@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

@ 3cd2ea88:bafdaceb

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@ 89e98727:bd1ddeb4

First published on hodder.law

It’s over for Craig Wright. At least according to official UK court procedures as the deadline to file an appeal has now passed.

Craig Wright has not filed an appeal against his UK court verdict despite two online accounts under his name claiming he had.

“Wright had 21 days to ask the UK appellate courts for permission to appeal after injunctions were imposed on him on July 16. This made the deadline August 5, midnight. ” reports Protos.

No Appeal from Craig Wright, did he Capitulate?

Despite assertions from online accounts purporting to be Wright, the UK’s Judicial Office has confirmed that no appeal has been filed against the recent court verdict.

However, Wright could still file an appeal if he would submit an additional application for an extension of time. Given the mountain of evidence against him in the final court rule, it is unlikely that Wright will do that. The court issued a £1.5m freezing order in July to seize Wright’s assets.

Two accounts on X and Slack which pretend to be Wright posted that he had planned to file an appeal on August 5 and that actually submitted the relevant filing. It’s questionable if these sources are legitimate.

Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist, first publicly claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto in 2016. This claim has been met with widespread skepticism in the cryptocurrency community and has led to numerous legal battles.

The Bitcoin whitepaper was published in 2008, and the first Bitcoin block was mined in 2009. The true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto has been a subject of intense speculation and investigation for over a decade, with Wright’s claim being one of the most prominent and controversial.

Recent Developments in the Craig Wright Case

Following a UK court ruling on July 16, 2024, Wright had 21 days to seek permission to appeal. This deadline passed on August 5 at midnight, with no appeal filed. The UK’s Justice case tracker for civil appeals corroborates this information.

Interestingly, two online accounts claiming to be Wright – one on X (formerly Twitter) and another on Slack – stated that an appeal had been planned and submitted. These claims appear to be false, raising questions about the veracity of other statements made through these channels.

It’s worth noting that the court had mandated Wright to post specific notices on his social media accounts, including Slack. The presence of these notices on the accounts in question suggests they may indeed be controlled by Wright or his representatives, making the false claims about the appeal particularly puzzling.

Pattern of Abandoned Appeals: This is not the first time Wright has failed to follow through on an appeal. In Norway, he abandoned an appeal against bitcoin influencer Hodlonaut following the 2024 UK ruling. Additionally, a 2022 appeal against the Peter McCormack defamation verdict was rejected. In that case, Wright was awarded a nominal £1 in damages, with the judge citing a “deliberately false case” brought by Wright.

Legal Implications: The July 16 ruling not only imposed injunctions on Wright but also referred him to the Crown Prosecution Service for potential perjury charges. Curiously, the court noted uncertainty about Wright’s current location, suggesting he could be anywhere from Southeast Asia to Siberia.

Looking Forward: While the deadline for a standard appeal has passed, there remains a possibility for Wright to submit an application for an extension of time. However, given the pattern of abandoned appeals and false claims, the cryptocurrency community and legal observers remain skeptical about future developments in this case.

Observer of the case Arthur van Pelt points out on X: “My guess is also that he couldn’t find a counsel (his current counsel Harcus Parker already stated they didn’t appeal for him) that wants to risk their reputation on this guy, who can only throw more lies and forgeries at court when it’s about the Mellor “not Satoshi” ruling.”

As this complex legal drama continues to unfold, it serves as a reminder of the enduring mystery surrounding Bitcoin’s creation and the challenges of proving identity in the digital age.

The hodder.law blog will continue to monitor and analyze these developments as they impact the intersection of cryptocurrency, identity, and law.

@ dd664d5e:5633d319

We can talk about something else, now.

Making boosts/quotes the primary way new users find a variety of topics is a fundamental flaw. We don't need boosts (which merely results in the main trending list trending even harder, as people feel safer boosting something that is already popular), and hashtags have become the mess they naturally will become.

We need topical forums and relay-based community boards.

This would actively encourage those of us who want to write on OtherTopics to write more on them, as we would have some chance of the material being found by those interested in it. And it would spare us having to win some general popularity contest, just to be able to converse about golfing, Hinduism, or veganism.

Scrollable "timeline" feeds, even with AI assistance (like DVMs), don't accomplish this as well, as they eliminate the ability to skim the top-level and selectively read. You have to scroll, scroll, scroll.

It would also reduce the overloading of the original posts with videos, which is starting to give Nostr a Tik-Tok vibe. There's nothing wrong with that, per se, and we should probably have clients like that, but it makes life hard for anyone who wants to have a deeper discussion. People scrolling have trouble even "seeing" a text-based OP, but using the written word is a true signal to the other people, that you are capable of carrying a conversation through text.

Examples for other styles of client

(I am including the Communities in Nostrudel and Satellite, even though they don't yet work, effectively.)

Some of the things that set these clients apart, is that: 1. they are topic-first or thread-first, not person-first, 2. they sometimes allow voting (I suppose we could rank by zaps), 3. they often allow the user to override the default order and simply look at whatever is newest, most popular, or where their friends are currently active (i.e. they allow for easy sorting and filtering), 4. they cap the depth of threads to one or two levels, keep the indentation tiny, or offer a "flat" view, 5. they are primarily text-based (Reddit broke with this and now their main pages look really spammy), 6. they allow you to see all of the entries in the thread, at once, and simply actualize to display the entries that pop up in-between, 7. they often have some indication of what you have already read (this is application data) and allow you to sort for "stuff I haven't looked at, yet".

https://i.nostr.build/uCx5YKMOsjhKBU5c.png https://i.nostr.build/hMkm2oKpos0pWaV9.png https://i.nostr.build/mGQONMw5RC8XKtph.png https://i.nostr.build/TCSkG1bPuMOL0jja.webp https://i.nostr.build/3fLjCSNdtefiZmAH.png https://i.nostr.build/BHgo7EKTK5FRIsVl.png

@ 91687725:a0de48ea

こんにちは。Kateです。

最近ちょっとお休みしていますが、日本でビットコインを専門に扱うDiamond Hands Magazineに寄稿したりしてます。

私がビットコインと出会ったのは2011年、まだビットコイン利用者はとても少なかった時代です。たまたま身内にビットコイン界隈の人がいました。もしかしたら今でいうビト妻だったかも？

まだビットコインが1ドル以下でおもちゃみたいな存在だった頃に知ったわけですが、その後勢いづいて、100ドル、1000ドルと価値が上がっていきました。

それを見て、ビットコインを少しずつ買って貯めておけば、将来リタイヤの蓄えになるかもと思ってお小遣い程度のビットコインを積立してました。でも、アクシデントで失くしちゃったんですよね。

その後、身内のごたごたで自分の生活が天地がひっくり返るように一変し、気がつけばカナダでただお金がないアジア系移民シングルマザー、しかも周りに家族が誰もいないという、非常にマイノリティな立場になりました。

人生、何事も経験。一度ビットコインを失くし、傷心もあり、数年はビットコインから離れました。でも気がつけばビットコインは冬の時代を終えて、また元気になっていたんですね。自分は海外でひとり子育てに追われ、なんとか生きてた感じですが！

ビットコインが500ドルくらいになっていた時に困窮していた私は、ふとペーパーウォレットと呼ばれた当時の携帯可能ウォレット？に0.5btc 残っていたのを発見して速攻換金しましたね。悔やまれます。

その後、2017年頃、カナダで当時大手の割と使い勝手のいい取引所があることを知って、再度ビットコイン貯蓄にチャレンジしました。2年ほどで、ほぼ1ビットコインと10ETHくらいあったんですけどね、今度は取引所の代表者が行方不明になり、またもやビットコインを失くしました。

ふつうだったら、もうやめますよね。2回もなくしたら。

けれど、自分はかつてインターネットが始まったころのワクワクを経験していました。90年代半ば、新宿にできたばかりのインターネットカフェで、GIFがかろうじて表示できるグレーのブラウザ画面と対面しました。世界を変える技術を体験した時の感動は今でも忘れられません。

（こう書くと立派なオバサンなのがバレちゃいますね。ビットコインネイティブ世代の中では年長者）

それから15年以上たって、初めてサトシナカモトのホワイトペーパーを読んだ時に、同じ衝撃を受けたのです。初めて実用化されたインターネット上で世界の誰とでも送り合えるマネー。その可能性は無限∞。

そのビットコインの進化を、実際に買ってみたり、使ってみたり、なくしたりしつつ、より深く知ろうと付き合ってきた自分は、いつの間にかビットコインを通して世の中のいろいろを見て考えるようになりました。

ビットコインが生まれ、実験段階を経て、すでに15年が経ちます。けれども、ビットコインは今でも多くの人から最も誤解されている技術・発明のように見えます。ここまで来たら、自分が生きている間に、ビットコインが世界とどう関わっていくのか見届けたいと思います！

そして、私自身がビットコインを知ることで発見した世界や新しい価値観を、誰かに伝えられたらいいなと願って、このブログをスタートすることにしました。

今回は自己紹介という形になりましたが、私がビットコインを通して学んだことや気づいたことをこれから少しづつアップしてみます！

週1くらいのペースで投稿が目標です。よろしくお願いします。

@ 3c827db6:66418fc3

As I delve deeper into the realm of Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, I am consistently struck by the potential benefits it holds for humanity. The realization of how inefficient and broken our societal structures are due to the limitations of fiat currency becomes increasingly apparent to everyone. While the spotlight often shines on the monetary aspects of Bitcoin, my exploration into the Lightning Network, spurred by my work at Breez and our company's visionary goals, has unveiled an aspect that remains largely unspoken. This hidden gem promises significant benefits for humanity, yet it requires the careful alignment of various building blocks before its full potential can be realized.

I will try to illustrate individual pieces of the vision that I have for changing human behavior through the Lightning Network. Those will be examples of different visions for different industries, how they will be disrupted from their current operations, and ways of delivering the benefits of Lightning to each one. I'm not sure how many industries I'll talk about because the more I think about it, the more I see that it's connected to everything, just like Bitcoin. But I will cover as many as needed so the disruptive potential can resonate with more people.\ \ Disclaimer: I am not an expert in any particular industry so the examples can be improved even more from people who are experts in them. The idea is to get the disruptive potential across so people can build on them; so do not get hung up too much on the details. 

The Current Problems In Construction

First I need to define the problems, inefficiencies, and frictions before going into the disruption and the solution. I will talk about a construction project for a building because it is really easy to grasp for this example. There are a few groups of people in the industry that are relevant for this example: Buyers of the building, Planners (these are the people that are responsible for the visual, functional, structural, and mechanical aspects of the building - Architects, Designers, and Engineers), construction company owners, supervisors, and construction workers. Within the existing system, each of these stakeholders operates with distinct incentives aimed at optimizing individual gains, resulting in a complex interplay of motivations and a partial overlap between them.\ \ The incentives that we will keep in mind are - quality, time, and money.

The buyer wants the building to be built to the highest quality for the least amount of time for the agreed price with the construction company.\ \ The planners will create their plans but they do not care if the building is built at all if they get paid money just for drafting the plans.

The construction company wants to build it as fast as possible for the lowest price (often meaning lowest quality) possible at the agreed-up price.

The supervisors could be individually incentivised based on bonuses and penalties from the construction company. If they have a penalty for subpar work that will be their incentive to want the highest quality so they can approve it easily. If they have a bonus for early completion they will optimise the work to be fast and would not care so much about the quality. Even if they have both incentives in place they are still partially invested. Their main income is something separate, those are just bonuses.

Construction workers want to build as slowly as possible and they do not care so much about the quality. They receive money for time and not actual work so the slower they build it the more profit for their efforts they get.\ \ Looking at the individual incentives of each party involved, it becomes evident that people in the construction industry are consciously or unconsciously pursuing divergent goals. To illustrate, imagine a sports game where different players are motivated by distinct incentives: defenders aiming to put the ball outside the field, midfielders prioritizing maximum passes, attackers focused on scoring the most goals, goalkeepers rewarded for saving the most shots, and coaches for the most words shouted from the bench. You can imagine that will not be an optimal team performance when they step on the field. The team winning should be prioritized over any individual player’s performance.

Constructing Unity: Resolving Frictions and Realigning Stakeholders in the Building Industry

In addition to these incentive misalignments, various other factors contribute to friction in the construction industry. Notably, there is an issue with workers' handling of tools and machinery, which are typically owned by the construction company. This lack of ownership often leads to inadequate care, resulting in accelerated tool wear and increased costs for the company. Tensions between workers and the company may escalate, with instances of tools being intentionally damaged or stolen out of frustration. Moreover, disparities in tool quality can lead to resentment among workers, questioning why some have access to new and better tools while others are assigned worn-down equipment.

Compounding the challenges in the construction industry is the issue of changes requested by the owner after a structure is built. Small alterations, such as moving a window half a meter to the left, do not result in additional payment, and the construction company absorbs these costs. This practice not only disrupts the workflow but also leaves workers discontented as they invest effort in redoing tasks without receiving any extra compensation.

Furthermore, when planners fail to design a component correctly, and builders construct it to specifications only to face subsequent issues, there is a notable absence of accountability on the planner's part. Instead of rectifying their mistakes, planners are often re-hired to redesign the element properly, creating an additional set of plans. Paradoxically, this process results in the planner earning more money, despite their initial error. The burden of the mistake is shifted to others, emphasizing the lack of accountability in the current system just because there is a disconnect between the construction task completion and payment.\ \ The construction of a building is a time-intensive process that spans beyond a few hours, and to manage the substantial financial risk involved, construction companies typically structure payments in installments. However, this approach is not without challenges. It introduces a dilemma where the construction company may be constructing portions of the project without having received full payment, or the buyer may be paying for elements that have not yet been built. This inherent tension triggers a continuous cycle of negotiation and renegotiation between the construction company and the buyer, revolving around what aspects are included in the overall price and what falls outside of it. This ongoing dialogue underscores the complexities and uncertainties inherent in the payment structure within the construction industry.

The root cause of the multifaceted issues in the construction industry lies in the lack of alignment among stakeholders. Drawing inspiration from Sun Tzu's wisdom in The Art of War “He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.” You can’t expect to win in any project if the whole team is facing in different directions, with different motivations and goals.

Bitcoin and the Lightning Network present an opportunity to bridge this gap, providing instant settlement for work done--a transformative shift that could foster a more unified and harmonious approach within the construction industry. To address these issues, a potential solution emerges with the advent of Bitcoin and the Lightning Network. Unlike traditional payment systems, these technologies eliminate the delay between completing physical tasks, such as placing a brick, and receiving compensation. This instantaneous reward system has the potential to align the interests of all involved parties, fostering a shared purpose and collaborative effort towards common goals within the construction sector.\ \ Now that we have this technology for instant settlement like never before, the benefit of getting paid over Lightning for all the physical tasks will drastically reduce the time delay and it will have a ripple effect in so many ways. In my role at Breez, I have a unique vantage point, witnessing the dedication of Lightning developers as we and other companies strive to make this technology effective. Now let me paint a picture of what will happen in the construction industry but outside of the fiat system and plugged into the Lightning Network.\ \ Settling the payment instantly when the work is done - changes everything.

The Workers' Reputation and Compensation

I am envisioning a bottom-up transformation, where workers in the construction industry would transition from receiving payment for time working to being compensated for completed tasks. Whether it's constructing a wall, assembling windows, or installing the electrical system on a floor, each task earns instant payment. This shift eliminates the need for time-based bonuses, as workers are motivated to complete as many tasks as possible to accumulate satoshis. The focus for supervisors transitions solely to quality, with payments contingent on meeting established standards.

By operating on a task-by-task payment model, companies no longer need to maintain a workforce on the payroll. Instead, tasks are posted for upcoming construction, and individuals can apply, complete tasks, and receive immediate payment for each execution. This approach minimizes the risk of overpaying someone for subpar or slow performance. There's reduced uncertainty in the payment for the worker. Non-payment results in discontinued work from the worker, creating a self-regulating system.

As workers accumulate more tasks, their skills improve, enabling faster task completion. A reputation system, documenting task history including time efficiency and quality, develops. This reputation becomes a valuable asset, making it easier for skilled workers to secure tasks and approval. To be clear the reputation will be a history of all the tasks that they did, the time it took them, what was the quality at the end, did they have to redo their work to meet the desired final result. Ultimately, this shift to a task-focused, instant payment system transforms the dynamics of the construction industry, fostering efficiency, quality, and a merit-based workforce.

Tools of Empowerment - Unleashing Efficiency and Accountability

With compensation decoupled from time, individuals have a strong incentive to expedite tasks. The optimal way to achieve this acceleration is by utilizing proper tools in maintained and in prime condition. In a Bitcoin standard environment, individuals can progressively invest in superior tools, fostering a personal incentive to acquire and own these resources. In a competitive scenario where two workers apply for a task, the one equipped with superior tools gains a significant advantage, completing the task much faster than their counterpart.

Alternatively, if a company provides tools for a task, a parallel assignment system is implemented--just like the task itself, tools are designated to specific individuals. To increase accountability, workers must submit a deposit upon taking company-provided tools. This deposit substantially heightens their responsibility for the tools' maintenance. Upon task completion, if the worker breaks the tools, the company utilizes the deposit to procure replacements, leaving the damaged tools with the worker. Returning the tools in the same condition prompts the company to refund the deposit and reclaim the tools. If the company declines to refund the deposit, the worker retains the tools, creating a strong incentive for workers to invest in and use their own tools, rather than relying on company-owned equipment. This transformative approach encourages a culture of personal responsibility and ownership in tool usage.

In the current system, organizing workers presents a significant challenge. Oftentimes one person is actively working while eight are merely observing. Supervisors are burdened with the task of monitoring and optimizing resource allocation, differentiating between those slacking and those hustling to expedite the job. However, the system I propose transforms this dynamic. Workers become self-organizing entities, driven by the prospect of earning 100% of the "sats" for an individual task. In this new paradigm, workers collaborating on a task receive a shared payment, but the efficiency gains from self-organization can significantly reduce the time required. A senior worker might choose to take on a larger share, say 70%, while assigning a less experienced colleague to handle less skilled aspects - the grunt work. This creates an equitable distribution of payments for the completion of the work. Alternatively, if a worker possesses specialized tools, they may negotiate a larger portion of the payment. Inefficiently organized teams face the risk of not securing future tasks, compelling them to either refine their coordination or face unemployment. The role of the supervisor is streamlined, focusing solely on the completion of tasks with the stipulated quality standards, rendering much of their traditional responsibilities obsolete with this framework.

Blueprints in Action: Real-world Accountability and Hands-On Expertise

In the proposed system, planners undergo a fundamental shift in their compensation structure. While they receive an initial 20% (the percentage is an example, it could be any percent) payment upon completion of the blueprint, the majority of their compensation is contingent on the successful execution of the construction project according to the specifications outlined in their plans. This transformation aligns their incentives with the real-world outcomes of the construction process.

To ensure accountability and quality control, planners are required to be physically present on-site during the construction phase. This hands-on involvement in overseeing the translation of their blueprints into reality serves a dual purpose. Not only does it allow them to verify that workers are adhering to the plan, but it also empowers them to make real-time adjustments and improvements based on practical insights. This direct engagement with the construction process fosters a deeper understanding of what works in practice, accelerating the planners' learning curve.

Planners protect their work and stay committed by using cryptographic signatures on their blueprints and confirming their role in the project. If the buyer terminates the contract while following the agreed-upon plan, planners should receive the remaining 80% of their payment. This approach ensures planners are more than detached blueprint creators; they actively participate in turning their designs into reality. This eliminates the practice of charging for plans without actual construction, emphasizing the goal of completing the project, not just receiving payment.

Balancing Autonomy and Expertise for Seamless Project Completion

In this future with instant settlement, construction companies will play a crucial role in overseeing the entire project. Despite the increased self-organization of workers and greater responsibility on planners, there remains a need for a centralized entity to ensure the seamless completion of the entire construction process. This entity will be responsible for coordinating and tracking all resources required for each stage of the construction, as well as attracting the right individuals to perform the tasks at the right time. The beauty is that a centralized entity could be the buyer of the finished construction. This way they are not going to pay a company to supervise and leverage this self-organizing system for completing the project themselves.

While many aspects of this oversight could be managed through a comprehensive app, the complexity of construction projects may require the expertise of a dedicated construction company. Buyers, who may not be experts in construction management, are likely to prefer hiring a professional company to ensure the successful delivery of the project. Similar to the current model of lightning nodes, where anyone can set up a node but some prefer to pay fees for professional management, buyers may opt to pay construction companies for their expertise in managing the project efficiently.

While some individuals might choose to use the app and manage the construction process themselves to avoid additional fees, they would also bear 100% responsibility for the result. The role of construction companies, in this scenario, becomes that of experts who streamline the construction process and provide a valuable service for those seeking a more hands-off approach.

Task-Centric Harmony - Streamlining Construction Projects with Instant Settlements

In this model, the construction company essentially functions as a supervisor overseeing the project, and all individuals involved act as freelancers responsible for specific tasks. Supervisors focus on checking and ensuring the quality of completed tasks. If a task meets the required standards, supervisors mark it as completed, photograph and report it in the app, allowing the individuals involved to receive their instant payments in satoshis and move on to the next tasks.

The payment-per-task system not only streamlines the workflow but also reduces the risks associated with large payments for the overall project. For example, if a buyer is unfamiliar with a construction company's reliability in maintaining high-quality standards, they can conduct daily tours with supervisors. Based on the quality observed, the buyer approves and transfers funds for specific tasks that will be made for the next day.

If the buyer decides to make changes or request a task to be redone, they must consider the associated extra cost and time delay. The construction company provides a clear price for each additional task, and upon the buyer's agreement, the settlement occurs instantly. This approach ensures transparency and fair compensation for everyone involved in the project.

The flexibility for any party to terminate their relationship at any time significantly enhances the stability of the entire system. The worker can stop working if he is not paid for their last task. The supervisor or planner can refuse to pay them because the worker can’t deliver quality. The buyer can refuse to pay for the same reason, or if they feel they are overpaying, they hire another company. The company can stop working because they did not receive the payment for the tasks completed that day.

The risk of discontinuing value/service delivery at any point or level is significantly lower because there is minimal prepayment, and minimal work is done before receiving payment. This ease of termination fosters a dynamic system where all entities involved are highly motivated to optimize their performance and deliver construction projects at the agreed-upon quality or even surpassing those standards. The ability to swiftly address concerns and make changes contributes to a more efficient and accountable construction process compared to traditional fiat-based systems.

This is the effect of introducing instantly settled payments and split payments in the construction industry. A person who is in the construction industry can paint an even more accurate picture of how to optimize it than me because he knows so many more details that the instant settlement dynamic can solve than I ever would. The key now is for someone within the industry to recognize the direction in which the future is heading and take the initiative to develop an app that can seamlessly coordinate all stakeholders. Fortunately, adapting existing apps from the fiat system to incorporate the Lightning Network has become remarkably straightforward, requiring minimal comprehension of Bitcoin or the Lightning Network, much like the conventional banking system. The focus shifts to leveraging instant settlement payments to resolve long standing issues.\ \ Now let’s go build that app.

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

```js import React, {useEffect} from "react"; import Image from "next/image"; import { useImageProxy } from "@/hooks/useImageProxy"; import { formatUnixTimestamp } from "@/utils/time"; import { Button } from "primereact/button";

const ContentDropdownItem = ({ content, onSelect }) => { const { returnImageProxy } = useImageProxy();

return (
    <div className="w-full border-t-2 border-gray-700 py-4">
        <div className="flex flex-row gap-4 p-2">
            <Image
                alt="content thumbnail"
                src={returnImageProxy(content?.image)}
                width={50}
                height={50}
                className="w-[100px] h-[100px] object-cover object-center border-round"
            />
            <div className="flex-1 max-w-[80vw]">
                <div className="text-lg text-900 font-bold">{content.title}</div>
                <div className="w-full text-sm text-600 text-wrap">{content.summary}</div>
                <div className="text-sm pt-6 text-gray-500">
                {content.published_at ? `Published: ${formatUnixTimestamp(content.published_at)}` : "not yet published"}
                </div>
            </div>
            <div className="flex flex-col justify-end">
                <Button label="Select" onClick={() => onSelect(content)} />
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
);

};

export default ContentDropdownItem; ```

@ 4dbfcb7c:eb8d1695

(Forwarded from Blueghost05)

"I just watched a Tech Hut video about nala, an apt replacement/enhancer. It adds a lot of helpful information about one's apt adventures and looks nice too." \ Here's Tech Hut's video: \ Here's a link to get nala. Scroll down the page to learn about it and pick up the terminal commands to install it under the # Installation section." -- Blueghost05

You can install it with these 3 commands:

``` echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64,armhf] http://deb.volian.org/volian/ scar main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/volian-archive-scar-unstable.list

wget -qO - https://deb.volian.org/volian/scar.key | sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/volian-archive-scar-unstable.gpg > /dev/null

sudo apt update && sudo apt install nala ```

Judging from the logo, the "Nala" name, and the "Scar" repository, it seems the Nala projects derive its name from "The Lion King" movie. 😂😂

⚡️ Follow | 🗣 Discuss

Nala #Apt #SudoApt #Linux #Terminal #Apptitude

@ 9685311c:91019df0

Es ist heute schwer, eine sinnige Diskussion über ein polarisierendes Thema wie “AfD-Gefahr” oder “Ukrainekrieg” oder “Corona” oder “Klimawandel” zu führen. Die Angst sitzt oft tief und engt das Denken ein. Das Gefühl hat schon das Steuer übernommen und hält es fest in Richtung auf alternativlose Lösungen. Skepsis oder gar Gegenargumente werden als Störungen der Selbstberuhigung empfunden, die es aus dem Weg zu räumen gilt. Ein seit einigen Jahren im Mainstream angekommenes rhetorisches Mittel dafür ist der Vorwurf des Whataboutitsm.

Hier ein Beispiel aus einer Diskussion rund um einen meiner LinkedIn-Posts:

Leider hat der Kommentator nicht näher bezeichnet, was ihn zu diesem Urteil veranlasst hat. Er fühlte sich durch einen meiner Kommentare jedoch getriggert und konnte sich nur mit dem Vorwurf des Whataboutisms in Sicherheit bringen.

Denn das ist es, wenn dieser Begriff ins Spiel gebracht wird: eine Flucht. Die konkrete Diskussionsebene wird verlassen, die Meta-Ebene wird betreten. Man fühlt sich der Kniffe eristischer Dialektik kundig und pariert einen “Angriff”, indem man das zur Schau stellt. So wird das Störende auf Abstand gehalten.

Hier zunächst ein Beispiel für Whataboutism, das ich dieser Liste entlehne:

• Trainer: Dein Spiel war nicht gut. Du hast Möglichkeiten übersehen, den Ball an andere abzugeben.
• Spieler: Aber was ist mit dem Torwart? Seine Fehleinschätzungen haben uns zwei Tore gekostet.

Der Spieler geht nicht auf die Kritik des Trainers ein, sondern verweist auf einen Dritten, der seiner Meinung nach auch zu kritisieren wäre: “Was ist mit dem Torwart?” (“What about the goalie?”)

Whataboutism ist eine Reaktion auf Kritik. Um “sich den Schuh nicht anziehen zu müssen”, verweist der Kritisierte auf einen anderen kritikwürdigen Umstand. Ein Vorwurf wird mit einem Gegenvorwurf beantwortet.

“Whataboutism or whataboutery (as in ‘what about…?’) is a pejorative for the strategy of responding to an accusation with a counter-accusation instead of a defense of the original accusation.”, Wikipedia

Statt die Kritik aufzunehmen, zu analysieren und ggf. zu widerlegen, lässt man sie quasi ungehört abprallen und wird selbst zum Kritiker.

Alternative Reaktionen des Spielers im obigen Beispiel hätten sein können:

• “Kannst du bitte die Situationen näher beschreiben, in denen ich nicht umsichtig gespielt habe?”
• “Ich glaube, ich weiß, welche Situationen du meinst. Aber bitte verstehe, für mich auf dem Spielfeld hat es anders ausgesehen. Zum Beispiel…”

Sicher ist eine abwehrende Reaktion mit “What about…” nicht hilfreich, um eine Sachfrage zu klären. Diesen Kniff zu bemerken und nicht darauf reinzufallen, kann ein Gespräch produktiv halten. Das hat allerdings zwei Voraussetzungen:

• Die korrekte Erkennung von Whataboutism, die über die Kenntnis dieses Buzzwords hinaus geht.
• Eine angemessene Reaktion auf einen korrekt erkannten Whataboutism.

Zuerst zur Reaktion: Ich denke, eines ist kontraproduktiv, wenn Whataboutism tatsächlich vorliegt. Seinen Anwender darauf hinzuweisen und auf die Meta-Ebene zu gehen, das Gespräch also von der Sachebene zu heben, führt nach meiner Erfahrung in eine Eskalationsspirale. Der Grund ist einfach: Wo schon mit Whataboutism auf eine Kritik reagiert wurde, stellt die Etikettierung der Reaktion als Whataboutism einen weiteren Vorwurf dar. Das schluckt ein Kritisierter doppelt schwer — und wird kaum anders können, als mit weiteren Techniken zu parieren, ohne dass es in der Sache vorangehen würde. Oder wer hätte von einer Diskussion gehört, in der auf den Vorwurf des Whataboutisms mit “Entschuldigung, das wollte ich nicht. Lass mich auf deine Kritik direkter eingehen.” reagiert wurde.

Ich denke, eine Reaktion, die den Whataboutism schlicht ignoriert und nochmal die ursprüngliche Kritik vorträgt, ist produktiver. Am Beispiel des obigen Gesprächs:

• Trainer: Dein Spiel war nicht gut…
• Spieler: Aber was ist mit dem Torwart?…
• Trainer: Mit dem Torwart spreche ich auch noch. Lass uns im Moment bitte auf dein Spiel konzentrieren.

Hier lässt der Trainer sich nicht in die Ablenkung des Spielers hineinziehen. Weder kritisiert er ihn dafür (“Es ist nicht deine Aufgabe, den Torwart zu kritisieren.”), noch geht er darauf ein und fragt nach (“Was meinst du? Was hätte der Torwart denn besser machen können?”), noch kritisiert er auf der Meta-Ebene (“Lenk nicht ab. Das ist Whataboutism.”).

Für einen konstruktiven Austausch braucht es vor allem jedoch eine korrekte Erkennung von Whataboutism. Er kann tatsächlich vorliegen und eine angemessene Reaktion verlangen. Es kann aber auch sein, dass er nicht vorliegt.

Leider scheint mir das in den Social Media Diskussionen häufiger der Fall zu sein: Der kontraproduktive Vorwurf eines Whataboutism wird auch noch ungerechtfertigt erhoben. Dass die Stimmung damit doppelt schnell in den Keller geht, sollte nicht verwundern.

Wann also liegt ein echter Whataboutism vor?

Ausgangspunkt ist immer eine Kritik, denke ich. Ein Kritiker benennt einen kritikwürdigen Zustand.

• Kritiker: Zustand A ist schlecht.

Darauf reagiert ein anderer, der Opponent, der Kritisierter sein kann oder einfach nur eine andere Meinung vertritt mit dem Verweis auf einen anderen Zustand:

• Opponent: Aber was ist mit B? B ist ist auch schlecht.

Verräterisch für den Whataboutism ist dabei, das es keinen Zusammenhang, allemal keinen kausalen Zusammenhang zwischen A und B gibt. Und es wird auch nicht darauf eingegangen, wie A verbessert werden könnte oder was dafür die Ursachen sein könnten. Oder es wird auch nicht nachgefragt, ob man A richtig verstanden habe oder wie es zum Urteil über A kommen kann.

Abgesehen davon, dass B ebenfalls kritikwürdig ist und ganz grob zum diskutierten Themengebiet gehört, gibt es keinen Zusammenhang zwischen A und B. Wer mit “What about…” antwortet, will sich auch keine Mühe geben, einen Zusammenhang jenseits der Oberflächlichen herzustellen. Das will er dem verblüfften Gegner überlassen, um ihn vom Argumentationskurs abzubringen.

Noch ein Beispiel:

• Vater: Deine Noten in der Schule sind schlecht. So wird es nichts mit deinem Wunschberuf.
• Tochter: Und was ist mit deinen Schulnoten? Du warst auch nie gut und hast es trotzdem geschafft.

So weit, so einfach. Doch wer sich argumentativ schwach fühlt, wer unter Stress steht, kann auch leicht einen Whataboutism erahnen, wo keiner ist.

• Vater: Deine Noten in der Schule sind schlecht. So wird es nichts mit deinem Wunschberuf.
• Tochter: Und was ist mit meinen persönlichen Qualitäten? Zählen die nicht?
• Vater: Das ist Whataboutism. Sei nicht altklug und konzentrier’ dich auf deine Noten.

In diesem Beispiel hat der Vater fälschlicherweise einen Whataboutism erkannt und auch noch kontraproduktiv angeprangert. Er hat sich wohl durch “Und was ist mit…” auf die falsche Fährte führen lassen.

Merke: Nicht alles, was mit “Was ist mit…” (“What about…”) beginnt, ist auch ein Whataboutism.

Warum liegt hier kein Whataboutism vor? Weil die Tochter versucht, einen alternativen Kausalzusammenhang herzustellen. Sie weist das Argument, das hinter des Vaters Kritik steckt, nicht einfach zurück, sondern nimmt es ernst - bietet aber eine alternative Erklärung an.

Für den Vater gibt es einen Kausalzusammenhang: Noten → Berufswahl. Schulnoten haben einen Einfluss darauf, welchen Beruf die Tochter später wählen kann. Da er das Beste für seine Tochter will, hält er gute Noten für eine wichtige Voraussetzung.

Auf diesen Kausalzusammenhang hebt die Replik der Tochter ab. Sie stimmt implizit zu, dass die Berufswahl eine Voraussetzung hat. Allerdings stimmt sie nicht mit dem Vater darin überein, dass dazu Schulnoten in der von ihm angenommenen Weise gehören. Sie sieht einen nicht unerheblichen Einfluss (auch) woanders: persönliche Qualitäten → Berufswahl.

Entweder versteht der Vater das nicht oder er lässt sich durch die Wortwahl triggern. In jedem Fall ist sein Vorwurf des Whataboutism ungerechtfertigt.

Klüger wäre es natürlich von der Tochter, zuerst den Kausalzusammenhang des Vaters herauszuarbeiten, um dann eine Alternative anzubieten, z.B.

• Tochter: Ich verstehe, dass du Schulnoten für wichtig für meine Berufswahl hältst. Doch bitte bedenke, dass in meinem Wunschberuf immer viele Menschen gesucht werden und es in seiner Ausübung vor allem auf persönliche Qualitäten ankommt. Ich glaube, bei denen bin ich auf einem sehr guten Weg. Jedenfalls lobst du mich immer dafür, wie freundlich, hilfsbereit und umsichtig ich bin.

Ob der Vater derselben Meinung in Bezug auf die Stärke des Zusammenhangs zwischen persönlichen Qualitäten vs. Schulnoten und Berufswahl ist, hat für den ungerechtfertigten Vorwurf von Whataboutism übrigens keine Bedeutung.

Noch ein Beispiel für einen inkorrekten Vorwurf des Whataboutism, weil es so verführerisch ist, ihn zur Ablenkung von Gegenwind zu beklagen:

• Karoline: Der Krieg gegen die Ukraine lässt sich am schnellsten beenden, wenn Russland mit harten Sanktionen belegt wird.
• Friederike: Und was ist mit den Menschen in Afrika, deren Nahrungsmittelversorgung dadurch gefährdet wird?
• Karoline: Das ist Whataboutism! Russland hat einen völkerechtswidrigen Krieg begonnen und muss dafür in die Schranken verwiesen werden. Mit Waffen und mit Sanktionen.

Auch hier ist die Diagnose Whataboutism falsch, weil eine Verbindung übersehen wird. Worin besteht die? In der Zahl der Opfer. Karoline impliziert, dass der Krieg zwischen der Ukraine und Russland zu vielen Opfern führt und Sanktionen deren Zahl niedriger halten sollen. Friederike versteht das und hält dagegen, dass aber auch Sanktionen Opfer nach sich ziehen können — nur vielleicht an anderen Orten der Welt, z.B. Afrika. Hat Karoline bedacht, dass Sanktionen vielleicht 1000 Menschenleben in der Ukraine retten, dafür aber 2000 in Afrika kosten? Sind afrikanische Leben weniger wert als ukrainische?

Wieder hätte der Einwand klüger formuliert werden können. Der Zusammenhang, den Karoline impliziert, hätte von Friederike herausgearbeitet und an ihre Sicht angebunden werden können. Dennoch: Whataboutism liegt nicht vor.

Und noch ein anderes Beispiel aus dem selben Themengebiet:

• Karoline: Der Krieg gegen die Ukraine lässt sich am schnellsten beenden, wenn Russland mit harten Sanktionen belegt wird.
• Susanne: Und was ist mit den Sanktionen gegen den Iran? Die haben auch bei weitem nicht den gewünschten Erfolg gehabt.
• Karoline: Das ist Whataboutism! Es geht hier um Russland und nicht den Iran.

Wieder ist Karoline der Floskel “Und was ist mit…” auf den Leim gegangen. Nicht hinter jedem “Was ist mit…” steckt aber ein Whataboutism. Hier ist das Fehlurteil sogar noch offensichtlicher: Susanne sagt ausdrücklich, warum sie den Iran als Alternative heranzieht. Ihrer Ansicht nach, führen Sanktionen einfach nicht so verlässlich zum Ziel, wie Karoline es suggeriert. Als Beleg für dieses Argument führt sie die Sanktionen gegen den Iran an.

Es ist also eine knifflige Sache mit dem Whataboutism. Ihn zu erkennen, ist verführerisch - doch das ist nicht so einfach, wie es scheint. Man muss schon genau hinhören. Aber wer tut das in der Hitze einer Diskussion?

Und selbst wenn man ihn korrekt erkannt hat, stellt sich sich die Frage, wie das genutzt werden kann. Es ist verführerisch, der anderen Partei das “um die Ohren zu hauen”. Doch was bewirkt das? Ich sehe nicht, dass daraus etwas Konstruktives erwachsen kann.

Insofern ist meine Antwort auf “Und was ist mit Whataboutism?”: Nicht überbewerten und einen kühlen Kopf behalten.

Das gilt natürlich für beide Seiten. Die, die Whataboutism meint vorwerfen zu müssen, sollte sich das zweimal überlegen. Und die, der er vorgeworfen wird, sollte sich davon nicht aus der Ruhe bringen lassen.

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PS: Leider ist meine Vermutung, dass sich Whataboutism als “Kampfbegriff” irgendwann in die öffentliche Diskussion in den letzten Jahren eingeschlichen hat. Er wird als scharfes Messer benutzt, um verstörende Äußerungen anderer abzuschneiden. Damit liegt quasi ein “Whataboutism-ism” vor. Auf ein Gegenargument zur eigenen Kritik wird mit dem Vorwurf des Whataboutism reagiert. Das lässt den Kritiker gebildet dastehen und zwingt den Gegner auf eine Meta-Ebene, auf der er sich mit Abstreiten scheinbar nur tiefer verstrickt.

Ich glaube, Abrüsten tut Not. Wenn die öffentliche Diskussion wieder produktiv werden soll, gehören solche Messer in die Schublade und nicht an den Diskussionstisch.

@ 9685311c:91019df0

Die Demokratie muss geschützt werden?

Es sieht so aus, als ginge es der Demokratie in Deutschland oder auch andernorts schlecht. Sie wird belagert, sie steht unter Beschuss durch Menschen, die sie offensichtlich nicht verstanden haben. Oder? Denn warum würden sich Menschen sonst scheinbar weniger Demokratie wünschen und mehr… ja, was eigentlich? Autokratie, Diktatur, Faschismus? Oder wissen die augenscheinlichen Gegner der Demokratie gar nicht, was sie sich wünschen, Hauptsache es ist eine Alternative?

In jedem Fall braucht die Demokratie jetzt Hilfe. Oder? Sie muss doch gegen ihre Gegner im eigenen Land verteidigt werden. Die besten Waffen dafür sollen Einschnitte und Verbote sein: klare Grenzen bei der Meinungsäußerung, klare Absage an demokratiefeindliche Parteien. Reduktion ist angezeigt! Allerdings: Es ist eine Reduktion dessen, was Demokratie ausmacht, das helfen soll, die Demokratie zu schützen.

Im Land der Diversität und Inklusion geht die Vorstellung um, dass Einheitsmeinung und Exklusion die Demokratie retten werden.

Was für ein Trugschluss! Denn genau damit wird die Demokratie gefährdet. Keine extremen Meinungsäußerungen, keine alternativen Parteien bringen sie ins Wanken. Sie sind vielmehr Zeichen einer gesunden Demokratie, die sich durch Vielfalt, gar Kontroverse auszeichnet.

Wo das jedoch nicht begriffen und ausgehalten wird, wo darauf mit einem immer enger geschnürten Korsett und Verboten reagiert wird, dort ist wahrlich Gefahr im Verzug für die Demokratie.

Allerdings sind das nur Endzustände der Demokratie, die schon viel früher auf die schiefe Bahn geraten ist. Denn die Frage muss ja lauten: Wie konnte es so weit kommen?

Wie konnte es so weit kommen, dass die freie Meinungsäußerung immer polarisierender, populistischer, gar hasserfüllter wird?

Warum suchen die Menschen verzweifelt und in wachsender Zahl nach alternativen Parteien, von denen sie sich eine bessere Repräsentation versprechen?

Was fehlt Menschen, die auf diese Entwicklungen nur mit Gegenpropaganda, Einschüchterungen und Verboten reagieren können?

Für mich ist die Diagnose klar:

Die Demokratie in Deutschland ist selbstvergessen.

Der Duden zu Selbstvergessenheit: “so in Gedanken versunken, dass jemand die Umwelt gar nicht wahrnimmt”.

Deutschland war und ist “in Gedanken versunken”. Über Großes wird gesonnen. Die Welt will bewegt werden. Und es gilt ja auch viel zu bewältigen. Außerdem brennt es ständig irgendwo. Ganz zu schweigen davon, dass die Komplexität der Welt ständig zunimmt. Das Programm für eine demokratische Wahlperiode ist also voll gepackt mit Dringendem, das der vollen Aufmerksamkeit bedarf.

Was bleibt da noch für die Demokratie, oder besser: die Voraussetzungen von Demokratie?

Was sind diese Voraussetzungen überhaupt? Mir fallen zum Beispiel diese ein:

• Bildung
• Entwicklungschancen
• Bildung
• Meinungsfreiheit
• Gleichheit
• Bildung
• Selbstverantwortung
• Freiheit
• Meinungsfreiheit
• Rechtstransparenz
• Gleichheit
• Rechtssicherheit
• Bildung
• Freiheit
• Entwicklungschancen
• Selbstverantwortung
• Meinungsfreiheit
• Bildung
• Versammlungsfreiheit

Warum sind manche Voraussetzungen mehrfach genannt? Weil sie so wichtig sind.

Vielleicht bin ich naiv, doch meine Vorstellung ist diese:

• Grundlage für ein demokratisches Miteinander ist Bildung. Die Menschen müssen verstehen, “wie die Welt funktioniert”. Sie müssen wissen, sie müssen sich Wissen aneignen können, sie müssen sich Wissen aneignen wollen. Nur wissende Menschen können gute Entscheidungen treffen. Außerdem dient Bildung dem kritischen Denken. Das ist für den Erhalt der Demokratie in einem Prozess des Austauschs unterschiedlicher Ansichten essenziell.
• Und was soll das ganze Wissen? Es soll voran bringen. Jeder soll nach seiner Façon glücklich werden können. Deshalb braucht es Entwicklungschancen für jeden, egal, wie der Ausgangspunkt ist. Dann sind Menschen konzentriert auf die Verbesserung ihrer Situation; dafür sind sie bereit, zu investieren. Für sich und ihre Lieben sind sie hochkreativ, wenn sie eine Chance auf Verbesserung ihres Loses sehen.
• Entwicklungschancen gibt es nur, wenn es grundlegende Gleichheit der Menschen gibt. Gleichheit vor dem Gesetz, Gleichheit im Umgang miteinander. Das bedeutet natürlich nicht, dass alle dasselbe Vermögen haben oder dasselbe können. Doch jedem steht es eben offen, sich von dort, wer er steht woanders hin zu bewegen. Es wird niemand wegen eines heutigen Seins ein anderes verwehrt.
• Jeder kann und darf — aber keiner wird getragen. Entwicklung findet mit allen Konsequenzen in Selbstverantwortung statt. Eigenständigkeit statt Fürsorge. Niemand muss irgendetwas, nur bekommt auch niemand etwas für nichts. Eine Gemeinschaft lebt vom motivierten Beitrag jedes einzelnen. Carry your own weight ist die Grundlage. (Was nicht heißt, dass in Notfällen nicht geholfen werden soll.)
• Selbstverantwortung braucht Freiheit. Freiheit ist die Abwesenheit von Abhängigkeit. Nur, wo keine Abhängigkeiten, also Zwänge herrschen, können Menschen aus sich heraus und für sich entscheiden, also von Demokratie profitieren. Geistige und finanzielle und emotionale Unabhängigkeit sind die Pfeiler, auf denen Demokratie ruht. Will sie sich nicht in Schieflage bringen, muss sie Tendenzen ihrer Bürger widerstehen, Freiheit und Selbstverantwortung gegen Bequemlichkeit und Sicherheit einzutauschen.
• Wohin sich jeder wie in Freiheit entwickeln kann, muss klar erkennbar sein. Deshalb braucht es Rechtsttransparenz: Jeder Bürger muss verstehen, was für Möglichkeiten und Grenzen existieren, welche Konsequenzen sein handeln haben kann.
• Und dann muss es natürlich auch Rechtssicherheit gegeben sein. Denn wenn man sich aufs Recht verlässt in selbstverantwortlicher Entwicklung, muss es halten, was es versprochen hat.
• Bildung und Selbstverantwortung wollen sich ausdrücken in Wort und Tat, um die eigene Situation zu verbessern. Bei allem Willen zu Gleichheit und Entwicklungschancen werden die motivierten Bürger jedoch immer auch wieder an Grenzen stoßen. Die wollen sie weiten, um mehr für sich zu erreichen. Dafür brauchen sie Meinungsfreiheit und Versammlungsfreiheit. Denn nur so, können sich die gebildeten Selbstverantwortlichen austauschen und nach besseren Wegen für die Gemeinschaft suchen.

Das sind für mich Voraussetzungen für Demokratie, unverbrüchliche obendrein. An ihrer Entwicklung und ihrem Erhalt muss Demokratie (bzw. ein demokratischer Staat) stetig und zu allererst arbeiten. Hierhin müssen Aufmerksamkeit und Investitionen fließen. Sie bedürfen einer kontinuierlichen Qualitätskontrolle.

Alle anderen Probleme sind sekundär. Denn alle anderen Probleme werden verschärft oder treten sogar erst auf, wenn es an diesen Voraussetzungen mangelt.

Währenddessen in Deutschland…? Selbstvergessenheit. Deutschland hat diese Voraussetzungen aus dem Blick verloren. Die Demokratie hat sich der Bedingungen für ihre fortgeführte Möglichkeit durch Vernachlässigung entledigt.

Mein persönliches Ranking für diese Voraussetzungen sieht so aus:

• Bildung: ★★☆☆☆
• Entwicklungschancen: ★★★☆☆
• Gleichheit: ★★★☆☆
• Selbstverantwortung: ★☆☆☆☆
• Freiheit: ★★☆☆☆
• Rechtstransparenz: ★★☆☆☆
• Rechtssicherheit: ★★☆☆☆
• Meinungsfreiheit: ★★★☆☆
• Versammlungsfreiheit: ★★★★☆

Mein Bild von Deutschland ist also nicht rosig:

Selbstverantwortung wird besonders klein geschrieben. Der ursprünglich demokratische Staat ist zum Fürsorger geworden. In zentralistischem Stil wird in alle Lebensbereiche regelnd eingegriffen, damit es ja niemandem zu schlecht geht — insbesondere nicht denen, die laut schreien und/oder eine Lobby haben. Daraus folgt eine Regelungsdickicht, das nicht mehr zu durchschauen ist und im Zweifel kein absehbares Ergebnis liefert.

Von der Selbstverantwortung enthoben werden Entwicklungschancen, die noch vorhanden sind, nicht wahrgenommen. Der Bürger lässt sich in eine Hängematte aus Abhängigkeiten fallen — er gibt seine Freiheit auf, wo sie ihm nicht genommen wird.

Da von der Fürsorge bekommt, wer besonders am Staat zieht, wächst die Ungleichheit.

Und da Bildung keinen Fürsprecher hat, bleibt sie auf der Strecke. Bildung kostet Regierungen in ihrer Legislaturperiode nur etwas, ohne ihnen einen Erfolg zu bescheren. Fürsorge zu zeigen, ist einträglicher.

Und so erodiert die Fähigkeit zur Bildung einer eigenen Meinung, die Bürger auch noch äußern wollen würden. Stattdessen achten sie lieber auf die Meinung anderer und die, die sie am wenigsten anecken lässt. Denn wer unfrei (geworden) ist, möchte seine Abhängigkeitsverhältnisse nicht stören. Besser unterm Radar bleiben. Sicher ist in diesem Fall auch die Forderung, nach einem allgemeinem “safe space”, in dem man anderen Meinungen am besten nicht einmal mehr ausgesetzt wird.

Wer unfähig zur freien Bildung einer eigenen Meinung geworden ist, will sich nicht verstören lassen. Und wer ohnehin “bildungsfern” fürsorglich auf Schienen der Abhängigkeit gesetzt ist, glaubt auch nicht mehr, dass andere Meinungen der Gesellschaft zuträglich sein könnten.

Ja, die Demokratie ist in Gefahr. Nur geht die nicht von extremen Meinungen aus, sondern von einer breiten Mangelbildung. Es fehlt an Wissen, an historischem Wissen, und an kritischem Denken.

Und wenn dann Mangelbildung in abhängigen Verhältnissen vorherrscht, kommt es zu Polarisierung. Wenn sich Ohnmacht und Mangelbildung vereinen, hat die Demokratie sich ihr eigenes Fundament zerstört.

Das scheint mir der grimme Zustand in Deutschland. Die Demokratie muss vor sich selbst, vor ihrer realen Ausprägung geschützt werden. Ihre gegenwärtige Existenz hat versagt.

@ 35f3a26c:92ddf231

What is Bitaxe?

Bitaxe is an open source ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) Bitcoin miner that has been making waves in the cryptocurrency community. This innovative project aims to empower miners at every level with powerful, efficient, and low-cost mining solutions.

It is a fully open source ASIC Bitcoin miner developed by Skot9000, an advocate for open-source innovation in the Bitcoin space.

With all software and hardware specs available on GitHub, this project aims to provide miners with a transparent and accessible platform for Bitcoin mining.

Pros

1. Open Source: The Bitaxe is fully open source, allowing users to access and modify its source code, hardware designs, and build gerbers for PCB ordering.

2. Low Cost: Bitaxe offers low-cost solutions for miners, making it an attractive option for those looking to enter the world of Bitcoin mining without breaking the bank.

3. Efficient: The Bitaxe series is designed to be power-efficient, utilizing either the Bitmain BM1387 or BM1397 ASICs for SHA256 hashing.

Cons

1. Technical Complexity: Being an open-source project, users are required to be technically savvy to set up and maintain the miner, which could pose challenges for those without experience.

2. Bricking Potential: Like any complex technology, there is a risk of bricking (rendering the device unusable) the Bitaxe if not handled properly.

Summary

The Bitaxe represents an exciting development in the world of Bitcoin mining, offering a low cost, efficient, and open-source solution for miners. While it may present some challenges for users who are new to the technology or lack technical expertise, the potential benefits far outweigh these drawbacks. As the project continues to evolve and gain traction, we can expect to see further improvements in performance, accessibility, and innovation within the Bitcoin mining landscape.

Where can I get more information

Go to their Github page: https://github.com/skot/bitaxe

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/659572

@ f8e6c643:03328ca9

Quality, authentic, original human artistic expression is always in demand. It has always been in demand, and it will continue to be in demand even beyond the age of AI. The internet today calls it “content.” It is how we seek to encapsulate and communicate ideas more richly, and it comes in various forms including written, audio, and visual.

Anyone who creates content in any form knows that it is time consuming and costly to create and produce good content, especially to do so consistently. However, because of digital distribution methods, once released that content that was so costly to create is suddenly infinitely RE-producible with perfect fidelity for very little cost. The conundrum for artists/creators is that even though the demand for their work exists, and even though that work is costly to create, each final product they produce is infinite in supply as soon as they release it in digital form. Infinity has no value.

Starting with the presumption that demand exists for art, and that it is reasonable for an artist to want to afford things like food, housing, and clothes, how do you make the work of creating content economically sustainable for those creating it? We find value in scarcity, and the scarce resources in the equation of content creation are ultimately the time, talent, and skill of the person doing the creating.

People often want what a particular artist can produce. Perhaps it’s the artist’s skill, style, and precision; or perhaps it’s the artist’s particular interpretation and personality they find valuable. The skill, time, and talent/personality employed to create artistic expressions are valuable, and their supply cannot be easily reproduced/replicated even though the individual manifestations of them (the works of art) can be. This is, ultimately, what creators must figure out how to monetize if they are to make their work economically sustainable.

So how much is an artist’s skill worth? How much is their time or their talent worth? How do you put a price tag on personality? Probably nobody, especially the artist, can really answer that objectively. However, with #value4value the consumers of an artist’s content can subjectively and individually decide for themselves how much it is worth to them.

Nostr and Bitcoin give creators of every type of content the opportunity to directly own and control the distribution and monetization of their time, skill, and talent, more so than any other service or platform on the Internet. The #value4value approach to monetizing that content allows consumers to immediately have access to a creator’s work, and to individually place a subjective value on what it provides to them. The approach allows artists to focus on the work of creating art and building a reputation and relationship with their audience instead of worrying about how to control access to their work. And by using Nostr and Bitcoin, this approach allows artists to be free of the arbitrary rules and manipulation they face on other corporate ad-driven platforms.

If you are a digital content creator, I think #value4value is worth giving a chance. The alternatives are increasingly less promising.

@ e968e50b:db2a803a

Recently there's been more talk about unrealized capital gains taxes and all of the second order implications. Specifically, the concern is about illiquid assets and people having to sell their homes to pay for the unrealized capital gains taxes on their homes.

I predict the next step in the whac-a-mole scenario will be a suggestion that real estate become a specific exception to the proposed unrealized capital gains taxes. Of course, this would be a horrible idea, because it would make real estate the only safe haven for investors and would drive home prices through the roof. No normal people will be able to buy their own homes and no one will feel invested in their community. The normal predicted results will play out.

You heard it here first!

<sub>Here's a pic of my first home. I bought it in 2005 for $70,000 with $3000 down. I sold it in 2015 for $70,000. According to the internet, it just sold this February for $165,000.</sub>

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/659073

@ 2dd85fbc:39b95d53

Currently, usage of electronic is tremendously increasing. Did you know that e-waste problems can create business clutter? Besides the physical clutter, the e-waste builds mental mess in one’s life.

Unused electronic gadgets in shelves always gather dust in offices.

The basis for electronic recycling Visalia Ca

A business social responsibility An enterprise must take immense care to see that its activities neither directly nor indirectly create havoc on the vitality of its surrounding environment. Any businesses in Visalia ca need to maintain a strict policy that curbs or controls pollution relating to land, air, and water. Companies in Visalia ca who are looking forward to building impressive businesses ought to step up their social responsibility by driving environmental changes. Recycling gives the businesses a new lease of life and helps create a healthier community.

Escape fines Across the globe, countries are coming up with stringent measures on curbing environmental degradation and use of landfills. If a business disregards laws passed for e-waste management they risk fines. Many cities have banned improper disposal of e-waste, for example, illegal dumping in Visalia ca attract a fine of $500.

Save precious metals When an electronic gadget like a cell phone is damaged and obsolete scrapping helps recover various precious metals from the item. The process of Electronic recycling Visalia Ca help recover metals like copper, palladium, silver, and gold.

Avoid data breaching Even after deleting data from servers or hard drives a business should think of the safety of their information before giving the components out for recycling. Special equipment is required to get rid of the data to avoid any possible data retrieval. Choose the right Electronic recycling Visalia Ca Company that can properly handle the data destruction from your digital media is vital in protecting your business’s information. Believe it or not, someone with the right equipment can retrieve your customer’s data. Is that something you want to live with?

Protecting water bodies Disposing electronic gadgets like TVs, Radios, and computers with household garbage into the environment can cause harm to water resources and the soil. Mercury is used in designing sensors, switches, telecommunication equipment, mobile phones, and batteries. Industrial dumping of these components puts toxic elements like mercury, lead, gold, palladium into the earth. Electronic recycling Visalia Ca prevents health fatalities.

Source of materials to other manufacturers An analysis reveals that about 95% of electronic waste from a computer is recoverable through recycling. Instead of sending the components to the dump manufacturers can reuse the components as resources for new gadgets.

Reduction in landfill expenses The city of Visalia ca charges for landfill services. The more electronic gadget you dump in the landfill the more you pay. Whenever a business recycles its old electronics responsibly the less tax they have to pay for landfills. Therefore, the business saves some money.

Finally, electronic disposal is the best way for a business to assist in conserving resources. The most important thing is to consider recycling the e-waste correctly and safely. Recycling helps the city of Visalia in reducing the number of landfills for dumping electronics. https://thekingofrecycling.com/why-electronic-recycling-visalia-ca-is-vital-for-businesses/

@ a30cdfee:2d2f97ff

Mempool.space: A Guide to Bitcoin Transactions

mempool.space is a Bitcoin blockchain explorer and visualizer.

What features does it have and why should you use it?

What Is "Mempool"?

"Mempool" is the "waiting room" for valid Bitcoin transactions.

If a Bitcoin user sends BTC, the transaction is first propagated throughout the network of nodes, which independently verify the transaction.

Once each node has verified the transaction, it will wait in the mempool in order to be picked up by a miner to be added to the Bitcoin blockchain.

Miners are incentivized to pick transactions with the highest fees attached to them.

A Software to Help Optimize Miner Fees

The standard quantification for Bitcoin fees is "satoshis per virtual byte", often expressed as "sats/vB" or "sats/vByte", effectively sats per amount of data transferred.

A transaction's size is not determined by how much BTC it transfers, but by how many inputs, outputs and signatures it has, and which address type it uses (e.g. Taproot, SegWit, legacy etc.).

More intensive transactions, e.g. opening a Lightning channel would cost more.

Mempool.space can help Bitcoin users optimize how much they pay in miner fees when interacting with the Bitcoin blockchain.

Every sat will count in the future, so try to avoid overpaying for fees!

Visualize Your Bitcoin Experience!

Mempool.space provides real-time transaction tracking and mempool visualization.

For example, if you need a transaction to go through urgently on the Bitcoin blockchain, you can see how many sats/vB you should pay to get into the next block.

Purple blocks on the right are confirmed blocks with information about the fee rate (sat/vB), about when the block was produced, and the number of transactions in the block.

Green blocks on the left are projected blocks.

Fee estimations only work as a guide, and confirmed blocks might differ from projections.

In the search bar on the top right, you can copy/paste a tx ID to see its status in the mempool.

You can also paste e.g. a Bitcoin address to find information about it (e.g. balance).

Historical graphs can provide a 21,000 feet view on e.g. fees, hashrate etc.

The mining dashboard provides stats and visualizations about the status of Bitcoin mining.

There is also a dashboard for the Lightning Network with info about nodes and channels.

Mempool.space also supports Bitcoin testnets and the Liquid Network sidechain @liquid.

The open-source software is integrated with many wallets, mining pools and exchanges.

Host It Yourself If You Want With Raspberry Pi!

You can also host it yourself as a 1-click installation on Raspberry Pi full node distros such as e.g. Umbrel, Start9, or RaspiBlitz.

If you're mining with a pool, you can use mempool.space to audit your pool whether there has been censorship or whether transactions had been prioritized.

Hosting the software yourself can also improve privacy if you're searching for a tx from a specific IP address etc.

Mempool.space was started in 2018 by @softsimon and wiz.

The software has no ads or 3rd party tracking.

It relies on community sponsorships.

Donors can get their avatars listed on the About page.

Mempool Accelerator

Mempool.space recently launched its Mempool Accelerator product that can help you bump up the fee of your transaction if you want to get it to the next block.

The service can be paid with Lightning or fiat (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App Pay).

The mempool.space software can also be found in unexpected places!

https://x.com/bitdriver_sv/status/1717345302561378376

Additional Resources

Presentation by mempool.space CEO "wiz" at Bitcoin Nashville in July 2024:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFnDVL6uM_4

Tutorial by @IanM from 2021 (still relevant!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMlofE_GU3k&t=1s

Project Links

Website

X (Twitter)

GitHub

Nostr

YouTube

BitcoinTV.com

Matrix

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/657963

@ e5272de9:a16a102f

One of the highlights for me at the first day of nostriga nostriga was a panel discussion on web of trust with @Stuart Bowman, @Pip the social graph guy, @PABLOF7z, @hzrd149, and @ODELL. This to me is one of the most important topics in all of freedom tech, so I'd like to write up a few thoughts I had while they're still fresh on my mind, most of which revolve around the calculation of trust scores. Apologies if it's a bit long winded, don't seem to have the time to make it shorter.

What do we use for raw data?

There has been and on again, off again discussion during my time working in nostr over the sources of data that we should be using to calculate trust. In my mind we can think of the raw data as existing on a spectrum between two extremes. On one extreme, we have what I call proxy indicators of trust: follows, mutes, zaps, reactions, etc. People don't create this content with trust scores in mind, but we can and do use them as imperfect proxy indicators nontheless. And on the other extreme we have what I call explicit trust attestations, exemplified by the proposed NIP-77, authored by Lez, the heart and soul of which is that a fully explicit contextual trust attestation should have 3 fields: a context, a score, and a confidence. You fill in these fields, you say what you mean, and you mean what you say, leaving as little room for interpretation as possible. And then there is data that's in between these two extremes. A five star rating for a host on a couchsurfing platform or a vendor on an ecommerce site? A "superfollow" option in addition to a follow? These lie somewhere on the spectrum between proxy indicators on one end and explicit attestations of trust on the other.

During the panel today, Pablo and pippellia expressed the opinion that explicit trust attestations are not the way to go. Two reasons that I recall: first, that no one wants to put an exact number to trust; and second, that no one will update those numbers even if their assessment changes. These critiques have some merit to them. But I believe they miss the bigger picture.

The bigger picture

In the real world, there are two ways I can communicate trust: I can SHOW you, or I can TELL you. I can demonstrate trust through the actions that I take, such as following someone, or I can just straight up tell you that I trust someone in some context.

So here's the question: on nostr, which is the correct method to communicate trust? Proxy indicators, or explicit attestations? Do we SHOW or do we TELL?

My view is that we don't have to pick. We have to use all relevant and available raw data across the entire spectrum from one extreme to the other.

Each of these two options has its advantages and its disadvantages. The advantage of proxy indicators is that users issue them freely and easily, the result being that we are awash in a sea of data. The primary disadvantage of proxy indicators is that they often don't mean what we want them to mean. If Alice follows Bob, does that mean she trusts him? Maybe. Or maybe not. More often not. And what about context? Do we have any way of knowing?

So we use proxy indicators as a trust indicators because ... if it's the best or maybe even the only data we have, what else are we gonna do?

To do better, I argue that we need to give users more options when it comes to issuing explicit indicators of trust. But of course they're not going to do that without a reason. So to give them a reason, we have to figure out ahead of time how we're going to use the data once it's available. We have to know how to incorporate explicit trust indicators into our web of trust calculations. For the sake of argument, let's assume that we have a large dataset of proxy trust indicators (SHOW ME data) plus a small but nontrivial dataset with explicit trust attestations (TELL ME data). What we want to do is to pool all available relevant data together when we calculate trust scores. But how exactly do we do that? Which brings me to my next topic.

The calculation of trust scores

How are we even calculating the "web of trust scores" that we see today? Wikifreedia, Coracle, and a growing list of other clients have such scores. I wish I had seen more discussion in today's panel about HOW these calculation are performed. To the best of my knowledge, most clients use the same or a similar method: fetch my follows; fetch Bob's followers; calculate the set of users who are in both sets; and count up how many you get. Sometimes adjustments are made, usually a ding based on mutes. But usually, that's it. That's the WoT score.

I'll call this the "legacy WoT score" since it is basically the state of the art in nostr. The legacy WoT score can be a useful way to eliminate bots and bad actors. But it has a few disadvantages: it is, arguably, a bit of a popularity contest. It cannot see more than two hops away on your social graph. It's not very useful to new users who haven't yet built up their follows. And it's not clear how to use it to differentiate trust in different contexts.

It seems strange to me that so many clients use this single method to calculate WoT scores, but with relatively little discussion on the merits of this method as opposed to other methods. Or whether other methods even exist, for that matter.

Indeed, I believe there is another method to calculate trust scores that in most circumstances will turn out to be much more meaningful and useful. For the sake of this article, I will call this the "Grapevine WoT score" to distinguish it from the legacy WoT score. (Elsewhere I have used the phrase "influence score" in place of "Grapevine WoT score.")

The Grapevine method is (currently) based on follows and mutes, but calculated using a method entirely distinct from the legacy method, detailed here (where it is called simply the "influence score"). The Grapevine method has several advantages over the legacy method, but one in particular on the topic of SHOW versus TELL: the Grapevine method can take multiple distinct classes of data following distinct formats and pool them together, synthesizing and distilling them into a single Grapevine WoT score. By choosing different datasets, different scores corresponding to different contexts can be generated.

The future

So here's my prediction on how the future will play out. 1. The Grapevine method of trust score calculation is going to rely -- at first -- primarily on proxy indicators of trust (follows, mutes, zaps, reactions, etc) -- SHOW ME data -- because that’s the data that’s available to us in large quantities. 2. These contextual Grapevine scores will turn out to be surprisingly useful. 3. People will learn to game the scores by changing their behavior. 5. Consumers of trust data will gradually discover that SHOW ME data is becoming less and less reliable. 6. Authors of raw trust data will gradually learn that if they want their voices to be heard, they will need to communicate trust more explicitly. In ways that are harder to game. They will begin to move the needle ever so gradually towards TELL ME data. 7. Over time, larger datasets of TELL ME data will be available for input into Grapevine WoT scores. 8. As SHOW ME data becomes less reliable, and TELL ME data becomes more available, contextual Grapevine WoT scores will become more fine grained in terms of context and more reliable.

Of course, none of this will happen unless and until we start calculating Grapevine WoT scores and putting them to good use. To that end, several of us are working on the generation of these scores at brainSToRm. Right now, it's a slog to download the data to the browser. But we're working on improving the UX. And if you make it through the slog, you can export a NIP-51 list of the top-scoring pubkeys, minus the ones you're already following, and use them at clients like Amethyst or Coracle to generate a feed of content coming from the most highly "trusted" users whom you're not already following. A feed that is CUSTOMIZED by YOUR Grapevine.

So there you have it, my defense of explicit trust attestations.

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

```js datasource db { provider = "postgresql" url = env("DATABASE_URL") } generator client { provider = "prisma-client-js" }

model User { id String @id @default(uuid()) pubkey String @unique username String? @unique avatar String? purchased Purchase[] courses Course[] resources Resource[] courseDrafts CourseDraft[] drafts Draft[] role Role? @relation(fields: [roleId], references: [id]) roleId String? createdAt DateTime @default(now()) updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt }

model Role { id String @id @default(uuid()) subscribed Boolean @default(false) users User[] }

model Purchase { id String @id @default(uuid()) user User @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id]) userId String course Course? @relation(fields: [courseId], references: [id]) courseId String? resource Resource? @relation(fields: [resourceId], references: [id]) resourceId String? amountPaid Int createdAt DateTime @default(now()) updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt }

model Course { id String @id userId String
user User @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id]) price Int @default(0) resources Resource[] purchases Purchase[] noteId String? @unique createdAt DateTime @default(now()) updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt courseDraft CourseDraft? }

model Resource { id String @id // Client generates UUID userId String
user User @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id]) course Course? @relation(fields: [courseId], references: [id]) courseId String? courseDraft CourseDraft? @relation(fields: [courseDraftId], references: [id]) courseDraftId String? price Int @default(0) purchases Purchase[] noteId String? @unique createdAt DateTime @default(now()) updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt }

model Draft { id String @id @default(uuid()) userId String user User @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id]) type String title String summary String content String image String? price Int? @default(0) topics String[] createdAt DateTime @default(now()) updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt courseDraft CourseDraft? @relation(fields: [courseDraftId], references: [id]) courseDraftId String? }

model CourseDraft { id String @id @default(uuid()) userId String user User @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id]) resources Resource[] drafts Draft[] title String summary String image String? price Int? @default(0) topics String[] createdAt DateTime @default(now()) updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt course Course? @relation(fields: [courseId], references: [id]) courseId String? @unique } ```

@ 504b9774:b00545df

These are the questions I have surrounding #Bitcoin.

asknostr

I have read through more than set of documentation but the details are starting to get fuzzy. My goal for now is to purchase Bitcoin and keep it safe and know how to recover it if something happens to the wallet it's in. I can keep learning more later.

I posed these questions to another group, but I had to ask twice and the answers I received were not detailed (in other words, outside of saying "Yes" to question 1, my questions below weren't really answered.)

1. Is it true that as along as I have my passphrase that I can import the funds of the first application to a second, completely different application?

2. Which hardware wallet is best for Bitcoin only? Bitbox, Ledger Nano S, Trezor Safe 5, or something else? Should I buy one or two? I opened a Phantom wallet for now. Ledger Nano S works with that one, but I heard there might be security issues with it? The reviews I've read online seem conflicting. I have a USB-c port on the laptop.

3. Is all Bitcoin purchased with a debit card attached to a fiat bank considered KYC Bitcoin or just the BTC purchased through exchanges?

4. Has anyone purchased more than 1k w/a debit card from Phantom and then be able to move that to another wallet without issue?

5. If I'm presented with multiple payment options for using a debit card (in any wallet) when buying more BTC, should I always choose moon or moon pay?

6. Should I move over to Strike if I will be purchasing regularly?

7. What happens to the bitcoin if the hardware wallet never turns on again?

I also read about non-KYC BTC but those websites just were kind of overwhelming and confusing. I've read some basic documents/articles on Bitcoin from a few folks on Nostr and from the web plus a few other things, but the material combined doesn't really answer the questions I have above.

Also - please do NOT zap this article/post because my node is down and disconnected again.

Thank you all.

@ e968e50b:db2a803a

If you're anything like me, unclaimed bounties make you just feel itchy. Here are two of mine:

https://stacker.news/items/631044/r/jasonb https://stacker.news/items/535185/r/jasonb

You can claim them both by visiting nostrminusnostr and then following the instructions in the post. Today is technically a zapathon day*, so I'm sharing again today incase someone wants to claim the zapathon one.

https://nostrminusnostr.vercel.app

*I'm not sure that's even really a thing anymore. Either way, if you call down the thunder, take a pic and let me know and you can get those sats back if you're the first one to do it

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/658270

@ 8dc86882:9dc4ba5e

I've let my Standard Notes subscription run out as of late due to them being acquired by Proton. Sooner or later I hope they will fall under my Proton Premium plan. So in the meanwhile I’ve been trying other options.

Then I saw there is a plugin for Obsidian to post articles/long-form to Nostr. This is outstanding and solves a couple things. One, I never know which site is best for posting articles, leaving me to jump around a lot. Second, I want to backup my posts. Writing my posts in Obsidian and publishing from there gives me a backup and allows me to not even bother going to a browser to post. This saves me the whole cut and paste cycle.

I think this is the best I will get as far as efficiency. If anything changes I’ll be sure to post.

Cheers!

plebone

@ 7175188c:6382a72c

@Alby is there a way to recover my funds without opening another channel? Where's my savings account? I didn't find it

I don't wanna open another channel. It's too expensive and I fear losing my funds again

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/658124

@ 6c8c7979:15595f3e

This painting is titled "The Naked Truth" or "Truth Emerges from the Well" by the artist Jean-Léon Gérôme, created in 1896.

The painting depicts the 19th-century myth about truth and lies. According to the legend, one day, truth and lies met. Lies said to truth, "The day is very beautiful." Truth looked around doubtfully, then gazed at the sky, saw that the sun was shining and the weather was pleasant, so decided to spend the day with Lies.

Lies then suggested, "The water in the well is clear and warm; let's go for a swim." Truth again doubted but tested the water and found it indeed clear and warm. Both undressed and went for a swim.

Suddenly, Lies emerged from the well quickly, donned Truth's clothes, and ran away. Truth emerged from the well, naked and furious, and tried to chase Lies. When people saw her naked, they were disturbed and turned away from her.

Feeling embarrassed, Truth returned to the well and did not reappear. Since then, Lies has been roaming the world dressed as Truth, and people accept Lies while refusing to see the naked Truth.

@ a619eb76:11d75935

whats the funniest insult in your opinion? and please provide context as to why.

for me, i cant help but laugh at the insult 'bitch boy'. reason being...my mom, who never swuares, referred to a kid i was kind of friends with in high school that also kinda sucked as a 'little bitch boy'. it really showed in hind sight how much she hated me hanging out with that friend ( and she was right! friendship crumbled cuz the dude sucked hahah), totally caught me off guard at the time but now i cant help but laugh at the insult 🙂

ehat about yall?

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/657534

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

@ 9d51218e:a0c80d65

After the introduction of the Covid-19 vaccine, I received more and more calls from hospitals asking me to transport almost septic patients, mostly men, whose genitals were literally ... Full story

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

hello world

@ a005da43:e6bf3b09

fdsafdsafdsafdsa

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/459392

@ 8dc86882:9dc4ba5e

I am playing around with Obsidian as both a way to take notes and also to post to my Npub.Pro site. This way I have all my posts and I can also send them to Nostr without playing the cut and past game... so below is some gibberish, I'm just testing.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum maximus nisl vitae risus maximus, vel sagittis erat faucibus. Duis in sollicitudin tortor. Donec consectetur nibh at nulla rhoncus pulvinar a nec velit. Aenean pharetra non velit vitae pharetra. Ut porttitor fermentum nibh at malesuada. Donec ut mattis tellus. Maecenas dignissim malesuada mi, id pretium dolor bibendum vitae. Aenean auctor congue eleifend. Nulla tincidunt imperdiet nunc. Etiam finibus porttitor ligula ut vehicula.

Maecenas turpis velit, iaculis sit amet odio id, efficitur egestas erat. Mauris faucibus quis enim eu volutpat. Curabitur eu molestie magna, commodo fermentum purus. Donec bibendum erat dolor, sit amet ullamcorper sapien sodales et. Phasellus finibus velit vel pellentesque rhoncus. Mauris eu leo nisi. Quisque tempus elit id metus vulputate, id interdum tortor ultricies. Morbi a elementum libero. Quisque ullamcorper fringilla urna, a fermentum nisl malesuada cursus. Phasellus nec ipsum sit amet lacus placerat facilisis vel a neque. Pellentesque lorem velit, laoreet vel tellus nec, laoreet aliquam sem. Morbi sollicitudin tempus suscipit.

Vestibulum elementum placerat sapien, eu tempor purus tincidunt non. Praesent semper massa arcu, non ornare felis sagittis in. Duis blandit pulvinar urna vel auctor. Nullam interdum condimentum sem a interdum. Maecenas iaculis ex quis mattis pretium. Interdum et malesuada fames ac ante ipsum primis in faucibus. In id massa dignissim, consectetur mi at, sodales nunc. Sed mi est, ultrices vitae dui sit amet, efficitur semper orci. Duis tempor augue vestibulum risus tincidunt, non blandit augue laoreet. Integer nec bibendum dui. In semper sed lectus eget commodo. Quisque facilisis enim ac risus feugiat commodo. Curabitur ultricies at turpis in laoreet. Donec venenatis fermentum leo, tempus iaculis ligula dignissim quis. Cras feugiat nisl in quam viverra, suscipit tincidunt dolor porta. Nunc facilisis, leo eu sollicitudin egestas, est magna fringilla nisl, et egestas ipsum libero eu odio.

plebone

@ a005da43:e6bf3b09

fsdafdsafdsa

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/459391

@ a005da43:e6bf3b09

fsdafdsafdsa

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/459390

@ e97aaffa:2ebd765d

«Eu sou bastante paranóico, gosto de seguir o lema: mais vale prevenir do que remediar. Por isso geralmente aguardo por 6 confirmações e tem que incluir 3 mineradores diferentes.»

Esta afirmação foi feita por mim, no texto, na parte dos ataques de 51%, mas gerou alguns comentários e pedidos de esclarecimentos, acho que merece uma explicação mais detalhada, vamos a ela. A parte que gerou mais dúvidas/curiosidade foi o porquê de eu aguardar sempre por 3 confirmações de mineradoras diferentes. Mais concretamente, a Foundry e a AntPool têm que estar incluídas nesse lote de 3.

Mas antes de explicar o porquê, é necessário contextualizar.

Blockchain

A priori, é necessário compreender como é a arquitetura da blockchain do Bitcoin.

Sempre que um minerador “encontra” um bloco, envia para a rede de nós(nodes), cada nó, individualmente vai conferir a veracidade dos dados e se cumpre com todas as regras de consensos, em caso positivo, o bloco é adicionado na blockchain. 

O minerar um do bloco é algo muito variável, tanto pode demorar alguns segundos, como pode demorar mais que uma hora, na mineração existe um factor de sorte, existe alguma aleatoriedade. Mas em média os blocos são adicionados a cada 10 minutos.

Por vezes, dois mineradores “encontram” o bloco (no exemplo em baixo, o 853185) quase em simultâneo, cada um comunica com os seus nós. Assim, uns nós da rede vão receber primeiro a informação do minerador A (AntPool) e outros nós receber do minerador B (Foundry USA), gerando duas linhas de tempo, ou seja, existe um fork/bifurcação na cadeia. Os forks é algo muito recorrente, acontece diariamente, é completamente normal, podemos observar aqui e em tempo real.

A bifurcação apenas acontece porque a blockchain é descentralizada, não existe um órgão central que determina quem foi o primeiro.

Como existem duas linhas de tempo, é necessário fazer um “desempate”, porque não podem existir duas linhas de tempo. Assim a primeira linha de tempo a encontrar o seguinte bloco (853186), ganha, neste exemplo foi a Foundry:

Os nós que seguiam a linha da AntPoll, são obrigados a reorganizar a sua linha de tempo e passam a seguir a linha da Foundry. O bloco 853185 que a AntPool descobriu é eliminado, é chamado de órfão, assim as transações que estavam no bloco órfão são “eliminadas”.

Como a reorganização dos blocos é algo recorrente na blockchain do Bitcoin, logo uma transação só deve ser considerada imutável após vários blocos/confirmações. Algumas empresas aguardam por 3 confirmações, mas é aconselhável esperar por 6 confirmações, é praticamente impossível uma reorganização tão longa. As confirmações são uma medida de segurança.

Ataque 51%

Quanto mais confirmações exigir, mais blocos serão necessários reorganizar. Quanto mais longa a reorganização, mais caro e complexo é o ataque e reduz a probabilidade de sucesso.

Vamos a um exemplo, de um possível ataque de duplo gasto a uma exchange,  que exige apenas 3 confirmações:

O minerador que está a realizar um ataque, sempre que encontra um bloco não informa o restante da rede, é como se tivesse a minerar secretamente, passando a existir duas linhas de tempo paralelas, a oficial e a do atacante.

O atacante terá que fazer um gasto duplo, ou seja, terá que enviar o mesmo UTXO para as duas linhas de tempo, com destinos diferentes.

• Uma transação com um output para uma exchange, será incluída no bloco 1001, linha de tempo oficial.
• A outra transação com um endereço seu no output, será incluída no bloco secreto 1001.

O atacante terá que continuar a minerar, sem nunca informar o restante da rede.

Como a exchange aguarda apenas por 3 confirmação, quando o bloco oficial 1003 for adicionado à linha de tempo oficial, o valor da transação fica disponível para o atacante na exchange, retirando-o de imediato da exchange.

Como o valor já não está na exchange, quando o bloco 1004 secreto for encontrado, o atacante envia a informação para toda a rede, todos os nós vão receber essas informações, mas é obrigatório o bloco secreto 1004 ser descoberto primeiro que o oficial.

Como o bloco secreto foi descoberto primeiro, toda rede terá que reorganizar-se para a linha do tempo, passando a seguir a linha de tempo do atacante. Com a reorganização, 3 blocos ficam órfãos, logo as transmissão não são válidas, assim a transmissão que o atacante efetuou para exchange não conta, ficando no seu lugar, a transação para si mesmo. A exchange é lesada, o ataque fica com o dobro do valor, um duplo gasto.

Mas o ataque só terá sucesso, se a linha do tempo do atacante for mais rápida que o restante da rede. Para acontecer, o atacante terá que ter um hashrate superior aos restante dos mineradores.

Viés de sobrevivência

Agora vamos a uma história da 2ª Grande Guerra Mundial:

Abraham Wald (matemático hungaro) fez parte do Grupo de Pesquisa Estatística. O grupo recebeu a tarefa de decidir onde aplicar fuselagem extra para proteger os aviões dos aliados contra os ataques dos nazistas. Para isso, analisaram a localização dos furos de bala nos aviões. Poderia-se chegar a conclusão de que seria melhor blindar essas regiões, já que elas recebem mais tiros. No entanto, Wald apontou que havia um viés de sobrevivência nessa questão. Os dados se tratavam apenas dos aviões que retornavam à base, e nada se sabia sobre aqueles que eram derrubados. Supondo que a distribuição de tiros em todos os aviões seria aleatória (ou seja, os nazistas não miravam especificamente na asa nem no motor nem na fuselagem), o que os dados indicavam na verdade era quais aviões conseguiam voltar à base. Concluiu, então, que os aviões que levavam tiros na cabine do piloto ou no motor não sobreviviam, e por isso era nessas regiões que a blindagem extra deveria ser aplicada. – Wikipédia

Conclusão

O que tem em comum entre o minerar em segredo e uma história da segunda guerra mundial, é simples.

A segurança da mineração do Bitcoin é muito similar aos aviões na guerra, o reforço da blindagem não é onde os aviões levaram os tiros, mas sim, onde não levaram tiros. Se Foundry e a AntPool estão a encontrar blocos, o risco de estarem a efectuar um ataque é nula. Pode haver algum risco, quando uma das duas grandes pools, estão um longo período sem encontrar blocos, ou estão com muito azar ou podem estar a tentar realizar um ataque. Apesar de tudo, é muito mais provável estarem com azar.

Atualmente, já existem ferramentas que monitoram a rede, para encontrar anomalias, é possível saber a linha de tempo que a maioria das pools estão a seguir, incluindo a AntPool, apenas os dados da Foundry não são públicos, nesta sim é necessário um maior cuidado. Mas eu mantenho velhos hábitos.

Hoje em dia, com a atual distribuição de hashrate, se as duas grandes pools estiverem a encontrar blocos normalmente, é praticamente impossível, existir um 3⁰ player conseguir realizar um ataque de 51% ao Bitcoin.

Por esse motivo, por motivos de segurança eu gosto de esperar por 6 confirmações, estas devem ser feitas, pelo menos, por 3 pools diferentes, incluindo sempre a Foundry e a AntPool.

Talvez seja excessiva esta preocupação, mas eu sou paranóico, prefiro ser cauteloso, do que lamentar depois.

Dont’t Trust, Verify!

@ 25191283:a4823315

Olive grove eggs is an independent publication launched in July 2024 by huevos del olivar. If you subscribe today, you'll get full access to the website as well as email newsletters about new content when it's available. Your subscription makes this site possible, and allows Olive grove eggs to continue to exist. Thank you!

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@ a005da43:e6bf3b09

fsdafdsafdsa

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/459389

@ e968e50b:db2a803a

STACKERMAN

Hey, I just did this tutorial that ZBD made to teach you how to integrate their api into games. This one is obviously just me trying a little harder to get sued by sn. Soon though...I'm going to see if I can actually make a pro game! Woot!

In the meantime, tear down that paywall and get some sats playing STACKERMAN. You can play as a rootin' tootin' cowboy or a node runnin' educatin' swearin' up a storm space wizard. Of course, the npcs are the feds.

Tag me if the account runs out of sats and I'll try to top it off. I'm hoping that the paywall can cover the payouts though. Also note that you need at least 10 sats to cash out.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/657266

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

When I used to pick NFL games against the spread for RotoWire, I would joke after a bad week that my picks were perfect, but it was the games that got themselves wrong.

I’ve touched on this concept quite a bit here too — But My Process Was Good and Why Blake Snell Should Win The NL Cy Young Award This Year both highlight the category error of speciously applying tools of prediction toward the past. Tldr: the past is in no need of predicting because it already happened.

The error stems in part from mistaking the map for the territory — once the forecasts are substituted for reality itself, the future has already happened, so to speak — it’s right there on the spread sheet! — so it is no different than the past which has also already happened. So any tool that can be applied to the future can equally be applied to the past.

This is how we get Sam Harris arguing that mRNA shot mandates were correct because covid could have been more deadly (and implicitly that the shots could have been safe and effective.) It’s one thing to model a possible future (with the requisite humility your forecasts might be off base), and quite another to force your failed model onto past events as though they were still in any doubt.

If this is confusing, that’s because a lot of us have been so trained to think this way we don’t even notice we’re doing it. Examples are legion where we identify what we deem an optimal process to achieve a desired result, then substitute that process for that result.

If the local police department believes it needs to arrest 50 people per month to reduce violent crime and incentivizes its officers to make those arrests, pretty soon arrests will be the goal, and people will get arrested for more and more non-violent offenses to make the quota.

If mass-vaccination is believed to be the key to good public health policy, then authorities will incentivize uptake, disincentivize bodily autonomy and not care one bit whether a person had prior immunity from the virus already, if the injection actually stops the spread or has myriad serious side effects. If the result (public health) were still the goal, the idea of forcing someone with natural immunity to inject himself with an experimental technology would be ludicrous. But once the goal shifted to the process (mass vaccination), it made perfect sense.

Once we substitute the process by which we achieve something for the achievement itself (which might temporarily be sound, if you’re, say, training for a marathon), we create distortions in our thought processes and policies.

But I want to go back to where the bait and switch of process and result gets most absurd, and that’s when it comes to time. In this case, you’re not arresting jaywalkers to make your quota, you’re lamenting that had jaywalking correlated better with domestic violence, your policy would have been the correct one.

In other words, you’re not only substituting the process for the result in a forward-looking way, you are doing so even though you now have complete access to the result because it has already happened. And yet you are still grasping via your spread sheet for some other reality that might have been!

You do not need to forecast events that have already happened. The probability of the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl last year is 100 percent. We no longer need your tools to tell us how much to bet on them. The game is over, and whatever we believed the probability to have been before the fact is irrelevant.

That’s why I wrote about Blake Snell’s Cy Young Award case — despite Snell allowing 42 percent fewer runs on his watch than Spencer Strider — people are still arguing for Strider because the way Strider pitched portended fewer runs allowed than Snell. It is not enough for them that the results (runs allowed) are already in. They argue that because Strider’s profile forecasts a better result than Snell’s, Strider should win. Or, put differently, had we simulated 1000 seasons for each, Strider’s would on average be better. They are upset Snell got “lucky” as though reality must be stripped of all the effects for which we can’t attribute to particular causes and normalized in order to fit our model.

. . .

Mistaking the past for the future is one form of this category error, but it can also happen in reverse wherein one mistakes the future for the past. You see it when people treat future events at fait accompli and proceed as such. The notion of talking past the sale, e.g., if the car salesman says: “You’ll love this car and be thanking yourself for saving so much money on gas!” he’s treating your possible future agreement on a price as something that’s already happened.

People also do this to avoid responsibility, pretending as though there’s nothing one can do about some injustice or that it’s too late to make amends for wrongdoing. They think and talk about the future as though it’s the past.

When our dog Oscar got poisoned from a particular kind of caterpillar (Largata do Pinheiro) last winter, we brought him to the hospital with his tongue swelling so much it was stuck outside his mouth. The hospital treated him for a day, saying they could only wait and see, and he might lose his tongue (to necrosis) and have to get put down.

We could have taken their approach of it not being in our hands, but instead we convinced them to let us break him out and took him to our holistic vet who sedated him, drained his salivary gland, massaged the tongue extensively with ozone and anti-bacterial herbs and sent him home with us that evening.

Oscar who is passed out on the sofa next to me as I type this, only lost about 10 percent of the tongue, but otherwise made a full recovery.

. . .

I’m not sure why people so easily mistake cause for effect, process for results, future for past and vice-versa. If I had to speculate I’d say when our emotions get involved, we go from logical thinking to association, and associations work in both directions — effects and causes are associated without regard for which is which.

The modus operandi of most advertising (and propaganda) is to seed associations in your mind between things it wants you to associate — it’s certainly not to convince you rationally which is a much more difficult task. Maybe the influencers, marketers and propagandists have simply found an angle they can exploit. Once those associations take hold, they can be powerful, and often no amount of rational argument will un-cement them.

But I think that’s only part of the story. The other part is how most of us have been educated, and that's to focus on process not results. To be “process-oriented” not stuck in “results-based thinking.” This is a mark of erudition, of belonging to a certain class of people who have mastered this lesson. The class who trusts in modelers, forecasters and data-scientists waiting at the ready to be of service to The Science, even if it means treating the future as though it’s already happened and the past as though it can be re-forecast according to their models, conjugating reality, as it were, in the wrong tense.

@ b8a9df82:6ab5cbbd

Thanks to Paul's post, I was inspired to write my first official article on Highlighter. I haven’t written in the last few months, probably because I was too exhausted from the books I’ve published, and my creativity was stuck somewhere. But here we go:

In Riga, surrounded by tranquillity at a charming little tea place, I finally have the time and am ready to share my story. It's often in our darkest moments, when answers seem out of reach and nothing seems possible, that we awaken.

You wake up and don’t know what’s happening; you simply don’t recognise who you are anymore, what you're doing, or where you should go. You think you've achieved everything and can keep going higher and faster, and then something so bizarre happens that you can’t even describe it.

In my late 20s, as a sales manager at London’s leading estate agency, I believed I had achieved everything I had ever desired. Working myself to the bone—16 hours a day, 6 days a week, with no break—my body was screaming, "STOP!" In a city where envy often masquerades as morality, what happens when the system collapses, the perfect façade breaks down, and someone who seems to have it all together is only shining on the outside?

Without realising it, I found myself facing severe burnout and a profound sense of emptiness. Suddenly, you find yourself alone, unable to understand the world anymore, questioning everything, and feeling like your head is about to explode. You no longer know whom or what to trust and are forced to confront yourself. But where do you begin? How do you do that when everyone thinks you’re the strongest and smartest woman, always with an answer and a solution at hand?

It was the monks in a monastery in Thailand, in the mountains of Chiang Mai, Doi Suthep, who breathed life back into me. I spent five days in a silent retreat, meditating for 12 hours each day. It was the most gruelling yet beautiful experience of my life. In the stillness and silence, I faced my inner demons, stripped of all distractions. The process was painful, confronting my fears and anxieties head-on, but it was also deeply healing. By the end of those five days, I began to see things clearly again, rediscovering a sense of purpose and inner peace.

Returning to Berlin, the world had changed dramatically. The global pandemic had forced the city into lockdown, creating a world that felt both unsettling and strangely familiar, echoing the silence I had experienced in the monastery. Yet, amidst the uncertainty and fear, the lockdown provided me with the time and mental space I desperately needed. The stillness of the city allowed me to reflect deeply and channel the clarity I had gained into my writing.

Over the next months, I poured my heart and soul into the manuscript that would become The Extraordinary. The process was cathartic but also painstaking. Every word felt like a piece of my journey—through addiction, burnout, and the long road to self-acceptance. It wasn’t just about telling a story; it was about making sense of my experiences, finding meaning in the chaos.

But the journey didn’t end there. It took four years of relentless dedication, revisions, and navigating the complexities of publishing before the English version of The Extraordinary was finally brought to life. The experience of writing and publishing this book was as transformative as the journey that inspired it. It stands as a testament to resilience, to the power of pausing, and to the idea that even in our darkest moments, we can find the strength to rise again.

@ 7b43b1cb:9e0d45a3

It's Wimbledon in the year of the Beatles. A baby boy is born to a Scottish teddy boy father and a blue-blooded English woman. The child leaves the hospital with only one nipple intact and blue hands and feet. Rumour has it the impoverished boomer parents then leave it in front of an open gas oven for hours on end. They tell concerned relatives that they need to cook and heat at the same time, to keep the bills down during one of the last Big Freezes in London. The Spartan approach works out fine and the baby grows into a strapping lad, the eldest of four siblings.

Fast forward 60 years, I'm still here, still Spartan to a degree. I've never watched a point, set or match at the home of tennis; gas is the only way to cook, and although circulation issues seem to be a thing of the past, I still have no time for snow.

After much traveling, I have settled in Spain, which to me is a brilliant mix of Europe and Africa. Ex-pat Spain probably conjures up pictures of clear blue skies and sun-baked beaches full of inebriated pink Brits and loud Germans. Not gonna lie, I dodged that bullet on day two and gravitated inland to the least populated part of Europe's most mountainous nation.

Weather-wise, rural Spain is all about the 300 days a year of bright sunlight beaming its anti-depressant energy over blanched landscapes of olives, ochre soil and sleepy villages. Temperatures can range from minus 10C and snowy to over 40C and drought. I'm writing this in a darkened room sheltering from the August sun. However for all the talk of extremes, there are plenty of months of tolerable in between.

I have had the good fortune to live among olive groves, and be part of a process to restore the ridged ochre soil between gnarly old olives to some semblance of green. A few years in, a bag of experience packed, an olive farmer is what I want to be, til I can't.

Since being a kid, I have had a soft spot for chickens with their crazy dinosaur look, busy-body attitude and resilient constitution. As a teenager I was nicknamed Chicken George after the guy in Roots! It doesn't hurt that chicken eggs are also number one on my list of all-time favourite foods. Number two was bacon, which along with eggs, I ate for breakfast every school day til I was 18.

A few years ago, I went right off meat, just one day I couldn't put the most delicious of fillet steak to my mouth. Weird. So began another journey, to plant-based, plus my eggs of course. The relationship with real bacon ended, closely followed by that vile substitute processed vegan bacon bollocks.

Learning what to eat took some adjusting to. I certainly didn't lose weight. Must have been doing something wrong! Beer anyone?! A while back I discovered goat cheese, and said goodbye to any chance of B12 or protein deficiencies! Intermittent fasting has closed the circle. Having lived both sides of the track, I feel healthier than ever with this combo. My mind's as sharp as a tack, and I can still pick olives like a champ. YMMV!

Of all the passions in life, however, the true top spot on my list of all-time favourites is my beautiful, bilingual daughter. She's working out OK!

It has been a long and varied journey to this point. I think, though, I have been well prepared for this last venture with the chicken farm, before I too am put out to pasture. But it has to be said, if it weren't for the promise of Bitcoin - fix the money, fix the world - I honestly wouldn't be as optimistic about the future as I am now. LFG, as them cyber hornets might say.

Join me on Nostr, the backbone of a genuinely positive social media platform, where I fill in a few more life-story blanks, and share news on Olive Grove Eggs. BTW, I have a mighty good deal in mind for customers who buy my eggs on Nostr!

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

I had something of an epiphany recently about needing to work for a cause I believe in, rather than just fiat mining. I was up all night thinking about the right fit and what my value proposition is.

You all have helped me realize that there's real interest in my perspective (thank you), so that's part of the proposition.

I was also reflecting on how limited the presence of most prominent libertarians is in the bitcoin ecosystem, despite the immense interest in their insights. That made me realize I can make at least a two-fold impact for a libertarian/free-market organization: my own content and integrating them into the bitcoin community.

This is the first draft of a letter I'm planning on sending to the Libertarian Institute, which is run by the great Scott Horton. I'd love your feedback on this letter. The aim of it is simply to pique their interest and generate a follow up conversation.

As it happens, the Libertarian Institute is based in Austin, so perhaps this will enable me to drop in on the SN HQ occasionally.

---

Dear Libertarian Institute,

I'm reaching out to express my interest in joining your amazing institute. I’ve been following Scott’s work since 2007 and deeply admired the late Will Grigg’s articles. I believe I can add to the impressive scholarship you're already doing, while also helping you reach an audience that is very interested in your work and opening new fundraising opportunities.

I finished my economics PhD during the pandemic. Like most new graduates, I took what work was available, but now I’m looking to dedicate myself to spreading libertarianism and sound economics full-time. Some of my interests are economic geography (voting with your feet, jurisdictional arbitrage, secession, etc), political polarization, parallel institutions, bitcoin, and climate science. My academic training and research in those areas would give the Libertarian Institute another person to dissect the relentless stream of propaganda that comes out on those and other topics.

For my own sanity, I've been writing about libertarianism and economics at Stacker News, on the side, for the past couple of years. The positive reception to Rothbardian libertarianism and economics there has made me realize that our ideological camp is missing out on some low-hanging fruit. This site is part of the bitcoin ecosystem, where demand for Austro-libertarian thought is very high, but our scholars have a very limited presence.

I’ve found bitcoiners to be eager and willing to donate to those who are adding value in their spaces. I can help the Libertarian Institute establish itself as one of the intellectual pillars in this emerging libertarian community, both through my own contributions and by making your existing scholarship more visible there, as well as setting up the necessary technology to receive bitcoin donations and interact with their social media spaces.

I wish you all the very best. Thank you for your work. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to continue this discussion with you soon.

Sincerely, Undisciplined (not how I plan to sign the real letter)

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/657036

@ 25191283:a4823315

This is Olive Grove Eggs, a brand new site from Huevos del Olivar that's just getting started. Things will be up and running here shortly, but you can subscribe in the meantime if you'd like to stay up to date and receive emails when new content is published!

@ eed76ece:afa98124

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สหรัฐอาหรับเอมิเรตส์ ดูไบ เวียดนาม: ดานัง ฮานอย

กรุณาถามหาฉัน ริช

LINE @ Globalmerchant

https://globalmerchant.io/pages/thailand

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/656681

@ eed76ece:afa98124

Ho Aloha Brand Men's 100% Rayon Shirts. Harmon code: 6205.30 Origin: Bangladesh. Individually packed in clear re-sealable plastic bags. Unit price prox 20,000 SATS each F.O.B. Honolulu. Shipped DAP, via DHL, FedEx, Yamato Transport, United Parcel Service. Payment: Discuss. Link to website: https://www.hoalohawear.com

Agents, Importers, Re-Sellers, Wholesalers contact: Rich

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/656675

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Table Of Content

• Renewable Energy: The Key to Sustainable Bitcoin Mining

• Green Mining: The Future of Bitcoin Mining

• Sustainable Bitcoin Mining: A Collective Effort

• Conclusion

• FAQ

Bitcoin mining is an energy-intensive process that requires powerful computer hardware and a lot of electricity. As the popularity of cryptocurrencies continues to grow, concerns about the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining have been raised. However, recent developments show that the industry is moving towards sustainable energy sources to power the majority of operations.

Renewable Energy: The Key to Sustainable Bitcoin Mining

Bitcoin mining requires a lot of electricity to power the hardware that processes transactions and creates new coins. In the past, this energy was primarily generated from non-renewable sources, such as coal and natural gas. This not only resulted in high carbon emissions but also contributed to the depletion of non-renewable resources. However, the shift towards renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydro, has significantly reduced the carbon footprint of Bitcoin mining.

In fact, a recent report by CoinShares estimated that 74.1% of Bitcoin mining is now powered by renewable energy. This is a significant improvement from just a few years ago when the majority of energy used for Bitcoin mining came from non-renewable sources.

Green Mining: The Future of Bitcoin Mining

The shift towards renewable energy sources is not just a matter of sustainability but also a strategic move for Bitcoin miners. Renewable energy sources offer cost-effective and reliable energy that can help miners maximize their profits. Moreover, many countries with abundant renewable energy sources, such as Iceland and Norway, have become hotspots for Bitcoin mining operations.

In addition to renewable energy, miners are also exploring new technologies to reduce energy consumption. For example, some miners are using liquid immersion cooling technology, which can reduce energy consumption by up to 50%.

Sustainable Bitcoin Mining: A Collective Effort

The move towards sustainable Bitcoin mining is not just the responsibility of miners but also the entire cryptocurrency community. As consumers and investors become more conscious of the environmental impact of their actions, demand for sustainable mining practices will continue to grow.

Moreover, governments and regulatory bodies are also taking notice of the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining. Some countries, such as China, have imposed strict regulations on Bitcoin mining operations that use non-renewable energy sources. Other countries, such as the United States, are exploring incentives for miners to use renewable energy sources.

Conclusion

The shift towards sustainable energy sources is transforming the Bitcoin mining industry. With the majority of operations now powered by renewable energy, the industry is moving towards a more sustainable and cost-effective future. However, there is still much work to be done, and the collective efforts of miners, consumers, investors, and governments are crucial to achieving truly sustainable Bitcoin mining practices. By working together, we can ensure that the growth of cryptocurrencies does not come at the cost of the environment.

FAQ

Why is Bitcoin mining energy-intensive? Bitcoin mining requires powerful computer hardware to process transactions and create new coins, which consumes a lot of electricity.

How is renewable energy being used in Bitcoin mining? Renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and hydro, are being used to power the majority of Bitcoin mining operations.

Why are miners shifting towards sustainable energy sources? Renewable energy sources offer cost-effective and reliable energy that can help miners maximize their profits, and many countries with abundant renewable energy sources have become hotspots for Bitcoin mining operations.

What is the future of sustainable Bitcoin mining? The shift towards sustainable energy sources and new technologies to reduce energy consumption is transforming the Bitcoin mining industry towards a more sustainable and cost-effective future.

That's all for today

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@ 8dc86882:9dc4ba5e

Today I am pondering the life of my blog, in this case my Npub.Pro blog. The existence of my post is limited by the time relays stay up and for how long. So a post could vanish at anytime.

Do I need a regular hosted blog? Where I know the longevity of my posts will be as long as I pay the bill?

Maybe I should just save a copy of everything, and if it disappears and I want it out there again I can just repost it?

Now I have a relay I am hosting and sharing. My posts go to it and will be on here until I stop it, so that is a good thing, since i plan on keeping it up as long as possible. Of course, I am not sure how to pull the data off of it.

The longevity question is a good one, I guess the only real way is to make second copies of everything and save and back them up. But I am bugged a little that links to stuff on my blog will someday possibly die, leading people nowhere. It's an interesting dilemma. I don't know if it outweighs the freedom of posting from Nostr? Maybe the freedom of Nostr makes the problem all worth while.

plebone

@ eed76ece:afa98124

The two top best selling Hawaiian print hats back in stock. 100% Cotton. Adjustable strap on back. Adult size. Origin: China. Individually packed in clear re-sealable plastic bags. Unit price prox 6,300 SATS each C.I.F. destination. Based on MOQ specials. Shipping, price includes air shipping Worldwide via DHL, FedEx, United Parcel Service. Payment: Preferred Payment: Bitcoin. Link to website: https://globalmerchant.io/products/assorted-hawaiian-themed-hats

Agents, Importers, Re-Sellers, Wholesalers contact: Rich

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/656651

@ eed76ece:afa98124

Beach Sarongs 100% printed polyester. Full Size. Origin: India. Individually packed in clear re-sealable plastic bags. 12 pieces per master pack. Both inner and outer packages have barcodes, ready for your point of sale system.

Unit price prox. 6,300 SATS each C.I.F. destination. Shipping, price includes air shipping Worldwide via DHL, FedEx, United Parcel Service. Ships from Honolulu. Payment: Preferred Payment: Bitcoin. Link to website: https://globalmerchant.io/collections/sarongs

Agents, Importers, Re-Sellers, Wholesalers contact: Rich

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/656644

@ f9489647:b997379c

@ 82100056:e198089f

@ eed76ece:afa98124

These best sellers back in stock.

Men's 100% Cotton shirts, woven, NOT knitted. Short sleeve, Coconut shell buttons, matching pocket, side splits.

Origin: India.

Individually packed in clear re-sealable plastic bags.

Size Range available: Small-3X.

Unit price 17,000 SATS each C.I.F. destination.

Shipping, price includes air shipping Worldwide via DHL, FedEx, United Parcel Service.

Payment: Preferred Payment: Bitcoin.

Link to website: https://globalmerchant.io/collections/mens-cotton-shirts

Agents, Importers, Re-Sellers, Wholesalers contact: Rich

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/656637

@ 82100056:e198089f

@ eed76ece:afa98124

These best sellers back in stock.

Men's 100% Cotton shirts, woven, NOT knitted. Short sleeve, Coconut shell buttons, matching pocket, side splits.

Origin: India.

Individually packed in clear re-sealable plastic bags.

Size Range available: Small-3X.

Unit price 17,000 SATS each C.I.F. destination.

Shipping, price includes air shipping Worldwide via DHL, FedEx, United Parcel Service.

Payment: Preferred Payment: Bitcoin.

Link to website: https://globalmerchant.io/collections/mens-cotton-shirts

Agents, Importers, Re-Sellers, Wholesalers contact: Rich

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/656636

@ 9dd283b1:cf9b6beb

Yesterday, my daughter and I decided to play Monopoly, but instead of using Monopoly money, I thought it would be fun to use sats instead! Here’s how it went. Preparation:

Here’s how I set up the game:

1 Zeus wallet connected to my node, with an open channel to WoS.
2 WoS wallets (1 for me and 1 for my daughter), each with a 0 balance to start.

Originally, I considered using Blink wallets, but the problem with Blink is that it displays the balance in EUR in a large font, while the sats balance is smaller. This isn’t ideal when you're playing Monopoly and want to treat 1 sat = 1 Monopoly dollar. So, we switched to WoS, where the sats balance is prominently displayed, with the EUR balance in a smaller font underneath.

In our version of Monopoly, each player starts with 1500 Monopoly dollars and earns 200 when passing GO. It was easy to follow this system using sats.

I installed WoS on my daughter’s phone and transferred 1500 sats from my Zeus wallet to her WoS wallet. I did the same for myself, so we both had a 1500 sat starting balance. I used Zeus as the "bank" and WoS as my player wallet on the same phone, but if you have an extra device or don’t trust the bank, you can separate them.

And yes, I know you can go fully non-custodial by setting up LNBits with Umbrel and using Blue Wallet on separate devices for each family member. However, that takes longer to set up, requires VPN connections for everyone, and seemed unnecessary for our casual game. In my setup, only the bank needed a VPN, which was simple and only took about 5 minutes.

Game:

The game got fun pretty quickly! Every time my daughter passed GO, she showed me her QR code with a sly smile, and the bank paid out her 200 sats with zero fees. Players also paid each other with zero fees.

Twice, WoS randomly charged a 1-sat fee when transferring from WoS to Zeus—once from my wallet and once from my daughter’s. To keep things fair, I had the bank reimburse those 2 sats.

We did run into one small issue: I needed to pay my daughter 200 sats for landing on her hotel, but since I only had exactly 200 sats left, WoS wouldn’t let me send it, even though it was a WoS-to-WoS transaction.

Conclusion:

At the (unofficial) end of the game—since it was getting late—my daughter had 2810 sats, and I had 1650 sats. At this point, each stop was costing between 300 and 600 sats, so I suppose the real end was near!

Overall, it was a smooth experience, and my daughter got quite comfortable with sending and receiving bitcoin, even though it was her first time doing so. She did show more interest in the EUR balance, but I’m sure she’ll come to appreciate the sats balance soon enough!

I highly recommend this as a fun way to introduce people to the Bitcoin Lightning Network. Most people already have a Monopoly game at home, and if you have a couple of spare devices, you can easily install WoS for everyone. (Perhaps not in the U.S. right now, but I’m not entirely sure on that front.)

Would definitely recommend trying it out!

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/656614

@ 81e5cb66:17c315fa

At a time of rapid technological progress and social change, many of us feel overwhelmed and disorientated. But what if the answers to our most pressing questions are not to be found in the outside world, but within ourselves? Let's explore together some timeless wisdom that can help us find stability and meaning in this complex world.

The challenge of our time\ We are living in an era of upheaval. Traditional values are being questioned, while scientific findings are constantly expanding our world view. This dynamic creates uncertainty, but also opportunities for personal growth.

The key lies within ourselves\ It is tempting to blame others for our problems or to hope for a saviour. But the real solution starts with each and every one of us. Self-discipline and inner peace are more powerful than material goods or intellectual brilliance.

Beyond science and religion\ Neither science nor religion alone can provide all the answers. Instead, we should take a holistic approach that combines rational thinking with spiritual insight.

The power of positive thinking\ Our thoughts shape our reality. By consciously cultivating positive ways of thinking and avoiding mental ‘pollution’, we can significantly improve our emotional and mental health.

Challenges as opportunties\ Instead of viewing difficulties as disasters, we can see them as learning opportunities. Every experience, whether positive or negative, offers potential for personal growth.

The importance of gratitude\ In a world that is constantly striving for more, true happiness often lies in appreciating what we already have. Gratitude can fundamentally change our perspective.

Active instead of reactive\ Instead of losing ourselves in criticism or withdrawal, we should actively work on solutions. Each of us has the power to bring about positive change in our environment.

Finding a balance\ It's about finding a healthy balance between personal development and social engagement. By working on ourselves, we can also have a positive impact on our environment.

The path to inner peace\ Meditation, inspirational reading and creative activities can help us find inner peace. This practice allows us to develop a stable inner anchor in the midst of external chaos.

Find a balance between ambition and aspiration\ We should not react to difficult situations with negativity, but instead look for lessons and truths. He advises a balance between ambition and aspiration in order to lead a fulfilling life - away from pure selfishness and towards the pursuit of personal growth and wisdom.

Find fulfilment in service to the greater good\ Ultimately, the key to happiness and inner peace lies in changing our habits of thought and acting with kindness, benevolence and dedication to service. Only then can we internalise the realisation that nothing material lasts and instead fulfil our higher purpose.

Conclusion: A call to action\ In a world full of challenges, it is up to each and every one of us to walk the path to inner peace and personal growth. By reflecting on our inner values, cultivating positive mindsets and actively working towards solutions, we can not only enrich our own lives, but also make a positive contribution to society.\ \ Here is the full lecture: https://youtu.be/dfE635uaaoo?si=B2hL4IzqHVHQVdVc

@ b0510a0c:12716ced

On April 24, 2012, Erik Voorhees changed everything about Bitcoin with the launch of Satoshi Dice:

a game that captivated users and intensified debates about Bitcoin's evolution and the network's ability to handle an increasing volume of transactions.

At that time, Satoshi Dice allowed thousands of players to bet on digital dice rolls, leading to a MASSIVE influx of transactions that filled the blocks of the blockchain.

📈 Success of Satoshi Dice:

Satoshi Dice achieved phenomenal success, attracting millions of users with its simplicity. Players flocked in, bets piled up, and blocks filled up.

Erik Voorhees effectively leveraged Bitcoin's microtransactions, quickly saturating the blocks with these. This was a testament to the game's popularity, but also a source of tension within the community.

Within months, Satoshi Dice became the most popular service on the Bitcoin network, boosting its usage and virality.

Players appreciated the "provable fairness" aspect of the game, where they could verify the transparency and fairness of each bet.

🚫 Criticism and Controversy:

However, this success was not without criticism.

Many Bitcoin enthusiasts viewed the massive influx of transactions generated by the game unfavorably. For them, these sometimes trivial transactions "spammed" the blockchain, clogging the blocks and increasing transaction fees for all users. Does this sound familiar?

The network, designed to handle about seven transactions per second, quickly reached its maximum capacity, causing validation delays and "high" fees.

⚔️ BlockSize Wars:

The BlockSize wars, which took place mainly between 2016 and 2017, were a technical and ideological conflict centered on block size and scalability solutions.

While Satoshi Dice was not the sole cause, the game significantly contributed to the emergence of this event by helping to popularize Bitcoin among new users and generating substantial transaction volume.

As Bitcoin adoption grew, the network faced intense pressure, leading to block saturation and rising transaction fees. On one side, some advocated for increasing block size to allow more transactions, leading to the creation of Bitcoin Cash in August 2017. On the other, proponents of solutions like SegWit pushed for improvements without compromising decentralization.

🔧 Adoption of SegWit:

Erik Voorhees expressed his support for the SegWit2x proposal, which aimed to improve network scalability by combining the implementation of SegWit with an increase in block size.

Segregated Witness (SegWit) was adopted in August 2017, allowing transaction data to be separated from signatures. This reorganization not only increased transaction processing capacity but also paved the way for the development of the Lightning Network, a layer 2 solution enabling instant and low-cost transactions.

SegWit was a crucial response to the challenges posed by network congestion, which had been exacerbated by Bitcoin's growing adoption and the emergence of popular applications like Satoshi Dice.

⚡ SegWit and Lightning:

The adoption of SegWit helped resolve blockchain congestion issues, while the Lightning Network, a layer 2 solution, facilitated fast and low-cost transactions.

Together, these innovations not only addressed technical challenges but also renewed enthusiasm for games and other applications on Bitcoin, paving the way for a new wave of development.

🎲 Nostr Dice:

Today, as we reflect on the impact of Satoshi Dice, a new project emerges: nostr:npub1nstrdc6z4y9xadyj4z2zfecu6zt05uvlmd08ea0vchcvfrjvv7yq8lns84

This modern clone of the original game is built on Nostr, a decentralized communication protocol, and Lightning, paying homage to the past while offering an enhanced gaming experience that does not impact layer 1 congestion!

From a game that caused Bitcoin congestion to its rebirth on Lightning, which it helped to bring about, the circle is complete!

@ 35f3a26c:92ddf231

https://image.nostr.build/1a5dd126fa56c5c188962ec7e278e28b710fdd93b701d673432c18dc2ab1b15c.jpg

How disappointing to observe Bitcoiners still using mainly YouTube to distribute their own content or content of interest for the community...

It would be nice if more Bitcoiners , specially the ones with channels start sharing as well in Odysee or other platforms less centralized and totalitarian...

BTC

Bitcoin

Odysee

YouTubeSucks

Nostr

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/656117

@ c5395d20:25baac60

Spoilers below

---

A Bit of Background

The party recently was assaulted by a group of bounty hunters. They found a "bingo book" which listed each of them as well as several other individuals/groups wanted by a familiar name: Zal Esarus (Big Bad Evil Guy). Here's the list: * Silas Gorian [500/1000] Pale, long dark hair. Tall man with a powerful build, likely in the southern Duskwood. Known to have escaped Dentura Morbum. Vampire likely. * Barlow Hatcha [500/750] A Swarthy man with dark blond hair, he wears a thick mustache, red armor with an emerald plume. He carries a flaming sword and rides under the device of a Rooster. * Mirek Golovin: [500/750] An undead knight, made by the secrets of the acolytes of the god of Death. It has a doubled arm and Flamberge. It is accompanied by a gray-eyed woman and devil-skin with long horns.. Last seen at the Temple Ruin near Jagged Edge Hideaway. * Axius Astramind [1000/1500] Powerful mage, his mark is fire, most of his left side is charred from long service. White-blonde hair, shorter build. Whereabouts unkown. * Magnus the Red [500/750] Red Dragon Knight, short for the knights but wide. Prefers glaives and polearms. Whereabouts unknown. * Georg Alhund: [alive only 2000] Young boy, likely tall for his age. Keeps a thick gold signet ring of a hound grappling a dragon. Likely accompanied by Magnus the Red. Whereabouts unkown. * Any Quick-Tooth Goblin Deserters: [dead only 20] * Hox Longfeather [50/75]: Goblin sniper, leading the last of the Quicktooth Goblins that rebelled against Esarus after the fall of Queen Bargnot. Last seen in the northern duskwood, near the Ghostcliffs. * The “Face Eater”: [alive only 200] Three toed beast. Likely undead, ambush predator. Its hunting grounds are believed to be north of Nighshade Clearing. * Armored Blond Man: [100/150] taller than average, scar near his eye. Wears the sign of a flower over breastplate. Last seen at the Temple Ruin near Jagged Edge Hideaway. * Tan, Redheaded magician: [100/150] average height. Carries a deck of cards. Green eyes. Last seen at the Temple Ruin near Jagged Edge Hideaway. * Braided haired woman: [100/150] she has many trinkets in her hair, swarthy but may be able to wear animal shape. * Stout Hunter [50/100] with long greasy hair. He wears deerskin boots and hunts with a bow. Known to live in Anton’s Mill

The [X/Y] is the reward (in gold crowns) for Dead/Alive. The party has met Mirek Golovin and its group, Axius Astramind currently lives in their stronghold, they've fought the Quick-Tooth Goblins before, killed the "Face Eater," they are themselved the Armored Blond Man, Tan Redhead Magician, and Braid-Haired Woman. The Stout Hunter is their friend Lars Bailey, who even if his stories are twice as tall as reality is still the best hunter Anton's Mill has seen in 80 years.

They've decided that this might be a good list to find "enemies of my enemies." They are planning on seeking Hox Longfeather and his rebel goblins next.

Politics

There are tensions that the party hasn't really bothered to look for: Zal Esarus has raised an army of the dead (Zal is a title reserved for very powerful necromancers, which aren't inherintly evil in my setting). He has additionally gained the use of a well-educated and formidible general in Khazran the Warbreed (Warbreed are what I call Half-Orcs, and are magically created beings, not literal half-breeds) who won the respect of the local Orc tribes and brought them into Zal Esarus' army. That left the local goblins, who they strongarmed into doing their bidding, an arrangement most of the goblins resented. Hox and his band were such members of the Quicktooth tribe and disagreed with Queen Bhargnot about whether to stand up for themselves now or bend to the might of Zal Esarus and bide their time for rebellion. That rebellion ironically saved their lives, as they were banished from the Jagged Edge Hideaway (the capital warren of the Quick-tooth Tribe) when the party busted in and killed most of them. Of course all of these leaders and factions have desires of their own that could be played against each other. Khazran is being "lent" to Esarus, and doesn't care for or about him personally. The Orcs don't like the undead and find them a distasteful way to fight. They are more loyal to Khazran for his obvious strength and tactics than to Esarus' wizardry and cunning. They don't typically marshall themselves to war, just to raid, so the idea of ranks, files and maintaining discipline is foreign. Esarus has a pupil (Arlen) who might stab him in the back for his own ambitions, the different tribes of Orcs don't always get along. The whole thing could be peeled apart, but we'll focus on the goblins and Hox's Gleeful Band of Free Greens.

---

At the Ghostcliffs

The Ghostcliffs are beyond the north eastern edges of the Duskwood (the party's main stomping ground). That's where the goblins went into hiding. It's tough mountain country with steep walls hiding many caves, perfect for a subterranean gang going into hiding. It helps that Hox is pretty sure of where Zal Esarus' stronghold, Dentura Morbum, is. Even though they're in the same region, he's posted watches and scouts to make sure they don't catch unwanted attention from the necromancer.

We'll have a few days of travel inside the Duskwood, perhaps a few random encounters.

The familiar ancient pine forest reluctantly gives way to mountain country. The Ghostcliffs loom above you, sheer and pale. Spears of rock spread like wings from the foreboding stone formation. Wind howls and moans down from the tall peaks above you, giving these hills their name.

The trail continues ahead as a narrow path cutting back and forth, too steep and treachourous for any mule or horse. Scanning the way before you, there are many ravines and steep places. In a few areas, small waterfalls pour down near the switchbacks. Clouds and mist seem to settle down, undisturbed by the occasional gusts of air. In spring this place may be entirely impassable, but in summer it is merely difficult and dangerous.

As far as how they might find the goblins, they have a starting point from the bingo book, Winora can speak with animals and Armond can use his familiar. I'm sure they probably have some other skills or ideas that I haven't thought of yet.

The Trail

The party continues up the Ghostcliffs for several hours, eventually the trail comes to a rope bridge.

The trail ends abruptly at a narrow rope bridge spanning a gulf about 150 feet across. The bridge creaks as it sways and bucks with the occasional gust of air.

Terrain Encounter I think a rope bridge between cliffs would be good. If they overload it, it could break. Even if they don't we'll have Dex Checks to stay on as it swings in the wind. If the party uses some creative thinking we can skip over it. Perhaps they will be accosted by harpies instead.

As they continue in the Ghostcliffs for another hour or two, they'll find dead bounty hunters to show they're on the right trail. They were killed by Hox's scouts in an ambush, picked over, and dumped into a ravine. The hunters have cursed red gold (Zal Esarus pays in cursed gold, it's how he finds bodies for his undead army) in their pouches, but otherwise nothing of much value or interest.

I like the idea that they get close, maybe have a "random" encounter with a monster (cyclopes, hill giants, ettins, wyverns), some goblins show up during the fight and they have a chance to roleplay a bit.

Hox's Crew

The Band consists of a few dozen goblins, most of whom are "uneducated" (can't speak Giant). The following are his core council, who he consults and delegates to. Languages are in the order that they prefer speaking (giant is a lingua franca in my world). Titles in goblin society are typically in giant, but are translated here (because I didn't want to make up more words in giant). Among goblins, if you are a great/important person your title will likely be a point of pride or something to brag about. On the other hand, if you're lowly you might have no title, or a sarcastic one.

---

The Officers I'm not planning on needing them in combat really, but decided to link some statblocks as starting points. Most of the officers probably need bumped up a little * Hox Longfeather [goblin, giant, common] male: he wears a hunter's cap with the titular griffon's feather over a scalplock. In his ears he wears a few earrings. He is tall for a goblin and build like a whip. He's clever and proud, unwilling to bend a knee. Around his men his is charismatic and jovial, but behind closed doors, he's a hardnosed negotiator. * Thexni Wiitherose [goblin, giant, abyssal, common] female: an older cursespitter (demon worshipper) and spiritual leader of the group. She wears many pieces of bone jewelry and tattoos cover most of her body. Her staff is topped by a three-eyed "human" skull with deer horns and fangs. Hox knew he'd need someone to reassure the spiritual base of his group so he strongarmed her into his group. She doesn't appreciate what happened but has nowhere to go. * Tozg Venomfang [goblin, giant] male: an assassin. He assumed everyone wants to kill him, except Hox, who he loves with extreme devotion. His ear is clipped and he wears a golden ring on a leather thong around his neck. He has deepset dark eyes and doesn't blink much. His dagger is of course, magical. He funcitons as Hox's spymaster and tactician. * Krebz Stonefist [goblin] male: brute. Almost as tall as a man, weilds a maul, doesn't talk much. * Qesh Sparrowtail [goblin, giant] female: archer. She is Hox's lover and prodigee. She is slight of frame and short, even for a goblin. She wears a few small earrings, but not any specific piece. She might become jealous of the party if they spend too much time with him.

Emergency Names

Male: Grikx, Helk, Slummex, Yalb, Triq

Female: Srift, Imzonee, Ilmea, Ifsi, Pronx

@ 9d51218e:a0c80d65

According to virologist Dr. Pооrnima Wagh, there is no SARS-CoV-2, no COVID-19, and no variants. Pооrnima Wagh, a 20-year veteran of virology and immunology who has worked on several virology studies to find the causes of various diseases, .... Full story

@ 361d3e1e:50bc10a8

According to virologist Dr. Pооrnima Wagh, there is no SARS-CoV-2, no COVID-19, and no variants. Pооrnima Wagh, a 20-year veteran of virology and immunology who has worked on several virology studies to find the causes of various diseases,... Full story:

https://forex-strategy.com/2024/08/22/cdc-director-to-virologist-with-20-years-of-experience-i-dont-care-what-you-find-just-call-it-sars-cov-2/

@ d830ee7b:4e61cd62

Alright folks, it's showtime! The Thailand Bitcoin Conference 2024 (#TBC2024) is about to kick off, and as one of the organizers, yours truly, Jakk Goodday, co-founder of Right Shift, is beyond stoked. This isn't just another conference, it's the culmination of our passion, dedication, and vision for a brighter future, brought to life by a vibrant community of Bitcoin enthusiasts in Thailand.

Get ready to rumble!

Picture this: you step into a bustling hall at True Digital Park in the heart of Bangkok. The air is buzzing with anticipation as over 500 passionate Bitcoiners, from seasoned veterans to eager newcomers, gather to connect and exchange ideas. The lights dim, the stage comes alive, and a lineup of captivating speakers, both local and international, take the spotlight, ready to ignite the spark of inspiration.

TBC2024 is more than just talks and presentations. It's about forging genuine connections, engaging in lively discussions, sharing laughter, and making new friends. It's about experiencing the Thai Bitcoin scene firsthand, with a bustling marketplace showcasing innovative Bitcoin-powered businesses and delectable local treats. And let's not forget the epic after-party, where the music will pulse, the drinks will flow, and the community will come alive in a celebration of the Bitcoin spirit.

What's on the agenda?

We've got a jam-packed program spread across two days, with three stages catering to all levels of Bitcoin enthusiasts.

Day 1: Echoes of Hope will delve into Bitcoin's potential to tackle social and economic challenges. Get ready for thought-provoking talks by industry leaders like Dr. Wichit Saiklao and Dr. Big, also Piriya who will challenge your understanding of money and the economy. Hear inspiring stories from Jimmy Kostro about how Bitcoin is empowering communities, and gain insights from content creators like Pong SUPERTOMMO, Tip_NZ, and Isora Hata on navigating the digital landscape. We'll even explore the intersection of Bitcoin and morality with Mu'aawiyah Tucker. And more.. And to ensure everyone's on the same page, we'll have real-time Thai-English subtitles on the big screen!

Day 2: Unlocking the Future will focus on real-world Bitcoin applications and their impact. Witness how Bitcoin is transforming industries and empowering individuals with Kgothatso Ngako's showcase of Machankura, a Bitcoin platform that doesn't require internet access. Be inspired by Captain Sidd's tales of Bitcoin-fueled adventures, and gain a new perspective on human rights with Alex Li from the Human Rights Foundation. We'll also have insightful discussions on building the Bitcoin community in Thailand and the rise of Asian Bitcoin communities. The day will culminate with a powerful closing message from Piriya, Khing, and Jingjo from Right Shift, reminding us how Bitcoin is fixing our broken monetary system.

More stages, more fun!

The excitement doesn't stop at the Main Stage. TBC2024 offers two additional stages that cater to every level of Bitcoin enthusiast.

• Advanced Stage: For developers, tech enthusiasts, or anyone who wants to explore the cutting-edge of Bitcoin technology. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and dive deep into the technical intricacies of Bitcoin with hands-on workshops and interactive sessions.

• Beginner Stage: New to Bitcoin? No worries! The Beginner Stage is designed to gently guide you through the fundamentals of Bitcoin. We'll cover everything from setting up your first Bitcoin wallet to making your first Lightning transaction.

Whether you're a tech-savvy coder or a curious beginner, TBC2024 has something for everyone. Come join us and immerse yourself in the world of Bitcoin. Let's learn, explore, and build the future together.

Siamstr vibes: Where connections spark and friendships flourish

TBC2024 isn't just a conference, it's a full-on community gathering, warm and welcoming. Get ready for laughter, lively conversations, and new friendships that'll make you feel right at home.

• Experience the Siamstr Spirit: The Thai Bitcoin community on Nostr is known for its tight-knit, friendly vibe. You'll meet a diverse crowd, all united by their love for Bitcoin.

• Cutting-Edge Marketplace: Get ready for a lightning-fast marketplace showcasing the coolest products and services from Thai entrepreneurs who accept Bitcoin Lightning payments!

• Exclusive Dinner Party: Join us for an unforgettable dinner in a relaxed atmosphere. Rub shoulders with speakers, Bitcoin OGs, and fellow enthusiasts, and listen to exclusive "Chit Talk" sessions on hot topics revealed only at the event. Then, let loose at the after-party, with a mini-concert and plenty of craft beer from Chit Beer to keep the good times rolling.

TBC2024 is more than just a conference; it's an experience that will let you feel the true power of the Bitcoin community. Come be a part of Siamstr and make some unforgettable memories!

Join the Movement

So, whether you're a seasoned Bitcoiner or simply Bitcoin-curious, TBC2024 is the place to be. Come join us in Bangkok and experience the magic of the Siamstr community. Let's build a brighter future, together.

See you there!

Jakk Goodday

TBC2024 #Bitcoin #Siamstr

14-15 September 2024

Get Digital Ticket here Reserve your seat with Bitcoin Lightning payment here.

@ 955e5a04:c03b3cc3

Of course, you do! Let’s dive into this fabulously layered Strawberry Lasagna—yes, you heard right! It’s lasagna, but we’ve swapped out the pasta and meat for something much more delightful. So grab your fork and put on your dessert pants (yes, those are a thing), because it’s time to indulge in layers of berry bliss.

Ingredients:

•   Strawberries (because what’s a strawberry lasagna without, well, strawberries?) – 2 cups, sliced

•   Skyr (aka Iceland’s gift to the world) – 1 cup

•   Magerquark (sounds fancy, tastes fantastic, and adds creaminess without the calories) – 1 cup

•   Crepes – 6-8, depending on how tall you want your lasagna to be

•   Zero-calorie sweetener (because we’re keeping things light, sorta) – to taste

•   Vanilla extract – 1 tsp, for that extra mmm factor

Instructions:

1\. Prepare Your Crepes:

Think of these as your dessert noodles. If you’ve never made crepes before, don’t panic! It’s like making a really thin pancake—just channel your inner French chef, or grab a pre-made pack from the store (no one’s judging).

2\. Mix Up the Skyr and Magerquark:

In a bowl, combine the skyr, magerquark, and your zero-calorie sweetener. Make sure to taste test—this is crucial. You want it sweet but not “I just ate a sugar cube” sweet. Add in the vanilla extract and give it one more good stir.

3\. Slice Those Strawberries:

We want them thin and elegant—like the strawberry version of Audrey Hepburn. Set them aside but not too far, you’ll need them close!

4\. Build the Lasagna:

Now, here comes the fun part! Start with a crepe as your base, then spread a layer of the skyr-magerquark mix on top. Next, add a layer of those beautiful strawberry slices. Repeat the layers—crepe, skyr mix, strawberries—until you’ve used everything up or your lasagna is tall enough to rival the Empire State Building.

5\. Final Touch:

If you’re feeling fancy, dust the top with a little extra sweetener or garnish with a whole strawberry because aesthetics matter!

6\. Chill Out:

Pop that beauty in the fridge for at least an hour. This lets all the flavors mingle and gives you time to think about how impressive this dessert is going to look on your Insta feed.

7\. Slice & Serve:

When you’re ready, slice into your strawberry lasagna and serve. Watch your friends’ eyes widen as they realize this is not your average lasagna!

Enjoy your guilt-free, fruity lasagna! Who knew dessert could be so classy, delicious, and, dare I say, a little bit sneaky? 🍓💪

@ 20986fb8:cdac21b3

Welcome to YakiHonne, where we’re excited to introduce you to our innovative Smart Widgets! These interactive components allow you to create dynamic and engaging campaigns directly within social feeds, all without needing any coding skills. Whether you’re new to Smart Widgets or looking to refine your approach, this guide will walk you through the process.

Step 1: Log In

Start by logging into your YakiHonne account. This is your gateway to creating and managing Smart Widgets. If you don’t have an account yet, sign up easily on our website.

Step 2: Create Smart Widgets

Once you’re logged in, it’s time to get creative. Head over to the “Post” section and select “Smart Widget.” Here, you have two options:

Option 1: Create from Scratch If you have a specific idea in mind, you can create your Smart Widget from a blank canvas: • Click on “Create Blank Widget.” • Begin designing by adding your unique content, interactive features, and any elements that match your campaign’s needs. • Customize the appearance and functionality to fit your brand or message.

Option 2: Choose a Template If you’re not sure where to start or want some inspiration, using a template is a great option: • Select “Templates” from the options available. • Browse through a variety of pre-designed templates. • Choose one that fits your campaign’s goal, and customize it to make it your own.

Option 3: Clone a Community Widget If you want to explore what others are doing, you can clone a widget shared by the community: • Click on “Smart Widgets” to see what the community has shared. • Browse through the community’s shared Smart Widgets. • Find a widget you like, and click “Clone.” • Modify the copied widget to create your unique Smart Widget.

Step 3: Explore Smart Widgets Features

Your Smart Widgets can do much more than just display content. Let’s dive into the features you can integrate: • User Engagement Tools: Add polls, surveys, or quizzes to interact with your audience. • BitcoinFi Integration: Enable features that support Bitcoin transactions, like tipping or payment gateways. • Governance Options: Incorporate voting systems to allow users to participate in decision-making processes. • Product Growth: Use widgets to drive user growth through referral programs or viral marketing techniques.

These features are designed to enhance interaction and make your Smart Widget stand out. Feel free to experiment with different combinations to see what works best for your campaign.

Step 4: Publish Your Smart Widgets

After you’ve created and customized your Smart Widget, it’s time to share it with the world: • Preview your widget to ensure everything looks and works as intended. • Click “Post my Smart Widget” to publish it. • Your widget is now live and ready for others to interact with in their social feeds.

Step 5: Add Smart Widgets to Notes

To maximize the impact of your Smart Widget, you can integrate it into your Notes: • Go to the “Notes” section on your dashboard. • Select “Add Smart Widget” and choose the widget you’ve just created. • Publish the note, and now your audience can engage with your Smart Widget directly through the note.

Tips for Success

• Experiment with Features: Don’t hesitate to try out different combinations of features to find what works best for your audience.
• Engage Your Audience: The more interactive and engaging your Smart Widget is, the better the results.
• Monitor Performance: After publishing, keep an eye on how your Smart Widget is performing. Adjust and optimize based on user feedback and engagement metrics.

User Guideline Video Resources

Create from Scratch Choose a Template Clone a Community Widget Full tutorial video

Conclusion

Creating and using Smart Widgets on YakiHonne is a powerful way to engage with your audience, promote your brand, and drive meaningful interactions. With no coding required, the possibilities are endless. Start exploring today, and see how Smart Widgets can take your campaigns to the next level!

Happy creating!

@ 7b43b1cb:9e0d45a3

(Not open yet!)

Order your eggs here.

Having studied Bitcoin, we get inflation better than most. Donald Trump said exactly that. Something along the lines of "You Bitcoiners understood inflation was coming way before everyone else. And here it is." Inflation is the hidden tax.

Our inflation-busting eggs will be delivered within 48 hours of being laid. Usually from the previous day.

To secure our customers the best prices, fixed for several months at a time, we need to keep our overheads low. We aren't going to skimp on feed, it's the key to the health of our hens and the quality of our eggs. It is however the biggest line item for us. So the more feed we can buy at a time, the longer we can hold our prices.

The biggest expense after feed is cost of delivery. We have to deliver smart.

Our ordering policy:

We ask customers to commit to a minimum order of 3 month's eggs, and pay for them up front. We can also offer to hold prices for 6 months and 12 months on that basis.

Minimum order size is 1 dozen a week per customer, or 1 dozen every two weeks. You can order more than 1 dozen per week or per two weeks. Commercial customers ordering a minimum 3 dozen per week can expect a discount.

You can recharge your account any time, in 3 month blocks.

We deliver every day to a drop-off store in various towns and villages around the area. Mostly fruit and veg stores who are participating in our local circular economy scheme. The store owners aren't earning anything from handing out the eggs, but hopefully you will support them and the community scheme by buying quality products from them.

See the list for when we drop off in your village or town.

Reminder about deliveries. We will send you a reminder on Whatsapp the night before the drop off.

Pick up your eggs from your store on the delivery day. You must show the QR code on your phone to the store owner so they can remove 1 dozen eggs from your account before handing them to you.

If you cannot pick up on the regular day, ask a neighbour to pick them up for you. You should forward them your QR code via Whatsapp so they can show it to the store owner before they receive the eggs.

Keep it simple

I have run a very small scale version of this. It works if you are happy to receive the same amount of eggs every week and you don't ask us to drop off extra eggs or change the day just for you.

If we don't have a rigid system, we cannot possibly keep on top of things and keep the prices steady and be reliable.

Thanks for your support and understanding.

@ 7b43b1cb:9e0d45a3

Effective Date: 01-08-2024

Your privacy is important to us

It is Olive Grove Eggs's policy to respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect while operating our website. This Privacy Policy applies to olive-grove-eggs.ghost.io/ (hereinafter, "us", "we", or "olive-grove-eggs.ghost.io/"). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting personally identifiable information you may provide us through the Website. We have adopted this privacy policy ("Privacy Policy") to explain what information may be collected on our Website, how we use this information, and under what circumstances we may disclose the information to third parties. This Privacy Policy applies only to information we collect through the Website and does not apply to our collection of information from other sources.

This Privacy Policy, together with the Terms of service posted on our Website, set forth the general rules and policies governing your use of our Website. Depending on your activities when visiting our Website, you may be required to agree to additional terms of service.

Contents

Click below to jump to any section of this privacy policy

1. Personally-Identifying Information
2. Security
3. Protection of Certain Personally-Identifying Information
4. Cookies
5. E-commerce
6. Privacy Policy Changes
7. Contact Information & Credit

1. Personally-Identifying Information

Certain visitors to Olive Grove Eggs's websites choose to interact with Olive Grove Eggs in ways that require Olive Grove Eggs to gather personally-identifying information. The amount and type of information that Olive Grove Eggs gathers depends on the nature of the interaction. For example, we ask visitors who leave a comment at https://olive-grove-eggs.ghost.io/ to provide a username and email address.

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2. Security

The security of your Personal Information is important to us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

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3. Protection of Certain Personally-Identifying Information

Olive Grove Eggs discloses potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information only to those of its employees, contractors and affiliated organizations that (i) need to know that information in order to process it on Olive Grove Eggs's behalf or to provide services available at Olive Grove Eggs's website, and (ii) that have agreed not to disclose it to others. Some of those employees, contractors and affiliated organizations may be located outside of your home country; by using Olive Grove Eggs's website, you consent to the transfer of such information to them. Olive Grove Eggs will not rent or sell potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information to anyone. Other than to its employees, contractors and affiliated organizations, as described above, Olive Grove Eggs discloses potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information only in response to a subpoena, court order or other governmental request, or when Olive Grove Eggs believes in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the property or rights of Olive Grove Eggs, third parties or the public at large.

If you are a registered user of https://olive-grove-eggs.ghost.io/ and have supplied your email address, Olive Grove Eggs may occasionally send you an email to tell you about new features, solicit your feedback, or just keep you up to date with what's going on with Olive Grove Eggs and our products. We primarily use our blog to communicate this type of information, so we expect to keep this type of email to a minimum. If you send us a request (for example via a support email or via one of our feedback mechanisms), we reserve the right to publish it in order to help us clarify or respond to your request or to help us support other users. Olive Grove Eggs takes all measures reasonably necessary to protect against the unauthorized access, use, alteration or destruction of potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information.

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4. Cookies

To enrich and perfect your online experience, Olive Grove Eggs uses "Cookies", similar technologies and services provided by others to display personalized content, appropriate advertising and store your preferences on your computer.

A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor's computer, and that the visitor's browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. Olive Grove Eggs uses cookies to help Olive Grove Eggs identify and track visitors, their usage of https://olive-grove-eggs.ghost.io/, and their website access preferences. Olive Grove Eggs visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using Olive Grove Eggs's websites, with the drawback that certain features of Olive Grove Eggs's websites may not function properly without the aid of cookies.

By continuing to navigate our website without changing your cookie settings, you hereby acknowledge and agree to Olive Grove Eggs's use of cookies.

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5. E-commerce

Those who engage in transactions with Olive Grove Eggs – by purchasing Olive Grove Eggs's services or products, are asked to provide additional information, including as necessary the personal and financial information required to process those transactions. In each case, Olive Grove Eggs collects such information only insofar as is necessary or appropriate to fulfill the purpose of the visitor's interaction with Olive Grove Eggs. Olive Grove Eggs does not disclose personally-identifying information other than as described below. And visitors can always refuse to supply personally-identifying information, with the caveat that it may prevent them from engaging in certain website-related activities.

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6. Privacy Policy Changes

Although most changes are likely to be minor, Olive Grove Eggs may change its Privacy Policy from time to time, and in Olive Grove Eggs's sole discretion. Olive Grove Eggs encourages visitors to frequently check this page for any changes to its Privacy Policy. Your continued use of this site after any change in this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such change.

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7. Contact Information & Credit

This privacy policy was created at privacyterms.io privacy policy generator. If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, please contact us via email or phone.

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@ 7b43b1cb:9e0d45a3

@ 805b34f7:3620fac3

I grew up thinking adulthood would be boring.

I thought by age 45 you'd hurt too bad to do anything fun. I thought you'd just go to a job somewhere and work all day and come back home for a couple hours, just to go do it again. Growing up, I even thought 25 year olds were old and boring.

Thankfully, all those models are destroyed.

I'm 31 today, and my refusal to be bored has led to an interesting life so far. One that my 18 year old self would mostly approve of. Which is quite the measure of success according to Taleb.

“For I have a single definition of success: you look in the mirror every evening, and wonder if you disappoint the person you were at 18, right before the age when people start getting corrupted by life."

I wonder what's next. What other magic I can pull outta my hat. What kind of luck I can stir up. I have 2 north stars. Fun and Family.

FUN

Turns out the fun part isn't just endless surf trips. It isn't just partying with friends. Fun needs a mission.

Surf trips that go too long get boring. I learned that in 2018 when I did my first extended travel to the Canary Islands and Indonesia.

I was surfing my ass off in Indo. ABSOLUTELY SCORING EVERYDAY. But, I felt empty inside. I started to crave work while sitting on the island. I was excited to get back to work.

Work at that time was the occasional modeling/commercial gig and moving fridges to college dorms in the summer (my survival gig for like 6 years).

In 2017, I graduated with a master's degree in Organizational Psychology. I had all the “credentials” to have a successful “career” but out of fear of being bored/lack of real world experience I never pursued a standard career.

I also found Bitcoin that summer, which greatly altered my worldview/gave me hope for a brighter future.

From age 24 - 28 I lived never knowing where my next pay check would come from. I tried living in LA and Mexico City, but never quite found my tribe or anything worthwhile to work on. I even lived in my truck for a month in LA just to do a "fear setting" exercise I heard Tim Ferriss talk about.

I gave myself my own curriculum during that time. Exploring my interests in health and went further down the Bitcoin rabbit hole with my spare time.

In hindsight, I wouldn't trade this time of “wandering” for anything. This time prepared me for the things I'm working on today.

In the fall of 2021, I drove to Costa Rica with a vision of creating a new life somehow. I'd been there a few times and figured that's where I'd be if I had unlimited resources. I asked myself the question, "What would I be doing if I was a billionaire?". The answer? Working on something important while surfing everyday with cool people.

After bumming around for a bit, I ended up finding my tribe and consistent work for the first time in my life. I helped out with Paul Saladino's social media team, where I learned skills and furthered my knowledge about health.

During this time, I went to a ton of Bitcoin conferences with no agenda, except to meet more of my "tribe". The decision to do this brought incredible returns to my life.

“Never settle. When you refuse to settle for less than the best… the best tends to track you down” - Dr. Jack Kruse

Today I'm working on two important missions. Making an “ethical” social media with Primal and building a “healthier” computer with Daylight computer from which I'm writing this article. These two missions are greater than anything I could fathom building myself and I'm extremely grateful for these opportunities.

Family

I believe strongly that it's impossible to truly understand life until you create it on your own. Might not be true for everybody, but I believe I'm hardwired this way.

I met Laura during the first month of getting a stable income in Costa Rica. It was the first time that I had a mission while talking to a girl.

I was thinking long-term the day I met her and knew that this time would be different. We didn't have much. In fact, when she met me, I just graduated from camping everyday to living in a broken house in the most beautiful location in Santa Teresa. So what there was a skunk living in our sink, we could walk to the beach in 3 minutes! I knew she was a keeper for putting up with that.

Here's a snapshot of a morning in the life of the skunk house - https://www.instagram.com/reel/CcqatvJlbFH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Our relationship has been incredibly rewarding, often challenging, and I can't wait for our future together.

She pushes me to seek more and the responsibility of another person of my life gives it a ton of meaning. And I'm sure this will do a little 100x once we have kids.

Woman are hard wired to seek security and I wonder where I'd be without her push and constant testing. This constant testing is the sign of a great woman.

I'm honestly terrified to have kids, but pursuing a family seems to be the most meaningful pursuit available to man. There's no way you'll ever be bored with kids!

We get married in 50 days. Will this be the best day of our lives? Can't wait. And just found out yesterday that our wedding will be featured in the New York Times.

PV

Writing feels good. It's great to puke out some words on a screen and reflect every now and again. There's always something to learn from someone. See you on NOSTR!

@ 35f3a26c:92ddf231

What is Peer Thinking?

https://image.nostr.build/f9c206fad2b7580af8c5236e831b6801683d9199ce26e6628ba0964fe64b1903.png

The cognitive and emotional processes that occur when individuals are influenced by their peers.

The psychology behind it:

The psychology behind peer influence encompasses various factors, including: 1. Social belonging and acceptance, 2. Identity formation, 3. The dynamics of group behavior

Is it being used to control us?

https://image.nostr.build/cf90335bbf59e3395dc4324d123cd3a058ca716cf6172f079eb1d78547008147.jpg

IMO, yes, at the core of it is the basic human need for belonging. Social belonging is a critical component since it is craved by most, specially but not only by the youngest, those with power across the world know this very well, therefore, thinking that they will not use it to control the population in order to profit from it or change public opinion would be irrational.

The media is used to brain wash the population creating something that most will consider "the norm", thus, the majority will try to conform to that norm in order to belong. That include manipulating the population to take an experimental drug (even if it could be very dangerous due to its unknown effects) or to accept as a norm a behavior that few years back would have been considered inappropriate.

Cognitive Dissonance

https://image.nostr.build/60f24a810be1dd6badb36d70c5a691d4361207590dea1a8e64e09a75a252cfbf.jpg

This is a term that we should get familiar with. It is a psychological state where conflicting beliefs or behaviors create discomfort.

Example: A kid in high school that has a good loving family but all his close friends are on drugs (legal ones) and they keep telling him he is an idiot for not using as well. Now his is that state of conflict believes, on one side his best friends, all tell him is okay, on the other hand his family that loves him has explained him at length the dangers and issues that the drugs will have in his life. To resolve the dissonance he has three options, one, join the group and start taking drugs with the rest, two try to rationalize it, considering to take drugs just occasionally to belong but not to make it a habit, three lose his friends (and here it comes again the peer thinking to bite). Extrapolate to many other cases.

As an anecdote Recently, on a friend's reunion, one of the guest was complaining about one of his daughters, she was quite confused asking him why so many of her classmates were bisexual, she was wondering if something was wrong with her since she was not; a 13 year old girl; the father was having a hard time explaining her that the majority are saying so just to feel as part of what the school was teaching to be the norm, it was not cool to be straight, the tally was 37% of the class. Consider that, statistically, the number of people, “worldwide” identifying as bisexual are between 3% and 5% (less than 1% in less accepting countries), that number used to be less than 2% less than a decade ago. But 37% is far from the statistical norm, indicating a peer thinking behavior but not the reality of their sexual preferences. Once again, extrapolate to any ideology, religion, gender identity, political agenda that a country desires to push forward for whatever reason, adding that to the official school program and to federal mandatory training programs would do the trick.

A powerful tool, that can be used for good or bad.

What are the strategies to counter negative peer thinking?

https://image.nostr.build/4b70949b8af76ed53a5be5507f41f1d1c960dc3592f199eab78e2d25688975c5.jpg

Reading the literature about the subject, few strategies are recommended:

1. Self-Awareness: teaching ourselves and our children to recognize when we are being influenced by peers

2. Being selective with your friends: peers with similar values will reinforce positive behaviors

3. Learning to be assertive: teaching ourselves and our children to communicate assertively our boundaries will empower us and them to resist unwanted pressure to adopt negative behaviors.

4. Less judging more talking: this applies to our children and partners, judging less and listening more will make our beloved ones more open to discuss social pressures.

What do you think? What strategies you use as counter measures?

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/655270

@ 7b43b1cb:9e0d45a3

Olive grove eggs is an independent publication launched in July 2024 by huevos del olivar. If you subscribe today, you'll get full access to the website as well as email newsletters about new content when it's available. Your subscription makes this site possible, and allows Olive grove eggs to continue to exist. Thank you!

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@ 7b43b1cb:9e0d45a3

Temperatures in the low 40C, birds struggling to drink, feed and lay.

@ a30cdfee:2d2f97ff

Nostr Wallet Connect: Bringing Lightning Network Payments to Any App

Nostr Wallet Connect is an open protocol that can bring Bitcoin Lightning Network payments to ANY app!

How does NWC work?

Problem: Lightning Wallets Operate in Their Owns Silos

One problem with Bitcoin Lightning wallets is that they operate as a closed system.

Separate accounts, wallets, balances..

Lightning is also a very complicated protocol stack to implement.

If only there was a glue that bound the wallets and normie apps together..

NWC does this with the help of the Nostr Protocol.

If you are unfamiliar with Nostr, you can learn more about it here.

Wallets and Apps Communicate Through a Nostr Relay

NWC uses Nostr relays to communicate between wallets and apps.

1. The app and the wallet exchange connection strings.

2. App requests to pay a Lightning invoice via Nostr relay.

3. The wallet pays the invoice.

No Nostr account is needed to use NWC.

Nostr is just the messaging layer.

One wallet connects to several apps.

One app can be powered by several wallets.

Synergy for both 🤝

Bootstraps App and Wallet Development

App devs and wallet builders can both reach more users.

App devs don't have to worry about custodying funds, since it's outsourced to wallets (if a custodial wallet).

1-click payments without cumbersome closing and opening of various apps and scanning QR codes.

NWC allows sustained interaction between wallets and apps.

Because payments are routed through a Nostr relay, the receiver doesn't have to be online.

NWC works both with custodial and self-custodial wallets, and across platforms (desktop, mobile).

Subscription Payments, Set a Budget for Payments etc.

NWC was created by the nostr:npub1getal6ykt05fsz5nqu4uld09nfj3y3qxmv8crys4aeut53unfvlqr80nfm and Amethyst (Nostr client) teams in order to let Nostr users integrate Lightning payments without having to use a specific-purpose wallet.

NWC allows single, multiple, streaming, and subscription payments and also a configurable access to your funds.

You can e.g. make monthly donations to nostr:npub1kmwdmhuxvafg05dyap3qmy42jpwztrv9p0uvey3a8803ahlwtmnsnhxqk9 projects.

Prism nostr:npub1arcweuxy0zkdcg08sljh058qp02ytrgnpzh4csa3ar42szyfgrpsw6ggtw uses NWC to bring Lightning micropayments to Discord with its Discord Zap Bot.

This tipping bot adds more value to an app compared to other bots because everyone doesn't have to agree to use a specific bot.

What do you think about Nostr Wallet Connect?

Will it be the missing piece that brings Bitcoin and Lightning payments to mainstream?

Additional Resources

NWC: non-custodial payments for any app - Moritz Kaminski, Video replay from Tuscany Lightning Summit 2024

Nostr Wallet Connect: A Bitcoin Application Collaboration Layer, Bitcoin Magazine article by Shinobi

Technical Presentation by gudnuf at BitBlockBoom 2024

Project Links

Website

X (Twitter)

Nostr

GitHub

Discord

@ be39043c:4a573ca3

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 5 mins
• 🍳 Cook time: 10mins
• 🍽️ Servings: 2-

Ingredients

• Shishito
• Butter/ Oil of your choice
• Soy sauce
• Salt
• Sugar (optional)

Directions

1. 1. Wash shishitos, remove stems, and dry.
2. 1. Heat the pan, add butter or oil, and shishitos. Sauté until shishitos are tender and winkled.
3. 1. Add a bit of sugar (optional), and a bit of salts, and finally soy sauce. Do not add too much soy sauce. Try and adjust with more say sauce if needed.

@ 2f5de000:2f9bcef1

@ 5e4e1309:1164206e

Opinion about Freewallet Multi Crypto Wallet (iphone)

The FRWT wallet is gone from Google Play, but Freewallet, the original scam, is still a major threat. We must continue to report and warn others about this dangerous app.

WalletScrutiny #nostrOpinion

Join the conversation!

@ 2f5de000:2f9bcef1

The Online Safety Act represents a big step in the regulation of online content, aiming to create a safer digital environment by mandating proactive measures against illegal material. Its significance lies in the balance it seeks to strike between protecting users and preserving the fundamental right to freedom of expression. By requiring platforms to detect and remove harmful content, the Act introduces new responsibilities for service providers, while also raising important questions about the potential risks of over-censorship and the challenges of implementing these measures fairly.

The primary aim of the Online Safety Act is to establish a legal framework that compels online platforms to proactively detect, remove, or restrict access to illegal content. This includes content that is harmful or criminal in nature, such as child exploitation, terrorism-related material, and hate speech. The Act seeks to enhance user safety by holding service providers accountable for monitoring their platforms, thus reducing the spread of harmful content and protecting ‘vulnerable’ users from potential risks in the digital space. 

The Online Safety Act mandates that online platforms proactively detect and remove illegal content, shifting from a reactive to a preventive approach in content moderation. This requirement, however, raises concerns about the potential for over-removal, where legitimate content might be unjustly taken down due to the aggressive application of automated tools. Such measures could lead to prior restraint, where free expression is curtailed before content is even published, posing a risk to open discourse and the free flow of information online.

Importance of Ofcom’s Safeguards

Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, plays a crucial role in ensuring that the Act is applied in a manner that is both precise and clear. The safeguards established by Ofcom are intended to prevent arbitrary or overly broad enforcement, which could otherwise lead to unjustified restrictions on free speech. These safeguards include detailed guidelines and codes of practice that online platforms must follow when implementing the Act's requirements. By providing clear definitions and structured procedures, Ofcom helps to ensure that platforms can identify and remove illegal content without infringing on lawful expression. This regulatory clarity is vital to protect users' rights while maintaining the safety of online spaces.

A challenge posed by the Online Safety Act is the need to balance precision and recall in the automated systems used to detect illegal content. Precision refers to the accuracy of identifying content that truly violates the law, while recall measures the system's ability to capture all illegal content. High precision minimizes false positives, ensuring that legal content is not wrongly removed. Conversely, high recall focuses on capturing all illegal content but may lead to over-removal, where legitimate content is also flagged. Ofcom's guidance aims to help service providers develop systems that strike a balance between these two metrics, thereby avoiding arbitrary interference with lawful content.

The implementation places responsibilities on service providers. They are required to integrate sophisticated detection systems that can manage the complexities of identifying 'illegal' content while preserving free expression. The variability in the capabilities of different platforms means that the impact of the Act will vary, with larger companies potentially better equipped to implement these systems than smaller entities. Additionally, the Act imposes a continuous obligation on platforms to assess and mitigate risks, which may require ongoing adjustments to their detection systems. This could lead to operational and financial burdens, particularly for smaller platforms that may lack the resources to maintain such. 

Online service providers are granted discretion in how they choose to moderate content on their platforms. While the Act outlines the types of content that must be addressed-such as illegal and harmful content-it leaves specifics of enforcement largely up to the platforms themselves. This means that companies have the autonomy to develop and implement their own systems and policies for detecting and removing content. This discretion is intended to allow for flexibility, enabling platforms to tailor their moderation strategies according to their size, resources, and nature of their user base. \ \ However, this autonomy also means that platforms may interpret and apply guidelines differently, leading to a wide variance in how content is moderated across different services. Some platforms might adopt a stringent approach, aggressively removing content that even slightly deviates from the guidelines, while others might opt for a more lenient stance, prioritizing user freedom over strict enforcement. This variability can result in inconsistencies in the user experience across different platforms, where the same content might be deemed acceptable on one platform but removed on another.\ \ Users may find it challenging to understand the 'rules' they must adhere to, as what is acceptable on one platform could be penalized on another. This unpredictability can lead to confusion and frustration among users, who may feel uncertain about the boundaries of acceptable speech and content online.

Moreover, variable enforcement of content moderation policies can have a profound impact on user trust and platform integrity. If users perceive that moderation practices are inconsistent or biased, they may lose trust in the platform, leading to reduced engagement or migration to other services perceived as 'fairer'. Additionally, creators and businesses that rely on these platforms for visibility and revenue could be disproportionately affected by inconsistent enforcement, leading to economic losses or unfair competitive disadvantages. One could say it is indirectly a form of market(s) manipulation. \ \ The Right to Freedom of Expression

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, enshrined in international law, such as Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media. However, in today's digital age, centralized platforms often impose various forms of content moderation, guided by governmental regulations, corporate policies, or societal pressures. These measures, though sometimes well-intentioned, can lead to censorship , where users are required to adhere to specific guidelines that may restrict their ability to express themselves freely. 

On centralized platforms like Facebook (Meta), Twitter (X), or YouTube, users are often at the mercy of opaque algorithms and content moderation policies that can result in the arbitrary removal of content or even account suspension. These platforms operate under the pressure of governments and advertisers, leading to the enforcement of guidelines that are framed to be 'one glove fits all'. This bureaucracy not only stifles creativity and debate but also creates an environment where users might feel that their voices are being silenced. 

In contrast to centralized platforms, decentralized protocols like Nostr offer an alternative that aligns more closely with the principles of freedom of expression and censorship resistance. Nostr is not a platform but a protocol, which means it is a set of rules that allows anyone to build their own messaging or social media service without relying on a single centralized entity. \ \ Key Qualities of Nostr \ 1. User Autonomy: Unlike centralized platforms, where users are subject to the rules of the platform, Nostr allows users to create and enforce their own rules. This autonomy for those who prioritize their right to express themselves without interference.

2. Resilience Against Deplatforming: Centralized platforms can remove users or content at their discretion. In contrast, Nostr's decentralized nature makes deplatforming virtually impossible. Even if one server refuses to relay a user's messages, others can continue to do so, ensuring that the user's voice cannot be silenced.

3. Open-Source and Transparent: Nostr is open-source, meaning anyone can inspect the code, contribute to its development, or even fork the protocol to create a new service. This transparency fosters trust and innovation, allowing the community to collectively protect the right to free speech.

4. Monetary incentives with Zaps: Nostr introduces a feature called Zaps, allowing users to be paid directly in Bitcoin over the Lightning Network. This peer-to-peer payment system enables users to earn money directly from others who value their content, aligning with their values without relying on advertising algorithms. Unlike centralized platforms that enslave users to a system designed to push content that matches specific agendas or narratives, Zaps offer a monetary incentive for authentic content creation. \ \ Nostr represents a shift towards giving users control over their own expression. By breaking away from centralized systems, users can avoid the pitfalls of content moderation that is often biased, opaque, and restrictive. Decentralization not only protects free speech but also empowers users to interact in digital spaces without fear of unjust censorship or the influence of powerful entities. While some entities may initially have users' best interests at heart, they can be swayed by third-party pressures, leading to decisions that ultimately exploit or compromise those interests.

The Online Safety Act aims to create a safer digital environment by demanding accountability from platforms for the content they host. However, this effort comes with the complex challenge of balancing safety with the right to freedom of expression. The Act's broad scope and reliance on automated content moderation risk overstepping, potentially stifling legitimate speech, especially when nuanced context is lost in algorithmic 'decision-making'.

This concern is particularly pressing as decentralized protocols like Nostr rise in prominence, offering users a haven away from the reach of centralized oversight. The Online Safety Act is a crucial step towards making the user experience feel safer. Although, its success will be determined by how well it balances these protections with the preservation of free speech. If it fails to do so, Nostr may become increasingly attractive to users seeking unfiltered expression, challenging the very foundation of the Act's objectives. 

@ 6389be64:ef439d32

In today's episode, I delve into silent payments in Bitcoin, introduced through BIP 352 to enhance privacy. I discuss its benefits, drawbacks, and impact, plus updates on BitVM 2, BTrust, and more.

• Silent Payments Explained
• US "Officials" to Redefine "Money"
• BitVM2 on the Horizen
• Trump Taps Bitcoiner For Transition Team
• Ark Protocol is ALIVE!

Listen on @fountain

--> https://fountain.fm/episode/oi8mInXrys0GD1SRdEyH <--

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/654973

@ 5636cd9a:507a836d

Rockefeller said that if people understood the financial system, there would be revolution.

The same principle would surely apply to an understanding of how badly we manage water.

Both drinkable water, the source of life, and Bitcoin, the best form of money ever invented to drive healthy economic activity, have a fixed supply. That makes them incredibly valuable. A better understanding of the value of water and Bitcoin and their usage, would be a big step in the right direction for the world at large.

Only 2% of water on earth is safe to drink (potable), but that adds up to trillions of litres, an abundance for billions of humans and animals. However, if you start looking into water, it is hard to ignore the crazy inefficiencies of municipal and agricultural water infrastructure. So much waste before it ever reaches the consumer. And the level of industrial AND personal water consumption is shocking.

You would think with an asset as precious as water, we would all be careful with it and stay well informed. If personal consumption got out of whack, or utility companies were failing to deliver, we would surely be ready to take the bull by the horns, change our own behaviour and demand better from the piped water providers. But we have been programmed not to value water as a scarce resource. It's just another commodity. We have become dependent, complacent, and trained to put up with higher prices. Too distracted by the day-to-day grind, few bother to collaborate to push peacefully but firmly for meaningful change.

Bitcoin has a lot to teach us. There has never been more money circulating in the global financial system, yet it is so badly distributed that even 40% of the citizens of the richest nation in human history are unable to cover a $400 emergency.

Just an education away

The core issue, over-consumption, seems to boil down to lack of education. Consumers, be that homeowners or industry, seem to have been brainwashed into considering water as a commodity without limits. Despite our education systems, most of us have no idea of the work that goes into providing say potable water in the home. End result, water is taken for granted and wasted.

I went down the rabbit hole of water a few years ago, and learnt a lot about municipal water supplies and consumption in the rainy UK. Back to those surprising findings later. And living in Spain, off-grid, around olive farmers and avid veg growers in a land where the desert is encroaching south to north, water storage and usage becomes a regular topic of conversation. Water has become an all-consuming topic too, while researching and designing and running the numbers to set up secure water supplies for a relatively tiny egg farm 600m up in the hills, far from the madding crowds. For now there is sufficient water to keep the UK, Spain and a chicken farm well watered. But the trends don't bode well and we really need to take a good hard look at our relationship with water.

The nitty gritty of water shortage

Like planting trees, the best time to address water consumption was 50 years ago, but hey, doing something today is better than waiting til tomorrow. Trouble is, we tend to wait and head issues off at the pass when it is shit or bust. Listening to veg growers in the massive greenhouse belts in Almeria, they are literally full steam ahead irrigating, despite knowing that in 5 years time, there will be no more water coming out the taps. The precious wetlands of Cadiz will be decimated too. Oh well, cross that bridge when they get to it? Right on!

The nearest death experience I ever had involved running out of drinking water. It was in Sudan, near the dead lagoons of Jebel Mara, with a backpack and empty water bottles, thirsty for 18 hours, compounding the problem by trying to sip on brackish water. I learnt a few things that day. One, plan ahead for worst case scenarios. Two, even on your last legs you can jog for a couple of hours trying to reach running water "somewhere over there"! And lastly, within a minute at most of glugging, you go from a deathly thirst, where all you can think of is water and not dying, to "I can't drink another drop of this beautiful stuff" !

I don't recommend repeating that experience, but I think we could all do well to view water as a matter of life and death, and look really hard at how we source it, how we use it, and how much we actually need.

Water, Bitcoin, self sovereignty and responsible consumption

Water and Bitcoin are kindred spirits! They are valuable because they are scarce. If you hold them, and appreciate their value, you won't frivolously use them.

The world's water supply will never change. It's physics. What goes up, comes down, gets recycled and never leaves our orbit. There is more than enough for everyone on earth, but if we can't get to it, we can't use it. We die in 3 days.

Likewise, there can and only ever will be 21 million Bitcoins produced. This makes it the hardest money ever available to Mankind ie the most scarce form of money in circulation.

Scarce assets have the potential to become insanely valuable as more people adopt them or want them. Bitcoin has been the best performing investment asset every year for 15 years as people sell their less valuable, less scarce assets, such as bonds, stocks, real estate, gold, silver, paper dollars, euros, or yen, for BTC.

Fortunately, Bitcoin is so valuable it makes you question everything. Try it. Buy a little bit, put it in a wallet that only you have the password to. You are now solely responsible for an asset whose purchasing power will go up - forever. (It's maths!) How are you going to keep it safe, and how are you going to spend it, and when? Do you really need that fancy car, and now? It will cost less BTC in a few years' time! And maybe the car doesn't even need to be so fancy.

Imagine if you, or more importantly, the authorities and corporations and utility companies thought about water like that?! (Many of these entities are already thinking about Bitcoin more carefully these days, that's for sure.)

Take responsibility for water use.

Water is a deep rabbit hole!

I bet most people don't know what cycle the moon is in right now. The moon is that satellite up there, never quite sure exactly where, with the power to raise oceans and jiggle the water in cells, making dogs howl and sensitive people crazy.

Do you know how much water you consume? Probably not. UK citizens think responsible consumption per person is 100 litres a day. That's what the government tells them. That's what comes out their taps, but the overall number is 3200 litres per day per consuming Brit! Mad, right?

And how much water falls out the sky in your locality each year on average? And what are the figures for rainwater captured, and wasted and charged for by water utilities?

Answer these simple questions and you should start to appreciate fresh water; what water you can sustainably consume, and how much you are paying over the odds for the water coming out your tap.

Self sovereign thought of the week.

Bitcoin is all about removing control of money from the state and putting money back in its rightful, and historic place, in the hands of the people. Good things happen when sovereign individuals are able to store the fruits of their labours in a form of money that cannot be devalued by governments hell bent on inflation and money printing.

Ditto water management. Harvest your rainwater, folks! Filter it without chemicals. And when you turn on the taps, you will appreciate the value of the water being piped into your property. And when you understand how to manage water, you might not be so easy on the water utility companies and their leaky pipe excuses. And when you start to comprehend how much water is embedded in every little thing you use, maybe you will delay or forget about purchases of goods, especially those imported from countries with water issues!

Water. Did you know...?

The UK is rainy, but not rainy enough to cover the 3200 litres per day per person of water locked into consumer goods, transport, agriculture etc that underpins their super wealthy economic system. In other words, the UK imports massive amounts of water from countries with water deficits.

Living on a boat, 2 adults used 120 gallons every two weeks for cooking and drinking. Washing clothes and showering was done in the marina's modern facilities. Meanwhile, the homeowners outside the marina, frowning at the polluting boat people, each chugged their way through 100 gallons per day!

Tucson sees just 12" (300 litres) of rain a year. The river and aquifers are decimated, even though that tiny amount of rainfall, efficiently harvested, and appreciated, is plenty enough for the good people of Tucson to drink, wash and nurture their gardens with. Brad Lancaster, rainwater harvesting expert, is proving that to this day.

Agriculture consumes about 70% of potable water. A chicken laying an egg a day needs 0.5 litres of water. Each kilo of olives picked from a non-irrigated tree has consumed just 2.5 litres of rainwater. The water piped to an irrigated olive tree? It is literally insane. Up there with irrigated almonds. And that's before any sorting, packing and transport-related water is used. 30,000 litres to make a fuel efficient car. So it goes on.

The water maths of eggs

I have learnt a lot from designing and running the numbers to water a tiny egg farm with no city water connection. Egg laying chickens each require 0.5 litres a day of clean drinking water. An egg therefore contains about one pint of water. 400+ hens, enough to keep a few hundred local families in nutrient rich eggs, need 200*365 = 73m3 of clean water a year. In terms of mains water that is not a lot.

Off-grid rainwater harvesting v mains water

The plot of land I have in mind is 1km from the nearest mains water connection. With my off-grid hat on, the rainfall here averages 550mm per year, which, to provide water year round for the chickens allowing for mega drought years, equates to about 250m2 of roof collectors and some big old tanks. Harvesting rainwater, storage, filtration, distribution to the chickens... it's a chunk of change. But even with half the normal annual rainfall, which happened a couple of years ago, it is still practical, resilient and cost effective in the long term. But...

I have to convince the authorities that I can guarantee a regular water supply for animals, else they won't give me a license. I am already facing resistance based on assumptions, not reality. "Doesn't matter how good your harvesting set up is, it doesn't rain here."

Hmmm. Over a year, we see twice the rainfall of Tucson in the desert! And a rainwater collection system built with enough redundancy to collect 73m3 from half a normal year of rain, meets the requirements. Slowly slowly.

I will go into more detail about the project on the other newsletter, Creating a Monster Chicken.

Do I ever appreciate the value of water now! And I hope you are on that path too.

NEXT

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Value for Value: If you find value in this website content, there will be various options for readers to support my project. Currently you can tip (or Zap me) on Nostr.

@ 0861144c:e68a1caf

After finishing a podcast about unpopular ideas regarding Bitcoin and previously writing this reflection on why Stacker News works, I have to admit that I kept thinking about my own response.

And… join me in this reflection.

What does it mean if you don't have Bitcoin to spend?

It means you've been buying Bitcoin, you've stored it securely in a way that makes you feel safe. After that, you go on with your life. Now, you want to buy a coffee—let's assume you want to buy a coffee. Do you have Bitcoin to buy it? While it's true that in our circle, we promote the use of Lightning Network, during my conversations with people who use cryptocurrencies[^1], most aren't inclined to spend their Bitcoin.

[^1]: Most people don't use Lightning Network, at least when I encounter lots of bitcoiners who started recently, didn't know either about it.

What does "inclined" mean in this context?

It's the same as having a wallet or purse from which you take out your cash to pay for what you want. Following this analogy, most Bitcoiners have their satoshis secured in a safe, away from devices.

So, where are the Bitcoins ready to spend?

There's another reflection. The Bitcoins ready to spend are mostly moving in custodial wallets or with additional centralized integrations; put more simply, the reason Wallet of Satoshi, Binance, Coinbase are successful—in my opinion—is because you need some data, and they take care of the nodes, routes, channels... all you need to do is provide some info about yourself, and you're good to go. The same goes for exchanges. In exchange for information, they offer you a myriad of services so you can use your Bitcoins, pay for everything.

So...

That's one main reason why custodial projects get more attention than self-custodial ones. I'm not making judgments about whether this is right or wrong; I'm analyzing the scenarios for why the most... significant developments happen in that realm. If I want to extend this to others, we could also say that mining has been subject to this too. Bitmain and other companies have closed their patents, making the study or documentation of their machines inaccessible[^2]. In that case, yes, there are Bitcoins ready to spend[^3].

[^2]: That's why we find innovative when Nerdminer or BitAxe pulls out their product. [^3]: Kudos to BTCPayServer in this case for make the coolest software to spend my bitcoins.

Honestly, I don't have a conclusion. This morning, I was reflecting on this myself. I've supported various projects with sats and will continue to do so, but in the interest of making Bitcoin a more...usable currency, we must consider that simply holding and not spending, we're not creating a friendly environment for merchants and people interested in commerce to use their Bitcoins, but we must keep pushing forward.

In the end, I’m super bullish on Bitcoin. No doubts at all.

On the other hand, am I seeing a different panorama than you?

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/654755

@ b7d75df9:90a50e09

test

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/459389

@ 5636cd9a:507a836d

Temperatures in the low 40C, birds struggling to drink, feed and lay.

@ 5636cd9a:507a836d

Two newsletters - Value for Value.

Rare as Chickens' teeth

This newsletter will be free-to-read a couple of times a month. The updates should be fun insights on the day-to-day life of a chicken farmer, something light to dip into over your morning coffee, with the option to tip or as we say, Zap, if you find value in the content.

Creating a monster

I will ask readers to pay to access this serious, as in well organised reference for anyone interested in understanding exactly what goes into this mobile egg enterprise for olive groves, or any orchard, really.

Here I explain Value for Value, the new paradigm to easily support online content creators who you think are offering value. Yes, Bitcoin technology is behind instant, near zero-cost micropayments!

Hi, I'm Andy, I'm going to document the path to setting up a small egg-laying enterprise located on a 1.4-hectare olive grove 630m up in the hills of Bajo Aragón, Spain.

In old money that's 3.5 acres of olive groves, some almonds and standing pines, plus a couple of delapidated stone buildings, situated at just over 2000 off-grid feet. The nearest village is 3 miles away down graveled pine forest tracks. Perfect, in spite of the logistical challenges.

To be clear, I'm not setting up an off-grid chicken farm the hard way and spending hours posting online for shits and giggles. I don't identify as a survivalist or prepper, just a He or Him who was never happier than when deleting my FaceBook account a few years ago and Twitter last year. And what do you know, I'm in the latter stages of my working life, unemployable because of back issues, but I still have life in me for a few hours a day. So this project is a perfect calling to tide me over til 67.But needs must.

I see a problem, and a solution. I am sure I am capable of delivering on it.

I'm a big fan of Bitcoin, I only wish my wallet was as big as my fan-ness. Anyway, if you spend any decent time studying it, you end up a) convinced it has to work and b) you think deeper about privacy, security, self sovereignty and time preferences. It's no coincidence that I have built this newsletter website on Ghost, and assembled a small raft of apps for emailing, invoicing and social media, all built by bitcoiners or developers whose middle name is privacy, security and encryption.

This project may sound all very grandiose and a bit of a punt in hope, but I have been here before. Back around 2010, I launched a UK wide network online to promote the skills of specialist kitchen painters. It too was started at a time when all the wheels seemed to be falling off the industry, yet I saw insane opportunity for those who could harness internet technology to get their name out to the public. I worked out the Google search, Twitter and WordPress blog combination, and used that "unknown tech" to share the painters' knowledge openly. I was laughed at, until it generated so much work for the painters and prompted a whole industry to up its game. This project with the eggs as a solution to a bigger problem in the olive industry has the same vibe. Instead of painters, I'm promoting a business model for a proven pasture-fed egg enterprise that would work for small scale olive farmers anxious to find a way to make their land pay its way.

I have understood and joined many of the dots through dint of being old. I've been around chickens both as a kid and a supposed grown-up. I've been part of a biodiversity restoration project on a 4 -hectare olive grove for the last five years and witnessed the impact on the land with and without intensively grazed animals. Apparently I'm considered a crack olive picker and not a bad pruner, and for anything beyond my technical or biology paygrade, a seasoned and expert olive farmer has my back. Unfortunately, old age doesn't come alone and I need a local physiotherapist to watch my back too.

To be clear, Olive Grove Eggs is not inventing a new way of raising chickens or cultivating olives. But I am joining dots at what feels like an opportune time. The margins for small-scale olive farmers in Spain are being squeezed forever harder, driving the amalgamation of small parcels into large industrial plots, or abandonment. Neither of these outcomes is good for the wealth or health of rural communities dependent on olive production.

At the same juncture, the financial system is now visibly crumbling and inflation is kicking in. Fewer people can afford proper eggs or proper olive oil sold at supermarkets, so it feels like a good time to provide a direct-to-consumer service to keep prices down.

It is a common saying in the Bitcoin world that if you can fix the money you can fix the world. It is therefore a good time to also open eyes to Bitcoin, the solution to a failing centralised global debt-based economy. As currency, Bitcoin can facilitate commerce within local circular economies with instant settlement and ultra low costs for sellers. As a savings vehicle, Bitcoin is a brilliant store of value, meaning the best eggs and olive oil can become more affordable to buy over time, while keeping suppliers increasingly profitable. Crazy win-win, but true. It's maths. As btc goes up, €£$ go down.

I'm just joining existing dots to offer a viable solution to a big problem facing small scale olive farmers in Spain. There are 64 olive-producing nations globally, so I'm sure my project will resonate with many other communities.

Mobile chicken coops, olive groves and bitcoin

The egg-laying model I am going to adopt, and share with you, is going to be a game-changer, applicable in 64 olive-producing nations world-wide! But not without its challenges.

For a start, the neighbours are going to be laughing at me, not with me, when they get wind of 400 laying hens let loose between the 24 rain-fed olive trees and a dozen almond trees. They will all say the same: predators will get them, especially hawks, and anyway, thanks to supermarkets, the egg market is rubbish for small-scale producers. And what the hell is bitcoin!

Curiosity will definitely turn to ridicule when I say I'm not going to plough the olive groves every three months, as is the custom here. I will certainly plough once, to kickstart the soil regeneration process, but after that, the chickens are going to disturb and fertilise and prepare the land for groundcover - providing nutrients in the future for the trees and food for the chickens.

And then there's the bureaucracy. To be fair to the Spanish, who need no excuse to create extra paperwork and pensionable desk jobs for the boys, the EU is the main driver of a relentless increase in rules and norms. I wasn't kidding when I said the off-grid isolated plot is perfect. You cannot be less than 1000m from a village boundary, 350m from other animals, nowhere near a river, and who knows what else, and that's just the location boxes ticked. A far cry from say, the UK, where 10,000-strong battery hens are defacating without a license straight into rivers, legally! It's about balance, right!

On top of ever swirling bureaucracy, you have to battle intransigence, conservatism and a certain amount of intellectual laziness too. Despite the evidence of approved mobile egg enterprises all over Europe, nobody but nobody around here has a grasp of the concept of mobile coops for hundreds of chickens! Chicken farm here equals intensive battery buildings, massive ventilation systems, sewage systems, the whole nine yards of infrastructure and agencies to deal with. Screw that. Going mobile cuts through most of that rigmarole, logically. Except even local backyard chicken owners with mobile tractors look at my coop and assume the chickens will live within its confines, pecking at the grass until I move them on to the next patch of grass. It couldn't be further from that idea. The clue, folks, is in the term "free-range".

The problem facing small scale olive farmers

Olive groves of 1 to 3 hectares are vital to the local economy, and a valuable source of super healthy food. However, by and large, market forces and inflation have rendered them barely profitable. (2023/24 was an exception.)

For a start, non-irrigated olive trees only yield well biannually, literally feast then famine. There's good money to be made if you hit scale - 50 hectares or more with drip feed irrigation. That assumes you are comfortable with industrial farming, and the inherent expenses and debt too.

Many olive farmers operate at a loss, reliant on EU subsidies. Without subsidies, you own olives for pin money, keep fit and get to enjoy glorious oil that cannot be bought in any store - or you abandon the land.

This part of Spain is known as España vaciada. (Empty.) Rural depopulation is a big deal, with a negative impact on the long term economic health, and literal health of rural communities. Cities become more reliant on fewer food producers using more water for irrigation. Inevitably the market deprives consumers of access to premium quality nutrient dense olive oil that has sustained millions for centuries. If small olive groves disappear, everyone stands to lose. How to solve the problem?

Start with an egg-laying enterprise based in eco olive groves

Small-scale pastured poultry enterprises have been proven profitable by Richard Perkins in Sweden and Joe Salatin in the USA. Their systems have been copied by tens of thousands of small landowners globally. However I see very little, (dare I say zero?!) evidence of Spanish olive farmers adopting side-gig pastured poultry enterprises, to make ends meet one year to the next. The trend here at least is to buy more olives, or clear forest and plant more olives, irrigate more, wring more blood out the stony land.

I am a tree hugger type who really is enamoured with nature, but I understand the basics of business. The first rule is to keep overheads low. The second rule is to push overheads lower, and the third rule, refer to rule one. In my view, therefore, eco olive groves are a no-brainer. Once set up, inputs for olive trees are miniscule compared to conventional farming reliant on regular ploughing and NPK fertilising. And there is no concern with soil erosion, evaporation, or access to the land in inclement weather. Within a couple of years, olive yields are at least the same, if not more than ploughing neighbours', which equates to maximum profits from minimum outlay.

Use the farm to kickstart a local circular economy

There is way more to the project than what's in it for me. I'm a great believer in a local circular economy.

Nobody is self sufficient, so we all need to rely on others, if we want to get things done. Bring back humanity to our local economies, say I, with fresh eggs. Fresh eggs are a fabulous currency to kickstart economic activity between neighbours. Who can resist a newly laid egg? Clock the reaction when you receive a box as a gift. I bet you are looking around for something to offer in return, be it ferretting through your wallet for some cash or picking food from your garden, or as I had recently, gifting a piece of jewelry. An offering of eggs unlocks so much human potential.

Finance the circular economy using Bitcoin as cash and savings.

Barter never was much use. It's a headache to work out the relative value of two products. Is it one or two potatoes for a cabbage. Barter is also a nightmare for tax purposes. How much of a cabbage do I give to the taxman? Or do they want an egg instead?

Along comes money to facilitate trade. Fast forward through shells, salt and gold, Bitcoin is now the most reliable financial tool ever invented by mankind, to conduct Person to Person (P2P) transactions.

I acknowledge that, unlike fresh eggs, 99% of people resist the idea that Bitcoin is the greatest money ever, despite the evidence. It is not illegal; it is a really dumb way to fund terrorism; the nefarious usage is miniscule compared to the dollar, and it is actually recognised by most tax jurisdictions as a financial asset. So I'm going to show locals how to transact with me using Bitcoin wallets on their phone - offering 20% off my normal prices as an incentive. And from there, show other businesses how they can accept Bitcoin payments from me for their services. A circular economy with instant settlement between bona fide merchants using the Bitcoin network. That's the future without Visa.

Bitcoin as savings

As well as using Bitcoin as super efficient day-to-day money, I will also be keeping any profits in a Bitcoin bank rather than in the local bank. You would too, if you want to ensure the long-term financial viability of a business!

€100 will buy 4 sacks of chicken feed today. I can turn 100€ into bitcoin and store it in a secure facility for 4 years, knowing that when I try to spend it, my bitcoin will buy way more than 4 sacks. But if I keep the €100 in the local bank for just 4 years, even with inflation at an optimistic super low 3%, I will be able to buy just 3 sacks!

Even president-elect, Donald Trump, gets it. He has vowed to put Bitcoin on the US Treasury balance sheet as an asset to offset their crazy debt levels. And there is already a bi-partisan supported bill ready, regardless of whether he becomes president, commiting the US to buying 1 million bitcoin over the next 4-5 years. Bitcoin is not a fad, it's here to stay and it works way better as money than anything we have now.

The egg-laying model I am going to adopt, and share with you, is going to be a game-changer, applicable in 64 olive-producing nations world-wide! But not without its challenges.

Practical challenges

I'm about 1 kilometer from the end of the municipal water supply. There is no power for miles. The roads to the nearest village 5 kilometres down the hill are gravel forest tracks. That infrastructure deficit, in and of itself, is a challenge I would prefer not to face, but I'm excited about finding and implementing the solutions, and sharing that journey with you. We have a lot to share and teach each other!

It is going to be expense, time and effort, compared to plugging into city water, power and roads, but the real issue for this project is Spanish bureaucracy.

Navigating the paperwork is going to be quite the challenge, but one thing you learn about Spain is the importance of gestoría. Whether you are a local or an immigrant like me, you can save yourself a fortune in time, money and nerves simply by employing a professional middleman who knows everyone and all the traps and loopholes. So I will be using a pitbull tecnico agricola (agricultural "architect") to fire my bullets and push back against rules and the applicable fees that simply don't apply to a mobile egg system.

The Spanish are nothing if not pragmatic, and I'm confident that it's going to work, so I will meet head-on the inevitable resistance to an approach that is proven to be beyond beneficial to a chicken, the environment and the local farming community.

Thinking ahead, this project represents an important development for landowners, initially in this area and over time, much further afield. (They say farmers are only deemed experts when they are 50 miles from their own farm!) That potential for pioneering a project of some importance should appeal to the political side of the local Veterinary Office and Mayor!

Two newsletters - Value for Value.

Rare as Chickens' teeth will be free-to-read a couple of times a month. The updates should be fun updates on the day-to-day life of a chicken farmer, something light to dip into over your morning coffee, with the option to tip or as we say, Zap, if you find value in the content.

Creating a monster. I will ask readers to pay to access this serious, as in well organised reference for anyone interested in understanding exactly what goes into this mobile egg enterprise for olive groves, or any orchard, really.

Here I explain Value for Value, the new paradigm to easily support content creators who you think are offering value. Yes, Bitcoin technology is behind instant, near zero-cost micropayments!

@ 57d1a264:69f1fee1

| OLD LOGO | NEW LOGO| |---|---| |||

---

LifPay is a not well know yet custodial web and mobile app that had since inception focus on deliverring some really interestingg features, as the sale of digital goods, multiple account management and nostr integration to name few.

It recently update its design proposing an interesting switch from the original orange details to some green/purple alternatives.

NEW LANDING PAGE

OLD APP SCREENS

NEW APP SCREENS

TRY LIFPAY! ... and let us know your thoughts! https://lifpay.me/

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/654432

@ 06830f6c:34da40c5

EXPOSEEEEE

The Hidden Truth Behind M-PESA and Bitcoin: Why Off-Ramp Services Can Send Money to Mobile Numbers But Fail with Paybill and Buy Goods

In the fast-evolving world of digital finance, Kenya’s M-PESA stands as a pioneering model, allowing millions to send money, pay bills, and buy goods with ease. At the same time, Bitcoin has gained traction globally, offering decentralized financial freedom. But when these two worlds collide, particularly in the realm of Bitcoin off-ramps, some serious limitations become apparent. Specifically, while Bitcoin off-ramp services can easily send money to M-PESA mobile numbers, they hit a brick wall when it comes to Paybill and Buy Goods services. Let’s break down exactly why this happens, backed by the facts.

Mobile Number Transfers: Simple, Universal, and Accessible

M-PESA’s mobile number transfers are the simplest form of transaction in its ecosystem. They involve sending money directly to a recipient’s mobile number, which serves as a unique identifier within the M-PESA system. This process is straightforward and doesn’t require complex integrations or verifications beyond the basic identity checks M-PESA already has in place.

Why Bitcoin Off-Ramps Can Handle This:

1. Simple Integration with M-PESA’s API:

2. Safaricom provides APIs that allow external services to interact with M-PESA’s system, particularly for mobile number transfers. Bitcoin off-ramp services can integrate these APIs to convert Bitcoin into Kenyan Shillings and send it directly to a user’s M-PESA mobile number. The process is as simple as any other mobile number transfer within M-PESA’s ecosystem, making it accessible for Bitcoin services.

3. Minimal Regulatory Barriers:

4. Sending money to a mobile number is a low-risk transaction from a regulatory standpoint. Bitcoin off-ramps are primarily concerned with converting crypto to fiat, and this transaction doesn’t require the extensive compliance checks needed for more complex services like Paybill or Buy Goods. The relatively simple nature of mobile number transfers allows these off-ramps to operate smoothly without running afoul of strict financial regulations.

5. Broad Market Appeal:

6. Bitcoin off-ramp services are designed to offer users a quick and easy way to convert their Bitcoin into usable local currency. The ability to send money to a mobile number meets a widespread demand, particularly in countries like Kenya, where M-PESA is ubiquitous. This feature makes Bitcoin off-ramps practical and appealing to users who want to access their funds without delay.

Paybill and Buy Goods: The Complexities of M-PESA’s Advanced Services

Unlike simple mobile number transfers, Paybill and Buy Goods transactions are more complex and require deeper integration into M-PESA’s system. These services are used by businesses to collect payments and by consumers to pay for goods and services. Each transaction involves more than just moving money; it requires precise account mapping, real-time processing, and stringent compliance with financial regulations.

Why Bitcoin Off-Ramps Can’t Handle This:

1. Complex Integration Requirements:

2. Paybill: To use Paybill, a payment must be linked to a specific business account within M-PESA. For example, when you pay an electricity bill using Paybill, your payment isn’t just sent to the utility company; it’s mapped to your unique account with them. This mapping requires direct access to M-PESA’s backend systems, something that Bitcoin off-ramps lack. Without this access, it’s impossible for them to ensure that the payment is correctly attributed to the right account.

3. Buy Goods: Buy Goods transactions are similarly complex. They involve paying a specific merchant via a till number, with the funds instantly credited to the merchant’s M-PESA account. These transactions need to be processed securely and in real-time, which requires a level of integration and trust that Bitcoin off-ramps simply don’t have. Safaricom maintains tight control over this process to ensure the security and reliability of each transaction, further limiting external access.

4. Regulatory Compliance and Risk:

5. The regulatory environment surrounding Paybill and Buy Goods services is stringent. These transactions are subject to strict financial oversight to prevent money laundering, fraud, and other financial crimes. Bitcoin off-ramps, which operate in the less regulated world of cryptocurrency, are not equipped to meet these regulatory standards. The additional compliance requirements would be too burdensome for these services, making it impractical for them to offer Paybill or Buy Goods functionality.

6. Safaricom’s Strategic Control:

7. Safaricom has a vested interest in keeping Paybill and Buy Goods services within its own ecosystem. By controlling access to these services, Safaricom ensures that businesses and consumers remain dependent on M-PESA for their financial transactions. This control allows Safaricom to maintain its dominant position in the Kenyan market. Bitcoin off-ramps, on the other hand, represent a potential threat to this dominance by offering an alternative way to move money. By restricting access to Paybill and Buy Goods, Safaricom can stifle competition and keep the lion’s share of the market.

The Hard Truth for Bitcoin Users in Kenya

For Kenyan users who earn or hold Bitcoin, the inability to use Bitcoin off-ramps for Paybill or Buy Goods transactions is a significant limitation. While they can easily convert their Bitcoin to Kenyan Shillings and send it to an M-PESA mobile number, they cannot use those funds directly to pay bills or purchase goods through M-PESA’s advanced services. This forces users to either keep their funds within the M-PESA system or seek out other, potentially less convenient, methods of payment.

The Bottom Line: A System Designed for Control

The reason Bitcoin off-ramps can’t handle Paybill and Buy Goods transactions boils down to control. Safaricom’s tight grip on these services ensures that they remain an integral part of the M-PESA ecosystem, with all the regulatory, technical, and financial complexities that come with them. While Bitcoin off-ramps offer a valuable service by enabling users to convert and transfer their crypto to mobile numbers, they are blocked from fully participating in Kenya’s digital economy due to these entrenched barriers.

In the end, while Bitcoin off-ramps offer a glimpse of financial freedom, the reality is that in Kenya, the most critical transactions are still tightly controlled by Safaricom. For now, Paybill and Buy Goods remain the exclusive domain of M-PESA, keeping the gates of Kenya’s digital economy firmly closed to external challengers.

bitbiashara

@ fa984bd7:58018f52

@ 5636cd9a:507a836d

This is Olive Grove Eggs, a brand new site from Huevos del Olivar that's just getting started. Things will be up and running here shortly, but you can subscribe in the meantime if you'd like to stay up to date and receive emails when new content is published!

@ f240c9c2:6c0c0a86

⚠️一部のクライアントでは表示が崩れている場合があります。HablaやYakihonneから見てください

---

NIP-51のkind:30007に関するPull Requestが承認され、2024/08/20時点で本家NIPsにもマージされました。今後「リポスト」や「リアクション」などの特定のkind^1をミュートするためのセット^2が対応するクライアントで使えるようになります。

kind mute set(kind:30007)にて、"d"タグには対応するイベントの種類の番号(リポストなら"6"、リアクションなら"7")を入れ、"p"タグにはユーザの公開鍵(pubkey)を入れるそうです。

nostrクライアントのnostterは、これに対応したことで、Twitter(現:X)の「リポストをオフのする」機能のように"特定ユーザーのリポストをクライアント上で非表示にする"といったことができるようになりました。リアクションも同様に非表示にできます。 nostterでは、2024/07/29以降、ユーザーのプロフィール画面からこれらの設定を行えるようになっています。

2024/06/22 20時の時点では、nostter上ではこれを設定する画面が用意されていなかったので、別アプリを用いたり、イベントを自分で投げるなどして別途設定する必要がありました。 以下は、別アプリを用いて設定した際の手順です。

手順

kind:30007はのすとびうあというWebアプリで設定しました。 以下のようにのすとびうあのホーム画面「リストの種類」で30007を入力するか、

https://nostviewstr.vercel.app/<npub文字列>/30007にアクセスして設定画面にいけました^3。

左下の方にある≡を押して

ポップアップの「編集」を押して

ここではリポストのミュートのため、IDの欄に対応するイベントの種類の番号である「6」を入れて

右下にある青いボタン押して

Userの欄にリポストをミュートするユーザーの公開鍵のnpub文字列を入れ、public(ミュート状況が公開される)あるいはprivate(非公開)のボタンを押したら

そのユーザーが追加されて設定完了！

この設定を行うことで、入力した公開鍵(ユーザー)のリポストをnostter上でもミュートできました🙌

リポストやリアクションがどのように表示されるかをユーザーがコントロールできると便利なので、今後いろんなクライアントで対応されればいいな〜と思います！

@ 9d73fb61:08f8188b

توی این روزها خیلی‌ها دارند میرم توی شبکه‌های اجتماعی جدید که آمده. متا Threads معرفی کرده، جک دورسی هم بعد از فروش twitter به ماسک آمد Blusky معرفی کردن، مردم استقبال خیلی زیادی از این دو شبکه اجتماعی کردن به طوری که Threads در چند روز چند میلون مکاربر جذب کده است. ولی در این بین شبکه اجتماعی یا بهتره گفت بستری برای توسعه شبکه اجتماعی به نام نوستر وجود دارد که به دلیل این که آدم مشهور یا شرکت بزرگی پشتش نیست که معرفیش بکنه مورد استقبال عموم مردم قرار نگرفته و تقریبا هیچ کس اسمش رو هم نشنیده. بیشتر افرادی که توی این شبکه هستند به اصطلاح عامیانه خوره تکنولوژی با به گفته خودشون گیک هستن. در اینجا درباره تاریخ چه نوستر یا بحث های فنی ارتباط نمیینویسم فقط میخوام نوستر رو معرفی کنم و روش ساخت اکانت بر روی اون نشون بدم. ـ Nostr مخفف "Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays" است. نوستر یک فناوری متن باز و غیر متمرکز جهانیه که میشه بر بستر آن شبکه اجتماعی یا هر قابلیت دیگه ای رو توسعه داد و از این ویژکی غیر متمرکز بودن وغیر قابل سانسور بودن ان استفاده کرد. نوستر هیچ سرور مرکزی یا شرکتی ندارد که کنترل کند چه چیزی میتوان پست کرد و یا چه چیزی ما میتوانیم ببینیم. نوستر از تعداد زیادی رله (سرور) تشکیل شده است که این رله ها با یک دیگر در ارتباط هستند.و با یک دیگر تبادل اطلاعات انجام میدهند. هر شحص میتواند به رله های متفاوت متصل بشه و یا حتی برای خودش یک رله شخصی راه اندازی بکند. به اختیار خودش میتواند این رله را به صورت عمومی متصل کند و یا به صورت شخصی از ان استفاده کند. توجه کنید Nostr، یک پروتکل است. مجموعه قوانینی است مه سرورها و مشتران برای برقراری ارتباط از آن استفاده میکنند، مانند بیت کوین، ایمیل یا بیتتورنت. یک برنامه و یا یک «پلتفرم» مانند Twitter، Facebook و غیره نیست اما بسیاری از برنامه‌ها را می‌توان بر روی Nostr ساخت. برای اتصال و استفاده از قابلیت‌های شبکه نوستر تا کنون ابزارهای زیادی توسعه داده شده است. از ابزاری مثل تویتتر تا ابزارهای نوشتن وبلاگ و گوش دادن موسیقی لیست این ابزارها بر روی سایت https://www.nostrapps.com/ قرار دارد. یکی از اولین ابزارهایی که بر اثاث نوستر کار می‌کند یک شبکه اجتماعی است مانند توییتر، در ان میتوان پست لایک و... را انجام داد مانند تویتتر برای استفاده از نوستر شما نیازی به ایمیل ویا شماره تلفن ندارید کافیه با کمک یکی از کلاینت های که به شبکه نوستر متصل هستند. اقدام به ساخت کلید خصوصی و عمومی برای خودتان بکنید. با با کمک این کلید هر پست خود را امضاء و منتشر بکنید. یکی از کلاینت هایی که این کار را برای ما انجام میدهد. به همین سادگی به نوستر خوش امدید. حال میتوانید برای پروفایل خود عکس بزارید. کلید عمومی ابزاری است که دیگران با کمک اون میتوانند شمارا پیدا کنند کلید خصوصی نقش نام کاربری و کلمه عبور را دارد. برای استفاده از تمامی ابزار هایی که نوستر در اختیار ما قرار میدهد یکبار باز کردن حساب کافیست. در نوستر میتوان به صورت مستقیم با کمک لاتنینگ دونیت انجام داد بدون نیاز ارسال اینویس از طرف مقابل. اگر طرفدار آزادی بیان و حریم خصوصی هستید از نوستر استفاده کنید و به دوستان خود هم معرفیش بکنید.

**مخزن گیتهاب <نوستر به فارسی> ** این مخزن شامل ترجمه محتوایت مخزن اصلیه نیپ ها (امکانات پیاده سازی نوستر) و محتوای تکمیلی برای پیاده سازی و همچنین توضیحات به زبان ساده برای افراد مبدتی می باشد. https://github.com/persianccbook/nips-persian همچنین میتوانید با کمک به توسعه این مخزن و معرفی اون به دوستان خود به گسترش استفاده از نوستر نیز کمک بکنید.

@ 79be667e:16f81798

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

I was reflecting on Arnold Kling's description of the three main political tribes (Progressives, Conservatives, Libertarians) and how Bitcoin serves each of them. I'm going to give each group a charitable hearing, which means I'm talking about the good faith actors in each of these tribes. I have no illusions about there being bad faith power seeking sociopaths in each group.

Full disclosure: I have not read Kling's book The Three Languages of Politics, so this is only based on listening to him discuss these ideas with Russ Roberts on Econ Talk and perhaps hearing it come up in other conversations.

Libertarians

In Kling's taxonomy, Libertarians frame issues around a liberty vs coercion distinction (can confirm). It's pretty easy to see the appeal of bitcoin to this group (and not just because it's the group I'm in).

The state and other criminals can't take your bitcoin from you without your consent and they can't stop you from transacting with it.

There's another element of bitcoin that appeals to Libertarians greatly. Using Bitcoin directly undermines the coercive state, reducing it's capacity to coerce innocent people.

Progressives

Kling describes Progressives as framing things as oppressor vs oppressed. At first blush this sounds similar to Libertarians, but Progressives don't see violations of property rights as the dividing line. Progressives are concerned about the plight of the "little guy" and not only in cases of outright coercion.

What likely appeals to Progressives is that Bitcoin is open to all. Disenfranchised people, who may be blocked out of formal financial institutions, have just as much access to Bitcoin as everyone else.

That Bitcoin also allows ordinary people to preserve their savings without relying on and enriching corrupt bankers should be quite appealing.

Conservatives

The Conservative framing is civilization vs barbarism, according to Kling. There's a lot to unpack there and I'm not going try to be comprehensive about it. One way to think about this distinction is that a civilization has formal institutional structures for dealing with disputes that are rooted in their societies traditions, rather than resorting to unseemly ad hoc solutions (again, there's a lot to unpack here).

I found conservatives the most difficult to think about. Those of you who are familiar with The Righteous Mind will likely be able to guess why.

Where I think the main appeal is for conservatives is that the state, in general, and fiat, in particular, undermine many of the traditional institutions of society. Bitcoin undermines their ability to undermine the organic institutions of civil society. There's a whole treatise to be written on this topic, but suffice to say conservatives believe that the state undermines and crowds out churches, fraternal societies, charities, the family, and cultural tradition, while the high time preference induced by fiat leads to all manner of antisocial behaviors like drug abuse, casual sex, and gambling.

Wrapping up

Let me know what you think about this. Did I miss something obvious? Did I mischaracterize anything/anyone?

Only hold as much fiat as you're willing to lose.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/653982

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Table Of Content

• The Need for Financial Innovation

• Why KYC is Not the Future

• The Benefits of Non-KYC Bitcoin

• How to Get Non-KYC Bitcoin

• Conclusion

• FAQ

In the world of finance, innovation is constantly changing the way we think about money. One of the most significant innovations in recent years has been the development of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. While Bitcoin was initially dismissed as a fringe technology, it has since grown to become a significant player in the financial world. However, as governments and financial institutions become more involved in regulating Bitcoin, there is a growing need for non-KYC Bitcoin.

The Need for Financial Innovation

The current financial system is outdated and inefficient. It is controlled by centralized institutions that have a monopoly on the creation and distribution of money. This has led to a system that is rife with corruption, where the interests of the few are put above the needs of the many. Cryptocurrencies offer an alternative to this broken system, one that is decentralized and transparent.

Why KYC is Not the Future

KYC, or Know Your Customer, is a regulatory process that requires financial institutions to verify the identity of their clients. While KYC is intended to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, it has several drawbacks. First, it is expensive and time-consuming for both financial institutions and their customers. Second, it is a violation of privacy, as it requires individuals to disclose personal information to third parties. Finally, it is not foolproof, as criminals can still find ways to bypass KYC requirements.

The Benefits of Non-KYC Bitcoin

Non-KYC Bitcoin is a type of Bitcoin that is not subject to KYC regulations. It offers several benefits over traditional Bitcoin. First, it is more private, as it does not require individuals to disclose personal information to third parties. Second, it is more efficient, as it does not require the time and expense of the KYC process. Finally, it is more secure, as it is less vulnerable to hacking and other types of cyber attacks.

How to Get Non-KYC Bitcoin

Getting non-KYC Bitcoin is not difficult, but it does require some effort. The easiest way to get non-KYC Bitcoin is to buy it from a peer-to-peer marketplace. These marketplaces connect buyers and sellers directly, allowing for the exchange of Bitcoin without the need for KYC verification. Another way to get non-KYC Bitcoin is to mine it yourself. Mining Bitcoin requires a significant investment in hardware and electricity, but it can be a lucrative way to obtain Bitcoin without KYC verification.

Conclusion

As the financial world continues to evolve, it is important to stay ahead of the curve. Non-KYC Bitcoin offers an alternative to traditional Bitcoin that is more private, efficient, and secure. While getting non-KYC Bitcoin requires some effort, the benefits are worth it for those who value their privacy and security. So if you are getting ready for the future of finance, consider getting non-KYC Bitcoin now.

FAQ

What is non-KYC Bitcoin? Non-KYC Bitcoin is a type of Bitcoin that is not subject to Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations, which require financial institutions to verify the identity of their clients.

Why should I get non-KYC Bitcoin? Non-KYC Bitcoin offers several benefits over traditional Bitcoin, including increased privacy, efficiency, and security.

How do I get non-KYC Bitcoin? You can get non-KYC Bitcoin by buying it from a peer-to-peer marketplace or by mining it yourself.

Is non-KYC Bitcoin legal? Yes, non-KYC Bitcoin is legal in most countries. However, you should check the laws in your specific country to make sure.

What are the risks of using non-KYC Bitcoin? Non-KYC Bitcoin can be riskier than traditional Bitcoin, as it is more vulnerable to scams and fraudulent activities. Additionally, some exchanges and marketplaces that offer non-KYC Bitcoin may not be trustworthy or secure.

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.

@ 1e95c007:7a03b629

This is a test using the Nostr Writer plugin for Obsidian

---

Let's see how this works

Pretty pumped about this, as I use it to draft Nostr notes and usually have to transfer everything over to Nostr manually.

https://habla.news/tony/87412fcb

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

test

teslgnslknsdlgnvlsdkvgnleihvlwevnlwkvlwekvnldskvnld dsvmdslvdslvndsklvndslkvnsd

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

```js import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react'; import dynamic from 'next/dynamic'; import { Button } from 'primereact/button'; import { Dialog } from 'primereact/dialog'; import { initializeBitcoinConnect } from './BitcoinConnect'; import { LightningAddress } from '@getalby/lightning-tools'; import { useToast } from '@/hooks/useToast'; import { useSession } from 'next-auth/react'; import axios from 'axios';

const Payment = dynamic( () => import('@getalby/bitcoin-connect-react').then((mod) => mod.Payment), { ssr: false } );

const ResourcePaymentButton = ({ lnAddress, amount, onSuccess, onError, resourceId }) => { const [invoice, setInvoice] = useState(null); const [userId, setUserId] = useState(null); const { showToast } = useToast(); const { data: session } = useSession(); const [dialogVisible, setDialogVisible] = useState(false);

useEffect(() => { if (session?.user) { setUserId(session.user.id); } }, [session]);

useEffect(() => { initializeBitcoinConnect(); }, []);

useEffect(() => { const fetchInvoice = async () => { try { const ln = new LightningAddress(lnAddress); await ln.fetch(); const invoice = await ln.requestInvoice({ satoshi: amount }); setInvoice(invoice); } catch (error) { console.error('Error fetching invoice:', error); showToast('error', 'Invoice Error', 'Failed to fetch the invoice.'); if (onError) onError(error); } };

fetchInvoice();

}, [lnAddress, amount, onError, showToast]);

const handlePaymentSuccess = async (response) => { try { const purchaseData = { userId: userId, resourceId: resourceId, amountPaid: parseInt(amount, 10) };

  const result = await axios.post('/api/purchase/resource', purchaseData);

  if (result.status === 200) {
    showToast('success', 'Payment Successful', `Paid ${amount} sats and updated user purchases`);
    if (onSuccess) onSuccess(response);
  } else {
    throw new Error('Failed to update user purchases');
  }
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Error updating user purchases:', error);
  showToast('error', 'Purchase Update Failed', 'Payment was successful, but failed to update user purchases.');
  if (onError) onError(error);
}
setDialogVisible(false);

};

return ( <> ${amount} sats} icon="pi pi-wallet" onClick={() => setDialogVisible(true)} disabled={!invoice} severity='primary' rounded className="text-[#f8f8ff] text-sm" />

setDialogVisible(false)} header="Make Payment" style={{ width: '50vw' }} > {invoice ? ( Pay ${amount} sats} /> ) : (

Loading payment details...

)}

); };

export default ResourcePaymentButton; ```

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

```js import React, { useEffect, useState, useCallback, useRef } from 'react'; import { useRouter } from 'next/router'; import { useImageProxy } from '@/hooks/useImageProxy'; import { Tag } from 'primereact/tag'; import { Button } from 'primereact/button'; import Image from 'next/image'; import dynamic from 'next/dynamic'; import axios from 'axios'; import { nip04, nip19 } from 'nostr-tools'; import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid'; import { useSession } from 'next-auth/react'; import { useNDKContext } from "@/context/NDKContext"; import { NDKEvent } from "@nostr-dev-kit/ndk"; import { findKind0Fields } from '@/utils/nostr'; import { useToast } from '@/hooks/useToast'; import 'primeicons/primeicons.css';

const MDDisplay = dynamic(() => import("@uiw/react-markdown-preview"), { ssr: false });

// ... keep the validateEvent function as is ...

export default function DraftCourseDetails({ processedEvent, draftId, lessons }) { // ... keep state declarations and hooks as is ...

const fetchAuthor = useCallback(async (pubkey) => {
    if (!pubkey) return;
    const author = await ndk.getUser({ pubkey });
    const profile = await author.fetchProfile();
    const fields = await findKind0Fields(profile);
    if (fields) setAuthor(fields);
}, [ndk]);

useEffect(() => {
    if (processedEvent) fetchAuthor(processedEvent?.user?.pubkey);
}, [fetchAuthor, processedEvent]);

useEffect(() => {
    if (session) setUser(session.user);
}, [session]);

const handleDelete = async () => {
    try {
        await axios.delete(`/api/courses/drafts/${processedEvent.id}`);
        showToast('success', 'Success', 'Draft Course deleted successfully');
        router.push('/');
    } catch (error) {
        showToast('error', 'Error', 'Failed to delete draft course');
    }
};

const handlePostResource = async (resource) => {
    // ... keep this function as is ...
};

const createCourseEvent = (courseId, title, summary, coverImage, lessons, price) => {
    const event = new NDKEvent(ndk);
    event.kind = 30004;
    event.content = "";
    event.tags = [
        ['d', courseId],
        ['name', title],
        ['picture', coverImage],
        ['image', coverImage],
        ['description', summary],
        ['l', "Education"],
        ['price', price.toString()],
        ...lessons.map((lesson) => ['a', `${lesson.kind}:${lesson.pubkey}:${lesson.d}`]),
    ];
    return event;
};

const handleSubmit = async (e) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    const newCourseId = uuidv4();

    try {
        if (!ndk.signer) await addSigner();

        // Process lessons
        await Promise.all(processedLessons.map(async (lesson) => {
            const unpublished = lesson?.unpublished;
            if (unpublished && Object.keys(unpublished).length > 0) {
                const validationResult = validateEvent(unpublished);
                if (validationResult !== true) {
                    throw new Error(`Invalid event: ${validationResult}`);
                }

                const published = await unpublished.publish();
                const saved = await handlePostResource(unpublished);

                if (published && saved) {
                    await axios.delete(`/api/drafts/${lesson?.d}`);
                }
            }
        }));

        // Create and publish course
        const courseEvent = createCourseEvent(newCourseId, processedEvent.title, processedEvent.summary, processedEvent.image, processedLessons, processedEvent.price);
        const published = await courseEvent.publish();

        if (!published) {
            throw new Error('Failed to publish course');
        }

        // Save course to db
        await axios.post('/api/courses', {
            id: newCourseId,
            resources: {
                connect: processedLessons.map(lesson => ({ id: lesson?.d }))
            },
            noteId: courseEvent.id,
            user: {
                connect: { id: user.id }
            },
            price: processedEvent?.price || 0
        });

        // Update resources with course id
        await Promise.all(processedLessons.map(lesson => 
            axios.put(`/api/resources/${lesson?.d}`, { courseId: newCourseId })
        ));

        // Delete draft
        await axios.delete(`/api/courses/drafts/${processedEvent.id}`);

        showToast('success', 'Success', 'Course created successfully');
        router.push(`/course/${courseEvent.id}`);

    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error creating course:', error);
        showToast('error', 'Error', error.message || 'Failed to create course. Please try again.');
    }
};

useEffect(() => {
    const buildEvent = async (draft) => {
        // ... keep this function as is ...
    };

    const buildDraftEvent = async (lesson) => {
        const { unsignedEvent } = await buildEvent(lesson);
        return unsignedEvent;
    };

    const processLessons = async () => {
        if (!hasRunEffect.current && lessons.length > 0 && user && author) {
            hasRunEffect.current = true;

            const processedLessons = await Promise.all(lessons.map(async (lesson) => {
                const isDraft = !lesson?.pubkey;
                if (isDraft) {
                    const unsignedEvent = await buildDraftEvent(lesson);
                    return {
                        d: lesson?.id,
                        kind: lesson?.price ? 30402 : 30023,
                        pubkey: unsignedEvent.pubkey,
                        unpublished: unsignedEvent
                    };
                } else {
                    return {
                        d: lesson?.d,
                        kind: lesson?.price ? 30402 : 30023,
                        pubkey: lesson.pubkey
                    };
                }
            }));

            setProcessedLessons(processedLessons);
        }
    };

    processLessons();
}, [lessons, user, author, ndk]);

// ... keep the return statement (JSX) as is ...

} ```

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

json {"id":"7bcd1b31-7312-4ac7-bd98-26135ae3532c","userId":"cc89e769-1cf7-4c9f-9558-cacc07ec9233","price":0,"noteId":"naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpr9kpcs4v7y8nndqhm6dtvlurfw9jfwj4k6a33860d7s8d0jm6h2qqjrwcnrvsckyve395mnxvfj956xzceh943xgwfc95ervvfnx4sk2ve4xvexxpvjj4y","courseId":"a02d8514-2f56-4ab9-9f1a-16fba4d07614"}

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

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@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

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@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

@ 6bae33c8:607272e8

Having recovered from my 27-hour trip to a remote area of Argentina at the foot of the Andes, I figured I’d bust out my round by round draft targets.

For point of reference (as to my location), here’s a shot of the snow-capped mountains outside my window (it’s winter here in the Southern Hemisphere):

Keep in mind this is all subject to context and I’d absolutely hold my nose and draft someone off this list if it were a player of need, or he fell below ADP. (Also, I’ll probably change my mind on a few of these guys.)

For point of reference, here’s the NFFC ADP for the RotoWire Online Championship over last three days:

Round 1: Obviously, it depends where you pick, but there are only two players I’m avoiding, and one is McCaffrey (of whom I already have a share), but I don’t like the calf injury, however minor they say it is. Sure, if he drops to nine or whatever I would gamble, but he won’t. The other is Marvin Harrison sight unseen. I’d gamble on Gibbs (also has an injury, but he’s much younger than McCaffrey) or Puka Nacua (also with a knee issue) ahead of him.

Bottom line, I’m fine with any of these guys and not really targeting anyone per se. I know that sounds a little odd, but I just don’t have that much of a preference between them.

Round 2: I mentioned Gibbs and Nacua, I’m fine with Harrison if he slips to pick 15 or so, and I like De’Von Achane, Travis Etienne and Jaylen Waddle at the second half of the round. I’m out on Davante Adams (age, team context), Olave (nothing special) and probably Kyren Williams (too small for his role.) I could be talked into Cooper Kupp, though I liked him better when he was going in Round 3.

Round 3: DJ Moore and DeVonta Smith seem just as good as the second round receivers to me, Isiah Pacheco is the best of the remaining running back options by far, and Stefon Diggs is the WR1 in Houston in my opinion. As a Giants fan, I love Malik Nabers, but he’s got a lot more risk than those other three in this round.

Round 4: I’d take Sam LaPorta who is locked into a great role in a good passing offense and could even improve in Year 2. Rashee Rice might go at the 2/3 turn if he weren’t in legal trouble, and there’s a chance nothing comes of it this year. Amari Cooper is rock solid every year, Josh Jacobs has overall RB1 upside despite last year’s abysmal showing. I’d also take Tee Higgins late in the round — he was a 2/3 turn guy the last couple years, and he’s still the same player.

Round 5: I hate this round. I’d take either Trey McBride or Dalton Kincaid (Kincaid first as he could be Josh Allen’s top guy). Otherwise I might reach into round six to take some guys.

Round 6: Jayden Reed was good as a rookie, and Year 2 is when receivers make the leap. I know it’s crowded in Green Bay, but if he’s the real deal, the other guys will settle into lesser roles. Rhamondre Stevenson is a good back on a bad team, but he’ll be the workhorse, and the offense can hardly be worse than last year’s. James Conner and Aaron Jones are old, but they were still good last year. CJ Stroud is my bet to lead the league in passing yards, but I’d probably rather just flat gamble on Anthony Richardson who goes early Round 7.

Round 7: Richardson could easily be QB1, and there’s so much depth at the position, he’s worth the gamble. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a Year 2 WR who could take the leap. Ladd McConkey seems like the obvious go-to slot guy for the Chargers and Javonte Williams should be himself again, two years removed from the ACL tear.

Round 8: Jake Ferguson is Dak Prescott’s de facto No. 2, seems like a bargain here. Brian Thomas is in the right place as the Jaguars lack both depth at WR and also a true No. 1, Kyler Murray has QB1 upside now that he’s two years removed from injury and has Harrison, McBride and even Michael Wilson.

Round 9: Brian Robinson is the early down workhorse, and Austin Ekeler (even if he’s not washed) is probably third-down only. And Robinson will catch some passes too. I like Brock Bowers’ upside even though it’s kind of crowded in Vegas. (I’d take David Njoku this round too.) Devin Singletary should get sufficient work in an impoved offense, and Zack Moss isn’t bad and could be more or less what Joe Mixon was last year if Chase Brown turns out to be just a guy.

Round 10: Who knows with Nick Chubb, but he’s worth a gamble here. I like Blake Corum because Kyren Williams is light for the rigors of the role, and RB1 for Sean McVay is an ideal spot. I’d also settle for Rico Dowdle as he might not be good, but Zeke Elliott is way past his prime.

Round 11: Jaylen Wright doesn’t need much to get a shot — Raheem Mostert is 32, and Achane is undersized. I keep drafting Rashid Shaheed who is the same size as Chris Olave and makes plays down the field whenever they give his a shot.

Round 12+: This is just a late-round sleeper list:

Josh Downs — has a high ankle sprain, but showed enough as a rookie to take a leap.

Michael Wilson — He showed something as a rookie and is locked in as a starter opposite Harrison.

Bucky Irving — Rachaad White is just a guy, so Irving could get a shot if he struggles. ** Tyrone Tracy** — Singletary is a pro, but he’s ordinary, and Tracy can catch as he’s a converted receiver.

Kimani Vidal — Built like a mini tank and with little durable competition ahead of him.

Khalil Herbert — He’s a good running back, even caught 20 passes last year in limited work, and D’Andre Swift probably won’t hold up.

Rashod Bateman — He should be involved if he can ever stay healthy.

Jordan Mason — McCaffrey’s only reasonably reliable backup. Elijah Mitchell is way too injury prone. ** Wan’Dale Robinson** — Probably the No. 2 target on the Giants after Nabers.

Matthew Stafford — He has two receivers going in the second round, and McVay’s offense has 35-TD upside for its QB.

Jonnu Smith — The Dolphins really don’t have a No. 3 WR, and Smith has shown he can make plays in the passing game.

Roman Wilson — Van Jefferson isn’t good, and I’m not sold on George Pickens as a No. 1, either. Wilson could be the slot guy and even lead the team in catches. ** Justin Fields — Russell Wilson is on his last legs, and should Fields get the job, he’d be a top-10 fantasy QB out of the gate. ** Daniel Jones — He was actually good in 2022, won a playoff game and now gets a king-making receiver in Nabers, a healthy Robinson, Year 2 of deep threat Jalin Hyatt and more familiarity with Brian Daboll’s offense. Plus he’ll get plenty of points on the ground.

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

@ fa7153ef:1de1cf78

I'm at a crossroads. I don't know how or why, nor what the different roads may be. I'm not sure how many of them there are, and certainly I'm not familiar with the best one, and have not a clue on which one should be preferred, if there is any.

Crossroads is a nice word. I immediately imagine an intersection somewhere in a desert, or with one of those terrains you see in old cowboy movies. Sometimes there's a caravan, sometimes horses, but never anything modern. Related to the word, and it comes to mind often as well, is Robert Johnson - the famous blues artist. I'm not certain, but I believe there was a song Crossroads, or an album, or something, but the story goes that he met the devil at the crossroads, and sold his soul to become a famous blues man.

It's interesting that he found devil on the crossroads. In some local stories (southern slavic), I've heard that witches and probably devils/demons gather at the crossroads (where one road meets the other), to hang out. That is why most of the little chapels here have been built on the crossroads - I guess to stop them from gathering.

Coming back to my crossroads. I'm not happy with how things are going, nor with how things have been for the past few years. Certainly, there are bright spots here and there, and I can't say I've had a bad couple of years - there certainly was progress in many fields in my life. Professionally - not so much. Personal growth - I'd say solid progress. Physical well being and health - It's a tough one to comment on, when you have a chronic disease, and had a tumor removed 8 months ago, but It's been great as well (it could obviously be better, but I'll take what I get). Spiritual growth - I'm finding God again. Praying regularly, and feeling its presence often. A plus for sure.

Hmm.. things have been going pretty well actually. Of course, if you're down on the ground, you can't go anywhere but up. So some of it is because of that. I mean - losing your fiancee to suicide, and being the one who was blamed as the reason for it in the suicide letter, leaves a toll on a man. A couple of days ago, an older guy asked me have I gone over what happened. My answer was pretty political - "time heals everything" - and it kind of does. It's gonna be 5 years soon. I still think about it, I still dream it, I still live through the aftermath of it every day. But it gets easier. I can laugh, I can joke, I can have fun. Music is interesting again. I have faith that better days will come. I even have thoughts about other women. And, not really sure how to say this - wanting to have someone, but at the same time not wanting it. My mind creates scenarios where I'm happy with someone else, but in the real world, I can't do it - there's no chance for me to go and ask someone out, or for a cup of coffee. I guess more time is needed, or something else.

That could be the crossroads. Continue on, or change course. Changing course can be good, or bad, or stay the same. Continuing on, as well. I don't know.

I've heard of this Jung guy earlier, and the shadow work. I'm not sure, it scares me a bit to do anything. I listened to a hypnosis tape about inner child work - and how a guided hypnosis can be used to, in your mind, go back, and meet your inner child. The idea is to heal any traumas you've had as a child, and say to the inner child that things are going to be fine. So I did that, it took like 30 minutes or so (from youtube), and some things happened - I haven't exactly managed to do much in conversation with myself as a kid, but I did meet me, and chatted a bit. After the session ended, I immediately thought that I have to do this again, but haven't done it since, cause I'm afraid. It's been 2 months.

I have the same feeling about the shadow work. Maybe I give it a shot - maybe there's a "for beginners" one that won't break me and leave me scared and scarred for the rest of my life.

@ 8cb60e21:5f2deaea

```js import { getCourseById, updateCourse, deleteCourse } from "@/db/models/courseModels";

export default async function handler(req, res) { const { slug } = req.query;

if (req.method === 'GET') { try { const course = await getCourseById(slug); if (course) { res.status(200).json(course); } else { res.status(404).json({ error: 'Course not found' }); } } catch (error) { res.status(500).json({ error: error.message }); } } else if (req.method === 'PUT') { try { const course = await updateCourse(slug, req.body); res.status(200).json(course); } catch (error) { res.status(400).json({ error: error.message }); } } else if (req.method === 'DELETE') { try { await deleteCourse(slug); res.status(204).end(); } catch (error) { res.status(500).json({ error: error.message }); } } else { // Handle any other HTTP method res.setHeader('Allow', ['GET', 'PUT', 'DELETE']); res.status(405).end(Method ${req.method} Not Allowed); } } ```