@ 1bc70a01:24f6a411

I've been meaning to dogfood my own vibe project for a while so this feels like a good opportunity to use Untype to publish this update and reflect on my vibe coding journey.

New Untype Update

As I write this, I found it a bit annoying dealing with one of the latest features, so I'll need to make some changes right after I'm done. Nonetheless, here are some exciting developments in the Untype article composer:

1. Added inline AI helper! Now you can highlight text and perform all sorts of things like fix grammar, re-write in different styles, and all sorts of other things. This is a bit annoying at the moment because it takes over the other editing functions and I need to fix the UX.

2. Added pushing articles to DMs! This option, when enabled, will send the article to all the subscribers via a NIP-44 DM. (No client has implemented the subscription method yet so technically it won’t work, until one does. I may add this to nrss.app) Also, I have not tested this so it could be broken… will test eventually!

3. Added word counts
4. Added ability to export as markdown, export as PDF, print.

The biggest flaw I have already discovered is how "I" implemented the highlight functionality. Right now when you highlight some text it automatically pops up the AI helper menu and this makes for an annoying time trying to make any changes to text. I wanted to change this to show a floating clickable icon instead, but for some reason the bot is having a difficult time updating the code to this desired UX.

Speaking of difficult times, it's probably a good idea to reflect a bit upon my vibe coding journey.

Vibe Coding Nostr Projects

First, I think it's important to add some context around my recent batch of nostr vibe projects. I am working on them mostly at night and occasionally on weekends in between park runs with kids, grocery shopping and just bumming around the house. People who see buggy code or less than desired UX should understand that I am not spending days coding this stuff. Some apps are literally as simple as typing one prompt!

That said, its pretty clear by now that one prompt cannot produce a highly polished product. This is why I decided to limit my number of project to a handful that I really wish existed, and slowly update them over time - fixing bugs, adding new features in hopes of making them the best tools - not only on nostr but the internet in general. As you can imagine this is not a small task, especially for sporadic vibe coding.

Fighting the bot

One of my biggest challenges so far besides having very limited time is getting the bot to do what I want it to do. I guess if you've done any vibe coding at all you're probably familiar with what I'm trying to say. You prompt one thing and get a hallucinated response, or worse, a complete mess out the other end that undoes most of the progress you've made. Once the initial thing is created, which barely took any time, now you're faced with making it work a certain way. This is where the challenges arise.

Here's a brief list of issues I've faced when vibe-coding with various tools:

1. Runaway expenses - tools like Cline tend to do a better job directly in VSCode, but they can also add up dramatically. Before leaning into v0 (which is where I do most of my vibe coding now), I would often melt through $10 credit purchases faster than I could get a decent feature out. It was not uncommon for me to spend $20-30 on a weekend just trying to debug a handful of issues. Naturally, I did not wish to pay these fees so I searched for alternatives.

2. File duplication - occasionally, seemingly out of nowhere, the bot will duplicate files by creating an entire new copy and attached "-fixed" to the file name. Clearly, I'm not asking for duplicate files, I just want it to fix the existing file, but it does happen and it's super annoying. Then you are left telling it which version to keep and which one to delete, and sometimes you have to be very precise or it'll delete the wrong thing and you have to roll back to a previous working version.

3. Code duplication - similar to file duplication, occasionally the bot will duplicate code and do things in the most unintuitive way imaginable. This often results in loops and crashes that can take many refreshes just to revert back to a working state, and many more prompts to avoid the duplication entirely - something a seasoned dev never has to deal with (or so I imagine).

4. Misinterpreting your request - occasionally the bot will do something you didn't ask for because it took your request quite literally. This tends to happen when I give it very specific prompts that are targeted at fixing one very specific thing. I've noticed the bots tend to do better with vague asks - hence a pretty good result on the initial prompt.

5. Doing things inefficiently, without considering smarter approaches - this one is the most painful of vibe coding issues. As a person who may not be familiar with some of the smarter ways of handling development, you rely on the bot to do the right thing. But, when the bot does something horribly inefficiently and you are non-the-wiser, it can be tough to diagnose the issue. I often fight myself asking the bot "is this really the best way to handle things? Can't we ... / shouldn't we .../ isn't this supposed to..." etc. I guess one of the nice side effects of this annoyance is being able to prompt better. I learn that I should ask the bot to reflect on its own code more often and seek ways to do things more simply.

A combination of the above, or total chaos - this is a category where all hell breaks loose and you're trying to put out one fire after another. Fix one bug, only to see 10 more pop up. Fix those, to see 10 more and so on. I guess this may sound like typical development, but the bot amplifies issues by acting totally irrationally. This is typically when I will revert to a previous save point and just undo everything, often losing a lot of progress.

Lessons Learned

If I had to give my earlier self some tips on how to be a smarter vibe coder, here's how I'd summarize them:

1. Fork often - in v0 I now fork for any new major feature I'd like to add (such as the AI assistant).

2. Use targeting tools - in v0 you can select elements and describe how you wish to edit them.

3. Refactor often - keeping the code more manageable speeds up the process. Since the bot will go through the entire file, even if it only makes one small change, it's best to keep the files small and refactoring achieves that.

I guess the biggest lesson someone might point out is just to stop vibe coding. It may be easier to learn proper development and do things right. For me it has been a spare time hobby (one that I will admit is taking more of my extra time than I'd like). I don't really have the time to learn proper development. I feel like I've learned a lot just bossing the bot around and have learned a bunch of things in the process. That's not to say that I never will, but for the moment being my heart is still mostly in design. I haven't shared much of anything I have designed recently - mostly so I can remain speaking more freely without it rubbing off on my work.

I'll go ahead and try to publish this to see if it actually works 😂. Here goes nothing... (oh, I guess I could use the latest feature to export as markdown so I don't lose any progress! Yay!

@ 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!

@ 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!

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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

@ eac63075:b4988b48

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

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

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

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

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

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Understanding Quantum Computing’s Attack Priorities

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

1. Attacks on Wallets

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

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

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

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

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

2. Attacks on Mining

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

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Satoshi Nakamoto in 2010 on Quantum Computing and Bitcoin Attacks

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

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

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

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

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How Can Users Protect Themselves?

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

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

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BIP-360 and Bitcoin’s Preparation for the Future

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

BIP-360 addresses three main pillars:

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

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

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Post-Quantum Algorithms: The Future of Bitcoin Cryptography

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

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

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

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

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

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Why Quantum Computing Is Far from Being a Threat

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

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

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

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Conclusion: Bitcoin’s Secure Future

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

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

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

@ eac63075:b4988b48

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

PT-BR version

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

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

1. Introduction to Consensus in Bitcoin

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

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

Evolution of Consensus in Bitcoin

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

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

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2. Technical Components of Consensus

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

Validation of Blocks and Transactions

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

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

Chain Selection

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

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

Soft Forks vs. Hard Forks

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

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

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

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

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3. Stakeholders in Bitcoin's Consensus

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

1. Economic Nodes

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

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

2. Investors

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

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

3. Media Influencers

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

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

4. Miners

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

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

5. Protocol Developers

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

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

6. Users and Application Developers

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

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

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

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4. Mechanisms for Activating Updates in Bitcoin

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

Flag Day

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

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

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

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

BIP34 and BIP9

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BIP8 (LOT=True)

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

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

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

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

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

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5. Risks and Considerations in Consensus Updates

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

Network Fragility with Alternative Implementations

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

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

Chain Splits and Impact on Stakeholders

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

Each group of stakeholders reacts differently to a chain split:

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

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

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

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

Regulatory Impacts and Institutional Investors

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

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

Security Considerations in Soft Forks and Hard Forks

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

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

Bounty Claim Risks and Attack Scenarios

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

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

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

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6. Recommendations for the Consensus Process in Bitcoin

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

1. Careful Evaluation of Proposal Maturity

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

2. Extensive Testing in Secure and Compatible Networks

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

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

3. Importance of Stakeholder Engagement

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

4. Key Questions for Evaluating Consensus Proposals

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

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

5. Coordination and Timing in Implementations

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

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

6. Continuous Monitoring and Re-evaluation

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

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

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7. Conclusion

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

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

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

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

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8. Links

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

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

@ eac63075:b4988b48

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

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

(PT-BR version here)

What is a CBDC?

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

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

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

Practical Example: The Case of DREX During the Pandemic

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

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

How Does China's Social Credit System Work?

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

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

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

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

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

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

DREX and Bill No. 3,341/2024

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

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

Risks and Individual Freedom

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

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

The Relationship Between DREX and Pix

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

International Precedents and Resistance to CBDC

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

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

Bill No. 3,341/2024 and Popular Pressure

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

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

What’s at Stake?

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

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

A Call to Action

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

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

@ f839fb67:5c930939

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| Name | Address | Price (Sats/Year) | Status | | - | - | - | - | | stephen's aegis relay | wss://paid.relay.vanderwarker.family | 42069 | | | stephen's Outbox | wss://relay.vanderwarker.family | Just Me | | | stephen's Inbox | wss://haven.vanderwarker.family/inbox | WoT | | | stephen's DMs | wss://haven.vanderwarker.family/chat | WoT | | | VFam Data Relay | wss://data.relay.vanderwarker.family | 0 | | | VFam Bots Relay | wss://skeme.vanderwarker.family | Invite | | | VFGroups (NIP29) | wss://groups.vanderwarker.family | 0 | | | [TOR] My Phone Relay | ws://naswsosuewqxyf7ov7gr7igc4tq2rbtqoxxirwyhkbuns4lwc3iowwid.onion | 0 | Meh... |

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• Fediverse_Bots
  • nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4xqpzp7peldn3gkv2wgeap8dag2hc9nyhs8g04ft5wnccgxhepdwfxzfeqys8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnkv9hxgetjwashy6m9wghxvctdd9k8jtcqperx2erfwejhyum9tapx7arnfcpdzh
• My Bots
  • nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4xqpzp7peldn3gkv2wgeap8dag2hc9nyhs8g04ft5wnccgxhepdwfxzfeqys8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnkv9hxgetjwashy6m9wghxvctdd9k8jtcqz4uh5jnpwscyss24fpkxw4fewafk566twa2q8f6fyk

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Chef's notes

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

Details

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

Ingredients

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

Directions

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

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

https://primal.net/e/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqntcggz30qhq60ltqdx32zku9d46unhrkjtcv7fml7jx3dh4h94nqqszw6rqxppmm48pvvc5pz4q74r7qvsgl8tzwfgp3kqg82jw04t2n3q2nrlqh

Get used to and comfortable with being responsible for your own wellbeing.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/945039

@ bf95e1a4:ebdcc848

This is a part of the Bitcoin Infinity Academy course on Knut Svanholm's book Bitcoin: Sovereignty Through Mathematics. For more information, check out our Geyser page!

Proof of Work

Zoom out of time for a while and imagine how the antlers of a magnificent moose buck evolved into being. The main purpose of big antlers in nature is believed to be a way for the buck to impress potential mates. They’re somewhat akin to the feathers of a peacock, or the shroud of any male bird for that matter. The animal is trying to signal that it can thrive in its environment despite its enormous appendage. It’s there to tell the potential mate that this specific specimen will bring her strong, healthy offspring. These are all evolutionary metaphors, of course — the animal itself is probably unaware of signaling anything. For such antlers to evolve into being, a whole lot of moose will have to die early, or at least not get a chance to reproduce, over thousands of generations. In other words, a lot of resources need to be wasted. All of this for the animal to prove its value to potential spouses. Therefore, from the surviving moose's point of view, the aforementioned resources were sacrificed rather than wasted.

The Proof of Work algorithm in Bitcoin does a similar thing. It enables miners to sacrifice a lot of electricity, a real-world resource, to find a certain number, thereby proving that they had to commit a lot of time and effort to do this. Time, by the way, is the scarcest of all resources. Because of all this, a Bitcoin miner is very reluctant to sell Bitcoin at a net loss. The electricity has already been used when the Bitcoin pops into existence, and the miner has no other means of getting his money back than by selling the Bitcoin for more than the cost of the electricity it took to produce them. This is assuming that the mining rig itself has already been paid for. Proof of Work is a way of converting computing power into money, in a sense. Yes, these rigs consume a lot of energy, but the energy consumed correlates directly to the actual value of the created token. Any decrease in the energy expenditure would also lead to a decrease in the value of the token. Not necessarily the price but the actual value. This is the main reason mining algorithms can’t be less resource-consuming or more energy-efficient. “Wasting” energy is the whole point. No “waste,” no proof of commitment.

The fundamental principles of Bitcoin were set in stone in 2008, and block #0, the so-called genesis block, was mined in January 2009. In Bitcoin, a block of transactions is created every ten minutes. In its first four years of existence, these blocks included a 50 Bitcoin block reward given to the miner who found the block. Every four years, this reward is halved so that the maximum amount of Bitcoin that can ever be claimed can never exceed just short of 21 million. Every 2016th block, or roughly every two weeks, the difficulty of finding a new block is re-calibrated so that a block will be found every ten minutes on average. The value of this feature and the impact it has on coin issuance is often understated. It is one of the features of Bitcoin that separates it from gold and other assets in one of the most subtle yet most powerful ways. When the price of gold or silver or oil or any other asset goes up, producing that asset becomes more profitable, and more resources are allocated to produce more of it faster. This, in turn, evens out the price as the total supply of said asset increases.

Gold has been able to maintain or increase its value long term over time because of its high stock-to-flow ratio. Stock refers to the supply of an asset currently available on the market. Flow refers to the amount added to the stock per time unit. The bigger the stock in relation to the flow, the less of an impact on the total supply an increase in the price of a specific asset has. In Bitcoin, a price increase has virtually no impact at all on the coin issuance rate (the flow) since the difficulty of finding the next block in the chain is constantly being optimized for a strict issuance schedule. No other asset has ever behaved like this and we are yet to find out what impact its existence will have on the world economy.

So, how does one mine a block in the Bitcoin blockchain? In short, the mining process goes something like this: every active node in the Bitcoin network stores a copy of the mempool, which contains all Bitcoin transactions that haven’t been confirmed yet. The miner puts as many transactions as the block size allows into the block, usually selecting those with the highest fee first. He then adds a random number, called a nonce, and produces a hash of the entire thing using the SHA-256 hashing algorithm. A hashing algorithm turns data into a string of numbers. If the resulting hash begins with a specific number of zeros decided by the current difficulty of the network, the miner wins the block reward, collects all the fees, and gets to put the block on the blockchain.

The beauty of the system is that it is trivial for the nodes in the network to verify the block so that no double spending can occur, but it’s near impossible to forge a fake hash since the probability of finding one that begins with as many zeros as the difficulty of the Bitcoin network demands is extremely low. To a layman's eye, a hash beginning with a bunch of zeros just looks like a random number, but a person who understands the mathematics behind it sees a different thing. The zeros act as proof of an enormous commitment to trying out different nonces and trying to find a perfect match. If you’re able to understand these huge numbers, you quickly realize that this number must have been created by devoting computing power to doing just that on an absolutely massive scale. The proof is in those zeros.

If you compare just the hash rate of the top five so-called cryptocurrencies, it is obvious that Bitcoin is on a different level security-wise. From a hash rate to security perspective, the Ethereum blockchain is about five times as ineffective, and the Litecoin blockchain about ten times as ineffective as the Bitcoin blockchain at the time of writing.1 This in addition to the obviously more centralized nature of these “alternatives”.

Some of the futurists and doomsday prophets mentioned in chapter four as the people most likely to warn us about the dangers of the impending Artificial Intelligence singularity, believe that we already live in a simulated reality. The main argument for this worldview is that since simulations and computer graphics seem to be getting better at an ever-accelerating rate, we can’t really know if we already live in a simulation or not. To put it another way, we simply have no way of knowing if we live in The Matrix or if our perceived reality is all there is. A really mind-blowing counterargument to this theory is that Bitcoin’s Proof of Work algorithm would eventually slow down the simulation since Proof of Work is verifiable and can’t be simulated itself. Computing power would have to be sacrificed by some entity somewhere, regardless. One question remains, though: can the inhabitants of a simulated reality actually feel or measure a slowdown of the very simulation they live in?

Footnotes:

1. Source: howmanyconfs.com

About the Bitcoin Infinity Academy

The Bitcoin Infinity Academy is an educational project built around Knut Svanholm’s books about Bitcoin and Austrian Economics. Each week, a whole chapter from one of the books is released for free on Highlighter, accompanied by a video in which Knut and Luke de Wolf discuss that chapter’s ideas. You can join the discussions by signing up for one of the courses on our Geyser page. Signed books, monthly calls, and lots of other benefits are also available.

@ 502ab02a:a2860397

วันนี้มาเล่าเรื่อง animal base บ้างครับ เพราะหลายๆคนบอกว่า ดีนะฉันกินสัตว์ ฉันคิดว่าไขมันสัตว์ดีที่สุด รวมถึง plant base ที่ตัดสินฉาบฉวยว่าผม anti plant วันนี้มาเล่าข้อมูลเรื่องต่อไปกันครับ เพื่อให้เห็นว่า โลกของผู้ล่า มันไม่เลือกฝั่งครับ คำถามคือ เหยื่อจะเตรียมตัวอย่างไรมากกว่า เพราะเหยื่อยังทะเลาะกันเองอยู่เลย 55555

sub item ของ fiat food มีอย่างนึงที่เรียกว่า fake food ครับ ถ้าถามว่า “โปรตีนจากเซลล์” หรือ lab-grown meat ที่โฆษณาว่าเป็นทางเลือกแห่งอนาคตนั้น ภาพที่คนทั่วไปนึกถึงคืออะไร? คำตอบน่าจะไม่พ้น -เนื้อที่ไม่ต้องฆ่าสัตว์ -โปรตีนสะอาด ไร้มลพิษ -เทคโนโลยีแห่งอนาคตเพื่อสิ่งแวดล้อม

เชื่อไหมว่าความจริงนั้นมันอาจจะตรงกันข้ามกับทุกข้อที่ตอบมาเลยครับ

มันมาจากไหน?

"เนื้อเทียมจากห้องแล็บ" คือการเอาเซลล์สัตว์มาเพาะเลี้ยงในจานเพาะเลี้ยง โดยให้อาหารกับเซลล์พวกนั้นด้วยน้ำเลี้ยง (growth medium) เพื่อให้มันแบ่งตัวกลายเป็นกล้ามเนื้อ ฟังดูเหมือนปลอดภัยใช่ไหม? แต่ที่หลายคนไม่รู้คือ…

น้ำเลี้ยงที่ใช้ส่วนใหญ่มาจาก Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) หรือ ซีรั่มจากลูกวัวที่ถูกฆ่าขณะอยู่ในครรภ์แม่ มันคือ คือการเจาะหัวใจลูกวัวที่ยังไม่เกิด เพื่อเอาเลือดมาเลี้ยงเนื้อเทียม แน่นอนว่าการให้ข้อมูลนั้นเขาจะบอกว่า เก็บเกี่ยวเลือดจากตัวอ่อนของวัวหลังจากที่นำตัวอ่อนออกจากวัวที่ถูกเชือด ตัวอ่อนจะตายจากการขาดออกซิเจนโดยอยู่ในสภาพแวดล้อมที่ปลอดภัยของมดลูกเป็นเวลาอย่างน้อย 15-20 นาทีหลังจากวัวตายและแน่นอนว่าต้องให้ข้อมูลว่ามีการเก็บมาภายใต้การดูแลจริยธรรม

และถ้าจะไม่ใช้ FBS ก็ต้องใช้น้ำเลี้ยงสังเคราะห์ที่อัดแน่นด้วย growth factor สังเคราะห์, ยาปฏิชีวนะ, ฮอร์โมน และสารกระตุ้นการเจริญเติบโตแบบเข้มข้น มันคือ Frankenstein Protein เลยก็ว่าได้

ราคาที่แท้จริงไม่ใช่แค่เงิน แต่คืออำนาจต่างหากครับ

เบื้องหลังของ lab-grown meat คือบริษัททุนใหญ่ เช่น Eat Just (เจ้าของ Good Meat) Upside Foods Believer Meats CUBIQ Foods และเบื้องหลังอีกชั้นคือ VC ยักษ์ เช่น SoftBank, Temasek, Bill Gates, Tyson Foods ฯลฯ เริ่มเห็นภาพแล้วใช่ไหมครับ

ทุกเจ้ากำลังเร่งวิจัยเพื่อ “จดสิทธิบัตร” กระบวนการผลิต และพันธุกรรมของเซลล์สัตว์ ใช่จ้ะ… พันธุกรรมของวัว หมู ไก่ หรือแม้แต่ปลา ถูกดัดแปลงพันธุกรรมเพื่อให้เพาะง่าย โตไว อยู่ได้นาน และตอบโจทย์การผลิตในเชิงอุตสาหกรรม

ใครจะเลี้ยงวัวเองแล้วทำเนื้อกินเอง อาจโดนฟ้องในอนาคตว่าไปละเมิดพันธุ์สิทธิบัตรที่บริษัทครอบครอง

ต่อไปนี้ถ้าอยากขายเนื้อ ต้องเป็นเจ้าของห้องแล็บถึงแม้บริษัทเหหล่านี้จะบอกว่า “เราจะ democratize protein” คือทำให้ใครๆ ก็เข้าถึงโปรตีนได้ แต่ความจริงคือ ทุกกระบวนการตั้งแต่เซลล์ต้นแบบ อาหารเลี้ยงเซลล์ ยันเครื่องมือในแล็บ ล้วนมีสิทธิบัตร ใครที่ไม่มี license ก็ผลิตไม่ได้ พูดง่ายๆ ก็คือ…

“ของกินที่โตจากเซลล์ในอนาคตจะต้องมีใบอนุญาตจากบริษัท” ไม่มีแผ่นดินไหน ปลูกเอง กินเอง ได้อีกต่อไป

แล้วมันดีต่อสิ่งแวดล้อมจริงไหม? บริษัทแสนดีต่างๆชอบบอกว่าเนื้อแล็บช่วยลดการปล่อยคาร์บอนจากฟาร์มปศุสัตว์ แต่งานวิจัยของ Oxford, UC Davis และมหาวิทยาลัย Wageningen ชี้ว่า การผลิตเนื้อในห้องแล็บใช้พลังงานสูงกว่าปศุสัตว์จริง หลายเท่า และถ้าไม่ใช้พลังงานหมุนเวียน ก็จะปล่อยคาร์บอนมากกว่าการเลี้ยงวัวแบบดั้งเดิมเสียอีก

ตกลงมันคือ Clean Meat หรือ Clean Lie? Clean Meat ที่เขาโฆษณา อาจจะสะอาดแค่ “ภาพ” แต่องค์ประกอบข้างในคือ… -เซลล์สัตว์ที่ดัดแปลงยีนให้โตเร็ว -น้ำเลี้ยงเซลล์ที่มีสารกระตุ้นการเติบโต, ฮอร์โมน, ยาปฏิชีวนะ -ความไม่โปร่งใสเรื่องกระบวนการผลิต -ไม่มีฉลากบอกผู้บริโภคชัดเจน -ยังไม่มีการทดลองระยะยาวว่า “ปลอดภัยหรือไม่”

พรุ่งนี้ที่ไม่มีเกษตรกรจะเป็นยังไง ถ้าโปรตีนทั้งหมดผลิตในแล็บ แล้วเกษตรกรล่ะ? คนเลี้ยงสัตว์ล่ะ? คนเลี้ยงเป็ดไก่หลังบ้านล่ะ? คนปลูกผัก เลี้ยงวัว ทำฟาร์มแบบพื้นถิ่นล่ะ? ทุกคนจะตกขบวนอาหารของโลกใหม่ เพราะเกมนี้ไม่ได้วัดกันที่คุณภาพ แต่วัดกันที่ “ลิขสิทธิ์”

เรากำลังกินอนาคตที่เราไม่ได้เลือก ในชื่อของ “เทคโนโลยี” ในคราบของ “ทางเลือก” ในความนิยมของ "super food" แต่แท้จริงแล้ว เราอาจกำลังแลก สิทธิการควบคุมอาหาร ไปกับ “คำสัญญาว่าโลกจะดีขึ้น” ไม่ต่างอะไรจากการเอาอาหารไปวางไว้ในห้องแล็บ และล็อกประตูเอาไว้ให้คนไม่กี่คนถือกุญแจ

not your key, not your free เหมือนเพลงที่ผมเขียนไว้ในอัลบั้ม orange cafe ครับ https://youtu.be/k5jUpFXI6Gg?si=4GXOXjYbOpqX9kRb

#pirateketo #กูต้องรู้มั๊ย #ม้วนหางสิลูก

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

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

Bold text work!

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

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

🐶🐾🤯🤯🤯🫂💜

@ 8d34bd24:414be32b

Ever since becoming a Christian, I have whole-heartedly believed the Bible and that God will fulfill what He has promised. On the other hand, for the majority of the time I have been a Christian, I have dreaded reading prophecy. It seemed so hard to understand. Some is couched in figurative language, but I now believe much of it was hard to understand because there were no words for the technology and systems that would come into being and fulfill these predictions.

Now reading End times prophecy, like in Revelation, Daniel, Matthew 24-25, 2 Thessalonians, Zechariah, etc. the prophecies are starting to sound like the evening news instead of some poetic mystery. These predictions are making more and more sense as the technology and world politics begin to align with the prophecies. I have gone from hating when I get to prophecy passages, especially Revelation, in my Bible reading, to spending extra time reading these passages and seeing how they line up and clarify each other. (I really want to start a project linking all of the end-times prophetic passages together to see how they clarify each other and try to see the big picture, but that is a massive project and time is in short supply. The only way I know to do it is in Excel, but that isn’t efficient. If anyone has a suggestion for a better way to link and show relationships, I’d love to hear about it, especially if it is free or very cheap.)

Matthew recounts Jesus telling His disciples about what to expect in the end times. Although Matthew 24 describes more of the details of the events that happen, this passage in Matthew 25 describes the importance of watching expectantly for the signs of the times, so we are ready.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. (Matthew 25:1-13) {emphasis mine}

Many Christians think studying prophecy is not useful for today, but that is not true. Our time is short and Jesus warned us to be aware and ready. We can’t be ready for something if we know nothing about it.

In this passage it mentions that “while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.” How often do we feel the delay and begin to rest or get distracted by other things? Most Christians do not live like Christ’s return is imminent. Although we can’t know the hour or the day, we can know that we are closer to that hour than we have ever been before. Peter warns us not to doubt Christ’s coming or to become focused solely on our earthly lives.

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:3-4)

Because Jesus has not returned for almost 2,000 years, many act as if He will never come, but that long wait instead suggests the time is nearing because God never breaks His promises.

For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:5-9) {emphasis mine}

The long wait is due to God’s unfathomable mercy and patience, but we should also realize that the increase of evil in the world cannot continue forever. How much more can evil increase before mankind destroys itself? God claims judgement for Himself and finds every kind of sin abhorrent. If we are distraught over the sin in the world today, how much more awful is it to a holy, perfect God to see His very own creation destroyed by sin?

Just as the ten virgins became tired waiting, we tend to get caught up in the things of this world instead of focusing on God’s plan for us and the world. We act as if this world is the only thing we will experience instead of preparing for our rapture to heaven. We focus on our job, our homes, and our families (all good things) and miss the most important things — winning souls for heaven.

Just as Jesus gently reprimanded Martha for having the wrong focus:

But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40-42) {emphasis mine}

In the same way, we get focused with the business of life and miss the most important stuff. It wasn’t bad of Martha to take care of her guests, but sitting with Jesus and learning from Him was more important. In the same way, our jobs, families, and homes are good things and we should do them well, but reading our Bibles, praying, growing closer to Jesus, and sharing the Gospel with those who don’t know Jesus is better.

When we believe that our time on earth is short and Jesus is coming for us soon, we are more likely to focus on the most important things — the eternal things.

This passage in Matthew 16 describes the importance of us knowing, understanding, and looking for the signs of the times.

The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away. (Matthew 16:1-4) {emphasis mine}

Christians that believe studying end times prophecy is not important would be rebuked even today by Jesus. We are supposed to study and learn and prepare and watch eagerly for His return.

In Revelation, God says we are blessed if we hear and heed the words of this prophecy.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. (Revelation 1:1-3) {emphasis mine}

Do you seek God’s blessing? Then study God’s prophecies, especially as written in Revelation. God is good and He has shown His children what will happen, so they can be prepared. Don’t be like the five foolish virgins who were unprepared. Study the Scriptures. Look for the signs. Be ready for our Savior’s return by inviting as many people as possible to join us.

Trust Jesus.

FYI, I hope to write several more articles on the end times (signs of the times, the rapture, the millennium, the judgement, etc.).

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Opinion about Bitcoin Wallet (android)

I think this was the first self-custody wallet I ever used. I'm really glad it's still maintained and reproducible from source 🤙

WalletScrutiny #nostrOpinion

Join the conversation!

@ 35da2266:15e70970

4EimyzmhhmH4plLDC0nv/KQniv8JrJY/2A8svVqsZ8efXrRGCEsrCJwSzvJOrK6sLkfiVcvJ8r3yXW8QDYceQSDjgTDtoxoL+0U1v66lfEvc/OASt/dICMTrrUe5LXFitve6fmhhnJfUie9Smmgd0kpd5q/pzTBeKUwhdV69t6Q3zs7ACAXncojtHjCqORHDcvJq14pwocpqQjqNu0LGoXT81L4RvIBcN/a+QGwHsQMPTnwje0ryCPpp4BsMZx5XIkvagVRWGwI7oA4361lGer0c1Rx0cxphETaGL3oNlEQGGgO0A++VqiVRp5LpHW0JYVRHpGQn++KV2zIhCk9UcwlgxEx2SYg8fXh0G0l2fUo=?iv=wqlunJB3xhRRILfuEfDe9A==

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

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Prepared for Off-World Visitors by the Risan Institute of Cultural Heritage

Welcome to Risa, the jewel of the Alpha Quadrant, celebrated across the Federation for its tranquility, pleasure, and natural splendor. But what many travelers do not know is that Risa’s current harmony was not inherited—it was forged. Beneath the songs of surf and the serenity of our resorts lies a history rich in conflict, transformation, and enduring wisdom.

We offer this briefing not merely as a tale of our past, but as an invitation to understand the spirit of our people and the roots of our peace.

I. A World at the Crossroads

Before its admittance into the United Federation of Planets, Risa was an independent and vulnerable world situated near volatile borders of early galactic powers. Its lush climate, mineral wealth, and open society made it a frequent target for raiders and an object of interest for imperial expansion.

The Risan peoples were once fragmented, prone to philosophical and political disunity. In our early records, this period is known as the Winds of Splintering. We suffered invasions, betrayals, and the slow erosion of trust in our own traditions.

II. The Coming of the Vulcans

It was during this period of instability that a small delegation of Vulcan philosophers, adherents to the teachings of Surak, arrived on Risa. They did not come as conquerors, nor even as ambassadors, but as seekers of peace.

These emissaries of logic saw in Risa the potential for a society not driven by suppression of emotion, as Vulcan had chosen, but by the balance of joy and discipline. While many Vulcans viewed Risa’s culture as frivolous, these followers of Surak saw the seed of a different path: one in which beauty itself could be a pillar of peace.

The Risan tradition of meditative dance, artistic expression, and communal love resonated with Vulcan teachings of unity and inner control. From this unlikely exchange was born the Ricin Doctrine—the belief that peace is sustained not only through logic or strength, but through deliberate joy, shared vulnerability, and readiness without aggression.

III. Betazed and the Trial of Truth

During the same era, early contact with the people of Betazed brought both inspiration and tension. A Betazoid expedition, under the guise of diplomacy, was discovered to be engaging in deep telepathic influence and information extraction. The Risan people, who valued consent above all else, responded not with anger, but with clarity.

A council of Ricin philosophers invited the Betazoid delegation into a shared mind ceremony—a practice in which both cultures exposed their thoughts in mutual vulnerability. The result was not scandal, but transformation. From that moment forward, a bond was formed, and Risa’s model of ethical emotional expression and consensual empathy became influential in shaping Betazed’s own peace philosophies.

IV. Confronting Marauders and Empires

Despite these philosophical strides, Risa’s path was anything but tranquil.

• Orion Syndicate raiders viewed Risa as ripe for exploitation, and for decades, cities were sacked, citizens enslaved, and resources plundered. In response, Risa formed the Sanctum Guard, not a military in the traditional sense, but a force of trained defenders schooled in both physical technique and psychological dissuasion. The Ricin martial arts, combining beauty with lethality, were born from this necessity.

• Andorian expansionism also tested Risa’s sovereignty. Though smaller in scale, skirmishes over territorial claims forced Risa to adopt planetary defense grids and formalize diplomatic protocols that balanced assertiveness with grace. It was through these conflicts that Risa developed the art of the ceremonial yield—a symbolic concession used to diffuse hostility while retaining honor.

• Romulan subterfuge nearly undid Risa from within. A corrupt Romulan envoy installed puppet leaders in one of our equatorial provinces. These agents sought to erode Risa’s social cohesion through fear and misinformation. But Ricin scholars countered the strategy not with rebellion, but with illumination: they released a network of truths, publicly broadcasting internal thoughts and civic debates to eliminate secrecy. The Romulan operation collapsed under the weight of exposure.

• Even militant Vulcan splinter factions, during the early Vulcan-Andorian conflicts, attempted to turn Risa into a staging ground, pressuring local governments to support Vulcan supremacy. The betrayal struck deep—but Risa resisted through diplomacy, invoking Surak’s true teachings and exposing the heresy of their logic-corrupted mission.

V. Enlightenment Through Preparedness

These trials did not harden us into warriors. They refined us into guardians of peace. Our enlightenment came not from retreat, but from engagement—tempered by readiness.

• We train our youth in the arts of balance: physical defense, emotional expression, and ethical reasoning.
• We teach our history without shame, so that future generations will not repeat our errors.
• We host our guests with joy, not because we are naïve, but because we know that to celebrate life fully is the greatest act of resistance against fear.

Risa did not become peaceful by denying the reality of conflict. We became peaceful by mastering our response to it.

And in so doing, we offered not just pleasure to the stars—but wisdom.

We welcome you not only to our beaches, but to our story.

May your time here bring you not only rest—but understanding.

– Risan Institute of Cultural Heritage, in collaboration with the Council of Enlightenment and the Ricin Circle of Peacekeepers

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Test Bounty Note

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ORIGINALLY ON XITTER BY STEVE BARBOUR. SHARED HERE FOR THE HOMIES (https://x.com/SGBarbour/status/1911614638623801425)

I find bureaucracy fascinating—it’s like a cancer within human organizations.

Why do organizations become bloated with excessive procedural controls, inefficiency, and indecisiveness as they grow in size and age? Why does decision-by-committee often replace the ambitious, self-starting decision maker? Why do small, "lean and mean" startups inevitably become bloated with bureaucracy as they scale and increase their headcount?

In 2014, these questions consumed me while I sat in a cubicle at an oil and gas company. Why, after years of honing my skills to fix artificial lift systems, was my signing authority decreasing (from $25,000 to $10,000 for workover budgets), despite record corporate profits? Why did I now need a 12-page Microsoft Word document with manager sign-off to schedule and scope a service rig for a simple pump change, when a five-minute email direct to the rig supervisor had previously sufficed?

Years into the job I was far more capable than when I had started, yet I had less authority with each passing day. I became determined to understand what was causes bureaucracy and whether or not it can be prevented.

After researching for some time, such as the essay I posted below, I concluded that bureaucracy stems from a lack of trust and accountability. Bureaucrats impose procedures instead of trusting subordinates to do their jobs, often in response to a costly mistake. This results in new processes that everyone must follow.

Bureaucrats rarely take responsibility for their own failures or hold others accountable for theirs. Instead, they create more procedures and invent new processes. Bureaucracy is a systemic issue, pervasive in nearly every large business or institution. The larger the organization, the more stifling it becomes.

This behavior is costly, increasing administrative overhead and delaying capital execution. Who is bearing this enormous cost?

You are, of course!

Fiat money funds the vast majority of the world's bureaucracy. Fiat money is counterfeit created out of thin air and is used to fund deficit spending by governments worldwide. Governments use paper money they did not earn from taxes to bail out institutions who are overleveraged and get caught with their pants down (e.g. Bombardier and Air Canada are famous repeat offenders in Canada, in the US you can choose any big name bank just about).

They keep printing money and nobody is held accountable anywhere.

Misallocate capital, become insolvent, print money and bail out, create new regulations / procedures, repeat.

You pay for bureaucracy by losing your savings to inflation.

You pay for bureaucracy when the local small businesses in your neighborhood is replaced by a global franchise funded by cheap, perpetual fiat money.

You pay for bureaucracy when you cannot retire as early as you planned and end up working yourself straight into a retirement home.

---

I was cleaning and organizing my office today and found this old essay by Brian D. Rule from 1977 on the topic, which sparked me to write this short X piece on bureaucracy.

Brian's essay 'Bureaucracy' was actually the very essay that led me into believing fiat money with the root cause of global bureaucracy and waste, which lead me to become interested in gold in 2015 and then in bitcoin in 2016.

Sure enough I googled the prevalence of the term 'bureaucracy' and something interesting happened after 1971...

Isn't it weird how so much went to shit after we got off the gold standard?

Today I am convinced that hard, sound money is the only solution to bureaucracy. This is why I work for #bitcoin.

*Sadly I can no longer find the essay online, so I ripped the text from my paper printout that I found in my files with the now defunct reference website below. *

---

Bureaucracy

Brian D. Rude, 1977

Original website (now defunct): http://brianrude.com/burea.htm

In the summer of 1975 I took a teaching job in Nebraska. As my previous teaching experience was in Missouri I had to see about getting a Nebraska teaching certificate. I applied for a "Nebraska Standard" teaching certificate. I sent in my college transcript, the application form, and a check for eight dollars. They sent me back, in their own good time, a "Nebraska Prestandard" certificate. I decided there was nothing "prestandard" about me or my teaching, so I wrote back and asked why I didn't get the "standard" certificate. They replied that since I had not taught three out of the last five years I was eligible only for the "prestandard" certificate.

"What do those pigheaded bureaucrats know about my teaching?" I thought to myself. "How would they ever know the standard of my teaching just from shuffling papers around?"

With a little reflection I realized that of course they know nothing about my teaching. They are not supposed to know anything about my teaching. They are paid to evaluate the papers I send them. They are not paid to evaluate my teaching. They have a clear mandate to shuffle my papers, and nothing more.

I presume my application was opened by a secretary, who, following a tightly structured routine, checked off each requirement, typed up my certificate, got it signed by some authority and sent it off to me. Such a secretary is most likely a conscientious worker, a wife and mother, a Republican or Democrat, an occasional churchgoer, a bit of a gossip, and a lot of other plain ordinary things. But she is most likely not a "pigheaded bureaucrat". She would not think of herself as a bureaucrat, and neither would her boss, her coworkers, her family, or anyone else who personally knew her. When she typed "prestandard" instead of "standard" on my teaching certificate she is simply doing her job. Were she to do anything less or more she would be negligent.

So where is the bureaucracy? Or was I dealing with a bureaucracy? If not, then where is there a bureaucracy? Where do we find the genuine article, the bungling, myopic, pigheaded bureaucrat?

I think pigheaded bureaucrats do exist, but they are rare. It's the good bureaucrat that drives us batty, quite as much as the bungling bureaucrat. The good bureaucrat knows exactly what he is obligated to do and he does it conscientiously. The good bureaucrat simply applies the rules that he is responsible for applying, but that he did not make.

A bureaucracy is a group of people responsible for applying a set of rules. The police, courts, executive branches of government, parents, teachers, librarians, and many other people or groups of people are also responsible for applying rules, yet we don't think of these as being bureaucracies. The distinguishing features of a bureaucracy are the types of rules to be applied, and, to some extent, how the rules are applied.

A bureaucracy is responsible for applying what I will call "secondary", or "derived" rules. A secondary rule is a requirement or prohibition established only because it promotes a primary goal. When Moses came down from the mountain with his stone tablets he was carrying what might be considered the simplest statement of what I will call "primary" requirements. The rule, "Thou shalt not steal", for example, is a primary requirement because it is desirable for its own sake, not just as a means to some other end. Similarly, "Thou shalt not commit murder" is a primary requirement because it is desirable as an end in itself.

Safe driving, as a modern example, is a primary requirement because it is desirable for its own sake. The requirement that one get a driver's license before driving, in contrast, is a secondary requirement. It is a requirement instituted by state governments in an attempt to promote the primary goal of safe driving. It is secondary to, or derived from, the primary requirement of driving safely. If people always drove safely, or if driving by its nature presented no hazards, then there would be no need for driver's licenses. Or if legislatures decided that licensing did nothing to promote safe driving then there would be no need for driver's licenses. Licensing is not an end in itself.

Tertiary, or third order, requirements can also exist. If a state requires a birth certificate as proof of age before issuing a driver's license then the state is imposing a third order requirement. Showing a birth certificate is a requirement designed to promote the licensing of drivers, which in turn is designed to promote safe driving.

I imagine one could go ahead and find examples of fourth order requirements established to promote third order requirements. However I don't think there is much point in getting too deep in this kind of analysis. The main point is the distinction of whether a goal is important for its own sake or whether it is important in promoting some other goal. Thus I may speak of a "derived" requirement, meaning only that it is not a primary requirement, but not specifying whether it is secondary, tertiary, or even further removed from the primary goal.

In different contexts I may speak of primary or secondary "requirements", "rules", "prohibitions", "laws", "regulations", "goals", "wrongs", "burdens", "privileges", and so on. It seems natural to think of paying taxes as a "requirement", while murder is a "wrong" that is covered by a "prohibition". But the requirement of paying a tax can be interpreted as the prohibition of avoiding the tax, and the prohibition against murder can be interpreted as the requirement to refrain from murder. The important point here is the distinction between primary and derived, not between omission and commission.

In the example I gave about getting a teaching certificate the bureaucrats were concerned only with my compliance with secondary requirements. They were not at all concerned with the primary requirement - the requirement that I indeed be a good teacher. This is a distinguishing characteristic of bureaucracies. They are concerned only with applying derived, not primary, rules. Other agencies are brought in when there is a primary rule to be applied. The police and courts handle such primary wrongs as theft and murder. Parents and teachers handle such primary wrongs as tracking mud on the carpet or being late to school. Churches handle such primary wrongs as "living in sin" or blasphemy. But it doesn't take a judge or a preacher to decide if my application for a teaching certificate is in order, or my application for a driver's license, or a dog license, or a business license, or a barber's license, or a building permit, or a marriage license, or breathing license. It takes a bureaucrat to handle these matters.

The basic root of bureaucracy then, is the proliferation of secondary requirements. It is not enough, in our modern world, to just be a good and honest person. One can be the best and safest of drivers, but a driver's license is still required. One can be a patriot and a saint, but the IRS still wants that W-2 form. One can be the best doctor in the world, but to practice medicine without a degree and a license is still a serious offense. We have established literally millions of secondary requirements designed to promote a few primary goals. To administer these rules we have people we call bureaucrats.

If the basic root of bureaucracy is a proliferation of derived requirements, then it would seem reasonable that the way to decrease bureaucracy would be to decrease such requirements. This is true, and in fact is a main thesis of this article. Unfortunately it is not always easy to do. Every bureaucratic requirement, in a healthy society at least, was established by reasonably intelligent people giving at least half-way serious consideration to a genuine problem. Therefore any particular bureaucratic requirement or procedure that is challenged will be defended by some person or group.

The most important gain we hope to realize from derived requirements is security. The requirement of any permit or license is usually, if not invariably, justified in order to "protect the public". We want safe driving so we demand driver's licenses. We want our neighbor's dog out of our flower bed so we demand dog licenses. We want merchants to be honest so we demand business licenses. We want welfare recipients not to cheat so we require verification of identity, employment, and who knows what else. All these requirements are seen as necessary to prevent something bad from happening, or to assure that something good will happen.

Derived requirements cannot provide all types of security. We can't prevent floods and famines by making rules and printing forms. The type of security that is the goal of bureaucratic requirements is social control of one form or another.

Simple fairness is often the goal of bureaucratic requirements. The Internal Revenue Service is a good example of this. The primary goal of the IRS is to raise money. This could be done by charging every citizen a flat rate of $1000 or so each year. We wouldn't consider this fair, though, because we realize not everyone has an equal ability to pay. Therefore we have an elaborate set of rules designed to extract more from those who have more. To apply these rules we have what is probably the biggest and most complex bureaucracy since time began. This size and complexity comes from our desire to be fair, not from the simple desire to collect money.

Another form of social control for which bureaucratic requirements are established is prevention of abuse of power. Power comes in many different forms, and we know from long experience that power is always susceptible to abuse. One method of dealing with abuse of power is to call it a primary wrong and punish the offenders. This is done, and it keeps the police and courts very busy. Another way to control abuse of power is to set up secondary requirements to try to prevent such wrongs from occurring in the first place. This produces bureaucracies. In the 1880's, for example, railroads were playing a little rougher than people wanted. They gained power by monopolizing a vital service. In response to this the Interstate Commerce Commission was set up, and has regulated business ever since. A more modern, and more specific, example would be the requirement that a used car dealer certify that the odometer reading is correct when he sells a car. This requirement is in response to what is seen as abuse of power by car dealers who misrepresent their merchandise.

In addition to the main cause of bureaucracy - the proliferation of derived requirements for purposes of security - there are several other causes of bureaucracies that are worth mentioning. The first of these is pure blind imitation. Again I will use driver's licensing as an example.

In the fifty states there is a startling uniformity of driver's license requirements. The most obvious uniformity is that all states require licenses. I have never been able to understand this. It would seem that if each state followed its own experience, values, customs, and judgment, then there would be a whole spectrum of licensing requirements, ranging from no requirement at all to extensive and strict requirements. This is apparently not the case. The majority of states require a written, driving, and eye test. They require a license fee. They require renewal of the license every so many years. They require that the license be in the person’s possession while he is driving. So far as I can tell only minor variations are found on this basic pattern in the different states.

I attribute this uniformity mainly to imitation. If there were an obvious connection between traffic safety and driver’s licensing then this uniformity would seem more sensible. If the National Safety Council told us everyday that the majority of fatal accidents involved an unlicensed driver, then we would not be surprised to find a driver’s license requirement in every state. But that is not the case. The National Safety Council talks a lot about the drinking driver but not about the unlicensed driver. If there was a historical example of some state that was too stubborn to require licenses and had an atrocious accident rate, then again a strict licensing system would be expected in every state. But is not the case either. The connection between licensing and safe driving is tenuous at best. There are innumerable unsafe drivers in every state who have no trouble getting a license. There are also perfectly safe drivers who have trouble getting a license. I think it is safe to say that the average driver, safe or unsafe, can’t pass the written test without studying the book no matter how long he has been driving. Many people find this out when they try to renew their license. All this leads me to believe that licensing requirements are set up by imitation more than anything else. A few states started requiring licenses and other states blindly followed, thinking in some vague way that they were being modern and progressive.

Pure blind imitation may seem a poor reason to set up a bureaucratic requirement and a bureaucracy to apply it, but there are many examples of such imitation in everyday life. In a previous article, ("Roting and Roters", not yet on my web site) I described and developed the idea that blind imitation is a powerful determinant of individual behavior. I think it is almost as powerful a determinant of group action. If each state followed its own inclination in the matter of driver’s licensing I would expect a much wider variation among the different states.

Another cause of bureaucracies is a little more substantial than blind imitation, and accounts for many licensing systems. That is the desire for group recognition. People are by nature social animals. They want to have groups and they want to do things in groups. They want their groups to be recognized and they want this recognition to be official and formal. I began to realize this a few years back when I read in the paper that beauticians were trying to get legislation passed setting up a system of beautician licensure. I thought they were nuts. Why, when we all hate the bureaucracy so much, would anyone want to set up more bureaucracy?

Another example of this kind of bureaucracy building is in the field of occupational therapy. Nurses, physical therapists, and speech therapists are licensed by the state. Occupational therapists, in contrast, have a national association which gives a "registry examination". Upon passing this test, and having a degree in occupational therapy, one becomes an "O.T.R.", a registered occupational therapist. Hospitals and other institutions take this designation as evidence of full qualification in the field. With such a sensible system I find incomprehensible that the profession is pushing for a system of state, rather than national, licensure. But that is exactly what they are doing. They are trying to build more bureaucracy, and they will succeed.

It took me quite a number of years to realize that teacher certification is something that the teaching profession wants, rather than being a requirement imposed from above. However that is apparently the case. The system of licensure, though a pain, does give some recognition to the status of teachers. This, along with a considerable amount of blind imitation, apparently accounts for the uniformity of teacher certification requirements found in different states.

It would be nice if we could give official recognition to groups without the necessity of laying down a mass of secondary requirements, but that is not how it works. Recognition, apparently would have little meaning if it did not indicate that the members of the group meet a system of requirements. It would also be nice if those who gain this official recognition were always worthy of it, but that also is unfortunately not the case. There will always be drivers, teachers, beauticians, occupational therapists, doctors, lawyers, and others who somehow manage to gain the official license but are recognized by their peers as incompetent. Whenever a system of secondary requirements is established there inevitably enters a "reality gap", a gap between the ideal and the real. This can make the whole system ineffective. I will have more to say about this ineffectiveness and its effects shortly.

Yet another factor leading to the spread of bureaucracy is a systematic error made, to a greater or lesser extent, by practitioners of almost any field. That error is thinking that the world’s problems will be solved by one’s own field of knowledge or mode of operation. I think a good name for this would be "role egocentrism". Egocentrism means that a person considers himself the center of the universe, just as ethnocentrism means that a group considers itself the center of the universe. Role egocentrism simply means that one’s own role is given undue importance and status. Thus doctors think that medicine will be the salvation of the world. When medicine has progressed far enough, they think, the world will be such a fine place that other problems will just disappear. Preachers think that if only we would all turn to God there would be no more problems. Farmers think that once the world food problem is solved, by farmers of course, then all will be well. Teachers think that education will be the one thing to save mankind from itself. Scientists think that research will usher in a new golden age.

It is hard to conceive of a bureaucrat having such grandiose visions of salvation. But remember that bureaucrats do not think of themselves as bureaucrats. Even more importantly, bureaucrats don’t make the rules, they only apply them. The rules are made by governments. Governments consist of politicians, and politicians are very susceptible to role egocentrism. To attain office a politician must convince people that government is capable of doing things, and he must believe it himself. Since people want things done it is not surprising that governments are populated by large numbers of people with an inflated idea of what can be done by writing rules and laws. Since there are few primary laws left to write, we have an ever-increasing proliferation of secondary requirements. Bureaucrats may not make the basic rules that they apply, but they do have some latitude to make minor rules, and even more importantly, they are responsible for making reports and can require reports from their subordinates. In the making of reports a little role egocentrism can go a long way. The result can be a massive flow of reams and reams of paperwork, with copies sent to all other bureaucrats who might have come slight connection to the job at hand, but with very little of the reports actually being read.

Bureaucrats also have some latitude in working as individuals or teams, and again a great deal of waste can ensue. The justification for working in committees or teams is the idea that by joining forces the best abilities of each member can be brought to bear on the problem at hand and therefore a solution to the problem is more likely. Of course there is some truth to this, but it doesn’t always work out too well. The little bit truth can become greatly augmented by role egocentrism. Team workers like to think that if you set six experts around a table something good is bound to come out of it. Non-team workers, like myself, tend to think that setting six experts around a table is a good way for six experts to waste each other’s time. I think bureaucrats at the higher levels are more prone to waste their energy this way, and I interpret this as a form of role egocentrism.

All of these cases of bureaucracy are augmented by another systematic error. That error is the systematic overestimation of group cohesiveness. In the minds of bureaucracy builders the bureaucracies already in existence become "they", and "they" are a bunch of pigheaded fools. "We", on the other hand, are good, right-thinking people and the bureaucracy we set up will serve the people, not the bureaucrats. And just to make sure we’ll write in plenty of safeguards. Of course this doesn’t work. Just because it is "our" program doesn’t mean that it won’t be subject to all the problems that beset any program. A new generation will grow up and decide that "we" are "they" and the cycle begins over again.

So far I have painted a rather pessimistic picture. We have bureaucrats because we have a multitude of derived requirements to administer, and we have a multitude of derived requirements because we think they bring us security. We also have bureaucracies because of imitation, because of the desire for group recognition, and because of role egocentrism. Yet the sum total of all this drives us batty. The next step is to try to get some idea of why and how bureaucracy is frustrating. I think the frustration results from main causes, standardization and ineffectiveness.

Standardization is a wonderful thing in industry. If my car needs a new fuel pump I can buy one right off the shelf and know it will fit. Fuel pumps are standard, and engines are standard. They fit together beautifully. The few defective fuel pumps that are not standard are quickly caught and tossed off the assembly line. This happy state of affairs does not extend to non-physical objects though. Consider, for example, a seed planter. I don’t know just how a planter might work but I visualize a mechanical hand grabbing one seed at a time and popping it into the ground. Seeds are pretty well standardized and most seeds can be picked up by these mechanical hands without injury. A few seeds, however, are nonstandard. They are either too big, or too small, or perhaps the wrong shape. The iron hands that so effectively plant most seeds will bruise, shred, mangle or maybe just overlook the oddball seeds. This doesn’t worry us though. Just like the defective fuel pumps that are bumped off the assembly line, the few mishandled seeds are of no great consequence.

When standardization is extended to humans the situation changes dramatically. We can’t bump off the defectives so carelessly. A bureaucracy can be compared to the seed planter. Iron hands pick you up and set you down again. If you fit the standard mold, these iron hands hold you gently. If you don’t fit the standard mold those same iron hands can shred you to pieces.

For example, a few years back I knew a fellow who was paraplegic. He was completely confined to his wheelchair, but he had a car with adapted controls and could drive as well as anyone. Unfortunately he had considerable difficulty licensing both himself and his car. He could drive to the courthouse, and get himself out of his car and into his wheelchair, but he had no way of getting down in the basement where the licensing offices were. There were elevators from the first floor to the basement of course, but between the parking lot and the first floor were innumerable steps and curbs. To a person in a wheelchair a single four-inch curb might as well be a ten-foot wall. Apparently my friend managed somehow to keep himself legal most of the time, but he did at times speak bitterly about the troubles he encountered. The state required licenses, and the state provided a way to get these licenses, but only if you fit the standard mold. My friend did not fit the standard mold, and felt very much caught in those iron hands.

Fortunately most examples of the problems of standardization are not so serious. My wife had a friend in college who was triply enrolled in the School of Education, the School of Medicine, and the Graduate School. All occupational therapy students were dually enrolled in Education and Medicine, which caused no end of red tape in itself, but this particular girl was such a go-getter that she added Graduate School. This made her a non-standard person indeed. One day she spent a solid half hour on the phone trying to convince some bureaucrat that, no matter that it didn’t fit the computer, it was possible to be enrolled that way. I presume the problem, whatever it was, was eventually worked out, but not without some cost in frustration. The bureaucrat in question was probably no more pigheaded than you or I. The rules he was responsible for applying simply made no provision for triply enrolled students.

When caught as a non-standard person in a standardized bureaucracy one wonders why standardization is established in the first place. Except for the role egocentrism of a few bureaucrats, standardization is not intentional. It arises by the same forces that promote standardization in industry. Standardization promotes efficiency. Whenever a form is printed, for instance, it is designed to fit the majority of situations. Thus a fire insurance application form may ask if the house is frame or brick, with no intention of frustrating the owners of igloos, caves, and houseboats. It simply reflects the fact that most houses are either frame or brick. By stating these two choices the processing of the application is speeded up. If instead the application stated simply, "describe the dwelling to be insured", the work in processing the application would be considerably increased. Standardization is the inevitable correlate of the proliferation of secondary requirements.

There is also another cause of standardization, the lack of discretionary authority. Remember that secondary requirements are set up in many cases to prevent abuse of power and to be fair. This usually means that the bureaucrats who apply these rules have only a limited number of responses to a given situation. Bureaucracies are given very little discretionary authority. They must follow the rules whether the rules fit the situation at hand or not. To illustrate this let me hypothesize two ways of administering welfare.

In case A an applicant comes to a social worker. The applicant explains that her husband just lost his job because he drank too much, that she works as a maid two days a week but that her children have no one to stay with them when she works unless she pays a baby sitter which costs almost half her salary, that their car is about to be repossessed and then she won’t be able to get to work at all, that the landlord won’t fix the plumbing and charges too much rent, that they would move except they haven’t found a place that’s any cheaper, that their oldest son was just sent to jail for a two year term, and on, and on, and on. The social worker listens to all this, makes a few phone calls, and the next day tells the applicant, "We’ll give you $70 a week allowance, but tell your husband to come in before next week. We’ll get him off his beer and on the job one way or the other. I called your landlord and got his side of the story and there’ll have to be a few changes made before he’ll reconnect the shower, and you’ve got to..."

In situation B the applicant comes to the social worker with the same story. The social worker says, "I think we can help you, but first you’ll have to find your birth certificate. Regulations state that only citizens are eligible for welfare. Then you’ll have to take this form to your employer to certify your wage scale. And this form goes to your landlord to verify your rent. And you’ll have to fill out this form to show how you budget your income, and this form to verify that you are not now receiving veterans or disability compensation, and this form that verifies you are not eligible to collect child support from any previous husband, unless the marriage was annulled, in which case you have to hunt up the certificate of annulment... What? You lost your certificate of annulment? You’re not sure you ever were married to John before you left him for Henry? ..."

In situation A the social worker is given a budget and a wide latitude on how to distribute the money. She is given discretionary power to a large degree. In situation B the social worker is given a very small amount of discretionary power. She can’t decide for herself whether the applicant is genuinely needy, but must prepare a "work-up", consisting of documentation of all relevant aspects of the applicant’s situation. On the basis of this work-up she is allowed to authorize an allowance, the amount to be taken from a table. If the social worker feels that there are relevant circumstances that are not covered at all in the standard work-up then she may begin some special procedure to have the case considered by a higher authority or committee. But the common suspicion that things aren’t quite as they should be, either because the applicant is undeserving or that he needs more than he can get or that the program misses its mark in yet some other way, is just a routine part of the job.

Standardization, fitting everyone into the same size slot, reduces everything to paperwork. The "work-up" is a stack of documents. These documents, certificates, forms, statements, memos, become the currency of bureaucracy, the medium of exchange. "Facts" become so only when they are certified by someone’s signature, even though they may be obvious. Other "facts" must be accepted because of their official certification even though common sense or simple observation show them to be false. A gap between the real and the official inevitably sets in. Then this gap leads to actions that are perceived to be detrimental or unfair, then the result is a considerable amount of frustration, in spite of the fact that the intent of all the red tape was to be beneficial and fair.

This leads to the second cause of bureaucratic frustration, which is ineffectiveness. If a bureaucratic requirement is seen as effective in accomplishing its goal we accept it even if there is considerable inconvenience involved in meeting the requirement. If, on the other hand, a bureaucratic requirement is seen as ineffective then a little inconvenience in meeting the requirement can be a very significant frustration. Getting a loan from a bank, for example, involves considerable effort in meeting bureaucratic requirements. However we don’t expect money to be handed out without some security that it will be paid back. Therefore we don’t get too frustrated by the inconvenience in meeting those requirements. Similarly, driver’s licenses are seen as worthwhile, even if not fully effective, and entail only a little bother every four years or so. Therefore we do not hear too much about pigheaded bureaucrats at the driver’s license bureau. Unfortunately other licensing systems have imperfections so massive and ubiquitous, and benefits so doubtful, that the whole system is a burden to society. A little inconvenience in getting such a license can be very frustrating. This is the frustration I felt in the example I gave at the beginning of this article about getting a teaching certificate. Another example would be going back three times to the fire station to get a bicycle license. I went back twice. I figured three times was above and beyond the call of duty. I never did get my bicycle licensed.

In psychological phenomena the whole is not always equal to the sum of its parts. Bureaucratic frustration can work this way. One frustration may be brushed off, and then another, and perhaps several more, but eventually there comes a point where the frustrations increase out of proportion to their cumulative value. Short-term frustration changes into long-term demoralization. I think "hassle" is a good name for this. It is a commonly used term, though it is not normally considered a specifically defined term. I think the phenomenon should be taken seriously though. It will become increasingly common with constant increases in bureaucratic requirements.

The best example I can give of hassle in my own experience comes from my home state of Missouri. To get one’s car licensed in Missouri one must show the title or previous year’s registration certificate, as can be expected, but that is not all there is to it. One must also get a new safety inspection certificate and also show his personal property tax receipt. When I lived in Missouri I usually didn’t have any property to be taxed, but I still had to go to the Treasurer’s office in the courthouse to get a card stating that no taxes were due. The safety inspection always caused me worry, and the car licensing itself always had the potential for problems. Maybe they would find something wrong with my title and tell me I can’t register the car. Thus the sum of all this was to me a hassle. The requirements exceeded my tolerance. It caused me anxiety, much more than the sum of the anxieties of each requirement had they come independently. Fortunately other states I have lived in didn’t tie those things together, and for that reason I hope I don’t end up living in Missouri again.

People vary in their susceptibility to hassle. I expect I have about as low a tolerance as anyone. I haven’t heard other Missourians complaining about the car licensing system. Unfortunately those who are not susceptible to the demoralization of hassles have little understanding of the anxieties of those who are susceptible. This goes along with the general rule that the more aggressive cannot empathize with the less aggressive. This increases the problem to those who are susceptible to hassle. However I would expect the future will see the problem given much more recognition as more and more people find themselves pushed beyond their tolerance.

A movement is currently under way by the Democratic Party to do away with traditional voter registration practices and to substitute a "same day" standardized registration system. Thus a voter could show up on election day, show proof of identity and residence, and be registered on the spot. The rationale of this is that the complications of regular registration are sufficient to prevent many people from voting. I think the move is clearly motivated by the political goal of increasing the Democratic vote. Still, I am glad to see the movement. They are talking about hassle. They are acknowledging that bureaucratic requirements are a burden, and that this burden can at times be of a serious nature. Now when somebody tells me I’m nuts if I worry about getting a car license I can reply that apparently some people worry about voter registration.

In the first part of this article I tried to explain the causes of bureaucratic requirements. Then I tried to analyze how bureaucracy produces frustration. There are very good reasons for bureaucracies, and there are very good reasons for frustration, so it appears we must live with the problem forever. I don’t think the world will grind to a halt though. The way out of this dilemma is simply to realize when diminishing returns begin to set in, and even more importantly, to realize when the return does not equal the investment. Every human endeavor has a cost and a benefit, an investment and a return. When establishing a system of secondary rules the investment includes the cost of setting up the bureaucracy, the cost of the individual’s efforts in dealing with the bureaucracy, and increasingly more importantly, the cost in frustration, anxiety, and demoralization. These costs must be subtracted from the benefits before deciding that a given proposal is or is not worthwhile.

Sometimes the cost can be reduced to dollars and cents. According to an item in the newsletter from my representative in Congress the town of Faith, South Dakota, recently applied for a federal grant. I believe they wanted to build a rodeo grandstand. They were offered $150,000 to match their own $50,000, but of course there were strings attached. After looking closely at these strings they finally rejected the federal help entirely and built their own grandstand for only $20,000. I doubt that this example is typical of federal grants, but it does illustrate diminishing returns.

More commonly only part of the cost can be reduced to dollars and cents. For example, an accountant may compute that a $20,000 grant for a town would entail only about $6000 in labor to do all the paperwork. This would seem to make a clear profit for the town of $14,000. But if the city officials are sick of the paperwork and the delays, if the citizens are mad at everyone and each other, and if the strings will be attached forever, then all this must certainly be subtracted from the benefit.

The investment/return assessment is even more complicated when all important factors are psychological. How can we put a price on invasion of privacy? How can we put a price on independence and respect for the individual? How are these costs to be subtracted from the safety and security that we gain from bureaucratic requirements? I don’t know. Since psychological costs cannot be measured in dollars and cents, the worth of any system of bureaucratic requirements will always be a matter of subjective judgment, a matter of politics to be decided through political processes. They are not matters to be decided by technicians or engineers of any sort.

I have my own opinions. I vote for nuclear energy and against OSHA. I tend to think of the licensing of voters and guns worthwhile, of cars and drivers as borderline, and of teachers, barbers, cats and bicycles as not worthwhile. Of course everyone else will disagree. I only hope we will start counting costs and benefits a little more carefully. As is true of so many things, it cannot be said of bureaucracy that if some is good, more is better.

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 266815e0:6cd408a5

Its been a little over a year since NIP-90 was written and merged into the nips repo and its been a communication mess.

Every DVM implementation expects the inputs in slightly different formats, returns the results in mostly the same format and there are very few DVM actually running.

NIP-90 is overloaded

Why does a request for text translation and creating bitcoin OP_RETURNs share the same input i tag? and why is there an output tag on requests when only one of them will return an output?

Each DVM request kind is for requesting completely different types of compute with diffrent input and output requirements, but they are all using the same spec that has 4 different types of inputs (text, url, event, job) and an undefined number of output types.

Let me show a few random DVM requests and responses I found on wss://relay.damus.io to demonstrate what I mean:

This is a request to translate an event to English json { "kind": 5002, "content": "", "tags": [ // NIP-90 says there can be multiple inputs, so how would a DVM handle translatting multiple events at once? [ "i", "<event-id>", "event" ], [ "param", "language", "en" ], // What other type of output would text translations be? image/jpeg? [ "output", "text/plain" ], // Do we really need to define relays? cant the DVM respond on the relays it saw the request on? [ "relays", "wss://relay.unknown.cloud/", "wss://nos.lol/" ] ] }

This is a request to generate text using an LLM model json { "kind": 5050, // Why is the content empty? wouldn't it be better to have the prompt in the content? "content": "", "tags": [ // Why use an indexable tag? are we ever going to lookup prompts? // Also the type "prompt" isn't in NIP-90, this should probably be "text" [ "i", "What is the capital of France?", "prompt" ], [ "p", "c4878054cff877f694f5abecf18c7450f4b6fdf59e3e9cb3e6505a93c4577db2" ], [ "relays", "wss://relay.primal.net" ] ] }

This is a request for content recommendation json { "kind": 5300, "content": "", "tags": [ // Its fine ignoring this param, but what if the client actually needs exactly 200 "results" [ "param", "max_results", "200" ], // The spec never mentions requesting content for other users. // If a DVM didn't understand this and responded to this request it would provide bad data [ "param", "user", "b22b06b051fd5232966a9344a634d956c3dc33a7f5ecdcad9ed11ddc4120a7f2" ], [ "relays", "wss://relay.primal.net", ], [ "p", "ceb7e7d688e8a704794d5662acb6f18c2455df7481833dd6c384b65252455a95" ] ] }

This is a request to create a OP_RETURN message on bitcoin json { "kind": 5901, // Again why is the content empty when we are sending human readable text? "content": "", "tags": [ // and again, using an indexable tag on an input that will never need to be looked up ["i", "09/01/24 SEC Chairman on the brink of second ETF approval", "text"] ] }

My point isn't that these event schema's aren't understandable but why are they using the same schema? each use-case is different but are they all required to use the same i tag format as input and could support all 4 types of inputs.

Lack of libraries

With all these different types of inputs, params, and outputs its verify difficult if not impossible to build libraries for DVMs

If a simple text translation request can have an event or text as inputs, a payment-required status at any point in the flow, partial results, or responses from 10+ DVMs whats the best way to build a translation library for other nostr clients to use?

And how do I build a DVM framework for the server side that can handle multiple inputs of all four types (url, text, event, job) and clients are sending all the requests in slightly differently.

Supporting payments is impossible

The way NIP-90 is written there isn't much details about payments. only a payment-required status and a generic amount tag

But the way things are now every DVM is implementing payments differently. some send a bolt11 invoice, some expect the client to NIP-57 zap the request event (or maybe the status event), and some even ask for a subscription. and we haven't even started implementing NIP-61 nut zaps or cashu A few are even formatting the amount number wrong or denominating it in sats and not mili-sats

Building a client or a library that can understand and handle all of these payment methods is very difficult. for the DVM server side its worse. A DVM server presumably needs to support all 4+ types of payments if they want to get the most sats for their services and support the most clients.

All of this is made even more complicated by the fact that a DVM can ask for payment at any point during the job process. this makes sense for some types of compute, but for others like translations or user recommendation / search it just makes things even more complicated.

For example, If a client wanted to implement a timeline page that showed the notes of all the pubkeys on a recommended list. what would they do when the selected DVM asks for payment at the start of the job? or at the end? or worse, only provides half the pubkeys and asks for payment for the other half. building a UI that could handle even just two of these possibilities is complicated.

NIP-89 is being abused

NIP-89 is "Recommended Application Handlers" and the way its describe in the nips repo is

a way to discover applications that can handle unknown event-kinds

Not "a way to discover everything"

If I wanted to build an application discovery app to show all the apps that your contacts use and let you discover new apps then it would have to filter out ALL the DVM advertisement events. and that's not just for making requests from relays

If the app shows the user their list of "recommended applications" then it either has to understand that everything in the 5xxx kind range is a DVM and to show that is its own category or show a bunch of unknown "favorites" in the list which might be confusing for the user.

In conclusion

My point in writing this article isn't that the DVMs implementations so far don't work, but that they will never work well because the spec is too broad. even with only a few DVMs running we have already lost interoperability.

I don't want to be completely negative though because some things have worked. the "DVM feeds" work, although they are limited to a single page of results. text / event translations also work well and kind 5970 Event PoW delegation could be cool. but if we want interoperability, we are going to need to change a few things with NIP-90

I don't think we can (or should) abandon NIP-90 entirely but it would be good to break it up into small NIPs or specs. break each "kind" of DVM request out into its own spec with its own definitions for expected inputs, outputs and flow.

Then if we have simple, clean definitions for each kind of compute we want to distribute. we might actually see markets and services being built and used.

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Intro

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

Requirements

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

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

Installation

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

Prepare and verify

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

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

Create folders & download NWC

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

Creating the Docker image

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

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

Creating docker-compose.yml and necessary data directories

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

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

Starting and testing

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

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

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

Updating

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

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

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43

Esteemed representatives of Risa,

We gather here under the calming glow of our twin suns, stewards of a society admired for its peace and celebrated for its tranquility. But we must not mistake serenity for passivity, nor confuse peace with weakness. Our peace is not an accident. It is not the byproduct of ignorance or naivety. It is hard-earned—preserved by those willing to stand vigilant in its defense.

Love as a Foundation, Strength as a Shield

Love conquers hate. This is the core truth of Risan philosophy. Yet, as every Ricin child is taught, love without strength is a leaf in the wind. The Ricin do not lay down their lives without resistance. We do not ask our people to accept violence without confronting it. True peace is not imposed by stripping the people of their agency—it is built by enabling them to protect it.

The Lessons of a Failed Experiment

There was a time, not so distant in our history, when we attempted to enforce peace through the abolition of all weapons. A time when even the mention of self-defense in our educational centers was met with rebuke. Schools purged training programs. Cultural arts that honored our warrior traditions were dismissed. And for a brief moment, we believed this would lead us to harmony.

But peace born from helplessness is a fragile illusion. It fractures under the slightest pressure. And fracture it did—when off-world raiders targeted our unguarded sanctuaries, when radical sects within our own society struck out, knowing the citizenry could not defend itself. It was then that we remembered: Risa’s greatest peacekeepers had always been those who knew how to fight—but chose restraint.

The Age of Ricin and the Reawakening of Discipline

So we returned to our roots. To the traditions of the Age of Ricin, when youth, upon reaching maturity, were taught not only the arts of compassion and creation but also the martial disciplines. They learn to wield weapons—not to glorify violence, but to understand it. To control it. To stand firm against it when all else fails.

https://i.nostr.build/kuUjRovISz7367TX.jpg

We do not romanticize war. We do not celebrate conflict. But we prepare for it, should it seek to extinguish our light. Our children now learn the disciplines of defense alongside their studies in poetry, music, and healing. They spar with blunt blades under the watchful eyes of masters. They meditate on the consequences of force. And they grow into citizens not easily provoked, but never unprepared.

A Call for Balance, Not Extremes

Let those beyond our borders question our ways. Let them forget the countless incursions by the Romulans. Let them ignore the scars left by centuries of subversion from the Orion Syndicate. We do not forget. We remember the lives lost, the liberties challenged, and the lessons learned through suffering. These experiences shaped us.

We do not wish to return to the era of soft silence, when teachers trembled at the word "weapon" and children were told that even imagination was dangerous. That was not enlightenment. That was indoctrination.

Conclusion: Guarding the Flame

We are the guardians of Risa’s flame—not just with words and treaties, but with discipline and readiness. We have made peace a practice, and preparation a virtue. And so I say to this chamber: let us never again disarm our people in the name of utopia. Let us never confuse comfort with safety, or the absence of weapons with the presence of peace.

Instead, let us raise generations who know what peace costs, and who will pay that price—not with surrender, but with courage.

Let our children be artists, lovers, dreamers—and if necessary, defenders.

This is the Risan way.

@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43

Spoken by Counselor Elaron T’Saren of Risa to the High Council, Stardate 52874.2

Honored members of the Council,

I bring you greetings from Risa—not the Risa of travel brochures and romantic holo-novels, but the true Risa. The Risa that has endured, adapted, and emerged stronger after each trial. I speak not as a tourist ambassador, but as a Counselor of our oldest institute of philosophy, and as a son of the Ricin tradition.

Today, the specter of the Borg hangs above us. The collective offers no room for diplomacy, no respect for culture, no compromise. We face not mere invaders—but a force that seeks to erase individuality, history, and identity. Some among the Council wonder what Risa—a world of peace—can offer in such a time. I say to you: we can offer the truth about peace.

The Hidden Roots of Our Tranquility

Long ago, before Risa joined the Federation, we too believed that peace could be maintained by disarming the populace, by eliminating even the mention of conflict in our schools. It was called the Great Disarmament. A generation was raised with no understanding of defense, and in time, we paid the price.

We were raided by Orion pirates. Exploited by off-world cartels. Our people were taken, our arts destroyed, our skies blackened. And we learned—too late—that peace without preparedness is only the illusion of safety.

The Birth of Ricin Doctrine

From the ashes of that failure arose the Ricin: scholars, philosophers, warriors of thought and purpose. They taught that peace is not the absence of conflict, but the mastery of it. That the mind and the body must be trained in tandem. That love without strength is a leaf in the wind.

We did not become a militant world. We became a watchful one. Our children were taught martial discipline—not to glorify violence, but to understand it, to confront it, and to defeat it when necessary. They learned meditation alongside hand-to-hand technique, negotiation beside tactical reasoning.

When we joined the Federation, we did so willingly. But let none assume we surrendered our right to defend our way of life.

Why I Speak to You Now

The Borg are not like the Orion Syndicate. They are not opportunistic, or ideological. They are methodical. And they are coming. You cannot debate with them. You cannot delay them. You can only prepare for them.

And yet, I hear murmurs within the halls of the Federation: whispers of abandoning planetary defense training, of downplaying the psychological need for individual and planetary preparedness. I hear the tired lie that “peace will protect us.”

No, Councilors. It is discipline that protects peace.

The Call to Action

I do not come bearing weapons. I come bearing wisdom. Let us take the Risan lesson and apply it across the Federation. Reestablish tactical readiness training in civilian schools. Encourage planetary governments to integrate defense and philosophy, not as contradictions, but as complements.

Let every child of the Federation grow up knowing not just the principles of liberty, but the means to defend them. Let every artist, scientist, and healer stand ready to protect the civilization they help to build.

Let us not wait until the Borg are in our orbit to remember what we must become.

Conclusion

The Borg seek to erase our uniqueness. Let us show them that the Federation is not a fragile collection of planets—but a constellation of cultures bound by a shared resolve.

We do not choose war. But neither do we flee from it.

We are the guardians of Risa’s flame—and we offer our light to the stars.

Thank you.

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

It may seem like we're beating this to death, but we want to hype it up as much as possible.

Entry

The entry fee is a paltry 1k sats. Let me know if you want to join and I'll send you an invoice.

Stackers will join through Stacker News, while those nostr scoundrels will do their own thing.

Brackets

You can start filling out brackets at NBA Bracketology. We don't know the 7th or 8th seeds, yet, but maybe that doesn't change how you feel about some of the series. In addition to picking winners, you'll need to pick series length.

You can edit your brackets up until the playoffs start, so don't worry about getting it exactly right, yet. I'll send out reminders to make sure Team Stacker Sports has their brackets ship shape.

The attached note describes the scoring system.

Prizes

Grand Prize: Blockstream Jade Plus

Winning Team: The sats pool will be divided up amongst the winning side. Assuming Team SN wins, we will payout the sats evenly to each team member, just like how Workit pays out those who complete their challenges.

https://primal.net/e/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqpqrep4phdx0hs6v3fynl0glp52c6skaqmgra23hyzyz5pnd8gmcqqsvs9skvcsg0nfuag65t3n2dsjwlg3g2ldgzg9t935ng8yj6kjlueqk65qds

Support Global Sports Central

Our frenemies at Global Sports Central are fundraising through Geyser. If you're in the mood to support nostr/bitcoin sports content, beyond what you're doing for ~Stacker_Sports, think about contributing to them and following their nostr account.

cc: @grayruby, @supercyclone, @Coinsreporter, @BlokchainB, @Carresan, @WeAreAllSatoshi

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/943657

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 2183e947:f497b975

(1) Here is a partial list of p2p bitcoin exchanges and their friends:

• Robosats (custodial escrow)
• Hodlhodl (2-of-3 escrow)
• Peach (2-of-3 escrow)
• Binance P2P (2-of-3 escrow)
• Bisq v1 (either user can send the funds to a custodial escrow, but if neither one does that, the escrow never touches user funds)
• Bisq v2 (no escrow)

(2) In my opinion, bisq2 is the only "true" p2p exchange on the above list. In a true p2p system, the only people who *can* touch the money are the buyer and the seller. Whenever there's an escrow, even one that has to be "triggered" (like in bisq v1), it's not "really" p2p because the escrow serves as a middleman: he can collude with one party or the other to steal user funds, and in some models (e.g. robosats) he can just straight up run off with user funds without needing to collude at all.

(3) In bisq2 (the One True P2P exchange), buyers select sellers solely based on their reputation, and they just directly send them the bitcoin *hoping* they are as honest as their reputation says they are. What I like about this model is that bisq is not involved in bisq2 at all except as a platform to help buyers discover reputable sellers and communicate with them. There are two things I don't like about this "reputation" model: it's hard to get a good reputation, and it's hard to debug payment failures in this context. I've tried to do about 5 trades on bisq2 (as someone with no reputation) and not a single one went through. Four times, everyone ignored my offers or someone accepted it but then abandoned it immediately. Once, someone accepted my offer, but I could not pay their lightning invoice for some reason, so we mutually canceled the trade.

(4) Just because I opined that an exchange with an escrow "doesn't count" as peer-to-peer doesn't mean that's a bad thing. Of the list of exchanges in number 1, I most frequently use robosats, which, per my analysis, sounds like the "worst" one if considered solely on the metric of "which one is the most p2p." But I use it because there are *advantages* to its model: the btc seller doesn't need a reputation to use it (because the escrow is there to ensure he can't cheat, and so the escrow is the trusted third party, not the btc seller) and payment failures are easier to debug because you're always paying one of the coordinators, who tend to be responsive and knowledgeable and can help you figure out how to fix it (it's how they make money, after all).

(5) There are at least two ways to do escrow without a 3rd party. Satoshi Nakamoto outlines one way to do it here: https://satoshi.nakamotoinstitute.org/posts/bitcointalk/threads/169/ Make a 2 of 2 multisig between the btc buyer and the btc seller, and have the btc seller put his btc in that multisig. Then have the btc buyer send the product (fiat money) to the btc seller. When the btc seller receives it, he sends his privkey to the btc buyer, who can now withdraw the money. The advantage of this system is that the buyer has no incentive to "stiff" the seller (by not sending the fiat), because if he does that, he won't get paid. The downside is, if the btc buyer is a troll who just aborts the protocol halfway through the trade, the seller loses his btc and cannot recover it.

(6) There is another way: start out with a 2 of 2 multisig just like above, but instead of having the btc seller fund it by himself, have the buyer and the seller *both* put in the *same amount* in the *same transaction* (i.e. via a coinjoin), and have the btc seller put in a bit "extra" -- like 20% extra. For example, if the btc seller wants $100 in fiat, the multisig would have $220 in it in total -- $120 from the seller and $100 from the buyer. Using this model, the disadvantage mentioned in paragraph number 5 is fixed: the buyer has an incentive now to send the fiat, otherwise he loses the $100 he put in. He only gets his $100 back if the btc seller cosigns to give it to him, which he'll only do once he receives the product. Meanwhile, the seller is *also* incentivized properly: he only gets his *extra* $20 back if the btc buyer cosigns to give it to him, which he'll only do if the transaction he's signing *also* gives him back *his* $100 deposit.

(7) The model described in number 6 exists: https://scrow.exchange/ is a website that implements it as an option, though as far as I'm aware, no one uses it. The downsides of this model are: it's capital intensive, e.g. a trade for $100 involves $220 or more. Also, the btc buyer needs to already *have* btc to post as a bond, so this cannot be his first time acquiring btc (unless someone helps him make his first deposit). Also, a very rich person who does not care about money can still be a troll; they deposit funds into the multisig alongside their counterparty, then abandon the trade, because they have so much money they don't care if they get it back as long as they cause suffering to their counterparty.

(8) I'd like to see more p2p exchanges, and more exchanges like robosats. I want to continue to spread awareness of ways they can improve -- like the protocols mentioned in numbers 5 and 6 -- and help them implement these protocols. If you run an exchange on the list in number 1 or want to start one, reach out to me, I'd love to help.

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43

Hear this, warriors of the Empire!

A dishonorable shadow spreads across our once-proud institutions, infecting our very bloodlines with weakness. The House of Duras—may their names be spoken with contempt—has betrayed the sacred warrior code of Kahless. No, they have not attacked us with disruptors or blades. Their weapon is more insidious: fear and silence.

Cowardice Masquerading as Concern

These traitors would strip our children of their birthright. They forbid the young from training with the bat'leth in school! Their cowardly decree does not come in the form of an open challenge, but in whispers of fear, buried in bureaucratic dictates. "It is for safety," they claim. "It is to prevent bloodshed." Lies! The blood of Klingons must be tested in training if it is to be ready in battle. We are not humans to be coddled by illusions of safety.

Indoctrination by Silence

In their cowardice, the House of Duras seeks to shape our children not into warriors, but into frightened bureaucrats who speak not of honor, nor of strength. They spread a vile practice—of punishing younglings for even speaking of combat, for recounting glorious tales of blades clashing in the halls of Sto-Vo-Kor! A child who dares write a poem of battle is silenced. A young warrior who shares tales of their father’s triumphs is summoned to the headmaster’s office.

This is no accident. This is a calculated cultural sabotage.

Weakness Taught as Virtue

The House of Duras has infected the minds of the teachers. These once-proud mentors now tremble at shadows, seeing future rebels in the eyes of their students. They demand security patrols and biometric scanners, turning training halls into prisons. They have created fear, not of enemies beyond the Empire, but of the students themselves.

And so, the rituals of strength are erased. The bat'leth is banished. The honor of open training and sparring is forbidden. All under the pretense of protection.

A Plan of Subjugation

Make no mistake. This is not a policy; it is a plan. A plan to disarm future warriors before they are strong enough to rise. By forbidding speech, training, and remembrance, the House of Duras ensures the next generation kneels before the High Council like servants, not warriors. They seek an Empire of sheep, not wolves.

Stand and Resist

But the blood of Kahless runs strong! We must not be silent. We must not comply. Let every training hall resound with the clash of steel. Let our children speak proudly of their ancestors' battles. Let every dishonorable edict from the House of Duras be met with open defiance.

Raise your voice, Klingons! Raise your blade! The soul of the Empire is at stake. We will not surrender our future. We will not let the cowardice of Duras shape the spirit of our children.

The Empire endures through strength. Through honor. Through battle. And so shall we!

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43

In an age where culture often precedes policy, a subtle yet potent mechanism may be at play in the shaping of American perspectives on gun ownership. Rather than directly challenging the Second Amendment through legislation alone, a more insidious strategy may involve reshaping the cultural and social norms surrounding firearms—by conditioning the population, starting at its most impressionable point: the public school system.

The Cultural Lever of Language

Unlike Orwell's 1984, where language is controlled by removing words from the lexicon, this modern approach may hinge instead on instilling fear around specific words or topics—guns, firearms, and self-defense among them. The goal is not to erase the language but to embed a taboo so deep that people voluntarily avoid these terms out of social self-preservation. Children, teachers, and parents begin to internalize a fear of even mentioning weapons, not because the words are illegal, but because the cultural consequences are severe.

The Role of Teachers in Social Programming

Teachers, particularly in primary and middle schools, serve not only as educational authorities but also as social regulators. The frequent argument against homeschooling—that children will not be "properly socialized"—reveals an implicit understanding that schools play a critical role in setting behavioral norms. Children learn what is acceptable not just academically but socially. Rules, discipline, and behavioral expectations are laid down by teachers, often reinforced through peer pressure and institutional authority.

This places teachers in a unique position of influence. If fear is instilled in these educators—fear that one of their students could become the next school shooter—their response is likely to lean toward overcorrection. That overcorrection may manifest as a total intolerance for any conversation about weapons, regardless of the context. Innocent remarks or imaginative stories from young children are interpreted as red flags, triggering intervention from administrators and warnings to parents.

Fear as a Policy Catalyst

School shootings, such as the one at Columbine, serve as the fulcrum for this fear-based conditioning. Each highly publicized tragedy becomes a national spectacle, not only for mourning but also for cementing the idea that any child could become a threat. Media cycles perpetuate this narrative with relentless coverage and emotional appeals, ensuring that each incident becomes embedded in the public consciousness.

The side effect of this focus is the generation of copycat behavior, which, in turn, justifies further media attention and tighter controls. Schools install security systems, metal detectors, and armed guards—not simply to stop violence, but to serve as a daily reminder to children and staff alike: guns are dangerous, ubiquitous, and potentially present at any moment. This daily ritual reinforces the idea that the very discussion of firearms is a precursor to violence.

Policy and Practice: The Zero-Tolerance Feedback Loop

Federal and district-level policies begin to reflect this cultural shift. A child mentioning a gun in class—even in a non-threatening or imaginative context—is flagged for intervention. Zero-tolerance rules leave no room for context or intent. Teachers and administrators, fearing for their careers or safety, comply eagerly with these guidelines, interpreting them as moral obligations rather than bureaucratic policies.

The result is a generation of students conditioned to associate firearms with social ostracism, disciplinary action, and latent danger. The Second Amendment, once seen as a cultural cornerstone of American liberty and self-reliance, is transformed into an artifact of suspicion and anxiety.

Long-Term Consequences: A Nation Re-Socialized

Over time, this fear-based reshaping of discourse creates adults who not only avoid discussing guns but view them as morally reprehensible. Their aversion is not grounded in legal logic or political philosophy, but in deeply embedded emotional programming begun in early childhood. The cultural weight against firearms becomes so great that even those inclined to support gun rights feel the need to self-censor.

As fewer people grow up discussing, learning about, or responsibly handling firearms, the social understanding of the Second Amendment erodes. Without cultural reinforcement, its value becomes abstract and its defenders marginalized. In this way, the right to bear arms is not abolished by law—it is dismantled by language, fear, and the subtle recalibration of social norms.

Conclusion

This theoretical strategy does not require a single change to the Constitution. It relies instead on the long game of cultural transformation, beginning with the youngest minds and reinforced by fear-driven policy and media narratives. The outcome is a society that views the Second Amendment not as a safeguard of liberty, but as an anachronism too dangerous to mention.

By controlling the language through social consequences and fear, a nation can be taught not just to disarm, but to believe it chose to do so freely. That, perhaps, is the most powerful form of control of all.

@ df67f9a7:2d4fc200

Businesses want Nostr, but Nostr is not ready for business. What can be done?

TLDR :

What Nostr brings to business apps…

• Get your brands in front of users with your choice of SEO and Algos that YOU control.
• Access unlimited public user data from across the network without fees or permission.
• Keep your business data private, while "releasing" liability for other data collected by your apps.
• Build one app to reach a diversity of users from across the network, even from other apps.
• Build your own tech and to use it as you wish. No gate keepers or code review process.

Businesses want Nostr.

• Businesses want reliable SEO and socials to put their brands in front of users, rather than arbitrary gate keepers, censoring the marketplace on a whim.
• Businesses want open access to harvest public data for free on a soveregnty respecting network, rather than paying gate keepers for access to user data of questionalble origin.
• Businesses want the freedom to NOT take ownership of certain user data collected by their apps, rather than being liabile for moderation and safe handling on their private infrastructure.
• Busineses want a single open protocol on which to build their apps, with unlimited potential and a diversity of shared users from other apps, rather than multiple siloed networks with difering APIs and demographics.
• Businesses want to own the technology they build and to use it as they wish, rather than submit their code for approval and control by arbitrary gate keepers.

But Nostr is not ready for business.

• Businesses DON'T want proprietary app data stored publicly as signed Nostr events on user specified relays.
• Businesses DON'T want to have to specify, or be constrained by, or even navigate the complexity of Nostr NIP standards for every novel kind of content that their apps generate.
• Businesses DON'T want to "open source" their entire suite of native apps JUST to assure end users that Nostr private keys are being safely handled.
• Businesses DON'T want to have to "rewrite" their entire app backend just to accomodate the Nostr way of "users sign events but dont actually login to your server" auth architecture.
• Businesses DONT want to suffer DDOS from bots and bad actors, or to expose their users to unwanted content, or even to have their own content disappear a sea of spam and misinformation.

Here’s what can be done.

• More tools and services for private business apps to coexist with freedom tech, and even thrive together, on the Nostr network.
• Extensible Webs of Trust algos for discovery and reach into any audience or demographic of trusted users.
• WoT powered standard APIs for exposing content to Nostr (and other business apps) from within a “black box” business app.
• HTTP AUTH (NIP 98) integration for business apps, allowing users to create local content WITHOUT needing discrete signatures or “linked” user accounts.
• Frost compatible “login“ for business apps, allowing users to paste “disposable” nsecs into proprietary clients without fear of their “cold” nsec being compromised.
• Support for “incremental” (and voluntary) adoption of freedom tech into existing business apps, with easy off-ramps for businesses to transfer more and more siloed data onto the “public” network.

Thoughts so far…

@ 25902b10:4f7034d4

I recently sat on a panel where the topic was “Why Bitcoin?” So I’m going to share what I shared with the audience.

I originally started writing this as an Instagram or LinkedIn caption, but I just kept writing and writing because this topic is so dear to my heart. So I decided to turn it into an article. My first article, actually. I hope you find some value in it if you ever come across it. I’m not a professional writer, by the way, but I hope the message gets home.

I live by the mantra “living and not just existing.”

Have you ever sat down and asked yourself: Am I truly living life, or am I just existing/surviving? You know, wake up, work, pay bills, repeat. Same old, same old. Not exciting, right?

From my observations, and from reading and interacting with people, I’ve realized that most people are just existing and they don’t even know it. Why? Because they’re prisoners to the fiat system. This system keeps them tied to a never-ending treadmill. Every day, they wake up and chase money, but somehow it’s never enough. Inflation quietly steals the value of their hard-earned cash. So they have to work and work, juggle multiple side hustles, just to keep up with the rising cost of life. In reality, life isn't necessarily getting more expensive, it's that the value of your money is being corroded by inflation.

And by the way, have you ever deeply thought about hustle culture? In my honest opinion, having three side hustles or jobs isn’t the flex we’ve been conditioned to think it is. You know, “I’m chasing the bag, man.” Honestly? Not cute. Hustle culture is a response to a broken system. People need all those jobs just to stay afloat.

Look at our grandparents in the '80s. Many of them had a single job or one business, one paycheck, and it was enough. Enough to raise a family, pay school fees, rent, buy essentials, even save.

In 2025? That’s almost unheard of. Why? Inflation. Are you starting to see the nightmare that inflation really is?

Another thing people don’t realize is that when you’re constantly working, time just passes you by. Remember the fiat treadmill? Yeah, that one. You're stuck on it, running and running, chasing money, and you miss out on life. Time with family. Walks in the park. Travel. Hobbies. Rest. You lose the human experience. The actual living part.

So people keep chasing and chasing until the day they’re too old or too tired to keep up and that’s when it hits them: “I never truly lived.” And that realization? It’s heavy.

Fiat money, whether dollars, shillings, or euros, steals from you. It steals your time, your peace, your freedom. Most of the time, all you’re doing is chasing it, and even when you do catch it, it’s already lost some of its value.

The system is designed to keep you in survival mode, anxious, worried about the next paycheck, your bills, your future. It wears you down mentally, physically, emotionally. But not many people see it that way.

The good news? We now have Bitcoin. And I know it sounds crazy or cliché, but it fixes all of this. Let me explain.

Bitcoin is the soundest form of money we've ever had as humans. It’s decentralized, scarce, deflationary, permissionless, borderless. Bitcoin is for everyone.

Now let’s focus on two key aspects: scarcity and its deflationary nature.

Bitcoin’s supply is capped at 21 million coins. No one, not a single person or authority can create more. It can’t be printed at will like fiat. That’s what makes it powerful.

When governments print money, they dilute its value just like adding too much water to concentrated juice until it tastes like nothing. That’s what inflation is: dilution of your money’s value. And it never ends. With Bitcoin, there’s no dilution. It’s built to protect value. That’s what makes it the perfect hedge against inflation, it doesn’t lose purchasing power over time, it preserves it.

So what does that mean practically?

Let’s say you earn Ksh. 1,000 today. If you save it in bitcoin, two weeks, months, or even a year from now, its value is likely to be preserved or even increased. Unlike fiat, which loses value just sitting in your bank account, bitcoin holds on to your hard-earned energy. And this is what connects back to living and not just existing.

Bitcoin gives you the freedom to step off the treadmill. You don’t have to constantly hustle just to stay in place. You can breathe. Imagine that feeling after a long, intense workout, the moment you finally rest. That deep exhale. That’s what life on a Bitcoin standard feels like.

It gives you time. Time to be human. To go to the park. Swim in the ocean. Hike a mountain. Travel. Meet people. Explore cultures. LIVE.

Bitcoin also makes you a better person. The more you learn about it and the broken money system we’ve been stuck in, the more you begin to care. You start looking within. You want better for yourself, your community, humanity. Your thoughts shift. Your actions shift. Bitcoin has that effect. That’s why I say Bitcoin is healing energy.

And I can’t help but think of Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World.” Every line in that song describes the pain caused by a broken system and the world he wanted to see. I believe he would’ve loved what Bitcoin represents. Because it’s about healing. Freedom. Harmony.

So here’s my call to action: Study Bitcoin. Start paying attention. Don’t ignore it. I promise you, it changes everything. There are so many free online learning materials. There’s Bitcoin Twitter. Bitcoin communities all around the world. And of course, I’m here for any questions too.

I want the world to heal. I want to see more people enjoying the human experience. I want to see people spend time with their families, go to the park, swim in lakes/oceans and enjoy the simple pleasures of this beautiful earth.

I want more people to be in tune with themselves so we can all live in harmony, and the universe can be in harmony too.

We can heal the world. We can become happy souls. We can become LOVE: the true essence of life.

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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?iv=v9KrIoMHT1d9aqXuqmbkbw==

@ c21b1a6c:0cd4d170

🧾 Progress Report Two

Hey everyone! I’m back with another progress report for Formstr, a part of the now completed grant from nostr:npub10pensatlcfwktnvjjw2dtem38n6rvw8g6fv73h84cuacxn4c28eqyfn34f . This update covers everything we’ve built since the last milestone — including polish, performance, power features, and plenty of bug-squashing.

---

🏗️ What’s New Since Last Time?

This quarter was less about foundational rewrites and more about production hardening and real-world feedback. With users now onboard, our focus shifted to polishing UX, fixing issues, and adding new features that made Formstr easier and more powerful to use.

✨ New Features & UX Improvements

• Edit Existing Forms
• Form Templates
• Drag & Drop Enhancements (especially for mobile)
• New Public Forms UX (card-style layout)
• FAQ & Support Sections
• Relay Modal for Publishing
• Skeleton Loaders and subtle UI Polish

---

🐛 Major Bug Fixes

• Fixed broken CSV exports when responses were empty
• Cleaned up mobile rendering issues for public forms
• Resolved blank.ts export issues and global form bugs
• Fixed invalid npub strings in the admin flow
• Patched response handling for private forms
• Lots of small fixes for titles, drafts, embedded form URLs, etc.

---

🔐 Access Control & Privacy

• Made forms private by default
• Fixed multiple issues around form visibility, access control UIs, and anonymous submissions
• Improved detection of pubkey issues in shared forms

---

🚧 Some Notable In-Progress Features

The following features are actively being developed, and many are nearing completion:

• Conditional Questions:
  This one’s been tough to crack, but we’re close!
  Work in progress by keraliss and myself:
  👉 PR #252

• Downloadable Forms:
  Fully-contained downloadable HTML versions of forms.
  Being led by casyazmon with initial code by Basanta Goswami
  👉 PR #274

• OLLAMA Integration (Self-Hosted LLMs):
  Users will be able to create forms using locally hosted LLMs.
  PR by ashu01304
  👉 PR #247

• Sections in Forms:
  Work just started on adding section support!
  Small PoC PR by keraliss:
  👉 PR #217

---

🙌 Huge Thanks to New Contributors

We've had amazing contributors this cycle. Big thanks to:

• Aashutosh Gandhi (ashu01304) – drag-and-drop enhancements, OLLAMA integration
• Amaresh Prasad (devAmaresh) – fixed npub and access bugs
• Biresh Biswas (Billa05) – skeleton loaders
• Shashank Shekhar Singh (Shashankss1205) – bugfixes, co-authored image patches
• Akap Azmon Deh-nji (casyazmon) – CSV fixes, downloadable forms
• Manas Ranjan Dash (mdash3735) – bug fixes
• Basanta Goswami – initial groundwork for downloadable forms
• keraliss – ongoing work on conditional questions and sections

We also registered for the Summer of Bitcoin program and have been receiving contributions from some incredibly bright new applicants.

---

🔍 What’s Still Coming?

From the wishlist I committed to during the grant, here’s what’s still in the oven:

-[x] Upgrade to nip-44 - [x] Access Controlled Forms: A Form will be able to have multiple admins and Editors. - [x] Private Forms and Fixed Participants: Enncrypt a form and only allow certain npubs to fill it. - [x] Edit Past Forms: Being able to edit an existing form. - [x] Edit Past Forms
- [ ] Conditional Rendering (in progress)
- [ ] Sections (just started)
- [ ] Integrations - OLLAMA / AI-based Form Generation (near complete)
- [ ] Paid Surveys
- [ ] NIP-42 Private Relay support

---

❌ What’s De-Prioritized?

• Nothing is de-prioritized now especially since Ollama Integration got re-prioritized (thanks to Summer Of Bitcoin). We are a little delayed on Private Relays support but it's now becoming a priority and in active development. Zap Surveys will be coming soon too.

---

💸 How Funds Were Used

• Paid individual contributors for their work.
• Living expenses to allow full-time focus on development

---

🧠 Closing Thoughts

Things feel like they’re coming together now. We’re out of "beta hell", starting to see real adoption, and most importantly, gathering feedback from real users. That’s helping us make smarter choices and move fast without breaking too much.

Stay tuned for the next big drop — and in the meantime, try creating a form at formstr.app, and let me know what you think!

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

The matchups are set, so we can get the contest underway.

You need to select one team from this round to win their game. You also need to predict who will be the highest scoring player in this round.

Matchups (seed)

• Hawks (8) @ Magic (7)
• Heat (10) @ Bulls (9)
• Grizzlies (8) @ Warriors (7)
• Mavericks (10) @ Kings (9)

Scoring this round: 1 Point for your team winning + Your team's seed if they win + 1 Point for picking the correct top scorer

This round has a maximum of 12 points.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/942654

@ 147ac18e:ef1ca1ba

There’s no shortage of hype around AI. But beneath the buzzwords, Geoff Woods lays out something much more grounded—and frankly, more useful—on his recent appearance on The What Is Money Show. Geoff, who wrote The AI Driven Leader, isn’t here to pitch you a prompt template or a new tool. He’s here to talk about leadership, responsibility, and how to actually get value from AI.

His argument is simple: AI is no longer optional. It's a leadership imperative. And yet, despite nearly every executive claiming to believe in its future, less than 5% are doing anything meaningful with it. Geoff’s take? If you’re delegating AI to the tech team, you’re missing the point. This is about vision, strategy, and leading your people into a new era.

But here’s the rub: you don’t need to become an AI expert. You just need to become what Geoff calls an AI-driven leader—someone who knows how to spot valuable use cases, communicate clearly with AI, and stay in the driver’s seat as the thought leader. It’s not about handing off decisions to a machine. It’s about using the machine to sharpen your thinking.

To do that, Geoff leans on a framework he calls CRIT: Context, Role, Interview, Task. It’s dead simple and wildly effective.

CRIT Framework: Geoff’s Go-To Prompting System

Write every AI prompt using:

• Context – the background situation

• Role – what persona you want AI to take (e.g., CFO, board member, therapist)

• Interview – have AI ask you questions to pull deeper insights

• Task – what you want AI to do after collecting enough context

Give the AI rich context, assign it a role (board member, CFO, therapist—whatever you need), have it interview you to pull out what’s really going on in your head, and then define the task you want it to execute. That flip—getting the AI to interview you—is the difference between mediocre results and strategic breakthroughs.

He shared some standout examples:

• Using AI as a simulated board to test strategy decks and predict which slides will blow up in a real meeting.
• Having AI draft executive emails in a tone blend of your own voice, plus a dash of Simon Sinek and David Goggins.
• Creating AI-generated personas of your kids’ strengths to show them how to use tech to deepen—not replace—their humanity.

That last point matters. Geoff’s raising his own kids to be AI-native, but not tech-addicted. His daughter used AI to explore business ideas. His son used it to work through emotional challenges. In both cases, the tool was secondary. The focus was helping them grow into more aware, capable versions of themselves.

He’s honest about AI’s limitations too. It hallucinates. It’s bad at math. It can’t replace deep human judgment. But if you use it right—if you treat it like a thought partner instead of a magic 8-ball—it becomes an amplifier.

Geoff’s challenge to all of us is to stop anchoring our identity to who we’ve been, and start leaning into who we could become. Whether you’re running a company, managing a classroom, or figuring out your next move, the opportunity is the same: use AI to 10x the things that make you most human.

And it all starts with one sticky note: How can AI help me do this?

If you’re interested in diving deeper, check out aileadership.com or pick up his book The AI Driven Leader. But more importantly, start experimenting. Get your reps in. Think bigger.

Because a year from now, the version of you that’s already doing this work? They’re going to be very hard to compete with.

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

I'm watching the Warriors vs Clippers game (for free at BetPlay). It's a great game, with major playoff implications, but something else just caught my attention.

I heard on the arena sound that they're giving away $5 worth of bitcoin to a fan. That's interesting. It's a Coinbase promotion.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/942558

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

This is a separate contest from the Playoff Bracket Challenge.

The scoring will be similar to the recent March Madness Competition. Picking winners will be worth more points as we progress into later rounds and picking lower seeds will be worth more. The new wrinkle will be picking a high performing player from each round, as well.

We'll start in the Play-In Tournament, which begins on Tuesday and has two rounds. We'll know later today what the first play-in matches are.

Point Schedule

Play-In 1st Round

• 1 Point for picking a winner
• Points equal to seed if your team wins
• 1 Point for picking the highest scoring player of the round

Play-In 2nd Round

• 1 Point for picking a winner
• Points equal to seed if your team wins
• 1 Point for picking the highest scoring player of the round

Playoffs Round 1

• 1 Point for picking a winner
• Points equal to seed if your team wins
• 1 Point for picking the highest scoring player of the round

Playoffs Round 2

• 2 Points for picking a winner
• Points equal to seed if your team wins
• 2 Points for picking the highest scoring player of the round

Playoffs Conference Finals

• 4 Points for picking a winner
• Points equal to seed if your team wins
• 4 Points for picking one of the Conference Finals MVPs

Playoffs Conference Finals

• 8 Points for picking a winner
• Points equal to seed if your team wins
• 8 Points for picking the Finals MVPs

This is not a survivor pool. You can pick the same team as many times as you like. You can join at any time during the competition. The only deadlines are making your picks before the teams and players you pick begin their round.

For clarification, and those not familiar with this tournament, the seeding may change after the Play-In Tournament: for instance, the Hawks begin as the 8th seed, but they will become the 7th seed if they beat the Magic in their first play-in game.

Prize

10k sats or the sum of all zaps (whichever is larger)

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/942553

@ 3c7dc2c5:805642a8

🧠Quote(s) of the week:

'Let me understand…

I saved 30% of my income in Bitcoin over the last five years at an average price of $30,000. I now have 4.25 years of my income in savings.

Within 5 years, bitcoin goes to $500,000. I now have 25 years of my income in savings. I stop saving at this point and simply live off 100% of my income, avoiding selling any Bitcoin.

Within 15 years, Bitcoin goes to $15,000,000. I now have 750 years of my income in savings. I retire and live on >10x my yearly income for the rest of my life, and pass on generational wealth to my children.

Let me understand… why you didn’t listen to the maxis.' - Bit Paine

🧡Bitcoin news🧡

https://i.ibb.co/1fYbX77F/Go-R7-ZJu-Ww-AA0-Xy-Q.jpg

On the 7th of April:

➡️'Bitcoin has retraced to the 350DMA at ~$76,000! Historically, one of the strongest levels of support for Bitcoin during bull cycles...' - Bitcoin Magazine Pro

➡️ 'Tuttle just filed for a first-of-its-kind ETF: a Double Short MicroStrategy ETF. It aims to profit by shorting both the 2x long ($MSTU) and 2x short ($MSTZ) MSTR ETFs, betting on their decay from daily resets.' - Bitcoin News

➡️3$ billion community bank Union Savings discloses first Bitcoin exposure.

➡️The Rational Root: Bitcoin would have to fall below $64K by next week for the spiral chart to cross the 2021 cycle's first peak (~$64K on Apr 13) Well, that didn't happen. So for now the chart is still valid.

Meanwhile, PlanB was only off by about $320k so far for his April price prediction. Yikes! (I have to admit I fully bought into three S2F models when he came out with it back in 2018)

Personally, I am not fixed on the short-term price, listening to any crypto influencer's "prediction" is like believing in Santa Claus. (Almost) all TA is wrong, very little is useful in the end, and nobody knows shit..including myself.

➡️WHITE HOUSE: “The reserve function of the dollar has caused persistent currency distortions” We’re moving toward a global, distributed, neutral reserve asset for all. You have never needed Bitcoin more than at this moment.

https://i.ibb.co/KckFJTJh/Gn9ae9-XQAEi-1-V.jpg

On the 8th of April:

➡️'Bitcoin's hashrate surpassed 1 zetahash for the first time earlier this week. This means that, in aggregate, miners around the world produced 10^21 hashes per second for some time. 1 sextillion hashes. 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.' -TFTC

➡️'Strategy paused Bitcoin buys last week and clarified that shareholders don’t own its BTC. Not your keys, not your coins.' -TFCT Which isn't really news. Common sense: holding exposure, not ownership. "We may be required to sell bitcoin to satisfy our financial obligations, and we may be required to make such sales at prices below our cost basis or that are otherwise unfavorable."

➡️BlackRock expands Bitcoin custody beyond Coinbase. SEC filings reveal Anchorage Digital will safeguard a portion of BTC for BlackRock’s $45B iShares Bitcoin Trust. BlackRock cites the move as part of its “ongoing risk management” and growing presence in digital assets.

➡️Phoenix Wallet is back in the USA. Why are they back?

'We welcome the "Ending Regulation By Prosecution" memo by the US DAG, and the clarity it provides for developers and operators of Bitcoin software. This is consistent with Executive Order 14178 which recognized the importance of "protecting and promoting the ability of individual citizens and private-sector entities alike to [...] develop and deploy software [and] transact with other persons [...] and to maintain self-custody". We are happy to make our products available again in the USA.'

➡️The World Food Program USA now accepts bitcoin! WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organization and part of the United Nations. Chief Philanthropy Officer says, “Embracing new technologies like cryptocurrency isn’t just a choice—it’s necessary.”

➡️Mastercard partners with Kraken to allow European users to spend Bitcoin at over 150 million merchants worldwide.

On the 9th of April:

➡️VanEck confirms that China and Russia are settling energy trades in Bitcoin. On top of that, the $115 billion VanEck stated on President Trump's tariffs the following: "Bitcoin is evolving from a speculative asset into a functional monetary tool—particularly in economies looking to bypass the dollar and reduce exposure to U.S.-led financial systems."

Meanwhile on the same day...

➡️The United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent just ended his speech this morning by saying, “We will take a close look at regulatory impediments to the blockchain, stablecoins, and new payment systems”

➡️Pakistan plans to allocate part of its surplus electricity to Bitcoin mining, Reuters reports.

➡️'In the Swedish Parliament: “No plans for a national Bitcoin reserve – that wouldn’t be wise. We will focus on safe assets that can help us in times of crisis.” A “safe” asset—or an asset to control? Bitcoin is neutral, borderless, and unconfiscatable. It’s the hedge modern nations need.' - BT-Chick

Watch the video here

What are safe assets? Does the S&P have more volatility? US treasuries? haha How can something be more liquid than Bitcoin which trades 24/7/365 on a global scale? What is "safe" is keywords for centralized and controlled. I am not surprised though, they are one of the most conservative countries in the world, HFSP! Tack!

On a side note, Christian Ander on X: "Meeting with an MP on Monday to push the idea of a Swedish Bitcoin reserve. Interest is growing across parties—but still a "no" for now. This has never been discussed this much in Parliament. Clear trend: younger MPs are driving it, and older ones blocking it. Vote accordingly."

➡️The world’s largest credit ratings agency, S&P Global Ratings says, ‘We are focused on Bitcoin. We are focused on its characteristics as an alternative form of money, and the fact it’s decentralized and geopolitically neutral. We are starting to see adoption’ - Reuters Business

➡️Laurastacksats gave a lesson about Bitcoin to an economics class at the University of Bologna, in Italy: the oldest university in the world.

➡️ On this day, Bitcoin accumulation addresses received 48,575 BTC, the largest single-day inflow since February 2022, per CryptoQuant.

On the 10th of April:

➡️'After utterly massive outperformance in the years and decades prior, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is about even with simply owning gold since 1998, or about 27 years ago.' - Lyn Alden

https://i.ibb.co/cSqWStcC/Go-I-3-J4-Xg-AATd-Jd.png

if you want to understand what interest rates do to investors, this tweet and graph would be a good immediate transmission on the nature of fake economies. Just be like Warren Buffet, without all the work. Just buy and hold a store of value. Bitcoin!

➡️The $30 billion public company founded by Jack Dorsey, Blocks, just released an open-source dashboard to make Bitcoin more accessible and transparent for corporate treasuries, helping lower the operational barriers for companies looking to add Bitcoin to their balance sheets.

➡️'The S&P 500 is as volatile as Bitcoin now, (and a day later) the S&P 500 is now more volatile than Bitcoin. A 77% standard deviation is NUTS, it's normally 10-15%.' - Eric Balchunas

Stocks merely adopted the volatility. Bitcoin was born in it. No more excuses for TradFi for saying Bitcoin is too volatile.

https://i.ibb.co/1GM2ghtQ/Go-La-Pkd-W8-AAJjz-C.png

For those who think Bitcoin is too volatile.

➡️'One of these things is not like the others. Change in currency supply (updated through 2024): bitcoin vs. global reserve currencies.' -Peter Parker https://i.ibb.co/5QjQ7Rf/Go-Mblov-Wk-AAz4-ZN.png

➡️S&P Global: “Bitcoin holdings may provide a hedge against long-term debasement of fiat currency through inflation, due to bitcoin's finite supply. Its value may also be driven by geopolitical factors if its security and decentralized nature lead to its increasing adoption as a reserve asset.”

➡️Parker Lewis: With or without Bessent, the Fed is functionally leveraging the US financial system by draining the system of dollar liquidity. Taking out dollars doesn't make the debt go away. Eventually, it breaks and the Fed will have to print even more money. It goes on and on until...Bitcoin.

https://i.ibb.co/MDNt07WS/Go-MV-Ho-WYAASy-M4.png

➡️Florida's House Bill 487 unanimously passed the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee, proposing to allow the investment of up to 10% of key public funds in Bitcoin. The bill must now clear three more committees before reaching the full House and Senate for a vote.

➡️US investors are increasingly buying Bitcoin as a hedge against a weakening dollar, reflecting broader concerns about capital exodus from US financial markets, per 10x Research. "it remains premature to adopt a bullish stance."

On the 11th of April:

➡️Pakistan plans to leverage part of its 10,000 megawatts in surplus electricity for Bitcoin mining, per News Desk.

➡️Arizona PASSES Bitcoin Mining Rights Bill! The bill protects anyone running a node or mining digital assets from zoning or usage bans. Voted 17 - 12 in favor!

➡️'Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss says Bitcoin is “a tool for taking power away from government.” “The bureaucracy knows perfectly well that it is an antidote to their power which is why they hate it.” - Simply Bitcoin

On the 12th of April:

➡️The White House official says. The U.S. may tap gold reserves to buy Bitcoin. If there is any gold in reserve of course! And this is only one senior White House official hinting...

On the 13th of April:

https://i.ibb.co/spBGXChM/Go-Zi7-Ok-XIAAo-B6.jpg

➡️Bitcoin outperforms the NASDAQ in every single timeframe. Bear in mind, that the NASDAQ outperforms the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Gold. Outperforming short-term in a correction is impressive. Outperforming long-term is simply expected. In the end, everything is going to zero against Bitcoin.

➡️'Trump’s exemption of phones, laptops, and chips from his 145% China tariffs spares HS code 8471, which covers Bitcoin miners. This is a major win for US Bitcoin mining companies, who were staring down crippling price hikes on new rigs.' -Bitcoin News

➡️'The Bitcoin Network just broke ONE SEXTILLION HASHES (1k EH/s) for the first time in history!! 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (one thousand million million million)

https://i.ibb.co/yFd0mJ0M/Gob-O6g-DWMAAj-RJq.jpg

FOR COMPARISON: - There are 1 sextillion grains of sand on Earth. - You could fit 615 earths in a flat layer with an area of one sextillion square centimeters. - There are about 6 sextillion cups of water in all the oceans of the world.

Bitcoin mining power is f* INSANE!' - CarlBMenger

On the 14th of April:

➡️Strategy has acquired 3,459 BTC for ~$285.8 million at ~$82,618 per Bitcoin and has achieved a BTC Yield of 11.4% YTD 2025. As of 4/13/2025, Strategy holds 531,644 Bitcoin acquired for ~$35.92 billion at ~$67,556 per bitcoin.

➡️On the same day, Japanese public company Metaplanet buys 319 Bitcoin for $26.3 million.

➡️'Tether will deploy its existing and future Bitcoin hashrate to OCEAN, the mining pool launched by Bitcoin Core developer Luke Dashjr. Tether says supporting decentralized mining is key to protecting Bitcoin’s long-term integrity.' - Bitcoin News

➡️Publicly traded HK Asia Holdings bought 10 Bitcoin worth $806,671 for its balance sheet.

➡️Public companies added 95,431 BTC to their balance sheets in Q1 2025. 12 new firms joined. Holdings now total 688K BTC worth $57B. - Bitwise

https://i.ibb.co/DPmshn5H/Goh-ONkl-X0-AAp-OVe.jpg

💸Traditional Finance / Macro:

On the 7th of April:

👉🏽The Hang Seng just closed at 19,828, down 3,021 points or 13.2%, officially entering a bear market, down 20% from its March peak. In China, over 2,000 stocks hit the limit down, and the CSI 1000 futures plunged 10%, also hitting its trading halt limit.

On the 8th of April:

👉🏽Apple flies in 5 planes full of iPhones to avoid US tariffs.

👉🏽'THE S&P 500 OFFICIALLY ERASES +4.5% GAIN AND TURNS RED ON THE DAY. $2.3 TRILLION erased over the last 3 hours. On a point basis, the S&P 500 just posted its largest intraday reversal in history, even larger than 2020, 2008, and 2001. You have just witnessed history.' -TKL

On the 10th of April:

👉🏽The amount of SPY calls increased by over 10x literally 10 min before the announcement. It's very obvious that Trump's "now is a good time to buy" tweet was a way for insider traders to have plausible deniability.

https://i.ibb.co/TxpKMrbk/Go-IB-P8-XYAEp-YV5.png

Explanation: SPY is a way to buy/sell the S&P 500. When you buy a SPY 504 call, it gives you the right (for a fee) to buy a stock of SPY from someone at $504 at any time If it goes up to 554, you make (50 dollars - the fee).

Just so non-traders really understand what happened here: Right before the S&P 500 (SPY) suddenly spiked, someone bought a huge number of call options — bets that the index would go up that same day. These were zero-day options, meaning they expire worthless by the end of the day unless SPY rises quickly. At the time, they were almost worthless. Then, SPY shot up. Those dirt-cheap options exploded in value. A $100K bet turned into $21 million in minutes. That green spike before the jump is not luck. It’s foreknowledge. Someone knew exactly what was about to happen.

🏦Banks:

👉🏽 no news

🌎Macro/Geopolitics:

The current state of Macro & Geopolitics can be summed up like this: Everything about current market dynamics is just ‘Madness!’ Economic policy uncertainty is TWICE the level during the Pandemic.

https://i.ibb.co/SXxTRtMt/Go-Vss-Sq-Wg-AEZAP4.jpg

On the 7th of April:

👉🏽A great post by Ray Dalio on X says tariffs are just the start. In the end, it's about a breakdown of the economic/monetary order (excessive global debt) & the global geopolitical order (US vs China). Basically, Trump is forcing the Fourth Turning through.

https://x.com/RayDalio/status/1909296189473693729 https://i.ibb.co/d0JqLqX9/Go-AO57n-W0-AADosd.jpg

I would say we are at stage 13 - 14.

Tariffs are a symptom of bigger problems. Don’t let arguments about tariffs distract us from solving the bigger problems. Also, governments are dysfunctional and life is hard. It’s the controlled demolition of a dying global system built on cheap Chinese labor, Wall Street debt games, and Washington sellouts. Ray sees the Big Cycle turning.

1) The global debt engine is seizing up. 2) The dollar is cornered by its own inflation. 3) The supply chain is a foreign hostage situation. 4) And the (U.S.) middle class got hollowed out so Davos could cash in.

To summarize: - Tariffs are a symptom, not the core issue. - Economic: Unsustainable debt, trade imbalances. - Political: Inequality fuels instability. - Geopolitical: Shift to a multipolar world. - Natural disasters: More frequent, disruptive. - Tech: AI reshapes economies and politics. - Key takeaway: Forces are linked; study history for future insight.

👉🏽On that same day: China restricts exports of seven rare earth metals to all countries.

👉🏽Lobby scandal: Between 2021 and 2023, NGOs received over €7 billion in support from the European budget. The European Court of Auditors has criticized the lack of transparency in EU funding to NGOs. There is a particular lack of reliable information and insufficient oversight. The European Commission funneled billions of euros to NGOs to promote its own policies and discredit opponents, as now also acknowledged by the European Court of Auditors. With a dubious leading role played by Frans Timmermans and Diederik Samsom.

For the Dutch readers:

https://fd.nl/samenleving/1551598/europese-rekenkamer-kritisch-over-financiering-ngos

👉🏽 'When a university with a $53 billion endowment needs to tap the bond market in this environment, it just tells you just how illiquid their investments really are.' -Mr. Vix Or is it just the game that you need to play? It is just a whole lot easier to do a debt raise than go to all stakeholders to adjust the allocation of the AUM, as all is earmarked, it would be a lengthy process.

https://i.ibb.co/mC0x8gdv/Gn8uzrn-Wk-AEJt6-G.jpg

They tapped the bond market in every prior year and they are rated aaa by ratings agencies. It isn’t just a function of the illiquidity of their investments. They hold about $3 billion that could be liquidated in one day or less (according to their financial statements). The real problem is that a vast majority of an endowment is earmarked for specific purposes—not that it is invested in illiquids.

On the 8th of April:

👉🏽President Trump says "China wants to make a deal, badly, but they don't know how to get it started." He also says that "we have the probability of a great deal" with South Korea after a call with their President.

Scott Bessent, US Treasury: Almost 70 countries have now approached us wanting to help rebalance global trade.

Regarding Bessent, read the following: an excellent thread. 'The Bessent Short' explained, so even you and I can understand it.

thread.exceptional.https://x.com/sethjlevy/status/1909634800136212608

This is a very interesting narrative. If this plays out this thinking was exceptional. Another excellent thread on Bessent: https://x.com/timjcarden/status/1910440389217312784

👉🏽 The People's Bank of China injects a net 102.5 billion yuan in open market operations. Hello, liquidity!

👉🏽There is now a 98% chance of a 25 bps interest rate cut by the June FOMC meeting.

👉🏽The White House says 104% additional tariffs on China went into EFFECT at noon ET today because China has not removed their 34% tariff on the US, per Fox News. US Dollar vs. Chinese Yuan is going vertical, meaning China's currency is depreciating swiftly.

China's beginning currency devaluation is more than just an economic signal—it's a trigger. Historically, when the yuan weakens, capital doesn’t stay put. It escapes. Some of it flows into gold, some into foreign assets—and a meaningful slice finds its way into Bitcoin.

https://i.ibb.co/KpKSLrHd/Go-HRen8-Xo-AAOpi-H.jpg

Regarding the US and China theme above one more interesting stat: 'One shipyard in China made more commercial ships in 2024 than the total number the US has produced since World War II. The destruction of America’s industrial base is a massive national security threat.' - Geiger Capital

Now Europe is going to invest € 800billion in their 'Europe Army'. I am not saying we are getting a World War III, but the dynamics are interesting.

From your perspective, why the above statement from a US perspective is a bad one... Mother Russia is building combat vehicles & munitions at “an unprecedented pace" according to a U.S. commander in Europe. A reinvigorated Russian defense industrial base is rolling out:

-1,500 tanks,

-3,000 armored vehicles,

& -200 Iskander ballistic & cruise missiles this year.

By comparison, the U.S. builds just

-135 tanks/yr and

-0 / no longer produces Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

China now boasts the world’s largest -navy, -army, -air force, and -strategic rocket force. China’s robust maritime industry is primed to build and repair ships at a wartime tempo. In a drawn-out conflict, China would have the clear advantage in building, repairing, & maintaining warships at sea.' Source: https://www.19fortyfive.com/2025/04/russia-and-chinas-military-production-surge-why-the-u-s-military-is-alarmed/

https://i.ibb.co/6G1Z6Nw/Gn-Qc-LVXYAAo-NH6-1.jpg

This is why the tariffs are happening still not sure I agree with the blanket nature of them. It sounds like the US does not understand the macro picture very well and is very overconfident. But who am I to judge?

On the 9th of April:

👉🏽'Oil prices fall below $57 for the first time since February 2021 as markets price in a global recession.' -TKL

👉🏽The European privacy legislation GDPR is a bureaucratic monster created by the European Commission, which stifles innovation and causes enormous economic damage — especially to SMEs. After 7 years, it’s finally being seriously reviewed. GDPR should never have been introduced.

Brussels finally admits it: GDPR was an economic disaster. No kidding! Here's why this rollback could save Europe's dying tech scene

Here is a great thread:

https://x.com/itsolelehmann/status/1909924693819461993

And for anyone who wants to explore the topic in depth: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3160404

On the 10th of April:

👉🏽'Lots of headlines and rumors about Trump "asking the Supreme Court to fire Powell." Here's what really happened: President Trump asked the Supreme Court to "let him fire top officials at 2 independent agencies," per Bloomberg. This could test whether Trump has the power to fire Fed Chair Powell. Trump did NOT explicitly ask to fire Powell.' - TKL

👉🏽'Gold closed up 3.3% to $3082, the biggest one-day jump since 2023, as traders anticipate much more fiat devaluation. A couple of hours later... And there it is: gold soars to new record high $3165/oz as global trade war turns to a currency war and global devaluation.' -ZeroHedge

Gold prices are flying off the chart. If you can’t tell yet, something is broken. Capital flight to Gold and CHF happening now. Eventually Bitcoin. These are not signs of winning. These are signs of the mother of all debt crises.

On the 11th of April:

👉🏽ZeroHedge: "Absolutely Spectacular Meltdown": The Basis Trade Is Blowing Up, Sparking Multi-Trillion Liquidation Panic:

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/absolutely-spectacular-meltdown-basis-trade-blowing-sparking-multi-trillion-liquidation

Explanation: The basis trade is when investors buy Treasury bonds and sell their futures, betting on small price gaps to make money. They often borrow a lot to boost profits, but it’s risky. Right now in April 2025, this trade is crashing, like in 2020. Hedge funds are losing big, selling bonds fast, which spikes Treasury yields and shakes markets. It’s a multi-trillion dollar mess, and some fear it could spark a crisis needing a huge Fed bailout, like last time. The chart likely shows yields jumping, signaling this panic.

👉🏽China raises tariffs on U.S. imports to 125%.

Here’s the real question, who gives up first? 1. President Trump 2. China 3. Bond market At this rate, the 10Y Note Yield will be at 5% next week. Inevitably, one of these 3 factors has to give very soon as this is unsustainable. Anyway... https://i.ibb.co/VYXByy2S/Go-ODsv-OWIAAu-M9v.jpg

👉🏽UK millionaires are fleeing in record numbers. In 2024, the UK ranked second only to China in wealth exodus – ahead of even India. People vote with their feet, and it will happen in Europe, and it is concerning.

Great thread: https://x.com/thealepalombo/status/1910327100286115952

👉🏽US 10Y rises to 4.48%, the largest single weekly increase since 2001. U.S. 30-year treasury yields rise to 4.95%, the weekly increase is the biggest since 1982.

On the 11th of April:

👉🏽European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde: ECB is a ready-to-use instrument it has if needed!

On the same day, FED's Kashkari: The Fed has a tool to provide more liquidity. The Fed is reportedly "absolutely" ready to stabilize the market if needed, per Financial Times. Never discount the power of the bond market or the REPO market.

Coughing and clearing my throat for the people in the back: more liquidity, debt, printing money!

James Lavish: "Choose your phrase for translation:

“All roads lead to inflation.”

“Nothing stops this train.”

“The Fed will print again.”

👉🏽'March PPI inflation FALLS to 2.7%, below expectations of 3.3%. Core PPI inflation FALLS to 3.3%, below expectations of 3.6%. We just saw the first month-over-month decline in PPI inflation, down -0.4%, since March 2024. Both CPI and PPI inflation are down SHARPLY.' -TKL

👉🏽The U.S. budget deficit has risen to $1.3 trillion as government debt interest hits record levels. Data released by the Treasury Department on Thursday showed a deficit of $1.307 trillion for the first six months of the 2025 fiscal year, covering the period from October to March. This was the second-highest fiscal year deficit the U.S. has ever seen, with only the $1.706 trillion deficit in the first half of the 2021 fiscal year being larger.

On the 12th of April: 👉🏽M2 Money Supply going parabolic right now. Bitcoin is going parabolic soon. https://i.ibb.co/FL0W19kB/Go-VLj-Dv-Xk-AAol-Dt.jpg

BTC has tracked M2's movements 80% of the time for the past several years.

👉🏽The US publishes reciprocal tariff exclusions for computers, smartphones, and chip-making equipment. TKL: "Let's put the tariff exemptions into perspective: The US imports approximately $100 billion of computers, smartphones, and chip-making equipment from China PER YEAR. A total of $439 billion of goods were imported from China into the US in 2024. This means ~23% of ALL Chinese imports coming to the US are now exempt from "reciprocal tariffs." This is a massive U-Turn in tariff policy."

The bond market is Trump's #1 priority, and everyone knows it now.

Oh fun note, 2 minutes before the close on Friday someone bought $850,000 worth of SPY 554 calls expiring Monday. This morning the US released tariff exclusions...fascinating innit?

👉🏽If said it before and will say it again. It doesn't matter if the U.S. has a red or blue president. The US government has spent $154 billion more in 2025 than it did over the same period in 2024. Unless treasury yields drop, and fast, no amount of DOGE cutting will stop this from spiraling out of control. https://i.ibb.co/WNVJNxqh/Go-VYumq-Xw-AAod-Sv.jpg

👉🏽RAY DALIO ON DOMESTIC & WORLD ORDER “I think that right now, we are at a decision-making point and very close to a recession. I'm worried about something worse than a recession if this isn't handled well. A recession is two negative quarters of GDP, and whether it goes slightly there, we always have those things. We have something that's much more profound. We have a breakdown of the monetary order. We are going to change the monetary order because we cannot spend the amounts of money.

So, we have that problem. And when we talk about the dollar, and we talk about tariffs, we have that. We are having profound changes in our domestic order, and how ruling is existing, and we're having profound changes in the world order. Such times are very much like the 1930s.

I've studied history, and this repeats over and over again. So, if you take tariffs, if you take debt, if you take the rising power challenging existing power, if you take those factors and look at the factors that those changes in the orders, the systems, are very, very disruptive. How that's handled could produce something much worse than a recession…” - NBCNews

Yes, Bitcoin is the new monetary order, and civilizational infrastructure. Got some Bitcoin?

On the 14th of April:

👉🏽'Global net gold purchases by central banks hit 24 tonnes in February, the most since November 2024. This marks the 20th month of net buying over the last 21 months. Central banks are now on track for their 16th consecutive year of net purchases, according to the World Gold Council. Over the last 3 years, world central banks have acquired a massive 3,176 tonnes of gold. Central banks are buying gold like we are in a crisis.' -TKL

https://i.ibb.co/vvsx4qv9/Goh-TQ-n-WYAAm-6-I.jpg

🎁If you have made it this far I would like to give you a little gift, well in this case two gifts:

In April 2023, Tuur Demeester of Adamant Research published what has become another legendary entry in his line of Bitcoin bear market reports dating back to 2012. These pages aged like wine—as important today as they were 2 years ago. Download it here:

https://www.unchained.com/how-to-position-bitcoin-boom

Lyn Alden of Lyn Alden Investment Strategy explains the connection between the capital and financial imbalances the U.S. has with the rest of the world and its trade imbalances which are under so much scrutiny by the current U.S. administration. Alden argues that turbulence in markets, particularly U.S. assets, could continue, and warns listeners not to be exposed beyond their risk limits at a juncture that could be a historic time for markets and the global economy. Recorded April 10, 2025.

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

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. ⠀ ⠀

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀

Do you think this post is helpful to you?

If so, please share it and support my work with a zap.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

⭐ Many thanks⭐

Felipe - Bitcoin Friday!

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

@ 9063ef6b:fd1e9a09

Bitcoin is more than just a digital currency. It’s a technological revolution built on a unique set of properties that distinguish it from all other financial systems—past and present. From its decentralized architecture to its digitally verifiable scarcity, Bitcoin represents a fundamental shift in how we store and transfer value.

A Truly Decentralized Network

As of April 2025, the Bitcoin network comprises approximately 62,558 reachable nodes globally. The United States leads with 13,791 nodes (29%), followed by Germany with 6,418 nodes (13.5%), and Canada with 2,580 nodes (5.43%). bitnodes

This distributed structure is central to Bitcoin’s strength. No single entity can control the network, making it robust against censorship, regulation, or centralized failure.

---

Open Participation at Low Cost

Bitcoin's design allows almost anyone to participate meaningfully in the network. Thanks to its small block size and streamlined protocol, running a full node is technically and financially accessible. Even a Raspberry Pi or a basic PC is sufficient to synchronize and validate the blockchain.

However, any significant increase in block size could jeopardize this accessibility. More storage and bandwidth requirements would shift participation toward centralized data centers and cloud infrastructure—threatening Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos. This is why the community continues to fiercely debate such protocol changes.

---

Decentralized Governance

Bitcoin has no CEO, board, or headquarters. Its governance model is decentralized, relying on consensus among various stakeholders, including miners, developers, node operators, and increasingly, institutional participants.

Miners signal support for changes by choosing which version of the Bitcoin software to run when mining new blocks. However, full node operators ultimately enforce the network’s rules by validating blocks and transactions. If miners adopt a change that is not accepted by the majority of full nodes, that change will be rejected and the blocks considered invalid—effectively vetoing the proposal.

This "dual-power structure" ensures that changes to the network only happen through widespread consensus—a system that has proven resilient to internal disagreements and external pressures.

---

Resilient by Design

Bitcoin's decentralized nature gives it a level of geopolitical and technical resilience unmatched by any traditional financial system. A notable case is the 2021 mining ban in China. While initially disruptive, the network quickly recovered as miners relocated, ultimately improving decentralization.

This event underlined Bitcoin's ability to withstand regulatory attacks and misinformation (FUD—Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt), cementing its credibility as a global, censorship-resistant network.

---

Self-Sovereign Communication

Bitcoin enables peer-to-peer transactions across borders without intermediaries. There’s no bank, payment processor, or centralized authority required. This feature is not only technically efficient but also politically profound—it empowers individuals globally to transact freely and securely.

---

Absolute Scarcity

Bitcoin is the first asset in history with a mathematically verifiable, fixed supply: 21 million coins. This cap is hard-coded into its protocol and enforced by every full node. At the atomic level, Bitcoin is measured in satoshis (sats), with a total cap of approximately 2.1 quadrillion sats.

This transparency contrasts with assets like gold, whose total supply is estimated and potentially (through third parties on paper) expandable. Moreover, unlike fiat currencies, which can be inflated through central bank policy, Bitcoin is immune to such manipulation. This makes it a powerful hedge against monetary debasement.

---

Anchored in Energy and Time

Bitcoin's security relies on proof-of-work, a consensus algorithm that requires real-world energy and computation. This “work” ensures that network participants must invest time and electricity to mine new blocks.

This process incentivizes continual improvement in hardware and energy sourcing—helping decentralize mining geographically and economically. In contrast, alternative systems like proof-of-stake tend to favor wealth concentration by design, as influence is determined by how many tokens a participant holds.

---

Censorship-Resistant

The Bitcoin network itself is inherently censorship-resistant. As a decentralized system, Bitcoin transactions consist of mere text and numerical data, making it impossible to censor the underlying protocol.

However, centralized exchanges and trading platforms can be subject to censorship through regional regulations or government pressure, potentially limiting access to Bitcoin.

Decentralized exchanges and peer-to-peer marketplaces offer alternative solutions, enabling users to buy and sell Bitcoins without relying on intermediaries that can be censored or shut down.

---

High Security

The Bitcoin blockchain is secured through a decentralized network of thousands of nodes worldwide, which constantly verify its integrity, making it highly resistant to hacking. To add a new block of bundled transactions, miners compete to solve complex mathematical problems generated by Bitcoin's cryptography. Once a miner solves the problem, the proposed block is broadcast to the network, where each node verifies its validity. Consensus is achieved when a majority of nodes agree on the block's validity, at which point the Bitcoin blockchain is updated accordingly, ensuring the network's decentralized and trustless nature.

Manipulation of the Bitcoin network is virtually impossible due to its decentralized and robust architecture. The blockchain's chronological and immutable design prevents the deletion or alteration of previously validated blocks, ensuring the integrity of the network.

To successfully attack the Bitcoin network, an individual or organization would need to control a majority of the network's computing power, also known as a 51% attack. However, the sheer size of the Bitcoin network and the competitive nature of the proof-of-work consensus mechanism make it extremely difficult to acquire and sustain the necessary computational power. Even if an attacker were to achieve this, they could potentially execute double spends and censor transactions. Nevertheless, the transparent nature of the blockchain would quickly reveal the attack, allowing the Bitcoin network to respond and neutralize it. By invalidating the first block of the malicious chain, all subsequent blocks would also become invalid, rendering the attack futile and resulting in significant financial losses for the attacker.

One potential source of uncertainty arises from changes to the Bitcoin code made by developers. While developers can modify the software, they cannot unilaterally enforce changes to the Bitcoin protocol, as all users have the freedom to choose which version they consider valid. Attempts to alter Bitcoin's fundamental principles have historically resulted in hard forks, which have ultimately had negligible impact (e.g., BSV, BCH). The Bitcoin community has consistently rejected new ideas that compromise decentralization in favor of scalability, refusing to adopt the resulting blockchains as the legitimate version. This decentralized governance model ensures that changes to the protocol are subject to broad consensus, protecting the integrity and trustworthiness of the Bitcoin network.

Another source of uncertainty in the future could be quantum computers. The topic is slowly gaining momentum in the community and is being discussed.

My attempt to write an article with Yakihonne. Simple editor with the most necessary formatting. Technically it worked quite well so far.

Some properties are listed in the article. Which properties are missing?

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

https://primal.net/e/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqpqrep4phdx0hs6v3fynl0glp52c6skaqmgra23hyzyz5pnd8gmcqqsva8zn0v6k282lqtxvqzf4pdspz8ek22gk9hfxxx8pfat34e8x7yqxh0hq7

Well that escalated quickly!

What began as a friendly joint venture has descended into bitter rivalry. Who will take home the sats, Noble Stackers or GSC degenerates?

Declare your allegiance upon entry. Choose wisely.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/942260

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 8d34bd24:414be32b

I was listening to a sermon at my church this weekend on Luke 9. It made me think of these words, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” I’ll start with context on this statement and then show how it applies to the passage we were studying.

They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:20-24) {emphasis mine}

In this story, a desperate father brought his son to Jesus’s disciples for healing, when they failed, he brought the boy to Jesus. He begged for help, but qualified with “But if You can … .” How often do we explicitly or implicitly say this to God in our prayers.

Just as this father believed in Jesus enough to bring his dear child to Jesus, but still had doubts, we tend to be the same. As Christians, we believe that Jesus loved us enough to die on the cross, but do we believe He is always with us? Do we believe He will never leave nor forsake us? Do we believe that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose? I think we can all say, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

We all have highs where we are excited about Jesus and believe He is working in us and through us. We also have lows where we feel distant and wondering if He sees or cares. We need to have that belief of the highs when we are going through the lows.

In Luke 9, Jesus sent out His 12 disciples to share the gospel and heal the sick and possessed. They came back on a high, amazed at the great miracles that Jesus had worked through them.

And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. … When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida. (Luke 9:1-2,10) {emphasis mine}

The 12 disciples were on a high. Miracles had been done through their hands and at their word. They felt like they could conquer the world, but this high and great faith did not last very long. Jesus took them away. They thought they were going to spend some private time with Jesus, but that is not what happened. A great crowd ran ahead and met them. Jesus saw their physical and spiritual needs and began to preach and minister to them. It began to get late, so the disciples came to Jesus to ask Him to wrap things up and send the people away so they could eat (like Jesus didn’t know).

Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.” But He said to them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” (For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” They did so, and had them all sit down. Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people. And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full. (Luke 9:12-17) {emphasis mine}

Jesus gently guided His disciples, trying to help them see that there was nothing to fear, that He had everything under control, and that nothing is impossible with Him. When He asked them what they had available to feed the crowd, and they just had one young boy’s small lunch, they immediately assumed feeding the crowd was impossible. Jesus then proceeded to feed the 5,000 (5,000 men and an uncounted number of women and children). Yes, Jesus was merciful and fed this hungry crowd, but I believe this feeding was about so much more than meeting the physical needs of the crowd. Notice how every person there ate until they were satisfied. Jesus then had the disciples pick up the leftovers. How much was left over? 12 baskets full. How many disciples was He giving an object lesson to? 12 disciples. Jesus doesn’t do anything by accident. Everything He does is for a reason. (In the same way everything He allows to happen to us is for a good reason.) He did what the disciples thought was impossible, He fed the huge crowd, but even more, He had one basketful leftover for each disciple. This was a personal message to each of His disciples.

When Jesus sent them out with the command to share the Gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons, they went out with faith and returned with even greater faith “I believe,” but then the day after they returned, their faith waivered again. They needed to cry out, “help my unbelief.” Jesus empowered and guided them both in their belief and in their unbelief. He most definitely helped their unbelief and will do the same for us.

Our Father, please help us to have faith in good times and in bad. Help us to believe with all of our heart, mind, and soul. We believe that you are God and we believe that Jesus came down to earth to live the perfect life that we are unable to live, died to receive the punishment we deserved, and was raised to life on the third day. Believe that the Holy Spirit lives within us empowering and guiding us. We also acknowledge that we have doubts. Please help our unbelief.

Trust Jesus.

@ ba36d0f7:cd802cba

1. The creative (but fleeting) pleasure of tactics

Chess tactics are like candy between meals - instant delight, but not true nourishment. Choosing whether to attack a bishop or a knight feels like picking between vanilla and chocolate ice cream: sprinkles or none, cherry on top or not...

• They’re freedom within boundaries: the board has limits, but imagination doesn’t.

• They mirror your style: quick strikes like an espresso? Or slow grinds like green tea?

2. Two tactics, two joys

• Simple (an exposed king): everyday wins (like finding cash in your pocket).

• Complex (3+ move combos): earned triumphs (like a project you’ve sweat over).

3. The Buddha’s warning: "Don’t Confuse the Sugar Rush for the Meal"

Buddhism teaches that clinging to pleasure (kāma-tanha) breeds suffering. In chess and life:

• Tactics are desserts: sweet, but not the feast.

  • Example: Beating a blunder is like winning the lottery; outplaying strategically is like building wealth.

• The balance: Revel in that dazzling queen sacrifice - but don’t bet your game on it. Like savoring cake, not devouring the whole bakery.

4. How to play (and Live) this wisdom

✅ Ask yourself:

• Is this move sound - or just seductive? (Like craving junk food vs. needing sustenance).

• Am I here to win, or to wow? (Ego checkmates you faster than any opponent).

Final Move: The middle path on 64 squares

Buddhism invites joy without attachment. On the board:

• Tactics = spice: they dazzle, but strategy feeds growth.

• Strategy = the harvest: the patience that crowns kings.

♟️ So - do you chase the fireworks, or cultivate the long game?

---

Online Resources

Chess tactics - chess.com https://www.chess.com/terms/chess-tactics

Tactic examples - chess.com https://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-tactics

Tactics - lichess.org https://lichess.org/study/topic/Tactics/hot

---

somachess #buddhism #philosophy #chessphilosophy #chess #elsalvador #btc #apaneca #chesselsalvador

@ ba36d0f7:cd802cba

1. El placer creativo (pero efímero) de las tácticas

Las tácticas en ajedrez son como las golosinas entre comidas: satisfacción inmediata, pero no sustento real. Escoger entre atacar a un alfil o un caballo puede ser como elegir entre helado de vainilla o chocolate - con chispas o sin chispas, cereza o sin cereza....

• Son libertad dentro de las reglas: el tablero es finito, pero la creatividad no.

• Reflejan tu estilo: ¿ataques rápidos como un espresso? ¿O finales lentos como un té verde?

2. Dos tipos de tácticas, dos tipos de placeres

• Sencillas (como un rey descubierto): placeres cotidianos (como un golpe de buena suerte).

• Complejas (combinaciones de 3+ jugadas): placeres que exigen planificación (como cumplir metas).

3. La advertencia budista: "No confundas el postre con la cena"

El Buddha enseñó que aferrarse a los placeres (kāma-tanha) genera sufrimiento. En ajedrez y en la vida:

• Las tácticas son golosinas: te dan ventaja, pero no son estrategia.

  • Ejemplo: Ganar por un descuido del rival es como heredar dinero; ganar por planificación es como construir un negocio.

• El equilibrio: Disfruta ese sacrificio de dama espectacular… pero no bases tu juego en ellos. Como saborear un pastel ocasional sin volverse adicto al azúcar.

4. Cómo aplicar esto en el tablero (y en la vida)

✅ Pregúntate siempre:

• ¿Esta táctica es sólida o solo emocionante? (Como diferenciar antojo de hambre real).

• ¿Estoy jugando para ganar… o para impresionar? (El ego es peor enemigo que el rival).

Conclusión: El camino medio (ajedrecístico)

El budismo no pide renunciar a los placeres, sino disfrutarlos sin apego. En el ajedrez:

• Tácticas = especias: dan sabor, pero no son el plato principal.

• Estrategia = nutrición: lo que realmente te hace mejor jugador.

♟️ ¿Y tú? ¿Eres de los que prefieren un ataque brillante (aunque riesgoso) o una victoria lenta pero segura?

---

Recursos en linea

Tácticas - chess.com https://www.chess.com/es/article/view/tacticas-ajedrez

Problemas de ajedrez - chess.com https://www.chess.com/es/puzzles

Tácticas - lichess.org https://lichess.org/study/qgLXlnIF/udsuAudN

---

ajedrez #somachess #chess #chesselsalvador #budismo #budhism #filosofia #philosophy #apaneca #rutadelasflores #article #longform #articulo

@ 147ac18e:ef1ca1ba

In a recent episode of The Survival Podcast, host Jack Spirko presents a contrarian view on the current trade war and tariffs imposed by the U.S. government. Far from being a chaotic or irrational policy, Jack argues that these tariffs are part of a broader strategic plan to rewire the global trade system in America's favor—and to force long-overdue changes in the domestic economy. Here's a breakdown of the core reasons Jack believes this is happening (or will happen) as a result of the tariffs:In a recent episode of The Survival Podcast, host Jack Spirko presents a contrarian view on the current trade war and tariffs imposed by the U.S. government. Far from being a chaotic or irrational policy, Jack argues that these tariffs are part of a broader strategic plan to rewire the global trade system in America's favor—and to force long-overdue changes in the domestic economy. Here's a breakdown of the core reasons Jack believes this is happening (or will happen) as a result of the tariffs:

1. Tariffs Are a Tool, Not the Goal

Jack’s central thesis is that tariffs are not meant to be a permanent fixture—they’re a pressure tactic. The goal isn’t protectionism for its own sake, but rather to reset trade relationships that have historically disadvantaged the U.S. For example, Taiwan responded to the tariffs not with retaliation but by proactively offering to reduce barriers and increase imports from the U.S. That, Jack says, is the intended outcome: cooperation on better terms.

2. Forced Deleveraging to Prevent Collapse

One of the boldest claims Jack makes is that the Trump administration used the tariffs as a catalyst to trigger a “controlled burn” of an over-leveraged stock market. According to him, large institutions were deeply leveraged in equities, and had the bubble popped organically later in the year, it would have required massive bailouts. Instead, the shock caused by tariffs triggered early deleveraging, avoiding systemic failure.

“I’m telling you, a bailout scenario was just avoided... This was intentional.” – Jack Spirko

3. Global Re-shoring and Domestic Manufacturing

Tariffs are incentivizing companies to move production back to the U.S., especially in key areas like semiconductors, energy, and industrial goods. This shift is being further accelerated by global geopolitical instability, creating a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to rebuild small-town America and domestic supply chains.

4. Not Inflationary—Strategically Deflationary

Jack challenges conventional economic wisdom by arguing that tariffs themselves do not cause inflation, because inflation is a function of monetary expansion—not rising prices alone. In fact, he believes this economic shift may lead to deflation in some sectors, particularly as companies liquidate inventory, lower prices to remain competitive, and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.

“Rising prices alone are not inflation. Inflation is expansion of the money supply.” – Jack Spirko

5. Energy Costs Will Fall

A drop in global oil prices, partially due to reduced transport needs as manufacturing reshoring increases, plays into the strategy. Jack notes that oil at $60 per barrel weakens adversaries like Russia (whose economy depends heavily on high oil prices) while keeping U.S. production viable. Lower energy costs also benefit domestic manufacturers.

6. The Digital Dollar & Global Dollarization

Alongside this industrial shift, the U.S. is poised to roll out a “digital dollar” infrastructure, giving global access to stablecoins backed by U.S. banks. Jack frames this as an effort to further entrench the dollar as the world’s dominant currency—ensuring continued global demand and export leverage without the need for perpetual military enforcement.

7. A Window of Opportunity for Americans

For individuals, Jack sees this economic transformation as a rare chance to accumulate long-term assets—stocks, Bitcoin, and real estate—while prices are suppressed. He warns that those who panic and sell are operating with a “poverty mindset,” whereas those who stay the course will benefit from what he describes as “the greatest fire sale of productive assets in a generation.”

---

Conclusion: Not a Collapse, But a Reset

Rather than viewing tariffs as a harbinger of economic doom, Jack presents them as part of a forced evolution—an uncomfortable but necessary reboot of the U.S. economic operating system. Whether or not it works as intended, he argues, this is not a haphazard policy. It’s a calculated reshaping of global and domestic economic dynamics, and one with enormous implications for trade, energy, inflation, and the average American investor.

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

Yesterday, I posted about the NBA Bracket Challenge that we're doing with Global Sports Central.

Today we're revealing that the grand prize is a Blockstream JADE cold wallet.

We've also decided on a 1k sats buy-in. Now that's a great expected value!

Follow Global Sports Central on nostr to stay up to date on competition details.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/941901

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

@cryotosensei, is this right?

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/941895

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 826e9f89:ffc5c759

What follows began as snippets of conversations I have been having for years, on and off, here and there. It will likely eventually be collated into a piece I have been meaning to write on “payments” as a whole. I foolishly started writing this piece years ago, not realizing that the topic is gargantuan and for every week I spend writing it I have to add two weeks to my plan. That may or may not ever come to fruition, but in the meantime, Tether announced it was issuing on Taproot Assets and suddenly everybody is interested again. This is as good a catalyst as any to carve out my “stablecoin thesis”, such as it exists, from “payments”, and put it out there for comment and feedback.

In contrast to the “Bitcoiner take” I will shortly revert to, I invite the reader to keep the following potential counterargument in mind, which might variously be termed the “shitcoiner”, “realist”, or “cynical” take, depending on your perspective: that stablecoins have clear product-market-fit. Now, as a venture capitalist and professional thinkboi focusing on companies building on Bitcoin, I obviously think that not only is Bitcoin the best money ever invented and its monetization is pretty much inevitable, but that, furthermore, there is enormous, era-defining long-term potential for a range of industries in which Bitcoin is emerging as superior technology, even aside from its role as money. But in the interest not just of steelmanning but frankly just of honesty, I would grudgingly agree with the following assessment as of the time of writing: the applications of crypto (inclusive of Bitcoin but deliberately wider) that have found product-market-fit today, and that are not speculative bets on future development and adoption, are: Bitcoin as savings technology, mining as a means of monetizing energy production, and stablecoins.

I think there are two typical Bitcoiner objections to stablecoins of significantly greater importance than all others: that you shouldn’t be supporting dollar hegemony, and that you don’t need a blockchain. I will elaborate on each of these, and for the remainder of the post will aim to produce a synthesis of three superficially contrasting (or at least not obviously related) sources of inspiration: these objections, the realisation above that stablecoins just are useful, and some commentary on technical developments in Bitcoin and the broader space that I think inform where things are likely to go. As will become clear as the argument progresses, I actually think the outcome to which I am building up is where things have to go. I think the technical and economic incentives at play make this an inevitability rather than a “choice”, per se. Given my conclusion, which I will hold back for the time being, this is a fantastically good thing, hence I am motivated to write this post at all!

Objection 1: Dollar Hegemony

I list this objection first because there isn’t a huge amount to say about it. It is clearly a normative position, and while I more or less support it personally, I don’t think that it is material to the argument I am going on to make, so I don’t want to force it on the reader. While the case for this objection is probably obvious to this audience (isn’t the point of Bitcoin to destroy central banks, not further empower them?) I should at least offer the steelman that there is a link between this and the realist observation that stablecoins are useful. The reason they are useful is because people prefer the dollar to even shitter local fiat currencies. I don’t think it is particularly fruitful to say that they shouldn’t. They do. Facts don’t care about your feelings. There is a softer bridging argument to be made here too, to the effect that stablecoins warm up their users to the concept of digital bearer (ish) assets, even though these particular assets are significantly scammier than Bitcoin. Again, I am just floating this, not telling the reader they should or shouldn’t buy into it.

All that said, there is one argument I do want to put my own weight behind, rather than just float: stablecoin issuance is a speculative attack on the institution of fractional reserve banking. A “dollar” Alice moves from JPMorgan to Tether embodies two trade-offs from Alice’s perspective: i) a somewhat opaque profile on the credit risk of the asset: the likelihood of JPMorgan ever really defaulting on deposits vs the operator risk of Tether losing full backing and/or being wrench attacked by the Federal Government and rugging its users. These risks are real but are almost entirely political. I’m skeptical it is meaningful to quantify them, but even if it is, I am not the person to try to do it. Also, more transparently to Alice, ii) far superior payment rails (for now, more on this to follow).

However, from the perspective of the fiat banking cartel, fractional reserve leverage has been squeezed. There are just as many notional dollars in circulation, but there the backing has been shifted from levered to unlevered issuers. There are gradations of relevant objections to this: while one might say, Tether’s backing comes from Treasuries, so you are directly funding US debt issuance!, this is a bit silly in the context of what other dollars one might hold. It’s not like JPMorgan is really competing with the Treasury to sell credit into the open market. Optically they are, but this is the core of the fiat scam. Via the guarantees of the Federal Reserve System, JPMorgan can sell as much unbacked credit as it wants knowing full well the difference will be printed whenever this blows up. Short-term Treasuries are also JPMorgan’s most pristine asset safeguarding its equity, so the only real difference is that Tether only holds Treasuries without wishing more leverage into existence. The realization this all builds up to is that, by necessity,

Tether is a fully reserved bank issuing fiduciary media against the only dollar-denominated asset in existence whose value (in dollar terms) can be guaranteed. Furthermore, this media arguably has superior “moneyness” to the obvious competition in the form of US commercial bank deposits by virtue of its payment rails.

That sounds pretty great when you put it that way! Of course, the second sentence immediately leads to the second objection, and lets the argument start to pick up steam …

Objection 2: You Don’t Need a Blockchain

I don’t need to explain this to this audience but to recap as briefly as I can manage: Bitcoin’s value is entirely endogenous. Every aspect of “a blockchain” that, out of context, would be an insanely inefficient or redundant modification of a “database”, in context is geared towards the sole end of enabling the stability of this endogenous value. Historically, there have been two variations of stupidity that follow a failure to grok this: i) “utility tokens”, or blockchains with native tokens for something other than money. I would recommend anybody wanting a deeper dive on the inherent nonsense of a utility token to read Only The Strong Survive, in particular Chapter 2, Crypto Is Not Decentralized, and the subsection, Everything Fights For Liquidity, and/or Green Eggs And Ham, in particular Part II, Decentralized Finance, Technically. ii) “real world assets” or, creating tokens within a blockchain’s data structure that are not intended to have endogenous value but to act as digital quasi-bearer certificates to some or other asset of value exogenous to this system. Stablecoins are in this second category.

RWA tokens definitionally have to have issuers, meaning some entity that, in the real world, custodies or physically manages both the asset and the record-keeping scheme for the asset. “The blockchain” is at best a secondary ledger to outsource ledger updates to public infrastructure such that the issuer itself doesn’t need to bother and can just “check the ledger” whenever operationally relevant. But clearly ownership cannot be enforced in an analogous way to Bitcoin, under both technical and social considerations. Technically, Bitcoin’s endogenous value means that whoever holds the keys to some or other UTXOs functionally is the owner. Somebody else claiming to be the owner is yelling at clouds. Whereas, socially, RWA issuers enter a contract with holders (whether legally or just in terms of a common-sense interpretation of the transaction) such that ownership of the asset issued against is entirely open to dispute. That somebody can point to “ownership” of the token may or may not mean anything substantive with respect to the physical reality of control of the asset, and how the issuer feels about it all.

And so, one wonders, why use a blockchain at all? Why doesn’t the issuer just run its own database (for the sake of argument with some or other signature scheme for verifying and auditing transactions) given it has the final say over issuance and redemption anyway? I hinted at an answer above: issuing on a blockchain outsources this task to public infrastructure. This is where things get interesting. While it is technically true, given the above few paragraphs, that, you don’t need a blockchain for that, you also don’t need to not use a blockchain for that. If you want to, you can.

This is clearly the case given stablecoins exist at all and have gone this route. If one gets too angry about not needing a blockchain for that, one equally risks yelling at clouds! And, in fact, one can make an even stronger argument, more so from the end users’ perspective. These products do not exist in a vacuum but rather compete with alternatives. In the case of stablecoins, the alternative is traditional fiat money, which, as stupid as RWAs on a blockchain are, is even dumber. It actually is just a database, except it’s a database that is extremely annoying to use, basically for political reasons because the industry managing these private databases form a cartel that never needs to innovate or really give a shit about its customers at all. In many, many cases, stablecoins on blockchains are dumb in the abstract, but superior to the alternative methods of holding and transacting in dollars existing in other forms. And note, this is only from Alice’s perspective of wanting to send and receive, not a rehashing of the fractional reserve argument given above. This is the essence of their product-market-fit. Yell at clouds all you like: they just are useful given the alternative usually is not Bitcoin, it’s JPMorgan’s KYC’d-up-the-wazoo 90s-era website, more than likely from an even less solvent bank.

So where does this get us? It might seem like we are back to “product-market-fit, sorry about that” with Bitcoiners yelling about feelings while everybody else makes do with their facts. However, I think we have introduced enough material to move the argument forward by incrementally incorporating the following observations, all of which I will shortly go into in more detail: i) as a consequence of making no technical sense with respect to what blockchains are for, today’s approach won’t scale; ii) as a consequence of short-termist tradeoffs around socializing costs, today’s approach creates an extremely unhealthy and arguably unnatural market dynamic in the issuer space; iii) Taproot Assets now exist and handily address both points i) and ii), and; iv) eCash is making strides that I believe will eventually replace even Taproot Assets.

To tease where all this is going, and to get the reader excited before we dive into much more detail: just as Bitcoin will eat all monetary premia, Lightning will likely eat all settlement, meaning all payments will gravitate towards routing over Lightning regardless of the denomination of the currency at the edges. Fiat payments will gravitate to stablecoins to take advantage of this; stablecoins will gravitate to TA and then to eCash, and all of this will accelerate hyperbitcoinization by “bitcoinizing” payment rails such that an eventual full transition becomes as simple as flicking a switch as to what denomination you want to receive.

I will make two important caveats before diving in that are more easily understood in light of having laid this groundwork: I am open to the idea that it won’t be just Lightning or just Taproot Assets playing the above roles. Without veering into forecasting the entire future development of Bitcoin tech, I will highlight that all that really matters here are, respectively: a true layer 2 with native hashlocks, and a token issuance scheme that enables atomic routing over such a layer 2 (or combination of such). For the sake of argument, the reader is welcome to swap in “Ark” and “RGB” for “Lightning” and “TA” both above and in all that follows. As far as I can tell, this makes no difference to the argument and is even exciting in its own right. However, for the sake of simplicity in presentation, I will stick to “Lightning” and “TA” hereafter.

1) Today’s Approach to Stablecoins Won’t Scale

This is the easiest to tick off and again doesn’t require much explanation to this audience. Blockchains fundamentally don’t scale, which is why Bitcoin’s UTXO scheme is a far better design than ex-Bitcoin Crypto’s’ account-based models, even entirely out of context of all the above criticisms. This is because Bitcoin transactions can be batched across time and across users with combinations of modes of spending restrictions that provide strong economic guarantees of correct eventual net settlement, if not perpetual deferral. One could argue this is a decent (if abstrusely technical) definition of “scaling” that is almost entirely lacking in Crypto.

What we see in ex-Bitcoin crypto is so-called “layer 2s” that are nothing of the sort, forcing stablecoin schemes in these environments into one of two equally poor design choices if usage is ever to increase: fees go higher and higher, to the point of economic unviability (and well past it) as blocks fill up, or move to much more centralized environments that increasingly are just databases, and hence which lose the benefits of openness thought to be gleaned by outsourcing settlement to public infrastructure. This could be in the form of punting issuance to a bullshit “layer 2” that is a really a multisig “backing” a private execution environment (to be decentralized any daw now) or an entirely different blockchain that is just pretending even less not to be a database to begin with. In a nutshell, this is a decent bottom-up explanation as to why Tron has the highest settlement of Tether.

This also gives rise to the weirdness of “gas tokens” - assets whose utility as money is and only is in the form of a transaction fee to transact a different kind of money. These are not quite as stupid as a “utility token,” given at least they are clearly fulfilling a monetary role and hence their artificial scarcity can be justified. But they are frustrating from Bitcoiners’ and users’ perspectives alike: users would prefer to pay transaction fees on dollars in dollars, but they can’t because the value of Ether, Sol, Tron, or whatever, is the string and bubblegum that hold their boondoggles together. And Bitcoiners wish this stuff would just go away and stop distracting people, whereas this string and bubblegum is proving transiently useful.

All in all, today’s approach is fine so long as it isn’t being used much. It has product-market fit, sure, but in the unenviable circumstance that, if it really starts to take off, it will break, and even the original users will find it unusable.

2) Today’s Approach to Stablecoins Creates an Untenable Market Dynamic

Reviving the ethos of you don’t need a blockchain for that, notice the following subtlety: while the tokens representing stablecoins have value to users, that value is not native to the blockchain on which they are issued. Tether can (and routinely does) burn tokens on Ethereum and mint them on Tron, then burn on Tron and mint on Solana, and so on. So-called blockchains “go down” and nobody really cares. This makes no difference whatsoever to Tether’s own accounting, and arguably a positive difference to users given these actions track market demand. But it is detrimental to the blockchain being switched away from by stripping it of “TVL” that, it turns out, was only using it as rails: entirely exogenous value that leaves as quickly as it arrived.

One underdiscussed and underappreciated implication of the fact that no value is natively running through the blockchain itself is that, in the current scheme, both the sender and receiver of a stablecoin have to trust the same issuer. This creates an extremely powerful network effect that, in theory, makes the first-to-market likely to dominate and in practice has played out exactly as this theory would suggest: Tether has roughly 80% of the issuance, while roughly 19% goes to the political carve-out of USDC that wouldn’t exist at all were it not for government interference. Everybody else combined makes up the final 1%.

So, Tether is a full reserve bank but also has to be everybody’s bank. This is the source of a lot of the discomfort with Tether, and which feeds into the original objection around dollar hegemony, that there is an ill-defined but nonetheless uneasy feeling that Tether is slowly morphing into a CBDC. I would argue this really has nothing to do with Tether’s own behavior but rather is a consequence of the market dynamic inevitably created by the current stablecoin scheme. There is no reason to trust any other bank because nobody really wants a bank, they just want the rails. They want something that will retain a nominal dollar value long enough to spend it again. They don’t care what tech it runs on and they don’t even really care about the issuer except insofar as having some sense they won’t get rugged.

Notice this is not how fiat works. Banks can, of course, settle between each other, thus enabling their users to send money to customers of other banks. This settlement function is actually the entire point of central banks, less the money printing and general corruption enabled (we might say, this was the historical point of central banks, which have since become irredeemably corrupted by this power). This process is clunkier than stablecoins, as covered above, but the very possibility of settlement means there is no gigantic network effect to being the first commercial issuer of dollar balances. If it isn’t too triggering to this audience, one might suggest that the money printer also removes the residual concern that your balances might get rugged! (or, we might again say, you guarantee you don’t get rugged in the short term by guaranteeing you do get rugged in the long term).

This is a good point at which to introduce the unsettling observation that broader fintech is catching on to the benefits of stablecoins without any awareness whatsoever of all the limitations I am outlining here. With the likes of Stripe, Wise, Robinhood, and, post-Trump, even many US megabanks supposedly contemplating issuing stablecoins (obviously within the current scheme, not the scheme I am building up to proposing), we are forced to boggle our minds considering how on earth settlement is going to work. Are they going to settle through Ether? Well, no, because i) Ether isn’t money, it’s … to be honest, I don’t think anybody really knows what it is supposed to be, or if they once did they aren’t pretending anymore, but anyway, Stripe certainly hasn’t figured that out yet so, ii) it won’t be possible to issue them on layer 1s as soon as there is any meaningful volume, meaning they will have to route through “bullshit layer 2 wrapped Ether token that is really already a kind of stablecoin for Ether.”

The way they are going to try to fix this (anybody wanna bet?) is routing through DEXes, which is so painfully dumb you should be laughing and, if you aren’t, I would humbly suggest you don’t get just how dumb it is. What this amounts to is plugging the gap of Ether’s lack of moneyness (and wrapped Ether’s hilarious lack of moneyness) with … drum roll … unknowable technical and counterparty risk and unpredictable cost on top of reverting to just being a database. So, in other words, all of the costs of using a blockchain when you don’t strictly need to, and none of the benefits. Stripe is going to waste billions of dollars getting sandwich attacked out of some utterly vanilla FX settlement it is facilitating for clients who have even less of an idea what is going on and why North Korea now has all their money, and will eventually realize they should have skipped their shitcoin phase and gone straight to understanding Bitcoin instead …

3) Bitcoin (and Taproot Assets) Fixes This

To tie together a few loose ends, I only threw in the hilariously stupid suggestion of settling through wrapped Ether on Ether on Ether in order to tee up the entirely sensible suggestion of settling through Lightning. Again, not that this will be new to this audience, but while issuance schemes have been around on Bitcoin for a long time, the breakthrough of Taproot Assets is essentially the ability to atomically route through Lightning.

I will admit upfront that this presents a massive bootstrapping challenge relative to the ex-Bitcoin Crypto approach, and it’s not obvious to me if or how this will be overcome. I include this caveat to make it clear I am not suggesting this is a given. It may not be, it’s just beyond the scope of this post (or frankly my ability) to predict. This is a problem for Lightning Labs, Tether, and whoever else decides to step up to issue. But even highlighting this as an obvious and major concern invites us to consider an intriguing contrast: scaling TA stablecoins is hardest at the start and gets easier and easier thereafter. The more edge liquidity there is in TA stables, the less of a risk it is for incremental issuance; the more TA activity, the more attractive deploying liquidity is into Lightning proper, and vice versa. With apologies if this metaphor is even more confusing than it is helpful, one might conceive of the situation as being that there is massive inertia to bootstrap, but equally there could be positive feedback in driving the inertia to scale. Again, I have no idea, and it hasn’t happened yet in practice, but in theory it’s fun.

More importantly to this conversation, however, this is almost exactly the opposite dynamic to the current scheme on other blockchains, which is basically free to start, but gets more and more expensive the more people try to use it. One might say it antiscales (I don’t think that’s a real word, but if Taleb can do it, then I can do it too!).

Furthermore, the entire concept of “settling in Bitcoin” makes perfect sense both economically and technically: economically because Bitcoin is money, and technically because it can be locked in an HTLC and hence can enable atomic routing (i.e. because Lightning is a thing). This is clearly better than wrapped Eth on Eth on Eth or whatever, but, tantalisingly, is better than fiat too! The core message of the payments tome I may or may not one day write is (or will be) that fiat payments, while superficially efficient on the basis of centralized and hence costless ledger amendments, actually have a hidden cost in the form of interbank credit. Many readers will likely have heard me say this multiple times and in multiple settings but, contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a fiat debit. Even if styled as a debit, all fiat payments are credits and all have credit risk baked into their cost, even if that is obscured and pushed to the absolute foundational level of money printing to keep banks solvent and hence keep payment channels open.

Furthermore! this enables us to strip away the untenable market dynamic from the point above. The underappreciated and underdiscussed flip side of the drawback of the current dynamic that is effectively fixed by Taproot Assets is that there is no longer a mammoth network effect to a single issuer. Senders and receivers can trust different issuers (i.e. their own banks) because those banks can atomically settle a single payment over Lightning. This does not involve credit. It is arguably the only true debit in the world across both the relevant economic and technical criteria: it routes through money with no innate credit risk, and it does so atomically due to that money’s native properties.

Savvy readers may have picked up on a seed I planted a while back and which can now delightfully blossom:

This is what Visa was supposed to be!

Crucially, this is not what Visa is now. Visa today is pretty much the bank that is everybody’s counterparty, takes a small credit risk for the privilege, and oozes free cash flow bottlenecking global consumer payments.

But if you read both One From Many by Dee Hock (for a first person but pretty wild and extravagant take) and Electronic Value Exchange by David Stearns (for a third person, drier, but more analytical and historically contextualized take) or if you are just intimately familiar with the modern history of payments for whatever other reason, you will see that the role I just described for Lightning in an environment of unboundedly many banks issuing fiduciary media in the form of stablecoins is exactly what Dee Hock wanted to create when he envisioned Visa:

A neutral and open layer of value settlement enabling banks to create digital, interbank payment schemes for their customers at very low cost.

As it turns out, his vision was technically impossible with fiat, hence Visa, which started as a cooperative amongst member banks, was corrupted into a duopolistic for-profit rent seeker in curious parallel to the historical path of central banks …

4) eCash

To now push the argument to what I think is its inevitable conclusion, it’s worth being even more vigilant on the front of you don’t need a blockchain for that. I have argued that there is a role for a blockchain in providing a neutral settlement layer to enable true debits of stablecoins. But note this is just a fancy and/or stupid way of saying that Bitcoin is both the best money and is programmable, which we all knew anyway. The final step is realizing that, while TA is nice in terms of providing a kind of “on ramp” for global payments infrastructure as a whole to reorient around Lightning, there is some path dependence here in assuming (almost certainly correctly) that the familiarity of stablecoins as “RWA tokens on a blockchain” will be an important part of the lure.

But once that transition is complete, or is well on its way to being irreversible, we may as well come full circle and cut out tokens altogether. Again, you really don’t need a blockchain for that, and the residual appeal of better rails has been taken care of with the above massive detour through what I deem to be the inevitability of Lightning as a settlement layer. Just as USDT on Tron arguably has better moneyness than a JPMorgan balance, so a “stablecoin” as eCash has better moneyness than as a TA given it is cheaper, more private, and has more relevantly bearer properties (in other words, because it is cash). The technical detail that it can be hashlocked is really all you need to tie this all together. That means it can be atomically locked into a Lightning routed debit to the recipient of a different issuer (or “mint” in eCash lingo, but note this means the same thing as what we have been calling fully reserved banks). And the economic incentive is pretty compelling too because, for all their benefits, there is still a cost to TAs given they are issued onchain and they require asset-specific liquidity to route on Lightning. Once the rest of the tech is in place, why bother? Keep your Lightning connectivity and just become a mint.

What you get at that point is dramatically superior private database to JPMorgan with the dramatically superior public rails of Lightning. There is nothing left to desire from “a blockchain” besides what Bitcoin is fundamentally for in the first place: counterparty-risk-free value settlement.

And as a final point with a curious and pleasing echo to Dee Hock at Visa, Calle has made the point repeatedly that David Chaum’s vision for eCash, while deeply philosophical besides the technical details, was actually pretty much impossible to operate on fiat. From an eCash perspective, fiat stablecoins within the above infrastructure setup are a dramatic improvement on anything previously possible. But, of course, they are a slippery slope to Bitcoin regardless …

Objections Revisited

As a cherry on top, I think the objections I highlighted at the outset are now readily addressed – to the extent the reader believes what I am suggesting is more or less a technical and economic inevitability, that is. While, sure, I’m not particularly keen on giving the Treasury more avenues to sell its welfare-warfare shitcoin, on balance the likely development I’ve outlined is an enormous net positive: it’s going to sell these anyway so I prefer a strong economic incentive to steadily transition not only to Lightning as payment rails but eCash as fiduciary media, and to use “fintech” as a carrot to induce a slow motion bank run.

As alluded to above, once all this is in place, the final step to a Bitcoin standard becomes as simple as an individual’s decision to want Bitcoin instead of fiat. On reflection, this is arguably the easiest part! It's setting up all the tech that puts people off, so trojan-horsing them with “faster, cheaper payment rails” seems like a genius long-term strategy.

And as to “needing a blockchain” (or not), I hope that is entirely wrapped up at this point. The only blockchain you need is Bitcoin, but to the extent people are still confused by this (which I think will take decades more to fully unwind), we may as well lean into dazzling them with whatever innovation buzzwords and decentralization theatre they were going to fall for anyway before realizing they wanted Bitcoin all along.

Conclusion

Stablecoins are useful whether you like it or not. They are stupid in the abstract but it turns out fiat is even stupider, on inspection. But you don’t need a blockchain, and using one as decentralization theatre creates technical debt that is insurmountable in the long run. Blockchain-based stablecoins are doomed to a utility inversely proportional to their usage, and just to rub it in, their ill-conceived design practically creates a commercial dynamic that mandates there only ever be a single issuer.

Given they are useful, it seems natural that this tension is going to blow up at some point. It also seems worthwhile observing that Taproot Asset stablecoins have almost the inverse problem and opposite commercial dynamic: they will be most expensive to use at the outset but get cheaper and cheaper as their usage grows. Also, there is no incentive towards a monopoly issuer but rather towards as many as are willing to try to operate well and provide value to their users.

As such, we can expect any sizable growth in stablecoins to migrate to TA out of technical and economic necessity. Once this has happened - or possibly while it is happening but is clearly not going to stop - we may as well strip out the TA component and just use eCash because you really don’t need a blockchain for that at all. And once all the money is on eCash, deciding you want to denominate it in Bitcoin is the simplest on-ramp to hyperbitcoinization you can possibly imagine, given we’ve spent the previous decade or two rebuilding all payments tech around Lightning.

Or: Bitcoin fixes this. The End.

• Allen, #892,125

thanks to Marco Argentieri, Lyn Alden, and Calle for comments and feedback

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ c3c7122c:607731d7

Help!

Calling all El Salvador Nostriches! If you currently live in SV, I need your help and am offering several bounties (0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 BTC).

In Brief

In short, I am pursuing El Salvador citizenship by birthright (through my grandmother). I’ve struggled to progress because her name varies on different documents. I need someone to help me push harder to get past this barrier, or connect me with information or people who can work on my behalf. I am offering:

• 0.001 BTC (100k sats) for information that will help me progress from my current situation
• 0.01 BTC (1 MM sats) to get me in touch with someone that is more impactful than the immigration lawyer I already spoke with
• 0.1 BTC (10 MM sats) if your efforts help me obtain citizenship for me or my father

Background

My grandma married my grandfather (an American Marine) and moved to the states where my father was born. I have some official and unofficial documents where her name varies in spelling, order of first/middle name, and addition of her father’s last name. So every doc basically has a different name for her. I was connected with an english-speaking immigration lawyer in SV who hit a dead end when searching for her official ID because the city hall in her city had burned down so there was no record of her info. He gave up at that point. I find it odd that it was so easy to change your name back then, but they are more strict now with the records from that time.

I believe SV citizenship is my birthright and have several personal reasons for pursuing this. I want someone to act on my behalf who will try harder to work the system (by appeal, loophole, or even bribe if I have to). If you are local and can help me with this, I’d greatly appreciate any efforts you make.

Cheers!

Corey San Diego

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

Our yard has a ton of wild onions, so I've been eating lots of fresh green onions with my food and sometimes just chewing on one while I walk around the yard. Other than some mulberries in the fall, our neighborhood doesn't have much other foraging opportunity, but I was reminded of how much I enjoy it.

Other than providing free and fresh snacks, foraging may provide some interesting health benefits, because of xenohormesis.

Xenohormesis is an awesome word that refers to the health benefits of the compounds plants produce when they're subjected to environmental stressors. You may recall my first post in this series about hormesis, which is the health benefits of being subjected to stressors. "Xeno" means "alien" or "foreign", so it's the health benefits derived from other organisms being stressed.

Many compounds like curcumin and resveratrol are the result of xenohormesis, but you don't need to forage to get those benefits. Foraging may provide a distinctly local form of xenohormesis, where our bodies can learn about how to adapt to local environmental stressors from the compounds local plants have produced to deal with those stressors. The idea seems sort of similar to how our immune systems learn from vaccines. Our immune systems observe the adaptive compounds from local plants and learn from them how to deal with those stressors when we encounter them.

I'm sure there was a cool discussion of this on The Darkhorse Podcast, but I couldn't find it.

What are stackers' favorite foods to forage?

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/941150

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

Basketball

March Madness wrapped up with some very exciting games. We'll recap the championship, the contest, and the fun we had at Predyx.

I've also decided how I want to do a similar contest for the NBA Playoffs. Better than that, though, is the Bracket Challenge we'll be doing with Global Sports Central. We also need to update our NBA Predictions and talk about the wild finish in the Western Conference, where multiple playoff teams fired their head coaches.

Football

The NFL Draft is coming up and @grayruby found a very cool new simulator. What are we predicting for the first round?

Also, we're continuing to very much enjoy the Aussie Rules contest and highlights.

The Other Football

UEFA Champions League is back and we're all trying to survive a little longer.

Baseball

Why was half my fantasy roster inactive? Plus, @grayruby wants to overreact to the early season results.

Also, the MLB Survivor Pool is starting up soon.

Hockey

@siggy47's beloved team enters the history books, by allowing Ovi to become the NHL's all-time leading scorer.

Cricket

I fell flat on my face in the T20k contest immediately after mocking @grayruby for doing the same. Oh well, upwards and onwards.

@Coinsreporter is also still running the perpetual CricZap contest, which I continue to do very poorly at. Is it time to inverse Cramer myself?

The Predyx market for the IPL has been one of my favorites.

F1

There are a couple of new F1 markets: Constructor and Driver, for those who may be interested.

Misc

We also need an update on USA vs the world.

Time permitting, I have some thoughts about how new sporting events like Chase might evolve in the sports ecosystem.

Let us know what else you want to hear and we'll endeavor to cover it.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/940727

@ e17e9a18:66d67a6b

We wrote this album to explain the inspiration behind Mutiny Brewing, and as a way to share the story of Bitcoin and freedom technologies like nostr. Through these songs, we’ve tried to capture every truth that we believe is essential to understand about money, freedom, trust, and human connection in the internet age. It’s our way of making these ideas real and relatable, and we hope it helps others see the power of taking control of their future through the systems we use.

01. "Tomorrow's Prices on Yesterday's Wage" explores the harsh reality of inflation. As central banks inflate the money supply, prices rise faster than wages, leaving us constantly falling behind. People, expecting prices to keep climbing, borrow more to buy sooner, pushing prices even higher in a vicious cycle. You're always a step behind, forced to pay tomorrow's inflated prices with yesterday's stagnant wages.

https://wavlake.com/track/76a6cd02-e876-4a37-b093-1fe919e9eabe

02. "Everybody Works For The Bank" exposes the hidden truth behind our fiat money system. When banks issue loans, they create new money from debt—but you must pay back both the principal and interest. That interest requires even more money, relying on others to borrow, creating an endless cycle of debt. If borrowing slows, the system falters and governments step in, printing more money to keep banks afloat. Ultimately, we’re all working to service debt, chained to the banks.

“Paying back what they create, working till I break” https://wavlake.com/track/4d94cb4b-ff3b-4423-be6a-03e0be8177d6

03. "Let My People Go" references Moses' demand for freedom but directly draws from Proverbs 6:1–5, exposing the danger of debt based money. Every dollar you hold is actually someone else's debt, making you personally liable—held in the hand of your debtor and at risk of their losses, which you ultimately pay for through inflation or higher taxes. As the song says, "The more you try to save it up, the deeper in you get." The wisdom of Proverbs urges immediate action, pleading urgently to escape this trap and free yourself, like a gazelle from a hunter.

https://wavlake.com/track/76214ff1-f8fd-45b0-a677-d9c285b1e7d6

04. "Mutiny Brewing" embodies Friedrich Hayek's insight: "I don't believe we shall ever have good money again before we take it out of the hands of government... we can't take it violently... all we can do is by some sly roundabout way introduce something they can't stop."

Inspired also by the Cypherpunk manifesto's rallying cry, "We will write the code", the song celebrates Bitcoin as exactly that unstoppable solution.

"Not here to break ya, just here to create our own little world where we determine our fate." https://wavlake.com/track/ba767fc8-6afc-4b0d-be64-259b340432f3

05. "Invisible Wealth" is inspired by The Sovereign Individual, a groundbreaking 1990s book that predicted the rise of digital money and explores how the return on violence shaped civilizations. The song references humanity's vulnerability since agriculture began—where stored wealth attracted violence, forcing reliance on larger governments for protection.

Today, digital privacy enabled by cryptography fundamentally changes this dynamic. When wealth is stored privately, secured by cryptographic keys, violence becomes ineffective. As the song emphasizes, "You can't bomb what you can't see." Cryptography dismantles traditional power structures, providing individuals true financial security, privacy, and freedom from exploitation.

“Violence is useless against cryptography” https://wavlake.com/track/648da3cc-d58c-4049-abe0-d22f9e61fef0

06. "Run A Node" is a rallying cry for Bitcoin's decentralisation. At its heart, it's about personal verification and choice: every node is a vote, every check’s a voice. By running the code yourself, you enforce the rules you choose to follow. This is true digital democracy. When everyone participates, there's no room for collusion, and authority comes directly from transparent code rather than blind trust.

"I verify, therefore I do." https://wavlake.com/track/ee11362b-2e84-4631-b05e-df6d8e6797f8

07. "Leverage is a Liar" warns against gambling with your wealth, but beneath the surface, it's a sharp critique of fractional reserve banking. Fractional reserves inflate asset prices, creating the illusion of wealth built on leverage. This system isn't sustainable and inevitably leads to collapse. Real wealth requires sound money, money that can't be inflated. Trying to gain more through leverage only feeds the lie.

"Watch it burn higher and higher—leverage is a liar." https://wavlake.com/track/67f9c39c-c5e1-4e15-b171-f1f5442f29a5

08. "Don't Get Rekt" serves as a stark warning about trusting custodians with your Bitcoin. Highlighting infamous collapses like Mt.Gox, Celsius, and FTX. These modern failures echo the 1933 Executive Order 6102, where the US government forcibly seized citizens' gold, banned its use, and then promptly devalued the currency exchanged for it. History shows clearly: trusting others with your wealth means risking losing it all.

"Your keys, your life, don't forget." https://wavlake.com/track/fbd9b46d-56fc-4496-bc4b-71dec2043705

09. "One Language" critiques the thousands of cryptocurrencies claiming to be revolutionary. Like languages, while anyone can invent one, getting people to actually use it is another story. Most of these cryptos are just affinity scams, centralized towers built on shaky foundations. Drawing from The Bitcoin Standard, the song argues money naturally gravitates toward a single unit, a universal language understood by all. When the dust settles, only genuine, decentralized currency remains.

"One voice speaking loud and clear, the rest will disappear." https://wavlake.com/track/22fb4705-9a01-4f65-9b68-7e8a77406a16

10. "Key To Life" is an anthem dedicated to nostr, the permissionless, unstoppable internet identity protocol. Unlike mainstream social media’s walled gardens, nostr places your identity securely in a cryptographic key, allowing you total control. Every message or action you sign proves authenticity, verifiable by anyone. This ensures censorship resistant communication, crucial for decentralised coordination around Bitcoin, keeping it free from centralised control.

"I got the key that sets me free—my truth is mine, authentically." https://wavlake.com/track/0d702284-88d2-4d3a-9059-960cc9286d3f

11. "Web Of Trust" celebrates genuine human connections built through protocols like nostr, free from corporate algorithms and their manipulative agendas. Instead of top down control, it champions grassroots sharing of information among trusted peers, ensuring truth and authenticity rise naturally. It's about reclaiming our digital lives, building real communities where trust isn't manufactured by machines, but created by people.

"My filter, my future, my choice to make, real connections no one can fake." https://wavlake.com/track/b383d4e2-feba-4d63-b9f6-10382683b54b

12. "Proof Of Work" is an anthem for fair value creation. In Bitcoin, new money is earned through real work, computing power and electricity spent to secure the network. No shortcuts, no favourites. It's a system grounded in natural law: you reap what you sow. Unlike fiat money, which rewards those closest to power and the printing press, Proof of Work ensures rewards flow to those who put in the effort. Paper castles built on easy money will crumble, but real work builds lasting worth.

"Real work makes real worth, that's the law of this earth." https://wavlake.com/track/01bb7327-0e77-490b-9985-b5ff4d4fdcfc

13. "Stay Humble" is a reminder that true wealth isn’t measured in coins or possessions. It’s grounded in the truth that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Real wealth is the freedom to use your life and time for what is good and meaningful. When you let go of the obsession with numbers, you make room for gratitude, purpose, and peace. It's not about counting coins, it's about counting your blessings.

"Real wealth ain't what you own, it's gratitude that sets the tone." https://wavlake.com/track/3fdb2e9b-2f52-4def-a8c5-c6b3ee1cd194

@ 35da2266:15e70970

PGZDGv2lVzc+yrDD/s3Y6LeYcZofe/a6o3Te3LQ/Nieawr9oYL9Bg23/WhOi0fK0jsxN2iKbJHr+OQ9U6mjW2f+qBfHbFkWyDCOSDRGBTfG053AJF3588fIr6Mle+05aN1iF3/TF48NGycwihHRbJIedbPDeO9CnsMaZxG7sKPyM2MmeKhZC2ztBxFctQM1Pbx59cqitP7jPbTDSUBQUa191ii39mDS86JO3W3hSbKaWExMlqhmkqN8ag9YRwhZIpoRkv0sf3fNL65XE9r9dMHa8QW1siovya1mJlsdXv76mQl36jPtiySpZ4Kik+mv6NjxogTOqAvIk8crQYq0SSluK7GKsBKZeYKCJ+QAuwy2ro2c36kbRyOBd9KSjAnJ0XupzkA9fO9+xIu/boCmuusdoeD6qN01Ow2+cXDyIVCU=?iv=nHARCUqW2krqPwQwtxzOQg==

@ 1bc70a01:24f6a411

The heading to be

Testing apps, a tireless quest, Click and swipe, then poke the rest. Crashing bugs and broken flows, Hidden deep where logic goes.

Specs in hand, we watch and trace, Each edge case in its hiding place. From flaky taps to loading spins, The war on regressions slowly wins.

Push the build, review the log, One more fix, then clear the fog. For in each test, truth will unfold— A quiet tale of stable code.

This has been a test. Thanks for tuning in.

• one
• two
• three

---

Listen a chill

Tranquility

And leisure

@ bf95e1a4:ebdcc848

This is a part of the Bitcoin Infinity Academy course on Knut Svanholm's book Bitcoin: Sovereignty Through Mathematics. For more information, check out our Geyser page!

An Immaculate Conception

Some concepts in nature are harder for us humans to understand than others. How complex things can emerge out of simpler ones is one of those concepts. A termite colony, for instance, has a complex cooling system at its lower levels. No single termite knows how it works. Completely unaware of the end results, they build complex mounds and nests, shelter tubes to protect their paths, and networks of subterranean tunnels to connect their dirt cities. Everything seems organized and designed, but it is not. Evolution has equipped the termite with a pheromone receptor that tells the termite what task he ought to engage himself in by simply counting the number of neighboring termites doing the same thing. If there’s a surplus of workers in an area, nearby termites become warriors, and so on. Complex structures emerge from simple rules. The fractal patterns found all around nature are another example. Fractals look complex, but in reality, they’re not. They’re basically algorithms — the same pattern, repeated over and over again with a slightly modified starting point. The human brain is an excellent example of a complex thing that evolved out of simpler things, and we humans still have a hard time accepting that it wasn’t designed. Religions, which themselves are emergent systems spawned out of human interaction, have come up with a plethora of explanations for how we came to be. All sorts of wild origin stories have been more widely accepted than the simple explanation that our complexities just emerged out of simpler things following a set of rules that nature itself provided our world with.

Complex systems emerge out of human interactions all the time. The phone in your pocket is the result of a century of mostly free global market competition, and no single human could ever have come up with the entire thing. The device, together with its internet connection, is capable of a lot more than the sum of its individual parts. A pocket-sized gadget that can grant instant access to almost all of the world’s literature, music, and film, which fits in your pocket, was an unthinkable science fiction a mere twenty years ago. Bitcoin, first described in Satoshi Nakamoto’s whitepaper ten years before these words were written, was designed to be decentralized. Still, it wasn’t until years later that the network started to show actual proof of this. Sound money, or absolute digital scarcity, emerged out of the network not only because of its technical design. How Bitcoin’s first ten years actually unfolded played a huge part in how true decentralization could emerge, and this is also the main reason why the experiment cannot be replicated. Scarcity on the internet could only be invented once. Satoshi’s disappearance was Bitcoin’s first step towards true decentralization. No marketing whatsoever and the randomness of who hopped onto the train first were the steps that followed. Bitcoin truly had an immaculate conception.

The network has shown a remarkable resistance to change over the last few years especially, and its current state might be its last incarnation given the size of the network and the 95% agreement threshold in its consensus rules. It might never change again. In that case, an entirely new, complex life form will have emerged out of a simple set of rules. Even if small upgrades are implemented in the future, the 21 million coin supply cap is set in stone forever. Bitcoin is not for humans to have opinions about — it exists regardless of what anyone thinks about it, and it ought to be studied rather than discussed. We don’t know what true scarcity and a truly global, anonymous free market will do to our species yet, but we are about to find out. It is naïve to think otherwise. Various futurists and doomsday prophets have been focused on the dangers of the impending general artificial intelligence singularity lately, warning us about the point of no return, whereupon an artificial intelligence will be able to improve itself faster than any human could. Such a scenario could, as news anchor Ron Burgundy would have put it, escalate quickly. This may or may not be of real concern to us, but meanwhile, right under our noses, another type of unstoppable digital life has emerged, and it is already changing the behavior and preferences of millions of people around the globe. This is probably bad news for big corporations and governments but good news for the little guy looking for a little freedom. At least, that’s what those of us who lean towards the ideas of the Austrian school of economics believe. This time around, we will find out whether this is the case or not. No one knows what it will lead to and what new truths will emerge out of this new reality.

Unlike the termite, we humans are able to experience the grandeur of our progress. We can look in awe at the Sistine Chapel or the pyramids, and we can delve into the technicalities and brief history of Bitcoin and discover new ways of thinking about value along the way. Money is the language in which we express value to each other through space and time. Now, that language is spoken by computers. Value expressed in this language can’t be diluted through inflation or counterfeiting any longer. It is a language that is borderless, permissionless, peer-to-peer, anonymous (if you have the skills), unreplicable, completely scarce, non-dilutable, unchangeable, untouchable, undeniable, fungible, and free for everyone on Earth to use. It is a language for the future and it emerged out of a specific set of events in the past. All languages are examples of complex systems emerging out of simpler things, and Bitcoin evolved just as organically as any other human language did.

Decentralization is hard to achieve. Really hard. When it comes to claims of decentralization, a “don’t trust, verify” approach to the validity of such claims will help you filter out the noise. So, how can the validity of Bitcoin’s decentralization be verified? It’s a tricky question because decentralization is not a binary thing, like life or death, but rather a very difficult concept to define. However, the most fundamental concepts in Bitcoin, like the 21 million cap on coin issuance or the ten-minute block interval as a result of the difficulty adjustment and the Proof of Work algorithm, have not changed since very early on in the history of the network. This lack of change, which is arguably Bitcoin’s biggest strength, has been achieved through the consensus rules, which define what the blockchain is. Some special mechanisms (for example, BIP9) are sometimes used to deploy changes to the consensus rules. These mechanisms use a threshold when counting blocks that signal for a certain upgrade. For example, the upgrade “Segregated Witness” activated in a node when 95% or more of the blocks in a retarget period signaled support. Bitcoin has displayed a remarkable immutability through the years, and it is highly unlikely that this would have been the case if the game-theoretical mechanisms that enable its decentralized governance model hadn’t worked, given the many incentives to cheat that always seem to corrupt monetary systems. In other words, the longer the system seems to be working, the higher the likelihood that it actually does.

Satoshi set in stone the length of the halving period — a very important aspect of Bitcoin’s issuance schedule and initial distribution. During the first four years of Bitcoin’s existence, fifty new coins were issued every ten minutes up until the first block reward halving four years later. Every four years, this reward is halved so that the issuance rate goes down by fifty percent. This effectively means that half of all the Bitcoin that will ever exist was mined during the first four years of the network’s life, one fourth during its next four years, and so on. At the time of writing, we’re a little more than a year from the third halving. After that, only 6.25 Bitcoin will be minted every ten minutes as opposed to 50, which was the initial rate. What this seems to do is to create hype cycles for Bitcoin’s adoption. Every time the price of Bitcoin booms and then busts down to a level above where it started, a hype cycle takes place. Bitcoin had no marketing whatsoever, so awareness of it had to be spread through some other mechanism. When a bull run begins, people start talking about it, which leads to even more people buying due to fear of missing out (FOMO), which inevitably causes the price to rise even more rapidly. This leads to more FOMO, and on and on the bull market goes until it suddenly ends, and the price crashes down to somewhere around, or slightly above, the level it was at before the bull run started. Unlike what is true for most other assets, Bitcoin never really crashes all the way. Why? Because every time a hype cycle occurs, some more people learn about Bitcoin’s fundamentals and manage to resist the urge to sell, even when almost all hope seems lost. They understand that these bull markets are a reoccurring thing due to the nature of the protocol. These cycles create new waves of evangelists who start promoting Bitcoin simply because of what they stand to gain from a price increase. In a sense, the protocol itself pays for its own promotion in this way. This organic marketing creates a lot of noise and confusion, too, as a lot of people who don’t seem to understand how Bitcoin works are often very outspoken about it despite their lack of knowledge. Red herrings, such as altcoins and Bitcoin forks, are then weeded out naturally during bear markets. Every time a bull market happens, a new generation of Bitcoiners is born.

The four-year period between halvings seems to serve a deliberate purpose. Satoshi could just as well have programmed a smooth issuance curve into the Bitcoin protocol, but he didn’t. As events unfold, it seems that he had good reason for this since these hype cycles provide a very effective onboarding mechanism, and they seem to be linked to the halvings. They certainly make Bitcoin volatile, but remember that in this early stage, the volatility is needed in order for these hype cycles to happen. Later on, when Bitcoin’s stock-to-flow ratio is higher, the seas will calm, and its volatility level will go down. In truth, it already has. The latest almost 80% price drop was far from the worst we’ve seen in Bitcoin. This technology is still in its infancy, and it is very likely that we’ll see a lot more volatility before mainstream adoption, or hyperbitcoinization, truly happens.

About the Bitcoin Infinity Academy

The Bitcoin Infinity Academy is an educational project built around Knut Svanholm’s books about Bitcoin and Austrian Economics. Each week, a whole chapter from one of the books is released for free on Highlighter, accompanied by a video in which Knut and Luke de Wolf discuss that chapter’s ideas. You can join the discussions by signing up for one of the courses on our Geyser page. Signed books, monthly calls, and lots of other benefits are also available.

@ 35da2266:15e70970

8zCLHqy6gpR5iLeNR3mdTKnSrYZgla4uRUhdH6vSWjLx/Avcee+FcVf8ryzHsS35GSwNP2KEuhunbUh8fkBXe5Hcc1MZEh1u9f8mj2nR/jSUN3VuEJwAUbpHwF5AeSgD95zpMgg5h+d9zKlP4EkJtQoG8kHPVeBdxTEDEx5l+t8JR0uMX7/hinldeEvzvqgdIGOn1Pvd2UfA+quvsYfQhSK2cLZljK4gJfYOUeByZJaCLuC/7Nxhq25x7ECszE5wxm6NO4DNwqnZp36U2nQuyOhn+TucqmtBGdVEYU3myQdtUQlZIkhDt8CKMqDJyLyFdJZxFEERn8pAGnF3kQefaw==?iv=FiYK+T/Iv+lfjcNjgQu8Tw==

@ 35da2266:15e70970

mc1AJSRgKkEDGBkMlujx9femkprQTWxp/vwXYI4tYmW6c3ggutSW/yU9lxYPcF9WzhdT4Ngz3J8IT9Y/ICYAG3E7hgRu6to9Bo222qjRD7omrOqNa3i3C5VHRvjwIe3+FqzBL3Rmp6sgOholphtIKSoF7w3DsTTPDhM2Fc2MpMaRIZDKMl+vtiHw+sie4GHhgIiLTzckRdZnIjHJpcPGZjbxTbiKseXW7zGEfNraWJJi3d3vTB70kbDAqo8qf8CHXc1BLdCdey0wPzymIz/caW+J97QwsObuRg3kHfHN+ksBgkVgl8xsG7hXUXlhNITMCnVkmM51Pcmoje/VYvluGbuf1WxQPxNljqdqel3sKVUsFBm99wOvo2aertu6XcOq6V4sTXSU93rVvTiw67aXVS6+pt3TN9I9S0xd+lkrOiA=?iv=7ZyEqqg/ftWwpwJWd3AUTA==

@ bf95e1a4:ebdcc848

This is a part of the Bitcoin Infinity Academy course on Knut Svanholm's book Bitcoin: Sovereignty Through Mathematics. For more information, check out our Geyser page!

An Immaculate Conception

Some concepts in nature are harder for us humans to understand than others. How complex things can emerge out of simpler ones is one of those concepts. A termite colony, for instance, has a complex cooling system at its lower levels. No single termite knows how it works. Completely unaware of the end results, they build complex mounds and nests, shelter tubes to protect their paths, and networks of subterranean tunnels to connect their dirt cities. Everything seems organized and designed, but it is not. Evolution has equipped the termite with a pheromone receptor that tells the termite what task he ought to engage himself in by simply counting the number of neighboring termites doing the same thing. If there’s a surplus of workers in an area, nearby termites become warriors, and so on. Complex structures emerge from simple rules. The fractal patterns found all around nature are another example. Fractals look complex, but in reality, they’re not. They’re basically algorithms — the same pattern, repeated over and over again with a slightly modified starting point. The human brain is an excellent example of a complex thing that evolved out of simpler things, and we humans still have a hard time accepting that it wasn’t designed. Religions, which themselves are emergent systems spawned out of human interaction, have come up with a plethora of explanations for how we came to be. All sorts of wild origin stories have been more widely accepted than the simple explanation that our complexities just emerged out of simpler things following a set of rules that nature itself provided our world with.

Complex systems emerge out of human interactions all the time. The phone in your pocket is the result of a century of mostly free global market competition, and no single human could ever have come up with the entire thing. The device, together with its internet connection, is capable of a lot more than the sum of its individual parts. A pocket-sized gadget that can grant instant access to almost all of the world’s literature, music, and film, which fits in your pocket, was an unthinkable science fiction a mere twenty years ago. Bitcoin, first described in Satoshi Nakamoto’s whitepaper ten years before these words were written, was designed to be decentralized. Still, it wasn’t until years later that the network started to show actual proof of this. Sound money, or absolute digital scarcity, emerged out of the network not only because of its technical design. How Bitcoin’s first ten years actually unfolded played a huge part in how true decentralization could emerge, and this is also the main reason why the experiment cannot be replicated. Scarcity on the internet could only be invented once. Satoshi’s disappearance was Bitcoin’s first step towards true decentralization. No marketing whatsoever and the randomness of who hopped onto the train first were the steps that followed. Bitcoin truly had an immaculate conception.

The network has shown a remarkable resistance to change over the last few years especially, and its current state might be its last incarnation given the size of the network and the 95% agreement threshold in its consensus rules. It might never change again. In that case, an entirely new, complex life form will have emerged out of a simple set of rules. Even if small upgrades are implemented in the future, the 21 million coin supply cap is set in stone forever. Bitcoin is not for humans to have opinions about — it exists regardless of what anyone thinks about it, and it ought to be studied rather than discussed. We don’t know what true scarcity and a truly global, anonymous free market will do to our species yet, but we are about to find out. It is naïve to think otherwise. Various futurists and doomsday prophets have been focused on the dangers of the impending general artificial intelligence singularity lately, warning us about the point of no return, whereupon an artificial intelligence will be able to improve itself faster than any human could. Such a scenario could, as news anchor Ron Burgundy would have put it, escalate quickly. This may or may not be of real concern to us, but meanwhile, right under our noses, another type of unstoppable digital life has emerged, and it is already changing the behavior and preferences of millions of people around the globe. This is probably bad news for big corporations and governments but good news for the little guy looking for a little freedom. At least, that’s what those of us who lean towards the ideas of the Austrian school of economics believe. This time around, we will find out whether this is the case or not. No one knows what it will lead to and what new truths will emerge out of this new reality.

Unlike the termite, we humans are able to experience the grandeur of our progress. We can look in awe at the Sistine Chapel or the pyramids, and we can delve into the technicalities and brief history of Bitcoin and discover new ways of thinking about value along the way. Money is the language in which we express value to each other through space and time. Now, that language is spoken by computers. Value expressed in this language can’t be diluted through inflation or counterfeiting any longer. It is a language that is borderless, permissionless, peer-to-peer, anonymous (if you have the skills), unreplicable, completely scarce, non-dilutable, unchangeable, untouchable, undeniable, fungible, and free for everyone on Earth to use. It is a language for the future and it emerged out of a specific set of events in the past. All languages are examples of complex systems emerging out of simpler things, and Bitcoin evolved just as organically as any other human language did.

Decentralization is hard to achieve. Really hard. When it comes to claims of decentralization, a “don’t trust, verify” approach to the validity of such claims will help you filter out the noise. So, how can the validity of Bitcoin’s decentralization be verified? It’s a tricky question because decentralization is not a binary thing, like life or death, but rather a very difficult concept to define. However, the most fundamental concepts in Bitcoin, like the 21 million cap on coin issuance or the ten-minute block interval as a result of the difficulty adjustment and the Proof of Work algorithm, have not changed since very early on in the history of the network. This lack of change, which is arguably Bitcoin’s biggest strength, has been achieved through the consensus rules, which define what the blockchain is. Some special mechanisms (for example, BIP9) are sometimes used to deploy changes to the consensus rules. These mechanisms use a threshold when counting blocks that signal for a certain upgrade. For example, the upgrade “Segregated Witness” activated in a node when 95% or more of the blocks in a retarget period signaled support. Bitcoin has displayed a remarkable immutability through the years, and it is highly unlikely that this would have been the case if the game-theoretical mechanisms that enable its decentralized governance model hadn’t worked, given the many incentives to cheat that always seem to corrupt monetary systems. In other words, the longer the system seems to be working, the higher the likelihood that it actually does.

Satoshi set in stone the length of the halving period — a very important aspect of Bitcoin’s issuance schedule and initial distribution. During the first four years of Bitcoin’s existence, fifty new coins were issued every ten minutes up until the first block reward halving four years later. Every four years, this reward is halved so that the issuance rate goes down by fifty percent. This effectively means that half of all the Bitcoin that will ever exist was mined during the first four years of the network’s life, one fourth during its next four years, and so on. At the time of writing, we’re a little more than a year from the third halving. After that, only 6.25 Bitcoin will be minted every ten minutes as opposed to 50, which was the initial rate. What this seems to do is to create hype cycles for Bitcoin’s adoption. Every time the price of Bitcoin booms and then busts down to a level above where it started, a hype cycle takes place. Bitcoin had no marketing whatsoever, so awareness of it had to be spread through some other mechanism. When a bull run begins, people start talking about it, which leads to even more people buying due to fear of missing out (FOMO), which inevitably causes the price to rise even more rapidly. This leads to more FOMO, and on and on the bull market goes until it suddenly ends, and the price crashes down to somewhere around, or slightly above, the level it was at before the bull run started. Unlike what is true for most other assets, Bitcoin never really crashes all the way. Why? Because every time a hype cycle occurs, some more people learn about Bitcoin’s fundamentals and manage to resist the urge to sell, even when almost all hope seems lost. They understand that these bull markets are a reoccurring thing due to the nature of the protocol. These cycles create new waves of evangelists who start promoting Bitcoin simply because of what they stand to gain from a price increase. In a sense, the protocol itself pays for its own promotion in this way. This organic marketing creates a lot of noise and confusion, too, as a lot of people who don’t seem to understand how Bitcoin works are often very outspoken about it despite their lack of knowledge. Red herrings, such as altcoins and Bitcoin forks, are then weeded out naturally during bear markets. Every time a bull market happens, a new generation of Bitcoiners is born.

The four-year period between halvings seems to serve a deliberate purpose. Satoshi could just as well have programmed a smooth issuance curve into the Bitcoin protocol, but he didn’t. As events unfold, it seems that he had good reason for this since these hype cycles provide a very effective onboarding mechanism, and they seem to be linked to the halvings. They certainly make Bitcoin volatile, but remember that in this early stage, the volatility is needed in order for these hype cycles to happen. Later on, when Bitcoin’s stock-to-flow ratio is higher, the seas will calm, and its volatility level will go down. In truth, it already has. The latest almost 80% price drop was far from the worst we’ve seen in Bitcoin. This technology is still in its infancy, and it is very likely that we’ll see a lot more volatility before mainstream adoption, or hyperbitcoinization, truly happens.

About the Bitcoin Infinity Academy

The Bitcoin Infinity Academy is an educational project built around Knut Svanholm’s books about Bitcoin and Austrian Economics. Each week, a whole chapter from one of the books is released for free on Highlighter, accompanied by a video in which Knut and Luke de Wolf discuss that chapter’s ideas. You can join the discussions by signing up for one of the courses on our Geyser page. Signed books, monthly calls, and lots of other benefits are also available.

@ 35da2266:15e70970

j14/L0xa5HHwRX/L/sosXorJfiUPziK08Vb3hPjCkREZWm//16AH2Ki7iamkzvuHn2vhK2R4LArQ4oMr3kcaemT1IXqMjxbICwrCPirW2OQaA08RFTofiG/9n7czdT5TMjAG6YGpjvd65N25GZoIQNVy5NnAueJFqIy3TxesZai62jNoiN1aCdVsig7IZZDpHZc7bgZHxvGx2BHg/vME1rRZfWTcR9767Yw6cusuyS5h1ymPz1Oqj3/dGvwIHtoBsbAHrEurEbkesg090y2i0rPxblpUWBbH3AltS3XmX9nQGZEHPc4qF1nqVwp2o9jxjtSDBEOYnNjIiKDj7yo+2yBKVrv700PMQ8WZXhPjZEGEJ6crkTdWHpjOY2PebDDY2yAkELRv9r+JDAprsCoWLyjIJ3vZykrmeEVB6FUvvSo=?iv=PHgLeDh4EwhHHs/PqAor1g==

@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43

Reanalysis: Could the Great Pyramid Function as an Ammonia Generator Powered by a 25GW Breeder Reactor?

Introduction

The Great Pyramid of Giza has traditionally been considered a tomb or ceremonial structure. Yet an intriguing alternative hypothesis suggests it could have functioned as a large-scale ammonia generator, powered by a high-energy source, such as a nuclear breeder reactor. This analysis explores the theoretical practicality of powering such a system using a continuous 25-gigawatt (GW) breeder reactor.

The Pyramid as an Ammonia Generator

Producing ammonia (NH₃) from atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) and hydrogen (H₂) requires substantial energy. Modern ammonia production (via the Haber-Bosch process) typically demands high pressure (~150–250 atmospheres) and temperatures (~400–500°C). However, given enough available energy, it is theoretically feasible to synthesize ammonia at lower pressures if catalysts and temperatures are sufficiently high or if alternative electrochemical or plasma-based fixation methods are employed.

Theoretical System Components:

1. High Heat Source (25GW breeder reactor)
   A breeder reactor could consistently generate large amounts of heat. At a steady state of approximately 25GW, this heat source would easily sustain temperatures exceeding the 450°C threshold necessary for ammonia synthesis reactions, particularly if conducted electrochemically or catalytically.

2. Steam and Hydrogen Production
   The intense heat from a breeder reactor can efficiently evaporate water from subterranean channels (such as those historically suggested to exist beneath the pyramid) to form superheated steam. If coupled with high-voltage electrostatic fields (possibly in the millions of volts), steam electrolysis into hydrogen and oxygen becomes viable. This high-voltage environment could substantially enhance electrolysis efficiency.

3. Nitrogen Fixation (Ammonia Synthesis)
   With hydrogen readily produced, ammonia generation can proceed. Atmospheric nitrogen, abundant around the pyramid, can combine with the hydrogen generated through electrolysis. Under these conditions, the pyramid's capstone—potentially made from a catalytic metal like osmium, platinum, or gold—could facilitate nitrogen fixation at elevated temperatures.

Power Requirements and Energy Calculations

A thorough calculation of the continuous power requirements to maintain this system follows:

• Estimated Steady-state Power: ~25 GW of continuous thermal power.
• Total Energy Over 10,000 years: """ Energy = 25 GW × 10,000 years × 365.25 days/year × 24 hrs/day × 3600 s/hr ≈ 7.9 × 10²¹ Joules """

Feasibility of a 25GW Breeder Reactor within the Pyramid

A breeder reactor capable of sustaining 25GW thermal power is physically plausible—modern commercial reactors routinely generate 3–4GW thermal, so this is within an achievable engineering scale (though certainly large by current standards).

Fuel Requirements:

• Each kilogram of fissile fuel (e.g., U-233 from Thorium-232) releases ~80 terajoules (TJ) or 8×10¹³ joules.
• Considering reactor efficiency (~35%), one kilogram provides ~2.8×10¹³ joules usable energy: """ Fuel Required = 7.9 × 10²¹ J / 2.8 × 10¹³ J/kg ≈ 280,000 metric tons """
• With a breeding ratio of ~1.3: """ Initial Load = 280,000 tons / 1.3 ≈ 215,000 tons """

Reactor Physical Dimensions (Pebble Bed Design):

• King’s Chamber size: ~318 cubic meters.
• The reactor core would need to be extremely dense and highly efficient. Advanced engineering would be required to concentrate such power in this space, but it is within speculative feasibility.

Steam Generation and Scaling Management

Key methods to mitigate mineral scaling in the system: 1. Natural Limestone Filtration 2. Chemical Additives (e.g., chelating agents, phosphate compounds) 3. Superheating and Electrostatic Ionization 4. Electrostatic Control

Conclusion and Practical Considerations

Yes, the Great Pyramid could theoretically function as an ammonia generator if powered by a 25GW breeder reactor, using: - Thorium or Uranium-based fertile material, - Sustainable steam and scaling management, - High-voltage-enhanced electrolysis and catalytic ammonia synthesis.

While speculative, it is technologically coherent when analyzed through the lens of modern nuclear and chemical engineering.

See also: nostr:naddr1qqxnzde5xymrgvekxycrswfeqy2hwumn8ghj7am0deejucmpd3mxztnyv4mz7q3qc856kwjk524kef97hazw5e9jlkjq4333r6yxh2rtgefpd894ddpsxpqqqp65wun9c08

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

In another team up with Global Sports Central, we are going to do a bracket challenge for the NBA Playoffs.

They've gotten their hands on a special prize from Blockstream to award the winner and they're hoping that Stackers will take part in the contest.

We're still working out all the details, but there will likely be a small buy-in and the runner up in the contest will win those sats.

The NBA Play-In Tournament, that determines final seeding, starts on April 15th. Once the seeding is set, we'll open up the contest for people to submit their brackets from NBA Bracketology.

Start thinking about your brackets now and make your bracketology account, so you can walk away with one of the prizes.

Also, let us know your thoughts about how big the buy-in should be. We want to discourage people from spamming a bunch of brackets without discouraging those who want to take part in the contest.

https://primal.net/e/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqpqrep4phdx0hs6v3fynl0glp52c6skaqmgra23hyzyz5pnd8gmcqqsw33tk6puje8ceq4uyymssmgesskqrll8elua7ldfdftr05lts30sx32z65

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/940274

@ 9226eda1:6a1bde0e

Hi from Comet Notes!

const impressed = true;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRnDYB28bL8

comet #notes

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 9226eda1:6a1bde0e

Hi from Comet Notes!

const impressed = true;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRnDYB28bL8

comet #notes

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

So, we've been trying to housebreak this dog (that was supposedly already housebroken). We had gone out first thing in the morning, but she didn't poop. I figured the poop accident she had had right before bed might be the reason. Maybe she just had nothing left in the tank.

Well, no. While I was getting dressed, she was quickly dropping a deuce on the carpet. I cleaned that up and headed out for a while. Apparently, she pooped again while I was gone, despite being let out several times.

Then, upon my return, as my wife is telling me about the dog's accidents, the kid comes running inside shouting " I POOPED MY PANTS!" What's happening?

We get her into the bath, scrub her down, and get her all cleaned up. I take another attempt at finishing my dinner, only to hear some indecipherable shouting from upstairs. Of course it's more poop. The kid is sitting on the toilet screaming about getting poop on her hands while trying to wipe.

Finally, I took the dog out for a walk to hopefully avoid another poop incident...and the leash snapped.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/940243

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 8d5ba92c:c6c3ecd5

It’s often said that 'Bitcoin doesn’t need marketing'—and the internet proves it well, almost like a daily feed. Instead of typical ads in the form of 'sell-me-anything-and-everything', the space thrives on organic memes and threads: a grassroots testament to Bitcoin ethos.

This isn’t about the artificial promotion of THE TRUMAN SHOW, where desires are manufactured and ads dictate specific behaviours. Bitcoiners don’t just reject the Proof-of-Hype, so typical in a fiat-driven world, they replace it with Proof-of-Work: value emerging not from coercion, but from consensus (i.e., what the community validates as genuine and meaningful).

The "Funny Money" Crew

On the other hand, equally common is the twist with memes labeled 'Bitcoin’s Marketing Team', featuring faces like:

🤡 Jerome Powell (Fed Chair), Christine Lagarde (ECB), Agustín Carstens (BIS chief, CBDC pusher), Janet Yellen (U.S. Treasury Secretary), Jamie Dimon (JPMorgan CEO), Elizabeth Warren (U.S. Senator), and so on.

Sophisticated jokes—appreciated by those who understand their actual impact. After all, what better advertisement for Bitcoin could there be than watching the fiat system degrade in real time? 😎

Why Bring This Up?

First, because I want to remind that Bitcoiners weaponize even simple ideas better than entire Wall Street-hired PR firms. Every "Bitcoin doesn’t need marketing" or "Thanks, Fed for the free promo!" is a clever, almost subversive way of raising topics we should be aware of. Exposing fiat’s failures often speaks louder than directly evangelizing how sound Bitcoin is—and how well it solves problems that keep many non-coiners awake at night.

Second, to credit where it’s due: Bitcoin-only projects and individuals who are actively spreading the word—hard money, real solutions, and the culture itself. But this isn’t 'marketing' in the traditional, pushy, profit-at-all-costs sense. Instead, it’s built on:

• Information (no bullshit, just facts)
• Education (orange-pilling, not upselling)
• Community (value, instead of dry PR)
• Creativity (proof-of-mind, not algo-baits)
• Experiences (how-to solutions, not showing off)

And let’s be clear: Earning money isn’t evil—it’s necessary for these projects to survive. What matters is the intention. No one should apologize for creating Bitcoin-themed ads, so long as they’re carrying the meaning, instead of being rooted in hype.

PoW: Earning Attention, Not Buying It

The list below (part one) is based on my own preferences, but it was also inspired by Bitcoin FilmFest, which—in its upcoming edition #BFF25, May 22-25—introduced a new block to the program: ‘BFF PoWies: The Show for Bitcoin-Only Advertising.’ A dedicated space for creative expression beyond films, where projects and individuals compete for awards in categories like Grand Prix, Best Visual, and Best Identity—with a $4,500 prize pool to grab.

Anyways, as our small but passionate team dug into this topic, I was really happy to uncover unique video ads, some of which I’m excited to share with you now.

If you know others, tag me (private profile) or 'Bitcoin FilmFest' directly on socials. Feel free to submit your work to the PoWies too (submissions close May 6th).

Without further ado... Let's explore the space where value is discovered, not packaged in empty promises 📺👇

Bitcoin-Video Ads: Part One.

Creative, funny, dynamic, inspirational. All four below. Enjoy!

1/. NEVER LOSE YOUR BITCOIN (Liana)

https://v.nostr.build/P7To0HpNmmB6iudR.mp4

2/. MAKE A CHANGE, (Wasabi)

https://v.nostr.build/rUGQAysAIDH8Wx9x.mp4

3/. THE MOTHER OF ALL BACKUPS (Cryptosteel)

https://v.nostr.build/3zesnSjQudQoxl5f.mp4

1. FINANCIAL FALLOUT (21 Futures)

https://v.nostr.build/sFvmt8oCWfxLKJRb.mp4

---

PS. The most effective Bitcoin ads aren't 'typical' campaigns—they're the result of creativity, PoW, and authentic storytelling move hand-in-hand.

BTC Your Mind. Let it Beat... Şela

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ 5677fa5b:15a5d3e1

https://www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/research/articles/250327-cryptocurrency-is-growing-within-u-s-state-reserves-and-statewide-pension-plans-13455336

I've watched pension plans repeatedly fumble the ball over the past 30 years. In the 80s and 90s they were run, not by CFOs, but out of Human Resources by nonfinancial officers who repeatedly enriched the benefits during an era of double-digit interest rates which had the liabilities so low that companies weren't allowed to contribute to them. Once CFO's figured out what they inherited, they continued to ignore the fix because their worldview was the risk-ignorant FAS87 accounting standard that incentivized risk maximization by allowing immediate recognition of expected returns while smoothing upon smoothing the volatility in the future. Even the smarter ones who adopted Liability Driven Investing ( LDI) eventually discovered their ruin by borrowing against their unrealized gains only to cause a liquidity crisis in 2022 when the UK gilts spiked out of control, necessitating a $60B bailout from the Bank of England.

It is a nonstop series of loss and dysfunction. Now "cryptocurrency" is entering the scene as if to offer the industry one last chance they don't deserve to snatch victory from the claws of defeat. If, by cryptocurrency, one means Bitcoin, then we might have a fighting chance still in this game. If one means any of the other altcoins, then they might as well pack their bags and surrender before they commit a worse offense than Canada's OTTP plan, who directed $100 million of its pension invested in FTX, while the CDPQ had $150 million in Celsius, both now bankrupt with their CEOs in prison

My upcoming book, "Bitcoin for Institutions" explains why Bitcoin is a godsend for pensions and other potential institutional use cases. It also explains why Blackrock understands Bitcoin much more than people want to give them credit for. I argue that Blackrock is looking to redefine Modern Portfolio Theory by abandoning bonds and inserting Bitcoin as the "risk-free asset" and that this is an existential solution stemming from being the primary investment manager impacted by the aforementioned Bank of England bailout. It appears now that S&P Global also understands Bitcoin. To what end is unclear to me, but I have to give credit where it is due. From their recent report titled "Cryptocurrency Is Growing Within U.S. State Reserves And Statewide Pension Plans", by credit analysts Todd Kanaster and Geoffrey Buswick, several items caught my eye and impressed me. Among them were from the summary of opportunities and risks (from the report):

Opportunities

• Bitcoin holdings may provide a hedge against long-term debasement of fiat currency through inflation, due to bitcoin's finite supply. Its value may also be driven by geopolitical factors if its security and decentralized nature lead to its increasing adoption as a reserve asset.

• Other crypto assets such as ether or Solana are similar to technology venture investments, as they provide exposure to upside if these technology platforms continue to see increasing adoption.

The first bullet demonstrates a clear acknowledgement that S&P understands and approves the messaging of what Bitcoin's biggest strength is. It is an astonishing acknowledgement of how debasement is a feature of fiat currency and how Bitcoin is the solution. They go as far as to explain how the decentralized nature and security carry out the solution.

The second bullet is icing on the cake, separating other crypto assets and classifying them, not as a monetary cornerstone, but as just some other potential source of return.

Risks

• Market value risk: Historically, their prices have been volatile. They would introduce a risk factor if included in funds that are intended to cover an issuer's short-term liquidity needs (which typically do not include asset types with significant market value risk).

• Operational and cyber: Although direct ownership of crypto requires specialized infrastructure and staffing, much of the risk is adjusted to levels comparable with those of traditional investments when held, in lieu of direct crypto ownership, in shares of a crypto ETF from a third party investment manager with robust operational practices.

• Goal misalignment: Grouping all non-stablecoin crypto together under the same risk profile may overlook unique risk characteristics among different types of investments, such as bitcoin ownership, technology investments, or tokenized securities.

• Regulatory uncertainty: We have seen a large swing in the regulation picture at the federal level from the new U.S administration and similar changes could happen again, either due to leadership change or even a downturn in crypto prices if that reduces investor interest.

S&P is showing a superior understanding of the risks of Bitcoin. They echo several of the risks I discuss in the book. They caution against using Bitcoin with a short-term time horizon (1st bullet), as well as admonish the idea of grouping altcoins with Bitcoin (3rd bullet). Additionally, the 2nd bullet warms my heart discussing the additional operational risk involved when trusting custody to a 3rd party, as Blackrock (and all of the Bitcoin ETF providers except for Fidelity) does. We've already seen that Coinbase uses pre-Segwit legacy addresses for the ETFs and that Blackrock is beginning to explore other options for its custodian.

It is important that pensions get this right, as it is unlikely that the Gods will be sending another lifeline. Getting this wrong will lead to a bailout that will make the Bank of England's look tame in comparison. Instead of letting the central bankers pick the winners and losers, companies and states are going to get one last chance to win on their own terms. A medium-term time horizon, and a strong understanding of what Bitcoin is and what gives it its value, is the blueprint for a road map to recovery and a series of successful, solvent plan terminations in the next 5-10 years.

@ 35da2266:15e70970

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@ f1989a96:bcaaf2c1

Good morning, readers!

Today, HRF takes part in the launch of the Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance in London, where a dozen human rights and aid groups will convene with policymakers, media, finance professionals, and technologists at the Frontline Club to explain how they are using Bitcoin in their work in the field.

Elsewhere, we bring news from Turkey, where large, pro-democracy protests erupted over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasing political repression and economic fallout. The Turkish regime has detained more than 2,000 protesters (and counting) as youth appear in droves demanding democracy, accountability, and economic reform.

In Eastern Africa, Tanzania’s government extended immense restrictions on foreign currency, effectively barring its use in day-to-day payments outside a few circumstances. In a poverty-stricken country where fuel prices have moved forcibly upward for two consecutive months, access to and usage of alternative currencies can be a financial lifeline.

In Bitcoin news, we spotlight Misty Breez, a new open-source Bitcoin wallet built by Lightning Network infrastructure company Breez. The wallet is a Lightning and Liquid Network hybrid wallet. It gives users control over their funds and abstracts away any complexities of payment channel management, but users must trust the Liquid Federation. In terms of functionality, Misty Breez supports a wide variety of address types, offering users flexibility across the fees, privacy, and censorship resistance of their payments. It may prove a helpful tool for dissidents and activists standing against tyranny.

We end with the latest edition of the HRF x Pubkey Freedom Tech Series, where HRF’s Ayelen Osorio joins Zimbabwean pastor-turned-activist Evan Mawarire, who recounts his inspiring journey of a peaceful uprising against Robert Mugabe’s dictatorship and the hyperinflation and repression he unleashed on the population. We also feature the live streams of the 2025 MIT Bitcoin Expo in collaboration with HRF. These videos highlight the speakers, panels, and activities led by HRF to raise awareness about financial repression and the tools being built to resist it.

Now, let’s jump right in!

SUBSCRIBE HERE

GLOBAL NEWS

Turkey | Government Detains Thousands of Pro-Democracy Protesters

The largest protests in over a decade erupted in Istanbul, Turkey, after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan detained political opposition figure and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Turks of all walks of life find themselves united by common outrage at the regime’s ongoing political repression and tumultuous economic conditions. With inflation soaring above 39% and widespread unemployment among the nation’s youth, it’s no surprise Turks are flooding the streets and demanding change. In response to these demonstrations, law enforcement has since detained more than 2,000 demonstrators, and police blockades have met student protesters with water cannon trucks to suppress their dissent. Many young Turks feel their future is slipping away in a country where saving is futile, the currency is collapsing, and speaking out comes at a high personal cost. “This feels like our last chance,” one young protester said, adding, “If we don’t succeed, many of us will have to leave Turkey.”

Tanzania | Regime Enacts Restrictions on Foreign Currency

Tanzania’s regime is banning the use of foreign currency outside of a few circumstances (such as duty-free retailers and government membership fees). This means quoting prices in, accepting, or facilitating payments with foreign currency is now illegal, alongside declining to accept the official Tanzanian shilling (TZS). Losing the ability to transact with more stable currencies removes individuals’ ability to shield themselves from inflation and subjects them to local currency volatility. The mandate comes in addition to the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority raising the cost of fuel for a second consecutive month. Locals worry this could further increase the cost of living as the fuel price hike ripples through the economy. These policies mirror the tactics of authoritarians using financial control to limit dissent and restrict individual financial freedom.

China | Incorporates e-CNY CBDC into Financial Sector Guidelines

China is incorporating the e-CNY central bank digital currency (CBDC) into financial sector guidelines for the first time, signaling a strengthening commitment to fully roll out its CBDC. The e-CNY’s usage is reportedly expanding among Chinese citizens, with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claiming 800 million wallets and over 10.2 trillion CNY in transaction volume — though these numbers are both dubiously high and difficult to independently verify. As usage grows, so do concerns over financial and individual liberties. The CCP already uses the financial system to monitor and suppress dissent. For Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in the Uyghur Region grappling with ongoing cultural genocide, mass surveillance, and forced labor from the CCP, the e-CNY would allow the regime to restrict their financial autonomy and freedom completely. As it begins to roll out, it’s important to become aware of the dangers of the e-CNY here.

Burkina Faso | Arrests Three Journalists in Press Crackdown

Burkina Faso’s military junta arrested three journalists for reporting on regime-imposed press restrictions. Since seizing power in 2022, the military junta, under the leadership of Ibrahim Traoré, has targeted independent media by detaining reporters, forcing critics into exile, abusing emergency laws to suppress dissent, and using financial repression to disrupt independent funding. Journalists disappear under the guise of forced conscription, international coverage of military abuses is blocked, and outlets that report on crimes against humanity are eradicated. With press freedom in ashes, Burkinabés face an information blackout where state propaganda proliferates. In these contexts, open and uncensorable protocols like nostr can serve as a digital town square where information, value, and assembly flow undisturbed by the reach of oppressive regimes.

Tunisia | Saied Sacks Prime Minister as Economy Crumbles

Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed Prime Minister Kamel Maddouri less than a year into his term and replaced him with Sara Zaafarani, Tunisia’s third prime minister in under two years. As Saied reshuffles his cabinet to best suit his interests and goals, Tunisia’s economy has reached a standstill. Growth is running below 1.5%, the cost of living continues to climb, and shortages of staple goods like rice, sugar, and coffee burden the everyday lives of Tunisians. After staging a coup, dissolving the government, and ruling by decree, Saied’s consolidation of power has come inch by inch with the erosion of democracy and financial stability.

BITCOIN AND FREEDOM TECH NEWS

Breez | Releases New Open-Source Bitcoin Wallet

Breez, a company helping build out the Bitcoin Lightning economy, released a new open-source Bitcoin wallet called “Misty Breez.” It is a hybrid Lightning and Liquid Network wallet built using the Nodeless Breez SDK. The wallet offers fast and private transactions without the complexities of payment channel management. The tradeoff? Trusting the Liquid Federation with custody of your Bitcoin. Still, Misty Breez supports many Bitcoin and Lightning features, including on-chain payments, Lightning addresses, BOLT 12 invoices, and offline receiving. So, while the wallet is a trust-minimized solution rather than fully custodial, users gain a wide range of use cases and features unique to this wallet. This could make Misty Breez useful for people facing financial surveillance, internet outages, or authoritarian-imposed financial restrictions. Learn more about the wallet here.

OpenCash | Bounty for Open Source Cashu x BTCPay Server Plugin

The OpenCash Association is offering a two million satoshi bounty for an open-source plugin allowing merchants to accept Cashu payments through BTCPay Server. Cashu is a Bitcoin-based ecash protocol designed to offer fast, low-cost, and very private transactions. For activists and dissidents, ecash enables payments without compromising financial privacy, but they must trust the mints (entities managing the system) to custody their funds. OpenCash specified that the Cashu plugin must integrate cleanly with BTCPay Server and include an input field for ecash redemption or a scannable Cashu payment request. If claimed, this bounty and subsequent integration will help advance Bitcoin’s medium of exchange capabilities and make private payments more accessible by integrating with self-hosted, independent Bitcoin payment infrastructure. Learn more about the bounty here.

Machankura | Adds Support for Offline Bitcoin Transactions in Uganda

Machankura, a custodial Bitcoin Lightning wallet that helps Africans access Bitcoin without the Internet, announced they expanded service to Uganda, enabling Ugandans to use Bitcoin without an Internet connection. To do so, Machankura leverages the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) protocol for sending text messages. To use the service, users simply dial a designated number on a feature phone (or a smartphone without data) and can access the Bitcoin network in countries like Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, and now Uganda. Machankura helps democratize Bitcoin access, expands censorship-resistant money across Africa, and offers a practical solution to financial inclusion. If you’re in Uganda or another supported country, try it here.

Zeus Wallet | Plans to Introduce Cashu Support

Zeus, a leading self-custodial mobile Lightning wallet, shared plans for a future Cashu integration. Cashu is an ecash protocol for Bitcoin. It enables practical everyday payments on Bitcoin that are private by design (but users must trust mints to manage their funds). By adding ecash support, Zeus can expand the accessibility of private Bitcoin payments and provide its users with greater flexibility over their financial activity. As part of its upcoming release, the wallet also introduces two new types of addresses: Zaplocker addresses for Lightning self-custody on mobile and Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) addresses for remote node runners. While a little more technical, these integrations will improve individuals' ability to transact without exposing their financial history, reducing surveillance risks, especially for those living under authoritarian regimes or in jurisdictions with strict financial controls.

Bitcoin Thailand Festival | Half-Marathon to Challenge Financial Repression

The Thai city of Chiang Mai will host the nation’s inaugural Bitcoin Half Marathon and Bitcoin Thailand Festival from Nov. 1-2, 2025, under the theme “Run For Freedom.” The marathon’s theme contrasts Thailand’s increasing financial repression and long history of erasing dissent. Even still, the festival’s mission to advance financial freedom and financial literacy with participation from the local Bitcoin community comes at a pressing time. The Thai government is increasingly restricting financial freedoms through digital cash handouts, which, for all intents and purposes, function as a central bank digital currency that imposes spending restrictions and expiration dates on money. In these environments, Bitcoin education and awareness are more urgent than ever.

Btrust Builders | Announces Builders Pathways

Btrust Builders introduced Btrust Builders Pathways, a new program designed to equip African developers with the skills and experience needed to contribute to Bitcoin open-source software. The initiative offers five learning tracks, from beginner-friendly Bitcoin fundamentals to advanced Rust programming and Bitcoin Core development. Participants will gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and access to potential funding via Btrust Developer Grants. With this launch, Btrust Builders continues its mission to grow Africa’s Bitcoin development talent and strengthen the software’s ecosystem in a region where many suffer under dozens of authoritarian governments.

RECOMMENDED CONTENT

How Bitcoin Fights Corruption & Injustice with Evan Mawarire

In the latest edition of the HRF x Pubkey Freedom Tech Series, HRF’s Content & Research lead Ayelen Osorio sits down with Zimbabwean pastor-turned-activist Evan Mawarire to explore how Bitcoin can serve as a tool for fighting inflation, corruption, and injustice. Together, they unpack Mawarire’s personal journey of leading a peaceful uprising against the tyranny of Robert Mugabe and the hyperinflation he unleashed on his undeserving population. Mawarire details how Zimbabwe’s economic collapse became an orchestrated strategy to control and silence Zimbabweans. He further explains how the peaceful movement galvanized a generation, why financial repression is a central pillar of authoritarianism, and how Bitcoin offers ordinary citizens a way to resist and rebuild. Catch the full conversation here.

MIT Bitcoin Expo Livestream

Last week, software developers, human rights activists, students, and researchers gathered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the 12th annual MIT Bitcoin Expo — this year in partnership with HRF — to explore how Bitcoin and freedom technologies can defend civil liberties and empower individuals, especially under authoritarian regimes. Born from MIT’s 2014 Bitcoin Project, the expo has grown into a major forum for individual liberation, with panels, workshops, and hackathons centered on privacy, financial autonomy, and decentralized protocols. Tune into the livestream recording to catch the speakers, presentations, and panels that defined the event.

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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@ ba36d0f7:cd802cba

What is Checkmate?

Checkmate is the decisive move that ends the game. It occurs when the king is under direct threat (in check) and there’s no legal move to save it: neither capturing the attacking piece, blocking the attack, nor fleeing to a safe square.

Unlike other pieces, the king can never be captured - its downfall marks the end of the game. Thus, when escape is impossible, the game ends immediately. There’s no need to "take" the king; its fate is already sealed.

How to Achieve Checkmate?

It requires:

1. Imminent Threat: One or more pieces attacking the enemy king.
   

2. Total Blockade: All escape squares controlled by the opponent.
   

3. No Possible Defense: No piece can intercept the attack.
   

Basic Example: The Back-Rank Mate (with a rook or queen on the last rank, where the king can’t escape due to being blocked by its own pieces).

---

1. The First Chess Commandment: Seek Checkmate

In every game, each move should begin with an essential question: Is there a checkmate in this position? - for both yourself and your opponent. If not, the game revolves around material advantage or positional control. But this order isn’t arbitrary:

• A tactical oversight can ruin a dominant position.

• A missed checkmate means instant defeat.

Classic Example: The Scholar’s Mate (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Qh5 Nf6?? 4.Qxf7#).
White wins because Black, focused solely on development, ignored the deadly threat.

➡ Reflection: In strategy, as in life, the urgent (survival) precedes the important (victory).

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2. The Philosophy of the Board: When Advantages Aren’t Enough

A lone king can evade capture forever if the opponent doesn’t know how to checkmate. Similarly, in human existence, advantages - talent, resources, or opportunities - are worthless if not transformed into decisive actions.

• What good is controlling the center if you can’t convert it into an attack?

• What good are privileges if not used to build something meaningful?

Chess, like life, rewards execution - not accumulation.

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3. Survival Instinct: Between Attack and Resistance

The fear of defeat triggers visceral reactions: desperate attacks, obsessive defenses, or even premature resignations. But these responses reveal deep truths about human nature:

• Survival ≠ Violence: A cornered king may shelter behind its pieces, like a strategist choosing patience over confrontation. Is it cowardice or wisdom?

• The Danger of Ego: Arrogance ("I must win quickly") leads to irreversible mistakes. Humility ("I’ll resist until my opponent errs") can turn certain defeat into salvation.

➡ Reflection: The board doesn’t lie. Every move exposes a player’s deepest instincts: fear, ambition, or temperance.

---

Online Resources

Check mate patterns - Lichess.org https://lichess.org/practice/checkmates/checkmate-patterns-i/fE4k21MW/9rd7XwOw

Piece check mates - Lichess.org https://lichess.org/practice/checkmates/piece-checkmates-i/BJy6fEDf/8K8FdT6P

Common check mates - Chess.com https://www.chess.com/terms/checkmate-chess

10 fastest check mates - Chess.com https://www.chess.com/article/view/fastest-chess-checkmates

Finding check mates - Chess.com https://www.chess.com/lessons/finding-checkmate

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somachess #chess #chesselsalvador #ajedrez #chessphilosophy #philosophy #filosofia #checkmate #longform #article

@ 20986fb8:cdac21b3

社交应用正迎来全新阶段：从传统的中心化平台迈向去中心化生态，用户对轻量级、智能化和隐私保护的应用需求与日俱增。在这一趋势下，Mini Apps 凭借其快速开发、灵活部署和去中心化的特性，正在成为社交应用的主流选择。加密货币支付的兴起进一步推动了这一趋势，其低成本、无国界和金融自由的优势，不仅大幅降低了交易门槛，还为 Mini Apps 的规模化发展注入了强劲动力。作为比特币生态 Nostr 协议上最受欢迎的去中心化社交支付客户端之一，YakiHonne 凭借卓越的用户体验和便捷的社交支付功能，覆盖全球 170 多个国家。如今，YakiHonne 即将推出可编程 Smart Widgets——一款支持 Mini Apps 的开发者组件。这款产品将重新定义用户在社交平台上的互动与消费方式，为链上应用生态和社交支付带来全新活力。

YakiHonne Smart Widgets：社交与消费的创新引擎

YakiHonne Smart Widgets 是一款融入社交动态的可编程微型应用，让用户在浏览内容时就能轻松完成链上支付、互动和操作。它不仅是一款工具，更是一个开放的去中心化应用市场，为用户和开发者带来无限创造力与灵活性。

Smart Widgets 提供三种简单易用的创建方式，满足不同用户的需求：

• 基础组件（Basic Widgets）：任何用户都能通过直观编辑器快速创建，只需选择模板、输入内容，就能生成打赏、Mint 或投票等互动功能。用户在浏览动态时，点击按钮即可完成链上操作，体验快速、无需跳转。
• 动作组件（ActionWidgets）：用户可通过嵌入应用链接快速创建，无需开发经验。普通用户点击动态中的按钮，就能直接在当前界面访问外部去中心化应用（如交易所），享受顺畅不中断的体验。
• 工具组件（Tool Widgets-Mini App）：适合有开发能力的用户或开发者，通过 Smart Widgets SDK 打造功能更丰富的应用，支持复杂链上操作。用户在社交动态中即可完成数据查询、链上任务、游戏互动或即时支付，体验高度集成且流畅。

主要特性：

• 快速构建：开发者仅需数小时即可将创意变为现实，支持常用 Web 技术，打造接近原生应用的体验，无需繁琐的应用商店审核。
• 社交登录：用户无需账号密码即可进入 Mini Apps，直接使用 Nostr/YakiHonne 身份在动态中互动，流程简单，社交体验更紧密。
• 易于发现与留存：通过动态 feeds 一键发现新应用，内置裂变机制助力快速传播，Mini App 商店提供更多选择，用户可保存喜爱应用并通过通知随时回归。
• 即时互动与消费：Mini Apps 通过 YakiHonne 的社交支付功能基础设施实现无缝集成，用户无需离开动态即可完成支付、投票或游戏等操作。社交互动与链上行为自然融合，消费体验轻松融入每一次互动场景。

改变日常体验：Smart Widgets 的多场景应用

YakiHonne Smart Widgets 将社交互动与链上消费深度结合，为用户带来多样化的应用场景：

• 链上互动：用户在浏览动态时，可通过 Smart Widgets 参与链上投票或轻量游戏。例如，一键完成社区提案投票，或与好友挑战链上小游戏，互动即刻完成，无需跳转。
• 智能 Agent：用户可使用 Agent Widgets 自动创作并发布内容，例如生成个性化帖子或短视频，打造 AI 驱动的新型媒体体验。
• DAO 治理：基于aMACI创建匿名投票，结合 Agent 实现自主治理。用户直接在社交动态中参与 DAO 决策，推动去中心化社区发展。
• 社交支付：用户可通过动态发送即时支付或链上红包，例如分享一笔小额打赏，激发好友互动与消费转化。
• 订阅服务：支持内容创作者或应用的连续订阅，用户一键订阅喜爱的服务，享受无缝续费体验。

这些场景不仅提升了用户的参与感和便利性，还为创作者、开发者及社区提供了新的增长机会。

引领新趋势：Smart Widgets 的生态价值

YakiHonne Smart Widgets 的推出将为链上消费应用生态和社交支付带来深远影响。它为开发者提供了一个开放的舞台，任何人都可以通过 Widgets 快速部署创新应用，丰富 YakiHonne 的生态多样性。YakiHonne 的社交支付功能基础设施进一步为 Mini Apps 赋能，提供高效的支付支持，降低了开发者的支付集成成本，同时为用户带来安全、便捷的交易体验。这种支持不仅加速了 Mini Apps 的商业化进程，还推动了链上消费的规模化增长。

对于用户而言，Smart Widgets 将社交互动与消费行为融为一体，创造更具沉浸感和实用性的数字体验。对于内容创作者和社区，它则提供了一个低门槛的链上入口，助力其触达全球用户。这一产品不仅是对技术边界的探索，更是对未来去中心化生活方式的预演。YakiHonne 致力于通过 Smart Widgets 构建一个开放、活跃的社交与消费生态，让每一次互动都成为链上价值流动的起点。

立即体验：Smart Widgets 等你探索

YakiHonne 诚邀全球用户和开发者共同参与这一激动人心的旅程。开发者可申请加入 Smart Widgets SDK 测试计划，开发属于自己的 Mini Apps，与 YakiHonne 的全球用户群共享成果。用户则可关注 YakiHonne 官方渠道（X或下载YakiHonne iOS/Android），体验链上互动与社交支付的全新可能。

@ 20986fb8:cdac21b3

Social apps are entering a new era, evolving from traditional centralized platforms to decentralized ecosystems. Users increasingly demand lightweight, intelligent, and privacy-focused applications. In this shift, Mini Apps have emerged as a mainstream choice for social applications, thanks to their rapid development, flexible deployment, and decentralized nature. The rise of cryptocurrency payments has further fueled this trend, offering low-cost, borderless, and financially liberating solutions that significantly lower transaction barriers and drive the scalability of Mini Apps. As one of the most popular decentralized social payment clients on the Bitcoin ecosystem’s Nostr protocol, YakiHonne has earned a global reputation for its exceptional user experience and seamless social payment features, reaching over 170 countries. Now, YakiHonne is set to launch its programmable Smart Widgets—a developer toolkit for Mini Apps. This product will redefine how users interact and transact on social platforms, bringing fresh energy to the on-chain app ecosystem and social payments.

Smart Widgets: A Game-Changer for Social and On-Chain Consumption

YakiHonne Smart Widgets are programmable mini-apps embedded within social feeds, enabling users to effortlessly make on-chain payments, engage in interactions, and perform actions without leaving their content stream. More than just a tool, Smart Widgets serve as an open, decentralized app store, empowering both users and developers with unparalleled creativity and flexibility.

Smart Widgets come in three user-friendly formats to meet diverse needs:

• Basic Widgets: Anyone can create these using an intuitive editor—just pick a template, add content, and generate features like zap, minting, or voting. Users can interact with these actions directly in their feed with a single click, enjoying a fast, seamless experience.
• Action Widgets: Users can quickly create these by embedding app links, no coding required. With a single tap on a button in the feed, users can access external decentralized apps (like exchanges) right within the interface, ensuring a smooth, uninterrupted experience.
• Tool Widgets (Mini Apps): Designed for developers or users with coding skills, these are built using the Smart Widgets SDK to create more advanced apps with complex on-chain operations. Users can perform tasks like data queries, on-chain actions, gaming, or instant payments directly in their social feed, with a highly integrated and fluid experience.

Key Features:

• Rapid Development: Developers can turn ideas into reality in just hours, using familiar web technologies to create near-native app experiences—no lengthy app store reviews required.
• Social Login: Users can access Mini Apps without usernames or passwords, using their Nostr/YakiHonne identity to interact seamlessly within their social feed, making the experience more connected and effortless.
• Easy Discovery and Retention: With one-tap discovery through social feeds, built-in viral growth mechanics, and a Mini App store for more options, users can explore new apps effortlessly. They can save favorites and get notifications to return for more.
• Instant Interaction and Consumption: Mini Apps integrate seamlessly with YakiHonne’s social payment infrastructure, allowing users to pay, vote, or play games without leaving their feed. Social engagement and on-chain actions blend naturally, with consumption woven effortlessly into every interaction.

Transforming Daily Experiences: Smart Widgets in Action

YakiHonne Smart Widgets bridge social engagement and on-chain consumption, delivering a wide range of use cases: - On-Chain Interactions: While browsing their feed, users can join on-chain votes or play lightweight games through Smart Widgets—like casting a vote on a community proposal or challenging a friend to a quick game, all without leaving the app. - Smart Agents: Users can leverage Agent Widgets to auto-create and share content, such as personalized posts or short videos, powering an AI-driven media experience. - DAO Governance: Using aMACI for anonymous voting, combined with Agent Widgets for autonomous governance, users can participate in DAO decisions directly within their feed, fostering decentralized community growth. - Social Zap: Users can send small tips through their feed, like rewarding a friend’s post with an on-chain token, sparking more engagement and driving consumption. - Content Subscriptions: Support creators or apps with ongoing subscriptions—users can subscribe to their favorite services with one tap, enjoying a seamless renewal experience.

These scenarios not only boost user engagement and convenience but also open new growth opportunities for creators, developers, and communities.

Shaping the Future: The Ecosystem Impact of Smart Widgets

YakiHonne Smart Widgets are poised to transform the on-chain app ecosystem and social payments. They provide an open platform for developers, enabling anyone to deploy innovative apps quickly and enrich YakiHonne’s ecosystem. YakiHonne’s social payment infrastructure further empowers Mini Apps by offering efficient payment support, reducing integration costs for developers while ensuring a secure, seamless transaction experience for users. This support accelerates the commercialization of Mini Apps and fuels the growth of on-chain consumption.

For users, Smart Widgets seamlessly blend social interaction with consumption, creating an immersive and practical digital experience. For creators and communities, they offer a low-barrier entry to on-chain opportunities, helping them connect with a global audience. This product isn’t just a technological leap—it’s a glimpse into the future of decentralized lifestyles. YakiHonne is committed to building an open, vibrant social and consumption ecosystem through Smart Widgets, where every interaction sparks on-chain value.

Join the Future: Explore Smart Widgets Today

YakiHonne invites users and developers worldwide to join this exciting journey. Developers can apply to join the Smart Widgets SDK testing program, creating their own Mini Apps and tapping into YakiHonne’s global user base. Users can follow YakiHonne on official channels –X or download the YakiHonne iOS/Android app– to experience the next generation of on-chain interactions and social payments.

YakiHonne Programmable Smart Widgets are set to launch a new chapter for social and on-chain consumption. Let’s embrace this transformation together!

@ 502ab02a:a2860397

ต้องขอบคุณระบบ facebook ที่มีระบบการจัดการในการเก็บข้อมูล "แย่มาก" ทำให้การพยายาม search มาแปะรวมกันมันยาก เลยเขียนใหม่เลยแล้วกัน จะได้เอาไปเก็บในทุ่งม่วงด้วยครับ บริบทที่เราจะคุยกันคือ องค์ประกอบของ seed oil เอาแค่ว่ามันมีอะไรแล้วจะกลายเป็นอะไร ส่วนการทอด กับ กระบวนการ AGEs คงจะเขียนถึงต่างหาก เพื่อนๆที่เพิ่งรู้จักเฮีย มาใหม่ หรืออะไรก็แล้วแต่ เริ่มต้นจากการอ่านย้อนทำความรู้จักกันก่อน ก่อนที่จะทะลุถาม ถาม ถาม เข้าใจว่า สุจิปุลิ มันมี ปุจฉา แต่มันไม่ใช่ตัว main โอเคนะ เราคุยเรื่องนี้กันมา 8-9 ปีแล้ว ฝั่งคีโตนี่ถกเรื่อง seed oil จนก้าวข้ามกันไปนานแล้ว อย่าถามหาเลยว่าอะไรดี none of above อะครับ แล้วน้ำมันดีแต่ปรุงอาหารเลว มันก็เลวได้ จะดีก็ฟงหวิน จะเลวก็ฟงหวิน เฮียว่า... ถ้าเดินเข้าซูเปอร์แล้วมองไปที่ชั้นขายน้ำมัน คนส่วนใหญ่น่าจะเลือกหยิบน้ำมันพืชที่ขวดใส ๆ ฉลากบอกว่า “ช่วยลดคอเลสเตอรอล” โดยที่ไม่ได้สงสัยอะไร เพราะภาพลักษณ์มันดูสะอาด ใส เบา สุขภาพดี และยังบอกอีกว่ามีไฟโตสเตอรอลสูง ฟังแล้วเหมือนมันคือฮีโร่ที่เกิดมาเพื่อปกป้องหัวใจเรา แต่เฮียอยากชวนให้ตั้งคำถามนิดนึงว่า… ไฟโตสเตอรอลมันคืออะไร แล้วมันจำเป็นกับร่างกายจริงไหม? คำตอบคือ ไฟโตสเตอรอลมันเป็นสารจากพืชที่โครงสร้างคล้ายคอเลสเตอรอลของเรา แต่ร่างกายไม่สามารถใช้มันได้เลย มันไม่ได้กลายเป็นฮอร์โมน ไม่ได้ช่วยซ่อมผนังเซลล์ ไม่ได้เป็นวัตถุดิบสร้างวิตามิน D แถมเวลามันเข้าไปในร่างกาย มันยังไปแย่งตัวดูดซึมคอเลสเตอรอลดี ๆ ที่เราควรจะได้อีก เหมือนเรากำลังจะกินไข่แดงอุ่น ๆ ที่มีคอเลสเตอรอลดีเต็มไปหมด แต่ไฟโตสเตอรอลดันมานั่งจองที่ก่อน แล้วก็ไม่ยอมให้ไข่เข้าไปนั่งในระบบเรา

ทีนี้บางคนอาจบอกว่า “เอ้า! ดีสิ ลดคอเลสเตอรอลได้” เฮียอยากบอกว่า… ลดไปแบบนั้น มันลดของดีที่ร่างกายต้องใช้ไปด้วย เพราะคอเลสเตอรอลไม่ใช่ผู้ร้ายนะ มันคือสารตั้งต้นของฮอร์โมนเพศ ฮอร์โมนความเครียด วิตามิน D และผนังเซลล์แทบทุกเซลล์ในร่างกาย และที่สำคัญ… คนที่มีคอเลสเตอรอลต่ำเกินไป มักมีภาวะซึมเศร้า ระบบภูมิคุ้มกันตก และมีปัญหาเกี่ยวกับฮอร์โมนแบบไม่รู้ตัวด้วยซ้ำ

น้ำมันพืชพวกนี้... โดยเฉพาะที่โชว์ว่ามีไฟโตสเตอรอลสูง มักจะมาจากเมล็ดพืชราคาถูก ต้องผ่านกระบวนการอุตสาหกรรมหลายขั้น ตั้งแต่บีบ กลั่น ฟอกสี กำจัดกลิ่น แล้วก็ใส่สารป้องกันเหม็นหืน หรือบางแบรนด์ก็ต้องเติมวิตามินอีสังเคราะห์เข้าไป เพราะน้ำมันมันอ่อนแอขนาดโดนอากาศแป๊บเดียวก็เหม็น ทำไมต้องเติม? เพราะถ้าไม่เติม มันจะเหม็นหืนไวมาก ทั้งจากแสง ความร้อน และออกซิเจน ทำให้ขายไม่ออก คนไม่อยากใช้

และเฮียจะเล่าให้ฟังว่า ไอ้ไฟโตสเตอรอลที่โฆษณาว่าช่วยลดคอเลสเตอรอลนั้น ต่อให้จะเห็นผลจริง ๆ ก็ต้องบริโภควันละเป็นลิตรนะ... ใช่ ลิตร ไม่ใช่ช้อนโต๊ะ!

ซึ่งก่อนที่คอเลสเตอรอลในเลือดจะลด ตับของเรานี่แหละจะพังก่อน เพราะต้องขับกรองทั้งไฟโตสเตอรอลและอนุมูลอิสระจากน้ำมันพืชออกไปให้ได้ แต่โฆษณาไม่ได้เล่าแบบนั้นไง...

เพราะอะไรที่ดูดีจากโรงงาน มักไม่ได้ดีต่อร่างกายเท่าอาหารที่ออกมาจากธรรมชาติ นี่แหละเฮียถึงอยากเริ่มซีรีส์นี้ขึ้นมา “น้ำมันพืชขวดใส ในความเห็นของฉัน” เฮียจะพาไปดูทีละขวด ตั้งแต่น้ำมันรำข้าว น้ำมันถั่วเหลือง น้ำมันข้าวโพด น้ำมันดอกทานตะวัน จนถึงน้ำมันเบลนด์ที่รวมกันมั่ว ๆ แล้วเขียนไว้ว่า “ดีต่อใจ” แต่อาจไม่ดีต่อ “ตับ ฮอร์โมน” เท่าไหร่นัก

ใครที่เคยเข้าใจว่าน้ำมันพืชคือของดี อาจต้องกลับมาทบทวนใหม่อีกครั้งว่าข้อมูลจากอีกมุมนึง สมควรแก่การพิจารณาไหม แล้วเดี๋ยวตอนหน้า เฮียจะเล่าให้อ่าน ว่า “น้ำมันรำข้าว” ที่หลายคนเข้าใจว่าดีต่อสุขภาพ จริง ๆ แล้วดีจริงไหม

@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43

Assumptions

| Factor | Assumption | |--------|------------| | CO₂ | Not considered a pollutant or is captured/stored later | | Water Use | Regulated across all sources; cooling towers or dry cooling required | | Compliance Cost | Nuclear no longer burdened by long licensing and construction delays | | Coal Waste | Treated as valuable raw material (e.g., fly ash for cement, gypsum from scrubbers) | | Nuclear Tech | Gen IV SMRs in widespread use (e.g., 50–300 MWe units, modular build, passive safety) | | Grid Role | All three provide baseload or load-following power | | Fuel Pricing | Moderate and stable (no energy crisis or supply chain disruptions) |

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Performance Comparison

| Category | Coal (IGCC + Scrubbers) | Natural Gas (CCGT) | Nuclear (Gen IV SMRs) | |---------|-----------------------------|------------------------|--------------------------| | Thermal Efficiency | 40–45% | 55–62% | 30–35% | | CAPEX ($/kW) | $3,500–5,000 | $900–1,300 | $4,000–7,000 (modularized) | | O&M Cost ($/MWh) | $30–50 | $10–20 | $10–25 | | Fuel Cost ($/MWh) | $15–25 | $25–35 | $6–10 | | Water Use (gal/MWh) | 300–500 (with cooling towers) | 100–250 | 300–600 | | Air Emissions | Very low (excluding CO₂) | Very low | None | | Waste | Usable (fly ash, FGD gypsum, slag) | Minimal | Compact, long-term storage required | | Ramp/Flexibility | Slow ramp (newer designs better) | Fast ramp | Medium (SMRs better than traditional) | | Footprint (Land & Supply) | Large (mining, transport) | Medium | Small | | Energy Density | Medium | Medium-high | Very high | | Build Time | 4–7 years | 2–4 years | 2–5 years (with factory builds) | | Lifecycle (years) | 40+ | 30+ | 60+ | | Grid Resilience | High | High | Very High (passive safety, long refuel) |

---

Strategic Role Summary

1. Coal (Clean & Integrated)

• Strengths: Long-term fuel security; byproduct reuse; high reliability; domestic resource.
• Drawbacks: Still low flexibility; moderate efficiency; large physical/logistical footprint.
• Strategic Role: Best suited for regions with abundant coal and industrial reuse markets.

2. Natural Gas (CCGT)

• Strengths: High efficiency, low CAPEX, grid agility, low emissions.
• Drawbacks: Still fossil-based; dependent on well infrastructure; less long-lived.
• Strategic Role: Excellent transitional and peaking solution; strong complement to renewables.

3. Nuclear (Gen IV SMRs)

• Strengths: Highest energy density; no air emissions or CO₂; long lifespan; modular & scalable.
• Drawbacks: Still needs safe waste handling; high upfront cost; novel tech in deployment stage.
• Strategic Role: Ideal for low-carbon baseload, remote areas, and national strategic assets.

---

Adjusted Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE)

| Source | LCOE ($/MWh) | Notes | |--------|------------------|-------| | Coal (IGCC w/scrubbers) | ~$75–95 | Lower with valuable waste | | Natural Gas (CCGT) | ~$45–70 | Highly competitive if fuel costs are stable | | Gen IV SMRs | ~$65–85 | Assuming factory production and streamlined permitting |

---

Final Verdict (Under Optimized Assumptions)

• Most Economical Short-Term: Natural Gas
• Most Strategic Long-Term: Gen IV SMRs
• Most Viable if Industrial Ecosystem Exists: Clean Coal

All three could coexist in a diversified, stable energy grid: - Coal filling a regional or industrial niche, - Gas providing flexibility and economy, - SMRs ensuring long-term sustainability and energy security.

@ fbf0e434:e1be6a39

Hackathon 总结

SheHacks+ 9 活动由 Women in Technology Society (WITS+) 于2025年1月10日举办。此次Hackathon 旨在提升科技行业的多元化领导力，通过邀请全国的女性和非二元人士参与。

活动共注册了47个项目，聚焦于创造一个支持性的环境，充分激发参赛者的技术能力。与WITS+的使命一致，通过技能开发、经验学习和行业联系来赋能科技领域的女性。遵循MLH行为准则，这次 Hackathon 提倡包容性，接纳了各种背景的参与者，增强了其多元化参与者的创新潜力。47个项目的成果突显了Hackathon 在激发技术进步和社区参与方面的成功。

Hackathon 获奖者

最佳硬件Hack奖 获奖者

• SpaceInAccessibility: 将AI和硬件结合，实现对聋哑宇航员的实时ASL翻译，利用手势识别和触觉传感器激活来实现太空中的无缝交流。

最佳初学者Hack奖 获奖者

• Dance it, Post it!: 使用MediaPipe和OpenCV通过网络摄像头追踪舞蹈动作，结合React前端和Python后端实现实时分析和反馈。

SheHacks+ 获奖者

• Overall 第一名: SpaceInAccessibility
• Overall 第二名: pantrypixie: 通过扫描收据和跟踪过期日期来解决食物浪费问题，利用Python和AI提供食谱建议及数字储藏界面。
• Overall 第三名: SqWiTs Game: 使用YOLOv5和Databricks来应对手机成瘾，提供游戏化界面以管理分心。

Passport奖 获奖者

(未指定)

Warp最佳开发者工具奖 获奖者

• Synapse: 通过AI将自然语言翻译为命令行指令，实现跨平台集成和安全特性，提高命令行的可访问性。

Hacker奥运奖 获奖者

• Overall 第一名: StarCheck: 结合任务清单管理和太空探险主题的互动平台，使用游戏化界面提升任务效果。
• Overall 第二名: dire: 一个用于管理待办事项清单和习惯追踪的网页应用，具备互动奖励，保持专注和清晰。
• Overall 第三名: Space Cruise+: 提供太空任务管理系统，具有本地存储功能，支持具体任务清单。

最佳GenAI应用奖 获奖者

• DevSpeak: 利用AI翻译技术术语为易懂语言的Chrome扩展，促进技术团队和非技术团队之间的沟通。

使用Cloudflare构建最佳AI应用奖 获奖者

(未指定)

用Databricks开源构建最佳AI项目奖 获奖者

• SqWiTs Game

首次黑客奖最具创新力AI项目 获奖者

• SyllaBud: 利用OpenAI语言处理帮助学生管理课程，通过将教学大纲组织到一个中央计划表中，简化学术任务。

附加信息

查看所有项目于 https://dorahacks.io/hackathon/shehacks-9/buidl。

关于组织者

WITS+

西方科技女性+ (WITS+) 是西安大略大学中关注科技的女性和非二元学生的领先组织。该组织因促进包容性和成长而著称，已建立了推动技术创新和学习的成功项目和活动的传统。组织强调合作和赋能，为会员提供与行业相关的见解和发展机会。致力于提升科技领域的多样性，WITS+ 不断努力为未来的科技领袖创造一个欢迎的空间。更多信息请访问 wits-uwo.ca。

@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43

A follow-up to nostr:naddr1qqgxxwtyxe3kvc3jvvuxywtyxs6rjq3qc856kwjk524kef97hazw5e9jlkjq4333r6yxh2rtgefpd894ddpsxpqqqp65wuaydz8

This whitepaper, a comparison of baseload power options, explores a strategic policy framework to reduce the cost of next-generation nuclear power by aligning Gen IV Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) with national security objectives, public utility management, and a competitive manufacturing ecosystem modeled after the aerospace industry. Under this approach, SMRs could deliver stable, carbon-free power at $40–55/MWh, rivaling the economics of natural gas and renewables.

---

1. Context and Strategic Opportunity

Current Nuclear Cost Challenges

• High capital expenditure ($4,000–$12,000/kW)
• Lengthy permitting and construction timelines (10–15 years)
• Regulatory delays and public opposition
• Customized, one-off reactor designs with no economies of scale

The Promise of SMRs

• Factory-built, modular units
• Lower absolute cost and shorter build time
• Enhanced passive safety
• Scalable deployment

---

2. National Security as a Catalyst

Strategic Benefits

• Energy resilience for critical defense infrastructure
• Off-grid operation and EMP/cyber threat mitigation
• Long-duration fuel cycles reduce logistical risk

Policy Implications

• Streamlined permitting and site access under national defense exemptions
• Budget support via Department of Defense and Department of Energy
• Co-location on military bases and federal sites

---

3. Publicly Chartered Utilities: A New Operating Model

Utility Framework

• Federally chartered, low-margin operator (like TVA or USPS)
• Financially self-sustaining through long-term PPAs
• Focus on reliability, security, and public service over profit

Cost Advantages

• Lower cost of capital through public backing
• Predictable revenue models
• Community trust and stakeholder alignment

---

4. Competitive Manufacturing: The Aviation Analogy

Model Characteristics

• Multiple certified vendors, competing under common safety frameworks
• Factory-scale production and supply chain specialization
• Domestic sourcing for critical components and fuel

Benefits

• Cost reductions from repetition and volume
• Innovation through competition
• Export potential and industrial job creation

---

5. Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) Impact

| Cost Lever | Estimated LCOE Reduction | |------------|--------------------------| | Streamlined regulation | -10 to -20% | | Public-charter operation | -5 to -15% | | Factory-built SMRs | -15 to -30% | | Defense market anchor | -10% |

Estimated Resulting LCOE: $40–55/MWh

---

6. Strategic Outcomes

• Nuclear cost competitiveness with gas and renewables
• Decarbonization without reliability sacrifice
• Strengthened national energy resilience
• Industrial and workforce revitalization
• U.S. global leadership in clean, secure nuclear energy

---

7. Recommendations

• Create a public-private chartered SMR utility
• Deploy initial reactors on military and federal lands
• Incentivize competitive SMR manufacturing consortia
• Establish fast-track licensing for Gen IV designs
• Align DoD/DOE energy procurement to SMR adoption

---

Conclusion

This strategy would transform nuclear power from a high-cost, high-risk sector into a mission-driven, economically viable backbone of American energy and defense infrastructure. By treating SMRs as strategic assets, not just energy projects, the U.S. can unlock affordable, scalable, and secure nuclear power for generations to come.

@ fbf0e434:e1be6a39

Hackathon 概要

渥太华大学官方黑客松 uOttaHack 7，在 286 名参与者提交 138 个项目的热烈支持下圆满收官。本次赛事评审标准聚焦创新力、技术复杂度、实用性及展示效果，确保参赛项目为现实问题提供独特且富有创意的解决方案。活动鼓励跨背景、跨技能水平的学生协作开发，致力于打造兼具影响力的技术成果，成为连接技术理想与落地实践的桥梁。

赛事特别注重学习交流与社交网络搭建，为编程新手与资深开发者提供了平等对话、协同创新的平台，深度践行渥太华大学推动科技领域创新合作的使命。现场涌现的优秀项目充分展现了参与者的创造力与技术功底，不仅为个人成长积累实战经验，更为未来技术突破埋下创新种子。

Hackathon 获奖者

uOttaHack 7 在 16 个类别中展示了各种创新项目，颁发了 23 个子奖以表彰 853 名参与者的成就。以下部分提供了获奖团队及其值得注意的贡献的概述。

uOttaHack 综合挑战奖获奖者

• KellerApp: 通过使用互动工具将英语翻译为 BSL，促进听障人群与听力正常人群之间的交流。
• MemoryMate: 一种智能眼镜设备，受到 AI 辅助，帮助痴呆症患者通过伴侣 app 回忆互动。
• Sweatris: 一款通过身体动作控制的交互式俄罗斯方块游戏，将身体健康与游戏结合。

Solace 奖获奖者

• uOttaType: 利用 Solace 事件代理，通过 AI 驱动的功能（如实时转录和聊天）增强文档协作。

QNX 奖获奖者

• QNX - Traffic Lights: 一个在 Raspberry Pi 4 上部署的实时交通灯系统，使用 QNX 8.0，结合行人功能和开源项目。

Survey Monkey 奖获奖者

• Opinionated Orangutans: 使用 OpenAI 的 API 创建个性化调查，针对用户数据和浏览习惯量身定制。
• Survey Monkey Chatbot: 通过 GROQ AI 推动的对话收集调查数据，结合情感分析。
• Cartbuddy: 使用 SurveyMonkey 的 API 提升零售反馈和参与度，结合 AI 驱动的功能。

NAV CANADA 奖获奖者

• Sweatris

DeepCode 奖获奖者

• SecureVision: 威胁分析系统，通过丰富的 API 增强原始安全数据，以获取高级网络安全洞察。

Starknet 奖获奖者

• Dice-Roll OnChain: 基于区块链的 C++ 游戏在 Starknet 上适应，让游戏玩法通过链上验证透明化。
• Playtopia: Build Your Game, Earn Real $$$: 允许用户通过技能游戏赚钱。
• Focusify | Distributed Mental Health Focus App: 通过去中心化技术支持的游戏机制，促进学生的专注力。

Gadget 奖获奖者

• cuNext: 改进 Carleton Central 的用户体验，使用 Gadget 重设计界面。
• Skej: 通过 AI 提供课程注册生成简化的日程表，并提供教授评价和语音命令等功能。

Groq 奖获奖者

• SilentGuard: 提供由 AI 和特定激活短语的模拟电话呼叫支持的手机 app，提供低调的紧急援助。

MLH 奖获奖者

• SecureVision
• AgentSingularity: 使用由 LLM 驱动的 UI 部署定制化代理，从网络抓取文档中创建功能。
• KellerApp
• Talent Forge: 促进不使用金钱交易的技能交换，结合 AI 完善简历分析。
• SilentGuard
• Act2Learn: 通过角色扮演场景和个性化反馈利用 OpenAI API 增强学习。

Tail'ed 奖获奖者

• HealthSync-360: 一个整合 Groq AI 的健康追踪应用，计划扩展到主要的健身平台。

有关所有参赛项目的详细信息，请访问 uOttaHack 7 Projects。

关于主办方

uOttaHack

uOttaHack 专注于促进科技和区块链领域的创新与技能发展。以组织 Hackathon 著称，它汇集学生、专业人士和行业专家，通过合作解决现实世界的挑战。凭借在主办鼓励创造性问题解决活动方面的专业知识，uOttaHack 建立了培养技术人才和促进社交网络的声誉。目前关注点包括促进技术进步和支持对科技界有潜在影响的项目。

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

The Eastern Cape is one of South Africa’s most authentic and unspoiled provinces, offering a mix of dramatic coastlines, mountainous interiors, rolling valleys, and vibrant Xhosa culture. It’s the birthplace of legends like Nelson Mandela, and a region where nature and heritage live side by side.

🌄 Top Places to Visit in the Eastern Cape

🐘 Addo Elephant National Park

• South Africa’s third-largest national park
• Home to over 600 elephants, plus the Big Five and even marine life like great white sharks and whales
• Malaria-free and perfect for self-drives or guided safaris

🏄‍♂️ Jeffreys Bay (J-Bay)

• One of the world’s top surfing destinations
• Relaxed beach town with laid-back vibes, beach bars, and shell collecting
• Annual World Surf League event every July

🌊 Wild Coast

• Rugged, untouched coastline stretching from East London to the KwaZulu-Natal border
• Visit the Hole in the Wall, explore Coffee Bay, or hike the Wild Coast Trail
• Traditional Xhosa villages, cows on the beach, and star-filled nights

🏙️ Port Elizabeth / Gqeberha

• Coastal city known for friendly locals and wide beaches
• Visit the Donkin Heritage Trail, chill at King’s Beach, or dive in the Algoa Bay marine reserve
• Gateway to Addo and the Garden Route

🏞️ Hogsback

• Misty forests, waterfalls, and Hobbit-like landscapes (inspired Tolkien!)
• Ideal for hiking, forest bathing, and quiet retreats
• Artistic village with eco lodges, crystal shops, and labyrinths

⛰️ Drakensberg Mountains (Eastern Slopes)

• The far reaches of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg, lesser-known and less crowded
• Great for hiking, rock art viewing, and mountain escapes

🌍 Cultural Experiences

• Qunu & Mthatha – Visit the Nelson Mandela Museum and the village where he grew up
• Experience traditional Xhosa food, music, and village life
• Look out for rondavels (round huts), beadwork, and storytelling traditions

🚙 How to Travel

• The Eastern Cape is best explored by car or guided tours, especially the Wild Coast where roads can be rough
• Flights into Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) or East London
• Be prepared for off-the-beaten-path adventures—it's part of the charm!

📅 Best Time to Visit

• Spring/Summer (Oct–Mar): Warm weather, great for beaches and outdoor travel
• Winter (Jun–Aug): Mild inland, cooler on the coast, excellent for hiking and safaris
• Year-round destination, depending on your interests

🛶 Must-Do Experiences

• Kayak on the Keurbooms River
• Watch whales and dolphins in Algoa Bay
• Camp, hike, or surf along the Wild Coast
• Immerse yourself in the rural charm and hospitality of the Amathole Mountains

@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43

The United States is on the cusp of a historic technological renaissance, often referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Artificial intelligence, automation, advanced robotics, quantum computing, biotechnology, and clean manufacturing are converging into a seismic shift that will redefine how we live, work, and relate to one another. But there's a critical catch: this transformation depends entirely on the availability of stable, abundant, and inexpensive electricity.

Why Electricity is the Keystone of Innovation

Let’s start with something basic but often overlooked. Every industrial revolution has had an energy driver:

• The First rode the steam engine, powered by coal.
• The Second was electrified through centralized power plants.
• The Third harnessed computing and the internet.
• The Fourth will demand energy on a scale and reliability never seen before.

Imagine a city where thousands of small factories run 24/7 with robotics and AI doing precision manufacturing. Imagine a national network of autonomous vehicles, delivery drones, urban vertical farms, and high-bandwidth communication systems. All of this requires uninterrupted and inexpensive power.

Without it? Costs balloon. Innovation stalls. Investment leaves. And America risks becoming a second-tier economic power in a multipolar world.

So here’s the thesis: If we want to lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we must first lead in energy. And nuclear — specifically Gen IV Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) — must be part of that leadership.

---

The Nuclear Case: Clean, Scalable, Strategic

Let’s debunk the myth: nuclear is not the boogeyman of the 1970s. It’s one of the safest, cleanest, and most energy-dense sources we have.

But traditional nuclear has problems:

• Too expensive to build.
• Too long to license.
• Too bespoke and complex.

Enter Gen IV SMRs:

• Factory-built and transportable.
• Passively safe with walk-away safety designs.
• Scalable in 50–300 MWe increments.
• Ideal for remote areas, industrial parks, and military bases.

But even SMRs will struggle under the current regulatory, economic, and manufacturing ecosystem. To unlock their potential, we need a new national approach.

---

The Argument for National Strategy

Let’s paint a vision:

SMRs deployed at military bases across the country, secured by trained personnel, powering critical infrastructure, and feeding clean, carbon-free power back into surrounding communities.

SMRs operated by public chartered utilities—not for Wall Street profits, but for stability, security, and public good.

SMRs manufactured by a competitive ecosystem of certified vendors, just like aircraft or medical devices, with standard parts and rapid regulatory approval.

This isn't science fiction. It's a plausible, powerful model. Here’s how we do it.

---

Step 1: Treat SMRs as a National Security Asset

Why does the Department of Defense spend billions to secure oil convoys and build fuel depots across the world, but not invest in nuclear microgrids that would make forward bases self-sufficient for decades?

Nuclear power is inherently a strategic asset:

• Immune to price shocks.
• Hard to sabotage.
• Decades of stable power from a small footprint.

It’s time to reframe SMRs from an energy project to a national security platform. That changes everything.

---

Step 2: Create Public-Chartered Operating Companies

We don’t need another corporate monopoly or Wall Street scheme. Instead, let’s charter SMR utilities the way we chartered the TVA or the Postal Service:

• Low-margin, mission-oriented.
• Publicly accountable.
• Able to sign long-term contracts with DOD, DOE, or regional utilities.

These organizations won’t chase quarterly profits. They’ll chase uptime, grid stability, and national resilience.

---

Step 3: Build a Competitive SMR Industry Like Aerospace

Imagine multiple manufacturers building SMRs to common, certified standards. Components sourced from a wide supplier base. Designs evolving year over year, with upgrades like software and avionics do.

This is how we build:

• Safer reactors
• Cheaper units
• Modular designs
• A real export industry

Airplanes are safe, affordable, and efficient because of scale and standardization. We can do the same with reactors.

---

Step 4: Anchor SMRs to the Coming Fourth Industrial Revolution

AI, robotics, and distributed manufacturing don’t need fossil fuels. They need cheap, clean, continuous electricity.

• AI datacenters
• Robotic agriculture
• Carbon-free steel and cement
• Direct air capture
• Electric industrial transport

SMRs enable this future. And they decentralize power, both literally and economically. That means jobs in every region, not just coastal tech hubs.

---

Step 5: Pair Energy Sovereignty with Economic Reform

Here’s the big leap: what if this new energy architecture was tied to a transparent, auditable, and sovereign monetary system?

• Public utilities priced in a new digital dollar.
• Trade policy balanced by low-carbon energy exports.
• Public accounting verified with open ledgers.

This is not just national security. It’s monetary resilience.

The world is moving to multi-polar trade systems. Energy exports and energy reliability will define economic influence. If America leads with SMRs, we lead the conversation.

---

Conclusion: A Moral and Strategic Imperative

We can either:

• Let outdated fears and bureaucracy stall the future, or...
• Build the infrastructure for clean, secure, and sovereign prosperity.

We have the designs.
We have the talent.
We have the need.

What we need now is will.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution will either be powered by us—or by someone else. Let’s make sure America leads. And let’s do it with SMRs, public charter, competitive industry, and national purpose.

It’s time.

---

This is a call to engineers, legislators, veterans, economists, and every American who believes in building again. SMRs are not just about power. They are about sovereignty, security, and shared prosperity.

---

Further reading:

nostr:naddr1qqgrjv33xenx2drpve3kxvrp8quxgqgcwaehxw309anxjmr5v4ezumn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tczyrq7n2e62632km9yh6l5f6nykt76gzkxxy0gs6agddr9y95uk445xqcyqqq823cdzc99s

@ 16f1a010:31b1074b

Arceus was born from nothing, not even chaos.

Arceus soon made Dialga, Palkia, and then Giratina. Dialga created time, Palkia created space, and Giratina created anti-matter. And thus, the Universe was born.

Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina began battling and as a result were banished to their individual realms by Arceus.

Arceus then created Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza. Groudon formed the huge celestial bodies known as planets, and the trio chose one to inhabit with life. Arceus created the sun, then shot off across the universe to create all the many stars.

But he had learnt from experience, so he tasked Rayquaza as the peace-keeper.

The trio set to work, with Groudon raising land violently, creating volcanoes and mountains; Kyogre, creating the seas, where the land was not, and Rayquaza making an atmosphere full of 'air'.

Sure enough, Kyogre's waters started to corrode Groudon's land, and this angered him. The two battled, but Rayquaza broke it up, and sent Groudon deep underground, while Kyogre was sent deep into the oceans, before returning out into the ozone layer.

Soon, Arceus returned, and it tried to make life, but failed miserably. So it created Regigigas. Regigigas moved the continents with its bare hands, piecing them together like a puzzle.

When the final chunk of land was put into place, the world sprung to life, with grass and trees sprouting everywhere. Finally, the world was ready for life.

Arceus sent Regigigas into a coma until it was needed once more. It then created thousands of Pokémon to inhabit the world. These Pokémon belonged to one of five races.

Celebi   Jirachi   Mew  

Manaphy   or Victini  

It also created Latios and Latias, its personal agents, whom it sent flying through the universe in search of a species with great intelligence to live in harmony with its creations, before leaving once more to regain energy.

      

After much searching, Latias found an intelligent alien species known as Deoxys. They were bacterial but advanced. They chose a few of them and brought them back to their world.
  
For a while, things were fine, and the Deoxys and natives lived together in harmony. Until the Deoxys discovered they could 'infect' the natives and use their bodies. Suddenly, they were all infecting a host, and then war broke out.

The Mew, Jirachi, Manaphy, Celebi, and Victini battled their infected brethren to set them free, while the Deoxys sought total dominance.

The war raged on for many centuries, until there were but a handful left of each species. Arceus returned and destroyed the last of the Deoxys, but the damage was done. The population of the world was little more than 20.

The Celebi retreated to the forests, hiding amongst the trees and in time. The Manaphy retreated to the sea, the Jirachi fell asleep, only waking up every so often, and the Victini hid in far-off lands.
This left only the Mew.

During the war, three Mew had hidden under lakes in search of enlightenment.
          
               
Leaving only a handful of Mew left to roam. They were alone.

The war had left the land in ruins; some places were battle-scarred beyond repair. Instead of lush grass, there were harsh deserts. This angered Groudon, sending him into a rage. Volcanoes spurted and spewed lava everywhere.

One day, a Mew was floating along when a sudden flow of lava approached it. Thinking quickly, Mew unleashed energy inside it that even Arceus didn't know about. It morphed the lava into a form and gave it LIFE. The first Heatran was created.
 

Arceus sensed this and had an idea. Gathering all the able Mew, it channeled immense power through them, using their life-giving abilities to create more living creatures. These were crude and unfinished, prototypes of what was to come.

Aerodactyl filled the sky, while Lileep, Cranidos, and Shieldon roamed the land.

Anorith, Omanyte, and Kabuto populated the seas.
  

Arceus also bestowed upon most of these beings the power to 'evolve' into more powerful creatures if the correct environment was met.

Finally, Latias returned once more. They had been far more thorough in their searching than before. However, Arceus had told them to stop, but guilt kept them going. They were determined to complete their job.

They brought humans from another planet. Basic but intelligent beings who definitely lacked the ability to infect anything. The humans settled in quickly, initially living relatively separately from the animals.

But Arceus wasn't convinced; he felt the need to test them.

First, Arceus created Articuno, who he ordered to send the planet into an Ice Age.
  

Articuno froze the planet, killing many creatures, but giving birth to new ones like Mamoswine.
  

To Arceus' pleasure, the humans adapted, creating structures out of ice and snow. The severe drop in temperature awoke Regigigas, who rose high above the land and saw what was happening.

The humans instantly fell in love with Regigigas, worshipping the titan and creating statues of it from ice. Touched by this, Regigigas found one of the statues and breathed life into it before returning to sleep.
  

However, this scared the humans, and they locked it away in a cave.

Realizing that the Ice Age did not affect the humans, Arceus created another bird, Moltres, and ordered it to send the world into a drought. The ice melted, and the water evaporated as the temperature rose higher and higher.
  

While the humans continued to adapt, using the skills they had learned with the ice and applying them to rock, the creatures weren't as lucky. The Mamoswine and other creatures that adapted to the cold died off, but new ones such as huge insects like Yanmega became common.
  

Once again, the drought awoke Regigigas, who once again saw a statue of himself. Thinking the humans would have learned from last time, Regigigas gave it life. But rumors of the living statue had been passed down and exaggerated since last time, and once again, the scared humans locked away this second 'Regi'.
  

When the drought finally wore off, Arceus began the third and final test. He created one more legendary bird, Zapdos. Zapdos created powerful electrical storms all across the land.
  

The storms killed off the last of the prototype creatures, leaving only the humans and the few pets they brought from their home land. One extremely intelligent man managed to harness the power of electricity, creating the first electronic device.

Of course, Regigigas awoke one final time. He discovered that the humans were far more evolved than expected, able to harness metals and electricity, albeit at a somewhat primitive level. More out of tradition than anything else, Regigigas created the third Regi out of steel. The humans were no longer scared of this Regi, but they sealed it away with the other two nonetheless, knowing that one day someone powerful enough would tame them.
  

Arceus was baffled. The humans had passed all three tests of harsh weather. Zapdos calmed the storms, and the world became peaceful once again.

Arceus herded the Mew together for a second time. Having learned the strengths and weaknesses of his prototype beings, Arceus was ready to go farther.

Siphoning its huge power through the small pink beings, Arceus filled the world with hundreds of species of creatures that would become known as 'Pokémon'. They were more diverse than it had ever imagined, filling the skies, land, and sea.

The life energies even reacted with the sun rays and moonlight, creating Ho-oh and Lugia respectively.
    

Some radiated out of the planet's moon, creating a population of Clefairy, as well as Cresselia on the light side and Darkrai on the dark side of the moon.
      

Lugia befriended the three elemental birds, and they followed him like a leader. Meanwhile, humans started to get closer to these new creatures, using them as slaves, weapons, or pets. The term 'Pokémon' arose from strange travelers and stuck.

The first Pokéballs were created from Apricorns, and the bond between human and Pokémon was complete.
    

Ho-oh took residence at the top of the Bell Tower. It was jealous of Lugia's trio of birds and wanted one of its own. One day, three Kimono girls entered its tower with a Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon.
      

Ho-oh burnt down the tower with its Sacred Fire. Most escaped, but the three Pokémon were trapped and perished in the flames. Ho-oh soon resurrected them as Entei, Raikou, and Suicune.
      

Humans continued to evolve and take over the land, and Pokémon continued to work alongside and for them for many, many years.

That is the story of the Pokémon World.

@ edeb837b:ac664163

If you’ve spent any time around stock trading communities, chances are you’ve heard the name Webull pop up more than once. It’s not just another brokerage app—it’s one of the go-to platforms for retail traders across the globe. But what exactly is Webull? Why do so many individual traders prefer it over other platforms? And how does NVSTly take its capabilities even further?

Let’s break it all down.

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What Is Webull?

Webull is a commission-free trading app that allows users to trade stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies from their phones or desktop. Launched in 2017, it quickly gained popularity for its sleek interface, real-time data, and powerful tools—all without the traditional fees associated with many brokerage platforms.

While it’s often compared to Robinhood, Webull caters more to active traders and those who want slightly more advanced tools without the complexity (or costs) of institutional-level platforms.

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What Can You Do on Webull?

Webull offers a full suite of features for modern traders:

• Commission-free trading for stocks, options, ETFs, and crypto
• Extended trading hours (premarket and after-hours)
• In-depth charting tools with technical indicators
• Fractional shares trading to invest with any dollar amount
• Paper trading for practice without real money
• Level 2 market data (Nasdaq TotalView, subscription-based)
• Custom alerts and watchlists
• Community feed for trade ideas and discussions

Whether you’re a beginner trying to learn the ropes or an experienced trader managing multiple positions daily, Webull is designed to give you an edge.

---

Why Retail Traders Prefer Webull Over Other Brokers

Here are some reasons why Webull has become a fan favorite among retail traders:

✅ Advanced Tools, Simple UI

Unlike many traditional brokers with clunky interfaces, Webull balances powerful tools with a user-friendly design. You get access to real-time quotes, charting with dozens of indicators, and customizable layouts—all wrapped in a clean, modern app.

✅ Free Options Trading

While some platforms charge per contract or per trade for options, Webull offers commission-free options trading, which is a huge win for active options traders.

✅ No Account Minimums

New traders can get started with as little (or as much) money as they want. There are no minimum deposit requirements for standard cash or margin accounts.

✅ Fractional Shares

Webull lets users invest in fractional shares, meaning you don’t need to buy an entire share of high-priced stocks like Amazon or Tesla. You can invest as little as $5 into a stock, making it easier to build a diversified portfolio with any budget.

✅ Paper Trading

Webull gives users a way to test strategies in a simulated environment, which is perfect for learning without risking real money.

✅ Mobile & Desktop Support

Webull’s mobile app is robust, but the desktop version is just as powerful—great for traders who prefer multi-screen setups or deeper analysis.

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Webull Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• $0 commissions on stocks, options, ETFs, and crypto
• Clean and intuitive interface
• Real-time data and news
• Built-in paper trading
• Fractional shares
• Support for extended hours trading
• Level 2 market data available

⚠️ Cons

• No mutual funds
• Webull uses a high spread for crypto trading
• Slight learning curve for beginners

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How NVSTly Supercharges Your Webull Experience

Webull is powerful on its own—but when integrated with NVSTly, it becomes next-level.

NVSTly is the fastest-growing social trading app, where traders can automatically track, share, and analyze their trades, all in one place. Thanks to deep Webull integration, you can now connect your Webull account to NVSTly in seconds.

🔗 Connect in Seconds with a QR Code

Linking your Webull account is as simple as scanning a QR code inside your NVSTly account settings using the Webull mobile app. That’s it—your trades are now synced automatically.

💼 What You Get with NVSTly + Webull

• Auto-tracked trades — No more manual logging or screenshots
• Real-time trade sharing — Followers see your trades as they happen
• Performance analytics — Gain insights into your win rate, risk/reward, and more
• Automate your trade signals — Save time and help followers catch entries earlier, closer to your price
• Trade history dashboards — View and share detailed stats for your trades, with visual breakdowns
• Daily/Weekly/Monthly Recaps — Get beautifully designed trade summaries sent straight to your Discord or social profiles

Whether you’re a solo trader or part of a larger trading community, NVSTly makes it ridiculously easy to share your journey, learn from others, and improve your performance—all while staying 100% focused on the markets.

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Final Thoughts

Webull has earned its spot as a top-tier brokerage app for retail traders, offering a powerful platform with zero commissions and high-quality tools. When paired with NVSTly, your trading becomes smarter and more connected—automating the way your trades are tracked, shared, and analyzed, so you can focus on the markets while NVSTly handles the rest.

If you’re a Webull user and haven’t connected to NVSTly yet, now’s the time. Your trading deserves more than just a broker—it deserves a platform built to grow with you.

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Ready to level up your Webull trading?
➡️ Sign in to NVSTly, go to Brokerages & Exchanges in your account settings, click Connect next to Webull, and follow the QR code instructions to link your account in seconds.

Available on web, iOS, Android, & fully integrated with Discord through a unique bot – the only of its kind!

@ 8d34bd24:414be32b

I was listening to “Ultimately with R.C. Sproul.” He made the comment that “Sin is so common that we don’t think it is that concerning, but it is especially concerning because it is so common.” This is so true.

I used to really look down on Adam and Eve for eating the forbidden fruit. I thought, “How hard is it to obey a single command? We have so many to obey today from God, government, parents, etc.” One day I finally realized two truths. Adam and Eve were adults, but they had not been around very long (the Bible doesn’t say how long, but the implication is not very long, maybe even as short as days after being created.) They didn’t have life experience. They also had never been lied to before. They weren’t looking at the world with suspicion. They lived in a perfect environment with a perfect, loving God. It would’ve never crossed their mind that a person would lie, so they trusted the lie instead of God.

Today, we live in a sinful, fallen world. Everyone lies. Everyone steals. Everyone is unkind. Everyone has selfish motives. Yes, there is a difference in how often and how “bad” the lie, the theft, the motive, or the unkindness, but sin is everywhere. We get used to it and it seems normal. When we act the same way, it doesn’t seem that bad. We just took a pen home from work, nobody will miss it. We just told the person what they wanted to hear, so we won’t hurt their feelings. It is only a little white lie. Yes, I was unkind, but that person really deserved it because they were worse. We think this way and excuse our sins because we aren’t as bad as someone else.

I’ve noticed as I’ve grown older that the age when you become old keeps getting older and older. Old is always a little bit older than I am. When I was 10, a teenager was really old. When I was 16, an 18 year old was an adult and old. When I was 20, a 40 year old was old. When I was 50, a 65 year old was old. Old keeps getting older because my reference is myself. The truth is that I am getting older. I am on the downhill slide. I am closer to death than I am to birth. My arbitrary, moving reference doesn’t change this fact.

In the same way, when we look at sin, we have the same problem. We are always looking for someone who sins worse to make us look better and to excuse our sins. We compare ourselves to sinful men instead of our perfect, holy, sinless Savior.

In an earlier post, I made the comparison of the lights in the sky. If you go outside on a dark, moonless night, you will see the stars in the sky shining. They seem bright, but some are brighter than others. You can compare the brightness of the stars and call some brighter and others darker, but when the sun rises, you can’t see any light from the stars. Their light is drowned out by the light of the sun. The sun is so much brighter that it is as if the stars don’t produce any light at all.

In the same way, we may do some good things. When we compare our good deeds to others, we may look better, but when the true reference, the Son of God is our reference, our good works look like they don’t exist at all. The differences between the best person and the worst person are insignificant, just like the brightness of the brightest star and the dimmest star seems insignificant when compared with the brightness of the Sun.

The cool thing is that there is another light in the sky, the moon. The moon doesn’t have any light of its own, but it is the second brightest light in the sky. Why? Because it reflects the light of the sun. We should be the same way. We will never measure up if we seek to be good and sinless. We will never meet the standard that Jesus set for us with His perfect, sinless, sacrificial life, but we can reflect the glory of Jesus in our lives.

Yes, when we sin, we can hurt others, but who are we really sinning against? David knows.

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;\ According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.\ Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity\ And cleanse me from my sin.\ For I know my transgressions,\ And my sin is ever before me.\ **Against You, You only, I have sinned\ And done what is evil in Your sight,\ So that You are justified when You speak\ And blameless when You judge.\ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,\ And in sin my mother conceived me.\ Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,\ And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. (Psalm 51:1-6) {emphasis mine}

Yes, our sins can hurt other people and do, but the true damage is to the glory of our generous Creator God. We must confess our sins to God first and then to anyone we have hurt. We must accept that we deserve any judgement God gives us because He created us and everyone and everything with which we interact. Our allegiance, submission, and worship is due to our Creator God.

Because we can never fully understand how abhorrent sin is to God, I thought I’d share how a godly man, the priest and prophet, Ezra, reacted to sin among his brethren.

When I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.

But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the Lord my God; and I said, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to plunder and to open shame, as it is this day. But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage. (Ezra 9:3-8) {emphasis mine}

Ezra sees sin, shreds his clothes, pulls out his hair, and sits appalled. Do we feel even a fraction of the horror at guilt that Ezra showed? When faced with some Israelites marrying non-Israelite (many from the banned people groups), Ezra admits that “our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.” How many of us would think that was only a little sin or that since it was only a few people, it wasn’t that important? Ezra, instead of saying, “Why did you send us into exile for 70 years and why are you not blessing us now?” said, “But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the Lord our God.” Instead of accusing God of not being good enough or kind enough, thanks God for His grace which was completely undeserved. If only we could look at sin in this way.

After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great guilt, since You our God have requited us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us an escaped remnant as this, (Ezra 9:13) {emphasis mine}

Ezra understood that we all deserve only judgment. Every good thing we receive is only due to God’s grace. Instead of asking why God would allow a bad thing to happen to us, we should be asking why God is so gracious to give us good things in our lives and not give us nothing but punishment.

Jesus also talked about our sins. Although it is good, when we are tempted to sin, to choose to not sin, even evil thoughts are sins. They mean our minds and hearts are not fully submitted to God.

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

“It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:21-48) {emphasis mine}

Many people say that as New Testament believers, we are not under the Old Covenant and the Old Testament laws do not apply to us. While that may be true of the ceremonial laws, the truth is that Jesus made the laws stricter. It is still true that we are not to commit murder, but we are also not to hate another. It is still true that we are not to commit adultery, but we are also not to lust after another. We are also not to fight against those who mistreat us and we are to love those who hate us. Jesus expects more, not less, maybe because we now have the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit within us.

If we have the mind of Christ, we should despise the things God hates. If we have the heart of Christ, we should love even those who hate us and we should seek their eternal good. We should see with the eyes of Christ and see the hurt behind the hate and dishonesty. How do we do this? We need to fill our minds with the word of God. We need to obey Paul’s command to those in Philippi:

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:8)

We need to so fill our mind with God’s word that God’s goodness overflows into our lives.

God of heaven, please change our hearts and minds and make them fully aligned with your heart and mind. Help us to see sin as you see sin and to see people as you see people. Help us to see the hurt instead of the lashing out, so we can have a merciful heart towards those who are unkind to us. Help us to fill our minds with your goodness and your word, so there is no room for evil in us. Make us more like you.

Trust Jesus

FYI, there are many people who can’t see their own sin and who discount the severity of sin. I am writing for these people. There are also people who have no trouble seeing their own sin. Their problem is not accepting the forgiveness of God. Never doubt that God has forgiven you if you have confessed your sins and trusted Jesus as Savior. Jesus has covered your sins and the Father sees only the holiness of Jesus. Your relationship with the Godhead is fully reconciled. You should do right out of thankfulness and love of God, but there is nothing else you need to do to be saved and have a right relationship with God.

@ 266815e0:6cd408a5

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