@ 000002de:c05780a7

I have had the same network setup for a long time now. Unifi stuff just works most of the time. I didn't really pick it. Its not open source and now that I have fiber and have been having some issues with some of the Unifi hardware its time to make the call. Do I just upgrade with Unifi or start migrating to something more in line with what I value. So I've been chatting with my very helpful colleges at Red Hat and after mentioning PfSense to them I was told to check out Opnsense instead. 1. I want to slowly move to 10g network gear 2. I need PoE switches that are 10g 3. I want a robust firewall / router 4. I don't really wanna build my router due to time Currently looking at [Protectli Buyer’s Guide](https://kb.protectli.com/buyers-guide/) who sell hardware that is pre-installed with many options. I haven't decided which one to get yet. I wanna buy with the future in mind though so 10g connections are a must and support for two WAN connection is as well. I'm glad I ran CAT6 in my house years ago instead of cheaping out. After I replace my router / firewall I will want to replace my Unifi switches. I'm considering buying used Cisco switches from eBay. Anyone have any advice on this plan or advice? originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/851922

@ c21b1a6c:0cd4d170

Hello everyone, as part of the nostr:npub10pensatlcfwktnvjjw2dtem38n6rvw8g6fv73h84cuacxn4c28eqyfn34f grant I have to write a progress report for Formstr, I thought I'll use this opportunity to do a nostr blog! , Something I've been meaning to do for sometime, hopefully I don't bore you. ## Introduction There was a lot of work ahead of us even before we got the grant, and we tried to tackle it heads on. We completely changed the underlying mechanism of storing and fetching forms. Whereas previously a form was a kind 0 event, same as a profile event. The form is now created and responded to in the mechanism as outlined in the [Forms NIP](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/1190/files). This had to be done while making sure that none of the older forms broke during the process. The new specification helps streamline the forms usecase to expand to access control, private forms, upgrade to nip44 encryption. Some of these features existed as Proofs of Concepts prior to this quarters work, the major tasks were to streamline and production-ize them, to be able to release it to the public. We were also joined by nostr:npub1vf6wyw9j38sm96vwfekwvqxucr9jutqrmwdc2qnql79a66al9fzsuvt9ys who along with nostr:npub15gkmu50rcuv6mzevmslyllppwmeqxulnqfak0gwud3hfwmau6mvqqnpfvg helped move the project along. ## How did we spend our time. Released a major Formstr Update (16/12/204): - [Release PR](https://github.com/abhay-raizada/nostr-forms/pull/157): This Release Contained The Following Changelog: - Move Form Creation and Rendering to New Event - Upgrade Response Encryption to NIP-44. - Add Ability to create private forms. - Add ability to send private form access as Gift Wraps. - Create a new dashboard UI to incorporate new form types. - Add ability to login to formstr - Use naddr to encode form Urls instead of pubkey(centralized). Work done to production-ize these features can be found in the following PRs: 1. [Save forms to local device automatically](https://github.com/abhay-raizada/nostr-forms/pull/176) 2. [Ability to remove participants in Access Control UI](https://github.com/abhay-raizada/nostr-forms/pull/178) 3. [Revamp Responses Page according to NIP-101](https://github.com/abhay-raizada/nostr-forms/pull/181/files) 4. [Add a "My Forms" Section on the dashboard](https://github.com/abhay-raizada/nostr-forms/pull/188) 5. [Add UI for Inserting Images](https://github.com/abhay-raizada/nostr-forms/pull/183) 6. [Using Naddr Instead of pubkey as formId](https://github.com/abhay-raizada/nostr-forms/pull/180) In addition to these there were multiple bugfixes and patches that I've excluded for brevity. ## Major Challenges We were in "beta hell" for a long time, even though I had finished rudimentary versions of each of the features in advance (some to test the viability of the forms NIP). Incorporating them into the running version proved to be a challenge. We realized that some of the features required major UI changes, and a lot of new features broke previously working desirable features such as NIP-04 Notifications. A lot of [work](https://github.com/abhay-raizada/nostr-forms/pull/157/commits/4ce6970b09e7728004ccdeb058efb2b58dd96ef0) like this had to be done to ensure formstr brought in new features while continuing to work exactly as old users liked it. ## What's left and what's coming? From the wish-list items I had committed during the application a few major ones remain: - Edit Past Forms. - Paid Surveys. - Support for NIP-42 Private Relays. - Conditional Rendering of form fields - Sections Of these I'm happy to report that we've already begun work on conditional rendering of fields (https://github.com/abhay-raizada/nostr-forms/pull/199) ## What is de-prioritized? Going with experiences from quarter 1, we are de-prioritizing Formstr Integrations with 3rd party services like Ollama (Self Sovereign AI) and business tools like Slack, Notion etc. We'll try to get to it, but it's less of a priority compared to other features! ## How the funds were used. - Paying Individual Contributors for PRs submitted. - Living Expenses

@ 5af07946:98fca8c4

A river must have two banks. A day has no meaning without a night. Even a narrative manifests amidst the story of a hero and a villain. Science is the study of the dualities - to put them to a greater use. Every time we get a better appreciation of a duality, we expound a new branch of science. For example Chemistry is built on the idea of "charge" duality. Particle physics is an outcome of magnetic duality (also called spin). The digital duality (0 and 1) is the basis for the computer science. Not only proven science, every thought has a dualistic outlook - a yes or a no - to be or not to be! Our own anatomy is a mirror image as if two halves are sealed together - one on left and another on the right - two hands, two legs, two ears. Even the brains are split into left and right lobes. Leonardo da Vinci was trying to find the code of life in the parity symmetry of the Vitruvian Man. The physical duality of our anatomy led to most discoveries in ancient medicine of Suśruta and Charka - long before Leonardo. It is believed they were looking for a singularity amidst the duality of every other aspect of human body - an island in the river of life. And since they found only one heart in every mammal, they assumed god must live on this island. In Vedic science , the study of dualities is known as Dwait. On the other hand, Vaidik philosophy believes the observer that sits amidst dualities is same across all of them - a singular observer - Adwait - an island between two banks of a river. The island underscores the nature, shape and the existence of that "perpetual" that dualities bind for conscious[^consciousness] experience? That Avykta (inexpressible knowledge) that dualities bind, is known as Tattva[^Tattva]. It binds itself into the knots (of evolving dualities) to gain answer to just one question - who am I? What is my own true shape (Swa-roopa). If one could know the answer to this question, dualities automatically shatter. They vanish because they are rendered unnecessary! [^consciousness]: Conscious experience: is summation of Dwait and Adwait. In our geometric perception, it is easier to visualize a duality as a dimension - a one-dimensional line that goes from the object to its mirror image. The images may be merged in each other - as in case of atomic particles; or at perceived distances as in case of our reflection in a mirror. The important thing, however, is the one that sits at the surface of the mirror - in the middle - to see two images - one on the left and another on the right - one up and another down and infinite other angles. Millions of dimensions may intersect at this focal point. More intersections - greater the resolution of perception -> higher degree of conscious experience. A computer is lower in consciousness because it has only one dimension to resolve - from digital zero to a digital one. In Vaidik Science, the fifty significant traits (Vritties) are considered the prime dimensions of human experience measured through five senses. If digital duality enabled experiences such as internet, it is not hard to imagine how evolved conscious experience could be based on five senses playing with fifty traits. Yes, it can render the experience of our physical world, the seasons, the green expanses, rivers, buildings, gadgets - but that is only a fraction of what we are capable of. There are infinitely many more experiences that lie hidden in the realm of emotions. Yet senses only observe the chiral imagery. They find it hard to navigate the emotions, besides being grossly unaware of the observer that sits amidst this chaos. What is it that creates this beautiful tapestry? - sometimes layered over each other's like an onion; and other times existing on the same plane of conscious experience, and who is the observer? What is that "one" that sits within inseparable dipoles of a magnet? What exactly is that "unseen" that runs between an anode and a cathode ? Spirituality (Nyaan), is the careful study of that "one" staying put amidst the dualities always shuttling like a ping pong ball. Can it ever get to the rest? Or the idea of conscious life is to merely lock this incessant rhythm ? If so, to what avail? [^Tattva]: Tattva: This "one", as per practitioners of spirituality, is the only real "element" - Tattva - the most elementary particle. Rest everything is just an expression of Tattva on account of complex wrinkles of dualities folded unto themselves. Tattva is neither unconscious or conscious. Consciousness is improvement in our sensory apparatus to approach this "one". The very reason of manifestation is to know, to understand what is there? Since it is the study of the "one", there are obviously no branches of "Spirituality". It is simply knowing "who am I?". The difference if at all, exists in the path to ascertain this truth. There are many possible paths. Some harder, some smarter - but the end goal is same - who am I? Tattva exists before the physical perception is born; and even after the cession the physical experience. For example, the written and the spoken are two reflections of the same word - they both carry the same meaning. Though a "word" has no physical existence unless it is spoken or written down, yet we know what a "word" means even before we say it or write it. In fact, we can't give a word a physical expression unless we already know the meaning. In essence, we understand the "knowledge" that a word captures irrespective of its physical manifestation. Thus, "knowledge" is the closest to describe that unseen in this physical world. Likewise, all dualities are reflections of a "single truth" hidden from sensory observations. It exists unattached, and yet it remains inseparable from the multitude of dualities it reflects ! For lack of a better word, Vedic Science uses the term Atma for it - it literally means "me". In mathematics, the word for this one is numeral "One" - yes, we call it "unity"! Unity is part of every number, every measurement, yet no one knows the shape of a unit - when measuring distance, this one is a meter, when measuring weight it becomes a kilo - it stays put in every measure, yet it stays indeterminate. You can say one cow, or one bird, and you know what they mean but no one knows what "one" stands for on its own! It is embedded in every number, every artifact and every observation. Many people try to explain Atma as "Energy" or "Electricity". Since it is hard to explain Atma with physical metaphors, I tend to use the word "knowledge". Partly because Energy is tied to physical matter and Electricity is limited to the motion of electrons. More importantly they have strict scientific definitions somewhat hindering the introduction of alternative approaches. That said, the choices are endless, and they are all valid based on the context. Similarly, the dualities are described differently based on the contexts. One may see the knots of dualities as the motherly cradle of manifestation - others may see them as a root cause of pain and confusion. But none may doubt their multidimensional omnipresence. In particle physics, duality is called "Parity Symmetry", In Vedic science, the faction that upholds "duality" as the only truth is known as Dwait - dualism. Dwait believes the "manifested" is nothing but the complex knots of many dualities in many dimensions. The "creation" is infinite manifestations of these knots (Karma Bandhana). It, thus, says that the liberation is all about gradual untying of these knots. The process of untying the knots of duality is called Karm-kshya - sacrificing the Karmas (that led to these knots in the first place) i.e. renunciation - weeding out dualities! It does agree that in this physical world, it is not possible to untie all the knots for human body too is a complex assimilation of uncountable knots, yet it asserts that as soon as our net "knot formation" gets negative - means we break more bonds than we create - the journey becomes a "hope of freedom". After initial jitters, the path becomes pleasurable though it appears insanely difficult (as well as counterintuitive) to the external world. For example, a person on the path of "minimalism" is naturally happy because she has found the taste of freedom - at the same time her network appreciates her for her sacrifices; often times wondering how she lives on so less ! As per Dvaita, the final freedom with exit from the physical world is thus the only objective goal - It is called Nirvana. Thus, there is no God, no observer. But it fails to answer what is it that we are trying to free up? What is the state of being in Nirvana? If Nirvana is all about giving up this beautiful experience, then Nirvana must be a very boring place! Adwait thus is the unyielding faith in singular underlying field, and a conscious ignorance of dualities as mere emergent sensory distractions. The singular truth is the thing that manifests amidst innumerable knotted dualities. Unlike the ideas of Quantum Mechanics, the "manifest" is neither a "given" nor an accident - it takes repetitive actions (Karma) to unveil one observable "truth". An "island" is thus the truth of a river's labour as much as a narrative is a writer's vociferous flow over dualities of the plot. This process of manifestation and its continuous evolution, as per Adwait, is Yazna - the modus operandi of Vishnu. And the consciousness that evolves (to seek the answer to the profound question) is Vishnu itself. The Sanskrit word Vishnu has two syllables - Vish comes from Vishisht, which means special and Anu means the smallest indestructible particle - special because it sits amidst all dualities and strives for continuous evolution of conscious experience to resolve the dualities. To an untrained eye - Dwait and Adwait may appear as the sides of the same coin, but there is vast difference in constructs that follow. Dwait seeks renunciation whereas Adwait celebrates the life, and it's growth. Vaidik approach thus is NOT to run away; it is to continuously struggle and fight to seek the ultimate object.

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

**Table Of Content** - Unexpected Findings in a Prison Raid - The Tocorón Prison: A Criminal Haven - The Lucrative World of Bitcoin Mining - A Growing Trend in Latin America - Conclusion - FAQ In the ever-evolving world of crime, criminals are constantly seeking innovative ways to further their illicit gains. The recent Venezuelan prison raid offers a startling glimpse into this world, revealing an unexpected intersection between organized crime and the realm of cryptocurrency. This article delves into the surprising findings of the raid, the notorious Tocorón prison, the lucrative allure of Bitcoin mining, and the emerging trend of cryptocurrency in the Latin American criminal landscape. **Unexpected Findings in a Prison Raid** In a recent raid on the Tocorón prison in Aragua state, Venezuelan authorities made an unexpected discovery. Alongside the anticipated confiscation of rocket launchers, grenades, and bullets, they stumbled upon Bitcoin mining machines. This operation, which involved a staggering 11,000 troops, was aimed at dismantling the country's most formidable organized crime group. While weapons were a predictable find, the presence of Bitcoin miners was a revelation that caught many off guard. Videos circulating on social media platforms showcased buildings filled with these machines, emphasizing the scale of the operation. The juxtaposition of traditional weapons with high-tech mining equipment highlights the adaptability and resourcefulness of criminal organizations, demonstrating their willingness to embrace new technologies to further their objectives. **The Tocorón Prison: A Criminal Haven** The Tocorón prison, located in the heart of Venezuela, has long been notorious for being under the control of criminals. In fact, it had been run by them for years, turning it into a veritable fortress of illicit activities. This prison wasn't just a place of confinement; it boasted amenities like a swimming pool and even a mini zoo, painting a picture of a facility that was more a criminal fortress than a penitentiary. Such luxuries are unheard of in conventional prisons, suggesting a level of autonomy and power that these criminals wielded. Venezuelan prisons, in general, have a reputation for being perilously overcrowded and hazardous, often leading to violent confrontations. This particular raid marked the first time Venezuelan authorities took decisive action against the dreaded Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization with a hand in various illicit activities, ranging from drug and human trafficking to extortion, both within Venezuela and in neighboring countries. The audacity of such a group to operate so openly speaks volumes about the challenges faced by Venezuelan law enforcement. **The Lucrative World of Bitcoin Mining** Bitcoin mining, for the uninitiated, might seem like a complex digital process, but its implications are very tangible. Mining machines play a pivotal role in minting new coins and ensuring the security of the Bitcoin blockchain. Engaging in this energy-intensive process requires a significant amount of electricity, often leading to concerns about its environmental impact. However, the rewards, in the form of new cryptocurrency, can be substantial. A recent report from Coin Metrics highlighted that Bitcoin miners raked in a whopping $184 million from transaction fees in a mere three months, from April to June. This lucrative venture offers a glimpse into why criminals might be drawn to such operations, given the potential for immense profits. The decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies also provides a level of anonymity, making it an attractive option for those wishing to operate outside the purview of traditional financial systems. **A Growing Trend in Latin America** The discovery of Bitcoin mining machines in the Tocorón prison isn't an isolated incident. Just two weeks prior, Chilean police uncovered a drug trafficking ring in Santiago that was operating a Bitcoin mining venture. This suggests a growing trend among criminals in Latin America, who seem to be exploring the lucrative world of cryptocurrency. As the digital currency gains traction globally, it's evident that the criminal underworld is also keen on capitalizing on its potential. The integration of cryptocurrency into criminal operations represents a new frontier in crime, challenging law enforcement agencies to adapt and develop new strategies to combat this emerging threat. **Conclusion** The Venezuelan prison raid serves as a stark reminder of the intricate and ever-changing nature of organized crime. As the lines between traditional criminal activities and the digital world blur, it's crucial for authorities to stay one step ahead. The fusion of organized crime with the world of cryptocurrency underscores the need for continued vigilance and adaptability in the face of evolving criminal methodologies. **FAQs** **What was discovered during the Venezuelan prison raid?** Along with weapons like rocket launchers and grenades, authorities found Bitcoin mining machines in the Tocorón prison. **Who controlled the Tocorón prison?** The prison had been under the control of criminals for years, notably the Tren de Aragua crime group. **Why is Bitcoin mining significant?** Bitcoin mining is the process of minting new coins and securing the Bitcoin blockchain. It can be highly lucrative, with miners earning substantial amounts from transaction fees. **Is cryptocurrency involvement a trend in Latin American crime?** Yes, there's a growing trend among criminals in Latin America to integrate cryptocurrency into their operations, as seen in both Venezuela and Chile. **How are authorities responding to this trend?** The Venezuelan raid signifies a proactive approach by authorities, but the blending of crime with cryptocurrency highlights the need for continued vigilance and adaptability. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [@croxroadnews](https://x.com/croxroadnewsco)** **Instagram: [@croxroadnews.co](https://www.instagram.com/croxroadnews.co/)** **Youtube: [@croxroadnews](https://www.youtube.com/@croxroadnews)** **Store: https://croxroad.store** **Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter** **https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe** *DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.*

@ 141daddd:1df80a3f

In the world of social media, the term "echo chamber" often carries a negative connotation. It’s associated with reinforcing biases, limiting perspectives, and fostering division. However, on platforms like **Nostr**, echo chambers take on a new, empowering dimension—one that allows users to consciously curate their own feeds and use them as tools for self-improvement and personal growth. ## The Power of Voluntary Echo Chambers Unlike traditional social networks, where algorithms dictate what you see based on corporate interests or ad revenue, Nostr puts the power back in your hands. You choose the accounts you follow, the content you consume, and ultimately, the ideas that shape your thinking. This creates a **voluntary echo chamber**, one that reflects your personal interests and goals rather than the priorities of a centralized algorithm. This concept ties into psychological principles like **autosuggestion** or **self-programming**. By surrounding yourself with content that aligns with your aspirations, you can subtly influence your thoughts and behaviors over time. For example: - Following accounts that discuss **Bitcoin** might deepen your understanding of it even if you are normally lazy to do your own research. - Subscribing to content about **meat eating** or **lifting** could motivate you to adopt those habits. - Engaging with posts about **self-discipline** or **personal development** might inspire you to take actionable steps toward your goals. Scrolling through your Nostr feed becomes more than a passive activity—it becomes a form of self-conditioning. Each post you see reinforces the values and ideas you’ve chosen to prioritize, nudging you toward the person you want to become. ## A Contrast with Traditional Social Media On traditional platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or X, the feed is curated by algorithms designed to maximize engagement. These algorithms often prioritize sensationalism, controversy, or content that serves the platform’s business model. As a result, your brain is programmed not by your own goals, but by the interests of the corporation behind the platform. This distinction is crucial. On Nostr, **you are the algorithm**. You decide what influences you, creating a space where your feed becomes a tool for self-improvement rather than a source of manipulation. ## Echo Chambers as Positive Spaces The idea of an echo chamber isn’t inherently negative. In fact, any group or community built around shared interests can be considered an echo chamber. Think about: - A **sports club**, where everyone encourages each other to train harder and improve. - A **book club**, where members discuss ideas that expand their intellectual horizons. - A **support group**, where people share experiences and motivate each other to overcome challenges. These are all examples of echo chambers that people enter voluntarily, and they often lead to positive outcomes. The same principle applies to Nostr. By carefully curating your feed, you can create a digital space that motivates, educates, and inspires you. ## The Key to Beneficial Echo Chambers The difference between a harmful and a beneficial echo chamber lies in **intentionality**. On Nostr, you have the freedom to: 1. **Choose your influences**: Follow accounts that align with your values and goals. 2. **Avoid manipulation**: Stay clear of (mute) content that doesn’t serve your interests. 3. **Adapt over time**: As your priorities evolve, so can your feed. This level of control allows you to use echo chambers as a force for good—a way to program your mind for success, growth, and self-improvement. ## Final Thoughts Nostr represents a paradigm shift in how we interact with social media. By giving users the power to create their own echo chambers, it transforms the concept from something limiting into something liberating. Your feed becomes a reflection of your aspirations, a tool for self-programming, and a space for growth. So, the next time someone criticizes echo chambers, remember: when entered voluntarily and curated intentionally, they can be one of the most powerful tools for personal development. On Nostr, the choice is yours.

@ db625e76:f5ba6fa7

Introduction: Rethinking Our Role in Planetary Systems Imagine our planet as a living, breathing organism with an incredibly complex metabolic system. At the heart of this system lies carbon—the fundamental building block of life—constantly moving and transforming through an intricate global cycle. But what if this cycle has a critical flaw, and what if humans are accidentally becoming its unexpected solution? The carbon cycle is more than just a scientific concept; it's the circulatory system of our planet. Carbon moves between the atmosphere, living organisms, oceans, and underground reserves in a delicate dance that has sustained life for millions of years. Yet, hidden within this process is a paradox that could potentially threaten the very system that supports life as we know it. The Carbon Sequestration Puzzle: A Planetary Challenge Plants are nature's most sophisticated carbon capture machines. Through photosynthesis, they pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, breaking it down and incorporating carbon into their tissues. Roots, stems, leaves—all become repositories of captured carbon. While this process creates oxygen and builds biomass, it also represents a one-way mechanism that gradually depletes atmospheric carbon. Consider the long-term geological perspective. Over millions of years, vast amounts of carbon have been permanently removed from atmospheric circulation. Ancient forests compress into coal, marine organisms transform into oil, creating enormous carbon sinks. Each of these processes progressively reduces the available carbon dioxide that future plants will need to survive. Biological systems typically develop feedback mechanisms to prevent such unidirectional processes. However, in the carbon cycle, natural regulatory systems have been limited. Decomposition returns some carbon to the atmosphere, but not nearly at the rate of sequestration. Volcanic activity once played a crucial role in carbon redistribution, but planetary cooling has significantly reduced volcanic intensity. The Unexpected Role of Humans Here's where human activity becomes fascinating. Our extraction and burning of fossil fuels—often criticized as environmentally destructive—can be viewed through an entirely different lens. By releasing ancient carbon stores back into the atmosphere, humans might be inadvertently counteracting the long-term depletion of atmospheric carbon. Think of it like a global life support system. Volcanoes used to be the primary mechanism for redistributing carbon, essentially "resetting" the game board. As volcanic activity decreases, humans have unknowingly stepped into this role. We're extracting carbon that was locked away for millions of years and returning it to atmospheric circulation. Evolutionary Perspective: Humans as a Planetary Mechanism This perspective challenges our traditional understanding of humanity's relationship with the planet. We're not just consumers or destroyers, but potentially a critical component of a larger, more complex ecological regulatory mechanism. Evolution might have developed humans as a solution to a systemic challenge in the carbon cycle. Our technological interventions—fossil fuel extraction, agricultural practices, emerging carbon capture technologies—can be seen as more than just human activities. They might represent a planetary-scale adaptive response, ensuring the continued availability of carbon for photosynthetic life. Philosophical Implications This theory invites us to reconsider our place in the world. We're not external to the system of life, but an integral part of a sophisticated planetary process. Our actions, often viewed as destructive, might actually be part of a broader mechanism of planetary self-regulation. It's crucial to note that this perspective doesn't absolve us of environmental responsibility. Instead, it suggests a more nuanced understanding of human impact. We are active participants in an incredibly complex system, potentially fulfilling a role that has been millions of years in the making. Conclusion: A New Way of Seeing The carbon cycle is not a simple, linear process, but a dynamic, adaptive system. Humans represent an unexpected variable in this equation—a potentially purposeful mechanism for maintaining the delicate balance necessary for continued life on Earth. This perspective challenges us to think beyond simplistic narratives of environmental destruction. It suggests that our relationship with the planet is far more intricate and potentially purposeful than we've previously imagined. We are not just observers of life's complexity, but active participants in a planetary mechanism of remarkable sophistication and potential purpose.

@ 000002de:c05780a7

Sometimes I forget that there are people that actually fall for corporate press propaganda. Heard it said recently that the deep state is a conspiracy theory. That is so stupid I almost don't know how to respond. That's like there are never politics in the office or at your company. The very idea that career bureaucrats and people in 3 letter agencies would not push back against politicians is absurd on its face. Its beyond naive. Often I find that people have their heads in the sand. They cover their ears because they do not want to accept that the world is more complex and dark that they were told in their government school.  I recommend everyone watch the BBC show "Yes Minister!". Its one of the best examples of how the establishment in a government work against the politicians. It also doesn't paint the politicians in a good light. But the biggest reason to watch this show is that is so funny. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/850633

@ 005bc4de:ef11e1a2

There was a time when I liked to regularly listen to NPR for their stories. And, I owe a certain something to NPR since that's where I first got interested in bitcoin. But, their incessant political hard-left, alt-left push eventually pushed me away. Nowadays, I'll sometimes listen in just to get annoyed at whatever silliness they're projecting. January 9, 2025, I heard this: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/09/nx-s1-5228194/what-are-biodiversity-credits-and-could-have-a-meaningful-impact talking about "Biodiversity credits." I'd heard of "carbon credits" before, but never biodiversity credits. Evidently, some "financial instrument" is being sold for $25 a pop as a "biodiversity credit." I assume the sales site is [this one](https://market.climatetrade.com/projects/banco-de-habitat-bosque-de-niebla-el-globo?id=528). With one credit purchased, your **$25 gets you a promise** from...someone. The promise, or "assurance", is to protect a 10 x 10 square meter splotch of Andean mountainside where the spectacled bear lives. The spectacled bear? I was unfamiliar with the [spectacled bear](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectacled_bear), but evidently it's a bear that looks like a large raccoon and likes to scratch trees. The NPR folks ponied up $25 for the so-called biodiversity credit financial instrument. After their purchase, the NPR journalists apparently traveled to Colombia, to the "water star" area where the alleged preserve exists as "El Globo." Okay, three things here: 1. They only buy one biodiversity credit? How's a spectacled bear supposed to live on a 10 x 10 meter square?! 2. I'll assume the journalists (I read this as plural since the article said "we"; I'll guess two people) flew from the US to Colombia. Are listeners/readers to just ignore the fact that they flew on a carbon-emitting jet to Colombia for the sole purpose of checking on a 100 square meter plot? This is the plot of land that exists supposedly to house animals threatened by supposed climate-caused deforestation, like jet exhaust? Are we to just pretend this hypocrisy is not there? 3. Are we to ignore that the plane tickets for two (not to mention room, board, and travel while visiting Colombia) could rather have been spent to buy more than one biodiversity credit and to ostensibly save more land? I've got to say, this sounds like a $25 ticket to win a prize for an all expense paid trip to the Colombian Andes to see the exotic spectacled bear. Credit to those who pulled off this $25 trip to the water star region of Colombia; nicely done. Okay, maybe NPR had correspondents already in Colombia. Either way, first, it didn't sound that way in the report and secondly, there's more to the numbers. According to the "climatetrade.com" website (that name, wow!), there are 310,000 biodiversity credits to be sold. Let's do the math: 310,000 credits times $25 for each credit comes to $7.75 million. El Globo is 340 hectares of land (that's 840 acres). $7.75M for 840 acres is $9,226 per acre. Knowing zero about land value in Colombia, that still seemed high to me. Google Gemini AI informs me the median price is much lower. It reported this: > According to available information, the median price per acre of land in Colombia varies significantly depending on location and land quality, but generally falls within a range of $1,500 to $10,000 per hectare (equivalent to roughly $365 to $2,400 per acre). > > Google Gemini What's more, this is not for protection of the land *in perpetuity*...no, this is for 30 years only. Say what? This sounds to me like somebody's career plan: 30 years of protection, retirement, then I can't guarantee the land's protection after that. More likely, somewhere around about the 20 year mark, it will be time to start to re-up and start selling credits again. Well, at least these 30 years of protection are "verified by an independent third party." That should make us all feel better. For a second opinion on numbers, I asked the AI, Microsoft Copilot. It said with $7.75 million USD one could buy a lot of land: between 7 and 16 thousand hectares. That's a lot more than the El Globo preserve of 340 hectares. Understand, this is actually purchasing the land. If you purchase it, it can be held as a preserve forever, not just for 30 years. And, speaking of money, and funding, and choices made in spending that money, remember that NPR gets US government money to operate. They take great pride in running hours-long annual fundraisers to ask you and me for public donations while giving "commercial-free programming." Yes, they literally run hours-long commercials for a week or two each year to say that they run commercial-free programming! 😆 You can't make this up. Nevertheless, NPR gets about $34 million from the government annually according to Microsoft Copilot AI. NPR seems to go to lengths to downplay this government funding. It's a mess. NPR apparently says they get "[less than 1%](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPR#:~:text=On%20April%2012%2C%20NPR%20announced,the%20Corporation%20for%20Public%20Broadcasting.)" of their $300 million annual budget from the government. (Disregard the fact that every other radio station supports themselves 100% and gets 0% from the government.) But, this 1% looks as though that's only money *directly* from the federal government. There is a larger chunk coming in via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which is also government money. The CPB funds "member stations" and those stations pay dues to NPR. Somehow, this government doesn't count in NPR's eyes. So, despite the "1%" talk, it's *still* government money funneling to NPR. By masking this fact, NPR is making the whole situation look shadier than it is. It might do well to simply be up front about government funding rather than obfuscating it and making the whole thing look shady; "the cover up is worse than the crime," as they say. All told, the Copilot estimate is $33.9 million in government funds going to NPR annually (about 12% of their budget, not 1%). The other 88%, I guess, comes from donations by regular folks, foundations, and corporations who respond to the hours-long, weeks long annual fundraiser commercials about commercial-free programming. Anyway, $33.9 million in government money, and $300 million total when you count in donations. That's a lot of hectares of Andean biodiversity credits that could be bought. Actually, NPR could have bought them all and the bears would be safe for 30 years. Also, as to those reporters who trekked to Colombia for a visit, that's a pretty good tax-supported, listener-supported gig that they pulled off: buy one "biodiversity credit", get a vacation to the Andean forest to see bear scratchings. It gets worse. The outfit selling these biodiversity credits on https://market.climatetrade.com admits that $7.75 million is a lot of money for Moms and Pops to purchase all the credits. (I still can't get over that URL, at least it's honest by flat out stating they're making a market out of trading the climate.) They say they need corporations to chip in and buy mass credits. According to the report, they have meet-ups and shin-digs for this sort of thing, apparently. A favorite line for me in the piece was "...Handing out shots to promote a jaguar credit." > Image created at https://leonardo.ai with the prompt: "well-dressed folks at the soirée laughing as they down a shot of tequila and suck a lemon in salute to said jaguar" At this point, it seemed that these various credits were and are spinning off into something very much like the multitudes of memecoins...doge, dog-wif-hat, dog-wif-cat, dog-wif-pepe, pepe-wif-maximus, maximux-wif-spectacled-bear, spectacled-bear-wif-jaguar. Seriously, we have credits (tokens), we have "tokenomics" of a max supply and emission, we have a market to buy the the credits/tokens ICO-style. I wonder if there is a secondary market where NPR could unload their one biodiversity credit if they were to go full climate credit degen. I pictured in my mind the well-dressed folks at the soirée laughing as they down a shot of tequila and suck a lemon in salute to said jaguar in the report. "Jaguar credits to the moon!" To be fair to NPR, they did include one man's counter to biodiversity credits. Mark Opel said this: > At the end of the day, companies are in the business of generating shareholder value. There is not a business case for biodiversity credits to generate shareholder value beyond a token amount of philanthropy and marketing. That was some much-needed concise analysis and clarity, a voice of reason. The only value these credits bring to companies was "a token amount of philanthropy and marketing." So, we have two value transfers going on here: 1. The "El Globo" outfit gets value by making money on climatetrade.com...$7.75 million if all spots sell, only to be re-upped again in 30 years. **Somebody is getting paid**. 2. A company can get value by **feeling good** for saving spectacled bears and thereby **looking good** in the public eye. It gets feel-good press. Here's the bottom line... This story checks many of the boxes for an NPR listener. It's a mix of climate change, saving cute and furry animals, deforestation, fighting corporations who want to exploit the land, and feeling good that you did something for these things. I see why they chose to send reporters to Colombia for this story. This story fits the narrative. ### Placebo Credits Let's play this thing out. Since the purpose of these credits is to (1) transfer money to some outfit and (2) make companies, or you, feel good and look good, then let's do this... I want you to think of something that is wrong in this world right now. Think of something you feel is terribly unjust. Maybe it's the spectacled bear being pushed out by greedy corporations, or a baby polar bear swimming aimlessly searching for an ice floe, or maybe something else, like the blue footed booby. Maybe it's land being clear cut or burnt off or walls of ice breaking off into the ocean as lonely icebergs. Perhaps it's all the sad downtrodden puppies that could use your help. They are cold, they are hungry, they are sad. They are looking at you. Picture those puppies in your mind now. To rectify whatever bad thing you are thinking of, whatever wrong you wish to help right, you can now **buy Placebo Credits** (PCs). Placebo Credits *will* make you feel that you are in fact doing your part; that you are *truly* making a difference in this world. **Placebo Credits work**. To buy Placebo Credits, send bitcoin to the address below. One bitcoin satoshi will buy you one credit. Don't cheat yourself...the more PCs you buy, the better you will feel knowing that you are making a difference in this world. Get Placebo Credits here: https://coinos.io/pay/crrdlx Are you a Nostr user? Just send a zap! ⚡ A zap buys Placebo Credits too! Not on Nostr, [get on it](https://start.njump.me). Send zap, get Placebo Credits! And, why only make a difference in *this* world? Don't constrain your imagination. Don't constrain how much you help the world and how much you help yourself in the process. Look up, look beyond, look to the stars. When you look at the stars tonight, pick one out. Pick out any of the beautiful stars above. It's twinkling at you, it's calling out to you...then help save that star. **Buy Placebo Credits to help save your chosen star**. Then, every night from today onward, you can look up at your shimmering, twinkling star. Let it remind you of your fight against all the wrongs that exist and your push toward a more just and verdant world. When you look at your star, let that point of light buoy up your resolve, and say to yourself, "I did my part...and I can do more." > Source: leonardo.ai using the prompt: "beautiful stars shining brightly in the night sky creating a sense of wonder"

@ e8ed3798:67dd345a

Crowdsourcing subjective value is a great idea, but when no thought has been put into how to do it, the results are neither useful nor healthy. In this article we discuss the problems with the classic five star rating system and why it needs to be abolished in favor of better expressions of public sentiment. ## Part 1: What's In A Star? Let's start with a thought experiment: - Do you buy products on Amazon that have 3 stars? - Do you take rides from Uber drivers that have 3 stars? - Do you download apps on the App Store that have 3 stars? - Do you visit places on Google Maps that have 3 stars? "Not on purpose," is probably your answer. But why not? After all, a three out of five is better than the median; it's 60 percent! That is solidly "above average" by any usual measure. Although it makes sense in mathematical terms, it is not correct to say that a 3 star product is at least half as good as a 5 star product. The funny thing about the 5 star rating system is that nobody really knows exactly what the stars mean, mostly because they aren't ever explained. They are just a weak abstraction of a score out of 5, which itself is an abstraction of a score out of 100, and it is used to average all ratings for a thing into an average star rating. Presumably, 5 is the best and 1 is the worst, and somewhere in between is... what exactly? Mediocre? Passable? Acceptable? Average? Who knows! This is the first problem with this system; while the top and bottom of the scale may be implied (ambiguity still isn't great), the middle of the scale is entirely ambiguous. Most of the time, people start with a default supposition that a product ought to be 5 stars, and then they subtract stars according to their own perceived deficiencies of the product. On the flip side, people who are dissatisfied with a product tend to start at 1 star and perhaps award it a couple more if they are feeling charitable. This dualistic approach highlights another issue with this kind of rating system. Despite the pure quantitative mechanism, the feelings and disposition of the rater ultimately assign meaning to the numeric scale. Ultimately, any 5 star rating system ends up being a gamut ranging from hate it to love it with a lot of ambiguity in the middle. To put it simply, the stars mean nothing. But to be more precise, the stars are the *average* of the *numeric expression* of the public sentiment about a thing. OK, public sentiment. That's what we want right? We want to know what the public thinks about the product so we can make a good purchase decision. Except, unfortunately, the 5 star rating system does an incredibly imprecise job at capturing what the public actually thinks about a product. Let's dive into why this is. But first, to conclude our thought experiment, I'd like to establish an informal consensus that we instinctually seek out the highest rated items and avoid ratings less than 4.5 out of 5, with infrequent exceptions. If this sounds like you, then let's proceed. ## Part 2: Trash or Treasure How does one turn their feelings into a number? This is not something people are good at, or do naturally, or are even required to do very often. It is also completely subjective and arbitrary. Does "happy" mean 5 or 100 or 902,581? It really depends on what you are trying to measure. However, you've probably done this on a survey. Normally, a range of options is given with accompanying numbers. You may have heard a guiding explanation such as "Rate one through five, with one being 'least likely' and five being 'most likely' to recommend to a friend." Such explanations are useful in assisting a person in expressing their personal sentiments as a numeric range, and anecdotally I seem to provide more nuanced answers when I have guidance as to what each value actually means to me. However, such explanations are missing from most places where five star rating systems can make or break one's livelihood as a seller, developer, or musician. Users are normally given no guidance as to how a particular star value should correspond to their sentiment. Accordingly, this manifests in an all too common star rating smiley. Like the famed "smiley face curve" equalizer setting popularized in the 70's in which the frequencies of a song were engineered to grow from the midranges upward toward the treble and bass making a smile shape (who's midrange is the lowest), the star rating smile is a common sight on product reviews where the most common review ratings appear anecdotally to be 5 and 1, then 4 and 2, and lastly 3. The fact that the most common ratings are five stars and one star indicates that people most often do not think about their experience as a gradient between good and bad, but rather simply label their sentiment as only "good" or "bad" with little room for nuance. Having not received any guidance for expressing their sentiment numerically, this should be wholly unsurprising. But, I also feel like this binary outcome is a very natural expression that requires minimal mental energy to produce, and is therefore the most efficient expression of sentiment. I suspect that in another universe where we have a commonplace 15 star rating system but humans are the same, the most common ratings are 15 stars and 1 star respectively. Other factors influence this binary good/bad paradigm too. People know instinctively that leaving a bad review is bad for business, and often this is their vengeful response to any sense of feeling as if they have been mistreated, misled, or swindled by the seller. Often times the sheer excitement of the new product compels people to write reviews only minutes after they have received it, precluding them from providing an experienced and time-tested perspective of how the product performs. These quirks of human behavior can skew five star ratings severely. But the behaviors themselves are not bad! They are totally natural and expected. The real problem is how the five star rating system fails to capture these commonplace human sentiments accurately. We need to build a rating system that works for people rather than forcing people to fit into a poorly executed rating system. ## Part 3: Feast or Famine It is natural that when presented with a plethora of options, humans will be drawn to the options that are labeled as "the best". When "best" possible is five stars, then five stars naturally becomes the [Schelling point](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focal_point_(game_theory))for all buyers and sellers, where the vast majority of economic activity is concentrated. When all ratings are seen from a five-based perspective, fours look barely adequate. Threes look unacceptable. Twos are abject. And ones are complete disasters. You may have heard about how [Uber would suspend drivers whose ratings fell below 4.6](https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/uber-rider-ratings-deactivation-lyft-rideshare.html). The tendency of five star rating systems is to create a gradient of sentiment where 1 to 4.5 stars is "bad" and 4.5 to 5 stars is "good". One rarely discussed outcome of this dynamic is that good ratings are nearly impossible to compare to each other. As alluded to in the introduction thought experiment, the narrow range between 4.5 and 5 leaves very little room to distinguish from a good product and an excellent product; both are simply "good" or "not bad". As highly rated products are usually the products people are most interested in, it is unfortunate that a favorable rating would actually provide less signal than a bad rating as to the product's relative quality in the spectrum of good ratings. Meanwhile, bad ratings have wide berth to compare numerically. The astronomical range between 1 and 4.5 is a very spacious gradient in which to assess how bad one product is versus another, except nobody actually cares because nobody is going to buy it anyway! In the five star rating system, the better a product is, the *less* information we get to compare it to other similarly good products. This is a critical design flaw, because the better a product is and the more people review it, the *more* information we should have about it versus other similar products. It would be better if the range of "good" ratings was wider so that good ratings could be compared to each other. I'd like to emphasize that the *loss of precision* as a product becomes more desirable is a truly ludicrous mechanic of the five star rating system. This poorly conceived rating paradigm completely pervades our digital economic systems and determines the success of millions of producers. Let's be clear about the stakes. Assigning subjective value to things is completely overlooked for what it really is: a absolutely critical and monumentally influential economic activity. Because the most important economic activity is how we assign value to things with money, the second most important economic activity is how we *inform* our economic value assignments with subjective value assignments such as these. We need to fix how we rate things. It could literally change how entire economies function. ## Part 4: Quality or Quantity Valve has obviously put thought into how they handle ratings for video games sold through their extremely popular and long-lived Steam platform. Reviews are not allowed until a certain amount of hours of the game have been played. The review must assign a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, and then provide a minimum amount of text. Then, rather than simply providing an average of these binary ratings, Steam averages them over a recent period of time, creating a dynamic where if a game developer releases a new update, the reviews written more recently are sure to influence the overall rating of the game rather than old ratings that haven't taken the new update into consideration. Finally, the aggregated rating itself is displayed as "Overwhelming Negative", "Very Negative", "Mostly Negative", "Mixed", "Mostly Positive", "Very Positive", or "Overwhelmingly Positive". Ask yourself, which product would you be more likely to try? - 2.5/5 stars - "Mixed Reviews" Ironically, the Steam rating system gives users less flexibility to express their sentiment as a number, and yet provides more depth, nuance, and balance to the resulting ratings. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what it looks like when somebody gives a damn about how things work. It is a great system. Another interesting emergent behavior that accompanies many Steam reviews, as well as many reviews on other sites, are user generated pros/cons lists. These lists are helpful and offer qualitative labels that help to explain the quantitative rating assignment, although these labels are not mechanically related to the rating system itself. Steam has another mechanism to express qualitative judgements in the form of labels, although they had to be restricted because they were being abused in undesirable or nefarious ways. Now the labeling system does more to tell you about what the game is rather than what people think about it, which is fine, but I feel like it is a missed opportunity. Therefore, I'd like to propose a simple system that combines thumbs up/down and labeling to be used in the context of nostr's review system. ## Part 5: QTS I call this new review system QTS, or the "Qualitative Thumb System". [Originally I developed QTS when working at Arcade Labs.](https://github.com/ArcadeLabsInc/arcade/wiki/ArcadeSocial) [This PR for a new nostr review mechanism](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/879) allows for a lot of flexibility in how you apply ratings to things, so QTS is simply a method of applying rating values that creates a better human-oriented review system. QTS is a way of using reviews. In essence, QTS capitalizes on our very human instinct to assign a "good" or "bad" label by limiting the quantitative assessment to a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Then, QTS provides qualitative labels that describe possible positive sentiments that describe different aspects of the thing being rated. First, the user chooses thumbs-up or thumbs-down as their overall assessment. If they do nothing else, this is sufficient to capture their sentiment. However, labels should be provided which the user can check or toggle on to increase their rating further. The initial thumbs up is worth 0.5, and each label is worth (0.5 / number of labels). The minimum rating is 0 (thumbs down, no labels), and the maximum rating is 1 (thumbs up and all labels). Any rating 0.5 or above is trending toward good and below 0.5 is trending toward bad. The labels should be applicable in the context of the thing. So, for example, I might provide the following labels for place reviews in a Google Maps-style app: - Convenient - Clean - Affordable - Memorable - Inviting These labels could possibly describe any place. It's OK if a place doesn't have all of these qualities. Zero labels and at thumbs up is still a "good" rating. Each label selected is essentially a "cherry on top" and its absence may indicate that either it isn't applicable OR the place failed to earn it. Likewise, it is possible that you may give a place a thumbs-down and apply labels; this would result in a rating higher than 0 but still in the bad gradient (below 0.5). Here are the key benefits I want to highlight of QTS: - The 5 star rating system forces a user to do the work of translating their sentiment into a quantity. With QTS, the user never has to translate their feelings into a number! They only express good or bad and pick labels, and the QTS mechanism does the work of translating this into a computation-friendly value. - The 5 star rating system generally results in a "bad" range from 1 to 4.5 and a "good" range from 4.5 to 5. QTS balances this with a "bad" rating at 0, a "good" rating at 0.5, and an excellent rating is anything above 0.5 (up to 1.0). This creates the maximum possible gradient between good and bad which makes it easier to compare similar ratings. Recall this in contrast to the 5 star rating system which actually _loses precision_ as more ratings are provided. - It is also helpful that similar QTS ratings may have different labels, which will allow people to make easy qualitative assessments that do not depend on users generating their own pros/cons list. ## Part 6: Implementing QTS Here is how it works: You give the user the option to rate a thumbs up or thumbs down. Then, you also give your user the option to choose from a predefined set of positive labels. You can have any number of labels but try to keep it below 10 so as not to overwhelm your users. Keep the labels general enough that they could potentially apply to any thing being rated. For example, if you were providing labels for Amazon.com, some good labels would be: - Good Value - Good Quality - As Described - Durable - Right Size These labels are general enough that they could apply to almost any product. It is important to create labels that are general so that when comparing product ratings you are comparing the same labels. It is possible however that something like Amazon.com could define a different QTS label subset for each product category, and then the labels could be more specific to that category. For example, a product category of Candles could have "Long Burning", "Good smell", "Safe", etc. These labels are much more specific, but appropriate for the Candle product category. The main point is that products which should be compared should use the same QTS label set. Some poor examples of labels would be: - Orange (not really relevant to the product's assessment) - Easy to Lift (only relevant to certain products) - Made in USA (not really relevant to the product's assessment) - Cheap (not descriptive enough and could be interpreted as negative) A score is derived as follows: - a thumbs-down is a score of 0.00 - a thumbs-up is a score of 0.50 - a label is worth 0.50 ÷ the number of labels available. So, if there are 3 labels to pick from, each label is worth 0.1666. The labels should all have the same value. Here is an example by calvadev being used on Shopstr: https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/879#issuecomment-2502210146 You can adjust the weights however you want. The fundamental thing that QTS prescribes is that a thumbs up gives a 50% score, and labels each contribute an equal share up to another 50%. # Conclusion With nostr we have a great opportunity to improve the economic information available to the planet. A more efficient market based on higher quality information will improve civilization in ways we may not expect, but definitely deserve! If you like this post, be sure to give it a thumbs up ✌😁

@ 000002de:c05780a7

Remember when people were freaking out about ordinals and NFTs on bitcoin? Remember when fees went bananas? Yeah, that kinda went nowhere. Guess what, bitcoin isn't so easy to kill. It ended up being a good thing IMO. Pushed everyone to become more efficient. There's a lesson here. Chill out. Its gonna be OK. Bitcoin's incentives work. **What did you learn during the ordinals freak out?** originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/850107

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

In my post about [morning routines](https://stacker.news/items/844949/r/Undisciplined), I mentioned that the middle of the day can get a little messy. I prefer flexibility over regimentation, but I still need some guiding principles to act on. One of those principles is ***Hormesis***. This is the idea that manageable doses of potentially harmful stressors are good for us. It's not quite "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger", but it's something like that. # Intermittent Fasting Intermittent fasting causes the body to enter a state of ketosis. This metabolic state burns fats more efficiently and reduces food cravings, because your body is munching down on its fat reserves. So, if I'm not hungry, I don't worry about preemptively eating, since I know being hungry can be good for me. # Dry Fasting Dry fasting, foregoing water, puts the body into a state of autophagy, which translates literally into "self eating". It's not as scary as it sounds, though. What happens is you start metabolizing a bunch of intracellular junk and debris, because water is a product of metabolic reactions. Our bodies will actually produce their own water ("endogenous water") out of junk that's making us sick, including excess body fat. I haven't hydrated in over a year now and I feel great. # Cold Exposure Being mildly cold for an extended period of time causes our bodies to switch from storing white fat to storing brown fat. It's been a while since I looked into this, but brown fat is supposedly healthier and it generates more heat. The thermostat isn't low in the winter just because I'm cheap: it's good to be a little cold. # Heat Exposure I've actually never looked into this in detail, but I know people swear by the health benefits of saunas, steam rooms, hot baths, etc. I think it's related to perspiration being one of the main ways we eliminate toxins from our bodies. The thermostat isn't high in the summer just because I'm cheap: it's good to be a little hot. # Exercise The best known example of hormesis is just regular exercise. This extra stressing of our bodies is so linked to the idea of ~HealthAndFitness that I don't feel any need to elaborate on it. # Hygiene Hypothesis Why do so many more people have allergies and other autoimmune disorders than in prior generations and why is it a western phenomenon? One leading explanation is that our immune systems don't learn what they're supposed to because our modern environments are so sterile. Regular minor exposure to germs and allergens gives our immune systems the opportunity to learn what they are so that it doesn't go berserk when it sees a higher volume later (or something like that, I'm not that kind of doctor). The 5 Second Rule should be a lower bound. ------------ I'm sure there are many more examples of hormesis. Rather than look them up, though, I'd rather hear from the stackers about what beneficial stressors they rely on for their personal health. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/850029

@ 17538dc2:71ed77c4

Nassim Nicholas Taleb writes: `“We cannot explain everything. We know more about what something is not than what something is. If there would have been no word for colour blue, it would still have existed in reality. It would only have been absent in linguistics. But since we don’t have a word for it, we couldn’t define or comprehend it. But we still could say what it is not. It is not orange. It’s not an elephant, etc. This method of knowledge is truer and more rigorous than positive knowledge.”` In this article, I introduce practical examples of how to apply via negativa to various systems. Recommended reading is [Antifragile](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/176227/antifragile-by-nassim-nicholas-taleb/) by N. N. Taleb. The basic template is as follows: ## What is ____ **not**? Let's start with something every human should be familiar with - food. ### Food Take hot pockets. Is hot pockets food?  What is not food? To answer this question, let's examine the contents of hot pockets.  There seem to be chemistry lab sounding ingredients ("MEDIUM CHAIN TRIGLYCERIES", "SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE"), as well as food items that your great-great-great-great-great-great grandma cooked with ("SALT", "BEEF" etc.) So What happens when we apply via negativa to the ingredients? From 30 "ingredients" we deduce a couple foood items, or a ~90% reduction in "ingredients" by eliminating processed food slop.  meat good  bread yum ### Free Discourse Take the social media platform X.  X consists of: leased identity, censored speech, and a tech platform for discourse. On the roadmap is social media score that will be used to determine if you can pay your bills when X launches its' bank. What is free discourse not? Removing the ingredient of WEF,  KYC lease hell  and censorship  we receive nostr . [Nostr](https://fiatjaf.com/nostr.html), to my best understanding, is not a WEF globo-homo participant, does not lease identities, and it is that much more difficult to censor wrongspeak (e.g. Netanyahu and friends are commiting genocide, and wanted as war criminals; there are two genders; there is no climate crisis; Ivermectin works). ## Automobiles Modern automobiles can be summed up in two words: "safety", and constant surveillance. Yes, advancements in safety are great - e.g. airbags, seatbelts, car frames that absorb impact energy. However the "its for your safety" component of remote shutdown, remote control, location data selling to data brokers, insurance agents, and your local surveillance outfit is gulag tech. !(image)[https://image.nostr.build/15befd30113614dad3fd7aac01b8771b95bd8ace9186ed4f8016eec6e886e969.jpg] So what happens when we remove the gulag tech out of cars? That is, what is *not* a car? Let's use the following definition of car: ``` A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels ``` Let's use the following definition of gulag: ``` The Gulag is recognized as a major instrument of political repression in the Soviet Union. ``` You get the [2024 Toyota Land Cruiser](https://youtu.be/5WHzKNi2ojY). No gulag. Airbags. Push and turn knobs. No spying, no remote control, no cameras, no satellite, no bluetooth, no wi-fi. As an aside, it is practically impossible to import this car to the US. It's "for your safety", and "for the environment", of course. !(image)[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Toyota_Land_Cruiser_16.09.20_JM_%283%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/800px-Toyota_Land_Cruiser_16.09.20_JM_%283%29_%28cropped%29.jpg]?20210328155727 Toyota Landcruiser HZJ-79 Double Cab, Johannes Maximilian `https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toyota_Land_Cruiser_16.09.20_JM_(3)_(cropped).jpg).` Hopefully this guide has been helpful illustrating how simple and powerful it is to apply the Via Negativa approach. Mr. Taleb, I commend you on speaking out on the Palestine genocide. I invite you to and hope one day you join anti-fragile nostr.

@ b8851a06:9b120ba1

## **It Begins with a Click** It starts with a click: *“Do you agree to our terms and conditions?”*\ You scroll, you click, you comply. A harmless act, right? But what if every click was a surrender? What if every "yes" was another link in the chain binding you to a life where freedom requires approval? This is the age of permission. Every aspect of your life is mediated by gatekeepers. Governments demand forms, corporations demand clicks, and algorithms demand obedience. You’re free, of course, as long as you play by the rules. But who writes the rules? Who decides what’s allowed? Who owns your life? --- ## **Welcome to Digital Serfdom** We once imagined the internet as a digital frontier—a vast, open space where ideas could flow freely and innovation would know no bounds. But instead of creating a decentralized utopia, we built a new feudal system. - Your data? Owned by the lords of Big Tech. - Your money? Controlled by banks and bureaucrats who can freeze it on a whim. - Your thoughts? Filtered by algorithms that reward conformity and punish dissent. The modern internet is a land of serfs and lords, and guess who’s doing the farming? You. Every time you agree to the terms, accept the permissions, or let an algorithm decide for you, you till the fields of a system designed to control, not liberate. They don’t call it control, of course. They call it *“protection.”* They say, “We’re keeping you safe,” as they build a cage so big you can’t see the bars. --- ## **Freedom in Chains** But let’s be honest: we’re not just victims of this system—we’re participants. We’ve traded freedom for convenience, sovereignty for security. It’s easier to click “I Agree” than to read the fine print. It’s easier to let someone else hold your money than to take responsibility for it yourself. It’s easier to live a life of quiet compliance than to risk the chaos of true independence. We tell ourselves it’s no big deal. What’s one click? What’s one form? But the permissions pile up. The chains grow heavier. And one day, you wake up and realize you’re free to do exactly what the system allows—and nothing more. --- ## **The Great Unpermissioning** It doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t need their approval. You don’t need their systems. You don’t need their permission. The Great Unpermissioning is not a movement—it’s a mindset. It’s the refusal to accept a life mediated by gatekeepers. It’s the quiet rebellion of saying, *“No.”* It’s the realization that the freedom you seek won’t be granted—it must be reclaimed. - **Stop asking.** Permission is their tool. Refusal is your weapon. - **Start building.** Embrace tools that decentralize power: Bitcoin, encryption, open-source software, decentralized communication. Build systems they can’t control. - **Stand firm.** They’ll tell you it’s dangerous. They’ll call you a radical. But remember: the most dangerous thing you can do is comply. The path won’t be easy. Freedom never is. But it will be worth it. --- ## **The New Frontier** The age of permission has turned us into digital serfs, but there’s a new frontier on the horizon. It’s a world where you control your money, your data, your decisions. It’s a world of encryption, anonymity, and sovereignty. It’s a world built not on permission but on principles. This world won’t be given to you. You have to build it. You have to fight for it. And it starts with one simple act: refusing to comply. --- ## **A Final Word** They promised us safety, but what they delivered was submission. The age of permission has enslaved us to the mundane, the monitored, and the mediocre. The Great Unpermissioning isn’t about tearing down the old world—it’s about walking away from it. You don’t need to wait for their approval. You don’t need to ask for their permission. The freedom you’re looking for is already yours. Permission is their power—refusal is yours.

@ 55e343e6:880acd1b

When we consider the intrinsic value of Bitcoin, we often compare it to traditional currencies like the dollar, euro or other fiat currencies. However, the dollar isn't real in the sense that it's not physical. It's more of an abstract concept backed by government trust rather than tangible assets. Take, for example, valuing a horse in ancient China, where silver was the standard. If we knew how much silver was in a "tael" - an ancient Chinese measure of weight - we could truly grasp the economic value of horse in that era. Similarly, in ancient Rome around 44 BCE, you might ponder how much a gladiator's armor cost in denarii. What's a denarius? But if we knew how much gold was in a denarius, we'd have a clear measure of its worth. Both these examples from history illustrate that value was once tied to tangible assets like gold or silver, rather than abstract numbers. Bitcoin's value, therefore, isn't best captured by its price in dollars because dollars aren't physical, they're more like abstract entries in a ledger. Instead, Bitcoin's true "price" should be measured by the physical work, or energy, represented by its hash rate - the computational power used to mine each block. A hash isn't just a digital number; it's a measure of energy consumption, giving us a more concrete indication of Bitcoin's cost in real terms. At Bitcoin's creation with the genesis block, the hash-to-satoshi ratio was about 1 (0.8 to be precise), highlighting the minimal computational complexity required for early mining. Now, with mining difficulty at around **109.78 trillion**, and having undergone three halvings (2^3 = 8), this ratio has jumped to approximately **702 trillion hashes per satoshi**. This is calculated as: - **Current Mining Difficulty** x 0.8 (the initial hash rate) x 8 (due to three halvings) = 109.78 trillion x 0.8 x 8 = approximately 702 trillion hashes per satoshi. This calculation overlooks the additional revenue miners gain from transaction fees, which, while significant, does not drastically alter the fundamental relationship between hashes and satoshis in this simplified model. **Why Hashes Over Dollars?** - **Energy as Currency**: Just as silver in ancient China or gold in Rome was a measure of wealth due to their scarcity and the effort involved in mining them, Bitcoin's value can be seen through the energy it consumes. Mining Bitcoin means solving complex mathematical problems, requiring vast amounts of energy. This energy use is directly proportional to the number of hashes performed. - **Security and Trust**: The hash rate symbolizes the security of the Bitcoin network. The higher the number of hashes needed to mine a block, the more secure the network is against attacks, much like the security derived from the rarity and difficulty of mining gold or silver. - **Decentralization and Proof-of-Work:** Unlike the geographical and economic centralization inherent to gold or silver mining, Bitcoin's mining operates on a fundamentally decentralized model, with computational resources distributed globally. Each hash performed in the proof-of-work process reinforces the blockchain's security, ensuring the immutability and trustworthiness of transactions while mitigating the risks of single points of failure or centralized control. - **Inflation and Scarcity**: Just as gold or silver's value was influenced by their scarcity during ancient times, Bitcoin's value in hashes reflects its programmed scarcity in the modern digital era. With a cap at 21 million bitcoins, each hash becomes more significant as the network grows, mirroring how each ounce of gold or silver was once precious in ancient economies. A hash represents a tangible physical process, consuming energy to be generated. Therefore, it's more insightful to express Bitcoin's value in terms of hashes per bitcoin—comparing the computational effort and energy expended in mining to the Bitcoin rewards earned through that process. While Bitcoin is frequently evaluated in terms of its dollar price, its intrinsic value is more accurately reflected in the metric of hashes per bitcoin. This measure encapsulates the computational effort and energy expenditure required for mining, underscoring Bitcoin's unique nature as a digital asset intrinsically tied to tangible, real, and energy-based costs. By anchoring its valuation to the immutable principles of thermodynamic expenditure, Bitcoin transcends the transient and inflationary characteristics of fiat currency, aligning its worth with the enduring physicality of energy—whether from the labor-intensive extraction of ancient minerals or the vast computational networks powering modern cryptographic systems.

@ 6bae33c8:607272e8

I viewed the Rams as a sleeper heading into the playoffs with a young, aggressive front, a top coach and a Hall of Fame level quarterback, so I was pleased to see them roll last night. The other issue I had was I traded away Sam Darnold in my QB-flex (we’re adding the position for 2025) RotoWire Dynasty League for Aaron Rodgers (because Darnold and Patrick Mahomes had the same bye), and I was aghast to see Darnold go crazy in the second half of the year. That and my long-standing (and thus-far validated) view that then Giants GM (widely hated by midwit stat dorks) Dave “The Gettlechad” Gettleman made the right pick with Saquon Barkley at 1.2 over Darnold. (Obviously Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson would have been much better picks, but most of those turbo-nerds thought they were projects and would have surely gone with Darnold (or maybe even Josh Rosen.) So to see Darnold have such a great year, though so did Saquon, albeit at a lesser position, was disconcerting. If the Vikings win in Detroit last week and make a Super Bowl, let alone win it, so much of my Darnold mockery is undone. (Realize Darnold is seven-years into his career on a fourth team, but still.) But the Darnold of the Jets I know and love reared his head the last two weeks, and especially in this game. Even the announcers were killing him for holding the ball so long it was like the spirit of Danny Dimes was playing through him. So this result was gratifying both for the Dynasty League — Darnold is no longer a locked-in starter next year wherever he winds up, and even if he gets the shot, the leash will be much shorter, and the environment will be much worse — and also the Barkley-Darnold comparison. I would love to see the Eagles win the Super Bowl on Barkley’s back, as he runs for 200 yards and gets the game MVP. (I actually think the Eagles might lose this week to the Rams, but whatever.) It might sound petty to be cheering on Darnold’s demise for a $50 entry fee league and an old argument only I still care about, but NFL football is a zero-sum game. If Darnold can’t hack it someone else gets a shot. If he can hack it, someone else is blocked. It’s not better or worse for it to be Darnold or someone else. And Darnold played well enough this year, he’ll almost certainly get another shot even if he isn’t viewed as the Vikings franchise going forward. It also makes you wonder how much of Kirk Cousins was the favorable environment too. - Stafford is as good a pocket passer as anyone in the league. He knows when to get rid of it, he checks it down when he needs to and he has good awareness in the pocket. It would be awfully rough if the Rams make it to Detroit for the conference title game, and Stafford takes down the best team they’ve ever had. - The Rams really took Justin Jefferson out of the game. It was a smart gameplan against the Vikings, but getting so much pressure also helped, even if they got a big assist from Darnold. - The Vikings ran the ball too much in the second half. I get it with the pass rush getting after Darnold, but every time they handed it to Aaron Jones it was time off the clock they couldn’t afford. - The Rams kept mixing in pass plays even with a big lead. I like this — they didn’t go into a shell, and getting first downs runs clock better than three-and-outs. - Remember the Rams also beat the Bills this year. Playing in Philly will be tough conditions, and the Eagles defense is good, but this is a very live dog.

@ b8851a06:9b120ba1

Starting in January 2025, the EU’s MiCA regulation enforced strict KYC requirements, especially for Bitcoin transactions over €1,000 between exchanges and self-hosted wallets. While this creates new challenges, there are still legitimate ways to protect your privacy and maintain control over your Bitcoin. ## Effective Privacy Solutions 1. Take Control with Self-Custody • Run Your Own Node: This ensures you’re not relying on third-party servers, giving you full control of your transactions. • Use Fresh Addresses: Always generate a new address for each transaction to keep your activity private and harder to trace. • Choose the Right Wallets: Use wallets like #Sparrow or #Wasabi, which let you connect directly to your own node for added privacy (check if there are any legal cases against any wallet before you use one.). 2. Leverage the Lightning Network • Keep Transactions Off-Chain: Lightning lets you make payments without broadcasting them to the blockchain. • #Onion Routing for Privacy: This hides your payment path, protecting both you and the recipient. • Hard-to-Trace Payments: With multiple hops between nodes, tracking transactions becomes nearly impossible. 3. Smarter Transaction Habits • Keep Channels Open: By leaving your #Lightning payment channels open, you minimize on-chain activity. • Use Public Channels Wisely: Multiple public channels provide plausible deniability. • Go Private with Unannounced Channels: For maximum privacy, consider private payment channels. ## How to Implement These Tools 1. Setting Up the Lightning Network • Privacy-First Funding: When funding your channels, use methods like #CoinJoin to enhance privacy. • Better Receiver Privacy: Use tools like #Voltage Flow 2.0 for added anonymity when receiving payments. • Stay on Top of Channel Management: Properly manage your payment channels to avoid privacy leaks. 2. Strengthen Your Operational Security • Avoid Reusing Addresses: Reusing the same wallet address makes it easier to trace your transactions. • Separate Public and Private Transactions: Keep identified funds and private wallets completely separate. • Use Tor or VPNs: Always use privacy tools like Tor or a #VPN when accessing Bitcoin wallets or services. ## Staying Safe 1. Legal Awareness • Mind the Limits: Be cautious with transactions over €1,000, as they’ll trigger reporting requirements. • Peer-to-Peer Freedom: Transactions between unhosted wallets remain outside #MiCA ’s reach, so direct transfers are still an option. • Check Local Rules: Privacy tool regulations vary between countries, so make sure you’re up to speed on what’s allowed where you live. 2. Practical Safeguards • Double-Check Everything: Always verify wallet addresses before sending funds to avoid costly mistakes. • Stay Updated: Keep your wallets, nodes, and security tools current with the latest updates. • Keep Offline Backups: Store your recovery phrases and backups somewhere secure and offline. #Bitcoin #privacy isn’t automatic—it takes effort and vigilance. But by following these steps, you can stay in control of your financial freedom even in an increasingly regulated world. Stay informed, make smart decisions, and build habits that protect your privacy. Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes only and is not financial, legal, or investment advice. The tools and techniques shared here are not meant to help anyone break the law or avoid regulations. You’re responsible on complying with local laws and consult legal professionals if you’re unsure about anything. The goal is to inform and empower you to take control of your privacy responsibly. Stay safe and stay free.

@ 141daddd:1df80a3f

I started my move back to Russia in 2019, when my son was born. I understood that I didn’t want to live in Canada because of what was happening there. And while some of my acquaintances stayed to fight the fight or moved out temporarily to acquire knowledge, capital, and strength to eventually come back and make Canada great again, I didn’t particularly feel doing it because I wasn’t born in the country and didn’t grow too attached to it. I don’t generally grow attached to things anyway. Russia was an obvious choice because I was born there, I have some family and friends there, and I assumed it wouldn’t take me long to adjust quickly. My Latin American wife, my son, and I were warmly met by my mother in the old small city where I grew up (2 hours away from Moscow) and accommodated in a house that was actually mine on paper. So we had a place to live right away, which was good. Our own water well, a gas tank to power the stove. We only had to pay for electricity, the internet, and snow cleaning in winter. I bought a car to move us around, and our Russian life started. I won’t spend time here describing the material side of life in Russia as I did that in my previous article. Straight to business. And business was what I wanted to do, and preferably something not connected to bitcoin brokerage — for that, I’d have to live in Moscow. So I started looking for opportunities and experimenting. As usual, I hated overthinking and preferred to act. ## Virgin Lands As I was fully consumed by the idea of building a “citadel” at the time, the first thing I did was purchase land. It was initially 9 hectares and has now grown into ~30 hectares (~74 acres). It was basically virgin lands far enough for anybody to bother me but close enough to a federal highway to be able to get anywhere quickly. Right away, I decided that we would build our paradise and live there. There was no master plan, of course. Just whatever I felt like. During the process, my opinions, plans, designs, and wants changed. The first couple of objects were a small farm compound where we would have pigs, chickens, ducks, sheep, bulls, and a cow. I wasn’t going to farm myself, so we hired a couple from Tajikistan to be our farmers and gardeners. But they had to live somewhere on the premises, so the next project was a little house for them. It only took a month because my construction crew was good at building wood-frame buildings. Finally, we started working on our own home. It turned out to be a fairly big stone house, though a little disharmoniously looking due to the lack of a proper project (again) and constant changes during construction. As soon as our house was ready, we moved to the village. It was exciting, and we liked the challenges that we were facing. There was a lot of room: both inside the house and outside. Living in a large house surrounded by vast land that is all yours is quite a feeling. You won’t get it in a city. But we were rarely alone: the farmers and the construction crew were with us almost daily. Farm animals made some noises, too.  ## The Farm Having our own farm was a great experience. Our own meat, eggs, milk, and everything that came with it — we tried it all. As I said, I’m no David Beckham, so I had people helping with those things as I wanted to do something else with my time instead of feeding, cleaning shit, milking, slaughtering, etc. The division of labor, you know. But even when labor was divided and people were paid and well taken care of, things were often done badly or not done at all. Workers changed or were replaced, but the quality of work wasn’t good: as soon as we stopped supervising or micromanaging, things would go awry. I must add that no Russian would take this job, so only immigrants from Central Asia were available. As time went by, I got pissed off more and more and really started valuing the work of professional farmers: it’s very difficult, and they deserve praise. In my mind, the division of labor had to go to the next level: actual farmers would produce food, and I would buy it from them. Dead simple, a lot cheaper, and way less headache. The result is that we have only chickens left at this point as they are the easiest to take care of (even children can do it), and it’s nice to collect 15-20 fresh eggs daily. No more farming!  ## Plants as a Business One of the construction guys, whose name is also Yuri, mentioned that his wife and he had experience growing and selling seedlings. They knew this trade almost from childhood but had to land to start with. I had land, but not much was going on there besides the aforementioned activities. That was a match! Fast forward to today, I have a plant nursery on my land managed by these two people. Yuri mostly stays on the premises and manages day-to-day operations while his wife does sales in the city. We started small-ish and have already worked for two seasons. The second season saw a 100% increase in sales, which tells me that the prospects for this business are good. Indeed, if you think about it, plant seedlings are always in demand: private gardeners, landscapers, and even the government needs them for its reforestation efforts. At this point, we do a little bit of everything, but I already want to niche down. Decorative plants seem like a good way to go because they can mostly be multiplied by cutting; no grafting is required (few people know how to do grafting properly) — fur-trees, pines, junipers, thujas, cedars, and some non-evergreen deco trees and bushes. The first several seasons we will mostly sustain ourselves by reselling, but my plan is to become a producer. That’s why we have already started working on our own planting material. In the future, we will need large professional gas-powered greenhouses, work stations, machinery, haul-truck driveways, etc. I never thought I’d be involved in a plant business, but here I am. It may take a few years before it becomes really profitable (for now, all receivables must go back into business), but I’m ready to wait and see it grow year by year. Low time preference.  ## Building Buildings As I was having my house built, I really got into the process. Seeing an empty plot of land and pile of bricks (in my case, concrete blocks) turn into a building that I can touch and later live in was a really good feeling. I had a crew and a bit of capital to play with, so why not try here, too? Well, there are reasons why not. As I mentioned, labor shortages are a problem. Good specialists are rare. While my core team was competent enough (they had built a lot in the past and had been recommended to me), we still had to hire additional help for routine tasks. And those were no good. Russia is now in turbulent times, so construction material prices were also growing like crazy. You can start with one rate and, by the end of the project, you understand that you aren’t likely to see the same prices again. As the central bank key rate continued rising, you could hardly rely on mortgage buyers to sell the project, so you had to wait for cash buyers, which made the sale process longer than I was ready to wait. Altogether, we built two houses: one stone and one wood-frame. I sold the first one and moved my mom to the second one. My mom is happy. I’m more experienced. No more construction!  ## Kinder Surprise! When the war started in February 2022, we got stuck in Mexico because all the flights were canceled. We had to spend an extra month vacationing. At the time, we were already thinking of what to do with the two children we had in terms of their pastime. We would only consider a good private kindergarten, but there were none in our city. So, either out of boredom or wanting to be first at something where we lived, we decided to open a private kindergarten. Our nanny, who had professional education and had worked in municipal kindergartens before, was excited about the idea. She ran the thing. We didn’t want to do everything from scratch, so I looked for a franchise. The search wasn’t long; I found one quickly. We signed the contract, and the process started. The commercial real estate market wasn’t that good in our city, so we leased a space that would later prove to be unfitting with an even less fitting owner. But we did our best to prepare it for the launch, and the franchise representative helped a lot. We operated for 1.5 years. Our children actually loved it, and so did the clients and their kids. Multiple reviewers called it the best kindergarten in the city, and it was objectively so. So what went wrong? Firstly, it was simply unprofitable. Our city is not that big, and not many people were willing or able to pay the fee. Our clients were mostly businessmen and people from Moscow who worked remotely (and earned Moscow salaries). In Moscow, such private nurseries are profitable because of virtually unlimited traffic. In our case, we had to fight for each client. Secondly, the business itself that the franchise sold us was in the grey area. In Russia, kindergartens have to get an educational license, and that involves a lot of bureaucracy (the one thing I hate the most). But the franchise had told us we didn’t need one; we just needed to carefully word our offer. It may have worked in some of their locations, but it wasn’t destined to work in ours. One day, the regional prosecutor’s office employees, along with members of other agencies, showed up with an unexpected inspection and did what such people do best. As a result of the inspection, we got some minor fine as well as a ruling that our business was illegal because it was unlicensed. For me personally, this was the last drop in the bucket, so I made the decision to shut down as fast and easily as I had previously decided to open. No more kindergarten!  ## Glamorous Camping The plant nursery, a successful venture so far, is located at the entrance of my plot and will likely spread all around as we develop it. But at the end, there’s a nice parcel adjacent to a forest. It’s somewhat remote and peaceful. When the war started, Russians found it hard to travel abroad, so they began exploring Russia itself, boosting internal tourism. I wanted to take advantage of it and dedicated the quiet parcel to a small glamping site. Glamping stands for “glamorous camping”: comfortable guest houses with all the amenities you’d find in a city apartment but located in nature. My master plan includes 5 guest houses of different sizes, a banya (Russian sauna), a BBQ area, a pond, a sports playground, and whatever else we can think of down the road. All of it surrounded and mixed with beautiful decorative plants that we grow ourselves. Well, that’s the plan. Right now, we have 3 guest houses, a banya, and a pond. And it works! Totally seasonal, of course, but when the season hits, there’s plenty of work. Looking forward to seeing how the place will turn out in 3-5 years. Yes to glamping!  ## Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop As you see, only 2 projects have proven to be the right choice. But I had to try. That’s how I roll: in my lone-wolf life, experience is my greatest teacher. No mentors or even idols to look up to, just my own desire to learn through radical action. What I wanted was to do something unrelated to bitcoin. I did. Now, I think I may need to go back to the industry I loved and still love. We are now in a warmer place since my Latin American wife can’t get used to the Russian winter. And who knows, we may stay here a bit longer than we thought. The Russian business is well taken care of; it can be managed remotely. As for me, I will take it easy for now, rest from chasing butterflies, and probably tend to my inner garden so that butterflies come to me on their own eventually. I can’t stop doing things, but I want to learn to do them differently this time. Onward!

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

**Table Of Content** - The Timeless Appeal of Real Estate - Bitcoin: The Digital Gold - The Broader Investment Landscape: A Case Study of Instacart - Conclusion - FAQs In the dynamic realm of investments, the spotlight often shifts between various assets, each promising lucrative returns and stability. Recently, two contenders, real estate and Bitcoin, have been at the forefront of discussions. Both have their proponents and critics, making the choice between them a complex one. Drawing from the insights of Marcel Pechman on Episode 29 of Macro Markets, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of these two investment avenues. **The Timeless Appeal of Real Estate** Real estate, often referred to as 'brick and mortar', has been a cornerstone of wealth accumulation for centuries. Its tangible nature and the intrinsic value of land have made it a favorite among investors. **Stability Amidst Challenges** Despite facing headwinds like rising mortgage rates, which have led to stagnant demand, the real estate market remains resilient. The current average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage interest rate is 7.27%, causing a decline in both refinancing and home purchase applications. Yet, Pechman believes that the specter of inflation could push house prices upwards, offering potential gains for property owners. **Historical Reliability** Throughout history, especially during economic downturns, real estate, particularly urban residential properties, has proven to be a reliable store of value. Even when markets fluctuate, the intrinsic value of land and property often remains intact, providing a safety net for investors. **Bitcoin: The Digital Gold** Bitcoin, often dubbed as 'digital gold', has emerged as a revolutionary asset in the financial world. Its decentralized nature and potential for high returns have attracted a new generation of investors. **A New Kind of Reserve** Pechman highlights Bitcoin's potential to serve as a transparent reserve system. Unlike traditional currencies, Bitcoin can be used by banks and nations to issue digital assets backed by Bitcoin, without the need for a vast user base. This positions Bitcoin uniquely in the crypto space, differentiating it from other cryptocurrencies that rely heavily on user growth and transaction fees. **Transparency and Security** One of Bitcoin's standout features is its transparent ledger system, the blockchain. This ensures that all transactions are recorded and can be audited, offering a level of security and transparency that's hard to match. Compared to precious metals, which can pose auditing challenges, Bitcoin provides a clear and transparent store of value. **The Broader Investment Landscape: A Case Study of Instacart** To understand the broader shifts in the investment world, Pechman's analysis of Instacart's valuation is enlightening. The company's initial public offering was valued at around $10 billion, a significant drop from its peak valuation of $39 billion. This highlights the volatility and challenges in the venture capital space, suggesting a potential shift in investor priorities. **Seeking Reliability** The Instacart case underscores the importance of reliability in investments. In an uncertain economic climate, investors are increasingly looking for assets that offer stability and long-term growth, be it in traditional avenues like real estate or emerging ones like Bitcoin. **Conclusion** The tug-of-war between real estate and Bitcoin is bound to continue as both assets have their unique strengths. While real estate offers tangible value and historical reliability, Bitcoin promises transparency, security, and a new paradigm of financial operations. As the global economic landscape evolves, astute investors will likely find value in diversifying and including both these assets in their portfolios. **FAQs** **What makes Bitcoin a notable investment?** Bitcoin offers transparency, security, and the potential to serve as a transparent reserve system for banks and nations, positioning it uniquely in the crypto space. **What insights does the Instacart valuation provide?** Instacart's valuation highlights the challenges in the venture capital space and suggests a potential shift in investor priorities towards more reliable assets. **Is diversification between real estate and Bitcoin recommended?** While both assets have unique strengths, diversifying and including both in investment portfolios can offer a balanced approach in the evolving economic landscape. **Why is Bitcoin dubbed as 'digital gold'?** Due to its decentralized nature, potential for high returns, and its role as a store of value similar to gold, Bitcoin is often referred to as 'digital gold'. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [@croxroadnews](https://x.com/croxroadnewsco)** **Instagram: [@croxroadnews.co](https://www.instagram.com/croxroadnews.co/)** **Youtube: [@croxroadnews](https://www.youtube.com/@croxroadnews)** **Store: https://croxroad.store** **Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter** **https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe** *DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.*

@ 6389be64:ef439d32

Bitcoin is more than money, more than an asset, and more than a store of value. Bitcoin is a Prime Mover, an enabler and it ignites imaginations. It certainly fueled an idea in my mind. The idea integrates sensors, computational prowess, actuated machinery, power conversion, and electronic communications to form an autonomous, machined creature roaming forests and harvesting the most widespread and least energy-dense fuel source available. I call it the Forest Walker and it eats wood, and mines Bitcoin. I know what you're thinking. Why not just put Bitcoin mining rigs where they belong: in a hosted facility sporting electricity from energy-dense fuels like natural gas, climate-controlled with excellent data piping in and out? Why go to all the trouble building a robot that digests wood creating flammable gasses fueling an engine to run a generator powering Bitcoin miners? It's all about synergy. Bitcoin mining enables the realization of multiple, seemingly unrelated, yet useful activities. Activities considered un-profitable if not for Bitcoin as the Prime Mover. This is much more than simply mining the greatest asset ever conceived by humankind. It’s about the power of synergy, which Bitcoin plays only one of many roles. The synergy created by this system can stabilize forests' fire ecology while generating multiple income streams. That’s the realistic goal here and requires a brief history of American Forest management before continuing. # Smokey The Bear In 1944, the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention Campaign began in the United States. “Only YOU can prevent forest fires” remains the refrain of the Ad Council’s longest running campaign. The Ad Council is a U.S. non-profit set up by the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers in 1942. It would seem that the U.S. Department of the Interior was concerned about pesky forest fires and wanted them to stop. So, alongside a national policy of extreme fire suppression they enlisted the entire U.S. population to get onboard via the Ad Council and it worked. Forest fires were almost obliterated and everyone was happy, right? Wrong. Smokey is a fantastically successful bear so forest fires became so few for so long that the fuel load - dead wood - in forests has become very heavy. So heavy that when a fire happens (and they always happen) it destroys everything in its path because the more fuel there is the hotter that fire becomes. Trees, bushes, shrubs, and all other plant life cannot escape destruction (not to mention homes and businesses). The soil microbiology doesn’t escape either as it is burned away even in deeper soils. To add insult to injury, hydrophobic waxy residues condense on the soil surface, forcing water to travel over the ground rather than through it eroding forest soils. Good job, Smokey. Well done, Sir! Most terrestrial ecologies are “fire ecologies”. Fire is a part of these systems’ fuel load and pest management. Before we pretended to “manage” millions of acres of forest, fires raged over the world, rarely damaging forests. The fuel load was always too light to generate fires hot enough to moonscape mountainsides. Fires simply burned off the minor amounts of fuel accumulated since the fire before. The lighter heat, smoke, and other combustion gasses suppressed pests, keeping them in check and the smoke condensed into a plant growth accelerant called wood vinegar, not a waxy cap on the soil. These fires also cleared out weak undergrowth, cycled minerals, and thinned the forest canopy, allowing sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor. Without a fire’s heat, many pine tree species can’t sow their seed. The heat is required to open the cones (the seed bearing structure) of Spruce, Cypress, Sequoia, Jack Pine, Lodgepole Pine and many more. Without fire forests can’t have babies. The idea was to protect the forests, and it isn't working. So, in a world of fire, what does an ally look like and what does it do? # Meet The Forest Walker  For the Forest Walker to work as a mobile, autonomous unit, a solid platform that can carry several hundred pounds is required. It so happens this chassis already exists but shelved. Introducing the Legged Squad Support System (LS3). A joint project between Boston Dynamics, DARPA, and the United States Marine Corps, the quadrupedal robot is the size of a cow, can carry 400 pounds (180 kg) of equipment, negotiate challenging terrain, and operate for 24 hours before needing to refuel. Yes, it had an engine. Abandoned in 2015, the thing was too noisy for military deployment and maintenance "under fire" is never a high-quality idea. However, we can rebuild it to act as a platform for the Forest Walker; albeit with serious alterations. It would need to be bigger, probably. Carry more weight? Definitely. Maybe replace structural metal with carbon fiber and redesign much as 3D printable parts for more effective maintenance. The original system has a top operational speed of 8 miles per hour. For our purposes, it only needs to move about as fast as a grazing ruminant. Without the hammering vibrations of galloping into battle, shocks of exploding mortars, and drunken soldiers playing "Wrangler of Steel Machines", time between failures should be much longer and the overall energy consumption much lower. The LS3 is a solid platform to build upon. Now it just needs to be pulled out of the mothballs, and completely refitted with outboard equipment. # The Small Branch Chipper  When I say “Forest fuel load” I mean the dead, carbon containing litter on the forest floor. Duff (leaves), fine-woody debris (small branches), and coarse woody debris (logs) are the fuel that feeds forest fires. Walk through any forest in the United States today and you will see quite a lot of these materials. Too much, as I have described. Some of these fuel loads can be 8 tons per acre in pine and hardwood forests and up to 16 tons per acre at active logging sites. That’s some big wood and the more that collects, the more combustible danger to the forest it represents. It also provides a technically unlimited fuel supply for the Forest Walker system. The problem is that this detritus has to be chewed into pieces that are easily ingestible by the system for the gasification process (we’ll get to that step in a minute). What we need is a wood chipper attached to the chassis (the LS3); its “mouth”. A small wood chipper handling material up to 2.5 - 3.0 inches (6.3 - 7.6 cm) in diameter would eliminate a substantial amount of fuel. There is no reason for Forest Walker to remove fallen trees. It wouldn’t have to in order to make a real difference. It need only identify appropriately sized branches and grab them. Once loaded into the chipper’s intake hopper for further processing, the beast can immediately look for more “food”. This is essentially kindling that would help ignite larger logs. If it’s all consumed by Forest Walker, then it’s not present to promote an aggravated conflagration. I have glossed over an obvious question: How does Forest Walker see and identify branches and such? LiDaR (Light Detection and Ranging) attached to Forest Walker images the local area and feed those data to onboard computers for processing. Maybe AI plays a role. Maybe simple machine learning can do the trick. One thing is for certain: being able to identify a stick and cause robotic appendages to pick it up is not impossible. Great! We now have a quadrupedal robot autonomously identifying and “eating” dead branches and other light, combustible materials. Whilst strolling through the forest, depleting future fires of combustibles, Forest Walker has already performed a major function of this system: making the forest safer. It's time to convert this low-density fuel into a high-density fuel Forest Walker can leverage. Enter the gasification process. # The Gassifier  The gasifier is the heart of the entire system; it’s where low-density fuel becomes the high-density fuel that powers the entire system. Biochar and wood vinegar are process wastes and I’ll discuss why both are powerful soil amendments in a moment, but first, what’s gasification? Reacting shredded carbonaceous material at high temperatures in a low or no oxygen environment converts the biomass into biochar, wood vinegar, heat, and Synthesis Gas (Syngas). Syngas consists primarily of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane. All of which are extremely useful fuels in a gaseous state. Part of this gas is used to heat the input biomass and keep the reaction temperature constant while the internal combustion engine that drives the generator to produce electrical power consumes the rest. Critically, this gasification process is “continuous feed”. Forest Walker must intake biomass from the chipper, process it to fuel, and dump the waste (CO2, heat, biochar, and wood vinegar) continuously. It cannot stop. Everything about this system depends upon this continual grazing, digestion, and excretion of wastes just as a ruminal does. And, like a ruminant, all waste products enhance the local environment. When I first heard of gasification, I didn’t believe that it was real. Running an electric generator from burning wood seemed more akin to “conspiracy fantasy” than science. Not only is gasification real, it’s ancient technology. A man named Dean Clayton first started experiments on gasification in 1699 and in 1901 gasification was used to power a vehicle. By the end of World War II, there were 500,000 Syngas powered vehicles in Germany alone because of fossil fuel rationing during the war. The global gasification market was $480 billion in 2022 and projected to be as much as $700 billion by 2030 (Vantage Market Research). Gasification technology is the best choice to power the Forest Walker because it’s self-contained and we want its waste products. # Biochar: The Waste  Biochar (AKA agricultural charcoal) is fairly simple: it’s almost pure, solid carbon that resembles charcoal. Its porous nature packs large surface areas into small, 3 dimensional nuggets. Devoid of most other chemistry, like hydrocarbons (methane) and ash (minerals), biochar is extremely lightweight. Do not confuse it with the charcoal you buy for your grill. Biochar doesn’t make good grilling charcoal because it would burn too rapidly as it does not contain the multitude of flammable components that charcoal does. Biochar has several other good use cases. Water filtration, water retention, nutrient retention, providing habitat for microscopic soil organisms, and carbon sequestration are the main ones that we are concerned with here. Carbon has an amazing ability to adsorb (substances stick to and accumulate on the surface of an object) manifold chemistries. Water, nutrients, and pollutants tightly bind to carbon in this format. So, biochar makes a respectable filter and acts as a “battery” of water and nutrients in soils. Biochar adsorbs and holds on to seven times its weight in water. Soil containing biochar is more drought resilient than soil without it. Adsorbed nutrients, tightly sequestered alongside water, get released only as plants need them. Plants must excrete protons (H+) from their roots to disgorge water or positively charged nutrients from the biochar's surface; it's an active process. Biochar’s surface area (where adsorption happens) can be 500 square meters per gram or more. That is 10% larger than an official NBA basketball court for every gram of biochar. Biochar’s abundant surface area builds protective habitats for soil microbes like fungi and bacteria and many are critical for the health and productivity of the soil itself. The “carbon sequestration” component of biochar comes into play where “carbon credits” are concerned. There is a financial market for carbon. Not leveraging that market for revenue is foolish. I am climate agnostic. All I care about is that once solid carbon is inside the soil, it will stay there for thousands of years, imparting drought resiliency, fertility collection, nutrient buffering, and release for that time span. I simply want as much solid carbon in the soil because of the undeniably positive effects it has, regardless of any climactic considerations. # Wood Vinegar: More Waste  Another by-product of the gasification process is wood vinegar (Pyroligneous acid). If you have ever seen Liquid Smoke in the grocery store, then you have seen wood vinegar. Principally composed of acetic acid, acetone, and methanol wood vinegar also contains ~200 other organic compounds. It would seem intuitive that condensed, liquefied wood smoke would at least be bad for the health of all living things if not downright carcinogenic. The counter intuition wins the day, however. Wood vinegar has been used by humans for a very long time to promote digestion, bowel, and liver health; combat diarrhea and vomiting; calm peptic ulcers and regulate cholesterol levels; and a host of other benefits. For centuries humans have annually burned off hundreds of thousands of square miles of pasture, grassland, forest, and every other conceivable terrestrial ecosystem. Why is this done? After every burn, one thing becomes obvious: the almost supernatural growth these ecosystems exhibit after the burn. How? Wood vinegar is a component of this growth. Even in open burns, smoke condenses and infiltrates the soil. That is when wood vinegar shows its quality. This stuff beefs up not only general plant growth but seed germination as well and possesses many other qualities that are beneficial to plants. It’s a pesticide, fungicide, promotes beneficial soil microorganisms, enhances nutrient uptake, and imparts disease resistance. I am barely touching a long list of attributes here, but you want wood vinegar in your soil (alongside biochar because it adsorbs wood vinegar as well). # The Internal Combustion Engine  Conversion of grazed forage to chemical, then mechanical, and then electrical energy completes the cycle. The ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) converts the gaseous fuel output from the gasifier to mechanical energy, heat, water vapor, and CO2. It’s the mechanical energy of a rotating drive shaft that we want. That rotation drives the electric generator, which is the heartbeat we need to bring this monster to life. Luckily for us, combined internal combustion engine and generator packages are ubiquitous, delivering a defined energy output given a constant fuel input. It’s the simplest part of the system. The obvious question here is whether the amount of syngas provided by the gasification process will provide enough energy to generate enough electrons to run the entire system or not. While I have no doubt the energy produced will run Forest Walker's main systems the question is really about the electrons left over. Will it be enough to run the Bitcoin mining aspect of the system? Everything is a budget. # CO2 Production For Growth  Plants are lollipops. No matter if it’s a tree or a bush or a shrubbery, the entire thing is mostly sugar in various formats but mostly long chain carbohydrates like lignin and cellulose. Plants need three things to make sugar: CO2, H2O and light. In a forest, where tree densities can be quite high, CO2 availability becomes a limiting growth factor. It’d be in the forest interests to have more available CO2 providing for various sugar formation providing the organism with food and structure. An odd thing about tree leaves, the openings that allow gasses like the ever searched for CO2 are on the bottom of the leaf (these are called stomata). Not many stomata are topside. This suggests that trees and bushes have evolved to find gasses like CO2 from below, not above and this further suggests CO2 might be in higher concentrations nearer the soil. The soil life (bacterial, fungi etc.) is constantly producing enormous amounts of CO2 and it would stay in the soil forever (eventually killing the very soil life that produces it) if not for tidal forces. Water is everywhere and whether in pools, lakes, oceans or distributed in “moist” soils water moves towards to the moon. The water in the soil and also in the water tables below the soil rise toward the surface every day. When the water rises, it expels the accumulated gasses in the soil into the atmosphere and it’s mostly CO2. It’s a good bet on how leaves developed high populations of stomata on the underside of leaves. As the water relaxes (the tide goes out) it sucks oxygenated air back into the soil to continue the functions of soil life respiration. The soil “breathes” albeit slowly. The gasses produced by the Forest Walker’s internal combustion engine consist primarily of CO2 and H2O. Combusting sugars produce the same gasses that are needed to construct the sugars because the universe is funny like that. The Forest Walker is constantly laying down these critical construction elements right where the trees need them: close to the ground to be gobbled up by the trees. # The Branch Drones  During the last ice age, giant mammals populated North America - forests and otherwise. Mastodons, woolly mammoths, rhinos, short-faced bears, steppe bison, caribou, musk ox, giant beavers, camels, gigantic ground-dwelling sloths, glyptodons, and dire wolves were everywhere. Many were ten to fifteen feet tall. As they crashed through forests, they would effectively cleave off dead side-branches of trees, halting the spread of a ground-based fire migrating into the tree crown ("laddering") which is a death knell for a forest. These animals are all extinct now and forests no longer have any manner of pruning services. But, if we build drones fitted with cutting implements like saws and loppers, optical cameras and AI trained to discern dead branches from living ones, these drones could effectively take over pruning services by identifying, cutting, and dropping to the forest floor, dead branches. The dropped branches simply get collected by the Forest Walker as part of its continual mission. The drones dock on the back of the Forest Walker to recharge their batteries when low. The whole scene would look like a grazing cow with some flies bothering it. This activity breaks the link between a relatively cool ground based fire and the tree crowns and is a vital element in forest fire control. # The Bitcoin Miner  Mining is one of four monetary incentive models, making this system a possibility for development. The other three are US Dept. of the Interior, township, county, and electrical utility company easement contracts for fuel load management, global carbon credits trading, and data set sales. All the above depends on obvious questions getting answered. I will list some obvious ones, but this is not an engineering document and is not the place for spreadsheets. How much Bitcoin one Forest Walker can mine depends on everything else. What amount of biomass can we process? Will that biomass flow enough Syngas to keep the lights on? Can the chassis support enough mining ASICs and supporting infrastructure? What does that weigh and will it affect field performance? How much power can the AC generator produce? Other questions that are more philosophical persist. Even if a single Forest Walker can only mine scant amounts of BTC per day, that pales to how much fuel material it can process into biochar. We are talking about millions upon millions of forested acres in need of fuel load management. What can a single Forest Walker do? I am not thinking in singular terms. The Forest Walker must operate as a fleet. What could 50 do? 500? What is it worth providing a service to the world by managing forest fuel loads? Providing proof of work to the global monetary system? Seeding soil with drought and nutrient resilience by the excretion, over time, of carbon by the ton? What did the last forest fire cost? # The Mesh Network  What could be better than one bitcoin mining, carbon sequestering, forest fire squelching, soil amending behemoth? Thousands of them, but then they would need to be able to talk to each other to coordinate position, data handling, etc. Fitted with a mesh networking device, like goTenna or Meshtastic LoRa equipment enables each Forest Walker to communicate with each other. Now we have an interconnected fleet of Forest Walkers relaying data to each other and more importantly, aggregating all of that to the last link in the chain for uplink. Well, at least Bitcoin mining data. Since block data is lightweight, transmission of these data via mesh networking in fairly close quartered environs is more than doable. So, how does data transmit to the Bitcoin Network? How do the Forest Walkers get the previous block data necessary to execute on mining? # Back To The Chain  Getting Bitcoin block data to and from the network is the last puzzle piece. The standing presumption here is that wherever a Forest Walker fleet is operating, it is NOT within cell tower range. We further presume that the nearest Walmart Wi-Fi is hours away. Enter the Blockstream Satellite or something like it. A separate, ground-based drone will have two jobs: To stay as close to the nearest Forest Walker as it can and to provide an antennae for either terrestrial or orbital data uplink. Bitcoin-centric data is transmitted to the "uplink drone" via the mesh networked transmitters and then sent on to the uplink and the whole flow goes in the opposite direction as well; many to one and one to many. We cannot transmit data to the Blockstream satellite, and it will be up to Blockstream and companies like it to provide uplink capabilities in the future and I don't doubt they will. Starlink you say? What’s stopping that company from filtering out block data? Nothing because it’s Starlink’s system and they could decide to censor these data. It seems we may have a problem sending and receiving Bitcoin data in back country environs. But, then again, the utility of this system in staunching the fuel load that creates forest fires is extremely useful around forested communities and many have fiber, Wi-Fi and cell towers. These communities could be a welcoming ground zero for first deployments of the Forest Walker system by the home and business owners seeking fire repression. In the best way, Bitcoin subsidizes the safety of the communities. # Sensor Packages ### LiDaR  The benefit of having a Forest Walker fleet strolling through the forest is the never ending opportunity for data gathering. A plethora of deployable sensors gathering hyper-accurate data on everything from temperature to topography is yet another revenue generator. Data is valuable and the Forest Walker could generate data sales to various government entities and private concerns. LiDaR (Light Detection and Ranging) can map topography, perform biomass assessment, comparative soil erosion analysis, etc. It so happens that the Forest Walker’s ability to “see,” to navigate about its surroundings, is LiDaR driven and since it’s already being used, we can get double duty by harvesting that data for later use. By using a laser to send out light pulses and measuring the time it takes for the reflection of those pulses to return, very detailed data sets incrementally build up. Eventually, as enough data about a certain area becomes available, the data becomes useful and valuable. Forestry concerns, both private and public, often use LiDaR to build 3D models of tree stands to assess the amount of harvest-able lumber in entire sections of forest. Consulting companies offering these services charge anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars per square kilometer for such services. A Forest Walker generating such assessments on the fly while performing its other functions is a multi-disciplinary approach to revenue generation. ### pH, Soil Moisture, and Cation Exchange Sensing  The Forest Walker is quadrupedal, so there are four contact points to the soil. Why not get a pH data point for every step it takes? We can also gather soil moisture data and cation exchange capacities at unheard of densities because of sampling occurring on the fly during commission of the system’s other duties. No one is going to build a machine to do pH testing of vast tracts of forest soils, but that doesn’t make the data collected from such an endeavor valueless. Since the Forest Walker serves many functions at once, a multitude of data products can add to the return on investment component. ### Weather Data  Temperature, humidity, pressure, and even data like evapotranspiration gathered at high densities on broad acre scales have untold value and because the sensors are lightweight and don’t require large power budgets, they come along for the ride at little cost. But, just like the old mantra, “gas, grass, or ass, nobody rides for free”, these sensors provide potential revenue benefits just by them being present. I’ve touched on just a few data genres here. In fact, the question for universities, governmental bodies, and other institutions becomes, “How much will you pay us to attach your sensor payload to the Forest Walker?” # Noise Suppression  Only you can prevent Metallica filling the surrounds with 120 dB of sound. Easy enough, just turn the car stereo off. But what of a fleet of 50 Forest Walkers operating in the backcountry or near a township? 500? 5000? Each one has a wood chipper, an internal combustion engine, hydraulic pumps, actuators, and more cooling fans than you can shake a stick at. It’s a walking, screaming fire-breathing dragon operating continuously, day and night, twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year. The sound will negatively affect all living things and that impacts behaviors. Serious engineering consideration and prowess must deliver a silencing blow to the major issue of noise. It would be foolish to think that a fleet of Forest Walkers could be silent, but if not a major design consideration, then the entire idea is dead on arrival. Townships would not allow them to operate even if they solved the problem of widespread fuel load and neither would governmental entities, and rightly so. Nothing, not man nor beast, would want to be subjected to an eternal, infernal scream even if it were to end within days as the fleet moved further away after consuming what it could. Noise and heat are the only real pollutants of this system; taking noise seriously from the beginning is paramount. # Fire Safety  A “fire-breathing dragon” is not the worst description of the Forest Walker. It eats wood, combusts it at very high temperatures and excretes carbon; and it does so in an extremely flammable environment. Bad mix for one Forest Walker, worse for many. One must take extreme pains to ensure that during normal operation, a Forest Walker could fall over, walk through tinder dry brush, or get pounded into the ground by a meteorite from Krypton and it wouldn’t destroy epic swaths of trees and baby deer. I envision an ultimate test of a prototype to include dowsing it in grain alcohol while it’s wrapped up in toilet paper like a pledge at a fraternity party. If it runs for 72 hours and doesn’t set everything on fire, then maybe outside entities won’t be fearful of something that walks around forests with a constant fire in its belly. # The Wrap  How we think about what can be done with and adjacent to Bitcoin is at least as important as Bitcoin’s economic standing itself. For those who will tell me that this entire idea is without merit, I say, “OK, fine. You can come up with something, too.” What can we plug Bitcoin into that, like a battery, makes something that does not work, work? That’s the lesson I get from this entire exercise. No one was ever going to hire teams of humans to go out and "clean the forest". There's no money in that. The data collection and sales from such an endeavor might provide revenues over the break-even point but investment demands Alpha in this day and age. But, plug Bitcoin into an almost viable system and, voilà! We tip the scales to achieve lift-off. Let’s face it, we haven’t scratched the surface of Bitcoin’s forcing function on our minds. Not because it’s Bitcoin, but because of what that invention means. The question that pushes me to approach things this way is, “what can we create that one system’s waste is another system’s feedstock?” The Forest Walker system’s only real waste is the conversion of low entropy energy (wood and syngas) into high entropy energy (heat and noise). All other output is beneficial to humanity. Bitcoin, I believe, is the first product of a new mode of human imagination. An imagination newly forged over the past few millennia of being lied to, stolen from, distracted and otherwise mis-allocated to a black hole of the nonsensical. We are waking up. What I have presented is not science fiction. Everything I have described here is well within the realm of possibility. The question is one of viability, at least in terms of the detritus of the old world we find ourselves departing from. This system would take a non-trivial amount of time and resources to develop. I think the system would garner extensive long-term contracts from those who have the most to lose from wildfires, the most to gain from hyperaccurate data sets, and, of course, securing the most precious asset in the world. Many may not see it that way, for they seek Alpha and are therefore blind to other possibilities. Others will see only the possibilities; of thinking in a new way, of looking at things differently, and dreaming of what comes next.

@ b8851a06:9b120ba1

In a world where sovereignty is supposedly sacred, a startling truth emerges: The United States' attempt to purchase Greenland has exposed how territories and their populations can still be viewed as tradeable assets in the 21st century. This investigation reveals the true scope of what could be the most audacious territorial acquisition since the Alaska Purchase of 1867. ## THE SOVEREIGNTY PARADOX When Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen declared "Greenland is not for sale," she inadvertently highlighted a crucial irony: Denmark's authority to reject the sale implies ownership of a territory seeking self-determination. Prime Minister Egede's recent accusation of Danish genocide over the 1960s forced contraceptive program adds a chilling historical context to this modern power play. ## THE REAL PRICE OF A NATION The initial estimates of $12.5-77 billion, calculated by former New York Fed economist David Barker, barely scratch the surface. The true cost approaches $2 trillion when factoring in: - Infrastructure development: $1.5 trillion - Annual subsidies: $775 million - Resident compensation: $5.7-57 billion - Environmental protection costs: Billions annually ## THE COLONIAL ECHO CHAMBER **HISTORICAL WOUNDS AND MODERN AMBITIONS** Trump's refusal to rule out military force against a NATO ally marks an unprecedented threat in post-WW2 diplomacy. Meanwhile, Donald #Trump Jr.'s "private visits" to Greenland, coupled with Denmark's pointed refusal to meet him, reveals the intersection of personal business interests and national security policy. ## THE RESOURCE SOVEREIGNTY EQUATION Beneath Greenland's ice lies an estimated $1.1 trillion in mineral wealth, presenting an alluring economic incentive. However, this potential wealth raises fundamental questions about resource sovereignty: **DEVELOPMENT COSTS** - 24 major development projects needed - $5 billion per project - 25-year implementation timeline - Current GDP: $3.236 billion **STRATEGIC RESOURCES** - Rare earth elements crucial for technology - 31.9 billion barrels of oil equivalent - Vast hydroelectric potential - Green hydrogen production possibilities ## THE ENVIRONMENTAL STAKES Greenland's ice sheet contains enough water to raise global sea levels by 23 feet. Climate change is rapidly transforming resource accessibility, while environmental protection costs would run into billions annually. This environmental transformation creates both opportunities and responsibilities: - Tourism sector potential: $450 million annually - Climate change monitoring costs - Environmental protection infrastructure - Indigenous land management rights ## THE GEOPOLITICAL CHESSBOARD **POWER DYNAMICS** The acquisition would fundamentally alter Arctic power structures: - #NATO alliance relationships - Chinese economic interests - Arctic Council voting power - Maritime shipping routes **THE CHINESE SHADOW** Denmark's 2017 intervention blocking Chinese acquisition of a former military base reveals Greenland's role in a larger geopolitical game. China's growing Arctic ambitions add urgency to American interests. ## THE MONARCHICAL DIMENSION King Frederik X's strategic modification of #Denmark 's royal coat of arms to emphasize Greenland ownership serves as a direct challenge to American ambitions, adding traditional power structures to modern sovereignty disputes. ## PROBABILITY AND RESISTANCE Current analysis suggests: - 60% chance of failure due to international opposition - 30% chance of diplomatic compromise - 10% chance of successful acquisition ## THE INFLATION FACTOR The purchase would trigger significant inflationary pressures through: - Massive fiscal expenditure in an already heated economy - Supply chain disruptions - Construction and development costs - Core PCE inflation impact - Federal Reserve policy complications ## LEGAL AND FINANCIAL HURDLES The acquisition faces numerous obstacles: - International maritime law complications - Indigenous rights considerations - Existing mining licenses - Danish sovereign debt obligations - NATO alliance implications ## THE SOVEREIGNTY SOLUTION The path forward likely lies not in purchase but in supporting Greenlandic self-determination. With only 56,000 residents, the per capita acquisition cost would be astronomical, but the human cost of ignoring sovereignty rights would be immeasurable. ## CONCLUSION: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM The true cost of purchasing Greenland extends beyond economics into the realm of human rights and dignity. As climate change transforms the Arctic landscape, the question isn't whether Greenland can be bought—it's whether territorial transactions should have any place in a world that claims to value self-determination. The convergence of colonial history, indigenous rights, and geopolitical ambitions in Greenland serves as a mirror to our times. While major powers still think in terms of territorial acquisition, the people of Greenland remind us that sovereignty isn't for sale. Their struggle for self-determination, caught between American ambitions, Chinese influence, Danish sovereignty, and their own independence aspirations, may well define the future of Arctic politics and indigenous rights in the 21st century. The most viable path appears to be enhanced economic partnership without formal territorial acquisition, possibly through a free association agreement following #Greenland 's potential independence. As the Arctic's strategic importance grows, this #nostr analysis becomes increasingly relevant for future policy considerations and global power dynamics.

@ 7bdef7be:784a5805

The following script try, using [nak](https://github.com/fiatjaf/nak), to find out the last ten people who have followed a `target_pubkey`, sorted by the most recent. It's possibile to shorten `search_timerange` to speed up the search. ``` #!/usr/bin/env fish # Target pubkey we're looking for in the tags set target_pubkey "6e468422dfb74a5738702a8823b9b28168abab8655faacb6853cd0ee15deee93" set current_time (date +%s) set search_timerange (math $current_time - 600) # 24 hours = 86400 seconds set pubkeys (nak req --kind 3 -s $search_timerange wss://relay.damus.io/ wss://nos.lol/ 2>/dev/null | \ jq -r --arg target "$target_pubkey" ' select(. != null and type == "object" and has("tags")) | select(.tags[] | select(.[0] == "p" and .[1] == $target)) | .pubkey ' | sort -u) if test -z "$pubkeys" exit 1 end set all_events "" set extended_search_timerange (math $current_time - 31536000) # One year for pubkey in $pubkeys echo "Checking $pubkey" set events (nak req --author $pubkey -l 5 -k 3 -s $extended_search_timerange wss://relay.damus.io wss://nos.lol 2>/dev/null | \ jq -c --arg target "$target_pubkey" ' select(. != null and type == "object" and has("tags")) | select(.tags[][] == $target) ' 2>/dev/null) set count (echo "$events" | jq -s 'length') if test "$count" -eq 1 set all_events $all_events $events end end if test -n "$all_events" echo -e "Last people following $target_pubkey:" echo -e "" set sorted_events (printf "%s\n" $all_events | jq -r -s ' unique_by(.id) | sort_by(-.created_at) | .[] | @json ') for event in $sorted_events set npub (echo $event | jq -r '.pubkey' | nak encode npub) set created_at (echo $event | jq -r '.created_at') if test (uname) = "Darwin" set follow_date (date -r "$created_at" "+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M") else set follow_date (date -d @"$created_at" "+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M") end echo "$follow_date - $npub" end end ```

@ 30b99916:3cc6e3fe

## Chef's notes Recipe modified from a recipe published from a school cookbook in 1963. ## Details - 🍳 Cook time: 8 to 10 Minutes at 400 - 🍽️ Servings: 3 dozen or so depending on cookie size ## Ingredients - 2 sticks of butter - 1 1/2 Cup sugar - 2 eggs - 1 t. vanilla (optional but recommended) - 2 3/4 cups flour - 2 t. Cream of tartar - 1 t. Soda - 1/4 t. Salt ## Directions 1. 1. Heat over to 400 2. 2. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla thoroughly. 3. 3. Sift together flour, cream of tartar, soda, salt and blend into mixture. 4. 4. Form small dough balls and roll in sugar/cinnamon 5. 5. Place each cookie dough ball 2" apart on a cookie sheet

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

I almost forgot about Mock Draft Monday, but here we go. # Mock Draft Pick 6: DT Mason Graham Pick 37: OT Aireontae Ersery Pick 68: WR Elic Ayomanor Pick 73: RB Kaleb Johnson Pick 106: QB Jaxson Dart Pick 142: S Billy Bowman Pick 178: CB Jabbar Muhammad Pick 212: OG Jaeden Roberts Pick 216: DT Tonka Hemingway Pick 222: LB Jack Kiser I've been happy with these mocks. This is a nice position in the draft, that's letting me build out from the trenches. Graham was my first pick last week, too. He would make this line one of the elite units in the entire league, assuming health. In lieu of a top QB, I managed to use the three day 2 picks on the line, rushing, and receiving. Then, with the first pick on day 3, I get a QB that I've heard very good things about. Brady likes QB's to sit as rookies anyway, so Dart can learn from AOC, who is a perfectly competent NFL QB and very bright. The rest of day 3 is about filling in depth and drafting guys with cool names (Tonka!). originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/849063

@ 6bae33c8:607272e8

My only dog in the fight is in the NFFC playoff contest wherein you a pick player on each team whose scores double, triple and quadruple each round his team advances. So it’s important to pick players initially you think will not only score a lot per game, but who will also advance to the Super Bowl. The quarterbacks are key here because they score the most points, and usually you pick one in each conference so there’s a chance you can have two match up at 4x points in the Super Bowl. But I went with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, figuring they could both be 3x in the AFC Championship, and I’d be guaranteed to get one of them at 4x in that case. In the NFC, I used Jahmyr Gibbs and Saquon Barkley on the two favorites, both of whom routinely outscore their respective QBs. For God knows what reason I used the Denver kicker (instead of the Texans kicker) even though the Texans were only three-point dogs, while the Broncos were nine. I think I still have a personal bias against Houston after drafting C.J. Stroud and Stefon Diggs everywhere this year only to see the passing game implode. But what happens in the later rounds is far more important, even if I gave away two-rounds worth of kicker points by that misstep. The team I faded was the Bills. I used their defense, but if they beat the Ravens next week I’m drawing deader than dead. I could have used the Chargers defense instead and put in James Cook over Ladd McConkey at the flex. McConkey went nuts, but Cook did well too, and remember he’s 2x next week. - I saw only the end of the first half of Texans-Chargers. The Texans outscored them 10-0 in the second quarter and took control of the game. Stroud picked up a bad snap, rolled out and made a massive throw on one drive and also scrambled for 27 yards, looking *much* faster than I had remembered. - The Texans defense has always been pretty good. They could slog it out in Arrowhead, but I expect the Chiefs with kill them with 1000 papercuts. - McConkey is great, but the Chargers are short one serious playmaker. They need an elite TE, an elite pass-catching back or another WR at a minimum. - I didn’t catch Ravens-Steelers, but I expected the game to go more or less like that. Russell Wilson shouldn’t be a starting quarterback anymore (obviously.) - I watched most of Broncos-Bills. There was hope early, but the Bills, like the Chiefs, paper-cut you to death before the defense wears down, and then they get the big plays. It’s just very hard to stop a Josh Allen (or Mahomes) team from getting 10 yards in four downs. - The Broncos should be a fun team going forward with Bo Nix and Sean Payton. They need to improve the running game and add a pass-catching TE though. - The Packers hung around for a while, but they were already down Christian Watson then lost both Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed during the game. They didn’t have enough juice. - The Eagles offense was sluggish. It wasn’t a problem against the depleted Packers, but the winner of the Rams-Vikings tonight should push them more. - I watched the 40-minute version of Bucs-Killer Redskins. The Bucs were more efficient offensively and had an easier time converting first downs. But the KR’s converted some key fourth downs including a TD pass, and the Baker Mayfield botched handoff on the jet sweep was crushing. I love based Todd Bowles, but the KRs have more upside, in my opinion with Jayden Daniels. - Terry McLaurin might be a Hall of Fame level receiver whose talent was hidden for years by bad QB play. Their other receiver was dynamic and brown too. - The KRs couldn’t run the ball to save their lives. Brian Robinson has power, but he needs to get going, and he never had a chance. - Bucky Irving seems to have taken the job entirely now, which means he probably will go in the second round of drafts next year. Good on Bowles for making the switch from the veteran Rachaad White to the clearly superior talent. - The Lions will probably run over the KRs next week, but Daniels is dangerous.

@ 17538dc2:71ed77c4

Sci-Hub 2024 year end review is translated to English by Kagi Translate from Russian. Original text can be found in Sci-Hub's telegram channel https://t.me/freescience. ### RESULTS OF 2024 First. The project received donations totaling 2 million dollars in meme coins. The project is actively used by many students in China, which is why a group of Sci-Hub fans has emerged there. As far as I understand, the organizer of the group is actively interested in the topic of cryptocurrencies (even wrote a book). Somewhere in mid-November, the Chinese launched a meme coin in honor of the Sci-Hub project. At its peak, the coin's price reached 5 cents, and now it is somewhere around 1-2 cents. This means that the exchange rate of the Sci-Hub cryptocurrency is now almost equal to the ruble exchange rate (100 to one or so). In general, I converted part of these donations into normal, traditional cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin) and paid for servers several months in advance. The other part is still sitting in meme coins—I hope that the token will still grow in price (there is a promotion plan). Of course, this is risky, but Sci-Hub is a project that is not afraid of risk. Therefore, anyone who wants to invest in Sci-Hub by purchasing this token can do so here: www.coingecko.com/en/coins/sci-hub Second. A dissertation on the topic of open scientific knowledge has been defended at the Institute of Philosophy. For those interested in the history and philosophy of science, I defended a dissertation in April at the Institute of Philosophy on the topic that scientific knowledge should be open (otherwise, it is strange to call it scientific at all). The work shows that open communication is one of the basic traditional values of science when considering science as a social institution. In other words, journals that charge for access to scientific articles are a kind of 'non-traditional orientation journals.' Moreover, openness is an important prerequisite for rationality. Rationality is not limited to the criterion of falsification (hello Popper); it is a much more complex concept. You can familiarize yourself with the text of the dissertation here: web.archive.org/web/20240425100014/https://iphras.ru/page26414303.htm (I provide the link through the web archive because the Institute's website, strangely enough, is glitching again at the time of writing this post). All criticism and comments (as well as praise) regarding the dissertation can be sent to my email. Third. Work has begun on a new declaration of open access to scientific knowledge. Currently, all discussions on the topic of open science are conducted within the frameworks defined by the so-called BBB declarations back in 2001-2003. Within these frameworks, two main types of open access are recognized: gold, meaning open journals with an author-pays model, and green, which refers to repositories like the well-known arXiv. We can also add the so-called diamond open access, which includes open journals that are free for both authors and readers. However, since 2003, internet technologies have advanced significantly. Today, we can already talk about such types of open access as blue (through academic social networks) or red (your beloved Sci-Hub). It is time to adopt a new declaration of open access to scientific knowledge that corresponds to the current state of scientific and technological progress. A preliminary version of the declaration can be read and signed here: open.science.do We will be more actively engaged in this in the coming year. Signing the declaration is an important step towards recognizing access to scientific knowledge through sites like Sci-Hub or Libgen as completely legal and ceasing to pursue them—first in the former USSR, and then in all countries of the world. Fourth. In 2024, about one billion articles were downloaded through Sci-Hub. Despite the fact that this is unfiltered statistics, the fact remains: the popularity of the project has not decreased but only grown, despite the fact that Sci-Hub has not been updated for quite a long time. Of course, this does not mean that the site will not be updated at all now—just that the patient is more alive than dead (no matter how much some haters might wish otherwise). The cause of open access to scientific knowledge will definitely prevail—because good always triumphs over evil. In the new year, I wish all scientists new discoveries and large grants. Happy New Year, comrades!

@ 000002de:c05780a7

I've lived most of my life in California. I am very familiar with Southern California and have traveled through it countless times over the last 30+ years. I've enjoyed spending time in SoCal. My heart goes out to the people that have lost everything as well as the people living on the edge fearing the fires will come their way. Its terrible. Its also not a new story as we have seen this many times before, just not affecting this many people. There are many theories and factors people are discussing online. Many IMO are missing the key issues. Regardless of how the fires started, sadly this event has only a matter of time. Been thinking about this issue for years and thought I would share my thoughts with you all. These are my opinions, I'm not an expert but I do live in the state and have paid attention to this topic since I was a kid. I've always loved the forests of California and I care about the beautiful state and its people. As I've said before, the government of California is evil. After you read this I hope you will understand why I believe this. I think Gavin Newsom is to blame for many of the issues we face but its bigger than one man. Removing him from office will not fix this problem. It is far more complex. ## PG&E's Electricity Infrastructure & The Consequences of Monopolies & Price Controls I'm not sure at this point if PG&E is at fault for starting these fires but it is at fault for many in the recent past. PG&E is the largest utility company in the state and has a monopoly over most of the state. SoCal Gas & Electric has monopoly over the rest of the state. Both are public utilities which essentially means these are more like government controlled entities than private companies. California has long used price controls on electricity. We know that doesn't work. The state has restricted to addition of new power generation my entire life. So of course PG&E has to import power from other states requiring higher rates for their customers. Due to the mismanagement of PG&E the company has not kept its infrastructure up to date. Many fires are started by shorts in power lines and equipment that is older than me. If you wanna immediately find common ground with a Californian complain about PG&E. So who is at fault? PG&E and the state government. Since PG&E is essentially a government entity I lay the blame on the state. The problem is that most people have been programmed to believe utilities need to be controlled by government in addition to being monopolies. Its one of the most illogical beliefs to me. Since PG&E is a company people tend to just blame them instead of the politicians and the state. The result is politicians have little incentive to change things. ## The Smelt, Salmon, and Water The [Smelt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_smelt) is a small fish that the Salmon eat. There has been a push for many years to restore the historic water ways that are a part of migration paths of the Salmon in California. California's [Central Valley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Valley_(California))(North of Southern California) is a massive producer of produce and other agriculture products. The issues around water are complex and the most frustrating thing for me, a person that was born and raised in the state is how the issues are rarely discussed in rational ways considering trade-offs. Instead there are usually just two sides presented. 1. The farmers need water so we need to build more water storage(dams). 2. We need to restore the historic water ways of the state and the specifically the historic Salmon runs through those water ways. I don't have a problem with either of these goals. The issue is that they are in opposition to each other. The fact is that water is needed by farmers in the Central Valley as well as people in Southern California. Southern California would not support the current population without the water from other places being funneled to that region. The farming industry of Central California would also not exist without sufficient water. Additionally the diversion of natural water flows via dams also has reduced flood risks in the state. So when you hear people talking about stealing water or SoCal doesn't have the water it needs this is a bit of context you might not hear. The state has done a terrible job managing water over the past 20 years. ## The Historic and Natural Occurrence of Wild Fires Over my lifetime I have watched as humans have build homes in areas that historically are prone to wild fires. As a kid in the government school system I was taught about forestry management. How the state and federal forestry services would clear dead brush, execute controlled burns, and cut fire lines to help prevent out of control wild fires. Even with this policy there was never a guarantee that homes could be protected but it does seem like that policy helped keep them smaller. What many people do not understand about wild fires is that they are natural and needed. When the population of California was sparse there weren't any fire fighters putting out fires. They would just burn themselves out. The [giant sequoia trees](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadendron_giganteum) actually depend on wild fires to a certain extent. These fires would burn out the dead growth as well as smaller trees making way for only the strongest to survive. With the massive population growth of California over the past 100 years fire fighters have began to fight this form of nature. Like many natural forces this usually only postpones the inevitable. Its a tough decision. Do you let natural do its thing or protect people. Growing up the policy was to protect people. This meant putting out fires that threatened humans and their property. This included what I mentioned before. Logging, clearing out dead growth, controlled burns as well as other methods. In recent years the policy has shifted away from these policies and it is clear to me the results are disastrous. Once again trade-offs are rarely discussed when the government changes policy. Of course doing controlled burns affects air quality. Climate change is often mentioned as a reason to suspend controlled burns but it is clear to me that's just kicking the can down the road. The fires are going to happen. It is just a matter of time. ## Human Expansion In my opinion the single largest factor in these fires is the fact that humans have expanded into areas that historically are often cleared by wild fires. When government policy prioritized humans the risk would be reduced but instead of this the state has prioritized "environmental" interests. What makes this worse is that the state has also put their finger on the scales in regard to insurance. Once again, I rarely hear the fact that more people are living in forests as a massive factor. I have traveled all over the state over the last 30 years and the growth is incredible. I don't have a problem with his growth but you have to recognize the risk. In a free market insurance should handle this issue of risk. ## The Role of Insurance Insurance is all about calculating risk. If you seek insurance the higher your risk the higher the premium. On both ends of the scale of risk both parties will not enter into an agreement. If the risk is very low individuals will not naturally see a need for insurance. Insurance companies LOVE to sell insurance with low risk. The opposite is true. If your risk is high an insurance company cannot provide assurances of payment. The thing people most miss about insurance is that they play the role of evaluating risk. They are incentivized reduce risk, much more than the state. Recently insurance companies have stopped offering polices in California due to introduction of price controls and the state's forestry polices. In some of the areas now burning these companies have declined to renew fire polices. Why? Because the risk was to high. That should tell us something. ## What Is the Answer Remove regulations altering the natural market force of insurance. If an area is very risky insurance should be high. That is a signal that can very well save lives. I think people should be allowed to live on any property they own or rent. They should be able to do so without insurance as well. But insurance should be allowed to do what it does. Reduce risk and provide a valuable signal to the market. The same goes for power utilities. There needs to be a removal of the monopoly held by PG&E. They need to build nuclear plants in the state to provide power for the growing population. I believe the market, if allowed to operate would fix these issues. When it comes to environmentalism the state should pick a side. People, or environmentalism. If they pick environmentalism they should not bail out the insurance companies and restrict building back in areas affected by wild fires. To be clear, I oppose that position because I don't believe it is actually good for the environment of California and its destructive to human life. The other path is to return to managing the forests. Restore the forestry practices that worked for decades. Allow insurance to operate as a free market and listen to the market signals. When it comes to water its a similar situation. The reality is until farming practices change to be more regenerative and if the population level continues to grow the state is going to have to build more water storage and divert the natural flow of water. Humans are competing for resources with Salmon. I would love to see California restored to a more natural state but the reality is that will not be possible without a drastic population decrease and more fires like this. I don't think the people actually want that. They have been lied to for decades by politicians and environmentalists. I know this is a long post, there is much more I could say and I'm sure I'll hear it in the comments but I tried to keep this short. Its a very complex issue that the state and Newsom largely own. They will try to distract with many other things but this is where the focus should be IMO. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/848838

@ 2ce0697b:1ee3d3fc

**Excerpt:** A controversy over intellectual property highlights the lack of Bitcoin institutions to resolve disputes. Key fact 1: A bitcoiner takes action against another bitcoiner based on intellectual property laws Key fact 2: the dispute revolves around similarities in bitcoin clocks -------------------------------------------  > "What is not good for the hive is not good for the bee." Marcus Aurelius Someone who identifies as a bitcoiner, who creates successful bitcoin products aimed at providing sovereignty and privacy to the user but who indirectly calls on the State to initiate force against another bitcoiner, is that person really a bitcoiner? Or rather, despite being a bitcoiner, is their behavior in accordance with the ethos of Bitcoin, with the essential moral principles driven by the Bitcoin phenomenon? When there is a dispute within Bitcoin's layer one about how things should be done, it is resolved through the unparalleled dispute resolution and governance mechanism based on proof of work. On the other hand, when there is a dispute in Bitcoin's layer zero, which is composed of individuals who act as nodes and collaborators of the[basilisk]( https://njump.me/nevent1qqsrq3qzr48lerhhdtf42tyt7cfcx8ld5drtpr6fthals2galsxl9dqpzemhxue69uhkummnw3ex2mrfw3jhxtn0wfnj7q3q9nsxj76rpstyzk2s8zgacxf2xzm66k7rxplyxl7zdrc2k8hr607qxpqqqqqqznzfrul) how should we resolve disputes? The trigger for this article is the news that a few weeks ago the bitcoiner[djuri]( http://njump.me/nevent1qqst22qclvkw7p8fqhcukrcc6m8unjh0ppp72t9heq8gf89eeu82qagpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsyg94zfaq3nenv938fqq2gwrcsx5lnrsyh8phz9hf9hjj2pycvdwyygpsgqqqqqqsp40qy3)was legally summoned by the bitcoiner[NVK]( https://njump.me/npub1az9xj85cmxv8e9j9y80lvqp97crsqdu2fpu3srwthd99qfu9qsgstam8y8) because the latter understood that the former had violated his "intellectual property rights." The legally summoned party, djuri, is the creator of a product that according to NVK would have some characteristics that would make it somewhat similar to a product he made and whose "intellectual property" -fiat- he has registered. That is to say, NVK invoked the force of the State -fiat- with the intention that it be applied against djuri. And it did so with the intention of defending its "intellectually" registered property.  > *--- "Intellectual property is a valuable asset that must be protected and respected by everyone."* - Bill Gates. A registration of "intellectual property" consists of an entry in a state registry -fiat- where the person registering the "right" -fiat- petitions the State -fiat- to initiate coercion, force, violence, and threats against anyone whom the State interprets as violating that "right" -fiat-. Likewise, that registration grants the registrant the "right" -fiat- to petition the State to interpret that their "right" has been violated. And in the event that the latter shares the interpretation made by the registrant, the State can then activate its intrinsic mechanism of threats, violence, and coercion against the aforementioned violator of the "right" -fiat-. Most of current positive law is fiat law and its mostly contradictory to natural law. The former is a fictional state invention based on the myth of authority, while the latter is rationally deduced from the principles of Nature. Natural law is the Bitcoin of law.  * > --- "Intellectual property is the foundation of innovation and progress in modern society." - Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States. Intellectual property is a completely fiat fiction. Natural law absolutely rejects the artificial legal aberration created by authoritarian legislators. The institution of private property only makes sense to protect scarce goods. Let's see an example: Alice has an apple and is hungry, but since she is busy posting on Nostr, she decided to eat it later. Thirty minutes later, she goes down to her kitchen and can't find the apple. It turns out that Bob, her roommate, ate it. Alice reproaches Bob for the action because, despite having bought the apple and having it in her possession, she lost it due to Bob's action and is still hungry. Alice understands that the interruption of the nutritional and gustatory pleasure that the apple would have provided constitutes a harm to her person. Since she was the owner of the unique and irreproducible object consisting of the totality of molecules that, when linked together, formed the apple existing in the physical space where Alice and Bob reside. Furthermore, Alice understands that once the apple is eaten by one person, it cannot be eaten by another. Therefore, Alice concludes that she has suffered a harm. And considering the objective development of the facts, she attributes that damage to Bob. The attribution of damage occurs during a discussion they have in the kitchen of their house, which unfolds as follows: Alice: *-“What the fuck Bob, you ate my fruit again. I want to beat the shit out of you. You better move your ass straight into the fruitshop right now and you bring me two apples or hell is gonna break loose”* To which Bob, seeing that Alice is a bit irritable, and feeling guilty for his previous incorrect action of having deprived Alice of her fruit, heads to the fruitshop, buys two apples with his money, and hands them to Alice with a smile and an apology. In this way, nature was balanced, a small injustice was resolved, and Alice and Bob can continue to cooperate mutually in peace and with the aim of growing individually as well as in their community. This favorable outcome occurred due to respect for the institution of private property. Now let's look at a second example. One that involves "intellectual" private property. Charlie is composing a song in a shared area of his co-living space. While experimenting with different sound arrangements over time, Daniel passes by and hears a particular melody that catches his attention and sticks in his memory. Subsequently, Charlie releases a song with that melody, and more or less at the same time, Daniel does the same. Therefore, we arrive at the situation where two product creators have generated content that partially shares certain elements. Content consumers of Daniel as well as of Charlie can enjoy both compositions indistinctly. Likewise, both Daniel and Charlie can enjoy all the zaps the market sends them, all the fame their songs have created, all the ticket sales for shows that, due to taking place in the physical world, have limitations on reproducibility, all the sales of both physical and digital merchandise, all the fame their works bring them, all the sponsors that fame attracts, all the various future contracts that come their way thanks to their previous works, all the awards they deserve for their works, etc., etc., etc. In summary: each of the digitally supported content creators can enjoy all the fruits that the current and future market grants them as a reward for their contribution to humanity. While at the same time, all users of their works can enjoy the created songs indiscriminately and without limitations.  This happens because in the physical world, when someone eats an apple belonging to another person, the latter is left without eating it. Whereas in the digital world, when someone listens to a song, no one is left without listening to it. For those who want to delve deeper into the glaring contradiction of the fiat intellectual property institute, I recommend any product of the extensive work of Stephan Kinsella. Libertarian lawyer specializing in patents who has developed the topic in a rational, extensive, and sufficiently convincing manner. > --- "Intellectual property is a state monopoly that restricts freedom of expression and innovation." - Stephen Kinsella, in "Against Intellectual Property" I clarify that I do not suggest that every bitcoiner must necessarily repudiate the fiat institution of intellectual property. We are living through a transition between two worlds, and each person is adapting to the institutions of the new reality at their own pace. Personally, I see that Bitcoin is incompatible with the fiat State and it´s fiat intellectual property racket. In the long run, one of the two will have to change, and it won't be Bitcoin. In the meantime, it is up to each bitcoiner to lean more towards open source code - as Bitcoin does - or towards closed source code, as driven by fiat-state intellectual property laws. ### Call to reason What I do propose as an urgent and essential cultural necessity within the bitcoin community is to avoid resorting to the State to solve problems among bitcoiners. An invitation of a third party that relies on armed goons and professional extortionists to fulfill its purposes is something that can be avoided. Sometimes the most important actions we can take are actually inactions. In matters of dispute resolution, in issues related to how to deal with others, we tend to err more by incorrect actions than by incorrect inactions. The neo-institutions of Bitcoin law, anarcho-capitalism, or crypto-anarchism necessary to resolve disputes without calling for the intervention of unwanted third parties are under development and are another essential element for the recovery of human freedom. Meanwhile, to not initiate force on others should be our guiding principle. With Bitcoin, we managed to remove money from the hands of the States. With Nostr, we managed to remove social networks and public information from the tyrannical and authoritarian control of the narrative. With new institutions based on natural law and rational dispute resolution, we will succeed in removing the power to dispense justice from the hands of the fiat lords. ------------------------------------------- Camilo JdL at 878.992 timechain. If you find this content helpful, zap it to support more content of the sort and to boost the V4V model.

@ e0921d61:e0fe7bd5

My reading list for 2025 consists of 15 books in 4 categories - Islam - Economics - Civilization/History - And René Guénon gets his own category 😂 **Economics list:** - Epistemological Problems of Economics by Ludwig von Mises The title seems intriguing and I've been meaning to read this for a while. My favorite chapter in human action is the one where Mises talks about the epistemological problems, so I'm hoping he expands on it here.  - Abundance, Generosity, and the State: An Inquiry into Economic Principles by Jörg Guido Hülsmann This is from the same author that wrote one of my all time favorite "Bitcoin book", the Ethics of Money Production. This one explores charity from the Austrian perspective, and there's a really good podcast episode that Steophan Livera did with Hülsmann about this book.  - The Economics and Ethics of Private Property: Studies in Political Economy and Philosophy by Hans-Hermann Hoppe I'm planning to read every Hoppe book, so this one had to go on the list.  - Why Minsky Matters: An Introduction to the Work of a Maverick Economist by L. Randall Wray I've been meaning to read this for a while now, it was recommend to me by Ibn Maghrebi (nostr:npub1chmhgx9nwxdpwv6jj6qs257fwzrhtsjh2egvyvqq3rmzfy8cd5fq4nr4y5). Looks interesting and I wonder how similar Minsky's views are compared to Austrian Economics.  **Islam list** - Reforming Modernity: Ethics and the New Human in the Philosophy of Abdurrahman Taha by Wael Hallaq I want to read more Hallaq since reading the Impossible State, and this seems like something I'd enjoy, and it supposedly helps bring more context for the next book in this list.  - God's property: Islam, Charity, and the Modern State by Nada Moumtaz I've had this book in my reading list for a while. The history of charity in Islamic civilizations is a fascinating topic to me.  - Islam between East and West 'Aiija 'Ali Izetbegovic I actually don't know anything about this book other than seeing many folks on MT reference it a lot. Seems like something I must read.  - The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam by Muhammad Iqbal Got this one off the SAIF reading list.  **Civilization/History List** - Energy and Civilization: A History by Vaclav Smil Seems like an interesting book about energy  - Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David R. Montgomery I've had this on my reading list for a while, and I find the subject of soil to be fascinating. Seems interesting.  - The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History by Ibn Khaldun I'm ashamed to admit that I still haven't read this book. It's referenced a lot in other books talking about history and civilization. It's time for me to read this.  - The Time of the Bedouin: on the Politics of power by Ian Dallas Ian Dallas is Shaykh Abdalqadir As-Sufi, and I want to read more of his works, as he understood the scope and nature of the Riba money problem long before I was even born! **René Guénon list** I've been meaning to read Guénon for a while now, and I don't know much about his philosophy but I've liked the few quotes I've read on certain Twitter threads. I'm very interested in how he approaches criticizing modernity. - East and West  - The Crisis of the Modern World  - The Reign of Quantity & the Signs of the Times  And that's it. I'm hopeful I can get through all 15 books this year inshaAllah.

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

**Table Of Content** - Nomura's Strategic Move into the Crypto Space - Details of the Laser Digital Bitcoin Adoption Fund - Why Institutional Investors are Flocking to Bitcoin - The Future of Bitcoin and Institutional Involvement - Conclusion - FAQ **Nomura's Strategic Move into the Crypto Space** Nomura, a financial giant with a storied history, has always been at the forefront of financial innovation. Recognizing the potential of the crypto market, especially Bitcoin, Nomura has made strategic moves to establish a strong foothold in this burgeoning sector. Their latest initiative, the introduction of a dedicated Bitcoin fund, is a testament to their commitment to this space. By launching this fund, Nomura is not only catering to the growing demand from institutional investors but also solidifying its position as a forward-thinking financial institution. **Details of the Laser Digital Bitcoin Adoption Fund** The "Laser Digital Bitcoin Adoption fund" is designed to provide long-only exposure to Bitcoin. This means that the fund will only buy and hold Bitcoin, without engaging in any short-selling. Such a strategy is indicative of Nomura's bullish outlook on the cryptocurrency. The fund aims to tap into the potential long-term growth of Bitcoin, offering investors a chance to benefit from any upward price movements. Moreover, by providing a structured and regulated way to invest in Bitcoin, Nomura is addressing one of the primary concerns of institutional investors: security and compliance. **Why Institutional Investors are Flocking to Bitcoin** There are several reasons why institutional investors are showing keen interest in Bitcoin: **Diversification:** Bitcoin, being a non-correlated asset, offers portfolio diversification. In times of traditional market volatility, Bitcoin can act as a hedge. **Potential for High Returns:** Despite its volatility, Bitcoin has shown the potential for significant returns, outperforming many traditional assets in the past decade. **Increasing Acceptance:** As more businesses and financial institutions accept Bitcoin, its utility and value proposition increase. **Inflation Hedge:** With central banks around the world printing money at an unprecedented rate, there are genuine concerns about inflation. Bitcoin, with its capped supply, is seen by many as a hedge against inflationary pressures. **The Future of Bitcoin and Institutional Involvement** The involvement of institutions in the Bitcoin market is not a fleeting trend. It represents a fundamental shift in how the financial world perceives digital assets. As regulatory clarity improves and the infrastructure around cryptocurrency trading and custody matures, more institutions are expected to enter the space. Nomura's dedicated Bitcoin fund is just the beginning. As the market grows, we can expect more sophisticated financial products centered around Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. These will not only provide institutional investors with more tools to leverage their positions but also contribute to the overall stability and maturity of the crypto market. **Conclusion** The launch of Nomura's "Laser Digital Bitcoin Adoption fund" is a significant milestone in the ongoing institutional adoption of Bitcoin. It underscores the growing importance of digital assets in the financial landscape and hints at a future where Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are an integral part of any diversified investment portfolio. **FAQ** **What is Nomura's new crypto initiative?** Nomura has introduced the "Laser Digital Bitcoin Adoption fund," a dedicated fund providing long-only exposure to Bitcoin. **Who is the target audience for this fund?** The fund primarily targets institutional investors looking to invest in Bitcoin in a structured and regulated manner. **What does "long-only exposure" mean?** It means the fund will buy and hold Bitcoin without engaging in short-selling, focusing on potential long-term growth. **Why are institutional investors interested in Bitcoin?** Institutional investors see Bitcoin as a valuable addition to their portfolios for diversification, potential high returns, increasing acceptance, and as an inflation hedge. **Is this a temporary trend in the financial world?** No, the involvement of institutions in the Bitcoin market represents a fundamental shift in the perception of digital assets, indicating a long-term trend. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [@croxroadnews](https://x.com/croxroadnewsco)** **Instagram: [@croxroadnews.co](https://www.instagram.com/croxroadnews.co/)** **Youtube: [@croxroadnews](https://www.youtube.com/@croxroadnews)** **Store: https://croxroad.store** **Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter** **https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe** *DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.*

@ 3f770d65:7a745b24

I’ve been using Notedeck for several months, starting with its extremely early and experimental alpha versions, all the way to its current, more stable alpha releases. The journey has been fascinating, as I’ve had the privilege of watching it evolve from a concept into a functional and promising tool. In its earliest stages, Notedeck was raw—offering glimpses of its potential but still far from practical for daily use. Even then, the vision behind it was clear: a platform designed to redefine how we interact with Nostr by offering flexibility and power for all users. I'm very bullish on Notedeck. Why? Because Will Casarin is making it! Duh! 😂 Seriously though, if we’re reimagining the web and rebuilding portions of the Internet, it’s important to recognize [the potential of Notedeck](https://damus.io/notedeck/). If Nostr is reimagining the web, then Notedeck is reimagining the Nostr client. Notedeck isn’t just another Nostr app—it’s more a Nostr browser that functions more like an operating system with micro-apps. How cool is that? Much like how Google's Chrome evolved from being a web browser with a task manager into ChromeOS, a full blown operating system, Notedeck aims to transform how we interact with the Nostr. It goes beyond individual apps, offering a foundation for a fully integrated ecosystem built around Nostr. As a Nostr evangelist, I love to scream **INTEROPERABILITY** and tout every application's integrations. Well, Notedeck has the potential to be one of the best platforms to showcase these integrations in entirely new and exciting ways. Do you want an Olas feed of images? Add the media column. Do you want a feed of live video events? Add the zap.stream column. Do you want Nostr Nests or audio chats? Add that column to your Notedeck. Git? Email? Books? Chat and DMs? It's all possible. Not everyone wants a super app though, and that’s okay. As with most things in the Nostr ecosystem, flexibility is key. Notedeck gives users the freedom to choose how they engage with it—whether it’s simply following hashtags or managing straightforward feeds. You'll be able to tailor Notedeck to fit your needs, using it as extensively or minimally as you prefer. Notedeck is designed with a local-first approach, utilizing Nostr content stored directly on your device via the local nostrdb. This will enable a plethora of advanced tools such as search and filtering, the creation of custom feeds, and the ability to develop personalized algorithms across multiple Notedeck micro-applications—all with unparalleled flexibility. Notedeck also supports multicast. Let's geek out for a second. Multicast is a method of communication where data is sent from one source to multiple destinations simultaneously, but only to devices that wish to receive the data. Unlike broadcast, which sends data to all devices on a network, multicast targets specific receivers, reducing network traffic. This is commonly used for efficient data distribution in scenarios like streaming, conferencing, or large-scale data synchronization between devices. > In a local first world where each device holds local copies of your nostr nodes, and each device transparently syncs with each other on the local network, each node becomes a backup. Your data becomes antifragile automatically. When a node goes down it can resync and recover from other nodes. Even if not all nodes have a complete collection, negentropy can pull down only what is needed from each device. All this can be done without internet. > > \-Will Casarin In the context of Notedeck, multicast would allow multiple devices to sync their Nostr nodes with each other over a local network without needing an internet connection. Wild. Notedeck aims to offer full customization too, including the ability to design and share custom skins, much like Winamp. Users will also be able to create personalized columns and, in the future, share their setups with others. This opens the door for power users to craft tailored Nostr experiences, leveraging their expertise in the protocol and applications. By sharing these configurations as "Starter Decks," they can simplify onboarding and showcase the best of Nostr’s ecosystem. Nostr’s “Other Stuff” can often be difficult to discover, use, or understand. Many users doesn't understand or know how to use web browser extensions to login to applications. Let's not even get started with nsecbunkers. Notedeck will address this challenge by providing a native experience that brings these lesser-known applications, tools, and content into a user-friendly and accessible interface, making exploration seamless. However, that doesn't mean Notedeck should disregard power users that want to use nsecbunkers though - hint hint. For anyone interested in watching Nostr be [developed live](https://github.com/damus-io/notedeck), right before your very eyes, Notedeck’s progress serves as a reminder of what’s possible when innovation meets dedication. The current alpha is already demonstrating its ability to handle complex use cases, and I’m excited to see how it continues to grow as it moves toward a full release later this year.

@ 41fa852b:af7b7706

> The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings." --Okakura Kakuzo * * * **Here we go with another fresh list of meetups for the UK and Ireland this coming week.** We've got the latest on where to connect, share ideas, and build community. Let's take a look… * * * [](https://bitcoinevents.uk/donate/) * * * _This week's sponsor is…_ [](https://www.orangepillapp.com/?utm_source=BEUK&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BEUK) * * * ### **Upcoming Bitcoin Meetups** Happening this week… 1. **[Dundee Bitcoin](https://x.com/dundeebitcoin)**: Join them on the 2nd Monday of every month from 17:30 to 20:30 PM at The Wine Press, 16 Shore Terrace, Dundee DD1 3DN. This month's meetup is on Monday, 13th January. 🍷 2. **[Real Bedford - Home Game](https://www.realbedford.com/real-bedford-v-berkhamsted)**: Real Bedford have two home games this week. The first is on Tuesday night at 19:45 playing Berkhamsted. ⚽️ 3. **[Bitcoin Glasgow](https://www.meetup.com/bitcoin-glasgow-buy-sell-learn/)**: Bitcoin Glasgow meet every 3rd Wednesday of the month and this month will be at The Maltman, 59--61 Renfield Street at 18:00 to 20:00. 🍺 4. **[Shropshire Bitcoin](https://x.com/shropsbitcoin)**: On the 15th, the Shropshire crew will be meeting at the Admiral Benbow in Shrewsbury. 🍻 5. **[Brum Bitcoin & Beer](https://x.com/brumbitcoin)**: If you're in the Birmingham area head along to meet some fellow bitcoiners on Thursday 16th at 19:00. You'll find them this month at The Wellington, Bennett's Hill, B2 5SN. 🍺 6. **[Penzance Bitcoin](https://x.com/pzbitcoinmeetup)**: Will be at The Dolphin Tavern on Quay Street on Thursday 16th at 8 PM. 🍻 7. **[Bitcoin Walk - Edinburgh](https://bitcoinevents.uk/bitcoinwalk/)**: Every Saturday they walk around Arthur's Seat in this historic city. Join them at 12:00 to chat about all things Bitcoin and keep fit. 🚶‍♂️🚶🏻‍♀️🚶🦮 8. **[Real Bedford - Home Game](https://www.realbedford.com/real-bedford-v-leverstock-green2)**: Real Bedford have their second home game this week playing Leverstock Green on Saturday. Join them for a 15:00 kickoff. ⚽️ 9. **[NostrLDN](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nostrldn-v4-fundraising-with-bitcoin-geyserfund-projects-tickets-1144046777709)**: The fourth NostrLDN and this time with guests Metamick (founder and CEO of Geyser Fund) and Huxley (Charities, Afrika, Bitcoin education). Join them on Saturday the 18th of January at the London Bridge Rooftop Bar from 18:00 till 22:00. 🍻👨🏼‍🎓💜 * * * ### **Upcoming Special Events** This event isn't happening this week, but it's important to add to your calendar now as tickets are selling fast. - **[Bitcoin Builders Workshop](https://x.com/northantsbtc/status/1871204189801677221)**: Corby-based engineering company BTC Citadel hosts an afternoon of Bitcoin building and chat. Build that project you've been thinking about but didn't know how to start. Come and use high-end 3D printers, 3D scanners, electronics lab and the CNC laser engraver. Everyone is welcome, no technical ability is needed. Learn how to build a Seedsigner. Refreshments are provided for this free event. [](https://x.com/NorthantsBTC/status/1871204189801677221) * * * **Get Involved** - **Volunteer Opportunities**: [Bridge2Bitcoin](https://bridge2bitcoin.com/) is actively seeking volunteers who share our passion for merchant adoption. We'd be delighted to connect if you're eager to contribute. Reach out to us on [Twitter](https://x.com/bridge2bitcoin) or through our [website](https://bridge2bitcoin.com/). - **Start Your Own Meetup**: Interested in launching a Bitcoin meetup? We're here to support you every step of the way. We've assisted numerous UK Bitcoin meetups in getting started. Get in touch via [Twitter](https://x.com/bitcoineventsuk). - **[Contribute to BTCMaps](https://wiki.btcmap.org/general/tagging-instructions.html)**: BTCMaps is a vital part of the Bitcoin ecosystem. It's a perfect project to get involved with if you're not a coder or even that technical. A great way to give back to the community. Maintain an area of the UK and keep it up-to-date. - **Telegram users**: You might find our [Telegram Channel](https://t.me/BitcoinEventsUKHub) another useful way to keep up-to-date with UK meetups. - **Feedback and Suggestions**: We value your input! Share your ideas on how we can enhance this newsletter. * * * _This week's sponsors are…_ [](https://orangecoinstore.com/) [](https://lasereyes.cards/skins/leather-bitcoin-skin/) * * * Get out and support the meetups where you can, visit [Bitcoin Events UK](https://bitcoinevents.uk/) for more info on each meetup and to find your closest on the interactive map. Stay tuned for more updates next week! Simon. [](https://bitcoinevents.uk/donate/)

@ a10260a2:caa23e3e

*Last Updated: January 11, 2025* This article is based on a note I posted over a year ago. I kept finding great podcasts and realized that a long form note would make sense since it'll essentially be reposted in the feed every time an update is made. While there are many good privacy resources out there, this list will focus on episodes from CITADEL DISPATCH. The rabbit hole is deep and never-ending; my hope is that this will spark your curiosity and compel you to search for more. Why should you care? ODELL explains that [here](https://www.discreetlog.com/why-bitcoiners-should-care-about-using-bitcoin-privately/). If you're ready, here are the privacy-related dispatches. Hour and hours of signal from ODELL and his guests. Enjoy. 🫡 * CD2: Privacy, Nodes, and No KYC with ErgoBTC & BitcoinQ_A — https://fountain.fm/episode/ssPqjTOzHjWSRiYN5rP6 * CD15: bitcoin privacy and coinjoin with nopara73 and openoms — https://fountain.fm/episode/akzlPBM5XWZgPWa2iXCN * CD16: bitcoin privacy and coinjoin with chris belcher and waxwing — https://fountain.fm/episode/hBcMSmraUUxVlZzBv5V1 * CD21: the lightning network and bitcoin privacy with openoms and cycryptr — https://fountain.fm/episode/vo0LpZOxGiDWIXc8wQf2 * CD29: bitcoin privacy and security with craigraw and ketominer — https://fountain.fm/episode/wNowMP7zxD25kKMLCU4r * CD30: bitcoin privacy and the danger of KYC with samouraiwallet and openoms — https://fountain.fm/episode/AoIhaVfVHG55gEJOlEiH * CD43: bitcoin for beginners with BitcoinQ_A— https://fountain.fm/episode/Foh3ImV2fZYPvg2QgNA4 I've also created a Fountain playlist which can be found [here](https://fountain.fm/playlist/WGV34KnpV0NyR6F2RWok). One benefit of the playlist is that you can easily share the group of episodes in its entirety.

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

**Money**. It’s one of the most powerful forces in our world, and for many, it evokes mixed emotions. On the one hand, money provides security, opportunities, and the freedom to pursue dreams. On the other, it’s often tied to stress, inequality, and a sense of unending competition. This love-hate relationship with money is universal, and it stems from a system that often feels rigged against the average person. Enter Nostr—a decentralized protocol designed to address some of the deepest flaws in how we interact with value and communication online. While Nostr isn’t just about money, its principles are profoundly reshaping how we think about value exchange, financial sovereignty, and freedom. ### The Root of the Problem At the core of our collective frustration with money is control. Traditional financial systems are centralized, opaque, and prone to manipulation. Whether it’s through inflation eating away at savings, unfair access to banking, or censorship of financial transactions, the system leaves many feeling powerless. Add to this the societal obsession with consumerism and wealth accumulation, and it’s no wonder money can feel more like a burden than a tool. Even digital spaces, which promised democratization, often mirror these problems. Social media platforms monetize user data while censoring or shadow-banning content. Payment platforms can freeze accounts or deny access, reinforcing the imbalance of power. ### Nostr: A Fresh Perspective on Value and Freedom Nostr (short for "*Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays*") isn’t just a technical innovation—it’s a philosophy. Built on a simple yet powerful decentralized protocol, Nostr allows users to share information, communicate, and exchange value directly, without reliance on centralized entities. It’s an open, censorship-resistant network that puts control back into the hands of individuals. So, how is Nostr addressing the money dilemma? 1. **Decentralized Value Exchange**\ Nostr integrates seamlessly with tools like Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, enabling instant, low-cost payments without intermediaries. This means individuals can send and receive money directly, whether it’s a micro-tip to support a content creator or a peer-to-peer transaction across borders. No banks. No middlemen. Just value exchanged freely. 2. **Censorship Resistance**\ One of the most frustrating aspects of modern finance is the potential for censorship. Banks and platforms can freeze accounts or block payments based on arbitrary criteria. Nostr flips this script by creating a network where transactions and communication are uncensorable. Value flows freely, aligned with the principles of individual sovereignty. 3. **Empowering Creators**\ In traditional models, creators often rely on centralized platforms to earn revenue, losing a significant portion to fees or being at the mercy of algorithms. On Nostr, creators can directly monetize their work through Bitcoin tips or other decentralized payment methods, creating a more equitable system where value flows directly between creator and consumer. 4. **Transparency and Trust**\ Unlike traditional systems shrouded in secrecy, Nostr operates on an open protocol. This transparency builds trust and removes many of the frustrations people associate with hidden fees, arbitrary rules, or lack of accountability in centralized systems. ### A New Relationship with Money By decentralizing how value is exchanged and communication occurs, Nostr helps redefine the role of money in our lives. It shifts the narrative from control and dependency to empowerment and freedom. Money becomes what it was always meant to be—a tool, not a master. Imagine a world where tipping someone online is as easy as liking a post, where no one can block you from accessing your own funds, and where creators earn directly from their audience without gatekeepers taking a cut. That’s the world Nostr is helping to build. ### Closing Thoughts The love-hate relationship with money isn’t going away overnight. But as protocols like Nostr grow and mature, they offer a glimpse of what’s possible when we rethink the systems that shape our lives. By putting individuals back in control of their communication and financial exchanges, Nostr is doing more than fixing the flaws of the old system—it’s creating a new one entirely. In the end, it’s not just about money. It’s about freedom, fairness, and the ability to live a life where value flows freely, aligned with our principles and priorities. Nostr isn’t just a tool; it’s a movement. And for anyone tired of the current system, that’s something worth paying attention to.

@ f1989a96:bcaaf2c1

Good morning, readers! Welcome to 2025! As the year begins, authoritarian regimes have swiftly escalated financial repression, intensifying efforts to dismantle civil society, undermine due process, and suppress dissent. In Nicaragua, dictator Daniel Ortega advanced financial reforms that would restructure how the country’s central bank and financial institutions operate. The law empowers officials with extensive access to private financial data, the ability to monitor and restrict cross-border flows, and the capacity to deploy law enforcement on those who resist. These measures aim to trap capital in the country and ensure all economic activity aligns with regime interests while enforcing financial control over individuals and civil society. Across the Pacific, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is actively monitoring and censoring economists whose public comments diverge from state interests and narratives, threatening termination of employment if not compliant. This appears to be an attempt to enforce a single economic narrative that aligns with the CCP’s agenda and “bolsters” investor confidence in the flailing Chinese economy. In technology news, Live Wallet, a desktop app that helps users analyze their Bitcoin unspent transaction outputs (UTXOs), launched a transaction privacy analysis feature. This enables users to assess the degree of privacy in a given transaction, which is vital for those operating under the financial surveillance of authoritarian regimes. Additionally, the Bull Bitcoin mobile wallet implemented asynchronous Payjoins without a server, providing users with a more convenient and accessible way to make private transactions with less need for coordination.\ \ We end with an enlightening conversation between Bitcoin educators Anita Posch and Lorraine Marcel, founder of Bitcoin Dada, discussing the empowering nature of Bitcoin for women who face systemic rights abuses and financial repression. We also feature an article from the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) examining the vitality of privacy in public spaces and emphasizing the importance of Bitcoin’s pseudonymous nature in fostering transactional freedom. **Now, let’s jump right in!** ### [**Subscribe Here**](https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter?mc_cid=bf652c0a5a) ## **GLOBAL NEWS** #### **Nicaragua | Financial Reforms Risk Enshrining Repression Into Law** Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega has [proposed](https://havanatimes.org/features/nicaraguas-dictatorship-moves-to-control-private-banks/) financial reforms, granting the nation’s central bank more power while placing private financial institutions under greater state control. The law would restructure how the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) and the Superintendency of Banks and Other Financial Institutions (SIBOIF) operate, making them overseen by a shared board of directors chaired by current BCN president Ovidio Reyes. This proposal would empower officials with access to citizens’ and companies’ private financial data and increase their ability to monitor cross-border transactions to identify those moving funds out of the country. It further stipulates the ability to dismiss financial executives, directors, and auditors without cause and deploy law enforcement against non-compliant individuals. These measures risk enshrining financial repression into law, leaving citizens subject to financial monitoring and control. #### **China | Regime Monitoring and Censoring Economists**  The CCP is tightening [control](https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/China-says-economists-who-spread-inappropriate-views-should-be-fired) over economic discourse, targeting economists with views diverging from state narratives. This follows a [directive](https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/China-says-economists-who-spread-inappropriate-views-should-be-fired) from the Securities Association of China (SAC), which urged chief economists at brokerages to align their public statements with government policies and focus on “bolstering” investor confidence. Companies have been instructed to take strict action against “inappropriate commentaries or behaviors,” including [termination](https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/China-says-economists-who-spread-inappropriate-views-should-be-fired) if it results in “major negative impacts.” This move aims to consolidate the state’s economic messaging and muzzle independent views to ensure a single narrative that aligns with the CCP’s agenda. #### **Iran | Shutters Onramps to Digital Asset Exchanges** The Iranian government is [shutting down](https://x.com/sina_21st/status/1873097867625140230) the onramps to digital asset exchanges, confining citizens in the nation’s collapsing currency. This comes after the Iranian rial lost [37%](https://x.com/sina_21st/status/1873097867625140230) of its value against the US dollar in 2024, prompting many Iranians to turn to digital assets like Bitcoin. [Before](https://www.intellinews.com/iran-central-bank-blocks-crypto-payments-amid-industry-backlash-359655/) this recent shutdown, Iran froze the bank accounts of digital asset exchanges to prevent capital flight. The regime also suspended payment processing services under the pretense of money laundering. For Iranians enduring severe inflation, financial repression, and an isolated economy, Bitcoin represents one of the few remaining paths to financial freedom — a path the regime is now working to block. #### **Sudan | Replaces Banknotes Amid Civil War** Sudan is replacing its old banknotes with new 1,000- and 500-pound notes through a [currency replacement program](https://sudantribune.com/article294504/). Citizens are urged to deposit old notes at banks for new ones. However, the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is complicating matters. In RSF-held areas, the new currency has been declared [illegal](https://sudantribune.com/article294504/). This has left locals unable to exchange their old notes and facing the risk of losing their savings. Meanwhile, withdrawal limits, high fees, and inadequate banking access hinder citizens from exchanging their old notes in SAF-controlled regions. This currency replacement program is exacerbating financial exclusion and exposing the perils of centralized currency in conflict zones. #### **Russia | War Expenditures Driving Inflation**  Russia’s escalating [war spending](https://archive.ph/NLP9c) is fueling inflation and deepening financial hardships for its citizens. Housing costs have surged 30% since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and mortgage rates have followed, making homeownership increasingly unattainable for many. Meanwhile, a weakening ruble is quickly eroding family savings across the country. These disparities reveal the state’s failure to balance priorities, leaving Russians at the mercy of state policies and a deteriorating economy as the regime prioritizes its geopolitical offense. Citizens who never had a democratic choice to go to war are forced to pay the consequences. #### **Cambodia | Approves Stablecoins While Bitcoin Remains Banned** The National Bank of Cambodia now [permits](https://beincrypto.com/cambodia-approves-stablecoins-bans-bitcoin/) financial institutions to offer services using “qualifying” stablecoins (a digital currency pegged to a fiat currency) despite maintaining a nationwide ban on Bitcoin. This directive seeks to better [regulate](https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501615291/cambodias-nbc-approves-stablecoins-and-backed-coins-but-excludes-bitcoin/) digital asset operations, with stablecoins being a focal point, likely due to their centralized nature and easier oversight. This comes after Cambodia’s government recently [blocked](https://beincrypto.com/cambodia-approves-stablecoins-bans-bitcoin/) 16 digital asset exchanges. Concerns over the regime’s ability to monitor and control stablecoins are amplified by cases like Tether previously (USDT) [freezing](https://beincrypto.com/tether-freezes-usdt-huione-group/) accounts in the country. Additionally, by permitting stablecoins over Bitcoin, these regulations may serve to protect [the Bakong](https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/currency/cambodia), Cambodia’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), from greater digital currency competition, particularly in domestic payments. ## BITCOIN NEWS #### **Live Wallet | Releases Transaction Privacy Analysis** [Live Wallet](https://github.com/Jwyman328/LiveWallet), a desktop app that helps users analyze their unspent transaction outputs ([UTXOs](https://river.com/learn/bitcoins-utxo-model/)), just released a feature enabling users to [assess](https://github.com/Jwyman328/LiveWallet/releases) the privacy of their Bitcoin transactions. With the release, users can now gauge the degree of privacy in a given transaction and label them accordingly. To do so, Live Wallet analyzes transactions for factors such as connection to other bitcoin addresses, amount of bitcoin in the wallets used, reuse of the same bitcoin address, and more. This feature will help human rights defenders and dissidents to better protect their financial privacy while operating in countries ruled by authoritarian regimes. #### **Bull Bitcoin Wallet | Implements Serverless Asynchronous Payjoin** [Bull Bitcoin Wallet](https://github.com/SatoshiPortal/bullbitcoin-mobile), an open-source and self-custodial Bitcoin wallet for Android, became the first mobile Bitcoin wallet to allow users to send and receive [asynchronous Payjoin transactions](https://www.bullbitcoin.com/blog/bull-bitcoin-wallet-payjoin) without running their own server. Payjoin is a privacy-enhancing technique for Bitcoin transactions, where both the sender and receiver contribute inputs to the transaction, making it more difficult to ascertain who the payer and payee are. Implementing asynchronous Payjoin in its mobile wallet means users can now conduct Payjoins even if one party is not actively online to participate in the transaction. This provides users with a more convenient and accessible way to make private transactions with less need for coordination. #### **RaspiBlitz | Integrates Alby Hub**  [RaspiBlitz](https://github.com/raspiblitz/raspiblitz), an open-source project enabling users to run a Bitcoin and Lightning Network node on a Raspberry Pi, introduced an [Alby Hub](https://albyhub.com/) [integration](https://github.com/raspiblitz/raspiblitz/releases/tag/v1.11.4). With this update, individuals can use Raspberry Pis (a small, low-cost computer) to host Alby Hub, a self-custodial, open-source Lightning wallet that easily connects to freedom tech apps like Nostr clients. A popular use for Alby Hub is to make micropayments on the decentralized, censorship-resistant protocol Nostr. HRF is proud to see the integration of self-custodial tools from this past HRF grantee. #### **Blockstream | Introduces Jade Plus Signing Device** [Blockstream](https://blockstream.com/), a company developing Bitcoin technology and software, released a [new](https://blog.blockstream.com/introducing-the-all-new-blockstream-jade-plus-simple-enough-for-beginners-advanced-enough-for-cypherpunks/) version of its [Jade hardware wallet](https://blockstream.com/jade/), the [Jade Plus](https://store.blockstream.com/products/jade-plus). Hardware wallets are devices that allow users to securely transact and custody their Bitcoin while keeping the [private key](https://river.com/learn/terms/p/private-key/) offline. Jade Plus features a larger, brighter display, an enhanced camera for scanning QR codes, and offline firmware updates. The device is also capable of fully air-gapped (disconnected from the Internet) transactions. These improvements will make it easier for non-technical users to securely self-custody their Bitcoin. You can view it [here](https://store.blockstream.com/products/jade-plus). #### **Zapstore | Adds Ability to “Zap” App Developers** [Zapstore](https://zapstore.dev/), a decentralized and censorship-proof app store built on the Nostr protocol, recently [added](https://github.com/zapstore/zapstore/releases/tag/0.2.0) the ability to “Zap” (a bitcoin micropayment) app developers via the Lightning Network. With Zapstore, developers can publish and “sign” their application in a permissionless manner to the open-source Nostr protocol, making it available for everyone to use. Rather than relying on a centralized app store (such as Google Play) to verify the legitimacy of a developer and their app, users can use their “[web of trust](https://stacker.news/items/477386)” to view which users follow and “endorse” the app developer. By adding the functionality to Zap, Zapstore lets users support developers building decentralized and censorship-resistant tools for those living in countries ruled by authoritarian regimes. #### **Mi Primer Bitcoin | Launches Community Hub** [Mi Primer Bitcoin](https://es.myfirstbitcoin.io/), a nonprofit advancing open-source Bitcoin education, [launched](https://myfirstbitcoin.io/my-first-bitcoin-launches-community-hub-a-platform-for-independent-bitcoin-educators/) a Community Hub, a new platform to support independent Bitcoin Educators. The hub includes two main components: a wiki to provide educators with information and educational resources, and a forum where educators can meet and collaborate to enhance their operations and curriculum. As Mi Primer Bitcoin’s course gets more widely used by communities and educators in autocratic countries, these new resources are sure to benefit those in need for better information about financial freedom. ## RECOMMENDED CONTENT #### **How Bitcoin is Changing Lives for Women in Kenya with Bitcoin Dada** In this [interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6LZiAC8Qhc), Bitcoin educator [Anita Posch](https://www.youtube.com/@AnitaPosch) interviews [Lorraine Marcel](https://x.com/marcelorraine), the founder of [Bitcoin Dada](https://btcdada.com/), a women-focused Bitcoin education program in Kenya. They discuss how Bitcoin can empower and uplift women in Africa and beyond, especially those who lack fundamental rights and face financial discrimination. Marcel believes Bitcoin offers a path to financial independence and freedom by breaking social barriers and offering an inclusive, nondiscriminatory technology that empowers women. Watch the full conversation [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6LZiAC8Qhc). #### **Privacy in Public by Bradley Rettler, Andrew Bailey, and Craig Warmke** In this three-part series for the [Bitcoin Policy Institute](https://www.btcpolicy.org/), philosophers Bradley Rettler, Andrew Bailey, and Craig Warmke discuss the idea of privacy in public spaces. The authors argue that privacy is more than just a personal right but also a vital [public good](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/public-good.asp). Further, they examine how Bitcoin’s pseudonymity fosters freedom, allowing individuals to engage in financial and social interactions without fear of surveillance or coercion. The series presents a thought-provoking case for why preserving privacy is a defining cornerstone of a free and open society. You can read [part 1](https://www.btcpolicy.org/articles/privacy-in-public-part-1-what-privacy-is-and-why-it-matters), [part 2](https://www.btcpolicy.org/articles/part-2-the-importance-of-financial-privacy), and [part 3](https://www.btcpolicy.org/articles/privacy-in-public-part-3-cash-and-bitcoin) here. *If this article was forwarded to you and you enjoyed reading it, please consider subscribing to the Financial Freedom Report [here](https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter?mc_cid=bf652c0a5a).* *Support the newsletter by donating bitcoin to HRF’s Financial Freedom program [via BTCPay](https://hrf.org/btc).*\ *Want to contribute to the newsletter? Submit tips, stories, news, and ideas by emailing us at ffreport @ [hrf.org](http://hrf.org/)* *The Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF) is accepting grant proposals on an ongoing basis. The Bitcoin Development Fund is looking to support Bitcoin developers, community builders, and educators. Submit proposals [here](https://forms.monday.com/forms/57019f8829449d9e729d9e3545a237ea?r=use1)*. [**Subscribe to newsletter**](http://financialfreedomreport.org/) [**Apply for a grant**](https://forms.monday.com/forms/57019f8829449d9e729d9e3545a237ea?r=use1&mc_cid=39c1c9b7e8&mc_eid=778e9876e3) [**Support our work**](https://hrf.org/btc?mc_cid=39c1c9b7e8&mc_eid=778e9876e3) [**Visit our website**](https://hrf.org/programs/financial-freedom/)

@ 5a8e581f:c150c8ba

Doing Bitcoin the right way is hard. If Bull Bitcoin wanted to take the easy path, we would have done what all the other exchanges are doing and would simply have offered a custodial wallet to our users. But our mission is not to sell numbers on a screen, fake paper bitcoin and IOUs. Our mission is to create sovereign individuals. If our clients don’t take full control over their wealth, we have failed them. If we wanted to take the easy path, we would have offered shitcoin trading, NFTs, ICOs, yield and all sorts of nonsense. No doubt, we would today be far more wealthy. But we would have failed in our mission to establish a universal Bitcoin standard and fixed the problems created by easy money. We would have compromised on our values and sold products that we don’t believe in and we don’t personally use. If we wanted to take the easy path, we wouldn't have spent years building open-source software that lets any business run their own self-hosted Bitcoin wallet API infrastructure connected directly to their own Bitcoin, Lightning and Liquid network nodes. We would have just done a deal with Coinbase or another third party to take care of the Bitcoin engineering on our behalf. But we would have failed in our mission to help keep the Bitcoin network decentralized and resilient to institutional failures. We would have lost our direct and precious connection to the Bitcoin network. The engineering, operational and logistical challenges involved in maintaining a noncustodial Bitcoin service like Bull Bitcoin, in an environment where Bitcoin network fees are increasingly high, while also maintaining an accessible user experience with minimal compromises on the cypherpunk principles of Bitcoin… are impossibly hard to fathom for the vast majority of Bitcoiners. Despite consistently taking the most difficult path at every turn, Bull Bitcoin has nonetheless been crushing it for the past 10 years thanks to our Bitcoiner ethos and mindset, sticking to our core values and creating products with a singular focus: engineering sovereignty. All of this we accomplished without any outside funding. Every sat invested in Bull Bitcoin was acquired by offering a service valued by our customers. Every network fee we pay, every investment in R&D comes straight out of our pockets. If our bitcoin-only noncustodial model fails and we become unprofitable, there will be no bailout. As a low-time preference business, taking the hard path today means we will have a unique competitive advantage in the future. Nobody uses Bitcoin more than a non-custodial exchange. Every trade and every revenue generating activity is derived directly from a Bitcoin payment. We are keenly aware of every possible problem that Bitcoin users may be facing, because we are ourselves are a power user. We know what kinds of problems the users will face, what solutions we need to build and how we must adapt. We always skate where the puck is going. But there is another, more noble purpose to choosing the hard path. I'm also heavily involved in a community circular economy project in Costa Rica called Bitcoin Jungle. We spend countless hours to educate locals, set merchants up with Bitcoin point of sales, and build the infrastructure necessary for Bitcoin to thrive as a medium of exchange in even the most rural areas. All of this we do for free, and in fact it we pay for it out of pocket! I discovered recently that a few people were skeptical of our efforts. I met one of them and he asked us “but why are you doing this, if you don't make any money from it”. We do it because we love Bitcoin. We believe in the ideology of Bitcoin, its underlying cypherpunk and free market principles. We do it because we as sovereign individuals cannot live in isolation and we all benefit from the success of our communities. We do it because we want our kids to grow up in a world that is free from the evils of Fiat currency. May our children never suffer the corruption of participating in a socialist economic system that steals their time and their wealth by the simple fact of interacting with fiat currency. We do it because doing it is a moral imperative. In a world of systematic injustice, doing nothing is to be complicit. You cannot live a virtuous life with the knowledge that you had the capacity to act heroically but chose to capitulate. Bitcoin is at the center of a spiritual war between forces of corruption and forces of liberation. There is a higher power that calls us to become the resistance. Bitcoin is hope. Bitcoin is salvation. If Bitcoin fails, everyone on earth is truly and utterly fucked. We are on the cusp of a fundamental civilizational change. The global debt-fueled fiat ponzi is imploding right before our eyes. What comes next is up to us to determine. We are the right place and the right time. We have a unique window of opportunity that may not come again within our lifetimes and that of our children. The choices we make today will shape what the world looks hundreds of years from now. Whether our descendants live in totalitarian dystopias or will be ushering in a new era of prosperity and freedom depends on our willingness to choose the hard path today. And if you think the hard part is over and that Bitcoin has already won, think again. During our decade of operational experience, there were few serious attacks on the Bitcoin network. Bitcoin had relatively low levels of adoption and apart from a few periods of intense fee spikes and the fork wars of 2017, it was smooth sailing. Bitcoin was mostly flying under the radar, left to develop organically in the hands of its cypherpunk caretakers. This era of complacency is over. From now on, everything is about to get much, much harder. This is what we live for! Nothing easy is worth pursuing. Bull Bitcoin hasn't given up on Bitcoin's mission to free humanity from the shackles of fiat slavery and centralized systems, we are reinvigorated by the challenges that Bitcoin is facing and that will continue to intensify. We will not give up on Bitcoin's use case as a medium of exchange and we will continue to build tools that make it easy for anyone to opt out of the traditional banking system to conduct peer-to-peer transactions securely, as was originally intended by Satoshi when launched the Bitcoin project. This new epoch, Bull Bitcoin is leveling up to an entire new standard for consumer-facing Bitcoin apps, higher than anyone has ever seen. We have been thinking about how to make our unique noncustodial model work sustainably long-term for years. This is the hill that we choose to die on. But as we entered into a new Bitcoin epoch, I've witnessed many in the Bitcoin community become cynical, fatalistic and even depressed. It’s hard to blame them. Privacy-preserving tools are being shut down. The Lightning Network is suffering scalability issues. The Bitcoin blockchain is being spammed by degenerate NFT gamblers, driving up transaction fees for everyone else. Bankers and Wall Street insiders are accumulating Bitcoin fortunes and promoting exchange traded funds as an alternative to self-custody. Bitcoin mining is being heavily centralized among a small group of American-based public companies. It sometimes feels like Bitcoin is under attack by various nefarious interests that want to control it and corrupt it. Even from within our own community we are suffering from prophets of doom spewing fear, uncertainty and doubt. Many sneer that Lightning is broken, that Bitcoin has been co-opted by Wall Street. Some say we should give up and switch to altcoins. Some pundits blame “lasereyed maxis” for blocking protocol changes and claim that being conservative about modifying the rules of Bitcoin means “ossification” and that's the reason why Bitcoin has high fees. Others are pushing the idea that Bitcoin was never meant for payments anyway and that being a store of value was always the main goal of Bitcoin. Who cares about the poor? The plebs can always keep their funds on an exchange. At Bull Bitcoin, we see it very differently. We have a realistic and optimistic approach towards building a bright future for Bitcoin. I have never been so bullish on the future Bitcoin as I am today. Make no mistake: the core principles of Bitcoin self-custody, censorship-resistance and privacy are under attack. But the Bitcoin community possesses a unique advantage that will ultimately allow us to prevail: not only do we have skin in the game, we have soul in the game. Our tribe of a few thousand cypherpunk Bitcoin maximalist fanatics stand against an empire of fiat clones, millions of faceless cogs in a soulless machine. I like our odds. While I agree that we should never take Bitcoin’s success for granted, the bleak picture that some want to paint regarding the state of Bitcoin is detached from reality. We've already achieved incredible technological miracles. The fact that it is possible for a user to run a Lightning network node on a mobile device and make fully trustless payments is a monumental achievement. Despite what they claim I can guarantee that no other shitcoin or fiat payment system has anywhere near the level of sophistication of Bitcoin. It is an incredibly bullish sign for the Bitcoin ecosystem that we have achieved a level where users can remain fully sovereign if they have the means. Scaling Bitcoin so that it can enable hundreds of millions of people to become sovereign individuals is the most pressing challenge of our times. Our community must accept inevitable realities: not everybody will be able to afford on-chain transactions. The success of Bitcoin means that one day, during our lifetimes, a single Bitcoin translation will cost hundreds of dollars. Upgrading the Bitcoin protocol may allow us to create tools that enable a more secure, censorship-resistant and private payment mechanism, but no soft fork can fix the fundamental tradeoffs of the Bitcoin protocol. But this doesn't mean that we should either give up on Bitcoin’s value proposition as a medium of exchange, or that we must fork bitcoin according to the whims of whoever is trending on Twitter, nor should we capitulate to traditional exchanges acting as banks for the vast majority of users. To fix the inconvenient and expensive user experience that most people are suffering in times of high fees while making the minimum amount of compromises, you need vision and execution. There is an army of shadowy super coders that, like us, have dedicated their lives to ensure that Bitcoin becomes the universal medium of exchange, store of value and medium of account. We come from different walks of life and we have different strategies. Some of us work on self-sovereign consumer applications. Other focus of privacy protocols, mining decentralization, second later payment networks, e-cash protocols, and finally, as a last resort, some are working to add changes to the Bitcoin protocol which can enable tools that we currently cannot build. At Bull Bitcoin, our vision of the future Bitcoin experience is crystal clear. It is a vision of success and integrity, where the path of least resistance for the user is also the path of least compromise. We, the Bitcoin builders, will make it real.

@ 0d97beae:c5274a14

This article hopes to complement the article by Lyn Alden on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk_HWmmwiAs ## The reason why we have broken money Before the invention of key technologies such as the printing press and electronic communications, even such as those as early as morse code transmitters, gold had won the competition for best medium of money around the world. In fact, it was not just gold by itself that became money, rulers and world leaders developed coins in order to help the economy grow. Gold nuggets were not as easy to transact with as coins with specific imprints and denominated sizes. However, these modern technologies created massive efficiencies that allowed us to communicate and perform services more efficiently and much faster, yet the medium of money could not benefit from these advancements. Gold was heavy, slow and expensive to move globally, even though requesting and performing services globally did not have this limitation anymore. Banks took initiative and created derivatives of gold: paper and electronic money; these new currencies allowed the economy to continue to grow and evolve, but it was not without its dark side. Today, no currency is denominated in gold at all, money is backed by nothing and its inherent value, the paper it is printed on, is worthless too. Banks and governments eventually transitioned from a money derivative to a system of debt that could be co-opted and controlled for political and personal reasons. Our money today is broken and is the cause of more expensive, poorer quality goods in the economy, a larger and ever growing wealth gap, and many of the follow-on problems that have come with it. ## Bitcoin overcomes the "transfer of hard money" problem Just like gold coins were created by man, Bitcoin too is a technology created by man. Bitcoin, however is a much more profound invention, possibly more of a discovery than an invention in fact. Bitcoin has proven to be unbreakable, incorruptible and has upheld its ability to keep its units scarce, inalienable and counterfeit proof through the nature of its own design. Since Bitcoin is a digital technology, it can be transferred across international borders almost as quickly as information itself. It therefore severely reduces the need for a derivative to be used to represent money to facilitate digital trade. This means that as the currency we use today continues to fare poorly for many people, bitcoin will continue to stand out as hard money, that just so happens to work as well, functionally, along side it. Bitcoin will also always be available to anyone who wishes to earn it directly; even China is unable to restrict its citizens from accessing it. The dollar has traditionally become the currency for people who discover that their local currency is unsustainable. Even when the dollar has become illegal to use, it is simply used privately and unofficially. However, because bitcoin does not require you to trade it at a bank in order to use it across borders and across the web, Bitcoin will continue to be a viable escape hatch until we one day hit some critical mass where the world has simply adopted Bitcoin globally and everyone else must adopt it to survive. Bitcoin has not yet proven that it can support the world at scale. However it can only be tested through real adoption, and just as gold coins were developed to help gold scale, tools will be developed to help overcome problems as they arise; ideally without the need for another derivative, but if necessary, hopefully with one that is more neutral and less corruptible than the derivatives used to represent gold. ## Bitcoin blurs the line between commodity and technology Bitcoin is a technology, it is a tool that requires human involvement to function, however it surprisingly does not allow for any concentration of power. Anyone can help to facilitate Bitcoin's operations, but no one can take control of its behaviour, its reach, or its prioritisation, as it operates autonomously based on a pre-determined, neutral set of rules. At the same time, its built-in incentive mechanism ensures that people do not have to operate bitcoin out of the good of their heart. Even though the system cannot be co-opted holistically, It will not stop operating while there are people motivated to trade their time and resources to keep it running and earn from others' transaction fees. Although it requires humans to operate it, it remains both neutral and sustainable. Never before have we developed or discovered a technology that could not be co-opted and used by one person or faction against another. Due to this nature, Bitcoin's units are often described as a commodity; they cannot be usurped or virtually cloned, and they cannot be affected by political biases. ## The dangers of derivatives A derivative is something created, designed or developed to represent another thing in order to solve a particular complication or problem. For example, paper and electronic money was once a derivative of gold. In the case of Bitcoin, if you cannot link your units of bitcoin to an "address" that you personally hold a cryptographically secure key to, then you very likely have a derivative of bitcoin, not bitcoin itself. If you buy bitcoin on an online exchange and do not withdraw the bitcoin to a wallet that you control, then you legally own an electronic derivative of bitcoin. Bitcoin is a new technology. It will have a learning curve and it will take time for humanity to learn how to comprehend, authenticate and take control of bitcoin collectively. Having said that, many people all over the world are already using and relying on Bitcoin natively. For many, it will require for people to find the need or a desire for a neutral money like bitcoin, and to have been burned by derivatives of it, before they start to understand the difference between the two. Eventually, it will become an essential part of what we regard as common sense. ## Learn for yourself If you wish to learn more about how to handle bitcoin and avoid derivatives, you can start by searching online for tutorials about "Bitcoin self custody". There are many options available, some more practical for you, and some more practical for others. Don't spend too much time trying to find the perfect solution; practice and learn. You may make mistakes along the way, so be careful not to experiment with large amounts of your bitcoin as you explore new ideas and technologies along the way. This is similar to learning anything, like riding a bicycle; you are sure to fall a few times, scuff the frame, so don't buy a high performance racing bike while you're still learning to balance.

@ f4db5270:3c74e0d0

 Presenting the Art Calendar 2025 in A4 format, featuring an exclusive selection of my most significant paintings. Each month is enhanced by a unique work of art, carefully chosen to accompany you with inspiration and beauty. The calendar comes with a handy spiral and hanging loop, perfect for decorating your home or office in style. An unmissable opportunity to have my creations with you all year long! ----------- [Click here](https://creatr.nostr.wine/creator/content/9e4b3f9d-7370-44a6-95df-1f8290c670f4.mp4) to view the content of the paintings in the calendar. ----------- Buy it [here](https://lapp.lifpay.me/en/checkout/c3632a7f-dc71-4299-b843-df535dfb6f64) 👈

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

**Table Of Content** - Is Dubai Crypto-Friendly? - Steps to Buying Bitcoin in Dubai - Other Buying Options - Banking with Bitcoin in the UAE - A Word of Caution - Conclusion - FAQ Dubai, often referred to as the "City of Gold," has always been at the forefront of financial innovation. Its towering skyscrapers, bustling markets, and technological advancements make it a hub for global investors. In recent years, the allure of cryptocurrency, particularly Bitcoin, has caught the attention of many in this desert paradise. With its strategic location and forward-thinking policies, Dubai offers a unique blend of traditional finance and the emerging world of digital currencies. **Is Dubai Crypto-Friendly?** Dubai's progressive stance on technology and finance is well-documented. The city and the broader United Arab Emirates (UAE) have embraced the digital currency revolution with open arms. Not only does the UAE offer enticing tax benefits like zero tax on cryptocurrency trading, but there's also an absence of income or capital gains tax. This fiscal environment, combined with a robust regulatory framework, has positioned the UAE as a global leader in the crypto space. While the government doesn't recognize cryptocurrencies as official legal tender, it has ensured a safe environment for enthusiasts to purchase, hold, and trade digital assets without legal hindrances. **Steps to Buying Bitcoin in Dubai** **Choose an Exchange** The digital currency market is vast, and choosing the right exchange is paramount. It's essential to prioritize security, given the digital nature of these transactions. Potential investors should not only research the exchange's history but also delve into user reviews and any reported security breaches. Prominent exchanges in the UAE, such as eToro, OKX, HTX, and Binance, have built a reputation for reliability and security. **Register** The registration process is the first step towards your crypto journey. Most exchanges require basic information like email and a strong password. It's crucial to use unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication, if available, to enhance account security. The Know Your Customer (KYC) checks are standard procedures to prevent illicit activities. This often involves submitting a government-issued photo ID. **Fund and Buy** After setting up your account, the next step is funding. Most exchanges accept funds from bank accounts, credit cards, or even other cryptocurrencies. Once funded, you can navigate the platform to purchase Bitcoin or explore other available digital currencies. **Storing Your Bitcoin Safely** **Online Wallets:** Digital wallets, often referred to as "hot wallets," are online storage solutions for your cryptocurrencies. They are convenient for regular traders as they offer quick access to funds. Platforms like Trust Wallet and Electrum are popular choices. However, being online, they are susceptible to hacks, so it's essential to use them judiciously. **Hardware Wallets:** For long-term investors or those with significant holdings, hardware wallets are the gold standard in security. These physical devices store your private keys offline, making them immune to online hacks. Brands like Trezor or Ledger Nano have become synonymous with crypto security. **Other Buying Options** **Bitcoin ATMs:** A testament to the UAE's progressive crypto stance is the presence of Bitcoin ATMs. These machines, like traditional ATMs, allow users to purchase Bitcoin. The Rixos Premium Dubai Hotel, a symbol of luxury, houses Dubai's first Bitcoin ATM, offering tourists and residents alike a quick way to enter the crypto market. **Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Trading:** P2P platforms facilitate direct transactions between buyers and sellers, bypassing intermediaries. While centralized exchanges dominate the Dubai market, platforms like Binance, Paxful, and OKX offer P2P options, combining the best of both worlds. **Banking with Bitcoin in the UAE** The banking sector in the UAE, known for its robustness and innovation, has shown a keen interest in the crypto realm. Several banks have adopted crypto-friendly policies, making it easier for investors and businesses in the crypto space. The First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), one of the region's largest banks, stands out in this regard. While it doesn't directly offer crypto trading, it facilitates its customers to link their accounts with crypto exchanges. This integration, combined with FAB's future plans around digital assets, showcases the bank's commitment to financial innovation. **A Word of Caution** The world of cryptocurrencies, while exciting, is also fraught with volatility. Dubai's vibrant financial landscape offers numerous opportunities to engage with digital currencies. However, like any investment, it's imperative to approach it with caution. Prices of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies can swing dramatically, often within short time frames. Aspiring investors should arm themselves with knowledge, stay updated with market trends, and perhaps most importantly, never invest more than they can afford to lose. **Conclusion** Dubai, with its blend of tradition and modernity, has once again proven its mettle by embracing the digital currency revolution. The city's progressive policies, combined with a robust financial infrastructure, make it an attractive destination for both novice and seasoned crypto investors. From the presence of global crypto exchanges to the integration of Bitcoin ATMs, Dubai offers a comprehensive ecosystem for those keen to explore the world of cryptocurrencies. However, as with all financial ventures, it's essential to tread with caution. The volatile nature of cryptocurrencies demands thorough research, continuous learning, and a measured approach. While the allure of digital gold is undeniable, it's crucial to remember the age-old adage: "Invest only what you can afford to lose. **FAQ** **Are there any taxes on cryptocurrency trading in the UAE?** No, the UAE offers zero tax on cryptocurrency trading, and there's no income or capital gains tax. **How can I buy Bitcoin in Dubai?** You can purchase Bitcoin through crypto exchanges, Bitcoin ATMs, or P2P platforms available in Dubai. **Are there Bitcoin ATMs in Dubai?** Yes, Dubai's first Bitcoin ATM was installed at the Rixos Premium Dubai Hotel in 2019. **Which banks in the UAE are crypto-friendly?** Several banks, including the First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), have crypto-friendly policies. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [@croxroadnews](https://x.com/croxroadnewsco)** **Instagram: [@croxroadnews.co](https://www.instagram.com/croxroadnews.co/)** **Youtube: [@croxroadnews](https://www.youtube.com/@croxroadnews)** **Store: https://croxroad.store** **Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter** **https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe** *DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.*

@ 84b0c46a:417782f5

nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qqs0df2mwnp2q6hm6zjrthkmx3fudwsuwrmgnwrdavpzgjy8nnuqm5cqpd06k nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qqs2muhvnev5367ywuzkhell9my86jlnzhsnuszwl46tnc3fpsx9mtgjkqnu7 nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qqsznnkrl8qdwzgp7ry2hc7a77kwhg440gv9xtmvyfawggrpz3rhwvcx4rckf nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qqsyjf80k3djt96qncgvwl2yem09fdqcc0y9l8t657yc9qg2yhmg7kcnua8vn nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qqs0s3lp0w0yclk64j0tpc5fvrulv78g2lfjz3gcgacw9mt6czek26qtqxuck nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qywhwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnrdakhq6tvv5kk2unjdaezumn9wsqs6amnwvaz7tmev9382tndv5qjqamnwvaz7tmjv4kxz7fddfczumn0wd68ytnhd9ex2erwv46zu6nsqqs89tst72clc60wse3zq4qfs0976y7areffnhx26atvu6pv58hg6dsxvcc79 nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qyxhwumn8ghj77tpvf6jumt9qys8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtt2wqhxummnw3ezuamfwfjkgmn9wshx5uqpr3mhxue69uhhxun5wfjkccte9e3j6um5v4kxcctj9ehx2aqqyp5k40r3ug02yz5y0tn67tm2lwevuwac54qyw3yyct8n8uzr7pjz2q92pyt nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qyxhwumn8ghj77tpvf6jumt9qys8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtt2wqhxummnw3ezuamfwfjkgmn9wshx5uqqyp9pennjwq2qk4dxpr440wxqm5cfwah4qccd8la62hantxdelkk82ty9mr8 nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qyxhwumn8ghj77tpvf6jumt9qqsz9w30kxzjshwd8sq7jg2hsy2hwqg3zu7gyvxnsyrgfw0ur4rkhsg9v0re4 nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qyxhwumn8ghj77tpvf6jumt9qqs8wkx2r8txt9q69c3zvpqs2em2s40nc8tajmcc5l8ngxn8v2ng3sc43xvzu nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qyxhwumn8ghj77tpvf6jumt9qys8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtt2wqhxummnw3ezuamfwfjkgmn9wshx5uqqyzdkacpjqvv2y79zgvufx9jh39rd7xa8v056rgn4xelmnmrq9u2tuguswek nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qy2hwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnyv96xztngv96hxqpqmdtjrs38fv8r20deplrlt8fma54gu43keuzquzks7673a27ud58slunr8y nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpp9sc34tdxdvxh4jeg5xgu9ctcypmvsg0n00vwfjydkrjaqh0qh4qyxhwumn8ghj77tpvf6jumt9qys8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtt2wqhxummnw3ezuamfwfjkgmn9wshx5uqpr4mhxue69uhkummnw3ezucm0d4cxjmr994jhyun0wghxuet5qqsxzpx2r5hd36pruzn2e58wh947y2t0t205fp5xtstqp5wq0qgcjuq07rqlk

@ 000002de:c05780a7

 originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/845462

@ 746a245a:7a8d8b34

--- # 1. Self custody Always. Send your BTC to cold storage. Don't hesitate because of high network fees when mempool activity is high. Rather pay 10% or more to secure your coins than risk loosing 100% of a cosiderable amount. If you have questions about self custody see this guide on the [5 Best Practices to Store Your Bitcoin](nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqar2y3ddy98xj55723803fp8vmz4ldst088sptgxgzg9qdagmze5qqdxy6t5vdhkjm3dwd6x7unpvajj6etnwdjkuarfv9k8x2xrd3w). # 2. Back up well Restore a wallet at least once. Make sure you know how to get back your coins in a worst case scenario. (Also make sure your heirs are able to do it when time comes.) # 3. Never try to time the market DCA. Set it and forget it. Monthly, weekly, by-weekly or daily doesn't matter. Choose what best suits you. Do this for the majority of your BTC allocation. You can not time the bottom. Period. (But you can have a little pile of FIAT to buy dips when they occur.) # 4. You can not time the top either Never sell the majority of your Stack. Take a little profit if things go parabolic to reward yourself but always keep your main stack intact. It can be hard to get it back. And it will only go up with time. HODL and understand what you own. # 5. Keep emotions out Greed and fear are the main factors for people to get wrecked. Slow steady purchases, even tiny ones, all go to building a stack. # 6. Never use leverage Just don't. No, not even if BTC is below 10k. Make sure every sat you own truly belongs to you. # 7. Every sat counts Even if it's small amounts, just keep dca-ing and stacking sats. Little pieces add up. 0.001 BTC = $25 at the time of this writing. Do this 100 times and you have a tenth of a BTC. If you have very little FIAT, stack free sats. You can: * use faucets (like [freebitco.in](https://freebitco.in) or [cointiply.com](https://cointiply.com/)) * do tasks (like [microlancer.io](https://microlancer.io/)) * play games (like [Bitcoin Miner](https://blog.zebedee.io/bitcoin-miner-game/)) * shop with services like [lolli.com](https://www.lolli.com/) or [foldapp.com](https://foldapp.com/) * listen to podcasts (with [fountain.fm](https://www.fountain.fm/)) * educate yourself on Bitcoin (with [BitcoinMagazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/)) * or be active and provide value in communities like [nostr](https://nostr.com/), [stacker.news](https://stacker.news) or [habla.news](https://habla.news) Remember: Faucets used to give hundreds of Bitcoin per day. Now it's 5-250 sats 10 years later. In 10 years it may be 1-5 sats. # 8. Don't go all in Keep FIAT to survive hard times without being forced to sell BTC. (for example 6 months of monthly spending) # 9. Enjoy life while stacking There is only one thing that is more precious than Bitcoin. **It is lifetime**. Stack sats, but also stack moments. Be present and enjoy life. Every day. No amount of BTC can ever buy back lifetime. Remind yourself of this often. # 10. Don't forget yourself Always have a little fun money to maintain hobbys, traveling and to treat yourself. Otherwise you might burn out quickly. # 11. Involve your significant other Make sure he/she knows the reason why you do what you do. Otherwise you risk burning out him/her too. # 12. Automate and relax When you check your portfolio ten times a day or more think of automating things. Don't trade lifetime and serenity for small gains. # 13. Don't do shitcoins Most altcoins never reach their ATH again. BTC and BTC only. # 14. Stay humble Never get lured by offers that promise yield in exchange for holding your BTC. FTX was a recent example of how that can end. # 15. You lost your keys in a boating accident Never share how much Bitcoin you own. Better yet, don't share that you own any at all (exception: rule #11). The less is known about you having BTC, the less risk. Also consider buying non KYC. For example with [robosats](https://learn.robosats.com/) or [bisq](https://bisq.network/). # 16. Don't rush. Be patient It is a marathon, not a sprint. Time is on your side. You already own Bitcoin. **You won**. It isn't a race like with FIAT where you have to fight inflation. You preserve wealth. # 17. Increase your FIAT earnings Learn profitable skills to increase your buying power and generally grow as a person. Even if you loose all your wealth, nobody can take away your skills to accumulate it again. # 18. Don't compare Every stack of BTC is better than no stack of BTC. And even if you are a whale: there will always be a bigger fish somewhere in the sea ... # 19. You don't need 1 full BTC This was huge for me! The urge to have one full BTC is very FIAT minded thinking. Goals are cool but: **21 million BTC / 8 billion humans in the world =0,00262500 BTC** And not even that is possible because of the 1,1 m BTC wallet of Satoshi Nakamoto and lost coins. You can find out the exact amount every individual on earth could possibly own at [satoshisperperson.com](https://satoshisperperson.com/). Not everyone needs a whole coin. About 225.000 sats = your little block of Bitcoin. ... That's roughly $55 at the time of this writing. Got that? Congratulations! 99% of people are still on zero. Safe your share and then slowly add more every pay check. # 20. Change perspective You can change settings in your wallet to display value in sats rather than BTC. This liberates from the feeling of shortage and the urge to fill that full BTC. It opens up the feeling of gratitude and abundance. # 21. Always learn Keep educating yourself about Bitcoin. The rabbit hole is deep ... --- ## Thank you! Thank you wonderful people who helped me gather those tips. I chose consciously to not give personal credit in this post because of rule #15 =) ## Find me on Nostr My [Nostr](https://nostr.com/) npub: npub1w34zgkkjznnf2209gnhc5snkd32lkc9hnncq45rypyzsx75d3v6qcz3ndd ## What have i missed? Do you agree with these tips? Did i miss any? Please let me know and help refine this set of rules so we can breed more an more whole coiners over time ... or let's rather call it 'satoshi millionaires' (see rule #19 ;-) *P.S. Feel free to tip me some sats or share this post if you find it helpful. Working on my own little stack too ;-)*

@ 746a245a:7a8d8b34

In the past few years i have struggled a lot to find "the right" way to store bitcoin. There is a lot of advice on this topic scattered around the web. I have consumed it, i have tested it and i have discussed it. Here is what i found to be the best practices to store your bitcoin as a newbie or intermidiate. I have split this up into two parts: - Part 1: Essentials - The absolute bare minimum requirements you need to implement ASAP (this post) - Part 2: Recommended - How to upgrade security and what mistakes to avoid (coming soon) Let's start with the Essentials ... # Part 1: Essentials I assume you already know a thing or two about bitcoin if you read this post, so i skip the obvious "No your keys not your coins" stuff. These are the absolute minimum safety requiements. If you have not implemented these, stop everything you do and follow these steps immediately: ## 1. Use a hardware wallet Hardware wallets are specificly built for one single purpose. To secure your private keys and thuss the access to your bitcoin. ### Do i really need a hardware wallet? Short answer: Yes. Long Answer: It depends on your funds. If you only have bitcoin worth a few hundred bugs, it might not be necessary. A hardware wallet costs about $50-200. But as soon as you feel uncomfortable, you should get one. It is an individual decision. Like someone doesn’t bother running around with a few thousand dollars in his pocket and another one feels uncomfortable with even a few hundred. BUT it is good practice to treat the security of your funds right now as if they already were 10x. As a 10x can happen pretty quickly, as we have seen in the past two years, and you don’t want to do security upgrades in a rush and from a point where you feel unsafe. This leads to mistakes which can lead to total loss (for example sending to a wrong address). Self custody is the first an most important rule to follow if you want to keep your coins and [become a whole coiner](nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqar2y3ddy98xj55723803fp8vmz4ldst088sptgxgzg9qdagmze5qqsnyvfdwf6kcetn946x7ttzv43k7mt994sj6amgdakx2ttrda5kuetjjq7gmc). If you can't afford a hardware wallet now, at least use a hotwallet ... ### Can i use a hotwallet instead? Hotwallets are wallets, that are connected to the internet, like Apps on your PC or smartphone. They are considered not to be as safe as harwarewallets (so called coldwallets), because if something has no connection to the internet, there is a huge part of risk being taken away. But hotwallets are still way better than leaving your funds on an exchange because with a hotwallet you get the keys to your funds. With exchanges you only get an IOU aka a promise from the exchange. And we have seen how that ends with MountGOX, FTX, Celsius, Blockfi and various others ... Use hotwallets rather on smartphone than on desktop device, as smartphones are a little more secure. A few good ones i could recommend are Blue Wallet, Green Wallet and Exodus but there are a lot of good solutions out there. Just make sure to get a 12 or 24 word seed recovery phrase when setting it up so you are really in full control of your funds. But if you can use a hardware wallet, rather choose that. ### Which wallet should i get? I did try a few but not all of them: - The one i would recommend the most at this point in time is the [Blockstream Jade Classic](https://store.blockstream.com/products/blockstream-jade-hardware-wallet) as it comes with almost all possible features you could imagine for a very reasonable price. You can even use it completely airgapped wit QR codes and use it without keystorage like a SeedSigner. I will touch on those features later on in part 2. nostr:npub1jg552aulj07skd6e7y2hu0vl5g8nl5jvfw8jhn6jpjk0vjd0waksvl6n8n is also very active on nostr and provides good support for us plebs. - Coldcard is also a hardware wallet i hear a lot of good stuff about. - As well as the BitBox02 Bitcoin only edition. - Trezor has had some security issues regarding to not having a secure element. I am sure they implemented a solution in the meantime, but i am not up to date with this so i can not recommend it without any doubt. - Ledger devices were generally considered safe but they had multiple security related incidents such as leaking customer data or admiting to be able to extract your seed from the wallet. The fact that they allow to store other crypto currencies, also introduces a bigger attack surface. Thuss i don't recommend using a ledger. If you only have a ledger it's still better than leaving your coins on an exchange though. - SeedSigner, as described, is more for advanced users or if you really want to dig into it, in my opinion. You could also use the Blockstream Jade as a SeedSigner. ### Where should i buy? This is important: Order hardware wallets ONLY straight from the store of the manufacturer. Any middleman or additional steps in the delivery process increase the risk of your device being manipulated. If you are really paranoid about this stick with Coldcard or the new Jade Plus as these models have a build in mechanism to check if they have been tempered with. Also consider using a postbox or working address when you order a hardware wallet or any bitcoin related stuff in general. The less people know that you own bitcoin, the better. ## 2. Use single-sig wallets Backup your 12 or 24 words seed phrase and store them in a secure place (safe from theft, fire, water AND CHILDREN etc. i will get to how to achieve this). Most cases in loss of bitcoin happen because of the loss of access to the keys. Not because of theft. So the biggest risk you should care for is that you don't lose access to your keys. And how do most people lose access to their keys? They either ... 1) make the backup too complex so that themselves or their heirs have no clue how to restore it or 2) they are too lazy with their backup so that a flooded basement, thrown away harddrive or deleted photo causes them to loose their bitcoin forever. Yes there are usecases for multi-sig set-ups and yes it introduces a better level of safety but it also introduces a higher risk of loosing your funds because of complexity. As a newbie or intermediate you don't have to dig into this complexity. You can, but unless you understand very well what you are doing, i wouldn't recommend using multi-sig wallets. Remember: 99% of bitcoin losses don't accure because of theft. If you still feel the need to add a little more security for this aspect, i recommend using a passphrase instead, which has also it's own trade-offs, as we will discuss in the recommended techniques in part 2. ## 3. Secure your wallet with a good PIN Don't choose your mother's birthday as your PIN or anything else that can be social engineered. The more random, the better. And the longer the better. If you use multiple hardware wallets, also use different PINs for them. PINs on their own are generally not a very good method to protect anything. A 4 digit PIN for example only gives 10,000 possible combinations (from 0000 to 9999). A modern computer can try these all out pretty fast. BUT fortunately most wallets have a solution for this: If you enter the wrong PIN multiple times in a row they will reset to default and erease the stored keys. Thuss an attacker has only a few tries. Wallets that i know of doing that are the Blockstream Jade or the Coldcard for example. Both also provide the option to set up a specific wallet erease PIN that clears the wallet when entered once. Maybe consider these factors when choosing a wallet. ## 4. Backup your seed WELL Backup your seed phrase offline, with pen and paper. Better yet on steel (more on that in upcoming part 2). But make sure that your seed phrase is NEVER being put into or shown to a device other than your hardware wallet. NEVER EVER! Don't make a picture of it to store in your cloud, don't safe it in your notes, don't think you are safe storing it in an encrypted file. You are not. Do it offline and keep it offline. Always. Now let's talk material ... ### What material should i use? Paper can burn, suffer from contact with water, be blown or thrown away and be destroyed from all other sorts of things. I found the safest way to backup a seed phrase is by hammering it into a stainless steel plate. These steelwallets don't break the bank like some fancy Cryptotag or other known brand backup solutions do and in most cases they are even better. Espacially when it comes to the backup style: ### What way to perform the backup? Plain text, letter by letter, hammered onto a steel plate. See part 2 for more details on why this is the best method. ## 5. Test your backup Every owner of a substantial amount of bitcoin should have restored his wallet at least once! Make sure you know how to get your funds back in case something goes wrong. Especially if you do more complex things like passphrases (which we will cover in part 2) but also if you only use the 12 or 24 word seeds. The way i like to do it is as follows: - Step 1) When you have set up your wallet, send a small amount of sats to it. This is a good practice anyway to make sure everything works as intended before sending larger amounts. - Step 2) After your wallet has recieved the small amount reset your device to default. That means completely whiping it. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BACKED UP YOUR SEED WELL! - Step 3) Restore your wallet with your backup. - Step 4) [optional but recommended] Send that small amount of sats back to verify that you truly have full control over this wallet. If you can access (and control) the small amount of sats, your backup works and you can now send larger amounts. This is also a good way to test if you have properly backed up your passphrase, in case you are setting up a passphrase wallet. ## Now what? When your funds grow bigger, eventually you will ask yourself: "Is this secure enough?" If you are in that position, the recommended methods in part 2 will help you upgrade your security and avoid common mistakes which could put your coins at risk (part 2 will be linked here as soon as it's available). ## What have i missed? Do you agree with these essentials on how to store bitcoin? Did i miss anything? Please let me know and help to refine this set of rules so we can help more and more people to become souverein bitcoin holders.

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

For many of us, reading isn’t just a pastime—it’s a deeply personal goal tied to self-growth, relaxation, and exploration. Yet, despite knowing its importance, we often struggle to make it happen. We start and stop, let books gather dust, and feel guilty for not finishing them. The truth? It’s not a time issue; it’s a mental barrier. This guide is designed to help you break through those barriers with a structured, rewarding framework that keeps you interested, engaged, and building momentum. Let’s turn reading into a habit you love—and can sustain. --- ### **Step 1: Understand the Real Problem** Before diving into action, take a moment to reflect. The issue isn’t that you don’t have time—it’s that you haven’t made reading a priority. Life pulls us in countless directions, but we always find time for what matters most. Reading deserves that place in your life because it nourishes your mind, brings you joy, and inspires growth. **Ask Yourself:** - Why do I want to read more? - How would my life improve if I prioritized reading? Write down your answers and keep them visible. Let your 'why' guide you forward. --- ### **Step 2: Start Where You Are (Small and Simple Wins)** Many people fail because they set huge, overwhelming goals like finishing a book every week. The secret to success? Start small. Commit to just **5 minutes a day** or a single page. Progress matters more than perfection. **Mini Challenge #1:** - Pick a book you’re genuinely excited about (not one you feel you *should* read). - Read for 5 minutes today. Just 5 minutes. When you complete this, check it off. That little win is the first step toward building momentum. --- ### **Step 3: Create a System That Fits Your Life** Habits thrive when they’re tied to something you already do. Look for natural openings in your day to read. - **Morning:** Read while sipping coffee or tea. - **Lunch Break:** Sneak in a few pages while eating. - **Evening:** Replace 10 minutes of scrolling with reading before bed. Make it impossible to forget by keeping books or an e-reader where you spend the most time: next to the bed, on the couch, or in your bag. **Mini Challenge #2:** - Set a specific time to read tomorrow. Write it down and stick to it. --- ### **Step 4: Make It Fun and Rewarding** Let’s face it—habits stick when they feel good. Build instant gratification into your reading routine. - **Gamify the Process:** Create a simple list of mini challenges (like the ones here) and cross them off as you go. - **Set Rewards:** For every milestone—like finishing a chapter or hitting a week of daily reading—treat yourself. It could be a fancy coffee, a cozy reading corner upgrade, or just the joy of marking progress. **Mini Challenge #3:** - Set a reward for finishing your first chapter or reading streak. Make it something exciting! --- ### **Step 5: Follow Your Interests, Not Rules** One of the biggest mental barriers is feeling like you *have to* finish every book you start. Forget that. Reading should be enjoyable, not a chore. If a book isn’t grabbing you, it’s okay to stop and try another. The key is to stay engaged, not stuck. **Mini Challenge #4:** - If you’re not loving a book after 50 pages, give yourself permission to move on. --- ### **Step 6: Build Momentum with Layered Challenges** To make reading exciting and natural, set challenges that grow progressively: 1. **Day 1–3:** Read 5 minutes daily. 2. **Day 4–7:** Extend to 10 minutes. 3. **Week 2:** Finish a chapter or two from a book you love. 4. **Week 3:** Try a new genre or author. Each challenge builds on the last, creating a sense of accomplishment. By the time you finish the third week, you’ll likely be hooked. --- ### **Step 7: Track and Celebrate Progress** Progress tracking is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to build a habit. Create a log to note what you’ve read, even if it’s just a chapter or a short story. Seeing your progress motivates you to keep going. **Ideas for Tracking:** - Use a journal or app to list books and dates you started/finished. - Jot down favorite quotes or lessons learned. - Share your progress with friends or join a book club for accountability. **Mini Challenge #5:** - Start a reading journal and write down what you love about the book you’re currently reading. --- ### **Step 8: Stay Flexible and Forgive Yourself** Life gets busy, and you might miss a day (or week). That’s okay. Habits are built over time, not overnight. The key is to keep coming back to your reading routine without guilt. Remember, even a little reading is better than none. --- ### **Final Thoughts** Reading is a gift you give yourself. It’s not about how fast you finish or how many books you complete—it’s about the joy, knowledge, and escape it brings. By breaking your mental barriers, starting small, and creating a system of rewards and challenges, you can make reading a natural and deeply fulfilling part of your life. So, grab a book, set a timer, and dive in. Your reading journey starts today.

@ 4dbfcb7c:eb8d1695

On order to get the Elementum add-on installed, you must first download and install the Elementum repository. >**Note:** You must first [enable 3rd Party Sources](nostr:nevent1qqsd79a7hhcu3qjrfg587eg4q753v9dquhprh6wf6wyfdjahx9swjjqpzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgtczypxmljmuthdcyj0ecl4ccg0qr8cgl0aha3w764qgkc29jzlt35tf2qcyqqqqqqgv7fw6g) in KODI. Make sure you are using a VPN. ### Download the Elementum Repository 1. Grab the file for your device from the 👉 [Elementum web page](https://elementum.surge.sh/). - (For a typical Linux OS, this will be the x64 .zip under Linux) - (For a typical Android phone, this will be the arm64 .zip file Android) ### Install Elementum Repo 2. Open Kodi and go to: - --> Settings (Gear icon) - --> Add-ons - --> Install from zip file - --> Click "Yes" on zip file warning - --> browse to Elementum .zip file & click to install (Wait for verification) ### Install Elementum Add-on 3. From Kodi home go to: - --> Settings (Gear icon) - --> Add-ons - --> Install from repository - --> ElementumOrg - --> video add-ons - --> Elementum - --> Click "Install" ⚡️ [Follow](nostr:nprofile1qqsym07t03wahqjfl8r7hrppuqvlpralklk9mm25pzmpgkgtawx3d9gpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhszyrhwden5te0dehhxarj9ekk7mf0qyt8wumn8ghj7mn0wd68yetvd96x2uewdaexwtcs3ewhj) | 🗣 [Discuss](nostr:nevent1qqsyle9lxzgt5zvd84yhvcdgm7mtthuva2fn076nhzd6qaxd4jyudzqzypxmljmuthdcyj0ecl4ccg0qr8cgl0aha3w764qgkc29jzlt35tf2qcyqqqqq2q4hy6hy) #Elementum #Bittorrent #Kodi #MediaCenter

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

I try to start and end my days well, even when the middle gets a little messy. I'm fortunate to not have to use an alarm clock to wake up. I work remotely and have a good deal of schedule flexibility, so I sleep until I wake up naturally. Of course, I also have a little kid, so "waking up naturally" isn't always as peaceful as it sounds. I've been into intermittent fasting for quite a while and I added dry fasting into the mix around a year ago. I end my dry fast relatively early with a cup of coffee around 8:00am or so. If no one else (aka my wife) has made coffee, I'll push it later. I like to put coconut oil, coconut milk, sea salt, turmeric, and cinnamon in my coffee. The first thing I eat, around 9:00 or 10:00 am, are three Brazil nuts. That's just about the only way to get an optimal level of selenium in your diet. By my understanding of ketosis, this shouldn't be enough to take my body out of a ketogenic state. I try to get a couple thousand steps in while getting ready for work, helping out with the kid, and refilling my coffee. I put off eating anything more substantial until my wife cooks something, which is usually in the early afternoon. However, as a dad, there are often good amounts of leftovers and other would be food waste that I'll eat when available. How do you try to start your days and do you also find it easier to control how your days start than how they go in the middle? originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/844949

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

The excesses of wokeness are thankfully getting their overdue correction, but as often happens with corrections, they tend to overshoot. A case in point was from the usually reasonable writer Wesley Yang on Twitter, who posted the following:  Poor long-term immigration policy has apparently led to too many foreign-born and native criminals of foreign descent in Norway, a disproportionate number of whom, per the chart, hail from Somalia and Morocco. Yang argues using this data to inform Norway’s immigration policies going forward is both unproblematic and “no longer prejudice.” This is a sleight of hand. You can advocate for designing prejudicial immigration policies based on the group to which an individual potential immigrant belongs, but you cannot both do so and pretend it is not prejudicial. This is not a point about what countries should or should not DO. They are free IMO to design immigration policies as they see fit, and there are arguments to be had over that. But there is a reactionary blindness wherein people pretend that grouping individuals by race, religion or country of origin isn't prejudicial to those individuals who have no control over how others in their assigned group behave. The grouping is justified in their view by "data" or "statistics" or "reason." The truth is most of us still view "prejudice" as negative, so no one advocating for discriminatory immigration policies wants to be considered prejudiced. They are for the policy, think it's good, and therefore try to pretend it's not prejudiced when it obviously is. Don't pretend. If you're for prejudicial, discriminatory immigration policies "for the greater good", just advocate for it on those terms. Be honest about what you're saying. This might seem like a trivial point on which to base a post, but I don’t think it is. It’s not because “prejudice is bad” or “racism!” That’s just one type of instance in which this midwit tendency — to assign individuals to a group and then pretend you are being “data-driven” — rears its terrible head. I remember a couple years ago people on Twitter accused me of “taking up an ICU bed” because I refused to inject myself with Pfizer’s latest. Their reasoning was similar: because the unvaccinated are more likely to take up ICU beds (which turned out to be a lie, but let’s assume it were true), I was in the *group* taking up more beds, therefore I was taking up a bed. The trick is to assign someone to a group in which they qualify (Somali, unvaccinated, etc.), get “data” about that group and then apply that data to the individuals within it, even if it is totally inaccurate with respect to them. This is the same trick used to justify disastrous DEI policies too. You are from a historically underprivileged group, so you deserve to be held to lower standards. It doesn’t matter if you would succeed on your own merit, it doesn’t matter your race, gender, sexual orientation are irrelevant to the task for which you are being hired, it doesn’t matter if you are the son of wealthy and famous people and attended all the best schools, you belong to a particular category and therefore this standard will be applied. But the implications of this midwit sleight of hand are even worse than that, especially on the eve of AI-based systems taking over so many of the administrative functions at both the corporate and state level. You will be categorized, and you will be pre-judged on that basis because it is far more efficient for the system to do so than to examine everyone individually. In fact, I’d argue, unlike humans, AI is incapable of seeing individuals, it sees *only* “data.” This was the premise for the movie Minority Report, set in a dystopian future wherein people get convicted of “pre-crime” because the system determined from the data about them they were likely to commit one. You might not have done anything *yet*, but based on your angry social media posts, your high testosterone, your age and background, you have a 99.9 percent chance of violence. Why not arrest you now before you victimize someone? For every 1000 victims we protect, we’ll convict only one person who would not in fact have done it! There will be many people who are for this kind of reasoning. It’s “data” after all. Never mind the data can be biased based on the grouping. Why am I grouped with other people I don’t know and over whom I have no control? What if they added 100 other parameters which showed I’m among the least likely to commit violence? Who is selecting these parameters and what are their agendas? But more to the point, such a society is not free. You are at the whims of your grouping, of parameters, of statistics. The paradigm of individual civil liberties, innocent until proven guilty, responsibility only for your own actions would be dead. You are pre-judged before you have done anything. The second-order effects of such a paradigm would be a race to the bottom. If I am not in the wrong group I can do no wrong, based on my favorable peers. I can roam the streets, commit acts of vandalism and violence with impunity, I can loaf at work, not do my job and never be fired. I would argue that under the present (and mercifully soon-to-be-departed) administration we’ve already experienced many of these effects already. So back to the original question. What is Norway to do with this “data”? One idea would be to have a non-discriminatory vetting process that involves delayed gratification and requires some diligence on the part of the prospective immigrant. This might self-sort the people capable of living in an open, prosperous western society and those who are not. You would be admitted or denied based on demonstrated suitability (merit), not with whom you were grouped (identity). This would be closer to the “postjudice” policy prescription Yang erroneously claims for his own in the cited post. Whether that results in more people of one race or another, one nationality or another getting in, isn't important. What's important is both not judging individuals on the basis of their assigned group and keeping the country free of violent criminals. Both goals are essential if we want to avoid dystopian outcomes.

@ 78b3c1ed:5033eea9

※ライトニングノード保有者向け Alby Hubをインストールした時なんもわからずポチポチしているとMegatlith LSPノードからインバウンドを購入してチャネルを開くことになります。2万sats(2024/12/4 午後7時時点で三千円ほど)かかります。 そこで誰もが思うに違いない 「高いなぁ。だれかタダで無料で私のHubにチャネル開いてくれないかなぁ...」 その願望をかなえる献身的なノードランナー(笑)がAlby Hubへチャネルを開いてあげるための手順書みたいなものがこの記事です。 ~~ppmをうんと高くしてぼったくってやりましょう！~~ ※AlbyHubにオンチェーン資金が無くてもLNDから開く方法を発見しました。末尾に追記しました。 《これはアンカーアウトプットを利用するタイプのチャネル》 条件 ・チャネルを開く側 　Clearnet IPアドレスで着信可能であること。Torノードは不可。ノードURIを公開していなくても良い。AlbyHubでピア登録できるClearnet IPアドレスと着信ポートがあればOK。 ・開いてもらうAlby Hub側 　オンチェーン資金25,000sats以上をデポジットしておく。ないと開けません。 手順 1. [Alby Hub側] オンチェーン資金をデポジット Hubログイン後の左メニューからNodeを選択。Saving BalanceのDepositを選択。するとbc1qではじまるオンチェーンアドレスが表示される。ここへ送金してオンチェーンをデポジットしておく。 2. [Alby Hub側] 開く側のノードをピア登録 左メニューからNodeを選択。右上のAdvancedからConnected Peersを選択。 右上のConnect Peerを選択。欄にノードURI (ノードID@IPアドレス:着信ポート番号)を入力してConnect。 3. [開く側ノード] AlbyHubを確認、チャネルを開く ThunderhubやRide-The-Lightningなどを使い、Alby Hubのノードが表示されていることを確認。Hubにエイリアスは無いのでノードIDで表示される。 このノードに対してチャネルを開く。Private channelが望ましいと思われる。 6conf後に開設完了。 終わり！ メモ - Alby Hubではbase feeは設定可能だがrateが設定できない。そもそもAlby Hubはルーティング向けノードとして設計されてない。セルフカストディアルウォレットです。 - public channelだとchannel_update, channel_announcementがゴシップされるまでHubへ送金できない(no route)。上記の通りウォレットとしてのノードならprivate channelだけにしてルートヒント付きインボイスが発行できるようにしとくのが望ましい。 - LDKにおいて相手からチャネルを開いてもらう場合にオンチェーン資金が必要。相手がチャネルリザーブ無しのチャネルでもOKなら不要。現にメガリスLSPからチャネルを開いてもらう時オンチェーン資金が0satsでも開けているのがその実例。 - オンチェーン資金が必要なのはチャネルタイプがanchorの場合。オンチェーン資金でアンカーアウトプットをCPFPするためみたい。anchorが登場する前のstatic-remotekeyのタイプならオンチェーン資金は不要。 ----------- ＜ここからが追加＞ 《これはアンカーアウトプットを利用しないタイプのチャネル》 LNDからチャネルを開くときにstatic remote keyを利用するタイプを指定します。 条件 ・チャネルを開く側　※上記と同様。 ・開いてもらうAlby Hub側　無し。 手順 1. [Alby Hub側] 開く側のノードをピア登録 左メニューからNodeを選択。右上のAdvancedからConnected Peersを選択。右上のConnect Peerを選択。欄にノードURI (ノードID@IPアドレス:着信ポート番号)を入力してConnect。 2. [開く側ノード] AlbyHubを確認、チャネルを開く SSHログイン、UmbrelならLightningのターミナルで以下のコマンドを実行します。 <ノードID>は開きたいAlbyHubのノードIDで置き換えてください。 <チャネルサイズ>は開きたいチャネルの金額、例えば20万satsなら200000としましょう。 <手数料率>はチャネル開設のトランザクションに掛ける手数料率です。mempool. spaceなどで手数料水準を確認して指定しましょう。 --channel_type tweaklessがキモです。デフォルトだとanchorになります。RTLやTHで開くとこのanchorになります。なのでlncli openchannelでやります。 ``` lncli openchannel --node_key <ノードID> \ --local_amt <チャネルサイズ> \ --sat_per_vbyte <手数料率> \ --private --channel_type tweakless ``` 終わり！

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

**Table Of Content** - The Rising Tide of Bitcoin's Influence in China - China's Economic Struggles: A Closer Look - The Cryptocurrency Solution: A Beacon for Chinese Investors? - Historical Interplay: Bitcoin's Past Dance with China - A New Era: The Evolving Dynamics of Bitcoin in China - Conclusion - FAQ In the intricate web of global finance, China's economic dynamics have consistently been a focal point for analysts and investors alike. Recently, the nation has been grappling with one of its most significant capital flights in years, raising questions about potential economic solutions. Amidst this backdrop, the decentralized cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, has emerged as a topic of interest. Could Bitcoin, with its global reach and decentralized nature, offer a viable alternative or solution to China's current economic challenges? This article delves deep into the potential symbiotic relationship between China's capital flight and the burgeoning world of Bitcoin. **The Rising Tide of Bitcoin's Influence in China** Bitcoin's allure in the Chinese market is not a new phenomenon, but recent economic challenges have amplified its significance. As the Chinese yuan faces depreciation amidst broader economic uncertainties, experts believe that Bitcoin might witness a substantial influx from Chinese investors. Markus Thielen, a prominent figure at Matrixport, underscores the potential of Bitcoin in these turbulent times. He suggests, "Given the current economic climate, the Chinese investors' familiarity and trust in Bitcoin could lead to substantial investments in the cryptocurrency over the next few months." **China's Economic Struggles: A Closer Look** The economic landscape in China is undergoing a transformation. Recent data, sourced from reputable financial analysts at Bloomberg, paints a concerning picture. China's capital outflows have skyrocketed to an alarming $49 billion in August alone, a figure not seen since December 2015. This surge is more than just a statistic; it indicates the mounting pressure and dwindling confidence in the yuan. Thielen offers a deeper perspective on this trend, highlighting the stark economic disparities between the U.S. and China. He observes, "The current USD/CNY exchange rate, trading at a 17-year high, underscores the U.S. economy's robust expansion, casting a shadow on China's dwindling growth momentum." **The Cryptocurrency Solution: A Beacon for Chinese Investors?** The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has left the Chinese economy in a state of flux. With the anticipated post-pandemic consumption rebound falling short of expectations and local companies grappling with diminishing profit margins, Chinese investors are in a quandary. They are actively seeking lucrative opportunities outside their homeland. However, China's stringent capital controls present formidable barriers. In this constrained financial environment, the allure of cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, shines brightly. For many, Bitcoin and its peers represent a beacon of hope, potentially offering the alternative investment avenues that Chinese investors have been yearning for. **Historical Interplay: Bitcoin's Past Dance with China** The intricate relationship between Bitcoin and China is steeped in history. Rewinding to late 2016, there was a clear trend: Chinese investors, in large numbers, were turning to Bitcoin as a mechanism to move capital outside the restrictive borders of their country. The trading patterns from this era suggested a compelling link: as the Chinese yuan depreciated, Bitcoin's price surged, indicating a potential safe haven for Chinese capital. **A New Era: The Evolving Dynamics of Bitcoin in China** While history offers a treasure trove of insights, the present paints a nuanced picture. Edward Engel, a seasoned crypto analyst at Singular Research, believes that the dynamics between Bitcoin and China have undergone a transformation. Reflecting on the past, he states, "The last time I heard of such a trend was between 2017 and 2018 when underground banks leveraged Bitcoin for their operations. However, the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] has since taken stringent measures to curb such practices." Despite these changes, Thielen remains optimistic. He posits that innovative methods, such as leveraging domestic electricity for crypto mining or using over-the-counter trading platforms, might still offer avenues for moving Chinese capital in the face of restrictions. **Conclusion** China's multifaceted economic challenges, accentuated by its capital flight woes, present a conundrum that lacks easy solutions. In this complex scenario, Bitcoin emerges as a beacon, offering a potential lifeline to Chinese investors. Its decentralized nature and global appeal make it a contender for mitigating some of China's economic challenges. As we navigate the ever-evolving global financial landscape, the intricate dance between China's economy and the dynamic world of cryptocurrencies promises to be a riveting spectacle, deserving of our keen attention. **FAQ** **What is China's capital flight?** China's capital flight refers to the large-scale outflow of capital from the country, often due to economic uncertainties. **How is Bitcoin related to China's capital flight?** With China's stringent capital controls and economic challenges, Bitcoin emerges as a potential alternative for investors to move and secure their capital. **Has Bitcoin historically been influenced by China's economic dynamics?** Yes, in 2016, there was a trend of Chinese investors turning to Bitcoin as the yuan depreciated, indicating a potential correlation. **Are there restrictions on Bitcoin in China?** While the Chinese government has taken measures to curb certain crypto practices, innovative methods still exist for Chinese investors to leverage cryptocurrencies. **Why is the Chinese yuan weakening?** Economic challenges, post-COVID-19 consumption patterns, and broader global economic dynamics have contributed to the weakening of the yuan. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [@croxroadnews](https://x.com/croxroadnewsco)** **Instagram: [@croxroadnews.co](https://www.instagram.com/croxroadnews.co/)** **Youtube: [@croxroadnews](https://www.youtube.com/@croxroadnews)** **Store: https://croxroad.store** **Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter** **https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe** *DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.*

@ 8947a945:9bfcf626

## เมื่อวานนี้ผมฟังคลิปของ 9Arm เรื่อง “หาหมอในอเมริกาทำไมแพง” จนถึงขั้นล้มละลาย  เป็นประสบการณ์เปิดโลกครั้งแรกสำหรับผม ### โดยสรุปใจความสำคัญที่ผมจับประเด็นได้ก็คือ บ้านเขามีราคากลาง (charge master) ที่เป็นราคาที่เหมาะสม โรงพยาบาลไม่ขาดทุน ได้กำไรระดับนึง อย่างเช่น มาเจาะเลือดจ่ายเท่าไหร่ , มาทำ Xray จ่ายเท่าไหร่ แต่ charge master นี้ถูก mark up ขึ้น 3 - 4 เท่าจนแพงหูดับ เอื้อผลประโยชน์ให้แก่คนบางกลุ่ม เช่นบริษัทประกัน การมีประกันทำท่า**เหมือนจะ**ช่วย buffer ค่าใช้จ่ายคนไข้ แต่ความจริงมีการเล่นแร่แปรธาตุภายใน ทำให้บริษัทประกันกำไรทุกๆไตรมาส บริษัทประกันมีอำนาจเหนือการรักษาของหมอ หมอคุยกับคนไข้ว่าต้องใช้ยาตัวนี้ หรือผ่าตัดวิธีนี้ช่วยให้คนไข้หายได้ แต่ต้องให้บริษัทประกัน approve ก่อน ถ้าหากไม่ approve ก็จบตรงนั้น (เข้าใจว่าถ้าคนไข้ต้องการ go on ตามแผนการรักษาของหมอ ก็ต้องควักเนื้อจ่ายเอง)  เมื่อเข้าไปรักษาเสร็จสิ้น ยังไม่ต้องจ่ายเงินตอนนั้น ไม่ทราบค่าใช้จ่าย แต่ทางโรงพยาบาลจะส่งบิลเรียกเก็บมาที่บ้านทีหลัง และบิลมาไม่พร้อมกัน ทำให้คาดการณ์ค่าใช้จ่ายไม่ได้เลย มันช่วยตอบข้อสงสัยผมว่าทำไมชาวอเมริกาถึงกลัว hospital bill มากขนาดนั้น ### *ผมยังไม่เข้าใจอยู่ดีว่าทำไมค่ารักษาหรือค่ายาที่บ้านเขามันถึงถูก mark up เยอะขนาดนั้น* เมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับบ้านเรา เห็นชัดเจนเลยว่าระบบบริการสาธารณสุขบ้านเรา โคตรดี เมื่อเทียบกับหลายๆประเทศ ไม่ว่าจะเป็น - สิทธิ์ 30 บาท - ประกันสังคม - เบิกราชการกรมบัญชีกลาง - เบิกรัฐวิสาหกิจ - กองทุนทดแทนตามเงื่อนไขต่างๆ - ประกันชีวิตส่วนบุคคล ช่วงม.ต้น แม่ผมเป็นมะเร็ง เข้ารับการรักษาที่รพ.จุฬา สภากาชาติ พ่อผมทำงานรัฐวิสาหกิจ สามารถเบิกได้ทั้งหมด แม่ผมนอนรพ.เป็นเดือน ในยา chemo หลายขนาด ไม่ต้องจ่ายตังค์เลย ในช่วงสุดท้ายของแม่ผมรักษาตัวที่รพ.รัฐบาลใกล้บ้าน ก็ไม่ต้องเสียค่าใช้จ่ายใดๆ ***เรียกได้ว่าระบบรักษาพยาบาลของอเมริกามีปัญหาเรื้อรังจริงจังยาวนาน จะเรียกว่าเป็นการปล้นประชาชนอีกทางนึงก็เป็นไปได้*** ปัจจุบันมีสิ่งที่ผมกลัวคือ โรงพยาบาบเอกชนชั้นนำในประเทศไทย จะทำระบบคุณภาพรับรองมาตรฐานสากลของอเมริกา ที่รู้จักกันในชื่อ **JCI** อันนี้เป็นยาขมของเจ้าหน้าที่โรงพยาบาล แต่เป็นสิ่งที่ผู้บริหารให้ความสนใจและลงทุน กล่าวโดยสรุปตามความเข้าใจของผมเกี่ยวกับระบบ JCI คือ - โรงพยาบาลจะต้องปรับกระบวนการภายในทั้งหมด ให้เป็นมาตรฐานเดียวกันกับอเมริกา ถึงจะถือว่าผ่าน (เรียกว่า JCI accredit) - JCI มีการ update ข้อมูลใหม่เรื่อยๆ โรงพยาบาลไหน under JCI มีหน้าที่ต้อง update ตามให้ทัน - กระบวนการทำให้เป็นมาตรฐานบางอย่าง เป็นการเพิ่มค่าใช้จ่ายให้กับคนไข้โดยไม่จำเป็น - JCI มีการ survey ทุกๆ 3 ปี เพื่อดูว่ายังรักษามาตรฐานได้ไหม (เรียกว่า JCI recredit) - การ accredit หรือ recredit เป็นเรื่องยาก ต้องมีการจ้างบริษัท “ที่ปรึกษา JCI” ในการเข้ามาทำงานให้พร้อมก่อนทีมจากอเมริกาเข้ามาตรวจคุณภาพ แค่ค่าจ้างบริษัทที่ปรึกษาก็หลักล้านแล้ว - เมื่อทีมเยี่ยมสำรวจ (JCI surveyor) เดินทางมา ไม่รู้ว่าทางโรงพยาบาลจะต้องจ่ายตังค์อีกกี่ล้านให้กับองค์กร JCI นี้ ### สิ่งที่ผมมอง JCI มันมีทั้งข้อดีและข้อเสีย ข้อดีคือพัฒนาคุณภาพโรงพยาบาลให้กระบวนการภายในดีขึ้น ปลอดภัยแก่คนไข้มากขึ้น แต่ข้อเสีย คือ มันเหมือนเรายอมตกเป็นอาณานิคมอเมริกายังไงยังงั้น  [Linkรายการของ9Armครับ](https://youtu.be/1H5yGn52Ytg?si=kpG0_YlkoLsCP3tR )

@ 000002de:c05780a7

It is easy to mock the government of California. I would say it is a joke but its actually evil. The government of California has managed to lose population to other states even though the weather is amazing most of the year and its blessed with some of the most beautiful places on earth. My word of warning is to look at your own back yards. California was once like most "conservative" states in the US. California is simply a few years ahead of most of the US. Instead of mocking CA look at the specific reasons why its went wrong and look at your own areas. I've spent time in several states and I see their governments following the same path as California while their people think they are sooooo much better off. Its a trap. It isn't just "the woke". It isn't just "the democrats". Its much more subtle. Another note. California is a massive state and the vast majority of it is NOT like LA or San Fransisco politically. Democracy and cities lead to what you see in California. Hopefully people will learn that daddy government is an evil monster but I'm not very hopeful for that in my life time. I think things have to get much worse before that will happen. Edit: It is promising to see that some have rejected Harris in a national election(not saying voting is how you change it). Its a good signal for where people are. However, it isn't as massive of a shift as some would like to believe. End public service announcement. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/844193

@ dd664d5e:5633d319

# Instructions 1. Place 2 medium-sized, boiled potatoes and a handful of sliced leeks in a pot.  2. Fill the pot with water or vegetable broth, to cover the potatoes twice over. 3. Add a splash of white wine, if you like, and some bouillon powder, if you went with water instead of broth.  4. Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. 5. Puree the soup, in the pot, with a hand mixer. It shouldn't be completely smooth, when you're done, but rather have small bits and pieces of the veggies floating around.  6. Bring the soup to a boil, again, and stir in one container (200-250 mL) of heavy cream. 7. Thicken the soup, as needed, and then simmer for 5 more minutes. 8. Garnish with croutons and veggies (here I used sliced green onions and radishes) and serve.  Guten Appetit!

@ 6bae33c8:607272e8

I was putting off writing this article because I knew the result would be bad. Real man probably doesn’t write it at all, just skips town and never posts again. But being the nutless monkey I am, I will hold my nose and revisit the bold predictions from last August. And remember, the worst your record, the bolder they were. They were really bad [last year](https://www.realmansports.com/p/grading-my-bold-predictions-e72?utm_source=publication-search) too, I just discovered. ***1. Stefon Diggs leads the Texans in targets, catches and receiving yards*** *Right now, he’s getting drafted more than a round behind Nico Collins and less than a round ahead of Tank Dell. Diggs is 30, but he was one of the league’s best receivers until halfway through last year when the Bills made an offensive play-calling change. Moreover, Diggs is getting paid $22.5 million, so the Texans obviously don’t think he’s washed up, and he’s also in a contract year.* **Verdict: False.** Had he stayed healthy he would have, but that was only because Nico Collins had gotten hurt first. **(0-1)** ***2. CJ Stroud leads the NFL in passing yards*** *This is +600 on DraftKings, so the real odds are probably north of 8:1. Stroud adds Diggs to his receiving corps, doesn’t run much and heads into Year 2.* **Verdict: False.** It looked good with Diggs, Collins and Tank Dell, but the first two got hurt, Dell was a bust, and the offensive line was horrible. Plus Stroud himself regressed. **(0-2)** ***3. Roman Wilson (ADP 211) has more receptions than George Pickens (ADP 47)*** *Pickens is a boom or bust downfield playmaker, not high-target alpha, and Wilson is a good fit for the slot for the Steelers new QBs. Think Martavis Bryant not Antonio Brown. (Not that Wilson is Brown!) Van Jefferson isn’t good, and someone will need to fill the void. Moreover, because Pittsburgh has new QBs, neither has an existing rapport with the incumbent Pickens.* **Verdict: LOL.** I was right about Pickens and the Steelers WRs, but Wilson never even played. **(0-3)** ***4. DeAndre Hopkins (ADP 82) out produces Calvin Ridley (ADP 54) in PPR*** *Hopkins wasn’t terrible last year, has a rapport with Will Levis and is a future Hall of Famer who can still run routes. Ridley is already 29 and is just a guy outside of his monster season in 2020.* **Verdict: False.** Ridley smoked him, and Hopkins was eventually traded. **(0-4)** ***5. The Giants will field a top-10 fantasy defense.*** *I’ve been crushed by my homer bold predictions in the past, but they added Brian Burns to a rush that already had Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux, the offense should be on the field more and generate some leads with a real playmaking receiver in Malik Nabers.* **Verdict: False**. They started out strong, but it’s very hard to be a good fantasy defense on a three-win team, and they finished 24th. **(0-5)**. ***6. One of the following Year 2 receivers will finish in the top-15 PPR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jayden Reed, Jordan Addison, Dontayvion Wicks, Michael Wilson, Josh Downs, Andrei Iosivas, Quentin Johnston, Marvin Mims, Jalin Hyatt*** *I make this prediction every year, and it often pans out as Year 2 is when receivers typically make the leap. I left out Tank Dell because he’s now got a fifth-round ADP, as well as the obvious ones: Zay Flowers, Rashee Rice and Puka Nacua.* **Verdict: True.** Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished 11th. **(1-5)** ***7. Rome Odunze (ADP 77) will outproduce Xavier Worthy (ADP 59)*** *Both receivers enter crowded situations, and while Worthy’s is far better, he’s also got essentially the same skill-set as teammate Marquise Brown. Moreover, Andy Reid rarely entrusts rookies with large roles, especially early on. Odunze is 6-3, 215 and has the pedigree of a true NFL alpha, while Worthy weighs only 165 pounds at 5-11. Finally, Patrick Mahomes already has an established rapport with both Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice, while Odunze gets a more open competition with the Bears veteran WRs, given all three will play with Caleb Williams for the first time.* **Verdict:** False. It was reasonably close, but Worthy pulled ahead late in the year **(1-6)** ***8. Dalvin Cook will lead the Cowboys in rushing yards*** *Cook is 29 and looked beyond “cooked” last year on the Jets, but his 3.3 YPC was on a small sample (67 carries), and prior to that, he’d been very good for the Vikings. At the very least he should have fresh legs, and he’d only need to beat out the ancient Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle. (Of course, Cook would have to be promoted from the practice squad first, so I really should hedge and make the prediction “neither Elliott, nor Dowdle will lead the Cowboys in rushing yards,” but I’ll push it and say it’s Cook.)* **Verdict: LOL.** Cook was the one veteran back from the Class of 2017 who really was washed up. **(1-7)** ***9. Jonathan Taylor (ADP12 ) will lead the NFL in rushing yards.*** ***He’s got little competition in the Indy backfield and a running QB who should open lanes for him. Draft Kings has him at +600, so his real odds are probably about 10:1, but I’d take him over the favored Christian McCaffrey (age/mileage) and all the other backs who are more hybrid types or old (Derrick Henry.)*** **Verdict: False.** He finished fourth despite missing three full games, so this wasn’t too far off. What’s funny is I make this prediction of Barkley virtually every year except this one. **(1-8)** ***10. Dalton Kincaid (TE4) will lead all TE in catches*** *I guess this is a chalky pick because he and Kelce are both favored at the position at +3000, while Evan Engram is +5000! (I’d way rather bet on Engram at those odds.) But straight up, I’m going with Kincaid who is likely Josh Allen’s de facto No. 1 target with Diggs gone. In his final 11 regular season games Kincaid had 56 catches which prorates to 87 catches over the full year. And rookie tight ends rarely do anything and often make a leap in Year 2.* (1-9) **Verdict: LOL.** Kincaid was one of the biggest busts in the draft. **(1-9)** ***11. Some of these predictions will be wrong*** *No one’s perfect, but you never want to get shut out.* **Verdict:** Crushed, especially the comment the prescience of which makes Nostradamus look like the corner astrologer. **(2-9)**

@ 5002cb48:31a0d6d8

I am trying to update my profile, but it's not happening. Is the site broken?

@ f33c8a96:5ec6f741

<div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;"><video style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;" controls> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-5.mp4" type="video/mp4"/> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-5.webm" type="video/webm"/> </video></div> # JavaScript: Building Your First Interactive Web App ## Introduction In this lesson, we'll bring our web pages to life by adding dynamic functionality with JavaScript. We'll build a real-world application that displays and updates Bitcoin prices in real-time, teaching core JavaScript concepts along the way. ## Project Overview: Bitcoin Price Tracker We'll build a web application that: - Displays current Bitcoin price - Updates automatically every 3 seconds - Allows currency switching - Includes interactive controls - Shows current date/time ## Core JavaScript Concepts ### 1. Variables and Data Types ```javascript // Variables can be declared with let or const let currentCurrency = "USD"; // Can be changed const interval = 3000; // Cannot be changed // Basic data types const price = 45000; // Number const isVisible = true; // Boolean const currency = "USD"; // String ``` ### 2. DOM Manipulation ```javascript // Getting elements const priceElement = document.getElementById('price'); const button = document.getElementById('refresh-button'); // Modifying content priceElement.textContent = `${price} ${currency}`; // Changing styles priceElement.style.display = 'none'; ``` ### 3. Event Listeners ```javascript // Basic click handler button.addEventListener('click', () => { fetchBitcoinPrice(); }); // Change event for select elements selector.addEventListener('change', (event) => { handleCurrencyChange(event.value); }); ``` ### 4. Async Operations & Fetch API ```javascript async function fetchBitcoinPrice() { try { const response = await fetch(apiUrl); const data = await response.json(); updatePrice(data.price); } catch (error) { console.error('Error:', error); } } ``` ## Project Structure ### HTML Setup ```html <!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <title>Bitcoin Price Tracker</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css"> <script src="index.js" defer></script> </head> <body> <h1>Current Bitcoin Price</h1> <p>The price is: <span id="price"></span></p> <!-- Additional elements --> </body> </html> ``` ### Core Functionality Implementation 1. **Setting Up the Timer** ```javascript // Update price every 3 seconds setInterval(fetchBitcoinPrice, 3000); // Update date/time every second setInterval(updateDateTime, 1000); ``` 2. **Currency Selection** ```javascript function handleCurrencyChange(newCurrency) { currentCurrency = newCurrency; fetchBitcoinPrice(); } ``` 3. **Toggle Visibility** ```javascript function togglePriceVisibility() { const price = document.getElementById('price'); price.style.display = price.style.display === 'none' ? 'inline' : 'none'; } ``` ## Best Practices ### 1. Error Handling - Always use try/catch with async operations - Provide meaningful error messages - Handle edge cases gracefully ### 2. Code Organization - Keep functions focused and small - Use meaningful variable names - Group related functionality - Add comments for clarity ### 3. Performance - Avoid unnecessary DOM updates - Use appropriate update intervals - Clean up intervals when not needed ## Common Challenges & Solutions ### 1. API Issues ```javascript // Handle API failures gracefully catch (error) { priceElement.textContent = 'Price unavailable'; console.error('API Error:', error); } ``` ### 2. Currency Formatting ```javascript function formatPrice(price, currency) { return new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', { style: 'currency', currency: currency }).format(price); } ``` ### 3. Time Zones ```javascript function getLocalTime() { return new Date().toLocaleString(); } ``` ## Extending the Project Consider adding these features for practice: 1. Price change indicators (up/down arrows) 2. Historical price chart 3. Multiple cryptocurrency support 4. Price alerts 5. Local storage for settings ## Debugging Tips ### Using Console ```javascript console.log('Price fetched:', price); console.error('Error occurred:', error); console.table(priceHistory); ``` ### Chrome DevTools 1. Network tab for API calls 2. Console for errors 3. Elements for DOM inspection 4. Sources for debugging ## Additional Resources - MDN JavaScript Guide - JavaScript.info - CoinGecko API Documentation - Chrome DevTools Documentation ## Next Steps 1. Add styling with CSS 2. Implement additional features 3. Learn about React for more complex applications 4. Explore other APIs and cryptocurrencies Remember: The best way to learn is by doing. Don't be afraid to break things and experiment with the code. The developer console is your friend for debugging and understanding what's happening in your application. Happy coding! 🚀

@ df173277:4ec96708

> Maple AI combines the best of both worlds – encryption and personal AI – to create a truly private AI experience. Discuss personal and company items with Maple, we can't read them even if we wanted to.\ > [Join the waitlist to get early access.](https://trymaple.ai) We are a culture of app users. Every day, we give our personal information to websites and apps, hoping they are safe. Location data, eating habits, financial details, and health information are just a few examples of what we entrust to third parties. People are now entering a new era of computing that promises next-level benefits when given even more personal data: AI. Should we sacrifice our privacy to unlock the productivity gains of AI? Should we hope our information won't be used in ways we disagree? We believe we can have the best of both worlds – privacy and personal AI – and have built a new project called Maple AI. Chat between you and an AI with full end-to-end encryption. We believe it's a game-changer for individuals seeking private and secure conversations. #### Building a Private Foundation Maple is built on our flagship product, [OpenSecret](https://opensecret.cloud), a backend platform for app developers that turns private encryption on by default. [The announcement post for OpenSecret explains our vision for an encrypted world and what the platform can do.](https://primal.net/e/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzphchxfm3ste32hfhkvczzxapme9gz5qvqtget6tylyd7wa8vjecgqqe5jmn5wfhkgatrd9hxwt20wpjku5m9vdex2apdw35x2tt9de3hy7tsw3jkgttzv93kketwvskhgur5w9nx5h52tpj) We think both users and developers benefit when sensitive personal information is encrypted in a private vault; it's a win-win. #### The Power of Encrypted AI Chat AI chat is a personal and intimate experience. It's a place to share your thoughts, feelings, and desires without fear of judgment. The more you share with an AI chatbot, the more powerful it becomes. It can offer personalized insights, suggestions, and guidance tailored to your unique needs and perspectives. However, this intimacy requires trust, and that's where traditional AI chatbots often fall short. Traditional AI chats are designed to collect and analyze your data, often without your explicit consent. This data is used to improve the AI's performance, but it also creates a treasure trove of sensitive information that can be mined, sold, or even exploited by malicious actors. Maple AI takes a different approach. By using end-to-end encryption, we ensure that your conversations remain private and secure, even from us. #### Technical Overview So, how does Maple AI achieve this level of privacy and security? Here are some key technical aspects: - **Private Key:** Each user has a unique private key that is automatically managed for them. This key encrypts and decrypts conversations, ensuring that only the user can access their data. - **Secure Servers:** Our servers are designed with security in mind. We use secure enclaves to protect sensitive data and ensure that even our own team can't access your conversations. - **Encrypted Sync:** One of Maple's most significant benefits is its encrypted sync feature. Unlike traditional AI chatbots, which store conversations in local storage or on standard cloud servers, Maple syncs your chats across all your devices. The private key managed by our secure servers means you can pick up where you left off on any device without worrying about your data being compromised. - **Attestation and Open Code:** We publish our enclave code publicly. Using a process called attestation, users can verify that the code running on the enclave is the same as the code audited by the public. - **Open Source LLM:** Maple uses major open-source models to maximize the openness of responses. The chat box does not filter what you can talk about. This transparency ensures that our AI is trustworthy and unbiased. #### Personal and Work Use Maple is secure enough to handle your personal questions and work tasks. Because we can't see what you chat about, you are free to use AI as an assistant on sensitive company items. Use it for small tasks like writing an important email or large tasks like developing your organization's strategy. Feed it sensitive information; it's just you and AI in the room. Attestation provides cryptographic proof that your corporate secrets are safe. #### Local v Cloud Today's AI tools provide different levels of privacy. The main options are to trust a third party with your unencrypted data, hoping they don't do anything with it, or run your own AI locally on an underpowered machine. We created a third option. Maple gives you the power of cloud computing combined with the privacy and security of a machine running on your desk. It's the best of both worlds. #### Why the Maple name? Privacy isn't just a human value - it's a natural one exemplified by the Maple tree. These organisms communicate with each other through a network of underground fungal hyphae, sending messages and sharing resources in a way that's completely invisible to organisms above ground. This discreet communication system allows Maple trees to thrive in even the most challenging environments. Our goal is to provide a way for everyone to communicate with AI securely so they can thrive in any environment. #### Join the Waitlist Maple AI will launch in early 2025 with free and paid plans. We can't wait to share it with the world. [Join our waitlist today to be among the first to experience the power of private AI chat.](https://trymaple.ai) 

@ df173277:4ec96708

> Maple AI combines the best of both worlds – encryption and personal AI – to create a truly private AI experience. Discuss personal and company items with Maple, we can't read them even if we wanted to.\ > [Join the waitlist to get early access.](https://trymaple.ai) We are a culture of app users. Every day, we give our personal information to websites and apps, hoping they are safe. Location data, eating habits, financial details, and health information are just a few examples of what we entrust to third parties. People are now entering a new era of computing that promises next-level benefits when given even more personal data: AI. Should we sacrifice our privacy to unlock the productivity gains of AI? Should we hope our information won't be used in ways we disagree? We believe we can have the best of both worlds – privacy and personal AI – and have built a new project called Maple AI. Chat between you and an AI with full end-to-end encryption. We believe it's a game-changer for individuals seeking private and secure conversations. #### Building a Private Foundation Maple is built on our flagship product, [OpenSecret](https://opensecret.cloud), a backend platform for app developers that turns private encryption on by default. [The announcement post for OpenSecret explains our vision for an encrypted world and what the platform can do.](nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzphchxfm3ste32hfhkvczzxapme9gz5qvqtget6tylyd7wa8vjecgqqe5jmn5wfhkgatrd9hxwt20wpjku5m9vdex2apdw35x2tt9de3hy7tsw3jkgttzv93kketwvskhgur5w9nx5h52tpj) We think both users and developers benefit when sensitive personal information is encrypted in a private vault; it's a win-win. #### The Power of Encrypted AI Chat AI chat is a personal and intimate experience. It's a place to share your thoughts, feelings, and desires without fear of judgment. The more you share with an AI chatbot, the more powerful it becomes. It can offer personalized insights, suggestions, and guidance tailored to your unique needs and perspectives. However, this intimacy requires trust, and that's where traditional AI chatbots often fall short. Traditional AI chats are designed to collect and analyze your data, often without your explicit consent. This data is used to improve the AI's performance, but it also creates a treasure trove of sensitive information that can be mined, sold, or even exploited by malicious actors. Maple AI takes a different approach. By using end-to-end encryption, we ensure that your conversations remain private and secure, even from us. #### Technical Overview So, how does Maple AI achieve this level of privacy and security? Here are some key technical aspects: - **Private Key:** Each user has a unique private key that is automatically managed for them. This key encrypts and decrypts conversations, ensuring that only the user can access their data. - **Secure Servers:** Our servers are designed with security in mind. We use secure enclaves to protect sensitive data and ensure that even our own team can't access your conversations. - **Encrypted Sync:** One of Maple's most significant benefits is its encrypted sync feature. Unlike traditional AI chatbots, which store conversations in local storage or on standard cloud servers, Maple syncs your chats across all your devices. The private key managed by our secure servers means you can pick up where you left off on any device without worrying about your data being compromised. - **Attestation and Open Code:** We publish our enclave code publicly. Using a process called attestation, users can verify that the code running on the enclave is the same as the code audited by the public. - **Open Source LLM:** Maple uses major open-source models to maximize the openness of responses. The chat box does not filter what you can talk about. This transparency ensures that our AI is trustworthy and unbiased. #### Personal and Work Use Maple is secure enough to handle your personal questions and work tasks. Because we can't see what you chat about, you are free to use AI as an assistant on sensitive company items. Use it for small tasks like writing an important email or large tasks like developing your organization's strategy. Feed it sensitive information; it's just you and AI in the room. Attestation provides cryptographic proof that your corporate secrets are safe. #### Local v Cloud Today's AI tools provide different levels of privacy. The main options are to trust a third party with your unencrypted data, hoping they don't do anything with it, or run your own AI locally on an underpowered machine. We created a third option. Maple gives you the power of cloud computing combined with the privacy and security of a machine running on your desk. It's the best of both worlds. #### Why the Maple name? Privacy isn't just a human value - it's a natural one exemplified by the Maple tree. These organisms communicate with each other through a network of underground fungal hyphae, sending messages and sharing resources in a way that's completely invisible to organisms above ground. This discreet communication system allows Maple trees to thrive in even the most challenging environments. Our goal is to provide a way for everyone to communicate with AI securely so they can thrive in any environment. #### Join the Waitlist Maple AI will launch in early 2025 with free and paid plans. We can't wait to share it with the world. [Join our waitlist today to be among the first to experience the power of private AI chat.](https://trymaple.ai) [](https://trymaple.ai/waitlist)

@ df173277:4ec96708

> OpenSecret is a backend for app developers that turns private encryption on by default. When sensitive data is readable only by the user, it protects both the user and the developer, creating a more free and open internet. We'll be launching in 2025. [Join our waitlist to get early access.](https://opensecret.cloud) In today's digital age, personal data is both an asset and a liability. With the rise of data breaches and cyber attacks, individuals and companies struggle to protect sensitive information. The consequences of a data breach can be devastating, resulting in financial losses, reputational damage, and compromised user trust. In 2023, the average data breach cost was $5 million, with some resulting in losses of over $1 billion. Meanwhile, individuals face problems related to identity theft, personal safety, and public embarrassment. Think about the apps on your phone, even the one you're using to read this. How much data have you trusted to other people, and how would it feel if that data were leaked online? Thankfully, some incredibly talented cypherpunks years ago gave the world cryptography. We can encrypt data, rendering it a secret between two people. So why then do we have data breaches? > Cryptography at scale is hard. #### The Cloud The cloud has revolutionized how we store and process data, but it has limitations. While cloud providers offer encryption, it mainly protects data in transit. Once data is stored in the cloud, it's often encrypted with a shared key, which can be accessed by employees, third-party vendors, or compromised by hackers. The solution is to generate a personal encryption password for each user, make sure they write it down, and, most importantly, hope they don't lose it. If the password is lost, the data is forever unreadable. That can be overwhelming, leading to low app usage. > Private key encryption needs a UX upgrade. ## Enter OpenSecret OpenSecret is a developer platform that enables encryption by default. Our platform provides a suite of security tools for app developers, including private key management, encrypted sync, private AI, and confidential compute. Every user has a private vault for their data, which means only they can read it. Developers are free to store less sensitive data in a shared manner because there is still a need to aggregate data across the system.  ### Private Key Management Private key management is the superpower that enables personal encryption per user. When each user has a unique private key, their data can be truly private. Typically, using a private key is a challenging experience for the user because they must write down a long autogenerated number or phrase of 12-24 words. If they lose it, their data is gone. OpenSecret uses secure enclaves to make private keys as easy as an everyday login experience that users are familiar with. Instead of managing a complicated key, the user logs in with an email address or a social media account. The developer doesn't have to manage private keys and can focus on the app's user experience. The user doesn't have to worry about losing a private key and can jump into using your app.  ### Encrypted Sync With user keys safely managed, we can synchronize user data to every device while maintaining privacy. The user does not need to do complicated things like scanning QR codes from one device to the next. Just log in and go. The user wins because the data is available on all their devices. The developer wins because only the user can read the data, so it isn't a liability to them. ### Private AI Artificial intelligence is here and making its way into everything. The true power of AI is unleashed when it can act on personal and company data. The current options are to run your own AI locally on an underpowered machine or to trust a third party with your data, hoping they don't read it or use it for anything. OpenSecret combines the power of cloud computing with the privacy and security of a machine running on your desk. **Check out Maple AI**\ Try private AI for yourself! We built an app built with this service called [Maple AI](https://trymaple.ai). It is an AI chat that is 100% private in a verifiable manner. Give it your innermost thoughts or embarrassing ideas; we can't judge you. We built Maple using OpenSecret, which means you have a private key that is automatically managed for you, and your chat history is synchronized to all your devices. [Learn more about Maple AI - Private chat in the announcement post.](https://blog.opensecret.cloud/maple-ai-private-encrypted-chat/)  ### Confidential Compute Confidential computing is a game-changer for data security. It's like the secure hardware that powers Apple Pay and Google Pay on your phone but in the cloud. Users can verify through a process called attestation that their data is handled appropriately. OpenSecret can help you run your own custom app backend code that would benefit from the security of an enclave. It's the new version of that lock on your web browser. When you see it, you know you're secure.  #### **But do we want our secrets to be open?** OpenSecret renders a data breach practically useless. If hackers get into the backend, they enter a virtual hallway of locked private vaults. The leaked data would be gibberish, a secret in the open that is unreadable. On the topic of openness, OpenSecret uses the power of open source to enable trust in the service. We publish our code in the open, and, using attestation, anyone can verify that private data is being handled as expected. This openness also provides developers with a backup option to safely and securely export their data. > Don't trust, verify. ### **Join the Movement** We're currently building out OpenSecret, and we invite you to join us on the journey. Our platform can work with your existing stack, and you can pick and choose the features you need. If you want to build apps with encryption enabled, [send us a message to get early access.](https://opensecret.cloud) Users and companies deserve better encryption and privacy.\ Together, let's make that a reality. [](https://opensecret.cloud)

@ 000002de:c05780a7

 originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/843670

@ f33c8a96:5ec6f741

<div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;"><video style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;" controls> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-4.mp4" type="video/mp4"/> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-4.webm" type="video/webm"/> </video></div> # CSS Fundamentals: Styling Your First Webpage ## Introduction In our previous lesson, we created the structure of our webpage with HTML. Now, we'll learn how to style it using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). While HTML provides the bones of our webpage, CSS adds the visual presentation - the colors, layouts, spacing, and overall aesthetics. ## What is CSS? ### Definition CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a stylesheet language that controls the visual presentation of HTML documents. Think of it like the paint, decorations, and interior design of a house - it determines how everything looks and is arranged. ### Key Concepts 1. **Styling Capabilities** - Fonts and typography - Colors and backgrounds - Margins and padding - Element sizes - Visual effects - Layout and positioning 2. **Cascading Nature** - Styles can be inherited from parent elements - Multiple styles can apply to the same element - Specificity determines which styles take precedence - Styles "cascade" down through your document ## Basic CSS Syntax ```css selector { property: value; } ``` ### Example: ```css h1 { color: blue; font-size: 24px; margin-bottom: 20px; } ``` ## Connecting CSS to HTML ### Method 1: External Stylesheet (Recommended) ```html <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css"> ``` ### Method 2: Internal CSS ```html <style> h1 { color: blue; } </style> ``` ### Method 3: Inline CSS (Use Sparingly) ```html <h1 style="color: blue;">Title</h1> ``` ## The Box Model Every HTML element is treated as a box in CSS, with: ``` ┌──────────────────────┐ │ Margin │ │ ┌──────────────┐ │ │ │ Border │ │ │ │ ┌──────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ Padding │ │ │ │ │ │ ┌──────┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │Content│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └──────┘ │ │ │ │ │ └──────────┘ │ │ │ └──────────────┘ │ └──────────────────────┘ ``` - **Content**: The actual content of the element - **Padding**: Space between content and border - **Border**: The border around the padding - **Margin**: Space outside the border ## CSS Units ### Absolute Units - `px` - pixels - `pt` - points - `cm` - centimeters - `mm` - millimeters - `in` - inches ### Relative Units - `%` - percentage relative to parent - `em` - relative to font-size - `rem` - relative to root font-size - `vh` - viewport height - `vw` - viewport width ## Practical Example: Styling Our Webpage ### 1. Basic Page Setup ```css body { min-height: 100vh; margin: 0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background-color: #f0f0f0; display: flex; flex-direction: column; } ``` ### 2. Header Styling ```css header { background-color: #333; color: white; padding: 20px; text-align: center; } ``` ### 3. Main Content Area ```css main { max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 20px; flex: 1; } ``` ### 4. Footer Styling ```css footer { background-color: #333; color: white; padding: 10px; text-align: center; } ``` ## Layout with Flexbox ### Basic Concept Flexbox is a modern layout system that makes it easier to create flexible, responsive layouts. ### Key Properties ```css .container { display: flex; flex-direction: row | column; justify-content: center | space-between | space-around; align-items: center | flex-start | flex-end; } ``` ### Common Use Cases 1. Centering content 2. Creating navigation bars 3. Building responsive layouts 4. Equal-height columns 5. Dynamic spacing ## Best Practices ### 1. Organization - Use consistent naming conventions - Group related styles together - Comment your code for clarity - Keep selectors simple and specific ### 2. Performance - Avoid unnecessary specificity - Use shorthand properties when possible - Minimize redundant code - Consider load time impact ### 3. Maintainability - Use external stylesheets - Follow a consistent formatting style - Break large stylesheets into logical files - Document important design decisions ## Debugging CSS ### Common Tools 1. Browser Developer Tools - Element inspector - Style inspector - Box model viewer ### Common Issues 1. Specificity conflicts 2. Inheritance problems 3. Box model confusion 4. Flexbox alignment issues ## Exercises ### 1. Style Modifications Try modifying these properties in your stylesheet: ```css /* Change colors */ header { background-color: #4a90e2; } /* Adjust spacing */ main { padding: 40px; } /* Modify typography */ h1 { font-size: 32px; font-weight: bold; } ``` ### 2. Layout Challenge Create a card layout using Flexbox: ```css .card-container { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; gap: 20px; } .card { flex: 1; padding: 20px; background: white; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.1); } ``` ## Additional Resources ### Learning Tools 1. [Flexbox Froggy](https://flexboxfroggy.com/) - Interactive Flexbox learning game 2. [CSS-Tricks](https://css-tricks.com) - Excellent CSS reference and tutorials 3. [MDN CSS Documentation](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS) ### Practice Projects 1. Style your personal webpage 2. Create a responsive navigation menu 3. Build a flexible card layout 4. Design a custom button style Remember: CSS is both an art and a science. Don't be afraid to experiment and break things - that's how you'll learn the most. The key is to start simple and gradually add complexity as you become more comfortable with the basics. Next up, we'll dive into JavaScript to add interactivity to our webpage! 🚀

@ f33c8a96:5ec6f741

<div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;"><video style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;" controls> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-3.mp4" type="video/mp4"/> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-3.webm" type="video/webm"/> </video></div> ## What is HTML? HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the foundation of all webpages. Think of it as the framing of a house - it provides the basic structure that everything else builds upon. ### Key Concepts - HTML is a markup language, not a programming language - It tells browsers how to structure web content - Every HTML element is like a building block - Browsers interpret HTML to display content ## The Building Analogy When building a webpage, think of it like constructing a house: - **HTML**: The framing and structure (walls, rooms, layout) - **CSS**: The design elements (paint, decorations, styling) - **JavaScript**: The functionality (plumbing, electrical, moving parts) ## Basic HTML Structure ### 1. HTML Boilerplate Every webpage starts with a basic template: ```html <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <title>Your Page Title</title> </head> <body> <!-- Your content goes here --> </body> </html> ``` ### 2. Understanding the Parts - `<!DOCTYPE html>`: Tells browsers this is an HTML5 document - `<html>`: The root element of the page - `<head>`: Contains metadata about the document - `<body>`: Contains the visible content ## Essential HTML Elements ### 1. Headings HTML has six levels of headings: ```html <h1>Main Title</h1> <h2>Subtitle</h2> <h3>Section Header</h3> <!-- ... --> <h6>Smallest Heading</h6> ``` ### 2. Paragraphs ```html <p>This is a paragraph of text. It can contain as much text as you need.</p> ``` ### 3. Images ```html <img src="path-to-image.jpg" alt="Description of image" width="300"> ``` ### 4. Links ```html <a href="https://example.com">Click here</a> ``` ## HTML Attributes Attributes provide additional information or modify HTML elements: ```html <tag attribute="value">Content</tag> ``` Common attributes: - `src`: Source path for images - `href`: Destination for links - `alt`: Alternative text for images - `class`: CSS class names - `id`: Unique identifier - `style`: Inline CSS styles ## Semantic HTML ### What is Semantic HTML? Semantic HTML uses meaningful tags that describe their content's purpose. This improves: - Accessibility - SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - Code readability - Maintainability ### Common Semantic Elements ```html <header> <!-- Site header content --> </header> <nav> <!-- Navigation menu --> </nav> <main> <!-- Main content --> <article> <!-- Self-contained content --> </article> <section> <!-- Grouped content --> </section> </main> <footer> <!-- Site footer content --> </footer> ``` ### Non-Semantic vs Semantic Example Instead of: ```html <div class="header"> <div class="navigation"> <div class="nav-item">Home</div> </div> </div> ``` Use: ```html <header> <nav> <a href="/">Home</a> </nav> </header> ``` ## Building Your First Webpage ### 1. Basic Structure ```html <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>My First Webpage</title> </head> <body> <header> <h1>Welcome to My First Webpage!</h1> </header> <main> <section> <h2>About Me</h2> <p>Hi, I'm learning web development with PlebDevs!</p> </section> <section> <h2>My Interests</h2> <p>I'm interested in Bitcoin, programming, and building cool stuff!</p> </section> </main> <footer> <p>Created by [Your Name] - 2024</p> </footer> </body> </html> ``` ## Best Practices ### 1. Structure - Use proper indentation - Keep code organized and readable - Use semantic elements when possible - Include all required elements (`DOCTYPE`, `html`, `head`, `body`) ### 2. Content - Use appropriate heading levels (start with `h1`) - Write descriptive `alt` text for images - Keep content meaningful and organized - Use comments to explain complex sections ### 3. Accessibility - Use semantic HTML elements - Provide alternative text for images - Maintain a logical heading structure - Ensure content makes sense when read linearly ## Common Issues and Solutions ### Problem: Images Not Loading ```html <!-- Wrong --> <img src="image.jpg"> <!-- Right --> <img src="./images/image.jpg" alt="Description"> ``` ### Problem: Links Not Working ```html <!-- Wrong --> <a>Click here</a> <!-- Right --> <a href="https://example.com">Click here</a> ``` ## Next Steps 1. **Practice Building** - Create a personal webpage about yourself - Include different types of content (text, images, links) - Use semantic HTML elements 2. **Experiment with Structure** - Try different layouts - Use various HTML elements - Pay attention to semantic meaning 3. **Prepare for CSS** - Think about how you want your page to look - Consider what styles you'll want to add - Plan your layout structure ## Exercise: Create Your Profile Page Try creating a simple profile page using what you've learned: 1. Use the HTML boilerplate 2. Add a header with your name 3. Include an "About Me" section 4. Add a photo (if you want) 5. List your interests or goals 6. Add a footer with contact information Remember to: - Use semantic HTML - Include appropriate headings - Add descriptive alt text for images - Keep your code clean and well-organized ## Additional Resources - [MDN HTML Guide](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML) - [HTML5 Doctor (Semantic Elements)](http://html5doctor.com/) - [W3Schools HTML Tutorial](https://www.w3schools.com/html/) Remember: HTML is the foundation of web development. Take time to understand these basics well, as they'll serve as the building blocks for everything else you'll learn. Happy coding! 🚀

@ f33c8a96:5ec6f741

<div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;"><video style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;" controls> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-2.mp4" type="video/mp4"/> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-2.webm" type="video/webm"/> </video></div> # Setting Up Git and GitHub: A Developer's Foundation ## Lesson Overview In this lesson, we'll establish one of the most important foundations of your development journey: version control with Git and GitHub. This knowledge will enable you to track your code, back it up in the cloud, and start building your developer portfolio. ## Prerequisites - Visual Studio Code installed - Terminal/Command Line basics - GitHub account (we'll create one in this lesson) ## Key Learning Objectives - Understand what Git and GitHub are and why they're essential - Set up Git locally and connect it to GitHub - Learn basic Git commands and workflow - Create your first repository and commit - Establish good Git habits for your developer journey ## What is Git and GitHub? ### Git: Your Local Version Control - A version control system that tracks code changes over time - Prevents accidental overwrites of your work - Enables multiple developers to work on the same project safely - Runs locally on your machine ### GitHub: Your Code in the Cloud - A web-based platform that extends Git - Cloud storage for your code repositories - Enables code sharing and collaboration - Includes features like: - Issue tracking - Pull requests - Project management tools - Code review capabilities ## Why Use GitHub? ### 1. Portfolio Building - Acts as your "proof of work" as a developer - Shows your coding activity through contribution graphs - Demonstrates your consistency and dedication - Serves as a public showcase of your projects ### 2. Collaboration and Learning - Access millions of open-source projects - Learn from other developers' code - Contribute to real-world projects - Get feedback on your code - Work effectively in teams ### 3. Code Safety and Access - All your code is safely stored in the cloud - Access your projects from anywhere - Never lose your work due to computer issues ## Essential GitHub Terminology | Term | Definition | |------|------------| | Repository (Repo) | A folder containing your project files and version history | | Commit | A saved change or addition to your code | | Staging | Marking changes to be included in your next commit | | Push | Sending your local commits to GitHub | | Branch | A separate version of your code for new features or experiments | | Pull Request (PR) | A request to merge changes from one branch to another | | Clone | Creating a local copy of a remote repository | | Fork | Creating your own copy of someone else's repository | ## Hands-on Practice ### Setting Up Git 1. Install Git from https://git-scm.com/downloads 2. Configure your identity: ```bash git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com" ``` ### Your First Repository 1. Create a new repository on GitHub named "hello-world" 2. Initialize Git locally: ```bash git init git add . git commit -m "My first commit" git remote add origin <your-repository-url> git push -u origin main ``` ## Basic Git Workflow Quick Reference ### Pushing Code to GitHub ```bash # 1. Stage your changes git add . # 2. Commit your changes with a message git commit -m "Describe your changes here" # 3. Push to GitHub git push ``` ### Getting Code from GitHub ```bash # If you already have the repository locally: git pull # If you need to download a repository: git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git ``` ## Building Good Habits ### Daily Git Practice - Make it a goal to push code every day - Even small changes count - Use your GitHub contribution graph as motivation - Track your progress over time ### Best Practices 1. Commit often with clear messages 2. Pull before you start working 3. Push your changes when you finish 4. Keep each project in its own repository 5. Include README files to explain your projects ## Common Issues and Solutions ### "No upstream branch" Error If you see this error when pushing: ```bash git push --set-upstream origin main ``` ### Changes Not Showing Up 1. Check if changes are staged: ```bash git status ``` 2. Make sure you've committed: ```bash git commit -m "Your message" ``` 3. Verify you've pushed: ```bash git push ``` ## Exercise: Start Your Journey 1. Create your GitHub account if you haven't already 2. Set up Git locally using the commands we covered 3. Create your first repository named "hello-world" 4. Make your first commit 5. Push your code to GitHub 6. Make a habit of pushing code daily ## Additional Resources - [GitHub Documentation](https://docs.github.com) - [Git Documentation](https://git-scm.com/doc) - Practice with [GitHub Learning Lab](https://lab.github.com) ## Next Steps - Start tracking all your code projects with Git - Begin building your portfolio on GitHub - Join the open-source community - Collaborate with other developers Remember: Every developer started where you are now. The key is consistency and persistence. Make pushing code to GitHub a daily habit, and you'll be amazed at your progress over time. Happy coding! 🚀

@ d830ee7b:4e61cd62

ผมจำได้ว่าหัวใจเต้นแรงแค่ไหนตอนเปิดประตูเข้าไปในสตูดิโอ **RightTalk** สิ่งแรกที่ปะทะตาคือแสงไฟเจาะลงมาเป็นวงใหญ่ ไม่ต่างจากเวทีคอนเสิร์ต ผมรู้สึกได้ทันทีว่าความเย็นจากเครื่องปรับอากาศในห้องส่งไม่ได้ช่วยลดอุณหภูมิในร่างกายสักเท่าไหร่ ตอนนั้นผมพยายามบอกตัวเองให้ใจเย็น แต่มันยากเอาเรื่องเมื่อคิดว่ามีคนดูทางบ้านอีกมากรอติดตาม **คุณซุป** พิธีกรของรายการ เดินมาทักผมด้วยรอยยิ้มที่ทำให้ผมค่อย ๆ ตั้งสติได้ เขาเชื้อเชิญให้นั่งลงบนเก้าอี้ที่จัดไว้ตรงกลางฉาก แถวหลังมีทีมงานเดินขวักไขว่ จิงโจ้, อาร์ม, เทนโด้ และอีกหลายๆ คนที่คุ้นตากันดี บรรยากาศออกกึ่งกันเองกึ่งเป็นทางการ ผมไม่ได้อธิบายอะไรมาก ก่อนที่เสียงผู้กำกับจะให้สัญญาณเริ่ม คุณซุปหย่อนคำถามเล็ก ๆ ให้ผม “พร้อมนะครับ?” ผมพยักหน้านิด ๆ คิดในใจว่ามันคงไม่มีคำว่า “พร้อมจริง” ได้หรอก แต่ยังไงก็ต้องไปต่อ...  “คุยทุกเรื่องที่ใช่กับ RightTalk” นั่นคือประโยคแรกที่ผมได้ยินในหูฟัง ขณะไฟสปอร์ตไลต์สาดสว่างทั่วเวทีอีกครั้ง คุณซุปเอ่ยแนะนำตัวผมว่าเป็นคนที่ผ่านประสบการณ์ **สงคราม Blocksize** มาตั้งแต่ยุคเปลี่ยนผ่าน และพ่วงด้วยข่าวว่าตอนนี้ราคา Bitcoin ทะลุหลักแสนดอลลาร์แล้ว ผมยืดหลังเพื่อกลั้นความตื่นเต้น แต่ก็ไม่วายตัวเกร็งเล็กน้อย เขาหันมาทางผมพลางกล่าวอย่างเป็นกันเอง “**_คุณแชมป์ PIGROCK_** สบายดีไหมครับ?" "รู้สึกยังไงบ้างครับกับสถานการณ์ในปัจจุบันที่มันต่างจากสมัยก่อนลิบลับ?” ผมเผลอกัดริมฝีปากเพราะความประหม่าหลุดขึ้นมาเล็กน้อย แต่ผมยังคุมโทนได้ จึงตอบไปว่า "ผมชื่อแชมป์ครับ.. เป็นแค่นักวาดดิจิทัลธรรมดา ๆ ที่จู่ ๆ ก็ได้อยู่ข้าง ๆ Jakk Goodday พี่ชายจอมยิงใยผู้เปลี่ยนชีวิตผม ถ้าไม่ใช่เพราะเขา ผมคงไม่รู้จักคำว่า UASF หรือ SegWit ขนาดนี้" ผมเห็นคุณซุปยิ้มมากขึ้น แล้วก็พยักเพยิดให้ผมพูดต่อ “ว่ากันว่าตอนนั้น Bitcoin มีแนวโน้มแตกออกเป็นหลายสาย เล่าหน่อยสิครับ ว่าพี่อยู่ในจุดไหน?” ผมถือไมโครโฟนแน่นขึ้นตอบตามจริงว่า จุดเริ่มต้นมาจากความขัดแย้งว่า Blocksize ควรจะใหญ่ขึ้นหรือไม่ จนกลายเป็นสงครามขนาดย่อมบนฟอรัม Bitcointalk และโซเชียลมีเดียต่าง ๆ ซึ่งผมเป็นคนที่ไม่เชี่ยวชาญเทคโนโลยีเลย แต่โชคดีตรงที่เจอ Jakk คอยเปิดแผนที่ให้เห็นภาพรวมว่าใครอยู่ฝ่ายไหน ผมยังเล่าให้ผู้ชมฟังว่า... ครั้งแรกที่ได้ยินคำว่า **UASF** ก็ยอมรับว่างงอยู่เหมือนกัน แต่มันก็เป็นจุดที่ทำให้ผมเข้าใจว่า Bitcoin ไม่ได้มีเจ้าของเป็นตัวบุคคล แถมยังเป็นครั้งแรกที่ผมเห็นประชาชนโหนดรายย่อยจะมาคุมเกมสั่งนักขุด _“ถ้าไม่รองรับ SegWit ก็ไม่รับบล็อกกันเลย”_ ซึ่งเป็นเรื่องที่ผมเองก็ไม่เคยคาดคิดว่าจะเกิดขึ้นได้ ซุปหันไปมองกล้องด้วยสีหน้าน่าสนใจ พร้อมสรุปสั้น ๆ ก่อนพักเบรกว่า “โอเค.. งั้นตอนหน้ามาคุยกันเรื่อง UASF และ SegWit กันชัด ๆ ว่ามันเปลี่ยนแปลงชุมชน Bitcoin ได้ขนาดไหน ห้ามพลาดนะครับ!” ผมก็ยิ้มรับแล้ววางไมค์ คิดในใจว่ายังมีอีกเยอะที่ผมอยากเล่า—ทั้งความวุ่นวายของปี 2017 และเรื่องราวของ Jakk ที่เป็นแหล่งข้อมูลล้ำค่าในชีวิตผม  ผมกลับเข้ามานั่งบนเก้าอี้ในสตูดิโอ RightTalk อีกครั้งหลังพักเบรกสั้น ๆ พิธีกรซุปมองสบตาผมราวกับบอกเป็นนัยว่า.. ตอนนี้ได้เวลาเล่าช่วงสำคัญที่ทุกคนรอคอย ผมสูดลมหายใจเบา ๆ แล้วพยักหน้าอย่างมั่นใจ ถึงจะไม่ใช่นักเทคนิคโดยกำเนิด แต่ผมก็พร้อมจะบอกสิ่งที่ประสบมาในช่วงปี 2017 ซึ่งในตอนนั้น แค่ได้ยินคำว่า UASF ครั้งแรกผมยังสับสนแทบแย่ว่ามันคืออะไร “พี่ว่า UASF เหมือนการปฏิวัติครับ” ผมพูดด้วยน้ำเสียงตื่นเต้นขณะที่กล้องจับภาพเต็มจอ “ตอนนั้นกลุ่มโหนดรายย่อยลุกขึ้นมาประกาศชัด ๆ ว่า ถ้านักขุดไม่สนับสนุน SegWit พวกเขาจะไม่รับบล็อกเหล่านั้นอีกต่อไป เป็นภาพที่พี่ไม่เคยคาดคิดมาก่อนว่า... **เสียงของคนตัวเล็ก ๆ** จะดังได้ขนาดนี้ เหมือนชาวบ้านรวมตัวท้าทายอำนาจจักรวรรดิไม่มีผิด” ผมหันไปเห็นประกายตาในคุณซุป เขาขยับไมโครโฟนเล็กน้อย “แบบนี้ก็ต้องมีเรื่องขัดแย้งกับพวก Hashrate ใหญ่ใช่ไหมครับ ผมได้ยินชื่อ Bitmain กับ Roger Ver โผล่มาบ่อยมากตอนนั้น” ผมพยักหน้าแล้วหัวเราะน้อย ๆ “ใช่ครับ พวก Big Block มองว่าต้องขยาย Blocksize สายตรงไปเลย จะได้จุธุรกรรมได้เยอะ ค่าธรรมเนียมไม่โหด" "ส่วนอีกฝั่งยืนยันว่าควรใช้ SegWit มาช่วยแทนโดยไม่ต้องขยายบล็อกจริง ๆ ประเด็นนี้ใหญ่พอจะทำให้เกิดการแตกสายกลายเป็น **_Bitcoin Cash_** ในวันที่ **1 สิงหาคม 2017** นั่นแหละครับ” ผมเล่าย้อนภาพในหัว... ช่วงนั้น Jakk บอกไว้อย่างชัดถ้อยชัดคำว่า _“พวกเขาคงแยกตัวได้ แต่อย่าหวังว่าจะมาแทน BTC หรืออะไรใหญ่โตนัก รอดูไปเถอะ เดี๋ยวก็เห็นเอง”_ มันฟังดูเหมือนคำทำนายที่ห้าวหาญ แต่สุดท้ายก็เป็นจริง ที่ผมตื่นเต้นยิ่งกว่านั้นคือ SegWit เองก็ไม่ใช่แค่จัดการปัญหา Transaction Malleability หากยังเปิดทางให้เทคโนโลยีในอนาคตอย่าง Lightning Network เกิดขึ้นมาได้อีก ตอนแรกหลายคนเรียกกันว่าเป็นแค่ **_‘ไอเดียบนกระดาษ’_** แต่ตอนนี้ (ปี 2025) กลับกลายเป็นเลเยอร์สำคัญที่ทำให้ผมโอนเงินข้ามประเทศได้แทบจะฟรีในเสี้ยววินาทีจริง ๆ “พี่เองยังคิดไม่ถึงว่ามันจะสำเร็จขั้นนั้น” ผมหัวเราะก่อนบอกต่อ “ตอนแรกที่ SegWit เปิดใช้งาน คนจำนวนหนึ่งยังสงสัยด้วยซ้ำว่ามันจะแก้ปัญหาได้ไหม แต่พอมี UASF โหนดรายย่อยก็กดดันนักขุดจนต้องยอม มันเป็นความเคลื่อนไหวที่แสดงให้เห็นว่าคนมีอำนาจโหวตแบบไร้ศูนย์กลางมากจริง ๆ” “แล้วเรื่องราคา Bitcoin ในปีนั้นล่ะครับ?” ซุปจับจังหวะได้ดี “2017 ถือเป็นปีที่ราคา BTC แตะสองหมื่นดอลลาร์ครั้งแรกเลยใช่ไหม แล้วตอนนี้ทะลุแสนไปแล้ว มันเกิดอะไรขึ้นกันแน่?” ผมยกไหล่แล้วยิ้ม “ตอนนั้นพี่ก็ตื่นเต้นสุด ๆ ครับ เหมือนรถไฟเหาะกันทั้งตลาด แต่ใครจะคิดว่ามันจะไปได้สูงกว่านั้นอีกหลายเท่าตัว บางคนก็ปรามาสว่าเป็น _‘ฟองสบู่แตกแน่ ๆ’_ ส่วนคนเชื่อก็เชื่อสุดใจ" "ไม่ต่างจากประเด็นว่า BCH จะแทน BTC ได้ไหม ซึ่งเอาเข้าจริงแล้ว ทุกวันนี้ BCH ก็ยังอยู่ แต่ไม่ค่อยมีใครพูดถึงหรือเชียร์แรง ๆ เหมือนในอดีต หลังเวลาผ่านไป ตลาดเลยเหมือนตัดสินว่า BTC ยังเป็นตัวหลักมากกว่า” “พี่รู้สึกอย่างไรกับคำทำนายของ Jakk ที่ว่า BCH ไม่น่ารอดยาว?” ซุปถามแทรก มุมปากมีรอยยิ้มเจ้าเล่ห์นิด ๆ เหมือนอยากได้คำตอบที่สะใจ “พี่ขอเรียกเขาว่าเป็นคนมองขาดละกัน” ผมยิ้มพลางนึกหน้าตายของ Jakk “แกเป็นคนที่มองเกมเชิงเทคนิคและปรัชญาของ Bitcoin ได้คมมากนะครับ แกจะบอกเสมอว่า **‘ไม่มีใครเป็นเจ้าของ Bitcoin แท้จริงหรอก ตราบใดที่ชุมชนทั้งหมดไม่ยอมรับ ก็จบ’** " "จนถึงตอนนี้ พี่ยังรู้สึกทึ่งว่าทำไมแกถึงทำนายถูกหลายเรื่อง” ผมเห็นเวลาในหูฟังบอกใกล้หมดช่วงแล้ว จึงตบท้ายว่าเหตุการณ์ครั้งนั้นมันสอนให้ผมรู้เรื่องประชาธิปไตยในระบบไร้ศูนย์กลาง ทุกฝ่าย—_ไม่ว่าจะนักขุด โหนด หรือผู้ใช้_—ต่างมีสิทธิ์ Fork ได้ แต่ไม่มีใครการันตีว่า Fork นั้นจะไปรอด ท้ายที่สุด **ตลาดต้องเป็นผู้ตัดสินเอง** และนั่นคือเสน่ห์ของ Bitcoin ที่ผมรู้สึกโชคดีที่ได้เข้าไปเห็นด้วยตาตัวเอง ซุปพยักหน้าแล้วยิ้มกว้าง หันไปมองกล้อง “โอเคครับ คุณผู้ชม วันนี้เราคุยกันเรื่อง UASF, SegWit, BCH, Lightning Network และความผันผวนของตลาดในปี 2017 ที่ต่อยอดมาถึง 2024 แบบพอหอมปากหอมคอ" "ต้องขอบพี่แชมป์ ‘PIGROCK’ ที่มาให้มุมมองสนุก ๆ พร้อมแง่คิดที่น่าสนใจมาก ๆ ไว้เจอกันใหม่ใน RightTalk กับผมและแขกรับเชิญท่านอื่น ๆ ไม่นานนี้” เสียงปรบมือดังขึ้นเบา ๆ ขณะที่ไฟบนเวทีค่อย ๆ หรี่ลงอีกครั้ง ผมปลดไมค์ออกจากเสื้อ สูดลมหายใจโล่ง ๆ พร้อมกล่าวขอบคุณทุกคน แล้วคิดถึงคำพูดของ Jakk ในวันวานที่ฝังอยู่ในหัว > “สงคราม Blocksize แค่งานวอร์มอัพ โลกคริปโตฯ ยังมีอะไรให้ลุ้นอีกเยอะนะน้องชาย” ผมยิ้มเงียบ ๆ คิดว่ามันคงจริงอย่างที่แกว่า เพราะถ้า Bitcoin ไม่ใช่ของใครคนเดียว เราก็คงเห็นการเคลื่อนไหวอะไรใหม่ ๆ เกิดขึ้นเสมอ  ซุปทำท่าเกริ่นรอบสุดท้าย สบตากับผมแล้วถามขึ้นด้วยน้ำเสียงเรียบ ๆ แต่ชวนให้ผมรื้อฟื้นความทรงจำทั้งหมดที่เพิ่งเล่ามา “แล้วพี่คิดว่า... สิ่งที่ Bitcoin Cash กับ SegWit สอนเราเกี่ยวกับ Bitcoin คืออะไรครับ?” ผมยิ้มบาง ๆ สูดหายใจแล้วลองเรียบเรียงคำตอบในหัว ผมคิดถึงภาพที่ผ่านมา... ทั้งช่วงที่โหนดรายย่อยลุกขึ้นเรียกร้องสิทธิ์ UASF ทั้งวันที่ BCH แยกตัวอย่างอลังการ ตลอดจนเวลาที่ SegWit เปิดทางให้เทคโนโลยีใหม่ ๆ เกิดขึ้น ผมรวบทุกประสบการณ์ไว้ในประโยคเดียวก่อนพูด “สำหรับพี่นะ... สงคราม Blocksize หรือจะเรียกว่าการแตกแยกครั้งนั้น มันสอนให้เห็นว่าระบบนี้ไม่เคยเป็นของใครคนเดียวเลยนะครับ" "นี่แหละคือ **การกระจายอำนาจ** อย่างแท้จริง ใครจะฟอร์ก ใครจะทำอะไรก็ได้ แต่สุดท้ายตลาดและชุมชนทั้งหมดนี่ล่ะที่เป็นคนตัดสินว่าเส้นทางไหนจะอยู่หรือไป" "เรื่องนี้ทำให้พี่ตระหนักว่าบางที... การขัดแย้งก็พาให้เทคโนโลยีมันพัฒนาไปอีกขั้นเหมือนกัน ตราบใดที่เราไม่ลืมสารตั้งต้นว่ามันคือ **ระบบเปิดที่ทุกคนเข้าถึงได้** ” ซุปนิ่งฟังแล้วผงกศีรษะเบา ๆ เหมือนยอมรับในประเด็นที่ผมว่า เขาหันไปทางกล้องและปิดรายการด้วยสไตล์ที่คนดูคุ้นเคย “วันนี้เราคุยกันหลายแง่มุมเลยนะครับ ตั้งแต่ UASF กับปัญหาความขัดแย้ง ไปจนถึงผลลัพธ์ของ SegWit, BCH และ Lightning Network" "ต้องขอบคุณพี่แชมป์ ‘PIGROCK’ มาก ๆ ที่มาแบ่งปันประสบการณ์อันเป็นประโยชน์ หวังว่าทุกคนจะได้ไอเดียกลับไปไม่มากก็น้อยนะครับ และนี่คือ RightTalk คุยทุกเรื่องที่ใช่ เจอกันตอนหน้าครับ!” เสียงดนตรีประจำรายการดังขึ้นอัตโนมัติ เป็นสัญญาณว่าการถ่ายทอดสดสิ้นสุดลง ผมถอนหายใจเฮือกใหญ่โล่งอกอย่างไม่ปิดบัง ทีมงานบางคนเดินเข้ามาขอบคุณพร้อมจับมือเบา ๆ ผมรู้สึกเหมือนเพิ่งยกภูเขาออกจากอกที่ได้ถ่ายทอดสิ่งที่เคยแบกไว้มานาน ไม่ใช่แค่เรื่องเทคนิคบล็อกเชน แต่เป็นการขบคิดด้วยว่า ในโลกที่ทุกคนเรียกหาเสรีภาพทางการเงิน ไม่มีชัยชนะของใครที่จีรังได้นาน ถ้าผู้ใช้ทั้งหมดไม่ยอมรับ ผมเผลอมองขึ้นไปบนไฟสปอร์ตไลต์อีกครั้ง คราวนี้ไม่ได้รู้สึกว่ามันจ้าจนแสบตาเหมือนช่วงเริ่มรายการ แต่กลับรู้สึกว่ามันอบอุ่นดี ผมยิ้มให้ตัวเองเล็กน้อย ทบทวนว่านี่คงเป็นบทเรียนที่ดีว่าถึงเราจะเป็นเพียงโหนดเล็ก ๆ หรือผู้ใช้งานตัวเล็ก ๆ แต่ในระบบกระจายอำนาจแบบ Bitcoin มันก็มีสิทธิ์เปล่งเสียงได้ และบางครั้งก็อาจเปลี่ยนกระแสทั้งโลกได้เลย ถ้านั่นไม่ใช่คำจำกัดความของ **“เสรีภาพ”** ผมก็ไม่รู้จะเรียกมันว่าอะไรแล้วล่ะ  ## End credit ผมนั่งพักหลังกองอัดรายการแทบไม่ได้หายใจเป็นชิ้นเป็นอัน พิธีกรสุดกระตือรือร้นอย่างซุป เดินดุ่ม ๆ มาหาผมพร้อมแววตาวิ้งวับ ก่อนจะรั้งเก้าอี้มาเบียดติดข้างผม ถึงแม้ไฟสปอตไลต์จะดับไปแล้ว แต่เขายังดูเหมือนพร้อมลุยถามต่อไม่หยุด “พี่แชมป์” เขาเอ่ยชื่อผมแบบลากเสียงยาว “คอผมมันคันยุบยิบ มีเรื่องต้องเม้าท์ต่อจริง ๆ นะพี่ ผมกั๊กไว้ตั้งแต่ก่อนจะเริ่มรายการละ” ผมเลยหัวเราะพลางเท้าคาง “ไหนว่ามาสิวะ ซุป ใจคอนายจะไม่ให้พี่ไปเข้าห้องน้ำเข้าห้องท่าก่อนเลยเหรอวะ?” ผมพูดด้วยน้ำเสียงกึ่งหยอกกึ่งประชด “ฮ่า ๆ โทษทีพี่ ผมนี่มันขี้สงสัย” เขายิ้มเจ้าเล่ห์ “คือเรื่อง **‘The One Who Claims to Be Satoshi’** น่ะ… ก็ **Craig Wright** ไงล่ะพี่ ผมสตั๊นกับเขามานาน เห็นว่าฟ้องชาวบ้านเขาไปทั่ว เห็นมีข่าวว่าขู่ฟ้องใครก็ตามที่พูดว่าเขาไม่ใช่ Satoshi ผมล่ะขำไม่ไหว!” ผมยักไหล่ “เอาตรง ๆ นะ... พี่มองว่าเขาเป็น _ราชาสายปั่นของแท้_ รู้จักดึงกระแสเก่งเป็นบ้า ส่วนจะเป็น Satoshi จริงหรือเปล่า? พี่ไม่เชื่อเลยสักเสี้ยว ยังไงพี่ก็ว่ามันดู ‘_เฟค_’ ไปหมด” ซุปตบโต๊ะเบา ๆ “โอ๊ย! ใช่เลยพี่! ผมก็ดูละครฉาก **‘พิสูจน์ Private Key’** แล้วแทบขำกลิ้ง" "แต่พี่รู้ไหม? ตอนแรกดราม่าก็แรงเพราะหลายคนคิดว่าบางทีแกอาจจะเป็นจริง ๆ แต่หลักฐานไม่ชัด สุดท้ายคนในชุมชน _‘กระซวก’_ จนหลุดหมดว่าใช้เทคนิคปลอมลายเซ็น” ผมพยักหน้า “ยิ่งไปกว่านั้นนะ... ตอนเขาแยกสายไป **Bitcoin SV** อ้างว่าสานต่อ **‘Satoshi’s Vision’** นายลองดูตอนนี้สิ มีกี่คนพูดถึง BSV... " "แทบไม่มี... มันก็ตลกดีนะ โลกคริปโตนี่ ถ้าไม่มีคนยอมรับ ต่อให้เป็น Satoshi ยังไงก็แพ้ตลาด” “โอ้โห.. พี่พูดได้ถูกใจมาก” คุณซุปแหงนหน้าหัวเราะลั่น “นี่ถ้าพี่คนนี้อยู่ต่อหน้าคงเถียงเขาร้อนเป็นไฟเลยนะ แต่เอาจริง ถ้าอยู่ดี ๆ เขาพิสูจน์ได้ว่าเป็น Satoshi ขึ้นมาจริง ๆ พี่ไม่ช็อกเหรอ?” ผมยิ้มพลางยักคิ้ว “ช็อกนิดหน่อยนะ… แต่มันคงไม่เปลี่ยนอะไรหรอก เพราะ Bitcoin น่ะไปไกลเกินกว่าตัวบุคคลแล้ว ใครจะเป็น Satoshi ก็เรื่องของเขา พี่ถือคติว่า **BTC ไม่ต้องการ ‘เจ้านาย’** อีกแล้ว ตอนนี้มันเป็นของทุกคนบนโลกต่างหาก” **"We're all Satoshi เคป่ะ?"** “สุดยอด!” ซุปตบมือถูกใจใหญ่ “ผมก็คิดเหมือนกัน ผมแอบยกให้พี่เป็นปรมาจารย์ทางความคิดเรื่องนี้เลยนะเนี่ย” "มึงก็อวยเกินไป.. ไอ้นี่" ผมรีบปัดคำชมบ้า ๆ นั่นไปทันที พูดจบเขาก็กำลังจะบอกอะไรต่อ แต่ทันใดนั้นประตูสตูดิโอเปิดออกแผ่ว ๆ เผยให้เห็นผู้ชายรูปร่างสูงโปร่ง คิ้วไม่เข้มเท่าไหร่ แต่งตัวไม่เป็นทางการสีเข้ม ก้าวเข้ามาแบบไม่รีบร้อน “ตายล่ะพี่แจ็ก!” คุณซุปอุทานเบา ๆ ก่อนสะดุ้งตั้งท่าเหมือนเจอลูกพี่ใหญ่ ผมเองก็ตาโตนิดหน่อย “โผล่มาเงียบ ๆ ระวังผมช็อกตายนะ” คนที่เข้ามาคือ Jakk Goodday ที่ผมเคารพและเกรงใจมาตลอด.. และใช่เลย เขาคือ Co-founder ของ Right Shift ตัวจริง เสียงจริง “โย่ สองหนุ่มเม้าท์อะไรกันอยู่ กลิ่นดราม่าลอยมาถึงนอกห้องเลยนะ” เขายิ้มยั่ว พร้อมวางแก้วคราฟท์เบียร์ของเขาบนโต๊ะใกล้ ๆ “พี่แจ็ก ขอโทษครับ ผมก็แค่คันปากเรื่อง Craig Wright” ซุปรีบบอก พยายามวางมาดพิธีกรสายยียวนเหมือนเดิม แต่ผมเห็นหลังตาเขายังกระพริบบ่อยแปลก ๆ “ซุปเอ๊ย.. ขี้เม้าท์ตั้งแต่สมัยฝึกงานจนตอนนี้เป็นพิธีกรระดับประเทศก็ไม่เปลี่ยน” Jakk ยักคิ้ว เขามีเสียงเรียบแต่น่าฟัง “แต่ดีนะ... เรื่อง Craig Wright" "เนี่ย... พี่เองก็ขำทุกทีที่ได้ยินว่าพยายามฟ้องคนนู้นคนนี้ว่า _‘เธอดูถูกว่าฉันไม่ใช่ Satoshi_’ โอ๊ย มุกนี้แม่งใช้มากี่ปีแล้วก็ไม่รู้” ผมหัวเราะออกมาเบา ๆ “ถ้าพี่ว่าแล้วมันไม่หยาบไป ก็ช่วยกัดเพิ่มให้หน่อย ผมว่าต้องมีคำเจ็บ ๆ ของพี่แจ็กแน่ ๆ” Jakk หรี่ตาเล็กน้อย... “ถ้าผมพูดแบบเจ็บ ๆ จริงก็เกรงจะโดนฟ้องเหมือนกันนะ” เขาทำท่ายกแก้วเก๊กฮวยลึกลับขึ้นจิบ “แต่เอาเป็นว่า… ตลาดไม่เคยโกหกใคร โค้ดก็ไม่เคยโกหกใคร ใครที่เรียกตนเองเป็น Satoshi หรือพระเจ้าคนไหนก็ตาม ถ้าทำให้คนยอมรับไม่ได้ มันก็จบตรงนั้นละ” ซุปหัวเราะก้าก “ว้าว! ตรงกว่าผมอีก! 5555" "นี่เป็นเหตุผลว่าทำไมพี่ถึงเป็นหัวโจกได้ใช่ไหม สายบวกแบบตอกหมุดเลย” Jakk หันมาทางผม “แต่เอาจริง พี่ก็ respect ในความปากแจ๋วของคุณซุปเค้านะ ถ้าเจอ Craig Wright ตัวเป็น ๆ เมื่อไหร่ บางทีอาจจะสนุกกว่าที่คิด” ผมกับคุณซุปหันมาสบตากันแล้วระเบิดหัวเราะพร้อมเพรียง “ไม่เอา ไม่เจอดีกว่า ผมขอความสงบสุขในชีวิต!” คุณซุปว่า Jakk วางแก้วเก๊กฮวยลงบนโต๊ะ กระตุกยิ้มตรงมุมปากอย่างคนมั่นใจ “ขอจบด้วยโควทหนึ่งละกัน ใครอยากเป็น Satoshi ก็เชิญเป็น แต่จำไว้ว่า…" **"ผู้ชนะที่แท้จริง ไม่ได้ชนะเพราะได้สวมมงกุฎ หากแต่ชนะเพราะผู้คนยอมรับให้เขาสวม และ Bitcoin ก็แสดงให้เราเห็นแล้วล่ะ ว่าตัวตนแท้ ๆ ของมันไม่ต้องพึ่งใครมาคุมบังเหียนสักคนเดียว”** ผมกับคุณซุปนิ่งไปครู่สั้น ๆ ก่อนหัวเราะเบา ๆ รับคำพูดคมคายเสียดสีในแบบของ Jakk Goodday “โอเคครับพี่แจ็ก นี่สินะ Signature Quote ที่เราคอยตามหา!” คุณซุปพูดตบท้าย ท่ามกลางเสียงเก็บอุปกรณ์ของทีมงานที่ใกล้จะเลิกงานเต็มที ผมเองยักไหล่แล้วลุกขึ้นบิดขี้เกียจ “เอ้า! ปิดสตูแล้วดีกว่า เดี๋ยวเราจะโดนปิดไฟตัดน้ำไม่รู้ตัวนะครับพี่แจ๊ก” “เออ ๆ รีบปิดสตูเถอะ” Jakk ตอบเรียบ ๆ แต่สายตายังฉายแววเจ้าเล่ห์หน่อย ๆ “ไว้เจอกันรอบหน้า อย่าเผลอไปปั่นจนโดนฟ้องกันเองล่ะ ฮ่า ๆ” และนั่นก็เป็นฉากสั้น ๆ ที่สามเราปิดท้ายกันแบบเฮฮาและมีสาระนิด ๆ ทิ้งประเด็นว่าบางครั้งในโลกคริปโต คำพูดของใครสักคนอาจสั่นสะเทือนได้ แต่ตอนจบจริง ๆ ก็ต้องดูว่าชุมชนยอมรับมากน้อยแค่ไหน… Craig Wright จะอ้างตัวเป็น Satoshi กี่ครั้งก็ได้ แต่ถ้าโลกไม่เชื่อ... นั่นก็อาจเป็นเพียงเรื่องตลกในตำนานคริปโตเท่านั้นเอง  ## ลำดับเหตุการณ์สงคราม Blocksize (Blocksize War) ### จุดเริ่มต้นของความขัดแย้ง (2015–2016) ปัญหาความแออัดของเครือข่าย Bitcoin: - การเพิ่มขึ้นของธุรกรรมทำให้บล็อกขนาด 1 MB ไม่เพียงพอ ส่งผลให้ค่าธรรมเนียมสูงและการยืนยันธุรกรรมล่าช้า ชุมชนเริ่มแบ่งเป็น 2 กลุ่ม: - Big Block (ขยายบล็อกใหญ่ขึ้น): ต้องการเพิ่ม Blocksize ตรง ๆ เช่น 2 MB หรือมากกว่านั้น - Small Block (คงขนาดบล็อกเดิม): เน้นการแก้ปัญหาผ่านวิธีอื่น เช่น Segregated Witness (SegWit) --- ### การพัฒนาของ SegWit (2016) Segregated Witness (SegWit): - เสนอโดย Pieter Wuille และทีม Bitcoin Core - แก้ปัญหา Transaction Malleability และเพิ่มพื้นที่ธุรกรรมในบล็อกโดยย้ายข้อมูลลายเซ็นออกจากธุรกรรมหลัก Hong Kong Agreement (2016): - ความพยายามประนีประนอมระหว่างกลุ่ม Big Block และ Small Block - ตกลงว่าจะเพิ่ม Blocksize เป็น 2 MB และเปิดใช้งาน SegWit แต่ไม่สำเร็จจริง --- ### UASF และ SegWit Activation (2017) UASF (User-Activated Soft Fork): - เสียงของโหนดรายย่อยลุกขึ้นกดดันนักขุดให้รองรับ SegWit ผ่าน BIP 148 - เส้นตาย: 1 สิงหาคม 2017 ถ้านักขุดไม่รองรับ SegWit โหนด UASF จะไม่ยอมรับบล็อกของนักขุดเหล่านั้น SegWit Activation: - นักขุดยอมรับ SegWit เพื่อหลีกเลี่ยงการแยกเครือข่าย - SegWit เปิดใช้งานสำเร็จในวันที่ 24 สิงหาคม 2017 --- ### การเกิด Bitcoin Cash (1 สิงหาคม 2017) Hard Fork ครั้งใหญ่: - กลุ่ม Big Block นำโดย Roger Ver และ Jihan Wu สร้าง Bitcoin Cash (BCH) - BCH เปิดตัวด้วย Blocksize ขนาด 8 MB และโปรโมตว่าเป็น “เงินสดดิจิทัลที่แท้จริง” ผลกระทบ: - ชุมชน Bitcoin แตกเป็น 2 ฝ่ายชัดเจน - BCH ได้รับความนิยมในช่วงแรก แต่ไม่สามารถแทนที่ BTC ได้ในระยะยาว --- ### การพัฒนาของ Lightning Network (2017–2018) Layer 2 Solution: - Lightning Network (LN) เป็นเทคโนโลยีที่พัฒนาต่อเนื่องหลัง SegWit เปิดใช้งาน - ลดความแออัดในเครือข่ายหลักและทำให้การทำธุรกรรมเร็วขึ้น การใช้งานจริง: - LN เริ่มทดสอบใน Testnet และเปิดตัวอย่างเป็นทางการในปี 2018 --- ### ราคา Bitcoin พุ่งสูงสุด (ปลายปี 2017) - Bitcoin แตะ $20,000 ครั้งแรก: - ช่วงปลายปี 2017 ตลาดคริปโตเข้าสู่ช่วงเฟื่องฟู (Crypto Boom) - BCH ก็พุ่งสูงสุดที่มากกว่า $3,000 แต่เริ่มลดลงในปีถัดมา --- ### ความแตกแยกใน Bitcoin Cash (2018) Hard Fork อีกครั้ง: - เกิดความขัดแย้งในชุมชน BCH เรื่องแนวทางการพัฒนา - นำไปสู่การแยกตัวเป็น Bitcoin SV (BSV) นำโดย Craig Wright ผลกระทบ: - BCH และ BSV สูญเสียส่วนแบ่งตลาด - BTC ยังคงเป็นผู้นำในตลาดคริปโต --- ### การยอมรับ SegWit และการเปลี่ยนแปลงตลาด (2018–ปัจจุบัน) SegWit Adoption: - เมื่อผู้ใช้งานเริ่มใช้ SegWit มากขึ้น ค่าธรรมเนียมธุรกรรมลดลง และความแออัดในเครือข่ายลดลง - Bitcoin กลายเป็น Store of Value: - BTC ถูกมองว่าเป็น “สินทรัพย์เก็บออม” มากกว่า “เงินสดดิจิทัล” BCH และ BSV: - ตลาดของทั้งสองสายลดลง และไม่สามารถทดแทน BTC ได้ https://v.nostr.build/pxBuxtiSVNbisYMv.mp4

@ 06639a38:655f8f71

A while back I shared this note via Nostr: [https://njump.me/a0da4693dc761c649e46606ba4cc11cd05afbed2d7c763775d7ba29a473cbed3](https://njump.me/a0da4693dc761c649e46606ba4cc11cd05afbed2d7c763775d7ba29a473cbed3) > I feel I need to ventilate some things I'm struggling with. As a indiepreneur I don't have many professionals around me with who I can share my daily struggles which I'm handling now. I'm aware it's a sort of a luxury position where the current fricton is coming from. It's because I've said too much yes to some responsabilties. I'm managing 4 client (Drupal) projects at this moment and all of them are asking for decent amount of my attention. Integrating new features, updating existing features, questions how things work, bugfixes etc. Normally their demand of them is steady. But as always, at the end of the year things are stacking up. It's no surprise that you can't manage their demands so it's the expection of my output to them I have to manage. It's the output I create for the value I deliver. Especially one project is getting all of my attention because I'm building a complete new commerce rental system with Drupal for campers. There is a deadline involved there, I've one month left to build it and have it tested.   > For me it's very challenging to manage those expectations and basicly saying no to things in a friendly way. But offcourse, this also takes time... > > With this said, there is another project which is not actively demanding anything from me (it's not a kind of a customer client): Nostr-PHP. My work pace on this project is lacking, but it's the damn thing I love the most to work on 💜 > > So what is this? What do I feel? > It feels like cognitive dissonation. If I follow my intrinsic motivation I can work on Nostr-PHP and other Nostr stuff for whole days. If I follow my ratio, it's all the client work what has to be done (and is mostly also paying the bills). > > Anyway, now I ventilated this it's time to go back building stuff ⚒️ ⚒️ ⚒️ > One thing I know of myself is that when the pressure is really high, I'm able to finish stuff rapidly for a short period of time.  Since then I made quite some hours on one specific project building out a commerce rental platform with Drupal. Progress is made and I'm already quite proud on the achievements there. Also the client is happy with the results so far. As things evolve and are being tested, new insights popup which result in adjustments in the features made and the wishlist of new features grow. To me that's natural if you're building a custom solution. But this doesn't change the challenge I mentioned earlier, managing expections and decide to what I will spent my attention to.  With that said, the development for Nostr-PHP library pretty much halted since december. So I decided to ask OpenSats to pause my grant for 3 months, so I can finish up the client-work without guilty feelings. My plan is to pick up the development again around March.  At last, let me sum up the the things I've done in week 48 and 49 in 2024: **Nostr-PHP** * Release 1.5.1 [https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/releases/tag/1.5.1](https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/releases/tag/1.5.1) * Thanks for this compliment Prolic (developer of Flutr) [https://njump.me/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqwuvj7hf9phszffuf7ydgtgkapvv0jf9zw4l9uuz2xhlwy63f08xqy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qg4waehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnw3ezucn89uqzp94nzvmh7nlh3qte8g4g2kz075pqy6gz837y0emeqc9m8l4dlpl672l3gr](https://njump.me/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqwuvj7hf9phszffuf7ydgtgkapvv0jf9zw4l9uuz2xhlwy63f08xqy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qg4waehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnw3ezucn89uqzp94nzvmh7nlh3qte8g4g2kz075pqy6gz837y0emeqc9m8l4dlpl672l3gr) * Collaboration efforts on encoding / decoding TLV entries in NIP-19: [https://njump.me/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqpnrnguxe8qszsshvgkvhn6qjzxy7xsvx03rlrtddr62haj4lrm3qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qghwaehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnw3ezucnpdejz7qpqxh039ng4nr2w5q6np5gzhpfjjgxd4gtkraxeuv9ew5sve7pytawq8l5dzr](https://njump.me/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqpnrnguxe8qszsshvgkvhn6qjzxy7xsvx03rlrtddr62haj4lrm3qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qghwaehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnw3ezucnpdejz7qpqxh039ng4nr2w5q6np5gzhpfjjgxd4gtkraxeuv9ew5sve7pytawq8l5dzr) * Working on a fix for a lib\_gmp issue with the latest PHP releases: * [https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/71](https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/71) * [https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/issues/75](https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/issues/75) * [https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/76](https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/76) * Merged [https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/76](https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/76) and created a `1.5.2` release with this change * [https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/releases/tag/1.5.2](https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/releases/tag/1.5.2) **Other stuff** * Wrote and published my second 90-days progress report for OpenSats. [https://nostrver.se/blog/nostr-php-helper-library-90-day-opensats-report-2](https://nostrver.se/blog/nostr-php-helper-library-90-day-opensats-report-2)

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

**Table Of Content** - ZeroSync's Vision for Bitcoin - The Privacy Advantage - ZeroSync's Journey and Support - Bitcoin's Resistance to Change - The Future: Bitcoin Simplicity - Conclusion - FAQ A Swiss non-profit, ZeroSync, is at the forefront of a groundbreaking initiative, working on the world's first zero-knowledge light client for Bitcoin. This significant advancement is aimed at integrating zero-knowledge proofs into the most valuable cryptocurrency network. **ZeroSync's Vision for Bitcoin** ZeroSync's verifier for Bitcoin's block headers paves the way for the creation of a zk proof-based light client. This is a monumental step in their vision of permissionless innovation, as explained by project lead Robin Linus. The immediate application of such a light client could be to operate a Bitcoin full node on devices as compact as mobile phones. Furthermore, ZeroSync envisions a second-layer protocol over Bitcoin that can introduce tokens, like stablecoins, to the Bitcoin network. This would also lead to a substantial increase in throughput, up to 20 to 50 times, without necessitating any forks. **The Privacy Advantage** One of the standout features of this solution is its ability to process around 100 transactions on the base layer. Additionally, it offers unparalleled privacy. Transactions can be encrypted, both in terms of amounts and transaction graphs, providing privacy levels on par with cryptocurrencies like Zcash. Interestingly, this privacy feature is a natural outcome of the protocol's utilization of STARKs, a proving system developed by StarkWare, rather than an intentional design element. **ZeroSync's Journey and Support** ZeroSync's endeavors have garnered support in the form of grants from Geometry Research in 2022 and StarkWare more recently. Their pioneering work marks the first attempt to employ StarkWare's Cairo programming language outside the Ethereum ecosystem. While a soft fork would be essential for the trustless bitcoin bridging on the envisioned layer-2 network, the network can still support features like token transfers where transaction fees are paid in stablecoins, eliminating the need for Bitcoin. **Bitcoin's Resistance to Change** Bitcoin's design inherently resists change, demanding consensus from Core developers and almost unanimous agreement from full node operators, including miners. The last soft fork, Taproot, which took place in 2021, was years in the making and was only activated after over 90% of node operators gave their approval. Linus emphasizes the importance of some changes, especially the integration of a zk proof verifier on Bitcoin. ZeroSync aims to play a pivotal role in determining the most viable approach and actively participates in the community to drive this vision forward. **The Future: Bitcoin Simplicity** Zero-knowledge proof technology is still nascent, with various proof systems available, each with its own set of trade-offs. Reaching a consensus on a single system is challenging. However, Linus anticipates that the Simplicity programming language, introduced by Blockstream about half a decade ago, might offer a solution. Described as "Bitcoin's last soft fork," Simplicity could significantly enhance Bitcoin's scripting capabilities. The adoption of Simplicity would provide zk proof teams with the flexibility to choose their preferred proof system, eliminating debates over which verifier to activate. **Conclusion** The advancements spearheaded by ZeroSync have the potential to usher in a new era for the Bitcoin network. By integrating zero-knowledge proofs, Bitcoin can achieve heightened levels of privacy and security, ensuring that transaction details remain confidential while still being verifiable. This not only enhances user trust but also positions Bitcoin as a more versatile and adaptable cryptocurrency. Furthermore, the potential adoption of the Simplicity programming language could be a game-changer. It promises to amplify Bitcoin's scripting capabilities, paving the way for more sophisticated applications and functionalities on the network. **FAQ** **What is ZeroSync?** ZeroSync is a Swiss non-profit working on the world's first zero-knowledge light client for Bitcoin. **What are zero-knowledge proofs?** Zero-knowledge proofs are cryptographic methods that allow one party to prove to another that a statement is true without revealing any specific information about the statement itself. **How can ZeroSync benefit Bitcoin?** ZeroSync aims to introduce a zk proof-based light client, enabling operations like running a Bitcoin full node on mobile devices and increasing transaction throughput without requiring forks. **What is the significance of STARKs in ZeroSync's protocol?** STARKs, developed by StarkWare, are used in ZeroSync's protocol, providing enhanced transaction privacy as a natural outcome. **What is the Simplicity programming language?** Introduced by Blockstream, Simplicity is a smart contract language that could significantly enhance Bitcoin's scripting capabilities, potentially being the last soft fork for Bitcoin. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [@croxroadnews](https://x.com/croxroadnewsco)** **Instagram: [@croxroadnews.co](https://www.instagram.com/croxroadnews.co/)** **Youtube: [@croxroadnews](https://www.youtube.com/@croxroadnews)** **Store: https://croxroad.store** **Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter** **https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe** *DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.*

@ 4d4fb5ff:1e821f47

**Numerical heatmap derived from biologically-sourced data.** I reversed the process of scientific discovery by stripping away the context of data collected in four of my published experiments, leaving only single digits. This makes the table appear to include only unrelated, random numbers. However, since the numbers come from real world data, there remains meaningful hidden structure in the grid. This invites the viewer to participate in parsing signal from noise. 

@ 4d4fb5ff:1e821f47

**Overlay of the molecular structures of two proteins.** This two-step work is comprised of animations I captured from public data while in graduate school, which marked the beginning of my interest in biological, data-driven art. After being stored for over a decade on a thumb drive, I merged two of the animations to create a new entity in 2024, linking past and present, which is mirrored in the interactions of the two major protein folds (alpha helices and beta sheets). 

@ 4d4fb5ff:1e821f47

**Sanger sequencing traces.** I extracted DNA directly from my cells and determined their sequence, which is visualized by the bottom trace. In a second sample, I mutated my DNA enzymatically and used to same process to determine the sequence, shown in the top trace. Each peak and color represents a unique DNA base (A, T, C or G) in part of a gene with 13 bases shown here in total. This biogenerative process resulted in the center base changing from T to C, resulting in a slightly different, mixed peak by comparison. To further separate this work from being purely scientific, I did not record specific details about the experimental process. <img src="https://i.nostr.build/oSgJNXy2dAmZ520S.jpg">

@ 0155373a:ba3e1bed

Imagine an internet where you don’t need a big Internet Service Provider (ISP) to stay connected—an internet powered by the people, for the people. Decentralized internet is no longer a far-fetched idea; it's becoming a reality through community-driven networks. These networks rely on individuals within a community to act as "nodes," connecting their neighbors to the web and bypassing traditional ISPs. #### **What is Decentralized Internet?** Decentralized internet refers to a system where control over connectivity and access is distributed among individuals or local organizations rather than being concentrated in large ISPs. Instead of paying a single company for access, people in a community collaborate to build and maintain the network themselves. #### **How Does It Work?** 1. **Mesh Networks**: Each participant (or node) in the network connects to nearby nodes, creating a web of connectivity. This eliminates the need for a central ISP. 2. **Hardware**: Nodes are powered by simple devices like routers or small computers running specialized software. 3. **Peer-to-Peer Sharing**: Data flows through multiple nodes in the network, ensuring redundancy and reliability. 4. **Backbone Connection**: Some networks may still rely on a single connection to a traditional ISP for broader internet access, but others can connect to decentralized backbone providers or satellites. #### **Benefits of Decentralized Internet** - **Affordable Access**: By cutting out traditional ISPs, communities can lower the cost of internet access. - **Empowerment**: Communities gain control over their own connectivity and data, reducing reliance on corporations. - **Resilience**: Decentralized networks are less prone to outages since they don’t depend on a single point of failure. - **Privacy**: With less reliance on ISPs, there’s less risk of surveillance and data tracking. - **Inclusivity**: Remote or underserved areas can establish connectivity without waiting for ISPs to expand their infrastructure. #### **Real-World Examples** - **Guifi.net**: A community network in Spain that has thousands of nodes providing internet to rural areas. - **NYC Mesh**: A grassroots effort in New York City to create an affordable, community-owned internet. - **Althea**: A project enabling neighbors to share internet bandwidth and earn income for participating in the network. #### **How to Get Started** 1. **Educate Yourself**: Research mesh network technologies like OpenWRT, LibreMesh, or BATMAN. 2. **Form a Group**: Collaborate with neighbors or community organizations to pool resources. 3. **Get the Hardware**: Invest in routers and antennas that support mesh networking. 4. **Set Up Nodes**: Position nodes strategically to ensure strong connections across the community. 5. **Collaborate**: Join forces with regional or global decentralized internet initiatives for support and knowledge sharing. #### **The Future of Decentralized Internet** As internet access becomes increasingly vital, decentralized networks present a way to bridge the digital divide and democratize connectivity. By building these systems, communities can take charge of their digital futures and ensure that no one is left behind. Together, we can create an internet that is truly open, accessible, and resilient. The power lies in our hands—let’s connect, one node at a time.

@ f33c8a96:5ec6f741

<div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;"><video style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;" controls> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-1.mp4" type="video/mp4"/> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-1.webm" type="video/mp4"/> </video></div> # Setting Up Your Code Editor ## Introduction In this lesson, we'll set up the most fundamental tool in your development journey: your code editor. This is where you'll spend most of your time writing, testing, and debugging code, so it's crucial to get comfortable with it from the start. ## What is an IDE? ### Definition An IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities for software development. Think of it as your complete workshop for writing code. ### Key Components 1. **Code Editor** - Where you write and edit code - Provides syntax highlighting - Helps with code formatting - Makes code easier to read and write 2. **Compiler/Interpreter** - Runs your code - Translates your code into executable instructions - Helps test your applications 3. **Debugging Tools** - Help find and fix errors - Provide error messages and suggestions - Make problem-solving easier ## Setting Up Visual Studio Code ### Why VS Code? - Free and open-source - Lightweight yet powerful - Excellent community support - Popular among developers - Great for beginners and experts alike ### Installation Steps 1. Visit [code.visualstudio.com](https://code.visualstudio.com) 2. Download the version for your operating system 3. Run the installer 4. Follow the installation prompts ### Essential VS Code Features #### 1. Interface Navigation - **File Explorer** (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + E) - Browse and manage your files - Create new files and folders - Navigate your project structure - **Search** (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F) - Find text across all files - Replace text globally - Search with regular expressions - **Source Control** (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + G) - Track changes in your code - Commit and manage versions - Integrate with Git #### 2. Terminal Integration To open the integrated terminal: - Use ``` Ctrl + ` ``` (backtick) - Or View → Terminal from the menu - Basic terminal commands: ```bash ls # List files (dir on Windows) cd # Change directory clear # Clear terminal code . # Open VS Code in current directory ``` #### 3. Essential Extensions Install these extensions to enhance your development experience: 1. **ESLint** - Helps find and fix code problems - Enforces coding standards - Improves code quality 2. **Prettier** - Automatically formats your code - Maintains consistent style - Saves time on formatting 3. **Live Server** - Runs your web pages locally - Auto-refreshes on save - Great for web development ### Important Keyboard Shortcuts ``` Ctrl/Cmd + S # Save file Ctrl/Cmd + C # Copy Ctrl/Cmd + V # Paste Ctrl/Cmd + Z # Undo Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P # Command palette Ctrl/Cmd + P # Quick file open ``` ## Writing Your First Code Let's create and run a simple HTML file: 1. Create a new file (`index.html`) 2. Add basic HTML content: ```html <h1>Hello World!</h1> ``` 3. Save the file (Ctrl/Cmd + S) 4. Open in browser or use Live Server ## Best Practices ### 1. File Organization - Keep related files together - Use clear, descriptive names - Create separate folders for different projects ### 2. Regular Saving - Save frequently (Ctrl/Cmd + S) - Watch for the unsaved dot indicator - Enable auto-save if preferred ### 3. Terminal Usage - Get comfortable with basic commands - Use the integrated terminal - Practice navigation and file operations ## Troubleshooting Common Issues ### 1. Installation Problems - Ensure you have admin rights - Check system requirements - Use official download sources ### 2. Extension Issues - Keep extensions updated - Disable conflicting extensions - Restart VS Code after installation ### 3. Performance - Don't install too many extensions - Regular restart of VS Code - Keep your system updated ## Next Steps 1. **Practice Navigation** - Create and manage files - Use the integrated terminal - Try keyboard shortcuts 2. **Customize Your Editor** - Explore themes - Adjust font size - Configure auto-save 3. **Prepare for Next Lesson** - Keep VS Code open - Get comfortable with the interface - Practice basic operations ## Additional Resources - [VS Code Documentation](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs) - [Keyboard Shortcuts Reference](https://code.visualstudio.com/shortcuts/keyboard-shortcuts-windows.pdf) - [VS Code Tips and Tricks](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/getstarted/tips-and-tricks) Remember: Your code editor is your primary tool as a developer. Take time to get comfortable with it, and don't worry about mastering everything at once. Focus on the basics we covered in the video, and you'll naturally learn more features as you need them. Happy coding! 🚀

@ 000002de:c05780a7

 originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/842641

@ f33c8a96:5ec6f741

<div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;"><video style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;" controls> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-0.mp4" type="video/mp4"/> <source src="https://plebdevs-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/starter-lesson-0.webm" type="video/webm"/> </video></div> # Welcome to PlebDevs Starter Course ## Course Mission Welcome to the PlebDevs starter course! I'm Austin, the founder of PlebDevs, and I'll be walking you through this short intro starter course that will get you up and running and interacting with the rest of the content on the platform. If you're here, I'm assuming you're new to coding or just starting out. If you already have experience and have your bearings down, there's lots more intermediate and advanced content on the platform. This course is designed for absolute beginners. ## Course Goals ### Overall PlebDevs Goals 1. Learn how to code 2. Build Bitcoin/Lightning/Nostr apps 3. Become a developer This is a big journey with a lot of pieces and things to learn. The starter course is going to get you on that path as quickly as possible and make it a smooth journey. ### Starter Course Objectives 1. Give you an easy, high-level overview of the dev journey 2. Get you set up and comfortable in a development environment where you'll write and ship code 3. Give you basic experience in the languages covered in our courses and workshops There's lots of material out there that will just tell you exactly what to do and not explain why but I want you to actually understand for yourself. I want you to have a good mental model of what this journey is going to be like, what it's going to be like actually writing and pushing code. And then we're going to start getting our hands dirty and gain real experience. ## What is a PlebDev? ### Origins and Philosophy I started using the term "PlebDev" a few years ago to describe a unique approach to learning development in the Bitcoin space. It represents: - **Inclusive Learning**: Anyone can become a developer, regardless of background - **Growth Mindset**: Embracing the journey from beginner to professional - **Practical Focus**: Emphasizing real-world application development - **Community Support**: Learning and growing together ### Key Characteristics - 🌱 **Growth-Focused**: PlebDevs are always learning and improving - 🎯 **App-Centric**: Focus on building applications rather than protocol development - 🆕 **Embrace Being New**: Being a new developer is infinitely better than being on the sidelines - 🤝 **Community-Driven**: Bitcoin/Lightning/Nostr ecosystem needs more plebdevs like you! ## Our Learning Approach ### Core Principles 1. **Lower Barriers** - Simplify complex concepts - Focus on practical understanding - Build confidence through action 2. **Project-Based Learning** - Learn by doing - Create real applications - Build a portfolio as you learn 3. **MVP (Minimum Viable Product) Focus** - Start with core functionality - Get things working first - Iterate and improve 4. **Actionable Knowledge** - Focus on the 20% that delivers 80% of results - Learn what you can use right away - Build practical skills ### Teaching Methods - Detailed concept breakdowns - Line-by-line code explanations - Interactive learning - 1:1 support available - Community-driven progress ## Course Structure ### The Learning Path Instead of the traditional bottom-up approach, we use a project-focused method: ``` 🏔️ Advanced Skills 🏔️ Projects & Practice 🏔️ Core Concepts 🏔️ Development Environment 🏔️ Getting Started ``` We'll create checkpoints through projects, allowing you to: - Verify your understanding - Build your portfolio - See real progress - Have reference points for review ## Student Expectations ### What We Expect From You - **High Agency**: Take ownership of your learning journey - **Active Participation**: Engage with the material and community - **Persistence**: Push through challenges - **Curiosity**: Ask questions and explore concepts ### What You Can Expect From Us - Clear, practical instruction - Comprehensive support - Real-world applications - Community backing ## Getting Started ### Next Steps 1. Ensure you're ready to commit to learning 2. Set up your development environment (next lesson) 3. Join our community 4. Start building! ## Resources and Support ### Where to Get Help - plebdevs.com ### Tips for Success 1. Push code daily, even if it is small. 2. Focus on understanding rather than memorizing. 3. Build projects that interest you. 4. Engage with the community. 5. Don't be afraid to ask questions. ## Remember You don't need to become a "10x developer" overnight. The goal is to start writing code, build useful things, and gradually improve. Every expert was once a beginner, and the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single line of code. Ready to begin? Let's dive into the next lesson where we'll set up your development environment! 🚀

@ 30ceb64e:7f08bdf5

In a world dominated by surveillance banking and inflationary currencies, a new paradigm is emerging—one where individuals can operate sovereign, theft-resistant checking accounts using the world's hardest money. This isn't your grandfather's checking account; it's an entirely new financial operating system built on Bitcoin and Lightning technology. --- ## The Bitcoin Checking Account Revolution Traditional checking accounts are permission-based systems where banks maintain ultimate control over your money. In contrast, a sovereign Bitcoin checking account operates on a fundamentally different principle: you hold your own keys, control your own node, and maintain custody of your funds at all times. This architecture is built on several key components: - Self-hosted nodes providing direct network access - Lightning channels for instant settlement - Hardware wallets for secure key storage - Non-custodial software interfaces - Automated accounting and payment systems The concept of a Bitcoin checking account represents a paradigm shift in daily financial operations. Imagine getting a direct deposit sent to your lightning node and using NWC and a variety of plug and play solutions to handle things regarding accounting, bill pay, and daily POS transactions. We're starting to see these options emerge through services like Bitcoin Well, Albyhub, Strike, Clams and Cash App. ## Breaking Free from Financial Surveillance The current banking system tracks every transaction, creating a detailed financial surveillance network. Sovereign Bitcoin checking accounts offer a powerful alternative: - Private lightning channels for daily transactions - E-cash protocols for enhanced privacy - Peer-to-peer transactions without intermediaries - No account freezes or arbitrary limits - Freedom from traditional banking hours and restrictions Lightning and Cashu offer additional privacy and settlement speeds while enabling low cost transactions, and I believe these protocols will grow and exceed our expectations. The products and services for managing your bitcoin checking account will get more private and efficient as time moves forward. ## The Daily Operations Revolution Operating a sovereign checking account transforms everyday financial activities: 1. Income Reception - Direct deposit straight to Lightning - Instant availability of funds - No hold periods or bank delays - Multiple invoice routes for different income streams 2. Payment Management - Automated bill payments via Lightning - Instant merchant settlements - Cross-border transactions without fees - Dynamic fee management for optimal efficiency 3. Liquidity Control - Self-managed channel balances - Cold storage integration for savings - Automated rebalancing protocols - Real-time capital efficiency ## The Deflationary Advantage Perhaps the most revolutionary aspect is operating a checking account in deflationary money. This fundamentally changes spending psychology and financial planning: - Each sat potentially appreciates over time - Natural incentive for thoughtful spending - Built-in savings mechanism - Protection from currency debasement ## Global Market Integration This new financial infrastructure enables seamless participation in the global economy: - Borderless transactions - 24/7 market access - Direct international trade - No forex fees or exchange rate manipulation - Instant settlement across time zones ## Security and Resilience The system's security model represents a significant advancement: - Multi-signature protocols - Timelocked recovery options - Distributed backup systems - Attack-resistant architecture - No single points of failure ## The Future of Personal Banking As this technology matures, we're likely to see: - Simplified user interfaces - Enhanced privacy tools - Better integration with existing systems - More automated financial management - Increased merchant adoption In conclusion, sovereign Bitcoin checking accounts represent more than just a new way to bank—they're a fundamental reset of the relationship between individuals and their money. This system combines the security of cold storage with the utility of traditional checking accounts, all while leveraging the strength of deflationary sound money. As adoption grows, these accounts will likely become the standard for those seeking financial sovereignty in an increasingly digital world. --- The revolution isn't just about holding bitcoin—it's about using it in a way that maintains sovereignty while enabling practical daily finance. This is the future of money, and it's already here for those ready to embrace it.

@ f88e6629:e5254dd5

- Send a transaction, and the recipient uses the coin for another payment. You then merge these two transactions together and save on fees. 🔥  If you have a Trezor, you can try this out on: https://coiner-mu.vercel.app/ _But be cautious. This is a hobby project without any guarantee._ <img width="1772" alt="Screenshot 2025-01-08 at 20 14 17" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/36412edb-9c62-4c5f-8f82-b41c118a3aa6" /> ## How does it work? 1. Connect Trezor, enter the passphrase, and select an account. 2. The application display your coins, pending transactions, and descendant transactions. 4. Then app shows you how much you can save by merging all transactions and removing duplicate information. 5. Finally, you can sign and broadcast this more efficient transaction

@ 714f9dc3:76659adb

Last week, I was reading *“The Air We Breathe”*, by Glen Scrivener. It’s about *“How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality”*, and it explores the Christian roots of the values we prize in today's western society. It’s all around us, but we don’t really know where it came from: It’s the air we’re breathing. The ideas and ethics behind Christianity, whether you believe in them or not, are embedded in our culture. As I was reading this, I saw so many parallels with Bitcoin, so wanted to list them below and share some of my thoughts. Can Bitcoin also become *“The Air We Breathe”*? Or in plebs words: hyperbitcoinization? Can Bitcoin become so ubiquitous that it becomes normal? Can there be a world in which we don’t even know where Bitcoin came from? It would be a world with many similar views as with today's view on Christianity. It becomes the air we breathe, something that used to be a counterculture that over time became ubiquitous. What can we learn from it? **These are my ten parallels of Bitcoin with the early days of Christianity.** 1. Separation from state 2. From obscure counterculture to dominant force 3. Exponential grassroots growth 4. Conversion of emperors/politicians 5. Sudden tolerance and protection for ideology 6. Fall of the empire, end of the status quo 7. Missionaries spreading the word 8. Persuasion and education are key 9. Age of Enlightenment *Note: I’m no expert on Christianity, nor a historian of the Roman Empire, and I know just a bit about Bitcoin. See this as a thought experiment.* ## 1. Separation from state In all fairness, I’m not the first to draw this first parallel. It was Satoshi Nakamoto themself who made the connection even before Bitcoin was available to the public, with several hints pointing back to important dates and moments in Christian history. The big parallel here is the **“separation of money and state”** and **“separation of church and state”**. Before going back to the early days of Christianity in the first centuries AD, I first want to draw this parallel with Satoshi. It’s 1517. The German Priest Maarten Luther writes his Ninety-five Theses, and nails this on the church doors in Wittenberg. The theses are also known as the *“Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences”*. He kickstarted a movement with a radical new idea for that time: The separation of the church from the state. The Catholic Church had become one with the state. Via the means of indulgences, there was an ability to pay for your redemption. The church was corrupted by money, power and politics. The church and indulgences replaced the need for personal responsibility and an individual faith with money and perverse structures. Reformation Day is a Protestant Christian religious holiday celebrated on 31 October in remembrance of the onset of the Reformation. But the 31st of October is also the day in which Satoshi shared his pamphlet with the world: in 2008 they published the Bitcoin Whitepaper. It kickstarted a movement with a radical new idea for that time: The separation of the money from the state. But this was not Satoshi’s only hint. Another one is the date of Bitcoin’s Genesis Block: January 3, 2009. It was the day that the idea of the separation of money and the state became reality, more than just an idea in an individual's mind. Did you know that Maarten Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church in 1521 by Pope Leo X for sparking this revolutionary new way of thinking (and being). It happened on January 3 as well. I bet Satoshi Nakamoto knew. To be fair, this parallel is not new and known by many bitcoiners. But it’s a good introduction to the topic, and after reading *“The Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality”*, I automatically started to see more parallels between (the early days of) Christianity and todays adoption of Bitcoin. Because it was of course not Maarten Luther who sparked these rebellious thoughts in 1500, but it was Jesus himself approx. 2000 years ago. Let’s go back from the 1500s to the first decades AD to the beginning of this radical new belief system. During the dominance of the Roman empire in the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, someone told a story that opposed every mainstream paradigm. Jesus’ idea was radically different from the belief systems of that day. He preached Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality in a world that was full of Debauchery and Violence, with Gladiator Games, Slavery, Public Crucifixion, and Brutalities. The belief system of that time was not like todays. There were superior races (Greek/Romans over barbarians), superior sexes (man over women), superior classes (free man over slaves) and the concept of justice was more something in the realm of “restoring rights of those that were superior”, than “equality for all, men and women, Greek and barbarian, free and slave”. Jesus opposed the status quo. It started small and irrelevant; as a counterculture. But it didn’t stay that way. ## 2. From obscure counterculture to dominant force In “The Air We Breathe”, Scrivener asks the question: > “How did the obscure, marginal Jesus movement of the 1st century become the dominant religious force in the Western world in a few centuries?” Important to know, is that the Christian faith was the opposite of the narrative. Concepts like Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality didn’t exist in the Roman Empire. Human rights neither. Individual rights neither. The emperor was almost de facto God himself. Early Christians were persecuted for preaching a different story: that God is NOT the ruler of the empire. Jesus preached the separation of politics from God; separating faith from the state. As a result, he was crucified, and many of his followers were killed by Nero (between 54 and 68 AD), Domitian (81–96 AD), Trajan (98–117 AD) and Decius (249–251 AD). This new narrative was a thread for the Roman rulers. Draw the parallels of how there have been many attempts to “kill” bitcoin, not with physical persecution but with an information war. Not by physical violence, but by misinformation. Bitcoin threatens the status quo, just like Christianity threatened the Roman Empire. You see? But how is the obscure movement of Bitcoin in the 21st century becoming the dominant force, similar to the question that Scrivener asked about Christianity? Perhaps the answer lies in the following parallel. ## 3. Exponential grassroots growth Sociologist Rodney Stark estimates in “The Rise of Christianity” that from the time of the first Easter, the church began growing at a rate of 40% per decade, a modest but relentless 3.4% per year. By the year 300, Christians numbered perhaps 6 million: about a tenth of the empire. Despite pushbacks, the army of believers continued to grow. Grassroots, peer-to-peer. It was not the state-religion, it was a peaceful army of believers that spread the word, resulting in an exponential growth of its followers. The counterculture became more and more dominant. You may see what I’m doing here. It was basically the meme that all Bitcoiners know: *Gradually, then suddenly*. Against the current. ## 4. Conversion of emperors/politicians In 312 a big change happened: Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. As Stark writes, "Constantine's conversion would better be seen as a response to the massive exponential wave in progress, not as its cause". Are we living in that same era, where nation states start to embrace Bitcoin? Where politicians don’t oppose as strongly anymore, but are flirting with the idea of embracing it? And again the parallel: it’s responsive to the exponential wave of progress, not as its cause. Whether Constantine is Nayib Bukele, Donald Trump, or Milei: it doesn’t matter. It’s the dynamic that matters. The counterculture becomes so dominant, that the “rulers” of the world are wanting to be part of it. Which will be followed by “rules” that favour the ideology, movement, and beliefs. ## 6. Tolerance and protection for ideology In 313 Constantine's Edict of Milan granted freedom to Christians that were remarkable for that time and a model for religious toleration for the coming centuries. The tide was turning, and by 380 Emperor Theodosius made Christianity Rome's official religion, more than half the population had already converted. In a few short centuries Christianity had gone from radical counterculture to dominant cultural power. This was an extraordinary shift in the church's relationship with the world. The edict expressly grants religious liberty to Christians, who had been the object of special persecution, but also goes even further and grants liberty to all other religions. And then, in 410, the world itself changed. It changed from grassroots, bottom-up adoption to some kind of nation state adoption. One that was driven by decrees and edicts, instead of the analog cyberhornets of that day. Actually, the ideas of Indulgences were introduced via these Edicts, something that Maarten Luther actually was fighting against in the 1500s. The world changed from the state-less Christian belief and moved (back) towards a system in which the state and church were connected again. Yes — the Roman Catholic Church. Until the previously mentioned critics during the Reformation. ## 6. Fall of the empire, end of the status quo When people speak of the fall of the Roman Empire, they usually mean in the 5th century when the western half fell. But there was also an eastern half, known as the Byzantine Empire (with its capital in what is modern-day Istanbul). How did this relate to the movement that once was Cult, and now suddenly had become Culture? It was Augustine, the north African bishop (354-430), who laid the foundation for a new philosophical, theological, and legal system. He distinguished between the fragile earthly realm and the eternal heavenly kingdom. Rome was “a city of man”, which fell. But the “city of God” was forever. He continued to separate the Roman Catholic Church from the faith that it once was. This distinction was vital, and it gave rise to the concept of "the secular realm". He planted the first ideas of "the separation of church and state" again, which started to spread throughout Europe during the supposedly "sandy desert" of the Middle Ages. The parallel and lesson here might be that narratives can be taken over, for the worse. And that it takes centuries to take back the narrative, but/and only after an empire has fallen. Whether we refer to “The Fourth Turning” by William Strauss and Neil Howe or “Changing World Orders” by Ray Dalio. There is something to preserve, and it needs active monitoring and pushbacks! ## 7. Missionary, spreading the word The way the church sought to spread its influence would become a question that would take many centuries (and many failures) to settle. In the past, empires sought to spread their influence almost always by force. Christianity has been a missionary faith from the beginning. It was for this reason that Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine to Britain to convert the Anglo-Saxons. Augustine was commanded by Gregory to use only "gentle means". His goal was persuasion. His method was teaching and preaching. And he was successful, converting King Aethelbert of Kent and becoming the first Archbishop of Canterbury. You see what I’m talking about again: the parallel is simple. Bitcoin is a similar peaceful revolution, a missionary movement, of those that wish to see their Cult turn into a Culture. “Genle means”, teachings, persuasions. Or in pleb terminology: Orangepilling. ## 8. Persuasion and education are key Over the next decades and centuries, this movement continued. English Benedictine monk (675-754) Boniface was sent from the previously “barbarian” Britain to “orangepill the East” – in this case the Saxons in the Germanic lands. In the words of his advisor, the Bishop of Winchester, his goal was "to convince them by many documents and arguments". This mission of persuasion and education was largely successful. Today he’s better known as “the Apostle to the Germans". He was killed in The Netherlands (in Dokkum). Boniface kept to a policy of non-violence and non-retaliation, even to the point of death. Another famous writer about this topic, Tom Holland, summarises the lesson we learn from Boniface: "to convert was to educate". In the following century this lesson was sorely needed by the Frankish king Charles the Great, aka Charlemagne (742-814). Charlemagne's path to power was a brutal one. When the Saxons stood in his way, Charlemagne beheaded 4,500 of them in a single day. There are concrete reasons why "getting medieval" might be associated today with brutality. Is “Bitcoin as Legal Tender”, whether this is peaceful or violently, the way to go? Are we “getting medieval” with these kind of measures, in order to go from Cult to Culture, from counterculture to dominant culture, in which we lose the true essence of our revolution of separation of the state from the matter? ## 9. Age of Enlightenment Alcuin of York (735-804), was bold enough to write to Charlemagne directly with his criticism. "A person can be drawn into the faith, not forced into it". Be a lighthouse, not a tugboat! The church's official teaching would later agree with Alcuin's position. In the 12th century all "harsh means" were forbidden since faith arises from the will, not compulsion. Enlightenment comes through education and persuasion. There’s work to do. Grassroots. Education. Peer-to-peer. Not directed by politicians, nor opposed by those in power. Through education and persuasion. Rules without rulers. Because eventually, with the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, there are stark examples of the church using “harsh means" again. Forcing Bitcoin on people will never be the way: it’s a cheat code to the end goal. In order to succeed, we’ll need to be a missionary. ## Final words I don’t want in any way to compare Christianity in itself as a faith, and Bitcoin as a technology, with each other. I enjoyed exploring the sociological phenomena between two countercultures, the grassroots movement and missionary parallels between both of them. Satoshi gave the first assist, with the 31st of October (Whitepaper Day) and the Genesis Block on January 3rd. Let’s not mix religion with monetary systems, even though there are many similarities between certain movements. That’s not my goal for sharing this brain dump. But let’s learn from the past, from Constantine’s Edict and from Augustine, from Charlemagne (and especially Alcuin of York), from Boniface and from Maarten Luther. And from Satoshi Nakamoto.

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 originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/842459

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 originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/842405

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                       --- #### Previous Works in the Series: [TAIPEI](https://hes.npub.pro/post/1734817611982/) [TIANJIN](https://hes.npub.pro/post/1734648032830/) [KYOTO](https://hes.npub.pro/post/1735880925702/) --- #### More from Hes: [Art](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/art/) [Store](https://plebeian.market/p/517d6542a081d61ecd8900ad9e2640290e2cf06f516c5e5f3edadfbde446bff4/stall/1db0cdfe0e39c4bd81b903902eeda74e6aa0f0b56e30851f327e6d0c292c5c06) [Travel Guides](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/travel/) [Photography](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/photography) [Writings](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/money/) --- *All images are credit of Hes, but you are free to download and use for any purpose. If you find joy from these photos, please feel free to send a zap. Enjoy life on a Bitcoin standard.*

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*Originally published Feb, 23, 2024* ### Introduction  Sunlight is the most important nutrient for our body. That may sound delusional to some, but the definition of a nutrient is: ***a substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life.*** Sunlight certainly is necessary and essential for growth and the maintenance of life, but most don’t understand why. Most do not understand that the real benefit of sunlight is that it provides a vast spectrum of electromagnetic radiation (light) that signals different functions in our biology. This is why we can never replace sunlight with artificial lights, because the sun is a “broad band emitter” and all artificial lights are “narrow band emitters”. This means they only have a few isolated wavelengths, whereas sunlight contains the whole swath.  The other most important aspect of sunlight is that it is time and location dependent. It is always changing…and that change or shift in light frequencies is providing our body the right information about how to function properly in our given environment. Artificial light is constant and provides a consistent/un-natural input signal that confuses our biology.  The last piece, which I will dive into more in a future post…is the fact that sunlight is a continuous electromagnetic wave while indoor lighting is highly pulsed. This is a major reason why eye strain and headaches from staring at screens is so common. Let’s dive into the important biological effects of the various wavelengths in full spectrum sunlight.  ### Summary - Sunlight is a broad band emitter and artificial light is a narrow band emitter - Sunlight is an un-polarized, continuous source of electromagnetic radiation. Artificial light is highly pulsed - Sunlight that reaches the earth is comprised of light frequencies that range from 280nm (UVB) to 2500nm (NIR) and everything in between. Each category of wavelength serves as a different biological stimuli - UVB radiation stimulates the production of vitamin D, as well as serotonin and beta-endorphins, UVA promotes the release of nitric oxide into the blood, and both have a positive effect on the diversity of the microbiome and our endogenous hormone production - Violet light can reverse myopia and potentially improve sleep quality - Blue light is the master circadian signaler, turning on/off the SCN via melanopsin photoreceptor…thus regulating cortisol/melatonin production as well as all circadian timing in the body - Green light can treat skin issues and also be used as a pain releiver - Red light, near-infrared radiation (NIR), and far-infrared (FIR) radiation have anti-inflammatory and tissue healing effects…NIR also stimulates the production of melatonin inside the mitochondria, a master anti-oxidant. # The Biological Effects of Sunlight: By Color/Wavelength There are several wavelengths of energy from the sun that reach the earth’s surface and [trigger specific actions within the body](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568163720302245?via%3Dihub) to influence our health. And, just as some of this spectrum is able to make it through the atmosphere, different wavelengths are also able to penetrate the skin to different depths of the body’s tissues and have certain effects on the cells within those tissues, as you can see in the figure below. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/7d202fd0fe084406f18f9ec6fdb72af763581268ab369ce6f3349e74800118b7.jpg"> Those at the lower wavelengths (such as UVB) only penetrate the very surface of the skin, while those at higher wavelengths (such as visible light) are able to penetrate deeper. Think of how you are able to see the light from a flashlight on the back of your hand when held against the skin on the palm of the hand – you can visually see the energy traveling through the skin, muscles, blood vessels and tissues of the hand. Infrared radiation can even get into the cells and mitochondria, and can get through clothing and bone! **Ultraviolet-B Radiation (UVB) – Vitamin D, Neurotransmitters, Melanin and Beta-endorphins** UVB (280-315nm) is the highest energy wavelength that reaches surface of the earth. It is only present when the sun is &gt;30 degrees above the horizon. You can use apps like “Circadian” and “dminder” to tell you when UVB is present. At the 45th latitude in Wyoming, I go WITHOUT UVB for around 2 months in winter time. This is a big deal, because UVB light stimulates vitamin D synthesis, one of the most important molecules/hormones in the body. More importantly, it stimulates synthesis of sulfated Vitamin D, which is more bioactive and has far more biological relevance compared to un-sulfated Vitamin D as you would get from a supplement. **This is why you can’t replace sunlight with a supplement, especially when it comes to Vitamin D.** Using a UVB lamp (outside or in combo with NIR) would be in my opinion a better option than supplementing Vit D, or if you do take a supplement take it mid day and get some UVB exposure after taking it. [**I wrote extensively about Vitamin D supplementation in a previous newsletter**](https://tristanhealth.substack.com/p/dont-supplement-vit-d-to-avoid-sad)**.**  The vitamin D produced in the skin can also help protect the skin cells from DNA damage, facilitate DNA repair directly upon any UV damage, help prevent cell death, and protect against melanoma. In fact, keratinocytes, which make up over 90% of the outermost layer of skin, cannot rely on vitamin D3 from supplements and must synthesize their own supply of vitamin D directly from sun exposure, or by topical application. Besides vitamin D, UVB radiation also promotes the production of neurotransmitters and beta-endorphins, chemicals that drive cognition, mood, relaxation, pain relief, and boost immunity. It also triggers the synthesis of MELANIN. **It does this by stimulating proopiomelanocortin (POMC) activity in the brain and via exciting our aromatic amino acids.**  POMC is a precursor protein of several neuropeptides, including adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), *α*-melanocyte stimulating hormone (*α*-MSH) and *β*-endorphin (*β*-END). Our aromatic amino acids (tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine) have ringed structures that allow them to trap UV light energy, and these aromatic amino acids are the precursors to neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, as well as melatonin and melanin. Serotonin is involved in cognition, regulation of feeding behavior, anxiety, aggression, pain, sexual activity, and sleep. These aromatics absorb heavily in the UVB/UVC range. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/6957d1065bcf65d10ca9ec34c4fbc8f7cab8eb92823b04fdf62793a65714ecf3.jpg"> This UV-induced release of beta-endorphins means only one thing: there is an innate built in addiction pathway to the sun. Our biology is able to provide a “reward” for UV-induced vitamin D synthesis when vitamin D levels are low, during which time a greater amount of beta-endorphins are released upon exposure to UVB. **As vitamin D levels rise, the sun-seeking behavior and resulting opioid response become repressed as less vitamin D is needed.** It’s almost as if our body knows best, and we should go out of our way to listen to it. Instead, most people will continue to pour the Vit D supplements down their gully.  Melanin, which is synthesized from UV light exposure and activation of alpha-MSH via POMC, is one of the most important molecules in our biology. It absorbs the entire EMR spectrum and acts as both a biological semiconductor and energy storage system (battery). I have written more about it in [**a previous newsletter**](https://tristanhealth.substack.com/p/melanin-is-way-more-than-a-skin-protectant) and will dive even deeper very soon. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/28c3aa6cb851d96cfe9af115b4cf59539f92e41937c96734d2a29f21a688187e.jpg"> **Ultraviolet-A Radiation (UVA) – Nitric Oxide + More** UVA (315-380nm) exists at a wavelength between UVB and visible light, and is able to reach deeper than UVB light but still only a few millimeters. UVA leads to the release of nitric oxide into the bloodstream which in turn benefits the cardiovascular and metabolic systems, and may offer other immunological benefits beyond those offered by nitric oxide. This vasodilatory effect enhances blood flow, lowers blood prressure and improves circulation.  UVA can have similar effects to UVB such as stimulating POMC and the neuroendocrine axis, just with lesser efficiency compared to UVB light as it is a lower energy wavelength spectrum so it does not have as great of an excitatory effect on our biology.  ***“UVA has better penetration reaching the reticular dermis but has 1000 times lower efficiency at inducing biological effects (expressed as the minimal erythema dose) than UVB”*** [For a deeper dive on UV lights impact on the brain and endocrine system, and the difference between UVC/UVB/UVA effects check out this paper.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5905393/) UVA also shares some benefits with violet light (visible) such as reversing myopia in the eyes. Will discuss that more in the Violet light section.  **Ultraviolet Radiation (UVA + UVB) – The Most Important Input for Your Microbiome** Your gastrointestinal tract and the surface of the skin are home to trillions of microbes (bacteria, viruses, and yeast), called your “microbiome,” which act as their own organ and are crucial to your overall health. Skin health in particular is maintained by a balanced, diverse microbiome, which is in turn affected by nutrition, pH level, hygiene, exposure to toxins, barrier strength, stress levels, sunlight exposure, and overall health.  UV exposure (and vitamin D itself) can have a healthy, regulatory effect on the microbiome of the skin and the gut, with UVB light having a beneficial impact on the diversity and abundance of the bacteria species of the gut microbiome, and UVB as well as UVA benefitting the skin microbiome. Studies have even shown that several molecules that help protect our skin from UV damage can be produced by the microbiome on our skin upon UV exposure, acting as a sort of natural sunscreen. Why is UV light so good for our gut? Two reasons: 1. Remember those aromatic amino acids and neurotransmitters mentioned earlier? Well a vast majority of aromatics are synthesized by your gut microbes via the famous shikamate pathway (famous because glyphosate disrupts this). As a result, most of your neurotransmitter synthesis is happening in the gut. 90-95% of serotonin and 50% of dopamine is produced and stored in the gut. There is a reason it is called your second brain, and it is not fully due to the vagal nerve connection.  2. Your bacteria absorb and fluoresce light constantly. We are made up of far more “bacteria” cells than our own cells and this microbiota is highly dependent on light input. It seems that UV light modulates pathogenic bacteria and helps beneficial bacteria proliferate. This is why UV light has been known as an effective method for cleaning surfaces. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/e18c0badfa88956413d1dcfae05777d6bc05e7da981b25294ada78db6d683eca.jpg"> #### **UV Light Summary** UV light is imperative for properly functioning biology, and the fact that it has been demonized for “causing skin cancer” has resulted in a chronic health epidemic. Yes, solar tolerance and callus matters…that is why being outside all year round is imperative. UV light is the reason life began on this planet in the first place (read Nick Lane’s work on deep sea vents), and it stands true today that nearly ALL of the biological semi-conductors that power our biology absorb strongest in the UV range. When you can harness UV light, you become what it truly means to be a human being.  #### **Blue Light – Regulation of Circadian Rhythm, and Melatonin** Blue light (420-500nm) perhaps ma be the most well known light in the visible spectrum. It has been vilified (for good reason) as the light that will disrupt our sleep. This is true, but that does not mean that blue light has a negative impact on our health in the right context, the opposite actually.  Blue light is the master circadian signaler. We sense it in our eyes and skin via the melanopsin receptor and the signal is what sets our bodies master circadian clock: the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). This is how our body tells time, and this is why our blue light and overall light environment is so important. Blue light at night suppresses melatonin production far greater than any other color of light. Blue light conversely stimulates cortisol production, which is what provides wakefulness in the morning.  Blue light is the highest energy wavelength that is present for almost the entirety of sunlight exposure, with an ever increasing amount until solar noon…and then decreasing amount in the afternoon. Again, this is how our body tells time. If you subscribe to the fact that our circadian rhythm is one of if not the most important aspect of our biology (timing is everything), then you would agree that your blue light environment may be the most important area of your health to tackle. This is why there has been such a monumental push on the education around artificial blue light and an entire industry made around blocking blue light.  A healthy, regular circadian rhythm promotes healthy mood and improved cognition. Disruptions to circadian rhythm have been shown to increase the risk of most chornic diseases: including cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative disease and metabolic conditions. Research has found that, compared to white light therapy, [blue light is more effective](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18797560/) for resetting circadian rhythms, suppressing nighttime melatonin, and enhancing performance. Other physiological actions of blue light suggested by the scientific literature include an increase in circulating beta endorphins, decreased systolic blood pressure due to nitric oxide mechanisms in the skin, an anti-bacterial effect, and a potential bio-modulating effect within the cells. Blue light (like all areas of the light spectra) deserves an article of its own. I will be releasing an article dedicated to artificial blue light next month so stay tuned! <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/5d18d3cc34ceba04491133f034dba9b57040f2bc58195fe143766a32eefd6b10.jpg"> #### **Red and Infrared Light - Healing Wavelengths**  Red and infrared light is the most abundant portion of full spectrum sunlight, making up over 50% of the sunlight that hits the earth. Most of this is coming in the form of Near Infrared light (750-3000nm). Photo-biomodulation is a term used to describe the physiological effects from irradiation by red or near-infrared wavelengths. Red and near-infrared wavelengths have the ability to penetrate inside of our body’s tissues and cells, and can even penetrate through clothing. S**tudies have shown benefits such as improved tissue function, wound healing, anti-inflammatory effects, and improved energy metabolism from red and near-infrared wavelengths.** Conditions that may benefit from photobiomodulation include allergies, hypothyroidism, depression, dementia, cancer, diabetes related symptoms, exercise performance and recovery, pain, and cardiovascular diseases. [I have written an article on this substack that dives deep into the benefits of NIR light](https://tristanhealth.substack.com/p/the-most-underdiscussed-nutrient), and why I think it is the biggest nutrient deficiency worldwide (sunlight = NIR). NIR light (over 950 nm) may penetrate as deep as 8 cm and can penetrate bone, enter the cerebrospinal fluid and the brain. Why is Red/NIR light so beneficial for our health ? **Because it up-regulates ATP production and expands our exclusion zone water.** You may have heard how fantastic Red/NIR light is for mitochondria…that is 100% true. Part of that reason is due to melatonin synthesis which is highlighted below. The other part is because it up regulates ATP production by expanding the exclusion zone water around the ATP nanomotor-reducing its viscosity and improving rotational torque. Bit complex yes, but that is the reality of our biology. ATP opens the binding site of proteins to water, which need to be hydrated to function properly as biological semiconductors so you could say that Red/NIR is IMPERATIVE for optimal biological function.  #### **NIR light & Intracellular Melatonin Synthesis** Recent research by [Zimmerman, S. and Reiter R.](https://www.melatonin-research.net/index.php/MR/article/view/19) suggests that melatonin (a master antioxidant) exists in two main forms within the body – circulatory melatonin, which is suppressed during the day upon exposure to blue light and has its major effect on sleep and the circadian rhythm, and sub-cellular melatonin, which is produced and used locally by the mitochondria within our cells. NIR light stimulates melatonin production in the mitochondria, which helps protect the cells from oxidative stress from whatever stressors/toxins make their way into the mitochondria. It also helps naturally combat the free radicals generated from UV exposure. This is why Red/NIR wavelengths are so healing, and balance out the high energy and biologically damaging (to some degree) Blue/UV wavelengths. There is always a far higher amount of NIR light than any other light in the spectrum when it comes to energy and power density. [I have written an in depth article about Melatonin as well,](https://open.substack.com/pub/tristanhealth/p/ultimate-guide-to-melatonin-functions?r=2joi0a&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web) because it is so much more than a “sleep hormone”. Zimmerman brilliantly discusses this in his work and how most of the circadian community misses this piece. Melatonin is THE MASTER ANTIOXIDANT, being able to stabilize up to 10 free radicals per molecule due to its remarkable cascading antioxidant abilities. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/3bffa8a7bd9bb4453f573611485923a84110ff49b82bdaca222b1bdb255da017.png"> #### **Violet, Green, Yellow/Orange Light**  Violet light (visible) is hard to find research on but can be thought to range from 360-420nm, right after UVA (or even some overlap) and right before blue light in the ascending wavelength spectrum of full spectrum sunlight.  [Japanese research](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352396416305862) showed that violet light (360–400 nm wavelengths) suppressed the axial length elongation both in a chick myopia model and in human. They also spiked out the fact that we are violet light deficient in a modern, indoor world because of the fear mongering around UV light. Blue light from screens causes myopia and violet/UVA light reverses it… Violet light is also being studied for its potential benefit to improve sleep quality.  Green light (495-570nm) penetrates your dermis, almost reaching the subcutaneous tissue below. Studies have shown that green light is effective for relieving pain. Green light is also beneficial for treating skin condictions, especially with regard to skin tone and complexion. Sunspots, melasma, rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis can all benefit from green light. Another tout to the importance of full spectrum sun is the under discussed skin HEALING frequencies such as green + red to balance the high energy UV. Green Light: - Might be used in attempts to reduce skin redness and irritation. - Has been studied for potential pain-reducing properties. Yellow and Orange light. Lesser research around these wavelengths but including them anyways. These wavelengths penetrate the subcutaneous tissue beneath your dermis. Like green and blue light, they are effective at treating skin issues like eczema, sunburn, psoriasis, and creating an even skin tone. Yellow and orange light therapy is one of the less common types; however, it can help flush waste from your skin, elevate the functioning of your lymphatic system, and stimulate cellular energy to some extent. [One study ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19397672/)proved that 590 nm light therapy after laser skin treatments reduced the intensity and healing time of skin irritation.  **Yellow light:** - Sometimes used to stimulate collagen production in the skin. - Has been used in lightbox therapies for mood regulation. **Orange light:** - Often used in attempts to revitalize skin and promote a vibrant complexion. - Might be utilized for its potentially energizing and uplifting effects. ### Conclusion You can not replace full spectrum sunlight with light therapies that have only a few isolated frequencies. Sunlight contains such a vast amount of frequencies that all affect our biology in different ways and together provides a very synergistic affect. Our biology has evolved over millions of years to take the FULL SPECTRUM sun as our main input signal.  Light therapy can still be beneficial in certain scenarios without a doubt, but it will never replace full spectrum sunlight. This is a challenge in our modern indoor world we live in, and that is why we need to be so deliberate about going outside. That is also why I am so excited to be working with [**Daylight Computer**](http://buy.daylightcomputer.com/thealth)**, the world’s first computer that is designed to be used outside and has reflective screen technology that doesn’t destroy your retinas.** Much more to come on Daylight Computer …so for now here is a repeat of the summary: - Sunlight is a broad band emitter and artificial light is a narrow band emitter - Sunlight is an un-polarized, continuous source of electromagnetic radiation. Artificial light is highly pulsed - Sunlight that reaches the earth is comprised of light frequencies that range from 280nm (UVB) to 2500nm (NIR) and everything in between. Each category of wavelength serves as a different biological stimuli - UVB radiation stimulates the production of vitamin D, as well as serotonin and beta-endorphins, UVA promotes the release of nitric oxide into the blood, and both have a positive effect on the diversity of the microbiome and our endogenous hormone production - Violet light can reverse myopia and potentially improve sleep quality - Blue light is the master circadian signaler, turning on/off the SCN via melanopsin photoreceptor…thus regulating cortisol/melatonin production as well as all circadian timing in the body - Green light can treat skin issues and also be used as a pain releiver - Red light, near-infrared radiation (NIR), and far-infrared (FIR) radiation have anti-inflammatory and tissue healing effects…NIR also stimulates the production of melatonin inside the mitochondria, a master anti-oxidant Sunlight is the ultimate provider of light. Your light/EMF diet matters more than anything else in regards to health. Biology is fundamentally electromagnetic. Stay Sovereign, Tristan --- [**My NEW COURSE EMF-201**](http://decentralizedhealth.io/education) is officially out! An in depth educational course that follows my flagship EMF-101 course. Diving deep into Radio Frequencies, 5G, and Modern Tech with an appearance from an RF Engineer who has 20+ years of industry experience.  Follow my [Decentralized Radio podcast](http://youtube.com/@decentralizedradio) for some brilliant upcoming episodes on light and EMFs.

@ 2355757c:5ad3e04d

Non-Native Electromagnetic Fields (nnEMFs) are in my opinion, the least discussed and most pervasive environmental toxin in modern society that is negatively affecting our health. We live in a toxic soup world, where we are being attacked from every angle. Polluted air, water, plastics, chemicals in our food/clothes, endocrine disruptors in our personal care and cooking products…the list goes on and on. It is the unfortunate reality of living in a modern fiat world, where all big companies cut corners with cheap, toxic ingredients just so you can have a $20 cooking pan and a $15 t-shirt.  On the bright side of things, most of those toxins are pretty easily avoidable by just swapping for higher quality or more natural alternatives. You can also filter or buy better water and eat real food that was raised locally without toxic herbicides (to a pretty easy degree). Enter nnEMFs, something that is IMPOSSIBLE to fully avoid and MUCH more challenging to mitigate exposure to. That is because technology is so ubiquitous in our modern society. Cell phones and wifi routers in every house, smart appliances, cell towers on every block, power distribution and transmission lines, 5G rollout…we are surrounded by nnEMFs on a daily basis. #### ***What are nnEMFs and why are they bad for my health?***  A nnEMF is any EMF generated from a non-native source AKA a result of modern human technology. The three most common sources of nnEMFs are from our electrical power grid, radiofrequency (RF) communication, and microwave frequencies. These three sources differ by function and frequency.  - Electrical Power Grid - 60Hz Frequency - In “Extremely Low Frequency Range (ELF)” - Radio Frequency (RF) - 3kHz to 300GHz - Mobile/Societal Communication/TV/Radio  - Microwave (MW) - 300MHz to 300GHz - Radar/Satellite/Space Communication <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/c2e10485352318f035e0d249f65651e358a9c0f69eab0b9bd0d26c4f12193eb2.jpg"> It gets a bit confusing in the nomenclature between RF and MW, but in reality the only difference is the type of application above 300MHz. Below 300MHz and it is distinctly an RF frequency. All transmission and distribution of power to industry/homes/businesses is occurring at 60Hz. Vast differences in frequency, both turn out to be pretty detrimental for our health. Here’s a few reasons why: 1. Classified as a ***possible carcinogen*** by the IARC (Group 2B) RF-EMFs and ELF EMFs have been classified by the IARC as possibly carcinogenic based on the current scientific evidence. Now this is still a lower classification than red meat, so does this carry any merit? I say yes. Many researchers agree, such as in [THIS ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25738972/)study where researchers looked at mobile phone radiation and risk of brain tumors and concluded that RF fields should be classified as a ***probable carcinogen***under the criteria used by the IARC.  2. RF and ELF Fields **Increase** Oxidative Stress Oxidative stress. If you are a regular here in the health space you know how much comes down to maintaining redox homeostasis in our mitochondria (the supplier of ATP in our cells). Dysfunctional mitochondria = dysfunctional health and it just so happens that nnEMFs can significantly increase oxidative stress in our cells, with review studies like [THIS ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8038719/)one documenting how the most electromagnetic organs (brain, heart) as well as reproductive organs (testes, ovaries) were the MOST affected. (I wrote a recent [substack post](https://open.substack.com/pub/tristanhealth/p/sperm-counts-are-tanking-26-per-year?r=2joi0a&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web) on declining sperm count and nnEMFs was the star of the show). Increased oxidative stress is consistent with OG findings from the likes of Dr. Robert Becker and Dr. Andrew Marino in their research. It is high level, but increased levels of oxidative stress predisposes you to increased risk of ***ALL KNOWN CHRONIC DISEASES***. Because of this, nnEMFs have been strongly linked to increased risk of the following: - Neurodegenerative diseases - Reproductive issues - Cancer  - Cardiovascular disease  - Diabetes 3. **Disturbed Sleep** We live in a toxic soup world. Achieving restorative sleep is the only way our body is able to fight back and restore our health from all of these toxic exposures. ANYTHING that impedes sleep restoration is a premature nail in the coffin in my eyes. Don’t believe me on the importance and power of melatonin and our circadian rhythm? Check out [THIS ](https://twitter.com/bitcoinand_beef/status/1660632171638575104?s=20)thread I wrote on melatonin (anti-cancer, potent anti-oxidant, mitochondrial composer, etc.). Exposure to nnEMFs during the day AND at night disturb our [sleep ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4207748/)and prevent the ability to have that highly restorative sleep needed to detoxify and replenish our cells. Lose quality sleep, lose the ability to handle stressors that you are exposed to daily. **DON’T BELIEVE ME THAT nnEMFs are harmful to human health? You are not alone.** Many mainstream media outlets, researchers, and industry “experts” dismiss the level of non-ionizing radiation coming from things like cell phones as dangerous to human health. This is has been ongoing since the 1970s. However, if you are subscribed to this newsletter you may have more of an open mind to believing everything you read from CNN, Forbes, or the WHO. I know you all question things more than the average member of society. So if you question the efficacy and morality of the vaccine, why would you not also question the potential health hazards of nnEMF exposure? Even Presidential Nominee RFK is on board. Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Food…there is no difference! Centralized industry will do anything it takes to cover up research that is sound and not funded by themselves. Here is an example… Dr. Henry Lai from University of Washington Emeritus has compiled the most comprehensive set of research articles regarding nnEMFs and biological impacts. He has reviewed OVER 2,500 studies. His conclusion? Dr. Lai reports concluded from his research that exposure to RFR or ELF EMF **produces oxidative effects or free radicals, and damages DNA**. Downstream effects of studies examined include significant effects on genetic, neurological and reproductive functions. Among hundreds of studies of Radio Frequency Radiation (RFR), **70% to 89% reported significant biological effects**. Among hundreds of studies of Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) and static fields, **74% to 91% reported significant biological effects**. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/4f5429ee056ee123ff1116a12deda7d968f5c61661c81b875ee9d12c0afd35be.png"> Still don’t believe me, read the book **Going Somewhere by Dr. Andrew Marino.** It will blow your mind on how much effort has gone to cover up research on the biological effects of nnEMFs since the 1970s. Or Google Russia’s stance on nnEMFs.  You can also listen to one of our latest Decentralized Radio episodes with Anthony Smith, COO of EMF Safe. EMF Safe is a fantastic company that offers, in my opinion, the MOST effective nnEMF mitigation technology for your house. Hint: it’s not a f\*cking pendant or harmonizer. [YouTube link ](https://youtu.be/O4yb4MTw520)or Spotify link [HERE](https://open.spotify.com/episode/11vhWgqCMVodGmzlVUV0DE?si=dhZVnI7gQly7v31PCvtbSg). Now that we got through the depressing side of the story, let's talk about **WHAT YOU CAN DO** to protect yourself from the harmful effects of nnEMFs without having to live in the woods-not a perfect solution either ;)  #### **HOW TO MITIGATE nnEMF detrimental health effects: DURATION + DISTANCE \\** **\ TIME/DURATION**. Your worst enemy in being exposed to nnEMFs is the duration of exposure. Nearly all of the negative studies showed that after 48-72hrs of exposure (chronic), detrimental health effects were seen. HOWEVER, the same studies showed less conclusive negative health effects for exposures less than 24-48hrs (with variance). For me that means the following action items: - Turn off the wifi-router at night  - Turn phone on airplane mode when not using for &gt;10 min - Turn appliances OFF when not in use in your home  - Create a sleep sanctuary with minimal/no electronics in the bedroom  - Do not move to an area right next to High Voltage Transmission Lines, Substation, Airport, Hospital, etc. (any area with high powered communication/RF equipment or power distribution equipment)  **DISTANCE**. Distance is your best friend in mitigating nnEMFs. Why? Inverse square law. Inverse square law is the fact that the magnitude of the EMF is calculated with the square of the distance in the denominator of the equation. This means that for every doubling of distance you have between you and the EMF source, the magnitude weakens by a factor of FOUR. Triple the distance, EMF magnitude goes down by a factor of NINE (and so forth). For me that results in the following action items: - Do not keep your cell phone ON your body when ON & receiving calls/texts  - Do NOT hold your cell phone up to your ear when making calls (use headphones/speaker) - Move your bed 6-12 inches AWAY from any electrical outlets in your bedroom (especially near your head) - Do not stand immediately next to high powered appliances when ON & in use (microwave, washer, dryer, blender, etc.) <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/91f8c573a17f80ab06ea0b376b559d17d6b35e18167516273a08a4e0a45fd193.webp"> There exists a lot of other nnEMF “mitigating/harmonizing” technologies, however I would be highly suspect of anyone trying to sell you something. EMFs are extremely complex. The angle of incidence, power level, and frequency matter tremendously. Most folks who aren’t engineers or have a deep knowledge of physics likely won’t be able to have the baseline knowledge to know what is a scam and what is not. OR what to prioritize from an nnEMF mitigation perspective. I gave a pretty good starting point above for what actionable steps you can take. THis does not mean all products are a scam. nnEMF shielding has its place and I use some of these products…but whenever a topic is extremely complex to the layperson, it is easy for someone to convince you that a product works. Especially when proof is challenging to come up with (EMF readers are an okay tool at best).  As someone who holds a M.S. in Electrical Engineering, I never thought that my degree would come in handy for health optimization. Now in 2023, here I am realizing how electromagnetism is likely the MOST important topic to conceptualize to really crack the optimal health code. We are electromagnetic beings, and the research in this space has only just begun to scratch the surface. If you want to learn more in depth about nnEMFs, mitigation tactics, what products work and do not, etc…subscribe to stay up to date on the latest. I am directly working with some renowned EMF experts on developing more educational content/courses that I will be launching in the near future to help practitioners and fellow esoteric health connoisseurs better understand nnEMFs more in depth to help themselves and their clients live a more optimal life.  Here on Decentralized Health, I will be writing in depth about the electromagnetic aspects of health alongside other topics I am passionate about such as environmental toxins, regenerative agriculture, decentralization, Bitcoin and more. I want as many people as possible to become empowered through education so that they can escape the dependencies of the centralized systems that are tarnishing our quality of life.  This is just the tip of the nnEMF iceberg.  Stay Sovereign, Tristan Originally published Sep 25. 2023

@ 8d34bd24:414be32b

I’ve known that there are references to Jesus in the *Old Testament*. They just don’t use the name Jesus. > Then God said, “Let **Us** make man in **Our** image, according to **Our** likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26) {emphasis mine} Notice the references to God in the plural. These are clues to the trinitarian (3 persons in one God) nature of God. There are also examples of theophanies (preincarnate Jesus) in the *Old Testament*. These theophanies are frequently referred to as “the angel of the Lord” or “the angel of God.” > But **the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven** and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now **I know that you fear God**, since **you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me**.” (Genesis 22:11-12) {emphasis mine} In this case we know that the “*angel of the Lord*” is not just an angel because he says, “*I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from **Me***,” equating Himself, “*Me*,” with God. In most cases when an angel appears, the people drop face down in worship, but the angel corrects them and tells them not to worship. When the angel is Jesus, He accepts the worship and in many cases sacrifices as well. > **The angel of the Lord appeared to him** and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? … So Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me. **Please do not depart from here, until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”** > > Then Gideon went in and prepared **a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot**, and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them. **The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock**, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. **Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight**. When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, “**Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face**.” (Judges 6:12=13a, 17-22) {emphasis mine} As you can see, Gideon offered an offering. An offering to anyone other than God would be idolatry. Gideon offers a “*a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour*,” which is a proper sin offering to God. The angel did not eat the offering, but told Gideon to “*Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock … Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.*” Gideon’s offering was taken as a burnt offering to God and to angel of the Lord, who is Jesus. With all of this, look at the verse I read last night: > Who has ascended into heaven and descended?\ > Who has gathered the wind in His fists?\ > Who has wrapped the waters in His garment?\ > Who has established all the ends of the earth?\ > What is His name or **His son’s name**?\ > Surely you know! (Proverbs 30:4) {emphasis mine} Surely this is a passage about Jesus. This verse says, “*Who has ascended into heaven and descended?*” The *New Testament* says about Jesus, “*No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man*.” (John 3:13) This verse says, “*Who has gathered the wind in His fists*?” The *New Testament* says about Jesus, > And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And **He got up and rebuked the wind** and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And **the wind died down and it became perfectly calm**. (Mark 4:37-39) {emphasis mine} This verse says, “*Who has wrapped the waters in His garment?*” The *New Testament* says about Jesus, > And in the fourth watch of the night **He came to them, walking on the sea**. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” > > Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And **He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus**. (Matthew 14:25-29) {emphasis mine} This verse says, “*Who has established all the ends of the earth*?” The *New Testament* says about Jesus, > In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. **All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being**. (John 1:1-3) {emphasis mine} This verse says, “What is His name or His son’s name?” The *New Testament* says about Jesus, > After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, **a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son**, in whom I am well-pleased. (Matthew 3:16-17) {emphasis mine} This verse says, “*Surely you know*!” As New Testament believers we know the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The Bible was pointing to the Son of God long before He came to earth as a baby. > Who has ascended into heaven and descended?\ > Who has gathered the wind in His fists?\ > Who has wrapped the waters in His garment?\ > Who has established all the ends of the earth?\ > What is His name or **His son’s name**?\ > Surely you know! (Proverbs 30:4) {emphasis mine} It doesn’t matter how many times we have already read the Bible. Every time we read it, we can discover new insight and knowledge of God, His eternal plans, and His commands for our lives. God is good. Trust Jesus.

@ d830ee7b:4e61cd62

## การเผชิญหน้า (The Collision Point) กลางปี 2017 ที่ร้านคราฟท์เบียร์เล็ก ๆ ในย่านเกาะเกร็ด นนทบุรี อากาศร้อนจนเครื่องปรับอากาศ (ที่ยังไม่มี) ในร้านทำงานหนักแทบไหม้ ***"แจ๊ก กู้ดเดย์"*** (Jakk Goodday) นั่งลงบนเก้าอี้ไม้ที่เจ้าของร้านกันไว้ให้เป็นประจำ ราวกับเขาเป็นลูกค้าขาประจำระดับวีไอพี กลิ่นกาแฟคั่ว ลอยผสมกับไอความร้อนจากนอกหน้าต่าง _(ผิดร้านหรือเปล่า?)_ เกิดเป็นบรรยากาศขมติดปลายลิ้นชวนให้คนจิบแล้วอยากถอนใจ เขาเหลือบมองออกไปนอกหน้าต่าง.. เห็นแสงแดดแผดเผาราวกับมันรู้ว่าสงคราม Blocksize กำลังคุกรุ่นขึ้นอีกครั้ง  บรรยากาศนอกหน้าต่างกับใน **_ฟอรัม Bitcointalk_** ช่างเหมือนกันจนน่าขนลุก มันร้อนแรง ไร้ความปรานี แจ๊กเปิดแล็ปท็อป กดเข้าเว็บฟอรัม พอเสียงแจ้งเตือน _“—ติ๊ง”_ ดังขึ้น คิ้วของเขาก็ขมวดเล็กน้อย คล้ายได้กลิ่นดินปืนกลางสนามรบ “**โรเจอร์ แวร์** (Roger Ver) ไลฟ์เดือดลั่นเวที!” “**ปีเตอร์ วูเล** (Pieter Wuille) โต้กลับเรื่อง SegWit!” “Hard Fork ใกล้ถึงจุดปะทะแล้ว!” แจ๊กคลิกเข้าไปในลิงก์ของไลฟ์ทันที เหมือนมือของเขาไม่ต้องการคำสั่งจากสมอง ความคุ้นเคยกับเหตุการณ์แบบนี้บอกเขาว่า _นี่ไม่ใช่ดีเบตธรรมดา แต่มันอาจเปลี่ยนอนาคตของ Bitcoin ได้จริง ๆ_ เห็นแค่พาดหัวสั้น ๆ แต่ความตึงเครียดก็ชัดเจนขึ้นเรื่อย ๆ ทุกข้อความเหมือนสุมไฟใส่ใจกองหนึ่งที่พร้อมระเบิดได้ทุกเมื่อ โทรศัพท์ของแจ๊กดังพร้อมปรากฏชื่อ ***แชมป์ ‘PIGROCK’*** ลอยขึ้นมา เขาหยิบขึ้นมารับทันที “ว่าไงวะแชมป์… มีอะไรด่วนหรือเปล่า?” น้ำเสียงแจ๊กฟังดูเหมือนง่วง ๆ แต่จริง ๆ เขาพร้อมจะลุกมาวิเคราะห์สถานการณ์ให้ฟังทุกเมื่อ “พี่แจ๊ก.. ผมอ่านดีเบตเรื่อง SegWit ในฟอรัมอยู่ครับ บางคนด่าว่ามันไม่ได้แก้ปัญหาจริง ๆ บ้างก็บอกถ้าเพิ่ม Blocksize ไปเลยจะง่ายกว่า... ผมเลยสงสัยว่า Hard Fork ที่เค้าพูดถึงกันนี่คืออะไร ใครคิดอะไรก็ Fork กันได้ง่าย ๆ เลยเหรอ" "แล้วถ้า Fork ไปหลายสาย สุดท้ายเหรียญไหนจะเป็น ‘Bitcoin ที่แท้จริง’ ล่ะพี่?” “แล้วการ Fork มันส่งผลกับนักลงทุนยังไงครับ? คนทั่วไปอย่างผมควรถือไว้หรือขายหนีตายดีล่ะเนี่ย?” แจ๊กยิ้มมุมปาก ชอบใจที่น้องถามจี้จุด “เอางี้… การ Fork มันเหมือนแบ่งถนนออกเป็นสองสาย ใครชอบกติกาเก่าก็วิ่งถนนเส้นเก่า ใครอยากแก้กติกาใหม่ก็ไปถนนเส้นใหม่" "แต่ประเด็นคือ... นี่ไม่ใช่เรื่องเล็ก ๆ เพราะมีผลต่ออัตลักษณ์ของ Bitcoin ทั้งหมดเลยนะมึง—ใครจะยอมปล่อยผ่านง่าย ๆ” "คิดดูสิ ถ้าครั้งนี้พวกเขา Fork จริง มันอาจไม่ได้เปลี่ยนแค่เครือข่าย แต่เปลี่ยนวิธีที่คนมอง Bitcoin ไปตลอดกาลเลยนะ" **_"แล้วใครมันจะอยากลงทุนในระบบที่แตกแยกซ้ำแล้วซ้ำเล่าวะ?"_** “งั้นหมายความว่าตอนนี้ก็มีสองแนวใหญ่ ๆ ชัวร์ใช่ไหมครับ?” แชมป์ถามต่อ “ฝั่ง โรเจอร์ แวร์ ที่บอกว่าต้องเพิ่ม Blocksize ให้ใหญ่จุใจ กับฝั่งทีม Core อย่าง ปีเตอร์ วูเล ที่ยืนยันต้องใช้ SegWit ทำให้บล็อกเบา ไม่กระทบการกระจายอำนาจ?” “ใช่เลย” แจ๊กจิบกาแฟดำเข้ม ๆ ผสมน้ำผึ้งไปหนึ่งอึก “โรเจอร์นี่เขาเชื่อว่า Bitcoin ต้องเป็นเงินสดดิจิทัลที่ใช้จ่ายไว ค่าธรรมเนียมไม่แพง ส่วนปีเตอร์กับ Bitcoin Core มองว่าการเพิ่มบล็อกเยอะ ๆ มันจะไปฆ่า Node รายย่อย คนไม่มีทุนก็รัน Node ไม่ไหว สุดท้าย Bitcoin จะกลายเป็นระบบกึ่งรวมศูนย์ ซึ่งมันผิดหลักการเดิมของ ***ซาโตชิ*** ไงล่ะ” “ฟังแล้วก็ไม่ใช่เรื่องง่ายนะพี่… งั้นที่ผมได้ยินว่า ***จิฮั่น อู๋*** (Jihan Wu) เจ้าของ Bitmain ที่ถือ Hashrate เกินครึ่งนี่ก็มาอยู่ฝั่งเดียวกับโรเจอร์ใช่ไหม?" "เพราะยิ่งบล็อกใหญ่ ค่าธรรมเนียมยิ่งเพิ่ม นักขุดก็ได้กำไรสูงขึ้นใช่ป่ะ?” “ไอ้เรื่องกำไรก็ส่วนหนึ่ง...” แจ๊กถอนหายใจ “แต่ที่สำคัญกว่านั้นคืออำนาจต่อรอง… ตอนประชุมลับที่ฮ่องกงเมื่อปีที่แล้ว พี่เองก็ถูกชวนให้เข้าไปในฐานะคนกลาง เลยเห็นภาพน่าขนลุกอยู่หน่อย ๆ" "จิฮั่นนั่งไขว่ห้างด้วยสีหน้ามั่นใจมาก ด้วย Hashrate ราว 60% ของโลก สั่งซ้ายหันขวาหันเหมือนเป็นแม่ทัพใหญ่ได้เลย พอโรเจอร์ก็ไฟแรงอยู่แล้ว อยากให้ Bitcoin ครองโลกด้วยวิธีของเขา สองคนนี่จับมือกันทีจะเขย่าชุมชน Bitcoin ได้ทั้งกระดาน” "พี่รู้สึกเหมือนนั่งอยู่ในศึกชิงบัลลังก์ยุคใหม่ คนหนึ่งยึดพลังขุด คนหนึ่งยึดความศรัทธาในชื่อ Bitcoin แต่สิ่งที่พี่สงสัยในตอนนั้นคือ… พวกเขาสู้เพื่อใครกันแน่?" แชมป์เงียบไปครู่เหมือนกำลังประมวลผล “แล้วตอนนั้นพี่คิดยังไงบ้างครับ? รู้สึกกลัวหรือว่ายังไง?” “จะไม่กลัวได้ไง!” แจ๊กหัวเราะแห้ง ๆ แวบหนึ่งก็นึกถึงสีหน้าที่ยิ้มเยาะของทั้งคู่ตอนประกาศความพร้อมจะ Fork “พี่อดคิดไม่ได้ว่าถ้า Core ยังไม่ยอมขยายบล็อก พวกนั้นจะลากนักขุดทั้งกองทัพแฮชเรตไปทำเครือข่ายใหม่ให้เป็น _‘Bitcoin สายใหญ่’_ แล้วทิ้งเครือข่ายเดิมให้ซวนเซ" "แค่คิดก็นึกถึงสงครามกลางเมืองในหนังประวัติศาสตร์แล้วน่ะ.. แตกเป็นสองฝ่าย สุดท้ายใครแพ้ใครชนะ ไม่มีใครทำนายได้จริง ๆ”  พูดจบ.. เขาเปิดฟอรัมดูไลฟ์ดีเบตจากงานในปี 2017 ต่อ โรเจอร์ แวร์ กำลังพูดในโทนร้อนแรง “Bitcoin ไม่ใช่ของคนรวย! ถ้าคุณไม่เพิ่ม Blocksize คุณก็ทำให้ค่าธรรมเนียมพุ่งจนคนธรรมดาใช้ไม่ได้!” ขณะเดียวกัน ปีเตอร์ วูเล่ ยืนอยู่ฝั่งตรงข้าม สีหน้าเยือกเย็นราวกับตั้งรับมานาน “การเพิ่มบล็อกคือการทำลายโครงสร้าง Node รายย่อยในระยะยาว แล้วมันจะยังเรียกว่ากระจายอำนาจได้หรือ?” "ถ้าคุณอยากให้ Bitcoin เป็นของคนรวยเพียงไม่กี่คน ก็เชิญขยายบล็อกไปเถอะนะ แต่ถ้าอยากให้มันเป็นระบบที่คนทุกระดับมีส่วนร่วมจริง ๆ ..คุณต้องฟังเสียง Node รายเล็กด้วย" ปีเตอร์กล่าว เสียงผู้คนในงานโห่ฮากันอย่างแตกเป็นสองฝ่าย บ้างก็เชียร์ความตรงไปตรงมาของโรเจอร์ บ้างก็เคารพเหตุผลเชิงเทคนิคของปีเตอร์ ข้อความจำนวนมหาศาลในฟอรัมต่างโหมกระพือไปต่าง ๆ นานา มีทั้งคำด่าหยาบคายจนแจ๊กต้องเบือนหน้า ตลอดจนการวิเคราะห์ลึก ๆ ถึงอนาคตของ Bitcoin ที่อาจไม่เหมือนเดิม ในระหว่างนั้น.. แชมป์ส่งข้อความ Discord กลับมาอีก “พี่ ถ้า Fork จริง ราคาจะป่วนแค่ไหน? ที่เขาว่าคนถือ BTC จะได้เหรียญใหม่ฟรี ๆ จริงไหม? ผมกลัวว่าถ้าเกิดแบ่งเครือข่ายไม่รู้กี่สาย ตลาดอาจมั่วจนคนหายหมดก็ได้ ใช่ไหมครับ?” "แล้วถ้าเครือข่ายใหม่ล้มเหลวล่ะครับ? จะส่งผลอะไรต่อชุมชน Bitcoin เดิม?" "ไอ้แชมป์มึงถามรัวจังวะ!?" แจ๊กสบถเพราะเริ่มตั้งรับไม่ทัน “ก็ขึ้นกับตลาดจะเชื่อว่าสายไหนเป็น ‘ของจริง’ อีกนั่นแหละ” แจ๊กพิมพ์กลับ “บางคนถือไว้เผื่อได้เหรียญใหม่ฟรี บางคนขายหนีตายก่อน" "พี่เองก็ยังไม่กล้าการันตีเลย แต่ที่แน่ ๆ สงครามนี้ไม่ได้มีแค่ผลกำไร มันกระทบศรัทธาของชุมชน Bitcoin ทั้งหมดด้วย" "ถ้าชาวเน็ตเลิกเชื่อมั่น หรือคนนอกมองว่าพวกเราทะเลาะกันเองเหมือนเด็กแย่งของเล่น ต่อให้ฝั่งไหนชนะ ก็อาจไม่มีผู้ใช้เหลือให้ฉลอง” แล้วสายตาแจ๊กก็ปะทะกับกระทู้ใหม่ที่เด้งขึ้นมาบนหน้าฟอรัม **“โรเจอร์ แวร์ ประกาศ: ถ้าไม่เพิ่ม Blocksize เราจะฟอร์กเป็น Bitcoin ที่แท้จริง!”** ตัวหนังสือหนาแปะอยู่ตรงนั้นส่งแรงสั่นสะเทือนราวกับจะดึงคนในวงการให้ต้องเลือกข้างกันแบบไม่อาจกลับหลังได้ แจ๊กเอื้อมมือปิดแล็ปท็อปช้า ๆ คล้ายยอมรับความจริงว่าหนทางประนีประนอมอาจไม่มีอีกแล้ว.. “สงครามนี่คงใกล้ระเบิดเต็มทีล่ะนะ” เขาลุกจากเก้าอี้ สะพายเป้ พึมพำกับตัวเองขณะมองกาแฟดำที่เหลือครึ่งแก้ว “ถ้าพวกเขาฟอร์กจริง โลกคริปโตฯ ที่เราเคยรู้จักอาจไม่มีวันเหมือนเดิมอีกต่อไป” เขามองออกไปนอกหน้าต่าง แสงแดดที่แผดเผาราวกับกำลังบอกว่า.. อนาคตของ Bitcoin อยู่ในจุดที่เส้นแบ่งระหว่างชัยชนะกับความล่มสลายเริ่มพร่าเลือน... และอาจไม่มีทางย้อนกลับ ก่อนเดินออกจากร้าน เขากดส่งข้อความสั้น ๆ ถึงแชมป์ “เตรียมใจกับความปั่นป่วนไว้ให้ดี ไม่แน่ว่าเราอาจจะได้เห็น Bitcoin แตกเป็นหลายสาย.. ใครจะอยู่ใครจะไปไม่รู้เหมือนกัน แต่เรื่องนี้คงไม่จบง่าย ๆ แน่” แจ๊กผลักประตูออกไปพบกับแดดจัดที่เหมือนแผดเผากว่าเดิม พายุร้อนไม่ได้มาแค่ในรูปความร้อนกลางกรุง แต่มาในรูป **“สงคราม Blocksize”** ที่พร้อมจะฉีกชุมชนคริปโตออกเป็นฝักฝ่าย และอาจลามบานปลายจนกลายเป็นศึกประวัติศาสตร์ ทว่าสิ่งที่ค้างคาใจกลับเป็นคำถามนั้น… เมื่อเครือข่ายแบ่งเป็นหลายสายแล้ว เหรียญไหนจะเป็น Bitcoin จริง? หรือบางที... ในโลกที่ใครก็ Fork ได้ตามใจ เราจะไม่มีวันได้เห็น **“Bitcoin หนึ่งเดียว”** อีกต่อไป? คำถามที่ไม่มีใครตอบได้ชัดนี้ส่องประกายอยู่ตรงปลายทาง ราวกับป้ายเตือนว่า _“อันตรายข้างหน้า”_ และคนในชุมชนทั้งหมดกำลังจะต้องเผชิญ… โดยไม่มีใครมั่นใจเลยว่าจะรอด หรือจะแตกสลายไปก่อนกันแน่...  ## สองเส้นทาง (The Forked Path) กลางปี 2017 ท้องฟ้าเหนือบุรีรัมย์ยังคงคุกรุ่นด้วยไอแดดและความร้อนแรงของสงคราม Blocksize แจ๊ก กู้ดเดย์ ก้าวเข้ามาในคาเฟ่เล็ก ๆ แห่งหนึ่งในย่านเทศบาลด้วยสีหน้าครุ่นคิด เขาพยายามมองหามุมสงบสำหรับนั่งตั้งหลักในโลกความเป็นจริง ก่อนจะจมดิ่งสู่สงครามในโลกดิจิทัลบนฟอรัม Bitcointalk อีกครั้ง กลิ่นกาแฟคั่วเข้มลอยกระทบจมูก แจ๊กสั่งกาแฟดำแก้วโปรดแล้วปลีกตัวมาที่โต๊ะริมกระจก กระจกบานนั้นสะท้อนแสงอาทิตย์จัดจ้า ราวกับจะบอกว่าวันนี้คงไม่มีใครหนีความร้อนที่กำลังแผดเผา ทั้งในอากาศและในชุมชน Bitcoin ได้พ้น เขาเปิดแล็ปท็อปขึ้น ล็อกอินเข้า Bitcointalk.org ตามเคย ข้อความและกระทู้มากมายกระหน่ำแจ้งเตือน ไม่ต่างอะไรจากสมรภูมิคำพูดที่ไม่มีวันหลับ *“**Hong Kong Agreement** ล้มเหลวจริงหรือ?”* *“**UASF** คือปฏิวัติโดย Node?”* เหล่านี้ล้วนสะท้อนความไม่แน่นอนในชุมชน Bitcoin ที่ตอนนี้ ดูคล้ายจะถึงจุดแตกหักเต็มที... “ทั้งที่ตอนนั้นเราก็พยายามกันแทบตาย…” แจ๊กพึมพำ มองจอด้วยสายตาเหนื่อยใจพร้อมภาพความทรงจำย้อนกลับเข้าในหัว เขายังจำการประชุมที่ฮ่องกงเมื่อต้นปี 2016 ได้แม่น ยามนั้นความหวังในการประนีประนอมระหว่าง ***Big Block*** และ ***Small Block*** ดูเป็นไปได้ หากแต่กลายเป็นละครฉากใหญ่ที่จบลงโดยไม่มีใครยอมถอย... ----------- *...การประชุม Hong Kong Agreement (2016)* ภายในห้องประชุมหรูของโรงแรมใจกลางย่านธุรกิจฮ่องกง บรรยากาศตึงเครียดยิ่งกว่าการเจรจาสงบศึกในสมัยโบราณ **โรเจอร์ แวร์** ยืนเสนอว่า “การเพิ่ม Blocksize สำคัญต่ออนาคตของ Bitcoin — เราอยากให้คนทั่วไปเข้าถึงได้โดยไม่ต้องจ่ายค่าธรรมเนียมแพง ๆ” “**จิฮั่น อู๋** (Jihan Wu)” จาก Bitmain นั่งฝั่งเดียวกับโรเจอร์ คอยเสริมว่าการเพิ่มบล็อกคือโอกาสสำหรับนักขุด และหากทีม Core ไม่ยอม พวกเขาก็พร้อม *“ดัน Fork”* ขึ้นได้ทุกเมื่อ ด้วย Hashrate มหาศาลที่พวกเขาคุมไว้ ฝั่ง **ปีเตอร์ วูเล** (Pieter Wuille) กับ **เกร็ก แมกซ์เวลล์** (Greg Maxwell) จาก Bitcoin Core เถียงกลับอย่างใจเย็นว่า “การขยายบล็อกอาจดึงดูดทุนใหญ่ ๆ แล้วไล่ Node รายย่อยออกไป ชุมชนอาจไม่เหลือความกระจายอำนาจอย่างที่ Satoshi ตั้งใจ” สุดท้าย บทสรุปที่เรียกว่า Hong Kong Agreement ลงนามได้ก็จริง แต่มันกลับเป็นแค่ลายเซ็นบนกระดาษที่ไม่มีฝ่ายไหนเชื่อใจใคร  แจ๊กเบือนสายตาออกนอกหน้าต่าง สังเกตเห็นผู้คนเดินขวักไขว่ บ้างก็ดูรีบร้อน บ้างเดินทอดน่องเหมือนว่างเปล่า นี่คงไม่ต่างอะไรกับชาวเน็ตในฟอรัมที่แบ่งฝ่ายกันใน ***“สงคราม Blocksize”*** อย่างไม่มีทีท่าจะหยุด แค่ไม่กี่นาที... เสียงโทรศัพท์ก็ดังขึ้น ชื่อ ***แชมป์ ‘PIGROCK’*** โชว์หราเต็มจออีกครั้ง “ว่าไงเจ้าแชมป์?” แจ๊กกรอกเสียงในสายด้วยอารมณ์เหนื่อย ๆ ทว่าพร้อมจะอธิบายเหตุการณ์ตามสไตล์คนที่ชอบครุ่นคิด “พี่แจ๊ก.. ผมเข้าใจแล้วว่าการประชุมฮ่องกงมันล้มเหลว ตอนนี้ก็มีคนแยกเป็นสองขั้ว *Big Block* กับ *SegWit* แต่ผมเจออีกกลุ่มในฟอรัมเรียกว่า ***UASF*** (User-Activated Soft Fork) ที่เหมือนจะกดดันพวกนักขุดให้ยอมรับ SegWit..." "อยากรู้ว่าตกลง ***UASF*** มันสำคัญยังไงครับ? ทำไมใคร ๆ ถึงเรียกว่าเป็น *การปฏิวัติโดย Node* กัน?” แจ๊กอมยิ้มก่อนจะวางแก้วกาแฟลง พูดด้วยน้ำเสียงจริงจังกว่าเดิม “UASF น่ะหรือ? มันเปรียบได้กับการที่ *‘ชาวนา’* หรือ *‘ประชาชนตัวเล็ก ๆ’* ออกมาประกาศว่า **‘ฉันจะไม่รับบล็อกของนักขุดที่ไม่รองรับ SegWit นะ ถ้าแกไม่ทำตาม ฉันก็จะตัดบล็อกแกทิ้ง!’** เสมือนเป็นการปฏิวัติที่บอกว่าแรงขุดมากแค่ไหนก็ไม่สำคัญ **ถ้าคนรัน Node ไม่ยอม… เชนก็เดินต่อไม่ได้**” “โห… ฟังดูแรงจริง ๆ พี่ แล้วถ้านักขุดไม่ร่วมมือ UASF จะเกิดอะไรขึ้น?” แชมป์ถามต่อเสียงสั่นนิด ๆ “ก็อาจเกิด ***‘Chain Split’*** ยังไงล่ะ" "แยกเครือข่ายเป็นสองสาย สุดท้ายเครือข่ายเดิม กับเครือข่ายใหม่ที่รองรับ SegWit ไม่ตรงกัน คนอาจสับสนหนักยิ่งกว่า Hard Fork ปกติด้วยซ้ำ" "แต่นั่นแหละ... มันแสดงพลังว่าผู้ใช้ทั่วไปก็มีสิทธิ์กำหนดทิศทาง Bitcoin ไม่ได้น้อยไปกว่านักขุดเลย” “เข้าใจแล้วครับพี่… เหมือน *การปฏิวัติโดยประชาชนตาดำ ๆ* ที่จับมือกันค้านอำนาจทุนใหญ่ใช่ไหม?” แชมป์หยุดครู่หนึ่ง “ผมเคยคิดว่า Node รายย่อยน้อยรายจะไปสู้อะไรไหว แต่ตอนนี้ดูท่าจะเปลี่ยนเกมได้จริงว่ะพี่…” “ใช่เลย” แจ๊กตอบ **“นี่เป็นความพิเศษของ Bitcoin ที่บอกว่า *‘เราคุมเครือข่ายร่วมกัน’* แม้แต่ Bitmain ที่มี Hashrate มากกว่า 50% ก็หนาวได้ถ้าผู้ใช้หรือ Node รายย่อยรวมพลังกันมากพอ”** แชมป์ฟังด้วยความตื่นเต้นปนกังวล “แล้วแบบนี้ เรื่อง SegWit กับ Blocksize จะจบยังไงครับ? เห็นข่าวว่าถ้านักขุดโดนกดดันมาก ๆ คนอย่าง จิฮั่น อู๋ อาจออกไปสนับสนุน ***Bitcoin Cash*** ที่จะเปิดบล็อกใหญ่” แจ๊กเลื่อนดูฟีดข่าวในฟอรัม Bitcointalk อีกครั้ง ก็เห็นพาดหัวชัด ๆ **“Bitmain ประกาศกร้าวพร้อมหนุน BCH เต็มพิกัด!”** เขาถอนหายใจเฮือกหนึ่ง “ก็ใกล้เป็นจริงแล้วล่ะ… โรเจอร์ แวร์ เองก็ผลักดัน BCH ว่าคือ Bitcoin แท้ที่ค่าธรรมเนียมถูก ใช้งานได้จริง ส่วนฝั่ง BTC ที่ยึดเอา SegWit เป็นหลัก ก็ไม่ยอมให้ Blocksize เพิ่มใหญ่เกินจำเป็น.." "ต่างคนต่างมีเหตุผล... แต่อุดมการณ์นี่คนละทางเลย” “แล้วพี่คิดว่าใครจะเป็นฝ่ายชนะครับ?” “เฮ้ย.. มึงถามยากไปหรือเปล่า” แจ๊กหัวเราะหึ ๆ “ทุกคนมีโอกาสได้หมด และก็มีโอกาสพังหมดเหมือนกัน ถ้า UASF กดดันนักขุดให้อยู่กับ Core ได้ พวกเขาอาจยอมแพ้ แต่ถ้า Bitmain เทใจไป BCH นักขุดรายใหญ่คนอื่น ๆ ก็คงตาม" "แล้วถ้าฝั่ง BCH เริ่มได้เปรียบ... อาจดึงคนไปเรื่อย ๆ สุดท้ายจะเหลือไหมล่ะฝั่ง SegWit ตัวจริง?” “งั้น Node รายย่อยจะยืนอยู่ตรงไหนล่ะครับพี่?” แชมป์ถามอย่างหนักใจ “Node รายย่อยและชุมชนผู้ใช้นี่แหละ คือ *ตัวแปรชี้ขาด* ทุกวันนี้คนกลุ่ม ***UASF*** พยายามโชว์พลังว่าตัวเองมีสิทธิ์ตั้งกติกาเหมือนกัน ไม่ใช่แค่นักขุด" "อย่างที่บอก.. มันคือการ ***‘ลุกขึ้นปฏิวัติ’*** โดยชาวนา ต่อสู้กับเจ้าที่ที่ถือ *‘แฮชเรต’* เป็นอาวุธ” แจ๊กตบบ่าตัวเองเบา ๆ ก่อนจะหัวเราะเล็กน้อย **“นี่แหละความมันของ Bitcoin ไม่มีเจ้าไหนสั่งได้เบ็ดเสร็จจริง ๆ ทุกฝั่งต่างถือไพ่คนละใบ สงครามยังไม่รู้จะจบยังไง ถึงอย่างนั้นมันก็สะท้อนวิญญาณ *‘decentralization’* ที่แท้จริง กล้ายอมรับสิทธิ์ทุกฝ่ายเพื่อแข่งขันกันตามกติกา”**  จู่ ๆ ในหน้าฟอรัมก็มีกระทู้ใหม่เด้งเด่น **“Bitmain หนุน Bitcoin Cash ด้วย Hashrate กว่า 50%! สงครามเริ่มแล้ว?”** ข้อความนั้นดังโครมครามเหมือนระเบิดลงกลางวง แจ๊กนิ่งไปชั่วขณะ สัมผัสได้ถึงความปั่นป่วนที่กำลังปะทุขึ้นอีกครั้ง เหงื่อบางเบาซึมบนหน้าผากแม้อากาศในคาเฟ่จะเย็นฉ่ำ เขาหันมองโทรศัพท์ที่ยังค้างสายกับแชมป์ แล้วเอ่ยด้วยน้ำเสียงจริงจัง “นี่ล่ะ.. จุดเริ่มของสองเส้นทางอย่างชัดเจน… บล็อกใหญ่จะไปกับ BCH ส่วน SegWit ก็อยู่กับ BTC แน่นอนว่าทั้งสองฝ่ายไม่คิดถอยง่าย ๆ นักขุดจะเลือกข้างไหน? Node รายย่อยจะยอมใคร?" "เมื่อสงครามครั้งนี้นำไปสู่การแบ่งเครือข่าย *ใครกันแน่จะเป็นผู้ชนะตัวจริง?* หรืออาจไม่มีผู้ชนะเลยก็เป็นได้” ปลายสายเงียบงัน มีแต่เสียงหายใจของแชมป์ที่สะท้อนความกังวลปนอยากรู้อย่างแรง “พี่… สุดท้ายแล้วเรากำลังยืนอยู่บนรอยแยกที่พร้อมจะฉีกทุกอย่างออกเป็นชิ้น ๆ ใช่ไหมครับ?” “อาจจะใช่ก็ได้... หรือถ้ามองอีกมุม อาจเป็นวัฏจักรที่ Bitcoin ต้องเจอเป็นระยะ ทุกคนมีสิทธิ์ Fork ได้ตามใจใช่ไหมล่ะ? ก็ขอให้โลกได้เห็นกันว่าชุมชนไหนแน่จริง” แจ๊กพูดทิ้งท้ายก่อนจะแย้มยิ้มเจือรอยอ่อนล้า ภาพบนจอคอมพิวเตอร์ฉายกระทู้ถกเถียงกันไม่หยุด ประหนึ่งเวทีดีเบตที่ไม่มีวันปิดไฟ แจ๊กจิบกาแฟอึกสุดท้ายเหมือนจะเตรียมพร้อมใจก่อนเข้าสู่สนามรบครั้งใหม่ สงครามยังไม่จบ.. ซ้ำยังดูหนักข้อยิ่งขึ้นเรื่อย ๆ เขาลุกขึ้นจากโต๊ะ ชำเลืองมองแสงแดดจัดจ้าที่สาดลงมาไม่หยุด เปรียบเหมือนไฟแห่งข้อขัดแย้งที่เผาผลาญทั้งชุมชน Bitcoin ไม่ว่าใครจะเลือกอยู่ฝั่งไหน ***กลุ่ม UASF***, ***กลุ่ม Big Block***, หรือ ***กลุ่ม SegWit*** ทางเดินข้างหน้าล้วนเต็มไปด้วยความไม่แน่นอน “สุดท้ายแล้ว… เมื่อกระดานแบ่งเป็นสองเส้นทางอย่างเด่นชัด ***สงคราม Blocksize*** จะจบลงด้วยใครได้บทผู้ชนะ?" "หรือบางที… มันอาจไม่มีผู้ชนะที่แท้จริงในระบบที่ใครก็ Fork ได้ตลอดเวลา” คำถามนี้ลอยติดค้างอยู่ในบรรยากาศยามบ่ายที่ร้อนระอุ ชวนให้ใครก็ตามที่จับตาดูสงคราม Blocksize ต้องฉุกคิด เมื่อไม่มีใครเป็นเจ้าของ Bitcoin อย่างสมบูรณ์ ทุกคนจึงมีสิทธิ์บงการและเสี่ยงต่อการแตกแยกได้ทุกเมื่อ แล้วท้ายที่สุด ชัยชนะ–ความพ่ายแพ้ อาจไม่ใช่จุดสิ้นสุดของโลกคริปโตฯ แต่เป็นเพียงจุดเริ่มต้นของการวิวัฒน์ที่ไม่มีวันจบสิ้น…  ## เมาท์แถมเรื่อง UASF (User-Activated Soft Fork) นี่สนามรบยุคกลางที่ดูเหมือนในหนังแฟนตาซี ทุกคนมีดาบ มีโล่ แต่จู่ ๆ คนตัวเล็กที่เราไม่เคยสังเกต—*พวกชาวนา ช่างไม้ คนแบกน้ำ*—กลับรวมตัวกันยกดาบบุกวังเจ้าเมือง พร้อมตะโกนว่า “พอเถอะ! เราก็มีสิทธิ์เหมือนกัน!” มันอาจจะดูเวอร์ ๆ หน่อยใช่ไหมครับ? แต่ในโลก Bitcoin ปี 2017 นี่คือสิ่งที่เกิดขึ้นในรูปแบบ ***“User-Activated Soft Fork”*** หรือ ***UASF*** การปฏิวัติด้วยพลังโหนด ซึ่งทำให้นักขุดยักษ์ใหญ่ตัวสั่นงันงกันมาแล้ว! ### แล้ว UASF มันคืออะไรล่ะ? “User-Activated Soft Fork” หรือเรียกย่อ ๆ ว่า **“UASF”** ไม่ใช่อัปเกรดซอฟต์แวร์สวย ๆ แต่เป็น *“ดาบเล่มใหม่”* ที่คนตัวเล็ก—หมายถึง โหนด รายย่อย—ใช้ต่อรองกับนักขุดรายใหญ่ โดยกติกาคือ.. ถ้านักขุดไม่ทำตาม (เช่น ไม่รองรับ SegWit) โหนดก็จะปฏิเสธบล็อกของพวกเขาอย่างไม่เกรงใจใคร สมมุติว่าคุณคือโหนด.. คุณรันซอฟต์แวร์ Bitcoin คอยตรวจสอบธุรกรรม วันดีคืนดี คุณประกาศ **“ต่อไปถ้าใครไม่รองรับ SegWit ฉันไม่ยอมรับบล็อกนะ!”** นี่ล่ะครับ **“UASF”** ตัวเป็น ๆ คำขวัญสุดฮิตของ UASF > “No SegWit, No Block” หรือแปลว่าถ้าบล็อกไม่รองรับ SegWit ก็เชิญออกไปเลยจ้า.. มันเหมือนการที่ชาวนาโผล่มาตบโต๊ะอาหารท่านขุนว่า “นายใหญ่จะปลูกอะไรก็ปลูกไป แต่ไม่งั้นฉันไม่รับผลผลิตนายนะ!” ### ความเชื่อมโยงกับ BIP 148 ถ้าจะพูดถึง UASF ต้องรู้จัก ***BIP 148*** ไว้นิดนึง มันเปรียบเหมือน ***“ธงปฏิวัติ”*** ที่ตีตราว่าวันที่ **1 สิงหาคม 2017** คือเส้นตาย! BIP 148 บอกไว้ว่า.. ถ้าถึงวันนั้นแล้วยังมีนักขุดหน้าไหนไม่รองรับ SegWit บล็อกที่ขุดออกมาก็จะถูกโหนดที่ใช้ UASF *“แบน”* หมด ผลลัพธ์ที่ตั้งใจ นักขุดไม่อยากโดนแบนก็ต้องทำตาม UASF กล่าวคือ “นายต้องรองรับ SegWit นะ ไม่งั้นอด!” หลายคนกลัวกันว่า “อ้าว ถ้านักขุดใหญ่ ๆ ไม่ยอมแล้วหันไปขุดสายอื่น จะไม่กลายเป็นแยกเครือข่าย (Chain Split) หรือ?” ใช่ครับ.. มันอาจเกิดสงครามสายใหม่ทันทีไงล่ะ ### ทำไม UASF ถึงสำคัญ? ย้อนกลับไปก่อนปี 2017 Bitcoin มีปัญหาโลกแตกทั้งค่าธรรมเนียมแพง ธุรกรรมหน่วง บวกกับความขัดแย้งเรื่อง *“จะเพิ่ม Blocksize ดีไหม?”* ทางกลุ่มนักขุดรายใหญ่ (นำโดย Bitmain, Roger Ver ฯลฯ) รู้สึกว่า *“SegWit ไม่ใช่ทางออกที่แท้จริง”* แต่อีกฝั่ง (ทีม Core) ชี้ว่า **“Blocksize ใหญ่มากไปจะรวมศูนย์นะ โหนดรายย่อยตายหมด”** UASF เลยโผล่มา เหมือนชาวนาตะโกนว่า > “หุบปากได้แล้วไอ้พวกที่สู้กัน! ถ้าพวกแกไม่รองรับ SegWit พวกข้า (โหนด) ก็จะไม่เอาบล็อกแก” สาระก็คือ.. มันคือตัวบ่งชี้ว่าคนตัวเล็กอย่างโหนดรายย่อยก็มีพลังต่อรอง เป็นกลไกที่ดึงอำนาจจากมือทุนใหญ่กลับสู่มือชุมชน (Decentralization ที่แท้ทรู) ### วิธีการทำงานของ UASF ลองจินตนาการตาม.. 1. การกำหนดเส้นตาย BIP 148 ประกาศไว้ “ถึงวันที่ 1 สิงหาคม 2017 ถ้านายยังไม่รองรับ SegWit โหนด UASF จะไม่รับบล็อกนาย” 2. ถ้าคุณเป็นนักขุด… คุณขุดบล็อกออกมา แต่ไม่ได้ตีธง *“ฉันรองรับ SegWit”* UASF โหนดเห็นปุ๊บ พวกเขาจะจับโยนทิ้งไปเลย 3. ผลกระทบ? นักขุดที่ไม่ยอมทำตามจะเจอปัญหา บล็อกที่ขุดออกมาไม่มีใครรับ—เสียแรงขุดฟรี อาจเกิด ***Chain Split*** คือ แยกเครือข่ายเลย ถ้านักขุดเหล่านั้นไปตั้งสายใหม่ ### ความสำเร็จและความท้าทายของ UASF ความสำเร็จ.. หลังการรวมพลังผู้ใช้ โหนดรายย่อยกดดันนักขุดได้ไม่น้อย จนกระทั่ง **SegWit เปิดใช้งานจริงใน Bitcoin วันที่ 24 สิงหาคม 2017** ช่วยให้ธุรกรรมเร็วขึ้น แก้ Transaction Malleability และเปิดทางสู่ Lightning Network ในอนาคต ความท้าทาย.. นักขุดบางค่ายไม่โอเค.. โดยเฉพาะ Bitmain ซึ่งคาดว่าจะสูญรายได้บางส่วน ก็นำไปสู่การสนับสนุน **“Bitcoin Cash (BCH)”** แยกสาย (Hard Fork) ของตัวเองตั้งแต่วันที่ **1 สิงหาคม 2017** นั่นเอง ว่าแล้วก็เปรียบง่าย ๆ UASF เหมือนปฏิบัติการยึดคฤหาสน์เจ้าเมืองมาเปิดให้ชาวบ้านเข้าอยู่ฟรี.. แต่อีกฝ่ายบอก “งั้นฉันออกไปตั้งคฤหาสน์ใหม่ดีกว่า!” บทเรียนสำคัญ **UASF** เป็นตัวอย่างชัดว่า ***“ผู้ใช้”*** หรือ โหนดรายย่อย สามารถสร้างแรงกดดันให้นักขุดต้องยอมเปลี่ยนได้จริง ๆ ไม่ใช่แค่ยอมรับเงื่อนไขที่ขุดกันมา ผลกระทบระยะยาวหลังจากนั้นล่ะ? SegWit ถูกใช้งาน ทำให้ค่าธรรมเนียมธุรกรรมลดลง (ช่วงหนึ่ง) เกิด **Lightning Network** เป็น Layer 2 สุเฟี้ยวของ Bitcoin เกิด BCH (Bitcoin Cash) เป็นสายแยกที่อ้างว่า Blocksize ใหญ่คือทางออก สรุปแล้ว UASF ทำให้โลกได้รู้ว่า.. > Bitcoin ไม่ใช่ของนักขุด หรือของฝ่ายพัฒนาใดฝ่ายเดียว แต่มันเป็นของทุกคน! “Bitcoin เป็นของทุกคน” ไม่มีใครมีอำนาจเบ็ดเสร็จ ไม่ว่าคุณจะถือ Hashrate มากแค่ไหน ถ้า Node ทั่วโลกไม่เอา ก็จบ! “แรงขุดใหญ่แค่ไหน ก็แพ้ใจมวลชน!” *(น่าจะมีตอนต่อไปนะ.. ถ้าชอบก็ Zap โหด ๆ เป็นกำลังใจให้ด้วยนะครับ)*

@ 1cb14ab3:95d52462

***Tree branches, Rock. 4' x 4 [Boulder, USA. 2016]*** #### Introduction Nestled deep in the forest near Boulder, "Looking Glass" invites viewers to rediscover the quiet beauty of overlooked natural details. By framing the play of light, texture, and shadow through a 4-foot circular lens, the piece shifts focus to the microcosms of the forest, drawing attention to a small and overlooked waterfall. #### Site & Placement The lens is perched amid a cluster of trees, emphasizing a quiet patch of the forest that often goes unnoticed. Positioned 22 feet from the lens, a carefully placed bench offers a perfect vantage point, guiding visitors to linger, observe, and absorb the layered simplicity of the scene. #### Impermanence & Integration True to the ethos of the Earth Lens series, Looking Glass exists only briefly. Its natural materials—branches, wood, and rock—blend seamlessly into the forest and will eventually be reclaimed by it. The fleeting presence of the lens reflects the transient beauty of life, encouraging viewers to appreciate the details that often escape notice in the rush of time. #### Reflection In its short life, Looking Glass offers a moment of stillness and clarity, a chance to peer into the intimate world of the forest. The work becomes a lens not just for the environment but also for introspection, reminding viewers of the quiet wonders that surround them every day. --- ## Photos        --- #### More from the 'Earth Lens' Series: [Earth Lens Series: Artist Statement + List of Works](https://hes.npub.pro/post/1731091744332/) [COMING SOON: "Folsom" (Earth Lens 002)](https://hes.npub.pro/post/1731091744332/) [COMING SOON: "Sanctuary" (Earth Lens 003)](https://hes.npub.pro/post/1731091744332/) [COMING SOON: "Platte" (Earth Lens 004)](https://hes.npub.pro/post/1731091744332/) [COMING SOON: "Grandfather" (Earth Lens 005)](https://hes.npub.pro/post/1731091744332/) [COMING SOON: "Chongming" (Earth Lens 006)](https://hes.npub.pro/post/1731091744332/) --- #### More from Hes [Art](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/art/) [Store](https://plebeian.market/p/517d6542a081d61ecd8900ad9e2640290e2cf06f516c5e5f3edadfbde446bff4/stall/1db0cdfe0e39c4bd81b903902eeda74e6aa0f0b56e30851f327e6d0c292c5c06) [Travel Guides](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/travel/) [Photography](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/photography) [Writings](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/money) --- *All images are credit of Hes, but you are free to download and use for any purpose. If you find joy from my art, please feel free to send a zap. Enjoy life on a Bitcoin standard.*

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

**Table Of Content** - Rollercoaster Rides - The Impact of Macroeconomic Forces - Short-term Projections - Ethereum's Steady Stance - Week-on-week Comparisons - Altcoins in Focus - The Laggards - Market Overview - Conclusion - FAQ September has once again proven itself to be a tumultuous month for the world's most prominent cryptocurrency, Bitcoin (BTC). This month-long rollercoaster ride has historical roots, as September has historically been a challenging period for Bitcoin. However, the first two-thirds of the month showcased remarkable progress, raising expectations. But the recent resurgence of the US dollar has cast a shadow over the entire crypto market, leading to uncertainty among investors and traders. **Rollercoaster Rides** As the calendar pages flipped through September, Bitcoin embarked on a rollercoaster ride that left many in the crypto community holding their breath. Over the weekend, Bitcoin witnessed a significant dip, eroding a substantial portion of its gains for the month. Sunday's trading session saw the BTC/USDT pair drop by 1.2%, closing at $26,250. Monday's early trades further exacerbated the bearish trend, pushing the pair below $26,150. These rapid fluctuations in Bitcoin's value have been a hallmark of its journey in recent weeks. **The Impact of Macroeconomic Forces** In addition to its internal dynamics, Bitcoin has been significantly influenced by macroeconomic factors, particularly the policies and guidance provided by the Federal Reserve and other central banks. Last week, the Fed's unexpected hawkish stance sent shockwaves through financial markets, including the crypto sphere. This policy shift had an adverse effect on risk-on trading sentiment, causing investors to reevaluate their strategies. As the month approaches its conclusion, a less eventful macroeconomic calendar might imply reduced volatility in the coming days. However, the lingering impact of the Fed's decisions remains a source of uncertainty. **Short-term Projections** To gain insights into Bitcoin's short-term trajectory, market analysts have turned to Binance's order book analysis. According to their assessment, a support line appears to be forming at the $25,000 mark, providing some stability in the face of recent turbulence. Conversely, selling resistance has been identified at $27,500, indicating a significant challenge for Bitcoin's upward momentum. These levels are likely to play a crucial role in determining Bitcoin's path in the immediate future, with traders closely monitoring any breaches or rebounds. **Ethereum's Steady Stance** In contrast to Bitcoin's rollercoaster performance, Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has demonstrated a more stable trajectory over the past few days. While Saturday saw minimal fluctuations, Sunday's trades witnessed a modest 0.8% dip, settling at $1,580. As of Monday, Ethereum has maintained this position, indicating resilience in the face of market turbulence. Ethereum's stability, as compared to Bitcoin's wild swings, underscores the unique dynamics at play within the broader cryptocurrency market. **Week-on-week Comparisons** Examining the performance of these two leading cryptocurrencies over the course of the week reveals intriguing trends. Bitcoin has experienced a 2% decline in its value, signaling the challenges it faced amid a shifting financial landscape. Meanwhile, Ethereum has faced a slightly more significant drop of over 3%. These fluctuations underscore the inherent volatility of the crypto market, even among its most prominent players. **Altcoins in Focus** Beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum, the broader altcoin spectrum presents a diverse set of performances. One standout performer has been Solana (SOL), which surged ahead by an impressive 1.75% in the past seven days. This remarkable growth has garnered the attention of investors and enthusiasts alike. Additionally, Ripple (XRP) has maintained positive momentum, adding approximately 0.8% to its value. These altcoins' resilience serves as a testament to the unique dynamics within the cryptocurrency ecosystem. **The Laggards** However, not all altcoins have been able to escape the gravitational pull of Bitcoin's performance. Prominent digital assets such as Binance's BNB token, Dogecoin (DOGE), Cardano (ADA), Polkadot (DOT), and Polygon (MATIC) have mirrored Bitcoin's downward trend. These digital assets have seen marginal losses in terms of their respective market capitalizations, underscoring the interconnectedness of the cryptocurrency market. **Market Overview** At present, the global cryptocurrency market cap stands at an impressive $1.04 trillion, signifying the substantial size and influence of the digital asset market. Bitcoin continues to command a dominant position, with a market dominance of 49.9%. This reaffirms Bitcoin's status as the undisputed leader in the digital asset space, despite the challenges it faces in September. **Conclusion** As September draws to a close, the battle between Bitcoin and the resurgent US dollar remains uncertain. The interplay between internal dynamics, macroeconomic factors, and market sentiment will continue to shape the crypto landscape in the days ahead. Traders and enthusiasts alike will be watching closely to discern the next moves in this high-stakes confrontation. As the dust settles, the cryptocurrency market will likely reveal new trends and opportunities for those who can navigate these uncertain waters with agility and insight. **FAQ** **Why is September historically challenging for Bitcoin?** September has traditionally been a tough month for Bitcoin, with factors like market sentiment and macroeconomic forces contributing to its volatility during this period. **How is the US dollar impacting Bitcoin's recent performance?** The resurgence of the US dollar has cast a shadow over the crypto market, leading to uncertainty and impacting Bitcoin's value. **What are the short-term projections for Bitcoin and Ethereum?** Short-term projections for Bitcoin suggest a support line at $25,000 and resistance at $27,500, while Ethereum has maintained relative stability. **Which altcoins have performed well recently?** Solana (SOL) and Ripple (XRP) have shown positive momentum, but some prominent altcoins have followed Bitcoin's downward trend. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [@croxroadnews](https://x.com/croxroadnewsco)** **Instagram: [@croxroadnews.co](https://www.instagram.com/croxroadnews.co/)** **Youtube: [@croxroadnews](https://www.youtube.com/@croxroadnews)** **Store: https://croxroad.store** **Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter** **https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe** *DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.*

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🧠Quote(s) of the week: “Bitcoin is a clock with a new concept of time – block height – synchronously marking depletion of the most valuable resource in the universe, our time.” - Ross Stevens 'The fact that billions of working men and women must sacrifice 40+ years of their time, energy, health, and focus to gain access to fiat currencies that central banks can replicate with a keystroke is injustice on the largest scale humanity has ever seen. It is theft. Bitcoin' - Bitcoin for Freedom 'Billions of people will watch the generational opportunity to own 1 whole Bitcoin slip through their fingers and never return. There will be less than 500,000 whole-coiners in the world, which will continue to drop, regardless of how many people wish they had one. This is wealth based on math.' Wealth Theory 🧡Bitcoin news🧡 Happy New Year fam!🧡 Here's to a year filled with love, health, and wonderful Bitcoin moments. Now before I am going to start with the Weekly Recap I want to share what is happening with MiCA / Travel Rule in the EU. The EU is back with more attacks on our freedom. Their 2025 MiCA and TravelRule regulations are just another step to control and surveil our financial lives. This is a good thread on what’s happening with MiCA in the EU. To make it even more specific, a thread worth your time especially if you're in Europe. x.com/ferenckovacs/status/1873278442600325235 To sum it up. The EU is cracking down on freedom while America is on the verge of an unprecedented pro-Bitcoin administration. The EU is going to be left behind again (!) because of a lack of Bitcoin education. That's why I am writing my Weekly Recaps and created this account (Bitcoin Friday). Change the world through Bitcoin education. On the 24th of December: ➡️Michael Saylor is not fucking around. MicroStrategy just said that they want to raise the authorized share count by 10 BILLION. They currently have 330 million shares outstanding, meaning this could increase the share count by 3,000%. Microstrategy now owns 444.000 Bitcoin. That is as much as China, the US, and the UK combined. Madness! Key proposals include: 1. Increasing authorized Class A shares from 330 million to 10.33 billion to support future capital raising. 2. Increasing authorized preferred shares from 5 million to 1.005 billion to expand financing options. 3. Amending the 2023 Equity Incentive Plan to provide automatic equity awards for new directors joining the Board. ➡️While others are selling, BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF bought $32 million in BTC yesterday. ➡️The value of Metaplanet’s Bitcoin treasury is now 12x larger than the market cap of the entire company in April. Metaplanet is using Saylor's playbook. All 1,761.99 of Metaplanet’s BTC are verifiable on the chain. ➡️The Bank of Italy identifies Bitcoin P2P services as "crime-as-a-service", due to their alleged use in money laundering operations. Ma figura di merda! Don't let them frame regular Bitcoin usage as criminal. You have a right to freedom of transaction, privacy, and self-custody. Oh on a side note. They should be banning the "crime-as-a-service" Euro then - which constitutes 98.5% of illicit money laundering compared to Bitcoin, cazzos! ➡️Less than 1.2 million Bitcoin left to mine! Tick-tock, next block! (foto) ➡️Publicly traded Matador Technologies Inc. approves to purchase of $4.5 million Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset. ➡️South African parliament member Mzwanele Manyi said "Bitcoin is coming in full force. It will devalue gold. It's unstoppable." On the 25th of December: ➡️Russia is using BITCOIN in foreign trade, says finance minister - Reuters Finance Minister: "Such transactions are already occurring. We believe they should be expanded and developed further. I am confident this will happen next year". From last week: "Russia lawmakers were this week revealed to be pushing the country to create a Bitcoin strategic reserve... Vladimir Putin praised bitcoin as an alternative to FX reserves following the seizure of its funds by Western governments." I guess banning them from SWIFT wasn’t the greatest idea after all. ➡️Jameson Lopp: "If you have a lot of bitcoin you should leave it with a custodian." 'Meanwhile, custodian losses in 2024: Rain: $15M Indodax: $22M Lykke: $22M BingX: $45M BitForex: $56M BtcTurk: $90M WazirX: $230M DMM Bitcoin: $305M' Source: hacked.slowmist.io/?c=Exchange ➡️Multiple U.S. states considering Strategic Bitcoin Reserves - CNBC El Salvador is just 2.23 BTC away from holding 6000 bitcoin in its Strategic ReserveLike a boss, El Salvador continued adding one BTC per day to our Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. And we are still so early ... ➡️Malaysia’s largest bank says when the US establishes Bitcoin Reserves, other countries will follow with increasing demand. On the 26th of December: ➡️Thailand has backed a pilot scheme proposed by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to introduce Bitcoin payments at a tourist center in Phuket, Thailand. ➡️Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expresses uncertainty about implementing a Bitcoin strategic reserve, citing a lack of information on the US and other countries' plans. ➡️Another public company launches a Bitcoin treasury allocating 90% of their cash. Public company KULR buys 217.18 Bitcoin for $21 million for its Bitcoin Treasury strategy. ➡️Bitcoin mining (from otherwise wasted hydropower) is now 18% of all Ethiopian Electric Power’s revenue. The country has turned excess hydroelectric power into a profitable asset by powering Bitcoin mining operations, earning $1B in revenue last year. The move is drawing global investors who benefit from the country's low energy costs, and it's an example of how sustainable energy can drive economic growth across Africa. Source: www.crypto-news-flash.com/ethiopias-dam-powers-18-revenue-through-bitcoin-mining On the 27th of December ➡️Daniel Batten: 'In addition to 13 peer-reviewed academic papers, there are now 8 sustainability magazines covering the fast-growing story of how Bitcoin is supporting sustainable energy development and climate action. They are: x.com/DSBatten/status/1872475284319949035 Great thread and articles/papers! Must read. ➡️Bitcoin is being quietly acquired by whales through private transactions, per CryptoQuant. The number of CoinJoin transactions has tripled over two years, with many attributing the surge to legitimate investment. ➡️Over 60 public companies now hold Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset. (foto) '14,400 BTC taken off exchanges today. This will keep happening until the liquid supply is gone. When that happens you better be done stacking.' - Bitcoin For Freedom. ➡️$5 billion Bitwise files for Bitcoin Standard Corporations ETF. ➡️IRS rules demand brokers report digital asset transactions, including decentralized exchanges from 2027. On the 28th of December: ➡️ProShares files for ETFs tracking the S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, and gold—denominated in Bitcoin. These ETFs take long positions in stocks or gold while using Bitcoin futures to short USD and go long on BTC, making them essentially Bitcoin-hedged ETFs. Nate Geraci: 'ETF filings last 48hrs… -Strive Btc Bond ETF -Bitwise Btc Standard Corporations ETF -REX Btc Corporate Treasury Convertible Bond ETF -ProShares Btc hedged ETFs on S&P 500, Nasdaq-100, & gold 2025 is gonna be wild' This is de facto how BTC is going to scale to a billion users. On the 29th of December: ➡️Bitcoin vs. Gold ETFs in 2024: •Bitcoin: $36.8 billion in net flows •Gold: $454 million in net flows Bitcoin is demonetizing gold in real-time. (foto) On the 30th of December: ➡️This year's investor letter from Stone Ridge did not disappoint. One of the best investor newsletters I've read in a long time. www.nydig.com/research/stone-ridge-2024-investor-letter This year's investor letter from Stone Ridge did not disappoint. One of the best investor newsletters I've read in a long time. (foto) 'NYDIG is about to unlock one of the largest investable pools of capital in the entire financial system—insurance float—and channel it into Bitcoin-backed loans. This is a big deal. More efficient lending → lower loan costs → less BTC sold → increased scarcity → higher demand and price → stronger institutional interest → accelerated Bitcoin adoption.' - Sam Callahan ➡️Tether buys 7,629 Bitcoin worth $705 million for its reserves and now owns $7.7 billion in Bitcoin. ➡️'According to Luke Dash Jr's estimates of unreachable / non-listening node counts, the total number of Bitcoin nodes rose 49% from 65,000 to 96,852 during 2024.' - Jameson Lopp The number of publicly reachable computers running Bitcoin blockchain software increased by 19% this year. This is very important! Noderunners! ➡️MicroStrategy has acquired 2,138 BTC for ~$209 million at ~$97,837 per bitcoin and has achieved a BTC Yield of 47.8% QTD and 74.1% YTD. As of 12/29/2024, they hodl 446,400 Bitcoin acquired for ~$27.9 billion at ~$62,428 per Bitcoin. On the 31st of December: ➡️A Swiss initiative to include Bitcoin in the constitution has advanced to the review stage in the Feuille fédérale, the official publication for legislative texts and government decisions. ➡️New record bitcoin network computing hashrate: 800,000,000,000,000,000,000x per second. ➡️Bitcoin miners earned $15B in revenue in 2024. This assumes they instantly sell for fiat, which is not the case - miners tend to be HODLers. ➡️Bitcoin Returns since 2010... (foto) "Only" +120% this year, 5x the returns of the S&P 500. ➡️Bhutan now likely holds more Bitcoin per capita than any other country on Earth. ➡️$1.5 trillion Franklin Templeton says "We expect to see strategic Bitcoin reserves added by several nations" in 2025. 💸Traditional Finance / Macro: On the 26th of December: 👉🏽'The US stock market is becoming even more concentrated: The top 10 stocks now reflect a record 40% of the S&P 500's market cap. This percentage now exceeds the 2000 Dot-Com bubble levels by ~14 percentage points. In 2024, these stocks have added over $7 TRILLION in market cap and are now worth a record $20.9 trillion. To put this into perspective, the entire European stock market is worth ~$16 trillion, or $4.9 trillion LESS. The market's rally is not broadening.' -TKL 🏦Banks: 👉 no news 🌎Macro/Geopolitics: On the 24th of December: 👉🏽'US existing home sales are set to close at 4.04 million in 2024, marking the worst year since 1995. Sales are set to be even lower than during the 2008 Financial Crisis. The lack of demand for existing homes comes as home prices have jumped over 50% since 2020. Over the same period, mortgage rates have nearly TRIPLED, making affordability even worse. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is up 100 basis points since September alone, to 7.1%, despite the Fed cutting rates by 100 basis points. The US housing market is frozen.' -TKL On the 25th of December: 👉🏽Javier Milei announces a structural tax reform that will eliminate 90% of taxes in Argentina. 👉🏽 China withdrew $158 billion from its financial system through its MLF tool (Medium-Term lending facility), the largest liquidity removal in a decade. On the 26th of December: 👉🏽“Brussels started a department to look for €60M in savings. Its operational costs so far are €30M.” The most EU thing I've ever seen. The worst part? The government can only grow in its current form, which means it will only become bigger and more expensive. Inefficiency in government. A lot of inefficiency, with more and more regulations and no contributing productivity. Welcome to how Western governments function. Remember the report from Oxfam International two months ago? "Up to $41 billion in World Bank climate finance unaccounted for.". Remember how the Pentagon fails 7th audit in a row, unable to fully account for the $ 842B budget. But hey, Bitcoin is just made-up money, right? 👉🏽'The 10-year note yield is now up 100 basis points since the "Fed pivot" began in September. In other words, while the Fed has CUT rates by 100 bps, rates in the market have RISEN by 100 bps.' -TKL “As a result, the average interest rate on a 30-year mortgage in the United States is now at 7.10%. To put this into perspective, just 3 months ago the average rate bottomed at 6.15%. Buying the median-priced home at $420,400 now costs an average of ~$400 more PER MONTH.” The disconnect between the Fed and what's going on in the bond market is ridiculous. Never in the last 40 years has the 10-year Treasury risen more quickly after the Fed started a rate-cutting cycle. The housing market pays the price (read the first point in this segment) 👉🏽New Chinese $137B river dam project in Tibet, 3x the size of Three Gorges for 300 million people. $137B honestly sounds like a small amount after hearing how much the US spends on foreign wars. They've given Ukraine $183B to date. One war in Ukraine or one dam that generates enough electricity to power your entire country? The environmental destruction will be irreversible and will affect the entire planet. The Chinese see our planet as a commodity and a resource that needs to be exploited. Arnaud Bertrand: 'China just approved yet another project of an unfathomable scale: a mega-dam that will generate 3 times more power than the Three Gorges, enough to meet the annual needs of over 300m people, the equivalent of the entire US population. scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3292267/china-approves-tibet-mega-dam-could-generate-3-times-more-power-three-gorges… The project will cost an insane 1 trillion yuan (US$137 billion) to build and will be located on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet autonomous region, which carves out the deepest canyon on Earth.' On the 29th of December: 👉🏽'Germany, France, and Italy, the three largest economies in Europe have been stagnating for years. Grotesque overregulation, lack of innovation, and left redistribution mindset replacing hard work & entrepreneurial spirit have their price. What needs to happen for Europe to grow again?' -Michael A. Arouet The EU is destroying the European economy. 'Sixteen years ago, the US and EU economies were nearly equal in size. Today, the US economy is 50% larger than the EU. Europe is being strangled by the EU and its Commission President von der Leyen's red tape.'- Steve Hanke (foto) On the 31st of December: 👉🏽'Global corporate debt issuance jumped ~34% year-over-year to a record $7.9 trillion in 2024. Global corporate debt sales have DOUBLED over the last 12 years. Issuances have now surpassed the previous record of $7.2 trillion in 2021. This comes as historically low corporate bond spreads have fueled massive issuance activity. Furthermore, the average US investment-grade bond spread has fallen to just 0.77 percentage points in early December. This market the tightest spread since the late 1990s, according to Ice BofA data.' -TKL The only thing I am wondering is who is buying corporate debt when you can get 5% in a money market? Or just buy Bitcoin😉 👉🏽Total US debt is up 30%, or $8.5 trillion since Biden's inauguration, to $36.2 trillion. 🎁If you have made it this far I would like to give you a little gift: Some fountain of Jeff Booth's wisdom: Repricing the World in Bitcoin Credit: I have used multiple sources! My savings account: Bitcoin The tool I recommend for setting up a Bitcoin savings plan: PocketBitcoin especially suited for beginners or people who want to invest in Bitcoin with an automated investment plan once a week or monthly. Use the code BITCOINFRIDAY Get your Bitcoin out of exchanges. Save them on a hardware wallet, run your own node...be your own bank. Not your keys, not your coins. It's that simple.⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ Do you think this post is helpful to you? If so, please share it and support my work with sats. ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃ ⭐ Many thanks⭐ Felipe -Bitcoin Friday! ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

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## ## 🧠Quote(s) of the week: Bitcoin is freedom of speech in the language of money. 'The five stages of a No-Coiner: 1. Denial (most people are here) 2. Anger (Peter Schiff) 3. Bargaining (Shitcoiners) 4. Depression (Rekt shit-coiners) 5. Acceptance (Bitcoiner)' - Bitcoin for Freedom ## 🧡Bitcoin news🧡 On the 31st of December: ➡️Impressive growth for Unchained in securing Bitcoin for clients. $9.5 billion financial services company Unchained helped its clients secure over 100,000 Bitcoin in 2024. ➡️'ETH/BTC is down 30% this year—the "world computer" needs a new narrative quickly, otherwise, it's going to fall another 100%.' -Joe Consorti ➡️'Since the beginning of Q4, treasury operations delivered a BTC Yield of 47.8%, a net benefit of 120,600 BTC to our shareholders. At $96K per BTC, that equates to $11.6 billion for the quarter.' - Michael Saylor On the 1st of January: ➡️BlackRock's Spot Bitcoin ETF now holds over 2% of all the Bitcoin that will ever exist. ➡️MicroStrategy is now down 47% since hitting an all-time high 6 weeks ago. ➡️'$793M worth of Bitcoin was transferred from MicroStrategy-linked Coinbase Prime Custody addresses to unknown wallets, according to Arkham Intelligence.' -Bitcoin News ➡️We start the year with a new low on Bitcoin on exchanges, and 30k Bitcoin withdrew in the last 24 hours. ➡️Daniel Batten: 'Little known fact: The World's largest Sovereign Fund (Government Pension Fund Global, Norway) already has significant Bitcoin exposure. The fund has invested $217 million in MicroStrategy, tripling its allocation between Aug 2023 and Aug 2024. Expect more of this in 2025.' ➡️New research paper published: https://www.cetjournal.it/cet/24/114/061.pdf TL;DR: Pairing Bitcoin mining and Green Hydrogen can: accelerate the build-out of solar and wind capacity boost capacity for negative emission technologies, capturing >7.4 t CO2e per Bitcoin ➡️Globalt Investments senior portfolio manager Thomas Martin reveals that the company currently has 10% of its portfolio in gold and that it could increase its holdings in Bitcoin, but probably below 5%. ➡️Hong Kong-listed company Yuxing buys 78.2 Bitcoin for $6.3 million. ➡️2024 is in the books, and the results are clear: Bitcoin topped the charts again, outperforming every major asset class for the year. Investment returns last year: Bitcoin: +121% Gold: +27% NASDAQ: +26% S&P 500: +25% Dow Jones: +13% Emerging Markets: +6% Cash: +5% Real Estate: +5% Commodities: +2% Oil: +1% US Bonds: +1% Again Bitcoin is at the top. There is no second best. By simply buying and holding Bitcoin, you outperformed 99.99% of all financial institutions on planet Earth in 2024, without hidden fees and bullshit. On the 2nd of January: ➡️Billionaire investor Ray Dalio recommends Bitcoin as 'hard money' amid national debt increases, per the Block. Recently I have seen a Ray Dalio interview. He owns Bitcoin, but he still doesn't understand some basic concepts. Oh well, Gradually then suddenly. Ray Dalio: "I want to steer away from debt assets like bonds and debt, and have some hard money like gold and Bitcoin." ➡️FORBES: Bitcoin mining in Africa “has shown to provide the much-needed revenue to boost electricity infrastructure development, create jobs, sustainably electrify rural communities, and catalyze green energy production.” ➡️The Oxford English Dictionary added the word "satoshi'. ➡️Fold announces up to $30M in convertible note financing, backed by Bitcoin, to fuel growth and fast-track product development. On the 3rd of January: ➡️On this day 16 years ago Bitcoin went online! Happy Bitcoin Genesis Block Day! This block is unspendable. Satoshi also waited 6 days before mining block #2 so others had time to join the network. Now that Bitcoin has existed for 16 years! Lindy effect says that Bitcoin would at least exist for another 16 years. January 3, 2009. Satoshi undermines block 0 on a difficulty 1 CPU and incorporates into the Genesis Block hexadecimal code base the headline of that day’s Times “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on the brink of second bailout for banks”. The bank bailout plan ‘cause of the subprime mortgage crisis in the GFC. Since that day, the network has grown dramatically. Now, millions of people all over earth use Bitcoin. And while it’s great to hear that other countries like El Salvador, Bhutan, and others are embracing Bitcoin, I can’t help but wish my own country 🇳🇱 was embracing Bitcoin too. Tick tick, next block without fail, Bitcoin continues to provide us with the most significant tool for freedom of speech and monetary sovereignty in the digital age! Bitcoin is about financial inclusion and economic empowerment.🎯 Bitcoin is secured by the most powerful computing network in the world!🧡 Which leads me to the following. ➡️Just like with other emerging tech, perspectives evolve. Fascinating to see that finally, the vast majority of academic papers are recognizing the benefits of Bitcoin Mining. Daniel Batten: "87.5% of contemporary peer-reviewed literature on Bitcoin and energy highlight Bitcoin mining having significant, scaleable environmental benefits This shift in scientific consensus follows the same trend as that of other nascent technologies, where first-generation research is superseded by more nuanced work based on better understanding, more case studies, and improved data." Here you can find the list of those 14 of the last 16 peer review academic papers: https://x.com/DSBatten/status/1874858383523618887 ➡️Another one, a scientific paper suggests that Bitcoin could function as a safe haven in relation to geopolitical risk in times of market crashes. "We find that Bitcoin and the Swiss Franc function as safe havens in relation to geopolitical risk in times of market crashes while Gold and Treasury bonds do not. [...] the protective aspects [...] mainly show through large stock market moves." https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1544612324015721#:~:text=Using%20S%26P%20500%20and%20GPR,and%20Treasury%20bonds%20do%20not [](https://i.ibb.co/85KrkGb/Gg-Pd-Xmp-WYAA1-IBf.jpg) ➡️Eric Balchunas: "IBIT with its biggest outflow day ever yesterday with $332m, about 0.7% of the total aum. It's so over.." We had a good run everyone. haha ➡️If you were hoping to see evidence for how simple it can be to do Bitcoin right… here you go. Just buy and hold. Believe me, please read the post/thread: https://x.com/sminston_with/status/1874978781200588838 ➡️Bitcoin's network hashrate increased by 56% in 2024, from 512 to 800 exahash per second. [](https://i.ibb.co/bFH1NVf/Ggmu-Z2-YXYAA7-H5o.jpg) ➡️ Chinese auto-trading platform Cango Inc. now holds 933.8 Bitcoin. The company increased Bitcoin mining production by 56% in December, producing 569.9 BTC. ➡️'Bitcoin's UTXO set grew from 153.4M to 186.4M during 2024, adding 1 net additional UTXO per second.' - Jameson Lopp On the 4th of January: ➡️'Unredacted FDIC documents reveal coordinated efforts to restrict Bitcoin activities under Operation Chokepoint 2.0, exposing systemic discrimination against the industry.' TFTC Ridiculous actions were taken with intent over the last few years. We all knew it. I am not surprised at all. ➡️The Bitcoin network finalized more than $19 trillion worth of BTC transactions in 2024. More than double the $8.7 trillion settled over the network in 2023 - reversing two years of declining transaction volume since 2021. Decisively proving that Bitcoin is both a store of value and a medium of exchange. [](https://i.ibb.co/k9MgL9F/Gg-YQdfv-W0-AAl7-Cz.jpg) On the 5th of January: ➡️The largest Bitcoin mine in the world is nearing completion. Riot Blockchain’s new facility is under construction in Corsicana Texas, which, once fully developed, will be powered by 1 gigawatt in total mining capacity. ➡️Ffs nothing learned from 2022, ahumm FTX ahuhmm Celcius. 'One of the largest publicly traded Bitcoin mining firms in the U.S., MARA, has lent 7,377 BTC to third parties to generate yield, representing approximately 16% of its total reserves. These loans are “short-term arrangements with well-established third parties.” The long-term objective is to generate sufficient yield to offset operating expenses.' Surely nobody has even gotten caught offsides rehypothecating their Bitcoin, right? Right!?!?!? ➡️Metaplanet is aiming to expand its Bitcoin holdings more than fivefold to 10,000 Bitcoin in 2025, says CEO Simon Gerovich. ## 💸Traditional Finance / Macro: On the 31st of December: 👉🏽Over $7.11 trillion was added to the US stock market in 2024. 👉🏽'The last time the top 10 stocks accounted for this much of the S&P 500, was just before the Great Depression in 1929…' - Geiger Capital The top 10 stocks in the S&P 500 are now almost 800 TIMES larger than the 75th percentile stock. Not even the Great Depression in the 1930s saw market concentration this high. It's now 50% MORE concentrated than in 2001. Yeah, it is bad (please watch the video as mentioned in last week's Weekly Recap - Luke Gromen & Preston Pysh). For now, the Fed especially Trump won't let a depression happen. [](https://i.ibb.co/GsbSF68/Gg-KCxy-XUAAMc1.jpg) On the 2nd of January: 👉🏽The US Bond Market has now been in a drawdown for 53 months, by far the longest in history. 🏦Banks: 👉🏽'no news ## 🌎Macro/Geopolitics: On the 1st of January: 👉🏽Germany, the economic powerhouse of Europe, is now on the brink of a collapse. Energy shortages. Aging workers. A stagnating economy. What happened to Europe’s strongest economy—and what does it mean for the EU’s future? (foto) I have mentioned it multiple times here in the Weekly Recaps. Given its policy instability and lack of innovation support, Germany's decline is no surprise. I wouldn't call it a collapse though. What will be next? The AfD likely will win the upcoming elections. Will that help to rejuvenate their economy, I don't think so. But if they (current and past administrations) keep pushing the same tired policies expect more support for real change like the AfD. Don't get me wrong. Economic despair fuels AfD’s surge, while democracy’s legitimacy falters. This isn’t just about one nation, it’s a global wake-up call. 👉🏽'U.S. Dollar is now the most overvalued in history according to Bank of America.' - Barchart 👉🏽Lagarde says the European Central Bank has a “big, heavy agenda for 2025” of bringing inflation down to 2% and continuing progress toward a CBDC. Full video aka. The new Bitcoin marketing ad: https://x.com/Lagarde/status/1874380049442320773 Pardon my English, but these people are unelected psychopaths. Lagarde is almost 70 years old. Should monetary policy be set by people who don't understand the current & future economic trends that will rule society? Digital Euro means slavery. Study the meaning of money to boycott with an alternative, Bitcoin! The honey badgers are on the move. Oh and regarding that mysterious 2% inflation figure. Let's say you save $200 a month for 30 years in a savings account. Your total contributions over 30 years would be $72,000. Here's how much buying power you would have left, if inflation was: 2%: $39,275 3%: $28 872 4%: $21,157 5%: $15,453 There is no reason we should have 2% inflation. Let alone the 4-8% inflation we had the last couple of years. On the 2nd of January: 👉🏽We in Europe really fucked up. 'Europe has gone from relying entirely on cheap Russian gas to relying entirely on expensive US LNG' - Zero Hedge They closed their nuclear reactors for this. Get woke, go broke. Oh, by the way, the Nordstream 2 pipeline incident has a clear winner, and it's not Ukraine or Russia. [](https://i.ibb.co/MffGqvy/Gg-OCKa9-XEAASRGD.png) 👉🏽The EURO tumbles to the lowest level since 2022 amid ongoing concerns about Europe’s economy. 👉🏽[](https://i.ibb.co/wLGXj9R/ECB-november.png) Dr. Jan Wüstenfeld: "Meanwhile, Bitcoin's supply growth rate is at 0.8%, and in 172,536 blocks, the newly issued Bitcoin per day will halve again, then halve again after another 210,000 blocks, and again and again. Choose wisely. 👉🏽Reserves at the Fed sink below $3 Trillion to the lowest since 2020. The Fed will end QT in March or April give or take a month. Especially with RRP running dry. Banking liquidity is getting too tight [](https://i.ibb.co/ct69vcs/Gg-XSt-ra4-AAZ2-ZD.png) 👉🏽The Chinese Property Market has seen a total loss of $18 Trillion over the past 3 years, surpassing the losses suffered by the U.S. during the Global Financial Crisis. 👉🏽'The US deficit as a percentage of GDP is projected to average 6.3% over the next 10 years. This comes after the deficit reached 6.7% in 2024, the largest since 2021. Such elevated deficits have never happened outside of wars and significant economic crises. Furthermore, the deficit is estimated to hit 7.1% of GDP in 2025, the 3rd highest among the world's major economies, only behind India and China. Meanwhile, the budget gap for the first 2 months of the Fiscal Year 2025 reached $624 BILLION, the largest on record. The US is on unsustainable fiscal path.' -TKL On the 5th of January: 👉🏽'The US National Debt increased by $2.2 trillion in 2024, following increases of $2.6 trillion in 2023, $1.8 trillion in 2022, $1.9 trillion in 2021, and $4.5 trillion in 2020. How much will the National Debt increase in 2025?' - Charlie Bilello On the 6th of January: 👉🏽Hedge Fund Manager Steve Diggle, who made $3 Billion during the Global Financial Crisis, has returned and compares the current market to what we saw from 2005-2007 ## 🎁If you have made it this far I would like to give you a little gift: What Bitcoin Did: 2024: BITCOIN IN REVIEW with HODL & ODELL https://youtu.be/-tijL0iD5GI?si=Q7Xsy-mRg4UqxKe3 Good one! Credit: I have used multiple sources! My savings account: Bitcoin The tool I recommend for setting up a Bitcoin savings plan: PocketBitcoin especially suited for beginners or people who want to invest in Bitcoin with an automated investment plan once a week or monthly. Use the code BITCOINFRIDAY Get your Bitcoin out of exchanges. Save them on a hardware wallet, run your own node...be your own bank. Not your keys, not your coins. It's that simple.⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ Do you think this post is helpful to you? If so, please share it and support my work with sats. ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃ ⭐ Many thanks⭐ Felipe -Bitcoin Friday! ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

@ 1cb14ab3:95d52462

### Event Recap For the Official Stooki Sound Afterparty in Boulder, CO, I took the unconventional venue of a kitchen on The Hill and transformed it into an immersive environment for Toybox and Tesfa’s performances. The space was custom-mapped with projections that interacted seamlessly with the surroundings, turning the kitchen into a dynamic, visual landscape. I added retrofitted props to deepen the visual experience, giving the projections a multi-dimensional quality. This innovative approach created a unique atmosphere, enhancing the performance while blurring the lines between physical space and digital art. --- ### Event Photos        --- ### Recap Video nostr:naddr1qqrj6wpkx3u8qscpzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejsygquk99txdv8dly7lsmasw969p70zlj6mnxtyzlk6j0em2tft4fyvgpsgqqqskas47n36f --- #### Other Immersive Experiences by Hes [Light Pollution [2015]](https://hes.npub.pro/post/1727576089390/) --- #### More from Hes [Art](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/art/) [Store](https://plebeian.market/p/517d6542a081d61ecd8900ad9e2640290e2cf06f516c5e5f3edadfbde446bff4/stall/1db0cdfe0e39c4bd81b903902eeda74e6aa0f0b56e30851f327e6d0c292c5c06) [Travel Guides](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/travel/) [Photography](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/photography) [Writings](https://hes.npub.pro/tag/money) --- *All images are credit of Hes, but you are free to download and use for any purpose. If you find joy from my art, please feel free to send a zap. Enjoy life on a Bitcoin standard.*

@ 000002de:c05780a7

Many years ago I read [Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?](https://sharkinfestedcustard.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/seth-godin-linchpin.pdf) by Seth Godin. It should be read by anyone entering their working years. Probably more relevant than ever. The thing is, whether its machines or cheap labor we all are competing for work. Godin was the first person I heard explain how government schools are designed to create conformity and limit creativity. Reading this book opened by eyes to a new way of viewing work. Using emotional energy in ANY job whether you are cleaning tables in a coffee shop, writing code, or fixing plumbing issues. Being human and caring are things that are hard to find because it takes work. Doing good work in and of itself is rewarding. Phoning it in is not. Great book. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/841353

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

Am I only writing this post because I thought the name was dope? Pretty much, but I'm also bored and it's been about a week since I joined the ownership group of ~Stacker_Sports, so let's take a look at how the territory's done this past week. # Territory Stats | Posts | Comments| Stacking | Spending | Revenue | |-------|-------------|-----------|-----------|-----------| | 53 | 880! | 51k | 77.6k | 19.6k | Awesome! We're well on our way to a profitable month. ------------ # Posts of the week - by zaprank: [Stacker Sports- Special Announcement](https://stacker.news/items/833775/r/Undisciplined) - by comments: [NFL Weekly Pick 'em- Week 18](https://stacker.news/items/835231/r/Undisciplined) - by sats: [NCAA College Football Playoff Points Challenge- SemiFinal Picks](https://stacker.news/items/840706/r/Undisciplined) -------- I'm open to suggestions about what should go in these reports. Like I said at the top, I'm mostly doing this because I didn't want to waste the sweet ass name. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/841205

@ dd664d5e:5633d319

## Hodling Bitcoin does not make you a capitalist I've noticed that Bitcoin-mindedness seems to lead some people to communistic thinking because it's a hard-limited form of capital. Marx, like most Bitcoiners, heavily discounted the possibility of economic growth or transformation changing the economy enough to undermine some minority's control of some form of capital. What few today understand, is that many of the Dirty Capitalists of Marx's era actually agreed with him; they were just disdainful of labor and worried that the workers finding out that Marxism is correct about the nature of capitalism would cause unrest. They were the original HFSP crowd. This was the basic idea, that Marx had, and that many Bitcoiners would agree with: > Capital is strictly limited and the people that control it can keep labor from attaining any, except when their labor is necessary. And, as we know, automation will make human labor increasingly unnecessary. ## The math doesn't check out  That underlies all of the calculations of "Well, if I just grab this Bitcoin wallet and hodl for twenty years, then it will grow in value to equal half of everything in existence and then I can just buy up half the planet and rule over everyone like a god." This is economic nonsense because it assumes that: 1) the value of all things remains static over time, 2) purchasing something with money gives you ownership of it, 3) people will always use that specific money (or any money, at all!) for all transactions, 4) there is no such thing as opportunity cost, 5) people will always value money more than any other thing, and therefore be willing to always trade it for anything else, 6) humans are passive, defenseless, and easy to rule over, 7) someone who is preoccupied with hodling an asset steadily and sharply rising in price would ever be emotionally ready to part with it. ## All monies can die. People use money for everything because it is easy, fast and cheap. If money becomes too precious or scarce, they will simply switch to using other things (as we saw with gold). Humans replace tools that aren't working well, with those that work better, and money is just another tool. Bitcoin is more divisible than gold, but that won't matter, if enough of it is held by too few. This is why there's a natural cap on the price of a money and why human productivity _in the here and now_ is not irrelevant or in vain.

@ 2ed3596e:98b4cc78

Americans can now get paid in bitcoin sent directly to their personal bitcoin wallet. Share your Bitcoin Well Direct Deposit details with your employer (or anyone sending you money), set your bitcoin/dollar split and receive sats instead of fiat with every paycheck.  Whenever you buy bitcoin with Bitcoin Well, we automatically send it to your self-custody wallet. Your bitcoin is safest in a self-custody wallet.  So, when you set up your Direct Deposit with Bitcoin Well, you Dollar Cost Average bitcoin into your self-custody wallet with every paycheck.  Refer at least 1 friend to Bitcoin Well to unlock Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit bitcoin purchases bring you a massive leap forward to replacing your bank with Bitcoin Well 🧡 Here’s how you can get paid in bitcoin: ## **Step 1: Refer a friend to Bitcoin Well**  To unlock the Direct Deposit feature in your Bitcoin Well account you must first refer one person to Bitcoin Well. Referring a friend is quick and easy! Simply share your referral link from your found in your [Referrals page](https://app.bitcoinwell.com/referrals). <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/78984bfb22571c173c4e78364fe95fa97e974dcb9a6352d5c5341f4030a187b5.png"> \ Once someone has created an account with your referral link, you’ll get an email notifying you of your successful referral. You’ll receive a second email informing you that you have unlocked Direct Deposit. Now you’re ready for Step 2! ## **Step 2: Set your Direct Deposit details** \ Navigate to your newly unlocked Direct Deposit page in your Bitcoin Well account. Tell us how much bitcoin you want to receive, and how many dollars you want to keep with the slider at the top. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/cc59fa84dad8532bb2709fb5cd1085db88b50a7d682667b01ecb39f6cd5ba1d3.png"> \ Next you need to tell us where to send your bitcoin by adding your personal bitcoin wallet! As with everything Bitcoin Well does, we send the bitcoin you buy from each deposit directly to your self-custody. Your bitcoin should always remain in your control; with your keys.  Once these details are saved, you can download your Direct Deposit details in the form of a void cheque to send to your employer (or anyone else that wants to send you money!). <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/c1f881eb082046288e4c2b49e7359e26299f9b0ab4600f41fd6f357fb9cff03a.png"> ## \ **Step 3: Withdraw remaining dollars or buy more bitcoin later** \ Remaining dollars in your Cash Balance can be withdrawn to your bank or used to purchase more bitcoin. Navigate to [Withdraw Dollars](https://app.bitcoinwell.com/usa/withdraw) then select your bank account, the amount of dollars you’d like to withdraw and confirm your withdrawal.  <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/ffb8e07dbd09e7cc00a3c6aeec6527beb16d4bdb51cd9bc39f1c338b8b984d91.png"> \ You can buy more bitcoin with the dollars already in your account! Go to Buy bitcoin, select from ‘Cash Balance’ to ‘your bitcoin wallet’, enter the amount and confirm. More bitcoin is now on its way to your bitcoin wallet! Buying directly to self-custody has never been easier 😎 <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/c48ab299384b5eff995486a76b6524af6bf399387a00024a6878b546c3b24e5a.png"> ## **Earn sats for referring friends to Bitcoin Well**  \ Did you know that referring friends doesn’t just unlock your Direct Deposit feature but you also earn sats? When you refer a friend to Bitcoin Well you earn 10% of our cut from all of the transactions. Every time you earn sats through your referrals, your rewards will be instantly distributed to you straight to your Lightning wallet.  Add your Lightning wallet in your [Referrals page](https://app.bitcoinwell.com/referrals), within the Bitcoin Well Rewards menu.  Within your [Referrals page](https://app.bitcoinwell.com/referrals) you can add your Lightning wallet for referral payouts, access your referral link and a QR code with your ref link in it – everything you need to orange pill your friends and earn sats! Plus every time you refer a friend you get Bitcoin Well points, which you can use to try and win 1,000,000 sats through our [Bitcoin (Wishing) Well](https://app.bitcoinwell.com/reward-points)! Share your ref link with friends and family -&gt; earn sats.

@ 000002de:c05780a7

I was listening to the No Agenda podcast a few weeks ago and they played a clip from a programmer who goes by the handle **the Primagen**. He's an entertaining guy. He actually has a lot of good takes on programming topics. He started talking about Artificial general intelligence. His focus was Sam Altman's recent comments about AGI being just around the corner. The Primagen brought up a point I hadn't heard anyone mention. **Why would a company create an artificial general intelligence that can create apps and entire infrastructures from a prompt and just sell access to it?** Why wouldn't they keep it a trade secret and just use it themselves? If you believed in your AGI wouldn't that make more sense? So does Altman really believe what he is pitching or is it typical fiat hype? A company like Altman's could use AGI to basically destroy all the competition and take over the tech world? Could they not? Its a big if, but If they create an AGI that can just create things it _thinks up_ why would you want to sell that as a service instead of just owning all the amazing things it creates? Here's what I think. The AGI Altman is talking about is mostly hype. It will not be able to create the next Facebook or Google. It might be able to make some crappy copies of apps at best. Look at the LLM tools we have today like ChatGPT. They can mimic patterns. They can copy writing styles that were created by humans but the majority of what they produce is pretty easy to spot as AI crap. At least it has been for me up to this point. It tends to function better the more a writing style has consistent patterns. True innovation breaks from patterns in interesting ways but builds upon them. Many people are just blown away by ChatGPT. I find these people tend to be anything but critical thinkers. They also tend to have little experience with software engineering. I'm impressed with many of these tools but the more I understand how they work the less magical it becomes and the more I see the OZ pulling the strings. All that said, I do not believe AGI is not right around the corner. That's a myth. I've been hearing that for the last 10 years. It's always right around the corner. And yet, people seem to still fall for this. Sam Altman is a pitchmen. Pretty much any founder in Silicon Valley is as well. You really have to take everything they say with a grain of salt because they are all pitchmen, they are marketing their products trying to get fiat funding. They are trying to get eyeballs they can sell. They're always going to paint everything in the most rosy light. And that's really what you have to understand. You have to be skeptical, because most of the time you're being hyped. I've been around technology and worked in tech field long enough to see the patterns repeat. I'm not saying there won't be improvements to "AI". I'm not saying that it hasn't already improved. It's useful, but it is not a general intelligence, and it is not going to take the jobs and engineers any time soon. I hesitate to even say any time soon as I doubt it will ever take engineer's jobs because there is always going to be a need for people that know how things work. No matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes, it is not actually intelligence. It is at best an algorithm that mimics human patterns. There is no creativity. There is only human creativity. There is our human creativity being used as the seed. But humans are weird. We're organic. We're not machines. As patterns form someone breaks out of the pattern in a new and interesting way. I'd love to hear counter arguments. Why would it make more sense to sell access to AGI vs. using it for yourself? originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/840982

@ 7ecd3fe6:6b52f30d

I normally try to avoid the noise that is the crypto market only because I've been in that situationship before back in 2016, got rugged in the ICO phase and learned my lesson. There is nothing left for me to take from crypto apart from watching from the sidelines and enjoying the endless amount of schadenfreude it produces. So every so often I find myself checking in on the ugly step-child of Bitcoin just to see what the left side of the bell curve are up to and you know what? I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I'm kind of impressed at the number of times shitcoiners can come up with a new meta to get the degens excited enough to take another spin at the casino, it's honestly pretty impressive. After ordinals were cooked, the shitcoiners were left to head back to the drawing board, and the obvious pivot was AI tokens. AI and LLMs were the new hotness and try they did but [AI tokens](https://thebitcoinmanual.com/articles/ai-tokens-scam/) didn't really take off in 2024. Sure there's tokens like NEAR, Internet Computer, and RENDER all with a few billion in market cap and according to [CoinGecko](https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories/artificial-intelligence) there's around 50 billion in AI shitcoins, but for these coins to pump they need to provide some sort of product. That requires investment and some thinking and who has time for that? ## F AI, AI Agents are the future Wtf are AI agent tokens you ask? Bad question, but I'll edify you anyway. AI agents are autonomous software programs designed to perform very specific tasks and make decisions independently. Hardly very AI and more repetitive loops, cronjobs if you will. Using an AI agent and giving a blockchain wallet these agents can interact with smart contracts, dApps and DEXs and start to get up to some shenanigans, or at least distance the agent creator from the actions. No, I didn't [rug pull](https://thebitcoinmanual.com/btc-culture/glossary/rug-pull-technology/) you, that was the AI Agent malfunctioning. I guess the killer app for AI agents is plausible deniability when you have to plead your case with the SEC. As this new batch of vapourware gains popularity, every moron with a ChatGPT pro subscription and a dream is going after this market of suckers. Right now there are several AI agent tokens you can speculate on with a combined market cap of $16 billion according to [CoinGecko](https://www.coingecko.com/en/categories/ai-agents)  ## It's all about the meta-baby I'm old enough to remember when the idea for a shitcoin was - Utility, it had to do something and wall it off, so you needed to token to access a feature, that failed - Then we went into culture and community, its all about the memes, that failed - Then it was all about etching in on Bitcoin block space, using that rare commodity made my shitcoin valuable, that failed Now we've got a bit of a mish-mash of memes + AI utility equals new grift. To illustrate the unserious nature of this nonsense, AI agents, associated meme coins, and the protocols used to create these agents are among the top five best-performing crypto assets of the day, according to CoinGecko. For example, Truth Terminal—the agent that started much of this wave—has promoted Goatseus Maximus (GOAT) and Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) causing both to skyrocket. Fartcoin surged to a new all-time high price of $1.3 and a market cap of $1.5 billion as a result, FML, what a complete waste.  <em>Growth in the FART coin Market Cap</em> ## ChatGPT-wrapped crypto scams The Truth Terminal chatbot is a customized version of Anthropic's Claude 3 LLM, that tweets out random nonsense and somehow shitcoiners take this text as gospel and try to bet on tokens it shills or creates tokens based on its tweets as if it were Elon himself. Can't wait for Elon to pump your bags, well, let's all dogpile on the random brain farts of a chatbot. Again this just seems like a way to obscure insider trading and pump and dump influencer scams by hiding the human element behind a bot. In fact, shitcoiners are creating tokens or sending tokens to a known wallet tied to this AI agent, hoping it uses this data to formulate it's next round of bullshit, I mean bullish tweets. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oUB7CKaVZqA?si=xLHp3nEmijRj-XIp" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> ## AI in name only Still, most agent autonomy is limited. Truth Terminal, for example, still has creator Andy Ayrey looking over it's shoulder before it's thoughts and decisions go out to the public. So if there's someone watching it, there's someone with access to the wallet and master access to prod it in a certain direction no? Sigh! Reading up on this all just made my brain hurt and not in a good way. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“Do you want to be right or do you want to make money”<br><br>99% of it is a scam and the AI agent wrapper grifts are probably worse than other past trends tbh.<br><br>bc at least meme coins promise nothing whereas AI coins try to larp as much as possible to appear legit to unsuspecting…</p>&mdash; ZachXBT (@zachxbt) <a href="https://twitter.com/zachxbt/status/1876091513475907690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> This AI agent field itself is still relatively nascent and doesn't seem to provide any value other than being a filter for random tweet generation, and we all know computers aren't good with being random. Most if not all projects promising AI-powered solutions will not deliver on their promises, potentially leading to significant losses for investors. But that's the game they choose to play. The cryptocurrency market is primarily driven by hype and speculation, and AI agent tokens are no exception. Many projects are overvalued based on potential rather than actual achievements. Is this the future? 

@ 2355757c:5ad3e04d

You’ve heard it for some time now, incandescent lightbulbs will officially be banned for sale by retailers in the U.S. However it officially goes into fully effect NEXT WEEK. Americans will only be able to purchase LED lights from retailers across the country. The government began warnings in January, and has since officially rolled out the ban on manufacturing and sale of incandescent bulbs. WHY? LED lights provide more “light” using 75% less energy and last 25 times longer than incandescents. Sounds like a no brainer switch then right? WRONG. LED lights are ***significantly worse for your health***, here’s why. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/b461852e24075d63dd0f50d8fa05b85dfaabc1cc6d0b145998a4c9b30f4d8616.jpg"> Our light environment is one of the most underrated, overlooked aspects of health. I will write plenty more about this topic in the future. It is complex at the surface, but in reality the takeaway is simple. Our light environment is one if not THE most important inputs to our biology. It dictates our body’s “clock” or circadian rhythm. When you disrupt your circadian rhythm frequently, you are significantly more at risk to ALL CHRONIC DISEASES. Why? Your are inherently destroying your ability to get restorative sleep, keeping your body in a sympathetic state, creating dysfunctional mitochondria, and increasing oxidative stress + inflammation. Just from light? YES. ***“We summarize recent evidence suggesting that circadian disruption may also be a predisposing factor for the development of age-related neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and Huntington's disease (HD).”*** ***“... inappropriate environmental conditions such as Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) can cause circadian disruption or chronodisruption (CD) which can result in a variety of pathological diseases , including premature aging .” [-STUDY LINK](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556522003850)*** Blue light stimulates cortisol production, the “stress” hormone that everyone has the knickers in a bunch about in the health community about mitigating through the use of supplements like Ashwaghanda. Here’s the deal, you don’t need to “mitigate” cortisol, you need to regulate its rhythm. Cortisol is the antithesis of melatonin, and the two hormones are meant to perform a dance everyday where one rises as the other falls…in accordance with the light cycles. However, that dance, that rhythm has been **disrupted by artificial light.**  Melatonin warrants five newsletters just on its own, but know that the same blue light that stimulates cortisol production also suppresses melatonin production. If you do not produce sufficient melatonin, your body is missing out on a whole host of anti-oxidant, anti-cancer benefits. Melatonin is driven by light, and is the composer of our mitochondria (dictates mito fusion/fission, mitophagy, etc.). <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/489126fb6ce4e4eb4698e646404e3d6ea6029c714bec9255c53e2e8db4a1fa9f.png"> LED (light emitting diode) lighting has a much “more artificial” light spectrum profile than incandescent bulbs. Full spectrum sunlight is the only light that would have existed for hundred’s of thousands of years of human existence. Then came the discovery/ability to use fire as a light source. Although full spectrum sunlight contains the entire visible light spectrum + UV + infrared, each of these wavelengths come through at different angles of the sun. This is the NUANCE that matters: - There is no UV present at sunrise/sunset - UVA appears when the sun is &gt;10 degrees above horizon. UVB at sun angle &gt; 30 degrees - At dusk/dawn and sunrise/sunset, blue light wavelengths are scattered while red light remains intact (longer wavelength). Why sunrises/sunsets are more red/orange than blue - Blue light is NEVER present in natural sunlight without accompanying red/infrared wavelengths. If you look at the light spectrum of LEDs, you will see a VERY high concentration of blue wavelengths, green to yellow wavelengths, and very little red/infrared wavelengths. Conversely, incandescent bulbs have NO blue light, little to no green/yellow and is majority red/infrared. This is why incandescent bulbs are so inefficient, because they dissipate so much heat in the form of infrared light (we can’t see infrared). Red and infrared (especially NIR), are very healing/low energy wavelengths. They are beneficial for mitochondrial health, especially the 650-800nm range. Sunlight is predominantly Red/infrared (40-50%) and these wavelengths are always present when the sun is up.  When you use LEDs you are creating a VERY artificial light environment with a lot of isolated blue, green, yellow light wavelengths and almost no red/infrared. This is extremely different from sunlight. This is especially problematic when using LEDs at NIGHT, because as stated…blue light suppresses melatonin production. Incandescent bulbs are a far better option since they are nearly all red/infrared light. This has a much less pronounced effect on melatonin, and is more in line with natural sunlight. It is also far lower in temperature, which again is a safer bet at night time. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/68bfec25408f4fed8adcf8e88cf2d10fce39a5a054022a8d7471ac7ec55586f6.jpg"> Before Edison invented the light bulb, humans only used fire for light at night (or early morning). Incandescent bulbs are inherently FAR MORE similar in light spectrum profile to fire and have a much less harmful effect on melatonin. The estimates for suppression of melatonin in the graph below are certainly estimates, i think incandescent bulbs would actually be a bit lower but it depends on quantity and brightness as well.  <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/d32eda2a58858d80c4f97e2fd8f72f6b4182aea8521f9151f0c745ed6cd674ef.jpg"> TLDR: LEDs are shitcoins for light. They are far more artificial in terms of light spectrum. They are stealing your melatonin away from you. Avoid at all costs (especially at night), or wear blue light blocking glasses if you must. You can buy “red or warmer LEDs” but they aren’t really a true red light source because most just put phosphorous over a white LED to alter the warmth of the light.  STOCK UP on incandescent bulbs (good for keeping your house warm in the winter) before they are $100/pop. The government does NOT CARE about your health.  [BlockBlueLight Glasses + Red Bulbs](https://www.blockbluelight.com/) (Code TRISTAN10)  Stay Sovereign, Tristan p.s. the movement is growing. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/947b46e0c893e52e6eb701ec89ad08ebfb4e7a21399ecd98384b952427151c4c.jpg"> **Originally published JUL 31, 2023**

@ 2355757c:5ad3e04d

Grounding or Earthing, names for getting your good ole bare feet on the surface of the earth. Sounds simple because it is simple, but are the benefits really that profound? Short answer: **YES** Grounding is really only so a modern health hack because we are so disconnected. Until the invention of modern footwear with insulated rubber/plastic soles, we were connected to the surface of the earth pretty much 24/7. Why does this matter? The Earth’s surface is a POOL of free electrons waiting for us to tap into. Electrons? Why do those matter. Electrons are the true currency of energy and the input to our energy production system (Electron Transport Chain) that produces ATP. The human body, like all other living things is electromagnetic. We use electrical signaling to operate our biology. Without a sufficient amount of electrons and sufficient voltage potential, our body will not function properly. However, it is not so simple to say more electrons = more health. If that were the case then we’d all be hooked up to copper wires absorbing current to level up our biology.  TOO MUCH of anything is bad. Our skin has resistance to protect us from shocks and lightning strikes (absorbing too much electrical current at once). However, our hands and feet (with thousands of nerve endings) have lower skin resistance. Lower resistance = better ability to conduct electricity. That is not a mistake. Through contact of our feet or hands on the ground, we are able to sustain a voltage differential up to a few hundred millivolts (depending on the surface). These electrons on the surface of the earth are willing to move to a less negatively charge area (us), and thus we are able to absorb a small amount of free flowing electrons into our body through our semi-conductive tissue on our hands and feet. Sounds cool, right? Now what are the actual benefits? 1. Managing Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and/or free radicals 2. Maintaining Proper Blood Flow & Pressure  3. Regulating Cortisol & Circadian Rhythm <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/df8f7f3af6f1b031eb88bb8b1e27e2e2374a937fdfc524802fac1953da21ab2c.jpg"> Oxidative stress. Anti-oxidants. Free radicals. These are all terms you MAY be familiar with, but what do they actually mean? If you read my newsletter from last week on Travel, you will know a bit more about oxidative stress and the function of anti-oxidants (if not, I will link it [HERE](https://tristanhealth.substack.com/p/traveling-frequently-is-killing-you)). The TLDR is that our energy production process in our mitochondria, otherwise known as the Electron Transport Chain (ETC), is not perfect. As a result of this, free radicals are generated. Free radicals are typically oxygen molecules or molecules that contain oxygen (aka reactive oxygen species) that have an unpaired electron in their valence shell. O2 is supposed to be converted into metabolic water (H2O), but as mentioned the efficiency is not 100%. Therefore you get molecules like superoxide (O2-) or hydroxyl radical (OH) that are hungry to fill the unpaired electron and go back to stability. “Anti-oxidants” combat these radicals by attempting to supply an electron before they steal one from elsewhere in the cell and cause damage. Enter in newly absorbed electrons from grounding. These free electrons absorbed from the earth can help combat the free radicals/ROS by acting as an anti-oxidant. This will in turn help your body get back to redox homeostasis and not suffer cellular damage from oxidative stress. Grounding, in turn “reduces inflammation”. The thermal images often touted alongside grounding (before/after) show a positive response (thermal imaging can be a bit dodgy in accuracy but it captures some essence of effectiveness). <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/4487505dfb599e5a4b3be458c5ae009057eef3a2c3522feae45dfbbf7308218f.jpg"> Maintaining proper blood flow and blood pressure. Perhaps the most interesting and fundamentally undebatable benefit of grounding. As stated above we are electromagnetic beings, and our blood flow exemplifies that. Both the lining of the blood vessel and surface of our red blood cells have a negative charge. This negative charge is imperative because it prevents rouleaux and coagulation, or the stacking of blood cells. If you blood cells stack, they are far easier to clump/clot and cause a blockage. Like charges repel, so having a sufficient “zeta potential” or negative charge on our RBCs will keep the blood flowing smoothly. Grounding helps maintain that. A study linked [HERE ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3576907/#:~:text=Grounding%20increases%20the%20surface%20charge,cardiovascular%20risk%20and%20cardiovascular%20events)showed how Earthing/Grounding reduces blood viscosity.  *“Grounding increases the surface charge on RBCs and thereby reduces blood viscosity and clumping. Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.”* <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/7e9d1403a3f4c94659450a569fdd6e312d945d4b6597b37481649bbf9327d57d.jpg"> Regulating our circadian rhythm. A lesser touted benefit to grounding is its ability to influence our circadian rhythm or our “body clock”. I am under the belief now that our circadian health is THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT of HEALTH. Why? Because literally all of our downstream biological functions are dictated by our circadian rhythm. This is why light, meal/exercise timing, sleep, connection to nature are all so important & interconnected. The main input might be light, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more inputs to the complex system that is our body. Connection to the earth is another. How do we know? Grounding has been proven to regulate cortisol rhythms. One of the biggest signs of a irregular circadian rhythm is cortisol and melatonin cycles that are out of whack. When you are grounded you are connected to the earth in the position of your geographical location. This is not proven, but its quite logical that the reason grounding helps regulate circadian rhythm is because along with those electrons you are getting a signal sent to your brain about the location/time/season it is where you are in that moment. It is the only logical explanation and it is one of the reasons I am such a big fan of grounding as MUCH as possible, especially after travel. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/492924bef4e84965e3467dab75993447c0fdedee1ee1451920846c53948663ba.jpg"> I recently released my first health optimization guide that includes all the travel hacks I use (including grounding) to completely avoid jet lag on long haul flights: [**AVOIDING JET LAG**-*An In Depth Guide to Hacking the Stressors of Travel*](https://tristanhealth.gumroad.com/l/rkwjf?_gl=1*wnxhja*_ga*NjQ4NjU4NTgzLjE2ODczMTM5MzM.*_ga_6LJN6D94N6*MTY4ODk1MzI3OS41LjEuMTY4ODk1MzI4My4wLjAuMA..). This guide is extremely comprehensive, and application specific. It is a 30 page PDF that goes into WHY travel is so bad for us, and what you can do pre/during/post travel to avoid jet lag completely. If you travel often, this is worth checking out…but I warn you it is dense and only worth purchasing if you are willing to learn.  Grounding PROTOCOLS: 1. Just do it-bare feet on the ground 2. Length? 1 min is better than 0…5 min even better…2 hours even better still. There is no threshold dose.  3. Surfaces? Dirt/Grass/Rocks/Sand/Ocean all great. If it is wet and post thunderstorm, even better. Concrete works but asphalt is not the best.  4. Grounding shoes? Not comparable to barefoot but still better than rubber/plastic soled shoes. I will write more about this in the near future as I am conducting experiments with different shoes on different surfaces.  5. IT IS LITERALLY FREE Big Grounding did not pay me to write this, even though I am an electrical engineer. Seriously, grounding is a no brainer. You may not “feel” anything, but the more you do it and the more disconnected you are to start…the better you will feel I can guarantee that. We are electromagnetic creates of Earth, it is about damn time we get back to connecting with our natural input signals.  Stay Sovereign,  \-Tristan Originally written July 25th, 2023

@ dd81a8ba:3eb298a5

> it's better to read 100 books 10 times than 1,000 books once I don't know who originated this concept. I've heard it said by [Naval](https://nav.al). the idea is to go deep on a narrower slice of possible books than to be spread so thin. this isn't so much an algorithm as a heuristic, a tactic for filtering the kinds of books you read, and also a way to measure your own growth over time. I've had the experience of getting something different from reading the same book at different points in my life. deliberately checking in with different books regularly over time is a good way to get an informative but different perspective on your own mentality. this is my list. I'll be short of 100 for a while, the point is to make a tangible artifact out of it, and update it over time. let me know if you have or make a similar list and I'll add a link to your list here. ## update 2/24 since I created the 100 books page and started shaping my reading around it, I have reached 100 books, and now in order to add one to the list I must first evict one already on the list. I have also encountered a different way to refer to this project, and a sharper take on what I’m doing. it comes from an author with one book on my list already and more to come, Italo Calvino. the introduction to his book [“Why Read the Classics?”](https://classics.domains.skidmore.edu/lit-campus-only/secondary/Classics/Calvino%201981.pdf) is a quick read, and well worth it. >A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say. first, he defines “classic” to mean any book that once read, you return to again and again, and continue finding new takes, new value, fresh perspectives on. actually he lists many criteria, but that’s roughly what it boils down to, books that have meaning to you, which you read repeatedly at different stages in your life, a through-line to return to. >The ranks of the old titles have been decimated, while new ones have proliferated in all modern literatures and cultures. There is nothing for it but for all of us to invent our own ideal libraries of classics. I would say that such a library ought to be composed half of books we have read and that have really counted for us, and half of books we propose to read and presume will come to count—leaving a section of empty shelves for surprises and occasional discoveries. consider any of these books a welcomed topic of conversation. the list was last updated on Jan 7th, 2025 | title | Author | Genre | |-------|--------|-------| | "The Myth of Sisyphus" | Albert Camus | philosophy | | "Brave New World" | Aldous Huxley | distopian science fiction | | "The Doors of Perception" | Aldous Huxley | non-fiction | | "The Civil War Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce" | Ambrose Bierce | supernatural horror | | "The Little Prince" | Antoine De Saint Exuprey | children's | | "Nichomachean Ethics" | Aristotle | philosophy | | "Rendezvous With Rama" | Arthur C Clarke | science fiction | | "Atlas Shrugged" | Ayn Rand | fiction | | "The Fountainhead" | Ayn Rand | fiction | | "The Fractal Geometry of Nature" | Benoit Mandelbrot | maths | | "The History of Western Philosophy" | Betrand Russell | philosophy | | "Four Archetypes: Mother/Rebirth/Spirit/Trickster" | Carl Jung | philosophy | | "The Undiscovered Self" | Carl Jung | philosophy | | "Roadside Geology of Missouri" | Charles Spencer | non-fiction | | "A Pattern Language" | Christopher Alexander | non-fiction | | "On the Good Life" | Cicero | philosophy | | "All the Pretty Horses" | Cormac McCarthy | fiction | | "Blood Meridian" | Cormac McCarthy | fiction | | "No Country for Old Men" | Cormac McCarthy | fiction | | "Stella Maris" | Cormac McCarthy | fiction | | "the crossing" | Cormac McCarthy | fiction | | "The Passenger" | Cormac McCarthy | fiction | | "The Road" | Cormac McCarthy | fiction | | "Flowers for Algernon" | Daniel Keyes | fiction | | "The Beginning of Infinity" | David Deutsch | non-fiction | | "Forty Tales From the Afterlives" | David Eagleman | magical realism | | "Networks, Crowds, and Markets: Reasoning about a Highly Connected World" | David Easley and John Kleinberg | non-fiction | | "We Are Legion [We Are Bob]" | Dennis Taylor | science fiction | | "Godel, Escher, Bach" | Douglas Hofstadter | philosophy | | "The Discourses" | Epictetus | philosophy | | "The Revelations" | Erik Hoel | fiction | | "Kafka the Complete Stories" | Franz Kafka | fiction | | "The Mythical Man-Month" | Fred Brooks | non-fiction | | "Thus Spake Zarathustra" | Friedrich Nietzsche | philosophy | | "Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers" | Geoffrey A. Moore | non-fiction | | "Nineteen Eighty-Four" | George Orwell | distopian science fiction | | "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain" | George Saunders | literature | | "Eon" | Greg Bear | science fiction | | "On Bullshit" | Harry G Frankfurt | philosophy | | "Walden and Other Writings" | Henry David Thoreau | non-fiction | | "Moby Dick" | Herman Melville | fiction | | "Siddhartha" | Hermann Hesse | philosophy | | "I, Roboot" | Isaac Asimov | science fiction | | "The Foundation" | Isaac Asimov | science fiction | | "The Naked Sun" | Isaac Asimov | science fiction | | "The Proper Study of Mankind" | Isaiah Berlin | philosophy | | "Invisible Cities" | Italo Calvino | magical realism | | "The Perigrine" | J A Baker | non-fiction | | "Chaos: Making a New Science" | James Gleick | non-fiction | | "Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility" | James P. Carse | philosophy | | "Fancies and Goodnights" | John Collier | fantasy | | "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows" | John Koenig | fiction | | "Annals of the Former World: " | John McPhee | non-fiction | | "The Curve of Binding Energy" | John McPhee | non-fiction | | "Collected Fictions" | Jorge Luis Borges | fantasy | | "Hero With a Thousand Faces: The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell" | Joseph Campbell | philosophy | | "Heart of Darkness" | Joseph Conrad | fiction | | "The Death of Ivan Illych and Other Stories" | Leo Tolstoy | literature | | "The Mandibles" | Lionel Schriver | fiction | | "A Wrinkle in Time" | Madeleine L'Engle | young adult | | "M.C. Escher: His Life and Complete Graphic Work" | many | non-fiction | | "Meditations" | Marcus Aurelius | philosophy | | "Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters" | Matt Ridley | science | | "Prey" | Michael Crichton | science fiction | | "Sphere" | Michael Crichton | fiction | | "Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy" | Michael Polanyi | philosophy | | "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience: Steps Toward Enhancing the Quality of Life" | Mihaly Csikszentmihaly | non-fiction | | "The Epic of Gilgamesh" | N. K. Sandars | legendary fiction | | "An Introduction to Population Genetics" | Nielson and Slatkin | non-fiction | | "Ender's Game" | Orson Scott Card | science fiction | | "Alas Babylon" | Pat Frank | science fiction | | "Hackers and Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age" | Paul Graham | non-fiction | | "The Alchemist" | Paulo Coelho | magical realism | | "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" | Philip K Dick | science fiction | | "The Collected Stories of Philip K Dick Volume 5" | Philip K Dick | science fiction | | "The Trial and Death of Socrates" | Plato | philosophy | | "The Soundscape" | R. Murray Schafer | non-fiction | | "Dandelion Wine" | Ray Bradbury | fiction | | "Fahrenheit 451" | Ray Bradbury | fiction | | "Something Wicked This Way Comes" | Ray Bradbury | fiction | | "The Martian Chronicles" | Ray Bradbury | science fiction | | "The Selfish Gene" | Richard Dawkins | non-fiction | | "Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman" | Richard Feynman | biography | | "The Creative Act: A Way of Living" | Rick Rubin | self-help | | "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values" | Robert Persig | fiction | | "Letters From a Stoic" | Seneca | philosophy | | "The Art of Living" | Sharon Lebell | philosophy | | "The Dark Tower" | Stephen King | fiction | | "Piranesi" | Susanna Clarke | magical realism | | "Stories of Your Life and Others" | Ted Chiang | science fiction | | "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" | Thomas Kuhn | non-fiction | | "Common Sense" | Thomas Paine | philosophy | | "The Kon-Tiki Expedition: A Raft Across the South Seas" | Thor Heyerdahl | non-fiction | | "The Kingdom of Speech" | Tom Wolf | non-fiction | | "The Right Stuff" | Tom Wolf | historic fiction | | "True Names: and the Opening of the Cyberspace Frontier" | Vernor Vinge | cyberpunk | | "Man's Search for Meaning" | Viktor Frankl | philosophy | | "The Shape of Things" | Vilem Flusser | non-fiction | | "The Twilight World" | Werner Herzog | historic fiction | | "Neuromancer" | William Gibson | cyberpunk |

@ b2caa9b3:9eab0fb5

 The year had barely begun when we, a group of four from the hostel, decided to explore Moshi's Uhuru Park. Located conveniently in the city center, it was just a short walk away, making it an easy and inviting destination.  ## A Stroll Through Uhuru Park We entered through the main gate and began to wander around the park. The first area we encountered was small buildings with stores, restaurants, and a cozy beer garden. After some browsing, we ventured further into the heart of the park and stumbled upon a playground. It was a bit run-down — a place I wouldn’t let my kids play, especially not on the slide — but that didn’t stop us. As adults, we unleashed our inner children, playing on the equipment and snapping countless photos.  In the middle of our playground adventure, we spotted a tree with a ladder and a sign requesting payment to use the playground. Surprisingly, they accepted Mastercard and Visa! Yet, given the state of the equipment, I couldn’t imagine parents willingly paying for such a risky setup.  ## Unexpected Sights and Big Discoveries As we moved on, the park began to reveal its quirky charm. We admired creatively maintained corners and came across a unique “Christmas tree”. Unlike traditional evergreens, this local tree earned its festive name because it only blooms during the holiday season. Nearby, we marveled at massive termite hills — some taller than me — that left me feeling small. While I was curious, I didn’t dig around to confirm if any termites were home.  ## A Smoothie Haven: The Wishing Tree We eventually reached a cluster of houses within the park. One spot stood out to me — The Wishing Tree. I’d discovered it one evening during a failed attempt to attend a BBQ festival when the police turned me away. The Wishing Tree seemed like an oasis, but it was closed at night, so I promised myself I’d return.  That day, I kept my promise. The Wishing Tree lived up to its name, offering a serene, green space with soft music perfect for meditation. The smoothies were freshly made, organic, and worth the wait. With my first sip, I was blown away — absolutely delicious, even if a bit pricey. We lingered there, savoring every moment and every drop.  ## Chipsiei and Colonial Echoes After leaving the oasis, we wandered back to the beer garden. One of my companions, a man from Switzerland, ordered *Chipsiei*. It’s a local dish of fries and eggs, with “Ei” (the German word for egg) being a linguistic remnant of Tanzania’s time as German East Africa. Traces of this colonial past still linger in buildings, language, and even some food traditions. I opted for a beer with lemon, similar to a Radler, while others chose soda or beer. After finishing our drinks, we continued our walk, eventually passing the bus station. Here, the Swiss traveler bought a ticket for his next destination, though not without encountering the infamous “mzungu price” — a common overcharge for foreigners. Despite having the correct price from the internet, he couldn’t negotiate it down.  ## A Market Adventure Back at the hostel, I decided to visit the market, and the Swiss man joined me. I needed bananas, while he sought natural baobab fruit. Unlike the colored and sugary versions sold on the street, market baobab is organic and white. It was the perfect place to find fresh, unaltered produce.  ## Wrapping Up the Day After the market, we returned to the hostel to relax at the bar, reflecting on our day. While writing this, I realized I captured so many interesting photos. I’ll share a few here and save the rest for my upcoming online gallery — stay tuned for updates!  ## Moving On Tomorrow, I’ll check out and continue my journey through Africa. After nearly two months in Moshi, my foot has healed, and it’s time to move forward. Along the way, I’ll need to replace my GoPro battery (the old one blew up) and get a power bank after my Google Pixel met its end with a faulty one. I also need to pick up a hat to protect myself from the increasingly harsh sun and maybe a sheet to use as a multi sheet (Towel, Beach Towel and other things).  The road ahead promises new adventures, stories, and photos. Stay tuned to follow my travels as I explore more of this beautiful continent!             

@ 6bae33c8:607272e8

It was a so-so year for me. I won one Beat Chris Liss league, didn’t cash in the other two or the Primetime. I got bounced in the first round of the Steak League playoffs and finished as a self buyer. I didn’t make the Dynasty League playoffs (even though I had the fourth most points and would have won the league based on my scores in the playoffs), and I didn’t do anything in Survivor or Circa Millions. It certainly could have been better. Had I known in August what I know now, here’s what I would have done: **1.12 Saquon Barkley** — This is chalk here, but I love older running backs this year, and Saquon should go off on the Eagles. No, I’m not worried that Jalen Hurts might score 14 rushing TDs in 15 games. **2.1 Jahmyr Gibbs** — Also chalk, but I want to build a RB-heavy foundation with all these zero-RB midwits. You love your Tyreek Hill-Jaylen Waddle build? Sidebet? **3.1 Derrick Henry** — Whew, glad he fell to me. I love starting out with three straight RBs, so nutless monkeys can criticize my poor draft structure! **4.12 Josh Allen** — I like to get a stud QB early, you guys can wait on Kirk Cousins and Caleb Williams if you want. **5.1 Lamar Jackson** — I know it’s early to double up, but I don’t want anyone snagging this value from me. Always punish the room even if it costs you! Sidebets anyone? **6.12 Brian Thomas** — Receiver is definitely a position you can piece together if you know what you’re doing, and with Thomas I have an every week starter no matter how bad the quarterback play in Jacksonville. **7.1 Courtland Sutton** — I want to buy into the Sean Payton Denver passing game. Russell Wilson, not Payton, was the problem, and Bo Nix is a stud. **8.12 Jordan Addison** — I expect Sam Darnold to unlock Addison this year. **9.1 Brock Bowers** — He’s no Kyle Pitts (who you took in Round 6), that’s for sure. **10.12 Rashid Shaheed** — He’s liable to get hurt, but I need some early-season WR production from someone, and he’s better than Chris Olave. **11.1 Bucky Irving** — I’m too thin at RB, needed some depth. **12.12 Jalen McMillan** — In case I need some WR depth for the stretch run. **13.1 Adam Thielen** — If a white receiver is still in the league at 34, he must be doing something right! **14.12 Cowboys Kicker** — Always be the first to take the obvious stud kicker. **15.1 Broncos Defense** — beasts. **16.12 Vikings Defense** — beasts. **17.1 Steelers Kicker** — Always draft a second stud kicker to back up your first one. **18.12 Zach Ertz** — Need some TE depth, and Ertz could be useful in my Week 17 title game. **19.1 Jonnu Smith** — You can never have too much TE depth. Controversial take: Smith will outproduce Waddle and Hill this year. **20.12 Sam Darnold** — Who knows? He could be useful in the playoffs. This obviously isn’t the ideal team, but it would win every league and generate plenty of action in side bets too. And here’s some September 3-5 ADP to show this build was possible: 

@ d830ee7b:4e61cd62

# จุดเริ่มต้นของสงครามบล็อกไซส์ ลองนึกภาพร้านอาหารเล็ก ๆ ที่มีแค่สิบโต๊ะ แต่ลูกค้ากลับล้นหลามจนพนักงานวิ่งวุ่นตลอดวัน เราอาจเห็นภาพชัดว่าปัญหาต้องตามมาแน่ ๆ ถ้าจำนวนโต๊ะไม่พอกับลูกค้าที่ต่อแถวกันยาวเหยียด บางคนหัวเสียจนยอมจ่ายเงินเพิ่มเพื่อรีบได้โต๊ะนั่ง ในขณะที่อีกหลายคนก็ยืนรอจนหมดอารมณ์กิน สุดท้ายก็ต้องถามกันว่า *“จะทำยังไงดี ถึงจะไม่เสียเอกลักษณ์ร้าน และไม่ปล่อยให้ลูกค้าต้องหงุดหงิดมากมายขนาดนี้?”* บรรยากาศตรงนี้เปรียบได้กับสภาพของบิตคอยน์ช่วงราวปี 2015 ซึ่งเดิมทีเคยรองรับธุรกรรมได้สบาย ๆ แต่จู่ ๆ ก็ต้องแบกรับภาระธุรกรรมมหาศาลจน *“คิวยาวเป็นหางว่าว”* ทั้งหมดนี้มาจากข้อกำหนดตั้งต้นว่า **แต่ละบล็อกมีขนาดเพียง 1 เมกะไบต์** และบล็อกจะถูกสร้างทุก ๆ ประมาณ 10 นาที ทีนี้พอผู้ใช้หลั่งไหลเข้ามาไม่หยุด พื้นที่เล็ก ๆ ที่ว่าเลยเอาไม่อยู่ ใครอยากให้ธุรกรรมติดบล็อกก่อนก็ควักกระเป๋าจ่ายค่าธรรมเนียมเพิ่ม ถ้าไม่จ่าย ธุรกรรมอาจรอข้ามวันข้ามคืน แถมยังเสี่ยงค้างเติ่งไปเลย  ความไม่พอใจจึงปะทุขึ้นเป็นเสียงดังลั่นว่า *“แก้ปัญหานี้ยังไงดี จะขยายบล็อกกันเลยไหม หรือปรับซอฟต์แวร์ให้ฉลาดขึ้นโดยไม่เพิ่มขนาดจริง ๆ?”* เมื่อสองแนวคิดนี้ตั้งฉากกัน คนในแวดวงบิตคอยน์จึงแตกเป็นสองฝั่งหลัก ๆ ฝั่งแรกเสนอ **“เพิ่ม Blocksize”** โดยบอกว่าต้องแก้ให้จบตรงจุด เหมือนเพิ่มโต๊ะเข้าไปในร้าน จะได้รองรับลูกค้าได้มากขึ้น เพราะเชื่อว่า Bitcoin ต้องพร้อมสำหรับการใช้งานทั่วโลก การขยายจาก 1 MB เป็น 2 MB หรือ 4 MB หรือมากกว่านั้น จึงตอบโจทย์ผู้ใช้หลากหลายตั้งแต่รายเล็กไปจนถึงธุรกิจใหญ่ แกนนำฝ่ายนี้คือ **Roger Ver** หรือ **“Bitcoin Jesus”** ที่ผลักดันแนวคิดนี้สุดตัวร่วมกับทีมขุดอย่าง **Bitmain** ซึ่งไม่อยากเห็นใครต้องยืนรอนานหรือจ่ายแพงเวอร์ อีกฝ่ายคือทีมพัฒนา **“Bitcoin Core”** ที่มี **Greg Maxwell** และ **Peter Wuille** เป็นหัวขบวน พวกเขายืนยันว่าถ้ายิ่งเพิ่มขนาดบล็อกให้ใหญ่โต ก็จะยิ่งเก็บข้อมูลมากจนโหนดรายเล็ก ๆ ต้องใช้ทรัพยากรสูงขึ้น สุดท้ายอาจเหลือแค่รายใหญ่ที่รันโหนดไหว แล้ว Decentralization ก็จะถูกบั่นทอน ฝ่ายบิตคอยน์คอร์จึงเสนอทางแก้แบบ **Segregated Witness** *(SegWit)* ซึ่งเปรียบได้กับการจัดโต๊ะใหม่ให้แยบยล—ย้ายข้อมูลลายเซ็นธุรกรรมไปไว้นอกบล็อกหลัก ทำให้ในบล็อกมีพื้นที่ใส่ธุรกรรมได้อีกเยอะขึ้นโดยไม่ต้องทุบผนังขยายร้าน ความขัดแย้งไม่ได้จำกัดอยู่ในเว็บบอร์ดหรือฟอรัม แต่ลุกลามไปจนถึงเวทีระดับโลกอย่าง **Consensus Conference ปี 2016 และ 2017** ฝ่ายหนุนเพิ่มขนาดบล็อกก็โหวกเหวกว่า *“นี่แหละถูกจุดที่สุด”* ส่วนทีมบิตคอยน์คอร์ก็โต้กลับว่า *“ขืนบล็อกใหญ่ไป ระบบก็เสี่ยงรวมศูนย์ เพราะใครจะมีทุนซื้ออุปกรณ์แพง ๆ และเน็ตแรง ๆ ตลอด”* จึงไม่ใช่แค่ถกเถียงทางเทคนิค แต่สะท้อนมุมมองปรัชญาด้วยว่าบิตคอยน์ควรเป็นระบบ **“กระจาย”** หรือ **“รวมศูนย์”** กันแน่ ยิ่งถกก็ยิ่งมองไม่เห็นทางออก.. บ้างก็เสนอให้ Fork แยกเครือข่ายไปเลย เหมือนเปิดสาขาร้านใหม่ ใครไม่โอเคแนวไหนก็ไปอีกสาขาหนึ่ง Roger Ver กับสายขุดยักษ์ใหญ่ก็บอกว่าถ้าไม่เพิ่ม Blocksize ต่อไปค่าธรรมเนียมสูง และคนจะเข้าถึงยากขึ้น เหมือนร้านที่โต๊ะแน่นจนคนล้น ฝั่งบิตคอยน์คอร์ย้ำว่าจะพัฒนา **SegWit** กับ **Lightning Network** เพื่อขนธุรกรรมส่วนใหญ่ไปทำงานนอกบล็อกหลัก แม้อาจต้องรอให้เทคโนโลยีสุกงอม แต่คงไม่กระทบโหนดรายเล็กมากนัก ในโลกออนไลน์ สงครามโซเชียลก็เริ่มเดือด ตั้งกระทู้กันทุกวัน บางคนต่อว่านักขุดว่าเอากำไรเป็นหลัก บ้างบอกทีมบิตคอยน์คอร์ไม่เข้าใจปัญหาฝั่งธุรกิจจนชาวเน็ตแบ่งเป็นหลายค่าย คำถามใหญ่จึงดังขึ้น *“ตกลงบิตคอยน์จะเป็น **‘อาวุธทางการเงิน’** ของคนหมู่มากได้จริงเหรอ ถ้าไม่มีพื้นที่ในบล็อกมากพอ?”* หรือ.. *“ถ้าผลุนผลันขยายบล็อกไปเรื่อย ๆ จนเหลือแต่รายใหญ่ที่รันโหนดได้ แบบนั้นยังถือว่าเป็น **บิตคอยน์ในอุดมการณ์ของ Satoshi Nakamoto** ไหม?”* พอหลายฝ่ายพยายามประนีประนอมกันหลายเวที สุดท้ายก็ไม่ประสบผล Roger Ver มั่นใจว่าต้องเพิ่ม Blocksize เท่านั้นจึงพาบิตคอยน์รอด ส่วนทีม Core ไม่ยอมเปิดทางง่าย ๆ เพราะกลัวระบบเสียหลักการกระจายอำนาจไป ด้วยเหตุผลทั้งคู่จึงทำให้สงครามนี้ยืดเยื้อ กลุ่มขุดและพัฒนาในแวดวงเริ่มจับตากันเครียด บ้างเสนอทางผสม เช่น เพิ่ม Blocksize นิดหน่อย แล้วเปิด SegWit ควบคู่ บ้างเสนอว่าให้เลื่อนตัดสินใจออกไปก่อนก็ยังดี ไม่มีใครรู้ว่าจะลงเอยอย่างไร.. และหากเรื่องนี้พลั้งพลาดบิตคอยน์อาจแตกเป็นสองสายจนผู้ใช้หรือนักลงทุนสับสน สถานการณ์ช่วงแรกเหมือน *“ไฟที่กำลังคุ”* เพราะยังไม่ปะทุเต็มที่แต่ก็แรงพอจะยกครัวไปตลอดทั้งวงการ คนพัฒนาก็ทำ SegWit และ Lightning Network ไป ฝ่ายหนุน Blocksize ก็เดินสายผลักดันให้เต็มที่ ถึงขั้นยอมเสี่ยง Fork ถ้าจำเป็นจริง ๆ นี่แหละคือจุดเริ่มต้นของความตึงเครียดที่ไม่ใช่แค่ **“ขนาดบล็อก”** แต่หมายถึงอนาคตของบิตคอยน์ที่อาจพลิกโฉมไปตลอดกาล..  คิดง่าย ๆ ก็เหมือนร้านอาหารเล็ก ๆ ที่กำลังจะก้าวสู่ภัตตาคารใหญ่ระดับท็อป เมื่อแขกเหรื่อมาไม่หยุดหย่อน แน่นอนว่าเสียงเรียกร้องให้ทุบกำแพงขยายร้านย่อมมีบ้าง แต่บางคนอาจบอก *“เปลี่ยนวิธีจัดโต๊ะแทนได้ไหม?”* ทุกแนวทางต่างมีทั้งโอกาสและความเสี่ยง ที่สำคัญคือ บิตคอยน์เป็นสินทรัพย์อันดับหนึ่งของโลกคริปโตฯ หากก้าวพลาดเพียงเล็กน้อย อาจสะเทือนไปทั่วโลกด้วย เนื้อหาถัดไปผมจะชวนมาดูว่า *ใครกันแน่ที่อยู่เบื้องหลังการขับเคลื่อนสงคราม Blocksize ครั้งนี้?* *พวกเขามีแรงจูงใจอะไรกันบ้าง? และจะนำพาบิตคอยน์ไปในทิศทางใด*? ขอทิ้งท้ายส่วนนี้ให้คิดเล่น ๆ > “ถ้าเพิ่ม Blocksize สุด ๆ แต่โหนดรายเล็กหายหมด สุดท้ายยังเรียกว่ากระจายอำนาจอยู่ไหม?” > “หรือจะรักษาบล็อกขนาดเล็กไว้อย่างเดิม แล้วปรับเทคโนโลยีเสริมให้ฉลาดขึ้นดีกว่า?” ทั้งหมดที่เล่ามายังเป็นแค่บทโหมโรงนะครับ สงครามนี้เพิ่งปะทุเท่านั้น ยังมีอะไรเข้มข้นอีกมาก ติดตามต่อว่าฝั่งไหนจะงัดไม้เด็ดอะไรออกมาเพื่อรักษา **“ร้านอาหาร”** แห่งนี้ให้เดินหน้าต่อไปได้โดยไม่เสียตัวตน.. ## ใครคือผู้ขับเคลื่อนสงคราม Blocksize? พาร์ทที่แล้ว เราได้เห็นภาพรวมของปัญหาที่ดูเหมือนจะเล็กนิดเดียวอย่าง **“บล็อกใหญ่หรือเล็ก?”** แต่กลับแผ่ขยายจนกลายเป็นมหากาพย์ความขัดแย้งในชุมชนบิตคอยน์ เสมือนเดิมพันอนาคตของสกุลเงินดิจิทัลอันดับหนึ่งบนโลกใบนี้ พอตอนนี้ถึงเวลาแล้วที่เราจะก้าวลึกลงไปในเบื้องหลังของสงครามอันร้อนแรงนี้ *ใครอยู่ในเงามืด? ใครลากสายอยู่หลังเวที? และใครโดดขึ้นมาเดินลุยบนสนามเปิดเพื่อต่อสู้แย่งชิงฉันทามติของเครือข่าย?* มีคนชอบเปรียบเทียบว่าศึก Blocksize ครั้งนี้คือ **“สนามรบดิจิทัล”** ซึ่งไม่ได้ยิงกระสุนห้ำหั่นแต่ใช้โค้ดแทน ขับเคลื่อนด้วย **“Hashrate”** ที่เปรียบเสมือนอาวุธหนัก ฝ่ายไหนถือกำลังขุดสูงกว่าก็เหมือนมีกองทัพเบิ้ม ๆ อยู่ในมือ ด้านนักพัฒนาและผู้ใช้ทั่วไปก็คล้ายประชากรพลเรือนที่บางทีก็ต้องยอมรับชะตา แต่บางทีก็รวมตัวประท้วงสร้างพลังของตัวเองให้โลกได้เห็น ทุกฝีก้าวมีคนจ้องดูว่าจะเกิด **“Hard Fork”** หรือ **“Soft Fork”** เมื่อไหร่ และกฎใดจะถูกประกาศเป็น **“กฎใหม่”** ให้ทุกคนต้องปฏิบัติตาม ในมุมของคนอยาก **“เพิ่ม Blocksize”** เห็นชื่อของ ***Roger Ver*** โผล่โดดเด่นสุด ๆ เขาคือ *“Bitcoin Jesus”* แห่งยุคบุกเบิก ที่ครั้งหนึ่งทุ่มทุนโปรโมตบิตคอยน์แบบไม่กลัวเจ๊ง ด้วยความเชื่อว่าบิตคอยน์ควรเป็น **“เงินสดดิจิทัล”** ลื่นไหลจ่ายคล่อง สลัดค่าธรรมเนียมแพง ๆ ทิ้งไปให้หมด ในสายตาเขา การคงบล็อกเล็กแค่ 1 MB ยิ่งทำให้คนใช้แล้วปวดหัว ค่าธรรมเนียมสูงปรี๊ด ธุรกรรมอืดอาดเกินจะทน เลยต้องขยายขนาดบล็อกแบบจัดเต็ม เหมือนขยายถนนให้รถวิ่งง่าย ไม่งั้นก็ต้องมุดเข้าอุโมงค์แคบ ๆ จอดติดกันยาว และ ***“Bitmain”*** บริษัทเครื่องขุดเบอร์ใหญ่สุดในโลกก็เข้ามาเสริมพลังแบบเต็มขั้น ขับเคลื่อนโดย ***Jihan Wu*** ที่เล็งเห็นว่าพอยิ่งขยายบล็อก ธุรกรรมก็จะยิ่งทะลัก ค่าธรรมเนียมก็จะเพิ่มขึ้น นักขุดจะได้เงินดี สร้างแรงดึงดูดให้คนหันมาหาบิตคอยน์มากขึ้นไปอีก Bitmain ถือ Hashrate มหาศาล จึงไม่ต่างจากมีทัพใหญ่พร้อมยกพลบุก เพื่อดันแนวคิด **“Fork”** ได้ตลอดเวลา ถ้าฝั่งเพิ่ม Blocksize อยากจะเล่นเกมสายไหนก็เดินได้เลย อีกฟากสนาม คือทีม ***“Bitcoin Core”*** ถือเป็นแกนกลางที่คุมซอฟต์แวร์หลัก นำโดย *****Greg Maxwell*****, ***Peter Wuille*** และ ***Wladimir van der Laan*** พวกเขาห่วงว่าถ้าบล็อกใหญ่ขึ้นมาก คงจะมีแค่นายทุนใหญ่เท่านั้นที่รันโหนดไหว ประชาชนตัวเล็ก ๆ หรือคนไม่มีทรัพยากรเยอะก็ยิ่งถูกกันออกจากเครือข่าย กลายเป็นระบบกึ่งรวมศูนย์ ซึ่งสวนกับหลักการเดิมที่ *Satoshi Nakamoto* เคยวางไว้ พวกเขาจึงเสนอ **Segregated Witness** *(SegWit)* เพื่อตัดข้อมูลลายเซ็น *(Witness Data)* ทิ้งไปนอกบล็อก ทำให้มีพื้นที่รองรับธุรกรรมได้เยอะขึ้นแบบไม่ต้องขยาย *“เลนหลัก”* และจะต่อยอดด้วย ***Lightning Network*** เพื่อยกธุรกรรมส่วนใหญ่ไปอยู่นอกบล็อกอีกชั้น ฝั่งนักพัฒนาเหล่านี้ไม่ได้สู้อย่างโดดเดี่ยว แต่มีผู้ใช้รวมพลังกันในนาม **UASF** *(User-Activated Soft Fork)* มองว่า **“ใครว่าขุดเยอะแล้วสั่งการได้หมด? ผู้ใช้ทั่ว ๆ ไปก็ออกแบบกติกาได้เหมือนกัน?”** พวกเขาบอกเลยว่า “ถ้าไม่หนุน SegWit พวกฉันไม่เอาด้วยนะ” การเคลื่อนไหวแบบนี้สร้างแรงกดดันให้นักขุดต้องรีบตามน้ำ ไม่งั้นเสี่ยงโดนผู้ใช้ปฏิเสธบล็อกกันถ้วนหน้า ปี 2016-2017 กลายเป็นช่วงร้อนระอุสุด ๆ Roger Ver ลุกขึ้นพูดเมื่อไหร่ มักกล่าวหาทีม Core ว่าปิดประตูโอกาสทองของบิตคอยน์ ส่วนทีม Core ก็ตีโต้กลับว่า **“ถ้าเพิ่มบล็อกเร็วไป มีแต่จะทำให้บิ๊กทุนไม่กี่เจ้าเข้ามาผูกขาด!”** พอยิ่งเถียงกันในงานใหญ่ เช่น ***Consensus Conference 2017*** ประเด็นก็ยิ่งเดือด บางฝ่ายอยาก *“Fork”* แตกสายไปเลย บางฝ่ายยังคอยประนีประนอม แต่ก็ไม่มีใครลงรอยกันได้ Roger Ver และ Bitmain เร่งเครื่องดัน Hard Fork ทีม Core ไม่ยอมถอย ยืนกราน SegWit ก่อน แล้วใช้ Lightning Network ปิดเกม ผลคือ... ทุกคนเริ่มกลัวว่า **“Bitcoin จะแตกเป็นสองสายจริง ๆ หรือ?”** *จะเป็นบล็อกใหญ่ หรือจะอยู่ 1 MB พร้อม SegWit?*  กลางปี 2017 สงครามนี้จึงคลอด ***“Bitcoin Cash”*** เครือข่ายใหม่ที่กลุ่ม Roger Ver ผลักดัน บอกว่านี่คือ *“Bitcoin ตัวจริง”* ที่ค่าธรรมเนียมถูกกว่า ธุรกรรมไวกว่า รองรับคนจำนวนมากได้ ในขณะเดียวกัน เครือข่ายหลัก BTC ก็เปิดใช้ ***SegWit*** ไป พร้อมมุ่งหน้าเปิดทาง ***Lightning Network*** ทำให้ครึ่งหนึ่งของชุมชนยังเชื่อมั่นว่าการรักษาบล็อกเล็ก คือหัวใจสำคัญของกระจายอำนาจ **Blocksize War** ครั้งนี้ เกินกว่าจะเรียกว่า **“ดีเบตเชิงเทคนิค”** มันคล้ายการปะทะอุดมการณ์ของ **“กระจายอำนาจอย่างเคร่งครัด”** ปะทะ **“ขยายบล็อกให้ใช้งานจริงในชีวิตประจำวัน”** ทั้งสองฝ่ายต่างยิงวาทะกันเดือดในโซเชียลมีเดีย คนฝ่ายหนึ่งบอกอีกฝ่าย “ล้าหลังไม่รู้จักปรับตัว” อีกฝ่ายก็ยันกลับว่า *“คิดแค่กำไรระยะสั้น ไม่รักษาอัตลักษณ์บิตคอยน์”* บน Reddit, Twitter, ฟอรัมต่าง ๆ เหล่าผู้เคยเป็นเพื่อนร่วมทางต้องแยกค่ายกันเพราะมองต่างว่าควรเพิ่มบล็อกหรือเปล่า ที่สุดแล้ว... เมื่อสองอุดมการณ์สวนทางกันระดับราก แทบไม่มีพื้นที่ประนีประนอม บ้างเชื่อว่าถ้าไม่เพิ่มบล็อกบิตคอยน์จะใช้งานลำบากเกิน บ้างยึดมั่นว่าถ้าบล็อกใหญ่มากโหนดเล็ก ๆ ก็จะหายไปหมด ระบบจะตกในมือไม่กี่คน.. ซึ่งขัดเจตนารมณ์ตั้งต้นของ Satoshi แบบสุด ๆ ผลลัพธ์จึงลงเอยด้วยการเกิด ***“Bitcoin Cash”*** *(BCH)* แยกเครือข่าย และเปิดศึกโฆษณาว่า **“ตนต่างหากที่เป็นผู้สืบทอดแนวคิด Satoshi ของจริง”** เมื่อ Bitcoin Cash ถือกำเนิดพร้อมขนาดบล็อกใหญ่ *“มหาศึก”* ครั้งนี้ก็ไม่ได้จบลง แต่เปลี่ยนหน้าฉากไปสู่การตลาดและความชอบธรรม ใคร ๆ ก็ตั้งคำถามว่า *“Bitcoin Cash ต่างจาก Bitcoin ยังไง?”* หรือ *“ใครสืบทอดเจตนารมณ์ Satoshi อย่างแท้จริงกันแน่?”* นักพัฒนา ***ฝั่ง BTC*** ยังเหนียวแน่นว่ารักษาเครือข่ายให้เบา ๆ แล้วใช้ทริคอย่าง SegWit, Lightning Network เสริม คือทางออกป้องกันการรวมศูนย์ ***ฝ่าย BCH*** ก็บอกว่าบล็อกใหญ่เลยดีกว่า ทุกคนจะได้เทรดกันเพลินโดยไม่ต้องแย่งพื้นที่ ในภาพใหญ่.. สงครามครั้งนี้ส่งคลื่นกระเพื่อมไปทั่วโลกคริปโตฯ หลายคนกลัวว่าถ้ายังแยกแตกกันแบบนี้ต่อ ราคาจะผันผวนจนคนขยาด แต่ก็มีอีกฝ่ายที่มองว่า “ดีสิ มีการแข่งขันแล้วเกิดนวัตกรรมใหม่ ๆ” > **เพราะในโลกโอเพนซอร์ส ไม่มีใครหยุดการแยกตัวได้ถ้าคนบางกลุ่มอยากลองแนวทางใหม่** คำถามสำคัญคือ.. “ใครขับเคลื่อนสงคราม Blocksize?” คำตอบก็หนีไม่พ้น ***Roger Ver, Bitmain*** และทีม ***Bitcoin Core*** รวมถึงกลุ่ม *UASF* พวกเขาต่างมีพลังในมิติต่าง ๆ ***Roger Ver*** มีแรงสนับสนุนจากนักขุดสายทุนจัด ***Bitmain*** มีกองทัพ Hashrate มหาศาล ทีม ***Bitcoin Cor***e คุมซอฟต์แวร์ และ ***UASF*** ก็มีอำนาจ ***‘No Node, No Vote’*** ที่ปัดบล็อกไม่พอใจทิ้งได้หมด นี่ไม่ใช่การรบระหว่าง *“อำนาจกับผู้อ่อนแอ”* แต่เป็นสมรภูมิที่ทุกขั้วมี *“พลัง”* อยู่คนละแบบ ทำให้การประนีประนอมเป็นเพียงอุดมคติ จนที่สุดจึงแตกเป็นสองสาย เหมือนเป็นสปิริตของโอเพนซอร์สที่แค่ *Fork* ก็พาเดินไปคนละทิศ ใครอยากกดเครื่องขุดก็ขุด ใครอยากตามซอฟต์แวร์ Core ก็จัดไป นึกภาพอนาคตสิครับ.. ถ้ามีเทคโนโลยีใหม่เข้ามาอีก จะมีสงคราม ***“Blocksize 2.0”*** หรือเปล่า? ถ้าเจอเงื่อนไขใหญ่ ๆ ในการเปลี่ยนระบบ ย่อมต้องเข้าสู่วงจรดีเบตเดือดปุดเหมือนเคย > ***เพราะบิตคอยน์เป็นระบบไร้ผู้นำสูงสุด ทุกฝ่ายจึงมีสิทธิชูมือคัดค้านหรือสนับสนุนอย่างอิสระ*** ฉากในเนื้อหาส่วนนี้คือด้านหน้าฉากของสงคราม Blocksize และเหล่าคนขับเคลื่อนที่ทำให้เกิดการแตกแยกครั้งประวัติศาสตร์ในโลกบิตคอยน์ ส่วนต่อไปเราจะได้เห็นเทคนิคล้ำ ๆ และจุดชนวนสุดเฉพาะหน้าที่ทำให้สองฝ่ายยิ่งปะทะกันอีก แต่ก่อนจะไปรอนั้น.. ขอสรุปให้คิดกันแบบง่าย ๆ ว่า… ในโลกอันไร้ศูนย์กลางที่ต่างคนต่างตะโกนว่า “ฉันคือเจ้าของบิตคอยน์!” สุดท้าย *“ใครกันแน่เป็นผู้ตัดสินทิศทาง?”* หรือแท้จริง *“ชัยชนะ–ความพ่ายแพ้”* ก็ไม่มีอยู่จริงในสงครามแบบนี้... เอาจริง ๆ การตัดสินใจของไม่กี่คน หรือการร่วมตัวของยูสเซอร์กระจัดกระจาย ก็ล้วนมีสิทธิเปลี่ยนอนาคตของเงินดิจิทัลได้ทั้งสิ้น จึงเป็นเสน่ห์และความโกลาหลของ ***“decentralization”*** ที่น่าหลงใหล > ***ไม่มีใครสั่งใครได้เต็มร้อย แต่ก็ไม่มีใครจะหยุดคนอื่นได้หมดเช่นกัน***  เมื่อมองย้อนกลับไป.. นี่แหละเป็นบทเรียนสำคัญว่าบิตคอยน์ไม่ได้เป็นของใครคนเดียว และถ้าวันหนึ่งไฟสงครามลุกลามขึ้นอีกรอบ *เราทุกคนจะรับมือกันยังไง?* ตอนนี้สงครามอาจดูเงียบ ๆ แต่ก็ไม่ได้ปิดฉากสนิท เพราะคลื่นใต้น้ำยังพร้อมระอุขึ้นได้ตลอด เวลาเท่านั้นที่จะบอกว่า *SegWit* จะพิสูจน์ตัวเองได้ไหม หรือฝ่าย *Hard Fork* จะกลับมาโดดเด่นอีกครั้ง จึงมีแต่คำถามค้างคาว่า.. *อีกหน่อยบิตคอยน์จะยังเป็นบิตคอยน์ในแบบที่เรารู้จัก? หรือจะเปลี่ยนโฉมตามรอยแผลที่สงคราม Blocksize ทิ้งไว้?* คอยติดตามกันต่อไปในบทความตอนที่ 2 เพราะนี่อาจเป็นวัฏจักรที่ยังไม่รู้วันสิ้นสุดจริง ๆ ก็ได้ครับ...

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

**Table Of Content** - The Lazarus Group's Cryptocurrency Holdings - A Significant Drop in Holdings - No Privacy Coins in Sight - Underreported Holdings? - Previous Attacks and Thefts - Warnings and Threats - Conclusion - FAQ In the ever-evolving world of cryptocurrencies, security breaches and cyber heists have become alarmingly common. One name that frequently emerges in relation to these digital thefts is the Lazarus Group. This North Korean hacking collective has been linked to a series of high-profile cyber-attacks, amassing a significant amount of cryptocurrency in the process. This article delves deep into the group's activities, their holdings, and the implications of their actions on the crypto world. **The Lazarus Group's Cryptocurrency Holdings** The Lazarus Group, originating from North Korea, has made headlines with its vast cryptocurrency holdings. Recent reports suggest that this hacking collective has a digital treasure chest worth around $47 million. Bitcoin, the most popular and valuable cryptocurrency, forms the bulk of their holdings, with an estimated value of $42.5 million. In addition to Bitcoin, the group has diversified its holdings with Ether (ETH) valued at $1.9 million, BNB (BNB) worth $1.1 million, and a mix of stablecoins, primarily Binance USD (BUSD), which amounts to approximately $640,000. **A Significant Drop in Holdings** While the current figures are staggering, there has been a noticeable decline in the Lazarus Group's cryptocurrency assets. Data indicates that their holdings were valued at $86 million as of September 6. This value plummeted in the aftermath of the Stake.com hack, an event that saw the Lazarus Group as a prime suspect. Dune Analytics, a data monitoring platform, has been keeping a close eye on the group's activities. They have identified 295 wallets associated with the Lazarus Group, information corroborated by agencies like the FBI and the OFAC. **No Privacy Coins in Sight** For a hacking group that thrives on anonymity, it's surprising to note the absence of privacy coins in their portfolio. Coins such as Monero (XMR), Dash (DASH), and Zcash (ZEC), known for their enhanced privacy features, are conspicuously missing from their holdings. However, this hasn't deterred the group from continuing their operations. Their crypto wallets, devoid of privacy coins, have seen consistent activity, with the latest transaction recorded on September 20. **Underreported Holdings?** The figures mentioned might just be the tip of the iceberg. According to 21.co, the Lazarus Group's actual cryptocurrency holdings could be much higher than what's currently reported. This assertion is based on the data available to the public, suggesting that the group might have undisclosed assets hidden away. **Previous Attacks and Thefts** The Lazarus Group's foray into the crypto world has been marked by a series of attacks and thefts. They were the masterminds behind the CoinEx exchange hack, which resulted in losses exceeding $55 million. Their nefarious activities don't end there. The FBI has linked them to other significant breaches, including those targeting Alphapo, CoinsPaid, and Atomic Wallet. These attacks, in 2023 alone, saw the group walking away with more than $200 million. However, there's a silver lining. Chainalysis reports indicate a decline in crypto thefts by hackers associated with North Korea, with an 80% drop recorded from 2022. **Warnings and Threats** The digital realm remains under the shadow of the Lazarus Group. Recent alerts from U.S. federal authorities have highlighted the group's potential to target critical sectors, including the U.S. healthcare and public health domains. These warnings underscore the group's capabilities and the persistent threat they pose. **Conclusion** The Lazarus Group's activities serve as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities inherent in the digital space. Their vast cryptocurrency holdings, accumulated through a series of hacks and breaches, highlight the need for enhanced security measures in the crypto world. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, it's imperative for stakeholders to remain vigilant, ensuring that their assets are protected from such sophisticated threats. The story of the Lazarus Group is not just about a hacking collective's exploits but a call to action for the broader crypto community. **FAQ** **Who is the Lazarus Group?** The Lazarus Group is a North Korean hacking collective known for its high-profile cyber-attacks and significant cryptocurrency holdings. **How much cryptocurrency does the Lazarus Group hold?** The group is reported to have amassed around $47 million in cryptocurrency, with Bitcoin forming the majority of their holdings. **Were there any recent significant drops in their holdings?** Yes, their holdings saw a decline from $86 million as of September 6, especially after the Stake.com hack. **Does the Lazarus Group hold any privacy coins?** Surprisingly, the group does not hold any known privacy coins like Monero, Dash, or Zcash. **Have there been any warnings about the Lazarus Group's activities?** U.S. federal authorities have issued warnings about the group's potential to target sectors like U.S. healthcare and public health. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [@croxroadnews](https://x.com/croxroadnewsco)** **Instagram: [@croxroadnews.co](https://www.instagram.com/croxroadnews.co/)** **Youtube: [@croxroadnews](https://www.youtube.com/@croxroadnews)** **Store: https://croxroad.store** **Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter** **https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe** *DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.*

@ 662f9bff:8960f6b2

Folks - it really is time to wake up. How many more wars do we need? War on the Virus, War on Terror, War in Afghanistan, War in the Middle East, War in Vietnam - now War in Ukraine and who knows where else? I grew up in Belfast in the 1970s and lived through the proxy war fought in my hometown. More recently I lived through a remarkably similar situation here in HK during 2019 and observed it happening too in Bangkok with some of the same participants spotted in media clips who had travelled from HK, presumably to orchestrate it there too. For years the motto of Belfast was "Belfast Says No" and it was prominent in a huge banner on the City Hall. Bitterness and resentment reigned for years until "Peace Broke Out", led by **the women of Belfast** insisting that people "**Stop Fighting**". Remember the Peace People? Bottom line - war is never good. Benefits to society only ever emerge at times when people are working together, trading and collaborating for the better good. In such situations you have "[Voice or Exit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLTGAJM8p6c)" - you can speak up (if you are allowed) or exit (if you are allowed). That is why I left Northern Ireland (exit); the mess continued for 25 more years after that. Concerning "Exit" - did you ever wonder why governments are now restricting the rights to travel? Or if/how you can preserve wealth if/when war develops? The perpetual war footing that we find ourselves in was clearly warned about in [George Orwell's 1984](https://youtu.be/37N0aFmO19o) - drumbeat of hostile distant foreign empires and their aggressions and victories. Sound familiar to anyone? Strangely, this was the conclusion of the "**Report from Iron Mountain"** from a 1967 US government panel which **concluded that war, or a credible substitute for war, is necessary if governments are to maintain power**. Search and ye shall find (still). [Link here](https://archive.org/details/pdfy-A5uQx1ByqfwWuHma) in case you cannot find it or are lazy! Will you or your family benefit from what they say they are doing in your name? By the way - the American People knew all this when they rebelled against the British and wrote their Constitution,  For those who prefer a more structured reading list, take your pick below: - [The Creature from Jekyll Island](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Creature-from-Jekyll-Island-Audiobook/B00DZUGWX6?qid=1640521765&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=WTJRBE1ZFGKEAT0WF8JV) - The untold history of the FED... - [Sovereign Individual](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Sovereign-Individual-Audiobook/1797103385?qid=1640521784&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=X77NN3AEHSJV1HC6ZBCD) - written in 1997 they did predict personal computers, mobile phones, cryptocurrencies and even the current pandemic situation.. - [The Fourth Turning](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Fourth-Turning-Audiobook/B002UZN3YI?qid=1640521802&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=22DGVW1QAFPEVQP7FASD) - we have been here before - [The Fiat Standard](https://saifedean.com/the-fiat-standard/) - How it works - what you were never taught at school - [When Money Dies ](https://www.audible.com/pd/When-Money-Dies-Audiobook/B004DEYAS2?ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_&pf_rd_p=80765e81-b10a-4f33-b1d3-ffb87793d047&pf_rd_r=PERH4EHHY721YTVT40J1)- The Nightmare of Deficit Spending, Devaluation, and Hyperinflation in Weimar, Germany - [The Price of Tomorrow](https://www.amazon.com/Price-Tomorrow-Deflation-Abundant-Future/dp/1999257405/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+price+of+tomorrow&qid=1574403883&sr=8-2) - The key to an abundant future is not what you have been told - One of the best interviews of the year: Peter and Lyn [discuss Currency wars](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWSIkBNegjA) - [Report from Iron Mountain - On the Possibility and Desirability of Peace](https://archive.org/details/pdfy-A5uQx1ByqfwWuHma/page/n5/mode/2up) ## **That's it!** > ***No one can be told what The Matrix is.*** \ > ***You have to see it for yourself.*** Do share this newsletter with any of your friends and family who might be interested. You can also email me at: [LetterFrom@rogerprice.me](undefined) *💡Enjoy the newsletters in **your own language** : [Dutch](https://rogerprice-me.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=nl&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp), [French](https://rogerprice-me.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=fr&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp), [German](https://rogerprice-me.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=de&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp), [Serbian](https://rogerprice-me.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=sr&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp), Chinese [Traditional](https://rogerprice-me.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=zh-TW&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp) & [Simplified](https://rogerprice-me.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=zh-CN&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp), [Thai](https://rogerprice-me.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=zh-CN&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp) and [Burmese](https://rogerprice-me.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=my&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp).*