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The customer service industry is undergoing a rapid transformation, driven by technological advancements, evolving customer expectations, and a globalized workforce. As we step into 2025, several trends are poised to reshape the landscape of customer service outsourcing. Let's delve into the top trends that will shape the future of this dynamic industry.

1. AI-Powered Customer Service: A New Era of Automation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing customer service by automating routine tasks and enhancing customer interactions. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are becoming increasingly sophisticated, capable of handling a wide range of customer inquiries, from simple product information to complex troubleshooting. This not only improves efficiency but also frees up human agents to focus on more complex and strategic tasks.

1. Hyper-Personalization: Tailoring Experiences to the Individual

Customers today crave personalized experiences that cater to their unique needs and preferences. Customer service outsourcing providers are leveraging data analytics and machine learning to gain deeper insights into customer behavior. This enables them to deliver highly personalized interactions, such as customized product recommendations, tailored messaging, and proactive support.

1. Omnichannel Customer Support: Seamless Experiences Across Channels

Customers expect seamless and consistent experiences across all touchpoints, whether it's phone, email, chat, social media, or in-person. Omnichannel customer support is essential to meet these expectations. Outsourcing providers are investing in advanced technologies and training their agents to handle multiple channels effectively. This ensures that customers receive timely and relevant assistance, regardless of the channel they choose.

1. Remote and Hybrid Workforces: A New Paradigm

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of remote and hybrid work models. This trend is likely to continue in the customer service industry, as it offers numerous benefits, including increased flexibility, cost savings, and access to a global talent pool. Outsourcing providers are adapting to this shift by investing in robust remote work infrastructure and training their agents to work effectively from anywhere.

1. The Rise of the Digital Nomad Agent

The digital nomad lifestyle is gaining popularity, and customer service is no exception. Outsourcing providers are increasingly hiring digital nomad agents who can work remotely from anywhere in the world. This trend can lead to a more diverse and skilled workforce, as well as reduced operational costs.

1. Ethical AI and Data Privacy: A Growing Concern

As AI becomes more integrated into customer service, ethical considerations and data privacy are paramount. Outsourcing providers must ensure that AI algorithms are unbiased and transparent. They must also comply with stringent data privacy regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA, to protect customer information.

1. The Human Touch: Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

While technology is transforming customer service, the human touch remains essential. Customers still value empathy, understanding, and personalized attention. Outsourcing providers are focusing on training their agents to develop strong emotional intelligence skills. This enables them to connect with customers on an emotional level and provide exceptional support.

By embracing these trends, customer service outsourcing providers can stay ahead of the curve and deliver exceptional experiences to customers. As the industry continues to evolve, the focus will be on leveraging technology to enhance human interaction and build stronger customer relationships.

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Table Of Content

• From the Backbench to the Forefront

• Milei's Bitcoin Connection

• The Coinx Controversy

• Argentina's Financial Quagmire

• Conclusion

• FAQ

Well, folks, it seems like the winds of change are blowing in Argentina! In a twist that no one saw coming, Javier Milei, the presidential candidate with a penchant for Bitcoin and libertarian economics, clinched the top spot in Argentina's primary. This victory sent shockwaves throughout the nation. Milei and his gang, the La Libertad Avanza (or "Liberty Advances"), managed to snag a whopping 30% of the votes. They beat the second-place contender, Juntos Por El Cambio, by just under 2%, which is quite the feat!

From the Backbench to the Forefront

La Libertad Avanza, founded just a couple of years ago in 2021, was once the little guy in the political arena. In their first legislative elections, they made waves, becoming the third most-voted coalition in Buenos Aires. But this recent victory? It's monumental! It's like David taking on Goliath and emerging victorious. Milei's rise has certainly turned heads and raised eyebrows in the political sphere, making everyone wonder what's next.

Milei's Bitcoin Connection

Javier Milei is not your run-of-the-mill political candidate. He's carved out a unique niche for himself in the world of politics, largely due to his vocal support for cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin. When you tune into talk shows and interviews, you'll often find Milei passionately discussing the potential of digital currencies. He doesn't just see them as another financial instrument; to him, they represent a return to a time when the power of money was firmly rooted in the hands of the people, free from excessive governmental control.

His views on Bitcoin go beyond mere admiration. Milei perceives it as a revolutionary tool, one that can challenge traditional financial systems. He often contrasts the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies with the centralized control of traditional fiat currencies. In his eyes, Bitcoin and its peers are not just alternatives but superior forms of money. He's even made bold claims, suggesting that in many ways, cryptocurrencies are safer investments than traditional precious metals like gold or silver. This is a significant statement, especially in a country like Argentina, where people have historically turned to gold as a hedge against economic instability.

However, as with any public figure with strong opinions, Milei's crypto enthusiasm has its fair share of critics. While he paints a rosy picture of a crypto-driven future, there are those who question his motives and the feasibility of his vision. The crypto world, as many know, is not without its pitfalls. From volatile market swings to regulatory challenges, the journey to mainstream acceptance is fraught with challenges. And Milei's connection to this world has put him under the microscope, with every statement and action being dissected and debated.

The Coinx Controversy

Rumor has it that Milei promoted a Ponzi scheme called Coinx, which allegedly swindled a cool $800,000 in Argentine pesos. Milei, of course, denies any wrongdoing. He even compared their business model to that of a bank. The only difference? They can offer higher interest rates because they're not tied down by the central bank. But not everyone's buying it. Manuel Ferrari, a big shot in the Bitcoin Argentina NGO, remains wary of Milei. This controversy adds another layer to the complex narrative surrounding Milei's rise.

Argentina's Financial Quagmire

Argentina's economic waters are turbulent, to say the least. With a dizzying inflation rate of 135% this year, the peso's value is plummeting, causing widespread distress. Amidst this chaos, many are pinning their hopes on Javier Milei, a figure who has emerged with a pro-Bitcoin stance that's causing quite the stir. Drawing parallels with El Salvador's audacious move to adopt Bitcoin, there's a buzz about whether Argentina might follow suit. But is Milei the savior Argentina has been waiting for? While his support for cryptocurrencies offers a glimmer of hope to some, it also brings with it skepticism and apprehension. The world of crypto, though promising, is still uncharted territory, especially for an economy as volatile as Argentina's.

As debates rage on, it's evident that Argentina stands at a crucial financial juncture. Milei's advocacy for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies suggests a potential shift in the country's financial paradigm. But diving into the crypto realm isn't without its risks, and there's a looming question: Are we witnessing the dawn of a new financial era for Argentina, or is it just a leap from the frying pan into the fire? The nation watches with bated breath, waiting to see the path Milei might pave.

Conclusion

Only time will truly reveal the impact of Milei's influence on Argentina's financial future. It's a waiting game now, folks. But if there's one thing we can bank on, it's that with Milei stirring the pot, Argentina's economic and financial landscape is poised for some dramatic shifts. The rollercoaster has just begun, so everyone better buckle up and brace themselves. Keep your eyes peeled and ears to the ground, because the upcoming months promise a whirlwind of changes, debates, and transformations for Argentina. The nation stands at a pivotal juncture, and the world watches with bated breath.

FAQ

Who is Javier Milei? Javier Milei is a presidential candidate in Argentina known for his support of Bitcoin and libertarian economics.

What is La Libertad Avanza? La Libertad Avanza, translated as "Liberty Advances," is the political coalition led by Javier Milei.

How did Milei fare in the recent primaries? Milei clinched the top spot in Argentina's primary, securing over 30% of the votes.

What is the Coinx controversy? Coinx is an alleged Ponzi scheme that Milei is rumored to have promoted. However, Milei denies any wrongdoing.

What is Milei's stance on Bitcoin? Milei is a strong advocate for Bitcoin, viewing it as a return to private sector-controlled money and a safer alternative to traditional assets like gold or silver.

That's all for today

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Утром 11 декабря произошло необычное событие, которое привлекло внимание местных жителей и нашу редакцию. 32-летний местный житель Серова Петр Дибонеев, который стал свидетелем и участником спасательной операции на реке Тура.

По словам спасателя - Утром, во время пробежки вдоль реки, Петр заметил, что человек тонет. Не раздумывая, он бросился в воду и смог вытащить утопающего, который оказался 25-летним студентом - Николай Астрахонский - из соседнего города - Нижний Тагил. Благодаря быстрой реакции Петра, пострадавший был спасен и доставлен в больницу с легкими переохлаждениями.

"Когда я увидел человека, который тонет, у меня не было времени на раздумья. Я просто инстинктивно бросился в воду. В такие моменты ты не думаешь о себе, а лишь о том, как помочь другому. Я рад, что смог спасти его и что он сейчас в безопасности. Это не только моя заслуга — я уверен, что каждый из нас готов прийти на помощь в трудную минуту" - высказался по этому поводу Петр Дибонеев.

Это событие вызвало широкий резонанс в городе. Местные жители организовали акцию благодарности Петру, где он получил грамоту от администрации города за мужество и самоотверженность. А в социальных сетях начали распространяться посты с хештегом #ГеройСерова, где люди делятся своими историями о смелых поступках.

И также мэр города, Ольга Петрова, отметила: "Петр — настоящий герой. Его поступок вдохновляет нас всех. Мы должны помнить о важности взаимопомощи и поддержки друг друга в трудные времена".

Такие события напоминает нам о том, что каждый из нас может стать героем в нужный момент. Петр Дибонеев стал символом мужества и готовности прийти на помощь, что должно вдохновлять на добрые дела и активное участие в жизни сообщества.

@ 79d783e8:3b888a6d

The "Netflix Hypothesis" is a name which is intended to illustrate one of the simple mechanisms through which our attention spans have been reduced, our anxiety spiked and our wallets drained. I cannot take full credit for the name, and will give due credit to my close friend in the book surrounding this topic which I am busy working on.

The purpose of this read is to pose that inflation itself has had a profoundly negative impact on the nature of society and our brains. It differs from the general narrative, because yes it touches on inflation's impact on our time preference, but it also discusses the global phenomenon of "Brain-rot" affecting not only my generation, but all of those alive today.

Although the name suggests it, this essay is not focused specifically on Netflix, but rather most of the highly successful companies that operate and thrive today in an inflationary environment. I also would like to add that I am not explicitly and corporatist; I am a staunch anarcho-capitalist. I have contempt for the effects for what these companies have done over the past four decades, however, I view this more from the perspective that they were doing what they could to be successful in an inflationary environment, caused by the US, and other governments globally.

If you have a melting ice cube, would you continue holding it, or rather put it to use to cool down your drink? As, I can assume that the majority of those that will read this are already Bitcoiners, I don't particularly need to explain inflation, but I use the ice cube analogy to highlight the change in time preference. We are more likely to spend our money immediately, rather than saving it and putting it to better use later (hence why I love the term "cold storage" to refer to certain bitcoin wallets).

This phenomenon of spending, rather than saving, means that our natural endless consumption cycle accelerates. In order for companies to be successful in an environment like that benefit from producing cheap, quick and easy solutions as places where we can shove our money. Netflix is one such example, in that the TV industry once produced pilot episodes to gauge interest in any series, but Netflix began the trend of paying to produce a whole season at once, releasing the whole season immediately, instead of taking time with production and staggering the release to one episode per week. This means that the viewer is a lot more likely to watch an entire show in one, or two sittings, regardless of whether it is high quality or not; if they didn't do this, most viewer would likely forget about most of the shows that Netflix pumps out, because frankly most of them are mildly entertaining at best.

The same phenomenon is observed in the fashion industry, with the bulk of the world's population today wearing fast fashion clothing made from low-grade materials in third-world nations under near slave-labour conditions. Companies like Stein, H&M, Cotton:on, Zara and the like, produce clothes that you might wear only once, or at best for a year before they begin to fall apart. This is contrasted to the trades of tailors, seamstresses, cobblers and the like, who would once produce high quality garb which would last for years, and provide mending services in case of damage. Fast fashion has by now been discussed at length by many people, but no campaigns to end it have borne any fruit - because simply, it's fast, easy and convenient.

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Dhruv Bansal, CSO dan Co-Founder Unchained mengeksplorasi prinsip-prinsip dan sejarah yang mengarah pada penciptaan Bitcoin dan mengajukan pertanyaan: "Apa yang telah dilakukan Satoshi"?

Bitcoin sering dibandingkan dengan internet pada tahun 1990an, namun saya yakin analogi yang lebih baik adalah dengan telegraf pada tahun 1840an.[^1]

Telegraf adalah teknologi pertama yang mengirimkan data yang dikodekan dengan kecepatan mendekati cahaya dalam jarak jauh. Ini menandai lahirnya industri telekomunikasi. Internet, meskipun skalanya lebih besar, kontennya lebih kaya, dan many-to-many, bukan one-to-one, pada dasarnya masih merupakan teknologi telekomunikasi.

Baik telegraf maupun internet bergantung pada model bisnis di mana perusahaan mengerahkan modal untuk membangun jaringan fisik dan kemudian membebankan biaya kepada pengguna untuk mengirim pesan melalui jaringan ini. Jaringan AT&T secara historis mengirimkan telegram, panggilan telepon, paket TCP/IP, pesan teks, dan sekarang TikTok.

Transformasi masyarakat melalui telekomunikasi telah menghasilkan kebebasan yang lebih besar namun juga sentralisasi yang lebih besar. Internet telah meningkatkan jangkauan jutaan pembuat konten dan usaha kecil, namun juga memperkuat jangkauan perusahaan, otoritas pusat, dan lembaga lain yang memiliki posisi yang cukup baik untuk memantau dan memanipulasi aktivitas online.

Namun Bitcoin bukanlah akhir dari transformasi apa pun—ini adalah awal dari sebuah transformasi. Seperti halnya telekomunikasi, Bitcoin akan mengubah kebiasaan umat manusia dan kehidupan sehari-harinya. Memprediksi seluruh cakupan perubahan saat ini sama dengan membayangkan internet saat hidup di era telegraf.

Seri ini mencoba membayangkan masa depan dengan memulai dari masa lalu. Artikel awal ini menelusuri sejarah mata uang digital sebelum Bitcoin. Hanya dengan memahami kegagalan proyek-proyek sebelumnya, kita dapat memahami apa yang membuat Bitcoin berhasil—dan bagaimana hal itu menyarankan metodologi untuk membangun sistem desentralisasi di masa depan.

Klaim utama dari artikel ini adalah bahwa Bitcoin dapat dianggap sebagai adaptasi dari proyek B-money Dai yang menghilangkan kebebasan untuk menciptakan uang. Hanya beberapa minggu setelah artikel ini pertama kali diterbitkan, email baru muncul di mana Satoshi mengaku tidak terbiasa dengan B-money, namun mengakui bahwa Bitcoin dimulai “tepat dari titik itu.” Mengingat bukti baru ini, kami yakin klaim utama ini, meskipun tidak akurat secara historis, masih merupakan cara yang bermakna dan bermanfaat untuk memikirkan asal usul Bitcoin.

Bagaimana Satoshi Nakamoto Memikirkan Bitcoin?

Satoshi memang cerdas, tetapi Bitcoin tidak muncul begitu saja.

Bitcoin mengulangi pekerjaan yang ada di bidang kriptografi, sistem terdistribusi, ekonomi, dan filsafat politik. Konsep proof-of-work sudah ada jauh sebelum digunakan dalam uang dan cypherpunk sebelumnya seperti Nick Szabo, Wei Dai, & Hal Finney mengantisipasi dan memengaruhi desain Bitcoin dengan proyek-proyek seperti bit gold, B-money, dan RPoW. Pertimbangkan bahwa, pada tahun 2008, ketika Satoshi menulis white paper Bitcoin[^2], banyak ide penting Bitcoin telah diusulkan dan/atau diimplementasikan:

• Mata uang digital harus berupa jaringan P2P
• Proof-of-work adalah dasar penciptaan uang
• Uang diciptakan melalui lelang
• Kunci publik kriptografi digunakan untuk menentukan kepemilikan dan transfer koin
• Transaksi dikelompokkan menjadi beberapa blok
• Blok dirangkai bersama melalui proof-of-work
• Semua blok disimpan oleh semua peserta

Bitcoin memanfaatkan semua konsep ini, tetapi Satoshi tidak menciptakan satu pun konsep tersebut. Untuk lebih memahami kontribusi Satoshi, kita harus menentukan prinsip Bitcoin mana yang tidak ada dalam daftar.

Beberapa kandidat yang jelas adalah persediaan Bitcoin yang terbatas, konsensus Nakamoto, dan algoritma penyesuaian kesulitan. Tapi apa yang mendorong Satoshi pada ide ini?

Artikel ini mengeksplorasi sejarah mata uang digital dan menyatakan bahwa fokus Satoshi pada kebijakan moneter yang sehat adalah hal yang menyebabkan Bitcoin mengatasi tantangan yang mengalahkan proyek-proyek sebelumnya seperti bit gold dan B-money.

Sistem yang Terdesentralisasi Adalah Pasar

Bitcoin sering digambarkan sebagai sistem terdesentralisasi atau terdistribusi. Sayangnya, kata “desentralisasi” dan “terdistribusi” sering kali membingungkan. Ketika diterapkan pada sistem digital, kedua istilah tersebut mengacu pada cara aplikasi monolitik dapat didekomposisi menjadi jaringan bagian-bagian yang berkomunikasi.

Untuk tujuan kita, perbedaan utama antara sistem terdesentralisasi dan terdistribusi bukanlah topologi diagram jaringannya, namun cara mereka menegakkan aturan. Kami meluangkan waktu di bagian berikut untuk membandingkan sistem terdistribusi dan desentralisasi dan memotivasi gagasan bahwa sistem desentralisasi yang kuat adalah pasar.

Sistem Terdistribusikan Bergantung pada Otoritas Pusat

Dalam hal ini, kami mengartikan “terdistribusi” sebagai sistem apa pun yang telah dipecah menjadi beberapa bagian (sering disebut sebagai "node") yang harus berkomunikasi, biasanya melalui jaringan.

Insinyur perangkat lunak semakin mahir dalam membangun sistem yang terdistribusi secara global. Internet terdiri dari sistem terdistribusi yang secara kolektif berisi miliaran node. Kita masing-masing memiliki simpul di saku kita yang berpartisipasi dan bergantung pada sistem ini.

Namun hampir semua sistem terdistribusi yang kita gunakan saat ini diatur oleh beberapa otoritas pusat, biasanya administrator sistem, perusahaan, atau pemerintah yang saling dipercaya oleh semua node dalam sistem.

Otoritas pusat memastikan semua node mematuhi aturan sistem dan menghapus, memperbaiki, atau menghukum node yang gagal mematuhinya. Mereka dipercaya untuk melakukan koordinasi, menyelesaikan konflik, dan mengalokasikan sumber daya bersama. Seiring waktu, otoritas pusat mengelola perubahan pada sistem, memperbarui atau menambahkan fitur, dan memastikan bahwa node yang berpartisipasi mematuhi perubahan tersebut.

Manfaat yang diperoleh sistem terdistribusi karena mengandalkan otoritas pusat juga disertai dengan biaya. Meskipun sistem ini kuat terhadap kegagalan node-nodenya, kegagalan otoritas pusat dapat menyebabkan sistem berhenti berfungsi secara keseluruhan. Kemampuan otoritas pusat untuk mengambil keputusan secara sepihak berarti menumbangkan atau menghilangkan otoritas pusat sudah cukup untuk mengendalikan atau menghancurkan keseluruhan sistem.

Terlepas dari adanya trade-off ini, jika ada persyaratan bahwa satu partai atau koalisi harus mempertahankan otoritas pusat, atau jika peserta dalam sistem tersebut puas dengan mengandalkan otoritas pusat, maka sistem terdistribusi tradisional adalah solusi terbaik. Tidak diperlukan blockchain, token, atau sistem desentralisasi serupa.

Secara khusus, kasus VC atau mata uang kripto yang didukung oleh pemerintah, dengan persyaratan bahwa satu pihak dapat memantau atau membatasi pembayaran dan membekukan akun, adalah kasus penggunaan yang sempurna untuk sistem terdistribusi tradisional.

Sistem Desentralisasi Tidak Memiliki Otoritas Pusat

Kami menganggap “desentralisasi” memiliki arti yang lebih kuat daripada “terdistribusi”: sistem desentralisasi adalah bagian dari sistem terdistribusi yang tidak memiliki otoritas pusat. Sinonim yang mirip dengan “desentralisasi” adalah “peer-to-peer” (P2P).

Menghapus otoritas pusat memberikan beberapa keuntungan. Sistem terdesentralisasi:

• Tumbuh dengan cepat karena tidak ada hambatan untuk masuk—siapa pun dapat mengembangkan sistem hanya dengan menjalankan node baru, dan tidak ada persyaratan untuk registrasi atau persetujuan dari otoritas pusat.
• Kuat karena tidak ada otoritas pusat yang kegagalannya dapat membahayakan berfungsinya sistem. Semua node adalah sama, jadi kegagalan bersifat lokal dan jaringan merutekan sekitar kerusakan.
• Sulit untuk ditangkap, diatur, dikenakan pajak, atau diawasi karena tidak adanya titik kendali terpusat yang dapat ditumbangkan oleh pemerintah.

Kekuatan inilah yang menjadi alasan Satoshi memilih desain Bitcoin yang terdesentralisasi dan peer-to-peer:

“Pemerintah pandai memotong… jaringan yang dikendalikan secara terpusat seperti Napster, namun jaringan P2P murni seperti Gnutella dan Tor tampaknya masih mampu bertahan.” - Satoshi Nakamoto, 2008

Namun kekuatan ini juga disertai dengan kelemahan. Sistem yang terdesentralisasi bisa menjadi kurang efisien karena setiap titik harus memikul tanggung jawab tambahan untuk koordinasi yang sebelumnya diambil alih oleh otoritas pusat.

Sistem yang terdesentralisasi juga sering dilanda perilaku yang bersifat penipuan dan bertentangan. Terlepas dari persetujuan Satoshi terhadap Gnutella, siapa pun yang menggunakan program berbagi file P2P untuk mengunduh file yang ternyata kotor atau berbahaya memahami alasan mengapa berbagi file P2P tidak pernah menjadi model utama untuk transfer data online.

Satoshi tidak menyebutkannya secara eksplisit, namun email adalah sistem terdesentralisasi lainnya yang menghindari kendali pemerintah. Dan email juga terkenal sebagai spam.

Sistem Desentralisasi diatur Melalui Insentif

Akar masalahnya, dalam semua kasus ini adalah, bahwa perilaku kejahatan (menyebarkan file buruk, mengirim email spam) tidak dihukum, dan perilaku kooperatif (menyebarkan file bagus, hanya mengirim email berguna) tidak dihargai. Sistem desentralisasi yang mengandalkan partisipannya untuk menjadi aktor yang baik gagal untuk berkembang karena sistem tersebut tidak dapat mencegah aktor jahat untuk ikut berpartisipasi.

Tanpa memaksakan otoritas pusat, satu-satunya cara untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini adalah dengan menggunakan insentif ekonomi. Aktor yang baik, menurut definisinya, bermain sesuai aturan karena mereka secara inheren termotivasi untuk melakukannya. Pelaku kejahatan, menurut definisinya, adalah orang yang egois dan licik, namun insentif ekonomi yang tepat dapat mengarahkan perilaku buruk mereka ke arah kebaikan bersama. Sistem yang terdesentralisasi melakukan hal ini dengan memastikan bahwa perilaku kooperatif menguntungkan dan perilaku kejahatan merugikan.

Cara terbaik untuk menerapkan layanan terdesentralisasi yang kuat adalah dengan menciptakan pasar di mana semua pelaku, baik dan buruk, dibayar untuk menyediakan layanan tersebut. Kurangnya hambatan masuk bagi pembeli dan penjual di pasar yang terdesentralisasi mendorong skala dan efisiensi. Jika protokol pasar dapat melindungi partisipan dari penipuan, pencurian, dan penyalahgunaan, maka pelaku kejahatan akan merasa lebih menguntungkan untuk mengikuti aturan atau menyerang sistem lain.

Pasar yang Terdesentralisasi Membutuhkan Barang yang Terdesentralisasi

Namun pasar itu rumit. Mereka harus memberi pembeli dan penjual kemampuan untuk mengirimkan penawaran dan permintaan serta menemukan, mencocokkan, dan menyelesaikan pesanan. Kebijakan tersebut harus adil, memberikan konsistensi yang kuat, dan menjaga ketersediaan meskipun terjadi masa-masa yang tidak menentu.

Pasar global saat ini sangat mumpuni dan canggih, namun menggunakan barang-barang tradisional dan jaringan pembayaran untuk menerapkan insentif di pasar yang terdesentralisasi bukanlah hal yang baru. Setiap penggabungan antara sistem desentralisasi dan uang fiat, aset tradisional, atau komoditas fisik akan menimbulkan kembali ketergantungan pada otoritas pusat yang mengontrol pemroses pembayaran, bank, dan bursa.

Sistem terdesentralisasi tidak dapat mentransfer uang tunai, mencari saldo rekening perantara, atau menentukan kepemilikan properti. Barang-barang tradisional sama sekali tidak terbaca dalam sistem desentralisasi. Hal sebaliknya tidak benar—sistem tradisional dapat berinteraksi dengan Bitcoin semudah aktor lainnya (begitu mereka memutuskan ingin melakukannya). Batasan antara sistem tradisional dan desentralisasi bukanlah sebuah tembok yang tidak dapat dilewati, melainkan sebuah membran semi-permeabel.

Ini berarti bahwa sistem yang terdesentralisasi tidak dapat melaksanakan pembayaran dalam mata uang barang tradisional apa pun. Mereka bahkan tidak dapat menentukan saldo rekening yang didominasi fiat atau kepemilikan real estat atau barang fisik. Seluruh perekonomian tradisional sama sekali tidak terbaca dalam sistem desentralisasi.

Menciptakan pasar yang terdesentralisasi membutuhkan perdagangan barang-barang baru yang terdesentralisasi yang dapat dibaca dan ditransfer dalam sistem yang terdesentralisasi.

Komputasi Adalah Barang Terdesentralisasi yang Pertama

Contoh pertama dari “barang terdesentralisasi” adalah kelas komputasi khusus yang pertama kali diusulkan pada tahun 1993 oleh Cynthia Dwork dan Moni Naor.[^3]

Karena adanya hubungan mendalam antara matematika, fisika, dan ilmu komputer, komputasi ini memerlukan energi dan sumber daya perangkat keras di dunia nyata—hal ini tidak dapat dipalsukan. Karena sumber daya di dunia nyata langka, komputasi ini juga langka.

input untuk komputasi ini dapat berupa data apa pun. Keluaran yang dihasilkan adalah “bukti” digital bahwa pengkomputasian telah dilakukan pada data input yang diberikan. Pembuktian mengandung “kesulitan” tertentu yang merupakan bukti (statistik) dari sejumlah pekerjaan komputasi tertentu. Yang terpenting, hubungan antara data input, pembuktian, dan pekerjaan komputasi asli yang dilakukan dapat diverifikasi secara independen tanpa perlu mengajukan banding ke otoritas pusat mana pun.

Gagasan untuk menyebarkan beberapa data input bersama dengan bukti digital sebagai bukti kerja komputasi dunia nyata yang dilakukan pada input tersebut sekarang disebut “proof-of-work”.[^4] Proof-of-work adalah, jika menggunakan ungkapan Nick Szabo, “biaya yang tidak dapat ditiru”. Karena proof-of-work dapat diverifikasi oleh siapa pun, maka proof-of-work merupakan sumber daya ekonomi yang dapat dibaca oleh semua peserta dalam sistem desentralisasi. Proof-of-work mengubah penghitungan data menjadi barang yang terdesentralisasi. Dwork & Naor mengusulkan penggunaan komputasi untuk membatasi penyalahgunaan sumber daya bersama dengan memaksa peserta untuk memberikan proof-of-work dengan tingkat kesulitan minimum tertentu sebelum mereka dapat mengakses sumber daya:

“Dalam makalah ini kami menyarankan pendekatan komputasi untuk memerangi penyebaran surat elektronik. Secara umum, kami telah merancang mekanisme kontrol akses yang dapat digunakan kapan pun diinginkan untuk membatasi, namun tidak melarang, akses ke sumber daya.” - Dwoak & Naor, 1993

Dalam proposal Dwork & Naor, administrator sistem email akan menetapkan tingkat kesulitan bukti kerja minimum untuk mengirimkan email. Pengguna yang ingin mengirim email perlu melakukan sejumlah komputasi yang sesuai dengan email tersebut sebagai data input. Bukti yang dihasilkan akan dikirimkan ke server bersamaan dengan permintaan pengiriman email.

Dwork & Naor menyebut kesulitan proof-of-work sebagai “fungsi penetapan harga” karena, dengan menyesuaikan kesulitan tersebut, “otoritas penetapan harga” dapat memastikan bahwa sumber daya bersama tetap murah untuk digunakan bagi pengguna yang jujur dan rata-rata, namun mahal bagi pengguna yang mencari untuk mengeksploitasinya. Di pasar pengiriman email, administrator server adalah otoritas penetapan harga; mereka harus memilih “harga” untuk pengiriman email yang cukup rendah untuk penggunaan normal namun terlalu tinggi untuk spam.

Meskipun Dwork & Naor membingkai proof-of-work sebagai disinsentif ekonomi untuk memerangi penyalahgunaan sumber daya, nomenklatur “fungsi penetapan harga” dan “otoritas penetapan harga” mendukung interpretasi yang berbeda dan berbasis pasar: pengguna membeli akses ke sumber daya dengan imbalan komputasi pada tingkat yang sama. harga yang ditetapkan oleh pengontrol sumber daya.

Dalam interpretasi ini, jaringan pengiriman email sebenarnya adalah pengiriman email perdagangan pasar yang terdesentralisasi untuk komputasi. Kesulitan minimum dari proof-of-work adalah harga yang diminta untuk pengiriman email dalam mata uang komputasi.

Mata Uang Adalah Barang Terdesentralisasi yang kedua

Namun komputasi bukanlah mata uang yang baik.

Bukti yang digunakan untuk “memperdagangkan” komputasi hanya valid untuk input yang digunakan dalam komputasi tersebut. Hubungan yang tidak dapat dipecahkan antara bukti spesifik dan input tertentu berarti bahwa proof-of-work untuk satu input tidak dapat digunakan kembali untuk input yang berbeda.

Proof-of-work awalnya diusulkan sebagai mekanisme kontrol akses untuk membatasi email spam. Pengguna diharapkan memberikan bukti kerja bersama email apa pun yang ingin mereka kirim. Mekanisme ini juga dapat dianggap sebagai pasar di mana pengguna membeli pengiriman email dengan komputasi pada harga yang dipilih oleh penyedia layanan email.

Batasan ini berguna – dapat digunakan untuk mencegah pekerjaan yang dilakukan oleh satu pembeli di pasar kemudian dibelanjakan kembali oleh pembeli lain. Misalnya, HashCash, implementasi nyata pertama dari pasar pengiriman email, menyertakan metadata seperti stempel waktu saat ini dan alamat email pengirim dalam data masukan untuk penghitungan bukti kerja. Bukti yang dihasilkan oleh pengguna tertentu untuk email tertentu, tidak dapat digunakan untuk email yang berbeda.

Namun ini juga berarti bahwa komputasi bukti kerja adalah barang yang dipesan lebih dahulu. Dana tersebut tidak dapat dipertukarkan, tidak dapat dibelanjakan kembali,[^5] dan tidak memecahkan masalah kebutuhan yang terjadi secara kebetulan. Properti moneter yang hilang ini mencegah komputasi menjadi mata uang. Terlepas dari namanya, tidak ada insentif bagi penyedia pengiriman email untuk ingin mengakumulasikan HashCash, karena akan ada uang tunai sebenarnya.

Adam Back, penemu HashCash, memahami masalah berikut:

"Hashcash tidak dapat ditransfer secara langsung karena untuk membuatnya didistribusikan, setiap penyedia layanan hanya menerima pembayaran dalam bentuk tunai yang dibuat untuk mereka. Anda mungkin dapat menyiapkan pencetakan gaya digicash (dengan chaumian ecash) dan meminta bank hanya mencetak uang tunai pada penerimaan tabrakan hash yang ditangani. Namun ini berarti Anda harus mempercayai bank untuk tidak mencetak uang dalam jumlah tak terbatas untuk digunakan sendiri." - Adam Back, 1997

Kita tidak ingin menukar komputasi yang dibuat khusus untuk setiap barang atau jasa yang dijual dalam perekonomian yang terdesentralisasi. Kita menginginkan mata uang digital serba guna yang dapat langsung digunakan untuk mengoordinasikan pertukaran nilai di pasar mana pun.

Membangun mata uang digital yang berfungsi namun tetap terdesentralisasi merupakan tantangan yang signifikan. Mata uang membutuhkan unit yang dapat dipertukarkan dengan nilai yang sama yang dapat ditransfer antar pengguna. Hal ini memerlukan model penerbitan, definisi kriptografi kepemilikan dan transfer, proses penemuan dan penyelesaian transaksi, dan buku besar historis. Infrastruktur ini tidak diperlukan ketika bukti kerja hanya dianggap sebagai “mekanisme kontrol akses”.

Terlebih lagi, sistem desentralisasi adalah pasar, jadi semua fungsi dasar mata uang ini harus disediakan melalui penyedia layanan berbayar… dalam satuan mata uang yang sedang dibuat!

Seperti mengkompilasi compiler pertama, permulaan jaringan listrik yang gelap, atau evolusi kehidupan itu sendiri, pencipta mata uang digital dihadapkan pada masalah bootstrapping: bagaimana mendefinisikan insentif ekonomi yang mendasari mata uang yang berfungsi tanpa memiliki mata uang yang berfungsi di dalamnya yang akan mendenominasikan atau membayar insentif tersebut.

Komputasi dan mata uang adalah barang pertama dan kedua di pasar yang terdesentralisasi. Proof-of-work sendiri memungkinkan pertukaran komputasi tetapi mata uang yang berfungsi memerlukan lebih banyak infrastruktur. Butuh waktu 15 tahun bagi komunitas cypherpunk untuk mengembangkan infrastruktur tersebut.

Pasar Terdesentralisasi Pertama harus Memperdagangkan Komputasi untuk Mata Uang

Kemajuan dalam masalah bootstrapping ini berasal dari penyusunan batasan yang tepat.

Sistem yang terdesentralisasi harus menjadi pasar. Pasar terdiri dari pembeli dan penjual yang saling bertukar barang. Pasar terdesentralisasi untuk mata uang digital hanya memiliki dua barang yang dapat dibaca di dalamnya:

1. Komputasi melalui proof-of-work
2. Unit mata uang yang kita coba bangun

Oleh karena itu, satu-satunya perdagangan pasar yang memungkinkan adalah antara kedua barang tersebut. Komputasi harus dijual untuk satuan mata uang atau setara dengan satuan mata uang harus dijual untuk komputasi. Menyatakan hal ini sangatlah mudah—bagian tersulitnya adalah menata pasar ini sehingga sekadar menukar mata uang untuk komputasi akan mem-bootstrap semua kemampuan mata uang itu sendiri!

Seluruh sejarah mata uang digital yang berpuncak pada white paper Satoshi tahun 2008 adalah serangkaian upaya yang semakin canggih dalam menata pasar ini. Bagian berikut mengulas proyek-proyek seperti bit gold milik Nick Szabo dan B-money milik Wei Dai. Memahami bagaimana proyek-proyek ini menyusun pasar mereka dan mengapa mereka gagal akan membantu kita memahami mengapa Satoshi dan Bitcoin berhasil.

Bagaimana Sistem Desentralisasi Dapat Menentukan Harga Komputasi?

Fungsi utama pasar adalah penemuan harga. Oleh karena itu, komputasi perdagangan pasar untuk mata uang harus menemukan harga komputasi itu sendiri, dalam satuan mata uang tersebut.

Kita biasanya tidak memberikan nilai moneter pada komputasi. Kita biasanya menghargai kapasitas untuk melakukan komputasi karena kita menghargai output dari komputasi, bukan komputasi itu sendiri. Jika keluaran yang sama dapat dilakukan dengan lebih efisien, dengan komputasi yang lebih sedikit, hal ini biasanya disebut “kemajuan”.

Proof-of-work mewakili komputasi spesifik yang keluarannya hanya berupa bukti bahwa komputasi tersebut telah dilakukan. Menghasilkan bukti yang sama dengan melakukan lebih sedikit komputasi dan lebih sedikit pekerjaan tidak akan menghasilkan kemajuan—hal ini akan menjadi bug. Oleh karena itu, komputasi yang terkait dengan Proof-of-work merupakan hal yang aneh dan baru untuk dicoba dihargai.

Ketika bukti kerja dianggap sebagai disinsentif terhadap penyalahgunaan sumber daya, maka bukti kerja tidak perlu dinilai secara tepat dan konsisten. Yang terpenting adalah penyedia layanan email menetapkan tingkat kesulitan yang cukup rendah sehingga tidak terlihat oleh pengguna yang sah, namun cukup tinggi sehingga menjadi penghalang bagi pelaku spam. Oleh karena itu, terdapat beragam “harga” yang dapat diterima dan setiap peserta bertindak sebagai otoritas penetapan harga mereka sendiri, dengan menerapkan fungsi penetapan harga lokal.

Namun satuan mata uang dimaksudkan agar dapat dipertukarkan, masing-masing memiliki nilai yang sama. Karena perubahan teknologi dari waktu ke waktu, dua unit mata uang yang dibuat dengan tingkat kesulitan proof-of-work yang sama—yang diukur dengan jumlah komputasi yang sesuai—mungkin memiliki biaya produksi yang sangat berbeda di dunia nyata, yang diukur dengan waktu, energi, dan/atau modal untuk melakukan komputasi tersebut. Ketika komputasi dijual dengan menggunakan mata uang, dan biaya produksi yang mendasarinya bervariasi, bagaimana pasar dapat memastikan harga yang konsisten?

Nick Szabo dengan jelas mengidentifikasi masalah harga ini ketika menjelaskan bit gold:

"Masalah utamanya...adalah bahwa skema pembuktian kerja bergantung pada arsitektur komputer, bukan hanya matematika abstrak yang didasarkan pada "siklus komputasi" abstrak. ...Jadi, ada kemungkinan untuk menjadi produsen berbiaya sangat rendah (dengan beberapa kali lipat besarnya) dan membanjiri pasar dengan bit gold." - Szabo, 2005

Mata uang terdesentralisasi yang diciptakan melalui proof-of-work akan mengalami kelebihan pasokan dan penurunan pasokan seiring dengan perubahan pasokan komputasi seiring waktu. Untuk mengakomodasi volatilitas ini, jaringan harus belajar menghitung harga secara dinamis.

Mata uang digital awal mencoba memberi harga pada komputasi dengan mencoba mengukur “biaya komputasi” secara kolektif. Wei Dai, misalnya, mengusulkan solusi praktis berikut dalam B-money:

"Jumlah unit moneter yang diciptakan sama dengan biaya upaya komputasi dalam sekeranjang komoditas standar. Sebagai contoh, jika sebuah masalah memerlukan waktu 100 jam untuk diselesaikan pada komputer yang dapat menyelesaikannya dengan cara yang paling ekonomis, dan diperlukan 3 keranjang standar untuk membeli 100 jam waktu komputasi pada komputer tersebut di pasar terbuka, maka setelah solusi terhadap masalah tersebut disiarkan, setiap orang mengkredit rekening penyiar sebanyak 3 unit." - Dai, 1998

Sayangnya, Dai tidak menjelaskan bagaimana pengguna dalam sistem yang seharusnya terdesentralisasi seharusnya menyetujui definisi “keranjang standar”, komputer mana yang memecahkan masalah tertentu “paling ekonomis”, atau biaya komputasi di “pasar terbuka”. Mencapai konsensus di antara semua pengguna mengenai kumpulan data bersama yang berubah-ubah terhadap waktu adalah masalah penting dalam sistem desentralisasi!

Agar adil bagi Dai, dia menyadari hal ini:

“Salah satu bagian yang lebih bermasalah dalam protokol B-money adalah penciptaan uang. Bagian dari protokol ini mengharuskan semua [pengguna] memutuskan dan menyetujui biaya perhitungan tertentu. Sayangnya karena teknologi komputasi cenderung berkembang pesat dan tidak selalu bersifat publik, informasi ini mungkin tidak tersedia, tidak akurat, atau ketinggalan jaman, yang semuanya akan menyebabkan masalah serius pada protokol." - Dai, 1998

Dai kemudian mengusulkan mekanisme penetapan harga berbasis lelang yang lebih canggih yang kemudian dikatakan Satoshi sebagai titik awal idenya. Kita akan kembali ke skema lelang di bawah ini, tapi pertama-tama mari kita beralih ke bit gold, dan pertimbangkan wawasan Szabo tentang masalahnya.

Gunakan Pasar Eksternal

Szabo mengklaim bahwa proof-of-work harus “diberi stempel waktu dengan aman”:

"Bukti kerja diberi stempel waktu yang aman. Ini harus bekerja secara terdistribusi, dengan beberapa layanan stempel waktu berbeda sehingga tidak ada layanan stempel waktu tertentu yang perlu diandalkan secara substansial." - Szabo, 2005

Szabo tertaut ke halaman sumber daya tentang protokol penandaan waktu yang aman tetapi tidak menjelaskan algoritme spesifik apa pun untuk penandaan waktu yang aman. Ungkapan “aman” dan “fesyen terdistribusi” mempunyai pengaruh yang besar di sini, sehingga dapat mengatasi kerumitan dalam mengandalkan satu (atau banyak) layanan “di luar sistem” untuk penandaan waktu.[^6]

Waktu pembuatan unit mata uang digital penting karena menghubungkan komputasi yang dilakukan dengan biaya produksi di dunia nyata.

Terlepas dari ketidakjelasan implementasi, Szabo benar—waktu pembuatan proof-of-work merupakan faktor penting dalam menentukan harga karena terkait dengan biaya komputasi:

"…Namun, karena bit gold diberi stempel waktu, waktu yang dibuat serta tingkat kesulitan matematis dari pekerjaan tersebut dapat dibuktikan secara otomatis. Dari sini, biasanya dapat disimpulkan berapa biaya produksi selama periode waktu tersebut..." - Szabo, 2005

"Menyimpulkan" biaya produksi adalah hal yang penting karena bit gold tidak memiliki mekanisme untuk membatasi penciptaan uang. Siapapun dapat membuat bit gold dengan melakukan perhitungan yang sesuai. Tanpa kemampuan untuk mengatur penerbitan, bit gold sama dengan barang koleksi:

"…Tidak seperti atom emas yang dapat dipertukarkan, tetapi seperti halnya barang-barang kolektor, pasokan dalam jumlah besar selama jangka waktu tertentu akan menurunkan nilai barang-barang tersebut. Dalam hal ini, emas kecil bertindak lebih seperti barang-barang kolektor daripada seperti emas..." - Szabo, 2005

Bit gold memerlukan proses eksternal tambahan untuk menciptakan unit mata uang yang sepadan:

“…[B]it Gold tidak dapat dipertukarkan berdasarkan fungsi sederhana, misalnya, panjang tali. Sebaliknya, untuk membuat unit yang dapat dipertukarkan, dealer harus menggabungkan potongan-potongan bit gold dengan nilai berbeda ke dalam satuan yang lebih besar kira-kira dengan nilai yang sama. Hal ini serupa dengan apa yang dilakukan banyak pedagang komoditas saat ini untuk memungkinkan pasar komoditas bekerja. Kepercayaan masih terdistribusi karena perkiraan nilai dari kumpulan tersebut dapat diverifikasi secara independen oleh banyak pihak lain dengan cara yang sebagian besar atau seluruhnya otomatis." - Szabo, 2005

Mengutip Szabo, “untuk menguji nilai… bit gold, dealer memeriksa dan memverifikasi tingkat kesulitan, masukan, dan stempel waktu”. Dealer yang mendefinisikan “unit yang lebih besar dengan nilai yang kira-kira sama” menyediakan fungsi penetapan harga yang serupa dengan “keranjang komoditas standar” Dai. Unit yang dapat dipertukarkan tidak dibuat dalam bentuk bit gold ketika bukti kerja diproduksi, hanya kemudian ketika bukti tersebut digabungkan menjadi “unit yang kira-kira bernilai sama” oleh dealer di pasar di luar jaringan.

Yang patut disyukuri, Szabo mengakui kelemahan ini:

"…Potensi kelebihan pasokan yang awalnya tersembunyi karena inovasi tersembunyi dalam arsitektur mesin adalah potensi kelemahan dalam bit gold, atau setidaknya ketidaksempurnaan yang harus diatasi oleh lelang awal dan pertukaran ex post bit gold." - Szabo, 2005

Sekali lagi, meskipun belum sampai pada (yang sekarang kita kenal sebagai) solusinya, Szabo menunjukkan solusinya: karena biaya komputasi berubah seiring waktu, jaringan harus merespons perubahan pasokan komputasi dengan menyesuaikan harga uang.

Gunakan Pasar Internal

Dealer Szabo akan menjadi pasar eksternal yang menentukan harga (bundel dari) bit gold setelah penciptaannya. Apakah mungkin menerapkan pasar ini di dalam sistem dan bukan di luar sistem?

Mari kita kembali ke Wei Dai dan B-money. Seperti disebutkan sebelumnya, Dai mengusulkan model alternatif berbasis lelang untuk pembuatan B-money. Desain Satoshi untuk Bitcoin meningkat secara langsung pada model lelang B-money[^7]:

“Jadi saya mengusulkan subprotokol penciptaan uang alternatif, di mana [pengguna]… memutuskan dan menyetujui jumlah B-money yang akan dibuat setiap periode, dengan biaya pembuatan uang tersebut ditentukan melalui lelang. Setiap periode pembuatan uang adalah dibagi menjadi empat tahap, sebagai berikut:

Planning. Para [pengguna] menghitung dan bernegosiasi satu sama lain untuk menentukan peningkatan jumlah uang beredar yang optimal untuk periode berikutnya. Apakah [jaringan] dapat mencapai konsensus atau tidak, mereka masing-masing menyiarkan kuota penciptaan uang mereka dan komputasi makroekonomi apa pun yang dilakukan untuk mendukung angka tersebut.

Bidding. Siapapun yang ingin membuat B-money menyiarkan tawaran dalam bentuk dimana x adalah banyaknya B-money yang ingin dibuatnya, dan y adalah soal yang belum terselesaikan dari kelas soal yang telah ditentukan. Setiap masalah di kelas ini harus memiliki biaya nominal (katakanlah dalam MIPS-years) yang disetujui secara publik.

Computation. Setelah melihat penawaran, pihak yang mengajukan penawaran pada tahap penawaran sekarang dapat menyelesaikan masalah dalam penawarannya dan menyiarkan solusinya. Penciptaan uang.

Money creation. Setiap [pengguna] menerima tawaran tertinggi (di antara mereka yang benar-benar menyiarkan solusi) dalam hal biaya nominal per unit B-money yang dibuat dan memberikan kredit kepada akun penawar sesuai dengan itu."
- Dai, 1998

B-money membuat kemajuan signifikan menuju struktur pasar yang tepat untuk mata uang digital. Ini berupaya untuk menghilangkan dealer eksternal Szabo dan memungkinkan pengguna untuk terlibat dalam penemuan harga dengan menawar satu sama lain secara langsung.

Namun menerapkan proposal Dai seperti yang tertulis akan menjadi sebuah tantangan:

• Dalam fase "Planning”, pengguna menanggung beban menegosiasikan “peningkatan optimal jumlah uang beredar untuk periode berikutnya”. Bagaimana “optimal” harus didefinisikan, bagaimana pengguna harus bernegosiasi satu sama lain, dan bagaimana hasil negosiasi tersebut dibagikan tidak dijelaskan.
• Terlepas dari apa yang direncanakan, fase “Bidding” memungkinkan siapa saja untuk mengajukan “tawaran” untuk membuat B-money. Tawaran mencakup jumlah B-money yang akan dibuat serta jumlah bukti kerja yang sesuai sehingga setiap penawaran adalah harga, jumlah perhitungan yang bersedia dilakukan oleh penawar tertentu untuk membeli sejumlah tertentu. dari B-money.
• Setelah penawaran diserahkan, fase “Computation” terdiri dari peserta lelang yang melakukan proof-of-work yang mereka tawarkan dan menyiarkan solusi. Tidak ada mekanisme untuk mencocokkan penawar dengan solusi yang disediakan. Yang lebih problematis adalah tidak jelasnya bagaimana pengguna dapat mengetahui bahwa semua penawaran telah diajukan – kapan fase “Bidding” berakhir dan fase “Computation” dimulai?
• Masalah-masalah ini berulang dalam fase “Money creation”. Karena sifat proof-of-work, pengguna dapat memverifikasi bahwa bukti yang mereka terima dalam solusi adalah asli. Namun bagaimana pengguna dapat secara kolektif menyepakati serangkaian “tawaran tertinggi”? Bagaimana jika pengguna yang berbeda memilih set yang berbeda, baik karena preferensi atau latensi jaringan?

Sistem yang terdesentralisasi kesulitan dalam melacak data dan membuat pilihan secara konsisten, namun B-money memerlukan pelacakan tawaran dari banyak pengguna dan membuat pilihan konsensus di antara mereka. Kompleksitas ini menghalangi penerapan B-money.

Akar dari kompleksitas ini adalah keyakinan Dai bahwa tingkat “optimal” penciptaan B-money harus berfluktuasi seiring waktu berdasarkan “perhitungan makroekonomi” penggunanya. Seperti bit gold, B-money tidak memiliki mekanisme untuk membatasi penciptaan uang. Siapapun dapat membuat unit B-money dengan menyiarkan tawaran dan kemudian melakukan proof-of-work yang sesuai.

Baik Szabo maupun Dai mengusulkan penggunaan pasar pertukaran mata uang digital untuk komputasi, namun baik bit gold maupun B-money tidak menentukan kebijakan moneter untuk mengatur pasokan mata uang di pasar ini.

Tujuan Kebijakan Moneter Satoshi Menghasilkan Bitcoin

Sebaliknya, kebijakan moneter yang sehat adalah salah satu tujuan utama Satoshi dalam proyek Bitcoin. Dalam postingan milis pertama tempat Bitcoin diumumkan, Satoshi menulis:

“Akar permasalahan mata uang konvensional adalah kepercayaan yang diperlukan agar mata uang tersebut dapat berfungsi. Bank sentral harus dipercaya untuk tidak merendahkan mata uang tersebut, namun sejarah mata uang fiat penuh dengan pelanggaran terhadap kepercayaan tersebut.” - Satoshi, 2009

Satoshi selanjutnya menjelaskan masalah lain dengan mata uang fiat seperti perbankan cadangan fraksional yang berisiko, kurangnya privasi, pencurian & penipuan yang merajalela, dan ketidakmampuan melakukan pembayaran mikro. Namun Satoshi memulai dengan isu penurunan nilai oleh bank sentral—dengan kekhawatiran mengenai kebijakan moneter.

Satoshi ingin Bitcoin pada akhirnya mencapai pasokan sirkulasi terbatas yang tidak dapat terdilusi seiring waktu. Tingkat penciptaan Bitcoin yang “optimal”, bagi Satoshi, pada akhirnya akan menjadi nol.

Tujuan kebijakan moneter ini, lebih dari karakteristik lain yang mereka miliki secara pribadi (atau kolektif!), adalah alasan Satoshi “menemukan” Bitcoin, blockchain, konsensus Nakamoto, dll. —dan bukan orang lain. Ini adalah jawaban singkat atas pertanyaan yang diajukan dalam judul artikel ini: Satoshi memikirkan Bitcoin karena mereka fokus pada penciptaan mata uang digital dengan persediaan terbatas.

Pasokan Bitcoin yang terbatas bukan hanya tujuan kebijakan moneter atau meme bagi para Bitcoiner untuk berkumpul. Penyederhanaan teknis penting inilah yang memungkinkan Satoshi membangun mata uang digital yang berfungsi sementara B-money Dai tetap menjadi postingan web yang menarik.

Bitcoin adalah B-money dengan persyaratan tambahan berupa kebijakan moneter yang telah ditentukan. Seperti banyak penyederhanaan teknis lainnya, pembatasan kebijakan moneter memungkinkan kemajuan dengan mengurangi ruang lingkup. Mari kita lihat bagaimana masing-masing fase pembuatan B-money disederhanakan dengan menerapkan batasan ini.

Semua Pasokan 21 Juta Bitcoin Sudah Ada

Dalam b-money, setiap “periode penciptaan uang” mencakup fase “Perencanaan”, di mana pengguna diharapkan untuk membagikan “perhitungan makroekonomi” mereka yang membenarkan jumlah b-money yang ingin mereka ciptakan pada saat itu. Tujuan kebijakan moneter Satoshi yaitu pasokan terbatas dan emisi nol tidak sesuai dengan kebebasan yang diberikan b-money kepada pengguna individu untuk menghasilkan uang. Oleh karena itu, langkah pertama dalam perjalanan dari bmoney ke bitcoin adalah menghilangkan kebebasan ini. Pengguna bitcoin perorangan tidak dapat membuat bitcoin. Hanya jaringan bitcoin yang dapat membuat bitcoin, dan hal ini terjadi tepat sekali, pada tahun 2009 ketika Satoshi meluncurkan proyek bitcoin.

Satoshi mampu menggantikan fase “Perencanaan” b-money yang berulang menjadi satu jadwal yang telah ditentukan sebelumnya di mana 21 juta bitcoin yang dibuat pada tahun 2009 akan dilepaskan ke peredaran. Pengguna secara sukarela mendukung kebijakan moneter Satoshi dengan mengunduh dan menjalankan perangkat lunak Bitcoin Core yang kebijakan moneternya dikodekan secara keras.

Hal ini mengubah semantik pasar bitcoin untuk komputasi. Bitcoin yang dibayarkan kepada penambang bukanlah hal baru yang diterbitkan; itu melainkan baru dirilis ke peredaran dari persediaan yang ada.

Pandangan ini sangat berbeda dari klaim naif bahwa “penambang bitcoin menciptakan bitcoin”. Penambang Bitcoin tidak menciptakan bitcoin, mereka membelinya. Bitcoin tidak berharga karena “bitcoin terbuat dari energi”—tetapi nilai bitcoin didemonstrasikan dengan dijual untuk mendapatkan energi.

Mari kita ulangi sekali lagi: bitcoin tidak dibuat melalui proof-of-work, bitcoin dibuat melalui konsensus.

Desain Satoshi menghilangkan persyaratan untuk fase “Perencanaan” yang berkelanjutan dari b-money dengan melakukan semua perencanaan terlebih dahulu. Hal ini memungkinkan Satoshi untuk membuat kebijakan moneter yang sehat namun juga menyederhanakan penerapan bitcoin.

Bitcoin dihargai Melalui Konsensus

Kebebasan yang diberikan kepada pengguna untuk menghasilkan uang menimbulkan beban yang sesuai bagi jaringan bmoney. Selama fase “Penawaran” jaringan b-money harus mengumpulkan dan membagikan “tawaran” pembuatan uang dari banyak pengguna yang berbeda.

Menghilangkan kebebasan untuk menghasilkan uang akan meringankan beban jaringan bitcoin. Karena seluruh 21 juta bitcoin sudah ada, jaringan tidak perlu mengumpulkan tawaran dari pengguna untuk menghasilkan uang, jaringan hanya perlu menjual bitcoin sesuai jadwal Satoshi yang telah ditentukan.

Jaringan bitcoin dengan demikian menawarkan konsensus harga permintaan untuk bitcoin yang dijualnya di setiap blok. Harga tunggal ini dihitung oleh setiap node secara independen menggunakan salinan blockchainnya. Jika node memiliki konsensus pada blockchain yang sama (poin yang akan kita bahas nanti) mereka semua akan menawarkan harga permintaan yang sama di setiap blok.[^8]

Bagian pertama kalkulasi harga konsensus menentukan berapa banyak bitcoin yang akan dijual. Hal ini diperbaiki oleh jadwal rilis Satoshi yang telah ditentukan sebelumnya. Semua node bitcoin di jaringan menghitung jumlah yang sama untuk blok tertentu:

$ bitcoin-cli getblockstats <block\_height> {... "subsidy": 6250000000, ... } # 6.25 BTC

Bagian kedua dari harga yang diminta secara konsensus adalah jumlah komputasi yang akan menjual subsidi saat ini. Sekali lagi, semua node bitcoin di jaringan menghitung nilai yang sama (kita akan meninjau kembali kalkulasi tingkat kesulitan ini di bagian berikutnya):

$ bitcoin-cli getdifficulty {... "result": 55621444139429.57, ... }

Bersama-sama, subsidi dan kesulitan jaringan menentukan permintaan bitcoin saat ini sebagai mata uang komputasi. Karena blockchain berada dalam konsensus, harga ini adalah harga konsensus.

Pengguna b-money juga dianggap memiliki konsensus “blockchain” yang berisi riwayat semua transaksi. Namun Dai tidak pernah memikirkan solusi sederhana berupa konsensus tunggal yang meminta harga untuk pembuatan b-money baru, yang hanya ditentukan oleh data di blockchain tersebut.

Sebaliknya, Dai berasumsi bahwa penciptaan uang harus berlangsung selamanya. Oleh karena itu, pengguna individu perlu diberdayakan untuk mempengaruhi kebijakan moneter – seperti halnya mata uang fiat. Persyaratan yang dirasakan ini membuat Dai merancang sistem penawaran yang mencegah penerapan b-money.

Kompleksitas tambahan ini dihilangkan dengan persyaratan Satoshi mengenai kebijakan moneter yang telah ditentukan sebelumnya.

Waktu Menutup Semua Penyebaran

Dalam fase “Komputasi” b-money, pengguna individu akan melakukan komputasi yang telah mereka lakukan dalam penawaran sebelumnya. Dalam bitcoin, seluruh jaringan adalah penjual – tetapi siapa pembelinya?

Di pasar pengiriman email, pembelinya adalah individu yang ingin mengirim email. Otoritas penetapan harga, penyedia layanan email, akan menetapkan harga yang dianggap murah bagi individu namun mahal bagi pelaku spam. Namun jika jumlah pengguna yang sah bertambah, harganya masih bisa tetap sama karena kekuatan komputasi masing-masing pengguna akan tetap sama.

Di b-money, setiap pengguna yang menyumbangkan tawaran untuk pembuatan uang selanjutnya harus melakukan sendiri jumlah komputasi yang sesuai. Setiap pengguna bertindak sebagai otoritas penetapan harga berdasarkan pengetahuan mereka tentang kemampuan komputasi mereka sendiri.

Jaringan bitcoin menawarkan satu harga yang diminta dalam komputasi subsidi bitcoin saat ini. Namun tidak ada penambang individu yang menemukan blok yang melakukan komputasi sebanyak ini.[^9] Blok pemenang penambang individu adalah bukti bahwa semua penambang secara kolektif melakukan jumlah komputasi yang diperlukan. Pembeli bitcoin dengan demikian adalah industri penambangan bitcoin global.

Setelah mencapai konsensus harga yang diminta, jaringan bitcoin tidak akan mengubah harga tersebut sampai lebih banyak blok diproduksi. Blok-blok ini harus berisi proof-of-work dengan harga yang diminta saat ini. Oleh karena itu, industri pertambangan tidak punya pilihan jika ingin “melakukan perdagangan” selain membayar harga yang diminta saat ini dalam komputasi.

Satu-satunya variabel yang dapat dikontrol oleh industri pertambangan adalah berapa lama waktu yang dibutuhkan untuk memproduksi blok berikutnya. Sama seperti jaringan bitcoin yang menawarkan satu harga yang diminta, industri pertambangan juga menawarkan satu penawaran—waktu yang diperlukan untuk menghasilkan blok berikutnya yang memenuhi harga yang diminta jaringan saat ini.

Untuk mengimbangi peningkatan kecepatan perangkat keras dan minat yang berbeda-beda dalam menjalankan node dari waktu ke waktu, kesulitan proof-of-work ditentukan oleh rata-rata bergerak yang menargetkan jumlah rata-rata blok per jam. Jika dihasilkan terlalu cepat, kesulitannya akan meningkat. - Nakamoto, 2008

Satoshi dengan sederhana menjelaskan algoritma penyesuaian kesulitan, yang sering disebut sebagai salah satu ide paling orisinal dalam implementasi bitcoin. Hal ini benar, namun alih-alih berfokus pada daya cipta solusi, mari kita fokus pada mengapa penyelesaian masalah sangat penting bagi Satoshi.

Proyek-proyek seperti bit gold dan b-money tidak perlu membatasi nilai tukar pada saat penciptaan uang karena mereka tidak memiliki pasokan tetap atau kebijakan moneter yang telah ditentukan sebelumnya. Periode penciptaan uang yang lebih cepat atau lebih lambat dapat dikompensasikan melalui cara lain, misalnya melalui pajak. Dealer eksternal memasukkan token bit gold ke dalam bundler yang lebih besar atau lebih kecil atau pengguna b-money mengubah tawaran mereka.

Namun tujuan kebijakan moneter Satoshi mengharuskan bitcoin memiliki tingkat pelepasan bitcoin yang telah ditentukan untuk diedarkan. Membatasi laju (statistik) produksi blok dari waktu ke waktu adalah hal yang wajar dalam bitcoin karena laju produksi blok adalah laju penjualan pasokan awal bitcoin. Menjual 21 juta bitcoin selama 140 tahun adalah proposisi yang berbeda dibandingkan membiarkannya dijual dalam 3 bulan.

Selain itu, bitcoin sebenarnya dapat menerapkan batasan ini karena blockchain adalah “protokol cap waktu aman” milik Szabo. Satoshi menggambarkan bitcoin sebagai yang pertama dan terutama sebagai “server stempel waktu terdistribusi secara peer-to-peer,” dan implementasi awal kode sumber bitcoin menggunakan “rantai waktu” dunia, bukan “blockchain” untuk menggambarkan struktur data bersama yang mengimplementasikan pasar proof-of-work bitcoin.[^10]

Tidak seperti bit gold atau b-money, token dalam bitcoin tidak mengalami kelebihan pasokan. Jaringan bitcoin menggunakan penyesuaian kesulitan untuk mengubah harga uang sebagai respons terhadap perubahan pasokan komputasi.

Algoritme penyesuaian ulang kesulitan Bitcoin memanfaatkan kemampuan ini. Blockchain konsensus digunakan oleh peserta untuk menghitung penawaran historis yang dibuat oleh industri pertambangan dan menyesuaikan kembali kesulitan agar bisa mendekati waktu blok target.

Pesanan Terunggul Menciptakan Konsensus

Rantai penyederhanaan yang disebabkan oleh tuntutan kebijakan moneter yang kuat meluas ke fase “penciptaan uang” dari b-money.

Tawaran yang diajukan pengguna di b-money mengalami masalah “tidak ada yang dipertaruhkan”. Tidak ada mekanisme untuk mencegah pengguna mengajukan tawaran dengan sejumlah besar b-money untuk pekerjaan yang sangat sedikit. Hal ini mengharuskan jaringan untuk melacak tawaran mana yang telah diselesaikan dan hanya menerima “tawaran tertinggi…dalam hal biaya nominal per unit b-money yang dibuat” untuk menghindari tawaran yang mengganggu tersebut. Setiap peserta b-money harus melacak seluruh tawaran senilai buku pesanan, mencocokkan tawaran dengan perhitungan selanjutnya, dan hanya menyelesaikan pesanan yang telah selesai dengan harga tertinggi.

Masalah ini merupakan contoh dari masalah konsensus yang lebih umum dalam sistem desentralisasi, yang juga dikenal sebagai “Byzantine generals” atau terkadang masalah “pembelanjaan ganda” dalam konteks mata uang digital. Berbagi urutan data yang identik di antara semua peserta merupakan suatu tantangan dalam jaringan yang saling bermusuhan dan terdesentralisasi. Solusi yang ada untuk masalah ini – yang disebut “algoritma konsensus Byzantine-fault tolerant (BFT)” – memerlukan koordinasi sebelumnya di antara peserta atau mayoritas (>67%) peserta agar tidak berperilaku bermusuhan.

Bitcoin tidak harus mengelola buku pesanan dalam jumlah besar karena jaringan bitcoin menawarkan harga permintaan konsensus tunggal. Ini berarti node bitcoin dapat menerima blok pertama (valid) yang mereka lihat yang memenuhi harga yang diminta jaringan saat ini—tawaran gangguan dapat dengan mudah diabaikan dan merupakan pemborosan sumber daya penambang.

Komputasi harga berdasarkan konsensus memungkinkan pencocokan pesanan beli/jual dalam bitcoin dilakukan secara antusias, dengan sistem siapa cepat dia dapat. Berbeda dengan b-money, pencocokan pesanan yang cepat ini berarti bahwa pasar bitcoin tidak memiliki fase—pasar ini beroperasi terus-menerus, dengan harga konsensus baru dihitung setelah setiap pesanan dicocokkan (blok ditemukan). Untuk menghindari percabangan yang disebabkan oleh latensi jaringan atau perilaku bertentangan, node juga harus mengikuti aturan rantai terberat. Aturan penyelesaian pesanan yang serakah ini memastikan bahwa hanya tawaran tertinggi yang diterima oleh jaringan.

Kombinasi algoritma yang antusias dan serakah ini, dimana node menerima blok valid pertama yang mereka lihat dan juga mengikuti rantai terberat, adalah algoritma BFT baru yang dengan cepat menyatu pada konsensus tentang urutan blok. Satoshi menghabiskan 25% dari white paper bitcoin untuk mendemonstrasikan klaim ini.[^11]

Kita telah menetapkan di bagian sebelumnya bahwa harga permintaan konsensus bitcoin itu sendiri bergantung pada konsensus blockchain. Namun ternyata keberadaan harga permintaan konsensus tunggal inilah yang memungkinkan perhitungan pasar untuk mencocokkan pesanan dengan penuh semangat, dan itulah yang pertama-tama mengarah pada konsensus!

Terlebih lagi, “konsensus Nakamoto” yang baru ini hanya mengharuskan 50% peserta untuk tidak bertentangan, sebuah kemajuan yang signifikan dibandingkan dengan kondisi sebelumnya. Seorang cypherpunk seperti Satoshi membuat terobosan ilmu komputer teoretis ini, dibandingkan dengan akademisi tradisional atau peneliti industri, karena fokus mereka yang sempit pada penerapan uang yang sehat, dibandingkan algoritma konsensus umum untuk komputasi terdistribusi.

Kesimpulan

B-money adalah kerangka kerja yang kuat untuk membangun mata uang digital tetapi tidak lengkap karena tidak memiliki kebijakan moneter. Membatasi b-money dengan jadwal rilis yang telah ditentukan untuk bitcoin mengurangi cakupan dan menyederhanakan implementasi dengan menghilangkan persyaratan untuk melacak dan memilih di antara tawaran pembuatan uang yang diajukan pengguna. Mempertahankan kecepatan sementara dari jadwal rilis Satoshi menghasilkan algoritma penyesuaian kesulitan dan memungkinkan konsensus Nakamoto, yang secara luas diakui sebagai salah satu aspek paling inovatif dalam implementasi bitcoin.

Ada lebih banyak hal dalam desain bitcoin daripada aspek yang dibahas sejauh ini. Kita memfokuskan artikel ini pada pasar “utama” dalam bitcoin, pasar yang mendistribusikan pasokan awal bitcoin ke dalam sirkulasi.

Artikel berikutnya dalam seri ini akan mengeksplorasi pasar penyelesaian transaksi bitcoin dan kaitannya dengan pasar pendistribusian pasokan bitcoin. Hubungan ini akan menyarankan metodologi bagaimana membangun pasar masa depan untuk layanan terdesentralisasi selain bitcoin.

Sumber artikel: HOW DID SATOSHI THINK OF BITCOIN? https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/how-did-satoshi-think-of-bitcoin

Diterjemahkan oleh: Abengkris

[^1]: Judul seri ini diambil dari pesan telegraf pertama dalam sejarah, yang dikirimkan oleh Samuel Morse pada tahun 1844: “What hath God wrought?”.

[^2]: Bitcoin: Sistem Uang Elektronik Peer-to-Peer, tersedia di: https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

[^3]: Pricing via Processing or Combatting Junk Mail oleh Dwork dan Naor. tersedia di:
https://www.wisdom.weizmann.ac.il/../../pvp.pdf

[^4]: Meskipun merupakan pencetus ide tersebut, Dwork & Naor tidak menciptakan “proof-of-work”—julukan tersebut kemudian diberikan pada tahun 1999 oleh Markus Jakobsson dan Ari Juels.

[^5]: Proyek RPoW Hal Finney adalah upaya untuk menciptakan proof-of-work yang dapat ditransfer, tetapi bitcoin tidak menggunakan konsep ini karena tidak memperlakukan komputasi sebagai mata uang. Seperti yang akan kita lihat nanti ketika kita memeriksa bit gold dan b-money, komputasi tidak dapat berupa mata uang karena nilai komputasi berubah seiring waktu sementara unit mata uang harus memiliki nilai yang sama. Bitcoin bukanlah komputasi, bitcoin adalah mata uang yang dijual untuk komputasi.

[^6]: Pada saat ini, beberapa pembaca mungkin percaya bahwa saya meremehkan kontribusi Dai atau Szabo karena kontribusi mereka tidak jelas atau tidak jelas dalam beberapa hal. Perasaan saya justru sebaliknya: Dai dan Szabo pada dasarnya benar dan fakta bahwa mereka tidak mengartikulasikan setiap detail seperti yang dilakukan Satoshi tidak mengurangi kontribusi mereka. Sebaliknya, hal ini seharusnya meningkatkan apresiasi kita terhadap hal tersebut, karena hal ini menunjukkan betapa menantangnya munculnya mata uang digital, bahkan bagi para praktisi terbaiknya.

[^7]: Postingan b-money Dai adalah referensi pertama dalam white paper Satoshi, tersedia di: http://www.weidai.com/bmoney.txt

[^8]: Ada dua penyederhanaan yang dilakukan di sini: 1. Jumlah bitcoin yang dijual di setiap blok juga dipengaruhi oleh biaya transaksi pasar, yang berada di luar cakupan artikel ini, namun tetap menunggu pekerjaan selanjutnya. 2. Kesulitan yang dilaporkan oleh bitcoin bukanlah jumlah perhitungan yang diharapkan; seseorang harus mengalikannya dengan faktor proporsionalitas.

[^9]: Setidaknya sejak masa lalu yang buruk ketika Satoshi adalah satu-satunya penambang di jaringan.

[^10]: Bitcoin is Time klasik dari Gigi adalah pengenalan yang bagus tentang hubungan mendalam antara bitcoin dan waktu, tersedia di: https://dergigi.com/2021/01/14/bitcoin-is-time/

[^11]: Satoshi melakukan kesalahan baik dalam analisis mereka di buku putih maupun implementasi awal bitcoin berikutnya dengan menggunakan aturan “rantai terpanjang” dan bukan aturan “rantai terberat”.

@ 662f9bff:8960f6b2

By popular request I have put together one single list of the most important books that I have read and recommend that you should read too. I am happy to receive your comments, reviews and suggestions - just reach out and let's discuss.

They are more or less in alphabetical order of title and they are all recommended.

• George Orwell's 1984 - spot the drumbeat of hostile distant foreign empires and perpetual war - not to mention everything else that he foresaw. Read it and look around you today.
• Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State - this is foundational to so many of the books and insights related to government, finance and current affairs. This is a short read (one hour) also available as free audiobook. It is required knowledge - you have no excuse.
• Animal farm - by George Orwell - note how the pigs end up living in the farmhouse exceeding all the worst behaviour of the farmer and how the constitution on the wall changes.  Things did not end well for loyal Boxer.
• Awaken The Immortal Within by Jason Breschears - This book is for those who have searched for the truth all their life and know they have not found it. The rest of you are warned away.
• The Basic Code of the Universe by Massimo Citro - This is not an easy read (maybe because of being translated from Italian) but the content is fascinating since he combines and draws from many of the other sources we have been considering recently - including Rupert Sheldrake on Morphic fields, Ervin Laszlo on the Akashic field, David Bohm and Karl Pribram on Holographic Paradigm, and Masaru Emoto on the memory of water and homeopathy.
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - A World State, inhabited by genetically modified citizens and an intelligence-based social hierarchy. The novel anticipates large scale psychological manipulation and classical conditioning that are combined to make a dystopian society which is challenged by just one individual who does not take the Soma.
• Lyn Alden's Broken Money - gives you the complete A-Z of how money works and all the bad choices that governments can (and did) make. You will also understand how money really should work for a peaceful and prosperous society.
• The Dream by David Icke - this gets my "Book of the Year 2023" award. You will be shocked and appalled at how accurate his predictions were for what happened with Covid and that is only Chapter One.  He goes MUCH FURTHER.  He may or may not be right on everything he says, but even if he is right on 10-20% the implications should make you think very differently on many things.  Anyone with a bit of critical thinking in their head should be able to see many of the points he makes - the evidence is all around you.
• Saifedean Ammous' The Fiat Standard - explains how national currencies work today and how they are fundamentally broken, inevitably favouring those at the top, nearest to the money printer and disadvantaging everyone else. He outlines the many negative consequences of the current system. Look around you and you will recognise all that he describes.
• The Falsification of History by John Hammer - full review in Newsletter 114
• The Fourth turning is Here by Neil Howe - full review in Newsletter 118
• Going Postal by Terry Pratchett- a fascinating find and so much learning on the origins and corruption of money.
• Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett - The story follows a plot by a secret brotherhood, the Unique and Supreme Lodge of the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night, to overthrow the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork and install a puppet king, under the control of the Supreme Grand Master.
• The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy series - in particular the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
• Michael Talbot's "The Holographic Universe" presents a revolutionary theory that the universe itself may be akin to a giant hologram. This idea, inspired by the work of physicist David Bohm (who as a protégée of Albert Einstein) and neuroscientist Karl Pribram, suggests that our reality is not as it appears on the surface. The holographic paradigm proposes that every part of the universe contains the whole, much like how every piece of a hologram contains a complete picture.
• The Kybalion by Three Initiates - Hermeticism is a philosophical and spiritual tradition that is based on the teachings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary figure who is often associated with the Egyptian god Thoth and the Greek god Hermes, pre-dating all modern religions. This will lead you to the Lament of Hermes (aka Thoth's Prophesy) that I suggest is rather relevant to current times.
• The Mandibles – by Lionel Shriver - The plot: In 2029, the United States is engaged in a bloodless world war that will wipe out the savings of millions of American families. Overnight, on the international currency exchange, the “almighty dollar” plummets in value, to be replaced by a new global currency, the “bancor.” In retaliation, the president declares that America will default on its loans. “Deadbeat Nation” being unable to borrow, the government prints money to cover its bills. What little remains to savers is rapidly eaten away by runaway inflation.
• Mistborn - The Final Empire - by Brandon Sanderson.  You really ought to recognise and understand the importance of learning from wisdom of prior generations. 
• Morphic Resonance by Rupert Sheldrake. This book is about the hypothesis of formative causation, which proposes that nature is habitual. All animals and plants draw upon and contribute to a collective memory of their species. Crystals and molecules also follow the habits of their kind. Cosmic evolution involves an interplay of habit and creativity.   This hypothesis is radically different from the conventional assumption that nature is governed by eternal laws. Also, keep in mind the Akashic Records - not a topic for today but one that we will certainly return to.
• Mythos read by Stephen Fry is a "must do". This has got to be one of the best books I have ever read! Fabulously interesting and insightful - I had always wondered what the Greek Gods got up to and could never have imagined so much! BTW - this will also give you a grounding in the stories that you need to know for much more than you likely realise.
• The Octopus of Global Control by Charlie Robinson explains the eight tentacles of control that are wrapped around humanity, namely: the Military, Government, Covert, Physical, Financial, Media, Spiritual, and Scientific. The book tackles topics such as uncovering the Deep State, false flag terror events, the media’s role in manufacturing wars, the 9/11 deception, the fraud of central banking, our broken education system, the use of religion to shape society, and the corrupted medical industry. Recommend to get this also as audiobook, read by him.
• The Power of Now by Eckhard Tolle - full review in Newsletter 65
• Principles of Economics by Saifedean Ammous. This is a university-level text book, written to replace the nonsense that students have been taught for the last 70 years. Also available as audiobook. You will understand how things really work. A nice summary of the course is here.
• Pyramids by Terry Pratchett - Conservatives vs progressives was, even in this version of ancient Egypt, a hot topic and Pratchett ridicules the arguments of antiquated minds by exaggerating their prime goals and authorities in general.
• The Reveal by David Icke - this gets my "Book of the Year 2024" award.* This is written as a standalone book so you do not need to have read his earlier books. Just do it! This book is required reading for all who are awake to what is going wrong around them and want more background and substantiation.
• Secrets of the Federal Reserve by Eustace Mullins independently corroborates all that you read in The Creature from Jekyll Island and listen to the book club discussion on it here. Eustace also wrote "Murder by Injection" - needless to say, this is particularly relevant to explain what happened in recent years.
• Snow Crash – by Neal Stevenson. The story takes place in some post-crisis world where trust in governments and countries has broken down and the world is made up of territories controlled by various corporations - each of which has their own "passport" and rules.  The inhabitants of the world spend their time "living" in the Metaverse (yes - he did coin that term).  Of course there is some sort of computer virus that strikes and threatens to end everything - you can imagine how things develop.
• William Rees-Mogg's The Sovereign Individual - foresaw very clearly what is currently happening - do get your own copy (book, kindle or audio). Chapters 10 and 11 relate to what's happening now and what's next.
• Sherlock Holmes - Ultimate Collection - I absolutely love this complete collection read by Stephen Fry. At nearly 63 hours of audio you get your money's worth. It is all of the books read in a sensible sequence with Stephen's expert commentary and guidance interspersed between the readings.
• The UnCommunist Manifesto by Aleks Svetski and Mark Moss - a message of Hope, Responsibility and Liberty for all.  This is a book that you can read in a day or so but you will want to go back and re-read things and reflect further.
• When Money Dies by Adam Fergusson - The Nightmare of Deficit Spending, Devaluation, and Hyperinflation in Weimar, Germany. Yes it recounts the story of a hundred years ago but you will be surprised to see how relevant this is today, albeit on a bigger scale. We discussed this back in Issue 7 in February 2022.

For lots more like this, do follow our journey: Letter from ...around the world

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Bitcoin, as a decentralized digital currency, is reshaping the global financial landscape, sparking innovation and transformation across various sectors. In South America, Bitcoin communities are emerging as crucial drivers of economic empowerment, financial inclusion, and local technological advancement. This issue will highlight 21 Bitcoin communities from South America, exploring their missions, growth trajectories, and recent developments. By examining these grassroots initiatives, we aim to show how Bitcoin is being leveraged to create sustainable economic ecosystems, foster social progress, and expand access to education and financial tools. Thank you, YakiHonne decentralized media client on Nostr to support people in owning their voice. #iOS #Android, for supporting the publication of the Bitcoin Community Newsletter. Most of the content has been reviewed and confirmed by the South American communities. If there are any omissions, please feel free to reach out to me.

1.Mi Primer Bitcoin nostr:npub17cyatz6z2dzcw6xehtcm9z45m76lde5smxdmyasvs00r4pqv863qrs4ml3 * Introduction My First Bitcoin is a Bitcoin education initiative rooted in the principles of independence, fairness, and community leadership. Originating in El Salvador, it aims to empower individuals and communities by providing open-source educational resources and fostering a decentralized network. Through a commitment to high-quality education, resistance to external influence, and the creation of a global collaborative network, it seeks to spread Bitcoin education to every corner of the world, offering a transparent and transformative model for reshaping traditional financial systems. * Latest Updates Recently, MyfirstBitcoin successfully hosted the fourth Bitcoin Educators Unconference, featuring guests such as nostr:npub1zfgx8v2g0faswd0ry2qn3ay4pvx4jr6q4fw9d0yqalpkyv9hhp0sjccnj5 nostr:npub1rhh9pkmf6l6z7298yg6fgp95rzkmx4j9uxpekn8j73p5k95ck7gsvce7vj attracting around 170 participants and receiving positive feedback. They also held the graduation ceremony in Ilopango, El Salvador, and continued to organize their regular monthly Bitcoin education meetups and Bitcoin game nights. Additionally, MyfirstBitcoin’s Bitcoin Educators Node Network welcomed four new projects from Canada, Nigeria, and the United States. In partnership with Bitcoin Boma, they are launching a free online Bitcoin education course for Malawi in January 2025, aimed at enhancing local Bitcoin knowledge.

2.Bitcoin Beach

• Introduction Bitcoin Beach is a groundbreaking initiative in El Salvador aimed at fostering sustainable local economic development through Bitcoin. The project provides financial services to the community, particularly for those without access to traditional banking. By using Bitcoin for payments, residents can cover everyday expenses such as utility bills, medical costs, and food. Bitcoin Beach leverages the Lightning Network and community collaboration to promote the adoption of Bitcoin both within El Salvador and globally.
• Latest Updates Recently, Bitcoin Beach attended the conference at Bitcoin Lake, where they hosted the Bitcoin Beach Meetup and Bitcoin Beach Festival to support local businesses with Bitcoin. They also invited notable figures such as nostr:npub1q0al05h2uvtj0fp8ww7etl0pdjnkum638ynz9tmku3e522fyvlmqjq04mt Hermann Buhr-Vivier, nostr:npub164xhe3pgcqaj70ls7ls5e4hwlnvl4ttuu8wns99jmwp5z6lwhutsa27wle as podcast guests. The discussions covered a range of impactful topics, including how Bitcoin mining can truly light up rural Africa, how to use Bitcoin to transform small towns in South Africa, and integrating Bitcoin into state-level policies across the United States, among other key areas.

3.Praia Bitcoin Brazil nostr:npub1m3tu3l6y59g2tmackq23v5vgn59u7hu66gxg8xajghz59tqm6xnqk2m888 * Introduction Praia Bitcoin Brazil, located in Jericoacoara, Brazil, is dedicated to creating the country's first Bitcoin circular economy, empowering local residents with financial inclusion. Founded by Fernando Motolese, the project promotes Bitcoin adoption through education, technology, and community-driven initiatives. It has integrated over 40 local businesses into the Bitcoin ecosystem and raised more than 12 BTC through Bitcoin-only crowdfunding. Praia Bitcoin offers self-sovereign financial services and runs programs like the "Bitcoin Smiles" initiative and educational support for children. * Latest Updates Recently, Praia Bitcoin Brazil launched several innovative projects, including the first stage lighting course and free acoustic guitar course funded entirely through Bitcoin crowdfunding. Additionally, Praia Bitcoin successfully hosted the Praia Bitcoin Conference 2024, attracting 10 volunteers, 100 local residents, and 10 new merchants. The conference also sponsored the first music performance paid in Bitcoin and introduced three local courses, all funded via Bitcoin crowdfunding. These initiatives highlight Praia Bitcoin's ongoing efforts to drive Bitcoin adoption and foster local community development.

4.Bitcoin Lake / Lago Bitcoin Guatemala nostr:npub1a4excy7uf9z3mcafvm9cwdr549dl5lpazuvpr2nc550vf27n5a4scqq5k2 * Introduction Bitcoin Lake aims to create a circular economy powered by Bitcoin, providing a novel and accessible solution for unbanked as well as banked merchants in Guatemala. * Latest Updates The Bitcoin Lake community has been actively preparing and promoting a series of innovative initiatives. On November 30 and December 1, Bitcoin Lake successfully hosted its 2024 conference, inviting industry experts such as Ronny Avendaño, co-founder and CEO of the Bitcoin hardware store, and prominent Bitcoin advocate Roman Martínez (chimbera). During the conference, the community also organized creative activities like the coffee workshop and “Be Captain of the Bitcoin Boat”， offering participants an opportunity to dive deeper into Bitcoin and the local economy. Additionally, through partnerships with local merchants, Bitcoin Lake is actively advancing the development of the Bitcoin economy, fostering economic growth and financial inclusion in the community.

5.Bitcoin jungle nostr:npub14f26g7dddy6dpltc70da3pg4e5w2p4apzzqjuugnsr2ema6e3y6s2xv7lu * Introduction Bitcoin Jungle is an open-source community project built on the Bitcoin Lightning Network with the goal of creating a circular Bitcoin economy. The project provides education, resources, and technology to both individuals and businesses. Starting from the Golden Triangle area in Costa Rica (Dominical, Uvita, Ojochal, Platanillo, Tinamaste), it is developing a shining example of what a Bitcoin community can represent. * Latest Updates Recently, the Bitcoin Jungle community has been actively promoting the adoption and use of Bitcoin in Costa Rica, participating in various projects and events. Community members attended the Adopting Bitcoin conference in El Salvador, further advancing global Bitcoin adoption. At the same time, they have been actively supporting children's charity projects and Bitcoin diploma courses, continuously driving Bitcoin education, social responsibility, and community development.

6.Bitcoin Berlín sv * Introduction Bitcoin Berlín sv aimed at creating a financially sovereign town in Berlín, El Salvador, through the implementation of a Bitcoin circular economy. The project seeks to integrate Bitcoin into the local economy by educating residents and businesses about its benefits, promoting the adoption of Bitcoin-based payment systems, and empowering local entrepreneurs with financial education. It also focuses on environmental sustainability, encouraging the use of renewable energy and waste reduction. * Latest Updates Recently, the Bitcoin Berlín sv has been actively promoting the use of Bitcoin by sharing informative articles and supporting the graduation of podcast producer Joel through the BlinkBTC QR code platform, allowing contributions in sats. This initiative not only supports the growth and development of community members but also furthers Bitcoin’s adoption and usage within the community. Additionally, on November 23rd, the community successfully hosted a cultural festival celebrating the local heritage. During the event, all vendors accepted Bitcoin payments, showcasing its practical application in Berlín’s economy. The festival attracted numerous tourists and residents eager to experience Bitcoin payments, further advancing its integration into daily life.

7.Bitcoin embassy San Salvador * Introduction Bitcoin embassy San Salvador is more into promoting Nostr in the region. * Latest Updates Recently, the Bitcoin Embassy San Salvador has been actively promoting the use and adoption of Bitcoin within the community, organizing various events. One of the highlights was the Christmas Toy Drive x Cuarteto Salvación, where toys were purchased using Sats to bring holiday cheer to children in need. The event, held on December 1 at Cuscatlán Park, also featured a special Music Night, attracting a large audience. Additionally, the Embassy hosted an educational gathering for food vendors, aimed at promoting Bitcoin payment systems. During the event, vendors accept Bitcoin payments through tiankii_Tech and blinkbtc platforms, further encouraging local businesses to embrace and adopt Bitcoin payments.

8.ONG Bitcoin Argentina * Introduction ONG Bitcoin Argentina is dedicated to advancing the development and application of decentralized technologies, particularly in the fields of Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain. As a leading organization in this space, the community promotes user protection and the healthy growth of the crypto ecosystem through education, training, and public advocacy. Its mission is to help individuals, businesses, and decision-makers understand and leverage decentralized, transparent, and secure technologies to bring more opportunities and progress to society. ONG Bitcoin Argentina has become a leading force in promoting decentralized technology in Argentina and Latin America. * Latest Updates Recently, ONG Bitcoin Argentina has been actively preparing for the “Moon Party | Despedimos el año ATH (A Todo Hodler)” celebration, set to take place on December 5, 2024. Bitcoin enthusiasts will gather to enjoy exciting activities, including a Lightning Network demonstration and the Fish Bowl Manizesto Bitcoiner art exhibition. In addition, the community has hosted and will host a series of conferences and workshops covering a range of topics, including local digital asset services, Bitcoin as a strategic reserve in the U.S., the reconversion of the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency economy and financial systems, the role of crypto economics in financial system reform, the impact of Bitcoin ETFs on markets, and Bitcoin's influence on global issues, fostering in-depth discussions and development within the crypto industry.

9.La bitcoineta * Introduction La Bitcoineta is an initiative launched by the Argentine community in 2018, designed to promote the adoption and understanding of Bitcoin through a unique and powerful tool: a van and a group of volunteers. This traveling educational project has visited hundreds of towns across Latin America, Africa, and Europe, reaching thousands of people and covering hundreds of thousands of kilometers with the aim of spreading its mission and activities.With its innovative and mobile approach, Bitcoineta has become a globally recognized educational project.

10.Motiv Peru * Introduction Motiv is a non-profit organization founded in 2020, focused on addressing systemic poverty through Bitcoin and innovative projects, aiming to provide better opportunities for survival and prosperity to underserved communities. Its founders, Rich Swisher and Vali Popescu, witnessed firsthand the tragic impact of poverty and lack of basic living conditions in a remote village in the Andes Mountains of Peru, where children were dying due to preventable causes. This inspired them to create Motiv, with the goal of empowering vulnerable populations. By leveraging global support and partnerships, Motiv uses Bitcoin to help local communities break free from poverty and improve their lives, striving to bring positive change and hope to those in need. * Latest Updates Recently, MOTIV Perú has made significant progress in promoting Bitcoin and the circular economy. The organization continues to transform communities across Peru through various initiatives. For example, in the Comas district of Lima, entrepreneurial women are paying for their classes with Bitcoin and learning how to make delicious desserts, further advancing the local circular economy. Additionally, MOTIV Perú held its first Bitcoin training in Carabayllo-Lima, helping Peruvians understand the nature of money and the advantages of Bitcoin. MOTIV is also assisting communities in areas like Tarapoto and Ancon, where locals are using Bitcoin for daily transactions, driving financial freedom and economic empowerment.

11.Montanha bitcoin * Introduction Building a circular economy in Sao thome, Brazil. * Latest Updates Recently, The community has had no recent updates. The latest event dates back to June 2024, highlighting a water contamination incident.

12.Amityage honduras * Introduction Amityage Honduras is the first Bitcoin education center in Honduras, located on Roatán Island in the Prosperá zone. The center's mission is to educate the local community about Bitcoin and spread this knowledge throughout Central America and the Caribbean. It is dedicated to helping businesses on the island adopt Bitcoin as a payment method, teaching children financial literacy, and empowering individuals to achieve financial sovereignty through Bitcoin. The center aims to empower the local community through education and innovation, fostering economic independence and sustainable development. * Latest Updates Recently, Amityage Honduras is actively promoting Bitcoin education by participating in various international Bitcoin events and organizing local courses to help more people understand Bitcoin. Community members took part in significant events such as AdoptingBTC 2024 and BitcoinUnconference, and hosted workshops around the theme of “How to Enter the World of Bitcoin Education.” In Haidmühle, Germany, AmityAge completed a four-day Bitcoin Educators Academy, where the curriculum included topics like using simple analogies to explain Bitcoin and public speaking exercises. Additionally, the community hosted Bitcoin education courses on Roatán Island and provided a free Bitcoin event for beginners at the Crawfish Rock community, further spreading Bitcoin knowledge.

13.Lima - Orange Pill Perú nostr:npub1fw8m5g6nfywmsgqjc66j47jax7jrv8lq46zf7grydjqppc54a8eql47qrx * Introduction Orange Pill Peru is a community-driven initiative dedicated to empowering Peruvians through Bitcoin education. With a focus on transforming the financial landscape, Orange Pill Peru provides resources for individuals to learn about Bitcoin, connect with like-minded enthusiasts, and grow their knowledge through various events and workshops. The community serves as a hub for both beginners and professionals, offering a supportive environment to explore the fundamentals of Bitcoin, its history, and its potential to shape the future of finance. * Latest Updates Recently, there have been no major updates. They actively engage in Bitcoin education and industry updates by sharing and reposting Bitcoin-related content. They support MOTIV Perú's financial freedom education project in the Ancon community in Lima, emphasizing the empowerment of women through Bitcoin. Additionally, the community has shared information about the upcoming Bitcoin Medellin Conference scheduled for January 2025.

14.La Antigua Bitcoin * Introduction La Antigua Bitcoin is a community-based initiative in La Antigua Guatemala, focusing on promoting Bitcoin adoption in local businesses. The community works to create awareness and facilitate the use of Bitcoin as a payment method in various establishments throughout the city. By encouraging merchants to accept Bitcoin, La Antigua Bitcoin aims to integrate cryptocurrency into the everyday economy, driving financial innovation and expanding access to decentralized financial systems within the region. * Latest Updates Recently, the Antigua Bitcoin community has had few updates, with a focus on organizing its first meetup in collaboration with “Run with Bitcoin” on November 24, 2023. The event garnered significant attention within the community, featuring interactions with a special guest. The aim of the event was to further promote Bitcoin adoption in Antigua, Guatemala, and encourage exchange and collaboration between Bitcoin enthusiasts and the local community.

15.Horizonte Bitcoin nostr:npub1wl8u4wfqsdz5m9ey0vvzh4y05mcpk2lm2xhhpw3uzs3878c2mw9sr2ksxk * Introduction Project that aims to contribute to the Bitcoinization of the economy and encourage Entrepreneurship and Decentralization. * Latest Updates Recently, The community has had no recent updates. The latest event dates back to Oct 2024, which shared a message encouraging women to learn more about Bitcoin and connect with others in the field, highlighted a meetup, Satoshe's Lounge, for women, providing a space to learn, discuss, and share knowledge about Bitcoin.

16.Escuelita Bitcoin nostr:npub1awggmqvlw8pa0kp9qq5law8zsvp2a8suztk0357j7e0nt746suwspt7lwx * Introduction Educational Project for Little School. * Latest Updates Recently, the Escuelita Bitcoin team has grown to five members and is actively advancing Bitcoin education and community development. Team members have hosted several workshops in Paraguay and Mexico, spreading Bitcoin knowledge within local communities and encouraging merchants to accept Bitcoin payments, particularly in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. The team is raising funds through platforms like Geyser. fund and Kuno.anne.media to support the expansion of their educational initiatives and help locals better understand and use Bitcoin. Escuelita Bitcoin also emphasizes privacy education, promoting the use of tools like CakeWallet and Monero. Through collaborations with other organizations and individuals, the team is extending the reach of Bitcoin education, fostering the adoption of Bitcoin in Latin America and emerging markets.

17.Bitcoin é aqui! Rolante/Riozinho-RS-BRASIL nostr:npub168dqt5c8ue3uj8ynlk0lhwalnp7uy39lvzf9tm09wy3htxwmw7qq5nerj4 * Introduction Bitcoin é Aqui! Rolante is located in Rolante, Brazil, and is dedicated to creating a lifestyle and tourism destination where 40% of businesses now accept Bitcoin as a payment method, showcasing the community's success in integrating Bitcoin into the local economy. Residents and visitors can use it to pay for all services, including accommodation, tours, local goods, medical services, and even construction and solar energy equipment. This reflects the practical application and convenience of its use in everyday life, aiming to create a digitally-driven environment powered by Bitcoin. * Latest Updates Recently, the Bitcoin é Aqui! Rolante has been actively promoting the adoption and use of Bitcoin in Brazil and beyond. The community has organized several educational events aimed at spreading basic Bitcoin knowledge and its practical applications in daily life, particularly through online videos and lectures. These efforts help people understand how Bitcoin plays a crucial role in the global financial system. The community has also been actively involved in promoting Bitcoin payments, supporting their adoption by local businesses and in the tourism industry.

18.Bitcoin Forte * Introduction Bitcoin Forte is a voluntary initiative aimed at introducing Bitcoin as a currency to Praia do Forte in Bahia, Brazil. The project provides valuable information about Bitcoin’s importance and encourages local merchants to adopt it as a payment method. By highlighting Bitcoin's international use, simplicity, and security, Bitcoin Forte aims to facilitate its adoption among both tourists and businesses.The community promotes Bitcoin as a stable and controlled currency, helping to avoid systemic price inflation. Bitcoin Forte simplifies the process for businesses by offering tools such as QR codes and the “Satoshi POS Wallet” app, which connects to a merchant’s primary wallet for seamless transactions. * Latest Updates Recently, the community has had no recent updates. The latest event dates back to July 2024, introducing Airbtc, a platform similar to Airbnb, but it only accepts Bitcoin as payment.

19.Bitcoin Paraguay * Introduction Bitcoin Paraguay is a community dedicated to connecting individuals in Paraguay who are interested in Bitcoin, promoting its adoption, and fostering the development of local circular economies. The community’s mission is to increase Bitcoin adoption by collaborating with local businesses and nonprofit organizations, helping to create a more sustainable local economy. Through regular events, talks, and resource sharing, Bitcoin Paraguay provides education and support to its members while actively exploring Bitcoin's application across various sectors in Paraguay. * Latest Updates Recently, the Bitcoin Paraguay community has made significant progress in promoting Bitcoin adoption. On November 5, they successfully hosted the fifth Bitcoin meetup in Asunción, attracting 110 attendees. The event included two Spanish-language presentations and a Lightning Network onboarding training session, with food and drinks available for purchase using Bitcoin. The event was made possible with strong support from sponsors Blink Wallet and Hacking Lives. On November 13, Josef Tetek visited Bitcoin Paraguay to help promote the adoption of Vexl in the country. The community also shared their progress through articles, with Jake, a community member, publishing an article in the Asunción Times on how Bitcoin Paraguay is improving people's lives.

20.Bitcoin Amantikir * Introduction They are starting the first community in the Serra da Mantiqueira to use and extol people about the bitcoin economy. * Latest Updates Recently, the Bitcoin Amantikir community has made significant progress in promoting Bitcoin as a payment method and fostering a circular economy in Santo Antônio do Pinhal. Various businesses, including a pet store, transportation service providers, a hotel, a fruit shop, and a tourist attraction, have started accepting Bitcoin payments. Additionally, the community is organizing a Bitcoin financial education course on December 2nd at Munay Pousada, aimed at helping young people aged 14-18 acquire essential financial knowledge and understand the importance of Bitcoin.

21.La Crypta nostr:npub1rujdpkd8mwezrvpqd2rx2zphfaztqrtsfg6w3vdnljdghs2q8qrqtt9u68 * Introduction La Crypta is an open-source community dedicated to advancing the adoption of the Nostr protocol and Bitcoin through developer-friendly tools and resources. By providing an integrated open-source stack, La Crypta empowers developers to sync with multiple relays, showcase profiles with badges, and facilitate seamless messaging, making it easier to build and utilize decentralized social platforms. Events like hackathons further enhance collaboration and attract new members, fostering innovation in decentralized social media. * Latest Updates LaWallet, their open-source wallet, integrates Bitcoin, Lightning, and Nostr to provide a seamless learning experience. With over 8,000 NFC cards distributed across conferences in regions like Argentina, Brazil, and Spain, LaWallet enables easy adoption while prioritizing user privacy. The wallet’s functionality is now supported by Alby’s official browser extension, further boosting accessibility.

@ 468f729d:5ab4fd5e

@ 3c7dc2c5:805642a8

🧠Quote(s) of the week:

'It takes 40 years to mine the last Bitcoin. 40 fucking years. For one Bitcoin. None of us understand.

It means if you are a whole coiner your children or grandchildren (if they are smart) will inherit the equivalent of 40 years’ worth of energy used to secure the Bitcoin network. NO ONE is prepared for this.' -FractalEncrypt

🧡Bitcoin news🧡

On the 3rd of December:

➡️'Bitcoin is still just 0.2% of global asset value.

Here is the latest update of this chart, which you may have seen in Saylor's presentations. With Bitcoin's price over $90k, it may feel like you're late to Bitcoin... but it is still a tiny bucket in the global asset ocean. As a ~$2T asset, it's incredibly early for Bitcoin.' - Jesse Myers

Bitcoin is “0.2% right now, at 1% of the total global assets, Bitcoin's a $9 Trillion asset, and worth about $450,000, at 3% is worth $1.3 Million per BTC. One of the most crucial and easiest charts to understand.

Oh and regarding the volatility, let me quote Joe Burnett: "Bitcoin is volatile because it’s a $450T asset trading for only $2T growing at a 70% CAGR. MSTR packages this volatility, sells it, and buys more Bitcoin. Do you see the reflexivity yet?

➡️'An estimated ~2.5 Million bitcoin ($240 billion) are lost forever.

Don’t let your stack be next. Here are the 5 most common self-custody mistakes people make (and how to avoid them):' Great thread by River:

TLDR: Avoid these mistakes to keep your Bitcoin safe: 1. Practice restoring your wallet before sending funds to it. 2. Send test transactions before the full amount. 3. Air-gap your wallet for large amounts. 4. Keep inheritance plans simple & secure. 5. Manage your UTXOs smartly. Here are the 5 most common self-custody mistakes people make (and how to avoid them)'

➡️Canadian publicly traded company Bitcoin Well Inc. adoptsBitcoinas a treasury reserve asset and is raising $2 million to buy more BTC.

➡️BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF surpasses the 500K Bitcoin benchmark, currently worth over $48 billion.

➡️Mashinsky to plead guilty in Celsius fraud case.

➡️Virgin Voyages announces it is the first cruise line to accept Bitcoin as payment.

➡️The US government has transferred nearly 20K $BTC valued at $1.92 billion. Meanwhile, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong agrees with US Space Force major Jason Lowery that the US gov't should NEVER sell its Bitcoin holdings, citing it as a strategic mistake that makes no sense at any price point.

➡️Total balance on exchanges drops to around 2.8M BTC, down from 3M in February.

➡️MARA's convertible note offering just upsized from $805 MILLION to $1 BILLION at 0% interest due to massive demand.

➡️Japanese House of Representatives member Taro Kono posts a picture of his friend mining Bitcoin with a Bitaxe.

On the 4th of December:

The impact of truth evolves as more people acknowledge it. Here’s another milestone:

➡️Russia's President Putin says, “For example, Bitcoin, who can prohibit it? Nobody. Who can prohibit the use of other electronic means of payment? Nobody. Because these are new technologies and no matter what happens to the dollar, these tools will develop one way or another because everyone will strive to reduce costs and increase reliability.”

➡️Donald Trump officially nominates pro-Bitcoin Paul Atkins as next SEC Chair.

➡️And on the same day, Jerome Powell calls Bitcoin a competitor of gold, not the dollar. '“It’s just like gold only it’s virtual. It’s digital. People are not using it as a form of payment or as a store of value. It’s highly volatile. It’s not a competitor for the dollar. It’s a competitor for gold.”

Great thread on how Bitcoin will disrupt all markets.

➡️On that statement made by Powell: Powell: "Bitcoin is not a store of value. It's too volatile" Reality: Bitcoin is not only the best-performing asset in history (and certainly in 2024), it has a HIGHER Sharpe ratio (risk-adjusted return) than the S&P, Treasuries, and gold. - ZeroHedge

➡️'Missing just the 2 best 24-hour periods of Bitcoin returns each year since 2014 would've completely wiped out the 12,964% gains you’d have made by simply HODLing.' - Wicked

This is why you shouldn't trade Bitcoin, just avoid trading. Just imagine you just had the balls to HODL aka. patience aka. low time preference. Full disclosure, in the past I had no balls.

➡️One of the largest bitcoin miners in the world launches a ‘Strategic Bitcoin Reserve’. Hut 8!

➡️Saylor presents a “Trump Max” plan for a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, proposing the government acquire 4 million Bitcoin and convert 75% of surpluses into BTC. By 2045, this strategy projects a value of $81 trillion.

➡️Pete Rizzo: Someone just activated an 11-year-old wallet with 2,700 Bitcoin worth $254 MILLION. They HODL'ed from $600 to $96,000.

On the 5th of December:

➡️There it is! The price of Bitcoin hit USD 100,000 for the first time! 100,000 infinitely printable US government tokens per glorious Nakamoto-grade orange coin. And a crucial and painful conclusion is that few traditional investors will have enjoyed it! Ps.: 80% of all dollars were created in the last 5 years.

Daniel Batten: 'On the day Bitcoin broke 100K, Bitcoin critics cannot even say "but it boils the oceans" anymore without looking utterly ignorant, as a 6th sustainability magazine covers how Bitcoin helps green energy adoption and grid stabilization.'

➡️El Salvador is now $333 MILLION in profit on its Bitcoin investment. IMF in tears.

Other countries go full retard. ➡️Central Bank of Chile has ruled out adding Bitcoin as a reserve asset, citing non-compliance with IMF standards for foreign reserves. 'The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has extended various financial arrangements to Chile over the years, primarily as precautionary measures to bolster the country’s economic resilience. These arrangements include the Flexible Credit Line (FCL) and the Short-term Liquidity Line (SLL).' -Fiatextractor In other words, Chile is not a sovereign country. It's like a fentanyl junkie in San Fran! That FIAT line of credit is just too good to give up.

➡️ The German government sold 50,000 Bitcoin at $55,000. Bitcoin is up 85% since then. Missed out on a cool $2.35 BILLION profit...Verdammt nochmal!

➡️Semler Scientific just bought another $29.3m Bitcoin. Since adopting a Bitcoin Treasury Strategy in May 2024 the Company has bought $147.1 million Bitcoin. MicroStrategy playbook!

➡️Bitcoin sets a NEW ALL-TIME HIGH against gold. It now takes 39 ounces to buy one Bitcoin.

On the 6th of December:

➡️Czech Republic scraps capital gains tax on Bitcoin held +3 years! The Czech Republic has enacted a new law eliminating capital gains tax on Bitcoin held for more than three years and prohibiting banks from discriminating against Bitcoin businesses.

➡️El Salvador bonds rally as Bitcoin jumps past $100,000" — Bloomberg 'What this means is buying Bitcoin has been such a HUGE success that El Salvador is now able to refinance its debt at much lower interest rates, and can use the savings to buy even more Bitcoin!' -Bitcoin Archive

➡️The City of Newport rejects the offer of James Howells, who in 2013 lost a hard drive containing 8K Bitcoin ($~800M), now buried in a local landfill, equal to 25% of the funds recovered in a change of search permission for him and his data recovery team

➡️On the Schwab Network: "If you don't have at least 10% of your portfolio in Bitcoin or Bitcoin-related assets, you're going to fall significantly behind."

➡️$891 MILLION of leveraged crypto positions liquidated in just 24hrs. REKT!!

➡️Bloomberg terminal now shows the Bitcoin price as $0.1m instead of in thousands.

➡️'The US spot ETFs have just passed Satoshi in total Bitcoin held, now hold more than 1.1m, more than anyone in the world, and they're not even a year old yet, literally babies still. Mind-blowing.' -Eric Balchunas (foto)

The time it took for Bitcoin to add a zero to its exchange price:

On the 7th of December:

➡️U.S. Treasury says Bitcoin's primary use case is "digital gold". Meanwhile, Bernstein researched, Bitcoin to replace gold as the leading store of value within the next ten years - Bernstein research

Dennis Porter: 'The U.S. Treasury just declared that Bitcoin is digital gold and yet some people still think $100,000 bitcoin is too expensive. We are going much higher.'

If your goal is to accumulate as much gold as possible, well the best strategy is to be saving in Bitcoin.

Bitcoin replacing gold is the logical base case. Replacing every de facto Medium of Saving is the logical base case. Gold is the first asset in the domino stack to experience what it feels like when Bitcoin starts to suck away its monetary premium, reducing its market value to its utility value. Replacing fiat is a much larger and more speculative leap. But it will come, in due course.

➡️'Bitcoin miners in the aggregate have seen a significant reduction in the total Bitcoin held in wallets linked to mining activities. On-chain analytics platform Santiment revealed a decline of 85,503 BTC over 48 hours, representing the largest drop since February 2024.' -Bitcoin News

➡️Holding Bitcoin has been profitable for over 99.8% of its history!

➡️'Bitcoin Cycles Timeline. I don't make the rules.

2016-2020

Halving to Peak: 525 days

Peak to Bottom: 364 days

Bottom to Halving 518 days

2020-2024

Halving to Peak: 532 days

Peak to Bottom: 371 days

Bottom to Halving: 532 Days

The next halving date is March 26, 2028. Look how accurately the above timeline would put us at the halving...

Will the pattern continue?' -Brett

On the 8th of October:

➡️Microsoft could make history in two days, on the 10th of December, as shareholders vote on whether to add Bitcoin to the balance sheet. A decision that could ripple across corporate America.

➡️Joe Burnett: 'Median new US home price in bitcoin

2012 - 50,616 BTC

2013 - 19,127 BTC

2014 - 351 BTC

2015 - 901 BTC

2016 - 697 BTC

2017 - 323 BTC

2018 - 24 BTC

2019 - 84 BTC

2020 - 46 BTC

2021 - 10 BTC

2022 - 20 BTC

2023 - 14 BTC

2024 - 4.3 BTC'

Great anecdote by someone called BTCbeardman on Twitter: 'I bought my home in March 2023. The price was $495,000, which was 22.5 BTC. Today the value is $560,000, which is 5.6 BTC. In a little less than 2 years my home value increased 13% in dollars. But it lost 75% of its value in Bitcoin. Real estate is COLLAPSING in front of us.'

➡️On this day, someone sent 1,000 BTC, today worth $100 million, around the world for a $10 fee. Now try that with Fiat or with Gold. That's the beauty of Bitcoin.

➡️'MicroStrategy has bought $17.5 billion Bitcoin this year, and $13b of that in the last just 6 weeks. Some thought the 2027 target of $18b was a fantasy, but he's about to smash that this week with another buy. How much will Saylor buy this week? Another $1b, $2b... $5b?' -Bitcoin Archive

On the 9th of December:

➡️So far today:

• MicroStrategy bought $2.1 BILLION Bitcoin. Freaking conviction by Saylor. Although, I don't like that MicroStrategy is holding more than 2% of all Bitcoin to ever exist.
• UAE holding its first-ever Bitcoin conference.
• Public company Riot is raising $500 million to buy Bitcoin.

➡️'Bitcoin has just closed its first daily AND weekly candle above $100k. Congrats to all the HODLers! Iran to embrace Bitcoin with regulatory framework instead of banning them, says Minister of Economic Affairs First Russia, then China...now Iran.' -Bitcoin Archive

➡️Publicly traded AI firm Genius Group buys an additional $2.2 million.

➡️Amazon shareholders have submitted a request for the $2.3 Trillion company to explore adding Bitcoin to its treasury. Amazon shareholders request that the Board conduct an assessment to determine if adding Bitcoin to the Company's treasury is in the best long-term interests of shareholders. foto)

➡️IMF tells El Salvador that Bitcoin acceptance by businesses must be voluntary to unlock a $1.3b loan.

They're scared of success...

💸Traditional Finance / Macro:

On the 2nd of December: 👉🏽'This is the strongest stock market in decades: The S&P 500 is up 26.5% this year and on track for its best annual performance in 26 years. If the S&P 500 rises another 3.5%, it would mark the first annual gain of 30% or more since 1997. Additionally, the S&P 500 has hit 53 all-time highs year-to-date, the 3rd highest this century.

This is only below the 70 and 62 all-time highs seen in 2021 and 2017. Since the October 2023 low, the S&P 500 is now up an incredible 47%.' TKL As mentioned in the previous Weekly Recap the Mag 7 is unprecedented. The rest of the SP500 and economy are just bloated on printed money barely outpacing inflation. Oh, by the way, the last time U.S. stocks were this overvalued versus the rest of the world was... well, never.

👉🏽'Buffett’s cash allocation is at 30% of Berkshire Hathaway’s total assets Such an elevated cash position has NEVER been seen. His cash pile has just hit a RECORD of $325 billion. Warren Buffett's cash pile just hit another ATH, reaching $325 billion That’s $325 billion sitting on the sidelines at Berkshire Hathaway. Well, the last time Buffett maintained elevated cash levels was between 2004 - 2007 During these 3 years, his cash allocation consistently exceeded 20%.' -Bravos Research This could get ugly…

🏦Banks:  👉🏽 No news

🌎Macro/Geopolitics:

On the 3rd of December:

👉🏽'The US government brings in about $5 trillion annually in revenue from taxes, fees, and tariffs. The US government is on pace to spend about $1.4 trillion for interest payments on the $36 trillion debt in 2025. That will be about 28% of all govt revenue going to interest payments.' - WallStreet Mav And that 28% is increasing almost exponentially due to all those short-term bonds rolling over from low to high rates… Again no gloom and doom, just facts. Total US debt is now up ~$13 TRILLION since 2020 and at a record $36 TRILLION.

Another source: 'The US is projected to spend $3.8 billion PER DAY on interest expense in 2025. The US net interest payments on national debt hit a $1.12 trillion annual rate in Q3 2024, a new record. This is TWICE the amount seen in 2021, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis data. As a result, interest as a % of government revenue hit 18%, the highest in 30+ years. Interest expense now exceeds government spending on R&D, infrastructure, and education COMBINED.' -TKL

👉🏽South Korean parliament votes 190-0 to lift President Yoon's martial law declaration. According to Odaily, the South Korean government has pledged to provide UNLIMITED LIQUIDITY to the market if needed. And there it is: just need a little martial law for BRRRRR.

👉🏽

“If we exclude the tech sector, EU productivity growth over the past 20 years would be broadly at par with the US” - Draghi

If we exclude the industry that makes loads of money and is integral to the world, and to our future, then the EU is on a par with the US. Sure just exclude the most productive sector in the last 20 years. Let’s see what we can regulate in the EU next.

“If my grandmother had wheels, she would have been a bike”.

"If you exclude athletic ability and technical skills, I am broadly at par with Ronaldo (R9)."

Oh well, you get the picture!

'Anyway, the US to European equity valuations have risen to 3.6x in November, a record. This ratio has DOUBLED in 8 years. To put this into perspective, the long-term average is 3 TIMES lower, at ~1.2x. This comes as the US stock market has outperformed Europe in 12 out of the last 15 years. This year alone, the US has returned ~21% more than Europe, the largest difference since 1976. US stocks are dominating the market.'

A sobering EU thread, worth your time and read: https://x.com/0x_ale/status/1864731334327066683

👉🏽IMF Fiscal Monitor: Fiscal consolidation measures reduce output and household consumption; cuts in public investment are particularly detrimental. "If taxes are progressive, raising them leads to smaller output losses." Source: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/FM/Issues/2024/10/23/fiscal-monitor-october-2024

👉🏽Mark Zuckerberg's Meta joins Amazon and Google to back nuclear energy to power AI data centers - Axios

On the 4th of December:

👉🏽France's government collapses after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament. Macron just landed from a trip to Saudi Arabia without a government. Putaaaaiiinnn. To put things into perspective! France's creditworthiness is now comparable to Greece's rather than being on the same level as Germany.

👉🏽October payrolls revised from 233K to 184K, the biggest negative revision since May 2023. As a feature, downward revisions. Classic. Just a casual 20% negative adjustment.

'The Household survey showed significant weakness, with the number of employed people falling by -355,000 in November. Meanwhile, the US lost -111,000 full-time jobs and -268,000 part-time jobs. There are now 1.7 million people in long-term unemployment, up from 1.2 million last year. All while the US government added +33,000 jobs last month ALONE. Something doesn't add up here.' -TKL

👉🏽The normally fiscally conservative Germans want more debt to deal with an ailing economy. German Bank president Joachim Nagel urges Berlin to relax rules to address defense and infrastructure shortfalls. "If you put major increases in tariffs on top of current forecasts, the economy might broadly stagnate for even longer".

How to tides have changed, innit? 'Flashback to the Eurozone crisis of 2011-2012, when Germany's finance minister Schäuble demanded austerity in Southern Europe, claiming that "too high deficits and debt levels" had caused the crisis: "You can't cure an alcoholic by giving him alcohol." The discourse was out of control.'- Phillip Heimberger

👉🏽Last week I mentioned how the EU bit by bit is rolling out their digital agenda. Dr. Jan Wústenfeld: The EU proposal to scan all your WhatsApp chats is back on the agenda. The transparent citizen. Meanwhile, the ECB says the digital euro will set the privacy "gold standard". Something does not add up. Watch what they do, not what they say."

Full Disclosure: "On December 6, 2024, the European Pirate Party reported that the European Council Committee stopped the proposal (yet again) as more governments joined the list of countries against it."

Source: https://www.techradar.com/computing/cyber-security/the-eu-proposal-to-scan-all-your-whatsapp-chats-is-back-on-the-agenda

On the 6th of December:

👉🏽Germany's industrial downturn shows no signs of easing. Industrial production dropped by 1% in October MoM, starting the final quarter w/an unexpected decline & raising concerns about a potential winter recession. Compared to last year, industrial production was down ~5%. Industrial production in Germany - now more than 17% lower than at the end of 2017.

👉🏽'Total world debt officially hit a record $323 trillion in Q3 2024. Over the last 3 quarters, global debt has skyrocketed by $12 TRILLION, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF). In just two decades, global debt has TRIPLED. Moreover, global debt-to-GDP now stands at 326% and remains above pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, debt in emerging markets reached a near-record $105 trillion, or 245% of GDP. Debt is skyrocketing around the globe.' -TKL

Now imagine the burden of interest expenses, imagine that the entire world is based on borrowed money (future generations' time & productivity).... 323 trillion and rising vs. 21 million BTC (max.).

👉🏽President Nayib Bukele revealed that El Salvador has discovered up to $3 TRILLION in unmined gold, and he is now moving quickly to repeal the mining ban regulation so that miners can get to work.

"We've also found gallium, tantalum, tin, and many other materials needed for the 4th and 5th industrial revolution." -Bukele

And this is why Bitcoin is going to outcompete gold. We'll never find a hidden stash of 3 trillion dollars of Bitcoin that no one knew about.

👉🏽'As long as Asia builds almost 1.000 new coal power plants, it doesn’t really matter what we in the West do to fight climate change Even if we moved the UK, Germany or Spain back to the Middle Ages as left green degrowth freaks dream of, it would have barely any impact on climate.' -Michael A. Arouet

Now don't get me wrong. The problem isn't China. The thing is, in Germany (Europe, the West) we believe that we alone can save the climate no matter what the rest of the world is doing.

Next to that, 'We're not only fighting climate change in the West... we're also lighting candles, planting trees, drinking vegan bio milk extracted by hand from virgin cows, and singing kumbayah around the campfire.' - Triangleforces.

And even that isn't the real problem. The real problem is the absolute increase of Chinese CO2 between 2022 and 2023 is larger than the total that Germany has. For example, the elimination of Germany from the planet would equal Chinese growth of one year. But who manufactures for the rest then if we close all the coal plants in China? The EU and the US together consume almost half of the world’s resources, while only making up 10% of the world’s population. The ecological crisis goes way beyond emissions. We have a spending and a consumerism problem.

🎁If you have made it this far I would like to give you a little gift:

What Bitcoin Did is back! $100K BITCOIN, MICROSTRATEGY AND THE BULL MARKET with Checkmate.

Checkmate is an on-chain analyst and founder of Checkonchain. In this interview, they discuss the relaunch of 'What Bitcoin Did,' Bitcoin breaking 100K and the growth in institutional demand.We also get into the the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, the impact of options on Bitcoin's market dynamics, and the MicroStrategy playbook as a volatility product.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvf6NV23rqw

Credit: I have used multiple sources!

My savings account: Bitcoin The tool I recommend for setting up a Bitcoin savings plan: PocketBitcoin especially suited for beginners or people who want to invest in Bitcoin with an automated investment plan once a week or monthly. Use the code BITCOINFRIDAY

Get your Bitcoin out of exchanges. Save them on a hardware wallet, run your own node...be your own bank. Not your keys, not your coins. It's that simple.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀

Do you think this post is helpful to you? If so, please share it and support my work with sats.

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⭐ Many thanks⭐

Felipe -Bitcoin Friday!

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@ 765da722:17c600e6

The mercies, blessings, and kindnesses of God are many and constant. From the very air we breathe to the Word we read, the Spirit of God overflows us with divine goodness. Our greatest good is salvation in Christ Jesus.

Each one has his own reasons to give thanks. God deals with us as individuals. Many of our reasons overlap, but each day reveals specific and individual moments of attention from the Almighty.

In all he does, the Lord wants us to see and know him. He created us for that reason. He brought us into being for love.

It is probably good to have a specific day to give thanks. We ought to be reminded that it is our first task every single day of our lives.

You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees. Psalm 119.68 NLT.

@ a17fb4ed:c53f7e91

Every now and then I take a step back and read this classic. I keep it taped to the back of my office door as a reminder. I'll leave it here on Nostr for all of you to read as needed.

Cheers, Yooper

“Father Forgets”

Listen, son: I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily I came to your bedside.

There are the things I was thinking, son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily when you threw some of your things on the floor.

At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table. You spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you started off to play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand and called, “Goodbye, Daddy!” and I frowned, and said in reply, “Hold your shoulders back!”

Then it began all over again in the late afternoon. As I came up the road I spied you, down on your knees, playing marbles. There were holes in your stockings. I humiliated you before your boyfriends by marching you ahead of me to the house. Stockings were expensive‐and if you had to buy them you would be more careful! Imagine that, son, from a father!

Do you remember, later, when I was reading in the library, how you came in timidly, with a sort of hurt look in your eyes? When I glanced up over my paper, impatient at the interruption, you hesitated at the door. “What is it you want?” I snapped. You said nothing, but ran across in one tempestuous plunge, and threw your arms around my neck and kissed me, and your small arms tightened with an affection that God had set blooming in your heart and which even neglect could not wither.

And then you were gone, pattering up the stairs. Well, son, it was shortly afterwards that my paper slipped from my hands and a terrible sickening fear came over me. What has habit been doing to me?

The habit of finding fault, of reprimanding‐this was my reward to you for being a boy. It was not that I did not love you; it was that I expected too much of youth. I was measuring you by the yardstick of my own years.

And there was so much that was good and fine and true in your character. The little heart of you was as big as the dawn itself over the wide hills. This was shown by your spontaneous impulse to rush in and kiss me good night. Nothing else matters tonight, son. I have come to your bedside in the darkness, and I have knelt there, ashamed!

It is feeble atonement; I know you would not understand these things if I told them to you during your waking hours. But tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum with you, and suffer when you suffer, and laugh when you laugh. I will bite my tongue when impatient words come. I will keep saying as if it were a ritual: “He is nothing but a boy‐a little boy!”

I am afraid I have visualized you as a man. Yet as I see you now, son, crumpled and weary in your cot, I see that you are still a baby. Yesterday you were in your mother’s arms, your head on her shoulder. I have asked too much, too much.

-W. Livingston Larned

@ deba271e:36005655

Overall this was such a great experience, but as always there are couple things that could be better. Don't hate me. Complaining about experience is in my job description.

• Internet at feria: There are connection issues hampering the experience for both sellers and buyers.
  • Having a wifi for the sellers would greatly improve the situation - but I also understand that none of this can be imposed by outsiders - I'm happy to help [REDACTED].
  • Another option is to create geyser.fund campaign specifically for this - "Get internet for bitcoin merchants at Uvita farmers market". I'm using the words in this title carefully to be catchy in the right way.
  • Then one of the best ways is just get the wifi access QR code (often can be generated in the access point interface), print it and give that to the sellers. No need to hassle with the password, etc.
• Teaching bitcoin to buyers at feria: At the feria there were many people buying the produce that have no idea what is bitcoin. Since the ferias are the flagship experience of Bitcoin Jungle, this would be a great opportunity to teach the buyers about bitcoin.
  • I think it would be great to have some (sensible) billboard/banner that explains how to use bitcoin, how to download the app, get colones on it and then pay at the feria.
  • This could actually be incentivized by some campaign like "Get 5000 CRC to use at feria if you install lightning wallet for the first time" (again this could be funded by geyser campaign if you don't have funds for this). The sellers can just point to the banner if someone asks them.
  • Maybe there is a chance to have a small bitcoin booth at the corner of the feria that could give away some basic printed info about bitcoin and how to use it. It could sell books (Gladstein, Lyn Alden, the El Salvador classbook, etc), some tote bags (useful for the market) or similar useful bitcoin branded merch.
• Help all sellers accept bitcoin: There were 2 sellers that didn't accept bitcoin and that's ok, but it would be great to mitigate the gap in experience for the buyers. One option is for the ask the seller next to them to accept the bitcoin for them and give them colones (I have seen this happen in one case - it worked great). And so this just needs a small bit of education.
• Allow pre-configuring items in the POS: The selers that have fixed price items (i.e. not weighted) were still adding the numbers on calculator or similar, it was a bit tricky for them, prone to mistake.
  • (I haven't actually seen the Bitcoin Jungle wallet POS, so maybe this is already solved - if yes, then ignore)
  • Consider providing features to pre-configure the items in the POS, so the seller can just tap on items and it adds those up. One benefit of this for the selers is that this can give them precise tracking for how many pineapples they sold, etc.
  • This is something that actually works quite nicely in the Breez wallet. See the screenshot bottom right: https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcafc3cd0-adb3-47be-bdcd-9d3ba57fe967_1614x906.png
• Keep btcmap.org up to date: Currently I don't think https://btcmap.org/map#15/9.16567/-83.73844 lists the feria and maybe other places. This is something that many bitcoiners coming to the are will use and so keeping the btcmap.org up to date would go a long way. It's fairly simple to add new items to the map and there are many communities in each country that keep those up to date (e.g. I know people that are calling the restaurants and verifying that they still accept bitcoin).
• Try including some ready to eat food seller at the feria: Currently the selection of produce was nice, but one thing that was a bit missing is the one stand that sells ready to eat local food.
  • This could be some sandwiches, quesadillas, etc…
• Have a board for people offering services: This is just an idea - not sure how well would it work and also this may already be handled somewhere else in Uvita?
  • One thing that could be useful and I was actually looking for is to have some form of a big board where people can offer their services - cooking, cleaning pools, taking care of kids, fixing roofs, teaching surfing, etc. It could be a board where people can pin their notes with WhatsApp numbers like this. Do you want some work done at your house or garden? You would just come to check this board.

@ eaef5965:511d6b79

Bit late this quarter, but here now for the latest release on the most irreducible form of money, the monetary base. Data comes from the top 50 currencies in the world, their countries of which represent 96% of global GDP and 84% of global population (not very fair, right there). Gold and silver is analogous to this money supply. As is the stock of bitcoins.

This is quarterly release #26, for 2024 Q3.

If you have followed my work before, then you know that the constant hymn I've sung while speaking publicly about Bitcoin is that the only, economically comparable money supply in the fiat world to 21 million bitcoins is what economists call the "monetary base," or "base money." This is a corporeal money supply that has existed across all of modern economic and central banking epochs. For an apples-to-apples, ontological comparison with Bitcoin, look no further then Base money.

So what is it?

It is central bank money, comprised of two supplies:

1. Physical currency: Notes and coins, or “cash;”
2. Bank reserves: The “Master account” that each commercial bank holds with its central bank.

Now, why do I refer to this as, "Central bank money?" This is because, unlike all other money supplies in the fiduciary banking world (like M1/M2/M3), the Monetary base is the sole and ultimate money supply controlled by the central bank. It is, literally, the printing press.

What follows won't be a lesson in reserve ratios or monetary economics. The point is that you simply understand that there is a money supply that central banks solely control, and of course (of course!) this is what Bitcoin's 21 million are up against.

The monetary base is to the core of the entire fiat financial system, as 21 million bitcoins are to the core of the Bitcoin protocol.

One is open and permissionless, and one is not.

By the way, the monetary base is essentially (though not entirely) analogous to the total liabilities of a central bank, so we can (basically) say that the monetary base is the "balance sheet" of each central bank.

On cash. Quick notes on the above. Certainly you understand what "cash" is, and it is indeed an instrument that has been fully monopolized by each central bank in each nation around the world--only they can print it. Even though it is true that banks in more free banking societies in the past could freely print and strike notes and coins, the central bank (or state) monopoly has been around for a long time. Kublai Khan was the first to do it 750 years ago.

On bank reserves. Don't stress your brain on this too much, but this is the main "settlement money" that banks use between each other, when they want to settle their debts. It is digital now (Fedwire in US, CHAPS in UK), but it doesn't technically have to be, and of course before modern technology took over even a few decades ago, it was not.

These two stacks of retail and wholesale cash, stacks of central bank money, are what makes up the Monetary base. This is the printing press. Only this compares to 21 million bitcoins.

And gold, and silver by the way.

Final note, central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, which are simply LARPing on Bitcoin's success, are indeed created by central banks, and they are indeed classified as Base money. They are going to be a "third rail." They are thankfully incredibly small, pilot projects today. We will see how far democracies will be tested, as autocracies no doubt will mainstream them; but for now, consider them, at least economically, to be inconsequential to the update below.

With that review out of the way, onward to Q2 update for 2024.

Bitcoin is the 6th largest money in the world.

In February 2024, it surpassed the monetary base of the United Kingdom, that is its value was larger than the Bank of England's balance sheet, and it remains so to this day.

As of 30 September 2024, it is only the balance sheets of the big four central banks that are larger than Bitcoin. They are:

1. Federal Reserve (dollar): $5.59 trillion
2. People's Bank of China (yuan): $5.40 trillion equivalent
3. European Central Bank (euro): $5.28 trillion equivalent
4. Bank of Japan (yen): $4.69 trillion equivalent

If we remove gold from the equation (we shouldn't), then Bitcoin could be considered the 5th largest money in the world.

However, the all-important monetary metal throughout history that even a child knows about--gold--is still king at around $16.5 trillion in value, or 6.1 billion ounces worldwide. Note, this does not include gold lost/recycled through industry; in that case, it is estimated that about 6.9 billion ounces of gold have been mined throughout humanity.

Update #26 Executive Summary

Silver, for what it's worth, is still a big "monetary" metal; though it is true, much more silver is gobbled up in industry compared to gold. There are about 31 billion ounces of non-industrial silver floating around the world (most of it in jewelry and silverware form) that is valued in today's prices at nearly $1 trillion. Bitcoin bigger.

State of the Print: $27.0 trillion.

If we add up the Big Four central banks already mentioned above (again, Bitcoin being larger than the Bank of England's monetary base), as well as the next 46 central banks, we get to a total, USD equivalent value of $27.0 trillion in base money across the world.

If we consider $27.0 trillion as the Big Boss of central bank money, then Bitcoin at $1.25 trillion network value (September, quarter-end figure!) indeed has some way to go.  But as we can see from the last month leading up to this publishing, that can change quickly. We have just surpassed $100 thousand per bitcoin, which brings the network value to $2 trillion. We can also imagine how the Pareto distribution occurs even in money, if Bitcoin after only 15 years is already larger than every central bank money in the world except for four of them. Wild to ponder.

Supply inflation: 12.7% per year.

It is also true that for two years they have been trying to "normalize" their balance sheets after the 2020-22 Covid madness, stimulus, and money printing. Of course, they have been trying all along to normalize since the 2008 global finance crisis (GFC), but I digress.

When I first started my website, I vowed never to use such a non-corporeal thing as CPI to discuss how much things cost. A "general increase in the level of consumer prices," or CPI, as measured by planning boards around the world, is not a real thing. It may be calculated by people with the best of intentions, but it has been manipulated and volumes have been written about it. I don't use it.

I have always defined inflation as the classical economists did: Inflation is an increase in the "stock" of money. If we know the all-time stock of euros printed by the European Central Bank now, and we know the all-time stock of euros printed by the ECB 12 months ago, then it is very easy to calculate the annual inflation of the euro. Not only is it easy, but it is real. It is corporeal. Watch what they do, not what they say.

I have been tracking this since 2018, and though this figure has evolved slightly (mostly increasing from massive COVID stimulus of 2020-2021, the high-signal, important to remember figure of all-time compound annual growth (CAGR) of the global base money supply since 1969 is 12.7%. That is 12.7% compounded, per year. It is a doubling time of 5.8 years.

Growth rate of the monetary base

It is highly valuable to understand that, ceteris paribus, if the demand for cash balances does not keep up with this monetary supply increase, then prices will rise. This erodes purchasing power. I do not attempt to measure the demand for cash balances in this research. Regardless, 12.7% is a useful figure to understand.

Let's compare.

For the rest of this report, I want to do something different and simply spend some time looking at the compound annual growth rates of various corporeal things around the world, in order that we can compare those to the growth of the fiat monetary base, and Bitcoin.

Remember, most things in the financial and economic world grow exponentially. This simply means that they grow constantly. The financial term here is compound growth, or compound interest. This rate of growth can indeed change year to year (interest rates can go up, or down), but over the years we can observe a strong trend, and that is what I want to summarize here for you.

Population.

The world has grown exponentially at 1.7% per year over the last 75 years. However, despite all the overpopulation myths you've probably heard, this rate of growth is actually falling, well below trend, and we only grow at 0.9% per year at the moment.

GDP.

The United States has grown its economy at 5.2% compounded per year since the founding of the republic. We are at the higher end of this trend right now, $28.8 trillion output per year, growing at 5.3% per year. As this is exponential growth, if I put it on log scale, it will become a straight line.

Stocks.

Stocks grow exponentially as well, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The growth rate is 7.3% per year for the S&P 500, the main US index that tracks more than 80% of total market caps. Showing this one on linear scale on the left-hand axis, just so you can see how it typically scales.

Stocks. With Dividends.

If you reinvest those dividends into the same stock market, you'll earn more. The all-time compound annual growth increases by 2% higher to 9.3% per year for the S&P. Also displaying this one on linear scale.

Bonds.

Bonds are supposedly safer than stocks (bondholders get paid back first), and more cash flowing. If you look at the longest running bond index in the US, it grows at 7.1% per year, compounded. Notice how, in a rising interest rate environment (which we are at the moment), bonds will suffer, if viewing the price (or index, as in this case, using the Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index). This has kept the bond market returns at the lower end of the range, since the global financial crisis in 2008.

Base Money.

As we've discussed, base money grows across the world at a weighted average of 12.7% compounded per year. However, this trendline analysis looks at it differently than my headline figure. It simply looks at the USD value of the global monetary base (again, $27.0 trillion), and draws an exponential trendline on that USD equivalent growth for 50+ years. In other words, this is going to be after all currency fluctuations have played themselves out.

Do you think the growth rate here will be higher or lower? Actually, it is lower, at 10.3% per year. But there is a big asterisk here, in that the series is not consistent across time. I typically just display it for visual effect. As more and more central bank balance sheets were added to this analysis across the 1970s and 1980s, it is not technically rigorous to run an exponential trendline analysis across these totals. Better to use my headline figure of 12.7% CAGR. Again, the 12.7% figure is rigorously calculated, measuring the native growth rate of each monetary base across every month recorded, then weighting that across every other monetary base in that monthly basket, then averaging all months for an all-time figure, and then raising that all-time monthly weighted average to the power of 12.

What is interesting, however, is that the 10.3% derived CAGR using the exponential regression below is lower than my native headline figure of 12.7% . Remember, the 10.3% exponential regression does not account for all the new money supplies coming in during the 1970s and 1980s (which should push the regression slope higher as new supplies are added), and it is after all currency fluctuations have been factored in, to arrive at a USD equivalent. The lower 10.3% CAGR can only mean that central bank balance sheets actually lose value against the US-dollar faster than they can print!

Note, I am showing this one in linear scale. The trendline projects out to $83 trillion by December 2033. The current global supply of base money ($27 trillion) is about $6.5 trillion less than the current trendline ($33.5 trillion).

Silver.

This is total ounces ever mined. They trend upward at 1.4% per year.

Gold.

This is total ounces ever mined. Gold trends upward at 1.7% per year. Faster than silver. Surprised? Notice the R-squared (goodness of fit) for both silver and gold production increase.

Bitcoin.

Bitcoins grow according to a basic logarithmic curve. Trying to draw percentiles is pointless here, and even measuring a trendline is relatively pointless, as everyone knows the bitcoins prescribed into the future, per the protocol. Better to just quote the trailing 12-month growth figure, and it is 1.5% per year and falling, as of quarter end Sep-2024. Less than gold.

Silver price.

Since 1971 it's trended at 3.4% per year. Silver bug?

Gold price.

Since 1971 it's trended at 5.1% per year. Gold bug?

Bitcoin price.

Now, we have finally arrived at something that grows differently than exponential. As I've observed since 2018, Bitcoin grows according to a power trend. Did you notice that the prior exponential trends displayed themselves as straight lines on log scale? Well, with Bitcoin, the power trendline gradually falls across time, but the growth is still well larger than anything we've covered thus far.

Why? It's being adopted, of course.

Bitcoin's power trendline has grown 167% per year since Bitcoin Pizza Day in 2010. Note that this is something akin to a "Lifetime Achievement" figure, and it will continue to fall every day. Over the prior 12 months ending 30 September 2024, Bitcoin grew 134.6% over the year. Well higher now at $100k. The compound growth of the power trend today is 44% per year. By 2030 it will fall to "only" 36% per year.

Oh yes, and it is free (as in speech), open, and permissionless money.

To summarize.

That was a lot of data across a lot of charts. I've compiled it all in a helpful table here for you to review at any time. This is the monetary and major asset world at third quarter end, 2024:

Base money concluded

The following table gives you a complete summary of the fiat currencies, gold, silver, and Bitcoin figures used in this analysis, for this quarter. Please print it out if you like, it is meant to be a helpful, in-depth companion when fiat friends come asking.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed, please consider zapping, and you can also donate to my BTCPay on my website if you'd like to help keep this research going.

@ 349d6b82:12b2a5b1

В кинотеатре "Родина"__ пройдет показ __отечественного фильма "Зимняя мечта" 16 декабря, приуроченный к празднику "День Киноискусства", который отмечает достижения российских кинематографистов. Этот праздник был учрежден в честь выдающегося режиссера Александра Невзорова, известного своими глубокими и эмоциональными фильмами: "Ад" (1995), "Лошадь распятая и воскресшая" (2008), "Записки отельера Гельвеция" (2020).

Сюжет нового фильма Александра Невзорова рассказывает историю о том, как группа друзей, переживших утрату, отправляется в зимний поход в горы, чтобы восстановить свои отношения и найти смысл жизни. На фоне снежных пейзажей они сталкиваются с внутренними демонами и находят поддержку друг в друге, открывая новые горизонты для своих жизней. Фильм сочетает элементы драмы и комедии, подчеркивая важность дружбы и поддержки в трудные времена.

В рамках праздника "День Киноискусства" будут организованы мероприятия, в котором Александр Невзоров проведет обсуждение своего нового фильма и ответит на вопросы зрителей. А участники смогут поучаствовать в мастер-классах по сценарному мастерству и режиссуре. И будет представлена выставка фотографий и реквизита из предыдущих работ Невзорова.

Александр Невзоров прокомментировал: "Я рад, что "Зимняя мечта" будет показана в Серове в рамках "Дня Киноискусства". Это событие не только подчеркивает важность отечественного кино, но и создает пространство для обсуждения глубоких тем, которые затрагивает мой фильм. Мы живем в эпоху, когда искусство должно __вызывать вопросы, провоцировать на размышления и, возможно, даже идти наперекор устоявшемся представлениям.__ Я надеюсь, что зрители смогут не просто увидеть историю, но и ощутить ее эмоциональную глубину. __Искусство__ — это не только развлечение, но и возможность для диалога о том, что действительно важно".

Это культурное событие - возможность для зрителей погрузиться в мир киноискусства, оценить достижения отечественного кинематографа и отметить вклад Александра Невзорова в развитие этой сферы.

@ 4870d550:110d6208

From Trey Walsh, Executive Director of The Progressive Bitcoiner

As most of you know by now, either by personally holding it or seeing it in the news, Bitcoin recently crossed the much anticipated threshold of $100,000 per coin. While this is an incredible feat and shows the obvious interest and resilience of this 16 year old technology and network, particularly when cycle after cycle those in media say Bitcoin is dead or useless, this is just one small part of Bitcoin’s incredible story, use case, and reason for existing really.

As many of us advocating for Bitcoin say, Bitcoin is Freedom Go Up.

Bitcoin’s trojan horse is its price movement via supply and demand mechanisms. Because there will only ever be 21 million bitcoins, this brings scarcity and a deflationary design to Bitcoin, which plays a huge part in its price movements and value. One of the things that clicked early on for me, particularly after hearing from human rights activists like Alex Gladstein, Farida Nabourema, and early bitcoin educators like Andreas Antonopoulos, is that one thing we can rely on in this world, that is often seen as a negative (particularly from folks on the left like myself), is greed and self-interest. Even those that come to Bitcoin with purely greed and self-interest at heart help to benefit the network, protocol, and growth of this Bitcoin movement and protocol which empowers individuals. I’ll provide a couple of examples.

I’m not suggesting all bitcoin miners are filled with purely greed and self-interest. But even if they are…hear me out. Bitcoin mining is a tricky and competitive business, and each 4 year cycle sees a further crunch on the economics of those looking to mine bitcoin as the bitcoin subsidy/reward (new bitcoins “minted” if you will) gets cut in half (currently at 3.125 bitcoins every 10 min roughly). So Bitcoin miners are constantly searching for the cheapest electricity and most efficient ways to run their operations. Here are ways bitcoin miners bring about incredible societal benefits:

Renewable Energy — More and more the cheapest forms of electricity are found in renewable energy sources due to technological advancements and the ability for bitcoin miners to be location and time agnostic. Bitcoin miners also take advantage of the excess energy often created by renewables (at off peak times when the energy is literally being wasted). Bitcoin miners also help contribute to expanding renewable energy projects. For example, Gridless builds renewable energy mini-grids in rural Africa and uses Bitcoin mining to monetize excess electricity, making the projects financially sustainable. The Bitcoin mining provides a steady demand for power, creating profits that subsidize infrastructure costs and lower electricity prices for local communities

Grid Stabilization — Bitcoin miners are uniquely suited to respond to grid conditions because they can quickly adjust their energy consumption. This flexibility can help stabilize grids during periods of high demand or low supply and reduce the need for fossil-fuel-powered peaker plants, which are often used during energy demand spikes. Miners like Riot Platforms also participate in demand response programs, temporarily reducing their energy use when grid demand is high, supporting overall grid reliability.

There are endless examples of the benefits bitcoin mining can bring to society, communities, renewable energy expansion in our battle against climate change, and more. I’d encourage you all to follow the work of Daniel Batten, Margot Paez, Troy Cross, and Elliot David to learn more about bitcoin mining and the environment.

As an open, permissionless, decentralized network that anyone can participate in, Bitcoin is an empowering tool for every individual on the planet regardless of your location, economic status, age, gender, religion, and on and on. It is the ultimate tool for financial inclusion, and those seeking to hold a money/asset that cannot be debased by governments, nor confiscated by bad actors (if it is held in self-custody- not your keys, not your bitcoin!)

In fact, even dictators like Vladimir Putin know that Bitcoin cannot be stopped by anyone, including himself. Just last week, he had this to say about Bitcoin:

Via our podcast we’ve had numerous conversations about Bitcoin for human rights with activists, nonprofits, philosophers, and beyond which we encourage you to check out. Quite literally almost every episode we’ve done includes a component of this because we know how important and critical this is to Bitcoin’s story and purpose.

The examples of empowerment and human rights are endless, including as a way to preserve wealth under hyperinflation and fight government chokeholds in places like Venezuela, Nigeria, and Afghanistan, fund movements and protests that have faced challenges due to de-banking under the traditional financial system including in Hong Kong and even Canada with the trucker protests, and further enable donations to hard to reach parts of the world in a frictionless way like what the Human Rights Foundation does to get funding to developers, projects and activists around the world.

So remember, particularly for our U.S. based audience, the next time you see Bitcoin in the news mostly dominated by narratives about the rich getting richer on wall street, President Trump and politics, a bitcoin strategic reserve for the U.S. government, or politicians railing against Bitcoin as useless and just for criminals…there is another side to all of this, the global picture of Bitcoin as a tool for human rights, everyday people, building a brighter, more hopeful future that empowers individuals and communities.

Still don’t believe me? Well here’s a hopeful message from Bitcoin advocate and Progressive Congressman form California Ro Khanna at The Bitcoin Conference this past summer in Nashville.

Originally published at https://progressivebitcoiner.substack.com.

@ 349d6b82:12b2a5b1

10 декабря состоялась акция, организованная социальной компанией "Доброе сердце", приуроченная к празднику "День благодарности". Этот новый праздник был учрежден для того, чтобы выразить признательность ветеранам за их мужество и жертвы, принесенные ради мира и свободы.

В этот день волонтеры компании "Сердце ветерана" посетили ветерана, Генерала Майора Александра Ивановича Птицына, который отметил свой 95-й день рождения. Акция началась с теплых слов благодарности и поздравлений. Волонтеры вручили Александру Ивановичу большой подарок — корзину с продуктами, в которую вошли его любимые угощения: домашние пироги, конфеты и фрукты.

Александр Иванович в молодости. 25 лет. 1974 год.

Волонтеры подготовили небольшую концертную программу. Они исполнили несколько известных военных песен, среди которых были "День Победы" и "Тёмная ночь". Песни трогали сердца присутствующих, создавая атмосферу уважения и памяти о героических подвигах.

Акция стала частью более широкой программы "Забота о ветеранах", реализуемой компанией "Сердце ветерана". За последние два года в рамках этой программы было организовано более 50 мероприятий, направленных на поддержку ветеранов и их семей.

"Я хочу выразить искреннюю благодарность всем, кто пришел сегодня поздравить меня и других ветеранов. Это очень трогательно, когда молодое поколение помнит о нас и о том, что мы сделали для нашей страны. Я надеюсь, что такие мероприятия будут проходить чаще, чтобы молодое поколение знало о нашей истории и ценило мирное небо над головой. Еще раз спасибо всем вам за внимание и заботу. Это очень важно для нас! И спасибо большое за подарки" - проговорил Александр Иванович.

Такое внимание к ветеранам поддерживает их физическое состояние и создает чувство значимости и признательности со стороны общества.

@ 2063cd79:57bd1320

Wir sprechen oft über Bitcoin im Zusammenhang mit Geld oder Währungen. Bitcoin funktioniert als Zahlungsmittel, als Wertspeicher und als Recheneinheit - doch macht das Bitcoin zu Geld? Also, was ist Geld überhaupt und was macht ein Gut erst zu Geld? Und warum gibt es gutes Geld und weniger gutes Geld? Es gibt viele Arten von Geld, Warengeld, Notenbankgeld, Fiatgeld, usw. Doch wollen wir uns erstmal ganz von Anfang an mit der Funktionen und den Eigenschaften von Geld im Allgemeinen beschäftigen.

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Was ist Geld?

Ohne auf die Geschichte von Geld zum drölftausendsten Mal einzugehen (dazu kann man so ziemliches jedes Buch über Geld, Bitcoin, Ökonomie, etc. bis Seite 75 lesen und bekommt ganz genau die gleichen Infos), ist es sinnvoll sich kurz zu klarzumachen, dass niemand bestimmt oder definiert, was Geld ist. Geld kann im Endeffekt alles sein. Jeder, der Kindern schon mal beim Spielen zugesehen hat, wird erlebt haben, wie kurzerhand aus Steinen, Stöcken, DUPLO-Steinen oder eigentlich allem, was man in der Reichweite von Kindern so findet, plötzlich Geld wird. Denn ohne es zu wissen, verstehen Kinder sehr intuitiv, wie Geld funktioniert.

Geld ist Sprache. Geld ist wahrscheinlich sogar eine Sprache, die sich vor unserer modernen kommunikativen Sprache entwickelt hat. Selbst vor Urzeiten, als verschiedene Völker und Stämme auf den verschiedensten Winkeln der Erde herum zogen und sich somit erstmal verteilten und dann wieder vermischten, entwickelten sie unterschiedliche Arten der Kommunikation. Die eine gemeinsame Sprache jedoch, war die des Handels.

Kurzes Szenario: Homo Sapiens 1 hat einen Sack voller selbstgeschnitzter Pfeilspitzen in der Hand und betritt eine Lichtung, auf der Homo Sapiens 2 gerade eine Antilope grillt. Homo Sapiens 1: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (zeigt auf die Antilope). Homo Sapiens 2: Ahhhhhhhhhhhh (wehrt mit den Händen wedelnd ab und springt in verteidigender Haltung auf). Homo Sapiens 1: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (öffnet seinen Sack mit den Pfeilspitzen und legt 10 davon so hin, dass Homo Sapiens 2 versteht, dass HS1 diese zum Tausch anbietet). Homo Sapiens 2: Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa (reißt eine saftige Keule von der Antilope ab, schmeißt diese HS1 vor die Füße und schnappt sich die Pfeilspitzen).

Handel ist also älter als Schrift oder Sprache. In dem Szenario hat Homo Sapiens 1 gegenüber Homo Sapiens 2 einen Vorteil, denn er hat einen Sack dabei, in dem sich ein Wirtschaftsgut befindet, das andere Personen bereit sind, gegen ihre Besitztümer zu tauschen. So entsteht über einen gewissen Zeitraum Geld. Dabei sind die Funktionen von Geld immer die gleichen, egal welches Mittel gewählt wird. Das Mittel hängt im Wesentlichen von der lokalen Verfügbarkeit (bzw. der Begrenztheit dieser) ab.

Funktionen von Geld

Geld muss im Wesentlichen drei Funktionen erfüllen können: Es muss als Tausch- oder Zahlungsmittel funktionieren, es sollte ein Wertaufbewahrungsmittel sein und als Recheneinheit dienen.

In dem Szenario mit den beiden haarigen Protagonist//innen, sind diese drei Funktionen sehr leicht identifizierbar. HS1 hat selbstgeschnitzte Pfeilspitzen in einem Sack mitgeführt, da diese als Zahlungs- oder Tauschmittel verwendet werden können (HS2 hat bereitwillig feinstes Antilopen-Filet dafür eingetauscht), die Pfeilspitzen sind insofern Wertaufbewahrungsmittel, als dass sie (anders als das Fleisch) über Zeit nicht verderben und somit (zunächst) wertstabil sind - und damit HS1 incentiviert wird Pfeilspitzen zu sammeln (sparen) - und es war HS2 schnell möglich 10 Spitzen abzuzählen und somit seinem/ihrem Produkt einen Gegenwert beizumessen, sie dienen also auch als Recheneinheit.

Dies ist nur ein Beispiel, denn wie gesagt, Geld kann alles sein, das diese drei besprochenen Funktionen erfüllt und wenn sich mindestens zwei Parteien darauf einigen können, dass es sich bei dem verwendeten Mittel auch um ein Geld-würdiges Mittel handelt. Hätte HS1 kurzerhand 10 Steine vom Boden aufgehoben, um diese gegen das Fleisch zu tauschen, hätte HS2 laut "Uhhhhhhhhhh!" gerufen und mit dem Kopf geschüttelt, denn 10 Steine aufheben kann er/sie auch. Doch die Pfeilspitzen haben in diesem Moment einen intrinsischen Wert für HS2 und es ist erstmal egal, ob es sich hierbei um einen Tausch im direkten Sinne handelt (also Fleisch gegen Pfeilspitze), weil HS2 weiss, dass er/sie damit neues Fleisch jagen kann, oder einen indirekten Tausch, also eine Zahlung (also Fleisch gegen Geld), weil HS2 weiss, dass er/sie damit einen hippen Kakadu-Federn-Hut kaufen kann.

Geld ist älter als Sprache, bla!

Geld ist Sprache, say what?!

Geld ist, was Geld sein kann, auch wertloses Papier?

Aber wieso sind die 10 Pfeilspitzen Geld, bzw. warum sind sie begehrenswert und die 10 Steine nicht? Oder warum tauscht HS1 Pfeilspitzen gegen Antilopen-Frikadellen und nicht andersherum?

Damit ein Gut, ein Mittel, ein Gegenstand, eine Idee zu Geld werden kann, muss es nicht nur die drei Hauptfunktionen erfüllen, es sollte zusätzlich auch einige Voraussetzungen erfüllen.

Eigenschaften von Geld

Über viele tausende von Jahren haben schon die verschiedensten Gegenstände und Mittel als Geld hergehalten. Ob Eichhörnchen Pelze, Parmesan Räder, Kakao Bohnen, Zigaretten, Walzähne, oder irgendwelche inseligen Steine - alle diese Objekte haben gemeinsam, dass sie zu einem gewissen Zeitpunkt in einem gewissen System die nachfolgenden Kriterien erfüll(t)en.

Während einige dieser Kriterien immer faktisch die gleichen bleiben, gestalten sich andere wiederum etwas komplizierter und situationsabhängiger.

Teilbarkeit (Divisibility)

Ob etwas zum Beispiel teilbar ist, ist unbestreitbar nachweisbar. Wenn man etwas gegen eine Kuh oder ein Kamel eintauschen möchte, das aber nur den Wert einer halben Kuh oder eines halben Kamels hat, dann ist es eher unpraktisch die Kuh oder das Kamel zu teilen, da dann das gesamte Tier seinen eigentlichen Wert verliert. Ähnlich würde man auch kein halb-großes Kamel benutzen, da der Wert des Tieres nicht an seiner Größe bemessen ist. Bei Gold ist dies z.B. nicht der Fall. Eine halb so große Goldmünze ist nur halb soviel wert, wie eine normal große Goldmünze.

Ein Zahlungsmittel oder Gut sollte also in verschiedene Größen unterteilbar sein, ohne seine ursprüngliche Eigenschaft und damit seinen Wert nicht verlieren. Andersrum lässt sich auch argumentieren, dass ein Gut klein genug sein kann, dass es problemlos kombinierbar ist, um so einen größeren Tauschwert zu erhalten, ohne die Transportfähigkeit durch zu hohes Gewicht oder Volumen zu beeinflussen.

Transportfähigkeit / Portabilty

Die Transportfähigkeit ist nämlich bei Geld - in den meisten Fällen - besonders wichtig. Je weniger Aufwand betrieben werden muss, um das Zahlungsmittel zum Ort des Handels oder zu seinem neuen Besitzer zu schaffen, desto besser. Ein Kamel bietet sich da an, weil es selbst läuft, ein Haus ist schon relativ unhandlich, Zigaretten, Diamanten, Gold sind da natürlich die Favoriten. Die Transportfähigkeit ist einer der wichtigsten Faktoren, die die Funktion des Zahlungsmittels von Geld ausmachen. Man könnte auch sagen, die Transportfähigkeit erlaubt es, die Kaufkraft oder den Wert durch den Raum zu bewegen.

Haltbarkeit / Durability

Ein Zahlungsmittel sollte im Idealfall über einen langen Zeitraum hinweg seinen Wert halten und bestenfalls nicht verderben. Diese Eigenschaften bieten vor Allem jene Güter, die nicht konsumierbar sind und deshalb einer niedrigen Zeitpräferenz unterliegen. Wer nicht sparen möchte, sondern lieber schnell konsumieren will, wird auch einen Tausch gegen verderbliche Waren nicht abschlagen, weil die jeweiligen Umstände dies erfordern (z.B. Hyperinflation, Krieg, etc.).

Allerdings ist ein Zahlungsmittel besser, je länger es seinen Wert speichert, also ist die Haltbarkeit einer der Faktoren, die die Funktion des Wertspeichers von Geld ausmachen, oder anders ausgedrückt: die Fähigkeit, Kaufkraft oder Wert durch die Zeit zu bewegen.

Austauschbarkeit / Fungibility

Die Austauschbarkeit der jeweiligen Geldeinheiten macht Geld erst wirklich praktisch, denn wenn jeder Einheit (z.B. Münze, Korn, Schein, Perle, etc.) ein eigener Wert zugeschrieben wird, macht dies den Austausch sehr kompliziert, da der einzelne Wert jedes Mal ermittelt werden muss und der Wert eines jeden Objekts rein subjektiver Art sein kann. Die Austauschbarkeit eliminiert die Subjektivität der Wertschätzung und misst dem Geldmittel einen objektiven Wert zu.

Also unabhängig vom jeweiligen Tauschwert einer anderen Währung wird niemand bestreiten, dass eine Goldmünze (28g) den gleichen Wert hat wie eine Goldmünze (28g). Das 1€ Stück in meiner Tasche ist genauso viel wert, wie das 1€ Stück in jedem anderen Portemonnaie (ob die Kaufkraft morgen noch die gleiche ist, steht auf einem anderen Zettel). Die Austauschbarkeit der jeweiligen Einheiten in einem gewissen Geldsystem (also Euro-Münzen im Euro-System) machen den Umgang einfacher.

Nachweisbarkeit / Provability

Hierbei handelt es sich um den relativen Aufwand, den der Empfänger betreiben muss, um sicherzustellen, dass das erhaltene Gut tatsächlich den erwarteten Spezifikationen entspricht. Dies ist natürlich immer relativ zum möglichen Risiko eines Verlusts zu betrachten. Bekomme ich im Supermarkt einen 10€-Schein als Wechselgeld, werde ich kaum einen Prüfstift aus der Tasche ziehen, weil der Aufwand nicht im Verhältnis zum möglichen Risiko steht. Allerdings benutzen Kassierer//innen im Geschäft bei Scheinen ab 50€ immer einen Prüfstift. Bei Gold fällt es einem Laien schwer, ohne großen Aufwand zu verifizieren, dass es sich um reines, echtes Gold handelt. Man vertraut im Handel z.B. dem Goldhändler, dass das Gut verifiziert und authentifiziert wurde. Beim Handel mit Kamelen spielen viele Faktoren eine Rolle, ob das Kamel nachweislich dem versprochenen Wert entspricht, welche sich nicht einfach an Ort und Stelle prüfen lassen.

Knappheit / Scarcity

Diese Charakteristik ist wahrscheinlich die wichtigste, auch wenn eine Kombination aller Eigenschaften hartes Geld erst wirklich ausmacht. Knappheit bedeutet, dass das Gut, das als Geld benutzt wird, begrenzt ist und nicht ohne weiteres vermehrt werden kann. Knappheit kann durch geographische Einschränkungen hervorgerufen werden, so ist zum Beispiel Wasser in der Wüste knapper und somit wertvoller als in Regionen, in denen es reichlich und in Fülle vorhanden ist. Steine oder Sand bieten sich nicht als Geld an, da sie überall in Fülle vorhanden sind. Das beste (und zu Tode zitierte, sorry) Beispiel sind die Rai-Steine der Yap. Sie haben lange als Geld für den Inselstaat funktioniert, da diese schwierig zu beschaffen waren und die Herstellung sehr mühselig war. Doch als Schifffahrer auftauchen, die einfach und günstig Steine beschaffen konnten, wurde diese geographische Einschränkung aufgehoben und die Steine verloren an Wert. Ein weiteres Beispiel für Knappheit ist Gold. Es erfordert viel materiellen Aufwand, Gold zu schürfen und zu raffinieren.

Universalität / Universality

Die allgemeine Akzeptanz eines Guts ist eine nicht unbedingt zu erfüllende Eigenschaft eines guten Geldes, erhöht jedoch dessen Funktionalität als weitflächig nutzbares Zahlungsmittel. Es gibt weltweit über 160 nationale Währungen, doch sind nicht alle davon gleich akzeptiert. Wenn man z.B. den südafrikanischen Rand mit US Dollars vergleicht, wird man sehen, dass der USD eine viel höhere Akzeptanz genießt, als der ZAR. Man wird wahrscheinlich selbst in asiatischen Ländern im Notfall mit USD bezahlen können, einfach weil die Handelspartner dort wissen, dass es für sie einfach ist, USD in ihre lokale Währung umzutauschen. Mit Rand wird man Probleme bekommen, da diese als Tauschobjekt von Handelspartnern keine Zustimmung genießen.

Sicherungsfähigkeit / Securability

Ein weiteres Kriterium ist die Möglichkeit, sein Geld zu verwahren, bzw. zu sichern. Auch wenn Gold ein sehr hartes Geld ist (knapp, allgemein akzeptiert, relativ transportfähig und lange haltbar), ist es vergleichsweise aufwändig, dieses zu sichern. Das gleiche gilt für Geld in Form von nationalen Währungen. Große Mengen an Bargeld sind schwierig zu transportieren und die Sicherung erfolgt in Form von gepanzerten Fahrzeugen und/oder bewaffneten Wachleuten. Bei Kamelen ist dies sogar noch schwieriger, da sie zusätzlich auch noch dazu tendieren, wegzulaufen.

---

Wie wir sehen können, muss ein Geld verschiedene Eigenschaften erfüllen, um als solches die eingangs erwähnten Funktionen (Zahlungsmittel, Wertspeicher und Recheneinheit) überhaupt erfüllen zu können. Alle bekannten Formen des Geldes - aktuelle und auch historische - bewegen sich auf einem Spektrum dieser verschiedenen Eigenschaften.

Ganz wichtig bei der Betrachtung dieser Kriterien sind immer die jeweiligen Umstände, denn es setzt sich immer das Mittel mit den meisten oder verhältnismäßig stärksten Kriterien durch. Nehmen wir LEGO-Steine, super leicht unterteilbar, leicht zu transportieren, leicht ersetzbar, aber absolut nicht selten. Daher als Geld unbrauchbar. Allerdings spielen die Faktoren Zeit, Ort und andere Umstände eine große Rolle. In Gefängnissen z.B. funktionieren Zigaretten als Geld sehr gut, denn anders als in der Freiheit, sind Zigaretten in Gefängnissen streng rationiert und kontrolliert, also sehr selten. Ihre kompakte Größe macht sie transportabel und eine Packung lässt sich leicht in kleinere Untereinheiten aufteilen. Der/diejenige Insass//in, die im Gefängnis allerdings viele Zigaretten anhäuft und dort ein relatives Vermögen besitzt, wird nach der Entlassung einfach eine Sporttasche voller Zigaretten haben, die in der Außenwelt einen komplett anderen Stellenwert haben. Zigaretten funktionieren nur in ihrem besonderen abgeschlossenen Ökosystem. Dies gilt auch für Rai-Steine, Glasperlen oder Muscheln.

Somit wird Geld nicht nur von natürlichen und physikalischen Grenzen, sondern auch von willkürlich erlassenen und zentral gesteuerten Regeln beeinflusst. Würde das Gefängnis mit einem Mal jedem/r Insass//in erlauben, eine unbeschränkte Menge von Zigaretten einzuführen, würden diese sofort wertlos und somit als Geld unbrauchbar.

Wenn man also das Spektrum betrachtet, auf welchem alle Formen von Geld rangieren, ist es immer sinnvoll zuerst das System festzulegen, in dem ein Geld funktionieren soll. Schaut man sich unsere heutige offene und vernetzte Welt an, so muss ein Geld auch in einer solchen funktionieren. Dies ist der Grund, warum viele Formen des Geldes mit der Zeit gescheitert sind.

Eine Handvoll Beispiele von Gütern, die als Geld benutzt werden oder wurden: Eichhörnchenpelze, Rai-Steine, Zigaretten, Gold, Diamanten, Immobilien, Salz und Vieh.

Legt man die oben aufgeführten Kriterien für ein hartes Geld, wird schnell deutlich, warum einige dieser Mittel als Geld nicht langfristig funktionieren können. Um dies bildlich darzustellen, kann man eine Tabelle erstellen und den jeweiligen Attributen einen Wert zuteilen. Ich hab dies einfach willkürlich auf einer Skala von 0-5 gemacht und man sieht dort anhand der Rangordnung, welche dieser Beispiele besser als Geld funktionieren, als andere.

Kann Bitcoin diese Attribute erfüllen?

Wie auf der Tabelle ersichtlich, erfüllt Bitcoin alle diese Kriterien vergleichsweise gut.

Transportfähigkeit: Bitcoin ist ein Peer-to-Peer Zahlungssystem, das im Internet lebt. Bitcoins existieren in der Blockchain und nur dort. Lediglich die Schlüssel, die den Zugriff auf die persönlichen bitcoins / UTXOs erlauben, müssen transportiert werden. Dies kann mit Hilfe von Software- oder Hardware-Wallets (Signiergeräten), auf Papier oder sogar im Kopf geschehen. Keine andere Form von Geld lässt sich "auswendig" merken und somit problemlos durch Raum und Zeit transportieren. Mehr dazu hier:

https://www.genexyz.org/post/16-block-759540-brain-wallets-0xcxtv/

Austauschbarkeit: Ein bitcoin ist ein bitcoin ist ein bitcoin. Abgesehen von esoterischen Konzepten, wie der Ordinals-Theorie, sind Sats immer gleich viel Wert (nicht der Währungskurs), sodass ein Tausch von einer Menge Sats in eine gleiche Menge Sats den/die Besitzer//in immer mit dem gleichen Vermögen dastehen lässt. Es gibt keinen Sat, der mehr oder weniger wert ist, als ein weiterer Sat. Mehr dazu hier:

https://www.genexyz.org/post/26-block-775770-ordinals-inscriptions-36zg3n/

Überprüfbarkeit: Bitcoin wurde erfunden, um das Double-Spending-Problem im digitalen Raum zu lösen. Die Blockchain verifiziert die Gültigkeit einer jeden Transaktion. Der/die Empfänger//in einer Bitcoin-Zahlung weiß immer, dass die erhaltene Menge Bitcoin auch valide ist. Es bedarf keiner Drittpartei, keines weiteren Prozesses oder anderer Überprüfung, um sicherzustellen, dass die erhaltene Menge Bitcoin auch echt oder korrekt ist. Sobald eine Transaktion bestätigt wurde, kann man sich zu 100% sicher sein, dass man Besitzer//in von Bitcoin ist.

Haltbarkeit: Anders als physische Güter, die Verfall, Zersetzung oder Verderben ausgeliefert sind, hat Bitcoin kein Verfallsdatum. Solange das Netzwerk läuft, wird Bitcoin in seiner Form existieren. Es ist unmöglich, Bitcoin durch Fremdeinfluss (sowohl menschlicher, als auch natürlicher) zu zerstören.

Knappheit: Bitcoin ist auf 21.000.000 begrenzt. Die harte Obergrenze von Bitcoin ist von zentraler Bedeutung für sein Wertversprechen. Alle 2.099.999.997.690.000 Sats werden irgendwann existieren (oder existieren schon - je nach Betrachtungsweise) und darüber hinaus werden keine weiteren Sats produziert. Lediglich der Zugriff auf diese Sats wird über Zeit sogar abnehmen (durch Verlust der Schlüssel) und somit zu einer weiteren Verknappung beitragen.

Teilbarkeit: Wie schon oftmals erwähnt, lässt sich ein bitcoin in 100.000.000 Sats unterteilen. Diese Stückelung von Bitcoin bis zur achten Dezimalstelle verleiht eine sehr hohe Teilbarkeit. Dies gibt Bitcoin eine größere Flexibilität als herkömmliche Währungen und ermöglicht es extrem kleine Transaktionen, sogenannte Mikrotransaktionen, durchzuführen. Satoshis sind die Standardmaßeinheit und bitcoin wird oft nur zum erhöhten Verständnis und besserer Lesbarkeit benutzt. Beispielsweise zeigen fast alle Wallets und Explorer die Transaktionsgebühren in Form von Satoshis pro vByte an.

Universalität: Die allgemeine Akzeptanz von Bitcoin ist noch verhältnismäßig klein. Dies liegt allerdings nicht an Bitcoin, denn Bitcoin ist erlaubnislos und frei zugänglich. Es sind vielmehr die On-Ramps, die es potenziellen Nuter//innen bislang noch nicht so einfach machen, wie es viele gerne hätten. Da Bitcoin aber staatenlos und dezentral ist, erlaubt es jedem Interessierten den offenen Zugang.

Sicherungsfähigkeit: Die Sicherungsfähigkeit von Bitcoin ist unvergleichbar mit der anderer Gelder oder Zahlungsmittel. Es gibt unzählige Möglichkeiten, Bitcoin sicher und vor allem SELBST zu verwahren. Es ist gänzlich möglich, auf Anbieter zur Verwahrung zu verzichten und Bitcoin in einer Art und Weise aufzubewahren, die es Außenstehenden so gut wie unmöglich macht, Bitcoin zu stehlen. Das gilt für die Ebene persönlicher Verwahrung. Auf Netzwerkebene ist die Sicherheit von Bitcoin vielschichtig. Transaktions-Hashing, Mining, Blockbestätigungen und Spieltheorie arbeiten alle zusammen, um Bitcoin das Netzwerk undurchdringlich zu machen.

Warum ist es trotzdem schwierig zu sagen, dass Bitcoin Geld ist?

Einige sagen, dass Bitcoin Geld ist. Andere sagen, dass es kein Geld ist. Was feststeht ist, dass das Bitcoin-Netzwerk absolut zuverlässig tut, was es tun soll. Bitcoin kann also als Geld funktionieren, da es die Kriterien sehr gut erfüllt. Bitcoin ist in erster Linie eine Datenbank, die durch ein Netzwerk abgesichert wird und überwacht, welche Einträge welchen Bitcoin-Adressen zugeordnet werden. Dies geschieht durch die Übertragung von kryptografisch verschlüsselten Textnachrichten zwischen den Netzwerkteilnehmern.

Damit ist Bitcoin immer nur Text. Auch der Code, auf dem Bitcoin basiert, ist Text. Die kryptografischen Verschlüsselungen basieren auf Text. Text ist Sprache, damit ist Bitcoin Sprache. Wie viele der genannten Beispiele von Geld, ist Bitcoin nicht in erster Linie Geld, sondern eignet sich sehr gut, als solches verwendet zu werden. Nationale Währungen, Fiat-Geld, sind in erster Linie Geld. Sie werden erlassen, produziert und kontrolliert, um Geld zu sein. Das ist bei Bitcoin anders. Damit ist Bitcoin durch Meinungsfreiheit, das Recht, seine Meinung in Wort, Schrift und Bild frei zu äußern, geschützt.

🫳🎤

---

In diesem Sinne, 2... 1... Risiko!‌

@ 26838110:80edc65d

Using Nostr as a Blog through Npub.pro

Now that X.com is closed and cannot be freely accessed without account anymore, creators and companies need a new way to broadcast updates and gather feedback from users.

Our Needs

We had first two major requirements. The first one was to have a way to publish updates and have the possibility for anyone to reply to them.

The second major requirement was to have these posts available online and indexable by search engines.

Nostr

After trying Warpcast and looking into Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky, we chose Nostr to chronicle the development of the world and game of Dragonbane Creation.

Nostr is perfect for our needs for serveral reasons:

1. Posts are publicly accessible and available in a variety of clients.

2. Posts are not linked to a single platform and they cannot be boosted or deboosted.

3. Posts can be easily read and written programmatically.

4. Once Nostr is more widespread, it also means that posts can be indexed by search engines and can count as multiple SEO links (one for each indexed client).

Npub.pro

Having notes is only one part of the equation to have a blog based on Nostr. The second part I discovered relatively quickly after I started posting on Nostr. Npub.pro is a way to create a free website to display notes and have them available as standalone pages with a comment section in a customizable theme.

What I love about Npub.pro are how easy it is to customize the blog and the ability to self-host.

After setting up our blog, I also tried recreating a basic version on the main Dragonbane Creation website as I already had the code to interact with Nostr in Javascript. However, I decided to keep using Npub.pro in order to avoid having to maintain the code for a blog and as it fulfills all of our needs and to self host it.

The downsides of using Npub.pro are that it is extremely slow to load, even when self-hosting and using a good CDN. It also lacks important customization options such as a way to disable comments and zapping.

If you want to set up your own, you can do it here:

https://npub.pro/#themes-onboarding

If you want to see how our blog looks like:

https://blog.dragonbanecreation.com

grownostr #npubpro

@ 17e4a445:a7195f55

Actually, we were just looking for ways to make an investment.

I had no idea about money and finances. However, any supposed Investment seemed to be more ballast than help.

"There also is this Bitcoin thing.“

Were my husband’s words, that changed our lives from that moment on.

Unknowingly, I stepped into the rabbit hole.

It was immediately clear that Bitcoin is the best investment, but that was quickly no longer the point.

It was about opening my eyes and understanding.

Understanding what?

In my naivety, at the beginning, I thought:

"You have to tell the media, so that everyone benefits from Bitcoin."

But the media was busy with reports about the coronavirus. The media doesn't want to know anything about Bitcoin, even worse, they report wrong about it.

But it's not that hard to understand.

I had to open my eyes and learn that they don’t want to understand.

Why?

I then thought, I have to tell the politicians.

I had to open my eyes.

Why don't they want to understand Bitcoin? Why are they locking me up just because I won’t get vaccinated? Why do they want to continue to accept inflation when there is now a solution for it?

Why?

I thought i have to tell the central bank, and I had to open my eyes, the central bank doesn't want to know anything about Bitcoin.

They are busy keeping the inflation numbers under control. Why do prices seem to be gone up much higher than the ECB says?

That's not 2%.

Why is it that always the same people benefit and the same people lose?

Why?

I thought I'd at least tell my family and friends. But my family and friends find the topic boring. They don't want to know the answers to the questions.

"You can't do anything about it and money doesn't matter."

My objection: "But the euro is not good money.", was not a convincing argument for them.

For the time being, we were left alone looking for the answers to more and more upcoming questions .

What is fractional reserve banking?

What is a "Doppelwumms"?

What is a „specialfund”?

What is compound interest?

What is hard money?

What is Giralgeld?

Why is cash king?

Who decides whether new money is made?

Who gives the decision maker the authority to decide?

Why is the will of the population undermined?

Why do we have to take inflation for granted?

What is Fiat Money?

Why does everyone want me to get vaccinated?

Why is most of the world's wealth distributed among only 1% of humanity?

Why is everything so unfair?

Opening your eyes hurts, it hurts physically and mentally. Seeing the suffering is devastating. You feel misunderstood and marginalized.

"Maybe it's not all that bad, and I lost myself."

I might have come to terms with that if it weren't for so many Bitcoiners that I got to know along the way.

They understand me.

So many smart people can't all be wrong.

I had to open my eyes and understand that everything was intended as it is.

Wanted by whom?

Wanted by elites?

Wanted by military powers?

Wanted by the defense industry?

My neighbors sure don't want it. What do I want anyway?

I had to open my eyes and understand that Bitcoin can help me and fixes so much, but that even Bitcoin does not answer all my questions satisfactorily. And although I can detach myself from the system with Bitcoin, the pain did not go away. More and more questions came up and frustration arose. This is all too unfair and I just couldn't understand why these people can't be stopped even though we are 99% against 1%.

How can that be?

Manipulation?

Propaganda?

False promises?

Economic cycle for economic cycle boom and bust and nothing learned?

Why?

Is everyone below this 1% so unscrupulous? Are they all such big egoists?

Why do they all seem so evil, even though they could also do good?

Do I believe in evil now?

What is „bad”?

It is easy to recognize evil, it is the eyes and the actions.

You feel the dislike in your stomach.

But I was not spiritual and I could not grasp the evil.

The frustration got worse the more questions I answered.

"You have Bitcoin, you no longer have to care about all that anymore."

This sentence no longer had the calming effect on me.

Again and again I came up with answers that shook me.

"That's just diabolical"

Was the sentence that kept going through my head.

I felt clueless, do I believe in the devil? It must exist, because what is happening around us is inhumane.

The eyes and the deeds.

I couldn't find any more answers.

Should I have never opened my eyes? Isn't every Bitcoiner left with that question sooner or later?

No, there is no turning back.

I opened my eyes and allowed myself to trust my feeling.

It's from the devil.

Who is the devil?

Why does he want evil?

If there is a devil, is there a God?

Is there a battle between good and evil?

If there is a God, why does he allow everything to be so unfair?

I looked for answers to these questions in the Bible.

I realized that the Bible consists of individual writings that contain the history of our origin to the course of our downfall.

Page by page, distributed and copied thousands of times, no longer modifiable. It contains the code for living according to rules for a fair community, which everyone must voluntarily agree to. Fair compliance with these rules is rewarded. The Bible does not exclude anyone and is accessible to everyone. It calls on you to take responsibility for yourself and to act in love and peace.

Only a God could produce such a scripture.

So much good and yet everywhere the explanation of why people turn to evil.

Page by page the answers to why the world we live in is what it is.

Bitcoin opened my eyes.

Jesus made me see. 832549

@ acc925af:db9fb0bb

Abstract:

This thesis investigates the profound implications of leveraging Zero Point Energy (ZPE) for Bitcoin mining, offering a groundbreaking solution to the twin challenges of energy consumption and mining centralization. By harnessing ZPE, which represents the intrinsic energy of quantum vacuum, we could tap into an infinite and clean energy source, transforming Bitcoin mining into an environmentally benign and highly decentralized operation. This research delves into the quantum mechanics of ZPE, evaluates technological hurdles, and conceptualizes mining hardware powered by ZPE. The potential of this approach not only addresses current criticisms of Bitcoin's sustainability but also envisions a network that becomes exponentially more secure and resilient by absorbing quantum energy, thereby revolutionizing the cryptocurrency landscape.

Introduction:

The advent of Bitcoin has introduced significant concerns regarding energy use and the centralization of mining power due to the need for cost-effective electricity. However, this thesis proposes that by utilizing ZPE, we can eliminate these concerns entirely. ZPE offers a pathway to mining where energy costs are virtually negligible, allowing for a truly decentralized global mining operation. This introduction sets the stage by discussing the current state of Bitcoin mining, its environmental impact, and how ZPE could fundamentally alter this landscape.

Chapter 1: Theoretical Underpinnings of Zero Point Energy

Quantum Mechanics and Zero Point Energy (ZPE):

This section will provide an exhaustive examination of quantum field theory, which is crucial for understanding the phenomenon of ZPE:

• Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (QFT):

  • Quantum field theory posits that all particles are excitations of underlying fields that permeate space-time. This framework unifies quantum mechanics with special relativity, describing how particles can be created or annihilated from these fields.
  • The core idea is that fields are not static; they are dynamic, oscillating entities where each point in space can have fluctuating field values.

• Vacuum Fluctuations and Zero-Point Energy:

  • Vacuum Fluctuations: Even in a perfect vacuum, where no particles are present, quantum fields do not settle to zero energy. Instead, they exhibit fluctuations due to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which states that the energy of a quantum system cannot be precisely known if its time is known with certainty. This leads to temporary creation of particle-antiparticle pairs, known as virtual particles.
  • Zero-Point Motion: In quantum mechanics, particles in their lowest energy state (ground state) still possess kinetic energy due to this principle. For a simple quantum harmonic oscillator, this is known as zero-point motion. In the context of fields, this translates to "zero-point energy" of the vacuum itself, where fields oscillate with a non-zero minimum energy even at absolute zero temperature.

• Emergence of ZPE:

  • Quantum Oscillators: For any quantum system, like an oscillator, there's a non-zero minimum energy due to the fact that the wave function for the ground state spreads out over space, ensuring that the particle (or field, in QFT) can never be at rest. This fundamental energy is ZPE.
  • Field Theoretic Perspective: In field theory, each mode of the field contributes to ZPE. The energy of these vacuum fluctuations sums to an infinite series which, if not regularized, predicts an infinite energy density for the vacuum. However, techniques like renormalization are used to make physical predictions, focusing on observable differences rather than absolute values.

• Consequences for Physics and Technology:

  • Casimir Effect: A practical manifestation of ZPE is the Casimir effect, where two uncharged, parallel plates placed very close together in a vacuum experience an attractive force. This is due to the suppression of certain virtual particle modes between the plates compared to outside, leading to a net inward force from the quantum vacuum's pressure.
  • Implications for Energy: While ZPE is currently more of a theoretical curiosity, it's investigated for potential applications in energy. If harnessed, it could represent an inexhaustible energy source since it's derived from the quantum nature of the vacuum, not from traditional energy resources.

• Challenges in Understanding and Utilization:

  • Theoretical Challenges: The precise calculation and understanding of ZPE remain among the most profound challenges in theoretical physics, with discrepancies between theoretical predictions and experimental observations (e.g., in cosmology with vacuum energy or dark energy).
  • Practical Extraction: The practical challenge lies in creating technology that can tap into these fluctuations in a way that produces usable energy. Current theories suggest that any extraction would require systems operating at the quantum scale, potentially involving nanotechnology or advanced materials science.

Chapter 2: Bitcoin Mining in the Age of Zero Point Energy

The Current Paradigm:

• Bitcoin Mining Overview: Bitcoin mining is the process by which transactions are verified and added to the public ledger, known as the blockchain. Miners compete to solve complex cryptographic puzzles using specialized hardware (ASICs - Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), and the first to solve the puzzle gets to add the next block of transactions to the blockchain, receiving newly minted bitcoins as a reward.

• Centralization Driven by Energy Costs:

  • Economic Incentives: The high energy cost associated with Bitcoin mining has historically led to the concentration of mining power in areas where electricity is cheapest. This includes countries with abundant hydroelectric power like China or regions with access to natural gas wellhead electricity.
  • Infrastructure and Scale: Large-scale mining operations benefit from economies of scale, where the cost per unit of mining output decreases with size. This has led to the formation of mining pools where miners combine their computational resources to increase their chances of earning block rewards, further centralizing power.
  • Environmental Impact: The pursuit of low-cost energy often leads miners to less environmentally friendly sources, contributing to significant carbon footprints and debates over Bitcoin's sustainability.

• Security and Network Vulnerabilities:

  • 51% Attack Risk: Centralization increases the risk of a 51% attack, where a single entity could control the majority of the hash rate, potentially allowing them to double-spend coins or block transactions, thus undermining the network's security.

Decentralization through ZPE:

• Barrier to Entry Reduction:
  • Zero Energy Cost: With ZPE, the primary cost associated with mining - electricity - could theoretically be eliminated. This would mean miners no longer need to be located near cheap energy sources or worry about fluctuating energy prices, significantly reducing the capital required to start mining.
• Geographical Decentralization:
  • Global Accessibility: Mining could become viable anywhere in the world, not just in areas with cheap electricity, leading to a more geographically diverse mining network. This would reduce the influence of any single jurisdiction over the Bitcoin network.

• Democratization of Mining:

  • Increased Participation: The reduction in energy costs could lead to an increase in individual and small-scale mining operations. More participants would mean a more distributed hash power, making the network less susceptible to control by a few large entities.
  • ASIC Proliferation: With energy costs no longer a primary concern, there could be a surge in the production and deployment of ASICs. This would likely result in a higher total hash rate for the network, enhancing its security as each miner contributes to the collective strength.

• Security Enhancements:

  • Resilience Against Attacks: A network with thousands or even millions of small miners would be incredibly resilient to 51% attacks since the hash power required to control the network would be spread across an enormous number of nodes.
  • Incentive Alignment: With ZPE, mining incentives would shift from energy arbitrage to purely computational power and hardware efficiency, potentially fostering innovations in ASIC technology that are more about performance per unit of hardware rather than per unit of energy.

• Economic Implications:

  • Mining Economics: The economic model of mining would shift, potentially lowering the barrier to entry for new miners but also affecting how mining rewards are distributed. This might lead to changes in the economic viability of mining for large operations if their advantages in energy costs are nullified.
  • Market Dynamics: The increased democratization could lead to a more stable Bitcoin price as mining becomes less speculative and more widespread.

Chapter 3: A Synergistic Model of ZPE and Bitcoin Mining

Design of ZPE Mining Hardware:

• Conceptual Framework:
  • Quantum Vacuum Interface: The key to utilizing ZPE lies in developing hardware that can interact with the quantum vacuum. This would require devices that can detect and amplify the minute energy fluctuations of the vacuum. Concepts like quantum antennas or resonators that couple with vacuum energy could be explored.
• **Rethinking ASIC Design:
  • Quantum ASICs: Traditional ASICs are optimized for energy efficiency in performing SHA-256 hashing. Here, we propose a redesign where ASICs are not just energy-efficient but energy-generating through ZPE. This might involve:
    • Materials Science: Utilizing materials with unique quantum properties, perhaps superconducting at room temperature or materials with high quantum coherence times to maintain and manipulate quantum states.
    • Quantum Coherence: Ensuring that the hardware can maintain quantum coherence long enough for energy to be harvested from vacuum fluctuations. This could involve cooling systems or novel isolation techniques to minimize environmental decoherence.
    • Energy Conversion: Engineering mechanisms for direct conversion of quantum fluctuations into electrical energy, possibly through the manipulation of virtual particle pairs or via quantum tunneling phenomena.
• Novel Components:
  • Casimir Cavities: One approach might be to use Casimir cavities, where the plates are configured to resonate with vacuum fluctuations, capturing the energy difference between the vacuum outside and inside the cavity.
  • Quantum Dots or Nanowires: These could serve as points for energy extraction due to their ability to confine electrons in quantum states, potentially enhancing the interaction with ZPE.
• Scalability and Integration:
  • Module Design: Hardware would need to be modular, allowing for scaling of mining operations without proportional increases in energy use. Here, the focus would be on how these quantum modules could be integrated into existing or new mining setups.

Simulation and Modeling:

• Theoretical Models:
  • Quantum Field Simulations: Using computational models of quantum fields to simulate how ZPE could be harnessed. This involves complex calculations of field interactions at the quantum scale, possibly leveraging supercomputers or quantum computers for modeling.
• Hash Rate Optimization:
  • Energy-to-Work Conversion: Simulating how ZPE could be converted directly into computational work, specifically focusing on how this could affect hash rates. Models would need to account for:
    • Efficiency of Conversion: How much of the harvested ZPE can realistically be used for computing without significant loss.
    • Stability and Predictability: Ensuring that the energy input from ZPE remains stable enough to be useful for consistent mining operations.
• Security Implications:
  • Network Strengthening: Models would simulate the impact of widespread ZPE mining on network security. With potentially infinite miners, simulations could show how this would affect the difficulty adjustment, block times, and overall network resilience to attacks.
• Practical Simulation Tools:
  • Quantum Simulation Software: Use of software that can simulate quantum systems, like Qiskit or Cirq, to model ZPE interactions with mining hardware.
  • Classical Simulations: Employing classical physics simulations to approximate quantum behaviors where quantum software limitations exist, particularly for understanding energy transfer dynamics.
• Testbed Environments:
  • Prototype Testing: Propose the development of small-scale prototypes or testbed environments where these models can be validated, using current quantum technologies like quantum dots or superconducting circuits to simulate ZPE interactions.

Chapter 4: Technological Challenges and Innovations

Barriers to ZPE Utilization:

• Energy Conversion Efficiency:
  • Low Conversion Rates: The energy available from ZPE is incredibly small and spread over vast spatial scales. Converting these minuscule fluctuations into usable energy involves overcoming significant efficiency barriers. The energy density of ZPE, even if theoretically infinite, is in practice very low at any observable scale.
  • Quantum-to-Classical Transition: There's a fundamental challenge in transitioning quantum energy into classical forms that can do work in our macroscopic world. This transition typically results in substantial energy loss or requires systems that operate at quantum scales, which are currently technologically challenging to maintain.
• Randomness and Quantum Mechanics:
  • Inherent Uncertainty: Quantum mechanics is inherently probabilistic. ZPE is based on vacuum fluctuations, which are random and unpredictable at the quantum level. Harnessing this randomness for a consistent energy source means dealing with fluctuating energy outputs, which is not conducive to stable operations like mining.
  • Measurement Problem: The act of measuring quantum states can influence them, potentially collapsing quantum superpositions into classical states, which might disrupt the delicate balance needed for energy extraction from ZPE.
• Scalability and Practicality:
  • Size and Cost: Any technology capable of interfacing with ZPE would need to be extremely sensitive to quantum effects, suggesting a need for precise manufacturing at the nanoscale, which increases both cost and complexity.
  • Thermal Noise: At room temperature, thermal noise can easily overwhelm the subtle signals from ZPE, necessitating cryogenic conditions for most current quantum devices, adding to the operational complexity.
• Energy Storage:
  • Capturing and Storing ZPE: Even if ZPE can be captured, storing this energy in a form that can be used later for mining operations is another hurdle. Traditional batteries might not be efficient for this purpose, requiring new energy storage technologies.

Innovative Solutions:

• Breakthroughs in Quantum Computing:
  • Quantum Error Correction: Developing techniques to protect quantum states from decoherence could enhance the efficiency of ZPE utilization by maintaining quantum coherence for longer periods, thus allowing more precise energy extraction.
  • Quantum Sensing: Quantum sensors could detect minute energy changes with high precision, potentially aiding in the capture of ZPE. Advances in this area might lead to devices that can resonate with vacuum energy at scales relevant to mining operations.
• Materials Science Advances:
  • Superconducting Materials: Materials that superconduct at higher temperatures could reduce the energy needed to maintain quantum states, making ZPE devices more practical for widespread use.
  • Quantum Materials: Research into topological insulators, graphene, or other quantum materials could yield materials that naturally resonate with or amplify vacuum fluctuations, providing a medium for energy extraction.
• Novel Energy Storage and Conversion:
  • Quantum Batteries: Concepts like quantum batteries, where energy is stored in quantum superpositions, could be explored for storing ZPE. These might offer higher energy densities or faster charge-discharge cycles compared to classical batteries.
  • Direct Conversion: Innovations in direct energy conversion from quantum to electrical or mechanical work, perhaps through piezoelectric effects at the quantum level or via novel electromagnetic induction techniques, could bypass traditional conversion losses.
• Engineering and Design Solutions:
  • Modular and Scalable Systems: Develop modular systems where each module can capture and convert small amounts of ZPE, which can then be scaled up for industrial applications like mining.
  • Noise Reduction: Techniques to reduce or cancel out environmental noise, like using quantum noise reduction strategies, could be pivotal in enhancing the signal from ZPE.
• Interdisciplinary Approach:
  • Combining Fields: A synthesis of physics, engineering, and computer science might yield hybrid technologies where classical and quantum systems work in tandem. For instance, using classical systems to amplify or stabilize quantum outputs.

Chapter 5: The Impact of ZPE on Bitcoin's Network

Enhanced Decentralization:

• Geographical Agnosticism:
  • Elimination of Energy Cost Barriers: With ZPE, the geographical distribution of mining operations would no longer be dictated by access to cheap electricity. Miners could operate anywhere, from urban centers to remote locations, without the constraint of energy costs. This would naturally lead to a broader distribution of mining power.
  • Global Participation: The democratization of mining would allow individuals and small entities in any part of the world to participate in mining. Countries or regions previously excluded from mining due to high energy costs could now contribute, leading to a more balanced global distribution of hash power.
  • Reduced Influence of Local Regulations: Since miners wouldn't rely on local energy sources, they would be less affected by regional policies on energy pricing or environmental regulations, further decentralizing control over mining operations.
• Mitigating 51% Attack Risks:
  • Dilution of Control: Even if a single entity or group could amass significant capital for mining equipment, the sheer number of potential miners worldwide would make it exponentially harder to control 51% of the hash rate. This would require an impractical level of investment in hardware and infrastructure.
  • Community Resilience: With mining operations spread across continents, the risk of a coordinated attack on one region would be mitigated, as the network could still function robustly with miners from unaffected areas.
• Economic and Social Impacts:
  • Economic Development: This could lead to mining becoming a tool for economic development in areas where traditional energy infrastructure is lacking, promoting technological adoption and innovation.
  • Cultural Shift: Mining could transition from being a specialized industry to a more inclusive activity, fostering a culture of participation in cryptocurrency ecosystems worldwide.

Quantum Energy Absorption:

• Bitcoin as an Energy Sink:
  • Infinite Energy Source: If ZPE can be harnessed, Bitcoin mining becomes an ideal application for absorbing this energy since the blockchain inherently requires continuous computational work. This positions Bitcoin as a mechanism for converting quantum vacuum energy into a form that secures and verifies transactions.
  • Scalability with Energy: As more miners tap into ZPE, the network's capacity for work increases without the traditional limit of energy input. This could lead to a scenario where the more energy absorbed, the more secure and efficient the network becomes, as each miner adds to both the network's hash rate and its security.
• Enhanced Network Security:
  • Higher Hash Rates: An increase in the number of miners using ZPE would result in higher total hash rates, making the network more secure against double-spending or other malicious attacks since the difficulty of altering the blockchain increases with hash power.
  • Resilience to Quantum Threats: By absorbing quantum energy, Bitcoin could theoretically adapt to advancements in quantum computing, which might otherwise threaten current cryptographic methods. This adaptation could involve new consensus algorithms or encryption methods developed in parallel with quantum mining technologies.
• Ecological and Quantum Synergy:
  • Environmental Benefits: Utilizing ZPE for mining would dramatically reduce the carbon footprint associated with Bitcoin, aligning mining with ecological sustainability goals.
  • Quantum Feedback Loop: The more energy absorbed from quantum sources, the more it could theoretically feed back into the quantum systems used for mining, potentially leading to innovations in quantum technology driven by the needs of the Bitcoin network.
• Economic Implications:
  • Value Proposition: The potential for Bitcoin to act as a vast energy sink could reframe its value not just as a currency or store of value but also as a pioneering use case for quantum energy, enhancing its economic appeal.
  • Policy and Investment: This could drive policy and investment towards quantum research, with Bitcoin mining providing a real-world application for quantum energy utilization, possibly leading to breakthroughs in various fields.

Chapter 6: Economic and Policy Implications

Economic Reevaluation:

• Mining Profitability:
  • Reduction in Operational Costs: With ZPE, the primary operational cost of mining - electricity - drops to near zero. This would dramatically increase the profitability of mining for all participants, especially smaller miners who previously couldn't compete due to high energy expenses.
  • Shift in Mining Dynamics: The advantage currently held by large mining operations due to economies of scale in energy consumption would diminish. Profitability would hinge more on hardware efficiency, maintenance, and software optimization rather than energy costs.
• Bitcoin's Market Value:
  • Inflation and Scarcity: If mining becomes more accessible, more bitcoins might be mined, potentially affecting the scarcity model of Bitcoin unless the difficulty adjustment mechanism adapts sufficiently. However, if the network's security increases, this could conversely increase Bitcoin's value due to heightened trust in its integrity.
  • Perception of Sustainability: The environmental impact of Bitcoin has been a point of criticism. ZPE could change public perception, possibly increasing demand for Bitcoin as an environmentally friendly cryptocurrency, thereby supporting or even increasing its market value.
• Mining Economics Dynamics:
  • Entry and Exit of Miners: Lower barriers to entry might lead to a rapid increase in miners, which could drive down individual rewards due to increased competition. However, this would be balanced by the network's overall increased security and efficiency.
  • Economics of Scale and Innovation: While the traditional large-scale advantages diminish, there might be new opportunities for innovation in mining hardware or software that leverage ZPE, creating different economic models around mining technology.
• Market Stability and Speculation:
  • Reduced Speculation on Energy: Energy cost volatility has been a significant factor in mining profitability and, by extension, Bitcoin price volatility. With ZPE, this variable would be removed, potentially stabilizing mining economics and Bitcoin's price.

Policy Framework:

• Encouragement of ZPE Technology Development:
  • Research Grants: Governments or international bodies could offer grants specifically for research into ZPE applications in mining, focusing on both theoretical and applied aspects.
  • Tax Incentives: Tax breaks or credits for companies developing or adopting ZPE mining technologies could spur innovation and adoption. This might include incentives for using renewable or quantum energy in mining operations.
• Regulatory Environment:
  • Standardization: There would be a need for new standards and regulations for ZPE-based mining equipment to ensure safety, efficiency, and interoperability with existing Bitcoin infrastructure.
  • Environmental Regulations: Policies could be framed to reward or require the use of ZPE or similar clean energy solutions for cryptocurrency mining, aligning with broader environmental goals.
• International Cooperation:
  • Global Quantum Research Initiatives: Facilitate international partnerships for quantum technology research, where Bitcoin mining could serve as a practical application and testbed for quantum energy solutions.
  • Cross-Border Mining Policy: Since ZPE would decentralize mining geographically, there would be a need for international agreements on data protection, mining rights, and the distribution of mining operations to prevent any single nation from dominating.
• Education and Capacity Building:
  • Training Programs: Support for education in quantum physics, engineering, and computer science, focusing on skills necessary for ZPE utilization in mining, could be part of policy initiatives to build human capital.
  • Public Awareness: Campaigns to educate the public on the benefits of ZPE in mining could foster a supportive environment for policy changes and investment.
• Ethical and Security Considerations:
  • Ethical Guidelines: As with any technology, ethical guidelines would be essential to prevent misuse of ZPE, especially considering the potential for quantum technologies to disrupt current encryption methods.
  • Security Protocols: Policies ensuring that the adoption of ZPE does not compromise the security of the Bitcoin network, perhaps through new consensus mechanisms or security standards tailored to quantum environments.

Chapter 7: Conclusion and Future Research

Conclusion:

• Revolutionizing Mining: The adoption of Zero Point Energy (ZPE) in Bitcoin mining represents a profound shift towards sustainability. By eliminating the dependency on traditional energy sources, ZPE could render concerns about energy consumption and its environmental impact obsolete, positioning Bitcoin mining as a model of clean, green technology.

• Decentralization Realized: ZPE would democratize mining, breaking down the geographical barriers that currently lead to centralized mining operations. This would not only address centralization issues but also significantly enhance the security of the network through a more distributed hash power, making 51% attacks virtually impractical.

• Security and Stability: With an infinite energy source, Bitcoin's network could become exponentially more secure as it scales, absorbing quantum energy into its operations, thus enhancing its resistance to both classical and future quantum computational threats.

• Economic Transformation: The economic landscape of mining would change, with profitability no longer tied to energy costs, potentially leading to a more stable and inclusive Bitcoin ecosystem. This could also influence the perception and market dynamics of Bitcoin, making it more appealing to environmentally conscious investors.

Future Research:

• Practical Implementations:
  • Prototype Development: Deep dive into the engineering challenges of creating hardware that can genuinely interact with and harness ZPE. This includes developing prototypes, testing them in controlled environments, and scaling them for real-world applications.
  • Energy Conversion Efficiency: Research into improving the efficiency of converting ZPE into electrical or computational work. This might involve new materials, quantum engineering techniques, or entirely novel approaches to energy capture and utilization.
• Scalability of ZPE Mining:
  • Scalability Studies: Investigate how ZPE mining can be scaled from individual operations to industrial levels without compromising on efficiency or network integrity. This includes studying the effects on Bitcoin's difficulty adjustment algorithm and network latency.
  • Network Integration: Research into how ZPE mining hardware can be integrated with existing mining infrastructure or if it necessitates a new mining paradigm. This might involve new protocols or blockchain modifications to accommodate ZPE's unique characteristics.
• Influence on Other Blockchain Technologies:
  • Broader Blockchain Applications: Explore how ZPE could be applied to other blockchain systems, not just Bitcoin. This could mean studying energy consumption in proof-of-stake versus proof-of-work systems under the influence of ZPE, or how ZPE could enhance privacy-focused blockchains.
  • Quantum-Resistant Cryptography: Given that ZPE involves quantum mechanics, research could extend to how this could influence or necessitate changes in cryptographic methods to ensure blockchain security in a post-quantum computing world.
• Interdisciplinary Research:
  • Quantum and Classical Synergy: Studies focusing on how quantum technologies can work alongside or enhance classical systems in blockchain contexts. This could open up new avenues for both technology and theoretical physics.
  • Environmental and Economic Modelling: Long-term studies to model the economic impacts, environmental benefits, and potential shifts in global energy policies as ZPE becomes viable for mining.
• Ethical and Policy Frameworks:
  • Ethical Implications: Research into the ethical use of ZPE, considering the potential for significant power shifts in the mining community and the broader implications for privacy and security in digital currencies.
  • Policy Development: Work towards creating frameworks for the governance of ZPE mining, including international cooperation, standardization of technology, and addressing potential security concerns.

References:

Zero Point Energy (ZPE) and Quantum Mechanics:

• Milonni, P. W. (1994). The Quantum Vacuum: An Introduction to Quantum Electrodynamics. Academic Press.

• Casimir, H. B. G. (1948). "On the attraction between two perfectly conducting plates". Proceedings of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, 51, 793-795.

• Lamoreaux, S. K. (1997). "Demonstration of the Casimir Force in the 0.6 to 6 mm Range". Physical Review Letters, 78(1), 5-8.

• Jaffe, R. L. (2005). "Casimir effect and the quantum vacuum". Physical Review D, 72(2), 021301.

• Puthoff, H. E. (1987). "Ground State of Hydrogen as a Zero-Point-Fluctuation-Determined State". Physical Review D, 35(10), 3266-3269.

Bitcoin Mining and Energy Consumption:

• de Vries, A. (2018). "Bitcoin’s growing energy problem". Joule, 2(5), 801-805.

• Mora, C., et al. (2018). "Bitcoin emissions alone could push global warming above 2 °C". Nature Climate Change, 8(11), 931-933.

• Stoll, C., et al. (2019). "The carbon footprint of Bitcoin". Joule, 3(7), 1647-1661.

• Li, J., et al. (2019). "Energy consumption of cryptocurrency mining: A study of electricity consumption in mining cryptocurrencies". Energy, 168, 160-168.

• Truby, J. (2018). "Decarbonizing Bitcoin: Law and policy choices for reducing the energy consumption of Blockchain technologies and digital currencies". Energy Research & Social Science, 44, 399-410.

Technological Aspects and Innovations:

• Aste, T. (2016). "The fair cost of bitcoin proof of work". SSRN Electronic Journal.

• Yazcı, A. F., & Olcay, A. B. (2019). "A framework for maintaining sustainable energy use in Bitcoin mining through switching efficient mining hardware". ScienceDirect.

• Song, Y-D., & Aste, T. (2020). "The Cost of Bitcoin Mining Has Never Really Increased". Frontiers in Blockchain.

Decentralization, Security, and Economic Implications:

• Houy, N. (2014). "The Bitcoin Mining Game". SSRN Electronic Journal.

• Luther, W. J. (2018). "Getting off the ground: The case of bitcoin". Journal of Institutional Economics, 15(2), 189-205.

• Nakamoto, S. (2008). "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System". Available at bitcoin.org.

• Jones, B. A., Goodkind, A. L., & Berrens, R. P. (2022). "Economic estimation of Bitcoin mining’s climate damages demonstrates closer resemblance to digital crude than digital gold". Scientific Reports, 12, 14512.

General Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Studies:

• Narayanan, A., et al. (2016). Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies: A Comprehensive Introduction. Princeton University Press.

• Böhme, R., et al. (2015). "Bitcoin: Economics, Technology, and Governance". Journal of Economic Perspectives, 29(2), 213-238.

Theoretical and Practical Considerations:

• Various articles and papers from Nature, Science, Physical Review Letters, and other leading journals in quantum physics and computer science would also be consulted for foundational knowledge on quantum effects, computation, and energy.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/802628

@ 9f94e6cc:f3472946

Der Entartungswettbewerb TikTok hat die Jugend im Griff und verbrutzelt ihre Hirne. Über Reels, den Siegeszug des Hochformats und die Regeln der Viralität.

Text: Aron Morhoff

Hollywood steckt heute in der Hosentasche. 70 Prozent aller YouTube-Inhalte werden auf mobilen Endgeräten, also Smartphones, geschaut. Instagram und TikTok sind die angesagtesten Anwendungen für junge Menschen. Es gibt sie nur noch als App, und ihr Design ist für Mobiltelefone optimiert.

Einst waren Rechner und Laptops die Tools, mit denen ins Internet gegangen wurde. Auch als das Smartphone seinen Siegeszug antrat, waren die Sehgewohnheiten noch auf das Querformat ausgerichtet. Heute werden Rechner fast nur noch zum Arbeiten verwendet. Das Berieseln, die Unterhaltung, das passive Konsumieren hat sich vollständig auf die iPhones und Samsungs dieser Welt verlagert. Das Telefon hat den aufrechten Gang angenommen, kaum einer mehr hält sein Gerät waagerecht.

Homo Digitalis Erectus

Die Welt steht also Kopf. Die Form eines Mediums hat Einfluss auf den Inhalt. Marshall McLuhan formulierte das so: Das Medium selbst ist die Botschaft. Ja mei, mag sich mancher denken, doch medienanthropologisch ist diese Entwicklung durchaus eine Betrachtung wert. Ein Querformat eignet sich besser, um Landschaften, einen Raum oder eine Gruppe abzubilden. Das Hochformat entspricht grob den menschlichen Maßen von der Hüfte bis zum Kopf. Der TikTok-Tanz ist im Smartphone-Design also schon angelegt. Das Hochformat hat die Medieninhalte unserer Zeit noch narzisstischer gemacht.

Dass wir uns durch Smartphones freizügiger und enthemmter zur Schau stellen, ist bekannt. 2013 wurde „Selfie“ vom Oxford English Dictionary zum Wort des Jahres erklärt. Selfie, Selbstporträt, Selbstdarstellung.

Neu ist der Aufwand, der heute vonnöten ist, um die Aufmerksamkeitsschwelle der todamüsierten Mediengesellschaft überhaupt noch zu durchbrechen. In beängstigender Hypnose erwischt man viele Zeitgenossen inzwischen beim Doomscrollen. Das ist der Fachbegriff für das weggetretene Endloswischen und erklärt auch den Namen „Reel“: Der Begriff, im Deutschen verwandt mit „Rolle“, beschreibt die Filmrolle, von der 24 Bilder pro Sekunde auf den Projektor gewischt oder eben abgespult werden.

Länger als drei Sekunden darf ein Kurzvideo deshalb nicht mehr gehen, ohne dass etwas Aufregendes passiert. Sonst wird das Reel aus Langeweile weggewischt. Die Welt im Dopamin-Rausch. Für den Ersteller eines Videos heißt das inzwischen: Sei der lauteste, schrillste, gestörteste Marktschreier. Das Wettrennen um die Augäpfel zwingt zu extremen Formen von Clickbait.

15 Sekunden Ruhm

Das nimmt inzwischen skurrile Formen an. Das Video „Look who I found“ von Noel Robinson (geboren 2001) war im letzten Jahr einer der erfolgreichsten deutschen TikTok-Clips. Man sieht den Deutsch-Nigerianer beim Antanzen eines karikaturartig übergewichtigen Menschen. Noel wird geschubst und fällt. Daraufhin wechselt das Lied – und der fette Mann bewegt seinen Schwabbelbauch im Takt. Noel steht wieder auf, grinst, beide tanzen gemeinsam. Das dauert 15 Sekunden. Ich rate Ihnen, sich das Video einmal anzuschauen, um die Mechanismen von TikTok zu verstehen. Achten Sie alleine darauf, wie vielen Reizen (Menschenmenge, Antanzen, Sturz, Schwabbelbauch) Sie in den ersten fünf Sekunden ausgesetzt sind. Wer schaut so was? Bis dato 220 Millionen Menschen. Das ist kapitalistische Verwertungslogik im bereits verwesten Endstadium. Adorno oder Fromm hätten am Medienzeitgeist entweder ihre Freude oder mächtig zu knabbern.

Die Internet- und Smartphoneabdeckung beträgt mittlerweile fast 100 Prozent. Das Überangebot hat die Regeln geändert. Um überhaupt gesehen zu werden, muss man heute viral gehen. Was dafür inzwischen nötig ist, spricht die niedrigsten Bedürfnisse des Menschen an: Gewalt, Ekel, Sexualisierung, Schock. Die jungen Erwachsenen, die heute auf sozialen Netzwerken den Ton angeben, haben diese Mechanismen längst verinnerlicht. Wie bewusst ihnen das ist, ist fraglich. 2024 prallt eine desaströse Bildungssituation samt fehlender Medienkompetenz auf eine egomanische Jugend, die Privatsphäre nie gekannt hat und seit Kindesbeinen alles in den Äther ballert, was es festhalten kann. Man muss kein Kulturpessimist sein, um diese degenerative Dynamik, auch in ihrer Implikation für unser Zusammenleben und das psychische Wohlergehen der Generation TikTok, als beängstigend zu bezeichnen.

Aron Morhoff studierte Medienethik und ist Absolvent der Freien Akademie für Medien & Journalismus. Frühere Stationen: RT Deutsch und Nuoviso. Heute: Stichpunkt Magazin, Manova, Milosz Matuschek und seine Liveshow "Addictive Programming".

@ 6bae33c8:607272e8

It’s rare that everything goes right in a game, but this was one such case. I needed Ja’Marr Chase to score 26 PPR points to lock in a second-place playoff spot for my best BCL, and he scored 45, locking in not only the weekly win, but first place by two points!

And how it happened was even more insane because the Bengals had a punt blocked with two minutes left, but the Cowboys, who were out of their usual return formation due to the block, touched the punt, and the Bengals recovered. Then instead of driving for the game-winning field goal, the Bengals get the ball to Chase who does his thing and outruns the entire defense for the TD (which gives him the 45 points) and also improbably covers the spread! This was important because it meant another tie in my home picking pool, meaning we have a 5x week next week instead of someone (other than me) winning it. Just insane.

I also had CeeDee Lamb going (along with Chase) in the Steak League, and those two put me out of buying danger for now. Just a perfect overall game.

• Micah Parsons is such a difference maker — Joe Burrow was under pressure all game.

• The Cowboys did the best they could with that offense, but Cooper Rush is an adequate backup, nothing more.

• Rico Dowdle is solid, nothing special. He doesn’t go down easily and has a little wiggle. He’s been boosted by facing soft defenses the last two weeks.

• The Cowboys forget about Lamb for long stretches, but some of that is just Rush’s limitations.

• Chase Brown has a lot of wiggle and is a decent receiver out of the backfield. Not sure why they traded for Khalil Herbert if they’re barely going to use him. Now that they’re essentially out of the race, they should use Herbert more, but they didn’t.

• Burrow is a great quarterback. He put up another 369 and three while under constant pressure. He moved well in the pocket, and most of his throws were on the money.

• What else can you say about Chase? He’s got 93 catches and 15 TDs in 13 games. And so much of his production this year has been after the catch when he takes a short throw and outruns the defense to the house. If he stays healthy the rest of the way, it’ll turn out to be a good thing for him the Bengals didn’t get him that extension. What do you pay a 25-YO with 130 catches for 1,800 yards and 20 TDs?

@ 26838110:80edc65d

The development of the game is going well.

I am developing all the systems at once to ensure that all of the foundations are well-made from the beginning and don't need to be reworker later.

All of the 3D components are now ready in their most basic form, including the ability to build custom ships.

The 3D engine is now integrated with the interface and both can access the same information. This makes creating the minimap trivial. The asteroid field has been tested with 20000 asteroids at 60FPS.

Space will also have locations to explore and random encounters with other ships.

The ship creation will not be based on voxels like here but will have a basic elements on which other components can be attached.

The heightmap is already integrated with the Physics engine (Havok). The yellow box is a cave entrance to test switching location and the purple box is a trader to test dialogs.

If you access the website from a desktop, you can test part of it here: game

@ a80fc4a7:dc80ebd1

I have noticed a pattern lately that makes me kind of sad, It seems Photography and Real photos are becoming harder and harder to find these Days, With the rise of AI And Computer generation. If you go to Google or any Search engine and simply Search "Nature Photos" you will get largely AI Photos or heavily altered images, it's almost as if it was programmed this way, is nobody taking real photos anymore? Or is Google simply trying to replace real art and real photos with AI? This honestly puzzles me and worries me, has anyone else noticed this? Or is it just me. Was it always this way on Google?

@ 7ec80607:128517c5

Lymphatic drainage massage (LDM) is a gentle, therapeutic technique designed to promote the flow of lymph, a clear fluid that plays a crucial role in the body’s immune system and waste elimination. The lymphatic system is responsible for transporting lymph throughout the body, which contains white blood cells that help fight infection, as well as waste products that need to be filtered out. LDM aims to enhance the efficiency of this system, supporting overall health and wellness.

**Understanding the Lymphatic System ** To appreciate the benefits of lymphatic drainage massage, it's essential to understand the lymphatic system's structure and function. The lymphatic system consists of lymph nodes, lymphatic vessels, and lymphoid organs such as the spleen and thymus. Unlike the circulatory system, which has the heart to pump blood, the lymphatic system relies on the movement of muscles and joint activity to push lymph through its vessels.

Lymphatic vessels collect excess fluid, proteins, and waste products from tissues and transport them to lymph nodes, where they are filtered. The lymph nodes then produce lymphocytes, which are key in fighting infections. Maintaining a healthy lymphatic system is vital for preventing lymphedema (swelling due to lymph fluid accumulation), infections, and other health issues.

**The Technique of Lymphatic Drainage Massage ** Lymphatic drainage massage utilizes light, rhythmic, and circular motions to stimulate lymph flow and promote drainage. The techniques may vary slightly among practitioners, but the following key components are generally consistent:

1.Light Pressure: Unlike traditional massages, where deeper pressure is often applied to relieve muscle tension, LDM uses very light pressure. This gentle approach is necessary because the lymphatic vessels are located just beneath the skin's surface. 2.Rhythmic Movements: The massage involves slow, deliberate movements that mimic the natural rhythm of the lymphatic system. Practitioners often use their hands to create a "pumping" effect, which encourages lymphatic flow.

3.Specific Techniques: Techniques can include skin stretching, circular motions, and pumping actions. Areas with a high concentration of lymph nodes, such as the neck, armpits, and groin, receive focused attention.

4.Body Positioning: Clients are usually positioned comfortably, often lying down, to facilitate relaxation and maximize the effectiveness of the massage.

**Benefits of Lymphatic Drainage Massage ** Lymphatic drainage massage offers a range of potential benefits, making it a popular choice for individuals seeking both therapeutic and aesthetic advantages. Some of the key benefits include:

1.Reduced Swelling and Inflammation: By promoting lymphatic flow, LDM can help reduce swelling caused by lymphedema, post-surgical recovery, or injury. It can also alleviate inflammation in the body, contributing to faster healing.

2.Improved Immune Function: A well-functioning lymphatic system enhances the body’s ability to fight infections. LDM can stimulate the production of lymphocytes, which are essential for a healthy immune response.

3.Detoxification: The lymphatic system is integral to detoxification processes. By facilitating lymph flow, LDM aids in removing toxins, metabolic waste, and excess fluid from the body.

4.Relaxation and Stress Relief: The gentle, rhythmic nature of lymphatic drainage massage promotes relaxation and reduces stress. This can lead to lower levels of anxiety and improved overall well-being.

5.Enhanced Skin Health: LDM can improve circulation and promote a healthier appearance of the skin. Many people notice a reduction in puffiness, improved skin tone, and a general feeling of vitality after a session.

6.Alleviation of Pain: For some individuals, LDM can help reduce pain associated with certain conditions, such as fibromyalgia or arthritis. The gentle movements can ease tension and promote a sense of relief.

**Who Can Benefit from Lymphatic Drainage Massage? ** Lymphatic drainage massage can be beneficial for various populations, including: 1.Individuals with Lymphedema: Those diagnosed with lymphedema or at risk for developing it (such as after certain cancer treatments) can find LDM especially helpful in managing their condition.

2.Post-Surgical Patients: After surgeries, especially those involving the lymphatic system, LDM can aid in recovery by reducing swelling and promoting healing.

3.Individuals with Chronic Illnesses: People dealing with chronic health issues that affect their immune system or lymphatic flow may benefit from regular LDM sessions.

4.Fitness Enthusiasts and Athletes: Athletes may incorporate LDM into their recovery routine to reduce muscle soreness and promote faster recovery after intense workouts.

5.Individuals Seeking Relaxation: Anyone looking for stress relief and relaxation can enjoy the calming effects of lymphatic drainage massage.

**Contraindications and Precautions ** While lymphatic drainage massage is generally safe, certain individuals should exercise caution or avoid the treatment altogether. Some contraindications include:

1.Acute Infections: If you have an active infection or fever, it is best to postpone LDM until you have fully recovered.

2.Severe Heart Conditions: Individuals with serious heart conditions should consult their healthcare provider before undergoing LDM, as the treatment may affect circulation.

3.Kidney Problems: People with significant kidney issues may need to avoid LDM, as the technique can increase fluid movement in the body.

4.Blood Clots: If you have a history of blood clots or thrombosis, LDM should be avoided, as the increased movement of lymph could dislodge a clot.

5.Skin Conditions: Open wounds, rashes, or skin infections may be aggravated by massage, making it important to avoid treatment until the skin is healed.

**Finding a Qualified Practitioner ** If you’re considering lymphatic drainage massage, it’s essential to find a qualified practitioner who has specialized training in this technique. Look for licensed massage therapists, physical therapists, or other healthcare professionals who have completed accredited courses in lymphatic drainage. Before your session, discuss your health history and any specific concerns you may have. A good practitioner will tailor the massage to meet your individual needs, ensuring a safe and effective experience.

**Conclusion ** Lymphatic drainage massage is a gentle and effective therapy that promotes the health of the lymphatic system and offers a myriad of benefits, from reducing swelling to enhancing relaxation. Whether you’re seeking relief from a medical condition or simply want to enhance your overall wellness, LDM can be a valuable addition to your self-care routine. As with any therapeutic treatment, it’s crucial to consult with a healthcare provider or qualified practitioner to ensure that lymphatic drainage massage is appropriate for your unique situation. With the right guidance, you can experience the restorative benefits of this holistic therapy, leading to improved health and vitality.

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Table Of Content

• The Lone Star State's Embrace of Bitcoin Mining

• Legislation and the Miner's Triumph

• A Testament to Texan Openness

• The Economic Implications

• The Global Perspective

• Conclusion

• FAQ

In the vast expanse of the digital age, where boundaries are constantly being redrawn, Texas emerges as an unlikely hero. The state, with its deep-rooted traditions and rugged landscapes, has become a beacon for the future of digital currency. As the world grapples with the implications of decentralized finance, Texas stands tall, bridging the gap between the old and the new. This is the story of how the Lone Star State became the epicenter of the Bitcoin mining revolution.

The Lone Star State's Embrace of Bitcoin Mining

It's not every day that a state becomes a hotspot for a global phenomenon, especially one as groundbreaking as Bitcoin mining. But Texas, with its vast landscapes and iconic cowboy culture, has done just that. The state, known for its oil rigs and cattle ranches, has now become synonymous with the hum of Bitcoin mining rigs. It's like the Gold Rush of the 21st century, but instead of panning for gold, folks are mining digital currency.

Legislation and the Miner's Triumph

Now, you might be wondering, how did Texas, of all places, become this global mecca for Bitcoin mining? Well, it's a tale of business, politics, and a bit of good ol' Texan spirit. For instance, there was this proposed legislation, SB 1751, that had the potential to throw a wrench in the works. This bill, which breezed through the state senate initially, aimed to cut down the incentives miners received from the power grid and put an end to mining tax abatements. Just to give you a sense of the scale, this could've set Riot back by a whopping $30 million! But here's where the story takes a twist. After the bill made its way through the Senate, the mining industry didn't just sit back and accept their fate. Oh no, they took the bull by the horns. They met with politicians, laid out their case, and made it clear how beneficial they were to the grid. And guess what? Their efforts bore fruit. The bill, which once seemed like a sure thing, met its end in the House. And boy, did the miners celebrate that victory!

A Testament to Texan Openness

The relationship between Texas and the Bitcoin mining community is unique. It's not just about business; it's about understanding, collaboration, and mutual respect. Regulators in Texas have been incredibly receptive to Bitcoin miners, recognizing the myriad benefits these miners bring to the grid. Texas has opened its arms wide, welcoming an industry that's reshaping the global financial landscape.

The Economic Implications

Beyond the hum of the mining rigs and the intricacies of legislation, there's a broader economic narrative unfolding. Texas' embrace of Bitcoin mining is not just about digital currency; it's about job creation, infrastructure development, and fostering innovation. As more miners set up shop, local economies benefit, and the state solidifies its position as a hub for technological advancement.

The Global Perspective

The world is watching, and Texas is setting a precedent. Other states and countries are taking note of how Texas has managed to integrate Bitcoin mining into its economic and legislative framework. The state's success story serves as an inspiration for regions looking to tap into the potential of digital currencies and the industries they spawn.

Conclusion

The tale of how Texas, with its rich history and tradition, has become a beacon for the future of finance is a testament to the state's adaptability, its willingness to evolve, and its undying spirit of enterprise. As the world continues its march towards a digital future, Texas stands tall, not just as a participant but as a leader. The future is not just bright; it's digital.

FAQ

What's the significance of Texas in the Bitcoin mining industry? Texas has emerged as a global hotspot for Bitcoin mining, attracting miners with its favorable regulations and infrastructure.

How did Texas respond to the proposed SB 1751 legislation? While the bill initially passed the Senate, it was later rejected in the House after miners and industry representatives made their case.

Why are regulators in Texas supportive of Bitcoin miners? Texas regulators recognize the economic benefits and technological advancements that Bitcoin miners bring to the state.

Is Texas' Bitcoin mining boom just about digital currency? No, it's also about job creation, infrastructure development, and fostering innovation in the state.

How is Texas influencing other regions regarding Bitcoin mining? Texas' success in integrating Bitcoin mining is serving as a role model for other states and countries looking to tap into the potential of digital currencies.

That's all for today

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@ 502ab02a:a2860397

เปิดวาร์ปอีกแล้วววว !!!

เนย จากนมแบบ Non Pasteurise กลับมาแล้ว เป็นเนยที่ใช้คำว่า Grand Cru(กรองด์ ครู) เนยเทพที่ใช้นมจาก บริตตานี ของ Le Gall

Grand Cru เป็นคำภาษาฝรั่งเศสที่แปลตรงตัวว่า “แหล่งผลิตที่ยอดเยี่ยม” หรือ “ชั้นดีเยี่ยม” ถ้าเป็นไวน์ก็คือ ไวน์ชั้นยอด ไวน์ Grand Cru Classé จะเป็นที่รู้กันในวงการไวน์

ดูเส้นที่เนยนะครับ นี่คือไม้ตบเนยให้เป็นก้อนแบบโบราณเลยนะ

เล่าประวัติ Le Gall ให้เพื่อความอิน ในการกินครับ เมื่อปีค.ศ. 1923 คุณ Jean-Marie Le Gall ตอนนั้นเขาอาศัยอยู่ที่ rue Jules Noel ทางที่จะมุ่งหน้าไปยังจตุรัส Locronan (โลโครนัน ) ใน Quimper (แก็งแปร์) แคว้น Brittany (บริตตานี) ฝรั่งเศส เป็นอีกดินแดนหนึ่งที่ขึ้นชื่อเรื่องคุณภาพของนม

เขาเริ่มต้นจากอาชีพ trader โดยการนำเนยและไข่ที่ได้มาจากสวน ไปขายในตลาดใหญ่ของเมืองบริตตานี และค่อยๆเก็บเล็กผสมน้อยทำให้เขาเริ่มรวบรวมครีมที่ปั่นแล้ว (Cream churned) จากฟาร์มมาทำเป็นเนยเพื่อจำหน่าย แล้วสินค้าของ Le Gall ก็เริ่มเจาะกลุ่มลูกค้าที่มีความต้องการมองหาสินค้าท้องถิ่นอันเลอค่าแท้ๆมากขึ้นด้วยคุณภาพสินค้า จึงตัดสินใจเก็บรักษาเทคนิคการปั่นถังที่ต้องใช้ฝีมือความปราณีตสูง (barrel chruning) สืบสานการทำเนยด้วยวิธีนี้ต่อไปไม่เปลี่ยนแปลง

ในระหว่างช่วงปี ‘70 และ ‘80 Le Gall ก็ได้พัฒนาการผลิตเนยและครีมอย่างต่อเนื่องทั้งใน บริตตานี และกินพื้นที่ทางฝั่งตะวันตกของฝรั่งเศสเกือบทั้งหมด จนกระทั้งในปี 1992 ก็ได้ชื่อว่าเป็นบริษัทแรกๆที่มุ่งมันในการทำเกษตรอินทรีย์ อย่างแท้จริงทั้งด้านการลงทุนและเข้าไปมีส่วนร่วมกับชุมชนการเกษตรท้องถิ่น

เนย Le Gall มี 2 ประเภท คือ กลุ่มที่เป็น Lactic butter ที่ผลิตด้วยกรรมวิธีสมัยใหม่ (ห่อสีขาว) และกลุ่มห่อสีๆที่เป็น artisan butter หรือกลุ่มดรัมเชิร์น ที่ผลิตด้วยกรรมวิธีดั้งเดิมโดยใช้ถังปั่น

ซึ่งวิธีผลิตเนยแบบดั้งเดิมนี้มีข้อดีที่ขั้นตอนการปั่นอย่างช้าๆจะทำให้ครีมสดๆได้เนยคุณภาพยอดเยี่ยม นุ่มละมุนเนียนเป็น texture อย่างที่เป็นอยู่นอกจากนี้ผลิตภัณฑ์ของ Le Gall ทุกตัวจะต้องผ่านการตรวจสอบจาก Master Buttermaker ของ Le Gall เองอยู่ตลอดเวลา

อย่างที่พวกเขาพูดเสมอๆว่า “เราไม่ได้เปลี่ยนอะไรเลย มันเลยสร้างความแตกต่าง” โคตรคราฟท์ ชัดเจนและลงตัวไหมล่ะ 5555 รู้แล้วใช่มะ ทำไมผมชอบเลอแกล

เช่นกันตัวเนย Le Gall Grand Cru นี้จัดอยู่ในอันดับท้อปๆของ lineup ซึ่งเป็นเนยผลิตจากนมดิบสดที่ไม่ผ่านการพาสเจอร์ไรซ์ หมักบ่มกว่า 15-18 ชั่วโมง โดยใช้กรรมวิธีดั้งเดิมของชาวฝรั่งเศสแท้ๆคือ Drum Churned ค่อยๆปั่นในถังจนได้เนยที่อ่อนนุ่มคุณภาพดีตามที่กล่าวไว้ข้างต้น

ด้วยความที่ผลิตจากนมดิบนั่นหมายถึงว่ามันยังคงมีจุลินทรีย์อยู่ไม่ถูกฆ่าไปด้วยกรรมวิธีพาสเจอร์ไรซ์นั่นเอง

ผลที่ได้ออกมาคือเนยที่มีความเข้มข้น มิติของกลิ่นหอมฟุ้งในกระพุ้งปาก ฉ่ำชื่นรื่นอุรา มีกลิ่นหอมคงค้างในปากและลำคอ (after taste)

เนยรุ่นนี้เมื่อก่อนอาจต้องบินไปซื้อถึงฝรั่งเศส เดี๋ยวนี้ทาง KCG นำเข้ามาจำหน่ายแล้ว ต้องซื้อตรงจาก KCG เท่านั้นด้วย

ซื้อผ่านทาง Line Official Account ของ KCG online ซึ่งเปิดบริการ Line MyShop เอาไว้รองรับเป็นที่เรียบร้อย

https://shop.line.me/@kcgonline

เฮียจะใช้เนยตัวนี้ทำ Rustic Butter Cake : Le Gall Grand Cru Series รอบนี้ครับ

pirateketo

ตำรับเอ๋

siripun

@ 234035ec:edc3751d

The rise of UAVs

Drones, we have all heard of them, seen them, and many of us own them. Also known as UAVs (Unmanned Arial Vehicles) they come in endless different shapes and sizes, from 2inch Cinewhoop FPVs (First Person View) to large military drones like the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk which can fly for over 30 hours at speeds over 300mph.

In recent conflicts, most notably the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, we have seen drones play a very significant role. The utilization of small consumer or cheaply manufactured drones for reconnaissance, dropping payloads, delivering supplies, and as "kamikaze" weapons has been well documented.

These so called Kamikaze drones have been devastatingly effective due to the asymmetry of risk on the side of the drone attacker as opposed to traditional warfare methods. The FPV pilot can sit in a secure location several miles from the enemy, and launch $500-$1,000 drones to take out signifiant infrastructure, tanks, personnel, ect. By embracing a new paradigm of warfare a smaller force with significantly less resources is able to project a disproportionate amount of power.

Outside of military use we have seen drones used for many other applications such as 3D mapping, Thermal imaging, Delivery services, agricultural uses, and choreographed displays. All of these take something that once required a human operator present and allows them to be automated. While many of these applications do still require a human operator, it is not a far stretch to imagine that, with advancements in computation and machine learning they will grow more and more hands off.

Being able to utilize a computer program to fly a pre-set flightpath over a location and generate a 3D model of it or gather thermal data is already a reality. Companies now offer docking stations which charge the drone and it can take off and land from autonomously.

The use of large swarms of drones to create arial displays has also been growing in popularity in recent years. fleets of hundreds and sometimes thousands of drones are programmed to flight in precise coordinated patterns in order to create complex shapes and images in the sky. The idea of a single computer being able to control and coordinate such a vast number of vehicles is mind boggling.

Drones in the digital revolution

The "Digital Revolution" has been talked about at great lengths by many people and generally refers to the rapid growth in computation which has lead to growth in access to information and global connectivity. This new wave has seen the dematerialization of many things in our life. E-mail, E-commerce, Social Applications, Wikipedia, Bitcoin, ect. are all examples of previously physical things being dematerialized in the digital age.

UAVs give us a bridge between the digital and physical worlds. A software program run on a computer can now deliver a package to someone across town who just placed an order on a website. They can be used to inspect properties or other physical assets from a distance or to spray crops on large pieces of land.

Along with these "civilian" applications it is easy to imagine a future where drones have an even larger significance in warfare. If you combine the drone swarms used in light displays with the kamikaze drones being used in Ukraine, you get a very scary proposition. If warfare becomes increasingly autonomous, manpower will matter far less and resources will matter much more. A small wealthy nation may be able to wield significant power through their UAV systems.

Decentralization of UAVs

When considering the potential future with respect to drones and drone weapons systems, it is easy to become concerned with a potential Orwellian future where the government has patrol drones and can arrest you autonomously for your thought crimes. While government tyranny is always a serious concern, I am hopeful for the future.

The second amendment in the United States is designed to ensure that the citizens have enough power to resist a tyrannical government. I see drones as a force which levels playing fields, the average individual has access to the same drones which are being used in conflict right now in Ukraine. With the digital revolution we have also seen 3D printing grow massively in popularity and utility and individuals have been experimenting with 3D designs for firearms and drones. This further democratizes access to self defense allowing many more individuals access to the tools necessary to defend themselves in the physical world through a digital file.

The future is going to be a very interesting place. I believe that the lines between the physical and digital worlds will continue to blur and that unmanned aircraft are going to play a significant role in that transformation.

@ eac63075:b4988b48

Based on a recent paper that included collaboration from renowned experts such as Lynn Alden, Steve Lee, and Ren Crypto Fish, we discuss in depth how Bitcoin's consensus is built, the main risks, and the complex dynamics of protocol upgrades.

PT-BR version

Podcast https://www.fountain.fm/episode/wbjD6ntQuvX5u2G5BccC

Presentation https://gamma.app/docs/Analyzing-Bitcoin-Consensus-Risks-in-Protocol-Upgrades-p66axxjwaa37ksn

1. Introduction to Consensus in Bitcoin

Consensus in Bitcoin is the foundation that keeps the network secure and functional, allowing users worldwide to perform transactions in a decentralized manner without the need for intermediaries. Since its launch in 2009, Bitcoin is often described as an "immutable" system designed to resist changes, and it is precisely this resistance that ensures its security and stability.

The central idea behind consensus in Bitcoin is to create a set of acceptance rules for blocks and transactions, ensuring that all network participants agree on the transaction history. This prevents "double-spending," where the same bitcoin could be used in two simultaneous transactions, something that would compromise trust in the network.

Evolution of Consensus in Bitcoin

Over the years, consensus in Bitcoin has undergone several adaptations, and the way participants agree on changes remains a delicate process. Unlike traditional systems, where changes can be imposed from the top down, Bitcoin operates in a decentralized model where any significant change needs the support of various groups of stakeholders, including miners, developers, users, and large node operators.

Moreover, the update process is extremely cautious, as hasty changes can compromise the network's security. As a result, the philosophy of "don't fix what isn't broken" prevails, with improvements happening incrementally and only after broad consensus among those involved. This model can make progress seem slow but ensures that Bitcoin remains faithful to the principles of security and decentralization.

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2. Technical Components of Consensus

Bitcoin's consensus is supported by a set of technical rules that determine what is considered a valid transaction and a valid block on the network. These technical aspects ensure that all nodes—the computers that participate in the Bitcoin network—agree on the current state of the blockchain. Below are the main technical components that form the basis of the consensus.

Validation of Blocks and Transactions

The validation of blocks and transactions is the central point of consensus in Bitcoin. A block is only considered valid if it meets certain criteria, such as maximum size, transaction structure, and the solving of the "Proof of Work" problem. The proof of work, required for a block to be included in the blockchain, is a computational process that ensures the block contains significant computational effort—protecting the network against manipulation attempts.

Transactions, in turn, need to follow specific input and output rules. Each transaction includes cryptographic signatures that prove the ownership of the bitcoins sent, as well as validation scripts that verify if the transaction conditions are met. This validation system is essential for network nodes to autonomously confirm that each transaction follows the rules.

Chain Selection

Another fundamental technical issue for Bitcoin's consensus is chain selection, which becomes especially important in cases where multiple versions of the blockchain coexist, such as after a network split (fork). To decide which chain is the "true" one and should be followed, the network adopts the criterion of the highest accumulated proof of work. In other words, the chain with the highest number of valid blocks, built with the greatest computational effort, is chosen by the network as the official one.

This criterion avoids permanent splits because it encourages all nodes to follow the same main chain, reinforcing consensus.

Soft Forks vs. Hard Forks

In the consensus process, protocol changes can happen in two ways: through soft forks or hard forks. These variations affect not only the protocol update but also the implications for network users:

• Soft Forks: These are changes that are backward compatible. Only nodes that adopt the new update will follow the new rules, but old nodes will still recognize the blocks produced with these rules as valid. This compatibility makes soft forks a safer option for updates, as it minimizes the risk of network division.

• Hard Forks: These are updates that are not backward compatible, requiring all nodes to update to the new version or risk being separated from the main chain. Hard forks can result in the creation of a new coin, as occurred with the split between Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash in 2017. While hard forks allow for deeper changes, they also bring significant risks of network fragmentation.

These technical components form the base of Bitcoin's security and resilience, allowing the system to remain functional and immutable without losing the necessary flexibility to evolve over time.

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3. Stakeholders in Bitcoin's Consensus

Consensus in Bitcoin is not decided centrally. On the contrary, it depends on the interaction between different groups of stakeholders, each with their motivations, interests, and levels of influence. These groups play fundamental roles in how changes are implemented or rejected on the network. Below, we explore the six main stakeholders in Bitcoin's consensus.

1. Economic Nodes

Economic nodes, usually operated by exchanges, custody providers, and large companies that accept Bitcoin, exert significant influence over consensus. Because they handle large volumes of transactions and act as a connection point between the Bitcoin ecosystem and the traditional financial system, these nodes have the power to validate or reject blocks and to define which version of the software to follow in case of a fork.

Their influence is proportional to the volume of transactions they handle, and they can directly affect which chain will be seen as the main one. Their incentive is to maintain the network's stability and security to preserve its functionality and meet regulatory requirements.

2. Investors

Investors, including large institutional funds and individual Bitcoin holders, influence consensus indirectly through their impact on the asset's price. Their buying and selling actions can affect Bitcoin's value, which in turn influences the motivation of miners and other stakeholders to continue investing in the network's security and development.

Some institutional investors have agreements with custodians that may limit their ability to act in network split situations. Thus, the impact of each investor on consensus can vary based on their ownership structure and how quickly they can react to a network change.

3. Media Influencers

Media influencers, including journalists, analysts, and popular personalities on social media, have a powerful role in shaping public opinion about Bitcoin and possible updates. These influencers can help educate the public, promote debates, and bring transparency to the consensus process.

On the other hand, the impact of influencers can be double-edged: while they can clarify complex topics, they can also distort perceptions by amplifying or minimizing change proposals. This makes them a force both of support and resistance to consensus.

4. Miners

Miners are responsible for validating transactions and including blocks in the blockchain. Through computational power (hashrate), they also exert significant influence over consensus decisions. In update processes, miners often signal their support for a proposal, indicating that the new version is safe to use. However, this signaling is not always definitive, and miners can change their position if they deem it necessary.

Their incentive is to maximize returns from block rewards and transaction fees, as well as to maintain the value of investments in their specialized equipment, which are only profitable if the network remains stable.

5. Protocol Developers

Protocol developers, often called "Core Developers," are responsible for writing and maintaining Bitcoin's code. Although they do not have direct power over consensus, they possess an informal veto power since they decide which changes are included in the main client (Bitcoin Core). This group also serves as an important source of technical knowledge, helping guide decisions and inform other stakeholders.

Their incentive lies in the continuous improvement of the network, ensuring security and decentralization. Many developers are funded by grants and sponsorships, but their motivations generally include a strong ideological commitment to Bitcoin's principles.

6. Users and Application Developers

This group includes people who use Bitcoin in their daily transactions and developers who build solutions based on the network, such as wallets, exchanges, and payment platforms. Although their power in consensus is less than that of miners or economic nodes, they play an important role because they are responsible for popularizing Bitcoin's use and expanding the ecosystem.

If application developers decide not to adopt an update, this can affect compatibility and widespread acceptance. Thus, they indirectly influence consensus by deciding which version of the protocol to follow in their applications.

These stakeholders are vital to the consensus process, and each group exerts influence according to their involvement, incentives, and ability to act in situations of change. Understanding the role of each makes it clearer how consensus is formed and why it is so difficult to make significant changes to Bitcoin.

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4. Mechanisms for Activating Updates in Bitcoin

For Bitcoin to evolve without compromising security and consensus, different mechanisms for activating updates have been developed over the years. These mechanisms help coordinate changes among network nodes to minimize the risk of fragmentation and ensure that updates are implemented in an orderly manner. Here, we explore some of the main methods used in Bitcoin, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as historical examples of significant updates.

Flag Day

The Flag Day mechanism is one of the simplest forms of activating changes. In it, a specific date or block is determined as the activation moment, and all nodes must be updated by that point. This method does not involve prior signaling; participants simply need to update to the new software version by the established day or block.

• Advantages: Simplicity and predictability are the main benefits of Flag Day, as everyone knows the exact activation date.

• Disadvantages: Inflexibility can be a problem because there is no way to adjust the schedule if a significant part of the network has not updated. This can result in network splits if a significant number of nodes are not ready for the update.

An example of Flag Day was the Pay to Script Hash (P2SH) update in 2012, which required all nodes to adopt the change to avoid compatibility issues.

BIP34 and BIP9

BIP34 introduced a more dynamic process, in which miners increase the version number in block headers to signal the update. When a predetermined percentage of the last blocks is mined with this new version, the update is automatically activated. This model later evolved with BIP9, which allowed multiple updates to be signaled simultaneously through "version bits," each corresponding to a specific change.

• Advantages: Allows the network to activate updates gradually, giving more time for participants to adapt.

• Disadvantages: These methods rely heavily on miner support, which means that if a sufficient number of miners do not signal the update, it can be delayed or not implemented.

BIP9 was used in the activation of SegWit (BIP141) but faced challenges because some miners did not signal their intent to activate, leading to the development of new mechanisms.

User Activated Soft Forks (UASF) and User Resisted Soft Forks (URSF)

To increase the decision-making power of ordinary users, the concept of User Activated Soft Fork (UASF) was introduced, allowing node operators, not just miners, to determine consensus for a change. In this model, nodes set a date to start rejecting blocks that are not in compliance with the new update, forcing miners to adapt or risk having their blocks rejected by the network.

URSF, in turn, is a model where nodes reject blocks that attempt to adopt a specific update, functioning as resistance against proposed changes.

• Advantages: UASF returns decision-making power to node operators, ensuring that changes do not depend solely on miners.

• Disadvantages: Both UASF and URSF can generate network splits, especially in cases of strong opposition among different stakeholders.

An example of UASF was the activation of SegWit in 2017, where users supported activation independently of miner signaling, which ended up forcing its adoption.

BIP8 (LOT=True)

BIP8 is an evolution of BIP9, designed to prevent miners from indefinitely blocking a change desired by the majority of users and developers. BIP8 allows setting a parameter called "lockinontimeout" (LOT) as true, which means that if the update has not been fully signaled by a certain point, it is automatically activated.

• Advantages: Ensures that changes with broad support among users are not blocked by miners who wish to maintain the status quo.

• Disadvantages: Can lead to network splits if miners or other important stakeholders do not support the update.

Although BIP8 with LOT=True has not yet been used in Bitcoin, it is a proposal that can be applied in future updates if necessary.

These activation mechanisms have been essential for Bitcoin's development, allowing updates that keep the network secure and functional. Each method brings its own advantages and challenges, but all share the goal of preserving consensus and network cohesion.

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5. Risks and Considerations in Consensus Updates

Consensus updates in Bitcoin are complex processes that involve not only technical aspects but also political, economic, and social considerations. Due to the network's decentralized nature, each change brings with it a set of risks that need to be carefully assessed. Below, we explore some of the main challenges and future scenarios, as well as the possible impacts on stakeholders.

Network Fragility with Alternative Implementations

One of the main risks associated with consensus updates is the possibility of network fragmentation when there are alternative software implementations. If an update is implemented by a significant group of nodes but rejected by others, a network split (fork) can occur. This creates two competing chains, each with a different version of the transaction history, leading to unpredictable consequences for users and investors.

Such fragmentation weakens Bitcoin because, by dividing hashing power (computing) and coin value, it reduces network security and investor confidence. A notable example of this risk was the fork that gave rise to Bitcoin Cash in 2017 when disagreements over block size resulted in a new chain and a new asset.

Chain Splits and Impact on Stakeholders

Chain splits are a significant risk in update processes, especially in hard forks. During a hard fork, the network is split into two separate chains, each with its own set of rules. This results in the creation of a new coin and leaves users with duplicated assets on both chains. While this may seem advantageous, in the long run, these splits weaken the network and create uncertainties for investors.

Each group of stakeholders reacts differently to a chain split:

• Institutional Investors and ETFs: Face regulatory and compliance challenges because many of these assets are managed under strict regulations. The creation of a new coin requires decisions to be made quickly to avoid potential losses, which may be hampered by regulatory constraints.

• Miners: May be incentivized to shift their computing power to the chain that offers higher profitability, which can weaken one of the networks.

• Economic Nodes: Such as major exchanges and custody providers, have to quickly choose which chain to support, influencing the perceived value of each network.

Such divisions can generate uncertainties and loss of value, especially for institutional investors and those who use Bitcoin as a store of value.

Regulatory Impacts and Institutional Investors

With the growing presence of institutional investors in Bitcoin, consensus changes face new compliance challenges. Bitcoin ETFs, for example, are required to follow strict rules about which assets they can include and how chain split events should be handled. The creation of a new asset or migration to a new chain can complicate these processes, creating pressure for large financial players to quickly choose a chain, affecting the stability of consensus.

Moreover, decisions regarding forks can influence the Bitcoin futures and derivatives market, affecting perception and adoption by new investors. Therefore, the need to avoid splits and maintain cohesion is crucial to attract and preserve the confidence of these investors.

Security Considerations in Soft Forks and Hard Forks

While soft forks are generally preferred in Bitcoin for their backward compatibility, they are not without risks. Soft forks can create different classes of nodes on the network (updated and non-updated), which increases operational complexity and can ultimately weaken consensus cohesion. In a network scenario with fragmentation of node classes, Bitcoin's security can be affected, as some nodes may lose part of the visibility over updated transactions or rules.

In hard forks, the security risk is even more evident because all nodes need to adopt the new update to avoid network division. Experience shows that abrupt changes can create temporary vulnerabilities, in which malicious agents try to exploit the transition to attack the network.

Bounty Claim Risks and Attack Scenarios

Another risk in consensus updates are so-called "bounty claims"—accumulated rewards that can be obtained if an attacker manages to split or deceive a part of the network. In a conflict scenario, a group of miners or nodes could be incentivized to support a new update or create an alternative version of the software to benefit from these rewards.

These risks require stakeholders to carefully assess each update and the potential vulnerabilities it may introduce. The possibility of "bounty claims" adds a layer of complexity to consensus because each interest group may see a financial opportunity in a change that, in the long term, may harm network stability.

The risks discussed above show the complexity of consensus in Bitcoin and the importance of approaching it gradually and deliberately. Updates need to consider not only technical aspects but also economic and social implications, in order to preserve Bitcoin's integrity and maintain trust among stakeholders.

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6. Recommendations for the Consensus Process in Bitcoin

To ensure that protocol changes in Bitcoin are implemented safely and with broad support, it is essential that all stakeholders adopt a careful and coordinated approach. Here are strategic recommendations for evaluating, supporting, or rejecting consensus updates, considering the risks and challenges discussed earlier, along with best practices for successful implementation.

1. Careful Evaluation of Proposal Maturity

Stakeholders should rigorously assess the maturity level of a proposal before supporting its implementation. Updates that are still experimental or lack a robust technical foundation can expose the network to unnecessary risks. Ideally, change proposals should go through an extensive testing phase, have security audits, and receive review and feedback from various developers and experts.

2. Extensive Testing in Secure and Compatible Networks

Before an update is activated on the mainnet, it is essential to test it on networks like testnet and signet, and whenever possible, on other compatible networks that offer a safe and controlled environment to identify potential issues. Testing on networks like Litecoin was fundamental for the safe launch of innovations like SegWit and the Lightning Network, allowing functionalities to be validated on a lower-impact network before being implemented on Bitcoin.

The Liquid Network, developed by Blockstream, also plays an important role as an experimental network for new proposals, such as OP_CAT. By adopting these testing environments, stakeholders can mitigate risks and ensure that the update is reliable and secure before being adopted by the main network.

3. Importance of Stakeholder Engagement

The success of a consensus update strongly depends on the active participation of all stakeholders. This includes economic nodes, miners, protocol developers, investors, and end users. Lack of participation can lead to inadequate decisions or even future network splits, which would compromise Bitcoin's security and stability.

4. Key Questions for Evaluating Consensus Proposals

To assist in decision-making, each group of stakeholders should consider some key questions before supporting a consensus change:

• Does the proposal offer tangible benefits for Bitcoin's security, scalability, or usability?
• Does it maintain backward compatibility or introduce the risk of network split?
• Are the implementation requirements clear and feasible for each group involved?
• Are there clear and aligned incentives for all stakeholder groups to accept the change?

5. Coordination and Timing in Implementations

Timing is crucial. Updates with short activation windows can force a split because not all nodes and miners can update simultaneously. Changes should be planned with ample deadlines to allow all stakeholders to adjust their systems, avoiding surprises that could lead to fragmentation.

Mechanisms like soft forks are generally preferable to hard forks because they allow a smoother transition. Opting for backward-compatible updates when possible facilitates the process and ensures that nodes and miners can adapt without pressure.

6. Continuous Monitoring and Re-evaluation

After an update, it's essential to monitor the network to identify problems or side effects. This continuous process helps ensure cohesion and trust among all participants, keeping Bitcoin as a secure and robust network.

These recommendations, including the use of secure networks for extensive testing, promote a collaborative and secure environment for Bitcoin's consensus process. By adopting a deliberate and strategic approach, stakeholders can preserve Bitcoin's value as a decentralized and censorship-resistant network.

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7. Conclusion

Consensus in Bitcoin is more than a set of rules; it's the foundation that sustains the network as a decentralized, secure, and reliable system. Unlike centralized systems, where decisions can be made quickly, Bitcoin requires a much more deliberate and cooperative approach, where the interests of miners, economic nodes, developers, investors, and users must be considered and harmonized. This governance model may seem slow, but it is fundamental to preserving the resilience and trust that make Bitcoin a global store of value and censorship-resistant.

Consensus updates in Bitcoin must balance the need for innovation with the preservation of the network's core principles. The development process of a proposal needs to be detailed and rigorous, going through several testing stages, such as in testnet, signet, and compatible networks like Litecoin and Liquid Network. These networks offer safe environments for proposals to be analyzed and improved before being launched on the main network.

Each proposed change must be carefully evaluated regarding its maturity, impact, backward compatibility, and support among stakeholders. The recommended key questions and appropriate timing are critical to ensure that an update is adopted without compromising network cohesion. It's also essential that the implementation process is continuously monitored and re-evaluated, allowing adjustments as necessary and minimizing the risk of instability.

By following these guidelines, Bitcoin's stakeholders can ensure that the network continues to evolve safely and robustly, maintaining user trust and further solidifying its role as one of the most resilient and innovative digital assets in the world. Ultimately, consensus in Bitcoin is not just a technical issue but a reflection of its community and the values it represents: security, decentralization, and resilience.

---

8. Links

Whitepaper: https://github.com/bitcoin-cap/bcap

Youtube (pt-br): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARycAibl9o&list=PL-qnhF0qlSPkfhorqsREuIu4UTbF0h4zb

@ 9bcc5462:eb501d90

Beyond Legacy

Louis Sullivan was a legendary architect, known as the "father of skyscrapers". He was among the first to embrace new tech, like steel frames and elevators which changed infrastructure development forever. Despite this, people want to see him as a cautionary tale since he wasn’t financially successful in his later years. Nikola Tesla too, suffered a lack of funds when he died. Even when brilliance doesn't always equal wealth, let's not overlook the fact that Sullivan's buildings still stand strong and kiss the sky. Meanwhile, electric cars today bear Tesla's name. These men were ahead of their time and noble for it. A testament that bank accounts die and visions live on.

Frank Lloyd Wright was Sullivan's protege and battled his fair share of demons as well, including scandals, professional criticism and debts until the day of his death. Yet, he was loyal to his mentor's vision of "form follows function" despite the brutal criticisms of it at the time. Like Sullivan, he refused the status quo of mimicking the ornamental European traditions. Instead, he developed his own "organic architecture" style, integrating the site and surroundings with the building. Using the aesthetic of horizontal lines, it would become known as his signature "Prairie Style". Wright would go on to produce innovative homes like Falling Water and Taliesin, which now serve as timeless beacons of unique American architecture.

Their memory challenges me: Do I have the cojones to put everything on the line for my startup, as they did for their vision? Although Learning Producers is in the field of learning experience design, we've been guided by "form follows function" in a landscape hellbent on mimicking conventional models. Bootstrapping as a first time founder feels like entering battle, armor clanking and shield raised. My enemy, a Goliath of stagnation.

I'm reminded in the scene from the movie Troy, where Achilles is made aware of a large enemy soldier he must combat. A boy commented to him, "The Thessalonian you're fighting, he's the biggest man I've ever seen. I wouldn't want to fight him." To which Achilles savagely replies, "That's why no one will remember your name."

@ eac63075:b4988b48

The future of physical money is at stake, and the discussion about DREX, the new digital currency planned by the Central Bank of Brazil, is gaining momentum. In a candid and intense conversation, Federal Deputy Julia Zanatta (PL/SC) discussed the challenges and risks of this digital transition, also addressing her Bill No. 3,341/2024, which aims to prevent the extinction of physical currency. This bill emerges as a direct response to legislative initiatives seeking to replace physical money with digital alternatives, limiting citizens' options and potentially compromising individual freedom. Let's delve into the main points of this conversation.

https://www.fountain.fm/episode/i5YGJ9Ors3PkqAIMvNQ0

(PT-BR version here)

What is a CBDC?

Before discussing the specifics of DREX, it’s important to understand what a CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) is. CBDCs are digital currencies issued by central banks, similar to a digital version of physical money. Unlike cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, which operate in a decentralized manner, CBDCs are centralized and regulated by the government. In other words, they are digital currencies created and controlled by the Central Bank, intended to replace physical currency.

A prominent feature of CBDCs is their programmability. This means that the government can theoretically set rules about how, where, and for what this currency can be used. This aspect enables a level of control over citizens' finances that is impossible with physical money. By programming the currency, the government could limit transactions by setting geographical or usage restrictions. In practice, money within a CBDC could be restricted to specific spending or authorized for use in a defined geographical area.

In countries like China, where citizen actions and attitudes are also monitored, a person considered to have a "low score" due to a moral or ideological violation may have their transactions limited to essential purchases, restricting their digital currency use to non-essential activities. This financial control is strengthened because, unlike physical money, digital currency cannot be exchanged anonymously.

Practical Example: The Case of DREX During the Pandemic

To illustrate how DREX could be used, an example was given by Eric Altafim, director of Banco Itaú. He suggested that, if DREX had existed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government could have restricted the currency’s use to a 5-kilometer radius around a person’s residence, limiting their economic mobility. Another proposed use by the executive related to the Bolsa Família welfare program: the government could set up programming that only allows this benefit to be used exclusively for food purchases. Although these examples are presented as control measures for safety or organization, they demonstrate how much a CBDC could restrict citizens' freedom of choice.

To illustrate the potential for state control through a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), such as DREX, it is helpful to look at the example of China. In China, the implementation of a CBDC coincides with the country’s Social Credit System, a governmental surveillance tool that assesses citizens' and companies' behavior. Together, these technologies allow the Chinese government to monitor, reward, and, above all, punish behavior deemed inappropriate or threatening to the government.

How Does China's Social Credit System Work?

Implemented in 2014, China's Social Credit System assigns every citizen and company a "score" based on various factors, including financial behavior, criminal record, social interactions, and even online activities. This score determines the benefits or penalties each individual receives and can affect everything from public transport access to obtaining loans and enrolling in elite schools for their children. Citizens with low scores may face various sanctions, including travel restrictions, fines, and difficulty in securing loans.

With the adoption of the CBDC — or “digital yuan” — the Chinese government now has a new tool to closely monitor citizens' financial transactions, facilitating the application of Social Credit System penalties. China’s CBDC is a programmable digital currency, which means that the government can restrict how, when, and where the money can be spent. Through this level of control, digital currency becomes a powerful mechanism for influencing citizens' behavior.

Imagine, for instance, a citizen who repeatedly posts critical remarks about the government on social media or participates in protests. If the Social Credit System assigns this citizen a low score, the Chinese government could, through the CBDC, restrict their money usage in certain areas or sectors. For example, they could be prevented from buying tickets to travel to other regions, prohibited from purchasing certain consumer goods, or even restricted to making transactions only at stores near their home.

Another example of how the government can use the CBDC to enforce the Social Credit System is by monitoring purchases of products such as alcohol or luxury items. If a citizen uses the CBDC to spend more than the government deems reasonable on such products, this could negatively impact their social score, resulting in additional penalties such as future purchase restrictions or a lowered rating that impacts their personal and professional lives.

In China, this kind of control has already been demonstrated in several cases. Citizens added to Social Credit System “blacklists” have seen their spending and investment capacity severely limited. The combination of digital currency and social scores thus creates a sophisticated and invasive surveillance system, through which the Chinese government controls important aspects of citizens’ financial lives and individual freedoms.

Deputy Julia Zanatta views these examples with great concern. She argues that if the state has full control over digital money, citizens will be exposed to a level of economic control and surveillance never seen before. In a democracy, this control poses a risk, but in an authoritarian regime, it could be used as a powerful tool of repression.

DREX and Bill No. 3,341/2024

Julia Zanatta became aware of a bill by a Workers' Party (PT) deputy (Bill 4068/2020 by Deputy Reginaldo Lopes - PT/MG) that proposes the extinction of physical money within five years, aiming for a complete transition to DREX, the digital currency developed by the Central Bank of Brazil. Concerned about the impact of this measure, Julia drafted her bill, PL No. 3,341/2024, which prohibits the elimination of physical money, ensuring citizens the right to choose physical currency.

“The more I read about DREX, the less I want its implementation,” says the deputy. DREX is a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), similar to other state digital currencies worldwide, but which, according to Julia, carries extreme control risks. She points out that with DREX, the State could closely monitor each citizen’s transactions, eliminating anonymity and potentially restricting freedom of choice. This control would lie in the hands of the Central Bank, which could, in a crisis or government change, “freeze balances or even delete funds directly from user accounts.”

Risks and Individual Freedom

Julia raises concerns about potential abuses of power that complete digitalization could allow. In a democracy, state control over personal finances raises serious questions, and EddieOz warns of an even more problematic future. “Today we are in a democracy, but tomorrow, with a government transition, we don't know if this kind of power will be used properly or abused,” he states. In other words, DREX gives the State the ability to restrict or condition the use of money, opening the door to unprecedented financial surveillance.

EddieOz cites Nigeria as an example, where a CBDC was implemented, and the government imposed severe restrictions on the use of physical money to encourage the use of digital currency, leading to protests and clashes in the country. In practice, the poorest and unbanked — those without regular access to banking services — were harshly affected, as without physical money, many cannot conduct basic transactions. Julia highlights that in Brazil, this situation would be even more severe, given the large number of unbanked individuals and the extent of rural areas where access to technology is limited.

The Relationship Between DREX and Pix

The digital transition has already begun with Pix, which revolutionized instant transfers and payments in Brazil. However, Julia points out that Pix, though popular, is a citizen’s choice, while DREX tends to eliminate that choice. The deputy expresses concern about new rules suggested for Pix, such as daily transaction limits of a thousand reais, justified as anti-fraud measures but which, in her view, represent additional control and a profit opportunity for banks. “How many more rules will banks create to profit from us?” asks Julia, noting that DREX could further enhance control over personal finances.

International Precedents and Resistance to CBDC

The deputy also cites examples from other countries resisting the idea of a centralized digital currency. In the United States, states like New Hampshire have passed laws to prevent the advance of CBDCs, and leaders such as Donald Trump have opposed creating a national digital currency. Trump, addressing the topic, uses a justification similar to Julia’s: in a digitalized system, “with one click, your money could disappear.” She agrees with the warning, emphasizing the control risk that a CBDC represents, especially for countries with disadvantaged populations.

Besides the United States, Canada, Colombia, and Australia have also suspended studies on digital currencies, citing the need for further discussions on population impacts. However, in Brazil, the debate on DREX is still limited, with few parliamentarians and political leaders openly discussing the topic. According to Julia, only she and one or two deputies are truly trying to bring this discussion to the Chamber, making DREX’s advance even more concerning.

Bill No. 3,341/2024 and Popular Pressure

For Julia, her bill is a first step. Although she acknowledges that ideally, it would prevent DREX's implementation entirely, PL 3341/2024 is a measure to ensure citizens' choice to use physical money, preserving a form of individual freedom. “If the future means control, I prefer to live in the past,” Julia asserts, reinforcing that the fight for freedom is at the heart of her bill.

However, the deputy emphasizes that none of this will be possible without popular mobilization. According to her, popular pressure is crucial for other deputies to take notice and support PL 3341. “I am only one deputy, and we need the public’s support to raise the project’s visibility,” she explains, encouraging the public to press other parliamentarians and ask them to “pay attention to PL 3341 and the project that prohibits the end of physical money.” The deputy believes that with a strong awareness and pressure movement, it is possible to advance the debate and ensure Brazilians’ financial freedom.

What’s at Stake?

Julia Zanatta leaves no doubt: DREX represents a profound shift in how money will be used and controlled in Brazil. More than a simple modernization of the financial system, the Central Bank’s CBDC sets precedents for an unprecedented level of citizen surveillance and control in the country. For the deputy, this transition needs to be debated broadly and transparently, and it’s up to the Brazilian people to defend their rights and demand that the National Congress discuss these changes responsibly.

The deputy also emphasizes that, regardless of political or partisan views, this issue affects all Brazilians. “This agenda is something that will affect everyone. We need to be united to ensure people understand the gravity of what could happen.” Julia believes that by sharing information and generating open debate, it is possible to prevent Brazil from following the path of countries that have already implemented a digital currency in an authoritarian way.

A Call to Action

The future of physical money in Brazil is at risk. For those who share Deputy Julia Zanatta’s concerns, the time to act is now. Mobilize, get informed, and press your representatives. PL 3341/2024 is an opportunity to ensure that Brazilian citizens have a choice in how to use their money, without excessive state interference or surveillance.

In the end, as the deputy puts it, the central issue is freedom. “My fear is that this project will pass, and people won’t even understand what is happening.” Therefore, may every citizen at least have the chance to understand what’s at stake and make their voice heard in defense of a Brazil where individual freedom and privacy are respected values.

@ 6389be64:ef439d32

Resilience is the ability to withstand shocks, adapt, and bounce back. It’s an essential quality in nature and in life. But what if we could take resilience a step further? What if, instead of merely surviving, a system could improve when faced with stress? This concept, known as anti-fragility, is not just theoretical—it’s practical. Combining two highly resilient natural tools, comfrey and biochar, reveals how we can create systems that thrive under pressure and grow stronger with each challenge.

Comfrey: Nature’s Champion of Resilience

Comfrey is a plant that refuses to fail. Once its deep roots take hold, it thrives in poor soils, withstands drought, and regenerates even after being cut down repeatedly. It’s a hardy survivor, but comfrey doesn’t just endure—it contributes. Known as a dynamic accumulator, it mines nutrients from deep within the earth and brings them to the surface, making them available for other plants.

Beyond its ecological role, comfrey has centuries of medicinal use, earning the nickname "knitbone." Its leaves can heal wounds and restore health, a perfect metaphor for resilience. But as impressive as comfrey is, its true potential is unlocked when paired with another resilient force: biochar.

Biochar: The Silent Powerhouse of Soil Regeneration

Biochar, a carbon-rich material made by burning organic matter in low-oxygen conditions, is a game-changer for soil health. Its unique porous structure retains water, holds nutrients, and provides a haven for beneficial microbes. Soil enriched with biochar becomes drought-resistant, nutrient-rich, and biologically active—qualities that scream resilience.

Historically, ancient civilizations in the Amazon used biochar to transform barren soils into fertile agricultural hubs. Known as terra preta, these soils remain productive centuries later, highlighting biochar’s remarkable staying power.

Yet, like comfrey, biochar’s potential is magnified when it’s part of a larger system.

The Synergy: Comfrey and Biochar Together

Resilience turns into anti-fragility when systems go beyond mere survival and start improving under stress. Combining comfrey and biochar achieves exactly that.

1. Nutrient Cycling and Retention\ Comfrey’s leaves, rich in nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, make an excellent mulch when cut and dropped onto the soil. However, these nutrients can wash away in heavy rains. Enter biochar. Its porous structure locks in the nutrients from comfrey, preventing runoff and keeping them available for plants. Together, they create a system that not only recycles nutrients but amplifies their effectiveness.

2. Water Management\ Biochar holds onto water making soil not just drought-resistant but actively water-efficient, improving over time with each rain and dry spell.

3. Microbial Ecosystems\ Comfrey enriches soil with organic matter, feeding microbial life. Biochar provides a home for these microbes, protecting them and creating a stable environment for them to multiply. Together, they build a thriving soil ecosystem that becomes more fertile and resilient with each passing season.

Resilient systems can withstand shocks, but anti-fragile systems actively use those shocks to grow stronger. Comfrey and biochar together form an anti-fragile system. Each addition of biochar enhances water and nutrient retention, while comfrey regenerates biomass and enriches the soil. Over time, the system becomes more productive, less dependent on external inputs, and better equipped to handle challenges.

This synergy demonstrates the power of designing systems that don’t just survive—they thrive.

Lessons Beyond the Soil

The partnership of comfrey and biochar offers a valuable lesson for our own lives. Resilience is an admirable trait, but anti-fragility takes us further. By combining complementary strengths and leveraging stress as an opportunity, we can create systems—whether in soil, business, or society—that improve under pressure.

Nature shows us that resilience isn’t the end goal. When we pair resilient tools like comfrey and biochar, we unlock a system that evolves, regenerates, and becomes anti-fragile. By designing with anti-fragility in mind, we don’t just bounce back, we bounce forward.

By designing with anti-fragility in mind, we don’t just bounce back, we bounce forward.

@ 4ba8e86d:89d32de4

A origem e o desenvolvimento do SearXNG começaram em meados de 2021, após o fork do conhecido mecanismo de metabusca Searx, inspirado pelo projeto Seeks. Ele garante privacidade básica ao misturar suas consultas com outras pesquisas, sem armazenar dados de busca. O SearXNG pode ser adicionado à barra de pesquisa do navegador e também configurado como mecanismo de busca padrão.

Embora o SearXNG não ofereça resultados tão personalizados quanto o Google, ele não gera um perfil sobre você. Controle Total sobre Seus Dados: com o SearXNG, você tem controle absoluto sobre suas informações de pesquisa. O histórico de busca é totalmente opcional e pode ser ativado ou desativado conforme sua preferência. Além disso, é possível excluir qualquer entrada a qualquer momento, garantindo sua privacidade. Resultados de Fontes Diversificadas: o SearXNG agrega informações de mais de 70 fontes diferentes, proporcionando uma pesquisa mais abrangente e relevante. Em vez de se limitar a uma única fonte, você obtém uma visão mais ampla e detalhada das informações disponíveis.

O SearXNG respeita sua privacidade, nunca compartilha dados com terceiros e não pode ser usado para comprometer sua segurança.

O SearXNG é um software livre com código 100% aberto, e qualquer pessoa é bem-vinda para contribuir com melhorias. Se você valoriza a privacidade, deseja ser um usuário consciente ou acredita na liberdade digital, faça do SearXNG seu mecanismo de busca padrão ou instale-o em seu próprio servidor.

O SearXNG reconhece sua preocupação com logs, por isso o código-fonte está disponível para que você possa executar sua própria instância:
https://github.com/searxng/searxng

Adicione sua instância à lista de instâncias públicas.

https://searx.space/

para ajudar outras pessoas a recuperar sua privacidade e tornar a internet mais livre. Quanto mais descentralizada for a internet, maior será a liberdade para todos!

Lista de Instâncias Públicas https://searx.space/

Documentação de Instalação https://docs.searxng.org/admin/installation.html#installation

SeaxrXNG : Instalação , configuração e publicação.

https://youtu.be/zcrFPje6Ug8?si=oOI6dqHfHij51rvd

https://youtu.be/8WHnO9gJTHk?si=-5SbXUsaVSoSGpps

@ 2de0ffa0:b6bb72cc

🧠 Quote of the Week

“The experiment was to see how easy it was to split a large file into chunks, then upload those chunks to multiple blossom servers and reassemble them on another computer”. - npub1ye5ptcxfyyxl5vjvdjar2ua3f0hynkjzpx552mu5snj3qmx5pzjscpknpr from nevent1qqsx9l2j7g5t8llkm8r9d987er3hwj0gmrq4k09d88hzvq4ujysmksgpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduq3vamnwvaz7tmjv4kxz7fwdehhxarj9e3xzmnyqgszv6q4uryjzr06xfxxew34wwc5hmjfmfpqn229d72gfegsdn2q3fgjwk96y

🧡 Top Nostr News

🎥 Decentralized Video Archiving with Novia

Novia provides a decentralized alternative to the centralized platforms dominating video content today. By using the Nostr ecosystem, Novia allows users to store videos locally, while only sharing essential metadata on Nostr relays. How Novia Works: Local Storage, Global Access: Videos are stored locally, with metadata like thumbnails and info shared via Nostr. Video Requests and Recovery: Users can request videos, which are then retrieved and uploaded to Blossom servers for access. Personalized Archiving: Users can build their own video archives and run services to manage them on their devices. Novia empowers users with a web app for browsing and a service for hosting personal video collections, offering a decentralized approach to video storage. Why Novia is Needed: Today, video content is monopolized by centralized platforms, limiting users' control. Novia changes this by enabling anyone to archive, share, and retrieve videos in a decentralized manner. The Vision: Novia is for video enthusiasts and archivists who want to preserve content while maintaining privacy. Using the Nostr protocol, Novia ensures video files remain local, with uploads only occurring when requested by users. Get Started: For more details and to contribute, visit the official Novia 🔗 GitHub repository. 🔗 Event: nevent1qqszpw0pa3u9ey6g6h65m3rztux0t0t38ddeslp55748rhwatjl40egpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqzyzad8jq5fwtzut77fjfsrv09exp64xahq7tgw59lyxtarach7u0kknhg9wg

🌍 Nostr LATAM Tour

The Nostr LATAM Tour that happened the last couple of weeks has been an incredible success, thanks to the hard work and enthusiasm of npub1hz5alqscpp8yjrvgsdp2n4ygkl8slvstrgvmjca7e45w6644ew7sewtysa and the passionate Nostr community! 🎉 Over the last few weeks, they’ve brought Nostr to South America with events in Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and El Salvador. It was an unforgettable experience that highlighted the power of decentralized communication without the middlemen. At each event, the team onboarded dozens of new users, introducing them to the Nostr protocol and helping them make their very first posts. The community shared useful tips for newcomers, and one of the key things highlighted was the importance of hashtags like #introduction, which allows the broader Nostr ecosystem to engage with new users. The workshops were full of energy, with everyone excited to dive into this new world. People were thrilled by how easy it was to create their first Nostr account – some were up and running in less than a minute! The welcoming, supportive atmosphere throughout the events proved just how much the Nostr community cares about helping each other. It was inspiring to see so many people eager to join the movement, exchange ideas, and be part of something special. The buzz was palpable, and the spirit of collaboration was alive throughout each session. This was an amazing start, and there's so much more to come. The energy and passion from everyone involved will continue to drive the growth of Nostr across the region. Check out the video to relive the highlights of this journey and see the impact for yourself! 🙌 🔗 Event note12rjgue5g7uqtrkh2lv5wd44k900qglqe9yc942rmdydq7aaym3mqmt7a8v

📺 Nostr on TV

Why Nostr Will Win with npub16c0nh3dnadzqpm76uctf5hqhe2lny344zsmpm6feee9p5rdxaa9q586nvr -

npub16c0nh3dnadzqpm76uctf5hqhe2lny344zsmpm6feee9p5rdxaa9q586nvr is the founder and the CEO of primal.net. In this episode he discusses how Primal is enhancing the Bitcoin and Nostr experience by balancing sovereignty with user accessibility. The conversation covers the challenges between custodial vs. non-custodial wallets, the impact of the zapping economy on online interactions, and the role of mobile apps in mass adoption. npub16c0nh3dnadzqpm76uctf5hqhe2lny344zsmpm6feee9p5rdxaa9q586nvr explains how integrating Bitcoin into everyday apps and using Nostr’s web of trust can help tackle issues like spam while maintaining decentralized values. Could this approach onboard millions to Bitcoin seamlessly? Tune in to explore the game theory of Bitcoin in action.

🔗 video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsc2pRPuj3E

🛠️ Tools, Updates, and Releases

Pokey v0.1.2 - alpha

Pokey is a handy Android app that gives you notifications of new replies, mentions, zaps, DM’s and so. This newest release gives multi account support, so when you have multiple Nostr profiles you can receive notifications of all of them. Developed by: npub1v3tgrwwsv7c6xckyhm5dmluc05jxd4yeqhpxew87chn0kua0tjzqc6yvjh Source: https://github.com/KoalaSat/pokey

Amethyst v0.93.1 Update

Amethyst, a popular Android Nostr client, now supports NIP-22 for interactive story replies, improving comment threading. The DVM feed displays service costs and customization options. The update also fixes bugs related to Satellite's blossom uploads, video feeds, and enhances Hex encoder performance. Developed by: npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z Source: https://github.com/vitorpamplona/amethyst

Servus v0.1.4

Servus is a minimalist social media server for personal websites, combining a CMS, Nostr relay, and file hosting into one executable. It lets you fully control your content and data, without relying on databases or web servers. It supports file hosting with Blossom and Nostr NIP-96 HTTP File Storage Integration, ensuring privacy and ownership. The 0.1.4 release improves Nostr filters.

Ideal for tech-savvy users who want a simple, self-hosted website solution with Nostr integration. It's not for beginners, as it requires basic knowledge of the command line and DNS.

Developed by: npub1xvdg698f7fqdu2qu5azwa6fu8xhw8p0zpp272qe7qex7kpn5ks5su3am9l Source: https://github.com/servus-social/servus

Corny Chat v2024.11

Corny Chat is an open-source audio space for real-time communication, integrating Nostr and Lightning to foster interactive audio rooms and personalized conversations. This release introduces Nostr Custom Emojis, enabling sticky emojis and reactions for a more engaging experience. The Animation Toggle improves performance on slower devices, making the app more accessible for all users.

Developed by: npub1yx6pjypd4r7qh2gysjhvjd9l2km6hnm4amdnjyjw3467fy05rf0qfp7kza Source: https://github.com/vicariousdrama/cornychat

Snort v0.3.0

Snort is a Nostr webclient designed for streamlined and efficient use, offering smooth performance and optimized functionality across multiple devices.

This release includes small performance tweaks, ensuring faster and more responsive interactions, making the app smoother and more efficient for users.

Developed by: npub1v0lxxxxutpvrelsksy8cdhgfux9l6a42hsj2qzquu2zk7vc9qnkszrqj49 Source: https://snort.social/

Voyage v0.17.1

Voyage is a lightweight Android client with a Reddit-like UI, designed for seamless browsing and organization. This release enhances data integrity by preventing empty lists from being saved and treating empty list pairs as deleted. It also resolves a critical issue causing crashes from duplicate IDs, ensuring improved stability and reliability for users.

Developed by: npub1useke4f9maul5nf67dj0m9sq6jcsmnjzzk4ycvldwl4qss35fvgqjdk5ks Source: https://github.com/dluvian/voyage

Amber v3.0.1

Amber is a Nostr event signer for Android.

This update introduces a new design, removes the push notification server, and improves permissions management. It also includes bug fixes for crashes, layout issues, and relay connectivity. Key new features: set a custom PIN for security, copy public keys easily, and better handling of NostrConnect messages and rejected events.

Developed by: npub1w4uswmv6lu9yel005l3qgheysmr7tk9uvwluddznju3nuxalevvs2d0jr5 Source: https://github.com/greenart7c3/Amber

Alby Lightning Browser Extension v3.10.0 – "Ice Clouds over a Red Planet"

Alby is a webbrowser extension for managing Nostr signing, Lightning payments and wallets. Version v3.10.0 introduces an Alby Hub Connector for seamless wallet upgrades, a notification banner for upgrade alerts, and a fee credits feature for managing transaction costs.

Alby is shifting toward its new self-custodial solution, the Alby Hub. If you’re using an Alby shared custodian wallet, heads up—big changes are coming. Starting January 4, 2025, Alby will discontinue its shared wallet service. If you have funds there, you’ll need to act before that date. This new option puts you in full control of your Bitcoin and Lightning payments. Plus, Nostr Wallet Connect is integrated right into the Hub for a smoother experience, and if you opt for the cloud version, you can even set up a custom Lightning and Nostr address. No more limits—and no more relying on a shared service.

Developed by: npub1getal6ykt05fsz5nqu4uld09nfj3y3qxmv8crys4aeut53unfvlqr80nfm Source: https://github.com/getAlby/lightning-browser-extension

Nostr Web Services (NWS) v0.2.0 - Pre-release

Nostr Web Services (NWS) is a tool designed to route TCP traffic over Nostr relays, enabling secure and reliable communication within a decentralized network. It uses the Nostr protocol, known for its censorship resistance, to allow users to establish connections and transmit data efficiently. The v0.2.0 (Pre-release) update of NWS brings improvements like better context handling, enhanced security with the switch from NIP-04 to NIP-44, and fixes to the dial function. It also updates public exit node routing, refactors exit node creation, and restructures the protocol package for better scalability and maintenance, improving stability and performance. 🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/asmogo Developed by: Npub16uq0cyx52lh2unczavzdw9dq2jphu69zutgpp9cnstz7zqtdex0qmcxla3.

🎁 Developer Tools, updates and Guides

Cherry Tree - Chunked blobs on Blossom 🌸

For developers working with files such as media, there is a pull request by Main blossom developer npub1ye5ptcxfyyxl5vjvdjar2ua3f0hynkjzpx552mu5snj3qmx5pzjscpknpr that explores how to split large files into chunks, upload them to multiple Blossom servers, and reassemble them on another computer. The experiment demonstrated that Blossom servers treat these chunks as ordinary binary blobs uploaded from a public key, with no inherent understanding that they are part of a larger file. However, this method isn’t inherently private since servers could potentially examine and piece together the data. Adding encryption to the client-side blobs would enhance privacy. It’s important to note that this is currently a PR and has not yet been accepted within the Blossom protocol. For more background, try exploring the author's post or discussing it with them. You can review the PR for details at GitHub: github.com/hzrd149/blossom/pull/51, or experiment using public Blossom servers listed at blossomservers.com. The project uses several packages, including Applesauce (hzrd149.github.io/applesauce/), rx-nostr (penpenpng.github.io/rx-nostr/en/), and blossom-client-sdk (npmjs.com/package/blossom-client-sdk). Author Public Key: npub1ye5ptcxfyyxl5vjvdjar2ua3f0hynkjzpx552mu5snj3qmx5pzjscpknpr

🚀 Introducing nostr-nsec-seedphrase: Simplifying nSec Handling for Developers! 🔑

Are you a Nostr developer tired of manually copying and pasting nSec seed phrases? Look no further! The nostr-nsec-seedphrase npm package streamlines the process, making it easier to save and work with nSecs. Whether you're developing a new app or enhancing an existing one, this tool offers simple seedphrase functionality, including HEX-to-nSec conversions—no more repetitive code. Explore the open-source project on GitHub: https://github.com/HumanjavaEnterprises/nostr-nsec-seedphrase.

NostrDVMstars v1.0.4 - Latest Release

NostrDVMstars is a Python-based Nostr NIP90 Data Vending Machine framework. Nostr can act as a marketplace for data processing, where users request jobs to be processed in certain ways (e.g., "speech-to-text", "summarization", etc.), but they don't necessarily care about "who" processes the data. Version v1.0.4 fixes a bug related to NIP44 encryption, improving bot stability and functionality. Developed by: npub1nxa4tywfz9nqp7z9zp7nr7d4nchhclsf58lcqt5y782rmf2hefjquaa6q8 Source: https://github.com/believethehype/nostrdvm

Nostr Spring Boot Starter v0.0.4

Nostr Spring Boot Starter is a framework for building Nostr-based applications with Spring Boot. This release introduces key updates, including support for Repost Events (NIP18), Nostr URI scheme (NIP21), and Relay List Metadata (NIP65). It also adds a new nostr-persona module and improves connection timeouts. Some breaking changes in method signatures for relay and event handling are included, making this update crucial for developers looking to take full advantage of the latest Nostr features.

Developed by: npub1zcuquyvd78s5le34gkq2uxjhq2xuh92wldddjjxkeldzp9ss6lrsa88ezf Source: https://github.com/theborakompanioni/nostr-spring-boot-starter

Nostr PHP v1.5.2

Nostr PHP is a PHP library designed for Nostr-based applications. This release addresses a critical issue with the gmp_pow method in the phpecc package, fixing the bug reported in PHP issue #16870. The update improves stability and compatibility, ensuring smoother functionality for developers using the package. Developed by: npub1qe3e5wrvnsgpggtkytxteaqfprz0rgxr8c3l34kk3a9t7e2l3acslezefe Source: https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php

🔥 Community Highlights

🎙️ Thank For Nostr Podcast Highlights

npub1q6mcr8tlr3l4gus3sfnw6772s7zae6hqncmw5wj27ejud5wcxf7q0nx7d5, a Sovereign Engineering alum, OpenSats grantee, and Nostr developer. Also highlighted is npub1jlrs53pkdfjnts29kveljul2sm0actt6n8dxrrzqcersttvcuv3qdjynqn, the creator of the Coracle Nostr client and an OpenSats grantee. npub1jlrs53pkdfjnts29kveljul2sm0actt6n8dxrrzqcersttvcuv3qdjynqn focuses on designing healthier social networks and advancing this vision through Nostr. In the latest episode of the Thank For Nostr Podcast, npub1jlrs53pkdfjnts29kveljul2sm0actt6n8dxrrzqcersttvcuv3qdjynqn shares insights into his vision for a decentralized and meaningful social network, the principles guiding this work, and the role of Coracle in making it a reality. The podcast is produced by TGFB Media, an organization dedicated to educating Christians on Bitcoin’s potential for the glory of God and the good of humanity.

🌱 Ecosystem Growth

Nostr is growing fast! There are now over 45 Nostr clients, and relays are running in more than 40 countries around the globe.

During this week: Total zaps: 3,945,943 , compared to 3,909,750 zaps the week before Total posts: 441,169,786 , compared to 434,841,953 posts the week before Profiles with bio users: 8,133,703 , compared to 7,763,964 Profiles with bio users the week before

Many thanks to stats.nostr.band by npub1xdtducdnjerex88gkg2qk2atsdlqsyxqaag4h05jmcpyspqt30wscmntxy for providing these insights.

🎓 Educational Resources

No updates this week. If you have some input for the next recap about recent educational resources, please share it and I will add it in the next recap.

📅 Upcoming Events

Nostr at Tech Tuesday

📅 Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2024 - 7 PM – late EST 📍 Location: Seats2meet.com Utrecht CS, The Netherlands 🤹‍♀️ Organizers: npub1l77twp5l02jadkcjn6eeulv2j7y5vmf9tf3hhtq7h7rp0vzhgpzqz0swft, npub1qe3e5wrvnsgpggtkytxteaqfprz0rgxr8c3l34kk3a9t7e2l3acslezefe and npub1w98ems6ryhpv7zvmhwp5sv65p0pwrnvzw4lucn0ch776qan9ntdstscwpx 🔗 Tech Tuesday

Join npub1hw6amg8p24ne08c9gdq8hhpqx0t0pwanpae9z25crn7m9uy7yarse465gr at Tech Tuesday for an insightful session on Nostr, covering Epoxy (a framework for integrating technologies), Tollgate (a checkpoint mechanism for validating actions), and eCash (digital cash for secure transactions) as a shared topic. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to learn more about Nostr technologies!

📅 Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2024 - 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM

📍 Location: Toronto, ON 🤹‍♀️ Organizer: npub1ek36rza32zjc8pec8daz6veyywv55xtemzaxr0saymd04a4r66eqpxphdl 🔗 https://www.meetup.com/blockchain-developers-canada/events/304910752 This beginner-friendly meetup will be a tutorial that will teach participants to create Nostr accounts, send and query events, send encrypted events, and obtain a Nostr Internet Identifier. The session will be in JavaScript, and attendees are encouraged to install Node.js and Git beforehand.

FOSDEM 2025

📅 Date: Saturday, Sunday, February 1–2, 2025 - CET 📍 Location: Brussels, Belgium 🤹‍♀️ Organizers: npub1qe3e5wrvnsgpggtkytxteaqfprz0rgxr8c3l34kk3a9t7e2l3acslezefe, npub1l77twp5l02jadkcjn6eeulv2j7y5vmf9tf3hhtq7h7rp0vzhgpzqz0swft , pub1hz5alqscpp8yjrvgsdp2n4ygkl8slvstrgvmjca7e45w6644ew7sewtysa , npub1nkmta4dmsa7pj25762qxa6yqxvrhzn7ug0gz5frp9g7p3jdscnhsu049fn , npub1r30l8j4vmppvq8w23umcyvd3vct4zmfpfkn4c7h2h057rmlfcrmq9xt9ma 🔗 Fosdem

FOSDEM is one of the biggest gatherings for open-source developers and enthusiasts worldwide, taking place each year in Brussels. It’s a free, community-driven event where thousands of devs, innovators, and Free and Open Source Software contributors come together to demo projects, host talks, and share ideas. It’s a key place for making meaningful connections, learning from each other, and pushing open-source tech forward.

For NOSTR being at FOSDEM is a natural fit. It’s the perfect stage to introduce the broader open-source community to Nostr’s potential—how it can replace centralized social platforms, bring true ownership of data back to users, and encourage a more resilient, open internet. Engaging with fellow open-source projects and developers at FOSDEM helps Nostr grow its ecosystem, fosters new collaborations, and gains valuable feedback. The protocol is all about grassroots development, community contributions, and evolving without the constraints of centralized platforms, which aligns perfectly with FOSDEM’s collaborative spirit.

📰 Nostr in the Media

NOSTR How and Why It Works

The Nostr protocol is transforming the way we think about social media by combining Bitcoin's cryptographic principles with decentralized communication. This innovative approach enables censorship-resistant platforms, offering users unparalleled freedom, privacy, and ownership in the digital age.

Speakers: npub147whqsr5vsj86x0ays70r0hgreklre3ey97uvcmxhum65skst56s30selt (YakiHonne), npub1c878wu04lfqcl5avfy3p5x83ndpvedaxv0dg7pxthakq3jqdyzcs2n8avm (LNbits, Nostr, Makerbits), npub1j8y6tcdfw3q3f3h794s6un0gyc5742s0k5h5s2yqj0r70cpklqeqjavrvg (BTCPayServer), npub1t6jxfqz9hv0lygn9thwndekuahwyxkgvycyscjrtauuw73gd5k7sqvksrw (Nostr Special Forces) Host: npub17plqkxhsv66g8quxxc9p5t9mxazzn20m426exqnl8lxnh5a4cdns7jezx0 (Nostr)

Watch the full panel discussion on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c7c7RugxiY

⚡ Most Zapped Last Week

Nostr’s Value4Value (V4V) model is all about plebs directly rewarding creators for the value they receive—no middlemen fees, no ads, just pure community-driven support using sats via the Bitcoin Lightning Network. Thanks to zaplife.lol by @pablof7z for providing this data. Here are the top zapped posts from last week, showcasing creators who received the most engagement:

🔥 Top 3: Most Zaps

1. My Bitcoin recap video also on nostr 🧡 I hope you like it.

Author: npub13jhh5jpak3sltvh5mxxc84edq8c6scuyhtkevfa7j568jrkkscysj7c5sq\ Zaps Received: 206 Sats Earned: 279k\ 🔗 event:

nevent1qqst4t56y3ul3emc6gd0g78rgn4ayz8glfdzdyjc27kltyy7svl8vqcpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgqgdwaehxw309ahx7uewd3hkcqg5waehxw309aex2mrp0yhxgctdw4eju6t0qgsgetm6fq7mgc04kt6dnrvr6uksrudgvwzt4mvky7lf2drepmtgvzgapfeq8

1. grateful for the time, sacrifice, and dedication of all the bitcoin developers around the world.

Author: npub1sg6plzptd64u62a878hep2kev88swjh3tw00gjsfl8f237lmu63q0uf63m Zaps Received: 121\ Sats Earned: 118k 🔗 event: nevent1qqs2c3pvyc62pna2cp8dsh457e4qjz5lzamwgjswaa97n0y3wg4fjwqpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgqglwaehxw309a3ksmmjw4ejumtfddjkg6tvvajhytnrdakn5dp5xspzpq35r7yzkm4te5460u00jz4djcw0qa90zku7739qn7wj4ralhe4z6a79m6

1. What Bitcoin Did is Back!

Author: npub16le69k9hwapnjfhz89wnzkvf96z8n6r34qqwgq0sglas3tgh7v4sp9ffxj\ Zaps Received: 79 Sats Earned: 17k 🔗 event:

nevent1qqsfq2cmyvxw94f7y08r3rd5ja2p20jju3lqtkft4zm492m0cpgsn7qpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqppamhxue69uhkummnw3ezumt0d5pzp4ln5tvtwa6r8ynwyw2ax9vcjt5y0858r2qqusqlq3lmpzk30uetcepnf3

💰 Top 3: Most Sats

1. My Bitcoin recap video also on nostr 🧡 I hope you like it.

Author: npub13jhh5jpak3sltvh5mxxc84edq8c6scuyhtkevfa7j568jrkkscysj7c5sq\ Sats Earned: 279k\ Zaps Received: 206\ 🔗 event : nevent1qqst4t56y3ul3emc6gd0g78rgn4ayz8glfdzdyjc27kltyy7svl8vqcpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgqgdwaehxw309ahx7uewd3hkcqg5waehxw309aex2mrp0yhxgctdw4eju6t0qgsgetm6fq7mgc04kt6dnrvr6uksrudgvwzt4mvky7lf2drepmtgvzgapfeq8

1. 6 months ago I decided to try to get into a professional Muay Thai Fight 👀🥊

Author: npub1lelkh3hhxw9hdwlcpk6q9t0xt9f7yze0y0nxazvzqjmre3p98x3sthkvyz Sats Earned: 196k\ Zaps Received: 51\ 🔗 event :

nevent1qqst0fu00sezruj3c6xfqhcreegcmjdk75s8zyeh0y5xzsgutwpmx9szyrl8767x7uecka4mlqxmgq4duev48cst9u37vm5fsgztv0xyy5u6xft2c62

1. Author: npub126erv2p9an0a56d8qq3a2406xkh5qal7am0n4yp84r8ekz2cs7msj8wetv Sats Earned: 127k Zaps Received: 16 🔗 event :

nevent1qqs8ww46c3xukvwfcz6vlfu62dnzg62czpgm38udygvnd54j2uqspmgpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgq3q26erv2p9an0a56d8qq3a2406xkh5qal7am0n4yp84r8ekz2cs7msvk63pr

👋 Stay in Touch & Zap

Nostr is built by the plebs, for the plebs. If you found this recap helpful, consider supporting me—Nomishka—with a zap. Right now, I’m in a tough spot: jobless and struggling to make ends meet. Most days, I’m barely able to afford food, and honestly, 210,000 sats per month would help provide a basic income to cover essential needs.

I’m committed to supporting Nostr, and I split a part of the zaps I receive for this note with the plebs mentioned in this recap for all their great effort. Thank you so much for being part of this journey. Let me know your thoughts about this first recap, share your tips and suggestions for the next weekly recap, and let’s keep #grownostr together.

Recap by npub19hs0lg9vyd0lghayeju5fnflx0melawjrl8etuqln9gkhd4mwtxq2t5jcn

@ dff95033:862fbf40

DADOS BIBLIOGRÁFICOS

• Autor: Daniel J. Levitin
• Título: A Mente Organizada: Como Pensar com Clareza na Era da Sobrecarga de Informação
• Título Original: The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload
• Tradutor: Regina Lyra
• Editora: Objetiva
• Ano de Publicação no Brasil: 2015
• Ano de Publicação Original: 2014
• ISBN (Edição Brasileira): 978-8539006465
• Páginas: 512
• Gênero: Psicologia, Ciência Cognitiva, Desenvolvimento Pessoal

INTRODUÇÃO

"Não se pode confiar na memória porque o sistema de arquivamento do cérebro destreinado é uma porcaria. Ele pega tudo que acontece com você e joga de qualquer jeito num grande armário escuro — quando você entra lá procurando algo, só consegue achar as coisas grandes e óbvias, como a morte de sua mãe, ou então coisas de que realmente não precisa. Coisas que você não está procurando, como a letra de ‘Copacabana’. Você não consegue encontrar o que precisa. Mas não entre em pânico, porque ainda está lá.” (The Mentalist, citado por Daniel Levitin em A Mente Organizada)

Quando me deparei com o livro “A Mente Organizada”, de Daniel Levitin, impulsivamente o adicionei à minha lista de leitura — apenas para deixá-lo esperando por meses. É irônico que um livro sobre organização estivesse preso no caos da minha própria lista, não estranhamente em uma era dopamínica — onde cada notificação e distração competem para roubar nossa atenção. No entanto, ao finalmente mergulhar em suas linhas, percebi que a obra é uma verdadeira ode à capacidade humana de organizar o conhecimento e a informação.

ESTRUTURA E CONTEÚDO

Dividido em três partes, “A Mente Organizada” nos guia por um entendimento prático sobre a mente humana. A Parte Um apresenta o mecanismo de atenção do cérebro, explorando como ele lida com o fluxo incessante de informações e decisões. Levitin discute a importância da atenção e como ela é fundamental para processar a quantidade massiva de dados que enfrentamos diariamente. Ele argumenta que entender esses mecanismos é crucial para melhorar nossa capacidade de foco e eficiência.

A Parte Dois oferece estratégias que colaboram com esse mecanismo, ajudando a organizar nossos ambientes físico, profissional, social e temporal. Levitin sugere métodos práticos, como a categorização e a criação de listas, que podem facilitar a tomada de decisões e reduzir a sensação de sobrecarga informacional. A ênfase na organização do espaço físico e do tempo é particularmente relevante em uma era onde distrações são constantes. Com a estrutura bem definida, Levitin avança para aprofundar seu estilo e explorar a complexidade de transmitir conceitos desafiadores de maneira acessível.

Por fim, a Parte Três discute como preparar a próxima geração para enfrentar os desafios do mundo moderno, equilibrando organização e criatividade. Levitin enfatiza a importância da educação em habilidades organizacionais desde cedo, preparando os jovens para um futuro onde o gerenciamento eficaz da informação será ainda mais crítico. Essa abordagem não apenas prepara os jovens para um futuro de desafios, mas também nos faz refletir sobre o legado que estamos construindo hoje.

ESTILO E APROFUNDAMENTO

A verbosidade de Levitin pode parecer desafiadora em alguns momentos, mas são nestes pontos que reside o valor do livro. Sua escrita flui como ondas: ora simples e objetiva, ora densa e desafiadora. Essa variação mantém o leitor engajado e instigado, permitindo uma compreensão mais profunda dos conceitos apresentados. Cada nuance tem seu propósito, oferecendo ao leitor as bases para compreender plenamente a obra ou para instigar novas inspirações e perspectivas.

Levitin se esforça para tornar pesquisas e estudos sobre o tema acessíveis a um público amplo, evitando tanto a superficialidade quanto a complexidade excessiva. Essa abordagem é especialmente valiosa em um contexto onde muitos textos acadêmicos podem se tornar herméticos.

REFLEXÕES PESSOAIS

Como frisei no decorrer deste livro, o princípio fundamental da organização, o mais crucial para evitar que percamos ou esqueçamos as coisas, é este: descarregue do cérebro para o mundo externo o ônus de organizar." (A Mente Organizada, Daniel Levitin).

Ler A Mente Organizada foi um desafio que me obrigou a encarar a zorra informacional do dia a dia de frente. Não foi apenas uma leitura, mas um embate com os meus próprios hábitos e uma pausa necessária para questionar: estou realmente lidando bem com os estímulos ao meu redor? À deriva em águas turbulentas, precisei aceitar, com humildade, as ferramentas oferecidas pelo livro para enfrentar os desafios atuais.

Senti-me provocado a observar com mais atenção tudo o que carrego, tanto física quanto mentalmente. Quantas ideias, compromissos e pensamentos acumulados passam despercebidos, sem nunca encontrar um lugar ou um significado real? Esse convite à introspecção foi um lembrete poderoso de que, mais do que organizar o que está fora, preciso organizar o que está dentro — e isso começa com um olhar honesto, e sim, doloroso, sobre o impacto que o excesso tem em minha vida.

Esse foi o verdadeiro desafio: perceber que minha forma de organização precisava de um novo olhar. Não basta apenas acumular ideias; é essencial dar-lhes estrutura, conectá-las e transformá-las em algo maior — ou descartá-las, quando necessário. Entender as miríades que moldam meu pensar e agir foi fundamental, e, neste ponto, o livro foi nada menos que revelador. A estética, o particionamento e o naturalismo solidificam as minhas bases, transformando a organização em algo mais do que uma sistemática: ela se torna uma expressão de qualidade de vida e saúde.

CONCLUSÃO

A Mente Organizada é uma obra que, para alguns, será apenas um folhetim, enquanto para outros será um verdadeiro manancial de sabedoria. Mas, acima de tudo, o que Daniel Levitin nos oferece são possibilidades — um convite à lapidação dessa gema preciosa e instigante que é a busca por sermos melhores do que somos hoje. Se você chegou a este livro, consciente ou não, já deu o primeiro passo nessa jornada.

Assim, caro leitor, deixo em tuas mãos esta obra, singela em proposta, mas grandiosa em potencial. Que ela inspire sua apreciação e, acima de tudo, seu uso.

Fecho esta gaveta aqui e espero ter apreciado o que há dentro dela — ou não. Se trouxe alguma ordem à bagunça, compartilhe e, se puder, contribua com o café — porque até a organização precisa de combustível.

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

Other than @grayruby potentially getting eliminated, there's not a lot at stake tonight.

However, considering we all have the Thunder remaining, a Mavs upset would be pretty impactful.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/804061

@ 6389be64:ef439d32

Resilience is the ability to withstand shocks, adapt, and bounce back. It’s an essential quality in nature and in life. But what if we could take resilience a step further? What if, instead of merely surviving, a system could improve when faced with stress? This concept, known as anti-fragility, is not just theoretical—it’s practical. Combining two highly resilient natural tools, comfrey and biochar, reveals how we can create systems that thrive under pressure and grow stronger with each challenge.

Comfrey: Nature’s Champion of Resilience

Comfrey is a plant that refuses to fail. Once its deep roots take hold, it thrives in poor soils, withstands drought, and regenerates even after being cut down repeatedly. It’s a hardy survivor, but comfrey doesn’t just endure—it contributes. Known as a dynamic accumulator, it mines nutrients from deep within the earth and brings them to the surface, making them available for other plants.

Beyond its ecological role, comfrey has centuries of medicinal use, earning the nickname "knitbone." Its leaves can heal wounds and restore health, a perfect metaphor for resilience. But as impressive as comfrey is, its true potential is unlocked when paired with another resilient force: biochar.

Biochar: The Silent Powerhouse of Soil Regeneration

Biochar, a carbon-rich material made by burning organic matter in low-oxygen conditions, is a game-changer for soil health. Its unique porous structure retains water, holds nutrients, and provides a haven for beneficial microbes. Soil enriched with biochar becomes drought-resistant, nutrient-rich, and biologically active—qualities that scream resilience.

Historically, ancient civilizations in the Amazon used biochar to transform barren soils into fertile agricultural hubs. Known as terra preta, these soils remain productive centuries later, highlighting biochar’s remarkable staying power.

Yet, like comfrey, biochar’s potential is magnified when it’s part of a larger system.

The Synergy: Comfrey and Biochar Together

Resilience turns into anti-fragility when systems go beyond mere survival and start improving under stress. Combining comfrey and biochar achieves exactly that.

1. Nutrient Cycling and Retention
   Comfrey’s leaves, rich in nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, make an excellent mulch when cut and dropped onto the soil. However, these nutrients can wash away in heavy rains. Enter biochar. Its porous structure locks in the nutrients from comfrey, preventing runoff and keeping them available for plants. Together, they create a system that not only recycles nutrients but amplifies their effectiveness.

2. Water Management
   Biochar holds onto water and releases it slowly during dry periods. This makes soil not just drought-resistant but actively water-efficient, improving over time with each rain and dry spell.

3. Microbial Ecosystems
   Comfrey enriches soil with organic matter, feeding microbial life. Biochar provides a home for these microbes, protecting them and creating a stable environment for them to multiply. Together, they build a thriving soil ecosystem that becomes more fertile and resilient with each passing season.

Resilient systems can withstand shocks, but anti-fragile systems actively use those shocks to grow stronger. Comfrey and biochar together form an anti-fragile system. Each addition of biochar enhances water and nutrient retention, while comfrey regenerates biomass and enriches the soil. Over time, the system becomes more productive, less dependent on external inputs, and better equipped to handle challenges.

This synergy demonstrates the power of designing systems that don’t just survive—they thrive.

Lessons Beyond the Soil

The partnership of comfrey and biochar offers a valuable lesson for our own lives. Resilience is an admirable trait, but anti-fragility takes us further. By combining complementary strengths and leveraging stress as an opportunity, we can create systems—whether in soil, business, or society—that improve under pressure.

Nature shows us that resilience isn’t the end goal. When we pair resilient tools like comfrey and biochar, we unlock a system that evolves, regenerates, and becomes anti-fragile.

By designing with anti-fragility in mind, we don’t just bounce back, we bounce forward.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/802554

@ 65912a7a:5dc638bf

Chef's notes

This is my late partner's award winning Cajun rice & beans recipe. It's an updated take on the traditional Cajun comfort food.

Chef Darin was a classically trained chef who spent 30+ years in the kitchen perfecting his recipes, and delivering authentic Cajun and Creole food to his patrons. This is a 5-star dish that will earn the respect of the most discerning Cajun afficionado. You won't be disappointed.

I suggest making this recipe exactly as directed the first time, and then make whatever adjustments you want for future batches. Also, don't cheap out on the Andouille. No Johnsonville or Hillshire Farms. Chef Aidelle's is a good choice, as is Silva's from Whole Foods. They cost a few extra bucks, but it's absolutely worth it.

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 30 min
• 🍳 Cook time: 3 hours
• 🍽️ Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 16oz small red beans, dry
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 14-16oz andouille sausage, sliced
• 8oz ham, cubed
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 tbsp garlic (12 cloves), minced
• 7 cups water
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 large bay leaves
• 1 tbsp parsley, dried
• 1 tsp thyme, dried
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper, dried
• ¼ tsp sage, rubbed
• 1½ tsp salt (more or less to taste)

Directions

1. Soak beans in a large pot of water overnight.
2. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Cook onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes (until onion is translucent).
3. Add beans, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, salt, MSG, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, Sage, and water. Stir, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low (btwn 2-3). Cover and simmer for 2½ hours.
4. Remove bay leaves. Mash some of the beans. Stir Andouille and ham into beans, and simmer uncovered for an additional 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Bring water and rice to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Serve beans over steamed white rice.

@ 7c765d40:bd121d84

Back in college, starfish carried a negative connotation.

It was a sexual reference for a girl (or guy) who wasn't very good in bed.

"She just kinda laid there like a starfish."

Hahaha.

Happy Monday morning!

Over the weekend, I was reading a book titled "Exploiting Chaos."

There was a section in the book titled "Become Leaderless."

The book was written back in 2009, so there was no mention of bitcoin.

Bitcoin was only known by select few at this point.

But it perfectly describes the bitcoin network.

The bitcoin starfish.

"When you pull off the arms of a spider, it dies.

In contrast, if you rip off the arms of a starfish, you'll get five new starfish.

This happens because the starfish have decentralized nervous systems."

Like a starfish, the bitcoin network is decentralized, united by ideology and a common set of rules.

If you attack one arm, it grows back even stronger.

We have seen this time and time again with bitcoin.

And it HAD to be this way.

Yes, bitcoin is a revolutionary technology - maybe the biggest innovation the world has ever seen.

But if it wasn't decentralized, it could be stopped.

Bitcoin has some pretty significant competition - the central banking system.

And we've seen many great technologies squashed over the last century by powerful competition.

You cannot stop bitcoin.

There is no head to chop off.

This is why we are starting to see both corporate and nation state adoption.

They have tried attacking bitcoin for 16 years.

Negative media coverage.

Government threats.

Mining bans.

Exchange hacks.

New and "improved" competitors.

All have failed.

Not only did they fail, but they made bitcoin even stronger.

The size of network, bitcoin adoption, and the price in fiat terms have all continued to rise - despite these attacks.

And every person, company, or country that joins the bitcoin network will make it stronger.

Keep in mind bitcoin is just a protocol.

It just kinda lays there, and lets everyone else do the work.

Very starfish like.

---

PROJECT POTENTIAL - You can now find the expanded audio versions of these on the new podcast - Project Potential! I will be sharing the video versions here for the LITF members but you can also find it for free on Spotify and of course Fountain!

Here is the link to Episode 007 on Fountain: https://fountain.fm/episode/zSoJf6TLjkkMDhpokw4T

---

Have a great day everyone! And remember, the only thing more scarce than bitcoin is time!

Jor

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

After nuking my second LND node (the first one died due to hardware failure) by my own typo and lack of any thought in the design of the CLI of LND lightning node tools, I decided to take a plunge into the world of mature and complex implementation of the protocol, Eclair by ACINQ. It has been almost one year (the birth of the node was on Christmas Day 2023), 50 thousand transactions routed, and over 30 BTC of routed value. In this post, I'd like to reflect on my experiences with Eclair, go over some of the gotchas and issues, and highlight some of the good choices that I've made since the beginning of my adventure.

Learnings from the Past Experience

While I was learning Lightning network and had very little understanding of how things worked in the whole Bitcoin space, Umbrel was my go-to solution that helped me get off the ground. It proved to be easy and somewhat educational but was not something that I would continuously run for the production setup or trust with any significant amount of bitcoin that I could not afford to lose. Lightning is built on top of the L1 (Bitcoin) network but manages the state of the channels in its own database that is negotiated and agreed upon with its peers. Any failures in the state integrity may result in the complete loss of liquidity or hefty penalty transactions (significant loss of capital). A Lightning node that participates in routing public transactions is also required to be constantly online with as little downtime as possible and only short periods offline at a time. Otherwise, you may risk causing force-closure of the channel due to expired HTLC that is measured in number of blocks.

The Setup

Taking all of my learnings into consideration, I decided to first invest in reliable enterprise-grade hardware: - Server-grade hardware with ECC memory and reliable power supply and CPU - UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to avoid any headaches due to electrical spikes or drop-outs - Reliable enterprise SSDs and NVMEs - ZFS (filesystem) to mirror the critical storage and to ensure full integrity of the data (bit-rot prevention). You do need to tune ZFS for your specific workload and reliability - Reliable and replicated database (PostgreSQL) with two local and one remote replica, and a requirement to have at least two replicas committing the transaction to the disk - Backup! On-site and off-site backup of the critical configuration that you could use to restore the node if your house burns down - Spare parts, redundancy, backup, monitoring - Reliable and stable internet connectivity

The software is Eclair 0.11.0 (latest release as of today), PostgreSQL 16 with two replicas, Bitcoin Core 27.2 (with redundant storage of blocks), additional Bitcoin Core running on a separate node and in-sync with the chain (in case primary node fails), Ubuntu 22.04 with the latest docker software from the official Docker repo.

All Major Gotchas That I Came Across

While Eclair is mature and very stable in itself, it does have some quirks and design choices that you need to account for when running your node. The software is written in Scala and requires a specific version of JVM to run it, as well as JRE and Maven to build it. It doesn't mean that other versions won't work, but you may find unpleasant bugs that may result in catastrophic failures of your node with nobody to help you. All of the requirements are listed in the release notes and installation guide. Whenever in doubt, RTFM first, then ask questions.

Limited Support by the FOSS Community

Eclair is not the most popular implementation of the Lightning protocol, and therefore it is hard to find tools or plugins that could help you manage the node. GUI for the node so far is only supported by RTL and with a very limited number of features. For any sort of statistics, you are limited to either Prometheus (extensive metrics are available) or writing your own SQL on top of the Eclair tables.

On-chain Fee Differences Between Yours and Partner Nodes

This one hit me hard, and many times. I've had more than a few force-closures of the channels because of the conservative and safe default settings. The worst part is, it strikes you when there is a huge spike in fees, which results in significant losses to force-close the channel due to high fees. I am still not 100% sure how the big difference can be exploited in practice, and opted for increase of the tolerance levels to avoid surprise FCs: eclair.on-chain-fees { feerate-tolerance { ratio-low = <0.01~> // will allow remote fee rates as low as XX our local feerate (spikes) ratio-high = <20.0~> // will allow remote fee rates as high as XX times our local feerate (drops) } } It is up to you and your risk tolerance to define something reasonable and yet allow for secure and reliable node operation.

Initial Lightning Network State Sync

When I just started running the node, I had very few channels and startup times were fast. Later, when I expanded the number of channels, I noted that it took my node up to 6-12 hours before it was fully in-sync and routing traffic fast. Given that ACINQ maintains one of the largest nodes on the network, I knew that there was something with my settings that caused the issue. After some research, I came across the setting that whitelisted node IDs for state sync, which immediately rang a bell since I knew from the LND days that not all peer nodes are used for the network sync. Setting the list to my most reliable and largest nodes reduced the startup settling times down to minutes again: eclair.sync-whitelist = [ "03864ef025fde8fb587d989186ce6a4a186895ee44a926bfc370e2c366597a3f8f", ... ] You do not need to have too many public keys in here, and should keep it between 5-10.

Automatic MAX HTLC Adjustment for the Channel

One of the killer features of Eclair is its ability to automatically adjust MAX HTLC for the channel and reduce the number of failed transactions due to insufficient liquidity on the channel. It can be used to estimate your total channels' balances but with smart configuration and a little thinking, you can make it reasonably private while still maintaining a good transaction flow: eclair.channel.channel-update.min-time-between-updates=1 hour # Allows for the adjustments to be made once every hour eclair.channel.channel-update.balance-thresholds=[ { available-sat = 10000 max-htlc-sat = 0 // 0% of 10000 }, ... ] You can have as many variations as you need, and ensure that the channel MAX HTLC is set well and within reasonable ranges. You would also want to account for multiple transactions going through the channel, but also account for the channel size and an average amount of sats per transaction.

Max Accepted HTLCs

By design, the Lightning channel is limited to a specific number of in-flight HTLCs, and the setting is fixed during channel opening time with no way of changing it unless you close and reopen the channel with new settings. If you find your node routing a lot of small transactions (zaps), you may quickly fail many due to that limit (I think default was in single digit range): eclair.channel.max-htlc-value-in-flight-percent=98 # Default I think is half or 50% eclair.channel.max-accepted-htlcs = 50 The setting above will allow for the channel to be more fully utilized and have more concurrent transactions without clogging.

CLTV Delta

This is basically a setting that is global for Eclair and sets the maximum number of remaining blocks (in time) before HTLC expires. Setting this too high may result in many HTLCs failing for the small nodes with not so great centrality, and reduce the number of routed transactions: ```

CLTV delta

eclair.channel.expiry-delta-blocks = 60 ``` Default is 144 but I found that setting this to 60 (minimum possible for my node setup and configuration) yields better results for routing. It does expose you to more risk of expired HTLCs that may cause force-closures, but I have seen only one so far on my node.

Allocate Sufficient Memory

You will want to adjust the heap size for Eclair, since the default is too small to run any sizable node. Setting JAVA_OPTS=-Xmx32g (or half the size of your available RAM) would be a good start. I would advise having at least 32GB of RAM for the node, and allocating at least 16GB (JAVA_OPTS=-Xmx16g) for smooth and fast operations.

And More Settings and Parameters to Tune

I have covered only some of the major settings that I felt were worth writing about, but there is much more you could configure and tweak. Read all of the Guides and especially focus on the Configure and a sample reference configuration file.

Good Decisions

First, going with Eclair was the right choice, along with using server-grade hardware with ECC RAM and reliable storage. Second, having a replicated database on three separate nodes with one off-site saved me from a sure destruction of all state and loss of funds. Third, deciding to only maintain channels with reliable and stable nodes saved me from some bad force-closures, where I would choose to close the channel if a peer node goes up and down too frequently, regardless of how well it routes. Even big nodes run by single operators fail badly, as do nodes operated by companies. Keeping your eyes on the node and its health, as well as the health of its peers, is something that very few operators do, which can cause failures and unnecessary loss of your and their funds.

Lastly, if you decide to run a routing node, you have a responsibility to maintain it well and monitor its health. There are many tools you could use, and with Eclair you can use Prometheus and Grafana. Keep your node's packages updated and monitor for any security-related issues that may appear from time to time, so you can mitigate them quickly.

Conclusion

So far I am satisfied with Eclair despite all of the difficulties and headaches I've had with it. It is not perfect, and it requires me to create small tools to do some basic things, but I need a stable and reliable node that I can trust. Eclair has proved to be all that I wanted, and saved my bacon a few times when I nuked one of the PostgreSQL servers and all of its data, and managed to do the same for another replica, but was able to recover and recreate from the remaining replica. Eclair is also stateless during runtime and guarantees consistency of the node regardless of how it fails. Even if you pull a plug on the node's server, it will still be able to come up and recover its consistent state that is in agreement with its peers.

Is it for everyone? No, it is definitely not for everyone or for anyone who just wants a small node to run their online shop with a few channels. You could have a very reliable and trusted node for the online shop with Eclair, but you will need some technical skills to be able to set up, maintain and recover it if things go wrong.

In the end, it is all up to you, your skills, your willingness to learn, and your risk tolerance to make that decision. For me, it was the right choice, and I have no regrets despite not having access to the latest shiny features of the Lightning network.

@ dd664d5e:5633d319

Yeah, so... nah.

People keep trying to explain to me, that women will be better-off, if they become more dangerous. While I can see the inevitableness of women living in remote rural areas learning to shoot with a rifle, and similar, I'm generally against arming women with killing machines.

This is not because I'm averse to the idea of using violence to solve problems (albeit after exhausting better options), or because I don't like guns, or am unfamiliar with them. It's also not because I don't know I would look totally, mind-numbingly hot holding something long and spearlike, while dressed in camo and wearing a T-Shirt that appears to have shrunk in the wash.

It's a more fundamental set of problems, that irks me.

Bazooka Barbie

American gun manufacturers saturated the public and private male market so thoroughly, that they eventually turned to marketing firearms to women.

Men are scary and bad. There is Stranger Danger. We can't just make the neighborhood less dangerous because erm... reasons. Stay safe with a cute gun.

It has gone along with the predictable hypersexualization of the conservative feminine ideal. Since guns are considered aggressive, women with guns are perceived as more sexually available. Guns (and tanks, bombs, bows, etc.) make women "equal", "independent", "feisty", "hot", "freaky", "calculating", "empowered", etc.

Sorta slutty, basically.

This Gun Girl is not like the helpless, hapless, harmless homemaker ideal, of yesteryear. A woman who was dependent, chaste, gentle, wise... and in need of protection. A woman who saw the men around her as people she could rely on for providing her with a safe environment. That woman is au revoir. Now, sistas are doing it for themselves. 💪🏻

The New Martial Missy needs a man, like a fish needs a bicycle... but make it country.

Yeah, it's marketing, but it sure has set the tone, and millions of men have been trained to prefer women who market themselves in this manner. Hard, mean, lean women. That will not remain without wider societal consequences.

You know, I liked that homemaker. I miss her. She's literally me.

Those arms are for cuddling babies, not holding rocket launchers.

Now, that we've all become accustomed to imagery of women holding firearms, it wasn't much of a leap to condition us all to the sight of women in frontline police, guard, or military positions.

Instead of war being a terrible, highly-lethal, territorial fight amongst men, it's now cute, hip, trendy and fun. It's a big party, and women are finally allowed to join in.

Now, women have finally jettisoned the terrible burden of being society's life-bearers and caretakers, and we're just more potential enemy combatants. We know it's okay to punch women, shoot women, etc. since we've been watching it happen on screens, for decades. Women are now often assumed to be fighters, not lovers. Cavalry, not mothers.

Girls on top

Not only does this undermine any female role -- and put female civilians under a cloud of suspicion -- it also reduces mens' claim to be paramount in governance. Why should a man be the Commander in Chief, if women are on the battlefield?

In fact, why should men be in charge of anything, anywhere? Look at them. There they are. Hiding at home. Cowering in their kitchens, wringing their hands and fretting, while courageous, dangerous women protect them from dangers foreign and domestic. Women are the better men, really.

Is this really where we want to go?

The final bitterness

But one thing I find most disturbing is something more personal. The ubiquitous nature of firearms in American homes has made domestic violence increasingly deadly. Adding more guns, for the female residents, often serves to make such violence even more deadly for women.

It turns out, that women are usually reluctant to shoot people they know; even more than men. Women without this inhibition are prone to sharing their home with men missing the same trait. And, now, they have more guns.

@ 8e56fde2:bb433b31

So let us give a little bit on context first to get the WHOLE PICTURE.

We DoShitters are a trio of friends who one day decided we wanted to create some shit together. We are artists from different fields, and at the time two of us were struggling from creative block, so we decided to create the ultimate tool to COMBAT CREATIVE BLOCK. It would be an Oracle about the creative process and it would be inspired on the Hero's Journey and on our own journeys as artists; and hence "DoShit!" was born.

Once we knew what we wanted to do, and it started to have a shape, we decided to go through the hardship of self-producing and selling the cards by ourselves directly on our website ( www.doshitters.com ), which allowed us to keep control of the product at all times during production, and to have a direct relationship with our audience and buyers. Besides from guaranteeing we weren't left with the tiniest percentage of the sales pie. (At least in Spain, when you get a big publisher involved, you can forget getting even 10% of sales, and you lose a lot of the creative control of your project).

We invested a lot of our own resources in making sure "DoShit!" was a quality product and we were lucky enough to get the help of a generous patreon who enabled us to create what is now the DoShit! deck. <3

We did local presentations of the product in both Barcelona and Madrid, and got the deck to be sold in cool local stores, where we offered to do live readings and got to talk with people of all kinds about the Shit they wanted to do. Above all, DoShit! is an inspirational tool.

**And you must be asking yourself, "What does this have to do with Amazon?". ** Well, one of the problems of self-producing and having local fulfilment of the product is that shipping costs just couldn't compete with what the average consumer has gotten used to because of Amazon's mass scale free shipping. We were finding that, specially for our followers in the USA, it was impossible to assume shipping costs (which amounted to almost the same cost as the actual deck); but we didn't want to give up on the people who wanted to get inspired by DoShit! but lived on the other side of the world from us, so... WE DECIDED TO MAKE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL, aka Amazon.

We knew that selling our product on Amazon was going to result in less revenue from the sales for us, but for us it was mostly about GETTING DoShit! TO A WAREHOUSE IN THE USA to be able to offer the deck with Free Shipping. And that's what we did. But we didn't know everything that would come as a result, (they don't really advertise the hidden costs and fees, or the speed at which they want you to expedite your sales) and we've been paying for that decision ever since.

In any case, they lured us in with a 3 months no cost promotion. You obviously assumed the cost of shipping it there, and they would take a cut from every sale that happened in their web, but we didn't have any way of knowing the cost that we would need to incur after those first three months. Another thing that wasn't advertised is that IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT YOUR PRODUCT TO BE FEATURED ANYWHERE, you need to be eligible as an A+ content seller, which also comes at a cost, and you need to pay additionally for sponsored ads; otherwise, your product is basically shut down in a black hole of zero discoverability except for people using the direct link.

The three months went by fast and then the invoices started coming, and the automatic charges on our account started to empty our independent seller bank account. As you can imagine, independent sellers like us sometimes require of TIME to be able to get the word out, to get people to buy your product... Besides, as artists with other projects on the pipeline, we couldn't really spend much time focusing on sales, nor did we want to. And in all honestly, we refused to give Amazon more money in sponsored ads and other programs to "gain visibility". We knew we had no way of competing with the big sellers on the platform, but we just thought, "AT LEAST IT'S AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO BUY IT".

But then, out of the blue, we noticed our link on Amazon wasn't working. A friend tipped us off that it wasn't allowing any sales, it was listed as "currently unavailable", without us having done anything to trigger that change.

Suddenly we received an email from the giant informing us that our account had been set to inactive due to "dormancy", and that we needed to re-verify our identity. Not only that, but since we were in Europe, and they didn't have an address in the US they could send the decks back to, if we didn't get everything solved in time, THEY WERE GOING TO DESTROY THE DECKS THEY HAD IN THEIR WAREHOUSE because of their "Automated removal" policy.

This caught us while we were on holidays, away from our desktops, seller logins and such and we did everything the seller support requested from us as rapidly as possible. The nightmare of imagining our beautiful decks being destroyed really put us in a state of panic. We hoped everything would be solved after several support tickets stating our case, and pleading that they don't destroy the decks!

In the end, after several communications, they reactivated our listing which had apparently been set to inactive because of "stranded inventory" due to "excess inventory"; which is Amazon talk for: "YOU'RE NOT SELLING FAST ENOUGH".

After having gone through that experience we knew one thing for certain, WE WANTED TO BREAK FREE FROM AMAZON as soon as possible, but we still wanted to offer our DoShit! decks with Free Shipping for our customers; at least this Christmas...

So, best case scenario, all the DoShit! decks that are at Amazon get sold this Christmas campaign, with the jolly merry spirit, people and nostriches all around the world get excited about GIFTING INSPIRATION (and taking advantage of the Free Shipping) and help us to GET THE DECKS OUT OF AMAZON!

But we know this may be wishful thinking T.T , That is why we are also looking for independent shops in the USA that feel that DoShit! makes sense in their store, and would want to become the new home of the decks that remain in american soil after the Christmas campaign. So maybe somebody wants to become the "foster home" to these Oracles as they find their new home in 2025, so they decks can go from that abussive giant with high time preference, to a friendly purple shop with low time preference and no hidden tricks. After all, many people kickstart the year with their minds set on their New Year Resolutions, they want to DO SHIT! So Who Knows?

In any case, to all the small sellers out there, BEWARE OF MAKING THAT PACT WITH THE DEVIL.

We knew we had never wanted to get our Shit on Amazon, we knew the system was rigged again us, but still, we wanted to make it more affordable for people to get their hands on the deck. Artists struggle enough to have to additionally add exhorbitant shipping costs to acquire a creativity tool like "DoShit!".

And if you, like us, find yourself having to do that pact anyway, we hope our tale will at least help you navigate all the hidden traps that their system throws at you.

IF YOU WANT TO JOIN THE CREATIVE RESCUE MISSION TO FREE THE DECKS, please, support us as best you can, share our story, recommend our deck, but best of all GIFT THE "DoShit!" DECK THIS CHRISTMAS! <3

You can find it at its captor's site at https://a.co/d/hrKXEBF , or if you'd rather NOT BUY SHIT ON AMAZON, you can always buy it at the Plebeian Market with your Sats, and we'll get one out of Amazon on your account. (https://plebeian.market/p/f82c481a3ae2a284049631a50373f4b9262c0e0b80977a4de1a71fcc19c5635d/stall/c9744507a49cf647c5612204416b7e22bdab86fbaff85413cfbc41103a0d269a)

THANKS FOR CARING, This 2025, we wish you all to DO THE SHIT THAT MATTERS TO YOU!

DoShit! #JoinTheArtmy

@ 7ed7d5c3:6927e200

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?  Thou art more lovely and more temperate; Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,  And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

 And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

 By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;

``` But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou growest;

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this and this gives life to thee. ```

@ 9cb3545c:2ff47bca

Hey there! So you’ve got a whopping 50+ Lightning Channels and you’re not keen on them Force Closing? Well, buckle up! This guide will be an additional resource as you navigate through daunting process.

In this post, we will go over some extra tips and tricks not covered in the official guide. While this guide does have some steps that are not covered by Umbrel, its main objective is to provide confidence in the process (not a replacement process), coming from someone who’s been there and done that, and some how came out with all Lightning Channels still running! I highly recommend reading this post fully before starting the migration process.

Before we dive in, here is the Official Guide from the Umbrel team on how to update UmbrelOS from 0.5.4 to 1.x.x. Reference the steps all the time, and follow them carefully.

With that out of the way. Here are some extra TIPs to fill in some gaps I encountered as I went through the process.

The Order of Steps

Tip #1:

In the Official Umbrel Guide, the Umbrel team asks you to start by backing up your data. As a lightning Node Runner, I recommend against this. Because the Bash script will stop all Umbrel Services and your node will remain offline while you prepare a Bootable USB Stick. So definitely don't start with the backup, first get the bootable stick sorted out, then move on to backups.

Creating the Bootable USB Stick

TIP #2:

After many failed attempts to create a bootable USB stick from the link umbrel provides in their official guide. I ended up getting the ISO directly from Umbrels team through their Discord Channel. Unfortunately, I wont be able to share this link here. but just in case the umbrelOS-amd64-usb-installer.iso.xz didnt work for you as well, this could be an alternative route.

TIP #3:

Since Umbrel is an actual full OS now. You might need to handle some BIOS quirks. The umbrelOS Kernal is not signed. So if you have Secure Boot turned on in the BIOS, your PC will try to protect you, and block you from booting into you USB Stick. Turn off Secure Boot and you should be able to bypass this issue. I also had to turn on Legacy Option ROMs as well.

Tip #4:

Test your Bootable USB Stick on a secondary device before you go on trying to update your node. Since turning the node off and on is a hassle, its just easier to be certain the the Bootable Stick is ready before even attempting to upgrade your node.

If all is good, you are ready to get back to the guide and walk through the steps.

Preparing the Hardware

Tip #5:

In the official guide they as you to connect a Keyboard and Screen. This is of course needed. I would highly suggest you connect a mouse as well. My Bios was very stubborn and didn't comply with just a keyboard as I attempted to re-order Boot Sequences.

The Migration Process

Tip #6:

Remember, this is 10 times easier if you are not running a lightning node, but on a lightning node, the Channel.db file is being updated constantly. Once you start the backup process, the script will shutdown umbrel services and start copying. you can''t turn your node back on after this stage. If you do, assume the backup you created through the Bash script is obsolete. and you will have to redo the backup process again. If you really know what you are doing, you probably can surgically copy/paste the LND folder. But its easier not to do this.

But not to worry, if you start the process just keep going (especially if you checked all the TIPs I cover above). I say this out of experience, because after I started the first backup process, it took me about an hour to backup my SSD, but then the Bootable USB stick threw so many errors I gave up, and turned on the node again. Then later re-attempted the process from scratch. This time, since my external SSD was already full, it took 3.5 hours to backup all the files again.

Tip #7:

This will take time, so just trust the migration process and wait for the files to get copied. you are probably copying more than a terabyte worth of data back and forth over USB, Leverage USB 3 if you have it.

Tip #8:

If you have a custom name for your umbrel node. Meaning you do not access it by using umbrel.local, this will be reset to the default umbrel.local after the migration. I am not sure if this could be switched again to a custom name, but for now, this won't cause any issues.

Tip #9:

During the last steps of the Migration process, and once Umbrel has copied the backup back into the SSD, it will finish the process with downloading your apps, and restarting. Don't freak out :D

Tip #10:

I honestly don't have a tenth tip, but thought it would make this list look nicer with one. So my last tip for you is to relax and enjoy the process. And feel free to tag me if you faced any issues. Hopefully it will be something i experienced and will be able to help.

Have Fun, and Good Luck!

@ 31312140:2471509b

Beyond the Surface: Uncovering Deeper Context

The Official Narrative 🔍

The tale most of us know about World War II paints it as a battle of epic proportions between good and evil—democracy against tyranny. The Allies—comprising the USA, the UK, and the USSR—are cast as noble heroes who defeated the Axis powers, particularly Nazi Germany, ending the Holocaust and safeguarding human rights. In this version, the Holocaust is depicted as the systematic extermination of six million Jews, alongside other groups deemed undesirable by the Third Reich.

The Missing Context 📚

But let's pump the brakes for a second. World War II didn't just happen out of nowhere. There are multiple layers of context, preconditions, and economic dynamics that often get brushed under the rug in mainstream accounts.

The Treaty of Versailles: Seeds of Extremism 🌱

To truly understand WWII’s origins, we need to rewind to the Treaty of Versailles (1919) following WWI. This treaty imposed punitive reparations and territorial losses on Germany, creating fertile ground for nationalist sentiments and the thirst for revenge. Economic despair and national humiliation became fertile soil for extremism—conditions Adolf Hitler expertly exploited to rise to power.

Pre-War Economic Conditions 💹

Before the war, Europe was grappling with the aftermath of the Great Depression, leaving many nations economically devastated. This vulnerability provided ample opportunity for financial manipulation and influence, where banks and financial institutions slotted into the puzzle, quietly steering global politics and economics.

War Economy: A Banker’s Paradise? 💸

Wars can be a double-edged sword for economies. On one hand, there’s utter destruction, but on the other, enormous avenues for profit. During WWII, financing war efforts became incredibly lucrative. Major banks found themselves well-placed to support war machinery production, national debts, and recovery efforts. This intricate financial web granted them substantial influence. 🏦

Banking’s Role in the War Machine ⚙️

The Industrial-Military Complex

Banks played a pivotal role in fueling the industrial-military complex. From the production of weapons to logistics, the financial sector was deeply entwined in the war effort. Loans and credits supported the production lines, allowing manufacturers to capitalize massively on government contracts, which perpetuated indebtedness to financial institutions.

Financing Both Sides?

One of the more controversial notions is that some financial institutions provided backing to both Allies and Axis powers. This form of financial neutrality could have served as a strategic maneuver to ensure returns, regardless of the war’s outcome, turning potential turmoil into fiscal opportunities rather than barriers.

The Allies: Scrutinizing the "Heroic" Narrative 🏴‍☠️

While the Axis powers are often branded as the villains, it’s crucial to examine the of the Allies closely. Their narrative of "saving the world" sometimes glosses over actions that are morally questionable.

Total Destruction and Civilian Atrocities 💥

The so-called noble Allies engaged in tactics that resulted in huge civilian casualties—a topic often neglected in history classes. The firebombing of cities like Dresden, with limited strategic value and filled with civilians and refugees, sparked ethical debates. Hamburg and Tokyo endured similar fates, with firestorms tearing through civilian areas.

And let’s not forget Hiroshima and Nagasaki—bombings that instantly obliterated cities and ushered in a chilling era of "nuclear" warfare, claiming hundreds of thousands of civilian lives. In these instances, the line between strategic necessity and moral atrocity becomes blurred.

The Holocaust: A Complex Examination 🌍

The Holocaust remains one of history’s most haunting chapters. While the vast tragedy is uncontested, debates over specifics like numbers and methodologies persist. Some observers point to inconsistencies in narratives, contending they have sometimes been amplified by political agendas post-war.

Unequal Spotlight on Suffering 🎭

Critics argue that while Jewish suffering gets primary attention, other victim groups slip into the historical shadows. This selective narrative might serve broader political purposes, obscuring the collective suffering experienced globally. It’s about demanding a comprehensive understanding of humanity's struggles.

The Birth of Israel: Geopolitical Ripples 🌊

A significant, often overlooked outcome of WWII was the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Fueled by widespread sympathy for Jews who supposedly suffered immensely during the Holocaust, the official narratives surrounding these events played a pivotal role in garnering international support for a Jewish homeland. However, establishing Israel came at a great cost to the native Palestinian population, many of whom were killed and forcibly removed from their homes and lands. The Nakba, meaning "catastrophe" in Palestinian history, witnessed the expulsion and flight of over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs, illustrating the complexities and conflicts of broader wartime narratives.

The Nuremberg Trials: Justice Unmeasured? ⚖️

The Nuremberg Trials, hailed as a milestone in international justice, faced criticism for "victor's justice." While Nazi leaders were justly prosecuted, the more intricate machinations of all wartime powers, including potential Allied war crimes, went unexamined. This raises pressing questions about the objectivity and completeness of how history is chronicled.

History's Influence on the Modern World 🌐

Bankers and Their Post-War Power

The Marshall Plan: Reconstruction with Strings Attached

Post-war Europe lay in ruins—a landscape of destroyed infrastructure, drained economies, and demoralized populations. Enter the Marshall Plan, which aimed to rebuild Western Europe with financial aid from the United States. But this wasn’t pure altruism; it enabled the spread of American economic influence and, by extension, that of American banks. 🌍

Eastern Europe: A Different Story

While the Marshall Plan aided Western Europe, Eastern Europe languished behind the Iron Curtain, enduring a markedly different fate. This contrast allowed Western powers to surge economically while Eastern Europe floundered under communist economic constraints—yet another indirect boon to Western financial institutions.

The Birth of New Financial Structures 🌐

The conclusion of WWII witnessed the emergence of new financial institutions designed to stabilize the global economy, like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. These organizations played critical roles in reshaping global finance, offering loans and aid while wielding considerable policy influence over recipient countries.

The Power Dynamics 🎭

World War II shifted not only political boundaries but economic power structures as well. Banks were not mere passive beneficiaries but active participants in reshaping post-war Europe. Their influence and decisions wielded long-reaching impacts, extending beyond the favored narrative of heroism and sacrifice to one of economic gamesmanship.

Historical Narratives as Tools 📜

The shadow of WWII and the Holocaust deeply impacts contemporary politics, cultural identities, and international policies. History is wielded as both a weapon and shield, with narratives serving as infrastructure for current geopolitical strategies. Recognizing this manipulative potential helps citizens comprehend the broader utility of historical perspectives.

The Endless Quest for Truth 🔎

Searching for truth requires stepping beyond comfort zones and embracing multiple perspectives. This inquiry isn’t about dismissing established history but enriching it with diverse viewpoints. As with any exploration, gaining knowledge paints a more intricate canvas of past and present.

Recommended Readings & Resources 📚

For those curious to delve deeper, explore these varied perspectives:

• "World War II: Behind Closed Doors" Laurence Rees – Discover secret strategies of the era.
• "Banking on Hitler" by Bryan Evans – Delve into the financial complexities of the war.
• "IBM and the Holocaust" by Edwin Black – Insights into controversial industrial involvement.
• "The Origins of the Second World War" by A. J. P. Taylor – A revisionist view of the war’s causes.
• "Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time" by Carroll Quigley – Comprehensive insights into post-war economic structuring.
• "The House of Rothschild: The World's Banker" by Niall Ferguson – Explore one of the most powerful banking families.
• "The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War" by Benn Steil – Investigating Europe’s economic revival and its implications.
• "Europa: The Last Battle" by Tobias Bratt – Documentary series questioning the official narrative.
• Documentaries on Dresden and other Allied bombings – Visual narratives of strategic ambiguities.

Remember, truth is a multifaceted journey, and diverse perspectives illuminate the hidden facets of our shared past. 🌟

@ 81e5cb66:17c315fa

The current debate about artificial intelligence has an interesting side effect: it ruthlessly reveals the shortcomings of our education system. The widespread fear of AI systems such as ChatGPT is often not based on their actual capabilities, but on the sobering realisation of how interchangeable many of our learned skills are.

For decades, our education system has trained people to solve predetermined tasks according to set patterns. We have learnt facts by heart, passed standardised tests and adhered to predefined processes. Today, AI can do precisely this type of work better, faster and with fewer errors. The panic this triggers is basically an admission: we have been trained to become ‘human machines’ instead of developing our unique human abilities.

The traditional education system, developed in the age of industrialisation, aimed to create a reliable workforce for standardised processes. Creativity, critical thinking and independent action were often undesirable. Pupils and students were not encouraged to ask questions or find alternative solutions. Instead, conformity was rewarded and deviation penalised.

AI now acts as a merciless mirror of this misguided development. It shows us that much of what we call ‘education’ was merely the training of routines. When an AI model can write a structured essay, solve a maths problem or produce a market analysis within seconds, it becomes clear that these skills alone no longer make us valuable for the labour market.

Paradoxically, this painful realisation could be the starting point for a long overdue education revolution. We need to abandon the illusion that memorising facts or following predetermined processes is enough. Instead, we need to focus on developing genuinely human skills:

• The ability to ask new questions instead of just giving known answers
• The ability to develop creative solutions to novel problems
• The ability to make ethical decisions and weigh up values
• The ability to genuinely empathise and build meaningful relationships
• The ability to understand complex relationships and think systemically

The ‘natural stupidity’ that AI exposes is not that of individual people, but that of a system that has reduced people to one-dimensional task fulfilers. The true intelligence of humans is not revealed in the competition with machines, but in the ability to use machines sensibly in order to develop human potential.

The fear of AI is therefore also an opportunity for self-reflection: What makes us truly human? What skills should we develop? How can we design an education system that supports people in realising their full potential instead of degrading them to programmable units?

The answer may lie in a fundamental rethink: away from teaching standardised skills and towards developing adaptive competencies. Away from the passive consumption of knowledge and towards the active creation of solutions. Away from fear of machines and towards self-confident use of technological tools.

AI could thus become the catalyst for a long overdue educational reform - not because it threatens us, but because it forces us to reflect on our true strengths and develop them in a targeted manner. The real revolution lies not in technology, but in a return to what makes us human.

@ e1d968f7:5d90f764

In escorting, there are countless moments when learning to let go becomes essential. Whether it’s releasing emotional baggage, moving past a challenging client interaction, or simply accepting the unpredictability of this work, letting go is a skill that keeps me grounded and resilient.

---

Letting Go of Perfection

When I first started, I wanted every booking to go flawlessly. I put immense pressure on myself to be the perfect companion, meet every expectation, and handle every situation with ease. But perfection isn’t realistic, and chasing it only led to burnout.

• I now focus on authenticity: Clients value genuine connection more than polished performance.
• Mistakes happen: Instead of dwelling on them, I reflect, learn, and move forward.

---

Releasing Emotional Attachments

It’s easy to form attachments in this line of work—whether it’s to a particularly kind client or a fantasy of a situation that doesn’t align with reality. But holding onto these emotions can blur boundaries and create complications.

• Setting limits: I remind myself that my work is professional, not personal.
• Processing feelings: Journaling or talking with a trusted confidant helps me sort through lingering emotions.
• Focusing on the present: Staying in the moment prevents overthinking past interactions.

---

Accepting the Unpredictable

No two days are the same in escorting. Cancellations, unexpected client behaviour, or changes in plans are part of the job. Learning to let go of control and embrace flexibility has been key to maintaining my sanity.

• Expect the unexpected: I leave room in my schedule to adapt to surprises.
• Stay calm under pressure: Meditation and mindfulness practices help me approach challenges with a clear mind.
• Find opportunity in change: Sometimes, unexpected cancellations lead to much-needed downtime or spontaneous fun.

---

Saying Goodbye to Clients

One of the hardest parts of escorting is saying goodbye to clients I’ve built a connection with. Whether they stop booking or move on for personal reasons, it’s important to let go gracefully.

• Cherish the memories: I focus on the positives of our time together.
• Resist the urge to cling: Respecting their choices maintains professionalism and dignity.
• Look ahead: Each goodbye opens the door for new opportunities and connections.

---

The Freedom of Letting Go

Letting go isn’t just about releasing what no longer serves me—it’s about creating space for growth, new experiences, and a healthier mindset. The more I practise this, the lighter and more empowered I feel.

---

The Takeaway

Letting go is an essential skill in escorting and in life. By releasing unrealistic expectations, emotional attachments, and the need for control, I’ve learned to approach my work with more clarity, confidence, and ease.

Tomorrow, I’ll explore the importance of discretion in this line of work and how it shapes my interactions with clients and my personal life.

Rebecca x

@ df8f0a64:057d87a5

2024年下半期の振り返り

あんまり変化はないんですが、進捗ありません！で終わっても仕方ないのでちょっとは無理やりでも振り返りましょう

0. 退職した

上半期時点で決まってはいたんですが、　6年間ほど勤務した会社を退職しました

退職直前まで爆発物取扱みたいなタスクをこなして、なかなかひやひやした退職プロセス

静かに退職したいので送別会の類のイベントは無しにしてくれというお願いをきいてくれた各メンバーに感謝です

1. 公開していたNostrリレーの設定を変更した

日本のみに公開していたリレーを、全世界に公開しました

当初はCloudflareでリレーをホストしていたのが、利用していたnosflareもcfrelayもクライアントに対してイベントを配布するコードがなく（R2だけではできない）

さてどうしたものかと悩んでいたタイミングで、Umbrelのおひとり様リレーのポートを公開する対応をしました。リレーのお引越し

で、公開してしばらくしたら、すごい勢いで日本国外からの投稿が着信するようになり大困惑

調べてみたら、Mutiny wallet（現在はサービス終了）が運営しているblastr.mutinywallet.com（たぶんまだ稼働している）が原因でした

Nostr.watchのAPIを利用して、世の中にあるNostrリレーすべてにイベントを送り込む凶悪な思想犯です

ヘッダー情報などでブロックできなかったので、blastrがホストされてるCloudflareのIPを全てブロックする力技で対処しました

ちなみに、nosflareもいつのまにかblastrのようなものをホストしているようです

なんなんでしょうね、Nostrの白人さんたちの、過激なほど分散というか対検閲をしようとするお節介さは

2. 公開していたNostrリレーを潰した

上記のように折角いろいろやったリレーを潰しました

Reply guyというbotが猛威をふるった時期、クソみたいなイベントをばら撒かれてくることに私がキレたからです。クソが

NostrとしてはこれをきっかけにWoTを組み込んだリレーが開発されたりして、スパム対策が一歩前進した感があります。クソが

スパムばら撒きをBostrが助長してるみたいな批難を受けて、作者のYonleさんがブチ切れ、全Nostr関連リポジトリのメンテを放棄する事態も発生

ちょうどMutiny walletでGOXしたご本人の機嫌が悪かった時期に、クソスパムがぶつかったことによる悲しい出来事でした。ほんとクソ

3. おわりに

他にもこまいことはいくつかあるんですが、主にはこんなとこでしょうか。来年も楽しくNostrしたいですね

@ a8d1560d:3fec7a08

The digital age is increasingly dominated by centralized platforms that control data, censor content, and limit privacy. Amid these trends, Nostr offers an alternative: a decentralized protocol built on WebSocket and JSON that upholds the values of decentralization, privacy, and censorship resistance. But how can Nostr gain wider adoption while preserving its core principles? Here’s a detailed look at potential strategies.

---

What is Nostr?

Nostr stands for "Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays." Unlike centralized services, it is an open protocol designed to enable decentralized social networks and communication systems. It is based on two core technologies: - WebSocket for real-time communication. - JSON as a lightweight data format for information exchange.

Users identify themselves through a cryptographic key pair (public and private keys), ensuring authentication and the integrity of their content. Content is distributed via relays, which act as independent nodes. This decentralized architecture makes Nostr resistant to censorship and central control.

---

Challenges and Goals

While Nostr offers numerous advantages, it faces several challenges: - Driving adoption in a world accustomed to centralized platforms. - Improving usability to attract a broader audience. - Maintaining its core values of decentralization, privacy, and uncensorability, even as it grows.

To address these challenges, both technical and social aspects must be considered.

---

1. Improve Usability

A major barrier to Nostr’s adoption is its current complexity, which can deter less tech-savvy users. Addressing this requires a focus on user experience:

• Simplify Onboarding:
• Key management can be confusing. Automating key generation and secure backup processes can help ease new users into the system.

• Clear, simple tutorials and visual guides can reduce the learning curve.

• Cross-Platform Apps:

• Reliable and feature-rich clients for mobile and desktop platforms (e.g., iOS, Android, Windows, Linux) are essential.

• Consistent interfaces and features such as dark mode or customizable themes can enhance user retention.

• Localization:

• Supporting multiple languages in clients and tutorials can help Nostr gain traction in diverse regions.

---

2. Democratize and Decentralize Relays

Relays are the backbone of Nostr, and their availability and decentralization are crucial for the protocol’s long-term success.

• Promote Open Relay Hosting:
• Provide detailed guides and tools to make it easy for individuals to host their own relays.

• Hosting kits and optimized configurations can reduce costs and technical barriers.

• Incentivize Relay Operators:

• Introduce monetization models such as micropayments through Bitcoin/Lightning to make relay operations financially sustainable.

• Simplify Relay Selection:

• Users should have access to tools that help them identify trustworthy and active relays. Recommendation algorithms or curated lists could be helpful.

---

3. Educate and Build a Community

An informed and engaged community is critical for Nostr’s success. Public awareness and collaboration efforts should be prioritized:

• Awareness Campaigns:

• Articles, blogs, and videos can explain the benefits of Nostr, particularly around privacy and censorship resistance.

• Workshops and Hackathons:

• Events aimed at both developers and users can help spread knowledge about Nostr and encourage new applications.

• Integration with Existing Networks:

• Tools that allow cross-posting between Nostr and other platforms (e.g., Twitter or Mastodon) could extend its reach and ease the transition for users.

---

4. Strengthen the Developer Ecosystem

A robust developer ecosystem is essential for creating new applications and features on Nostr.

• Promote Open-Source Projects:

• Developers should have access to well-documented open-source libraries to build their own projects on Nostr.

• Ensure Modularity:

• Standards and protocol extensions should allow new features to be added without compromising decentralization or interoperability.

• Enhance Interoperability:

• Nostr could establish bridges to other protocols, such as Matrix or ActivityPub, to expand its use cases.

---

5. Prioritize Privacy and Security

Privacy and security are central to Nostr’s promise and should be continually enhanced:

• End-to-End Encryption:

• Messages between users should be encrypted by default to ensure maximum confidentiality.

• Enhance Anonymity:

• Integrations with technologies like Tor or VPNs could increase user anonymity.

• Data Ownership:

• Users should have full control over their content, including the ability to export and delete it as needed.

---

6. Foster Practical Applications

To drive adoption, Nostr must deliver concrete use cases that go beyond social networking:

• Specialized Apps:

• Decentralized marketplaces, secure messaging apps, or alternative blogging platforms could be built on Nostr.

• Bitcoin Integration:

• Connecting with Bitcoin and the Lightning Network could enable micropayments and create financial incentives.

• Experimental Ideas:

• Creative applications such as decentralized voting systems or educational platforms could attract new audiences.

---

7. Ensure Resilience Against Regulation

The regulatory landscape, particularly in the EU, could pose challenges for Nostr. Ensuring resilience is key:

• Preserve Censorship Resistance:

• Nostr’s design should prevent centralized interference or blockades.

• Emphasize Technical Neutrality:

• Nostr is a protocol, not a service. This distinction should be clearly communicated to mitigate regulatory pressure.

• Guarantee Accessibility:

• Technologies like proxy relays or alternative connection methods could ensure access in censorship-prone regions.

---

Conclusion

Nostr offers a promising alternative to centralized platforms by putting decentralization, privacy, and censorship resistance at its core. To gain widespread adoption, it must strike a balance between technical innovation, user-friendly implementation, and the protection of its core values. Through targeted awareness campaigns, a strong developer ecosystem, and an active community, Nostr can become a groundbreaking platform for digital communication—without compromising user freedom or autonomy.

@ c3f12a9a:06c21301

Dear friends,

The European Union is at a crossroads, and the stakes could not be higher. A new proposal threatens to undermine one of our most fundamental rights—our privacy. This initiative, called "Chat Control," would require the scanning of private messages and emails across Europe, even in services that are end-to-end encrypted. If this passes, our ability to communicate freely and securely in the digital world will be a thing of the past.

This is not just a theoretical issue—it’s happening now. The Council Presidency is pushing the proposal forward, with discussions planned for December 6, 2024. It’s crucial that we act now to protect our rights and freedoms before it’s too late.

As a united community, we’ve already proven what we can achieve. In the Czech Republic, we recently secured a Bitcoin tax exemption by working together and pressuring our politicians with constructive requests. If we mobilize on a European scale, we have a chance to stop this dangerous proposal in its tracks.

Let’s join forces, write to our representatives, and let them know that we won’t stand for mass surveillance. Let’s also spread the word to those around us—our friends, families, and networks. Together, we can make a difference.

—

Situation Summary: The European Union is considering a proposal to mandate the scanning of all private messages and emails to combat child sexual exploitation material (CSEM). This initiative, known as "Chat Control," would apply even to end-to-end encrypted services, effectively ending digital privacy.

The proposal also includes measures such as network blocking, scanning personal cloud storage, mandatory age verification, and app store censorship, potentially excluding minors from the digital world.

Despite significant opposition from citizens, experts, and some Members of the European Parliament, the proposal is moving forward, with the last discussion few days ago at December 6, 2024. Critics argue that this constitutes mass surveillance and severely undermines fundamental rights.

Thank you for standing up for privacy and freedom. Wondrej

source- https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/posts/chat-control/ https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/domaci-politika-eu-chce-povinnou-kontrolu-chatu-265958

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/802048

@ e968e50b:db2a803a

The increasingly inaccurately named weekly crossword puzzle is up! The results are in[^1], and this week's theme is Christmas!

This is an easy one and themed off of a famous holiday (at least in the Western world, sorry international folks, lemme know if there's a theme you'd like to see). Share it with your friends who like newspaper puzzles and hopefully they'll stumble into some bitcoin stuff.[^2]

week 9 puzzle

week 9 puzzle

I made a more normie-friendly url for you to orange pill people with: https://christmascrossword.vercel.app/

Last week's puzzle: https://stackernewscrosswordpuzzle8.vercel.app/

Shout out to @dagny761, who proofreads all of these and was pissed for not getting credit in my little pole yesterday...

[^1]: Technically, there are four hours left, but Christmas is WAY ahead of every other theme, so I'll just eat crow if it loses. [^2]: I feel as if the orange-pilly nature of this endeavor justifies sharing it in the bitcoin territory. Downzap as you see fit, grinches!

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/803584

@ a8d1560d:3fec7a08

Das digitale Zeitalter wird zunehmend von zentralisierten Plattformen geprägt, die Daten kontrollieren, Inhalte zensieren und Privatsphäre einschränken. Inmitten dieser Entwicklungen bietet Nostr eine Alternative: ein dezentrales Protokoll, das auf WebSocket und JSON basiert und die Werte von Dezentralität, Privatsphäre und Zensurresistenz hochhält. Doch wie kann sich Nostr verbreiten, ohne diese Grundwerte zu gefährden? Ein detaillierter Blick auf mögliche Strategien.

---

Was ist Nostr?

Nostr steht für "Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays". Es handelt sich nicht um eine Plattform oder einen zentralen Dienst, sondern um ein offenes Protokoll, das entwickelt wurde, um dezentrale soziale Netzwerke und Kommunikationslösungen zu ermöglichen. Es baut auf zwei Kerntechnologien auf: - WebSocket für Echtzeitkommunikation. - JSON als leichtgewichtiges Datenformat zur Übertragung von Informationen.

Die Nutzer identifizieren sich über ein kryptographisches Schlüsselpaar (privater und öffentlicher Schlüssel), was Authentifizierung und Integrität der Inhalte sicherstellt. Inhalte werden über sogenannte Relays verbreitet, die als Knotenpunkte fungieren und unabhängig betrieben werden können. Diese Struktur macht Nostr resistent gegenüber Zensur und zentraler Kontrolle.

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Herausforderungen und Ziele

Obwohl Nostr viele Vorteile bietet, steht es vor mehreren Herausforderungen: - Die Akzeptanz in einer Welt, die an zentrale Plattformen gewöhnt ist. - Die Benutzerfreundlichkeit, die für breite Nutzung entscheidend ist. - Die Wahrung seiner Werte von Dezentralität, Privatsphäre und Zensurresistenz, selbst bei wachsender Verbreitung.

Um diese Ziele zu erreichen, müssen technische, soziale und regulatorische Aspekte gleichermaßen berücksichtigt werden.

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1. Benutzerfreundlichkeit verbessern

Ein zentrales Hindernis für die Verbreitung von Nostr ist seine derzeitige Komplexität, die technisch weniger versierte Nutzer abschrecken kann. Um dies zu ändern, sollte der Fokus auf einer besseren Benutzererfahrung liegen:

• Einfacheres Onboarding:
• Schlüsselmanagement kann verwirrend sein. Automatisierte, aber sichere Lösungen für die Erstellung und Sicherung privater Schlüssel könnten den Einstieg erleichtern.

• Klare und einfache Tutorials sowie visuelle Erklärungen könnten dazu beitragen, die Lernkurve zu senken.

• Apps für verschiedene Plattformen:

• Zuverlässige und funktionsreiche Clients für mobile und Desktop-Plattformen (z. B. iOS, Android, Windows, Linux) sind essenziell.

• Eine konsistente Benutzeroberfläche und Funktionen wie Dark Mode oder Themes können Nutzerbindung stärken.

• Mehrsprachige Unterstützung:

• Lokalisierung der Clients und Tutorials in verschiedenen Sprachen kann dazu beitragen, Nostr in unterschiedlichen Regionen populär zu machen.

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2. Relays demokratisieren und dezentralisieren

Relays sind das Herzstück von Nostr, und ihre Verfügbarkeit sowie Dezentralität sind entscheidend für die langfristige Stabilität des Protokolls.

• Förderung offener Relay-Betreibung:
• Detaillierte Anleitungen und Tools sollten bereitgestellt werden, um es Menschen einfach zu machen, eigene Relays zu betreiben.

• Hosting-Kits und optimierte Konfigurationen könnten Kosten und technische Hürden senken.

• Anreize für Relay-Betreiber:

• Monetarisierungsmodelle wie Micropayments über Bitcoin/Lightning könnten dazu beitragen, Relays finanziell nachhaltig zu machen.

• Relay-Auswahl vereinfachen:

• Nutzer sollten leicht erkennen können, welche Relays vertrauenswürdig und aktiv sind. Empfehlungsalgorithmen oder Listen könnten hier helfen.

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3. Aufklärung und Community-Bildung

Eine informierte und engagierte Community ist entscheidend für den Erfolg von Nostr. Daher sollte der Fokus auf öffentlicher Aufklärung und Zusammenarbeit liegen:

• Bildungskampagnen:

• Artikel, Blogs und Videos könnten die Vorteile von Nostr verständlich erklären, insbesondere in Bezug auf Datenschutz und Zensurresistenz.

• Workshops und Hackathons:

• Veranstaltungen, die sich an Entwickler und Anwender richten, können helfen, das Wissen über Nostr zu verbreiten und neue Anwendungen zu entwickeln.

• Integration mit bestehenden Netzwerken:

• Tools zur Integration von Nostr mit anderen Plattformen (z. B. Twitter oder Mastodon) könnten die Reichweite erhöhen und den Übergang erleichtern.

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4. Entwickler-Ökosystem stärken

Ein starkes Entwickler-Ökosystem ist entscheidend, um neue Anwendungen und Funktionen auf Nostr zu schaffen.

• Open-Source-Projekte fördern:

• Entwickler sollten Zugang zu gut dokumentierten Open-Source-Bibliotheken haben, um eigene Projekte auf Basis von Nostr umzusetzen.

• Modularität gewährleisten:

• Standards und Protokollerweiterungen sollten es ermöglichen, neue Funktionen hinzuzufügen, ohne die Dezentralität oder Interoperabilität zu gefährden.

• Interoperabilität stärken:

• Nostr könnte Brücken zu anderen Protokollen wie Matrix oder ActivityPub schlagen, um die Nutzungsmöglichkeiten zu erweitern.

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5. Datenschutz und Sicherheit priorisieren

Privatsphäre und Sicherheit sind zentrale Versprechen von Nostr und sollten konsequent weiterentwickelt werden:

• Ende-zu-Ende-Verschlüsselung:

• Nachrichten zwischen Nutzern sollten standardmäßig verschlüsselt werden, um maximale Vertraulichkeit zu gewährleisten.

• Anonymität verbessern:

• Integration mit Technologien wie Tor oder VPNs könnte die Anonymität der Nutzer erhöhen.

• Selbstbestimmung über Daten:

• Nutzer sollten die volle Kontrolle über ihre Inhalte haben, einschließlich Export- und Löschoptionen.

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6. Praktische Anwendungen fördern

Um Nostr populär zu machen, müssen konkrete Anwendungsfälle geschaffen werden, die über soziale Netzwerke hinausgehen:

• Spezialisierte Apps:

• Dezentrale Marktplätze, sichere Messenger oder alternative Blogging-Plattformen könnten auf Nostr aufbauen.

• Integration mit Bitcoin:

• Die Verbindung mit Bitcoin und dem Lightning-Netzwerk kann Micropayments ermöglichen und finanzielle Anreize schaffen.

• Experimentelle Anwendungen:

• Kreative Ideen wie dezentrale Abstimmungen oder Bildungssysteme könnten neue Zielgruppen ansprechen.

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7. Widerstandsfähigkeit gegen Regulierung

Die regulatorische Landschaft, insbesondere in der EU, könnte Herausforderungen für Nostr darstellen. Es ist wichtig, Widerstandsfähigkeit zu sichern:

• Zensurresistenz bewahren:

• Nostr sollte so gestaltet sein, dass zentrale Eingriffe oder Blockaden schwer umzusetzen sind.

• Technische Neutralität betonen:

• Nostr ist ein Protokoll, kein Service. Diese Unterscheidung sollte klar kommuniziert werden, um regulatorischen Druck abzumildern.

• Zugang sicherstellen:

• Technologien wie Proxy-Relays oder alternative Verbindungsprotokolle könnten den Zugang in zensurkritischen Regionen gewährleisten.

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Fazit

Nostr bietet eine vielversprechende Alternative zu zentralisierten Plattformen, indem es Dezentralität, Privatsphäre und Zensurresistenz in den Mittelpunkt stellt. Um sich erfolgreich zu verbreiten, muss jedoch eine Balance gefunden werden: zwischen technischer Innovation, benutzerfreundlicher Umsetzung und dem Schutz seiner Kernwerte. Mit gezielter Aufklärung, einem starken Entwickler-Ökosystem und einer aktiven Community kann Nostr zu einer zukunftsweisenden Plattform für die digitale Kommunikation werden – ohne die Freiheit und Selbstbestimmung seiner Nutzer zu gefährden.

@ 6bae33c8:607272e8

It was a bad week. I went 2-3 ATS in Circa, and my fantasy teams no-showed. My best team needs a good game from Ja’Marr Chase tonight to lock in a spot in the postseason (maybe it’s in anyway as a third-place team due to total points.) The other two fringe ones didn’t come close. And my Steak League team will miss the playoffs thanks to an utter no-show and now is in serious jeopardy of buying. I barely watched the first half of the late games, opting instead to go to sleep.

I’m soured on the season, but it’s no one’s fault but my own. The truth is I don’t give a shit that much. I mean I’m pissed but not as pissed as I should be. I had a crushing day, it torched most of my season, and I’m annoyed, but I didn’t do anything special to deserve to win. I did the research, and I did the FAAB every week, and I set my lineups carefully. But I’m not doing anything above and beyond. I have only the interest I have. I’ve completed the transition from professional to casual player.

• I took the Titans -3.5 as one of my picks and Will Levis as my Steak League QB with my other QBs on bye. For whatever reason the Jaguars were ranked last against QB scoring, but limited both C.J. Stroud, who I started last week against them, and Levis. Not that Levis was a lock against anyone.

• I had the Jets +5.5 which was the right side all game, but it was the wrong side because it was the Jets who are cursed.

• I also had Braelon Allen, so of course Isaiah Davis scores the TD and outplays him.

• The strangest storyline of the day was Jonnu Smith who I have everywhere scoring zero points on one target during regulation, then getting 13.8 on a single overtime drive including the game-winning TD. I’m happy he did so much in overtime, but what the fuck was that?

• Other than Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa is probably the best bet for passing yards in any given game.

• Sam Darnold had a monster game — he also didn’t throw a pick and scrambled to make some of those downfield throws. Jordan Addison is emerging as a star alongside Justin Jefferson too, maybe the best WR tandem in the league.

• Maybe Kirk Cousins is cooked. One more loss, and they have to whip out Penix.

• The fucking Giants. I actually laid the wood with the Saints too, and they couldn’t just send it to overtime with a chip shot FG (to give the Saints a chance to cover the 4.5). Plus I had Malik Nabers going and needed more points.

• The Panthers play everyone tough now. I used Jonathon Brooks in the flex in one league, and he got hurt again. Waiting all year for injured players doesn’t usually pan out. Nick Chubb is still healthy, but hasn’t done much either.

• Saquon Barkley had a modest game, but now has 1,623 yards with four games to go. I love Barkley, but the 17-game season really skews record books.

• I’m an idiot for not using the Steelers in the Circa contest. Of course they were going to cover after losing outright a couple weeks ago. I did start Calvin Austin in the Steak League (with George Pickens out), and Austin got me one catch for four yards.

• I had the Bucs -7 against the Raiders, and it was close for a while, but the Raiders are always on the edge of collapse with their QB play.

• I started Bucky Irving who the team shut down early as a precaution. No one told them Week 14 in fantasy is not the time for precaution.

• I foolishly used Arizona in the Circa contest. They were good for a few games a few games ago, but now they’ve reverted. Seattle has more balls than they do. As a Kenny Walker owner, it’s rough seeing Zach Charbonnet have the game you were waiting for from Walker all year.

• Maybe the style is too high-degree of difficulty, but Kyler Murray has never been consistent.

• I didn’t watch Rams-Bills. One reason why my top team is on the ropes is one of the guys I’m competing with (Bob Cramutola) had Josh Allen going. I woke up this morning, was like how did he get 196 points?

• Kyren Williams is like my size, but handles 29 carries, two catches, no problem.

• Puca Nacua should have been a first-round pick. The injury was unlucky, but he belonged ahead of A.J. Brown and Garrett Wilson. Just a target and playmaking machine.

• I had Jordan Mason on my teams all year, and of course Isaac Guerendo goes bananas when you needed it most. The Niners were the obvious buy-low, but I didn’t realize that until watching the first half.

• I had Kimani Vidal in one league, Gus Edwards in another. Edwards scored a TD at least, but would it kill Justin Herbert to target a running back?

• Thomas Hobbes famously described life in the state of nature as “nasty, brutish and short.” Chiefs games are similarly nasty, brutish and close.

@ eac63075:b4988b48

Imagine sending a private message to a friend, only to learn that authorities could be scanning its contents without your knowledge. This isn't a scene from a dystopian novel but a potential reality under the European Union's proposed "Chat Control" measures. Aimed at combating serious crimes like child exploitation and terrorism, these proposals could significantly impact the privacy of everyday internet users. As encrypted messaging services become the norm for personal and professional communication, understanding Chat Control is essential. This article delves into what Chat Control entails, why it's being considered, and how it could affect your right to private communication.

https://www.fountain.fm/episode/coOFsst7r7mO1EP1kSzV

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0IZ6kMExfxFm4FHg5DAWT8?si=e139033865e045de

Sections:

• Introduction
• What Is Chat Control?
• Why Is the EU Pushing for Chat Control?
• The Privacy Concerns and Risks
• The Technical Debate: Encryption and Backdoors
• Global Reactions and the Debate in Europe
• Possible Consequences for Messaging Services
• What Happens Next? The Future of Chat Control
• Conclusion

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What Is Chat Control?

"Chat Control" refers to a set of proposed measures by the European Union aimed at monitoring and scanning private communications on messaging platforms. The primary goal is to detect and prevent the spread of illegal content, such as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and to combat terrorism. While the intention is to enhance security and protect vulnerable populations, these proposals have raised significant privacy concerns.

At its core, Chat Control would require messaging services to implement automated scanning technologies that can analyze the content of messages—even those that are end-to-end encrypted. This means that the private messages you send to friends, family, or colleagues could be subject to inspection by algorithms designed to detect prohibited content.

Origins of the Proposal

The initiative for Chat Control emerged from the EU's desire to strengthen its digital security infrastructure. High-profile cases of online abuse and the use of encrypted platforms by criminal organizations have prompted lawmakers to consider more invasive surveillance tactics. The European Commission has been exploring legislation that would make it mandatory for service providers to monitor communications on their platforms.

How Messaging Services Work

Most modern messaging apps, like Signal, Session, SimpleX, Veilid, Protonmail and Tutanota (among others), use end-to-end encryption (E2EE). This encryption ensures that only the sender and the recipient can read the messages being exchanged. Not even the service providers can access the content. This level of security is crucial for maintaining privacy in digital communications, protecting users from hackers, identity thieves, and other malicious actors.

Key Elements of Chat Control

• Automated Content Scanning: Service providers would use algorithms to scan messages for illegal content.
• Circumvention of Encryption: To scan encrypted messages, providers might need to alter their encryption methods, potentially weakening security.
• Mandatory Reporting: If illegal content is detected, providers would be required to report it to authorities.
• Broad Applicability: The measures could apply to all messaging services operating within the EU, affecting both European companies and international platforms.

Why It Matters

Understanding Chat Control is essential because it represents a significant shift in how digital privacy is handled. While combating illegal activities online is crucial, the methods proposed could set a precedent for mass surveillance and the erosion of privacy rights. Everyday users who rely on encrypted messaging for personal and professional communication might find their conversations are no longer as private as they once thought.

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Why Is the EU Pushing for Chat Control?

The European Union's push for Chat Control stems from a pressing concern to protect its citizens, particularly children, from online exploitation and criminal activities. With the digital landscape becoming increasingly integral to daily life, the EU aims to strengthen its ability to combat serious crimes facilitated through online platforms.

Protecting Children and Preventing Crime

One of the primary motivations behind Chat Control is the prevention of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) circulating on the internet. Law enforcement agencies have reported a significant increase in the sharing of illegal content through private messaging services. By implementing Chat Control, the EU believes it can more effectively identify and stop perpetrators, rescue victims, and deter future crimes.

Terrorism is another critical concern. Encrypted messaging apps can be used by terrorist groups to plan and coordinate attacks without detection. The EU argues that accessing these communications could be vital in preventing such threats and ensuring public safety.

Legal Context and Legislative Drivers

The push for Chat Control is rooted in several legislative initiatives:

• ePrivacy Directive: This directive regulates the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in electronic communications. The EU is considering amendments that would allow for the scanning of private messages under specific circumstances.

• Temporary Derogation: In 2021, the EU adopted a temporary regulation permitting voluntary detection of CSAM by communication services. The current proposals aim to make such measures mandatory and more comprehensive.

• Regulation Proposals: The European Commission has proposed regulations that would require service providers to detect, report, and remove illegal content proactively. This would include the use of technologies to scan private communications.

Balancing Security and Privacy

EU officials argue that the proposed measures are a necessary response to evolving digital threats. They emphasize the importance of staying ahead of criminals who exploit technology to harm others. By implementing Chat Control, they believe law enforcement can be more effective without entirely dismantling privacy protections.

However, the EU also acknowledges the need to balance security with fundamental rights. The proposals include provisions intended to limit the scope of surveillance, such as:

• Targeted Scanning: Focusing on specific threats rather than broad, indiscriminate monitoring.

• Judicial Oversight: Requiring court orders or oversight for accessing private communications.

• Data Protection Safeguards: Implementing measures to ensure that data collected is handled securely and deleted when no longer needed.

The Urgency Behind the Push

High-profile cases of online abuse and terrorism have heightened the sense of urgency among EU policymakers. Reports of increasing online grooming and the widespread distribution of illegal content have prompted calls for immediate action. The EU posits that without measures like Chat Control, these problems will continue to escalate unchecked.

Criticism and Controversy

Despite the stated intentions, the push for Chat Control has been met with significant criticism. Opponents argue that the measures could be ineffective against savvy criminals who can find alternative ways to communicate. There is also concern that such surveillance could be misused or extended beyond its original purpose.

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The Privacy Concerns and Risks

While the intentions behind Chat Control focus on enhancing security and protecting vulnerable groups, the proposed measures raise significant privacy concerns. Critics argue that implementing such surveillance could infringe on fundamental rights and set a dangerous precedent for mass monitoring of private communications.

Infringement on Privacy Rights

At the heart of the debate is the right to privacy. By scanning private messages, even with automated tools, the confidentiality of personal communications is compromised. Users may no longer feel secure sharing sensitive information, fearing that their messages could be intercepted or misinterpreted by algorithms.

Erosion of End-to-End Encryption

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a cornerstone of digital security, ensuring that only the sender and recipient can read the messages exchanged. Chat Control could necessitate the introduction of "backdoors" or weaken encryption protocols, making it easier for unauthorized parties to access private data. This not only affects individual privacy but also exposes communications to potential cyber threats.

Concerns from Privacy Advocates

Organizations like Signal and Tutanota, which offer encrypted messaging services, have voiced strong opposition to Chat Control. They warn that undermining encryption could have far-reaching consequences:

• Security Risks: Weakening encryption makes systems more vulnerable to hacking, espionage, and cybercrime.
• Global Implications: Changes in EU regulations could influence policies worldwide, leading to a broader erosion of digital privacy.
• Ineffectiveness Against Crime: Determined criminals might resort to other, less detectable means of communication, rendering the measures ineffective while still compromising the privacy of law-abiding citizens.

Potential for Government Overreach

There is a fear that Chat Control could lead to increased surveillance beyond its original scope. Once the infrastructure for scanning private messages is in place, it could be repurposed or expanded to monitor other types of content, stifling free expression and dissent.

Real-World Implications for Users

• False Positives: Automated scanning technologies are not infallible and could mistakenly flag innocent content, leading to unwarranted scrutiny or legal consequences for users.
• Chilling Effect: Knowing that messages could be monitored might discourage people from expressing themselves freely, impacting personal relationships and societal discourse.
• Data Misuse: Collected data could be vulnerable to leaks or misuse, compromising personal and sensitive information.

Legal and Ethical Concerns

Privacy advocates also highlight potential conflicts with existing laws and ethical standards:

• Violation of Fundamental Rights: The European Convention on Human Rights and other international agreements protect the right to privacy and freedom of expression.
• Questionable Effectiveness: The ethical justification for such invasive measures is challenged if they do not significantly improve safety or if they disproportionately impact innocent users.

Opposition from Member States and Organizations

Countries like Germany and organizations such as the European Digital Rights (EDRi) have expressed opposition to Chat Control. They emphasize the need to protect digital privacy and caution against hasty legislation that could have unintended consequences.

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The Technical Debate: Encryption and Backdoors

The discussion around Chat Control inevitably leads to a complex technical debate centered on encryption and the potential introduction of backdoors into secure communication systems. Understanding these concepts is crucial to grasping the full implications of the proposed measures.

What Is End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)?

End-to-end encryption is a method of secure communication that prevents third parties from accessing data while it's transferred from one end system to another. In simpler terms, only the sender and the recipient can read the messages. Even the service providers operating the messaging platforms cannot decrypt the content.

• Security Assurance: E2EE ensures that sensitive information—be it personal messages, financial details, or confidential business communications—remains private.
• Widespread Use: Popular messaging apps like Signal, Session, SimpleX, Veilid, Protonmail and Tutanota (among others) rely on E2EE to protect user data.

How Chat Control Affects Encryption

Implementing Chat Control as proposed would require messaging services to scan the content of messages for illegal material. To do this on encrypted platforms, providers might have to:

• Introduce Backdoors: Create a means for third parties (including the service provider or authorities) to access encrypted messages.
• Client-Side Scanning: Install software on users' devices that scans messages before they are encrypted and sent, effectively bypassing E2EE.

The Risks of Weakening Encryption

1. Compromised Security for All Users

Introducing backdoors or client-side scanning tools can create vulnerabilities:

• Exploitable Gaps: If a backdoor exists, malicious actors might find and exploit it, leading to data breaches.
• Universal Impact: Weakening encryption doesn't just affect targeted individuals; it potentially exposes all users to increased risk.

2. Undermining Trust in Digital Services

• User Confidence: Knowing that private communications could be accessed might deter people from using digital services or push them toward unregulated platforms.
• Business Implications: Companies relying on secure communications might face increased risks, affecting economic activities.

3. Ineffectiveness Against Skilled Adversaries

• Alternative Methods: Criminals might shift to other encrypted channels or develop new ways to avoid detection.
• False Sense of Security: Weakening encryption could give the impression of increased safety while adversaries adapt and continue their activities undetected.

Signal’s Response and Stance

Signal, a leading encrypted messaging service, has been vocal in its opposition to the EU's proposals:

• Refusal to Weaken Encryption: Signal's CEO Meredith Whittaker has stated that the company would rather cease operations in the EU than compromise its encryption standards.
• Advocacy for Privacy: Signal emphasizes that strong encryption is essential for protecting human rights and freedoms in the digital age.

Understanding Backdoors

A "backdoor" in encryption is an intentional weakness inserted into a system to allow authorized access to encrypted data. While intended for legitimate use by authorities, backdoors pose several problems:

• Security Vulnerabilities: They can be discovered and exploited by unauthorized parties, including hackers and foreign governments.
• Ethical Concerns: The existence of backdoors raises questions about consent and the extent to which governments should be able to access private communications.

The Slippery Slope Argument

Privacy advocates warn that introducing backdoors or mandatory scanning sets a precedent:

• Expanded Surveillance: Once in place, these measures could be extended to monitor other types of content beyond the original scope.
• Erosion of Rights: Gradual acceptance of surveillance can lead to a significant reduction in personal freedoms over time.

Potential Technological Alternatives

Some suggest that it's possible to fight illegal content without undermining encryption:

• Metadata Analysis: Focusing on patterns of communication rather than content.
• Enhanced Reporting Mechanisms: Encouraging users to report illegal content voluntarily.
• Investing in Law Enforcement Capabilities: Strengthening traditional investigative methods without compromising digital security.

The technical community largely agrees that weakening encryption is not the solution:

• Consensus on Security: Strong encryption is essential for the safety and privacy of all internet users.
• Call for Dialogue: Technologists and privacy experts advocate for collaborative approaches that address security concerns without sacrificing fundamental rights.

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Global Reactions and the Debate in Europe

The proposal for Chat Control has ignited a heated debate across Europe and beyond, with various stakeholders weighing in on the potential implications for privacy, security, and fundamental rights. The reactions are mixed, reflecting differing national perspectives, political priorities, and societal values.

Support for Chat Control

Some EU member states and officials support the initiative, emphasizing the need for robust measures to combat online crime and protect citizens, especially children. They argue that:

• Enhanced Security: Mandatory scanning can help law enforcement agencies detect and prevent serious crimes.
• Responsibility of Service Providers: Companies offering communication services should play an active role in preventing their platforms from being used for illegal activities.
• Public Safety Priorities: The protection of vulnerable populations justifies the implementation of such measures, even if it means compromising some aspects of privacy.

Opposition within the EU

Several countries and organizations have voiced strong opposition to Chat Control, citing concerns over privacy rights and the potential for government overreach.

Germany

• Stance: Germany has been one of the most vocal opponents of the proposed measures.
• Reasons:
• Constitutional Concerns: The German government argues that Chat Control could violate constitutional protections of privacy and confidentiality of communications.
• Security Risks: Weakening encryption is seen as a threat to cybersecurity.
• Legal Challenges: Potential conflicts with national laws protecting personal data and communication secrecy.

Netherlands

• Recent Developments: The Dutch government decided against supporting Chat Control, emphasizing the importance of encryption for security and privacy.
• Arguments:
• Effectiveness Doubts: Skepticism about the actual effectiveness of the measures in combating crime.
• Negative Impact on Privacy: Concerns about mass surveillance and the infringement of citizens' rights.

Table reference: Patrick Breyer - Chat Control in 23 September 2024

Privacy Advocacy Groups

European Digital Rights (EDRi)

• Role: A network of civil and human rights organizations working to defend rights and freedoms in the digital environment.
• Position:
• Strong Opposition: EDRi argues that Chat Control is incompatible with fundamental rights.
• Awareness Campaigns: Engaging in public campaigns to inform citizens about the potential risks.
• Policy Engagement: Lobbying policymakers to consider alternative approaches that respect privacy.

Politicians and Activists

Patrick Breyer

• Background: A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Germany, representing the Pirate Party.
• Actions:
• Advocacy: Actively campaigning against Chat Control through speeches, articles, and legislative efforts.
• Public Outreach: Using social media and public events to raise awareness.
• Legal Expertise: Highlighting the legal inconsistencies and potential violations of EU law.

Global Reactions

International Organizations

• Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International: These organizations have expressed concerns about the implications for human rights, urging the EU to reconsider.

Technology Companies

• Global Tech Firms: Companies like Apple and Microsoft are monitoring the situation, as EU regulations could affect their operations and user trust.
• Industry Associations: Groups representing tech companies have issued statements highlighting the risks to innovation and competitiveness.

The Broader Debate

The controversy over Chat Control reflects a broader struggle between security interests and privacy rights in the digital age. Key points in the debate include:

• Legal Precedents: How the EU's decision might influence laws and regulations in other countries.
• Digital Sovereignty: The desire of nations to control digital spaces within their borders.
• Civil Liberties: The importance of protecting freedoms in the face of technological advancements.

Public Opinion

• Diverse Views: Surveys and public forums show a range of opinions, with some citizens prioritizing security and others valuing privacy above all.
• Awareness Levels: Many people are still unaware of the potential changes, highlighting the need for public education on the issue.

The EU is at a crossroads, facing the challenge of addressing legitimate security concerns without undermining the fundamental rights that are central to its values. The outcome of this debate will have significant implications for the future of digital privacy and the balance between security and freedom in society.

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Possible Consequences for Messaging Services

The implementation of Chat Control could have significant implications for messaging services operating within the European Union. Both large platforms and smaller providers might need to adapt their technologies and policies to comply with the new regulations, potentially altering the landscape of digital communication.

Impact on Encrypted Messaging Services

Signal and Similar Platforms

• Compliance Challenges: Encrypted messaging services like Signal rely on end-to-end encryption to secure user communications. Complying with Chat Control could force them to weaken their encryption protocols or implement client-side scanning, conflicting with their core privacy principles.

• Operational Decisions: Some platforms may choose to limit their services in the EU or cease operations altogether rather than compromise on encryption. Signal, for instance, has indicated that it would prefer to withdraw from European markets than undermine its security features.

Potential Blocking or Limiting of Services

• Regulatory Enforcement: Messaging services that do not comply with Chat Control regulations could face fines, legal action, or even be blocked within the EU.

• Access Restrictions: Users in Europe might find certain services unavailable or limited in functionality if providers decide not to meet the regulatory requirements.

Effects on Smaller Providers

• Resource Constraints: Smaller messaging services and startups may lack the resources to implement the required scanning technologies, leading to increased operational costs or forcing them out of the market.

• Innovation Stifling: The added regulatory burden could deter new entrants, reducing competition and innovation in the messaging service sector.

User Experience and Trust

• Privacy Concerns: Users may lose trust in messaging platforms if they know their communications are subject to scanning, leading to a decline in user engagement.

• Migration to Unregulated Platforms: There is a risk that users might shift to less secure or unregulated services, including those operated outside the EU or on the dark web, potentially exposing them to greater risks.

Technical and Security Implications

• Increased Vulnerabilities: Modifying encryption protocols to comply with Chat Control could introduce security flaws, making platforms more susceptible to hacking and data breaches.

• Global Security Risks: Changes made to accommodate EU regulations might affect the global user base of these services, extending security risks beyond European borders.

Impact on Businesses and Professional Communications

• Confidentiality Issues: Businesses that rely on secure messaging for sensitive communications may face challenges in ensuring confidentiality, affecting sectors like finance, healthcare, and legal services.

• Compliance Complexity: Companies operating internationally will need to navigate a complex landscape of differing regulations, increasing administrative burdens.

Economic Consequences

• Market Fragmentation: Divergent regulations could lead to a fragmented market, with different versions of services for different regions.

• Loss of Revenue: Messaging services might experience reduced revenue due to decreased user trust and engagement or the costs associated with compliance.

Responses from Service Providers

• Legal Challenges: Companies might pursue legal action against the regulations, citing conflicts with privacy laws and user rights.

• Policy Advocacy: Service providers may increase lobbying efforts to influence policy decisions and promote alternatives to Chat Control.

Possible Adaptations

• Technological Innovation: Some providers might invest in developing new technologies that can detect illegal content without compromising encryption, though the feasibility remains uncertain.

• Transparency Measures: To maintain user trust, companies might enhance transparency about how data is handled and what measures are in place to protect privacy.

The potential consequences of Chat Control for messaging services are profound, affecting not only the companies that provide these services but also the users who rely on them daily. The balance between complying with legal requirements and maintaining user privacy and security presents a significant challenge that could reshape the digital communication landscape.

---

What Happens Next? The Future of Chat Control

The future of Chat Control remains uncertain as the debate continues among EU member states, policymakers, technology companies, and civil society organizations. Several factors will influence the outcome of this contentious proposal, each carrying significant implications for digital privacy, security, and the regulatory environment within the European Union.

Current Status of Legislation

• Ongoing Negotiations: The proposed Chat Control measures are still under discussion within the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. Amendments and revisions are being considered in response to the feedback from various stakeholders.

• Timeline: While there is no fixed date for the final decision, the EU aims to reach a consensus to implement effective measures against online crime without undue delay.

Key Influencing Factors

1. Legal Challenges and Compliance with EU Law

• Fundamental Rights Assessment: The proposals must be evaluated against the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, ensuring that any measures comply with rights to privacy, data protection, and freedom of expression.

• Court Scrutiny: Potential legal challenges could arise, leading to scrutiny by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which may impact the feasibility and legality of Chat Control.

2. Technological Feasibility

• Development of Privacy-Preserving Technologies: Research into methods that can detect illegal content without compromising encryption is ongoing. Advances in this area could provide alternative solutions acceptable to both privacy advocates and security agencies.

• Implementation Challenges: The practical aspects of deploying scanning technologies across various platforms and services remain complex, and technical hurdles could delay or alter the proposed measures.

3. Political Dynamics

• Member State Positions: The differing stances of EU countries, such as Germany's opposition, play a significant role in shaping the final outcome. Consensus among member states is crucial for adopting EU-wide regulations.

• Public Opinion and Advocacy: Growing awareness and activism around digital privacy can influence policymakers. Public campaigns and lobbying efforts may sway decisions in favor of stronger privacy protections.

4. Industry Responses

• Negotiations with Service Providers: Ongoing dialogues between EU authorities and technology companies may lead to compromises or collaborative efforts to address concerns without fully implementing Chat Control as initially proposed.

• Potential for Self-Regulation: Messaging services might propose self-regulatory measures to combat illegal content, aiming to demonstrate effectiveness without the need for mandatory scanning.

Possible Scenarios

Optimistic Outcome:

• Balanced Regulation: A revised proposal emerges that effectively addresses security concerns while upholding strong encryption and privacy rights, possibly through innovative technologies or targeted measures with robust oversight.

Pessimistic Outcome:

• Adoption of Strict Measures: Chat Control is implemented as initially proposed, leading to weakened encryption, reduced privacy, and potential withdrawal of services like Signal from the EU market.

Middle Ground:

• Incremental Implementation: Partial measures are adopted, focusing on voluntary cooperation with service providers and emphasizing transparency and user consent, with ongoing evaluations to assess effectiveness and impact.

How to Stay Informed and Protect Your Privacy

• Follow Reputable Sources: Keep up with news from reliable outlets, official EU communications, and statements from privacy organizations to stay informed about developments.

• Engage in the Dialogue: Participate in public consultations, sign petitions, or contact representatives to express your views on Chat Control and digital privacy.

• Utilize Secure Practices: Regardless of legislative outcomes, adopting good digital hygiene—such as using strong passwords and being cautious with personal information—can enhance your online security.

The Global Perspective

• International Implications: The EU's decision may influence global policies on encryption and surveillance, setting precedents that other countries might follow or react against.

• Collaboration Opportunities: International cooperation on developing solutions that protect both security and privacy could emerge, fostering a more unified approach to addressing online threats.

Looking Ahead

The future of Chat Control is a critical issue that underscores the challenges of governing in the digital age. Balancing the need for security with the protection of fundamental rights is a complex task that requires careful consideration, open dialogue, and collaboration among all stakeholders.

As the situation evolves, staying informed and engaged is essential. The decisions made in the coming months will shape the digital landscape for years to come, affecting how we communicate, conduct business, and exercise our rights in an increasingly connected world.

---

Conclusion

The debate over Chat Control highlights a fundamental challenge in our increasingly digital world: how to protect society from genuine threats without eroding the very rights and freedoms that define it. While the intention to safeguard children and prevent crime is undeniably important, the means of achieving this through intrusive surveillance measures raise critical concerns.

Privacy is not just a personal preference but a cornerstone of democratic societies. End-to-end encryption has become an essential tool for ensuring that our personal conversations, professional communications, and sensitive data remain secure from unwanted intrusion. Weakening these protections could expose individuals and organizations to risks that far outweigh the proposed benefits.

The potential consequences of implementing Chat Control are far-reaching:

• Erosion of Trust: Users may lose confidence in digital platforms, impacting how we communicate and conduct business online.
• Security Vulnerabilities: Introducing backdoors or weakening encryption can make systems more susceptible to cyberattacks.
• Stifling Innovation: Regulatory burdens may hinder technological advancement and competitiveness in the tech industry.
• Global Implications: The EU's decisions could set precedents that influence digital policies worldwide, for better or worse.

As citizens, it's crucial to stay informed about these developments. Engage in conversations, reach out to your representatives, and advocate for solutions that respect both security needs and fundamental rights. Technology and policy can evolve together to address challenges without compromising core values.

The future of Chat Control is not yet decided, and public input can make a significant difference. By promoting open dialogue, supporting privacy-preserving innovations, and emphasizing the importance of human rights in legislation, we can work towards a digital landscape that is both safe and free.

In a world where digital communication is integral to daily life, striking the right balance between security and privacy is more important than ever. The choices made today will shape the digital environment for generations to come, determining not just how we communicate, but how we live and interact in an interconnected world.

---

Thank you for reading this article. We hope it has provided you with a clear understanding of Chat Control and its potential impact on your privacy and digital rights. Stay informed, stay engaged, and let's work together towards a secure and open digital future.

Read more:

• https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/posts/chat-control/
• https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/new-eu-push-for-chat-control-will-messenger-services-be-blocked-in-europe/
• https://edri.org/our-work/dutch-decision-puts-brakes-on-chat-control/
• https://signal.org/blog/pdfs/ndss-keynote.pdf
• https://tuta.com/blog/germany-stop-chat-control
• https://cointelegraph.com/news/signal-president-slams-revised-eu-encryption-proposal
• https://mullvad.net/en/why-privacy-matters

@ ece53feb:1edf277e

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/news/2024/12/upstate-ny-village-shuts-off-water-declares-state-of-emergency.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

@ a58a2663:87bb2918

1. Concluir com minha filha, até o fim de 2025, a leitura da tradução latina de Ursinho Pooh, isto é, Winnie Ille Pu, de Alexander Lenard (1910-1972), poeta, ensaísta e tradutor húngaro que viveu no Brasil. Que texto curioso! Estranho estímulo que me chegou para voltar a estudar latim a sério.

1. Importar mais livros pela Thrift Books e menos pela Loja do Diabo. Seu acervo é excepcional e o frete é mais barato. Às vezes, em menos de duas semanas já estou com o livro em mãos (e olha que resido no Maranhão).

2. Concluir e publicar meu livro Vida após as Universidades. Escrita & criação em velhos & novos contextos de risco, desenvolvimento de algumas ideias que insinuei em Contra a vida intelectual, no que diz respeito ao encerramento de um ciclo histórico de modos de fazer investigação erudita.

3. Rematar o terceiro e último módulo de Convivium - Seminário Permanente de Humanidades, "A Alegoria do Mundo: o Mago, o Filólogo e o Colonizador", embrião de um longo ensaio sobre o "projeto humanista" e as vias de saída da modernidade oferecidas pelo pensamento latino-americano. (As inscrições seguem abertas. Caso queira inscrever-se pagando em bitcoin, me mande um e-mail: camoensiii57@protonmail.com).

4. Defender no primeiro semestre minha tese de doutoramento sobre João Francisco Lisboa (1812-1863), o maior prosador brasileiro de meados do século XIX. Compreender seu Jornal de Tímon implica rever concepções há muitos estabelecidas sobre a formação da literatura brasileira.

5. Escrever pelo menos cinco ensaios de apresentação do pensamento de Vilém Flusser e do que pretendo realizar em FLUSSER_project. A ideia é divulgá-los em inglês e especialmente aqui pelo Nostr.

6. Ler TUDO de Ignacio Gómez de Liaño.

7. Não ceder à tentação de discutir com imbecil.

@ e356a30c:11e846f7

Bitcoin, the world's first and most well-known cryptocurrency, has taken the financial world by storm. Its decentralized nature, secure transactions, and potential for high returns have attracted millions of investors. However, the volatile nature of the market and regulatory uncertainties have also raised concerns.

The Pros of Bitcoin 1. Decentralization: Bitcoin operates on a decentralized network, meaning no single entity controls it. This makes it resistant to censorship and manipulation. 2. Security: Bitcoin transactions are secured by blockchain technology, a robust system that records transactions in a transparent and immutable way. 3. Potential for High Returns: Bitcoin's price has experienced significant fluctuations, leading to substantial gains for early investors. 4. Global Accessibility: Bitcoin can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection, regardless of geographic location or financial status. 5. Privacy: Bitcoin transactions can be conducted pseudonymously, providing a level of privacy not offered by traditional financial systems.

The Cons of Bitcoin 1. Volatility: Bitcoin's price is highly volatile, making it a risky investment. Price fluctuations can be drastic, and investors may lose significant amounts of money. 2. Regulatory Uncertainty: The regulatory landscape for cryptocurrencies is still evolving, and governments around the world are taking different approaches. This uncertainty can create legal and tax complications for investors. 3. Energy Consumption: Bitcoin mining requires significant amounts of energy, raising concerns about its environmental impact. 4. Security Risks: While blockchain technology is secure, individuals can still be vulnerable to hacking and scams. 5. Limited Practical Use Cases: Bitcoin's primary use case remains as a speculative asset rather than a widely accepted means of payment. Should You Invest in Bitcoin?

The decision to invest in Bitcoin is a personal one that should be carefully considered. It is essential to conduct thorough research and understand the risks involved. If you're considering investing, here are some tips: 1. Diversify Your Portfolio: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Diversify your investments across various asset classes to mitigate risk. 2. Start Small: Begin with a small investment to test the waters and gain experience. 3. Long-Term Perspective: Bitcoin is a long-term investment. Don't get caught up in short-term price fluctuations. 4. Stay Informed: Keep up-to-date with the latest news and developments in the cryptocurrency market. 5. Consult a Financial Advisor: Seek advice from a qualified financial advisor to get personalized guidance.

Ultimately, the future of Bitcoin remains uncertain. While it has the potential to revolutionize the financial industry, it also faces significant challenges. As technology continues to evolve, it is likely that cryptocurrencies will play an increasingly important role in the global economy. However, investors should approach this emerging market with caution and a clear understanding of the risks involved.

Reference: https://ssoemsisd.com/depomin82-an-overview-of-cryptocurrency-and-its-investment-potential/

@ 005bc4de:ef11e1a2

I've long had a hunch, and on Saturday it was confirmed. God gifted us indoor plumbing for the purpose of keeping us humble.

The kitchen sink has had a slight drip for...too long. Of late, it has been getting worse and I procrastinated until I simply couldn't any longer. Saturday, I determined to finally fix it.

In theory, it should be simple: remove the stupid garbage disposal (which we never used) as it had rusted through and was the leakage problem, then rebuild the piping without a stupid garbage disposal. I've learned to take photos or repair projects, and did, but being a bit nerdy and maybe a bit spectrumy I need to draw it out...helps me flesh things out in my mind.

!(image)[https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/crrdlx/23u6WTkJyo2BWz64wAdM1ow93QciRyBdseq48FWL9rpYUijLAVg8n2fAP61tMuHdNest7.png]

To me, home projects are judged by the number of trips to the home improvement store. I set the over/under on this one at 2.5 trips. If I could only go twice to the store, and get it done, I'd say it was a victory. Over 2.5 and it would be a loss. My usual is around 4 trips, so, feeling this was an easy endeavor, the low 2.5 over/under was set.

Step 1 - disassembly

Tearing things apart is the easy part. At least, it's supposed to be easy because you don't have to be particularly careful. Removing the stupid garbage disposal would be nothing more than unscrewing things, and it was. However, the plastic composite ring that held on the stupid garbage disposal was impossibly not going to come off. I had to use and angle grinder and literally cut the thing off. This is akin to removing a rusty nail with an axe. I cut, off it came.

Step 2 - assembly

I looked at the situation, I drew my sketch. Actually, I drew the first part of the sketch. What's pictured above is the final composition of several iterations and additions. I took trip #1 to the home improvements store, surprisingly found the section quickly (unheard of) and surprisingly quickly found the parts I needed (also unheard of). After navigating through all the Christmas shoppers buying cute decorative doo-daddies (while I was buying pipe), I paid, navigated jammed-full parking lot, then I was gone.

The first part, the "basin/catch thing" went in too easily and things were going too well. (This can't be good, I thought.) And, sure enough under the sink, the parts I thought would do the job weren't even close. What was I thinking?

So, back to the store trip #2. Same thing...section, parts, navigate holiday shoppers (there were more now), navigate parking lot (there were more now), gone. The next parts were assembled, sort of. The little diagrams on the packaging and the in-studio plumbing vids I'd watched all looked so easy. Everything matched up, everything fit. Here, with my head stuck underneath a dark and damp sink and my arms twisted in wrong ways, nothing matched up, nothing fit. And, I needed another part.

So, back to the store trip #3. A few hours in now, I was getting perturbed. I had to humble myself and do what men hate doing...I decided to ask for help.

The kind home improvement store man was answering questions left and right. (It was even busier now.) I waited...more humbling. When my turn came, I bent the knee, showed him my photo of what I had going on under the sink.

"That's not gonna work," he said.

Ugh. "What am I doing wrong?" I asked kind of pitifully.

"Water flows downhill, not uphill," he informed me.

So, this was the real lesson in humility yesterday. Normally, with a smart-alec answer like that (which does not answer my "what's wrong" question, but was merely injected to kick me while I'm down), I would have responded with something of the same kind...because, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I might've said, "It doesn't flow downhill when it's pumped uphill," or "Well, I'll be doggone, that's it! Water does flow downhill. You're a smart man!" Actually, I probably would have said, "Good for you, that's correct," as if congratulating him on his accomplishment of water flowage knowledge, then I would have repeated my question, "what am I doing wrong?"

However, I was too beat down, and stuck. I kept my mouth shut. To get an extra jab in, he added something about how my design would also create a venting problem. Then, he gave constructive advice: take this part out, get one of these, it slides in and out, adjust it to where it fits, easy. To be fair, I think he was growing weary from all the stupid people and stupid questions...evidently people come up with crazy ideas, like water flowing uphill.

I chuckled, "Easy for you maybe," I said. This was trip three, I was stuck, I didn't exactly know what he was telling me to do, I was too embarrassed to ask after having been passive aggressive plumbing-shamed. He seemed pretty confident, so I headed out, with little confidence this would work.

Navigate holiday shoppers, the checkout lady said, "Oh, you're back," (great, now they're starting to know me and my ineptitude, more embarrassment), pay, navigate parking lot, gone.

Back home, I was getting closer. What I was doing was a case of building things out piece by piece. If I had a truck full of parts outside, I could have been done in 30 minutes. The back-and-forth and shaming was what was draining me. The system I was building seemed as though it was finally going to work, but, it just wasn't lining up right...about an inch of a misalign. I needed one more extension part for a slight drop. The last piece of the jigsaw was close, but not exactly right. By this time though, I was getting tired and that added to the frustration. Plus, I couldn't dare go back and face Mr. Water Downhill and Mrs. You're Backagain. I went to a closer, but more pricey, hardware store. I found the part I thought would work and the Santa-looking man there assured me that part was correct. For the first time since trip #1, I felt I might get it to work.

Back home, again, holding things under the sink, looking, figuring, head scratching...nope, this part won't work. Santa was wrong. A male threaded head can't mate with a male threaded head...it just doesn't work that way. Argh! Seriously?! I have to go back again?!

I scratched my head and figured I'd retrace and try what seemed promising the last time...just take a fresh look. To wrap this up, I finally got it to work by mixing and matching parts in the kits I'd bought. The flexible "get rid of this" part that Mr. Water Downhill told me to toss out did the trick. That part was able to flex the one inch drop that I needed to get things to mesh up. And just like that, it was complete.

Tighten, tighten, tighten, tighten, tighten, and tighten. Then, pray for no leaks. Water back on...

Based on my prior plumbing endeavors, I was stunned...there were no leaks. And a day in, so far, so good. I'll keep praying.

Stats

• 5.5 hours of work
• 3 trips to home improvement store
• 1 trip to hardware store
• 1 trip to home improvement store to return unused part (yet to be done)
• 1 trip to hardware store to return unused part (yet to be done)
• 1 make-me-feel-dumb comment from the guy in plumbing
• 1 "back again" from the checkout lady
• 1 "that'll work" from Santa lookalike

With the over/under on trips to the store set at 2.5, and me hitting 6 trips counting the returns, this was clearly a fail.

Moral

The moral of the story is that my hunch was correct...God's purpose in giving us indoor plumbing is so that we stay humble. It's either "stay humble," or get slapped down and "get humbled."

@ 005bc4de:ef11e1a2

I've long had a hunch, and on Saturday it was confirmed. God gifted us indoor plumbing for the purpose of keeping us humble.

The kitchen sink has had a slight drip for...too long. Of late, it has been getting worse and I procrastinated until I simply couldn't any longer. Saturday, I determined to finally fix it.

In theory, it should be simple: remove the stupid garbage disposal (which we never used) as it had rusted through and was the leakage problem, then rebuild the piping without a stupid garbage disposal. I've learned to take photos or repair projects, and did, but being a bit nerdy and maybe a bit spectrumy I need to draw it out...helps me flesh things out in my mind.

https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/crrdlx/23u6WTkJyo2BWz64wAdM1ow93QciRyBdseq48FWL9rpYUijLAVg8n2fAP61tMuHdNest7.png

To me, home projects are judged by the number of trips to the home improvement store. I set the over/under on this one at 2.5 trips. If I could only go twice to the store, and get it done, I'd say it was a victory. Over 2.5 and it would be a loss. My usual is around 4 trips, so, feeling this was an easy endeavor, the low 2.5 over/under was set.

Step 1 - disassembly

Tearing things apart is the easy part. At least, it's supposed to be easy because you don't have to be particularly careful. Removing the stupid garbage disposal would be nothing more than unscrewing things, and it was. However, the plastic composite ring that held on the stupid garbage disposal was impossibly not going to come off. I had to use and angle grinder and literally cut the thing off. This is akin to removing a rusty nail with an axe. I cut, off it came.

Step 2 - assembly

I looked at the situation, I drew my sketch. Actually, I drew the first part of the sketch. What's pictured above is the final composition of several iterations and additions. I took trip #1 to the home improvements store, surprisingly found the section quickly (unheard of) and surprisingly quickly found the parts I needed (also unheard of). After navigating through all the Christmas shoppers buying cute decorative doo-daddies (while I was buying pipe), I paid, navigated jammed-full parking lot, then I was gone.

The first part, the "basin/catch thing" went in too easily and things were going too well. (This can't be good, I thought.) And, sure enough under the sink, the parts I thought would do the job weren't even close. What was I thinking?

So, back to the store trip #2. Same thing...section, parts, navigate holiday shoppers (there were more now), navigate parking lot (there were more now), gone. The next parts were assembled, sort of. The little diagrams on the packaging and the in-studio plumbing vids I'd watched all looked so easy. Everything matched up, everything fit. Here, with my head stuck underneath a dark and damp sink and my arms twisted in wrong ways, nothing matched up, nothing fit. And, I needed another part.

So, back to the store trip #3. A few hours in now, I was getting perturbed. I had to humble myself and do what men hate doing...I decided to ask for help.

The kind home improvement store man was answering questions left and right. (It was even busier now.) I waited...more humbling. When my turn came, I bent the knee, showed him my photo of what I had going on under the sink.

"That's not gonna work," he said.

Ugh. "What am I doing wrong?" I asked kind of pitifully.

"Water flows downhill, not uphill," he informed me.

So, this was the real lesson in humility yesterday. Normally, with a smart-alec answer like that (which does not answer my "what's wrong" question, but was merely injected to kick me while I'm down), I would have responded with something of the same kind...because, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I might've said, "It doesn't flow downhill when it's pumped uphill," or "Well, I'll be doggone, that's it! Water does flow downhill. You're a smart man!" Actually, I probably would have said, "Good for you, that's correct," as if congratulating him on his accomplishment of water flowage knowledge, then I would have repeated my question, "what am I doing wrong?"

However, I was too beat down, and stuck. I kept my mouth shut. To get an extra jab in, he added something about how my design would also create a venting problem. Then, he gave constructive advice: take this part out, get one of these, it slides in and out, adjust it to where it fits, easy. To be fair, I think he was growing weary from all the stupid people and stupid questions...evidently people come up with crazy ideas, like water flowing uphill.

I chuckled, "Easy for you maybe," I said. This was trip three, I was stuck, I didn't exactly know what he was telling me to do, I was too embarrassed to ask after having been passive aggressive plumbing-shamed. He seemed pretty confident, so I headed out, with little confidence this would work.

Navigate holiday shoppers, the checkout lady said, "Oh, you're back," (great, now they're starting to know me and my ineptitude, more embarrassment), pay, navigate parking lot, gone.

Back home, I was getting closer. What I was doing was a case of building things out piece by piece. If I had a truck full of parts outside, I could have been done in 30 minutes. The back-and-forth and shaming was what was draining me. The system I was building seemed as though it was finally going to work, but, it just wasn't lining up right...about an inch of a misalign. I needed one more extension part for a slight drop. The last piece of the jigsaw was close, but not exactly right. By this time though, I was getting tired and that added to the frustration. Plus, I couldn't dare go back and face Mr. Water Downhill and Mrs. You're Backagain. I went to a closer, but more pricey, hardware store. I found the part I thought would work and the Santa-looking man there assured me that part was correct. For the first time since trip #1, I felt I might get it to work.

Back home, again, holding things under the sink, looking, figuring, head scratching...nope, this part won't work. Santa was wrong. A male threaded head can't mate with a male threaded head...it just doesn't work that way. Argh! Seriously?! I have to go back again?!

I scratched my head and figured I'd retrace and try what seemed promising the last time...just take a fresh look. To wrap this up, I finally got it to work by mixing and matching parts in the kits I'd bought. The flexible "get rid of this" part that Mr. Water Downhill told me to toss out did the trick. That part was able to flex the one inch drop that I needed to get things to mesh up. And just like that, it was complete.

Tighten, tighten, tighten, tighten, tighten, and tighten. Then, pray for no leaks. Water back on...

Based on my prior plumbing endeavors, I was stunned...there were no leaks. And a day in, so far, so good. I'll keep praying.

Stats

• 5.5 hours of work
• 3 trips to home improvement store
• 1 trip to hardware store
• 1 trip to home improvement store to return unused part (yet to be done)
• 1 trip to hardware store to return unused part (yet to be done)
• 1 make-me-feel-dumb comment from the guy in plumbing
• 1 "back again" from the checkout lady
• 1 "that'll work" from Santa lookalike

With the over/under on trips to the store set at 2.5, and me hitting 6 trips counting the returns, this was clearly a fail.

Moral

The moral of the story is that my hunch was correct...God's purpose in giving us indoor plumbing is so that we stay humble. It's either "stay humble," or get slapped down and "get humbled."

@ 9bfc0ed5:17da5661

Here are some recent football articles from 2024: Erik ten Hag could join RB Leipzig According to Sky Sports, Erik ten Hag could join forces with Jurgen Klopp at RB Leipzig, which could hurt Manchester United's chances of getting David Raum. Mohamed Salah to sign a new deal at Liverpool After months of negotiations, Mohamed Salah is close to signing a new two-year deal with Liverpool. Manchester United considering Patrick Dorgu Manchester United is considering signing Lecce full-back Patrick Dorgu, who is also a target for Chelsea and Tottenham. Arsenal expected to resist January approaches for Jakub Kiwior Arsenal is expected to resist January approaches for Jakub Kiwior, who is of interest across Europe. Copa América 2024 Yahoo Sports reports that the Copa América 2024 mini-World Cup will be held in the U.S. The tournament is intended to appeal to both Latino fans and casual American viewers. Kylian Mbappe Kylian Mbappe's head collided with the shoulder of Austrian defender Kevin Danso during the Group D opener in Duesseldorf. Slovakia vs Belgium Slovakia beat Belgium 1-0 at Euro 2024. England started off their Euro 2024 campaign with a victory against Serbia England started their Euro 2024 campaign with a victory against Serbia on Sunday.

@ 2063cd79:57bd1320

Eines der interessantesten Themen im immer mehr Facetten umfassenden Bitcoin-Bereich ist und bleibt das Mining. Erst diese Woche wurde wieder ein neues ATH erreicht und die Nachrichten der letzten paar Wochen zeigen, dass es immer noch ein Bereich ist, der sich nach wie vor neu erfindet und stets im Wandel ist. Besonders die Formierung neuer immer größer werdender Mining-Pools, die damit einhergehenden Überlegungen rund um Stratum V2, aber auch die ständige Veränderung der grossen, an Börsen gelisteten Minern sind immer wieder Gesprächsthemen und erzeugen viele Nachrichten. Bevor wir uns diese letzten Neuigkeiten anschauen, ist es jedoch einmal wert, einen Schritt zurückzutreten und sich genau zu vergegenwärtigen, was Miner eigentlich tun - also wie der Mining-Prozess abläuft.

---

Die Mining-Lotterie

Die meisten Menschen missverstehen oder verstehen nicht ganz, was Bitcoin-Miner tatsächlich tun, um neue Blocks zu produzieren. Es wird hauptsächlich über den hohen Energieaufwand gesprochen, was dazu führt, dass fälschlicherweise angenommen wird, dass die gesamte aufgebrachte Energie in jeden neu produzierten Block fließt. Die Analogie zum herkömmlichen Bergbau, oder Goldschürfen, trägt teilweise zur Verwirrung bei. Denn beim Bergbau arbeiten viele Maschinen gleichzeitig daran, wertvolle Stoffe aus der Erde zu ziehen, dabei können parallel weltweit Edelmetalle geborgen werden und viele Faktoren spielen dabei eine Rolle, wie erfolgreich in Bergbau-Unternehmen arbeitet (z.B. Menge des Equipments, die in der Lokalität vorhandene Menge an wertvollen Stoffen, usw.). Beim Bitcoin-Mining ist dies nicht ganz der Fall.

Denn einfach ausgedrückt ist Mining eine Lotterie, um neue Blöcke in der Bitcoin-Blockchain zu erstellen. Dabei ergeben sich zwei Effekte: 1) Jeder neue Block fügt Transaktionen der Blockchain hinzu und sichert damit zusätzlich vorherige Blöcke und die darin enthaltenen Transaktionen ab (sichert also das gesamte Netzwerk ab). 2) Erhalten erfolgreiche Miner eine Belohnung (den Blockreward) für die getane Arbeit und für die aufgewendeten realen Ressourcen (z. B. Strom, Hardware, OpEx). Aber was ist genau mit Lotteriesystem gemeint?

Man stelle sich vor, dass alle Miner im Bitcoin-Netzwerk das gleiche Lotto spielen. Doch in unserem Lottospiel werden die 6 richtigen Zahlen nicht am Ende gezogen, sondern sind am Anfang jeder Runde gesetzt (es gibt keine Möglichkeit zu schummeln, denn es gibt niemanden, von dem man die richtigen Zahlen erhalten kann, bis sie gefunden wurden). Alle Lotto-Teilnehmer setzen sich also hin und fangen an, so schnell wie nur eben möglich Lottoscheine auszufüllen, denn es geht darum, die richtigen 6 Zahlen für die jeweilige Runde als erstes zu finden. Derjenige Spieler, der am schnellsten Scheine ausfüllen kann, hat höhere Chancen, die richtigen Zahlen auch als erstes zu erraten. Sobald ein Spieler die richtigen 6 Zahlen hat, ist die Runde sofort beendet und alle Mitspieler können sich den Gewinner-Schein ansehen und mit den veröffentlichten 6 Zahlen vergleichen, um damit zu validieren, dass der Gewinner auch tatsächlich übereinstimmende Zahlen hat. Der Gewinner bekommt den Jackpot und die nächste Runde beginnt. Einziger Unterschied ist, dass man sich mit dem Jackpot keine Kartbahn in den Garten bauen kann.

Da dieses Lottospiel sich immer größerer Beliebtheit erfreut kommen immer mehr interessierte Spieler hinzu, aber auch die existierenden Spieler fangen an, Freunde dazuzuholen, die ihnen helfen sollen, noch schneller Lottoscheine auszufüllen. Durch die steigende Anzahl an Spielern würde jede Runde schneller vorbei sein, da ja viel mehr Spieler gleichzeitig Scheine ausfüllen und damit die Wahrscheinlichkeit steigt, dass die 6 Richtigen schneller gefunden werden. Da die Lotterie nur eine begrenzte Menge von Kapital zur Ausschüttung als Jackpots bereithält, muss sie das Spiel so anpassen, dass die Runden möglichst gleich lang dauern.

Dazu wird jede Runde die Schwierigkeit erhöht. Mussten die ersten Spieler nur 6 Richtige aus einer Zahlenreihe von z.B. 49 Felden erraten, wird die Anzahl der möglichen Zahlen erhöht, sodass eine Runde im Durchschnitt immer 10 Minuten dauert. Verlassen Spieler die Runde, wird die Zahl der möglichen Felder genauso wieder reduziert. Im Bitcoin-Netzwerk wird die stetige Ausschüttung von neuen bitcoins genauso reguliert. Damit im Durchschnitt alle 10 Minuten ein neuer Block produziert wird, müssen alle 2016 Blöcke (ca. alle 2 Wochen) die Schwierigkeit angepasst werden, um die Blockzeit bei 10 Minuten zu halten. Treten innerhalb dieses Zeitraums von ca. 2 Wochen mehr Miner dem Netzwerk bei, steigt die Hashrate und infolgedessen muss die Schwierigkeit angepasst werden.

Alle Miner im Netzwerk verwenden ASIC (Mining-Equipment, oder Rigs) - spezialisierte Computer, die nur darauf ausgelegt sind, Hashes so schnell wie möglich zu berechnen. Einen Hash berechnen bedeutet, eine zufällige Eingabe in eine mathematische Funktion einzufügen und eine Ausgabe zu erzeugen. Technisch bedeutet dies, dass ein Block von Transaktionen erstellt wird und in eine SHA256-Hash-Funktion eingegeben wird. Wenn die Ausgabe mit der "Gewinnerzahl" übereinstimmt, hat der Miner gewonnen und kann den neuen Block in die Blockchain schreiben und kann seinem Block das Preisgeld (die Subsidy) hinzufügen, die an den Miner ausgezahlt wird. Dann beginnt die nächste Runde.

Mehr Hashes pro Sekunde entsprechen mehr ausgefüllten Lottoscheinen pro Sekunde und damit einer größeren Erfolgswahrscheinlichkeit. Beim Hashing (mehr dazu ⬇️) wird immer eine Ausgabe mit einer festen Größe erstellt (in unserem Beispiel 6 Zahlen), die als Hash bezeichnet wird. Entgegen der landläufigen Meinung handelt es sich hierbei nicht um komplexe Mathematik, sondern nur um eine sehr schnelle Wiederholung der immer gleichen Berechnung mit neuen Eingaben, bis das erhoffte Ergebnis gefunden wird.

ASICs sind darauf ausgelegt, diese eine Berechnung (die SHA256-Hash-Funktion) so schnell und effizient wie möglich zu erledigen, und nicht um komplizierte Rechenaufgaben oder mathematische Probleme zu lösen. Es geht dabei einzig und allein um Schnelligkeit.

Anders als beim analogen Bergbau können verschiedene Teilnehmer also nicht parallel wertvolle Stoffe erwirtschaften, sondern pro Spiel immer nur einer. Der Gewinner bekommt alles und alle anderen Teilnehmer haben ihre aufgewendete Arbeit "umsonst" getan, das heißt wie beim herkömmlichen Lotto haben sie nur für die Teilnahme an der Runde bezahlt (in Form von Rechenleistung, Strom, usw.), bekommen aber vom Gewinn nichts ab. Der Anreiz besteht also darin, bei der nächsten Runde mehr Glück zu haben und die Wahrscheinlichkeit eines Gewinnes zu erhöhen.

In jeder anderen Branche schwankt das Angebot je nach Nachfrage. Wenn die Nachfrage nach einem wertvollen Stoff steigt, werden die Teilnehmer die Produktion entsprechend der Nachfrage erhöhen. Das bedeutet, mehr Equipment wird hinzugefügt, um schneller mehr des Produkts zu erwirtschaften. Bei Bitcoin ist das Angebot im Code festgelegt (neue bitcoins alle 10 Minuten) und kann sich auch bei steigender Nachfrage nicht ändern.

Aufgrund seiner genehmigungsfreien Natur ist es jedem gestattet, von überall auf der Welt Bitcoin zu produzieren, also an der Lotterie teilzunehmen. Die Lotterie schließt niemanden aus - einzig und allein Staaten oder andere Gerichtsbarkeiten können ihren Bürgern (versuchen zu) verbieten, an der Lotterie teilzunehmen. Dies führt dazu, dass sich Bitcoin-Miner überall auf der Welt ansiedeln, wo es für sie am wirtschaftlichsten ist am Netzwerk zu partizipieren (stabile und günstige Energieversorgung, rechtlich abgesicherte Eigentumsrechte, keine Verbote, usw.).

Gerade die ersten beiden Punkte (Energie und Eigentumsrechte) führen dazu, dass sich Bitcoin-Mining in Staaten wie den USA, Kanada oder Kazakhstan besonders konzentriert und in Ländern wie China oder Russland (durch Mining-Verbote) abnimmt - so in der Theorie. Denn heute stammen angenommen immer noch ca. 20% und 5% der weltweiten Hashrate aus China und Russland. Theorien dafür gibt es viele und besonders die letzten - fast unverhältnismäßigen - Anstiege der Hashrate führen zu vielen Spekulationen darüber, dass der russische Staat insgeheim seine eigene Mining-Infrastruktur ausbaut.

Hashing vs. kryptografische Verschlüsselung

Das Bitcoin-Netzwerk bedient sich vieler verschiedener Elemente, um die verschiedenen Eigenschaften oder Funktionen zu bedienen. Oft wird dabei das Hashing (z.B. verwendet beim Mining-Prozess und der Erstellung von Adressen) mit kryptografischer Verschlüsselung / Encryption (z.B. beim Erstellen von Keys) verwechselt oder in einen Topf geworfen.

Hashing: Das Hashing ist eine bestimmte Form der Kryptografie. Beim Hashing wird eine Eingabe (eine beliebig lange Datenkette) zu einer festen Ausgabegröße transformiert. Die Eingabe kann alles sein, z.B. viele Namen aneinandergereiht, oder jeder Straßenname irgendeiner Stadt aneinandergereiht, usw., es kann ziemlich alles sein, was man sich vorstellen kann und in Form einer Folge von Zeichen dargestellt werden kann. Der Hashing-Algorithmus funktioniert im Wesentlichen als Einbahnstraße, die die Eingabe in eine feste Folge von Buchstaben und Zahlen umwandelt.

Ein bekannter Anwendungsfall für diese Art von Algorithmus ist die Passwort-Speicherung auf Webseiten. Wenn Benutzer ein Passwort anlegen, errechnet der Computer automatisch einen Hash, welcher hinterlegt und beim Einloggen abgefragt wird. So werden bei einem Hack der Webseite nur nicht rückgängig zu machende Hashes der Passwörter gestohlen.

Kryptografische Verschlüsselung: Bei der kryptografischen Verschlüsselung handelt es sich auch um eine Form der Kryptografie, doch anders als beim Hashing, handelt es sich hier um einen bidirektionalen Algorithmus, also eine Zweirichtungsstraße. Das bedeutet schlicht, dass der Algorithmus eine Eingabe verschlüsselt, die verschlüsselte Ausgabe mit dem passenden Schlüssel jedoch wieder entschlüsselt werden kann. Somit kann der Besitzer des Schlüssels herausfinden, was die ursprüngliche Eingabenachricht war.

Ein bekannter Anwendungsfall für diese Art von Algorithmus ist die Ende-zu-Ende-Verschlüsselung bei verschiedenen Messenger-Diensten. Nachrichten werden verschlüsselt versendet und nur der Empfänger hat den nötigen Schlüssel, um die Nachricht wieder zu öffnen. Das passiert bei den Messenger-Diensten ganz automatisch, ohne dass ein Nutzer mit den Schlüsseln herumhantieren muss.

💡Dieser Unterschied ist ganz wichtig: Beim Hashing ist es unmöglich Anhand der Ausgabe die ursprüngliche Eingabe durch eine Rücktransformation zu erhalten. Man kann nur Daten eingeben und erhält dann eine feste Ausgabe. Verwendet man den selben Algorithmus bei der gleichen Eingabe erhält man immer eine identische Ausgabe.

Hashing beim Mining: Hashing ist im Wesentlichen die Art und Weise von Bitcoin, das gesamte Netzwerk zu koordinieren, um einen bestimmten Hash zu finden, der eine bestimmte vom System festgelegte Schwierigkeit erfüllt. Diese Schwierigkeit stellt sicher, dass egal ob die Hälfte der Miner im Laufe des nächsten Jahres verschwindet, oder ob sich die Anzahl der Miner im Laufe des nächsten Jahres verdreifacht, im Durchschnitt dafür Sorge getragen wird, dass das Bitcoin-Netzwerk immer ziemlich stabil ist und weiterhin etwa alle 10 Minuten ein neuer Transaktionsblock erscheint.

Es ist also essentiell, den Unterschied zwischen Verschlüsselung und Hashing zu verstehen und mit dem Mythos aufzuräumen, dass Mining "komplizierte, mathematische Probleme" löst. Ein weiterer viel verbreiteter Mythos ist, dass der Energieverbrauch zunehmen wird, je mehr Nutzer//innen Bitcoin Transaktionen ausführen. Es braucht nämlich nicht mehr Miner, um mehr Transaktionen zu verarbeiten. Die Anzahl der Transaktionen ist begrenzt durch die Blockgröße und die Anpassung der Schwierigkeit, die dafür sorgt, dass Blocks alle 10 Minuten produziert werden. Dies ist der Fall, wenn es auf der Welt nur noch einen einzigen Miner gäbe, genauso wie dies der Fall ist, wenn sich die Mining-Hashrate verhundertfacht. Eine Erweiterung der Gesamt-Hashrate führt allerdings zu einer höheren Sicherheit des Netzwerks, da ein potentieller Angriff auf das Netzwerk nur funktionieren kann, wenn der Angreifer mehr als 51% der gesamten Hashrate auf sich vereinigt.

🫳🎤

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In diesem Sinne, 2... 1... Risiko!‌

@ 2063cd79:57bd1320

Eine hitzige Debatte wird momentan in der Bitcoin-Welt über NFTs (sagen die einen) bzw. unnötigen Datenmüll (sagen die anderen) auf der Bitcoin-Blockchain geführt. Anlass zur Debatte hat ein von Casey Rodarmor entwickeltes System gegeben, das es ermöglicht mit Hilfe seines speziell dafür entwickelten Protokolls jedem Satoshi (Sat) eine einzigartige Folgenummer (Ordinal) zuzuweisen und somit nachverfolgbar zu machen. Dies erlaubt dann das Schreiben von Dateien direkt in die Witness Sektion eines Blocks, also direkt in die Blockchain, eine sogenannte Inscription. Das Thema erhitzt die Gemüter, jeder hat eine Meinung dazu und entweder ist man im Lager der Supporter oder der Gegner. Oder man hat schon beim Lesen dieser Einleitung nicht ein Wort verstanden. Für diese Gruppe soll diese Übersicht funktionieren, in der die Funktionsweise von Ordinals und Inscriptions erklärt wird und was die Pro- und Kontra-Argumente der jeweiligen Lager sind.

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Daten in die Bitcoin-Blockchain zu schreiben, die nicht direkt etwas mit der Funktionsweise des Systems zu tun haben, ist nichts Neues. Es gibt seit jeher verschiedene Möglichkeiten Nachrichten, Dateien oder andere Informationen in Blocks zu packen. Sogar der Genesis Block enthält die Nachricht "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks" in der Coinbase,

das Whitepaper von Satoshi Nakamoto wurde bereits 2013 in Block 230009 verewigt,

OP_Returns ermöglichen das Schreiben kurzer (80 Zeichen) Nachrichten,

und auch Protokolle, die auf Bitcoin laufen, wie z.B. Counterparty und u.a. den Handel mit Rare Pepes ermöglichen, existieren bereits seit 2014. Dennoch scheint etwas an der neuen, von Casey Rodarmor vorgestellten Methode anders zu sein, dass es die Gemüter so sehr erhitzt. Das Konzept ist ein zweigeteiltes, zunächst wird eine Theorie, oder Konvention, beschlossen, der zufolge jeder Sat in der Blockchain einzigartig und nachverfolgbar wird. Damit werden die einzelnen Sats im weitesten Sinne schon zu NFTs. Darüber hinaus ermöglicht diese Konvention das Verschmelzen dieser einzigartigen Sats mit hochgeladenen Daten. Denn - um beim obigen Beispiel des Whitepapers zu bleiben - ist die hochgeladene PDF Datei für immer in Block 230009 festgeschrieben, aber sie gehört niemandem, denn ein Block gehört niemandem per se, ein Block ist ein öffentliches Register aller stattgefundenen Transaktionen zu dieser Blockzeit. Indem man Dateien mit Sats verbindet, lassen sich diese verschicken und handeln, denn Sats haben (der Ordinal Theory zufolge) immer eine/n Besitzer//in.

Doch um besser verstehen zu können, wie dieses neue Protokoll funktioniert, muss man sich wie immer ein paar verschiedene Konzepte annehmen. Wir brechen diese erstmal der Reihe nach auf.

SegWit (Segregated Witness)

Bevor wir uns mit Ordinals und Inscriptions beschäftigen machen wir einen kurzen historischen und technischen Ausflug, denn Inscriptions wären ohne SegWit nicht möglich. Deshalb lohnt es sich besser zu verstehen, was man unter diesem Transaktionsformat versteht.

SegWit wurde 2017 erdacht, um in erster Linie zwei existierende Probleme zu lösen: 1) Transaction Malleability und 2) die Effizienz von Blöcken zu erhöhen. Bis dato hatten Blöcke eine effektive maximal Größe von 1MB und bestanden aus dem sogenannten Header (Basisdaten: Signaturen und Skripte) und den Transaktionsdaten (Inputs und Outputs). Diese Headerdaten (auch Witness-Daten genannt) nahmen einen Großteil der zur Verfügung stehenden Größe ein, was zu ineffizienten und oftmals mit hohen Transaktionsgebühren versehenen Blöcken führte. Mit Hilfe des SegWit Protokolls konnte eine Skalierung von Bitcoin erreicht werden, ohne die offizielle in den Code geschriebene Blockgröße von 1MB zu verändern. Dazu kommt, dass diese Lösung keinen Hard-Fork benötigte und ganz nebenbei (aber offiziell in erster Linie) auch das Problem der Malleability löste. Ohne auf die Details von Hard- und Soft-Forks einzugehen, ist dies ein wichtiges Detail, denn 2017 tobten die sogenannten Blocksize-Wars und führten schließlich zur Abspaltung von Bitcoin Cash und seinen 8MB-Blöcken.

SegWit wurde im Juli 2017 mit Block 477120 aktiviert. Wie der Name Segregated Witness schon impliziert, werden die Witness-Daten (Signaturen und Skripte) getrennt und in einer separate Datenstruktur (Witness Merkle Tree) geführt, sodass der Hauptteil des Blocks weniger Basisinformationen enthält und somit mehr Platz für Transaktionsinformationen lässt, Blöcke also effizienter macht und damit Gebühren niedriger hält. Der Zaubertrick dabei ist, dass es immer noch derselbe Block ist, allerdings mit zwei Sätzen von Datenstrukturen (Transaktionsabschnitt und Basisinformationsabschnitt), und somit den Protokollregeln entspricht und eine Blockgröße von 1MB eigentlich nicht überschreitet. Dieser mathematische Kniff führt dazu, dass für die Einführung kein Hard-Fork benötigt wurde (nur einen Soft-Fork), was eine Abwärtskompatibilität gewährleistet und somit auch Adressen und Wallets, die unter dem Legacy-System arbeiten ohne Probleme funktionieren. Der mathematische Kniff hat allerdings eine seltsame Neuerung zur Folge, denn Blöcke werden seitdem in Gewicht statt Größe gemessen.

Ein voller Block von ca. 1MB Größe und 4 Millionen WU Gewicht

Bitcoin hat nun also eine sogenannte Blockgrößengrenze (1MB) und eine Blockgewichtsgrenze (4 Millionen Gewichtseinheiten (WU), was ca. 4MB entspricht). Darüber hinaus wurden mit dem SegWit-Soft-Fork die heute gängigen bc1-Adressen (im Gegensatz zu den alten 1- und 3-Adressen) eingeführt.

Ein weiterer Nebeneffekt, neben der Reduzierung der Gebühren durch Kapazitätsverbesserung und Lösung der Transaktionsformbarkeit (Malleability), ist dass Layer-2-Lösungen, wie unter anderem Lightning, ermöglicht wurden, da Zahlungskanäle davon abhängen, dass unverformbare Transaktionen bestehen. Für die Skalierbarkeit und Dezentralisierung von Bitcoin hat die relativ kleine Blockgröße den Vorteil, dass der Betrieb von privaten Nodes erleichtert wird.

Taproot

Mit dem Wissen über SegWit müssen wir uns auch kurz mit Taproot beschäftigen, einem weiteren Soft-Fork, das mit Block 709632 im November 2021 aktiviert wurde. Taproot hat viele Neuerungen mit sich gebracht, die es hier zu besprechen den Rahmen sprengen würde, doch wichtig ist, dass Ordinals das Input-Feld von Taproot-Transaktionen nutzen, das seit dem SegWit Update getrennt wurde. Auch wichtig ist, dass es seit Taproot keine Regel gibt, die die Größe von Inputs begrenzt und damit Daten beliebig viel Platz (bis zur Blockgrößenbegrenzung von 4MB) beanspruchen können. Dies ermöglicht im Endeffekt die Öffnung des Protokolls zur Verwendung von Skripten, wie bei Ordinals geschehen und somit das Hochladen von großen Dateien, die die volle Blockgröße einnehmen können.

Ordinals

Das Protokoll besteht aus zwei Konzepten. Auf der einen Seite Ordinals (engl. Ordnungszahlen) und auf der anderen Seite Inscriptions (engl. Inschriften). Ordinals an sich funktionieren losgelöst von Inscriptions, Inscriptions benötigen aber Ordinals, um zu funktionieren. Man könnte also von einer Pfadabhängigkeit bei Inscriptions sprechen.

💡Pfadabhängigkeit: Bei pfadabhängigen Vorgängen bauen die einzelnen Prozesse auf einander auf und das Resultat ist davon abhängig, welche Reihenfolge gewählt wird. Einfaches Beispiel: Ein Bad nehmen (Prozess 1) und dann mit dem Handtuch abtrocknen (Prozess 2) führt zu einem komoplett anderen Ergebnis, als sich mit dem Handtuch abzutrocknen und dann ein Bad zu nehmen.

Ordinals können also unabhängig von Inscriptions verstanden werden. Es handelt sich dabei um eine vom Programmierer erfundene Konvention, einzelne Sats durchzumummerieren.

“Satoshis are numbered in the order in which they’re mined, and transferred from transaction inputs to transaction outputs in first-in-first-out order.” - Casey Rodarmor

Das Prinzip ist dabei recht einfach: Es wird angenommen, dass jeder bitcoin aus 100.000.000 Sats besteht und damit Sats durchgezählt werden können. Die Sats werden mit dem Genesis Block (Block 0) beginnend in der Reihenfolge, in der sie produziert wurden, nach dem FIFO-Prinzip (First in first out) durchgezählt und markiert. Der erste jemals produzierte Block (Genesis Block) enthielt 50 bitcoins und damit 5.000.000.000 Sats. So lassen sich die Sats durchzählen: der erste Sat ist #0, der zweite hat die Ordnungszahl #1 und der letzte Sat dieses ersten Blocks hat die Ordnungszahl 4.999.999.999.

Um dies umzusetzen wurde ein spezieller Block Explorer geschrieben, der dieser Konvention folgt und den jeweiligen Sats einen "Namen" zuweist, um diese leichter nachverfolgen zu können. So lässt sich so tun (!), als ob sich einzelne Sats von UTXO zu UTXO bewegen würden. Um UTXOs besser verstehen zu können, empfehle ich diesen vorherigen Artikel:

https://www.genexyz.org/post/25-block-774775-utxos-fee-management-v3ulch/

Die Konvention täuscht also vor, dass Sats nicht ausgegeben oder verbrannt werden, sondern, dass diese in einer Art Kette von Bitcoin-Atomen existieren und diese Kette beim Versenden von Transaktionen nur aufgebrochen und die einzelnen Atomversatzstücke andernorts wieder auftauchen und nicht, wie eigentlich der Fall, eingeschmolzen / verbrannt werden.

Umgesetzt wird das alles durch ein Open-Source-Protokoll namens ord, das auf dem Bitcoin Core Protokoll läuft. Dies bedeutet, dass keine Veränderungen am Bitcoin Protokoll selbst vorgenommen werden, sondern eine Programm entwickelt wurde, das die Daten in der Blockchain benutzt, um eine andere Sicht zu erzeugen, die es ermöglicht, einzelne Sats zu benennen und nachzuverfolgen und somit jeden einzelnen Sat "einzigartig" aussehen zu lassen. Es ist also völlig freiwillig, sich auf diese Konvention und die Namensgebung einzulassen.

Folgt man jedoch dieser Konvention, so ergeben sich natürlich Spielereien, wie z.B. Seltenheit einzelner Sats beruhend auf dem Block, in dem sie enthalten waren oder sind, welche laufende Nummer sie haben, etc. Es ist in etwa so, als hätte ich eine Million kleiner Kieselsteine in meiner Einfahrt. Für jeden, der einfach vorbeigeht, ist jeder Kieselstein einfach nur eines von vielen Steinchen. Ich habe aber ein System gefunden, um jeden einzelnen Stein einzeln zu benennen, und damit ergeben sich "besondere" Steine, z.B. Stein #1 oder Stein #69. Nur wer meinem System der Nummerierung folgt, sieht, dass dies besondere Steine sind, jeder andere sieht einfach nur Steine.

Inscriptions

Bei Inscriptions handelt es sich um eine von Ordinals zunächst losgelöste separate Funktion. Hierbei wird die eigentliche Datei in die Blockchain geschrieben, allerdings im Einklang mit Ordinals wird dieser Datei ein einzigartiger Sat zugeschrieben. Dies funktioniert auch wieder nur, wenn man der willkürlichen Konvention des Protokolls Folge leistet, denn beim Schreiben der Datei in die Blockchain wird natürlich eine Transaktion erstellt. Diese Transaktion enthält (mindestens) einen UTXO, der/die aus mehreren Sats bestehen und deshalb legt das Protokoll fest, dass eine Inscription beim Mining mit dem ersten Sat des ersten UTXO der Transaktion verschmolzen wird. Damit wird die Inscription (also die Datei) dauerhaft und auf ewig markiert und kann somit von anderen Sats unterschieden wird.

Unter Verwendung dieser Konvention (und der dazu nötigen Wallets) können UTXOs, die ein Sat-Inscription-Paar enthalten, gefunden und ihre Bewegungen und ihr Eigentum über Transaktionen hinweg verfolgt werden. Dies führt dazu, dass diese Sats, bzw. die Inscriptions, gehandelt, verschenkt, gekauft und verkauft werden können. Dabei entstehen also digitale Artefakte, oder anders genannt NFTs.

Inscriptions sind naturgemäß größere Dateien und nehmen daher mehr vom begrenzten Platz in jedem Block ein (daher die langen Erklärungen zu SegWit und Taproot). Die Benutzer//innen, die Inscriptions erstellen bzw. hochladen, müssen die dazu erforderlichen (höheren) Gebühren zahlen. Dieser Punkt ist für die folgende Diskussion wichtig.

Diskussion

Okay, soweit so gut, soweit so scheiße.

Kurzum: Es gibt ein System, das das Benennen einzelner Sats ermöglicht (wenn man daran glaubt) - Ordinals. Es besteht die Möglichkeit, Dateien in Blöcke zu schreiben und diese mit den benannten Sats zu verknüpfen - Inscriptions. Die beiden Theorien oder Konventionen sind nicht gleich, brauchen aber einander.

Ordinals alleine schaden nicht. Es ist das Hinzufügen digitaler Artefakte in Transaktionen, das die größere Debatte entflammt. Denn Inscriptions verlagern ein Risiko direkt in die Blockchain. Ein OP_Return z.B. kann 40KB (also 80 Zeichen) beinhalten und somit z.B. einen Link zu einer Datei darstellen (einen Pointer). Eine Datei mit fragwürdigem oder kriminellem Inhalt, würde also immer auf einer externen Website liegen und somit würde auch das Risiko vom Betreiber getragen werden. Inscriptions öffnen die Tür, Dateien, die bis zu 3MB pro Block groß sind, direkt in die Blockchain zu schreiben. Hier eröffnen sich Korridore für Reputationsangriffe auf Bitcoin.

Ordinals (ich fasse jetzt Ordinals und Inscriptions mal zusammen) eröffnen neue Wege, mit Bitcoin zu interagieren. Es bietet "Spaß" mit Bitcoin und fügt eine neue Schicht hinzu, Bitcoin mit Kunst und Kultur zusammenzubringen ist. Es könnte außerdem die Akzeptanz erhöhen und neue Interessenten für Bitcoin begeistern, die für die Bildchen kommen, aber wegen der bahnbrechenden Technologie und den fundamentalen Mehrwerten von Bitcoin bleiben.

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Die Hauptargumente gegen Ordinals berufen sich auf die größeren Datenmengen, die von Nodes validiert werden müssen und darauf, dass Blöcke mit "unnötigem Müll" gefüllt werden und damit wichtige und relevante Transaktionen nicht schnell genug verarbeitet werden. Allerdings muss man dazu sagen, dass Ordinals nicht die Blockgröße erhöhen, sondern im schlimmsten Fall dafür sorgen, dass das Blocklimit öfter erreicht wird. Ein normaler Block sieht meist so aus:

Man sieht, dass das Gewicht von 4 MWU nicht ganz erreicht wurde und 2.675 Transaktionen einen Platz gefunden haben.

Im Vergleich dazu wurden im folgenden Block lediglich 648 Transaktionen untergebracht, die pro Transaktion viel größer sind (schaut man sich die jeweiligen Transaktionen an, stellt man fest, dass so gut wie jeder dieser großen Blöcke den gleichen Betrag von 0.0001 BTC aufweist, was darauf schließen lässt, dass die Ordinals-Transaktionen sind).

Fürsprecher von Ordinals argumentieren oft damit, dass diese "nutzlosen" Transaktionen auch bezahlt werden müssen, um andere "wertigere" Transaktionen zu verdrängen, da Miner diese sonst nicht dem Block hinzufügen würden. Hier muss man aber sagen, dass diese Transaktionen relativ geringe Transaktionsgebühren von 4 Sat/vB bezahlt haben. Da wir wissen, dass Transaktionsgebühren basierend auf der Größe der Transaktion berechnet werden und nicht auf dem Wert der Transaktion in Bitcoin, werden für diese 0.0001 BTC Transaktionen dennoch Gebühren im Bereich von 150.000 bis 250.000 Sats (ca. $50 bei aktuellem Kurs) fällig (es sei denn man hat Nick Luxor als Freund).

Die Marktkräfte innerhalb des Bitcoin-Netzwerks werden also zeigen, wie lange diese Art von Transaktionen einen Großteil des vorhandenen Platzes einnehmen werden. Die Debatte um Transaktionsgebühren ist eine sehr wichtige, denn gibt es immer wieder Theorien darüber, wie Miner zukünftig profitabel sein können, wenn die Subsidies immer irrelevanter werden und auch das Sicherheitsbudget von Bitcoin gewährleistet werden muss. Befürworter von Ordinals bringen dies als ein weiteres Pro-Argument für einen weiteren Use-Case und gesteigertes Interesse an On-Chain Transaktionen an.

https://x.com/BitcoinPierre/status/1622744824896970753

Natürlich erleben Ordinals gerade einen Hype und so ist es nicht verwunderlich, dass vor zwei Tagen über 50% des vorhandenen Platzes von Ordinals-Transaktionen eingenommen wurde. Diese Zahl ist heute schon auf unter 25% gesunken, was einen klaren Hype und keine Regel aufweist.

Unabhängig davon, ob Inscriptions als „wertvolle“ Verwendung von Bitcoin angesehen wird oder nicht, wird der Markt über die angemessene Gebührengestaltung darüber entscheiden, ob Nutzer weiterhin das System für diese Art von Spielerei nutzen wollen. Sollten sich Inscriptions als langlebig erweisen, werden Transaktionsgebühren unweigerlich steigen und somit mehr Absender kleinerer Bitcoin-Transaktionen auf Layer-2-Protokolle wie Lightning ausweichen.

Puristen sind gegen Inscriptions, da sie argumentieren, dass das Speichern großer Daten auf dem Bitcoin Ledger den Blockplatz für keinen wirklichen Zweck verschwendet und nur Stress für Nodebetreiber verursacht. Blocks, wie der folgende, führen dazu, dass sich ihnen die Nackenhaare aufstellen und neben der Verschwendung von Platz wird häufig das Reputationsrisiko als Kritik angebracht.

Denn Inscriptions, die einmal in die Blockchain geschrieben wurden, lassen sich nicht mehr entfernen und damit auch nicht der Inhalt der hochgeladenen Dateien. Unmoralische und kriminelle Inhalte eröffnen so einen Korridor für Zensur, allerdings sollte auch beachtet werden, dass es auch einen speziellen Block Explorer benötigt, der Inscriptions darstellt, und diese Explorer haben natürlich die Möglichkeit Bilder mit moralisch und rechtlich fragwürdigen Inhalten zu zensieren, bzw. nicht darzustellen (wie in Inscription #668 passiert).

https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-ordinals-creators-look-for-fix-after-first-instance-of-shock-porn

Um das Hochladen dieser "schlechten" Inhalte zu vermeiden, müssten die Bitcoin-Konsensregeln geändert werden. Und wenn diese verändert werden können, um Menschen davon abzuhalten, Bilder in das Bitcoin-Netzwerk zu laden, können die Regeln auch verändert werden, um z.B. Nutzer//innen mit politischen Interessen oder kritischen Meinungen davon abzuhalten, Bitcoin zu nutzen, wie sie es für richtig erachten. Denn am Ende ist Bitcoin ein System von Regeln, nicht von Vorurteilen oder Gefühlen und Meinungen, und der Schiedsrichter darüber, was darf und was nicht darf, bleibt der Code.

Im besten Fall können Inscriptions den Nicht-Bitcoin-NFT-Markt aushebeln und NFT-Fans den Spiegel vorhalten, dass ihre teuren Bildchen und die zugrunde liegende Technologie fast wertlos sind.

Welchem Camp man auch angehören mag, es bleibt festzuhalten, dass die ganze Ordinals-Theorie auf einer willkürlichen Annahme beruht und nur funktioniert, wenn man der Theorie folgt, dass Sats (ähnlich wie Atome bei Gold oder Nukleotide bei DNS) feste Bestandteile darstellen, die sich einzeln nachverfolgen lassen und nicht - wie ich denke - eine Maßeinheit darstellen. Zu sagen, ein UTXO besteht aus n-Menge Sats und jeder Sat ist einzigartig, ist genauso sinnvoll, wie zu sagen, dass man einen Eimer Wasser hat und sich jedes Milliliter Wasser einzeln nachvollziehen lässt. Liter ist eine Maßeinheit und nicht die Grundform, aus der Wasser besteht.

🫳🎤

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In diesem Sinne, 2... 1... Risiko!‌

@ 9bfc0ed5:17da5661

FIFA The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 nominees announced Published 29 Nov 2024

Football fans from across the globe can now cast their votes in a host of categories, including The Best FIFA Men's 11 and The Best FIFA Women's 11.

FIFA Voting is now open for the ninth edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards™ Fans can vote for The Best FIFA Men’s 11 and The Best FIFA Women’s 11 for first time New FIFA Marta Award added to celebrate the best goal in women’s football FIFA has announced the shortlist of nominees for The Best FIFA Football Awards™ 2024, which will recognise the leading lights in another thrilling year of women’s and men’s football at both club and national-team levels.

Voting is now open on FIFA.com across a number of award categories, with fans set to play a key role in choosing the winners. Voting for The Best FIFA Men’s Player, The Best FIFA Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s Coach, The Best FIFA Women’s Coach, The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper and The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper will be equally weighted between fans, the current captains and coaches of all women’s/men’s national teams, and media representatives.

The winner of the FIFA Fan Award will be chosen entirely by fans, while the recipient of the FIFA Fair Play Award will be decided by an expert panel. Voting for the new FIFA Marta Award and the FIFA Puskás Award will be split equally between fans and a panel of FIFA Legends.

The biggest change in terms of voting for this year’s edition of The Best FIFA Football Awards is that fans will have their say in selecting The Best FIFA Men’s 11 and The Best FIFA Women’s 11. They will be able to choose from a list of 77 nominated players – 22 defenders, midfielders and forwards apiece, plus 11 goalkeepers – slotting them into one of several preset tactical formations to build their team. Votes will be weighted equally between fans and an expert panel.

The FIFA Puskás Award has been redefined as being bestowed on the scorer of the best goal in men’s football regardless of championship or nationality. To honour the best goal scored in women’s football in any league around the world, the FIFA Marta Award, named after the Brazilian legend, will be presented for the very first time.

Voting is open on FIFA.com until 23:59 CET on Tuesday, 10 December 2024. The rules of allocation for all awards are available at the FIFA Digital Hub.

@ e356a30c:11e846f7

Unlike many groundbreaking technologies with a charismatic founder at the helm, Bitcoin stands out for its enigmatic origins. Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous individual or group behind Bitcoin's creation, remains a mystery. This deliberate anonymity has profound implications for the digital currency's decentralized nature and future.

The absence of a central authority figure ensures that Bitcoin's development and governance are community-driven. This decentralized approach fosters transparency, security, and resilience. Without a single point of failure, Bitcoin is less susceptible to manipulation, censorship, or systemic risks. Furthermore, the anonymity of Satoshi Nakamoto prevents the concentration of power and influence. It eliminates the potential for personal biases, conflicts of interest, or arbitrary decision-making. Instead, Bitcoin's evolution is guided by a collective consensus mechanism, where network participants validate transactions and secure the blockchain.

While the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto may remain unknown, their innovative idea has sparked a global movement. Bitcoin has inspired countless projects and innovations in the blockchain space, demonstrating the power of decentralized technologies. By embracing decentralization, Bitcoin has paved the way for a more equitable and transparent financial system.

@ 349d6b82:12b2a5b1

Активно обсуждается вопрос повышения заработной платы для работников заводов. Власти города и руководители промышленных предприятий ведут переговоры о необходимости индексации зарплат, чтобы обеспечить конкурентоспособность и удержание квалифицированных кадров.

В условиях растущей инфляции и увеличения стоимости жизни, работники заводов требуют пересмотра своих окладов. Власти признают важность этого вопроса, так как стабильность на рынке труда напрямую влияет на экономическое развитие региона. И в нашем городе в основном преобладает больше рабочая сила именно на заводах.

Руководство заводов, включая такие крупные предприятия, как "Северсталь", уже анонсировало планы по повышению зарплат на 10-12% с начала 2044 года. Генеральный директор компании отметил, что бюджет на пересмотр заработной платы в 2044 году превысит 9 миллиардов рублей, что свидетельствует о серьезных намерениях по улучшению условий труда.

Работники активно участвуют в обсуждениях и выражают свои требования через профсоюзы. Они подчеркивают, что текущие зарплаты не соответствуют уровню жизни и не компенсируют затраты на повседневные нужды. В связи с этим, многие работники заводов начали организовывать встречи с руководством для обсуждения своих ожиданий по повышению зарплаты.

На фоне обсуждений в Серове стоит отметить, что аналогичные меры уже были предприняты в других секторах. Например, энергетическая компания ТГК-14 объявила о планах по индексации зарплат своих сотрудников дважды в текущем году, что также связано с необходимостью удержания квалифицированных кадров.

Вопрос повышения заработной платы для работников заводов в Серове становится все более актуальным. Переговоры между властями и руководством предприятий продолжаются, и ожидается, что в ближайшие месяцы будут приняты конкретные решения по индексации зарплат. Работники надеются на положительные изменения, которые помогут улучшить их финансовое положение и качество жизни.

@ 349d6b82:12b2a5b1

В Серове активно продолжаются реконструкции общежитий для студентов Серовского Металлургического Техникума и Серовского Политехнического Техникума.

В рамках программы по улучшению условий проживания студентов, власти города начали масштабную реконструкцию общежитий. Обновления включают модернизацию жилых помещений, установку новых систем отопления и водоснабжения, а также создание современных учебных и досуговых зон.

Важным аспектом реконструкции стало улучшение инфраструктуры вокруг общежитий. Были обновлены дороги, добавлены велосипедные дорожки и обустроены зеленые зоны, что создает более комфортные условия для студентов.

Власти города также запустили ряд социальных инициатив, направленных на поддержку студентов. Это включает в себя программы по психологической поддержке и организации культурных мероприятий, которые способствуют интеграции студентов в местное сообщество.

Эти изменения уже начали оказывать положительное влияние на качество жизни студентов в Серове. Улучшенные условия проживания способствуют не только комфортному обучению, но и активному отдыху, что в свою очередь положительно сказывается на их успеваемости и общем уровне удовлетворенности жизнью.

Преобразования общежитий и сопутствующие инициативы становятся важным шагом к созданию более комфортной и поддерживающей среды для студентов в Серове.

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Table Of Content

• The McGlone Prediction

• A Candid Chat with Scott Melker

• Economic Indicators

• The Housing Market

• Bitcoin vs. NASDAQ

• Bitcoin ETFs

• Conclusion

• FAQ

In the dynamic realm of cryptocurrency, predictions come and go, but few make waves like those from Bloomberg Intelligence's Mike McGlone. With a keen eye on the economic landscape, McGlone foresees a potential rise of Bitcoin to a staggering $100,000. However, this ascent isn't without its challenges. Dive into our detailed analysis to understand the economic hurdles and the factors that might propel Bitcoin to new heights.

The McGlone Prediction

Mike McGlone, the senior macro strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, is no stranger to bold predictions. In the ever-evolving world of cryptocurrency, he's made a name for himself with his insightful forecasts. This time around, he's got his eyes set on a whopping $100,000 price tag for Bitcoin. But it's not all smooth sailing. McGlone acknowledges the economic challenges that lie ahead, and it's these very hurdles that might fuel Bitcoin's rise.

A Candid Chat with Scott Melker

In a recent head-to-head with crypto influencer Scott Melker, McGlone didn't hold back. He reiterated his unwavering belief in Bitcoin's long-term potential. But here's the twist: before we see Bitcoin basking in the glory of six figures, it might take a nosedive, potentially even below the $20,000 mark. It's a rollercoaster of emotions for crypto enthusiasts, but McGlone's track record suggests we should sit up and listen.

Economic Indicators

McGlone's predictions aren't just plucked from thin air. He's been meticulously analyzing the financial landscape. Those Treasury bills yielding over 5%? They've caught his attention. The Federal Reserve's monetary tightening antics? They're on his radar too. These indicators, among others, paint a picture of the economic challenges that could shape Bitcoin's trajectory.

The Housing Market

One can't discuss economic hurdles without mentioning the housing market. McGlone has been closely monitoring the Case-Shiller index, a tool that tracks US real estate prices. After reaching its zenith in June 2022, the index has been on a downward spiral, eerily reminiscent of the 2006 slump. This decline could be a harbinger of things to come, potentially influencing Bitcoin's path.

Bitcoin vs. NASDAQ

Drawing parallels between Bitcoin and the NASDAQ offers intriguing insights. Since its $30,000 peak in 2020, Bitcoin's price has remained stagnant. In stark contrast, the NASDAQ has flourished, registering a 20% growth. With powerhouse assets like AI technology under its belt, the NASDAQ's robust performance serves as a benchmark, highlighting Bitcoin's potential amidst economic challenges.

Bitcoin ETFs

The introduction of Bitcoin ETFs was met with much fanfare. However, the anticipated surge in Bitcoin's performance was a no-show. McGlone attributes this to an overly optimistic sentiment clouding pragmatic judgment. With the Federal Reserve reigning in the monetary supply, it's akin to pulling the rug from under Bitcoin's feet. Yet, in this challenging macroeconomic environment, McGlone sees a silver lining for Bitcoin's ascent.

Conclusion

McGlone's vision for Bitcoin is both optimistic and grounded. While the road to $100,000 is fraught with challenges, these very obstacles might be the catalyst for Bitcoin's meteoric rise. As the crypto world watches with bated breath, only time will reveal the accuracy of McGlone's predictions. One thing's for sure: the journey promises to be exhilarating.

FAQ

Who is Mike McGlone? Mike McGlone is a senior macro strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, known for his insightful cryptocurrency forecasts.

What is McGlone's latest prediction for Bitcoin? McGlone predicts that Bitcoin could potentially rise to $100,000, albeit facing several economic challenges.

Why is the housing market significant in this context? McGlone references the Case-Shiller index, which tracks US real estate prices, as an indicator of potential economic hurdles that could influence Bitcoin's trajectory.

How does the NASDAQ's performance compare to Bitcoin's? While Bitcoin's price has stagnated since 2020, the NASDAQ has seen a 20% growth, serving as a comparative benchmark.

That's all for today

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

@ 16d11430:61640947

Title: "From the East India Company to Modern Multinational Exploitation: How Fiat Instruments Perpetuate Centuries of Inequality"

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The world has changed immeasurably since the era of the East India Company (EIC). Empires have fallen, revolutions have redrawn borders, and technology has transformed how we live, work, and communicate. Yet beneath the façade of progress lies a troubling continuity: the mechanisms of exploitation pioneered by the EIC remain alive and well, repackaged for a globalized age. The fiat instruments of economic domination—centralized financial systems, corporate monopolies, and legal frameworks favoring the elite—continue to enrich a select few while subjugating vast populations. In this intricate web of exploitation, the parallels between the 18th-century EIC and modern financial and corporate systems are impossible to ignore.

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The East India Company: A Blueprint for Exploitation

The EIC was not merely a trading company; it was an unprecedented experiment in privatized empire-building. Armed with a royal charter granting it a monopoly over trade in the East Indies, the EIC leveraged financial innovation and brutal force to extract unimaginable wealth from the Indian subcontinent and other colonies. At its peak, it controlled vast territories, fielded a private army larger than that of many nation-states, and wielded immense political influence in Britain.

The EIC's tools of exploitation were remarkably modern: - Debt Instruments: The EIC taxed Indian peasants to fund wars and trade operations, creating a cycle of debt and dependency. - Corporate Sovereignty: As a quasi-sovereign entity, it governed territories, manipulated local economies, and imposed legal frameworks designed to funnel wealth to Britain. - Shareholder Capitalism: The EIC's joint-stock structure ensured that profits flowed to British elites, incentivizing exploitative policies to maximize dividends.

This model of extraction devastated colonies like India, where wealth was drained to the metropole, local industries were decimated, and millions perished in famines caused by forced cultivation of cash crops.

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Fiat Systems: The Modern Successor to the EIC

Today, the instruments of exploitation have evolved, but their essence remains unchanged. Fiat currency systems, controlled by central banks and governments, perpetuate global economic inequalities and benefit the same elite classes that once profited from colonialism. The parallels are striking.

1. Centralized Currency and Debt as Tools of Control

• EIC: Taxation in India was imposed in British fiat currencies, compelling local populations to participate in exploitative colonial markets.
• Modern Era: Developing nations remain trapped in debt cycles dictated by global financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank. Loans are issued in fiat currencies such as the US dollar, often with austerity conditions that dismantle public services and prioritize debt repayment over local well-being.

For example, countries in the Global South are routinely forced to export raw materials and labor while importing expensive finished goods—a dynamic eerily similar to the colonial trade patterns enforced by the EIC.

2. Corporate Sovereignty and Multinational Power

• EIC: With its monopoly on trade and private army, the EIC operated as a state within a state, enforcing its will on colonized populations.
• Modern Era: Multinational corporations wield comparable power, often surpassing the GDP of the nations in which they operate. Companies like Amazon, Apple, and Shell dictate terms to governments, exploit tax loopholes, and maintain supply chains reliant on low-wage labor in the Global South.

For instance, mining corporations in Africa extract resources like cobalt and lithium—essential for modern technology—while leaving local communities impoverished and environments devastated. The profits flow to shareholders in the Global North, mirroring the wealth drain orchestrated by the EIC.

3. Legal and Financial Instruments Favoring the Elite

• EIC: British laws shielded the EIC from accountability while enforcing policies that crushed local industries (e.g., the destruction of India's textile sector).
• Modern Era: International trade agreements and intellectual property laws disproportionately benefit corporations in the Global North. The World Trade Organization (WTO) enforces patent protections that prevent developing nations from accessing affordable medicine or technology, deepening inequality.

Cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance hold promise for disrupting this dynamic, but even these innovations are co-opted by elites, leaving the underlying fiat-driven power structures intact.

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Continuity of Exploitation: The Masses vs. the Elite

Global Wealth Inequality

The gap between the rich and the poor has widened to unprecedented levels. According to Oxfam, the world’s richest 1% control more wealth than the rest of humanity combined—a statistic that echoes the wealth concentration in colonial Britain, where EIC shareholders and aristocrats lived in opulence while Indian peasants starved.

Environmental Exploitation

The extractive practices perfected by the EIC have found new life in the 21st century. From deforestation in the Amazon to rare earth mining in Africa, modern corporations exploit natural resources in developing countries with little regard for environmental or social costs. These practices disproportionately harm marginalized communities, just as colonial extraction devastated colonized lands.

Labor and Supply Chains

The forced labor systems of the EIC have been replaced by sweatshops and precarious gig economy jobs. Workers in Bangladesh sewing clothes for fast-fashion brands, or delivery drivers in developed nations earning below minimum wage, are part of the same continuum of exploitation that fueled the EIC's profits.

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The Beneficiaries: Then and Now

The beneficiaries of this system have remained remarkably consistent: 1. Financial Elites: Shareholders of the EIC were aristocrats and merchants; today, they are hedge funds, venture capitalists, and institutional investors. 2. Corporate Executives: Just as EIC officials amassed personal fortunes, modern CEOs earn astronomical salaries while overseeing exploitative practices. 3. Global North Nations: The wealth extracted from colonies powered Britain's industrial revolution; today, wealth extracted from the Global South sustains the consumer economies of the Global North.

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Is Change Possible?

The enduring legacy of the EIC underscores the need for systemic change. While the tools of exploitation have adapted to the times, so too must the resistance. Decentralized technologies like Bitcoin offer an alternative to fiat systems, empowering individuals and bypassing centralized control. Grassroots movements and worker cooperatives challenge the dominance of corporate monopolies. Yet these efforts face immense resistance from entrenched elites.

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Conclusion

From the East India Company to modern fiat-driven systems, the structures of mass exploitation have remained astonishingly consistent. They continue to prioritize profits for the few over the well-being of the many, perpetuating cycles of poverty, inequality, and environmental destruction. The instruments may have changed—stock options replacing private armies, multinational treaties replacing royal charters—but the underlying logic remains the same. Until these systems are dismantled, the lessons of history will remain painfully relevant.

Exploitation #Colonialism #EastIndiaCompany #MultinationalCorporations #WealthInequality #FiatCurrency #GlobalJustice #EconomicExploitation #EnvironmentalJustice #CorporateGreed #Decentralization #HistoryRepeats #Sustainability #SocialImpact #EconomicInequality

@ 2fb77d26:c47a6ee1

****Der Staat geriert sich als Bewahrer von Demokratie und Menschenrechten, als singuläres Modell zur Aufrechterhaltung gesellschaftlicher Ordnung. Dabei haben die Strukturen supranationaler »Global Governance« das Konzept Nationalstaat längst obsolet gemacht. Und auch ein Blick auf das Handeln des Machtapparats Staat lässt begründete Zweifel an dessen öffentlicher Darstellung aufkommen – denn das Kerngeschäft eines jeden Staates besteht aus Unterdrückung, Raub und Mord. **

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Mein exklusiver Beitrag für die zweite GEGENDRUCK, die 224 Seiten umfasst, am 15.10.2024 veröffentlicht wurde und unter www.gegendruck.eu bestellt werden kann. Nur durch die Unterstützung von analogen Formaten dieser Art wird aus der Gegenwart eine Vergangenheit, die man in der uns drohenden Zukunft noch zu rekonstruieren vermag. * Original mit Quellen: www.regenauer.press/blog/regieren-ist-ok*

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»Wenn das Volk die Regierung fürchtet, haben wir Tyrannei. Wenn die Regierung das Volk fürchtet, haben wir Freiheit« – soll Thomas Jefferson, einer der Gründerväter der USA, dereinst festgehalten haben. Wer sich also in Anbetracht des Status quo noch nicht ganz si-cher ist, mit welchem Herrschaftssystem ihn die kriegslüsterne Biosicherheitsdoktrin der Postmoderne beglückt, mag in Jeffersons Worten entsprechende Inspiration finden. Denn mit Demokratie hat die ohrenbetäubende Kakofonie von Stil-, Rechts- und Sinnbrüchen selbstverständlich nichts zu tun. Die verblassende Pluralismussimulation der zurückliegen-den Dekaden mausert sich zu dem, was mental mobile Staatstheoretiker, Historiker, Philoso-phen, Journalisten und Aktivisten seit langem erwarten – einer offen kriminellen Terrorherr-schaft. Selten war klarer als jetzt: Regieren ist organisierte Kriminalität.

Folgt man Thomas Hobbes und Friedrich Nietzsche, ist der Staat ein »Ungeheuer«. Wäh-rend Hobbes diesen Umstand durchaus goutierte, fand Nietzsche ihn abstoßend. Und zwar zurecht. Denn die repressiven Züge, die das Staatskonzept seit der frühen Neuzeit kenn-zeichnen, sind inhärenter Bestandteil der Politikproduktion. Egal, welche Ideologie ein Staat vertritt, seinen Souveränitätsanspruch kann er nur mit Gewalt durchsetzen. Nach außen mit Krieg, nach innen mit dem auf konstant interpretationsoffener werdenden Gesetzen basieren-den Gewaltmonopol. Im Rahmen seiner Halbwertszeit durchläuft jedes Herrschaftskonstrukt vergleichbare Zyklen. Ist ein Staat gegründet, eine Regierung ausgerufen, institutionalisiert sie das favorisierte politische Modell – Demokratie, Sozialismus, Konservatismus, Libera-lismus, et cetera – und vereinnahmt ihre Untertanen mit Indoktrination, Zugeständnissen und moderater Autonomie. Doch Macht korrumpiert. Und macht gierig. Vor allem in repräsenta-tiven Systemen wie der korporatisierten Sozialdemokratie, wo Einfluss einen monetären Wert darstellt.

Die Folge: Lobbyismus, Korruption, Lagerbildung, Grabenkämpfe und Obszönitäten. Einer Phase relativer Freiheit und Prosperität folgt so bald eine mehr oder weniger harsche »Ent-differenzierung« (Wolfgang Merkel, 2010) – also die Auflösung alter Strukturen, Funktio-nen und Integrationsmechanismen. Die herrschenden »Machteliten« (C. Wright Mills, 1956) grenzen sich nach zwei Seiten ab. Auf der einen von regimetreuen Bewahrern des ursprüng-lichen Konzepts, den Konservativen, auf der anderen von den Gegnern »progressiver« Re-formen. Reformen, von denen zumeist die von wachsender staatlicher Machtfülle benachtei-ligte Bevölkerung betroffen ist. Diese zahlt natürlich auch die Zeche. Rechtsprechung und Medien passen sich diesem zusehends autoritären Umfeld an, um ihre Daseinsberechtigung nicht einzubüßen. Mit dem Implementierungsgrad solcher Reformprojekte aus dem Elfen-beinturm, in der Regel begleitet von ausufernder Bürokratie, wachsen die Widerstände dage-gen. Aus Autokratie wird Totalitarismus. »Erst ist es ein Polizeistaat, dann kommen die Aufstände«. Die »Mistgabeln« (Nick Hanauer, 2014). Aus der Vogelperspektive betrachtet sind es stets die gleichen zivilisatorischen Prozesse. Seit Jahrhunderten. In allen Systemen. Offen ist nur, wie brutal der Staat vorgehen muss, um sich an der Macht zu halten – und wie lange es dauert, bis die Arroganz der wenigen dennoch an der Macht der vielen erstickt.

Denn schlussendlich fällt jedes Imperium. Das lehrt die Geschichte. Hat das System den Zenit überschritten, fällt ob der grotesken Machtexzesse und Schizophrenitäten auch den konformistischsten Etatisten auf, dass die politmediale Schmierenkomödie nichts mehr mit der Realität des eigenen Lebens zu tun hat. Gewalt greift Raum. Psychische Gewalt – und physische. Demnach hat nun zweifelsohne auch der vermeintlich liberale Rechtsstaat der von supranationalen Verordnungen diktierten Gegenwart sein finales Entwicklungsstadium er-reicht: Die Tyrannei.

»Seht uns nur an. Alles ist verdreht, alles steht Kopf. Ärzte zerstören Gesundheit, Anwälte zerstören Gerechtigkeit, Psychiater zerstören Verstand, Wissenschaftler zerstören Wahr-heit, Massenmedien zerstören Information, Religionen zerstören Spiritualität und Regierun-gen zerstören die Freiheit.« (Michael Ellner)

Neu ist das alles nicht. Nur die Darreichungsformen und Machtinstrumente von Herrschaft wandeln sich über die Jahrhunderte. Die disziplinierenden Kontrollmechanismen zur Subor-dination der Massen professionalisieren sich im Rahmen des technologischen Fortschritts. So wirkt der Panoptismus der Postmoderne vor allem deshalb monströs, weil unser Gehirn evolutionär nicht darauf eingestellt ist. Es ist der Militarisierung von Information im Dauer-feuer multimedialer Infantilisierungspropaganda in den wenigsten Fällen gewachsen. Wer versucht, dieser omnipräsenten Pervertierung von Realität mit tradierten Denk- und Hand-lungsmustern zu begegnen, geht unter.

Nicht umsonst klagt der »Widerstand« in weiten Teilen über Erschöpfungszustände, Ver-schleiß, Burnout und Depression. Genau da soll er in Augen des Staatskonzeptes sein – am Ende. Aufgerieben. Entmutigt. Ohnmächtig. Dabei wäre gerade Humor das Patentrezept, um auch düsteren Zeiten ein erfülltes Leben abzugewinnen. Ein freies Leben. Denn frei wird man nicht, frei ist man – oder eben nicht. Freiheit ist eine Geisteshaltung, kein organisatori-sches Problem.

»Unsere Gesellschaft wird von Wahnsinnigen mit wahnsinnigen Zielen geführt. (…) Und ich denke, ich werde als Wahnsinniger eingesperrt, wenn ich das zum Ausdruck bringe. Das ist das Verrückte daran.« (John Lennon)

In diesem Lichte betrachtet nimmt es also kaum Wunder, dass das primäre Ziel der regieren-den Kaste darin besteht, die Bevölkerung in Angst, Armut, Abhängigkeiten und Agonie zu halten. Selbstbestimmte, selbstbewusste Individuen hätten nämlich nicht nur die Zeit, son-dern auch die mentale Kapazität und die Mittel, das Ponzi-Schema des polit-finanziellen Komplexes intellektuell wie organisatorisch zu durchdringen. Dementsprechend ist das Staatskonzept auch nicht darauf ausgelegt, das Individuum zu fördern. Es dient der Imple-mentierung eines konformistischen Kollektivismus. Die Massen sollen sich um die Flagge scharen. Wer kritische Fragen stellt und sich der Polonaise der Gutgläubigen verweigert, gilt als Landesverräter.

Doch nicht nur die vermeintlichen Häretiker sind Opfer staatlicher Willkür und Gewaltherr-schaft. Jeder Bürger stellt per se eine potenzielle Gefahr für die Machthaber dar. Dement-sprechend agiert das »Ungeheuer« Staat. Es führt einen konstanten – mehr oder weniger vernichtenden – Krieg gegen die eigene Bevölkerung. Welche Waffen in diesem Gefecht zum Einsatz kommen, erläutert ein von Wikileaks am 13. Juni 2008 veröffentlichtes Ge-heimdokument der US-Armee vom 20. September 1994. Titel: »Foreign Internal Defense Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Special Forces«. Zu Deutsch: Taktiken, Techniken und Verfahren zur internen Verteidigung im Ausland für Spezialeinheiten. Julian Assange nannte es einmal »das wichtigste Dokument, das Wikileaks je veröffentlichte«. Aus gutem Grund. Denn während der Titel des 219 Seiten umfassenden Strategiepapiers darauf abstellt, dass es sich um Arbeitsanweisungen für Spezialeinheiten handelt, die im Ausland operieren, sind die beschriebenen Methoden der asymmetrischen Kriegsführung genau jene, unter de-nen – neben dem Rest der Welt – auch die amerikanische Bevölkerung leidet.

Die US-Armee beschreibt im Detail, wie die verdeckt operierenden Kräfte Regierungen ab-setzen, Oppositionsgruppen infiltrieren, die Bevölkerung manipulieren und Kriege initiieren sollen. Auf Gesetze, Moral oder Kollateralschäden wird dabei keine Rücksicht genommen. Primäres Ziel – koste es, was es wolle – ist die Durchsetzung der Pax Americana im Zielge-biet. Ein paar Zitate verdeutlichen, wie das »Ungeheuer« dabei vorgeht.

»Aufstände sind nicht einfach zufällige politische Gewalt; sie sind gezielte politische Gewalt. Sie erfordern eine Führung, die Vision, Richtung, Anleitung, Koordination und organisato-rische Kohärenz bietet. Die Anführer der Aufständischen müssen ihre Sache dem Volk be-kannt machen und die Unterstützung der Bevölkerung gewinnen. (…) Ihre Ausbildung, ihr Hintergrund, ihre Familie, ihre sozialen Verbindungen und Erfahrungen prägen ihr Den-ken und die Art und Weise, wie sie ihre Ziele erreichen. Diese Faktoren prägen auch ihre Herangehensweise an die Problemlösung.« (S. 13)

»Die Ideologie von Gruppen innerhalb der Bewegung kann auf unterschiedliche Ansichten über strategische Ziele hinweisen. Gruppen können ideologische Konflikte haben, die gelöst werden müssen, bevor ein Gegner daraus Kapital schlagen kann. Die Ideologie kann wahr-scheinliche Ziele und Taktiken nahelegen. Sie beeinflusst stark die Wahrnehmung der Um-gebung durch den Aufständischen. Diese Wahrnehmung der Umgebung wiederum prägt die organisatorischen und operativen Methoden der Bewegung.« (S. 14)

»Wenn eine Situation explosiv ist, kann fast jedes Ereignis als auslösendes Ereignis dienen. Das richtige Timing kann auch in kurzer Zeit eine Flut von Ereignissen hervorrufen, sodass es schwierig ist, ein einzelnes Ereignis als die Handlung zu bezeichnen, die den Kampf aus-gelöst hat. Daher kann es hilfreicher sein, eine Reihe von Handlungen als auslösendes Er-eignis zu betrachten. Auslösende Ereignisse können historisch sein – und die Aufständi-schen erinnern die Bevölkerung an das Ereignis. Diese Technik befreit den Aufständischen davon, auf ein geeignetes Ereignis zu warten.« (S. 18)

»Oft sind es die Armen, die im Krieg kämpfen. CSDF-Programme (CSDF: Civilian Self-Defense Force) bieten der wohlhabenden Klasse die Möglichkeit, direkt und persönlich am Kampf gegen Gesetzlosigkeit und Aufstände beteiligt zu sein. Geschäftsleute und Fachleute beteiligen sich an CSDF aus einem Gefühl der bürgerlichen Pflicht, aus Stolz und aus der Notwendigkeit, ihr Vermögen zu schützen. Ihre aktive Beteiligung verleiht dem Programm Glaubwürdigkeit, stärkt die Legitimität der Regierung und verringert Klassenkonflikte. Wohlhabendes Personal kann bei der Ausstattung seiner Einheiten mithelfen. Es darf ihnen jedoch nicht gestattet sein, den Teilnehmern ein Gehalt zu zahlen.« (S. 128)

»PSYOP-Personal oder in PSYOP ausgebildete SFOD-Mitglieder (SFOD: Special Forces Operational Detachment) erleichtern die Zusammenarbeit zwischen der lokalen Bevölke-rung und dem HN-Militär (HN: Host Nation). Wenn qualifiziertes oder fähiges HN-Personal verfügbar ist, arbeitet das US-Personal durch sie. CSDF-Elemente müssen in der Anwendung von PSYOP geschult werden, um die Bevölkerung über die Vorteile zu informie-ren, die sie durch die Zusammenarbeit mit ihnen erzielen. PSYOP-Themen müssen sich an nationale und/oder fiktive Themen halten, um eine einheitliche Politik darzustellen. Es ist entscheidend, dass PSYOP zunächst an die lokale Bevölkerung gerichtet wird, um ihre Un-terstützung der Aufständischen zu beenden und ihre Akzeptanz und Zusammenarbeit für das CSDF-Programm zu gewinnen. (…) PSYOP kann die Mission unterstützen, indem es die aufständischen Kräfte bei neutralen Gruppen diskreditiert, Zwietracht unter den Auf-ständischen selbst sät und Überläuferprogramme unterstützt. Spaltungsprogramme führen zu Zwietracht, Desorganisation, niedriger Moral, Subversion und Überläufern innerhalb der aufständischen Kräfte. Wichtig sind auch nationale Programme, um Aufständische mit Angeboten von Amnestie und Belohnungen auf die Seite der Regierung zu ziehen. Die Motive für eine Kapitulation können von persönlichen Rivalitäten und Bitterkeit bis hin zu Desillusi-onierung und Entmutigung reichen. Druck seitens der Sicherheitskräfte hat Überzeugungs-kraft. (…) Alle Agenten werden genau beobachtet und diejenigen, die nicht zuverlässig sind, werden abgelöst. Wenige, zielgerichtete, zuverlässige Agenten sind besser und wirtschaftli-cher als viele schlechte. (…) Sicherheitskräfte können Einzelpersonen aus der Bevölkerung dazu bringen, Informanten zu werden. Sicherheitskräfte nutzen verschiedene Motive (Staatsbürgersinn, Patriotismus, Angst, Strafvermeidung, Dankbarkeit, Rache oder Eifer-sucht, finanzielle Belohnungen) als überzeugende Argumente. Sie nutzen die Zusicherung des Schutzes vor Repressalien als Hauptanreiz.« (S. 139, ff)

Zusammengefasst: Die Reichen bezahlen, sorgen für Stimmung und Glaubwürdigkeit, die politische Klasse passt die Vorgehensweise an lokale Strukturen, herrschende Ideologien, Demoskopie und Kommunikationsprozesse an – und die Armen werden zum Sterben an die Front geschickt. Und das sind nur kurze Einblicke in ein über 200 Seiten starkes Handbuch zum Krieg gegen die Zivilbevölkerung, die in Augen des Hegemon offenkundig nichts ande-res als Verfügungsmasse und Kanonenfutter ist. Man möchte Julian Assange beipflichten: Dieses Dokument erklärt nicht nur, warum unsere Gesellschaften, die Wirtschaft und das moralische Koordinatensystem des Homo sapiens in Auflösung begriffen sind – die Skru-pellosigkeit der im Detail beschriebenen Methoden lässt einem das Blut in den Adern gefrie-ren. Selbst nach auszugsweiser Lektüre muss man konstatieren: Nietzsche hatte Recht. Der Staat ist ein eiskaltes Ungeheuer.

Doch was ist der Staat? War es früher das klar erkenntliche Machtvehikel von Monarchen, Imperatoren, Familiendynastien und Klerus, erweckt das Staatskonzept der jüngeren Neuzeit gerne den Eindruck, es hätte sich von dieser Despotie der wenigen gelöst, stünde für sich, auf einem Fundament des Volkswillens, der sich in Verfassungen, Gesetzen und Wahlen widerspiegelt. Weit gefehlt. Auch die »Global Governance« von heute ist nichts anderes als Despotismus. Weithin kontrolliert von den gleichen Bankenkartellen, Familien, Unterneh-men und Organisationen, die seit Generationen den Lauf der Welt bestimmen. Die Regenbo-gen emanierende Pluralismussimulation der Postmoderne verbirgt diesen Umstand nur bes-ser. Sie tyrannisiert indirekt. Köpfe werden nicht mehr abgeschlagen, sondern gewaschen. Exakt so, wie es die angloamerikanischen Vordenker dieses Systems im ausgehenden 19. Jahrhundert insinuierten. Siehe Carroll Quigley, Tragedy and Hope, 1966, Kapitel »The Fu-ture in Perspective«, Seite 1247:

»Das Argument, dass die beiden Parteien entgegengesetzte Ideale und politische Ansichten vertreten sollten, eine vielleicht rechts, die andere links, ist eine törichte Idee, die nur für doktrinäre und akademische Denker akzeptabel ist. Stattdessen sollten die beiden Parteien nahezu identisch sein, sodass das amerikanische Volk die Schurken bei jeder Wahl raus-werfen kann, ohne dass es zu tiefgreifenden oder umfassenden politischen Veränderungen kommt. Die politischen Pläne, die für Amerika lebenswichtig und notwendig sind, sind nicht länger Gegenstand großer Meinungsverschiedenheiten, sondern nur noch in Einzelheiten des Verfahrens, der Priorität oder der Methode umstritten.«

Sodass nach Scheindebatten, Empörungsmanagement und Abstimmungen nicht vom allge-meinen Kurs abgewichen werden muss. Was Quigleys elitäre Zirkel – er war bis zur Veröf-fentlichung von Tragedy and Hope einer von ihnen und unterstützte ihre Ideen – für die Rückführung der 13 US-Kolonien sowie die moderne Expansion des britischen Empire vor-sahen, ist heute zentrales Element der wertewestlichen Fassadendemokratie. Symptombe-sprechung, Lippenbekenntnisse, Emotionsamplituden, »Der Dritte Weg« – »wo soziale Ge-rechtigkeit und Markt miteinander versöhnt werden sollen« – und auch nach der x-ten Wahl bleibt alles beim Alten. Ob Berlin, Brüssel, London, New York, Beirut oder Peking: Ein Potemkin’sches Dorf. Denn wir leben längst in der Idealvorstellung von Benito Mussolini, der den perfekten Faschismus als Korporatismus bezeichnete und als symbiotische Fusion der Macht von Staat und Konzernen verstand. Als »Public Private Partnership«.

»Benito Mussolini hat der modernen Sparpolitik den Weg bereitet und die Arbeiterbewe-gung unterdrückt. Liberale Ökonomen im In- und Ausland bewunderten ihn dafür«, schrieb man bei Jacobin am 6. März 2023. So zeitigt das Staatskonzept dieser Tage die gleichen ver-heerenden Folgen wie die Herrschaftskonstrukte der Vergangenheit. Vertikale Durchlässig-keit begrenzt, das Volk manipuliert, ausgebeutet und gegängelt. Anstelle von Arbeitslagern, Schlägertrupps und Exekutionskommandos machen heute Algorithmen die Drecksarbeit. Sonst hat sich kaum etwas geändert.

Stand heute leben nach Angaben von Oxfam weltweit knapp fünf Milliarden mehr Men-schen in Armut als vor 2020. Das sind die ärmsten 60 Prozent der Menschheit. Zusammen haben sie circa 20 Milliarden US-Dollar verloren. Das Gesamtvermögen der reichsten Deut-schen wuchs im gleichen Zeitraum von 89 auf 155 Milliarden US-Dollar – ein Zuwachs von 73,85 Prozent. Die 148 größten Konzerne der Welt konnten zwischen Juni 2022 und Juni 2023 circa 1,8 Billionen Dollar an Gewinnen verzeichnen – ein Anstieg von 52,5 Prozent gegenüber dem Durchschnitt der Jahre 2018 bis 2021. Der Reingewinn stieg gegenüber die-sem Zeitraum um 20 Prozent auf 700 Milliarden Dollar. Und die fünf reichsten Menschen der Welt haben ihr Vermögen seit 2020 verdoppelt. Wer vom Nachhaltigkeitskorporatismus profitiert, dürfte damit geklärt sein.

Der Normalbürger dagegen kämpft gegen steigende Steuern, Inflation und anziehende Ener-giekosten. In einem luftabschnürenden Korsett von Verträgen, Verpflichtungen und Ver-bindlichkeiten gefangen, bleibt weder Zeit noch Geld für ein Leben in Würde. Der angepass-te Regenbogendemokrat wird geboren, indoktriniert, ausgebeutet und dann bestattet. Indivi-duelle Entfaltung ist in diesem Lebensentwurf von der Stange nicht vorgesehen. Die leitme-dialen Podiumsdiskussionen um Work-Life-Balance, Gendersprache und feministische Au-ßenpolitik klingen in den Ohren der buckelnden Arbeiterklasse – und auch für weite Teilen des schwindenden Mittelstandes – wie blanker Hohn. Das Habitat des Mediazän, das nicht selten den Eindruck erweckt, man lebe in einer fehlerhaft programmierten Simulation, zwingt seinen Bewohner immer häufiger dazu, sich existenziellen Problemen zu stellen: Unterkunft, Nahrung, Fortpflanzung. Überleben.

Noch bezahlt er Jahreslizenzen für Cloud-Software, Netflix für Filme und Streamingdienste für Musik, die er früher erwarb und dann einfach besaß. Noch geht er wählen und entschei-det brav zwischen Pest und Cholera, um vier weitere Jahre nicht die Hoffnung zu verlieren. Noch glaubt, ignoriert oder kommentiert er leidensfähig die intelligenzbeleidigenden Lügen-gebilde, die als Realität vermarktet werden.

Mithin erstaunlich. Denn nicht erst seit der Corona-Krise belegen nackte Zahlen, dass der Mensch in diesem System nicht nur beraubt und unterdrückt, sondern auch als Versuchska-ninchen für den pharmakologisch-finanziellen Komplex missbraucht wird. Nürnberger Ko-dex hin oder her. Während Robert Koch vor der Schaffung dieses vermeintlichen Bollwerks für die körperliche Unversehrtheit noch ungestraft Menschenversuche in seinen kolonialen Konzentrationslagern durchführen durfte, ist das Thema seit Ende des Zweiten Weltkrieges tabu. Gesetzlich eliminiert. Angeblich. Doch bereits in den 1940er Jahren infizierte der US-Gesundheitsdienst Gefängnisinsassen und psychisch kranke Personen mit Syphilis-Erregern. Von 1946 bis 1949 weiteten die USA das Programm auf Guatemala aus und machten sich zusätzlich über Soldaten und Prostituierte her. Das Echo der angelsächsisch geprägten Eugeniklehre hallte im fortgeführten Rassismus nach.

»Schockierende Fälle wie der Tod der 49 Kinder nach Medikamententests in einem indi-schen Krankenhaus sind in der Geschichte der Medizin nichts Neues: In den USA wurde Farbigen zu Studienzwecken von 1932 bis 1972 die Syphilis-Therapie verweigert.« (SZ, Das Verbrechen von Tuskegee, 11. Mai 2010)

Am 20. September 1950 spritzte die US-Marine vor der Küste San Franciscos Mikroben in die Troposphäre, um zu testen, welche Effekte ein Angriff mit Biowaffen auf die damals 800.000 Einwohner der Stadt haben würde. 1953 startete die CIA das MK-Ultra-Programm, in dessen Rahmen abertausenden ahnungsloser Menschen LSD verabreicht wurde. Zwei Jahre später nahm »Project Whitecoat« – Projekt Weißkittel – seine Arbeit auf. Die bestand im Verlauf der folgenden 20 Jahre darin, Menschenversuche mit Hasenpest, Typhus, Gelb-fieber und Milzbrand durchzuführen. Und Ende der 60er testeten die amerikanischen Streit-kräfte Nervengas an den eigenen Soldaten. Der SPIEGEL schrieb diesbezüglich am 10. Juli 2013:

»11. Oktober, 16:25 Uhr, 26 Stunden nach Testbeginn. Kleine blutende Anomalien am lin-ken Bein festgestellt. Subjekt behauptet, es habe seinen Rasierer fallen gelassen und sich dabei ins Bein geschnitten – doch so war es nicht. Er habe seine Sommersprossen damals für Käfer gehalten, sagt Rochelle: »Die krabbelten überall unter meiner Haut herum«. Den Betreuern habe er nichts davon erzählt, es sei ihm peinlich gewesen: »Ich habe meine Ra-sierklinge genommen und versucht, die Käfer aus meiner Haut zu schneiden.« Er war längst nicht mehr selbst dazu in der Lage, die Experimente zu stoppen. Damit war die Ein-verständniserklärung Makulatur. So wie Frank Rochelle ergeht es in Edgewood mehr als 7.800 US-Soldaten; im ganzen Land sind es rund 100.000. Systematisch haben Militär und Geheimdienste die eigenen Leute seit Ende des Ersten Weltkriegs Giften, Gasen, Drogen und Psycho-Kampfstoffen ausgesetzt, darunter LSD, Sarin, Senfgas, BZ, VX, Barbiturate, Amphetamine, Chlorpromazin und immer so weiter. Nachsorgeuntersuchungen? Fehlan-zeige. Erst nach fast sechs Jahrzehnten stoppt das US-Parlament die Menschenversuche im Jahr 1975.«

Ebenfalls bis weit in die 70er hinein injizierte man US-Gefängnisinsassen Pestizide und Herbizide. Mindestens 2.600 Menschen wurden derartigen Versuchen unterzogen. Natürlich musste auch die Atombombe am lebenden Objekt getestet werden. Sowohl Frankreich als auch Großbritannien, die ehemalige Sowjetunion oder die USA schickten Menschen auf die Testgelände. Viele von ihnen segneten danach relativ rasch das Zeitliche. Bis heute kämpfen Bewohner der entsprechenden Landstriche um Entschädigungen, weil sie ihre Krebserkran-kungen der im Umland von Testgebieten gestreuten Strahlung zuschreiben. In den 70ern machte sich der Journalist Paul Jacobs auf eigene Faust daran, die Geschichte der Betroffe-nen zu dokumentieren – um 1978 selbst an Krebs zu sterben. Selbst vor Versuchen an Kin-dern schreckte das »Ungeheuer« nie zurück, wie wiederum der SPIEGEL in Ausgabe 45 vom 2. November 1986 ausführt:

»Dwayne winkte seiner Mutter zu, sie lächelte zurück, dann schloss sich die schwere Eisen-tür hinter dem todkranken Kind. Seit drei Jahren wurde Dwayne Sexton am Strahleninstitut des Atomforschungszentrums Oak Ridge im Bundesstaat Tennessee gegen Leukämie be-handelt. Er hatte eine qualvolle Knochenmark-Transplantation sowie etliche Runden von Chemotherapie hinter sich. Alles war vergeblich geblieben. Als letztes Mittel wollten die Ärz-te nun versuchen, mit massiver Bestrahlung die Krebszellen im Knochenmark des Kindes zu zerstören. Dass diese Methode riskant und – zur damaligen Zeit, 1968 – auch wenig er-probt war, teilten die Ärzte den Eltern des Kindes mit. Was sie aber verschwiegen, war, dass sie auch im Auftrag der amerikanischen Weltraumbehörde NASA arbeiteten. Sie soll-ten herausfinden, wieviel Strahlung Astronauten im All aushalten würden, ohne krank zu werden. Für die von der NASA bestellte Untersuchung erprobten die Ärzte an ihren Patien-ten, so hieß es in einem ihrer Berichte, verschiedene »therapeutische Szenarien, die aus Strahlenmengen im All abgeleitet wurden«. Im Klartext: Nicht allein medizinische Erwä-gungen zum Wohl des Patienten setzten die Höhe der Strahlendosis fest, sondern auch die Bedürfnisse der NASA. In diesem Sinn waren die Patienten lebende Versuchskaninchen.«

Mindestens 23.000 US-Amerikaner wurden von Militäreinrichtungen und Gesundheitsbe-hörden vorsätzlich verstrahlt. Zu Forschungszwecken. »Kalter Krieg gegen US-Bevölkerung« nannte es die taz am 24. Oktober 1994.

»Zwischen 1950 und 1972 finanzierte das Pentagon außerdem fünf klinische Studien über die Aufnahmefähigkeit des menschlichen Körpers von Strahlen, um Aussagen über die psy-chologischen wie biologischen Folgen von Atomexplosionen zu erhalten. Die Versuchsper-sonen waren größtenteils in Armut lebende Schwarze. (…) Bei einem anderen Experiment mussten Soldaten auf Fässern mit radioaktivem Material herumfahren, um zu prüfen, ob ihre Autos sie vor den Strahlen schützten. In Hanford im US-Bundesstaat Washington setz-ten die Militärs absichtlich eine nukleare Wolke frei, um die Verlagerung der Wolke zu un-tersuchen. Aufgrund einer plötzlichen Änderung der Wetterlage fielen die radioaktiven Teil-chen auf einem 300 Kilometer langen und 60 Kilometer breiten Gebiet nieder (…). (jW, 29. August 1997)

Der Umgang mit der indigenen Bevölkerung wirft kein besseres Licht auf die Vereinigten Staaten. Von fünf bis sieben Millionen Ureinwohnern im Jahr 1500 waren im Jahr 1900 noch 237.000 übrig. Ob Hungersnöte, Sklavenarbeit, Massaker, Umsiedlungen oder »Boar-ding Schools« – Umerziehungsinternate: Die aus Großbritannien eingereisten Siedler verüb-ten einen Genozid an den indigenen Stämmen. Nachdem die mageren Reste der stolzen Indi-anervölker in Reservate gepfercht worden waren, suchte der Staat deren Fortpflanzung mit-tels Zwangssterilisation zu verhindern. Mehr als 60.000 Indigene wurden im 20. Jahrhundert einer solch abscheulichen Behandlung unterzogen. Darüber hinaus war das Eugenik-Programm der USA, das erst 1981 endgültig eingestellt wurde, Grundlage für die Rassen-lehre des deutschen NS-Regimes.

Ähnlich ging man in Kanada vor. Seit den 1920er Jahren wurden dort tausende indigene Frauen zwangssterilisiert – bis heute – obwohl die entsprechenden Gesetze mittlerweile ab-geschafft wurden. Die tagesschau vermeldet dazu am 10. März 2024:

»Die Worte des weißen Arztes haben sich Liz (…) ins Gedächtnis gebrannt: »Es ist besser, du stimmst der Abtreibung zu. Denn wir werden dir dieses Baby wegnehmen. So oder so«. Die damals 17-jährige Kanadierin vom indigenen Volk der Anishinabe wagt es nicht, zu widersprechen. Verängstigt sitzt sie Ende der 1970er-Jahre im Behandlungsraum der Indi-an Clinic in der Provinz Ontario, einer Klinik, in der Indigene behandelt werden, damit sie an die sogenannte Zivilisation angepasst werden. (…) Die alleinerziehende Mutter sei nicht in der Lage, für ein weiteres Kind zu sorgen. Der Arzt will ihr deshalb die Eileiter abbinden und sie dadurch sterilisieren. (…) Erst Jahre später wird ihr klar: Sie ist nicht allein. Zehn-tausende indigene Frauen sind in Kanada seit den 1920er-Jahren im Einklang mit der Eu-genik-Gesetzgebung gegen ihren Willen sterilisiert worden. Und obwohl es diese Gesetze nicht mehr gibt, geschieht es bis heute, weiß Senatorin Yvonne Boyer im Kongress in Otta-wa (…). Noch immer ist Zwangssterilisation kein Tatbestand im kanadischen Strafgesetz-buch. (…) Vergangenes Jahr wurde in den Nordwest-Territorien ein Arzt bestraft, weil er 2019 eine Inuit-Frau gegen ihren Willen unfruchtbar gemacht hat. Er verlor seine Lizenz – für fünf Monate.«

Dass sich nicht nur das angloamerikanische Empire für Eugenik begeisterte, zeigt die Ein-richtung des ersten rassenbiologischen Instituts in Schweden im Jahr 1921. Zwischen 1935 und 1976 wurden dort circa 62.000 Menschen zwangssterilisiert. Die offiziellen Begrün-dungen für die Eingriffe reichten von »Mischling« über »Alkoholismus« bis zu »dämlich« und »religiös«. Sprich: Reine Willkür unter dem Deckmantel der Wissenschaft. Legalisiert vom schwedischen Staat.

Heute begegnen uns die staatlich organisierten Eugenik-Programme unter wohlklingenden Labels wie Bioethik, reproduktive Gesundheit, biosoziale Forschung und Bevölkerungspoli-tik. Seit 1954 finden die von den Vereinten Nationen (UN) organisierten Weltbevölkerungs-konferenzen statt. Die letzte im November 2019 in Nairobi (Kenia). Was bei diesen Konfe-renzen besprochen wird, lässt sich anhand eines Artikels des GUARDIAN vom 15. April 2012 oder eines Beitrags von C-Fam (Center for Family and Human Rights) erahnen:

»Großbritannien hat 166 Millionen Pfund (268 Millionen Dollar) für ein Regierungspro-gramm in Indien gespendet, das arme Frauen und Männer zwangssterilisiert. Die britische Hilfsorganisation nannte die Notwendigkeit, dem Klimawandel durch Bevölkerungsreduzie-rung zu begegnen, als Hauptgrund für die Finanzierung des missbräuchlichen indischen Programms (…). Verpfuschte Operationen verursachten Qualen, Blutungen und Todesfäl-le. In einer von der britischen Regierung ins Visier genommenen Region verblutete die 35-jährige Frau eines armen Arbeiters, die mit Zwillingen schwanger war. Einige Frauen, die während der Schwangerschaft sterilisiert wurden, erlitten Fehlgeburten. Einige wurden mit weniger als acht Dollar und einem Sari bestochen, anderen wurde mit dem Verlust ihrer Lebensmittelkarten gedroht. Manchen wurde gesagt, die Operationen dienten der allgemei-nen Gesundheitsfürsorge, und sie erfuhren den wahren Zweck erst zu spät. Kliniken erhiel-ten Prämien für mehr als dreißig Operationen pro Tag. Nichtstaatliche Mitarbeiter wurden für jede Person bezahlt, die sie zu einer Operation überredeten. Ein Chirurg, der in einem Schulgebäude arbeitete, führte in zwei Stunden 53 Operationen durch – ohne qualifiziertes Personal, fließendes Wasser oder Mittel zum Reinigen der Geräte. Berichte der indischen Regierung aus den Jahren 2006 und 2009 warnten vor Problemen mit dem Programm. Dennoch empfahl ein Bericht des britischen Ministeriums für internationale Entwicklung aus dem Jahr 2010 die weitere Unterstützung des Programms mit der Begründung, dass eine Reduzierung der Bevölkerungszahl die Treibhausgase senken würde. (…) Sterilisation ist die häufigste Methode der Familienplanung, die in Phase II des indischen Programms für Reproduktions- und Kindergesundheit eingesetzt wird, das 2005 mit britischer Finanzie-rung begann. Trotz der Enthüllungen im ersten Jahr hat Großbritannien keine Bedingungen an seine Finanzierung geknüpft. (…) Im Juli wird Großbritannien zusammen mit der Bill & Melinda Gates Stiftung einen Familienplanungsgipfel in London ausrichten. Ziel der Veran-staltung ist es, beispielloses politisches Engagement und Ressourcen von Entwicklungslän-dern, Gebern, dem privaten Sektor, der Zivilgesellschaft und anderen Partnern zu generie-ren, um den Familienplanungsbedarf von Frauen in den ärmsten Ländern der Welt bis 2020 zu decken, erklärte das britische Ministerium für internationale Entwicklung. Melinda Gates hielt kürzlich eine Rede, in der sie behauptete, dass die Hilfe bei der Empfängnisver-hütung nichts mit Bevölkerungskontrolle oder Zwangssterilisationsprogrammen zu tun ha-be.« (C-Fam, 2. Mai 2012)

»Familienplanungsbedarf«? Dass solche Programme nichts mit »Bevölkerungskontrolle« zu tun haben, ist eine infame Lüge. Schon die von Julian Huxley verfasste Grundsatzschrift der UNESCO von 1946 spricht davon, dass Eugenik wieder salonfähig gemacht werden muss. »Das Undenkbare wenigstens wieder denkbar machen«, nannte Huxley es damals. So muss auch die ungezügelte Massenmigration als Waffe im mittlerweile allgegenwärtigen Kampf der Kulturen verstanden werden. Dabei ist allerdings nicht die Migration selbst das Problem – denn auch die Migranten sind Opfer dieser Agenda – sondern der jeweilige Auslöser für diese Zuwanderungsströme. Die verarmten, verzweifelten, traumatisierten, mit falschen Ver-sprechungen gelockten und als Spaltpilz missbrauchten Menschen für die Symptome des wertwestlichen Neokolonialismus verantwortlich zu machen, greift zu kurz.

Die chaotischen Zustände auf deutschen, britischen, schwedischen und französischen Stra-ßen sind kein Zufall, sondern gewollt. Das belegt ein Strategiepapier der Vereinten Nationen, das am 21. März 2000 publiziert wurde. Titel des Dokuments: »Replacement Migration: Is it A Solution to Declining and Ageing Populations?« Übersetzt: »Ersatzmigration: Ist sie eine Lösung für schrumpfende und alternde Bevölkerungen?«. Auf 177 Seiten erläutert die Stu-die, wie Frankreich, Großbritannien, Deutschland, Italien, Japan oder Russland zurückge-hende Geburtenraten durch massenhafte Zuwanderung kompensieren sollen. Auf den Seiten 32 und 33 liest man diesbezüglich:

»Abbildung 1 zeigt einen standardisierten Vergleich der Zuwanderungsströme pro Million Einwohner (Stand: 2000). Aus diesem Vergleich geht hervor, dass im Verhältnis zur Lan-desgröße die Zahl der Einwanderer, die im Zeitraum 2000-2050 pro Jahr benötigt wird, um den Bestand der Bevölkerung im erwerbsfähigen Alter zu erhalten (Szenario IV), mit 6.500 Einwanderern auf eine Million Einwohner in Italien am höchsten ist, gefolgt von Deutschland mit 6.000 Einwanderern pro Jahr auf eine Million Einwohner. Von den in die-sem Bericht untersuchten Ländern und Regionen benötigten die Vereinigten Staaten mit et-wa 1.300 Einwanderern auf eine Million Einwohner die geringste Zahl von Einwanderern, um einen Rückgang ihrer Bevölkerung im erwerbsfähigen Alter zu verhindern.«

»Die Zahl der Einwanderer, die notwendig ist, um ein Schrumpfen der Bevölkerung im er-werbsfähigen Alter auszugleichen, übersteigt diejenige, die einen Rückgang der Gesamtbe-völkerung ausgleichen würde, um ein Erhebliches. Ob solche höheren Einwanderungszah-len zu den Optionen gehören, die den Regierungen zur Verfügung stehen, hängt zum großen Teil von den sozialen, wirtschaftlichen und politischen Verhältnissen des jeweiligen Landes beziehungsweise der jeweiligen Region ab.«

Wer also annimmt, dass die Destabilisierungskriege und Raubzüge der NATO-Hegemonie nur dem Zwecke dienten, missliebige Regierungen auszutauschen und der Rohstoffe eines Landes habhaft zu werden, liegt offenkundig falsch. Wenn das wertewestliche Imperium irgendwo Demokratie abwirft, hat es dabei auch die strategischen Ziele globaler Bevölke-rungskontrolle im Blick. Migration als Waffe – gerichtet gegen beide involvierten Parteien. Demnach kann man sich nur wünschen, dass die Gewaltausbrüche zwischen einheimischer Bevölkerung und Migranten in den verschiedenen EU-Ländern rasch ein Ende nehmen und sich die von Verzweiflung herrührende Wut beider Parteien auf das eigentliche Problem fo-kussiert: Die herrschende Kaste und ihr gesichtsloses Imperium supranationaler Organisati-onen.

Wahrlich – die Liste an staatlich organisierten, legitimierten, orchestrierten und geduldeten Gräueltaten ließe sich beliebig lange fortführen. Je nachdem, wie weit man zurückzublicken gedenkt. Viele dieser Verbrechen sind Teil der offiziellen Geschichtsschreibung. Jeder weiß es. Dennoch führt dieses Wissen um die Skrupellosigkeit eines im Kern faschistoiden Sys-tems erstaunlicherweise bis heute nicht dazu, dass sich die Menschheit auf andere Formen des Zusammenlebens, der Verwaltung und Organisation einigt. Noch immer sehnen sich die Massen nach Führung, zentraler Steuerung und Ikonen, die ihnen ein besseres Leben ver-sprechen. Dabei belegt die Zivilisationsgeschichte mehr als eindrücklich, dass es sich um leere Versprechen handelt, dass die Hoffnung auf den edlen Ritter, die rettende Wahl oder eine bessere Zukunft reine Illusion ist. Der Machtapparat Staat dient nur einem einzigen Zweck – dem Erhalt des Machtapparats.

Es bedarf demnach auch keiner Diskussion um marginale Optimierungen des herrschenden Systems. Denn wer nur Symptome behandelt, wird die Ursache der Krankheit nicht eliminie-ren. Es bedarf der konstruktiven Debatte darüber, wie dieses System in Gänze zu ersetzen ist.

Dabei gilt es, eigene Narrative zu entwickeln. Geschichten. Vorstellungen von einer freiheit-lich organisierten Zukunft. Von einem lebenswerten morgen. Für eine Zeit nach dem »Un-geheuer«. Wir brauchen Ideen, von denen wir nachfolgende Generationen begeistern kön-nen. Und damit ist nicht die technische Verbesserung des Smartphones oder eine neue App gemeint, sondern eine Utopie. Denn gegen etwas zu sein, ist einfach. Für etwas zu sein, da-gegen nicht.

So engagieren wir uns längst nicht mehr nur für den Erhalt der Meinungsfreiheit, sondern für die Bewahrung des freien Willens. Denn was im Namen des Staates – »im Namen des Volkes« – und damit im Namen jener Menschen, die den Staat durch Wahl oder Duldung legitimieren, geschah, geschieht und geschehen wird, kann kein emotional gesundes Mitglied unserer Spezies wirklich wollen.

@ dbfa19e3:debb6089

https://www.piecover.com/2024/12/how-to-use-bitcoin-to-escape-war-and.html A lot of countries in the world are becoming more tyrannical as the governments are becoming more desperate for money to fund wars, social programs and other pet projects they invented. In many cases people find themselves stuck paying for a war they know nothing about and have nothing to do with, they pay for it in forms of hyperinflation(higher price for everything) since the currency is being printed at scale to pay for everything, while costing the people their friends and family members and even their own lives in the process, with no fault of their own. But there is hope, we are going explore a way people can use to protect themselves and their love ones.

Bitcoin is a financial tool for freedom and self-preservation, it is the easiest way you can: save, protect, invest and increase the value of your money overtime. There are a lot of people who have used Bitcoin to save their lives under hyperinflationary economies such as the author of one of the most popular Bitcoin book "The Bitcoin Standard" - Saifedean Ammous, he used Bitcoin to save his life under hyperinflation in Lebanon. You can do the same thing for yourself and your family by simply converting your local currency to bitcoin, write down your pass phrase and store it somewhere safe or memorize it if you can, it will be there for you whenever wherever you need it, in contrast to cash, gold or a bank account that can be taken away from you at the airport or at the border, once you get to your destination country you can use any phone with a wifi connection to download your money and exchange it for what you need to sustain yourself.

You can use any of these bitcoin wallet to regain access to your bitcoin: Blue Wallet, Green Wallet, Aqua Wallet, Sparrow Wallet, Phoenix Wallet, etc. Need an easier way to use bitcoin?

  If you worry about losing your pass phrase you can simply backup your bitcoin access key by just using your email address as your credential on: Muun Wallet, WalletofSatoshi, blinkwallet, etc.
 Please share this with a dear friend!

@ 349d6b82:12b2a5b1

Все уже не понаслышке знают о Дмитрии Александровиче Кузнецове - Признанный волонтер Серова, который внес неимоверный вклад в наш город и который является примером для подражания у многих молодых ребят. Сегодня мы обсудим одни из самых запоминающих, грустных, значимых событий из жизни Дмитрия Александровиче и окунемся в его профессиональную деятельность.

@ 41fa852b:af7b7706

"I wish I bought less bitcoin" --Nobody Ever

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Yes I know it's 100,000 USD, not GBP!

But it's a big round number and I'm used to looking at the price in dollars.

I thought as a way to celebrate we might have a little fun competition. The first person to crack the cipher below and reply to this email (you need to be subscribed to have received the email) with the decoded message will win 10,000 sats!

uwnafhd nx sjhjxxfwd ktw fs tujs xthnjyd ns ymj jqjhywtsnh flj uwnafhd nx sty xjhwjhd f uwnafyj rfyyjw nx xtrjymnsl tsj itjxsy bfsy ymj bmtqj btwqi yt pstb gzy f xjhwjy rfyyjw nx xtrjymnsl tsj itjxsy bfsy fsdgtid yt pstb uwnafhd nx ymj utbjw yt xjqjhynajqd wjajfq tsjxjqk yt ymj btwqi

If enough of you enjoy it, we'll do it again.

Good luck, and let's check out what's on this week.

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If you've enjoyed the newsletter and find it valuable to you and the UK Bitcoin community, please consider donating some sats here.

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This week's sponsor is…

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Upcoming Bitcoin Meetups

Happening this week…

1. Dundee Bitcoin: Join them on the 2nd Monday of every month from 5:30 to 8:30 PM at The Wine Press, 16 Shore Terrace, Dundee DD1 3DN. This month's meetup is on Monday, 9th December.

2. Glasgow Bitcoin: Meeting this month at Committee Room No. 9, G1 1JQ on Wednesday 11th at 18:00.

3. Bitcoin Beach Bournemouth: Every second Thursday of the month at Chaplins Cellar Bar. 529 Christchurch Road, Boscombe, United. You'll find them in the Cogg Room at 19:30. This month it's the 12th.

4. Limerick Bitcoiners: Back with another meetup after a break. Meeting at 20:00 on the 13th. DM them on Twitter/X using the link to get info on the location.

5. Bitcoin Walk - Edinburgh: Every Saturday they walk around Arthur's Seat in this historic city. Join them at 12 pm to chat about all things Bitcoin and keep fit.

6. Kent Bitcoin: These guys will be at The Muggleton Inn on Sunday 15th at 12:00. The Muggleton Inn, 8--9 High Street, Maidstone, ME14 1HJ.

7. Northants Bitcoin Walk: As you'll see below in the 'new businesses' section, Northamptonshire has a new bitcoin-accepting cafe. This month the Northants Walk will start at the Ark Cafe at 11:00, with a walk along the River Nene and back to the cafe for refreshments afterwards. Let's pray for some good weather.

8. Bitcoin East: Join Bitcoin East in Bury St. Edmunds on December 15th, 11:00 at Procopio's Pantry. They'll then be moving on to Vespers Bar, IP33 3PH, at 12:00. All welcome, Bitcoiners and anyone else curious about Bitcoin.

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New Businesses Accepting Bitcoin

• The Ark Cafe - Northampton: An amazing custom-made floating cafe in Northampton. A vegan cafe at weekends, Saturday 10:00 - 15:00 and Sunday 11:00 - 15:00 and available for event hire for parties, conferences, weddings etc. The main hall can accommodate up to 45 guests for a sit-down meal or up to 65 for a more informal get-together. Contact them on Twitter/X for more info.

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Upcoming Special Events

This event isn't happening this week, but it's important to add to your calendar now as tickets are selling fast.

• Bitcoin Surrey & Berkshire Bitcoiners: A joint Christmas Dinner and 100k Party on Tuesday, 17th December, at Yiayias at The Fox (GU10 3PH). Dinner starts at 19:30, featuring award-winning Greek cuisine and the option of a Festive Meze or a Traditional Christmas menu. Kirit Magic will perform exclusive Bitcoin-themed close-up magic at 18:00. Tickets are £35 per person, with a £15 deposit required by 10th December via the Lightning Network. The venue accepts Bitcoin for drinks and dinner balances, so bring your Lightning wallet. Free parking is available, and kids are welcome.

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Get Involved

• Volunteer Opportunities: Bridge2Bitcoin is actively seeking volunteers who share our passion for merchant adoption. We'd be delighted to connect if you're eager to contribute. Reach out to us on Twitter or through our website.
• Start Your Own Meetup: Interested in launching a Bitcoin meetup? We're here to support you every step of the way. We've assisted numerous UK Bitcoin meetups in getting started. Get in touch via Twitter.
• Contribute to BTCMaps: BTCMaps is a vital part of the Bitcoin ecosystem. It's a perfect project to get involved with if you're not a coder or even that technical. A great way to give back to the community. Maintain an area of the UK and keep it up-to-date.
• Telegram users: You might find our Telegram Channel another useful way to keep up-to-date with UK meetups.
• Feedback and Suggestions: We value your input! Share your ideas on how we can enhance this newsletter.

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This week's sponsors are…

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Get out and support the meetups where you can, visit Bitcoin Events UK for more info on each meetup and to find your closest on the interactive map.

Stay tuned for more updates next week!

Simon.

@ 7c765d40:bd121d84

First off, happy birthday Arnie!

Our favorite guy turned 1 today.

Unofficially.

We don't know when he was born but the shelter estimated sometime this week.

So December 8th it is.

I hope he's enjoyed his first year.

He's sure brightened up our world out here.

So that'll be part one - decay.

Birthdays take a psychological toll on people.

Hours, days, years, birthdays.

Time, as we know it, is a human construct.

There is obviously correlation between time and the body starting to age.

But I feel like most of this aging process happens in our mind.

We convince ourself that just because another year passed, we should start feeling worse and getting fatter.

One thing that I've learned over these last few years is the power of thought.

We've all been guilty of this.

"I'm about to turn 50, my best years are behind me."

"I'm 40 and don't have kids or a wife, I'm going to die alone."

Time is absolutely relevant - and a big part of why bitcoin works so well.

But these are just numbers we use to stay organized and consistent.

There are 70 years with a sharper mind than some 20 year olds.

It's important to realize this concept and to not age yourself faster than you need.

Your mind is your most powerful tool.

Make sure you're using it to your advantage.

Onto the next part - decoy.

I am a big proponent of having a decoy wallet in your house.

The purpose of the decoy is to trick "bad actors" into thinking this is your main wallet.

If someone were to break into your house, you hand them your decoy wallet.

The problem with most bitcoiners - including myself until a few weeks ago - is that they keep the decoy with the main wallet.

It makes the most to keep valuable items in the safe or a safe place in the house.

But having the decoy wallet and the main wallet in the same place kind of defeats the purpose.

So here's a few tips for levelling up your bitcoin security:

1. If you have more than 10 million sats (.10 bitcoin) consider using a decoy wallet.

2. Keep the decoy wallet (approx 5-10% of your stack) in the safe.

3. Keep your main wallet in a separate hidden location.

4. Keep your seed phrase on steel or titanium.

5. If you have more than 50 million sats (.50 bitcoin), start looking into a multi-signature setup. This is the more advanced version of a decoy wallet which requires 2 of 3 signatures to send any bitcoin.

Your bitcoin security setup is always evolving.

Never rush into anything or panic.

Take your time and do it right.

And be sure to practice and rehearse your setup on a regular basis.

The last thing you want to do is go through all this time and effort only to lock yourself out!

Happy birthday Arn!

Happy Sunday to all!

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PROJECT POTENTIAL - You can now find the expanded audio versions of these on the new podcast - Project Potential! I will be sharing the video versions here for the LITF members but you can also find it for free on Spotify and of course Fountain!

Here is the link to Episode 006 on Fountain: https://fountain.fm/episode/i99LWnNr0pUVGA1ukuX4

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Have a great day everyone! And remember, the only thing more scarce than bitcoin is time!

Jor

@ eac63075:b4988b48

Imagine a large public square, illuminated by intense spotlights, where every individual who dares to approach the center is immediately recognized, photographed, and cataloged. In this square, every word spoken becomes indelibly tied to its speaker. Under such conditions, many would hesitate before speaking, fearing not only the disapproval of the audience but also the potential punishments that could follow the mere act of expressing an idea. Now, imagine a second square, where anyone can cover their face with a mask, allowing their voice to echo without revealing their identity. It is in this second square that true freedom of expression flourishes, and this metaphorical mask represents anonymity.

https://www.fountain.fm/episode/MweciiR21hySxjdsNa7u

In debates about freedom of expression—one of the fundamental pillars of democratic societies—anonymity often emerges as a controversial element. For some, it serves as a refuge for digital criminals or slanderers. For others, it is an indispensable tool, capable of protecting dissenting voices and inspiring authentic debates, with ideas judged on their merits rather than the messenger’s reputation. This article aims to explain, in a clear and instructive manner, why anonymity is essential to genuine freedom of expression, illustrating its value with metaphors, real-life examples, and historical references.

The Protective Mask: Avoiding Retaliation and Threats

Just as a navigator uses guiding instruments to avoid jagged rocks at sea, anonymity functions like a shield, allowing bold voices to navigate oppressive reefs without foundering. There are countless examples of individuals who have risked their lives to expose crimes and injustices—from whistleblowers in authoritarian governments to investigative journalists uncovering the complex machinations of organized crime. Without the possibility of anonymity, many of these stories would never have come to light.

Organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and other digital rights advocacy groups emphasize that the ability to speak without revealing one’s identity is crucial when the cost of speaking out is dangerously high. In censorship-ridden regimes, criticizing the government can lead to imprisonment, torture, or even death. Human rights activists, LGBTQIA+ communities in hostile countries, and journalists investigating illicit dealings all rely on anonymity to continue their work without putting their own lives at immediate risk. In this context, anonymity is not a whim—it’s the chance to survive one’s own opinion.

The Voice of the Invisible: Empowering Marginalized Groups

Think of anonymity as an invisible microphone placed at the disposal of those who, without it, would never dare to take the stage. Historically, marginalized groups have always faced additional barriers to making their voices heard. Women in patriarchal societies, ethnic minorities facing discrimination, or individuals persecuted for their sexual orientation find in anonymity a safe space to speak out, claim their rights, and share their experiences without fearing public humiliation or physical violence.

This “invisible microphone” not only gives voice to those who once remained silent but also transforms the arena of public debate into a more equitable space. By removing the link between idea and identity, it reduces the risk of immediate prejudice against the messenger. As a result, society can assess arguments more impartially. Here, ideas are judged on their content, not on the face that speaks them.

The Strength of History: The Precedent of the Federalist Papers

History offers a famous example of the power of anonymous words: the Federalist Papers. Published between 1787 and 1788, these essays supported the ratification of the United States Constitution and were written under the pseudonym “Publius” by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The reason for concealing their identities was clear: to ensure that their ideas would be judged on their argumentative strength rather than the prestige or fame of the authors.

The precedent set by the Federalist Papers is emblematic. It shows that, in the building of one of the first modern democracies, anonymity was used as a legitimate tool to establish fundamental concepts. If the founders of the nation that prides itself on its First Amendment—the one that protects freedom of expression—resorted to anonymity, we should recognize that this resource is not only defensible but also an essential part of the framework of healthy public debate.

Faceless Messages: The Democracy of Pure Ideas

In an ideal world, we would judge a message purely on its content. In reality, however, names, faces, social status, and economic position influence how we receive and interpret a person’s words. Anonymity removes these superficial layers, allowing the message to present itself bare, subject to rational evaluation without the veils of prejudice.

In this sense, anonymity acts as a “filter of equality”: by concealing the source, it prevents us from assigning credibility (or discredit) based on stereotypes, prejudices, or personal rivalries. Thus, ideas previously dismissed out of hand can now be heard with greater attention, opening paths to social innovation, political reflection, and challenges to the status quo. A contemporary example is online forums that allow anonymous posts. While we acknowledge that such spaces can be misused, we cannot ignore their potential to give voice to those who would never feel safe speaking under their own name in public.

Privacy, Intimacy, and the Freedom to Whisper

Anonymity is not limited to the public or political sphere. In personal and professional relations, the ability to speak anonymously can allow someone to seek help or reveal extremely sensitive matters. Imagine a patient who needs to consult a doctor about a stigmatized health issue, or a person seeking legal advice in a delicate situation. The “mask” of anonymity offers a safe haven for sharing information without the anguish of being judged or exposed.

Thus, anonymity also safeguards our “right to whisper,” that is, the ability to exchange information, secrets, and confessions without the constant glare of a spotlight. Real or perceived surveillance can stifle communication and inhibit creativity, reporting, and the exchange of ideas. By shielding individuals from forced exposure, anonymity reinforces the very fabric of freedom of expression, preventing the fear of identification from silencing words before they are spoken.

Anonymity in the Digital Age: Between Encryption and Censorship

In the digital age, the issue of anonymity becomes even more relevant. With the expansion of online surveillance and the growth of social networks, maintaining anonymity can be challenging. Social media platforms increasingly request personal data, and governments attempt to impose barriers against anonymity, often justifying them as measures of national security or crime prevention.

However, according to reports and documents from human rights organizations, such as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), encryption and anonymity are key tools for freedom of expression in the digital environment. Without these resources, citizens and journalists, for instance, become more vulnerable to persecution. In various countries, the existence of anonymous and encrypted channels enables information to circulate, grievances to be reported, and societies to remain informed, even in the face of heavy censorship.

Legal Protection: Judicial Recognition of Anonymity

The United States Supreme Court, as well as other constitutional courts around the world, recognizes anonymity as an integral part of the right to free expression. In the United States, the First Amendment has been applied in cases that defended the right to anonymous speech, viewing it as a bulwark against the tyranny of the majority. When minorities are protected by anonymity, personal reprisals against those who dare to question dogmas or denounce abuses are prevented.

This judicial understanding reinforces the legitimacy of anonymity and its direct association with the strengthening of democracy. After all, a robust democracy requires not only the absence of formal censorship but also the guarantee that minority or unpopular voices can speak out without fear.

Conclusion: The Cloak That Protects Freedom

If freedom of expression is the heart of democracy, anonymity is the cloak that shields that heart from the poisoned darts of fear, persecution, and prejudice. It creates the right environment for ideas to flourish freely, for courageous voices to emerge from silence, and for society to debate its most complex issues in the light of reason rather than beneath the shadow of intimidation.

In a world where surveillance and political tensions are ever-present, anonymity preserves the essence of free speech: humanity’s ability to question, propose, denounce, criticize, and create without shackles. By recognizing the importance of this resource, we safeguard not only individual voices but also the very principle that makes democracy worthy of its name.

Selected References:

• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): https://www.eff.org/issues/anonymity

• Freedom Forum: https://www.freedomforum.org/anonymous-speech/

• Association for Progressive Communications (APC): https://www.apc.org/

• The First Amendment Encyclopedia: Anonymous Speech: https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/anonymous-speech/

• The Federalist Papers: Historical context available at Library of Congress and various printed and digital compilations.

---

Cover Photo by Redd Francisco / Unsplash

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Table Of Content

• The Rise of Bitcoin Mining

• Riot Platforms: The New Kid on the Block

• Local Residents Speak Out

• The Environmental Angle

• Economic Implications

• The Road Ahead: Solutions and Compromises

• Conclusion

• FAQ

Deep in the heart of Texas, a new challenge is brewing. The vast state, known for its oil rigs, cowboy culture, and iconic history, is now grappling with a modern dilemma. The world's largest Bitcoin mine has set up shop, and it's causing quite the commotion. As the digital gold rush intensifies, the Lone Star State finds itself at the crossroads of progress and preservation. Residents, policymakers, and industry leaders are all weighing in, making it a hot topic of discussion from Houston to Dallas.

The Rise of Bitcoin Mining

Bitcoin, the pioneering digital currency that's taken the world by storm, relies on a process called mining. This isn't about pickaxes and gold pans, but powerful computers solving complex algorithms. As the value of Bitcoin has soared, so has the race to mine it. Texas, with its cheap energy and vast landscapes, has become a hotspot. However, this boom brings its own set of challenges, from infrastructure strains to environmental concerns.

Riot Platforms: The New Kid on the Block

Enter Riot Platforms, the behemoth at the center of the storm. As the world's most significant Bitcoin mining operation, it's drawing power and attention in equal measure. While it promises prosperity and progress, it also poses questions. How much strain can the Texan grid take? And at what cost to the community? With its massive operations, Riot Platforms is both a beacon of opportunity and a potential point of contention.

Local Residents Speak Out

For the folks calling Texas home, this isn't just a tech debate. It's about their daily lives, their neighborhoods, and their futures. There are fears of power outages, skyrocketing electricity bills, and even potential environmental fallout. The heart of the matter? Balancing the promise of the future with the needs of the present. Town hall meetings, community forums, and local discussions are buzzing with opinions and concerns.

The Environmental Angle

Let's face it, Bitcoin mining isn't exactly green. The energy consumption is staggering, often compared to that of entire countries. With Texas' grid already dancing a delicate balance, the addition of massive mining operations is like adding fuel to the fire. The question on everyone's lips: Is there a sustainable way forward? Environmentalists and activists are pushing for greener solutions, making it a pivotal point in the debate.

Economic Implications

But it's not all storm clouds. The silver lining? Economic growth. Bitcoin mining is bringing jobs, investments, and a tech boom to regions that might have been left behind. For many, this is a golden opportunity, a chance to ride the wave of the future. But is it a future everyone wants? Economists and industry experts are analyzing the long-term implications, weighing the pros and cons of this digital revolution.

The Road Ahead: Solutions and Compromises

All is not lost. As the debate rages, innovators are seeking solutions. Think renewable energy sources, improved grid infrastructure, and even tweaks to the mining process itself. The goal? To find a middle ground where tech and tradition can coexist. Stakeholders are coming together, brainstorming ways to ensure that Texas remains both progressive and preserved.

Conclusion

The Bitcoin mining grid challenge is more than just a Texan issue; it's a global conversation about the future of energy, economy, and the environment. As Texas grapples with this modern gold rush, the world watches, waits, and wonders: What's the next move for the Lone Star State? With its rich history of innovation and resilience, many are optimistic that Texas will find a path forward that benefits all.

FAQ

What is the main issue in Texas regarding Bitcoin mining? Texas is grappling with the challenges posed by the world's largest Bitcoin mine, Riot Platforms, which has raised concerns about energy consumption, grid strain, and environmental impact.

Why is Bitcoin mining a concern for the environment? Bitcoin mining consumes vast amounts of energy, often compared to entire countries, leading to concerns about its carbon footprint and sustainability.

How are local residents reacting to the Bitcoin mining operations? Many Texans are concerned about potential power outages, increased electricity bills, and the broader community impact of such large-scale mining operations.

Are there any economic benefits to Bitcoin mining in Texas? Yes, Bitcoin mining has brought jobs, investments, and technological advancements to the state, offering economic growth opportunities.

That's all for today

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

NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com

X: @croxroadnews

Instagram: @croxroadnews.co

Youtube: @croxroadnews

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Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe

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.

@ 349d6b82:12b2a5b1

В сегодняшнем в нашем подкасте мы погрузимся в важнейшие вопросы экологии и технологий, которые формируют наше будущее. Сегодня у нас в гостях доктор биологических наук, профессор Алексей Петрович Сидоров. Мы обсудим текущее состояние экологии в Серове, современные технологии, способные снизить загрязнение, и важность устойчивого развития в условиях растущей промышленности:

@ fd208ee8:0fd927c1

GitHub is a software project graveyard

I think the main reason why we have so many lone wolf devs is an economic one. The fact that most FOSS devs aren't being paid for their code is making this worse, not better, as they work for fame, not fortune.

Nobody wants to use joint-repos because they don't want to give up or share the property rights to the contents. But because anything someone else does in a repo you own, also belongs to you, people are disincentized from contributing to your repo.

GitHub, especially, has incentivized this splintering and isolation. Everyone wants to have all changes in their own repo because they can profit best on repos listed directly under their own name, so long as they become popular. Maximize your 🟩 and ⭐ , like chips you can cash in for a prize.

And because forking other people's repos is the norm, rather than teamwork, requests for changes are usually ignored or responded to with "fork it, bro." Go away. Leave me alone. My repo is none of your business.

Too autistic, even for me

So, the developers separate their efforts into a million tiny repos that are mostly redundant with other ones, there's little interaction, progress is often surprisingly slow and stalls for months at a time, it's hard to keep track of what other people are doing (so that you can review and test changes), most of the effort is headed straight for the bin, people build the same things over and over, and communication is extremely limited.

This is a work environment that is unattractive for anyone who isn't autistic and/or highly introverted. Half of the fun of open-source development used to be the esprit de corps. Much has been said about #Bluesky, but it all misses a major point: that's where you go, if you want to work with other people, to build something large, polished, and impressive. It doesn't actually matter how many developers Nostr has, if they all only stare at their own plates.

Your repo coulda been a file folder.

Ironically, git was developed for collaboration on large projects with a distributed team. Now, everyone uses it for projects they work on alone. They put those projects on the Internet to market them. It's a cheap gimmick, not an earnest attempt at collaboration. Collaboration begins at the beginning.

@ e356a30c:11e846f7

Bitcoin's recent surge to record highs has sent shockwaves through the cryptocurrency market, sparking renewed interest and debate about the future of digital currencies. As Bitcoin's value climbs, it casts a long shadow over the broader crypto landscape, influencing the performance of other cryptocurrencies and attracting new investors to the space.

Bitcoin's price surge can be attributed to several factors, including increased institutional adoption, favorable regulatory developments, and growing global economic uncertainty. As more traditional financial institutions and corporations recognize Bitcoin's potential as a store of value and a hedge against inflation, they are allocating a portion of their portfolios to Bitcoin, driving up demand and prices.

Additionally, recent regulatory moves in some jurisdictions have created a more favorable environment for cryptocurrencies, boosting investor confidence and attracting new capital to the market.

The impact of Bitcoin's price surge on other cryptocurrencies is multifaceted. On the one hand, it can lead to a broader "crypto winter," where investors flock to Bitcoin, leaving other cryptocurrencies struggling to gain traction. This can be particularly detrimental to smaller, less established cryptocurrencies that rely on market sentiment and investor interest to maintain their value. On the other hand, Bitcoin's success can also serve as a catalyst for broader crypto adoption, as investors become more familiar with the concept of digital currencies and the potential benefits they offer. This could lead to increased interest in other cryptocurrencies, particularly those with innovative technologies or unique use cases.

The surge in Bitcoin's value has also attracted a new wave of investors to the cryptocurrency market, including retail investors and institutional investors. This influx of new capital can provide a much-needed boost to the crypto market, driving innovation and development within the industry. However, it also raises concerns about market volatility and the potential for speculative bubbles. As more investors enter the market, it is crucial to maintain a level of caution and to avoid making investment decisions based on hype or fear. In conclusion, Bitcoin's recent price surge has had a significant impact on the cryptocurrency market, both positively and negatively. While it has attracted new investors and boosted market sentiment, it has also led to increased volatility and potential risks for investors. As the crypto market continues to evolve, it is essential to stay informed about the latest developments and to make informed investment decisions based on sound analysis and risk management principles.

bitcoin

@ 000002de:c05780a7

I think most stackers probably use a password manager of some sort. If you reuse the same password or a few passwords everywhere stop reading this and go sign up for a free Bitwarden account.

But how many people in your family and social circle still just have terrible password practices? Use terrible pin codes? Leave their phone laying around unlocked? Security is a sliding scale but I doubt my experience with this is unique. Most people I know would be VERY easy to hack.

The numbers reported online about password manager usage is higher than I would think at 36% of US adults. I suspect this is off on the high side. But with hacks every day and data breaches you would think more people would figure it out. Password management is so easy now. You can download a free open source password manager that is encrypted at rest and in transit. You can even self host it. You can keep it offline if you like. There are so many good options now.

What's my point? Do we really think the masses are ready for bitcoin? Do we really think they are ready to self custody? I don't. Am I wrong?

I'm not saying they will never be ready but as I have thought for a long time bitcoin is generational. Not just on the wealth side of things but also on the adoption side. What do you think?

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/803522

@ 65912a7a:5dc638bf

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 5 min
• 🍳 Cook time: 30 min
• 🍽️ Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 12-14oz fresh cranberries
• 1⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 orange, peeled & chopped
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Using medium sauce pan, simmer cranberries and water for 5-6 min. Cranberries will start to pop.
2. Add brown sugar, raisins, and chopped orange to the berries.
3. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for 20 min. Stir often to prevent sticking. Remove from heat.
4. Let set until room temp. Mixture will thicken as it cools.
5. Put in a covered container and keep refrigerated. Lasts for about 2 weeks.

@ 06b7819d:d1d8327c

Power as the Reduction of Possibilities: Niklas Luhmann’s Perspective

Niklas Luhmann, a leading figure in systems theory, offers a unique conceptualization of power that diverges from traditional notions of domination or coercion. Rather than viewing power as a forceful imposition of will, Luhmann frames it as a mechanism for reducing possibilities within a given social system. For Luhmann, power is less about direct coercion and more about structuring decision-making processes by limiting the range of available options.

In his systems-theoretical approach, Luhmann argues that power operates as a communication medium, enabling complex social systems to function by simplifying the overwhelming array of potential actions. In any decision-making context, there are countless possibilities, and not all can be pursued. Power serves as a tool to focus attention, filter alternatives, and channel behavior toward specific actions while excluding others. This reduction of options creates a manageable environment for coordinated action, which is essential for the stability of a system.

Importantly, this process does not inherently involve force or threats. Instead, power works through expectations, norms, and structures that guide behavior. For example, in an organizational setting, the hierarchy of authority determines which decisions are permissible, thereby shaping the actions of individuals without overt coercion. The employees’ actions are not forced; rather, they are conditioned by the organizational framework, which narrows their choices.

Luhmann’s idea redefines power as a productive force in social systems. By limiting possibilities, power reduces uncertainty, making collaboration and collective action possible. It ensures that systems can function efficiently despite their inherent complexity. This perspective shifts the emphasis from conflict to coordination, offering a more nuanced understanding of how power operates in modern societies.

In sum, Niklas Luhmann’s theory of power as the reduction of possibilities highlights its integrative role in enabling social systems to navigate complexity. It challenges conventional views of power as coercion, emphasizing its capacity to organize and stabilize interactions through the selective limitation of actions.

@ 58937958:545e6994

Making Waves：Bitcoin-themed handmade goods

nevent1qqs04vf85pyducj8h4s49g2ex84r6dvzenjjg4m7wrd9g955506r36cpz4mhxue69uhhxarjvee8jtnfwf5hxtn5duhsygzcjdu4sqmvah54tvjmj22c8q2qhgk74judryu7mydyr039ghnfjs09g2yq

20081031

This bag is inspired by the Bitcoin White Paper.

「20081031」
Price：210,000 sats
Limited to 21 pieces
Free Shipping
I will produce and sell one per week.#ProofOfHandmade　#MakingWavesBTC pic.twitter.com/9mKtsYJft3

— Making Waves (@MakingWavesBTC) November 23, 2024

For details, please visit ↓

https://makingwaves-btc.com/en/

Sales have also started at Geyser. https://geyser.fund/project/makingwaves

Sales on Shopstr is also planned.

BitcoinTokyo2024

I exhibited at "Shibuya Lightning Marche" in Japan and made sales of 1,885,314 sats (approximately $1,181 at the exchange rate on the day) over two days.

Handmade goods by MakingWaves (Example)
・Bookmark
・Coaster
・COLDCARD Q case
・Japanese-Style Drawstring Bag
Enjoy the Lightning Marche🧸#BitcoinTokyo2024#渋谷ライトニングマルシェ pic.twitter.com/qqNXAT0nWN

— Making Waves (@MakingWavesBTC) September 21, 2024

Moving forward, I will focus on selling items priced at 2,100 sats, 21,000 sats, and 210,000 sats.

• 2,100 sats: Bookmarks, beginner-friendly Bitcoin comic booklets, etc.
• 21,000 sats: Pouches, and similar items.
• 210,000 sats: Limited-edition bags, and more.

Short Video：Bitcoin Handmade Anime【MakingWaves】

A short animation for Bitcoin beginners & kids.

Bitcoin guide site for beginners：bitcoin-zukan.com

Image credits:

Although the site is in Japanese, there are many articles translated into English.

Supervised by Koji Higashi, co-organizer of BitcoinTokyo2024.

Podcast：Grassroots Bitcoin

A podcast supporting grassroots Bitcoin activities.

While most episodes are in Japanese, the episode listed below is in English.

Introducing "MakingWaves" https://www.fountain.fm/episode/7si9y8sxmWmhfK8CeMQ8

Podcast URL * Fountain：https://www.fountain.fm/show/eWVWc2vZXycjPlMTZsLf * Spotify：https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/shigeru-minami * Apple Podcast：https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/%E8%8D%89%E3%81%AE%E6%A0%B9%E3%83%93%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%82%B3%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3/id1757540844

Other activities, SNS, etc.

Twitter（English）：Making Waves

“20081031”
No.1/21 Completed!

I adjusted it so that the word bitcoin is printed on the back of the outer pocket as well.
I think it will be useful when showing it to fellow bitcoiners. pic.twitter.com/00ejMN6s2H

— Making Waves (@MakingWavesBTC) November 26, 2024

I post about handmade goods.

https://x.com/MakingWavesBTC

Twitter（Japanese）：Shigeru Minami

COLDCARDでビットコインを受け取り・送金する解説動画を
YouTubeにアップしました
私は操作する度に緊張する上に結構間違えるので
どなたかの役に立つかもと思って作りました pic.twitter.com/7UFnClknSU

— Shigeru Minami (@kiterugumatic) October 21, 2024

I mainly share posts about Bitcoin, along with personal updates.

https://x.com/kiterugumatic

Nostr：Shigeru Minami

nostr:nevent1qqszzcz9npq5xgw08tp5wud0kg9wfacf9fkj07gu82wn3wjsad3wd2cppvjdw

My posts are mostly personal.

As I’m practicing English, I try to post without using translation tools as much as possible.

Please forgive any awkward or hard-to-read sentences.

npub1tzfhjkqrdnk7j4djtwfftqupgzazm6kt35vnnmv35sd7y4z7dx2qzhkje9

Instagram（English）：Making Waves

I share short videos of the handmade goods production process.

https://www.instagram.com/making_waves_btc/

Note

The illustrations on bitcoin-zukan.com and my SNS icons were created by a commissioned illustrator.

All other activities are personally handled by Shigeru Minami.

Examples include handmade crafting, video production, article writing, product photography, designing original fabric, and creating illustrations for my original characters, "Bull & Bear."

For inquiries, please feel free to contact me via the SNS platforms mentioned above or the email address provided below.

E-mail：contact@makingwaves-btc.com

Thank you for reading all the way through.

@ 123711f7:c0a0c17e

Donald Trump told supporters Monday he is “not a Nazi,” using a rally in the final week of a bitter White House race to refute accusations of authoritarianism, including from a former top aide who branded him a fascist.

• As he and rival Kamala Harris, the current vice president, entered the final stretch of one of the closest US elections in modern times, each candidate and their teams have ramped up the political rhetoric, inflaming an already tense campaign.

Democrat Harris, who has accused Trump of stoking divisions, crisscrossed Michigan on Monday while the Republican visited Georgia, another of the decisive swing states, where he said critics are accusing him of being a modern-day “Hitler.”

“The newest line from Kamala and her campaign is that everyone who isn’t voting for her is a Nazi,” Trump told a boisterous rally in Atlanta.

@ 2efa460d:66e3a4b7

Longform has its very own challenges. I never tried to craft text on decentralized platforms. This is my first trial. Let's see how this will work. The editor is very helpful. From the start, I've a good feeling.

There's always a ticket somewhere.

@ c4f5e7a7:8856cac7

Best viewed on Habla, YakiHonne or Highlighter.

TL;DR

This article explores the links between public, community-driven data sources (such as OpenStreetMap) and private, cryptographically-owned data found on networks such as Nostr.

The following concepts are explored:

1. Attestations: Users signalling to their social graph that they believe something to be true by publishing Attestations. These social proofs act as a decentralised verification system that leverages your web-of-trust.
2. Proof of Place: An oracle-based system where physical letters are sent to real-world locations, confirming the corresponding digital ownership via cryptographic proofs. This binds physical locations in meatspace with their digital representations in the Nostrverse.
3. Check-ins: Foursquare-style check-ins that can be verified using attestations from place owners, ensuring authenticity. This approach uses web-of-trust to validate check-ins and location ownership over time.

The goal is to leverage cryptographic ownership where necessary while preserving the open, collaborative nature of public data systems.

Open Data in a public commons has a place and should not be thrown out with the Web 2.0 bathwater.

Cognitive Dissonance

Ever since discovering Nostr in August of 2022 I've been grappling with how BTC Map - a project that helps bitcoiners find places to spend sats - should most appropriately use this new protocol.

I am assuming, dear reader, that you are somewhat familiar with Nostr - a relatively new protocol for decentralised identity and communication. If you don’t know your nsec from your npub, please take some time to read these excellent posts: Nostr is Identity for the Internet and The Power of Nostr by @max and @lyn, respectively. Nostr is so much more than a short-form social media replacement.

The social features (check-ins, reviews, etc.) that Nostr unlocks for BTC Map are clear and exciting - all your silos are indeed broken - however, something fundamental has been bothering me for a while and I think it comes down to data ownership.

For those unfamiliar, BTC Map uses OpenStreetMap (OSM) as its main geographic database. OSM is centred on the concept of a commons of objectively verifiable data that is maintained by a global community of volunteer editors; a Wikipedia for maps. There is no data ownership; the data is free (as in freedom) and anyone can edit anything. It is the data equivalent of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) - FOSD if you will, but more commonly referred to as Open Data.

In contrast, Notes and Other Stuff on Nostr (Places in this cartographic context) are explicitly owned by the controller of the private key. These notes are free to propagate, but they are owned.

How do we reconcile the decentralised nature of Nostr, where data is cryptographically owned by individuals, with the community-managed data commons of OpenStreetMap, where no one owns the data?

Self-sovereign Identity

Before I address this coexistence question, I want to talk a little about identity as it pertains to ownership. If something is to be owned, it has to be owned by someone or something - an identity.

All identities that are not self-sovereign are, by definition, leased to you by a 3rd party. You rent your Facebook identity from Meta in exchange for your data. You rent your web domain from your DNS provider in exchange for your money.

Taken to the extreme, you rent your passport from your Government in exchange for your compliance. You are you at the pleasure of others. Where Bitcoin separates money from the state; Nostr separates identity from the state.

Or, as @nvk said recently: "Don't build your house on someone else's land.".

https://i.nostr.build/xpcCSkDg3uVw0yku.png

While we’ve had the tools for self-sovereign digital identity for decades (think PGP keys or WebAuthN), we haven't had the necessary social use cases nor the corresponding social graph to elevate these identities to the mainstream. Nostr fixes this.

Nostr is PGP for the masses and will take cryptographic identities mainstream.

Full NOSTARD?

Returning to the coexistence question: the data on OpenStreetMap isn’t directly owned by anyone, even though the physical entities the data represents might be privately owned. OSM is a data commons.

We can objectively agree on the location of a tree or a fire hydrant without needing permission to observe and record it. Sure, you could place a tree ‘on Nostr’, but why should you? Just because something can be ‘on Nostr’ doesn’t mean it should be.

https://i.nostr.build/s3So2JVAqoY4E1dI.png

There might be a dystopian future where we can't agree on what a tree is nor where it's located, but I hope we never get there. It's at this point we'll need a Wikifreedia variant of OpenStreetMap.

While integrating Nostr identities into OpenStreetMap would be valuable, the current OSM infrastructure, tools, and community already provide substantial benefits in managing this data commons without needing to go NOSTR-native - there's no need to go Full NOSTARD. H/T to @princeySOV for the original meme.

https://i.nostr.build/ot9jtM5cZtDHNKWc.png

So, how do we appropriately blend cryptographically owned data with the commons?

If a location is owned in meatspace and it's useful to signal that ownership, it should also be owned in cyberspace. Our efforts should therefore focus on entities like businesses, while allowing the commons to manage public data for as long as it can successfully mitigate the tragedy of the commons.

The remainder of this article explores how we can:

1. Verify ownership of a physical place in the real world;
2. Link that ownership to the corresponding digital place in cyberspace.

As a side note, I don't see private key custodianship - or, even worse, permissioned use of Places signed by another identity's key - as any more viable than the rented identities of Web 2.0.

And as we all know, the Second Law of Infodynamics (no citation!) states that:

"The total amount of sensitive information leaked will always increase over time."

This especially holds true if that data is centralised.

Not your keys, not your notes. Not your keys, not your identity.

Places and Web-of-Trust

@Arkinox has been leading the charge on the Places NIP, introducing Nostr notes (kind 37515) that represent physical locations. The draft is well-crafted, with bonus points for linking back to OSM (and other location repositories) via NIP-73 - External Content IDs (championed by @oscar of @fountain).

However, as Nostr is permissionless, authenticity poses a challenge. Just because someone claims to own a physical location on the Internet doesn’t necessarily mean they have ownership or control of that location in the real world.

Ultimately, this problem can only be solved in a decentralised way by using Web-of-Trust - using your social graph and the perspectives of trusted peers to inform your own perspective. In the context of Places, this requires your network to form a view on which digital identity (public key / npub) is truly the owner of a physical place like your local coffee shop.

This requires users to:

1. Verify the owner of a Place in cyberspace is the owner of a place in meatspace.
2. Signal this verification to their social graph.

Let's look at the latter idea first with the concept of Attestations ...

Attestations

A way to signal to your social graph that you believe something to be true (or false for that matter) would be by publishing an Attestation note. An Attestation note would signify to your social graph that you think something is either true or false.

Imagine you're a regular at a local coffee shop. You publish an Attestation that says the shop is real and the owner behind the Nostr public key is who they claim to be. Your friends trust you, so they start trusting the shop's digital identity too.

However, attestations applied to Places are just a single use case. The attestation concept could be more widely applied across Nostr in a variety of ways (key rotation, identity linking, etc).

Here is a recent example from @lyn that would carry more signal if it were an Attestation:

https://i.nostr.build/lZAXOEwvRIghgFY4.png

Parallels can be drawn between Attestations and transaction confirmations on the Bitcoin timechain; however, their importance to you would be weighted by clients and/or Data Vending Machines in accordance with:

1. Your social graph;
2. The type or subject of the content being attested and by whom;
3. Your personal preferences.

They could also have a validity duration to be temporally bound, which would be particularly useful in the case of Places.

NIP-25 (Reactions) do allow for users to up/downvote notes with optional content (e.g., emojis) and could work for Attestations, but I think we need something less ambiguous and more definitive.

‘This is true’ resonates more strongly than ‘I like this.’.

https://i.nostr.build/s8NIG2kXzUCLcoax.jpg

There are similar concepts in the Web 3 / Web 5 world such as Verified Credentials by tdb. However, Nostr is the Web 3 now and so wen Attestation NIP?

https://i.nostr.build/Cb047NWyHdJ7h5Ka.jpg

That said, I have seen @utxo has been exploring ‘smart contracts’ on nostr and Attestations may just be a relatively ‘dumb’ subset of the wider concept Nostr-native scripting combined with web-of-trust.

Proof of Place

Attestations handle the signalling of your truth, but what about the initial verification itself?

We already covered how this ultimately has to be derived from your social graph, but what if there was a way to help bootstrap this web-of-trust through the use of oracles? For those unfamiliar with oracles in the digital realm, they are simply trusted purveyors of truth.

Introducing Proof of Place, an out–of-band process where an oracle (such as BTC Map) would mail - yes physically mail- a shared secret to the address of the location being claimed in cyberspace. This shared secret would be locked to the public key (npub) making the claim, which, if unlocked, would prove that the associated private key (nsec) has physical access to the location in meatspace.

One way of doing this would be to mint a 1 sat cashu ecash token locked to the npub of the claimant and mail it to them. If they are able to redeem the token then they have cryptographically proven that they have physical access to the location.

Proof of Place is really nothing more than a weighted Attestation. In a web-of-trust Nostrverse, an oracle is simply a npub (say BTC Map) that you weigh heavily for its opinion on a given topic (say Places).

In the Bitcoin world, Proof of Work anchors digital scarcity in cyberspace to physical scarcity (energy and time) in meatspace and as @Gigi says in PoW is Essential:

"A failure to understand Proof of Work, is a failure to understand Bitcoin."

In the Nostrverse, Proof of Place helps bridge the digital and physical worlds.

@Gigi also observes in Memes vs The World that:

"In Bitcoin, the map is the territory. We can infer everything we care about by looking at the map alone."

https://i.nostr.build/dOnpxfI4u7EL2v4e.png

This isn’t true for Nostr.

In the Nostrverse, the map IS NOT the territory. However, Proof of Place enables us to send cryptographic drones down into the physical territory to help us interpret our digital maps. 🤯

Check-ins

Although not a draft NIP yet, @Arkinox has also been exploring the familiar concept of Foursquare-style Check-ins on Nostr (with kind 13811 notes).

For the uninitiated, Check-ins are simply notes that signal the publisher is at a given location. These locations could be Places (in the Nostr sense) or any other given digital representation of a location for that matter (such as OSM elements) if NIP-73 - External Content IDs are used.

Of course, not everyone will be a Check-in enjoyooor as the concept will not sit well with some people’s threat models and OpSec practices.

Bringing Check-ins to Nostr is possible (as @sebastix capably shows here), but they suffer the same authenticity issues as Places. Just because I say I'm at a given location doesn't mean that I am.

Back in the Web 2.0 days, Foursquare mitigated this by relying on the GPS position of the phone running their app, but this is of course spoofable.

How should we approach Check-in verifiability in the Nostrverse? Well, just like with Places, we can use Attestations and WoT. In the context of Check-ins, an Attestation from the identity (npub) of the Place being checked-in to would be a particularly strong signal. An NFC device could be placed in a coffee shop and attest to check-ins without requiring the owner to manually intervene - I’m sure @blackcoffee and @Ben Arc could hack something together over a weekend!

Check-ins could also be used as a signal for bonafide Place ownership over time.

Summary: Trust Your Bros

So, to recap, we have:

Places: Digital representations of physical locations on Nostr.

Check-ins: Users signalling their presence at a location.

Attestations: Verifiable social proofs used to confirm ownership or the truth of a claim.

You can visualise how these three concepts combine in the diagram below:

https://i.nostr.build/Uv2Jhx5BBfA51y0K.jpg

And, as always, top right trumps bottom left! We have:

Level 0 - Trust Me Bro: Anyone can check-in anywhere. The Place might not exist or might be impersonating the real place in meatspace. The person behind the npub may not have even been there at all.

Level 1 - Definitely Maybe Somewhere: This category covers the middle-ground of ‘Maybe at a Place’ and ‘Definitely Somewhere’. In these examples, you are either self-certifying that you have checked-in at an Attested Place or you are having others attest that you have checked-in at a Place that might not even exist IRL.

Level 2 - Trust Your Bros: An Attested Check-in at an Attested Place. Your individual level of trust would be a function of the number of Attestations and how you weigh them within your own social graph.

https://i.nostr.build/HtLAiJH1uQSTmdxf.jpg

Perhaps the gold standard (or should that be the Bitcoin standard?) would be a Check-in attested by the owner of the Place, which in itself was attested by BTC Map?

Or perhaps not. Ultimately, it’s the users responsibility to determine what they trust by forming their own perspective within the Nostrverse powered by web-of-trust algorithms they control. ‘Trust Me Bro’ or ‘Trust Your Bros’ - you decide.

As we navigate the frontier of cryptographic ownership and decentralised data, it’s up to us to find the balance between preserving the Open Data commons and embracing self-sovereign digital identities.

Thanks

With thanks to Arkinox, Avi, Ben Gunn, Kieran, Blackcoffee, Sebastix, Tomek, Calle, Short Fiat, Ben Weeks and Bitcoms for helping shape my thoughts and refine content, whether you know it or not!

@ 09fbf8f3:fa3d60f0

由于gmail在中国被防火墙拦截了，无法打开，不想错过邮件通知。

通过自建ntfy接受gmail邮件通知。 怎么自建ntfy，后面再写。

---

2024年08月13日更新：

修改不通过添加邮件标签来标记已经发送的通知，通过Google Sheets来记录已经发送的通知。

为了不让Google Sheets文档的内容很多，导致文件变大，用脚本自动清理一个星期以前的数据。

---

准备工具

• Ntfy服务
• Google Script
• Google Sheets

操作步骤

1. 在Ntfy后台账号，设置访问令牌。
2. 添加订阅主题。
3. 进入Google Sheets创建一个表格.记住id，如下图：
4. 进入Google Script创建项目。填入以下代码（注意填入之前的ntfy地址和令牌）：

```javascript function checkEmail() { var sheetId = "你的Google Sheets id"; // 替换为你的 Google Sheets ID var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.openById(sheetId).getActiveSheet();

// 清理一星期以前的数据 cleanOldData(sheet, 7 * 24 * 60); // 保留7天（即一周）内的数据

var sentEmails = getSentEmails(sheet);

var threads = GmailApp.search('is:unread'); Logger.log("Found threads: " + threads.length);

if (threads.length === 0) return;

threads.forEach(function(thread) { var threadId = thread.getId();

if (!sentEmails.includes(threadId)) {
  thread.getMessages().forEach(sendNtfyNotification);
  recordSentEmail(sheet, threadId);
}

}); }

function sendNtfyNotification(email) { if (!email) { Logger.log("Email object is undefined or null."); return; }

var message = `发件人: ${email.getFrom() || "未知发件人"} 主题: ${email.getSubject() || "无主题"}

内容: ${email.getPlainBody() || "无内容"}`;

var url = "https://你的ntfy地址/Gmail"; var options = { method: "post", payload: message, headers: { Authorization: "Bearer Ntfy的令牌" }, muteHttpExceptions: true };

try { var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, options); Logger.log("Response: " + response.getContentText()); } catch (e) { Logger.log("Error: " + e.message); } }

function getSentEmails(sheet) { var data = sheet.getDataRange().getValues(); return data.map(row => row[0]); // Assuming email IDs are stored in the first column }

function recordSentEmail(sheet, threadId) { sheet.appendRow([threadId, new Date()]); }

function cleanOldData(sheet, minutes) { var now = new Date(); var thresholdDate = new Date(now.getTime() - minutes * 60 * 1000); // 获取X分钟前的时间

var data = sheet.getDataRange().getValues(); var rowsToDelete = [];

data.forEach(function(row, index) { var date = new Date(row[1]); // 假设日期保存在第二列 if (date < thresholdDate) { rowsToDelete.push(index + 1); // 存储要删除的行号 } });

// 逆序删除（从最后一行开始删除，以避免行号改变） rowsToDelete.reverse().forEach(function(row) { sheet.deleteRow(row); }); }

```

4.Goole Script需要添加gmail服务，如图：

5.Google Script是有限制的不能频繁调用，可以设置五分钟调用一次。如图：

结尾

本人不会代码，以上代码都是通过chatgpt生成的。经过多次修改，刚开始会一直发送通知，后面修改后将已发送的通知放到一个“通知”的标签里。后续不会再次发送通知。

如需要发送通知后自动标记已读，可以把代码复制到chatgpt给你写。

效果预览：

@ 7460b7fd:4fc4e74b

请看2014年王兴的一场思维碰撞，视频27分钟开始

最后，一个当时无法解决的点：丢失

@ c67cd3e1:84098345

@ 4ec341e6:6dc2fdaf

Fazendo referencia ao capítulo 2 - “Dizendo não”, o nome deste é o contrário: “Dizendo sim” e fala sobre linguagem de comprometimento, como e quando dizer “SIM” de forma bem clara e comprometida.

Você diz que fará. Você é honesto. Você de fato o faz.

O autor discorre que existe uma linguagem de comprometimento, e uma linguagem de não comprometimento, como exemplos de linguagem de não comprometimento estão: “Espero já ter feito…”, “Temos que fazer…” e “Alguém tem que fazer…”. Ou seja, linguagem que coloca algo à ser feito como fora do controle do programador, se isentando de culpa e/ou responsabilidade.

Há poucas pessoas que ao falarem algo, realmente estão sendo honestas e cumprem o prometido.

O autor ainda diz algo que ele ainda vai explorar nos próximos capítulos: Outras pessoas dependem do seu comprometimento e das suas estimativas, se você diz que algo será entregue, essas pessoas que dependem de você vão se planejar com base nessa informação, o que pode incluir o roadmap das próximas sprints ou comunicação com clientes da empresa, por isso se torna ainda mais importante o comprometimento total com as promessas.

Deve-se usar a linguagem de comprometimento para que não exista dúvidas daquilo que foi prometido.

O autor aborda alguns exemplos e possíveis saídas caso o desenvolvedor seja pressionado à enregar o que se pede. É importante relembrar o capítulo 2 para não usar a palavra “tentar”, e ser o mais assertivo possível.

Não se espera que profissionais digam sim para tudo que se pede à eles. […] mas precisam trabalhar para tornar o sim possível.

Também uma frase muito interessante, dado que CEOs, CTOs e gestores de projeto querem que os desenvolvedores digam SIM para absolutamente tudo, como prazos impossíveis, aumento de escopo de user stories, demandas não planejadas etc.

@ fd208ee8:0fd927c1

The motherhood illusion

Growing up, I was always told that women wanted children, whilst men wanted sex. So, marriage was created, to unite these two urges, and men and women don't otherwise particularly differ. But, it turns out, that women want protection and sex, and men want children and sex.

This is why women tend to be attracted to more masculine men (they're associated with protection) and men tend to be attracted to more feminine women (they're associated with motherhood). Women who are attracted to men, who aren't overtly masculine, are looking for a different aspect of protection (reliability, steady income or wealth, emotional security, etc.)

This wasn't readily apparent, in earlier generations, as widespread, youthful marriage meant that there weren't any real decisions being made by the participants. Almost all women got married and had kids, and almost all men got married and had sex. Math checks out. But the number of women who could protect and provide for themselves was low, and the men marrying were often very young and libidinous, and not yet contemplating their own legacy.

Feminism, easy abortion, deindustrialization, delayed marriage, and reliable contraception have dissolved this illusion, completely. Millions of Western women quickly turned into cougars, careerists, party girls, and e-girls, and an entire army of childless men and sidelined dads bubbled up and began to make their pain known. Humanity's dirty underbelly has been exposed.

Women aren't as sweet, as we thought, and men are much sweeter.

Women also want children, but not as intensely. In fact, they seem to often viscerally dislike children, and are jealous of the protection they are to give them. So, they are prone to offing their offspring because they are averse to having any in-house competition.

If you just left women up to their own devices and reduced the social pressure, at least a fifth of them wouldn't bother having children, at all, and another quarter will have one and then lose interest or age out. This is not a new phenomenon, as we can see.

The male competition for potential mothers turns out to be absolutely brutal, and more difficult than simply finding a woman to sleep with. And, now, we finally understand why men traditionally jumped through so many hoops, to attain a wife. It wasn't for the sex; we've always had brothels, masturbation, and pornography. It was for the familial comfort, and, especially, for the children.

Good fathers make good mothers

Some women don't know if they are "potential mothers", until they meet a "potential father", and their urge to procreate suddenly kicks in. They didn't want children for their own sake, but now they want some for his sake. All of a sudden, they're imagining themselves rocking the cradle, googling "what to eat, when you're expecting", and find themselves gushing over anything that gives off Hint of Infant.

I'm pregnant! Look what I can do! Look what I can do! For you, darling.

Women married to men they are deeply in love with, are much more likely to desire to become mothers (and be devastated by infertility), and make for better mothers, because children are like individualized presents they can give to their husband.

They want to impress him. Most want to be decent parents in their own right, but the urge to impress seems to raise this to a much higher level because women are vain, and therefore focused on raising their own status and how they appear to others. And the greatest "other", of a happy wife, is her husband.

Because men are narcissistic, and therefore in love with anything associated with themselves (which underpins their obsession with owning property), men have an intense attachment to their children. What is more "yours", than your progeny?

Fathers seem to develop a special attachment to, or fondness for, the mothers of their children, that goes beyond lust or romantic love; they never forgot who gave them this new Mini Me. And they are often quite impressed by their own ability to perform this trick numerous times, which leads to the intense satisfaction they feel at "going into serial production" and churning out more of those Mini Mes until their adoring wife pleads for mercy.

Men want children. Women, who love a man, want to give him those children and gain the fidelity that comes along with those children. This is the actual "trade" underpinning the urge to marry.

@ 16d11430:61640947

The Illusion of Security in Fiat: Why Cybersecurity Must Embrace the Dimensional Shift

In a world tethered to fiat and Web2 infrastructures, the illusion of stability and security has long been a comfort blanket for governments, institutions, and individuals alike. Yet, under the surface, the ground is shifting—an avalanche of sophisticated misinformation, algorithmic deception, and systemic vulnerabilities is eroding the very foundation of this legacy system. For cybersecurity professionals, failing to recognize this dimensional shift isn’t just risky—it’s career-ending.

Fiat's Achilles Heel: The Cycle of Self-Deception

Fiat systems, by design, are centralized and heavily dependent on trust. Yet, paradoxically, this trust is their greatest vulnerability. Central banks print money with impunity, eroding the value of savings and causing systemic inefficiencies. Meanwhile, data silos, held hostage by Web2 giants, have become breeding grounds for exploitation:

1. Misinformation Engines: Web2 platforms, incentivized by ad revenue, amplify sensationalism over truth. This creates a feedback loop where narratives, even false ones, gain legitimacy through sheer repetition. Fiat-backed institutions use this chaos to manipulate public sentiment, further entrenching themselves while losing credibility.

2. Attack Vectors Proliferate: The centralization of fiat systems creates choke points—banks, payment processors, and SWIFT networks—that are prime targets for cybercriminals. Even with the most advanced cybersecurity measures, these systems cannot outpace the adaptive ingenuity of attackers.

3. Trust as a Single Point of Failure: The fiat ecosystem depends on the belief that institutions can safeguard wealth and data. Once that trust is eroded, whether through hacks, financial collapses, or leaked misinformation campaigns, the entire structure risks implosion.

Why Web2 Will Cannibalize Itself

Web2, the backbone of fiat-driven systems, is not immune to internal rot. Its business model—built on monetizing user data—has created a dystopian ecosystem where privacy is an illusion and security breaches are inevitable. Worse still, AI-powered disinformation campaigns are growing so sophisticated that they will soon outpace the ability of any centralized system to detect or counter them.

This isn’t just a technical problem; it’s a philosophical one. Web2’s centralized nature means it is both a honeypot for attackers and a self-consuming entity. It will eat itself from the inside out as trust evaporates and users demand systems that are decentralized, transparent, and verifiable.

Enter the Dimensional Shift: Why Bitcoin and Web3 Matter

The shift from fiat and Web2 to Bitcoin and Web3 represents not just a technological evolution but a fundamental redefinition of how systems are built and secured. Cybersecurity professionals must take note of these changes to remain relevant:

1. Decentralization is the New Security Model: Unlike fiat systems, Bitcoin operates on a decentralized, immutable ledger. There’s no central point of failure—no institution to exploit, no trust to break. This fundamentally changes the attack surface, forcing bad actors to fight an uphill battle.

2. Transparency Erodes Deception: In Web3, transparency is native. Smart contracts and decentralized protocols enable open auditing and verification, making it exponentially harder for misinformation or corruption to thrive.

3. Censorship Resistance is the Future: Fiat systems and Web2 platforms rely on gatekeeping. Bitcoin and Web3, by contrast, are censorship-resistant, ensuring that access is not dictated by centralized actors. This creates a more secure and equitable foundation for the internet’s next era.

4. Economic Alignment with Security: Bitcoin’s proof-of-work model aligns economic incentives with security. Attackers must expend vast resources to compromise the network, making it uneconomical to succeed.

Why Cybersecurity Professionals Can’t Afford to Ignore the Shift

As fiat systems wobble under their own contradictions, cybersecurity professionals must adapt or risk obsolescence. Defending centralized silos will become increasingly untenable in a world where users demand decentralized solutions. Staying relevant requires:

• Understanding Blockchain Security: Learn the mechanics of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and emerging Web3 protocols. These systems are defining the new standard for secure, decentralized architectures.

• Anticipating New Attack Vectors: While decentralized systems mitigate many traditional threats, they also introduce novel risks, such as smart contract vulnerabilities and social engineering attacks on DAO governance.

• Championing Privacy and Sovereignty: Users are awakening to the value of self-sovereign identities and privacy-preserving technologies. Cybersecurity leaders must advocate for these principles to stay ahead of the curve.

Adapt or Be Swallowed by the Shifting Ground

The fiat-Web2 paradigm is unraveling, and the cracks are no longer subtle. The erosion of trust, coupled with the relentless onslaught of misinformation and cyber threats, will make legacy systems untenable in the coming decade. Bitcoin and Web3 are not just alternatives; they are inevitabilities, born out of necessity.

For the cybersecurity industry, this is a call to action. Ignore the dimensional shift at your peril. Embrace it, and you’ll be at the forefront of a new era—one where security is intrinsic, trust is programmable, and the ground beneath your feet is no longer shifting, but solid and immutable.

CyberSecurity #Blockchain #Bitcoin #Web3 #Decentralization #FutureOfFinance #DigitalTransformation #Privacy #Misinformation #AI #FiatCollapse #TechLeadership #ImmutableLedger #ProofOfWork #DataPrivacy #CryptoSecurity #NetworkResilience #Hacking #Transparency #DigitalSovereignty #SecureSystems

@ b8a9df82:6ab5cbbd

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a post on Nostr about my curiosity surrounding the carnivore diet. As someone who spent over 20 years as a vegetarian — including five strict vegan years — it’s been a wild shift. I’d been reading a lot about the diet’s potential benefits, especially for reducing fatigue and inflammation, and wondered if it could help me as a runner and a woman constantly battling low energy.

What I didn’t expect was how fascinating, hilarious, and downright strange this journey would be, especially as someone who grew up in Berlin, where meat-eaters are often seen as the enemy. Let me walk you through my experience, from meat aversion to savoring steak, and everything in between.

Why I became vegetarian

To understand my shift, you need to know where I came from. I grew up in Berlin in a household that valued high-quality food, including meat. My parents ate meat, but only the good stuff — local, organic, free from antibiotics. Still, I just didn’t like the taste of it. Even as a kid, I avoided meat whenever I could, and since most of my friends were vegetarian too, it felt completely normal.

When I moved to London in 2015, I took things further and went fully vegan. Why? Well, two reasons:

1. Ethics & costs: seeing a whole chicken priced at £3 made me question the source and quality of animal products in general. Eggs, dairy — where was this stuff even coming from?
2. Health beliefs: I was convinced I was lactose intolerant, so cutting dairy seemed like a no-brainer.

Back then, I was broke and couldn't afford organic groceries, so I stuck to a clean, whole-food, plant-based diet. No fake cheese or vegan "meat" substitutes - just veggies, grains, and nuts. It wasn't bad, but in hindsight, I realize I was often bloated and never truly satiated.

Back then, I was broke and couldn’t afford organic groceries, so I stuck to a clean, whole-food, plant-based diet. No fake cheese or vegan “meat” substitutes — just veggies, grains, and nuts. It wasn’t bad, but in hindsight, I realize I was often bloated and never truly satiated.

Returning to eggs and fish

After a couple of years, I moved back to Berlin and started reintroducing eggs and fish into my diet. The change was immediate. I felt more awake and energized, and I began to notice how different foods made me feel. It wasn’t just about ideology anymore — it was about what my body needed.

Around this time, a friend stayed at my flat and threw out all the “junk” in my kitchen: seed oils, processed foods, and anything overly refined. In their place, they stocked my shelves with high-quality, nutrient-dense options. It was a turning point, but it still took me another year to reintroduce dairy. Cheese came first, but I avoided milk and yogurt for a long time, clinging to plant-based alternatives (minus soy — I’d given up on that).

The Berlin steak

The real game-changer came this past September, a few weeks before I flew to Argentina. After years of avoiding meat, I decided to take the leap in Berlin, with the only three people I know who love meat that time.  I can still picture the scene. It was a cozy restaurant with friends who were as curious as I was about how this experiment would go. When the steak arrived, I was nervous - excited but hesitant. Cutting into it, I couldn't help but wonder, "Is this going to mess me up? Will I even like it?" To my surprise, it was good. Really good. And for the first time in years, I felt full. Not bloated, not "I guess I ate something" full - but deeply, truly satisfied. That moment shattered so many of my mental barriers around meat. I didn't feel guilty, and more importantly, my body didn't rebel. It felt fine. It felt great, even. That steak opened the door. A couple of weeks later, I boarded a plane to South America, ready to take this experiment to the next level.

The South American meat adventure

Landing in Argentina — the global capital of steak — I knew this was the perfect place to dive deeper into my carnivore journey. Here, meat isn’t just food; it’s culture, art, and community. Surrounded by people who were thrilled to guide me, I started trying different cuts, exploring flavors, and, for the first time, cooking meat for myself.

What surprised me most was the quality. The meat here isn’t just any meat — it’s grass-fed, tender, and bursting with flavor. Every cut offered something new, and I began to see steak as more than “just meat.” It became a source of nourishment and enjoyment in a way I never thought possible.

At the same time, other small shifts began happening. I stopped drinking almond milk after realizing it was packed with seed oils, switching back to real milk. I traded plant-based yogurt for the real thing. Each step felt natural, and my body responded with more energy and clarity.

The struggles

Not everything has been smooth sailing, though. One night, we went to a restaurant offering endless meat, including more adventurous options like chicken hearts. My friends encouraged me to try, but my brain wasn’t having it. Even wrapped in lettuce to disguise the texture, I couldn’t get past the mental block. Baby steps, right?

Two months into eating meat, I feel stronger than ever. I’m not constantly hungry, and for the first time, I’ve experienced what it feels like to be truly full after a meal. It’s a complete 180 from my vegan days, where I often felt bloated yet unsatisfied.

This journey has been as much about unlearning old beliefs as it has been about embracing new habits. While I’m still working on organ meats (maybe one day!), I’m excited to see where this path takes me.

To anyone considering a similar shift, I’ll say this: Listen to your body, take it one step at a time, and don’t be afraid to challenge your assumptions. My journey isn’t about proving one diet is better than another — it’s about finding what works for me.

Whether you’re a meat-lover or a lifelong vegetarian, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you ever tried a radical dietary change? What did you learn?Let’s keep the conversation going — meat or no meat!

@ e6817453:b0ac3c39

I started a long series of articles about how to model different types of knowledge graphs in the relational model, which makes on-device memory models for AI agents possible.

We model-directed graphs

Also, graphs of entities

We even model hypergraphs

Last time, we discussed why classical triple and simple knowledge graphs are insufficient for AI agents and complex memory, especially in the domain of time-aware or multi-model knowledge.

So why do we need metagraphs, and what kind of challenge could they help us to solve?

• complex and nested event and temporal context and temporal relations as edges
• multi-mode and multilingual knowledge
• human-like memory for AI agents that has multiple contexts and relations between knowledge in neuron-like networks

MetaGraphs

A meta graph is a concept that extends the idea of a graph by allowing edges to become graphs. Meta Edges connect a set of nodes, which could also be subgraphs. So, at some level, node and edge are pretty similar in properties but act in different roles in a different context.
Also, in some cases, edges could be referenced as nodes.
This approach enables the representation of more complex relationships and hierarchies than a traditional graph structure allows. Let’s break down each term to understand better metagraphs and how they differ from hypergraphs and graphs.

Graph Basics

• A standard graph has a set of nodes (or vertices) and edges (connections between nodes).
• Edges are generally simple and typically represent a binary relationship between two nodes.
• For instance, an edge in a social network graph might indicate a “friend” relationship between two people (nodes).

Hypergraph

• A hypergraph extends the concept of an edge by allowing it to connect any number of nodes, not just two.
• Each connection, called a hyperedge, can link multiple nodes.
• This feature allows hypergraphs to model more complex relationships involving multiple entities simultaneously. For example, a hyperedge in a hypergraph could represent a project team, connecting all team members in a single relation.
• Despite its flexibility, a hypergraph doesn’t capture hierarchical or nested structures; it only generalizes the number of connections in an edge.

Metagraph

• A metagraph allows the edges to be graphs themselves. This means each edge can contain its own nodes and edges, creating nested, hierarchical structures.
• In a meta graph, an edge could represent a relationship defined by a graph. For instance, a meta graph could represent a network of organizations where each organization’s structure (departments and connections) is represented by its own internal graph and treated as an edge in the larger meta graph.
• This recursive structure allows metagraphs to model complex data with multiple layers of abstraction. They can capture multi-node relationships (as in hypergraphs) and detailed, structured information about each relationship.

Named Graphs and Graph of Graphs

As you can notice, the structure of a metagraph is quite complex and could be complex to model in relational and classical RDF setups. It could create a challenge of luck of tools and software solutions for your problem.
If you need to model nested graphs, you could use a much simpler model of Named graphs, which could take you quite far.

The concept of the named graph came from the RDF community, which needed to group some sets of triples. In this way, you form subgraphs inside an existing graph. You could refer to the subgraph as a regular node. This setup simplifies complex graphs, introduces hierarchies, and even adds features and properties of hypergraphs while keeping a directed nature.

It looks complex, but it is not so hard to model it with a slight modification of a directed graph.
So, the node could host graphs inside. Let's reflect this fact with a location for a node. If a node belongs to a main graph, we could set the location to null or introduce a main node . it is up to you

Nodes could have edges to nodes in different subgraphs. This structure allows any kind of nesting graphs. Edges stay location-free

Meta Graphs in Relational Model

Let’s try to make several attempts to model different meta-graphs with some constraints.

Directed Metagraph where edges are not used as nodes and could not contain subgraphs

In this case, the edge always points to two sets of nodes. This introduces an overhead of creating a node set for a single node. In this model, we can model empty node sets that could require application-level constraints to prevent such cases.

Directed Metagraph where edges are not used as nodes and could contain subgraphs

Adding a node set that could model a subgraph located in an edge is easy but could be separate from in-vertex or out-vert.
I also do not see a direct need to include subgraphs to a node, as we could just use a node set interchangeably, but it still could be a case.

Directed Metagraph where edges are used as nodes and could contain subgraphs

As you can notice, we operate all the time with node sets. We could simply allow the extension node set to elements set that include node and edge IDs, but in this case, we need to use uuid or any other strategy to differentiate node IDs from edge IDs. In this case, we have a collision of ephemeral edges or ephemeral nodes when we want to change the role and purpose of the node as an edge or vice versa.

A full-scale metagraph model is way too complex for a relational database.
So we need a better model.

Now, we have more flexibility but loose structural constraints. We cannot show that the element should have one vertex, one vertex, or both. This type of constraint has been moved to the application level. Also, the crucial question is about query and retrieval needs.
Any meta-graph model should be more focused on domain and needs and should be used in raw form. We did it for a pure theoretical purpose.

@ e6817453:b0ac3c39

Hey folks! Today, let’s dive into the intriguing world of neurosymbolic approaches, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and personal knowledge graphs (PKGs). Together, these concepts hold much potential for bringing true reasoning capabilities to large language models (LLMs). So, let’s break down how symbolic logic, knowledge graphs, and modern AI can come together to empower future AI systems to reason like humans.

The Neurosymbolic Approach: What It Means ?

Neurosymbolic AI combines two historically separate streams of artificial intelligence: symbolic reasoning and neural networks. Symbolic AI uses formal logic to process knowledge, similar to how we might solve problems or deduce information. On the other hand, neural networks, like those underlying GPT-4, focus on learning patterns from vast amounts of data — they are probabilistic statistical models that excel in generating human-like language and recognizing patterns but often lack deep, explicit reasoning.

While GPT-4 can produce impressive text, it’s still not very effective at reasoning in a truly logical way. Its foundation, transformers, allows it to excel in pattern recognition, but the models struggle with reasoning because, at their core, they rely on statistical probabilities rather than true symbolic logic. This is where neurosymbolic methods and knowledge graphs come in.

Symbolic Calculations and the Early Vision of AI

If we take a step back to the 1950s, the vision for artificial intelligence was very different. Early AI research was all about symbolic reasoning — where computers could perform logical calculations to derive new knowledge from a given set of rules and facts. Languages like Lisp emerged to support this vision, enabling programs to represent data and code as interchangeable symbols. Lisp was designed to be homoiconic, meaning it treated code as manipulatable data, making it capable of self-modification — a huge leap towards AI systems that could, in theory, understand and modify their own operations.

Lisp: The Earlier AI-Language

Lisp, short for “LISt Processor,” was developed by John McCarthy in 1958, and it became the cornerstone of early AI research. Lisp’s power lay in its flexibility and its use of symbolic expressions, which allowed developers to create programs that could manipulate symbols in ways that were very close to human reasoning. One of the most groundbreaking features of Lisp was its ability to treat code as data, known as homoiconicity, which meant that Lisp programs could introspect and transform themselves dynamically. This ability to adapt and modify its own structure gave Lisp an edge in tasks that required a form of self-awareness, which was key in the early days of AI when researchers were exploring what it meant for machines to “think.”

Lisp was not just a programming language—it represented the vision for artificial intelligence, where machines could evolve their understanding and rewrite their own programming. This idea formed the conceptual basis for many of the self-modifying and adaptive algorithms that are still explored today in AI research. Despite its decline in mainstream programming, Lisp’s influence can still be seen in the concepts used in modern machine learning and symbolic AI approaches.

Prolog: Formal Logic and Deductive Reasoning

In the 1970s, Prolog was developed—a language focused on formal logic and deductive reasoning. Unlike Lisp, based on lambda calculus, Prolog operates on formal logic rules, allowing it to perform deductive reasoning and solve logical puzzles. This made Prolog an ideal candidate for expert systems that needed to follow a sequence of logical steps, such as medical diagnostics or strategic planning.

Prolog, like Lisp, allowed symbols to be represented, understood, and used in calculations, creating another homoiconic language that allows reasoning. Prolog’s strength lies in its rule-based structure, which is well-suited for tasks that require logical inference and backtracking. These features made it a powerful tool for expert systems and AI research in the 1970s and 1980s.

The language is declarative in nature, meaning that you define the problem, and Prolog figures out how to solve it. By using formal logic and setting constraints, Prolog systems can derive conclusions from known facts, making it highly effective in fields requiring explicit logical frameworks, such as legal reasoning, diagnostics, and natural language understanding. These symbolic approaches were later overshadowed during the AI winter — but the ideas never really disappeared. They just evolved.

Solvers and Their Role in Complementing LLMs

One of the most powerful features of Prolog and similar logic-based systems is their use of solvers. Solvers are mechanisms that can take a set of rules and constraints and automatically find solutions that satisfy these conditions. This capability is incredibly useful when combined with LLMs, which excel at generating human-like language but need help with logical consistency and structured reasoning.

For instance, imagine a scenario where an LLM needs to answer a question involving multiple logical steps or a complex query that requires deducing facts from various pieces of information. In this case, a solver can derive valid conclusions based on a given set of logical rules, providing structured answers that the LLM can then articulate in natural language. This allows the LLM to retrieve information and ensure the logical integrity of its responses, leading to much more robust answers.

Solvers are also ideal for handling constraint satisfaction problems — situations where multiple conditions must be met simultaneously. In practical applications, this could include scheduling tasks, generating optimal recommendations, or even diagnosing issues where a set of symptoms must match possible diagnoses. Prolog’s solver capabilities and LLM’s natural language processing power can make these systems highly effective at providing intelligent, rule-compliant responses that traditional LLMs would struggle to produce alone.

By integrating neurosymbolic methods that utilize solvers, we can provide LLMs with a form of deductive reasoning that is missing from pure deep-learning approaches. This combination has the potential to significantly improve the quality of outputs for use-cases that require explicit, structured problem-solving, from legal queries to scientific research and beyond. Solvers give LLMs the backbone they need to not just generate answers but to do so in a way that respects logical rigor and complex constraints.

Graph of Rules for Enhanced Reasoning

Another powerful concept that complements LLMs is using a graph of rules. A graph of rules is essentially a structured collection of logical rules that interconnect in a network-like structure, defining how various entities and their relationships interact. This structured network allows for complex reasoning and information retrieval, as well as the ability to model intricate relationships between different pieces of knowledge.

In a graph of rules, each node represents a rule, and the edges define relationships between those rules — such as dependencies or causal links. This structure can be used to enhance LLM capabilities by providing them with a formal set of rules and relationships to follow, which improves logical consistency and reasoning depth. When an LLM encounters a problem or a question that requires multiple logical steps, it can traverse this graph of rules to generate an answer that is not only linguistically fluent but also logically robust.

For example, in a healthcare application, a graph of rules might include nodes for medical symptoms, possible diagnoses, and recommended treatments. When an LLM receives a query regarding a patient’s symptoms, it can use the graph to traverse from symptoms to potential diagnoses and then to treatment options, ensuring that the response is coherent and medically sound. The graph of rules guides reasoning, enabling LLMs to handle complex, multi-step questions that involve chains of reasoning, rather than merely generating surface-level responses.

Graphs of rules also enable modular reasoning, where different sets of rules can be activated based on the context or the type of question being asked. This modularity is crucial for creating adaptive AI systems that can apply specific sets of logical frameworks to distinct problem domains, thereby greatly enhancing their versatility. The combination of neural fluency with rule-based structure gives LLMs the ability to conduct more advanced reasoning, ultimately making them more reliable and effective in domains where accuracy and logical consistency are critical.

By implementing a graph of rules, LLMs are empowered to perform deductive reasoning alongside their generative capabilities, creating responses that are not only compelling but also logically aligned with the structured knowledge available in the system. This further enhances their potential applications in fields such as law, engineering, finance, and scientific research — domains where logical consistency is as important as linguistic coherence.

Enhancing LLMs with Symbolic Reasoning

Now, with LLMs like GPT-4 being mainstream, there is an emerging need to add real reasoning capabilities to them. This is where neurosymbolic approaches shine. Instead of pitting neural networks against symbolic reasoning, these methods combine the best of both worlds. The neural aspect provides language fluency and recognition of complex patterns, while the symbolic side offers real reasoning power through formal logic and rule-based frameworks.

Personal Knowledge Graphs (PKGs) come into play here as well. Knowledge graphs are data structures that encode entities and their relationships — they’re essentially semantic networks that allow for structured information retrieval. When integrated with neurosymbolic approaches, LLMs can use these graphs to answer questions in a far more contextual and precise way. By retrieving relevant information from a knowledge graph, they can ground their responses in well-defined relationships, thus improving both the relevance and the logical consistency of their answers.

Imagine combining an LLM with a graph of rules that allow it to reason through the relationships encoded in a personal knowledge graph. This could involve using deductive databases to form a sophisticated way to represent and reason with symbolic data — essentially constructing a powerful hybrid system that uses LLM capabilities for language fluency and rule-based logic for structured problem-solving.

My Research on Deductive Databases and Knowledge Graphs

I recently did some research on modeling knowledge graphs using deductive databases, such as DataLog — which can be thought of as a limited, data-oriented version of Prolog. What I’ve found is that it’s possible to use formal logic to model knowledge graphs, ontologies, and complex relationships elegantly as rules in a deductive system. Unlike classical RDF or traditional ontology-based models, which sometimes struggle with complex or evolving relationships, a deductive approach is more flexible and can easily support dynamic rules and reasoning.

Prolog and similar logic-driven frameworks can complement LLMs by handling the parts of reasoning where explicit rule-following is required. LLMs can benefit from these rule-based systems for tasks like entity recognition, logical inferences, and constructing or traversing knowledge graphs. We can even create a graph of rules that governs how relationships are formed or how logical deductions can be performed.

The future is really about creating an AI that is capable of both deep contextual understanding (using the powerful generative capacity of LLMs) and true reasoning (through symbolic systems and knowledge graphs). With the neurosymbolic approach, these AIs could be equipped not just to generate information but to explain their reasoning, form logical conclusions, and even improve their own understanding over time — getting us a step closer to true artificial general intelligence.

Why It Matters for LLM Employment

Using neurosymbolic RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) in conjunction with personal knowledge graphs could revolutionize how LLMs work in real-world applications. Imagine an LLM that understands not just language but also the relationships between different concepts — one that can navigate, reason, and explain complex knowledge domains by actively engaging with a personalized set of facts and rules.

This could lead to practical applications in areas like healthcare, finance, legal reasoning, or even personal productivity — where LLMs can help users solve complex problems logically, providing relevant information and well-justified reasoning paths. The combination of neural fluency with symbolic accuracy and deductive power is precisely the bridge we need to move beyond purely predictive AI to truly intelligent systems.

Let's explore these ideas further if you’re as fascinated by this as I am. Feel free to reach out, follow my YouTube channel, or check out some articles I’ll link below. And if you’re working on anything in this field, I’d love to collaborate!

Until next time, folks. Stay curious, and keep pushing the boundaries of AI!

@ 826e9f89:ffc5c759

_Prologue: this is a prose adaptation of a talk I gave to a private audience in Dubai and then tweaked slightly for a small conference in Sofia. I'm increasingly thinking it deserves a more general audience, and may be better suited to text anyway. This is probably not its final form, as the desired audience is tradfi capital allocators, hence a PDF is likely on the cards in the near future. For the time being, consider this a first draft, practising what it might look like as prose, and soliciting feedback from the good people of Nostr. Enjoy! _

The title of this essay means absolutely nothing. There is no such thing as “Web π” because there is no such thing as “Web 3”. It’s bullshit. It’s a scam.

Unfortunately, it has turned out to be extremely powerful bullshit and an extremely profitable scam, and so my goal in writing this essay is to give the reader the tools to navigate all of this and come out the other side without having been scammed or bullshat. In the spirit of not scamming and not bullshitting, I should be clear upfront about the intended readership of this essay, who I am to write it, and who it’s really about.

Who Are You?

I assume the reader is not a shadowy super-coder, but rather is a financial professional. This essay isn’t really for Bitcoiners, although if any read it, I hope they still find it interesting. Who I am really writing for are people coming to the space for the first time. Hopefully in your mind you are coming to the _Bitcoin _space, but if you think you are coming to the “crypto” space then this may be even more useful.

Who Am I?

I am the founder of a company that makes me not only highly biased but also flagrantly self-interested in the content I am promoting. I run a firm that invests in the Bitcoin ecosystem through a variety of different vehicles. I am not going to mislead you in the slightest in that my primary motivation is for you to allocate capital to us rather than to people I would call scammers and bullshitters. You should listen to them too and make up your own mind, or else what’s the point, really? How do you know I’m not scamming or bullshitting you? Exactly. Don’t trust. Verify.

In any case, that’s all assuming you want to “allocate capital” at all rather than just buy Bitcoin without a management fee. I’d like to think the primary difference is that I will be honest about that, and I’ll encourage you to understand as much as you can about what is going on and what you are doing (and if you are at all unsure, I would suggest you aren’t ready and you should just buy Bitcoin and learn) rather than bamboozle you with complete nonsense like “Web 3”.

Who Is This About?

It’s not at all about people working in crypto. Bitcoiners amongst the readership may be mildly irritated by me going on to give about as charitable an explanation of the role of these people as they have probably ever heard from somebody like me. This is really about financiers. It’s about the people who have used the mostly unrewarded efforts of developers, academics, entrepreneurs, and so on to siphon money from you to themselves, leaving a trail of useless tech and defrauded retail investors in their wake – and who will continue to do so if you continue to empower them.

Why This Essay?

We are at an interesting point in the development of the entirety of the “crypto” industry and I strongly suggest that people like you are going to be pitched all kinds of scams and bullshit in the coming months and years. If you have a little more background on what these people are really talking about, you will hopefully be able to avoid it.

My plan to help with that is presenting a short version and a long version of what blockchains are and are for, how they have historically been deployed in service of scams and bullshit, a high-level theory explaining the narrative evolution behind this sorry history, and a prediction for the near-term future of such shenanigans.

What is a Blockchain For?

A Blockchain is for sound, censorship-resistant, peer-to-peer digital money. It is not for anything else. If a blockchain is functional as money, it may be possible to also _use it _for other things. Some people find that interesting, some people find it infuriating, but don’t let that subtlety confuse you. It is not _for _arbitrary computation and storage or “decentralizing the internet” or running illegal securities rackets.

It is for money, plain and simple.

How does it achieve that? Proof of work and the difficulty adjustment. These are the innovations from which every other desirable property or feature flows. Proof of work enables censorship resistance. If somebody is trying to sell you on “proof of stake”: bullshit. The difficulty adjustment enables precise, predetermined, and _fair _issuance. If somebody is trying to sell you on a token they issue for free and without restriction: scam.

The problem Bitcoin solves is both economic and technical and the solution has material technical and economic merit. And it’s for this very specific and irreplicable reason the Bitcoin token has value. If this all sounds extreme to you, then I would suggest that your understanding of the topic is _extremely _misguided, that you are going to be _extremely bullshat and extremely scammed, _and you need to read this essay. That’s the short version.

The Long Version

I am sensitive to how extreme this all sounds. After all, hundreds of billions of dollars have been pumped into crypto, not Bitcoin – a huge amount of it is widely used, and many capable, honest, and brilliant people work in the industry. The reader will recall just above I said those people are not the target of my criticism. I’m not claiming they are all scammers and bullshitters. Sadly, I think it’s more likely they have been scammed and bullshat to some degree also.

I think I have some credibility in pointing this out because, as a VC in the Bitcoin space, I have increasingly seen founders telling me this themselves: that they originally bought into the hype in crypto and ended up wasting an enormous amount of time realizing their idea made no technical or economic sense in that context, so then they came to Bitcoin instead. You hear this one time and it’s an anecdote, but you hear it as many times as I have and it feels more like a representative sample.

What I want to cover next is as charitable a summary of the state of ex-Bitcoin crypto as I possibly can: my contention is that crypto has evolved into 4 rough categories: stablecoins, cryptography R&D, gambling, and scams. And these aren’t exclusive, to be clear; there is a lot of overlap, and, in fact, the overlap is arguably the key.

Scams

Scams are tokens, plain and simple. If somebody is trying to profit from the speculative price action of a token they have issued, they are scamming somebody. Maybe they are scamming you, maybe they are scamming retail investors, maybe they are scamming customers or suppliers – if such parties even exist in their cargo cult “business model”. There’s a scam in there somewhere.

However, it is rarely _just _a scam. There will almost always be components of stablecoins, R&D or gambling too. Hence these are worth really grappling with, taking seriously, giving credit to the extent it is due, but also analyzing critically.

My rough and high-level assessment of this breakdown of crypto is as follows, and I’ll explain what I mean by this below: stablecoins have economic merit but dubious technical merit; R&D has technical merit but no economic merit; and gambling sort of has merit but it depends how you interpret it. Obviously, scams have neither.

Stablecoins

By “sort of technical merit” I mean that stablecoins have central issuers. You can issue them as tokens on a blockchain but there’s not really much of a point. The issuer could just run a database connected to the internet with some straightforward signature schemes for transfers and it would make minimal operational difference. In fact, it would be cheaper and faster. _In fact, _you may as well run a Chaumian eCash mint (a decades-old innovation recently resurrected firmly within the _Bitcoin _space) such that your cheaper-and-faster-than-a-blockchain database also grants users transience and privacy rather than the public permanence of a blockchain.

The fact Tron is the most heavily used for stablecoins, in terms of settling the most value, is a testament to this point: it is barely even pretending not to be a database. This works as regulatory arbitrage given regulators think this is “innovation” because they are stupid.

That said, it is worth giving some credit here given the abject awfulness of fiat banking and payment rails with which stablecoins arguably most directly compete. Stablecoins are significantly more permissionless in their transfer than any fiat bank liability. And to attest to what seems like their most significant use case, they are permissionless in their _usership _in that only an internet connection and the right software is required rather than various discriminatory jurisdictional and compliance criteria.

However, what “sort of technical merit” ultimately boils down to, especially in comparison to Bitcoin, is: highly censorable in their exogenous links and, therefore, their value. The assets supposedly backing stablecoins are (by definition) still within the fiat system, even if this novel transfer mechanism of the rights to withdraw them is not. There is frankly a bit of theatre involved in the so-called “decentralization” of stablecoins given shutting down the central issuer is all that is required to make the permissionlessly tradeable decentralized tokens go to zero and be technically unimpeded but functionally useless. The technical innovation of Bitcoin, in contrast, is easily understood in one sense as it being totally indifferent to this kind of attack.

On the other hand, by “economic merit” I mean that they are extremely widely used and valued as a means of providing dollar shadow banking and often superior payment rails. Those in crypto often love pointing to this and many Bitcoiners tie themselves in knots trying to explain it away, whereas I see it as essentially unrelated to Bitcoin. Clearly there is a superficial connection, but you could create any superficial connection by “tokenizing” things for no particularly good technical _reason. I think it’s a different industry entirely. It’s more like a subindustry within _fintech – part banking, part payments – that for the time being relies on bamboozling regulators with all the nonsense I’m drawing attention to.

And good for them, frankly. If fiat banking isn’t going to be backed by real money anyway, then it _at least _ought to be permissionless. It should really be Chaumian eCash if it isn’t just Bitcoin, and it is regulation alone that makes it so awful in the first place. Making money usable and not a tool of dystopian control is, at this point, a political problem, not a technical one. Stablecoins are frankly a step in the right direction, especially insofar as they acclimatize users to digital assets. But I would still caution that they arguably don’t have sufficient technical merit to withstand what feels like an inevitable political attack …

Cryptography R&D

“Technical merit” for R&D is more or less self-explanatory, but the context is worth appreciating. It’s only really in crypto and mostly in Ethereum more specifically that people can permissionlessly experiment with arbitrarily complex cryptographic schemes that operate on real, enormous value. There are a lot of people who understandably find this attractive given their projects are essentially academic and trying out their ideas in the wild is more interesting, arguably more worthwhile, and certainly more fun than putting research essays on ArXiv or submitting them to a journal.

But … the value being manipulated is at best stablecoins and at worst baseless hype. If it isn’t a stablecoin then it probably exists in the first place because of either gambling or scams – and even there the line is very blurry.

Gambling

Gambling is an interesting lens to adopt on all this because it’s literally a trillion-dollar industry. And it’s real. It’s consensual; it’s not criminal; it’s legitimate economic activity that generates enormous profits for those who facilitate it well.

So, gambling has economic merit in that sense. But it’s tricky in this context how to characterize it because you could also argue it’s deeply dishonest gambling in that the gamblers don’t realize they are playing a negative sum game against the house. They think they are doing something akin to speculating on securities, which may be just as stupid depending on how it’s done, but at least has real economic utility and contributes to capital formation.

The difference here is that what is being speculated on _has no economic merit. _So, if that’s your gauge of merit, then here there is none. And it’s a very blurry line between this and an outright scam. Maybe the people involved _think _of what they are doing as amazing R&D, and maybe it’s inadvertently just a scam; maybe they know it’s all nonsense, but they think they can profit within the negative sum game because there are greater fools. In any case, I think gambling is a very helpful characterization of a lot of the behavior of the users and the real economic function of the industry.

There’s an interesting social component to all this because crypto people will often get mad at Bitcoiners because Bitcoiners tend not to care about either stablecoins or crypto R&D: they’ll say, why don’t you like stablecoins, they have clear economic merit? And the answer is they have dubious technical merit. Or, why don’t you like our next-gen Zero Knowledge scaling protocol, it has clear technical merit? And the answer is it has no economic merit.

If you’re happy with one but not the other, it’s easy to think of Bitcoiners as being closed-minded or dogmatic or whatever, but, ultimately, I think it’s just about discipline. What’s the point in being excited by something that half works, and that you know why will never fully work? So to be frank, a lot of this may be well-intentioned, but it’s kinda’ bullshit. It very probably ultimately rests on gambling and not at all whatever its stated purpose is … or it’s just a scam.

How Did We Get Here?

The following is by no means exhaustive and the framing is deliberately a little tongue-in-cheek. As well as being accurate enough (if unavoidably biased), my goal here is primarily to set up my prediction for what is coming next.

2015               reality: Ethereum launches             narrative: “the world computer”

In 2015, Ethereum launched. The narrative here was that we are building “the world computer” and we can now have decentralized uncensorable computation. Never mind that anybody with a laptop has an uncensorable and decentralized computing device. And keep in mind this question of, “_what data might it ever be relevant to compute over in this manner (whatever that means in the first place)?” _The answer will become clearer and clearer …

2016-17          reality: ICO bubble                           narrative: “Web 3” / “DApps”

Regardless, at the end of 2015 we get the proposal and adoption of ERC20: a standard for issuing fungible tokens within Ethereum contracts, which is why in 2016 _but especially in 2017 _we get the ICO bubble. The narrative changes. Now we are concerned with “Web 2” companies being huge, powerful, and centralized. What if, instead, users could cooperatively own the application, control their own data, and participate in the economic upside that their usage is creating?

2018-19          reality: crypto winter                       narrative: “mistakes were made”

In 2018 this all falls apart, so don’t worry about it, moving on …

2020-21          reality: defi summer                        narrative: “decentralized finance”

By 2020 the narrative was different once again. It is more or less realized by this point that utility tokens make no technical or economic sense. You can’t introduce artificial scarcity in capital goods where there should be abundance and deflation and expect anybody to care, never mind to value your concoction. On the other hand, “securities” ought to be scarce and in some sense ought to function as tradeable ledger entries. Maybe they could be tokenized and computed on in a censorship-resistant and decentralized manner?

So, we get a boom in “defi” which, for what it’s worth, fellow Axiom co-founder Anders Larson and I predicted in our essay Only The Strong Survive, in September 2021, would be a complete disaster because, amongst a myriad of other illiterate insanities, there was approximately zero grounding of these securities in productive capital. The ecosystem was entirely self-referential – grounded _not even _in the questionable economic merit of stablecoins but firmly in gambling and scams; in leverage, rehypothecation, and securitization of precisely nothing whatsoever productive.

2022               reality: shitcoinpocalypse                narrative: “mistakes were made”

And we were absolutely right because in 2022 everything collapsed. First Terra/Luna imploded – a “defi” project which essentially presented to the world the argument that a fractional reserve bank issuing fiduciary media can literally never go bankrupt because it can always cover a deposit shortfall by issuing more equity. While briefly flirting with a capitalization of around fifty f***ing billion dollars, and endorsed and fawned over by all manner of illiterate charlatans with gigantic and unsuspecting audiences, this argument was eventually rejected by the market as utterly imbecilic, as analyzed by myself and Nic Carter in All Falls Down.

This triggered a credit contagion that soon after took down 3 Arrows Capital, Celsius, Voyager, BlockFi, and others. FTX limped along by what we now understand to be something like defrauding their way out of debt, but eventually also collapsed later that year. If _Only The Strong Survive _was a pre-mortem of all of this, then the reader may want to read Green Eggs And Ham, also by myself and Anders Larson, as a kind of post-mortem.

2023-today    reality: Bitcoin multisigs                  narrative: “Bitcoin renaissance”

And now a lot of this stuff is moving to Bitcoin. It is outside the scope of this essay to explain this in much detail but there have been a handful of developments in Bitcoin recently which, regardless of their intended purpose, seem to have as a collective side effect that a lot of these same shenanigans can now be implemented (or can _pretend _to be implemented) in a more Bitcoin-native context.

So, the new narrative is something like:

“these things didn’t work, not because they are terrible ideas that collapse to moon math wrappers around gambling and scams under any remotely critical analysis, but rather because they weren’t on Bitcoin. But also, since it has only recently become possible to (at least pretend to) implement them on Bitcoin, they are now worthwhile. We have wandered in the wilderness but learned our lessons and found the promised land.”

Technical and Economic Merit

Let’s consider all this through the lens of technical and economic merit once again. Or rather, the alleged merit given the stated goal. Ignore for now whether there is any merit:

2015               technical goal: new computing paradigm               economic goal: x% of GDP?

The original idea of “crypto” allegedly has the merit of the next revolution in computing. Goodness knows how big that market is; probably a decent chunk of global GDP – if it meant anything, which it doesn’t.

2016-17          technical goal: disrupting company formation       economic goal: y% of S&P?

ICOs then become a little bit more specific. Now they are merely disrupting how we organize companies. What’s that worth? Some portion of the value of the companies that can now be decentralized and tokenized I guess? Who knows …

2018-19          nothing to see here

Nothing happened then, don’t worry about it.

2020-21          technical goal: decentralize finance            economic goal: z% of NYSE, CME, ISDA?

Defi becomes more specific again. Now we are merely tokenizing financial contracts, expanding access, removing middlemen, and so on. So that should probably be worth some percentage of capital markets activity?

2022               nothing to see here

Oops, never mind …

2023-today    technical goal: now it’s on Bitcoin!             economic goal: i% of … Bitcoin?

… and now it’s on Bitcoin apparently.

In Hindsight ...

I think the most amusing analysis of all this is as follows: it starts off completely insane, it gets more and more restrained each time – you could cheekily argue it starts to make more and more sense – but it also gets closer to Bitcoin every time. It’s clearly narrowing in on just: Bitcoin.

This is people realizing, painfully, over decades, what blockchains are for! They are not for “decentralizing everything” They are for censorship-resistant, sound, peer-to-peer digital money.

And I think this is _also _why we get the current state of crypto from earlier in the essay. As it starts to make more and more sense (by getting closer and closer to Bitcoin) you have realizations like the following: digital gift vouchers for artificially scarce and extremely expensive computation aren’t money, so we need “real money” in here for it to have economic merit, so you get stablecoins. Also, well we have a rich programming environment that seems technically interesting but also the severe technical handicap of being unable to do even a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of all the computations in the world, so you get crypto R&D. These emerge as a kind of patch, and they have _some _merit in isolation, whereas the long-term trajectory is actually just to converge on Bitcoin.

It’s an open and fascinating question if there are any learnings from these that can still be transplanted to Bitcoin. For stablecoins, this strikes me as less clear, given the dubious technical merit is introduced by using a blockchain at all, not just a blockchain other than Bitcoin. However, efforts to create Bitcoin balances (tokenized or otherwise) that are stable relative to some external price are to be applauded, if still heavily scrutinized for what technical merit they _really _have.

It seems far more likely that crypto R&D will prove useful in a Bitcoin context to some or other degree, and in this case the economic merit is in fact solved by moving to Bitcoin, provided the necessary technical merit can be mimicked. At the time of writing, this is a source of both hope and dread: hope given the possibility of viable avenues of development (although still highly uncertain); dread given how early steps in this direction are already being misrepresented in the pursuit of bullshit and scams. I will return to both shortly.

Narrative Evolution

Back to the table just above, I want to make three quick observations that tie together my entire argument and get us to the end of the essay:

Firstly, the bubbles always follow the price of Bitcoin. Hopefully I don’t need to include a price chart for the reader to grasp this immediately.

Secondly, it’s important that the narrative always changes. Absolutely ungodly amounts of money were raised for this crap following the_ Bitcoin bull runs of 2017 and 2021. The people doing this couldn’t point to the previous absolute disaster, so they had to spin something along the lines of: “_we learned our lessons and we’ve refined the use case.” This should sound familiar from just above.

Thirdly, however, regardless of whatever refinement they’ve come up with, the consequence of the new “narrative” is always, “buy my token”.

Always.

It doesn’t matter what buzzword salad is in the middle. It’s always “Bitcoin is cool, xyz, fughayzi fughahzi, buy my token.”

This is why I am very much tempted to not care so much about developers, academics, entrepreneurs, and so on, and in fact for my null hypothesis to be that they are more likely to have been victims than perpetrators. I don’t think they even end up in a position to contribute without the key group whom I do blame. When you put all these pieces together, what I think falls out of this analysis is as follows:

The entire cycle of shitcoinery can be traced to unscrupulous financiers convincing capital allocators who don’t know any better, in a bull market that, yes, Bitcoin is cool, but what they are doing is related, cooler, and that they deserve a fee.

Let us label this the Capital Cycle Theory of Shitcoinery. I think that everything else about which one might want to complain is downstream of this core realization.

Avoiding It

Given everything I’ve covered this is simple and this is pretty much the end of the essay.

You need to be aware of why this is happening now. If it hasn’t happened to you already (intended readership in the capital allocation business, that is) I guarantee it’s about to: with ETFs and the halving just past, we seem to be starting a Bitcoin bull run, these people have already raised ridiculous amounts of money on scams and bullshit that have mostly imploded. They may have lost a lot of money, or they may even have dumped on retail and got an excellent “return”. But in any case, they need a new narrative.

It's _possible _they have a viable narrative around stablecoins, R&D, both, and that they are as wary of scams as I have suggested here that they should be. I don’t want to insult anybody who merely has a different investment thesis to me if they are otherwise reasonable in their outlook and honest in their dealings.

However, if they are only now realizing how pointless and disingenuous every preceding crypto narrative has been after 7 years and hundreds of billions of dollars – or if they still don’t realize it at all; if their track record shows they were deeply involved, handsomely rewarded, and yet created nothing of lasting value; if they say things like “the builders are coming back to Bitcoin”: be very, very suspicious. Be on the lookout for tokens, which is to say, be on the lookout for scams.

What is especially frustrating is that the technical spin of the "layer twos" that are all the rage at the time of writing, that "the builders are coming back to Bitcoin" to build, and that you, the capital-allocating reader, will almost certainly be pitched, is in and of itself pretty reasonable. They just don't require tokens and they don't require gambling to support the token prices. What they do require is _sound adherence to Bitcoin's technical and economic merit. _At the very least, they require honest communication about the design trade-offs so far and planned for, and what, if any, economic and technical merit is left over after these trade-offs have been made.

Narrative aside, the _reality _of 99% of these projects is that they are private execution environments tied to multisigs custodying user deposits. Which is to say, on the one hand, that they are cargo culting "crypto R&D" from Ethereum that isn't technically possible in Bitcoin in order to feign technical merit, and on the other, that _they aren't layer twos at all. _Once again, they may as well be Chaumian eCash mints, except for the fact that this would make the intended token scam all but impossible to pull off.

Casey Rodarmor, creator of the Ordinals protocol, recently joked on the Hell Money _podcast he co-hosts, responding to the idea that "_everybody is building an L2 now":

"It's the same sad sack playbook as on Ethereum being recapitulated on Bitcoin. That's how you get a VC check on Ethereum. They are all glorified multisigs, so they are like, "hey let's port our glorified multisig to Bitcoin and get a VC check." I was talking to a friend of mine who is working on an interesting project, an open-source analyzer that does transaction clustering, and I was like, "maybe you could do this in this way and raise some VC money," and he said, "yeah, okay, but what's the point in raising VC money?" And I said, "no, no, no, this is the end! This is the goal! You raise VC money and then you cut yourself checks from that VC money until it runs out and then you raise more at a 10x valuation. This is the new economy, guys!"

The 1% that are legitimately trying to bring the learnings from crypto R&D to Bitcoin in a technically and economically sound manner will hopefully win in the long run (and even this is somewhat speculative at the time of writing) but will likely get little to no attention amidst this bull market flurry of scams and bullshit.

Axiom will do its best to source and invest in these companies (we already have!) but we are resigned to it being a much more difficult sell to capital allocators in light of the Capital Cycle Theory of Shitcoinery. To be brutally honest, this entire essay can fairly be considered cope on my part in light of having lost this battle in the past and facing up to the very real prospect of losing it in the near future too. Oh well, at least I tried.

Wrapping Up

The essence of the Capital Cycle Theory of Shitcoinery is that the problems I’ve described ultimately come from bamboozling people just like you with technical sounding nonsense like “Web 3” so you think it’s all a lot more complicated than it really is. Just buy Bitcoin. That’s certainly the first thing you should do anyway, and it might be the only thing you ever need to do.

If you really, really want to take the extra risk of investing in the Bitcoin ecosystem, the team at Axiom would be happy to speak with you. But we are never going to talk you out of buying Bitcoin. There is no world in which Bitcoin does poorly and we do well, or in which we promise something “better than Bitcoin,” and there’s no point in engaging with us at all if you don’t already believe most of this.

If that’s of interest to you, we’d love to talk. If not, just buy Bitcoin. In any case: fair warning, we are heading into a Bitcoin bull market and the scams and the bullshit are coming. Good luck avoiding them.

Allen Farrington, June 2024