up to the plate to revolutionize Bitcoin innovation.

Blockstream: Innovating the Future of Bitcoin

Blockstream was founded in 2014 with the goal of developing innovative solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing the Bitcoin network. The company's most ambitious projects include the Liquid Network, the Lightning Network, and the Taproot/Schnorr upgrade.

The Liquid Network: A Fast and Secure Sidechain Technology

The Liquid Network is a sidechain technology that enables fast and secure Bitcoin transactions between exchanges and other large-scale users. The Liquid Network is designed to alleviate some of the congestion on the main Bitcoin network, which has become increasingly congested in recent years due to the growing popularity of the currency.

The Lightning Network: Faster and Cheaper Bitcoin Transactions The Lightning Network is a second-layer technology that allows for faster and cheaper Bitcoin transactions. The Lightning Network works by creating a network of payment channels that enable users to send and receive Bitcoin instantly and without fees.

The Taproot/Schnorr Upgrade: Improving the Bitcoin Network

Blockstream is leading the charge on the development of the Taproot/Schnorr upgrade, a major protocol upgrade that will bring significant improvements to the Bitcoin network. The Taproot/Schnorr upgrade will make transactions smaller, faster, and more private, while also improving the security of the network.

Conclusion

Blockstream's commitment to innovation has not gone unnoticed. The company has attracted significant investment from some of the biggest names in the tech industry. Blockstream's ambitious projects have the potential to transform the Bitcoin network and make it more scalable, secure, and private. As the company continues to innovate, the future of Bitcoin looks brighter than ever.

FAQ

What is Blockstream? Blockstream is a technology company that focuses on the development of innovative solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing the Bitcoin network.

What are some of Blockstream's most ambitious projects? Blockstream's most ambitious projects include the Liquid Network, the Lightning Network, and the Taproot/Schnorr upgrade.

Why is Blockstream's work important? Blockstream's work is important because it has the potential to transform the Bitcoin network and make it more scalable, secure, and private. Their innovative solutions could revolutionize the way we use and think about Bitcoin.

What impact could Blockstream's projects have on the future of Bitcoin? Blockstream's projects have the potential to transform the Bitcoin network and make it more scalable, secure, and private. This could make Bitcoin a more practical and widely adopted form of currency and revolutionize the way we use and think about money.

That's all for today

If you want more, be sure to follow us on:

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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.

@ 08f96856:ffe59a09

อย่างที่เราทราบกัน Bitcoin เป็นระบบการเงินที่มีจุดแข็งในเรื่องการกระจายศูนย์และความปลอดภัย แต่มันก็มีข้อจำกัดที่สำคัญเช่นกันครับ

ลองนึกภาพว่าคุณกำลังจะซื้อกาแฟสักแก้วด้วย Bitcoin แต่คุณต้องรอถึง 10 นาทีกว่าการทำธุรกรรมจะเสร็จสิ้นสมบูรณ์ และบางครั้งค่าธรรมเนียมก็อาจจะแพงกว่าค่ากาแฟเสียอีก นี่เป็นปัญหาที่ทำให้หลายคนลังเลที่จะใช้ Bitcoin ในชีวิตประจำวันครับ

เพื่อแก้ปัญหานี้ lightning Network จึงถูกพัฒนาขึ้นเพื่อเป็น layer ที่สองบน Bitcoin ช่วยให้สามารถทำธุรกรรมได้เร็วขึ้นและมีค่าธรรมเนียมต่ำลง โดยไม่ต้องรอการยืนยันธุรกรรมบน blockchain

แต่ lightning Network ก็มีความท้าทายของมันเองครับ การใช้งานมันไม่ได้ง่ายสำหรับทุกคน โดยเฉพาะความซับซ้อนในการจัดการ lightning node และการจัดสรรสภาพคล่อง ซึ่งไม่เหมาะสำหรับผู้ใช้ทั่วไป หากใครเคยได้ลองศึกษาการรัน lightning node ก็จะทราบดีว่า มันไม่ง่ายเลย ต้องใช้ความรู้ทางเทคนิคสูงมาก

ดังนั้นในปัจจุบัน จึงมีบริการ Custodial เกิดขึ้นเพื่อจัดการความซับซ้อนเหล่านี้แทนผู้ใช้ โดยผู้ให้บริการ Custodial นี้เสนอตัวเป็นคนจัดการกระเป๋าหรือ lightning node นั้นให้กับผู้ใช้ แต่ก็แลกมาด้วยความเสี่ยงที่สำคัญ ที่อาจทำให้ผู้ใช้สูญเสียความเป็นส่วนตัวและเสี่ยงต่อการถูกควบคุมโดยคนอื่นครับ

ในสถานการณ์นี้ ผู้ใช้ Bitcoin บน lightning network ก็ต้องตัดสินใจว่าจะเลือกทางไหนดีระหว่างสองทางเลือก

ทางเลือกแรกคือ การจัดการ lightning node ด้วยตัวเอง ซึ่งมีความซับซ้อนและต้องใช้ความรู้ทางเทคนิคสูง

หรือ ทางเลือกที่สอง คือการใช้บริการ Custodial ที่สะดวกกว่า แต่ก็ต้องยอมรับความเสี่ยงที่มาพร้อมกับมัน อย่างไรก็ตาม หากเลือกใช้บริการ Custodial ผู้ใช้ก็สามารถบริหารความเสี่ยงได้โดยการฝาก Bitcoin ไว้ในจำนวนที่น้อย เท่าที่ยอมรับความเสี่ยงได้เท่านั้นครับ

และนี่คือจุดที่ Chaumian e-cash เข้ามามีบทบาทสำคัญ โดยนำเสนอทางเลือกที่อาจช่วยแก้ไขข้อจำกัดของทั้ง Bitcoin และ lightning network ได้ ในหัวข้อถัดไป เราจะมาทำความเข้าใจว่า Chaumian e-cash คืออะไร และมันจะช่วยแก้ปัญหาที่กล่าวมาได้อย่างไร เราจะมาคุยกันต่อในหัวข้อถัดไปนะครับ

Chaumian e-cash คืออะไร?

เรามาลองนึกถึงการใช้เงินสดในชีวิตประจำวันกันก่อนครับ โดยปกติแล้วเวลาที่เราใช้เงินสด เราก็แค่ยื่นธนบัตรหรือเหรียญให้กัน รู้กันเพียงแค่สองคน คือผู้จ่ายกับผู้รับ ไม่ต้องมีใครอื่นมารับรู้ว่าเราใช้จ่ายอะไร มันให้ความเป็นส่วนตัวสูงมากใช่ไหมครับ

Chaumian e-cash ก็เช่นเดียวกันครับ มันถูกออกแบบมาให้ทำงานเป็นเงินสดอิเล็กทรอนิกส์หรือ e-cash ในโลกดิจิทัล เราสามารถส่งเงินให้ใครก็ได้โดยตรง โดยที่ไม่มีคนอื่นรู้ว่าคุณใช้จ่ายอะไร แม้แต่ mint หรือธนาคาร (ต่อไปนี้จะขอเรียกว่า mint นะครับ) ที่ออก e-cash ให้เราก็ไม่รู้ด้วยซ้ำ นี่คือความพิเศษของ Chaumian e-cash ที่พยายามนำความเป็นส่วนตัวของเงินสดมาไว้ในโลกดิจิทัลครับ

ย้อนกลับไปในช่วงทศวรรษ 1980 มีนักวิทยาศาสตร์คอมพิวเตอร์คนหนึ่งชื่อ David Chaum เขาเป็นทั้งนักเข้ารหัสลับและผู้ริเริ่มแนวคิด cypherpunk ซึ่งเชื่อในเรื่องความเป็นส่วนตัวและการลดการพึ่งพาตัวกลาง

e-cash ของ Chaum นี้มีความพิเศษตรงที่ใช้เทคนิคที่เรียกว่า "blind signature" ครับ ลองนึกภาพว่า blind signature ทำงานคล้าย ๆ กับการใช้กระดาษคาร์บอนในการเซ็นเอกสารครับ มาดูทีละขั้นตอนตามภาพข้างล่างกันนะครับ

การอธิบาย blind signatures โดย David Chaum เปรียบเทียบกับการประทับลายเซ็นบนข้อความโดยใช้กระดาษคาร์บอน (อ้างอิง: https://fedimint.org/docs/CommonTerms/Blind%20Signatures)

1. ขั้นแรก เราเขียนข้อความลงบนกระดาษ แล้วใส่กระดาษนั้นลงในซองจดหมายที่มีกระดาษคาร์บอนอยู่ข้างใน นี่เหมือนกับการ blind หรือ "ปิดบัง" เนื้อหาของข้อความครับ
2. ต่อมา เราส่งซองจดหมายนี้ให้คนที่จะเซ็นรับรอง เขาจะเซ็นชื่อลงบนซองโดยกดปากกาแรง ๆ ทำให้ลายเซ็นติดลงบนกระดาษข้างในผ่านกระดาษคาร์บอน แต่เขาไม่สามารถเห็นข้อความจริง ๆ ได้
3. สุดท้าย เมื่อเราได้ซองจดหมายกลับมา เมื่อเปิดซองออกมาเราจะได้กระดาษที่มีทั้งข้อความของเราและลายเซ็นรับรอง โดยที่ผู้เซ็นไม่เคยเห็นเนื้อหาของข้อความเลย

นี่แหละครับคือหลักการของ Blind signature ในระบบ Chaumian e-cash เราสามารถขอให้ mint เซ็นรับรอง e-cash ของเราได้ โดยที่ mint ไม่รู้ว่ากำลังเซ็นรับรองเหรียญไหนอยู่ ทำให้ mint ไม่สามารถติดตามการใช้จ่ายของเราได้ในภายหลัง เป็นการรักษาความเป็นส่วนตัวได้อย่างดีเยี่ยมครับ

แล้ว Chaumian e-cash ทำงานยังไงล่ะ? ลองมาดูตามภาพข้างล่างกันทีละขั้นตอนนะครับ

การทำงานของ Chaumian e-cash

1. สมมติว่า Alice ขอให้ mint ออก e-cash ให้ครับ ตรงนี้แหละที่เทคนิค blind signature เข้ามามีบทบาท Alice จะ "ปิดบัง" ข้อมูลของ e-cash ก่อนส่งให้ mint ลงลายเซ็นต์หรือ signature โดยที่ mint ไม่รู้ว่ากำลังลงลายเซ็นต์บน e-cash ตัวไหน
2. ต่อมา Alice อยากส่งเงินให้เพื่อนชื่อ Bob ก็แค่เพียงส่ง e-cash นั้นไปให้ Bob โดยไม่ต้องผ่าน mint เหมือนกับการส่งเงินสดจริง ๆ เลยครับ
3. แล้ว Bob จะรู้ได้ยังไงว่าเงินที่คุณส่งให้นั้นใช้ได้จริง? Bob สามารถเอา e-cash นั้นไปตรวจสอบกับ mint ได้ครับ mint จะยืนยันว่า e-cash นั้นถูกต้อง แต่จะไม่รู้เลยว่าเป็น e-cash ที่ออกให้ Alice

ที่น่าสนใจก็คือ Chaumian e-cash ต่างจากบริการ custodial ที่จัดการเงินทุนแบบเห็นทุกอย่าง ผู้ดูแล mint จะไม่รู้เลยว่ามีผู้ใช้กี่คน ไม่รู้ว่าผู้ใช้เป็นใคร ไม่รู้ยอดเงินในบัญชี และไม่รู้ประวัติการทำธุรกรรมครับ นอกจากนี้ การทำธุรกรรมผ่าน mint ยังมีค่าใช้จ่ายต่ำ และสามารถทำได้โดยไม่มีข้อจำกัดอีกด้วย

ที่สำคัญ ระบบนี้สามารถป้องกันการใช้เงินซ้ำ (double spending) ได้ด้วยครับ เพราะทุกครั้งที่มีการใช้ e-cash mint จะบันทึกไว้ ถ้า Alice พยายามใช้ e-cash ตัวเดิมอีก mint ก็จะรู้ทันทีและปฏิเสธการทำธุรกรรมนั้น

วิธีนี้ทำให้ Chaumian e-cash รักษาความเป็นส่วนตัวของผู้ใช้ได้สูง แต่ก็ยังคงความปลอดภัยทางการเงินไว้ได้ด้วยครับ เป็นระบบที่นำข้อดีของเงินสดมาไว้ในโลกดิจิทัลนั่นเองครับ

การแบ่งย่อย e-cash

สมมติว่า Alice มี e-cash มูลค่า 100 sat แต่ต้องการจ่ายค่ากาแฟให้ Bob เพียง 30 sat Alice จะสามารถจ่ายเงินให้ Bob ได้อย่างไร?

Chaumian e-cash มีคุณสมบัติที่สำคัญอีกอย่างหนึ่งก็คือ "การแบ่งย่อย" หรือ split ครับ มันทำงานคล้าย ๆ กับการแลกเงินในชีวิตจริงเลยครับ ลองนึกภาพตามดังนี้ครับ

1. Alice ส่งคำขอไปยัง mint เพื่อแลก e-cash 100 sat เป็น e-cash มูลค่าย่อย คือ 30 sat และ 70 sat
2. mint จะสร้าง e-cash ใหม่ตามมูลค่าที่ Alice ขอ โดยใช้ blind signature เช่นเดิม ทำให้ mint ไม่รู้ว่า e-cash ใหม่เหล่านี้เชื่อมโยงกับ e-cash เดิมของ Alice อย่างไร
3. Alice จะได้รับ e-cash ใหม่กลับมา และสามารถใช้ e-cash มูลค่า 30 sat จ่ายให้ Bob ได้ทันที
4. ส่วน e-cash มูลค่า 70 sat ที่เหลือ Alice ก็สามารถเก็บไว้ใช้ในโอกาสต่อไป คล้าย ๆ กับเงินทอนนั่นเองครับ

การแบ่งย่อย e-cash

การแบ่ง e-cash นี้ช่วยให้ผู้ใช้สามารถจ่ายเงินได้ตรงตามจำนวนที่ต้องการ ไม่ต้องกังวลว่าจะมีเหรียญย่อยไม่พอ มีความคล่องตัวสูง เลียนแบบการใช้เงินสดในชีวิตจริงได้อย่างใกล้เคียงมากขึ้น ทำให้ผู้ใช้สามารถจัดการเงินของตนได้อย่างอิสระและเป็นส่วนตัว โดยที่ mint ยังคงสามารถรักษาความปลอดภัยของระบบโดยรวมไว้ได้ครับ

Federated Mint: ลดการรวมศูนย์และเพิ่มความปลอดภัย

Mint หรือผู้ออก e-cash นั้น แม้จะมีข้อดีหลายประการ แต่ก็ยังมีความเสี่ยงที่เราต้องคำนึงถึงครับ เหมือนกับบริการรับฝากเงินแบบรวมศูนย์ทั่วไป mint ก็อาจทำให้ผู้ใช้เผชิญกับความเสี่ยงในรูปแบบต่าง ๆ เช่น ผู้ดูแลระบบอาจหนีหายไปพร้อมกับเงินของผู้ใช้ หรือ การบริหารจัดการที่ผิดพลาดอาจนำไปสู่การสูญเสียเงินของผู้ใช้

แต่ไม่ต้องกังวลไปครับ เพราะเรามีวิธีแก้ปัญหานี้!! นั่นคือการทำให้การทำงานของ mint กระจายตัวออกไป หรือที่เรียกว่า "Federated Mint"

วิธีการนี้คือ แทนที่จะมี mint เพียงแห่งเดียว เราจะมีหลาย ๆ mint ที่ทำงานร่วมกัน โดยทุกการดำเนินงานจะต้องได้รับการยืนยันจากกลุ่มของโหนดที่ควบคุมโดยหลายฝ่าย เพิ่มการกระจายศูนย์ โดยลดความเสี่ยงจากการพึ่งพา Mint เพียงแห่งเดียว อีกทั้งเพิ่มความสามารถในการขยายตัว (Scaling) รองรับผู้ใช้และธุรกรรมได้มากขึ้น

ที่สำคัญ แต่ละ mint สามารถส่งเงินให้กันได้ผ่านทั้ง lightning network ทำให้ระบบโดยรวมมีประสิทธิภาพและความปลอดภัยสูงขึ้น

การพัฒนา Federated Mints นี้ แสดงให้เห็นว่าเราสามารถนำข้อดีของ Chaumian e-cash มาใช้ โดยลดข้อเสียของระบบรวมศูนย์ลงได้ นับเป็นก้าวสำคัญในการพัฒนาระบบการเงินที่ทั้งปลอดภัย เป็นส่วนตัว และมีประสิทธิภาพสูงครับ

การทำงานของ mints มากว่าหนึ่งแห่งทำงานร่วมกัน (อ้างอิง: https://bitlyrics.co/transcripts/cashu-for-bitcoin/)

การประยุกต์ Chaumian e-cash กับ Bitcoin ในปัจจุบัน

ปัจจุบันมีการนำแนวคิด Chaumian e-cash มาประยุกต์ใช้กับ Bitcoin แล้วครับ โดยมีสอง project หลักที่น่าสนใจ คือ Fedimint และ Cashu ลองมาดูรายละเอียดกันครับ

Fedimint

เป็นโปรโตคอลโอเพนซอร์สที่พัฒนาโดยบริษัท Fedi ซึ่งมีผู้สนับสนุนและนักลงทุนที่มีชื่อเสียง จุดเด่นของ Fedimint คือ สินทรัพย์ bitcoin จะถูกเก็บรักษาโดยหลายฝ่าย เรียกว่า "Guardian" ซึ่งรวมกันเป็น "Federation"

ระบบการเก็บรักษาคล้ายกับ multisig wallet ที่ต้องการลายเซ็นจากหลายฝ่าย เหมาะสำหรับชุมชนขนาดใหญ่หรือผู้ให้บริการแพลตฟอร์มที่ต้องการให้บริการ lightning network ให้กับลูกค้าหรือสมาชิก

Fedimint เรียกการ custody รูปแบบนี้ว่า "community custody" ซึ่งอยู่ระหว่าง self-custody และ full custody

การทำงานของ Fedimint (อ้างอิง: https://fedimint.org/docs/GettingStarted/What-is-a-Fedimint)

Cashu

เป็นแนวทางที่แตกต่างจาก Fedimint ครับ โดยใช้รูปแบบ single-mint setup คือมีผู้ดูแลเพียงรายเดียว ไม่ใช่หลายรายแบบ Fedimint

จุดเด่นสำคัญของ Cashu ที่ทำให้มันแตกต่างคือ Cashu อนุญาตให้ตั้ง mint ได้ง่ายมากครับ แค่มี semi-custodial wallet เช่น LNbits ก็สามารถตั้ง mint ได้แล้ว ไม่จำเป็นต้องมีถึงระดับ full lightning node ซึ่งต้องใช้ทรัพยากรมากกว่า

ด้วยความง่ายในการตั้ง mint นี้ ทำให้มี mint ให้เลือกใช้งานจำนวนมากครับ ผู้ใช้สามารถเลือก mint ที่เหมาะสมกับความต้องการของตนได้

แม้ว่า Cashu จะมีความปลอดภัยน้อยกว่า Fedimint ในแง่ของการมีผู้ดูแลเพียงรายเดียวต่อ mint แต่ด้วยความสามารถในการกระจาย e-cash ไปยัง mint หลาย ๆ แห่ง ก็ช่วยชดเชยความเสี่ยงนี้ได้บางส่วนครับ

Cashu จึงเป็นทางเลือกที่น่าสนใจสำหรับผู้ที่ต้องการความยืดหยุ่นสูง ต้องการควบคุมการกระจายเงินของตนเอง และเหมาะสำหรับการใช้งานในวงแคบหรือในชุมชนขนาดเล็กถึงขนาดกลางครับ

การทำงานของ Cashu (อ้างอิง: https://blockdyor.com/cashu/)

บทสรุปส่งท้าย

บทความนี้ เราได้เรียนรู้เกี่ยวกับ Chaumian e-cash และการประยุกต์ใช้กับ Bitcoin ผ่านสอง project หลัก คือ Fedimint และ Cashu ครับ แต่ละ project ก็มีจุดเด่นและเหมาะกับการใช้งานที่แตกต่างกันไป

สำหรับผมแล้ว Cashu มีความน่าสนใจเป็นพิเศษครับ เพราะมันสามารถใช้งานได้ง่าย และเข้าถึงคนได้ง่ายกว่า ด้วยความสามารถในการตั้ง Mint ได้อย่างง่ายดาย ทำให้ Cashu มีศักยภาพในการขยายการใช้งานได้อย่างรวดเร็ว และเหมาะสำหรับการนำไปใช้ในชีวิตประจำวันของคนทั่วไปครับ

ในบทความหน้า ผมจะพาท่านผู้อ่านเจาะลึกลงไปในเรื่องของ Cashu ครับ โดยจะอธิบายรายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมและสอนวิธีการใช้งาน Cashu เพื่อให้ท่านผู้อ่านสามารถนำไปทดลองใช้งานได้จริง และเข้าใจถึงประโยชน์ของ Chaumian e-cash ในชีวิตประจำวันได้มากขึ้นครับ

หวังว่าบทความนี้จะช่วยให้ท่านเข้าใจภาพรวมของ Chaumian e-cash และการประยุกต์ใช้กับ Bitcoin ได้มากขึ้นนะครับ และอย่าลืมติดตามบทความถัดไปเกี่ยวกับ Cashu ที่จะมาเร็ว ๆ นี้ครับ ขอบคุณที่ติดตามอ่านครับ!!

@ db79aa91:b6bc4050

Der Markt für Sexpuppen ist in den letzten Jahren rasch gewachsen und hat sich zu einem viel beachteten und kontroversen Sektor entwickelt. Im Zuge des technischen Fortschritts und des gesellschaftlichen Wandels steigt die Nachfrage nach Sexpuppen weiter an. Dieser Markt steht jedoch auch vor einer Reihe von Herausforderungen, die aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln eingehend analysiert werden müssen. In diesem Artikel werden wir die Nachfrage, die Herausforderungen und die Zukunftsaussichten des Sexpuppenmarktes untersuchen.

Analyse der Nachfrage
1. nachfrage nach Personalisierung
Moderne lebensechte liebespuppen sind in hohem Maße simuliert und personalisiert, um die unterschiedlichen Bedürfnisse der Nutzer zu erfüllen. Die Verbraucher können das Aussehen, die Körperform, die Hautfarbe, die Frisur usw. der Puppe individuell gestalten und sogar die Persönlichkeitsmerkmale und Verhaltensmuster der Puppe nach ihren persönlichen Vorlieben auswählen. Durch diese hochgradig personalisierte Erfahrung bieten Sexpuppen emotionale Begleitung und Befriedigung bei gleichzeitiger Befriedigung körperlicher Bedürfnisse.

2. emotionale Begleitung
Für viele Menschen, die im wirklichen Leben Schwierigkeiten haben, intime Beziehungen aufzubauen, bieten Sexpuppen eine alternative Form der emotionalen Unterstützung. Puppen können eine emotionale Stütze sein und den Nutzern helfen, Einsamkeit und emotionale Defizite zu lindern, indem sie psychologischen Trost und Unterstützung bieten.

3) Privatsphäre und Sicherheit
Sexpuppen bieten im Vergleich zu menschlichen Partnern erhebliche Vorteile in Bezug auf Privatsphäre und Sicherheit. Die Benutzer können die Japanische Sexpuppe in einer privaten Umgebung benutzen, ohne sich Gedanken über die Preisgabe der Privatsphäre oder Sicherheitsprobleme machen zu müssen. Darüber hinaus vermeiden Sexpuppen auch das Risiko sexuell übertragbarer Krankheiten, was für einige Nutzer ein wichtiger Aspekt ist.

Analyse der Herausforderungen
1. gesellschaftliche Akzeptanz
Trotz der allmählichen Expansion des Sexpuppenmarktes gibt es immer noch erhebliche Unterschiede in der gesellschaftlichen Akzeptanz. Einige Menschen sehen Sexpuppen als eine gesunde Form der Selbstbefriedigung an, während andere eine negative Einstellung haben, weil sie glauben, dass sie ethische und soziale Fragen aufwerfen können. Wie die gesellschaftliche Akzeptanz von Sexpuppen erhöht werden kann, ist eine wichtige Herausforderung für diesen Markt.

2) Gesetze und Vorschriften
Die rasche Entwicklung des Sexpuppenmarktes hat auch rechtliche und regulatorische Fragen aufgeworfen. Die gesetzlichen Bestimmungen für Sexpuppen sind in den verschiedenen Ländern und Regionen sehr unterschiedlich, und mancherorts sind der Verkauf und die Verwendung von Sexpuppen sogar verboten. Die Frage, wie der Sexpuppenmarkt weltweit reguliert und seine Rechtmäßigkeit und Einhaltung sichergestellt werden kann, ist dringend zu klären.

3. technologie und Qualität
Da die Marktnachfrage steigt, müssen Technologie und Qualität der Sexpuppen ständig verbessert werden. Die Nutzer haben hohe Erwartungen an die Simulation, Funktionalität und Haltbarkeit der sexpuppem. Die Hersteller müssen mehr Ressourcen in die technologische Entwicklung und die Qualitätskontrolle investieren, um die Bedürfnisse der Nutzer zu erfüllen und die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit auf dem Markt zu verbessern.

Ausblick
1. technologische Innovation
In Zukunft werden die Intelligenz und die Interaktivität von Sexpuppen durch die ständige Weiterentwicklung der künstlichen Intelligenz und der Robotik erheblich verbessert werden. Intelligente Sexpuppen können durch Stimmerkennung und Emotionsanalyse natürlicher und realistischer mit dem Benutzer interagieren und so das Benutzererlebnis verbessern.

2) Marktsegmentierung
Mit zunehmender Marktreife wird der Markt für Sexpuppen weiter segmentiert werden, um den spezifischen Bedürfnissen der verschiedenen Nutzergruppen gerecht zu werden. So werden z. B. maßgeschneiderte Produkte für ältere Menschen, Behinderte oder spezielle sexuelle Fetischgruppen auf den Markt kommen, die mehr Nutzern personalisierte Lösungen bieten.

3. psychische Gesundheit und Therapie
Die Anwendung von Sexpuppen im Bereich der psychischen Gesundheit und Therapie ist vielversprechend. Indem sie emotionale Unterstützung und psychologischen Komfort bieten, können realdolls dazu beitragen, Probleme wie psychischen Stress, Depressionen und Angstzustände zu lindern. In Zukunft könnten Sexpuppen als neues therapeutisches Mittel mit der Psychotherapie kombiniert werden.

4. ethische und soziale Normen
In dem Maße, in dem der Markt für Sexpuppen wächst, werden auch das gesellschaftliche Bewusstsein und die Akzeptanz für diese Puppen allmählich zunehmen. Durch eine verstärkte Erforschung der Ethik und der sozialen Normen von Sexpuppen können wir die Entwicklung des Marktes besser steuern und seine gesunde Entwicklung im Rahmen der Einhaltung der Rechtsvorschriften gewährleisten.

Schlussfolgerung
Die schnelle Entwicklung des Sexpuppenmarktes spiegelt die Betonung der modernen Gesellschaft auf individuelle Bedürfnisse und emotionale Begleitung wider. Trotz der vielen Herausforderungen hat der Sexpuppenmarkt mit dem technologischen Fortschritt und dem Wandel der gesellschaftlichen Konzepte eine breite Perspektive. Durch kontinuierliche Innovation und Standardisierung werden Sexpuppen mehr Nutzern physische und psychologische Unterstützung bieten und die gesunde Entwicklung des Marktes fördern.

1. https://wifesexdoll416.substack.com/p/selbstidentitat-und-sexpuppen-die
2. https://www.amplenote.com/user_profiles/2076-wifesexdoll

@ d34e832d:383f78d0

In the realm of economic theory and practice, few topics generate as much debate as centralized economic planning. Proponents argue that it allows for coordinated and equitable allocation of resources, while critics highlight its inefficiencies and systemic flaws. I just want to look into the inherent shortcomings of centralized economic planning, focusing on the impossibility of aggregating and processing the vast amount of information required to make efficient decisions. Through a structured exploration of key points and real-world examples, we will look at why centralized planning often fails to achieve its intended goals.

---

The Mirage of Perfect Planning

Imagine a world where a single entity could flawlessly dictate the allocation of resources, ensuring optimal outcomes for all. While this vision of centralized economic planning might seem appealing, it is fundamentally unattainable. The sheer complexity and dynamic nature of economies render such centralized control impractical. This essay critiques centralized economic planning by examining its fundamental inefficiencies and the impossibility of handling the immense information required for effective decision-making.

The Information Problem: A Fundamental Challenge

One of the central critiques of economic planning is the information problem, famously articulated by economist Friedrich Hayek. Hayek argued that no central authority could ever possess the dispersed and tacit knowledge held by individuals in a free market.

Key Points: 1. Dispersed Knowledge: - In a market economy, knowledge is spread across countless individuals who possess unique information about their specific circumstances. Central planners cannot effectively gather and utilize this dispersed knowledge. - Example: A farmer in a remote village understands local soil conditions and market needs better than a distant bureaucrat.

1. Dynamic and Ever-Changing Data:
2. Economic data is constantly evolving, making it impossible for central planners to keep pace with real-time changes. This lag results in outdated or inaccurate decisions.
3. During The Times Of The Soviet Era: During the Soviet era, planners often relied on outdated production data, leading to shortages and surpluses.

Incentive Structures and Innovation: The Human Element

Centralized planning also struggles with creating appropriate incentives for innovation and efficiency. Without the profit motive and competition, individuals and firms lack the drive to innovate and improve productivity.

Key Points: 1. Lack of Profit Motive: - In centrally planned economies, the absence of profit incentives dampens entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. Entrepreneurs in a free market are motivated by the potential for profit, driving technological advancement and economic growth. - All authoritative structures struggle for the popular narrative of freedom, but are the controllers of pro-censorship themselves: The technological stagnation in centrally planned economies versus the rapid innovation seen in market economies like the United States.

1. Bureaucratic Inefficiencies:
2. Centralized planning often leads to cumbersome bureaucracies that stifle creativity and efficiency. Decisions are slowed by red tape, and innovative ideas are frequently ignored.
3. Anecdote: The inefficiencies of the bureaucratic system in the former Eastern Bloc countries often resulted in suboptimal production and resource allocation.

Real-World Failures: Lessons from History

History provides numerous examples of the failures of centralized economic planning. These examples highlight the practical difficulties and negative outcomes associated with trying to control complex economies from the top down.

Key Examples: 1. The Soviet Union: - The collapse of the Soviet economy is a poignant example of the failures of central planning. Chronic shortages, lack of consumer goods, and inefficiencies plagued the system until its eventual collapse. -

1. Maoist China:
2. During the Great Leap Forward, Mao Zedong's attempts at rapid industrialization and agricultural collectivization led to one of the deadliest famines in history.
3. Visual: Historical photograph depicting the effects of the Great Leap Forward.

The Case for Decentralized Economies

Centralized economic planning is fundamentally flawed due to the impossibility of aggregating and processing the vast amount of information required for efficient decision-making. The dispersed knowledge of individuals, coupled with the dynamic nature of economic data, renders central planning ineffective. Moreover, the lack of appropriate incentives for innovation and efficiency further hampers centrally planned economies. History has shown us the dire consequences of attempting to control complex economies from the top down. As we move forward, embracing decentralized economic systems that leverage the power of individual choice and market mechanisms will be crucial for fostering innovation, efficiency, and economic prosperity.

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Table Of Content

• Who is Sam Bankman-Fried?

• What are the charges against him?

• What is the potential impact on FTX?

• What is the latest update?

• Conclusion

• FAQ

Sam Bankman-Fried, the 29-year-old founder of FTX crypto exchange, has been making headlines in the past year as he has risen to become one of the most influential people in the world of cryptocurrency. However, he is now facing some serious legal challenges that could threaten his reputation and business empire. In this article, we will take a closer look at the latest developments in Bankman-Fried's legal battle.

Who is Sam Bankman-Fried?

Sam Bankman-Fried is a former Wall Street trader who founded FTX in 2019. The exchange quickly became popular for its innovative products, including leveraged tokens and futures contracts. Bankman-Fried is also known for his charitable contributions, particularly his donations to the effective altruism movement.

What are the charges against him?

Bankman-Fried has been charged with market manipulation and insider trading by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The charges stem from allegations that he and his colleagues manipulated the price of a futures contract on the Deribit crypto exchange in 2018. According to the CFTC, Bankman-Fried used an algorithmic trading strategy to move the market in his favor.

Bankman-Fried has denied the charges and has stated that the trades in question were made for legitimate reasons. He has also said that he will fight the charges in court.

What is the potential impact on FTX?

FTX has become one of the most popular crypto exchanges in the world, thanks in large part to Bankman-Fried's leadership. However, the legal battle could have serious consequences for the exchange. If Bankman-Fried is found guilty, he could face fines, sanctions, and even jail time. This could damage his reputation and make it more difficult for FTX to attract new users.

In addition, the legal battle could distract Bankman-Fried from running the day-to-day operations of FTX. This could lead to a decline in the quality of service that the exchange provides to its users.

What is the latest update?

The legal battle is still ongoing, and it is unclear when a verdict will be reached. However, there have been some recent developments that could have an impact on the case.

Prosecutors now charge Bankman-Fried with 12 criminal counts in total, including conspiracy to commit fraud on customers of FTX, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, conspiracy to commit wire fraud on lenders to Alameda Research, and conspiracy to make unlawful political contributions and defraud the Federal Election Commission. Bankman-Fried was initially arrested in December and charged with eight financial crimes. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and his trial is scheduled for October.

FTX was one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world before collapsing last November due to alleged criminal mismanagement by Bankman-Fried and others. The new charges against Bankman-Fried allege that he made illegal donations to both Democrats and Republicans, flooding the political system with tens of millions of dollars. Bankman-Fried was popular with politicians and invited them to fancy business conferences in the Caribbean, while also donating millions to candidates, including President Joe Biden. However, some politicians are now returning those donations. The White House has not commented on the matter.

Conclusion

Sam Bankman-Fried's legal battle is a reminder of the risks and challenges that come with operating in the world of cryptocurrency. While he has built a successful business and a strong reputation in the industry, he now faces serious accusations that could threaten his legacy. It remains to be seen how this case will play out, but it is clear that the outcome will have a significant impact on the future of FTX and the broader crypto ecosystem.

FAQ

How has Sam Bankman-Fried responded to the charges? Bankman-Fried has denied the charges and has stated that the trades in question were made for legitimate reasons. He has also said that he will fight the charges in court.

What is Sam Bankman-Fried known for in the cryptocurrency industry? Sam Bankman-Fried is known for founding FTX, a popular cryptocurrency exchange, and for his innovative products, including leveraged tokens and futures contracts. He is also known for his charitable contributions, particularly his donations to the effective altruism movement.

What is the potential outcome of the legal battle? The outcome of the legal battle is uncertain and will depend on the evidence presented in court. If Bankman-Fried is found guilty, he could face fines, sanctions, and even jail time. If he is found not guilty, the charges against him will be dropped and he will be able to continue running FTX without legal repercussions.

That's all for today

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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.

@ 6c8c7979:15595f3e

When Mozart composed Symphony No. 40 in G minor, he was going through a difficult period in his life, facing financial problems and personal pressures. Despite these circumstances, the symphony is marked by significant emotional intensity and notable musical innovation. It is believed that the symphony reflected his internal tension and pain, making it one of his greatest and most impactful works.

https://youtu.be/0sGqkMU-mGQ?si=FTIuMq8xo4bhvzDV

https://youtu.be/JTc1mDieQI8?si=E-xd311z0yWQek3c

@ 8e7462a8:c723a97b

```js import { useState, useEffect, useCallback, useContext, useRef } from 'react'; import axios from 'axios'; import { nip57, nip19 } from 'nostr-tools'; import { NostrContext } from '@/context/NostrContext'; import { lnurlEncode } from '@/utils/lnurl'; import { parseEvent } from '@/utils/nostr'; import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid';

const defaultRelays = [ "wss://nos.lol/", "wss://relay.damus.io/", "wss://relay.snort.social/", "wss://relay.nostr.band/", "wss://nostr.mutinywallet.com/", "wss://relay.mutinywallet.com/", "wss://relay.primal.net/" ];

const AUTHOR_PUBKEY = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_AUTHOR_PUBKEY;

export function useNostr() { const pool = useContext(NostrContext); const subscriptionQueue = useRef([]); const lastSubscriptionTime = useRef(0); const throttleDelay = 2000;

const processSubscriptionQueue = useCallback(() => {
    if (subscriptionQueue.current.length === 0) return;

    const currentTime = Date.now();
    if (currentTime - lastSubscriptionTime.current < throttleDelay) {
        setTimeout(processSubscriptionQueue, throttleDelay);
        return;
    }

    const subscription = subscriptionQueue.current.shift();
    subscription();

    lastSubscriptionTime.current = currentTime;
    setTimeout(processSubscriptionQueue, throttleDelay);
}, [throttleDelay]);

const subscribe = useCallback(
    (filters, opts) => {
        if (!pool) return;

        const subscriptionFn = () => {
            return pool.subscribeMany(defaultRelays, filters, opts);
        };

        subscriptionQueue.current.push(subscriptionFn);
        processSubscriptionQueue();
    },
    [pool, processSubscriptionQueue]
);

const publish = useCallback(
    async (event) => {
        if (!pool) return;

        try {
            console.log('publishing event', event)
            const result = await Promise.any(pool.publish(defaultRelays, event));
            console.log('result', result)
            console.log('Published event to at least one relay');
            return true;
        } catch (error) {
            console.error('Failed to publish event:', error);
            return false;
        }
    },
    [pool]
);

```

@ 8dc86882:9dc4ba5e

I really just wanted to give credit where credit is due. I'm not a podcaster, but I do listen to the Podcasting 2.0 podcast.

I feel that Dave and Adam have done a ton for Bitcoin and Lightning just by working on the Podcasting 2.0 project. Their effort to figure out how to make donations easy for fans of podcasts I believe has really built a lot of uptake in the ecosystem. Many of us wouldn't be here, or maybe have as good an understanding on how this all works without them. I just thought they needed to get some love.

Please listen to an episode and boost the hell out of it.

Cheers!

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/632805

@ 57d1a264:69f1fee1

UX Copywriter at @relay

Apply from: https://relai.app/career/ux-copywriter-50-60/

---

UX Researcher at @FediTeam

Apply from: https://bitcoinerjobs.com/job/1532724-ux-researcher-fedi

---

UX Researcher at @FediTeam

Apply from: https://bitcoinerjobs.com/job/1532724-ux-researcher-fedi

---

Web Designer for Mobile & Desktop (UX/UI) at @PlanB_network

Apply from:https://bitcoinerjobs.com/job/1533798-web-designer-for-mobile-and-desktop-uxui-planbitcoin-network

---

Graphic Assets Designer at Middle Entertainment

Apply from: https://www.plebwork.com/work/graphic-assets-designerc0sm3

---

Logo and brand book design for a bitcoin startup at @BinsingLabs

Apply from: https://www.plebwork.com/work/logo-and-brand-book-design-for-a-bitcoin-startup-s57f4

---

Illustrator Designer for Bitcoin Slide Deck at @BTCasey

Apply from: https://www.plebwork.com/work/illustrator-designer-for-bitcoin-slide-decktpfr9

---

Digital Design Contract at @bitcoinize

Apply from: https://x.com/bitcoinize/status/1818676267350184318?s=46

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/632662

@ 6f170f27:711e26dd

Since Milei deregulated the housing market :

• 200% rise in housing supply
• 20% decrease in real prices !

https://www.eleconomista.es/economia/noticias/12935188/08/24/milei-obra-el-milagro-con-los-alquileres-la-oferta-de-vivienda-se-dispara-tras-desregular-el-mercado-en-argentina.html

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/632534

@ fa984bd7:58018f52

Happy to announce a new major version of NDK. A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to improve NDK in a lot of fronts.

Optimistic Signature verification

For most nostr apps, event signature verification is, by far, the most computationally-expensive part.

If you've ever felt your phone getting a bit hot while using a nostr app, this is probably why.

NDK introduces signature verification sampling. Each relay gets a lower and upper threshold of what ratio of events need to be verified. An unknown relay might start at getting 100% of it's events verified and, over time, lower the ratio to 50%. Whereas a relay the user has in their NIP-65 list might start at 50% and lower to 1%.

When the same event is fetched from multiple relays, only the first time an event is seen (might) have it's signature verified. If the signature is verified, subsequent relays that send the same event ID and signature, have their ratio updated, further reducing the number of signatures we need to check.

Relays should never send an invalid signature, so it only takes catching an evil relay lying about a signature once, to expel it from the pool and, perhaps, have the user add that relay to their relay blacklist event.

In order to activate this feature, developers MUST explicitly handle receiving an invalid signature, as they should probably warn the user that some trickery is happening.

👉 Tutorial

Nostr Cache Adapter

A new cache adapter, which leverages, well, nostr.

ndk-cache-nostr is a cache adapter that connects to a single local relay. This could be your a relay running in your user's computer/phone, like the nostr-tray-relay, Citrine, or it can even be a local relay you run in your server to assist in creating server-side-rendering.

If you've been envious of njump previews when sharing a link, now you can implement the same in your app by leveraging this adapter in your SSR calls.

👉 Docs

Refactored Zapping interface

This is the one breaking change; the code for sending zaps was tightly coupled to the assumption that LN was the interface. This new interface abstracts away the funding mechanism (NWC, WebLN, built-in-wallet) and the delivery mechanism (LN, ecash, Rai stones)

Major subscription Lifecycle refactor

The core of how NDK works was completely refactored from the ground-up, removing a lot of dependencies from nostr-tools, and bringing a lot of clarity to how NDK orchestrates subscriptions at the relay level.

👉 NDK Internal's documentation

Tutorials and other stuff

A few months ago I started a new effort to write more high-level documentation, instead of focusing on interface specs of NDK. https://nostr-dev-kit.github.io/ndk is the ongoing result.

ndk-wallet

A new NDK extension package, provides access to nostr-native NIP-60 wallets.

NIP-60 is a new NIP that proposes a nostr-native wallet that follows a user around any nostr application. Instead of having to manage a bunch of different NWC tokens, implement LN on their own, NIP-60 leverages multiple ecash mints, making it completely frictionless to onboard into Nostr with the capability to send and receive (via NIP-61 or a proxy like npub.cash) zaps.

ndk-wallet is the wallet that Nutsack.me is built on, providing: - wallet creation/discovery - token verification - nutzap redemption - UTXO management - balance tracking

With this package you'll be able to give your users a non-kyc wallet from which they can send both NIP-61 nutzaps and the usual NIP-57 lightning zaps.

@ 2850567c:83c026bf

We Bitcoiners are well aware of the phrase and use it daily in explanations. The use of "Proof of work" is always tied to mining bitcoin. It is always shown as very hard and specialized type of work. This work is shown to be done only by some special type of computers and requires high amounts of electricity.

This manner of explanation although correct, greatly narrows the idea behind the phrase. To mine bitcoin, one had to get those specialized computers. Need to buy those amounts of electricity power. Need to buy or rent land. All these things also need to be bought with money. And as the thousand year saying goes, work more to earn more.

So there was ordinary work done by many to accumulate the amount of money to setup a mining rig. The ordinary work like that of a farmer, carpenter, driver, mason, software engineer, banker, chemist and what not. That ordinary work is the idea of that phrase. The work is not about mining bitcoin. The work is not some abstract mathematics puzzle. That ordinary work produced a proof and was given today's fiat money in exchange. If that ordinary work produced a broken chair for example, the proof would fail and no money would be exchanged. If the work of a welder did not prove the iron gate that locks properly, no money would be earned.

That is the real proof of work. It has been all around us since the start of ages when we needed a proper fencing from wild animals. So it does not only mean that proof of work is needed to "mine" some bitcoins. Proof of work is needed to get any bitcoins. Even to buy them from an exchange. And stronger the proof, i.e. if one delivers a better product from their ordinary work, the the more money they can get. And then buy even more bitcoin.

The proof work work is not just for mining. It applies even more to how society functions. When the reward of the work is a hard asset, like gold or bitcoins, there is going to be a competition to produce even better quality work. Look at the art works. Look at the big monuments constructed many hundred years ago. The result of the work that produced the Taj Mahal. The money that backed it was gold and silver. India did not have easy gold or silver mines. So how they accumulated so much wealth? Being very good agriculturists. Gold and silver would come in boats to buy grains. Gold from Persia would come by mud roads traveling thousands of kilometers to buy steel. Iron and steel factory is a very labour intensive work. It also needs very good knowledge of metallurgy. There was known proof that Indian steel makes excellent swords and other tools.

Work that is rewarded by a hard asset is also the great economic equalizer. It will gradually give more and more rewards to those who are very good at their work. Those who love their work. Those who try to refine and get more efficient. Those who can collaborate with others. Those who are helped by others. It will also automatically filters out the ones who are forced into doing the wrong job. Those who don't enjoy what they do. Those who don't feel the need to compete. Very quickly even they will discover their own skills. And join the revolution of producing great proofs of their unique work. And the rewards start coming. The rewards in PoW are more linear in nature. They are tend to get less and less affected by opportunities, place, country, language or culture or even time. The rewards don't flow through one who controls them. They are given directly by buyer of the product, and no one else. The transaction of buyer and seller are not effected by what censorship rules are in place in that region, or within that government. The ones who have opportunities will still have to work in exactly the same way and prove their work. Or some else takes the same reward from their work. The ones who have opportunities cant just hire enough others to produce the work faster. The ones that are hired will immediately demand rewards in the very same hard asset. And that is never easy to get.

Whenever the reward is a harder asset, it demands a lot of hard work. We need to liberate the phrase from the chains of bitcoin mining. The phrase is for everyone. Society functions by giving and taking products and services. Society everywhere has to work. Bitcoin hodlers, even those who hold hundreds or thousands of bitcoins, do not stop working. They continue with their masonry work, collect garbage from homes, teach in colleges, and engage in various other professions. Then they still use a part of their earning to buy even more bitcoins. Any type of ordinary work done is proof enough to get bitcoins.

@ 06830f6c:34da40c5

In a stunning turn of events, Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel has been released from prison after his 2014 murder conviction was overturned. The artist, whose real name is Adidja Azim Palmer, has been a central figure in dancehall music for over two decades. His release marks a significant moment in the Jamaican music scene and the global dancehall community. 🌍🎶

read more here on yakihonne [https://yakihonne.com/article/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqp5rpakttyjmmqkv5kda4py0qptxvm0lq3k98q5k82vh5g6d5sx9qq2kv4txv95hz66tfag5kcejvaa8yu3e956kxdxfg9n]

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/631891

@ 06830f6c:34da40c5

In a groundbreaking turn of events, Jamaican dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel has been released from prison after his 2014 murder conviction was overturned! 🌟 The artist, born Adidja Azim Palmer, has been a central figure in the dancehall music scene for over two decades. His release is a monumental moment for both the Jamaican music industry and his global fanbase. 🌍🎶

🔎 Background of the Case

Vybz Kartel was arrested in 2011 and charged with the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. This high-profile case gripped the public's attention due to Kartel's immense popularity and the graphic details of the crime. In 2014, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, with a stipulation that he would not be eligible for parole until serving 35 years.

The prosecution relied heavily on a mix of text messages, video footage, and testimonies. From the beginning, there were numerous claims of evidence tampering and concerns about the integrity of the investigation. These issues became key points in Kartel’s numerous appeals over the years.

⚖️ The Appeal and Overturning of the Conviction

A major breakthrough came in March 2024 when Kartel’s legal team successfully argued that there had been juror misconduct during the original trial. The appeal judges determined that this misconduct was serious enough to compromise the fairness of the trial. They ruled that a retrial would be unjust, given the time Kartel had already served and the complexities surrounding the initial investigation.

This decision led to the reversal of the conviction, and on August 1, 2024, Vybz Kartel walked free after spending more than a decade behind bars. 🚀🎉

🌟 Reaction and Impact

The news of Kartel's release has electrified the music industry. Fans and fellow artists have taken to social media in droves to express their support and excitement. Many view this as a moment of vindication for the artist, who has always maintained his innocence.

Kartel’s influence on dancehall music is unparalleled. Even during his incarceration, he continued to release music that topped charts and resonated with fans around the world. His lyrical genius and ability to capture the socio-political essence of Jamaican life have solidified his status as one of the greatest dancehall artists of all time. 🎤👑

🔮 Looking Forward

With his newfound freedom, speculation is rife about Kartel’s next moves. Industry insiders are anticipating a surge of new music and possibly a tell-all memoir about his experiences over the past decade. Rumors are also swirling about potential collaborations with international artists who have long admired his work. 🌏🎶

Moreover, Kartel’s release is expected to have broader implications for the Jamaican justice system. The case has exposed significant flaws and has sparked calls for reforms to prevent similar miscarriages of justice in the future. ⚖️

📚 Fun Facts and Trivia

• Dancehall King: Vybz Kartel, often called the "Worl' Boss," is known for hits like "Fever" and "Summer Time." His unique style has influenced countless artists.
• Prolific Output: Despite being incarcerated, Kartel released several albums from prison, maintaining a strong presence in the music industry.
• Reality TV Star: Before his legal troubles, Kartel starred in the reality TV show "Teacha's Pet," offering fans a glimpse into his life and personality.

🎊 Conclusion

Vybz Kartel’s release from prison is a landmark moment not just for him personally, but for the dancehall genre and its worldwide followers. As he steps back into a world that has changed during his absence, all eyes will be on the dancehall king’s next moves. Regardless of what the future holds, Kartel's resilience and enduring popularity are testaments to his indomitable spirit and unparalleled talent. 🚀👑

@ 9c1636e1:79809ee5

TL;DR: NostrDice is a provably fair game built on Nostr and Lightning.

Why build NostrDice

Nostr has been around for a while now, but we’ve only used it as a social network. We had not had a chance to look under the hood to see how things work and what you can do with it.

We wanted to get our hands dirty. But we didn’t just want to follow some tutorials; we wanted to build something fun and see how far Nostr could take us.

After some brainstorming, we landed on the legendary game SatoshiDICE. Why not bring the OG of all Bitcoin games to Lightning using Nostr?

We are going to build our own SatoshiDICE, with blackjack and hookers

NostrDice is SathoshiDICE on steroids. I mean, it’s built with Nostr and Lightning.

Design Goals of NostrDice

Before we jump into it, these are our design goals for the game.

1. Provably fair. The NostrDice server must not be able to control the outcome of a die roll. Players must be able to verify that the NostrDice server is not cheating.
2. Easy to use. The game should be compatible with any Nostr client (which supports Zaps). No new clients should be required to play the game.
3. Have fun building it! This was the main goal if we’re honest :D

Looking into how Zaps work we quickly figure out a way to use them to place bets and pay out lucky winners.

How NostrDice Works

We set up 3 accounts on Nostr:

• NostrDice Game: This is where you play. Zap your chosen multiplier note, roll the die and win some sats, sometimes. https://primal.net/p/npub1nstrdc6z4y9xadyj4z2zfecu6zt05uvlmd08ea0vchcvfrjvv7yq8lns84
• NostrDice Nonces: Here you can find proof that the server is playing fair with your dice rolls. https://primal.net/p/npub1nstrdc23h57te608p6rx90lhay86ny5lpm9jpnxquzv9fnvmpfhqnpzcwp

• NostrDice Social: A place for us to promote the game. Follow us to get the latest updates. https://primal.net/p/npub1nstrdc28zag3wcwwsc5t725t03h3hg9ard4vg425m4dvv7vqnmjsn076qj

• Commitment to a Secret Nonce

  A new round starts when the NostrDice server posts a commitment to a nonce on NostrDice Nonces. The server does this before receiving any information from the player, so it can choose the nonce based on the player’s input.

• Placing a Bet

  The player chooses their multiplier and wager by zapping one of 11 notes on NostrDice Game. The multiplier also determines the target the die roll needs to hit. For example, to win a 2x multiplier, the player must roll a number lower than 31784 (out of 65535 possibilities).

• Determining the Outcome

  The server calculates the player’s die roll based on the secret nonce, the player’s npub and the zap memo. Player’s are encouraged to use the zap memo to make it impossible for the server to anticipate their input to the die roll.

• Immediate Payouts

  If the player hits the target, the NostrDice server will pay out instantly. The server zaps the player’s npub to credit them with their winnings. To this end, the player must have a valid LNURL configured if they want to get paid!

• House Edge

  The server retains a small house edge on every bet. For a specific target, the payout is slightly less than the true odds to account for this edge.

NostrDice as a Provably Fair Game

The key to NostrDice being fair is that the outcome of a die roll is random and verifiable. For an in-depth explanation on this, check out the rules of the game in our repository. But here is a summary of the main ideas.

Commitment Scheme

NostrDice commits to a nonce before the round starts by hashing it and publishing the hash on Nostr for everyone to see:

nonce := gen_32_bytes() commitment := sha256(nonce)

Roll Formula

When the player places their bet, the nonce is combined with the player's npub and zap memo to generate the die roll:

roll = bytes_to_decimal(first_2_bytes(sha256(nonce | player_npub | zap_memo | index)))

To prevent the server from predicting outcomes based on the player's npub, the player submits their own randomness via the zap memo.

Additionally, a roll index is included to allow the player to roll more than once with the same nonce.

Verification

The player can independently compute their roll after the nonce is revealed. They can also verify that the revealed nonce matches the original commitment:

original_commitment == sha256(revealed_nonce)

Lessons learned

Building NostrDice was very fun and not that hard! It’s easy to see why the Nostr ecosystem is flourishing: the Nostr protocol is super simple.

• Dev environment: Building a Nostr client is super straight forward. There are plenty of libraries available, but we went with the rust-nostr stack. However, setting up a dev environment was not so easy. We ended up with an involved docker-compose file and a just file to spin up a dev environment consisting of:
  • bitcoind.
  • Two lnd nodes: one for the player and one for the server.
  • A Nostr relay via nostr-rs-relay.
  • nostr-wallet-connect-lnd so that the player can zap a multiplier note with their LND node.
  • An LNURL pay server for the player to receive payouts.
  • nostrdice: the game server itself, acting as a modified LNURL server.
• Note limits: Our nonce account needs to publish notes regularly and we quickly ran into the limits of publicly available relays: we got banned. Because of this we decided to post less and run our own relay which again, was super simple. Since Rust is our first language, we decided to go with https://github.com/scsibug/nostr-rs-relay.
• Production testing: This is the biggest hurdle we encountered. While for “normal” social media usage clients like Primal, Snort or Damus work well, when wanting to jump between different accounts, we quickly ran into UX issues. The setup which worked best for us was using the Alby browser extension with different profiles. I believe things can be improved here. For example, a browser extension supporting multiple Nostr profiles, where profiles are locked to one tab/website only. This way we can be logged into multiple accounts on different profiles at the same time. We also ended up using noStrudel as our favorite browser-based client.
• No signet support on web clients. Zaps are always assumed to be on mainnet.

Overall it was great fun to build on Nostr for the first time, and we learned a lot. I hope you also enjoy this nostalgic tribute to SatoshiDICE on Nostr.

cheers,

the 10101 team

Links

• NostrDice Social: An account only used for social posts, follow along to stay up-to-date on any announcements. https://primal.net/p/npub1nstrdc28zag3wcwwsc5t725t03h3hg9ard4vg425m4dvv7vqnmjsn076qj.
• NostrDice Game: The main game account. Where the static multiplier notes are hosted. https://primal.net/p/npub1nstrdc6z4y9xadyj4z2zfecu6zt05uvlmd08ea0vchcvfrjvv7yq8lns84.
• NostrDice Nonces: This account publishes nonce commitments and reveals nonces at a regular interval. https://primal.net/p/npub1nstrdc23h57te608p6rx90lhay86ny5lpm9jpnxquzv9fnvmpfhqnpzcwp.
• NostrDice on X: x.com/nostrdice
• NostrDice source code: https://github.com/nostrdice/nostrdice/.
• NostrDice relay: wss://relay.nostrdice.com.
• benthecarman: we just can’t help ourselves, but we noticed that a lot of the libraries we used were either built by or contributed to by Ben. Among others, we used and built on:
  • https://github.com/benthecarman/lnurl-rs: An LNURL pay server.
  • https://github.com/benthecarman/nostr-wallet-connect-lnd: A NWC server to control LND.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/631870

@ 048ecb14:7c28ac78

Chef's notes

• Makes 6 buns
• Can be cold fermented over night - do what works for your schedule (for a night event, start in the morning ; for a lunch event, prep the night before and cold ferment).
• Based on a recipe by the ChainBaker (whose recipes and YouTube I highly recommend).
• This recipe uses a softening technique called Yudane which involves prepping flour + boiling water in advance to making the dough.
• Work with the dough in a cool environment < 24°C (75°F) so that the dough is not too sticky. When it's really sticky, I just use a Slap and Fold kneading method.

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 6-7 hr (start to finish)
• 🍳 Cook time: 25
• 🍽️ Servings: 3 (2 rolls/person)

Ingredients

• Flour 300g (50g for yudane + 250g for main dough)
• Boiling Water 50ml
• Milk 150ml
• Dry Active/Instant Yeast 4g
• White Sugar 20g (can be reduced)
• Salt 6g
• Butter (softened) 20g
• Egg Yolk 1
• [glaze] Egg White 1
• [glaze] Sesame seeds

Directions

1. [Yudane] Pour 50ml of boiling water over 50g of flour while mixing. Put in fridge to cool for 1.5 hours.
2. Take butter out of fridge and leave to soften
3. In a big bowl add the yeast, salt, sugar, egg yolk. Pour in the cold milk and mix so that the granules can hydrate/dissolve
4. Add the cooled yudane from the fridge and mix.
5. Add in the rest of the flour and mix. Leave to hydrate for 15mins.
6. Scrape the dough out onto a cold surface for kneading. It will be quite wet (especially in a warm environment). Knead for 5-6 minutes, possibly using the slap and fold method due to stickiness.
7. Add the butter, and knead for another couple of minutes so that it is well incorporated.
8. Collect the dough (it's okay if it's still sticky and difficult and not a pretty ball) and move back into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap.
9. If baking same day, leave for 2-2.5 hours to proof/ferment at room temperature (~24-26°C/75-78°F). Adjust the time for higher/lower temps. If baking the next day, put the bowl in the fridge overnight.
10. After the bulk proofing time is up, prep a scale and weigh the dough. Calculate what each dough ball should be (this recipe makes 6 balls).
11. Slice the dough into pieces weighing the right amount for each ball. I find this is usually around 85g, but depends on factors like how much dough was lost in moving / evaporation etc. so weighing is important.
12. Frequently dust the working area with flour so the balls don't stick. For each ball, loosely fold the edges of the dough into the center, flip it over and let it rest for 10-20 minutes.
13. Once again flip each ball over and fold the edges again inward. A little tighter/cleaner this time. Flip so the folds are down, and gentle roll the dough in a circular fashion with a cupped hand so that it becomes a ball. You can also try to create some tension at the top of the ball if you know how.
14. Prepare the tray you'll bake the buns in, lining the bottom with a cooking sheet.
15. Line up the balls on the tray with a little space between (they'll grow) and place plastic wrap over them so they don't dry out, dusting the tops and side with just a little flour so the film doesn't stick.
16. Leave the balls to proof/rise for 2 hours.
17. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/320°F.
18. While waiting for the over to heat up, use the leftover egg whites to brush over the buns. Then sprinkle sesame seeds over the top.
19. Bake for 25 minutes and then let rest for another 30min. I recommend toasting in butter in a frying pan prior to serving with burgers

@ 3cd2ea88:bafdaceb

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🔗 Se non vuoi usare il QR, usa il link: https://bonus.bitget.com/U1JNEK

@ 1c0467df:d06e2b48

I have released BTC service library. It includes many LUDS and NIPS. It enables multi user, multi domain LUD-16 Lightning addresses. With it, anyone can get you@domain.com Lightning and Nostr addresses, enabling easy Bitcoin receipts and Zaps. Check it out at https://github.com/matjaz/btc-service Feedback is welcome.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/631601

@ 1394367a:5183ebf0

High Prairie

**One **

Let's sit down here, all of us, on the open prairie, where we can't see a highway or a fence. Let's have no blankets to sit on, but feel the ground with our bodies, the earth, the yielding shrubs. Let's have the grass for a mattress, experiencing its sharpness and its softness. Let us become like stones, plants, and trees. Let us be animals, think and feel like animals.1

Listen to the air. You can hear it, feel it, smell it, taste it. Woniya wakan--the holy air-- which renews all by its breath. Woniya, woniya wakan-- spirit, life, breath, renewal--it means all that. Woniya--we sit together, don't touch, but something is there; we feel it between us, as a presence. A good way to start thinking about nature, talk about it. Rather talk to it, talk to the rivers, to the lakes, to the winds as to our relatives.1

There it went again. Kind of halfway between a gobble and a drumming. Or perhaps both sounds. I was just coming ou of a restful, deep sleep. A dim, orange light filtered throug the tent's rain-fly.

Gobble-gobble-drum-gobble, drum. The strange sound mingled for a moment with my dreams, then became reality. I sat up in my sleeping bag. Cold morning air hit my face.

Gobble, drum-gobble, drum. The sounds were everywhere now. "What in the world is going on?", I thought. Things were getting quite wild. This drumming, gobbling sound filled the air on all sides around me, with the sounds growing louder and more numerous. I was in the tent, wrapped in my sleeping bag, unable to move much, and not able to see the

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strange goings-on outside. It was all kind of crazy and wonderful, and I felt very curious and left out. What was going on?

I quietly unzipped my down bag, and slipped out. Likewise, I opened the tent door, then with a sudden and quick jerk on the rain fly zipper, I opened the tent to the outside world, and plunged out onto my belly, glancing all around in an effort to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that had, in such an unusual way, brought me to wakefulness.

Tens of flapping wings beat the air, and the sky around me filled with sharp-tailed grouse. The birds took off to the east--flapping their wings, gliding: flapping, gliding. Then all was still and quiet again, save for the occassional moo of a cow in some far pasture, and I was alone on the high prárie, in the chill of morning, with the golden light of dawn growing around me as the sun edged up toward the eastern horizon.

I was laughing with delight. In the city you get woken up by an alarm clock--by a warning, that says you'd better get up, or be late for work, or school, or whatever you're in danger of being late for. Here in the country its different. You're woken up by the wonders of the new day. "How dare they wake me up like that", I joked out loud. "On the other hand", I thought, "I was sleeping right in the middle of their dancing ground." I was awake and happy, stretched half-way out of the tent door with my stomach lying on the short, dry

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grass of the southeast Montana prairie.

The honey was thick. I spread it over peanut butter and bread with my hunting knife, then sat back and enjoyed breakfast while watching the sunlight begin to rake the hilltops. This was Antelope Valley--or so I had named it, after the small herd of seven or eight antelope that frequented the area. I was down in the bottom of this broad, shallow valley now, but if you walked up to the top of any of the surrounding hills, you could see the vastness of the high prarie. The land rolled away from you towards the horizon. Bare, slate-covered hilltops, lush, green grass and clover in the draws. Dandelions and chokecherry bushes backlighted by the low-lying morning sun. Gravelly hillsides in the distance, streaked with brown, red, and sometimes black.

And therin lies a problem. Those black streaks. The pratie, it seems, overlies huge beds of coal. Coal that is needed by society. Coal that must be mined to feed our technology. Dirty, black rock that is blasted and gouged out of the earth by some of the largest, most powerful machinery ever built by mankind.

I thought about this as I chewed on dry apricots. The line between sunlight and shadow, still to my west, moved rapidly now, towards where I sat. I looked forward to the sun.

The original natives of this land, the plains indians, would never have understood and condoned what the white man was doing to the prarie. To them, digging up the earth--

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taking a blade to the earth--was "like taking a knife to my mother's breast". I sat there in the grass, my hunger satisfied and the soft sunlight just beginning to hit my face, and I knew that I agreed with the indians.

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Two The Broken Hoop

I shouldered my day pack and took off to the northeast, up a draw. Three antelope appeared on the crest of the hill to my left. When they saw me they froze, alert and ready to dash off at the slightest hint of danger. I froze too, so as not to scare them away. These mammals were at home here on the prairie. Mile upon mile of vast, open space--perfect habitat for a species which depends on early warning and tremendous speed to escape from predators. I had often, during my hiking trips on the prairie, tried to sneak up on antelope, and see how close I could come to them. It was difficult, to say the least. "Hunting antelope with bow and arrow must have been an art", I thought. The sun grew warmer. I pulled off my wool sweater and walked to the top of the hill.

What would it have been like to have been an indian before the white man came? And what would it have been like to have been conquered by the wasichus, and seen your beloved land taken away from you, then despoiled and abused by an uncontrolled technology? The indians had technologies, you know. Arrows, bone awls, fire--these are all technologies, even if they are 'primitive'. And fire alone is enough of a technology to wreak tremendous destruction on an environment.

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Nuclear bombs only do the job much quicker. Yes, the indians, like us, had technology, and it was advancing, although surely at a relatively slow pace. Unlike us, however, they lived in harmony with the Earth. The rational and irrational within indian society were in balance, and as a result, the people had a peace of mind. What would it have been like to have lived as an indian? Perhaps some of Black Elk's accounts

relate this best:

Once we were happy in our own country and we were seldom hungry, for then the two-leggeds and the four-leggeds lived together likę relatives, and there was plenty for them and for us. 2

That was another happy summer, for the big trouble had not come yet. We cut plenty of tepee poles up along the creeks that came down the east side of the Black Hills, and there was all we wanted to eat, for the Hills were like a big food pack for our people. Iron Bull, a little boy my age, and I had great fun fishing. We always made an offering of bait to the fish, saying: "You who are down in the water with wings of red, I offer this to you: so come hither." Then when we caught the first fish, we would put it on a forked stick and kiss it. If we did not do this, we were sure the others would know and stay away. If we caught a little fish, we would kiss it and throw it back, so that it would not go and frighten the bigger fish. I don't know whether all this helped or not, but we always got plenty of fish, and our parents were proud of us. We tried to catch as many as we could so that people would think much of us. 3

The sun, the Light of the world, I hear Him coming. I see His face as He comes. He makes the beings on earth happy. And they rejoice. O Wakan-Tanka, I offer to You this world of Light.4

But the Wasichus came, and they have made little islands for the four-leggeds, and always these islands are becoming smaller, for around them surges the gnawing flood of the Wasichu, and it is dirty with lies and greed.5

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I did not know then how much was ended. When I look back now from this high hill of my old age, I can still see the butchered women and children lying heaped and scattered all along the crooked gulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud, and was buried in the blizzard. A people's dream died there. It was a beautiful dream.

And I, to whom so great a vision was given in my youth,--you see me now a pitiful old man who has done nothing, for the nation's hoop is broken and scattered. There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree is dead. 6

A light and pleasantly cool west wind fortold of a fine, spring day. I sat on top of the hill, overlooking Antelope Valley and the prairie beyond. I hadn't known the name for it then, but I was looking at the World's Rim. I remember sitting there in the sunshine thinking that it should be so easy to live as one with all that surrounded me.

But it isn't. Its hard to live in this society, and to achieve a 'peace of mind', to be as one with the universe. We (western society) have destroyed an entire culture. And my god, what have we replaced it with??

I was back in the stockroom loading huge boxes of 4-ply toilet tissue onto a trolley when the call came. "Employee four to TA, four to TA". That was me--number four. I heaved a last box onto the cart, and started off for the toiletries section.

The store was getting crowded now. Sundays at K-Mart were

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like that. I passed by the plastic dishpans and turned left. Through the windows at the front of the store, I could see that it was snowing. "What do the mountains look like now?", I thought. The mountains, rugged and snow-capped, lay only a few miles to the north. But from inside the store, one could only see the parking lot.

She seemed upset. "Foamy menthol is advertised as on sale", she explained, "but there's none left on the shelft"

"A catastrophe", I thought, sarcastically.

"Oh I'm very sorry", I replied, as sincerely as possible. "And I'm sure we don't have any in back, either. Would you like a rain check?"

"Oh, well--no". She was kind of grumbling. I like the menthol so much. You get in a hot shower, and then rub it all over your body, and you just tingle all over. It feels so good".

I didn't know quite what to say, so I just nodded and went back to work stocking the shelves with toilet paper. Business was still picking up. The air was heavy with the smell of paper, popcorn, people, and a thousand other oders from a thousand different products. Kids screamed and piloted plastic spaceships down the isles of the toy section. Two teenage boys stood gaping at a Farrah Fawcet poster.

And outside, the snow--and beyond that, the mountains...

---Three The Yin and the Yang

A red-tailed hawk soared on a rising thermal. It was early still, but already getting hot. This was a land of extremes. On the high prairie, it could be sunny and warm one minute, snowing and bitter cold the next. Yet I loved it there, out in the open, empty space all around me. It was alot like the desert--vast, seemingly endless distances. A landscape where your conscienceness has room to expand out and fill the spaces, where you have freedom to think and feel and grow. It is a landscape that you become a part of.

Paula Gunn Allen talks about the feeling of wholeness that permeates Native American thought.

...At base, every story, every song, every ceremony, tells the Indian that he is part of a living whole, and that all parts of that whole are related to one another by virtue of their participation in the whole of being.7

Allen also speaks of the "dualistic division that the white man imposes on the rational--irrational aspects of the universe:

...Native American thought makes no such dualistic division, nor does it draw a hard-and-fast line between what is material and what is spiritual, for the two are seen to be two expressions of the same reality--as though life has twin manifestations that are mutually interchangeable and, in many instances, virtually identical aspects of a reality that is, essentially, more spirit than matter, or that more correctly, manifests its very spiritness in a tangible

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way. The closest analogy in western thought is the Einsteinian understanding of matter as a special state or condition of energy. Yet even this concept falls short of the Native American understanding, for Einsteinian energy is essentially stupid, while energy in the Indian view is intelligence manifesting yet another way.8

This indian philosophy is indeed a beautiful one; "...energy in the Indian view is intelligence manifesting yet another way". The idea of wholeness of the universe, of the inter- relatedness of everything permeates all of indian thought. This feeling of wholeness of the universe is something that touched me, during my wanderings out on the Montana prairie. It is a peace of mind, that the indians achieved through

song, dance, ceremony, and living close to the earth.

Allen made one statement, however, that was a bit short- sighted, "... Einsteinian energy is essentially stupid...". I don't believe Einstein thought of his energy as stupid. Dr. Einstein had a sense of the mystical in life, and he speaks about it in the following passager

The most beautiful and most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the source of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms--this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness.9

Indeed, modern physics is tending more and more towards theories that are complementary to philosophies like that of eastern mysticism and american indian. Energy is no longer being viewed as "stupid". Fritjof Capra speaks of this in his

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book, "The Tao of Physics".

...I see science and mysticiom as two complement- ary manifestations of the human mind, of its rational and intuitive faculties. The modern physicist ex- periences the world through an extreme specialization of the rational mind, the mystic through an extreme specialization of the intuitive mind. The two approaches are entirely different and involve far more than a certain view of the physical world. However, they are complementary, as we have learned to say in physics. Neither is comprehended in the other, nor can either of them be reduced to the other, but both of them are necessary, supplementing one another for a fuller understanding of the world. To paraphrase an old Chinese saying, mystics understand the roots of the Tao but not its branches, scientists understand its branches but not its roots. Science does not need mysticism and mysticism does not need science: but man needs both. Mystical experience is necessary to understand the deepest nature of things, and science is essential for modern life. What we need, therefore, is not a synthesis but a dynamic interplay between mystical intuition and scientific analysis.10

Capra believes, as I so, that our society "...is too yang --too rational, male, and aggressive". Our culture today lacks the balance between the yin and the yang. We are failing to see the wholeness of the universe. Our culture does view energy as something stupid, even though our science is beginning to tell us otherwise. We fail to see that the universe is moving, breathing, and alive--and that we are a part of it.

I believe that the world view implied by modern physics is inconsistent with our present society, which does not reflect the harmonious interrelatedness we observe in nature. To achieve such a state of dynamic balance, a radically different social and economic structure will be needed a cultural revolution in the true sense of the word. The survival of our whole civilization may depend on whether we can bring about such a change. It will depend, ultimately, on our ability to adopt some of the vin attitudes of Eastern mysticism; to experience the wholeness of nature and the art of living with it in harmony. 11

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Four Ghosts

So what about the american indian? How does he fit into all of this? Well, perhaps he can help show us the way--perhaps we can learn something from the indians. Even though its probably too late for the resurgence of indian societies like those of the past, perhaps we can all (i.e. all modern societies), through an attempt at understanding the indian and his lifestyle, learn about the intrinsic interplay of the yin and the yang in our universe, and as Capra says, "experience the wholeness of nature and the art of living with it in harmony".

Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" is the story of one culture (Earth's) moving in and displacing another (the Martian's)--a story which bears a high degree of resemblance with white man--indian history. In the following exerpts from this book, Tomás Gomez, a relative newcomer to the already established colonies on Mars, meets a Martian:

Now he looked at the Martian against the sky.

"The stars!" he said. "The stars!" said the Martain, looking, in turn,

at Tomás. The stars were white and sharp beyond the flesh on the Martain, and they were sewn into his flesh like scintillas swallowed into the thin, phosphor- escent membrane of a gelatinous sea fish. You could see stars flickering like violet eyes in the Martian's stomach and chest, and through his wrists, like

jewelry. "I can see through you!" said Tomas.

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back. "And I through youl" said the Martian, stepping Tomás felt of his own body and, feeling the warmth, was reassured. I am real, he thought. The Martian touched his own nose and lips. "I have flesh," he said, half aloud. "I am alive." Tomás stared at the stranger. real, then you must be dead." "And if I am "No, you!" "A ghost!" "A phantom!" They pointed at each other, with starlight burning in their limbs like daggers and icicles and fireflies, and then fell to judging their limbs again, each finding himself intact, hot, excited, stunned, awed, and the other, ah yes, that other over there, unreal, a ghostly prism flashing the accumulated light of distant worlds.12

"There are the rockets." Tomás walked him to the edge of the hill and pointed down. "See?"

"No."

"Damn it, there they are! Those long silver things."

"No."

Now Tomás laughed. "You're blind!"

"I see very well. You are the one who does not see."

"But you see the new town, don't you?'

"I see nothing but an ocean, and water at low

tide."

"Mister, that water's been evaporated for forty centuries."

"Ah, now, now, that is enough." "It's true, I tell you,

"No, you are from the Past," said the Earth Man, having had time to think of it now.

"You are so certain. How can you prove who is form the Past, who from the Future? What year is it?"

"Two thousand and one!"

"What does that mean to me?"

Tomas considered and shrugged. "Nothing."

"It is as if I told you that it is the year 4462853 S.E.C. It is nothing and more than nothing! Where is the clock to show us how the stars stand?"

"But the ruins prove it! They prove that I am the Future, I am alive, you are dead!"

"Everything in me denies this. My heart beats, my stomach hungers, my mouth thirsts. No, no, not dead, not alive, either of us. More alive than

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anything else. Caught between is more like it. Two strangers passing in the night, that is it.

Two strangers passing. Ruins, you say?" "Yes. You're afraid?"14"

Tomás put out his hand. The Martian did likewise in imitation. Their hands did not touch; they melted through

each other.

"Will we meet again?"

"Who knows? Perhaps some other night." "I'd like to go with you to that festival."

"And I wish I might come to your new town, to see this ship you speak of, to see these men, to hear all that has happened."

"Good-by," said Tomas.

"Good night."

The Martian rode his green metal vehicle quietly away into the hills, The Earth Man turned his truck and drove it silently in the opposite direction.

"Good lord, what a dream that was," sighed Tomás, his hands on the wheel, thinking of the rockets, the women, the raw whisky, the Virginia reels, the party.

How strange a vision was that, thought the Martian, rushing on, thinking of the festival, the canals, the boats, the women with golden eyes, and the songs. The night was dark. The moons had gone down.

Starlight twinkled on the empty highway where now there was not a sound, no car, no person, nothing. And it remained that way all the rest of the cool dark night. 15

Perhaps our two cultures--the white man's and the indian's-- are like these two 'ghosts in the night'--each different, each moving a different direction in time, and each leaving the encounter with a feeling of the essence of the other. Whereas the indians can now only look back at the past, the white man must look toward the future. We can only hope that our cultural encouter with the american indian will someday be looked on as a learning experience for us---an experience where part of the essence of the indian way of life has rubbed off on us.

Indeed, the american indian, as he truely existed, now

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stands in the past. I believe, that if we are to survive in a meaningful and wholesome way, than we must carry a part of the indian into the future with us. Perhaps the most encouraging thought of all is, that we probably can't avoid carrying the indian philosophies into the future with us, at least in part. After all, we have literature on and by indians, and some people are reading it. We have remnants of indian tribes scattered throughout this country, and some people are learning something of the old ways from them. He will always be with us. The indian is now in our history. Indeed, as Seattle once put it,

"The White Man will never be alone."

...And when the last Red Man shall have perished, and the memory of my tribe shall have become a myth among the White Men, these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe, and when your children's children think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, upon the highway, or in the silence of the pathless woods, they will not be alone. At night when the streets of your cities and villages are silent and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled and still love this beautiful land. The White Man will never be alone. Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not powerless. Dead, did I say? There is no death, only a change of worlds.16

The hawk I had been watching earlier drifted slowly with the wind towards the eastern horizon, then disappeared behind a far ridge. A wispy patch of cirrus clouds stood out glaring and bright-white in an otherwise electric-blue sky. Down the hill and to the left of me, an albino porcupine was digging for something around an area of deadfall and

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ponderosa pine trees. It was springtime on the prairie, and the whole world there was alive, growing, and at peace. It was a reminder of what our future could be.

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Footnotes

1 Lame Deer Seeker of Visions, by John (Fire) Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes. Pocket Books, New York, 1972. P.108.

2 Black Elk Speaks, by John G. Neihardt. Pocket Books, New York, 1932. P. 8.

3 Ibid., p. 54.

4 The Sacred Pipe, edited by Joseph Epes Brown. Penguin Books, New York, 1971. P. 83.

Neihardt, p. 8. 5

6 Ibid., p. 230.

7 The Sacred Hoop, by Paula Gunn Allen. P. 117.

8 Ibid., p. 116.

9 The Universe and Dr. Einstein, by Lincoln Barnett. William Sloane Associates, Inc., New York, 1949.

10 The Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra. Shambhala Publicatior Inc., Boulder, Colorado, 1975. P. 306.

11 Ibid., p. 307.

12-15 The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury. Doubleday and Co., Inc., New York, 1946. Exerpts from "October 2002: Night Meeting".

16 The Portable North American Indian Reader, edited by Frederick W. Turner III. Penguin Books, New York, 1974. Exerpt from a speech by Seattle, a Dwamish chief. P. 253.