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@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3
2025-02-23 01:06:46
Well, my Wemby pick from last month just went up in flames. It's only getting more difficult to figure out who's getting that last spot, now. I want to take KAT, but that would give me the same exact picks as @gnilma with fewer possible points. I'll take his teammate, Jalen Brunson, and hope NY voters pick the wrong Knick.
Remember, older correct predictions are worth more than recent ones, so don't wait too long to get off your bad predictions.
Also, players must play in at least 65 games to be eligible for awards. Luka, AD, and Wemby are not going to be eligible, so you should swap them out if you still have them.
Here's the current state of the competition with your max possible score next to your nym:
| Contestant | MVP | Champ | All NBA | | | | |
|--------------|------|---------|----------|-|-|-|-|
| @Undisciplined 47| SGA| OKC | Jokic | Giannis |Tatum | SGA | Brunson |
| @grayruby 55| Giannis| Cavs| Jokic | Giannis | Luka | Mitchell| Brunson|
| @gnilma 55| SGA| OKC| Jokic | KAT | Giannis | Tatum| SGA |
| @BitcoinAbhi 70 | Luka| Denver| Jokic | Giannis | Luka | Ant| SGA|
| @Bell_curve 63| SGA| Celtics| Jokic | Giannis | Luka | Ant| SGA|
| @0xbitcoiner 70 | Jokic| Pacers| Jokic | Giannis | Luka | Ant| Brunson|
| @Coinsreporter 49| Giannis| Pacers| Jokic | Giannis | Luka | Ant| Brunson|
| @TheMorningStar 49| Luka| Celtics| Jokic | Giannis | Luka | Ant| SGA|
| @onthedeklein 49| Luka| T-Wolves| Jokic | Giannis | Luka | Wemby| SGA|
| @Carresan 49| Luka| Mavs| Jokic | Giannis | Luka | Wemby| SGA|
| @BTC_Bellzer 34| SGA| Celtics| Jokic| Giannis | Tatum| SGA| Brunson |
| @realBitcoinDog 49| Luka| Lakers| Jokic | Giannis | Luka | Ant| SGA|
| @SimpleStacker 42| SGA| Celtics| Jokic| Tatum| Luka | Brunson| SGA|
| @BlokchainB 42| SGA| Knicks| AD| Giannis | Ant| Brunson| SGA|
**Prize**
At least 6k (I'll keep adding zaps to the pot).
If you want to join this contest, just leave your predictions for MVP, Champion, and All-NBA 1st team in the comments. See the [June post](https://stacker.news/items/585231/r/Undisciplined) for more details.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/894412
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@ b8851a06:9b120ba1
2025-02-22 19:43:13
The digital guillotine has fallen. The Bybit hack wasn’t just a theft—it was a surgical strike exposing the fatal flaw of “crypto” that isn’t Bitcoin. This wasn’t a bug. It was a feature of a system designed to fail.
Here’s how North Korea’s Lazarus Group stole $1.5B in ETH, why “decentralized finance” is a joke, and how Bitcoin remains the only exit from this circus.
## I. The Heist: How Centralized “Crypto” Betrayed Its Users
### A. The Multisig Mousetrap (Or: Why You’re Still Using a Bank)
Bybit’s Ethereum cold wallet used multisig, requiring multiple approvals for transactions. Sounds secure, right? Wrong.
• The Con: Hackers didn’t pick the lock; they tricked the keyholders using a UI masking attack. The wallet interface showed “SEND TO BYBIT”, but the smart contract was whispering “SEND TO PYONGYANG.”
• Bitcoin Parallel: Bitcoin’s multisig is enforced on hardware, not a website UI. No browser spoofing, no phishing emails—just raw cryptography.
Ethereum’s multisig is a vault with a touchscreen PIN pad. Bitcoin’s is a mechanical safe with a key only you hold. Guess which one got robbed?
### B. Smart Contracts: Dumb as a Bag of Hammers
The thieves didn’t “hack” Ethereum—they exploited its smart contract complexity.
• Bybit’s security depended on a Safe.global contract. Lazarus simply tricked Bybit into approving a malicious upgrade.
• Imagine a vending machine that’s programmed to take your money but never give you a soda. That’s Ethereum’s “trustless” tech.
Why Bitcoin Wins: Bitcoin doesn’t do “smart contracts” in the Ethereum sense. Its scripting language is deliberately limited—less code, fewer attack vectors.
Ethereum is a Lego tower; Bitcoin is a granite slab. One topples, one doesn’t.
## II. The Laundering: Crypto’s Dirty Little Secret
### A. Mixers, Bridges, and the Art of Spycraft
Once the ETH was stolen, Lazarus laundered it at lightspeed:
1. Mixers (eXch) – Obfuscating transaction trails.
2. Bridges (Chainflip) – Swapping ETH for Bitcoin because that’s the only exit that matters.
Bitcoin Reality Check: Bitcoin’s privacy tools (like CoinJoin) are self-custodial—no third-party mixers. You keep control, not some “decentralized” website waiting to be hacked.
Ethereum’s “bridges” are burning rope ladders. Bitcoin’s privacy? An underground tunnel only you control.
### B. The $1.5B Lie: “Decentralized” Exchanges Are a Myth
Bybit’s “cold wallet” was on Safe.global—a so-called “decentralized” custodian. Translation? A website with extra steps.
• When Safe.global got breached, the private keys were stolen instantly.
• “Decentralized” means nothing if your funds depend on one website, one server, one weak link.
Bitcoin’s Answer: Self-custody. Hardware wallets. Cold storage. No trusted third parties.
Using Safe.global is like hiding your life savings in a gym locker labeled “STEAL ME.”
## III. The Culprits: State-Sponsored Hackers & Crypto’s Original Sin
### A. Lazarus Group: Crypto’s Robin Hood (For Dictators)
North Korea’s hackers didn’t break cryptography—they broke people.
• Phishing emails disguised as job offers.
• Bribes & social engineering targeting insiders.
• DeFi governance manipulation (because Proof-of-Stake is just shareholder voting in disguise).
Bitcoin’s Shield: No CEO to bribe. No “upgrade buttons” to exploit. No governance tokens to manipulate. Code is law—and Bitcoin’s law is written in stone.
Ethereum’s security model is “trust us.” Bitcoin’s is “verify.”
### B. The $3B Elephant: Altcoins Fund Dictators
Since 2017, Lazarus has stolen $3B+ in crypto, funding North Korea’s missile program.
Why? Because Ethereum, Solana, and XRP are built on Proof-of-Stake (PoS)—which centralizes power in the hands of a few rich validators.
• Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work: Miners secure the network through energy-backed cryptography.
• Altcoins’ Proof-of-Stake: Security is dictated by who owns the most tokens.
Proof-of-Stake secures oligarchs. Proof-of-Work secures money. That’s why Lazarus can drain altcoin treasuries but hasn’t touched Bitcoin’s network.
## IV. Bybit’s Survival: A Centralized Circus
### A. The Bailout: Banks 2.0
Bybit took bridge loans from “undisclosed partners” (read: Wall Street vultures).
• Just like a traditional bank, Bybit printed liquidity out of thin air to stay solvent.
• If that sounds familiar, it’s because crypto exchanges are just banks in hoodies.
Bitcoin Contrast: No loans. No bailouts. No “trust.” Just 21 million coins, mathematically secured.
Bybit’s solvency is a confidence trick. Bitcoin’s solvency is math.
### B. The Great Withdrawal Panic
Within hours, 350,000+ users scrambled to withdraw funds.
A digital bank run—except this isn’t a bank. It’s an exchange that pretended to be decentralized.
Bitcoin fixes this: your wallet isn’t an IOU. It’s actual money.
Bybit = a TikTok influencer promising riches. Bitcoin = the gold in your basement.
## V. The Fallout: Regulators vs Reality
### A. ETH’s 8% Crash vs Bitcoin’s Unshakable Base
Ethereum tanked because it’s a tech stock, not money. Bitcoin? Dropped 2% and stabilized.
No CEO, no headquarters, no attack surface.
### B. The Regulatory Trap
Now the bureaucrats come in demanding:
1. Wallet audits (they don’t understand public ledgers).
2. Mixer bans (criminalizing privacy).
3. KYC everything (turning crypto into a surveillance state).
Bitcoin’s Rebellion: You can’t audit what’s already transparent. You can’t ban what’s unstoppable.
## VI. Conclusion: Burn the Altcoins, Stack the Sats
The Bybit hack isn’t a crypto problem. It’s an altcoin problem.
Ethereum’s smart contracts, DeFi bridges, and “decentralized” wallets are Swiss cheese for hackers. Bitcoin? A titanium vault.
The Only Lessons That Matter:
✅ Multisig isn’t enough unless it’s Bitcoin’s hardware-enforced version.
✅ Complexity kills—every altcoin “innovation” is a security risk waiting to happen.
Lazarus Group won this round because “crypto” ignored Bitcoin’s design. The solution isn’t better regulations—it’s better money.
Burn the tokens. Unplug the servers. Bitcoin is the exit.
Take your money off exchanges. Be sovereign.
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@ 378562cd:a6fc6773
2025-02-22 18:29:35
There was a time when I was a real person. I touched grass, read books made of actual paper, made eye contact with fellow humans, and didn’t panic when my pockets felt empty. Then came the screens. They infiltrated my life like a well-meaning but overly clingy houseguest who never leaves.
It started innocently enough: a quick email check, a couple of YouTube videos, and a little light doomscrolling. And then, before I knew it, my posture resembled a shrimp’s, my eyes had the dull glaze of a microwaved marshmallow, and I had unknowingly memorized the entire algorithm’s playlist of “Obscure Facts You’ll Never Need.”
I knew things had gone too far when I caught myself attempting to *swipe left* on a paperback book. Or when I instinctively tried to pinch-zoom on a restaurant menu, only to find it was printed. On paper. It's like some kind of ancient relic from the Dark Ages.
The worst part? I didn’t even know what I was doing half the time. One moment, I’d be looking up a recipe for lasagna. The next thing I knew, I was 47 minutes deep into a documentary on the mating habits of Alaskan walruses. And did I stop? Of course not. I needed to *know* how it ended! (Spoiler: The walruses were fine. My dinner was not.)
And don’t even get me started on notifications. Those little digital gremlins have mastered the art of ambush just as I’m about to put my phone down, *DING!* A breaking news alert! (Something mildly inconvenient happened in a country I can’t locate on a map.) *DING!* An email! (From a store I haven’t shopped at since 2014, reminding me they exist.) *DING!* A friend liked my post! (The one from three days ago. Thanks, Todd.)
So, I made a vow. I would reclaim my life. I would be strong. I would resist! I would—oh wait, just one more video. Then, for sure, I’ll log off. Probably. Maybe. Okay, fine, I need help.
Until then, I’ll be here, scrolling away, living my best shrimp-postured, screen-addicted life. If you need me, send a text just… not after 9 p.m. That’s when I’m deep in my nightly ritual of watching cooking videos I will never actually attempt.
I hope you enjoyed this sort of funny (in my own head) attempt at wittiness humor. I hope to make some aware of the actual real-life dangers though of too much screen time. We honestly have no idea of all the harm we are causing to our children. To our society. What happens when we all who have actually grown up playing in creeks, skipping rocks, or sitting outside and falling asleep while reading a real book pass away? What happens when those left have only known this screen-diseased life?
I pray we can go back, go way way back!