@ eac63075:b4988b48

Since its creation in 2009, Bitcoin has symbolized innovation and resilience. However, from time to time, alarmist narratives arise about emerging technologies that could "break" its security. Among these, quantum computing stands out as one of the most recurrent. But does quantum computing truly threaten Bitcoin? And more importantly, what is the community doing to ensure the protocol remains invulnerable?

The answer, contrary to sensationalist headlines, is reassuring: Bitcoin is secure, and the community is already preparing for a future where quantum computing becomes a practical reality. Let’s dive into this topic to understand why the concerns are exaggerated and how the development of BIP-360 demonstrates that Bitcoin is one step ahead.

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What Is Quantum Computing, and Why Is Bitcoin Not Threatened?

Quantum computing leverages principles of quantum mechanics to perform calculations that, in theory, could exponentially surpass classical computers—and it has nothing to do with what so-called “quantum coaches” teach to scam the uninformed. One of the concerns is that this technology could compromise two key aspects of Bitcoin’s security:

1. Wallets: These use elliptic curve algorithms (ECDSA) to protect private keys. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could deduce a private key from its public key.
2. Mining: This is based on the SHA-256 algorithm, which secures the consensus process. A quantum attack could, in theory, compromise the proof-of-work mechanism.

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Understanding Quantum Computing’s Attack Priorities

While quantum computing is often presented as a threat to Bitcoin, not all parts of the network are equally vulnerable. Theoretical attacks would be prioritized based on two main factors: ease of execution and potential reward. This creates two categories of attacks:

1. Attacks on Wallets

Bitcoin wallets, secured by elliptic curve algorithms, would be the initial targets due to the relative vulnerability of their public keys, especially those already exposed on the blockchain. Two attack scenarios stand out:

• Short-term attacks: These occur during the interval between sending a transaction and its inclusion in a block (approximately 10 minutes). A quantum computer could intercept the exposed public key and derive the corresponding private key to redirect funds by creating a transaction with higher fees.

• Long-term attacks: These focus on old wallets whose public keys are permanently exposed. Wallets associated with Satoshi Nakamoto, for example, are especially vulnerable because they were created before the practice of using hashes to mask public keys.

We can infer a priority order for how such attacks might occur based on urgency and importance.

Bitcoin Quantum Attack: Prioritization Matrix (Urgency vs. Importance)

2. Attacks on Mining

Targeting the SHA-256 algorithm, which secures the mining process, would be the next objective. However, this is far more complex and requires a level of quantum computational power that is currently non-existent and far from realization. A successful attack would allow for the recalculation of all possible hashes to dominate the consensus process and potentially "mine" it instantly.

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Satoshi Nakamoto in 2010 on Quantum Computing and Bitcoin Attacks

Recently, Narcelio asked me about a statement I made on Tubacast:

https://x.com/eddieoz/status/1868371296683511969

If an attack became a reality before Bitcoin was prepared, it would be necessary to define the last block prior to the attack and proceed from there using a new hashing algorithm. The solution would resemble the response to the infamous 2013 bug. It’s a fact that this would cause market panic, and Bitcoin's price would drop significantly, creating a potential opportunity for the well-informed.

Preferably, if developers could anticipate the threat and had time to work on a solution and build consensus before an attack, they would simply decide on a future block for the fork, which would then adopt the new algorithm. It might even rehash previous blocks (reaching consensus on them) to avoid potential reorganization through the re-mining of blocks using the old hash. (I often use the term "shielding" old transactions).

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How Can Users Protect Themselves?

While quantum computing is still far from being a practical threat, some simple measures can already protect users against hypothetical scenarios:

• Avoid using exposed public keys: Ensure funds sent to old wallets are transferred to new ones that use public key hashes. This reduces the risk of long-term attacks.
• Use modern wallets: Opt for wallets compatible with SegWit or Taproot, which implement better security practices.
• Monitor security updates: Stay informed about updates from the Bitcoin community, such as the implementation of BIP-360, which will introduce quantum-resistant addresses.
• Do not reuse addresses: Every transaction should be associated with a new address to minimize the risk of repeated exposure of the same public key.
• Adopt secure backup practices: Create offline backups of private keys and seeds in secure locations, protected from unauthorized access.

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BIP-360 and Bitcoin’s Preparation for the Future

Even though quantum computing is still beyond practical reach, the Bitcoin community is not standing still. A concrete example is BIP-360, a proposal that establishes the technical framework to make wallets resistant to quantum attacks.

BIP-360 addresses three main pillars:

1. Introduction of quantum-resistant addresses: A new address format starting with "BC1R" will be used. These addresses will be compatible with post-quantum algorithms, ensuring that stored funds are protected from future attacks.
2. Compatibility with the current ecosystem: The proposal allows users to transfer funds from old addresses to new ones without requiring drastic changes to the network infrastructure.
3. Flexibility for future updates: BIP-360 does not limit the choice of specific algorithms. Instead, it serves as a foundation for implementing new post-quantum algorithms as technology evolves.

This proposal demonstrates how Bitcoin can adapt to emerging threats without compromising its decentralized structure.

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Post-Quantum Algorithms: The Future of Bitcoin Cryptography

The community is exploring various algorithms to protect Bitcoin from quantum attacks. Among the most discussed are:

• Falcon: A solution combining smaller public keys with compact digital signatures. Although it has been tested in limited scenarios, it still faces scalability and performance challenges.
• Sphincs: Hash-based, this algorithm is renowned for its resilience, but its signatures can be extremely large, making it less efficient for networks like Bitcoin’s blockchain.
• Lamport: Created in 1977, it’s considered one of the earliest post-quantum security solutions. Despite its reliability, its gigantic public keys (16,000 bytes) make it impractical and costly for Bitcoin.

Two technologies show great promise and are well-regarded by the community:

1. Lattice-Based Cryptography: Considered one of the most promising, it uses complex mathematical structures to create systems nearly immune to quantum computing. Its implementation is still in its early stages, but the community is optimistic.
2. Supersingular Elliptic Curve Isogeny: These are very recent digital signature algorithms and require extensive study and testing before being ready for practical market use.

The final choice of algorithm will depend on factors such as efficiency, cost, and integration capability with the current system. Additionally, it is preferable that these algorithms are standardized before implementation, a process that may take up to 10 years.

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Why Quantum Computing Is Far from Being a Threat

The alarmist narrative about quantum computing overlooks the technical and practical challenges that still need to be overcome. Among them:

• Insufficient number of qubits: Current quantum computers have only a few hundred qubits, whereas successful attacks would require millions.
• High error rate: Quantum stability remains a barrier to reliable large-scale operations.
• High costs: Building and operating large-scale quantum computers requires massive investments, limiting their use to scientific or specific applications.

Moreover, even if quantum computers make significant advancements, Bitcoin is already adapting to ensure its infrastructure is prepared to respond.

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Conclusion: Bitcoin’s Secure Future

Despite advancements in quantum computing, the reality is that Bitcoin is far from being threatened. Its security is ensured not only by its robust architecture but also by the community’s constant efforts to anticipate and mitigate challenges.

The implementation of BIP-360 and the pursuit of post-quantum algorithms demonstrate that Bitcoin is not only resilient but also proactive. By adopting practical measures, such as using modern wallets and migrating to quantum-resistant addresses, users can further protect themselves against potential threats.

Bitcoin’s future is not at risk—it is being carefully shaped to withstand any emerging technology, including quantum computing.

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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.

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8. Links

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

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

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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.

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Embarking on the journey of operating your own Lightning node on the Bitcoin Layer 2 network is more than just a tech-savvy endeavor; it's a step into a realm of financial autonomy and cutting-edge innovation. By running a node, you become a vital part of a revolutionary movement that's reshaping how we think about money and digital transactions. This role not only offers a unique perspective on blockchain technology but also places you at the heart of a community dedicated to decentralization and network resilience. Beyond the technicalities, it's about embracing a new era of digital finance, where you contribute directly to the network's security, efficiency, and growth, all while gaining personal satisfaction and potentially lucrative rewards.

In essence, running your own Lightning node is a powerful way to engage with the forefront of blockchain technology, assert financial independence, and contribute to a more decentralized and efficient Bitcoin network. It's an adventure that offers both personal and communal benefits, from gaining in-depth tech knowledge to earning a place in the evolving landscape of cryptocurrency.

Running your own Lightning node for the Bitcoin Layer 2 network can be an empowering and beneficial endeavor. Here are 10 reasons why you might consider taking on this task:

1. Direct Contribution to Decentralization: Operating a node is a direct action towards decentralizing the Bitcoin network, crucial for its security and resistance to control or censorship by any single entity.

2. Financial Autonomy: Owning a node gives you complete control over your financial transactions on the network, free from reliance on third-party services, which can be subject to fees, restrictions, or outages.

3. Advanced Network Participation: As a node operator, you're not just a passive participant but an active player in shaping the network, influencing its efficiency and scalability through direct involvement.

4. Potential for Higher Revenue: With strategic management and optimal channel funding, your node can become a preferred route for transactions, potentially increasing the routing fees you can earn.

5. Cutting-Edge Technological Engagement: Running a node puts you at the forefront of blockchain and bitcoin technology, offering insights into future developments and innovations.

6. Strengthened Network Security: Each new node adds to the robustness of the Bitcoin network, making it more resilient against attacks and failures, thus contributing to the overall security of the ecosystem.

7. Personalized Fee Structures: You have the flexibility to set your own fee policies, which can balance earning potential with the service you provide to the network.

8. Empowerment Through Knowledge: The process of setting up and managing a node provides deep learning opportunities, empowering you with knowledge that can be applied in various areas of blockchain and fintech.

9. Boosting Transaction Capacity: By running a node, you help to increase the overall capacity of the Lightning Network, enabling more transactions to be processed quickly and at lower costs.

10. Community Leadership and Reputation: As an active node operator, you gain recognition within the Bitcoin community, which can lead to collaborative opportunities and a position of thought leadership in the space.

These reasons demonstrate the impactful and transformative nature of running a Lightning node, appealing to those who are deeply invested in the principles of bitcoin and wish to actively shape its future. Jump aboard, and embrace the journey toward full independence. 🐶🐾🫡🚀🚀🚀

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Chef's notes

Serving these two dishes together will create a delightful centerpiece for your Thanksgiving meal, offering a perfect blend of traditional flavors with a homemade touch.

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 30 min
• 🍳 Cook time: 1 - 2 hours
• 🍽️ Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 whole turkey (about 12-14 lbs), thawed and ready to cook
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• Apple and Sage Stuffing
• 1 loaf of crusty bread, cut into cubes
• 2 apples, cored and chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups chicken broth
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 325°F (165°C).
2. Prepare the Herb Butter: Mix the softened butter with the chopped thyme, rosemary, and sage. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Prepare the Turkey: Remove any giblets from the turkey and pat it dry. Loosen the skin and spread a generous amount of herb butter under and over the skin.
4. Add Aromatics: Inside the turkey cavity, place the quartered onion, lemon halves, and garlic cloves.
5. Roast: Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Tent with aluminum foil and roast. A general guideline is about 15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part of the thigh.
6. Rest and Serve: Let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
7. Next: Apple and Sage Stuffing
8. Dry the Bread: Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and let them dry overnight, or toast them in the oven.
9. Cook the Vegetables: In a large skillet, melt the butter and cook the onion, celery, and garlic until soft.
10. Combine Ingredients: Add the apples, sage, and bread cubes to the skillet. Stir in the chicken broth until the mixture is moist. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Bake: Transfer the stuffing to a baking dish and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 30-40 minutes, until golden brown on top.

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Testing a brand new YakiHonne native client for iOS. Smooth as butter (not penis butter 🤣🍆🧈) with great visual experience and intuitive navigation. Amazing work by the team behind it! * lists * work

Bold text work!

Images could have used nostr.build instead of raw S3 from us-east-1 region.

Very impressive! You can even save the draft and continue later, before posting the long-form note!

🐶🐾🤯🤯🤯🫂💜

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

As the title states, scratch behind my ear and you get it. 🐶🐾🫡

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Test Bounty Note

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Intro

This short tutorial will help you set up your own Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) on your own LND Node that is not using Umbrel. If you are a user of Umbrel, you should use their version of NWC.

Requirements

You need to have a working installation of LND with established channels and connectivity to the internet. NWC in itself is fairly light and will not consume a lot of resources. You will also want to ensure that you have a working installation of Docker, since we will use a docker image to run NWC.

• Working installation of LND (and all of its required components)
• Docker (with Docker compose)

Installation

For the purpose of this tutorial, we will assume that you have your lnd/bitcoind running under user bitcoin with home directory /home/bitcoin. We will also assume that you already have a running installation of Docker (or docker.io).

Prepare and verify

git version - we will need git to get the latest version of NWC. docker version - should execute successfully and show the currently installed version of Docker. docker compose version - same as before, but the version will be different. ss -tupln | grep 10009- should produce the following output: tcp LISTEN 0 4096 0.0.0.0:10009 0.0.0.0: tcp LISTEN 0 4096 [::]:10009 [::]:**

For things to work correctly, your Docker should be version 20.10.0 or later. If you have an older version, consider installing a new one using instructions here: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/

Create folders & download NWC

In the home directory of your LND/bitcoind user, create a new folder, e.g., "nwc" mkdir /home/bitcoin/nwc. Change to that directory cd /home/bitcoin/nwc and clone the NWC repository: git clone https://github.com/getAlby/nostr-wallet-connect.git

Creating the Docker image

In this step, we will create a Docker image that you will use to run NWC.

• Change directory to nostr-wallet-connect: cd nostr-wallet-connect
• Run command to build Docker image: docker build -t nwc:$(date +'%Y%m%d%H%M') -t nwc:latest . (there is a dot at the end)
• The last line of the output (after a few minutes) should look like => => naming to docker.io/library/nwc:latest
• nwc:latest is the name of the Docker image with a tag which you should note for use later.

Creating docker-compose.yml and necessary data directories

• Let's create a directory that will hold your non-volatile data (DB): mkdir data
• Indocker-compose.ymlfile, there are fields that you want to replace (<> comments) and port “4321” that you want to make sure is open (check with ss -tupln | grep 4321which should return nothing).
• Create docker-compose.ymlfile with the following content, and make sure to update fields that have <> comment:

version: "3.8" services: nwc: image: nwc:latest volumes: - ./data:/data - ~/.lnd:/lnd:ro ports: - "4321:8080" extra_hosts: - "localhost:host-gateway" environment: NOSTR_PRIVKEY: <use "openssl rand -hex 32" to generate a fresh key and place it inside ""> LN_BACKEND_TYPE: "LND" LND_ADDRESS: localhost:10009 LND_CERT_FILE: "/lnd/tls.cert" LND_MACAROON_FILE: "/lnd/data/chain/bitcoin/mainnet/admin.macaroon" DATABASE_URI: "/data/nostr-wallet-connect.db" COOKIE_SECRET: <use "openssl rand -hex 32" to generate fresh secret and place it inside ""> PORT: 8080 restart: always stop_grace_period: 1m

Starting and testing

Now that you have everything ready, it is time to start the container and test.

• While you are in the nwcdirectory (important), execute the following command and check the log output, docker compose up
• You should see container logs while it is starting, and it should not exit if everything went well.
• At this point, you should be able to go to http://<ip of the host where nwc is running>:4321 and get to the interface of NWC
• To stop the test run of NWC, simply press Ctrl-C , and it will shut the container down.
• To start NWC permanently, you should execute docker compose up -d , “-d” tells Docker to detach from the session.
• To check currently running NWC logs, execute docker compose logs to run it in tail mode add -f to the end.
• To stop the container, execute docker compose down

That's all, just follow the instructions in the web interface to get started.

Updating

As with any software, you should expect fixes and updates that you would need to perform periodically. You could automate this, but it falls outside of the scope of this tutorial. Since we already have all of the necessary configuration in place, the update execution is fairly simple.

• Change directory to the clone of the git repository, cd /home/bitcoin/nwc/nostr-wallet-connect
• Run command to build Docker image: docker build -t nwc:$(date +'%Y%m%d%H%M') -t nwc:latest . (there is a dot at the end)
• Change directory back one level cd ..
• Restart (stop and start) the docker compose config docker compose down && docker compose up -d
• Done! Optionally you may want to check the logs: docker compose logs

@ cf7ed325:050194cf

The Steigenberger Minerva Nile Cruise offers an exceptional way to explore Egypt's ancient wonders while cruising along the timeless Nile River. This luxurious cruise combines modern amenities with traditional Egyptian hospitality, making it an ideal choice for those seeking comfort and adventure. With spacious cabins, fine dining, and various entertainment options, the Steigenberger Minerva promises an unforgettable experience.

While aboard, guests can enjoy a range of excursions to famous sites like the Pyramids of Giza, Luxor Temple, and the Valley of the Kings. The ship provides a perfect base for exploring Egypt’s rich history, from the bustling streets of Cairo to the serene landscapes of Aswan. The cruise features a blend of relaxation and adventure, offering guests an opportunity to unwind while taking in Egypt's stunning scenery.

In addition to the Steigenberger Minerva Nile Cruise, Egypt offers a variety of other luxurious options. For example, the Farah Nile Cruise is known for its elegant design and top-notch service, while the Gemma Nile Cruise provides a more intimate, boutique experience. The Movenpick SS Misr Nile Cruise is another excellent choice for those who enjoy a classic, refined atmosphere on the river.

If you’re looking for other luxury cruises, consider the Nile Capital Nile Cruise, which combines modern comfort with historical exploration, or the Movenpick Hamees Nile Cruise, a ship that offers a unique blend of luxury and cultural immersion. The Movenpick Lotus Nile Cruise and the Jaz Regent Nile Cruise are also popular choices, known for their impeccable service and well-designed cabins.

For a more opulent experience, the Jaz Crown Jewel Nile Cruise is a top contender, while the Salacia Nile Cruise and Nabilatan Nile Cruise provide a more exclusive atmosphere. Alternatively, the Tulip Nile Cruise and Tia Nile Cruise offer comfortable accommodations with excellent amenities.

No matter which cruise you choose, Egypt's Nile River promises an unforgettable journey through history and culture.

🌐 Visit us at www.etbtoursegypt.com 📲 Contact us now! +20 10 21100873 📧 Email: info@etbtours.com 🏢 Company Address: 4 El Lebeny Axis , Nazlet Al Batran , Al Haram, Giza , Egypt

@ b8851a06:9b120ba1

Trump's Blueprint for Gaza: The New Nakba

Trump’s offhand suggestion to “clean out” 1.5 million Palestinians from Gaza isn’t just reckless—it’s a thinly veiled blueprint for ethnic cleansing. The proposed forced displacement of millions isn't new; it’s the 21st-century sequel to the Nakba, designed to erase Palestine from the map.

Gaza: The Systematic Machinery of Destruction

The assault on Gaza isn’t chaos—it’s coordinated demolition:

• 47,306+ killed – lives extinguished with impunity.
• 111,483 injured – survivors burdened with physical and psychological scars.
• 92% of homes destroyed – families displaced, memories shattered.
• 60% of infrastructure dismantled – society intentionally crippled.

This is more than war—it’s annihilation by design.

A Second Nakba in Motion

The original Nakba (1948) was the template:

• 6 million refugees still barred from returning home.
• Generations of children growing up stateless, inheriting loss.
• Cultural heritage erased, lands stolen, and identities fractured.

Trump’s “solution” carries this legacy forward, pushing millions toward another endless exile.

The Humanitarian Collapse

If enacted, the mass displacement would trigger a humanitarian apocalypse across the region:

• Healthcare systems overwhelmed in neighboring nations.
• Schools collapsing under the weight of refugee students.
• Economic and social infrastructures stretched beyond capacity.

This isn’t just a Palestinian crisis—it’s a global one.

A Calculated Plan for Erasure

Make no mistake: the destruction of Gaza is deliberate. Israeli Finance Minister Avi Dichter’s chilling declaration of a "rolling Gaza Nakba" lays bare the intent: erase Gaza and its people from existence. The steps are cold, calculated, and systematic:

• Starvation as a weapon of war.
• Targeting hospitals to eliminate healthcare.
• Destroying water supplies to force displacement.

This isn’t collateral damage—it’s genocide.

Generational Wounds That Won’t Heal

The impact of this erasure will reverberate for centuries:

• Children growing up with inherited trauma.
• A culture erased piece by piece.
• Future generations left stateless, voiceless, and forgotten.

Every demolished building and every child killed are steps toward creating a permanent refugee underclass.

Silence is Complicity

The global silence is deafening. Trump’s “solution” isn’t a spontaneous idea—it’s the culmination of decades of dehumanization and demographic engineering. And every moment the world stays silent, the machinery of genocide moves forward.

Resistance is Survival

The choice is clear: submit to tyranny or resist. Every truth told, every act of defiance, every refusal to look away chips away at their plans. They want us silent. They need us indifferent.

But we’re not sheep—we’re the descendants of those who refused to kneel. - Share their crimes. - Expose their lies. - Refuse their narrative.

Because the battle for Palestine isn’t just about land—it’s about dignity, existence, and the refusal to be erased.

@ 0463223a:3b14d673

I wrote this article back in 2019 but I wanted to see how it stood up today. Since writing this I’ve been diagnosed with autism. However, I question this. For sure I’ve gone through lots of ups and downs in life. Some issues probably due to childhood trauma, others due to drugs etc. but I still ask if is a natural response to bullshit.

I don’t write this to belittle any problems anyone has and the autism spectrum disorder is real (but not disorder to me). When the whole population gets diagnosed as neurodivergent what next?

If you need help, get help. I write this as a person trying to get off the drugs prescribed to me many years ago. Something I’m finding difficult but I will do it…

From 2019

A large part of the adult population in the Western World are mad, mental, bonkers, have lost their marbles and are totally insane. Well, that’s at least according to the World Health Organisation A recent WHO report stated one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. And there’s a very high chance that you, the reader, are completely off your rocker. Mental Health is the buzzphrase of our times. It’s on the TV, the radio and all over the internet. The UK’s Prime Minister goes on TV to state how big the problem is and just how very seriously she takes it and we’re assured the government are working extremely hard to tackle it. However, the rhetoric never amounts to anything, as anyone seeking genuine help will attest. Help is hard to come by. Doctors prescribe pills to subdue the wrong thoughts, but nothing else. No long term solutions, just keep taking the pills. Hundreds of thousands of adults are medicated in this way and now, more worryingly, are many children. So it’s vital to talk about it. It’s permanently Mentalspeng Awareness Day or Tell Facebacon Your Neurologicalwankfuck Week. It’s even become quite fashionable, with regular treats from celebrities telling of their darkest moments and how they nearly didn’t get that huge Hollywood deal because they woke up feeling sad and unhappy one winter morning. If you’re a fruit-loop tell everyone. It will be ok… Tell them about the time you were going to drive your car off a cliff and ended up in hospital after a particularly long conversation with The Samaritans. Great stuff! Tell them about the regular, uncontrollable urges to slash yourself with a Stanley knife or any other sharp object close to hand. Awesome! Tell them about how you smash yourself repeatedly in the head, sometimes with a heavy object, as you can no longer deal with the stress and frustration of being disempowered by situations completely out of your control. Cool! Tell them how you feel trapped by an increasingly expensive housing market and how you have zero financial security. Brilliant! Or maybe just tell them that sometimes you can’t get out of bed and you don’t know why or that you panic uncontrollably for no reason. Skills! Tell the world! We’re so understanding of mental health issues these days, just raise more awareness and everything will be fine, we’re here for you man/woman! (and yes, we might need to sell this information on to the appropriate persons, future employers, insurance companies or government agencies etc.). After all, we’re all good people right? Tell everyone you’re mad and they’ll understand. They’ll think of the time you were a dick and they’ll say “Ahh, poor sod, you know he’s a mental don’t you”. Well frankly no. The world is full of cunts and whilst the people close to you will be sympathetic, as far as wider society goes, you’ll be marked, your position compromised and your word will not be trusted. I mean who knows, maybe you’re delusional, perhaps you’re about to rampage through town wielding a knife or driving your car into a crowded supermarket… But hold up…. One in every four of us is mental?! Is that really the case? Let’s think about this for a second. When did 25% of the population become a massive neurospeng? This wasn’t the case 30 years ago, a quarter of the population weren’t mad. There wasn’t the vast array of medications available these days; Prozac, Sertraline, Citralopram, Promethazine, Venlafaxine, Amiltryptaline, to name a few (there are many, many more). It’s clear that a lot of people aren’t feeling right but how come the suicide rates are higher now than they were 30 years ago? If we’re all so much more aware and well medicated, surely rates would be going down? Perhaps you were diagnosed as a mental because you responded negatively to events happening around you? Maybe you’re working increasingly longer hours for less money. Perhaps the terms of your work changed drastically and you no longer feel secure. Maybe you lost jobs because of funding cut backs. Perhaps you’re in despair because your friend took their own life when their job was cut in an austerity drive. Suicide is the most horrible thing which ever way you look at it. You strip a person of their purpose and they react with the most extreme act of self violence, causing an unbelievable amount of emotional distress for those left to pick up the pieces… And so we say, “Ahh but you understand, they were mad… They were fucking mental, they lost control of their senses, it such a terrible shame but they were mad you know”. Bullshit. The term Mental Health removes all responsibility from the structures creating an environment where people are deemed no longer of value or viable human beings. But maybe you were angry because you were told by politicians that you need to live within your means, whilst those in large financial institutions increased their wealth exponentially? The world economy crashed in 2008 and there’s no money. Eh? The governments of printed more and more money, but there’s no money for you, you cunt. Perhaps it was packed aboard a spaceship and is now hurtling towards Mars! (mad people tend to think like this, after all it couldn’t be that the money was stolen). Maybe you got angry with the blatant corruption from those in public life? Politicians shout loudly that they’re for the people but will pocket pay rises, local council officials bully members of the public and make threats to cut funding . This can be done with total with total impunity, as the structures put in place to control such actions cover up any wrong doing. You see the powerful can not and will not be challenged. There is no pathway to justice. When the fire at Grenfell happened, it was clear for all to see that the housing association, council and big business were at fault, but no, blame was heaped on the lone fire officer who had the awful task of managing two lowly fire engines in London’s biggest fire since World War II. At the time my local Member of Parliament response was “the flats were refurbished to a very high standard”. We shouldn’t lay blame at those in power, we cannot have any fault with the establishment. I bet that poor fire officer was a mental too… When discussing mental health we’re not talking about a brain injury or unfortunate illness. There’s extreme difficulty coping with the world but it’s not madness and it’s not a delusion. It’s a natural reaction to bullshit. We’re are completely surrounded by bullshit, on the internet bullshit, on the TV bullshit, in the work place bullshit, from our leaders bullshit etc. etc. The world is running on massive excess levels of bullshit. And this is the natural emotional response to bullshit. Mental Health is used to invalidate the anger, freeing the powerful from responsibility and laying blame squarely at the individuals door. In the meantime, piece by piece, the powerful steal everything we’ve ever owned. So next time someone says to you raise awareness about mental health, maybe tell them to fuck off. Either that or tell them you’re flying to the Moon to have tea with Kim Jong Un and Barney The Dinosaur. Fuck mental health. *Image used without permission of Barney The Dinosaur.

@ e373ca41:b82abcc5

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This article by Milosz Matuschek first appeared in German in his publication "Freischwebende Intelligenz".

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It's working! Or is it? Trump's inauguration casted its shadow in the last weeks already and produced the first big upsets. Meta/Facebook cancelled their squad of fact-checkers and will rely (like X) on community comments in future. Wokistan is unwound. Zuckerberg now presents himself as an advocate of free speech, declaring a “return to principles”.

For those who believe it, Zuckerberg is an opportunist who gave in to the Biden administration and its deletion requests during Covid without much resistance (after having given 400 mio. USD through intermediary organizations into Bidens campaign), regardless of whether it was about masks or later about “vaccinations”. His Canossa walk to Rogan does not change the fact that he betrayed his own principles and deleted millions of critical profiles, channels and groups, including groups in which Facebook users discussed vaccine damage. Where are the profiles? Are they back? Zuckerberg played Ministry of Truth and is now quoting Orwell and toeing the Musk line. This is what a driven man looks like, not a man of conviction. The mainstream is shocked and is already labeling Facebook as a new hate portal. When will the accusation of anti-Semitism kick in?

https://x.com/TheBabylonBee/status/1876683974560350626

The Musk effect

All of these are gestures of submission to the new ruler of public opinion: Elon Musk. He owns the largest network for "free speech", he himself is its biggest influencer and is recalibrating what can be said in public. His journeyman's piece was Trump's election victory. Changing the political mood in the world could be his masterpiece.

For a long time, he admittedly did this extremely skillfully. He tweeted about the deep state, Soros and Gates, the population collapse, compulsory vaccination, etc. and got on well with the critical scene, some of whom are now all too submissively trying to recognize their new messiah in him. Musk throws his media spotlight on topics that the newspapers remain silent about and gave politicians underrepresented in the mainstream, such as Alice Weidel (opposition leader in Germany, AfD), a forum.

Musk has repeatedly brought the Epstein case and paedophile scandals, such as in England (Rotherham, Oxford), into the media spotlight. Pakistani gangs abused minors and children there for years; anyone reading the verdict will need strong nerves. In Austria, a trial for gang abuse of a 12-year-old girl has just ended with an acquittal. The judges believe she wanted it that way. During the trial, the defendant put a hundred Euro note on the table for the victim's lawyer, which is what mocking “reparation” looks like. In “our democracy” in Germany, sentences are handed down on a piecework basis for ludicrous “insults to politicians”.

Musk is de facto the most powerful man in the world (satellites, SpaceX, Mars, Tesla, mRNA vaccination routes, Pentagon connections, X..,). Where so much power is involved, megalomania is not far away. He is acting increasingly clumsily.

It is currently confirming for all to see the cliché that politics is basically the entertainment department of industry. Even in “our democracy”, the bosses of the world have always chosen their political generals, who are interchangeable. In the case of Bill Gates, George Soros & Son etc., the executive was the woke nomenklatura right up to the EU. With Musk, it is the new, right-wing conservative nomenklatura.

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Musk smooches Meloni, interviews Alice Weidel, auditions Farage (and cancels again: “doesn't have what it takes”). The Weidel interview was certainly a necessary corrective to the current media asymmetry (and no one should be able to deny access to a source of information). There is no doubt that the second strongest party in the German mainstream media does not have a fair chance to convey its content. Talk shows, if there are invitations to AfD politicians at all, are public inquisition events with calls for self-criticism.

But the Musk-Weidel talk was not journalism either. It was a public casting event, a kind of “Apprentice” on X. Or have you seen a journalist anywhere? A platform operator and a politician tapped each other a bit and confirmed each other. All this is already bringing the EU onto the scene, Thierry Breton is already waving the possible annulment of the elections in Germany. An oligarch is unmasking the EU oligarchy and both want to do it for democracy, what a world...

"Which piggy would you like?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiwkYCFD6EA

So asked Robert Lembke some decades ago in the German TV show “What am I?”: And that's supposed to be the choice now: Pick your favorite oligarch or next slave owner. In the end, every big tech business model is based on advertising and data mining. Zuckerberg, Musk & Co. sell identity, friendship, memories and ultimately your content. Twitter also wanted to buy Substack and got “Revue”. The customer (aka the product) is sold to the advertising industry, Zuckerberg potentially knows each of his users down to their character traits (unknown even to the user) (check: www.applymagicsauce.com). Like in the 80s movie with Arnie, this is a kind of “running man”, a gladiator game in front of an assembled world audience.

Whoever wins attention for themselves (and the platform) wins back a small amount of freedom and even earns something in the process. Musk recently changed his X name to “Kekius Maximus” (whereupon memecoins of the same name immediately sprang up, to each ruler his own currency), reminiscent of the gladiator Maximus from the film of the same name by Ridley Scott. The gladiator's owner told him: “Win the crowd and you win your freedom”. Not much has changed since ancient Rome. As the world's top meme maker with the greatest reach, Musk also has the greatest influence on social moods. No content is more viral and memorable than memes. The winner here is the one with the highest level of replication. That's what Musk does.

The changes we are currently seeing are just the beginning, both positive and (possibly) negative. The first effect is already visible: Wokistan is withdrawing from platforms that are not ideologically curated. Fearing accusations of contact guilt, they obediently throw themselves off the nearest cliff and voluntarily curtail their own reach; the last example was “Watson.ch” from Switzerland, a journalistically narrow-chested list and click medium for chai latte sippers from Bern and Zurich. Will the “X-itus” be followed by the great unfriending of Facebook? There won't be much left, Tiktok also ticked to the right beat by their standards (as long as it's not against China). The next place of mercy for Woke is called Bluesky, where there is neither hate nor agitation, right?

It must be clear to everyone now: The result of liberation by others is never freedom, but new dependence. What has not been fought for is always a continuation of neo-feudalism and (virtual) serfdom in a different form. The tools for regaining freedom have long been in our hands. What separates us from freedom is ultimately only comfort.

The book “The Sovereign Individual” was recently translated into German. It was written over 25 years ago.

Read it!

---

Join the marketplace of ideas! We are building a publishing ecosystem on Nostr for citizen-journalism, starting with a client for blogging and newsletter distribution. Sound money and sound information should finally be in the hands of the people, right? Want to learn more about the Pareto Project? Zap me, if you want to contribute (all Zaps go to the project).

Are you a publication or journalist and want to be part of it, test us, migrate your content to Nostr? Write to team@pareto.space**

Not yet on Nostr and want the full experience? Easy onboarding via Nosta.me.

@ 97121c7b:30a10e4e

test descripties c

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/865514

@ 97121c7b:30a10e4e

here is where the content will be just a test

@ ae6ce958:d0f02c7d

In the tradition of The Pragmatic Programmer, let’s dive deeper into how DamageBDD enables programmers to switch into flow, earn sats for their efforts, and unlock a positive neural feedback loop by fostering behavior-driven thinking. This not only amplifies productivity but also strengthens cognitive abilities, making developers sharper, more agile thinkers in the long run.

---

Flow State Meets Real-Time Rewards

What Is Flow?

The flow state is that magical zone where work feels effortless, time disappears, and every action seems to naturally lead to the next. Achieving flow requires clarity, focus, feedback, and a meaningful sense of progress—elements that DamageBDD inherently provides.

How DamageBDD Induces Flow

1. Behavior-Driven Focus:
   BDD scenarios act as the “North Star” for developers, defining what the system should do in clear, actionable terms. There’s no ambiguity, no wasted energy figuring out what needs to be done—only a set of behaviors to implement, refine, or fix.

2. Instant Feedback Loops:
   Every line of code you write is immediately evaluated against predefined BDD scenarios. If it works, you see the green light and earn sats. If it fails, you get actionable feedback to correct it. This near-instantaneous feedback is a cornerstone of flow, reinforcing productive momentum.

3. Real-Time Rewards:
   With Bitcoin Lightning integration, every passing test or fixed behavior comes with an immediate, tangible payout. The brain loves rewards—earning sats becomes a dopamine hit, keeping you engaged and motivated.

---

The Positive Neural Feedback Loop of Thinking in Terms of Behavior

Why Behavior-Driven Thinking Matters

Programming in terms of behavior is more than a methodology—it’s a cognitive framework that sharpens your mind. When you define problems as behaviors to achieve, you:
- Simplify Complexity: Abstracting functionality into behaviors reduces cognitive load, making it easier to reason about systems.
- Improve Problem Solving: Thinking in terms of "what should happen" (rather than "how to make it happen") trains your brain to identify outcomes first, encouraging solution-focused thinking.
- Enhance Communication: Clear behavior definitions bridge gaps between developers, testers, and stakeholders, fostering better collaboration.

---

The Neural Benefits

1. Reinforcing Neural Pathways for Logical Thinking:
   Every time you think in terms of behaviors, you exercise critical thinking and decision-making processes. Over time, these neural pathways strengthen, making you a faster, sharper problem solver.

2. Amplifying Pattern Recognition:
   Writing and debugging BDD scenarios train your brain to recognize patterns in system behaviors. This skill extends beyond coding—your ability to spot patterns in other domains improves as well.

3. The Dopamine Feedback Loop:
   Passing a test, fixing a bug, or earning sats provides immediate positive reinforcement. This dopamine boost strengthens your association between effort and reward, creating a virtuous cycle that keeps you engaged and growing.

4. Cognitive Flexibility:
   Behavior-driven thinking encourages adaptability. You’re constantly switching between defining, implementing, and refining behaviors—an exercise in cognitive flexibility that enhances your ability to pivot quickly in complex situations.

---

Amplifying Cognitive Skills Through BDD Practices

1. Systems Thinking:
   DamageBDD encourages you to think holistically. BDD scenarios inherently connect individual behaviors to the larger system, fostering a deep understanding of how components interact.

2. Empathy for End Users:
   Since BDD focuses on expected behaviors, you’re always considering the user’s perspective. This not only improves product quality but also develops your ability to empathize and anticipate needs—a skill valuable in both technical and non-technical settings.

3. Mindfulness and Focus:
   Writing clear, precise BDD scenarios requires mindfulness. You must focus on the behavior you’re defining, ignoring distractions or unnecessary details. This mindful attention to detail translates into improved focus across all areas of life.

---

Switching Into Flow with DamageBDD: The Process

1. Defined Goals Through BDD:
   BDD scenarios clearly define what needs to be accomplished. Each scenario is a mini-goal, providing a structured starting point for deep work.

2. Automated Context Switching:
   DamageBDD integrates seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines, handling testing, verification, and payouts. This automation eliminates the mental effort of managing manual workflows, freeing your mind to focus on the task at hand.

3. Visual Dashboards for Real-Time Progress:
   Real-time dashboards keep you in the loop, showing which tests have passed, which are failing, and how much you’ve earned in sats. This constant visibility reinforces a sense of progress and achievement, key elements of flow.

---

Switching Out of Flow: Sustainable Productivity

1. Natural Breakpoints:
   Each passing test, earned payout, or resolved scenario creates a natural stopping point, encouraging healthy breaks and preventing burnout.

2. Celebrating Progress:
   DamageBDD doesn’t just reward you with sats—it gives you a clear picture of your contributions. Seeing how your work aligns with the product’s evolution provides intrinsic motivation and satisfaction.

3. Gamification for Reflection:
   Leaderboards, badges, or streaks could be implemented to gamify progress, encouraging reflection on your work and motivating future engagement.

---

Earning Sats in Cyberspace: Making Work Tangible

DamageBDD’s integration with the Bitcoin Lightning Network creates a revolutionary financial model for developers:
1. Every Contribution Matters:
Whether you’re fixing a bug, passing a test, or writing new BDD scenarios, you’re rewarded in sats. This turns even small contributions into meaningful, tangible outcomes.

1. Microtransactions for Microtasks:
   Unlike traditional compensation models, DamageBDD pays for specific, measurable achievements. This decentralizes reward distribution and ensures fairness.

2. Compounding Value:
   As you earn sats, you’re also improving the product and your skills. This creates a compounding effect where your work generates value for the system, for yourself, and for your future employability.

---

A Day in the Life with DamageBDD

• Morning: You review a list of failing BDDs, prioritizing those with the highest payouts. You dive in, quickly fixing a few behaviors, and see your balance increase by 15,000 sats.
• Midday: Collaborating with teammates, you define new BDD scenarios for a feature. As they pass, you collectively earn sats while seeing the feature evolve in real-time.
• Afternoon: You notice an ambiguous BDD and rewrite it for clarity. Your improved scenario prevents potential bugs and earns you recognition and additional sats.

By the end of the day, you’ve been immersed in productive flow, refined your cognitive skills, and earned sats for your contributions.

---

Conclusion: DamageBDD as a Cognitive and Economic Catalyst

DamageBDD doesn’t just make programming more productive—it makes it more rewarding, both financially and cognitively. By fostering behavior-driven thinking, enabling flow states, and creating a tangible connection between effort and reward, it:
- Strengthens your brain’s problem-solving abilities.
- Encourages mindfulness and focus.
- Provides immediate gratification for meaningful contributions.

For pragmatic programmers who value growth, productivity, and fairness, DamageBDD isn’t just a tool—it’s a transformative experience that rewards you for diving into cyberspace, one behavior at a time.

@ 2d71bbd8:0088d52f

Some say certain events change our lives in such extreme ways that you will remember them as marking a before and an after. We could say that about some chaotic events making the news, or changes sweeping away the known ways of the world, like a new wave of technology. Something more meaningful can happen to each of us, transforming our lives in deeper ways: love.

I remember a time before him, and everything else is life with him.

Love can feel like a ghost arriving with unpredictable timing and difficult to imagine until you live it. Some think it's real though they've never experienced it. Others spend their lifetimes looking for it. Others think it doesn't exist, and that heartbreak is proof of that. Why does love feel so elusive? How do we even recognize what love is, real love. I'm recalling a scene in the movie While You Were Sleeping, which asks the question, "When did you fall in love with him?". The answer being the title of the movie. If you've experienced love, when did you know you were in love?

For me, it was a particular moment where he started digging into what I thought about something. We had spent many days exchanging conversations, I don't remember exactly how long. They felt formal, structured, without as much depth to them. It was as if we didn't yet feel free to be ourselves. I don't remember what we were talking about that specific night, but he was genuinely interested in what I was saying. Many can fake conversations, but this was not that. We had a deeper spontaneous conversation, and he continues to do that almost every single day. We are constantly extending the roots of our history.

Our lifetimes may be but dust in the existence of the universe, but, in this brief moment in time (which seems long to us), we have shared more thoughts than I have probably exchanged with most of the people I know, combined. I didn't think that was possible nor bearable, yet it feels comfortable and often cozy, even after all these years. I miss it significantly when we have gotten busy on something else in our lives. I thought it would fall back into the mundane, but it doesn't. It is like magnetic curiosity on fire.

Not a day goes by where I don't wonder how my life became so blessed by his existence. He has been an oasis, as there is no topic we cannot talk about or dive into respectfully and deeply. Life is not an easy clear path we walk on everyday. On days of turmoil, when emotional waves are crashing on the shores of our hearts, it is this ability to tell each other anything that has resolved most of the issues at core. Listening to what we each have to say has granted us an understanding of the situation no one else could have. The listening is the starting foundation, as we build a compilation of moments on it, like blocks on a Bitcoin blockchain that cannot be undone.

We often hear that happiness is the goal for a relationship, but we haven't experienced a relationship until we have walked through the whole range of emotions together. It is in those moments, where we're hanging on to each other for strength, that you realize the power of love. It is the sweetest nectar that carries you forward, even during bitter times.

There is a before and an after, and I feel grateful for living in the after, for as long as life grants us time.

I often wonder about all those little details that make him special to me, but also their opposite, which makes it often into our conversations as we decide what we want our love to be. It is as if we were creating a compass to how to love from understanding the differences between what we value and what we choose to leave out. It is not a ruleset. It works like a protocol.

It may be a cultural aspect of today's society, which favors women who do not speak their mind, but I hardly ever remember anyone being seriously interested in what I was saying. I've sometimes heard the idea of how we look more beautiful when we're quiet. I don't think beauty could be silent, as it lives within the heart, and you would never get to know it if it doesn't have a voice of its own.

I'm very familiar with the faces of people reacting to something a woman says. It takes different shapes. Some are worried about what you might say, even after they've asked for your advice. They can be concerned that your differing patterns of thinking might reveal a truth they are trying hard to conceal or ignore. Yet our thinking as individuals is often lacking in perspective, and we cannot gaze at the forest while being a tree. Humans are meant to be connected, and exchanging information is an important part of that connection.

Another familiar stare are those vacant eyes, similar nowadays to people looking at their phones. Cancel culture is comparable, as it ignores variety of thought, to live within a controlled sphere of what is acceptable, where truth cannot thrive. On social media, you may not see people's faces, but you can feel the coldness of their silence, as if they had turned their back on a part of their humanity. It used to be that we would only experience reactions from people, now it's not only the people but algorithms, bots.... I understand the need to feel comfortable somewhere, but I've learned the beauty of welcoming human thought, and with it heart. It is like staring out into the ocean, and realizing how small we are. A place where you cannot be yourself, and where you are worried about being censored if you speak on specific topics, seems like a lonely one. I'm grateful we have our own little niche of freedom here.

The worst reactions to differing voices are attacks, regardless of what you have to say. It is like that old Aesop's fable "The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey." That large book of fables is engraved in my childhood memories, with most of its fables lost to time, as if it was perpetually open to that one page. I didn't know then just how important it would be to love. Love requires you to be you. No alternative exists, nor would you want one, once you feel the freedom. As he likes to say, "It is those things you think are imperfect and flawed within you, that I love."

I learned early on that people's reactions are often a reflection of inner turmoil, so you always wonder what each person has lived through that has made them react to you so negatively. Some people seem wired for fighting without a conscious awareness of what's behind their fighting, as if they were trolls, forgoing the benefits of working toward similar goals. Others seem to enjoy the attention that comes with the chaos, and the likes from spreading lies. I wish there was a stronger culture of respect and a desire to understand and learn from each other, as I feel the benefits of that everyday with him. It seems strange to gaze at the conversations of people fighting each other to where they've forgotten what started the fight, and they continue fighting over nothing.

The human desire for ignoring differing points of view or bringing them down runs deeper and more widespread than I'd like. It's as if mutual listening has become a lost art. Without listening, knowledge fades away, along with empathy. Social media may be changing part of the culture, though at times it seems to magnify the issues. The existence of nostr, however, gives me hope, as it's core principle is to value human thought and the diverse ways to protect it. I am grateful for how it encourages a building of trust based on verification, shaping the foundation for both identity and communities.

Who are we if we cannot listen to each other. Who are we if we favor silence of what we do not understand or what is different. Could humanity be what it is today if people didn't exchange their voices and built upon them. Who are we if we silence criticism, when it is through constructive criticism that we grow. Would we want silence of what makes us unique to be the norm for those we love and those who will come in future generations, as if we were a single minded machine puppeteered by a few. Without an ability to think and speak freely, we lose the foundation that makes love possible. Without love it is as if we haven't lived.

@ bbb5dda0:f09e2747

At Nostriga in the middle of last year I got introduced to TollGate, a project to resell internet access, I was fascinated and hyped for this to become a thing. Later during SEC-03 I got involved in the development of TollGate and helped work out the idea utilizing Nostr to make the experience of using a TollGate super smooth. That's where the idea started to make a cross-platform app that would autoconnect and start streaming sats to TollGates for internet access.

I'd been working on it here and there and this week I feel like I got in to the developer high (i'm sure some of you know what that feels like) and I just wanted to see the android app work! So as the week moved along I just kept being drawn in. And progress there was! The vision we had during SEC is coming to be a reality very fast.

TL;DR There's a demo video at the bottom.

Quick CI/CD update

I've been talking to DanConwayDev to work together on getting the UI for the pipelines into GitWorkshop, which would be the perfect place for it. He's in the middle of a rewrite, so when that is progressing a bit more we'll cooperate on making this part of it, stay tuned!

Whoami

I started by creating a service that would run on every TollGate router that a client can use to fetch their own MAC address that's later included in the payment. The MAC address is the anchor for the router to allow/disallow access. The problem we have on Android is that the operating system restricts access to this information. But since we control the router, we can work around it by creating a predictable endpoint that gives us back this answer.

Beacon frames

Routers use something called Beacon Frames, which are sent out regularly and it is the thing your phone looks at when scanning for wifi networks. It contains the name of the network (SSID) and a whole bunch of other stuff you don't usually see.

We're utilising these beacon frames to add some information specific to tollgates. There is a field in these beacon frames called 'vendor elements'. Which is originally only intended for use by manufacturers of routers. But ofcourse we can utilize them too. Which is exactly what we do.

I eperimented with these beacon frames to see how many of them we can broadcast. It turns out that we're limited to only one of them, but the good news is we can fit up to 249 characters (256 - a few reserved ones) in there. This is amazing because it will fit everything we need in there.

We put in: - Nostr npub - TollGate version - Gateway IP (required to get around OS limitations) - allocationType (KiB/Minutes) - price per 1024 units (eg: 104900 sats per 1024 KiB) - price units (sat)

So now any tollgate can broadcast this info, which is used by clients to decide wether or not they should connect. And if they do, where the payment should go.

Suggestions, Suggestions, Suggestions

Unfortunately, Android in the past few years has locked down the wifi api's and we can no longer fully autoconnect to networks. Instead we have to use the 'wifi suggestions' API. As the name implies, it will only suggest a nework to a user using a silent notification that they have to press to actually connect. But alas, we'll work with that and if it's the only user-action required, that's still quite okay.

It took me quite a while to figure out the way the OS handles these suggestions, but eventually I got it to work and was able to get the flow to work!

Adding the payment

Ok this part doesn't include an actual payment yet, but all the components are in place now for a (semi-)automatic tollgate connection, which is EPIC! In this version i still manually tap 'connect', but this can and will be automatic soon.

So the steps are as follows (this happens in a few seconds): - 📲 TollGate App scans for networks and filters for TollGates - 👤 User taps Connect [to be automated] - 📲 TollGate App suggests network - 👤 User taps suggestion notification to connect - 🤖 Android connects to network - 📲 TollGate App fetches it's own MAC address (whoami service on router) - 📲 TollGate App Connects to Nostr relay (running on the router) - 📲 TollGate App Sends payment - 🛜 Router receives payment (merchant module) - 🛜 Router creates session (merchant module) - 🛜 Router opens the gate for user (valve module) - 🛜 Router closes the gate for user, when purchase runs out (valve module)

I made this recording, it has a small caveat that at the end the page loaded because I was on 5g, the OS still thought the wifi network had a captive portal open. But there's an API to mark it as dismissed, which we can easily implement. So that's an issue we can overcome!

Demo video

https://cdn.satellite.earth/ede26976043a0b8edf278ea51aa0c00e721d2134c4e456928192090ea660bda0.mp4

@ 16d11430:61640947

As the fiat distortion field thickens, its intensity turns reality into an unrelenting mirage—a world where central bank promises are gospel, the inflationary inferno masquerades as growth, and every citizen's lifeline is a debit card leashed to an empty vault. In this battlefield of blind obedience, the Bitcoiners—the insurgents who dared to build an alternative lifeboat—become phantoms. Their quiet exodus into a parallel economy is drowned out by the roaring lies of fiat propaganda, the din of compliance echoing across the smoldering ruins of free markets.

The fiat heads march in lockstep, their gaze fixed on the shimmering mirage of digital central bank tokens. "Progress," the generals of fiat scream, as they shovel paper promises into the bonfire of real wealth. The fiat faithful, eyes glazed with hope and fear, cannot see the Bitcoiners. To them, they are ghosts—whispered myths of rebels who abandoned ship, whose defiance now lingers in the shadows, shielded by unbreakable cryptographic armor.

As the distortion field reaches its zenith, the fiat system's collapse becomes inevitable. Like a termite-riddled dam holding back the floodwaters of monetary truth, cracks begin to appear. Inflation spirals, savings vanish, and every bailout only tightens the noose. The Bitcoiners are nowhere to be found. They've long since disappeared into the layers of the Lightning Network, the on-chain fortress of hard money—a world impervious to fiat's decay. The fiat heads do not understand this exodus; they cannot comprehend a life beyond the permissioned panopticon that shackles them.

And then comes the reckoning.

The collapse is not orderly. It is a spectacular implosion of trust and liquidity, a cascading failure that shatters economies and erases generations of paper wealth. The fiat shills—those who fought tooth and nail to maintain the illusion—are the first to cash out, selling their last scraps of dignity for a seat on the escape pods. They abandon the wreckage, leaving behind a trail of blood and guts. It is not a clean break. The betrayal is writ large in the empty accounts of the faithful, in the pension funds robbed blind, in the riots of the starving masses.

For the Bitcoiners, this is no victory parade. There is no schadenfreude, no banners waving triumphantly. They have already built their citadels, their parallel world of decentralization and sovereignty. While the fiat faithful drown in the deluge, the Bitcoiners watch silently, their invisibility now a shield against the chaos. They knew this was coming. They prepared. But the blood on the streets is a bitter reminder that not everyone could—or would—escape.

The war is over, but its scars run deep. A generation of fiat heads pays the ultimate price for their faith in a failing system. The Bitcoiners remain, rebuilding in the ashes, unseen yet omnipresent—reminders of the cost of ignorance in the face of hard truths. The distortion field fades, and the truth emerges: you cannot print trust, nor can you inflate sovereignty. The fiat mirage has finally burned away. But at what cost?

@ 16d11430:61640947

Introduction

In the field of clinical psychology, we understand that mental health is deeply influenced by external socioeconomic factors. Economic stress, financial uncertainty, and a lack of personal agency are pervasive contributors to psychological distress. Simultaneously, we are witnessing a global economic environment shaped by fiat currency systems that perpetuate cycles of inflation, wealth inequality, and financial instability. These forces exacerbate the mental health challenges faced by millions worldwide, from financial anxiety to depression, despair, and even suicide.

However, emerging technologies like Bitcoin present an unprecedented opportunity to address these issues at their core. Bitcoin, a decentralized digital currency with immutable monetary properties, offers individuals financial sovereignty and stability in an otherwise unpredictable fiat system. By combining the principles of sound money with evidence-based psychological therapies, we can create a mental health app that not only alleviates mental suffering but also empowers users to reclaim control over their financial futures.

This document outlines a proposal for a groundbreaking mental health app, appealing to clinical psychologists and mental health professionals who are dedicated to addressing the deeper socioeconomic roots of psychological distress. By integrating Bitcoin into therapeutic practices, this app aims to provide both psychological and financial liberation—a double-barreled solution to the interconnected crises of mental health and financial disempowerment.

---

The Problem: Economic Stress and Mental Health

1. The Vicious Cycle of Economic Stress:

Economic instability, inflation, and job insecurity are leading contributors to mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and suicide. Research has consistently shown that financial strain is one of the most significant stressors in modern life.

1. The Fiat System’s Role:

Fiat currency systems, with their inherent susceptibility to inflation and devaluation, erode personal savings and wealth over time. This creates a pervasive sense of financial insecurity, particularly for individuals with low incomes or limited access to financial education.

1. Mental Health Professionals' Challenge:

While therapy provides tools to manage stress and build resilience, the root causes of financial anxiety often remain unaddressed. Clinical psychologists lack tools to directly impact their patients' financial well-being, leaving a gap in treatment that perpetuates the cycle of distress.

---

The Solution: A Bitcoin-Based Mental Health App

This app bridges the gap between financial empowerment and mental health care, addressing both psychological and economic challenges through innovative features. It aligns with the principles of clinical psychology while leveraging Bitcoin's transformative potential as a decentralized, inflation-resistant monetary system.

---

Core Features

1. Financial Sovereignty Through Bitcoin

Savings Mechanism: Users can set up automated Bitcoin savings (e.g., dollar-cost averaging) to build financial security. This reduces anxiety caused by inflation and the devaluation of fiat savings.

Educational Modules: The app provides accessible, gamified lessons on Bitcoin and sound money, empowering users with financial literacy. Understanding the stability and predictability of Bitcoin can mirror therapeutic principles of control and agency.

1. Psychological Therapy with Incentives

Gamified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): The app offers CBT exercises such as mindfulness practices, journaling, and gratitude exercises. Completing these tasks earns users small amounts of Bitcoin ("sats"), creating positive reinforcement and a tangible sense of reward.

Behavioral Economics Integration: Modules teach users to align their mental health practices with the principles of Bitcoin, such as patience (low time preference) and discipline, fostering resilience and long-term thinking.

1. Immediate Crisis Support

Lightning Network Micro-Transactions: The app enables users to send and receive instant, low-cost Bitcoin payments, creating a decentralized crisis fund. This fund can be used to provide financial assistance for therapy sessions, medications, or emergency needs.

Access to Resources: Users can connect directly to mental health professionals, crisis helplines, and peer support groups within the app.

1. Community and Peer Support

Bitcoin-Psychology Network: A global community of like-minded individuals provides social support, combating isolation and fostering shared resilience. Users can share stories of overcoming financial and psychological challenges, creating a collective sense of hope and purpose.

Collaborative Challenges: Gamified group activities encourage healthy behaviors, with Bitcoin rewards for participation and achievement.

1. Data Sovereignty and Privacy

Decentralized Data Storage: Users own their mental health records and therapy progress through encrypted, decentralized storage, ensuring privacy and security. This aligns with Bitcoin’s ethos of self-sovereignty and trustlessness.

---

Psychological Benefits

1. Alleviating Financial Anxiety:

By introducing users to a sound monetary system, the app reduces fears of inflation, devaluation, and financial instability. This newfound security supports mental well-being.

1. Reinforcing Positive Behaviors:

The Bitcoin reward system creates an incentive structure that aligns with therapeutic goals, reinforcing habits that improve mental health.

1. Promoting a Low Time Preference Mindset:

Bitcoin’s principles encourage long-term planning and delayed gratification, fostering mental resilience and reducing impulsive behaviors.

1. Building Hope and Agency:

The app empowers users to take control of their finances and mental health, creating a sense of agency that is critical for psychological recovery.

---

Appeal to Clinical Psychologists

As a clinical psychologist, your mission is to heal minds and improve lives. This app offers you a unique opportunity to extend your impact beyond traditional therapy:

1. Addressing Root Causes:

By integrating financial education and empowerment into mental health care, you can address one of the most significant sources of stress for your patients.

1. Leveraging Innovation:

This app harnesses cutting-edge technology to provide scalable, accessible mental health support. It complements your clinical practice by providing tools that patients can use independently.

1. Empowering Your Patients:

Offering your patients a pathway to financial sovereignty alongside psychological recovery enables them to build a sustainable, resilient future.

1. Joining a Revolutionary Movement:

By supporting this app, you become part of a global movement to address the systemic causes of mental health crises and promote holistic well-being.

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Call to Action

We invite clinical psychologists to collaborate with us in shaping this app. Your expertise is invaluable in ensuring that the psychological tools and interventions offered are evidence-based, effective, and user-friendly. Together, we can create a platform that not only saves lives but also empowers individuals to reclaim their mental and financial well-being.

Let us build a future where sound money and sound minds go hand in hand. Join us in revolutionizing mental health care—one sat at a time.

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Would you like to discuss partnerships, provide feedback, or explore how this app could integrate with your practice? Let’s start a conversation that has the power to change lives.

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Note: I originally wrote these essays on bitcoin and yoga in 2022 after completing my yoga teacher training and going deep down the bitcoin rabbit hole. I then published them to my Ghost blog in 2023. I decided to repost them here on Nostr to start 2025 to further spread the wisdom and timelessness that bitcoin and yoga share. I split my original essay into seven parts, and I will add an eighth comparing yoga and Nostr. I hope you enjoy part one - namaste!

Part I: Bitcoin and Yoga Shared Values

Part II: Mythical/Mystical Origins

Part III: Evolution of Money and Yoga

Part IV: Ashtanga Yoga - The Eight Limbs of Yoga (limbs 1-2)

Part V: Ashtanga Yoga - The Eight Limbs of Yoga (limbs 3-8)

Part VI: Bitcoin is Dharma

Part VII: Himalayan Kriya Yoga

Introduction

With each passing day, month, and year, it feels as though our human civilization is becoming more dysfunctional, untethered, and unsustainable. Individuals are working harder, longer hours, yet most remain stuck in place, goals farther from reach. We live in a world where many have outsourced the most critical task that has enabled humans to prosper – critical thinking. I challenge each one of you to remove preconceived notions you might have about Bitcoin or Yoga before reading this series. I invite you to enter with an open mind. Think for yourself – you are welcome to agree or disagree with the information and arguments I put forth.

I also encourage you to go beyond thinking – feel. Use your intuition to understand if the way you’re living your day-to-day life feels good to you, or if you have sense, an inner knowing that something is off with our society today – that there can be a better way. If you open your heart and mind to receiving new information, there is potential to motivate yourself to change your thoughts and behaviors for more aligned action towards individual sovereignty. Every individual can choose freedom and independence. Yet it has become increasingly difficult to live a life of freedom due to the fiat system of inflation and the many distractions that keep us from going inward. After deep study and reflection, I believe bitcoin and yoga both provide the individual control over their own life journey, and frameworks to understand our connection to self and others.

I'm excited to share what I have found in my own personal experience, and hope to spark curiosity within you to follow your passion. This writing is intended for anyone seeking tools to lead a life of freedom, make positive changes and deepen your understanding of self. In addition, it is written for yogis who want to learn about bitcoin, bitcoiners who want to learn more about yoga, and anyone who is interested in a fundamental understanding of these topics that I believe contain the potential to transform your life.

Part I: Bitcoin and Yoga Shared Values

Bitcoin and yoga share many fundamental values with one another and provide deep wisdom on guiding individuals towards living better and more meaningful lives. Ultimately bitcoin and yoga share the goal of individual liberation, freedom from suffering, and a deep inner, lasting peace in Being. In yoga, this state is called moksha or samadhi. I believe everyone has a true essence, an inner being that knows what is best. However, our external environment and our own conscious mind push us away from this serenity, leading to regrets about the past or anxieties about the future. This perspective of linear time and our own individual stories and identity damage our ability to stay present in the Now, leading to endless distractions. In similar ways, bitcoin and yoga provide us insight for an individual’s path to inner peace, as well as for humanity’s path to collective peace and prosperity.

Energy

At the most elemental level, energy is the force underlying both bitcoin and yoga. Energy is the universal currency of life. We would not exist without energy. We require physical energy to fuel our cells and bodies to perform essential tasks like breathing, circulation, digestion, and movement. We perceive many forms of energy such as light or sound waves, yet there are many energy wavelengths we are not able to or are not trained to perceive.

Bitcoin is powered by physical energy in the real world in a process that secures the network and unlocks new bitcoin for distribution, a process commonly referred to as mining. Interestingly, 100 years ago, Henry Ford pushed for an energy-linked currency measured in kilowatt hours that could bring peace after a brutal World War, as seen in the New York Tribune headline and article December 4, 1921: ‘Ford Would Replace Gold with Energy Currency and Stop Wars’ (i). It took another century, but mankind has finally developed a digitally-native currency tied to the physical world through energy expenditure – bitcoin.

Yoga is similarly rooted in energy that individuals tap into through breathwork, physical movement and meditations practices. This life-force energy is known in Sanskrit as prana. Prana is not bound by time or space, and it flows through individuals in over 72,000 nadis, or channels. There are three main nadis - the first is ida, our left side body which corresponds to the feminine, receiving energy, or the moon. On the right side is pingala, relating to our masculine, giving energy, or the sun. The central nadi runs through our shushumna, linking our seven main energetic centers, known as chakras. These chakras run from the base of the tail bone, up through the spine and the top of the head. Each chakra has a name, a color and key characteristics that can often become blocked through negative emotion, trauma or stress in the body. Different yogic practices target these energy centers to unlock what is stuck and enable energy to more freely flow through us in an open exchange with the earth and out the universe. This energy is ever-present; one need only to tap into this energy, feel it and utilize it for the strengthening of one’s inner being that then radiates outwards on others in your life. The energetic experience and upward surge can also be referred to as kundalini energy, a creative power of divine feminine energy that originates in the muladara chakra at the base of the spine.

Depiction of our chakras and nadis (image source)

Proof of Work

In both Bitcoin and Yoga, "proof of work" is required to operate, practice and move forwards. In the Bitcoin network as described in the original white paper, miners contribute tangible energy towards running a hashing algorithm on a computer – SHA256 – to earn the right to add the next block to the blockchain and collect both the coinbase and transaction fee reward (ii). The work is difficult to produce but easy to validate by others. Miners are collecting all of the valid peer-to-peer transactions being propagated to the network and establishing them as truth into the distributed ledger. The rules in bitcoin’s code incentivize honest behavior from miners through unforgeable costliness – if a miner were to lie about any of the transactions it includes in a block, independent nodes in the network would reject the block, and the miner would have lost all the real resources it expended to solve the proof of work calculation.

Example of an ASIC - a specialized computer solely dedicated to mining bitcoin.

In yoga, dedicated work is needed to learn the asanas, postures, and practice for oneself; you won’t just be able to go upside down or flow through sun salutations without first learning proper alignment and breathing techniques. An individual needs to conscious decision to work on a daily yoga practice that requires energy to flow. There are several ways to work on your yoga practice beyond physical movement; these include bhakti yoga (devotion/prayer), jnana yoga (study/wisdom), karma yoga(selfless action) and raja yoga (ashtanga). Raja yoga includes ashtanga, the eight limbs or paths of yoga that Patanjali detailed \~2000 years ago that we will explore in more depth in part IV. These ancient margas (paths) and subsequent development of these ancient teachings provides individual with ample opportunity to dedicate and work towards individual enlightenment.

Decentralization

Next, there are no external barriers preventing an individual from participating in Bitcoin or yoga. Bitcoin does not discriminate and can be accessed by anyone around the world. Yoga provides a way of life full of mindfulness and appreciation. The only barriers are internal blockages, or unwillingness to ask questions, learn and take responsibility for oneself and state of being. Therefore, Bitcoin and yoga can both be defined as decentralized. There are no centralized gatekeepers preventing one from accessing the Bitcoin network or using bitcoin as money; anyone can spin up a node, download a wallet or mine bitcoin. There are over 16,000 nodes geographically distributed around the world voluntarily running the bitcoin core software code establishing the payment network, validating transactions and storing the entire transaction history of bitcoin (iii). It costs as little as a few hundred dollars and requires less than 600 gigabytes of storage to run a node – in 2023 you can find mobile phones with that much storage. No one can prevent you from sending a peer-to-peer transaction or storing your own wealth with 12 words in your head – you need only decide to take true freedom into your own hands and learn how to do so (iv). The common maxim is “don’t trust, verify”. You don’t need someone else’s permission to participate in bitcoin or trust anyone else (eg, banks) to hold your wealth.

Geographic distribution of reachable bitcoin nodes (source: bitnodes)

Similarly, no one can stop an individual from practicing yoga, learning yogic philosophy or connecting with one’s truest self and inner guru. Anyone can choose to follow the path of yoga, focus on ones breath or develop a strong asana practice. There are many different ways to learn and interact with yoga, with experienced teachers willing to share their lessons to students all over the world. One need to simply find yoga studio, enroll in a teacher training or and engage with a teacher to experience yoga for themselves. Yoga looks and feels different depending on what country you are in or in which lineage you are being taught. Tapping into these profound lessons, as fundamental as controlling ones own breath, requires only an individual desire and the conscious decision to act. There’s no CEO or central authority dictating how Bitcoin or yoga has to be. Individuals have the freedom to express themselves voluntarily guided by frameworks we will dive into deeper.

Low Time Preference

Another core value that bitcoin and yoga share is low time preference. In Austrian economics, time preference refers to individual decision making. An individual with a low time preference makes decisions with greater consideration of the future, quieting immediate cravings and desires to pursue a higher goal (v). In bitcoin and money, lower time preference decisions include putting off consumption to save value for the future. Unfortunately, our fiat (by government decree) system induces individuals to make high time preference decisions, heightening consumerism and poor habits today that we see rampant in our society. There is a disincentive to save, as inflation of the money supply leads to debasing value of the dollar and other fiat currencies, decreasing individuals purchasing power of cash they hold onto and don’t spend soon. For example, the purchasing power of your dollar today will be cut in half over the next decade at current levels of inflation. In many ways, bitcoin is time, described brilliantly by Gigi, as it creates a decentralized clock that establishes consensus with each block (vi).

In contrast, the hard cap supply of 21 million bitcoin enables individuals to save with the knowledge that governments and central banks will not be able to debase their hard-earned value. This allows for one to plan with greater certainty, making investments that have a longer payoff period rather than chasing quick, material gains. Likewise in yoga, developing your own practice will not bear fruit right away; it takes discipline and time to continuously improve and strive towards a better future self. For example, in modern Ashtanga yoga taught by Pattabhi Jois, there is a set sequence of asanas that one studies and repeats each practice. It may even take months to have find the right alignment of body and breath for a single pose! The hours-long sequence requires dedication to practice and learn. The dedicated yogi understands that wholehearted commitment today will pay off for one’s mental, physical and spiritual health in the years to come. The ability to develop a calm mind can also be beneficial when people don’t initially understand or are intimidated by bitcoin. This approach can also enable you to stay grounded and discover the signal through the noise when learning about bitcoin.

Sequence of asanas in Jois' Ashtanga Yoga (image source)

Union

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj”, which means ‘to join’ or ‘to unite’. Yoga represents the union of the mind, body, and soul of an individual. Yoga provides a pathway to individual sovereignty through disciplined practice and purpose. Yoga unites an individual internally and to one’s community, fostering connectedness and support (vii). Similarly, bitcoin provides a pathway to individual sovereignty in many ways. Bitcoin empowers the individual authority with property rights over one’s value, which in turn frees individuals from outside control (government or otherwise). Bitcoin’s technology enables one to hold their own wealth and life’s energy in a self-custodial fashion. Bitcoin is money that can be stored forever and transmitted through space at the speed of light on layer two via the Lightning Network.

Bitcoin is an open economic network with the potential to unite eight billion people together in a way our current unfair and fragmented financial system could never do. In many countries, a majority of people are unbanked, while intermediaries take a cut of the value to transfer slow, legacy payments like Western Union. While tens of millions people around the world have so far interacted with bitcoin – we are still early – similar to the internet of the mid-nineties. Bitcoin eliminates counter party risk associated with non-bearer assets, such as fiat currency (e.g., dollars, euros, yen). Bitcoin’s supply schedule is set and eliminates inflation time theft that fiat currency wages on individuals, which leads to anxiety and depression or feelings of hopelessness. Fiat is money enforced by the monopoly on violence that modern nation states grip tightly.

In contrast, bitcoin and yoga empower the individual to remove the shackles and embrace personal responsibility to improve ones life. Bitcoin and yoga also connect people directly to each other and tap into truth, ones inner being, bringing peace in the present and ultimately offer hope for a better future for each person, your community, and the world. Bitcoin and yoga have the power to unite humanity in love.

In the next section, we will explore both yoga and bitcoin's mystical and mythical origins.

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Note: Bitcoin with a capital "B" generally refers to the protocol/network; bitcoin with a lower case "b" refers to the money/currency.

References:

i. Redman, Jamie, How Henry Ford Envisaged Bitcoin 100 Years Ago — A Unique 'Energy Currency' That Could 'Stop Wars', News.Bitcoin.Com, October 11, 2021 <https://news.bitcoin.com/how-henry-ford-envisaged-bitcoin-100-years-ago-a-unique-energy-currency-that-could-stop-wars/>

ii. Nakomoto, Satoshi, Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System, bitcoin.org, October 31, 2008 <https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf>

iii. https://bitnodes.io/

iv. Hall, Stephen, What is a bitcoin seed phrase and how does it work? Unchained.com. December 17, 2021 <https://unchained.com/blog/what-is-a-bitcoin-seed-phrase/>

v. Ammous, Saifedean, Making Time Preference Low Again, The Bitcoin Times, Austrian Edition (V). November 8, 2022 <https://bitcointimes.io/making-time-preference-low-again/>

vi. Gigi, Bitcoin is Time, dergigi.com. Jan 14,2021 <https://dergigi.com/2021/01/14/bitcoin-is-time/>

vii. 200 hour yoga teacher training. House of Om, Bali, Indonesia. <https://houseofom.com/>

@ 16d11430:61640947

The web as we know it today is a grotesque, bloated, inefficient mess. What began as a noble idea of decentralized information sharing has metastasized into an all-consuming beast, sucking up energy, resources, and our collective attention span. Modern web technologies are a house of cards, built on sand, doomed to collapse under their own inefficiencies. Meanwhile, Bitcoin, with its pristine simplicity and focus on fundamental truths, exposes the web's rot and offers a radical way forward—a path where we can finally cut out the cancer and rebuild technology on truly eco-friendly principles.

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The Web: A Monument to Human Hubris

Web technologies are the product of shortcuts and compromises. JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and their ilk are glorified hacks, cobbled together to solve yesterday's problems but now expected to carry the weight of tomorrow's world. Every layer of abstraction adds inefficiency, every bloated framework compounds the energy drain, and every new browser update introduces more complexity to patch over the inherent flaws of the previous ones.

Modern web applications, stuffed with endless dependencies and ad trackers, demand more computational power than was used to land humans on the moon. The hardware arms race, fueled by these inefficiencies, ensures a constant churn of e-waste as old devices are discarded for newer, slightly faster ones. This isn’t progress—it’s a perpetual motion machine of waste, driven by greed and ignorance.

Bitcoin: The Base Layer of Truth

Enter Bitcoin, the antithesis of the web’s insanity. Bitcoin operates on a principle the web has long abandoned: truth through simplicity. Its base layer is immutable, efficient, and designed to do one thing exceptionally well—securely transfer value without trusted intermediaries. There are no bloated frameworks in Bitcoin, no endless layers of abstraction—just elegant, austere code that prioritizes function over form.

Bitcoin’s lightning-fast, decentralized, and energy-efficient second layers like the Lightning Network expose the web’s redundancy. Why rely on slow, resource-hungry web applications when Bitcoin provides an eco-friendly, censorship-resistant, and trustless platform for payments, communication, and data validation?

Excising the Cancer

The web is a parasite. It feeds on electricity, devours developer time, and churns out products that are inherently wasteful. The internet doesn’t need web browsers to function. It doesn’t need JavaScript to execute logic. It doesn’t need to be a bloated, surveillance-driven nightmare. What it needs is Bitcoin’s ethos applied at every layer.

Here’s the brutal truth: the web is redundant in a world where Bitcoin is the base layer of value and truth. Imagine a world where applications are built directly on Bitcoin’s decentralized infrastructure:

Data Sovereignty: Every piece of information is owned by the user, validated, and secured on the blockchain.

Eco-Friendly Applications: Stripped-down, efficient protocols replace bloated web stacks, reducing energy consumption and e-waste.

Global Accessibility: No need for monstrous data centers or planned obsolescence—simple, lightweight devices can interact directly with Bitcoin’s network.

True Decentralization: No more reliance on Big Tech monopolies controlling browsers, servers, and frameworks.

Shaking the Foundations

The web as it exists today is not a neutral tool—it’s a weapon of mass distraction, a cancer consuming the planet's resources while feeding corporations’ insatiable hunger for profit. Bitcoin reveals this grotesque reality and points to a better way. By adopting Bitcoin as the foundation of technology, we can eliminate the need for web browsers, JavaScript, and their toxic ecosystem. We can build systems that prioritize efficiency, decentralization, and sustainability—technologies that serve humanity rather than enslave it.

But this transition won’t happen without pain. For decades, people have been indoctrinated to believe that the web is essential, that web apps and cloud computing are the pinnacle of innovation. These are lies. They are lies told by those who profit from inefficiency, waste, and control. Bitcoin challenges these lies, not with words but with action. It functions as a silent rebuke to the waste and corruption of the web.

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Burn It Down and Build Anew

It’s time to excise the cancer. The web has failed us. Its inefficiencies, its bloat, its environmental impact—all are unforgivable. Bitcoin gives us a way out, a chance to start fresh. By adopting Bitcoin’s principles—simplicity, decentralization, and efficiency—we can build technologies that honor the planet, respect users, and secure a better future.

Let the web die. It’s time to bury this relic of hubris and build something better. Bitcoin is the way forward. Everything else is noise.

@ 16d11430:61640947

Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are on the horizon, promising a new era of state-controlled digital money. While they might appear to threaten Bitcoin’s role in the financial ecosystem, they also present a unique opportunity for Bitcoiners to showcase Bitcoin’s strengths and drive its adoption. This article explores how CBDCs might affect Bitcoin and why Bitcoiners should view their emergence as a chance to reinforce Bitcoin’s role as the foundation of financial sovereignty.

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The Rise of CBDCs: A Gateway to Bitcoin Awareness

The rollout of CBDCs by governments around the world will inevitably bring digital currencies into the mainstream. For many, CBDCs will serve as their first interaction with a fully digital form of money. This widespread exposure will naturally spark curiosity about other digital assets—most notably Bitcoin.

Education Through Contrast

CBDCs provide Bitcoiners with an opportunity to highlight the stark differences between Bitcoin and state-controlled money. Key contrasts include: - Centralization vs. Decentralization: CBDCs are issued, controlled, and monitored by central banks, whereas Bitcoin operates on a trustless, decentralized network. - Infinite Supply vs. Scarcity: CBDCs are tied to fiat systems and can be issued in unlimited quantities, contributing to inflation. Bitcoin’s fixed supply of 21 million coins offers a deflationary alternative. - Surveillance vs. Privacy: CBDCs are programmable and likely to come with extensive surveillance features. In contrast, Bitcoin provides pseudonymity and financial sovereignty.

As governments promote CBDCs, Bitcoiners have a prime opportunity to educate the public about Bitcoin’s unique properties as a censorship-resistant, decentralized store of value.

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The Flaws of CBDCs: Bitcoin’s Selling Points

While governments tout CBDCs as the future of money, their inherent flaws could drive individuals and businesses toward Bitcoin.

1. Erosion of Privacy

CBDCs are expected to enable unprecedented levels of financial surveillance. Governments could monitor and control how individuals spend their money, with features like: - Transaction tracking. - Spending restrictions. - Programmable expiration dates for money.

Bitcoin offers a clear alternative by enabling permissionless transactions and preserving financial privacy.

2. Inflationary Nature

Like fiat currencies, CBDCs will be subject to inflationary policies, reducing purchasing power over time. Bitcoin, with its fixed supply, stands in stark contrast as a hedge against inflation. As individuals experience the devaluation of CBDCs, they may turn to Bitcoin as a store of value.

3. Control and Censorship

CBDCs give governments the ability to impose financial controls, such as freezing accounts or limiting transactions. Bitcoin’s decentralized network makes it resistant to censorship, appealing to those seeking financial independence.

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Opportunities for Bitcoiners

Rather than viewing CBDCs as competition, Bitcoiners can use their emergence as a springboard to drive Bitcoin adoption. Here’s how:

1. Positioning Bitcoin as an Escape Hatch

For individuals and businesses wary of the surveillance and control inherent in CBDCs, Bitcoin represents a financial escape hatch. Bitcoiners can position Bitcoin as a parallel system that preserves privacy, autonomy, and freedom.

2. Leveraging Education and Advocacy

The introduction of CBDCs creates a natural opening for Bitcoiners to educate the public about Bitcoin’s advantages. Outreach efforts could focus on: - Hosting workshops and webinars that explain Bitcoin’s properties. - Sharing educational content that highlights the risks of CBDCs and the benefits of Bitcoin.

3. Promoting Bitcoin for Global Transactions

CBDCs will likely be restricted to domestic use, with limited interoperability between countries. Bitcoin, as a global, borderless currency, provides an alternative for cross-border transactions and remittances. The rise of CBDCs could drive demand for Bitcoin in this space.

4. Advancing the Lightning Network

While CBDCs may excel in everyday retail transactions, Bitcoin’s Lightning Network can compete as a fast and inexpensive payment layer. Bitcoiners can promote the Lightning Network as a viable alternative for small, instant payments.

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The Bigger Picture: Bitcoin as a Hedge Against CBDCs

CBDCs may accelerate the decline of trust in fiat currencies. As governments experiment with new monetary policies enabled by CBDCs—such as negative interest rates or expiration dates on money—individuals may lose confidence in state-controlled financial systems. This presents an opportunity for Bitcoin to solidify its role as a hedge against monetary mismanagement.

Case Studies in Bitcoin Adoption

Countries experiencing economic instability and inflation—where CBDCs fail to inspire trust—could see increased Bitcoin adoption. For example: - In nations with hyperinflation, Bitcoin’s fixed supply makes it a lifeline for preserving wealth. - In authoritarian regimes, Bitcoin offers financial freedom where CBDCs impose restrictions.

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Seizing the Moment

For Bitcoiners, the rise of CBDCs is not a threat but an opportunity. As governments introduce centralized digital currencies, Bitcoin can stand out as the decentralized, inflation-proof, and censorship-resistant alternative. By educating the public, advancing the Bitcoin ecosystem, and emphasizing Bitcoin’s unique properties, Bitcoiners can leverage CBDCs to drive adoption and solidify Bitcoin’s place in the global financial system.

The narrative is clear: while CBDCs represent a new chapter in centralized money, Bitcoin remains the future of financial sovereignty. For Bitcoiners, the time to act is now.

@ 76c71aae:3e29cafa

When I first heard about the DOGE project, I was ready to throw my laptop out the window. The initial proposal read like a Silicon Valley libertarian fever dream - taking Musk's chaotic "move fast and break democracy" Twitter approach and unleashing it on federal agencies. Great, I thought, just what we need: more tech bros thinking they can "optimize" public institutions into oblivion.

But here's the weird thing - when you actually dig into what DOGE has morphed into, it's basically just USDS with a meme-worthy rebrand. For those not deep in the civic tech weeds, USDS was Obama's attempt to drag government technology out of the 1990s, inspired by the UK's actually-functional GDS program. And let's be real - government tech procurement is an absolute dumpster fire right now. We're talking billions wasted on projects that would make a CS101 student cringe, while the average American has to navigate websites that look like they were designed on GeoCities.

The deeply ironic thing is that Musk - for all his cosplaying as a technocratic messiah following in his grandfather's footsteps of dreaming up an antidemocratic technocratic state - actually has some relevant experience here. SpaceX did figure out how to work with government contracts without producing $500 million paperweights, and Tesla somehow gamed clean vehicle incentives into birthing the first new major car company since we invented radio.

Look, I'm the first to roll my eyes at Musk's wannabe-fascist posting sprees and his perpetual "I'm the main character of capitalism" energy. But speaking as someone who's banged their head against the wall of government technology modernization for years - if he actually focuses on the tech and keeps his brainrot political takes to himself, maybe DOGE could do some good?

Even Jen Pahlka, who basically wrote the book on government digital services, is cautiously optimistic. The services Americans get from their government are objectively terrible, and the procurement system is trapped in an infinite loop of failure. Maybe - and I can't believe I'm typing this - Musk's particular flavor of disruptive tech deployment could help?

Just... please, for the love of all things agile, let's keep him focused on the actual technology and far away from any more attempts to recreate his grandfather's dreams of a technocratic dystopia. We've got enough of those already.

@ 006532cb:fd8f28b4

Law of Conservation of Energy: The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another. This means that the total energy of an isolated system remains constant over time, but the form of energy can change (e.g., from kinetic energy to potential energy). This fundamental principle in physics highlights the importance of energy efficiency and the potential for energy to be transformed and reused.

Henry Ford's Energy Currency: Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, proposed the concept of an "energy currency" in the 1920s. He suggested that energy, rather than gold or other commodities, could serve as the basis for a new monetary system. Ford's idea was that energy is the fundamental unit of value, as it is the driving force behind all economic activity. He proposed that energy could be used as a standard unit of exchange, allowing for more efficient and equitable trade.

Buckminster Fuller's View on Energy Production and Wealth: Buckminster Fuller, a renowned architect, systems theorist, and futurist, believed that energy production is the key to creating wealth and abundance. He argued that energy is the fundamental driver of economic growth and that increasing energy production can lead to increased prosperity. Fuller's concept of "ephemeralization" suggests that as energy production becomes more efficient and widespread, the cost of goods and services decreases, leading to increased abundance and wealth. He also emphasized the importance of designing systems that maximize energy efficiency and minimize waste, allowing for more equitable distribution of resources and wealth.

@ c9f80c8d:947f3cfd

Hey sleep enthusiast, how has it been to go through the festive celebrations and deeper into winter? Have you been leaning into the season of long nights and getting cosy, making the most of staying indoors? Or has the season brought more of a sense of dread?

Especially with thoughts about insomnia creeping in even more during the winter months? You may decide that winter is a time to give up and slob out - or go goblin mode, as it’s been called. As a sleep coach, I'm here to offer some reassurance that it’s possible to find restful ways to rejuvenate - even in winter!

How the winter season brings a shift in energy

As winter descends across the northern hemisphere, it brings colder temperatures and more hours of darkness. So we have less access to sunlight and the natural source of vitamin D that it provides - all of which takes some adjusting to.

The changes in the natural environment impact the circadian rhythms in our bodies. These are the natural processes that run according to various cycles in nature and affect our sleep, digestion and other functions. It is the circadian rhythms in some bears that guide and enable them to be able to hibernate for 100 days at a time. Many people also suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is a type of depression experienced during particular times of the year.

Winter - the most restful season of the year

Whilst we can't opt out of winter altogether and hibernate, the slower pace of the season invites us to embrace tranquillity and conserve energy. So let's explore how lifestyle adjustments and rest during the winter months can help with improved sleep quality, increased daytime energy and taking care of mental well-being.

Are humans meant to sleep more in winter?

The thought of longer hours in bed can be daunting if your bed is associated with frustrating night times spent grappling with insomnia. Which can also turn into a habit of sleeping on the couch (if that’s you, check out this blog article).

It’s not interrupted sleep, it’s ‘the watch’

Whilst you may have some resistance to spending longer hours in bed during winter if you suffer with insomnia, consider how only a few generations ago, our ancestors faced long nights without electricity. They had no choice but to adapt to the seasons, and so the medieval night-time experience of 'the watch' was what people did at night.

This consisted of a few waking hours between a ‘first sleep’ and ‘second sleep’. The watch would take place when people woke in the night, generally around the time when roosters would start their morning call in the darkness (which was also guided by, you guessed it, their circadian rhythms!). This article from the BBC describes the watch times as:

‘Under the weak glow of the Moon, stars, and oil lamps or "rush lights" – a kind of candle for ordinary households, made from the waxed stems of rushes – people would tend to ordinary tasks, such as adding wood to the fire, taking remedies, or going to urinate (often into the fire itself).’

The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps'.

How two sleeps, or bi-phasic sleeping, is natural

There’s also modern-day research into how human sleep cycles naturally form by examining people who were left in a dark room without stimulation and influence from the external world. Initially, their sleep cycles followed the usual singular sleep pattern, but eventually, their circadian rhythms shifted to a first sleep and a second sleep with some hours in between.

So rather than waking in the night being something to panic about or get annoyed by, can you see it as an ancient ritual and natural human response to winter? You could take some quiet moments to look at the stars, journal, listen to a relaxing podcast or do another calm activity. If you get into a routine of sleeping fairly reliably before waking in the night, you could even use the time to explore the psychedelic realm of lucid dreaming.

Other tips for looking after your well-being and rest in winter months include:

Getting winter sunshine when you can

Even during winter, exposure to light is still important for your body to regulate your circadian rhythms and for getting the ‘sunshine vitamin’, vitamin D. It is most beneficial to get exposure to natural daylight as close to when the sun comes up as is possible for you.

This could be braving the cold for a morning walk before work, or switching 10 minutes of phone scrolling for some moments outside with your coffee instead. For more about the physiological benefits of exposure to sunlight, see this guide from the Huberman Lab.

Embracing cosy social time in winter

When the big celebrations of the festive season have passed you may have a reduced budget and a more sparse calendar, but it doesn’t mean you have to give up on socialising altogether. Instead, can you get creative about finding more restful ways to enjoy social connection?

The idea is to go for more relaxed, lower-energy ways to connect with others. That way you can enjoy the nourishment of social connection in a way that is restful for your system. Instead of big group meals or dancing late at night, this could look like wrapping up warm and going for a winter walk with friends, or chats over hot chocolate at home. Check out the blog article on restful socialising for more about this.

Food for winter

You may feel drawn to comfort foods during the colder months and whilst takeaways can be tempting, fast food and highly processed food can impact sleep quality. So the alternative is to make meals that can warm you up, have nutrient-rich ingredients and support your sleep. Yes, all of that is possible! When selecting recipes, start with core ingredients from foods that can help with sleep.

Winter as a time for reflection

I like to embrace the winter as a time to reflect on the year gone by and what’s ahead. I take inspiration from nature and plant bulbs for my spring season ahead, when there will be more light and I will have more energy. Even though the new calendar year has started, the natural world in winter offers a perfect time for introspection.

When working with clients as a sleep coach, I often share the concept of the seasons of life. Because life has its cycles and changes, so we won’t be in our most productive states all of the time. So with Restful Sleep, I encourage respecting the slower tempos that come with different phases of life - bringing permission and acceptance to slowing down for some time. It can seem radical at first, yet often brings relief.

So will you join me in taking the winter as an opportunity to reflect on your well-being and how your lifestyle may nourish you? It’s something I encourage everyone to do and sleep coaching is a great way to get support with the process. If you'd like to explore how to make the most of your restful winter, and all that’s ahead, you’d be welcome to book a free discovery call with me.

Stay curious,

Maša.

@ dbb19ae0:c3f22d5a

Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is a decentralized, open protocol designed for creating censorship-resistant social networks. It was introduced in 2020. Unlike traditional social media platforms, Nostr operates without a central server, relying instead on a network of relays to transmit messages.

Key Features of Nostr:

1. Decentralization: Nostr doesn't rely on a single central server. Instead, it uses a network of independent relays to transmit data, making it resistant to censorship and single points of failure.
2. Public and Private Keys: Users are identified by cryptographic key pairs. A public key serves as a user's identifier, while a private key is used to sign messages, ensuring authenticity and security.
3. Simplicity: The protocol is intentionally simple, focusing on text-based messages (notes) and other basic data types. This simplicity makes it easy to implement and extend.
4. Interoperability: Since Nostr is an open protocol, anyone can build clients or relays that interact with the network, fostering a diverse ecosystem of applications.
5. Censorship Resistance: Because there is no central authority, it is difficult for any single entity to censor or control the network.

How Nostr Works:

• Users generate a public/private key pair.
• They publish messages (called "events" or "notes") to relays, which are then broadcast to other users.
• Relays are independent servers that store and forward messages. Users can choose which relays to use or even run their own.
• Clients (applications that interact with Nostr) fetch messages from relays and display them to users.

Use Cases:

• Social Networking: Nostr can be used to build decentralized social networks where users have full control over their data.
• Microblogging: Users can post short messages or updates.
• Messaging: Nostr can be used for direct messaging between users.
• Collaborative Tools: The protocol can be extended to support collaborative applications like shared documents or task management.

Popular Clients:

• Damus: A Nostr client for iOS, designed for microblogging and social interactions.
• Amethyst: A Nostr client for Android.
• Yakihonne: A web-based Nostr client and Android app.
• Primal: A web-based Nostr client and Android app.

Challenges:

• Scalability: As the network grows, managing the volume of messages and ensuring efficient relay performance can be challenging.
• Spam and Abuse: Without central moderation, spam and abusive content can be difficult to manage.
• User Experience: Decentralized systems can be more complex for average users to understand and use compared to centralized platforms.

Nostr represents a growing trend toward decentralized, user-controlled social networks, offering an alternative to traditional, centralized platforms. Its success will depend on adoption, ease of use, and the ability to address challenges like spam and scalability.

@ f57bac88:6045161e

بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور: آزادی و کنترل در دستان شما بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور با تمرکز بر خودگردانی و متن‌باز بودن، به شما این امکان را می‌دهد تا کنترل کاملی بر فرآیند پرداخت‌های خود داشته باشید. برخی از مزایای کلیدی این پلتفرم عبارتند از:

انعطاف‌پذیری بالا: امکان سفارشی‌سازی و توسعه ویژگی‌های جدید بر اساس نیازهای خاص کسب‌وکار.

هزینه کمتر: حذف واسطه‌ها و کارمزدهای اضافی، منجر به کاهش هزینه‌های پرداخت می‌شود.

حفظ حریم خصوصی: کنترل بیشتر بر داده‌های مشتریان و کاهش ریسک نقض حریم خصوصی.

پشتیبانی از پروتکل لایتنینگ: امکان انجام تراکنش‌های سریع و کم‌هزینه با استفاده از شبکه لایتنینگ. سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت رمزنگاری: راحتی در برابر کنترل در مقابل، سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت رمزنگاری مانند کوینبیس، کوین پیمنت و نوپینت بر راحتی استفاده و سرعت راه‌اندازی تمرکز دارند. این پلتفرم‌ها اغلب دارای رابط کاربری ساده‌تر و قابلیت‌های پیش‌ساخته بیشتری هستند. با این حال، در ازای این راحتی، ممکن است برخی از کنترل‌ها و انعطاف‌پذیری را از دست بدهید. جدول مقایسه:

کدام یک برای شما مناسب‌تر است؟ انتخاب بین بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور و سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت به عوامل مختلفی بستگی دارد، از جمله:

سطح دانش فنی: اگر دانش فنی کافی دارید و به دنبال کنترل کامل بر فرآیند پرداخت هستید، بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور گزینه مناسبی است.

سادگی استفاده: اگر به دنبال راهکاری سریع و آسان برای شروع پذیرش پرداخت‌های رمزنگاری هستید، سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت ممکن است انتخاب بهتری باشند.

هزینه‌ها: هزینه‌های هر پلتفرم متفاوت است و باید به دقت مقایسه شوند.

ویژگی‌های مورد نیاز: لیستی از ویژگی‌های مورد نیاز خود را تهیه کنید و ببینید کدام پلتفرم بیشترین تطابق را با آن دارد. در نهایت، بهترین درگاه پرداخت، درگاهی است که نیازهای خاص کسب‌وکارتان را برآورده کند. نکات مهم هنگام انتخاب:

امنیت: اطمینان حاصل کنید که پلتفرم انتخابی شما دارای استانداردهای امنیتی بالایی است.

پشتیبانی مشتری: وجود پشتیبانی مشتری قوی برای رفع مشکلات احتمالی بسیار مهم است.

کارمزدها: به طور دقیق کارمزدهای هر پلتفرم را بررسی کنید تا بتوانید هزینه‌های خود را بهینه کنید.

قابلیت‌های اضافی: برخی از پلتفرم‌ها دارای قابلیت‌های اضافی مانند فاکتورسازی خودکار، گزارش‌گیری و ادغام با سایر سیستم‌ها هستند.

نتیجه‌گیری: بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور برای کسب‌وکارهایی که به دنبال حداکثر کنترل، انعطاف‌پذیری و کاهش هزینه‌ها هستند، گزینه بسیار مناسبی است. اما اگر به دنبال راهکاری ساده‌تر و سریع‌تر هستید، سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت نیز می‌توانند انتخاب‌های خوبی باشند. با در نظر گرفتن عوامل ذکر شده در این مقاله، می‌توانید بهترین تصمیم را برای کسب‌وکارتان اتخاذ کنید.

آیا می‌خواهید در مورد ویژگی‌های خاصی از بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور یا سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت اطلاعات بیشتری کسب کنید؟ گوگل کنید! 😉

لطفا توجه داشته باشید که این مقاله صرفاً به منظور اطلاع‌رسانی است و نباید به عنوان توصیه سرمایه‌گذاری تلقی شود.

در دنیای پرهیاهوی ارزهای دیجیتال، انتخاب یک درگاه پرداخت مناسب برای پذیرش پرداخت‌های رمزنگاری، تصمیم مهمی برای کسب‌وکارهاست.

بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور به عنوان یک گزینه متن‌باز و خودگردان، جایگاه ویژه‌ای در میان این درگاه‌ها دارد. اما آیا بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور بهترین گزینه برای کسب‌وکارتان است؟ در این مقاله، به مقایسه بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور با سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت رمزنگاری می‌پردازیم تا به شما در انتخاب آگاهانه کمک کنیم.

بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور: آزادی و کنترل در دستان شما

بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور با تمرکز بر خودگردانی و متن‌باز بودن، به شما این امکان را می‌دهد تا کنترل کاملی بر فرآیند پرداخت‌های خود داشته باشید. برخی از مزایای کلیدی این پلتفرم عبارتند از:

* انعطاف‌پذیری بالا: امکان سفارشی‌سازی و توسعه ویژگی‌های جدید بر اساس نیازهای خاص کسب‌وکار.

* هزینه کمتر: حذف واسطه‌ها و کارمزدهای اضافی، منجر به کاهش هزینه‌های پرداخت می‌شود.

* حفظ حریم خصوصی: کنترل بیشتر بر داده‌های مشتریان و کاهش ریسک نقض حریم خصوصی.

* پشتیبانی از پروتکل لایتنینگ: امکان انجام تراکنش‌های سریع و کم‌هزینه با استفاده از شبکه لایتنینگ.

سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت رمزنگاری: راحتی در برابر کنترل

در مقابل، سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت رمزنگاری مانند کوینبیس، کوین پیمت و نوپیمنت بر راحتی استفاده و سرعت راه‌اندازی تمرکز دارند. این پلتفرم‌ها اغلب دارای رابط کاربری ساده‌تر و قابلیت‌های پیش‌ساخته بیشتری هستند. با این حال، در ازای این راحتی، ممکن است برخی از کنترل‌ها و انعطاف‌پذیری را از دست بدهید.

جدول مقایسه:

کدام یک برای شما مناسب‌تر است؟

انتخاب بین بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور و سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت به عوامل مختلفی بستگی دارد، از جمله:

* سطح دانش فنی: اگر دانش فنی کافی دارید و به دنبال کنترل کامل بر فرآیند پرداخت هستید، بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور گزینه مناسبی است.

* سادگی استفاده: اگر به دنبال راهکاری سریع و آسان برای شروع پذیرش پرداخت‌های رمزنگاری هستید، سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت ممکن است انتخاب بهتری باشند.

* هزینه‌ها: هزینه‌های هر پلتفرم متفاوت است و باید به دقت مقایسه شوند.

* ویژگی‌های مورد نیاز: لیستی از ویژگی‌های مورد نیاز خود را تهیه کنید و ببینید کدام پلتفرم بیشترین تطابق را با آن دارد.

در نهایت، بهترین درگاه پرداخت، درگاهی است که نیازهای خاص کسب‌وکارتان را برآورده کند.

نکات مهم هنگام انتخاب:

* امنیت: اطمینان حاصل کنید که پلتفرم انتخابی شما دارای استانداردهای امنیتی بالایی است.

* پشتیبانی مشتری: وجود پشتیبانی مشتری قوی برای رفع مشکلات احتمالی بسیار مهم است.

* کارمزدها: به طور دقیق کارمزدهای هر پلتفرم را بررسی کنید تا بتوانید هزینه‌های خود را بهینه کنید.

* قابلیت‌های اضافی: برخی از پلتفرم‌ها دارای قابلیت‌های اضافی مانند فاکتورسازی خودکار، گزارش‌گیری و ادغام با سایر سیستم‌ها هستند.

نتیجه‌گیری:

بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور برای کسب‌وکارهایی که به دنبال حداکثر کنترل، انعطاف‌پذیری و کاهش هزینه‌ها هستند، گزینه بسیار مناسبی است. اما اگر به دنبال راهکاری ساده‌تر و سریع‌تر هستید، سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت نیز می‌توانند انتخاب‌های خوبی باشند. با در نظر گرفتن عوامل ذکر شده در این مقاله، می‌توانید بهترین تصمیم را برای کسب‌وکارتان اتخاذ کنید.

آیا می‌خواهید در مورد ویژگی‌های خاصی از بی‌تی‌سی پی سرور یا سایر درگاه‌های پرداخت اطلاعات بیشتری کسب کنید؟ گوگل کنید! 😉

لطفا توجه داشته باشید که این مقاله صرفاً به منظور اطلاع‌رسانی است و نباید به عنوان توصیه سرمایه‌گذاری تلقی شود.

@ f7d424b5:618c51e8

(These podcast shownotes were originally posted on our website melonmancy.net

A second video game award show has hit the south tower. Also if you have topic ideas feel free to sign up on our forum we decided to not restrict any posts on the idea threads.

We mentioned a few things in the show you might want to pull up while listening, they are the following:

• Literally WHO studio grandstanding over lewd PC mods
• Aggro Crab leaves X - cringe or no?
• Selacodev immediately bullied after their trailer was shown at TRGAs for free w/o permission

Obligatory:

• Listen to the new episode here!
• Discuss this episode on OUR NEW FORUM
• Get the RSS and Subscribe (this is a new feed URL, but the old one redirects here too!)
• Get a modern podcast app to use that RSS feed on at newpodcastapps.com
• Or listen to the show on the forum using the embedded Podverse player!
• Send your complaints here

Reminder that this is a Value4Value podcast so any support you can give us via a modern podcasting app is greatly appreciated and we will never bow to corporate sponsors!

Our podcast is created entirely with free software and is proudly hosted on RSSBlue!

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

Here is the best list I could compile.... I hope I didn't miss anything but please let me know if I did in the comments.

• Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement\ Directed the U.S. to exit the Paris Climate Agreement, citing economic priorities over global climate commitments.
• Withdrawal from the World Health Organization\ Initiated the process to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO, criticizing its handling of global health crises.
• Declaration of National Emergency at the Southern Border\ Declared an emergency to allocate military resources for border security and wall construction.
• Attempt to End Birthright Citizenship\ Proposed ending birthright citizenship for children of non-citizens in the U.S.; pending legal challenges.
• Mass Pardon of January 6th Defendants\ Pardoned approximately 1,500 individuals charged in the Capitol riot, sparking significant debate.
• Reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy\ Prohibited U.S. foreign aid from funding organizations that provide or promote abortions.
• Energy Policy Shift Favoring Fossil Fuels\ Ordered an expansion of fossil fuel production on federal lands and offshore, reversing previous restrictions.
• Rescission of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs\ Ended DEI initiatives within federal agencies, focusing on merit-based policies.
• Establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency\ Created a department tasked with reducing bureaucratic waste and improving federal operations.
• Designation of Mexican Drug Cartels as Terrorist Organizations\ Labeled certain cartels as foreign terrorist organizations to enhance enforcement measures.
• Mandate for Federal Employees to Return to Offices\ Ended remote work policies for federal employees, requiring a full return to physical offices.
• Artificial Intelligence Investment Initiative\ Repealed previous AI orders and allocated $500 billion to advance AI development in the U.S.
• Pardon of Ross Ulbricht\ Granted a full pardon to Ross Ulbricht, founder of the Silk Road online marketplace.
• Reversal of Electric Vehicle Targets and Renewable Energy Permits\ Halted permits for renewable energy projects and reversed EV adoption targets.
• Declaration of National Energy Emergency\ Declared an emergency to boost domestic energy production and enhance energy independence.
• Declassification of Assassination Files\ Ordered the release of government records related to the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK Jr.
• Pardons for Anti-Abortion Protesters\ Pardoned individuals convicted of offenses related to anti-abortion protests, including clinic blockades.
• Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology\ Promoted U.S. leadership in blockchain and digital assets while fostering innovation and regulatory clarity.
• National Hiring Freeze and IRS Agent Reassignment\ Froze federal hiring and proposed reassigning 90,000 IRS agents to border security roles.
• Trade Reform and Tariff Implementation\ Imposed tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China, aiming to boost U.S. manufacturing and tax revenue.
• Investigation into Weaponization of the Justice System\ Initiated a probe into federal, state, and local agencies to assess potential misuse of the justice system.
• Suspension of CBP One Program\ Terminated the system allowing asylum seekers to schedule appointments at legal ports of entry.
• Demand for Increased NATO Defense Spending\ Called on NATO allies to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP for equitable burden-sharing.
• Trade Tariff Threats Against Mexico and Canada\ Announced intentions to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada to protect U.S. industries.
• Suspension of Foreign Aid, Including to Ukraine\ Halted all foreign aid programs, notably affecting assistance to Ukraine.
• Launch of Mass Deportations Using Military Aircraft\ Initiated large-scale deportations of undocumented immigrants utilizing military resources.
• Executive Order Recognizing Only Two Genders\ Stated that the federal government will recognize only two genders, male and female, eliminating DEI mandates.
• Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity\ Prohibited private organizations from conducting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) employment programs for jobs created by federal contracts.
• Designation of Ansar Allah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization\ Initiated the process of designating Yemen's Ansar Allah (the Houthis) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
• Rescission of Executive Order 11246\ Revoked the 1965 order that prohibited federal contractors from employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, and mandated affirmative action programs.

@ 0b118e40:4edc09cb

Does Bitcoin incentivize innovations in renewable and clean energy sectors? Absolutely.

While the debate about Bitcoin’s energy consumption continues, its role in driving innovation often goes unnoticed.

Over 50% of the energy consumed by Bitcoin miners now comes from renewable sources, and the industry is pushing the boundaries of repurposing waste energy and tapping into underutilized resources.

This sets a clear contradiction from industries like chemicals, primary metals, and textiles, which dominate global energy consumption with coal and natural gas. Despite global initiatives like the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) framework, which mandates sustainability investments, fossil fuels still account for over 80% of global energy use in 2023. Big corporations can easily "greenwash" their efforts by purchasing carbon credits and slapping on green labels, yet their day-to-day operations remain largely unchanged.

Bitcoin miners, however, are not coerced into adopting clean energy; they are incentivized by the need to minimize costs. Their profitability depends on finding the most affordable energy sources, and this has led to innovations in utilizing surplus and waste energy.

What began with small-scale experiments has now captured the attention of global corporations like Deutsche Telekom and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which are leveraging surplus energy for Bitcoin mining.

Are these developments signaling that Bitcoin mining is becoming integral to mainstream energy systems? The answer increasingly appears to be yes.

I first came across the idea that Bitcoin could incentivize renewable energy through a tweet from Jack a few years ago, and out of curiosity, I explored some of the ways Bitcoin is advancing renewable and clean energy. I’ll share a few examples below. Please note that this is by no means an exhaustive list, but it provides a glimpse into Bitcoin’s role in driving renewable and clean energy innovation.

There are 2 categories of energy sources I looked into :

Renewables: Hydropower, geothermal, ocean wave energy, wind power, and solar energy. Clean Non-Renewables: Waste coal, flare gas, and nuclear energy.

Renewables

1. Hydropower

Hydropower is one of the oldest renewable energy sources, but many countries struggle with maintaining an aging infrastructure, leading to abandoned dams. However, countries like Paraguay and Laos have successfully utilized hydropower to meet 90% or more of their energy needs, often yielding a surplus. In Paraguay, Marathon Digital Holdings partnered with the Penguin Group to establish a hydro-powered Bitcoin mining facility near the Itaipú Dam. Globally, companies like GRIID Infrastructure and Sazmining have integrated hydropower into their operations, with hydropower now accounting for about 23% of Bitcoin mining’s energy use.

2. Geothermal Energy

In El Salvador, Bitcoin mining powered by volcanic heat has attracted investments, with proceeds funding schools and hospitals. In the last 3 years, nearly 474 Bitcoin worth $29 million using volcano-fueled geothermal power was mined. In Africa, Gridless leverages geothermal, hydro, and solar power for decentralized mining in Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia.

3. Ocean Energy

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), a 150-year-old concept, is emerging as a viable solution, particularly in regions like Hawaii (Oahu) where traditional renewables face challenges. Not only is the cost of energy the highest in the US, the people of Hawaii face a wastage of energy surplus which can be turned into profit through Bitcoin mining.

When I first read about the potential of ocean energy used for Bitcoin Mining, it was through Lord Fusitu’a, a member of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Tonga in 2021. Unfortunately, he passed away and I was not able to find many updates on it after that. Ocean energy was also tested by Tara Ocean as a combination project between Paris and Los Angeles and it showed promising results.

4. Wind Power

Texas leads in wind energy, accounting for 25% of its grid. Bitcoin miners have flocked to the state, leveraging tax incentives and abundant wind power to fuel operations, tripling Bitcoin mining hashrate since 2021. DARI (Digital Assets Research Institute) revealed Bitcoin mining saved Texas up to $18 billion by reducing the need for new gas peaker plants. Companies like German Telekom also use excess wind and solar energy for mining, addressing intermittency challenges.

5. Solar Energy

Block Inc. and Blockstream’s solar-powered Bitcoin mining facility highlight the untapped potential of solar in sun-rich regions like Africa. Companies like TeraWulf and Aspen Creek are also pioneering solar-powered mining operations. In late 2022, Meco unveiled the world’s first solar-electric crypto-mining rigs. Additionally, investments are flowing into companies focusing on renewable-powered Bitcoin mining, with Aspen Creek securing $8 million in 2022 to expand its solar-powered operations.

Clean Non-Renewables

1. Flare Gas

Crusoe Energy Systems captures methane from oil drilling to power Bitcoin mining, making it carbon-negative and eliminating 99.89% of greenhouse gas emissions. This method is a key example of using waste gas that would otherwise be flared into the atmosphere.

2. Nuclear Energy

TeraWulf’s Nautilus Cryptomine facility in Pennsylvania represents the first nuclear-powered Bitcoin mining operation in the U.S., with nearly 8,000 mining rigs online. Nuclear energy is stable, scalable and clean as its low-carbon energy source, making it an attractive option for Bitcoin mining. I recall the mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez also recognized the potential of nuclear energy to attract Bitcoin mining operations to the city but I don’t have any recent updates on this.

3. Waste Coal

Stronghold Digital Mining repurposes waste coal from old mining sites to generate energy for Bitcoin mining operations. While this method helps reduce the environmental impact of waste coal, it has faced criticism for emissions produced by burning additional materials like tires.

The Potentials of Bitcoin mining in underdeveloped regions

In regions where traditional energy infrastructure is scarce, Bitcoin mining is a significant opportunity to stimulate the development of renewable energy sources and improve living conditions.

In many African countries, solar and hydroelectric resources remain largely untapped or abandoned, with nations like Congo, South Sudan, and Malawi having less than 10% access to electricity. Bitcoin mining’s energy demand acts as a powerful economic incentive, attracting investments to build infrastructure that enhances access to electricity, clean water, and other basic amenities.

Alex Gladstein beautifully captures this idea in his article "The Humanitarian and Environmental Case for Bitcoin" where he discusses how Bitcoin mining can be a force for good, encouraging investment in renewable energy and providing sustainable economic growth for regions long underserved by traditional infrastructure.

On a last note

Bitcoin mining is proving to be a catalyst for renewable energy innovation. Despite decades of Keynesian counter-cyclical policies targeted at boosting infrastructure spending, ranging from IMF infrastructure loans in the 1970s to frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Millennium Development Plans, and now ESG, the Global South remains impoverished, with many regions still lacking basic amenities. Non-renewable energy usage remain high. Traditional approaches have not solved the problem.

Bitcoin, however, just works.

Its financial system empowers individuals worldwide, breaking free from centralized control, while its mining operations leverage surplus and clean energy sources to drive renewable innovation. With growing global adoption, Bitcoin is no longer an isolated financial system. It is becoming an integral part of daily life and a force for global energy transformation.

As the mining focus shifts toward individual contribution with open-source integrated chips and decentralized mining solutions, we are likely to witness a new wave of renewable energy innovations on a smaller, more accessible scale that anyone can adopt.

The current energy debate surrounding Bitcoin often overlooks its potential. Beyond the criticisms, Bitcoin mining is creating tangible opportunities to innovate in renewable energy, particularly in underdeveloped areas. As the industry grows, it’s becoming abundantly clear that Bitcoin is a key part of the solution to our financial and energy challenges.

@ 9e69e420:d12360c2

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued new guidance halting spending on most foreign aid grants for 90 days, including military assistance to Ukraine. This immediate order shocked State Department officials and mandates “stop-work orders” on nearly all existing foreign assistance awards.

While it allows exceptions for military financing to Egypt and Israel, as well as emergency food assistance, it restricts aid to key allies like Ukraine, Jordan, and Taiwan. The guidance raises potential liability risks for the government due to unfulfilled contracts.

A report will be prepared within 85 days to recommend which programs to continue or discontinue.

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

Top 20 U.S.-Based Cryptocurrency Headlines:

1. Pete Hegseth Confirmed as Secretary of Defense Amid Crypto Talks\ The newly confirmed Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has hinted at exploring blockchain applications for national security and defense logistics.

2. Senate to Debate Cryptocurrency Taxation Reform\ A bipartisan bill focusing on cryptocurrency taxation is set for Senate debate, aiming to simplify tax reporting and encourage blockchain innovation.

3. Florida Launches State-Backed Blockchain Pilot Program\ Florida has initiated a pilot program leveraging blockchain for state services, including property records and public benefits distribution.

4. Silicon Valley Firms Ramp Up Blockchain Development\ Tech giants in Silicon Valley, including Meta and Google, have announced increased investments in blockchain R&D to align with U.S. policy shifts.

5. California Mulls Digital Asset Consumer Protection Bill\ California lawmakers are reviewing a proposed bill designed to strengthen consumer protections in cryptocurrency transactions and prevent fraud.

6. Wyoming Leads in Blockchain Legislation\ Wyoming continues to set the standard for pro-blockchain legislation, introducing additional laws to attract cryptocurrency businesses and miners.

7. Texas Becomes a Hub for Crypto Mining\ Texas remains a hotbed for cryptocurrency mining operations, with favorable regulations and abundant energy resources attracting global miners.

8. New York Revisits BitLicense Regulations\ The New York Department of Financial Services is revising its stringent BitLicense requirements, seeking to balance industry growth and consumer protection.

9. SEC Proposes Clearer Guidelines for ICOs\ The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed new rules to clarify and reduce ambiguity surrounding initial coin offerings (ICOs).

10. Banking Giants Reenter Crypto Markets\ JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs are reportedly resuming their cryptocurrency trading desks, reflecting renewed institutional confidence in the market.

11. Crypto Job Market Expands in the U.S.\ Major crypto companies, including Coinbase and Kraken, are expanding hiring efforts, focusing on compliance, engineering, and product development roles.

12. U.S. Treasury Collaborates with Private Sector on Blockchain Security\ The U.S. Treasury has launched a joint initiative with private companies to enhance blockchain cybersecurity and combat crypto-related crimes.

13. Nevada Considers Tax Incentives for Crypto Startups\ Nevada legislators are discussing tax breaks for cryptocurrency startups to attract more tech companies to the state.

14. Miami Hosts Blockchain Week\ Miami has kicked off Blockchain Week, drawing thousands of participants from around the world to discuss cryptocurrency innovation and regulation.

15. Colorado Accepts Tax Payments in Cryptocurrency\ Colorado residents can now pay state taxes using Bitcoin and Ethereum, marking a milestone in government adoption of digital currencies.

16. Boston Dynamics Explores Blockchain in Robotics\ Boston Dynamics has announced research into using blockchain technology to enhance coordination and security for robotic systems.

17. Crypto Payments Expand in the Retail Sector\ Major U.S. retailers, including Walmart and Home Depot, are piloting cryptocurrency payment systems in select locations.

18. Federal Reserve Examines Decentralized Finance (DeFi)\ The Federal Reserve has initiated a study on the potential implications and opportunities of decentralized finance within the U.S. economy.

19. Chicago Becomes a Cryptocurrency Innovation Hub\ Chicago has unveiled a public-private initiative to attract blockchain startups and establish the city as a leading hub for cryptocurrency innovation.

20. Arizona Proposes Bitcoin as Legal Tender\ Arizona legislators are drafting a bill recognizing Bitcoin as legal tender, potentially making it the first U.S. state to do so.

---

Top 5 Worldwide Cryptocurrency Headlines:

1. European Union Accelerates Crypto Regulation Framework\ The EU is working on comprehensive legislation to standardize cryptocurrency regulations across member states, focusing on consumer protection and innovation.

2. China's Shadow Crypto Market Flourishes Despite Crackdowns\ Despite stringent bans, underground cryptocurrency trading in China continues to thrive, fueled by over-the-counter brokers and international platforms.

3. India Explores Blockchain Voting Systems\ India is piloting blockchain technology for secure and transparent voting, aiming to modernize its electoral process.

4. El Salvador Expands Bitcoin Adoption Programs\ El Salvador, the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, is launching new programs to educate its citizens on cryptocurrency use and blockchain technology.

5. African Nations Adopt Bitcoin for Cross-Border Transactions\ African countries increasingly leverage Bitcoin to streamline cross-border trade, addressing inefficiencies in traditional banking systems.

@ 6b57533f:eaa341f5

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@ 0463223a:3b14d673

Hmm so I heard that in order to improve my brain I should try writing… Ok groovy, I’ll give it a go. In all honesty I don’t know what to write, my brain is a jumble of noise and titbits of random knowledge. I likely know more about sound than the average person but as physics goes, I don’t have anything new or profound to add. Air moves and noises happen. Is there really any more to it? I could write some flowery bollocks about refraction, absorption coefficients and reverberation times, or I could write some out there, arty shit but I don’t think that adds any value to anyone.

A lot of folks online have very strong beliefs in how the world operates or should operate. Whilst their conviction is strong, there’s also is a large percentage of people who totally disagree with them and think the exact opposite is the answer. That’s quite shit isn’t it? Humans have been around for 100,000 years or so and haven’t worked it out. I wonder what makes the internet celeb so certain they’ve got it right when the next internet celeb completely disagrees? I do my best to avoid any of these cunts but despite running to the obscurest social media platforms they still turn up with their profound statements. Meh.

Ideologically I’m leaning toward anarchism but even that seems full of arguments and contradictions and ultimately I don’t think I can be arsed with identifying with any particular ideology. I tried reading some philosophy and struggled with it, although I deep fall into a lovely deep sleep. It’s fair to say I’m not the brightest button in the box. I have a wife, a couple of cats and lots of things that make nosies in my shed. That’s pretty cool right? Well it works for me.

So why write this? I clearly wrote in the first sentence that I’m trying to improve my brain, a brain that’s gone through a number to twists and turns, a lot brain altering substances. I own that, no one forced me to. Beside, George Clinton was still smoking crack aged 80, didn’t do him any harm…

I’m on the 5th paragraph. I don’t feel any smarter yet and each paragraph is getting shorter, having started from a low base. I guess I’m being too high time preference… Might be a while before I launch my Deep Thought podcasts where myself and a guest talk for 500 hours about the philosophy of money and 13 amp plug sockets.

I’ve tortured myself enough. I’m posting this on Nostr where it will never go away.. lol. If you got this far, I congratulate/commiserate you and wish you a wonderful day.

@ fbf0e434:e1be6a39

Hackathon 概览

BTCfi 夏季黑客松 是于2024年夏季由CoreDAO组织，为期12周的黑客松活动。本次活动旨在推动比特币经济中的创新，吸引了来自Web3和BTCfi社区的开发者参与。共有291位开发者参与，提交了74个去中心化应用项目（BUIDLs）到Core平台上。此举旨在加强Core在BTC领域的作用。

Hackathon于2024年6月6日开始，包含开幕式、申请期以及于2024年8月19日的demo日。获奖者于2024年8月26日公布。NLX、Halborn、TokenSoft、Verichains和Request Finance等赞助商给予了支持。

参与者专注于开发将Core链技术融入其解决方案的独特应用。此次活动有效扩展了Core生态系统，增强了开发人员的参与度。所提交项目的多样性和范围突显了活动的成功实施及其对未来区块链技术进步的潜在影响。

Hackathon 获奖项目

• 1st Place：Rune Bridge: 该系统实现了比特币和Core区块链之间无需权限的集成。它利用EVM兼容性和混合共识模型来实现可扩展性，由智能合约、链外中继器和一个工厂ERC20合约组成，以高效管理代币。
• 2nd Place：OnchainVampireSurvivors: 这是一款Web3时间生存游戏，具有基于区块链的链上排行榜和彩票功能。项目使用ThirdWeb进行钱包访问，注重gas效率，并使用Cocos和Hardhat开发。未来增强计划包括AI资产和在Core主网上的部署。
• 3rd Place：b14g Network - Enhancing Decentralization and Security on Core Chain with b14g: 本项目旨在通过实施观察者节点和合并质押来增强Core Chain的安全性，促进监控的去中心化并解决承诺问题。它旨在将BTC与DeFi集成，提升CORE代币的实用性并确保网络的完整性。

欲了解所有提交项目的综合概述，请访问BTCFi Summer Hackathon 2024页面。

关于组织者

CoreDAO

Core DAO管理着Core Chain，这是一条以安全性和可扩展性为重点的去中心化区块链网络。通过将比特币的工作量证明与Satoshi Plus共识系统（委托工作量证明和委托权益证明的组合）相结合，Core DAO旨在增强去中心化和安全性。该平台提供以太坊虚拟机兼容性，使比特币矿工可以参与，同时比特币持有者可以在不放弃托管的情况下进行质押。Core Chain支持高交易吞吐量，由社区管理，并提供与其他区块链的互操作性，使用Solidity进行高效智能合约开发。该组织的使命是推动由比特币保护的去中心化应用程序开发。

@ ed84ce10:cccf4c2a

Hackathon Summary

The BTCfi Summer Hackathon, organized by Core DAO in 2024, concluded after a 12-week period. The hackathon aimed to drive innovation in the Bitcoin economy, engaging developers from the Web3 and BTCfi communities. A total of 291 developers participated, submitting 74 decentralized application projects (BUIDLs) on the Core platform. This initiative sought to reinforce Core’s role within the BTC space.

The hackathon commenced on June 6, 2024, featuring key activities such as the opening ceremony, application period, and a demo day on August 19, 2024. Winners were revealed on August 26, 2024. The event was supported by sponsors, including NLX, Halborn, TokenSoft, Verichains, and Request Finance.

Participants focused on developing unique applications that incorporated Core Chain technologies into their solutions. The event effectively expanded the Core ecosystem, enhancing developer engagement. The diversity and range of submitted projects underscored the event's successful execution and potential impact on future blockchain technology advancements.

Hackathon Winners

1st Place

Rune Bridge: This system facilitates integration between the Bitcoin and Core blockchains without requiring permission. It leverages EVM compatibility and a hybrid consensus model for scalability, consisting of a smart contract, off-chain relayer, and a factory ERC20 contract to manage tokens efficiently.

2nd Place

OnchainVampireSurvivors: A Web3 time survival game featuring a blockchain-based on-chain leaderboard and lottery. The project uses ThirdWeb for wallet access, prioritizes gas efficiency, and is developed using Cocos and Hardhat. Future enhancements include AI assets and deployment on the Core mainnet.

3rd Place

b14g Network - Enhancing Decentralization and Security on Core Chain with b14g: This project aims to bolster Core Chain's security by implementing Observer Nodes and Merge Staking, promoting decentralization in monitoring and addressing commitment challenges. It seeks to integrate BTC with DeFi, enhancing CORE token utility and ensuring network integrity.

For a comprehensive overview of all submitted projects, visit the BTCFi Summer Hackathon 2024 page.

About the Organizer

Core DAO

Core DAO manages the Core Chain, a decentralized blockchain network with a focus on security and scalability. By integrating Bitcoin’s Proof of Work with the Satoshi Plus consensus system—a combination of Delegated Proof of Work and Delegated Proof of Stake—Core DAO aims to enhance decentralization and security. The platform offers Ethereum Virtual Machine compatibility, enabling Bitcoin miners to participate and Bitcoin holders to stake without relinquishing custody. Core Chain supports high transaction throughput, is community-governed, and provides interoperability with other blockchains, utilizing Solidity for efficient smart contract development. The organization's mission centers on promoting decentralized application development secured by Bitcoin.

@ fd78c37f:a0ec0833

ETHOS & PURPOSE🌐

SATS'N'FACTS emphasizes Creativity, Privacy, FOSS Advocacy，with a focus on Local Community, Decentralization, and Health Balance. It is dedicated to nurturing an environment where decentralization and open collaboration thrive, providing space for deep technical discussions, hands-on learning, and meaningful networking, all with the goal of strengthening the Bitcoin community in Asia.

They aspire to redefine boundaries and usher in a new era of design and development excellence that leaves an indelible mark on the bitcoin environment. A three-day event dedicated to fostering innovation, and freedom within the Bitcoin Developer Community in Asia.

LEADS🧑‍💼

Enthusiast developers and builders from around the globe, will attend this first installments of the SATS’N’FACTS. Including nostr:npub1nvfgglea9zlcs58tcqlc6j26rt50ngkgdk7699wfq4txrx37aqcsz4e7zd nostr:npub1cj6ndx5akfazux7f0vjl4fyx9k0ulf682p437fe03a9ndwqjm0tqj886t6 nostr:npub148jz5r9xujcjpqygk69yl4jqwjqmzgrqly26plktfjy8g4t7xaysj9xhgp nostr:npub1htnhsay5dmq3r72tukdw72pduzfdcja0yylcajuvnc2uklkhxp8qnz3qac nostr:npub1ejxswthae3nkljavznmv66p9ahp4wmj4adux525htmsrff4qym9sz2t3tv nostr:npub1gwa27rpgum8mr9d30msg8cv7kwj2lhav2nvmdwh3wqnsa5vnudxqlta2sz nostr:npub1zk6u7mxlflguqteghn8q7xtu47hyerruv6379c36l8lxzzr4x90q0gl6ef nostr:npub13rvvn5g23anm09kwnya8qvzqejxfajfa56rnn47ck5l96ke6cq4sdcd4e0 nostr:npub147whqsr5vsj86x0ays70r0hgreklre3ey97uvcmxhum65skst56s30selt nostr:npub190trvg63e6tyqlwlj6lccqpftx76lckj25c006vwx3dzvdl88yxs2nyqdx nostr:npub1hw6amg8p24ne08c9gdq8hhpqx0t0pwanpae9z25crn7m9uy7yarse465gr nostr:npub10xk2rsg9l9ksht66egss98z7mzhetf8d7q4476d9cm6vsfv3a00qld5tdf nostr:npub19x0h8jm3mnwzhv4tpq62zta05er0qlyge73m0pwsp7h666khkd9qev2ree and more.

AGENDA📝

The event is designed to be a “decentralized and collaborative” effort between all participants, with activities being put together with attendees’ feedback. So no agenda, but here some guidance to make sure this event will be joyful and constructive:

🗓️8ᵗʰғᴇʙ Doors Opening：

• [ ] Event Opening
• [ ] Welcome session and intros
• [ ] Presentations and open discussions
• [ ] Initial networking and collaborative sessions
• [ ] Hackathon begins

🗓️9ᵗʰғᴇʙ ：

• [ ] Hackathon continues
• [ ] Attendee-led sessions
• [ ] Recording room open for voluntarily podcasting and interviews
• [ ] Peer-to-peer learning and networking

🗓️10ᵗʰғᴇʙ Closing UP：

• [ ] Hackathon wrap-up
• [ ] Pitching contest and project presentations
• [ ] Networking
• [ ] Closing remarks and final session

MERCH🛍️

Their event merch is not just cool—it’s a must-have! T-shirts 👕, bags 🎒, stickers 🖼️, caps 🧢...Get yours and carry the event vibe wherever you go!

Other Fun Activities🎡

In addition to the exciting conference, they've prepared a variety of enriching experiences for you—live art and craft activities🎨, art exhibitions🖼️, creative workshops✨, and Thai massage 💆……, and more.

How to join the Event🎡

If you're in Asia this February, don't miss out—join them in the vibrant city of Chiang Mai, Thailand 🇹🇭 for an unforgettable experience!

📅 Time：8—10th February 2025 📍Location：12/8 ถ.วัวลาย ซอย 3 ตำบลหายยา, เมืองเชียงใหม่ 50100 🇹🇭ไทย 💺Book your seat： https://formstr.app/#/fill/b3b9bd115fe936848a5e03134fefff945287285d51b1dee4731fef6a1070c597 🎤Submit an idea： https://formstr.app/#/forms/cf02333ea3c0d0c21080df599373e289fa343a55e63a1abdc7f633d1594078ff 🎫Buy your ticket: https://satsnfacts.btc.pub/p/ticket/

@ 6b57533f:eaa341f5

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Welcome to My Story

This is an amazing story.

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background-image: https://nostr.build/i/nostr.png template: vertical

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@ 16d11430:61640947

For centuries, the global narrative has been dominated by Western powers, their economies, and their cultural hegemony. But beneath this veneer of dominance lies a reality that is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore: the East—spanning Asia, the Middle East, and beyond—is awakening, mobilizing human potential and economic resources on a scale that dwarfs anything seen in the West.

To grasp this transformation, one must break free from traditional Western-centric paradigms and understand the numbers, the sheer scale, and the unstoppable momentum of this shift.

---

Population: The Power of Numbers

The East’s greatest asset is its people. To put this into perspective:

• China: With a population of 1.4 billion, it has more than four times the people of the United States. Imagine the United States replicating its entire labor force four times over, and you begin to see the scale of China’s potential.

• India: By 2023, India officially surpassed China as the most populous nation. Its Gen Z population alone—over 375 million people—is larger than the entire U.S. population.

• Southeast Asia: The ASEAN region, comprising nations like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, boasts a combined population of over 680 million. Indonesia alone, with 280 million people, is the world’s fourth-most populous country.

In total, Asia accounts for 60% of the world’s population. The raw human potential here is akin to unlocking billions of minds, all innovating, producing, and consuming.

The East is like a beehive, with billions of individuals working in unison, each contributing to a collective force that is buzzing with energy and unstoppable growth. Meanwhile, the West, though still industrious, often resembles a lone artisan toiling in a workshop, unaware of the scale of production happening just beyond their horizon.

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Economic Growth: The Compounding Engine

Western economies, long considered the gold standard, are now being eclipsed by the rapid growth of Eastern nations.

• China’s GDP: In 1980, China’s GDP was a mere $191 billion, less than 5% of the U.S. economy. By 2023, it surpassed $19 trillion, closing in on the U.S. ($25 trillion) as the largest economy. Analysts predict that by the 2030s, China will overtake the U.S. to claim the top spot.

• India’s Growth Rate: India, now the fifth-largest economy, has consistently achieved GDP growth rates of 6-8% annually over the past two decades. Its economy, currently valued at $3.7 trillion, is projected to become the world’s third-largest by 2030.

• ASEAN Economic Bloc: The combined GDP of ASEAN nations exceeds $3.6 trillion, making it the fifth-largest economic bloc globally. Its strategic position as a manufacturing hub and its youthful workforce are propelling it forward.

Compare these numbers to the 2-3% growth rates in the U.S. and Europe, and it becomes evident that the East isn’t just catching up; it’s compounding at a rate that will leave Western economies in the dust.

The economic growth of the East is like a tidal wave gathering strength far out at sea. At first, it’s almost imperceptible, but as it approaches the shore, its size and force become undeniable, reshaping everything in its path. By comparison, the West resembles a well-built dam holding back a steady river—resilient, but incapable of matching the raw power of the oncoming surge.

---

Infrastructure Development: Building Tomorrow

The East is constructing the foundations of its future at an unprecedented pace:

• High-Speed Rail: China’s high-speed rail network spans over 42,000 kilometers, more than the rest of the world combined. To put it in perspective, this is like building a rail line that circles the Earth’s equator—with some to spare—in just two decades.

• Smart Cities: India has embarked on its ambitious 100 Smart Cities Mission, modernizing urban infrastructure to support its growing population. Meanwhile, the ASEAN region is investing billions in digital infrastructure to create hyper-connected economies.

• Energy Transition: China leads the world in renewable energy investment, accounting for 45% of global renewable energy capacity additions in 2022. This is the equivalent of powering all of Europe’s renewable energy needs annually.

These infrastructure projects aren’t just impressive feats of engineering; they are the scaffolding of economies that are designed to scale.

The East’s infrastructure boom is like planting an immense forest. Each rail line, smart city, and renewable energy project is a tree—seemingly small on its own but, when viewed together, forming a vast and thriving ecosystem that reshapes the climate of global power.

---

Education and Innovation: The Engine of Progress

The East is also mobilizing its human capital through education and innovation.

• China graduates over 1.2 million engineers annually, dwarfing the 70,000 engineering graduates in the United States.

• India’s Tech Workforce: India’s IT sector employs 5 million professionals and contributes nearly 10% of the country’s GDP. Companies like Infosys and TCS aren’t just outsourcing hubs; they’re global innovation powerhouses.

• Patents and R&D: China filed 1.5 million patents in 2022, compared to the U.S.’s 620,000. This means that for every patent filed in the West, two or more are being filed in China.

Innovation ecosystems in places like Shenzhen and Bangalore are the modern equivalents of Silicon Valley, but on steroids—fueled by scale, government support, and an unrelenting hunger to lead.

The East’s educational and innovation push is like lighting a thousand candles in a dark room. Where the West may hold a single, steady flame, the East is illuminating every corner, creating a dazzling and unstoppable glow.

---

A Metaphor for the West: The Dam Bursting

For the average Westerner, understanding this shift requires a relatable metaphor. Imagine standing behind a dam holding back a massive reservoir. For decades, the dam (the West) controlled the flow, regulating what trickled out to the downstream (the East). But now, the reservoir has grown so vast and powerful that it can no longer be contained. The dam is cracking, and when it bursts, the torrent of economic and human potential will reshape the entire landscape.

Alternatively, think of it as a relay race. For centuries, the West held the baton and set the pace. But now, the baton has been passed to the East, whose runners—with their sheer numbers and untapped potential—are sprinting at a speed that leaves the previous team struggling to keep up.

---

Conclusion: The Multi-Polar Future

The West must wake up to this reality, not with fear or resentment, but with a willingness to adapt. The world is moving towards a multi-polar order, where power is distributed rather than concentrated. Cooperation, not confrontation, will define success in this new era.

As the East continues to mobilize its vast resources, the question is not whether it will surpass the West, but how the West will respond. Will it resist, clinging to outdated notions of supremacy, or will it embrace this shift and find its place in a rebalanced world?

One thing is certain: the scale of what’s happening in the East is not just big; it’s colossal. And it’s time for the world to take notice.

@ 6b57533f:eaa341f5

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background: #000000 template: vertical

Welcome to My Story

This is an amazing story.

Page: page1

background-image: https://nostr.build/i/nostr.png template: vertical

First Page

Content goes here

@ faade9ee:1c6dfd69

test2c

@ faade9ee:1c6dfd69

This is a normal piece of text.z

This is a bold piece of text via button press.z

this is also bold, but via double-starsz

this is an italic via button press

this also but via one-star

look, it's an underline!

oh, a piece of code has appeared. Nice. Button press tho. seems like it's purple / missed styling it, will change that.

another code but via text

code block, kinda buggy (really buggy actually x3)

```this is another, but via text which is disabled for now as it's cause issues```

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a bottom number thing_5ss65435ghrt

• bullets!

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• [x] check

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this is a quote

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this is a link via text (button has an annoyance bug)

---

video below

::youtube{#aApSteSbeGA}

@ 599f67f7:21fb3ea9

¿Qué es Blossom?

nostr:nevent1qqspttj39n6ld4plhn4e2mq3utxpju93u4k7w33l3ehxyf0g9lh3f0qpzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejsygzenanl0hmkjnrq8fksvdhpt67xzrdh0h8agltwt5znsmvzr7e74ywgmr72

Blossom significa Blobs Simply Stored on Media Servers (Blobs Simplemente Almacenados en Servidores de Medios). Blobs son fragmentos de datos binarios, como archivos pero sin nombres. En lugar de nombres, se identifican por su hash sha256. La ventaja de usar hashes sha256 en lugar de nombres es que los hashes son IDs universales que se pueden calcular a partir del archivo mismo utilizando el algoritmo de hash sha256.

💡 archivo -> sha256 -> hash

Blossom es, por lo tanto, un conjunto de puntos finales HTTP que permiten a los usuarios almacenar y recuperar blobs almacenados en servidores utilizando su identidad nostr.

¿Por qué Blossom?

Como mencionamos hace un momento, al usar claves nostr como su identidad, Blossom permite que los datos sean "propiedad" del usuario. Esto simplifica enormemente la cuestión de "qué es spam" para el alojamiento de servidores. Por ejemplo, en nuestro Blossom solo permitimos cargas por miembros de la comunidad verificados que tengan un NIP-05 con nosotros.

Los usuarios pueden subir en múltiples servidores de blossom, por ejemplo, uno alojado por su comunidad, uno de pago, otro público y gratuito, para establecer redundancia de sus datos. Los blobs pueden ser espejados entre servidores de blossom, de manera similar a cómo los relays nostr pueden transmitir eventos entre sí. Esto mejora la resistencia a la censura de blossom.

A continuación se muestra una breve tabla de comparación entre torrents, Blossom y servidores CDN centralizados. (Suponiendo que hay muchos seeders para torrents y se utilizan múltiples servidores con Blossom).

| | Torrents | Blossom | CDN Centralizado | | --------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ------- | ---------------- | | Descentralizado | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Resistencia a la censura | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | ¿Puedo usarlo para publicar fotos de gatitos en redes sociales? | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |

¿Cómo funciona?

Blossom utiliza varios tipos de eventos nostr para comunicarse con el servidor de medios.

| kind | descripción | BUD | | ----- | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | | 24242 | Evento de autorización | BUD01 | | 10063 | Lista de Servidores de Usuarios | BUD03 |

kind:24242 - Autorización

Esto es esencialmente lo que ya describimos al usar claves nostr como IDs de usuario. En el evento, el usuario le dice al servidor que quiere subir o eliminar un archivo y lo firma con sus claves nostr. El servidor realiza algunas verificaciones en este evento y luego ejecuta el comando del usuario si todo parece estar bien.

kind:10063 - Lista de Servidores de Usuarios

Esto es utilizado por el usuario para anunciar a qué servidores de medios está subiendo. De esta manera, cuando el cliente ve esta lista, sabe dónde subir los archivos del usuario. También puede subir en múltiples servidores definidos en la lista para asegurar redundancia. En el lado de recuperación, si por alguna razón uno de los servidores en la lista del usuario está fuera de servicio, o el archivo ya no se puede encontrar allí, el cliente puede usar esta lista para intentar recuperar el archivo de otros servidores en la lista. Dado que los blobs se identifican por sus hashes, el mismo blob tendrá el mismo hash en cualquier servidor de medios. Todo lo que el cliente necesita hacer es cambiar la URL por la de un servidor diferente.

Ahora, además de los conceptos básicos de cómo funciona Blossom, también hay otros tipos de eventos que hacen que Blossom sea aún más interesante.

| kind | descripción | | ----- | --------------------- | | 30563 | Blossom Drives | | 36363 | Listado de Servidores | | 31963 | Reseña de Servidores |

kind:30563 - Blossom Drives

Este tipo de evento facilita la organización de blobs en carpetas, como estamos acostumbrados con los drives (piensa en Google Drive, iCloud, Proton Drive, etc.). El evento contiene información sobre la estructura de carpetas y los metadatos del drive.

kind:36363 y kind:31963 - Listado y Reseña

Estos tipos de eventos permiten a los usuarios descubrir y reseñar servidores de medios a través de nostr. kind:36363 es un listado de servidores que contiene la URL del servidor. kind:31963 es una reseña, donde los usuarios pueden calificar servidores.

¿Cómo lo uso?

Encuentra un servidor

Primero necesitarás elegir un servidor Blossom donde subirás tus archivos. Puedes navegar por los públicos en blossomservers.com. Algunos de ellos son de pago, otros pueden requerir que tus claves nostr estén en una lista blanca.

Luego, puedes ir a la URL de su servidor y probar a subir un archivo pequeño, como una foto. Si estás satisfecho con el servidor (es rápido y aún no te ha fallado), puedes agregarlo a tu Lista de Servidores de Usuarios. Cubriremos brevemente cómo hacer esto en noStrudel y Amethyst (pero solo necesitas hacer esto una vez, una vez que tu lista actualizada esté publicada, los clientes pueden simplemente recuperarla de nostr).

noStrudel

1. Encuentra Relays en la barra lateral, luego elige Servidores de Medios.
2. Agrega un servidor de medios, o mejor aún, varios.
3. Publica tu lista de servidores. ✅

Amethyst

1. En la barra lateral, encuentra Servidores multimedia.
2. Bajo Servidores Blossom, agrega tus servidores de medios.
3. Firma y publica. ✅

Ahora, cuando vayas a hacer una publicación y adjuntar una foto, por ejemplo, se subirá en tu servidor blossom.

⚠️ Ten en cuenta que debes suponer que los archivos que subas serán públicos. Aunque puedes proteger un archivo con contraseña, esto no ha sido auditado.

Blossom Drive

Como mencionamos anteriormente, podemos publicar eventos para organizar nuestros blobs en carpetas. Esto puede ser excelente para compartir archivos con tu equipo, o simplemente para mantener las cosas organizadas.

Para probarlo, ve a blossom.hzrd149.com (o nuestra instancia comunitaria en blossom.bitcointxoko.com) e inicia sesión con tu método preferido.

Puedes crear una nueva unidad y agregar blobs desde allí.

Bouquet

Si usas múltiples servidores para darte redundancia, Bouquet es una buena manera de obtener una visión general de todos tus archivos. Úsalo para subir y navegar por tus medios en diferentes servidores y sincronizar blobs entre ellos.

Cherry Tree

nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqfngzhsvjggdlgeycm96x4emzjlwf8dyyzdfg4hefp89zpkdgz99qyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcpzfmhxue69uhkummnw3e82efwvdhk6tcqyp3065hj9zellakecetfflkgudm5n6xcc9dnetfeacnq90y3yxa5z5gk2q6

Cherry Tree te permite dividir un archivo en fragmentos y luego subirlos en múltiples servidores blossom, y más tarde reensamblarlos en otro lugar.

Conclusión

Blossom aún está en desarrollo, pero ya hay muchas cosas interesantes que puedes hacer con él para hacerte a ti y a tu comunidad más soberanos. ¡Pruébalo!

Si deseas mantenerte al día sobre el desarrollo de Blossom, sigue a nostr:nprofile1qyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcpzfmhxue69uhkummnw3e82efwvdhk6tcqyqnxs90qeyssm73jf3kt5dtnk997ujw6ggy6j3t0jjzw2yrv6sy22ysu5ka y dale un gran zap por su excelente trabajo.

Referencias

• hzrd149/blossom en GitHub
• Blossom Drive

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/864256

@ dbb19ae0:c3f22d5a

First make sure to add this relay wss://relay.momostr.pink in your Nostr setting and second follow this account

Soon after an account will be created on bluesky and will mirror your Nostr profile the address will be like this: bsky.app/profile/npub1mwce4c8qa2zn9zw9f372syrc9dsnqmyy3jkcmpqkzaze0slj94dqu6nmwy.momostr.pink.ap.brid.gy

And from there keep spreading the good word

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/825913

@ dbb19ae0:c3f22d5a

Step by Step migration from the Alby Hub Cloud to the Alby Hub local application.

Step 1. From the Alby Hub select the 'migrate node' option, this will generate a bkp file, and will shutdown the node

https://guides.getalby.com/user-guide/alby-account-and-browser-extension/alby-hub/faq-alby-hub/how-can-i-migrate-alby-hub-to-a-different-machine

Step 2. Preferably on a second machine, install the Alby application, synchronize the application with the Alby extension, then run the Alby 'advanced setup' import the bkp file, enter the password, and the Hub will open the wallet.

https://guides.getalby.com/user-guide/alby-account-and-browser-extension/alby-hub/faq-alby-hub/how-can-i-migrate-alby-hub-to-a-different-machine

Note: if the password is incorrect this message will show up

@ 8d34bd24:414be32b

My writing tends to be responsive. I respond to something I read in a book. I respond to something I read online. I respond to a podcast or sermon I was listening to. I also have a strong longing for truth (which seems to be in short supply these days). Because of my ideas being responsive, I probably tend to speak against things too often and not for things enough. I condemn not having a high enough view of God, but may inaccurately convey a harsh God and not spend enough time conveying His love and the positive reasons to follow Him. I may spend too much time on the stick and not enough on the carrot.

I’ve noticed in others that I can see two people arguing over a biblical point. One is arguing against an error/extreme to one direction while the other is arguing against an error/extreme in the opposite direction. In reality, their beliefs are very close, but they sound like they are far apart. I’ve had many opportunities to help the two people realize that they mostly agree with each other, but they are each personally dealing with opposite errors. Just as I can do a good job editing someone else’s writing, but can’t edit my own (I usually have my amazing, wonderful, handsome, intelligent, humorous husband [editor’s note - adjectives added by editor] read and edit everything I write before publishing), I may sometimes be too reactive to an error and fail to properly communicate the whole and complete truth.

Differences in Perspective

I was recently listening to a podcast by a by Bible teacher. He was talking about how he had an unloving father and how, after being saved, he originally didn’t think God cared about him personally. He then went on to teach about how personal and loving God is and how God is actively involved in every detail of every believer’s life. I agree.

On the other hand, I have seen many people that focus only on God’s love and ignore God’s holiness. They believe it is more important to be “loving” and therefore they withhold the truth (if they even know it). They are so focused on God’s forgiveness that they excuse believers actively sinning and promoting sin. Since being saved, I never doubted God’s love or His involvement in my life, so I tend to not talk about God’s love as much as I probably should. My big “Ah Ha!” was seeing His absolute sovereignty and holiness and coming to understand that the fact that He is creator gives Him the authority to tell us how to live our lives, so I tend to focus on this area.

Although I would never say God’s truth is whatever the compromise of ideas is, there are a lot of truths about God where we can fall into error in two (or more) opposing directions. God is loving and is holy. If we focus only on His love or only on His holiness, we are in error. God is forgiving and has the right to judge. If we focus so much on the fact that we are forgiven that we do not obey Him, we have erred, but if we focus so much on His judgment that we don’t acknowledge His mercy for others and for ourselves, we have also erred.

To Associate or Not to Associate

There are lots of different denominations and division among Christians that are not what God desires. At the same time, there are churches that focus on the truth as communicated through God’s word, the Bible and there are churches that have compromised that truth and let the culture, evil spirits, or just interest in self and popularity lead them astray. As Christians, we need to know God’s word, so we can know when we should avoid a close association with those who call themselves Christians, but actively disobey His clear commands.

But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. (1 Corinthians 5:11) {emphasis mine}

If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame (2 Thessalonians 4:13) {emphasis mine}

On the other hand there are many areas where our differences are not salvation issues but are more about style than substance. One side may be in error, but still be in right fellowship with God and earnestly seeking to follow Him faithfully. We shouldn’t allow these things to cause the church to fight against itself.

But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. (1 Corinthians 12:18-20) {emphasis mine}

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-5) {emphasis mine}

A so-called church, that encourages or condones things God has called evil, is not a church with which we want to associate. There are other things of which we may disagree and disagree strongly (Armenian vs Calvinist, preterist/pre-trib/post-trib, or young earth vs old earth) that although important shouldn’t cause division within the church. We should always seek the truth as spoken by God through the Scriptures, but we shouldn’t let disagreements, that don’t affect the Gospel and how we should live, keep us divided. Between Armenian and Calvinist opinions on whether we freely choose to accept Jesus or Jesus causes us to accept Jesus, as long as we agree that salvation comes through faith and not works and through Jesus and no other path, we can work together. With the different end times interpretations, as long as we agree that God said it and it will be as He said it and that it is important for us to live godly lives and to share the gospel with the lost, we can work together. With young earth vs old earth, as long as we both agree that God is ultimately our creator and His word is true, we can work together.

I do believe that there is only one truth in these and other areas, and discovering the truth is very important. Being wrong can mislead us and make us less effective for Jesus. Many of these errors can be caused by or lead us to put scientists or historians or theologians in authority over God’s word. This is wrong. We should always continually search the scripture to find the truth. We should not fear honest debate which can help lead us to the truth and strengthen our faith in God’s word. It is not wrong to correct a brother in Christ using Scripture as our foundation, but we also need to acknowledge that it could be we who are in error. I don’t know any great theologian since the apostles that hasn’t had an error in their thinking somewhere.

The Head or the Body

There can also be differences between the leadership and the individuals in a church or denomination. I have major concerns with the Vatican leadership and question if many of them are Christians at all. So much of what they say and do seem to be working against God and His commands. At the same time, I have many good friends (in person and online) who are wonderful Catholics, who I would never doubt are devout Christians with a true relationship with Jesus. I will maintain my Christian fellowship with my Catholic, Christian friends while speaking against unbiblical words and actions by the Pope and the Vatican.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:1-3)

Of course false prophets and false teachers are most definitely not limited to the Catholic Church. For example, the female Episcopalian Bishop that led the inauguration prayer breakfast for Trump spent most of her time promoting LGBTQ+ issues which are contrary to the word of God and little to none actually honoring God or supporting the issues that God has stated are important. (For that matter, scripture specifically says women shouldn’t be church leaders.) We all need to be more like the Bereans “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) We need to use the Scripture to both test if our beliefs and actions are biblical and if the teachings of our leaders are biblical.

Different Paths, but One Jesus

Ultimately, there is only one way of salvation — repentance and faith in Jesus. On the other hand, the path each believer is called to walk towards sanctification can vary. I have seen God lead me at different times to correct different sins and misconceptions. The areas of my life that I am convicted of and my path towards understanding the truth communicated in the Bible is not the same as other believers. We should all be growing to be more like Jesus, but our path to His likeness will not look the same. We start as different people; we have different experiences; and God works on us in different ways. We must be careful about judging another because their growth in Christ looks different.

We all have strengths and weaknesses. We all have doctrines of the Bible that we understand better than others and doctrines of the Bible about which we are either unsure or in error. Most of us also have a tendency to judge someone who is weak where we are strong and overlook the fact that that same person might be strong where we are weak. We need to pray for wisdom and mercy. We need to earnestly study God’s word. We need to listen closely to the Holy Spirit’s leading and use these differences to build up each other rather than divide and beat down those who are different, but are still part of the body of Christ.

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:3-8)

My prayer is that we would all study God’s word, understand His word, live His word, and work together to share the Gospel with the word. My prayer is that our different understandings of the Bible will lead to fruitful debate that leads all parties closer to truth, to God and to each other. May God lead us all to truth and fellowship in Him.

Trust Jesus.

@ 16d11430:61640947

In the grand tapestry of existence, humanity finds itself in a peculiar position: neither wholly bound to the physical nor fully immersed in the metaphysical. We stand at the threshold of realities, a liminal space that is both transitional and transformative, where dimensions overlap and professions converge to illuminate the intricacies of our shared existence.

Through the lens of Bruce Cathie’s harmonic worldview, the Earth is not merely a sphere of rock and water but an interconnected energy grid, a lattice of electromagnetic harmonics pulsing beneath our feet. If this grid represents the physical scaffolding of existence, humanity inhabits a liminal space within it—a realm where the boundaries of time, space, and consciousness blur.

A Multidimensional Perspective

From a multidimensional standpoint, this liminality can be seen as the overlap between the three-dimensional world we perceive and higher-dimensional realities we intuit. The Earth's energy grid, as theorized by Cathie, may function as a bridge—a harmonic resonance linking the seen and the unseen, the measurable and the ineffable.

Physics and the Unseen Forces: Modern physics hints at the existence of dimensions beyond our perceptual grasp. String theory posits that the universe comprises multiple dimensions, vibrating at frequencies we cannot yet detect. In Cathie’s terms, the Earth's energy grid could be the physical manifestation of these vibrations, a harmonized nexus where the material world intersects with the quantum.

Consciousness as a Dimensional Traveler: Neuroscience reveals that the human brain operates on frequencies that resonate with the Earth's Schumann resonance, the harmonic pulse of the planet. This resonance suggests that our consciousness is not confined to our physical bodies but interacts with the energy grid, allowing glimpses of higher-dimensional realities through meditation, intuition, or creative inspiration.

A Multiprofessional Perspective

The liminal space we cohabit is not solely the domain of philosophers or physicists. It is a convergence point for professionals across disciplines, each contributing a facet to the mosaic of understanding.

Architects and Builders: The alignment of ancient structures like Stonehenge and the pyramids with the Earth’s energy lines hints at an architectural awareness of this grid. These monuments, enduring testaments to harmonic knowledge, suggest that ancient architects were as much energy workers as they were builders, attuned to the liminal currents of the Earth.

Healers and Scientists: In the medical profession, understanding the human body as an energy system has led to breakthroughs in alternative healing practices like acupuncture, which aligns with the body's energy meridians. These meridians mirror Cathie’s grid, suggesting that healing occurs not only in the physical but also in the liminal spaces where energy flows harmonically.

Artists and Creatives: Art, music, and literature often emerge from the liminal spaces of the human psyche, where conscious and subconscious meet. The harmonic interplay of tones and colors in art mirrors the vibrational nature of the universe, making creators unwitting cartographers of the unseen.

The Liminal Space as a Collective Experience

Humanity’s existence in this liminal space is not an individual journey but a shared, collective experience. It is where science meets spirituality, where logic and intuition find harmony, and where the professional and the personal intersect. It is the space where we question our origins and our destinies, where we ponder the mysteries of the universe and our place within it.

Cultural Intersections: Across cultures, liminality has been revered as sacred. Indigenous traditions, for example, often speak of the Earth as a living, conscious entity, resonating with Cathie’s grid. Rituals, dances, and ceremonies are designed to align human energies with the Earth’s harmonics, bridging the physical and spiritual realms.

Technological Implications: As we advance technologically, we edge closer to mapping the liminal space. Artificial intelligence and quantum computing may one day decode the harmonic mathematics Cathie proposed, providing tangible evidence of the multidimensional realities we only intuitively grasp today.

Humanity as Harmonic Resonators

To dwell in the liminal space is to accept that humanity itself is a harmonic entity, resonating with the Earth and the cosmos. Just as the Earth’s grid hums with energy, so do we, each individual a unique frequency within the symphony of existence. Our thoughts, actions, and creations ripple through the grid, influencing not only the physical world but also the higher-dimensional realities beyond it.

In this liminality lies our greatest potential. It is here, at the edge of the seen and unseen, that we find the power to transcend, to harmonize with the greater energies of the universe, and to co-create a future that resonates with truth, beauty, and unity.

Conclusion

The liminal space we cohabit is not a void but a vibrant threshold—a meeting place of dimensions, disciplines, and destinies. It is where the harmonic mathematics of Bruce Cathie converge with the lived experience of humanity, offering us a glimpse of the profound interconnectedness of all things. To exist in this space is both a challenge and a privilege, an invitation to explore, to create, and to harmonize with the infinite.

In this liminal existence, we are not merely observers but participants, co-creators of the grid that binds us. By embracing the liminal, we step into the fullness of our multidimensional selves, resonating with the harmonic rhythms of the Earth and beyond.

@ df57b498:d049124f

Chef's notes

This is cobbled together from trial and error and the web.

Serve hot pancakes with preferably butter and maple syrup. Add other toppings like bananas, nuts, or other fruits and toppings as have available and/or desired.

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 10 minutes
• 🍳 Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Combine the dry ingredients.
2. Add the wet ingredients and mix.
3. Pour or ladle the batter onto the oiled griddle or pan.
4. Cook until bubbles form, flip, and cook on the other side.

@ ae6ce958:d0f02c7d

In a world increasingly shaped by decentralization, Bitcoin stands as the pioneer of a revolutionary asset class—non-Newtonian assets. These assets defy conventional economic and financial expectations, thriving under pressure and leveraging their mathematical underpinnings to achieve exponential growth. However, as the ecosystem expands, the failures of Proof-of-Stake (PoS) architectures and the relentless attacks by financial incumbents have highlighted the need for resilience and verifiable integrity. Enter Damage Token, built on the Aeternity blockchain—a Proof-of-Work (PoW) platform designed to embrace Bitcoin's ethos while pushing the boundaries of verifiable behavior and incentivized accountability.

This article explores Bitcoin’s role as the foundation of non-Newtonian assets, the failures of centralized alternatives, and why Damage Token on Aeternity PoW strengthens the narrative of decentralized resilience in a hostile landscape.

Bitcoin: The Non-Newtonian Pioneer

Bitcoin’s design is rooted in immutable mathematical certainties. Its decentralized Proof-of-Work consensus ensures that every block, transaction, and piece of data is secured by external energy expenditure. This thermodynamic foundation makes Bitcoin resilient to attacks, centralization, and censorship—a trait unmatched by PoS systems or fiat currencies.

As Bitcoin grows, its adoption follows an S-curve driven by Metcalfe’s Law, where network value increases exponentially with each new user. Bitcoin’s halving cycles further enforce scarcity, creating predictable supply shocks that fuel demand. Importantly, Bitcoin thrives under stress, becoming stronger with every regulatory crackdown or macroeconomic crisis—a hallmark of non-Newtonian behavior.

Aeternity PoW: Extending the Bitcoin Ethos

Aeternity, like Bitcoin, is a PoW blockchain designed for scalability and flexibility. Unlike Ethereum’s shift to PoS, Aeternity retains the security and decentralization benefits of PoW while incorporating features like state channels, oracles, and efficient smart contracts. This combination makes it uniquely positioned to support projects that demand verifiable trust, resilience, and high-performance scalability.

Aeternity’s PoW mechanism ensures that every action on the network is backed by energy expenditure, maintaining the immutability and decentralization that PoW guarantees. This framework lays the groundwork for Damage Token, a non-Newtonian asset designed to tokenize and verify behaviors, incentivizing accountability in a way that aligns with Bitcoin’s principles.

Damage Token: The Case for PoW and Verifiable Integrity

Damage Token, an AEX9 token built on the Aeternity blockchain, represents a new breed of non-Newtonian assets that thrive on mathematical certainty and verifiable behavior. Unlike speculative PoS systems that lack intrinsic resilience, Damage Token leverages Aeternity’s PoW foundation to ensure:

1. Immutability: All verifications and behaviors recorded via Damage Token are immutable and tamper-proof, thanks to PoW consensus. This ensures that participants in the ecosystem can trust the system’s data and outcomes.

2. Incentivized Accountability: Damage Token introduces a model where behaviors (such as software testing, milestone completion, or conflict resolution) can be immutably verified and tokenized. Participants are incentivized to contribute positively, as their actions directly translate into payouts tied to provable outcomes.

3. Resilience Under Pressure: Like Bitcoin, Damage Token thrives in hostile environments. Regulatory scrutiny, competitive pressure, or market turbulence only highlight its unique value proposition: a verifiable, decentralized system immune to central authority or co-option.

4. Alignment with Bitcoin’s Vision: By utilizing Aeternity’s PoW architecture, Damage Token aligns with Bitcoin’s philosophy of trustless systems. This ensures the token’s utility and security are not compromised by centralization risks or reliance on wealth-based governance (a flaw inherent in PoS).

The Failures of PoS and the Importance of PoW

As Bitcoin and Damage Token continue to thrive, the failures of PoS systems like Ethereum become increasingly apparent. PoS centralizes control in the hands of large stakeholders, making networks vulnerable to censorship, collusion, and regulatory capture. These systems lack the external energy-backed security that PoW provides, making them brittle and susceptible to manipulation.

In contrast, PoW systems like Aeternity and Bitcoin externalize security through energy expenditure, creating a neutral, trustless environment where no single entity can dominate the network. For Damage Token, this ensures that every verification, behavior, and transaction remains free from undue influence, preserving the integrity of the ecosystem.

Non-Newtonian Assets and Mathematical Certainty

Both Bitcoin and Damage Token exhibit behaviors that reflect their non-Newtonian nature. Small inputs—like increased adoption or the resolution of conflicts via Damage Token—can generate outsized impacts. This phenomenon is driven by mathematical principles, including:

1. Exponential Growth: Network effects drive the adoption of Bitcoin and Damage Token, where each new participant amplifies the system’s value quadratically, as per Metcalfe’s Law.

2. Halving Dynamics and Supply Scarcity: Bitcoin’s halving cycles are mirrored in Damage Token’s fixed supply of 42 million tokens. This scarcity creates long-term value and ensures that utility, not inflation, drives adoption.

3. Emergent Behavior: Both assets operate in decentralized systems governed by chaos theory, where minor events—like a developer joining DamageBDD or a nation adopting Bitcoin—can cascade into massive structural changes.

Damage Token in a Hostile Landscape

In today’s financial and technological environment, non-Newtonian assets face relentless attacks. Incumbent systems resist the rise of decentralized alternatives through regulatory crackdowns, control over fiat on- and off-ramps, and energy consumption narratives. Yet, these attacks often backfire, driving innovation and adoption instead of suppression.

Damage Token, built on Aeternity’s PoW foundation, is uniquely positioned to resist these pressures. By incentivizing verifiable behaviors, it creates a system where trust, accountability, and resilience are rewarded. Whether it’s verifying software quality through DamageBDD or facilitating peace initiatives, Damage Token demonstrates that PoW-backed assets can transform hostile environments into opportunities for growth.

Conclusion

Bitcoin is the flagship of non-Newtonian assets, a pioneer of resilience and exponential growth in the face of adversity. However, the rise of alternatives like Damage Token on Aeternity’s PoW blockchain showcases how this ethos can be extended to new domains, from software verification to incentivized accountability.

In a world increasingly shaped by centralization and coercion, non-Newtonian assets offer a path to freedom, resilience, and trust. By embracing PoW, Bitcoin and Damage Token ensure that a slight push is all they need to achieve terminal velocity—changing the trajectory of global finance and human behavior in the process.

@ 0ce97fba:4f9081a3

He walked the decaying streets; his curious expression masked a lifetime of hardship. The city of Bethada spread before him, a tangled maze of buildings and passages clinging to the surface of Mool. This settlement-turned-city once thrived as humanity expanded throughout the galaxy but was now an almost forgotten backwater outpost. A thin crescent of reflected sunlight hugged the horizon as the sun dipped behind the gas giant, casting the lunar city in a soft glow.

“Hey, Mr. Fannec!” A voice from across the street hailed him. The human scowled; he hated being called “Mr. Fannec.” He waved an arm in acknowledgment but didn’t break stride, eager to leave the concrete and steel jungle behind for the day.

Robert Fannec grew up in a crowded housing unit on Mool, raised by his grandmother, while his mother went to work long hours to scrape by. From a young age, he learned that life was difficult and one should take respite where possible. He lived on the outskirts of Bethada City, barely getting by, as he grew up in poverty. His mother worked to exhaustion but failed to improve their living conditions.

“Ya know, Bobby-boy,” said Pete, the local unkempt homeless man whom Robert was friendly with, “This world is reminiscent of a less-than-ideal sandwich, the bread stale and the cheese nothing to write home about. One is left pondering if their hunger is clouding their judgment or if there isn’t much to be thrilled about.”

Robert met the man when he first arrived in Bethada as a young teen; although Robert would not consider them close friends, a particular understanding drove him to keep checking up on the older man. Indeed, life was a struggle for Pete, an elderly citizen, amidst the chaos of the metropolis. Plus, they’d talk about random topics such as music or history during their visits, which made those times personal rather than plain help alone from Robert.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” he replied, half-smirking. “One day, we’ll get some fresh ingredients around here.”

“Ha! I’ll believe it when I see it.” Pete laughed, shaking his head.

“Me too, Pete. Me too.” The heaviness of the town’s stagnant air pressed on his back as he nodded and walked down the street.

Robert’s face contorted as he inspected the town. It resembled a knockoff designer watch; instead of shoddy craftsmanship and cheap parts, it had abandoned storefronts and peeling paint. He let out a hearty chuckle at the comparison. As he wandered through the decrepit streets, he wondered what treasures lay beyond these crumbling walls.

“Damn shame,” Robert said, taking in the breathtaking landscape before him. “Nature got the memo about beauty, but Bethada sure didn’t.”

“Hey, Rob.” One of his coworkers waved as they clocked into their shift at the local industrial farm. “You daydreaming again?”

Responding with a grin, Robert shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn coveralls. “Hey, Dave. The way this place looks, it’s a wonder we haven’t all packed up and moved to a better neighborhood.”

“Tell me about it.” Dave chuckled, pulling on his protective gloves. “But then, who’d keep these machines running? They’re almost family, after all.”

“Only if your family is a ragtag group of misfits held together by sheer willpower.” Robert’s eyes crinkled in amusement.

“You got me there.”

The atmosphere was filled with the howl of steam, engines, and other loud machinery as their shifts began; the high-pitched note of pressure released into a valve opening providing a familiar backdrop to their daily lives.

The other workers chattered about their outside lives, which was a welcome distraction from the monotony of work. Family adventures, weekend getaways, and hobbies or creative outlets were among the stories shared to describe how they spent their spare time. Robert kept his distance as snippets of their conversations reached him.

For Robert, the idea of discussing personal matters with his peers was uncomfortable. He struggled to bridge the gap between himself and his co-workers, unable to relate to their shared interests in such pastimes. They were experiences he could never relate to, as he had grown up too fast due to his family’s financial struggles. As a result, he put more effort into getting along with the machines than with his fellow humans. He considered the equipment to be more dependable than any human friend, even if some machines were beyond repair or had been handled in a careless manner. But for him, the genuine excitement started when the work whistle blew, signaling the end of another grueling day.

“About time!” He wiped the sweat off his face. He often daydreamed about heading to the range to take out some frustration.

“Man, you love that shooting range, don’t you?” Dave’s voice had a hint of envy.

“Sure do,” Robert said, shrugging off his coveralls. “It’s the one place where I feel like I’m actually in control and not another cog in this rusted-out machine of a city. I don’t have to worry about life, exes, debt, nothin’.”

“I’m hopeful that one day you’ll be able to leave this place behind. Start off somewhere new.” Dave said, slapping Robert on the back.

“Here’s hoping.” His eyes were locked on the horizon as if he could see himself leaving this hellhole. He was off to the local shooting range, where he could pretend everything still had order.

After almost being run over by a white hover van while crossing the street, Robert arrived at his sanctuary’s shooting range. The aroma of gunpowder, battery acid, and cut grass mingled as he reached his usual spot. Robert found it delightful compared to Bethada City’s typical mildew and burnt leather odor.

“Alright, let’s dance,” he said, loading his trusty rifle with practiced ease. His rifle was a simple affair that allowed Robert to vent his frustrations on targets. He was a decent shot; at least, that is what he thought of himself.

Squeezing the trigger, firing off round after round. The targets quivered under the onslaught—a symphony of destruction played by the percussion section of his life’s dull and sad orchestra.

When he was still a teen, he found abandoned buildings around Bethada. He’d take his rifle and practice shooting at bottles, furniture pieces, walls, and whatever appeared. His mother and grandmother were furious when they found out, but that didn’t stop him from terrorizing bottles and paper targets.

“Take that, you cylindrical bastards,” he said, landing a satisfying shot on the smallest target. He was absorbed in his practice, not thinking about his lackluster life.

His rifle was a standard design of a powered weapon. The long barrel gun accelerated hunks of metal via a magnetic rail system, unlike other, more exotic armaments that used energy to produce high-speed plasma rounds. The sound of a round from this rifle would startle any man.

“Still the targets, if I had to guess,” came a raspy voice behind him. Turning around, Robert saw Pete. His beard was a patchwork quilt of gray and white strands, and his clothes had more holes than fabric.

Pete lived near the range because he realized the people who would frequent such an establishment would be well-armed and well-disciplined, making it a safe spot compared to other less savory locations.

“Ah, Pete, my favorite critic,” Robert joked, setting down his weapon. “What brings you here today?”

“Same thing that always does,” Pete said, scratching his chin. “The sweet sound of gunfire, the scent of ambition, and a hankering for some ol’ fashioned conversation.”

“Still working on that novel?” Robert knew that Pete had been “working” on it for years.

“Indeed, young Robert. Though I fear my magnum opus may never appear in daylight, trapped as it is in the literary purgatory between my brain and the page.”

“Hey, at least it’s got company in there, right?” Robert laughed at his joke. “You’ve got a ton of unwritten works in there, right?”

“True enough,” Pete said, a sparkle in his eyes and tales left untold. “Speaking of company, how’s your aim today? Plan on shootin’ repo-men?”

“Pretty good, if I do say so myself. The grouping on the smallest target isn’t the best I’ve done, but overall, I hit what I’m aiming at.” Ignoring the quip about Robert shooting repo men. Embarrassed that he could not manage money as well as other people. He still wasn’t able to constrain his urges to buy things he couldn’t afford.

“Ah, a prodigy in our midst!” Pete performed a mock bow.

Robert didn’t always know how to handle Pete. So the younger man looked at him with an odd expression.

“You remind me of my son.” A sad smile flickered across Pete’s weathered face. “He was an odd duck, too, always tinkering with machines and dreaming big. He went off to work in the mines when he was a boy. Never saw him again after the collapse.” Pete shrugged, fidgeting with a broken timepiece in his hands.

“Sorry to hear that. How old would he be?”

“About your age, I guess.”

“I bet I would have liked him.”

“I would like to think so, too. You’re both good kids.”

After a brief conversation about Pete being unable to find one of his friends, they exchanged farewells. Robert packed his rifle into his worn bag and exited the street, where he focused on his thoughts and started making his way home.

The sun and planet started to set, and their fading orange light gave the sky a beautiful hue. Robert took in the scenery as he strolled, not paying attention to one of the sleek white hover vans that had become so popular in the past months. It zipped away through the air as he watched before returning to his thoughts on what he would have for dinner.

The building he lived in stood like a weary sentinel at the town’s boundary, a hodgepodge of mismatched bricks and creaking metal that had long ago lost any semblance of architectural grace. Despite its weather-beaten exterior, the residents maintained a veneer of pride, as evidenced by the door with a fresh coat of paint.

Upon entering his small apartment, Robert was greeted by the neutral aroma of cleanliness, not too sterile but not fragrant enough to be noticeable. The scent was as unremarkable as beige. A fragrance that announced, “I am clean and functional, but please don’t expect any frills.”

He lived alone, which was considered a luxury tantamount to owning a solid gold toilet brush. He cherished living alone, deeming it a worthwhile trade-off to sacrifice financial stability for solitude.

His independence was threatened when he received an eviction notification last week. It had been weeks since his rent had been due, and the creditors were no longer in the mood to accept any more late payments. Unless Robert could find a way to earn the money necessary for back-rent and tenancy fees, he would have to pack his belongings and leave his beloved apartment for good.

Robert switched on his computer to search for night jobs but was soon distracted by a video that had popped up. The government shared an informative clip, motivating citizens to be proactive and responsible financially.

Robert recognized a humanoid alien named Damian Krestov, with pale yellow skin and a texture Robert couldn’t place; he didn’t know where the man was from. He almost spoke to Robert as if aware of his situation. Damian spoke about taking responsibility and believing and trusting in yourself when times are demanding because one must never give up hope.

As he spoke, Damian gestured enthusiastically to express himself and emphasize his points. This man believed every word that came from his mouth. After watching out of curiosity, Robert realized that it was all a propaganda video in disguise; he didn’t pay enough attention to understand the actual goal of the ad, but he knew it wasn’t ‘just an ad.’

His green eyes fell on a colored flyer that someone had slipped under his door while he was stretching out his legs. It bore the headline: “Prestigious Shooting Competition on Zorath!” Beneath the flashy text, an illustration portrayed a muscular figure raising a gun in triumph while standing on top of a mountain of defeated foes.

Robert scoffed; he was skeptical of such an over-the-top advertisement, and one delivered on paper door-to-door. Still, a twinge of excitement hit him as he read the details: a grand prize of one million credits and a chance to become a professional shooter, whatever that means. Despite his initial skepticism about the ridiculous flyer, his heart raced at the thought of escaping his less-than-ideal life on Mool, proving his skills, and making enough money to not worry about those debt collectors.

Questions swirled in Robert’s mind, but none could snuff out the flame of hope that had ignited within him. As he crumpled the flyer in his hand, he imagined the look on Pete’s face if he were to win the competition and return to Mool with a million credits and a newfound sense of freedom.

“Who designed this? A five-year-old with a crayon?” Robert scoffed. Yet, despite the ridiculous presentation, he couldn’t ignore the Sub-Lunar Protective Service logo, a shield with ‘SLPS’ stamped in the bottom right corner.

“What is a government agency running a shoot for?” It wasn’t news to Robert that the agency would run events, but it still perplexed him why.

“Alright, Fannec,” he said, attempting to rationalize the situation. “Let’s say this is legit. You’ve spent your whole life shooting targets at the range. You can leave this shit moon and pay off some debts.”

As he weighed the pros and cons, his eyes flicked back to the grand prize: one million credits. With that money, his life could undergo a complete metamorphosis, rescuing him from this decrepit city and launching him into an existence he had only imagined. But was it worth the risk of taking time off work? He was already behind by several weeks’ rent and couldn’t afford time off.

“It’s a risky gamble.” He thought. “But it might be my ticket out of this mess.” He rubbed his temples. “Why couldn’t they have made a normal ad instead of this cartoonish mess? Is this some cruel joke?”

Deep down in his subconscious, he was aware he had already decided. His desire to escape was far more potent than any doubts he might have about the competition’s legitimacy or his abilities.

“Okay,” he said, preparing himself for the decision ahead. “Worst-case scenario, I lose the apartment, and I’m the laughingstock of the city for a while. Best case, I walk away with a million credits, which would pay off all of my debt and buy me a new life somewhere else.”

“Alright, let’s see what kind of mess I’m getting myself into.” Pulling up the competition details on his comm device, he scrolled through the information, his eyebrows furrowing with each new bit of it. “It’s scheduled during storm season on Zorath. Do these event planners even know how to read a weather report?”

The thought of traveling to a distant planet during its tumultuous storm season made Robert’s stomach churn. He had never left Mool before, and while he was confident in his shooting skills, everything else about this trip was uncharted territory.

This kind of shoot requires more than marksmanship. To outsmart his rivals, Robert must think fast and use the landscape and surroundings to gain an advantage. Storms would make that difficult, and Robert didn’t practice a lot of situational shooting. Sniper shooting was his strong suit, which he practiced most.

“At least it’ll be a memorable experience.”

Robert couldn’t shake off his hesitation. His worries extended beyond the storms. He would be up against marksmen who possessed more shooting and life experience. He stopped pacing and stared at his reflection in the window. The city lights of Bethada flickered in the glass, casting a melancholy glow over his face. His eyes were tired but resolute.

The competition didn’t worry him; the entry fee wasn’t refundable. The price was going up soon to encourage more people to register early. He had to decide, and quick.

“I guess if these guys are dumb enough to hold a shooting competition during one of the worst storm seasons in the Confederation, then they’re dumb enough to let me win.”

He chuckled, imagining the event planners huddled over a meteorological terminal, unaware of the impending storm clouds. The United Confederation’s government should have caught such an obvious detail. Perhaps they thought the turbulent weather would excite or challenge the competition. Which would be something that a management or administrative employee would think of.

“Perhaps the storms will scare off some of the competition,” his mind was scrambling with images of seasoned marksmen fleeing in terror from the torrential rains and howling winds. “Yeah, I bet half of ’em will drop out before they even fired the first shot.”

His chest swelled with newfound confidence. Sure, he had never left Mool before, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hold his own on a strange, stormy planet. After all, he spent countless hours honing his skills at the local shooting range. And he always dreamed of fleeing the drudgery of his dull life in this rundown city on a forgotten moon.

“Alright, enough daydreaming,” he chided himself, shaking off his momentary lapse into fantasy. “Let’s make this official.”

Robert picked up his comm device and navigated to the registration page for the competition. He paused for a moment. The magnitude of the decision he was about to make was massive. He would have to prepare for missing out on some income. Once he registered, there would be no backing out, no second-guessing. The entry fee was substantial, but it would have to be bought on credit, like everything Robert paid for.

With a final deep breath and a surge of determination, Robert tapped the ‘Register’ button on his comm device. A cheerful confirmation message popped up on the screen: “Congratulations! You are now officially registered for the Zorath Shooting Competition!” It was followed by information about equipment checks, times, and locations.

“Well, this will be fun.”

@ 16d11430:61640947

The colonial fiat system—an intricate network of financial, social, and psychological constructs—relies on its ability to manipulate collective behavior, sustain economic dependency, and enforce systemic conformity. For the individual navigating this landscape, the brain becomes both a target and a tool. The question arises: how can the human brain, with its remarkable capacity for autonomy and adaptability, defend itself against the manipulative information siege of such a system? The answer lies in understanding and leveraging the brain's strengths to build defenses, foster resilience, and reclaim personal sovereignty.

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Understanding the Siege: The Colonial Fiat System's Manipulative Arsenal

The fiat system exerts its control through psychological and informational tactics designed to overwhelm the individual mind:

1. Fear and Uncertainty: Constant narratives of inflation, economic crises, and scarcity exploit the brain’s amygdala, triggering anxiety and compliance.

2. Hyperconsumerism: By hijacking the brain’s reward pathways, the system fosters addiction to materialism, making individuals dependent on endless cycles of consumption.

3. Herd Mentality: Swarm consciousness, driven by social norms and media influence, suppresses critical thinking and reinforces collective conformity.

4. Short-Term Thinking: The system capitalizes on impulsive decision-making, eroding long-term planning and independence.

To resist these tactics, the individual brain must become a fortress—fortified by critical thought, emotional regulation, and intentional living.

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Fortifying the Mind: Strategies for Resilience

1. Cultivate Cognitive Autonomy

At the heart of resistance lies the brain’s ability to think independently. By engaging the prefrontal cortex—the seat of logic, reasoning, and decision-making—individuals can reclaim their mental autonomy.

Question Narratives: Evaluate the motives behind information presented by media, corporations, and governments. Ask: Who benefits from this message?

Strengthen Critical Thinking: Regularly challenge your own assumptions and seek out diverse perspectives to avoid echo chambers.

Learn the System: Understand how the fiat system functions, from its reliance on inflationary policies to its ties to debt-based economies. Knowledge dismantles manipulation.

1. Master Emotional Regulation

The colonial fiat system thrives on fear, uncertainty, and the dopamine-driven cycles of consumerism. Emotional regulation shields the brain from these manipulative forces.

Practice Mindfulness: Techniques such as meditation and deep breathing calm the amygdala, reducing reactivity to fear-based propaganda.

Delay Gratification: Strengthen your ability to prioritize long-term rewards over impulsive consumption, engaging the brain’s executive functions.

Build Emotional Awareness: Recognize when your emotions are being manipulated, whether through scarcity marketing or fearmongering headlines.

1. Rewire Reward Systems

The brain’s reward pathways, driven by dopamine, are a primary target of the fiat system’s consumerist messaging. Reclaim control by redefining what brings you fulfillment.

Seek Intrinsic Rewards: Shift focus from material possessions to meaningful activities, such as learning, creating, and connecting with others.

Limit Exposure: Reduce consumption of advertising and social media, which are designed to exploit your reward circuits.

Adopt Sound Money Principles: Embrace financial practices that align with long-term stability, such as saving in Bitcoin or other deflationary assets.

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Adaptability: The Key to Outwitting the System

1. Harness Neuroplasticity

The human brain’s neuroplasticity—its ability to rewire and adapt—offers a powerful tool for resisting the system’s influence.

Unlearn Dependency: Challenge habits and beliefs that tie your self-worth to fiat-driven success metrics, such as status symbols or debt-financed lifestyles.

Learn Decentralization: Educate yourself on alternatives to fiat systems, such as Bitcoin, decentralized finance, and peer-to-peer economies.

Adopt Resilient Skills: Develop capabilities that enhance your independence, such as critical financial literacy, coding, or permaculture.

1. Reclaim Time and Focus

The fiat system thrives on distraction, keeping individuals too overwhelmed to question its constructs. Reclaiming focus is an act of rebellion.

Set Boundaries: Allocate time for deep work and personal growth, free from the constant noise of digital media.

Practice Digital Minimalism: Use technology intentionally, ensuring it serves your goals rather than consuming your attention.

Value Rest: Recognize that productivity is not your sole measure of worth. Rest and reflection strengthen your cognitive resilience.

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A Community of Sovereignty: The Collective Defense

While the individual brain is formidable, collective resistance amplifies its power. The social brain network enables connection with others who share a vision of autonomy and decentralization.

Build Like-Minded Networks: Engage with communities that value critical thinking, self-reliance, and alternative systems.

Share Knowledge: Spread awareness of the manipulative mechanisms of the fiat system, empowering others to resist.

Collaborate on Solutions: From supporting decentralized technologies to creating resilient local economies, collective action dismantles dependency.

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Finding Anchors: Philosophy, Purpose, and Meaning

The brain’s capacity for self-reflection and existential thought provides a deep well of strength. By anchoring your life to principles and purpose, you can resist the shallow incentives of fiat-driven systems.

Explore Philosophical Anchors: Ideas such as sound money, personal sovereignty, and ethical living provide a framework for resistance.

Seek Transcendence: Practices like spirituality, art, and nature connection foster a sense of purpose beyond materialism.

Define Success on Your Terms: Reject fiat-driven definitions of success, focusing instead on values like freedom, creativity, and meaningful relationships.

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Conclusion: The Brain as a Bastion of Sovereignty

The colonial fiat system’s manipulative siege is formidable, but the human brain is a far greater force. Through critical thinking, emotional regulation, adaptability, and purpose, the brain has the power to resist the swarm consciousness that perpetuates systemic dependency. By building mental fortresses, individuals can reclaim their autonomy, foster resilience, and pave the way for a decentralized, self-sovereign future.

The battle for freedom begins not in institutions but within the neural networks of the individual brain. Each mind fortified against manipulation is a victory for personal sovereignty—and a step toward a world where human potential thrives beyond the shadow of fiat control.

@ d3052ca3:d84a170e

It seems to me that the primary opposition to ecash from bitcoiners comes from the belief that lightning will enable self-custodial micropayments for the masses. Many lightning enthusiasts see ecash as competition that will eliminate this technological outcome (whether they admit it or not).

I understand the motivation for this line of reasoning but I don't see things this way at all. Ecash is a superset of lightning. Cashu literally doesn't have a spec for on-chain transactions (yet!). Everything cashu accomplishes is built on the back of lightning. Standing on the shoulders of giants.

I don't believe that ecash will take away market share from self-custodial lightning because lightning is not a good technology for self-custody. The high overhead costs of running your own node create a natural incentive for a semi-centralized hub and spoke network graph. It just makes economic sense for many users to share a lightning node. It doesn't make economic sense for individuals to bear this cost alone.

This stacker news post is the best writeup on this topic: https://stacker.news/items/379225

It comes from a builder who struggled with these issues for years and learned the shortcomings of the tech first hand. Notice they experimented with ecash as a solution to these problems before they burned out and pivoted to save the company.

Ecash is a superset of lightning. It extends the capability and reach of the lightning network. Without ecash, I don't believe we can achieve bitcoin mass adoption. You can't jam a square peg into a round hole.

We still have a need for self-custody of "small" amounts of bitcoin. I put small in quotes because the block size limit and the fee market it creates impose a fundamental constraint on the minimum practical size of a UTXO. This limit is pegged to the unit of bitcoin. As bitcoin increases in value the minimum size for an on-chain transaction will grow in value as well. You can send $10 worth of bitcoin on-chain today but will this be true in 10 years when the price is much higher? 100 years?

If the current exponential trends hold, we will soon price out the majority of humanity from owning a UTXO. This is bad. Like really bad. "Bitcoin is a failure" bad. This is the motivation for my posts about scaling on-chain usage to 10 billion people. I believe we will need to radically rearchitect bitcoin to achieve this goal.

Lightning is not up to the task. We should leverage lightning for what it's good at: gluing together different self-custodial bitcoin service providers. We should leverage ecash for what it's good at: peer-to-peer electronic cash micropayments. IN ADDITION we also need to start seriously looking at new ideas for scaling self custody to "small" amounts of bitcoin. I am very optimistic that we can solve this problem. There are a number of promising avenues to pursue but I think first we need to move the Overton window ~~beyond the idea of mass adoption of self-custodial lightning~~ regarding on-chain scaling.

Edit: I think the original Overton window statement was incorrect. If on-chain fees stay low then self-custodial lightning or something similar is a much better prospect.

Just my 2 sats...let me know what you think. Keep it civil or be muted.

@ 1cb14ab3:95d52462

Tree branches. 4' x 4 [Castle Pines, USA. 2016]

Introduction

Sanctuary offers a layered view of resilience, juxtaposing the green expanses of the Sanctuary Golf Course with the majesty of Pikes Peak and the scars of past destruction. Framed by the lens, this work explores the tension between human intervention and nature’s cycles of renewal.

Site & Placement

Perched at Daniels Park in Castle Pines, the lens focuses on the rolling terrain of the golf course, leading the eye to the distant peak. The surrounding brush, which once burned in a major fire, adds depth to the narrative of renewal. A bench, positioned for an unobstructed view, invites visitors to sit and reflect on the land’s capacity to heal and endure.

Impermanence & Integration

As an ephemeral installation, Sanctuary embodies nature’s cycles of destruction and rebirth. The materials—branches and rock—will eventually decay and return to the earth, a process that mirrors the recovery of the landscape itself after fire. This impermanence underscores the delicate balance between human influence and natural forces.

Reflection

Sanctuary serves as a reminder of both the fragility and resilience of the world around us. It invites viewers to pause and consider the interplay of destruction and growth, human and natural, as they gaze upon a scene shaped by both time and transformation

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Photos

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More from the 'Earth Lens' Series:

Earth Lens Series: Artist Statement + List of Works

"Looking Glass" (Earth Lens 001)

"Folsom" (Earth Lens 002)

COMING SOON: "Platte" (Earth Lens 004)

COMING SOON: "Grandfather" (Earth Lens 005)

COMING SOON: "Chongming" (Earth Lens 006)

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More from Hes

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Artist Statements

Travel Guides

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All images are credit of Hes, but you are free to download and use for any purpose. If you find joy from my art, please feel free to send a zap. Enjoy life on a Bitcoin standard.

@ 16d11430:61640947

The entanglement of fiat currency, racial hierarchies, and colonialism is not merely a historical artifact but a systemic force that continues to shape the modern world. While colonialism has shifted from overt territorial domination to more subtle forms of economic and ideological control, its foundations remain deeply rooted in racialized exploitation and fiat-based financial systems. This article explores how fiat currency has historically been a tool of colonial power, how race has been weaponized to justify and sustain economic hierarchies, and how these forces persist in contemporary global structures.

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The Role of Fiat in Colonial Domination

Fiat currency—money without intrinsic value, issued by centralized authorities—played a pivotal role in enabling colonial powers to exert control over colonized territories. By dismantling indigenous systems of trade and imposing fiat-based economies, colonizers centralized power, creating a structural dependence that persists to this day.

1. Monetary Imposition and Disruption: Colonial administrations replaced local barter systems and commodity currencies with fiat systems, compelling indigenous populations to use colonial currencies for taxes, goods, and services. This enforced participation in a colonial economic order undermined self-sufficient local economies. For example, the British introduction of the rupee in India dismantled complex indigenous trade networks, forcing economic realignment under colonial terms.

2. Taxation and Forced Labor: Fiat systems were weaponized to coerce colonized populations into labor. Taxes, often payable only in colonial currency, forced people to work within colonial enterprises to earn the money required. This dependency reinforced economic subjugation.

3. Inflation as Extraction: By manipulating fiat currency supplies, colonial powers extracted wealth from colonies. Printing excess money devalued local economies while enriching colonial elites. This strategy was less visible but equally exploitative compared to direct resource extraction.

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Race as an Economic Justification

While fiat systems provided the mechanisms of economic control, racial ideologies provided the moral and political justification for colonial domination. Race became a lens through which economic inequality was normalized, rationalizing the exploitation of non-European populations.

1. Racialized Labor Exploitation: Under colonialism, racial hierarchies determined access to wealth and opportunities. Indigenous and enslaved peoples were systematically underpaid or unpaid, while Europeans occupied privileged economic positions. Racial ideologies framed these disparities as natural or deserved.

2. The Commodification of Racialized Bodies: Fiat systems also underpinned the commodification of human lives during slavery. Loans, bonds, and other financial instruments were issued based on the value of enslaved people, reducing human beings to economic units within racialized systems of extraction.

3. The Devaluation of Indigenous Economies: Indigenous systems of wealth and exchange were not merely disrupted but devalued, portrayed as primitive or inefficient compared to fiat-based systems. This cultural erasure further entrenched economic hierarchies tied to race.

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Fiat Colonialism’s Modern Legacy

The relationship between fiat and racialized economic control persists in the global financial architecture:

1. Structural Dependence: Many post-colonial nations remain reliant on currencies introduced during colonial rule or tied to foreign powers. For example, the CFA franc in West Africa still links former French colonies to the French treasury, perpetuating neo-colonial dependency.

2. Global Financial Institutions: Organizations like the IMF and World Bank, operating within fiat systems, impose structural adjustment policies on Global South nations. These policies prioritize debt repayment to wealthy nations, often at the expense of local development. The racialized logic of colonialism reappears in these economic relationships, where predominantly non-European nations bear the brunt of austerity measures.

3. Racialized Access to Capital: In modern fiat economies, access to credit and capital is often disproportionately restricted for marginalized racial groups. This reinforces historical inequities rooted in colonial systems of economic exclusion.

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Ideological Colonialism Through Fiat

Fiat currency is not merely a tool of economic exchange but a vehicle for ideological dominance. The imposition of Western fiat systems during colonialism also imposed Western economic values, undermining indigenous worldviews and institutionalizing a global hierarchy that remains intact today.

Monetary Sovereignty: By denying colonized nations the right to issue their own currencies, colonial powers stripped them of economic sovereignty. Today, this legacy continues as many nations remain economically constrained by foreign-controlled fiat systems.

Cultural Hegemony: Fiat systems have been a means of propagating cultural imperialism. Indigenous concepts of value and exchange, which often prioritized communal well-being over profit, were replaced by extractive models tied to fiat economies.

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A Decolonial Perspective: Bitcoin and Alternatives

In the face of these enduring systems, decentralized financial systems like Bitcoin present a potential challenge to the colonial logic embedded in fiat systems:

1. Decentralized Sovereignty: Bitcoin operates independently of centralized authorities, offering nations and individuals the opportunity to bypass fiat dependencies. This could empower post-colonial states to reclaim economic autonomy.

2. Neutrality and Accessibility: Unlike fiat systems, which often reflect and reinforce racial and geopolitical hierarchies, Bitcoin is borderless and non-discriminatory, creating opportunities for marginalized groups to access capital and build wealth.

3. Transparency and Accountability: Blockchain technology ensures transparency, reducing the opacity that has historically allowed global financial institutions to exploit vulnerable nations through predatory practices.

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Conclusion

The historical entanglement of fiat currency, race, and colonialism reveals how economic systems have been designed to sustain power imbalances. While colonialism has shifted in form—from direct rule to economic and ideological control—the core principles remain intact, with fiat currency serving as a critical mechanism for perpetuating these hierarchies.

Decolonizing the global economy requires dismantling these systems, recognizing their racialized foundations, and exploring alternatives that prioritize equity and autonomy. Bitcoin and decentralized technologies offer a potential pathway, though their success depends on a broader commitment to addressing the structural inequalities that fiat-based colonialism has left in its wake.

This is not just an economic imperative but a moral one: to imagine and build a world no longer bound by the exploitative legacies of fiat and race.

@ 1cb14ab3:95d52462

Tree branches, Rock. 4' x 4 [Boulder, USA. 2016]

Introduction

From atop Flagstaff Mountain, Folsom frames Boulder’s iconic Folsom Field, a symbol of youth, learning, and community. This lens offers a moment of reflection on the brevity of the college experience and the transient nature of life, inviting viewers to connect with the campus and its fleeting but impactful moments.

Site & Placement

The lens is strategically placed to frame the stadium, blending the vibrant life of the campus with Boulder’s vast and enduring natural landscape. The bench, situated 6 feet from the lens, offers a space to sit and contemplate the juxtaposition of permanence and change, of structure and wilderness.

Impermanence & Integration

Constructed from branches and rock, Folsom is designed to fade into the mountain landscape after only a short time. Its impermanence echoes the fleeting nature of the college years, reminding viewers that growth and transformation are rooted in moments that pass all too quickly.

Reflection

Through its brief presence, Folsom captures the delicate interplay between human experiences and the enduring landscapes that frame them. It invites viewers to celebrate the vibrant present while acknowledging the inevitability of change.

---

Photos

---

More from the 'Earth Lens' Series:

Earth Lens Series: Artist Statement + List of Works

"Looking Glass" (Earth Lens 001)

COMING SOON: "Sanctuary" (Earth Lens 003)

COMING SOON: "Platte" (Earth Lens 004)

COMING SOON: "Grandfather" (Earth Lens 005)

COMING SOON: "Chongming" (Earth Lens 006)

---

More from Hes

Portfolio

Online Store

Artist Statements

Travel Guides

Photography

Writings

---

All images are credit of Hes, but you are free to download and use for any purpose. If you find joy from my art, please feel free to send a zap. Enjoy life on a Bitcoin standard.

@ d9cfbbde:e7cfd9fd

Testing if this can be edited after publishing...

@ 16d11430:61640947

In the world of fiat, bosses are no longer mere professionals managing resources and people. They are, in essence, Big Brother's appointed handlers, glorified totems of obedience whose primary role is to ensure the herd stays docile, compliant, and tethered to their assigned hamster wheels. They don’t just manage; they surveil. With Orwellian precision, their every motivational email, team-building exercise, and performance review is an insidious mechanism for upholding the grand illusion of "freedom within structure."

These citizen-handlers come cloaked in titles like "team leader" or "manager," but their true mandate is far more sinister. Their KPIs aren’t just productivity or revenue—it’s compliance. It’s ensuring that no one questions why a third of their paycheck evaporates into the shadowy depths of taxes and inflation, why corporate policies look more like legislation, or why time—the only non-renewable resource—is spent propping up systems designed to ensure it is wasted.

Their tools? The carrot and the stick, but reinvented for the modern serfdom. The carrot is a pay raise that barely outpaces inflation, a shiny "employee of the month" badge that says, "You’re a good hamster!" The stick? Passive-aggressive emails, whispered conversations about "alignment with company values," and the ever-present specter of "budget cuts," a euphemism for your expendability in the machinery.

Dark satire requires pointing out the absurdities they enforce with a straight face: They orchestrate pointless Zoom meetings that siphon hours of productivity but demand employees "turn on their cameras" as proof of existence. They impose performance reviews steeped in doublespeak, where "areas of improvement" mean "You’re not docile enough," and "leadership potential" is code for "You’re great at mirroring propaganda."

Their allegiance is not to you, nor even to the company. It’s to the system that birthed them—a system that thrives on mediocrity, rewards complicity, and punishes dissent. The fiat boss isn’t a mentor; they’re a handler armed with spreadsheets, PowerPoints, and policies designed to turn independent thought into a liability. They are the human interface of a system that cannot tolerate deviation, individuality, or questions like, "Why are we doing this in the first place?"

In their world, promotions aren’t about merit but about trust—trust that you will perpetuate the cycle without asking too many questions. "You’re like family here," they say, but families don’t dock your pay for being late. "We value innovation," they claim, while shackling creativity with bureaucratic hurdles. "We care about work-life balance," they insist, while quietly monitoring your Slack activity at 11 PM.

Ultimately, the fiat boss-handler is a tragic figure in this dark satire, a cog who believes they’re the engine, a shepherd who thinks they’re free while they guide the sheep. They are the unwitting enforcers of a dystopia where freedom is rationed, individuality is commodified, and dissent is erased—not by decree, but by performance improvement plans.

@ 9e69e420:d12360c2

President Trump plans to withdraw 20,000 U.S. troops from Europe and expects European allies to contribute financially to the remaining military presence. Reported by ANSA, Trump aims to deliver this message to European leaders since taking office. A European diplomat noted, “the costs cannot be borne solely by American taxpayers.”

The Pentagon hasn't commented yet. Trump has previously sought lower troop levels in Europe and had ordered cuts during his first term. The U.S. currently maintains around 65,000 troops in Europe, with total forces reaching 100,000 since the Ukraine invasion. Trump's new approach may shift military focus to the Pacific amid growing concerns about China.

Sauce

@ 1ec45473:d38df139

The probability of AGI ending us is negative.

A common tactic among doomers is to state something along the lines of the following:

"If we create AGI, there is some non-zero chance every year, that the AGI will end humanity. Whatever that chance is compounds every year, and is thus unacceptable."

The question I would ask the doomer is "How do you know that the chance of AGI ending humanity isn't negative?"

What does it mean for AGI to have a negative chance of ending humanity?

Setting aside AGI for a moment, what is the chance every year that humanity ends from other events, such as nuclear war, solar flares, super-volcanoes, asteroid hits, societal collapse, etc?

How do you even answer this question in a reasonable manner? Well lets look at past data.

Of all species that have existed 99% have gone extinct.

Of our closest 7 relatives from the genus Homo, 100% have gone extinct.

On a higher level looking at civilizational collapse. According to Wikipedia, virtually all historical societies have collapsed.

Looking out into the universe, we see no signs of life elsewhere, so if there was life in the past we can assume that they have gone extinct.

It would therefore be reasonable to say that the chance of our extinction is very high even without AGI, well above 90%. Maybe 99%.

You could argue the numbers but at least with these numbers we are using some past data to extrapolate the future, where the doomers are using no data whatsoever to support their numbers.

We can also state, that of all the species and societies that have collapsed in the past, they have done so because they did not yet have the knowledge on how to survive. They didn't know how to create antibiotics, or generate enough energy, or defend themselves from the environment.

What is AGI? AGI is a way to create knowledge. Most all societies in the past have collapsed because they didn't have the knowledge on how to survive, and the doomer argument is that we should slow down our ability to create knowledge, when we know that this has been precisely the problem in the past.

It is a certainty we will all die without more knowledge then we have now. The future death of our sun ensures that.

We have to create the knowledge on how to survive, and that is what AGI does - it creates knowledge.

AGI most certainly has a negative probability of ending humanity.

@ 1ec45473:d38df139

Preston Pysh posted this event this morning:

Behind the scenes, the nostr event looks like this:

Event = { "id":"a6fa7e1a73ce70c6fb01584a0519fd29788e59d9980402584e7a0af92cf0474a", "pubkey":"85080d3bad70ccdcd7f74c29a44f55bb85cbcd3dd0cbb957da1d215bdb931204", "created_at":1724494504, "kind":1, "tags":[ [ "p", "6c237d8b3b120251c38c230c06d9e48f0d3017657c5b65c8c36112eb15c52aeb", "", "mention" ], [ "p", "77ec966fcd64f901152cad5dc7731c7c831fe22e02e3ae99ff14637e5a48ef9c", "", "mention" ], [ "p", "c1fc7771f5fa418fd3ac49221a18f19b42ccb7a663da8f04cbbf6c08c80d20b1", "", "mention" ], [ "p", "50d94fc2d8580c682b071a542f8b1e31a200b0508bab95a33bef0855df281d63", "", "mention" ], [ "p", "20d88bae0c38e6407279e6a83350a931e714f0135e013ea4a1b14f936b7fead5", "", "mention" ], [ "p", "273e7880d38d39a7fb238efcf8957a1b5b27e819127a8483e975416a0a90f8d2", "", "mention" ], [ "t", "BH2024" ] ], "content":"Awesome Freedom Panel with...", "sig":"2b64e461cd9f5a7aa8abbcbcfd953536f10a334b631a352cd4124e8e187c71aad08be9aefb6a68e5c060e676d06b61c553e821286ea42489f9e7e7107a1bf79a" }

In nostr, all events have this form, so once you become familiar with the nostr event structure, things become pretty easy.

Look at the "tags" key. There are six "p" tags (pubkey) and one "t" tag (hashtag).

The p tags are public keys of people that are mentioned in the note. The t tags are for hashtags in the note.

It is common when working with NOSTR that you have to extract out certain tags. Here are some examples of how to do that with what are called JavaScript Array Methods:

Find the first "p" tag element:

``` Event.tags.find(item => item[0] === 'p')

[ 'p', '6c237d8b3b120251c38c230c06d9e48f0d3017657c5b65c8c36112eb15c52aeb', '', 'mention' ]

```

Same, but just return the pubkey":

``` Event.tags.find(item => item[0] === 'p')[1]

'6c237d8b3b120251c38c230c06d9e48f0d3017657c5b65c8c36112eb15c52aeb'

```

Filter the array so I only get "p" tags:

``` Event.tags.filter(item => item[0] === 'p')

[ [ 'p', '6c237d8b3b120251c38c230c06d9e48f0d3017657c5b65c8c36112eb15c52aeb', '', 'mention' ], [ 'p', '77ec966fcd64f901152cad5dc7731c7c831fe22e02e3ae99ff14637e5a48ef9c', '', 'mention' ], [ 'p', 'c1fc7771f5fa418fd3ac49221a18f19b42ccb7a663da8f04cbbf6c08c80d20b1', '', 'mention' ], [ 'p', '50d94fc2d8580c682b071a542f8b1e31a200b0508bab95a33bef0855df281d63', '', 'mention' ], [ 'p', '20d88bae0c38e6407279e6a83350a931e714f0135e013ea4a1b14f936b7fead5', '', 'mention' ], [ 'p', '273e7880d38d39a7fb238efcf8957a1b5b27e819127a8483e975416a0a90f8d2', '', 'mention' ] ]

```

Return an array with only the pubkeys in the "p" tags:

``` Event.tags.filter(item => item[0] === 'p').map(item => item[1])

[ '6c237d8b3b120251c38c230c06d9e48f0d3017657c5b65c8c36112eb15c52aeb', '77ec966fcd64f901152cad5dc7731c7c831fe22e02e3ae99ff14637e5a48ef9c', 'c1fc7771f5fa418fd3ac49221a18f19b42ccb7a663da8f04cbbf6c08c80d20b1', '50d94fc2d8580c682b071a542f8b1e31a200b0508bab95a33bef0855df281d63', '20d88bae0c38e6407279e6a83350a931e714f0135e013ea4a1b14f936b7fead5', '273e7880d38d39a7fb238efcf8957a1b5b27e819127a8483e975416a0a90f8d2' ]

```

@ 1ec45473:d38df139

`` ______________ / /| / / | /____________ / | | ___________ | | || || | || #NOSTR || | || || | ||___________|| | | _______ | / /| (_______) | / ( |_____________|/ \ .=======================. | :::::::::::::::: ::: | | ::::::::::::::[] ::: | | ----------- ::: |-----------------------'

```

@ 0d7bc80d:aaf2218d

\ Volkesbewusstsein, as interpreted from Carl von Savigny’s legal philosophy, and utilized by Carl Schmitt in his own, refers to the common consciousness of the people.

For Savigny, this meant that the laws and boundaries of the state evolve organically out of the collective consciousness of the people in a given historical period. A blooming out of the shared cultural fabric of a society.

Schmitt’s interpretation is slightly more assertive, seen more as an imposition of the collective will in defining the sovereign and the state.

But what makes up the common consciousness of society in our time? How does that influence the formation of our state and its laws? My sense is that the thing most shared or collective about our current consciousness is the schizophrenic quality of it. Our cultural fabric is that of an insane asylum,. We swim deep inside the algorithmic passivity of our historical moment, and this has fragmented our consciousness.

The concept of the public sphere as conceptualized by Jürgen Habermas projects an idealized image of a bygone era of communal communication and a genuine shared experience of reality. The public sphere was an arena for dialogue, disagreement, and maybe even reconciliation. This ideal held that communication occurred outside the bounds of state and market manipulation and held to rational discourse as a means of discovering Volkesbewusstsein.

Habermas was aware and critical of the modern erosion of the public sphere due to mass media and its influences. And here we are now in our cultural moment. It’s become trite to remind ourselves of the algorithmic sway that we encounter on a daily basis through social media news feeds. But this is one of those realities we need to continually encounter to take seriously, because it backgrounds itself so well. We become passive automatons swayed for engagement. AI agents capturing our attention and manipulating the lizard brain.

We are all aware of this.

However, to what extent are we understanding the schizophrenic agency of the algorithmic hyper-agent? There’s undoubtedly intentional manipulation of information for explicit ends, not explicit to us necessarily, but to someone or some bureaucracy.

What happens though when we have a myriad of explicit algorithmic hyper-agents taking over the public sphere? I’m no clinician, but my diagnosis is schizophrenia at the level of our distributed cognition. We’re in a collective asylum and the guards are insane too.

What kind of heroes emerge out of that cultural fabric? Well, insane ones. And they will look perfectly sane in their response to a system of state sovereignty and laws that have emerged out of that asylum. And we’ll cheer it on as it feels like entropy towards collapse is the only thing that might save us. Not that we are always conscious of our entropic aims. But the walls are crumbling down, and everyone has a sledgehammer, so we decide to pick one up as well. We’d prefer to feel that we’re at least exercising SOME sort of agency, after all.

I find myself entirely addicted to my comforting insanity. Precisely because it gives me the illusion of agency, rather than the passivity that Habermas feared would be the destruction of the public sphere. I’m grateful that every now and then, I’m able to stand back and examine the frames I’m applying, or that have been applied for me, and recognize my passivity.

Perennially, it becomes apparent that we need to step outside of the passive sway of our screens and to engage in an algorithmic free salon. The idealized picture of humans in a communal space, with minimally distorted flows of information, in true dialogue. A mutual respect for each other and our different value judgements, with a shared commitment to orienting towards truth.

The most basic way we can do this is to continually step back from the asylum, and find a quiet corner to discuss with other well intentioned patients how we might organically blossom out a new common consciousness. It’s hegemonic character, that which dominates it, need not be the assertion of one difference over the other, but the assertion that differences in value systems share some orientation.

All this must be, for now, done from the place of acceptance of our diagnosis. Our conversations in the public sphere will need to continually encounter and correct for our schizophrenia. But if enough of us pick up a hammer and start smashing it against the wall of the asylum, a new organic shared consciousness has a shot at arising.

@ d57360cb:4fe7d935

Martial Arts has a way of imparting deep lessons on you, lessons that you feel deep to the core. Here are a few that have stuck with me. These lessons extend beyond the field of martial arts into every area of life, may you find value in them.

Static Vs Dynamic

The world is a dynamic and fluid domain, yet we think statically. This error makes us incompatible. When we think about the future and the past, they are fixed in our minds. We might have a grand plan for how we will beat our opponent or hold fear of a loss we suffered at the hands of another opponent. Because these are harbored in our minds, we are fixed in place entering a battle which is constantly moving.

To succeed one has to abandon the static and learn to dance. Let me explain this through the problem solving process.

Problem Solving

Imagine there's a giant wall in front of you and this wall is going to fall directly on top of you. Here you're faced with a problem, the wall falling and you also might have guessed the solution which is get out of the way. The usual approach people take in solving problems is they wait til the problem has already taken place and established itself to act.

Knowing fully the wall is falling they will wait til the wall has crushed them, only then they'll enact their plan to get out of the way. Their plan may very well work but not when the wall has already fallen, this renders their plan useless even though it is the correct solution. In their minds they see the problem and the solution only taking place when certain factors are met and conditions are perfect.

They will not act to evade a punch until hit in the face, they won't try to escape a choke until their opponent is squeezing the life out of them. This is the error of unskilled beginners yet it's a necessary path to the dynamic.

The best way to avoid danger is not going there in the first place

At a certain point you will get tired of getting hit in the face, getting choked out, and having the wall get crushed on you. You will see others using the very same solutions you're using and wonder why they succeed and you don't. The cogs in your brain come alive and you begin to think if the solution is to get out the way, I need to do it before or as the wall is falling not when it's already fallen. This takes you from the static to the dynamic, from thinking to feeling.

Instead of thinking and anticipating a punch and then moving, you no longer anticipate you immerse yourself in the chaos and are free to feel. You no longer wait for your opponent to have his hands around your neck to avoid getting choked, you avoid the situation altogether. You see the wall falling and you step out of the way, by nature another wall replaces it, this one is also falling and you maneuver out of its way. This is the great dance, this is the art.

Failure is Information

"The fool that persists in his folly soon becomes wise"

In life as in the arts you will continually face failures or walls. Most people view these as negative. Having a wall crushed on them they take it personally, blame themselves, how terrible they are and how much better their opponent is. These are your trusted guides they show you where you are fixed in place, they show you your inflexibility, your rigidity. They humble you over and over. It may take days, weeks, years or months for you to realize. In this way the end never arrives, the path of practice is the goal.

With diligence and patience the thing you once saw as a failure will become your wisest friend.

No opponent

Each person is going through this struggle internally. They face their own set of problems. In this way your opponents serve you as you serve them. The person that beats you down is not a rival, he's also not 'better' in any way he's exposed you and shown you the areas you have blindspots and weakness in. In the same way you serve that purpose for those just starting on the path. You may beat someone down and think you are 'better' than those you dominate. This is the wrong view you are a guide to those below you and student to those above you.

If you get caught up in your ego and status you will be blinded. One must leave the static world of victory and loss to find the dynamic.

Everything Bleeds

This was a post on material arts, but you could very well replace martial arts with any field and any set of problems. The incompatible mix of the static mind and dynamic world is found in every area of life. The lessons you learn from one area can be translated to another, these lessons are fundamental. In this way lessons bleed and overflow into everything you touch. You are the center of experience the things you devote time to in life are merely tools of expression.

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

Top 20 U.S. Cryptocurrency Headlines:

1. SEC Reverses Crypto Accounting Rule, Easing Bank Participation The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has overturned guidance that previously treated digital tokens as liabilities on bank balance sheets. This reversal is expected to facilitate banks in offering cryptocurrency custody services without facing significant penalties.

   ft.com

2. President Trump Signs Executive Order to Bolster Crypto Industry. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order titled "Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology," aiming to position the U.S. as a global leader in the digital asset market. The order includes the creation of a task force to propose new crypto regulations and explore the establishment of a national digital asset stockpile.

   Investor's Business Daily

3. Crypto Markets React to New Regulatory Initiatives. Following the administration's recent policy moves, the cryptocurrency market experienced a dip, with Bitcoin stabilizing around $105,000. The creation of a task force to propose new crypto regulations has introduced uncertainty, leading to profit-taking among investors.

   reuters.com

4. Industry Celebrates Anticipated Deregulation Amid Caution. The cryptocurrency community is optimistic about the administration's supportive stance, including proposals for a U.S. Bitcoin reserve. However, experts caution that increased government endorsement could expose the financial system to significant risks if the market faces downturns.

   ft.com

5. White House Appoints David Sacks as Crypto and AI Advisor. The administration has appointed tech entrepreneur David Sacks as the White House's cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence advisor. Sacks will lead the newly formed Presidential Task Force on Digital Asset Markets, focusing on developing regulatory frameworks and exploring the creation of a national Bitcoin reserve.

   Barron's

6. Bitcoin Price Surges to All-Time High Amid Policy Shifts. Bitcoin has reached a record high of $109,000, driven by increased interest following endorsements from President Trump and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. The launch of cryptocurrencies associated with both Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump has further fueled market enthusiasm.

   The Times & The Sunday Times

7. Financial Institutions Show Renewed Interest in Crypto Services. Major financial firms, including Charles Schwab, are exploring deeper engagement in the crypto market following recent regulatory changes. Traditional banks are now better positioned to offer cryptocurrency custody services, reflecting a shift towards mainstream adoption.

   ft.com

8. Congressional Leaders Express Concerns Over Rapid Crypto Expansion. Some lawmakers have raised concerns about the swift regulatory changes favoring the cryptocurrency industry. They caution that rapid deregulation could lead to increased market volatility and potential risks to the broader financial system.

   reuters.com

9. Crypto-Related Crimes Prompt Calls for Enhanced Security Measures. The recent kidnapping and assault of Ledger co-founder David Balland have highlighted the risks associated with the crypto industry. Security experts advise individuals involved in cryptocurrency to exercise discretion regarding their personal wealth and implement robust security protocols.

   The Times & The Sunday Times

10. Stablecoin Development Encouraged Under New Executive Order. The administration's executive order promotes the development of dollar-backed stablecoins for global use, aiming to enhance the U.S. dollar's presence in the digital asset space while prohibiting the establishment of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the U.S.

    Investor's Business Daily

11. Crypto Education Initiatives Launched to Foster Public Understanding. In response to the growing interest in digital assets, educational programs are being developed to inform the public about cryptocurrency investment risks and opportunities, aiming to promote responsible participation in the market.

12. Tech Companies Explore Blockchain Integration Amid Regulatory Clarity. With the recent regulatory developments, technology firms are increasingly considering blockchain integration into their operations, anticipating that clearer guidelines will support innovation in the sector.

13. Crypto Taxation Policies Under Review Following Executive Order. The Treasury Department is reviewing existing cryptocurrency taxation policies to align with the new executive order, potentially leading to revised guidelines that could impact investors and businesses.

14. Investment Funds Increase Crypto Holdings Amid Policy Support. Investment funds are bolstering their cryptocurrency portfolios, encouraged by the administration's supportive policies and the SEC's reversal of restrictive accounting rules.

15. Public-Private Partnerships Form to Advance Blockchain Research. New collaborations between government agencies and private companies are emerging to advance blockchain research and development, aiming to maintain the U.S.'s competitive edge in digital financial technologies.

16. Crypto Mining Operations Expand in the U.S.Cryptocurrency mining firms are expanding their operations domestically, attracted by the favorable regulatory environment and potential incentives outlined in recent policy initiatives.

17. Consumer Protection Agencies Advocate for Crypto Awareness. Consumer protection agencies are launching campaigns to raise awareness about the risks associated with cryptocurrency investments, emphasizing the importance of due diligence.

18. State Governments Explore Local Crypto Regulations. In light of federal initiatives, state governments are examining their regulatory frameworks concerning cryptocurrencies to ensure alignment and address local concerns.

19. Academic Institutions Introduce Cryptocurrency Courses. Universities and colleges are adding cryptocurrency and blockchain courses to their curricula, preparing students for careers in the evolving digital asset landscape.

20. Crypto Exchanges Enhance Compliance Measures. Cryptocurrency exchanges are strengthening their compliance protocols in anticipation of forthcoming regulatory recommendations from the Presidential Task Force on Digital Asset Markets.

Top 5 Worldwide Cryptocurrency Headlines:

1. Global Banks Anticipate U.S. Regulatory Changes. International banks are closely monitoring the U.S. regulatory shifts, assessing the potential global impact on cryptocurrency custody services and market participation.

2. European Union Debates Crypto Regulatory Framework. The European Union is engaging in discussions to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, aiming to balance innovation with consumer protection.

3. Asian Markets React to U.S. Crypto Policy Developments\ Cryptocurrency markets across Asia, including Japan and South Korea, are seeing increased trading activity following the U.S. administration's supportive stance on digital assets. Investors are optimistic about the ripple effects on the global crypto ecosystem.

4. India Announces Plans for Blockchain-Based Voting System\ The Indian government has unveiled plans to pilot a blockchain-based voting system aimed at enhancing election security and transparency. This initiative is part of India's broader efforts to explore blockchain technology in governance.

5. African Nations Embrace Bitcoin for Cross-Border Payments\ Several African countries are increasingly using Bitcoin to facilitate cross-border payments, citing its efficiency and reduced transaction costs. This trend reflects the growing adoption of cryptocurrencies in regions with limited access to traditional financial services.

@ 9e69e420:d12360c2

| Parameters | Dry Mead | Medium Mead | Sweet Mead | |------------|-----------|-------------|------------| | Honey | 2 lbs (900 grams) | 3 lbs (1.36 kg) | 4 lbs (1.81 kg) | | Yeast | ~0.07 oz (2 grams) | ~0.08 oz (2.5 grams) | ~0.10 oz (3 grams) | | Fermentation | ~4 weeks | 4 to 6 weeks | 6 to 8 weeks | | Racking | Fortnight or later | 1 month or after | ~2 months and after | | Specific Gravity | <1.010 | ~1.01 to ~1.025 | >1.025 |

@ 0b14a03f:3f0257c2

Change doesn’t come from something external. The change comes from within. But people are so disconnected from themselves that they keep trying and trying with tools to connect without realizing that if there is no connection within, there won’t be a healthy and long-term connection outside.

Bitcoin has no name or last name because it’s not important who created it. What’s important is what it was made for. That’s written on its roots, in its essence. And that essence won’t be discovered if we keep trying to set it up in old avatars, systems, protocols, and connections.

Bitcoin is not a tool to get rich and be free. It’s a means to disconnect from a broken environment and find a safe place to pause, to feel, to see what’s really inside of ourselves, and to analyze if the world around us is not a consequence but a reflection of our internal disconnection.

Freedom will be a consequence, not a cause of a better future. We can be the artisans of that future by connecting with ourselves from within, as individuals first, and as a community after.

Community as in Common Identity. We need to find our identity, then share it, nurture it with others, and by doing so, be able to create a better world.

Don’t fall into old traps. After all, this is a journey from the mind to the heart.

Happy arriving!

Hug✨

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

The landscape of cryptocurrency is witnessing a potential paradigm shift with the growing interest of institutional investors in Bitcoin. The excitement surrounding the prospect of a spot Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) is palpable, yet it brings with it a wave of concern. Arthur Hayes, a renowned figure in the cryptocurrency space and the founder of the Maelstrom Fund, stands as a vocal critic of this development. His insights offer a critical perspective on how institutional involvement could fundamentally alter the essence of Bitcoin, potentially steering it away from its founding principles of decentralization and autonomy. This article delves into Hayes' concerns, unraveling the complexities and potential repercussions of institutional custody on the future of Bitcoin.

Table Of Content

• The Rising Concern of Institutional Involvement

• The Scenario of Institutional Custody

• The Essence of Bitcoin at Stake

• Influence on Network Consensus

• Long-Term Implications for Bitcoin

• Conclusion

• FAQs

The Rising Concern of Institutional Involvement

Arthur Hayes' apprehensions about institutional involvement in Bitcoin are rooted in a deep understanding of both the cryptocurrency world and traditional financial systems. The entry of large financial institutions like BlackRock into the Bitcoin space could signify a significant shift in the dynamics of cryptocurrency ownership and control. These institutions, often perceived as extensions of state interests, could bring a level of centralization and control antithetical to Bitcoin's decentralized ethos. The historical relationship between large financial entities and state mechanisms, and their potential influence on Bitcoin, raises critical questions about the future of this cryptocurrency. The impact of this shift on the broader crypto ecosystem, investor behavior, and Bitcoin's perception in the global financial landscape is profound and multifaceted.

The Scenario of Institutional Custody

The future that Hayes envisions, where significant portions of Bitcoin are locked away in institutional ETFs, is a stark departure from the current state of the cryptocurrency. This transformation could relegate Bitcoin from a vibrant, actively traded asset to a passive component of investment portfolios. Such a shift would not only alter Bitcoin's market dynamics but also its fundamental utility. The implications of this change are far-reaching, affecting everything from Bitcoin's liquidity to its role as a tool for financial freedom and empowerment. The prospect of Bitcoin becoming a mere line item in institutional balance sheets is a scenario that challenges the very ideals upon which the cryptocurrency was built.

The Essence of Bitcoin at Stake

The core of Hayes' argument lies in the potential loss of Bitcoin's identity. If Bitcoin becomes predominantly held in institutional ETFs, it risks becoming just another asset in the global financial system, losing its unique characteristics as a decentralized and autonomous currency. This transformation would affect the philosophical and practical aspects of Bitcoin, impacting principles of autonomy, privacy, and decentralization. The shift from a user-driven to an institutionally controlled asset could have profound implications for the future of Bitcoin, potentially undermining the trust and support of its community.

Influence on Network Consensus

Hayes raises a significant concern about the potential influence of institutional holders on Bitcoin's consensus mechanism and development path. The risk of having a large portion of Bitcoin controlled by entities with different priorities than the broader Bitcoin community is real and concerning. This influence could lead to a misalignment between Bitcoin's development and the needs of its user base, especially regarding crucial updates related to security and privacy enhancements. The integrity and future evolution of Bitcoin's technology could be at stake, raising questions about the true independence and resilience of this decentralized network.

Long-Term Implications for Bitcoin

While the short-term effects of institutional investment, such as price appreciation, are clear, the long-term consequences are more nuanced and complex. The potential trade-offs between short-term gains and long-term impacts on Bitcoin's utility and independence are a critical aspect of this discussion. The paradox of Bitcoin's growing acceptance by traditional financial institutions and the possible erosion of its foundational principles is a dilemma that the crypto community must navigate carefully. The future of Bitcoin, in this context, is not just about its price or market capitalization, but about its ability to retain its core values and functionality.

Conclusion

Arthur Hayes' insights provide a crucial perspective on the evolving landscape of Bitcoin in the face of institutional interest. As the cryptocurrency world grapples with these developments, understanding the balance between mainstream acceptance and the preservation of Bitcoin's core values is essential. This article reflects on the potential risks and implications of institutional custody of Bitcoin, offering a comprehensive analysis that underscores the importance of maintaining the decentralized ethos that has defined Bitcoin since its inception.

FAQs

What is the main concern raised by Arthur Hayes about institutional involvement in Bitcoin? Arthur Hayes expresses concern that institutional involvement, particularly through Bitcoin ETFs, could lead to centralization and control by large financial entities, undermining Bitcoin's decentralized ethos.

How could institutional custody of Bitcoin alter its market dynamics? Institutional custody could transform Bitcoin from an actively traded asset to a passive component of investment portfolios, affecting its liquidity and role as a tool for financial freedom.

What implications does institutional control have on Bitcoin's network consensus? Institutional control could influence Bitcoin's consensus mechanism and development path, potentially leading to a misalignment with the needs of the broader Bitcoin community, especially regarding updates related to security and privacy.

Are there long-term implications of institutional investment in Bitcoin? Yes, while institutional investment might boost Bitcoin's price in the short term, it raises concerns about the long-term impact on Bitcoin's utility, independence, and adherence to its foundational principles.

What is the essence of Arthur Hayes' argument against institutional custody of Bitcoin? Hayes argues that institutional custody risks turning Bitcoin into just another financial asset, losing its unique characteristics as a decentralized and autonomous currency.

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.

@ 54286b98:3debc100

The gift and the challenge? More time with my kids than most dads get. Days filled with them. It's a blast.

Diapers, potty training, sticky fingers, the easy stuff. Expected. A privilege, really.

But here's what I'm learning: Undivided attention. Presence. That's the hard part. The part that fades.

We walk. Parks, trails, anywhere but inside. They love it. S'mores, impromptu campsites, boats on the horizon, Florida beaches (no walking next to Florida freshwater for this dad, gators!). We read. We play hard. My oldest is discovering the magic of computers.

Mornings with my daughter. Just us. Quiet. Books. Connection. Then her brother wakes, and the day explodes with breakfast, more books, more play.

Knowledge, manners, a little discipline, and a lot of fun. That's the legacy.

But even with all this time, there's still work. Responsibilities. "Papa needs to work." "Papa, don't you want to play with me?" The hardest lesson: balance. Teaching them independence when all they want is connection.

The reminder: Even when life gets crazy, make the moments count. Be there. Truly be there. And trust that when I can't, they'll know it's not about them. It's about the work.

Love them. Cherish them.

Until the next one.

J

___

Feel free to follow me here on nostr or sign up on my website for my blog posts/newsletters, talking about crafting beauty in life, family, entrepreneurship, culture, woodworking & faith.\ https://www.javierfeliu.com/

@ 6b57533f:eaa341f5

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Welcome to NoStry

This is the first nostr-story ever posted!

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What is NoStry?

NoStry is a new way to tell stories on nostr, combining the best of social media stories with the decentralized nature of nostr.

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Join the Revolution

Learn More

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/863327

@ fbf0e434:e1be6a39

Hackathon 概要

Request Network - Summer Hackathon 在2024年夏季结束，吸引了144名开发者参与，并审核通过了32个项目。该活动由Request Network举办，着重于利用其兼容EVM的基础设施开发Web3金融应用。在Hackathon期间，参与者有机会参加针对初学者和高级用户量身定制的工作坊。这些工作坊旨在提高开发发票、支付、会计和借贷应用的技能。

激励措施包括总奖金池15,000美元，分为发票、支付、会计和借贷应用等奖项类别。此外，Request Network基金会为提交至其资助计划的项目提供额外35,000美元。评审标准强调实用性、易用性、技术复杂性和创新性。

参与者可以访问丰富的资源，如视频教程、GitHub代码库，还可以通过专用的Discord热线获得支持。Hackathon强调了积极参与，促进了旨在提升区块链交易能力的应用程序的创建。2024年7月8日，获奖项目公布，展示了参与者的创造力和技术专长。

Hackathon 获奖者

Invoicing Prize Winners

• ChainPay - 该项目通过与QuickBooks集成，将Request Network的功能扩展至Web3支付组件。它解决了Sepolia Testnet上的智能合约调用问题，目标是提供全面的解决方案。
• PiperPay - 一个支持多种货币和代币的发票和支付管理系统。它通过智能合约代理和代币交换遵循Request Network标准。
• Wavein - 该项目通过Request Network和Superfluid为自由职业者提供实时支付，提供带转换功能的流线型支付流。

Accounting Prize Winner

• request-accounting - 基于区块链的会计应用程序，确保安全交易，同时集成与行业标准一致的高效财务管理。

Lending Prize Winners

• Invoice Lending (Factoring) - 该项目通过将发票铸造成NFT提供流动性，允许在Request Network上进行点对点发票融资。
• Invisy Network - 一个去中心化发票平台，利用NFT提升效率和透明度，提供实时发票流动性的市场。

欲了解完整项目列表，请访问 DoraHacks Request Network Summer Hackathon。

关于主办方

Request Network

Request Network是一个兼容EVM的基础协议，致力于推动包括发票、支付和会计在内的Web3金融应用的发展。通过向区块链交易附加额外数据，网络确保合规、对账和可追溯性。这使用户能够维护其财务数据的所有权，促进灵活的转移和选择性共享。关键举措包括支持未抵押贷款和增强区块链交易流程。Request Network致力于促进一个包容的金融未来，通过优化服务来实现数据所有权和金融操作的自动化。

@ ed84ce10:cccf4c2a

Hackathon Summary

The Request Network - Summer Hackathon concluded with 144 developers participating and 32 project submissions approved. Hosted by Request Network, the event focused on developing Web3 financial applications utilizing its EVM-compatible infrastructure. Throughout the hackathon, participants had the opportunity to attend workshops tailored to both beginner and advanced users. These workshops aimed to enhance skills in developing applications for invoicing, payments, accounting, and lending.

Incentives included a total prize pool of $15,000, divided into categories such as invoicing, payments, accounting, and lending applications. Additionally, the Request Network Foundation provided an extra $35,000 for projects submitted to their grants program. The judging criteria emphasized utility, ease of use, technical sophistication, and innovation.

Participants were given access to extensive resources such as video tutorials, GitHub repositories, and support through a dedicated Discord helpline. The hackathon highlighted active engagement, promoting the creation of applications intended to improve blockchain transaction capabilities. On July 8, 2024, the winning projects were announced, showcasing the creativity and technical expertise of the participants.

Hackathon Winners

Invoicing Prize Winners

• ChainPay - This project expands Request Network's capabilities into Web3 payment components by integrating with QuickBooks. It addresses smart contract call issues on the Sepolia Testnet and aims for comprehensive solutions.
• PiperPay - An invoice and payment management system that supports various currencies and tokens. It follows Request Network standards using smart contract proxies and token swaps.
• Wavein - This project facilitates real-time payments for freelancers through Request Network and Superfluid, offering streamlined payment streams with conversion features.

Accounting Prize Winner

• request-accounting - A blockchain-based accounting application that ensures secure transactions while integrating efficient financial management aligned with industry standards.

Lending Prize Winners

• Invoice Lending (Factoring) - This project provides liquidity by minting invoices as NFTs, enabling peer-to-peer invoice financing on the Request Network.
• Invisy Network - A decentralized invoice platform leveraging NFTs to enhance efficiency and transparency, offering a marketplace for real-time invoice liquidity.

For a complete list of projects, visit DoraHacks Request Network Summer Hackathon.

About the Organizer

Request Network

Request Network is an EVM-compatible infrastructure protocol dedicated to advancing Web3 financial applications, including invoicing, payments, and accounting. By appending extra data to blockchain transactions, the network ensures compliance, reconciliation, and traceability. This empowers users to maintain ownership of their financial data, facilitating flexible transfers and selective sharing. Key initiatives include supporting under-collateralized loans and enhancing blockchain transaction processes. Request Network is committed to fostering an inclusive financial future by streamlining services to enable data ownership and automation in financial operations.

@ 16d11430:61640947

In Australia, a country where the Union Jack flies as a silent yet potent reminder of its colonial origins, the lives of non-violent, non-agitating individuals remain deeply entangled in a system built on inequality. Beneath the surface of modern democratic institutions and peaceful imagery lies a historical and ongoing strategy to maintain systemic dominance, often underpinned by the latent threat of violence.

For those who do not agitate, who simply wish to exist in peace, the daily experience can be one of quiet oppression. The colonial legacy ensures that fairness and justice are privileges reserved for a select ingroup—those who align with the dominant cultural narrative. Meanwhile, others find themselves trapped in a system designed to perpetuate inequality, all while cloaked in the language of ethics, science, and progress.

The Mask of Fairness

Australia’s institutions present themselves as bastions of fairness, meritocracy, and equality. Yet, these ideals are often undermined by the foundational violence that protects and privileges the dominant cultural group. This violence need not always be explicit—it exists in the form of legal frameworks, economic systems, and cultural narratives that favor the descendants of the colonial ingroup while marginalizing others.

For Indigenous Australians, immigrants, and those outside the dominant culture, the system does not just fail to deliver fairness—it actively maintains their disadvantage. The history of dispossession, forced assimilation, and cultural erasure is not simply a relic of the past. It continues to inform how resources, opportunities, and power are distributed today.

Privilege and Forgiveness

One of the most insidious aspects of this system is the privilege afforded to the ingroup. Actions that would be condemned or punished when carried out by marginalized groups are often forgiven, excused, or even celebrated when done by those within the dominant cultural framework. This double standard perpetuates a sense of impunity among the ingroup, while reinforcing the notion that fairness is conditional and selectively applied.

For example, protests or acts of civil disobedience by marginalized groups are often met with harsh policing and public condemnation. Meanwhile, similar actions by those in the dominant culture—especially when framed as defending “traditional values” or “national identity”—are met with leniency, if not outright support.

The Union Jack as a Symbol of Violence

The Union Jack, emblazoned on Australia’s flag, serves as a subtle yet powerful symbol of this systemic violence. It is a constant reminder of the country’s colonial roots, a time when land was taken by force, and Indigenous peoples were systematically oppressed. Today, while the overt violence of colonization has shifted into the background, its legacy persists in the structural inequalities that shape everyday life.

For many Australians, the flag represents pride and progress. For others, it is a symbol of dispossession and exclusion. This dual meaning highlights the deep divisions in how fairness and justice are experienced, depending on one’s place within the colonial hierarchy.

The Control of Peaceful Imaginations

Non-violent individuals often turn to ideals of peace, ethics, and community as a way to navigate the unfairness of the system. However, the colonial strategy has long been to co-opt these imaginations, redirecting them to serve the interests of the dominant group.

For example, the rhetoric of multiculturalism and reconciliation is frequently used to promote the idea that Australia has moved beyond its colonial past. Yet, these efforts often fall short of addressing the structural inequalities that continue to disadvantage marginalized groups. Instead, they serve as a way to maintain the status quo, offering symbolic gestures rather than substantive change.

Unfairness as a Daily Reality

For non-violent, non-agitating individuals, the daily reality of unfairness can manifest in countless ways:

Economic Disparity: Wages, employment opportunities, and wealth distribution continue to favor the dominant cultural group.

Cultural Erasure: Indigenous languages, traditions, and histories are often sidelined in favor of a Eurocentric narrative.

Policing and Justice: Marginalized groups are disproportionately targeted by law enforcement and are less likely to receive fair treatment in the justice system.

While these injustices may not always involve direct violence, the threat of coercion and enforcement looms large. The institutions that govern daily life are protected not by a commitment to fairness, but by the implicit and explicit threat of violence to those who challenge the system.

A Call for Change

Addressing this systemic unfairness requires more than symbolic gestures or surface-level reforms. It demands a reckoning with the colonial legacy and a commitment to dismantling the structures that perpetuate inequality. For true fairness to be realized, Australia must confront the uncomfortable truths about its past and present, moving beyond the veneer of peaceful coexistence to create a society built on genuine equity and justice.

Until then, the Union Jack will remain not just a symbol of the past, but a reminder of the ongoing struggles faced by those who dare to imagine a fairer world.

@ ae6ce958:d0f02c7d

In the age of precision technology, photonic measurement systems like LiDAR play a critical role in transformative industries such as autonomous vehicles, medical imaging, and telecommunications. These systems rely on the precise behavior of sensors and software to ensure accuracy and reliability in complex, real-world environments. DamageBDD, with its innovative approach to Behavior-Driven Development (BDD), provides a platform for enabling a large number of people to participate in defining, testing, and refining the behavior of such systems.

By democratizing the process of behavior definition, DamageBDD unlocks new possibilities for collaboration and innovation. This article explores how DamageBDD can be applied to photonic measurement systems, demonstrating its potential to involve diverse stakeholders and enhance the quality of these technologies.

---

Why Involve Large Numbers of People in Defining Behavior?

1. Diverse Perspectives: A wide range of participants, including developers, domain experts, end-users, and testers, brings diverse perspectives to defining system behavior. For example:

A developer might focus on system performance.

A medical professional might prioritize safety in imaging technologies.

An end-user might emphasize usability and intuitive interfaces.

1. Real-World Scenarios: Large-scale participation ensures that real-world scenarios are thoroughly explored and represented. For instance, in autonomous vehicles, scenarios such as heavy rain, fog, or crowded urban streets can be identified and tested by people from various geographies and climates.

2. Collective Intelligence: Crowdsourcing behavior definitions can leverage collective intelligence to anticipate edge cases and improve system robustness.

---

DamageBDD in Photonic Measurement Systems

DamageBDD’s unique ability to verify behavior at scale makes it an ideal platform for optimizing photonic measurement systems like LiDAR. Here’s how DamageBDD can be applied:

1. Defining Behavior Using Real-World Scenarios

DamageBDD allows participants to write clear, human-readable scenarios that define expected behavior for photonic measurement systems. These scenarios are stored immutably on-chain, ensuring traceability and accountability.

Example:

Feature: LiDAR distance measurement Scenario: Accurate measurement in clear weather Given a reflective object is placed 10 meters from the sensor When the LiDAR system emits a pulse Then the system should report the distance as 10 ± 0.1 meters

Scenario: Measurement in foggy conditions Given a reflective object is placed 10 meters from the sensor And fog reduces visibility by 50% When the LiDAR system emits a pulse Then the system should report the distance as 10 ± 0.5 meters

With DamageBDD, such scenarios can be written by both technical and non-technical participants, enabling large-scale participation in defining behavior.

---

1. Automating Behavior Verification

DamageBDD’s platform integrates seamlessly with testing frameworks, enabling automated verification of defined behaviors. This ensures that photonic measurement systems consistently meet the specified criteria across a wide range of scenarios.

Example: A team testing a LiDAR system can run automated tests against a DamageBDD-powered test suite. If a test fails—say, the system misreports distances under foggy conditions—it is flagged on-chain, triggering iterative improvements.

---

1. Leveraging Crowdsourcing for Edge Cases

DamageBDD enables stakeholders to contribute new test cases and scenarios directly to the platform. For photonic measurement systems, this could involve:

Community members submitting scenarios involving unique environmental conditions (e.g., desert sandstorms or arctic snow).

Engineers proposing tests for hardware variations or upgrades.

Example: A developer in a tropical region might contribute the following scenario:

Scenario: Measurement in heavy rain Given a reflective object is placed 5 meters from the sensor And rainfall intensity is 50 mm/hour When the LiDAR system emits a pulse Then the system should report the distance as 5 ± 0.3 meters

By involving a global community, DamageBDD ensures comprehensive testing and improved resilience.

---

1. Creating Incentives for Participation

One of the standout features of DamageBDD is its ability to incentivize participation through tokenized payouts. Contributors who define or verify behavior are rewarded in Damage Tokens, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that encourages ongoing collaboration.

Example:

A developer contributes a new test case for low-light conditions.

A tester verifies the scenario by running it against a live system.

Both participants receive tokens for their contributions, fostering continued engagement.

---

1. Ensuring Transparency and Accountability

With DamageBDD, all behavior definitions, tests, and results are immutably recorded on-chain. This ensures that:

Every contribution is traceable to its author.

Changes to system behavior are documented over time, creating an auditable history.

Example: When a new feature is added to a LiDAR system (e.g., enhanced fog detection), its behavior is verified through DamageBDD. The on-chain record shows:

Who defined the behavior.

When it was tested.

How it performed against previous versions.

This transparency builds trust among stakeholders and accelerates adoption.

---

Scaling to Other Photonic Applications

The principles outlined above can be applied to other photonic measurement systems, such as:

Medical Imaging: Ensuring MRI or CT scanners meet safety and accuracy standards across diverse patient demographics.

Telecommunications: Optimizing fiber-optic networks for different bandwidth and latency requirements.

Astronomy: Enhancing telescopes to accurately measure cosmic phenomena under varying atmospheric conditions.

In each case, DamageBDD enables mass participation, rigorous testing, and continuous improvement.

---

Conclusion

By enabling large numbers of people to define and verify behavior, DamageBDD revolutionizes how we approach photonic measurement systems and other complex technologies. Through its emphasis on collaboration, transparency, and tokenized incentives, DamageBDD not only improves the quality of these systems but also democratizes their development.

As industries continue to adopt precision technologies, DamageBDD provides a scalable framework for ensuring they meet the needs of diverse stakeholders. From LiDAR in autonomous vehicles to medical imaging and beyond, the potential for innovation is limitless when empowered by DamageBDD.

@ 89ccea93:df4e00b7

Here's a list of the services I use.

I plan to make a blog post for each on expatriotic.me my previously defunct blog that is going live again.

Stay tuned.

Networking

Flint Router
Mullvad
Tor
Little Snitch

Buying & Selling Bitcoin

Bisq
Robosats
Peach
Hodl Hodl

Private email

Tuta
Addy.io
Proton

Wallets

Ashigaru
Stack Duo
Cake
Sparrow
Envoy
Zeus
Coinos

Swapping Bitcoin

Trocador
basicswapdex
unstoppable-swap

noKYC

```kycnot.me```

Spending Bitcoin

Wise
Bitrefill
Bitpay
PayWithMoon
Coinsbee
The Bitcoin Company
CoinCards.com

Phone

Graphene OS
Minimalism
Obtainium
FOSS apps
Signal for DMs
Telegram for Groups
Silent.Link

Server

DIY with Debian
Start9
Dojo
Ronin Dojo
Monero Nodes

Podcasts

The Ungovernable Misfits News Network
The Watchman Privacy

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/863051

@ 16d11430:61640947

In the grand tapestry of global history, few nations have endured and overcome with the resilience and grace of India. The centuries-long oppression wrought by colonialism not only plundered our material wealth but also sought to erode the dignity of our civilization. Today, while the political shackles have been cast off, the shadow of colonial mind games persists, manifesting as ridicule and prejudice toward the Indian diaspora. Yet, as heirs to an ancient and resilient culture, the diaspora must rise above this insidious narrative, reclaiming its agency and asserting its rightful place in the world.

The Colonial Playbook: Divide, Deride, and Demean

The strategy of the colonial enterprise was never limited to economic exploitation; it sought to demean the very essence of the colonized. Our history, culture, and achievements were systematically denigrated while a manufactured narrative of inferiority was imposed. That very playbook, though subtler in its contemporary iteration, remains at work today.

The Indian diaspora, as ambassadors of a thriving civilization, often finds itself targeted by the remnants of colonial prejudice—mocked for its accents, cuisine, and customs, and vilified for its success. Whether it is the ridicule of our English, tainted by colonial imposition, or the disparagement of our efforts to succeed in foreign lands, these tactics are nothing more than the echoes of a bygone era attempting to assert relevance in a world that has moved on.

A Legacy of Survival and Triumph

To endure is deeply etched into the DNA of the Indian psyche. We have weathered invasions, famines, and systematic subjugation with a fortitude that no conqueror could extinguish. The Indian diaspora, spread across continents, is the living embodiment of this indomitable spirit. It has flourished in the face of adversity, not by seeking vengeance, but by cultivating excellence in every field—science, medicine, literature, and technology—while retaining its cultural roots.

Today, Indian-origin CEOs helm some of the world's largest corporations. Indian doctors, engineers, and academics enrich societies across the globe. Yet, the colonial mind games persist, attempting to reduce these achievements to the stereotype of "over-ambition" or "cultural overreach." Such narratives are designed to diminish, to perpetuate the myth of the colonial superior.

Reclaiming the Narrative

The time has come for the Indian diaspora to reclaim the narrative, not with the bitterness of retribution but with the quiet confidence of a civilization that has seen the rise and fall of empires. The response to colonial mind games must be rooted in three key principles:

1. Pride in Heritage: The richness of Indian culture, from its philosophical traditions to its scientific advancements, is unparalleled. The diaspora must take pride in these achievements and articulate them with clarity and confidence.

2. Mastery of Communication: The colonial critique often begins with language. To counter this, the diaspora must wield English—not as a colonial relic, but as a tool reappropriated and mastered, blending it seamlessly with the wisdom of Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindi, and other mother tongues.

3. Unified Solidarity: The diversity of the Indian diaspora—spanning religions, languages, and regions—is its greatest strength. By standing united, the diaspora can amplify its voice and counter attempts to divide and diminish it.

The Enduring Legacy of Dharma

India's approach to the world has never been one of conquest but of engagement. From the dissemination of Buddhism to the world to the shared wisdom of yoga and Ayurveda, India's influence has always been through persuasion, not coercion. The diaspora must embody this dharmic ethos, rising above pettiness and prejudice, offering the world not retaliation, but enlightenment.

Victory Through Resilience

The colonial mind games that seek to ridicule and undermine the Indian diaspora are, in truth, a recognition of its success. They arise from the insecurities of those who once sought to subjugate, now witnessing the rise of a civilization they sought to diminish.

The Indian diaspora must endure not by stooping to the tactics of its detractors but by transcending them. The answer to colonial prejudice lies in excellence, unity, and an unshakable belief in the values that have guided India for millennia.

As we stride confidently into the future, let us remember: the spirit of India is not one of vengeance but of vindication. The triumph of the Indian diaspora will not be in silencing its critics but in rendering them irrelevant through the brilliance of its achievements and the dignity of its conduct. The time for enduring is over; the time for overcoming is now.

@ 28cac85f:54300cac

Reduction in Crime and Incarceration Rates: The war on drugs has often led to mass incarceration, particularly affecting minority communities. By decriminalizing drugs, the focus shifts from punishment to treatment, reducing the number of people in prison for drug possession. Portugal saw a significant decrease in drug-related incarceration following decriminalization. The proportion of the prison population held for drug offenses has decreased from over 40% in 2001 to around 15.7% by 2019, reducing the burden on the criminal justice system.

Public Health Over Criminal Justice: Treating drug use as a public health issue rather than a criminal one allows for better health outcomes. Portugal's model emphasizes harm reduction strategies like needle exchange programs, which have lowered rates of diseases like HIV and hepatitis C among drug users. There was a significant increase in the number of people entering drug treatment programs, with treatment admissions rising by about 60% from 1998 to 2011. New infections from needle sharing decreased dramatically, with HIV cases among drug users falling from an all-time high in 2000 to much lower rates by 2015.

Focus on Addiction Treatment: Legalization or decriminalization can free up resources (both financial and human) for addiction treatment rather than law enforcement. Portugal invested in treatment facilities and outreach programs, leading to an increase in people seeking help for addiction.

There has been a marked reduction in drug-related mortality. Overdose deaths dropped significantly from around 400 annually before decriminalization to much lower numbers in subsequent years.

Reducing Stigma: By removing criminal penalties, the stigma associated with drug use is diminished, encouraging more users to seek help without fear of legal repercussions. This can lead to earlier interventions in addiction. Drug use is now more widely seen as a health issue rather than a criminal one, which has helped reduce stigmatization and encourage people to seek help.

Economic Benefits: The costs associated with drug enforcement are substantial. Redirecting these funds towards education, prevention, and treatment can be more cost-effective in the long run. Additionally, regulated drug markets could generate tax revenue, although this aspect is more relevant if drugs are fully legalized rather than just decriminalized. The reduction in incarceration for drug offenses has potentially saved costs, allowing reallocation of funds towards health services and treatment.

Impact on Drug Market Violence: Much of the violence associated with drug markets stems from their illegal nature, leading to turf wars among dealers. Legal regulation can potentially reduce this violence by cutting out the black market.

Empirical Evidence: Portugal's experience since decriminalizing personal drug use in 2001 has shown positive trends. Drug-related deaths decreased, and there was no significant increase in drug use among the population, countering fears that decriminalization would lead to rampant drug use.

Human Rights Perspective: The criminalization of drug use has been criticized as a violation of human rights, disproportionately affecting the poor, minorities, and those with mental health issues. A health-centric approach respects human dignity and focuses on recovery.

Let's do this here in the US, why not?

@ 16d11430:61640947

In the dystopian wasteland of tech we call the "crypto space," where tokenomics is a euphemism for Ponzi schemes and the word “decentralized” is abused like a buzzword-shaped piñata, software engineers—real ones—struggle to survive. I’m not talking about the low-effort devs churning out Solidity copy-pasta for the next Insert-Adjective-Coin. No, I mean the overexperienced, underpaid, and utterly exhausted professionals who used to build things that mattered—systems that could scale, products that solved problems, applications that didn’t have to slap "on-chain" on their name to justify their existence.

Now? Honest conversations about software design, scalability, or—God forbid—ethics, are impossible. Why? Because the room is full of crypto zealots whose job descriptions boil down to "pump my bags or GTFO."

---

Enter the Zealots: The New Pyramid Architects

Walk into any crypto meeting, and you’ll find the same characters. The "visionary" founder with a LinkedIn bio that could double as a scammer’s résumé. The "community manager" whose job is to slap rocket emojis on tweets about nothing. And the "blockchain developer" who doesn’t know the difference between O(n) and "Oh, nice, this whitepaper has pretty graphs."

Now, try having an honest discussion with this crowd.

You: "This app doesn’t need a blockchain. A SQL database would handle this faster, cheaper, and more securely." Them: "Actually, by using our Layer 2 token, we're decentralizing freedom, empowering communities, and disrupting the financial matrix." Translation: "Our tokenomics scheme will siphon liquidity from suckers while pretending to solve a non-existent problem."

If you dare to mention Bitcoin—real Bitcoin, not some Frankenstein monstrosity glued to a shitcoin L2—you’ll get branded a heretic. "But Bitcoin can’t do smart contracts!" they cry, as if adding complexity to simplicity is a virtue, not a design flaw.

---

The Tokenomics Scam: Why Engineers Hate Their Lives

Here's the dirty secret: most crypto projects are not software projects. They’re marketing scams with some code sprinkled on top. The goal isn’t to build something robust or meaningful—it’s to create just enough technical smoke and mirrors to dupe investors into buying the token.

For a software engineer, it’s soul-crushing work. You’ll spend 80% of your time wrestling with poorly documented APIs on some vaporware blockchain, 15% explaining to your PM why "put it on-chain" is a stupid idea, and the remaining 5% wondering why you didn’t just go into carpentry instead.

---

Bitcoin: The Elephant in the Room

Every real engineer knows that Bitcoin works. It’s simple. It’s secure. It’s elegant. But because it doesn’t have a flashy CEO or a billion-dollar marketing budget, the average crypto enthusiast treats it like a relic. "It’s too slow," they’ll say, without understanding why Proof-of-Work exists. "It’s too basic," they’ll argue, as if simplicity is a flaw and not the reason Bitcoin has remained unbroken for over a decade.

Meanwhile, these same zealots will praise the latest shitcoin L2 that "fixes" Bitcoin by adding layers of complexity that require endless token sales to function. Never mind that these systems are riddled with attack vectors. Never mind that the "innovation" usually amounts to reinventing centralized finance, only worse. It’s not about building better systems; it’s about spinning a better narrative.

---

The Undervalued CTO: A Study in Pain

And where does that leave the senior engineer, the architect, the CTO who’s been around long enough to smell the bullshit from a mile away? Stuck in endless meetings where you’re forced to explain to the same wide-eyed MBAs why the laws of physics and computer science apply to blockchains, too. Worse, your paycheck is probably being paid in tokens that are only worth something if you can stomach shilling them to the next sucker.

The most depressing part? The zealots don’t even know they’re part of the scam. They’ve convinced themselves that they’re "building the future" when all they’re really building is a pyramid, one token sale at a time.

---

A Modest Proposal: Burn It All Down

Here’s an idea: let’s strip crypto down to what works. Keep Bitcoin. Scrap everything else. Rebuild the internet of value on solid foundations, not speculative hype. Let engineers, not marketers, lead the way.

Until then, we’ll keep trudging along, writing code for projects we don’t believe in, pretending that decentralizing dog grooming or tokenizing air molecules is the next big thing. Because, let’s face it, in crypto, the only thing that scales reliably is bullshit.

@ df476244:6804e458

Markdown: Syntax

• Markdown: Syntax
• Overview
  • Philosophy
• Block Elements
  • Paragraphs and Line Breaks
  • Headers
  • Blockquotes
  • Lists
  • Code Blocks
• Span Elements
  • Links
  • Emphasis
  • Code

Note: This document is itself written using Markdown; you can see the source for it by viewing the raw basic.md file.

---

Overview

Philosophy

Markdown is intended to be as easy-to-read and easy-to-write as is feasible.

Readability, however, is emphasized above all else. A Markdown-formatted document should be publishable as-is, as plain text, without looking like it's been marked up with tags or formatting instructions. While Markdown's syntax has been influenced by several existing text-to-HTML filters -- including Setext, atx, Textile, reStructuredText, Grutatext, and EtText -- the single biggest source of inspiration for Markdown's syntax is the format of plain text email.

Block Elements

Paragraphs and Line Breaks

A paragraph is simply one or more consecutive lines of text, separated by one or more blank lines. (A blank line is any line that looks like a blank line -- a line containing nothing but spaces or tabs is considered blank.) Normal paragraphs should not be indented with spaces or tabs.

The implication of the "one or more consecutive lines of text" rule is that Markdown supports "hard-wrapped" text paragraphs. This differs significantly from most other text-to-HTML formatters (including Movable Type's "Convert Line Breaks" option) which translate every line break character in a paragraph into a <br /> tag.

When you do want to insert a <br /> break tag using Markdown, you end a line with two or more spaces, then type return.

Headers

Markdown supports two styles of headers, [Setext] [1] and [atx] [2].

Optionally, you may "close" atx-style headers. This is purely cosmetic -- you can use this if you think it looks better. The closing hashes don't even need to match the number of hashes used to open the header. (The number of opening hashes determines the header level.)

Blockquotes

Markdown uses email-style > characters for blockquoting. If you're familiar with quoting passages of text in an email message, then you know how to create a blockquote in Markdown. It looks best if you hard wrap the text and put a > before every line:

This is a blockquote with two paragraphs. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aliquam hendrerit mi posuere lectus. Vestibulum enim wisi, viverra nec, fringilla in, laoreet vitae, risus.

Donec sit amet nisl. Aliquam semper ipsum sit amet velit. Suspendisse id sem consectetuer libero luctus adipiscing.

Markdown allows you to be lazy and only put the > before the first line of a hard-wrapped paragraph:

This is a blockquote with two paragraphs. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aliquam hendrerit mi posuere lectus. Vestibulum enim wisi, viverra nec, fringilla in, laoreet vitae, risus.

Donec sit amet nisl. Aliquam semper ipsum sit amet velit. Suspendisse id sem consectetuer libero luctus adipiscing.

Blockquotes can be nested (i.e. a blockquote-in-a-blockquote) by adding additional levels of >:

This is the first level of quoting.

This is nested blockquote.

Back to the first level.

Blockquotes can contain other Markdown elements, including headers, lists, and code blocks:

This is a header.

1. This is the first list item.
2. This is the second list item.

Here's some example code:

return shell_exec("echo $input | $markdown_script");

Any decent text editor should make email-style quoting easy. For example, with BBEdit, you can make a selection and choose Increase Quote Level from the Text menu.

Lists

Markdown supports ordered (numbered) and unordered (bulleted) lists.

Unordered lists use asterisks, pluses, and hyphens -- interchangably -- as list markers:

• Red
• Green
• Blue

is equivalent to:

• Red
• Green
• Blue

and:

• Red
• Green
• Blue

Ordered lists use numbers followed by periods:

1. Bird
2. McHale
3. Parish

It's important to note that the actual numbers you use to mark the list have no effect on the HTML output Markdown produces. The HTML Markdown produces from the above list is:

If you instead wrote the list in Markdown like this:

1. Bird
2. McHale
3. Parish

or even:

1. Bird
2. McHale
3. Parish

you'd get the exact same HTML output. The point is, if you want to, you can use ordinal numbers in your ordered Markdown lists, so that the numbers in your source match the numbers in your published HTML. But if you want to be lazy, you don't have to.

To make lists look nice, you can wrap items with hanging indents:

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aliquam hendrerit mi posuere lectus. Vestibulum enim wisi, viverra nec, fringilla in, laoreet vitae, risus.
• Donec sit amet nisl. Aliquam semper ipsum sit amet velit. Suspendisse id sem consectetuer libero luctus adipiscing.

But if you want to be lazy, you don't have to:

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aliquam hendrerit mi posuere lectus. Vestibulum enim wisi, viverra nec, fringilla in, laoreet vitae, risus.
• Donec sit amet nisl. Aliquam semper ipsum sit amet velit. Suspendisse id sem consectetuer libero luctus adipiscing.

List items may consist of multiple paragraphs. Each subsequent paragraph in a list item must be indented by either 4 spaces or one tab:

1. This is a list item with two paragraphs. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aliquam hendrerit mi posuere lectus.

   Vestibulum enim wisi, viverra nec, fringilla in, laoreet vitae, risus. Donec sit amet nisl. Aliquam semper ipsum sit amet velit.

2. Suspendisse id sem consectetuer libero luctus adipiscing.

It looks nice if you indent every line of the subsequent paragraphs, but here again, Markdown will allow you to be lazy:

• This is a list item with two paragraphs.

  This is the second paragraph in the list item. You're only required to indent the first line. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit.

• Another item in the same list.

To put a blockquote within a list item, the blockquote's > delimiters need to be indented:

• A list item with a blockquote:

  This is a blockquote inside a list item.

To put a code block within a list item, the code block needs to be indented twice -- 8 spaces or two tabs:

• A list item with a code block:

  <code goes here>
  

Code Blocks

Pre-formatted code blocks are used for writing about programming or markup source code. Rather than forming normal paragraphs, the lines of a code block are interpreted literally. Markdown wraps a code block in both <pre> and <code> tags.

To produce a code block in Markdown, simply indent every line of the block by at least 4 spaces or 1 tab.

This is a normal paragraph:

This is a code block.

Here is an example of AppleScript:

tell application "Foo"
    beep
end tell

A code block continues until it reaches a line that is not indented (or the end of the article).

Within a code block, ampersands (&) and angle brackets (< and >) are automatically converted into HTML entities. This makes it very easy to include example HTML source code using Markdown -- just paste it and indent it, and Markdown will handle the hassle of encoding the ampersands and angle brackets. For example, this:

<div class="footer">
    &copy; 2004 Foo Corporation
</div>

Regular Markdown syntax is not processed within code blocks. E.g., asterisks are just literal asterisks within a code block. This means it's also easy to use Markdown to write about Markdown's own syntax.

tell application "Foo" beep end tell

Span Elements

Links

Markdown supports two style of links: inline and reference.

In both styles, the link text is delimited by [square brackets].

To create an inline link, use a set of regular parentheses immediately after the link text's closing square bracket. Inside the parentheses, put the URL where you want the link to point, along with an optional title for the link, surrounded in quotes. For example:

This is [an example](http://example.com/ "Example Title") inline link.

This is an example inline link.

[This link](http://example.net/) has no title attribute.

This link has no title attribute.

Reference-style links use a second set of square brackets, inside which you place a label of your choosing to identify the link:

This is [an example][id] reference-style link.

This is an example reference-style link.

Then, anywhere in the document, you define your link label like this, on a line by itself:

```

```

Emphasis

Markdown treats asterisks (*) and underscores (_) as indicators of emphasis. Text wrapped with one * or _ will be wrapped with an HTML <em> tag; double *'s or _'s will be wrapped with an HTML <strong> tag. E.g., this input:

single asterisks

single underscores

double asterisks

double underscores

Code

To indicate a span of code, wrap it with backtick quotes (`). Unlike a pre-formatted code block, a code span indicates code within a normal paragraph. For example:

Use the printf() function.

@ bcea2b98:7ccef3c9

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/862840

@ 16d11430:61640947

The legacy of Thomas Babington Macaulay’s education policies in colonial India has left a profound and complex impact on generations of Indians who were groomed to serve as intermediaries between the British colonial authorities and the native population. Dubbed "Macaulay’s Little Englishmen," these individuals faced unique psychosocial challenges stemming from their dual identity—educated and acculturated in the ways of the British yet tied to their Indian heritage. Straddling these two worlds, they often became objects of suspicion and alienation, regarded as potential double agents in a deeply divided society. This article explores the psychosocial effects of such an upbringing, which left these individuals feeling unmoored, mistrusted, and culturally disoriented.

The Double Bind: Torn Between Two Worlds

The fundamental conflict for Macaulay's "Little Englishmen" lay in their hybrid identity. Educated to think, speak, and act like the British, they were expected to serve the colonial administration, often as clerks, teachers, or intermediaries. However, this acculturation came at a cost: alienation from their own cultural roots. Their mastery of the English language and exposure to Western philosophy, law, and governance set them apart from the masses, who viewed them as traitors to their native heritage.

At the same time, these individuals were never fully accepted by the British elite. Despite their fluency in English and adoption of British customs, they were often treated as inferior, excluded from the corridors of real power. This dual rejection—by their own people and their colonial masters—created a profound sense of isolation and a fractured sense of self.

The Suspicion of Betrayal

The psychosocial burden of living as a cultural and social hybrid was compounded by the pervasive suspicion they faced from both sides.

1. From the British: While Macaulay’s education system intended to create loyal intermediaries, the British often doubted the loyalty of these individuals. Were they truly assimilated into the colonial ideology, or were they secretly harboring nationalist sentiments? This doubt meant that, despite their qualifications, many were confined to subordinate roles, denied the trust and respect they sought from their colonial employers.

2. From their own people: Within Indian society, these individuals were often perceived as sellouts or traitors who had traded their cultural identity for material gain. They were seen as collaborators in the colonial machinery that oppressed their own people. This mistrust led to social ostracization and an enduring sense of guilt and shame, as they were caught between the expectations of their colonial education and the loyalty to their heritage.

Psychosocial Consequences

The experience of living under constant suspicion and alienation had deep psychological and social repercussions:

1. Identity Crisis: The duality of their upbringing created a fractured identity. They were neither fully British nor fully Indian, leading to feelings of dislocation and an inability to fully belong to either world. This liminal state often resulted in a lifelong struggle with self-perception and cultural loyalty.

2. Chronic Anxiety: The need to constantly navigate the expectations and suspicions of both the British and Indian communities induced chronic stress. They had to carefully monitor their behavior, speech, and actions to avoid appearing disloyal to either side. This vigilance contributed to anxiety, self-doubt, and a lack of authentic self-expression.

3. Social Isolation: Alienated from their own communities and never fully accepted by the British, many of these individuals experienced profound loneliness. They lacked meaningful social support, as their education and socialization had placed them in a unique and isolating position.

4. Internalized Inferiority: The colonial education system, designed to instill admiration for British culture and disdain for indigenous traditions, often led to internalized feelings of inferiority. Many came to view their own heritage as backward or uncivilized, perpetuating a cycle of cultural self-erasure.

5. Moral Conflict: Being agents of a colonial system that oppressed their own people created a moral dilemma. Many felt complicit in the exploitation and subjugation of their fellow Indians, leading to guilt and cognitive dissonance. This internal conflict was particularly pronounced during the rise of the Indian independence movement, when calls for loyalty to one’s nation clashed with their colonial upbringing.

The Broader Implications

The psychosocial effects of being “Macaulay’s Little Englishmen” extend beyond the individual level, influencing broader societal dynamics. The creation of a class of culturally alienated intermediaries contributed to the perpetuation of colonial hierarchies, even after independence. The mistrust they experienced on both sides foreshadowed the postcolonial identity crises faced by many nations grappling with the legacy of colonization.

Furthermore, the notion of being a "double agent" has parallels in modern postcolonial societies, where individuals educated in Western systems often face similar suspicions of disloyalty or cultural inauthenticity. The scars of Macaulay’s experiment in social engineering are still visible in the struggles of postcolonial nations to reconcile traditional identities with the legacies of colonial modernity.

Conclusion

The psychosocial toll of being "Macaulay’s Little Englishmen" highlights the deep and lasting consequences of cultural alienation and identity manipulation. These individuals lived as bridges between two worlds, yet they were mistrusted and misunderstood by both. Their experiences serve as a poignant reminder of the human cost of colonialism and the complex legacy of cultural hybridity in a divided world. The story of Macaulay's "Little Englishmen" is not just a tale of alienation—it is a testament to the resilience of those who navigated impossible contradictions, often at great personal cost.

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Menschen tun alles, egal wie absurd, \ um ihrer eigenen Seele nicht zu begegnen. \ Carl Gustav Jung

«Extremer Reichtum ist eine Gefahr für die Demokratie», sagen über die Hälfte der knapp 3000 befragten Millionäre aus G20-Staaten laut einer Umfrage der «Patriotic Millionaires». Ferner stellte dieser Zusammenschluss wohlhabender US-Amerikaner fest, dass 63 Prozent jener Millionäre den Einfluss von Superreichen auf US-Präsident Trump als Bedrohung für die globale Stabilität ansehen.

Diese Besorgnis haben 370 Millionäre und Milliardäre am Dienstag auch den in Davos beim WEF konzentrierten Privilegierten aus aller Welt übermittelt. In einem offenen Brief forderten sie die «gewählten Führer» auf, die Superreichen – also sie selbst – zu besteuern, um «die zersetzenden Auswirkungen des extremen Reichtums auf unsere Demokratien und die Gesellschaft zu bekämpfen». Zum Beispiel kontrolliere eine handvoll extrem reicher Menschen die Medien, beeinflusse die Rechtssysteme in unzulässiger Weise und verwandele Recht in Unrecht.

Schon 2019 beanstandete der bekannte Historiker und Schriftsteller Ruthger Bregman an einer WEF-Podiumsdiskussion die Steuervermeidung der Superreichen. Die elitäre Veranstaltung bezeichnete er als «Feuerwehr-Konferenz, bei der man nicht über Löschwasser sprechen darf.» Daraufhin erhielt Bregman keine Einladungen nach Davos mehr. Auf seine Aussagen machte der Schweizer Aktivist Alec Gagneux aufmerksam, der sich seit Jahrzehnten kritisch mit dem WEF befasst. Ihm wurde kürzlich der Zutritt zu einem dreiteiligen Kurs über das WEF an der Volkshochschule Region Brugg verwehrt.

Nun ist die Erkenntnis, dass mit Geld politischer Einfluss einhergeht, alles andere als neu. Und extremer Reichtum macht die Sache nicht wirklich besser. Trotzdem hat man über Initiativen wie Patriotic Millionaires oder Taxmenow bisher eher selten etwas gehört, obwohl es sie schon lange gibt. Auch scheint es kein Problem, wenn ein Herr Gates fast im Alleingang versucht, globale Gesundheits-, Klima-, Ernährungs- oder Bevölkerungspolitik zu betreiben – im Gegenteil. Im Jahr, als der Milliardär Donald Trump zum zweiten Mal ins Weiße Haus einzieht, ist das Echo in den Gesinnungsmedien dagegen enorm – und uniform, wer hätte das gedacht.

Der neue US-Präsident hat jedoch «Davos geerdet», wie Achgut es nannte. In seiner kurzen Rede beim Weltwirtschaftsforum verteidigte er seine Politik und stellte klar, er habe schlicht eine «Revolution des gesunden Menschenverstands» begonnen. Mit deutlichen Worten sprach er unter anderem von ersten Maßnahmen gegen den «Green New Scam», und von einem «Erlass, der jegliche staatliche Zensur beendet»:

«Unsere Regierung wird die Äußerungen unserer eigenen Bürger nicht mehr als Fehlinformation oder Desinformation bezeichnen, was die Lieblingswörter von Zensoren und derer sind, die den freien Austausch von Ideen und, offen gesagt, den Fortschritt verhindern wollen.»

Wie der «Trumpismus» letztlich einzuordnen ist, muss jeder für sich selbst entscheiden. Skepsis ist definitiv angebracht, denn «einer von uns» sind weder der Präsident noch seine auserwählten Teammitglieder. Ob sie irgendeinen Sumpf trockenlegen oder Staatsverbrechen aufdecken werden oder was aus WHO- und Klimaverträgen wird, bleibt abzuwarten.

Das WHO-Dekret fordert jedenfalls die Übertragung der Gelder auf «glaubwürdige Partner», die die Aktivitäten übernehmen könnten. Zufällig scheint mit «Impfguru» Bill Gates ein weiterer Harris-Unterstützer kürzlich das Lager gewechselt zu haben: Nach einem gemeinsamen Abendessen zeigte er sich «beeindruckt» von Trumps Interesse an der globalen Gesundheit.

Mit dem Projekt «Stargate» sind weitere dunkle Wolken am Erwartungshorizont der Fangemeinde aufgezogen. Trump hat dieses Joint Venture zwischen den Konzernen OpenAI, Oracle, und SoftBank als das «größte KI-Infrastrukturprojekt der Geschichte» angekündigt. Der Stein des Anstoßes: Oracle-CEO Larry Ellison, der auch Fan von KI-gestützter Echtzeit-Überwachung ist, sieht einen weiteren potenziellen Einsatz der künstlichen Intelligenz. Sie könne dazu dienen, Krebserkrankungen zu erkennen und individuelle mRNA-«Impfstoffe» zur Behandlung innerhalb von 48 Stunden zu entwickeln.

Warum bitte sollten sich diese superreichen «Eliten» ins eigene Fleisch schneiden und direkt entgegen ihren eigenen Interessen handeln? Weil sie Menschenfreunde, sogenannte Philanthropen sind? Oder vielleicht, weil sie ein schlechtes Gewissen haben und ihre Schuld kompensieren müssen? Deswegen jedenfalls brauchen «Linke» laut Robert Willacker, einem deutschen Politikberater mit brasilianischen Wurzeln, rechte Parteien – ein ebenso überraschender wie humorvoller Erklärungsansatz.

Wenn eine Krähe der anderen kein Auge aushackt, dann tut sie das sich selbst noch weniger an. Dass Millionäre ernsthaft ihre eigene Besteuerung fordern oder Machteliten ihren eigenen Einfluss zugunsten anderer einschränken würden, halte ich für sehr unwahrscheinlich. So etwas glaube ich erst, wenn zum Beispiel die Rüstungsindustrie sich um Friedensverhandlungen bemüht, die Pharmalobby sich gegen institutionalisierte Korruption einsetzt, Zentralbanken ihre CBDC-Pläne für Bitcoin opfern oder der ÖRR die Abschaffung der Rundfunkgebühren fordert.

---

Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ 3c506452:fef9202b

Kia ora ano e te iwi whanui!

Often I pose the question to myself "How would I say this if I had no knowledge whatsoever of English?" That's basically what guides my sentence formation whenever I speak Maori.

Since the arrival of Tauiwi into our turangawaewae, our reo has shifted, largely due to intermingling with the English language, and an entire generation or two completing losing the reo.

Great efforts have been made to secure our language from total extinction, and the number of te reo speakers seems to be on the rise.

What I do notice though is that most of the time when I do hear te reo being spoken, it's cadence follows that of the English language.
Vowels are clipped, consonants are aspirated, and English thought patterns are disguised via the Maori language.
Regardless, I still appreciate and prefer the reo to be spoken rather than it not be spoken at all.
I once heard someone remark that

"Maori sounds like Hawaiian with a New Zealand accent. Hilarious!"

So, how do I personally tackle this and try make my own reo sound more Maori?

Here's how:

1. Read Nupepa Maori - When the written word came to us, we dove straight in. Nupepa Maori gives great insight into how the language was used using the new medium of pen and paper.

2. Listen to the older videos of Wakahuia Docos - Wakahuia has been running for a long time and I find listening to our old people of those times a good way to hear the differences between how the reo sounds today, and how it sounded a little while back.

3. Listen Radio Kahungunu archives - They have a really nice archive of a talkback radio show.

4. People to listen for - I personally try to find anything by Timoti Karetu, Quinton Hita, and Julian Wilcox as I really enjoy the sound of how they speak the reo.

5. Listen to Cook Island Maori, Gagana Tokelau and Hawaiian (Keao Nesmith, Niihau dialect, Kaalala, Kanahele Collection) - Listening to other polynesian languages gives a good general gist of the sound of polynesian languages. I try to emulate a similar sound whenever I speak te reo.

No reira, ko tena tena, I hope that 2025 will be a good year for Te Reo Maori!

Nga rauemi:
Nupepa Maori
Wakahuia
Radio Kahungunu
Quinton Hita
Julian Wilcox
Timoti Karetu
Kanahele Collection
Ka Alala
Gagana Tokelau
Kuki Learning

@ 08288690:77f58eba

Awesome Amapiano

@ a09fb9cb:83231556

Who

So, this is it, this is How it begins. No more sitting on the sidelines pondering and wondering. This is it. This is Where the rubber hits the road.

OK, so, err… wow. Welcome. I guess this is How you start these things, right? I welcome you and I tell you a little bit about my self, Why I’m here and Why you should consider reading on… OK, well, I’ve kinda done that in detail on the about page, which you can link off to, if you so wish…

I feel like I’m jumping into the deep end, because there is so much that I just don’t know, and What I don’t know has many sides to it, so let me try and break this down a little.

What

Firstly, there is so much that I wish to discuss here, about the essence of the self the nature of reality the meaning of existence, consciousness, choice, consequence, awareness, intention, sovereignty, autonomy, emotion, liberty, ethics, morality, wellness, society, money, law, power, religion, and technology to name just a few…

How

Then there is Substack, WordPress, Medium, Spotify, YouTube, Rumble, Odysee, and all the other communication channels that are out there, and this doesn’t even begin to account for the minefield that is Social Media today.

Why

I do know Why I’m here on Highlighter (nostr), and it’s for a couple of reasons:

#1 - Information Gathering

Taking the above point about What I wish to discuss, today we have almost instantaneous access to the most amount of information humanity has ever known. This in and of it self creates a huge problem because sifting through all this information to uncover reliable and verifiable facts is becoming increasingly difficult.

Information overload can make it difficult to discern fact from fiction, and verifiable facts form the bedrock of How we operate within our shared, consensus (objective) reality.

I find my self constructing narratives and mental models within my mind that appear to make a lot of sense to my mind, but these can then become difficult to translate into coherent speech When attempting to explain them to others. Thus, writing these things down here on Highlighter overcomes two challenges.

1. I get to make sense of these things my self, because if I cannot translate my understanding into coherent text then my knowledge and experience of the subject matter must be lacking.
2. If I can capture these things in a coherent way, then I can refer them to others, and hopefully receive constructive feedback in ways that may not have yet occurred to me.

I believe this is What Seraph meant When he said:

“You do not truly know someone until you fight them.”_ Seraph - The Matrix Reloaded_

Obviously, the Matrix films were action movies, so the metaphors expressed within them typically manifested through scenes of hand-to-hand combat involving Neo, but at its core, I interpret Seraphs words to mean that, you do not truly know your self until you find your true self. Here’s another way to explain What I mean by this:

mind.noun, a beautiful servant, a dangerous master.

or

When a student is ready, the master appears…

I’ve explained more about this in the about page, but here is the summary, consciousness can exist without thought, but thought cannot exist without consciousness. Ergo, consciousness is an innate quality of Being, whereas Mind is an emergent property of consciousness. Once you deconstruct your Being to its core, you eventually arrive at nothing. Nothing is the truth of all reality (ultimate reality), and so to know nothing, through the experience of enlightenment, is to know thy self.

Once the distinction is made between the conscious self and the thinking mind, truth emerges, and it is this truth that sets us free. This is the “fight” for freedom, or more accurately the struggle for peace, that we are all invited to seek, simply through Being human.

If I can make sense of What is in my mind, by writing it down, then this is a good thing. If those words then translate into meaning and understanding for others, then this is a better thing. If conversations emerge that promote growth and increase understanding, then this is the best thing.

#2 - Process Improvement

So having a corpus of information to discuss is the first thing, but then there is How best to have these discussions… This is of equal importance to me because the way that we are generating and consuming content is changing. There now appears to be as many channels to discuss information, as there is information to be discussed, although I suspect Generative Artificial Intelligence will smash that ratio out of the park soon, if it hasn’t done so already.

So, What is the best way or ways to do this? Well, I figure the only way to find this out is to run the experiment and see Where it goes.

You gotta start somewhere…

Substack seems like a reasonable place to start because:

1. it’s part of the existing world, Where everything is stored centrally, yet it appears to be somewhat censorship resistant, not that I intend to go around kicking the hornets’ nest, but it does appear to be a relatively “safe” place to hang out.
2. it’s growing rapidly and making improvements to its platform all the time, so I can grow and learn as Substack improves.
3. it has a good user base, so connecting with fellow travellers is easier than creating my own standalone website.
4. I’m also hopeful that Substack provides simple and easy integration into things like Podcasting and Social Media, so I can spend more time on content creation and having meaningful conversations, and less time on the technicalities of “distribution”.

…and see where it goes

Which has led me inexorably here. I only just discovered Highlighter last week, so I am going to do my best to publish all my Substack articles here too. I believe that is the purpose of nostr, right?

Where

So, I’m going to start on Substack, and take it goes from there, because as the title of this article suggests, “I know nothing.” This is my working assumption, that I know nothing, because I have no real idea about How I am going to do any of this.

I’ve never done a Substack or Highlighter (nostr) before, nor do I know How to create a Podcast, or How to effectively communicate with fellow travellers via Social Media, so this is going to be a journey of discovery for me. This is my first step into a world that seems to be rapidly evolving, so to help you connect with me, on whatever platform suits you, I’ve mapped out my linktr.ee/danielewen.me.

If you’ve made it this far down the page, thank you! Just writing this first article and the about page has been a useful exercise for me.

I hope that I have somewhat accurately articulated my conscious intentions (the Who, the What, the How, the Why, and the Where) for this Project in such a way that it at least makes some sense to you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and I will do my best to digest any constructive feedback that you have for me. I guess all that remains is the…

When

As there is only the present moment, the time is always Now… so here it is.

If you would like to follow me here on nostr then please do so, and if you'd like to subscribe to Substack, then here’s the link for that: https://danielewen.substack.com and / or you can subscribe to my WordPress too, here: https://danielewen.wordpress.com.

I have no idea what this is going to look like #When I hit the publish button, but here goes...

I now know SOMETHiNG…

@ a09fb9cb:83231556

• If you understand the below, "i" kindly invite you to connect
• If YOU do not understand the below, "I" would still invite YOU to connect, in fact more so, so that We can Both expand our shared understanding

To understand things, "We" need frameworks of understanding, but We should not confuse the framework for the understanding.

A common misconception is that the "thing" We are searching for EXiSTS somewhere out there. Above us perhaps? To that end We believe that We have to connect with something "outside" of ourself. May I ask YOU, have YOU ever experienced outside, other than through sense perception arising from WITHiN the MiND? Do YOU see the paradox? Outside is unknowable. It is an ILLUSiON... the truth LiES WITHiN

In spiritual speak, the analogy of a triangle is often used, with the all-seeing "i" placed at the top of the triangle. This is where the half-truth is hidden, WITHiN the LiE.

Continuing with the common misconception, We believe that in order to reach greater and greater "spiritual" heights We must grow the triangle.

I ask YOU to consider, what if the "thing" We are searching for is the base of the triangle? This is the foundation of knowing. Knowing leads to understanding and wisdom, through experience. Experience leads to knowing. This is the process of enlightenment...

I know nothing. I now know SOMETHiNG...

I have attempted to convey this metaphor somewhat crudely using the below graphical representation and a previous read that alludes to who "i AM"...

naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpgylh89jrps6t0dzgadseecr6rukk7pln42jlcccgsrlrkpjx92kqy88wumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmv9uq3wamnwvaz7tmjv4kxz7fwwpexjmtpdshxuet59uq32amnwvaz7tmjv4kxz7fwv3sk6atn9e5k7tcppemhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mp0qythwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnswf5k6ctv9ehx2ap0qqd5jttwdamj66mwdamj6560f4z4gjrfferj67t20fckzwqrsyn3c

...but, do not trust | VERiFY - "i AM". I EXiST.

Does this make sense? I know what I know, but I do not know how to communicate what I know to YOU so that We understand each other. This is Why? I encourage YOU to connect. Finally, YOU have my most sincere gratitude. Thank YOU kindly for your precious time and attention.

If you are wondering who "i AM". "i AM" YOU. "i AM" consciousness MANiFESTED...

@ 6e4f2866:a76f7a29

@ a09fb9cb:83231556

I know nothing. Allow me to introduce myself...

The present is eternal and infinite.

Everything that has and will ever happen is continuously happening right now, in the present moment.

"We" typically do not know this because our human senses are connected to the brain.

Through the BRAiN "We" ("i" & "I") perceive the MiND.

The MiND creates concepts and constructs to interpret the senses of perception so that "We" come to observe REALIiTY with Present Moment Awareness.

To become present requires a sense of time.

Time is a concept created WITHiN the MiND to facilite the perception of space. The sense of time allows the observer to perceive change.

Paradoxically,, change is constant.

Change occurs as "We" alter our perception of the eternal and the infinite.

"i" am always present, here and now because "i" am WITHiN EVERYTHiNG.

"i" created YOU ("I") for my own amusement... YOU are the question of "what is beyond the eternal and the infinite?"

YOU will come to understand this, when YOU and "i" rejoice two become one again, in the present. YOU call this enlightenment.

IMAGiNE DOiNG EVERYTHiNG, BEiNG EVERYTHiNG, FOREVER. FOREVER WOULD BE MEANINGLESS. YOU GiVE me MEANiNG. This is Why? "i" CREATED YOU.

YOU ARE me... "We" are EVERYTHiNG. This is the truth that LiES WITHiN, and it is THiS truth that sets Us Both free, but only for a time, because nothing really does last forever...

That's who "i AM". "i AM" nothing. Yet paradoxically, I EXiST.

I now know SOMETHiNG... YOU now know who "i AM", because "I" now know who YOU are.

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

It's Finally here Stackers!

It's Friday!

We're about to kick off our weekends with some feel good tracks.

Let's get the party started. Bring me those Feel Good tracks.

Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

Let's go!

Here's DMX! 🫡RIP.

https://youtu.be/thIVtEOtlWM?si=Ee4XXKe2ZDcWGpRN

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/862396

@ 43b8cd49:3e4a7831

Wow, that didn't take long. Trump shot his wad on day one with all the executive orders, and they figured it was time to return to the Dr. Evil/Mordor stuff on day 2. Soften us up with 24 hours of heavy petting then bring in Larry Ellison to shock us back into hell. That is one scary looking dude, and listening to him talk just makes it worse. I am trying to erase it from my memory.

You just know this Stargate thing is tied to Bill Gates, since it concerns vaccines. But Trump and histeam begged Gates to keep his ugly mug out of it, knowing how hated he is. Hard to believe Biden didn't pardon him for being alive. Gates apparently agreed to stay off-camera for this one, and they brought in Ellison to take his place. Another big miscalculation, since Ellison gives off the very same Dr. Evil vibe. You feel bugs crawling on your skin as soon as he walks in the room.

Part of that is Ellison and part is the new Stargate project, which just reeks of evil from every pore. To his credit, Alex Jones is already calling it out, having Malone on to undercut it, but so far the commentary has been way too weak. This is a catastrophe, worse than anything I imagined, and thrust upon us much quicker than I thought they would dare. Effing day 2 they hit us with this, meaning their respect for us is still zero.

Also not good is that after hitting this weakly yesterday, Alex Jones has already dropped it today, reverting immediately to Trump-olatry. Five of Infowars eight lead stories today are selling Trump as a savior. Zerohedge seems to be all bullish so far on Stargate.

If you don't know, the Stargate project is supposedly a billionaire-funded plan to join AI and mRNA vaccines to cure cancer. AI will spot specific cancer markers in the blood, after which the doctors will create a targeted vaccine in 48 hours, built just for you. What does that have to do with a Stargate? No one has said yet, though I am about to tell you. Plus, didn't Trump campaign on a promise to protect us from the Big Tech monsters? And yet here we are, day 2, and he is announcing major promotion of them and alliance with them. He was supposed to take on the Big Tech juggernaut and the Big Pharma juggernaut, right? Instead, we see them joining forces and Trump climbing into bed with them. The only way things could have gotten worse after Biden is if Big Tech and Big Pharma merged, and that has just happened, with Trump's immediate backing. This is total bullshit in every way, and it isn't even a good story. It is a transparent conjob that any child could spot in about 30 seconds. They have been able to scan blood for all content for a long time, including cancer cells, so I don't know what this has to do with AI. Basically they are just renaming “the medical machines we have long had” as AI and expecting you to buy it. It is just a machine, it isn't AI. Every machine isn't now “artificial intelligence”. But they included AI here as part of the current AI blitz. Everything is currently about AI because they want government to invest even more heavily in it that it already is. Meaning, they want to steal even more of your taxes or borrow from the treasury in order to fund this vaporware and boondoggle. We are told the bigdogs have already invested half a trillion of their own money, but if you believe that you need to check your ventilator tubes for kinks. The obvious con is to get the government to supply matching funds. The billionaires will then quietly stop payment on their checks, and it will all come out of your pocket. That is the way it is always done. You will end up getting billed for something they will never deliver, and if they do deliver anything it will be just another useless shot.

As with the fake Covid vaccine, they won't charge people for the shot or therapy, they will take it directly out of the treasury, so you can't stop it even if you don't buy it. Youwill be billed for it regardless. As with the Covid vaccines in the past three years, the government will order millions of doses of it, pay Big Pharma for it from your taxes, and then have to end up trashing the majority of it, because no one wants it. Just flush it all into the streams and oceans, where it can kill the fish, animals, and if they are lucky, you as well.

But I was going to tell you why they called this conjob Stargate. A stargate is a wormhole or otheralien device for communicating or traveling long distances in the galaxy. The black monolith in 2001: a Space Odyssey was a stargate; and then there was the movie Stargate in 1994 with Kurt Russell, where the stargate allows him to travel to the alien planet Abydos, named after the Egyptian town of Abydos, which houses some Pharaonic tombs, including the Temple of Seti I. That is where the Abydos King List is, which lists the 76 Kings of Ancient Egypt. So not only are these people like Ellison selling you the wormhole garbage along with the AI and vaccine garbage, they are cleverly linking themselves to their own oldest ancestors with the usual tribal wink.

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

Top 20 U.S. Headlines:

1. Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Birthright Citizenship Executive OrderA federal judge has temporarily halted President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship, citing constitutional concerns under the 14th Amendment. This decision marks a significant legal challenge to the administration's immigration policy.

2. U.S. Withdraws from Global Tax AgreementThe United States has officially withdrawn from a global tax deal negotiated at the OECD, which sought to implement a global minimum tax and ensure multinational companies pay fair taxes where they operate. This move signals a potential shift towards a tax war, with considerations to double taxes on foreign companies as a retaliatory measure.

3. Chancellor Rachel Reeves Backs Heathrow ExpansionChancellor Rachel Reeves has expressed support for the long-debated Heathrow Airport expansion, citing economic growth and job creation. However, the project faces resistance from environmental groups and within her party, highlighting concerns over environmental impacts and carbon emissions.

4. Former Politico Reporters Criticize Editorial Decisions on Hunter Biden StoriesEx-Politico reporters Tara Palmeri and Marc Caputo have criticized their former editors for allegedly suppressing significant stories about Hunter Biden's laptop and related issues before the 2020 election, contributing to a narrative of misinformation. Politico has defended its editorial standards and commitment to accuracy.

5. Skepticism Surrounds 'Drill, Baby, Drill' PlanU.S. shale industry leaders have expressed skepticism about President Trump's plan to significantly boost oil production to combat inflation, emphasizing that financial motivations drive decisions rather than political agendas. Despite pressure on OPEC and Saudi Arabia to lower oil prices, low prices could harm U.S. shale profitability, with growth expected to slow.

6. Chicago Bears Appoint Ben Johnson as Head CoachThe Chicago Bears have appointed Ben Johnson as their new head coach, offering a substantial salary of $13 million per year, making him the seventh-highest-paid NFL coach. Despite having no head coaching experience, Johnson's tenure as the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator saw significant improvements in the team's offense.

7. Southport Attack Aftermath: Addressing Myths and MisinformationFollowing last summer's Southport attack, where three young girls were murdered, authorities are confronting far-right riots and disinformation that ensued. The attacker, Axel Rudakubana, pleaded guilty, and investigations revealed extremist materials in his home. The incident has prompted discussions on effective public communication to dispel harmful disinformation.

8. Southern California Wildfires Force Mass EvacuationsA new explosive wildfire has erupted near Los Angeles, rapidly expanding to over 10,000 acres and forcing mass evacuations. Firefighters are battling to maintain control amid challenging conditions.

9. Historic Snowstorm Paralyzes Parts of the Southern U.S.A record-breaking snowstorm has swept across the southern United States, paralyzing regions unaccustomed to such weather. The storm has led to significant disruptions, including road closures and power outages.

10. President Trump Deploys 1,500 Troops to Southern BorderIn a move to bolster border security, President Trump has ordered the deployment of 1,500 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. This action aligns with his administration's recent executive orders on immigration enforcement.

11. Trump Administration Reviewing Automatic Emergency Braking RuleThe U.S. auto safety agency is reconsidering a landmark rule from the previous administration that required nearly all new cars and trucks by 2029 to have advanced automatic emergency braking systems.

12. Lawmakers Seek Sanctions Over Hong Kong Human Rights ViolationsBipartisan U.S. lawmakers are introducing a bill requiring the Trump administration to review whether Hong Kong officials should be sanctioned for human rights violations.

13. International Criminal Court Prepares for Possible U.S. SanctionsThe International Criminal Court has taken measures to shield staff from potential U.S. sanctions, including paying salaries three months in advance, as it braces for financial restrictions that could impact the tribunal's operations.

14. Brianna 'Chickenfry' LaPaglia Reflects on Sexuality Post-BreakupFollowing a tumultuous breakup with country singer Zach Bryan, Brianna LaPaglia, known as "Chickenfry," speculates about her dating preferences, expressing disinterest in having a boyfriend and considering dating women.

15. NATO Chief Warns of Costly Impact if Russia Wins Over UkraineNATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has warned that a Russian victory over Ukraine would undermine the alliance's credibility and could cost trillions of dollars to restore its deterrent power.

16. U.S. Border Patrol Agent Fatally Shot in VermontAuthorities report that a U.S. Border Patrol agent has been fatally shot in northern Vermont. The acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security stated that the agent was killed in the line of duty.

17. MLK Day Observance Highlights Warning Against Anti-Woke RhetoricMartin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations at King's former congregation in Atlanta featured a 70-member choir and remarks from his youngest daughter, warning against anti-woke rhetoric.

18. Biden Pardons Fauci, Milley, and Jan. 6 Panel MembersPresident Joe Biden has pardoned individuals including Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, and members of the Jan. 6 committee, as a guard against potential 'revenge' by former President Trump.

19. Bitter Cold Spreads Across Much of the U.S.Frigid temperatures are engulfing Texas and other parts of the South ahead of a rare winter storm expected to bring heavy snow and disruptive ice accumulations to the region.

20. President Trump Grants Sweeping Pardon of Jan. 6 Defendants\ Former President Trump has issued pardons to multiple individuals convicted of crimes related to the January 6th Capitol breach, framing the move as a commitment to "justice for patriots." This decision has sparked sharp debates across political lines.

    ---

    Top 5 Worldwide Headlines:

    1. Tensions Escalate Between Russia and NATO Over Ukraine\ Russia has ramped up its military offensive in Ukraine, with NATO allies pledging additional support, including advanced weaponry, to Kyiv. The conflict continues to reshape European geopolitics.

    2. Global Markets React to China's Economic Data\ Slower-than-expected economic growth in China has sent ripples through global markets, raising concerns about the potential impact on global trade and supply chains.

    3. Massive Earthquake Strikes Turkey and Syria\ A devastating earthquake has rocked parts of Turkey and Syria, resulting in significant casualties and widespread destruction. International relief efforts are underway.

    4. United Nations Calls for Immediate Action on Climate Crisis\ A new UN report highlights the urgent need for global cooperation to combat the accelerating effects of climate change, including rising sea levels and extreme weather patterns.

    5. Protests Erupt in France Over Pension Reform Plans\ Large-scale protests have broken out across France in response to the government’s proposal to raise the retirement age, with unions organizing nationwide strikes.

@ 9c9e774c:491c6c5b

In today's competitive legal landscape, establishing a strong, trusted reputation is essential for any legal professional or firm. This includes experts such as engineering expert witnesses, as well as law firms themselves. Brand reputation management (BRM) plays a crucial role in shaping how these professionals are perceived by clients, peers, and the public at large. Here’s how both expert witnesses and law firms can effectively use brand reputation management and email marketing to boost their visibility, trustworthiness, and ultimately their success.

Brand Reputation Management for Engineering Expert Witnesses

An engineering expert witness plays a critical role in many legal cases, providing specialized knowledge and testimony that can make or break a case. Because of the high level of expertise and authority required in this role, managing one's reputation is paramount.

Showcasing Expertise: Engineering expert witnesses can use content marketing, such as articles, case studies, or whitepapers, to showcase their in-depth knowledge. By writing about real-world applications of engineering principles in legal cases or discussing trends in the industry, they can position themselves as trusted thought leaders in their field.

Online Reviews and Testimonials: Potential clients—lawyers, law firms, or even direct clients—often rely on the experiences of others to gauge the credibility of an expert witness. Encouraging satisfied clients to leave positive reviews on professional networks like LinkedIn, Google, or specific legal platforms can enhance an expert’s online presence.

Public Speaking and Thought Leadership: Engineering experts can enhance their reputation by speaking at industry conferences or offering insights through webinars. These activities not only allow them to showcase their expertise but also increase their visibility among lawyers who may be seeking an expert witness.

Managing Negative Press: In any profession, negative feedback or a challenging case outcome is inevitable. However, effective reputation management involves addressing criticism professionally and transparently. Engineering experts can use their website or social media platforms to provide clarifications, correct inaccuracies, or demonstrate how they have learned and evolved from particular experiences.

Brand Reputation Management for Law Firms

For law firms, brand reputation management extends beyond individual cases and expert witnesses. It encompasses the firm’s overall image, which can influence the perception of both current clients and potential clients. Client Testimonials and Case Results: Positive feedback from clients can significantly enhance a law firm's reputation. Gathering testimonials or showcasing successful case outcomes (while adhering to legal ethical standards) on the firm’s website or social media can help build credibility and attract new clients.

Active Social Media Presence: Law firms should be active on professional platforms such as LinkedIn, as well as on other social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook. Engaging content, including firm achievements, community involvement, and legal insights, helps to humanize the firm and build a connection with potential clients. Regular posts, along with interactions with followers, demonstrate transparency and accessibility.

Thought Leadership and Content Creation: Publishing blog posts, articles, and industry insights is a great way for law firms to stay at the forefront of the legal community. Sharing knowledge on current legal topics, trends, or emerging areas of law helps establish the firm as a credible source of information and positions attorneys as experts in their fields.

Crisis Management: Sometimes, a firm’s reputation may come under fire due to a high-profile case or a client’s negative experience. Effective brand reputation management involves a well-thought-out crisis communication strategy. Being responsive, addressing concerns publicly, and taking corrective actions when necessary is key to maintaining trust.

How Law Firms Can Use Email Marketing for Brand Building

Email marketing for law firms is a powerful tool to keep their brand top-of-mind with clients, leads, and the broader legal community. Here’s how email marketing can fit into a law firm’s reputation management strategy: Nurturing Leads and Building Relationships: Email newsletters allow law firms to stay connected with leads over time. By offering valuable legal insights, case updates, or industry news, law firms can nurture relationships and remain the go-to resource for potential clients. Educational emails help foster trust and demonstrate the firm’s expertise.

Client Retention: After a client has been through a legal process, it’s essential to keep in touch for future needs or referrals. Personalized follow-up emails post-case or periodic newsletters with updates on the firm’s services, achievements, or relevant legal news can remind past clients of the firm’s value.

Client Testimonials and Case Studies: Law firms can strategically use email marketing to share success stories, case studies, or client testimonials. This not only showcases their expertise but also builds social proof, which is crucial for brand reputation. Featuring clients' positive experiences can influence potential clients' decisions when they are looking for legal representation.

Transparency and Communication: Email marketing helps law firms maintain transparent and open lines of communication. Whether sharing updates on legal proceedings, providing educational content, or sending reminders for consultations, emails allow for consistent engagement, which can build trust with clients.

SEO and Lead Generation: Emails that contain valuable content and include strong calls to action (CTAs) can drive traffic to the firm’s website, potentially converting leads into clients. Offering downloadable guides, legal checklists, or consultation discounts in email campaigns can incentivize recipients to take action.

Segmented Email Lists: A well-segmented email list is key to delivering the right message to the right audience. Law firms can categorize their contacts based on factors such as practice area, client status, or geographical location, enabling them to send highly relevant and personalized communications.

Conclusion

For both engineering expert witnesses and law firms, managing and cultivating a strong brand reputation is essential to building trust, attracting clients, and standing out in a crowded field. Engineering experts can use brand reputation management strategies like showcasing expertise and handling online reviews to cement their credibility. Law firms, on the other hand, can leverage content creation, client testimonials, and social media presence to boost their brand visibility. Email marketing plays a pivotal role in keeping clients informed, building relationships, and strengthening a firm’s reputation. When used effectively, email marketing can not only help retain clients but also generate leads, ensuring that law firms stay at the forefront of clients’ minds when legal needs arise. By embracing these brand reputation management tactics, both individual experts and law firms can ensure sustained success and a robust professional image.

@ bd32f268:22b33966

Vivemos num tempo em que predomina a atitude de colocar a vida em serviço de culto ao “Eu”. Aqui por “Eu” entenda-se o ego e as suas manifestações que colocam o indivíduo no centro do seu mundo. Esta priorização do “Eu” revela-se de várias formas, dando á luz vários produtos sociais e culturais. Estas manifestações atuam de forma nociva na sociedade uma vez que desagregam e extinguem todo o tipo coesão social.

Uma sociedade é uma organização de pessoas que buscam uma finalidade comum. Quando a finalidade é primeiramente o serviço aos apetites individuais é cada vez mais provável que surjam conflitos de interesses e estes vão desunindo as pessoas. Desta forma a sociedade precipita-se para o declínio e consequente extinção, uma vez que já não é capaz de sustentar os seus princípios fundadores e a narrativa agregadora que estabelece a identidade da comunidade.

Pensemos numa família, quando os membros da família vivem para si e não para o outro, aqui personificado no esposo e nos filhos, a coesão familiar sai enfraquecida pois muitas serão as ocasiões nas quais os interesses imediatos do indivíduo colidem com os interesses da família. Isto leva a uma série de problemas, nomeadamente os que observamos cada vez mais na educação das crianças. Neste campo, observamos frequentemente um tempo escasso para o convívio e para a pedagogia de vida que os pais devem exercer. Dir-se-á que são as vicissitudes do mundo do trabalho, mas talvez devêssemos balancear essa ideia com a noção de que o materialismo também nos foi habituando a ter outras necessidades que os nossos avós não tinham, o que nos precipita a querer mais e a trabalhar mais e sobretudo fora de casa. Quero dizer que de facto podemos viver com menos e que esse menos no ponto de vista das condições materiais de vida pode significar mais em termos familiares.

Um outro campo em que se nota a primazia do “Eu” é nos relacionamentos em que nos habituamos a ver o outro como um servidor da nossa vontade e do nosso desejo. Confundimos facilmente o conceito de amor com uma troca comercial. Julgamos que aquilo que entregamos tem de ser retribuído, perdendo a noção de que é a nossa escolha entregar-nos a alguém e que como tal temos de enfrentar as consequências da nossa decisão. Nós devemos servir o outro assim como o outro deveria pensar da mesma forma, no entanto não controlamos a cabeça da outra pessoa portanto foquemo-nos sim naquilo que controlamos. Foquemo-nos em honrar as promessas que fazemos e aprender a viver em união com o outro.

Narciso - Caravaggio

Também no cuidado com os idosos se manifesta a primazia do “Eu”. Não são raros os casos de abandono e negligência para com aqueles a quem, para o bem e para o mal, devemos a nossa vida. Vemos cada vez mais idosos institucionalizados quando muitos poderiam estar com as suas respetivas famílias num ambiente familiar muito mais propício para o seu final de vida. As justificações multiplicam-se e novamente o trabalho surge como o fundamento, no entanto facilmente observamos que mesmo quando há tempo esse tempo não é dedicado aos idosos.

A taxa de natalidade é também um sinal da primazia do eu. A retórica pos-contemporânea assegura que ter filhos é um comportamento egoísta, especialmente nos tempos que vivemos. Seja por causa da narrativa climática, seja por questões de pobreza ou doença, essas pessoas defendem a não vida. No entanto, um olhar que guarda o apreço pela vida como algo sagrado é capaz de observar que a vida, mesmo em circunstâncias muito difíceis continua a valer a pena. O verdadeiro motivo que se esconde muitas vezes por trás desta retórica é invariavelmente a primazia do conforto.

Por trás destas opções de vida está também patente um abandono á cultura do sacrifício, que pressupõe a procura de algo que transcende o “Eu”. Nessa transcendência está a chave para encontrar um propósito, isto é uma missão para a vida. Além disso, está também a constatação de que na vida há aspirações e valores mais elevados que nos convocam a entregar a nossa vida, quer isto dizer abrir mão da procura do conforto e do prazer e abraçar por vezes o sofrimento, no entanto este sofrimento tem um propósito. O sacrifício individual não é seguramente a via mais fácil e conveniente, contudo é a única pois o viver para o ego é apenas uma ilusão. Quem vive para si, nem para si vive dado que não ama ninguém além de si próprio e isso não é amor.

@ d4eaddd4:5ce9da9c

("Shipwreck off Nantucket" William Bradford, ca. 1860–61)

What Does It Mean That Grief Comes in Waves?
Grief is often compared to waves—a natural, unpredictable rhythm that surges and recedes, catching us off guard and sweeping us into a sea of emotions. Just like the ocean, grief can be calm one moment and tumultuous the next, leaving us gasping for air. This metaphor resonates deeply because it reflects the enduring, nonlinear nature of loss. Whether your loss occurred recently or years ago, grief remains a lifelong journey, ebbing and flowing with time.

Why Grief Feels Like Waves
At its core, grief is the emotional response to loss, and it doesn’t follow a set timetable. Emotions can be triggered unexpectedly by a song, a scent, or a special date, sending a wave of sorrow crashing over you. Author Adriel Booker eloquently describes these moments:

“You might understand intellectually that they [the waves] will keep coming, but some days they hit more forcefully, more fiercely than you ever imagined possible.”

This lack of predictability makes grief feel overwhelming. It’s not something you “get over,” but rather something you learn to navigate, much like a sailor facing unpredictable seas.

Navigating the First Waves of Grief
When a loss first occurs, the waves of grief can feel relentless. An insightful analogy from a viral Reddit post likens the initial experience of grief to a shipwreck:

“When the ship is first wrecked, you’re drowning, with wreckage all around you. Everything floating around you reminds you of the beauty and the magnificence of the ship that was, and is no more.”

In these early stages, the waves are towering and frequent, crashing over you with little respite. The best advice during this time is simply to float—cling to what sustains you, whether it’s a supportive friend, a cherished memory, or a comforting ritual. Survival is the priority.

The Changing Tides of Grief Over Time
As time passes, the waves of grief may become less frequent and slightly more predictable. Anniversaries, holidays, or milestones often serve as triggers, bringing back the pain of loss. However, with each passing wave, you gain resilience.

The Reddit post continues:

“Somewhere down the line… you find that the waves are only 80 feet tall. Or 50 feet tall. And while they still come, they come further apart. You can see them coming, for the most part, and prepare yourself.”

This doesn’t mean grief ever goes away. The waves still arrive, but they no longer hold the same power to drown you. Instead, they become reminders of the love and connection you shared, leaving behind scars that tell a story of resilience and remembrance.

Coping with the Waves
While grief may never fully disappear, there are ways to weather its storms:
1. Acknowledge Your Emotions: Allow yourself to feel without judgment. Grief is a natural response to love and loss.
2. Find Anchors: Lean on meaningful memories, objects, or relationships that ground you.
3. Seek Support: Whether through friends, family, or professional counselors, connection can be a lifeline.
4. Prepare for Triggers: Recognize that certain dates or events may bring waves of grief and plan how to cope in advance.
5. Practice Self-Compassion: Healing takes time, and there’s no “right” way to grieve.

Conclusion: A Lifelong Journey
Grief, much like the ocean, is vast and unpredictable. But with time and support, you can learn to navigate its waters. The waves will never stop coming, but they will change. And as you face each wave, you’ll discover strength and meaning in your journey.

Grief is a testament to love. As the Reddit post poignantly concludes:

“If you’re lucky, you’ll have lots of scars from lots of loves. And lots of shipwrecks.”

@ b97f07c7:a9ddca71

เปิดโลก social ยุคอนาคต ที่ creator ได้รับเงินจากคนอ่าน content เต็ม 100%! ทำความรู้จัก Nostr ที่จะเปลี่ยนโลกการใช้ social ของคุณกัน!

content จากประสบการณ์จริง ที่ดองนานในระยะนึงล่ะ แต่บอกเลยว่ามันก็ solve pain point ของ user ที่ไม่อยากลับลู้ว่า AI ของ platform นั้น มาคอย suggest อะไรที่เราไม่ได้ตาม

ส่วน content creator เอง เราเป็นคนเขียน คนทำ content บน platform นั้น ๆ ทุกอย่างควบคุมโดย platform ซึ่ง platform อาจจะถูกปิดเมื่อไหร่ก็ได้ ส่วนใหญ่โดนลด reach บางคนโดน platform ลบโพส บางคนโดน platform แบน เราจึงต้องมี asset เป็นของตัวเองอย่าง website ไม่งั้น content ที่เราตั้งใจทำหายไปเสียดายแย่เลย

ซึ่ง concept และการใช้งาน Nostr นั้นลด pain point ของ creator ที่ต้องไปทุก platform เพื่อครอง keyword ซึ่งเหนื่อยมาก ๆ ถ้าเป็นสายแบบเราที่เน้นโค้ดหน่อย ๆ ต้องมาสร้างผู้ติดตามใหม่ แต่ละช่องทางได้กลุ่มผู้ติดตามต่างกันอีก

ร่ายมายาวขนาดนี้เข้าเรื่อง Nostr ได้แล้ว ว่าแต่มันคืออะไร ใช้งานยังไง ต้องทำอะไรบ้าง ไปดูกันนนน

ปล. บทความนี้เป็นแนวแนะนำว่ามันคืออะไร ใช้งานยังไง ยังไม่ลงลึกด้านเดฟนะ คืออยากให้ใช้ให้เป็นก่อนนนนนน

Nostr คืออะไร?

Nostr ย่อมาจาก Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays เป็น open protocol ที่ถูกพัฒนาโดย Giovanni Torres Parra มีจุดประสงค์คือ สร้างเครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์ที่ไม่ถูกควบคุมหรือเซ็นเซอร์

ในที่นี้ Notes หมายถึง social media และ other stuff คือ data communication

แล้ว protocol คืออะไรล่ะ? ก็คือเราคุยกันผ่านช่องทางไหนยังไง เช่น sms, email อะไรงี้

ดังนั้นมันก็คือ note & other stuff ที่ถูก transmit โดย Relays นั่นเอง

Workflow

ปกติเราทำแอพขึ้นมาแอพนึงประกอบด้วยอะไรบ้าง?

เดิมทีทีมแอพก็มีทีมหน้าบ้าน อย่าง frontend developer หรือ mobile developer อย่าง iOS และ Android แล้วก็ทีมหลังบ้าน backend developer ที่เป็นคนทำระบบหลังบ้าน ไม่ว่าจะเป็นทำ API ให้หน้าบ้านคุยกับ server แล้วก็จัดเก็บข้อมูลลง database ด้วย

flow ก็คือ user download แอพมา หรือใช้ website ตัวแอพหน้าบ้านจะเรียก API เพื่อทำอะไรบางอย่าง เช่น เปิดแอพมาเรียก API เพื่อ check ว่าเรา login อยู่ไหม แล้วก็ดึงหน้า feed มาแสดง

สำหรับ Nostr จะมีแค่คนทำหน้าบ้านเท่านั้น โดยตัวแอพเชื่อมต่อกับ relay ผ่านมาตรฐานของ NIP

ดังนั้น developer อย่างเราจะทำ client หรือตัวแอพที่ใช้ Nostr ได้เลย โดยใช้ Relay เดียวกันได้เลย ภายใต้มาตรฐานของ NIP เวลา user เปลี่ยนแอพใหม่ ตัวข้อมูล ตัวโพสต่าง ๆ ยังคงอยู่เหมือนเดิมที่ delay ไม่ต้องไปสร้าง follower ใหม่บน platform ใหม่ ๆ ให้เสียเวลา

การทำงานของ Nostr

สามารถดูตามภาพนี้ได้เลย เป็นภาพพื้นฐานในการเล่าเลย การทำงานเขาจะแบ่งเป็น 2 ฝั่ง คือ

• Client: คือแอพพลิเคชั่นที่ใช้เล่น Nostr นั่นแหละ เป็นฝั่ง user จะมี key pair คือ private key ใช้ในการยืนยันตัวตนนั่นแหละ เช่น เราเป็นคนโพสอันนี้นะ (เก็บไว้ให้ดี ๆ) และ public key บอกว่าเราคือใคร การทำงาน ตัว client เชื่อมต่อกับตัว relay เช่น บอกว่าใครเป็นคนสร้าง content นี้ หรือเราจะสร้าง content ใน Nostr ก็จะส่งข้อมูลรายละเอียดโพสอย่าง kind, content, tags, pubkey, create_at ตามมาตรฐาน NIPs ส่งไปที่ relay
• Relay: คือ database ตัวนึง ที่เป็นรูปแบบแบบกระจายศูนย์ ได้รับ event อะไร และส่งอะไรกลับไปบ้าง

ref: https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nostr

แล้ว Client และ Relay สื่อสารระหว่างกันยังไง คุยกันผ่าน WebSocket นะ แล้วแต่ละ event จะส่งมาใน JSON format น่ะ

คุณสมบัติของ Nostr

• decentralized: relay คือ database แบบกระจายศูนย์
• open protocol: Nostr เป็น open protocol สามารถใช้งานได้หลายอย่าง
• censorship-resistant: user มีสิทธิ์เลือก relay เองได้
• high security: encrypt ข้อมูลส่วนตัวก่อนส่งทุกครั้ง

มาตรฐาน NIP

NIP ย่อมาจาก Nostr Implementation Possibilities คือ มาตรฐาน protocol ที่ใช้กันสำหรับ Nostr

ใน content นี้เราไม่ลงลึกมาก เดี๋ยวจะงงกัน เอาให้เห็นภาพคร่าว ๆ เพราะมันมีเยอะมาก

หลัก ๆ ที่เราใช้งานกัน จะมี

• NIP-01: Basic protocol เป็นอันพื้นฐานที่ต้องรู้ บอกโครงสร้าง event การรับส่งข้อมูลต่าง ๆ ทำให้เรารู้โครงสร้างแล้วเอาไปสร้าง client ได้เลย ทำให้ developer focus ที่โครงสร้างนี้อันเดียวเท่านั้นในการพัฒนา เช่น post บน Nostr นั่นแหละ
• NIP-05: Nostr Address บอกว่าเราเป็นใครใน internet ฟีลเดียวกันกับ email address ทำให้เราตั้งชื่อบัญชีให้จดจำได้ง่าย ช่วยในการค้นหาและติดตามกันได้ง่ายยิ่งขึ้น เช่นจากที่เราต้องเพิ่มเพื่อนผ่าน Nostr public key ที่ยาวเหลือเกิน เป็นอะไรสั้น ๆ ฟีล email เช่น mikkipastel@siamstr.com
• NIP-23: Long-form article พวก blog ต่าง ๆ
• NIP-53: สำหรับ live stream

ส่วนแบบอื่น ๆ สามารถอ่านรายละเอียดได้ที่นี่เลย https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/README.md

เริ่มใช้งานบนมือถือ

จาก workflow เราจะเห็นว่าเราสามารถใช้ client ตัวไหนก็ได้ในการเล่น Nostr และโลกของ Nostr มีตัวเลือกให้เราเยอะมากก แล้วเราจะเริ่มยังไงดี?

1. ติดตั้ง Wherostr เป็นแอพที่ทีมคนไทยทำ ใช้ง่ายมาก ๆ สามารถ download ได้ทั้ง App Store และ Play Store
2. แน่นอนว่าเรายังไม่มี account ให้สร้าง account
3. ปรับแต่ง profile ให้เรียบร้อย
4. เก็บ private key ไว้ในที่ปลอดภัย เพราะเป็น key ยืนยันตัวตนว่าเป็นเราในการทำธุรกรรมต่าง ๆ ในที่นี้คือสร้างโพส, กด like, กด share, รวมถึง zap ด้วย ในแอพอาจจะยังไม่เห็น process นี้ ต้องบนคอม

Tips: ไปรับ NIP05 สวย ๆ ได้ที่ https://siamstr.com/

การที่เราสร้าง account ใหม่นั้น จะเป็นการสร้าง key pair อันประกอบด้วย - public key: ขึ้นต้นด้วย npub1... โดยสามารถเพิ่มเพื่อนใน Nostr ผ่านอันนี้ได้ ซึ่งบอกว่าเราเป็นใคร - private key: ขึ้นต้นด้วย nsec1... เป็นส่วนที่เราต้องเก็บไว้ให้ดีเลย เพราะต้องเอามาใช้ sign กับการทำธุรกรรมของเรา เช่น การ login, สร้าง post, reaction post ใด ๆ

เชื่อมกับกระเป๋า Lightning

เชื่อมเพื่อรับ sat จากเพื่อน ๆ โดย sat เป็นหน่วยย่อยของ Bitcoin มาจาก Satoshi อันเป็นนามแฝงของผู้สร้าง Bitcoin โดย 1 Bitcoin = 100,000,000 Satoshi

1. ติดตั้ง Wallet of Satoshi ตัวแอพนี้เป็น custodial wallet ที่เราไม่ต้อง set อะไรเอง แต่เราไม่ได้ถือ key ของกระเป๋านี้เองนะ สามารถ download ได้ทั้ง App Store และ Play Store
2. เชื่อม email กับ Wallet of Satoshi เลข Lightning Wallet กดปุ่ม Receive แล้วก็ copy
3. กลับมาที่ Wherostr ไปที่ Profile ของเรา กด Edit Profile
4. วางเลขเป๋าตรง Bitcoin Lightning Address แล้วก็กด save

การใช้งานทั่วไป

ขอเปรียบเทียบกับ social network ที่เราใช้กันอยู่เนอะ สมัยก่อนโพสจะเรียงตามลำดับเวลา และเพิ่มเพื่อนหรือติดตามเพจก่อน เราถึงจะเห็น content เขาใน feed

แต่สมัยนี้ AI นำหมด ลองไถ feed ดูสิ เจอเพื่อนเราหรือเพจที่เราตามเท่าไหร่ใน 10 post ทำให้ตัว content creator ต้องเรียนรู้ algorithm ของ platform นั้น ๆ เพื่อให้ content ของเราผู้ติดตามเห็นมากขึ้น (งงม่ะ)

แล้ว Nostr ล่ะ? เหมือน social network สมัยก่อนที่เรียง feed ตามเวลาเลย เราสามารถกดติดตามเพื่อนได้ (และระบบนั้นให้เราได้ติดตามตัวเราเองได้ด้วยนะ5555) และอ่านโพสเพื่อน ๆ คนไทยใน Nostr ได้ผ่าน #siamstr

การสร้างโพส

การโพสก็แสนจะง่ายดาย กด + ตรงกลาง แล้วพิมพ์ เพิ่มรูปใด ๆ ได้ตามใจชอบเลย ฟีลประมาณ medium แหละเนอะ สำหรับ wherostr สามารถ tag สถานที่ได้ด้วย

จุดที่น่าสนใจ คือปุ่มเหมือน CPU กดไปดูจะพบว่าเราสามารถเลือก Proof of Work difficulty level ได้ ซึ่งถ้าเราตั้งไว้เพื่อกัน spam แหละ ถ้าตั้งสูงก็ใช้เวลาในการ solve นาน ซึ่ง default POW เป็น 8

เอ้ออย่าลืมติด #siamstr ด้วย

เมื่อเรียบร้อยแล้ว Post แล้วรอแปป โพสของเราเมื่อสร้างเสร็จแล้วจะอยู่บนสุดเหมือนแอพ social media ทั่วไปเลย

ข้อพึงระวัง

• ลงแล้ว edit post ไม่ได้
• และลบไม่ได้ด้วยนะจ๊ะ
• แชร์ลิ้งได้ แต่ก็ไม่แน่ใจว่าเพื่อนเปิดยังไงได้บ้าง บาง client อย่าง Yakihonne สามารถ share url link Nostr post ของเราได้เลยนะ

เราสามารถกด report, comment และ like ตามปกติเลย แต่มีปุ่มนึงเพิ่มมาจาก social network อื่น ๆ คือ zap นั่นเอง

Zap คืออะไร?

แน่นอนไม่ใช่การแอบแซ่บ แต่เป็นการที่เราเอา Bitcoin บน lightning มาใช้จ่ายต่าง ๆ เช่น เอาไปซื้อชากาแฟ หมูปิ้ง เค้กท้อฟฟี่ชลบุรี ปลากรอบ Crispy Will รวมถึงการ donate ให้กับเจ้าของ content ที่คนนี้เขียนดีมาก เรากด zap ให้เขาดีกว่า หรือไป zap ที่ profile ก็ได้ซึ่งทุก sat (satoshi หน่วยย่อยของ Bitcoin) ที่เขาส่งมาให้ เราได้รับครบทุก sat แบบไม่หักจาก platform เลย

วิธีการ zap ผ่าน Wherostr มี 2 ทาง คือ - zap ให้กับคนนั้น ๆ ที่ profile: ไปที่ profile ของเขา แล้วเราจะเห็นปุ่มสายฟ้า - zap ที่ post นั้น ๆ: เลื่อนไปล่างสุด เราจะเห็นปุ่ม repost, like, comment และอีกอันที่เป็นสายฟ้าคือ Zap

เมื่อกดปุ่ม Zap แล้ว เข้าไปหน้า Zap เลือกจำนวน sat ที่เราต้องการ Zap อาจจะใส่ข้อความไปด้วยก็ได้ แล้วก็กดปุ่ม Zap ด้านล่าง

จากนั้นมันจะเด้งไป Wallet of Satashi ที่เรา connect ไว้ ตรวจสอบธุรกรรม เรียบร้อยแล้วกด Send เขียว ๆ รอสักแปป เมื่อสำเร็จแล้วเราจะเห็นหน้าเขียว ๆ แบบนี้เลย

ถึงเงินอาจจะไม่ได้มากมายอะไรมัก ก็เป็นสิ่งที่ platform web2 ให้ไม่ได้เลยนะ กับความรู้สึกดี ๆ แบบนี้ ที่ลง content แล้วมีคนมา Zap ให้ ในขนาดที่ platform web2 ไม่มีคนกด send gift ให้เลย ฮือออออออออออ

Client App อื่น ๆ ที่น่าสนใจ

จริง ๆ เราจะใช้แอพ Client อื่น ๆ เล่น Nostr ได้นะ เพราะว่า Relay สามารถใช้ร่วมกันได้ในหลาย ๆ แอพ

ก่อนที่จะมีแอพ Wherostr เขาจะแนะนำกันว่า

ถ้าใช้ iOS ใช้แอพ Damus ส่วนชาว Android ใช้ Amethyst

ตอนนั้นที่เราลองเล่นเอง เราสร้าง account ผ่าน Iris แหละ เพราะ ก่อนหน้าที่เรารู้จัก Wherostr และเข้าใจ Nostr เราได้ลองกับ Nostr browser นึงที่ชื่อว่า Spring ในนั้นมีหลาย ๆ client ให้เราจิ้มเล่น และแอพนี้มีเฉพาะ Android เท่าน้านนน

สายเขียนบล็อก: Habla, Yakihonne, Npub.pro

ส่วนสายสตรีม: Zap.Stream

ส่วน Client อื่น ๆ สามารถเข้าไปดูได้ที่นี่ ซึ่งในนี้เป็นแค่ส่วนหนึ่งเท่านั้นแหละ https://nostrapps.com/

เริ่มใช้งานบนคอม

หลาย ๆ client นอกจากจะมีเป็นแอพบนมือถือ ยังมีเป็นหน้าเว็บไซต์อีกด้วย

สิ่งที่ต้องมีเพิ่มเติม คือ extension ที่ชื่อว่า Nostr Connect เราใส่ private key เข้าไปในนั้น พอเวลา sign transection ตัว extension จะไม่เอา private key ของเราตรง ๆ

หลังจากติดตั้ง extension ตัวนี้แล้ว การใช้งาน สมมุติเข้าเว็บ Wherostr กดปุ่ม Login แล้วจะมีหน้า popup เด้งมา ให้กด Login with Nostr extension แล้วจะขึ้นหน้าต่างให้เรา sign สองอัน คือ อ่าน public key กับ Relay

เมื่อ login เรียบร้อยแล้ว สมมุติเราสร้างโพสบนเว็บ Wherostr จามปกติ เรียบร้อยแล้วกด Post เขาจะให้เรา sign event ว่าเราเป็นคนสร้าง post นี้นะ เราจะเห็น transaction ออกมาเป็น json เลย ตามมาตรฐาน NIP-01

ปล. จริง ๆ จะกดไม่ให้เปิด popup ก็ได้นะ แต่เราอยากเปิดไว้เอง เอาไว้ check

และ extension อีกตัวที่มีคนแนะนำก่อนหน้านี้คือ Alby ตอนนี้ไม่ต้องไปขอ access code ก่อนถึงจะใช้ได้ สามารถเข้าไปสมัครที่นี่ได้เลย

https://getalby.com/

สุดท้าย ก็หวังว่าทุกคนรู้จัก Nostr กันไม่มากก็น้อยเนอะ

ถ้าใครอยากติดตามเราบน Nostr สามารถเปิดแอพ Wherostr หรืออื่น ๆ เพื่อ scan QR Code นี้ได้ หรือ copy public key หรือ Nostr user ไปหาได้น้า

แน่นอนในนี้เป็นการแท็กเราเอง nostr:npub1h9ls03lflhvgzzmkf6nsymspw3auh0f3d97c02e5l4edn2waefcszlq9qf

Reference

• https://nostr.com/
• https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nostr
• https://rightshift.to/2023/kp/14251/
• จริง ๆ ก็เอามาจากงาน Thailand Bitcoin Conference 2024 ที่เขียนไปด้วยแหละ แต่บวกกับการใช้งานจริงด้วย https://www.mikkipastel.com/thailand-bitcoin-conference-2024/

@ 29af23a9:842ef0c1

A Indústria Pornográfica se caracteriza pelo investimento pesado de grandes empresários americanos, desde 2014.

Na década de 90, filmes pornográficos eram feitos às coxas. Era basicamente duas pessoas fazendo sexo amador e sendo gravadas. Não tinha roteiro, nem produção, não tinha maquiagem, nada disso. A distribuição era rudimentar, os assinantes tinham que sair de suas casas, ir até a locadora, sofrer todo tipo de constrangimento para assistir a um filme pornô.

No começo dos anos 2000, o serviço de Pay Per View fez o número de vendas de filmes eróticos (filme erótico é bem mais leve) crescer mas nada se compara com os sites de filmes pornográficos por assinatura.

Com o advento dos serviços de Streaming, os sites que vendem filmes por assinatura se estabeleceram no mercado como nunca foi visto na história.

Hoje, os Produtores usam produtos para esticar os vasos sanguíneos do pênis dos atores e dopam as atrizes para que elas aguentem horas de gravação (a Série Black Mirror fez uma crítica a isso no episódio 1 milhão de méritos de forma sutil).

Além de toda a produção em volta das cenas. Que são gravadas em 4K, para focar bem as partes íntimas dos atores. Quadros fechados, iluminação, tudo isso faz essa Indústria ser "Artística" uma vez que tudo ali é falso. Um filme da Produtora Vixen, por exemplo, onde jovens mulheres transam em mansões com seus empresários estimula o esteriótipo da mina padrão que chama seu chefe rico de "daddy" e seduz ele até ele trair a esposa.

Sites como xvídeos, pornHub e outros nada mais são do que sites que salvam filmes dessas produtoras e hospedam as cenas com anúncios e pop-ups. Alguns sites hospedam o filme inteiro "de graça".

Esse tipo de filme estimula qualquer homem heterosexual com menos de 30 anos, que não tem o córtex frontal de seu cérebro totalmente desenvolvido (segundo estudos só é completamente desenvolvido quando o homem chega aos 31 anos).

A arte Pornográfica faz alguns fantasiarem ter relação sexual com uma gostosa americana branquinha, até escraviza-los. Muitos não conseguem sair do vício e preferem a Ficção à sua esposa real. Então pare de se enganar e admita. A Pornografia faz mal para a saúde mental do homem.

Quem sonha em ter uma transa com Lana Rhodes, deve estar nesse estágio. Trata-se de uma atriz (pornstar) que ganhou muito dinheiro vendendo a ilusão da Arte Pornografica, como a Riley Reid que só gravava para grandes Produtoras. Ambas se arrependeram da carreira artística e agora tentam viver suas vidas como uma mulher comum.

As próprias atrizes se consideram artistas, como Mia Malkova, chegou a dizer que Pornografia é a vida dela, que é "Lindo e Sofisticado."

Mia Malkova inclusive faz questão de dizer que a industria não escravisa mulheres jovens. Trata-se de um negócio onde a mulher assina um contrato com uma produtora e recebe um cachê por isso. Diferente do discurso da Mia Khalifa em entrevista para a BBC, onde diz que as mulheres são exploradas por homens poderosos. Vai ela está confundindo o Conglomerado Vixen com a Rede Globo ou com a empresa do Harvey Weinstein.

Enfim, se você é um homem solteiro entre 18 e 40 anos que já consumiu ou que ainda consome pornografia, sabia que sofrerá consequências. Pois trata-se de "produções artísticas" da indústria audiovisual que altera os níveis de dopamina do seu cérebro, mudando a neuroplasticidade e diminuindo a massa cinzenta, deixando o homem com memória fraca, sem foco e com mente nebulosa.

Por que o Estado não proíbe/criminaliza a Pornografia se ela faz mal? E desde quando o Estado quer o nosso bem? Existem grandes empresarios que financiam essa indústria ajudando governos a manterem o povo viciado e assim alienado. É um pão e circo, só que muito mais viciante e maléfico. Eu costume dizer aos meus amigos que existem grandes empresários jvdeus que são donos de grandes Produtoras de filmes pornográficos como o Conglomerado Vixen. Então se eles assistem vídeos pirateados de filmes dessas produtoras, eles estão no colo do Judeu.

@ 141daddd:1df80a3f

When we talk about escaping the matrix, the phrase often conjures images of dramatic physical change—abandoning the city for a remote wilderness, building a self-sufficient life in a village, or retreating to the mountains to escape the noise of modernity. But this interpretation, while romantic, misses the essence of what it truly means to break free. Escaping the matrix is not about fleeing the material world. It is not about geography or lifestyle. It is, above all, a mental and spiritual transformation.

Even in the movie The Matrix, which serves as a powerful allegory for this concept, Morpheus tells Neo that the prison he lives in is not a physical one. It is a prison of the mind. This statement cuts to the core of the matter: the matrix we seek to escape is not an external construct but an internal one. It is the web of beliefs, fears, and limitations that bind us. The bars of this prison are forged from societal expectations, inherited ideologies, and the relentless pursuit of material validation. To escape the matrix, we must first break free from these mental chains.

The Real Battle: Within the Mind

The material world undoubtedly imposes certain limitations—laws, systems, and structures that shape our daily lives. And while it is possible to challenge and even overcome some of these external barriers, the greatest battle is fought within. The matrix is not something you can physically run from because it exists in your perception, in the way you interpret and interact with the world.

True freedom begins with elevating your consciousness. It is not about rejecting the material matrix but transcending it. You do not escape by leaving the system behind; you escape by rising above it. This shift in perspective allows you to see the matrix for what it is—a construct, a playground, a stage upon which life unfolds. When you reach this level of awareness, you are no longer a passive participant, a consumer of someone else’s design. Instead, you become a co-creator of your reality.

Living Above the Matrix

To live above the matrix is to observe it without being consumed by it. You recognize its rules and structures, but you are no longer bound by them. You begin to shape your life not according to the desires and expectations of others but according to your own higher purpose. This is not escapism; it is empowerment. You are still in the matrix, but you are no longer of it.

This shift transforms the matrix from a prison into a playground. You engage with it consciously, using it as a tool to create a more fulfilling life. You are no longer a pawn in someone else’s game but a player in your own. By breaking free from the mental constructs that once confined you, you reclaim your power and your agency.

The Path to Co-Creation

Escaping the matrix is not about rejecting the material world but about redefining your relationship with it. It is about moving from a state of consumption to one of creation. When you elevate your consciousness, you stop being a passive recipient of the matrix’s programming. Instead, you begin to actively participate in shaping it. You become a co-creator, weaving your own vision into the fabric of reality.

This process requires introspection, courage, and a willingness to let go of old paradigms. It is not an easy path, but it is a liberating one. By breaking free from the prison of the mind, you unlock the potential to live a life of purpose, creativity, and fulfillment.

The Choice is Yours

The matrix is not something to be feared or fled from. It is a challenge, an opportunity, a mirror reflecting your own inner state. To escape it is not to abandon the world but to transcend it. The question is not whether the matrix exists but whether you will allow it to define you. Will you remain a prisoner of its illusions, or will you rise above and become a co-creator of your reality?

The choice, as Morpheus would say, is yours.