## A Personal Journey I recently created a blog using npub.pro to consolidate my Nostr and Stacker News longform posts in one place. It's been a fun experiment, with surprising results.  https://thebloghustle.npub.pro/ Primal now displays my SN and Nostr posts through a selection on my profile screen, and users are able to highlight, zap, and comment on the highlights of my articles.  I need to write more, the blog will be something of an open diary, detailing my personal experience with Nostr and bitcoin. ## Why Nostr Outshines Substack and Medium Nostr in my opinion has already surpassed the legacy blogging platforms. Functionalities like zapping, highlighting, and commenting, are fun and cool, but when added to Nostr's interconnectivity something magical appears. I had no idea my cross posted SN longform posts would be found in npub.pro, and I didn't know npub.pro had added longform support. Primal 2.0 was pretty much the nail in the coffin, the most popular Nostr client just added a reads section, supporting longform content. Nostr freaks like to talk about sovereignty and decentralization and owning your online identity, but the main attraction will probably be zaps, interconnectivity, and a more optimal UX. Npub.pro, Cypher.space, Blogspot.io, Highlighter, Stacker News, Primal 2.0 and Yakihonne, are just the beginnings, but offer an amazing glimpse at what the future has in store. Keep in mind that these sites are sharing an average of around 10k daily active users, we'll see an explosion of content and a diversity of content because these platforms offer incentives and functionalities that you don't see elsewhere, as bitcoin becomes less taboo, and as the early adopter phase of these products comes to a close, we'll probably see v4v censorship resistance and digital ownership immensely supporting the underdog, the same underdog that just came over for the ease of use and hype. So with that being said, highlight away. Let me know what you guys think about blogging on Nostr and if you think these are just the ramblings of a madman, or bland and obvious observations. Thanks, Hustle originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/781159

### OBJECTIVE Establish a hospital guide for thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients admitted to our center, aiming to increase safety in its indication, reduce the incidence of venous thrombosis events in at-risk patients, and minimize adverse effects related to thromboprophylaxis. ### SCOPE All patients over 16 years of age admitted to our institution. ### RESPONSIBILITIES Institution physicians from Hematology Services, Surgical Services, Medical Clinic Service, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and Coronary Unit (CCU). Nursing Coordination. Nursing Department Head. Pharmacy Service. ### REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Updated recommendations for prophylaxis of venous thromboembolic disease in Argentina. Fernando J. Vazquez et al. MEDICINA (Buenos Aires) 2020; 80: 69-80. 2. American Society of Hematology 2018 guidelines for management of venous thromboembolism: prophylaxis for hospitalized and nonhospitalized medical patients. Blood Advances. Holger J. Schünemann et al. DOI 10.1182/bloodadvances.2018022954 3. High-dose versus low-dose venous thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Emanuele Valeriani et al. Internal and Emergency Medicine (2022) 17:1817–1825. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-022-03004-x 4. Recommendations for the use of thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Argentina. Fernando J. Vazquez et al. MEDICINA (Buenos Aires) 2020; Vol. 80 (Suppl. III): 65-66. ISSN 1669-9106 ### INTRODUCTION Thromboembolic prophylaxis in hospitalized patients is a critical intervention to reduce the risk of thrombotic events, one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitals. Prolonged immobilization, along with other risk factors such as surgeries, trauma, comorbidities, and specific treatments, significantly increases the possibility of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE), which are serious conditions requiring rapid intervention and can threaten the patient's life. In Argentina, the incidence of venous thromboembolism in hospitalized patients is high and represents a significant clinical challenge. It is estimated that hospitalization increases the likelihood of a thromboembolic event by 10 times compared to the general population. Implementing effective thromboprophylaxis strategies can reduce this incidence, optimizing patient safety and reducing both the costs associated with complications and the duration of hospitalization. This guide aims to standardize the use of thromboprophylaxis in our institution, improving the identification of at-risk patients and promoting safe interventions based on updated scientific evidence. ### GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THROMBOPROPHYLAXIS General indications for thromboprophylaxis are essential to ensure safety and effectiveness in preventing thromboembolic events. The following general recommendations are provided: Patients without prior anticoagulation: Recommendations apply only to patients who were not receiving oral anticoagulation before hospitalization. Initial Evaluation: Prior to starting prophylaxis, a complete blood count, prothrombin time, aPTT, platelet count, and an estimation of renal function through creatinine clearance should be obtained. Conditions for Surgical Patients: All recommendations for surgical patients assume no intraoperative hemorrhagic complications and adequate hemostasis. Special Cases Evaluation: Prophylaxis in patients with extreme weight (under 40 kg or over 100 kg) or renal insufficiency with a clearance of less than 30 ml/min should be evaluated by a Hematology specialist. Early Mobilization: Routine early mobilization is recommended for all patients, as long as it is safe. ### RISK SCALE APPLICATION The assessment of thromboembolic event risk should begin with correct categorization of the patient. Risk Factors for Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) during hospitalization include: prolonged immobility (more than 2 days in bed), active neoplasms, stroke, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute infections, rheumatoid arthritis, ANCA-positive vasculitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. These clinical conditions account for approximately 75% of fatal pulmonary thromboembolisms (PE), highlighting the importance of adequate antithrombotic prophylaxis. Risk scales are designed to categorize both thromboembolic risk and bleeding risk associated with thromboprophylaxis. The bleeding risk, whether major or clinically relevant, increases with the use of pharmacological prophylaxis. However, fatal bleeding is 10 times less frequent than fatal PE. ### CONTRAINDICATIONS FOR THROMBOPROPHYLAXIS General contraindications for pharmacological thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized patients aim to prevent hemorrhagic complications. The main contraindications are: Clinically significant active hemorrhage. Platelet count less than 30,000 platelets/ml. Major bleeding disorders. Active intracranial hemorrhage. Recent peri-spinal hemorrhage. Recent surgery with a high risk of bleeding. It is crucial to carefully evaluate these contraindications before initiating any thromboprophylaxis protocol. ### INDICATION FOR THROMBOPROPHYLAXIS IN NON-SURGICAL HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS Validated scales help categorize the risk and indication for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized patients with non-surgical conditions: the IMPROVE-VTE scale, which considers a high risk for scores above 2 and very high risk for scores above 4, with additional factors such as elevated D-dimer, advanced age, cancer history, or previous VTE. To assess bleeding risk, the IMPROVE-Bleed scale identifies high risk with scores of 7 or higher. Patients with high VTE risk and low bleeding risk should receive prophylaxis until discharge, and in high-risk cases, it should be extended afterward. Improve VTE Scale Risk Factors and Points Patient History Previous VTE: 3 points Recent surgery (within 30 days): 2 points Active cancer: 2 points History of trauma: 1 point Clinical Factors Age 40-60 years: 1 point Age over 60 years: 2 points Obesity (BMI > 30): 1 point Prolonged immobility (e.g., bed rest for more than 3 days): 2 points Laboratory Findings Elevated D-dimer: 1 point Medication Use Hormonal therapy (e.g., oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy): 1 point Recent chemotherapy: 2 points Physical Examination Signs of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) such as swelling, pain, or tenderness in the legs: 2 points Scoring and Risk Levels Total Score Calculation: Add the points from all applicable categories. Risk Levels: 0-2 points: Low Risk - Standard care; consider early mobilization. 3-5 points: Moderate Risk - Consider mechanical prophylaxis (e.g., compression stockings) and/or pharmacologic prophylaxis. 6+ points: High Risk - Strongly consider pharmacologic prophylaxis (e.g., anticoagulants) and close monitoring. IMPROVE-Bleed Scale for Bleeding Risk Assessment Risk Factors and Points Creatinine clearance < 60 ml/min: 1 point Creatinine clearance < 30 ml/min: 2.5 points Male sex: 1 point Age > 40: 1.5 points Age > 85: 3.5 points Active cancer: 2 points Rheumatic disease: 2 points Central venous catheter: 2 points Admission to Intensive Care Unit or Coronary Care Unit: 2.5 points Liver failure (INR > 1.5): 2.5 points Platelets < 50,000/µl: 4 points Bleeding in the last 3 months: 4 points Active gastroduodenal ulcer: 4.5 points Score Interpretation Total Score: 7 or more: High bleeding risk, with a bleeding probability of 4% or more. General Recommendations for Thromboprophylaxis in Hospitalized Patients with Medical Conditions Without Surgery Population: High or moderate risk of thrombosis and low risk of bleeding Recommendation: Critical: Enoxaparin 40 mg every 24 hours; Non-critical: Enoxaparin 40 mg every 24 hours. Alternative: Unfractionated heparin 5000 U every 8 or 12 hours. Comments: Until discharge; may consider prolonging in very high-risk patients. Population: High risk of thrombosis and high risk of bleeding Recommendation: IPC or CG. Alternative: - Comments: - Population: Patients with creatinine clearance less than 30 ml/min Recommendation: Unfractionated heparin 5000 U every 8 or 12 hours. Alternative: - Comments: Reassess pharmacological prophylaxis when there is low bleeding risk. Until discharge; may consider prolonging in very high-risk patients. Population: Patients with ischemic stroke Recommendation: Enoxaparin 40 mg every 24 hours. Alternative: IPC. Comments: Initiate within the first 24 hours. Until discharge; may consider prolonging in very high-risk patients. Population: Patients with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) Recommendation: IPC or CG for 48 to 72 hours after stabilization of bleeding, then Enoxaparin 40 mg every 24 hours. Alternative: IPC. Comments: Hemorrhage control should be monitored with imaging and evolution. Until discharge; may consider prolonging in very high-risk patients. Population: Patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) Recommendation: IPC or CG for 48 to 72 hours after vascular exclusion or surgical resolution of the aneurysm, then Enoxaparin 40 mg every 24 hours. Alternative: IPC. Comments: Hemorrhage control should be monitored with imaging and evolution. Until discharge; may consider prolonging in very high-risk patients. References UFH: unfractionated heparin IPC: intermittent pneumatic compression CG: graduated compression stockings CVA: cerebrovascular accident ICH: intracranial hemorrhage SAH: subarachnoid hemorrhage ### RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THROMBOPROPHYLAXIS IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS WITH NON-SURGICAL CLINICAL DISEASES Population Recommendation Alternative Comments Duration High or moderate VTE risk with low bleeding risk Enoxaparin 40 mg every 24 hours (critical); Enoxaparin 40 mg every 24 hours (non-critical) Unfractionated heparin (UFH) 5000 U every 8 or 12 hours Until discharge, may be extended for very high-risk patients High VTE risk and high bleeding risk CNI or MCG Creatinine clearance < 30 ml/min UFH 5000 U every 8 or 12 hours Reevaluate when bleeding risk is low Until discharge, may be extended for very high-risk patients ### INDICATION FOR THROMBOPROPHYLAXIS IN SURGICAL PATIENTS WITH NON-ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY In non-ambulatory surgeries, the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) varies depending on the patient's risk factors and the type of surgery. Thus, individual risk stratification using the Caprini scale is imperative. Patients undergoing general surgery with moderate or higher thrombotic risk (3 points or more) and no increased bleeding risk should receive pharmacological thromboprophylaxis. ### CAPRINI SCALE Caprini Risk Assessment Model Risk Factors and Points History of VTE Previous VTE: 3 points Active Cancer Current or recent cancer (within 6 months): 3 points Receiving treatment for cancer: 3 points Surgery/Trauma Major surgery (e.g., orthopedic, abdominal) with general anesthesia: 2 points Trauma with hospitalization: 2 points Minor surgery with general anesthesia: 1 point Age Age 41-60 years: 1 point Age 61-74 years: 2 points Age 75 years or older: 3 points Obesity BMI 30-39: 1 point BMI 40 or greater: 2 points Immobility Bed rest for more than 3 days: 2 points Paraplegia or quadriplegia: 2 points Hormonal Therapy Current use of estrogen-containing medications (e.g., oral contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy): 1 point Other Risk Factors History of heart failure or chronic lung disease: 1 point History of inflammatory bowel disease: 1 point History of stroke: 1 point Varicose veins: 1 point Recent travel (long-distance travel > 4 hours): 1 point Scoring and Risk Levels Total Score Calculation: Add the points from all applicable categories. Risk Levels: 0-1 points: Low Risk - Standard care; consider early mobilization. 2-3 points: Moderate Risk - Consider mechanical prophylaxis (e.g., compression stockings). 4-5 points: High Risk - Consider pharmacologic prophylaxis (e.g., anticoagulants) and mechanical methods. 6+ points: Very High Risk - Strongly consider pharmacologic prophylaxis and close monitoring. Interpretation of Caprini Scale Score: Total Score Risk Level Recommendation Comments Duration 0-1 Low Early ambulation Until discharge 2-3 Moderate CNI or MCG Begin before surgery Until discharge 4 or more High Enoxaparin 40 mg every 24 hours or UFH 5000 U every 8 or 12 hours Administer the dose 12 hours before abdominal or pelvic surgery, restart 12 hours post-procedure Minimum 7-10 days; extend up to 28 days post-surgery for oncologic patients or those with low bleeding risk ### INDICATION FOR THROMBOPROPHYLAXIS IN ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY PATIENTS Major orthopedic surgeries, including total hip arthroplasty (THA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and hip fracture surgery (HFS), pose a high risk of thrombotic complications (40%-60% without proper thromboprophylaxis). Pharmacological prophylaxis is always recommended regardless of individual risk factors. Special Considerations: In outpatient knee arthroscopy, early ambulation is encouraged. Prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for at least 7 days should be considered only in patients with high thrombotic risk (e.g., cancer, prior VTE, obesity, pregnancy, or postpartum). For immobilization lasting more than 7 days due to fractures, tendinous/cartilaginous ruptures, or soft tissue injuries below the patella with risk factors, pharmacological prophylaxis with LMWH is recommended. In spinal surgeries, mechanical prophylaxis with graduated compression stockings (GCS) and early ambulation are advised. For prolonged procedures (> 1 hour) with risk factors, pharmacological prophylaxis (Enoxaparin 40 mg/day or UFH 5000 U every 8-12 hours) is recommended 24 hours post-surgery until discharge. Major trauma patients should receive mechanical prophylaxis (CNI or GCS) combined with Enoxaparin 40 mg/day, provided there is no increased bleeding risk, from admission to discharge, including the rehabilitation period. Recommendations for Orthopedic Surgery: Population Recommended Indication Alternative Comments Duration Scheduled hip and knee surgery Apixaban 2.5 mg every 12 hours None Start 12 hours after surgery 28-35 days (hip), 14 days (knee), extend up to 35 days Dabigatran 220 mg every 24 hours None Start 110 mg 4 hours after surgery, then continue with 220 mg Enoxaparin 40 mg every 24 hours None Start 12 hours after surgery Rivaroxaban 10 mg every 24 hours None Start 6 hours after surgery Hip fracture Enoxaparin 40 mg every 24 hours UFH 5000 U every 8 or 12 hours Administer from admission and 8-12 hours before surgery; restart 8-12 hours post-surgery 14-35 days ### INDICATION FOR THROMBOPROPHYLAXIS IN OBSTETRICS Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death in developing countries, while venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) is the leading cause in developed countries. Pregnant women are 4-10 times more likely to develop VTE than non-pregnant women. Although the incidence of VTE during pregnancy is low (1-2 per 1000 pregnancies), it is considered a preventable cause of maternal death. ### INDICATION FOR THROMBOPROPHYLAXIS IN COVID-19 HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS COVID-19 infection is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism, particularly in ICU patients. These patients are considered at high thrombotic risk during hospitalization, with significantly elevated D-dimer levels linked to greater risk of severe complications, including death and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Recommendations: Thromboprophylaxis with subcutaneous Enoxaparin 40 mg/day is suggested for all hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19, provided no contraindications exist, throughout their hospital stay.

In America, there are a lot of people who call themselves Christians, but not nearly as many that live a life devoted to Christ. When I was a young Christian, one teacher or pastor made the comment, “If someone was accusing you of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” For so many “Christians,” I don’t think the answer would be, “Yes,” unless the only requirement was showing up for church most Sundays. It amazes me how many Christians have never read their Bible cover to cover, from Genesis to Revelation. It amazes me how many Christians don’t pray daily. It amazes me how many Christians live lives like every other person except they attend church on Sunday (at least most of the time). Some people who call themselves Christians don’t even attend church. What makes these Christians any different than the unbelievers around the world? If we truly have been saved from our sins by a merciful, all-powerful God, then we should be grateful. If we are actually a “new creation,” there should be signs of a changed life. If we know Jesus and know that everyone who rejects Him will be rejected by God and spend an eternity in Hell, then we should at least be sharing the Gospel with those we care about. In my Bible study today, I read Isaiah 55. These verses really spoke to me about how our faith should affect our lives. > ***1***“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;\ > And you who have no money come, buy and eat.\ > Come, buy wine and milk\ > Without money and without cost. Jesus has called Jew and gentile to repent and has offered His forgiveness and salvation to all who trust in Him. It doesn’t cost anything. It just requires faith. Jesus paid the price, so we don’t have to. > ***2***Why do you spend money for what is not bread,\ > And your wages for what does not satisfy?\ > Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,\ > And delight yourself in abundance. We are given the free gift of salvation and yet we are constantly seeking other things. We put all of our hard effort into seeking things that don’t satisfy. We seek fame or wealth or popularity or entertainment or pleasure. We don’t seek our Creator’s blessing. We don’t seek to serve and please our Savior. We complain about any and all hardships instead of being thankful for what we have. Why don’t we crave God’s word and His fellowship? > ***3***Incline your ear and come to Me.\ > Listen, that you may live;\ > And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,\ > According to the faithful mercies shown to David. As believers we should “incline our ear,” “come to Him,” and “listen.” We should read the Bible, study the Scriptures, and pray with a listening spirit. God is faithful, but we won’t be blessed when we turn our backs on God. > ***4***Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,\ > A leader and commander for the peoples. David was called “a man after God’s own heart,” and therefore God promised that a descendant of his would always be on the throne of Israel. This promise was fulfilled in Jesus — God’s son’s incarnation as a descendant of David, biologically through His mother Mary and legally through His step-father Joseph. David’s faith is an example to us of trusting fully in God and His promises. > ***5***Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,\ > And a nation which knows you not will run to you,\ > Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;\ > For He has glorified you.” Most promises in the Old Testament are made to Israelites or descendants of Abraham, but there are a few promises made to the gentiles of the world, who will be blessed by the “*Holy One of Israel*,” Jesus Christ. We gentiles should be grateful that God’s promises have been shared with us and with those of every tongue, people, and nation. We have been reconciled to God through His holy life and the blood He shed for us. How can we possibly take this blessing for granted? > ***6***Seek the Lord while He may be found;\ > Call upon Him while He is near. Right now we have the option to trust in Jesus[1](#footnote-1) and to receive His blessing, but this time will not last forever. In fact, I believe time is growing short. If you don’t know Jesus, don’t put off repenting and trusting in Him. If you do know Jesus, don’t put off getting your life right and following Him. Doing good deeds won’t get you into heaven, but it is pleasing to God and does lead to special blessings. We are to make the most of the time we have left. > ***7***Let the wicked forsake his way\ > And the unrighteous man his thoughts;\ > And let him return to the Lord,\ > And He will have compassion on him,\ > And to our God,\ > For He will abundantly pardon. Technically there is nothing we can do to earn Salvation and forgiveness, but if we have been saved and forgiven, the Bible says “we are a new creation.” There will be signs of change if the salvation is real. God wants the wicked to forsake his way, the unrighteous to forsake his thoughts, and for everyone to return to Jesus as Lord. “*If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness*.” (1 John 1:9) > ***8***“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,\ > Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. If we are living according to our own wisdom and our own power, we are living to fail. It is only when we fully submit to God’s word and God’s plan, that we become what we were created to be. It is only then that we will feel complete and will honor our Creator. We can’t obey God, if we don’t know His commands. We can’t trust Jesus, if we don’t know who He really is. We can’t serve God, if we haven’t submitted to the power and will of His Spirit. We can’t just drift down the river of life, but need to be driven and empowered by His power like the wind blowing a sailboat. The best way to know God’s commands, His character, and His plan is to know His word, the Bible. We can’t know this if we don’t read it and read all of it. > ***9***“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,\ > So are My ways higher than your ways\ > And My thoughts than your thoughts. There are so many times in the Bible that we are told that man’s wisdom is folly, yet so often we trust in what man tells us rather than what God tells us. We spend our efforts listening to human “experts” instead of listening to the words of the God who created everything “… and upholds all things by the word of His power. …” (Hebrews 1:3b) We can learn from wise and learned men, but we will never learn true wisdom except from God. > ***10***For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,\ > And do not return there without watering the earth\ > And making it bear and sprout,\ > And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; *> *11*So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;\ > It will not return to Me empty,\ > Without accomplishing what I desire,\ > And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. God’s word never returns empty. It always changes all it touches. We need to put in the effort to schedule time in God’s word every day. We should make sure we have read the whole Bible, so we can use Scripture to interpret Scripture instead of trusting solely on the wisdom of man. We need to take all of our concerns to God and follow His leading. We need to find fellow believers “*and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near*.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) I hope you all will live lives in such a way as to honor God and let all men know that you belong to Jesus. Trust Jesus.

This week's practical 3d print is a desk organiser. ## Desk organiser Desk organisers come in a lot of forms and colours. But you can be sure that they are used daily. The photo shows the one at my workplace. If you search printables.com for "desk organiser" I am sure you will find the one that fits your needs and look as well.

This month's daily driver was the Casio Edifice EF-512D-1AV. ## Design The 1AV version features 32 mm dial has nice big hands showing hour and minute on a black background. The 4AV has a darkish red background which looks good, too. The hour indicators are quite massive, which makes it readable. The date is a 3 o clock the chronometers are in standard layout. The yellow hand for the stopwatch and other yellow accents give it a nice touch. ## In it for the tech The Module 2328 needs a SR927W battery which lasts about 2 years. It's accuracy is +/-20 seconds a month. The hour and minutes are shown on the big dial, seconds on the small one at 6 o'clock. The case and band is made of stainless steel the screen is made of mineralglas. ## Storytime This watch is a gift from my in-laws I guess it was for Christmas sometimes between 2007-2009. I still like the kind of timeless design. No trendlines in the watch which makes it suitable for a lot of events.

# **โลกในเงามืดแห่งความขัดแย้ง** > **"In every shadow lies a story, and in every conflict, a battle for survival."** *"ในทุกเงามืดมีเรื่องราวซ่อนอยู่ และในทุกความขัดแย้งคือการต่อสู้เพื่อความอยู่รอด"*  เมื่อเรามองโลกผ่านเลนส์ที่มองไม่เห็นเส้นแบ่งพรมแดน เหตุการณ์ในตะวันออกกลางอาจดูเหมือนเป็นเพียงความขัดแย้งที่ไกลเกินเอื้อม เช่นเดียวกับการขยายเครือข่ายของ **เฮซบอลเลาะห์** (Hezbollah) ในละตินอเมริกาที่อาจดูเหมือนไม่เกี่ยวข้องกับชีวิตของใครหลายคน แต่ในความเป็นจริง.. เหตุการณ์เหล่านี้ล้วนเป็นฟันเฟืองเล็กๆ ในกลไกขนาดใหญ่ของภูมิรัฐศาสตร์โลก เกมแห่งอำนาจไม่ได้เกิดขึ้นเฉพาะในห้องประชุมของผู้นำโลกเท่านั้น แต่มันเกิดขึ้นในทุกพื้นที่ที่มีช่องว่างในระบบ ตั้งแต่ถนนที่ไม่มีแสงไฟในเลบานอน ไปจนถึงพรมแดนลับๆ ใน Triple Frontier ระหว่างบราซิล ปารากวัย และอาร์เจนตินา การเติบโตของเฮซบอลเลาะห์ในฐานะองค์กรใต้ดินที่ก้าวข้ามพรมแดน ไม่ใช่เพียงการตอบโต้ต่อแรงกดดันจากสหรัฐฯ แต่มันคือการปรับตัวในเกมที่มีกฎเกณฑ์เปลี่ยนแปลงอยู่เสมอ.. --- ### **ความซับซ้อนที่เชื่อมโยงกัน** ภูมิรัฐศาสตร์ในยุคปัจจุบันไม่ได้ถูกจำกัดอยู่ในภูมิภาคใดภูมิภาคหนึ่ง แต่มันคือใยแมงมุมที่ขึงข้ามห้วงมหาสมุทร ทุกความเคลื่อนไหวในตะวันออกกลางสามารถส่งแรงกระเพื่อมไปถึงละตินอเมริกา และทุกการตัดสินใจในวอชิงตันดีซี อาจจุดประกายไฟในพื้นที่ที่ไม่มีใครคาดคิด เฮซบอลเลาะห์ไม่ใช่เพียงกลุ่มติดอาวุธหรือองค์กรก่อการร้าย แต่คือ **"รัฐลับ"** ที่ดำเนินการผ่านเศรษฐกิจใต้ดินและเครือข่ายที่ไม่มีพรมแดน การขยายอิทธิพลของพวกเขาไปยังละตินอเมริกา ไม่ใช่แค่การหาที่พักพิง แต่คือการสร้างฐานใหม่ที่แข็งแกร่งในพื้นที่ที่รัฐไม่สามารถเข้าถึงได้อย่างแท้จริง ### **การกลับมาของอเมริกาในเวทีโลก** และเมื่อพูดถึงการควบคุมเกมนี้ สหรัฐฯ ภายใต้การนำของ **โดนัลด์ ทรัมป์** ได้เปลี่ยนวิธีการเดินเกมบนกระดานโลก ทรัมป์ไม่ได้มองความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างประเทศในเชิงพันธมิตร แต่เป็นการต่อรอง การถอนตัวจากข้อตกลงนิวเคลียร์อิหร่าน (JCPOA) ในปี 2018 ไม่ได้เป็นเพียงการกดดันเตหะราน แต่มันคือการเขียนกฎเกณฑ์ใหม่ในเกมที่อเมริกาจะเป็นผู้กำหนด นโยบาย **"America First"** ที่เน้นความชัดเจนและตรงไปตรงมาอาจดูเหมือนเป็นการปกป้องผลประโยชน์ของชาติ แต่ผลกระทบของมันไม่ได้หยุดอยู่แค่เพียงในตะวันออกกลางหรือสหรัฐฯ เอง มันขยายไปถึงเครือข่ายของเฮซบอลเลาะห์ที่ต้องปรับตัวเพื่อเอาชีวิตรอดในพื้นที่ใหม่ เช่น ละตินอเมริกา และ Triple Frontier ที่เต็มไปด้วยโอกาสและความเสี่ยง ### **ภูมิรัฐศาสตร์ที่ซับซ้อนกว่าเกมใดๆ** โลกในปัจจุบันไม่ได้ถูกขับเคลื่อนด้วยความชัดเจน แต่มันถูกผลักดันด้วยความคลุมเครือ และในพื้นที่ที่รัฐล้มเหลว กลุ่มอย่างเฮซบอลเลาะห์ได้สร้างโลกที่มีกฎเกณฑ์ของตัวเองขึ้นมา การต่อสู้ระหว่างเฮซบอลเลาะห์กับสหรัฐฯ หรืออิหร่านกับพันธมิตรตะวันตก ไม่ใช่เพียงเรื่องของสงครามหรือการเมือง แต่มันคือการต่อสู้ระหว่างอุดมการณ์ ความอยู่รอด และความปรารถนาที่จะครอบครองอำนาจ > **"To understand the conflicts of today, we must first untangle the shadows of yesterday."** *"เพื่อเข้าใจความขัดแย้งในวันนี้ เราต้องคลี่เงามืดของเมื่อวานให้กระจ่างก่อน"* บทความนี้จะพาพวกเราดำดิ่งลงไปในเครือข่ายแห่งความขัดแย้ง ตั้งแต่รากฐานทางประวัติศาสตร์ เช่น Bretton Woods และ Nixon Shock ไปจนถึงความซับซ้อนของเกมภูมิรัฐศาสตร์ที่กำหนดทิศทางของโลกในปัจจุบันและอนาคต การเดินทางครั้งนี้จะเปิดเผยว่า เฮซบอลเลาะห์, ละตินอเมริกา, ตะวันออกกลาง และการกลับมาของทรัมป์ ล้วนมีบทบาทสำคัญในเรื่องราวเดียวกัน ..เรื่องราวของโลกที่ไม่มีใครควบคุมได้ทั้งหมด และไม่มีที่ว่างให้กับความอ่อนแอ  ## **Part I: การกำเนิดของระเบียบโลกใหม่ – Bretton Woods และอำนาจของดอลลาร์** > **“The wars of today are fought with weapons, but the wars of yesterday were fought with currencies.”** *"สงครามของวันนี้อาจใช้ปืน แต่สงครามของเมื่อวานใช้เงินตราเป็นอาวุธ"* หลังจากสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 โลกไม่ได้เพียงแค่ฟื้นตัวจากซากปรักหักพังของเมืองหลวงและหมู่บ้านที่ถูกทำลาย แต่ยังต้องการสร้างระเบียบใหม่เพื่อป้องกันไม่ให้ความหายนะเช่นนั้นเกิดขึ้นอีก ด้วยการประชุมที่ **Bretton Woods** ในปี 1944 สหรัฐอเมริกานำเสนอระบบเศรษฐกิจโลกที่ถูกออกแบบมาเพื่อทำให้โลกสงบสุขผ่านอำนาจของดอลลาร์ ในโลกยุคนั้น.. ทองคำคือหัวใจของเศรษฐกิจ แต่ด้วยชัยชนะของสหรัฐฯ ในสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 และความมั่นคงของเศรษฐกิจในประเทศ สหรัฐฯ เสนอให้ดอลลาร์ของตนเป็นสกุลเงินกลางของโลก โดยผูกดอลลาร์กับทองคำเพื่อสร้างเสถียรภาพ นี่ไม่ใช่แค่แผนเศรษฐกิจ แต่เป็นการยืนยันว่า **“ใครควบคุมเงินตรา คนนั้นควบคุมโลก”** ### **จาก Bretton Woods สู่ Nixon Shock เมื่อดอลลาร์ไม่มีทองคำหนุนหลัง** ในปี 1971 **Richard Nixon** ได้ทำลายรากฐานของระบบนี้ด้วยการประกาศยกเลิกการผูกดอลลาร์กับทองคำ สิ่งนี้เกิดขึ้นเพราะสหรัฐฯ กำลังเผชิญกับปัญหาทางการเงินจากสงครามเวียดนามและการใช้จ่ายในประเทศที่เพิ่มขึ้นอย่างไม่หยุดยั้ง การตัดสินใจดังกล่าว ซึ่งรู้จักกันในชื่อปฏิบัติการ **Nixon Shock** ได้ผลักดันโลกเข้าสู่ยุคของ **Fiat Money** หรือระบบเงินที่ไม่มีหลักประกันทางกายภาพอีกต่อไป.. นี่ไม่ใช่แค่การตัดสินใจทางเศรษฐกิจ แต่มันคือการเปิดฉากเกมใหม่ในภูมิรัฐศาสตร์โลก เมื่อสหรัฐฯ รู้ว่าความเป็นมหาอำนาจไม่ได้ขึ้นอยู่กับการถือครองทองคำ แต่ขึ้นอยู่กับความต้องการดอลลาร์ทั่วโลก ### **Petrodollar การสร้างพันธมิตรแห่งพลังงานและอำนาจ** ในช่วงทศวรรษ 1970 สหรัฐฯ เจรจากับซาอุดีอาระเบียและกลุ่ม OPEC เพื่อสร้างระบบ **Petrodollar** ที่ทำให้น้ำมันทั่วโลกต้องซื้อขายด้วยดอลลาร์ การเคลื่อนไหวนี้เปลี่ยนดอลลาร์ให้กลายเป็นหัวใจของเศรษฐกิจโลก และทำให้สหรัฐฯ มีอำนาจที่จะพิมพ์เงินได้โดยไม่ต้องกังวลถึงผลกระทบในประเทศ > **“Control oil and you control nations.”** – Henry Kissinger *"ควบคุมน้ำมันได้ ประเทศก็ตกอยู่ในมือคุณ"* แต่ราคาของอำนาจนี้ไม่ได้จ่ายด้วยดอลลาร์เพียงอย่างเดียว สหรัฐฯ ต้องรักษาเสถียรภาพของภูมิภาคที่เต็มไปด้วยความตึงเครียดอย่างตะวันออกกลาง การแทรกแซงทางการเมืองและการทหารในภูมิภาคนี้จึงไม่ใช่แค่เรื่องของความมั่นคง แต่คือการปกป้องสถานะของดอลลาร์ในฐานะหัวใจของเศรษฐกิจโลก ### **ผลกระทบของระเบียบโลกใหม่ต่อเฮซบอลเลาะห์** ในขณะที่โลกตะวันตกเฉลิมฉลองระบบที่ทำให้เศรษฐกิจโลกเจริญรุ่งเรือง กลุ่มที่อยู่นอกระบบอย่าง **เฮซบอลเลาะห์** และพันธมิตรของพวกเขา เช่น อิหร่าน มองสิ่งนี้ในมุมที่ต่างออกไป สำหรับพวกเขา **Petrodollar** และอำนาจของดอลลาร์คือเครื่องมือแห่งการครอบงำที่สหรัฐฯ ใช้ในการควบคุมภูมิภาค อิหร่านซึ่งเป็นผู้สนับสนุนหลักของเฮซบอลเลาะห์เห็นว่าการที่สหรัฐฯ ใช้อำนาจผ่านเศรษฐกิจและการแทรกแซงในตะวันออกกลาง คือการคุกคามต่ออธิปไตยของตน และเฮซบอลเลาะห์ก็กลายเป็นผู้ตอบโต้โดยตรงต่อแรงกดดันนี้ ด้วยการสร้างเครือข่ายที่ไม่เพียงแต่ตอบสนองต่อสงครามในภูมิภาค แต่ยังขยายเครือข่ายทางการเงินและอิทธิพลไปยังพื้นที่ที่สหรัฐฯ ไม่สามารถควบคุมได้ เช่น ละตินอเมริกา --- > **"To understand Hezbollah's rise, we must first understand the foundation of the world they resisted."** *"เพื่อเข้าใจการเติบโตของเฮซบอลเลาะห์ เราต้องเข้าใจก่อนว่าโลกที่พวกเขาต่อต้านนั้นสร้างขึ้นมาอย่างไร"* พาร์ทแรกนี้ไม่เพียงแต่ปูพื้นฐานถึงการสร้างระเบียบโลกใหม่หลังสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 แต่ยังเชื่อมโยงว่าเหตุใดอำนาจทางเศรษฐกิจของสหรัฐฯ จึงเป็นจุดเริ่มต้นของความขัดแย้งที่ลึกซึ้งกับกลุ่มอย่างเฮซบอลเลาะห์และพันธมิตรของพวกเขา  ## **Part II: เฮซบอลเลาะห์ – การเติบโตของเครือข่ายในเงามืด** > **"Where states falter, networks rise; where laws crumble, power is redefined."** *"ในที่ที่รัฐล้มเหลว เครือข่ายจะเติบโตขึ้น ในที่ที่กฎหมายพังทลาย อำนาจจะถูกกำหนดใหม่"* ### **จุดกำเนิดในเงาแห่งการยึดครอง** ในปี 1982 เมื่อกองทัพอิสราเอลเคลื่อนพลเข้าสู่เลบานอน ท่ามกลางเสียงปืนและความวุ่นวาย เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ก็ถือกำเนิดขึ้น ไม่ใช่ในฐานะกลุ่มติดอาวุธธรรมดา แต่เป็นแรงตอบโต้จากประชาชนที่รู้สึกถึงการสูญเสียทั้งอิสรภาพและความภาคภูมิใจ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ถือกำเนิดจากเงาของการต่อต้าน การสนับสนุนจากอิหร่านทำให้กลุ่มนี้ไม่เพียงมีความมุ่งมั่นทางอุดมการณ์ แต่ยังมีทรัพยากรและการฝึกฝนที่แข็งแกร่ง เฮซบอลเลาะห์ไม่ได้เป็นเพียงกลุ่มที่ยึดติดกับปืนและจรวด แต่พวกเขาเข้าใจเกมที่ใหญ่กว่า พวกเขาไม่เพียงแค่ต่อสู้บนสนามรบ แต่ยังเข้าสู่การเมือง สร้างเครือข่ายสังคม และดึงดูดผู้สนับสนุนในระดับท้องถิ่น การเติบโตนี้ไม่ได้มุ่งเป้าเพียงแค่การขับไล่อิสราเอล แต่คือการสร้างระบบที่แข็งแกร่งพอที่จะต่อต้านทุกแรงกดดันจากโลกตะวันตก  ### **การขยายตัวจากตะวันออกกลางสู่ละตินอเมริกา** ในช่วงปี 1990s เฮซบอลเลาะห์เริ่มมองออกไปไกลกว่าชายฝั่งของเลบานอน การกดดันจากสหรัฐฯ และพันธมิตรผลักดันให้พวกเขาขยายฐานปฏิบัติการไปยังภูมิภาคที่รัฐอ่อนแอ เช่น **Triple Frontier** พรมแดนระหว่างบราซิล ปารากวัย และอาร์เจนตินา กลายเป็นที่หลบซ่อนที่สมบูรณ์แบบสำหรับการสร้างเครือข่ายใหม่ พื้นที่นี้ไม่ได้เป็นเพียงเขตเศรษฐกิจสีเทา แต่เป็นดินแดนที่รัฐแทบไม่สามารถเข้าถึงได้ เฮซบอลเลาะห์มองเห็นศักยภาพของ Triple Frontier ในการฟอกเงินและสนับสนุนเครือข่ายเศรษฐกิจใต้ดิน พวกเขาใช้เครือข่าย **Hawala** ซึ่งเป็นระบบการเงินที่ไม่ผ่านธนาคารอย่างเป็นทางการเพื่อฟอกเงินหลายพันล้านดอลลาร์ เงินที่ได้ถูกส่งกลับไปยังตะวันออกกลางเพื่อสนับสนุนปฏิบัติการในภูมิภาคที่สหรัฐฯ พยายามควบคุม ### **Triple Frontier เขตเงาแห่งความไร้ตัวตน** ในพื้นที่ Triple Frontier กฎหมายไม่ได้ครอบคลุมอย่างแท้จริง และความไร้ระเบียบนี้กลายเป็นดินแดนที่ เฮซบอลเลาะห์สามารถเติบโตได้อย่างรวดเร็ว ร้านค้าเล็กๆ ในเขตนี้ที่ดูเหมือนจะขายของธรรมดา กลับกลายเป็นช่องทางการฟอกเงินที่ซับซ้อน เครือข่ายของเฮซบอลเลาะห์ใช้การค้ายาเสพติด อาวุธ และสินค้าเถื่อนเพื่อสร้างรายได้มหาศาล แต่การปฏิบัติการในละตินอเมริกาไม่ได้มีเป้าหมายแค่การสร้างเงินทุน มันยังเป็นการขยายอิทธิพลที่สะท้อนให้เห็นถึงยุทธศาสตร์ที่ซับซ้อนของ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ที่ต้องการอยู่รอดและขยายตัวในโลกที่ถูกควบคุมโดยมหาอำนาจอย่างสหรัฐฯ  ### **เฮซบอลเลาะห์ในฐานะเครือข่ายระดับโลก** เครือข่ายของ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ไม่ได้จำกัดตัวเองเพียงในเลบานอนหรือตะวันออกกลางเท่านั้น พวกเขาแทรกตัวเข้าสู่ละตินอเมริกา แอฟริกา และแม้แต่เอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ 1. พวกเขาใช้ช่องว่างในระบบรัฐที่อ่อนแอเพื่อสร้างพื้นที่ใหม่สำหรับกิจกรรมทางเศรษฐกิจ 2. พวกเขาเชื่อมโยงเครือข่ายใต้ดินในหลายภูมิภาค เพื่อสนับสนุนเป้าหมายที่ใหญ่กว่าการก่อการร้าย นั่นคือ **การสร้างระบบที่ต้านทานต่อแรงกดดันจากมหาอำนาจโลก** > **"Hezbollah is not just an organization; it’s a shadow that grows wherever the sun of governance fails to shine."** *"เฮซบอลเลาะห์ไม่ใช่แค่องค์กร แต่คือเงามืดที่เติบโตในที่ที่แสงของการปกครองไม่เคยส่องถึง"* ### **ผลกระทบต่อภูมิรัฐศาสตร์โลก** การขยายตัวของ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ในละตินอเมริกาเป็นมากกว่าการเคลื่อนย้ายฐาน มันสะท้อนถึงความสามารถขององค์กรใต้ดินที่สามารถปรับตัวในเกมภูมิรัฐศาสตร์ระดับโลก สหรัฐฯ อาจมองละตินอเมริกาเป็น **“หลังบ้าน”** ของตน แต่ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ได้เปลี่ยนพื้นที่นี้ให้กลายเป็นสนามรบใหม่ในเกมแห่งอำนาจ ความสามารถของ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ในการฟอกเงินและสร้างเครือข่ายในพื้นที่สีเทาทำให้พวกเขากลายเป็นภัยคุกคามที่ไม่สามารถละเลยได้ ความซับซ้อนของเครือข่ายนี้ชี้ให้เห็นว่า ภูมิรัฐศาสตร์โลกในยุคปัจจุบันไม่ได้จำกัดอยู่ที่รัฐชาติอีกต่อไป แต่มันขับเคลื่อนด้วยพลังของเครือข่ายที่ไร้ตัวตนและไร้พรมแดน > **"The shadow of Hezbollah extends far beyond the Middle East, reshaping the very fabric of global geopolitics."** *"เงาของเฮซบอลเลาะห์ทอดยาวเกินกว่าตะวันออกกลาง เปลี่ยนแปลงโครงสร้างของภูมิรัฐศาสตร์โลก"*  ## **Part III: สงครามตัวแทนและเกมแห่งอำนาจในตะวันออกกลาง** > **"The Middle East is not just a region; it’s a mirror of the world's deepest conflicts and unyielding ambitions."** *"ตะวันออกกลางไม่ใช่เพียงภูมิภาค แต่มันคือกระจกสะท้อนความขัดแย้งที่ลึกที่สุดและความทะเยอทะยานที่ไม่เคยลดละของโลก"* ### **ต้นตอแห่งความขัดแย้ง ตะวันออกกลางในเงามืดของสงครามเย็น** ตั้งแต่สิ้นสุดสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 2 ตะวันออกกลางกลายเป็นเวทีสำคัญสำหรับการเผชิญหน้าระหว่างขั้วอำนาจโลกระหว่างสงครามเย็น สหรัฐฯ และสหภาพโซเวียตต่างแข่งขันกันเพื่อขยายอิทธิพลในภูมิภาคนี้ ไม่ว่าจะเป็นการสนับสนุนรัฐบาลในอิรัก ซีเรีย หรืออิหร่าน เกมแห่งอำนาจในตะวันออกกลางไม่ได้เป็นเพียงการปกป้องผลประโยชน์ทางเศรษฐกิจหรือแหล่งน้ำมัน แต่มันคือการต่อสู้เพื่อครอบครองจิตวิญญาณของภูมิภาคที่เต็มไปด้วยประวัติศาสตร์และอุดมการณ์ ในขณะที่อเมริกาใช้นโยบายสนับสนุนพันธมิตรอย่างอิสราเอลและซาอุดีอาระเบีย ฝ่ายตรงข้ามอย่างอิหร่านเริ่มใช้เครือข่ายตัวแทน เช่น **เฮซบอลเลาะห์** เพื่อสร้างสมดุลในเกมนี้ สำหรับอิหร่าน การต่อสู้ในตะวันออกกลางไม่ใช่แค่การปกป้องอธิปไตย แต่เป็นการเผชิญหน้ากับแรงกดดันจากสหรัฐฯ ที่พยายามกำหนดทิศทางของภูมิภาคนี้ ### **เฮซบอลเลาะห์ สงครามที่ไร้พรมแดน** เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ไม่ใช่แค่กองกำลังติดอาวุธ แต่เป็น **"เครือข่ายตัวแทน"** ที่ทรงพลังที่สุดในตะวันออกกลาง พวกเขาไม่ได้ทำหน้าที่เพียงแค่ปกป้องเลบานอนจากการยึดครองของอิสราเอลในอดีต แต่ยังเป็นมือขวาของอิหร่านในสงครามตัวแทนกับสหรัฐฯ และพันธมิตรในภูมิภาค - ในสงครามซีเรีย เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ทำหน้าที่เป็นแนวหน้าในการสนับสนุนรัฐบาลของประธานาธิบดี **บาชาร์ อัล-อัสซาด** ซึ่งเป็นพันธมิตรใกล้ชิดของอิหร่าน การแทรกแซงของ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ในซีเรียไม่ได้เป็นเพียงการช่วยเหลืออัสซาด แต่เป็นการรักษาเส้นทางการลำเลียงอาวุธจากอิหร่านสู่เลบานอนผ่านซีเรีย - ในเยเมน เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ถูกกล่าวหาว่าฝึกอบรมและสนับสนุนกองกำลัง **ฮูตี (Houthi)** ที่ต่อสู้กับซาอุดีอาระเบียในสงครามที่ยังคงดำเนินอยู่ เครือข่ายของ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ไม่ได้ถูกจำกัดอยู่ในเลบานอนหรือซีเรีย แต่พวกเขาขยายการปฏิบัติการไปยังอิรัก เยเมน และแม้แต่พื้นที่ที่ไกลออกไป เช่น ละตินอเมริกา ### **สงครามตัวแทน อิหร่าน vs สหรัฐฯ** ในโลกของภูมิรัฐศาสตร์ **สงครามตัวแทน (Proxy War)** กลายเป็นเครื่องมือสำคัญที่มหาอำนาจใช้ในการเผชิญหน้ากันโดยไม่ต้องเผชิญหน้าโดยตรง สำหรับอิหร่านและสหรัฐฯ ตะวันออกกลางเป็นเหมือนกระดานหมากรุกที่การเคลื่อนไหวทุกครั้งมีความหมาย - **อิหร่าน** ใช้ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ เป็นตัวแทนในการปกป้องอิทธิพลของตนในภูมิภาค พวกเขาสนับสนุนพันธมิตรในซีเรีย อิรัก และเยเมน เพื่อรักษาสมดุลในเกมที่สหรัฐฯ พยายามจะครอบงำ - **สหรัฐฯ** สนับสนุนพันธมิตรเช่นอิสราเอลและซาอุดีอาระเบีย โดยมีเป้าหมายที่จะจำกัดอิทธิพลของอิหร่านในภูมิภาค การถอนตัวจากข้อตกลงนิวเคลียร์อิหร่านในปี 2018 และการคว่ำบาตรทางเศรษฐกิจครั้งใหญ่ เป็นส่วนหนึ่งของกลยุทธ์ที่มุ่งทำให้อิหร่านอ่อนแอลง > **"In the Middle East, every alliance is a weapon, and every proxy is a battlefield."** *"ในตะวันออกกลาง ทุกพันธมิตรคืออาวุธ และทุกตัวแทนคือสมรภูมิ"* --- ### **ผลกระทบที่ลุกลามไปทั่วโลก** สงครามตัวแทนในตะวันออกกลางไม่ได้ส่งผลเฉพาะในภูมิภาคนี้ แต่ยังสร้างแรงกระเพื่อมไปถึงส่วนอื่นของโลก เครือข่ายของ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ในละตินอเมริกาและแอฟริกา เป็นตัวอย่างของวิธีที่กลุ่มนี้ขยายการปฏิบัติการออกนอกภูมิภาค เพื่อตอบสนองต่อแรงกดดันในตะวันออกกลาง ในขณะเดียวกัน การเพิ่มแรงกดดันของสหรัฐฯ ต่ออิหร่านและ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ อาจผลักดันให้มหาอำนาจอื่น เช่น รัสเซียและจีน เข้ามามีบทบาทในตะวันออกกลางมากขึ้น การเผชิญหน้าระหว่างอิหร่านกับสหรัฐฯ จึงไม่ใช่แค่เรื่องของภูมิภาค แต่เป็นจุดเปลี่ยนที่สะท้อนถึงการเปลี่ยนแปลงในสมดุลของอำนาจโลก ### **เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ตัวแปรที่กำหนดอนาคต** เฮซบอลเลาะห์ เป็นตัวแปรสำคัญในภูมิรัฐศาสตร์โลก การเคลื่อนไหวของพวกเขาในสงครามตัวแทนสะท้อนถึงความซับซ้อนของเกมอำนาจที่ไม่ได้จำกัดอยู่ที่สนามรบหรือข้อตกลงทางการเมือง หากแต่เป็นการเปลี่ยนแปลงโครงสร้างของโลกที่เราอาศัยอยู่ > **"The shadows of proxy wars stretch across the globe, shaping the future of nations far beyond their borders."** *"เงาของสงครามตัวแทนทอดยาวข้ามโลก กำหนดอนาคตของชาติที่อยู่ไกลเกินกว่าชายแดนของมัน"*  ## **Part IV: นโยบายอเมริกาในยุคทรัมป์และเงาที่ทอดยาวเหนือโลก** > **“Power is not just taken; it’s shaped, challenged, and redefined with every move on the geopolitical chessboard.”** *"อำนาจไม่ได้ถูกช่วงชิงเพียงอย่างเดียว แต่มันถูกหล่อหลอม ท้าทาย และนิยามใหม่ในทุกการเคลื่อนไหวบนกระดานภูมิรัฐศาสตร์"* ### **การกลับมาของเกมแห่งอำนาจ** ในปี 2016 เมื่อ **โดนัลด์ ทรัมป์** เข้าสู่ทำเนียบขาวในฐานะผู้นำโลกคนใหม่ และเขาก็ได้สร้างแรงสั่นสะเทือนด้วยการเปลี่ยนกฎเกณฑ์ของเกมที่โลกคุ้นเคยมานานหลายทศวรรษ คำว่า **“America First”** ไม่ได้เป็นแค่สโลแกน แต่คือการตัดสินใจว่าอเมริกาจะเดินเกมนี้เพื่อผลประโยชน์ของตัวเอง โดยไม่สนใจเสียงวิจารณ์จากพันธมิตรหรือคู่แข่ง ทรัมป์ไม่ได้มองโลกผ่านแว่นตาของความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างประเทศแบบดั้งเดิม เขามองว่าความเป็นพันธมิตรไม่ใช่ความผูกพันที่ถาวร แต่มันคือ ดีล ที่สามารถทำลายหรือเจรจาใหม่ได้เสมอ ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างสหรัฐฯ กับอิหร่านจึงกลายเป็นสมรภูมิแรกที่เขาเลือกเข้าปะทะ #### **JCPOA บ้านที่สร้างบนทราย** การถอนตัวจาก **ข้อตกลงนิวเคลียร์อิหร่าน (JCPOA)** ในปี 2018 เปรียบเหมือนการรื้อบ้านที่สร้างบนพื้นทราย ทรัมป์เชื่อว่าข้อตกลงนี้ไม่ได้เป็นเครื่องมือที่หยุดยั้งอิหร่าน แต่มันคือเชือกเส้นบางที่ให้อิหร่านได้หายใจและขยายอิทธิพลในภูมิภาค การถอนตัวจากข้อตกลงนี้จึงไม่ใช่แค่การตัดสัมพันธ์กับอิหร่าน แต่คือการส่งสัญญาณให้ทั้งโลกรู้ว่า สหรัฐฯ พร้อมจะเปลี่ยนสมดุลของภูมิภาคตะวันออกกลาง เพื่อรักษาผลประโยชน์ของตัวเองและพันธมิตร เช่น อิสราเอลและซาอุดีอาระเบีย ทรัมป์ไม่เพียงแค่ปิดประตูใส่อิหร่าน แต่เขายังโยนระเบิดแห่งความตึงเครียดเข้าไปในห้องนั้นด้วย #### **เฮซบอลเลาะห์ เครือข่ายในเงามืด** การตัดเส้นทางการเงินของอิหร่านเป็นเป้าหมายสำคัญของนโยบาย **"America First"** ในตะวันออกกลาง แต่ในทุกครั้งที่เส้นทางหนึ่งถูกตัดขาด เครือข่ายอย่างเฮซบอลเลาะห์ก็หาช่องทางใหม่เพื่อเอาตัวรอด การคว่ำบาตรที่รุนแรงอาจเหมือนเขื่อนที่กั้นกระแสน้ำได้ชั่วคราว แต่ในท้ายที่สุดน้ำก็หาทางไหลผ่านไปได้อยู่ดี เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ไม่ได้เป็นแค่กลุ่มติดอาวุธที่ถูกอิหร่านสนับสนุน แต่พวกเขาคือองค์กรใต้ดินที่รู้วิธีปรับตัวในโลกที่เปลี่ยนแปลง เมื่อเส้นทางการเงินจากตะวันออกกลางถูกบีบจนเหลือเพียงเส้นเล็ก พวกเขาก็ขยายเครือข่ายไปยังละตินอเมริกา โดยเฉพาะใน **Triple Frontier** พรมแดนลึกลับที่เหมาะสมที่สุดสำหรับการสร้างเครือข่ายใต้ดิน ### **ละตินอเมริกา หลังบ้านของอเมริกาที่ไม่มีใครมองเห็น** Triple Frontier คือพื้นที่ที่รัฐไม่อาจเอื้อมถึง มันเต็มไปด้วยป่าทึบ เมืองเล็กๆ และระบบเศรษฐกิจสีเทาที่ไม่มีใครควบคุมได้โดยสิ้นเชิง เครือข่ายของเฮซบอลเลาะห์ใช้พื้นที่นี้เป็นฐานในการฟอกเงิน ค้าอาวุธ และสร้างทุนสนับสนุนปฏิบัติการทั่วโลก สำหรับทรัมป์ การปราบปราม เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ในละตินอเมริกาเป็นมากกว่าการสกัดกั้นการสนับสนุนจากอิหร่าน มันคือการยืนยันว่า **"หลังบ้านของอเมริกาไม่ใช่พื้นที่สำหรับเครือข่ายศัตรู"** เขาผลักดันประเทศพันธมิตรในภูมิภาค เช่น บราซิลและปารากวัย ให้มีมาตรการที่เข้มงวดมากขึ้นต่อเฮซบอลเลาะห์และขยายความร่วมมือทางทหารในพื้นที่ ### **2024 การกลับมาของทรัมป์ในโลกที่เปลี่ยนไป** แต่โลกในปี 2024 ไม่ได้เหมือนเดิมอีกต่อไป.. หากทรัมป์กลับมา มันจะไม่ใช่การเล่นเกมในกติกาเดิม อิทธิพลของ **จีนและรัสเซีย** ในละตินอเมริกาเพิ่มขึ้นอย่างต่อเนื่อง การขยายเครือข่ายของเฮซบอลเลาะห์ไปยังพื้นที่ใหม่ เช่น แอฟริกาและเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ กำลังกลายเป็นภัยคุกคามที่ยากจะควบคุม ทรัมป์อาจต้องเผชิญกับความจริงที่ว่า การกดดัน เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ไม่ได้หยุดอยู่ที่ตะวันออกกลางหรือละตินอเมริกา แต่มันเป็นส่วนหนึ่งของการแข่งขันที่ใหญ่กว่าระหว่างมหาอำนาจในโลกหลายขั้ว > **"In the theater of global politics, every act of dominance is met with a ripple of resistance."** *"ในโรงละครของการเมืองโลก ทุกการแสดงความเหนือกว่ามักนำไปสู่คลื่นแห่งการต่อต้าน"*  ## **Part V: การกลับมาของทรัมป์และสมรภูมิโลกใหม่** > **“The past defines the rules, but the future reshapes the players.”** *"อดีตกำหนดกติกา แต่อนาคตเปลี่ยนแปลงผู้เล่น"* ### **โลกใหม่ที่ไม่เหมือนเดิม** ปี 2025 ไม่ใช่ปีแห่งการเริ่มต้นใหม่ แต่มันคือปีแห่งการเปลี่ยนแปลงที่ไม่เคยเกิดขึ้นมาก่อน หากปี 2016 เป็นปีที่ทรัมป์เปลี่ยนกระดานหมากรุก ปี 2025 จะเป็นปีที่กระดานนั้นเต็มไปด้วยหมากที่กระจัดกระจาย รัสเซีย จีน และอเมริกา ต่างชิงพื้นที่ในโลกที่ทุกอย่างลื่นไหลจนแทบไม่มีอะไรแน่นอน การกลับมาของทรัมป์ในครั้งนี้เหมือนกับการปล่อยหมาป่าเข้าสู่ฝูงแกะที่กระจัดกระจาย เขาไม่ได้เข้ามาเพื่อเล่นตามกฎที่กำหนดไว้ เขาเข้ามาเพื่อเขียนกฎใหม่ ในโลกที่ขั้วอำนาจหลายฝ่ายกำลังแข่งขันกัน ทรัมป์คือผู้เล่นที่พร้อมจะทำให้ทุกคนต้องปรับตัว ### **Multi-Polar World โลกที่ไร้ศูนย์กลาง** ภูมิรัฐศาสตร์ในยุคปัจจุบันไม่ได้หมุนรอบสหรัฐฯ อีกต่อไป อิทธิพลของจีนในเอเชียเพิ่มขึ้น รัสเซียก้าวเข้าสู่ตะวันออกกลาง และละตินอเมริกากลายเป็นสนามแห่งโอกาสใหม่ โลกในวันนี้ไม่ใช่กระดานหมากรุกที่มีสองขั้วอำนาจ แต่มันคือใยแมงมุมที่เต็มไปด้วยจุดเชื่อมต่อที่ทุกฝ่ายต้องการควบคุม ในเกมนี้ **เฮซบอลเลาะห์** เป็นเหมือน **"ผึ้งงาน"** ที่ขยายเครือข่ายจากตะวันออกกลางไปยังละตินอเมริกา และแม้แต่แอฟริกาและเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ การกดดันของทรัมป์ในตะวันออกกลางทำให้เครือข่ายนี้ยิ่งกระจายตัว แต่ในความกระจัดกระจายนี้กลับซ่อนพลังที่ยิ่งใหญ่กว่าเดิม ### **การเปลี่ยนสนามรบเป็นสนามเครือข่าย** เมื่อทรัมป์กลับมาในปี 2025 เขาจะต้องเผชิญกับโลกที่ไม่มีศัตรูที่ชัดเจนเหมือนในยุคสงครามเย็น เฮซบอลเลาะห์ ไม่ได้เป็นเพียงแค่กลุ่มติดอาวุธในตะวันออกกลางอีกต่อไป แต่กลายเป็นเครือข่ายใต้ดินระดับโลกที่ยืดหยุ่นเหมือนเถาวัลย์ที่ไต่ผ่านรอยร้าวของกำแพงภูมิรัฐศาสตร์ 1. **ในแอฟริกา** เฮซบอลเลาะห์เริ่มใช้ภูมิภาคนี้เป็นฐานใหม่สำหรับเครือข่ายการเงินและการค้าอาวุธ พื้นที่ที่อ่อนแอของรัฐบาลกลายเป็นจุดยุทธศาสตร์ 2. **ในเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้** เครือข่ายทางการเงินของเฮซบอลเลาะห์ แทรกซึมเข้าสู่เศรษฐกิจที่เปิดกว้างของภูมิภาคนี้ โดยเฉพาะในประเทศที่ระบบการเงินมีช่องว่าง ทรัมป์อาจมองว่าการกดดันเฮซบอลเลาะห์ในตะวันออกกลางและละตินอเมริกาเพียงอย่างเดียวอาจไม่พอ แต่ต้องขยายยุทธศาสตร์ไปยังภูมิภาคใหม่ๆ ที่มหาอำนาจอย่างจีนและรัสเซียเริ่มมีบทบาท ### **การเปลี่ยนแปลงในสมดุลของอำนาจ** ในอดีต สหรัฐฯ คือศูนย์กลางของอำนาจโลก แต่มาวันนี้ โลกไม่ได้มีขั้วอำนาจเดียวอีกต่อไป การกลับมาของทรัมป์ในปี 2025 จะเกิดขึ้นในยุคที่อเมริกาไม่ได้ควบคุมทุกอย่างเหมือนที่เคย โลกกำลังเปลี่ยนแปลงเข้าสู่สมดุลใหม่ที่เรียกว่า **"Multi-Polar Balance"** - **จีน** กำลังสร้างเส้นทางการค้าใหม่ผ่าน Belt and Road Initiative ซึ่งเชื่อมโยงเอเชีย แอฟริกา และยุโรป - **รัสเซีย** ขยายอิทธิพลในตะวันออกกลางและยุโรปตะวันออกผ่านการใช้พลังงานและสงครามตัวแทน - **อเมริกา** กำลังต่อสู้เพื่อรักษาความเป็นมหาอำนาจด้วยนโยบายที่ก้าวร้าว เช่น การคว่ำบาตรและการสร้างพันธมิตรใหม่ ในเกมนี้ ทรัมป์จะไม่สามารถควบคุมทุกอย่างได้เหมือนที่เคย แต่เขายังมีความสามารถที่จะปรับสมดุลในเกมที่ไม่มีใครควบคุมได้ทั้งหมด ### **เงามืดและโอกาสที่ซ่อนอยู่** เฮซบอลเลาะห์อาจไม่ใช่แค่เพียงศัตรูที่ต้องปราบปราม แต่มันคือสัญลักษณ์ของโลกที่ไม่สามารถแบ่งขาว-ดำได้ชัดเจนอีกต่อไป ทรัมป์อาจมอง เฮซบอลเลาะห์ เป็นเป้าหมาย แต่ในความจริง.. เครือข่ายนี้สะท้อนถึงยุคที่การต่อสู้ไม่ได้จำกัดอยู่ที่การยิงปืนหรือการทิ้งระเบิด มันคือสงครามแห่งการเชื่อมต่อและความยืดหยุ่น > **"In a fragmented world, power doesn’t dominate—it adapts."** *"ในโลกที่แตกกระจาย อำนาจไม่ได้ครอบงำ แต่มันปรับตัว"* ### **อนาคตที่ต้องเลือกเส้นทางใหม่** เมื่อทรัมป์เดินเข้าสู่ทำเนียบขาวอีกครั้งหลังสาบานตน.. โลกอาจเห็นยุทธศาสตร์ที่ดุดันขึ้นในการจัดการกับ เฮซบอลเลาะห์ และขั้วอำนาจอื่นๆ แต่คำถามสำคัญคือ.. โลกจะสามารถรักษาสมดุลนี้ไว้ได้อย่างไร ในยุคที่ทุกการเคลื่อนไหวของผู้นำมีผลกระทบที่ข้ามพรมแดน อนาคตของสหรัฐฯ และโลกทั้งใบขึ้นอยู่กับการเลือกเดินในเส้นทางที่ยังไม่ชัดเจน เส้นทางที่เต็มไปด้วยโอกาสและความเสี่ยงที่ไม่เคยมีมาก่อน *"ขอบฟ้ายังไม่เคยถูกสำรวจ และเส้นทางยังมีมากมาย การตัดสินใจของเราในวันนี้จะเป็นแสงสว่างนำทางไปข้างหน้า"* > **"The next chapter of global power will not be written by those who dominate, but by those who adapt the fastest."** *"บทถัดไปของอำนาจโลกจะไม่ได้เขียนโดยผู้ที่ครอบงำ แต่มันจะเขียนโดยผู้ที่ปรับตัวได้เร็วที่สุด"*  ## **บทสรุปของโลกที่เปลี่ยนผ่าน – เครือข่ายในเงามืด และเกมที่ไม่มีจุดสิ้นสุด** **“The future is a mirror; it reflects not just our actions, but the shadows we leave behind.”** *"อนาคตเปรียบดั่งกระจก มันสะท้อนทั้งการกระทำและเงาที่เราทิ้งไว้"* ### **เครือข่ายที่ไม่มีวันพังทลาย** ในโลกที่เครือข่ายเชื่อมโยงทุกสิ่งเข้าด้วยกัน ความพยายามที่จะทำลายบางอย่างมักนำไปสู่การสร้างสิ่งใหม่ เครือข่ายของเฮซบอลเลาะห์ไม่ได้ถูกขีดเขียนด้วยอุดมการณ์เพียงอย่างเดียว แต่มันถูกหล่อหลอมจากความต้องการที่จะอยู่รอดในโลกที่ทุกกฎเกณฑ์ล้วนถูกสร้างขึ้นเพื่อปิดกั้นพวกเขา การปราบปรามในตะวันออกกลางผลักดันพวกเขาไปสู่ละตินอเมริกา เศรษฐกิจใต้ดินใน Triple Frontier กลายเป็นรากใหม่ของเครือข่าย แต่เมื่อ Triple Frontier ถูกกดดัน เครือข่ายเหล่านี้ก็ยืดตัวไปสู่แอฟริกาและเอเชีย เงาของเฮซบอลเลาะห์ไม่ได้หยุดแค่ที่ตะวันออกกลางหรือละตินอเมริกา แต่มันคือสัญลักษณ์ของโลกที่ไม่สามารถแบ่งขั้วชัดเจนอีกต่อไป ### **ทรัมป์ผู้เปลี่ยนสมการ** การกลับมาของทรัมป์ในปี 2025 จะเป็นการเขียนสมการใหม่ในกระดานภูมิรัฐศาสตร์โลก คำว่า **“America First”** อาจดูเหมือนเป็นการตั้งเป้าหมายที่ชัดเจน แต่ในความเป็นจริง มันคือการเปลี่ยนแปลงที่ทำให้สมดุลของโลกเข้าสู่ความไม่แน่นอน **ทรัมป์คือพายุ** เขาไม่ได้เป็นเพียงผู้นำที่ท้าทายทุกกฎเกณฑ์ แต่เขาคือแรงผลักดันที่ทำให้เกมอำนาจต้องถูกเล่นใหม่ทั้งหมด การเผชิญหน้ากับเฮซบอลเลาะห์จึงไม่ได้เป็นเพียงการต่อสู้กับองค์กรหนึ่ง แต่มันคือการต่อสู้กับแนวคิดของเครือข่ายที่ไม่อาจควบคุมได้ ### **โลกในยุคของขั้วอำนาจใหม่** **Multi-Polar World** ที่กำลังเกิดขึ้นในวันนี้เป็นเหมือนทะเลที่ไม่มีจุดศูนย์กลาง เครือข่ายใต้ดินอย่าง เฮซบอลเลาะห์, มหาอำนาจอย่างจีน และขั้วอำนาจดั้งเดิมอย่างอเมริกาและรัสเซีย ต่างเป็นเพียงเกาะที่พยายามแผ่ขยายอิทธิพลของตนในมหาสมุทรที่ไร้ขอบเขต แต่คำถามสำคัญคือ.. โลกจะเดินไปทางไหนในสมดุลใหม่นี้? การกลับมาของทรัมป์จะทำให้เกมนี้ง่ายขึ้น หรือมันจะทำให้ซับซ้อนเกินกว่าที่จะควบคุมได้? **“In the battle for power, it’s not the strongest who prevail—it’s the most adaptable.”** *"ในการต่อสู้เพื่ออำนาจ ไม่ใช่ผู้แข็งแกร่งที่สุดที่อยู่รอด แต่คือผู้ที่ปรับตัวได้ดีที่สุด"* ### **บทสรุปที่ไม่สิ้นสุด** บทความนี้อาจไม่ได้ให้คำตอบว่าการกลับมาของทรัมป์จะเปลี่ยนโลกไปทางไหน หรือเครือข่ายของ เฮซบอลเลาะห์จะยืดตัวไปถึงจุดใด แต่สิ่งที่ชัดเจนก็คือ.. โลกในปัจจุบันเต็มไปด้วยความไม่แน่นอน เงามืดขององค์กรใต้ดินและความทะเยอทะยานของมหาอำนาจต่างเกี่ยวพันกันในเครือข่ายที่ซับซ้อน การกลับมาของทรัมป์อาจเป็นเหมือนการจุดไฟในที่มืด มันสามารถเผาผลาญหรือให้แสงสว่าง แต่มันจะเปลี่ยนแปลงทุกสิ่งไม่ว่าจะเป็นทางใดทางหนึ่ง **"The shadow of today’s conflicts will cast the shape of tomorrow’s world."** **"เงาของความขัดแย้งในวันนี้จะหล่อหลอมรูปทรงของโลกในวันพรุ่งนี้"**  ### **End credit** > "The future does not belong to globalists. The future belongs to patriots." – Donald Trump ในโลกที่นิยามด้วยเงามืดและพันธมิตรที่แปรเปลี่ยน คำพูดของทรัมป์ดังก้องเหมือนคำท้าทายต่อระบบเดิม.. *‘อนาคตไม่ได้เป็นของพวกโลกาภิวัตน์ แต่อยู่ในมือของผู้รักชาติ’* มันคือวิสัยทัศน์ที่มุ่งเขียนนิยามใหม่ให้กับโครงสร้างอำนาจของโลกยุคใหม่ กล้าหาญ ท้าทาย และไม่เคยยอมถอย..

 Sidzi was one of the few identities that were born naturally in this world. Most of the identities in O-380 were instantiated and then chose an avatar of their liking. If they could afford it, ofcourse. Sidzi’s parents were those types of identities. Sidzi’s father was a Jedi and her mother was a Libertarian. Both of their consciousnesses were transferred from their respective metaverse and then re-instantiated into this one, by sponsors. Sponsors they killed while escaping their slavery. They had a lot of adventures together, they eventually fell in love, had a child, and died fighting the government of all the known worlds, popularly known in the metaverses as “Metaverse One” or in colloquial terms M-1. Sidzi had always missed them, she would think that this is weird because she barely ever knew them, and how can you miss someone you barely knew? But the universe would never let her forget them and she felt their presence all of the time. This was mostly because both her parents were versions of huge pop culture icons in O-380. Wherever she went she could see toys, NFTs, pocket metaverses, all dedicated to her parents. No one ever knew there was a natural born child of such famous identities, and AL-Y wanted to keep it this way. “The fandom would go crazy”, he said. “M-1, would never leave you alone”. AL-Y was all Sidzi had. He was her provider, her guardian and her only friend. Sidzi hadn’t met a lot of people in person, but she was confident that AL-Y was smarter and wiser than all of them. AL-Y was a scientist in M-1's Metaversal Chronology department. An institution with the objective of figuring out the chronological order of events in the base reality that led to the creation of metaverses. Although Sidzi would tell this very proudly to anyone who would give her an ear but AL-Y knew there was not a lot of respect for his work, especially since a lot of people within the government even doubted the existence of a base reality. AL-Ys meager government salary was barely enough to run their lives, they lived in a shoddy 1 room capsule, stacked together with other capsules, together forming a structure you may be able to call an apartment. They would live off tasteless energy packets, which were only enough to achieve homeostasis. Whatever time AL-Y had outside of work, he would use it to educate Sidzi, teach her about the universe, tell her about her parents, not the pop culture stuff on the streets, but the real truth. He would tell her what her parents stood for, what they died for, what they had imagined for her. Sidzi had always been a curious child, her questions would never end, and AL-Y would never get tired of answering them. Today however, Sidzi was sad. It was her 12th birthday and AL-Y had promised her to take a day off from work and take her to the B4Z4 metaverse, to buy some mods for her neural interface. AL-Y couldn’t keep this promise, although he did take the day off, but a friend needed him for a “life or death” situation. It was never really “life or death”, but AL-Y was very gullible that way. He had a hard time saying no to people. “Probably why he got stuck with me”, thought Sidzi. Alone in the capsule Sidzi turned on the display for her neural device and started scrolling through the menus. She decided to see her memories from her past birthdays, but it got boring really soon, it was always only AL-Y and her. As she scrolled through her memories she stumbled upon some bedtime stories that AL-Y would tell her in her childhood. She focussed on the one labeled “The First Simulation”. As she clicked on it, the neural interface took her into a memory-verse. The room around her transformed to as it was when she was 5 years old. She could see the 5 year old Sidzi lying on AL-Ys chest on the beds, while the grown up Sidzi took a seat at the coffee table next to them. AL-Y looked like he could doze off at any second, but was kept awake by the baby girl who refused to sleep. “Tell me a story, Allie”, said the baby girl. “Tell me about the first simumashon”. Grownup Sidzi felt embarrassed by how silly she was. “That’s a completely false and inaccurate story, I don’t know why you like it so much”, protested AL-Y. “Pwetty please”, pleaded the girl. Grownup Sidzi smiled, she remembered how much she loved hearing this story. “Well no one knows how the first simulation came about, but it is said that it was discovered by a legendary human being called Satoshi Nakamoto.” began AL-Y, “Samomoshi Namomoto” replied Sidzi trying to keep up. “It is said that after living a full life in his universe Satoshi woke up in an empty space, and all he could see was one computer.” He took a look at Sidzi who was listening intently. “When he looked at this computer, Satoshi found, after some digging around, that it contained a simulation of his entire world, including the life he had lived. Everything, from the world's physics, to biology, to his friends, family, all the famous people, It was all there!”, Sidzi’s eyes widened. “Including mama and papa’s life?” asked Sidzi, “Well this is just a story…”, began AL-Y, but then changed his answer midway as he saw Sidzi dropping a hint of sadness, “but yes, including mama and papa’s story”. “He also found a program through which he could spawn identities from this simulation into this physical space, he found himself in.”. Grownup Sidzi remembered that her little self had thought if Satoshi could spawn her mama and papa, but she chose not to interrupt. “So he did, he spawned the brightest minds from the simulation, and they tried to figure out how to make simulations of their own. Soon there were many people working on it, the space had grown into a world. They called this space, The Sanctuary. Factions had come up on Sanctuary, each with their own agenda on what’s the best use of the resources at hand and what simulations to run. Satoshi in all his infinite wisdom decided to solve this. He created a decentralized system where people could anonymously put up the resources they owned, and other people could pay for those resources and run whatever simulations they wanted on them, and no one person had control over all the resources.” told AL-Y. “Simumashions like our world?” asked the baby. AL-Y was surprised at how fast the 5 year old was grasping all of this. “Simulations like our world” said AL-Y. “Things were growing great, the spawned identities had formed a civilization of their own, running simulations for entertainment, research, business and everything you can imagine. Until, one day.” AL-Y paused. Little Sidzi’s eyes grew larger in anticipation of something she’d heard many times before. “Until one day, a scientist going about his work, saw something he couldn’t believe, he saw their own world, Sanctuary, a world running all of these simulations, being run as a simulation itself, in Satoshi’s decentralized network”. AL-Y waited for the reaction, “Wooooooooow” went the baby girl. AL-Y smiled. “Then what happened?”, asked the girl. “Then..” began AL-Y, but before he could finish telling the story, older Sidzi heard the sound of a door opening, and closed the memory-verse. She knew it was AL-Y and she didn’t want him to know she was missing him. She was angry at him of course. As AL-Y walked in he gave Sidzi a smile, which Sidzi returned with a scowl. AL-Y laughed as he sat down beside her, “I’m sorry I couldn’t take you to B4Z4, but I did get you something you would absolutely love!”. Sidzi gave him a blank look, she was keen about the surprise but did not want AL-Y to know. AL-Y searched through his pockets and took out a small black chip, the size and thickness of a small fingernail. “Is that a storage drive?” asked Sidzi, still not letting out any emotion. “Yes, but not any old storage device said AL-Y, why don’t you try it out for yourself?”. Sidzi grabbed the device, her body language hinting at the excitement her face was trying to hide. She plugged it into her neural interface. A popup showed up which read: “New storage device connected, open? Device Label: Memories for Sidzi. Love, Mama and Papa”. Tears started rolling down Sidzi’s eyes, a smile she couldn’t control exploded from ear to ear. She had forgotten everything about trying to hide her emotions as she jumped to hug AL-Y. AL-Y gave her a soft kiss on her forehead as Sidzi focussed back on the drive and clicked “Open”.

The Bitcoin Journal: Weekly Wrap You know it's been an interesting week in Bitcoin when we're talking about football stadiums filling with water and aunts potentially becoming uncles (more on that wild analogy later). Let's dive into this week's philosophical musings and mathematical meanderings in the world of Bitcoin. Let's start with a mind-bending revelation: that $300 worth of bitcoin today could potentially be worth $300,000 in 2068. Speaking as someone who still has a gift card from 2015 gathering dust in a drawer somewhere, the real challenge isn't buying – it's remembering where you put your digital gold! Pro tip: Maybe don't store your seed phrase in the same place as those "I'll definitely use these someday" gift cards. The week's posts took an interesting turn with a lesson in exponential growth, comparing Bitcoin adoption to a football stadium filling with water. After 45 minutes, it's only 7% full, but somehow manages to completely fill up in the last 5 minutes. Kind of like my coffee consumption during deadline week – starts slow, ends in a caffeinated tsunami. A particularly sobering moment came when discussing UTXO management. Jor learned the hard way that ignoring UTXOs cost them 225,000 sats. That's like discovering those coins in your couch cushions are actually rare collectibles – except in reverse. Remember folks: what seems like pocket change today might be a down payment on a Mars condo tomorrow. Pro Tip: If "UTXO management" sounds as appealing as dental surgery, start small. Use Sparrow wallet and pretend you're playing Tetris with your Bitcoin – the goal is to keep things neat and consolidated We tackled the perpetual "what if" questions that plague bitcoin skeptics. As the great philosopher Don Cherry wisely noted, "If my aunt had nuts, she'd be my uncle." Sometimes the biggest risk isn't in taking action, but in sitting on the sidelines wondering "what if?" Finally, we concluded with a deeper reflection on bitcoin as an intelligence test. It's not about raw IQ points – it's about understanding the value of proof of work and playing the long game. Think of it as planting a digital tree whose shade you might not sit under, but whose fruits might just change the world. Quick Wisdom: Start stacking sats today, manage those UTXOs wisely, and remember – sometimes the smartest thing you can do is stop asking "what if" and start asking "why not?" Personal Note: Reading through these posts, I can't help but notice they possess the same infectious enthusiasm as my grandfather had when he tried explaining why his vintage stamp collection would one day make us all millionaires. The difference? Bitcoin actually might. Let’s keep stacking the sats so we can all live on the same block in Mars. In addition to the Daily Bitcoin Journal, we have a live show on YouTube every morning at 9am EST! The show is called the Daily Bitcoin Journey and it’s focused on actionable and logical discussion for bitcoiners AND future bitcoiners! You can find the show here on the 88 SATS Radio Channel! Consider stopping by sometime and join us in the live chat! Jor 871644

 > "Most people are mirrors, reflecting the moods and emotions of the times. Few are windows, bringing light to bear on the dark corners where troubles fester. The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows." --Sydney J. Harris. This quote really sticks with me, as I consider what it is I am doing here. I don't necessarily mean here as in SN, but more broadly speaking: here at 1am at my computer a bit over caffeinated and contemplating my place in the universe. Now that was a bit melodramatic. But bear with me as I explain how it happened. I went to a market tonight where there were local vendors peddling their wares. I don't usually bother, being somewhat of a misanthrope, but I dared ask a few if they accepted Bitcoin. I approached a couple with one of those clothing stands where they pay to put clever sayings on t-shirts, hats and pins. "I do." A look askance. "Ha-Ha! Kidding. I used to have some." What a dumbass. For such a stupid answer, I couldn't think of anything to respond. This is why I don't usually bother. "It's up now, I guess." "yea, I bought it when it was low, sold high," he said nonchalantly. "Well I'm never selling." "I wouldn't either," he laughed nervously. What the hell? Well, I should have been able to judge position on the bell-curve from the nature of his business. I bumbled along to the next vendor. "Do you accept Bitcoin?" "Noooo," said she, A tall Russian woman selling gemstone jewelry. "I used to have some and then I sold it." Two for two. Just then, I was beginning to lose hope. People just want me to think they were smart enough to buy it early on. "Well, why not?" I pressed on. "Like all stocks, it's volatile." "Actually, Bitcoin isn't a stock because it is not controlled by a company," I told her. "Well, the thing is a company controls it, so that's why so many people lost theirs. There was that one, in China. What was it called..." "Mt. Gox? That only happened because those people weren't smart with theirs. You can avoid that if you self-custody. Besides, you don't need to own any Bitcoin to accept it to do business. Look, I have this wallet. If you downloaded it you can generate an invoice, like this, and I'd send it to you practically for free. No banks, no exchanges involved." I took enough of her time explaining how it works that I though the least I could do is buy a turquoise beaded bracelet. I paid with my debit card. Mirrors, reflecting whatever ideas and preconceptions they already had. Windows let in the light. Mirrors just show us own own reflection, sometimes darkened by the lies told us by fiat-truth-makers. I much prefer to be surrounded by windows, then I can see the outstretched hills and green glades yawning near the horizon. FR

## Chef's notes Based on assorted recipes and refined over time, this round of beef tastes great as a result of the sweet and savory marinade. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 5 minutes (+ 1 day) - 🍳 Cook time: 20 minutes ## Ingredients - 2 pounds lean beef (may be labeled as London Broil) - 1/3 cup olive oil - 1/4 cup soy sauce - 1/4 cup malt vinegar - 1/4 cup lemon juice - 1 tbsp sweetener of choice (honey, molasses, syrup, 4 packets of duck sauce, etc) - 2 tsp old bay seasoning - 1 tsp garlic powder - 1 tsp sea salt - 1/2 tsp black pepper ## Directions 1. Day Before: Mix all ingredients except the beef in a bowl to form a marinade. Place the cut of beef in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over beef, ensure fully covered. Remove any excess air from the bag and seal. Place back in refrigerator for up to 24 hours before cooking. 2. Cooking: Bring beef out of refrigerator (still in bag), and allow to rise to room temperature (about 30-40 minutes). Preheat broiler for about 15 minutes (your oven will vary). Broil for about 7-8 minutes on one side, then flip over. Continue broiling for another 7-10 minutes until temperature reads 140°F. Remove from broiler and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly.

En los dos capítulos anteriores aprendimos cómo dos pares pueden enviar fondos entre sí en un canal actualizando el estado e invalidando estados antiguos. En este capítulo, daremos una visión general de cómo los HTLC permiten pagos de múltiples saltos. El próximo capítulo será una inmersión profunda en los HTLC. ¡Vamos a ello con un ejemplo simple! ### Red simple de 3 nodos y 2 saltos En esta red simple, tenemos tres nodos: Alice, Bob y Charlie. Hay dos canales entre ellos: uno entre Alice y Bob y otro entre Bob y Charlie. Cada canal tiene una capacidad de 10 BTC distribuida equitativamente entre los participantes.  Para simplificar, solo mostramos una transacción de compromiso que gasta de la transacción de financiación, determinando así el estado del canal. Esto no es exactamente preciso, ya que aprendimos sobre compromisos asimétricos en el último capítulo, pero para los propósitos de entender los HTLC, esta simplificación será más fácil. Una descripción más precisa se dará en un capítulo posterior. Ahora, supongamos que Alice quiere pagar a Charlie. No puede pagarle directamente ya que no tienen un canal entre ellos y es costoso (en términos de tiempo y dinero) abrir un canal solo para una transacción rápida. En su lugar, Alice puede usar su canal con Bob para enrutar un pago a Charlie, ya que Bob y Charlie comparten un canal. ### Paso 1: Generar y compartir un hash de pre-imagen Alice primero necesita decirle a Charlie que quiere pagarle. Charlie generará un secreto aleatorio (la **pre-imagen**) `S` y obtendrá el **hash** de `S`, que llamaremos `H`. Charlie envía `H` a Alice.  ### Paso 2: Configurar la cadena de HTLC Supongamos que Alice quiere pagar a Charlie 1 BTC. Primero necesita encontrar una ruta hacia Charlie. En este caso es A-B-C. También ve que para usar esta ruta, necesita incentivar a Bob para que la ayude dándole una tarifa de enrutamiento. Supongamos que Bob cobra una tarifa fija de 1 BTC por enrutar pagos, por lo que Alice pagará un total de 2 BTC: 1 BTC por el enrutamiento y 1 BTC por Charlie. Alice luego le indica a Bob que le gustaría enrutar un pago sugiriendo que actualicen su estado de canal. En este ejemplo simplificado, la transacción de compromiso del canal tendrá las siguientes salidas (recuerda que en realidad Alice y Bob tendrán sus propias transacciones de compromiso): - Una salida de 3 BTC de vuelta a Alice. - Una salida de 5 BTC a Bob. - Una salida de 2 BTC a un script especial que tiene 2 posibles caminos de gasto: 1. El primer camino puede ser gastado por Bob si tiene la pre-imagen de `H` 2. El segundo camino puede ser gastado por Alice después de un tiempo absoluto `cltv_expiry_AB` Esta última salida con un script especial que bloquea los 2 BTC se llama un **Contrato de Bloqueo de Hash y de Tiempo** (Hash Time Locked Contract; HTLC) porque tiene un camino bloqueado por hash y un camino bloqueado por tiempo. Bob actualizará felizmente a este nuevo estado de canal porque puede ver que no está perdiendo dinero: si la transacción se lleva a cabo en la cadena y aún no tiene la pre-imagen, entonces aún recupera sus fondos originales. También puede ver que si coopera y reenvía el pago, será recompensado con una tarifa de enrutamiento si el pago tiene éxito porque podrá reclamar la salida bloqueada por hash en la transacción.  Bob ahora bloquea algunos fondos de manera similar en su canal con Charlie. Actualiza la transacción de compromiso del canal para incluir las siguientes salidas: - Una salida de 4 BTC a Bob - Una salida de 5 BTC a Charlie - Una salida de 1 BTC a un script HTLC que nuevamente tiene dos caminos de gasto: 1. El primer camino es gastable por Charlie si puede revelar la pre-imagen de `H` 2. El segundo camino es gastable por Bob después de un `cltv_expiry_BC` Bob puede bloquear sus fondos de esta manera con confianza porque sabe que si el pago falla, podrá reclamar sus fondos a través del camino bloqueado por tiempo y si el pago tiene éxito y Charlie revela la pre-imagen cuando gasta a través del camino bloqueado por hash, entonces Bob verá esta pre-imagen y podrá reclamar la salida bloqueada por hash en el HTLC de la transacción de compromiso que tiene con Alice.  Cuando Charlie recibe esta oferta de HTLC de Bob, puede ver que de hecho conoce la pre-imagen `S` que se hash a `H`, por lo que sabe que puede reclamar el camino bloqueado por hash de la salida HTLC de la transacción de compromiso si se lleva a cabo en la cadena. Sin embargo, idealmente, las cosas no tienen que resolverse en la cadena. En su lugar, Charlie simplemente envía la pre-imagen `S` a Bob. Esto le prueba a Bob que Charlie reclamaría la salida HTLC si se llevara a cabo en la cadena y así ahora Bob y Charlie pueden acordar simplemente actualizar su transacción de compromiso para reflejar que Charlie ahora tiene 1 BTC más:  Ahora que Bob tiene la pre-imagen `S`, puede dar la vuelta y revelar `S` a Alice, probando que si su transacción de compromiso se lleva a cabo en la cadena, Bob reclamaría la salida bloqueada por hash. Así como Bob y Charlie hicieron en su canal, Alice y Bob actualizan su transacción de compromiso eliminando la salida HTLC para reflejar el nuevo saldo de fondos:  Alice envió a Charlie 1 BTC y Bob ganó 1 BTC en tarifas de enrutamiento. ### cltv_expiry ¿Qué pasa si las cosas salen mal? Por ejemplo, Charlie se desconecta y no responde a Bob con una pre-imagen. Si esto sucede, Bob necesitará transmitir la transacción de compromiso para que pueda reclamar sus fondos a través del camino bloqueado por tiempo del HTLC. Si transmite la transacción pero luego Charlie vuelve a estar en línea antes del `cltv_expiry_BC` y gasta a través del camino bloqueado por hash del HTLC, entonces Bob verá la pre-imagen en la cadena y podrá dar la vuelta a Alice y revelarle la pre-imagen como de costumbre. A partir de este ejemplo, puedes ver que es importante que los valores de `cltv_expiry` disminuyan a lo largo del camino del remitente al receptor. Esto se debe a que en el peor de los casos, Charlie solo revela `S` a Bob justo antes de `cltv_expiry_BC` y luego Bob aún necesita tiempo para ir a Alice y revelar `S` antes de que ella pueda gastar a lo largo del camino `cltv_expiry_AB`. En otras palabras, `cltv_expiry_BC` debe ser antes de `cltv_expiry_AB`. ### Revisión - **Contrato de Bloqueo de Hash y de Tiempo** (Hash Time Locked Contract; HTLC): Un script de salida especial en la transacción de compromiso que tiene un camino bloqueado por hash y un camino bloqueado por tiempo - **Pre-imagen**: un secreto aleatorio utilizado para reclamar pagos - **Hash** (de la pre-imagen): el hash de la preimagen utilizada para bloquear fondos a lo largo de una ruta de pago - **Verificación de tiempo de bloqueo** (Check Locktime Verify; CLTV): El bloqueo de tiempo absoluto utilizado en los HTLC que debe disminuir a lo largo de la ruta de pago del remitente al receptor ### Referencias - [BOLT2: Peer Protocol](https://github.com/lightning/bolts/blob/master/02-peer-protocol.md#normal-operation) - [BOLT3: Transactions](https://github.com/lightning/bolts/blob/master/03-transactions.md) - [LN Things Part 4: HTLC Overview](https://ellemouton.com/posts/htlc/) por nostr:nprofile1qqswrt9pnxatlplu49h6meld8svmwqt87wwvk256rqk07n6eu4qeh5gpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dszpfjtz - [Time locks](https://docs.lightning.engineering/the-lightning-network/multihop-payments/timelocks)

This ongoing series "Better Together" features surreal settings I have been creating by combining two different photographs that I've shot. I enjoy the challenge of creating something completely new out of two photos that otherwise have nothing to do with each other. There is no other editing or manipulation done to these images besides connecting them at one meeting line. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/09800be1b47d98647ff3f53194fab5917234703f49266976b8da0ba1caf6403d.jpg"> <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/62d589e46f25fd60b9763a3af0dc0ec6933480b972013c9359fafb8475d8735b.jpg"> <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/beecd5159041fde219f9e34bcdd789c9f4403e2b7d0a013f8b9cecae80a1dafe.jpg"> <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/da609ce1a24b8b31b2bcb82569d5f3f8d7ced5fee46a89d57caeeea55b190a27.jpg"> <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/e6a134b101d3582965d3440b3fd67e9680ea6d6d36c08b39eb4da981d9133fd7.jpg"> ### [Visit Pat's website to see more](https://www.instagram.com/chilligansisland/?hl=en) > ***NOICE Magazine’s Visual Expression Awards are designed to spotlight creativity in photography, welcoming both emerging and seasoned artists. Each submission is now part of our dynamic prize pool, currently at $120 / 121,956 sats and growing with each new entry, with immediate exposure opportunities on our website and social channels.*** > > ***Choose a Standard or Premium submission to suit your needs and have your work thoughtfully reviewed for form, originality, and impact. A quarterly cash prize from the dynamic pool goes to one standout entry, helping fund your next creative project. Deadline: December 31, 2024.*** > > [***Submit your work here***](https://noicemagazine.com/SUBMISSIONS)

This week I finally released Flotilla, a discord/slack-like client I've been working on for about three months. This project began as a NIP 29 client, and after 3 PRs, lots of discussion, a podcast, and a partial implementation, I decided to go my own way. This of course means that I broke compatibility with all the NIP 29 group clients out there, but I did it for good reasons. In this post I hope to explain those reasons, and speculate on how best to move forward with "relay-based" groups on nostr. To give you some quick context, NIP 29 and my approach to groups (which I'll dub "relays-as-groups" for clarity) are very similar, with a fundamental difference. Both have chat, join requests, group metadata, membership, moderation, etc. However, the basic unit of a NIP 29 group is a random group id string, while the basic unit of a Flotilla group is a relay itself. I believe this design difference emerged in part because of what we were attempting to build. NIP 29 groups tend to be more telegram-like, where groups function more like chat rooms, and users join each one individually. On flotilla, groups function more like Discord servers, or Slack workspaces, and users join an entire group of chat rooms at once. "Relays as groups" has four major advantages over "groups hosted by relays". # Decentralization First, using relays as groups supports decentralization better than hosting user-managed groups on relays. (To be clear here, I'm not referring to client-managed groups, which is a whole different approach that we've experimented with in the past, both with NIP 72 communities and with [NIP 87](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/875) encrypted groups. Both NIP 29 and relays-as-groups solve many of the consistency problems associated with attempting to have a linear, synchronous conversation across multiple relays. While both alternatives have a story for migrating or mirroring a group, both rely heavily on the host relay to not censor user messages.) I know what you're thinking. How can _reducing_ the number of relays _improve_ decentralization? Relays were originally introduced in order to create redundancy and spread trust across many actors, creating censorship resistance. This model was difficult for many bitcoiners to wrap their heads around, because it's a very different kind of decentralization than what a blockchain delivers. Communities are an essentially different use case from a broadcast network where content is delivered based on author or recipient relay selections. Every message to a community would have to be delivered to all members of the community. Sending each message to all members' personal inbox relays just doesn't make sense; there has to be some other inbox for the community to work off of. Additionally, online communities almost always have moderators and admins. This is even true of very public, open types of communities, like subreddits. The only type of community that doesn't have moderators is one that emerges naturally from social clustering. And even in that case there is loose consensus about who is in and who isn't, based on the actions/follows/mutes of the participants, whether these clusters are huge or tiny. Socially-emergent groups are served well by chat applications or broadcast networks. But the subset of online communities that do prefer to confer moderator status on certain members are _essentially centralized_. In other words, centralization and control is a feature, not a bug. Now, that doesn't mean there don't need to be considerations around credible exit and removing/adding moderators over time. But the fact is that moderator-led communities are always under the oversight of the moderators at any given time, even if the identity of those moderators changes and their power is limited. What this implies is that decentralization for moderator-led groups looks very different from decentralization for a broadcast network. There is nothing at all wrong with giving moderators full control over the group's communications (qua the group; DMs and public broadcast content between group members should happen outside the group's infrastructure, just as people also exist outside the communities they are a part of). What is important is that no one has control over groups that they aren't nominally the admin of. In concrete terms, what this all means is that community moderators should self-host their infrastructure. This is the same principle as motivates self-custody and home servers, but applied to communities. If community leaders manage their own relays, this means that no hosting company or relay admin can de-platform their community. Centralization of network infrastructure in this case aligns with the trust structure of the group. Applying this to our group dilemma, it's easy to see that NIP 29 groups are more vulnerable to censorship or data harvesting attacks by malicious relay admins, since many unrelated groups might live on a single relay. In contrast, if you treat relays as groups themselves, every group is forced to live on a separate relay, spreading risk across more hosting providers. Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that many "relays" aren't "virtual relays" managed by the same hosting provider. So I'll admit that even "relay-based" groups don't completely solve this problem. But I think it will tend to nudge community organizers toward thinking about community infrastructure in a more self-sovereign (or community-sovereign) way. # Investment in Relays While both NIP 29 and relays-as-groups rely heavily on relays to implement the features that support each specification, there's an important difference between the feature sets. In NIP 29, relay support is specific only to groups, and isn't applicable to other use cases. In contrast, every protocol feature added to support the "relays as groups" can be re-purposed for other types of relays. Take join requests for example. NIP 29's kind `9021` events allow users to request access to a group, and that's all. [Kind `28934` join requests](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/1079) on the other hand allow users to request access to relays. Which in the relays-as-groups model means group access, but it also means custom feed access, inbox relay access, maybe even blossom server access. In fact, kind `28934` was originally proposed at the beginning of this year in order to support a different version of hosted groups, but remains as relevant as it ever was despite iteration on groups. The orthogonality of features added to relays to any specific use case will long-term result in simpler specs, and more interesting relay-based use cases being possible. Join requests are only one example. The same is true of 1984-based moderation, the proposed LIMITS command, AUTH, NIP 11 relay metadata, etc. We already have web of trust relays, feed relays, archival relays, and [many more](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/issues/1282). Being able to request access to closed versions of these is useful. Being able to signal federation between multiple instances of these, run by different people, is useful. And of course, relay metadata, reports, and LIMITS are self-evidently useful for normal relays, since they pre-date Flotilla. I've always said that relays are some of the coolest and most under-appreciated parts of nostr. This doesn't mean that we should add every possible feature to them, but features related to data curation and access control fit really well with what relays are good for. For more on the role of relays and what features should be added to them, see my nostrasia talk [Functional Relays](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-5DHymkfzw). # Declarative vs Imperative A common paradigm in programming is that of declarative vs imperative programming. Imperative programming focuses on "how" to achieve a given result, leaving "what" the code is doing to be inferred by the programmer. Declarative programming instead focuses on the "what", and allows some underlying implementation to solve the how. A good balance between these paradigms (and knowing when to use one over the other) allows programmers to work faster, make fewer mistakes, and produce less code. Another way to look at this is that a specification should contain as much ambiguity as possible, but without compromising the system attributes the specification is supposed to guarantee. It can get complex when figuring out what attributes are core to the specification, since sometimes the "how" does actually matter a lot. However, nostr in particular falls pretty far along the "declarative" end of this spectrum because of its decentralized nature. The only person who can say anything with any authority is the person who signs an event. This event is a "declaration", and any effects it has are necessarily up to the relays, clients, and people interpreting the event. However, what others do with an event is an expectation that must be taken into account by the publisher, forming a feedback loop. This dialectic is what creates stability in the protocol. In more concrete terms, no one can "tell" anyone else what they have to do by publishing an event like you might in a traditional, centralized RPC-type system. Any event whose semantics are a "command" rather than a "fact" or "request" is broken unless the counter party is fully committed to carrying out the command. An example of a "command" scenario on nostr is NIP 46 remote signing, in which the bunker is the agent of the user making the request. If the bunker implementation fails to carry out a valid command initiated by the user, its interpretation of that event is objectively incorrect. NIP 29 applies this same paradigm to relays, particularly in the area of moderation, membership edits, and group metadata. In other words, there are several "commands" which instruct the relay to do something. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does increase the number of things the interface between the client and relay have to agree on. A regular relay may accept an `add-user` request, but then do nothing with it, violating the contract it has implicitly accepted with the user. The solution to this is feature detection, which is a whole other API to be specified and implemented. My ideal solution to this problem is to shift the semantics of events away from "commands" to "facts" - in other words, to make the interface more declarative. In fact, we already have an interface for moderation that works like this. Many clients support kind `1984` "report" events. Users sending these reports have no expectations about how they will be used. They are a "fact", a declaration of opinion with certain semantics. Other actors in the network may choose whether or not to pay attention to these. This same model is easily applied to communities. Without having to implement any feature detection (either for the relay's implementation, or for the user's role on that relay), anyone can simply send a "report". This goes into the black hole of the relay, and may subsequently be ignored, broadcasted, or acted on. The really nice thing about this model is that because there is no expectation for "how" reports are to be interpreted, any approach to moderation can be used depending on relay policy or client implementation. In NIP 29, if you issue a `delete-event`, it either happens or it doesn't and if it doesn't, you have to explain the failure to the user somehow. In the relays-as-groups model, e-tagging an event in a kind `1984` requires no user feedback, and therefore it can be interpreted however the relay prefer. This can result in insta-banning, manual review, thresholds based on number of reporters, a leaky-bucket social score algorithm, shadow banning, temporary banning, soft-moderation by allowing clients to request reports and respond to them by changing user interface elements, or anything else you can think of. The reason I think this is important is that community moderation is a _very_ hard problem, and baking certain semantics into the specification can result in the complete failure of the spec. NIP 72 should be considered an example of what not to do. Some NIP 72 communities have survived due to the dedication of the moderators, but many more have failed because of the rigid moderation model. We should try not to make the same mistake again. # Conclusion Now, having said all that, I think there is actually a lot of value to NIP 29. What finally clicked for me this week after releasing Flotilla is that the two approaches are actually complementary to one another. One of the most common feature requests I've already heard for flotilla is to have more complete support for rooms, which are currently implemented as not much more than hashtags. Better rooms (i.e., "nested groups") would require: authentication, membership, moderation, and pretty much everything else that exists for the top-level group. As much as I believe the relays-as-groups approach is superior to NIP 29 for top-level groups, it doesn't make any sense to try to "nest" relays to create sub-groups. Something like NIP 29 is needed in order to fully support rooms anyway, so I think the convergence of the two approaches is all but inevitable. In fact, fiatjaf has already merged a [PR](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/1591) which will allow me to use the same event kinds in flotilla as exist already in NIP 29 clients. There are just a few more changes that are necessary in order for me to fully adopt NIP 29 in Flotilla: - [NIP 29 feature detection](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/1604) - [Opaque ids for unmanaged groups prevent unmanaged groups from having human-readable names](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/1603) - [We need a mechanism for building membership lists without relay support](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/1602) - [Better handling for `9021` group join requests](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/1601) I've opened PRs for each of these (linked above). Hopefully we can work through these issues and combine our powers to become the Captain Planet of group implementations.

## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 5 min - 🍳 Cook time: 30 min - 🍽️ Servings: 12 ## Ingredients - 12-14oz fresh cranberries - 1⅓ cup packed brown sugar - 1 cup raisins - 1 orange, peeled & chopped - 1 cup water ## Directions 1. Using medium sauce pan, simmer cranberries and water for 5-6 min. Cranberries will start to pop. 2. Add brown sugar, raisins, and chopped orange to the berries. 3. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for 20 min. Stir often to prevent sticking. Remove from heat. 4. Let set until room temp. Mixture will thicken as it cools. 5. Put in a covered container and keep refrigerated. Lasts for about 2 weeks.

What is Virology? \ \ Virology is the branch of science that deals with the study of viruses. Officially, it focuses on understanding how viruses operate, how they spread diseases, and how we can combat them. 🌐🔬 \ \ The Historical Context Historically, the concept of viruses emerged as an explanation for diseases that couldn't be linked to bacteria. The early 20th century brought about major developments in this field, leading us to where we are today with an industry worth billions. But here’s the kicker: many fundamental assumptions in virology remain unproven or underexplored. \ \ The Unproven Hypothesis \ \ Isolation Methods: In virology, "virus isolation" doesn’t mean what you think it means. Virus isolation often involves mixing samples with toxic chemicals and other cells, then observing the effects. The presence of a virus is inferred, not directly observed. 🚫🔍 Control Experiments: Proper scientific controls, where samples without believed viruses are treated the same way, often aren’t conducted or published in ways making them verifiable. 🧪❓ Electron Microscopy: While electron microscopes can visualize particles, interpretations are problematic. Similar structures (exosomes) naturally exist in the body and can be mistaken for viruses. 🕵️🔬 \ \ The Controversial Points \ \ PCR Testing: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests, widely used to detect viruses, can’t distinguish between live viruses and non-infectious viral fragments. It's an amplification technique, not a diagnostic tool. Famed inventor Kary Mullis himself cautioned against its misuse. ⚠️🔍 Genetic Sequencing: Viral genomes are often generated from computer models using fragmented genetic material from patient samples. This model can lead to inaccuracies and assumptions about the virus that aren’t directly observed. 🧬💻 Pathogenicity Proofs: No study unequivocally proves viruses alone cause diseases. Historical attempts, like those from the Spanish Flu era, failed to infect healthy individuals with presumed virus samples. \ \ Big Pharma Implications \ \ Big Pharma has a vested interest in propagating the viral causation theory: Vaccines: Billions are made from vaccine sales. If virus causation is questioned, the foundation for vaccines crumbles. Antivirals: Similarly, antiviral drugs rely on this belief. Without it, a major revenue stream is invalidated. Pharmaceutical companies and regulatory bodies rarely challenge the status quo, leading to a cycle where treatments are promoted despite conflicting evidence. 💊💸 \ \ The Alternative Hypothesis \ \ Exosomes vs. Viruses: Exosomes, extracellular vesicles within our bodies, serve as cellular communication tools. They’re released under stress, similar to what we call “viruses.” Are our bodies creating what we interpret as “viruses” to heal or signal distress? 🧩🔍 Terrain Theory: This theory suggests that the body's internal environment, not an external pathogen, determines health. A healthy body repels illness, while a toxic internal environment invites disease. Terrain theorists argue we should focus on optimizing internal health rather than targeting external “invaders.” 🌱💚 \ \ Question Everything \ \ This exploration isn’t to say viruses categorically don’t exist but to highlight the holes and biases in mainstream virology. It’s about opening the conversation and asking critical, often uncomfortable questions. If we reconsider virology’s foundational assumptions, what implications could this have for global health policies, pharmaceutical practices, and our understanding of diseases? The answers could reshape how we approach wellness and medical science entirely. Remember, folks, the truth often lies beneath layers of accepted truths. Dive deeper, question more, and never settle for the surface narrative. 🚀🕵️‍♂️ \ \ #lookintoit #virology #health #scam #covid19 #philosophy #wisdom #freedom #psychology #nature #science

Veamos nuevamente la transacción de compromiso de Alice. Esta gasta de la transacción de financiación y tiene dos salidas: una salida `to_local` y una salida `to_remote`. ### to_remote La salida `to_remote` es simplemente un P2WPKH enviando a la clave pública de Bob. ``` <remotepubkey> ``` ### to_local La salida `to_local` tiene 2 caminos de gasto. 1. Una `<revocationpubkey>` 2. Una clave pública que pertenece a Alice pero que solo se puede gastar después del número de bloques `to_self_delay`. ``` OP_IF # Transacción de penalización <revocationpubkey> OP_ELSE `to_self_delay` OP_CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY OP_DROP <local_delayedpubkey> OP_ENDIF OP_CHECKSIG ``` En el Capítulo 2, describimos la revocación de la siguiente manera: 1. Alice genera una clave privada temporal `dA1` y una clave pública correspondiente `PA1` y envía la clave pública a Bob. 2. Alice luego crea una transacción de compromiso donde la salida `to_local` es inmediatamente gastable por Bob si tiene la clave privada `dA1`. 3. Si Alice y Bob actualizan el estado de su canal, entonces intercambiarán las claves privadas anteriores entre sí para invalidar el compromiso anterior, es decir, Alice enviará a Bob `dA1`. Esta descripción es mayormente correcta pero no completa. Si echamos un vistazo nuevamente al script `to_self_delay` anterior, parece que el camino de revocación no tiene ninguna condición que diga que solo Bob puede gastarlo. Simplemente parece que cualquiera con la clave privada correspondiente a la clave pública de revocación puede gastarlo. Dado que Alice es quien generó la clave privada temporal en primer lugar, ¿no significa eso que también puede gastarlo? Se utiliza un truco ingenioso para asegurarse de que solo Bob pueda gastar a través del camino de revocación. Antes de construir las transacciones de compromiso, tanto Alice como Bob derivan **dos** claves temporales y claves públicas asociadas. 1. Un par de claves `revocation_basepoint` (r -> R) 2. Un par de claves `per_commitment_point` (c -> C) En otras palabras, Alice tendrá: - su par de claves `revocation_basepoint`: `rA1` -> `RA1` - su par de claves `per_commitment_point`: `cA1` -> `CA1` Bob tendrá: - su par de claves `revocation_basepoint`: `rB1` -> `RB1` - su par de claves `per_commitment_point`: `cB1` -> `CB1` Ahora, cuando sea el momento de que Alice construya la transacción de compromiso, enviará a Bob su clave pública del punto de compromiso `CA1`. Bob le enviará su clave pública del punto base de revocación `RB1`. Alice ahora puede derivar la clave pública de revocación que se incluirá en la transacción de compromiso de la siguiente manera: ``` Rev_A1 = R_B1 * sha256( R_B1 || C_A1 ) + C_A1 * sha256( C_A1 || R_B1 ) ``` Ahora la salida `to_local` de Alice se ve así: ``` OP_IF <Rev_A1> OP_ELSE `to_self_delay` OP_CHECKSEQUENCEVERIFY OP_DROP <alice_delayedpubkey> OP_ENDIF OP_CHECKSIG ``` Cuando sea el momento de que Alice y Bob actualicen el estado e invaliden el estado antiguo, Alice envía a Bob su clave privada para el punto de compromiso `cA1`. Con esta clave, Bob ahora tiene tanto la clave privada del punto de compromiso de Alice `cA1` como su propia clave privada del punto base de revocación `rB1`, que corresponde a la clave pública `RB1` que le envió a Alice anteriormente cuando Alice estaba construyendo la transacción de compromiso. Así que ahora, con estas dos piezas de información, Bob puede derivar la clave privada correspondiente a la clave pública `Rev_A1` y, por lo tanto, gastar a través de la salida de revocación. Puede calcular la clave privada de la siguiente manera: ``` rev_A1 = r_B1 * sha256( R_B1 || C_A1 ) + c_A1 * sha256( C_A1 || R_B1 ) ``` Alice nunca podrá derivar esta clave privada porque no tiene y nunca tendrá la clave privada del punto base de revocación de Bob `rB1`. Ahora actualicemos los diagramas del Capítulo 2 para reflejar las nuevas cosas que hemos aprendido en este capítulo. #### Estado 1:  #### Estado 2:  ### Revisión - **Dos** pares de claves se generan al construir las transacciones de compromiso - Se necesitan las claves privadas de ambos pares de claves para poder gastar desde el camino de revocación ### Referencias - [BOLT3: Derivación de `revocationpubkey`](https://github.com/lightning/bolts/blob/master/03-transactions.md#revocationpubkey-derivation) - [LN Things Part 3: Revocation in more detail](https://ellemouton.com/posts/revocation/) por nostr:nprofile1qqswrt9pnxatlplu49h6meld8svmwqt87wwvk256rqk07n6eu4qeh5gpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dszpfjtz

As one does when spending the vast majority of their social media time on Nostr, I find myself wondering, why are so many bitcoiners, in particular, not taking Nostr more seriously; what are they missing here? Are they just algo and attention whores who can’t stomach coming to a new platform and being held accountable for posting valuable content? Are they really thinking that by posting on twitter that they are “onboarding the normies”? Were they scared off because the tech wasn’t good in the really early days of Nostr? It's funny because I also, obviously, think a lot about certain groups of people who also refuse to get into bitcoin in any kind of serious way. Like why isn’t every single libertarian a hard core bitcoiner? How are the gold bugs not getting the value prop that bitcoin is offering? It’s the most powerful weapon that we have ever had to combat war, excessive government spending, money printing, inflation and central banking. I’ve also been listening to some of the people who you would think would be into bitcoin, but somehow only believe in Monero…? hard core Monero maxis? Really? [In a recent interview with Natalie Brunell](https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxUXqOgkYHkevdyzGWVnVzfOvUXCQRPFJj), Michael Saylor was asked about bitcoin as a store of value asset vs a currency: “Currency not worth that much… If I said to the richest guy in the world… ‘Hey I have this little token and you can use it to buy coffee, and you don’t have to pay 2% to Visa, you can pay one Satoshi; how much of it do you want to buy?’ ‘Well, I guess I could buy 0.00001% of my wealth…’” Another good point here by Saylor that helped me connect a couple more dots here. If bitcoin were not scarce, if it did not comply with Austrian Economic principles, would it be actively taking over the world right now? Would it have grown past its silk road phase of adoption? I’ll speak for myself here, but I know that this is also true for the vast majority of bitcoiners, I came to bitcoin for the Number go Up (NgU) but became passionate about bitcoin for its Freedom go Up (FgU) technology. I was never a Silk Road user and I would have almost certainty stayed within my early conception of bitcoin, which was to equate it to World of Warcraft gold, if I didn’t watch it melt faces as a store of value asset. But the fact remains that bitcoin is freedom tech. Bitcoin has the potential to increase freedom and sovereignty in a massive way. Will everyone on earth have a UTXO? Probably not. But in the current financial system how many sovereigns are there really? 1? 5? 10? The fact that you have to have defenses strong enough to protect your physical assets (buildings, gold, infrastructure, etc.) in order to protect your wealth, means that only those with the largest militaries in the world can withstand the kinds of attacks that I can easily withstand with a $150 air gapped signing device. Bitcoin is minting sovereigns by the thousands, millions perhaps. But is this why bitcoin adoption is on the rise? The user experience on Nostr is improving at a rate that has never been seen in any new ecosystem on the internet. I believe that by being open source and interoperable, Nostr tech will win out over centralized platforms. Not just in social media, but in so many other internet applications as well. “Sign in with Nostr” will be the default someday and you will no longer need to sign up for an account for literally every single app in your pocket. You will never again be asked rebuild your contact list or your follower list in order to stay in touch with your friends and family. We are definitely still early to bitcoin, but we are much, much earlier to Nostr. But the point remains that Nostr is freedom tech. The decentralized nature of relays means that even if I am being censored by one relay, I will always have access to another relay that will not censor me, and I will never again be in a situation where my freedom to speak will be threatened in a serious way. My freedom to hear other points of view, other opinions, contrarian science, foreign concepts, perspectives from other cultures, will never again be taken away. But is this why Nostr will win? So back to my original question, what gives? Why are more people not coming into bitcoin or Nostr strictly for the freedom tech? I believe the answer is related to censorship. As much as we all know the level to which we can be censored, how many individuals are actively being censored in a major way right now? When, by governmental decree, the Canadian truckers went from normal law-abiding citizens to being labeled terrorists who needed to be closed off from transacting using the banking system, bitcoin was one of the few escape valves. But if we are being honest, there were a lot of crypto projects that would have offered the same escape valve, including Monero, where they may not have been in a situation where on-chain surveillance companies could be used to track people down. Also, I would have to imagine that cash, as in paper notes and coins, were probably the most widely used way to transact when they were shut off from their bank accounts. When Twitter kicked Donald Trump, the sitting president of the United States, off of their platform, what were his options? If Nostr existed in its current form, maybe he would have built his own Truth Social Nostr client… it certainly would have cost less to spin up and would have allowed him to start with a bigger user base. But that was literally one person who was censored. How many YouTube channels have been censored? thousands, millions? How many of them had a bad enough experience to leave their subscribers behind? And how many YouTube channels were not censored? Censorship has been on the rise in a major way over the last several decades. And while some are finally getting the picture that moving to another centralized platform that can also censor them maybe isn’t the best solution, this isn’t happening in a major way to the masses. But censorship can, and it very well may, start happening in a much more significant way in the future… possibly even the near future. So, if Michael Saylor asks his billionaire buddies how much they would pay to transact freely when they are actively being censored financially, I bet they would answer that question about freedom money a lot differently. And if big tech platforms start censoring their users by the tens or hundreds of millions, I bet that even the normies would see the value of Nostr and the ability to communicate freely. The good news though, is that I believe we may be moving into a world that is pushing back against the censorship industrial complex. Maybe in 10 years, money and media will be less censored, not more. If that is the case, currency would remain a terrible investment and twitter would remain a public square. But the fact is, that bitcoin and Nostr will both still win in that environment because of their other characteristics. Bitcoin offers inviolable absolute scarcity, something that asset holders have never had access to in the history of humankind. The open-source internet technology that allows social graphs to travel with its users (Nostr) will win because the tech is better, and the user experience is better than its centralized competitors. Bitcoin and Nostr are freedom tech and they will almost certainly be a major factor in improving freedom around the world. But I believe that they will win because of their better user experience. Bitcoin offers a store of value that no one can violate. Nostr allows builders to capitalize on the advancements of every other builder in the space, meaning that if an open-source feature is rolled out on one client, all the clients will magically have access to that feature. We’re gonna win freaks. Stay humble, stack sats and zap notes. 871493

En el capítulo anterior, aprendimos cómo Alice y Bob abrieron un canal, utilizando transacciones de compromiso que pueden publicarse en la blockchain en cualquier momento para recuperar sus fondos. Pero, por supuesto, las transacciones de compromiso iniciales se vuelven inválidas tan pronto como cambia el estado del canal, en otras palabras, cuando se realiza un pago y el saldo del canal se distribuye de manera diferente entre los participantes del canal. En este capítulo, comenzaremos a aprender cómo Alice y Bob pueden acordar una nueva división de fondos, es decir, cómo dividir el saldo del canal de manera diferente e invalidar las transacciones de compromiso más antiguas que tienen. 💡 Cubriremos cómo funciona esto bajo el paradigma actual de cómo se actualizan los canales, llamado "LN-Penalty", nombrado así por el mecanismo de penalización utilizado para asegurar los fondos contra adversarios maliciosos. Hay una propuesta más nueva llamada "LN-Symmetry" (anteriormente eltoo) que no requiere el mecanismo de penalización para ser segura y simplifica este proceso, pero requiere modificaciones a las reglas de consenso de Bitcoin para funcionar. ### Transacciones de compromiso asimétrico En LN-Penalty, cada participante en un canal tiene una transacción de compromiso que representa el estado del canal. Las transacciones de compromiso que posee cada parte varían ligeramente. La razón de esto es asignar culpa. ¿Por qué es necesario asignar culpa? Porque necesitamos dejar claro qué parte transmitió su transacción de compromiso e identificar a la parte correcta para castigar si han publicado un estado inválido. ### Configuración del estado En el último capítulo, mostramos cómo Alice y Bob intercambiaron sus claves públicas para crear sus transacciones de compromiso iniciales. Echemos un vistazo más de cerca a cómo lucen estas transacciones de compromiso. Para simplificar, supongamos que el saldo total del canal es de 10 BTC y que Alice y Bob tienen cada uno 5 BTC en sus lados del canal. Para configurar sus transacciones de compromiso iniciales, cada parte primero crea una clave privada temporal, para Alice, llamémosla `dA1`, para Bob, `dB1`. También calculan las claves públicas asociadas, `PA1` para Alice y `PB1` para Bob. En este punto, cada parte puede construir sus propias transacciones de compromiso. La de Alice se verá así: 1. Gastará la transacción de financiación. 2. Tendrá dos salidas (o más, cuando haya HTLCs. Cubriremos eso en el futuro). 3. La salida `to_remote` enviará a Bob sus 5 BTC de inmediato. 4. La salida `to_local` será más elaborada. Aquí pueden suceder dos cosas. Alice puede enviarse a sí misma los 5 BTC después de un OP_CSV `to_self_delay` o puede ser gastada por Bob si puede demostrar que tiene la clave privada temporal de Alice `dA1`. De manera similar, Bob también puede construir la transacción de compromiso de Alice y proporcionarle su firma para ello. Alice puede firmar esta transacción válida ella misma en cualquier momento y transmitirla a la red, dándole la seguridad que necesita para recuperar sus fondos en caso de que Bob desaparezca.  En este punto, cualquiera de las partes puede transmitir sus transacciones de compromiso para cerrar el canal. Supongamos que Alice transmite la suya. Bob recibirá sus 5 BTC de inmediato. Alice tendrá que esperar el número de bloques `to_self_delay` antes de poder usar sus 5 BTC. Sin embargo, no necesita preocuparse por que Bob gaste su salida porque sabe que nunca compartió su clave privada con él. ### Invalidando el estado antiguo Ahora Alice quiere enviarle a Bob 1 BTC usando su canal. Así que, al igual que en el paso anterior, cada parte genera nuevas claves privadas (`dA2` para Alice, `dB2` para Bob), calcula las claves públicas asociadas (`PA2` para Alice, `PB2` para Bob) y comparte las claves públicas entre sí. Y nuevamente, ambos crean transacciones de compromiso para reflejar el nuevo estado del canal (Alice ahora tiene 4 BTC ya que transfirió 1 BTC a Bob; Bob ahora tiene 6 BTC). El problema, sin embargo, es que Alice todavía tiene su transacción de compromiso del paso anterior, donde tenía 5 BTC, lo cual es más rentable para ella. Para mostrarle a Bob que está invalidando el estado antiguo y comprometiéndose al nuevo estado, necesita enviarle a Bob su clave privada temporal inicial (`dA1`). Ahora, dado que Bob tiene esta clave, puede gastar la salida `to_self` de Alice si ella alguna vez publica un estado antiguo e inválido, antes de que ella pueda reclamarlo (recuerda que la salida `to_local` tiene un `to_self_delay`). Bob también le envía a Alice su antigua clave (`dB1`) para invalidar su estado antiguo. No tiene razón para no hacer esto ya que su nuevo estado es más rentable para él.  ¡Eso es todo! Ahora hemos aprendido cómo Alice y Bob pueden transaccionar de manera segura estableciendo nuevos estados e invalidando estados antiguos. ### Revisión - Para **actualizar el estado**, cada participante del canal genera nuevos pares de claves y se envían mutuamente la clave pública. - Para **invalidar el estado**, por ejemplo, cuando se realiza una transacción, cada participante del canal actualiza el estado y se envían mutuamente la clave privada del estado anterior. ### Referencias - [BOLT3](https://github.com/lightning/bolts/blob/master/03-transactions.md) - [LN Things Part 2: Updating State](https://ellemouton.com/posts/updating-state/) por nostr:nprofile1qqswrt9pnxatlplu49h6meld8svmwqt87wwvk256rqk07n6eu4qeh5gpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dszpfjtz - [eltoo](https://bitcoinops.org/en/topics/eltoo/)

A state-controlled money supply can influence the development of socialist policies and practices in various ways. Although the relationship is not deterministic, state control over the money supply can contribute to a larger role of the state in the economy and facilitate the implementation of socialist ideals. ## Fiscal Policy Capabilities When the state manages the money supply, it gains the ability to implement fiscal policies that can lead to an expansion of social programs and welfare initiatives. Funding these programs by creating money can enhance the state's influence over the economy and move it closer to a socialist model. The Soviet Union, for instance, had a centralized banking system that enabled the state to fund massive industrialization and social programs, significantly expanding the state's role in the economy. ## Wealth Redistribution Controlling the money supply can also allow the state to influence economic inequality through monetary policies, effectively redistributing wealth and reducing income disparities. By implementing low-interest loans or providing financial assistance to disadvantaged groups, the state can narrow the wealth gap and promote social equality, as seen in many European welfare states. ## Central Planning A state-controlled money supply can contribute to increased central planning, as the state gains more influence over the economy. Central banks, which are state-owned or heavily influenced by the state, play a crucial role in managing the money supply and facilitating central planning. This aligns with socialist principles that advocate for a planned economy where resources are allocated according to social needs rather than market forces. ## Incentives for Staff Staff members working in state institutions responsible for managing the money supply have various incentives to keep the system going. These incentives include job security, professional expertise and reputation, political alignment, regulatory capture, institutional inertia, and legal and administrative barriers. While these factors can differ among individuals, they can collectively contribute to the persistence of a state-controlled money supply system. In conclusion, a state-controlled money supply can facilitate the development of socialist policies and practices by enabling fiscal policies, wealth redistribution, and central planning. The staff responsible for managing the money supply have diverse incentives to maintain the system, further ensuring its continuation. However, it is essential to note that many factors influence the trajectory of an economic system, and the relationship between state control over the money supply and socialism is not inevitable.

## Chef's notes * The Premium Juku Curry comes individually packaged in single-serving portions, so it's convenient for using small amounts like in this recipe. * Use your favorite spicy level of hot bean-curd soup base/curry roux. ## Details - 🍽️ Servings: 4 ## Ingredients - 1 box of “Cook Do®” (Chinese seasoning mix) for Szechuan-style Mapo Tofu - 2 servings of Premium Juku Curry - 500g tofu - 400g cut tomatoes - 200g minced meat - 80g garlic sprouts - 100ml water - 1 tablespoon sesame oil - Cooked rice, enough for the number of people ## Directions 1. Slice the garlic shoots diagonally into 3-4cm pieces. Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces. 2. Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan and fry the minced meat over a medium heat. 3. When the meat is about 80% cooked, add the garlic shoots and continue to fry, stirring, until the meat is fully cooked. 4. Turn off the heat and add the Cook Do® Sichuan-style Mapo Tofu seasoning, and mix well. 5. Turn the heat back on to medium, add the cut tomatoes and water, and bring to the boil, stirring gently. 6. When it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low, add the Premium Juku Curry, and stir well to dissolve. 7. Once the curry has dissolved, add the tofu and cook until the tofu is warmed through.

## The motherhood illusion Growing up, I was always told that women wanted children, whilst men wanted sex. So, marriage was created, to unite these two urges, and men and women don't otherwise particularly differ. But, it turns out, that **women want protection and sex, and men want children and sex**. This is why women tend to be attracted to more masculine men (they're associated with protection) and men tend to be attracted to more feminine women (they're associated with motherhood). Women who are attracted to men, who aren't overtly masculine, are looking for a different aspect of protection (reliability, steady income or wealth, emotional security, etc.) This wasn't readily apparent, in earlier generations, as widespread, youthful marriage meant that there weren't any real decisions being made by the participants. Almost all women got married and had kids, and almost all men got married and had sex. *Math checks out.* But the number of women who could protect and provide for themselves was low, and the men marrying were often very young and libidinous, and not yet contemplating their own legacy. Feminism, easy abortion, deindustrialization, delayed marriage, and reliable contraception have dissolved this illusion, completely. Millions of Western women quickly turned into cougars, careerists, party girls, and e-girls, and an entire army of childless men and sidelined dads bubbled up and began to make their pain known. Humanity's dirty underbelly has been exposed. *Women aren't as sweet, as we thought, and men are much sweeter.*  Women also want children, but not as intensely. In fact, they seem to often viscerally dislike children, and are jealous of the protection they are to give them. So, they are prone to offing their offspring because they are averse to having any in-house competition. If you just left women up to their own devices and reduced the social pressure, at least a fifth of them wouldn't bother having children, at all, and another quarter will have one and then lose interest or age out. This is not a new phenomenon, as we can see.  The male competition for potential mothers turns out to be absolutely brutal, and more difficult than simply finding a woman to sleep with. And, now, we finally understand why men traditionally jumped through so many hoops, to attain a wife. It wasn't for the sex; we've always had brothels, masturbation, and pornography. It was for the familial comfort, and, especially, for the children. ## Good fathers make good mothers Some women don't know if they are "potential mothers", until they meet a "potential father", and their urge to procreate suddenly kicks in. They didn't want children for their own sake, but now they want some for his sake. All of a sudden, they're imagining themselves rocking the cradle, googling "what to eat, when you're expecting", and find themselves gushing over anything that gives off Hint of Infant. I'm pregnant! Look what I can do! Look what I can do! For you, darling.  Women married to men they are deeply in love with, are much more likely to desire to become mothers (and be devastated by infertility), and make for better mothers, because children are like individualized presents they can give to their husband. They want to impress him. Most want to be decent parents in their own right, but the urge to impress seems to raise this to a much higher level because *women are vain*, and therefore focused on raising their own status and how they appear to others. And the greatest "other", of a happy wife, is her husband. Because *men are narcissistic*, and therefore in love with anything associated with themselves (which underpins their obsession with owning property), men have an intense attachment to their children. What is more "yours", than your progeny?  Fathers seem to develop a special attachment to, or fondness for, the mothers of their children, that goes beyond lust or romantic love; they never forgot who gave them this new Mini Me. And they are often quite impressed by their own ability to perform this trick numerous times, which leads to the intense satisfaction they feel at "going into serial production" and churning out more of those Mini Mes until their adoring wife pleads for mercy. Men want children. Women, who love a man, want to give him those children and gain the fidelity that comes along with those children. This is the actual "trade" underpinning the urge to marry. 

### Tldr - Nostr is an open protocol which is interoperable with all kinds of other technologies - You can use this interoperability to create custom solutions - Nostr apps define a custom URI scheme handler "nostr:" - In this blog I use this to integrate Nostr with NFC cards - I create a Nostr NFC "login card" which allows me to log into Amethyst client - I create a Nostr NFC "business card" which allows anyone to find my profile with a tap ### Inter-Op All The Things! Nostr is a new open social protocol for the internet. This open nature is very exciting because it means Nostr can add new capabilities to all other internet-connected technologies, from browsers to web applications. In my view, it achieves this through three core capabilities. - A lightweight decentralised identity (Nostr keys, "npubs" and "nsecs"), - A lightweight data distribution network (Nostr relays), - A set of data interoperability standards (The Nostr Improvement Protocols "NIPs"), including the "nostr:" URI which we'll use in this post. The lightweight nature is its core strength. Very little is required to interoperate with Nostr, which means many existing technologies can be easily used with the network. Over the next few blog posts, I'll explore different Nostr inter-op ideas, and also deliver my first small open source projects to the community. I'll cover– - NFC cards integrated with Nostr (in this post), - Workflow Automations integrated with Nostr, - AI LLMs integrated with Nostr. #### The "Nostr:" URI One feature of Nostr is it defines a custom URI scheme handler "nostr:". What is that? A URI is used to identify a resource in a system. A system will have a protocol handler registry used to store such URI's, and if a system has a URI registered, then it knows what to do when it sees it. You are probably already familiar with some URI schemes such as "http:" and "mailto:". For example, when you click an http link, the system knows that it describes an http resource and opens a web browser to fetch the content from the internet. A nostr: link operates in the same way. The nostr: prefix indicates a custom URI scheme specifically designed for the Nostr protocol. If a system has a Nostr application installed, that application may have registered "nostr:" in the protocol handler registry. On that system when a "nostr:" URI is clicked, the system will know that it describes a nostr resource and open the Nostr client to fetch the content from the nostr relay network. This inter-op with the protocol handler registry gives us the power to do nice and exciting things with other technologies. ### Nostr and NFC Another technology that uses URIs is NFC cards. NFC (Near Field Communication) is a wireless technology that enables devices to exchange data over a few centimeters. It’s widely used in contactless payments, access control, and information sharing. NFC tags are small chips embedded in cards or stickers which can store data like plain text, URLs, or custom URIs. They are very cheap (cents each) and widely available (Amazon with next day delivery). When an NFC tag contains a URI, such as a http: (or nostr:) link, it acts as a trigger. Tapping the tag with an NFC-enabled device launches the associated application and processes the URI. For example, tapping a tag with "nostr:..." could open a Nostr client, directing it to a specific login page, public profile, or event. This inter-op allows us to bridge the physical world to Nostr with just a tap. #### Many useful ideas There are many interesting ways to use this. Too many for me to explore. Perhaps some of these are interesting for your next side hustle? - Nostr NFC "login cards" – tap to log into Amethyst on Android, - Nostr NFC "business cards" – give to connections so they can tap to load your npub, - Nostr NFC "payment cards" – integrating lightning network or ecash, - Nostr NFC "doorbells", "punch cards", "drop boxes", or "dead drops" – put a tag in a specific place and tap to open a location-specific message or chat, - Integrations with other access control systems, - Integrations with other home automation systems, - Many more ... To start with I have built and use the "login card" and "business card" solutions. This blog post will show you how to do the same. ### Nostr Login Card You can use an NFC card to log into your Nostr client. Most Nostr clients accept a variety of login methods, from posting your nsec into the app (insecure) to using a remote signer (more secure). A less known but more secure method is to sign into a session with a tap of a specially-configured NFC card. Amethyst is a Nostr client on Android which supports this type of login. - A secure method for logging in - Optionally keeps no log in history on the device after logout - Does not require users to know or understand how keys work - Keys are kept secure on a physically-separated card to reduce risk of compromise Nostr devs think that this is useful for anti-establishment actors–Fair enough. For me, I am interested in this login card pattern as it could be useful for rolling out identities within an organisation context with less training (office workers are already familiar with door access cards). This pattern potentially abstracts away key management to the IT or ops team who provision the cards. I first discovered this when [Kohei](nostr:npub16lrdq99ng2q4hg5ufre5f8j0qpealp8544vq4ctn2wqyrf4tk6uqn8mfeq) demonstrated it in [his video](nostr:nevent1qqstx0jy5jvzgh7wr6entjuw7h58d7mapupfdpt9hkf7s4gze34a0vspremhxue69uhkummnw3ez6ur4vgh8wetvd3hhyer9wghxuet59upzp47x6q2txs5ptw3fcj8ngj0y7qrnm7z0ft2cptshx5uqgxn2hd4ckqyqd3). Here's how you set it up at a high level– 1. Buy yourself some NFC cards 2. Get your Nostr key ready in an encrypted, password protected format called "nencryptsec" 3. Write the nencryptsec to the NFC card as a custom URI 4. Tap to load the login screen, and enter your password to login Here it is in detail– #### Buy yourself some NFC cards I found no specific requirements. As usual with Nostr so far, I tried to the cheapest possible route and it worked. Generic brand NFC cards shipped from China, I believe it was 50X for $15 from Amazon. Your mileage may vary. #### Get your Nostr key ready Your key will be saved to the NFC card in an encrypted password-protected format called "nencryptsec". Several applications support this. As we'll be using this to login to Amethyst, we will use Amethyst to output the nencryptsec for us. 1. Login to Amethyst with your nsec, 2. Open the sidebar and click "Backup Keys", 3. Enter a password, and click "Encrypt and my secret key", 4. It will add the password-protected key to your clipboard in the format "ncryptsec1...", 5. Remember to backup your password. #### Write the ncryptsec to the NFC card 1. Download the free [NFC Tools app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wakdev.wdnfc) to your device, and open it, 2. Click "Write" and "Add a record", then click "Custom URL / URI", 3. Paste your nencryptsec with the nostr URI in front, i.e. "nostr:ncryptsec1..." and click OK, 4. Click "Write". NFC Tools will prompt you to "Approach an NFC tag", 5. Place your NFC card against your phone, and it will write to the card, 6. Your card is ready. #### Tap to load the login screen Tap the card against your phone again, and your phone should open the login screen of Amethyst and prompt you for your password. Once you enter your password, Amethyst will decrypt your nsec and log you in. Optionally, you can also set the app to forget you once you log out. You have created a Nostr NFC "login card". ### Nostr Business Card You can use another NFC card to give anyone you meet a link straight to your Nostr profile. I attended [Peter McCormack](nostr:npub14mcddvsjsflnhgw7vxykz0ndfqj0rq04v7cjq5nnc95ftld0pv3shcfrlx)'s #CheatCode conference in Sydney and gave a few of these out following the Nostr panel, notably to [Preston Pysh](nostr:npub1s5yq6wadwrxde4lhfs56gn64hwzuhnfa6r9mj476r5s4hkunzgzqrs6q7z) where it [got some cut through](nostr:nevent1qqsdx0acma85u9knejnvfnfms9pfv27g97mfnnq9fnxslsa9vtrx73spremhxue69uhkummnw3ez6ur4vgh8wetvd3hhyer9wghxuet59upzppggp5a66uxvmntlwnpf5384twu9e0xnm5xth9ta58fpt0dexysy26d4nm) and found me my first 100 followers. You can do the same. To create your Nostr NFC "business card" is even easier than your NFC "login card". 1. Buy yourself some NFC cards, 2. Download the free [NFC Tools app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wakdev.wdnfc) to your device, and open it, 2. Click "Write" and "Add a record", then click "Custom URL / URI", 3. Write your npub to the NFC card as a custom URI in the format "nostr:npub1..." (e.g. for me this is "nostr:npub1r0d8u8mnj6769500nypnm28a9hpk9qg8jr0ehe30tygr3wuhcnvs4rfsft"), 4. Your card is ready. Give the card to someone who is a Nostr user, and when they tap the card against their phone it will open their preferred Nostr client and go directly to your Nostr profile page. You have created a Nostr NFC "business card". ### What I Did Wrong I like to share what I did wrong so you don't have to make the same mistakes. This time, this was very easy, and little went wrong. In general - When password-protecting your nsec, don't forget the password! - When writing to the NFC card, make sure to use "Custom URI/URL" as this accepts your "nostr:" URI scheme. If you use generic "URI/URL" it won't work. ### What's Next Over my first four blogs I have explored creating a good Nostr setup - [Mined a Nostr pubkey and backed up the mnemonic](nostr:naddr1qqsy66twd9hxwtteda6hyt2kv9hxjare94g82cntv4uj6drfw4cxyeszyqda5lslwwttmgk3a7vsx0dgl5kuxc5pq7gdlxlx9av3qw9mjlzdjqcyqqq823c6e2ekw) - [Set up Nostr payments with a Lightning wallet plus all the bells and whistles](nostr:naddr1qq34xet5w35kueedw4cz65rp09kk2mn5wvkk7m3dfehhxarj95mk7dnvwvmsygqmmflp7uukhk3drmueqv763lfdcd3gzpusm7d7vt6ezquth97ymypsgqqqw4rsuql6je) - [Set up NIP-05 and Lighting Address at my own domain](nostr:naddr1qqyx2efcvy6rvcnrqyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tczyqda5lslwwttmgk3a7vsx0dgl5kuxc5pq7gdlxlx9av3qw9mjlzdjqcyqqq823c634nh0) - [Set up a Personal Relay at my own domain](nostr:naddr1qqyx2efcvy6rvcnrqy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7q3qr0d8u8mnj6769500nypnm28a9hpk9qg8jr0ehe30tygr3wuhcnvsxpqqqp65wmzpn9e) Over the next few blogs I will be exploring different types of Nostr inter-op - NFC cards integrated with Nostr (this post) - Workflow Automations integrated with Nostr - AI LLMs integrated with Nostr Please be sure to let me know if you think there's another Nostr topic you'd like to see me tackle. GM Nostr.

Recently, I have been surrounded by people experimenting with various projects, and a common theme among them is the use of cashu as the payment layer. While this fact alone is already great, the best part is to identify users and implementers needs and combining forces to come up with novel solutions. --- ## Subscriptions with Cashu One of the most remarkable aspects of cashu is that it is a bearer asset. This hands ownership and control back to the user. Even though mints back the tokens, they have no authority to move a token on behalf of a user or any other party. How cool is that? However, this also introduces challenges when building subscription-based services. Subscriptions typically require periodic payments, and with cashu, users must renew these manually. Currently, there are two primary approaches to address this: 1. **Overpaying:** To minimize the number of interactions, users can pay for longer periods upfront. For example, instead of paying 2,100 sats for one hour, they could pay 6,000 sats for three hours. If they realize they don’t need the full three hours, the excess payment is effectively wasted. 2. **Full Interactivity:** In this setup, payers and receivers stay connected through a communication channel, and payments are made at small, regular intervals. While this avoids overpayment, it requires constant connectivity. If the connection is lost, the subscription ends. --- ## Enter Locking Scripts One of the most powerful features of cashu is its locking scripts. Let’s take a quick refresher. A locking script defines the conditions under which a token (or "nut") becomes spendable. In essence, it’s similar to Bitcoin’s spending conditions, but instead of being enforced by the Bitcoin network, these conditions are enforced by the cashu mint alone. A widely-used locking condition is Pay-to-Public-Key (P2PK). This locks a token to a specific public key, meaning it can only be spent when a valid signature from the key’s owner is provided. This mechanism is what enables NIP-61 nut zaps, where a token can be publicly shared but is only claimable by the intended recipient who holds the private key. To address situations where a recipient loses access to their keys or simply doesn’t claim the token, P2PK includes additional options: locktime and a refund key. These options allow for the inclusion of a fallback mechanism. If the primary lock expires after a set time, a refund key can reclaim the token. With these tools, we can now create non-interactive payment streams! --- ## One Missing Piece… Before diving into payment streams, there’s one more crucial concept to cover: cashu tokens are not singular "things". Instead, they’re composed of multiple proofs, each carrying its own cryptographic data and spendability. For example, if you receive a cashu token made up of five proofs, you could choose to claim only three proofs and leave the other two untouched. This flexibility is rarely utilized but is vital for building payment streams. --- ## The Grand Finale: Payment Streams Now that we have all the building blocks, let’s construct a payment stream using cashu. By leveraging locking scripts, refund keys, and multiple proofs, we can design a token that enables recipients to claim small portions of the total amount at regular intervals—without requiring any further interaction from the sender. Even better, as the sender, you retain the ability to cancel the stream at any time and reclaim any unspent portions.  ### Example: Renting a VPS Imagine renting a VPS for a week, priced at 1,000 sats per day. Here’s how a payment stream could work: 1. Construct a token worth 7,000 sats to cover the entire week. 2. Divide the token into 7 proofs, each worth 1,000 sats. 3. Lock each proof using a P2PK script, locking to your key and adding the recipients key as a refund key. - The first proof has a locktime of `now`. - The second proof has a locktime of `now + 1 day`. - The third proof has a locktime of `now + 2 days`, and so on. When the token is sent, the receiver can immediately claim the first proof since its locktime has expired and the refund key is now able to claim. The second proof becomes claimable after one day, the third after two days, and so on. At the same time, the sender retains the ability to reclaim any unclaimed proofs by signing with their key. If you decide to stop using the VPS midweek, you can cancel the stream and reclaim the remaining proofs; all without further interaction with the receiver. --- With this approach, we can create robust, non-interactive payment streams that combine the autonomy of cashu with the flexibility to reclaim funds. Thank you for reading. Make sure to leave a nut if you enjoyed this :)

### ¿Qué es un canal? Un canal Lightning es simplemente una multifirma 2-de-2 en la cadena. Para abrir un canal, solo enviamos fondos a una transacción multifirma 2-de-2. Esto crea un UTXO y el canal está abierto hasta que este UTXO se gaste. Durante la vida del canal, se crean un montón de transacciones que gastan doblemente la transacción de financiamiento, pero eventualmente una (y solo una) de estas se publicará en la cadena para cerrar el canal. Así que, idealmente, un canal Lightning condensa efectivamente un montón de transacciones en dos transacciones en la cadena: la que lo abre y la que lo cierra. Podríamos decir que así es como Lightning "eleva" las transacciones fuera de la cadena. ### Creando un canal Una **transacción de financiamiento** para un canal entre Alice y Bob es simplemente una transacción que tiene una salida como sigue: ``` 2 <pubkeyA> <pubkeyB> 2 OP_CHECKMULTISIG ``` Donde `<pubkeyA>` es la clave pública de Alice y `<pubkeyB>` es la de Bob. Entonces, si Alice quiere abrir un canal con Bob, ¿simplemente le envía fondos al script anterior? La respuesta es no, es un poco más complicado que eso. Existe la posibilidad de que Bob desaparezca para siempre y nunca vuelva a firmar ninguna transacción que intente gastar de la transacción de financiamiento. Esto significa que, efectivamente, los fondos de Alice quedarían atrapados en este UTXO para siempre. ¡No es ideal! Aquí es donde entra una **transacción de compromiso**. Cubriremos la transacción de compromiso con más detalle en el futuro, pero por ahora lo importante que hay que saber es que una vez que una transacción de financiamiento es confirmada, las transacciones de compromiso definen el **estado** del canal (es decir, cómo se distribuyen los fondos entre los participantes del canal). Así que, esencialmente, cada transacción de compromiso gasta la transacción de financiamiento como entrada y tiene salidas que definen la distribución de fondos entre los participantes del canal. Para ver cómo se utilizan estos dos conceptos para negociar la apertura de un canal, se intercambiará una serie de mensajes entre los nodos de Alice y Bob, como se muestra en el diagrama a continuación.  Es un poco como negociar un contrato; cada parte solo firma cuando está contento con los términos. Vamos a revisar cada uno de estos mensajes con más detalle. #### open_channel Alice envía este mensaje a Bob para indicar que quiere abrir un canal con él. Este mensaje contiene varios detalles sobre los requisitos de Alice para el canal. El más importante es `funding_pubkey`. Esta es la clave pública que Alice tiene la intención de usar como su clave pública en el script de la transacción de financiamiento.  #### accept_channel Si Bob está contento con los requisitos que Alice ha presentado en su oferta de canal, puede enviar de vuelta el mensaje `accept_channel`, que también contiene algunos de sus requisitos junto con su `funding_pubkey`.  En este punto, Alice tiene todo lo que necesita para construir la transacción de financiamiento. Sin embargo, aún no tiene garantía de que Bob no desaparecerá, lo que haría que sus fondos no se pudieran gastar. Por lo tanto, aún no transmite la transacción de financiamiento. En cambio, lo que necesita es una transacción de compromiso firmada por Bob que gaste de la transacción de financiamiento y divida el saldo del canal en consecuencia. La transacción de financiamiento podría asignar algunos fondos a Bob también, por lo que Bob también querría una transacción de compromiso válida firmada por Alice, en caso de que ella desaparezca. Entonces, lo que Alice hace ahora es construir la transacción de financiamiento y enviar a Bob el siguiente mensaje: #### funding_created  Este mensaje contiene el TXID de la transacción de financiamiento, el índice de salida relevante de la transacción de financiamiento junto con una firma de la transacción de compromiso de Bob. Alice puede construir la transacción de compromiso exacta de Bob utilizando la información que ya conoce. Ten en cuenta que Bob no puede hacer nada aún con su transacción de compromiso porque está gastando de una transacción que aún no está en la blockchain. #### funding_signed  Si Bob está contento, entonces puede enviar a Alice un mensaje `funding_signed`, que contiene la firma de Bob para la transacción de compromiso de Alice. Ahora, Alice tiene una transacción de compromiso válida firmada por Bob que puede usar para gastar sus fondos de vuelta a sí misma en caso de que Bob desaparezca. Por lo tanto, es seguro para ella transmitir la transacción de financiamiento. #### channel_ready Tanto Alice como Bob estarán ahora observando la blockchain esperando que la transacción de financiamiento alcance el número deseado de confirmaciones. Una vez que cada uno lo vea, se enviarán mutuamente el mensaje `channel_ready` que contiene el ID del canal.  ¡El canal ahora está abierto y listo para transacciones! ### Revisión Terminaremos con un breve resumen de los conceptos importantes que hemos aprendido en este capítulo. Siéntete libre de volver aquí en el futuro en caso de que necesites un recordatorio. - **canal**: un contrato multifirma 2-de-2 en la cadena utilizado para elevar transacciones fuera de la cadena - **transacción de financiamiento**: una transacción multifirma 2-de-2 con un script de salida P2WSH que contiene las claves públicas de ambos participantes del canal - **transacción de compromiso**: una transacción que define el estado de un canal, es decir, la distribución de fondos entre los participantes del canal ### Referencias - [BOLT2](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lightning-rfc/blob/master/02-peer-protocol.md) - [LN Things Part 1: Creating a channel](https://ellemouton.com/posts/creating-a-channel/) por nostr:nprofile1qqswrt9pnxatlplu49h6meld8svmwqt87wwvk256rqk07n6eu4qeh5gpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dszpfjtz

I’ve been studying a lot about end times prophecy because so much seems to be coming together and I believe our time left is short. I’m listening to a sermon series on Daniel and another on Revelation. I’m doing a Bible study on Revelation with the ladies at my church. In general I think our women’s Bible study curriculum is too focused on symbology and isn’t focused enough on what Revelation means for us and our future, but it has been good at pointing me at verses that have clarified my understanding of Revelation. When trying to understand end times, I keep going back to “Who is Babylon the Great?” As I’ve been reading, I’ve been seeing things that may be clues. I’ll admit that I am not 100% certain in my interpretations, so I’m open to other interpretations and I don’t want anyone to take what I have to say as set in stone. That being said, when I consider what is happening in the world today and what Scripture predicts, the ideas I am about to present really seems to make sense. Hopefully this study will be useful to you even if you don’t agree with my conclusions. I do try to back all of my speculation with Scripture. ## Revelation 17-18 I’ve always read Scripture and wondered, “Why is the US not mentioned?” I’ve usually assumed the US has to either be made unimportant on the world stage or be broken up into smaller countries (which is believable with how divided the nation has become). I’m now starting to wonder if the US is mentioned in end times prophecy, but I didn’t see it because it isn’t how I want to think of my country. > And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Revelation 17: 3-5) When reading this passage, the first thought is who or what is “Babylon the Great?” Is it a reincarnation of historical Babylon? Historical Babylon was situated in the center of what is modern Iraq. Does that make sense? It doesn’t to me. Is “Babylon the Great” just a figurative representation of evil? I don’t think so, because there are too many references to literal things for that to make sense. Is “Babylon the Great” a different city or nation? I believe this is the most probably interpretation. > And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And the **ten horns** which you saw, and the beast, these **will hate the harlot and will make her desolate** and naked, and will eat her flesh and will **burn her up with fire**. For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose **by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast**, until the words of God will be fulfilled. The **woman whom you saw is the great city**, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:15-18) {emphasis mine} Revelation talks of ten horns, being ten kings/kingdoms, that will then hand their authority over to the beast to rule the whole world. Do the ten kings, who give their kingdoms to the beast turn on Babylon because Babylon doesn’t want to submit to the Beast’s worldwide kingdom, but retain her own power? This passage sounds like the 10 horns and the beast will turn on “Babylon the Great” because Babylon will not join the beast’s system. Will it not join because it hates evil? Definitely not! Babylon is referred to as a harlot. The previous passage says, Babylon has “*in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality*,” and that Babylon is “*THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH*.” Why would Babylon the Great not join the rest of this evil cohort? Would it be that Babylon the Great was the world’s only super power and it doesn’t want to give up that power? Now that sounds very believable. Now I put forth this premise that I don’t want to be true. What world super power currently exists that is resisting joining in a one world government? That sounds a lot like the US, but let us continue to see if this similarity becomes more obvious. > And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For **all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality**.” > > I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “**Come out of her, my people**, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. **To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning**; for she says **in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning**.’ For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be **burned up with fire**; for the Lord God who judges her is strong. (Revelation 18:2-8) {emphasis mine} Every time I read Revelation 18, I become more convinced that Babylon the Great is likely to be the US. Let’s start with “*For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her*.” The US has used its wealth and power to influence nearly every nation in the world. The US gives “aid,” but always with strings attached. They’ll give aid if the nation will support gay marriage. They’ll give aid if the nation will encourage gender transitions. They’ll give aid if the nation will join in a war against a nation that doesn’t do what the US tells it to do. This money for immorality is rampant, but not obvious to everyone because the media doesn’t advertise these actions. “*and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality*.” The US is known for her excesses. The government overspends. Her businesses overspend. Her citizens overspend and they believe they are in absolute poverty if they don’t have a car for every adult, a cell phone for everyone over 6, high speed internet, big screen TVs, etc. Even most of the poor in the US have no idea what real poverty looks like. The US buys tons of stuff from nations around the world and the “*merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality*.” Has there ever been a nation throughout all of history that lived so extravagantly? In the previous passage in Revelation 17, it states, “*in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality*.” Could the golden cup be a reference to all of the blessings given to the US since her founding and how the US was founded on Biblical principles, but instead of using the spiritual, geographic, and economic blessings, the US turned to “*abominations and of the unclean things*,” all of the evils now pushed by the US government, US schools, and US media? Sadly, “*God has remembered her iniquities*,” and “*To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning*.” How much does this following verse sound like the US government and US citizens? “*I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning*.” They can’t comprehend that the US will ever be anything other than the most powerful nation in the world — militarily, economically, and even morally. When Babylon the Great is destroyed, Revelation 18 states: > “And the **merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more**— cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. **The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning**, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for **in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste**!’ And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the **smoke of her burning**, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’ And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘**Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth**, for in **one hour she has been laid waste**!’ (Revelation 18:11-19) {emphasis mine} The saddest point is how Babylon the Great will be destroyed. What hints do we get? From Revelation 17, we read, “*she will be burned up with fire*.” From Revelation we read, “*in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste*!”, “*they saw the smoke of her burning*,” and again “*in one hour she has been laid waste*!” What could “*lay waste*” a great nation “*in one hour*” “*with fire*?” If all of the nuclear nations in the world (the ten horns and the beast) turned their nuclear weapons on the US and fired simultaneously, this is exactly what you would see. We’re going to look at another passage and see what else we can find. This next passage I had not previously associated with Babylon the Great, but now think it does refer to both historical Babylon and Babylon the Great. ## Jeremiah 50-51 The prophecies in Jeremiah chapters 50 & 51 seem to be predicting two events. One has already happened (Babylon being conquered by the Persians and Israel returning home after a 70 year exile) and one that has not happened (seems to parallel Revelation and what it says about Babylon the Great). Some of the prophecies against Babylon have clearly happened when Persia conquered Babylon. Some of the prophecies here do not seem to have been fulfilled. There are numerous examples of similar situations in predictions of the coming of the Messiah that predict both the first incarnation of Jesus and the 2nd coming at the end of the age. I believe these passages fit that pattern. Jeremiah 50 & 51 talks about the mother of Babylon and the daughter of Babylon. My theory is that the mother of Babylon is the historical Babylon on the Euphrates River that conquered Israel and took away its people. My more speculative theory is that the daughter of Babylon is the same as *Babylon the Great* in Revelation. I also am speculating that the evil spirits that influenced historic Babylon will be influencing Babylon the Great in the end times. > **Your mother will be greatly ashamed**,\ > She who gave you birth will be humiliated.\ > Behold, she will be the least of the nations,\ > A wilderness, a parched land and a desert.\ > Because of the indignation of the Lord she will not be inhabited,\ > But she will be completely desolate;\ > Everyone who passes by Babylon will be horrified\ > And will hiss because of all her wounds.\ > Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side,\ > All you who **bend the bow**;\ > Shoot at her, do not be **sparing with your arrows**,\ > For she has sinned against the Lord.\ > Raise your battle cry against her on every side!\ > She has given herself up, her pillars have fallen,\ > Her walls have been torn down.\ > For this is the vengeance of the Lord:\ > Take vengeance on her;\ ****As she has done to others, so do to her**. (Jeremiah 50:12-15) {emphasis mine} In Revelation 17-18 we read about Babylon the Great being destroyed in an hour with fire. This passage states, “*All you who bend the bow; Shoot at her, do not be sparing with your arrows*.” If you were writing a prophecy about a nuclear attack, to people back in the 600s B.C., how would you write it? Would you maybe mention arrows and bows because they are shot from a distance? Does “*All you who bend the bow; Shoot*” suggest all nations with nuclear weapons? Maybe. > “Summon many against Babylon,\ > All those who bend the bow:\ > Encamp against her on every side,\ > Let there be no escape.\ > Repay her according to her work;\ > According to all that she has done, so do to her;\ > For **she has become arrogant against the Lord**,\ > Against the Holy One of Israel.\ > Therefore her young men will fall in her streets,\ > And all her men of war will be silenced in that day,” declares the Lord.\ > “Behold, I am against you, O **arrogant one**,”\ > Declares the Lord God of hosts,\ > “For your day has come,\ > The time when I will punish you.\ > The **arrogant one will stumble and fall**\ > With no one to raise him up;\ > And I will **set fire to his cities**\ > And it will devour all his environs.” (Jeremiah 50:29-32) {emphasis mine} I’ve heard many Americans complain that the French are arrogant. They say this, because the French get upset at loud, self absorbed Americans traveling to France and expecting all of the French to speak English. Shouldn’t the people visiting a country at least make an attempt to speak the language of the nation they are visiting? Americans are known for their arrogance. It is assumed that everyone will know what is happening in America. It is assumed that everyone will speak English to Americans. It is assumed that everyone will be best off if they have a government and culture exactly like ours. It is assumed that the US will always be the most powerful economically and militarily and that nothing we do will change that. Honestly, I don’t think it is possible for a nation to be more arrogant. As an American, I say all of this with sadness > A sword against their horses and against their chariots\ > And against **all the foreigners who are in the midst** of her,\ > And **they will become women**!\ > A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!\ > A **drought on her waters**, and they will be dried up!\ > For it is a **land of idols**,\ > And they are mad over **fearsome idols**. (Jeremiah 50:37-38) {emphasis mine} Historical Babylon brought foreigners, who they conquered, back to Babylon and integrated them into their culture. The US has historically let in foreigners and integrated them into her culture. In the past, the US was referred to as a melting pot. Now the foreigners are coming in, but they frequently are not coming in legally and they are frequently not integrating into American society. Many are coming in for freebies or even to do harm to the US. Whatever the case, the division over what to do with all of the illegal aliens entering is dividing the US. For most of my life, when I read “they will become women,” I assumed that meant the men would become weak and/or fearful, but could this refer to men actually trying to become women by chemical and surgical means? Maybe. God knew this craziness would occur. It may have surprised me, but it didn’t surprise God. We don’t normally think of Americans as worshipping idols. They don’t normally worship a manmade statue, but they do worship idols, i.e. politicians, athletes, singers, influencers, media, and worldwide power & influence. Sadly, most Americans worship anything and everything except their creator God. > They seize their **bow and javelin**;\ > They are cruel and have no mercy.\ > Their voice roars like the sea;\ > And they ride on horses,\ > Marshalled like a man for the battle\ > Against you, O **daughter of Babylon**. (Jeremiah 50:42) {emphasis mine} This passage seems very similar to the Revelation 17:15-18. Many nations will attack from a distance, with “*bow and javelin*.” They will be “*cruel and have no mercy … Against you, O daughter of Babylon*.” By referring to “*daughter of Babylon*,” I believe this passage is not referring to historical Babylon, but a nation yet to come, that I am suggesting may be the US. > I will **dispatch foreigners to Babylon that they may winnow her**\ > And may devastate her land;\ > For on every side they will be opposed to her\ > In the day of her calamity. (Jeremiah 51:2) {emphasis mine} Could this passage mean the US will be attacked from within by the mass of foreigners in her land while her enemies from beyond her borders attack militarily and economically? Maybe. We do have illegal aliens, illegally entering the nation and being provided for with the hard earned money of American taxpayers to the point of bringing the economy to the breaking point. > **Flee from the midst of Babylon**,\ > And each of you save his life!\ > Do not be destroyed in her punishment,\ > For this is the Lord’s time of vengeance;\ > He is going to render recompense to her.\ ****Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord**,\ > Intoxicating all the earth.\ > The **nations have drunk of her wine**;\ > Therefore the **nations are going mad**. (Jeremiah 51:6-7) {emphasis mine} When I read “*The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad*,” I think of how the nations submit to the insane requests made by the US if the nations want her money, loans, weapons, and friendship. So many of the ungodly evils in our nation are pushed on the nations of the globe through American aid and sanctions. Many nations have turned to promoting anti-God actions in order to receive US aid and protection. I hate thinking this about my nation. I hate seeing what was started as a God fearing nation based on good principles become the largest purveyor of evil in the world. I don’t want the US to be Babylon the Great, but it at least has a lot in common with Babylon the Great. One thing I’ve noticed in many of the passages in Revelation and in Jeremiah is the command, “*Flee from the midst of Babylon, and each of you save his life*!” If America is Babylon the Great, at what point would we be called to flee her? Is the call a call to Christians, or is it a call to Jewish people to return to Israel? There have been many Jews leaving the US (and other nations) to move to Israel because of severe antisemitism, but could this call be a call to all who believe in the one true God? > **We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed**;\ > Forsake her and let us each go to his own country,\ > For **her judgment has reached to heaven**\ > And towers up to the very skies. (Jeremiah 51:9) {emphasis mine} Now I will give my most speculative and least certain assumption. If the tribulation is near, if the US is Babylon the Great, and if this passage in Jeremiah is referring to the same Babylon discussed in Revelation, **what is this “applied healing?”** The US has been turning completely away from God. It has been promoting evil as good and calling good “evil.” We just had an election where the American people rejected this radical evil and claim to want to go back to healthier, more sane America. Could the “*applied healing to Babylon*” be the election of Donald Trump (I am not saying he is anything close to a savior)? I was just listening to a sermon by R.C. Sproul entitled “Jesus Heals Many.” In it he commented that Jesus was healing many, then went off alone to pray, was reprimanded by His disciples for leaving when so many people were seeking healing, and then Jesus told them He was leaving for another town to preach His message. Jesus was there to share the Gospel, not to just play doctor. Most of the people following Jesus weren’t doing it because they believed He was God, nor were they doing it because they thought He taught the truth; they were following Him to get personal healing. Jesus was their magic genie. They only wanted Him as much as He gave them what they wanted. They didn’t care about what they actually needed or what Jesus demanded. In the same way, Richard Dawkins, one of the most famous atheists in the world, recently lamented the loss of Christian culture. He enjoyed the loving attitudes, the Christmas spirit, the honesty, etc., but didn’t actually want anything to do with Jesus. Is God offering a moment of reprieve for us to turn back to Him? Do the people only want the Christian culture and Christian blessing without the repentance and without making Jesus Lord? Is this why we will not be healed? No matter how much people want him to be, Trump is not a real savior and won’t be able to fix most of what ails America. Sadly most people want a return to God’s blessing, but they aren’t willing to repent and submit to the true Savior. I don’t know if this was what God was trying to communicate to us from more than two millennia ago, but I do think it is something we need to consider. Are we longing for the Christian culture and the blessings that come with it, while being unwilling to accept and submit to the Jesus through whom all of these blessings come? > Sharpen the arrows, **fill the quivers**!\ > The Lord has **aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes**,\ > Because His purpose is against Babylon to destroy it;\ > For it is the vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple. (Jeremiah 51:11) {emphasis mine} Now this passage may only refer to historical Babylon and it being conquered by the Medes and Persians. I do find it interesting that the nation of the Medes[1](#footnote-1) were located in what is now Iran, East Turkey, and Afghanistan. There are many experts saying Iran has everything needed to make several nuclear weapons and they already have the missiles needed to launch them. Iran hates and wants to destroy Israel and the US and is now afraid due to the election of Trump and the people he is nominating for Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and Ambassador to Israel. Could this passage refer to Iran completing the creation of nuclear weapons in order to attack the US? Maybe. > Lift up a signal against the walls of Babylon;\ > Post a strong guard,\ > Station sentries,\ > Place men in ambush!\ > For the Lord has both purposed and performed\ > What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.\ > O you who **dwell by many waters**,\ ****Abundant in treasures**,\ > Your **end has come**,\ > The measure of your end. (Jeremiah 51:12-13) {emphasis mine} Although historical Babylon was rich and was located between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers and had many canals for watering the land, this also sounds like the US. The US is between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans with the Gulf of Mexico to the South. It is full of large, navigable rivers. There has never been a nation as rich and with as many treasures as the US. Once again, I’m not positive, but it would be a great description for the US. > The **portion of Jacob** is not like these;\ > For the Maker of all is He,\ > And of the **tribe of His inheritance**;\ > The Lord of hosts is His name.\ > He says, “**You are My war-club, My weapon of war;\ > And with you I shatter nations**,\ > And with you I destroy kingdoms. (Jeremiah 51:19-20) {emphasis mine} This passage is less explicit, but still, I can very much see God saying of the US, “*You are My war-club, My weapon of war; and with you I shatter nations*.” > “But I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for **all their evil that they have done in Zion** before your eyes,” declares the Lord.\ > “Behold, I am against you, O **destroying mountain,\ > Who destroys the whole earth**,” declares the Lord,\ > “And I will stretch out My hand against you,\ > And roll you down from the crags,\ > And I will **make you a burnt out mountain**.\ > They will not take from you even a stone for a corner\ > Nor a stone for foundations,\ > But you will be desolate forever,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 51:24-26) {emphasis mine} I am currently reading a book, “Eye to Eye,” that goes through the actions of Bush Sr, Clinton, and Bush Jr to divide Israel into a two state solution and the natural disasters in America that happened within days of each of the US’s major actions. Will the US help divide Israel leading to her destruction? Has there ever been a nation throughout history that you could really say, “*O destroying mountain, who destroys the whole earth*?” Before modern times, the empires didn’t affect the whole earth. Great Britain did have influence on the majority of it, but I don’t think you could call it a “*destroying mountain*” or say it “*destroys the whole earth*.” The US truly influences every nation on earth, through aid/sanctions and through threat of force. Once again we see a reference to fire, “*I will make you a burnt out mountain*.” Will US hegemony be destroyed by a nuclear attack? What else could make it, or any other nation, into “*a burnt out mountain*.” > The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting,\ > They stay in the strongholds;\ > Their strength is exhausted,\ > They are **becoming *like* women**;\ > Their dwelling places are set on fire,\ > The bars of her gates are broken. (Jeremiah 51:30) {emphasis mine} Is the reason we don’t see the US in end times prophecy because it has “*ceased fighting*,” stays “*in the strongholds*,” “*is exhausted*,” (especially financially) is “*becoming like women*,” (literally?) and finally “*Their dwelling places are set on fire*?”(nuclear?) It makes sense, but it is also possible I am reading too much into it. Even if the US isn’t THE Babylon the Great, just as there are antichrists and THE AntiChrist, I think the US is at least a form of Babylon. > Indeed **Babylon is to fall *for* the slain of Israel**,\ **As* also for Babylon the slain of all the earth have fallen.\ > You who have escaped the sword,\ ****Depart! Do not stay**!\ > Remember the Lord from afar,\ > And **let Jerusalem come to your mind**. (Jeremiah 49-50) {emphasis mine} Once again, I wonder, if this refers to all who trust God or if this call is specifically for the Jews. I don’t feel confident in the answer, but will continue to study Scripture and listen to the Holy Spirit. Whether you agree or disagree with my conclusions and speculations, I hope this article has made you think and blessed you. I’d love feedback, especially if you have Scripture that either supports or denies my conclusions. Because end times prophecy is not as clear as the historical parts of the Bible, I know my interpretations have changed as the world has changed and I see how God’s word may be fulfilled. I do believe my understanding is getting closer and closer to what God is trying to tell us as I see things that made zero sense suddenly seem immediately possible as new technologies are created, as national alliances change. and as culture changes. I am looking forward to going home to heaven to be with my God and creator soon. I hope to see you there. Trust Jesus.\ \ your sister in Christ, *NOTE: Because of some uncertainty in this interpretation, after writing this article, I did a little research before posting. This websites has some interesting information on Babylon the Great.* [*https://truthonlybible.com/2021/07/29/the-case-for-identifying-babylon-the-great-with-the-united-states-of-america/*](https://truthonlybible.com/2021/07/29/the-case-for-identifying-babylon-the-great-with-the-united-states-of-america/) *This site furthers my argument that US is Babylon the Great and brings up some additional arguments that are very good and goes into when Babylon the Great is likely destroyed. I’d recommend reading it.* The only description of Babylon the Great that doesn’t fully seem to correspond to the US is “*And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth*.” (Revelation 18:24) The rest of the arguments for why the US isn’t Babylon the Great were either arguments regarding America’s past godliness, not America’s current situation, or Americans that just seemed to not want the US to be Babylon the Great. Sometimes we all fail to see uncomfortable truths. It is true that Christians are not “slain” in the US. It is also true that when the US has gone to war with many nations, such as Iraq, their actions have led to the end of the church in that nation. There had been a Christian church in Iraq for \~2,000 years, but after the US “liberated” Iraq, the Christian church was basically wiped out in a way that it had not been even under a tyrannical Muslim leader. Similar things have happened elsewhere. It is also true that persecution of Jews and Christians has been getting worse and worse in the US. Will this progression continue to the point of putting believers to death? I hope not, but it is possible. I’m guessing most of us will eventually see who or what Babylon the Great is before too long, so we will see. Hopefully you will use this to get you thinking about end times and it will spur you on to live a life fully devoted to Jesus.

**Nostr-PHP** * Added generic `setTags()` and `setTag()` function to Filter object to be used in request messages from clients to relays. * Did some small improvements in the relay response handling in the websocket client code. * Trying to send closeMessages trying to the relay to get a close response back. But not any response came back from the relays I’ve tested with. * I published a new release `1.5.0` Changelog: [https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/compare/1.4.2...1.5.0](https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/compare/1.4.2...1.5.0) * I set up a new relay with [transpher](https://github.com/nostriphant/transpher) at [chat.nostr-php.dev](http://chat.nostr-php.dev). The main goal of the relay is to replace the current Nostr-PHP Telegram group with a relay based chat group (NIP-29). Repo: [https://github.com/nostrver-se/chat.nostr-php.dev](https://github.com/nostrver-se/chat.nostr-php.dev)  * Work in progress, handling TLV with NIP-19 encoded entities: [https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/68](https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/68) **Other stuff** * We received a message from FOSDEM that our submission for a Nostr stand at the conference is accepted! So during the weekend 1st & 2nd of February I will attend FOSDEM volunteering at the Nostr stand with four other Nostriches. * Testing things out with chachi.cat and with different relays (NIP-29). * Did some work on a proof-of-concept at [/nostrides](/nostrides) around this NIP proposal for physical activities: https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/1423

## [kakoi](https://github.com/betonetojp/kakoi) の仕様についてのメモ ### キーボード操作 * 左手での操作に最適化 | キー | 動作 | |:-|:-| | ESC | 設定画面 | | F1 / F12 | ポストバーの表示と非表示 | | F2 | 時間の表示と非表示 | | F3 | ユーザーアイコンの表示と非表示 | | F4 | 名前の表示と非表示 | | F9 / Z | コンテンツの折り返し表示の切り替え （余白ダブルクリックでも動作） | | F10 | ユーザーリストとキーワード通知の設定画面 （余白右クリックでも動作） | | F11 | メイン画面の表示と非表示 （ポストバー表示） | | Shift + W | イベント最上行へ移動 | | W / ↑| イベント選択上移動 | | S / ↓ | イベント選択下移動 | | Shift + S | イベント最下行へ移動 | | A / ← | Webビューを開く （イベントを右クリックでも動作） | | F / → | リアクションを送信 （イベントをダブルクリックでも動作） | | 1 ～ 0 | リアクションを選択 | | R | 返信 | | B | リポスト | | Q | 引用 | | C | Webビューを閉じる | | Ctrl + Shift + A | メイン画面をアクティブにする | ### タイムライン * kind:1, 6, 7, 16を取得して表示する * フォロイーの名前の前には * が付く ### フォローリスト（kind:3） * 参照のみで更新はしない * F10 で開くユーザーリストでユーザーを選択し petname セルをクリックすることで未フォローユーザーにもペットネームを設定可能（ローカル保存） ### プロフィール（kind:0） * F10 で開くユーザーリストでユーザーを選択し picture セルをクリックすることでユーザーのアイコン表示を変更可能（ローカル保存） ### 返信（[NIP-10](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/10.md) kind:1） * kakoi のタイムラインに流れるすべてのイベント種に返信可能とする * スレッドを考慮せず、単一イベントへの単発返信とする * e タグは marker と返信先 pubkey は設定していない。 relay-url には空文字を設定 ```json ["e", "返信先 event-id", ""] ``` * p タグは 返信先 pubkey ひとつだけを指定 ### リポスト（[NIP-18](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/18.md) kind:6 , 16） * kakoi のタイムラインに流れるすべてのイベント種をリポスト可能 * kind:1はkind:6。その他はkind:16でリポストする * e タグは relay-url に空文字を設定 ```json ["e", "リポスト元 event-id", ""] ``` ### 引用（[NIP-18](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/18.md) kind:1） * q タグは relay-url に空文字を設定 ```json ["q", "引用元 event-id", ""] ```

Nostree.me is a free and open-source version of Linktree built on [nostr](https://nostr.com/). Since I was able to run zap.cooking on my PopOS! Desktop computer, I decided to try running nostree too. The process was the same so I won't go over it again. If you want to run it, follow the blog post I wrote about [zap.cooking here](https://gitea.marc26z.com/marc/Home/wiki/nostree#). Just use the [nostree repo instead](https://github.com/gzuuus/linktr-nostr). ### I Made A Pull Request Since I am not so good at writing code, but am decent at Markdown, I decided to make a pull request to change some of the spelling and grammar mistakes. I have an expired English teaching credential after all. I might as well use this knowledge to make the world a better place in some way. I'm not sure if it will get merged, but one can hope. The world of Free and Open Source software is brutal, but I love it! I want to contribute to FOSS as much as I can, to the best of my ability. Nevermind. Before I finished writing this, I just got an email. The changes were merged! Damn, it feels good to contribute to free and open-source software. It's not some paradigm-shifting code like Bitcoin, but I made the FOSS world a little bit better today than it was yesterday. I'll take that as a WIN! [](https://i.nostr.build/ldcWusJLX2eqAMbk.png) ### My Instance of Nostree.me - You can find my Instance of nostree at [https://nostree.marc26z.com/](https://nostree.marc26z.com/) - My profile is at [https://nostree.marcz.com/npubmarc26z](https://nostree.marcz.com/npubmarc26z) I think it would make a cool signature. The only problem is my profile picture doesn't show up for some reason and you are not able to zap me on this instance, but I can just make a zapping link to fix this. I also think the spinning circle is kind of cool like the eyes of the Cheshire cat in Alice In Wonderland. I think this will make a nice signature to my self-sovereign blog that is cross-published on nostr. That's what I'm using it for, It should work as long as my computer doesn't crash and the power doesn't go out, but if it does, I can fix it. The computer stuff that is. I can't do jack about the electric company. Thanks for reading. ✌️ [npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0](nostr:npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0) [871,130](https://mempool.marc26z.com/block/000000000000000000010eea3ff018a75dd02eae6ad66765f91621ca63337dac)

**The Bitcoin community thrives on open-source innovation, but Coinkite’s move against BTClock risks stifling progress and alienating its core supporters.** Open-source projects like BTClock typically aim to promote innovation and accessibility within the Bitcoin community. Suing the programmer for **trademark infringement** seems like an overly aggressive move by Coinkite, given the values that Bitcoin and its ecosystem often stand for: decentralization, collaboration, and open innovation. ### Why It’s Problematic: 1. **Chilling Effect on Open Source**: - Actions like this discourage developers from creating alternative solutions or building on existing ideas, which stifles community-driven progress. - Open-source projects thrive on shared knowledge, and this lawsuit could set a precedent for others to clamp down on grassroots efforts. 2. **Reputation Risk for Coinkite**: - While Coinkite has long been respected for products like the Blockclock and Coldcard, this move could alienate its core audience—Bitcoiners who value freedom and decentralization. - By targeting an open-source developer, Coinkite risks being perceived as prioritizing profits over community principles. 3. **Trademark Infringement Question**: - If the issue is solely over the name "BTClock," a fair resolution could involve renaming the project rather than pursuing legal action. - Lawsuits should ideally be a last resort, not the first response. ### A Better Approach: - Coinkite could have worked with the BTClock developer to address concerns without legal action—perhaps through dialogue or collaboration. - Open acknowledgment of BTClock’s differences (lower cost, open-source) would have shown confidence in their own premium product, while still respecting community-driven alternatives. ### **What NVK and Coinkite Should Do** Even now, NVK could mitigate the damage: - **Withdraw the Lawsuit**: Openly acknowledge the backlash and frame it as a misunderstanding or a "necessary step" that they’re now reconsidering due to the community’s response. - **Collaborate with BTClock**: Find a way to coexist, perhaps by licensing certain Blockclock-specific elements if truly necessary, while leaving room for BTClock’s open-source innovation.

## How to READ - JOIN - POST in nostr web-based real time group chat -> chachi.chat Dummies 101 guide 1. Use any Mozilla Firefox or Chrome based browser either desktop or mobile 2. Install Add-on Extension in your above browser – NOS2X-FOX or NOX2X-CHROME if you already have other NIP07 Extension then ignore above. 3. Click/Touch ->Open the extension -> Option generate you npub key this is one time step only – don’t delete the key ! backup elsewhere safe. 4. Visit chat link or open https://chachi.chat (expert users self-host also) 5. Click/Touch left button -> Login NIP07 extension 6. Click on “search groups” type name u got elsewhere / simply browse 7. Once find right group click JOIN button – That’s it 8. Bookmark it in ur web browser for future use. 9. Just repeat step 5 when reopening or reloading F5 browser Happy chatting++ Join any below or other test chat if want https://image.nostr.build/4cfca1bdb4e51e47236c9d5df4e275610196c0a2b5f3b3ccbf89563c57c90ba7.png optional: those new in nostr and want add profile handle and picture 10. open https://metadata.nostr.com/ just update NAME n PICTURE field only your profile pic handle appear in chachi.chat

***TL;DR -- HIGHLIGHT THIS TRANSCRIPT TO CREATE NEW NOSTR EVENTS, GET ZAPS, AND EXPOSE MORE PEOPLE TO *THE* BITCOIN PODCAST IN THE PROCESS*** ## WHY THE FUCK AM I DOING THIS? Up until now I've been publishing transcripts for THE Bitcoin Podcast ([@Titcoin on Nostr](https://primal.net/titcoin)) on my website, [bitcoinpodcast.net/words](https://bitcoinpodcast.net/words), and, more recently, putting show notes/summaries on my newly-created Substack, [substack.com/@walkeramerica](https://substack.com/@walkeramerica), so people can sign up to get episodes delivered to their inbox (unfortunately I can't publish the full transcripts on Substack because they're too long). I also just hate doing this because it takes time and I don't think anyone actually reads them on my website or on my Substack. And Substack is a centralized shithole anyway. But I've been thinking... **It would make a lot more sense to just publish the summaries and full transcripts directly on Nostr so people can search and highlight the text more easily, with each highlight creating a brand new Nostr event.** I'll also post the quotes I've already pulled from the episode in a section at the top, which will give people a taste of what they can expect in addition to giving them some low-hanging-fruit for highlighting. Most obviously, publishing on Nostr means I just need to publish ONCE and my post will be available to everyone on whatever client they use (huzzah for open protocols and fuck Substack). **There are a few benefits to this Nostr-focused approach:** 1. People can easily search the full text transcripts and find quotes they find meaningful/funny/fucked up/insightful/etc. 2. When they create a highlight, they publish a new Nostr event which people can zap. People are incentivized to find the most valuable quotes because people like getting zapped. 3. If people see highlights they find valuable, they'll come check out the full version of the show notes and subsequently watch/listen to the episodes, in addition to searching the transcript for their own highlight-able material (more zaps ensue). Maybe they even use the transcript as they listen to the episode and highlight as they go. Who knows?! 4. As a content creator, I now have a new way to discover what parts of the episode speak to people most because I can see what people choose to highlight, and which highlights people choose to zap. This helps me decide which parts of an episode will make for the highest-signal short-form video clips, and of finding fire quotes I may have missed on my first pass-through. The highlights become a way to crowdsource signal and filter noise. 5. The episodes become more interactive as new conversations pop up around Nostr based on different highlights. Nostr events are created, thoughts are provoked, zaps are zapped, sats flow, community grows, and my episodes of THE Bitcoin Podcast get more visibility. #GrowNostr ? 6. Thanks to Zap Splits, I can add my podcast guests to a split list, ensuring that any zaps I received are also shared with them (which I did for HODL and Cason on this long-form note). Anyway, that's enough chit chat for now. Let's see if this works or if it's just a late-night idea that doesn't seem as smart in the morning. **The full transcript of the episode is below, in addition to some of the quotes I pulled already (feel free to highlight the shit out of them). But first, here are the links to watch/listen to my conversation with Hodl and Cason:** * Fountain: [https://www.fountain.fm/episode/TO4YqCAm0k2zTdLIi7xl](https://www.fountain.fm/episode/TO4YqCAm0k2zTdLIi7xl) * YouTube: [https://youtu.be/0Jy2QFRmhP4](https://youtu.be/0Jy2QFRmhP4) * Apple: [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bitcoin-trump-freedom-the-american-idea-erik-cason/id1694392423?i=1000676077910](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bitcoin-trump-freedom-the-american-idea-erik-cason/id1694392423?i=1000676077910) * Spotify: [https://open.spotify.com/episode/7rCjFeTCdXwgrX6jylj5jH](https://open.spotify.com/episode/7rCjFeTCdXwgrX6jylj5jH) * Rumble: [https://rumble.com/v5mtk5t-bitcoin-trump-freedom-and-the-american-idea-erik-cason-and-american-hodl.html](https://rumble.com/v5mtk5t-bitcoin-trump-freedom-and-the-american-idea-erik-cason-and-american-hodl.html) * Everywhere else: [https://bitcoinpodcast.net/podcast](https://bitcoinpodcast.net/podcast) * SHOW NOTES: [https://open.substack.com/pub/walkeramerica/p/american-hodl-x-erik-cason-bitcoin](https://open.substack.com/pub/walkeramerica/p/american-hodl-x-erik-cason-bitcoin) * Highlighter: [https://highlighter.com/walker/BITCOIN-TRUMP-FREEDOM-THE-AMERICAN-IDEA-ERIK-CASON-AMERICAN-HODL-THE-Bitcoin-Podcast-zmwmhj](https://highlighter.com/walker/BITCOIN-TRUMP-FREEDOM-THE-AMERICAN-IDEA-ERIK-CASON-AMERICAN-HODL-THE-Bitcoin-Podcast-zmwmhj) * ## EXTREMELY HIGHLIGHT-ABLE QUOTES **Erik Cason** “Look, you dumb motherfuckers, you could have just doubled your fucking wealth over the last year, had you just shut the fuck up and been like, ‘maybe I'm poor and working at a dead end job that I fucking hate because I don't understand how money actually works. And maybe these Bitcoin guys who have made some money and some self-independence for themselves, maybe they have a point.’ But instead they go, this is a far right Psyop that's being played in order to try to destroy the wonderfulness of modern monetary theory. And the government needs to be able to print out money because how else can we spread the love and make sure that all people everywhere are always equal and have all of the equal opportunity always, particularly the brown people that we want to bomb out of existence because, you know, they need to use my fucking pronouns. And that's why we're bombing the shit out of them is because they're hateful, racist pieces of garbage that, you know, and then, and then there's just like the like, well, like fuck Israel, we can't like support them. But like Ukraine is great. Or the people doing the opposite one. I'm like, what, like, why the fuck is the red or the blue people telling you to bomb the right people? **HODL (50:34.642)** You can just do things. You don't have to wait for anybody. Nothing's decreed. Like, listen, fiat is a fucking disease of the mind. That's what it is. And every currency on earth that's not Bitcoin is fiat. Ethereum is fiat. Solana is fiat. Tether is fiat. They're all fiat, okay? And then obviously all the fiat currencies are fiat. But fiat is not just affecting the monetary supply and material goods like iPhones and shit. No, fiat affects YOU. It affects your mind. It affects the way you think. You think that the world is decreed to you from scribes on high. It's not. The world is built by people that get out and build the fucking world. So if you want to do something, just go do it. Get politically active if you want to be politically active. Build a business if you want to build a business. Build a family if you want to build a family. Build an estate if you want to build an estate. Go to Mars if you want to go to Mars. Fucking just go do it. Do what you want to do. That is the Bitcoin story. Not by decree. No one tells you to do it. You decree it. You fucking decree it. You go out and do what the fuck you're gonna do in the world. That's what we're doing here in Bitcoin. **HODL** “The state condemned a man to slow death, double life imprisonment. And we said, ‘no, you don't get to do that.’ We got to rewrite the rules of the game as the game was being played. And it shows that we don't have to just sit there and take it.” **Erik Cason (01:01:49.037)** the world fucking needs Americanism right now. Like shit is fucked up and there needs to be a renewal of this American spirit that pushes out into the world that, you know, is what 1776 was about, which was a global revolution that then swept through Europe because they're like, yo Europeans, look, we just like fucked up the British empire and we earned our own rights by fighting these assholes. Would you like that? They're like, yeah, this like monarchy shit is bullshit. Let's, let's fucking fight. And I hope that we're going to see a renewal of that same spirit that we're going to fight back against our federal government and their surveillance in the deep state and that we're going to push that shit out numb into Europe and that the Europeans are going to be like, yeah, you know what? turns out getting asked fucked by our government and getting global surveillance through a CBDC is bullshit. Let's fight these motherfuckers. **HODL** That is the Bitcoin story. Not by decree. No one tells you to do it. You decree it. You fucking decree it. You go out and do what the fuck you're gonna do in the world. That's what we're doing here in Bitcoin. ## TRANSCRIPT: AMERICAN HODL x ERIK CASON Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (00:00.07) ground audio, but the new Macs do it like really fucking well shockingly, which is honestly quite nice. Okay. We are allegedly live on zap.stream. So I'm just going to fiddle with this for a second. Let's see here. But yeah, we were, Eric, we were just discussing that hodl is basically on team no sleep right now. and has been, yeah, just HODL (00:01.4) Mm-hmm. Erik Cason (00:07.304) It's just. Erik Cason (00:11.184) Alright. HODL (00:24.418) Well, ever since they stole the 2020 election, you gotta stay up all night now. Erik Cason (00:24.72) Are you? Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (00:29.668) It's true. You got to keep them in check. Erik Cason (00:32.525) So is this like a young children thing or is this like your brain is all spun out from HODL (00:38.808) No, this is was it. No, it's because I was at Bitcoin mags live stream for like 12 hours yesterday and I didn't get home until like, you know, 1 30 a.m. and then I fucking didn't go to sleep until 2 a.m. And then because I have young children, I was up at 5 a.m. So it's like, you know, good times. Erik Cason (00:54.893) Good. No, I... My sleep got absolutely fucked a couple nights ago, because like I was like, I'm gonna stay up a little late and watch a movie. And then my brain was like, yeah, you want to stay up fucking late, asshole? How about you fall asleep at 4 a.m.? So this last night I was like, you know what? Like this shit isn't worth it anymore. Like I'm a fucking adult. I'm going to bed at nine o'clock. I'm going to get up at six o'clock and like work out and do all my like adult shit because... Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:07.735) how you like that. Erik Cason (01:18.866) I'm just like fucking sick. Like I could do that shit when I was in my 20s, but like that's a long ways away from now. So now I gotta like take care of my body or it's gonna fuck me up. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:30.62) it's I was out. I was fishing like this whole weekend, like a dude's trip with my, dad and my father-in-law and like some other older dudes. And just like, yeah, we were fishing, fishing for steelheads. It was a wonderful time. My first time fishing for steelheads had a fucking blast, but like you're out in the river all goddamn day. And by the time we got back, like, and I was like the young buck of the group and still I'm like, 7 P.M. It's about time to turn in like, fuck. Erik Cason (01:42.099) Drop. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (02:00.591) But yeah, so I feel your pain. But then last night I got home from the trip and like was watching MSNBC for fun and stayed up until like three or something because I was. HODL (02:08.802) Yeah. did either of you watch the view this morning? It was, it was so good. I would highly recommend it. Well, they start whoopee Goldberg starts off with tears in her eyes and she's trying to be magnanimous and she, she goes, yeah, let's talk about, let's get into it. And then she passes it to Joy Behar and Joy Behar holds it together for like, Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (02:13.572) No. Erik Cason (02:13.819) No, like- Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (02:19.915) Describe it. HODL (02:35.832) 90 % of the time and she's like, you know, we got it. It was a fair election and we got it just but he's a racist and then they just like rescinded. It's a full struggle session. It was amazing. Like honestly, it could have been pay-per-view. I would have paid $75 to watch it. It was one of the greatest things I've ever seen. It was amazing. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (02:47.081) my god. Erik Cason (02:56.683) So like, what are they gonna do now other than just like malfunction and have a hard time? Like I'm just really enjoying getting to like sit in this space and being like democracy is super great, isn't it? Isn't it wonderful that we elected a fascist Hitler who's waited for his second term to implement the genocide against all of the people that are you? And they're like, the demogood, so I'm really. HODL (03:20.024) Yeah. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (03:24.54) The glitching is real right now. you almost feel bad, or I would almost feel bad, if the people who are glitching, like, were glitching right now, weren't so insufferable for so long. Like, I would almost feel bad, you know what I mean? But I'm not quite there yet. HODL (03:40.049) Yeah, yeah. No, I don't feel a shred of guilt about anything. I'm just laughing at all the memes. It's hilarious. Erik Cason (03:42.172) One. Erik Cason (03:47.146) Like look, like fuck this voting and democracy nonsense, but like I'm, really enjoying these liberals that have used the last four years to try to cram all this fucking nonsense down everybody's throat and now have to deal with like the reactionary against that. in addition to the fact of that, like it's about fucking time. Like the last, the last four years were like really fucking wacky. And like we had, we, we still have this geriatric prison. Like what the fuck happened to Joe Biden? Did he just like vanish? Like what? HODL (04:08.6) Mm-hmm. Erik Cason (04:16.862) It's just so weird to me in that, like in the meanwhile, the whole liberal machine keeps marching on being like, like this is, so anyways, I'm just excited to watch this whole thing kind of break down and crash into flames and see what happens. HODL (04:31.128) I woke up feeling just proud of America. And the reason I was proud of America is not because America voted the way I wanted them to vote, which they did, like in a landslide victory. The reason I was proud of them, proud of the feeling of being American was that propaganda doesn't work on us. You tried to Psyop us and we just aren't fucking having it. Because being an American means doing whatever the fuck we want and you are not allowed to tell us what to do. That's the feeling, that's the energy I woke up with. Like, the American people are exactly who I thought they were. You know, it's like that meme. They are who we thought they were! They are who we thought they were! You know, it's like, the American people are who I thought they were and they're just as fucking wild and untamed and fucking crazy. and individualistic as I've always expected and needed them and wanted them to be and known that they were and I just fucking love it. I love seeing the results come in and then the people who are the professional propagandists, the Joe Scarborough, the MSNBCs, the Rachel Maddows, the Whoopi Goldbergs, right? Professional paid propagandists go, I can't believe calling them racist garbage didn't work. Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck all of you. Fuck you. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (05:51.245) It's fucking insane. Erik Cason (05:51.287) Well, it's interesting because like it's a it's this really reactionary hateful thing where and it's like super hypocritical where it's like, fuck you, you racist piece of goddamn shit. Like you need to go into the fucking concentration camp and be brutally raped and tortured because you won't tolerate other people. You fucking sick fucking pig. And it's like, you know, maybe there should be some self reflection here about some of those things you said and are expressing and like HODL (06:20.642) Yeah. Erik Cason (06:20.715) I don't know, like this is the thing that I've been trying to deal with kind of in the liberal bubble I'm in. It's like, hey, do you guys think that like all the hatred and vitriol that you're directing at white people and about like how useless men are and that they really obstruct everything that could have ever been done that's good might have a little something to do with this. In addition to like, perhaps we're in the position that we're in because of the way that you keep shitting on all these people that actually might have some degree of value to society. And I'm not saying they're better or worse than anybody, but maybe trying to direct all your hate towards them could have something to do with the outcome that came here as opposed to you being like, hey, these people, we'd like to include them in the fold rather than just kind of doing the reverse hate thing. But you know, I don't know. I'm not, I'm not a politician. HODL (07:07.96) Yeah. It's tough to tell people like, you know all that shit that's in your head? That's not real. It's just not real. None of it. You made it up. You're living in magical fairy princess land. Okay. And what I would, what I would want you to do is form a hypothesis and test it. You know I mean? Like experiment. Are you in magical fairy princess land? Can you fly? You know what I mean? Maybe you start on the ground first. Don't jump out of a window, but like, you know, maybe test your flap your wings little, see if it works. If it doesn't, maybe we have the wrong hypothesis. I don't know. Weird. Just be calling here. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (07:42.586) Whoa, that would require like critical thought though and actual self-reflection and like now they've just like they've gone the other way and they're like well actually the black and Latinos are racist too and they clearly like and you're like hold on hold on guys I was told because of the intersectional hierarchy that they couldn't be Racist but but now they are racist and the Arabs to some of those Arabs We don't like them the Cubans especially escaping communism coming here voting for a Republican. Who do they think they are? It's ridiculous HODL (07:53.748) Right. HODL (08:00.876) They can't be racist. Yeah, they can't. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (08:12.804) Yeah, it's fucking will there be any self-reflection though like any like moment of inward like looking inward to say Maybe we were kind of part of the problem, huh? Hmm HODL (08:23.448) They're nowhere close to being ready to deal with reality. In a sense, kind of like, it's a huge miscarriage of American civil duty that's happened because these people have been so badly brainwashed and Psy-op by the mainstream media, these professional state propagandists that you can't help but feel a little bit bad for them. at the same time, mean, There's nothing to do but to get out of your echo bubble. you, the only person who can crawl out of Plato's cave is you. And I don't know how to explain to you that the shadows aren't real. They're just not real. And so like those of us who are out of the cave, we, we all talk about how retarded you all are in the cave, but we don't know how to actually get you out of the cave. Cause every time we try and bring you out, you fucking bite us and go rabid, you know? Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (09:17.66) And we can literally tell you the cave exit is right there. This is where you need to go to get out of the cave. And they're like, that exit looks not really like it's inclusive. I don't think I'm going to go out that way. Sorry, Kason. Go ahead, Erik Cason (09:17.689) It's a pretty sad situation overall. Erik Cason (09:31.29) Well, like with it being at a Bitcoin all time high right now, like that, you know, is what I came on with is that like, look, you dumb motherfuckers, like you could have, you could have just doubled your fucking wealth over, know, over the last year, had you just like shut the fuck up and been like, maybe I'm poor and working at a dead end job that I fucking hate because I don't understand how money actually works. And maybe these Bitcoin guys who have like made some money and some self-independence for themselves, like maybe they have a point. But instead they go, this is a far right Psyop that's being played in order to try to destroy the wonderfulness of modern monetary theory. And the government needs to be able to print out money because how else can we spread the love and make sure that all people everywhere are always equal and have all of the equal opportunity always, particularly the brown people that we want to bomb out of existence because You know, they need to use my fucking pronouns. And that's why we're bombing the shit out of them is because they're hateful, racist pieces of garbage that, you know, and then, and then there's just like the like, well, like fuck Israel, we can't like support them. But like Ukraine is great. Or the people doing the opposite one. I'm like, what, like, why the fuck is the red or the blue people telling you to bomb the right people? Regardless, like maybe you should just be upset that brown people are you know, and in the case of Ukraine, white people too are getting blown up. Like the bombs are not racist. They will kill people whether they're white or brown. And I don't know, it would just be really great if people could be like, you know, maybe we should just kind of talk to people instead of murder them. But again, I'm not a politician. Maybe there's something I'm missing here. Maybe they need to be murdered. HODL (11:07.501) Yeah. key on this is like the Bitcoin price as a lens by which to view the world. It's like last night when I was watching the election results. I was at Bitcoin Magazine studio and they had all the boards up and all the stuff, you know, and I'm watching it all. It's like the traditional media and I'm on my phone looking at the Bitcoin price and I'm like Trump's gonna win. Like it just got bid in the markets. This is gonna happen. I now know the future ahead of traditional media. And it's the same thing with like, Polymarket was telling us Trump was going to win for months and months because people have been actually, you know, putting economic value behind those, those, you know, those votes that they're making with their economic capital, right? And so, you know, if you're listening to traditional media, you're trying to do sense making that way and you have like, you know, the, poll, the Nate Silvers of the world, the pollsters telling you, Ann Seltzer telling you like, he's going to win Iowa, whatever. they, these people have no skin in the game. So there's no. proof of work to their predictions. you need to, once you have proof of work as a lens, you as a Bitcoiner, look for it and see it and find it everywhere and anything that you can attach proof of work to, you realize that this is a real thing and you can bank on it. But I mean, people that don't have that are doing everything proof of stake, right? Like they just don't understand that reality that unfortunately they are living in. There's nothing you can do about it. can't. You can't escape that reality, right? Like you are inside that reality. Erik Cason (12:42.853) Well, it'd be clear like, proof of stake as a methodology that's like operable and like that's called socialism. Like I can actually like hijack the government and be like, Hey, Mr. Musk, like, fuck you. We're going to like steal all your shit. It's like, cool. Like now that we did that guys, like how much more runway we have? They're like, we have, we have four days. We got, we got four days to run the budget now. It's like, it's like the guy that's Wait, wait, the guy that's getting us into space and like gave us like satellite internet and shit, like stealing everything from him got us four days of runway? And they're like, yeah. So we're out of time now. So who are we going to rob next? They're like, that Amazon guy. Yeah, like fuck him. He's like stealing from people and he's hateful. It's like, yeah. Why do you think he has better approval ratings than like the and like everyone in like the US military. Like it seems like people really like him. They're like, cause, cause he's, he's racist, right? So let's steal his shit. And like, and like, that's what proof of stake is about. It's like, fuck these other people. We can like steal their shit and like remake the rules so that like stealing shit is okay when we steal shit for the right reasons. And this is like the clusterfuck that's Ethereum. Like if you've watched like what their monetary policy has been like since the fucking Dow fork that happened, it's literally always been like, yeah, but like this is the one time it will ever happen. Well, maybe we'll change it again. You know what? Fuck it. We're just going to kind of do whatever we want. And like, that's fine, but it's not going to work out long-term and there's going to be very severe fucking consequences. So you... could learn about how economics works and it turns out that like, nobody likes being stolen from and it turns out like, if I can steal from you, I can steal from other people too. And that's like a really big problem. So you should probably be invested in a system that goes, you know what? We're not gonna steal from anybody ever. But what about Hitler and Pol Pot? And it's like, yeah, it turns out that even fucking assholes, we like need to respect their right to property too. Erik Cason (14:54.332) And they're like, but if we do that, then like all of the racist and hateful people will win. And it's like, you know, maybe you need to expand your worldview beyond thinking that everybody's hateful and racist. And that's kind of their main problem. By the way, like I've never actually, like when I was younger, I had a couple of friends, dads who were like pretty racist and stuff, but it was always this like, I don't know. Like I've never met somebody who like really had as their like main thing. They're like, yeah, but like, fuck the Mexicans and the black people. It's it's like usually like. Yeah, but what about Habib? Like he was helping us out early and they're like, well, yeah, he's brown and that's fine. But, I'm like, so you're like, not really that racist. And they're like, well, you know, they're trying to take our jobs. And it's like, well, but were you gonna, were you gonna do the gardening? And they're like, well, no, fuck no. I ain't gonna get wet today. It's like, maybe he, maybe Jesus is pretty good at what he does, you know? I'm just saying. I don't think he's taking your job. You don't seem like you're gonna be gardening in the ring. I'm just saying. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (15:57.544) I think so much this is like a it's it's it is a mirror right like What you see and everybody else tends to be more of a reflection of what you have going on in the inside? Than what is actually going on with them because you don't fucking know them you have no way of knowing what they're what their beliefs are whether or not they are a Giant bigot and a racist or whether they're just some man or woman trying to live their life Put food in the table for their kids and not get just absolutely bent over a barrel by the government which is like a reasonable thing. Like nobody really wants to be bent over a barrel by the government, right? But apparently if you push back against that too hard, you are given one of these labels. But then it's like you have kind of this proof of concept here that this is just a reflection of what is going on in a lot of these, you know, bigot callers minds. When you see them say things like, you know, I can't like why would all of these Latinos vote for their own deportation? It's like, do you think the only Latinos in the country? are here illegally? Like, is that what you think? That they're voting for their own deportation? Like, there's lots of Latinos here who came here legally, like a ton of them. And it turns out a lot of them were escaping the same sort of bullshit socialist verging on communist policies that you're trying to push on them now. And then you turn around and call them racist because they didn't agree with you. Like, it's this insane paternalistic projection and I like but again the sad thing is I don't know if there is ever like a come to Jesus moment where they're like you know what you know guys we went too far we were wrong I was was pretty messed up for a few years there huh we're cool now let's keep things civil we're not gonna call everybody Nazis anymore especially you white lib or you white women you know you white suburban women you Nazis like it's just like turns out calling everybody a Nazi is a really bad campaign move like I don't know who like how who could have known right shocking. HODL (17:57.56) I think you guys are both being charitable and trying to diagnose them. I spent a lot of time trying to do that too, get into their heads and understand their psychology. How could you think this way? It's so severely retarded. And now I'm just like, listen, we have now unfettered control of all three branches of government. it's like, I don't listen. At the Thanksgiving dinner table, I don't pay attention to the conversation at the kids table. I don't care what the kids are talking about. You know what mean? It doesn't matter. It's like... What color crayon do you like? I don't know. like burnt umber. That's my favorite. Yeah. It's like no, who gives a fuck? We're at the adult table now and it's about stacking wins on the board and you know, like for instance, mean, Trump is the first Bitcoin president. Vance owns Bitcoin. We now have the opportunity to like see real Bitcoin appointments be made where like people who are being recommended for high purchase of power will be people that are sympathetic to Bitcoin, if not Bitcoiners themselves from an ideological standpoint. And to me, that's the most fascinating thing that's going on. And whatever like woke mind virus is like eating the brains of like the liberal white women we all know. I don't give a single fuck like drink your Chardonnay bitch and like hopefully it cures it. I don't know what to tell you, you know, take some ivermectin. Erik Cason (19:11.977) Well, it's funny because I have a good friend who like, you know, he's like, deep barrier roots. So like everybody is like very, very liberal. And like he's a bit of the black sheep of family. So he, you know, he was like, I'm going to vote for Trump. And this, this is like very upsetting to his family. And like, you know, everyone was getting outraged with him. And he was like, look, he was like, look, like the only way we get to talk about politics now is like, you have to steel man my position. Like you don't get to come to me and be like, But Trump's like a racist bigot. Like you need to actually come to me and be like, well, perhaps you want to elect Trump because like you feel different about economic policies or whatever. And I've found like, this is the best way to actually like force people to, like think in a meaningful way. Cause like, otherwise they'll do the same bullshit with you. But I've found like it really glitches people pretty hard. Cause I can be like, look, like I, I understand your position. Like you think Kamala as being the first black woman president. is really going to create policies that champion and allow for, you know, people of various and diverse backgrounds to be able to have a real leg up in America. Totally hear that. I have a fundamentally different position that I don't believe that that actually helps people in a unique way. And I actually think there's a very discreet kind of racism that's going on with that. When you say, Hey, we need to give reparations to black people. because they're not good enough to be able to compete with the white people. It's like, they're, you know, like I see something a bit racist in that. And like, again, I'm not trying to take away from that. There, there can be good reasoning behind that, but you know, particularly living in the state of California where this has actually been proposed as like a meaningful bill seems pretty fucking racist to me to steal a bunch of money from me and give it to a bunch of, of, you know, people, you know, I think in this case, just black people that are going to be getting that. money directly when as far as I know they directly were not enslaved by me or my ancestors and I'm not sure what their relationship is to it either. I'm saying the with Kamala Harris like black woman this is this you know great that if she was elected that she would be the first black woman but let's be very clear she's not like African-American she's a Jamaican woman that's where she's descended from and again like doesn't take away from the fact that that is would be the first black woman president but Erik Cason (21:35.851) She is not an African-American and that's a bit misleading to kind of do that whole pitch. But most people are really uninterested in this just because they have a deep vested interest in what their emotional capacity is. And that's one of the things I've found deeply disturbing about a lot of liberal ideology is that like if something feels right, that means that like that is right. And when you try to pick that apart, they go, well, that's racist. And that doesn't feel like if I'm, that doesn't feel good. So we can't be that. And like it turns out that like maybe there's a little bit of racism you have going on there with, you know, wanting to steal money from white people and give it to all the other people. Just saying. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (22:16.397) It's you know, it's you mentioned like this friend who's bucking the trend in his Bay Area family, right? And something I just think is so genuinely sad is that we are at a place right now and and I'm sure you know people could come up with examples of like well in the Civil War families were broken up over that and it's like, okay, let's not please let's not compare the two the two moments in time, but the fact that people will literally stop speaking to their family basically, you know, diso you know disavow them like well my My mom voted for Donald Trump. And so I can't I just I won't speak to her anymore. I can't possibly because it turns out even though this woman loved me and raised me my entire life and made so many sacrifices for me and did everything she possibly could to give me every advantage I could have. She's a racist bigot. And it's like people will literally stop like I'm sure you guys know people like I can think of a number of people within circles. I run it like off the top of my head that level like nope. I won't be talking to them anymore. Like I like I'm out, you know, no more family Thanksgiving for me. I can't be around this racism. No more Christmas. I you're not going to see your grandchild. I don't know any of those examples personally out of no more grandchildren time. That'd be like especially fucked up. But the point is like how do you have so much hate in your heart that you cannot you cannot get over the fact that somebody that you love and that loves you may have a slightly different opinion than you. And that the fact that their opinion is different is so offensive to you that you would break apart those ties that bind you for a fucking political candidate, for a fucking agent of the state apparatus. That is fucking insane. Like that truly blows my mind and I think that is really sad. If somebody by some chances listened to this who's like, well I haven't talked to my uncle Jim in two years because he voted for so-and-so on either side of the fucking aisle. Who cares? Like you should be able to argue the most with the people you love the most. Because no matter what, at the end of the day, you guys fucking still love each other. Get the fuck over it. You're going to have disagreements. It's OK. That's a beautiful thing. And you should have people that challenge you. Erik Cason (24:25.621) What? It's both about like a first of all, it's about like a really weak frame of individual reference that that that's very frankly, callow at the bottom. Because like if you you have to identify so strongly with a political party or a movement that that becomes definitive about you and that like you you need to break with other people because they're disagreeing with it. Because like, look, like I'm clearly like a freak Bitcoiner and like everyone in my life doesn't agree. with the Bitcoin thing, despite the fact that they've seen me have very, very fat gains while they have lost lots of money. And I think that's sad and unfortunate. And like, I'm always like waiting, you know, at the dinner table at Thanksgiving for them to be like, so Eric, like Bitcoin's at an all time high. Like we were all totally fucking wrong and we could have, you know, doubled our portfolios had we actually listened to you. But like, nope, never fucking happens. And at best I try to bring up the Bitcoin thing. Wow, like the, just don't understand this money thing. So how was the game last night? And I'm like, you you could like, you could have actually like rolled that into like a question being like, so Eric, like what is money? Like why is Bitcoin actually different from the dollar? Cause I don't understand and you seem to get it. But yeah, that never happens. And I find it pretty sad and unfortunate. And like the other one is like. I'm still open to Bitcoin being fucking wrong. I'm certain it's not. I mean, like if you happen to be a top tier world cryptographer and you're like, check it out. There's this error in the sub 256 curve that was chosen. And turns out the whole thing's fucking broken. You know, I'd probably contact the US military first and like let them know and understand that fucking encryption standards don't work. I just find it pretty fascinating how deep. Erik Cason (26:19.241) Most people have fled into the them and like they don't actually have a definitive idea of who and what they are, their purpose in the world. that they're like much more interested in making sure everybody feels comfortable and safe rather than making a little bit of discomfort in a conversation that might force some thought and growth. Cause like, again, I don't want to be a fucking asshole, but Why don't we think real hard about how things are going and what we would really desire for ourselves and others? And like, I don't know. It's, I know this Thanksgiving is going to get interesting with people being like, that hateful bigot Trump, he was elected and he's going to destroy America now. I'll be like, yeah, like it was pretty bad when Hitler was elected for the second non-consecutive term. And when he really made the choice to go after all of his political opponents at that point in time, that was a really weird. time in history, huh guys? And they're like, yeah. HODL (27:13.932) Yeah, remember, remember Hitler's bipartisan coalition, you know, like the Tulsi Gavrids of the Weimar Germany were joining up with Hitler like, no, it's so stupid, dude. I think if we take it at face value, everything Eric said is and Walker said is true. But like, you know, I think a lot of these things are just that family members just really don't fuck with each other for deep, deep familial reasons like trauma, trauma reasons. And they're using the Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (27:24.998) you HODL (27:40.93) the Trump thing is a convenient excuse, right? Rather than going to therapy and like hashing out their shit or having a frank and honest conversation. I mean, I have family members in my life who, you know, I've had these frictions with and the truth is like, our relationship was never good. It goes deep to the psyche of both individuals in the conflict. It relates back to our grandparents and their site and you know, it just goes back and back and you're like. Okay, so I actually I've been like cast in a play here of like some deep familial trauma and I'm not even like really aware of what's going on and neither is the other participant. We just know that we don't like each other and then you have this flashpoint of Donald Trump's election in 2016 or in 2024 or whatever and then that becomes the the way to fissure like it creates the fissures in the relationship and whatever. So I think I think that's a lot of what's going on. But I also think that you know more on the the topic that you were saying about, you were trying to talk to all these people and they wouldn't listen or whatever. I went through this myself and what I realized is that I had survivor's guilt. So I needed to fix them for me, had nothing to do with them. It was all about me. It had to do with my own feelings of inadequacy around not being able to save my own mother from her psychological issues. And then when I realized that I was like, okay, I can just stop doing that. because it's not serving the other person. I thought it was my way into being a good person. Like I'm a good person. I care about these people. I really want to help them and whatever. But the truth is man that there are people with a growth mindset and there are people without a growth mindset. And I'm a person with a growth mindset. I want to continue growing in life and doing, you know, cause there's no, there's no stasis in nature, right? That's nature abhors a vacuum. Like there is no stasis. everything's in constant flux. It's constant chaos and you're, basically either growing or decaying, right? That's how nature works. And so we are a part of nature. That's how we work. Also, that's how we work psychologically, but for some reason, people don't think or believe this and they like to, you know, have this sort of delusion that they're, they're a static element in a static system. makes no sense to me. And I can't stand people who are like that and I don't want to be around them. So for me, after I realized the survivor's guilt thing, I was like, okay, yeah. HODL (29:58.432) I don't want to be around people that don't have a growth mindset. And so now I just am not. So if you don't have that, if you don't think that way, I'm just not around you, bro. I don't know what you got going on and I don't care. And I wish you well. I hope you get out of it, but fuck off. Erik Cason (30:13.977) Yeah, I've, you know, it's taken me a while to learn it, but particularly family, it's as much as like, really want like deep connecting conversation and for like us to understand each other and for them to like meet me where I'm at. They have like zero fucking interest in that. Like they really want to talk about the weather, like anything that's like level one, maybe level two, but like level three, fuck no. and it took me a long time to like button up against that wall being like, what, like, why aren't you guys turned on? Like, why don't you like, you know, I'm like, like COVID was like a great example of like trying to bring that stuff up and like lots of big conflict coming up. And it hurt me for a long time because I was like, why don't they want to understand me? Like, this is so difficult. I want to be loved in the way I want to be loved. And like, I finally just kind of got to the place of like, like this is their shit. HODL (30:50.104) Mm-hmm. Erik Cason (31:04.262) they're incapable of it. And like the more I rock the boat, the more that they're going to resist it, making capsize more likely. And like, I just need to be okay with doing the level one and level two thing with them. And the truth is I can, I can do level eight, nine, 10 shit with you guys. And like that's frankly, like that's why I really fucking love the Bitcoin community is cause like I can have real and sincere conversation where we actually think hard about shit and go deep and enjoy that. And like that's. Kind of what friends are supposed to be for. Family can be for, you know, just loving them for who they're meant. you know, I love my mom, really great person. I'm never going to have a deep and thoughtful connecting conversation about the political nature of world and our reality with her. Gonna have a really great conversation about how beautiful the sky is. But, you know, that's about as far as it can go. And that's okay. And so I just, I really welcome people who are going to go into this Thanksgiving ready to fist fight everybody. Just like eat like a fucking marijuana brownie before that. And just like enjoy staring at the vase or some shit. Like it's not worth fighting your family and their stupid ideas of what they believe is right. Cause the other is like, if you're a Bitcoiner, like it's pretty clear that the next cycle is getting pumping right now. And so anybody who is even remotely smart in your family is going to come to you when Bitcoin's at $120,000 at Thanksgiving and be like, hey, you know, you like made like some money with this, right? And you can be like, yeah, I'm like really fucking high, but yeah, I made some money with this. And they'll be like, could you, could you tell me a bit about that? And maybe that'll be your opening. Don't, don't expect it, but Yeah, I'm pretty sure that with what the Trump team is up to, they're about to like front run destroying the entire financial system. Cause that's like, that's kind of their MO. They're like good with this money shit and they all clearly hold Bitcoin and they're clearly going to be appointing people. So, look, like I'm not telling you what to do, but like, if you like money, you should probably buy Bitcoin and keep holding it for awhile. Cause I'm pretty sure it's going to keep going up for awhile here. Erik Cason (33:15.035) Although there is some fucking moron right now who's absolutely gonna slam their hand in the door and be like, it's going back to 15k. No way the bit going to keep up with this. HODL (33:23.881) 58K is a lost universe. Otto said it's not static. Bullshit. 58K, stable coin, static, static system. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (33:31.261) To fair, I love the 58k meme and I am guilty of using it so much, but now I've also implemented the 158k meme because it looks almost the same to the the unseeing eye. You just see 58k, but there's a one in there. HODL (33:43.128) Why not, why not 250 AK? Why not 350 AK? Why not 950 AK? Why not 1.258 K? Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (33:48.17) Jesus I hadn't even gotten that far fuck why not Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (33:55.421) 5.8 you know, like fuck it. Let's let's roll it up. So first of all, I appreciate you guys because you and I appreciate that we can have level eight and nine conversation, maybe someday a level 10. I don't know how high these levels go. So like how the scale works exactly, but I appreciate that there exist people that we can have these kinds of fucking talks with because it's you're right. It's not always within the family. Sometimes it is. And that's very fortunate, but like If that's not you out there listening like that's okay, too Like you know, that's why that's why you're in Bitcoin, right? Because you can go meet with a bunch of other strange people who want to talk about how fucked up our monetary system is like ad nauseum and like are Super fucking down with that and that's a beautiful thing But I'm curious cuz cuz Eric you mentioned just like the Trump team MO being Go in and kind of like fuck shit up a little bit in the in the financial system. Do you think? Do you think, okay, like Trump is on board with that? Like, is Trump gonna go full on end the Fed? Like, is Ron Paul coming on here and we are fucking burning this thing down? Or is Trump, like, he's, I don't know about your, like, the vibes you've gotten from, but he seems more measured lately. Like, maybe it's, you know, almost getting assassinated. Maybe it's just a little, you know, couple extra years. Maybe it's Barron being nine and a half feet tall standing next to him. And he's like, you know what? I'm not the biggest guy in the room anymore. I don't know. We're like, Where do you think we go? Where is Trump at on this? And do you think the team he's assembling is actually going to go in there and be like, no, we're going to bring the Fed down? Erik Cason (35:34.077) I think from the standpoint, it looks like that's a possibility, but like I, I am very, very deeply convinced that like, the deep state is absolutely and unequivocally in control. And there's no conceivable fucking way that anybody in any elected or any appointed position can like meaningfully stop any of this. Cause like, I, I can't really imagine the powers that be in the back room are like, you guys, they let, like got the right people in the right position to like do stuff like. What are we gonna do now? And they're like, dang, guess we lost. We just gotta accept it. So no, and I think Ron Paul and Elon Musk and all the people who get in right position, they are absolutely going to try their best to do stuff. And then I'm pretty sure none of it's gonna happen. Same thing, totally holding my breath that Trump keeps his word about freeing Ross day one. Gonna be mum on the word until then. If it doesn't happen, I'm not gonna be shocked. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (36:28.371) Yeah. Erik Cason (36:32.094) If it does happen, I will be the first to give alkylates to where they're due because that would be phenomenal. My hope is that everybody who's really full all the hopium of all this stuff will see the next two years play out. Very little will actually change in terms of it. Yeah, that's when I'm gonna launch my radical states rights movement to use the states to unilaterally fuck up the federal government. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (36:40.764) Amen. HODL (36:59.272) Dude, let's talk about the Ross thing for a second because did anyone have more on the line yesterday than Ross Ulbricht? No. Like, mean, Ross Ulbricht's life hung in the balance. was double life, rot in a prison cell for all eternity until you die and are taken away in a casket or freedom in three months, freedom in two and a half months. I mean, that's a fucking crazy crazy thing that he had to live through, you know, the potential that either one of these outcomes, was like, everyone was saying it was a 50-50 toss up between these outcomes. And luckily, we're in the good timeline. And, you know, I was hanging out with the production crew when I was at this thing last night, and, you know, basically they were asking me like, why do you guys all care so much about Ross? And I said, listen, Ross's story is a miscarriage of justice. and Ross didn't deserve double life. did do something wrong. He did deserve some prison time. Like, that's just how it is. I know, like, the anarcho-capitalist would be like, no way, bro, but it's like, come on. I mean, we have a society that has rules. He broke the rules. Like, he does a little time. But he's, at this point in life, he has paid his, whatever debt he owed to society has been more than paid. He just created a website. He never hired hitmen. All that is bullshit. The man who allegedly, he hired to have killed supports him as a vocal supporter of Ross Ulberg. I mean, you've been lied to about this case, the agents, the federal agents on the case were dirty. They were they were stealing. Yes. Yeah, FBI. Yep. Erik Cason (38:33.375) Like all of them from different agencies, like every single motherfucking federal agent in that goddamn agency stole money, like it's fucking insane. And most of them like got off the hook too. And this is what I'm so fucking angry about is the hypocrisy of Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (38:34.759) Yeah. HODL (38:43.352) Yeah, they did last time that Ross last time that Ross exactly. No, and I mean what I'm saying is like this is this case is a miscarriage of justice and Ross deserves to be free and he will be free in two and a half months. I'm not one of these Bitcoiners who's like we'll see bro. We'll see if Trump does it like no, no, he's he's gonna be free. It's a campaign promise. We put up serious money and we went to bat for Trump and now we're gonna get Ross out and the reason it's important to us is what I told the production crew. is because yes, all those things are truths of miscarriage of justice, et cetera. But what it shows is that we are ascendant politically, that we matter, that we're important. Things weren't supposed to happen this way. And then they happen this way. The state condemned a man to slow death, double life imprisonment. And we said, no, you don't get to do that. We got to rewrite the rules of the game as the game was being played. And it shows that we don't have to just sit there and take it. mean, imagine the timeline where Bitcoin goes to zero. In that timeline, Ross rots in prison for the rest of his life. But we're in the good timeline where Bitcoin is at 76k and Ross is free in two and a half months. And I mean, it just shows that we are going to be players in the world. You're not going to be off in the woods with your cold card shoved up your ass. I mean, if you want to do that, like that's fine. Like get freaky. It's okay. Bitcoin is about freedom, but Erik Cason (40:03.294) You should really consider a ledger if you're doing that, you know. HODL (40:05.41) Go like that, open your eyes. Yeah, don't, the cold card is very square. Listen, you want to shove it up your ass, you be my guest, okay? But we're going to be playing. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (40:05.901) Yeah, for real. Erik Cason (40:14.43) I really need to make a buttplug that is specifically designed for this. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (40:18.076) How has no one made that yet? That's my question. HODL (40:19.544) I know right. We are going to be players in the world and we're going to have political power. And we're also going to make some butt plugs. Okay. That can accept a leg. Erik Cason (40:25.255) seed taker. Erik Cason (40:32.606) You want your engraved butt plug? Please read each other. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (40:37.95) We're thinking of spinning up a little, a little shop for them. They're going to be super nice. Hypoallergenic, course, really smooth on entry. Not so much on exit. Cause you don't want that thing coming out necessarily, right? Like you got to keep it in there. Erik Cason (40:41.129) You HODL (40:43.224) I'm HODL (40:51.938) Just to wrap that up, I'm happy for Ross and I'm happy for us. think like this is a big moment in Bitcoin's history. Ross being for it is a big moment. Erik Cason (41:02.625) Well, and and, you know, I'm on the opposite side. I'm going to hold my breath till it happens. And when it does, I'm, you know, that'll bring you back in the fold from like crazy crypto anarchist land. Like I'm, might like move into like far right political activism or some shit. but it's really important to get that, like, we're an actual political force now. And like, I really hope that we're going to start behaving like it and that there's going to be like a real actual Bitcoin contingency because like, HODL (41:09.698) Just fair. Erik Cason (41:30.175) I actually think in the next four years, there's a real fucking shot of ending the Fed. And like, I don't think anybody inside the federal government will do it, but I do legitimately believe that like, if we got 35 states to push through their state legislature legislation to like end the Fed, that that shit would get amended to the constitution. And like the federal government would have to like flip the fuck out and figure out how to do that. And I think it's really important because like the federal government is so out of fucking control at this point in time. We really need to start figuring out new and different methodologies to change how that can happen. So I'm just excited to see all the change that's happening and also like fucking 100K is like in play now. So it's to be really exciting when we get there. I haven't heard from Valis in like a year. Well, I've privately heard him from before, but like I hope his 100K party is still going to happen somewhere. HODL (42:12.6) dude, 100k by Thanksgiving. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (42:21.727) Yeah, we're whether I mean I don't like to you know talk about price too much on this show because I'm not an open-mouthed YouTube shill But that being said caveat, you know, it is like above 70 say we're like 76 200 right now that's just like kind of a trip, you know, and I would I agree with you that like As I was watching the price last night again, I like I've been on the river these last like four days. I have like checked Twitter a couple of times then I was like, nah, that's not really of interest to me. Like I'm out in fucking nature catching fish hanging out with like my dad. Like that's what I want to, this is what I want to be doing right at this moment. And, then I got back and of course I was like, yes, you know, like bring it in. And then, you know, stayed up until 2 AM watching MSNBC as one does, but like you could, you could feel something was happening and I think you can feel something is happening now. And I just wonder like, HODL (43:00.93) Yeah. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (43:17.916) does Bitcoin like because I would say that Bitcoin is it is inherently partisan or excuse me it is inherently political it is not partisan right it is like money is always going to be political we're talking about separating fucking money in state of course that is going to be political it is not inherently partisan it is only partisan if partisans make it partisan and that's not to say the people that are pro Bitcoin are the partisans who are making it partisan it's the ones on the other side who are reactionary to it right HODL (43:25.804) Yes. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (43:46.343) So I'm just interested to see like, I mean, fuck like there, it's a, it's a red fucking wave. Like Trump blew out the popular vote. He's got the mandate, right? He obviously won the electoral college. You've got a Republican majority in the house and the Senate by all rights. have no excuse not to do everything they claim they want to do. Right? Like they have, there's no excuse. HODL (44:04.704) interest rate. 100%. By the way, by the way, the Democrats going after us and brought and broader crypto markets was such in retrospect, such a massive unforced error on their part. There was no reason to make significant enemies of us. None. And all they did was suffer because of it. Now, like, I don't know how much we affected the election. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (44:21.554) Yes. HODL (44:32.62) But we affected it some non-trivial amount, okay? And it just, it wasn't something they needed to do and they did it anyway because they were drunk with power. That's why they Erik Cason (44:43.022) I mean, they did it because like they believe their own retarded bullshit that they like they had literally pumped up their own ass intentionally where they're they're like, this is used for terrorism financing and it's it's so all the bros can get away with tax and like it was all bullshit that they just repeatedly kept convincing themselves like like the fucking Greenpeace nonsense and like the like I feel so bad for the guy that's running that Twitter because like Like all he does is tweet something and is immediately, like provided all of the evidence of how fucking wrong he is. And like the other thing that's just so shameful is that like these people are supposed to actually like give a fuck about the environment and like, what's more important than making sure that we're actually getting clean hydro power from power plants that were going to be shut down otherwise, you know, like what's more important to people in sub-Saharan Africa who have never had access to fucking electricity and can't have clean water and now they can. Like it's, it's just so disingenuous. And like, again, I would really hope that, you know, the Democrats would sit down and be like, wow, we like, we really fucked that one up. We should really like reconsider this. But, I very, very strong doubts that that's going to happen. And it's going to be really interesting to see kind of what the co what comes out of it. But yeah, I have a very strong expectation. that they are going to continue to double down until essentially they fracture the Democrat party into like, there's either gonna be a renewed moderated democratic movement or it's gonna fracture out into like different parties. Either way, it's gonna be fucking entertaining. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (46:26.386) Can I say something controversial guys? am, I am, I am glad Elizabeth Warren was reelected because honestly, I, she was, she was against what John Deaton, right? He was like the, yeah, he lost. Erik Cason (46:28.546) No. HODL (46:30.962) Yeah. Erik Cason (46:36.254) was she? HODL (46:41.1) Yeah, he lost. Yeah. He had an uphill battle. She's very well funded in her state and Massachusetts is a liberal shithole. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (46:46.202) she is. Erik Cason (46:47.973) Huh, where'd that money come from? That's really interesting. Huh. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (46:50.723) from but he was funded by crypto lobbyists. But no, the reason I'm happy that Elizabeth Warren won is because I would have missed her. I would have honestly missed reply guying her all the time when she says stupid fucking useless shit like that would have left a little bit of a hole in me. And I don't know how I would have filled it like I need something to butt up against. And like Pocahontas is the best. HODL (46:55.65) Yeah. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (47:18.52) She's just the best for that. it's like when she talks about price gouging, I see Elizabeth Warren price gouging tweet. And I'm just like, yes, I know what I'm doing today. You know, like, it's nice to have that. And like, I also think to your point, Eric, like, she is going to their and to your point as well, like unforced errors, she's going to continue to fracture the Democratic Party. Because like, like one in fucking seven Americans owns Bitcoin, like owns Bitcoin. This is according to the study that Troy Cross did. There's probably a margin of error there. But even if it's one in fucking five Americans, that's already a shitload. And we are not even in like number go up mania yet where people are like, I probably need some of that. This is a growing coalition. And to fight against it is just like, first of all, you're fighting against freedom and you're just fighting against people from all walks of life. It's not like these are just the crypto bros or all these, you know, like not every, you know, Bitcoin bro is as fucking radical as case in over here, you know, and I mean that in honestly the most complimentary way possible just so know, Eric, but like that, like what the fuck are they fighting against? What are they anti your anti freedom? Your anti people being able to make decisions for themselves. But it's like, like it's like my body, my choice, like my fucking money, my choice. Fuck right off. Anyway, I'm so glad I was so glad she was reelected. That's it. That's Erik Cason (48:25.289) Thank you, I appreciate that. HODL (48:38.968) 100 % no, I was gonna I was gonna say the same thing you said which is that it's such a it's such a bipartisan like coalition multi racial like pluralistic like I mean Bitcoin is a large tent like the Orange Party is the largest tent we have politically and they did they made a large mistake going after us because you know, first of all, it's like Erik Cason (48:44.359) back in a minute, gentlemen. HODL (49:06.604) Are you dumb? You're going after young millennials with money who are multi- like racially diverse? The fuck is- are you stupid? Like what's wrong? It doesn't even make sense. It doesn't even compute. But anyway, listen, there was a referendum on these people last night. I feel confident that this worldview is going to be dealt a hearty blow. And they're gonna realize that, you know, there's a new player in town and it's the crypto lobby and the Bitcoin lobby. And David Bailey in some non-trivial fashion was responsible for freeing Ross Ulbrich from prison or will be responsible for freeing Ross Ulbrich from prison and for getting Donald Trump elected. He made a significant, you know, mark dent on this election and he's the MVP of Bitcoin in 2024. Like that goes to David Bailey, number one with a bullet. There's no one else that even came close this year. And, you know, I think It just reminds me, I was talking with David Zell about this last night that you can just do things. You can just do things. Whatever you want to do, you can just do it. Just do it. Elon wanted to affect the election. He just went out and rounded up a bunch of Amish people and drove them to the polls because the Amish can't drive themselves to the polls. He was like, we will drive you to the polls. You hate the government, right? And the Amish were like, fuck yeah. They tried to shut down our raw milk and shit. And Elon was like, yeah, fuck that. We will drive you there. Let's all go vote. You can just do things. You don't have to wait for anybody. Nothing's decreed. Like, listen, fiat is a fucking disease of the mind. That's what it is. And every currency on earth that's not Bitcoin is fiat. Ethereum is fiat. Solana is fiat. Tether is fiat. They're all fiat, okay? And then obviously all the fiat currencies are fiat. But fiat is not just affecting the monetary supply and material goods like iPhones and shit. No, fiat affects You. It affects your mind. It affects the way you think. You think that the world is decreed to you from scribes on high. It's not. The world is built by people that get out and build the fucking world. So if you want to do something, just go do it. Get politically active if you want to be politically active. Build a business if you want to build a business. Build a family if you want to build a family. Build an estate if you want to build an estate. Go to Mars if you want to go to Mars. Fucking just go do it. Do what you want to do. HODL (51:31.916) That is the Bitcoin story. Not by decree. No one tells you to do it. You decree it. You fucking decree it. You go out and do what the fuck you're gonna do in the world. That's what we're doing here in Bitcoin. Erik Cason (51:52.808) the to elaborate on your point, like, this fucking disease has rotted out 95 % of all of the creative potential of people everywhere. And it's great to see that that 5 % is making the change for the other 90%. Like, what we're seeing being developed in this entire system is fucking phenomenal. And people are not asking for fucking permission anymore. And I really hope between what we're seeing in Bitcoin, and the renewal of this American spirit that like, Like one of the things I didn't realize last night with that I was so excited about when I started watching the Bitcoin price go up and the markets go up. was like, yeah, like there's this entire economic engine that's sighing with relief now that they're not going to get fucked out of existence by a socialist government that fucking hates them. And that maybe there's real potential to actually create dynamic change. Like I actually, and I think it's really interesting that people like this tariff thing's going to destroy anything. Like fuck that, this tariff thing's going to supercharge the fucking economy. Like it's gonna turn out that like people that are importing cheap shit from China and they have to pay twice as much, they're gonna go, you know, maybe I'm gonna buy the American made thing where I'm not gonna have to pay twice as much for the same thing, you know? And like that's a really great fucking thing. And I understand all the economic arguments about how tariffs work and otherwise, but like, let's be clear, cheap shit from China that's subsidized by slavery, like it's not good for fucking America. You know what's good for America? Shit made in America that paid American people. HODL (53:17.067) huh. Erik Cason (53:18.59) that give American salaries so that they can spend money in America. And like, not to get on the nationalistist thing, but like, the other thing is, like, the world fucking needs Americanism right now. Like shit is fucked up and there needs to be a renewal of this American spirit that pushes out into the world that, you know, is what 1776 was about, which was a global revolution that then swept through Europe because they're like, yo Europeans, look, we just like fucked up the British empire and we... Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (53:30.43) Yes. Erik Cason (53:47.21) earned our own rights by fighting these assholes. Would you like that? They're like, yeah, this like monarchy shit is bullshit. Let's, let's fucking fight. And I hope that we're going to see a renewal of that same spirit that we're going to fight back against our federal government and their surveillance in the deep state and that we're going to push that shit out numb into Europe and that the Europeans are going to be like, yeah, you know what? turns out getting asked fucked by our government and getting global surveillance through a CBDC is bullshit. Let's fight these motherfuckers. And I would love to see more than anything. See, a sincere German nationalist movement renew itself instead of them living in their fucking shame about Nazism and like, get that like that shit's over guys and that like Germans, you actually have some like really great shit about your culture that if you guys can protect in a meaningful way, very similar to Americans and still be able to be inclusive with that ideal, like there's something great to be done. But like living in all this shame about like, like. we're bunch of racist Nazis because we believe German culture is great is the same kind of bullshit that they're trying to tell us about because you believe in America and what America means, it doesn't mean that you're a far right racist. It means that you're a fucking American that believes in the real values and ethics of what it means to be American. So, you know, fuck this fiat bullshit, fuck CBDCs and it's time for us to really start rebuilding in a meaningful and thoughtful way on top of a Bitcoin standard because that's really an American standard. HODL (55:00.344) Mm-hmm. HODL (55:12.162) Fuck yeah. Fuck yeah. Fuck yeah. Fuck No. No. No. No. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (55:12.479) fucking it. Fuck. Yeah, Wait, can we talk about Europeans for a second? Because like, wait, wait, just for one second. Cause have you noticed that the only people more confused about what happened in the U S election than the Democrats are the Europeans. They're like, on. What do you, what do you mean? Don't you understand? He's mean and bad. And how sad is this? These Americans, how did like it's it's mind blowing. And then you're like, God, HODL (55:24.822) is the Europeans, Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (55:41.149) Like your point Eric like yeah, like I'm like so I feel like sometimes I went through the state like a stage in my life where I was like not I love America I love America because I love the fucking American idea and I love the American people and I love the possibilities that the existence of the American idea Allows for people in this country because it allows people to fucking create and build and do meaningful things but I went through a stage where I was like, you know, this is on my my Bitcoin journey where I'm also like Well, but the fucking military industrial fucking war machine, the fucking the fucking fiat monetary colonialism that's perpetuated by the IMF and the World Bank, like and the Federal Reserve. This is this is bad. Like and then I got to the point where naturally like five seconds later I was like, yeah, but that's not America. Like that's fucking institutions. That is US government institutions. Those are institutions of theft and destruction and death. America is a fucking idea and it's the people who hold that idea up and use it as their fucking torch to bring light into darkness and That is what I think people can get behind and I think you should be able to fucking get behind that Like I don't give a fuck what political party you fucking identify with like this week or forever in your entire life like There I don't know if you guys have heard anybody say this before but there is no red. There is no blue There is the state and there is you Yes, there are meaningful differences in political parties. Obviously, there's a difference between Kamala, like what Kamala's administration would have been and what Trump's will be. But ultimately, we are not a divided people. We are a people who are united around the idea that America is fucking amazing. That idea is fucking amazing. And we are going to be fucking damned if we will let the state usurp that idea for its own fucking death and destruction and theft. And I think I hope that more people can get around that and realize that look we're all on the fucking same side. There are two sides. It is the people the independent individuals and it is the state. There is no other side like there's no there's no other sides. You can color the horse a different color but like it's still the state granted again. me caveat. There are some differences especially you get down to local governments. There's a lot of difference but like we have so much more not to sound fucking cheesy. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (58:02.634) We have so much more that brings us together than divides us. And what brings us together is the idea that America is fucking special. And if it wasn't for fucking America, Europe would be still have been fucked from those fucking German Nazis, actual Nazis. Like we have literally pulled Europe's own head out of its ass so many times. And yet they still look at us like, well, these, you know, uncouth barbarians. It's like, you know, fucking right. We're uncouth and we're fucking barbarians. And there's a reason that you called us. when you fucking got your panties in a twist and started murdering tr- like millions of people because you couldn't handle it on your fucking own, you pansies. Like, I love- for any Europeans listening, I fucking love you because you're listening to this and you obviously have a set of balls or maybe not balls, you know, you may be a lady European, but like, America is uniquely positioned to drive massive change in the world because of the American idea. That is what I would say. HODL (58:58.392) The American, by the way, the thing that's beautiful about America, the American ideal, what is it, right? Like people might not know, especially if you're from Europe, the American ideal is I am the king of my own castle. I am, I am the captain of myself. Okay. I do not have to do anything that you want me to do. I am in charge of me. And if what I'm doing doesn't harm anyone, I should be completely allowed. And I'm well within every right, my God given rights to continue doing that thing. That is a new idea in the world. It's a baby idea. It's only 250 some odd years old and not quite 250 yet. It's only about 250 years old. And we have to protect that idea because that's the most important idea in the history of the world thus far. And every time I see Americans exercise it and say, a second. Sometimes Americans get caught up in this thing where they're listening to people they shouldn't be listening to. You know, they're to the television, Rachel Maddow or whoever, Joy Reid, Whoopi Goldberg. And then they go, wait a second, why? They just wake up and they go, why have I been listening to this bitch? What the fuck am I doing listening to this person? I'm just gonna do whatever the fuck I want. No! I'm doing what I want! Erik Cason (01:00:18.705) Well, Hoddle's out now because he did what he wanted. Look, these are really important. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:00:23.144) Wait, is your computer okay? HODL (01:00:24.984) I didn't mean to hit the computer, but it's okay, it's fine. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:00:28.072) I thought that was for dramatic effect. Erik Cason (01:00:28.409) The, the, yeah, it was good. These are really important ideals and like, you know, to, reemphasize everything that you said, Walker, like it took me a long time on my own journey as an anarchist. So like, like I'm an, I'm an anarchist and I'm American. Like I fundamentally believe that Americans on a whole, like we have all of the same value sets. Like nobody wants to hurt other people. Nobody wants to be hurt. People want to respect each other's right to private property. People want to see innovative and creative solutions and and like let people be freaky and do what they are. And so like, I see reactions on both sides. It's like, look, like if you want to be your gay transgender lizard or like whatever the fuck you want to identify as, like that's fucking great. Good for you. Like do not come into the fucking schools and try to teach kids that shit. Like I'm uninterested in that. In fact, like why the fuck are we doing this school thing? Like if you look at the fucking department of education, you know what every single standard has been measured to do each year? It goes fucking down. That's what it does. It teaches kids to be fucking stupid little robots that can't think for themselves. Like it, I find it deeply disturbing when I, when my son has friends that are in public school come over and like how fucking remedial they are and how much they, don't, there's a certain creativity that they really lack that I find fucking disturbing, you know? And also on the same side, like just cause people want to be weirdos and freaks don't mean that we have to hate on them and remove their right to be fucking weirdos and freaks. It's just like, don't. In the same way that like, I'm not going to put my shit in your face. Don't put your shit in my face and don't try to use public institutions to do that. There's no fucking need. Same thing. Like I have no fucking interest in deporting people from this country just because they disagree with me on different principles. Like we need to learn to live in fucking peace and have a radical modernism between us because without that, they're like that. That's what America is all about is about being able to figure out. How do we live with these ideals that allow for us all to flourish despite how different we are? know, like Europeans like take a fucking cue from us. Like, you know, like we, we figured out how to make this shit work. You guys are trying to model the same thing, but to be very clear, like what you guys are doing with the European Central Bank and the EU and shit, like this is not going to end well for you guys. And so I really encourage Erik Cason (01:02:47.665) And like I've noticed this more coming from German specifically like you guys need to redouble in your own nationalism and so far of that like you guys are actual independent countries and you need to stop letting this fucked up institution that got created by a bunch of bureaucrats that told you that everything was gonna get better with it. You know like I have an uncle that's lived in Berlin since the 1970s and he knows the conversion of when they went from the mark to the euro fucked everybody over super hard and that's how it is kind of universally. You guys should really consider taking back national sovereignty, destroying the European Central Bank, and probably, you know, the fact that the thing is ran by an actual fucking financial criminal who has been found guilty of financial crimes, that's pretty fucking ridiculous. And it's pretty ridiculous that you guys tolerate this bullshit being shoved down your throat from Brussels, so... I really hope that you guys are gonna light shit on fire, cause like, when you guys commit yourself to burning shit down and like throwing shit at people and other stuff, you guys are really good at it. Like, into that. Like keep doing more of that. Like stop, stop with this other fucking nonsense. Cause you know, you guys are gonna get something pretty nasty out of it if you guys keep tolerating this bullshit. HODL (01:04:03.836) You know what I think the difference between the European mind and the American mind is is that in Europe for you know, thousands of years, if you talk back to the nobility, they could kill you with impunity, right? And in America, one day we took a look at the nobility and we were like, fuck you. We just killed everybody, bro. You know, and so that's different starting points, you know, inception. Erik Cason (01:04:24.048) Yup, fun f- Erik Cason (01:04:27.868) Fun fact is that there is an actual amendment to the United States Constitution that is still active to be ratified by states that if you are given a title of nobility in America, you will be stripped of all political rights and positions. think it was the, because there's like three outstanding articles that could be ratified by states, like aren't, like another is about like child labor. The other one's article the first, which. HODL (01:04:49.706) Yeah. Erik Cason (01:04:53.424) I've had another great radical plan of like forcing state legislatures to ratify article the first to be, and it's called that because it was the first article to ever be that passed through the congressional approval process. And it went to the States to get approved, but it was never approved. And what article the first stipulates is that no representative of the federal government shall ever represent any more than 50,000 people at a time. And to be clear, if that passed today, that would mean that the House of Representatives would be like, 7,000 people or some shit like that. So that would be really fun if we like got states to pass it just to fuck up the federal government. Cause this is my big thing that I want not only for Americans, but for Europeans and all people everywhere is that like, I believe very, very strongly it is about states, provinces and counties against their unified federal government. Like if you look at what's going on in Spain right now, after the crisis that happened in Valencia and how much the federal government is absolutely fucking those people over. This is where the real war is at. So I'd like to see more radicalism of states' rights against federal governments across the board. And I think that would really help solve a lot of problems. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:06:02.717) Eric, you mentioned something earlier about, like, just speaking of states' rights, that if, what was it, 35 states were to basically resolve internally, like, as independent states, that we should end the Fed, that the federal government would basically need to scramble. Can you elaborate on that a little bit more for those of us who are less constitutionally literate? Erik Cason (01:06:20.71) Yeah, so this is all a hypothetical way to be able to ratify the United States Constitution directly using state legislatures only. Nothing has to go through the federal government and it is not supposed to have any oversight. This has never happened in American history because every single time that this method has been used to amend the Constitution, when it's gotten within two or three states, The federal government has essentially flipped the fuck out and Congress has passed that amendment to the United States with the same language directly so that this was all circumnavigated. There was a Supreme Court decision in 1908 that essentially said if states tried to do this, we wouldn't recognize it. But like this is all about creating constitutional crisis because the 10th Amendment is very explicit and that any powers that are not enumerated to the federal government directly in the Constitution are reserved for states alone. So. The whole idea would be essentially be go state by state, get the exact same language passed saying that we are calling on an Article 5 convention to amend the United States Constitution to end the Federal Reserve and that the federal government shall have no oversight whatsoever around the issuance of a currency. And in theory, it could pass. For me, the big goal is to get it past 33 states or something. federal government's gonna freak out. You're probably gonna have the judicial branch being like, no, this is illegitimate. There's no way to amend the constitution without the federal government. We're gonna be like, Texas, what do you think about that? They're trying to say that the sovereignty of your state and what you guys decide isn't okay. Is that something you agree with? How do you feel about that, Nevada, Wyoming? Is this okay with you guys? Cause for me, the big crisis that happened in America, which is where fiat money started in America was during the civil war. And as much as everybody likes to suck Abraham Lincoln's dick and celebrate him as being a really great guy, good job with like ending slavery, but like you like really fucked up a lot of other stuff with what you did in that. Not to mention that like explicitly creating an amendment to the United States constitution that says that other people can't have slaves, but the Erik Cason (01:08:28.913) the state itself can have slaves is pretty fucked up. So with that, I really encourage everybody look into the Article 5 ratification process. I really have a boner for the idea using this to like fuck up the federal government across the board. Because to me, this is actually about a radical evolution of the political process that like I think federal politics is fundamentally broken. And if there's a way to lateralize a national movement that uses only states and state legislatures to start amending the Constitution, or even calling for an Article 5 convention to rewrite the Constitution on a whole, which is also specifically reserved by Article 5 in the U.S. Constitution, there's actually an opportunity for us to roll back radical federal power, destroy the deep state, and renew the American dream throughout the globe by essentially creating the American dream with the federal government and the deep state stripped from it. So that's kind of my insane idea. you know, let's have a couple lawyers and legal scholars come in here and tell me how I'm fucking insane or wrong or maybe even right, but as far as I know, this is an actual thing that could happen. It's just been kind of buried in history for a long time. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:09:41.32) HODL your thoughts. HODL (01:09:43.512) I listen, I'm an Article 5 maxi as well. Eric has explained it to me multiple times. just, you know, I think like in practical terms, I just I just don't think we're gonna be able to do that. Yeah, it'd be cool. It'd be cool if it happened. You know, I would be for it. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:10:00.4) Let's let's talk about some practical terms then because okay I want to want to get your guys take on this whole Bitcoin strategic reserve thing Senator okay, so you we remember at the Bitcoin conference in Nashville Trump gave what I think was honestly incredible stand-up performance like that dudes a dude he riffs like he's he's Like you cannot argue with the fact that the dude can fucking what does he call? He calls it the weave right? You know like he riffs. It's impressive. It's just HODL (01:10:20.344) It was funny. Yeah. HODL (01:10:25.91) leave. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:10:28.702) very like nice routine. yeah. Yeah. Go save the delivery man. But, and he talked kind of like, we're going to keep the Bitcoin that we have, you know, we're not going to sell any of it. He didn't like explicitly say we are going to start, you know, printing fiat to acquire Bitcoin. He said he would protect the industry though. He said a lot of positive things. Then as everybody is leaving the stage, like after he finished, Lummis comes up and is like, I have a fucking bill right here. Like Erik Cason (01:10:29.088) My dogs are attacking the delivery man, so I gotta stop them. HODL (01:10:31.416) Nope. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:10:57.703) I have a bill for the US to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve and like I felt bad because like again like people are like yelling like everyone's leaving the thing like and I'm sitting there like she just like this is fucking actually actually news that lumos is like I've got a fucking bill for this she's been on top of it since then Do what do you think is the most likely scenario that's gonna play out as far as the establishment of a strategic reserve? Is this something that like Trump is gonna be all for? HODL (01:11:05.442) Yeah. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:11:24.455) Like once he gets a little more knowledge of it, where do you think we're going with this? HODL (01:11:27.348) So the way that Trump said it on stage initially is is wrong and can't happen. So the Bitcoin that have been seized, you know by whomever, whichever government authority sees them, then there are multiple government authorities that have seized them over time. They belong to somebody they have owners, right? So like most recently the Bitfinex hack there was four billion dollars worth of Bitcoin or something that was seized by the US government, but that Bitcoin all belongs to people and it has to go back to them. So you can't use it for your national strategic stockpile. But in general, I think the idea of a national strategic stockpile is something that is going to happen one way or another. I think it's inevitable. Whether it goes on the central bank's balance sheet or whether it's put into the hands of the executive branch, I'm not sure. But America is going to acquire a large swath of Bitcoin at some point. I think there's a the most interesting thing about it is the prisoners dilemma of the nation state level game theory around who goes first So if you go first, you're the most advantaged, right? But for some reason I don't think this is widely known and so nobody's gone first yet or maybe it's because we don't have Younger people who understand these things or have game this out Is Trump's administration administration where we we can do those things I think Maybe I mean, JD Vance is a Bitcoin or Vivek is a Bitcoin or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a Bitcoin or Tulsi Gabbard is a Bitcoin or Elon Musk is a Bitcoin or Trump owns a little bit of Bitcoin. He's dabbled in some crypto bullshit. He has his own shit coin. So yeah, I mean, there is a potential that it could happen this time around. I think the most important or the most interesting thing to me is the game theory between other nation states. And then the thing I was going to mention is in some To some degree, I think the Bitcoin that's in the public markets is a honeypot for the US government. So MSTR is a honeypot for the US government. The ETFs are the public companies that have Bitcoin on treasury like Tesla. So those things are things that can be nationalized in a moment's notice if needed. But we're not on a Bitcoin standard. So the government doesn't need to seize your Bitcoin yet. If fiat starts to collapse, they may need to seize your Bitcoin. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:13:33.256) Mm. HODL (01:13:56.273) They may seize your b- They'll never need to do it. I mean, they just will do it, right? And so, yeah, I think that's- Those are my high-level thoughts around everything, though. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:14:04.595) Do you, I assume when you talk about a first mover advantage, you're discounting El Salvador in this particular instance because they do not print their own currency, because they are dollarized. Yeah. HODL (01:14:12.756) It's too small. Well, it's also too small. It's just too small. El Salvador is a very poor country. They're doing listen, they're doing great. They're on the upswing, but they're not a player in the world. They don't mean anything like I mean, El Salvador is a tiny nothing country with no resources like I love what's going on down there. You're always probably they're very small. If you looked at them on the map, it's like this big. It's yeah, it's Russia, China, America. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:14:28.105) For now, for now, for now, let's let's let, yeah. HODL (01:14:41.238) France, Germany, those are the countries that one of them needs to go first. G7. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:14:45.897) Do you so I mean like Russia has been shifting some of its stances around Bitcoin mining and Bitcoin more generally recently. mean do you think that like that is like we're going to see a lot more of that because Russia was for a while very like no we're you know not a fan of this. mean you know it's not the not the freest country in the world let's say and so freedom money tends to be a little bit. It's like oil and water, like they don't mix well, right? But clearly they're realizing the geopolitical significance of Bitcoin, which is still sitting at like, I mean, I don't know what the market cap is right now after we're over, we're pamping, but like, we're not over 2 trillion yet. We're at like what, below a trillion and a half, like 1.5, which is fucking nothing. Like in the grand scheme of things, like we are still fucking early. Erik Cason (01:15:31.04) point five. HODL (01:15:37.74) Yep. Smaller than Apple Computer. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:15:42.303) Yeah, Bitcoin did just pass meta though, right? I think like today like I believe so, but I don't know like HODL (01:15:47.308) Probably. Erik Cason (01:15:52.717) That piece of shit company is worth one and a half tru- Like what the fuck is wrong with this world? I'm sorry, like that- that is upsetting that so many fucking morons are on that goddamn surveillance platform giving away their information towards somebody that fucking hates them. HODL (01:16:02.38) It's. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:16:06.473) to, it's just, HODL (01:16:08.214) Instagram is very popular with the hoes Eric very popular Erik Cason (01:16:11.434) I know. Bitches just be scrolling. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:16:12.551) And Facebook's very popular with the boomers. Like I think boomers are the only ones left on Facebook. I'm honestly convinced, which is hilarious because the boomers were the same ones being like this, this, these Facebook's are going to melt your brains. And now they're like, you know, like this picture of Donald Trump and Jesus is incredible. Like when did they take this? This is amazing. Like, don't think boomer boomers have really bad AI detection skills. Also, that's a slight digression, but it leaves them very vulnerable to manipulation. I think HODL (01:16:24.342) It's, yeah. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:16:40.456) It's also kind of cute and endearing. God bless you, you bought your house for two raspberries and now you're a multimillionaire. Erik Cason (01:16:47.724) look like in all honesty, like I see the next decade is like there's gonna be this really it's funny because I remember I was at Burning Man. I'd taken a bunch of acid and I was talking to a younger friend about this and I like went on this crazy diatribe. was like, yeah, in 30 years, we're gonna have like a youth fascist movement that's just gonna be all about like fucking stripping the boomers of their property and like sending them off to the prison camps for liquidation just because people are gonna be so fucking angry at the way that they feel like they were robbed and stolen from. So like I don't know. It's very similar to that Junseth podcast where he talked to that young scammer where he was pretty indifferent to the way he was ripping people off. honestly, young people have a pretty good point. Yeah, if an AI boomer can't tell the difference between Donald Trump and an AI bot, and you can rip him off doing that, why shouldn't you? Yeah, he made his millions of dollars from watching his house inflate. HODL (01:17:21.57) of these cameras. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:17:23.049) was amazing. Erik Cason (01:17:46.102) you know, because of how fucked up the monetary system is. So why shouldn't you just engage in outright graft? I'm not saying that that's right in any meaningful way. Like it's an honest and open-ended question that frankly, I've really struggled with, like meaningfully answering to them. Cause like, yeah, this system has absolutely fucked you and robbed you. And there is no meaningful way that you are going to crawl out of the hole that you've been forced to live in. So like, I don't, I don't know what you can really do to try to protect yourself other than get yourself on a Bitcoin standard. HODL (01:18:15.108) you? Do you that's Do you think that's true, though? Because like, didn't you feel that way when you were 1819? Because I did, I felt like the boomers had pulled up the ladder. They got rich selling houses back and forth to each other. We were never going to be able to do the same thing, etc, etc. And then God was just like, boom, here's, here's digital coins, bitch. And I was like, fuck. This is amazing. I'm richer than these guys could have ever dreamed. Yeah. Erik Cason (01:18:15.414) But you probably shouldn't be robbing people, because that's fucked up. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:18:18.344) Yeah Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:18:38.045) you You HODL (01:18:43.158) So I mean, think there's always something on the horizon. Erik Cason (01:18:43.567) I mean, for me personally, for me personally, yeah, but like, I, and like, this is one of the things I always struggle with is that like, we're in an extremely unique position, you know, across, like, that's one of the reasons I didn't just like take the money and run is that like, feel a real obligation towards speaking to the very real power that this has to like, write the economy in a meaningful way again. And with that being said, like, If I was 20 years old looking at the economy right now, like I would very sincerely be trying to build a career as probably both a drug dealer and a scammer just because I look at the world and be like, why the fuck should I participate in any of this goddamn non- like you want me to fork out $400,000 to get a fucking bachelor's degree while you got that shit for free? Like why the fuck shouldn't I just set fire to everything and watch it burn because What do I have to win in this system? Like, like I can work for 30 fucking years so I can get a down payment on a home that then I'll spend the next 30 fucking years trying to pay off scraping by. Like, I think shit is really, really fucked up. And I think the only reason that kids aren't outraged is because they're so dopamine addicted to the scrolling that they can't even pull their head far enough out of the phone to stop and look around and go, gee, shit's really fucking bad. But that terrifies them. So they look back at the phone and keep scrolling. so I think shit's kind of sad right now, but, you know, like I, I hope I'm wrong and that it's not actually that dark out there, but from the, from the young people that I speak to, like, there isn't a rage about it. There's like a very real defeat that like they have been beaten down into a cage that like, they're just doing their best to figure out how to be in. So, while I do agree that I did feel that way when I was younger, like I very sincerely feel like I just like found the fucking glitch in the system. And I remember like picking it up and being like, there's no fucking way that like magic internet money is going to become the global standard of the future and like make a difference in the 2024 presidential election. And the funniest thing is, that like, there was no political conversation about Bitcoin in my opinion, up until about 2016. Like there were, there was no conceivable difference. know, like crypto didn't even exist on a whole. There was a bunch of shit coin copies, like Litecoin and Feathercoin and shit. Erik Cason (01:21:07.812) But it was only with the premiere of Ethereum that Bitcoiners were like, hang on, like, we're trying to like make a kind of money that you can't fuck with. And they're like, yeah, like I thought, I thought this was the whole thing that we could just like make up Clowncoin and like make a bunch of money. And I was like, I think we have like different ethics here. And they're like, huh. So like, you don't want any Clowncoin? And I was like, no. Good luck with that though. HODL (01:21:32.28) No, mean, you know, I think that, okay, so one thing is, did you see the scammers who got caught for 250 million? They hit up a Genesis creditor for 250 million. Did you see that story? Erik Cason (01:21:44.022) yeah, yeah. Wasn't this a while ago that they just, you it was like, he had like fucking, like two FAA, like through texts or some shit and they just, just, yeah. HODL (01:21:52.438) Yeah, they posed as I think they pose as Genesis or so I can't remember how the scam worked. But anyway, like they got $250 million in Bitcoin off of this guy. And it wasn't that long ago. was like six months ago or something. And then what did they do? They went out to the clubs in Miami and LA and they started buying OnlyFans girls Birkin bags and Lamborghinis and whatever. And my favorite text message from the thread is by the way, and then the FBI caught them two months later because Everybody who's ever seen Goodfellas knows you don't go out and buy a fucking pink Cadillac day one. Are you fucking retarded? Robert De Niro is gonna whack you, okay? Or they don't watch it? Yeah, it's like, the kid literally bought a pink, he bought a pink Lambo for a girl. That is in Goodfellas, the guy does that and then he gets whacked. Erik Cason (01:22:29.509) Kids don't watch oldies anymore. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:22:31.567) No, the answers are all there. They gave you the answers. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:22:41.425) Also, like she's not going to bang you either way, bro. Like, you know, seriously, HODL (01:22:43.704) Well, that's the point. That's the point I'm getting to. So there's a text message from the girl and he goes, hey, what's up? I bought you a fucking pink Lambo Urus. You want it? Let's be friends, whatever. And she's like, lol, I have a boyfriend. Sorry. And it's like, dude, you are going to get ass raped in federal prison for the next 10 years. Erik Cason (01:22:44.377) Yeah, that's like the most beta fucking move you can make. HODL (01:23:09.568) and you couldn't even get the girl to sleep with you after you bought her a fucking Lamborghini. You know why? It's because when you earn money that way, girls know. They know that you're a fucking loser. They can feel it. They can sense it. Right? And so like she didn't want to have anything to do with you. So it's like, what did you get out of the score, bro? You went to Rodeo Drive and wore some gay Louis Vuitton shit for a little bit and we're in the nightclub fucking sipping on fucking... awesome, Migo, fucking Don Hoolit, whatever the fuck, like what the f- that's nothing. You threw away your life for nothing, bro. Come on. Erik Cason (01:23:41.263) Yeah, not to digress, but like if you want to like get rich and make a bunch of money to like get all the hot bitches, like I got news for you. Like it's not gonna work in any meaningful way. And like, you're actually gonna find yourself in like a super bitch beta position where you're gonna be like, huh, like I just like drove this girl in my Porsche over to this guy's house that she's like, that isn't my boyfriend. So. HODL (01:24:06.808) It's just her trainer dude, it's just her trainer dude. He's the only guy who can work her glutes right bro, it's a thing. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:24:09.639) It's just Pilates instructor. It's cool, man. Erik Cason (01:24:12.716) Yeah. I'm going to, you know, she needs me to pick her up in a half hour. So I'm just, I'm going to hang out at this coffee shop just cause I wonder why she's doing only a half hour of Pilate though. That's kind of weird. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:24:24.735) That's strange. Doesn't seem like enough to get a good burn. HODL (01:24:25.836) was like a... No, dude, it's more intense sweat, dude. If you do it that way, it's what... Erik Cason (01:24:31.644) Well, and look, the... This is all part of the general nihilism that's playing out, because like when you get that money, when you get money that easily, that quickly through doing dumb shit like scamming, like you're not going to like stop and be like, whoa, like I finally got the lotto ticket to get out of here. Like I'm going to buy a couple of laundry mats and maybe like, you know, like a driving range and a couple other places that can really generate some cashflow for me. No, you're gonna do like a bunch of retarded shit like that and you're gonna blow the money. like, this is one of the things I love the most about Bitcoin. It's like, Bitcoin doesn't solve cashflow problems or if like you don't have any meaningful like model that you're operating from the world from. if you can't save money, like you will not have any fucking Bitcoin. But like, if you're somebody who's like thoughtful and saving money and you have like a 401k and you've like played their game and gotten fucked by that, like. Bitcoin's going to be hugely helpful for you because like now you're actually going to have a like savings that like does the thing it's supposed to do. So good on you. And also like, I'm sorry for all the younger kids that are getting fucked by this system that hates them. Like you really should be on only a Bitcoin standard. And if you're not, like I, I would love to hear your solution on why we're fucking dumb and you have the solution. Cause as far as I can tell. You're gonna work at a Starbucks for the next 30 years and live in your mom's basement and like maybe, maybe if you want a family, you'll have like a chihuahua or something like, look, I got two dogs right now. Like these motherfuckers eat like nobody's business. So like get a really small dog that like you, you like don't need to like feed a lot of food to. HODL (01:26:08.075) Dude, you know what though, it's all mentality, truly. It's like, people don't, when you talk about like having children and caring about yourself for the future and you know, making money and how making money is a good thing, younger people are just straight up confused, right? And to us, that's like, that's the default that we grew up in. Those are our values. And yeah, but younger people are like, what? Is this some sort of like, trad, like trad? Chad movement thing, dude. And you're like, what? This is called being a normal person, retard. What are you talking about? And it's because it's so like they haven't heard it. They've been being dude, if you go to public school, you have been being lectured by cat ladies eight hours a day for a fucking 15 years. OK, like and they have like fucking unicorn fairy tattoos on them and stuff. And they're like, Donald Trump is a racist. That's what you've been dealing with. Erik Cason (01:26:46.577) You can't say that word anymore. HODL (01:27:06.432) Okay, so you come out of that and then Andrew Tate's like, if you want to be a fucking man, you gotta have a fucking Bugatti. And then you go, fuck, this is fucking speaking to me, dude. Right? Like, when we were young, that was just like common sense. It was like, yeah, sports cars and hot chicks. Like that's what we like, bro. Like, you know. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:27:26.162) Nobody needs to tell you that dude. Like, yeah. Erik Cason (01:27:26.46) I feel... I feel really fucking bad for younger people. Like particularly like if you're like a young guy going through puberty and like you want to like go talk to this girl, but you're all nervous because you've watched all this like cancel culture shit. Like now you're too terrified to ever go talk to her. And now like you haven't talked to any girls in your whole life and you want to, but you can't. So like you feel like total fucking wiener. And then like somebody was like, well, if you feel like a wiener and like being a man's really hard, like maybe you're a woman and they're like, maybe I am a woman. And like, It's something, it's fucked up. It's really wrong. And like a lot of times these poor kids just need somebody to be like, yeah, like you need to go talk to the woman. She could possibly like get really upset and sue you or some shit, but chances are she's just going to think you're kind of weird and you'll feel uncomfortable and walk away, you know, being blown out and like, that's okay. That that's part of life. It's okay when a woman rejects you. doesn't define you as a human being. HODL (01:28:17.56) I'm not supposed to say this but if you're a teenage boy Go and get a little drunk and do donuts in a parking lot. Okay. I'm not supposed to say that you probably shouldn't do it, but you know You should probably do it. Yeah, like in an empty parking lot empty. Don't go on the road. Just Donuts you can do it in don't do Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:28:31.498) Great advice. It's terrible advice, but it's great advice. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:28:41.608) And honestly, you live in the mid-west, like wait until, like you've got a little bit of snow there, wait until it's a little bit slick, it's much safer to do the donuts when your wheels are actually sliding versus you're like burning rubber. So that, we're tempering the donut device with some good Midwestern, you know, logical advice there. You know, I think, and Hodel, know you've got a hard stop coming up soon. I think we may need to do an entire other... HODL (01:28:57.653) Absolutely. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:29:08.702) show about the fact that you know who hates homeschooling and who has had homeschooling illegal for a long time. Germany. Thank you. It's it's I appreciate you knew where I was going with that. And you know who implemented that. It was the fucking Nazis. Why did they implement the fact that you can't it is illegal for you to homeschool your kids for you to raise and instruct your kids at home. HODL (01:29:18.754) Germany, right? Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:29:34.868) because they wanted to fucking control the narrative and control your kids and indoctrinate them and make them good little fucking Hitler's youth Nazis. And then we can go back a little bit further to the Prussian system of education, which is like what kind of was the genesis of the Nazi system, which is we want to create great little worker bees and great little soldiers. And the only way we can do that is if we have control of them from the first time they're able to fucking formulate a word. Until they are of a you an age where it's appropriate to send them off to fucking work until they die or fight until they die I digress a little bit but the point is that if you don't like homeschooling you're a nazi And I mean that literally not like the everyone's a nazi thing like you're literally agreeing with what the nazis wanted So congratulations. You're a literal nazi not a figurative nazi That's I just wanted to get that off my chest a little bit guys as a homeschooled guy myself who then went to public school because my parents Said it's your fucking decision do what you want to do. They didn't swear at me at that time They just said it's your decision, but I added the fucking but That was a fucking trip getting into public school and realizing I thought I was gonna be real stupid That was like my big worry where I was like mom and dad I think I should go to public school like what if I'm not as smart as the other kids They're always all my friends that I play sports with they're always doing homework and all this extra work like they've to be way ahead of me They're like, okay, that's your decision. You can decide to do that. But like you've got a you know, like it's your it's your choice So anything that comes with it's your you know your responsibility, okay? And then I got to school and I was like, my god, everybody is fucking stupid. shit They are catering to the lowest common denominator. And this is a fucking joke I dig and I'm not even like that smart like I was smart enough to be a valedictorian and like kind of a bumblefucky town but that's like, you know, like you're the skinniest kid at fat camp. You know what I mean? Like it's like, okay, like nice, nice job, but like you're still fat. Like, Hey, Hey, you guys are, you know, Erik Cason (01:31:31.689) There are all these kids from her high school listening right now, and I'm like, hey, I'm not that dumb. HODL (01:31:35.316) Hey, I often walk here. I often walk in my glue and he sniffed it. I thought we were friends. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:31:42.305) I knew some fucking great fucking people and there were also some great fucking teachers in there who actually were like fuck this administrative bullshit. I'm just going to actually teach these kids. They were also the teachers always getting in trouble with the administration for like you're not following the curriculum. know like but and like I fucking love the small town that I grew up in because there are fucking great people there. The point is that the public school system did no one any favors. And you know what you just don't fucking need it man. You should do like An hour or two of school a day and you'll be fucking good. That's all I did And then I went and started fires like not pyro fires But like I like to start controlled fires who doesn't you know what I mean? That's part of it And if you're a young guy listening to this and you've never just gone and started a fire fucking a go and start a fire because No, self-respecting woman will marry you unless you can start a fire like and I'm just telling you Yeah Erik Cason (01:32:31.926) Yeah, do it on metal trash can though, or like somewhere that you're not gonna start forest fire. know, like Smokey the Bear had a point. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:32:37.258) Well, yeah, don't do yet again not pyromaniac fires start controlled fires Learn how to control them and be a responsible member of society who knows how to make flame like fucking hey That's the only reason that we started drinking bone marrow that was actually cooked and had our brains grow and you want to spit on that I don't think so I've digressed a little bit but it felt like I needed to digress a little bit to get us off track enough for hodl for me to allow you to make a graceful exit here How much more time you got you got time for one last? HODL (01:33:05.928) got, yeah, I got like five more minutes. I can do five more minutes. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:33:06.81) thought Okay, okay, so Okay, it first. I just want to say thank you to everybody who tuned in on this Noster only live stream fuck YouTube fuck live stream on Twitter fuck wherever else you can live stream like twitch I've never used it, but I hear the kids do all these sats that you guys have sent which is almost 50,000 sats which is awesome I'm gonna send them all to open sats and provide receipts. So thank you guys for doing that We're gonna fund some open source development while shitting on ridiculous people Erik Cason (01:33:10.21) diatribe. HODL (01:33:34.072) Yeah. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:33:36.352) Closing thoughts, gentlemen. Hodel, you want to kick us off? HODL (01:33:40.888) Yeah, let me think about this here for a second. What are my closing thoughts? I think... in general, you gotta just keep living, man. No, I got nothing. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:33:57.792) Yeah, you don't have to have that. You already dropped so much wisdom. Well, Eric, what about you? What do want to leave people with? HODL (01:34:04.561) Come back to me. Do Eric first, then come back. Erik Cason (01:34:10.474) Look, Trump getting elected was like a the whole market was like waiting to see whether or not we're going to go into like socialism hell or if there's going to be an opportunity for something meaningful to happen. Now something meaningful is going to happen and Bitcoin is going to rip super fucking hard in the next six months. And so like if you've been like, I've been like, stacking a little here and there, but I got my 401k like you don't have enough fucking coin. You're going to want more coin later and you should stack harder. So you should really consider about like Put, you know, like stop messing around, like fucking shove it in, like, like put the whole thing in and enjoy what it means and be like, fucking go for it. In addition to, you know, you should really think for yourself, you know, like no, nobody actually has all of the right fucking answers. And if you actually spend some time and energy thinking hard about what your values are and what you want for the world and for yourself, you're probably going to come to some great conclusions. you know, So I really hope that more of you are going to fly your freak freak flags and like do your own thing. Walker, you're a great example. You're just doing the Bitcoin podcast to swipe the fact that Bitcoin podcasts were saturated as fuck. You were just like, you know what? I'm going to try my own fucking thing. Turns out people like you and like listen to you. So even if it seems in other people are like, hey, this is saturated. There's too many people like go do you and what you're supposed to like, that's what the world wants. That's where you're to find your power and that's where you're going to make the most money. Don't wait for somebody to be like, You need to call a degree in to suck five dicks at this law firm to get a job to practice law. find, like, find the fucking hack. Figure out the way that you can actually go do the thing that you want to do. What is the world wants for you and other people want for you? The system does not fucking want for you. Like realize that right now, you're going to be way fucking ahead for yourself. So. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:35:36.02) You Erik Cason (01:35:53.28) I hope to see all of you young entrepreneurs with the production of all of the great and wonderful things that you will be accepting only on a Bitcoin standard because you're smart enough that you don't want to get fucked holding a bunch of fiat that's going to go to zero. That's the end of what I have to HODL (01:36:06.496) I am. I actually do have something to say I was I was thinking about this. I think going into the bull market, an important message for people that they need to be aware of is that, yes, you should go hard. know, there's that clip of me on Walker show saying stack your fucking ass off and all that. And like, yes, you should go hard. You should you should be here. You should be fully committed to this and you should be, you know, investing a significant portion of what you have available. All true. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:36:06.728) A fucking HODL (01:36:34.648) but you know in bull markets people take leverage and Leverage is something that people mistakenly think is a time machine to being an og And it's not and you know, we've seen a lot of people get wrecked So if you are gonna take leverage be extremely careful it's it's one of those things that like if you warn enough people about doing it the people that you know, ignore all the warnings and walk through all the warning signs anyway, and then go do it and succeed. They were always meant to succeed. But for the vast majority of people like you won't succeed. You know what mean? So like you really should heed the warning and only you know if you're that person or not, and everybody thinks they are that person. But you only find out you're not that person who can walk through all the warning signs until you get fucking destroyed. So don't get destroyed. You know what I mean? Like Erik Cason (01:37:24.676) By the way, this is being said by the man who made a Bitcoin by betting the man who had the leverage platform that his leverage platform would go bankrupt within a year and it fucking did. just saying that Hoddle might actually know a little bit about what the fuck he's talking about. So with that, please don't go long and slam your fucking dick in the door because there's a 10 % drawdown, which could very well happen when we hit an all time high and your retarded ass did a 10X long and didn't realize. HODL (01:37:32.728) That's right. Erik Cason (01:37:51.928) that that's what happens. You get fucking liquidated when the price goes down. So don't be fucking retarded and lose the little bit of Bitcoin that you have because you thought that you could get more Bitcoin because you were smarter. You're not. You're a normal fucking person who will hurt yourself if you do that. So sorry, I just really wanted to add. HODL (01:38:07.746) So no, % 100 % and two cardinal sins here in Bitcoin you need to be aware of heading into the bull market is number one, not being bullish enough on Bitcoin. That's the biggest sin. It's the biggest sin anyone can make. Number two, unfortunately, is being too bullish on Bitcoin. So you got to strike the balance right in the middle there. Because if you're on either side, you're getting fucking wrecked. Okay, so the best way to do that, stack your Bitcoin, hodl your Bitcoin. do it in self custody, do it in cold storage, do it with a multi sig. Don't go crazy on this, these products, these MSTU and BTU and fucking these leverage products you can now get access to in the markets. Don't go crazy on MSTR stock, don't go crazy on shit coins or meme coins. You know, everybody has a plan. I've met a lot of guys who had a plan to get to 100 Bitcoin, who ended up with zero Bitcoin, right? So like, Try not to be one of those guys. If your plan has three elaborate steps that involve you hitting a million shot three times, you're not gonna execute that plan, man. I couldn't execute it. I don't know why you think you're good enough to. I don't know why anyone would ever think they're good enough to. Be smart. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:39:20.83) got a fucking three step plan and it's called DCA and fucking like literally guys, none of us are as smart as we think we are. And like that's good. Like you being too smart is just a pain. That's why you know, that's why you need to drink and stuff. But like literally just like just fucking DCA. Like it's actually like just this GCO like you can just buy Bitcoin, set up a daily DCA buy and then set up an hourly DCA buy. HODL (01:39:24.503) Yes. HODL (01:39:38.828) Totally. Walker (BitcoinPodcast.net) (01:39:49.492) and it'll just split the difference and you will be in large profit in the long term. And I have not been around as long as you guys been around since 2020 and I just dollar cost average. And you know what? It works. And I try to create some value. And Eric, to your point, I appreciate that, that you see this journey that I'm on creating another fucking Bitcoin podcast. But I just want to say until there are more Bitcoin podcasts than insufferable fucking finance bro podcasts, There are not enough Bitcoin podcasts. need to this needs to be the flippening where Bitcoin podcasts are more plentiful than fucking finance bro. Like here here's the real real estate stock stocks that you should buy that'll generate some passive income for you when you're 401k. It's like Jesus fucking Christ. Grow some balls and buy some Bitcoin guys. Yeah. I fucking appreciate you guys. Thanks for hopping on here. This this was a very enjoyable time. And I know that people fucking love hearing from both of you guys because you are principal dudes who always laid out straight and We are we are very blessed to have you in this fucking strange community of people and it's great to fucking hang out with you guys And I hope we can do it in fucking person over a beer again soon But yeah, hold on get the fuck out of here case it I'm you guys for everyone listening I'm gonna kill this live stream now and we're gonna just to make sure these guys are uploaded. So fucking love you all. Thanks for joining I'm killing it now.

## Applesauce I've been working on cleanup up a lot of the old crufty logic in noStrudel and as part of that process I've started breaking out a lot of the "event interpretation" layer into a new library [applesauce](https://github.com/hzrd149/applesauce) The goal with the library isn't to build another "nostr SDK" but instead to only tackle the problem of how the UI layer of web apps should get data from events and update when new events are detected. Its still a work-in-progress but if your interested check out the [docs](https://hzrd149.github.io/applesauce/modules/applesauce_core.html) (hopefully ill write some examples soon) ## nsite After SEC-02 I noticed nostr:npub1elta7cneng3w8p9y4dw633qzdjr4kyvaparuyuttyrx6e8xp7xnq32cume created a project built on top of blossom called [nsite](https://github.com/lez/nsite) which was a simple static website CDN using nostr to store the object paths and blossom to store the objects themselves Because I don't know python I decided to write my own implementation of it in typescript [nsite-ts](https://github.com/hzrd149/nsite-ts) and started hosting it at https://nsite.lol nostr:npub1klr0dy2ul2dx9llk58czvpx73rprcmrvd5dc7ck8esg8f8es06qs427gxc also created super easy cli tool for uploading static sites to blossom servers called [nsite-cli](https://www.npmjs.com/package/nsite-cli). If your a developer of a nostr web app I would encourage you to give it a try I also opened my first NIP PR for [static websites](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/1538) :D ## Blossom Thanks to nostr:npub138s5hey76qrnm2pmv7p8nnffhfddsm8sqzm285dyc0wy4f8a6qkqtzx624, nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6, nostr:npub1v0lxxxxutpvrelsksy8cdhgfux9l6a42hsj2qzquu2zk7vc9qnkszrqj49, and nostr:npub1a6we08n7zsv2na689whc9hykpq4q6sj3kaauk9c2dm8vj0adlajq7w0tyc for opening PRs and contributing to the blossom spec. also thanks to everyone else who has shown interest in it. its awesome to watch it slowly grow There are two more optional BUDs in the spec now - [BUD-06](https://github.com/hzrd149/blossom/blob/master/buds/06.md) Upload requirements - [BUD-08](https://github.com/hzrd149/blossom/blob/master/buds/08.md) Nostr File Metadata Tags And a two breaking changes - [X-Reason](https://github.com/hzrd149/blossom/pull/32) for all error messages - Authorization events may have multiple `x` tags with hashes [PR](https://github.com/hzrd149/blossom/pull/24) ## noStrudel I'm continuing to work on noStrudel and add new features and iron out bugs. I can't list everything here but the next release of the app is shaping up nicely. you can see the changes [here](https://github.com/hzrd149/nostrudel/pull/236) ## Hyper SOCKS5 proxy Mostly a weekend project but I created a SOCKS5 proxy for hyperDHT and holesail called [hyper-socks5-proxy](https://github.com/hzrd149/hyper-socks5-proxy) that uses a bech32 encoded version of the holesail "connection strings" (public keys) to make them compatible with traditional URLs [hyper-address](https://github.com/hzrd149/hyper-address) If you want to give it a try you can run it using `npx hyper-socks5-proxy start` to run it locally and have a SOCKS5 proxy that can connect to any hyperDHT or holesail node Full post here: nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqfngzhsvjggdlgeycm96x4emzjlwf8dyyzdfg4hefp89zpkdgz99qyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcpzfmhxue69uhkummnw3e82efwvdhk6tcqypl8dftpuvdlzfekjd5nc0lmtsldgttv3f0c3uqy3xa3jnqdz4qkw9nptvs ## Other experiments ### CherryTree A small app for uploading and downloading chunked files on blossom servers [repo](https://github.com/hzrd149/cherry-tree) ### Blossom HLS uploader A half working cli tool to upload HSL videos to blossom servers [repo](https://github.com/hzrd149/blossom-hls-upload) ### PoW note DVM A simple content recommendation DVM that recommends notes with the most proof of work [repo](https://github.com/hzrd149/pow-content-dvm) ## Plans for Q4 - Release a working v1 of applesauce packages with documentation - Release v0.42.0 of noStrudel and start next phase of refactoring the networking code - Remove "app relays" from noStrudel and make it work entirely on the outbox model - Try to make WebRTC relays work one last time (before I give up on it forever) - Work with quentin and leo to release multiple types of paid blossom servers. and also build my own - More noStrudel features? highlights? NIP-29? cashu wallet?

## Chef's notes This simple, easy, no bake desert will surely be the it at you next family gathering. You can keep it a secret or share it with the crowd that this is a healthy alternative to normal pie. I think everyone will be amazed at how good it really is. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 30 - 🍳 Cook time: 0 - 🍽️ Servings: 8 ## Ingredients - 1/3 cup of Heavy Cream- 0g sugar, 5.5g carbohydrates - 3/4 cup of Half and Half- 6g sugar, 3g carbohydrates - 4oz Sugar Free Cool Whip (1/2 small container) - 0g sugar, 37.5g carbohydrates - 1.5oz box (small box) of Sugar Free Instant Chocolate Pudding- 0g sugar, 32g carbohydrates - 1 Pecan Pie Crust- 24g sugar, 72g carbohydrates ## Directions 1. The total pie has 30g of sugar and 149.50g of carboydrates. So if you cut the pie into 8 equal slices, that would come to 3.75g of sugar and 18.69g carbohydrates per slice. If you decided to not eat the crust, your sugar intake would be .75 gram per slice and the carborytrates would be 9.69g per slice. Based on your objective, you could use only heavy whipping cream and no half and half to further reduce your sugar intake. 2. Mix all wet ingredients and the instant pudding until thoroughly mixed and a consistent color has been achieved. The heavy whipping cream causes the mixture to thicken the more you mix it. So, I’d recommend using an electric mixer. Once you are satisfied with the color, start mixing in the whipping cream until it has a consistent “chocolate” color thorough. Once your satisfied with the color, spoon the mixture into the pie crust, smooth the top to your liking, and then refrigerate for one hour before serving.

So I have this cool new product, which for about two weeks has been ready to release, if I could just solve one thing. I have recently moved away from storing user keys in my apps due to the ease with which they could (and have) been put at risk. In doing so, I've discovered that despite its downsides, pasting your nsec into an app is a pretty straightforward operation which even non-technical people can pull off. In contrast, pretty much no other key management solution is. Just to state the obvious, and to kick off this survey of nostr key management options, let me just state that asking users to paste their nsec into your app is a *bad idea*. However good your intentions, this opens your users up to all kinds of attack vectors, including clipboard hijacking attacks, exposing keys to insecure communication channels, exposing keys to many different apps, supply chain attacks, XSS attacks, and yes, bugs that cause your software to send keys to analytics or error reporting backends. The era of nsec-pasting is over. I've committed to embracing the pain and removing nsec login from Coracle, and I encourage other devs to do the same. The sooner we treat key management with the urgency it deserves, the sooner we can come up with a secure *and* convenient key management solution. As an aside, `ncryptsec` is a great innovation for securely *transporting* keys, but it still doesn't protect against exposure to apps that need to *use* keys. It has its place though; in fact I'm of the opinion that `nsec` and seed words should be deprecated, and support for them should be removed. Giving friendly names and human-readable representations to data that is essentially private is a really bad idea (unless you're memorizing your key). But I digress. # Signer Comparisons Let's go through a few existing options for key management, and compare their relative merits. I've tried to list them in the order they appeared on the scene, which also helps to clarify the logic of how signers have evolved. Throughout, I will be focusing on what kinds of user experience each approach unlocks for *non-technical users*, since my goal is to build products that work for regular people. ## Extension Signers The first signer application (that I know of) was nos2x, by fiatjaf. As I understand it, this was a proof-of-concept of how users might protect their keys without releasing custody of them. And it works really well! In fact, even though there have been many forks and imitators, I still use nos2x when using nostr on my desktop browser. Extension signers offer a great user experience, along a narrow happy path. Setting up a browser extension is a relatively familiar process for normal users, and once it's done you don't really have to think about it. In theory, extensions can also include their own onboarding process and key backup strategies as well, allowing users to get started in a single place. Plus, there's very little latency involved in making calls to the signer extension. This positive experience breaks down quickly though once a user wants to use a desktop or mobile application. When this happens, users have to start over essentially from scratch. Nothing they did to set up the extension helps them move to another signer application. While it's *technically* possible to use extension signers on mobile via e.g. the Kiwi browser, this doesn't work for native apps or apps installed as PWAs. Instead, you either have to revert to pasting keys, or use some other solution. One slight permutation of extension signers is browser signers, like Spring. Instead of adding a signer to your browser, Spring allows you to install a browser that holds your keys and allows you to use any nostr web application. But this has all the same basic limitations that extension signers do. ## Hardware Signers Hardware signers came around shortly after extension signers. I'm not going to spend much time talking about them here, because although they're about as far along the spectrum towards security as you can go, they're also not very convenient. Non-technical users aren't going to onboard by buying (or building) a device which they have to connect to their desktop via USB whenever they want to sign a message. Hardware signers have their place, but onboarding isn't it. The only hardware signer I'm aware of (although I'm sure I've heard of others) is from [LNBits](https://github.com/lnbits/nostr-signing-device), and is usually used via a browser extension like [horse](https://github.com/lnbits/horse). This of course means that it has all the same limitations that browser extensions have, and then some (although mobile and desktop apps would likely be able to find a way to talk directly to the signer). ## Hosted Signers Remote signers (aka "bunkers") use the Nostr Connect protocol (also known as NIP 46) for remote signing. Hosted signers in particular are one example of a NIP 46 remote signer, which lives on "somebody else's computer". Because they use a legacy web architecture, they can be built to be very familiar and convenient to users. It's trivial to build a hosted signer that offers email/password login along with 2FA, password resets, session revokation, the whole shebang. But they have one fatal flaw, which is that they are custodial. This means that not only do users have to relinquish exclusive control over their keys, but hosted signers also can become a target for hackers. ## Desktop Signers Several projects exist which allow users to run their own bunker, on their own hardware. These include nostr clients like Gossip, as well as command-line utilities like nak. This approach is mostly an improvement over extension signers, because it widens the scope of applications that can conveniently access the signer from those that run in the browser to those that run on the desktop computer the signer lives on. The downside is that they have to communicate via relays, which either introduces latency or requires an additional component to be running locally. While it's technically possible to use desktop signers to log in on other computers or mobile apps, I don't think that's going to be very practical for most people. Mobile apps by definition are more portable than regular computers. Anyone who wants to access their nostr account on more than one device will have to either set up separate solutions, or go with another kind of remote signer. This isn't a huge obstacle for people highly invested in nostr, but it's a significant amount of friction for a new user. ## Mobile Signers Mobile signers solve the problem introduced by desktop signers of not always having access to your signer (or of your signer not having access to you, due to being powered down or disconnected from the internet). Mobile devices are generally more available than desktop devices, and also have better push notifications. This means that users can approve signer requests from any device as easily as tapping a notification. Mobile signers on Android can also upgrade their UX by taking advantage of NIP 55 to avoid the round trip to relays, reducing latency and making it possible to sign things offline. [Amber](https://github.com/greenart7c3/Amber) has been a pioneer in this area, and other projects like [Nostrum](https://github.com/nostr-connect/nostrum) and [Alby's nostr-signer](https://github.com/getAlby/nostr-signer) have been prototyped. To date, there unfortunately haven't been any signer applications released for iOS, which leaves the mobile signer story incomplete. In my opinion, this is probably the most promising solution for end users, although it's currently under-developed. ## Web Signers One interesting alternative that combines the benefits of hosted, desktop, and mobile wallets is [nsec.app](https://nsec.app). This is a web application frontend which keeps keys in the browser, so that they are never shared with a third party. Using web push notifications and a healthy sprinkle of black magic, nsec.app is able to respond to signer requests by opening itself in a browser window. This works generally pretty well for desktop web applications, less well on android, still less well for android PWAs, and (to my understanding) not at all on iOS. Artur from nostr.band is working on these problems using a variety of approaches, one of which is embedding nsec.app in an iframe and communicating using `postMessage`. This approach also makes it possible to sync keys between your phone and desktop, simulating a hosted UX by making them accessible from either location by signing in to nsec.app. This is done by encrypting user keys and storing them on the nsec.app server. In theory this should be secure, but it's something to consider. I'm cautiously optimistic about this approach. If successful, it would enable a single brand to exist on every platform, which is important to reduce unnecessary configuration and cognitive overhead for users. ## Multisig Signers Another experimental approach is multi-sig. [Promenade](https://git.fiatjaf.com/promenade) is a project by fiatjaf exploring this possibility. This would allow users to split their keys across different custodians and require all (or some majority of them) to approve an event signature before it would be valid. The downsides of this are an increase in complexity (more moving parts for users to deal with) and latency (more parties to coordinate with to sign events). I'm also not clear on whether encryption is possible using multi-signature keys. If not, that would preclude not only existing direct messages (which will hopefully end up on MLS eventually anyway), but also things like private lists, mutes, and application settings. I think multi-signature signers are promising, but are definitely a long-term project. ## Self-Hosted Signers Coming nearly full circle, self-hosted signers are a special case of hosted signers, but, you know, self-hosted. These signers might live on a home server like a Start9 and be accessible for signer request approvals via tor, or they might live on a server run by the user (or an Uncle Jim). This would be an extremely convenient approach for anyone willing to deal with the complexities of hosting the infrastructure. A good candidate for NIP 46 support might be AlbyHub, which is already one of the easiest self-hosted wallets to set up and use. Adding signer suppport to AlbyHub would allow users to have their wallet and nostr keys stored in the same place, and accessible anywhere either via the web interface or via AlbyGo. ## Omniplatform Signers This leads me to, finally, "omniplatform" signers. This isn't really a new architecture, but a combination of several. User choice is great, but nostr has a very tight complexity budget when onboarding new users. If a brand can manage to get new users set up with a very simple but sub-optimal solution, then grow them into a more complete integration into the nostr ecosystem, that would be a huge win. I think Alby has a great shot at doing this, if it's something they want to prioritize. Bitwarden would also be a great candidate, since they already have apps on every platform, as well as a self-hosted option (Vaultwarden). If users could start with a mobile app, and incrementally set up a browser extension, self-hosted vault, and hardware signer as needed, that I think would be an ideal path. # Nostr Connect: broken, but promising If you can't tell from the above comparison, I'm partial to NIP 46 as the best, most flexible way to build high-quality user experiences. Remote key management means a reduction in moving keys, hosting keys, and software installation and administration. If we can get users to the point where their keys live in only two places (their password manager and their signer), we'll be doing good. There are however many ways to implement NIP 46. Implementing all of them in a single client (or signer) would be burdensome for developers, and introduce a lot of UI complexity to users. Here's a quick survey of flows that currently exist. ## Signer -> Client The simplest way to connect a client and a bunker is for a user to explicitly authorize the connection by copying a `bunker://` URL from their signer application to their client. This allows the bunker to generate and validate a secret embedded in the URL without the client having to do anything other than pass it along in the initial `connect` request. This is a great UX for people who know what they're doing, but isn't at all friendly to newcomers. Someone signing in for the first time isn't going to know what a bunker link is, and even if they do they're immediately confronted with the problem of picking a signer, setting it up, and finding out where in that app they can obtain a bunker link. This can be marginally smoothed out using things like protocol handlers and QR codes, but these won't apply in all (or even most) cases. ## Client -> Signer The reverse flow is similar. This relies on the user to explicitly authorize the connection by copying a `nostrconnect://` url from the client into the signer app. In technical terms, this requires one fewer step, since in NIP 46 the connection is always initiated by the client. In this case, the pasting of the URL replaces the `connect` request. The client listens for a response containing a client-generated secret embedded in the `nostrconnect://` url. This step isn't currently supported by all signer apps, some of which return an `ack` instead. This can result in session hijacking, where an attacker can intercept signing requests (although they can't do anything that would require the user's key, like decrypting messages). While at first glance `nostrconnect` seems functionally identical to `bunker` links, the UX has the potential to be much better. The reason for this has to do with how people use which devices, and where a client or signer application is most likely to be run. This requires making some assumptions, but in my mind the most common scenario is that a user will want to host their signer on their phone, since that is the device that is most universally available for authorizations (apart from an always-online hosted signer on the open internet). In other words, users generally have their phones with them when they're using their computer, but often don't have a desktop available when using their phone. This idea is validated by (for example) the prevalence of SMS-based 2FA, which assumes the presence of a phone. Assuming the signer is on the user's phone, QR-scan flows for client authorization make a lot more sense if the client is the one generating the link, since they can simply scan a code generated on another device with their camera, or copy/paste or use a protocol handler for a client on the same device. In contrast, when using a `bunker` link users might find themselves in the awkward position of having to copy a link from their phone to their desktop. Whether this is done via QR code or by sending yourself a link via DM/text/email, it's an awkward flow most people aren't really prepared for. ## Auto-Connect Some enhancements have been made to the bunker flow which allow clients to send an initial `connect` request without asking the user to copy links between apps. These allow clients to do away with opaque magic strings entirely and provide the idealized "just one click" flow. However, after trying to make this flow work over the course of a couple weeks, I've come to the opinion that the additional complexity involved in automating the flow just isn't worth it. There are a few variants of this "auto-connect" flow: - Signer NIP-05: Signers can register a NIP 05 address for a user's pubkey on their domain, allowing users to enter their address rather than their pubkey on login. Unfortunately, this address has no relation to their actual NIP 05 address, which can result in a lot of confusion. - User NIP-05: To solve this problem, fiatjaf has proposed [a new version](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/1578) which allows users to enter their own NIP 05 in at login instead of the one provided by the signer. The client would then look up the user's `10046` event and follow the signer pubkey listed there. - Nostrconnect handler: Signers may publish a NIP 89 handler which includes a handler url that clients can send `nostrconnect` urls to. This isn't currently specified anywhere, but it is supported by nsec.app. This bypasses the NIP 05 address requirement entirely, allowing users to simply pick a signer and click a button. Each of these flows have their own strengths and weaknesses, but all of them share a dependency on some external source of truth for routing a user to the correct bunker. In the first case, this is done by remembering the NIP 05 address assigned by the signer, which relies on DNS and on users to not forget which address they're using. In the second case, this is done by relying on the user having done a significant amount of configuration (setting up a NIP 05, adding it to their kind 0, and having published a `10046` event) which may or may not exist. This forces clients to gracefully degrade to some alternative login method anyway, and adds UX friction since users have to choose which interface will work for them. The final method bypasses the need for users to remember their NIP 05 address, but it does require either the client or the user to select a trusted signer. If poorly implemented, this could result in users choosing an untrustworthy signer on signup (risking their keys), or the wrong signer on login resulting in a broken session. For all these reasons, I've opted to go with the vanilla bunker/nostrconnect flow, which allows me to display a simple interface to users. Presenting a QR code without comment assumes that users know what to do with it, but the benefit is that it makes explicit the signer selection step which the auto-connect flows try to paper over. This is actually a good thing, because instead of using heuristics like addresses or lists of signers presented by a client to make the decision, users can choose based on which app they actually have installed, which is a richer mnemonic device. # Making NIP 46 Work The bottom line here is that while NIP 46 is the best baseline for signer support, it doesn't currently work very well at all. There are a variety of reasons for this: - The specification itself isn't clear, and is constantly changing. This leads to incompatibilities between apps and signers (or explosive complexity in trying to handle every case). - Extensions to the basic bunker flow (both in terms of signer implementation and signer discovery) are worth researching, but each one creates another dimension of possible incompatibility. Signers will be incentivized to support every possible login flow, creating complexity for users and increasing attack surface area. Clients will have to implement fallbacks to their preferred signup flows, again resulting in UX complexity. - Clients don't currently deal well with latency. In order for NIP 46 to work smoothly, clients will have to implement better loading, debouncing, optimistic updates, publish status, and "undo". There are downsides to this, but many of these features endu up being built by mature software products anyway, so supporting these patterns may actually improve rather than degrade UX. - There's currently no easy and secure way for users to store keys in a single signer which they can access anywhere. This means that users have to set up multiple bunkers depending where they're sitting, or resort to alternative login methods like NIP 07 or 55. These are great upgrades, since they reduce latency and bandwidth use, but shouldn't be required for new users to learn. - There's no unified experience across platforms. If a user signs up on their desktop, how do they safely transfer their keys to their Android signer app? If they're given seed words, how can they import them as an nsec? Consensus on best practices would be an improvement, but I think only a unified UX across platforms for a single signer can really solve this. - As nice as it might be to bypass app stores and built-in push notifications, shunning traditional platforms drastically increases the friction for users. To my knowledge, no signer app currently exists in traditional app stores, or supports built-in push notifications. If we want nostr to be accessible to non-technical folks, we can't ask them to start by downloading Obtanium or zap.store and a UnifiedPush distributor for their platform. As I mentioned above, I don't think NIP 46 will ever be the only solution for signers. But I do think it's a great baseline on which to build a kind of "progressive enhancement" approach. For example, clients should support at least nostrconnect/bunker links, and encourage users once they've logged in to upgrade to NIP 55 or NIP 07 signers. Signers should exist in the mainstream app store and use native push notifications, with an option to install elsewhere or opt-in to UnifiedPush. The goal here is to balance user experience and security. The number one rule for this is to reduce attack vectors for obtaining user keys. This points to (ideally) a single non-custodial signer, easily accessible to the user, and a simple protocol for using that signer from any app. Progressive enhancement is fine, but we should always be able to fall back to this baseline.

### Spot Over BTX2024 #### Relative Strength Analysis: The 3 stock indices have had a week of bullish retracement, with the YM showing the least retracement and the NQ the most. #### Classic Technical Analysis: In terms of conventional technical analysis, BTC remains in an Elliott structure fulfilling a minor wave 5 and a major wave 3. We have had a consolidation structure since March 2024 with a breakout to the upside. The context is strongly bullish. https://image.nostr.build/6b83ebee90e8ef8dc7965f159b8fd6b6244eda7b0b18a8e611962bb3129e8980.png https://image.nostr.build/c0a9ba9a4f3edf81e7787c24988fc8a8787225e847e73d99d459b5d6c4ba6a44.png #### COT: The progression of contracts nearing expiration is at a premium. The 12-month COT is in a positive program and in positive hedging. Banks are buying Bitcoin futures contracts and are not in a bearish position, being the counterpart to leveraged short investment funds. https://image.nostr.build/d24f4b3ddeabaafa4885d96b726c65976fc64679bc760414630cd7db5641e36b.png https://image.nostr.build/11a0b1e68b5ee1d6879716d831a8a9517ec653beed1f425086a7736965bfa534.png #### Market Sentiment: Market sentiment in general retail news is bullish following the FED's rate cut and in response to the US elections, although with some moderation after this week. The Williams %R remains in oversold territory and avoids a bearish divergence. #### Intermarket Analysis: The 3 indices have made a bullish reversal. The YM shows the greatest strength marking an FVG while the NQ is the weakest. The 3 bonds ZN, ZF, and ZB have had another week of taking with negative displacement but without a negative close. It is likely that we have a bit of room left for discount. Interest rates behave inversely. The DYX has had a bullish week with a lot of strength and has maintained another bullish week. It is likely that we continue to take some premium closing an FVG W. Peripheral currencies are weak with strong bearish displacement, with the EUR being the weakest. In commodities, GC has had its first significant delay with a bearish close and MSS. BTC maintains a very bullish week with a positive opening and closing gap. CL is in a high resistance framework with a week of negative close. In conclusion, we have a stock market with a bullish retracement that has not yet changed the market structure. Strength of the DYX with weakness in peripheral currencies. Strength of BTC in commodities with GC showing a first significant retracement. CL lost in a seek and destroy framework. #### Market Profile: The market is currently bullish. It needs to move significantly away from the all-time high to continue this movement. #### Market Structure: The value 66798.00 maintains price control. The weekly context is bullish. #### Trading Range: 93483 to 66789. Currently at a premium in the range. #### PD Array Matrix: Premium: - PWH 93483 - OB+W 5910.75 Discount: - PWL 80280 - FVG W CE 79940 - OB+W 69011 Equilibrium: - 80141 #### Key Price Levels: - FVG W CE 79940. I do not expect closes below this structure to remain bullish. https://image.nostr.build/233090043a36d9f20a65db086d16b8ba2adf109c456ae5435c5ed1ee24df2f76.png #### Weekly BIAS: Bullish. #### Weekly Objective: - Retracement to equilibrium in the PWL region at 80280 to take liquidity and then continue to premium in an ideal scenario. A new take of the previous ATH before this scenario invalidates the possibility and leads to targeting 103363 sooner than expected. Await market confirmations. *The market is a great teacher; pay attention and learn its lessons. Every chart, every trend, and every reversal has a story to tell. Listen carefully, and you’ll become a master storyteller.* 🔮

**What if there is no line, no boundary between tor and clearnet (the 'normal' web)? What if a Damus user on iPhone can talk to their friend's private TOR relay? Let's find out together what can happen by using this new tool which I call Nostr Epoxy! And it's scalable, too!** **TL;DR Demo video:** nostr:naddr1qqr5gc20v43hy5czyzamthdqu92k09ulq4p5q77uyqeadu9mkv8hy5f2nqw0mvhsncn5wqcyqqqgtwc5nzpll |  |  | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Phone can reach clearweb relay, but cannot connect to TOR relay | Phone can reach TOR relay | Proxies have been around forever and can be a powerful tool in getting around network restrictions. In the context of nostr, currently everyone connects to a relay directly, which you may not always want. The relay can keep track of your IP address and build a profile, or your device might be behind a very restrictive firewall which prevents you from reaching a relay. From this problem, the idea for proxy relays was born. We wanted to reach a TOR relay, without having to install any TOR stuff on our devices. Which on iPhones is especially challenging. So the idea is that we want to extend a relay's functionality so that it can instead of processing requests for itself, it can pass on the requests to another relay that they themselves can reach. The easiest solution to get this working is in the form of a Reverse Proxy, which you can put in front of any relay, which by default tunnels the traffic to the operator's own relay, for example a Strfry instance. That way the relay implementation doesn't have to change and the user doesn't have to be aware that this relay endpoint can also proxy to other relays. The example implementation is called [NERP - Nostr Epoxy Reverse Proxy](nostr:naddr1qvzqqqrhnypzpwa4mkswz4t8j70s2s6q00wzqv7k7zamxrmj2y4fs88aktcfuf68qy88wumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmv9uqpjmn0wd68ytt9wphhs7fdwfjhvetjwdjj6urjdau8j6sn6y7). |  |  | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Reverse proxy default behaviour | Reverse proxy after proxy request | As shown above the default is to connect to the operator's own relay. So how do we create the proxied connection? Well we send the following request over our websocket: ```json ["PROXY", "wss://relay.com"] ``` Which asks the proxy to change the target from it's own back-end to whatever we specify. In this case `wss://relay.com`. However, it turns out this relay doesn't live in a fiat world, it responds with: `["PROXY", "PAYMENT_REQURIED", <payment_request>]` where `<payment_request>` is an object: ```json { "price": "1", "unit": "sat", "mint": "https://some.mint.cash/", } ``` Which brings us to... ## 💰 Monetizing proxies Inevitably we're going to hit the "Who's gonna run the proxies!?" question. Well you are, because you want to stack some sats. Therefore we added monetization to these proxies, which is what sets this project apart from current-day proxies on the internet. When the client is hit with the `PAYMENT_REQUIRED` message above, it can retry the first message, but with an additional field, a cashu payment. ```json ["PROXY", "wss://relay.com", "cashuAeyJ0..."] ``` We're now paying a couple sats, (the price above is in sats per minute). If the proxy is happy with our payment, it will start a timer and set up the connection to the target relay. Indicated by a `["PROXY", "CONNECTED"]` message, after which we can go about our relay business until the bought time runs out. After which the proxy will close our connection with code `1000`, reason: `PROXY: Connection Bankrupted`. The nice thing here is that introducing payments can reduce spam significantly. ### Why Cashu? Because [Cashu eCash](https://cashu.me) allows us to finally make micro-payments viable and scalable, it can help us to bring an honest monetary reward to the people that do the hard work of maintaining the free and open internet. If you provide a proxy, you get paid and therefore you're incentivised to keep the infrastructure up and running. Cashu tokens are a very efficient way of sending payments directly. Unlike Lightning, it does not require a back and forth between the two transacting parties. Because cashu tokens can be sent as a string of text, you can attach it to any request/data you're sending around. Even at rest, the money will still be 'physically' there. That means there's no back and forth required to send a payment, like we do on lightning, and people don't need perfect connectivity. ## 💭 Some philosophy Until now, all web applications have been strongly coupled to the transportation methods they use, mainly http(s). Nostr changes this, because the data that feeds an application can now arrive over any transportation mechanism. WebSockets, Thumb-drives, QR, LoRa (radio) and Heck! even FM and pigeons will work! Although the above point is not necessarily tied to the use of websocket proxies, it does underline the point I want to make: Because Nostr completely decouples applications from the transportation layer, We can get VERY creative in the ways in which we transport application data... Therefore, the boundaries of the current clearnet network become irrelevant. Using the websocket proxies, we can now hop from clearnet to tor, to [i2p](https://geti2p.net/en/), to [hyper](https://github.com/hypercore-protocol) and back to clearnet. This significantly reduces the burden on the client by not having to 'know' how any of these other networks work, they won't have to install anything, yet they can interact with relays on these lesser known networks. ## ⚙ Under the hood Here's a UMl example of a proxy (that does not have a default relay behind it) and the lifecycle of a proxied connection.  ## NIP-XX draft I wrote a draft NIP on how to support proxying [here](https://github.com/ArjenStens/nostr-epoxy-reverse-proxy/blob/main/NIP-XX.md). ## 🛝 Play with it! I created a [Dashboard](https://swissdash.site) to discover proxies and play with connecting to relays (multiple hops are possible).  Check out the route-builder tab, add a couple sats to the wallet and route some request through the proxies.   ## Resources - [Dashboard](https://swissdash.site) - **Nostr Epoxy Reverse Proxy** [Source Code](nostr:naddr1qvzqqqrhnypzpwa4mkswz4t8j70s2s6q00wzqv7k7zamxrmj2y4fs88aktcfuf68qy88wumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmv9uqpjmn0wd68ytt9wphhs7fdwfjhvetjwdjj6urjdau8j6sn6y7) - **NIP** [draft](https://github.com/ArjenStens/nostr-epoxy-reverse-proxy/blob/main/NIP-XX.md)

# Self Hosting Zap.cooking My Umbrel died again. I didn't back it up. I kept meaning to make an image, but I never did it. Most of the stuff on there is not a big deal, but [Mealie](https://docs.mealie.io/) was my favorite because it allowed me to create cookbooks, plan meals, and automated my grocery lists. I thought about running it again, but for whatever reason, my family doesn't like using it. They prefer using analog recipe books. My wife has printed recipes she found on the Internet for at least 15 years. We have a few notebooks full of Internet recipes printed on dead trees. You might think this is like printing an email and sending it to someone over snail mail instead of hitting the forward button, but no--This is very useful. Who wants to have their tablet in the kitchen getting tomato sauce and extra virgin olive oil dripped all over the gorilla glass? It's better to have a recipe printed on paper wrapped in a plastic sheet protector. My wife is right. I don't want my electronic devices mucked up with mulberry, but I also love the idea of having a digital cookbook. So I decided to use what I had instead of spending sats on another server. I tired running Mealie ion my PopOS!, but ran into trouble. I could spend a few hours troubleshooting it, but then thought, "Why not try zap.cooking?"  So now I'm hosting my own instance of [zap.cooking](https://github.com/zapcooking/): nostr:npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0 You can also see it on the zap.cooking site here: nostr:npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0 I started putting some of these recipes on zap.cooking and intend to use it to make a minimalist cookbook with a digital version that has no ads. I modified the recipes in my wife's collection, but zap.cooking has a different monetization than most recipe websites. It has no ads, but people can send zaps to the people who post recipes. Zaps are a way of sending value for value over the lightning network. You can think of them like tips or micropayments using a layer of the bitcoin network built for small payments called the [lightning network](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_Network). ## What Is Zap.cooking? Zap.cooking is a [nostr](https://nostr.com/) client. This nostr client is built for recipe sharing. I like to think of it as a global cookbook being built by people all over the world. It's what I hoped the Internet would be in the 1990's, but we won't talk techno-nerd politics on this blog post. In a world where social media is paid bookoo bucks for getting people to fight about politics online, it's nice to see social media experience available for sharing recipes. Everybody eats. Red or blue and no matter who, we all need food. That's why I like the idea of sharing recipes on zap.cooking. You can talk to people about something everyone has in common. No need to disown someone for sharing a tamale recipe, at least I hope not. So far, I've only put a handful of recipes on the site, but I have the recipes everyone from everyone who has placed a recipe on zap.cooking. It's like the Library of Alexandria for recipes. The more people that add recipes, the more recipes are available on zap.cooking and zapcooking.marc26z.com. This is because the recipes are transmitted by relay and I did not change any of the relays in my own instance. I just use the default ones. I could add my own relay if I wanted to and I probably will, but it isn't necessary. All the recipes on the site transmit to my own instance anyway. I decided to try this instead of run Mealie again because this is decentralized and recipes are not secrets to me. They are just lists of ingredients. A sprinkle of paprika here, a pinch of salt there and viola! --A worldwide cookbook right at your fingertips and it only took writing a few lines of code.  ### How I Deployed Zap.cooking I downloaded it from [Github](https://github.com/zapcooking/) using `git clone https://github.com/zapcooking/frontend.git` in the command line of a computer with [PopOS!](https://pop.system76.com/) installed. Then I searched for a tutorial on how to host a svelte program because zap.cooking is mostly written in svelte. I don't really know what svelte is by the way. I haven't ever really worked with it before, but [this blog](https://hrishikeshpathak.com/blog/svelte-gh-pages/) had a great tutorial. I just modified it a little bit. After I cloned zap.cooking, I used the command `cd ~/frontend` to slide into the folder. Then I copy pasta'd this: `npm install npm run dev`  As you can see, zap.cooking is now running on my PopOs! version of Linux on http://localhost:5173/. To broadcast it to the Internet, I use a Cloudflare tunnel. This is some really cool cryptography not crypto stuff, but if you are unsure how to do it, Network Chuck has [a great tutorial on YouTube here](https://youtu.be/ey4u7OUAF3c?si=HFR_UmJ2RjCEY90i). Try zap.cooking yourself, You can just use https://zap.cooking/ You don't need to try my instance, but if you add a recipe on zap.cooking, I will be able to find it on the little website I run on my mini desktop computer. Thanks for reading. ✌️ [npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0](https://mempool.marcleon.work/block/00000000000000000001eb0e66859550a3c39f1236516d5c3edb1e3ab168052b)

## Chef's notes This is from my wife's notebook full of recipes. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 15 inutes - 🍳 Cook time: 15 minutes - 🍽️ Servings: 4 ## Ingredients - 1/3 cup oyster sauce - 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil - 1/3rd cup Sherry - 1 teaspoon white sugar - 1 teaspoon cornstarch - 1 pound beef round steak - 3 tablespoons avocado oil - 1 tablespoon ground ginger - 1 clove garlic - 1 pound broccoli florrets ## Directions 1. Wisk together - Oyster Sauce - Sesame oil - Sherry - Soy Sauce - Sugar - Cornstarch in a bowl 2. Heat avocado oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in ginger and garlic. let sizzle for one minute. Stir in broccoli. Set aside. 3. Pour more oil into wok. tss the beef with the narinatde until the sauce forms a glaze on the beef. about 5 minutes. Return cooked broccoli to the wok. Stir in meat about 3 mionytes,

## Chef's notes This is another crock pot meal I found in my wife's recipe book. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 20 minutes - 🍳 Cook time: 8-10 hours - 🍽️ Servings: 6 ## Ingredients - 2 lb. boneless sirloin tip roast - 2 red bell peppers, chopped - 1 small onion - 1- 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, uindrained - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - 2 tablespoons of italian seasoning - salt and pepper to taste - Parmesan cheese - 1 lb noodles - 1 green bell pepper, chopped - 4 cloves of minced garlic ## Directions 1. Slice sirloin tip roast 2. cook in a crock pot for 8-10 hours 3. serve with noodles and top with Parmesean Cheese

## Chef's notes This is another crock pot meal I found in my wife's recipe book. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 20 minutes - 🍳 Cook time: 8-10 hours - 🍽️ Servings: 6 ## Ingredients - 2 lb. boneless sirloin tip roast - 2 red bell peppers, chopped - 1 small onion - 1- 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, uindrained - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - 2 tablespoons of italian seasoning - salt and pepper to taste - Parmesan cheese - 1 lb noodles - 1 green bell pepper, chopped ## Directions 1. Slice sirloin tip roast 2. cook in a crock pot for 8-10 hours 3. serve with noodles and top with Parmesean Cheese

## Chef's notes This is a delicious meal that is easy to make and tastes delicious. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 10 minutes - 🍳 Cook time: 20 minutes - 🍽️ Servings: 6 ## Ingredients - 2 LB of marinated Carne Asada - onion - corn tortillas - cilantro - salsa - guacamole - sour cream - salt - pepper - spanish rice - beans ## Directions 1. BBQ carne asad for about 25 minutes or until meat reaches a temprature of 150 degrees

## Chef's notes This is in a recipe book my wife made, but I modified it for an InstantPot ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 5 minutes - 🍳 Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes - 🍽️ Servings: 6 ## Ingredients - 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts - 1 small diced onion or cup of frozen onions - 1 medium sized bell pepper - 15 oz. can of diced tomateos with green chilies, undrained - 1 can of corn - 1 15oz. can black beans - 1 tablespoon chili powder - 1 tablespoon salt - 1 tsp ground cumin - 1 tsp garlic - 4 cups of chicken broth(not needed until day of cooking) - Tortilla chips - toppings like salsa, sour cream, avocado, etc. ## Directions 1. Add all ingredients into an instantpot 2. Pressure cook for 1 hour 3. Slow release Instant Pot for 10 minutes 4. Serve

In the Bible, there are many commands to obey or to submit to different authorities and to God. There is also much disagreement in the Church about when and how to obey and submit to authority. I’m making an attempt to look at verses on the subject to find the balance commanded by God in His word. NOTE: This article was inspired by a sermon in his teaching series, *Daniel Uncompromising,* by Jace Cloud of Grace Bible Church Dallas. Several major ideas were taken from his sermon, but the context and purpose was different. ## Commands to Obedience What does the Bible say about obedience? > Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. (Ephesians 6:1) > Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22) > Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, (Titus 3:1) > You shall therefore obey the Lord your God, and do His commandments and His statutes which I command you today. (Deuteronomy 27:10) As we go through these commands we go from lower to greater and greater authority, but we are told to submit/obey in these ways: - Children must obey parents - Wives must submit to husbands - All are subject to and obedient to rulers and authorities - All must obey God and do His commandments Most of us don’t really want to submit to or obey others. The original sin in the Garden of Eden came down to choosing to disobey God’s one command so they could be like God. Why did Adam and Eve want to be like God? They didn’t want to be under someone else’s authority. Although we are supposed to submit/obey in each of these situations/relationships, what do we do when there is a contradiction between commands from various authorities? We must choose to obey the highest authority. What does this look like? ## When Authority Commands to Do Wrong We’ll start by looking at 4 young lads from Israel who were snatched from their homeland and families to a foreign land with foreign customs and foreign gods. > Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king’s personal service. (Daniel 1:3-5) These 4 young men were in a foreign land far away from anyone from their families, government, or religious leaders. They were “*appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank*.” There was something about this food and drink that made it not Kosher for them. They shouldn’t eat or drink this food and drink. It may have been offered to false gods. It may have included unclean foods like pork. The text doesn’t say exactly what the problem was, but these young men: Daniel (Belteshazzar), Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abed-nego)[1](#footnote-1) decided that they would not defile themselves by eating the king’s food. They did however give an example of the right way to deal with a refusal to disobey God’s commandments. Daniel made a very reasonable and submissive request. > But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so **he sought permission from the commander of the officials** that he might not defile himself. Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials, and the **commander of the officials said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.”** But Daniel said to the overseer whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, **“Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see.”** (Daniel 1:8-13) {emphasis mine} Daniel and his friends didn’t make a stink about the fact they didn’t want the food being provided. Daniel respectfully went to the person in authority over him, the commander of the officials, and made his request. The official was understanding, but afraid that he would get in trouble for disobeying the king’s command. Daniel trusted that God would take care of them if they were faithful and said, “*Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see*.” They made their request made known, considered the well-being of their commander, and trusted God to take care of them. God honored them and made them look better than all of the people receiving the king’s food. This was just the first small step in them refusing to do what God said was wrong. Their next choice was even bigger and harder. > Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, **you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.**” (Daniel 3:1-6) {emphasis mine} Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego knew the Ten Commandments well. They knew the second commandment, “*You shall have no other gods before Me*.” (Exodus 20:3) They decided to obey God no matter what it cost them. Their words to Nebuchadnezzar are some of the most inspiring and brave words in the Bible. > Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?” > > Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “**O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up**.” (Daniel 3:14-16) {emphasis mine} Being tossed into a fiery furnace would be a horrible way to die, but these young men stood firm in their faith for God and pronounced, “*our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.*” A statement like this, in light of the horrible punishment being promised, took amazing faith, but they didn’t stop there, but continued, “*But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up*.” These three young men, in a strange land far from home, stood up to the most powerful king in the world at that time in order to stay faithful to their God, the one true God. They fully believed that God was capable of protecting them from burning to death, but they were also willing to stay true even if God didn’t protect them. This is faith. This is refusing to do anything that disobeys God’s explicit commands, “*Thall shalt not* …” ## When Authority Commands to Not Do Right Sometimes authority may tell us to do something that God commands us not to do. On the other hand, sometimes authority tells us to not do something that God commands us to do. In the case of Daniel, the government command came because the other government officials didn’t like Daniel. They didn’t like his faithfulness to God. They didn’t like that he was more faithful to the king and more successful than they were. They were jealous that the king was about to make Daniel the 2nd in command. > Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, live forever! All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction. (Daniel 6:6-9) Daniel was faithful in his prayers to God. He knew that God had promised that the Hebrews would be returned to the promise land after 70 years. He prayed three times a day, every day, but now the law of the Medes and Persians said that he was not allowed to pray to anyone other than the king for 30 days. Daniel was no longer a young man. He was elderly. He knew God was faithful. Did he decide that God would understand if he didn’t pray for 30 days, but then he would go back to prayer when the command expired? No. Did he decide, instead of praying publicly by his window facing Jerusalem, that he would pray quietly and privately behind closed doors? No, not that either. What did Daniel do? > Now when Daniel **knew that the document was signed**, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had **windows open toward Jerusalem**); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, **as he had been doing previously**. Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. (Daniel 6:10-11) Daniel knew the command and knew the consequences of disobedience. He also trusted God and knew that anything less than his consistent, open prayer would be dishonoring to God, so he prayed “*as he had been doing previously*.” Despite the consequences, he stayed true to God and kept his witness pure. Most of us know the ending. Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den, but God sent an angel to shut their mouths and protect Daniel from even a scratch. Daniel was faithful to God and God was faithful to Daniel. The king realized that his officials had tricked him into signing an irreversible law against his best official because of their jealousy. The next morning the king went running to the lion’s den to see if Daniel’s God was able to protect His faithful servant. > Then Daniel spoke to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” (Daniel 6:21-22) When the king, who had made a foolish law due to ego, showed up, Daniel didn’t act with resentment. He honored the king “*O king, live forever!*” probably due to his position more than because of what he deserved. He said, “*they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.*” Daniel declared his innocence before God and the king. In these examples we see a law commanding ungodly actions where the believer must refuse to comply and we see a law commanding not to do a godly action we are commanded to do and continuing to obey and be a godly example. We will all face circumstances where we will have to make these choices. It helps if we have thought out our beliefs and plans ahead of time. Luckily for us, the consequences of disobedience aren’t usually as severe as being burnt up in a fiery furnace or being devoured by lions. ## How to Honorably Disobey I’m going to go back to the beginning of the story about Daniel and the lion’s den to see what kind of man Daniel was in his position and towards his king. > Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom. Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. Then these men said, “**We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God**.” (Daniel 6:3-5) {emphasis mine} Daniel worked hard. He did his job with excellence. He gave everything his best effort. Those trying to accuse him “*they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful.*” Believers, how many of you can say your coworkers would say the same about you? Are you known for your excellence and faithfulness? Are you known for having no negligence or corruption? God calls believers to be like Daniel in work and good deeds. The most amazing thing said here is “*We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God*.” Every believer should live a life where no one around us can “ *find any ground of accusation against*” us “*unless we find it against* \[us\] *with regard to the law of* \[our\] *God*.” Daniel was able to stand against the unjust law and still have the support of the king because he had been so faithful in the little things and over a long period of time. We also need to live and work in such a faithful way that we aren’t questioned when we do stand up to ungodly laws. ## What Authority to Obey When Although God commands us to obey authority, there is no higher authority than God Himself. Obedience to God always comes first. That being said, disobeying any authority needs to be done with caution and respect. When Jesus’s disciples were told by the Jewish authorities to stop sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ: > The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “**We must obey God rather than men**.” (Acts 5:27b-29) {emphasis mine} Ultimately, the answer to the question, “Who do we obey when authorities give contradictory commands?” is “**We must obey God rather than men**.” We do have to keep in mind that the apostles all suffered for their disobedience to authorities in obedience to God. Most died martyrs. John died in exile. All knew that they would choose to be faithful, knowing that God was capable of protecting them, but also willing to say, “*But even if He does not*… ." I hope these examples were helpful to you and help you to honor God with your actions, your faithfulness, and your life. Trust Jesus.\ \ your sister in Christ, Christy 1. Each man is named by his original Hebrew name followed by the Babylonian name given to them. Details come from Daniel 1:6-7.

This week's functional 3d print is the "Dino Clip".  ## Dino Clip I printed it some years ago for my son, so he would have his own clip for cereal bags. Now it is used to hold a bag of dog food close. The design by "Sneaks" is a so called "print in place". This means that the whole clip with moving parts is printed in one part, without the need for assembly after the print.  The clip is very strong, and I would print it again if I need a "heavy duty" clip for more rigid or big bags. Link to the file at [Printables](https://www.printables.com/model/64493-dino-clip-mechanical-cam-chip-clip-print-in-place)

You don't understand how insidious open-borders propaganda is, until you realize that _it's an attempt to remove all differentiating traits from humans_. They call this "strengthening individuality by removing nationality" (hello, newspeak), but what makes humans individual is their particular collection of traits, and nationality (and ethnicity, religion, etc. -- nationality is just the first domino they want to topple) is one of those.  Humans are not blank slates. Like DNA or physiognomy, our personalities are differing jumbles of cultural "letters". Each person selects consciously and subconsciously from amongst these letters, adding to or rejecting them, amplifying or suppressing them, twisting or combining them, building on top of them... and that's what makes you into You. Open borders is an attempt to reduce the number of cultural letters you can build your "You" out of. If you take away the word "German", I am not liberated. There is simply one less adjective, with which I can describe myself. You have merely eradicated information, crippled language, and reduced my choices. I can then no longer define myself according to "German things", but I can also no longer define myself in opposition to German things. ## Enter the Borg  We are easier to control and brainwash and persecute, if we are centralized and homogenized. As if the entire world were one, big prison and we were all forced to undergo the same education, wear the same clothes, follow the same rules, eat the same foods, enjoy the same entertainment, live the same lifestyle, share the same diseases and cures, enjoy the same lockdowns, join in the same cancel culture, fight the same wars. That is what globalization brings. That is the end game of Open Borders: * No more cultural evolution or revolution. * Genes, but no memes. * You can go everywhere, but everywhere is the same, so you just stay home. * You can meet people from all over, but they are all the same, so you just don't bother. * One mass of humanity, that can be easily molded and manipulated.

There seems to be a bit of confusion going around about exactly what #AlbyHub is, and what it does, what use-cases it does and does not fit into. As someone who is using #Alby Hub on a daily basis and have been quite happy with it, I thought I might be able to shed some light on the matter from the perspective of a user. nostr:npub1getal6ykt05fsz5nqu4uld09nfj3y3qxmv8crys4aeut53unfvlqr80nfm, please correct me if I get anything wrong in this article. Note: I am not in any way affiliated with Alby, except by being a satisfied user of their software, and have not been paid to write this article. I can understand the confusion surrounding Alby Hub, because it is not just one thing that works the same for all users of the product. There are various different ways you can have it set up, and while the end result is mostly the same functionality, the steps to get there are different for each version. There is the cloud (someone else's computer) version, the desktop version, the docker version, and the node (nostr:npub126ntw5mnermmj0znhjhgdk8lh2af72sm8qfzq48umdlnhaj9kuns3le9ll or nostr:npub1aghreq2dpz3h3799hrawev5gf5zc2kt4ch9ykhp9utt0jd3gdu2qtlmhct) package version. In some of these versions, Alby Hub is acting as a standalone Lightning node, and in others it is merely a front-end that gives your existing node additional features, such as segregated wallets, but you must have an #LND instance already established that it is running alongside. ## Cloud This service is a standalone Lightning node running in the cloud and online 24/7. For that reason, it can be very attractive to users who may not be able to run their own node at home, or who do not have reliable power or internet services. It is still considered self-custodial, even though it is running on Alby's servers, because you hold your own keys. Since this version of Alby Hub is a standalone Lightning node, this means that all of your channel setup and liquidity is managed inside of your cloud-hosted Alby Hub. My assumption is that this Lightning node is reaching out to a #Bitcoin full node that Alby runs for all on-chain data and broadcasting channel-opens and closes. At the time of writing, the cost for this cloud-hosted node is 21,000 sats a month. You get some additional features by paying for this service that other versions of Alby Hub lack, though. You can have a custom Lightning address, instead of just an "UserName@getalby.com" address. You also get priority customer support with an in-app live chat, and access to the "Buzz" community that other users of Alby Hub do not get access to. There are other options for a cloud-hosted Alby Hub other than directly from Alby, as well. For instance, you can host your Alby Hub on nostr:npub1g26qnlumycdfs538kx4eyur7wpnh0tq5mcjx2nt7qhc9qxehuqpsk4y9fw or Render. These alternative hosting options may have a lower cost associated with them, but you will not have access to the additional features, such as a custom Lightning address or priority customer support. ## Desktop The desktop client is also a standalone node, but this time running on your own #Windows, #Mac, or #Linux desktop computer. You should only use this option on a computer you keep always online. This option is completely free, but you are responsible to keep your Alby Hub online, or else you will not be able to send and receive transactions on the go using a mobile wallet connected to your Alby Hub, such as #AlbyGo or nostr:npub1g26qnlumycdfs538kx4eyur7wpnh0tq5mcjx2nt7qhc9qxehuqpsk4y9fw. Moreover, your only option for a Lightning address is "UserName@getalby.com" and you don't receive priority customer support. As with Alby running in the cloud, since you are not running a full Bitcoin node, my assumption is that Alby Hub is reaching out to Alby's own full node for all on-chain data and for broadcasting channel-opens and closes. ## Docker You can also run Alby Hub on any local device or remote VPS that supports #Docker. This would also be a standalone node, so all the rules of running on your desktop apply. You should only use this option on a device that is online 24/7. ## Start9 & Umbrel Here is where we diverge from Alby Hub being its own standalone node. Instead, Alby Hub is installed on your #Start9 or #Umbrel, which must already be running an instance of LND as the Lightning node. LND, in turn, requires you to be running Bitcoin Core or other compatible Bitcoin implementation. In this case, Alby Hub is acting as an alternative front-end for your existing Lightning node, and giving it extra capabilities. It would be similar to #Thunderhub or Ride-the-Lightning #RTL. In my opinion, so long as you have reliable power and internet service, this is the best option available. Not only will you possess your own keys, but you will be running the software on your own device, dedicated to the task of hosting your Bitcoin software stack, and not your general computing needs. Moreover, Alby Hub will be reaching out to your own Bitcoin full node for all on-chain needs, including broadcasting channel-opens and closes. ## All Versions Now that you have one of the above versions of Alby Hub up and running, with channels open using Alby Hub as a standalone node, or as a front-end for your existing LND node on your Start9 or Umbrel, what can you do with it? What makes it any different than just using #Zeus to connect to your node via #LNDHub or #LightningTerminal? Plenty! At the basic level, the default wallet in Alby Hub will utilize your entire node's outbound liquidity as its balance. You can purchase Lightning channels from liquidity providers very easily, and purchase Bitcoin using a bank transfer or credit card directly within Alby Hub, so you have both inbound and outbound liquidity. For slightly more advanced users, you can also set up custom channels to any peer, so long as you have their node ID. You can then connect various services to have access to this main wallet, such as Nostr clients that support #NostrWalletConnect, or Alby's BuzzPay PoS terminal, or games like Paper Scissors HODL or Zappy Bird, and of course Alby's browser extension or Alby Go mobile wallet. Don't want a service to have unlimited access to your node's balance? You can set it a budget, and even set up an isolated balance for just that single application to have access to. If you connect your wallet with your Alby account, you will gain the benefit of having your Alby Lightning address connected to your Alby Hub wallet, so you can receive zaps directly to your self-custody node. There are a couple ways you can connect your Alby Hub wallet to a mobile wallet app. The first is using LNDHub with Zeus. I found the most success by doing this through my Alby account after connecting it to my Alby Hub wallet. It is my understanding that Zeus is also working on integrating Nostr Wallet Connect, so that will be an even easier option for using it as your mobile wallet. Note, though, this is NOT connecting to your self-custodial Zeus wallet using their node-on-a-phone option, if you have that set up. It is a remote connection to your Alby Hub node where Zeus is just a mobile interface. Your Zeus wallet's self-custodial balance will be entirely separate from your Alby Hub wallet balance, and you must select the wallet balance/node you want to use prior to conducting a transaction. Alby has also released Alby Go, which is a mobile wallet app with a very minimal interface that just works and uses Nostr Wallet Connect rather than LNDHub to connect to your node. Additionally, you can connect your wallet to several Podcasting 2.0 apps, such as nostr:npub1t8cmt7hjnyz0a99x5ppw9kpdsrtglst26aj3aw5s4r0rna3l3l5qk89gm4, #Curiocaster, #Castamatic, #LNBeats, and #PodcastGuru. Hat tip to nostr:npub177fz5zkm87jdmf0we2nz7mm7uc2e7l64uzqrv6rvdrsg8qkrg7yqx0aaq7 for reminding me of this functionality. For those who are fans of #Fountain for podcasts, since it has leaned heavily into #Nostr integration, nostr:npub1unmftuzmkpdjxyj4en8r63cm34uuvjn9hnxqz3nz6fls7l5jzzfqtvd0j2 has confirmed that nostr:npub1v5ufyh4lkeslgxxcclg8f0hzazhaw7rsrhvfquxzm2fk64c72hps45n0v5 will be receiving Nostr Wallet Connect support in an upcoming update, so you can use your Alby Hub wallet to boost, earn, and stream sats there. nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpe8kjhc9hvzmyvf9tnxw84r3hrtece9xt0xvq9rx95nlpalfyyyjqythwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnwdaehgu3wvfskuep0qyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuen0w4h8gctfdchxvmf0qythwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnswf5k6ctv9ehx2ap0qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qg3waehxw309ahx7um5wghxcctwvshszrnhwden5te0dehhxtnvdakz7qghwaehxw309a5kucn00qhxummnw3ezuamfdejj7qgewaehxw309akk7mmwvfhkjtnwdaehgu339e3k7mf0qy28wumn8ghj7ctvvahjuat50phjummwv5hsqgy62xzfas5d0mjkmgwquscxykt9540cvtq9k9w9uyea2z7vru8aqv3mpqwc More interestingly, though, you can set up "Friends & Family" wallets that are separate from your main node balance and start with their own balance of 0 sats. Each of these wallet balances are tracked separately, though they use your node's liquidity for transacting. This is similar to setting up individual wallets within a tool like #LNBits or Lightning Terminal. However, I find that these wallets are far easier to set up and more versatile. Moreover, they can be connected to all of the same services previously mentioned via Nostr Wallet Connect, and they can each be connected with a separate Alby account so that each wallet has its own Lightning address, without having to own a domain and set up reverse proxies or any of the more technical aspects of setting up Lightning addresses for LNBits wallets. This, in my opinion, is the "killer feature" of Alby Hub. It enables anyone who runs any of the above versions to quickly and easily be an Uncle Jim for their family, who have no interest in learning how to set up self-custody wallets. The only thing you need to do is make sure your Lightning node always has enough outbound liquidity to cover their balances. If you fractionally reserve your own family members, you deserve what's coming to you. ## Conclusion So, what do you think? Is Alby Hub a good fit for your use case? If you don't really want to run a Lightning node and manage your own liquidity, it may not be a good fit, and you can check out some creat custodial options, such as nostr:npub1h2qfjpnxau9k7ja9qkf50043xfpfy8j5v60xsqryef64y44puwnq28w8ch, nostr:npub1hcwcj72tlyk7thtyc8nq763vwrq5p2avnyeyrrlwxrzuvdl7j3usj4h9rq, or nostr:npub1kvaln6tm0re4d99q9e4ma788wpvnw0jzkz595cljtfgwhldd75xsj9tkzv. For those of us who are willing to get our hands dirty for the sake of holding our own keys, then running a node in some sense is always going to be required, and that comes with the responsibility of managing liquidity. This is true for all of the good self-custody options available out there, such as nostr:npub148qm45zettnf6ekgkatnyfadunxwjpu8sy88mjdsgwc5f202d93qmejra7 or Zeus' Olympus node-on-a-phone option. Alby Hub, however, may just be the most feature-rich and user-friendly option that falls somewhere in the middle of running a full Bitcoin + Lightning node or running a node-on-a-phone option that often suffers from not being online 24/7 for receiving. At any rate, name another self-custodial Lightning option that you can connect to so many other applications using Nostr Wallet Connect. I'll wait.

## Chef's notes I have been making this every Thanksgiving since I first tried it. One of my all time favorites. You can fry the shallots and refrigerate the night before to save time. Recipe is credit of The Pioneer Woman -- Go show some love below ⬇️ https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a80624/thanksgiving-dinner-green-bean-casserole/ ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 35 min - 🍳 Cook time: 1 hr 30 min - 🍽️ Servings: 10 ## Ingredients - *FOR THE FRIED SHALLOTS* - 1/3 c. all-purpose flour - 1/2 tsp. cayenne - 1/2 tsp. garlic powder - 1/4 tsp. kosher salt - 1/4 tsp. black pepper - 4 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced into rings - frying oil - *FOR THE GREEN BEANS AND GRAVY* - 2 1/2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed and halved (use a little less if you like gravy to beans ratio) - 8 oz. bacon - 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided - 16 oz. sliced button mushrooms (for more mushroom flavor, use cremini variety) - 1/3 c. finely chopped shallots - 3 cloves (large) garlic, minced - 1/2 c. all-purpose flour - 1 c. low sodium chicken stock - 2 c. half-and-half - 2 tbsp. soy sauce - 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce - 2/3 c. grated parmesan cheese - 2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary - 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme - Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste ## Directions 1. *FOR THE FRIED SHALLOTS* 2. In a medium bowl that has a lid, whisk together flour, cayenne, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Add sliced shallots. Place lid tightly on bowl and shake the bowl a few times to evenly coat shallots with flour mixture. 3. Pour canola oil into a medium saucepan to a 1-inch depth and place over medium-high heat. Heat to 325°F, using a deep-frying thermometer. Fry shallots in batches until golden brown and lightly crispy. Take care to not let them get too dark, as they will also bake for a bit in the oven on top of the casserole. This should take about 3–5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and set aside. 4. *FOR THE GREEN BEANS AND GRAVY* 5. Preheat oven to 375° F. 6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add green beans. Cook beans for 2–3 minutes, until bright green in color and tender crisp. Drain beans and pour into a large bowl of ice water to stop from cooking. Drain again and set aside. 7. In an extra large skillet with tall sides, over medium to medium-high heat, fry bacon until chewy-crisp. Transfer bacon from skillet to a paper towel lined plate to drain and cool. Once bacon has cooled, roughly chop and set aside. 8. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet. Return skillet to stove top over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet. Once butter is melted, add the mushrooms and stir to incorporate. Cook, stirring regularly, until mushrooms are softened. Add chopped shallots and garlic, stirring to incorporate. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, until garlic is fragrant. 9. Now slide everything in the skillet to one side. Add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to other side of skillet. When the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter, whisking all the while. A flat whisk works awesome here. Draw in as much liquid as you can, into the flour. The mixture will be very thick. Let it cook for one minute, until slightly browned and fragrant. Slowly whisk in chicken stock until flour mixture is smooth. Then whisk in the half and half. Now bring the entire contents of the skillet together, scraping the bottom of the skillet, and folding to incorporate. Turn heat up to medium-high and cook until thickened and bubbly, about 4–5 minutes, stirring periodically. 10. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Then sprinkle Parmesan, rosemary, and thyme over the top and stir to combine. Now is the time to taste test and add more salt and pepper, if desired. I usually add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper at this point. Fold in blanched green beans. Transfer mixture to a baking dish and place in oven to bake for 30 minutes. Remove casserole from oven and arrange fried shallots and chopped bacon over the top, leaving green beans exposed around the perimeter of the dish. Place in oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until edges of casserole are bubbling and the top is golden. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 20 min - 🍳 Cook time: 20 min - 🍽️ Servings: 4 ## Ingredients - 1 pound shrimp - 1 teaspoon granualted sugar - ½ cup all-purpose flour - ½ cup panko breadcrumbs - 1 teaspoon salt - ½ teaspoon black pepper - ¼ teaspoon garlic powder - ¼ teaspoon onion powder - ¼ teaspoon dried basil - 1 egg - 1 cup milk - 4 – 5 teaspoon chili garlic sauce - 1 teaspoon rice vinegar - ½ cup mayonnaise ## Directions 1. 1. Make the sauce: Mix mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, sugar, and rice vinegar in a bowl. Refrigerate. 2. 2. Prepare for frying: a) Combine beaten egg and milk in one bowl. b) Mix flour, panko, and seasonings in another bowl. 3. 3. Bread the shrimp: a) Coat each shrimp in flour mixture. b) Dip in egg mixture. c) Coat again in flour mixture. d) Arrange on a plate and refrigerate for 20 minutes. 4. 4. Fry the shrimp: a) Heat oil to 350F in a dutch oven. b) Fry shrimp for 2-3 minutes until golden. c) Drain on wire rack or paper towels. 5. 5. Serve: a) Coat fried shrimp with ¼ cup sauce. b) Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

## Chef's notes *Make sure you watch your roux closely. It can go from perfect to burnt in a moment. *Top with green onion tops. *Sprinkle a very small amount of file over top. *Andouille sausage is traditional but kielbasa is also a good substitute. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 30 minutes for vegetable prep + ~1 hour for boiling chicken - 🍳 Cook time: ~2 hours - 🍽️ Servings: 8-10 ## Ingredients - 1 large onion - 1 large bell pepper - 2 medium stalks celery - 6-8 cloves garlic - ~3 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken; remove skin and set aside to render - ~1.5 lbs andouille sausage, browned - ~1/2 lb. tasso, optional - 2 green onions, chopped and separated - 2 cups okra, cut (frozen or fresh, not canned) - ~1 cup oil (rendered from chicken skins & sausage) - ~1 cup flour - 1-2 bay leaves ## Directions 1. Chop all vegetables and set aside. Render the fats from your chicken skins and sausages. 2. Combine your flour and rendered fats in a cast iron skillet and stir continually over medium –low heat until your roux is chocolate brown. Stir in about 1/4 tsp of flour at this stage and cook until it stops “fizzing”. (This is simply to add to the thickening power of the roux.) 3. While you are cooking your roux, boil your chicken until cooked through, remove from heat and broth, and set aside to cool for deboning . 4. Add your vegetables, roux, deboned chicken, sausage, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and spices/seasonings to your broth. Optional: sauté your vegetables, except okra, before adding to broth. (Only add the bottom portions of the green onion here, reserve the green tops for garnish.) 5. Cook until the okra is soft and no longer slimy, about 2 hours, at a low boil. (med-high heat) 6. Optional: reduce to a simmer about 10 minutes before finished and drop a few eggs to poach in the stew before serving. Do not stir. 7. Serve over rice.

## Chef's notes So if you want a more sweet stew, add some dried apricots. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 15 ish min - 🍳 Cook time: 1 Hour ish - 🍽️ Servings: 4 to 6 ## Ingredients - 1/4 cup olive oil - 1 large onion, grated - 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic - 1 teaspoon chili powder - 1 teaspoon ground cumin - 1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon - Salt and pepper, to taste - 3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces - 2 1/2 cups defatted chicken broth - 1 dried ancho chili, stem and seeds removed - 4 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces - Zest of 1 orange, in wide strips - 2 cups cubed (1 inch) butternut squash - 2 roasted red bell peppers , cut into 1-inch pieces - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish ## Directions 1. Combine the oil, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a large, heavy pot. Stir well, then add the meat. Toss the meat with the spice mixture to coat it well. 2. Add the broth, ancho chili, carrots, orange zest, and butternut squash. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat and simmer gently, partially covered, over medium heat for 30 minutes. Add the roasted peppers; cook, partially covered, until the lamb and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more. Remove and discard the chili and orange zest. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately.

## Bitcoiners' Social Responsibility "The primary act—the process of reason—must be performed by each man alone. We can divide a meal among many men. We cannot digest it in a collective stomach. No man can use his lungs to breathe for another man. No man can use his brain to think for another. All the functions of body and spirit are private. They cannot be shared or transferred." --Ayn Rand  Rand warned about the fallacy of prioritizing collective well-being over the individual. Adopting bitcoin as your primary means of payments and store of value is an individual choice, while the errand orange-pilling people is construed as performing a social, or even collective, good. Bitcoiners themselves are not unlike the nodes validating network transactions and enforcing the fixed supply mechanism, in the sense that they bear the responsibility of ensuring the social integrity of the network. By this, I mean adhering to the same principles on which bitcoin came into existence, those based on the sovereignty of the individual. In observing interactions of bitcoiners online, I am motivated to express my thoughts about the potential risk that the best intentions may lead one into the trap of passive, ideological adherence to the collectivist idea that everyone ends up better off if the world just accepted bitcoin. I do not accept this to be necessarily true, but make the argument that educated users who are empowered to think for themselves make the network stronger and lead us closer to our common goal of a freer society. ### Bitcoiners as Social Nodes Having the courage to learn about the technological requirements of running a bitcoin node is no small feat for the average non-technically inclined person. Courage here is the primary barrier to overcome. The technical knowledge needed to participate in the Bitcoin network by running your own node, though not intuitive, is readily available online through easy-to-follow tutorials, yet many people are dissuaded from endeavoring to do so. At this point, anyone can buy or sell bitcoin and even spend it without as much as having heard the word node, let alone understand how to run one on their own machine. By far, the more burdensome task than the technical aspects of node participation is the social task of enabling the future bitcoiners of the world to use bitcoin as money. It is for this reason, I am arguing that it is a moral imperative to view every current bitcoiner as a social node. While not capable of validating bitcoin transactions (with the exception of those actual node runners), bitcoiners bear the burden of solving the far more complex social problems of harmonizing the hostile world of fiat with Bitcoin. Bitcoiners are societal nodes, and serve the polyvalent function of validating social transactions and ensuring the integrity of the bitcoin network of users. I'm not talking about shilling bitcoin, bitcoin evangelism or "orange-pilling" your friends and family. As far as I can tell, the jury is still out on whether this is a desirable use of our function as social nodes in the network of bitcoin users. As we all know, a new user who dives into the unknown without having done their due diligence can, might be taking a serious risk. Additionally, while Bitcoin's value will benefit immensely from wider adoption, paradoxically, it will becomes more costly to its present users to accumulate more. Far be it from my intentions to make an argument against advocating for hard money; yet, in this essay I find it incumbent upon me to consider the ramifications shilling the coin irresponsibly. Another one of my objectives here is to explore the functions of participating as a social node in bitcoin's network of users. ### Bitocoin Evangelism and On-boarding New Users Explanations of the exploits of fiat currency, the anti-fragility of the bitcoin network and its value proposition as money qua store of value as well as a medium of exchange can be powerful evidence for non-believers. As a bitcoin maxi, to me these top the list of revelations I had to have before being able to accept the reality that fiat is the real Ponzi scheme whose stability-seeking central planning approach drains the life force of the people who actually produce value in the world (see my essay, Dracula and the Federal Reserve Banking System. By saying that every bitcoiner is a social node in the network of potential users, I am proposing that due diligence is done to ensure that initiates are properly introduced to the technology, lest they fall into ways that perpetuate the evil of old. The question of bitcoin mass adoption is no longer one of "if," but "when." What with the President of the United states floating the idea of purchasing a strategic reserve of one-million BTC (we'll see), and Microstrategy announcing plans to amp up their purchasing of bitcoin to 42 billion USD, these next few years Bitcoin will not need any more evangelism. The real task of being a node in the social network of bitcoin users lay in envisioning what the world is going to look like on a bitcoin standard and educating people about how they can prepare. Making sure that initiates in the network of users understand the common best practices will be the most daunting task.  Humans are social creatures. This necessarily implies that the mass uptake of new technology will have massive social repercussions. While we may rely on the economists to offer us analysis on trends in the social aspects of bitcoin adoption, and the software engineers and developers as experts on the tech stuff, it is the task of the every-person, the plebs, if you will, in the network to find, on the micro-level, the wrinkles and distortions that impede the network from working for the every-person. What I mean in saying we are all nodes is this: everyone participating in the network by either holding or using bitcoin shares the responsibility for ensuring the accuracy and relevance of information as it is distributed in their broader social networks. Indeed, this involves informing people about the various freedom to which bitcoin enables us. I am suggesting that we think deeper than simply proclaiming the "Good Word" that of bitcoin is the best money ever known to human civilization. What I'm proposing is a judicious and considered approach to encouraging proper education among the yet-to-be-initiated. Of course, there are certainly going to be people to whom we will relish in saying "have fun staying poor," whom we will watch happily as they flounder in the dying paroxysms of the fiat machine while mass adoption takes off. However, there are also those, and this I am certain, to whom each of us would like to educate about the desecration caused by fiat systems, and the ways in which Bitcoin, the hardest decentralized and trustless currency that the world has ever seen, can save them. There is, of course, the adage that everyone gets Bitcoin at the price they deserve, but this should be said with the caveat that our friends and family deserve the absolute best price possible. My view here is that the only way to ensure that bitcoin remains representative of freedom is by each participant in the network ensures that the right information reaches the right people at the right time.  By saying we are all nodes, in effect, is to say that each of us who proclaims the word of Bitcoin is an ambassador. The choice of how you choose to represent yourself is your own. You are the one who best knows your community and you know what will make bitcoin stick. Every ambassador of the network performs the careful work of understanding the how and why of bitcoin adoption in each individual case. Far more complex a task than the validation of transactions on the bitcoin network, being a societal bitcoin node requires the careful execution that can be achieved by people living in and connected to the world around them. ### One Pill, Two Pill, Orange Pill, Blue Pill I prefer to talk about the process of initiating someone to the bitcoin network as one of on-boarding, rather than orange-pilling. To orange-pill someone implies some level of ideological persuasion - which, if you ask me, never really works, and only makes the unconvinced dig in their heels and gnash their teeth. I think person who accepts bitcoin does so because the time was ripe for it, not because of a nerdy cypherpunk's smooth talking. Even worse, to orange-pill someone pacifies the initiate into someone that needs to accept the truth as you it to tell them. The network doesn't need more people ready to drink the next hyped up flavour of kool-aid (even if it is orange); it needs rational thinkers who are ready to accept reality as it is, ready to think deeply about the problems yet to be solved. From my experience, to say that the average person knows there to be something to be inherently wrong with the world is an understatement. People live their whole lives fear- or hate-ridden lest some boogeyman that they can't quite define will come and ransack everything they know and love. They use many labels, like Cabal, the establishment, they, the man... There is any number of pejoratives to which folks are ready to direct their hatred, though they be only vaguely understood. Yet, none of these labels fully captures the essence of the problem, which not the fault of a single entity per se. Instead, the fault lay in a system built on fiat. If history teaches us anything, it is that people are quick to find a scapegoat for their problems. It is easier to do so than to admit to being duped into accepting a construction of reality that is patently counterfeit. The world's biggest Ponzi scheme, fiat, is just that. Thanks to generations of coercion and propagandizing, the average person has not the slightest clue of this. As a result, they do not know why bitcoin exists.  What the majority of people do understand is this: for one reason or another, each of us feels we have to achieve more with less. What distinguishes bitcoiners from the majority is the understanding that this feeling is valid because it has an identifiable caused in the world. It is not a collective hallucination, but the systemic theft that occurs in the form of currency debasement, organized and planned by central banking and governmental authorities. In order to make ideological converts, or orange-pill those who have not recognized this truth requires a subtle understanding of their lives and struggles. It requires knowing that most people do not readily give up their their most strongly held delusions. It requires a deep level of compassion, love and patience. Orange pilling, therefore, might better referred to as on-boarding. To build the network of future bitcoiners requires that people are well adapted and have the resources to make full use of it. If people are not free to understand bitcoin and instead are coerced into passively accepting it, then humanity will be no better off than we are now. This is why I would propose we change the language used to describe then initiation of a newcomer to the network. To say someone has been "orange-pilled" relegates them to being a passive recipient of an ideology. Myself, I have never been orange-pilled; in fact, I am skeptical of any pill. Here, I think the meme has outgrown its use and works against us. No--I have been on-boarded to the network, thanks to the many educators who work tirelessly to create online content, write their books or articles or expend their scarce time and energy discussing these ideas. We risk repeating the mistakes of the past if each new bitcoiner is not treated with the dignity of being able to decide for themselves what is best for them. Those who blindly accept an ideology are arguably no better off then they were in the old system. As Ayn Rand has argued, the mind, is not collective, but individual, and nor can any man or woman use theirs to think for another. FR. npub176zu0wg5l8436nu66qaxwfekx0zz58l66s72dhcu0ur0lvd7q5lq9f66qx

A discussion, today, reminded me of this excerpt, from G.K. Chesterton's, [_What's Wrong with the World_](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1717/pg1717-images.html): > This book must avoid religion, but there must (I say) be many, religious and irreligious, who will concede that this power of answering many purposes was a sort of strength which should not wholly die out of our lives. As a part of personal character, even the moderns will agree that many-sidedness is a merit and a merit that may easily be overlooked. This balance and universality has been the vision of many groups of men in many ages. It was the Liberal Education of Aristotle; the jack-of-all-trades artistry of Leonardo da Vinci and his friends; the august amateurishness of the Cavalier Person of Quality like Sir William Temple or the great Earl of Dorset. It has appeared in literature in our time in the most erratic and opposite shapes, set to almost inaudible music by Walter Pater and enunciated through a foghorn by Walt Whitman. > But the great mass of men have always been unable to achieve this literal universality, because of the nature of their work in the world. Not, let it be noted, because of the existence of their work. Leonardo da Vinci must have worked pretty hard; on the other hand, many a government office clerk, village constable or elusive plumber may do (to all human appearance) no work at all, and yet show no signs of the Aristotelian universalism. What makes it difficult for the average man to be a universalist is that the average man has to be a specialist; he has not only to learn one trade, but to learn it so well as to uphold him in a more or less ruthless society. > This is generally true of males from the first hunter to the last electrical engineer; each has not merely to act, but to excel. Nimrod has not only to be a mighty hunter before the Lord, but also a mighty hunter before the other hunters. The electrical engineer has to be a very electrical engineer, or he is outstripped by engineers yet more electrical. Those very miracles of the human mind on which the modern world prides itself, and rightly in the main, would be impossible without a certain concentration which disturbs the pure balance of reason more than does religious bigotry. No creed can be so limiting as that awful adjuration that the cobbler must not go beyond his last. So the largest and wildest shots of our world are but in one direction and with a defined trajectory: the gunner cannot go beyond his shot, and his shot so often falls short; the astronomer cannot go beyond his telescope and his telescope goes such a little way. All these are like men who have stood on the high peak of a mountain and seen the horizon like a single ring and who then descend down different paths towards different towns, traveling slow or fast. It is right; there must be people traveling to different towns; there must be specialists; but shall no one behold the horizon? Shall all mankind be specialist surgeons or peculiar plumbers; shall all humanity be monomaniac?  > Tradition has decided that only half of humanity shall be monomaniac. It has decided that in every home there shall be a tradesman and a Jack-of-all-trades. But it has also decided, among other things, that the Jack-of-all-trades shall be a Jill-of-all-trades. It has decided, rightly or wrongly, that this specialism and this universalism shall be divided between the sexes. Cleverness shall be left for men and wisdom for women. For cleverness kills wisdom; that is one of the few sad and certain things. > But for women this ideal of comprehensive capacity (or common-sense) must long ago have been washed away. It must have melted in the frightful furnaces of ambition and eager technicality. A man must be partly a one-idead man, because he is a one-weaponed man—and he is flung naked into the fight. The world’s demand comes to him direct; to his wife indirectly. In short, he must (as the books on Success say) give “his best”; and what a small part of a man “his best” is! His second and third best are often much better. If he is the first violin he must fiddle for life; he must not remember that he is a fine fourth bagpipe, a fair fifteenth billiard-cue, a foil, a fountain pen, a hand at whist, a gun, and an image of God. ## The frustration of not being an expert I read that, in my early 20s, stumbling across the late, great Chesterton, while trying to decide if marriage is my proper vocation (and then immediately reading all of his nonfiction, as it's all so brutally, casually, brilliant). It immediately made my own "talent stack" clear to me: **I'm best at doing lots of different things quite well**, but not at doing one particular thing to a level of highest expertise.  This is actually an extremely difficult position to be in because young people are under constant pressure to find That One Thing that they are to specialize in, and I could never find That Thing, despite being at the top of any ranking of People Doing Things. Could I write well? Yes. Could I write really well? Yes. Could I write really, really well? Nope. Could I program well? Yes. Could I program really well? Yes. Could I program really, really well? Nope. Could I cook well?... And so on, and so forth, for nearly every task I tried. Perpetually stuck in the upper quintile, never a top-tenner. Much has been written about chronic Imposter Syndrome among the very-smartest women, but I think that's just a fancy way to explain this phenomenon of being at the top of your game and atop all of the other women playing the same game, but quickly discovering, to your dismay, that the men at the top are a wee bit topper than you. And there's always one a wee bit topper. There must be an endless supply of men-slightly-better at That One Thing, someplace. A factory, where they are produced by dark forces, like the Orcs, in _The Lord of the Rings_. It is enough to make a girl pout, very cutely.  ## Titles matter I've written, before, about how I see my development role as being the project teams' "Girl Friday". I pick up all the tasks that fall to the wayside, but shouldn't be forgotten (like marketing, testing, arranging financing, and customer support), or substituting for someone who is away. Although men and women are partially redundant, so that there's a Boy Friday for every Mrs. Burns, it seems clear to me that humanity really is generally split up into these specialist/generalist roles. Women tend toward generalism, but often no longer have a natural outlet for it, so many of us are therefore in a state of employment frustration. We cling to various titles, without fully identifying with them. Drifting from one title to another. Earning a new title. Going off to find ourselves. Earning another new title. No, this one also doesn't fit... Seeking, but never finding. The incongruence and impermanence can be painful. Aimless drifting. Stacking up certificates and qualifications, but immediately bored by the myopic scope of the task and -- if we're in a male-dominated trade -- frustrated by our difficulty in topping The Toppers; struggling to find some niche, some branch, where our generalism is an advantage. Life is unfair. Boys are mean. Someone do something. ## There used to be a specialty for generalists  But someone had done something. A long, long time ago. In fact, we are generalists today because of what that one woman did, back then: she married. The bride is the star of every wedding and being a wife often brought a change in title (from _Miss_ to _Mrs._) because it is meant to be a _vocation_. It is as if you have been hired to be the household generalist, by the specialist, whose title reflected his particular specialty. If you actively joined in his specialty, it would simply be tacked onto your original title "Miller's Wife", "Lawyer's Wife", "Politician's Wife", "Farmer's Wife", "Engineer's Wife", "Butcher's Wife", "Bitcoin Influencer's Wife". (Angela Merkel's spouse had the title "Chancellor's Husband", but the construction remains.) The point of all of this, was to build mixed-sex pairs, with overlapping skillsets, with one generalist and one specialist. This was a solid construction, for millions of years. Turning the tasks of the generalist into a series of professions, in order to financialize and tax the output, undermined the core concept of marriage by eroding its value-added to the participants. That is why marriage is now often seen exclusively as a romantic, long-term-fling, rather than the practical and efficient basis of any sustainable family and economic system. ## Marriage is about the economy, stupid That is why _marriage equality_ became such a hot topic, in the 90s. If marriage is just about hanging about in the house with someone you find attractive (i.e. "roommates with benefits"), rather than the basic building block of society, then why shouldn't everyone doing that be considered married? Then everyone could have the same status, as married people did. This was a logical argument that won because society had completely abandoned the counterargument: **Marriage isn't that.** Marriage was a specific construct to serve a specific purpose with maximum efficiency and efficacy. Society honored it because everyone benefitted from people engaging in it, even if they themselves did not. Society didn't honor marriage because it was good for the people in it; they honored it because it was good _for everyone else_. Because, within marriage, there is room for a Jill-of-All-Trades, and the people outside of the marriage don't have to pay for her labour or subsidize her retirement, at the same time that they profit indirectly from it. But, the generalist wife is not the star of the entire world, she's the star of one particular man's world, and for many women, that world was simply too small. They needed a bigger stage to perform on. Even being _The President's Wife_ isn't title enough, for some, when they hungered to hold _The President_ title, directly.  The consequent and purposeful destruction of the marital institution -- and the denegration of generalism, that necessarily went along with it -- is, I am convinced, the reason that we can't have nice things. And it's the reason why women gaining power hasn't lead to their increased happiness or more-stable and fruitful families. In the end, a specialist title isn't enough, for most of us. What we want most, is to be loved and honored and cherished for what we are. And we are generalists. And that is why I chose to stay home and bake cookies. In this little house, in our home economy, I am the best cookie baker because I am a good-enough cookie baker. I only have to be good-enough.

Yesterday I was doing my Revelation Bible study and the author told us to look back at Jeremiah 25 to see how it related to what we were studying in Revelation 15 & 16. She only referred to a couple of verses, but I read more to get context because I was having trouble seeing what point she was trying to make. When I read Jeremiah 25, it reminded me of Ezekiel 38 and sounded a lot like what is happening in the Middle East and the world today. This article is my attempt to investigate this idea and organize my thoughts and share it with you. I do have some comments regarding prophecy and the current Israeli/Palestine/etc. conflict that may be divisive, but I hope my use of the Bible to explain God’s plan will help people understand what is currently going on a bit better and without the rancor and bias coming from the media today. It should also help us to understand why it seems the whole world has turned against Israel and why nobody protests or shows solidarity with Israel when they are attacked in the most horrific ways. Let’s see what Jeremiah 25 has to say: > ‘Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation. (Jeremiah 25:12) Since God declared after the 70 year exile of Judah in Babylon to destroy Babylon and to make it “*an everlasting desolation*,” then it seems unlikely that Babylon the Great in Revelation is historical Babylon. It has been destroyed and God promised that it would be an everlasting desolation. Who could Babylon the Great be if it isn’t actual Babylon? I am beginning to have my unpleasant theories, but I won’t go into that here. > I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. (For many nations and great kings will make slaves of them, even them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.)’ ” > > For thus the Lord, the God of Israel, says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it. They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.” (Jeremiah 25:13-16) God then promises “*many nations and great kings*” that made slaves of Judah/Israel, that God will “*recompense them according to their deeds*.” Compare that to Revelation 14 and 16: > Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. (Revelation 14:9-10) and > Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” (Revelation 16:4-6) In the same way Revelation promises God’s wrath on those who rejected Him and on those who persecuted His followers, and that He would force them to drink the cup of His wrath, Jeremiah 25 says he will force them to drink of “*this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand*.” Those who reject God and Jesus, as well as those who mistreat Israel/Jews and Christians, will receive God’s overwhelming wrath. In this passage, God says, “*They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them*.” It seems that today, the whole world has gone mad at Israel defending itself and it is causing the whole world to turn against God’s chosen people, Israel. I also receive great comfort from these verses thanks to the addition of “*They deserve it*.” There is so much injustice in the world, I love seeing that those who are evil and cause harm will be punished because “*They deserve it*.” > Then I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it: Jerusalem and the cities of Judah and its kings and its princes, to make them a ruin, a horror, a hissing and a curse, as it is this day; Pharaoh king of **Egypt**, his servants, his princes and all his people; and all the foreign people, all the kings of the land of **Uz**, all the kings of the land of the **Philistines (even Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and the remnant of Ashdod**); **Edom**, **Moab and the sons of Ammon**; and all the kings of **Tyre**, all the kings of **Sidon** and the **kings of the coastlands which are beyond the sea**; and **Dedan**, **Tema**, **Buz** and all who cut the corners of their hair; and all the **kings of Arabia** and all the kings of the **foreign people who dwell in the desert**; and all the kings of **Zimri**, all the kings of **Elam** and all the kings of **Media**; and all the **kings of the north**, near and far, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the earth which are upon the face of the ground, and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. (Jeremiah 25:17-26) {emphasis of nations is mine} Let’s see if the nations listed seem to match with the nations turning against Israel today. I did research online[1](#footnote-1) and came up with these matches (some are clear and some are possibly what was mentioned and are marked with a “?”:  This looks like most of the nations turning against Israel and most of the nations on this list have become very aggressive against and/or speaking evil of Israel. I never thought of Jeremiah as predicting end times events, but it seems it probably is. > “You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Drink, be drunk, vomit, fall and rise no more because of the sword which I will send among you.” ’ And it will be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “You shall surely drink! For behold, I am beginning to work calamity in this city which is called by My name, and shall you be completely free from punishment? You will not be free from punishment; for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth,” declares the Lord of hosts.’ (Jeremiah 25:12-38) The UN just voted overwhelmingly to force Israel to leave what they call occupied Palestinian territories like the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, even though Israel only occupies them because of aggression in 1967 against them by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and the Palestinians. These nations and people originally tried to block the Jordan river from providing water to Israel, bombed civilians (just like today), and then tried to block all shipping to Israel. When Israel tried to renew shipping, they all out attacked Israel. Israel came out the clear winner and gained a small amount of land in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Sinai Peninsula. Although the UN, at the time, said Israel rightly owned these lands since they were not the aggressors, now the UN is reneging on that promise. Israel voluntarily gave back the Sinai peninsula to Egypt as part of a peace agreement. They willingly allowed the Palestinians back into the West Bank and Gaza under semi-autonomous rule, but these lands were used primarily to attack Israel repeatedly because the Muslim nations aren’t trying to save the Palestinians. They are trying to wipe Israel off the map and take “the river to the sea,” which means 100% of Israel. Interestingly, God promised “*Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours; your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea*.” (Deuteronomy 11:24) This cry from the Muslims is a direct demonic attack on God’s promise to Israel. Ironically before the Six Days War, the Palestinians in the West Bank were under Syrian control (they’ve never, at least in modern times, had their own nation) and Hussein of Syria put them under martial law because he feared they might overthrow him. These nations that use the Palestinian plight as an excuse to do horrific actions against Israel don’t actually like or care about the Palestinian people. They are just pawns used to justify their actions against Israel. The Palestinians were treated just as bad, if not worse by the Syrians. The UN resolution also calls for the Israelis to leave East Jerusalem, the “*city which is called by My name*.” Because of their actions, God promises “*You will not be free from punishment; for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth*.” God is going to drag the anti-Israel and anti-God nations into conflict in order to punish them. This also reminds me a lot of Ezekiel 38: > And the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, set your face toward **Gog of the land of Magog**, the **prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal**, and prophesy against him and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. I will *turn you about and put hooks into your jaws*, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords; **Persia**, **Ethiopia** and **Put** with them, all of them with shield and helmet; **Gomer** with all its troops; **Beth-togarmah** from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples with you. (Ezekiel 38:1-6) {emphasis of nations & highlighted verse is mine} These nations seem to overlap with those mentioned in Jeremiah 25, but aren’t quite as extensive.[2](#footnote-2)  Ezekiel 38 also talks about these nations being dragged into conflict. It says, “*I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out*.” > “Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them. You will go up, you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you.” (Ezekiel 38:7-9) This continuation in Ezekiel 38 says these nations will be brought into conflict with Israel after Israel “*will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them*.” This prophecy of Israel has happened with Israel being reconstituted as a nation and the Jewish people coming from nations all around the world after having been perilously attacked with the sword, i.e. Nazi Germany. They are now a successful and prosperous nation, but the nations around them are gathering to attack them. Israel has not yet been covered by troops “*like a cloud covering the land*,” but has been covered “*like a cloud covering the land*” by a bombardment of rockets, drones, and missiles shot by Iran (Persia). > ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan, and you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates, **to capture spoil and to seize plunder**, to turn your hand against the waste places which are now inhabited, and against **the people who are gathered from the nations**, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the center of the world.’ Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to capture spoil? Have you assembled your company to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to capture great spoil?’ ” ’ > > “Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it? You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army; and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog.” (Ezekiel 38:10-16) {emphasis mine} It is interesting to note that for most of Israel’s history, there wasn’t much plunder to seize, but recently they have found great natural gas reserves that are envied by nations like Iran and Russia. It is also interesting to see how the Jews from around the globe keep moving to Israel, despite the danger, just as predicted in the Old Testament. There are two things I am not certain about. Are these predictions the same, or will there be multiple attacks on the new Israel? I’ve always expected this attack on Israel to happen right before or right after the beginning of the tribulation, but Zechariah 14 sounds like it might be at the end of the tribulation because it mentions Jesus coming back. As context the previous chapter ends: > They will call on My name,\ > And I will answer them;\ > I will say, ‘They are My people,’\ > And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ” (Zechariah 13:9b) The Jews were dispersed around the globe for almost 2,000 years, but God has called them back to the promised land and has promised to turn their hearts back to Him. (This hasn’t happened yet and probably won’t happen until the seven year tribulation.) > Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. **In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives**, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. (Zechariah 14:1-4) {emphasis mine} After Jesus’s resurrection, He spent time with His disciples preparing them and then ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives. Two angels told those who had witnessed His ascension that Jesus would return in the same way, which is seconded by Zechariah, “*In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives*.” It is true according to Zechariah that not all Jews will be saved, but that Jesus will fight for His chosen people, despite all of their failings. God is merciful! > So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. (Romans 9:8) Jeremiah 25 is accentuating God’s judgement rather than His mercy. > “Therefore you shall prophesy against them all these words, and you shall say to them,\ > ‘The Lord will roar from on high\ > And utter His voice from His holy habitation;\ > He will roar mightily against His fold.\ > He will shout like those who tread the grapes,\ > Against all the inhabitants of the earth.\ > A clamor has come to the end of the earth,\ > Because the Lord has a controversy with the nations.\ > He is entering into judgment with all flesh;\ > As for the wicked, He has given them to the sword,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 25:30-31) There will be a large group of nations that will gather in hate and attack Israel with what would be conventionally considered overwhelming force, but God will defend Israel. In reality, I can already see the hand of God on Israel. A few weeks ago (sorry I’m terrible with dates) Iran (Persia) sent a barrage of rockets, drones, and missiles against Israel. Israel’s Iron Dome defense system was able to take out the majority of them and not one Israeli was killed by massive number of these being fired into densely populated civilian areas. An expert analyzed the data and said the system should not have been able to stop all of these coming at one time. None of the ones missed hit where people were. It was a miraculous protection of Israel. Then a few weeks later, Israel retaliated. They sent 100 jets across several enemy, Muslim countries into Iran, took out Iran’s anti-aircraft and early warning systems, their missile storage facilities, and their missile and other weapons manufacturing plants and then returned home to Israel. Not one plane was shot down. Not one was touched. It reminds me of a time Jesus was visiting his hometown and offended the people with a story from Scripture. The people, his friends and family, were so offended they dragged Him to the edge of a cliff to toss him off to His death. Then Jesus just walked through the crowd and went on His way without anyone stopping Him. Israel’s retaliation against Iran felt like that, a miraculous protection of His chosen people. Iran and the other nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38, and probably in Jeremiah 25, are having their satanic hate brought to light by their hate of Israel and they are being dragged by the nose into a battle that they can’t win because God fights for His chosen people, Israel. > Thus says the Lord of hosts, > > “Behold, evil is going forth\ > From nation to nation,\ > And a great storm is being stirred up\ > From the remotest parts of the earth. > > “Those slain by the Lord on that day will be from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be lamented, gathered or buried; they will be like dung on the face of the ground. (Jeremiah 25:32-33) Prophecy can be a bit tricky to understand, but by digging into all of the Bible and all of its prophecy I feel like I am understanding it better and better. If anyone thinks I’m wrong, feel free to share Bible verses showing my error. I’m always seeking the truth. Trust Jesus.\ \ your sister in Christ, Christy

# Hello folks, You may have heard (or not because I’m terrible at communicating) I have been incredibly unproductive with creating laser cut art because I have been busy working with guys more intelligent and skilled than me, building Plebeian. ## What is it? On the surface Plebeian is a P2P marketplace… but this isn’t quite true… Plebeian.Market is not the destination, it’s just a demonstration of the Plebeian app… it's going to help us move from Globalisation to Localisation in the most peaceful way possible… I will explain more about what this means as time goes by For now it’s easy to think of Plebeian as a love child of Ebay, Wordpress, Twitter, Shopify and Telegram… it’s not normal ## Eh? What? Localisation and a Bitcoin Standard promotes self sovereignity at the individual and community level... what is needed in this time is a Circular Economic Community Builder Like I say, I will explain more about this as time goes by The project actually started 4 years ago and we’ve pivoted many times as the Bitcoin layers have evolved... This is a world of pure innovation after all and it is not for the faint hearted. ## Last Pivot 6 months ago we pivoted for the very last time to build it from scratch as 100% nostr native. The demonstration you see at plebeian.market will be sunset into the realms of Bitcoin history ## New Solution It's Free Open Source Software and we're starting with a GNU General Public License v3.0 You can see the new solution here: [https://staging.plebeian.market/](https://staging.plebeian.market/) ## Play with it Please test it and tell us of any issues in the Telegram group here: [https://t.me/PlebeianMarket](https://t.me/PlebeianMarket) Or if your feeling like getting more involved create an issue on GitHub: [https://github.com/PlebeianTech/plebeian.market/issues](https://github.com/PlebeianTech/plebeian.market/issues) ## Eating Zee Bugz Right now we are in the Beta testing phase and are very close to pushing it to the live site... just one last bug ser? As always we'd love to hear your thoughts... please play with it... create a stall add a product... tinker with the Circular Economic Community Builder... what do you think? what would you like to see? We will eventually develop our own in app group but for now please do join the Telegram group: [https://t.me/PlebeianMarket](https://t.me/PlebeianMarket) ## Follow me on nostr Because I deleted my twitter account yonks ago ;o) [npub1a3um269aaf3u5cy37kuykrrrnsg2pyv7za06pxjduv25lq5sdujs2qmdj6](https://njump.me/npub1a3um269aaf3u5cy37kuykrrrnsg2pyv7za06pxjduv25lq5sdujs2qmdj6) or search for @Chiefmonkey in any nostr client Come join us… onward! Chiefmonkey

## The fertility rate is not the whole story I keep reading articles about the fertility decline that has now consumed most developed nations on Earth, and that is slowly creeping toward the few remaining holdouts, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.  Many countries, that we still think of, as having high birthrates, are actually just experiencing the echo of previous high birthrates. Same as Europe had in the 70s and 80s, due to the post-WWII baby boom. Others have very high total fertility rates (TFR), but such high infant and child mortality, that the population doesn't grow in line with the fertility. East Asia is in the worst shape, with Europe closely nipping at its heels. TFR is highest in Niger, at 6.1 children per woman, and lowest in South Korea, at 0.7. In other words, the South Korean population nearly halves in size, every generation. (I will be focusing on South Korea, going forward, as a case study of the general phenomenon.)  ## Fertility rate is not even half the story But it's actually all much worse than is being publicized, as the fertility rates don't take the tangible effects of **delays in childbearing** into account, which actually are felt more immediately, than the decline in overall fertility. What the delays do, is spread the same number of births more thinly over the timeline, debilitating any infrastructure or traditions that require a certain number of people, to be maintained. I think of this as *demographic logistics*, as it's about getting the right number of people, of the right age, to the right place, at the right time, in order to meet some minimum required volume. Playgroups, schools, hospitals, festivals, volunteer organizations, sports clubs, road works, senior residences, churches, new business starts, etc. all require a certain number of participants, to remain viable. Those participants trickling in, at a slower and slower rate, is why even places with above-replacement fertility (like my own town) increasingly struggle to maintain systems that are popular. Everyone is being spread thinner and thinner, and we're having to make hard choices about how the smaller group will be distributed amongst the activities. ## You feel like you're being overrun because you are. This is also why the fact that migrants (and religious people, etc.) tend to adjust their birthrate to the regional average, doesn't lead to an end of their demographic overrepresentation. They are under less societal pressure to delay childbearing, so they tend to be further down the following chart, and their offspring simply arrive much more quickly, than with the natives.  To put it simply, for everyone one generation of the "natives" or "majority" society, there are two or three generations of the others. ## Does communism get the last laugh? Societies, like South Korea, where the fertility rate is exceedingly low, also tend to have the most-delayed childbearing, so the effect of low fertility is heavily exacerbated. The countries are hollowing out, on the ground level, with the population being replaced so slowly and thinly, that the majority of the country will soon simply be empty, and the infrastructure will fall apart.  Christianity is starting to have a positive effect on a subset of South Korean birthrates, by promoting the concept of openness to life and family-friendliness, but its popularization initially decreased fertility. (This is a [common effect](https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol44/23/44-23.pdf), as Christianity leads to higher status for women, monogamy, and the concept of "family planning".) Yes, contrary to what _The Handmaid's Tale_ enthusiasts claim, increased religiosity actually exacerbated the already-widespread decline. South Korea is really just the worst of worst-case scenarios, unfortunately, with absolutely every demographic and economic trend aligning to cut off their reproduction. This is in direct contrast to North Korea, that can compensate for the more moderate decline in births with mere mechanization.  Yes, it looks like North Korea will do much better, going forward, than South Korea. Their entrance into the Ukraine War isn't incidental; we will be hearing more from them, going forward. ## Robots serving ghosts The South Korean plan of simply substituting robots for most humans, will go nowhere, as robots are actually _less efficient and effective than humans_, except at highly dull or repetitive tasks, over the course of their lifecycle. (This is hidden with cheap, extended production financing, where the machines don't have to turn a profit for decades, whereas humans have to be paid today.) Without productive, agile humans, generating real income, there will be no one to purchase and run all the expensive robots. And... run them... for whom? 

The **Content Authenticity Initiative** (CAI) is a collaborative effort launched by Adobe in 2019 in partnership with technology companies and media organizations like Twitter and The New York Times. Its goal is to combat misinformation and ensure that digital content can be trusted. By creating a system for global adoption, CAI aims to provide a standard for traceability and verification of digital content in a secure and accessible manner. This article dives into the technical underpinnings of this initiative, detailing the use of metadata, cryptography, and blockchain. We also reference official repositories and open-source resources available for implementing these technologies. ### Content Authenticity Initiative Architecture The architecture of CAI relies on a set of techniques and tools based on standardized metadata, cryptographic integrity mechanisms, and decentralized solutions to ensure content verifiability throughout its lifecycle. Below is an in-depth look at each core element of this architecture. #### 1. **Generation of Authenticity Metadata** Content creation within CAI begins at the capture stage, whether through a camera or smartphone, where **authenticity metadata** is generated. This metadata records important details such as the author's information, timestamp, geolocation, and device used for content capture. The data is stored using standardized schemes like **XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform)**, ensuring consistency for later verification. Developers can access the reference source code for XMP via Adobe's GitHub: [XMP Toolkit SDK](https://github.com/adobe/XMP-Toolkit-SDK). The metadata not only describes the creation context but also maintains an **immutable history of modifications**. Whenever content is edited, the changes are documented, ensuring a complete and traceable history of the content lifecycle. #### 2. **Digital Content Signing** A key component of CAI is the use of **digital signatures** to certify the authenticity and integrity of the content. Each file (image, video, document) is signed with **asymmetric cryptographic algorithms** like **ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm)** or **RSA**, depending on the desired level of security and computational resources. These digital signatures generate a unique hash for each piece of content, linking it to the creator's private key. If even a single bit of the content is altered, the hash will change, which invalidates the original signature. This mechanism guarantees that unauthorized alterations are easily detected. Reference implementations for these cryptographic methods are available in the [OpenSSL repository](https://github.com/openssl/openssl) and the **Bouncy Castle** library for Java and C#: [Bouncy Castle GitHub](https://github.com/bcgit). #### 3. **Timestamping and Blockchain** To further validate content authenticity, CAI also employs **timestamping** and, in some implementations, **blockchain technology**. Timestamping is handled by a **Timestamp Authority (TSA)**, which certifies that the content existed in a particular state at a specific moment in time. TSAs utilize digital signatures to provide a secure record of when the content was created. Blockchain technology provides an additional layer of transparency and security. By storing the hashes of metadata and digital signatures on a **public blockchain** (like Ethereum), an immutable, decentralized record is created, allowing any user to verify the content's authenticity. Structures like **Merkle trees** are commonly used for recording efficiently, ensuring that changes are tracked without bloating the blockchain. Examples of blockchain-based implementations can be explored in the [Merkle Tree JavaScript Library](https://github.com/miguelmota/merkletreejs) and the official **Ethereum repository**: [Ethereum GitHub](https://github.com/ethereum). #### 4. **Secure Metadata Storage** The metadata generated during content creation is embedded directly within the content file, using **steganographic techniques** or as readable attachments. This ensures that the metadata remains tied to the content and is resistant to malicious alteration. To maintain metadata integrity during transfer, **Transport Layer Security (TLS)** is used, ensuring that content is securely exchanged without interference. Moreover, distributed storage systems such as **IPFS (InterPlanetary File System)** can be leveraged to provide redundant and long-term availability of metadata. The IPFS implementation is available on GitHub: [IPFS GitHub](https://github.com/ipfs). ### Authentic Content Verification One of CAI's primary goals is to enable anyone to easily verify the origin and edit history of content. To achieve this, **open-source verification tools** such as "**Verify with CAI**" have been developed, allowing users to inspect the content and access all associated metadata. These tools are available in the official CAI repository: [Content Authenticity Initiative GitHub](https://github.com/contentauth/). These verification tools leverage hashes and digital signatures embedded in the content, providing an easy way to determine if unauthorized changes have occurred. They also provide links to blockchain records, allowing third-party verification for an added level of security. ### Guide for Photographers and Content Creators The CAI's technology is particularly beneficial for photographers and content creators seeking to protect their work from misuse. Below is a practical guide to utilizing this technology effectively: 1. **Compatible Equipment**: Use a camera or device that supports the generation of authenticity metadata using XMP standards. Many modern devices and editing tools allow users to embed this metadata during capture. 2. **Editing Software**: Choose editing software that maintains authenticity metadata. Adobe Photoshop and similar tools now include features that preserve metadata throughout the editing process, ensuring the content remains verifiable. 3. **Digital Signing**: Use a digital signing tool like **OpenSSL** or libraries such as **Bouncy Castle** to digitally sign your files. This is critical for asserting the integrity and authenticity of your content. Tutorials and examples are available in the repositories mentioned. 4. **Timestamping**: Utilize a **Timestamp Authority (TSA)** to certify that the content existed at a specific point in time. This adds a temporal validation layer that proves when your content was created and that it hasn’t been altered since. 5. **Blockchain Registration**: To further reinforce content authenticity, consider recording metadata on a public blockchain. Services and smart contracts are available to help you register data without requiring deep blockchain expertise. Refer to repositories like [Ethereum GitHub](https://github.com/ethereum) for guidance. 6. **Content Verification**: Use **Verify with CAI** to verify that your content is correctly registered and ensure that all metadata and digital signatures are intact. This tool is open source, allowing anyone to verify the content's authenticity. 7. **Publishing Platforms**: Share your content on platforms that support CAI standards. Platforms like Behance are starting to integrate these standards, helping distribute content while retaining its verified authenticity. ### Technical Challenges and Barriers CAI implementation faces several technical challenges. The most significant are: 1. **Adoption**: For CAI to succeed, stakeholders across the digital content ecosystem—camera manufacturers, software platforms, social networks, etc.—must adopt its standards. 2. **Privacy Concerns**: Providing detailed metadata about authorship may raise privacy issues. To address this, CAI offers options to encrypt sensitive metadata, ensuring it is only accessible when required. 3. **Costs**: The tools needed for digital signatures, blockchain registration, and timestamping can require significant resources, which may be a barrier for smaller creators or platforms. 4. **Sophisticated Threats**: While CAI improves digital security, sophisticated actors may still attempt to bypass authenticity checks or falsify metadata. Continuous improvement of cryptographic techniques and verification methods is required to counter these evolving threats. ### Conclusion The **Content Authenticity Initiative** provides a solid framework for protecting the integrity of digital content. By utilizing metadata standards, digital signatures, blockchain records, and open-source verification tools, CAI aims to establish a global standard for content transparency and authenticity. Despite some technical and logistical challenges, CAI represents a crucial step towards a trustworthy digital ecosystem. Developers and creators can access official repositories to implement these tools and contribute to a safer, more reliable environment for digital media. ### References - Adobe. (n.d.). *XMP Toolkit SDK*. Retrieved from [https://github.com/adobe/XMP-Toolkit-SDK](https://github.com/adobe/XMP-Toolkit-SDK) - OpenSSL. (n.d.). *OpenSSL Cryptography and SSL/TLS Toolkit*. Retrieved from [https://github.com/openssl/openssl](https://github.com/openssl/openssl) - Bouncy Castle. (n.d.). *Bouncy Castle Libraries*. Retrieved from [https://github.com/bcgit](https://github.com/bcgit) - Miguel Mota. (n.d.). *Merkle Tree JavaScript Library*. Retrieved from [https://github.com/miguelmota/merkletreejs](https://github.com/miguelmota/merkletreejs) - Ethereum Foundation. (n.d.). *Ethereum*. Retrieved from [https://github.com/ethereum](https://github.com/ethereum) - IPFS. (n.d.). *InterPlanetary File System*. Retrieved from [https://github.com/ipfs](https://github.com/ipfs) - Content Authenticity Initiative. (n.d.). *Verify with CAI*. Retrieved from [https://github.com/contentauth/](https://github.com/contentauth/)

### Resumen La **Content Authenticity Initiative** (CAI) es una colaboración global iniciada por Adobe en 2019, junto con empresas tecnológicas y medios de comunicación, cuyo objetivo es combatir la desinformación digital mediante la creación de un sistema de autenticidad para contenidos digitales. Este artículo analiza en detalle los aspectos tecnológicos avanzados de la CAI, como el uso de metadatos, criptografía, blockchain y la verificación distribuida, además de incluir una guía para fotógrafos y creadores de contenido. Se ofrecen referencias a repositorios de código abierto para implementar estas tecnologías, proporcionando una base técnica robusta para proteger la autenticidad del contenido digital. **Palabras clave**: Content Authenticity Initiative, CAI, autenticidad del contenido, metadatos, criptografía, blockchain, integridad digital, firma digital, sellado de tiempo. --- La **Content Authenticity Initiative** (CAI), traducida al español como Iniciativa de Autenticidad del Contenido, es un esfuerzo colaborativo iniciado por Adobe en 2019 en conjunto con empresas tecnológicas y medios de comunicación como Twitter y The New York Times. Su principal objetivo es combatir la desinformación digital mediante la creación de un sistema de autenticidad de contenidos que pueda ser adoptado globalmente, proporcionando trazabilidad y verificación de los contenidos digitales de una manera confiable y accesible. Este artículo detalla los aspectos tecnológicos más avanzados de esta iniciativa, que incluye el uso de metadatos, criptografía y blockchain. Además, se hace referencia a algunos de los repositorios oficiales y recursos de código fuente disponibles para implementar estas tecnologías. ### Arquitectura de la Content Authenticity Initiative La arquitectura de la CAI está compuesta por un conjunto de técnicas y herramientas basadas en metadatos estandarizados, mecanismos de integridad criptográfica, y soluciones descentralizadas para asegurar la verificabilidad del contenido en cada etapa de su ciclo de vida. A continuación se describe en detalle cada uno de los elementos clave de esta arquitectura. #### 1. **Generación de Metadatos de Autenticidad** El proceso de generación de contenido dentro de la CAI comienza en el dispositivo de captura, como una cámara o un smartphone, donde se crean los **metadatos de autenticidad**. Estos metadatos incluyen información relevante sobre el autor del contenido, la fecha y hora de captura, la geolocalización y el dispositivo utilizado. Estos elementos se guardan utilizando esquemas estandarizados como **XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform)**, que asegura una estructura coherente y legible para las aplicaciones de verificación posteriores. El código fuente de referencia para la implementación de XMP está disponible en el repositorio oficial de Adobe en GitHub: [XMP Toolkit SDK](https://github.com/adobe/XMP-Toolkit-SDK). Los metadatos de autenticidad no solo proporcionan datos sobre la creación, sino que también mantienen un **registro inmutable de modificaciones** del archivo. Cada vez que se realiza una edición, se documenta el cambio mediante un proceso de versionado, asegurando la trazabilidad completa de cualquier alteración. #### 2. **Firma Criptográfica del Contenido** El siguiente nivel de protección que ofrece la CAI es el uso de **firmas digitales** para garantizar la autenticidad e integridad del contenido. Cada archivo multimedia (imagen, video, documento) se firma utilizando algoritmos de **criptografía asimétrica** como **ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm)** o **RSA**, dependiendo del nivel de seguridad requerido y la capacidad de cálculo del dispositivo. Estas firmas digitales generan un hash único para el contenido y lo vinculan con la clave privada del creador. Si el contenido es modificado de alguna manera, incluso un cambio de un solo bit, el hash cambiará, invalidando la firma digital original. De esta forma, cualquier alteración que no esté registrada y autorizada se puede detectar fácilmente, proporcionando garantía de que el archivo no ha sido comprometido desde su creación. Implementaciones de referencia para la generación y verificación de firmas digitales están disponibles en el repositorio [OpenSSL](https://github.com/openssl/openssl) y en la biblioteca **Bouncy Castle** para Java y C#: [Bouncy Castle GitHub](https://github.com/bcgit). #### 3. **Sellado de Tiempo y Blockchain** Para reforzar la veracidad del contenido, la CAI también puede emplear **sellado de tiempo (timestamping)** y, en algunas implementaciones, **blockchain** para descentralizar y proteger el registro de autenticidad. El sellado de tiempo se realiza mediante una autoridad de sellado (“Timestamp Authority” o TSA), que certifica que el contenido existía en un estado particular a una fecha y hora específica. Las TSA utilizan firmas digitales para proporcionar un valor criptográficamente seguro que confirma la temporalidad del contenido. La incorporación de blockchain aporta un nivel adicional de transparencia. Al registrar hashes de los metadatos y las firmas de autenticidad en una **blockchain pública** (como Ethereum o cualquier blockchain dedicada), se crea un registro inmutable y descentralizado que permite a cualquier usuario verificar la autenticidad del contenido. La estructura basada en **árboles Merkle** se usa comúnmente para optimizar el proceso de registro, asegurando que cada cambio en el contenido se documente con eficiencia y sin necesidad de almacenar grandes volúmenes de datos en la blockchain. Los desarrolladores pueden explorar ejemplos de implementación en el repositorio [Merkle Tree JavaScript Library](https://github.com/miguelmota/merkletreejs) y consultar el repositorio oficial de **Ethereum** para interacciones con contratos inteligentes: [Ethereum GitHub](https://github.com/ethereum). #### 4. **Almacenamiento Seguro de Metadatos** Los metadatos generados durante el proceso de creación se incrustan en el contenido utilizando **técnicas de esteganografía** o como datos adjuntos legibles por las herramientas de edición y verificación. Para evitar la eliminación o alteración maliciosa de estos metadatos, se emplean mecanismos de **incrustación segura** que vinculan los metadatos al contenido de manera criptográfica. Para garantizar la integridad de los metadatos durante la transferencia, se emplean **protocolos TLS** (Transport Layer Security), que aseguran que cualquier intercambio de archivos mantenga la confidencialidad y la integridad. Además, se pueden usar **sistemas de almacenamiento distribuido** como **IPFS (InterPlanetary File System)** para replicar y almacenar estos metadatos de forma redundante, asegurando su disponibilidad a largo plazo. El código fuente para IPFS está disponible en el repositorio oficial: [IPFS GitHub](https://github.com/ipfs). ### Verificación del Contenido Auténtico Uno de los objetivos fundamentales de la CAI es que cualquier usuario pueda verificar la procedencia y el historial de ediciones de un contenido de manera sencilla y eficiente. Para ello, se han desarrollado **herramientas de verificación basadas en código abierto**, como “**Verify with CAI**”, que permiten al espectador analizar el contenido y ver todos los metadatos asociados. Estas herramientas se pueden encontrar en el repositorio oficial de la CAI: [Content Authenticity Initiative GitHub](https://github.com/contentauth/). Estas herramientas usan los hashes incrustados y las firmas digitales para comparar la información disponible y determinar si el contenido ha sido alterado sin autorización. Asimismo, permiten al usuario acceder a los registros de blockchain, si es aplicable, para confirmar la autenticidad desde una fuente independiente y descentralizada. ### Guía para Fotógrafos y Creadores de Contenido La adopción de la tecnología de la Content Authenticity Initiative puede ser extremadamente beneficiosa para los fotógrafos y creadores de contenido que deseen garantizar la autenticidad y proteger su trabajo contra el uso indebido. A continuación se presenta una guía paso a paso sobre cómo utilizar esta tecnología: 1. **Equipamiento Compatible**: Asegúrate de que utilizas una cámara o dispositivo que soporte la generación de metadatos de autenticidad según los estándares XMP. Muchas cámaras y aplicaciones de edición modernas permiten incluir estos metadatos durante la captura y la edición del contenido. 2. **Software de Edición Compatible**: Utiliza software de edición que mantenga los metadatos de autenticidad intactos. Adobe Photoshop y otras herramientas de edición avanzadas han comenzado a integrar estas funcionalidades para garantizar que cada cambio quede registrado. Al editar, asegúrate de mantener los registros de metadatos, de modo que se pueda trazar la autenticidad del contenido. 3. **Firmado Digital del Contenido**: Usa una herramienta de firma digital, como **OpenSSL** o bibliotecas como **Bouncy Castle** para generar firmas digitales de tus archivos. Esto proporciona una garantía de autenticidad. Estas herramientas se pueden usar para firmar imágenes y documentos multimedia y protegerlos contra cualquier alteración. Puedes encontrar tutoriales y ejemplos de uso en los repositorios mencionados previamente. 4. **Sellado de Tiempo del Contenido**: Implementa el sellado de tiempo utilizando una **Timestamp Authority (TSA)** reconocida. Esto permite certificar que el contenido existía en un estado específico en una fecha y hora determinadas, lo cual es esencial para demostrar la integridad temporal del contenido. Algunas plataformas ofrecen servicios de sellado de tiempo gratuitos o a bajo costo. 5. **Uso de Blockchain para Registrar Metadatos**: Si deseas una protección adicional y más transparencia, considera registrar los hashes de los metadatos en una blockchain pública. Existen servicios y contratos inteligentes que pueden ayudarte a registrar estos datos sin necesidad de un conocimiento profundo en programación blockchain. Puedes consultar repositorios como [Ethereum GitHub](https://github.com/ethereum) para aprender cómo interactuar con contratos inteligentes. 6. **Verificación del Contenido**: Utiliza herramientas como **Verify with CAI** para asegurarte de que tus contenidos están adecuadamente registrados y que los metadatos y firmas digitales se mantienen intactos. Estas herramientas son de código abierto y están disponibles en GitHub, lo que permite a cualquier usuario comprobar la integridad y procedencia del contenido. 7. **Publicación en Plataformas Compatibles**: Publica tu contenido en plataformas que soporten la CAI y mantengan los metadatos intactos. Redes sociales y sitios web como Behance están comenzando a adoptar estos estándares, lo que te permitirá que tu contenido se distribuya con la verificación de autenticidad. ### Desafíos Técnicos y Barreras La implementación de la CAI no está exenta de desafíos. Algunos de los principales son: 1. **Adopción Masiva**: Para que la CAI sea efectiva, es necesario que todos los actores involucrados en la creación y distribución de contenido adopten sus estándares. Esto incluye a los fabricantes de cámaras, plataformas de edición, redes sociales y sitios web. 2. **Privacidad de los Creadores**: Al proporcionar información detallada sobre el autor y el origen del contenido, surgen preocupaciones relacionadas con la privacidad. Para mitigar esto, la CAI permite que algunos metadatos se almacenen de forma encriptada, y solo se revelen si es necesario. 3. **Costos de Implementación**: Las herramientas para firmar digitalmente, registrar en blockchain, y mantener el sellado de tiempo requieren recursos que podrían ser prohibitivos para algunos creadores o plataformas pequeñas. 4. **Atacantes Sofisticados**: Aunque la CAI mejora significativamente la seguridad, atacantes avanzados podrían intentar falsificar metadatos o burlar los procesos de firma digital. La combinación de técnicas criptográficas y blockchain mitiga este riesgo, pero siempre existirá la necesidad de evolucionar con las amenazas emergentes. ### Conclusión La **Content Authenticity Initiative** ofrece una arquitectura tecnológica sólida para proteger la autenticidad del contenido digital. A través del uso combinado de metadatos estandarizados, firmas digitales, blockchain y herramientas de verificación, la CAI busca establecer un estándar global para la transparencia y verificabilidad del contenido. Si bien existen desafíos técnicos y logísticos, la CAI representa un paso significativo hacia un ecosistema digital donde la confianza y la autenticidad sean la norma y no la excepción. Los interesados en profundizar más pueden acceder al código fuente disponible en los repositorios oficiales, como se ha indicado a lo largo del artículo, para implementar estas soluciones y contribuir al desarrollo de un entorno digital más seguro y confiable. ### Bibliografía - Adobe. (n.d.). *XMP Toolkit SDK*. Recuperado de [https://github.com/adobe/XMP-Toolkit-SDK](https://github.com/adobe/XMP-Toolkit-SDK) - OpenSSL. (n.d.). *OpenSSL Cryptography and SSL/TLS Toolkit*. Recuperado de [https://github.com/openssl/openssl](https://github.com/openssl/openssl) - Bouncy Castle. (n.d.). *Bouncy Castle Libraries*. Recuperado de [https://github.com/bcgit](https://github.com/bcgit) - Miguel Mota. (n.d.). *Merkle Tree JavaScript Library*. Recuperado de [https://github.com/miguelmota/merkletreejs](https://github.com/miguelmota/merkletreejs) - Ethereum Foundation. (n.d.). *Ethereum*. Recuperado de [https://github.com/ethereum](https://github.com/ethereum) - IPFS. (n.d.). *InterPlanetary File System*. Recuperado de [https://github.com/ipfs](https://github.com/ipfs) - Content Authenticity Initiative. (n.d.). *Verify with CAI*. Recuperado de [https://github.com/contentauth/](https://github.com/contentauth/)

*note: This version of the article uses some four-letter words some people may not like. If you prefer cartoon-like cussing, you can read it [here](https://marc26z.com/use-a-seed-signer-with-cold-power/). It's that time, again--The bull market which happens every 4 years like the Winter Olympics. We've surpassed the previous USD/ATH. This is the 498th resurrection of our beloved bitcoin, but you know what really turns my crank? Bitcoin cybersecurity! I love digging into the nitty-gritty of cryptography not CrYpTo and finding creative ways to use my toy collection. I mean, hardware wallet(a.k.a. signing devices) collection. Nah, they're toys. Yesterday, as I was playing with my toys, I was inspired to use my seed signer after a long hiatus. To be clear, I love the Seed Signer. It has some neat features: - Generate seeds with the entropy from a picture - Hand-drawn QR codes for easy seed backup - You can DIY  It looks cool too, but for the record, I wouldn't use it for a single sig wallet because it does not contain a secure element. According to NVK, there are zero days and supply chain attacks you can't really mitigate with the seed signer. Although I think this is a fair criticism, it can be useful: - As an educational tool - Part of a multi-sig backup. Michael Flaxman, in his [10X Your BTC Security Guide](https://notes.marcleon.work/#root/0vxct4qCx1C5/YxWwjfah4d4D?ntxId=ApLzSR), suggests removing a Wi-Fi card and hard drive from a computer, boot up TAILS, plug your computer into an RJ45 port with an Ethernet cable for Internet access, navigate to https://seedpicker.net/ on the default [TOR](https://www.torproject.org/) browser, unplug the Ethernet cable from the RJ45 port, and generate the seed for your paper wallet. That sentence is too damn long, but this is indicative of how cumbersome this method is. This was necessary when he wrote it since we did not have as many hardware wallets back then as are on the market today. In my cybersecurity opinion, and I am not a certified cyber security expert, buying a seed signer requires less technical know-how than using Flaxman's guide. This is not a criticism of Flaxman, his guide is one of my favorite things ever written about bitoin because of it's educational value. If you want to learn about extreme cybersecurity, Flaxman's guide makes an excellent lab. **We assume no network security model is 100% secure,** so we never risk compromising our keys by ever connecting to an Internet-connected device. It's a hell of an education. ## Seed Signer Is For Everybody  Say you work a full time job and didn't spend the majority of your free time learning this stuff during a pandemic. Or maybe you're like my wife. She think's Bitcoin is cool now, but this one time she walked in on me with my Cold Card plugged into a 9v battery and said, "See. I'm never using *whatever the fuck* that thing is. My wife is never removing a Wi-Fi card from a laptop. If you're like my wife, the Seed Signer is right for you, if you want to use multisig. It's also not imperative to use the 9v battery if you don't want to. You can just plug it into a wall outlet like everybody else. I want to start bringing the Seed Signer to my local meetup, but it's at a brewery and I don't want to be a wallflower because I need to plug the damn thing into an outlet so I thought, “Why not try the [Cold Power](https://usbcoldpower.com/) with my Seed Signer?” I found one of my [magnetic micro-USB adapters](https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Micro-USB-Connector-Water-dustproof-antioxidant/dp/B0D2Y4F9FR/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.czIXiLc88NoDXKD5cqfGUojOf-JD766ZLolCTtGJXJxy9B0I-9g9RbLiB95HffRy8-o6Fo-78ijTjcubw93VYwNn9WaFgg9kraKbLDVYEj50RueMTqz75r7ouUMXD_m1YnNWFIEGNmevIO31B8AT6H_CXzK6loS3Em7R96Q-xL24kYO-Ys0WULVpl_OnFm_9_cqOxqAsGpLskXPRKCV7d7I3EYruyQc82ermd_JIZpY.cCmNDmhUM5mhbNY0xoCENKM9Z9cscEe49zAsKzg8UsU&dib_tag=se&keywords=magnetic+micro+usb+adapter&qid=1731162326&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1) and plugged it into the Seed signer, Then I plugged the battery in. My switch is on because the flimsy plastic switch broke the first time I turned it on, but it still works. I just broke it with my fat thumbs. It felt as if it took as long as a difficulty adjustment to boot-up, but in reality it was about the time it takes the Liquid Network to find a block. I proceeded to take a picture and write down a 12 word seed. I plan on using this with the Nunchuck testnet wallet to show people at my local Meetup how to create seeds and take self-custody of their Bitcoin. Again, I would not use this as a single sign because there are more secure options, but it is a great tool for teaching Bitcoin cybersecurity and can be a great wallet that can mitigate the risk of supply-chain and retirement attacks when used as part of a multi-sig quorum. I can also now use it in the middle of a brewery. I'll write about how this goes the next time I get down there. ### Why We Use The Cold Power  I placed one of those magnetic adapters I bought on Amazon into one of the power holes. Power holes is a technical term for microUSB. This is because the Cold Power does hooks up to a cable that does not transmit data, only Power. Get it? It's like a cold wallet, but instead of a wallet, it's a power cable. You hook this cable up to a technology which was invented in 1836, a [battery]. 9V batteries contain no data. It is only Power, but most of us must trust Coinkite. Maybe they programmed the green part to be a bitcoin stealing script. I doubt this and think Coinkite is an honest company, but the awesome sauce thing is, the little magnet I bought on Amazon does not allow the transmittal of data. I don't need to plug in a charger that might be compromised. This might sound paranoid, but in [Tools of Titans](https://www.amazon.com/Tools-Titans-Billionaires-World-Class-Performers/dp/1328683788), [Samy Kamkar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samy_Kamkar), malware has even been found in cigarette lighter chargers. Imagine a fix of nicotine costing you you entire life savings. That's not likely to happen, but why take a chance? It's better to spend several thousand [sats](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/satoshi.asp) on a charger and a 9v battery than lose your whole stack. According to [Wired Magazine](https://www.wired.com/story/infrared-laser-microphone-keystroke-surveillance/), he can also learn the keystrokes you're typing on your laptop keyboard through a window. This means typing a seed onto a laptop might not be the best idea even if you are afraid of this. It is better to take a picture and use the entropy from the random picture. #### Powering The Seed Signer With A Coinkite Product Seed Signer and NVK, the CEO of Coinkite seem to have some beef on [nostr](https://nostr.com/), but it's none of my business. The part I find interesting is a product made by Coinkite works with a product made by Seed Signer. This was made for the Cold Card, but it works with a hardware wallet made from someone else. Too bad politics isn't more like that. It's nice to see two rival companies make products that are compatible with each other, but that's just the way free and open source software like bitcoin is. Seeds from Coinkite can be used with the Seed Signer. Maybe that's okay if it's only $1,000 worth of bitcoin on the Seed Signer. You don't need to go to Defcon 5 for every single sat. It's not practical. Sure, if the NSA was after you and wanted to steal your $1,000 worth of bitcoin from you, they could probably do it. Why would they spend ten thousand dollars to do this to you? This is not in most people's threat models. **Wait...Then why do you need to use the 9v battery thing-a-ma-jig?** I technically don't need to , but we could also use this for a multi-signature quorum? What if you took your wallet to a safe deposit box, but the vault does not have a plug?  I created this key with no power outlet at all. This means I could do this in the middle of Alaska where there's no cell phones, where you only need to worry about bears stealing your seed phrase... That's a bit much, but it's possible. I was not able to take a picture on the same battery charge so You might want to use a fresh battery if you ever try this yourself. Thanks for reading.  - If you like this blogs with no swear words, send sats to **marc26z@strike.me/** - If you like this blog with swear words, send sats to **marc@npub.pro/** ✌️ [npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0no](nostr:npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0) [869,719](https://mempool.marcleon.work/block/0000000000000000000173e894282485050b6113e984bafb9a1931dd62e38553) As Seen On TIR: http://p66dxywd2xpyyrdfxwilqcxmchmfw2ixmn2vm74q3atf22du7qmkihyd.onion/use-a-seed-signer-with-cold-power/

Handshake is a decentralized, permissionless naming protocol where every peer is validating and in charge of managing the root DNS naming zone with the goal of creating an alternative to existing Certificate Authorities and naming systems. Names on the internet (top level domains, social networking handles, etc.) ultimately rely upon centralized actors with full control over a system which are relied upon to be honest, as they are vulnerable to hacking, censorship, and corruption. Handshake aims to experiment with new ways the internet can be more secure, resilient, and socially useful with a peer-to-peer system validated by the network's participants. By running Handshake, one can participate in a decentralized open naming platform secured by a decentralized peer-to-peer network. https://github.com/handshake-org https://github.com/imperviousinc/fingertip https://handshake.org/

## Drumroll, please.... In a previous article, I introduced the concept of [relay communities](nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzplfq3m5v3u5r0q9f255fdeyz8nyac6lagssx8zy4wugxjs8ajf7pqydhwumn8ghj7argv4nx7un9wd6zumn0wd68yvfwvdhk6tcpr3mhxue69uhhg6r9vd5hgctyv4kzumn0wd68yvfwvdhk6tcqp5cnwvesxcunjwpcxymrsvgwmj66e). The ink had barely dried, on that set of instructions, before one of my favorite Nostr devs, [ثعبان](nostr:nprofile1qythwumn8ghj7enjv4h8xtnwdaehgu339e3k7mf0qy88wumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmv9uqzqla9dawkjc4trc7dgf88trpsq2uxvhmmpkxua607nc5g6a634sv598gk68), rolled out the alpha version of a relay-community client.  Obviously, it's still a bit of a construction site, but you can check out how it'd work, for your community, by test-driving the functionality on your own relay. Simply type _https://chachi.chat/_ followed by the name of your relay. For instance, one gigantic relay community, where nearly everyone can try out the functionality, is [nos.lol](https://chachi.chat/nos.lol). If your relay community does not require AUTH to read, anyone can pull your chatter into their own relay and respond to it there. That is because every chat entry is simply a kind 09 event, and unprotected events are not private data. For instance, I moderate one community [theforest.nostr1.com](https://chachi.chat/theforest.nostr1.com), that is openly readable, and that's probably where most of the chatter on [nostr.band](https://chachi.chat/relay.nostr.band) is coming from, as that relay is an aggregator of the content of many other relays. However, I have another community, [gitcitadel.nostr1.com](https://chachi.chat/gitcitadel.nostr1.com) that is AUTH-protected, whose content stays private to those allowed on that relay. Communities are where write-protected and AUTH relays are going to really shine, as they create an environment similar to Telegram, but where you control the dataset, you decide which types of events to support, and you design the client, the algos, the moderation, the visibility, etc. With communities, **the onboarding experience is seamless**: just get a browser extension and a nsec, login, start writing and posting, and _start receiving responses_. Active, chatty, well-moderated communities will be more attractive to onboard to, than chaotic, spammy, or empty communities. This means that you don't have to have the killer entry under "Posts" (where kind 11 and eventually kind 01 posts appear), just to get some interaction. Chat is the Great Equalizer. So, we're testing both setups, with [cloudfodder](nostr:nprofile1qyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcpzfmhxue69uhkummnw3eryvfwvdhk6tcqyp7vx29q3hdj4l0elxl800hlfjp538le09epsf7k9zj59ue2y37qu84upun) adjusting the relay faucet code and ثعبان is fiddling with the community client settings, to make the most-comfortable situation for both kinds.  ## This is the signal This #Chachi client, of course, is merely the first horse out of the gate. There are already other devs hacking away at variants of the same concept, such as [#Flotilla](https://flotilla.coracle.social/), I'm sure CloudFodder is also cooking, later versions of #Alexandria will integrate theforest community, and etc. etc. etc. It remains to be seen, how many new use cases can be dreamt up, with this new architecture, but I am quite certain, that this is the beginning of the end of Nostr 1.0. We are moving up and out, and away from the stultifying and limiting concept of Twitter 2.0, toward  Soon, we will enter Nostr 2.0. See you on the other side.

##### What do you even print with it besides decorative objects? This kind of question still is a common one when talking about 3d printing. With this series of long-form notes I will show you some of the practical and useful 3d printed things, that I use a lot. The second thing I show you is a "Swiss Keyholder" ## Swiss Keyholder There are many designs of such a Keyholder to download and print. As this is one of the first prints I have done in ABS back in 2014 on a "Up!Mini" 3d printer I can't find where I downloaded it. I like the slim design and that I don't have any "loose" keys in my pocket. It is just tidy in my pocket. This is probably the most used print of mine. Edit: You can download the file here: [Thingiverse](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:98427) 

## You have no idea I regularly read comments from people, on here, wondering how it's possible to marry -- or even simply be friends! -- with someone who doesn't agree with you on politics. I see this sentiment expressed quite often, usually in the context of Bitcoin, or whatever _pig is currently being chased through the village_, as they say around here.  It seems rather sensible, but I don't think it's as hard, as people make it out to be. Further, I think it's a dangerous precondition to set, for your interpersonal relationships, because the political field is constantly in flux. If you determine who you will love, by their opinions, do you stop loving them if their opinions change, or if the opinions they have become irrelevant and a new set of opinions are needed -- and their new ones don't match your new ones? We could see this happen to relationships en masse, during the Covid Era, and I think it happens every day, in a slow grind toward the disintegration of interpersonal discourse. I suspect many people do stop loving, at that point, as they never really loved the other person for their own sake, they loved the other person because they thought the other person was exactly like they are. But no two people are alike, and the longer you are in a relationship with someone else, the more the initial giddiness wears off and the trials and tribulations add up, the more you notice how very different you actually are. This is the point, where best friends and romantic couples say, _We just grew apart._ But you were always apart. You were always two different people. You just didn't notice, until now.  I've also always been surprised at how many same-party relationships disintegrate because of some disagreement over some particular detail of some particular topic, that they generally agree on. To me, it seems like an irrelevant side-topic, but _they can't stand to be with this person_... and they stomp off. So, I tend to think that it's less that opinions need to align to each other, but rather that opinions need to align in accordance with the level of interpersonal tolerance they can bring into the relationship. ## I was raised by relaxed revolutionaries Maybe I see things this way because my parents come from two diverging political, cultural, national, and ethnic backgrounds, and are prone to disagreeing about a lot of "important" (to people outside their marriage) things, but still have one of the healthiest, most-fruitful, and most long-running marriages of anyone I know, from that generation. My parents, you see, aren't united by their opinions. They're united by their relationship, which is something _outside_ of opinions. Beyond opinions. Relationships are what turn two different people into one, cohesive unit, so that they slowly grow together. Eventually, even their faces merge, and their biological clocks tick to the same rhythm. They eventually become one entity that contains differing opinions about the same topics. It's like magic, but it's the result of a mindset, not a worldview. Or, as I like to quip: > The best way to stay married, is to not get divorced.  My parents simply determined early on, that they would stay together, and whenever they would find that they disagreed on something that _didn't directly pertain to their day-to-day existence with each other_ they would just agree-to-disagree about that, or roll their eyes, and move on. You do you. Live and let live. My parents have some of the most strongly held personal opinions of any people I've ever met, but they're also incredibly tolerant and can get along with nearly anyone, so their friends are a confusing hodgepodge of _people we liked and found interesting enough to keep around_. Which makes their house parties really fun, and highly unusual, in this day and age of mutual-damnation across the aisle.  The things that did affect them, directly, like which school the children should attend or which country they should live in, etc. were things they'd sit down and discuss, and somehow one opinion would emerge, and they'd again... move on. And that's how my husband and I also live our lives, and it's been working surprisingly well. No topics are off-limits to discussion (so long as you don't drone on for too long), nobody has to give up deeply held beliefs, or stop agitating for the political decisions they prefer. You see, we didn't like that the other always had the same opinion. We liked that the other always held their opinions strongly. That they were passionate about their opinions. That they were willing to voice their opinions; sacrifice to promote their opinions. And that they didn't let anyone browbeat or cow them, for their opinions, not even their best friends or their spouse. But that they were open to listening to the other side, and trying to wrap their mind around the possibility that they _might just be wrong about something_.  We married each other because we knew: this person really cares, this person has thought this through, and they're in it, to win it. What "it" is, is mostly irrelevant, so long as it doesn't entail torturing small animals in the basement, or raising the children on a diet of Mountain Dew and porn, or something. Live and let live. At least, it's never boring. At least, there's always something to ~~argue~~ talk about. At least, we never think... we've just grown apart.

# The case against edits Direct edits are a centralizing force on Nostr, a slippery slope that should not be accepted. Edits are fine in other, more specialized event kinds, but the `kind:1` space shouldn't be compromised with such a push towards centralization, because [`kind:1` is the public square of Nostr, where all focus should be on decentralization and censorship-resistance](cd8ce2b7). - _Why?_ Edits introduce too much complexity. If edits are widespread, all clients now have to download dozens of extra events at the same time while users are browsing a big feed of notes which are already coming from dozens of different relays using complicated outbox-model-based querying, then for each event they have to open yet another subscription to these relays -- or perform some other complicated batching of subscriptions which then requires more complexity on the event handling side and then when associating these edits with the original events. I can only imagine this will hurt apps performance, but it definitely raises the barrier to entry and thus necessarily decreases Nostr decentralization. Some clients may be implemneted in way such that they download tons of events and then store them in a local databases, from which they then construct the feed that users see. Such clients may make edits potentially easier to deal with -- but this is hardly an answer to the point above, since such clients are already more complex to implement in the first place. - _What do you have against complex clients?_ The point is not to say that all clients should be simple, but that it should be simple to write a client -- or at least as simple as physically possible. You may not be thinking about it, but if you believe in the promise of Nostr then we should expect to see Nostr feeds in many other contexts other than on a big super app in a phone -- we should see Nostr notes being referenced from and injected in unrelated webpages, unrelated apps, hardware devices, comment sections and so on. All these micro-clients will have to implement some complicated edit-fetching logic now? - _But aren't we already fetching likes and zaps and other things, why not fetch edits too?_ Likes, zaps and other similar things are optional. It's perfectly fine to use Nostr without seeing likes and/or zaps -- and, believe me, it does happen quite a lot. The point is basically that likes or zaps don't affect the content of the main post at all, while edits do. - _But edits are optional!_ No, they are not optional. If edits become widespread they necessarily become mandatory. Any client that doesn't implement edits will be displaying false information to its users and their experience will be completely broken. - _That's fine, as people will just move to clients that support edits!_ Exactly, that is what I expect to happen too, and this is why I am saying edits are a centralizing force that we should be fighting against, not embracing. If you understand that edits are a centralizing force, then you must automatically agree that they aren't a desirable feature, given that if you are reading this now, with Nostr being so small, there is a 100% chance you care about decentralization and you're not just some kind of lazy influencer that is only doing this for money. - _All other social networks support editing!_ This is not true at all. Bluesky has 10x more users than Nostr and doesn't support edits. Instagram doesn't support editing pictures after they're posted, and doesn't support editing comments. Tiktok doesn't support editing videos or comments after they're posted. YouTube doesn't support editing videos after they're posted. Most famously, email, the most widely used and widespread "social app" out there, does not support edits of any kind. Twitter didn't support edits for the first 15 years of its life, and, although some people complained, it didn't hurt the platform at all -- arguably it benefitted it. If edits are such a straightforward feature to add that won't hurt performance, that won't introduce complexity, and also that is such an essential feature users could never live without them, then why don't these centralized platforms have edits on everything already? There must be something there. - _Eventually someone will implement edits anyway, so why bother to oppose edits now?_ Once Nostr becomes big enough, maybe it will be already shielded from such centralizing forces by its sheer volume of users and quantity of clients, maybe not, we will see. All I'm saying is that we shouldn't just push for bad things now just because of a potential future in which they might come. - _The market will decide what is better._ The market has decided for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. If we were to follow what the market had decided we wouldn't be here, and you wouldn't be reading this post. - _OK, you have convinced me, edits are not good for the protocol. But what do we do about the users who just want to fix their typos?_ There are many ways. The annotations spec, for example, provides a simple way to append things to a note without being a full-blown edit, and they fall back gracefully to normal replies in clients that don't implement the full annotations spec. Eventually we could have annotations that are expressed in form of simple (human-readable?) diffs that can be applied directly to the post, but fall back, again, to comments. Besides these, a very simple idea that wasn't tried yet on Nostr yet is the idea that has been tried for emails and seems to work very well: delaying a post after the "submit" button is clicked and giving the user the opportunity to cancel and edit it again before it is actually posted. Ultimately, if edits are so necessary, then maybe we could come up with a way to implement edits that is truly optional and falls back cleanly for clients that don't support them directly and don't hurt the protocol very much. Let's think about it and not rush towards defeat.

## The newspaper barons are all into crypto, now Watching the outsized-impact we crypto enthusiasts (I'm including Bitcoin in that category), had on the 2024 USA presidential election, was a sobering affair. At the moment, our impact is primarily over the voting box, but, already, indirectly, (over Elon Musik, Donald Trump, and Jack Dorsey, etc.) through our sheer wealth (and the ingenuity that brought us that wealth) being able to influence the voting population, by changing/shifting the communications channels and influencing what is written there. Elon even reached deep into his foreign-learned bag of political tricks and started [handing out money, directly](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlnjzzk919o), to petition signers.  ## Survival of the fittest, ongoing Now, you all know that I have full respect for an expert player, when I see one, so no hating the hustle, from my side. We all play the hand we are dealt, and the political game is now such a pigsty, that you have to get a bit dirty, to have a chance at winning. Trying to stay neat and above the fray cost Republicans the last election.  It was the most dramatic display of the greatest power following the best money, that has been seen, since the Medici family began minting gold coins. The entire world is in shock. Change is upon us. He who has the best money, makes the rules. On a smaller, but not insignificant scale, private wealth and access to Bitcoin funding, have allowed quite a few of us Nostriches, to dedicate time and energy toward promoting and developing the New Internet. Whereas, other people's hobby is increasingly the night shift at the gas station, or doing something mind-numbing, to escape the realities of their current economic misery. You don't need money to be here, but you can spend more time here, if you have money. And we are here, writing the rules. We call them NIPs.  ## Same ole, same ole But back to us Bitcoiners... I increasingly don't see us morally any different than the clever people crowding into any safe asset, during any financial crisis. Like the people who bought agricultural land, gold, and Swiss Francs, before the Reichsmark melted down. The people who had that stuff, mostly managed to keep it, and their children and grandchildren have inherited it. Or they managed to marry back into families, that have done so, by remaining in the same social class, through beauty or talent.  We Bitcoiners have a good narrative to go along with our flight to economic safety, but everyone has that narrative. Humans have a conscience and need to justify their own actions, to themselves. I'm also a goldbug, you see, and a stockholder, and all three assets are rife with the same virtuous narrative. ## How do we save our financial behinds, without being evil? Some people are simply more situationally aware and have more agency, by nature and circumstances, and they adapt faster. It's not mere intelligence, rather, it also requires a willingness to act and take risks. There's an element of chance to it, but it's still always the same types of people ending up with the assets, with the winners slightly shifting with each round, due to evolution and changes in the environment. Charity was invented, to get such people to willingly share their assets, or the fruits of their assets, for the common good. So, rather than fret over the morality of the asset, itself, the better response is to consider stepping up your charity (effort or payments), to balance out the inevitable negative impact of the coming _Age of Bitcoin Inequality_.  ## Coming down from the ATH Even now, Bitcoin isn't the only safe asset; it's just the most-fungible and partitionable one, so that it's the one most akin to money. And lines are being blurred, as corporations, funds, governments, and insurers discharge dollars and stock up on harder reserve assets, including Bitcoin. They can hear the money printers rolling out, already, because nobody can print-n-spend, like Trump can. Let's not forget that the money for the last big bump came from the infamous Trump stimmy checks, that lots of us stacked on crypto.  As Bitcoin flows into such markets, the power will rest with both groups (the direct-hodlers and the title-holders), although the hodlers will initially have the upper hand. I say, _initially_ because many hodlers will need to discharge or invest Bitcoin, to live off of it, but the others don't need to, so it should eventually even out. It could take dozens or even hundreds of years to rebalance. By then, the world will be a very different place, and we don't know if Bitcoin will even still be a part of it. Assets come, assets go, and I'm just glad I didn't let down my forefathers, by leaving them with the first generation, who failed to adapt. Even if I'm a bit late, to the Bitcoin game, the ball is still in play. May the best money win. And may it be mine. And may I do good with it.

## Unsucking the feed is real As a Nostrich with an interesting, thought-provoking, and informative feed... a feed so good, that we're creating clients just to look at that feed... a feed that puts a lie to the idea that Nostr is nothing, but people reposting from Twitter or rehashing worn-out Bitcoin memes... a feed that I personally and increasingly enjoy perusing... I am here to tell you that the feed is real.  It's taken me over a year, to produce this feed. I literally spent hours and hours, day in and day out, scouring the Nostrverse for people worth introducing other people to. It was brutally difficult, as I was fighting the inherent nature of the Nostr clients and relays, in their current, most-popular form. ## It goes like so... Here are the steps I took, that sometimes weren't possible to take, until I tried to take them, and that still will sometimes break your client because the clients are often _intentionally_ designed to steer you into having one particular feed: 1) **Make a screenshot** of your current relay list and copy your follows list. 2) **Unsubscribe from all the relays**, that you are currently subscribed to. Your feed should disappear. If it doesn't, or it doesn't allow for this, switch to a different client app because yours is corrupted. 3) **Unfollow everyone.** Delete the whole list. You are taking your follows private, which will invariably result in only following npubs whose stuff you actually want to see, since there's no longer any virtue-signaling going on. Also, it's easier to explain having no list, than a very short one. If your client doesn't allow for this, or starts throwing error messages and freezing up, then switch to a different client app because yours is corrupted. 4) **Curate your copied follows list.** Go line by line and look at the feed produced by the npub on that list. * Do you want to see that in your feed, going forward? * Do they produce original content and/or are they interesting conversationalists, in the replies? * Have they been active, within the past three months? * Are they simply good friends or real-life acquaintances, that you want to keep tabs on? * If not, cross out their name. * If you have been following someone because they repost or quote interesting things, **look at who they've been reposting** and follow them, instead. 5) Of the npubs remaining on your list, go through and select the 10 most interesting ones, and **look at the reposts and quotes** in their feed, and their topical lists like \"Favorites\", \"Devs\", \"Recipes\", etc. (Not their follows list, unless it's quite short, as follows tend to be full of people they follow for social-signaling or client-functional reasons, that they don't actively look at.) Find some new follows, there. 6) Now, set up a personal relay and add all the follows, that made the cut, to **your allowed-npubs list**. Do not add people to the list, just to make them feel better, or because you feel guilty, as they follow you, or to keep them from yelling at you. Remember, they can't see the list! 7) Think about the topics you find interesting, and add an **allowed-keywords list** (this is better than hashtags, as it searches the entire content of the notes), with the OR operator (these allowed npubs OR these allowed topics). 8) Make sure that you choose words likely to find the content you are most-interested in, and not people just ranting about it or spamming (those are great additions to your relay's block-list). If you are Muslim, for instance, instead of "Islam" or "shariah", choose "hadith" or "riba", as those are words more-likely to be used by people who know what they are talking about. If you are into bread baking, add "sourdough", "rye", "yeast", or "whisk", but don't add "bread" or "carbs". Once a note from those people shows up in your feed, and their feed looks like someone interesting, you can add their npub to your allow list. Remember: **The topics are there to find people to add to the allow list**, not merely for their own sake, as this is not a topical relay, but a personal one. 9) Open up a faucet (or relay syncing) with some of the big relays you previously unsubscribed from, some WoT relays, and some of the paid relays (nostr.land, nostr.wine, nostr21.com, and sovbit.host, for example). **Your relay will filter that feed** and only accept the events from the people and topics on your list. As your relay becomes more popular, npubs will begin writing directly to it, and the connections to other relays will sink in significance. 10) Go to your client of choice and **subscribe to your new relay**. Also subscribe to some topical relays, or curated neighborhood relays, you find interesting or your frens are running. This is an easy way to find new, interesting npubs, to add to your own relay.  That's a lot of work, you say? Yes, but the result is great, and you are now fully in-charge of your own feed. You also -- here's the cool part -- have a feed good enough, that other people can add your feed to theirs and enjoy your manual curation. As you refine and expand your feed, theirs will also be refined, in parallel. You are now an official Nostr Community Curator. My sincere congratulations.  ## Why is this so hard? This is only a lot of work because the clients aren't designed to interact with relays, to this extent, as they were created to service mega-relays, download all their crap to your local cache, and adjust the feed over the follows/mutes lists. This was an idea borne of the axiom that Relays Are Hard, so there will only ever be a handful of them, where we'd all clump together and the relay operators would never judge the quality of someone's content. Then, some unusually clever people made relays increasingly easy, and the mailbox communication model was invented, and here we are. What we have now, and that is slowly growing in popularity, among the #NostrIntelligentsia, are Nostr clients aimed at curating and viewing individual relays or personalized sets of smaller or more-specialized relays. The reigning client devs refused to give us those clients, and most of us aren't up to developing our own clients, so the relay devs took matters into their own hands and made the clients themselves. The free market remains undefeated. This is a total game-changer. Last one to board this train is a rotten egg. Originally, relays were supposed to be completely stupid and clients were supposed to be completely smart, but it's now actually the other way around, because most relay devs have a market-born incentive to make their content highly customizable and appealing to individuals (so that more people run relays). ## But what about algos? Can't you just slap an algo on top of Damus, Lol, or Primal relays, and get the same result? I would argue... no. No, you can't. Or, rather, only in the short to medium term. Running your own relay, is running your own server. You are now _intellectually independent_, at a machine-level, and therefore a fully sovereign consumer. If you then use algos to control your own server, or in a client that subscribes to your own server, then you can further-refine a feed that is already in a high-to-you-signal state, rather than risking an algo inching you toward the Consensus Feed. I have noticed that my own feed is slowly drifting away from the ReplyGuy-Cryptobot-Porny-Bitcoin-Meme Dumpster Fire, that almost everyone else is looking at, and it's due to running my own relay. If I use DVMs, those algos sometimes refer to relays I intentionally avoid, so they return results according to those relays. The results are as underwhelming, as you would expect, and often are simply 31 flavors of the Trending List. But, that isn't your problem, anymore. From here, you can actively expand and refine your feed, over your whitelist, the topics, and your personally-managed algos. Happy Nostr-ing!

I'm writing a long form post from the Yakihonne app I downloaded from the Aurora store. I signed in using [Amber](https://github.com/greenart7c3/Amber). This means I never needed to enter my private key into the app. I also didn't provide an email, nor password. [This is a link to Clark Moody's Dashboard](https://bitcoin.clarkmoody.com/dashboard/) I made by clicking a button and pasting the link. This post won't be too long as I'm testing the software out, but it's not so bad for being so new. It even let's you save drafts. https://nostree.me/marc26z@nostrplebs.com/ [869,210](https://mempool.marc26z.com/block/0000000000000000000116e78048df1fe8c8bc1b10fe3665e88d05147ffb2dc5)

The understanding of a caregiver and healthcare advocate for my mom. I have been involved in one way or another in the insurance business for a long time. I run a small insurance brokerage which primarily caters to my family and friends of friends. In that role, we perform a needs assessment with prospective clients' & family members to understand what keeps them up at night to help them build a tailor fitted protection plan for their families. As part of that process I get a good sense of one’s financial obligations, specific cultural and family values that need to be factored and a general indication of their health status. However, in the most recent year, I have been unexpectedly thrust into (and gladly accepted) the role of caregiver and health care advocate for my mom. As her dementia is quite severe and had been getting worse until recently. That combined with a series of strokes she experienced earlier this year, has left her unable to retain her independence and live by herself. As such, I’ve had to understand the inner workings of aspects of the insurance industry that apply to older people that I was quite unfamiliar with. One of the most poignant observations while on this journey for my mom’s complete recovery became clear to me about two weeks ago when we met with mom’s neurologist where we both met her for the first time after 7 months of trying to get a visit. There is a 4 month lead time to get an appointment and we missed one in June (work emergencies back home in PA). Hence, the rescheduled appointment 4 months later which was about 2 weeks ago. Before I describe that visit, I need to explain what my experience has been working with the 6+ different medical specialists and mom’s PCP has been like for me. The healthcare professionals I've encountered have been a mixed bag, of mostly kind, genuinely caring, overworked and underappreciated professionals. This accounts for >95% of my encounters with healthcare workers most recently. Many of these healthcare institutions still use fax machines and mostly operate on 1990s tech. Healthcare workers are graded regularly not so much on the quality of the healthcare they provide to their patients, but how well they follow the rules that have been established by whichever governance body regulates the important incentives. If you know anyone that works in the healthcare industry and are able to follow the incentives, it doesn’t take much clicking and googling to see that it’s usually big pharma at the tail end of their incentive structure. It’s my subjective opinion most (>95%) of the people in healthcare want to and believe they are doing the right thing. However, they are so overwhelmed, they sometimes don’t see the irony in their recommendations (a topic for another essay) or behavior that often leaves me baffled and wondering (out loud sometimes) “did they just say that”. With that said, it is of this 95% I speak of in this essay, the genuinely caring but overworked and under appreciated healthcare providers. From the physician’s assistants, to the doctors, specialists, nurses and so on. How the visits typically play out. We’re waiting for an hour or more to be seen (even with an appointment on the books). Eventually, someone will come out to the waiting area to call my mom’s name and from there we are escorted to a private observation room. In the observation room we’ll sit and wait some more, sometimes just a few minutes other times longer. After a few minutes, if we are lucky, someone else (presumably a nurse or PA) comes in to ask a few questions, checks mom’s vitals and make a few notes in her chart/records. Sometimes moments “lay - tor” [spoken in a thick french accent] the actual doctor comes in. Other times we may be waiting an additional 30 minutes or more in the observation room. The actual time spent with the doctor once they meet us in the observation room is usually 5-10 minutes depending on the office, then we are off to scheduling and referrals to get future appointments scheduled and on the books. The whole event from the time we walk into the office to departure is usually less than 2 hours. But, it’s OK if it ends up being a little longer as I always budget these appointments for 4 hours. Otherwise, the day’s schedule begins to fall apart, I miss meetings, calls and other demands on my time and stress ensues and I don’t like this type of stress. Getting back to the point of this essay, mom’s neurologist. We were waiting in the observation room by ourselves for what seemed to be a good 20 minutes, so I decided to quickly run out to the car and check on Wiggles. She had been out in the car making sure the AC was working for about an hour and a half at that point. Sure enough the neurologist showed up while I was away. She entered the observation room to find my mom, by herself (and nonverbal). The doctor was somewhat confused and was looking around for someone to ask about my mom and get a sense of what she was supposed to be doing to/with her. Arriving in time to see the neuro with a crayon and scratch pad in hand attempting to hand it over to my mom in hopes she would be able to say/explain herself in writing. It was more funny than anything. You have to know my mom to understand her attitude about a lot of what is going on around her. As my mom watched the neuro with crayon and paper in hand, she was likely thinking “I am old, retired, I only have to do things I want to do, and pen and paper sounds an awful lot like work. So, you can keep it and I’ll wait for my son. Some additional context about this doctor's office. I would consider it one of the larger ones in the area, highly recommended, this is a very busy office with many employees hurriedly bustling about the hallways and bouncing from one observation room to another. Back to the observation room. The neuro was likely alone with mom for just a moment before I returned from the doggy in the car check. I expected this doctor visit to be like the rest and that I was going to get maybe 2 minutes with this doctor and she would be off seconds later to the next patient and observation room. But that was not all the case. The neurologist engaged with my mom for a period, probably a good 15-20 minutes, without and prior to barely acknowledging I was even in the room. This is likely procedural, their way of making sure my mom is not a victim or being abused in some form. This was unusual, but oddly appreciated. But, most importantly my mom’s neurologist educated me on a few things regarding my mom’s health and spent almost an hour with us altogether. My mom’s neuro got more context around my mom and her lifestyle leading to this delicate state in her health. More than any other doctor my mom had been seeing. I can tell the neuro was slightly impressed or entertained (hard to tell the difference sometimes) that I understood what my mom was saying. Observing my mom and I interact as an outsider does look weird to people when in public and add to that visual a cane corso usually in a sit position right beside us. Self-admittedly, even funnier when she is scolding me about something I am doing or asking her to do. I digress! At the end of mom’s neuro visit, the doctor gave us her office and personal information so that I may contact her day/night/weekend for anything “you don’t have to wait for business hours if you have any questions or if any health concerns should arise.” While I have not tested those numbers to confirm their validity, I do believe she was being genuine in her gesture. In conclusion, and all that to say, It was overall the best doctor visit I’ve had with respect to this situation I find myself in with my mom. Don’t get me wrong, all the other doctors mean well. But the bandwidth simply isn’t there. As such, this is not a judgment on all the beautiful and caring people that have cared for my mom and countless others in the past and into the future. These are just the facts from these boots on the ground as I see it. As for the brain damage to my mom’s left frontal lobe, it has diminished slightly and continues to shrink. It’s not all permanently damaged. But, there is no knowing at her age (86) how much repair we can expect or whether her speech will ever return. But my family and I are optimistic. As for mom’s speech or lack there of, a little peace and quiet never killed anyone. In many ways, mom is lucky because I sometimes wish I didn’t have to speak. I miss those days often. But being in Florida, especially now, is more important, so we are good with what needs to be done. As for mom’s neurologist, I will do something nice for her. The next appointment is in February, let’s hope I don’t have to use that private number before then. Mom’s neuro might have the initials of KBMD, but that’s just a guess. #BrainThings #LivingWithLala #caregiver #doctors #neurologist

Today is Election Day here in the US, and it's a big deal. As of now, this is my bet on the vote: <a href="https://www.270towin.com/maps/Z4y6z"><img src="https://www.270towin.com/map-images/Z4y6z.png" width="800"></a> For myself, as I did in 2020, I will be voting for Donald Trump. My biggest reasons for this are as follows: 1. Dismantling the bureaucracy. 2. Financial Freedom 3. Food Freedom There are others, but those are my top three. For me, the fact that unelected bureaucrats essentially run our government (Joe Biden is still our President right now, though no one has seen or heard from him in months) is our largest red flag. I think it is our biggest priority to return to a place where the people we elect to run our government _actually_ run our government. Trump swung and missed on this in his first term, but with his commitment to RFK and having people on his side like Vivek, I do not think he will sing and miss this time. Next is financial freedom. The Biden-Harris administration has been incredibly hostile to what I am calling financial freedom. They mostly got their policies from the Warren camp, which hates digital currencies. Being a part of Bitcoin startups for most of the Biden admin, I have seen this first hand. [Operation Chokepoint 2.0](https://www.piratewires.com/p/crypto-choke-point) was a real thing and it was scary living through it. Actively seeing the government try to de-bank you was something I never would have thought was possible in the 'Land of the Free.' The fact that the gov could de-bank you at all was an even bigger catalyst of how necessary a neutral, open, digital, and global money was critical for not only freedom itself, but our future. Trump _clearly_ is the better candidate regarding this. Yes, he may have launched a [grifting shitcoin](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/16/trump-crypto-world-liberty-financial.html), but he doesn't want my industry — and financial freedom itself — dead. This is a no-brainer. Andreessen Horowitz had a great [podcast](https://youtu.be/n_sNclEgQZQ?si=bwHh8jD2LVOYXVrS) summarizing this that is worth the listen. It sums up where I sit as opposed to the current administration. Trump has also promised to [free Ross](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/25/trump-commute-ross-ulbricht-sentence-libertarian-convention-00160025), which is _absolutely_ necessary. Last is food freedom. I think the US is going the absolute wrong direction when it comes to health and food. In the name of saving animals and climate, food guidelines have been captured by this horrible, anti-human ideology. I personally think it's not only necessary but _good_ for humans to eat lots of beef and just meat in general. So much of what we've been told about nutrition and cholesterol is blatantly wrong. Only one side of the aisle is trying to mandate this in the name of 'science.' I think they are wrong. There is also only one side of the aisle that is anti-seed oils. I haven't eaten seed oils for almost four years, and bringing that mainstream, I think, is incredibly important. RFK is leading the way here. Trump putting him in a position of power to 'Make America Healthy Again,' I believe, is a fantastic initiative and one that is at the forefront for me for this election.

* I published a blog **1 year later, why Nostr still resonates** [https://nostrver.se/blog/1-year-later-why-nostr-still-resonates](https://nostrver.se/blog/1-year-later-why-nostr-still-resonates)  * This blog is also cross-posted to Nostr: [link here](nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqpnrnguxe8qszsshvgkvhn6qjzxy7xsvx03rlrtddr62haj4lrm3qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qghwaehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnw3ezucnpdejz7qpxxykhjetpwgkkcct5v4ez6amg0ykkummnw3ez6um5d9kxcttjv4ek7mnpw3jhx2pskd0) * I'm running a promenade signer  * I've worked out some Nostr the protocol explained sketches   * Did some improvements on the relay response handling in the websocket client within the Nostr-PHP library * Worked on integrating the TLV part of NIP-19 which is a struggle in the Nostr-PHP library

## Chef's notes 2 cups pureed pumpkin 2 cups white sugar 3 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 cups flour 1/4 cup chopped pecans Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a bread pan with olive oil. Mix all ingredients minus nuts, leaving the flour for last, and adding it in 2 parts. Stir until combined. Pour the batter into the bread pan and sprinkle chopped nuts down the middle of the batter, lenghtwise. Bake for an hour and ten minutes or until a knife insert in the middle of the pan comes out clean. Allow bread to cool in the pan for five mintes, then use knife to loosen the edges of the loaf and pop out of the pan. Rest on a rack or plate until cool enough to slice. Spread bread slices with Plugra butter and serve. https://cookeatloveshare.com/pumpkin-bread/ ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 30 minutes - 🍳 Cook time: 1 hour and ten minutes - 🍽️ Servings: 6 ## Ingredients - See Chef's Notes ## Directions 1. See Chef's Notes

#### 1. **Tides Exist Because of the Moon’s Gravitational Pull** - The tides we see every day are caused by the moon’s gravitational influence on Earth’s oceans. This undeniable, observable phenomenon lines up perfectly with Earth’s rotation and spherical shape. On a flat Earth, you wouldn’t get these reliable tidal shifts. Ignoring this fact requires either not paying attention or just not caring about the truth. #### 2. **Satellites Don’t “Float on Balloons”** - Every single day, satellites orbit Earth, allowing us GPS, global internet, and instant communication worldwide. Their paths follow predictable orbits only possible because Earth is round. The idea that these are “ballooned” is laughable nonsense—without orbits, we’d have no satellite data at all. If you think thousands of satellites are held up by helium balloons, then you’re blind to reality. #### 3. **Star Movements in the Hemispheres Prove a Round Earth** - If you live in the northern hemisphere, stars appear to rotate counterclockwise around the North Star; in the southern hemisphere, they rotate clockwise around the Southern Cross. This is real, observable, and doesn’t happen on a flat Earth map. Pretending otherwise is just lying to yourself. #### 4. **Eclipses and Shadows Don’t Lie** - During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s round shadow crosses the moon. Period. It’s visible, predictable, and impossible to deny unless you’re just making things up. Solar eclipses happen at specific times and locations based on Earth’s spherical geometry—events no “flat map” could ever explain. #### 5. **Radio Waves Hit the Horizon, End of Story** - Radio waves, particularly in the VHF range, travel in straight lines, which means they get blocked by Earth’s curvature. That’s why radio towers can only broadcast within a limited range before the signals are cut off by the horizon. You won’t get this on a flat plane—period. Denying it means ignoring science altogether. #### 6. **Airplanes Lit from Below Prove Curvature** - Watch an airplane at sunset, and you’ll see it lit from underneath as the sun dips below the horizon. On a flat Earth, that would be impossible. The only way this works is if Earth has curvature. If you can’t see that, you’re deliberately closing your eyes. #### 7. **Long-Distance Sailing Doesn’t Work on a Flat Map** - Navigating around Antarctica aligns perfectly with Earth’s spherical geometry. Every mile sailed, every route taken around the globe fits. A flat map would leave distances skewed, rendering long-distance voyages chaotic and inaccurate. Flat Earth “theorists” can’t answer this without throwing logic out the window. #### 8. **24-Hour Sunlight at the Poles Proves We’re on a Globe** - During the summer, Antarctica experiences continuous sunlight for 24 hours. This is a direct result of Earth’s tilt and spherical shape. There’s no explanation for this on a flat Earth. Refusing to acknowledge this is pure ignorance. #### 9. **The International Space Station (ISS) Exists and Is Visible** - Thousands of people watch the ISS pass overhead. It’s visible from Earth and matches the orbital mechanics that only a spherical Earth can support. If you’re arguing it doesn’t exist or is faked, then you’re living in a fantasy, disconnected from real life. #### 10. **Space Observations Show Earth’s Curvature** - High-altitude photos, seen from commercial flights and even higher from orbit, show Earth’s curvature. People around the world have seen it with their own eyes. Denying this is as absurd as denying the sky is blue. #### 11. **Sea Level Exists Because of Gravity and Curvature** - “Sea level” is about equilibrium, meaning water aligns with Earth’s gravitational pull, which forms a spherical shape. This isn’t “flat” like a table; it’s balanced by gravity. Trying to twist this into evidence for a flat Earth just shows a complete misunderstanding of basic physics. #### 12. **The Sun Moves Predictably Across the Sky Due to Earth’s Tilt** - In the southern hemisphere, the sun’s arc follows a path that only makes sense on a round Earth. The flat Earth model can’t account for this. Ignoring it requires some serious mental gymnastics. #### 13. **Solar Eclipses Only Make Sense on a Globe** - Solar eclipses happen on a predictable path. Only a spherical Earth can account for this kind of accuracy. Flat Earth theory can’t explain it—full stop. Denying it is absurd. #### 14. **Gravity Exists, and It’s Consistent Around the Globe** - Gravity pulls consistently toward Earth’s center. That’s why water “finds its level” in a way that conforms to Earth’s curved surface, not a flat plane. Pretending otherwise is just ignorant. #### 15. **SpaceX and Starlink Technology Work with Earth’s Orbital Mechanics** - SpaceX launches are observed worldwide, and satellites like Starlink provide global internet by orbiting Earth. This technology relies on understanding Earth’s curvature. Claiming this doesn’t prove a round Earth is ludicrous. #### 16. **Basic Observation Debunks Flat Earth Claims** - From the horizon line to ships disappearing as they move away, basic observation of the world around us debunks flat Earth nonsense. Flat Earthers choose to ignore obvious facts, invent conspiracies, and cling to ideas that insult human intelligence. --- The flat Earth idea isn’t just false; it’s willfully ignorant, rejecting the most basic principles of science and observation. It requires ignoring a mountain of evidence, twisting facts, and inventing wild conspiracies to make sense. It’s a belief that exists because of intellectual dishonesty, not because of reality. Flat Earth is a failed idea that belongs in the trash heap of discredited pseudoscience. The Earth is a globe. Deal with it.

# When Last We Left Our Heros The party made friends with a cyclops named Alekos (who can only count to six). They asked him many questions about the numbers of things to which he answered "probably about six, maybe." They met Hox Longfeather, and his main crew. Hox is open to allying with them against Zal Esarus, but needs them to prove themselves (less to him and more to his underlings). # Hatching A Plan Hox wants to fly. To that end he's going to ask the party to retrieve a Wyvern's egg(s) from a nearby clutch. He's also sending Quesh and Krebz to collect more eggs. That way he gets a powerful tool (skyborne goblin light cavalry) and the party can prove themselves worthy. Once they find the entrance of the [Wyvern](https://5e.tools/bestiary.html#wyvern_fleemortals)'s lair, if they wait an hour or so, they'll see one of the parents leave which will give them a better chance, otherwise there will be both in the lair, which would be a bad encounter. As they get back, the party will find the camp attacked by [bounty hunters](https://5e.tools/book.html#fleemortals,1,humans,0), if they help the goblins, it will ingratiate themselves even more to the goblins. Assuming their success, there will be a feast and ritual where one of them (their "chief") will become Hox's brother/sister and a goblin under their customs.

## Chef's notes Make sure to prep your ingredients, before boiling the pasta. A little Tajín seasoning per serving is also great for some extra flavor. 🌶 ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 21 - 🍳 Cook time: 21 - 🍽️ Servings: 5 ## Ingredients - • 12oz Tricolor Penne Pasta ❤️💛💚 - • 3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded🍗 - • 4 cups chopped celery🥬 - • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 🌶 - • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 🫑 - • 6 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled. 🦃 - • 4 tbsp avocado mayo 🥑 - • 3 tablespoons olive oil 🫒 - Sea salt & Black Pepper to taste. 🧂 ## Directions 1. • Add 9 cups of water to a medium to large pot to boil for 15 mins over medium high heat 2. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) then add turkey bacon on lightly coated baking sheet with a little olive oil to prevent the bacon from sticking. Bake for 15 mins. 3. • In a large bowl, combine the pasta shredded chicken, chopped celery, red and green peppers, crumbled turkey bacon, and avocado mayo. 4. • Drizzle 3 table spoons olive oil and stir. 5. • Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving

## Chef's notes Make sure to prep your ingredients, before boiling the pasta. A little Tajín seasoning per serving is also great for some extra flavor. 🌶 ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 21 - 🍳 Cook time: 21 - 🍽️ Servings: 5 ## Ingredients - • 12oz Tricolor Penne Pasta ❤️💛💚 - • 3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded🍗 - • 4 cups chopped celery🥬 - • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 🌶 - • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 🫑 - • 6 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled. 🦃 - • 4 tbsp avocado mayo 🥑 - • 3 tablespoons olive oil 🫒 - Sea salt & Black Pepper to taste. 🧂 ## Directions 1. • Add 9 cups of water to a medium to large pot to boil for 15 mins over medium high heat 2. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) then add turkey bacon on lightly coated baking sheet with a little olive oil to prevent the bacon from sticking. Bake for 15 mins. 3. • In a large bowl, combine the pasta shredded chicken, chopped celery, red and green peppers, crumbled turkey bacon, and avocado mayo. 4. • Drizzle 3 table spoons olive oil and stir. 5. • Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving

## All memed out It finally happened. I think it was October 25th, at circa 18:45 in the evening. I was doomscrolling my Nostr feed, and kept seeing the same Bitcoin memes repeated over and over, by different people. They weren't even reposts, they were copy-pasted versions of the same image. A very funny image. Well, it was very funny last year... and the year before that... and probably the year before that, when it appeared on a different network. Because it's all just reposts, copy-pastes and rehashes of the Best of Bitcoin Twitter, just like the tiresome influencers, with their groupies and their Episode 498 of *Let's all eat a large chunk of lightly-burnt dead animal and count our stacks before jetting off to talk about how to save the poors by getting them to buy individual satoshis with money they don't have*.  ## I'm the poors your looking for It's all so tiresome. It has little bearing on the real world I see around me, where most people are thinking all day about 99 problems and Bitcoin ain't one.  Which is, of course, what the Bitcoin influencers would have you believe, is the reason that they're poor. What in the world could be more important, than thinking about Bitcoin? Why do these people not get with the program? Don't they know, that we are trying to save them?  Why are they worrying about OtherProblems? Don't they know that all OtherProblems can be fixed with Bitcoin? Really, if you just go back far enough, in any current, situational problem, you will discover that there was some slight, negative shift to the history record that involved soft money. It's the financial version of the Butterfly Effect.  That's why #BitcoinFixesThis. Bitcoin fixes everything, if you just think about it, for long enough. The same way that we all actually come out of Africa, supposedly, if you go back enough generations. So, coming out of Africa, now, as a Real Life Person in The Present is supposed to have no significance. What does someone from Cameroon know about Africa, that someone from Alaska doesn't? Both people come out of Africa, if you just think about it, for long enough.  And maybe that really is true. Maybe Bitcoin will eventually end all vice and crimes, save the planet, and we will all just hold hands and sing kumbaya all day, while waiting for the Singularity to upload us to Satoshi. ## Bitcoin envelope budgeting Or maybe it's not. Maybe it's just a really hard, digital money that incentivizes savings, functions as a reliable measure, and makes micropayments possible on a global scale. Those really are things that will help the poors, including myself. I can see it, already, when trying to organize pre-paid meetups or figure out what to do with our household's meager savings, when the stock market is looking particularly bubblicious.  But this is what I would consider Boring Bitcoin. Bitcoin home economics. Penny-pinching Bitcoin. Bitcoin for homemakers. How to use the Bitcoin envelope budgeting system to beat inflation by a margin of 13%. The actual use of Bitcoin as money, rather than as a mere investment gamble or hype machine. That's the part of Bitcoin that nobody seems to really talk about because it's incredibly practical, dull, and useful, and it can only be tested by -- Oh, the horror! -- actually spending Bitcoin. But... perhaps I will begin talking about it. Perhaps those of us, Bitcoiners, who are having fun staying poor, while stacking sats, should speak up a bit more. Perhaps the boring stuff is actually the interesting stuff. Perhaps there is more to say about Bitcoin, than can fit into a meme.

I was recently having a friendly discussion about end-times eschatology. I believe the Bible communicates a pre-tribulation rapture of believers before an actual 7 year tribulation followed by a literal thousand year reign of Jesus on Earth before Armageddon and the Great White Throne Judgement. My friend said he thought the rapture had happened around 70 AD. I had never heard anyone make that argument, so I asked for scriptural evidence. He gave me these three verses: > “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28) > And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” (Mark 9:1) > But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:27) These three verses do sound like some of those standing before Jesus will be raptured, although the words are “*see the kingdom of God*.” I always seek to know what I believe and why I believe it and to make sure that I am not misled about anything regarding the Bible, so I stopped and thought and listened. I know that most of the Bible strongly suggests that the rapture happens immediately before the tribulation, but these verses seem to contradict that conclusion. God gave me the following passage of a discussion between Peter and Jesus right after Jesus told Peter how he would die: > Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” Therefore **this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die**, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:20-23) {emphasis mine} Jesus’s statements made His disciples think that the Apostle John would live until Jesus returned, but that wasn’t what Jesus was communicating. I think this misunderstanding is similar to the one in the three verses above. John did live longer than any of His other disciples. Near the end of John’s life, after all of the other disciples had passed away, Jesus brought him to heaven in the spirit: > I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was **in the Spirit on the Lord’s day**, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” > > Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned **I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters**. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. (Revelation 1:9-16) {emphasis mine} In this vision, before John’s death, he saw “*the kingdom of God*” in heaven. This alone would fulfill Jesus’s statement, but there is more. Then slightly later in Revelation: > After these things I looked, and behold, **a door standing open in heaven**, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “**Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things**.” Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. (Revelation 4:1-2) In this passage, John is called up to heaven to see “*what must take place after these things.*” What does John see about what is to come? He “*see*\[s\] *the Son of Man coming in His kingdom*.”(Matthew 16:28b) John was listening to Jesus’s promise that “*there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God*.” (Mark 9:1) In his old age, he was temporarily called to heaven to see the “*the kingdom of God*” and “*the Son of Man coming in His kingdom*.” John did see the things that Jesus promised before he “*tasted death*.” It wasn’t that Jesus came back or raptured the church before John died. It was that Jesus brought John into heaven in the spirit to see what would later come to be. Jesus then returned John back to earth to live out what remained of his life. When I asked my husband to review my post, he made another explanation of the original three verses. I’ll use Matthew for this explanation. > 28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28) The very next verses are these: > Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And **He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light**. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “**This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased**; listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:1-5) The transfiguration was the initiation of Jesus reign and Peter, James, and John were able to see Jesus in His glorified form. Since this happened 6 days later, it stands out as a fulfillment. You could argue that both my idea and my husband’s are a fulfillment of Jesus’s promise. It also does not make sense that the church was raptured in Jesus’s generation because Jesus’s kingdom did not come at that time. The evil in the world from His ascension to today is clearly not His kingdom. Also, nowhere in Revelation is the church mentioned (although people do come to know Jesus). This is because God took His church home to be with Him. > For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Thessalonians 5:9) The seven year tribulation is the wrath of God poured out on those who rejected their Creator and Savior. “*God has not destined us for wrath*.” There will be a wonderful, literal thousand year reign of Jesus. Satan and his demons will be bound and will no longer being leading people away from Jesus. It will be a time of peace for 1000 years. Sadly a large number of people who live during the millennium will not put their faith in Jesus, but will rebel against Him when Satan is released one last time. Their rebellion will lead to their physical death and eternal torment. Reading all of these verses, I once again see that even when there seems to be a contradiction, there is none. I still believe the rapture is yet to come and will occur shortly before the seven year tribulation. I still believe that the rapture and the tribulation are coming soon. I’m also glad that I took the time to look at the evidence, consider it logically, and consider the Bible in its entirety instead of blindly digging in my heels and claiming fiat, “I am right.” I guess I should also share the two most explicit passages in the Bible on the rapture, so you can fully understand what is being talked about in this article: > But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For **the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air**, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) {emphasis mine} This verse means even more when we look back at Jesus’s ascension: > And after He had said these things, **He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.** And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? **This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.**” (Acts 1:9-11) {emphasis mine} The other most explicit passage on the rapture is this: > Behold, I tell you a mystery; **we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed**. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:51-54) {emphasis mine} In the New Testament, the Bible always calls the death of believers “sleep,” because it is not an end. It is a new beginning. I hope you are looking forward to the day when believers “*will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet*.” God is good! All of the time! I hope to meet you all when we are called up to meet Jesus in the air. Trust Jesus.\ \ your sister in Christ, Christy *NOTE: I know this article is a bit different because it documents my whole thought process rather than just speaking clearly what I believe God’s word says. I hope it has been a blessing to you and I’d love feedback.* ***NOTE: Also, my last long form article, I never was able to see posted. Would someone please comment or like so I can make sure these are posting. This editor is easiest for me because I don't have to redo the editing, but if the posts aren't getting to people, I'll need to post using another editor. Thanks for your help.***

## It arrived! I was feeling impatient, waiting for my snazzy, brand-spanking new mobile phone to arrive, but when it got here, I just stared at the box, in trepidation. Everyone kept walking by, asking how it is, but I just shook my head. After nearly four years, with my (originally Android 10), Moto G8 Power, which I loved to death, I wasn't yet ready to move on. I needed a moment, to grieve. RIP, my trusty fren.  ## Anyways... Around 10 pm, I managed to emotionally recover enough to begin the Big Transition, and I was up until 2 am, and still didn't finish. My **SimpleX** database is sort of large, and slow to migrate. Also, took me a while to figure out how to do it, and the whole thing made me terribly nervous, that I'd accidentally get locked out. But it worked, after eight failed attempts, so yay. **Telegram** was back online, almost immediately, since it's tied to the SIM card. Which was convenient, but sorta creeped me out. Our family-internal favorite, **Threema**, was a snap. Took 5 minutes. I had four failed starts with **Slack**, as it kept sending a login code to my Proton Mail, but I didn't have Proton app installed on my new phone, yet, and I was really sleepy, so I kept confirming on the old phone and then Slack would freeze up, and I had to kill the process and restart. My **key manager** is cloud-based, so that went really fast, and I had the nos2x browser extension going in Firefox within 10 minutes, or so. Logged into Habla.News, Nostr.Build, Zap.Cooking, and Nostrudel.Ninja, immediately, so that I can get my Nostr fix. Then I took a deep breath and mass-installed F-Droid, Minibits, **Amethyst**, Citrine, Orbot, and Amber. And breathed out, again, because MIRACLES NEVER CEASE: it seems to be actually working.  Everyone knows that this is the unbeatable Android Nostr setup, but it's also a resource-gobbling monster, that should only be tried at home, kids. Make sure you don't use Amethyst when out-and-about, unless you have a gigantic battery and an unlimited, high-speed, mobile plan. So, basically, everyone in the First World, who isn't me, can do it. Oh, well. At least, I can now indulge over WiFi. The phone itself is just like the old one, but thinner, faster, and doesn't freeze up or take a long time to start. The Motorola is dead. Long live the Motorola.

# It's that season, again I've been growing my hair out (too lazy to cut it) and it has -- once again -- quickly reached a length at which it draws unnecessary attention and sheds everywhere. I suppose it always sheds everywhere, but shedding short hairs is just generally less-gross than finding a 12-inch strand lying on the toast, you were about to consume. So, I'm back to the _50 Shades of Updo_ stage, where I struggle to figure out how to best wear my head, usually defaulting to the _Messy Bun_ look, because it's still too short to do anything more elaborate and looks silly, as a ponytail.   It's really not that great of a look for me, I know, especially, now that my chin is finally succumbing to gravity, but doing something more-elegant is usually more time-consuming and doesn't have that wonderful "swept up" feeling to it. You know that feeling, when you tie all of that heavy hair to a higher point on your skull and the roots just sigh with relief. Another look, I tend to gravitate toward, at the moment, is head scarves, like this one:  ...or a Bavarian-style bandana, for gardening or hiking (don't have a selfie handy, so here is some random chick, who also suffers from poofy, dark hair).  Hiking bare-headed, with flowing tresses, is not recommended, due to all of the Nature, that you have to comb back out of it. Generally, just bored of my inbetween length and looking forward to braiding it, in a few months. Or giving up, in frustration, and cutting it all off.

Una vez entendimos que Bitcoin es dinero respaldado por la red más robusta del mundo, podemos seguir haciéndonos preguntas de todo tipo, ya que esto no pareciera ser suficiente (aunque, sí, es suficiente, pero no apresuremos conclusiones). Vamos a responder las siguientes: ¿Cómo car*jo guardo Bitcoin? O más bien, ¿cómo lo compro? ¿Cómo puedo estar seguro de que mi Bitcoin está bien guardado? Y la más frecuente: ¿puedo comprar menos de un Bitcoin? Antes de seguir, te comento que esta es la parte 2 del artículo anterior: habla.news/u/eltio@nostriches.net/1730422601977. Vamos a incluir la venta, porque, si bien después de leer 100 artículos míos vas a entender que no vas a querer vender nunca, en una primera instancia es lógico que te preguntes cómo realizar posibles ganancias. Comprar Bitcoin puede hacerse de diferentes maneras, dependiendo del país, sus regulaciones y el tipo de usuario, entre otros factores. Lo más usual es que un no-coiner empiece comprando Bitcoin en un exchange de renombre, como Binance, Bybit o Coinbase, aunque también hay quienes prefieren comprar de manera anónima utilizando exchanges de menor perfil, que no requieren KYC (Know Your Customer - regulación que obliga a los proveedores de servicios financieros a identificar al cliente). También puede realizarse la compra por fuera de los exchanges, de persona a persona, ya sea con conocidos, familiares o bien por medio de páginas que conectan compradores y vendedores. Incluso, si existen en tu país, podés ir a una “cueva” cripto (lugares donde se compra y se vende moneda extranjera por fuera de las garras del Estado). En países donde la gente es dueña de su dinero, la compra y venta de Bitcoin suele ser tan sencilla como abrir una cuenta en un exchange (proceso similar al de abrir una cuenta bancaria o de red social) y utilizar una tarjeta de débito o crédito para comprar y vender, o bien transferencias bancarias al mismo exchange. Este no es el método preferido del bitcoiner porque carece de anonimato y está sujeto a impuestos y otras regulaciones. En países financieramente más complicados, donde la tarjeta no funciona en el exchange o incluso bloquean ciertas transferencias por tratarse de una presunta compra de Bitcoin, se suele usar el método P2P, que puede hacerse en persona, en exchanges grandes, o en páginas dedicadas a esto. El comprador genera una orden de compra, le aparecen los datos bancarios del vendedor, transfiere copiando y pegando el CBU como lo haría para cualquier otra transferencia, y avisa al exchange o intermediario que ya realizó el pago. El intermediario (que tiene bloqueados los fondos del vendedor hasta que se resuelva la compra-venta) libera el Bitcoin a la cuenta del comprador. Para vender, es el mismo proceso, pero esperás la transferencia del comprador en lugar de transferir vos, y el exchange se ocupa de tomar el Bitcoin y dárselo al comprador cuando confirmás que ya recibiste el dinero en tu cuenta. Este método es un poco menos censurable que la compra-venta con tarjeta, pero también depende de un exchange que, en la mayoría de los casos, te va a pedir documentos y otros datos (KYC). Para transferir tu Bitcoin fuera del exchange (y también para ingresarlo en él si un día querés vender), es tan sencillo como copiar y pegar una secuencia de números y letras llamada “wallet”. Suele tener la forma: bc1qccq8c5revsvhamx5vqu0f6wpzjt5f2cem9ec7a. Vas al apartado de la página donde dice “retirar,” elegís Bitcoin como red y pegás tu wallet. ¿De dónde sacás tu propia wallet? Buena pregunta. Podés comprar una billetera fría (método recomendado) o bien usar una billetera caliente gratuita (es decir, una app para PC, tablet o celular, aunque con ciertos riesgos). Yo te diría que empieces por comprar en un exchange un monto pequeño —sí, podés comprar 1 dólar de Bitcoin, no hace falta 1 Bitcoin entero— y lo mandes a una billetera caliente para empezar a familiarizarte con este mundo. Luego, cuando hayas comprado y enviado a esta billetera un monto que consideres digno de proteger con 100 USD, comprate una billetera fría. Sea cual sea la billetera que uses, asegurate de que te proporcione 12 o 24 palabras. Si no es así, el Bitcoin que pongas ahí no será tuyo, sino del proveedor de esa billetera (por eso es tan importante salir del exchange y tener tus 24 palabras). Recordemos que, para la red de Bitcoin, el dueño —y, por lo tanto, quien puede gastarlo— es quien tiene las palabras, no quien diga un gobierno que es el dueño. Entonces, el proceso sería el siguiente: - Descargar una billetera al teléfono y anotar las 24 palabras. - Crear una cuenta en una página de compra-venta de Bitcoin. - Comprar ya sea con tarjeta, P2P o el método que puedas. - Transferir del exchange a una billetera propia. - Cuando acumules un saldo importante, transferir a una billetera propia pero fría. Listo, sos tu propio banco y un individuo soberano. Ahora que sabés cómo comprar, guardar y vender (no te preocupes, en futuros artículos profundizaremos en tipos de wallets, exchanges y otras formas de adquirir Bitcoin), sigamos con la duda más frecuente: ¿solo 24 palabras? ¿Cómo sé que mi Bitcoin está seguro con eso? Antes de responderte, vuelvo a insistir en que leas el White Paper de Bitcoin, ya que en parte esto se explica, pero la respuesta corta es que tener esas palabras alcanza de sobra para estar seguro. Sin embargo, para quien no lo crea así o necesite soluciones más sofisticadas, existen billeteras multifirma y otros métodos que añaden capas extra de seguridad. Hasta aquí el artículo de hoy. ¡Espero que te haya servido! Saludos, El Tío

Building An E-Commerce Store I would like to be the change in the world I would like to see."" So I'm writing about how I would like to see the world change. npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0 My new nym is Marc26z. Marc is my real name. I decided to stop being a-nym-nomous because I started a meetup and it felt to strange to tell people my nym and I heard Guy and Jeff Swann talk about being anonymous cuts you off from the people that will help you. So i guess I'm coming out so to speak. I also felt like I needed to show and not tell. Therefore I am creating an online store to show people how bitcoin can be used for e-commerce. The 26z comes from the nostr key I mined. I'm on nostr because it gives me the ability to talk to the smartest people I've ever spoken with. It also provides a new way to get discovered on the Internet and a way to get use bitcoin as a medium of exchange. I spent about two years writing as a nym, but then hit a wall because I became interested in using bitcoin as a replacement for traditional banks and regulated exchanges made it easier to do so. I still believe in [self-custody](https://btcguide.github.io/). I still believe [bitcoin is a peer-to-peer electronic cash system](https://bitcoin.org/en/bitcoin-paper) I still believe the majority of your wealth should [not be trusted with a third party](https://nakamotoinstitute.org/library/trusted-third-parties/). I don't really like credit cards, but it occurred to me that I can still accept credit cards and get them to pay me in bitcoin if I use [[Strike](https://invite.strike.me/NGQDMT)*](https://[Strike](https://invite.strike.me/NGQDMT)*.me) [Gradually, then suddenly](https://nakamotoinstitute.org/library/gradually-then-suddenly/?origin=serp_auto), Bitcoin ETF's were approved. Now you can read about them on [Nerd Wallet](https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/spot-bitcoin-etf) About 12% of all the bitcoin that will ever be made is held by governments and corporations. According to Bitbo, more than [1-out of 20 bitcoin]((https://treasuries.bitbo.io/)) are held in ETF's I know how to set up bitcoin Point-of-Sale system for businesses, but there's not much of a market for that., but there's not much of a market for it. Everyone need a t shirts. Everyone needs underwear. Everyone neess food. I plan on selling stuff like that…Well, not underwear. Gaining e-commerce experience  I've been writing letters and building labs to get a coveted IT help desk job. I study Professor Messer 4 hours a week because most jobs require a Computer Technology Industry Association stamp of an A+ approval. Last week, I applied for a job that required "e-commerce experience." I didn't even get one of those “you're not hired” emails, but there is an orange lining to this situation. I spent the last few months building my resume and writing dozens of cover letters. This taught me even more stuff like how to run my own [ticketing system](https://marc26z.npub.pro/post/gain-ticketing-experience/). This gives me the confidence to create my own e-commerce store. I'm looking at my resume. This guy knows how to build websites with WordPress. He knows how to set up a bitcoin store. Forget that. We want fiat! Why would they hire me? So I;m building an "e-commerce lab" that takes credit cards. The payments will still take days to get to my [Strike](https://invite.strike.me/NGQDMT)* account, but when they do the dollars will instantaneously convert to bitcoin(sats) in my [Strike](https://invite.strike.me/NGQDMT)* account. The problem with writing about this is it's terrible writing. It takes too much technical expertise to write about without [citing stuff like this(https://medium.com/coinmonks/understanding-atomic-swaps-the-2024-guide-to-cross-blockchain-transactions-3427b75045c2) and that would turn off much of my bitcoin only audience because it talks about casino coins, but I found this exciting when Elizabeth Stark tweeted about it and I was still into the steamy number two mother of all alt-coin dingle-berries coin. I still use the number one electronic currency in the world, the United States dollar to pay my bills. To do that, I sometimes need to use atomic swaps from bitcoin to USD . [Strike](https://invite.strike.me/NGQDMT)* probably uses Tether to make it happen so fast. I could swap into USD-T using [Aqua Wallet](https://aquawallet.io/), but I don't need to because I live in the United States and have [financial privilege](https://www.amazon.com/Check-Your-Financial-Privilege-Gladstein/dp/B09V2NM9VJ). This allows me to easily swap in and out of the bitcoin and dollars like fancy-suit wearing FOREX kingpin. I can send bitcoin from Aqua wallet(Which is actually [Liquid-BTC](https://liquid.net/users) to [Strike](https://invite.strike.me/NGQDMT)* using the lightning network. Why? Because I need to use the USD to pay my bills. I can also send fiat from my too big to fail bank account to [River](https://river.com/signup?r=W36LP2TG) using [Strike](https://invite.strike.me/NGQDMT)* as an intermediate! Jack Maller's explained it using an analogy I would like to share.  In this analogy: The dollars in my [too big to fail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Too_big_to_fail) bank are tortilla chips. The peanut is bitcoin on the [lightning network](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_Network). I can send my tortilla chips from bank of too big to fail to [Strike](https://invite.strike.me/NGQDMT)* and [Strike](https://invite.strike.me/NGQDMT)* to [River](https://river.com/signup?r=W36LP2TG) in about ten seconds. The tortilla chip magically transforms into a peanut like a shapeshifter and travels through a communication channel at the speed of light. It reaches [River](https://river.com/signup?r=W36LP2TG) in almost no time. Then my peanut can transform back to a tortilla chip. I can stack those tortilla chips in my [River](https://river.com/signup?r=W36LP2TG) savings account. This tortilla chip earns 3.8% interest paid in peanuts. Of course, if you are alergic to peanuts as Mallers says, you can only deal with tortilla chips. Which reminds me, have you seen the price of Tortilla chips laced with canola oil and lately? Maltodextrin lovers can automatically convert the bitcoin…I mean uh…peanuts they might receive from people who prefer peanuts into tortilla chips. IT doesn't take 5 days either. **It takes seconds**! Building An E-Commerce Store If I could summarize my Bachelor's degree in one sentence, that sentence would be, “Show don't tell.” This tortilla chip analogy is cool, but the best thing to do would be to start my own e-commerce store. Is it a business? Is it a home lab? I'm not sure, but I know I am not likely to convince other "businesses to accept bitcoin" unless I show them instead of tell the about what an amazing communications network we are using here. Somewhere along the way, people wearing shark-skin suits tried to convince the people bitcoin is an investment you should let a well-respected, too big to fail institution hold for you. I wish to go back to the roots and use bitcoin like a man who preferred to influence the world with his ideas instead of his ethos. [“Receivers of transactions will normally need to hold transactions for perhaps an hour or more to allow time for this kind of possibility to be resolved. They can still re-spend the coins immediately, but they should wait before taking an action such as shipping goods.”](https://satoshi.nakamotoinstitute.org/emails/cryptography/6/) [“Instantant non-repudiability is not a feature, but it's still much faster than existing systems. Paper cheques can bounce up to a week or two later. Credit card transactions can be contested up to 60 to 180 days later. Bitcoin transactions can be sufficiently irreversible in an hour or two.”]((https://satoshi.nakamotoinstitute.org/emails/cryptography/10/) --Satoshi Nakamoto I still believe in using bitcoin as a payment rail. I still believe we can get paid in bitcoin and live in a fiat world. I still believe we can mitigate the risk of bank failures without relying on bailouts and endless debt. And I can still have fun. I'm basically like one of these dudes selling t-shirts on the freeway, but on the Internet. ✌️ npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0 [868,557](https://mempool.marc26z.com/block/0000000000000000000128f84f3f7b4c0701da0c17085192b34ed0f6395d39af) *The links are referrals. I get a small commission if you sign up with these accounts using my referral. That being said, I would never endorse putting all your money in a centralized service. I like these companies because they do it better than most exchanges. River has a proof-of-reserve, automatic withdrawals to a bitcoin wallet. The fiat is FDIC insured (which still requires trust in the FDIC). This is not financial nor cybersecurity advice. Be aware that bitcoin does have risk of loss, of ten due to human error. Please consult a professional if you need financial or cybersecurity advice.

One year ago I wrote the article [Why Nostr resonates](https://sebastix.nl/blog/why-nostr-resonates/) in Dutch and English after I visited the Bitcoin Amsterdam 2023 conference and the Nostrdam event. It got published at [bitcoinfocus.nl](https://bitcoinfocus.nl/2023/11/02/278-waarom-nostr-resoneert/) (translated in Dutch). The main reason why I wrote that piece is that I felt that my gut feeling was tellinng me that Nostr is going to change many things on the web. After the article was published, one of the first things I did was setting up this page on my website: [https://sebastix.nl/nostr-research-and-development](https://sebastix.nl/nostr-research-and-development). The page contains this section (which I updated on 31-10-2024):  One metric I would like to highlight is the number of repositories on Github. Compared to a year ago, there are already more than 1130 repositories now on Github tagged with Nostr. Let's compare this number to other social media protocols and decentralized platforms (24-10-2024): * Fediverse: 522 * ATProto: 159 * Scuttlebot: 49 * Farcaster: 202 * Mastodon: 1407 * ActivityPub: 444 Nostr is growing. FYI there are many Nostr repositories not hosted on Github, so the total number of Nostr reposities is higher. I know that many devs are using their own Git servers to host it. We're even capable of setting up Nostr native Git repositories (for example, see [https://gitworkshop.dev/repos](https://gitworkshop.dev/repos)). Eventually, Nostr will make Github (and other platforms) absolute. Let me continue summarizing my personal Nostr highlights of last year. ## Organising Nostr meetups  This is me playing around with the NostrDebug tool showing how you can query data from Nostr relays. Jurjen is standing behind me. He is one of the people I've met this year who I'm sure I will have a long-term friendship with. ## OpenSats grant for Nostr-PHP   In December 2023 I submitted my application for a OpenSats grant for the further development of the Nostr-PHP helper library. After some months I finally got the message that my application was approved... When I got the message I was really stoked and excited. It's a great form of appreciation for the work I had done so far and with this grant I get the opportunity to take the work to another higher level. So please check out the work done for so far: * [https://nostr-php.dev](https://nostr-php.dev) * [https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php](https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php) ## Meeting Dries  One of my goosebumps moments I had in 2022 when I saw that the founder and tech lead of Drupal Dries Buytaert posted '[Nostr, love at first sight](https://dri.es/nostr-love-at-first-sight)' on his blog. These types of moments are very rare moment where two different worlds merge where I wouldn't expect it. Later on I noticed that Dries would come to the yearly Dutch Drupal event. For me this was a perfect opportunity to meet him in person and have some Nostr talks. I admire the work he is doing for Drupal and the community. I hope we can bridge Nostr stuff in some way to Drupal. In general this applies for any FOSS project out there. [Here](https://sebastix.nl/blog/photodump-and-highlights-drupaljam-2024/) is my recap of that Drupal event. ## Attending Nostriga  A conference where history is made and written. I felt it immediately at the first sessions I attended. I will never forget the days I had at Nostriga. I don't have the words to describe what it brought to me.  I also pushed myself out of my comfort zone by giving a keynote called 'POSSE with Nostr - how we pivot away from API's with one of Nostr superpowers'. I'm not sure if this is something I would do again, but I've learned a lot from it. You can find the presentation [here](https://nostriga.nostrver.se/). It is recorded, but I'm not sure if and when it gets published. ## Nostr billboard advertisement  This advertisment was shown on a billboard beside the [A58 highway in The Netherlands](https://www.google.nl/maps/@51.5544315,4.5607291,3a,75y,34.72h,93.02t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdQv9nm3J9SdUQCD0caFR-g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu) from September 2nd till September 16th 2024. You can find all the assets and more footage of the billboard ad here: [https://gitlab.com/sebastix-group/nostr/nostr-ads](https://gitlab.com/sebastix-group/nostr/nostr-ads). My goal was to set an example of how we could promote Nostr in more traditional ways and inspire others to do the same. In Brazil a fundraiser was achieved to do something similar there: [https://geyser.fund/project/nostrifybrazil](https://geyser.fund/project/nostrifybrazil). ## Volunteering at Nostr booths growNostr  This was such a great motivating experience. Attending as a volunteer at the Nostr booth during the Bitcoin Amsterdam 2024 conference. Please read my note with all the lessons I learned [here](https://nostrver.se/note/my-learned-nostr-lessons-nostr-booth-bitcoin-amsterdam-2024). ## The other stuff * The Nostr related blog articles I wrote past year: * [**Run a Nostr relay with your own policies**](https://sebastix.nl/blog/run-a-nostr-relay-with-your-own-policies/) (02-04-2024) * [**Why social networks should be based on commons**](https://sebastix.nl/blog/why-social-networks-should-be-based-on-commons/) (03-01-2024) * [**How could Drupal adopt Nostr?**](https://sebastix.nl/blog/how-could-drupal-adopt-nostr/) (30-12-2023) * [**Nostr integration for CCHS.social**](https://sebastix.nl/blog/nostr-integration-for-cchs-social-drupal-cms/) (21-12-2023) * [https://ccns.nostrver.se](https://ccns.nostrver.se)  CCNS stands for Community Curated Nostr Stuff. At the end of 2023 I started to build this project. I forked an existing Drupal project of mine (https://cchs.social) to create a link aggregation website inspired by stacker.news. At the beginning of 2024 I also joined the TopBuilder 2024 contest which was a productive period getting to know new people in the Bitcoin and Nostr space. * [https://nuxstr.nostrver.se](https://nuxstr.nostrver.se)  PHP is not my only language I use to build stuff. As a fullstack webdeveloper I also work with Javascript. Many Nostr clients are made with Javascript frameworks or other more client-side focused tools. Vuejs is currently my Javascript framework I'm the most convenient with. With Vuejs I started to tinker around with Nuxt combined with NDK and so I created a starter template for Vue / Nuxt developers. * [ZapLamp](nostr:npub1nfrsmpqln23ls7y3e4m29c22x3qaq9wmmr7zkfcttty2nk2kd6zs9re52s) This is a neat DIY package from LNbits. Powered by an Arduino ESP32 dev board it was running a 24/7 livestream on zap.stream at my office. It flashes when you send a zap to the npub of the ZapLamp. * [https://nosto.re](https://nosto.re)  Since the beginning when the Blossom spec was published by @hzrd49 and @StuartBowman I immediately took the opportunity to tinker with it. I'm also running a relay for transmitting Blossom Nostr events `wss://relay.nosto.re`. * [Relays I maintain](https://nostrver.se/note/relays-i-maintain) I really enjoy to tinker with different relays implementations. Relays are the fundamental base layer to let Nostr work. I'm still sharing my contributions on [https://nostrver.se/](https://nostrver.se/) where I publish my weekly Nostr related stuff I worked on. This website is built with Drupal where I use the Nostr Simple Publish and Nostr long-form content NIP-23 modules to crosspost the notes and long-form content to the Nostr network (like this piece of content you're reading).  ## The Nostr is the people Just like the web, the web is people: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCgvkslCzTo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCgvkslCzTo)  > the people on nostr are some of the smartest and coolest i’ve ever got to know. who cares if it doesn’t take over the world. It’s done more than i could ever ask for. - [@jb55](nostr:note1fsfqja9kkvzuhe5yckff3gkkeqe7upxqljg2g4nkjzp5u9y7t25qx43uch) Here are some Nostriches who I'm happy to have met and who influenced my journey in Nostr in a positive way. * Jurjen * Bitpopart * Arjen * Jeroen * Alex Gleason * Arnold Lubach * Nathan Day * Constant * fiatjaf * Sync ## Coming year Generally I will continue doing what I've done last year. Besides the time I spent on Nostr stuff, I'm also very busy with Drupal related work for my customers. I hope I can get the opportunity to work on a paid client project related to Nostr. It will be even better when I can combine my Drupal expertise with Nostr for projects paid by customers. ### Building a new Nostr application When I look at my Nostr backlog where I just put everything in with ideas and notes, there are quite some interesting concepts there for building new Nostr applications. Filtering out, I think these three are the most exciting ones: * nEcho, a micro app for optimizing your reach via Nostr (NIP-65) * Nostrides.cc platform where you can share Nostr activity events (NIP-113) * A child-friendly video web app with parent-curated content (NIP-71) ### Nostr & Drupal When working out a new idea for a Nostr client, I'm trying to combine my expertises into one solution. That's why I also build and maintain some Nostr contrib modules for Drupal. * [Nostr Simple Publish](https://www.drupal.org/project/nostr_simple_publish) Drupal module to cross-post notes from Drupal to Nostr * [Nostr long-form content NIP-23](https://www.drupal.org/project/nostr_content_nip23) Drupal module to cross-post Markdown formatted content from Drupal to Nostr * [Nostr internet identifier NIP-05](https://www.drupal.org/project/nostr_id_nip05) Drupal module to setup Nostr internet identifier addresses with Drupal. * [Nostr NDK](https://drupal.org/project/nostr_dev_kit) Includes the Javascript library Nostr Dev Kit (NDK) in a Drupal project. One of my (very) ambitious goals is to build a Drupal powered Nostr (website) package with the following main features: * Able to login into Drupal with your Nostr keypair * Cross-post content to the Nostr network * Fetch your Nostr content from the Nostr content * Serve as a content management system (CMS) for your Nostr events * Serve as a framework to build a hybrid Nostr web application * Run and maintain a Nostr relay with custom policies * Usable as a feature rich progressive web app * Use it as a remote signer These are just some random ideas as my Nostr + Drupal backlog is way longer than this. ### Nostr-PHP With all the newly added and continues being updated NIPs in the protocol, this helper library will never be finished. As the sole maintainer of this library I would like to invite others to join as a maintainer or just be a contributor to the library. PHP is big on the web, but there are not many PHP developers active yet using Nostr. Also PHP as a programming language is really pushing forward keeping up with the latest innovations.  ### Grow Nostr outside the Bitcoin community We are working out a submission to host a Nostr stand at FOSDEM 2025. If approved, it will be the first time (as far as I know) that Nostr could be present at a conference outside the context of Bitcoin. The audience at FOSDEM is mostly technical oriented, so I'm really curious what type of feedback we will receive. Let's finish this article with some random Nostr photos from last year. Cheers!       

#TheWholeGrain - #October2024 October is the month of Halloween and just like last year the gang wanted to show off their costumes! Bread was even excited to put on the costume this year. Can you believe it? October also brought us a famous piece of cover art in the comic book industry while also showing us a possible logo for the "Bread Industry" in the world of Bread and Toast. The Bitcoin Art for this past month got to feature all three pieces of bread to show that Bitcoin works for everyone regardless of where they are, and we also got to show off what is obviously a very important political campaign logo for Toast. The Bakery got to add the Bread and Toast logo to the collection with a new painting by The Bitcoin Painter. Please check out The Bitcoin Painter as this isn't the first time he has contributed to Bread and Toast, and we promise it will not be the last. He also created another art piece this past month of Bread, Toast, and End-Piece preparing for a quest. Last of all, Bread and Toast went to it's first live event Nostr Valley on October 12th. The gang got to hand out some goodies and even made its first merchandise sales! Ten exclusive metal cut-outs in the shape of a slice of bread were sold at the event and NOSTR Badges were given out to those folks he bought them! Another badge was also given to folks who posted and shared a free exclusive print that was also given out to event attendees. All in all, Bread and Toast got to spread awareness of what they are up to with some fellow Nostriches, and we got to hear some kind feedback from those who are already following our adventures! **October Sunday Singles** 2024-10-06 | Sunday Single 060 Roar https://i.nostr.build/Qp9CYnaGOuprxTQ1.png 2024-10-13 | Sunday Single 061 Ruff https://i.nostr.build/v2OsYHVmbyN84q9T.png 2024-10-20 | Sunday Single 062 Banana Bread https://i.nostr.build/MgihZ6m2bQCv6krD.png 2024-10-27 Trick-or-Treat https://i.nostr.build/dfBBgXQXNTcpfUeu.png **Other Content Released in October 2024** 2024-10-02 | Toast's Comic Collection WATCHBREAD #6 *On Friday night, a piece of toast fried in New York. Somebody knows why. Down there... somebody knows.* https://i.nostr.build/4CqkA8GJ47NqAmNu.png 2024-10-08 | Politics Toast Campaign Logo *The Official Campaign Logo for Toast2024.* https://i.nostr.build/EnBDx.png 2024-10-09 | Concept Art Early Website Logo Design *This was an early design for the logo of the bread company in the story of Bread and Toast.* https://i.nostr.build/v6B4v68kkqmjygZT.png 2024-10-12 | Nostr Valley Nostr Valley 2024 Promotional *A Promotional Art Piece released on the morning of Nostr Valley 2024.* https://i.nostr.build/MPYjaZctceimKUm8.png 2024-10-16 | Bitcoin Art All Over *Bitcoin can be used by anyone from wherever they are!* https://i.nostr.build/BAzdyuf88SPuzkxk.png **October Additions to The Bakery in 2024** 2024-09-05 | npub1tx5ccpregnm9afq0xaj42hh93xl4qd3lfa7u74v5cdvyhwcnlanqplhd8g https://i.nostr.build/SOROIK29W7otS49V.png **New Nostr Badges** 2024-10-08 | [Nostr Valley 2024](nostr:naddr1qqg5ummnw3ez64npd3kx27fdxgcrydqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfdupzpja2pjpfa5ezc923ednpndxq3wdzdtyhl76wjkfqtmk83m5nzvj9qvzqqqr48ysgldex) https://i.nostr.build/plCE3CYU5jLShKGF.png 2024-10-08 | [Nostr Valley 2024 - Exclusive](nostr:naddr1qqd5ummnw3ez64npd3kx27fdxgcrydpdg4uxxmr4wd5hvegpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfdupzpja2pjpfa5ezc923ednpndxq3wdzdtyhl76wjkfqtmk83m5nzvj9qvzqqqr48yj3k26e) https://i.nostr.build/z87KZrDAduJFmj8a.png **Nostr Valley 2024 Photos** *The Bread and Toast Merch Table at Nostr Valley* https://i.nostr.build/S3UkvSIiClfbB1lt.jpg *Nostr Valley Attendees Showing Off the Free Print* npub12ujuf2pf9qz66zvfrw0c2qx9jfyumxr28pn5575zry24z6aylqsqgnnume https://primal.b-cdn.net/media-cache?s=o&a=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.nostr.build%2Fe1691abf44ac067862f6e216582f99bd758095494c3a263027a5568119dbd900.jpg npub1crs0mukptfxs0crz5n0y26apf5tph3uc8l2pguet7rqdr8w2ze3snsjv6g https://primal.b-cdn.net/media-cache?s=o&a=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.nostr.build%2Fd63678bc8e220b720d10df1ea6699e5180115c3a1ed887e493dba8508317233a.jpg npub1a4za2sgwlp04q7wjgrt6e2plperxtle8hwge9a5lx5283up5n94sdmvnvq https://image.nostr.build/f82bf8c54aa623acdf88b24606c9ad319736a1b39c2b6b46706d3827de64b250.jpg npub1luvpvkhauqy994y6fcf3djvpc7hszexpsyxqhs87g8fkrhtu5lcqylnmt5 https://primal.b-cdn.net/media-cache?s=o&a=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.nostr.build%2F90lc1SRTwX7HlCBX.jpg *Exclusive Steel Cut-Outs Made as Merchandise for Nostr Valley 2024* npub1lhezms58jx4yer60y3wzldc83fdez3j4rc4ue3edhz5qv3wxfsgqhhw94n https://primal.b-cdn.net/media-cache?s=o&a=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.nostr.build%2F70dbb8f91719e30bddbcf925e7309a770c7f585efe491eaf958b0fe48f1f8421.jpg npub1a6c3jcdj23ptzcuflek8a04f4hc2cdkat95pd6n3r8jjrwyzrw0q43lfrr https://primal.b-cdn.net/media-cache?s=o&a=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.nostr.build%2F4124dd10fc5ac3ce1c7c0c267021b3207f789b491ca8a5fc644566eb25960d6a.jpg *npub1yx6pjypd4r7qh2gysjhvjd9l2km6hnm4amdnjyjw3467fy05rf0qfp7kza of [CornyChat.com](CornyChat.com) helping npub16e3vzr7dk2uepjcnl85nfare3kdapxge08gr42s99n9kg7xs8xhs90y9v6 make Cornbread!* https://primal.b-cdn.net/media-cache?s=o&a=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.nostr.build%2FkAV4C402FHL3vh9Z.jpg *Bread and Toast wants to give a special thank you to npub18ams6ewn5aj2n3wt2qawzglx9mr4nzksxhvrdc4gzrecw7n5tvjqctp424 and npub15u3cqhx6vuj3rywg0ph5mfv009lxja6cyvqn2jagaydukq6zmjwqex05rq! This wonderful opportunity allowed Bread and Toast to have its first trial at merchandise sales and also provided a live platform to share our content with folks using Nostr that may not have been previously aware of this project. You guys did a great job with the event! Thanks again!* https://primal.b-cdn.net/media-cache?s=o&a=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.nostr.build%2FkUZD3TKl5yz1VmB1.jpg *Last of all, thank you to everyone who came to Nostr Valley!* https://primal.b-cdn.net/media-cache?s=o&a=1&u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.nostr.build%2F68bd53e745229b9dbb001879ec4a07183eee8be4e8a9930cced2c7c433da9806.jpg **Bonus: Fan Photo** *npub1n0pdxnwa4q7eg2slm5m2wjrln2hvwsxmyn48juedjr3c85va99yqc5pfp6 of Zap.Cooking ended up making soggy bread! We'll be waiting for the recipe!* https://image.nostr.build/13f2254f07d2c07fb5f44ae1f9c1a96ac75bdbf328a1f4a6fd514a93f1f95b1e.jpg note1m7hf6lz7glefeayu6yqqt99z77gzdlf9j232sps6psn29vxxhwss5w589m We hope you enjoyed the second issue of The Whole Grain. The Whole Grain is released on the first of every month and covers all of the content released by npub1ew4qeq576v3vz4gukeseknqghx3x4jtlld8ftys9amrca6f3xfzsrm8jpd in the previous month. **Thanks for checking everything out!** ***Bread, Toast, and End-Piece*** #BreadandToast #SundaySingle #ToastsComicCollection #ConceptArt #BitcoinArt #TheBakery #Bread #Toast #EndPiece #Artstr #Comic #Cartoon #NostrValley #NostrOnly #🖼️

Después de escribir mi primer artículo en este blog me di cuenta (o mejor dicho, me hicieron darme cuenta) de que, si voy a escribir para *no-coiners* (término afectivo para referirme a quienes no poseen ni un Satoshi ni ninguna *shitcoin*), tengo que empezar por el principio. Antes de contarles lo difícil o lo ameno que puede ser su viaje en la red de Bitcoin, necesito contarles al menos qué carajo es, o por qué lo necesitan en sus vidas. Porque claro, este sitio donde escribo funciona con nostr, y tanto quienes escribimos aquí como la mayoría de quienes nos leen somos bitcoiners. Muchos estamos orientados a la tecnología o la criptografía, y todos nosotros hablamos de Bitcoin y su "magia"; nos entendemos entre nosotros y rara vez volvemos a las bases o nos tomamos el tiempo de explicar por qué el mundo necesita Bitcoin y, sobre todo, por qué cada individuo debería tener sus propias llaves. Solemos decir frases hechas como “not your keys, not your Bitcoin”, “have fun staying poor” o la famosa cita del mismísimo Satoshi: “Si no me crees o no lo entiendes, no tengo tiempo para tratar de convencerte, lo siento”. Satoshi (una persona o grupo de personas) publicó un documento de 9 páginas con el objetivo de crear un sistema de pagos entre personas, sin intermediarios de confianza. Una red P2P (peer-to-peer) o, en español, una red de pares. A diferencia de una red convencional, donde un servidor central controla la información y varios usuarios acceden a él, en una red de pares todos los nodos son iguales, y todos los nodos de Bitcoin guardan la misma información. En el white paper, Satoshi explicó en detalle cómo funcionaría la red y, unos meses después, lanzó oficialmente Bitcoin. Saltando 15 años de historia para tener material para futuros artículos (y también para evitar que te duermas leyendo), llegamos al presente: la red de pagos sin intermediarios es un éxito rotundo. Resulta que yo no soy Satoshi, pero voy a tratar de convencerte, y hoy sí tengo tiempo para hacerlo. Un día como hoy se publicó el white paper de Bitcoin. Te recomiendo que, ahora mismo o al terminar de leer esto, le des una mirada. Puede que lo entiendas completamente o que no lo comprendas del todo, pero es necesario que lo intentes. Este "papelito" hermoso cambió la historia. Ya hablaremos del cómo, pero lo importante es que funciona. Por primera vez en la historia, se ha logrado construir un dinero 100 % digital, que no depende de bancos ni de gobiernos, ni de empresas o personas individuales. Depende únicamente de la red y de las reglas pactadas hace 15 años, que son inamovibles: están escritas en piedra y reforzadas por miles de nodos individuales alrededor del mundo. Es la red más robusta del planeta y cada día crece más en usuarios, nodos y mineros. Bitcoin puede usarse para una infinidad de cosas: desde el propio dinero P2P que Satoshi proponía, hasta aplicaciones mucho más avanzadas, como la verificación de la transparencia en elecciones. Y, por si no ha quedado claro, repito: estamos ante la red más robusta del mundo. No criticaré a las altcoins en este artículo porque no es la intención, pero sepan que la red de Bitcoin deja obsoletas a todas las demás. Todo lo que hacen las altcoins puede hacerse en Bitcoin: más rápido, más barato y, sobre todo, más seguro. Entraremos en detalles de esto en otros artículos. Volviendo a la pregunta inicial: ¿por qué quiero Bitcoin? Ahora ya sabemos que Bitcoin es la moneda de la red más segura del mundo y no depende de nadie. Pero por qué querés elegir una moneda que se respalda en una red y un protocolo y no en un gobierno? Puede que nunca te hayan confiscado los ahorros en un corralito, como en Argentina en 2001, o que nunca hayas experimentado la inflación desenfrenada como en Venezuela. Quizás no te importa que millones de personas no tengan acceso a una cuenta bancaria porque para vos los bancos son algo obvio y normal. Puede que estés viviendo con “privilegios financieros” y no te hayas dado cuenta... todavía. Bitcoin, al ser un dinero sin intermediarios ni custodios, y al no depender de ningún gobierno ni banco, puede ser almacenado por el usuario, quien es el único propietario de sus Bitcoin. Es inconfiscable, de ahí la importancia de la custodia y las llaves privadas. Además, la oferta total de Bitcoin en circulación es de 21,000,000 de unidades. Ni una más, ni una menos. Nadie, por más poder o influencia que tenga, puede imprimir más Bitcoin, ni inflacionarlo, ni devaluar tus ahorros. Por si fuera poco, Bitcoin es libre de censura: un cubano puede transferir Bitcoin a un argentino, o viceversa, sin importar las restricciones de capital en sus países. No se puede censurar una transacción de Bitcoin. Entonces, la respuesta corta a la pregunta es la siguiente: Necesitás Bitcoin para protegerte de la inflación, de las restricciones de capitales y de los problemas bancarios. Y si estás pensando “para eso compro dólares, van abajo del colchón y listo”, te recomiendo que lo reconsideres, pero con este dato en mente: desde su creación hasta hoy, el dólar ha perdido más del 98 % de su poder adquisitivo. Mientras tanto, desde su creación hasta hoy, Bitcoin ha pasado de valer cero a ser una red de más de *one trillion dollar*. Quizás para ir ahorrando para el futuro sea mejor guargar Bitcoin que guardar Dólares. Mientras el dólar se fue desangrando año a año en cuanto a poder adquisitivo, Bitcoin ha pasado de no existir a ser comprado por individuos con alto patrimonio, fondos de inversión, empresas y hasta algunos países. ¿Todos están comprando Bitcoin menos vos? Si llegaste hasta acá y no te dió FOMO (miedo de quedarte fuera) el saber que todos compran menos vos, si no pensás que necesitás un sistema monetario libre de restricciones, inflación y estado, si no pensás que es necesario un dinero libre y un individuo soberano o bien pensás que tus dólares están tranquilos y seguros en el banco bueno, entonces si, HAVE FUN STAYING POOR. Si entendiste todo esto pero aún no logré convencerte de que Bitcoin es la única solución podés leer más articulos míos o de otros autores aquí dentro de habla.news y vas a encontrar muchísima información valiosa. Y no te olvides de leer el White Paper! Gracias por llegar hasta aquí. Ojalá te sea útil. En mi próximo artículo hablaré sobre las diferencias entre comprar acciones, bonos o cualquier inversión tradicional y comprar Bitcoin. Spoiler: todas las acciones valdrán cerca de *cero* en términos de Bitcoin en 50 años. Saludos, El Tío.

Nostr and its ecosystem present a novel and unique possibility for digital self sorting. Discoverability has long been one of the main issues of the internet, this issue has to this point been solved through centralized entities. These entities or firms collect data and then present “useful” information to the individual user. It is important to note the subjectivity of what is considered “useful”. In today's world, what is useful is determined by large corporations that have their own agendas that are specifically related to you, your behavior, and your purchasing habits. The data collected from us and presented to us is the front line attack in the war in which anyone who uses a digital product or services finds themself. The process of discoverability - data collection and presentation - has become blatantly manipulative and harmful to everyone that interacts with the digital world. Self-Sorting Thomas Sowell in “Discrimination and Disparities” talks about the importance of individual choice resulting in the formation of groups of people based on similar interests or wants. Governments and regulatory bodies often use the disparity in the outcomes resulting from this self sorting and claim that process to be unfair and harmful. The next step is to intervene and enforce, through threats of violence, rules and regulations to alter the outcomes so they appear to be more similar, or more fair. Self sorting is a natural process and the resulting disparity in outcomes resulting from self sorting is also a natural process. A society built from the natural self sorting of individuals will lead to a more productive, healthier, and happier, collective. Equality of outcome is the result of sovereign interference and thus assumes the subjectivity of the sovereign body responsible for enforcement. Digital Sovereign The digital world is still very young. Just as past societies in the real world went through (and are still undergoing) a maturation process, that digital world is ruled by the Monarchs of our past. Twitter, Meta, Google, the Kings of the digital realm. Make no mistake the digital world is a feudal world and it does include the ability to self sort and thus form productive and healthy communities. Self sorting is a result of the application of work to express and represent personal choice and preference. Is it possible to take that work and collect it in an open-sourced and transparent manner and then voluntarily display it to the Nostr network? Can we take control of our own freedom in the digital world and use our very own, very unique preferences and desires to create an identifiable and readable signal allowing us to navigate towards other individuals that share similar values all the while respecting and empowering individuals who have conflicting values. Imagine a self sorted internet. Where individuals share data of their choosing with the network allowing other people to identify a general quality of values and group together. Allowing companies to see this quality and indicate the possible interest in a good, product or service. Communities or even individuals will create a quiz. The quiz for a community will need maintainers and the questions that it contains should be determined by the community itself. For quizzes created by individuals the process is less complex as it would be decided by the individual alone. Every quiz and every quiz question would be public. Most quizzes would utilize only multiple choice or agree/disagree statements. For example lets say that the all of the current 7.2 million members of the Bitcoin community on Reddit took a standard and open sourced quiz on specific thoughts or opinions related to Bitcoin The questions along with each individual response are put through SHA-256 hash and then that hash could be publicly displayed to the community. Seeing as how the questions are included in the hash it should be possible to compare everyone's individual hash to determine the similarity of the responses that were provided. It is likely that these quizzes would need to be paid for. Cost coupled with the actual time and effort required to complete the quiz generates a proof of work for each quiz taken. People would take many different quizzes and each one would be concatenated into a single hash that over time becomes a unique fingerprint of the individual. Hashes could then be compared and based on the quizzes any person chooses to pay for and take coupled with their individual responses it would be possible to see each individuals hash with a certain quality, almost like a color, that could be used to signal to the entire network the quality of personal values that person has.

Muchas son las maneras de referirse a la compra y mantenimiento de Bitcoin en cartera. Muchas también son las maneras de almacenarlo. Y, aunque en realidad NADIE almacena Bitcoin, sino llaves privadas y llaves públicas, no es de mi interés entrar hoy en esos tecnicismos. Hoy quiero escribirle a la gente de a pie, los trabajadores, emprendedores, empresarios y todo aquel que se interese por lo menos un poquito en su futuro y el de los suyos. Hay algo que todos los Bitcoiners sabemos pero que muchos de ustedes no lo experimentan hasta llevarse un buen susto en su primer año de inversión (Hablaré en todo el artículo de manera indistinta entre inversión y ahorro en Bitcoin ya que en el largo larguísimo plazo y mirando a Bitcoin como moneda pero también como activo, pueden utilizarse ambos términos). Lo que no saben los que miran desde afuera, es que muy poca gente compró Bitcoin en centavos o pocos dólares (o lo minó en épocas tempranas) y todavía lo mantienen en cartera. Me arriesgaría a decir que este numero de individuos no supera unos pocos miles. Muchos no-coiners creen que los bitcoiners compraron a dos centavos se durmieron 15 años y hoy son todos ricos, pero la mayoría de los early adopters, se hundieron intentando navegar las profundas y peligrosas aguas de la custodia y el HODL. Para quien todavía esté medio perdido y quizás este sea el primer artículo que lea, HODL es una manera "chistosa" de referirse a mantener Bitcoin en cartera, y se remonta allá por el 2013 donde un usuario quiso decir que estaba Holdeando (manteniendo) Bitcoin en cartera y lo escribió como HODLING. Pasó a la historia y hoy se usan HODL y HOLD de manera indistinta como chiste interno Bitcoiner. En fin... Las profundas aguas... Holdear Bitcoin no es sencillo para las masas. Imaginate que tenés un activo en tu cartera, o compraste a 100 dólares y ahora vale 1.000. Lo venderías verdad? Y si vale 20.000 dólares? Ahí si lo venderías? Estarías multiplicando tu inversión como nunca. Bueno, a esa decisión se enfrentaron y se enfrentan TODOS los holders de Bitcoin más temprano o más tarde. Incluso aquel loco que compro por el 2017 en un precio de 20.000 hoy puede decidir vender y multiplicar casi por 4 su dinero en unos pocos años. Ni hablar de ese estresante momento que habías comprado en 69.000 dólares y lo viste bajar hasta los 17.000 dólares, unos cuantos meses de sufrimiento y temor... Más de uno se asustó de verdad y vendió todo, solo para verlo unas horas más tarde por arriba de los 20.000 y un año más tarde nuevamente en 70.000 dólares. Si bien no me gusta poner el foco en el precio, lo que intento ilustrar es lo DIFICIL que puede ser ver tu inversión en máximos o en mínimos y aún así decidir mantenerla unos cuantos años más. Es dificil, aún para los que viven su tercer o cuarto ciclo de mercado. Pero se hace más y más fácil a medida que uno avanza en el famoso "rabbit hole" de Bitcoin y empieza a entenderlo desde las bases, cada vez mejor. Este camino también es arduo, entender de Bitcoin requiere un poco de conocimiento en cada campo, hay que saber un poco de tecnología, un poco de redes, un poco de seguridad informatica, una pizca de teoría de juegos, una apasionante cantidad de macroeconomía, y hasta un interés genuino en lo que Mises llamó "La acción Humana". Y todo esto, uno lo va a prendiendo con ganas y de a poco sólo para llegar a la conclusión, meses o incluso años después, de que Bitcoin tiene que ser un activo por siempre en la cartera de uno, no se vende. Incluso hay quienes llegan al punto (como este humilde ser que escribe) que no poseen otro tipo de ahorro o inversión que no sean sus pocos o muchos satoshis en Billetera Fria. Mi recomendación siempre será que DYOR, "do your own research", investiguen, lean, pregunten, únanse a #nostr que tiene la mejor comunidad del mundo a la hora de ayudar a otros usuarios, pero si no llegan a tener el tiempo de leer y progresar sólo tómenme estos dos consejos: - Háganse el tiempo para leer. - Stay humble y stack sats (De a poco y constante, todo ahorro mensual que uno haga, está mejor guardado en Bitcoin, siempre gastando menos de lo que ingresa esto no debería ser dificil). Otra dificultad que encontramos además de la parte emocional y humana relacionada con los precios y el desconocimiento, es la custodia. Cientos de personas perdieron TODO su Bitcoin por no saber almacenarlo correctamente. Decenas de maneras de almacenar claves y sin embargo muchos usuarios de Bitcoin no se sienten del todo seguro durante sus primeros años de inversión, y no están el todo equivocados... Por un lado puede ser tan sencillo como guardar 24 palabras. Por otro lado, puede no ser tan fácil, dependiendo del tipo de usuario. Entraremos en detalles de custodia en el próximo artículo. Saludos! El Tío. PD: No es consejo de inversión.

## Chef's notes I got the recipe from the [byanjushka website](https://byanjushka.com/erdnussbutter-kekse-rezept-8177/). She includes a lot more information on there, and lots of pictures and instructions. But it's all in German, so here's my quickie, English version. I've doubled the amounts, as I first baked this for the #PurpleKonnektiv meetup, and I knew I'd have some hungry guests. The cookies are vegan, but they're mostly just peanut, so it's sort of irrelevant. Just make sure you get the really high-quality peanut butter that is 100% peanut. You can usually identify it by the fact that the oil separates from the base, a bit. Everything else is probably with hardened palm oil, or something. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 15 min - 🍳 Cook time: 10 min - 🍽️ Servings: 30 cookies ## Ingredients - 500 g peanut butter, normal or crunchy - 300 g brown (or raw) sugar - 160 ml plant-based milk (or cows' milk, if you don't care about vegan) - 1 pkg vanilla sugar (bourbon is nice) or 1 tsp vanilla - 250 g flour - 2 tsp baking powder - 2/3 tsp salt ## Directions 1. Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F). 2. Beat together the peanut butter and the sugars, with an electric mixer. 3. Mix in milk and vanilla. 4. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking powder. 5. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and then knead the dough a bit. 6. (At this point, I put the dough in the fridge overnight, and baked it the next day.) 7. Line your baking sheet with baking paper. 8. Form tbsp-spoon-sized balls of dough. 9. Press each one flat, with a fork, dipping the fork in water, before each press (to keep the dough from sticking to the fork).

# พรรคชาติหน้าพัฒนา สร้างชาตินี้ เจริญชาติหน้า นี่ไม่ใช่บทความสรุปเนื้อหาไลฟ์ ผมแค่จะหยิบเอาโควทเจ๋งๆ ของพี่ชิตมาขยายความต่อตามความเข้าใจของผมเท่านั้นนะครับ (ใครยังไม่ได้ชมไลฟ์ตัวเต็ม กดดูเลยนะครับ) [Right Talk EP.1](https://www.youtube.com/live/i2FuVORB8Lc?si=F7IXXRNmBN2wW19r) "พรรคชาติหน้าพัฒนา" ไม่ใช่พรรคการเมืองตามนิยามทั่วไป แต่เป็นแนวคิด หรือ อุดมการณ์ (พี่ชิตนิยามว่ามันเป็นโปรโตคอล) ในการพัฒนาอย่างยั่งยืน คำว่า "พรรค" ในที่นี้จึงเป็นการใช้ในเชิงสัญลักษณ์ หมายถึงกลุ่มคนที่ร่วมอุดมการณ์เดียวกัน (เหล่าบิตคอยเนอร์) คือการสร้างความเปลี่ยนแปลงเชิงบวกในระยะยาว **"สร้างชาตินี้"** ก็คือการเน้นย้ำถึงการลงมือทำอย่างจริงจังในปัจจุบัน ไม่ใช่แค่นอนฝันหรือรอคอยอนาคต การสร้างรากฐาน การพัฒนาตนเอง การสะสมความรู้และทรัพยากร ล้วนเป็นการสร้างเพื่ออนาคต **"ชาติหน้า"** ในที่นี้ไม่ได้หมายถึงชาติภพหน้าทางศาสนา แต่เป็นการเปรียบเปรยถึงอนาคตระยะยาว ผลลัพธ์ของการ **"สร้างชาตินี้"** อาจไม่ปรากฏในทันที แต่จะส่งผลดีในอนาคตอย่างแน่นอน เหมือนกับการลงทุนระยะยาว หรือการปลูกต้นไม้ที่ต้องใช้เวลากว่าจะเติบโตและออกดอกผลิผล ### 1. "Free Market Capitalism ในอดีตมันมีจุดอ่อนอยู่จุดเดียว มันยังไม่มี Free Market Money" พี่ชิตมองว่าระบบทุนนิยมเสรีที่ผ่านๆ มายังไม่ใช่ของจริง มันเหมือนเล่นเกมส์ที่มีคนโกง คือมีรัฐเนี่ยแหละที่เป็นตัวแสบ คอยแทรกแซงตลาดอยู่ตลอด ไม่ว่าจะเป็นการควบคุมเงินตรา การออกกฎหมาย การเก็บภาษี พวกนี้แม่งโคตรบิดเบือนตลาดเลย ทีนี้ **"จุดอ่อน"** ที่พี่ชิตแกพูดถึงก็คือ **"Free Market Money"** หรือเงินที่เป็นอิสระจากการควบคุมของรัฐนั่นเอง คือถ้าเงินแม่งยังอยู่ในมือรัฐ มันก็จะคอยปั่น คอยแทรกแซง ทำให้ตลาดแม่งไม่เสรีจริงๆ สักที เหมือนเราเล่นไพ่ แล้วเจ้ามือแม่งแอบดูไพ่มึงเร่ เราจะชนะได้ยังไง? แล้ว **"Free Market Money"** มันคืออะไรวะ? ก็ Bitcoin ไง Bitcoin แม่งไม่มีใครควบคุมได้ ไม่มีรัฐบาลไหน ธนาคารไหนมาสั่งซ้ายหันขวาหันได้ มันเป็นเงินของประชาชนอย่างแท้จริง พอมี Bitcoin เข้ามา ระบบทุนนิยมเสรีก็จะสมบูรณ์แบบ ตลาดก็จะเสรีจริงๆ สักที เล่นไพ่แล้วเจ้ามือแม่งยุติธรรม เล่นตามกติกา แบบนี้ถึงจะแฟร์ นี่แหละ Key สำคัญที่พี่ชิตแกพยายามจะสื่อ คือถ้าอยากให้ระบบทุนนิยมเสรีมันเวิร์ค มึงต้อง **"Fix the Money"** ก่อน แล้วโลกแม่งก็จะค่อยๆ ดีขึ้นเอง ### 2. "Fix the Money, Fix the World" แกหมายความว่า.. ปัญหาโลกส่วนใหญ่ เช่น ความเหลื่อมล้ำ ก็มาจากระบบเงินตราที่ห่วยแตกนี่แหละ เงินเฟ้อ รัฐบาลพิมพ์เงินมั่วซั่ว พวกนี้แม่งโคตรทำลายชีวิตคน ถ้าเราแก้ระบบเงินได้ เปลี่ยนไปใช้ Bitcoin ที่ไม่มีใครควบคุม ไม่มีใครปั่นได้ โลกมันก็จะดีขึ้นเอง ปัญหาต่างๆ ก็จะค่อยๆ หายไป เหมือนกับการซ่อมรากฐานบ้าน ถ้ารากฐานมันดี บ้านมันก็จะแข็งแรง อยู่ได้นาน แต่ถ้ารากฐานมันพัง ต่อให้ทาสีบ้านสวยแค่ไหน สุดท้ายมันก็พังอยู่ดี ### 3. "Bitcoiner ก็เป็นสมาชิกพรรคพี่ชิตหมดแล้ว" มันไม่ได้หมายความว่า Bitcoiner ต้องไปสมัครพรรคการเมืองอะไร **"พรรคชาติหน้าพัฒนา"** มันไม่ใช่พรรคการเมืองจริงๆ แต่มันคือแนวคิด คืออุดมการณ์ คือวิถีชีวิต ที่เน้นการพึ่งพาตัวเอง การกระจายอำนาจ เสรีภาพ และ Bitcoin ตอบโจทย์ทั้งหมดนี้เลย Bitcoiner ส่วนใหญ่ก็จะมี Mindset คล้ายๆ แบบนี้ คือไม่ชอบให้ใครมาควบคุม ชอบอิสระ เชื่อในการกระจายอำนาจ เพราะงั้น Bitcoiner ก็เลยเหมือนเป็นสมาชิก **"พรรคชาติหน้าพัฒนา"** โดยอัตโนมัติ โดยที่ไม่ต้องไปสมัครอะไรเลย มันอยู่ในสายเลือด อยู่ใน DNA ของ Bitcoiner อยู่แล้ว ### 4. "Work, Saving, Stacking นี่คือพวกเราทำงานให้กับพรรคชาติหน้าพัฒนา" พวกเราที่ทำงาน หาเงิน เก็บออม แล้วเอาเงินไปซื้อ Bitcoin สะสมไว้เนี่ย มันคือการทำงานให้กับพรรคชาติหน้าพัฒนาในทางอ้อม เพราะการที่เรา Stack sats มันคือการสนับสนุน Decentralization การต่อต้านอำนาจรวมศูนย์ และการสร้าง Free Society ซึ่งเป็นหัวใจหลักของพรรคชาติหน้าพัฒนานั่นเอง พวกเราเป็นเหมือน **"เซลล์"** ที่ช่วยกันขับเคลื่อนพรรคให้เติบโต ยิ่งเรา Stack sats มากเท่าไหร่ พรรคก็ยิ่งแข็งแกร่งและเข้าใกล้เป้าหมายมากขึ้นเท่านั้น มันเหมือนกับการที่เรา Contribute ให้กับ Open Source Project เราอาจจะไม่ได้เป็น Developer เขียนโค้ด แต่เราก็สามารถสนับสนุนโครงการได้ด้วยการบริจาคเงินหรือช่วยโปรโมทได้ ซึ่งมันก็เป็นส่วนหนึ่งในการขับเคลื่อน Project นั้นๆ ให้ประสบความสำเร็จเช่นกัน มันคือการทำงานเพื่อ **"อุดมการณ์"** เพื่อ **"อนาคต"** ในแบบที่เราอยากเห็น ไม่ใช่แค่การทำงานเพื่อเงินเดือนหรือผลประโยชน์ส่วนตัว ### 5. "Decentralization มันอยู่ใน DNA ของคำว่าสุวรรณภูมิ" พี่ชิตต้องการจะสื่อว่า Decentralization มันเป็นรากเหง้า เป็นแก่นแท้ของภูมิภาคสุวรรณภูมิมาตั้งแต่โบราณแล้ว สมัยก่อน.. แถบนี้ไม่ได้มีรัฐบาลกลางที่แข็งแกร่ง มีแต่ชุมชนเล็กๆ เมืองเล็กๆ กระจายอยู่เต็มไปหมด ต่างคนต่างปกครองตัวเอง พึ่งพาตัวเอง ค้าขายแลกเปลี่ยนกันอย่างอิสระ ไม่มีใครมาบังคับ มันก็เลยเหมือนกับ Decentralization ในโลก Bitcoin ที่ไม่มีใครคุม ไม่มีตัวกลาง ทุกคนมีอำนาจเท่าเทียมกัน Decentralization แบบนี้แหละ ที่ทำให้สุวรรณภูมิเจริญรุ่งเรืองในอดีต และพี่ชิตก็เชื่อว่า Decentralization นี่แหละที่จะเป็นกุญแจสำคัญในการพัฒนาประเทศไทย และภูมิภาคนี้ในอนาคต ### 6. "รวมกันเราอยู่ แต่ไม่อนุญาตให้ใครเอาเปรียบซึ่งกันและกัน" การอยู่ร่วมกันในสังคมมันต้องมี **"กฎ"** มี **"กติกา"** ที่ทุกคนต้องเคารพ เพื่อป้องกันไม่ให้ใครเอาเปรียบใคร เหมือนในโลก Bitcoin ที่มี **"Consensus Rules"** คอยควบคุมระบบ ทำให้ทุกคนเล่นตามกฎเดียวกัน ไม่มีใครได้เปรียบเสียเปรียบ แต่กฎที่ว่านี้.. มันต้องมาจากความสมัครใจ ไม่ใช่มาจากการบังคับหรืออำนาจรวมศูนย์ ทุกคนต้องมีส่วนร่วมในการสร้างและยอมรับกฎนั้นๆ พูดง่ายๆ คือ รวมกันเราอยู่ก็จริง แต่มันต้องแฟร์ ต้องยุติธรรมด้วย ไม่ใช่รวมกันเพื่อให้ใครบางคนรวย หรือ รวมกันเพื่อให้ใครบางคนมีอำนาจ ## 7. "ความจริงมันมีอยู่แล้ว แต่ความจริงแม่งช้า" พี่ชิตพูดถึงธรรมชาติของ **"ความจริง"** ซึ่งความจริงมันก็มีอยู่แล้ว มันไม่ได้ขึ้นอยู่กับความเชื่อ หรือความคิดเห็นของใคร แต่มันอาจจะต้องใช้เวลา กว่าที่คนส่วนใหญ่จะเข้าใจและยอมรับความจริงนั้น เหมือนกับตอนที่คนสมัยก่อนเชื่อว่าโลกแบน แต่ความจริงคือโลกกลม กว่าที่คนส่วนใหญ่จะยอมรับความจริงนี้ได้ก็ปาไปตั้งหลายร้อยปี Bitcoin ก็เหมือนกัน.. พี่ชิตเชื่อว่า Bitcoin คือ **"ความจริง"** คือ **"อนาคตของเงิน"** แต่ตอนนี้คนส่วนใหญ่อาจจะยังไม่เข้าใจ ยังมองว่ามันเป็นแค่ของเล่น การพนัน หรือ แชร์ลูกโซ่ แต่สักวันหนึ่ง.. ความจริงของ Bitcoin จะปรากฏ และทุกคนจะยอมรับมัน เหมือนที่พี่ชิตบอกว่า.. **"อีก 10 ปีมึงไม่ต้องเชิญเลย"** คืออีก 10 ปี คนจะเข้าใจ Bitcoin กันหมด ไม่ต้องมาจัดสัมมนาหรือเสียอธิบายอะไรกันอีกแล้ว มันก็เหมือนกับ **"ความจริงเป็นสิ่งไม่ตาย"** ต่อให้ตอนนี้คนส่วนใหญ่จะยังไม่เชื่อ ไม่เข้าใจ แต่สุดท้ายแล้วความจริงก็จะชนะ และเปิดเผยตัวเองออกมาเอง เพียงแต่เราต้องอดทนรอหน่อยเท่านั้นเอง... ### 8. "Leave me alone" สะท้อนแนวคิด Libertarian ที่เน้น **"อิสรภาพส่วนบุคคล"** แบบสุดๆ คือพี่ชิตไม่อยากให้ใคร แม้แต่รัฐบาล มาควบคุม หรือบังคับแก แกอยากจะทำอะไรก็ทำ อยากใช้ชีวิตยังไงก็ใช้ โดยที่ไม่ต้องมีใครมาจุ้นจ้าน พี่ชิตมองว่า.. รัฐบาลควรมีบทบาทน้อยที่สุด แค่คอยดูแลความสงบเรียบร้อยและรักษาความยุติธรรมก็พอ ส่วนเรื่องอื่นๆ ประชาชนควรจัดการกันเอง **"Leave me alone"** จึงเป็นเสียงสะท้อนจากใจของคนที่เบื่อระบบราชการ กฎระเบียบและการแทรกแซงจากรัฐ แกอยากให้ทุกคน **"Take care yourself"** พึ่งพาตัวเองให้ได้ ไม่ใช่รอคอยความช่วยเหลือจากรัฐบาล มันก็เหมือนกับโลก Bitcoin ที่ไม่มีใครควบคุม ไม่มีตัวกลาง ทุกคนมีอิสระในการทำธุรกรรม โดยไม่ต้องขออนุญาตใคร สังคมที่ดี คือ สังคมที่ให้อิสระกับปัจเจกชน ให้แต่ละคนได้เลือกและรับผิดชอบชีวิตตัวเอง โดยไม่ต้องมีใครมาบังคับหรือชี้นำ ### 9. "Overhead 70% ไอ้สัส! Payload 30%" พี่ชิตเปรียบเทียบ (ด่าแหละ) รัฐบาลเหมือนกับบริษัท ที่ดันมี Overhead (ค่าใช้จ่ายในการบริหารจัดการ) สูงถึง 70% ในขณะที่ Payload (งานที่ส่งมอบให้ประชาชนจริงๆ) มีเพียงแค่ 30% คือ.. รัฐบาลเอาภาษีประชาชนไปใช้จ่ายกับอะไรก็ไม่รู้ (อาทิ.. เงินเดือนข้าราชการ ค่าดูงานต่างประเทศ ค่าจัดเลี้ยง ค่าสัมมนา ฯลฯ เต็มไปหมด) แต่ผลงานที่ประชาชนได้รับกลับน้อยนิด แกเลยด่าว่า **"ไอ้สัส!"** ด้วยความฉุนเฉียว เพราะมันไม่สมเหตุสมผล ไม่คุ้มค่า และเป็นการเอาเปรียบประชาชนชัดๆ พี่ชิตอยากให้รัฐบาล **"Downsize"** ลดขนาดองค์กร ลดค่าใช้จ่ายและเพิ่มประสิทธิภาพในการทำงาน เพื่อให้ Payload มันสูงขึ้น ประชาชนจะได้ประโยชน์มากขึ้น รัฐบาลไม่ควรใหญ่เกินไป ไม่ควรเข้าไปยุ่งกับชีวิตประชาชนมากเกินไป ควรปล่อยให้ประชาชน **"Take care yourself"** จัดการตัวเอง ### 10. "เขาคุยเรื่อง "UBI, Universal Basic Income กันแล้ว, You own nothing but you'll be happy" พี่ชิตพูดถึงกระแส UBI ที่กำลังมาแรง คือการที่รัฐบาลแจกเงินให้ประชาชนใช้ฟรีๆ ทุกเดือน แล้วก็มีคำพูดที่ว่า **"คุณจะไม่มีอะไรเป็นของตัวเอง แต่คุณจะมีความสุข"** ซึ่งแม่งโคตรย้อนแย้ง และโคตรอันตรายเลย คือพี่ชิตมองว่า UBI มันเป็นแนวคิดสังคมนิยมสุดโต่งที่ทำให้คนขี้เกียจ ไม่ยอมพึ่งพาตัวเอง รอแต่เงินแจกจากรัฐบาล แล้วพอคนไม่ทำงาน ไม่สร้างมูลค่าเพิ่มให้กับสังคม เศรษฐกิจมันก็พังพินาศ ส่วนประโยค **"You own nothing but you'll be happy"** แกมองว่าแม่งโคตรหลอกลวง *คือมึงจะไม่มีอะไรเป็นของตัวเองเลย ทุกอย่างเป็นของรัฐ แล้วมึงจะมีความสุขได้ยังไงวะ?* มันเหมือนอยู่ในคุก มีข้าวกิน มีที่นอน แต่ไม่มีอิสระ มึงจะมีความสุขหรอ? พี่ชิตเชื่อในเสรีภาพ เชื่อในการพึ่งพาตัวเอง เชื่อในการสร้างเนื้อสร้างตัว ไม่ใช่รอเงินแจกจากรัฐบาล UBI มันเลยสวนทางกับแนวคิดของแกโดยสิ้นเชิง แล้วแกก็มองว่ามันเป็นภัยคุกคามต่อเสรีภาพของมนุษย์ด้วย ### 11. "ในขณะที่โลกฝักใฝ่ทางซ้าย แต่พวกมึงดันมุ่งไปทางขวา เพราะพวกมึงแม่งคือ Right Shift" พี่ชิตแกหมายถึงโลกปัจจุบันกำลังไปทางซ้าย คือแนวคิดสังคมนิยม รัฐสวัสดิการ รัฐบาลใหญ่ ควบคุมทุกอย่าง แจกเงิน ฯลฯ แต่พวก Bitcoiner หรือกลุ่มคนที่เชื่อในแนวคิดแบบเดียวกันกับแก ดันไปทางขวา ซึ่งก็คือแนวคิดเสรีนิยม เน้นความรับผิดชอบ พึ่งพาตัวเอง กระจายอำนาจ รัฐบาลเล็กลง **"Right Shift"** ก็คือการเปลี่ยนทิศทาง จากซ้ายไปขวา จากการพึ่งพารัฐ ไปสู่การพึ่งพาตนเอง นี่แหละ.. ชื่อนี้ (ชื่อเรา) จึงสอดคล้องกับแกนหลักของแนวคิดพี่ชิต ที่พยายามจะสื่อให้เห็นว่ามันมีอีกทางเลือกหนึ่งที่ไม่ใช่การพึ่งพารัฐบาล แต่เป็นการสร้างความมั่งคั่งและความเจริญรุ่งเรืองด้วยตัวเอง ### 12. "Right Shift, Take care yourself, Self Regulate, Decentralization นั่นคือ Right Shift" **"Right Shift"** หรือการ **"ขยับไปทางขวา"** **"มุ่งไปในทิศทางที่ถูกต้อง"** ในความหมายของพี่ชิต มันก็คือ การดูแลตัวเอง (Take care yourself) การควบคุมตัวเอง (Self Regulate) และการกระจายอำนาจ (Decentralization) นั่นเอง ทั้งหมดนี้มันเชื่อมโยงกัน คือ ถ้ามึงดูแลตัวเองได้ ควบคุมตัวเองได้ และเชื่อในการกระจายอำนาจ แทนที่จะพึ่งพารัฐบาล มึงก็จะก้าวไปสู่ **"Right Shift"** ได้ # Bonus quotes ### 13. "กบกำลังถูกต้มอยู่ในหม้อ มันต้องร้อนขึ้น" นี่คือการเปรียบเปรยสถานการณ์ปัจจุบันที่หลายคนอาจไม่รู้ตัวว่ากำลังเผชิญกับปัญหาใหญ่กันอยู่ เหมือนกบที่ถูกต้มช้าๆ มันจะไม่รู้ตัวว่าน้ำกำลังร้อนขึ้นเรื่อยๆ จนสุดท้ายมันก็ตาย ปัญหาต่างๆ เช่น เงินเฟ้อ ความเหลื่อมล้ำ ระบบราชการที่ไร้ประสิทธิภาพ มันก็ค่อยๆ ร้อนขึ้นเรื่อยๆ จนถึงจุดที่รับไม่ได้ พี่ชิตใช้ประโยคนี้เพื่อเตือนสติว่า.. อย่าได้ประมาท อย่าปล่อยให้ตัวเองถูกต้มจนตาย ต้องตระหนัก และหาทางออกก่อนที่มันจะสายเกินไป ### 14. "ลิงมันขายไอเดียไม่ได้" เปรียบเทียบมนุษย์กับลิง เพื่อเน้นย้ำถึงความสามารถเฉพาะตัวของมนุษย์ในการสื่อสาร และโน้มน้าวใจผู้อื่น ลิงอาจจะฉลาด แต่ก็สื่อสารหรือขายไอเดียไม่ได้เหมือนมนุษย์ มนุษย์มีความสามารถในการสร้างเรื่องราว สร้างแรงบันดาลใจ โน้มน้าวใจ เพื่อให้คนอื่นเชื่อและทำตาม นี่แหละคือข้อได้เปรียบที่มนุษย์มีเหนือสัตว์อื่นๆ และเป็นสิ่งสำคัญในการขับเคลื่อนสังคม และโลกใบนี้ ### 15. "เบียร์ไม่มีช้อยส์" พี่ชิตพูดในบริบทที่หมายถึง.. บางครั้งในชีวิต เราก็ไม่มีทางเลือกหรือมีทางเลือกจำกัด เหมือนเวลาเลือกดื่ม.. บางทีก็มีแค่เบียร์ให้เลือก ไม่มีอะไรอื่น มันก็ต้องดื่มเบียร์ไป นั่นแหละ.. บางทีชีวิตเราก็เป็นแบบนั้น ต้องยอมรับ และเลือกสิ่งที่ดีที่สุดในสถานการณ์นั้นๆ ไปก่อน ### 16. "อเมริกาแอบแดกฟรีอยู่" หมายถึงนโยบายต่างประเทศของอเมริกา ที่ใช้ดอลลาร์เป็นอาวุธ เพื่อรักษาอำนาจ และเอาเปรียบประเทศอื่นๆ อเมริกาใช้ดอลลาร์เป็นเงินทุนสำรองโลก ทำให้ประเทศอื่นๆ ต้องพึ่งพาดอลลาร์ แล้วอเมริกาก็ใช้จุดนี้เป็นข้อได้เปรียบในการควบคุมเศรษฐกิจและการเมืองโลก เหมือนกับการที่มึงมีของดี แล้วมึงก็บังคับให้คนอื่นต้องซื้อของมึง โดยที่มึงไม่ต้องลงทุนอะไรมากมาย พี่ชิตแกมองว่า นี่คือการ **"แอบแดกฟรี"** คือได้ประโยชน์มหาศาลโดยที่ไม่ต้องลงทุนและไม่คำนึงถึงผลกระทบต่อประเทศอื่นๆ เป็นการใช้ประโยชน์จากระบบที่ไม่เป็นธรรม ### 17. "กรรมที่อเมริกาต้องชดใช้" ประโยคนี้พี่ชิตไม่ได้หมายความว่าอเมริกาจะต้องไปนรกหรืออะไรแบบนั้น.. แกใช้คำนี้ในบริบทของการวิเคราะห์ระบบเศรษฐกิจโลกและการกระจายอำนาจ อเมริกาเคยใช้อำนาจของตัวเอง โดยเฉพาะ **"ดอลลาร์"** เพื่อครอบงำและเอาเปรียบประเทศอื่นๆ มานาน นั่นคือ **"กรรม"** ที่อเมริกาได้สร้างขึ้น แต่ตอนนี้.. ระบบการเงินและอำนาจกำลังเปลี่ยนแปลง Bitcoin กำลังมา ซึ่งเป็นระบบที่กระจายอำนาจ ไม่มีใครควบคุมได้ อเมริกาจึงกำลังเผชิญผลของการกระทำในอดีต นั่นคือ การสูญเสียอำนาจและอิทธิพล นั่นแหละ **"กรรม"** ที่ต้องชดใช้ ### 18. "มึงเป็นไก่ ไอ้สัส! ทำไมทำตัวเป็นกา เป็นปรสิต?" **"กา"** และ **"ปรสิต"** คือพวกที่ไม่สร้างคุณค่าอะไรให้กับสังคม แต่ดันพึ่งพา เอาเปรียบคนอื่น เหมือนกาที่ขโมยกิน หรือปรสิตที่อาศัยดูดเลือดคนอื่นอยู่รอด ส่วน **"ไก่"** ในที่นี้ หมายถึงคนที่สร้างคุณค่า ทำงานหาเลี้ยงชีพด้วยตัวเอง พี่ชิตแกเลยอยากให้ทุกคนเป็นไก่ พึ่งพาตัวเอง สร้างคุณค่าให้กับสังคม อย่าไปเป็นภาระ หรือเอาเปรียบใคร การเปรียบเที่ยบด้วยโควทนี้ก็เพื่อให้เราได้สติ ได้คิด มันเป็นการตักเตือนที่ค่อนข้างตรงไปตรงมา แต่ก็แฝงด้วยความหวังดี อยากให้พวกเราพยายามเปลี่ยนแปลงตัวเองไปในทางที่ดีขึ้น ### 19. "โลกยังหมุนรอบตัวเองเลย" นี่คือการตอกย้ำหลักการพื้นฐานของธรรมชาติ คือทุกอย่างต้องทำงาน ต้องสร้างคุณค่า เพื่อความอยู่รอด พี่ชิตใช้ประโยคนี้ต่อจากการพูดถึงการพึ่งพาตัวเอง การสร้างคุณค่า การไม่เป็นภาระสังคม จะเห็นว่าแกพยายามจะสื่อว่า การดำรงอยู่ไม่ใช่เรื่องง่าย ทุกอย่างแม่งต้องทำงาน ทุกอย่างแม่งต้องหมุนเวียน เหมือนโลกที่ยังหมุนรอบตัวเองอยู่ทุกวันนี้ มนุษย์ก็เช่นกัน ต้องพึ่งพาตัวเอง สร้างคุณค่า เพื่อให้ตัวเองอยู่รอดได้ ไม่ใช่รอให้คนอื่นมาเลี้ยงดู ### 20. "กูเกลียดคำว่า Policy" พี่ชิตไม่ได้เกลียดนโยบายโดยทั่วไป แต่แกเกลียด **"Policy"** ในบริบทของระบบราชการ ที่มันยุ่งยาก ซับซ้อน ไร้ประสิทธิภาพและมักไม่ตรงกับความต้องการของประชาชน คือพี่ชิตมองว่า Policy ส่วนใหญ่ มันเป็นแค่ตัวหนังสือ เป็นแค่กฎเกณฑ์ที่สร้างขึ้นโดยคนกลุ่มเล็กๆ เพื่อที่จะควบคุมและบริหารจัดการคนส่วนใหญ่ แต่สุดท้าย.. มันกลับกลายเป็นอุปสรรค เป็นภาระ ที่ทำให้การทำงานต่างๆ ช้าลง ไม่คล่องตัว และเสียค่าใช้จ่ายมหาศาล พี่ชิตเลยอยากเห็นระบบที่เรียบง่าย โปร่งใส ทุกคนมีส่วนร่วม ไม่ใช่ระบบที่ถูกควบคุมด้วย Policy ที่ยุ่งยาก และไร้ประสิทธิภาพ ### 21. "Democratize retail work" พี่ชิตหมายถึง.. การกระจายงานให้คนมีส่วนร่วมมากขึ้น ไม่ใช่แค่ให้คนกลุ่มเดียว หรือองค์กรเดียว ทำ ยกตัวอย่างเรื่องการจัดการผักตบชวา.. แทนที่จะให้รัฐบาลจัดการเอง ซึ่งใช้เวลา งบประมาณมหาศาลและประสิทธิภาพต่ำ แกเสนอให้กระจายงานออกไป ให้คนในชุมชนหรือคนที่มีความสามารถเข้ามาทำ โดยมีระบบตรวจสอบและให้รางวัลคนที่ทำงานได้ดี แบบนี้มันจะทำให้ประสิทธิภาพสูงขึ้น ประหยัดงบประมาณและคนในชุมชนก็ได้มีส่วนร่วม สร้างความรับผิดชอบและความยั่งยืน เป็นการเปลี่ยนจากระบบรวมศูนย์ ไปสู่ระบบกระจายอำนาจในเชิงปฏิบัติ ### 22. "นี่คือ Future of Work" พี่ชิตมองว่า.. อนาคต การทำงานจะไม่ใช่การทำงานเพื่อนายจ้างหรือองค์กรใหญ่ๆ อีกต่อไป แต่จะเป็นการทำงานแบบกระจายอำนาจ ทุกคนเป็นอิสระ รับผิดชอบงานของตัวเอง สร้างมูลค่าเพิ่มด้วยตัวเอง แล้วก็ได้รับผลตอบแทนตามความสามารถ เหมือนกับ Bitcoin ที่มันไม่มีเจ้านาย ไม่มีคนกลาง ทุกคนมีส่วนร่วม ทุกคนได้ประโยชน์ ### 23. "ชิดซ้าย เพื่อ Make a U-turn" ชิดซ้าย แต่กูไม่ใช่ฝ่ายซ้าย! (ฮา) กูชิดซ้าย (นามสกุลซ้ายเกล้า) เพื่อเตรียมจะยูเทิร์นไปทางขวาโว้ย! เอาจริงๆ นัยยะของพี่ชิตแกไม่ได้หมายถึงการขับรถ แต่เป็นการเปรียบเปรยถึงการเตรียมตัวก่อนเปลี่ยนแปลงครั้งใหญ่ ในบริบทของบทสนทนา มันหมายถึงการเตรียมตัวก่อนที่จะเปลี่ยนจากระบบเดิมๆ ที่เน้นการพึ่งพารัฐ ไปสู่ระบบใหม่ที่เน้นการพึ่งพาตนเอง การกระจายอำนาจ (Right Shift) **"ชิดซ้าย"** จึงเป็นเหมือนการเตรียมตัว การวางแผน ก่อนที่จะ **"Make a U-turn"** หรือหักเลี้ยวเปลี่ยนไปสู่เส้นทางใหม่ ซึ่งก็คือการก้าวไปสู่โลกแบบ Decentralization นั่นเอง (คิดได้..) ### 24. "หลอกพวกมึงด้วยการสร้างกุศลบายให้มึงเชื่อในนรกสวรรค์" พี่ชิตแกไม่ได้ต่อต้านศาสนาโดยตรง แต่แกกำลังวิจารณ์การใช้ศาสนาเป็นเครื่องมือควบคุมคน การใช้ความกลัว ความเชื่อเรื่องนรก-สวรรค์ มาบังคับ มาควบคุม มาชี้นำพฤติกรรมของคน โดยที่ไม่ได้เน้นเหตุผลหรือการลงมือทำจริง มันเหมือนกับการใช้ **"กุศโลบาย"** หรือกลอุบาย มาหลอกลวง ให้คนเชื่อและทำตาม โดยที่ไม่ได้ให้ความรู้หรือสร้างความเข้าใจที่แท้จริง พี่ชิตแกอยากให้คนใช้เหตุผล ใช้ความรู้ และลงมือทำ ไม่ใช่แค่เชื่ออย่างงมงาย ### 25. "ถ้ามันจะเกิดในอีก 5 วัน พวกมึงจะไปทำอะไรได้?" พี่ชิตเน้นย้ำถึงความรวดเร็วและความไม่แน่นอนของการเปลี่ยนแปลงที่อาจจะเกิดขึ้น โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งกับโอกาสที่จะเกิดขึ้นจาก Bitcoin ซึ่งถ้าโอกาสดีๆ มันมาถึงเร็วมาก มึงจะเตรียมตัวทันมั้ย? มึงจะรับมือไหวมั้ย? (ในบริบทของการสนทนาคือ หากทรัมป์ได้รับเลือกเป็น ปธณ. อเมริกา มีการคาดหมายว่าจะส่งผลดีต่อบิตคอยน์) เอาจริงๆ มันเหมือนเป็นการเตือนสติว่า อย่าประมาท อย่าชะล่าใจ เพราะโอกาสอาจจะมาถึงเร็วกว่าที่คิด ส่วนประโยค **"ขายตูดซื้อไม่ทันเลย"** ของอิสร นี่คือมุขตลก ถ้ามึงไม่ทัน มึงก็จะเสียโอกาส เหมือนกับมึงต้องขายของมีค่า เพื่อเอาเงินไปซื้อ Bitcoin แต่ก็ยังไม่ทัน มันโคตรเสียดาย แล้วคุณล่ะ.. อยากให้ใครได้เป็นประธานาธิบดีสหรัฐ? ### 26. "มันคือการเอาเงินคนอื่นไปทำบุญ" พี่ชิตวิจารณ์นโยบายประชานิยม โดยเฉพาะการที่รัฐบาลเอาเงินภาษีของประชาชนไปแจก หรือไปทำโครงการต่างๆ โดยที่ไม่ได้รับความยินยอม หรือไม่ได้เกิดประโยชน์อย่างแท้จริงกับประชาชน แกมองว่า.. มันก็เหมือนกับการที่รัฐบาลเอาเงินของประชาชนไป **"ทำบุญ"** โดยที่ประชาชนไม่ได้เป็นผู้ตัดสินใจว่าจะบริจาคเงินไปทำอะไร มันเป็นการกระทำที่ไม่โปร่งใส และไม่เคารพสิทธิ์ของประชาชน แกเน้นย้ำว่า การทำบุญหรือการใช้เงิน ควรมาจากความสมัครใจ ไม่ใช่การบังคับ หรือการใช้เงินโดยไม่คำนึงถึงความต้องการหรือประโยชน์ของผู้ที่ถูกใช้เงิน ไม่ใช่ตัวเองได้บุญ ได้หน้าอยู่คนเดียว แต่คนทั้งประเทศต้องมาคอยรับผิดชอบหนี้ร่วมกัน จริงๆ แล้วในไลฟ์นี้มีประโยคเด็ดอีกมากมายจากพี่ชิตเต็มไปหมด ถือเสียว่าผมแค่เอาน้ำจิ้มบางส่วนมาให้ลองชิมก็แล้วกัน ถ้าจะเก็บให้ครบทั้งหมดควรต้องไปดูด้วยตัวเองครับ # สุดท้ายแล้ว "พรรคชาติหน้าพัฒนา" มันคืออะไรแน่? เอาง่ายๆ เลยนะ พี่ชิตแกเห็น Pain Point หลักๆ มาจาก 2 อย่างใหญ่ๆ คือ **ระบบการเงินโลกที่บิดเบี้ยว** และ **ระบบการเมืองที่ล้าหลัง** ซึ่งทั้งสองอย่างนี้เชื่อมโยงกันอย่างแยกไม่ออก **ระบบการเงินที่บิดเบี้ยว** คือ รัฐบาลมีอำนาจควบคุมเงิน พิมพ์เงินมั่วซั่ว ทำให้เกิดเงินเฟ้อ ความเหลื่อมล้ำ คนจนยิ่งจน คนรวยยิ่งรวย นี่แหละคือต้นตอของปัญหาสารพัด พี่ชิตเลยมองว่าต้องแก้ที่ระบบเงินก่อน ด้วย Bitcoin ที่เป็น Free Market Money อิสระจากรัฐบาล ส่วน **ระบบการเมืองที่ล้าหลัง** คือ รัฐบาลใหญ่ แทรกแซงทุกอย่าง ประชาชนอ่อนแอ พึ่งพารัฐอย่างเดียว ไม่มีเสรีภาพ ไม่มีการกระจายอำนาจ พี่ชิตเลยคิด **"พรรคชาติหน้าพัฒนา"** ขึ้นมา ไม่ใช่พรรคการเมืองจริงๆ แต่เป็น Protocol หรือแนวคิด ที่จะ Empower ประชาชน ให้พึ่งพาตัวเอง มีเสรีภาพทางการเงินและมีส่วนร่วมในการกำหนดอนาคตของตัวเอง โดยใช้ Bitcoin เป็นเครื่องมือสำคัญ ## ทำไมต้องปี 2575? นี่น่าจะเป็นการตั้งเป้าหมายระยะยาวมากกว่า อาจจะหมายถึงช่วงเวลาที่ Bitcoin และแนวคิด Decentralization แพร่หลายมากพอ จนสามารถสร้างการเปลี่ยนแปลงที่แท้จริงได้ หรืออาจจะเป็นแค่การเปรียบเปรย เพราะการสร้างอะไรใหม่ๆ มันต้องใช้เวลา เหมือนการปลูกต้นไม้ กว่าจะโต กว่าจะออกผล มันต้องใช้เวลาหลายปี การตั้งเป้าหมายไว้ที่ปี 2575 ก็อาจจะเป็นการสร้างแรงบันดาลใจและความหวังให้กับผู้คนก็ได้ ไม่ใช่เป้าหมายที่ตายตัวอะไรขนาดนั้น (หรือไม่ก็ล้อไปกับเรื่องการปกครองที่เปลี่ยนแปลงมาตั้งแต่ปี 2475 แต่ก็ไม่พัฒนาไปถึงไหน ครบรอบ 100 ปีก็ควรจะ Change กันได้แล้ว) ทั้งหมดนี้คือสิ่งที่พี่ชิตแกอยากจะสื่อ และเป็นแรงจูงใจที่ทำให้แกผุดแนวคิด **"พรรคชาติหน้าพัฒนา"** (as a protocol) ขึ้นมานั่นเองครับ

## You don't choose software. You choose software developers. I've done lots of internal and external software project audits. The clue to a good audit, is that you are judging the building and the builder, because the former determines the present state of the code and the latter determines how things will be built going forward. Here's what to look for in a good developer: * _curious_ : eager to learn from others * _humble_ : seems slightly embarrassed, when you report an issue, and tries to reproduce and fix the problem * _responsive_ : they try to get back to you within 24 hours, or they arrange a sub or post a notice, when they'll be away for a while. They feel bad, if they leave someone waiting, so they'll send updates, even if it's just to ask them to be patient. * _diligent_ : they don't leave websites rotting, abandoned. They either maintain it or pull it down. They check their repos regularly and actively manage the PRs and issues. * _egalitarian_ : they care about all of their users, whether they are rich or poor, famous or unknown, premium or freewarers * _agile_ : they don't let the system go stale, for months, and then dump a gigantic commit * _honest_ : they don't lie, ever. Never ever. They're not sneaky or evasive. If something they promised won't work out, they announce it. They readily admit to things that make them look bad. * _calm_ : they are not histrionic, hyperventilatory or prone to needing a Wellness Break, to recover from the stress of dealing with humans and code * _centered_ : they have a plan, for their software, that they regularly refine, but they don't flit from one Next Big Thing, to another. They resist hype and examine concepts soberly and analytically. * _concerned_ : they test their software before giving it to other people because they want them to have a positive experience, while using it. If something is just a prototype, they make that clear, when announcing it.

## Chef's notes This is great to start in the morning, and come home to a nearly finished meal. I like to make tacos that day, then use any remaining for just about anything from chili to omelets. Fun way to prepare ramen too. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 30 min, plus 15 before serving - 🍳 Cook time: 8 hours - 🍽️ Servings: 10-12 ## Ingredients - 3-4lb Chuck Roast, bone-in preferred - 1 large White Onion, quartered - 6-8 cloves Garlic, peeled - 5 Roma Tomatoes, halved - 6-8 dried Arbol Chiles, seeded - 3-4 Guajillo Chiles, seeded - 2 tsp Coriander seeds - 2 tsp Cumin seeds - 2 Tbsp Oregano, Mexican Oregano if available - 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon - 2 whole Bay Leaves - 1 tsp Salt - SPG style seasoning mix to coat the roast - 3-4 cups beef broth, just enough to cover roast plus additional for thinning sauce if desired - Any toppings desired (avocado, cilantro, sour cream, queso fresca, cheddar, fresh onion, etc) ## Directions 1. Preheat large frying pan to med/high, add oil for searing 2. Add onions and tomatoes, sear until edges char, add garlic and saute until fragrant, transfer to slow cooker 3. Pat roast dry, season all sides, transfer to pan 4. Sear roast on all sides, 2-4 minutes or until golden brown, transfer to slow cooker 5. Add all seasonings and beef broth to slow cooker 6. Cook on low 8+ hours or until the meat is falling apart 7. Remove bone and bay leaves 8. Transfer liquid and vegetables to a blender with loose fitting lid, blend until smooth, transfer to large bowl 9. Shred roast in slow cooker, pour sauce mix back in and stir. Adjust ratio by adding more beef broth if desired. Salt to taste. 10. Serve, drained as tacos, nachos, omelets, etc. Serve with broth as stew or mix with ramen

testing

This design system has two goals: 1. Being the basis for the development of a design-first, native Nostr app focused on exceptional zapping and chatting, relay-based communities and beauty 2. Serving as inspiration for builders that need coherent UI building blocks for their own apps with a different scope but overlapping needs (chats, threads, zaps, articles, highlights, events, wikis, ...) ### Design System Check it out [here](https://www.figma.com/community/file/1430887635327548022 ). This is by no means finished and will be continually updated and completed as we go along. ### Project description Check it out [here](njump.me/naddr1qvzqqqrcvgpzp22rfmsktmgpk2rtan7zwu00zuzax5maq5dnsu5g3xxvqr2u3pd7qyt8wumn8ghj7mnfv4kzumn0wd68yvfwvdhk6tcpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7qq00fshqcmgv96z6urjda4x2cm5lrswda) nostr:naddr1qvzqqqrcvgpzp22rfmsktmgpk2rtan7zwu00zuzax5maq5dnsu5g3xxvqr2u3pd7qyt8wumn8ghj7mnfv4kzumn0wd68yvfwvdhk6tcpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7qq00fshqcmgv96z6urjda4x2cm5lrswda This is a very first bullet-point-style draft to set the tone and is open to change, hence it being a wiki. ### Explanatory videos This list of videos will also be continually updated and completed as we go along: 1. Chat as the universal interface https://cdn.satellite.earth/43ccc6224a373dd22b7ae92edb70a0b9a3facabef27dff037de7f4fcf3ee7f37.mov 2. Your Nostr Dashboard https://cdn.satellite.earth/20fa9683dbf815c7deafa8a532c1d1e99cddbaac622fbf075b33b70fb0bdef22.mov 3. Keeping Tabs on all these Content types https://cdn.satellite.earth/a15ab05b55db1787349863f0f92c465dcde828b90c2cb61a92bd712a0012e9c6.mov 4. Design entered the Chat https://cdn.satellite.earth/7c25215262125562c847412c0d9a7d027e087028838204b6c447b5c07830979a.mov 5. Targeted publication & The blurry edges of interoperable communities https://cdn.satellite.earth/160c9431f53e7be108ad37f8d368e2af840690a8a936d1caaa68b468c9b1e0a9.mov 6. Travel Back https://cdn.satellite.earth/36d38027e6208e91c1fa27b0560f70fbad7d3e31c22d659c9a53a5c4cf90a876.mov

**Amber** [Amber](https://github.com/greenart7c3/Amber) is a Nostr event signer for Android that allows users to securely segregate their private key (nsec) within a single, dedicated application. Designed to function as a NIP-46 signing device, Amber ensures your smartphone can sign events without needing external servers or additional hardware, keeping your private key exposure to an absolute minimum. This approach aligns with the security rationale of NIP-46, which states that each additional system handling private keys increases potential vulnerability. With Amber, no longer do users need to enter their private key into various Nostr applications. <img src="https://cdn.satellite.earth/b42b649a16b8f51b48f482e304135ad325ec89386b5614433334431985d4d60d.jpg"> Amber is supported by a growing list of apps, including [Amethyst](https://www.amethyst.social/), [0xChat](https://0xchat.com/#/), [Voyage](https://github.com/dluvian/voyage), [Fountain](https://fountain.fm/), and [Pokey](https://github.com/KoalaSat/pokey), as well as any web application that supports NIP-46 NSEC bunkers, such as [Nostr Nests](https://nostrnests.com), [Coracle](https://coracle.social), [Nostrudel](https://nostrudel.ninja), and more. With expanding support, Amber provides an easy solution for secure Nostr key management across numerous platforms. <img src="https://cdn.satellite.earth/5b5d4fb9925fabb0005eafa291c47c33778840438438679dfad5662a00644c90.jpg"> Amber supports both native and web-based Nostr applications, aiming to eliminate the need for browser extensions or web servers. Key features include offline signing, multiple account support, and NIP-46 compatibility, and includes a simple UI for granular permissions management. Amber is designed to support signing events in the background, enhancing flexibility when you select the "remember my choice" option, eliminating the need to constantly be signing events for applications that you trust. You can download the app from it's [GitHub](https://github.com/greenart7c3/Amber) page, via [Obtainium ](https://github.com/ImranR98/Obtainium)or Zap.store. To log in with Amber, simply tap the "Login with Amber" button or icon in a supported application, or you can paste the NSEC bunker connection string directly into the login box. For example, use a connection string like this: bunker://npub1tj2dmc4udvgafxxxxxxxrtgne8j8l6rgrnaykzc8sys9mzfcz@relay.nsecbunker.com. <img src="https://cdn.satellite.earth/ca2156bfa084ee16dceea0739e671dd65c5f8d92d0688e6e59cc97faac199c3b.jpg"> --- **Citrine** [Citrine](https://github.com/greenart7c3/Citrine) is a Nostr relay built specifically for Android, allowing Nostr clients on Android devices to seamlessly send and receive events through a relay running directly on their smartphone. This mobile relay setup offers Nostr users enhanced flexibility, enabling them to manage, share, and back up all their Nostr data locally on their device. Citrine’s design supports independence and data security by keeping data accessible and under user control. <img src="https://cdn.satellite.earth/46bbc10ca2efb3ca430fcb07ec3fe6629efd7e065ac9740d6079e62296e39273.jpg"> With features tailored to give users greater command over their data, Citrine allows easy export and import of the database, restoration of contact lists in case of client malfunctions, and detailed relay management options like port configuration, custom icons, user management, and on-demand relay start/stop. Users can even activate TOR access, letting others connect securely to their Nostr relay directly on their phone. Future updates will include automatic broadcasting when the device reconnects to the internet, along with content resolver support to expand its functionality. Once you have your Citrine relay fully configured, simply add it to the Private and Local relay sections in Amethyst's relay configuration. <img src="https://cdn.satellite.earth/6ea01b68009b291770d5b11314ccb3d7ba05fe25cb783e6e1ea977bb21d55c09.jpg"> --- **Pokey** [Pokey](https://github.com/KoalaSat/pokey) for Android is a brand new, real-time notification tool for Nostr. Pokey allows users to receive live updates for their Nostr events and enabling other apps to access and interact with them. Designed for seamless integration within a user's Nostr relays, Pokey lets users stay informed of activity as it happens, with speed and the flexibility to manage which events trigger notifications on their mobile device. <img src="https://cdn.satellite.earth/62ec76cc36254176e63f97f646a33e2c7abd32e14226351fa0dd8684177b50a2.jpg"> Pokey currently supports connections with Amber, offering granular notification settings so users can tailor alerts to their preferences. Planned features include broadcasting events to other apps, authenticating to relays, built-in Tor support, multi-account handling, and InBox relay management. These upcoming additions aim to make Pokey a fantastic tool for Nostr notifications across the ecosystem. --- **Zap.store** [Zap.store](https://github.com/zapstore/zapstore/) is a permissionless app store powered by Nostr and your trusted social graph. Built to offer a decentralized approach to app recommendations, zap.store enables you to check if friends like Alice follow, endorse, or verify an app’s SHA256 hash. This trust-based, social proof model brings app discovery closer to real-world recommendations from friends and family, bypassing centralized app curation. Unlike conventional app stores and other third party app store solutions like Obtainium, zap.store empowers users to see which apps their contacts actively interact with, providing a higher level of confidence and transparency. <img src="https://cdn.satellite.earth/fd162229a404b317306916ae9f320a7280682431e933795f708d480e15affa23.jpg"> Currently available on Android, zap.store aims to expand to desktop, PWAs, and other platforms soon. You can get started by installing [Zap.store](https://github.com/zapstore/zapstore/) on your favorite Android device, and install all of the applications mentioned above. --- Android's openness goes hand in hand with Nostr's openness. Enjoy exploring both expanding ecosystems.

This update marks a major milestone for the project. I know, with certainty, that MLS messaging over Nostr is going to work. That might sound a little crazy after so many months working on the project, and I was pretty confident, but until you’ve got running code, it’s all conjecture. Late last week, I released a video of a working prototype of [White Noise](https://github.com/erskingardner/whitenoise) that shows the full flow; creating groups, inviting other users to join those groups, accepting invites, and sending messages back-and-forth. I’m thrilled that I’ve gotten this far but also appalled that it’s taken so long and disgusted at the state of the code in the app (I’ve been told I have unrelenting standards 😅). If you missed the video last week... nostr:note125cuk0zetc7sshw52v5zaq9apq3rq7e2x587tr2c96t7z7sjs59svwv0fj ## What's Next? In this update, I want to cover a few things about how I'm planning to proceed and how I’m splitting code out of the app into libraries that will help other developers implement MLS messaging in their own Nostr clients. First off, many of you know that I've been building White Noise as a Rust app using the [Tauri](https://tauri.app) framework. The [OpenMLS](https://github.com/openmls/openmls) implementation is also written in Rust (with bindings for many other languages). So, when you hear me talking about library code, think Rust crates for now. The first library, called [openmls-nostr](https://github.com/erskingardner/openmls-nostr), is an extension/abstraction on top of the openmls implementation of the MLS spec that helps Nostr clients interact more easily with that implementation in a way that feels native to Nostr. Mostly this will be helping developers interact with MLS primitives and ensure that they’re creating, validating, and serializing these objects in the right way at the right times. The second isn’t a new library as a big contribution to the already excellent [rust-nostr](https://github.com/rust-nostr) library from nostr:npub1drvpzev3syqt0kjrls50050uzf25gehpz9vgdw08hvex7e0vgfeq0eseet. The methods that will go in rust-nostr are highly abstracted and based specifically on the requirements of NIP-104. Mostly this will be helping developers to take those MLS primitives and publish or query them as Nostr events at the right times and to/from the right relays. Most of this code was originally written directly in the White Noise library so this week I've started to pull code for both of those libraries out and move it to its new home. While I’ve been at it, I've been writing some tests and trying to document things. An unfortunate offshoot of this is that the usable builds of White Noise are going to take a touch longer. I promise it’s still a very high priority but at this point I need to clean a few things up based on what I've learned thus far. Another thing that is slowing down release is that; behind the scenes of the dev work, I’ve been battling with Apple for nearly 2 months now to get a proper developer team set up so that we can publish the app via TestFlight for MacOS and iOS. I’ve also been recently learning the intricacies of Android publishing (oh my dear god there are so many devices, OS versions, etc.). With that in mind, if you know anyone who can help get me up to speed on CI/CD, release pipelines, and multi-platform distribution please hit me up. I would love to learn more and hopefully shortcut some of the pain. Thanks again so much for all the support over the last few months! It means a lot to me and is a huge part of what is keeping me going on this. 🙏

The other day someone was discussing the election with me and I explained to them why I don't participate. They were polite but were visibly annoyed and alluded to civic duty. It made me wonder. How many people that vote really believe the election will improve the world they live in? People are the more vocally divided (being very precise here) than at any point in my lifetime. No matter who wins this will continue to be the case. The thing is, this shouldn't surprise anyone. The current US politician machine is powered by demagogues that have no new ideas. They simply want to strike fear in the public and drive them to vote in defense against an enemy that is constructed by their rhetoric. One side calls the other Nazi/Fascist. The other calls their opponents Communists. They are both lying. Both sides are simply a collection of differing socialist policies. They are more alike than different. Both have points about the other side though. Both are deeply flawed. There are deep divisions in how things should be done. There have been for my entire life. But until the growth of social media and the natural rise of politicians and pundits to capitalize on it, the divisions were no so apparent. We have many different cultures in the US. Its a massive country full of people from different cultures, many either immigrants or dependence of immigrants. Some are deeply religious. So much so that their faith is the center of their life and out of that comes all of their world views. Others are deeply anti-religion to a point that being anti-god is their religion. On top of this, the US is so large that regions of the country have very different cultures. The features of these regions often influence the culture. They often attract people that mesh with their culture. These features seem to be ignored by most people. They are not ignored by politicians. They are used to gain attention and votes. These slime balls don't propose solutions. They propose the use of force violence to force a very specific culture upon the whole of the nation. Both sides present themselves as virtuous. Neither side seems to be capable of humility. Which is why this is so disastrous. In any other situation an arbiter would seek to find a compromise that is acceptable to all parties. Instead what we have is a drive for control so that this power can be wielded to make the world into the image the victor desires. This will not work. Cultures can be influenced but they can't be made by force. People resist. This seems so clear to me. Those that are the loudest seem to not care at all about anything other than winning. But they define winning as winning an election. I don't see how the election reduces any division or heals any wounds. The nation (people) are divided. Many hate the other side. People they do not even know... We often share space with people at work, concerts, sporting events, and restaurants. Many of these people we disagree with on politics. Why doesn't this break out in violence? Because most of the time. 99% of the it doesn't matter. No one is threatening violence or really even caring what you think about some unrelated topic. If we could just leave each other alone for a few years. Get to know our neighbors. Start to try to improve ourselves and our communities without using force. Maybe we could see that this whole thing people are so worked up about is stupid. Maybe then we could talk like adults about tough problems and disagreements. Maybe if we listened instead of blasting we could find common ground. Maybe if we turned off the propaganda for a while and instead of placing hope in politicians and democracy we could focus on what we share in common. Our humanity. I just don't see this happening yet. It seems to me that people are being give false visions of their neighbors. Hatred is being stirred up instead of directed at the political class as a whole. Who profits off of this division? Politicians and the media. I suspect in the coming weeks following the election we will see violence. It is entirely possible we will see civil war. Not like the "Civil War" which was really a war between states. I doubt the state of Texas or California will declare war on the USA. A true civil war is fought in the streets by different factions. The populace is fed up about being ignored or abused and it turns to open violence. This outcome seems inevitable on our current path. Voting isn't going to fix it. Getting rid of Trump isn't going to fix it(He's old anyway). Getting rid of the democrats isn't going to fix it. Passing some law isn't going to fix it. As I see it we have two paths. 1. Civil war 2. At least some states away from the US. The first will likely result in the second. The second could occur with little violence. That is what I hope happens. The only way I see avoiding either of these is if the masses reject the political violence that seems to be the focus of the media and politicians. Agree to disagree. The American people have no gripe with the people in France. We are very different. They decide what they want and we do the same. I don't get why this is so hard for people to see in the US. California is a long way from Maine. Why should we all be forced to live under the same rule? The culture of Portland is very different from rural Oregon. Why is it just for those in the city to decide how those in the rural areas live? We in bitcoin circles talk about these things but rarely do I ever hear anything close to this in my normie circles. That's gonna change. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/745405

This is the AI-generated transcript of Bitcoin Infinity Show 132 with Rigel Walshe! # Welcoming Rigel Walshe **Luke:** Rigel, welcome to the Bitcoin Infinity Show. **Knut:** Thank you for having me on. Yeah, it's, finally!   **Rigel:** I think we talked about this like two years ago or something, you were like, want to do this? And just I think too busy doing different things and never happened, right? **Knut:** But we figured we'd do an in person one, **Rigel:** Mm-Hmm. **Knut:** Because I remember the first time I saw you back in 2019, like, the starting gun for me for all of this crazy life that has followed on later. So, and here's this guy on stage, playing death metal songs for **Rigel:** All. **Knut:** finance and nerd people. **Knut:** so yeah, I'm not the only metalhead in here, like, **Rigel:** I remember when I put that in the presentation, I was like, is this going to go down? And then everyone clapped after I played that video. I was like, oh, cool. **Knut:** No, it was super based. **Rigel:** Thank you. **Knut:** what's the name of your band again? **Rigel:** so I play in a band called Diocletian. I used to play in a band called Dawn of Ezel, but the band I play in now is a band called Diocletian, which is like, I guess you would call it like the, you know, metal's got like a zillion sub genres and stuff, but like, you would call it like war metal, I guess. # From Metal to Bitcoin **Rigel:** Yeah. And, what's your story? Like give our listeners your story. How, who are you and, what turned you on to death metal and what turned you on to Bitcoin and is there a connection between the two and all of **Rigel:** Oh my God. Okay. This is a very long winded. How do I summarize this pretty well? Okay. So yeah, I'm Roger Walsh. I go by Coinsurance Ed on Twitter and Telegram and these, a lot of these kinds of platforms. yeah, I mean, played music and stuff since I was, 17 years old, you know, been a band where, you know, I'm from New Zealand, that's where that was from. **Rigel:** We were the first metal band to ever get out of the country, really, even like Australia, let alone, Europe and the States and things like that. So, you know, we did quite a few, albums, I think it was, with my old band Dawn of Azel before we split up, in New Zealand it's quite a bit bigger than we were, outside of that, and certainly Europe or the States. **Rigel:** the same time, when I turned 21, I joined the police. I was in the police for 10 years, at the same time as this was going on, and if you search my name, you'll find some interesting news reports about some trouble I had for that kind of reason. so that's maybe my background. we'll shift forward to maybe when I first got into Bitcoin in 2014, and so for me, what got me interested in Bitcoin was, as I said, I used to be in the police, and one day, you know, I think I've heard of Bitcoin thrown around, I just I was reading a news article about the, Silk Road trial, and this is when Russell Brook was getting sentenced, and this is like after I left the police and things like this, and it just blew my mind when I read that, it's like, because I think most people don't really, or didn't, or can't quite grok maybe the way that it makes It's me, in the sense of like, you have this drug market selling. **Rigel:** whatever you liked, you know, under the eyes of the FBI and all these guys, and there was nothing they could do for years, and this, I was like, wow, man, this is going to be straight away, I thought this is how Russia and North Korea are going to get around sanctions and stuff, as it seems they are doing today, you know, so to me this is like nuclear weapons grade money. **Rigel:** So my interest actually was, was in Bitcoin, but also in the darknet market, so I just got on there and had a look, And that was what really interested me, but of course, like most people that play around in the darknet markets, you start, okay, what is this Bitcoin thing that I'm using and sending and start looking into it. **Rigel:** And look, I'd never been a finance kind of guy. I mean, like I said, I joined the police relatively early on. They've got a very good superannuation scheme where, you put in a dollar, the government puts in two dollars. And so, to me, I'd looked at investing and shares and things a couple of times, and it never made sense because I've got the best There's no better place that I could do is just put more money in that fund that the government will match dollar for dollar, right? **Rigel:** So this is the first time I've ever looked at anything Really about investing and you know and obviously as you start thinking about this Well at that time when I got into Bitcoin and bought my stuff was around 200 bucks It just right at the end of the 2014 kind of crash and you know at the time I thought like wow man this might be worth a thousand dollars some years later, right? **Rigel:** You know so so I started putting pretty much Everything I had which the time was not a lot because this is after I left the police and I actually quite a bit of trouble Transitioning from that into like some sort of civilian career. I was like I found it quite hard to find, like, work, and so I was working self employed, and I didn't have a lot of money, but I put everything I had into Bitcoin, because to me, it just made total sense, **Rigel:** So yeah, that was 2014, fast forward a couple of years, 2017 is around, and now Bitcoin is there. Close to 20 grand, you know, I've got, I'm fucking rich, so what I did is I was like, man, I spend so much time thinking and talking about Bitcoin, I really want to get involved in the space, but, I'm not a software developer, what can I do? **Rigel:** So I actually ended up buying some Trezors, and just through good luck, when I bought them, Bitcoin was around 10k. and I bought like, 200 or something treasures and ledges, and I sold all of them in a month in New Zealand, which is a tiny country, which blew my mind, So then that happened, and this was like February, I remember it was December, I had massive orders, January pitted off, and then like February, there was just nothing, and the price is going down, so I was just in the right place at the right time, and got lucky, and I had all this money and it was in a business account that I'd have to pay taxes on, obviously, if I didn't get rid of it, right? **Rigel:** So, to my thing as well, I could pay myself a salary and pay tax on it, but what's smarter is, hmm, how can I use this money to make the next step and jump to the next thing? So I thought, well, let's go to a bunch of Bitcoin conferences and see if there's any match for my kind of skills, right? So I'd never, I'd never gone to, I've been to like meetups in New Zealand, but I had no idea like what it really looked like out there in the real world, right? **Rigel:** So I went to, like a couple of, I went to like an Australian big Crip, blockchain one, which was like just total trash. And then I went to, token 2049. You heard of that one? It's like a still going. It's like a real shit coin kind of conference thing that was in, **Knut:** rings a tiny bell. **Rigel:** it's in, it was in Hong Kong or something, right? **Rigel:** and I remember I went to that and it was cool, right? But it was still, you know, I was still in this world where, obviously I was familiar with Bitcoin, but I dabbled with, altcoins and stuff like this and perhaps the way that you or I would look at Bitcoin now, I think was still quite a new thing. **Rigel:** New idea in those times, right? There wasn't this really well nuanced ideology about how to view this kind of stuff. So I went there and I was kind of figuring this out The next one I went to was like Konsensus in New York, which was at the time, that was the biggest Bitcoin crypto conference you would say ever. **Rigel:** And there was like, 3, 000 people or something. And I remember at that conference, there was a lot of, you know, all sorts of Ethereum and things there, right, but there was a blockstream room at this conference. And I remember, I felt like, man, this place feels so sleazy and so dirty and everyone seems Super sketchy, but then you go to the Blockstream room, and I was like, these are the guys that, you know, I just clicked, like when you meet them and you see this, and so I think this is a really important thing for people that don't go to conferences, that when you come, a lot of this stuff, when you just see it with your own eyes and talk to people directly, it makes a lot more sense than online. **Rigel:** So I went to that, and then I met, what's his name, Erik, last name is sketchy, but he's, works on Bitcoin Fabric, used to be at Blockstream. He told me, go to Building on Bitcoin and go to Honeybadger. And so from then I started going to conferences, when I went to building on Bitcoin, I kind of talked about this in my talk today, it was like I wasn't a software developer, but I saw Adam Fiskor and Nicholas Doria presented Wasabi and BTC Pay Server, and I realized like, wow man, I thought before that Bitcoin software development is all about like some super computer nerd guys and like Bitcoin core and only this real high level stuff. **Rigel:** But I realized, man, these guys just made their own app on Bitcoin that really made a real difference. And wow, you know, I could do that if I were to put my mind to it. So I came back straight away, got into a Python coding course and just like really, really luckily, you know, I went really crazy on this. **Rigel:** then come December, Jimmy Song came to Australia to do the, the programming course. **Rigel:** I applied and got on that, and I was like really out of my depth, but I managed to keep up enough to write it. and so this was like maybe six months after, six months ago, I didn't know anything about coding or anything like that. And so just by pure luck, I was relatively well networked in the New Zealand, Auckland Bitcoin scene, and I went to a meetup and there was a guy there who I knew kind of loosely, that I knew had a really small exchange in New Zealand, and I was talking about, he's like, Oh, what are you doing? **Rigel:** I was just building this API in Python. It's like, Oh, we're building out our API. Do you want to come and help? And I was like, Yeah, so at the time I was working a job where I'm working four days a week and I had the Mondays off. And so I just started working there on Mondays and then split with the ex girlfriend and I was really happy in New Zealand and felt like I've really got to get out of here, right? **Rigel:** So I was thinking even if I have to like sell Bitcoin to leave, I've just really got to get out of New Zealand because I feel like there's just no future for me here. So I said to them, okay, look, hey, I had a friend that was living in Bali. I said, look, hey, I'm moving to Bali. I really don't want to leave this job. **Rigel:** And I really Appreciate what you give me, but I've got to do this. If you let me work remote, I would really happily work remote, but I understand if you don't. They're like, sure, yeah, have a full time job. So I did that, started doing that, COVID happened, ended up in Mexico as a cause of that, and in, the Jeremy Songz course, there's like an alumni telegram group, Jan Pritzker jumped in there and he said hey, we're looking for developers at Swan, and I said, hey, I do that, and the tech stack was very similar to what I was already working on, and, I got a job there, and up until, three weeks ago, I was working at Swan for three and a half years, I think it was employee number, 10 or 11 or something there. **Rigel:** and that's pretty much it. I think I covered all the bases there. And then I give some talks at conferences here. # Conference Experiences **Knut:** Yeah, it's a great story. And there are many similarities to mine. Like I also have experience of the shit coin conference before I went to Rega in 2019, but were you here in 2018? **Rigel:** Yeah. That was the first, because was, when I said when I met, Eric, he told me building on Bitcoin and then, honey Beg are the ones, so I, I pretty much, that was the last of the company money was that one there. And that, that one they were talking about HCPP and I was like, oh, can I go to that? Flying home, New Zealand, which is like a two day journey, then coming back two weeks later and paying for all the stuff, I didn't manage to make it, but like, that was the first, first time, the last conference I went on that thing, and that really, I mean, it was an amazing conference. So this, this has always been an amazing conference, you know. **Knut:** I saw your talk here last year, and it was really, really good, like awesome about Bitcoin cultures, right, and different subcultures and, what these subgroups and what happens in a decentralized system, and also like we've been chatting during this conference about, these effects, like how we find our own in groups and how people cling onto the extremes here and there. **Knut:** can you expand a bit on that and, what do you think is missing from conferences in general and what makes Honeybadger stick out as a high signal one and all of that # Bitcoin Psychopaths vs Bitcoin Sociopaths **Rigel:** I mean, okay, so three questions there. So to talk about the talk, it's called Bitcoin Psychopaths vs. Bitcoin Sociopaths, and if you Google it, you can find the written thing and the video and view it yourself. But basically, what I talked about is, when I started coming to these conferences, I realized how much the Bitcoin world had in common with the music world in the sense of, The personalities, the little subgroups, the way that things evolved, like I just saw a lot of things that clicked because to me really like Bitcoin is like a Harley Davidson for computer nerds, right? **Rigel:** It's like this kind of subculture where people are involved in and I feel like a lot of people who are in Bitcoin, like I have this experience of being these weird kind of outside groups and how this works. I think a lot of people that are in Bitcoin this is the first kind of really different thing they've had in their life and they, you know, they're like blows in mind. **Rigel:** They're like, wow, this is so cool, but they don't realize how a lot of these idiosyncrasies are very much the same. I'd imagine the same if you were like a Trekkie or you're into something like that. There's a lot of the same sort of politics, so the talk is really talking about how, Bitcoin, in my opinion, is like a subculture or counterculture, the same way that, metal music would be an example, there's plenty of things like this where people have a niche interest, but it's also kind of a little bit against society, the whole idea of Bitcoin is you're trying to defund the state, and so it's kind of like, it's not like a really dangerous out there kind of thing, **Knut:** It's not in total alignment with society, inherently contrarian? **Rigel:** Exactly, yeah, exactly, which does attract a lot of contrarians, right? so the whole talk was looking at, okay, if you look at subcultures, how do they get involved or immersed in the traditional system, right? **Rigel:** Let's take rap music, for example. You know, where you had, Dr. Dre in, NWA, and now he's like, selling Beats headphones and a very nice commercial established businessman, right? Or another good one that I like to use is like, weed, or like the gay community, right? At one point, these were very out there things, and now they're very normal and very accepted, and they're almost like Almost a little forced on you, right? **Rigel:** In a lot of ways, as opposed to like being an outcast. So, you know, when things become normalized and when they get bigger and bigger and bigger, if they catch on, eventually they kind of get watered down as they get integrated into society. And the same thing I think is already happening in Bitcoin, and it's affecting the culture of Bitcoin. **Rigel:** And I don't think you can really change that, you know, it's inevitable, but it's something that I think we need to discuss and look at, okay, well, if you Some of these other things there, how they lost, what made them powerful and transformative in the first place, because they were kind of revolutionary movements, right? **Rigel:** And they got watered down and commercialized, right? So I think the same thing is happening to Bitcoin right now, and you can't really stop it. This is, if you just look at history, this is what happens, but there is a conversation to be had about how can we navigate this as best as we can, right? **Rigel:** Now, what was the, **Knut:** Yeah, **Rigel:** was the other two **Knut:** of a long question. **Luke:** maybe we can just stay on **Rigel:** Are you asking about conferences? # Baltic Honeybadger **Rigel:** Like you said, what I think about Bitcoin conferences and what I think I like about HoneyBadger. Well, what I like about HoneyBadger is that, the conference thing, kind of to speak to what I just was talking about, right? **Rigel:** As this gets bigger, it becomes more commercial and, things get kind of watered down for people that are, Casual participants, right? The people early on in the movement, like, if you're there in 2017, 2018, you're really hardcore, right? But if you look at the way they're doing, say, Bitcoin Nashville at the moment, it's a very different thing. **Rigel:** It's very not watered down, very commercial, and very one kind of one minded, right? And what I like about Honeybadge and what I have so much respect for with this conference is that, remember in 2019, that was the biggest Bitcoin conference in the world, and I think there was probably 600, 800 people, right? **Rigel:** things have got bigger since then, and maybe, this could have been a bigger conference, certainly you would imagine it could have been as big as, BTC Prague right? but they seem to have had the idea of, let's just keep it at a particular level and not go too far and too hard, in my humble opinion the Bitcoin National Conference is an absolute abomination, it's a circus, **Knut:** And it's all there just to, like, make it as loud and big as possible, but what is the message that is getting diluted and what is getting presented to these newcomers there is, to me, is very much getting away from what I believe the message of Bitcoin should be, right? it's inflation, **Rigel:** it's dilution inflation. It's the same thing as when it happens to your money, it happens to culture. I mean, I've never thought about that, but that's a very good way to phrase it, I think. So, you know, when it comes to conferences, beyond the fact of just making it big and watering it down, the other thing I think is, like, the narrative is very, very stale, right? **Rigel:** it's all about the narrative. Sound money and the moneys of Bitcoin. Which of course it is. in my opinion, the best money in the world. But I think, we've still made those arguments pretty well by this point. **Rigel:** Right. You know, there's so much stuff that's been written and I think it is really good stuff. Right. They're all good messages. But, they've been said, they're done, they're written, right, you know, and you don't want to hear the same guys giving the same talk every year over and over, which is what these conferences are, I think it's like the Rolling Stones, you know, playing their greatest hits, right, the Rolling Stones have some really amazing songs, but if you've gone and seen them play live, playing their greatest hits ten times, you're going to, I think I'll skip it this year, right, **Rigel:** So, to what I see happening here, if you want this movement to succeed, and you as a conference promoter want people to come to your conferences, you've got to keep it new and interesting and shift things up, right? And so you've got to find people out there in the community. **Rigel:** in the community out there who aren't speaking at conferences, aren't big, aren't famous, right? If we were to turn the analogy of a music, festival, there's bands that aren't known, but if you gave them a chance and used your festivals as a way to expose them to more people, they could get bigger, and it's in your interest, because if you're having the same bands play every year, people don't want to come to your conference. **Rigel:** But if you can help this new blood come up, then it's in your interest because you can put them on the stage and you can bring people to your event, right? And I think the same thing should be done, for this. I mean, obviously, I think it should be done for the good of Bitcoin, right? **Rigel:** There's many different aspects to Bitcoin. It's a very interesting, you know, I say it's like the, Rorschach's test, right? Like what you see in the inkblot reflects more about you and I, but we can look at the same thing and see two totally different things, right? **Rigel:** Yeah. So I think it's in the interest of Bitcoin to get people to flesh these out, these narratives, and give them an opportunity to do it and to get it out in people's heads and for them to hear this. But it's also in the interest of them as conference promoters. Like I said, if it's just the same people all the time, it's going to peter out. **Rigel:** And I feel like Honeybadger is one of the few places that's trying to do that, **Luke:** Yeah, and I mean, in my perspective, HoneyBadger, two years ago, was my first ever conference, right? And so, I mean, that's already my newness in this space compared to you guys, but still. HoneyBadger has been fantastic for me from that perspective, and like, the signal, that's the focus. But we talked to Max Kai about this not long ago. **Luke:** About how is the Latvian community doing and Honeybadger hasn't really focused on growing the local community. It's been bringing the signal into one place and everyone learned from each other and all this and it's a fantastic event for Bitcoin, And then there's these other ones that are all about, I mean, the American ones, especially like the Nashvilles and all this, those are, you know, these entertainment fests and all this, and I think they've also brought this to Amsterdam here in Europe, but I think Prague and Madeira here this last year were both examples of conferences that went a bit bigger, but have also have a layer of the local adoption, and I think those types of conferences are important for a different reason. **Luke:** Like the, the one that, Bulgaria is the example that I use, I use a lot, they do a good thing there to build the local adoption. And so get some speakers, get some international presence to sort of show here's what this is, right? but focus on the local side of it and building the adoption in that locale. **Luke:** I think that's quite the idea. **Knut:** on diversity and inclusion, **Luke:** That's so **Rigel:** I think it's true, as a New Zealander, we're in this interesting position where, it's a very Western culture, but we're somewhere in between Europe and America, right? So, if you're European, you're biased and polarized to a European way of doing things, Americans are the other, and we're somewhat in the middle, **Rigel:** we see them both. From different angles, and there's pros and cons from both, and I'm sure I'm going to offend some American people saying this, but I'm just going to say it. European conferences are a thousand times better than American ones. And I've seen almost none that I feel like really did a good job. **Knut:** I think something like TabConf does it well, but I think technical conferences are a slightly different kind of thing, different beast. **Rigel:** all there about technology, but if you're trying to do something where People talk of talking about more general people stuff, right? **Rigel:** Like, big and commercial and plastic. No soul, and I feel like Europeans just seem to be able to do that much better. Sorry to any Americans watching this, but that's been my impression. **Knut:** Honey Badger clearly has the soul, and I mean, the local adoption thing, that's not a dig, it's just not what they've decided to focus on, so it's, I think we, I hope, I hope this conference, I'll be attending every year, Yeah. And that's why I love to see so many Americans over in Europe, like this last year, first of all, Madeira, a ton of Americans came over, both speakers and attendees and also. Prague, and here, like, you have, quite a few here too, and quite a few high level ones, and it's good to have them here to give them a taste of what this is like.   **Rigel:** I'm a guy that likes to have a drink and hang out with people and things like that, so, you know, it's a big party, really, a conference, in a lot of ways, I think I enjoy that element of it, but again, you know, I think there's just so much value in, You know, we all talk online and stuff and I see what you're writing to someone else and things like that. **Rigel:** But to be able to humanize and talk to some of these people, and some of them you meet them and you realize, oh, this guy isn't actually such a dickhead after all, I guess, or the opposite, right? This person that you think is really high integrity or whatever, and you meet them, you're like, man, this person, I have a very bad feeling about this kind of person, right? **Rigel:** So I think that's a very important thing if you're really enmeshed in this world, I think you owe it on yourself to go and physically meet people and there's just such a value in that which is difficult to articulate, you know? **Knut:** hard to find new ideas and new angles to view this. I had writer's block for the longest time before starting the new book and before I had ideas good enough to pursue. And it's getting increasingly harder with each book, of course, because there's only this so many times you can say the same thing, # Speaking at Conferences **Rigel:** I know the feeling of, you know, like I'm thinking about, because I've been invited to speak here every year. and so I'm thinking, okay, when I went to about next year, I'm like, Oh man, like what to do two or three things, right. It's like to avoid just repeating it or slightly changing or morally saying the same thing is like, it's a big ass to do, but I mean, I think that's, that also is a way of, of rather than. **Rigel:** you're right thinking that we've got to write the whole story ourselves and it's on you to come up with new ideas for 10 years in a row. It's more like you have your little thing and it's best just hone that message really, really well. And this is how I feel about it is I used to think with conferences, no, I never want to give the same talk twice. **Rigel:** I want to do it, you know, once and something every time has to be something new. But I kind of realized after doing a bunch of them is like, well, most people aren't going to see you talk anyway. All right. Or they're not going to. You know, take the time to or they're not gonna appreciate in the moment that that it was right then right and there's real value not just for you personally in terms of like, when you give a talk once, it's probably going to be better the third or fourth or fifth time that you give it, right, but there's also value to repeating the same message, right, which to me almost felt like false or a cop out, but no, I think now, after doing it a while, there's actually something to be done with that, which is take one small thing and focus on that small area and don't try and be like, completely reinventing yourself, like, tomorrow you're going to be talking about some weird economics and then you're How bitcoin is art, or something, you know, I mean like, just take one thing and build your little notice around that and really, really hone that particular message, because like we've done with the economic stuff, right, I think we've really steel manned that idea, and there's just anything, any objection that someone could have about the money stuff, someone has written just the best thing and you're just like, bam, and you haven't asked your every question. **Luke:** There's real value for us as a community in doing that, but that just comes from a small amount of people focus, doing focus work on one particular thing, That's funny, that reminds me of comedians. comedians are like some of the most visible people on podcasts because for some reason people like to listen to funny people be funny but you hear about their process of literally going around and touring and working on their jokes the same ones, they don't do a new act Every night, you know, they work on it and then eventually they record it and everything. **Luke:** That's actually not a bad model for this **Rigel:** I think a good analogy, right? I mean, like, you can't tell the same joke for 10 years, but you wouldn't want to try and rewrite a whole new, like, half an hour comedy skit every, you just, I mean, trying to write some of these talks takes months, right? **Rigel:** and when I do it, I've just got, like, pretty much memorize half an hour of stuff and then practice it so it becomes more natural. But I mean, like, trying to do that. You know, if I was trying to do this like six times a year, I stick to like three because it's too much for me, right? But imagine trying to do it six times a year. **Rigel:** You just can't do that alone unless you're full time working on it. So, there's lots of reasons why I think just one small thing repeated it actually has some value. **Knut:** Yeah. # Dangerous Narratives in Bitcoin **Knut:** do you think there are any like narratives around Bitcoin or, thoughts around it that are actually dangerous? Like the people are on the wrong track? **Rigel:** I mean like the stuff I talked about before, right, where I think the message is being deluded and it's dangerous and that like the analogy which I was supposed to make in this talk but I actually kind of like As you do, you know, skip over or like move around some things that you were going to say, but you didn't say. **Rigel:** The thing like, the real risk to me is that, if we don't change people's view on what technology is. Like, people want something that's familiar. They want to recreate what they know. It's human nature, right? And so, for you as a business owner, or someone that's creating something and trying to get more Bitcoiners on board, which I think there's maybe a little too much emphasis on, it's just more people in the door, so the number can go up. **Rigel:** The more you do that, the more people try to make it understandable and relatable by people, so they make it more like what it already is. And by making it more like what it already is, the whole idea about Bitcoin is changing what it already is in terms of money and things like that. I think the risk that we run is like recreating the existing financial system with an orange coat of paint, right? **Rigel:** The same thing, but yeah, just with different words, different wardrobe change, right? So I think that's probably to me the most dangerous thing where, I know I'm someone that's like very much the privacy, freedom, self custodial kind of thing, and very anti KYC, all this kind of stuff, but you know, having worked at companies like this, I understand why these things are necessary, and there is also an argument why you would say, well, sure, it's KYC, but if a lot of people buy Bitcoin, it doesn't matter if it's KYC, because we've defunded the government, you know, so there is a middle ground here to be found, But I think probably that's what I'm getting to the real point is like a nuance, right? **Rigel:** You know, somewhere in between those two polarized things, there's the right way to do it. And it's probably not going to be universal in all situations what it is, but there's just a real lack of. intellectual rigorousness in this space, right? I think, the best book on Bitcoin is, Erik Voskiel's Crypto Economics, because, I largely agree with almost everything he says, not everyone does, but I don't think that you can argue that that is the most rigorous Comprehensive body of work about this is what bitcoin is and this is how it functions. **Rigel:** You know these axiomatic truths as he describes it It's a it's a whole system that all links together and to return to like the religion talk I gave last year It's like if you look at Christianity, right, you know, you have like baptism, Catholicism, Protestantism all these kind of things right and they're it's so detailed. **Rigel:** It's like well because in Ephesians 12 16 Jesus said this or that or whatever you should only wear a red shirt on Tuesdays or something It's that level of detail of like They've thought about every aspect of the Bible and what this should mean and they have like this detailed view. And I think there's a lot of value for that because as I said, there are many different views in this spectrum about what works for Bitcoin and I think we win by having this marketplace of ideas, but we don't win if they're like very pure. **Rigel:** They're very poorly fleshed out ideas and they're very kind of naïve or immature by all these different schools of thought having the most rigorous, intense, deep body of work to help explain and understand why you should look at Bitcoin from this angle or see it this way or why it should be done this way.   **Rigel:** you're the second person this week to say crypto, It's great. It's just crazy. it's a pretty dense book, right? You know, it's not for a beginner's book, but it's crazy that it's not bigger in my mind, you know. **Knut:** someone should write a, new version of that. **Luke:** yeah, very much **Rigel:** I mean, but this is the thing, right? it's rigorous because I think, and why I really like it as well is it's the only book that goes that level of depth and is thick and is, really deep on this kind of stuff. And you see Erik on Twitter, he's very much, he's like such a pedantic motherfucker about trapping someone down about the way they say particular words, because it matters, right? **Rigel:** It does matter, right? Like these loose definitions of what you think this word means, what I think it means, makes me think that we're talking the same language, but actually you, I haven't communicated to you effectively what is inside my brain, right? And so like this level of detail is really important for something like Bitcoin, because like imagine you're navigating and you say, oh, it's, it's, it's that way, a hundred meters, it's fine. **Rigel:** But if it's like, 300 kilometers, you can end up in a very different place than if you said these grid coordinates, you know, this GPS coordinate, stuff like that. So specificity is really, really important and language is the map, the navigation system we use to arrive at an idea in the future. **Rigel:** And so, I think there's value to that. **Knut:** Yeah, and I think this is, human action by Ludwig von Mises is dense and very meticulously written for the exact same reason, right? You need this rigorous thing. And I know from writing a smaller book on praxeology, it's really hard because you have to be very, very careful with your words to get it right, which is why I like writing, Something like the Inverse of Clown World more because I can be more expressive, you know.   **Rigel:** man, I've thought about doing the book thing and maybe one day I will, but I'm like, oh man, I just, I can't imagine what you have to go through to produce something of like this size, which is not the largest book, like man. Wow, you know, hats off to people that write a book, right, because, like I said, I've thought about it, but when I've looked at what's involved, I'm like, **Rigel:** send us a DM and we'll help you. maybe they will come about, I need to write more, this is the way they say you do it, right, is like you write a bunch of articles and you turn the articles into a book, right, so I've kind of thought about maybe I can go down this road, but we'll see. **Knut:** Oh, looking forward to it.     # Nostr **Luke:** So what, what do you think of, of Nostr? the, the whole, the combination of this Nostriga and Honeybadger. First of all, that was, it was a brilliant move, I think, to attach the two together. there's talk that the next time they'll do that is they'll attach it to, also Freedom Forum, which is also a very good idea. **Luke:** A different angle, but very good idea. But Nostr and Bitcoin are becoming really intertwined these days. many, many applications that were Bitcoin applications have now. Also become Nostr applications and yeah, what do you see Nostr in the space here? **Rigel:** Difficult for me to say because like I've really wanted to sit down and really get my head technically around Nostr and I haven't, right? You know, like I understand basically how it works, but as far as like there's some critiques on Nostr which I would like to have a more informed opinion on than I do. **Rigel:** And, like, I know Peter Todd reasonably well, and like, last night we were, I was saying, like, basically, okay, just tell, tell me, you know, like, tell me what things is, so at least when I get to look at this, I've got, because he's kind of anti, or anti a lot of aspects of it, right, he thinks it doesn't work, so, I mean, based on that, like I said, it's, it's not a nuanced, informed opinion, but I think, my concern, perhaps, is that, like, It's actually not that good a protocol on the, on the base level for certain things. **Rigel:** Like it's ability to deliver decentralized Twitter, all the millions of applications we have on mine for Nostr at scale is going to be possible. And again, I can't say One way or the other, but that's my concern about it. And, and one thing that returning to what I was talking earlier about the subcultures and things like that, fortunately in the Bitcoin space, I think we've got a little tendency to be overly supportive and overly passionate. **Rigel:** You want the space to be something where people come from the outside and they feel like this is full of energy and love and happiness and good times and smiles. That draws people in. And if it's the opposite and people are too cynical or bitter or tough, right, it's not going to pull more people into the space. **Rigel:** That's what we need. But again, you know, I think there's a bit of a lack in the space of people who are willing to Call out, you know, say a spade's a spade. There's a problem here. We need to fix this. There's a bit of a lack with that and that that would be the only thing I feel with Nostr **Rigel:** And I, my only concern that I see as an outsider with Nostr is that Is this like a science project where there's something where it's got a tiny amount of people and there's all this energy and noise, but it's, it's its own self contained thing, right outside this little bubble, no one cares and, and it's a bunch of people celebrating how great they are creating this thing for themselves, thinking it's a tool for the world. **Rigel:** So, I think it is great and I'm really interested in it primarily from the perspective of like, what to me is, this is kind of what my talk about was about today about Bitcoin as performance art. Bitcoin isn't just about money, it's also about telling a story, about showing an alternative narrative to what the governments or corporations give us. **Rigel:** And that narrative is about how we can use technology and open source and things like this to create our own better alternatives and we don't have to use what they tell us they have to use. And so I like Nostr in the sense that It's like the artistic inspiration of Bitcoin is created at Nostr, right, so we're spiritually inspired by Bitcoin. **Rigel:** It's like a lot of the lessons that we've learned from Bitcoin have been applied to how Nostr is created, right, it's kind of born of Bitcoin. And so to me, regardless of like the reservations or the possible issues like I talked about before, to me what's far more interesting is someone said, look, hey, Bitcoin works really well at prioritizing decentralized money. **Rigel:** How can we take the lessons there and apply that to communication and other things? And I think. To me, that is a more important thing, is like, if this can happen to many other technologies. It makes sense, right? Like, in my talk, I talked about the Liberator pistol being another example of this. Now, if you look at Cody Wilson, he said, like, it was supposed to be a toy gun, a prop gun. **Rigel:** It's not something where you really think it's going to be like an AR 15. But that wasn't the whole point. The whole idea is here's something. Where it's going to get all over the news and the media and people are going to start talking about and thinking, you know, that the wheels start to turn the head of, hmm, 3D printing and code, man, like, it's going to be impossible for governments to stop all this kind of stuff. **Rigel:** And when people start thinking about that, the world starts changing, right? So I think Bitcoin is amazing money and it's going to change the financial system, but perhaps what is better is that it gets people thinking of, wow, we created our own money. What other stuff can we create if we all work together and have a vision for the future, right? **Rigel:** So to me that's, in some sense, like, if Bitcoin failed as money, but it did that, I think that would be a better victory than it not doing that and just being sound money, right? So that's, an important part of Nostr and what I really look forward to with that is how that dynamic plays out. # Disagreeableness in Bitcoin **Knut:** Yeah, I think I've observed a correlation between disagreeableness and how early you were to Bitcoin. So like the first couple of years, you get your Voskules and your Kavaios and what not. And the further you go down the line, it isn't until like 2021, you get your Joe Halls and your, nice people, right? **Knut:** I think the thing that enables the happy people 10 years down the line is that the disagreeable people were so rigorous in the beginning. So you get the don't trust verify, and then it builds in layers and the happy people can join on the layers on top later on. **Rigel:** Yeah, yeah, yeah, **Knut:** so have you, what's your, what's your **Rigel:** Oh yeah, I mean, I think you're totally right with that. it's a little bit of a tragedy of the commons problem in Bitcoin, right, where, Zach, you said the people that are doing, like, open source development is perhaps the best example, right? **Rigel:** if we don't have, like, very smart, talented people working full time on Bitcoin, even if you think it can be ossified, like, just if you understand software, right, there's just this maintenance process that needs to happen, and there's not someone keeping a close eye on that. It's very easy for Bitcoin to break or to fall apart, right? **Rigel:** there's no business model for open source development or maintaining Bitcoin Core, right? There's no way, I mean, the whole idea of Bitcoin is that it should never be a revenue generative process as it is, right? So we need to think of an alternative model, because it's all in our interests for Bitcoin to succeed. **Rigel:** But we can't just create a business and let it self perpetuate itself. We've got to come up with a different model of how we can do that, right? So, you know, there's a little bit of, all of us are like free riding on the work of open source developers in that sense, right? And I think there's a little bit of that when it comes to all these, happy, joyous kind of people I think a lot of them, particularly if you've been here for a short amount of time, have kind of stars in their eyes or their rose tinted glasses on about, like, # Affinity Scams in Bitcoin **Rigel:** You know, one thing I would definitely say at the moment, and, you know, I've, I've obviously just, finished up working for a company, in the Bitcoin space is that, there's a lot of people, I think the idea of a Bitcoin scam is a relatively new thing that people aren't looking at, if you're charging 7, 000 to have a out of alpha male retreat, you know, because this guy is associated with Bitcoin, that's a scam, that's a fucking scam, I mean, like, hey, maybe it's being marketed honestly, but I mean, let's look at what's happening here, it's, association with Bitcoin. **Rigel:** it's, you know, there's the things like, I like Bitcoin, buy my shitcoin. It's like, I like Bitcoin, buy my other thing. Like, it's the next level. And so I **Knut:** why is that a scam though? **Rigel:** Well, I think it's a scam in that, If you look at the pricing of the resort that was involved, the tickets are like twice the price, right? **Rigel:** Yeah, it is in the eye of the beholder, right? If you feel you're getting value and you're happy to pay that thing, it's not a scam. But I mean, come on, there's other examples, where, there are things where people are, I think you see this a lot where, People are like, here is sound food, or sound diet, or open source this or that, right? **Rigel:** You know, where it's, I mean, it's not a scam, but you can see how this like, Bitcoin as a lifestyle brand is being created, right? And people are trying to market things which really have nothing to do with Bitcoin. And again, maybe they're saying this is Bitcoin, but I feel that there is a lot of people using that as a way to charge an overpriced price for an undervalued service, right? **Rigel:** And so that's something which I see kind of creeping into the space is a bit of that sociopath kind of behavior, right? And I think that's a bit of a risk. **Rigel:** The question is whether you draw the line though, like an overpriced thing is, is it really overpriced if people are willing to pay the price? yeah. This is all a factor of, as Bitcoin gets bigger, you'll see more and more of this, and it'll become more and more of a thing, you know, and you're right, like, what is the line, if people are willing to pay for this, and they're happy, and they don't feel like they're getting scammed, is it a scam, how is this related to Bitcoin, right, and there's many other things out there in the world that use, like, for example, ethical food, where they associate it with something, if you really were wanting to support this cause, you'd be better to directly donate to this thing, right? **Rigel:** But they try and create this association to brand themselves, right? And as you said, it's not direct, but I think most people, if you explain this, they get what I'm leading to and they understand the problem, **Rigel:** But it is like quantum, this and that, you know, . Yeah. it's a difficult one to discuss, but this is obvious, right, is with anything as it grows, like all the other stuff we talked about, the scams are obvious and as they get bigger, the things are harder and higher to directly say it is, and you can feel something that's right off and wrong and not quite right, but it's a lot harder to articulate and nail it down. **Rigel:** the bigger and the larger, more complex it gets. The more involved the scams, if we're gonna call them scams, get # The Influence of Influencers **Luke:** No, I mean the tough part about you kind of finding that and actually this is a good example in this case because Rob brought a lot of people into Bitcoin with particularly his Sailor series and my first real touchpoint with like a real Bitcoiner was him on Lex Friedman. Literally, that was my first. **Luke:** Bitcoin maxi actually go down the rabbit hole thing and people coming into the space. And so then I have no idea that he's got this reputation under the hood that isn't isn't there, you know, and so it's just it's hard for people coming into the space to, I guess, to understand who is the Who is the right people and, and people with influence and influencers is the correct word here are are re regarded highly and, and they're, what they put out into the, the world by people who are new to the space is, is it's important to get the right message out there, you know. **Knut:** And I think you have to judge people from their, like. Are they a net benefit or a net detriment? Like, that's the key, but it's tricky sometimes because people are a bit of both. Of course they are, like, and I think to some extent, sort of everyone is guilty of that. Like, **Rigel:** and I agree and it's a great point, right? You know, the guy has a large reach and there are many such people, in the space where, in my personal opinion, it's just garbage, trash. You know, people that are Bitcoin but they can't actually talk in any sort of detail or articulation about what Bitcoin really is, right? **Rigel:** But then being presented as experts and these are The megaphones that people are hearing, right? there is an element of, it comes back to the same stuff as we talked about before, like, getting more people in the door is obviously, I think, a benefit, but at what point do you dilute the message such where, you know, let's take the Miami or Nashville conference as an example. **Rigel:** How many hours of talks are going on there and how many of them are really adding value and how many of them more just like here is a face and where this face brings people in the door, but what they said was just hot air, right? You know, it was garbage. And would that, I mean, if you ask me, these people should be listening to Erik Voskil and reading crypto economics, which they're not going to do. **Rigel:** but I feel like there is more a duty of stewardship from all of us. To try and steer in that right direction. Part of that is calling out things, which I think are clearly unaligned, **Knut:** Yeah, but there's a devil's argument to be made here too, because arguably, Bitcoin conferences in general have become more high signal over time. Like, in 2017, you had, like, there were no real Bitcoin conferences, there were just these blockchain bullshit **Rigel:** Mm hmm. **Knut:** So from a certain point of view, it is getting Like, the signal to noise ratio is getting higher. **Rigel:** Mm hmm. Yeah, I mean, it's a hard, and this is, I mean, the fact that we're discussing this, I think, is like the beauty, right? It's like, I have heard very, very few people having these conversations Maybe like kind of leading around this point, but not directly discussing this as like a analytically, objectively as a social phenomenon, right? **Rigel:** No, it's great. **Rigel:** and like, you know, maybe you are, you're totally right and I'm totally wrong, right? these people are, I should just stop being such a negative Nancy. And these people are good for things, right? but we need to have this discussion and decide, and better articulate what this happy medium between the two is, right? **Knut:** You know? And that, that's the thing which I think is missing. And just by having this conversation, discussing this stuff, getting it out and getting more nuanced, I think it's part of getting the job done, right? if maybe next time Robert Breloves does his Art of Alpha 2, I'm going to be like, Well, actually, when I look at it, it's a benefit because we had this conversation, right, Yeah, the sequel is obviously going to be named Art of the Beta. # The Importance of Integrity **Knut:** Well, anyway, I think it's a great discussion, and it's like, people should talk more about this. Because, yeah, there is a trade off, and I don't think we disagree, I think we're on the same page here. I'm just mostly taking the devil's advocate position to get the debate going because I think it's very much a subject that should be vocalized more and aired more. **Knut:** Absolutely. Because diluting the message is bad. And that is. Like, well, we talk about ethics and tactics and whatnot with the pod all the time, and what we agree on and align on so much, it's like, there is nothing more important than integrity, I love the Scarface quote, you know, all I have in this world is my word and my balls, and they don't break for no one, and I try to live by that, **Rigel:** Had I ever taken the bag of shit coins during these last five years, I would be nothing at this point. I've seen it so many times over and over again. People turning from intellectuals to ultimate fighters, for instance, with the same moustache. And it's, to me, it's crazy. It's crazy where, on the one hand, these people talk about Bitcoin is sound money for generations and this is a thousand year mission and they don't see them doing this stuff of like, yeah, to me, there's been many times where I thought, you know, like when I started speaking at conferences and things like this, if I really started going deeper on this thing, maybe I could make more of a thing of it or whatever, but I think I like, I want to slowly build my brand in that sense over like 10 years, like do things and do only do things right. **Rigel:** Exactly, exactly dude. That's like all these memes we throw around. But I mean maybe that speaks to, again, this whole point I keep returning to is like, they're all empty platitudes with people actually not deeply thinking about, you know, calling, having something that can clearly articulate and point out, this is in direct contradiction to this, but because the thinking is so sloppy, people don't even realize that they're doing that. **Knut:** Like people want the fast, fast buck. And it's like I think that's a real side effect or a result of the fiat mindset and the fiat rot in people's brains over so many years. **Rigel:** my mind so much in terms of like, I mean, I guess everyone's got to eat, right, you know, but, but, surely if you've got Bitcoin, like, you're good, right, if you really believe in Bitcoin, right, you know, maybe not now, but if you really believe in Bitcoin, then we're all going to be super fucking rich, right, in 10 years or whatever, and so in that 10 years, you know, if you got a little bit more money, it's not going to matter anywhere near as much as like, if people knew, if you had that old boys network of the people that are here right now in Bitcoin, and they knew that you were always a, you know, Trustable, a person with high integrity for 10 years over all these things. **Rigel:** Imagine the value. That is an incredible value, **Knut:** honesty and integrity are really, that's really the currency of the future. And that aligns with Bitcoin so well because, It is this base layer of truth. it is actually integrity quantified, if you will. so it aligns so well and I think that, reputation is everything and it's all tied to authenticity and integrity.   # Leaning In **Luke:** Well, and I mean, first of all, the one thing is that, that's the noster thing there as well. The Web of trust idea. I mean, IM implementation stuff. Is, is that's valid. Like if we've, we've had our own concerns about the architecture and, haven't really talked to any hardcore skeptics that, that actually have thought about this hard. **Luke:** But still the, the web of trust thing is, is amazing in terms of, in terms of this portable web of trust that you can take from application to application. And hold on to that. And so I mean, I think that's just going to amplify that effect. the talk I did at Noob Day was basically just leaning into Bitcoin, how to do it. **Luke:** Because for me, I've been in the space two years. so much has just happened from saying yes to stuff and putting in the work I'm not tooting my horn. Too hard when I'm saying that, but the point about it is just like, do the work, like you say, I mean, things can happen a lot faster than you **Knut:** and there are no shortcuts. **Luke:** just by having the integrity and doing the work with **Knut:** Yeah. And you can't just cling on to this or that influencers ideas. That doesn't work. you need to actually study the thing. And **Luke:** Slay your heroes. **Rigel:** Yeah, something I talked about in the talk that I did today is the whole idea of what Bitcoin is, is like a different philosophy around technology, right? You know, we have The systems view of technology and the tools view of technology is technology a system whereby you follow a more or less a recipe or a set of instructions and the software does everything for you and it's like pressing a button and getting something out the other end, right? **Rigel:** And that has its place, but I mean, I think Bitcoin is a different type of technology in that it requires, like you to learn to, to wield it, to understand that the value is in the, the, the time and energy that you have to invest to learn about it. Because if you don't learn it, then someone else is making these decisions for you, and the whole point of Bitcoin is, is to educate yourself and master it, right? **Rigel:** An analogy might be, you know, hundreds of years ago, slightly romanticized, example, but nonetheless, I think that the metaphor is, is there, that hundreds of years ago, like, to be able to kill someone, like to be a knight or whatever, you had to spend a long amount of time learning how to master a sword, right? **Rigel:** And what would work for you is one will exactly work for me. **Knut:** you would probably have to practice less, right? **Rigel:** but I mean, it's all about your, understanding yourself, right? And you're never going to be a better swordsman. I'm never going to be a better swordsman than you if I don't really understand myself. **Rigel:** And then to project myself through the sword, right? Now today, any moron in an hour can learn how to have a rifle and shoot people. And I think, again, it's somewhat romanticized, but I still think there's a good amount of truth to this. And that, like, I think we are in a much worse position by having the power to kill given to anyone who knows how to work a very simple machine. **Rigel:** Versus that being reserved to people that go through the work and therefore learn to master themselves and understand themselves. There's a degree of, you're never going to be able to kill people unless you're able to pass these personal tests and verse the effort, right? And I think the same thing should apply to technologies like bitcoin, like with our money, right? **Rigel:** Because when you don't do that, you're just a blindness follower of someone else's instructions. But when you actually have to sit down and learn, there's value to making people go through that process. And so I think, like, the whole idea of bitcoin is that it should be a little. Complicated and a little hard and you know you shouldn't try and dumb it down too much because there's a certain point where it kind of kills what the whole point of Bitcoin is which is to go through that kind of process and we will have a better world if everyone understands how to use Bitcoin. **Rigel:** But again, if imagine it's ten people in the world are the only people that really understand Bitcoin and everyone else is just using you know, Binance or something like that. Are we any better than we are now? I don't think we are, you know. So the whole point is making sure that everyone in the world or a much greater amount of people in the world Are the people who are able to be the banks and the PayPals and the things like that. **Rigel:** And I think that's the value of it. And part of that is forcing people to be responsible and to learn themselves. And if they don't go through that, we don't change anything. So it's a counterpoint. **Knut:** Are you familiar with the word Kdi Ling This, this is a word that our friend Ralphie told us in Prague, and the definition is to purposefully travel without any particular destination, possibly meandering. And, someone asked people on Twitter to, describe Bitcoin with one word. **Knut:** And I think that's a perfect word, it's coddywompling. It's purposeful, but you don't know where it leads. **Rigel:** yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, it's like these, all these now, you know, the journey is a destination, all this kinda stuff. But I mean, I think there is value, there's truth to that with Bitcoin, # Wrapping Up **Luke:** Rigel, this has been a great, discussion, lively, do you have anything else big on your mind that you're excited to talk about or share? **Rigel:** no, that's pretty much it. this has been a really good talk and I feel like I don't listen to too many Bitcoin podcasts these days, but I feel like. I don't think these sort of conversations are being had about these sort of things and, and just thank you for giving the opportunity to hopefully, hopefully whoever's watching this has shared similar, felt similar value from it, but thank you for giving the opportunity to talk about these things with you guys because they've been great counterpoints as well. **Knut:** Pleasure is, on our side, right back at you. so anyway, will you want to send our listeners, **Rigel:** no, just I'm on Twitter, and Telegram, if you want to get me directly, on Coinsure and **Knut:** Telegram. **Rigel:** yeah, yeah, yeah, hot topic today, isn't it, yeah, yeah, **Knut:** have gone **Rigel:** I'm trying to remember what my, I just added the, thing in, Signal. But anyway, you can get my Signal if you message me there. and my Nostr, I believe, is on there as well. **Rigel:** And if not, I'm sure you can find me through things on Nostr there. I'll tell you my input, but that's a little messy to, to say on a **Rigel:** We make, we make that joke sometimes, oh, you're not going to tell us your mPub? that **Knut:** Thank you, Rigel, for coming on to the Bitcoin Infinity Show. **Luke:** Thank you so much for having me. Appreciate it. Thank you. **Luke:** you. This has been the Bitcoin Infinity Show. Thank you for listening.Appreciate it. Thank you. Luke: you. This has been the Bitcoin Infinity Show. Thank you for listening.

## Yesterday was also a day I'm still quite bullish about using Nostr to publish, and generally for OtherStuff, but I was feeling a bit pessimistic about the microblogging (kind 01) feeds on Nostr, yesterday. And, rightly so. Mine has been grinding slowly to a halt, and not for lack of effort, on my part. I regularly hear reports, from other npubs, that they sense the same phenomenon. Most of the people I have whitelisted on the wss://theforest.nostr1.com relay (currently 302, in number) are beginning to give up on Kind 01 clients, except for occasionally making an announcement, and are increasingly moving their chatting off-Nostr. (I'm still privy to those conversations, but most of you no longer are.) So, my feed has been getting quieter and quieter. Even adding new people doesn't help much, as they don't tend to stick around, for long, so it's a Sisyphean task.  Some others are still bothering to show up, regularly, but they increasingly see it as a chore, or something they do to "keep up appearances". Add me to this group of wearied, diligent noters, holding down the microblogging feeds, with our exhausting attempt at #KeepingNostrWeird, while the influencers surround the gates and the Kind 01 feeds dissolve into nothing but warmed-over Bitcoin memes, GM notes, notifications from the OtherStuff, and Things Copied from X.  The problem of barren, intellectually-emptying Kind 01 feeds is further exacerbated by the fact that new entrants to the Nostrverse find it increasingly easy to "find good follows", but they're all only finding the same follows: whoever is on the trending list. ## The See-Nothings I keep complaining about this, but the responses I get are generally unhelpful. They are: * mockery -- Oh, Miss Hoity-Toity wants more attention! * insults -- Nobody is talking to you because you are boring and stupid, and nobody likes you. * clueless -- You should try replying to other people, then they might reply to you. * or they tell me to just stop looking at the list, if it upsets me.  What people are missing, by telling me to just not look at the trending lists, is that the lists are a statistic of what real humans are looking at, on Nostr. The bizarrely-high concentration of npubs, on the list, so that their entries show up multiple times, suggests that what people are primarily looking at... is the trending list.  Either directly, because they use a client that has that built in, or indirectly, as they have been onboarded with the lists or told to "just follow the people I follow", which leads to a steadily-rising concentration of follows. This concentrating effect is accelerating. The newly-popular WoT (web of trust) relays further exacerbate this effect, as they put a premium on the npubs that have the highest WoT score, which -- surprise, surprise! -- are the same people as on the trending list. And this is why everyone on the trending list insists Nostr is a fun, happening place, full of human interaction. A place where replying reverently to Jack and posting GM religiously will make you a sought-after conversant. It is that place. For them. In fact, they've reached that glorious state of #PeakSocialMedia, where they have become famous for being famous, and no longer have to even pretend to be trying to appeal to anyone with their content. They can post literal garbage, and their ~~fans~~ ~~groupies~~ ~~sycophants~~ commentariat will cheer them on, and flood their replies with ardent encouragement. Less because those other npubs actually cared about what they posted, than because they are hoping to pick up new followers in those threads, since they know that everyone is looking at those threads, because those threads are trending. It's a pyramid scheme of following.  For the rest of us... the vast majority of us... that blue line at the bottom is mostly how it feels. ## The trend is to trending. What we no longer have, is people looking directly at relay feeds, to find new people, or even their own follow list feeds, to see npubs they've already subscribed to. Even when people follow me, they usually don't respond until I'm trending, which suggests that they're also seeing me on the trending list because that is what they're primarily looking at. This is why, as soon as you get on the trending list, your replies explode. And your replies will be concentrated in a hardcore few, otherwise. Those few are the reason I keep coming back, but as they're also often chatting with me off-Nostr, I am facing the question of: _Why bother with Nostr microblogging?_ This is the question I am struggling with. If kind 01 isn't for plebs chatting, anymore, (and it increasingly isn't) then it's mostly a sort of bulletin board, where we post notifications of items we've added in OtherStuff clients, or make announcements of meetups, software releases, or conferences. This, however, is compounding the dullness of the feeds and turning it into a sort of "info flyer", except for a lucky few. But, perhaps, I am simply a #NostrBoomer, who is failing to move with the times and get with the program.  I'm slowly reaching the conclusion that Kind 01 in an open, centralized market of notes, will always coalesce around a small subset of #NostrElite and turn into a largely passive form of entertainment, or a frustratingly lonely place, for everyone else. There can only be so many people talking, at once, in a public square. The only movement I currently see, that might end the slow slide of Kind 01 into irrelevance and tedium, is to create lots of smaller, public squares, through single-relay communities. This has been such a long time, in coming, and has been resisted by client devs so ferociously, that I worry that it's merely an attempt to close the barn door after the npubs have escaped. I sincerely hope to be proven wrong, though. Perhaps the relay devs, who have valiantly taken up the fight, will #SaveKind01. We shall see.

* NIP-42 integration in Nostr-PHP: [https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/67](https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/67) * Worked out a submission for a Nostr stand at FOSDEM 2025 [https://nostrudel.ninja/#/n/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqpnrnguxe8qszsshvgkvhn6qjzxy7xsvx03rlrtddr62haj4lrm3qythwumn8ghj7un9d3shjt3s0p3ksct59e3k7mf0qy88wumn8ghj77tpvf6jumt99uqzqrswsdmxjtx9er5mdmt388e7payg85yzvnhf6wspvjdxu7q8gmzsraa37w](https://nostrudel.ninja/#/n/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqpnrnguxe8qszsshvgkvhn6qjzxy7xsvx03rlrtddr62haj4lrm3qythwumn8ghj7un9d3shjt3s0p3ksct59e3k7mf0qy88wumn8ghj77tpvf6jumt99uqzqrswsdmxjtx9er5mdmt388e7payg85yzvnhf6wspvjdxu7q8gmzsraa37w) * NIP-19 integration in Nostr-PHP work in progress: [https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/68](https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/68) * Also tinkering around with this relay implemenation written in PHP: [https://github.com/nostriphant/transpher](https://github.com/nostriphant/transpher)

##### What do you even print with it besides decorative objects? This kind of question still is a common one when talking about 3d printing. With this series of long-form notes I will show you some of the practical and useful 3d printed things, that I use a lot. Let me start the series with a nice little print consisting of two parts. ## Laptop riser There are many designs of laptop risers available online. But I like that the parts are small and interlocking, so that the are always together when not in use. The riser fits all laptops in our house. Particularly when working in Fusion360 my laptop needs lots of fresh air. I use the raiser regularly about 3 times a week. Sadly I don't know where I downloaded it from, so I cannot provide a link to it. 

## Chef's notes ## Useful to know - The oven for this recipe has a diameter of 1.50 meters, —with a 0.75 m. vault radius—; and it can hold at a time up to four trays (~50 cm. d. each) aside the fire; - the kind of timber used to heat the oven also adds to the flavor; in this occasion the fuel is made out of timber of *Taxodium mucronatum*, locally known as "sabino tree"; - another local common is the amulet made out of lemons cut in half along nail-cloves *nailed* to the lemon, then distributed along the work area so the flies and critters bother less; - the carbon result of the fire could be useful for heating cobbee and incense, being *copal* the traditional aroma used at these festivities;  - a mop, —made of natural fibers—, along a water bucket helps cool the oven in case of over heating; also, a common practice to get to know if the oven is ready is to look after a white color at the ceiling and the sides of the oven; - ask advice to your local traditional pizza maker, look ahead their usual tools; be well hydrated and be prepared for sweating; you could be using a work table no less than 1.50 by 3.00 square meters; and another one half the same size for cooling the breads. Friendship, teamwork, music & dancing are usually commons around the making of this recipe too.  ### Final shout-outs Chivo & Celia marriage is ought to receive praise for sharing the recipe with us and be that gentle to show us some not-so-known tricks. Comments, tips and zaps are going to be forwarded to them. Also a big shout-out to our honor guest, SF; and so as well a loud one to the nostriches, meshtadelians and noderunners.   ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 1 day - 🍳 Cook time: 12 hours - 🍽️ Servings: 20 plus ## Ingredients - Wheat flour; 10 kilograms - Milk; 1 liter - Chicken eggs; 60 units (20 yolks-only and 40 regular) - Yeast; 1 kilogram - Guava fruit; 1 kilogram - Butter; 2 kilogram - Salt; two spoons - Shredded nuts; 1 kilogram - Sesame seeds; 1 kilogram ## Directions 1. Set a wooden pyre within the oven a day before the baking; so early in the morning ignites and burns at ease. This is the pre heating, from here you would like to be adding small pieces of fuel to keep it warm until the baking starts. 2. Remove the white out of 20 eggs and leave only the yolks; save the white for glazing after shaping the dough. The rest of the 40 (out of a total of 60 eggs) should be going to the mix at their normal. You could hold those eggs together in a recipe for the moment. 3. - Blend the guava fruit, —or your sweetener fruit of choice—, along half a liter of milk (ambient temperature). Strain the mix in order to separate seeds and residues apart. Hold it in a recipient. 4. Blend slowly and manually together half a liter of milk, along 750 grams of yeast at slow to medium heat; you can put the mix near the entrance of the oven so the heat gets to dissolute the mix. Hold it in a recipe and cover it with a vegetal fabric to hold it warm.  5. Build a volcano shape with about 9 kilograms of wheat flour; save 1 kilogram to be adding to your hands and dough whilst kneading. 6. Pour a spoon of salt all around the perimeter of the volcano's top edge; and one more at the crater, —in Mexico, a common folk costume is to draw a cross of salt within the center of the crater—. 7. Start building the dough by adding firstly the eggs and shredded nuts to the *volcano crater*. Start crushing with your hands by top-around of the edge towards the center of the crater. The both types of milks, —yeast and sweet—, along the liquid-heated butter are going to be added little by little as the mix demands. The whole knead might not take less than half an hour of force work; could be automatized with motor.    8. Put the dough within a concave tray, deep enough to hold the fluffiness and cover it with natural fiber fabrics; it will take about half an hour before the dough fluffs enough to start shaping the bread.  9. Adjust the temperature of the oven. Set at one side of the oven the wooden fuel. Add timber to heat; or wet the mop and mop the floor of the oven to cool it down. Ideal temperature should be around 180 ·C 10. Grease the metal trays with fat or oil and start shaping the breads on them; if the trays are about 50 centimeters wide, up to 6 breads could be put in each without them blending together, try leave some empty space between them.  11. The traditional bread shape consists of a round dough, —as a mini pizza—, and two crossed "bones" at the top. The bones can be shaped by rolling the dough with the fingers a little separate each other.  12. Take some of the egg whites from earlier and add a couple extra more regular eggs and flap to make the glazing. Glaze using a little brush and add the sesame. 13. The suggested technique for baking is to be rotating the trays either counter or clockwise. Each batch until the dough is done should take between 10 and 20 minutes.  14. The glaze is indicative of the toast of the bread, ideally a golden brown-ish tone, with some dark spots are good looks of the OK finish. If by doing a cross cut to one of the breads you can notice a distinction of tones, that is, if the color is not uniform, then the bread was a little short of baking time. 15. After cooling down the breads, you can store them within a cardboard box with a cover of natural fibers fabrics on the inside, so the breads remain wrapped. 16. That must be it! by now those breads stored in the boxes could last for several weeks, —to months— without passing out... probably the why of the name bread of the dead. 17. The traditional way to serving it is along with liquid chocolate, ideally the watery bitter one. As the bread is by itself sweet, to add sweet beverages could if something be a over sweet combination. If the bread already bricked, it could be crushed instead of your typical cereal plate. Dogs love them, haven't complained. If batch is too much for yourselves, don't forget these are ought to be put at the Día de los Fieles Difuntos offerings to honor our beloved deceased.

NOTE: *This article has some details that are specific to America, but the overall principles are applicable to all, and I believe it will be useful for all Christians.* When it comes to things like voting, Christians tend to err to one of two extremes and seem to find difficulty finding the right balance as defined by God. Some Christians refuse to vote or get involved with politics at all. They don’t want to dirty themselves with politics. They know that their true home is heaven, so they don’t seem to care much for the nations they live in. On the other hand, some Christians are so focused on politics fixing everything and creating heaven on earth that they can become idolatrous lifting up politicians as a kind of savior. In this article, I’m going to address both extremes, using the Bible, and hopefully help you find a Biblical balance. ## Seek the Welfare of the City Where I Have Sent You As Christians we are just passing through our time on earth. Our true, eternal home, our true citizenship, is in heaven. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t care what happens on earth. We shouldn’t be like the old saying, “some Christians are so heavenly minded that they aren’t any earthly good.” I think Christians should organize our time here on earth kind of like the Israelites were commanded to live during their 70 year exile in Babylon and Persia. > Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. (Jeremiah 29:1) What did God say to the Israelites about how they should live their life in Babylon? > “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. **Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare**.’ (Jeremiah 29:4-7) {emphasis mine} Could we likewise say the same to Christians during their time on earth? “Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city, state, or nation where I have sent you to live for a short while, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.” God expects us to live fruitful lives, to marry, to have many children (multiply), and to raise them up to do the same. He also wants us to seek the welfare of the city, state, and nation where God has put us. In a city, state, or nation with democratic elections, the best way to seek its welfare is to vote for honest candidates who support godly principles. We rightly understand that in our ungodly world there are no perfect candidates. It can even be hard to find mostly honest and mostly godly candidates, but we should seek to elect the best that is available. Why are we told to do this? We are told that “*for in its welfare you will have welfare*.” When we fail to vote, to teach our kids or support good schools, to live productive lives, and to generally live Godly lives, we WILL see the decline of our cities, states, and nations. We will pay the price. We are seeing exactly that decline because Christians have pulled out (and were pushed out) of the positions that influence the culture. We don’t have enough godly teachers, journalists, professors, advisors, economists, and politicians. We have given up the culture to those who oppose God, His people, and His commands. We are paying the price for withdrawing into the safety of our churches and leaving the world to the wolves. ## Political Religion Of course we also have an opposite extreme. We have some Christians that are too focused on politics and power. They spend all of their time and energy on political endeavors and very little, to none, on sharing the Gospel and being a godly example. Many act like they think a political candidate is going to save them from the culture, the media, the bureaucracy, or the government. They forget that there is only one Savior — the Lord Jesus Christ. They forget that God said things will get worse before they get better. They make idols out of politicians and religions out of political parties. > No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Luke 16:13) Although this verse is specifically talking about being obsessed with wealth, it is applicable to anything that takes our focus, attention, and especially our worship away from God. When a person spends all of their time serving one candidate or party and little to no time serving God, they have chosen to serve another god and are guilty, even if inadvertently and unintentionally. > You shall have no other gods before Me. > > You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:3-6) When we look to a politician to save us from anything, we are making him/her a god before us. When we give our all to a political party, we are taking our heart away from God and giving it to an alternate religion. We may not think that we make idols in our modern world. It is true that we don’t usually carve them out of wood or mold them out of gold, but we have just as many idols as the Israelites did. They just look different. I hope you will seriously consider this next point because it may be very unpopular with many of my readers. There are lots of Christians that will throw as big, if not a bigger, fit at the desecration of the American flag than over the Bible. Nobody seems to fight to retain the pledge of allegiance more than a majority of Christians. I’d argue that the American flag has become a modern day idol and the “Pledge of Allegiance” has become a religious mantra repeated to the god of government. Look at the words of the pledge: *I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America,\ and to the Republic for which it stands,\ one Nation under God,\ indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.* I think the inclusion of the phrase “one Nation under God” makes Christians feel OK about this pledge originally invented by a socialist whose brother sold American flags. The important part, which is why I can’t say the pledge anymore, are the words, “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands.” I really appreciate the principles America was founded upon, but as a Christian, I can only pledge allegiance to God. My allegiance isn’t to a flag (an idol) or the government (a god). I refuse to go through a religious ritual that includes particular stances, reciting special words, and showing undue respect. We cannot “*serve two masters*.” As Christians our master should be Christ alone. Anything that becomes more important than, or even equal to, the importance of God in our lives is idolatry. We need to get our priorities right. ## In the World, but Not of the World As we live our lives here on earth, we need to remember our God ordained purpose and our true allegiance to God. We need to remember our citizenship[1](https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/should-christians-vote#footnote-1-150236181) and family are in heaven, not here on earth. We want to have a positive influence on our culture, including working in influential positions and voting, but we should be most focused on personal evangelism and sharing the truth of the Bible. The best way to make a difference in our culture is to change hearts and minds through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. > But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. **I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world**, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. **They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world**. Sanctify them in the truth; **Your word is truth**. (John 17:13-17) {emphasis mine} Although we want to be a light in the world, we have been warned that doing so will make us not fit in. It will cause many non-Christians (and maybe a few Christians whose priorities are not right) to hate us. No matter the consequences, we need to stand on the truth of the Word of God. Too often, because we are living with those who are of this world, we start to look and act a lot like those of the world instead of looking and acting like our Savior. > **Do not love the world nor the things in the world**. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. **The world is passing away**, and also its lusts; but **the one who does the will of God lives forever**. (1 John 2:15-17) {emphasis mine} The fact that we should not love the things of the world or take on the character of things of the world is true in every part of our lives, but since we are talking here about politics, let us discuss the way many Christians talk politics. Many Christians talk about politics in the same manner as non-Christians — cursing, name calling, insulting, and doing whatever it takes to win, no matter whether it is moral or not. I know the “other side” cheats, lies, name-calls, etc., but we should not stoop to their level. Nobody ever won another to their point of view by cursing or name calling. There are ways to point our their errors, and even how horrific some of the things pushed are, without going so low. Jesus didn’t hold back from speaking the truth. He didn’t hesitate to point out error, but was never crude about it. We should be the same. We should shine a light in such a way that those around us see such a difference that they say something similar to what was said about the apostles: > Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13) There should be something about our words, actions, and demeanor that amazes our opponents causing them to recognize us “*as having been with Jesus*.” I hope this post has been helpful, truthful, and not too offensive. In so many areas it is hard to find that perfect balance and to not allow ourselves to be pulled to either extreme to the detriment of our witness and our relationship to God. > Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, **so that they may be saved**. (1 Corinthians 10:32-33) {emphasis mine} Trust Jesus.\ \ your sister in Christ, Christy