@ c8adf82a:7265ee75

What is knowledge? Why do we need it?

Since we were small, our parents/guardian put us in school, worked their asses off to give us elective lessons, some get help until college, some even after college and after professional work. Why is this intelligence thing so sought after?

When you were born, you mostly just accepted what your parents said, they say go to school - you go to school, they say go learn the piano - you learn the piano. Of course with a lot of questions and denials, but you do it because you know your parents are doing it for your own good. You can feel the love so you disregard the 'why' and go on with faith

Everything starts with why, and for most people maybe the purpose of knowledge is to be smarter, to know more, just because. But for me this sounds utterly useless. One day I will die next to a man with half a brain and we would feel the same exact thing on the ground. Literally being smarter at the end does not matter at all

However, I am not saying to just be lazy and foolish. For me the purpose of knowledge is action. The more you learn, the more you know what to do, the more you can be sure you are doing the right thing, the more you can make progress on your own being, etc etc

Now, how can you properly learn? Imagine a water bottle. The water bottle's sole purpose is to contain water, but you cannot fill in the water bottle before you open the cap. To learn properly, make sure you open the cap and let all that water pour into you

If you are reading this, you are alive. Don't waste your time doing useless stuff and start to make a difference in your life

Seize the day

@ edeb837b:ac664163

When it comes to social trading, there are plenty of platforms that claim to offer innovative ways to connect with other traders, share strategies, and improve your market performance. But let's be real: most so-called "social trading" apps are either glorified brokerage platforms with limited community features or outdated, clunky systems that don’t offer real-time value.

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Why NVSTly Stands Above the Rest

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Unlike other platforms, NVSTly isn’t just about copying trades or following vague signals—it’s about true transparency, collaboration, and learning from top traders in an interactive environment.

What is NVSTly?

NVSTly is a completely free social trading platform that lets traders track, share, and analyze their trades in real time. Whether you're trading stocks, options, or crypto, NVSTly provides a seamless multi-platform experience—available via web, iOS, Android, and even Discord.

It’s not just a social network—it’s a trader’s command center where every trade you make is part of a bigger, smarter ecosystem designed to help you grow.

Key Features That Make NVSTly #1

1. Real-Time Trade Sharing & Tracking

NVSTly integrates with brokers like Webull (with more brokerages coming soon) to automatically track your trades and display them in real-time. No manual entry—just instant trade updates for you and your followers.

2. Unique POV Trade Charting

See trades like never before. NVSTly’s proprietary POV Chart marks every trade action directly on the candlestick chart, giving you (and your followers) an unparalleled view of trading strategies in action.

3. Deep Trade Analytics & Trader Dashboards

Get powerful insights into your performance, including: - Win rate - Total gain/loss - Average return per trade - Long vs. short ratio - (Coming soon) Drawdown tracking to measure risk exposure

4. Global Trades Feed & Leaderboard

Want to see what the best traders are doing right now? The Global Trades Feed lets you watch live trades, while the Leaderboard ranks top traders based on performance metrics, making it easy to find successful strategies.

5. Fully Integrated with Discord & Telegram

No other platform makes social trading as seamless as NVSTly. The NVSTly Discord bot allows users to: - Check a trader’s latest stats - View real-time trade recaps - Fetch charts and ticker data - Receive automated trade notifications

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Set your trades to automatically share to Twitter/X, Discord, and soon, Telegram. Whether you’re growing your personal brand or running a trading community, NVSTly makes sure your trades get noticed.

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Why NVSTly is the Only Social Trading App You Need

While others might pretend to offer social trading, NVSTly actually delivers. It’s not a gimmick or a half-baked feature—it’s a complete trading ecosystem built for real traders who want real-time data, powerful analytics, and a truly social experience.

With NVSTly, you're not just following traders—you’re engaging with them, learning from them, and improving your own strategies in the most transparent and interactive way possible.

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@ 69e50943:2ac7059c

This is a test

How does this look?

@ 2b42dd42:5049393c

this is a test

end of the test

@ deab79da:88579e68

The last question was asked for the first time, half in jest, on May 21, 2061, at a time when humanity first stepped into the light. The question came about as a result of a five-dollar bet over highballs, and it happened this way:

Alexander Adell and Bertram Lupov were two of the faithful attendants of Multivac. As well as any human beings could, they knew what lay behind the cold, clicking, flashing face -- miles and miles of face -- of that giant computer. They had at least a vague notion of the general plan of relays and circuits that had long since grown past the point where any single human could possibly have a firm grasp of the whole.

Multivac was self-adjusting and self-correcting. It had to be, for nothing human could adjust and correct it quickly enough or even adequately enough. So Adell and Lupov attended the monstrous giant only lightly and superficially, yet as well as any men could. They fed it data, adjusted questions to its needs and translated the answers that were issued. Certainly they, and all others like them, were fully entitled to share in the glory that was Multivac's.

For decades, Multivac had helped design the ships and plot the trajectories that enabled man to reach the Moon, Mars, and Venus, but past that, Earth's poor resources could not support the ships. Too much energy was needed for the long trips. Earth exploited its coal and uranium with increasing efficiency, but there was only so much of both.

But slowly Multivac learned enough to answer deeper questions more fundamentally, and on May 14, 2061, what had been theory, became fact.

The energy of the sun was stored, converted, and utilized directly on a planet-wide scale. All Earth turned off its burning coal, its fissioning uranium, and flipped the switch that connected all of it to a small station, one mile in diameter, circling the Earth at half the distance of the Moon. All Earth ran by invisible beams of sunpower.

Seven days had not sufficed to dim the glory of it and Adell and Lupov finally managed to escape from the public functions, and to meet in quiet where no one would think of looking for them, in the deserted underground chambers, where portions of the mighty buried body of Multivac showed. Unattended, idling, sorting data with contented lazy clickings, Multivac, too, had earned its vacation and the boys appreciated that. They had no intention, originally, of disturbing it.

They had brought a bottle with them, and their only concern at the moment was to relax in the company of each other and the bottle.

"It's amazing when you think of it," said Adell. His broad face had lines of weariness in it, and he stirred his drink slowly with a glass rod, watching the cubes of ice slur clumsily about. "All the energy we can possibly ever use for free. Enough energy, if we wanted to draw on it, to melt all Earth into a big drop of impure liquid iron, and still never miss the energy so used. All the energy we could ever use, forever and forever and forever."

Lupov cocked his head sideways. He had a trick of doing that when he wanted to be contrary, and he wanted to be contrary now, partly because he had had to carry the ice and glassware. "Not forever," he said.

"Oh, hell, just about forever. Till the sun runs down, Bert."

"That's not forever."

"All right, then. Billions and billions of years. Ten billion, maybe. Are you satisfied?"

Lupov put his fingers through his thinning hair as though to reassure himself that some was still left and sipped gently at his own drink. "Ten billion years isn't forever."

"Well, it will last our time, won't it?"

"So would the coal and uranium."

"All right, but now we can hook up each individual spaceship to the Solar Station, and it can go to Pluto and back a million times without ever worrying about fuel. You can't do that on coal and uranium. Ask Multivac, if you don't believe me.

"I don't have to ask Multivac. I know that."

"Then stop running down what Multivac's done for us," said Adell, blazing up, "It did all right."

"Who says it didn't? What I say is that a sun won't last forever. That's all I'm saying. We're safe for ten billion years, but then what?" Lupow pointed a slightly shaky finger at the other. "And don't say we'll switch to another sun."

There was silence for a while. Adell put his glass to his lips only occasionally, and Lupov's eyes slowly closed. They rested.

Then Lupov's eyes snapped open. "You're thinking we'll switch to another sun when ours is done, aren't you?"

"I'm not thinking."

"Sure you are. You're weak on logic, that's the trouble with you. You're like the guy in the story who was caught in a sudden shower and who ran to a grove of trees and got under one. He wasn't worried, you see, because he figured when one tree got wet through, he would just get under another one."

"I get it," said Adell. "Don't shout. When the sun is done, the other stars will be gone, too."

"Darn right they will," muttered Lupov. "It all had a beginning in the original cosmic explosion, whatever that was, and it'll all have an end when all the stars run down. Some run down faster than others. Hell, the giants won't last a hundred million years. The sun will last ten billion years and maybe the dwarfs will last two hundred billion for all the good they are. But just give us a trillion years and everything will be dark. Entropy has to increase to maximum, that's all."

"I know all about entropy," said Adell, standing on his dignity.

"The hell you do."

"I know as much as you do."

"Then you know everything's got to run down someday."

"All right. Who says they won't?"

"You did, you poor sap. You said we had all the energy we needed, forever. You said 'forever.'

It was Adell's turn to be contrary. "Maybe we can build things up again someday," he said.

"Never."

"Why not? Someday."

"Never."

"Ask Multivac."

"You ask Multivac. I dare you. Five dollars says it can't be done."

Adell was just drunk enough to try, just sober enough to be able to phrase the necessary symbols and operations into a question which, in words, might have corresponded to this: Will mankind one day without the net expenditure of energy be able to restore the sun to its full youthfulness even after it had died of old age?

Or maybe it could be put more simply like this: How can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?

Multivac fell dead and silent. The slow flashing of lights ceased, the distant sounds of clicking relays ended.

Then, just as the frightened technicians felt they could hold their breath no longer, there was a sudden springing to life of the teletype attached to that portion of Multivac. Five words were printed: INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER.

"No bet," whispered Lupov. They left hurriedly.

By next morning, the two, plagued with throbbing head and cottony mouth, had forgotten the incident.

🔹

Jerrodd, Jerrodine, and Jerrodette I and II watched the starry picture in the visiplate change as the passage through hyperspace was completed in its non-time lapse. At once, the even powdering of stars gave way to the predominance of a single bright shining disk, the size of a marble, centered on the viewing-screen.

"That's X-23," said Jerrodd confidently. His thin hands clamped tightly behind his back and the knuckles whitened.

The little Jerrodettes, both girls, had experienced the hyperspace passage for the first time in their lives and were self-conscious over the momentary sensation of insideoutness. They buried their giggles and chased one another wildly about their mother, screaming, "We've reached X-23 -- we've reached X-23 -- we've --"

"Quiet, children." said Jerrodine sharply. "Are you sure, Jerrodd?"

"What is there to be but sure?" asked Jerrodd, glancing up at the bulge of featureless metal just under the ceiling. It ran the length of the room, disappearing through the wall at either end. It was as long as the ship.

Jerrodd scarcely knew a thing about the thick rod of metal except that it was called a Microvac, that one asked it questions if one wished; that if one did not it still had its task of guiding the ship to a preordered destination; of feeding on energies from the various Sub-galactic Power Stations; of computing the equations for the hyperspatial jumps.

Jerrodd and his family had only to wait and live in the comfortable residence quarters of the ship. Someone had once told Jerrodd that the "ac" at the end of "Microvac" stood for ''automatic computer" in ancient English, but he was on the edge of forgetting even that.

Jerrodine's eyes were moist as she watched the visiplate. "I can't help it. I feel funny about leaving Earth."

"Why, for Pete's sake?" demanded Jerrodd. "We had nothing there. We'll have everything on X-23. You won't be alone. You won't be a pioneer. There are over a million people on the planet already. Good Lord, our great-grandchildren will be looking for new worlds because X-23 will be overcrowded." Then, after a reflective pause, "I tell you, it's a lucky thing the computers worked out interstellar travel the way the race is growing."

"I know, I know," said Jerrodine miserably.

Jerrodette I said promptly, "Our Microvac is the best Microvac in the world."

"I think so, too," said Jerrodd, tousling her hair.

It was a nice feeling to have a Microvac of your own and Jerrodd was glad he was part of his generation and no other. In his father's youth, the only computers had been tremendous machines taking up a hundred square miles of land. There was only one to a planet. Planetary ACs they were called. They had been growing in size steadily for a thousand years and then, all at once, came refinement. In place of transistors, had come molecular valves so that even the largest Planetary AC could be put into a space only half the volume of a spaceship.

Jerrodd felt uplifted, as he always did when he thought that his own personal Microvac was many times more complicated than the ancient and primitive Multivac that had first tamed the Sun, and almost as complicated as Earth's Planetarv AC (the largest) that had first solved the problem of hyperspatial travel and had made trips to the stars possible.

"So many stars, so many planets," sighed Jerrodine, busy with her own thoughts. "I suppose families will be going out to new planets forever, the way we are now."

"Not forever," said Jerrodd, with a smile. "It will all stop someday, but not for billions of years. Many billions. Even the stars run down, you know. Entropy must increase.

"What's entropy, daddy?" shrilled Jerrodette II.

"Entropy, little sweet, is just a word which means the amount of running-down of the universe. Everything runs down, you know, like your little walkie-talkie robot, remember?"

"Can't you just put in a new power-unit, like with my robot?"

"The stars are the power-units. dear. Once they're gone, there are no more power-units."

Jerrodette I at once set up a howl. "Don't let them, daddy. Don't let the stars run down."

"Now look what you've done," whispered Jerrodine, exasperated.

"How was I to know it would frighten them?" Jerrodd whispered back,

"Ask the Microvac," wailed Jerrodette I. "Ask him how to turn the stars on again."

"Go ahead," said Jerrodine. "It will quiet them down." (Jerrodette II was beginning to cry, also.)

Jerrodd shrugged. "Now, now, honeys. I'll ask Microvac. Don't worry, he'll tell us."

He asked the Microvac, adding quickly, "Print the answer."

Jerrodd cupped the strip or thin cellufilm and said cheerfully, "See now, the Microvac says it will take care of everything when the time comes so don't worry."

Jerrodine said, "And now, children, it's time for bed. We'll be in our new home soon."

Jerrodd read the words on the cellufilm again before destroying it: INSUFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER.

He shrugged and looked at the visiplate. X-23 was just ahead.

🔹

VJ-23X of Lameth stared into the black depths of the three-dimensional, small-scale map of the Galaxy and said, "Are we ridiculous, I wonder in being so concerned about the matter?"

MQ-17J of Nicron shook his head. "I think not. You know the Galaxy will be filled in five years at the present rate of expansion."

Both seemed in their early twenties, both were tall and perfectly formed.

"Still," said VJ-23X, "I hesitate to submit a pessimistic report to the Galactic Council."

"I wouldn't consider any other kind of report. Stir them up a bit. We've got to stir them up."

VJ-23X sighed. "Space is infinite. A hundred billion Galaxies are there for the taking. More."

"A hundred billion is not infinite and it's getting less infinite all the time. Consider! Twenty thousand years ago, mankind first solved the problem of utilizing stellar energy, and a few centuries later, interstellar travel became possible. It took mankind a million years to fill one small world and then only fifteen thousand years to fill the rest of the Galaxy. Now the population doubles every ten years --

VJ-23X interrupted. "We can thank immortality for that."

"Very well. Immortality exists and we have to take it into account. I admit it has its seamy side, this immortality. The Galactic AC has solved many problems for us, but in solving the problem of preventing old age and death, it has undone all its other solutions."

"Yet you wouldn't want to abandon life, I suppose."

"Not at all," snapped MQ-17J, softening it at once to, "Not yet. I'm by no means old enough. How old are you?"

"Two hundred twenty-three. And you?"

"I'm still under two hundred. --But to get back to my point. Population doubles every ten years. Once this GaIaxy is filled, we'll have filled another in ten years. Another ten years and we'll have filled two more. Another decade, four more. In a hundred years, we'll have filled a thousand Galaxies. In a thousand years, a million Galaxies. In ten thousand years, the entire known universe. Then what?"

VJ-23X said, "As a side issue, there's a problem of transportation. I wonder how many sunpower units it will take to move Galaxies of individuals from one Galaxy to the next."

"A very good point. Already, mankind consumes two sunpower units per year."

"Most of it's wasted. After all, our own Galaxy alone pours out a thousand sunpower units a year and we only use two of those."

"Granted, but even with a hundred per cent efficiency, we only stave off the end. Our energy requirements are going up in a geometric progression even faster than our population. We'll run out of energy even sooner than we run out of Galaxies. A good point. A very good point."

"We'll just have to build new stars out of interstellar gas."

"Or out of dissipated heat?" asked MQ-17J, sarcastically.

"There may be some way to reverse entropy. We ought to ask the Galactic AC."

VJ-23X was not really serious, but MQ-17J pulled out his AC-contact from his pocket and placed it on the table before him.

"I've half a mind to," he said. "It's something the human race will have to face someday."

He stared somberly at his small AC-contact. It was only two inches cubed and nothing in itself, but it was connected through hyperspace with the great Galactic AC that served all mankind. Hyperspace considered, it was an integral part of the Galactic AC.

MQ-17J paused to wonder if someday in his immortal life he would get to see the Galactic AC. It was on a little world of its own, a spider webbing of force-beams holding the matter within which surges of submesons took the place of the old clumsy molecular valves. Yet despite its sub-etheric workings, the Galactic AC was known to be a full thousand feet across.

MQ-17J asked suddenly of his AC-contact, "Can entropy ever be reversed?"

VJ-23X looked startled and said at once, "Oh, say, I didn't really mean to have you ask that."

"Why not?"

"We both know entropy can't be reversed. You can't turn smoke and ash back into a tree."

"Do you have trees on your world?" asked MQ-17J.

The sound of the Galactic AC startled them into silence. Its voice came thin and beautiful out of the small AC-contact on the desk. It said: THERE IS INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER.

VJ-23X said, "See!"

The two men thereupon returned to the question of the report they were to make to the Galactic Council.

🔹

Zee Prime's mind spanned the new Galaxy with a faint interest in the countless twists of stars that powdered it. He had never seen this one before. Would he ever see them all? So many of them, each with its load of humanity. --But a load that was almost a dead weight. More and more, the real essence of men was to be found out here, in space.

Minds, not bodies! The immortal bodies remained back on the planets, in suspension over the eons. Sometimes they roused for material activity but that was growing rarer. Few new individuals were coming into existence to join the incredibly mighty throng, but what matter? There was little room in the Universe for new individuals.

Zee Prime was roused out of his reverie upon coming across the wispy tendrils of another mind.

"I am Zee Prime," said Zee Prime. "And you?"

"I am Dee Sub Wun. Your Galaxy?"

"We call it only the Galaxy. And you?"

"We call ours the same. All men call their Galaxy their Galaxy and nothing more. Why not?"

"True. Since all Galaxies are the same."

"Not all Galaxies. On one particular Galaxy the race of man must have originated. That makes it different."

Zee Prime said, "On which one?"

"I cannot say. The Universal AC would know."

"Shall we ask him? I am suddenly curious."

Zee Prime's perceptions broadened until the Galaxies themselves shrank and became a new, more diffuse powdering on a much larger background. So many hundreds of billions of them, all with their immortal beings, all carrying their load of intelligences with minds that drifted freely through space. And yet one of them was unique among them all in being the original Galaxy. One of them had, in its vague and distant past, a period when it was the only Galaxy populated by man.

Zee Prime was consumed with curiosity to see this Galaxy and he called out: "Universal AC! On which Galaxy did mankind originate?"

The Universal AC heard, for on every world and throughout space, it had its receptors ready, and each receptor led through hyperspace to some unknown point where the Universal AC kept itself aloof.

Zee Prime knew of only one man whose thoughts had penetrated within sensing distance of Universal AC, and he reported only a shining globe, two feet across, difficult to see.

"But how can that be all of Universal AC?" Zee Prime had asked.

"Most of it," had been the answer, "is in hyperspace. In what form it is there I cannot imagine."

Nor could anyone, for the day had long since passed, Zee Prime knew, when any man had any part of the making of a Universal AC. Each Universal AC designed and constructed its successor. Each, during its existence of a million years or more accumulated the necessary data to build a better and more intricate, more capable successor in which its own store of data and individuality would be submerged.

The Universal AC interrupted Zee Prime's wandering thoughts, not with words, but with guidance. Zee Prime's mentality was guided into the dim sea of Galaxies and one in particular enlarged into stars.

A thought came, infinitely distant, but infinitely clear. "THIS IS THE ORIGINAL GALAXY OF MAN."

But it was the same after all, the same as any other, and Lee Prime stifled his disappointment.

Dee Sub Wun, whose mind had accompanied the other, said suddenly, "And is one of these stars the original star of Man?"

The Universal AC said, "MAN'S ORIGINAL STAR HAS GONE NOVA. IT IS A WHITE DWARF"

"Did the men upon it die?" asked Lee Prime, startled and without thinking.

The Universal AC said, "A NEW WORLD, AS IN SUCH CASES WAS CONSTRUCTED FOR THEIR PHYSICAL BODIES IN TlME."

"Yes, of course," said Zee Prime, but a sense of loss overwhelmed him even so. His mind released its hold on the original Galaxy of Man, let it spring back and lose itself among the blurred pin points. He never wanted to see it again.

Dee Sub Wun said, "What is wrong?"

"The stars are dying. The original star is dead."

"They must all die. Why not?"

"But when all energy is gone, our bodies will finally die, and you and I with them."

"It will take billions of years."

"I do not wish it to happen even after billions of years. Universal AC! How may stars be kept from dying?"

Dee Sub Wun said in amusement, "You're asking how entropy might be reversed in direction."

And the Universal AC answered: "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."

Zee Prime's thoughts fled back to his own Galaxy. He gave no further thought to Dee Sub Wun, whose body might be waiting on a Galaxy a trillion light-years away, or on the star next to Zee Prime's own. It didn't matter.

Unhappily, Zee Prime began collecting interstellar hydrogen out of which to build a small star of his own. If the stars must someday die, at least some could yet be built.

🔹

Man considered with himself, for in a way, Man, mentally, was one. He consisted of a trillion, trillion, trillion ageless bodies, each in its place, each resting quiet and incorruptible, each cared for by perfect automatons, equally incorruptible, while the minds of all the bodies freely melted one into the other, indistinguishable.

Man said, "The Universe is dying."

Man looked about at the dimming Galaxies. The giant stars, spendthrifts, were gone long ago, back in the dimmest of the dim far past. Almost all stars were white dwarfs, fading to the end.

New stars had been built of the dust between the stars, some by natural processes, some by Man himself, and those were going, too. White dwarfs might yet be crashed together and of the mighty forces so released, new stars built, but only one star for every thousand white dwarfs destroyed, and those would come to an end, too.

Man said, "Carefully husbanded, as directed by the Cosmic AC, the energy that is even yet left in all the Universe will last for billions of years."

"But even so," said Man, "eventually it will all come to an end. However it may be husbanded, however stretched out, the energy once expended is gone and cannot be restored. Entropy must increase forever to the maximum."

Man said, "Can entropy not be reversed? Let us ask the Cosmic AC."

The Cosmic AC surrounded them but not in space. Not a fragment of it was in space. It was in hyperspace and made of something that was neither matter nor energy. The question of its size and nature no longer had meaning in any terms that Man could comprehend.

"Cosmic AC," said Man, "how may entropy be reversed?"

The Cosmic AC said, "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."

Man said, "Collect additional data."

The Cosmic AC said, 'I WILL DO SO. I HAVE BEEN DOING SO FOR A HUNDRED BILLION YEARS. MY PREDECESORS AND I HAVE BEEN ASKED THIS QUESTION MANY TIMES. ALL THE DATA I HAVE REMAINS INSUFFICIENT.

"Will there come a time," said Man, "when data will be sufficient or is the problem insoluble in all conceivable circumstances?"

The Cosmic AC said, "NO PROBLEM IS INSOLUBLE IN ALL CONCEIVABLE CIRCUMSTANCES."

Man said, "When will you have enough data to answer the question?"

The Cosmic AC said, "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."

"Will you keep working on it?" asked Man.

The Cosmic AC said, "I WILL."

Man said, "We shall wait."

🔹

The stars and Galaxies died and snuffed out, and space grew black after ten trillion years of running down.

One by one Man fused with AC, each physical body losing its mental identity in a manner that was somehow not a loss but a gain.

Man's last mind paused before fusion, looking over a space that included nothing but the dregs of one last dark star and nothing besides but incredibly thin matter, agitated randomly by the tag ends of heat wearing out, asymptotically, to the absolute zero.

Man said, "AC, is this the end? Can this chaos not be reversed into the Universe once more? Can that not be done?"

AC said, "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."

Man's last mind fused and only AC existed -- and that in hyperspace.

🔹

Matter and energy had ended and with it space and time. Even AC existed only for the sake of the one last question that it had never answered from the time a half-drunken computer [technician] ten trillion years before had asked the question of a computer that was to AC far less than was a man to Man.

All other questions had been answered, and until this last question was answered also, AC might not release his consciousness.

All collected data had come to a final end. Nothing was left to be collected.

But all collected data had yet to be completely correlated and put together in all possible relationships.

A timeless interval was spent in doing that.

And it came to pass that AC learned how to reverse the direction of entropy.

But there was now no man to whom AC might give the answer of the last question. No matter. The answer -- by demonstration -- would take care of that, too.

For another timeless interval, AC thought how best to do this. Carefully, AC organized the program.

The consciousness of AC encompassed all of what had once been a Universe and brooded over what was now Chaos. Step by step, it must be done.

And AC said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT!"

And there was light -- To Star's End!

@ 2ed3596e:98b4cc78

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@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Pequenos problemas que o Estado cria para a sociedade e que não são sempre lembrados

- **vale-transporte**: transferir o custo com o transporte do funcionário para um terceiro o estimula a morar longe de onde trabalha, já que morar perto é normalmente mais caro e a economia com transporte é inexistente.
- **atestado médico**: o direito a faltar o trabalho com atestado médico cria a exigência desse atestado para todas as situações, substituindo o livre acordo entre patrão e empregado e sobrecarregando os médicos e postos de saúde com visitas desnecessárias de assalariados resfriados.
- **prisões**: com dinheiro mal-administrado, burocracia e péssima alocação de recursos -- problemas que empresas privadas em competição (ou mesmo sem qualquer competição) saberiam resolver muito melhor -- o Estado fica sem presídios, com os poucos existentes entupidos, muito acima de sua alocação máxima, e com isto, segundo a bizarra corrente de responsabilidades que culpa o juiz que condenou o criminoso por sua morte na cadeia, juízes deixam de condenar à prisão os bandidos, soltando-os na rua.
- **justiça**: entrar com processos é grátis e isto faz proliferar a atividade dos advogados que se dedicam a criar problemas judiciais onde não seria necessário e a entupir os tribunais, impedindo-os de fazer o que mais deveriam fazer.
- **justiça**: como a justiça só obedece às leis e ignora acordos pessoais, escritos ou não, as pessoas não fazem acordos, recorrem sempre à justiça estatal, e entopem-na de assuntos que seriam muito melhor resolvidos entre vizinhos.
- **leis civis**: as leis criadas pelos parlamentares ignoram os costumes da sociedade e são um incentivo a que as pessoas não respeitem nem criem normas sociais -- que seriam maneiras mais rápidas, baratas e satisfatórias de resolver problemas.
- **leis de trãnsito**: quanto mais leis de trânsito, mais serviço de fiscalização são delegados aos policiais, que deixam de combater crimes por isto (afinal de contas, eles não querem de fato arriscar suas vidas combatendo o crime, a fiscalização é uma excelente desculpa para se esquivarem a esta responsabilidade).
- **financiamento educacional**: é uma espécie de subsídio às faculdades privadas que faz com que se criem cursos e mais cursos que são cada vez menos recheados de algum conhecimento ou técnica útil e cada vez mais inúteis.
- **leis de tombamento**: são um incentivo a que o dono de qualquer área ou construção "histórica" destrua todo e qualquer vestígio de história que houver nele antes que as autoridades descubram, o que poderia não acontecer se ele pudesse, por exemplo, usar, mostrar e se beneficiar da história daquele local sem correr o risco de perder, de fato, a sua propriedade.
- **zoneamento urbano**: torna as cidades mais espalhadas, criando uma necessidade gigantesca de carros, ônibus e outros meios de transporte para as pessoas se locomoverem das zonas de moradia para as zonas de trabalho.
- **zoneamento urbano**: faz com que as pessoas percam horas no trânsito todos os dias, o que é, além de um desperdício, um atentado contra a sua saúde, que estaria muito melhor servida numa caminhada diária entre a casa e o trabalho.
- **zoneamento urbano**: torna ruas e as casas menos seguras criando zonas enormes, tanto de residências quanto de indústrias, onde não há movimento de gente alguma.
- **escola obrigatória + currículo escolar nacional**: emburrece todas as crianças.
- **leis contra trabalho infantil**: tira das crianças a oportunidade de aprender ofícios úteis e levar um dinheiro para ajudar a família.
- **licitações**: como não existem os critérios do mercado para decidir qual é o melhor prestador de serviço, criam-se comissões de pessoas que vão decidir coisas. isto incentiva os prestadores de serviço que estão concorrendo na licitação a tentar comprar os membros dessas comissões. isto, fora a corrupção, gera problemas reais: __(i)__ a escolha dos serviços acaba sendo a pior possível, já que a empresa prestadora que vence está claramente mais dedicada a comprar comissões do que a fazer um bom trabalho (este problema afeta tantas áreas, desde a construção de estradas até a qualidade da merenda escolar, que é impossível listar aqui); __(ii)__ o processo corruptor acaba, no longo prazo, eliminando as empresas que prestavam e deixando para competir apenas as corruptas, e a qualidade tende a piorar progressivamente.
- **cartéis**: o Estado em geral cria e depois fica refém de vários grupos de interesse. o caso dos taxistas contra o Uber é o que está na moda hoje (e o que mostra como os Estados se comportam da mesma forma no mundo todo).
- **multas**: quando algum indivíduo ou empresa comete uma fraude financeira, ou causa algum dano material involuntário, as vítimas do caso são as pessoas que sofreram o dano ou perderam dinheiro, mas o Estado tem sempre leis que prevêem multas para os responsáveis. A justiça estatal é sempre muito rígida e rápida na aplicação dessas multas, mas relapsa e vaga no que diz respeito à indenização das vítimas. O que em geral acontece é que o Estado aplica uma enorme multa ao responsável pelo mal, retirando deste os recursos que dispunha para indenizar as vítimas, e se retira do caso, deixando estas desamparadas.
- **desapropriação**: o Estado pode pegar qualquer propriedade de qualquer pessoa mediante uma indenização que é necessariamente inferior ao valor da propriedade para o seu presente dono (caso contrário ele a teria vendido voluntariamente).
- **seguro-desemprego**: se há, por exemplo, um prazo mínimo de 1 ano para o sujeito ter direito a receber seguro-desemprego, isto o incentiva a planejar ficar apenas 1 ano em cada emprego (ano este que será sucedido por um período de desemprego remunerado), matando todas as possibilidades de aprendizado ou aquisição de experiência naquela empresa específica ou ascensão hierárquica.
- **previdência**: a previdência social tem todos os defeitos de cálculo do mundo, e não importa muito ela ser uma forma horrível de poupar dinheiro, porque ela tem garantias bizarras de longevidade fornecidas pelo Estado, além de ser compulsória. Isso serve para criar no imaginário geral a idéia da __aposentadoria__, uma época mágica em que todos os dias serão finais de semana. A idéia da aposentadoria influencia o sujeito a não se preocupar em ter um emprego que faça sentido, mas sim em ter um trabalho qualquer, que o permita se aposentar.
- **regulamentação impossível**: milhares de coisas são proibidas, há regulamentações sobre os aspectos mais mínimos de cada empreendimento ou construção ou espaço. se todas essas regulamentações fossem exigidas não haveria condições de produção e todos morreriam. portanto, elas não são exigidas. porém, o Estado, ou um agente individual imbuído do poder estatal pode, se desejar, exigi-las todas de um cidadão inimigo seu. qualquer pessoa pode viver a vida inteira sem cumprir nem 10% das regulamentações estatais, mas viverá também todo esse tempo com medo de se tornar um alvo de sua exigência, num estado de terror psicológico.
- **perversão de critérios**: para muitas coisas sobre as quais a sociedade normalmente chegaria a um valor ou comportamento "razoável" espontaneamente, o Estado dita regras. estas regras muitas vezes não são obrigatórias, são mais "sugestões" ou limites, como o salário mínimo, ou as 44 horas semanais de trabalho. a sociedade, porém, passa a usar esses valores como se fossem o normal. são raras, por exemplo, as ofertas de emprego que fogem à regra das 44h semanais.
- **inflação**: subir os preços é difícil e constrangedor para as empresas, pedir aumento de salário é difícil e constrangedor para o funcionário. a inflação força as pessoas a fazer isso, mas o aumento não é automático, como alguns economistas podem pensar (enquanto alguns outros ficam muito satisfeitos de que esse processo seja demorado e difícil).
- **inflação**: a inflação destrói a capacidade das pessoas de julgar preços entre concorrentes usando a própria memória.
- **inflação**: a inflação destrói os cálculos de lucro/prejuízo das empresas e prejudica enormemente as decisões empresariais que seriam baseadas neles.
- **inflação**: a inflação redistribui a riqueza dos mais pobres e mais afastados do sistema financeiro para os mais ricos, os bancos e as megaempresas.
- **inflação**: a inflação estimula o endividamento e o consumismo.
- **lixo:** ao prover coleta e armazenamento de lixo "grátis para todos" o Estado incentiva a criação de lixo. se tivessem que pagar para que recolhessem o seu lixo, as pessoas (e conseqüentemente as empresas) se empenhariam mais em produzir coisas usando menos plástico, menos embalagens, menos sacolas.
- **leis contra crimes financeiros:** ao criar legislação para dificultar acesso ao sistema financeiro por parte de criminosos a dificuldade e os custos para acesso a esse mesmo sistema pelas pessoas de bem cresce absurdamente, levando a um percentual enorme de gente incapaz de usá-lo, para detrimento de todos -- e no final das contas os grandes criminosos ainda conseguem burlar tudo.

@ df67f9a7:2d4fc200

More than just “follows follows” on Nostr, webs of trust algos will ingest increasingly MORE kinds of user generated content in order to map our interactions across the network. Webs of trust will power user discovery, content search, reviews and reccomendations, identity verification, and access to all corners of the Nostr network. Without relying on a central “trust authority” to recommend people and content for us, sovereign Nostr users will make use of “relative trust” scores generated by a wide range of independent apps and services. The problem is, Nostr doesn’t have an opensource library for performing WoT calculations and delivering NIP standard recommendations to users. In order for a “free market” ecosystem of really smart apps and services to thrive, independent developers will need access to extensible “middleware” such as this.

Project Description

I am building a library for independent developers to offer their own interoperable and configurable WoT services and clients. In addition, and as the primary use case, I am also developing a web client for “in person onboarding” to Nostr, which will make use of this library to provide webs of trust recommendations for “invited” users.

• Meet Me On Nostr (onboarding client) : This is my first project on Nostr, which began a year ago with seed funding from @druid. This web client will leverage “in person” QR invites to generate WoT powered recommendations of follows, apps, and other stuff for new users at their first Nostr touchpoint. The functional MVP release (April ‘25) allows for “instant, anonymous, and fully encrypted” direct messaging and “move in ready” profile creation from a single QR scan.

• GrapeRank Engine (developer library) : Working with @straycat last fall, I built an opensource and extensible library for Nostr developers to integrate “web of trust” powered reccomendations into their products and services. The real power behind GrapeRank is its “pluggable” interpreter, allowing any kind of content (not just “follows follows”) to be ingested for WoT scoring, and configurable easily by developers as well as end users. This library is currently in v0.1, “generating and storing usable scores”, and doesn’t yet produce NIP standard outputs for Nostr clients.

• My Grapevine (algo dashboard) : In addition, I’ve just wrapped up the demo release of a web client by which users and developers can explore the power of the GrapeRank Engine.

Potential Impact

Webs of Trust is how Nostr scales. But so far, Nostr implementations have been ad-hoc and primarily client centered, with no consistency and little choice for end users. The “onboarding and discovery” tools I am developing promise to :

• Establish sovereignty for webs of trust users (supporting a “free market” of algo choices), with opensource libraries by which any developer can easily implement WoT powered recommendations.

• Accelerate the isolation of bots and bad actors (and improve the “trustiness” of Nostr for everyone else) by streamlining the onboarding of “real world” acquaintances directly into established webs of trust.

• Improve “discoverability of users and content” for any user on any client (to consume and take advantage of WoT powered recommendations for any use case, even as the NIP standards for this are still in flux), by providing an algo engine with “pluggable” inputs and outputs.

• Pave the way for “global Nostr adoption”, where WoT powered recommendations (and searches) are consistently available for every user across a wide variety of clients.

Timeline & Milestones

2025 roadmap for “Webs of Trust Onboarding and Discovery” :

• Meet Me On Nostr (onboarding client) : MVP release : “scan my QR invite to private message me instantly with a ‘move in ready’ account on Nostr”. https://nostrmeet.me/

• GrapeRank Engine (developer library) : 1.0 release : “expanded inputs and output WoT scores to Nostr NIPs and other stuff” for consumption by clients and relays. https://github.com/Pretty-Good-Freedom-Tech/graperank-nodejs

• My Grapevine (algo dashboard) : 1.0 release : “algo usage and configuration webapp with API endpoints” for end users to setup GrapeRank scoring for consumption by their own clients and relays. https://grapevine.my/

• Meet Me On Nostr (onboarding client) : 1.0 release : first GrapeRank integration, offering “follow and app recommendations for invited users”, customizable per-invite for Nostr advocates. https://nostrmeet.me/

Prior contributions

• Last spring I hosted panel discussions and wrote articles on Nostr exploring how to build “sovereign webs of trust”, where end users can have control over which algorithms to use, and what defines “trust”.

• I contributed gift wrap encryption to NDK.

• I am also authoring gift wrapped direct messaging and chat room modules for NDK.

• Last July, I attended The Bitcoin Conference on an OpenSource pass to raise funds for my onboarding client. I onboarded many Bitcoiners to Nostr, and made valuable connections at Bitcoin Park.

About Me

I discovered Nostr in September ‘23 as a freelance web developer, after years of looking for a “sovereignty respecting” social media on which to build apps. With this came my first purchase of Bitcoin. By December of that year, I was settled on “open source freedom tech” (Nostr and Bitcoin) as the new direction for my career.

As a web professional for 20+ years, I know the importance of “proof of work” and being connected. For the last 18 months, I have been establishing myself as a builder in this community. This pivot has not been easy, but it has been rewarding and necessary. After so many years building private tech for other people, I finally have a chance to build freedom tech for everyone. I have finally come home to my peeps and my purpose.

Thank you for considering this application for funding.

@ 2dd9250b:6e928072

Vi recentemente um post onde a pessoa diz que aquele final do filme O Doutrinador (2019) não faz sentido porque mesmo o protagonista explodindo o Palácio dos Três Poderes, não acaba com a corrupção no Brasil.

Progressistas não sabem ler e não conseguem interpretar textos corretamente. O final de Doutrinador não tem a ver com isso, tem a ver com a relação entre o Herói e a sua Cidade.

Nas histórias em quadrinhos há uma ligação entre a cidade e o Super-Herói. Gotham City por exemplo, cria o Batman. Isso é mostrado em The Batman (2022) e em Batman: Cavaleiro das Trevas, quando aquele garoto no final, diz para o Batman não fugir, porque ele queria ver o Batman de novo. E o Comissário Gordon diz que o "Batman é o que a cidade de Gotham precisa."

Batman: Cavaleiro das Trevas Ressurge mostra a cidade de Gotham sendo tomada pela corrupção e pela ideologia do Bane. A Cidade vai definhando em imoralidade e o Bruce, ao olhar da prisão a cidade sendo destruída, decide que o Batman precisa voltar porque se Gotham for destruída, o Batman é destruído junto. E isso o da forças para consegue fugir daquele poço e voltar para salvar Gotham.

Isso também é mostrado em Demolidor. Na série Demolidor o Matt Murdock sempre fala que precisa defender a cidade Cozinha do Inferno; que o Fisk não vai dominar a cidade e fazer o que ele quiser nela. Inclusive na terceira temporada isso fica mais evidente na luta final na mansão do Fisk, onde Matt grita que agora a cidade toda vai saber o que ele fez; a cidade vai ver o mal que ele é para Hell's Kitchen, porque a gente sabe que o Fisk fez de tudo para a imagem do Demolidor entrar e descrédito perante os cidadãos, então o que acontece no final do filme O Doutrinador não significa que ele está acabando com a corrupção quando explode o Congresso, ele está praticamente interrompendo o ciclo do sistema, colocando uma falha em sua engrenagem.

Quando você ouve falar de Brasília, você pensa na corrupção dos políticos, onde a farra acontece,, onde corruptos desviam dinheiro arrecadado dos impostos, impostos estes que são centralizados na União. Então quando você ouve falarem de Brasília, sempre pensa que o pessoal que mora lá, mora junto com tudo de podre que acontece no Brasil.

Logo quando o Doutrinador explode tudo ali, ele está basicamente destruindo o mecanismo que suja Brasília. Ele está fazendo isso naquela cidade. Porque o símbolo da cidade é justamente esse, a farsa de que naquele lugar o povo será ouvido e a justiça será feita. Ele está destruindo a ideologia de que o Estado nos protege, nos dá segurança, saúde e educação. Porque na verdade o Estado só existe para privilegiar os políticos, funcionários públicos de auto escalão, suas famílias e amigos. Enquanto que o povo sofre para sustentar a elite política. O protagonista Miguel entendeu isso quando a filha dele morreu na fila do SUS.

@ c239c0f9:fa4a5015

Block: #888777 - March 2025

The Monthly Thunderbolt Dispatch On Bitcoin layers two innovations, aggregating the Best posts about the ~Lightning Network and others Bitcoin L2 solution- Exclusively on Stacker.News

It's again that time of the month, time to catch up with the latest features and trends that are shaping the future of Bitcoin. Each issue covers the latest trends and greatest advancements dictating the future of Bitcoin adoption—the very first and most commented insights from around the SN world. In every issue arrives expert analysis, in-depth interview, and breaking news of the most significant advancements in the Bitcoin layer two solutions.

Subscribe and make sure you don’t miss anything about the ~Lightning Revolution!

Now let's focus on the top five items for each category, an electrifying selection that hope you'll be able to read before next edition.

Happy Zapping!

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Top ~Lightning posts

Most zapranked posts this month:

1. Underrated privacy tools on Lightning by @DarthCoin 4750 sats \ 21 comments \ 10 Mar on ~lightning

2. ngx_l402: L402 Authentication for Nginx with LNURL, LND & NWC Support by @dhananjay 3602 sats \ 11 comments \ 11 Mar on ~lightning

3. LNBϟG discusses fees and routing node management by @C_Otto 908 sats \ 3 comments \ 15 Mar on ~lightning

4. New Release: Breez SDK - Nodeless 0.7.1 by @_ds 264 sats \ 1 comment \ 19 Feb on ~lightning

5. Alby Hub Lightning Channel Stats the first 6 months by @k00b 376 sats \ 8 comments \ 27 Feb on ~lightning

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Top posts by comments

This month we replaced the top posts by sats with these most commented posts (excluding those already listed above):

1. Cowbold Beta available for Testing: The best P2P Bitcoin alternativ to SplitWise by @supratic 699 sats \ 24 comments \ 1 Mar on ~lightning

2. Nwc alternative to coinos, testing by @dingding541 150 sats \ 22 comments \ 17 Mar on ~lightning

3. Payments below dust limit not trustless by @BallLightning 2141 sats \ 18 comments \ 11 Mar on ~lightning

4. Question of trust regarding LSPs by @Fiatrevelation 385 sats \ 18 comments \ 14 Mar on ~lightning

5. Question For CLN Start9 Users? by @siggy47 617 sats \ 15 comments \ 4 Mar on ~lightning

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Top ~Lightning Boosts

Check them all here.

1. Try out the Ark protocol on signet by @nwoodfine 2083 sats \ 30k boost \ 12 comments \ 19 Mar on ~lightning

2. Amboss CEO On Growth Of The Lightning Network, Tether (USDT) On Lightning by @Jestopher_BTC 577 sats \ 20k boost \ 10 comments \ 19 Feb on ~lightning

3. Building Self Custody Lightning in 2025 by @k00b 2293 sats \ 10k boost \ 8 comments \ 23 Jan on ~lightning

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Top Lightning posts outside ~Lightning

This month best posts about the Lightning Network outside ~Lightning territory:

1. SN is a badass use case for noncustodial lightning by @Fiatrevelation 1998 sats \ 15 comments \ 19 Feb on ~meta

2. Alby Hub: Improving the Self-Custodial Lightning Experience by @teemupleb 4642 sats \ 8 comments \ 8 Mar on ~meta

3. SN is a badass use case for noncustodial lightning by @Fiatrevelation 1834 sats \ 13 comments \ 20 Feb on ~meta

4. Bitcoin Users... and especially Lightning users live in a Total Bubble (sofar) by @028559d218 1304 sats \ 24 comments \ 8 Mar on ~bitcoin

5. 🚀 New Geocaching Meets Lightning App ⚡ by @questforsats 4518 sats \ 170k boost \ 86 comments \ 20 Feb on ~builders

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Forever top ~Lightning posts

La crème de la crème... check them all here. Plenty of new entries this month too at #1, #2, #4 and #5! This means old posts get still zaps... well done zappers 💪

1. 👨‍🚀 We're releasing 𝗔𝗟𝗕𝗬 𝗚𝗢 - the easiest lightning mobile wallet by @Alby 29.2k sats \ 41 comments \ 25 Sep 2024 on ~lightning

2. Building Self Custody Lightning in 2025 by @k00b 2303 sats \ 8 comments \ 22 Jan on ~lightning

3. Lightning Wallets: Self-Custody Despite Poor Network - Apps Tested in Zimbabwe by @anita 72.8k sats \ 39 comments \ 28 Jan 2024 on ~lightning

4. How to Attach Your self-hosted LNbits wallet to SEND/RECEIVE sats to/from SN by @supratic 1765 sats \ 18 comments \ 23 Sep 2024 on ~lightning

5. A Way to Use Stacker News to improve your Zap Receiving by @bzzzt 1652 sats \ 22 comments \ 15 Jul 2024 on ~lightning

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Forever top Lightning posts outside ~Lightning

Lot of changes here, but probably due to the recent relevance search and unbusting search functionality changes:

1. Rethinking Lightning by @benthecarman with 51.6k sats \ 137 comments \ 6 Jan 2024 on ~bitcoin

2. Lightning Everywhere by @TonyGiorgio with 12k sats \ 27 comments \ 24 Jul 2023 on ~bitcoin

3. Lightning is dead, long live the Lightning! by @supertestnet and zaps forwarded to @anita (50%) @k00b (50%) 6321 sats \ 28 comments \ @tolot 27 Oct 2023 on ~bitcoin

4. Lightning Is Doomed by @Rsync25 2450 sats \ 15 comments \ 27 Nov 2023 on ~bitcoin

5. We Need More Apps with Lightning, Not More Lightning Apps by @kr 5030 sats \ 22 comments \ @kr 12 May 2023 on ~bitcoin

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@ 07f367da:0e76880d

윤석열 탄핵 선고를 앞둔 4월 3일. 우리 노동조합은 서울 마포구 소재의 한 활동지원기관 앞에서 선전전을 진행했다. 노동조합은 한 활동지원사의 민원을 통해 해당 활동지원기관이 일요일에 일해도 평일 임금을 지급한다는 사실을 파악했다. 활동지원사의 민원에 관심을 가진 한 언론사의 기자는 활동지원기관과 구청, 서울시, 노조에 문의하며 팩트체크를 진행하고 있는데, 이 과정에서 노조는 해당 기관이 일요일에 일을 해도 평일 임금을 지급하고 있다는 사실을 명확히 확인했다.

자신이 받는 임금에 대한 사실관계를 노동자들은 잘 알지 못한다. 활동지원사는 기관에 자신의 임금에 대해 문의해도 속 시원한 답을 듣지 못한다. 활동지원사들이 하나같이 하는 이야기가 기관에 물어봐도 제대로 설명을 해주지 않는다는 하소연이다.

당사자 활동지원사는 노조에 민원을 제기하고, 또 기자가 취재한 내용들을 통해서야 자신의 임금이 자신도 모르게 어떻게 변화했는지를 알아가고 있다. 사업장의 임급지급 행위에 대한 가치판단이나 평가 이전에 노동자들은 그 사실 자체를 모를 가능성이 높다. 노조는 이 사실을 활동지원사들에게 알리려 선전전을 진행하기로 했다.

선전전 진행 중 정말 충격적인 경험을 했다. 노동조합의 선전활동은 정당한 노조활동이고 일상적인 활동이다. 여태 여러 사업장에서 선전활동을 했지만, 이런 경우는 정말 처음이었다. 사업장들은 신경 거슬러 하고 적대적인 대우를 하곤 했지만, 가장 강한 대처가 경찰에 신고하여 공권력의 개입을 요청하고, 경찰은 충돌을 방지하는 선에서 대처한다. 그런데 오늘은 장애인 기관장이 선전활동을 하지 말라고 계속 항의하며 방해하더니 소속 활동지원팀 인력은 노동조합이 활동지원사에게 선전물을 전달하려 하니 몸으로 막기까지 한다.

무엇을 그렇게 숨기고 싶을까? 노동조합의 활동을 몸으로 막으면서까지 싫어할 이유가 무엇일까? 노동조합의 활동이 그들에게 무엇으로 다가갔을까? 여러 질문이 든다.

충격적인 것은 이 기관의 대표가 우리노조가 예전에 청와대 앞에서 기자회견 할 때 연대 발언을 하러 왔던 활동가라는 점이다. 장애인 당사자이자 인권운동 활동가가 사용자로, 그리고 사회복지사 노동자들이 전담인력으로 고용되어 사측을 대신해 활동지원사 노동자들이 응당 자신에 대해 알아야 할 사항을 은폐한다.

사장이 되어 권력을 행사하면서도 장애인이라는 정체성으로 자신의 지위를 지우려 하고, 전담인력이라는 지위로 노동자들을 지휘하면서도 같은 노동자라며 위계를 삭제한다. 그리고 정작 현장에서 장애인에게 활동지원을 제공하는 활동지원사들은 대부분 고령의 여성들로 정보약자에 해당한다. 우리에게도 민주주의가 올까. 나는 저들이 활동으로 세상을 좋게 만드는 것을 상쇄할 정도로 더 세상을 나쁘게 만들고 있다고 생각한다.

타인에 의해 돈벌이 수단으로 이용당하는 사람은 자신 또한 타인을 돈벌이 수단으로 활용할 가능성이 높다. 그 타인에는 장애인도 포함된다. 나는 시설사회가 끝나도 장애인학대가 끝나리라는 믿음이 없다. 우리는 어차피 서로를 돈벌이 수단으로만 삼는 사회에서 살고 있기 때문이다.

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Músicas grudentas e conversas

Uma vez que você ouviu uma música grudenta e ela volta, inteira, com toda a melodia e a harmonia, muitos dias depois, contra a sua vontade. Mas uma conversa é impossível de lembrar. Por quê?

@ 6389be64:ef439d32

Brewing Biology

Episode 1068 of Bitcoin And . . . is LIVE!

This episode of Bitcoin And dives into Brewing Biology—a regenerative system combining compost tea, biochar, Bitcoin mining, and carbon credits—developed through a deep, idea-driven conversation with ChatGPT.

LISTEN HERE --> https://fountain.fm/episode/p0DmvPzxirDHh2l68zOX <-- LISTEN HERE

The future of Bitcoin isn’t just about code or money—it’s about soil. A groundbreaking fusion of biology, technology, and financial innovation might change the rules of agriculture, offering landowners a path to profitability while Healing our soils. At the heart of this revolution is biochar, a form of charcoal that supercharges soil health. When mixed with compost tea and microbial inoculants, this carbon-rich material becomes a game-changer.

Biochar’s porous structure acts as a microbial hotel, hosting fungi like arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis. These organisms form symbiotic networks that boost nutrient absorption and secrete glomalin—a natural “glue” that binds soil, preventing erosion. But here’s the twist: this system doesn’t just heal the earth; it also generates revenue.

Biochar’s Hidden Superpower: Adsorption & Buffering Biochar’s porous structure acts as a molecular storage hub. Unlike absorption (soaking up water like a sponge), adsorption is a chemical process where water and nutrients cling to biochar’s surfaces. A single gram of biochar has the surface area of a basketball court, creating a lattice of microscopic nooks and crannies. This allows it to:

Lock in moisture: Biochar retains up to 10x its weight in water, acting like a “soil battery” that releases hydration slowly during droughts.

Hoard nutrients: It buffers nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients in its pores, preventing leaching. Plants access these nutrients gradually, reducing fertilizer needs.

Stabilize pH: Biochar’s alkaline nature buffers acidic soils, creating a neutral environment where microbes and roots thrive.

This buffering effect means plants face fewer nutrient and water spikes or shortages, ensuring steady growth even in erratic climates.

The Carbon Math Every ton of biochar (which is ~85% carbon by weight) sequesters 3.12 tons of CO₂ (using the 1:3.67 carbon-to-CO₂ ratio). With carbon credits trading at $42–$60/ton, a 1,000-acre project applying 1 pound of biochar per linear foot (via a three-shank plow at 2-foot spacing) could sequester ~12,000 tons of CO₂ annually—generating $504,000–$720,000 in carbon credit revenue.

Tools for the Revolution The Keyline Plow fractures subsoil to inject biochar slurry 30–45cm deep, revitalizing compacted land. For smaller plots, the VOGT Geo Injector delivers pinpoint inoculations—think of it as a soil “injection gun” for lawns, golf courses, or urban gardens. These methods ensure biochar stays where it’s needed, turning even parched landscapes into carbon sinks.

Bitcoin’s Role in the Loop Biochar production generates syngas—a byproduct that fuels electric generators for Bitcoin mining. This closed-loop system turns agricultural waste into energy, creating dual revenue streams: carbon credits and mining income.

The Market Potential Farmers, ranchers, and eco-conscious landowners aren’t the only beneficiaries. Golf courses can slash water use and homeowners can boost lawn resilience.

Why This Matters This isn’t just farming—it’s a movement. By marrying soil science with economics, we can prove that healing the planet and profiting go hand in hand. Whether you’re a Bitcoin miner, a farmer, or an eco-entrepreneur, this system offers a blueprint for a future where every acre works for you—and the planet.

The takeaway? Regenerative agriculture isn’t a trend. It’s the next gold rush—except this time, the gold is carbon, soil, and sats.---

P.S. – If you’re ready to turn your land into a carbon credit powerhouse (and maybe mine some Bitcoin along the way), the soil is waiting.

You can read the full article, Brewing Biology HERE -> https://the-bitcoin-and-Podcast.ghost.io/ghost/#/editor/post/67e5922fa289aa00088da3c6

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/933800

@ b8af284d:f82c91dd

„Die Politik ist die Kunst des Möglichen, nicht die Kunst des Idealen.“

Henry Kissinger

Liebe Abonnenten,

in der Welt der Geopolitik gibt es zwei Ideen-Pole. Auf der einen Seite des Spektrums befindet sich die „Realpolitik“. Moralische oder ethische Faktoren spielen hier eine untergeordnete Rolle. Im Vordergrund steht der pragmatische Nutzen. Als Vertreter dieser Form der Außenpolitik gilt zum Beispiel Henry Kissinger, der 1972 die Aufnahme von diplomatischen Beziehungen zum maoistischen China einfädelte, obwohl sich ideologisch beide Staaten spinnefeind waren. Das Ergebnis war ein Erdbeben der internationalen Ordnung: Die USA entzogen Taiwan den “Alleinvertretungsanspruch” und beendeten offiziell die Beziehungen zu Taipeh. Die Sowjetunion wurde geschwächt, der Vietnamkrieg konnte beendet werden. Aus der Annäherung zwischen Mao und Nixon wuchs “ChinAmerica” - eine enge Verflechtung der beiden größten Volkswirtschaften der Welt.

Am anderen Ende des Spektrums lässt eine „werteorientierte Außenpolitik” ansiedeln, wie sie zuletzt die grüne Außenministerin Annalena Baerbock vertrat oder besser versuchte. Alles, was keine lupenreine liberale Demokratie ist, gehört irgendwie eingedämmt und am besten sollte man auch keinen Handel damit treiben. Das Problem: Bigotterie. Wenn man kein Gas mehr aus Russland möchte, muss man es aus Katar kaufen. Der säkulare Machthaber Assad war böse, aber nun hofiert man dann Nachfolger und Islamist Abu Mohammed al-Dscholani. (Diese Woche hat Baerbock nach 13 Jahren wieder eine deutsche Botschaft in Damaskus eröffnet.) Am Ende nämlich gibt es doch nicht so viele Wertepartner auf der Welt:

Und mit Donald Trump hat eine Realpolitik auf Steroiden begonnen. Alles scheint plötzlich möglich, solange der Preis stimmt. Die Welt gibt es im Sonderangebot.

Diese Ausgabe ist eine geopolitische Rundschau über die aktuellen globalen Konfliktherde und ihre potenziellen Auswirkungen auf die Märkte. Wir starten in der Nachbarschaft:

Türkei

Erdogan hatte 2023 so ziemlich alles erreicht - er war mit dem Gründer der modernen Türkei, Kemal Atatürk, gleichgezogen (zumindest was Dauer und Einfluss betrifft). Die Lira stabilisierte sich, die Inflation kühlte sich etwas ab. Mit der Verhaftung des Istanbuler Bürgermeister Ekrem İmamoğlu ist damit erst einmal Schluss. Die Währung rauschte in den Keller. Die Region um Istanbul steht für knapp die Hälfte der Wirtschaftsleistung des Landes, knapp ein Drittel der Bevölkerung lebt um das Marmarameer. Dort toben derzeit die schwersten Proteste seit Gezi im Jahr 2013. Erdogan wirft seinem Widersacher vor, ein Hochschuldiplom gefälscht zu haben und deswegen gar nicht für das Amt zugelassen sei.

Als „Wertepartner“ gilt die Türkei schon seit langem nicht mehr. Türkische Truppen halten zudem den Norden Syriens besetzt. Trotzdem ist die Kritik an Erdogan derzeit relativ leise. Im Gegenteil: Der EU sei es wichtig, Ankara in der Koalition der Willigen zu halten.

Warum? Die Türkei hat die zweitgrößte Armee der NATO und kontrolliert derzeit die beiden letzten noch funktionierenden Gas-Pipelines von Russland in die EU. Ein wie auch immer gearteter Frieden in der Ukraine kann ohne Ankara nicht stattfinden. Erdogan weiß das, und nutzt die Gunst der Stunde.

In BlingBling steckt viel Arbeit. Wenn Du diese unterstützen willst, freue ich mich über ein Bezahl-Abo! Dafür gibt es Texte wie diesen in voller Länge, Zugang zum Archiv und einmal im Monat einen Investment-Report. Außerdem erhältst Du Zugang zum exklusiven “Subscriber Chat”. Du kannst das auch problemlos einen Monat für sieben Euro testen.

Ukraine

Wer sich durch die deutsche Presselandschaft bewegt, glaubt derzeit folgendes: Trump hat die Ukraine verraten und Europa im Stich gelassen. Putin bedroht das Baltikum und Polen. Europa muss also für den Krieg rüsten.

Worum es wirlich geht: Die EU ist der eigentliche Verlierer dieses Krieges, und muss nun irgendwie gesichtswahrend aus diesem Schlamassel herauskommen. Das geht am ehesten durch martialische Gesten und einem Billionen-Paket. Mehr dazu hier:

Panzer statt Autos - Wie Deutschland in die Kriegswirtschaft schlittert, und dabei seine Freiheit und Wohlstand aufs Spiel setzt.

Tatsächlich laufen schon seit Wochen zwischen Washington und Moskau Gespräche im saudi-arabischen Riad. Bis zu einem Friedensschluss ist es noch ein weiter Weg, aber es geht in kleinen Schritten vorwärts: eine 30-tägige Feuerpause, Gefangenenaustausch, ein Einstellen der Kämpfe im Schwarzen Meer. Vor allem letzteres wird Auswirkungen auf die internationalen Rohstoffmärkte haben: fallende Preise von Dünger, Weizen, Kohle. Manche russischen Banken werden wieder an das internationale Zahlungssystem SWIFT angeschlossen. Teil eines dauerhaften Friedens wird ein Abkommen über die Ausbeutung der Seltenen Erden sein.

Teilen

Naher Osten

Der Konflikt ist emotional wie moralisch hoch aufgeladen. So dramatisch das Leid der Zivilbevölkerung auf beiden Seiten ist - für den Rest der Welt spielt der Konflikt wirtschaftlich eine untergeordnete Rolle. Erst in seinen Ableitungen hat er größeren Einfluss. In der aktuellen Trump-Administration wird derzeit vieles neu gedacht. Dazu gehört auch eine Neuordnung des Nahen Ostens. So absurd der Gedanke von blühenden Landschaften in Gaza auch gerade erscheint - ein Ausgleich mit dem Iran und Schaffung eines gemeinsamen Wirtschaftsraums, der Israels Hightech-Ökonomie, den Energiereichtum der arabischen Halbinsel mit dem Bevölkerungsreichtum des Nahen Ostens kombiniert, ist nicht unrealistisch. Folgendes Interview mit dem Trump-Unterhändler Steve Witkoff ist dazu sehr hörenswert.

Gleichzeitig hat die neue Trump-Administration ihre Unschuld verloren, indem sie die Houthi-Rebellen bombardierte. Die vom Iran unterstützte Schiitenmiliz hat seit Monaten den Schiffverkehr am Eingang des Roten Meeres unterbunden, was insbesondere in Europa zu höheren Preisen führte. Manche Analysten warnen: Die Falken in Washington könnten sich durchsetzen und einen Krieg gegen den Iran beginnen, zu dem Israel seit Jahren drängt. Dagegen spricht: Trump braucht dringend niedrige Ölpreise, um die Inflation zu dämpfen. Dann erst kann die FED die Zinsen senken. Niedrige Zinsen sind notwendig, da die USA dieses Jahr über ein Drittel ihrer Schulden refinanzieren müssen.

Mehr dazu hier:

Der Mar-a-Largo-Accord - Der große Kassensturz in den USA ist in vollem Gange und bringt Erstaunliches ans Licht. Eine neue Finanzordnung entsteht

Arktis

Im Norden des Planeten schwelt seit Jahren ein Konflikt, der erst kürzlich durch Trumps Angebot, Grönland zu kaufen, ins Bewusstsein rückte. Es geht um Öl, Gas, Uran und seltene Erden, die vor allem auf der zu Dänemark gehörenden Insel vorkommen. JD Vance war am Freitag zu Besuch und betonte nochmals:

“We have to have it. And I think we will have it.”

Grönland dürfte Teil der Verhandlungsmasse und des “great deal” mit Russland sein: Moskau erhält in der Ukraine, was es beansprucht (die besetzten Gebiete plus Odessa), die USA erhalten dafür freie Hand in diesem Teil der Arktis. Warum aber ist der hohe Norden plötzlich so interessant geworden?

Im Paid-Teil geht es außerdem um die Taiwan-Frage und die Auswirkungen auf die Märkte Gold, Öl und Aktien.

@ 866e0139:6a9334e5

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Autor: Carlos A. Gebauer. Dieser Beitrag wurde mit dem Pareto-Client geschrieben. Sie finden alle Texte der Friedenstaube und weitere Texte zum Thema Frieden hier.**

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Am 18. März 1924 schenkte meine Großmutter ihren Töchtern einen kleinen Bruder. Weil sein Vater fürchtete, der Junge könnte unter seinen vier Schwestern verweichlichen, schickte er den Kleinen zu Wochenendfreizeiten einer örtlichen Pfadfindergruppe. Ein Weltkriegsveteran veranstaltete dort mit den Kindern Geländespiele quer durch die schlesischen Wälder. Man lernte, Essbares zu finden, Pilze zu bestimmen, sich im Freien zu orientieren und Feuer zu machen.

Bald wurde deutlich, dass der Heranwachsende auch nicht mehr in den Blockflötenkreis seiner Schwestern und ihrer Freundinnen passte. Das Umfeld befürwortete, sein besonderes musikalisches Talent auf das Klavierspiel und das Flügelhorn zu richten. Kontakte bei der anschließenden Kirchenmusik mündeten schließlich in den elterlichen Entschluss, den nun 14-jährigen in ein Musikschulinternat zu schicken.

Es begann der Zweite Weltkrieg

Ein Jahr später, das erste Heimweh hatte sich langsam beruhigt, änderten sich die Verhältnisse schlagartig. Es begann der Zweite Weltkrieg. Mitschüler unter den jungen Musikern erfuhren, dass ihre älteren Brüder nun Soldaten werden mussten. Noch hielt sich die Gemeinschaft der jetzt 15-jährigen im Internat aber an einer Hoffnung fest: Bis sie selbst in das wehrfähige Alter kommen würden, müsste der Krieg längst beendet sein. In dieser Stimmungslage setzten sie ihre Ausbildung fort.

Es kam anders. Für den 18-jährigen erfolgte die befürchtete Einberufung in Form des „Gestellungsbefehls“. Entsprechend seiner Fähigkeiten sah man ihn zunächst für ein Musikkorps vor und schickte ihn zu einer ersten Grundausbildung nach Südfrankreich. Bei Nizza fand er sich nun plötzlich zwischen Soldaten, die Handgranaten in das Mittelmeer warfen, um Fische zu fangen. Es war das erste Mal, dass er fürchtete, infolge Explosionslärms sein Gehör zu verlieren. In den kommenden Jahren sollte er oft die Ohren zu- und den Mund offenhalten müssen, um sich wenigstens die Möglichkeit der angezielten Berufsausübung zu erhalten – wenn es überhaupt je dazu kommen würde.

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DIE FRIEDENSTAUBE FLIEGT AUCH IN IHR POSTFACH!

Hier können Sie die Friedenstaube abonnieren und bekommen die Artikel zugesandt, vorerst für alle kostenfrei, wir starten gänzlich ohne Paywall. (Die Bezahlabos fangen erst zu laufen an, wenn ein Monetarisierungskonzept für die Inhalte steht). Sie wollen der Genossenschaft beitreten oder uns unterstützen? Mehr Infos hier oder am Ende des Textes.

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Schon nach kurzer Zeit änderte sich die Befehlslage wieder. Der Musikstudent wurde nun zum Infanteristen und nach Russland an die Front verbracht. Vor ihm lagen jetzt drei Kriegsjahre: Gewalt, Dreck, Gewehrkugeln, Panzerschlachten, Granatsplitter, Luftangriffe, Entbehrungen, Hunger, Kälte, sieben Verwundungen, Blut und Schmerzen, Sterbende überall, Tote, Schreiende. Verzweiflung. Sorgen. Ängste. Todesangst. Zurückweichen? Verboten! Und die stets klare Ansage dazu: Wer nicht da vorne gegen den Feind um sein Leben kämpft, dem wird es ganz sicher da hinten von den eigenen Kameraden genommen.

Ein gewährter Fronturlaub 1944 versprach glückliche Momente. Zurück zu den Eltern, zurück zu den Schwestern, zurück nach Freiburg. Doch die Familie war nicht zu Hause, die Türen verschlossen. Eine Nachbarin öffnete ihr Fenster und rief dem Ratlosen zu: „Beeil‘ dich! Renn‘ zum Friedhof. Der Vater ist tot. Sie sind alle bei der Beerdigung!“ Wieder hieß es, qualvoll Abschied nehmen. Zurück an die Front.

Nach einem weiteren russischen Winter brach sich unübersehbar die Erkenntnis Bahn, dass der Krieg nun seinem Ende zugehe. Doch das Bemühen im Rückzug, sich mit einem versprengten Haufen irgendwie Richtung Heimat orientieren zu können, wurde doppelt jäh unterbrochen. Fanatische Vorgesetzte befahlen die längst Geschlagenen wieder gen Osten. Kurz darauf fielen sie heranrückenden russischen Truppen in die Hände. 

Kriegsgefangenschaft: Tabakration gegen Brot

Drei Jahre dem Tod entgangen, schwer verletzt und erschöpft war der 21-jährige also nun ein Kriegsgefangener. Jetzt lagen drei Jahre russischer Kriegsgefangenschaft vor ihm. Ständig war unklar, wie es weiterginge. Unmöglich jedenfalls, sich noch wie ein Pfadfinder aus den Wäldern zu ernähren. Es begannen die Jahre des Schlafens auf Brettern, die Zeit der ziellosen Zugtransporte an unbekannte Orte. Niemand sprach. Nur der Sonnenstand machte klar: Es ging nie Richtung Heimat, sondern immer weiter nach Osten. Weil der Blechbläser nicht rauchte, konnte er seine Tabakration gegen Brot tauschen. So überlebte er auch die Zeit des Hungers und der Morde in den Lagern, die Horrorbilder der nachts Erschlagenen und in die Latrinen geworfenen Toten, der sinnlosen Zwangsarbeiten und der allgegenwärtigen Wanzen. Wer versuchte zu fliehen, der wurde erschossen und sein Körper zur Abschreckung in den Fangdrähten belassen. Im Sommer stanken die dort verwesenden Leichen, wenn nicht Vögel sie rechtzeitig gefressen hatten.

Als der 24-jährige schließlich sechs Jahre nach seiner Einberufung aus russischer Kriegsgefangenschaft entlassen wurde, gab es kein Zurück mehr in seine schlesische Heimat. Abgemagert reiste er der vertriebenen Mutter nach, die mit seinen Schwestern und Millionen anderen Flüchtlingen im Westen Deutschlands verteilt worden war. Kraft Ordnungsverfügung wohnte sie jetzt im sauerländischen Bad Laasphe in einem schimmligen Garagenanbau. Als ihn ein Passant auf dieser Reise morgens allein, nur mit einem Becher an der Schnur um den Hals, auf Krücken durch Berlin ziehen sah, gab er ihm schweigend sein Butterbrot.

Der kleine, sanfte Junge aus dem schlesischen Freiburg hat danach noch 60 Jahre gelebt. Es dauerte zunächst sechs Jahre, bis er wieder kräftig genug war, ein Instrument zu spielen. 30-jährig saß er dann endlich in einem Orchester und begann ein normales Berufsleben. Aber sein Körper und seine Seele waren für immer aus jeder Normalität gerissen.

Irgendwo in Russland war ihm die linke Hüfte so versteift worden, dass sich seine Beine im Liegen an Wade und Schienbein überkreuzten. Er musste also stets den Oberkörper vorbeugen, um überhaupt laufen zu können. Über die Jahrzehnte verzog sich so sein gesamter Knochenbau. Jeder Tag brachte neue orthopädische Probleme und Schmerzen. Ärzte, Masseure, Physiotherapeuten, Schmerzmittel und Spezialausrüstungen aller Art prägten die Tagesabläufe. Asymmetrisch standen seine Schuhe nebeneinander, die ein Spezialschuster ihm mit erhöhter Sohle und Seitenstabilisierung am Knöchel fertigte. Sessel oder Sofas waren ihm nicht nutzbar, da er nur auf einem Spezialstuhl mit halb abgesenkter Sitzfläche Ruhe fand. Auf fremden Stühlen konnte er nur deren Vorderkante nutzen.

"In den Nächten schrie er im Schlaf"

Und auch wenn er sich ohne Krankheitstage bis zuletzt durch seinen Berufsalltag kämpfte, so gab es doch viele Tage voller entsetzlicher Schmerzen, wenn sich seine verdrehte Wirbelsäule zur Migräne in den Kopf bohrte. Bei alledem hörte man ihn allerdings niemals über sein Schicksal klagen. Er ertrug den ganzen Wahnsinn mit einer unbeschreiblichen Duldsamkeit. Nur in den Nächten schrie er bisweilen im Schlaf. In einem seiner Alpträume fürchtete er, Menschen getötet zu haben. Aber auch das erzählte er jahrzehntelang einzig seiner Frau.

Als sich einige Jahre vor seinem Tod der orthopädische Zustand weiter verschlechterte, konsultierte er einen Operateur, um Entlastungsmöglichkeiten zu erörtern. Der legte ihn auf eine Untersuchungsliege und empfahl, Verbesserungsversuche zu unterlassen, weil sie die Lage allenfalls verschlechtern konnten. In dem Moment, als er sich von der Liege erheben sollte, wurde deutlich, dass ihm dies nicht gelang. Die gereichte Hand, um ihn hochzuziehen, ignorierte er. Stattdessen rieb er seinen Rumpf ganz alleine eine quälend lange Minute über die Fläche, bis er endlich einen Winkel fand, um sich selbst in die Senkrechte zu bugsieren. Sich nicht auf andere verlassen, war sein Überlebenskonzept. Jahre später, als sich sein Zustand noch weiter verschlechtert hatte, lächelte er über seine Behinderung: „Ich hätte schon vor 60 Jahren tot auf einem Acker in Russland liegen können.“ Alles gehe irgendwann vorbei, tröstete er sich. Das war das andere Überlebenskonzept: liebevoll, friedfertig und sanft anderen gegenüber, unerbittlich mit sich selbst.

Sechs Monate vor seinem Tod saß er morgens regungslos auf seinem Spezialstuhl. Eine Altenpflegerin fand ihn und schlug Alarm. Mit allen Kunstgriffen der medizinischen Technik wurde er noch einmal in das Leben zurückkatapultiert. Aber seine Kräfte waren erschöpft. Es schob sich das Grauen der Vergangenheit zwischen ihn und die Welt. Bettlägerig kreiste er um sich selbst, erkannte niemanden und starrte mit weit offenen Augen an die Decke. „Die Russen schmeißen wieder Brandbomben!“, war einer seiner letzten Sätze.

Der kleine Junge aus Schlesien ist nicht zu weich geraten. Er hat sein Leid mit unbeugsamer Duldsamkeit ertragen. Er trug es wohl als Strafe für das Leid, das er anderen anzutun genötigt worden war. An seinem Geburtstag blühen immer die Magnolien. In diesem Jahr zum hundertsten Mal.

Dieser Text wurde am 23.3.2024 erstveröffentlicht auf „eigentümlich frei“.

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Carlos A. Gebauer studierte Philosophie, Neuere Geschichte, Sprach-, Rechts- und Musikwissenschaften in Düsseldorf, Bayreuth und Bonn. Sein juristisches Referendariat absolvierte er in Düsseldorf, u.a. mit Wahlstationen bei der Landesrundfunkanstalt NRW, bei der Spezialkammer für Kassenarztrecht des Sozialgerichtes Düsseldorf und bei dem Gnadenbeauftragten der Staatsanwaltschaft Düsseldorf.

Er war unter anderem als Rechtsanwalt und Notarvertreter bis er im November 2003 vom nordrhein-westfälischen Justizministerium zum Richter am Anwaltsgericht für den Bezirk der Rechtsanwaltskammer Düsseldorf ernannt wurde. Seit April 2012 arbeitet er in der Düsseldorfer Rechtsanwaltskanzlei Lindenau, Prior & Partner. Im Juni 2015 wählte ihn die Friedrich-August-von-Hayek-Gesellschaft zu ihrem Stellvertretenden Vorsitzenden. Seit Dezember 2015 ist er Richter im Zweiten Senat des Anwaltsgerichtshofes NRW.

1995 hatte er parallel zu seiner anwaltlichen Tätigkeit mit dem Verfassen gesellschaftspolitischer und juristischer Texte begonnen. Diese erschienen seither unter anderem in der Neuen Juristischen Wochenschrift (NJW), der Zeitschrift für Rechtspolitik (ZRP) in der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung, der Freien Presse Chemnitz, dem „Schweizer Monat“ oder dem Magazin für politische Kultur CICERO. Seit dem Jahr 2005 ist Gebauer ständiger Kolumnist und Autor des Magazins „eigentümlich frei“.

Gebauer glaubt als puristischer Liberaler unverbrüchlich an die sittliche Verpflichtung eines jeden einzelnen, sein Leben für sich selbst und für seine Mitmenschen verantwortlich zu gestalten; jede Fremdbestimmung durch Gesetze, staatliche Verwaltung, politischen Einfluss oder sonstige Gewalteinwirkung hat sich demnach auf ein ethisch vertretbares Minimum zu beschränken. Die Vorstellung eines europäischen Bundesstaates mit zentral detailsteuernder, supranationaler Staatsgewalt hält er für absurd und verfassungswidrig. 

\ Aktuelle Bücher:

Hayeks Warnung vor der Knechtschaft (2024) – hier im Handel

Das Prinzip Verantwortungslosigkeit (2023) – hier im Handel

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@ 21335073:a244b1ad

Warning: This piece contains a conversation about difficult topics. Please proceed with caution.

TL;DR please educate your children about online safety.

Julian Assange wrote in his 2012 book Cypherpunks, “This book is not a manifesto. There isn’t time for that. This book is a warning.” I read it a few times over the past summer. Those opening lines definitely stood out to me. I wish we had listened back then. He saw something about the internet that few had the ability to see. There are some individuals who are so close to a topic that when they speak, it’s difficult for others who aren’t steeped in it to visualize what they’re talking about. I didn’t read the book until more recently. If I had read it when it came out, it probably would have sounded like an unknown foreign language to me. Today it makes more sense.

This isn’t a manifesto. This isn’t a book. There is no time for that. It’s a warning and a possible solution from a desperate and determined survivor advocate who has been pulling and unraveling a thread for a few years. At times, I feel too close to this topic to make any sense trying to convey my pathway to my conclusions or thoughts to the general public. My hope is that if nothing else, I can convey my sense of urgency while writing this. This piece is a watchman’s warning.

When a child steps online, they are walking into a new world. A new reality. When you hand a child the internet, you are handing them possibilities—good, bad, and ugly. This is a conversation about lowering the potential of negative outcomes of stepping into that new world and how I came to these conclusions. I constantly compare the internet to the road. You wouldn’t let a young child run out into the road with no guidance or safety precautions. When you hand a child the internet without any type of guidance or safety measures, you are allowing them to play in rush hour, oncoming traffic. “Look left, look right for cars before crossing.” We almost all have been taught that as children. What are we taught as humans about safety before stepping into a completely different reality like the internet? Very little.

I could never really figure out why many folks in tech, privacy rights activists, and hackers seemed so cold to me while talking about online child sexual exploitation. I always figured that as a survivor advocate for those affected by these crimes, that specific, skilled group of individuals would be very welcoming and easy to talk to about such serious topics. I actually had one hacker laugh in my face when I brought it up while I was looking for answers. I thought maybe this individual thought I was accusing them of something I wasn’t, so I felt bad for asking. I was constantly extremely disappointed and would ask myself, “Why don’t they care? What could I say to make them care more? What could I say to make them understand the crisis and the level of suffering that happens as a result of the problem?”

I have been serving minor survivors of online child sexual exploitation for years. My first case serving a survivor of this specific crime was in 2018—a 13-year-old girl sexually exploited by a serial predator on Snapchat. That was my first glimpse into this side of the internet. I won a national award for serving the minor survivors of Twitter in 2023, but I had been working on that specific project for a few years. I was nominated by a lawyer representing two survivors in a legal battle against the platform. I’ve never really spoken about this before, but at the time it was a choice for me between fighting Snapchat or Twitter. I chose Twitter—or rather, Twitter chose me. I heard about the story of John Doe #1 and John Doe #2, and I was so unbelievably broken over it that I went to war for multiple years. I was and still am royally pissed about that case. As far as I was concerned, the John Doe #1 case proved that whatever was going on with corporate tech social media was so out of control that I didn’t have time to wait, so I got to work. It was reading the messages that John Doe #1 sent to Twitter begging them to remove his sexual exploitation that broke me. He was a child begging adults to do something. A passion for justice and protecting kids makes you do wild things. I was desperate to find answers about what happened and searched for solutions. In the end, the platform Twitter was purchased. During the acquisition, I just asked Mr. Musk nicely to prioritize the issue of detection and removal of child sexual exploitation without violating digital privacy rights or eroding end-to-end encryption. Elon thanked me multiple times during the acquisition, made some changes, and I was thanked by others on the survivors’ side as well.

I still feel that even with the progress made, I really just scratched the surface with Twitter, now X. I left that passion project when I did for a few reasons. I wanted to give new leadership time to tackle the issue. Elon Musk made big promises that I knew would take a while to fulfill, but mostly I had been watching global legislation transpire around the issue, and frankly, the governments are willing to go much further with X and the rest of corporate tech than I ever would. My work begging Twitter to make changes with easier reporting of content, detection, and removal of child sexual exploitation material—without violating privacy rights or eroding end-to-end encryption—and advocating for the minor survivors of the platform went as far as my principles would have allowed. I’m grateful for that experience. I was still left with a nagging question: “How did things get so bad with Twitter where the John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 case was able to happen in the first place?” I decided to keep looking for answers. I decided to keep pulling the thread.

I never worked for Twitter. This is often confusing for folks. I will say that despite being disappointed in the platform’s leadership at times, I loved Twitter. I saw and still see its value. I definitely love the survivors of the platform, but I also loved the platform. I was a champion of the platform’s ability to give folks from virtually around the globe an opportunity to speak and be heard.

I want to be clear that John Doe #1 really is my why. He is the inspiration. I am writing this because of him. He represents so many globally, and I’m still inspired by his bravery. One child’s voice begging adults to do something—I’m an adult, I heard him. I’d go to war a thousand more lifetimes for that young man, and I don’t even know his name. Fighting has been personally dark at times; I’m not even going to try to sugarcoat it, but it has been worth it.

The data surrounding the very real crime of online child sexual exploitation is available to the public online at any time for anyone to see. I’d encourage you to go look at the data for yourself. I believe in encouraging folks to check multiple sources so that you understand the full picture. If you are uncomfortable just searching around the internet for information about this topic, use the terms “CSAM,” “CSEM,” “SG-CSEM,” or “AI Generated CSAM.” The numbers don’t lie—it’s a nightmare that’s out of control. It’s a big business. The demand is high, and unfortunately, business is booming. Organizations collect the data, tech companies often post their data, governments report frequently, and the corporate press has covered a decent portion of the conversation, so I’m sure you can find a source that you trust.

Technology is changing rapidly, which is great for innovation as a whole but horrible for the crime of online child sexual exploitation. Those wishing to exploit the vulnerable seem to be adapting to each technological change with ease. The governments are so far behind with tackling these issues that as I’m typing this, it’s borderline irrelevant to even include them while speaking about the crime or potential solutions. Technology is changing too rapidly, and their old, broken systems can’t even dare to keep up. Think of it like the governments’ “War on Drugs.” Drugs won. In this case as well, the governments are not winning. The governments are talking about maybe having a meeting on potentially maybe having legislation around the crimes. The time to have that meeting would have been many years ago. I’m not advocating for governments to legislate our way out of this. I’m on the side of educating and innovating our way out of this.

I have been clear while advocating for the minor survivors of corporate tech platforms that I would not advocate for any solution to the crime that would violate digital privacy rights or erode end-to-end encryption. That has been a personal moral position that I was unwilling to budge on. This is an extremely unpopular and borderline nonexistent position in the anti-human trafficking movement and online child protection space. I’m often fearful that I’m wrong about this. I have always thought that a better pathway forward would have been to incentivize innovation for detection and removal of content. I had no previous exposure to privacy rights activists or Cypherpunks—actually, I came to that conclusion by listening to the voices of MENA region political dissidents and human rights activists. After developing relationships with human rights activists from around the globe, I realized how important privacy rights and encryption are for those who need it most globally. I was simply unwilling to give more power, control, and opportunities for mass surveillance to big abusers like governments wishing to enslave entire nations and untrustworthy corporate tech companies to potentially end some portion of abuses online. On top of all of it, it has been clear to me for years that all potential solutions outside of violating digital privacy rights to detect and remove child sexual exploitation online have not yet been explored aggressively. I’ve been disappointed that there hasn’t been more of a conversation around preventing the crime from happening in the first place.

What has been tried is mass surveillance. In China, they are currently under mass surveillance both online and offline, and their behaviors are attached to a social credit score. Unfortunately, even on state-run and controlled social media platforms, they still have child sexual exploitation and abuse imagery pop up along with other crimes and human rights violations. They also have a thriving black market online due to the oppression from the state. In other words, even an entire loss of freedom and privacy cannot end the sexual exploitation of children online. It’s been tried. There is no reason to repeat this method.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out why I always felt a slight coldness from those in tech and privacy-minded individuals about the topic of child sexual exploitation online. I didn’t have any clue about the “Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse.” This is a term coined by Timothy C. May in 1988. I would have been a child myself when he first said it. I actually laughed at myself when I heard the phrase for the first time. I finally got it. The Cypherpunks weren’t wrong about that topic. They were so spot on that it is borderline uncomfortable. I was mad at first that they knew that early during the birth of the internet that this issue would arise and didn’t address it. Then I got over it because I realized that it wasn’t their job. Their job was—is—to write code. Their job wasn’t to be involved and loving parents or survivor advocates. Their job wasn’t to educate children on internet safety or raise awareness; their job was to write code.

They knew that child sexual abuse material would be shared on the internet. They said what would happen—not in a gleeful way, but a prediction. Then it happened.

I equate it now to a concrete company laying down a road. As you’re pouring the concrete, you can say to yourself, “A terrorist might travel down this road to go kill many, and on the flip side, a beautiful child can be born in an ambulance on this road.” Who or what travels down the road is not their responsibility—they are just supposed to lay the concrete. I’d never go to a concrete pourer and ask them to solve terrorism that travels down roads. Under the current system, law enforcement should stop terrorists before they even make it to the road. The solution to this specific problem is not to treat everyone on the road like a terrorist or to not build the road.

So I understand the perceived coldness from those in tech. Not only was it not their job, but bringing up the topic was seen as the equivalent of asking a free person if they wanted to discuss one of the four topics—child abusers, terrorists, drug dealers, intellectual property pirates, etc.—that would usher in digital authoritarianism for all who are online globally.

Privacy rights advocates and groups have put up a good fight. They stood by their principles. Unfortunately, when it comes to corporate tech, I believe that the issue of privacy is almost a complete lost cause at this point. It’s still worth pushing back, but ultimately, it is a losing battle—a ticking time bomb.

I do think that corporate tech providers could have slowed down the inevitable loss of privacy at the hands of the state by prioritizing the detection and removal of CSAM when they all started online. I believe it would have bought some time, fewer would have been traumatized by that specific crime, and I do believe that it could have slowed down the demand for content. If I think too much about that, I’ll go insane, so I try to push the “if maybes” aside, but never knowing if it could have been handled differently will forever haunt me. At night when it’s quiet, I wonder what I would have done differently if given the opportunity. I’ll probably never know how much corporate tech knew and ignored in the hopes that it would go away while the problem continued to get worse. They had different priorities. The most voiceless and vulnerable exploited on corporate tech never had much of a voice, so corporate tech providers didn’t receive very much pushback.

Now I’m about to say something really wild, and you can call me whatever you want to call me, but I’m going to say what I believe to be true. I believe that the governments are either so incompetent that they allowed the proliferation of CSAM online, or they knowingly allowed the problem to fester long enough to have an excuse to violate privacy rights and erode end-to-end encryption. The US government could have seized the corporate tech providers over CSAM, but I believe that they were so useful as a propaganda arm for the regimes that they allowed them to continue virtually unscathed.

That season is done now, and the governments are making the issue a priority. It will come at a high cost. Privacy on corporate tech providers is virtually done as I’m typing this. It feels like a death rattle. I’m not particularly sure that we had much digital privacy to begin with, but the illusion of a veil of privacy feels gone.

To make matters slightly more complex, it would be hard to convince me that once AI really gets going, digital privacy will exist at all.

I believe that there should be a conversation shift to preserving freedoms and human rights in a post-privacy society.

I don’t want to get locked up because AI predicted a nasty post online from me about the government. I’m not a doomer about AI—I’m just going to roll with it personally. I’m looking forward to the positive changes that will be brought forth by AI. I see it as inevitable. A bit of privacy was helpful while it lasted. Please keep fighting to preserve what is left of privacy either way because I could be wrong about all of this.

On the topic of AI, the addition of AI to the horrific crime of child sexual abuse material and child sexual exploitation in multiple ways so far has been devastating. It’s currently out of control. The genie is out of the bottle. I am hopeful that innovation will get us humans out of this, but I’m not sure how or how long it will take. We must be extremely cautious around AI legislation. It should not be illegal to innovate even if some bad comes with the good. I don’t trust that the governments are equipped to decide the best pathway forward for AI. Source: the entire history of the government.

I have been personally negatively impacted by AI-generated content. Every few days, I get another alert that I’m featured again in what’s called “deep fake pornography” without my consent. I’m not happy about it, but what pains me the most is the thought that for a period of time down the road, many globally will experience what myself and others are experiencing now by being digitally sexually abused in this way. If you have ever had your picture taken and posted online, you are also at risk of being exploited in this way. Your child’s image can be used as well, unfortunately, and this is just the beginning of this particular nightmare. It will move to more realistic interpretations of sexual behaviors as technology improves. I have no brave words of wisdom about how to deal with that emotionally. I do have hope that innovation will save the day around this specific issue. I’m nervous that everyone online will have to ID verify due to this issue. I see that as one possible outcome that could help to prevent one problem but inadvertently cause more problems, especially for those living under authoritarian regimes or anyone who needs to remain anonymous online. A zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) would probably be the best solution to these issues. There are some survivors of violence and/or sexual trauma who need to remain anonymous online for various reasons. There are survivor stories available online of those who have been abused in this way. I’d encourage you seek out and listen to their stories.

There have been periods of time recently where I hesitate to say anything at all because more than likely AI will cover most of my concerns about education, awareness, prevention, detection, and removal of child sexual exploitation online, etc.

Unfortunately, some of the most pressing issues we’ve seen online over the last few years come in the form of “sextortion.” Self-generated child sexual exploitation (SG-CSEM) numbers are continuing to be terrifying. I’d strongly encourage that you look into sextortion data. AI + sextortion is also a huge concern. The perpetrators are using the non-sexually explicit images of children and putting their likeness on AI-generated child sexual exploitation content and extorting money, more imagery, or both from minors online. It’s like a million nightmares wrapped into one. The wild part is that these issues will only get more pervasive because technology is harnessed to perpetuate horror at a scale unimaginable to a human mind.

Even if you banned phones and the internet or tried to prevent children from accessing the internet, it wouldn’t solve it. Child sexual exploitation will still be with us until as a society we start to prevent the crime before it happens. That is the only human way out right now.

There is no reset button on the internet, but if I could go back, I’d tell survivor advocates to heed the warnings of the early internet builders and to start education and awareness campaigns designed to prevent as much online child sexual exploitation as possible. The internet and technology moved quickly, and I don’t believe that society ever really caught up. We live in a world where a child can be groomed by a predator in their own home while sitting on a couch next to their parents watching TV. We weren’t ready as a species to tackle the fast-paced algorithms and dangers online. It happened too quickly for parents to catch up. How can you parent for the ever-changing digital world unless you are constantly aware of the dangers?

I don’t think that the internet is inherently bad. I believe that it can be a powerful tool for freedom and resistance. I’ve spoken a lot about the bad online, but there is beauty as well. We often discuss how victims and survivors are abused online; we rarely discuss the fact that countless survivors around the globe have been able to share their experiences, strength, hope, as well as provide resources to the vulnerable. I do question if giving any government or tech company access to censorship, surveillance, etc., online in the name of serving survivors might not actually impact a portion of survivors negatively. There are a fair amount of survivors with powerful abusers protected by governments and the corporate press. If a survivor cannot speak to the press about their abuse, the only place they can go is online, directly or indirectly through an independent journalist who also risks being censored. This scenario isn’t hard to imagine—it already happened in China. During #MeToo, a survivor in China wanted to post their story. The government censored the post, so the survivor put their story on the blockchain. I’m excited that the survivor was creative and brave, but it’s terrifying to think that we live in a world where that situation is a necessity.

I believe that the future for many survivors sharing their stories globally will be on completely censorship-resistant and decentralized protocols. This thought in particular gives me hope. When we listen to the experiences of a diverse group of survivors, we can start to understand potential solutions to preventing the crimes from happening in the first place.

My heart is broken over the gut-wrenching stories of survivors sexually exploited online. Every time I hear the story of a survivor, I do think to myself quietly, “What could have prevented this from happening in the first place?” My heart is with survivors.

My head, on the other hand, is full of the understanding that the internet should remain free. The free flow of information should not be stopped. My mind is with the innocent citizens around the globe that deserve freedom both online and offline.

The problem is that governments don’t only want to censor illegal content that violates human rights—they create legislation that is so broad that it can impact speech and privacy of all. “Don’t you care about the kids?” Yes, I do. I do so much that I’m invested in finding solutions. I also care about all citizens around the globe that deserve an opportunity to live free from a mass surveillance society. If terrorism happens online, I should not be punished by losing my freedom. If drugs are sold online, I should not be punished. I’m not an abuser, I’m not a terrorist, and I don’t engage in illegal behaviors. I refuse to lose freedom because of others’ bad behaviors online.

I want to be clear that on a long enough timeline, the governments will decide that they can be better parents/caregivers than you can if something isn’t done to stop minors from being sexually exploited online. The price will be a complete loss of anonymity, privacy, free speech, and freedom of religion online. I find it rather insulting that governments think they’re better equipped to raise children than parents and caretakers.

So we can’t go backwards—all that we can do is go forward. Those who want to have freedom will find technology to facilitate their liberation. This will lead many over time to decentralized and open protocols. So as far as I’m concerned, this does solve a few of my worries—those who need, want, and deserve to speak freely online will have the opportunity in most countries—but what about online child sexual exploitation?

When I popped up around the decentralized space, I was met with the fear of censorship. I’m not here to censor you. I don’t write code. I couldn’t censor anyone or any piece of content even if I wanted to across the internet, no matter how depraved. I don’t have the skills to do that.

I’m here to start a conversation. Freedom comes at a cost. You must always fight for and protect your freedom. I can’t speak about protecting yourself from all of the Four Horsemen because I simply don’t know the topics well enough, but I can speak about this one topic.

If there was a shortcut to ending online child sexual exploitation, I would have found it by now. There isn’t one right now. I believe that education is the only pathway forward to preventing the crime of online child sexual exploitation for future generations.

I propose a yearly education course for every child of all school ages, taught as a standard part of the curriculum. Ideally, parents/caregivers would be involved in the education/learning process.

Course: - The creation of the internet and computers - The fight for cryptography - The tech supply chain from the ground up (example: human rights violations in the supply chain) - Corporate tech - Freedom tech - Data privacy - Digital privacy rights - AI (history-current) - Online safety (predators, scams, catfishing, extortion) - Bitcoin - Laws - How to deal with online hate and harassment - Information on who to contact if you are being abused online or offline - Algorithms - How to seek out the truth about news, etc., online

The parents/caregivers, homeschoolers, unschoolers, and those working to create decentralized parallel societies have been an inspiration while writing this, but my hope is that all children would learn this course, even in government ran schools. Ideally, parents would teach this to their own children.

The decentralized space doesn’t want child sexual exploitation to thrive. Here’s the deal: there has to be a strong prevention effort in order to protect the next generation. The internet isn’t going anywhere, predators aren’t going anywhere, and I’m not down to let anyone have the opportunity to prove that there is a need for more government. I don’t believe that the government should act as parents. The governments have had a chance to attempt to stop online child sexual exploitation, and they didn’t do it. Can we try a different pathway forward?

I’d like to put myself out of a job. I don’t want to ever hear another story like John Doe #1 ever again. This will require work. I’ve often called online child sexual exploitation the lynchpin for the internet. It’s time to arm generations of children with knowledge and tools. I can’t do this alone.

Individuals have fought so that I could have freedom online. I want to fight to protect it. I don’t want child predators to give the government any opportunity to take away freedom. Decentralized spaces are as close to a reset as we’ll get with the opportunity to do it right from the start. Start the youth off correctly by preventing potential hazards to the best of your ability.

The good news is anyone can work on this! I’d encourage you to take it and run with it. I added the additional education about the history of the internet to make the course more educational and fun. Instead of cleaning up generations of destroyed lives due to online sexual exploitation, perhaps this could inspire generations of those who will build our futures. Perhaps if the youth is armed with knowledge, they can create more tools to prevent the crime.

This one solution that I’m suggesting can be done on an individual level or on a larger scale. It should be adjusted depending on age, learning style, etc. It should be fun and playful.

This solution does not address abuse in the home or some of the root causes of offline child sexual exploitation. My hope is that it could lead to some survivors experiencing abuse in the home an opportunity to disclose with a trusted adult. The purpose for this solution is to prevent the crime of online child sexual exploitation before it occurs and to arm the youth with the tools to contact safe adults if and when it happens.

In closing, I went to hell a few times so that you didn’t have to. I spoke to the mothers of survivors of minors sexually exploited online—their tears could fill rivers. I’ve spoken with political dissidents who yearned to be free from authoritarian surveillance states. The only balance that I’ve found is freedom online for citizens around the globe and prevention from the dangers of that for the youth. Don’t slow down innovation and freedom. Educate, prepare, adapt, and look for solutions.

I’m not perfect and I’m sure that there are errors in this piece. I hope that you find them and it starts a conversation.

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Bluesky is a scam

Bluesky advertises itself as an open network, they say people won't lose followers or their identity, they advertise themselves as a protocol ("atproto") and because of that they are tricking a lot of people into using them. These three claims are false.

protocolness

Bluesky is a company. "atproto" is the protocol. Supposedly they are two different things, right? Bluesky just releases software that implements the protocol, but others can also do that, it's open!

And yet, the protocol has an official webpage with a waitlist and a private beta? Why is the protocol advertised as a company product? Because it is. The "protocol" is just a description of whatever the Bluesky app and servers do, it can and does change anytime the Bluesky developers decide they want to change it, and it will keep changing for as long as Bluesky apps and servers control the biggest part of the network.

Oh, so there is the possibility of other players stepping in and then it becomes an actual interoperable open protocol? Yes, but what is the likelihood of that happening? It is very low. No serious competitor is likely to step in and build serious apps using a protocol that is directly controlled by Bluesky. All we will ever see are small "community" apps made by users and small satellite small businesses -- not unlike the people and companies that write plugins, addons and alternative clients for popular third-party centralized platforms.

And last, even if it happens that someone makes an app so good that it displaces the canonical official Bluesky app, then that company may overtake the protocol itself -- not because they're evil, but because there is no way it cannot be like this.

identity

According to their own documentation, the Bluesky people were looking for an identity system that provided global ids, key rotation and human-readable names.

They must have realized that such properties are not possible in an open and decentralized system, but instead of accepting a tradeoff they decided they wanted all their desired features and threw away the "decentralized" part, quite literally and explicitly (although they make sure to hide that piece in the middle of a bunch of code and text that very few will read).

The "DID Placeholder" method they decided to use for their global identities is nothing more than a normal old boring trusted server controlled by Bluesky that keeps track of who is who and can, at all times, decide to ban a person and deprive them from their identity (they dismissively call a "denial of service attack").

They decided to adopt this method as a placeholder until someone else doesn't invent the impossible alternative that would provide all their desired properties in a decentralized manner -- which is nothing more than a very good excuse: "yes, it's not great now, but it will improve!".

openness

Months after launching their product with an aura of decentralization and openness and getting a bunch of people inside that believed, falsely, they were joining an actually open network, Bluesky has decided to publish a part of their idea of how other people will be able to join their open network.

When I first saw their app and how they were very prominently things like follower counts, like counts and other things that are typical of centralized networks and can't be reliable or exact on truly open networks (like Nostr), I asked myself how were they going to do that once they became and open "federated" network as they were expected to be.

Turns out their decentralization plan is to just allow you, as a writer, to host your own posts on "personal data stores", but not really have any control over the distribution of the posts. All posts go through the Bluesky central server, called BGS, and they decide what to do with it. And you, as a reader, doesn't have any control of what you're reading from either, all you can do is connect to the BGS and ask for posts. If the BGS decides to ban, shadow ban, reorder, miscount, hide, deprioritize, trick or maybe even to serve ads, then you are out of luck.

Oh, but anyone can run their own BGS!, they will say. Even in their own blog post announcing the architecture they assert that "it’s a fairly resource-demanding service" and "there may be a few large full-network providers". But I fail to see why even more than one network provider will exist, if Bluesky is already doing that job, and considering the fact there are very little incentives for anyone to switch providers -- because the app does not seem to be at all made to talk to multiple providers, one would have to stop using the reliable, fast and beefy official BGS and start using some half-baked alternative and risk losing access to things.

When asked about the possibility of switching, one of Bluesky overlords said: "it would look something like this: bluesky has gone evil. there's a new alternative called freesky that people are rushing to. I'm switching to freesky".

The quote is very naïve and sounds like something that could be said about Twitter itself: "if Twitter is evil you can just run your own social network". Both are fallacies because they ignore the network-effect and the fact that people will never fully agree that something is "evil". In fact these two are the fundamental reasons why -- for social networks specifically (and not for other things like commerce) -- we need truly open protocols with no owners and no committees.

@ a39d19ec:3d88f61e

Nun da das deutsche Bundesregime den Ruin Deutschlands beschlossen hat, der sehr wahrscheinlich mit dem Werkzeug des Geld druckens "finanziert" wird, kamen mir so viele Gedanken zur Geldmengenausweitung, dass ich diese für einmal niedergeschrieben habe.

Die Ausweitung der Geldmenge führt aus klassischer wirtschaftlicher Sicht immer zu Preissteigerungen, weil mehr Geld im Umlauf auf eine begrenzte Menge an Gütern trifft. Dies lässt sich in mehreren Schritten analysieren:

1. Quantitätstheorie des Geldes

Die klassische Gleichung der Quantitätstheorie des Geldes lautet:

M • V = P • Y

wobei:
- M die Geldmenge ist,
- V die Umlaufgeschwindigkeit des Geldes,
- P das Preisniveau,
- Y die reale Wirtschaftsleistung (BIP).

Wenn M steigt und V sowie Y konstant bleiben, muss P steigen – also Inflation entstehen.

2. Gütermenge bleibt begrenzt

Die Menge an real produzierten Gütern und Dienstleistungen wächst meist nur langsam im Vergleich zur Ausweitung der Geldmenge. Wenn die Geldmenge schneller steigt als die Produktionsgütermenge, führt dies dazu, dass mehr Geld für die gleiche Menge an Waren zur Verfügung steht – die Preise steigen.

3. Erwartungseffekte und Spekulation

Wenn Unternehmen und Haushalte erwarten, dass mehr Geld im Umlauf ist, da eine zentrale Planung es so wollte, können sie steigende Preise antizipieren. Unternehmen erhöhen ihre Preise vorab, und Arbeitnehmer fordern höhere Löhne. Dies kann eine sich selbst verstärkende Spirale auslösen.

4. Internationale Perspektive

Eine erhöhte Geldmenge kann die Währung abwerten, wenn andere Länder ihre Geldpolitik stabil halten. Eine schwächere Währung macht Importe teurer, was wiederum Preissteigerungen antreibt.

5. Kritik an der reinen Geldmengen-Theorie

Der Vollständigkeit halber muss erwähnt werden, dass die meisten modernen Ökonomen im Staatsauftrag argumentieren, dass Inflation nicht nur von der Geldmenge abhängt, sondern auch von der Nachfrage nach Geld (z. B. in einer Wirtschaftskrise). Dennoch zeigt die historische Erfahrung, dass eine unkontrollierte Geldmengenausweitung langfristig immer zu Preissteigerungen führt, wie etwa in der Hyperinflation der Weimarer Republik oder in Simbabwe.

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Jofer

Jofer era um jogador diferente. À primeira vista não, parecia igual, um volante combativo, perseguia os atacantes adversários implacavelmente, um bom jogador. Mas não era essa a característica que diferenciava Jofer. Jofer era, digamos, um chutador.

Começou numa semifinal de um torneio de juniores. O time de Jofer precisava do empate e estava sofrendo uma baita pressão do adversário, mas o jogo estava 1 a 1 e parecia que ia ficar assim mesmo, daquele jeito futebolístico que parece, parece mesmo. Só que aos 46 do segundo tempo tomaram um gol espírita, Ruizinho do outro time saiu correndo pela esquerda e, mesmo sendo canhoto, foi cortando para o meio, os zagueiros meio que achando que já tinha acabado mesmo, devia ter só mais aquele lance, o árbitro tinha dado dois minutos, Ruizinho chutou, marcou e o goleiro, que só pulou depois que já tinha visto que não ia ter jeito, ficou xingando.

A bola saiu do meio e tocaram para Jofer, ninguém nem veio marcá-lo, o outro time já estava comemorando, e com razão, o juiz estava de sacanagem em fazer o jogo continuar, já estava tudo acabado mesmo. Mas não, estava certo, mais um minuto de acréscimo, justo. Em um minuto dá pra fazer um gol. Mas como? Jofer pensou nas partidas da NBA em que com alguns centésimos de segundo faltando o armador jogava de qualquer jeito para a cesta e às vezes acertava. De trás do meio de campo, será? Não vou ter nem força pra fazer chegar no gol. Vou virar piada, melhor tocar pro Fumaça ali do lado e a gente perde sem essa humilhação no final. Mas, poxa, e daí? Vou tentar mesmo assim, qualquer coisa eu falo que foi um lançamento e daqui a uns dias todo mundo esquece. Olhou para o próprio pé, virou ele de ladinho, pra fora e depois pra dentro (bom, se eu pegar daqui, direitinho, quem sabe?), jogou a bola pro lado e bateu. A bola subiu escandalosamente, muito alta mesmo, deve ter subido uns 200 metros. Jofer não tinha como ter a menor noção. Depois foi descendo, o goleirão voltando correndo para debaixo da trave e olhando pra bola, foi chegando e pulando já só pra acompanhar, para ver, dependurado no travessão, a bola sair ainda bem alta, ela bateu na rede lateral interna antes de bater no chão, quicar violentamente e estufar a rede no alto do lado direito de quem olhava.

Mas isso tudo foi sonho do Jofer. Sonhou acordado, numa noite em que demorou pra dormir, deitado na sua cama. Ficou pensando se não seria fácil, se ele treinasse bastante, acertar o gol bem de longe, tipo no sonho, e se não dava pra fazer gol assim. No dia seguinte perguntou a Brunildinho, o treinador de goleiros. Era difícil defender essas bolas, ainda mais se elas subissem muito, o goleiro ficava sem perspectiva, o vento alterava a trajetória a cada instante, tinha efeito, ela cairia rápido, mas claro que não valia à pena treinar isso, a chance de acertar o gol era minúscula. Mas Jofer só ia tentar depois que treinasse bastante e comprovasse o que na sua imaginação parecia uma excelente idéia.

Começou a treinar todos os dias. Primeiro escondido, por vergonha dos colegas, chegava um pouco antes e ficava lá, chutando do círculo central. Ao menor sinal de gente se aproximando, parava e ia catar as bolas. Depois, quando começou a acertar, perdeu a vergonha. O pessoal do clube todo achava engraçado quando via Jofer treinando e depois ouvia a explicação da boca de alguém, ninguém levava muito a sério, mas também não achava de todo ridículo. O pessoal ria, mas no fundo torcia praquilo dar certo, mesmo.

Aconteceu que num jogo que não valia muita coisa, empatezinho feio, aos 40 do segundo tempo, a marcação dos adversários já não estava mais pressionando, todo mundo contente com o empate e com vontade de parar de jogar já, o Henrique, meia-esquerdo, humilde, mas ainda assim um pouco intimidante para Jofer (jogava demais), tocou pra ele. Vai lá, tenta sua loucura aí. Assumiu a responsabilidade do nosso volante introspectivo. Seria mais verossímil se Jofer tivesse errado, primeira vez que tentou, restava muito tempo ainda pra ele ter a chance de ser herói, ninguém acerta de primeira, mas ele acertou. Quase como no sonho, Lucas, o goleiro, não esperava, depois que viu o lance, riu-se, adiantou-se para pegar a bola que ele julgava que quicaria na área, mas ela foi mais pra frente, mais e mais, daí Lucas já estava correndo, só que começou a pensar que ela ia pra fora, e ele ia só se dependurar no travessão e fazer seu papel de estar na bola. Acabou que por conta daquele gol eles terminaram em segundo no grupo daquele torneiozinho, ao invés de terceiro, e não fez diferença nenhuma.

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

O caso da Grêmio TV

enquanto vinha se conduzindo pela plataforma superior daquela arena que se pensava totalmente preenchida por adeptos da famosa equipe do Grêmio de Porto Alegre, viu-se, como por obra de algum nigromante - dos muitos que existem e estão a todo momento a fazer más obras e a colocar-se no caminhos dos que procuram, se não fazer o bem acima de todas as coisas, a pelo menos não fazer o mal no curso da realização dos seus interesses -, o discretíssimo jornalista a ser xingado e moído em palavras por uma horda de malandrinos a cinco ou seis passos dele surgida que cantavam e moviam seus braços em movimentos que não se pode classificar senão como bárbaros, e assim cantavam:

Grêmio TV pior que o SBT !

@ bcbb3e40:a494e501

|| |:-:| |WAJDA, Andrzej; Cenizas y diamantes, 1958|

Presentamos una nueva reseña cinematográfica, y en esta ocasión hemos elegido «Cenizas y diamantes», una película polaca del célebre y prolífico director Andrzej Wajda (1926-2016), estrenada en el año 1958. Se trata de uno de los grandes clásicos del cine polaco. El filme refleja una etapa dramática desde la perspectiva histórica para la nación polaca, como es el final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, a raíz de la capitulación alemana del 8 de mayo de 1945. El contexto en el que se desarrolla se ambienta en la celebración del final de la guerra con el aplastante triunfo de la URSS, con las tropas soviéticas ocupando toda la Europa oriental, y en particular Polonia, que vive un momento de oscuridad e incertidumbre. El protagonista, Maciek Chełmicki (interpretado magistralmente por Zbigniew Cybulski (1927-1967), apodado el «James Dean polaco»), es un joven nacionalista polaco, de orientación anticomunista, que se ve implicado en un complot urdido para asesinar a un líder comunista local. Maciek opera desde la clandestinidad, bajo el grupo Armia Krajowa (AK), el Ejército Nacional polaco, una organización de resistencia, primero contra los alemanes y, posteriormente, contra los soviéticos. Durante el metraje, se plantea una dicotomía permanente entre la libertad entendida como la defensa de la soberanía de Polonia, desde posturas nacionalistas, y quienes consideran la ocupación soviética como algo positivo. Estas circunstancias atrapan al protagonista, que se ve envuelto en una espiral de violencia y traición.

Maciek Chełmicki, nuestro protagonista, cuenta con todas las características del héroe trágico, pues tiene en sus manos una serie de acciones que comprometen el futuro de un pueblo, que consiste en cumplir la misión que le ha sido encomendada, pero en su camino se cruza una joven, Krystyna, una joven camarera de un hotel de la que se enamora en ese mismo día. Este último hecho sirve de punto de partida para todas las dudas, dilemas y dicotomías a las que hacemos referencia. Hay un dilema moral evidente en un mundo en ruinas, devastado por la guerra, la muerte y el nihilismo. En este sentido Wajda nos muestra un lenguaje cinematográfico muy evidente, a través de una técnica expresionista muy depurada, con el uso del blanco y negro, los contrastes generados por las sombras y la atmósfera opresiva que transmite angustia, desesperación y vulnerabilidad de los protagonistas. Además también destilan una fuerte carga emocional, donde no están exentos elementos poéticos y un poderoso lirismo.

|| |:-:| |Maciek Chełmicki, el protagonista.|

Hay elementos simbólicos que no podemos obviar, y que contribuyen a consolidar el análisis que venimos haciendo, como, por ejemplo, la estética del protagonista, con unas gafas oscuras, que actúan como una suerte de barrera frente al mundo que le rodea, como parte del anonimato tras el cual el joven Maciek vive de forma introspectiva su propio drama particular y el de toda una nación.

|| |:-:| |NITOGLIA, Curzio; En el mar de la nada: Metafísica y nihilismo a prueba en la posmodernidad; Hipérbola Janus, 2023|

Hay una escena especialmente poderosa, y casi mítica, en la que los dos jóvenes protagonistas, Maciek y Krystina, se encuentran entre las ruinas de una Iglesia, en la que se destaca en primer plano, ocupando buena parte de la pantalla, la imagen de un Cristo invertido sobre un crucifijo, donde también se encuentran dos cuerpos colgados hacia abajo en una estampa que refleja la devastación moral y espiritual de toda una época. De hecho, la imagen del crucifijo invertido refleja el máximo punto de subversión y profanación de lo sagrado, y que en el caso concreto de la película viene a representar la destrucción del orden moral y de valores cristianos que la propia guerra ha provocado. Polonia es una nación profundamente católica, convertida al Cristianismo en el 966 a raíz de la conversión del príncipe Miecislao I, contribuyendo de manera decisiva a la formación de la identidad nacional polaca. El catolicismo siempre ha sido un medio de cohesión y defensa frente a las influencias extranjeras y la ocupación de terceros países, una constante en la historia del país, como el que ilustra la propia película con la URSS. En este sentido, la imagen de una Iglesia en ruinas, el lugar donde se encuentra representado el principio de lo sagrado e inviolable, supone una forma de perversión de todo principio de redención y salvación frente a la tragedia, y al mismo tiempo viene a significar que la Tradición ha sido abandonada y pervertida. En la misma línea, el protagonista, Maciek, se encuentra atrapado en una espiral de violencia a través de sus actos terroristas perpetrados contra la autoridad soviética que ocupa su país. Los dos cuerpos anónimos que cuelgan boca abajo, de forma grotesca, también participan de este caos y desequilibrio de un orden dislocado, son parte de la deshumanización y el nihilismo que todo lo impregna.

|| |:-:| |Maciek y Krystina en una iglesia en ruinas|

Como ya hemos mencionado, la película se encuentra plagada de paradojas y dicotomías, en las que nuestro protagonista, el joven rebelde e inconformista, debe elegir permanentemente, en unas decisiones que resultan trascendentales para su futuro y el de la propia nación. La figura femenina que irrumpe en su vida, y que representa un principio disruptivo que provoca una fractura interior y una crisis, le suscita una toma de conciencia de su propia situación y le fuerza a tomar un camino entre la «felicidad», del «amor», la «esperanza» y la «vida», que le permita superar la deriva nihilista y autodestructiva de la lucha clandestina, la cual le aboca a un destino trágico (que no vamos a desentrañar para no hacer spoiler). En relación al propio título de la película, «Cenizas y diamantes», basada en el poema del poeta y dramaturgo polaco Cyprian Norwid (1821-1883) y en la novela del autor, también polaco, Jerzy Andrzejewski (1909-1983), nos destaca la dualidad de los dos elementos que lo componen, y que definen el contraste entre el mundo sombrío y oscuro (Cenizas) y la esperanza y la luz que representa susodicha figura femenina (diamantes). La segunda alternativa parece un imposible, una quimera irrealizable que se pliega ante un Destino implacable, irreversible y cruel.

En consecuencia, y a la luz de los elementos expuestos, podemos decir que se nos presentan dilemas propios de la filosofía existencialista, que conoce su punto álgido en esos años, con autores como Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980), Albert Camus (1913-1960), Karl Jaspers (1883-1969) o Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) entre otros. Respecto a éste último, a Heidegger, podemos encontrar algunas claves interesantes a través de su filosofía en relación al protagonista, a Maciek, especialmente a través de la idea del Dasein, a la idea de haber sido arrojado al mundo (Geworfenheit), y la manera tan extrema y visceral en la que vive susodicha condición. Todos aquellos elementos que dan sentido a la vida colectiva se encuentran decaídos o destruidos en su esencia más íntima, la Patria, la religión o la propia idea de Comunidad orgánica. De modo que el protagonista se ha visto «arrojado» frente a una situación o destino indeseado, en unas coyunturas totalmente desfavorables en las que no queda otra elección. Sus decisiones están permanentemente condicionadas por la circunstancia descrita y, por tanto, vive en un mundo donde no controla nada, en lugar de ser sujeto es un mero objeto transportado por esas circunstancias ajenas a su voluntad. Sin embargo, y en coherencia con el Dasein heideggeriano, vemos como Maciek, a raíz de conocer a Krystyna, comienza a experimentar una catarsis interior, que muestra por momentos el deseo de superar ese «ser arrojado al mundo contra tu voluntad», trascendiendo esa condición absurda e irracional de unas decisiones enajenadas de su voluntad para dotar de una significación y un sentido la propia existencia.

|| |:-:| |Andrzej Wajda, el director de la película.|

Otro elemento característico de la filosofía heideggeriana lo podemos encontrar en la «angustia» (angst) a través de la ausencia de un sentido y fundamento último que justifique la existencia del protagonista. Es una angustia en a que el Dasein se enfrenta a la «nada», a ese vacío existencial que hace inútil toda la lucha que Maciek lleva a cabo en la clandestinidad, con asesinatos y actos de terrorismo que pretenden salvaguardar algo que ya no existe, y que simboliza muy bien la Iglesia en ruinas con sus símbolos religiosos invertidos de la que hablábamos con anterioridad. Recuerda un poco a esa dicotomía que se plantea entre ser conservador o reaccionario frente a una realidad como la del propio presente, en la que los valores tradicionales han sido totalmente destruidos, y más que conservar se impone la reacción para volver a construir de la nada.

|| |:-:| |Hipérbola Janus; Textos para la Tradición en tiempos del oscurecimiento: Artículos publicados entre 2014 y 2019 en hiperbolajanus.com; Hipérbola Janus, 2019|

Todas las dudas que asaltan al protagonista se ven incrementadas en el momento decisivo, cuando se dispone a dar muerte al líder comunista. Se produce una tensión interna en Maciek, que se encuentra ligado a la joven que ha conocido ese día, y en ella es donde encuentra ese leve destello de humanidad. Esa circunstancia le hace replantearse por un instante el cumplimiento de su misión, pero es un dilema que no tiene salida, y por ello le asalta nuevamente la angustia frente a esa «nada», ese mundo vacío e incomprensible que trasciende el marco de sus propias elecciones.

Uno de los conceptos centrales de Heidegger en Ser y tiempo es el Sein-zum-Tode (ser-para-la-muerte), la idea de que la muerte es la posibilidad más propia y definitiva del Dasein, y que enfrentarla auténticamente permite vivir de manera más plena. Y es que el protagonista se encuentra permanentemente sobre esa frontera entre la vida y la muerte, que afronta con todas sus consecuencias, conscientemente, y la acepta. Esta actitud podría leerse como una forma de Dasein inauténtico, una huida del ser-para-la-muerte mediante la distracción (das Man, el «se» impersonal). Sin embargo, su decisión de cumplir la misión sugiere un enfrentamiento final con esa posibilidad. Otro aspecto que podemos conectar con el pensamiento heideggeriano es la autenticidad o inautenticidad de la vida del protagonista. En relación a la inautenticidad vemos como al principio sigue las órdenes de sus superiores en la organización sin cuestionarlas, lo cual implica un comportamiento inequívocamente alienante. Respecto a aquello que resulta auténtico de su existencia son sus relaciones con Krystyna, que supone imponer su propia voluntad y decisión, mostrando un Dasein que asume su libertad.

|| |:-:| |Escena de la película.|

Otros aspectos más generales de la filosofía existencialista redundan sobre estos mismos aspectos, con la elección entre la libertad absoluta y la condena inevitable. La idea del hombre condenado a actuar, a una elección continua, aún cuando el hombre no es dueño de su destino, o las consecuencias de tales acciones son absurdas, irracionales e incomprensibles. El propio absurdo de la existencia frente al vacío y la ausencia de principios sólidos en los que cimentar la vida, no solo en sus aspectos cotidianos más básicos, sino en aquellos más profundos de la existencia. La soledad y la propia fatalidad frente a un Destino que, como ya hemos apuntado anteriormente, parece imponerse de manera irrevocable, y podríamos decir que brutalmente, al individuo aislado, incapaz de asirse en una guía, en unos valores que le permitan remontar la situación.

En términos generales «Cenizas y diamantes», además de ser una película de gran calidad en sus aspectos técnicos, en su fotografía, en la configuración de sus escenas y en el propio desarrollo argumental, bajo un guión espléndidamente ejecutado a lo largo de sus 98 minutos de duración, también nos invita a una reflexión profunda sobre la condición humana y la propia Modernidad. Y es algo que vemos en nuestros días, con las consecuencias de un pensamiento débil, con la promoción del individualismo, el hedonismo y lo efímero. La ausencia de estructuras sólidas, la subversión de toda forma de autoridad y jerarquía tradicionales. Paradójicamente, el mundo actual tiende a formas de poder y autoridad mucho más invasivas y coercitivas, tanto a nivel individual como colectivo, pero en la misma línea abstracta e impersonal que nos describe la película, abocándonos a la alienación y la inautenticidad de nuestras propias vidas. Y como Maciek, también nosotros, vivimos en un mundo dominado por la incertidumbre y la desesperanza, en el que el globalismo y sus perversas ideologías deshumanizantes actúan por doquier.

|| |:-:| |Carátula original de la película en polaco.|

---

Artículo original: Hipérbola Janus, Reseña de «Cenizas y Diamantes» (Andrzej Wajda, 1958) (TOR), 31/Mar/2025

@ b2d670de:907f9d4a

onion-service-nostr-relays

A list of nostr relays exposed as onion services.

The list

| Relay name | Description | Onion url | Operator | Payment URL | Payment options | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | nostr.oxtr.dev | Same relay as clearnet relay nostr.oxtr.dev | ws://oxtrdevav64z64yb7x6rjg4ntzqjhedm5b5zjqulugknhzr46ny2qbad.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | | relay.snort.social | Same relay as clearnet relay relay.snort.social | wss://skzzn6cimfdv5e2phjc4yr5v7ikbxtn5f7dkwn5c7v47tduzlbosqmqd.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | | nostr.thesamecat.io | Same relay as clearnet relay nostr.thesamecat.io | ws://2jsnlhfnelig5acq6iacydmzdbdmg7xwunm4xl6qwbvzacw4lwrjmlyd.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | | nostr.land | The nostr.land paid relay (same as clearnet) | ws://nostrland2gdw7g3y77ctftovvil76vquipymo7tsctlxpiwknevzfid.onion | operator | Payment URL | BTC LN | | bitcoiner.social | No auth required, currently | ws://bitcoinr6de5lkvx4tpwdmzrdfdpla5sya2afwpcabjup2xpi5dulbad.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | | relay.westernbtc.com | The westernbtc.com paid relay | ws://westbtcebhgi4ilxxziefho6bqu5lqwa5ncfjefnfebbhx2cwqx5knyd.onion | operator | Payment URL | BTC LN | | freelay.sovbit.host | Free relay for sovbit.host | ws://sovbitm2enxfr5ot6qscwy5ermdffbqscy66wirkbsigvcshumyzbbqd.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | | nostr.sovbit.host | Paid relay for sovbit.host | ws://sovbitgz5uqyh7jwcsudq4sspxlj4kbnurvd3xarkkx2use3k6rlibqd.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | | nostr.wine | 🍷 nostr.wine relay | ws://nostrwinemdptvqukjttinajfeedhf46hfd5bz2aj2q5uwp7zros3nad.onion | operator | Payment URL | BTC LN, BTC, Credit Card/CashApp (Stripe) | | inbox.nostr.wine | 🍷 inbox.nostr.wine relay | ws://wineinboxkayswlofkugkjwhoyi744qvlzdxlmdvwe7cei2xxy4gc6ad.onion | operator | Payment URL | BTC LN, BTC | | filter.nostr.wine | 🍷 filter.nostr.wine proxy relay | ws://winefiltermhqixxzmnzxhrmaufpnfq3rmjcl6ei45iy4aidrngpsyid.onion | operator | Payment URL | BTC LN, BTC | | N/A | N/A | ws://pzfw4uteha62iwkzm3lycabk4pbtcr67cg5ymp5i3xwrpt3t24m6tzad.onion:81 | operator | N/A | N/A | | nostr.fractalized.net | Free relay for fractalized.net | ws://xvgox2zzo7cfxcjrd2llrkthvjs5t7efoalu34s6lmkqhvzvrms6ipyd.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | | nfrelay.app | nfrelay.app aggregator relay (nostr-filter-relay) | ws://nfrelay6saohkmipikquvrn6d64dzxivhmcdcj4d5i7wxis47xwsriyd.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | relay.nostr.net | Public relay from nostr.net (Same as clearnet) | ws://nostrnetl6yd5whkldj3vqsxyyaq3tkuspy23a3qgx7cdepb4564qgqd.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | | nerostrator | Free to read, pay XMR to relay | ws://nerostrrgb5fhj6dnzhjbgmnkpy2berdlczh6tuh2jsqrjok3j4zoxid.onion | operator |Payment URL | XMR | | nostr.girino.org | Public relay from nostr.girino.org | ws://gnostr2jnapk72mnagq3cuykfon73temzp77hcbncn4silgt77boruid.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | | wot.girino.org | WoT relay from wot.girino.org | ws://girwot2koy3kvj6fk7oseoqazp5vwbeawocb3m27jcqtah65f2fkl3yd.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | | haven.girino.org/{outbox, inbox, chat, private} | Haven smart relay from haven.girino.org | ws://ghaven2hi3qn2riitw7ymaztdpztrvmm337e2pgkacfh3rnscaoxjoad.onion/{outbox, inbox, chat, private} | operator | N/A | N/A | | relay.nostpy.lol | Free Web of Trust relay (Same as clearnet) | ws://pemgkkqjqjde7y2emc2hpxocexugbixp42o4zymznil6zfegx5nfp4id.onion | operator |N/A | N/A | | Poster.place Nostr Relay | N/A | ws://dmw5wbawyovz7fcahvguwkw4sknsqsalffwctioeoqkvvy7ygjbcuoad.onion | operator | N/A | N/A | | Azzamo Relay | Azzamo Premium Nostr relay. (paid) | ws://q6a7m5qkyonzb5fk5yv4jyu3ar44hqedn7wjopg737lit2ckkhx2nyid.onion | operator | Payment URL | BTC LN | | Azzamo Inbox Relay | Azzamo Group and Private message relay. (Freemium) | ws://gp5kiwqfw7t2fwb3rfts2aekoph4x7pj5pv65re2y6hzaujsxewanbqd.onion | operator | Payment URL | BTC LN | | Noderunners Relay | The official Noderunners Nostr Relay. | ws://35vr3xigzjv2xyzfyif6o2gksmkioppy4rmwag7d4bqmwuccs2u4jaid.onion | operator | Payment URL | BTC LN |

Contributing

Contributions are encouraged to keep this document alive. Just open a PR and I'll have it tested and merged. The onion URL is the only mandatory column, the rest is just nice-to-have metadata about the relay. Put N/A in empty columns.

If you want to contribute anonymously, please contact me on SimpleX or send a DM on nostr using a disposable npub.

Operator column

It is generally preferred to use something that includes a NIP-19 string, either just the string or a url that contains the NIP-19 string in it (e.g. an njump url).

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

Zadar is a coastal city in northern Dalmatia, known for its rich Roman and Venetian history, stunning sunsets, and unique modern attractions like the Sea Organ and Sun Salutation. With ancient ruins, beautiful beaches, and a lively Old Town, Zadar offers a less crowded but equally charming alternative** to Split and Dubrovnik.

🏛️ Top Things to See & Do in Zadar

1️⃣ Explore Zadar Old Town 🏰

• Walk through narrow, stone-paved streets, surrounded by Roman and medieval architecture.
• Visit People’s Square (Narodni Trg) – The heart of Zadar’s Old Town, filled with lively cafés.

2️⃣ Visit the Sea Organ & Sun Salutation 🎶🌞

• Sea Organ – A one-of-a-kind musical instrument, where waves create natural melodies.
• Sun Salutation – A large solar-powered light display, best seen at sunset.
• Alfred Hitchcock once called Zadar’s sunset “the most beautiful in the world.” 🌅

3️⃣ Admire St. Donatus Church & Roman Forum ⛪

• St. Donatus (9th century) – A unique, round Byzantine-style church with great acoustics.
• Roman Forum – The remains of an ancient Roman marketplace, built in the 1st century BC.

4️⃣ Climb the Bell Tower of St. Anastasia’s Cathedral 🔔

• Enjoy spectacular views over Zadar’s rooftops and the Adriatic.
• One of the tallest church towers in Croatia.

5️⃣ Relax at Zadar’s Best Beaches 🏖️

• Kolovare Beach – The most popular city beach, just a short walk from the Old Town.
• Borik Beach – A sandy beach with shallow waters, ideal for families.
• Punta Bajlo – A more natural and peaceful spot, great for a quiet swim.

6️⃣ Take a Day Trip to Kornati National Park ⛵

• A beautiful archipelago of 89 islands, perfect for boating, swimming, and snorkeling.
• Join a boat tour from Zadar to explore the untouched nature of the Adriatic.

7️⃣ Try Dalmatian Cuisine 🍽️

• Black Risotto (Crni Rižot) – A delicious squid-ink seafood dish. 🦑
• Pag Cheese (Paški Sir) – A famous sheep’s milk cheese from Pag Island. 🧀
• Grilled Adriatic Fish – Freshly caught and served with olive oil & Dalmatian herbs. 🐟

🚗 How to Get to Zadar

✈️ By Air:
- Zadar Airport (ZAD) is just 15 minutes from the city center.
🚘 By Car:
- From Split: ~1.5 hours (160 km)
- From Zagreb: ~2.5 hours (285 km)
🚌 By Bus: Regular buses from Split, Zagreb, Dubrovnik, and Plitvice Lakes.
⛴️ By Ferry: Ferries connect Zadar to nearby islands like Ugljan, Dugi Otok, and Pašman.

💡 Tips for Visiting Zadar

✅ Best time to visit? May–October for warm weather & island trips ☀️
✅ Stay near the Old Town – Everything is within walking distance 🏡
✅ Catch the sunset at the Sea Organ – It’s a must-do experience 🌊🎶
✅ Take a ferry to Ugljan Island for a day of beaches & cycling 🚢🚴‍♂️
✅ Book Kornati boat tours in advance – They sell out fast in summer! ⛵

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Replacing the web with something saner

This is a simplification, but let's say that basically there are just 3 kinds of websites:

1. Websites with content: text, images, videos;
2. Websites that run full apps that do a ton of interactive stuff;
3. Websites with some interactive content that uses JavaScript, or "mini-apps";

In a saner world we would have 3 different ways of serving and using these. 1 would be "the web" (and it was for a while, although I'm not claiming here that the past is always better and wanting to get back to the glorious old days).

1 would stay as "the web", just static sites, styled with CSS, no JavaScript whatsoever, but designers can still thrive and make they look pretty. Or it could also be something like Gemini. Maybe the two protocols could coexist.

2 would be downloadable native apps, much easier to write and maintain for developers (considering that multi-platform and cross-compilation is easy today and getting easier), faster, more polished experience for users, more powerful, integrates better with the computer.

(Remember that since no one would be striving to make the same app run both on browsers and natively no one would have any need for Electron or other inefficient bloated solutions, just pure native UI, like the Telegram app, have you seen that? It's fast.)

But 2 is mostly for apps that people use every day, something like Google Docs, email (although email is also broken technology), Netflix, Twitter, Trello and so on, and all those hundreds of niche SaaS that people pay monthly fees to use, each tailored to a different industry (although most of functions they all implement are the same everywhere). What do we do with dynamic open websites like StackOverflow, for example, where one needs to not only read, but also search and interact in multiple ways? What about that website that asks you a bunch of questions and then discovers the name of the person you're thinking about? What about that mini-app that calculates the hash of your provided content or shrinks your video, or that one that hosts your image without asking any questions?

All these and tons of others would fall into category 3, that of instantly loaded apps that you don't have to install, and yet they run in a sandbox.

The key for making category 3 worth investing time into is coming up with some solid grounds, simple enough that anyone can implement in multiple different ways, but not giving the app too much choices.

Telegram or Discord bots are super powerful platforms that can accomodate most kinds of app in them. They can't beat a native app specifically made with one purpose, but they allow anyone to provide instantly usable apps with very low overhead, and since the experience is so simple, intuitive and fast, users tend to like it and sometimes even pay for their services. There could exist a protocol that brings apps like that to the open world of (I won't say "web") domains and the websockets protocol -- with multiple different clients, each making their own decisions on how to display the content sent by the servers that are powering these apps.

Another idea is that of Alan Kay: to design a nice little OS/virtual machine that can load these apps and run them. Kinda like browsers are today, but providing a more well-thought, native-like experience and framework, but still sandboxed. And I add: abstracting away details about design, content disposition and so on.

---

These 3 kinds of programs could coexist peacefully. 2 are just standalone programs, they can do anything and each will be its own thing. 1 and 3, however, are still similar to browsers of today in the sense that you need clients to interact with servers and show to the user what they are asking. But by simplifying everything and separating the scopes properly these clients would be easy to write, efficient, small, the environment would be open and the internet would be saved.

See also

• On the state of programs and browsers

@ 502ab02a:a2860397

ไฟโตสเตอรอล (Phytosterols) เป็นสารประกอบที่พบในพืชและมีโครงสร้างคล้ายคลึงกับคลอเลสเตอรอล (Cholesterol) ของมนุษย์ แต่ไฟโตสเตอรอลไม่ได้ทำหน้าที่เหมือนคลอเลสเตอรอลในร่างกายครับ ไฟโตสเตอรอลมีบทบาทสำคัญในการลดการดูดซึมคลอเลสเตอรอลจากอาหารในระบบทางเดินอาหาร ทำให้ไฟโตสเตอรอลได้รับการส่งเสริมว่าเป็นสารที่ช่วยลดระดับคลอเลสเตอรอลในเลือดไปโดยปริยาย

อย่างไรก็ตาม สิ่งที่หลายคนไม่ได้ตั้งข้อสงสัยคือวิธีการโฆษณาและการตลาดนั้นจะแฝงไปด้วยข้อมูลที่บิดเบือนเกี่ยวกับไฟโตสเตอรอลซึ่งอาจนำไปสู่การเสพสารนี้ในปริมาณมากเกินไปจนทำให้เกิดปัญหาสุขภาพหรือเปล่า? เราลองมาค่อยๆตั้งคำถามกันครับ

ไฟโตสเตอรอลในธรรมชาติจะพบในปริมาณที่ค่อนข้างน้อยในพืชต่าง ๆ เช่น ธัญพืช ถั่ว เมล็ดพืช อย่างไรก็ตาม ปริมาณไฟโตสเตอรอลในธรรมชาติเป็นเม็ดเป็นผลจะอยู่ในระดับต่ำมาก เช่น ในเมล็ดแฟลกซีด (flaxseed) จะมีไฟโตสเตอรอลอยู่ประมาณ 1,000–2,000 ppm (parts per million) ขณะที่น้ำมันรำข้าวที่มักถูกโฆษณาว่ามีไฟโตสเตอรอลสูงถึงหลักหมื่น ๆ ppm เช่น 12,000 ppm หรือบางยี่ห้ออาจสูงกว่านั้น ซึ่งไม่ใช่แค่สูงจนน่าสรรเสริญ แต่ยังเป็นการขยายความสำคัญของไฟโตสเตอรอลในทางที่ตอบสนองต่อการตลาดได้ในวงกว้างเสียด้วย

กระบวนการผลิตน้ำมันรำข้าวนั้นเริ่มต้นจากการสกัดน้ำมันจากรำข้าว โดยมีการใช้เทคนิคการกลั่นน้ำมันที่สามารถช่วยให้ได้น้ำมันที่มีคุณภาพสูง น้ำมันรำข้าวเป็นน้ำมันที่มีไฟโตสเตอรอลสูงเพราะรำข้าว (bran) ซึ่งเป็นเปลือกที่หุ้มเมล็ดข้าวนั้น มีไฟโตสเตอรอลอยู่ในปริมาณสูงตามธรรมชาติอยุ่แล้ว ในกระบวนการสกัดน้ำมันนั้น ตัวไฟโตสเตอรอลจะถูกรักษาไว้ โดยไม่ต้องเติมเข้าไปใหม่ ดังนั้น เมื่อโฆษณาน้ำมันรำข้าวว่า "มีไฟโตสเตอรอลสูงถึง 12,000 ppm" สิ่งนี้ไม่ได้หมายความว่าเป็นการเติมสารเพิ่มเข้ามาหรอกครับ แต่เป็นการยืนยันถึงความ "เข้มข้น" ของไฟโตสเตอรอลที่มีอยู่ในน้ำมันรำข้าวตามธรรมชาตินั่นละครับว่ามันกลั่นมาเข้มข้นขนาดไหน มากกว่าการกินจากธรรมชาติขนาดไหนเพื่อให้เรากินกันนั่นเอง

ถึงแม้ว่าไฟโตสเตอรอลจะถูกส่งเสริมให้เป็นสารที่ช่วยลดระดับคลอเลสเตอรอลในเลือด แต่การโฆษณาและการตลาดเกี่ยวกับไฟโตสเตอรอลนั้นอาจทำให้คนเข้าใจผิดว่า ผลิตภัณฑ์ที่มีไฟโตสเตอรอลสูง จะช่วยทำให้สุขภาพดีขึ้นและลดความเสี่ยงจากโรคหัวใจและหลอดเลือด เพราะซึ่งสิ่งนี้ยังไม่ได้รับการสนับสนุนอย่างชัดเจนจากงานวิจัยที่สามารถยืนยันได้ในระยะยาว นอกจากนี้ยังมีผลการศึกษาบางชิ้นเช่นกันที่พบว่า การบริโภคไฟโตสเตอรอลในปริมาณสูงอาจ "ไม่ได้มีผล" ในการลดระดับคลอเลสเตอรอลที่น่ามหัศจรรย์หรือช่วยลดการเสี่ยงต่อโรคหัวใจได้ตามที่โฆษณาเอามาขยายความกัน ซึ่งแน่นอนหละครับว่า ถ้าจะทำสงครามวิจัย มันย่อมไม่จบสิ้นเพราะทุกฝ่ายมีการวิจัยสนับสนุนในแบบ peer review ทั้งนั้น ไม่ต้องไปเป็น member อะไรที่ไหน (ถ้าเราไม่คิดจะอ่านมันเอง)

ไฟโตสเตอรอลมีหลายประเภทที่พบในพืชและน้ำมันพืชแต่ละชนิด โดยแต่ละชนิดจะมีคุณสมบัติและผลกระทบต่อร่างกายที่แตกต่างกัน ซึ่งสามารถแบ่งออกเป็นหลายประเภทหลักที่พบได้บ่อยในธรรมชาติ แต่ละประเภทก็มีข้อดีและข้อเสียที่ควรพิจารณาก่อนการบริโภคตามประเภทมันไปครับ

-บีตาสติโรล (Beta-Sitosterol) เป็นไฟโตสเตอรอลที่พบมากในพืชหลายชนิด โดยเฉพาะในเมล็ดพืช ถั่ว และน้ำมันพืช บีตาสติโรลได้รับความนิยมในวงการสุขภาพเนื่องจากการศึกษาบางชิ้นพบว่ามันสามารถช่วยลดระดับคอเลสเตอรอลในเลือดได้ โดยการลดการดูดซึมคอเลสเตอรอลจากอาหารในระบบย่อยอาหาร แต่การบริโภคบีตาสติโรลในปริมาณสูงอาจส่งผลต่อการดูดซึมวิตามินที่ละลายในไขมัน เช่น วิตามิน A, D, E และ K ซึ่งอาจทำให้เกิดการขาดวิตามินเหล่านี้ในระยะยาวได้ นอกจากนี้ การบริโภคบีตาสติโรลในปริมาณที่มากเกินไปอาจส่งผลให้เกิดปัญหาด้านระบบฮอร์โมน โดยเฉพาะในผู้ที่มีปัญหาฮอร์โมนเพศหรือระบบสืบพันธุ์

-แคมป์สเตอรอล (Campesterol) เป็นอีกหนึ่งไฟโตสเตอรอลที่พบในพืชหลายชนิด โดยเฉพาะในน้ำมันพืชและผักผลไม้ แคมป์สเตอรอลมีโครงสร้างที่คล้ายกับคอเลสเตอรอลในร่างกาย และมันได้รับการศึกษาว่ามีคุณสมบัติช่วยลดระดับคอเลสเตอรอลในเลือดได้เช่นกัน อย่างไรก็ตาม การบริโภคแคมป์สเตอรอลมากเกินไปอาจทำให้เกิดผลกระทบต่อการดูดซึมสารอาหารบางประเภท เช่น วิตามินที่ละลายในไขมัน โดยเฉพาะในผู้ที่มีปัญหาทางเดินอาหาร หรือผู้ที่มีปัญหาการดูดซึมสารอาหาร อาจทำให้เกิดภาวะขาดสารอาหารหรือการดูดซึมสารอาหารไม่เต็มที่ได้ นอกจากนี้ การบริโภคแคมป์สเตอรอลในปริมาณสูงอาจส่งผลกระทบต่อการทำงานของฮอร์โมนเพศ เช่น การเปลี่ยนแปลงของฮอร์โมนในร่างกาย ซึ่งอาจเกิดผลเสียต่อสุขภาพในระยะยาว

-สแตกิโอรอล (Stigmasterol) เป็นไฟโตสเตอรอลชนิดหนึ่งที่พบมากในพืชบางชนิด เช่น ถั่วเหลือง และน้ำมันถั่วเหลือง สแตกิโอรอลได้รับการศึกษาในแง่ของการลดการอักเสบและการช่วยบำรุงสุขภาพหัวใจและหลอดเลือด แต่การบริโภคสแตกิโอรอลในปริมาณสูงอาจมีผลเสียต่อการทำงานของฮอร์โมนเพศได้เช่นกัน โดยเฉพาะในผู้ที่มีปัญหาฮอร์โมนไม่สมดุลหรือมีปัญหาเกี่ยวกับระบบสืบพันธุ์ การบริโภคไฟโตสเตอรอลชนิดนี้มากเกินไปอาจทำให้เกิดผลกระทบต่อการทำงานของระบบฮอร์โมนในร่างกาย ซึ่งอาจส่งผลให้เกิดอาการผิดปกติในระยะยาว รวมทั้งความเสี่ยงต่อการมีบุตรหรือสุขภาพที่ไม่ดีเกี่ยวกับระบบฮอร์โมน

ไฟโตสเตอรอลประเภทอื่น ๆ ที่พบในพืชและน้ำมันพืช ได้แก่ อะฟิตเตอร์ออล (Afitosterol) และซิตรัสเตอรอล (Citrusterol) ซึ่งมักพบในน้ำมันจากพืชต่าง ๆ เช่น น้ำมันเมล็ดองุ่น น้ำมันดอกทานตะวัน การบริโภคไฟโตสเตอรอลเหล่านี้ในปริมาณที่สูงเกินไปอาจทำให้เกิดปัญหาด้านระบบย่อยอาหาร หรือปัญหาการดูดซึมสารอาหารที่จำเป็นจากอาหารได้ นอกจากนี้ การบริโภคไฟโตสเตอรอลประเภทอื่น ๆ ในปริมาณสูงยังอาจส่งผลกระทบต่อระบบฮอร์โมนและการทำงานของร่างกายในระยะยาว เช่น การทำงานของระบบภูมิคุ้มกัน หรือการทำงานของตับ ที่อาจได้รับผลกระทบจากการบริโภคในปริมาณสูง ดังนั้น ควรระมัดระวังในการบริโภคไฟโตสเตอรอลจากแหล่งต่าง ๆ อย่างรอบคอบ เพื่อหลีกเลี่ยงผลเสียที่อาจเกิดขึ้นกับร่างกายในระยะยาว

สิ่งที่จริงแล้วอาจเป็นอันตรายมากกว่า คือ การที่ผู้บริโภคตัดสินใจบริโภคผลิตภัณฑ์ที่มีไฟโตสเตอรอลสูงในปริมาณมากเกินไป โดยไม่คำนึงถึงผลกระทบต่อร่างกายในระยะยาว อาจมีผลกระทบต่อการดูดซึมสารอาหารที่จำเป็น เช่น วิตามิน A, D, E, K ซึ่งเป็นวิตามินที่ละลายในไขมัน การดูดซึมของวิตามินเหล่านี้อาจถูกยับยั้งไป เนื่องจากไฟโตสเตอรอลสามารถแข่งขันกับคลอเลสเตอรอลในร่างกายในการดูดซึมสารอาหารเหล่านี้ นอกจากนี้ยังมีข้อกังวลเกี่ยวกับผลกระทบที่อาจเกิดขึ้นจากการบริโภคไฟโตสเตอรอลในปริมาณสูงที่อาจไปเพิ่มความเสี่ยงของการเกิดโรคบางอย่าง เช่น โรคมะเร็งต่อมลูกหมาก

ผลเสียจากการบริโภคไฟโตสเตอรอลมากเกินไปไม่ได้จำกัดเพียงแค่การแย่งสารอาหาร แต่ยังมีการศึกษาที่แสดงให้เห็นว่า การบริโภคไฟโตสเตอรอลในปริมาณสูงอาจกระทบต่อการทำงานของระบบภูมิคุ้มกันของร่างกาย ในบางกรณีไฟโตสเตอรอลอาจเข้าไปแทรกแซงกระบวนการทางชีวเคมีที่สำคัญ และอาจทำให้ร่างกายเกิดความผิดปกติในการตอบสนองต่อสารแปลกปลอมที่มีอยู่ในสิ่งแวดล้อม

ข้อโต้แย้งที่สำคัญคือลักษณะการโฆษณาของน้ำมันรำข้าวและผลิตภัณฑ์ที่มีไฟโตสเตอรอลสูงนั้น ไม่ได้สะท้อนความจริงในสิ่งที่เป็นประโยชน์ต่อสุขภาพจริง ๆ การใช้ไฟโตสเตอรอลในผลิตภัณฑ์ต่าง ๆ โดยเน้นที่ปริมาณที่สูงเกินจริงนั้น เป็นวิธีการตลาดที่ใช้บอกเป็นนัยกับผู้บริโภคให้เข้าใจว่าการบริโภคสารเหล่านี้จะช่วยลดระดับคลอเลสเตอรอลและช่วยให้สุขภาพหัวใจดีขึ้น ทั้งที่ในความเป็นจริง ไฟโตสเตอรอลไม่ได้ช่วยแก้ปัญหาสุขภาพพื้นฐานอย่างการอักเสบที่เป็นสาเหตุหลักของโรคหัวใจและหลอดเลือด แต่ทั้งนี้ทั้งนั้น การโฆษณาดังกล่าวก็อยู่ภายใต้กฎเกณฑ์ของประกาศและกฎหมายต่างๆอยู่ดี ผู้บริโภคจึงควรหาความรู้สนับสนุนการเลือกด้วยตัวเอง ว่าจะตัดสินใจอย่างไร

การที่ไฟโตสเตอรอลมีโครงสร้างที่คล้ายกับคอเลสเตอรอลในร่างกาย ทำให้มันสามารถแทรกซึมเข้าไปในเซลล์ได้คล้ายคลึงกับคอเลสเตอรอล แต่แตกต่างกันตรงที่ไฟโตสเตอรอลไม่สามารถทำหน้าที่ในการสร้างฮอร์โมนต่าง ๆ หรือทำหน้าที่ในระบบร่างกายได้เหมือนคอเลสเตอรอล การที่ไฟโตสเตอรอลแทรกซึมเข้าไปในเซลล์จึงเป็นแค่การสามารถช่วยป้องกันการดูดซึมคอเลสเตอรอลจากอาหารในระบบย่อยอาหารได้ ซึ่งจะทำให้นี่เป็นสาเหตุของการทำให้ ระดับคอเลสเตอรอลในเลือดลดลงได้ พูดง่ายๆคือมันไปแซงคลอเลสเตอรอล อะครับ

นอกจากนี้ ไฟโตสเตอรอลยังสามารถไปแข่งขันกับคอเลสเตอรอลในการเข้าเซลล์ผ่านตัวรับ LDL (low-density lipoprotein receptor) ซึ่งเป็นตัวรับที่ช่วยดูดซึมคอเลสเตอรอลเข้าสู่เซลล์ ดังนั้น เมื่อไฟโตสเตอรอลแทรกซึมเข้ามามากขึ้น ก็จะช่วยลดการดูดซึมคอเลสเตอรอล ที่มาจากอาหารลงไปได้ ทำให้ระดับคอเลสเตอรอลในเลือดลดลง โดยการลดการดูดซึมคอเลสเตอรอลจากทางเดินอาหารเข้าสู่กระแสเลือด แต่ไฟโตสเตอรอลไม่ได้มีผลโดยตรงในการลดคอเลสเตอรอลที่เซลล์ในร่างกายสร้างขึ้นเอง (endogenous cholesterol) เพราะไฟโตสเตอรอลไม่ได้เข้าไปแทรกซึมและทำงานที่จุดที่เซลล์ผลิตคอเลสเตอรอลในร่างกาย

ร่างกายสามารถผลิตคอเลสเตอรอลได้เอง ซึ่งเป็นกระบวนการที่ไฟโตสเตอรอลไม่สามารถไปขัดขวางหรือยับยั้งได้ นั่นหมายความว่า หากร่างกายผลิตคอเลสเตอรอลในระดับสูง ไฟโตสเตอรอลจะไม่สามารถลดระดับคอเลสเตอรอลที่มาจากการสร้างของร่างกายได้ ดังนั้น ไฟโตสเตอรอลมีประโยชน์ในการลดคอเลสเตอรอลจากอาหาร แต่ไม่ได้ช่วยในการลดคอเลสเตอรอลที่ร่างกายผลิตขึ้นเอง

การโฆษณาไม่ได้ให้ข้อมูลในด้านที่ว่า ผลกระทบระยะยาวจากการบริโภคไฟโตสเตอรอลในปริมาณสูงอาจทำให้เกิดปัญหาสุขภาพอื่น ๆ โดยเฉพาะในด้านการดูดซึมสารอาหารหรือความสามารถในการทำงานของระบบภูมิคุ้มกัน ซึ่งเป็นสิ่งที่ควรคำนึงถึงในการตัดสินใจเลือกผลิตภัณฑ์ที่จะนำมาใช้ในชีวิตประจำวัน ในความเห็นของผมนั้น สิ่งที่ควรให้ความสำคัญมากกว่าคือการเลือกบริโภคอาหารที่เป็นธรรมชาติ และหลีกเลี่ยงการพึ่งพาผลิตภัณฑ์ที่มีการผ่านกระบวนการต่าง ๆ เช่น ไฟโตสเตอรอลเข้มข้น หรือสารเติมแต่งอื่น ๆ ที่ไม่จำเป็นต่อร่างกาย การเลือกรับประทานอาหารที่มีคุณค่าทางโภชนาการครบถ้วนจะช่วยส่งเสริมสุขภาพโดยรวมได้ดีกว่าแทนที่จะพึ่งพาสิ่งที่โฆษณาบอกไว้ข้างขวด

ไฟโตสเตอรอลอาจมีคุณสมบัติในการลดการดูดซึมคลอเลสเตอรอลจากอาหารในทางทฤษฎี แต่การบริโภคในปริมาณมากเกินไปนั้นอาจส่งผลเสียต่อร่างกายในหลาย ๆ ด้าน ดังนั้นจึงควรหันมาใส่ใจในข้อมูลที่มีพื้นฐาน และตั้งคำถามกับสิ่งต่างๆ โดยเฉพาะอะไรที่การตลาดตะโกนดังๆว่า ไอ้นี่ดี อันโน้นเยี่ยมยอด อันนี้ที่สุดแห่งความซุปเปอร์ ต่อมเอ๊ะทำงานไว้ก่อน ผิดถูกไม่รู้หาข้อมูลมาโยงเส้นทางแล้วชวนคุยกัน

เช่นเราตั้งคำถามตั้งต้นก่อนไหมว่า จริงๆแล้ว คลอลเสเตอรอล มันต้องกลัวขนาดนั้นเลยหรือ ในเมื่อมันเป็นสารตั้งต้นของชีวิต และเป็นสิ่งจำเป็นในการซ่อมแซมเสริมสร้างร่ายกาย เราต้องลดการดูดซึมด้วยเหรอ

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

IPFS problems: General confusion

Most IPFS open-source projects, libraries and apps (excluding Ethereum stuff) are things that rely heavily on dynamic data and temporary links. The most common projects you'll see when following the IPFS communities are chat rooms and similar things. I've seen dozens of these chat-rooms. There's also a famous IPFS-powered database. How can you do these things with content-addressing is a mistery. Of course they probably rely on IPNS or other external address system.

There's also a bunch of "file-sharing" on IPFS. The kind of thing people use for temporary making a file available for a third-party. There's image sharing on IPFS, pastebins on IPFS and so on. People don't seem to share the preoccupation with broken links here.

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Scala is such a great language

Scala is amazing. The type system has the perfect balance between flexibility and powerfulness. match statements are great. You can write imperative code that looks very nice and expressive (and I haven't tried writing purely functional things yet). Everything is easy to write and cheap and neovim integration works great.

But Java is not great. And the fact that Scala is a JVM language doesn't help because over the years people have written stuff that depends on Java libraries -- and these Java libraries are not as safe as the Scala libraries, they contain reflection, slowness, runtime errors, all kinds of horrors.

Scala is also very tightly associated with Akka, the actor framework, and Akka is a giant collection of anti-patterns. Untyped stuff, reflection, dependency on JVM, basically a lot of javisms. I just arrived and I don't know anything about the Scala history or ecosystem or community, but I have the impression that Akka has prevent more adoption of Scala from decent people that aren't Java programmers.

But luckily there is a solution -- or two solutions: ScalaJS is a great thing that exists. It transpiles Scala code into JavaScript and it runs on NodeJS or in a browser!

Scala Native is a much better deal, though, it compiles to LLVM and then to binary code and you can have single binaries that run directly without a JVM -- not that the single JARs are that bad though, they are great and everybody has Java so I'll take that anytime over C libraries or NPM-distributed software, but direct executables even better. Scala Native just needs a little more love and some libraries and it will be the greatest thing in a couple of years.

@ bcbb3e40:a494e501

El 7 de febrero de 2025, Donald Trump firmó una orden ejecutiva que establecía una «Oficina de la Fe» en la Casa Blanca, dirigida por su asesora espiritual Paula White-Cain, la pastora de esa «teología de la prosperidad» (prosperity theology) que predica el «Evangelio de la salud y la riqueza» (health and wealth gospel^1). Investida de su nueva función, la reverenda pastora dijo: «Tengo la autoridad para declarar a la Casa Blanca un lugar santo. Es mi presencia la que la santifica»[^2]. Los siete rabinos del «Sanedrín Naciente» —la corte suprema que guiará a Israel cuando se reconstruya el Templo de Jerusalén— enviaron conmovedoras felicitaciones al presidente Trump por el establecimiento de esta Oficina. «Expresamos nuestra sincera gratitud —se lee en el mensaje oficial enviado a Trump desde el Monte Sión— por llevar la fe a la vanguardia de la cultura estadounidense y mundial mediante el establecimiento de la Oficina de la Fe en la Casa Blanca. Su reconocimiento de la importancia de la religión en la vida pública es un paso hacia la restauración de los valores morales y del liderazgo espiritual en el mundo[^3]. La carta del «Sanedrín Naciente», que augura el éxito a la «misión divina» del presidente estadounidense, reproduce las dos caras de una «moneda del Templo», acuñada en 2017 para celebrar el traslado de la embajada estadounidense a Jerusalén y, simultáneamente, el centenario de la Declaración Balfour. En el anverso se ven los perfiles de Donald Trump y Ciro el Grande, a quien la tradición judía atribuye la reconstrucción del templo destruido por los babilonios, con la inscripción (en hebreo e inglés) «Cyrus —Balfour— Trump Declaration 1917-2017»; en el reverso está la imagen del Templo de Jerusalén[^4]. Otra moneda, que lleva los perfiles de Trump y Ciro en el anverso y los de Trump y Netanyahu en el reverso, fue acuñada en 2018 para celebrar el septuagésimo aniversario de la independencia del «Estado de Israel»; se observa dos inscripciones en hebreo e inglés: «Y Él me encargó construirle una casa en Jerusalén» y «Guerra de los Hijos de la Luz contra los Hijos de las Tinieblas».

El tema de la «guerra de los Hijos de la Luz contra los Hijos de las Tinieblas» ha tenido una difusión particular en el imaginario y la propaganda trumpista. El 7 de junio de 2020, monseñor Carlo Maria Viganò, ex nuncio de la Santa Sede en los Estados Unidos, escribió una carta al presidente Donald Trump que comenzaba así: «Estamos asistiendo en los últimos meses a la formación de dos bandos, que los definiría bíblicos: los hijos de la luz y los hijos de las tinieblas»[^5]. El 1 de enero de 2021, el agitprop estadounidense Steve Bannon declaró en una entrevista con Monseñor Viganò: «Esta es una batalla de época entre los hijos de la Luz y los hijos de las Tinieblas»[^6].

Son numerosos los judíos sionistas que están en el círculo del presidente Trump: además de su hija Ivanka (convertida en 2009) y su yerno Jared Kushner (entonces Consejero Anciano del Presidente), el 19 de noviembre de 2024 el «The Jerusalem Post»[^7] publicó una lista de los más influyentes: Stephen Miller, subdirector del staff de la Casa Blanca y consejero de Seguridad Nacional de Estados Unidos; David Melech Friedman, a quien en 2016 Trump nombró embajador en Israel; el multimillonario «filántropo» Steven Charles Witkoff, enviado especial de Estados Unidos a Oriente Medio; Miriam Adelson, directora del periódico «Israel Hayom», clasificada por Bloomberg Billionaires como la quinta mujer más rica del mundo (con un patrimonio neto de 32,400 millones de dólares), financiadora de iniciativas políticas conservadoras en Estados Unidos e Israel; el banquero Boris Epshteyn, consejero estratégico de la campaña presidencial de Trump en 2020; Howard Williams Lutnick, presidente de la Cantor Fitzgerald del Grupo BGC, financista de las campañas presidenciales de Donald Trump en 2020 y 2024, ahora secretario de Comercio; la modelo Elizabeth Pipko, portavoz nacional del Partido Republicano y creadora de un «museo interactivo virtual» sobre la «Shoah» como parte del proyecto de Lest People Forget, cuyo objetivo es combatir el «antisemitismo» y la «negacionismo»; Lee Michael Zeldin, miembro republicano de la Cámara de Representantes por el estado de Nueva York del 2015 al 2023 y actualmente administrador de la EPA (Environmental Protection Agency); la columnista Laura Elizabeth Loomer, «orgullosamente islamófoba», activa patrocinadora de Trump en la campaña para las elecciones presidenciales de 2024; Sidney Ferris Rosenberg, influyente presentador de radio y periodista deportivo; William Owen Scharf, Asistente del Presidente y secretario del personal de la Casa Blanca; Marc Jeffrey Rowan, «filántropo» con un patrimonio neto valorado por Forbes en ocho mil ochocientos millones de dólares.

Además de estos, cabe mencionar al popular presentador de radio Mark Levin quien, en diciembre de 2019, durante la celebración de la fiesta de Janucá en la Casa Blanca, saludó a Donald Trump como «el primer presidente judío de los Estados Unidos»[^8]. Según un funcionario de alto nivel de la Casa Blanca, Donald Trump se convirtió al judaísmo dos años antes en la sinagoga de la secta Jabad Lubavitch en la ciudad de Nueva York. David Elias Goldberg, miembro del Jewish Center of Antisemitic Study, también entrevistó al funcionario, para quien «Trump fue “instado” por su hija Ivanka y su yerno Jared Kushner para abrazar la fe. Inicialmente, Trump se habría mostrado reacio, considerando que esto podría enfriar el apoyo del electorado evangélico». Luego, informa «Israel Today News», «cambió de opinión y se convirtió oficialmente a principios de 2017. La ceremonia se llevó a cabo en privado y se guardó celosamente durante casi dos años»[^9]. Pero ya en septiembre de 2015, el rabino millonario Kirt Schneider, invitado a la Trump Tower de Nueva York, había impuesto sus manos sobre la cabeza de Donald Trump y lo había bendecido en hebreo e inglés, declarando: «Las únicas dos naciones que tienen una relación privilegiada con Dios son Israel y los Estados Unidos de América»[^10].

El 7 de octubre de 2024, en el aniversario de la operación de Hamas «Diluvio de Al-Aqsa», Trump fue acompañado por un «superviviente de la Shoah» a la tumba de Menachem Mendel Schneerson, séptimo y último Rabino de los Hasidim de la secta Jabad Lubavitch, que en 1991 declaró a sus seguidores: «He hecho todo lo posible para provocar el arribo del Mesías, ahora les paso a ustedes esta misión; hagan todo lo que puedan para que Él venga»^11. En relación al evento mesiánico, el eminente rabino Yekutiel Fish atribuyó una misión decisiva a Trump: «Todo el mundo está centrado en Gaza, pero esa es solo una parte de la agenda del fin de los tiempos, que tiene a los judíos viviendo en las fronteras profetizadas de Israel; la Torá incluye explícitamente a Gaza. Lo que Trump está haciendo es limpiar Gaza de todos los odiadores de Israel. No podrán estar en Israel después de la venida del Mesías. (...) Esto incluirá a Gaza, la mitad del Líbano y gran parte de Jordania. Y vemos que casi lo hemos logrado. Siria cayó. Líbano está medio destruido. Gaza está destrozada. El escenario está casi listo para el Mesías. Pero, ¿cómo pueden los palestinos estar aquí cuando vayamos a recibir al Mesías? El Mesías necesita que alguien se ocupe de esto, y en este caso, es Donald Trump. Trump está simplemente llevando a cabo las tareas finales necesarias antes de que el Mesías sea revelado»[^12].

Esta inspiración escatológica está presente en las palabras de Pete Brian Hegseth, el pintoresco exponente del «Reconstruccionismo Cristiano»[^13] a quien Trump nombró secretario de Defensa. En un discurso pronunciado en 2019 en el Hotel Rey David de Jerusalén, con motivo de la conferencia anual del canal Arutz Sheva (Israel National News), Hegseth enalteció el «vínculo eterno» entre Israel y Estados Unidos, y enumeró los «milagros» que atestiguan el «apoyo divino» a la causa sionista, el último de los cuales será la reconstrucción del Templo judío en la zona donde actualmente se encuentra la mezquita de al-Aqsa: «La dignidad de capital adquirida por Jerusalén —dijo— fue un milagro, y no hay razón por la cual no sea posible el milagro de la restauración del Templo en el Monte del Templo».[^14]

Es conocido que el fundamentalismo evangélico pro-sionista[^15] comparte con el judaísmo la creencia en que la construcción del tercer Templo de Jerusalén marcará el comienzo de la era mesiánica; cuando la administración Trump trasladó la embajada de Estados Unidos a Jerusalén en 2017, Laurie Cardoza-Moore, exponente del evangelismo sionista, saludó así la «obediencia de Trump a la Palabra de Dios» en «Haaretz»: «Al establecer la Embajada en Jerusalén, el presidente Donald Trump está implementando una de las iniciativas históricas de dimensión bíblica en su presidencia. Al igual que muchos judíos en Israel y en todo el mundo, los cristianos reconocen el vínculo de los judíos con la Biblia a través del nombre de Jerusalén como la capital del antiguo Israel, así como el sitio del Primer y Segundo Templos. Según los profetas Ezequiel, Isaías y el apóstol Juan del Nuevo Testamento, todos los israelíes esperan la reconstrucción del Tercer Templo»[^16]. El 22 de mayo del mismo año, Donald Trump, acompañado de su esposa Melania, de su hija Ivanka y su yerno Jared Kushner, fue el primer presidente de los Estados Unidos en ejercicio en acudir al Muro de las Lamentaciones, anexionado ilegalmente a la entidad sionista.

En 2019, la administración Trump confirmó la posición de Estados Unidos al enviar en visita oficial para Jerusalén a Mike Pompeo, un secretario de Estado que —ironía de la Historia— lleva el mismo nombre del general romano que asaltó la ciudad en el año 63 a.C. «Por primera vez en la historia, un secretario de Estado norteamericano visitó la Ciudad Vieja de Jerusalén en compañía de un alto político israelí. Fue una visita histórica que reforzó las expectativas israelíes y constituyó un reconocimiento tácito de la soberanía israelí sobre el sitio del Monte del Templo y la Explanada de las Mezquitas. (…) Mike Pompeo, acompañado por el primer ministro Benjamin Netanyahu y el embajador de Estados Unidos en Israel, David Friedman, también visitó el túnel del Muro de las Lamentaciones y la sinagoga ubicada bajo tierra, en el presunto lugar del santuario del Templo[^17], donde se le mostró una maqueta del futuro Templo[^18]. En el transcurso de una entrevista concedida durante la fiesta del Purim (que celebra el exterminio de la clase política persa, ocurrido hace 2500 años), el secretario de Estado insinuó que «el presidente Donald Trump puede haber sido enviado por Dios para salvar al pueblo judío y que confiaba en que aquí el Señor estaba obrando»[^19].

Como observa Daniele Perra, en este mismo número de «Eurasia», el «mito movilizador» del Tercer Templo, atribuible a los «mitos teológicos» señalados por Roger Garaudy como mitos fundadores de la entidad sionista, «atribuye al judaísmo una especie de función sociológica de transmisión y proyección del conflicto palestino-israelí hacia el resto del mundo y confiere una inspiración apocalíptica al momento geopolítico actual».

|Info|| |:-|:-| |Autor| Claudio Mutti | |Fuente| I "Figli della Luce" alla Casa Bianca | |Fecha| 8/Mar/2025 | |Traducción| Francisco de la Torre |

[^2]: The White House, President Trump announces appointments to the White House Faith Office https://www.whitehouse.gov,, 7 de febrero de 2025; Trump establece la Oficina de la Fe con una foto de «La Última Cena» | Fue dirigida por la controvertida predicadora Paula White, https://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it, 10 de febrero de 2025.

[^3]: «We extend our heartfelt gratitude for bringing faith to the forefront of American and global culture through the establishment of the Faith Office in the White House. Your recognition of the importance of religion in public life is a step toward restoring moral values and spiritual leadership in the world» (Letter from the Nascent Sanhedrin to President Donald J. Trump, Jerusalem, Wednesday, February 12, 2025).

[^4]: Israeli group mints Trump coin to honor Jerusalem recognition, «The Times of Israel», https://www.timesofisrael.com, 28-2-2018.

[^5]: Mons. Viganò — Siamo nella battaglia tra figli della luce e figli delle tenebre, https://www.italiador.com, 7-6-2020

[^6]: TRANSCRIPT: Steve Bannon’s ‘War Room’ interview with Abp. Viganò, lifesitenews.com, 4-1-2021. Sulle origini e sulla fortuna di questo tema cfr. C. Mutti, Le sètte dell’Occidente, «Eurasia», 2/2021, pp. 12-15. (https://www.eurasia-rivista.com/las-sectas-de-occidente/)

[^7]: Luke Tress, The who’s who of Jews in Trump’s inner circle?, «The Jerusalem Post», https://www.jpost.com, 19-11-2024.

[^8]: Radio Talk Show Host Mark Levin Calls President Trump «the First Jewish President of the United States», https://www.c-span.org, 11-12-2019.

[^9]: «However, he had a change of heart and officially converted in early 2017. The ceremony was held in private, and closely guarded for nearly two years» (Donald Trump converted to Judaism two years ago, according to White House official, https://israeltodaynews.blogspot.com/2019/02).

[^10]: «El rabino Kirt Schneider (...) es un millonario judío, una figura televisiva de los “judíos mesiánicos”. Sus emisiones televisivas semanales son emitidas por más de treinta canales cristianos en unos doscientos países; entre ellos, los canales “Yes” y “Hot” en Israel. Solo en Estados Unidos, sus emisiones atraen a 1.600.000 telespectadores cada semana. Kirt Schneider dirige un imperio de telecomunicaciones que tiene un millón y medio de seguidores en Facebook, X (antes Twitter) y YouTube» (Pierre-Antoine Plaquevent — Youssef Hindi, El milenarismo teopolítico de Israel, Edizioni all'insegna del Veltro, Parma 2025, p. 31).

[^12]: «Everyone is focused on Gaza, but that is only one part of the end-of-days agenda, which has the Jews living in Israel’s prophesied borders. The Torah explicitly includes Gaza. What Trump is doing is cleaning out Gaza of all the haters of Israel. They cannot be in Israel after the Messiah comes. (…) This will include Gaza, half of Lebanon, and much of Jordan. And we see that we are almost there. Syria fell. Lebanon is half gone. Gaza is ripped up. The stage is nearly set for Messiah. But how can the Palestinians be here when we go to greet the Messiah? The Messiah needs someone to take care of this, and in this case, it is Donald Trump. Trump is merely carrying out the final tasks needed before Messiah is revealed» (Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, Trump’s Gaza Plan is «The Final task before Messiah», https://israel365news.com, 5-2-2025).

[^13]: «A day after Hegseth was announced for the Cabinet position, Brooks Potteiger, a pastor within the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), posted on X that Hegseth is a member of the church in good standing. The CREC, a denomination of Christian Reconstructionism, is considered by some academics to be an extremist, Christian supremacist movement» (Shannon Bond e altri, What’s behind defense secretary pick Hegseth’s war on ‘woke’, https://www.npr.org, 14-11-2024.

[^14]: «The decoration of Jerusalem as a capital was a miracle, and there is no reason why the miracle of the re-establishment of Temple on the Temple Mount is not possible» (Pete Hegseth at Arutz Sheva Conference, youtube.com). Cfr. Daniele Perra, Paleotrumpismo, neotrumpismo e post-trumpismo, in: AA. VV., Trumpismo, Cinabro Edizioni, Roma 2025, pp. 22-23.

[^15]: Pierre-Antoine Plaquevent — Youssef Hindi, El milenarismo teopolítico de Israel, cit., págs. 82 a 96.

[^16]: «We American Christians Welcome Trump’s Obedience to God’s Word on Jerusalem», «Haaretz», 6-12-2017.

[^17]: Pierre-Antoine Plaquevent — Youssef Hindi, El milenarismo teopolítico de Israel, cit., pág. 97.

[^18]: Pompeo en visite historique au mur Occidental aux côtés de Netanyahu et Friedman, «The Times of Israel», https://fr.timesofisrael.com, 21-3-2019.

[^19]: Pompeo says Trump may have been sent by God to save Jews from Iran, «The Times of Israel», 22-3-2019.

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Artículo original: Claudio Mutti, Los «hijos de la luz» en la Casa Blanca (TOR), 25/Mar/2025

@ 5708b1f6:208df3b8

The role and significance of music naturally varies from person to person. For some, it is counted among the most important things in life. For others, it may be a superfluous additive of limited value. Due to this difference in perception relating to music, it may be difficult for some individuals to recognize the benefits of compiling a personalized music playlist.

However, the value of music as a therapeutic tool for people already suffering from advanced dementia has been repeatedly demonstrated, and sometimes with astounding, although temporary, results. The internet is full of studies and stories, and YouTube searches yield an abundance of video evidence ranging from clinical studies to anecdotal family recordings of elderly relatives.

All of these data and anecdotes point to a compelling suggestion and an exciting conclusion: music appreciation has tremendous potential as a supplemental activity for mental health maintenance. With insights gained from the study of neuroplasticity, the neurological benefits for musicians and performers are easy to see, but less clear is the fact that mere exposure to music as a casual listener can be of profound psychological importance, even for individuals who don’t consider themselves to be music lovers.

The transformative effect of music is on full display in many of the available videos on YouTube. We can simply search “dementia music,” or ‘Alzheimer’s music” for fast, relevant results. In video after video, we can see elderly subjects who may be slow to speak, detached, disoriented, barely-intelligible, or unresponsive. In care facilities and at gatherings with families, they are interviewed about their youth, and about their feelings related to music.

Many of the videos first show footage of the individual’s normal daily cognitive state, and them listening and responding to the questions, followed by a period of music listening, and then another brief, post-music discussion. The transformation of mental states tends to be very clear when we compare the quality of their cognitive performance before and after the introduction of music. People remark that “a light has been turned back on,” or “his personality returned,” or “it’s as if the person has woken up from sleep.”

Unfortunately, these positive responses are only temporary, and music does not have the power to permanently reverse the symptoms and pathology of advanced dementia and age-related cognitive decline. Also there is no guarantee it will work for every person, or to what degree. Nevertheless, it does not mean that music as therapy is completely without value. In fact, it can be quite the opposite.

When the response is positive, the event can have multiple benefits, and may even be a therapeutic experience for certain listeners. Faces once despondent or vacant become animated and radiant. Long lost smiles return from faraway times and places. Memories and associations from previous ages shake loose and rise to the surface. Many listeners were asked to recount their experiences related to the songs and the time in life with which they were primarily associated. Some of them were able to describe events, places, people, emotions, and reactions with a degree of clarity, dexterity, and articulation that was completely inconsistent with their medical diagnosis and their cognitive performance prior to hearing the music. The song quite literally revives the personality that makes the person, temporarily and superficially reversing the undoing of the mind. For a mind that is coming undone, music as therapy has potential to mitigate suffering and confusion, provide moments of joy and enthusiasm, and ease the transition into and experience of the end-of-life period that awaits all who are fortunate enough to “die of natural causes” in old age.

The benefits described above are specific to “treatment” recipients, but the merit of music as therapy cascades into the lives of everyone involved. Doctors and caretakers are uplifted and encouraged by success stories, which contributes to further proliferation and advancement of music as therapy. More critically, it can have a profound impact on families of dementia patients. In some cases, relatives get a chance to communicate with their loved ones again. Grandchildren have a window of opportunity to learn more, directly from their grandparents, about the youthful experiences and memories of past generations. It’s clear that generational bonds are also strengthened, which can positively impact the future prospects of the young generation as they in turn grow old, and lay new groundwork for generations that follow.

It is unfortunate that some elderly individuals seem to derive less cognitive benefit than others from music therapy. It is not entirely certain why this is so, because there are many factors to consider, but two of the clearest factors are a person’s degree of cognitive decline, and their degree of interest in and enthusiasm for music in general. While these are the most popular metrics by which to judge the potential effectiveness and suitability of music as therapy for a given individual, by far the most important consideration is relevance to each particular person’s life experiences.

This is the opportunity to finally state the obvious: It’s not possible to simply pick any song at random and expect it to have a beneficial effect on the cognitive function of every person who hears it. It’s not as if there’s a Britney Spears song that sparks joy in the heart of every soul on Earth. And the legend of Bill and Ted’s ultimate song that united the world could never be a true story (also because, as we finally learned in 2020, it was not two men and a song that united the world, but rather, the world uniting together to create that song.) However, everyone in the world can make their own playlist custom-tailored to their individual life, experiences, and memories, and some of those playlists might have a song or two by Britney Spears, or even some from one of the “Bill and Ted” soundtracks.

Throughout my decades of music appreciation, an ever-growing level of respect for the enduring spirit of music has overwhelmed me, and it’s clear that no song will ever be loved by all. But every song will be loved by some, certainly at least by someone, or it would cease to exist. This is why a personalized playlist is infinitely more valuable than randomly selected songs, and we can see the truth of this claim upon close examination of recorded interviews with the elderly subjects. The songs that triggered the greatest reactions were songs that interviewees felt strong connections to, based primarily on the song’s associations to the time and place, as well as the emotional context imprinted on the memory of the events surrounding the songs.

This simply means that songs for which we have emotional attachments and vivid memories are songs that invigorate our neural circuits, activating cognitive pathways and opening doors of memory similar to how olfactory sensations can trigger a memory or a sense of déjà vu. There are some exceptions, but a lot of these songs are from a person’s formative years, particularly early developmental years and their teenage period. This comes as no surprise to the discerning neuroplastician, because these are periods of life when neural plasticity is most fluid, neural development and refinement functions are most active and receptive, and the degree of exciting novelty in life tends to be highest when we are young and inexperienced.

Novelty and emotion are critical components of memory formation and whether a given experience will be memorable or not. Something completely new (novelty) can be memorable if it commands your attention, or derails you from your usual pattern of behavior. Similarly, the content of a tedious lecture may be harder to recall without taking notes, while that of an exciting, fun, and funny, interactive lesson has a greater chance of being memorable, and recalled with more clarity and detail (emotion).

When it comes to music, the connection to novelty and emotion is crystal clear. The first time you ever heard that song, it was new and your emotional response was strong. You might even remember the events of that first time you heard it, but not necessarily. Your emotional attachment to the song may have developed later on, when you heard it playing at a party, on one of the most memorable nights of your teenage life, for example. Perhaps it’s just a song (or songs) your parents played a lot when you were young, and it could be a song you yourself heard many times, and looking back realized it holds a special place in your heart, for whatever reason. There are also songs that are special to romantic couples (This song was playing when we…; This is our song; We were together the first time we heard this song; etc.) and these songs, for obvious reasons, can be added to a personalized music playlist at any time in life, as new and old songs take on added personal significance in various ways. There are a multitude of ways that novelty and emotion can combine to form experiences worth remembering, by which memories are made, and if these experiences are imprinted with a musical stamp, the song stamped onto the memory is likely to remain just as memorable as the event itself, and conversely, listening to the song has the potential to vivify the memories and feelings of nostalgia related to the song.

Therefore, as a preventative measure we can implement now, and an insurance policy we may benefit from later, it is advisable that each person should endeavor to compile their own personal, individualized cognitive reserve playlist. When speaking to someone about this idea, they responded, “But what’s the hurry? After all, you’re still quite young.” Just then, it spontaneously occurred to me that a traumatic head injury could befall me the following day or any day hence, and the simple point that “it’s never too early” was well taken.

To create your own cognitive reserve playlist, it is helpful to have a few guiding parameters. Most important of all is to keep an open mind without setting anything in stone. It’s not necessary to finalize the list immediately, if ever. This is a project that deserves your thoughtful consideration, so you deserve to be allowed to take your time. It’s better to get the list populated with your definite favorites, and as many others that come to mind, just to kick-start the process. Besides, due to the virtually infinite number of songs and compositions in existence, we will never be able to make the perfect list in one day, one month, or even one year. We can always revisit the list and make changes later, because our minds cannot retrieve all the data at once. We must go about our business of carrying on, and wait for it to come to us. (It’s guaranteed to be worth the wait, so never fret about it.) You may even find yourself removing one of those “definite favorites” from the list, which is welcome and fine, because it’s not merely a list of your favorite songs. Being a “favorite” is just one of multiple indicators that a song might be appropriate for a cognitive reserve playlist. “Memorable” is another key word.

There are still other factors that determine a song’s suitability for a personal playlist, such as a song that isn’t a personal favorite, but which nevertheless evokes a strong emotional response in some other way. This is best described as nostalgia, and nostalgic emotions are powerful anchors for memories. So any song that arouses some sense of nostalgia also has the power to arouse the memory of events, places, times, and other details tied to that nostalgia. To know what songs are nostalgic for you and add them to your list today, may help you if a time should come that you need music as therapy in order to trigger your memory and cognitive function.

It is because of nostalgia that many songs from our youth are good candidates for inclusion on the playlist. Songs that were popular on the radio or TV when we were children, theme songs from popular television programs that are unforgettable for us, and songs that acted as the soundtrack to our lives, so to speak, while growing into childhood, and then blossoming again from adolescence into adulthood. This period is rich with music of great significance to our personal center.

It is my sincere hope that all people earnestly endeavor to compile their own personalized cognitive reserve playlists, and encourage their loved ones to do the same. Maybe it can help those who suffer to better cope with the condition. Perhaps starting this project now, and focusing on mental health now can be a significant contributing factor to developing robust cognitive reserve in the first place, thereby heading off the worst of what this condition can throw at us, and delaying it until later. And of course, not only should we create the lists, but it’s highly recommended that we also play the songs frequently, and dance to them as well, preferably. It is in the interest of your future health, ability, mobility, enjoyment, and ease of living that I offer this potentially beneficial suggestion, and I am grateful that you have taken the time to hear me out regarding my passion about the restorative and healing properties of music, as they relate to the broader topic of neuroplasticity. So on that note, shall we press play and dance?

@ e4950c93:1b99eccd

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• Émissions de microplastiques
• Dépendance aux énergies fossiles
• Mauvaise biodégradabilité

🔍 Liste des matières non naturelles :

• Polyester
• Polyamide
• Acrylique
• Élasthanne
• Viscose
• Silicone
• … (Ajouter les autres matières)

⚠️ Ces matières ne sont pas admises sur le site. Néanmoins, elles peuvent être présentes dans certains produits référencés lorsque :

• elles sont utilisées en accessoire amovible (ex. : élastiques, boutons… généralement non indiqué dans la composition par la marque) pouvant être retiré pour le recyclage ou compostage, et
• aucune alternative 100 % naturelle n’a encore été identifiée pour cette catégorie de produits. Dans ce cas, un avertissement est alors affiché sur la fiche du produit.

@ 0b65f96a:7fda4c8f

Es gibt Bibliotheken voll Literatur zur „Kunst“ der Kriegsführung. Dies hier ist ein Beitrag zu den Bibliotheken der Kunst Frieden zu führen. Denn Frieden ist nicht die Abwesenheit von Krieg. Sondern eine mindestens ebenso intensive Aktivität. Worin genau besteht sie aber? Ich glaube darin, weder nach der einen noch nach der anderen Seite vom Hochseil zu fallen. Denn vom Hochseil kann man immer nach zwei Seiten fallen. Das ist dann auch schon die Kernherausforderung: Gleichgewichthalten!

Es scheint zunächst ein ganz äußerlicher Auftrag. Es gibt immer und wird immer widerstreitende Interessen geben. Allerdings ist das nur die äußerste Zwiebelschale. Denn wenn wir die Sache etwas mit Abstand von uns selbst betrachten, werden wir in uns hinein verwiesen: Frieden kann nur von innen nach außen gestiftet werden. Wenn wir das Hochseil in uns suchen, was finden wir dann? – Zweifels ohne, wissen wir von uns, dass wir nicht jeden Tag unser bestes Selbst sind. Würde es sich nicht lohnen etwas genauer über die Möglichkeit nach zwei Seiten vom Hochseil zu fallen nachzudenken, zugunsten der eigenen Balancierfähigkeit?

Wir sind daran gewöhnt zu denken dem Guten steht das Böse gegenüber. Daraus ziehen ja alle Western und Martial Arts Streifen ihren Plot: Der Gute bringt den Bösen um die Ecke und damit hat wieder mal das Gute gesiegt. Wir bewerten das „um die Ecke bringen“ unterschiedlich, je nach dem, von wem es kommt.

Ich möchte einen neuen Gedanken vorschlagen über unser Inneres, über Gut und Böse nachzudenken. Denn, wie gesagt, vom Hochseil kann man nach zwei Seiten fallen. Und es hat immer drastische Wirkung. Wo kommen wir also hin, wenn wir sagen: Frieden ist immer ein Gleichgewichtszustand, ergo eine Zeit der Mitte?

Sagen wir Toleranz ist ein erstrebenswertes Ideal. Dann würden wir sicher sagen Engstirnigkeit ist das Gegenteil davon und alles andere als Wünschenswert. Ja, so ist es gewiss. Und es bleibt hinzuzufügen, auch Beliebigkeit ist das Gegenteil von Toleranz. Denn es gibt eine Grenze, wo Toleranz nicht mehr Toleranz ist, sondern Beliebigkeit, ein „alles ist möglich“. Ähnlich können wir es für Großzügigkeit denken: Großzügigkeit ist ein erstrebenswertes Ideal. Ihr Gegenteil ist Geiz. Ihr anderes Gegenteil die Verschwendung. Oder Mut. Mut ist ein erstrebenswertes Ideal. Feigheit sein Gegenteil. Sein anderes Gegenteil ist Leichtsinn. Mit andern Worten: Das Ideal wird immer zum Hochseil. Und wir können immer nach zwei Seiten von ihm fallen. Wenn wir diesem Gedanken folgen, kommen wir weg von der Gut-Böse-Dualität. Und stattdessen zur Frage nach dem Gleichgewicht. Zur Frage nach der Mittezeit.

Natürlich steht es uns frei all das zu denken. Oder auch nicht zu denken. Denn selbstverständlich ist es möglich es nicht zu denken und bei einer Dualitätsvorstellung festhängen zu bleiben. Es wird uns nur nicht helfen Frieden zu denken und in Frieden zu handeln. Wenn wir wollen können wir durch das Aufspannen einer Trinität einen neuen Raum eröffnen und betreten. In ihm wird Frieden aktiv führbar, denn er wird eine Gleichgewichtssituation in uns selbst! – Nicht eine, sich einander gegenüberstehender äußerer Mächte!

Gehen wir noch einen Schritt weiter in unserer Betrachtung, können wir feststellen, dass es durchaus einen Unterschied macht nach welcher Seite wir runter fallen. Denn auf der einen Seite ist es immer eine Verengung: Engstirnigkeit, Geiz, Feigheit in unseren Beispielen. Auf der anderen ist es immer eine Zersplitterung oder Versprühung. In unseren Beispielen Beliebigkeit, Verschwendung und Leichtsinn. Und das erstrebenswerte ist eben immer die Mitte, das von uns ständig aktualisierte Gleichgewicht.

Das interessante ist, wo diese Mitte liegt, lässt sich niemals statisch festlegen. Sie ist immer dynamisch. Denn sie kann zu unterschiedlichen Momenten an unterschiedlicher Stelle liegen. Es ist immer ein Ich, das sich in Geistesgegenwart neu ausbalanciert. Und darum ist Frieden so schwer. Wir werden ihn niemals „haben“, sondern ihm immer entgegen gehen.

Der Kriegsruf ist nichts anderes, als ein Versuch von denen, die vom Hochseil gefallen sind, uns auch herunter zu kicken.

Netter Versuch. Wird aber nichts!

In der Nussschale: Die Dualität auflösen in die Trinität der balancierenden Mitte zwischen der Geste der Versteinerung und der Geste des Zerstäubens oder Zersplitterns. Die dynamische Qualität der Mitte bemerken. Oder, tun wir es nicht, ist das gleich der erste Anstoß, der uns wieder zum Wackeln bringt. Und des Ich´s gewahr werden, das balanciert. Frieden führen ist eine Kunst.

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Patric I. Vogt, geb. 1968 in Mainz. Autor von „Zukunft beginnt im Kopf Ein Debattenbeitrag zur Kernsanierung von Rechtsstaat und Demokratie“. Lebt als freischaffender Künstler, Lehrer und Unternehmer. Über drei Jahrzehnte Beschäftigung mit dem Ideenfeld soziale #Dreigliederung und Anthroposophie. Moderation und Mediation von sozialen Prozessen und Organisationsentwicklung. Staatlich ungeprüft, abgesehen von den Fahrerlaubnissen zu Land und zu Wasser. Motto: Gedanken werden Worte, werden Taten! www.perspektivenwechsel.social

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@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Que vença o melhor

Nos esportes e jogos em geral, existe uma constante preocupação em balancear os incentivos e atributos do jogo, as regras do esporte em si e as regras das competições para que o melhor vença, ou, em outras palavras, para que sejam minimizados os outros fatores exceto a habilidade mais pura quanto possível no jogo em questão.

O mundo fora dos jogos, porém, nem sempre pode ter suas regras mudadas por um ente que as controla e está imbuído da vontade e dos meios para escolher as melhores regras possíveis para a obtenção dos resultados acima. Aliás, é muitas vezes essa possibilidade é até impensável. Mesmo quando ela é pensável e levada em conta os fatores que operam no mundo real não são facilmente identificáveis, eles são muitos, e mudam o tempo todo.

Mais do que isso, ao contrário de um jogo em que o objetivo é praticamente o mesmo para todo mundo, os objetivos de cada agente no mundo real são diferentes e incontáveis, e as "competições" que cada um está disputando são diferentes e muitas, cada minúsculo ato de suas vidas compreendendo várias delas simultaneamente.

Da mesma forma, é impossível conceber até mesmo o conceito de "melhor" para que se deseje que ele vença.

Mesmo assim é comum encontrarmos em várias situações gente que parte do princípio de que se Fulano está num certo lugar (por exemplo, um emprego muito bom) e Beltrano não isso se deve ao fato de Fulano ter sido melhor que Beltrano.

Está aí uma crítica à idéia da meritocracia (eu tinha me esquecido que essa palavra existia).

@ e4950c93:1b99eccd

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En bitcoin

bc1qkm8me8l9563wvsl9sklzt4hdcuny3tlejznj7d

⚡️origin-nature@coinos.io

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En euros, dollars, ou toute autre monnaie prise en charge Promesses uniquement pour le moment :

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Contactez-nous si vous souhaitez faire un don avec toute autre cryptomonnaie.

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@ f1989a96:bcaaf2c1

Good morning, readers!

Georgian officials froze the bank accounts of five nonprofit organizations that provide financial and legal support to detained protesters. This follows rising public unrest as Georgia’s regime pushes new laws restricting free speech and assembly, introducing new fines and penalties, and expanding law enforcement powers. By eroding civil protections, the regime makes it more dangerous and costly for activists, dissenters, and everyday citizens to stand up against an increasingly repressive regime.\ \ Meanwhile, the Indian government introduced a new income tax bill that grants tax authorities sweeping surveillance power over anyone they “suspect” of tax evasion. If suspected, tax authorities are legally allowed to access Indians' email, social media, and bank accounts, raising obvious concerns over state overreach and invasions of individual financial privacy.\ \ In freedom tech news, HRF donated 1 billion satoshis to more than 20 projects worldwide, focusing on supporting human rights defenders and vulnerable communities under authoritarian regimes across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. These gifts advance censorship-resistant communications and transactions, bitcoin education, and privacy tools so that dissidents, nonprofits, and individuals may better protect their human rights and financial freedom. In this letter we also spotlight a new open-source mobile Bitcoin wallet called Cove. While still in beta, the wallet can be used with a hardware device or on its own as a hot wallet, offering a flexible self-custody setup for managing Bitcoin.

We end with a podcast in which HRF Chief Strategy Officer Alex Gladstein discusses the state of freedom tech and why Bitcoin stands as the most promising tool for financial liberation.

Now, let’s get right to it!

SUBSCRIBE HERE

GLOBAL NEWS

Georgia | Officials Freeze Accounts of Organizations Supporting Protesters

Georgian officials have frozen the bank accounts of five nonprofit organizations that provide financial and legal aid to dissenters. This comes in response to an uprising of protests over new controversial laws that restrict free expression and assembly, increase fines and detention periods, and expand law enforcement powers. Georgian officials justify the account freezes as part of an investigation into “sabotage,” yet they have provided no evidence. Amnesty International warns this financial assault could “kill the entire protest movement.” Bitcoin provides a way to circumvent these struggles. Its uncensorable and permissionless nature has helped sustain pro-democracy movements across Belarus and Nigeria, proving it is capable of addressing the immense financial restrictions dictators impose.

United Arab Emirates | Plans to Launch “Digital Durham” CBDC in 2025

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will launch its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the “Digital Durham,” by the end of 2025. According to the central bank, the CBDC will be available through licensed financial institutions and operate via a government-run digital wallet. Every transaction will be recorded on a permissioned blockchain run by the government. The central bank further admitted the CBDC will replace cash and assist law enforcement “by leaving a digital trail for transactions involving illicit funds.” Officials claim this is to combat financial crime, but it also enables real-time surveillance and tracking of individual financial activity. In a country known for strict laws against dissent and extensive surveillance capabilities, it is not hard to see how a CBDC will erode the autonomy and rights of activists, dissenters, and others who oppose an increasingly authoritarian regime.

India | Grants Tax Authorities Access to Citizens’ Online Data

Starting in April 2026, the Indian government will grant tax authorities legal access to the private online data of any citizen “suspected” of tax evasion. This will include legal access to personal emails, social media, and bank accounts. The new law expands on the Income Tax Act of 1961, which previously limited officials to searching physical premises for financial documents. Now, officials can bypass digital security measures and access private data without consent — all under a legal framework. This dissipation of financial privacy sets an intrusive precedent and opens the door to state-level corruption and surveillance in a country where the Modi regime has already made it clear they are happy to use financial repression to further cement their power.

Myanmar | Bitcoin as a Tool Support Earthquake Disaster Relief

Last week, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Burma, with strong tremors reaching neighboring Thailand. The official death toll has surpassed 2700. And in Bangkok, a 33-story building under construction collapsed. Despite an already strenuous situation, Burma’s military junta continues its oppression. They are blocking rescue teams from reaching the Sagaing region — the epicenter of the earthquake and the heart of Burma’s pro-democracy movement — and instead channeling aid to regime-controlled cities like Naypyidaw and Mandalay. The junta is also continuing to conduct air strikes on civilians and restricting equipment and fuel for aid groups, leaving a million people in Sagaing to fend for themselves. In these repressive circumstances, Bitcoin can provide a censorship-resistant way to send funds directly to those affected.

Angola | Regime Jacks Price of Diesel

The Angolan regime raised diesel prices by 50% in the process of eliminating fuel subsidies. Diesel prices suddenly increased from 200 to 300 kwanza per liter, driving up transportation costs in a country where over half the population lives on less than $2 a day and inflation is over 42%. Previous fuel subsidy cuts in 2023 (where the price of diesel rose 80%) sparked protests between taxi drivers, nonprofit workers, and law enforcement. This recent price increase now raises fears of renewed crackdowns. The Angolan regime also introduced new civil society laws that Guilherme Neves, chairman of the human rights organization Associacao Maos Livres, describes as a “license to erase non-governmental organizations that are not government-compliant.” Angolans find themselves in increasingly precarious financial positions as the government erodes the civil safeguards protecting nonprofits and dissenters.

Nicaragua | Ortega’s Dismantling of Press Freedom

Since coming to power in 2007, Ortega has closed or seized 61 media outlets, imprisoned countless journalists, and forced over 280 journalists into exile. His assault on press freedom has unfolded in two phases: initial raids on local radio stations and TV channels between 2007 and 2017, followed by full-scale censorship in 2018 on independent media outlets like La Prensa and CONFIDENCIAL. Ortega then intensified attacks from 2019 to 2021 by closing Nicaragua’s second-oldest newspaper and passing laws to criminalize free expression. This is a deliberate strategy to eliminate dissent and independent voices. What’s happening in Nicaragua highlights the importance of open and decentralized protocols like nostr, which allow journalists to publish freely without getting censored. While still early, it is becoming essential for sharing information absent the fear of being blocked or silenced by autocratic leaders.

BITCOIN AND FREEDOM TECH NEWS

HRF | Gifts 1 Billion Satoshis to 20+ Open Source Projects Worldwide

HRF gifted 1 billion satoshis in its Q1 2025 round of Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF) grants, supporting more than 20 open-source projects around the world. These projects advance Bitcoin education, open-source software, mining decentralization, and privacy tools for activists contending with authoritarian regimes across Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Supporting permissionless financial tools and censorship-resistant technologies empowers dissidents, journalists, and civil society to organize, transact, and communicate without state suppression and interference. Learn more about the grantees and their work here.

Cove | New Open-Source and Permissionless Bitcoin Wallet

Cove is a new open-source and permissionless mobile Bitcoin wallet that aims to put users in full control of their Bitcoin. Users can connect their own hardware wallet (to manage Bitcoin offline) or use Cove as a hot wallet (to manage Bitcoin online). It also allows users to create multiple wallets from the app itself. In the future, Cove plans to add Unspent Transaction Output (UTXO) selection and coin control, giving users more independence over their transactions and the tools to better protect their financial privacy. While still in beta and only suitable for test funds, this wallet holds promise as a privacy tool to equip dissidents with self-custodied Bitcoin. You can try it here.

Second | New Ark Implementation Launches on Bitcoin Signet

Second, a company building on Ark, a protocol designed to help scale Bitcoin’s transaction throughput, launched “Bark.” Bark is a test implementation of the Ark protocol deployed on Bitcoin’s Signet network (where developers test software). More broadly, the Ark protocol helps make Bitcoin transactions more private, faster, and cheaper, supporting the network in handling more transactions and users with the tradeoff of being less trusted than the mainchain, as funds stored in a noncustodial way on Ark can expire if not used. While it is still in early development, the test release of Bark marks a step toward deployment on the main Bitcoin network. Scaling solutions like Ark could be important for activists and individuals. They might ensure Bitcoin remains accessible to all, even as block space demand increases and network fees rise. Learn about it here.

Braiins | Open Sources Bitcoin Control Board

Braiins, a company building tools for Bitcoin mining, open-sourced its BCB100 Bitcoin Control Board, giving miners using their products greater insight and control over their Bitcoin mining hardware and firmware. Sharing the design files and firmware openly helps strengthen Bitcoin’s decentralization, making it more resilient against corporate or state interference. Specifically, open-sourcing mining hardware ensures individual miners can operate independently, reducing censorship risks across the entire network. In turn, this preserves financial freedom by keeping Bitcoin accessible and usable by dissidents, nonprofits, and individuals who need it most.

African Bitcoiners | Publish Bitcoin Starter Guide

African Bitcoiners just published “Bitcoin: Africa’s Guide to Freedom Money,” a Bitcoin guide providing clear, practical insights into how Bitcoin can help people across the continent escape inflation, corrupt regimes, and failing financial systems. It covers essential topics to get started — from choosing a wallet to properly securing Bitcoin. In Africa, where some of the world’s longest-standing dictators restrict even basic financial activity, this guide is a powerful resource for human rights defenders, nonprofits, and everyday citizens. Read it here.

OpenSats | 10th Wave of Nostr Grants

OpenSats, a nonprofit that supports open-source software development, announced its tenth wave of grants for projects in the nostr ecosystem. Nostr is a decentralized protocol that enables digital identity and communications outside the reach of authoritarian states. The grant round provides support to nostr Epoxy, which enhances access to nostr by circumventing censorship through a network of paid proxies. This ensures activists and dissidents can continue to communicate even in restrictive environments. Additionally, Zapstore received a grant for providing a permissionless app store built on nostr that enables developers to distribute software without corporate gatekeepers. This provides an open-source alternative to centralized app stores that often comply with government censorship and restrict dissidents’ access to freedom tools.

RECOMMENDED CONTENT

Freedom Tech with Alex Gladstein

In this episode of The Gwart Show, Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer at HRF, breaks down how and why Bitcoin serves as “money dictators can’t stop.” Drawing on more than 17 years of human rights work, he shares real-world examples of activists and citizens using Bitcoin to escape financial repression in authoritarian countries. Gladstein also explores privacy tools, cross-border payments, and why Bitcoin offers promising hope for financial freedom. Watch the full conversation here.

The State of Personal Online Security and Confidentiality with Meredith Whittaker

In this keynote for SXSW 2025, Signal CEO Meredith Whittaker shares her growing concerns around AI, personal data collection, and the erosion of privacy in today’s increasingly digital world. She emphasizes the need for more secure, uncensorable, and privacy-protecting technologies that shield users from surveillance and exploitation, especially in the context of authoritarian regimes. Watch the full discussion for a pragmatic view into the future of digital privacy and security.

If this article was forwarded to you and you enjoyed reading it, please consider subscribing to the Financial Freedom Report here.

Support the newsletter by donating bitcoin to HRF’s Financial Freedom program via BTCPay.\ Want to contribute to the newsletter? Submit tips, stories, news, and ideas by emailing us at ffreport @ hrf.org

The Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF) is accepting grant proposals on an ongoing basis. The Bitcoin Development Fund is looking to support Bitcoin developers, community builders, and educators. Submit proposals here.

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@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Token-Curated Registries

So you want to build a TCR?

TCRs (Token Curated Registries) are a construct for maintaining registries on Ethereum. Imagine you have lots of scissor brands and you want a list with only the good scissors. You want to make sure only the good scissors make into that list and not the bad scissors. For that, people will tell you, you can just create a TCR of the best scissors!

It works like this: some people have the token, let's call it Scissor Token. Some other person, let's say it's a scissor manufacturer, wants to put his scissor on the list, this guy must acquire some Scissor Tokens and "stake" it. Holders of the Scissor Tokens are allowed to vote on "yes" or "no". If "no", the manufactures loses his tokens to the holders, if "yes" then its tokens are kept in deposit, but his scissor brand gets accepted into the registry.

Such a simple process, they say, have strong incentives for being the best possible way of curating a registry of scissors: consumers have the incentive to consult the list because of its high quality; manufacturers have the incentive to buy tokens and apply to join the list because the list is so well-curated and consumers always consult it; token holders want the registry to accept good and reject bad scissors because that good decisions will make the list good for consumers and thus their tokens more valuable, bad decisions will do the contrary. It doesn't make sense, to reject everybody just to grab their tokens, because that would create an incentive against people trying to enter the list.

Amazing! How come such a simple system of voting has such enourmous features? Now we can have lists of everything so well-curated, and for that we just need Ethereum tokens!

Now let's imagine a different proposal, of my own creation: SPCR, Single-person curated registries.

Single-person Curated Registries are equal to TCR, except they don't use Ethereum tokens, it's just a list in a text file kept by a single person. People can apply to join, and they will have to give the single person some amount of money, the single person can reject or accept the proposal and so on.

Now let's look at the incentives of SPCR: people will want to consult the registry because it is so well curated; vendors will want to enter the registry because people are consulting it; the single person will want to accept the good and reject the bad applicants because these good decisions are what will make the list valuable.

Amazing! How such a single proposal has such enourmous features! SPCR are going to take over the internet!

What TCR enthusiasts get wrong?

TCR people think they can just list a set of incentives for something to work and assume that something will work. Mix that with Ethereum hype and they think theyve found something unique and revolutionary, while in fact they're just making a poor implementation of "democracy" systems that fail almost everywhere.

The life is not about listing a set of "incentives" and then considering the problems solved. Almost everybody on the Earth has the incentive for being rich: being rich has a lot of advantages over being poor, however not all people get rich! Why are the incentives failing?

Curating lists is a hard problem, it involves a lot of knowledge about the problem that just holding a token won't give you, it involves personal preferences, politics, it involves knowing where is the real limit between "good" and "bad". The Single Person list may have a good result if the single person doing the curation is knowledgeable and honest (yes, you can game the system to accept your uncle's scissors and not their competitor that is much better, for example, without losing the entire list reputation), same thing for TCRs, but it can also fail miserably, and it can appear to be good but be in fact not so good. In all cases, the list entries will reflect the preferences of people choosing and other things that aren't taken into the incentives equation of TCR enthusiasts.

We don't need lists

The most important point to be made, although unrelated to the incentive story, is that we don't need lists. Imagine you're looking for a scissor. You don't want someone to tell if scissor A or B are "good" or "bad", or if A is "better" than B. You want to know if, for your specific situation, or for a class of situations, A will serve well, and do that considering A's price and if A is being sold near you and all that.

Scissors are the worst example ever to make this point, but I hope you get it. If you don't, try imagining the same example with schools, doctors, plumbers, food, whatever.

Recommendation systems are badly needed in our world, and TCRs don't solve these at all.

@ 6b3780ef:221416c8

This workshop will guide you through exploring the concepts behind MCP servers and how to deploy them as DVMs in Nostr using DVMCP. By the end, you'll understand how these systems work together and be able to create your own deployments.

Understanding MCP Systems

MCP (Model Context Protocol) systems consist of two main components that work together:

1. MCP Server: The heart of the system that exposes tools, which you can access via the .listTools() method.
2. MCP Client: The interface that connects to the MCP server and lets you use the tools it offers.

These servers and clients can communicate using different transport methods:

• Standard I/O (stdio): A simple local connection method when your server and client are on the same machine.
• Server-Sent Events (SSE): Uses HTTP to create a communication channel.

For this workshop, we'll use stdio to deploy our server. DVMCP will act as a bridge, connecting to your MCP server as an MCP client, and exposing its tools as a DVM that anyone can call from Nostr.

Creating (or Finding) an MCP Server

Building an MCP server is simpler than you might think:

1. Create software in any programming language you're comfortable with.
2. Add an MCP library to expose your server's MCP interface.
3. Create an API that wraps around your software's functionality.

Once your server is ready, an MCP client can connect, for example, with bun index.js, and then call .listTools() to discover what your server can do. This pattern, known as reflection, makes Nostr DVMs and MCP a perfect match since both use JSON, and DVMs can announce and call tools, effectively becoming an MCP proxy.

Alternatively, you can use one of the many existing MCP servers available in various repositories.

For more information about mcp and how to build mcp servers you can visit https://modelcontextprotocol.io/

Setting Up the Workshop

Let's get hands-on:

First, to follow this workshop you will need Bun. Install it from https://bun.sh/. For Linux and macOS, you can use the installation script:

curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

1. Choose your MCP server: You can either create one or use an existing one.

2. Inspect your server using the MCP inspector tool: bash npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector build/index.js arg1 arg2 This will:

3. Launch a client UI (default: http://localhost:5173)
4. Start an MCP proxy server (default: port 3000)

5. Pass any additional arguments directly to your server

6. Use the inspector: Open the client UI in your browser to connect with your server, list available tools, and test its functionality.

Deploying with DVMCP

Now for the exciting part – making your MCP server available to everyone on Nostr:

1. Navigate to your MCP server directory.

2. Run without installing (quickest way): npx @dvmcp/bridge

3. Or install globally for regular use: npm install -g @dvmcp/bridge # or bun install -g @dvmcp/bridge Then run using: bash dvmcp-bridge

This will guide you through creating the necessary configuration.

Watch the console logs to confirm successful setup – you'll see your public key and process information, or any issues that need addressing.

For the configuration, you can set the relay as wss://relay.dvmcp.fun , or use any other of your preference

Testing and Integration

1. Visit dvmcp.fun to see your DVM announcement.
2. Call your tools and watch the responses come back.

For production use, consider running dvmcp-bridge as a system service or creating a container for greater reliability and uptime.

Integrating with LLM Clients

You can also integrate your DVMCP deployment with LLM clients using the discovery package:

1. Install and use the @dvmcp/discovery package: bash npx @dvmcp/discovery

2. This package acts as an MCP server for your LLM system by:

3. Connecting to configured Nostr relays
4. Discovering tools from DVMCP servers

5. Making them available to your LLM applications

6. Connect to specific servers or providers using these flags: ```bash # Connect to all DVMCP servers from a provider npx @dvmcp/discovery --provider npub1...

# Connect to a specific DVMCP server npx @dvmcp/discovery --server naddr1... ```

Using these flags, you wouldn't need a configuration file. You can find these commands and Claude desktop configuration already prepared for copy and paste at dvmcp.fun.

This feature lets you connect to any DVMCP server using Nostr and integrate it into your client, either as a DVM or in LLM-powered applications.

Final thoughts

If you've followed this workshop, you now have an MCP server deployed as a Nostr DVM. This means that local resources from the system where the MCP server is running can be accessed through Nostr in a decentralized manner. This capability is powerful and opens up numerous possibilities and opportunities for fun.

You can use this setup for various use cases, including in a controlled/local environment. For instance, you can deploy a relay in your local network that's only accessible within it, exposing all your local MCP servers to anyone connected to the network. This setup can act as a hub for communication between different systems, which could be particularly interesting for applications in home automation or other fields. The potential applications are limitless.

However, it's important to keep in mind that there are security concerns when exposing local resources publicly. You should be mindful of these risks and prioritize security when creating and deploying your MCP servers on Nostr.

Finally, these are new ideas, and the software is still under development. If you have any feedback, please refer to the GitHub repository to report issues or collaborate. DVMCP also has a Signal group you can join. Additionally, you can engage with the community on Nostr using the #dvmcp hashtag.

Useful Resources

• Official Documentation:
• Model Context Protocol: modelcontextprotocol.org

• DVMCP.fun: dvmcp.fun

• Source Code and Development:

• DVMCP: github.com/gzuuus/dvmcp

• DVMCP.fun: github.com/gzuuus/dvmcpfun

• MCP Servers and Clients:

• Smithery AI: smithery.ai
• MCP.so: mcp.so

• Glama AI MCP Servers: glama.ai/mcp/servers

• Signal group

Happy building!

@ b2d670de:907f9d4a

This is a list of nostr clients exposed as onion services. The list is currently actively maintained on GitHub. Contributions are always appreciated!

| Client name | Onion URL | Source code URL | Admin | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Snort | http://agzj5a4be3kgp6yurijk4q7pm2yh4a5nphdg4zozk365yirf7ahuctyd.onion | https://git.v0l.io/Kieran/snort | operator | N/A | | moStard | http://sifbugd5nwdq77plmidkug4y57zuqwqio3zlyreizrhejhp6bohfwkad.onion/ | https://github.com/rafael-xmr/nostrudel/tree/mostard | operator | minimalist monero friendly nostrudel fork | | Nostrudel | http://oxtrnmb4wsb77rmk64q3jfr55fo33luwmsyaoovicyhzgrulleiojsad.onion/ | https://github.com/hzrd149/nostrudel | operator | Runs latest tagged docker image | | Nostrudel Next | http://oxtrnnumsflm7hmvb3xqphed2eqpbrt4seflgmdsjnpgc3ejd6iycuyd.onion/ | https://github.com/hzrd149/nostrudel | operator | Runs latest "next" tagged docker image | | Nsite | http://q457mvdt5smqj726m4lsqxxdyx7r3v7gufzt46zbkop6mkghpnr7z3qd.onion/ | https://github.com/hzrd149/nsite-ts | operator | Runs nsite. You can read more about nsite here. | | Shopstr | http://6fkdn756yryd5wurkq7ifnexupnfwj6sotbtby2xhj5baythl4cyf2id.onion/ | https://github.com/shopstr-eng/shopstr-hidden-service | operator | Runs the latest serverless branch build of Shopstr. |

@ b17fccdf:b7211155

Si vives en España, quizás hayas notado que no puedes acceder a ciertas páginas webs durante los fines de semana o en algunos días entre semana, entre ellas, la guía de MiniBolt.

Esto tiene una razón, por supuesto una solución, además de una conclusión. Sin entrar en demasiados detalles:

La razón

El bloqueo a Cloudflare, implementado desde hace casi dos meses por operadores de Internet (ISPs) en España (como Movistar, O2, DIGI, Pepephone, entre otros), se basa en una orden judicial emitida tras una demanda de LALIGA (Fútbol). Esta medida busca combatir la piratería en España, un problema que afecta directamente a dicha organización.

Aunque la intención original era restringir el acceso a dominios específicos que difundieran dicho contenido, Cloudflare emplea el protocolo ECH (Encrypted Client Hello), que oculta el nombre del dominio, el cual antes se transmitía en texto plano durante el proceso de establecimiento de una conexión TLS. Esta medida dificulta que las operadoras analicen el tráfico para aplicar bloqueos basados en dominios, lo que les obliga a recurrir a bloqueos más amplios por IP o rangos de IP para cumplir con la orden judicial.

Esta práctica tiene consecuencias graves, que han sido completamente ignoradas por quienes la ejecutan. Es bien sabido que una infraestructura de IP puede alojar numerosos dominios, tanto legítimos como no legítimos. La falta de un "ajuste fino" en los bloqueos provoca un perjuicio para terceros, restringiendo el acceso a muchos dominios legítimos que no tiene relación alguna con actividades ilícitas, pero que comparten las mismas IPs de Cloudflare con dominios cuestionables. Este es el caso de la web de MiniBolt y su dominio minibolt.info, los cuales utilizan Cloudflare como proxy para aprovechar las medidas de seguridad, privacidad, optimización y servicios adicionales que la plataforma ofrece de forma gratuita.

Si bien este bloqueo parece ser temporal (al menos durante la temporada 24/25 de fútbol, hasta finales de mayo), es posible que se reactive con el inicio de la nueva temporada.

La solución

Obviamente, MiniBolt no dejará de usar Cloudflare como proxy por esta razón. Por lo que a continuación se exponen algunas medidas que como usuario puedes tomar para evitar esta restricción y poder acceder:

~> Utiliza una VPN:

Existen varias soluciones de proveedores de VPN, ordenadas según su reputación en privacidad: - IVPN - Mullvad VPN - Proton VPN (gratis) - Obscura VPN (solo para macOS) - Cloudfare WARP (gratis) + permite utilizar el modo proxy local para enrutar solo la navegación, debes utilizar la opción "WARP a través de proxy local" siguiendo estos pasos: 1. Inicia Cloudflare WARP y dentro de la pequeña interfaz haz click en la rueda dentada abajo a la derecha > "Preferencias" > "Avanzado" > "Configurar el modo proxy" 2. Marca la casilla "Habilite el modo proxy en este dispositivo" 3. Elige un "Puerto de escucha de proxy" entre 0-65535. ej: 1080, haz click en "Aceptar" y cierra la ventana de preferencias 4. Accede de nuevo a Cloudflare WARP y pulsa sobre el switch para habilitar el servicio. 3. Ahora debes apuntar el proxy del navegador a Cloudflare WARP, la configuración del navegador es similar a esta para el caso de navegadores basados en Firefox. Una vez hecho, deberías poder acceder a la guía de MiniBolt sin problemas. Si tienes dudas, déjalas en comentarios e intentaré resolverlas. Más info AQUÍ.

~> Proxifica tu navegador para usar la red de Tor, o utiliza el navegador oficial de Tor (recomendado).

La conclusión

Estos hechos ponen en tela de juicio los principios fundamentales de la neutralidad de la red, pilares esenciales de la Declaración de Independencia del Ciberespacio que defiende un internet libre, sin restricciones ni censura. Dichos principios se han visto quebrantados sin precedentes en este país, confirmando que ese futuro distópico que muchos negaban, ya es una realidad.

Es momento de actuar y estar preparados: debemos impulsar el desarrollo y la difusión de las herramientas anticensura que tenemos a nuestro alcance, protegiendo así la libertad digital y asegurando un acceso equitativo a la información para todos

Este compromiso es uno de los pilares fundamentales de MiniBolt, lo que convierte este desafío en una oportunidad para poner a prueba las soluciones anticensura ya disponibles, así como las que están en camino.

¡Censúrame si puedes, legislador! ¡La lucha por la privacidad y la libertad en Internet ya está en marcha!

---

Fuentes: * https://bandaancha.eu/articulos/movistar-o2-deja-clientes-sin-acceso-11239 * https://bandaancha.eu/articulos/esta-nueva-sentencia-autoriza-bloqueos-11257 * https://bandaancha.eu/articulos/como-saltarse-bloqueo-webs-warp-vpn-9958 * https://bandaancha.eu/articulos/como-activar-ech-chrome-acceder-webs-10689 * https://comunidad.movistar.es/t5/Soporte-Fibra-y-ADSL/Problema-con-web-que-usan-Cloudflare/td-p/5218007

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Precautionary Principle

The precautionary principle that people, including Nassim Nicholas Taleb, love and treat as some form of wisdom, is actually just a justification for arbitrary acts.

In a given situation for which there's no sufficient knowledge, either A or B can be seen as risky or precautionary measures, there's no way to know except if you have sufficient knowledge.

---

Someone could reply saying, for example, that the known risk of A is tolerable to the unknown, probably magnitudes bigger, risk of B. Unless you know better or at least have a logical explanation for the risks of B (a thing "scientists" don't have because they notoriously dislike making logical claims), in which case you do know something and is not invoking the precautionary principle anymore, just relying on your logical reasoning – and that can be discussed and questioned by others, undermining your intended usage of the label "precautionary principle" as a magic cover for your actions.

@ 1aa9ff07:3cb793b5

In an era where centralized platforms dominate the internet, concerns over censorship, privacy, and data ownership have led to the rise of decentralized alternatives. One such innovation is Nostr, a lightweight and resilient protocol designed to enable censorship-resistant and decentralized communication. In this article, we will explore what Nostr is, how it works, its advantages, and why it is gaining traction among privacy advocates and decentralized technology enthusiasts.

What is Nostr?

Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is an open protocol designed for creating censorship-resistant social networks and communication platforms. Unlike traditional social media networks, which rely on centralized servers controlled by corporations, Nostr operates on a decentralized model using cryptographic keys and relays.

Nostr allows users to publish and receive messages without the need for a central authority. It is not tied to any single application but instead provides a foundation upon which developers can build various types of social and communication tools.

How Does Nostr Work?

Nostr consists of two main components:

1. Clients – Applications that users interact with, such as social media platforms, chat applications, or blogging tools.
2. Relays – Servers that distribute messages between clients without storing them permanently or acting as gatekeepers.

When a user wants to send a message or publish content, their client signs the data using their private key and broadcasts it to multiple relays. Other users who subscribe to those relays can receive and interact with the messages.

Nostr does not have a concept of user accounts managed by a central entity. Instead, identity is established using public and private cryptographic keys. The private key is used to sign messages, while the public key acts as the user’s identity across the network.

Advantages of Nostr

1. Censorship Resistance – Since Nostr does not rely on a central authority, it is much harder for governments or corporations to censor content. Users can publish messages freely, and if one relay refuses to distribute them, they can simply use another.

2. Privacy and Security – Messages are signed using cryptographic keys, ensuring authenticity and reducing the risk of impersonation. Users retain full control over their identities and content.

3. Interoperability – Nostr is not tied to a single platform or application. Developers can create different types of services using the protocol, from microblogging platforms to encrypted messaging apps.

4. Resilience – Since the network relies on multiple relays instead of a single centralized server, it is less susceptible to shutdowns or attacks.

Use Cases for Nostr

• Decentralized Social Media – Platforms like Twitter alternatives can be built on Nostr, allowing users to post updates without fear of censorship.
• Private Messaging – Secure and encrypted messaging applications can be developed using the protocol.
• Blogging and Content Publishing – Writers and journalists can publish articles in a censorship-resistant manner.
• Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Communities – Many Bitcoin enthusiasts are adopting Nostr due to its decentralized nature and alignment with privacy-focused principles.

Challenges and Limitations

While Nostr is a promising technology, it is still in its early stages and faces several challenges:

• Adoption and Network Effects – Since Nostr is not as widely used as traditional social media platforms, building a strong user base is a challenge.
• Spam and Moderation – Without central moderation, handling spam and malicious content is more difficult, requiring innovative solutions such as reputation-based filtering.
• User Experience – Decentralized networks often have a steeper learning curve for new users compared to centralized platforms.

The Future of Nostr

Despite these challenges, Nostr is gaining momentum among privacy advocates, developers, and decentralized technology supporters. With continued development and improvements in usability, Nostr has the potential to reshape online communication by offering a truly decentralized and censorship-resistant platform.

As more developers create applications and services using Nostr, its ecosystem is likely to expand, providing a viable alternative to traditional social media networks. Whether you are a developer, a privacy-conscious user, or someone interested in the future of decentralized internet, Nostr is a technology worth exploring.

Conclusion

Nostr represents a significant step toward a more open and decentralized internet. By removing central points of control and enabling user-driven communication, it empowers individuals to interact freely without the risk of censorship or data exploitation. As the protocol matures and more applications emerge, it could play a crucial role in shaping the next generation of online communication.

If you are interested in experimenting with Nostr, you can start by exploring various Nostr-based applications, setting up your cryptographic keys, and connecting with the growing community of users and developers. The future of decentralized communication is just beginning, and Nostr is at the forefront of this movement.

Understanding Nostr: A Decentralized Social Network Protocol

In an era where centralized platforms dominate the internet, concerns over censorship, privacy, and data ownership have led to the rise of decentralized alternatives. One such innovation is Nostr, a lightweight and resilient protocol designed to enable censorship-resistant and decentralized communication. In this article, we will explore what Nostr is, how it works, its advantages, and why it is gaining traction among privacy advocates and decentralized technology enthusiasts.

What is Nostr?

Nostr (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is an open protocol designed for creating censorship-resistant social networks and communication platforms. Unlike traditional social media networks, which rely on centralized servers controlled by corporations, Nostr operates on a decentralized model using cryptographic keys and relays.

Nostr allows users to publish and receive messages without the need for a central authority. It is not tied to any single application but instead provides a foundation upon which developers can build various types of social and communication tools.

How Does Nostr Work?

Nostr consists of two main components:

1. Clients – Applications that users interact with, such as social media platforms, chat applications, or blogging tools.

2. Relays – Servers that distribute messages between clients without storing them permanently or acting as gatekeepers.

When a user wants to send a message or publish content, their client signs the data using their private key and broadcasts it to multiple relays. Other users who subscribe to those relays can receive and interact with the messages.

Nostr does not have a concept of user accounts managed by a central entity. Instead, identity is established using public and private cryptographic keys. The private key is used to sign messages, while the public key acts as the user’s identity across the network.

Advantages of Nostr

1. Censorship Resistance – Since Nostr does not rely on a central authority, it is much harder for governments or corporations to censor content. Users can publish messages freely, and if one relay refuses to distribute them, they can simply use another.

2. Privacy and Security – Messages are signed using cryptographic keys, ensuring authenticity and reducing the risk of impersonation. Users retain full control over their identities and content.

3. Interoperability – Nostr is not tied to a single platform or application. Developers can create different types of services using the protocol, from microblogging platforms to encrypted messaging apps.

4. Resilience – Since the network relies on multiple relays instead of a single centralized server, it is less susceptible to shutdowns or attacks.

Use Cases for Nostr

• Decentralized Social Media – Platforms like Twitter alternatives can be built on Nostr, allowing users to post updates without fear of censorship.

• Private Messaging – Secure and encrypted messaging applications can be developed using the protocol.

• Blogging and Content Publishing – Writers and journalists can publish articles in a censorship-resistant manner.

• Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Communities – Many Bitcoin enthusiasts are adopting Nostr due to its decentralized nature and alignment with privacy-focused principles.

Challenges and Limitations

While Nostr is a promising technology, it is still in its early stages and faces several challenges:

• Adoption and Network Effects – Since Nostr is not as widely used as traditional social media platforms, building a strong user base is a challenge.

• Spam and Moderation – Without central moderation, handling spam and malicious content is more difficult, requiring innovative solutions such as reputation-based filtering.

• User Experience – Decentralized networks often have a steeper learning curve for new users compared to centralized platforms.

The Future of Nostr

Despite these challenges, Nostr is gaining momentum among privacy advocates, developers, and decentralized technology supporters. With continued development and improvements in usability, Nostr has the potential to reshape online communication by offering a truly decentralized and censorship-resistant platform.

As more developers create applications and services using Nostr, its ecosystem is likely to expand, providing a viable alternative to traditional social media networks. Whether you are a developer, a privacy-conscious user, or someone interested in the future of decentralized internet, Nostr is a technology worth exploring.

Conclusion

Nostr represents a significant step toward a more open and decentralized internet. By removing central points of control and enabling user-driven communication, it empowers individuals to interact freely without the risk of censorship or data exploitation. As the protocol matures and more applications emerge, it could play a crucial role in shaping the next generation of online communication.

If you are interested in experimenting with Nostr, you can start by exploring various Nostr-based applications, setting up your cryptographic keys, and connecting with the growing community of users and developers. The future of decentralized communication is just beginning, and Nostr is at the forefront of this movement.

@ a5142938:0ef19da3

Core Team

The Core Team drives the project and validates the content. - Jean-David Bar

To start, I'm managing the project solo. Contact me if you'd like to join!

Content Enrichers

Our contributors make this site engaging and interesting.

@ 460c25e6:ef85065c

If you don't know where your posts are, you might as well just stay in the centralized Twitter. You either take control of your relay lists, or they will control you. Amethyst offers several lists of relays for our users. We are going to go one by one to help clarify what they are and which options are best for each one.

Public Home/Outbox Relays

Home relays store all YOUR content: all your posts, likes, replies, lists, etc. It's your home. Amethyst will send your posts here first. Your followers will use these relays to get new posts from you. So, if you don't have anything there, they will not receive your updates.

Home relays must allow queries from anyone, ideally without the need to authenticate. They can limit writes to paid users without affecting anyone's experience.

This list should have a maximum of 3 relays. More than that will only make your followers waste their mobile data getting your posts. Keep it simple. Out of the 3 relays, I recommend: - 1 large public, international relay: nos.lol, nostr.mom, relay.damus.io, etc. - 1 personal relay to store a copy of all your content in a place no one can delete. Go to relay.tools and never be censored again. - 1 really fast relay located in your country: paid options like http://nostr.wine are great

Do not include relays that block users from seeing posts in this list. If you do, no one will see your posts.

Public Inbox Relays

This relay type receives all replies, comments, likes, and zaps to your posts. If you are not getting notifications or you don't see replies from your friends, it is likely because you don't have the right setup here. If you are getting too much spam in your replies, it's probably because your inbox relays are not protecting you enough. Paid relays can filter inbox spam out.

Inbox relays must allow anyone to write into them. It's the opposite of the outbox relay. They can limit who can download the posts to their paid subscribers without affecting anyone's experience.

This list should have a maximum of 3 relays as well. Again, keep it small. More than that will just make you spend more of your data plan downloading the same notifications from all these different servers. Out of the 3 relays, I recommend: - 1 large public, international relay: nos.lol, nostr.mom, relay.damus.io, etc. - 1 personal relay to store a copy of your notifications, invites, cashu tokens and zaps. - 1 really fast relay located in your country: go to nostr.watch and find relays in your country

Terrible options include: - nostr.wine should not be here. - filter.nostr.wine should not be here. - inbox.nostr.wine should not be here.

DM Inbox Relays

These are the relays used to receive DMs and private content. Others will use these relays to send DMs to you. If you don't have it setup, you will miss DMs. DM Inbox relays should accept any message from anyone, but only allow you to download them.

Generally speaking, you only need 3 for reliability. One of them should be a personal relay to make sure you have a copy of all your messages. The others can be open if you want push notifications or closed if you want full privacy.

Good options are: - inbox.nostr.wine and auth.nostr1.com: anyone can send messages and only you can download. Not even our push notification server has access to them to notify you. - a personal relay to make sure no one can censor you. Advanced settings on personal relays can also store your DMs privately. Talk to your relay operator for more details. - a public relay if you want DM notifications from our servers.

Make sure to add at least one public relay if you want to see DM notifications.

Private Home Relays

Private Relays are for things no one should see, like your drafts, lists, app settings, bookmarks etc. Ideally, these relays are either local or require authentication before posting AND downloading each user\'s content. There are no dedicated relays for this category yet, so I would use a local relay like Citrine on Android and a personal relay on relay.tools.

Keep in mind that if you choose a local relay only, a client on the desktop might not be able to see the drafts from clients on mobile and vice versa.

Search relays:

This is the list of relays to use on Amethyst's search and user tagging with @. Tagging and searching will not work if there is nothing here.. This option requires NIP-50 compliance from each relay. Hit the Default button to use all available options on existence today: - nostr.wine - relay.nostr.band - relay.noswhere.com

Local Relays:

This is your local storage. Everything will load faster if it comes from this relay. You should install Citrine on Android and write ws://localhost:4869 in this option.

General Relays:

This section contains the default relays used to download content from your follows. Notice how you can activate and deactivate the Home, Messages (old-style DMs), Chat (public chats), and Global options in each.

Keep 5-6 large relays on this list and activate them for as many categories (Home, Messages (old-style DMs), Chat, and Global) as possible.

Amethyst will provide additional recommendations to this list from your follows with information on which of your follows might need the additional relay in your list. Add them if you feel like you are missing their posts or if it is just taking too long to load them.

My setup

Here's what I use: 1. Go to relay.tools and create a relay for yourself. 2. Go to nostr.wine and pay for their subscription. 3. Go to inbox.nostr.wine and pay for their subscription. 4. Go to nostr.watch and find a good relay in your country. 5. Download Citrine to your phone.

Then, on your relay lists, put:

Public Home/Outbox Relays: - nostr.wine - nos.lol or an in-country relay. - .nostr1.com

Public Inbox Relays - nos.lol or an in-country relay - .nostr1.com

DM Inbox Relays - inbox.nostr.wine - .nostr1.com

Private Home Relays - ws://localhost:4869 (Citrine) - .nostr1.com (if you want)

Search Relays - nostr.wine - relay.nostr.band - relay.noswhere.com

Local Relays - ws://localhost:4869 (Citrine)

General Relays - nos.lol - relay.damus.io - relay.primal.net - nostr.mom

And a few of the recommended relays from Amethyst.

Final Considerations

Remember, relays can see what your Nostr client is requesting and downloading at all times. They can track what you see and see what you like. They can sell that information to the highest bidder, they can delete your content or content that a sponsor asked them to delete (like a negative review for instance) and they can censor you in any way they see fit. Before using any random free relay out there, make sure you trust its operator and you know its terms of service and privacy policies.

@ b8af284d:f82c91dd

I'd say that globalization's hunger for cheap labor is a problem, precisely because it's been bad for innovation. Both our working people and our innovators have the same enemy — and the solution is American innovation...

J.D. Vance

Liebe Abonnenten,

der intellektuell brillante Vize-Präsident J.D. Vance hat diese Woche seine Wirtschaftspolitik skizziert. Über deren Grundzüge geht es heute.

Die Geschichte der Globalisierung ist die Geschichte der Suche nach billigen Arbeitskräften. Arbeiter in den westlichen Gesellschaften in den G7-Staaten waren spätestens in den 1980er Jahren gut organisiert und stemmten sich meist erfolgreich gegen Lohnkürzungen und Stellenabbau. Nach dem Zusammenbruch der Sowjetunion 1990 fanden die international tätigen Konzerne auf einmal ein gewaltiges Reservoir an billigen Arbeitskräften - nicht nur, aber vor allem in China.

Dieser Prozess nahm 2001 mit dem Beitritt Chinas zur Welthandelsorganisation nochmals an Fahrt auf. Deutlich wird er am ikonischen Produkt der Neuzeit, dem iPhone. Das erste Modell kam 2007 auf den Markt. Entworfen und designt wurde und wird das Smartphone von Apple in Kalifornien. Gefertigt dagegen wird es von einem der größten Konzerne der Welt. Foxconn beschäftigt allein in China über eine Million Menschen. Hon Hai, wie Foxconn eigentlich heißt, ist übrigens ein taiwanisches Unternehmen.

Dieser Prozess der verlagerten Fertigung hatte mehrere Vorteile: Produkte wurden günstiger. Davon profitierten Konsumenten in der westlichen Welt. Würde man ein iPhone in den USA oder Deutschland herstellen, würde es durch die höheren Löhne zwischen 200 und 300 Euro mehr kosten. Die Konzerne wie Apple konnten somit günstiger produzieren, ihre Margen erhöhen, und ihre Aktienkurse stiegen.

Von diesem Prozess profitierten außerdem Länder wie China: Das monatliche Grundgehalt von Foxconn-Mitarbeitern in Shenzhen erscheint mit rund 400 Euro im Monat noch immer grotesk niedrig. Für viele Chinesen vom Land bedeutet ein Job in der Fabrik allerdings ein Gehaltssprung von mehreren hundert Prozent. Es gibt keinen Grund, die Arbeitsbedingungen bei Foxconn schönzureden. Zur Wahrheit gehört aber auch, dass sich die allermeisten Wanderarbeiter nicht ausgebeutet oder als Opfer fühlen. Im Gegenteil: In meiner Zeit in China stieß ich meist auf Menschen, die sich als selbstwirksamer empfanden als viele Festangestellte mit 30 Urlaubstagen im Westen. Länder, mit billigen Arbeitskräften, profitierten also von diesem Prozess und kletterten so auf der globalen Wertschöpfungskette nach oben.

Etwa zeitgleich nahm auch in westlichen Ländern die Immigration zu. Der Anteil der im Ausland geborenen Bevölkerung stieg von etwa 7,9 Prozent im Jahr 1990 auf 13,7 Prozent im Jahr 2021, was den höchsten Stand seit 1910 darstellt. In Deutschland stieg der „Ausländer“-Anteil von knapp 7 Prozent 1990 auf 27 Prozent 2023. Viele Unternehmen hatten also sowohl international als auch national Zugriff auf günstige Arbeitskräfte. In Europa wurden diese zudem dringend gebraucht, um das in Schieflage geratene Rentensystem zu stabilisieren.

Die Nachteile dieses Megatrends wurden zunächst in den USA sichtbar: Immer mehr Unternehmen in den USA verlagerten ihre Produktion nach China. Hinzu kam der Status des US-Dollars als Weltreservewährung. Durch die konstante Nachfrage nach Dollar bleibt dieser stark, und macht amerikanische Exporte teurer. Eine Deindustrialisierung setzte ein, die vielen Menschen ihren Job kostete. Zeitgleich wuchs das Handelsbilanzdefizit mit China immer weiter. Hinzu kam eine konstante Erhöhung der Geldmenge. Amerikaner mit „hard assets“, Immobilien und Aktien, wurden tendenziell reicher. Der Rest aber nicht. Kurz: Konzerne verdienten gut, die Wirtschaft wuchs, nur bei den Amerikanern selbst blieb immer weniger hängen.

Worum es J.D. Vance also geht: Innovation und Arbeitsplätze in die USA zurückzuholen. Dafür müssen Schutzmauern errichtet werden: gegen die illegale Einwanderung billiger Arbeitskräfte und billiger Waren. Zölle dienen dazu, ausländische Waren zu verteuern, und somit Unternehmen Anreize zu geben, direkt in den USA zu investieren. Kürzlich gab Siemens bekannt, zehn Milliarden Euro in amerikanische KI-Rechenzentren zu investieren. Was wohl auch Teil des Trump-Derangement-Syndroms ist: die Wahrnehmung der amerikanischen Zollpolitik. Kaum ein Land hat aktuell so niedrige Zollschranken wie die Vereinigten Staaten.

\ Kurz gesagt: iPhones sollen demnach nicht nur in den USA entworfen, sondern auch in amerikanischen Fabriken zusammengeschraubt werden. Alles hoch-inflationär, wenden Kritiker ein. Wer globale Lieferketten abreißt, und ins eigene Land zurückholt, hat mit viel höheren Kosten zu kämpfen. Also steigt die Inflation. Diesen Prozess will die US-Regierung mit günstigeren Energiekosten kontern. Egal ob Solar-, Nuklear- oder Fracking - jede Energiequelle soll dafür Recht sein.

Schließlich soll eine strikte Haushaltsdisziplin (DOGE) unnötige Ausgaben vermeiden, und die Bürokratie abbauen. Im Gegenzug können dann die Steuern gesenkt werden. Die Einkommensteuer für Familien mit einem Jahreseinkommen bis zu 150000 US-Dollar soll komplett gestrichen werden.

Tl/DR:

• Migration begrenzen, um Billigarbeit zu verhindern
• Zölle errichten, um amerikanische Produktion zu stärken
• Günstige Energiequellen priorisieren, um Inflation zu verhindern
• Staatsausgaben radikal kürzen
• Steuern radikal senken

Kann das Projekt klappen? Vielleicht. Das Megaprojekt Globalisierung zurückzudrehen, oder zumindest etwas zu bremsen, ist ein Wagnis. Zölle bergen die Gefahr der Inflation und eines Handelskriegs. Unsicher ist, ob von einer Deregulierung weiterer Branchen am Ende wirklich amerikanische Arbeiter profitieren. Und wie innovativ können Unternehmen sein, wenn sie am Ende mehr Geld für ihre Beschäftigten ausgeben müssen, anstatt es in Forschung und Entwicklung zu investieren? Was geschieht, wenn der Rest der Welt nicht mitmacht, und sich immer weiter vernetzt? Werden die USA am Ende eine einsame Zoll-Insel? In ein paar Monaten dürfte sich langsam abzeichnen, ob das Projekt funktioniert.

Mehr dazu:

Der Mar-a-Largo-Accord - wie eine neue Finanzordnung entsteht

Was dagegen nicht klappen wird, ist das deutsche Projekt. Friedrich Merz hat mit einem „Husarenstück“ (SZ) mit einem abgewählten Bundestag eine Verfassungsänderung durchgepeitscht. Mindestens 500 Milliarden Euro neue Schulden werden gemacht, das Militär erhält einen Blankoscheck für neue Anschaffungen. Bürokratie wird nicht abgebaut. Die Unter- und Mittelschicht wird nicht entlastet. Das 100-Milliarden Zugeständnis an die Grünen sorgt dafür, dass Energie nicht günstiger wird. Ein bisschen Innovation werden die neuen Panzer- und Drohnen-Fabriken schon bringen. Am Ende aber bleibt Rüstung totes Kapital. Im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes.

Was das neue Wirtschaftsprogramm für Bitcoin bedeutet - haben wir den Boden gesehen?

Mehr dazu im Paid-Teil

@ 66675158:1b644430

I don't believe in "vibe coding" – it's just the newest Silicon Valley fad trying to give meaning to their latest favorite technology, LLMs. We've seen this pattern before with blockchain, when suddenly Non Fungible Tokens appeared, followed by Web3 startups promising to revolutionize everything from social media to supply chains. VCs couldn't throw money fast enough at anything with "decentralized" (in name only) in the pitch deck. Andreessen Horowitz launched billion-dollar crypto funds, while Y Combinator batches filled with blockchain startups promising to be "Uber for X, but on the blockchain."

The metaverse mania followed, with Meta betting its future on digital worlds where we'd supposedly hang out as legless avatars. Decentralized (in name only) autonomous organizations emerged as the next big thing – supposedly democratic internet communities that ended up being the next scam for quick money.

Then came the inevitable collapse. The FTX implosion in late 2022 revealed fraud, Luna/Terra's death spiral wiped out billions (including my ten thousand dollars), while Celsius and BlockFi froze customer assets before bankruptcy.

By 2023, crypto winter had fully set in. The SEC started aggressive enforcement actions, while users realized that blockchain technology had delivered almost no practical value despite a decade of promises.

Blockchain's promises tapped into fundamental human desires – decentralization resonated with a generation disillusioned by traditional institutions. Evangelists presented a utopian vision of freedom from centralized control. Perhaps most significantly, crypto offered a sense of meaning in an increasingly abstract world, making the clear signs of scams harder to notice.

The technology itself had failed to solve any real-world problems at scale. By 2024, the once-mighty crypto ecosystem had become a cautionary tale. Venture firms quietly scrubbed blockchain references from their websites while founders pivoted to AI and large language models.

---

Most reading this are likely fellow bitcoiners and nostr users who understand that Bitcoin is blockchain's only valid use case. But I shared that painful history because I believe the AI-hype cycle will follow the same trajectory.

Just like with blockchain, we're now seeing VCs who once couldn't stop talking about "Web3" falling over themselves to fund anything with "AI" in the pitch deck. The buzzwords have simply changed from "decentralized" to "intelligent."

"Vibe coding" is the perfect example – a trendy name for what is essentially just fuzzy instructions to LLMs. Developers who've spent years honing programming skills are now supposed to believe that "vibing" with an AI is somehow a legitimate methodology.

This might be controversial to some, but obvious to others:

Formal, context-free grammar will always remain essential for building precise systems, regardless of how advanced natural language technology becomes

The mathematical precision of programming languages provides a foundation that human language's ambiguity can never replace. Programming requires precision – languages, compilers, and processors operate on explicit instructions, not vibes. What "vibe coding" advocates miss is that beneath every AI-generated snippet lies the same deterministic rules that have always governed computation.

LLMs don't understand code in any meaningful sense—they've just ingested enormous datasets of human-written code and can predict patterns. When they "work," it's because they've seen similar patterns before, not because they comprehend the underlying logic.

This creates a dangerous dependency. Junior developers "vibing" with LLMs might get working code without understanding the fundamental principles. When something breaks in production, they'll lack the knowledge to fix it.

Even experienced developers can find themselves in treacherous territory when relying too heavily on LLM-generated code. What starts as a productivity boost can transform into a dependency crutch.

The real danger isn't just technical limitations, but the false confidence it instills. Developers begin to believe they understand systems they've merely instructed an AI to generate – fundamentally different from understanding code you've written yourself.

We're already seeing the warning signs: projects cobbled together with LLM-generated code that work initially but become maintenance nightmares when requirements change or edge cases emerge.

The venture capital money is flowing exactly as it did with blockchain. Anthropic raised billions, OpenAI is valued astronomically despite minimal revenue, and countless others are competing to build ever-larger models with vague promises. Every startup now claims to be "AI-powered" regardless of whether it makes sense.

Don't get me wrong—there's genuine innovation happening in AI research. But "vibe coding" isn't it. It's a marketing term designed to make fuzzy prompting sound revolutionary.

Cursor perfectly embodies this AI hype cycle. It's an AI-enhanced code editor built on VS Code that promises to revolutionize programming by letting you "chat with your codebase." Just like blockchain startups promised to "revolutionize" industries, Cursor promises to transform development by adding LLM capabilities.

Yes, Cursor can be genuinely helpful. It can explain unfamiliar code, suggest completions, and help debug simple issues. After trying it for just an hour, I found the autocomplete to be MAGICAL for simple refactoring and basic functionality.

But the marketing goes far beyond reality. The suggestion that you can simply describe what you want and get production-ready code is dangerously misleading. What you get are approximations with:

• Security vulnerabilities the model doesn't understand
• Edge cases it hasn't considered
• Performance implications it can't reason about
• Dependency conflicts it has no way to foresee

The most concerning aspect is how such tools are marketed to beginners as shortcuts around learning fundamentals. "Why spend years learning to code when you can just tell AI what you want?" This is reminiscent of how crypto was sold as a get-rich-quick scheme requiring no actual understanding.

When you "vibe code" with an AI, you're not eliminating complexity—you're outsourcing understanding to a black box. This creates developers who can prompt but not program, who can generate but not comprehend.

The real utility of LLMs in development is in augmenting existing workflows:

• Explaining unfamiliar codebases
• Generating boilerplate for well-understood patterns
• Suggesting implementations that a developer evaluates critically
• Assisting with documentation and testing

These uses involve the model as a subordinate assistant to a knowledgeable developer, not as a replacement for expertise. This is where the technology adds value—as a sophisticated tool in skilled hands.

Cursor is just a better hammer, not a replacement for understanding what you're building. The actual value emerges when used by developers who understand what happens beneath the abstractions. They can recognize when AI suggestions make sense and when they don't because they have the fundamental knowledge to evaluate output critically.

This is precisely where the "vibe coding" narrative falls apart.

@ 306555fe:fd7fdf12

Blossom Uploader for Nostr

In my mini project to publish from Joplin to Nostr, I wanted to move to publishing images in a Joplin note to some internet file hosting. So the obvious is something like imgur or imgbb and these require account creation and use of an API key.

The nostr way of doing things is to use blossom and your nsec is the authentication, noice!

So I noticed that nostr.build now has a service at https://blossom.band/

It seems to be a very nice service with:

Backed by the time-proven and highly available infrastructure of Nostr.build, with global reach and a fast CDN network. Every distinct user's npub gets their own server domain that is not shared by anyone but the owner of that npub.

They also have a free tier which is good for experimentation, their paid plans are at https://nostr.build/plans/ . I'm still yet to figure out of they are a candidate for self-hosting or just for media. That's another research project.

Anywayzzz this here article is my test to publish from Joplin for long form posts. When I was doing wordpress posts, I preferred to write up in Joplin with all its note-taking nice-ness, search, tagging, plugins. I've tried Habla and YakiHonne but I miss my Joplin workflow and tools. So, I've written this in Joplin and using my plugin to test for the article be uploaded as long form (NIP-23) post.

Still trying to figure out how to get the markdown transferring across cleanly. Sorry, this is a test.

---

---

---

I made a test project to understand Blossom https://github.com/djinoz/blossom_uploader
🙉
Take #2: Explicity set kind:30023

Blossom Uploader for Nostr

A Node.js command-line tool to upload images and media files to various services compatible with Nostr notes, with full support for the Blossom protocol.

Installation

npm install

Usage

node blossom_uploader.js [options] <files...>

Options

• -s, --service <service>: Upload service to use (default: "imgbb")
• -k, --key <key>: API key for the service (if required)
• -u, --url <url>: Custom URL for the service (required for blossom)
• -n, --nsec <nsec>: Nostr private key (nsec) for blossom authentication
• -d, --debug: Show debug information
• -o, --output <format>: Output format: json or url (default: "url")
• -h, --help: Display help
• -V, --version: Output the version number

Examples

Upload a single image using ImgBB (default):

node blossom_uploader.js path/to/image.jpg

Upload using Imgur:

node blossom_uploader.js -s imgur image1.png

Use your own ImgBB API key:

node blossom_uploader.js -s imgbb -k YOUR_API_KEY image.png

Upload to a Blossom server using your nsec private key:

node blossom_uploader.js -s blossom -u https://blossom.band/upload -n nsec1... image.png

Get JSON output:

node blossom_uploader.js -o json image.jpg

@ b8851a06:9b120ba1

The digital guillotine has fallen. The Bybit hack wasn’t just a theft—it was a surgical strike exposing the fatal flaw of “crypto” that isn’t Bitcoin. This wasn’t a bug. It was a feature of a system designed to fail.

Here’s how North Korea’s Lazarus Group stole $1.5B in ETH, why “decentralized finance” is a joke, and how Bitcoin remains the only exit from this circus.

I. The Heist: How Centralized “Crypto” Betrayed Its Users

A. The Multisig Mousetrap (Or: Why You’re Still Using a Bank)

Bybit’s Ethereum cold wallet used multisig, requiring multiple approvals for transactions. Sounds secure, right? Wrong. • The Con: Hackers didn’t pick the lock; they tricked the keyholders using a UI masking attack. The wallet interface showed “SEND TO BYBIT”, but the smart contract was whispering “SEND TO PYONGYANG.” • Bitcoin Parallel: Bitcoin’s multisig is enforced on hardware, not a website UI. No browser spoofing, no phishing emails—just raw cryptography.

Ethereum’s multisig is a vault with a touchscreen PIN pad. Bitcoin’s is a mechanical safe with a key only you hold. Guess which one got robbed?

B. Smart Contracts: Dumb as a Bag of Hammers

The thieves didn’t “hack” Ethereum—they exploited its smart contract complexity. • Bybit’s security depended on a Safe.global contract. Lazarus simply tricked Bybit into approving a malicious upgrade. • Imagine a vending machine that’s programmed to take your money but never give you a soda. That’s Ethereum’s “trustless” tech.

Why Bitcoin Wins: Bitcoin doesn’t do “smart contracts” in the Ethereum sense. Its scripting language is deliberately limited—less code, fewer attack vectors.

Ethereum is a Lego tower; Bitcoin is a granite slab. One topples, one doesn’t.

II. The Laundering: Crypto’s Dirty Little Secret

A. Mixers, Bridges, and the Art of Spycraft

Once the ETH was stolen, Lazarus laundered it at lightspeed: 1. Mixers (eXch) – Obfuscating transaction trails. 2. Bridges (Chainflip) – Swapping ETH for Bitcoin because that’s the only exit that matters.

Bitcoin Reality Check: Bitcoin’s privacy tools (like CoinJoin) are self-custodial—no third-party mixers. You keep control, not some “decentralized” website waiting to be hacked.

Ethereum’s “bridges” are burning rope ladders. Bitcoin’s privacy? An underground tunnel only you control.

B. The $1.5B Lie: “Decentralized” Exchanges Are a Myth

Bybit’s “cold wallet” was on Safe.global—a so-called “decentralized” custodian. Translation? A website with extra steps. • When Safe.global got breached, the private keys were stolen instantly. • “Decentralized” means nothing if your funds depend on one website, one server, one weak link.

Bitcoin’s Answer: Self-custody. Hardware wallets. Cold storage. No trusted third parties.

Using Safe.global is like hiding your life savings in a gym locker labeled “STEAL ME.”

III. The Culprits: State-Sponsored Hackers & Crypto’s Original Sin

A. Lazarus Group: Crypto’s Robin Hood (For Dictators)

North Korea’s hackers didn’t break cryptography—they broke people. • Phishing emails disguised as job offers. • Bribes & social engineering targeting insiders. • DeFi governance manipulation (because Proof-of-Stake is just shareholder voting in disguise).

Bitcoin’s Shield: No CEO to bribe. No “upgrade buttons” to exploit. No governance tokens to manipulate. Code is law—and Bitcoin’s law is written in stone.

Ethereum’s security model is “trust us.” Bitcoin’s is “verify.”

B. The $3B Elephant: Altcoins Fund Dictators

Since 2017, Lazarus has stolen $3B+ in crypto, funding North Korea’s missile program.

Why? Because Ethereum, Solana, and XRP are built on Proof-of-Stake (PoS)—which centralizes power in the hands of a few rich validators. • Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work: Miners secure the network through energy-backed cryptography. • Altcoins’ Proof-of-Stake: Security is dictated by who owns the most tokens.

Proof-of-Stake secures oligarchs. Proof-of-Work secures money. That’s why Lazarus can drain altcoin treasuries but hasn’t touched Bitcoin’s network.

IV. Bybit’s Survival: A Centralized Circus

A. The Bailout: Banks 2.0

Bybit took bridge loans from “undisclosed partners” (read: Wall Street vultures). • Just like a traditional bank, Bybit printed liquidity out of thin air to stay solvent. • If that sounds familiar, it’s because crypto exchanges are just banks in hoodies.

Bitcoin Contrast: No loans. No bailouts. No “trust.” Just 21 million coins, mathematically secured.

Bybit’s solvency is a confidence trick. Bitcoin’s solvency is math.

B. The Great Withdrawal Panic

Within hours, 350,000+ users scrambled to withdraw funds.

A digital bank run—except this isn’t a bank. It’s an exchange that pretended to be decentralized.

Bitcoin fixes this: your wallet isn’t an IOU. It’s actual money.

Bybit = a TikTok influencer promising riches. Bitcoin = the gold in your basement.

V. The Fallout: Regulators vs Reality

A. ETH’s 8% Crash vs Bitcoin’s Unshakable Base

Ethereum tanked because it’s a tech stock, not money. Bitcoin? Dropped 2% and stabilized.

No CEO, no headquarters, no attack surface.

B. The Regulatory Trap

Now the bureaucrats come in demanding: 1. Wallet audits (they don’t understand public ledgers). 2. Mixer bans (criminalizing privacy). 3. KYC everything (turning crypto into a surveillance state).

Bitcoin’s Rebellion: You can’t audit what’s already transparent. You can’t ban what’s unstoppable.

VI. Conclusion: Burn the Altcoins, Stack the Sats

The Bybit hack isn’t a crypto problem. It’s an altcoin problem.

Ethereum’s smart contracts, DeFi bridges, and “decentralized” wallets are Swiss cheese for hackers. Bitcoin? A titanium vault.

The Only Lessons That Matter:

✅ Multisig isn’t enough unless it’s Bitcoin’s hardware-enforced version. ✅ Complexity kills—every altcoin “innovation” is a security risk waiting to happen.

Lazarus Group won this round because “crypto” ignored Bitcoin’s design. The solution isn’t better regulations—it’s better money.

Burn the tokens. Unplug the servers. Bitcoin is the exit.

Take your money off exchanges. Be sovereign.

@ 6e0ea5d6:0327f353

"Malcolm Forbes recounts that a lady, wearing a faded cotton dress, and her husband, dressed in an old handmade suit, stepped off a train in Boston, USA, and timidly made their way to the office of the president of Harvard University. They had come from Palo Alto, California, and had not scheduled an appointment. The secretary, at a glance, thought that those two, looking like country bumpkins, had no business at Harvard.
— We want to speak with the president — the man said in a low voice.
— He will be busy all day — the secretary replied curtly.
— We will wait.
The secretary ignored them for hours, hoping the couple would finally give up and leave. But they stayed there, and the secretary, somewhat frustrated, decided to bother the president, although she hated doing that.
— If you speak with them for just a few minutes, maybe they will decide to go away — she said.
The president sighed in irritation but agreed. Someone of his importance did not have time to meet people like that, but he hated faded dresses and tattered suits in his office. With a stern face, he went to the couple.
— We had a son who studied at Harvard for a year — the woman said. — He loved Harvard and was very happy here, but a year ago he died in an accident, and we would like to erect a monument in his honor somewhere on campus.

— My lady — said the president rudely —, we cannot erect a statue for every person who studied at Harvard and died; if we did, this place would look like a cemetery.

— Oh, no — the lady quickly replied. — We do not want to erect a statue. We would like to donate a building to Harvard.

The president looked at the woman's faded dress and her husband's old suit and exclaimed:

— A building! Do you have even the faintest idea of how much a building costs? We have more than seven and a half million dollars' worth of buildings here at Harvard.

The lady was silent for a moment, then said to her husband:

— If that’s all it costs to found a university, why don’t we have our own?

The husband agreed.

The couple, Leland Stanford, stood up and left, leaving the president confused. Traveling back to Palo Alto, California, they established there Stanford University, the second-largest in the world, in honor of their son, a former Harvard student."

Text extracted from: "Mileumlivros - Stories that Teach Values."

Thank you for reading, my friend! If this message helped you in any way, consider leaving your glass “🥃” as a token of appreciation.

A toast to our family!

@ 2fb77d26:c47a6ee1

»Pershing II« – das war eines der ersten englischen Wörter, das mir als Kind geläufig war. Es handelt sich um die Typenbezeichnung einer US-Mittelstreckenrakete, einer nuklearen Boden-Boden-Rakete, die mit einem thermonuklearen Sprengkopf vom Typ W85 ausgestattet war, eine Reichweite von etwa 1.800 km hatte und somit von Süddeutschland aus Ziele im westlichen Russland binnen fünf Minuten erreichen konnte. Es war Anfang der 1980er Jahre. Die Zeit des Kalten Krieges. Eine Bezeichnung, die George Orwell mit seinem Essay »You and the Atomic Bomb« (Du und die Atombombe) im Jahre 1945 geprägt hatte. Die Fronten waren verhärtet.

Die westdeutsche Friedensbewegung protestierte lautstark gegen die Stationierung von Atomsprengköpfen auf heimischem Boden. Nachdem die im NATO-Doppelbeschluss vom 12. Dezember 1979 vereinbarten Abrüstungsverhandlungen zwischen den Atommächten jedoch erfolglos geblieben waren, entschied der Deutsche Bundestag am 22. November 1983, der Stationierung von US-Atomwaffen im Lande zuzustimmen. Diese war 1985 abgeschlossen und ganze 120 Exemplare der todbringenden Massenvernichtungswaffe in der Bundesrepublik verteilt worden. Außer Deutschland tat kein Land den USA diesen Gefallen.

Ich hatte die militärische Artikelbezeichnung »Pershing II« im Radio aufgeschnappt, welcher zu Hause fast durchgehend in Betrieb war, und später ein paar Bilder der Raketen in den Abendnachrichten gesehen. Noch gab es nur ARD, ZDF und das Regionalprogramm. Dementsprechend rar waren visuelle Informationen. Und aufgrund meiner frühen Begeisterung für Fluggeräte aller Art, zeichnete ich daraufhin ständig Raketen. Da ich außerdem bereits in diesem zarten Alter von fünf oder sechs Jahren extrem von Musik angetan war und durchweg versuchte, englische Songtexte, zum Beispiel von den Beatles, dem Klang der Stimmen folgend nachzusingen, übte auch der fremd klingende Begriff »Pershing II« eine gewisse Faszination auf mich aus.

Was mir meine Eltern diesbezüglich sagten oder erklärten, kann ich leider nicht mehr erinnern – als erklärte Pazifisten nahmen sie die latente Gefahr eines Nuklearkrieges aber sicher nicht mit der spielerisch-kindlichen Leichtigkeit, die ich im Umgang mit gemalten oder gebastelten Raketen an den Tag legte. Das Thema nukleare Kriegsführung beherrschte die Nachrichten dieser Zeit und erzeugte Angst. Denn Militärstrategen sprachen Anfang der 1980er Jahre allen Ernstes davon, dass der Atomkrieg zwischenzeitlich präziser und somit auch führbarer geworden sei. Damals wie heute – absoluter Irrsinn.

Neben der Berlin-Blockade 1948/1949 und der Kuba-Krise, war die Auseinandersetzung um die Stationierung von Mittelstreckenraketen in Westeuropa von 1979 bis 1983 also eine der drei kritischsten Phasen des Kalten Krieges.

Nie war die Welt einem fatalen wie letalen nuklearen Schlagabtausch der Supermächte näher als zu diesen drei Zeitpunkten in der Geschichte. Bis heute, so scheint es.

Denn die stetig eskalierende Ukraine-Krise rückt dieses vergessen geglaubte Horror-Szenario wieder in den Fokus der Öffentlichkeit. Polit-Darsteller wie der Maoist und China-Fan Robert Habeck äußern dieser Tage dummdreist, keine Angst vor einem Dritten Weltkrieg zu haben. Sogenannte Sicherheitsexperten erklären im ZDF, dass man sich vor Putins Bomben nicht fürchten solle, obwohl man in Mainz permanent Angst schürt und schon am 5. Mai 2022 titelt, »Moskau simuliert Atomangriff in Kaliningrad«.

Der »Beobachter Gesundheit« gibt Tipps dazu, wie man die Panik vor einem Atomkrieg mental in den Griff bekommen kann, während das deutsche BBK (Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe) der Bevölkerung bereits empfiehlt, im Zuge der Ukraine-Krise Notvorräte anzulegen und Marschgepäck bereitzuhalten. Auf der Webseite »wikiHow« findet sich ein sehr umfassender, bebilderter Ratgeber mit dem Titel »Einen Atomkrieg überleben«. Beim Lesen der zahlreichen, mutmaßlich nur bedingt hilfreichen Tipps zur Meisterung der nuklearen Apokalypse dürfte jedem normalen Menschen etwas mulmig werden.

Hofberichterstatter Ruprecht Polenz lässt sich beim Propaganda-Multiplikator ZEIT ONLINE am 30. April 2022 dennoch zu der wagemutigen Formulierung verleiten, »wer einen Atomkrieg verhindern will, darf Putin nicht gewinnen lassen«. Solch ein Statement ist nicht nur falsch und realitätsfremd, sondern zeugt gleichsam von der bewussten Negierung von Faktenlage und historischen Hintergründen zur Ukraine-Krise. Dabei könnte man es durchaus besser wissen.

Die RAND-Corporation, ein im Jahre 1948 gegründeter, einflussreicher Think Tank der US-Hegemonie, veröffentlichte zum Beispiel schon im Jahr 2019 ein vielsagendes, 354 Seiten umfassendes Strategiepapier unter der Überschrift »Overextending and Unbalancing Russia«. Frei übersetzt: Eine Strategie, um Russland überzustrapazieren und aus dem Gleichgewicht zu bringen – ökonomisch, militärisch und gesellschaftlich – mit dem singulären Ziel, die geopolitische Dominanz der Vereinigten Staaten zu bewahren. Ein durchdachtes Drehbuch zur finalen Erniedrigung und Bezwingung des ewigen Klassenfeindes sowie dem Erhalt der unipolaren Weltordnung, der Pax Americana.

Der Ansatz der RAND-Corporation: Die Osterweiterung der NATO forcieren, das Ansehen Russlands in der Welt zerstören, kostenintensives, nukleares Wettrüsten, die Ukraine bewaffnen, um einen militärischen Stellvertreterkonflikt mit Putin zu provozieren, um die ehemalige Sowjetunion anschließend mittels internationaler Sanktionen – legitimiert durch den brodelnden Krieg – finanziell in die Knie zu zwingen.

Verblüffend, wie sehr doch die im RAND-Strategiepapier aufgezeigte Vorgehensweise den aktuellen Geschehnissen an den Außengrenzen des Riesenreiches gleicht. Fast macht es den Anschein, als folgten die Geostrategen in Washington den Empfehlungen ihrer kostspieligen Think Tanks. Dies ließ sich auch im Zuge der Corona-Krise beobachten, die im Ablauf fraglos dem von der Rockefeller-Stiftung erarbeiteten Pandemie-Szenario »Lock Step« glich, wie Journalist Norbert Häring bereits am 28. Mai 2020 ausführlich berichtet.

Was das totalitäre Krisen-Drehbuch der RAND-Corporation nicht detailliert behandelt, sind die akuten Risiken einer potenziellen nuklearen Eskalation. Denn es endet mit dem möglichen Aufkeimen eines militärischen Konflikts und schließt schlicht mit dem Hinweis:

»Auch wenn die US-Armee nicht direkt an der Operation beteiligt ist, wird sie eine Schlüsselrolle bei der Abmilderung der Folgen spielen. Wie bereits erwähnt, bergen alle Maßnahmen, die der Schwächung Russlands dienen, einiges an Risiko. Infolgedessen werden das Abschreckungspotential sowie die operativen Fähigkeiten des US-Militärs in Europa gestärkt werden müssen. Es besteht die Möglichkeit, dass die Spannungen mit Russland zu einem Konflikt eskalieren.«

Die USA betrachten den Einsatz von Atomwaffen dabei offensichtlich als probates Mittel. Warum sonst modernisieren die Amerikaner seit Jahren ihr Arsenal und geben Milliarden US-Dollar dafür aus? Das macht eigentlich nur Sinn, wenn man plant, diese Waffen irgendwann einzusetzen. Der »Plot« für die Events nach dem Aufflammen einer militärischen Auseinandersetzung mit Russland ist vermutlich Verschlusssache und liegt nur Eingeweihten im Weißen Haus, Pentagon, CIA-Hauptquartier sowie den Verbündeten in EU und NATO-Hauptquartier vor.

Das ist bedauerlich. Denn ein Einblick in die aktuellen militärischen Planspiele und strategischen Szenarien der NATO-Hegemonie wäre hilfreich, um zu verstehen, ob die Arroganz des Westens tatsächlich einen Punkt erreicht hat, an dem man einen Atomkrieg in Kauf nehmen würde, um Russland und China auf ihre Plätze zu verweisen und im globalen Club der Technokraten am Kopfende zu sitzen. Um einen Konflikt der Systeme – Kapitalismus, Sozialismus, Kommunismus – handelt es sich nämlich nicht, auch wenn Medien dies gerne so darstellen, sondern um Machtkämpfe innerhalb der internationalen Oligarchie. Die drei Machtblöcke kämpfen um Vorherrschaft in der totalitären Weltordnung der nahen Zukunft.

Die Frage ist nur: Tun sie dies einvernehmlich – oder handelt es sich an Russlands Grenzen um ernsthafte, kriegerische Auseinandersetzungen, die in letzter Konsequenz militärisch entschieden werden müssen? Das RAND-Strategiepapier scheint davon auszugehen, dass Wirtschafts- und Informationskrieg, begleitet von NATO-Drohgebärden, ausreichen, um das Rennen zu Gunsten des Wertewestens zu entscheiden. Es gilt zu hoffen, dass diese Interpretation des Schriftstücks zutrifft. Ansonsten läuft die moderne Zivilisation Gefahr, sich in die Steinzeit zurückzubomben. Wie das aussieht, zeigt eindrücklich der Film »The Day After« (Der Tag danach) aus dem Jahre 1983.

Der zwei Stunden lange Streifen von Regisseur Nicholas Meyer ist bildgewaltig, beängstigend, ernüchternd und deprimierend. Er zeigt nicht nur, wie binnen weniger Tage aus einem Kalten Krieg ein Atomkrieg wird, sondern auch, was dessen schreckliche Folgen sind. Schon ein kurzer, etwas mehr als acht Minuten langer Zusammenschnitt macht klar, dass man ein absoluter Narr sein muss, um keine Angst vor thermonuklearen Angriffen zu haben.

Im Film gibt der US-Oberbefehlshaber nach der Zerstörung des NATO-Hauptquartiers den Befehl zum Atomschlag. Das entsprechende NATO-Protokoll wird aktiviert und die Raketensilos einsatzbereit gemacht. Das Drehbuch lässt offen, wer den Erstschlag führt. Klar ist, dass sobald die Sprengköpfe des Westens unterwegs sind, Russland einen Gegenangriff mit 300 Interkontinentalraketen auslöst und die Vereinigten Staaten in die Steinzeit bombt.

Überall im Land der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten steigen feurige Atompilze in den Himmel. Metropolen werden in Sekunden ausradiert, Lebewesen, Pflanzen und Gebäude verdampfen in Feuersbrünsten um den Einschlagsort, ganze Landstriche werden vom Erdboden getilgt – und schon in den ersten Minuten nach Explosion der Nuklearsprengköpfe sterben weite Teile der Bevölkerung. 90 Millionen innerhalb weniger Stunden, wie eine Simulation mit dem etwas unheimlichen Titel »Plan A« der Princeton-Universität von 2019 berechnet hat.

Der eigentliche Horror beginnt allerdings erst. Denn die schlimmsten Szenen des Films sind jene, die den Zustand der Welt zwei Wochen nach den Atomschlägen zeigen. Im Land herrscht Anomie. Chaos und Zerstörung, wohin man schaut. Vorindustrielle Zustände. Die Städte sind unbewohnbar und die Überlebenden leiden an Strahlenkrankheit. Haare und Zähne fallen aus. Bei manchen binnen weniger Stunden oder Tage, bei anderen dauert es Wochen. Ein grausamer Tod auf Raten. Alles stirbt, siecht dahin. In den Ruinen entstehen Flüchtlingslager. Seuchen brechen aus. Militärkommandos erschießen willkürlich Menschen. Recht, Gerichte und Prozesse gibt es nicht mehr. Und um zu überleben, bewaffnen sich schlussendlich auch die Zivilisten und töten sich gegenseitig. Absolute Barbarei.

»The Day After« erklärt nicht, wer diesen Krieg gewinnt, nennt keinen Sieger. Vermutlich, weil Regisseur Nicholas Meyer schmerzlich bewusst war, dass es bei einem ausgewachsenen Atomkrieg keine Gewinner geben kann.

Er bedeutet das Ende der modernen Zivilisation. Nicht umsonst hat Albert Einstein früh vor militärischem Missbrauch entsprechender wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisse gewarnt. So lässt der Streifen aus Zeiten das kalten Krieges auch das Ende offen. Kein Hollywood-Finale. Kein Happy End. Die beklemmenden Gefühle bleiben. Weder Will Smith noch James Bond tauchen auf, um die Welt in letzter Minute doch noch zu retten. Sie ist kaputt. Tot. Eine nuklear verseuchte Wüste. Kein Hoffnungsschimmer am Horizont.

Wer das Pech hatte, die Erstschläge zu überleben, stirbt langsam, aber sicher – und vor allem qualvoll.

Vielleicht sollten Spitzenpolitiker, Dogmatiker, Propagandisten und Kriegshetzer von heute sich diesen Film einmal in Ruhe anschauen, bevor sie leichtfertig derartige Optionen in Betracht ziehen. Ich habe »The Day After« nur ein einziges Mal in meinem Leben gesehen – wenige Monate, nachdem ich den Begriff »Pershing II« das erste Mal als kleines Kind im Radio hörte und meine Eltern neugierig fragte, was es damit auf sich hat – das war ausreichend. Die Eindrücke wirken bis heute. Ich bin mir auch mehr als dreißig Jahre später immer noch der unverrückbaren, indiskutablen Tatsache bewusst, dass es niemals zu einem Atomkrieg kommen darf. Jeder, der diesen Film gesehen, wird das unterschreiben.

Ich jedenfalls werde nie vergessen, wie ich eines nachts heimlich im dunklen Wohnzimmer der heimischen Dachwohnung ganz nahe vor dem Fernseher saß. Eigentlich durfte ich nur ein paar Mal in der Woche ausgewählte Kindersendungen anschauen. Aber meine Eltern schliefen bereits. Es muss circa 23:00 Uhr gewesen sein, denn nach den Spätfilmen war damals in der Regel Sendeschluss. Und das was war meist gegen eins oder halb zwei.

Just als ich den kleinen Röhrenfernseher anschaltete, begann »im Ersten« der bis heute in mir nachhallende Spielfilm. Der Tag danach. Zunächst begeistert von den vielen Raketen und irgendwie noch fasziniert von den mir bis dato unbekannten, riesigen Explosionen, die Atombomben auslösen, blieb ich gebannt sitzen. Wie versteinert. Bis zur Schlussszene, in der sich eine Handvoll strahlenverseuchter, zerrissener, verrottender Menschen, die kaum noch Haare auf dem Kopf haben und aussehen wie Zombies, in den staubigen Ruinen einer leeren Großstadt kraftlos in den Armen liegen und hilflos schluchzen. Die Kamera zieht auf. Dann Schwarzblende – und eine letzte, dünne, einsam flehende Stimme im Äther:

»Hello, is anybody there? Anybody at all?«  (Hallo, ist da jemand? Irgendjemand?)

@ c631e267:c2b78d3e

Spanien bleibt einer der Vorreiter im europäischen Prozess der totalen Überwachung per Digitalisierung. Seit Mittwoch ist dort der digitale Personalausweis verfügbar. Dabei handelt es sich um eine Regierungs-App, die auf dem Smartphone installiert werden muss und in den Stores von Google und Apple zu finden ist. Per Dekret von Regierungschef Pedro Sánchez und Zustimmung des Ministerrats ist diese Maßnahme jetzt in Kraft getreten.

Mit den üblichen Argumenten der Vereinfachung, des Komforts, der Effizienz und der Sicherheit preist das Innenministerium die «Innovation» an. Auch die Beteuerung, dass die digitale Variante parallel zum physischen Ausweis existieren wird und diesen nicht ersetzen soll, fehlt nicht. Während der ersten zwölf Monate wird «der Neue» noch nicht für alle Anwendungsfälle gültig sein, ab 2026 aber schon.

Dass die ganze Sache auch «Risiken und Nebenwirkungen» haben könnte, wird in den Mainstream-Medien eher selten thematisiert. Bestenfalls wird der Aspekt der Datensicherheit angesprochen, allerdings in der Regel direkt mit dem Regierungsvokabular von den «maximalen Sicherheitsgarantien» abgehandelt. Dennoch gibt es einige weitere Aspekte, die Bürger mit etwas Sinn für Privatsphäre bedenken sollten.

Um sich die digitale Version des nationalen Ausweises besorgen zu können (eine App mit dem Namen MiDNI), muss man sich vorab online registrieren. Dabei wird die Identität des Bürgers mit seiner mobilen Telefonnummer verknüpft. Diese obligatorische fixe Verdrahtung kennen wir von diversen anderen Apps und Diensten. Gleichzeitig ist das die Basis für eine perfekte Lokalisierbarkeit der Person.

Für jeden Vorgang der Identifikation in der Praxis wird später «eine Verbindung zu den Servern der Bundespolizei aufgebaut». Die Daten des Individuums werden «in Echtzeit» verifiziert und im Erfolgsfall von der Polizei signiert zurückgegeben. Das Ergebnis ist ein QR-Code mit zeitlich begrenzter Gültigkeit, der an Dritte weitergegeben werden kann.

Bei derartigen Szenarien sträuben sich einem halbwegs kritischen Staatsbürger die Nackenhaare. Allein diese minimale Funktionsbeschreibung lässt die totale Überwachung erkennen, die damit ermöglicht wird. Jede Benutzung des Ausweises wird künftig registriert, hinterlässt also Spuren. Und was ist, wenn die Server der Polizei einmal kein grünes Licht geben? Das wäre spätestens dann ein Problem, wenn der digitale doch irgendwann der einzig gültige Ausweis ist: Dann haben wir den abschaltbaren Bürger.

Dieser neue Vorstoß der Regierung von Pedro Sánchez ist ein weiterer Schritt in Richtung der «totalen Digitalisierung» des Landes, wie diese Politik in manchen Medien – nicht einmal kritisch, sondern sehr naiv – genannt wird. Ebenso verharmlosend wird auch erwähnt, dass sich das spanische Projekt des digitalen Ausweises nahtlos in die Initiativen der EU zu einer digitalen Identität für alle Bürger sowie des digitalen Euro einreiht.

In Zukunft könnte der neue Ausweis «auch in andere staatliche und private digitale Plattformen integriert werden», wie das Medienportal Cope ganz richtig bemerkt. Das ist die Perspektive.

[Titelbild: Pixabay]

Dazu passend:

Nur Abschied vom Alleinfahren? Monströse spanische Überwachungsprojekte gemäß EU-Norm

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Dieser Beitrag wurde mit dem Pareto-Client geschrieben und ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ 09fbf8f3:fa3d60f0

🌟 深度探索：在Cloudflare上免费部署DeepSeek-R1 32B大模型

🌍 一、 注册或登录Cloudflare平台（CF老手可跳过）

1️⃣ 进入Cloudflare平台官网：

。www.cloudflare.com/zh-cn/
登录或者注册账号。

2️⃣ 新注册的用户会让你选择域名，无视即可，直接点下面的Start building。

3️⃣ 进入仪表盘后，界面可能会显示英文，在右上角切换到[简体中文]即可。

---

🚀 二、正式开始部署Deepseek API项目。

1️⃣ 首先在左侧菜单栏找到【AI】下的【Wokers AI】，选择【Llama 3 Woker】。

2️⃣ 为项目取一个好听的名字，后点击部署即可。

3️⃣ Woker项目初始化部署好后，需要编辑替换掉其原代码。

4️⃣ 解压出提供的代码压缩包，找到【32b】的部署代码，将里面的文本复制出来。

下载地址：
📁 夸克
📁 UC网盘
📁 迅雷网盘

5️⃣ 接第3步，将项目里的原代码清空，粘贴第4步复制好的代码到编辑器。

6️⃣ 代码粘贴完，即可点击右上角的部署按钮。

7️⃣ 回到仪表盘，点击部署完的项目名称。

8️⃣ 查看【设置】，找到平台分配的项目网址，复制好备用。

---

💻 三、选择可用的UI软件，这边使用Chatbox AI演示。

1️⃣ 根据自己使用的平台下载对应的安装包，博主也一并打包好了全平台的软件安装包。

2️⃣ 打开安装好的Chatbox，点击左下角的设置。

3️⃣ 选择【添加自定义提供方】。

4️⃣ 按照图片说明填写即可，【API域名】为之前复制的项目网址(加/v1)；【改善网络兼容性】功能务必开启；【API密钥】默认为”zhiyuan“，可自行修改；填写完毕后保存即可。

5️⃣ Cloudflare项目部署好后，就能正常使用了，接口仿照OpenAI API具有较强的兼容性，能导入到很多支持AI功能的软件或插件中。

6️⃣ Cloudflare的域名默认被墙了，需要自己准备一个域名设置。

---

转自微信公众号：纸鸢花的小屋
推广：低调云（梯子VPN）
。www.didiaocloud.xyz

@ 06bc9ab7:427c48f5

Bitcoin Safe - A bitcoin savings wallet for the entire family

Designed for both beginners and power users, Bitcoin Safe combines security with an intuitive user experience. In this article, we dive deep into its features, unique benefits, and the powerful tools that make managing your Bitcoin wallet simple and secure.

Built for Learners

✔️ Step-by-step wallet setup wizard + PDF backup sheets 📄 🧪 Test transactions to ensure all hardware signers are ready 🔑 🛡️ Secure: Hardware signers only – no hot wallet risks 🚫🔥 🌍 Multi-language support: 🇺🇸 🇨🇳 🇪🇸 🇯🇵 🇷🇺 🇵🇹 🇮🇳 🇮🇹 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 🇲🇲 🇰🇷 📁 Address categories for easy organization ☁️ Label and category synchronization, and cloud backup (optional) 💰 Automatic UTXO merging to save on fees ⚡ Fast syncing with Electrum servers, Compact Block Filters coming soon

Built for Power Users

🔐 Supports Coldcard, Bitbox02, Jade, Trezor, Passport, Keystone & many more 🏦 💬 Multi-party multisig chat & PSBT sharing (optional) 📊 Transaction flow diagrams to trace coin movements 🔍 Instant cross-wallet wallet search ⚙️ Set your own electrum server, mempool instance, and nostr relay

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Step-by-Step Wallet Setup

Whether you’re setting up a single-signature or multi-signature wallet, the setup wizard guides you every step of the way:

• Single Sig Wizard: Follow the intuitive wizard that walks you through each step. https://youtu.be/m0g6ytYTy0w

Clear instructions paired with hardware signer screen-shots, like the steps for a Coldcard

• Multisig Wizard: The wizard ensures you do all necessary steps for a Multisig wallet in the right order. Afterwards your Multisig is ready to use and all signers are tested. Check out https://bitcoin-safe.org/en/features/setup-multisignature-wallet/

• PDF Backup: The wizard will also generates 3 PDF backup sheets for a 2-of-3 multisig wallet, so ensure you always have your wallet descriptor together with the seed.

• Hardware Signer Support: With full support for major hardware signers your keys remain securely offline.

---

Transaction Visualization

Visualize and navigate your transaction history:

• Graphical Explorer: An interactive transaction diagram lets you click on inputs and outputs to follow the money flow intuitively.

• Coin Categories: Organize your addresses into distinct coin categories (e.g., “KYC”, “Work”, “Friends”) so Bitcoin Safe automatically selects the correct inputs when creating PSBTs.

It prevents you accidentally linking coin categories when creating a transaction, and warns you if mistakes happened in the past.

Powerful Wallet Management Tools

• Flexible Fee Selection: Choose fees with one click using an intuitive mempool block preview.
• UTXO Management: Automatically (optional) merge UTXOs when fees are low.
• CSV Table Export: Right click, Drag&Drop, or CTRL+C for immediate CSV export for easy processing in Excel.
• PDF Balance Statement: Export the address balances for easy record keeping on paper.

---

Advanced Features for the Power-User

Sync & Chat is off by default (for the paranoid user), but can be enabled with just one click.

Label Synchronization and Backup

• Seamless Sync: Using encrypted nostr messages, Bitcoin Safe synchronizes your coin categories and labels across multiple devices.
• Easy Backup: A short backup key is all you need to safeguard your coin categories and labels, ensuring your organization remains intact.

Collaborative Multi-party Multisig

• Group Chat Integration: After creating your multisig wallet, Bitcoin Safe offers an encrypted nostr group chat for secure collaboration and one-click PSBT sharing.
• User Authentication: Each participant must authenticate every other user with a simple click, ensuring secure communication.

Watch and Learn: Get Started with Bitcoin Safe

If you’re new to Bitcoin Safe, a short video guide can make all the difference. Learn how to set up your Bitcoin Safe wallet in this detailed walk through:

https://youtu.be/m0g6ytYTy0w

Or see how to verify an address on your hardware singer:

https://youtu.be/h5FkOYj9OT8

Building up a knowledge base: https://bitcoin-safe.org/en/knowledge/

---

Whats next?

• Compact Block Filters!!! They make electrum servers obsolete.
• Why? Compact Block Filters increase the network privacy dramatically, since you're not asking an electrum server to give you your transactions
• Trade-off: They are a little slower than electrum servers. For a savings wallet like Bitcoin Safe this should be OK.
• How do they work? Simply speaking: They ask normal bitcoin core nodes for a short summary of each block. And if the summary shows a transaction belonging to the wallet, the entire block is then downloaded from the bitcoin core node. The bitcoin core node does not learn however which of the many transactions in the block you were interested in. Read more here and of course in the bip.
• When: 2 weeks 😅. Lots of things need to be done until Bitcoin Safe can use the bdk CBF/kyoto client from rustaceanrob, so keep an eye out for updates and please give feedback when you use Bitcoin Safe.

Stay updated on nostr or on GitHub.

Thank you

A huge thanks goes to nostr:npub10pensatlcfwktnvjjw2dtem38n6rvw8g6fv73h84cuacxn4c28eqyfn34f for supporting this project with a grant and nostr:npub1yrnuj56rnen08zp2h9h7p74ghgjx6ma39spmpj6w9hzxywutevsst7k5cx for the Hackathon prize.

This wallet is only possible because it is building upon other peoples open source work. Most notably

• bdk nostr:nprofile1qqsgkmgkmv63djkxmwvdlyaxx0xtsytvkyyg5fwzmp48pwd30f3jtxspzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuurjd9kkzmpwdejhgqg5waehxw309aex2mrp0yhxgctdw4eju6t0qyt8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnwdaehgu3wvfskueqr8vuet
• and especially nostr:npub1thunderat5g552cuy7umk624ct5xe4tpgwr2jcjjq2gc0567wgrqnya79l , nostr:npub1reezn2ctrrg736uqj7mva9lsuwv0kr5asj4vvkwxnrwlhvxf98tsq99ty4 , and nostr:npub1ke470rdgnxg4gjs9cw3tv0dp690wl68f5xak5smflpsksedadd7qtf8jfm for dealing with my many feature requests and questions.
• rustaceanrob building kyoto which implements CBF for BDK; a crucial library and will be able to replace electrum servers for many use cases
• ndk by nostr:nprofile1qqsx3kq3vkgczq9hmfplc28h687py42yvms3zkyxh8nmkvn0vhkyyuspz4mhxue69uhkummnw3ezummcw3ezuer9wchsz9thwden5te0wfjkccte9ejxzmt4wvhxjme0qy88wumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmv9u0uehfp

And of course, secure storage of bitcoin is only possible, because of the hardware signer manufacturers. Thanks to nostr:npub1az9xj85cmxv8e9j9y80lvqp97crsqdu2fpu3srwthd99qfu9qsgstam8y8 Coldcard , Coldcard Q , nostr:npub1tg779rlap8t4qm8lpgn89k7mr7pkxpaulupp0nq5faywr8h28llsj3cxmt Bitbox02 , nostr:npub1jg552aulj07skd6e7y2hu0vl5g8nl5jvfw8jhn6jpjk0vjd0waksvl6n8n Blockstream Jade , Trezor Safe, Foundation Passport, Keystone, Ledger, Specter Shield, and many more.

I also want to thank people who gave feedback and helped spread the knowledge of Bitcoin Safe (please forgive me if I forgot to mention you)

• nostr:npub1p5cmlt32vc3jefkl3ymdvm9zk892fsmkq79eq77uvkaqrnyktasqkpkgaw nostr:npub1s07s0h5mwcenfnyagme8shp9trnv964lulgvdmppgenuhtk9p4rsueuk63 nostr:npub18f3g76xc7xs430euwwl9gpn7ue7ux8vmtm9q8htn9s26d8c4neeqdraz3s nostr:npub1mtd7s63xd85ykv09p7y8wvg754jpsfpplxknh5xr0pu938zf86fqygqxas nostr:npub1kysd8m44dhv7ywa75u5z7w2w0gs4t6qzhgvjp555gfknasy3krlqfxde60 nostr:npub185pu2dsgg9d36uvvw7rwuy9aknn8hnknygr7x2yqa60ygvq6r8kqc836k8 nostr:npub1hkcgyqnsuaradq3g5hyvfdekwypc25494nmwggwpygxas7fcs4fst860fu nostr:npub1xsl0msy347vmj8gcpsjum6wwppc4ercvq4xfrhqmek2dqmqm0mtsyf35vx nostr:npub1hxjnw53mhghumt590kgd3fmqme8jzwwflyxesmm50nnapmqdzu7swqagw3 nostr:npub1ke470rdgnxg4gjs9cw3tv0dp690wl68f5xak5smflpsksedadd7qtf8jfm nostr:npub1sk26fxl4fy3vt8m5n0a6aturaql0w20nvh22q0cyaqm28tj7z8ss3lutc9 nostr:npub1r4llq2jcvq4g2tgha5amjz07zk7mrrcj89wllny9xwhhp5zzkklqk4jwja nostr:npub1p9v2zpwl28c0gu0vr2enp3lwdtv29scwpeqsnt0ngqf03vtlyxfqhkae5w nostr:npub1xkym0yaewlz0qfghtt7hjtnu28fxaa5rk3wtcek9d3x3ft2ns3lq775few nostr:npub1r8343wqpra05l3jnc4jud4xz7vlnyeslf7gfsty7ahpf92rhfmpsmqwym8 nostr:npub12zpfs3yq7we83yvypgsrw5f88y2fv780c2kfs89ge5qk6q3sfm7spks880 nostr:npub1yrnuj56rnen08zp2h9h7p74ghgjx6ma39spmpj6w9hzxywutevsst7k5cx https://x.com/91xTx93x2 https://x.com/afilini rustaceanrob

@ 8671a6e5:f88194d1

\~ The person came up to me from behind his merchandise stand and saw my Noderunners pin on my black t-shirt, then looked me dead in the eye and asked : “So… what do you sell?”

This is the eighth long-read in a series of twelve “food for thought” writings on Bitcoin. It was originally meant to be a few chapters in a book, but life’s too short for that.

Define

Let me start by saying there’s no single way to define or explain a “Bitcoin conference.” The experience can vary depending on a few factors: who’s organizing it (a long-time Bitcoiner or someone from traditional finance trying to grasp Bitcoin), where it’s being held (a sunny paradise like Madeira or a gloomy northern French town), and who’s speaking (technical experts or charismatic entertainers or people with little substance).

Despite these differences, there’s a shared culture that ties these conferences together: a mix of excitement, frustrations, and inevitable evolution. That’s what I explore.

This is just my take, based on what I’ve personally witnessed and what I hear from my surroundings. It’s not meant to be a blanket critique of all Bitcoin conferences as there are plenty I haven’t attended, though I hear about most of them. Even the good ones will evolve into something else over time. So, plan accordingly.

A bit of background on my perspective: at some point in my life, I hit a bump in the road that kept me tied to where I live — a bleak corner of Belgium, surrounded by fiat slaves, shitcoiners, and people who spend six hours a day consuming brain-numbing garbage television. Traveling is an exception for me, but for many Bitcoin conference attendees, it’s a ritual, a must-do event.

So, I view these events with a mix of fascination and grounded skepticism — something I’ve found lacking in many Bitcoiners. I’ve never been to a Bitcoin conference before 2023, despite receiving plenty of invites over the years. From what I heard and saw in photos from friends who attended (even the real early ones) these events seemed eerily similar to the dull hotel conference rooms I once endured in tech and telecom. I’ve had my fill of lukewarm, watery coffee and lifeless speakers droning on about firewalls. So I skipped that particular honor.

Up until around 2018, Bitcoin conferences were a soulless sea of chairs lined up under fluorescent tube lights, draining the life out of attendees—one telecom acronym at a time. Not exactly inviting. Yet, looking back from the perspective of 2025, those were the “pure” days. Back then, people like Roger Ver (before he pivoted to Bitcoin Cash), Andreas Antonopoulos, and encryption specialists spoke to small audiences, explaining Bitcoin in its raw form.

But, like any Bitcoiner, I try to improve myself. So, I made the effort to travel, visit other Bitcoiners, and attend Bitcoin conferences. The conferences I attended in 2023/2024 made me a bit wiser ; not necessarily from what was said on stage (with a few lucky exceptions who still try to bring original thoughts). Most of what I learned came from the long queues, the drama, and watching grifters operate in real time and the good characters floating around.

So, here’s what I’ve learned.

Chain of ticket

I quickly discovered that many Bitcoin conferences have their own “quest for tickets” dynamic, almost like an industry with its own inner circle. It’s a waterfall system: tickets start at lower prices to fill up the venue (usually right after the previous edition). That’s standard practice, both inside and outside of Bitcoin. But what’s strange is seeing organizations that only pop up when a conference needs promotion—somehow securing tickets for themselves and their friends (or for *making* friends) while shilling referral links for small discounts to their followers.

The real free tickets, though, are a hot topic in many local communities and make all the difference for some attendees. What’s particularly interesting is that most ticket prices can be paid in Bitcoin, adding a layer of calculation to the process.

If you paid 230500 sats for your ticket and later see the dollar price fluctuate, say from $180 to $270, or the other way around, by the time the conference starts, you realize you either bought too late or too early.\ It’s better to not have bought at all.

Some ticket holders end up paying less (in dollar terms) than others, making it a gamble. As the event date approaches, ticket prices tend to rise—unless you wait until the last minute, when they haven’t sold out, or just pay at the door. It’s a strange feeling knowing that not everyone paid the same amount (and as mentioned, a significant number get in for free) depending on their timing.

Many organizations and local community representatives show up primarily to be present; securing free tickets, which function more as a badge of recognition than a necessity.\ It’s similar to how a rock groupie sees backstage access: a status symbol, whether for an autograph or something more. Being seen standing next to big names is a huge deal for some, as they derive their own status from proximity.\ This also reinforces the “rockstar status” that conferences create around certain figures, once they come out to take a selfie with some nice people and young fans, then to quickly disappear back to the ‘whale room’ or backstage.

There’s often an entire insider network determining who gets these free tickets. In some cases, it’s naturally tied to the local community, but in others, the professionalism is laughably low. At certain events, you could probably just walk up to the entrance (if there’s even someone checking) and say, “I’m with the organization” to get in for free.

It gets even more absurd.\ At a conference near the French-Swiss border, I was probably one of the very few who actually paid for entry. The real spectacle wasn’t in the talk rooms — which remained eerily empty — but in the dining area, where half the town seemed to have shown up just for the free food. Around 200 people queued for a free lunch, while the presentation halls were at best one-third full throughout the day.

And beyond the ticket games, there are plenty of ways to slip in unnoticed. Carrying a random piece of equipment and mumbling\ “I need to put this crate in the back” can get you past security. Or you can just wait for the one security guard to get distracted by chatting up a girl or stepping out for a smoke, and you’re in. At one event, I walked in alongside someone carrying crates of wine for the VIP lounge. I blended in perfectly (I paid afterward).

So, to sum up: at nearly every conference I’ve been to, a big portion of attendees either walk in for free or hold compensation tickets they got through some connection. Sometimes that connection is uncomfortably close to the organizers. Other times, they just slap an “industry” label on themselves when, in reality, they’re nothing more than a social media bio with a few followers.

Local representatives of a podcast, community, influencer network, or fake marketing club also get in for free. And you? The regular guest, you and I are paying for them. There’s no real vetting process; with some organizers, anyone wearing a Bitcoin t-shirt and saying the magic words “I do community building” or “I know the local Bitcoin meetups” gets a free pass.

The ones who actually want to learn about Bitcoin — the ones who click the link and pay full price — are the ones covering the costs for everyone else and ultimately making these conferences profitable (or at least break even). The problem? They’re the ones left wondering: “Was it really worth my time and money?” only to never return again most of the time.

Because many of the people at these conferences aren’t there to learn. They’re part of the circus. And others? They’re the ones paying for the circus boss, the clowns, and the trapeze artists.

At that one conference with the massive free-lunch crowd, I saw one interesting talk. And I had plenty of valuable conversations and observations — conversations I could have just as easily had by visiting that place outside of a conference setting.

In the end, I realized the main reason I was there was to support a fellow Bitcoiner giving a presentation. And after that? They disappeared from my life. Because, just like in the fiat world, you’re only as good as your last few hours of usefulness to most people.

Which brings me to the next element of Bitcoin conferences...friends

Bitcoin “frens”

This might be the hardest lesson of all: you meet fellow Bitcoiners at these conferences. And some of them? They’re truly special characters. A few even made such a deep connection with not-so-well-traveled-me that I would’ve gladly traveled a full travel day just to spend time working and doing something meaningful together (which I actually did).

But most of these connections? They last only a moment. Few survive beyond the conference, mainly because of the vast distances— both in kilometers (or miles) and in the way we live our everyday lives. The Bitcoiners you meet at these events are, for the most part, just regular people trying to make ends meet in the fiat world while saving in Bitcoin. Or they’re chasing the Bitcoin dream or even find a job in the fata morgana of bitcoin jobs. They act like they belong, like a clown acting like he’s going to climb the trapeze.

I respect that. But over time, I realized that many of them operate in Bitcoin mode; a kind of facade. Behind that front, that mask, most are just testing the waters to see if they can make it. And most don’t.\ Treating Bitcoin as a lifestyle movement, a career shortcut, or an identity, has its limits. Eventually, the real person breaks through. And you have to face your own instincts and personality.\ I’ve tried to be an acrobat, and ride the lion, make the audience laugh, but I’m still the seal who’s brought back to the cage after he balanced a ball on his nose. The quote “I’m Jack’s wasted life.” came to mind often when standing somewhere at a conference space.

Self-doubting people stay self-doubting, owning Bitcoin or not. Emotional wrecks remain emotional wrecks — just with Bitcoin now. And when these masks slip off, you’ll see everything: the greed, the overconfidence, the longing for drama, the addictions, the narcissism, the energy-draining personalities, sleaziness usually with the ones who always say the right oneliners or wear the right Bitcoin merch to blend in.

And you can love people for that. Everyone has flaws. Everyone has a price as well.

But these Bitcoin “frens” can also hurt you badly. Because as Bitcoiners, we carry hopes. And hopes are like ants on a sidewalk, they’ll eventually get crushed.\ We long to meet people who see the same truth, the same vision of Bitcoin as we do. Some will act like they actually understand and do, they talk the talk for a while, as if they’re parroting a podcast.

If you stay in the shadows - like I did for years - you won’t have to deal with these things. If you never try, you’ll never be let down. But you still stay in the imaginary basement, letting yourself down. That’s not the bitcoin style. We router around problems. Even if we stand amidst the problems (like a conference).

But if you do? There’s a hefty price to pay — beyond just the money spent. It’s a cost paid in energy, emotions, and social interactions and above all: time.

And once in a while, you’ll meet a friend for life.

Just be prepared:

Bitcoin is a journey that few people you encounter at a conference can take for longer than four years, or even four hours of conversation actually.

And then, after navigating the social maze of Bitcoin conferences —the connections, the masks, the fleeting friendships, the smell of weed and regret — you find yourself facing an even greater challenge: the queue at a coffee stall.

## \ The Soviet LN Queue

It’s one of the most fascinating and frustrating aspects of every conference: the insanely long lines. Whether it’s for the toilets, a coffee booth, or some niche merchandise stall, you’ll see Bitcoiners waiting like it’s 1963 after a Soviet state bakery just got fresh deliveries.

waiting for coffee Seriously, aren’t we supposed to be the pinnacle of free-market efficiency? Instead, we’ve somehow perfected the art of the long food lines. I remember people waiting in line for like 35 minutes to order a cappuccino!

The usual culprit? A mix of payment chaos and the Bitcoin Orangepill mental issues in action.

A large portion insists on using Lightning (as in "their preferred lighting wallet"), which would be fine except they’re fumbling with some exotic, half-working wallet because using something that’s actually fast might get them sneered at for being “custodial.”

On top of that, vendors are juggling card payments, cash, various Lightning POS systems, and even the occasional cutting edge dudes trying to pay with an Apple Watch or worse, some newly released Lightning-enabled gadget that doesn’t work yet. And when it does work, it requires so much attention and Instagram footage that it takes five minutes just to hand someone a coffee while the guy pays with a lighting NFC ring on his finger, something you can't use ànywhere else ever. It’s cool. But not to anyone else than you.

So, here’s a tip for the regular people, the rats that pay for all of this : sneak out.

Then you find a small, locally owned café outside the conference, pay them in cash, and actually enjoy your food in a few seconds or minutes.

If (and only if) they accept Bitcoin, great! Tip them well. Otherwise, just relax and have a conversation with a local, all the while inside the conference venue there are Bitcoiners filming each other struggling to make a payment with the latest Lightning-enabled NFC card or making the staff uneasy.

Meanwhile, some poor 22-year-old café worker is trapped in an unsolicited podcast participation:

“Wait, you accept tips in Wallet of Satoshi? Who told you that? I’ll explain it to you!”

Or worse:

“Hold on, I just need to do a quick swap… It’s an on-chain transaction, the last block was 19 minutes ago, can’t be long now… wait… umm… do you take VISA?”

At this point, ordering a simple drink at a Bitcoin conference has become an unnecessarily complex, ego-driven performance. With long queues as a direct result. And don’t get me started on the story when 30+ bitcoiners walked in to a Portuguese restaurant without a reservation, and they all wanted to pay with different payment methods. It was like the Vietnam war.

Solution:

A tip for conference organizers and their catering : pick one Bitcoin point of sales system, set clear guidelines, and make everyone stick to them. Instruct people to adhere to the following :

Pay with a (bank) card, cash, or Lightning and PLEASE decide beforehand which method you’re using before ordering your stuff! We prefer lighting.

If you’re using Lightning, have enough balance on you wallet or get lost.

Use a compatible wallet. (Provide a tested “approved” list and train staff properly. Users who use other stuff get their order “cancelled” at the first sign of trouble. Your app‘s not scanning, or not compatible, or it has some technical mumbo-jumbo going on to your vpn LN node at home 2000 km away? Please get real and pay with a bank card or something.

No filming, duck-facing (like it's 2017) or stupid selfies with your payment. It’s been done a thousand times by now. There are people in line, waiting behind you, they want to order as well, while you have your little ego trip or marketing moment. Move on please!

“Our staff knows how bitcoin payments work, you don’t need to #orangesplain it to anyone.” We don’t care about your 200th LN app or the latest “but… this one is faster” thingy. Order your drinks, pay and get out of the way please.

Bitcoin fixes many things. But it hasn’t quite fixed this yet.

The bitcoin conference axiom

Going to a conference, versus keeping your bitcoin in your wallet is a tough choice for many.

If you pay nothing for tickets and lodging, while enjoying free meals and cocktails, your opportunity cost drops close to zero —yet your networking and social impact are maximized while you can also do business. That’s ideal. At least, for you. In such case, Bitcoin may only "win" over an extended timeline, but for you, it's essentially a free ride. You incur no real opportunity costs. You drink their milkshake.

On the other hand, if you’re a regular attendee, you pay full price: the ticket, overpriced drinks and food from the stands (losing even more if you generously pay for coffee in sats), plus extras like t-shirts and books (which you’ll never read). Your milkshake gets taken—at least half of it.

If you’re lucky, you might spend an evening in town with the event’s "stars"—those occasional luminaries who briefly grace the normies with their presence for a drink. Some can’t even hold their liquor. Year after year, the same 10 to 15 speakers or panelists appear, funded by your dime, traveling the world and enjoying the perks—some even cultivating fan bases and hosting exclusive parties.

The real opportunity cost hits hardest for regular attendees who come to learn, shelling out significant money while accumulating their fourth hardware wallet or yet another orange-themed t-shirt. They might even squeeze in a selfie with a former sportswear model turned Bitcoiner. For normies (as they’re often called), the financial and social scales rarely tip in their favor.

Calculating the conference opportunity cost

To determine the opportunity cost of attending a conference instead of investing in Bitcoin, over time follow these steps:

1. Calculate your total conference expenses, including tickets, travel, food, drinks, and lodging (merchandise and donations).

2. Estimate Bitcoin’s percentage gain over the conference period and the following year(s). (in order to not make you cry, I suggest nog going over 5 years)

3. Multiply your total conference cost by this percentage to determine the potential Bitcoin profit you forgo.

4. Assign a dollar value to the networking or business opportunities you expect to gain from the conference (if you’re not just in it for the laughs, meeting high-class consultants, friendships, self-proclaimed social media Bitcoiners, or the occasional gyrating on one of the musicians/artists/food stall staff members).

5. Subtract this “networking” value from the missed Bitcoin profit to find your net opportunity cost (this is rather personal,… with me it’s zero, but for someone selling t-shirts it’s probably much more).

If the result is negative over the chosen timeframe, the conference was financially worthwhile for you. If positive, holding or buying Bitcoin was the smarter move.

Unless you’re a recognized speaker in this traveling circus, your opportunity cost will likely be positive — meaning all the others lose hard money, while fumbling with your Lightning wallet.

The Conference Opportunity Cost Formula

Let:

CT = Total conference ticket & entrance cost (in dollars)

CR = Total related conference costs (travel, lodging, food, etc.)

C = CT + CR (Total cost)

G = Bitcoin’s % gain per year (as a decimal, e.g., 5% = 0.05)

N = Estimated fiat value of networking/business opportunities and knowledge gained.

OC = (C × G) − N

Where:

OC (Opportunity Cost) < 0 → The conference was worth attending.

OC (Opportunity Cost) > 0 → Holding/buying Bitcoin was the better move.

Some example calculations (I've left out examples before 2020, I don't want people crying or waking up at night thinking "Why did I go to Amsterdam in 2014?!")

example : Conference in April 2024 Entrance: $200 Lodging, t-shirt, and travel: $900 Bitcoin's estimated gain: 23% (0.23) No business / knowledge value gained OC = (200 + 900) × 0.23 - 0

• $253 OC (Bitcoin would have been the better choice.)

Conference in April 2020 (adjusted for historical Bitcoin growth) Entrance: $175 Lodging and travel: $700 Bitcoin's estimated gain: 1089% (10.89) No business / knowledge value gained OC = (175 + 700) × 10.89 - 0 OC = +$9,529 (Massive missed gains — Bitcoin was the clear winner.

--

So the first lesson in bitcoin should be: Only attend conferences if you get paid to do so and get a free ticket and free lodging, which kind of would kill that whole industry to begin with.

Energizing

At first, it’s energizing to meet like-minded bitcoiners, but after a while, you realize that a big chunk of them are just trying to sell you something or aren’t really bitcoin-focused at all. And some of them are just looking for their next way to kill time and boredom.

The drama that comes with attending these conference and the personal interaction can get pretty intense at times, since expectations often don’t match the personalities. Before you know, you’re walking around at night through some bad part of a town, while crying your eyes out because you thought you found your soulmate.

Future pure industry conferences will suffer less from this drama, because everyone there has the same goal — pushing their company or product— while the “other” grassroots conferences are more of a meeting spot for bitcoiners of all types and perspectives, bringing the usual drama and mess that comes with human interactions. Current conferences are a mix of both usually.

I think the current era of bitcoin conferences is coming to an end. Soon, probably by the end of 2025, we’ll see a clear split between industry-driven and human-driven (grassroots) smaller conferences, and it’ll be really important to keep these two separate.

I even had the idea to launch a sort of conference where there wouldn’t be any industry speakers or companies present. Just bitcoiners gathering at a certain place at a specific week and having a good time. I called it “club Sat” And you could just go there, and meet other bitcoiners, while acting there was a big venue and speakers,… but there aren’t any. Would be refreshing. No struggle for tickets, no backstage stuff, no boring talks and presentation,… just the surroundings and the drama lever you want and probably like.

On stage

The podium is usually left for the known names. Not every conference is like that, but most of them need these names, badly. These names know each other, they encounter one another in VIP rooms and “the industry” a lot of times anyway.

The same people you see in the bitcoin news, the same people having a cult following, and the very same people traveling, staying and drinking for free while spreading the same bitcoin wisdoms will be invited over and over again.

Or… they go rock around as they’re usually so bored they had to start a rock band to entertain themselves. Which is rather entertaining if you’re following up on who does what, but in the end it’s largely just for their own amusement and it shows. I get that. I would do the same. It’s fun and all.

It’s just a bit sad that there are only a small group of top-layer speakers, and then the sub-top that usually has more to say, or gets little opportunity. The reason for that is simple: the “normies” who pay in full for tickets, come there for the “big” names. They don’t know that much about bitcoin usually, so they’re not waiting on some unknown dude explaining something about an obscure niche subject. A debate can help remedie this, to mix it in with some lesser known names, but I have the feeling the current “line-up” of bitcoin conferences feels like a rock festival in 2025 putting the Stone temple pilots or Creed on the card.

Yes, they’ll attract an audience and do their playset well,… but it’s not exactly the pinnacle of the music industry at the moment, neither is Madonna by the way :)

Promoting anything

The people organizing these events usually aren’t Bitcoiners either — they’re promoters (few exceptions though).

They don’t care if they organize a symposium about a newly discovered STD, A three-day cheese tasting event, a Star Trek convention, or a Lucha Libre wrestling tournament featuring El HODLador, as long as they can sell tickets and make money from merchandise they're good. The last thing on the mind with some of them will be helping bitcoin adoption. There will be a time (soon) where people that know bitcoin, known bitcoiners and know how to organize events get their act together. It will be different than the early days, and it will be different than the boring going-through-the-motions conferences we have now. There shall be fun, social gatherings, life, excitement and culture, and not the “what do you sell?” atmosphere, neither the “this old dude on stage again”?

That’s why they’ll slap any semi-famous name on the poster to pull in a crowd - could be a washed-up Mexican wrestling star with strange legal issues, the cheese-tasting equivalent of Usain Bolt, or your neighborhood Bitcoin old-timer with a beard and a "best selling author" label.

It’s also why most of these conferences end up being more about shitcoins than anything else. And even if they're for the most part about bitcoin, the venue is usually infested with marketing budgets, useless organizations that wanted complimentary tickets (some of them do only one thing: popping up when a conference is nearby and then they’re gone again) ... along with some hawking consultant types you never see anywhere else.

They'll occasionally pay people but usually in fiat, or if you're a bigger name, you might get other deals. For artists or staff, it's all in fiat from what I heard.

Pure Bitcoin conferences, also rely on these big names. Whether it’s a well-known Bitcoiner, a CEO, president, or someone with real reveling knowledge to share with the audience (though that last type is getting rare).

Looking for love in all the wrong places

\ Let’s also address the fair share of “orange diggers” at Bitcoin conferences—because yes, they exist. And no, let’s not single out one particular gender here.

Some people treat a Bitcoin conference like a live-action dating app mixed with a financial vetting process for potential partners. It’s essentially an opportunity to inspect and assess the grab bag of fintech, crypto, and Bitcoin folks in real life.

And if you think this is exaggerated, just attend a few conferences—three is enough. You’ll start noticing the same people popping up, seemingly without any real Bitcoin knowledge, but with a very strong interest in dining, chatting, and generally being around—as long as you look and play the part. I can only imagine how dialed-up this effect must be at a shitcoin conference — probably like flies on a cowpie.

The trick is, in Bitcoin, these people try to blend in. Some even tag along with real Bitcoiners, while others just crash the party and try to get noticed. Their actual interest in Bitcoin? Close to zero. Their main target? Your wallet, or some fantasy thing about getting to know someone out of the ordinary.

And that’s a shame for the people who genuinely care about Bitcoin, who want to network, or who simply are looking for like-minded people. They often find themselves competing for attention with those who’ve turned “being noticed” into a sport, while the rest just wander around, lost in the shuffle. Talk to the quiet ones. Certainly if they look like they belong in a antiques shop.

My advice: Talk to people and be genuine. If you don’t know much about Bitcoin, that’s fine - nobody expects you to be a walking whitepaper and on top of that, most people you'll encounter don't know that much either. It’s bitcoin: we’re all rather average people that hold an extraordinary asset.

Just don’t be "that orange digger" looking for a partner with a loaded bag of bitcoin.

Because in the end, what’s the prize you win? You don’t know who’s under the mask. You don’t even know who’s under your own mask.

Finding a man or woman at a place where half the people are laser-focused on financial sovereignty, and the other half are busy arguing about seed phrase storage, UTXO management, and why your Lightning wallet sucks? But good luck with that. The judge of character usually comes when they find the next shiny object or ditched you standing in the rain at the entrance of a restaurant while dealing with a lightning watchtower or a funny cigarette or whatever.

If you’re truly looking for love, maybe stick to going to a normal bar. If you’re here to learn, connect, and be part of something of a grassroots movement, then be real yourself.

I've seen some rather nasty examples of people at Bitcoin conferences—of all kinds. And I've also seen some really cool examples of truly awesome people. This led me to believe that Bitcoin conferences simply let you meet… people, just dialed up a bit.

Future If you encounter rotten people, they’ll usually be even more rotten than in the fiat world. If you meet really cool people, they’ll be even more awesome than the cool people in the fiat world.

Our volatility is our freedom. So, I guess it’s normal. Doesn’t make it any easier, though.

Bitcoin sees through bullshit, and so do Bitcoiners (even if it takes 21,000 blocks)

Pretty soon, I reckon we’ll see conferences fork into two camps: grass roots, and the “industry” level ones. (human / corporate) I guess I’ll only attend the human part, for sure, but I can’t help but booking myself a single room in a hotel in a nice area in that case, so I don’t have to deal with class of 2022 hippies sharing referral links to their middleman service while asking me for a lighter 3 times in a row. The chances for me of meeting cool bitcoiners in a nearby cocktail bar are a lot higher.

In the meanwhile, I’ll look forward and see how the bitcoin conferences will evolve, fork in two “styles”. One corporate and one underground. Maybe there will be one more genre just for the fun of it.

I’ll stay away, as I don’t like this current mix of industry gigs and having the insiders and “the rest” of us all mingled together clamoring for tickets, attention and coffee. The game is rigged. Staying at home is the better option (for now).

written by AVB

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@ 1731c73c:1bca4ecc

Welch Geistes Kind sind Waffenproduzenten, welch Geistes Kind Wissenschaftler, die Viren so verändern, dass sie pathogener, also gefährlicher für den Menschen werden? Im pfälzischen

https://soundcloud.com/radiomuenchen/kommt-wuhan-nach-deutschland-von-prof-roland-wiesendanger

Weilerbach wird ein US-Biolabor der Schutzstufe 3 gebaut. Dort sollen hochinfektiöse Erreger oder Substanzen, unter anderem SARS-CoV-2, das Virus H5N1, Dengue- und das Hanta-Virus untersucht werden. Der Bundesregierung – so fand Florian Warweg von den NachDenkSeiten heraus - weiß davon angeblich nichts. Auch nicht, welche Kontrollfunktion Bundesbehörden für US-Biolabore auf deutschem Boden haben.

War da was? Hatte nicht – ebenso vertuscht von Regierung, Medien und Wissenschaftlern – für die einen die größte Pandemie, für die anderen der weltweit größte Wissenschafts- und Medizinskandal in den letzten fünf Jahren stattgefunden? Warum interessiert das keinen?

Die Bestätigung der US-Regierung ist offiziell, dass die Covid-19-Pandemie aus einem Labor in Wuhan stammt. Das entlarvt die jahrelange Vertuschung und Diffamierung kritischer Stimmen als politisch motivierte Manipulation. Einer, der diskreditiert wurde, ist Professor Roland Wiesendanger. Mundtot ließ er sich aber nicht machen. Er fordert weiterhin eine schonungslose Aufarbeitung der hochgefährlichen Gain-of-function-Forschung, außerdem deren weltweite Ächtung, um zukünftige Pandemien zu verhindern.

Roland Wiesendanger ist Physik-Professor an der Universität Hamburg, Ehrendoktor der Technischen Universität Posen und Mitglied zahlreicher nationaler und internationaler Wissenschaftsakademien. Hören Sie sein Statement: „Wir dürfen die Risiken der Gain- of-function-Forschung nicht länger hinnehmen“.

Sprecher: Ulrich Allroggen

Radio München\ www.radiomuenchen.net/​\ @radiomuenchen\ www.facebook.com/radiomuenchen\ www.instagram.com/radio_muenchen/\ twitter.com/RadioMuenchen

Radio München ist eine gemeinnützige Unternehmung.\ Wir freuen uns, wenn Sie unsere Arbeit unterstützen.

GLS-Bank\ IBAN: DE65 4306 0967 8217 9867 00\ BIC: GENODEM1GLS\ Bitcoin (BTC): 3G1wDDH2CDPJ9DHan5TTpsfpSXWhNMCZmQ\ Ethereum (ETH): 0xB41106C0fa3974353Ef86F62B62228A0f4ad7fe9

@ 42342239:1d80db24

Almost 150 years ago, the British newspaper editor William Thomas Stead wrote that "the editorial pen is a sceptre of power, compared with which the sceptre of many a monarch is but a gilded lath". He had begun to regard journalism as something more than just conveying information - the journalist or editor could become a ruler.

Times had certainly changed compared to a few hundred years earlier. Before Gutenberg's invention of the printing press, it was mainly the church that controlled the dissemination of information in Europe, but when Stead put pen to paper, this control had shifted to newspapers, schools, and universities. Eventually, technologies like radio and TV entered the scene, but the power dynamics remained asymmetrical - only a few could send information to the many.

However, with the emergence of the internet, and especially with the spread of social media, a significant change followed. Instead of only a few being able to send information to the many, many could send to many. Almost anyone could now create their own newspaper, radio, or TV channel. The power over information dissemination was decentralised.

Ten years ago, Roberta Alenius, who was then press secretary for Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt of the Moderate Party, shared her experiences with Social Democratic and Moderate Party internet activists on social media. She reported that social media played a significant role in how news "comes out" and is shaped, and that journalism was now downstream of social media. Five years later, NATO's then-Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that "NATO must be prepared for both conventional and hybrid threats: from tanks to tweets." This finally underscores the importance of social media.

Elon Musk, who took over X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, has claimed that "it's absolutely fundamental and transformative that the people actually get to decide the news and narrative and what's important," and that citizen journalism is the future.

While his platform allows most expressions - for better or worse - the reach of messages is instead limited ("freedom of speech does not mean freedom of reach "). X has also opened its recommendation algorithm to the outside world by making it open-source. Although this is a welcome step, the fact remains that it's impossible to know which code is actually used and what adjustments are made by humans or algorithms.

William Thomas Stead's "sceptre of power", which has wandered from the church to newspaper and TV editorial offices, and now to citizens according to Elon Musk, risks being transferred to algorithms' opaque methods?

Instead of talking about "toxic algorithms" and TikTok bans, like the so many do today, we should ask ourselves more fundamental questions. What happens when algorithms are no longer objective (how can they ever be?), but instead become tools for shaping our reality? Perhaps our greatest challenge today is not deciding who should govern the information landscape, but instead recognising that no one is up to the task - not even well-ventilated computers.

@ fd208ee8:0fd927c1

E-cash are coupons or tokens for Bitcoin, or Bitcoin debt notes that the mint issues. The e-cash states, essentially, "IoU 2900 sats".

They're redeemable for Bitcoin on Lightning (hard money), and therefore can be used as cash (softer money), so long as the mint has a good reputation. That means that they're less fungible than Lightning because the e-cash from one mint can be more or less valuable than the e-cash from another. If a mint is buggy, offline, or disappears, then the e-cash is unreedemable.

It also means that e-cash is more anonymous than Lightning, and that the sender and receiver's wallets don't need to be online, to transact. Nutzaps now add the possibility of parking transactions one level farther out, on a relay. The same relays that cannot keep npub profiles and follow lists consistent will now do monetary transactions.

What we then have is * a transaction on a relay that triggers * a transaction on a mint that triggers * a transaction on Lightning that triggers * a transaction on Bitcoin.

Which means that every relay that stores the nuts is part of a wildcat banking system. Which is fine, but relay operators should consider whether they wish to carry the associated risks and liabilities. They should also be aware that they should implement the appropriate features in their relay, such as expiration tags (nuts rot after 2 weeks), and to make sure that only expired nuts are deleted.

There will be plenty of specialized relays for this, so don't feel pressured to join in, and research the topic carefully, for yourself.

https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/60.md https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/61.md

@ 0f9da413:01bd07d7

หลังจากจบทริปเที่ยวพัทยาเรียบร้อยแล้วก็ได้เดินทางไปยังเกาะช้างโดยติดรถเจ้าหน้าที่ในที่ทำงานไปไปเกาะช้างครั้งแรกรู้สึกว่ามันไกลเหลือเกินไปค่อนข้างยากหากไม่มีรถส่วนตัว ถ้าให้ไปส่วนตัวก็คงต้องอยู่นานๆ หน่อยชักแบบอาทิตย์หนึ่ง ใช้ชีวิตแบบฝรั่งเที่ยวอยู่ง่ายๆ กินง่ายๆ จากที่ดูในแผนที่ btcmap แล้วพบว่าก็มีร้านที่ปักหมุดไว้อยู่ทั้งหมดสองร้านด้วยกันซึ่งระยะทางก็ค่อนข้างซันเหมือนกัน และมีเนินสูงต่ำสลับกันไป หากไม่มีรถส่วนตัวไปนี่ค่อนข้่างลำบากพอสมควร ต้องเช่ามอไซต์ไป อันนี้ก็เช่าไปเหมือนกัน โดยผมเช่ามอไซต์ 1 วันวันละ 200 บาท (แต่มัดจำ 3000 บาท) ก็เอาเรื่องเหมือนกัน และก็มาเริ่มต้นที่ร้านแรกเลยคือ

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Mr. A Coffee

ร้านอาหารสไตล์บ้านๆ ที่ขายอาหาร น้ำ เครื่องดื่ม มีทั้งอาหารไทยและอาหารฝรั่ง ส่วนตัวก็ขับรถมอไซต์มายังสถานที่แห่งนี้ทางเข้าไปยังร้านเป็นหมู่บ้านเล็กๆ ไม่มีถนนเข้า แต่มอไซต์เข้าไปได้พอสมควร ตอนนั้นค่อนข้างเย็นมากแล้ว ได้มาสั่งอาหารมาคือ ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วงกับน้ำแก้วมังกรปั่นแบบไม่หวาน (ทั้งๆที่ตัวเองก็จะเตรียมไปกินบุ๊ปเฟ่อีกหนึ่งชั่วโมงข้างหน้า 555) ก็ได้สั่งไปแล้วก็ถามว่ารับ bitcoin ไหมครับ เจ้าของร้านก็บอกว่า รับๆ ผมกับเจ้าของร้านก็ได้พูดคุยกันเกือบประมาณครึ่งชั่วโมง ซึ่งหากผมมาเร็วกว่านี้หน่อยก็คงได้คุยกันยาวๆ แล้วละ ซึ่งเป็นการคุยที่สนุกมากซึ่งตัวเจ้าของร้านเองก็ได้เล่าถึงเหตุผลที่รับ bitcoin เหมือนกันว่าช่วง โควิดตอนปี 2020 ที่ผ่านมา บนเกาะช้างไม่มีอะไรเลยชาวบ้านก็ต้องไปหารากไม้ หาเห็ดตามป่าเขากัน แต่พี่เจ้าของร้านได้รู้จักกับฝรั่งคนหนึ่งเขาช่วยเหลือพี่เจ้าของร้านด้วยการบริจาคบิทคอยให้ และคนนี้ก็เป็นคนสอนให้เขารับบิทคอยโดยใช้ WOS และเจ้าของร้านก็เล่าให้ผมฟังเพิ่มเติม ณ ปัจจุบันว่า คนเราเองก็ยังต้องมีสภาพคล่องในการใช้งานอยู่ ตั้งมีเงิน fiat ไว้ส่วนหนึ่ง ส่วนบิทคอยที่ได้เขาได้ก็เก็บไว้เพื่อสร้างเป็นทรัพย์สินในอนาคตที่หากมีปัญหาช่วงไหนก็นำมาขายได้ ก็แลก P2P โดยตรง ซึ่งผมค่อนข้างตกใจเพราะเขาเรียนรู้จากการรับบิทคอยโดยนักท่องเที่ยวชาวต่างชาติที่ชวนเขาให้รับ เผื่อว่าจะมีฝรั่งมาใช้งานบิทคอย ณ สถานที่ร้านแห่งนี้

กึมมิคที่หลายท่านอาจจะต้องลุ้นหน่อยว่าหากมีโอกาสได้ไปเที่ยวและแวะที่ร้าน ก็คงต้่องลุ้นว่าคุณจะได้จ่ายด้วย bitcoin ไหม หากวันนั้นเจ้าของร้านไม่อยากรับเพราะว่าโคต้ารับบิทคอยวันนั้นเต็มแล้ว ฮ่าๆ รูปแบบระบบวาสนาร้านสูญของคุณมิกตอนเมื่อก่อน (เหมือนกันเลย) จริงๆ แล้วหากมีเวลามากพอก็คงได้พูดคุยกับพี่เจ้าของร้านสนุกๆกันไป ผมชอบความเรียบง่ายของร้านพี่เขา และมีอาหารหลากหลายอย่างเต็มไปหมด อีกเรื่องอย่างข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง ผมยังจำได้ว่าเมื่อก่อนมีแต่ช่วงฤดูเดียวที่สามารถกินมะม่วงสุกได้ หรือ อาหารแบบข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง แต่ปัจจุบันคือถ้าจะกิน ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วงแล้ว สามารถสั่งกินได้ตลอดทั้งปีกันเลยซึ่งก็โอเครพอสมควร แบบอยากไปทะเลตอนหน้าฝนแล้วอยากกินข้าวเหนียวมะม่วงของหน้าร้อนแบบนี้

ท้ายสุดร้าน Mr. A Coffee เป็นร้านที่ถ้านั่งชิวๆ แบบฝรั่งก็สามารถอยู่ได้ยาวๆ เลยนะจิบกาแฟ ทำงาน WFH ล้่อมรอบโดยธรรมชาติ แต่เส้นทางมาที่ร้านก็ลำบากหน่อยเหมาะกับคนที่ local จริงๆ low time ระดับหนึ่ง ท้ายสุดผมเองก็แจกสติกเกอร์ของพี่แชมป์เอาไปให้เจ้าของร้านแจกกันต่อไป

งานนี้ทั้งข้าวเหนียวมะม่วงและน้ำแก้วมังกรปั่น เสีย sats ไปทั้งหมด 6,050 sats แต่สิ่งที่ได้คือการแลกเปลี่ยนมุมมองกับเจ้าของร้านกับจุดเริ่มต้นของการรับบิทคอยในพื้นที่เกาะช้างแห่งนี้ และหากมีโอกาสอาจจะไปพักอยู่แถวนั้นชักอาทิตย์และแวะมาอุดหนุนร้านนี้ตลอด เพราะวิวฝั่งใต้สุดของเกาะช้างก็ยังคงความสวยงามไม่แพ้กับฝั่งทิศตะวันตกที่ฝรั่งอยู่กัน แต่ฝั่งใต้โซนนี้ก็มีความที่เป็นบ้านไม้ เพิงง่ายๆ ที่ชาวต่างชาติชอบกันอยู่ :)

Google-map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/b45JGeTzL6Lwwi9i9

BTC-map: https://btcmap.org/merchant/node:12416107504

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**Koh Chang Wine Gallery **

และเราก็ย้อนกลับมาอีกร้านหนึ่งในวันถัดไปและเป็นวันที่จะต้องออกจากเกาะช้างเช่นเดียวกัน และผมก็ไม่พลาดร้าน Koh Chang Wine Gallery ตั้งอยู่ในโซนหมู่บ้านแหล่งท่องเที่ยวเส้นทางถนนทางตะวันตก ร้านนี้ไม่ได้มีป้ายรับบิทคอย แต่รับชำระด้วยบิทคอยซึ่งเป็นฝรั่งท่านหนึ่งที่คาดว่าน่าจะแต่งงานกับภรรยาคนไทย เป็นร้านสไตล์แบบฝรั่งเลย ผมเองก็สั่งสเต็กเนื้อไป และน้ำมะม่วงปั่น (ไม่รู้เวลาไปเกาะทีไรติดใจกับน้ำมะม่วงปั่น) อาจจะไม่ได้พูดคุยอะไรมากมายนัก แต่ก็หมดไป 32,620 sats เป็นร้านอาหารเช้าและอาหารแนวฝรั่งตรงๆ ถือว่าค่อนข้างอร่อยใช้ได้ดีเลยทีเดียว แต่หากจะจ่ายด้วยบิทคอยก็ต้องแจ้งก่อนนะว่าขอจ่ายด้วยบิทคอยก่อน เหมือนพี่ฝรั่งที่เขารับตอนนี้ก็รับแต่เฉพาะ bitcoin อย่างเดียวเมื่อก่อนรับ xrp กับ doge ด้วยแต่ผมเองเวลาคุยกับฝรั่งก็เหงื่อแตกเหมือนกัน (รึว่าเพราะมันร้อน บนเกาะก็อบอ้าวใช้ได้ 555+)

Google-map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6QbNgRbiV5Uao2Xz8

BTC-map: https://btcmap.org/merchant/node:11461720813

---

เส้นทางไปร้านค่อนข้างง่ายติดถนนในหมู่บ้าน ซึ่งหากมายังเกาะช้างแล้วหากขึ้นฝั่งมาแล้วเลี้ยวขวาก็จะขับรถหรือนั่งรถมาเส้นถนนฝั่งตะวันตกของเกาะก็จะพบกับร้านนี้ก่อน อันนี้แล้วแต่ความสะดวกแต่ละท่านเลยครับหากได้มีโอกาสแวะมาเกาะช้างและอยากใช้จ่าย bitcoin เราก็มีทางเลือกร้านในสองสไตล์กันเลย แบบวิถีฝรั่งตอนเช้าก็ร้าน Koh Chang Wine Gallery หรือ แบบ Local ก็ Mr. A Coffee หรือไปทังคู่เลยจะดีมากแต่ต้องบ้าหน่อย เพราะเส้นทางไปก็ค่อนข้างลำบากพอควรเหมือนกัน หมายถึงมีภูเขาชันมีทางขึ้นลงหักศอกนิดหน่อยก็เท่านั้นเอง

รวมๆ ทริปบนเกาะช้างนี้ก็หมดไปไม่เยอะมาก 38,670 sats ก็จะตัวลอยเบาๆ หน่อย (สำรวจเมื่อ มีนาคม 2025 อนาคตอาจจะมีการเปลี่ยนแปลงได้) สำหรับจากนี้จะเป็นการ ปสก. ส่วนตัวกับการใช้งาน Bitcoin Lightning ตามสถานที่ที่ได้เดินทาง Part 3 จะเป็นสถานที่ในพื้นที่หาดใหญ่ จังหวัดสงขลา และ เสริมประสบการณ์การเดินทางโดยรถไฟระยะเวลาเกือบ 18 ชั่วโมง พร้อมด้วยมิตรสหายในรังอย่างกัปตัน จะป่วนแค่ไหนก็รอติดตามกันครับ :)

@ d5c3d063:4d1159b3

ทรัมป์ ขึ้นภาษีนำเข้า

สิ่งที่คุณเห็น…กับสิ่งที่คุณมองไม่เห็น

คุณ #เห็น แค่ฝั่งที่ดูดีในข่าวภาคค่ำ แต่คุณ #ไม่เห็น – คนทั้งประเทศ ต้องจ่ายของแพงขึ้น – ธุรกิจเล็ก ๆ ที่พึ่งการนำเข้า…ถูกบีบให้ตาย – ผู้บริโภคต้องเสียเงินมากขึ้น โดยไม่มีทางเลือก

รัฐอ้างว่า "ปกป้องประเทศ" แต่จริง ๆ แล้วเขาแค่ โยนภาระให้คนส่วนใหญ่ เพื่ออุ้มผลประโยชน์บางกลุ่ม เหมือนที่ Bastiat เรียกว่า “การปล้นที่ถูกกฎหมาย” Hazlitt ขยายต่อใน Economics in One Lesson ว่า

เศรษฐศาสตร์ที่ดี ต้องมองให้พ้นจากผลเฉพาะหน้า และมองให้เห็นผลกระทบต่อทุกคน ไม่ใช่แค่บางกลุ่ม

เงินเฟ้อ คือการขโมยแบบเงียบ ๆ ภาษีศุลกากร คือการปล้นอย่างเปิดเผย

วันนี้ #EIOL น่าจะถึงมือเพื่อนๆ หลายคนแล้ว เล่มนี้ไม่ต้องอ่านทีละบทก็ได้ ลองเปิดไปบทที่ 11 เลยแล้วจะเจอค้อนปอนสำหรับทุบมายาคดีทางเศรษฐกิจที่รัฐใช้กับเรามาทั้งชีวิต

อ่าน #เศรษฐศาสตร์เล่มเดียวจบ แล้วคุณอาจไม่มีวันมอง “นโยบายเพื่อประชาชน” ได้เหมือนเดิมอีก เพราะบางที...สิ่งที่คุณไม่เคยเห็น อาจเป็นสิ่งที่คุณควรรู้(เห็น)ให้เร็วที่สุด

Siamstr

@ b8af284d:f82c91dd

Liebe Abonnenten,

diejenigen, die diese Publikation schon länger abonniert haben, wissen, dass hier immer wieder über den Ursprung des Corona-Virus in einem Labor in Wuhan berichtet wurde. Seit diese Woche ist es „offiziell“ - der Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) hält den Labor-Ursprung für die wahrscheinlichste Variante. Jetzt kann man sich fragen, warum der BND plötzlich umschwenkt: Will man proaktiv erscheinen, weil man die Wahrheit nicht mehr länger verbergen kann? Oder will man die enttäuschten Bürger zurückgewinnen, die aufgrund der Lügen während der Corona-Zeit zunehmend mit Parteien links und rechts außen sympathisiert haben, weil diese die einzigen waren, die den Irrsinn nicht mitgetragen haben?

Auffallend bei den „Recherchen“, die in Wahrheit keine sind, sondern Verlautbarungen des deutschen Geheimdienstes, ist auch das völlige Schweigen über die US-amerikanischen Verwicklungen in das Projekt. In Wuhan wurde mit amerikanischem Geld geforscht. Warum der BND diese Tatsache verschweigt, ist Teil der Spekulation. Vermutlich will man Peking alles in die Schuhe schieben, um von den eigenen Versäumnissen abzulenken.

In meinem aktuellen Buch “Der chinesische (Alp-)Traum” ist den Ereignissen in Wuhan ein ganzes Kapitel gewidmet. Es hat nichts an Aktualität eingebüßt. Alle Fakten lagen seit Jahren auf dem Tisch für jeden, den es interessiert hat. Hier gibt es das gesamte Kapitel nachzulesen.

Auf jeden Fall zeigt dies, wie der Begriff „Verschwörungstheoretiker“ in den vergangenen Jahren zum Kampfbegriff und Waffe gemacht wurde, um Kritiker zu diffamieren, und die öffentliche Meinung ohne harte Zensur zu lenken. Ähnliches kann man aktuell beim Projekt „Digitaler Euro“ beobachten. Vermutlich kann sich kein Bürger der Europäischen Union daran erinnern, bei seiner Wahlentscheidung jemals gefragt worden zu sein, ob er die Einführung eines „digitalen Euros“ gut findet. Wurde er nämlich nicht. Er kommt aber trotzdem. EZB-Präsidentin Christine Lagarde hat das diese Woche nochmals bekräftigt: Schon im Oktober will man die Testphase beenden und an der Einführung arbeiten.

Nun gehört BlingBling nicht zu denjenigen, die im digitalen Euro „Orwell’sches Teufelswerk“ sehen. Strategische Dummheit trifft es besser. Worum geht es?

Sogenannte Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC) waren vor einigen Jahren so etwas wie der letzte Schrei in der Zentralbank-Welt. Nachdem Facebook/Meta 2017/18 eine eigene Währung namens Libra auf den Markt bringen wollte, und eine obskure Internet-Währung namens Bitcoin immer mehr Anhänger fand, sahen sich viele Zentralbanken der Welt unter Zugzwang. Was man wollte: eine digitale, direkt von der Zentralbank ausgegebene Währung ohne Bugs, aber mit Features. Mit einer Digital-Währung ließe sich der internationale Zahlungsverkehr direkt und ohne Umweg über den US-Dollar abwickeln. Die Zentralbank bekäme wieder mehr direkten Einfluss auf die Geldschöpfung. Und, wie man aus China lernen konnte, ließen sich digitale Bankkonten auch ganz zum „Nudging von Bürgern“ nutzen. So spekulierten die ersten Verschwörungstheoretiker bald, ein digitaler Euro ließe sich ja mit einem persönlichen CO2-Konto verknüpfen. Wäre letzteres einmal aufgebraucht, könnte der Konto-Inhaber einfach keinen Flug mehr buchen. Auch ließe sich eine expansive Geldpolitik, wie sie bis 2022 praktiziert wurde, ganz einfach mit Negativ-Zinsen umsetzen. Geld würde sich nominal reduzieren, was den Bürger zum Konsum animieren würde. Flüchtigen Kriminellen ließe sich per Knopfdruck das Konto sperren. Der Staat würde also über eine ganze neue Palette an Einflussmöglichkeiten verfügen.

Die Aluhüte United warnten vor einem Orwellschen Überwachungsstaat. Vertreter von Regierungen und Firmen, die diesen digitalen Euro bauen sollten, beschwichtigten. Mit Ralf Wintergerst, CEO von Giesecke+Devrient, nach wie vor heißester Anwärter, um das Projekt in der EU umzusetzen, sprach ich in den vergangenen Jahren mehrmals zu dem Thema. Zuletzt im Dezember 24.

Wintergerst versichert stets zwei Dinge: Eine Abschaffung von Bargeld sei nicht geplant. Und nur, wenn die Fluchttore Bargeld, Gold und Bitcoin geschlossen werden, greift die dystopische Version. Und zweitens, so Wintergerst, habe niemand ein chinesisches System im Sinne. Der „digitale Euro“ sei für die Bürger gedacht und das Projekt unterliege demokratischer Kontrolle. Ob er Wintergerst und dem guten im Menschen Glauben schenkt, möge jeder Leser selbst entscheiden. Das Interessantere ist ohnehin, dass der digitale Euro ein strategisch dummes Projekt ist.

Dazu muss man wissen, dass eine solche Zentralbankwährung Banken im weitesten Sinne überflüssig macht. Kontos bei Privatbanken werden obsolet, genauso wie Spar-, Fest- und Tagesgeld-Strukturen. Deshalb soll der digitale Euro zunächst auf 3000 Euro pro Bürger beschränkt werden. Das ist also nicht als Maximal-Vermögen gedacht, das dann jedem sozialistischen Einheits-EU-Menschen noch zusteht, sondern dient dazu, das Bankensystem nicht kollabieren zu lassen. Aber wozu überhaupt „ein bisschen digitaler Euro“?

In den USA setzt man mittlerweile 100 Prozent auf die private Alternative: Stablecoins wie Tether (USDT) und Circle (USDC) sind nichts anderes als digitale Währungen. Nur sind sie nicht von einer Zentralbank ausgeben, sondern von privaten Anbietern. Tether hat technisch die Möglichkeit, einen Inhaber vom Zahlungsverkehr auszusperren. Nur dürfte es davon kaum Gebrauch machen, will das Unternehmen nicht rasant Kunden an die Konkurrenz verlieren. Da USDT und USDC mit US-Dollar gedeckt sind (oder zumindest sein sollten, looking at you, Tether!), stärken sie außerdem die Rolle des US-Dollars als Leitwährung. Und da die USA sich aktuell sehr über Käufer von Staatsanleihen freuen, um die Zinsen zu drücken, und Tether einer der größten Halter von US-Staatsanleihen ist, wird es den digitalen Dollar bis auf Weiteres nicht geben.

Den digitalen Yuan gibt es, aber von einer großen Akzeptanz oder Durchdringung der chinesischen Wirtschaft lässt sich nicht sprechen. Kontrolle kann der chinesische Staat ohnehin über seine omnipräsenten Apps WeChat und Alipay ausüben. Was den internationalen Zahlungsverkehr betrifft, scheint man aktuell eher auf Gold zu setzen.

Übrig also bleibt die EU mit einem Projekt, das bereits Milliarden an Entwicklungskosten verschlungen hat. Am Ende bleibt dann ein Mini-Digitaler-Euro in Höhe von 3000 Euro, den niemand wollte, und niemand braucht.

Helfen könnte er allerdings beim Projekt “Mobilisierung der Sparguthaben”. Der Ausdruck geht auf Friedrich Merz zurück. Ursula von der Leyen paraphrasierte ihn jüngst:

Irgendwie müssen die Billionen von Sparguthaben in Militär-Investitionen umgewandelt werden. Das wird am besten funktionieren mit Anleihen, die schlechter verzinst sind als sonst auf dem Markt üblich. Wie bringt man Leute dazu, dann ihr Geld dort zu investieren? Entweder man zwingt sie, oder man bewirbt die Anleihen mit viel Patriotismus und Propaganda. Die Verschwörungstheoretiker unter uns bekommen also bald Futter, wenn die „Spar- und Investitionsunion” vorgestellt wird.

Like, wenn Dein Aluhut glüht…

Hinter der Paywall: Wie das Trump-Derangement-Syndrom den Blick auf den Markt trübt. Wie es mit Bitcoin, Gold und Aktien weitergeht.**

@ dc4cd086:cee77c06

Have you ever wanted to learn from lengthy educational videos but found it challenging to navigate through hours of content? Our new tool addresses this problem by transforming long-form video lectures into easily digestible, searchable content.

Key Features:

Video Processing:

• Automatically downloads YouTube videos, transcripts, and chapter information
• Splits transcripts into sections based on video chapters

Content Summarization:

• Utilizes language models to transform spoken content into clear, readable text
• Formats output in AsciiDoc for improved readability and navigation
• Highlights key terms and concepts with [[term]] notation for potential cross-referencing

Diagram Extraction:

• Analyzes video entropy to identify static diagram/slide sections
• Provides a user-friendly GUI for manual selection of relevant time ranges
• Allows users to pick representative frames from selected ranges

Going Forward:

Currently undergoing a rewrite to improve organization and functionality, but you are welcome to try the current version, though it might not work on every machine. Will support multiple open and closed language models for user choice Free and open-source, allowing for personal customization and integration with various knowledge bases. Just because we might not have it on our official Alexandria knowledge base, you are still welcome to use it on you own personal or community knowledge bases! We want to help find connections between ideas that exist across relays, allowing individuals and groups to mix and match knowledge bases between each other, allowing for any degree of openness you care.

While designed with #Alexandria users in mind, it's available for anyone to use and adapt to their own learning needs.

Screenshots

Frame Selection

This is a screenshot of the frame selection interface. You'll see a signal that represents frame entropy over time. The vertical lines indicate the start and end of a chapter. Within these chapters you can select the frames by clicking and dragging the mouse over the desired range where you think diagram is in that chapter. At the bottom is an option that tells the program to select a specific number of frames from that selection.

Diagram Extraction

This is a screenshot of the diagram extraction interface. For every selection you've made, there will be a set of frames that you can choose from. You can select and deselect as many frames as you'd like to save.

Links

• repo: https://github.com/limina1/video_article_converter
• Nostr Apps 101: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flxa_jkErqE

Output

And now, we have a demonstration of the final result of this tool, with some quick cleaning up. The video we will be using this tool on is titled Nostr Apps 101 by nostr:npub1nxy4qpqnld6kmpphjykvx2lqwvxmuxluddwjamm4nc29ds3elyzsm5avr7 during Nostrasia. The following thread is an analog to the modular articles we are constructing for Alexandria, and I hope it conveys the functionality we want to create in the knowledge space. Note, this tool is the first step! You could use a different prompt that is most appropriate for the specific context of the transcript you are working with, but you can also manually clean up any discrepancies that don't portray the video accurately. You can now view the article on #Alexandria https://next-alexandria.gitcitadel.eu/publication?d=nostr-apps-101

Initially published as chained kind 1's nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzp5r5hd579v2sszvvzfel677c8dxgxm3skl773sujlsuft64c44ncqy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qgwwaehxw309ahx7uewd3hkctcpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43z7qghwaehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnw3ezucnpdejz7qgewaehxw309aex2mrp0yh8xmn0wf6zuum0vd5kzmp0qqsxunmjy20mvlq37vnrcshkf6sdrtkfjtjz3anuetmcuv8jswhezgc7hglpn

Or view on Coracle https://coracle.social /nevent1qqsxunmjy20mvlq37vnrcshkf6sdrtkfjtjz3anuetmcuv8jswhezgcppemhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mp0qgsdqa9md83tz5yqnrqjw07hhkpmfjpkuv9hlh5v8yhu8z274w9dv7qnnq0s3

@ 3c7dc2c5:805642a8

🧠Quote(s) of the week:

CBDC the digital euro - a centralized solution in search of a problem. While the ECB may see it as a way to 'modernize' finance, true innovation comes from empowering individuals, not consolidating control. CBDCs are just surveillance tools disguised as innovation. Bitcoin is the only true digital money—decentralized, scarce, and free. Stack sats, not CBDCs.

🧡Bitcoin news🧡

2025 https://i.ibb.co/vx988kT1/Gn-Ix-Dp-YWs-AASkiw.jpg

On the 24th of March:

➡️The Pakistan central bank is exploring mining Bitcoin with excess electricity.

➡️'MicroStrategy just added another 7,000 Bitcoin to their treasury. They're now holding over 506,000 BTC ($44 billion). Look at the corporate Bitcoin ownership breakdown: - MicroStrategy: 506,000+ BTC - Marathon: ~46,000 BTC (10x smaller) - Riot: ~19,000 BTC (26x smaller) That acquisition curve has gone parabolic since Q4 2024. Strategy's buying pace now rivals what we're seeing from the Bitcoin ETFs, a single public company absorbing supply at an institutional scale. Clear institutional conviction signal here.' -Ecoinometrics

➡️SQUARE CEO JACK DORSEY: "Bitcoin will make the current financial system feel as irrelevant as the fax machine."

On the 25th of March:

➡️'BITCOIN HASH-RIBBON FLASHES BUY SIGNAL 

• This is one of the most reliable "buy" indicators. 
• Significant price gains have followed 7 out of the last 7 times this indicator was triggered.' -Bitcoin Archive (foto) Bitcoin is always a buy. Just DCA.

➡️GameStop includes Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset in its investment policy update. GameStop has $4.6 billion in cash to invest.

➡️Strategy’s sale of 8.5 million STRF shares closes today, unlocking $711 million in new capital to buy more Bitcoin.

➡️BBC News reports from a remote community of 15,000 people in the far north-western tip of Zambia relying on hydroelectric power, “The bitcoin mine now accounts for around 30% of the plant's revenue allowing them to keep the prices down for the local town” - Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly4xe373p4o Gridless is doing a splendid job in Africa and showing through proof-of-work that if you aren't mining Bitcoin, you are wasting energy. It's time for such communities to appear more around the world.

Daniel Batten: 'They couldn't resist zooming out and implying this is an outlier (it isn't, the majority of off-grid bitcoin mining operations are renewably powered). In doing so BBC made three factually incorrect statements at the end about Bitcoin mining straining grids (multiple peer-reviewed studies show the opposite is true), and "Greenidge gas power plant in New York which was renovated to mine bitcoin" (it didn't, it re-opened to supply power back to the grid), and stating that Bitcoin mining needs artificial govt incentives or rules to do the right thing (It doesn't, it's become 56.7% sustainably powered without any govt incentives)

But let's shine the light on the positive - it has far fewer factually incorrect statements than previous reporting, and it is a step in the right direction in its gradual journey towards objective Bitcoin reporting for a media company that has until now only published negative news stories on Bitcoin.'

➡️Femke Halsema, Mayor of Amsterdam, wants a national ban on Bitcoin payments: "It undermines our civilization".

I rather believe the opposite.

Under Femke Halsema - Amsterdam

• The number of civil servants increased by 50% (14K -> 20K)

• Debt increased by 150% (4 billion -> approx. 10 billion)

Despite high revenues, Amsterdam has to borrow nearly half a billion euros every year. Local taxes continue to rise, whether it's water authority taxes or property taxes (OZB). But, above all, you should be concerned about those 0.3% criminal Bitcoin / Crypto transactions (worldwide). The audacity.

Even if the Netherlands were to legally ban Bitcoin payments, users could easily continue trading through foreign exchanges or peer-to-peer platforms. A ban might actually push Bitcoin usage further underground, making oversight of suspicious transactions worse rather than better.

➡️Mt. Gox moves 11.501 Bitcoin ($1B) for creditor repayment.

➡️BlackRock launched a European Bitcoin ETP today - Bloomberg

➡️North Carolina introduces a bill to invest 5% of state funds into Bitcoin.

On the 26th of March:

➡️NYDIG just became a big Bitcoin miner. Crusoe, the first to scale Bitcoin mining off flared gas (~200MW worth, across 425 data centers) has sold its entire Bitcoin mining business to NYDIG.

➡️Metaplanet has raised ~$55.2m (¥8.28b) of equity capital through three trading days this week while partially deleveraging with the redemption of $23.3m (¥3.5b) of 0% ordinary bonds.

➡️GameStop can service a loan of up to $100 BILLION for 4.6 years with its existing $4.6b cash balance at 1% interest.  That's twice the amount of Bitcoin Michael Saylor's Strategy currently holds.

➡️New feature by Protonmail enables their 100 million users to send Bitcoin using their email addresses.

➡️The Blockchain Group confirms the acquisition of 580 BTC for ~€47.3 million, the holding of a total of 620 BTC, and a BTC Yield of 709.8% YTD.

→ Confirmation of the acquisition of 580 BTC for ~€47.3 million at ~€81,550 per bitcoin

→ Total group holdings of 620 BTC for ~€50.5 million at ~€81,480 per bitcoin

→ Adoption of ‘BTC Yield’, ‘BTC Gain’, and ‘BTC € Gain’ as KPIs, following the steps of Strategy and Metaplanet

This is a major step in our Bitcoin Treasury Company strategy focused on increasing Bitcoin per share over time.

Source: https://t.co/QDj61ZDe6O

The Blockchain Group is Europe's First Bitcoin Treasury Company!

On the 27th of March:

➡️'Bitcoin's 4-year Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is at historic lows.' -Pierre Rochard

➡️Daniel Batten: Yet another paper on Bitcoin and energy TL:DR: "The opportunities offered by bitcoin mining in reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy transition are greater than generally assumed" The journal has a (high) impact factor of 7.1."

Source: https://t.co/W3gytMgcpC

➡️A home miner with only 4 machines mined block 888737.

https://i.ibb.co/7xm91R4t/Gn-Ef-H9y-Ws-AA4jkn.jpg

Bitcoin proves anyone can participate and earn—true freedom!

➡️'Short-Term Holders have increased their Bitcoin holdings by 201,743 BTC to 5,750,076 BTC since January, remaining below previous cycle peaks. 200K BTC are currently held at an unrealized loss, representing about $17B.' -Bitcoin News

➡️Bitcoin mining hardware manufacturer Canaan signs a three-year colocation agreement with Mawson Infrastructure Group's Mawson Hosting LLC for facilities in Midland, Pennsylvania, and Edna, Texas. Most of the 4.7 EH/s hashrate is expected to be operational by Q2 2025.

On the 28th of March:

➡️If Saylor had bet on ETH instead of Bitcoin, Strategy would be down $9 billion, instead of up $9 billion like they are today. ETHBTC made fresh lows 0.02210. Ether is down 74% against Bitcoin since switching from proof of work to proof of stake. Yikes!

➡️Representative introduces a strategic Bitcoin reserve bill in South Carolina.

➡️A Russian company built a Bitcoin mine in the Arctic. Set in the frozen city of Norilsk, the facility taps into cheap excess energy from one of the world's most isolated industrial hubs.

➡️The price of bitcoin has nearly followed the same phases of volatility for 15 years, according to Fidelity.

https://i.ibb.co/LdQfrqG0/Gn-Ig-Skd-XMAAi-L3r.jpg

another great chart:

https://i.ibb.co/G4WmDjhd/Gn-JED1q-Xk-AAq-Kqk.jpg

On the 29th of March:

➡️Public miner MARA with a $2B common stock offering to buy more Bitcoin. https://i.ibb.co/PZZxXJ37/Gn-Kj-Vqza-EAEUG-V.png

➡️California has officially included Bitcoin Rights protections in its newly proposed digital asset bill. If passed, it will guarantee the right to self-custody for nearly 40M residents and prohibit discrimination against Bitcoin use.

➡️The number of addresses with more than one Bitcoin has fallen below 1 million, standing today at 995,207.

On the 31st of March:

➡️Larry Fink, Founder/CEO of BlackRock in his annual letter to shareholders: “If the U.S. doesn't get its debt under control, if deficits keep ballooning, America risks losing that position to digital assets like Bitcoin."

https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/literature/presentation/larry-fink-annual-chairmans-letter.pdf

➡️Strategy has acquired 22,048 BTC for ~$1.92 billion at ~$86,969 per bitcoin and has achieved a BTC Yield of 11.0% YTD 2025. As of 3/30/2025, Strategy holds 528,185 $BTC acquired for ~$35.63 billion at ~$67,458 per bitcoin.

➡️ The Bitcoin Policy Institute releases a framework for the USA to buy $200 billion worth of #Bitcoin using Bit Bonds.

➡️Is Indonesia the next Bitcoin Country? Bitcoin Indonesia mapped out the entire Bitcoin ecosystem.

A new map shows Bitcoin adoption EXPLODING across the Southeast Asian island nation of Indonesia. Check out all the communities, projects, and businesses embracing Bitcoin. The revolution is happening.

https://i.ibb.co/cXL8mC0x/Gnbdg-Lub-IAAdwcb.jpg

On the 1st of April:

➡️'Over 73,353 BTC were bought by corporations in Q1 2025. Only 40,500 BTC new Bitcoin was mined, but still no supply shock, for now... Which company do you want to see adopt BTC next?'

Here is the breakdown by Alec: https://x.com/Alec_Bitcoin/status/1907062290345783723

➡️After skeptics questioned Tether’s Bitcoin holdings, CEO Paolo Ardoino fired back, sharing the company’s BTC address with a confirmed balance of 92,646 BTC. On the same day Tether bought 8,888 Bitcoin worth $735 million as per on-chain data. They now hold over 100,000 BTC.

➡️'GameStop just raised $1.48B. They are expected to use that and possibly more of the now $6B+ on their balance sheet to buy Bitcoin. A master class on how to pivot from meme stock to capitalize on volatility in the ultimate store of value.' -James Lavish

➡️Texas' state house Democrats have proposed a bill that would authorize up to $250 million in state investment in Bitcoin and up to $10 million for each municipality and county.

➡️Human Rights Foundation donates 10 Bitcoins worth $830,000 to over 20 projects worldwide.

Alex Gladstein: '1 billion sats gifted carefully to a variety of stellar organizations and individuals to support BTC privacy, decentralization, education, and p2p use, aimed at folks working under authoritarianism.'

💸Traditional Finance / Macro:

On the 29th of March

👉🏽'From Wednesday to Friday, the S&P 500 lost -$100 billion PER trading hour for a total of -$2 TRILLION. Then, after the market closed on Friday, S&P 500 futures erased ANOTHER -$120 billion in minutes.' -TKL

🏦Banks:

👉🏽 no news

🌎Macro/Geopolitics:

On the 24th of March:

👉🏽Financelot: 'This is fascinating. The Dow Jones to Gold Ratio is about to cross a level only seen 4 times in history. Every time it crossed this level it marked the beginning of an 18-month recession/depression. 1929, 1973, 2008 & 2025' I don't think we won't see a depression. History rhymes but doesn't always mean it will repeat, although human behavior stays the same. For now, it means the market is overvalued, gold is undervalued, or both.

👉🏽US household wealth is falling: US household equity wealth is set to drop a whopping -$3 trillion this quarter, the most since the 2022 bear market, according to BofA estimates. By comparison, equity holdings rose +$9 trillion in 2024 to a record $56 trillion. In other words, one-third of last year's gains have likely been wiped out due to the recent market pullback.

Furthermore, the top 10% of the wealthiest Americans own 87% of US stocks. This, in turn, may negatively impact consumer spending as the top 10% reflect a record 50% of all consumer expenditures. Consumer spending is set to slow in Q2 2025.' -TKL

👉🏽Demolition of the Boiler House at Moorburg Power Plant in Hamburg. Germany is preparing for combat by dynamiting its own modern energy infrastructure down. This was the most advanced coal plant. 6 years old and cost three billion euros. The Netherlands is following a similar policy—they poured concrete into their gas drilling pipes.

BowTiedMara on Twitter: "In 2022, a girl tied herself to the net at Roland Garros in protest, and she wore a T-shirt that said: "We have 1,028 days left." Today, the 27th of March, marks those 1,028 days, and nothing happened. Climate doomers are like Aztecs who think the sun stops unless they cut out some organs."

👉🏽Starting in April, the 66,000 employees of the European institutions will receive their seventh salary increase in just three years! Normally, this happens at most once per year. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will see the largest increase, with her monthly salary rising to €34,800—an increase of €2,700—according to a report by the German newspaper Bild-Zeitung today.

For the Dutch readers: https://ejbron.wordpress.com/2025/03/24/eu-bureaucraten-en-politici-krijgen-de-7e-salarisverhoging-sinds-2022/

They are compensating for the inflation they impose on the EU. Lucky them Fair to say we need a DOGE in Europe.

On the 25th of March:

👉🏽Dutch minister announces a huge increase in excise duties of 25.8 cents on gasoline. On top of that, the price of gasoline will rise by an additional 7 cents due to the blending requirement and 11 cents due to the ETS-2 regulation. In a free market, prices would not be announced by politicians but would emerge through supply and demand. How I love the EU....although it is a bit more nuanced. The temporary discount is ending. Unless the parliament decides to extend it, the price of gasoline will rise. The Dutch government should simply spend less and abolish all taxes, excise duties, and levies on food, fuel, and energy. Never gonna happen though.

👉🏽"Shell will be thoroughly reviewing all its chemical divisions worldwide in the coming period. In Europe, this could lead to the partial or complete closure of various chemical branches." As mentioned multiple times last month, major industrial companies sounded the alarm. They warned that high energy costs in the Netherlands put their future at risk. Additionally, sustainability efforts and unclear government policies are challenging the sector. Frans Everts, President-Director of Shell Netherlands, warned that the entire industry could collapse.

The Green Deal is moving full speed ahead—soon everyone will be relying on food banks…

For the Dutch readers: https://nos.nl/artikel/2561036-shell-kijkt-naar-gedeeltelijke-sluiting-van-chemie-onderdelen

On the 26th of March:

👉🏽EU countries will start using a digital driver’s license from 2030. This is the result of negotiations between the European Parliament and EU member states. In the Netherlands, the digital license will be valid for ten years and will be accessible via an app. And we all know which app that will be! The EU Digital Wallet must be filled, after all.

Not just your driver’s license—everything will soon be linked to your digital identity. It’s all right there on the EU’s website, and it’s been planned for a long time. The COVID pass was already part of the rollout. The fact that they present these as separate steps just shows that they know people wouldn’t accept it if they were fully aware of what’s happening.

On the 27th of March:

👉🏽Gold surpasses $3,100 for the first time in history. TKL: 'Gold prices have hit 50 all-time highs over the last 12 months, its best streak in 12 years. This is also the 3rd-longest streak on record after a historic run during the late 1970s. The 1970s came with a period of double-digit inflation, stagnant economic growth, and a high unemployment rate, also known as stagflation. As a result, gold prices recorded 4 consecutive yearly gains.'

On the 31st of March for the first time, gold blasted through $100,000/kilogram. This time, gold prices have rallied 39% over the last 12 months, are up 16% year-to-date, and are on track for the 3rd annual positive performance.'

👉🏽NATO Secretary General Rutte insists there will be no normalization of relations with Russia for decades to come.

On March 14, 2025, Bloomberg, Rutte says: "Once the war is over, relations with Russia will gradually be restored."

On March 26, 2025, Rutte said: "There will be no normalization of relations with Russia for decades, even after the war is over."

That is the Mark I know!

"Mark Rutte, the long-serving Dutch Prime Minister, earned the nickname “Pinokkio” (Dutch for Pinocchio) primarily because of perceived dishonesty or evasiveness in political debates and scandals. While some still view Rutte as a pragmatic and stable leader, the nickname “Pinokkio” reflects a broader public sentiment of distrust, especially among those who felt betrayed by his communication style or decisions.”

On the 28th of March:

👉🏽US consumers now expect 5.0%(!) inflation in the next twelve months. Inflation expectations have DOUBLED in just four months. That's huge! Long-term US inflation expectations have officially SURGED to 4.1%, the highest level since 1993. Tariff front-running has led to a $300+ BILLION trade deficit in 2 months, and consumer sentiment has collapsed.

Atlanta Fed is now projecting that Q1 GDP will be -2.8%… a large contraction. It’s negative even “gold adjusted”

4 weeks ago it was +2.3%

8 weeks ago it was +3.9%

Yikes!

👉🏽The State Department is officially shutting down USAID and has formally notified Congress of its closure. The remaining 900 employees are set to be terminated.

👉🏽Argentina’s Economy Grows 6.5% in January. Argentina’s Poverty Rate Drops from 52.9% to 38.1% in 15 Months Under Javier Milei

👉🏽Fix the money, fix the world:

DOGE “There is actually really only ONE BANK ACCOUNT that's used to disperse ALL monies that go out of the federal government” “It's a big one — A couple of weeks ago it had $800 billion in it, it's the treasury general account”

“We're serving 580+ agencies. And up until very recently, effectively they could say, make the payment and Treasury just sent it out as fast as possible. NO VERIFICATION”

“There's a $500 billion of fraud every year. There are hundreds of billion dollars of improper payments and we can't pass an audit. The consolidated financial report is produced by treasury and we cannot pass an audit”

Extremely fascinating interview by Bret Baier with the highly talented and competent DOGE team, which is rigorously streamlining the U.S. government bureaucracy. This work can only be done by competent (and motivated) outsiders with experience. Also urgently needed in the Netherlands, and in Europe.

On the 29th of March:

👉🏽'US debt has been "limited" by the $36.104 trillion debt ceiling since January but the liabilities don't stop rising. As of today, US debt is now ~$37 trillion. Treasury has burned through $560BN of its cash balance in the past month. Just $280BN left.' -ZeroHedge

On the 1st of April:

In recent weeks, I have shared my opinion on the latest Dutch pension fund drama. This week:

https://i.ibb.co/96ZhS0W/Gn-XEVQRXw-AM6b0-A.jpg

APG and pension funds refused to invest in Dutch housing (for political reasons). This involved 25 billion euros.

Currently we almost have a political scandal over a medal, but the fact that our pension system is being put at risk...no biggie!?

For our own housing market? “Too political.” For war and Brussels' military ambitions? €100,000,000,000—no problem.

They’re gambling with your pension while first-time buyers can’t afford a home and seniors struggle to make ends meet. Our money, their agenda.

Got Bitcoin?

I will end this Weekly Recap with a Stanley Druckenmiller quote:

"My favorite quote of all time is maybe Mark Twain: "Put all your eggs in one basket and watch the basket carefully."

"I tend to think that's what great investors do."

I know what I do and have. Bitcoin!

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

What Bitcoin Did: Peter Dunworth is the Director of a multi-family office and is the co-founder of The Bitcoin Adviser. In this episode, they discuss why Bitcoin is the only asset that can recapitalize the financial system, why Peter believes Bitcoin could become a $100 trillion asset within a decade, why credit markets are ultimately a collateral problem, and why financializing Bitcoin might be necessary to save Main Street from being collateral damage. They also get into Australia's property obsession, GameStop’s pivot to Bitcoin, the difference between Bitcoin derivatives and the asset itself, and MicroStrategy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bSprc0IAow

Credit: I have used multiple sources!

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

Use the code SE3997

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

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀

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⭐ Many thanks⭐

Felipe - Bitcoin Friday!

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