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@ 04c915da:3dfbecc9
2025-02-25 03:55:08
Here’s a revised timeline of macro-level events from *The Mandibles: A Family, 2029–2047* by Lionel Shriver, reimagined in a world where Bitcoin is adopted as a widely accepted form of money, altering the original narrative’s assumptions about currency collapse and economic control. In Shriver’s original story, the failure of Bitcoin is assumed amid the dominance of the bancor and the dollar’s collapse. Here, Bitcoin’s success reshapes the economic and societal trajectory, decentralizing power and challenging state-driven outcomes.
### Part One: 2029–2032
- **2029 (Early Year)**\
The United States faces economic strain as the dollar weakens against global shifts. However, Bitcoin, having gained traction emerges as a viable alternative. Unlike the original timeline, the bancor—a supranational currency backed by a coalition of nations—struggles to gain footing as Bitcoin’s decentralized adoption grows among individuals and businesses worldwide, undermining both the dollar and the bancor.
- **2029 (Mid-Year: The Great Renunciation)**\
Treasury bonds lose value, and the government bans Bitcoin, labeling it a threat to sovereignty (mirroring the original bancor ban). However, a Bitcoin ban proves unenforceable—its decentralized nature thwarts confiscation efforts, unlike gold in the original story. Hyperinflation hits the dollar as the U.S. prints money, but Bitcoin’s fixed supply shields adopters from currency devaluation, creating a dual-economy split: dollar users suffer, while Bitcoin users thrive.
- **2029 (Late Year)**\
Dollar-based inflation soars, emptying stores of goods priced in fiat currency. Meanwhile, Bitcoin transactions flourish in underground and online markets, stabilizing trade for those plugged into the bitcoin ecosystem. Traditional supply chains falter, but peer-to-peer Bitcoin networks enable local and international exchange, reducing scarcity for early adopters. The government’s gold confiscation fails to bolster the dollar, as Bitcoin’s rise renders gold less relevant.
- **2030–2031**\
Crime spikes in dollar-dependent urban areas, but Bitcoin-friendly regions see less chaos, as digital wallets and smart contracts facilitate secure trade. The U.S. government doubles down on surveillance to crack down on bitcoin use. A cultural divide deepens: centralized authority weakens in Bitcoin-adopting communities, while dollar zones descend into lawlessness.
- **2032**\
By this point, Bitcoin is de facto legal tender in parts of the U.S. and globally, especially in tech-savvy or libertarian-leaning regions. The federal government’s grip slips as tax collection in dollars plummets—Bitcoin’s traceability is low, and citizens evade fiat-based levies. Rural and urban Bitcoin hubs emerge, while the dollar economy remains fractured.
### Time Jump: 2032–2047
- Over 15 years, Bitcoin solidifies as a global reserve currency, eroding centralized control. The U.S. government adapts, grudgingly integrating bitcoin into policy, though regional autonomy grows as Bitcoin empowers local economies.
### Part Two: 2047
- **2047 (Early Year)**\
The U.S. is a hybrid state: Bitcoin is legal tender alongside a diminished dollar. Taxes are lower, collected in BTC, reducing federal overreach. Bitcoin’s adoption has decentralized power nationwide. The bancor has faded, unable to compete with Bitcoin’s grassroots momentum.
- **2047 (Mid-Year)**\
Travel and trade flow freely in Bitcoin zones, with no restrictive checkpoints. The dollar economy lingers in poorer areas, marked by decay, but Bitcoin’s dominance lifts overall prosperity, as its deflationary nature incentivizes saving and investment over consumption. Global supply chains rebound, powered by bitcoin enabled efficiency.
- **2047 (Late Year)**\
The U.S. is a patchwork of semi-autonomous zones, united by Bitcoin’s universal acceptance rather than federal control. Resource scarcity persists due to past disruptions, but economic stability is higher than in Shriver’s original dystopia—Bitcoin’s success prevents the authoritarian slide, fostering a freer, if imperfect, society.
### Key Differences
- **Currency Dynamics**: Bitcoin’s triumph prevents the bancor’s dominance and mitigates hyperinflation’s worst effects, offering a lifeline outside state control.
- **Government Power**: Centralized authority weakens as Bitcoin evades bans and taxation, shifting power to individuals and communities.
- **Societal Outcome**: Instead of a surveillance state, 2047 sees a decentralized, bitcoin driven world—less oppressive, though still stratified between Bitcoin haves and have-nots.
This reimagining assumes Bitcoin overcomes Shriver’s implied skepticism to become a robust, adopted currency by 2029, fundamentally altering the novel’s bleak trajectory.
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@ 6e0ea5d6:0327f353
2025-02-21 18:15:52
"Malcolm Forbes recounts that a lady, wearing a faded cotton dress, and her husband, dressed in an old handmade suit, stepped off a train in Boston, USA, and timidly made their way to the office of the president of Harvard University. They had come from Palo Alto, California, and had not scheduled an appointment. The secretary, at a glance, thought that those two, looking like country bumpkins, had no business at Harvard.
— We want to speak with the president — the man said in a low voice.
— He will be busy all day — the secretary replied curtly.
— We will wait.
The secretary ignored them for hours, hoping the couple would finally give up and leave. But they stayed there, and the secretary, somewhat frustrated, decided to bother the president, although she hated doing that.
— If you speak with them for just a few minutes, maybe they will decide to go away — she said.
The president sighed in irritation but agreed. Someone of his importance did not have time to meet people like that, but he hated faded dresses and tattered suits in his office. With a stern face, he went to the couple.
— We had a son who studied at Harvard for a year — the woman said. — He loved Harvard and was very happy here, but a year ago he died in an accident, and we would like to erect a monument in his honor somewhere on campus.
— My lady — said the president rudely —, we cannot erect a statue for every person who studied at Harvard and died; if we did, this place would look like a cemetery.
— Oh, no — the lady quickly replied. — We do not want to erect a statue. We would like to donate a building to Harvard.
The president looked at the woman's faded dress and her husband's old suit and exclaimed:
— A building! Do you have even the faintest idea of how much a building costs? We have more than seven and a half million dollars' worth of buildings here at Harvard.
The lady was silent for a moment, then said to her husband:
— If that’s all it costs to found a university, why don’t we have our own?
The husband agreed.
The couple, Leland Stanford, stood up and left, leaving the president confused. Traveling back to Palo Alto, California, they established there Stanford University, the second-largest in the world, in honor of their son, a former Harvard student."
Text extracted from: "Mileumlivros - Stories that Teach Values."
Thank you for reading, my friend!
If this message helped you in any way,
consider leaving your glass “🥃” as a token of appreciation.
A toast to our family!
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@ 4857600b:30b502f4
2025-02-20 19:09:11
Mitch McConnell, a senior Republican senator, announced he will not seek reelection.
At 83 years old and with health issues, this decision was expected. After seven terms, he leaves a significant legacy in U.S. politics, known for his strategic maneuvering.
McConnell stated, “My current term in the Senate will be my last.” His retirement marks the end of an influential political era.
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@ 94a6a78a:0ddf320e
2025-02-19 21:10:15
Nostr is a revolutionary protocol that enables **decentralized, censorship-resistant communication**. Unlike traditional social networks controlled by corporations, Nostr operates without central servers or gatekeepers. This openness makes it incredibly powerful—but also means its success depends entirely on **users, developers, and relay operators**.
If you believe in **free speech, decentralization, and an open internet**, there are many ways to support and strengthen the Nostr ecosystem. Whether you're a casual user, a developer, or someone looking to contribute financially, **every effort helps build a more robust network**.
Here’s how you can get involved and make a difference.
---
## **1️⃣ Use Nostr Daily**
The simplest and most effective way to contribute to Nostr is by **using it regularly**. The more active users, the stronger and more valuable the network becomes.
✅ **Post, comment, and zap** (send micro-payments via Bitcoin’s Lightning Network) to keep conversations flowing.\
✅ **Engage with new users** and help them understand how Nostr works.\
✅ **Try different Nostr clients** like Damus, Amethyst, Snort, or Primal and provide feedback to improve the experience.
Your activity **keeps the network alive** and helps encourage more developers and relay operators to invest in the ecosystem.
---
## **2️⃣ Run Your Own Nostr Relay**
Relays are the **backbone of Nostr**, responsible for distributing messages across the network. The more **independent relays exist**, the stronger and more censorship-resistant Nostr becomes.
✅ **Set up your own relay** to help decentralize the network further.\
✅ **Experiment with relay configurations** and different performance optimizations.\
✅ **Offer public or private relay services** to users looking for high-quality infrastructure.
If you're not technical, you can still **support relay operators** by **subscribing to a paid relay** or donating to open-source relay projects.
---
## **3️⃣ Support Paid Relays & Infrastructure**
Free relays have helped Nostr grow, but they **struggle with spam, slow speeds, and sustainability issues**. **Paid relays** help fund **better infrastructure, faster message delivery, and a more reliable experience**.
✅ **Subscribe to a paid relay** to help keep it running.\
✅ **Use premium services** like media hosting (e.g., Azzamo Blossom) to decentralize content storage.\
✅ **Donate to relay operators** who invest in long-term infrastructure.
By funding **Nostr’s decentralized backbone**, you help ensure its **longevity and reliability**.
---
## **4️⃣ Zap Developers, Creators & Builders**
Many people contribute to Nostr **without direct financial compensation**—developers who build clients, relay operators, educators, and content creators. **You can support them with zaps!** ⚡
✅ **Find developers working on Nostr projects** and send them a zap.\
✅ **Support content creators and educators** who spread awareness about Nostr.\
✅ **Encourage builders** by donating to open-source projects.
Micro-payments via the **Lightning Network** make it easy to directly **support the people who make Nostr better**.
---
## **5️⃣ Develop New Nostr Apps & Tools**
If you're a developer, you can **build on Nostr’s open protocol** to create new apps, bots, or tools. Nostr is **permissionless**, meaning anyone can develop for it.
✅ **Create new Nostr clients** with unique features and user experiences.\
✅ **Build bots or automation tools** that improve engagement and usability.\
✅ **Experiment with decentralized identity, authentication, and encryption** to make Nostr even stronger.
With **no corporate gatekeepers**, your projects can help shape the future of decentralized social media.
---
## **6️⃣ Promote & Educate Others About Nostr**
Adoption grows when **more people understand and use Nostr**. You can help by **spreading awareness** and creating educational content.
✅ **Write blogs, guides, and tutorials** explaining how to use Nostr.\
✅ **Make videos or social media posts** introducing new users to the protocol.\
✅ **Host discussions, Twitter Spaces, or workshops** to onboard more people.
The more people **understand and trust Nostr**, the stronger the ecosystem becomes.
---
## **7️⃣ Support Open-Source Nostr Projects**
Many Nostr tools and clients are **built by volunteers**, and open-source projects thrive on **community support**.
✅ **Contribute code** to existing Nostr projects on GitHub.\
✅ **Report bugs and suggest features** to improve Nostr clients.\
✅ **Donate to developers** who keep Nostr free and open for everyone.
If you're not a developer, you can still **help with testing, translations, and documentation** to make projects more accessible.
---
## **🚀 Every Contribution Strengthens Nostr**
Whether you:
✔️ **Post and engage daily**\
✔️ **Zap creators and developers**\
✔️ **Run or support relays**\
✔️ **Build new apps and tools**\
✔️ **Educate and onboard new users**
**Every action helps make Nostr more resilient, decentralized, and unstoppable.**
Nostr isn’t just another social network—it’s **a movement toward a free and open internet**. If you believe in **digital freedom, privacy, and decentralization**, now is the time to get involved.
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@ 9e69e420:d12360c2
2025-02-17 17:12:01
President Trump has intensified immigration enforcement, likening it to a wartime effort. Despite pouring resources into the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arrest numbers are declining and falling short of goals. ICE fell from about 800 daily arrests in late January to fewer than 600 in early February.
Critics argue the administration is merely showcasing efforts with ineffectiveness, while Trump seeks billions more in funding to support his deportation agenda. Increased involvement from various federal agencies is intended to assist ICE, but many lack specific immigration training.
Challenges persist, as fewer immigrants are available for quick deportation due to a decline in illegal crossings. Local sheriffs are also pressured by rising demands to accommodate immigrants, which may strain resources further.
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@ fd208ee8:0fd927c1
2025-02-15 07:02:08
E-cash are coupons or tokens for Bitcoin, or Bitcoin debt notes that the mint issues. The e-cash states, essentially, "IoU 2900 sats".
They're redeemable for Bitcoin on Lightning (hard money), and therefore can be used as cash (softer money), so long as the mint has a good reputation. That means that they're less fungible than Lightning because the e-cash from one mint can be more or less valuable than the e-cash from another. If a mint is buggy, offline, or disappears, then the e-cash is unreedemable.
It also means that e-cash is more anonymous than Lightning, and that the sender and receiver's wallets don't need to be online, to transact. Nutzaps now add the possibility of parking transactions one level farther out, on a relay. The same relays that cannot keep npub profiles and follow lists consistent will now do monetary transactions.
What we then have is
* a **transaction on a relay** that triggers
* a **transaction on a mint** that triggers
* a **transaction on Lightning** that triggers
* a **transaction on Bitcoin**.
Which means that every relay that stores the nuts is part of a wildcat banking system. Which is fine, but relay operators should consider whether they wish to carry the associated risks and liabilities. They should also be aware that they should implement the appropriate features in their relay, such as expiration tags (nuts rot after 2 weeks), and to make sure that only expired nuts are deleted.
There will be plenty of specialized relays for this, so don't feel pressured to join in, and research the topic carefully, for yourself.
https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/60.md
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@ 0fa80bd3:ea7325de
2025-02-14 23:24:37
#intro
The Russian state made me a Bitcoiner. In 1991, it devalued my grandmother's hard-earned savings. She worked tirelessly in the kitchen of a dining car on the Moscow–Warsaw route. Everything she had saved for my sister and me to attend university vanished overnight. This story is similar to what many experienced, including Wences Casares. The pain and injustice of that time became my first lessons about the fragility of systems and the value of genuine, incorruptible assets, forever changing my perception of money and my trust in government promises.
In 2014, I was living in Moscow, running a trading business, and frequently traveling to China. One day, I learned about the Cypriot banking crisis and the possibility of moving money through some strange thing called Bitcoin. At the time, I didn’t give it much thought. Returning to the idea six months later, as a business-oriented geek, I eagerly began studying the topic and soon dove into it seriously.
I spent half a year reading articles on a local online journal, BitNovosti, actively participating in discussions, and eventually joined the editorial team as a translator. That’s how I learned about whitepapers, decentralization, mining, cryptographic keys, and colored coins. About Satoshi Nakamoto, Silk Road, Mt. Gox, and BitcoinTalk. Over time, I befriended the journal’s owner and, leveraging my management experience, later became an editor. I was drawn to the crypto-anarchist stance and commitment to decentralization principles. We wrote about the economic, historical, and social preconditions for Bitcoin’s emergence, and it was during this time that I fully embraced the idea.
It got to the point where I sold my apartment and, during the market's downturn, bought 50 bitcoins, just after the peak price of $1,200 per coin. That marked the beginning of my first crypto winter. As an editor, I organized workflows, managed translators, developed a YouTube channel, and attended conferences in Russia and Ukraine. That’s how I learned about Wences Casares and even wrote a piece about him. I also met Mikhail Chobanyan (Ukrainian exchange Kuna), Alexander Ivanov (Waves project), Konstantin Lomashuk (Lido project), and, of course, Vitalik Buterin. It was a time of complete immersion, 24/7, and boundless hope.
After moving to the United States, I expected the industry to grow rapidly, attended events, but the introduction of BitLicense froze the industry for eight years. By 2017, it became clear that the industry was shifting toward gambling and creating tokens for the sake of tokens. I dismissed this idea as unsustainable. Then came a new crypto spring with the hype around beautiful NFTs – CryptoPunks and apes.
I made another attempt – we worked on a series called Digital Nomad Country Club, aimed at creating a global project. The proceeds from selling images were intended to fund the development of business tools for people worldwide. However, internal disagreements within the team prevented us from completing the project.
With Trump’s arrival in 2025, hope was reignited. I decided that it was time to create a project that society desperately needed. As someone passionate about history, I understood that destroying what exists was not the solution, but leaving everything as it was also felt unacceptable. You can’t destroy the system, as the fiery crypto-anarchist voices claimed.
With an analytical mindset (IQ 130) and a deep understanding of the freest societies, I realized what was missing—not only in Russia or the United States but globally—a Bitcoin-native system for tracking debts and financial interactions. This could return control of money to ordinary people and create horizontal connections parallel to state systems. My goal was to create, if not a Bitcoin killer app, then at least to lay its foundation.
At the inauguration event in New York, I rediscovered the Nostr project. I realized it was not only technologically simple and already quite popular but also perfectly aligned with my vision. For the past month and a half, using insights and experience gained since 2014, I’ve been working full-time on this project.
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@ e3ba5e1a:5e433365
2025-02-13 06:16:49
My favorite line in any Marvel movie ever is in “Captain America.” After Captain America launches seemingly a hopeless assault on Red Skull’s base and is captured, we get [this line](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kqsomjpz7ok):
“Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait, but I must say, you do it better than anyone.”
Yesterday, I came across a comment on the song [Devil Went Down to Georgia](https://youtu.be/ut8UqFlWdDc) that had a very similar feel to it:
America has seemingly always been arrogant, in a uniquely American way. Manifest Destiny, for instance. The rest of the world is aware of this arrogance, and mocks Americans for it. A central point in modern US politics is the deriding of racist, nationalist, supremacist Americans.
That’s not what I see. I see American Arrogance as not only a beautiful statement about what it means to be American. I see it as an ode to the greatness of humanity in its purest form.
For most countries, saying “our nation is the greatest” *is*, in fact, twinged with some level of racism. I still don’t have a problem with it. Every group of people *should* be allowed to feel pride in their accomplishments. The destruction of the human spirit since the end of World War 2, where greatness has become a sin and weakness a virtue, has crushed the ability of people worldwide to strive for excellence.
But I digress. The fears of racism and nationalism at least have a grain of truth when applied to other nations on the planet. But not to America.
That’s because the definition of America, and the prototype of an American, has nothing to do with race. The definition of Americanism is *freedom*. The founding of America is based purely on liberty. On the God-given rights of every person to live life the way they see fit.
American Arrogance is not a statement of racial superiority. It’s barely a statement of national superiority (though it absolutely is). To me, when an American comments on the greatness of America, it’s a statement about freedom. Freedom will always unlock the greatness inherent in any group of people. Americans are *definitionally* better than everyone else, because Americans are freer than everyone else. (Or, at least, that’s how it should be.)
In *Devil Went Down to Georgia*, Johnny is approached by the devil himself. He is challenged to a ridiculously lopsided bet: a golden fiddle versus his immortal soul. He acknowledges the sin in accepting such a proposal. And yet he says, “God, I know you told me not to do this. But I can’t stand the affront to my honor. I am the greatest. The devil has nothing on me. So God, I’m gonna sin, but I’m also gonna win.”
*Libertas magnitudo est*
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@ daa41bed:88f54153
2025-02-09 16:50:04
There has been a good bit of discussion on Nostr over the past few days about the merits of zaps as a method of engaging with notes, so after writing a rather lengthy [article on the pros of a strategic Bitcoin reserve](https://geek.npub.pro/post/dxqkgnjplttkvetprg8ox/), I wanted to take some time to chime in on the much more fun topic of digital engagement.
Let's begin by defining a couple of things:
**Nostr** is a decentralized, censorship-resistance protocol whose current biggest use case is social media (think Twitter/X). Instead of relying on company servers, it relies on relays that anyone can spin up and own their own content. Its use cases are much bigger, though, and this article is hosted on my own relay, using my own Nostr relay as an example.
**Zap** is a tip or donation denominated in sats (small units of Bitcoin) sent from one user to another. This is generally done directly over the Lightning Network but is increasingly using Cashu tokens. For the sake of this discussion, how you transmit/receive zaps will be irrelevant, so don't worry if you don't know what [Lightning](https://lightning.network/) or [Cashu](https://cashu.space/) are.
If we look at how users engage with posts and follows/followers on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, etc., it becomes evident that traditional social media thrives on engagement farming. The more outrageous a post, the more likely it will get a reaction. We see a version of this on more visual social platforms like YouTube and TikTok that use carefully crafted thumbnail images to grab the user's attention to click the video. If you'd like to dive deep into the psychology and science behind social media engagement, let me know, and I'd be happy to follow up with another article.
In this user engagement model, a user is given the option to comment or like the original post, or share it among their followers to increase its signal. They receive no value from engaging with the content aside from the dopamine hit of the original experience or having their comment liked back by whatever influencer they provide value to. Ad revenue flows to the content creator. Clout flows to the content creator. Sales revenue from merch and content placement flows to the content creator. We call this a linear economy -- the idea that resources get created, used up, then thrown away. Users create content and farm as much engagement as possible, then the content is forgotten within a few hours as they move on to the next piece of content to be farmed.
What if there were a simple way to give value back to those who engage with your content? By implementing some value-for-value model -- a circular economy. Enter zaps.
Unlike traditional social media platforms, Nostr does not actively use algorithms to determine what content is popular, nor does it push content created for active user engagement to the top of a user's timeline. Yes, there are "trending" and "most zapped" timelines that users can choose to use as their default, but these use relatively straightforward engagement metrics to rank posts for these timelines.
That is not to say that we may not see clients actively seeking to refine timeline algorithms for specific metrics. Still, the beauty of having an open protocol with media that is controlled solely by its users is that users who begin to see their timeline gamed towards specific algorithms can choose to move to another client, and for those who are more tech-savvy, they can opt to run their own relays or create their own clients with personalized algorithms and web of trust scoring systems.
Zaps enable the means to create a new type of social media economy in which creators can earn for creating content and users can earn by actively engaging with it. Like and reposting content is relatively frictionless and costs nothing but a simple button tap. Zaps provide active engagement because they signal to your followers and those of the content creator that this post has genuine value, quite literally in the form of money—sats.
I have seen some comments on Nostr claiming that removing likes and reactions is for wealthy people who can afford to send zaps and that the majority of people in the US and around the world do not have the time or money to zap because they have better things to spend their money like feeding their families and paying their bills. While at face value, these may seem like valid arguments, they, unfortunately, represent the brainwashed, defeatist attitude that our current economic (and, by extension, social media) systems aim to instill in all of us to continue extracting value from our lives.
Imagine now, if those people dedicating their own time (time = money) to mine pity points on social media would instead spend that time with genuine value creation by posting content that is meaningful to cultural discussions. Imagine if, instead of complaining that their posts get no zaps and going on a tirade about how much of a victim they are, they would empower themselves to take control of their content and give value back to the world; where would that leave us? How much value could be created on a nascent platform such as Nostr, and how quickly could it overtake other platforms?
Other users argue about user experience and that additional friction (i.e., zaps) leads to lower engagement, as proven by decades of studies on user interaction. While the added friction may turn some users away, does that necessarily provide less value? I argue quite the opposite. You haven't made a few sats from zaps with your content? Can't afford to send some sats to a wallet for zapping? How about using the most excellent available resource and spending 10 seconds of your time to leave a comment? Likes and reactions are valueless transactions. Social media's real value derives from providing monetary compensation and actively engaging in a conversation with posts you find interesting or thought-provoking. Remember when humans thrived on conversation and discussion for entertainment instead of simply being an onlooker of someone else's life?
If you've made it this far, my only request is this: try only zapping and commenting as a method of engagement for two weeks. Sure, you may end up liking a post here and there, but be more mindful of how you interact with the world and break yourself from blind instinct. You'll thank me later.
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@ df478568:2a951e67
2025-02-07 22:34:11
Freedom tech is free and open-source software. It is free as in freedom. A common license in FOSS is the MIT license. It's the license behind Bitcoin, a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Anyone is free to run this software. The same is true for the software at mempool.space. The software is free to use. I run it on my own server.
This is what I use to time-stamp my articles. You can use it to check transactions on the bitcoin time chain, but you need to trust that I'm not doing any funny business. I'm not, but keep in mind, the whole point of p2p elwctronic cash is that you don't trust. You verify.
The beauty of FOSS is: You don't need to trust me. You can triple-check the transactions you search on my mempool instance by looking at the official mempool.space website and blockchain.info...Or...You can run your own node on your own hardware, free of charge.
Of course, the hardware is not free. Neither is the actual bitcoin. The freedom is built into the software, but as the saying goes, "freedom isn't free." It took me years to learn how to run my own software on my own server and make it available on the clear net.
## SearXNG
[SearXNG](https://github.com/searxng/searxng) is my favorite search engine. I don't like giving up my precious data to big tech located in the United States or China. I run my own search engine. I have noticed certain biases in Google searches. The biggest problem is ads.
Companies tend to pay for Yelp and Google reviews. I called an AC company I found from a local magazine that came in the mail. A portly man wearing an HVAC costume drove to my house in a white van. He had a great smile and even better social skills. The van had a slogan plastered on it like most tradie vans do. "Reviews Matter We have a 4.9 Review on Google." He also had his name painted on this van like a Bomber pilot from WW2. I won't dox him, but it was something like "Joe the closer."
I don't trust the omnipotenence of the Googs. I also don't trust fat men they call "the closer" to give me the best deal. The trick to saving sats is to choose the game-theory optimal way of negogiation.
In DUCY, by David Sklansky, I learned useful negotiation skills. Sklansky wrote classic poker books and applied his actuarial math brain to negotiation techniques. He said he would go to a Toyota dealer and say, "I'm shopping for a new Camry. I already have a price from dealership XYZ in a nearby city. What is your price?"
This changes the dynamic right from the starting line and gives the consumer the advantage. So I tried this based technique with the HVAC industrial complex. I got a quote from 3 people:
1. Joe "The Closer."
2. The Costco-sponsored HVAC Company
3. My SearXNG search results.
In essence, I apply the same logic I learned running a full bitcoin node. Remember how I said the decentralized nature of bitcoin allows you to **triple-check your transactions?** Running SearXNG allows me to triple check my search results in a similar fashion. I don't trust Google, Costco, or the magazine I get every month in the mail. I verify results with my own search engine.
My SearXNG does not track my location, but I set it to give me local results. To be honest, I have not verified this, but the code is on GitHub for everyone to see.
I don't want to be "sold" on an AC. I don't want an AC if I could avoid it, but my AC was as dead as dentacoin. Living in Southern California with a wife going through "the change" gave me no alternative.
The guy I found on SearXNG showed up in an unmarked van. He had a beard. He was not "a closer." He was an actual HVAC technician. He tried cleaning my unit made in the same year Weezer released their Blue album. He said he coukd jerry rig it to get it working for another few months, but the machine is on it's last days. He said a newer unit would also be more efficient so I asked him about the energy like a bitcoiner.
"How many kilowatt hours does it cost me to run my AC versus a new AC?"
I don't remember the exact answer, but I asked all three companies. He was the only one that new how to find out. He also happened to be the cheapest, but I would have bought a new AC from this guy even if he wasn't.
I told him I made a space heater out of a bitcoin miner. He had no idea this was possible, but he at least pretended to find it interesting. That's why I use SearXNG to find tradesmen. It's better than Yelp.
If you would like to try my instance of SearXNG, check it out.
`523FeCpi9Gx4nR9NmSFIMEaYcI5Q4WmhYHPEPaEah84=`
To decrypt it, use the key behind the paywall at:
https://8gwifi.org/CipherFunctions.jsp
npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0
[882785](https://mempool.marc26z.com/block/00000000000000000001840e7986ea4b6ea103f5af9b524dc102be926a831dee)
[merch](https://marc26z.com/merch/)
**Follow me on nostr**.
All of my work is available under the Creative Commons 0 licence. If you would like to try my instance of Searxng and do not wish to support my work, find me on habla.news by searching my npub. You can find all of my work there(including encryption keys)free of charge.
# Paywall On Substack
abdominal.savior.repaint
Will decrypt this ciphertext:
523FeCpi9Gx4nR9NmSFIMEaYcI5Q4WmhYHPEPaEah84=
Which will reveal my instance of SearXNG at
https://searxng.marc26z.com/
[Subscribe on Subtack](https://substack.com/@marc26z)
-
@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9
2025-02-07 21:38:56
It's Finally here Stackers!
It's Friday!
We're about to kick off our weekends with some feel good tracks.
Let's get the party started. Bring me those Feel Good tracks.
Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.
Let's go!
https://youtu.be/6Whgn_iE5uc?si=ArBOHVpKN2OyNf1D
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/879159
-
@ dbb19ae0:c3f22d5a
2025-02-07 21:38:41
1. Downloading the linux package (1.8GB) https://cortex.so/docs/installation
2. Installing Cortex on linux is done via dpkg
`sudo dpkg -i cortex-1.0.9-linux-amd64-local-installer.deb`
it requires 2 linux packages (will add their names later)
3. When running Cortex,
`cortex start`
a local implementation will be running on http://127.0.0.1:39281
4. Using python it is possible to run queries
make sure the model name is correct
you can double check the value using:
` cortex ps`
Now the python program to run one little query:
``` python
import requests
url = "http://127.0.0.1:39281/v1/chat/completions"
headers = {"Content-Type": "application/json"}
payload = {
"model": "tinyllama:1b-gguf",
"messages": [
{
"role": "user",
"content": "Write a joke"
}
],
"stream": False,
"max_tokens": 128,
"stop": ["End"],
"frequency_penalty": 0.2,
"presence_penalty": 0.6,
"temperature": 0.8,
"top_p": 0.95,
}
response = requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=headers)
print(response.json())
```