@ f527cf97:65e232ee

Our modern civilization comes with a lot of amenities and luxuries for all. When Christopher Columbus brought the potato from America to the Spanish royal court, it was a luxury vegetable reserved only for the nobility. Today, potatoes are thrown at anyone who has 1-2 Dollars or Euros. The same applies to chocolate. Once a luxury good, it now costs only a few Cents. We live in luxury, just like kings did a few centuries ago. But all this has a price. Allah ﷻ says in the Quran that he sent "manna and quails from above" to the people of Musā (Moses) عَلَیهِ‌السَّلام (Surah 2, Ayah 57 and Surah 7, Ayah 160), after they escaped from Pharaoh and fled from Egypt into the desert. Manna is a food described in the Quran and the Bible as a gift from God to the people of Israel. It is described as a white, sweet, and nutritious powder that lay on the ground every morning. The exact nature of manna is unknown, but there are various theories about what it could be. Some scientists believe that manna could be a product of the tamarisk plant (Tamarix gallica), which occurs in the Sinai Desert. The tamarisk plant produces a sweet, white resin that could be used as food by the Israelites. Other theories suggest that manna could be a product of insects like ants or butterflies that produce a sweet secretion. Quails are small birds that occur in the Sinai Desert. They are an important part of the food chain in the desert and were used as food by the Israelites. Some studies have shown that the resin of the tamarisk plant, which is considered a possible source of manna, is rich in various nutrients, including: - Carbohydrates: Manna probably contains a mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates, such as sugar, starch, and cellulose. - Proteins: Manna may also contain proteins from insects or other organisms that produce the resin. - Vitamins: Manna may contain vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin B1, and vitamin B2. - Minerals: Manna may contain minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron. Quails are small birds rich in various nutrients. Here are some of the most important nutrients found in quails: - Proteins: Quails are rich in proteins that are essential for building and maintaining muscles and other body tissues. A 100g piece of quail contains about 20-25g of protein. - Fat: Quails also contain fat, which is essential for energy supply and maintaining body functions. A 100g piece of quail contains about 10-15g of fat. - Vitamins: Quails are rich in various vitamins, including: - Vitamin B12: essential for blood formation and nerve function - Vitamin B6: essential for energy supply and immune function - Vitamin E: essential for cell protection and tissue function - Vitamin A: essential for vision and immune function - Minerals: Quails also contain various minerals, including: - Iron: essential for blood formation and oxygen supply - Calcium: essential for bone formation and muscle contraction - Phosphorus: essential for bone formation and energy supply - Magnesium: essential for muscle contraction and nerve function - Amino acids: Quails contain various amino acids that are essential for building and maintaining proteins. To put it in one sentence: Allah gave the people of Musā عَلَیهِ‌السَّلام in the wilderness everything they needed to survive. In the Quran and the Bible, it is reported that some members of the community of Musā عَلَیهِ‌السَّلام complained about the monotonous diet of manna and quails. They longed for the variety of foods they had eaten in Egypt. In the Quran, this is described in Surah 2, Ayah 61: "And when you said to us, 'O Moses, we will not be satisfied with one dish. Ask your Lord to bring us from the earth, from vegetables, onions, garlic, lentils, and chickpeas.' He said, 'Do you want to exchange something better for something worse? Go down to a city, and you will find what you want.'" These complaints show that the people in the community of Musā عَلَیهِ‌السَّلام had difficulty adapting to the new situation and being content with the simple diet. For they were accustomed to the variety and luxury of Egypt. Even though they lived there as slaves and an oppressed minority. They could be physically rescued from slavery by Musā عَلَیهِ‌السَّلام , but the mental slavery was still anchored in them. They could not bear the total freedom, even if it came with sufficient food, and became ungrateful. (from Nouman Ali Khan, Tafseer Lessons) These stories in the Quran are timeless and not told without reason. Even today, we find ourselves in a kind of spiritual bondage and cannot mentally free ourselves from the captivity and slavery in which we voluntarily reside. If we could, we would have to live with much less, but it would be enough. And we would have to work harder for it than the people of Musā عَلَیهِ‌السَّلام did back then. We would have to engage in agriculture and farming with the means available to us. We would have to plow and dig and get our hands dirty. But we wouldn't have to go to the supermarket and apply for a credit card to pay for goods. We would have to trade with our surplus to buy meat from the equally self-sovereign livestock farmer. We would have to build a trading community with all sovereign individuals and use money that the banks cannot exclude us from. The common pattern here is: freedom and self-sovereignty require effort, work, and being content with what one needs. - If we want freedom and self-sovereignty in our money, we have to deal with Bitcoin and seed storage technologies. - If we want free, full, and fair hearing in social media, we have to acquire the basic technical understanding to handle Nostr correctly. People give up their self-sovereignty because they want more than they need and are not willing to do the necessary work.  The Matrix trilogy also deals with this topic, describing a future where humans serve as energy sources for the machines that, in turn, simulate a world (the Matrix) that people desire. We already see the first approaches to this today. We give our data to Big Tech, which generates profits for various industries. We have AI in the starting blocks, which is supposed to largely automate the analysis and preparation of this data. With neural interfaces, we are supposed to approach human thoughts and, above all, desires. If you know what people long for, you can sell them the perfect product. Or just simulate it. Humans then become mere milkable data cows, whose "real work" (for the Matrix) becomes superfluous. With socialist ideas, such as unconditional basic income or its capitalist counterpart "ad revenue sharing" by large platforms, it is ensured that the individual also has something to spend. Regardless of their qualifications or professional experience, because these no longer count. A large part of humanity becomes an energy source for the machines. Unless we become self-sovereign again and get our hands dirty for what we actually need.

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

# Mock Draft Pick 6: CB/WR Travis Hunter Pick 37: DT Derrick Harmon Pick 68: QB Quinn Ewers Pick 73: OT Emery Jones Jr. Pick 106: DE Ashton Guillotte Pick 142: RB Dylan Sampson Pick 178: OG Jared Wilson Pick 212: LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson Pick 216: WR Antwane Wells Jr. Pick 222: S Rayuan Lane III We're going with the very rare two-way prospect Travis Hunter as our first pick. Both CB and WR are positions of need, so he'll get a lot of opportunity to shine. Then, the best player available at 37 was a DT, so we go defense heavy with the first two picks. In the third round, we grab a QB and beef up the pass protection. From these mocks, it's looking like the third round is where we'll land a QB, whether that's Ewers or Dart (who was also still on the board and has a cooler name). originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/857729

@ 129f5189:3a441803

Many believe that to buy #Bitcoin, they need to purchase 1 whole #Bitcoin, which may seem unaffordable for most people today. This belief is rooted in a misunderstanding of how #Bitcoin works. #Bitcoin is divisible up to eight decimal places, and the smallest unit is called a satoshi. 1 #Bitcoin equals 100 million satoshis. https://image.nostr.build/4c25abae971d2d817d2e9c38cac0ae7ea6a439e39bc7e2db46a610cc91a58e4b.jpg This means that anyone can start by purchasing a fraction of #Bitcoin, like 0.0001 #BTC (10,000 satoshis), for a much smaller amount than the price of 1 whole #Bitcoin. The mistake lies in comparing the value of 1 #Bitcoin to the price of 1 unit of traditional currency, such as the dollar or the real. This comparison ignores #Bitcoin’s divisibility and fungibility. Imagine if someone said they couldn’t buy gold because they couldn’t afford a whole gold bar. Does that make sense? Of course not. Just as gold can be bought in grams, #Bitcoin can be purchased in fractions. Another important point is understanding that the value of a satoshi is proportional to the value of #Bitcoin as a whole. If #Bitcoin reaches a price of $1 million, for example, 1 satoshi will be worth $0.01. What ultimately matters is the relative appreciation of the asset, not the number of units you own. Therefore, the unit bias is merely a psychological barrier. Instead of focusing on the price of 1 whole #Bitcoin, think about the opportunity to accumulate satoshis, which are just as valuable as any fraction of #Bitcoin. After all, every satoshi is part of the largest computational network in the world—scarce and decentralized—that is poised to transform the global financial system. Buying #Bitcoin isn’t about how much you can buy today, but about understanding the value it represents in the long term. Don’t let the unit bias stop you from being part of this monetary revolution.

@ 000002de:c05780a7

I just finished the audio book read by Norm himself. I must say, if you love Norm you will love this book. I highly recommend the audio book. I don't want to spoil anything but the book is like sitting down with Norm and listening to him tell you stories. You never know what is true or false and if the whole thing IS the joke. I laughed out loud many times.  originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/857482

@ 6bae33c8:607272e8

The 40-minute edited version of Ravens-Bills wasn’t available this morning so I chose the 1:55 commercial-free full-length one instead. What a monumental waste of my morning. Why watch an entire game for it to end via a dropped two-point conversion? What is the purpose of even playing the game? A child can catch a two-yard pass. Truth be told, the Ravens scored way too early, and the Bills probably would have driven into field-goal range anyway, but in those conditions, no kick was guaranteed. Moreover, the Ravens wouldn’t even have been in that situation but for the retarded play call on the prior two-point try where after Derrick Henry and Justice Hill gashed the Bills for 10 yards every rush, the Ravens tried to get tricky from two-yards out. Of course, there was also the senseless Lamar Jackson fumble that was returned 40 yards and the earlier Mark Andrews fumble while trying to run backwards for no reason. Just a total waste of time. I look forward to seeing the Bills win next week, only to have the refs cheat them out of it. - The Chiefs got all the calls against a game Texans team. The Texans will be back, especially if they fix the offensive line. Cheating or not, it’s amazing the Chiefs are always in the Conference Title game — this makes seven straight. - Travis Kelce looked like he was still in his late prime. - I was rooting for the Lions — if only to retain one of my only commenters, Tony, who has no doubt defenestrated and won’t be contributing here any more. Turns out you can’t win without a defense. - Jared Goff channeled Sam Darnold at the least opportune time too. - Jahmyr Gibbs was electric. If the Lions had a lead he might have had 300 YFS. - The Eagles will probably win at home, but Caleb Williams over Jayden Daniels might be even worse than Bryce Young over C.J. Stoud. - The Rams were awfully close to hosting the NFC title game. I thought with one minute left, inside the 20, they should have run the ball at least once with the Eagles bringing the rush every play. It only takes one hole, and defenders slipping and sliding everywhere in the snow. - Saquon Barkley might be the GOAT when fully healthy. He’s like Derrick Henry with pass-catching skills. I’d love to see him win Super Bowl MVP. - It’s amazing how many great backs there are in the league right now: Henry, Barkley, Gibbs and a healthy McCaffrey might be four of the top-10 ever. - The Texans, Rams and Ravens arguably outplayed their opponents this weekend, but couldn’t advance. I love the snow game aesthetic, but it adds a lot of randomness.

@ ce6b432f:c07ce020

If you think I can’t blame the scale of devastation from the LA fires on the Federal Reserve - think again. After the 2008 financial crisis, Tyler Cowen was fond of saying “we aren’t as rich as we thought we were”. If you ask him, (I did in a zoom call sometime in the last 2 years), he thinks this state of being was temporary. My belief is that 17 years later, this illusion still persists, but it is cracking. Instead of allowing the dead wood to burn through financial markets, QE, ZIRP, BTFP, TARP, foreign central bank swap lines, Repo, Reverse Repo, double-triple-just kidding-repo, and a variety mechanisms beyond comprehension have been deployed to create the impression of wealth. We are still much less wealthy than we thought we were even 4 years ago. Until 2021, this was confined mainly to the inflation of asset prices and the stealth inflation embodied in the deteriorating quality of consumer goods, but Covid stimmies injected enough liquidity directly into the consumer blood stream that CPI finally started blinking red. The public began to gain some awareness of a more concrete problem in the structure of our economy. The pressing problem of inflation exposed first order problems of real urgency. A real wake up call had arrived for those middle class and below on the socio-economic ladder. There is no shortage of material to read on this for the curious. Now some of the bills are coming due for the top half of the economic spectrum. When a plane you’re on falls out of the sky, it doesn’t matter how big your bank account is. When wildfire driven by 100 mph winds hits a neighborhood with empty fire hydrants, adequate water isn’t available at any price. When you realize your 22 year old child has spent the last 16 years being indoctrinated into a camouflaged marxist worldview - parenting mulligans are not available. If you want to retire with a nest egg adequate to provide food, shelter and healthcare for the rest of your life, finding out at age 65 that a good portion of your portfolio has been allocated to ‘companies’ focused on not cutting down trees will not be a fun reason to put down for “why do you want to join the WalMart Team?”. The common thread across many of these items is what used to be called “mission creep”. Leveraging the modern love of the word diversity - I call it “A Diversity of Goals”. They are both deadly for any organization tasked with important and specific goals. Boeing should be focused on building safe airplanes. Fire departments should be focused on minimizing the damage fire does in their communities. Schools should prioritize reading, writing, arithmetic, and critical thinking skills. Financial professionals should focus on their fiduciary duties. How did everyone take their eye off of the ball? Everyone decided to add the goal of diversity in some way shape or form. Is it really that simple? No. Was it really that bad? Yes. In a recent podcast with Russ Douthat of the NYT, Marc Andreeson says some pretty shocking things. [Link to Transcript](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/17/opinion/marc-andreessen-trump-silicon-valley.html?unlocked_article_code=1.qU4.-gWN.t9SCSEN7crDR&smid=url-share) > Andreessen: "I’ll speak for the group because there’s a lot of similarities between the different players here for the same pressures. I’ll just speak for the group. > First of all, let me disabuse you of something, if you haven’t already disabused yourself. The view of American C.E.O.s operating as capitalist profit optimizers is just completely wrong. > That’s like, Goal No. 5 or something. There’s four goals that are way more important than that. And that’s not just true in the big tech companies. It’s true of the executive suite of basically everyone at the Fortune 500. > I would say Goal No. 1 is, “I’m a good person.” “I’m a good person,” is wildly more important than profit margins. Wildly. And this is why you saw these big companies all of a sudden go completely bananas in all their marketing. It’s why you saw them go bananas over D.E.I. It’s why you saw them all cooperating with all these social media boycotts. I mean, the level of lock step uniformity, unanimity in the thought process between the C.E.O.s of the Fortune 500 and what’s in the pages of The New York Times and in the Harvard classroom and in the Ford Foundation — they’re just locked together. Or at least they were through this entire period." If you don’t believe this is the case, you weren’t paying attention. Centralized asset managers like Blackrock who are usually one of the largest shareholders in every company were sending out notices to CEOs and the markets trumpeting how much they prioritized DEI. [Blackrock, the ESG Bully - WSJ](https://www.wsj.com/articles/blackrock-takes-aggressive-posture-on-esg-proxy-votes-11619775002?utm_source=chatgpt.com) > BlackRock Inc. has so far increased its support for shareholder-led environmental, social and governance proposals, and published a slew of criticisms of public companies that haven’t bent to its overall requests. … > “BlackRock has strongly signaled that quiet diplomacy is not the only tool in its toolbox,” said Rich Fields, a partner at law firm King & Spalding who focuses on corporate-governance issues. “We expect more votes for shareholder proposals and against directors in this and future years.” … > The firm is one of the top three shareholders of more than 80% of the companies in the S&P 500, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, through its many funds. The money manager casts a long shadow on shareholder meetings where it can vote on behalf of its investors on board directors, executives’ pay packages and other company matters. In all fairness, Blackrock is quickly moving away from its ESG focus as the level of nonsense here has become more obvious to larger audiences who are pushing back. (State pension funds dropping them over this was a great example of both Federalism and market forces at work.) Read the entire transcript from Andreeson. He lays out a very compelling case for what happened when a new generation of employees/elites rolled into adulthood in the 2010’s. The between-the-lines punchline is “it got so bad that billionaires were starting to suffer!!” If DEI could infect and inhibit performance of large for-profit companies, what do you think the impact was on organizations with far less accountability? If your budget comes from politicians who don’t have to balance budgets or produce concrete results, the amount of drift “off mission” could be and was severe. Why did this happen? We thought we were so rich that we could afford to entertain these luxury beliefs. We could just add more goals to our plate without diluting our ability to accomplish the very important things these various organizations were supposed to be focused on. We aren’t as rich as we thought we were. We can’t afford for planes to fall out of the sky. We can’t afford for huge sections of large cities to burn down. We can’t afford for an entire generation of Americans to prefer marxism to capitalism. We can’t afford to waste money on feel good projects that have a negative return even before factoring in inflation. The simplest immediate action to take is for stakeholders large and small in organizations of all sizes to say no more Diversity of Goals - no more Goals of Diversity. Don’t discriminate against anyone who can accomplish the organization’s goals, but the goals must come first. If it’s your church or your local fire department or the local school district - everyone can have an impact on their own community. One by one, we can reverse this trend. Be the change you want to see in the world. Now - what I think is the root of the problem. Why aren’t we as rich as we thought we were? I just can’t help myself. You may not agree on the solution (I do) - but this description of the problem will give you pause. [What's the Problem video](https://youtu.be/YtFOxNbmD38?si=bCciKqlCkeCeflGZ)

@ 652d58ac:dc4cde60

**Introduction** We must rethink how we envision the future. In the short term, things may be worse than we expect, rising inflation, war, and health crises, but this is all part of the fiat dilemma. A system that cannibalizes itself. Yet, at the same time, a new system is emerging. Bitcoin and Artificial intelligence (AI) will be central to this foundation, providing humanity with the time and tools needed to thrive. How Technology Drives Deflation As Jeff Booth so masterfully explains, technology is inherently deflationary. Over time, through free market competition and productivity gains, prices should fall to their marginal cost of production. Yet, in our inflationary fiat system, productivity gains are eroded by the continuous increase in the money supply, driving prices higher. Instead of allowing prices to approach their marginal cost of production as they should, goods and services become more expensive due to monetary inflation. This principle, that an expanding money supply reduces the purchasing power of individual monetary units and ultimately undermines wealth creation, was recognized as early as 1517 by Copernicus in the quantity theory of money. Because bitcoin is limited in supply, productivity gains across the economy can lead to greater wealth for all participants in the system, as the price of goods and services falls to the marginal cost of production over time. Rather than rise due to an increase in the monetary supply. We need Bitcoin to ensure that the productivity gains that drive the economy forward can have a lasting, sustainable impact. **The Interplay of Bitcoin und AI** Since the existing system benefits from inflation, market participants are often manipulated into believing that AI is inherently dangerous. While there are significant risks associated with AI, particularly its potential for centralization and manipulation, the technology itself offers great opportunities. The real problem lies in the inflationary monetary system, not AI. Artificial intelligence is set to increasingly shape the workplace, trade, and finance. Consider the “Magnificent Seven”, a group of tech giants, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet (Google), Meta (Facebook), Nvidia, and Tesla, that all leverage AI as a key driver of productivity. In 2023, the financial services industry alone invested an estimated $35 billion in AI, with banking leading the charge, accounting for approximately $21 billion. This is particularly relevant to Bitcoin, since it serves as both money and a financial system. As AI becomes more sophisticated, it will increasingly rely on a digital currency that aligns with its digital nature, such as bitcoin, which offers both scalability and speed through the Lightning Network. For instance, AI systems could use Bitcoin to facilitate microtransactions in real time, managing their wallets autonomously to process payments for services or data. This would unlock new opportunities for AI applications in sectors like actual decentralized finance (DeFi) and machine-to-machine transactions. The Lightning Network, as a second-layer protocol built on top of Bitcoin, enables transactions to be settled almost instantly and at low cost. This makes it particularly well-suited for AI applications that require fast and reliable transactions. While some AI and language models can exhibit programmed biases, AI systems, driven by algorithms and data, should strive to prioritize efficiency, minimizing biases wherever possible. If programmed without bias, AI seeks the best tools for operations and decision-making, and Bitcoin offers an optimal solution, providing both the asset and infrastructure needed for efficient, resilient, digital financial systems. In addition, AI is likely to also contribute to Bitcoin’s development, with algorithms optimizing mining efficiency, hardware usage, forecasting energy demand, and ensuring more efficient resource allocation, all of which will lead to more effective mining strategies. **Conclusion** The synergy between Bitcoin and AI has the potential to enable the creation of more efficient, intelligent and resilient systems. These developments will underpin bitcoin’s role as digital money in a digital world, potentially creating positive second-order effects on global financial markets. The impact will be especially profound in industries such as finance, insurance, robotics, lending, investments, architecture, housing, healthcare, logistics, and others, with effects accelerating over time. The free market is inherently deflationary, because of productivity gains, things, like housing, should become cheaper over time. Yet, this doesn't happen. Inflationary fiat currencies, like the dollar, lose purchasing power as their supply increases, eroding those gains. Bitcoin offers a framework in which productivity gains can have a lasting, sustainable impact. Bitcoin, as a disinflationary currency with a fixed supply, preserves the value of productivity improvements, allowing prices to fall to their marginal cost of production. This ensures that efficiency gains lead to greater wealth for all participants in the system. Moreover, since Bitcoin is accessible, it allows wealth to become more attainable for a wider range of people, enabling general living standards to increase more easily. The interplay between Bitcoin and AI is pretty exciting, and it’s becoming clear that the widespread adoption of AI will drive the widespread adoption of Bitcoin. This is necessary, as only Bitcoin, as a counterbalance to the self-destructive fiat system, can protect humanity from the negative effects of inflation. With the accelerated productivity gains of the AI age, Bitcoin becomes even more crucial as a solution, ensuring that these gains can be preserved and shared more equitably. **Originally published as the 28th edition of my n ewsletter, Bitcoin & AI:** https://leonwankum.substack.com/p/bitcoin-and-ai **Photo Credit**: commonedge.org (An Optimist’s Take on AI and the Future of Architecture)

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

The advent of cryptocurrency has sparked a modern-day gold rush, with Bitcoin mining at the forefront of this digital revolution. The United States, with its vast resources and technological prowess, has become a fertile ground for these operations. However, the recent shift in the global mining landscape has brought a wave of Chinese mining companies to U.S. shores, fleeing a regulatory crackdown in their homeland. This migration has set off alarm bells within national security circles, as the technology that underpins cryptocurrencies is not just a tool for financial gain but also a potential vector for cyber espionage and other security threats. The dual-use nature of this technology, capable of both revolutionizing economies and potentially undermining national security, has placed it at the heart of a complex debate involving economic policy, technological innovation, and national defense. **Table Of Content** - The Economic Impact of Cryptocurrency Mining - National Security Risks and Strategic Concerns - Regulatory Responses to Foreign Mining Operations - The Path Forward: Innovation, Security, and Diplomacy - Conclusion - FAQs The economic allure of cryptocurrency mining is undeniable. In regions hit hard by economic downturns, the establishment of mining operations has been a boon, providing much-needed jobs and revitalizing local economies. These operations often take over abandoned industrial sites, turning them into hives of high-tech activity. The promise of a revitalized industrial base, however, comes with caveats. The energy-intensive nature of cryptocurrency mining has led to a surge in demand for electricity, straining local grids and raising concerns about the environmental impact of such operations. The long-term economic benefits are also questioned, as the volatility of the cryptocurrency market means that the stability of these jobs and the longevity of the operations are not guaranteed. As Chinese companies increasingly dominate this space, there is also the fear that the economic benefits may be offset by the outflow of profits to foreign entities. **National Security Risks and Strategic Concerns** The strategic implications of foreign-controlled cryptocurrency mining operations on U.S. soil are complex and troubling. The opaque nature of these operations, often shrouded in layers of corporate secrecy, makes it difficult to discern their true intentions. The proximity of some mining farms to sensitive sites, such as military bases and critical infrastructure, has compounded these fears, suggesting the potential for these facilities to be used for more than just mining. The vast computational power of mining operations could theoretically be repurposed for code-breaking and hacking, posing a direct threat to national security. The concern is not just hypothetical; it is rooted in a history of cyber incursions attributed to Chinese state-sponsored actors. The potential for these mining operations to serve as a front for such activities, intentionally or not, has put them in the crosshairs of U.S. security agencies. **Regulatory Responses to Foreign Mining Operations** The U.S. government's response to the influx of Chinese cryptocurrency mining operations has been measured yet firm. Recognizing the need to maintain an open economic environment that fosters innovation, regulators have nonetheless moved to establish guardrails to protect national interests. This has involved a multifaceted approach, including the proposal of legislation aimed at scrutinizing foreign investments in critical technologies and infrastructure. Agencies such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) have been at the forefront of these efforts, working to untangle the complex web of ownership and control that characterizes foreign mining operations. The goal is to ensure that while the U.S. remains a hub for technological innovation, it does not become a playground for foreign powers with adversarial intentions. **The Path Forward: Innovation, Security, and Diplomacy** The path forward for the United States in managing the rise of Chinese bitcoin mining operations is akin to walking a tightrope. On one side is the need to nurture innovation and maintain the U.S.'s competitive edge in the burgeoning field of cryptocurrency. On the other is the imperative to safeguard national security and ensure that the country's technological infrastructure is not compromised. This delicate balance requires a nuanced approach that includes fostering a robust domestic mining industry, investing in renewable energy sources to mitigate the environmental impact, and engaging in strategic diplomacy to manage the international dimensions of cryptocurrency governance. The U.S. must leverage its strengths in innovation, policy-making, and international relations to set standards that will shape the future of cryptocurrency mining and secure its digital economy. **Conclusion** The challenge of balancing the economic potential of cryptocurrency mining with the imperatives of national security is emblematic of the broader challenges facing policymakers in the digital age. As Chinese bitcoin mining operations continue to expand their footprint in the U.S., the need for a strategic, measured response becomes increasingly critical. This response must be multifaceted, engaging with all stakeholders, including the mining industry, environmental groups, energy providers, and security agencies. By striking a balance between economic growth and security, the U.S. can harness the potential of the digital economy while protecting its national interests. The stakes are high, and the decisions made today will have lasting implications for the security and prosperity of future generations. **FAQs** **How does Bitcoin mining impact local economies?** Bitcoin mining can provide jobs and economic investment in local communities, especially in areas with excess energy capacity or where industrial sites are underutilized. **What is the U.S. government's response to foreign cryptocurrency mining operations?** The U.S. government is considering stricter regulations on foreign investments in critical technologies, including cryptocurrency mining, to protect national security while fostering economic growth. **Can cryptocurrency mining operations be environmentally sustainable?** There are concerns about the high energy consumption of mining operations, but with investment in renewable energy and efficient technologies, mining can move towards greater sustainability. **How does the U.S. plan to balance innovation with security in cryptocurrency mining?** The U.S. aims to strike a balance by creating policies that encourage technological innovation and economic benefits while implementing security measures to protect against potential threats. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [Instagram: @croxroadnews.co](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.*

@ b8851a06:9b120ba1

A TALE OF RESILIENCE Nine years ago today, The Washington Post declared "R.I.P. Bitcoin" when the cryptocurrency traded at $380. Fast forward to January 19, 2025, and Bitcoin trades at $104,803, representing a staggering 27,500% increase since that infamous obituary. ## The Numbers Tell the Story 🔘 Bitcoin has been declared dead 477 times since its inception 🔘 2023 saw only 8 death notices, a decade-low 🔘 2024 recorded just 2 death declarations, compared to 124 in 2017 ## From Mockery to Mainstream The transformation has been remarkable. When the Washington Post published its obituary, Bitcoin was dismissed as a fringe technology. Today, it's embraced by financial giants like BlackRock and Fidelity. [The price history tells an compelling story]( https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin/historical-data/). ## The Future Outlook Despite past skepticism, institutional analysts now project ambitious targets. Galaxy Digital predicts Bitcoin could exceed $150,000 in the first half of 2025. This represents a dramatic shift from the days when Nobel laureates and banking executives routinely dismissed Bitcoin as worthless. ## A Lesson in Resilience The premature death notice serves as a powerful reminder about the dangers of dismissing innovative technologies. While Bitcoin faced numerous challenges since 2016, including regulatory crackdowns and market crashes, its fundamental value proposition has remained intact. The declining frequency of "Bitcoin obituaries" suggests that even its harshest critics are beginning to acknowledge its staying power. There is no second best, and it’s going to millions. Ref: [the Washington post from Jan 19 2016]( https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2016/01/19/r-i-p-bitcoin-its-time-to-move-on/)

@ 3f770d65:7a745b24

The recent shutdown of TikTok in the United States due to a potential government ban serves as a stark reminder how fragile centralized platforms truly are under the surface. While these platforms offer convenience, a more polished user experience, and connectivity, they are ultimately beholden to governments, corporations, and other authorities. This makes them vulnerable to censorship, regulation, and outright bans. In contrast, Nostr represents a shift in how we approach online communication and content sharing. Built on the principles of decentralization and user choice, Nostr cannot be banned, because it is not a platform—it is a protocol. **PROTOCOLS, NOT PLATFORMS.** At the heart of Nostr's philosophy is **user choice**, a feature that fundamentally sets it apart from legacy platforms. In centralized systems, the user experience is dictated by a single person or governing entity. If the platform decides to filter, censor, or ban specific users or content, individuals are left with little action to rectify the situation. They must either accept the changes or abandon the platform entirely, often at the cost of losing their social connections, their data, and their identity. What's happening with TikTok could never happen on Nostr. With Nostr, the dynamics are completely different. Because it is a protocol, not a platform, no single entity controls the ecosystem. Instead, the protocol enables a network of applications and relays that users can freely choose from. If a particular application or relay implements policies that a user disagrees with, such as censorship, filtering, or even government enforced banning, they are not trapped or abandoned. They have the freedom to move to another application or relay with minimal effort. **THIS IS POWERFUL.** Take, for example, the case of a relay that decides to censor specific content. On a legacy platform, this would result in frustration and a loss of access for users. On Nostr, however, users can simply connect to a different relay that does not impose such restrictions. Similarly, if an application introduces features or policies that users dislike, they can migrate to a different application that better suits their preferences, all while retaining their identity and social connections. The same principles apply to government bans and censorship. A government can ban a specific application or even multiple applications, just as it can block one relay or several relays. China has implemented both tactics, yet Chinese users continue to exist and actively participate on Nostr, demonstrating Nostr's ability to resistant censorship. How? Simply, it turns into a game of whack-a-mole. When one relay is censored, another quickly takes its place. When one application is banned, another emerges. Users can also bypass these obstacles by running their own relays and applications directly from their homes or personal devices, eliminating reliance on larger entities or organizations and ensuring continuous access. **AGAIN, THIS IS POWERUFL.** Nostr's open and decentralized design makes it resistant to the kinds of government intervention that led to TikTok's outages this weekend and potential future ban in the next 90 days. There is no central server to target, no company to regulate, and no single point of failure. (Insert your CEO jokes here). As long as there are individuals running relays and applications, users continue creating notes and sending zaps. Platforms like TikTok can be silenced with the stroke of a pen, leaving millions of users disconnected and abandoned. Social communication should not be silenced so incredibly easily. No one should have that much power over social interactions. Will we on-board a massive wave of TikTokers in the coming hours or days? I don't know. TikTokers may not be ready for Nostr yet, and honestly, Nostr may not be ready for them either. The ecosystem still lacks the completely polished applications, tools, and services they’re accustomed to. This is where we say "we're still early". They may not be early adopters like the current Nostr user base. Until we bridge that gap, they’ll likely move to the next centralized platform, only to face another government ban or round of censorship in the future. But eventually, there will come a tipping point, a moment when they’ve had enough. When that time comes, I hope we’re prepared. If we’re not, we risk missing a tremendous opportunity to onboard people who genuinely need Nostr’s freedom. Until then, to all of the Nostr developers out there, keep up the great work and keep building. Your hard work and determination is needed. ###

@ 9349d012:d3e98946

For many reasons, not least of those the outcome of the last US presidential election, I’m now working on Librarian Detective, Book Two as my creative release. At the moment, I’m already on chapter seven, which means I made it through writing the second chapter, always an admirable hurdle to clear. If you’ll recall, with Librarian Detective, Book One, [clearing that milestone was a challenge.]( https://www.michellezaffino.com/photo-collage-inspiration/) It took between nine and 12 years to [finish that book]( https://www.michellezaffino.com/more-on-my-writing-process/), although I wrote three books in those meantime years. This was partly because of working on my day job business more fulltime (MyLibrarian! Our app is out, sign up to test on [the pop up here](MyLibrarian.co)) but also because I revamped my entire writing process, which I’ll share with you. Here’s a picture of the writing methods I use. I went from writing longhand to digitally, which is more efficient, and I also use a series of guides to help organize the writing process: An outline, character list, calendar timeline, editing checklist and the main writing doc itself. Seven years ago when I realized my writing method was working for me, I started doing a [video series on Writing, called On Storytelling]( https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEoSokUqVUMxG71DEDHLXWpL9NBE6GFJH&si=pc3uHyPfnPCsdGho), filmed at all the remote locations I work at, one of the best of which I’m at right now, working on my new book. If you are looking for more writing resources, there’s [a list]( https://www.michellezaffino.com/category/writerly-resources/) on my blog. When you go down these rabbit holes you may come out ready to write your first book. GOOD LUCK—MEZ Originally appeared on [ https://www.michellezaffino.com/my-writing-methods/]( https://www.michellezaffino.com/my-writing-methods/)

@ 41fa852b:af7b7706

> "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." -- Charles Darwin * * * **It's usually a big week when the 21st comes around, but this week we have 5 meetups that day!** Also, Trump takes office on Monday so there'll be loads to discuss at this week's meetups. 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. [**Bitcoin Bristol**](https://bitcoinbristol.org/): Meeting at Little Martha Brewing, BS2 0QT. On Tuesday 21st at 18:15. 🍺 2. [**Bitcoin Surrey**](https://meetu.ps/e/NLBzr/v822r/i): It's a Bitcoin Pension Scheme Special this month at [Yiayias at The Fox](https://www.yiayias.co.uk/yiayiasatthefox/). A fireside chat and Q&A with Sam Roberts, Cartwright's Director of Investment Consulting (1st UK pension scheme to allocate 3% to Bitcoin). 18:00 - 23:00 on the 21st. Bitcoin accepted at the venue. 🎙️🍻 3. [**Newcastle upon Tyne Bitcoin Meetup**](https://bitcoinevents.uk/newcastle-bitcoin/): The next Newcastle meetup is on Tuesday 21st January at Kabin @ Kabannas, L2 6RE. 18:30 PM. 🍻 4. [**London Bitcoin Space**](https://meetu.ps/e/NNk9z/v822r/i): LBS will be at Cyphermunk house on Tuesday 21st from 18:30 till 22:00 for a social gathering, head along to share knowledge and meet some fellow Bitcoiners. 🫂 5. [**Oxbit**](https://x.com/oxbitmeetup): Celebrate Bitcoins 16th birthday with the Oxford meetup crew. You'll find them at [The Old Black Horse](https://www.oldblackhorse.com/) (bitcoin accepted) at 19:00 on the 21st. 🍺 6. [**Preston Bitcoin Meetup**](https://x.com/prestonbtcmeet/status/1880289279093666243): Join the Preston meetup for A Bitcoin chat and some amazing burgers. 18:30 on Thursday the 23rd January. At All Hopes No Promises, PR1 2US. 7. [**The Northamptonshire Bitcoin Network**](https://bitcoinevents.uk/northamptonshire-bitcoin-network/) : [BTC Citadel Engineering](https://btc-citadel.co.uk/) are hosting a 'Bitcoin Builders' space on Saturday the 25th. Head along to learn about Seedsigners and how to build one. Come and use the 3D printers, get a project started and chat about Bitcoin with everyone there. It all gets started at 12:00. No tech skills are necessary. ⚙️🧡 8. [**Bitcoin Walk - Edinburgh**](https://bitcoinevents.uk/bitcoinwalk/): Every Saturday they walk around Arthur's Seat in this historic city. Join them at 12 pm to chat about all things Bitcoin and keep fit. 🚶🏻🚶🏼‍♀️🚶🏽‍♂️ 9. [**Bitcoin East**](https://x.com/bitcoineastuk/status/1875867783457910895): Their first meetup of 2025 will be at Marzano Cafe in the beautiful city of Norwich. Join them at 11:00 on Sunday 26th Jan, there's a lot to discuss. ☕️ * * * **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/)

@ bf7973ed:841ad12a

Today marked the end of the tik tok era (is it really the end?) and if think it shows how powerful social engineering is. People are experiencing withdrawals and some have resorted to a more dangerous drug (Rednote) which I find funny because they can't understand any writing in the app. They just need that cheap thrill. Social media was first created to keep in tough with friends and family and possibly make new friends. It wasn't long before social media was turned into for profit advertising platforms. This introduced "The Algorithm" to make the experience more "relatable" to users. This is where the addiction began. Nostr doesn't have an algorithm. It is a place to keep in touch with family, friends and make a lot of new friends. Nostr is a protocol at heart. Nostr is a place for everyone. A true freedom of speech. A place with no controlling autority. Nostr is what social media was meant to be.

@ ce6b432f:c07ce020

I’ve never lived in LA, though I’ve visited many times. The devastation there from recent fires there is still in the headlines and anyone with a soul feels for the folks without homes, neighbors and communities. Whether they vote the same way or look the same way or worship the same god, “what can I do to help these victims?” is our first question. The second question is, what is the most responsible way to help? Paragraph two and controversy is already here. Responsible according to who? These people are victims, just give them as much money as they need and let them figure it out according to their local knowledge and culture! The broadest possible answer to this comes from a recent Substack by Arnold Kling: California Tough Love . His position is that there are certain factors controlled locally that led to the disaster, and we shouldn’t be in a rush to replicate them. Having some strings attached to funds that reduce the likelihood of $50,000/year blue collar workers in Iowa footing the bill for the rebuild of $5,000,000 homes in Pacific Palisades AGAIN in the foreseeable future is a very reasonable position. My position here will be more detailed than Arnold’s, and thus has a higher probability of being wrong. That has never stopped me before. The source of this hubris is a crystal ball. While not a resident of LA, I have been an honorary citizen of Maui for several decades. This attachment is longer than the attachment to the city I currently live in. In August of 2023, a similar devastating fire engulfed the town of Lahaina on the west side of Maui. ~2,200 homes were burned or damaged. The plight of those rebuilding and the process they have gone through quickly faded from national attention, but not to those of us who spend substantial amounts of time on the island. This experience 17 months before the LA fires has painted a depressing blueprint of what we can expect in LA’s recovery. A couple of highlights: - In November of 2024, the first house was rebuilt. 15 months = 1 house. First House Rebuilt -[Maui News](https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2024/11/a-moment-in-history-family-says-thanks-as-community-celebrates-first-rebuilt-home-in-lahaina/) Article highlight: Maui “expedited the permitting process for this house, so it “only” took 2 months. - In December of 2024, federal funding for rebuilding via a block grant is finally approved by congress. Federal Block Grant For Rebuild - [Maui News](https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2025/01/federal-disaster-funding-signals-a-shift-for-lahaina/) Article highlight: $1.6 billion approved for housing = ~$800,000 per house. What do these items have in common? The biggest price so far is time. Arnold’s substack was more of a philosophical position, but I doubt even he knew that at the time of writing, Lahaina’s federal funding had just been approved. All those strings he had attached by the feds? Still very slow for a family without a home. This is half of the ‘real price gouging’ mentioned in the subtitle. Those further down the socio-economic ladder have less time to weather the process in Lahaina and the same will likely be true for the middle class residents embedded in the areas destroyed by California’s fires. The second element of price gouging is the red tape partially embodied in Maui’s example of two months of permitting. These costs aren’t just the time, but also the professional consultants of various stripes required to navigate the process successfully and the costly modifications to homes mandated through these processes. Here is where I posit my broad and general suggestion. There should exist a “right to rebuild”. If you can legally own a piece of property in a specific condition, you should have the right to rebuild that exact same property if it is destroyed by means out of your control. If you don’t have a “right to rebuild”, you really don’t own that property - you are just renting it for an indefinite period from whoever can prohibit rebuilding it. Rebuilding is a special case in both the individual and the community level. See the map of Lahaina below. We know where all the plumbing and power lines were. We know where the streets and drainage were. The right to rebuild translates nicely to the community level. Rebuild everything back where it was. Take a month or two to clear out the debris, from an area and begin to rebuild. Rinse and repeat until done. Taxpayers in Texas shouldn’t be paying for bloated permitting processes in Lahaina or LA. They shouldn’t be paying for eco-upgrades unless very specific, critical failures that caused the current disaster are clearly identified with lowest-cost available solutions. (In Lahaina - pay to bury the power lines. I drove through the area the fire started 2 weeks before it occurred. That place was a tinder box, and it will be again unless someone puts a golf course on that hill. I’m not joking about the golf course. Directly adjacent to the north of the area of Lahaina that burned is Ka’anapali, whose identical hillside is green all year round due to the presence of golf courses that pay for themselves and do not burn.) How to address this in the context of federal funding via Arnold’s original post: - Extremely expedited permitting process for rebuilds that get any federal funding: 5 days not 60. You can rebuild what you had, no questions asked, just file the paper work to prove it is the same lot and same size structure. If local jurisdictions drag their heels - no funding, answer to your voters who are now SOL. - Capped amount of funding per structure that covers a functional modest structure built at the average cost of the 10 most affordable states in the country. The process of building a single family residence is not dramatically different in various areas of the country, unless dictated by excessive regulation. There may be factors for labor to consider if an area is remote like Lahaina or the hills of North Carolina affected by Helene. But if it costs 2x to build a house in your county than in the 10 most affordable states - you are doing it wrong. There is some regulatory price gouging going on. Figure it out. [The 10 Most Affordable States to Build a Home](https://chatgpt.com/share/678bc709-6694-8007-9068-f6fbeec8f53b) - According to this research you can build a 2,100 square foot home for an average of less than $300,000 in the 10 most affordable states. - This funding will also be contingent on these rebuilt houses being completed within 110% of the time it takes to build 2,100 square foot home in the same 10 markets - measured from the day funds begin to be distributed by the federal government. - Federal funding will begin to be distributed from a risk pool within 6 months of the disaster, with minimal review to just ensure the disaster qualifies and the receiving state/city will abide by its parameters. The funding is distributed at intervals governed by compliance with the program. Permits are being issued timely, and the amounts distributed are aligned with the cost of building in our most affordable markets. If you want to build something new and different than before - it might take longer. If you want more than 2,100 square feet of house - I hope you had insurance to cover the difference. A new 2,100 square foot house puts you in the top 10% of humans on earth in terms of shelter. Being a good neighbor does not require rebuilding your infinity pool. The right to rebuild will get people in homes quicker, remove government obstacles, and stop funding waste. Every citizen will know the rules - money is there to get me a basic structure quickly or fund the beginning of something larger. Any obstacles to that time and money are coming from politicians/regulations I can vote on locally. Comments will surely pour in explaining how it isn’t that simple. These comments will be reviewed diligently 2 years from now when Pacific Palisades is still a wasteland after $20 billion in federal aid has been spent. !(image)[https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e7875da-145c-4f34-b115-eb0cf09b9ccf_792x612.jpeg] Source: Maui Now

@ 1123ece2:7d1e00c0

Hey everyone I’m Gary Hoban and welcome to Refinery Life Australia. “The Christ of John’s Gospel” is the theme we are continuing for the coming Sunday morning teachings that focus on John’s unique portrayal of the Christ. We will continue this series for a while longer. Today we are discussing, The Distinctives of Discipleship. **Prayer** Father, we come to You today because You made us, You redeemed us, and we acknowledge that every good and perfect gift comes from Your bountiful hands. Thank You, Father, for the privilege of giving to You for the glory of Your name and cause. The words of Jesus are so true, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Thank you for this heavenly blessing. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. **Text** John 8:31 NKJV The Truth Shall Make You Free 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. **Scripture Reading** John 8:30-59 NKJV 30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. The Truth Shall Make You Free 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Abraham’s Seed and Satan’s 37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” 39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.  40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.  41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.  44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” Before Abraham Was, I AM 48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  50 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” 52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’  53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. **Introduction.** What does it really mean to follow Jesus? Somehow in the early part of the twenty first century, people have lost sight of what it means to follow Jesus. Discipleship is linked to external observance of religion rather than a relationship experience with Jesus Christ. During Jesus’ life and ministry on earth, many people sought to follow Him. John 8:30, 30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Any motives moved to associate with Jesus Christ. Some were infatuated with His miracles and teachings. Others were just curious. Jesus did not want people to follow Him outside the motive of a genuine commitment.\ To distinguish the authentic followers, Jesus gave the distinctive qualities of a true disciple. 1. **A true disciple has continuance** John 8:31-33 NKJV The Truth Shall Make You Free 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus realised that some people made an impulsive decision to follow Him. At times in Jesus’ ministry, large crowds followed Him. He knew they followed mainly to see His miracles or just to be part of the crowd. He knew that many would decide not to follow Him. After Jesus taught the crowds that He was the Bread of Life, John 6:66 says, From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Jesus pointed out that perseverance would be the sign of a true disciple. John 8:31, The Truth Shall Make You Free 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. Discipleship is not the excitement of one moment. It is a patient continuance in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. To a crowd of potential followers, Jesus gave a sure sign of a disciple. A disciple is one who follows Jesus continuously. The genuine evidence is in the sustained effort. **2. A true disciple has freedom.** John 8:34-38, Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” Jesus taught of a freedom that led to bondage. Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. Jesus taught a group of potential disciples about how sin leads to bondage. Going through life with self will, self trust, and self assertion leads to a detrimental bondage. No one who follows Jesus can be a master to himself. Jesus spoke of a bondage that leads to freedom. A true disciple is one who has renounced his or her way to follow the way of Christ. Bondage to the Lord leads to authentic freedom. Jesus said, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” The true disciple of Jesus lives to please only one person, Jesus Christ. A disciple of Jesus is not a slave to sin but is a slave to the master. **3. A true disciple has Christlike behaviour.** John 8:39-47 NKJV 39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.  40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.  44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” The Jew’s claimed to be Abraham’s children. By physical lineage this was true. However, many Jews lived contrary to Abraham’s example. They sought to kill Jesus and slander His name. Jesus said they were not God’s children, for they did not reflect God’s character. Rather, He said in John 8:44, You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. God’s children behave like His children. John 8:42, “If God were your Father, you would love Me”, and He added in verse 47, “He who is of God hears God’s words.” Nature will be true to itself. If one is born of God, then they will live in accordance with Christ’s character. **4. A true disciple honours Christ.** John 8:48-59 NKJV Before Abraham Was, I AM 48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  50 And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” 52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’  53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. Many claimed to be disciples of Jesus, but they did not honour Him. In fact, they accused Him of being demon possessed. Jesus said in verse 49, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.”  They could not be authentic followers and dishonour the Lord in this way. True disciples honour and adore and obey Christ. **Conclusion.** Are you a true disciple of Jesus Christ? The proof is a continuing commitment to Him, freedom from sin, Christlike behaviour, and a Christ honouring life.  Until next time Stay in the Blessings I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word. When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer. Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body! You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at The Refinery. When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you. So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us at www.refinerylife.org 2025 IS A YEAR OF NEW BEGINNINGS. © www.refinerylife.org  2013-2024 All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968, no part of this Article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission. This episode is brought to you by Refinery Life Australia: If you enjoy The Refinery Life Radio Podcast you can help support The Refinery by doing the following: Sow an offering: Bitcoin: bc1qqh6720t2zagj72dyfj348az698tdut3hlecaj4 Online: https://www.refinerylife.org/donate/ If you do send an offering then please email us so that we can say thank you Subscribe on iTunes | Spotify | YouTube | TuneIn | Rumble | Flare | Zap.Stream | Fountain | Share The Refinery with your friends and family Subscribe to the newsletter on www.refinerylife.org Follow The Refinery on Twitter | Nostr | Instagram | Fountain

@ dbb19ae0:c3f22d5a

# Introduction to Perl programming Perl is a high-level, general-purpose programming language that excels in text processing, system administration, web development, and more. Its flexibility and strong regular expression capabilities make it a popular choice for scripting tasks. This article introduces the basics of Perl programming, including an example script. ## Basics of Perl ### Running a Perl Script To execute a Perl script, save the code in a file with a `.pl` extension (e.g., `script.pl`) and run it from the command line: ```bash perl script.pl ``` ### Syntax Highlights 1. **Shebang Line**: Specify the interpreter. ```perl #!/usr/bin/perl ``` 2. **Comments**: Use `#` for single-line comments. ```perl # This is a comment ``` 3. **Printing Output**: ```perl print "Hello, World!\n"; ``` ### Variables Perl has three main variable types: - **Scalars**: Single values (numbers, strings, etc.), prefixed by `$`. ```perl my $name = "Eva"; my $age = 35; ``` - **Arrays**: Ordered lists, prefixed by `@`. ```perl my @colors = ("red", "green", "blue"); ``` - **Hashes**: Key-value pairs, prefixed by `%`. ```perl my %capitals = ("France" => "Paris", "Japan" => "Tokyo"); ``` ### Control Structures - **Conditional Statements**: ```perl if ($age > 18) { print "You are an adult.\n"; } else { print "You are a minor.\n"; } ``` - **Loops**: ```perl for my $color (@colors) { print "$color\n"; } ``` ## Example Script: Text File Analysis This script reads a text file, counts the lines, words, and characters, and prints the results. ### Script ```perl #!/usr/bin/perl use strict; use warnings; # Check for file argument if (@ARGV != 1) { die "Usage: $0 <filename>\n"; } my $filename = $ARGV[0]; # Open the file open(my $fh, '<', $filename) or die "Could not open file '$filename': $!\n"; # Initialize counters my ($line_count, $word_count, $char_count) = (0, 0, 0); # Process the file while (my $line = <$fh>) { $line_count++; $char_count += length($line); $word_count += scalar(split(/\s+/, $line)); } close($fh); # Print results print "File: $filename\n"; print "Lines: $line_count\n"; print "Words: $word_count\n"; print "Characters: $char_count\n"; ``` ### Explanation 1. **Input Validation**: Ensures the script is called with a filename. 2. **File Handling**: Uses `open` and `close` for file operations. 3. **Counters**: Tracks lines, words, and characters. 4. **Loop**: Reads the file line by line, processing each line. ### Running the Script Save the script as `file_analysis.pl` and run it with a text file: ```bash perl file_analysis.pl sample.txt ``` ## Conclusion Perl is a powerful tool for scripting and data processing. Its concise syntax and robust text-handling capabilities make it an excellent choice for many tasks. This example demonstrates basic Perl features and encourages further exploration of its vast capabilities.

@ dbb19ae0:c3f22d5a

Inspired by a video on [youtube](https://youtu.be/OxPdPOsbxY8) I wrote a calculator with Perl: Beware the line my ($num1, $num2, $operator) = '@'_; should be my ($num1, $num2, $operator) = @_; But the markdown syntax needs to have the @ into quotes otherwise, well the rest of the program is missing #!/usr/bin/perl # calculator # use strict; use warnings; sub get_input { print "Enter number 1: "; chomp(my $num1 = <STDIN>); print "Enter number 2: "; chomp(my $num2 = <STDIN>); print "Enter operator (+, -, *, /): "; chomp(my $operator = <STDIN>); return ($num1, $num2, $operator); } sub calculate { my ($num1, $num2, $operator) = '@'_; my $result; if ($operator eq '+') { $result = $num1 + $num2; } elsif ($operator eq '-') { $result = $num1 - $num2; } elsif ($operator eq '*') { $result = $num1 * $num2; } elsif ($operator eq '/') { if ($num2 == 0) { die "Error: Division by zero\n"; } $result = $num1 / $num2; } else { die "Invalid operator\n"; } return $result; } # Get input from the user my ($num1, $num2, $operator) = get_input(); # Calculate the result my $result = calculate($num1, $num2, $operator); # Print the result print "$num1 $operator $num2 = $result\n"; originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/816121

@ 6871d8df:4a9396c1

## 2024 Prediction Reflections ### Politics #### **Democrats & 2024 Election** - _“Democrats’ attempt to stifle democracy will likely put Trump in the White House. If not, some real sketchy stuff would need to happen to keep him out.”_ This prediction was *exactly right*. The assassination attempt on Trump seemed to be the final blow for the Democrats. Despite a heavy push my legacy media, Trump won handily. The Democrats switched to Kamala Harris after Biden showed signs of incapacity, most notably in the first debate against Trump. My prediction for the election also turned out to be [exactly right](https://cwilbzz.com/election-prediction-my-vote/), which, thank you [Robert Barnes and Richard Baris](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHe3u4zZfY7K8PqHcVM0iLjHKV9Sr7iDy). #### **Evidence of Institutional Ideological Capture** - _“People will continue to wake up to ideologically captured institutions, and DEI will be the main loser.”_ Trump’s resounding election victory underscores that the public is increasingly aware of (and rejecting) such institutional capture. Of note, Boeing comes to mind as an institution that had a tough time in 2024, in large part to DEI. Nothing seemed to function correctly. The biggest story being how they [stranded people in space](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2023/01/17/boeing-spacex-nasa-artemis/) ### Media & Public Opinion #### **Rise of Independent & Alternative Media** - _“Independent and alternative media will continue to grow as people’s trust in legacy media declines.”_ Twitter (X), under Elon Musk, shattered mainstream media’s influence far more than expected. As Elon has said, “You are the media now.” Alternative sources are king. - *Notable Example:* Kamala Harris’s decision _not_ to appear on the Joe Rogan podcast contrasted with Trump’s appearance, further highlighting the power shift to alternative media. ### Markets & IPOs #### **Interest Rates & Public Markets** - _“As interest rates come down, I expect public markets and IPOs to heat up.”_ This _did not_ play out. Companies that were expected to go public in 2024 remain private in 2025. The reasons are varied, but there is confidence that 2025 might see changes. ### Technology & AI #### **LLMs & AI Adoption** - _“AI and LLMs will continue to move at a rapid rate, increasing productivity. Tools like Bard will become more mainstream.”_ AI did *take off*. Usage among nontechnical users increased, and it’s no longer uncommon for people to default to AI-driven tools rather than Google search. #### **Decentralized AI** - _“I hope to see a rise in decentralized AI to counter big-player LLMs.”_ We didn’t see explicit ‘decentralized AI’ breakthroughs, but more players entered the AI market. ChatGPT still dominates, with Elon’s ‘Grok’ making moves. Google, Meta, and Microsoft remain active but slightly behind in usage. ### Bitcoin & Digital Assets #### **Institutional Adoption of Bitcoin** - _“2024 will bring more institutions to Bitcoin. Possibly another large company or nation-state. The ETF should help, likely pushing BTC to a new all-time high.”_ No *large* public company or nation-state placed a bet, but smaller public companies did. Michael Saylor presented to Microsoft’s Board, which was the closest instance to a major move. - *Price Movement:* Bitcoin _did_ hit a new all-time high, rising to as much as $108k in 2024. #### **Lightning Network** - _“Lightning will improve but remain primarily used for acquiring Bitcoin, not everyday payments.”_ Still true. Lightning usage remains *tiny* relative to broader Bitcoin adoption. #### **Nostr Adoption** - _“Nostr will grow, and we’ll see new companies leverage this network beyond just social media.”_ Growth continues, but Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover slowed adoption. Nostr will remain niche until a major catalyst occurs (e.g., a big player joins or forced usage due to censorship). #### **Stablecoin-Specific Regulations** - _“Expect stablecoin regulations in 2024 that’ll be favorable to them.”_ This didn’t happen, largely due to the administration’s hostility. Expect potential change in 2025. #### Miscellaneous 2024 Reflections - **Return to Sanity** - 2024 felt like sanity prevailed, largely due to the Democrats’ collapse behind Biden and Harris and Elon’s Twitter dominance. - **Operation Chokepoint 2.0** - Received a lot of attention, and I’m thankful it did because my experience at Strike was radicalizing and extreme. - **Bryan Johnson & Anti-Aging** - He burst onto the scene with his obsession over biomarkers. I see it as misguided—chasing markers in isolation doesn’t automatically yield a healthy system. - **Apple’s Rough Year** - Without a visionary leader, Apple appears to be scraping by on existing products rather than innovating. - **Google Under Fire** - Google is in a tough fight with the government, just as it seems they’re on their heels with AI competition. --- ## 2025 Predictions 1. **Bitcoin’s Performance** Bitcoin will have a good year, but not better than 2024. To beat 2024, it must close above 206k on December 31, 2025. I’ll take the under on that. - I am not ruling out it to be over that at some point in 2025. 2. **Twitter’s Success Continues to Stunt nostr** - Nostr adoption will stay slow due to Elon’s dominant influence with X (Twitter). - As long as it remains a beacon of free speech, I doubt we see an exodus. - Rumble integrating Tether *might* help if they allow Nostr-like features (zaps), but that seems unlikely. 3. **Apple** - Apple will continue its rent-seeking behavior and put out underwhelming products. 4. **Google’s Quantum & AI** - Recent buzz about Google’s quantum chip and AI improvements won’t pan out as a big deal. - Google will continue to trail OpenAI and xAI in practical LLM usage. 5. **Elon, Vivek & DOGE** - I expect them to *deliver* more than critics think. They’ll expose bloat and inefficiencies in ways that will shake up norms. I greatly welcome this. I wouldn’t bet against them. 6. **Mainstream Media Reckoning** - In Trump’s second term, mainstream news outlets will face a real reckoning, as I can’t see how their bias can continue. - They’ll have to reduce their bias or risk bankruptcy. - Alternative media’s growth trend continues, especially as Twitter keeps exposing mainstream outlets’ weaknesses. 7. **RFK Delivers** - We will see big changes in the health space due to RFK at HHS. These are changes that I am very excited to see. 8. **Foreign Policy** - With the transition to Trump, I expect some foreign policy wins that will buck the establishment but will deliver wins that are not thought possible by the “experts.” --- ### Closing Note - **Overall 2024**: It was a year of major political upheaval, vindication for Bitcoin, and continued AI advances. - **Outlook for 2025**: Bitcoin remains strong, AI competition heats up, and media institutions face existential challenges. I’m optimistic for continued decentralization and a more level playing field across tech, finance, and politics. I think the start of Trump’s second term will be very strong for the market, health, and culture. Accelerate.

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

As a frequent user who depends on my phone for a wide range of activities, including boosting my productivity and capturing spontaneous moments, I have been paying close attention to the OnePlus 13. This flagship device appears to meet all my essential requirements, particularly excelling in power and camera capabilities, which are my main priorities. Here are the standout features that have caught my attention. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/9d0b0d98e9ac02d756f31ab0b46f3e0e79b98aa0576d0e71847bba4fcf5ee2e3.webp"> ### Power to Handle Anything I Throw at It Performance is a big deal for me, and the OnePlus 13 doesn’t seem to disappoint. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, a beast in the mobile tech world. I can already imagine how smoothly it would handle heavy multitasking, like switching between editing photos, running multiple apps, and even gaming. The insane memory options—up to 24GB of RAM—truly stand out. That’s more RAM than most laptops I’ve owned! Pair that with up to 1TB of storage, and you’re looking at a future-proof phone. I’d never have to worry about running out of space for apps, photos, or videos, and everything would load lightning-fast. ### <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/6f9363e8e4a9663346e5fdaf41b25b611dcf1324a85799bdefa1f90f980fc02d.jpg"> ### A Camera Setup That’s Hard to Ignore One of my favorite things to do is capture high-quality photos and videos, so a powerful camera system is non-negotiable. The OnePlus 13 delivers with its triple-camera setup; all three lenses are 50 megapixels. That means whether I’m shooting with the main wide lens, zooming in with the telephoto, or going wide with the ultra-wide, I’m getting consistently sharp, detailed shots. The Hasselblad collaboration is a big draw for me, too. OnePlus phones have been steadily improving their color science, and this partnership seems to really shine in the OnePlus 13. I’d expect vibrant, true-to-life colors in my photos without much editing required. The AI enhancements also pique my interest. From what I’ve read, the phone handles tricky lighting situations, like low-light environments or high-contrast scenes, exceptionally well. That’s exactly what I need to capture spontaneous moments without worrying about settings. ### Battery and Charging That Won’t Leave Me Hanging Another thing I appreciate is the long battery life. The 6,000 mAh battery on the OnePlus 13 is reportedly a powerhouse, capable of lasting two days under mixed usage. And when I do need to charge, the 100W wired charging can fully juice up the phone in just over half an hour. Even the 50W wireless charging is incredibly fast, which is perfect for someone like me who’s always on the move. ### Design and Features That Add Value The flat-edge design and premium finish make the phone feel as good as it looks. I’d probably go for the Midnight Ocean with its vegan leather back—it sounds grippy and unique, ideal for someone who doesn’t want to slap on a bulky case. The little extras, like Glove Mode and Aqua Touch 2.0, also catch my attention. Since winters are cold here, using my phone with gloves on is a practical bonus. ### Why It’s Tempting Me At $899 for the base model, the OnePlus 13 seems like a solid deal, especially for the power and camera capabilities it offers. Even if I choose a higher configuration, the pricing still feels reasonable compared to other flagships with similar specs. For me, the OnePlus 13 feels like a phone that’s built for power users—people who need speed, reliability, and top-tier camera performance. I’m seriously considering it for my next upgrade because it feels like it would keep up with everything I do and then some. If the camera and performance live up to the hype, I might just have my decision made.

@ c69b71dc:426ba763

## Chef's notes This raw vegan curry ramen is a vibrant, nourishing dish packed with fresh vegetables and a rich, creamy coconut curry broth. It’s quick to prepare, full of flavour, and the perfect guilt-free comfort food! 🌱 Feel free to use your favourite veggies👩🏼‍🍳 ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 20 min. - 🍳 Cook time: 0 - 🍽️ Servings: 2 ## Ingredients - 500g or 2 packs kelp noodles - 1/2 Lemon juice ( 1/4 for soaking and 1/4 for the soup - Salt - Fresh vegetables of your choice, such as: 4 medium mushrooms, 4 leaves red cabbage, 2 carrots (julienned or peeled into strips), 1 Celery stick (diced) - 2 cups coconut milk (or coconut cream diluted with water) - 1/2 flesh of a Coconut (optional, if using fresh coconuts) otherwise more coconut cream - 1 thumb of fresh ginger - 1 thumb of fresh turmeric - 2 tbsp light miso paste - 2 pitted dates - 2 tbsp cashews - 1 clove garlic - 1 tsp curry powder or pepper (optional) ## Directions 1. Prepare the Noodles: Rinse the kelp noodles thoroughly. Then soak them in warm water with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt for 10 minutes to soften. 2. Prep the Vegetables: Thinly slice or julienne carrots, dice celery, thinly cut mushrooms, cut the red cabbage into thin strips. 3. Make the Broth: In a blender, combine the following: 2 cups coconut milk (or coconut cream diluted with water if fresh coconuts are unavailable), ginger, turmeric, 1/4 juice of 1 lemon, light miso paste, pitted dates, cashews, garlic, salt, curry powder 4. Blend on high speed for about 3 to 4 minutes until the broth is smooth and slightly warm. Do not overheat! 5. Assemble the Ramen: Drain the kelp noodles and place them in serving bowls. Arrange the prepped vegetables on top of the noodles. Pour the warm curry broth over the noodles and vegetables. 6. Serve immediately and enjoy your raw vegan ramen with chopsticks for an authentic touch!

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

Since I don't follow a particular regiment throughout the day, I need some guiding principles to stay on track. Previously, I wrote about [Hormesis](https://stacker.news/items/850029/r/Undisciplined), which let's me be more comfortable being uncomfortable. My primary weakness, when it comes to ~HealthAndFitness, is snacking. Honestly, "snacking" is putting it mildly. If there are unprotected baked goods in the house, I'm going to eat them until either they're gone or I'm too sick to continue. The point where I am able to exercise some self-control is at the point of purchase. I have no problem (usually) keeping junk food out of my cart. I will buy the ingredients to make baked goods, when my wife asks me to, though. However, being limited to homemade baked goods that other people make for me is a pretty good constraint. Plus, her cooking is healthier, tastier, and less expensive than prepackaged snacks. I'm curious if this works for anyone else. Or, do you weirdos have self control when there are tasty treats in your vicinity? originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/854896

@ c4b5369a:b812dbd6

This is the first edition of the SDR (Squirrel Den Recap), a development blog where I recap the recent Cashu related things I've been working on. ### The year of the nut IYKYK. 2025 is the year of the nut. Don't blame me, you can put it on the Chinese: <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/c83ed9f135dd2ba6285d90ff3320055d7245d6d8e11022e2d57af2995b2bc654.jpg"> And I intend to take full advantage of that. This is the year where I go all in on the nut development! ## Building a mint??? There are already a few mint implementations out there ([nutshell](https://github.com/cashubtc/nutshell), [gonuts](https://github.com/elnosh/gonuts), [cdk](https://github.com/cashubtc/cdk)...). So why build another? Honestly it was kind of a selfish move. So far, I have mainly concerned myself with building tools for Cashu wallets and clients. I figured, if I wanted to truly focus on Cashu this year, I should also know my stuff when it comes to building a mint from scratch. And so I did. It also allows me to experiment with mint related stuff, having an implementation handy that I can mess around with. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/3b6e156bfc9d464929696502f28986bf3764ac736e826429673129f548ec4954.png">  The mint implementation is called MNT. You can visit the homepage <https://mnt.cash> , where you will also find a link to the code. Although the code works, the mint implementation is not yet ready for production. I've been playing around with it using a local testing lightning network with [Polar](https://lightningpolar.com/) , which by the way is a great tool for devs that need to test lightning integrations. ### The mint MNT is short for mint. It's also pronounced like mint, but without the "i". The goal of this project is to be an easy to run mint, that could be deployed by users for example when running an event. It won't support all of the protocol features, to keep it simple. Instead the focus will be on simplicity and ease of use. MNT comes with an admin web interface, that makes it easy to set the mint up with a lightning backend: <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/d5ef4baee85173e98057447c1f14e70d73fe2f647a71096a954288bc70785571.png">  After adding a lightning backend, the mint is basically ready! Users can enjoy a live view of what is happening on their mint via the integrated dashboard: <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/a2b8968f564cfe082182a44a68aed8c2e4001170f26c76d7b6892981ec43aa05.png">  Admins can take direct actions on the mint via the admin tool, like rotating keysets, disabling and enabling features, etc... A key feature is also the keyset view, where operators get a view on how much of the issued ecash has already been redeemed in each keyset. This is a crucial tool for mint operators, because it lets them know when they can safely delete records from their database, or shut the mint down. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/182bb23b39b6cb1002a48abc8a0093b0fee506ebee01e7a48d50a434869e6557.png">  The mint is compatible with all Cashu wallets. It only supports a subset of the cashu specification (NUTs), and will probably never implement the full spec. I'm looking forward to soon recklessly give this badboy a spin on mainnet 😎 ## What else? **Cashu-ts** Last year npub1mhcr4j594hsrnen594d7700n2t03n8gdx83zhxzculk6sh9nhwlq7uc226 joined cashu-ts as a maintainer and has been killing it with development in the project! As I ramp up my involvement in the project again, we started having weekly dev calls. **Developers that want to contribute to cashu-ts development**, **please reach out to me so you can join us on the next call!** **Nutstash** The wallet has seen a complete make-over at the end of last year. Now is the time to consolidate, fix bugs and improve the UX. npub12zpfs3yq7we83yvypgsrw5f88y2fv780c2kfs89ge5qk6q3sfm7spks880 has been helping me with awesome designs and UX suggestions, while I've been crushing bugs. A new version fixing some edge cases in the restore process can be expected next week! <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/55222e2206e938285cf344e84f6a5c4e8aca31c150891aad2ea6061a2a50d322.png"> ### This blog \ This year, I was fortunate to receive funding for my work on open source projects in the [Cashu](https://cashu.space) ecosystem. I am very grateful for the trust from npub17xvf49kht23cddxgw92rvfktkd3vqvjgkgsdexh9847wl0927tqsrhc9as and npub10pensatlcfwktnvjjw2dtem38n6rvw8g6fv73h84cuacxn4c28eqyfn34f this means a lot to me, to be able to make a living by working on something I am passionate about is a blessing, and I don't think it would be possible without the support from you. My deepest gratitude, I hope my contributions will not only match, but exceed expectations. By writing this blog, I want to show my progress, proof of work, and give people a look into the daily life in the squirrels den 🐿️🐿️🐿️🐿️🐿️🐿️ If you have any questions or suggestions about this blog, please let me know in a comment! ### Best, Gandlaf

@ a10260a2:caa23e3e

*Last Updated: January 18, 2025* First off, big shoutout to Coinos for having support for adding a memo to BOLT12 offers. This provides a solid alternative for the pleb who wants to support mining decentralization but doesn’t want to set up a CLN node and pay thousands of sats for a channel only to get little rewards. This is the case for most of us who only have a miner or two (e.g. a Bitaxe and/or an S9). Before we get into setting up Lightning payouts, you’ll want to have your miner configured to mine with OCEAN of course. You’ll also want to make sure that the bitcoin address you use is from a wallet that supports signing messages. These are the ones listed in the OCEAN [docs](https://ocean.xyz/docs/lightning): * Bitcoin Knots/Bitcoin Core * Coldcard * Electrum * LND (Command Line) * Seedsigner * Sparrow * Specter * Trezor I checked one of my favorite, user-friendly wallets — Blue Wallet — and it happens to support signing messages as well. Just tap the three dots on the upper right and you’ll see the “Sign/Verify Message” button at the bottom.   Update [January 18]: You can now use Coinos to sign by going to https://coinos.io/sign The trick here is to not refresh the page. In other words, when you're logged in to your Coinos account, go to the URL and use the legacy address (starts with a "1") that's displayed to configure your miner(s). If you refresh the page, you're going to get a new address which will cause the signing to fail later on. *Remember*, keep the tab open and don't refresh the page.  Whichever wallet you choose, generate a receive address to use when configuring your miner (it’ll also be your OCEAN username). Here’s how it looks on the Bitaxe (AxeOS)…  And the Antminer S9 (Braiins OS).  NOTE: There’s a slight difference in the URL format between the two apps. Other than that, the username will be your bitcoin address followed by the optional “.” + the nickname for your machine. You can find more details on OCEAN’s [get started page](https://ocean.xyz/getstarted). --- Alright, now that your miner is pointed at OCEAN. Let’s configure Lightning payouts! ### Generating the BOLT12 Offer In the Coinos app, go to Receive > Bolt 12.  Tap “Set memo” and set it to “OCEAN Payouts for [insert your bitcoin address]” (this text is case-sensitive). Use the same bitcoin address you used above to configure your miner(s).  After tapping OK, copy the BOLT12 offer (it should start with “lno”) and proceed to the next step. ### Generating the Configuration Message Navigate to the [My Stats](https://ocean.xyz/stats) page by searching for your OCEAN Bitcoin address.  The click the Configuration link next to Next Block to access the configuration form.  Paste the BOLT12 offer here, update the block height to latest, click GENERATE, and copy the generated unsigned message.   ### Signing the Configuration Message To sign the generated message, go back to Blue Wallet and use the signing function. Paste the configuration message in the Message field, tap Sign, and copy the signed message that’s generated.  If you're using Coinos to sign, return to the page that you kept open (and didn't refresh) and do the same. Paste the configuration message, click submit, and copy the signed message. ### Submitting the Signed Message Once signed, copy the signature, paste it in the OCEAN configuration form, and click CONFIRM.  If all goes well, you should see a confirmation that the configuration was successful. Congrats! 🎉 All you gotta do now is sit back, relax, and wait for a block to be found… Or you can look into setting up [DATUM](https://ocean.xyz/docs/datum-setup). 😎

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Over the past decade, the cryptocurrency landscape has witnessed unprecedented growth, with Bitcoin undeniably at its forefront. As the trailblazer of digital currencies, Bitcoin has not only introduced the world to the possibilities of decentralized finance but has also inspired the creation of thousands of other cryptocurrencies. Yet, among the myriad of developments in the crypto domain, the advent of Bitcoin ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) stands out. These innovative financial instruments have not only revolutionized how investors perceive and interact with Bitcoin but have also provided a bridge between the volatile world of cryptocurrencies and the more stable, regulated realm of traditional finance. **Table Of Content** - What is a Bitcoin ETF? - Why are Bitcoin ETFs Important? - The Current Landscape of Bitcoin ETFs - How to Invest in a Bitcoin ETF - Conclusion - FAQs **What is a Bitcoin ETF?** At its core, a Bitcoin ETF is a financial instrument designed to track the price movements of Bitcoin. Rather than diving into the intricate world of cryptocurrencies—buying Bitcoin directly, grappling with the nuances of digital wallets, or navigating the often complex landscape of crypto exchanges—investors can now simply purchase shares of a Bitcoin ETF. These shares are traded just like any other stock on traditional stock exchanges, offering a seamless integration of Bitcoin into conventional investment portfolios. **Why are Bitcoin ETFs Important?** **Accessibility:** One of the primary advantages of Bitcoin ETFs is their accessibility. They open the doors for everyday investors, even those unfamiliar with the intricacies of the crypto world, to gain exposure to Bitcoin. There's no need to delve into the technical aspects of purchasing, storing, or securing the cryptocurrency—Bitcoin ETFs simplify the entire process. **Regulation:** Being listed and traded on recognized stock exchanges means that Bitcoin ETFs come under the purview of financial regulators. This regulatory oversight ensures a degree of transparency and protection for investors, something that's often amiss in the wild west of direct cryptocurrency investments. **Diversification:** For seasoned investors and newcomers alike, diversification is a cornerstone of a robust investment strategy. Bitcoin ETFs offer a golden opportunity to tap into the burgeoning cryptocurrency market without the direct volatility and risks tied to holding the actual digital assets. **The Current Landscape of Bitcoin ETFs** The concept of a Bitcoin ETF isn't new. However, its journey to mainstream acceptance has been riddled with regulatory challenges. Many countries, initially hesitant, have taken a cautious approach, leading to delays in the adoption of Bitcoin ETFs. But as the broader financial community becomes more attuned to the potential benefits (and risks) of cryptocurrencies, we're witnessing a gradual shift. Regulators are now more open, and approvals for Bitcoin ETFs in major financial markets are on the rise. This evolving landscape has sparked renewed interest, with both institutional and retail investors keenly exploring these novel investment avenues. **How to Invest in a Bitcoin ETF** The process of investing in a Bitcoin ETF mirrors that of any other traditional investment vehicle. Here's an elaborated guide: **Research:** Embarking on any investment journey necessitates thorough research. It's imperative to delve deep, understand the nuances, and compare the various Bitcoin ETFs available in the market. Look into their past performance, management strategies, and fee structures. **Choose a Brokerage:** Once you've zeroed in on a Bitcoin ETF that aligns with your investment goals, the next step is to select a suitable brokerage. Opt for one that offers your chosen Bitcoin ETF and boasts a reputation for reliability and security. **Buy Shares:** With your brokerage account set up, you're all set to make your purchase. Navigate to the trading platform, search for your chosen Bitcoin ETF, decide on the number of shares you wish to buy, and execute the trade. It's as simple as buying shares of any other company. **Conclusion** The emergence of Bitcoin ETFs signifies a monumental shift in the financial world. It's a testament to the growing acceptance of cryptocurrencies and their potential to coexist with traditional financial instruments. As the crypto ecosystem continues to evolve, mature, and gain broader acceptance, the allure of Bitcoin ETFs is set to grow. For investors, this evolution offers a unique vantage point—a chance to be at the intersection of time-tested financial principles and the dynamic world of digital currencies. **FAQs** **What is a Bitcoin ETF?** A Bitcoin ETF is a financial instrument that tracks the price of Bitcoin, allowing investors to buy its shares on traditional stock exchanges. **Why choose a Bitcoin ETF over direct Bitcoin investment?** Bitcoin ETFs offer easier accessibility, regulatory oversight, and a way to diversify investments without dealing with the complexities of direct cryptocurrency handling. **Are Bitcoin ETFs regulated?** Yes, Bitcoin ETFs traded on established stock exchanges are subject to regulatory oversight, providing added protection for investors. **How do I invest in a Bitcoin ETF?** Start with research, choose a reputable brokerage that offers the Bitcoin ETF you're interested in, and then purchase its shares like you would with any other stock. **Are Bitcoin ETFs a safer investment than Bitcoin?** While no investment is risk-free, Bitcoin ETFs offer a layer of protection due to regulatory oversight and eliminate the risks associated with direct handling and storage of cryptocurrencies. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: @croxroadnews** **Instagram: @croxroadnews.co** **Youtube: @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.*

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

In the ever-changing world of decentralized networks, **Nostr** (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is leading the charge. Its lightweight, open design has created an ecosystem that’s as adaptable as it is revolutionary. Whether you're chatting, publishing, or experimenting with new ways to connect, Nostr provides the foundation for a truly decentralized and censorship-resistant internet. --- ### **How Nostr Works: A Quick Overview** At its heart, Nostr is built on simplicity and decentralization. Here’s a breakdown of its core components: 1. **Public and Private Keys**:\ Your public key acts as your identity, and private keys ensure your messages are securely signed. 2. **Relays**:\ Relays are decentralized servers that distribute messages. They don’t own your data but simply pass it along to those who request it. 3. **Clients**:\ Clients are the user-facing applications where you interact with Nostr, offering diverse features and designs. --- ### **Deep Dive: Events in Nostr** Everything on Nostr revolves around **events**, which are cryptographically signed pieces of information containing various kinds of data. Here are the types of events currently supported and their use cases: #### **1. Note Events (Type 1)** - **What They Are**:\ These are the bread and butter of Nostr—text-based posts, much like tweets or status updates on traditional platforms. - **Features**: - Can include text, media links, and hashtags. - Interact with others through likes, replies, and boosts (reposts). - **Use Cases**:\ Perfect for microblogging, status updates, and general social interaction. #### **2. Profile Metadata Events (Type 0)** - **What They Are**:\ This event type stores and updates user profile information, such as your display name, bio, profile picture, and website. - **Features**: - Easily editable and updated across all Nostr clients. - Keeps your identity consistent across platforms. - **Use Cases**:\ Makes profile portability seamless—update once, and it reflects everywhere. #### **3. Relay List Events (Type 2)** - **What They Are**:\ These events store a list of relays that a user is connected to or prefers to use. - **Features**: - Share your relay preferences across devices or clients. - Allows automatic relay connection in supported clients. - **Use Cases**:\ Simplifies the onboarding process for users switching clients or devices. #### **4. Direct Message Events (Type 4)** - **What They Are**:\ End-to-end encrypted messages sent directly between two users. - **Features**: - Only readable by the intended recipient. - Supports text and basic formatting. - **Use Cases**:\ Secure communication for personal or professional purposes. #### **5. Reaction Events (Type 7)** - **What They Are**:\ Events that express reactions to other events, such as likes or emojis. - **Features**: - Provides social feedback (e.g., showing appreciation for a post). - Lightweight and simple to implement. - **Use Cases**:\ Enhances engagement and interaction within the network. #### **6. Repost Events (Type 6)** - **What They Are**:\ Events that allow users to reshare content, similar to retweets on Twitter. - **Features**: - Ensures the original poster retains credit. - Enables broader content visibility. - **Use Cases**:\ Amplifying content that resonates with users or is worth sharing. #### **7. Custom Event Types (Beyond Type 7)** - **What They Are**:\ Developers can create and define custom event types for specific applications. - **Features**: - Flexibility to introduce entirely new functionality. - Supported based on client and relay compatibility. - **Use Cases**:\ Enables innovation, from collaborative editing tools to advanced publishing workflows. --- ### **What Makes Events Special?** 1. **Portability**: Events follow your public key, not the client or relay, ensuring they’re available wherever you go. 2. **Interoperability**: All events are standardized, meaning any Nostr client can understand and process them. 3. **Extensibility**: Through custom event types, the protocol encourages experimentation and development. --- ### **Primal: A Favorite Client for Engaging Events** Among the many clients, **Primal** stands out as a favorite for how it handles Nostr events. Its emphasis on **content discovery** and **rich user interaction** makes it an excellent choice for exploring everything the protocol offers. Whether it’s crafting note events, managing profile metadata, or diving into direct messaging, Primal delivers a polished experience that feels seamless. --- ### **The Future of Nostr Events** As Nostr continues to evolve, so will the events it supports. Imagine event types for live streaming, collaborative workspaces, or even decentralized governance. The possibilities are limitless, driven by the creativity of the developers and the needs of the community. **Have you explored the potential of Nostr events yet? What’s your favorite client or feature? Let’s discuss below!** ⚡️ #Nostr #Primal #Decentralization #NostrEvents #FutureOfWeb

@ f7922a0a:82c34788

Now that the 3rd Satellite Skirmish is complete I wanted to highlight some of the cool features on embrace.satskirmish.com This is what the cutting edge of podcasting 2.0 looks like imo. Live video in an app that allows you to send sats to the artists in real time. On the left hand side we have a Boost score borad that displays the total amount of sats that have come in during the show, live Boosts/Booastagrams as they come in, total amount of sats from each person Boosting and total amount sent from each app. The middle is ovisaly the video of the band playing but with some graphics around it and Boost alerts that show up on the screen in the form of snow flakes for this one. The righthand side is an IRC chat window that connects to an IRC server that the No Agenda community has used for 18+ years thanks to zoidzero++.  The bottom of the page is where things get cool. When you click the Boost the Crew button in the center you can send a Boost that gets split between everyone helping produce the show (hightlighted in yellow).   Each band also has their own Boost button so you can Boost them while they are playing or anytime you visit the page.  

@ ed5774ac:45611c5c

A good question. I do not think so. I will explain below why, but first where did this question come from? The statement that Tether is a Bitcoin company was recently made by Samson Mow in X ([here](https://x.com/Excellion/status/1870577229367005648)) in a response to Paolo Ardoino’s initial Tweet about Tether’s $775 million investment on Rumble ([here](https://x.com/paoloardoino/status/1870231681497538759)).  In response to Samson Mow's statement, I expressed my disagreement by pointing out that Tether prints USDT “out of thin air” and uses these funds to purchase US Treasuries, which in effect helps finance US debt and fund military operations. In my opinion, a bitcoin company should not provide life support to the current broken financial system that is built on the US dollar's status as a global reserve currency, allowing a small group of Western elites to control the system and exploit it for wealth transfer. “The root problem with conventional currency is all the trust that’s required to make it work. The central bank must be trusted not to debase the currency, but the history of fiat currencies is full of breaches of that trust.”(Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System) I believe that the primary purpose of bitcoin is to replace the current fraudulent system, not to support it. My assessment is based on this fundamental principle, and I therefore disagree with Samson’s statement. In short, Tether does not align with bitcoin’s purpose of existence, a point to which I will return later. First, it is necessary to clarify the logic behind my “Tether prints USDT out of thin air” statement as Samson Mow shifted the focus of conversation merely to this specific point instead of clarifying how he considers Tether as a bitcoin company in light of its actions (i.e., financing US debt and thereby funding the US war machine).  My next tweet aimed to highlight the trust concerns inherent in Proof of Stake, a concept that should be familiar to Samson Mow, where ETH holders validate transactions by staking their holdings, creating a system that relies on the implicit trustworthiness of these validators. In response to my reasoning and explanation, Samson initially claimed that Tether is not proof of stake. Next, in a subsequent tweet where I asked for clarification on whether Tether is on the Ethereum blockchain, he acknowledged this point but introduced a new argument suggesting that Tether's situation has nothing to do with PoS. This claim is, to be frank, disconnected from reality and raises questions about Samson Mow’s true motivations.  Following my discussion with Samson Mow on X, I decided to provide further clarification on the reasoning behind my statement that "Tether prints USDT out of thin air". The underlying logic of this argument can be grasped by examining two crucial factors: Proof of Work (PoW) and debt. ### Proof of Work: A critical examination of Tether's USDT issuance requires a deeper understanding of the PoW. When individuals exchange their dollars for USDT, they are essentially trading earned value (their time and energy) for a digital representation thereof. However, Tether's issuance of new USDT units occurs without incurring any cost or spending resources, effectively creating digital tokens that represent claims on value rather than value itself. In stark contrast, the creation of new bitcoins is facilitated through a competitive mining, wherein miners use computational power (spend energy) to validate transactions and create new blocks, thereby earning newly minted bitcoins as a reward for their efforts. Similarly, in gold mining, the discovery of new deposits is the result of the investment of time, energy, and resources by miners. Likewise, individuals who are employees or entrepreneurs invest their time and energy to generate income or profit. This underscores a fundamental principle: that genuine value creation typically results from tangible efforts, and resource allocations, distinguishing it from mechanisms that generate value without any corresponding expenditures. Unlike the aforementioned examples, Tether's mechanism for creating USDT operates under a distinctly different paradigm. Tether issues USDT without expending time, energy, or resources. Instead, individuals give Tether their hard-earned money in exchange for an IOU certificate represented by USDT. This is in theory, assuming that Tether is an honest player and only mints USDT when a user transfers corresponding USD. In practice, however, there are several factors that complicate the verification of Tether's claim regarding the backing of USDT with USD. One issue with Tether operating on Ethereum is that transactions are validated by ETH stakeholders by staking their ETH. This introduces an element of trust in third-party (validators), raising concerns in the integrity of the ledger. Additionally, in contrast to Bitcoin's blockchain, Proof of Stake blockchains do not have a clear "chain" of hashes linking each block back to its predecessor through a computationally intensive process, since there's no mining involved in creating new blocks (as blocks are proposed by validators based on their stake), thereby preventing verification of historical transaction validity. As a result, the current state of a Proof of Stake blockchain reflects only the validators' confirmation without providing any assurance regarding its historical accuracy or integrity. Most significantly, there exists no inherent mechanism, as far as I am aware of, preventing Tether from minting additional USDT without corresponding USD backing and transferring to an ETH address under their control and buying real assets (such as bitcoin) with it. In my opinion, these considerations underscore significant challenges on transparency, accountability and oversight within Tether’s operations. In other words, the entire system relies on the honesty of Tether and Ethereum validators as trusted third parties, which contradicts Bitcoin's fundamental principle that eliminates the need for trusted intermediaries in transactions as described by Satoshi Nakamoto in Bitcoin White Paper. (source: [bitcoin white paper](https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf))  While Bitcoin's decentralized architecture eliminates the need for intermediaries, Tether as a centralized entity controls the issuance and management of USDT and relies on ETH validators for the validity of transactions. This centralized control enables Tether & Ethereum to unilaterally freeze, blacklist, or manipulate accounts at their discretion, as evidenced by past incidents and potential future actions. Furthermore, USDT holdings are exposed to counterparty risk, as holders are only entitled to redeem their funds if Tether maintains its solvency and adheres to a 100% reserve requirement which are significant question marks as explained in previous paragraphs. ### Debt: Even if the claim that all USDT tokens are fully backed is true, it is essential to recognize that USDT is ultimately backed by fiat currency, which itself is debt —whether in the form of dollars or U.S. Treasuries. Consequently, the statement “Tether prints USDT out of thin air” is not entirely unfounded, as the creation of new USDT tokens is effectively facilitated by the issuance of new debt instruments. How does USD come to existence? As many bitcoiners know very well, they are simply printed out of thin air by FED. This process is facilitated by the US government's issuance of debt certificates, including short-term Treasury bills and long-term Treasury bonds. The value of these debt instruments is derived from the expectation that the US government will honor its obligations by repaying the indicated amount of USD to certificate holders in the future, primarily through tax revenue collected from its citizens. In essence, these debt certificates represent IOUs and their value is contingent upon the credibility of the US government's promise to fulfill its debt obligations. The entire system relies on a collective belief in the government's creditworthiness, rather than any tangible asset backing it. Even if Tether's USDT is assumed to be backed 1-to-1 with USD, it is ultimately backed by nothing but the US government's fiat currency, which is itself created out of thin air. This highlights the tenuous nature of USDT's backing, as it is predicated on trust in the US government's ability to pay its debt. In contrast to Bitcoin, which is decentralized money, independent of any third-party liability, holding USDT introduces multiple layers of third-party liability such as: - Trust in the integrity of the Ethereum network & in the honesty of ETH stakeholders who validate transactions and maintain the ledger. - Trust in Tether's financial stability and solvency, as well as its commitment to honoring its obligations, thereby mitigating the risk of bankruptcy or fraudulent activities. - Trust in the creditworthiness of the US government, as the value of USDT is ultimately tied to the value of US Treasury securities held by Tether. These cumulative risks underscore the significance of third-party liability in the context of USDT ownership. In conclusion, the statement “Tether prints USDT out of thin air” is based on the fact that USDT is minted by Tether without incurring any cost or spending resources, there is no mechanism to prove that Tether maintains 100% reserves and USDT is ultimately backed by fiat currency, which itself is debt created out of thin air by the FED. Therefore, “Tether prints USDT out of thin air” notion is not entirely unfounded and highlights the tenuous nature of USDT's backing. ### Tether finances US debt and war machine by buying US Treasuries: Having laid out the logic behind my statement that “Tether prints USDT out of thin air,” I will now move on to the main argument underlying my position: namely, that Tether is not a bitcoin company because its acquisition of US debt provides life support to a profoundly corrupt and exploitative financial system, which enables a small cabal of western elites exploit the rest of the world to further enrich themselves. The fundamental purpose of bitcoin is to replace this broken system, not to provide life support to it. The current financial system: erodes the purchasing power of working-class individuals through inflation - excludes a significant portion of the global population from accessing to financial services - preserves ‘the rules-based global order’ (as it is called by the West) that exploits developing nations for the benefit of a privileged few in Western countries - concentrates control in the hands of an unscrupulous banking cartel and self-proclaimed elites At the heart of the existing financial system lies the US dollar's role as a global reserve currency that grants the US government considerable leverage to enforce its economic and geopolitical interests. By controlling USD flows, the US can impose financial sanctions on nations that refuse to comply with its rules and norms. In instances where financial coercion proves ineffective, the US has historically resorted to alternative measures, including military intervention and covert operations, aimed at bringing disobedient countries into compliance with its policy directives. Historical records are full of examples. - [ ] In 1953, the United States and the United Kingdom collaborated to orchestrate a coup d'état in Iran, resulting in the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. This action was carried out following Mossadegh's decision to nationalise Iranian oil companies, which were vital to the West's economic interests. - [ ] The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) played a substantial role in supporting a coup against Salvador Allende, the democratically elected President of Chile in 1970, because they were concerned that Allende's policies would lead to a shift towards socialism and potentially even communism, which was seen as a threat to US interests in the region. - [ ] Saddam Hussein's decision to transition Iraq's oil transactions from US dollars to euros was a major factor contributing to his downfall. By challenging the existing global financial system, Hussein became a threat to the global financial order and therefore paid the price with his life. - [ ] Muammar Gaddafi proposed the establishment of a gold-based currency, known as the gold dinar, intended for use in African oil transactions. This initiative aimed to create a pan-African currency independent of both the US dollar and euro, potentially undermining their influence in regional trade. The perceived threat posed by this proposal to the global financial order has been the main factor to Libya's destabilization and Gaddafi's eventual demise. - [ ] The overthrow of Ukraine's democratically elected president in 2014 by a CIA orchestrated a coup d'état, with Victoria Nuland, then-Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, playing a key role in the operation. The intervention was motivated by Western corporations’ desire to colonize Russia and use its resources as collateral to prolong the life of the global financial system that has become unsustainable with its current debt levels. Those interested in understanding the mechanics of the current financial system or learning about the historical crimes committed by West against the Global South are invited to contact me directly. I can provide access to a comprehensive collection of resources that document these issues. However, due to space and time constraints, it is not feasible to elaborate on these topics in detail here. The statement that Tether is primarily a bitcoin company is entirely unfounded since Tether provides significant support to the current financial system. The US government is currently facing challenges in financing its debt due to decreasing global confidence in its ability to repay its obligations. This is evident in the fact that China has ceased purchasing US debt, while Russia has sold off its entire holdings prior to the Special Military Operation (SMO). Furthermore, private investors are increasingly wary of investing in US debt, citing concerns over its sustainability. Currently, the UK and EU are the only entities actively buying US debt, which, along with the US, are the other two pillars of the existing global financial order. Notably, Tether has emerged as a substantial purchaser of US debt (approximately $100 billion at the time of writing), effectively serving as a vital lifeline for the prolongation of the Western colonial order. Tether is NOT a bitcoin company. In my opinion, it is fair to say that those who claim that Tether is a bitcoin company are either lacking in critical thinking or have a financial stake that compromises their objectivity. It is true that it helps bitcoin adoption and by providing liquidity contributes to the upward momentum of bitcoin price. I believe, it is likely that the current price of bitcoin would be significantly lower without Tether's involvement. This raises important questions about the motivations and values of those involved in the bitcoin community who claim that Tether is a bitcoin company. Can their support for Bitcoin be attributed to a sincere interest in advancing the principles of decentralization and sovereignty, or might it be influenced by self-interest and the pursuit of personal wealth? Are there other potential motivations or conflicts of interest at play? As outlined in this article, I have concerns regarding Tether's alignment with the principles that underpin Bitcoin’s core values. My critique is not intended to be accusatory, but rather to encourage critical evaluation. I acknowledge and appreciate Tether's contribution to bitcoin ecosystem and see their investment in Rumble as a positive development for freedom of speech and recognize Samson's dedication for Bitcoin adoption. However, my appreciation for their efforts does not imply unconditional trust. The defensive responses of some individuals within the community to my criticisms (without any reasonable counterarguments) have raised questions for me about their potential biases and motivations. While I do not aim to convince those who misinterpret my intentions, I will exercise increased suspicion when engaging with individuals who appear more focused on protecting Tether's interests than upholding the principles of Bitcoin. In summary, I believe that Tether's role in propping up the current financial system - intentionally or not - underscores the need for skepticism and critical thinking. As global events continue to unfold with unprecedented speed and complexity, it's essential to remember: **'Don't trust, verify!'**

@ 8ea48526:e6720a43

Technology trends toward openness time and again. This is why I say that Freedom Tech is Final Tech. Ideas want to be free. Many people built brands on TikTok that are now threatened, which is a reminder to also build on open alternatives you control. There are many examples from history. Shift from Monasteries to Printing Press. During the Middle Ages, monasteries controlled the production and dissemination of written knowledge. The printing press decentralized access to information, enabling mass production of books and changing the course of history. Transition from Trains to Automobiles. Trains required centralized infrastructure and control, while cars empowered individuals to travel freely. This shift from centralized to decentralized transportation transformed the way people lived, worked, and interacted with each other. Telegraph and Telephone. The Telegraph was initially a closed system, with message transmission gated by businesses. The Telephone enabled direct, person-to-person communication, decentralizing access to real-time information and revolutionizing the way people connect. The evolution of the Internet. ARPANET, the early internet, was a closed network. With the development of TCP/IP, the open internet was born, enabling global communication, innovation, and access to information on an unprecedented scale. Operating Systems. Unix, a proprietary OS, was the early powerhouse and later eclipsed by Linux, an open-source alternative. Today, Linux powers millions of devices, from smartphones to servers, and has become a cornerstone of modern computing. It runs the world. Computers. Mainframe Computers were massive, centralized systems that only large organizations could afford. The development of Personal Computers democratized access to computing power, enabling individuals to create, innovate, and participate in the digital economy. Television and Radio, once controlled by a few large broadcasters, have given way to Podcasts, which enable anyone to create and distribute content. This has democratized the media, allowing new voices and perspectives to emerge. (Thank you Aaron for RSS 😢) The music industry. Vinyl, tape, and CD distribution, once controlled by record labels and physical stores, have given way to open file formats like MP3 and streaming services. Artists can connect directly with fans and music is more widely available than ever before. V4V. Government, Monarchy to Republic. Monarchies, with their centralized power and hereditary rule, have given way to republics, where power is distributed among the people and their elected representatives, increasing class mobility and participation. Central Banking System and Bitcoin. The experimental Central Banking System, with its centralized control and intermediaries, is being challenged by a decentralized, open alternative. It is transforming the way we think about money, value, and financial freedom. Digital payments and Ecash. Systems like PayPal & Venmo (once the innovators themselves) are being challenged by open alternatives, such as Chaumian e-cash systems like Cashu and Fedimint. These systems promise to increase financial privacy and autonomy for day-to-day payments. Social networking. Proprietary social platforms control the data & access. Nostr is an open protocol for authoring & distributing digital content. In the age of AI, authenticity is paramount. Nostr cryptographically proves who authored content, maximizing freedom & transparency. AI. AI began as closed systems from large corporations investing heavily in computing and training. The open community is catching up and pushing new boundaries. Open models that run locally or in confidential computing enclaves provide AI that is free, open, and private. This is the pattern: over time, the processes that were controlled by a few get replaced by processes controlled by everyone. Always be searching out open alternatives for the tech you use, that’s where we eventually end up. I’m bullish on the future of technology and humanity. 🤘 P.S. You can see that many of these examples are themselves becoming compromised over time, looking to be disrupted again by open technology.

@ 000002de:c05780a7

With the [news of Facebook changing its policy on DEI](https://stacker.news/items/853798) I was reminded of how it started and my early thoughts on it. I don't think DEI is dead, far from it but there's a trend forming pushing back. With Facebook and companies in general you have to understand something. Companies are mostly spineless. If a company is pushing something its not "brave" or "risky". All companies are profit driven and when they run these "woke" commercial its not brave. It would have been brave for companies to speak boldly against racism in the 50s but not today. Today most people oppose racism. Not saying we are rid of racism but just that companies are like a flag flying in the wind. They show you the direction the winds are blowing in culture and politics. I have to say the whole DEI story line has been interesting to watch over the past 20 years. 20 years? Yeah that's what I said because its been a long arc. 20 years is probably to short but in the tech field I'd argue it really started back in the mid 2000s. In the early 2000s I remember a push to make the tech field more friendly to women. To rid the startup culture of the bro culture and make it more welcoming and less like a college fraternity culture. I had no problem with any of that. But it became clear that very vocal people were not satisfied with that. It wasn't enough to not discriminate and stop tolerating sexism. We needed to actively set quotas for female speakers at conferences and have more diverse representation all over the place. The idea of meritocracy which was once the hallmark of the high tech industry was denigrated. In the place of meritocracy we have what some have called "positive discrimination". At least that is the perception of critics of DEI. It can be easy to ignore your critics and sometimes that is a good approach. But when your goals are changing the hearts and minds, which at least in the early days of DEI seemed to be the goal, it is vital. Before I offer criticism of DEI I want to say a few positive things about it. From my perspective working in tech for 20 years I think it is good that the culture has become more vocal about "isms". Racism and sexism will always be with us but we should strive to treat people fairly. I've seen both of these in my work life and people are much more comfortable speaking up than they were in the past. That's not a bad thing. To me it is obvious that quotas and pushing lies like the wage gap harmed the goals of DEI. Why do I say this? Stay with me here. If you believe there are people that just hate women or are racists in an industry those people are very unlikely to come over to your side. So you of course have people that agree with your DEI agenda but to me the focus of DEI is really the middle. Those that aren't sexist or racist but also aren't that motivated. The majority of workers in the early 2000s at least were white males. I believe this is still true today. For the last 20 years this group have been ridiculed on mass and told they are the problem. If this is the group you are seeking to win over... I can't think of a more terrible strategy. So either you have people who just think they are terrible and are being told there isn't much if anything they can do about their racism and sexism. Or you have people who buck up against how they are being lumped in with real racists and sexists. You end up making enemies of allies. I have watched this happen in the industry over the years. As DEI has expanded into other industries this push back has only became stronger. Another unintended consequence of DEI seems obvious to me but I rarely hear it mentioned. Today when you see something go wrong and the org has been vocal about DEI those that DEI claims to protect become the obvious targets. This is regardless of any evidence. It just seems like if you are saying we hire and promote on a basis other than merit or qualifications you are not hiring the best. That doesn't mean someone that is a minority isn't as good as a white male but when you discriminate you undercut those you claim to protect. The loudest voices in DEI have done a terrible job. They have made enemies of allies. When you aren't honest about statistics and data, when you lump people into massive groups and boil everything down to biology and DNA you show your true colors. People don't buy it. I believe this is what we are seeing with the rejection of DEI. When you build something on lies and half truths it is doomed to fail. I'm convinced MOST people that support DEI are just good hearted people that have been manipulated and propagandized. DEI on the surface sounds good to most people. Those that respond in hate to DEI also provide a good boogie man. Divide and conquer works for a while but in the end truth wins. What do you think? originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/853862

@ aade47fd:281e8e4f

###### Дорогой дневник! Для формирования творческой дисциплины принял решение вести публичный дневник. Надеюсь, что через несколько недель втянусь, но прямо сейчас мне совершенно не хочется этим заниматься. Использую редактор Obsidian с плагином Nostr Writer. Все это должно попадать в том числе на мою [страницу](https://bkhm.tv) и сможет быть доступно в качестве RSS. Интернет это какая-то магия до сих пор для меня! ###### Один градус тепла Есть разные мнения о том, какой должна быть погода в аду, но в моем личном температура в течение суток вращается вокруг ноля, порывистый ветер, мелкая холодная морось, лед под ногами и бесконечная ночь. Да, речь идет о зимнем Петербурге. Я каждый год обещаю себе никогда здесь больше не зимовать, но вся эта атмосфера каким-то образом постепенно затягивает. Надо будет напомнить себе, что выбираться отсюда нужно в начале ноября, сразу после дня рождения. Если не в теплые страны, то по крайней мере на Сахалин. ###### Умер Дэвид Линч Отдаете вы себе в этом отчет или нет, но одна из базовых установок западного человека заключается в том, что никакого зла в этом мире самостоятельным образом не существует: зло это отсутствие добра, глупость — отсутствие ума, болезнь — отсутствие здоровья, тьма — отсутствие света, и так далее. Корнями это все уходит в традицию античного идеализма, кстати, как и слепая вера в рациональность поведения человека. Линч был способен замечать зло в его собственной онтологии, а человека — в абсурде. "*Замечать зло*" звучит, как будто речь идет о шамане, но никого не удивит, если мы скажем, что человек замечает любовь и добро (не поступки, а то, что за ними стоит). В общем, ничего экстрасенсорного — просто иная оптика. Она же позволяет замечать насколько абсурдным оказывается повседневное поведение радикально серьезных людей. Вот и сюжет: борьба Света и Тьмы за сонного человека. Спим на ходу и пробуждаемся в своих снах. И вот у меня всегда было ощущение, что я с Линчем из одного детства, из одних и тех же страшных детских снов. Я благодарен этому человеку за то, что в самых темных и сокровенных частях своей души я не чувствую себя одиноким. --- На сегодня все, приходите завтра! Пишите мне на hello@bkhm.tv — обещаю ответить на каждому.

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

# Football We're in the home stretch of Futbol Americano season. The College Football championship game on Monday will be the final round of our [College Football Playoff Pool](https://stacker.news/items/846487/r/Undisciplined). However, the NFL Playoffs are also the opening rounds of the [**Team USA!!!** vs "the world" challenge](https://stacker.news/items/849989/r/Undisciplined). As a slight aside, I'm very much looking forward to these markets closing on [Predyx](https://beta.predyx.com/), so I can get some of my sats back. We'll also talk about where various coaches will end up in the NFL. # NBA The Celtics are looking a bit more mortal. Is that real or just a January lull? KAT Corner Loser of the Week (submit your entries) # MLB Offseason news I think @grayruby wants to apply the Ewing Theory to Juan Soto, but we'll have to find out. # NHL Ovi watch [Stanley Cup prediction market](https://beta.predyx.com/market/stanley-cup-champion-2025) # Other Territory News UEFA and Cricket contest updates -------- What else should we cover? My Game of the Week nominee is actually from last week. Is that allowed? There weren't many great games this week. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/853599

@ f88e6629:e5254dd5

...which allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution. - Without sovereign and accessible payments we are loosing censorship resistance - Without censorship resistance even other core characteristics are in danger - including scarcity and durability. - This affects every bitcoiner including sworn hodlers and MSTR followers. | Property | Description | Fulfillment | | --- | --- | --- | | Scarce | Fixed supply forever. Instantly and costlessly verifiable | 🟢  Good, but can be harmed without censorship resistance | | Portable | Effortless to store and move, with negligible costs | 🟠 Onchain transactions can be expensive, other layers require onchain to be sovereign. Easy portability is offered by custodians only. | | Divisible | Infinitely divisible | 🟠 Smaller units than dust are available only for LN users, which most people can’t use in a sovereign way. | | Durable | Exists forever without deterioration | 🟢  Good, but can be harmed without censorship resistance | | Fungible | Every piece is forever the same as every other piece | 🟡 Onchain bitcoin is not fungible. | | Acceptable | Everyone, anywhere, can send and receive | 🟠 Most people are not able to send and receive in a sovereign way. | | Censorship Resistant | You hold it. Nobody can take it or stop you sending it | 🟠 Custodians are honey-pots that can and will be regulated | > ➡️ We need accessible, scalable, and sovereign payment methods

@ 9dd283b1:cf9b6beb

If I'm looking at this graph right, then the total zaps per month are somewhere around 100-110k sats. At the same time, the monthly fee for territory is 50k sats. So we have 20+ territories, all sharing the total income of 100k, while spending 50k per month each? Or what am I missing?  originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/853551

@ 2355757c:5ad3e04d

# Introduction Blue light from artificial sources is one of the most biologically disruptive toxins that exists in our modern world today. It is pervasive, it is ubiquitous and it is only getting worse with the ever increasing time we spend indoors and in front of screens. The worst part is: it doesnt have to be this way. The EVEN worse part: it is exactly what Big Tech wants. This newsletter will cover exactly why blue light from screens and our lighting is bad for our health, and **what you can do to avoid these biological disruptions.** The TLDR: - Artificial blue light is not the same as natural blue light. - Artificial blue light disrupts our circadian rhythm (the most important aspect of our biology) and our sleep. - A disrupted circadian rhythm has been linked to nearly all chronic diseases. - Artificial blue light is addictive by design & disrupts our neurotransmitters. # Natural Blue Light vs Artificial Blue Light Blue light, like all visible light, is a sliver of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum. That means that blue light is an EMF, and artificial blue light is a non-native EMF. That is why I often say non-native EMFs are the most pervasive environmental toxin in modern society. The food is an issue, but the light is what is really f\*cked. It is far easier to change your food diet than your light/EMF diet. Blue light is typically defined as 450-490nm wavelength light, although there is some debate on where that starts and ends. That correlates to a frequency of around 600-660THz and \~2.5eV of photon energy. That means a wavelength of blue light is oscillating at 600-660 Trillion times per second. It also means that the photons in blue light have the ability to excite electrons they come to interact with, with around 2.5eV of energy. ####  Blue light is not some alien part of the electromagnetic spectrum, as say 5G radio frequencies are, it is actually something we are exposed to every single day in the form of sunlight and have been for the existence of humanity. However, there is a stark difference between the blue light we are exposed to in the form of sunlight and the artifical blue light we are exposed to from our technology screens and lighting: - Blue light in isolation / missing the rest of the spectrum - Pulsed LED control - The wrong context / time of day - Dull To understand why blue light from artificial sources is so toxic to our biology, you need to understand first what our biology is programmed to take in as an input signal from full spectrum sunlight. I refer to it as “full spectrum” sunlight here because that is the big takeaway: **you are getting exposure to a full spectrum of light.**  Blue light coming from the sun is NEVER present without longer, lower energy wavelengths such as Red + Near-Infrared (NIR). Sunlight is 49%-55% infrared light. NIR (650nm-1200nm) represents 70% of the total solar spectrum from a photochemistry viewpoint when considering photons/second. Compare that to artificial light, which almost always has little to ZERO red/infrared light due to energy efficiency standards. A spectrum plot below highlights this stark difference between sunlight & artificial lighting. We will discuss more about the biological impacts of this in the next section. It is important to note that a large reason the infrared spectrum is NOT present in light is due to “energy efficiency” and is also incandescents have been made illegal. Of course, policies like this are completely ignorant to the health benefits of the infrared spectrum of light and importance for a more fuller spectrum. All man made modern light is pulsed, whilst in nature it is continuous. Fluorescents and incandescent bulbs, because they are powered via our 50/60Hz electrical grid have a pulse of 50/60Hz (low frequency). LEDs are controlled by a digital electronics control scheme called Pulsed Width Modulation (PWM). PWM lighting control is typically at 500Hz-50kHz (and could be higher). Engineers say that the human eye can’t see “flicker” above 100Hz, which is true from a visual perspective…but our biology knows. This is a large reason why eye strain, headaches, and other symptoms arise from staring at screens for long periods of time. Sunlight is never pulsed, and is only continuous. Getting back to the spectrum, the real issue with artificial blue light is the incorrect context. Natural sunlight only provides blue light in a full spectrum setting when (obviously) the sun is up. It has a more rich blue spectrum mid day vs first thing in the morning. It also has even higher energy wavelengths such as violet, UVA, and UVB in mid day (UVB latitude/season dependent). Our artificial blue lights come with zero context. They don’t change based on the sun angle or time of day. They do not go away after sunset. They simply are the same pulsed isolated blue light rich lights, all day long. Nature operates on a clock, and our body needs to be in tune with that clock, else we get biological dysfunction. Indoor and artificial blue light sources are DULL. Not their personalities, but their brightness. If you are outside mid day you are going to be experience 10,000-100,000 LUX of brightness. That is 30-1000X HIGHER than typicaly indoor lighting. Big range because some indoor lighting areas are very, very dull. So now you have an even more alien form of light. Blue light is the main input signal that tells your body it is daytime, and a big component of that is brightness. Brightness = photon density. If you are inside all day you are getting \~100x LESS photon density. Photons carry energy to excite the electrons in your body. We are starving for photon energy.  # Artificial Blue Light Disrupts our Circadian Rhythm Our circadian rhythm (CR), aka our 24hr biological clock, is in my opinion the most important aspect of our biology. Why? Because nearly everything in our body is goverened by time of day and CR. It encompasses our light diet, our food diet, our sleep, hormones, and so much more. Circadian disruption has been linked with nearly all chronic disease and mental health issues. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/0d3de61f8c355b368c893899a190943e973693abd3ff22967c071d1df8017be2.jpg"> So what causes our CR to get out of whack and misalign our biological clocks? **The number 1 input signal to our circadian biology is light.** The other main input signal is simply our sleep/wake cycle. Food input is secondary and our connection to the earth (grounding/earthign) has also been shown as a circadian input signal. Our sleep/wake cycle should be tied to light, so those two are quite intertwined. But what about light causes circadian disruption? Here is a short list of the big hitters: - Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) - Dull/junk light during the day - Missing sunrise/UVA rise in the morning **Basically: any light that deviates from the natural solar spectrum in your local environment will disrupt your circadian rhthym. The degree of how alien/different the spectrum is will dictate how severe the circadian disruption is.** Artifical light at night is especially bad because blue light is a signal of daytime and suppresses melatonin production. ANY blue light post sunset will cause a circadian disruption to some degree and the magnitude of exposure will determine just how much. This is why blocking blue light specifically at night time is so important. [**“Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) can cause circadian disruption…which can result in a variety of pathological diseases, including premature aging”**](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556522003850) Really any light post sunset will disrupt circadian biology but blue light is especially bad because it most severely impacts melatonin production. Brightness is another major factor. Wearing dark red blue light blockers will help, but if you are still in an extremely brightly lit room &lt;1 hour before bed time it won’t be ideal for sleep quality. Exposure to [**“blue-appearing light within the short-wavelength portion of the spectrum, between 446 and 477 nm, results in melatonin suppression that is more than 3 times more potent than exposure to long-wavelength light above 530 nm.”**](https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.01413.2009?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org) Bright and blue is the recipe for maxx melatonin suppression. Bright and any color light will still have a suppressive effect as well. Want your best night sleep ever? Turn the lights OFF and only uses a very dull red light, candle, etc. # Depression, Blue Light & Dopamine We have a mental health crisis ongoing in modern society. In the US, over 20% of adults suffer from a mental health disorder/illness and even 1/6 children now do as well. In 2000, the percentage of prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) aka severe depression was 2%, today it is over 8%…a 4x increase. Suicide rates have also been climbing, especially in teenagers in this “smartphone era”. It seems like a strong possibility that our modern technology is the major driver for this mental health epidemic. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/2889bf76e38693c38f0c22d80790594b42aa2b78b36df25e1f5f72acf2a30738.jpg"> I think anyone can agree that our devices, specifically our phones are highly addictive. We think it is just the social media apps penetrating our psychology and dopamine reward systems, but in reality it’s more than that. The hardware also plays a priming role. **I am saying that blue lit screens is making you more vulnerable to fall prey to the predatory marketing tactics of short form content on social media apps**. You can simply look at toddlers, who are far MORE vulnerable to effects on their developing brains, to know that it is not just the apps or the games, but also the LIGHT…the blue light specifically. For children, you can easily google or YouTube a video of a toddler throwing a temper tantrum when you take away their iPad. The games or shows they are watching may indeed be “addicting” but I would argue the bright blue dominant screen is the real reason they are addicted. <https://youtu.be/AYZ2zs9Tftc> Blue light induces a dopamine release in our body in short term exposure. Regardless of the science - we can feel it. Some [papers](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014483523002257#:~:text=One%20minute%20of%20blue%20light%20stimulation%20significantly%20increased%20dopamine%20concentration,humor%20\(P%20%3C%200.05\).) are catching up on this, and [some](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18779590/) are discussing how the blue light photoreceptor AKA melanopsin is directly intertwined with dopaminergic neurons. The initial paper discusses how experiments were performed in a room “illumninated by a red LED to avoid influencing dopamine synthesis”. This means that *not all light is stimulating dopamine secretion*, and that blue light is especially stimulating in terms of its effect on our brain. This is the same reason Las Vegas uses bright lights and flasing symbols at the slots to keep players in their seats. **The constant dopamine release is addicting, it is like a drug and they end up spending far more money than they would on a slot machine with dull colors.** Our phones and tablets are built the same way - perhaps not as directly intention to addict you - but they do nevertheless through the same neural / optic pathways. When you get all of these “cheap”, short lived dopamine hits you are going to suffer in the long term. When you don’t have that external stimuli - your baseline will feel much lower and that is why excessive tech use can lead to mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. This is extremely concerning for our children, who’s mental health is spiraling out of control. [Screen time](https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/yale-study-probes-connection-between-excessive-screen-media-activity-and-mental-health-problems-in-youth/#:~:text=It%20found%20that%20youth%20who,somatic%20complaints%2C%20and%20other%20concerns.), and blue light, could be a direct cause to this epidemic. # **The Solution: Technology that is Designed to Work with Nature** You may read this newsletter and think it is fear mongering, but in truth it is a fair assessment of how man made blue light is affecting our health. Most are not yet on board of the importance of our light environment, so think about this: You eat 3-4x/day, you drink water maybe 5-10x, you consume light as an input to your biology 24/7/365 (and I am not talking about just visible light). Electromagnetism is fundamentally the most prominent input signal to our biology, and it is the one we have distorted the most with modern technology. Blue light is not bad when it comes from the sun, it is only bad in the wrong context. With the amount of screen time every member of society is racking up each day, to me it is undebatable that artificial blue light + man made EMFs are the two most pervasive environmental toxins and are proliferating the chronic disease epidemic. **Because of this man made electromagnetic radiation, we cannot sleep restoratively, we are anxious + depressed, we are constantly in an inflamed / stressed biological state.** The worst part is we are getting more and more addicted to our devices with each passing day. **The solution is simple: fix lighting and spend more time outside.** Fix lighting on screens and fix indoor lighting fixtures. Emulate the sun, where you never get blue without the rest of the rainbow, especially red/infrared. We are meant to live in line with nature, and it is only when we deviate that chronic disease becomes prevalent. This is why I joined the [Daylight Computer Company](https://daylightcomputer.com/) at the beginning of this year. As an EMF/Light educator in regards to health + an Electrical Engineering background - I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard that there was a tech startup trying to become a “healthier Apple” with an innovative reflective screen technology that is blue light free and works with nature instead of against it. This is the sort of innovation we need to end our negative relationship with technology and our disconnection to the real world - the natural world. You can learn more in a recent interview we did with prominent Bitcoiner Marty Bent on TFTC: <https://youtu.be/0y4PIGXpzG4> Nature is the real world, and nature is the world’s first and most decentralized system. A return to reality is needed, and an understanding that real light is what drives our being is needed to change the direction of our future outcomes as a species. Stay Sovereign, Tristan ####

@ 7ef5f1b1:0e0fcd27

<h1>A Spark of Defiance</h1> <b>By: The 256 Foundation</b>  <i>A monthly newsletter</i> January 2025 <h2>Introduction:</h2> Welcome to the first newsletter produced by The 256 Foundation! If you have enjoyed [POD256](https://www.pod256.org/) or technical guides from [econoalchemist](https://x.com/econoalchemist) in the past, then you are going to love this newsletter.You can expect newsletters to be published on a monthly basis going forward. The content will generally focus on topics aligned with The 256 Foundation’s mission to “Dismantle the proprietary mining empire to liberate Bitcoin and freedom tech for all”. More specifically, the focus of this newsletter will be on the state of the Bitcoin network, mining industry developments, progress updates on grant projects, actionable advice for getting involved with Bitcoin mining, and more (to be announced...wink wink). Open-source development in Bitcoin mining up until the Bitaxe has been non-existent but The 256 Foundation is breaking the chains of closed and proprietary development. After all, two out of three pillars supporting the Bitcoin ecosystem are openly developed – nodes and applications; why not mining? The majority of mining hardware is closed and proprietary; same with the firmware, even the after-market solutions are closed-source. If you have tried using a miner in some unconventional way like home heating, dehydrating food, or installing one in your living space just so you don’t have to submit KYC documents to get bitcoin then you will appreciate the ability to freely modify your miner. Despite the constraints on creativity caused by closed-source firmware and hardware, many individuals have demonstrated impressive developments. For example, [Diverter](https://x.com/Diverter_NoKYC) who wrote the groundbreaking guide on the subject, [Mining For The Streets](https://web.archive.org/web/20230521030129mp_/https://diverter.hostyourown.tools/mining-for-the-streets/), at a time when the general consensus was that small-scale mining was a foregone pursuit. [Zack Bomsta](https://x.com/zbomstaz) developed the [Loki Kit](https://pivotalpleb.com/collections/frontpage/products/loki-kit) enabling users to power miners from 120-volt power sources instead of the less common 240-volt power sources. [Michael Schmid](https://x.com/Schnitzel/status/1610311138004144128) developed a way to heat his home using four Antminer S9s; offsetting his energy bills with mining rewards. [Rev. Hodl](https://x.com/HodlRev) has integrated Bitcoin mining into a variety of homesteading functions like [dehydrating his elderberry harvest](https://yakihonne.com/notes/nevent1qgsy6q3ua80awknlxp6m368qssqghct6ra6scca4meepumhcswkuwegqyz2kztqsguqdyksa6ry4g0ws0kzu59p02vgmkeyxe97cmxk43jej5xl9zce). In fact, the resourcefulness and determination of individuals to integrate Bitcoin mining into their unique situations has proven to be nothing short of a full on movement. Defiantly building and iterating despite the naysayers, excuse makers, and protests that claim “you can’t compete with big miners! You’re better off just buying from an exchange! You won’t get your ROI!”. Against all odds, using closed-source miners, and with little more than a shoestring budget and a can-do attitude people have forged a way forward and collectively pushed the Bitcoin mining industry to a tipping point. Closed-source solutions are not keeping up with innovation and won’t even make economic sense compared to the open-source solutions just over the horizon. The 256 Foundation is here to kick the old ways of Bitcoin mining development to the curb in favor of free and open development; providing funding for developers and educators to do what they do best and usher in the era free and open Bitcoin mining. The 256 Foundation is laser focused on a select handful of projects that are going to break the entire Bitcoin mining industry wide open and make freedom tech accessible to anyone. These select projects are long term support initiatives, not short term touch-and-go exercises. Education is a key component and why The 256 Foundation provides educational resources, tools, and support to demystify Bitcoin and freedom tech, empowering individuals to engage with and benefit from this revolutionary system. If that sounds like the kind of timeline you’re interested in then keep reading and watch for updates every month in your inbox, on Nostr, or at [256foundation.org](https://256foundation.org/). <h2>Definitions:</h2> MA = Moving Average Eh/s = Exahash per second Ph/s = Petahash per second Th/s = Terahash per second MW = Mega Watt T = Trillion J/Th = Joules per Terahash $ = US Dollar VDC = Volts Direct Current PCB = Printed Circuit Board GB = Gigabyte TB = Terabyte OS = Operating System SSH = Secure Shell <h2>State of the Network:</h2> Hashrate on the 14-day MA according to [mempool.space](https://mempool.space/graphs/mining/hashrate-difficulty#1y) increased from ~525 Eh/s in January 2024 to ~784 Eh/s in December 2024, marking ~49% growth for the year. Last month alone, December 2024, witnessed roughly 34 Eh/s come online marking ~4.5% overall growth for the month. Using some rough ball-park figures, 34 Eh/s coming online means something like 170,000 new-gen 200 Th/s miners were plugged in and supported by ~595 MW of electrical infrastructure. Difficulty is currently 110.4T as of Epoch 436 and set to decrease roughly 0.2% on or around January 26, 2025. But that target will constantly change between now and then. The previous re-target increased difficulty by 0.6%. In 2024, difficulty went from 72.0T to 109.7T making it 52.3% more difficult to solve for a block; fairly consistent with the estimated 49% hashrate increase during the same time frame.  <font size=1>[IMG-001] 2024 hashrate/difficulty chart from mempool.space</font> New-gen miners are selling for roughly $28.14 per Th using the Bitmain Antminer S21 XP 270 Th/s model from [Kaboom Racks](https://x.com/kaboomracks) as an example. According to the [Hashrate Index](https://data.hashrateindex.com/asic-index-data/price-index), less efficient miners like the <19J/Th models are fetching $18.18/Th, models between 19J/Th – 25J/Th are selling for $13.31/Th, and models >25J/Th are selling for $3.53/Th.  <font size=1>[IMG-002] 2024 Miner Prices from Luxor’s Hashrate Index</font> Hashvalue is currently 58,000 sats/Ph per day, down slightly from December 1, 2024 when hashvalue was closer to 63,000 sats/Ph per day according to [Braiins Insights](https://insights.braiins.com/en). Hashprice is $58.00/Ph per day, down slightly from $60.00/Ph per day at the beginning of December 2024, [IMG-003]. Overall, hashvalue is down 76% from 242,000 sats/Ph per day a year ago and hashprice is down 43% from $103.00 per Ph/day a year ago. But keep in mind, the block subsidy was 6.25 bitcoin per block a year ago and is currently 3.125 bitcoin per block. The next halving will occur at block height 1,050,000 which should be in roughly 1,159 days or in other words 170,594 blocks from time of publishing this newsletter.  <font size=1>[IMG-003] Hashprice/Hashvalue from Braiins Insights</font> <h2>Mining Industry Developments:</h2> 2024 marks the year that open-source Bitcoin mining hardware became a thing. Prior to the [Bitaxe](https://bitaxe.org/), there was no open source Bitcoin mining hardware. A small but mighty platform, the Bitaxe project has proved that it is possible to have a complete Bitcoin mining system developed, built, and maintained in the open by a community of enthusiasts. The impressive part about Bitaxe is that [Skot](https://x.com/skot9000) instigated a project that satisfied a burning desire in the open-source community to develop a mining system by reverse engineering Bitmain’s ASIC chips and integrate them onto a new open-source hardware platform, with accompanying open-source firmware, [esp-miner](https://github.com/skot/esp-miner). Fast forward to today and thousands of individuals have joined the [Open Source Miners United](https://discord.gg/osmu) Discord group and their combined contributions have made Bitaxe what it is today. This required delicate work to unsolder the ASIC chips from Bitmain’s hashboards and then re-solder them onto the Bitaxe circuit board. The genius part of the project is that the open-source foundation supports commercially viable ventures built on top of it. For example, Bitaxe is the open-source project that develops and designs models but does not manufacture, market, or distribute any units; a list of companies that have sprung up selling Bitaxes can be found [here](https://bitaxe.org/legit.html). The Bitaxe was the inspiration for the title of this month’s newsletter, <i>A Spark of Defiance</i>, because it was a small and seemingly inconsequential development that ignited a raging fire that will engulf the closed and proprietary Bitcoin mining empire. Additionally, the project was defiantly manifested through persistent and painstaking effort despite what many claimed was too insignificant of a hashrate, too uneconomical of a price point, and too cute to be anything other than a toy. The significance of the Bitaxe project is not in the nominal hashrate of a single unit or the cost per terahash; the significance is that there is now a proven open-source Bitcoin mining hardware option available for anyone to build themselves and modify as they see fit that supports commercial applications. The idea of open-source Bitcoin mining hardware is still early in it’s formation but the next iteration is already under way. Small scale miners like [FutureBit’s Apollo II](https://www.futurebit.io/) and the Bitaxe help decentralize hashrate. Even though each individual miner doesn’t amount to much, the aggregate hashrate contributed to the network is significant; both in terms of nominal hashpower and in terms of distribution. The more people who control mining hardware means fewer miners condensed in hostile jurisdictions and the more individuals who need to be compliant with unjust demands in order for those demands to be effective. These are critical steps towards a more censorship-resistant network and the arch of progress is measured in years, however there is more needed to bolster Bitcoin’s neutral and permissionless attributes which guide The 256 Foundation’s projects.  <font size=1>[IMG-004] Picture of a Bitaxe 401 from Public-Pool</font> <h2>Grant Project Updates:</h2> In November 2024 The 256 Foundation [announced](https://www.pod256.org/episodepage/057-from-sweden-to-silicon-bitcoins-global-journey) the first fully funded grant project, Ember One. This project builds on the momentum of the Bitaxe project and takes it to the next level. Ember One provides funding for up to two engineers and one project manager for a duration of six months to design and develop a validated ~100 Watt hashboard standard. This hashboard features a USB adapter to connect to a variety of controllers, variable input voltage from 12VDC to 24VDC to facilitate integration into a wide range of applications, and a standardized PCB footprint to make expansion seamless regardless of series. The first series in the Ember One line up will feature twelve Bitmain S19j Pro BM1362 ASIC chips, a decision made based on availability and affordability. The corresponding heat-sink will be included with the project. Subsequent Ember One series hashboards will feature a range of different ASIC chips from different manufacturers, possibly including those that should be released any day now from a company who’s name starts with “B” and ends with “lock”. Much like the Bitaxe project, certain peripherals are not included in the Ember One project. For example, Ember One does not include firmware architecture or implementation, enclosure design, manufacturing support, sales, distribution, marketing, or customer technical support; those are all areas of opportunity for commercial applications to thrive. Unlike the Bitaxe project, Ember One is not a complete mining system design but only the standardized hashboard. The Ember One project is being leveraged as a springboard to launch the next two projects which is 1) the complete mining system built with any of the Ember One series hashboards including design details for everything needed to produce a plug and play unit and 2) an open-source, multi-driver compatible, Linux based Bitcoin mining firmware. More details to be announced. Stay tuned to [POD256](https://www.pod256.org/) for updates and watch out for the next [256 Foundation](https://256foundation.org/) newsletter. <h2>Actionable Advice:</h2>  Here are steps you can take to solo mine using your own Bitcoin node, your own Stratum server, and your own miner. In this section, you will see how to spin up a BitcoinCore full node, run an instance of a Public-Pool Stratum server, and configure a Bitaxe to mine directly to the Bitcoin network without any third party involvement. Materials: You don’t need any fancy or expensive equipment to follow along. Everything you will see in this guide was done with an old Raspberry Pi, an old external solid state drive, and a Bitaxe 401. The Raspberry Pi is a model 4B with 4GB of RAM. If you want to purchase a Raspberry Pi, then check [here](https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/) for distributors. Be forewarned that using a Raspberry Pi with 4GB of RAM to synchronize the full blockchain will take at least three weeks if not a month. Also, you will probably get better stratum server performance from using better hardware. This was really just an exercise in using the lowest barrier to entry hardware for demonstration purposes. There is no reason you could not complete this kind of project on a refurbished ThinkPad like any of [these](https://www.lenovo.com/us/outletus/en/laptops/).You may want to use an external storage volume with at least 2TB of storage capacity for the complete copy of the blockchain. The [Samsung T7](https://semiconductor.samsung.com/us/consumer-storage/portable-ssd/t7/) is a good option if you need one. You will also need a microSD card, 64GB is more than enough capacity and [these](https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/memory-cards/evo-select-adapter-microsdxc-64gb-mb-me64ka-am/) are a decent option if you need one. If you don’t have a Bitaxe already, you can buy one for less than $200 from any of [these vendors](https://bitaxe.org/legit.html). This guide assumes you’re running Linux on your primary computer that you will be using to communicate with the Raspberry Pi and Bitaxe, if you’re running Windows or MacOS then you should be able to find system specific instructions that differ from this guide in the linked resources. <h3>Step 1 – Prepare The Raspberry Pi</h3> You will need a microSD card to install the Raspberry Operating System on. Then you can download the Raspberry Pi Image from: https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/operating-systems/ Raspberry Pi OS Lite Bookworm 64-bit was used for this guide. The SHA256 digest is available on the download page, open a terminal window and run the following command from the same folder (usually /Downloads) as the compressed file you just downloaded and compare the results to verify. Use the name of your specific file in place of this example: `$ sha256sum 2024-11-19-raspios-bookworm-arm64-lite.img.xz`  <font size=1> [IMG-005] Raspberry Pi OS SHA256 Checksum</font> With the compressed image file verified, flash the image to a freshly formatted microSD card using the [Raspberry Pi Imager](https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/) or [Balena Etcher](https://etcher.balena.io/) or similar flashing program. In the Raspberry Pi Imager, you can add the SSH file and “userconf” file in the boot partition during the flashing process. If you are using Balena or a similar program instead, the directions are pretty straight forward, just follow the prompts in the software. Basically you will just select the image file you want to flash, then select the microSD card you want to flash that image to, and then the software takes care of the rest. After flashing, in a terminal window, change directory to the boot partition of the microSD card and enable SSH functionality by writing a blank file titled "ssh" with no file extension in the root of the boot partition. You can open a terminal window directly in the file path you want by looking at it with the file explorer, clicking on the 3-dot menu next to the file path at the top of the explorer window, and selecting “Open in Terminal”. `$ sudo touch ssh` Now you can create the login credentials and save them to the “userconf” file you are going to generate. First you need to decide on a password and then you need to encrypt it. Open a second terminal window and from your default home file path run: `$ echo INSERTYOURPASSWORD | openssl passwd -6 -stdin` You should receive a response that looks like a random string of characters and maybe there are some dollar signs or periods in it. You want to copy the entire string in that response by highlighting it, right clicking on it, and selecting “copy”. Then back in the first terminal window from the microSD card boot partition path run: `$ sudo touch userconf` then `$ sudo nano userconf` Those two commands just created a file named “userconf” and then opened that file so you can put some text in it. On a single line, type your Raspberry Pi username, a colon, and the encrypted password string you generated (which should be on your clipboard, so just right-click and select “paste”). For example: <kbd>pi:$6$wRLGhmKbL0bheJKh$0L60E09x.dQ.M4DvBjTvNETG0CtW.PGuzQwTEtTvadngclQXkzVFiJD2z.WIYeyvV.hUZT6HdYDjiSYgx0Arc0</kbd> Then hit ctrl+o to write, enter to save, and ctrl+x to exit. Now eject the microSD card, insert into the Raspberry Pi, and turn on the power. From your primary computer, open a new terminal window and run: `$ ssh pi@192.168.1.69` (or whatever your local Raspberry Pi IP address is). If you don’t know what your Raspberry Pi’s local IP address is then log into your router and check your DHCP leases and look for the one with a “raspberrypi” hostname. Your router is typically accessible from your web browser at IP address 192.168.0.1 or 10.0.0.1 or something similar. Do an internet search for your router’s specifics if you need to. If you don’t have access to the router then you can use a program like [AngryIP](https://angryip.org/) to scan the network and give you the same information. `$ sudo apt update` then `$ sudo apt upgrade -y` Now your ready to connect the external storage volume. <h3>Step 2 – Connect External Storage Volume</h3> Plug in a freshly formatted storage volume, like a 2TB SSD, to the Pi. Then through your SSH terminal window run: `$ sudo fdisk -l` You should get a response with information about the connected drives, one of them being the microSD card and the other being your external hard drive. You want to identify the device name of your external storage volume. For example, "/dev/sda1". Write that device name down or just remember it for a moment. Now make a directory where you can mount your external storage volume by running: `$ sudo mkdir /mnt/ext/` Then mount the external storage volume there by running: `$ sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/ext/` Then refresh by running: `$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload` Be aware that each time you power off the Raspberry Pi you will need to run those last two commands again to mount the storage volume if you have it connected. If you want to have the “fstab” file permanently modified to reflect this storage volume then you can edit it following instructions like [these](https://youtu.be/A7xH74o6kY0?si=qC8vB5GemVEOJEG7). That’s it for connecting and mounting the external storage volume. Easy right? You’re doing great and now you’re ready to install Docker onto your Raspberry Pi. <h3>Step 3 – Install The Docker Engine</h3> Docker gets installed before BitcoinCore because there are some dependencies that BitcoinCore needs that are included when installing Docker. First, you will need the Git tools, from the home directory on the SSH terminal window run: `$ sudo apt install git-all -y` Now you can start getting Docker installed, these directions can be found in more detail here if you need them: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/raspberry-pi-os/ Run the following commands to install all the various Docker packages, make sure you fetch the correct URL for each package by first checking: https://download.docker.com/linux/raspbian/dists/ Then select your Raspberry Pi OS version (Bookworm in this case), go to "Pool" > "stable", then select the applicable architecture (armf in this case), then run the following six commands ensuring that you are getting the latest available versions of each package: For the containerd package run: `$ sudo wget https://download.docker.com/linux/raspbian/dists/bookworm/pool/stable/armhf/containerd.io_1.7.24-1_armhf.deb` For the docker-buildx-plugin package run: `$ sudo wget https://download.docker.com/linux/raspbian/dists/bookworm/pool/stable/armhf/docker-buildx-plugin_0.19.3-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` For the docker-ce-cli package run: `$ sudo wget https://download.docker.com/linux/raspbian/dists/bookworm/pool/stable/armhf/docker-ce-cli_27.4.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` For the docker-ce-rootless-extras package run: `$ sudo wget https://download.docker.com/linux/raspbian/dists/bookworm/pool/stable/armhf/docker-ce-rootless-extras_27.4.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` For the docker-ce package run: `$ sudo wget https://download.docker.com/linux/raspbian/dists/bookworm/pool/stable/armhf/docker-ce_27.4.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` For the docker-compose-plugin package run: `$ sudo wget https://download.docker.com/linux/raspbian/dists/bookworm/pool/stable/armhf/docker-compose-plugin_2.32.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` You can verify your downloads by getting the GPG public key file from one step back in the directory path from the "dists" folder where it says "gpg", run: `$ sudo wget https://download.docker.com/linux/raspbian/gpg` Now add that key to the system key-chain with: `$ sudo gpg --import gpg` Then run the gpg command with the verify flag and file name for all six of the packages you downloaded: `$ sudo gpg --verify containerd.io_1.7.24-1_armhf.deb` `$ sudo gpg --verify docker-buildx-plugin_0.19.3-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` `$ sudo gpg --verify docker-ce_27.4.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` `$ sudo gpg --verify docker-ce-cli_27.4.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` `$ sudo gpg --verify docker-ce-rootless-extras_27.4.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` `$ sudo gpg --verify docker-compose-plugin_2.32.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` You should get a response for each verification, you are looking for a "good signature" to the public key you imported, for example:  <font size=1>[IMG-006] Docker Package Verification</font> The warning is just trying to tell you that you have not certified the public key which is an additional verification step and beyond the scope of this guide. Basically, it is trying to encourage you to contact the developer and verify that their signature fingerprint matches the one in your terminal ending with E2D8 8D81 803C 0EBF CD88. [Keybase](https://keybase.io/) is a good place to start if you want to find publicly posted keys for helping you verify and certify. Now you need to decompress and install all six of those packages buy running: `$ sudo dpkg -i containerd.io_1.7.24-1_armhf.deb` `$ sudo dpkg -i docker-buildx-plugin_0.19.3-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` `$ sudo dpkg -i docker-ce-cli_27.4.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` `$ sudo dpkg -i docker-ce-rootless-extras_27.4.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` `$ sudo dpkg -i docker-ce_27.4.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` `$ sudo dpkg -i docker-compose-plugin_2.32.1-1~raspbian.12~bookworm_armhf.deb` You might encounter errors about missing dependencies with a couple of those packages. If you do, then run the following command to correct them and after running that command, try decompressing and installing the package again: `$ sudo apt --fix-broken install` The Docker daemon should start automatically. Ensure Docker is working by running: `$ sudo service docker start` then `$ sudo docker run hello-world` You should get a response like: "Hello from Docker! This message shows that your installation appears to be working correctly." If you made it that far then you have successfully installed Docker and you are ready to install BitcoinCore. <h3>Step 4 – Install BitcoinCore</h3> From your SSH terminal window and from the home directory make a working folder for all the Bitcoin related files by running: `$ sudo mkdir /bitcoin` Then change directories into that folder with: `$ cd /bitcoin` Navigate to the [BitcoinCore download](https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/) page in the web browser from your primary computer and copy the download link for the latest version of BitcoinCore for your system. BitcoinCore v28.0 was used here, specifically “bitcoin-28.0-aarch64-linux-gnu.tar.gz”. Copy the link for the package you want (ARM Linux 64-bit in this example) and then paste that link in the following command of your SSH terminal window: `$ sudo wget https://bitcoincore.org/bin/bitcoin-core-28.0/bitcoin-28.0-aarch64-linux-gnu.tar.gz` If you want to verify your download, which is good practice, download the “SHA256SUMS.asc” signature file along with the “SHA256SUMS” hash values file by running the following two commands: `$ sudo wget https://bitcoincore.org/bin/bitcoin-core-28.0/SHA256SUMS` then `$ sudo wget https://bitcoincore.org/bin/bitcoin-core-28.0/SHA256SUMS.asc` Check that the SHA256 hash for the downloaded file exists in the SHA256SUMS file by running: `$ sha256sum --ignore-missing --check SHA256SUMS` You should get a response back like: `bitcoin-28.0-aarch64-linux-gnu.tar.gz: OK` You will need some developer keys in order to verify the SHA256SUMS file accurately represents what the developers signed with their signatures, you can find all the developer signatures at: https://github.com/bitcoin-core/guix.sigs/blob/main/builder-keys/ You can download any of those keys by running the `sudo wget` command and appending the whole URL for the raw GPG file you want, for example: `$ sudo wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bitcoin-core/guix.sigs/refs/heads/main/builder-keys/fanquake.gpg` Continuing with the fanquake example, import that downloaded key by running: `$ sudo gpg --import fanquake.gpg` You should get a response indicating that the file was imported. Then run the following command to verify the signature matches: `$ sudo gpg --verify SHA256SUMS.asc` You should get a response for each of the signatures, even the ones you did not download a public key for. You are looking for "good signature" next to one of the public keys you imported, for example:  <font size=1>[IMG-007] BitcoinCore Verification</font> The warning is just trying to tell you that you have not certified the public key which is an additional verification step and beyond the scope of this guide. For all intents and purposes, we have downloaded our file, verified that the hash value for that file is written in the accompanying verification file, then verified that the developers agree that is the correct hash value by signing off on the .asc file. With the download verified, now decompress it by running the following command using which ever file name matches your download: `$ sudo tar -xzf bitcoin-28.0-aarch64-linux-gnu.tar.gz` This will have created a directory called “bitcoin-28.0”. You can verify this by checking the contents of the directory you are currently in with the `ls -la` command. Now you want to install BitcoinCore here by running: `$ sudo install -m 0755 -o root -t /bitcoin bitcoin-28.0/bin/*` This is a good point to make a few configuration changes in the “bitcoin.conf” file before running bitcoind. Return to your home directory with this command: `$ cd ~` Then copy/paste the default “bitcoin.conf” file from the `/bitcoin/bitcoin28.0` directory to where you will have your Bitcoin data directory setup on the external hard drive with this command: `$ sudo cp /bitcoin/bitcoin-28.0/bitcoin.conf /mnt/ext` Then change into the directory where you just pasted that configuration file with: `$ cd /mnt/ext` Then open the “bitcoin.conf” file to edit it by running: `$ sudo nano bitcoin.conf` There are many configuration changes here that you can make if you want, only the bare minimum six configurations for the purpose of this guide will be covered here. 1) Scroll down to the line that reads <kbd># Enable publish raw block in < address ></kbd> and below that, delete the hashtag in front of <kbd>#zmqpubrawblock=< address ></kbd> then replace <kbd>< address ></kbd> with <kbd>tcp://*:3000</kbd>. For example, the end result should look like this: <kbd> # Enable publish raw block in < address > zmqpubrawblock=tcp://*:3000</kbd> 2) Scroll down to where it says <kbd># Allow JSON-RPC connections from specified source.</kbd> and below that, delete the hashtag in front of <kbd>#rpcallowip=< ip ></kbd> and replace <kbd> < ip > </kbd> with the Docker IP address, <kbd>172.16.0.0/12</kbd> (the `ifconfig` command can help you find various network interfaces and the corresponding IP address for each one). For example, the end result should look like this: <kbd># Allow JSON-RPC connections from specified source. Valid values for < ip > are a single IP (e.g. 1.2.3.4), a network/netmask (e.g. 1.2.3.4/255.255.255.0), a network/CIDR (e.g. 1.2.3.4/24), all ipv4 (0.0.0.0/0), or all ipv6 (::/0). This option can be specified multiple times rpcallowip=172.16.0.0/12</kbd> 3) Scroll down to where it says <kbd># Bind to given address to listen for JSON-RPC connections.</kbd> and below that, you want to add three IP addresses. Delete the hashtag and replace <kbd> < addr >[:port]</kbd> with your Raspberry Pi's local IP address, your Docker IP address, and your local host IP address. You can leave the port out of it since BitcoinCore default's to port 8332. For example, the end result should look like this: <kbd># Bind to given address to listen for JSON-RPC connections. Do not expose the RPC server to untrusted networks such as the public internet! This option is ignored unless -rpcallowip is also passed. Port is optional and overrides -rpcport. Use [host]:port notation for IPv6. This option can be specified multiple times (default: 127.0.0.1 and ::1 i.e., localhost) rpcbind=192.168.1.119 rpcbind=127.0.0.1 rpcbind=172.16.0.0/12</kbd> 4) Scroll down to where it says <kbd># Password for JSON-RPC connections.</kbd> and below that, delete the hashtag in front of <kbd>#rpcpassword=< pw ></kbd> and replace <kbd> < pw > </kbd> with whatever you want your password to be in order to make RPC calls to your Bitcoin node. For example, the end result should look like this: <kbd># Password for JSON-RPC connections rpcpassword=INSERTYOURPASSWORD</kbd> 5) Scroll down to where it says <kbd># Username for JSON-RPC connections.</kbd> and below that, delete the hashtag in front of <kbd>#rpcuser=< user ></kbd> and replace <kbd> < user > </kbd> with whatever you want your username to be in order to make RPC calls to your Bitcoin node. For example, the end result should look like this: <kbd># Username for JSON-RPC connections rpcuser=INSERTYOURUSERNAME</kbd> 6) Lastly, scroll down to where it says <kbd># Accept command line and JSON-RPC commands </kbd> and below that, delete the hashtag in front of <kbd>#server=1</kbd>. For example, the end result should look like this: <kbd># Accept command line and JSON-RPC commands server=1</kbd> Then hit ctrl+o to write, hit enter to save, and hit ctrl+x to exit. You can return to your home directory with this command: `$ cd ~` Then change directory to the `/bitcoin` folder and run this command to start bitcoind, making sure you have your data directory defined: `$ sudo ./bitcoind -datadir=/mnt/ext` You should see several lines of text scroll by, scroll up to the beginning of those responses and double check that bitcoind is using the directory that you want and the configuration file you want. For example, the text should read something like this:  <font size=1>[IMG-008] bitcoind Start Up</font> Then you want to just let bitcoind run and start downloading the entire blockchain. This Initial Block Download can take a few weeks on a Raspberry Pi with 4GB of RAM so give it time. You won't be able to start mining until the synchronization process is done. In the mean-time, you can build the Public-Pool container. <h3>Step 5 – Install the Public-Pool Container</h3> While bitcoind is synchronizing, open a new terminal window and SSH into your Raspberry Pi like before. Clone the Public Pool Git Repo: `$ sudo git clone https://github.com/benjamin-wilson/public-pool.git` Change Directory to the new public-pool folder: `$ cd public-pool` Create a new environment file in the root of the public-pool folder: `$ sudo touch .env` Open the new .env file: `$ sudo nano .env` Copy/Paste the contents from the ".env.example" file (from https://github.com/benjamin-wilson/public-pool/blob/master/.env.example) then modify the following lines to your specific setup: Change the IP on this line to the local IP address of your Raspberry Pi: <kbd>BITCOIN_RPC_URL=http://192.168.1.119</kbd> Enter the RPC Username you entered into the bitcoin.conf file: <kbd>BITCOIN_RPC_USER=INSERTYOURUSERNAME</kbd> Enter the RPC Password you entered into the “bitcoin.conf” file: <kbd>BITCOIN_RPC_PASSWORD=INSERTYOURPASSWORD</kbd> Add a hashtag in front of this line: <kbd># BITCOIN_RPC_COOKIEFILE=</kbd> Delete the hash tag from this line: <kbd>BITCOIN_ZMQ_HOST="tcp://192.168.1.100:3000"</kbd> And change the <kbd>192.168.1.100</kbd> IP address to the local IP address of your Raspberry Pi. Add a hashtag in front of this line: <kbd># DEV_FEE_ADDRESS=</kbd> Change the <kbd>POOL_IDENTIFIER</kbd> to whatever you want to show up in the blockchain when you win a block. For example: <kbd>POOL_IDENTIFIER="/abolish the fed/"</kbd> ctrl+o to write, enter to save, ctrl+x to exit. Docker Compose binds to “127.0.0.1” by default. To expose the Stratum services on your server you need to update the ports in the “docker-compose.yml” file, so run: `$ sudo nano docker-compose.yml` Scroll down to the ports section where it says: <kbd>ports: -"127.0.0.1:${STRATUM_PORT}:${STRATUM_PORT}/tcp" -"127.0.0.1:${API_PORT}:${API_PORT}/tcp"</kbd> Delete everything between to quotation marks on both lines and add <kbd>0.0.0.0:3333:3333/tcp</kbd> and <kbd>0.0.0.0:3334:3334/tcp</kbd> respectively. For example, the end result should look like this: <kbd>ports: -"0.0.0.0:3333:3333/tcp" -"0.0.0.0:3334:3334/tcp"</kbd> Press ctrl+o to write, enter to save, ctrl+x to exit. While still in the public-pool folder run: `$ sudo docker compose build` After several minutes you should get a confirmation like Service public-pool Built. Then run: `$ sudo docker compose up -d` This command will take some time to execute but you should see some lines of text flying by in the terminal window in the mean-time. Eventually, you should get a confirmation like `Container public-pool Started`. This completes the steps needed for building your Bitcoin node and Stratum Server. Now you can bring your miner into the loop. <h3>Step 6 – Connecting Bitaxe</h3> A Bitaxe was used in this example but you should be able use any miner in theory. Plug your Bitaxe into the power supply. Use your mobile phone to connect via WiFi to the Bitaxe network, this should be something like "Bitaxe_4A89" or "Bitaxe_5B09" etc. Once connected, open a web browser on your mobile phone and enter "192.168.4.1" in the address bar. This should bring you to the Bitaxe Dashboard. From the menu, scroll down to “Settings”. Update the WiFi SSID to your local WiFi network name. Enter the password for your local WiFi network in the WiFi Password dialog box. For the Stratum URL, enter the local IP address for your Raspberry Pi. Leave the Stratum Port as 3333. For your Stratum User, enter your bitcoin address that you want block rewards sent to. You can optionally append your bitcoin address with a worker name, for example: ".bitaxe1". Save those changes and then restart the miner. Once back up, the Bitaxe should connect to your local WiFi network and point to your Raspberry Pi Stratum server. You can navigate back to the dashboard and you should start seeing some hashrate happening within less than a minute. If you don't, go to the menu and scroll down to the Logs and click on the Show Logs button to see what the Bitaxe is doing.  <font size=1>[IMG-009] Bitaxe Dashboard</font> If you experience problems and do not see any hashrate in the Bitaxe dashboard after a minute or so, here are some things you can check to get a better idea of what the problem is: Check the Bitaxe logs by navigating to the “Logs” option in the side menu of the dashboard, then click on “Show Logs”. Restart the Bitaxe if necessary. If you see errors about a refused socket connection then you might need to double check the IP addresses configured in your bitcoin.conf file or Public-Pool .env file. You can stop the Public-Pool service at anytime by running the following command from the public-pool directory: `$ sudo docker compose stop` Restart the service again with: `$ sudo docker compose up -d` You can check the logs of the Public-Pool service by running the following command from the public-pool directory: `$ sudo docker compose logs` You Might need to run this command a couple times to get the latest events. You want to see a response that shows you are using ZMQ and it is connected, Bitcoin RPC is connected, and that it is receiving some responses about the mining information like in [IMG-010]. If you are seeing an error with the RPC connection then try double checking the IP addresses configured in the bitcoin.conf file and the Public-Pool .env file. Or if you see errors about not being able to complete a “getmininginfo” request then try double checking the port parameters you set in the Public-Pool docker-compose.yml file.  <font size=1> [IMG-010] Docker Compose Logs</font> You can test the RPC connection with a command like this from the /bitcoin directory: `$ sudo ./bitcoin-cli -rpcuser=YOURUSERNAME -rpcpassword=YOURPASSWORD getblockchaininfo` You might need to wait for the blockchain data to finish synchronizing before you can run RPC commands. Or if your node is fully sync’d and you are still not able to make RPC requests then double check the IP addresses you have configured in the “rpcallowip” and “rpcbind” fields in the bitcoin.conf file. <h2>Conclusion:</h2> Thank you for reading the first 256 Foundation newsletter. Keep an eye out for more newsletters on a monthly basis in your email inbox by subscribing at https://256foundation.org/. Or you can download .pdf versions of the newsletters from there as well. You can also find these newsletters published in article form on Nostr. If you are not currently mining to your own node, making your own templates with open source mining hardware then you now have zero excuses not to be. Stay vigilant, frens. -econoalchemist

@ 13bb52c0:7a8bd512

¡Ya Tenemos un nuevo dominio https://VEINTIUNO.BTC.pub! 

@ 000002de:c05780a7

The more I learn about these terrible fires in LA the more damning the case against government becomes. Granted, I think the monopoly of the "state" is evil for many reasons but still. The idea that this disaster can be laid at any other individual or group's feet is absurd. Isn't it? Every aspect of this to me seems to be owned or largely influenced by the various levels of government. Its kinda mind blowing to me. I bet, if we had a free society and the cities were privately managed by different companies, if you had insurance companies that hired fire prevention services and those companies were found to be as incompetent as the various government agencies there would be massive lawsuits filed. Companies would go bankrupt. The insurance companies would be blamed without hesitation. All of this would be justified. This mind virus of "government" being special because it isn't private is really being shown to be absurd. Political incentives are being shown to be inferior to market incentives over and over again. The people are taught to believe this nonsense by the government schools populated by teachers that believe the same nonsense. How does it end? This tragedy makes me wonder. California's government is not special. Its just closer to socialism than other states. When you read about the USSR you find there were many failures and absurd ones. We are seeing just a small taste of this in California. California is not alone. We see government failures in New Orleans and in the floods of North Carolina as well. I hope more people begin to see what is going on but I'm not counting on it. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/852698

@ d1b118c6:4985b38d

## Chef's notes Let me know how it goes for you https://maria.omg.lol ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 5-20 minutes - 🍳 Cook time: 20-40 minutes - 🍽️ Servings: As many as you want omg!!!! ## Ingredients - Spaghetti/whatever pasta you want - Garlic/smashed or diced as much as you want - Tomatoes/ diced or more liquid state whatever you want - Scallops/ I use the frozen bagged mini kind and just do a couple handfuls as many as you want - Butter and/or olive oil but the butter is v good imo but also I used both - Bacon/ make it extra crispy and then crumble up as much as you want - Whatever seasonings ## Directions 1. Set oven to 400° or so 2. Put all your bacon 🥓 strips onto tin foil lined baking sheet/s and then put the trays in the oven for 15-20 min 3. Boil up your pasta in salty water 4. Pull the bacon out when done 5. In a pan cook up the scallops real quick like 5-10 min idk 6. Sauté the tomatoes and garlic and whatever use whatever seasons and lots of butter 7. Strain the pasta when it’s ready 8. Mix pasta and sautéed sauce 9. Add more crumbled bacon on top #garnish

@ a853296a:209e695f

# 🚀🤠⚡ The Fastest Podcast Search in the West! ⚡🤠 ### **PullThatUpJamie v0.1 Release** 👋 Hey stackers! I’m excited to announce a major new feature for **Pull That Up Jamie**: **Podcast Search (Beta)**—the fastest way to find high-signal moments in your favorite shows! You can try it out now at: [https://pullthatupjamie.ai/?searchMode=podcast-search](https://pullthatupjamie.ai/?searchMode=podcast-search) - 🚀 **Podcast Search (Beta)** is live at [https://pullthatupjamie.ai/?searchMode=podcast-search](https://pullthatupjamie.ai/?searchMode=podcast-search). - 🎙️ Search through **100k+ podcast clips** with **lightning-fast vector search**. - ✨ Features include: - **Share Button**: Get links to **exact timestamps** for moments you searched. - **Listen Button**: Jump straight into episodes without hassle. - **Filter by Feed**: Focus your search on specific podcasts. - 🎧 Highlights: - High-signal technical content from **Bitcoin Optech Podcast** 📡. - In-depth macro news from **Green Candle Investments Podcast** 💡. - On-the-ground Bitcoin startup coverage from **ThrillerX** 📰. - 🙌 **More pods coming soon**—let us know which ones you want added!  We’ve used **state-of-the-art tools** to make **100k+ podcast clips** searchable, giving you the power to pinpoint the insights and commentary you need in seconds. ### 🎙️ Current Podcast Lineup (As of 1/16/25) - 🎙️ **Robin Seyr** – Interviews with Bitcoiners worldwide. - 💡 **Green Candle Investments Podcast** – Macro news and updates on Bitcoin and investing. - 🥩 **The Meat Mafia Podcast** – Deep dives into health, wealth, and meaningful living. - 📰 **Thriller "A Bitcoin Zine"** – On-the-ground Bitcoin startup coverage and local Austin Bitcoin news. - 🎭 **The Joe Rogan Experience** – Conversations with fascinating guests from every walk of life. - 🚲 **Convos On The Pedicab** – Polarizing topics discussed in Austin, TX. - 🧠 **The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett** – Insights from the world’s top thinkers and leaders. - ❓ **The "What is Money?" Show** – Exploring the philosophical rabbit hole of money. - 📖 **Bitcoin Audible** – Bitcoin knowledge made accessible, one read at a time. - 📚 **The Bitcoin Standard Podcast** – Discussions on Austrian economics and Bitcoin analysis. - 🌀 **The Bitcoin Matrix** – Exploring the future of money and its broader implications. - 🌎 **The Juan Galt Show** – Libertarian views and Bitcoin from a Latin perspective. - 🐇 **Rabbit Hole Recap** – Weekly updates on Bitcoin news and developments. - 🐴 **TFTC: A Bitcoin Podcast** – Straight talk about Bitcoin from Austin, TX. - 🔥 **THE Bitcoin Podcast** – A no-nonsense take on Bitcoin’s evolution and signal. - 📡 **Bitcoin Optech Podcast** – High-signal technical content about Bitcoin and Lightning Network. - ⚡ **Simply Bitcoin** – Daily updates on the Bitcoin revolution. --- ### 🛠️ Features to Check Out - **Share Button**: Get a link to the **exact moment** you searched for, complete with timestamps. - **Listen Button**: Dive right into the content without leaving your search results. - **Filter by Feed**: Refine your search results by podcast feed to focus on the shows you care about most. --- ## Pull That Up Jamie Highlights  _@Ge and @Car commenting on @DarthCoin 's incredible origin story ([deeplink](https://cascdr-chads-stay-winning.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/3955537/febe48a6-f326-4ae4-ad28-bf62ff55af83.mp3#t=481))_  _Learning about Superscaler on Bitcoin Optech [deeplink](https://cascdr-chads-stay-winning.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/6071192/a39ee779-6e50-4c31-8530-1426cff15c55.mp3#t=6729)_  _@Greencandleit interviewing [American HODL](https://cascdr-chads-stay-winning.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/5015946/ff392f3c-00e4-494d-be7b-601629bcc0a6.mp3#t=4201) on why MSTR is going to moon_  _Mel Gibson discussing his brain scans on [JRE](https://cascdr-chads-stay-winning.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/550168/34bf1882-cca9-11ef-a07d-2b33a4de50ac.mp3#t=2463)_ ### 🙌 We Want Your Feedback! 1. Have a podcast you want us to add? Let us know! 2. Stacker News Live pods are searchable going back to **July** on the ThrillerX feed. 3. **Optech**: Search **high-signal technical content** on Bitcoin development and Lightning tech. 4. **Green Candle**: Stay updated with great **macro news** and Bitcoin analysis. 5. **ThrillerX**: Get **on-the-ground coverage** of the Bitcoin startup scene. --- ⚡ Try out **Podcast Search** now and let us know what you think: [https://pullthatupjamie.ai/?searchMode=podcast-search](https://pullthatupjamie.ai/?searchMode=podcast-search) Together, let’s make Bitcoin and podcast search more accessible, private, and powerful! 🚀 originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/852635

@ f1989a96:bcaaf2c1

Good morning, readers! In Burma, the military junta introduced a far-reaching cybersecurity law that criminalizes privacy tools like VPNs and mandates online platforms to store and share user data with state officials. This move intensifies state repression of civil society, leaving activists and citizens more vulnerable to surveillance. \ \ Meanwhile, in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, ostensibly intended to alleviate financial struggles, have backfired. Soaring inflation has plunged millions into a worsening food crisis, leaving families unable to put food on the table, as the regime continues to isolate the population from seeking a way out in the form of Bitcoin or dollars. In open-source software news, Citadel Tech released the beta version of its Coinswap protocol. This privacy-enhancing Bitcoin tool, while still in development, could protect the financial activity of human rights defenders, journalists, and dissidents from the watchful eyes of authoritarian rulers. We also feature Nstart, a new tool that guides users through setting up a Nostr account for the first time. This may prove a valuable tool for activists and journalists operating in authoritarian environments, offering simplified access to uncensorable communications. Finally, we conclude with the first three chapters of Evan Mawarire’s upcoming memoir, in which the Zimbabwean pastor turned activist recounts his powerful journey of inspiring a peaceful uprising against brutal dictator Robert Mugabe. His story is one of courage, resilience, and the enduring struggle for justice over hyperinflation and tyranny. **Now, let’s dive right in!** ### [**Subscribe Here**](https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter?mc_cid=bf652c0a5a) ## **GLOBAL NEWS** #### **Burma | Military Junta Enacts Sweeping Cybersecurity Law** Burma’s military junta is notorious for [repressing](https://mohingamatters.com/2024/10/16/myanmar-banks-complicit-or-coerced-the-case-of-kbz/) pro-democracy activists, freezing their bank accounts, and surveilling their financial activity. Now, it is [expanding](https://apnews.com/article/internet-online-censorship-law-repression-8128ba7a2c02555217c6a64ab641eaf6) control over online spaces with a sweeping new cybersecurity law. The law requires digital platform service providers to store user data for three years and hand it over to state officials upon request. Non-compliant providers face fines, blocks, or shutdowns if they fail to remove content or limit the flow of so-called “disinformation.” The law also targets Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), crucial for Internet access and privacy. Those caught using VPNs [face up to six months in prison](https://apnews.com/article/internet-online-censorship-law-repression-8128ba7a2c02555217c6a64ab641eaf6) and fines of up to 10 million kyats ($4,760). The criminalization of privacy tools and expansion of state surveillance leave the public censored and incapable of organizing against authoritarian rule. #### **Nigeria | Inflation Continues as State Closes Ways Out** President Bola Tinubu’s economic “reforms” — [removing](https://archive.ph/F2hGj) fuel subsidies, [expanding](https://thefederalnewswire.com/stories/656686715-applied-economics-professor-hanke-nigerian-government-s-crypto-claims-are-misguided-and-incorrect) the money supply, and [devaluing](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-30/usd-ngn-naira-devaluation-sees-nigeria-s-currency-plunge-to-record) the naira — have driven food inflation beyond [40%](https://archive.ph/F2hGj). In a country where the monthly minimum wage stands at just 70,000 naira ($45), this means two out of every three Nigerian households are struggling with hunger. In a recent [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/10/31/bitcoin-price-nears-all-tim-high-in-nigeria-as-naira-hits-record-low/) article, Nigerian CEO of Recursive Capital, Abubakar Nur Khalil, observed: “As the Naira continues to face further devaluations and slips against the US dollar, it has become almost second nature for those in Nigeria to seek out viable alternatives in the form of bitcoin and USDT.” Individuals laboring under this regime often do seek a way out in the form of Bitcoin or stablecoins, but the government continues to try and restrict that activity, trying instead to trap citizens inside the sinking and surveilled naira. #### **Kazakhstan | Shuts Down Dozens of Digital Asset Exchanges** In 2024, the Kazakhstani regime [shut down](https://cointelegraph.com/news/kazakhstan-crypto-crackdown-2024) 36 digital asset exchanges with a combined turnover of 60 billion Kazakhstani tenge ($112 million). Authorities also [confiscated](https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/afm/press/news/details/913888?lang=kk) 2.5 billion tenge ($4.8 million) in assets. The regime [says](https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/afm/press/news/details/913888?lang=kk) it will continue to crack down on digital assets, but the reality is these kinds of exchanges are some of the only ways for people inside a dictatorship to obtain access to open money like Bitcoin. At the same time, the regime is promoting its central bank digital currency (CBDC), [the digital tenge](https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/currency/kazakhstan), which it developed in collaboration with Mastercard and Visa. While presented as a modern and convenient financial tool, the CBDC risks becoming a means for consolidating state control over citizens’ economic activities and leaving few avenues for preserving financial independence. #### **Belarus | Opposition Leader Condemns Upcoming Election as a Sham** At the end of January, Belarusians will head to the polls for a [presidential election](https://www.delfi.lt/en/politics/process-due-to-happen-in-belarus-is-not-election-says-tsikhanouskaya-120077037) widely regarded as a sham. This election is the first since Alexander Lukashenko’s fraudulent reelection in 2020, which triggered mass protests and saw Bitcoin play a role in [supporting pro-democracy movements](https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclusive/how-to-dictator-proof-your-money/). The upcoming election is expected to solidify Lukashenko’s grip on power, extending his rule beyond three decades and securing a seventh term. Under Lukashenko’s regime, thousands of dissenters have been [imprisoned](https://www.delfi.lt/en/politics/process-due-to-happen-in-belarus-is-not-election-says-tsikhanouskaya-120077037), silenced, or [financially repressed](https://www.rferl.org/a/natallya-levaya-belarus-kastus-kalinouski-regiment-ukraine-war-brest-belarus/33046377.html) for challenging state objectives and narratives. Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya condemned the election, [saying](https://www.delfi.lt/en/politics/process-due-to-happen-in-belarus-is-not-election-says-tsikhanouskaya-120077037), “It is impossible to hold fair elections in a country where all the media are liquidated, all the parties are liquidated, and political leaders are in prison or abroad.” #### **Zimbabwe | Citizens Brace for More Currency Volatility** Zimbabweans are facing growing financial insecurity as the “ZiG” currency [weakens](https://archive.ph/znZbU) further following a regime-imposed [43% devaluation](https://archive.ph/znZbU) in September. The sharp decline is eroding purchasing power, fanning inflation, and disrupting economic activity as the dictatorship siphons as much value as it can for its own uses, away from helping the people. “To plan using the local currency is to plan to fail,” [says](https://archive.ph/znZbU) Christopher Mugaga, CEO of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce. These currency woes are compounded by drought-driven [18-hour](https://archive.ph/znZbU) power outages, placing immense strain on households and businesses alike. As profits dwindle, dissenting bank accounts are frozen, and disposable incomes vanish, many turn to US dollars and Bitcoin as lifelines to escape the chaos of an increasingly unstable ZiG economy. ## BITCOIN NEWS #### **Coinswap | Releases Beta of Coinswap Protocol** [Citadel Tech](https://github.com/citadel-tech), an open-source Bitcoin software collective, [announced](https://x.com/citadelfoss/status/1877364560098652173) the first public beta release of [Coinswap](https://github.com/citadel-tech/coinswap), introducing a highly anticipated feature that enhances Bitcoin’s privacy and scalability. Coinswap allows users to swap their Bitcoin with other users in a way that breaks the link between transactions on the blockchain. Though still in its beta phase, this protocol holds potential for activists, journalists, and others living under authoritarian regimes, where financial surveillance is exploited to suppress dissent. Notably, HRF’s first-ever grant from its Bitcoin Development Fund was deployed to support Coinswap, so it is good to see progress on this front. #### **Nstart | Simplified Access to Nostr Protocol** [Nstart](https://github.com/dtonon/nstart) is a new tool that simplifies onboarding to Nostr, a decentralized and censorship-resistant social network protocol. It guides first-time users through creating an account and securely backing up their private key (the password to their account). Additionally, users can set up a [multi-signer bunker](https://git.fiatjaf.com/promenade), which splits their private key into multiple pieces stored with trusted signers. This feature enhances security by protecting users’ identities even if one piece is compromised. These capabilities make Nstart an invaluable tool for activists and organizations operating under authoritarian environments, offering straightforward access to decentralized and uncensorable communications. To explore Nostr, start here: [https://start.njump.me](https://start.njump.me/). #### **Blitz Wallet | Implements On-chain Payments and Manual Channel Rebalancing** [Blitz](https://blitz-wallet.com/), an open-source and self-custodial Bitcoin, Lightning, and Liquid wallet, introduced new features enhancing interoperability, privacy, and liquidity management. Users can now send regular payments from their Lightning or Liquid balances, giving them more transaction options. Blitz also lets users manually rebalance their payment channels, offering more control compared to automatic rebalancing. To improve privacy, the wallet will also rotate Liquid account addresses weekly and contact addresses every month, reducing the chances of being tracked. #### **Nunchuck | Launches Taproot Multisig Beta** [Nunchuk](https://nunchuk.io/), a self-custodial Bitcoin wallet, [introduced](https://nunchuk.io/blog/taproot-multisig) a beta version of Taproot multisignature in its mobile wallet. Multisignature wallets require more than one private key to make transactions, adding an extra layer of security. With [Taproot](https://blog.theya.us/bitcoin-taproot-upgrade/) multisignature, Nunchuk’s wallet improves privacy and lowers fees by making these transactions look identical to regular transactions on the blockchain. This custody solution offers a secure and private way to manage Bitcoin, which is helpful for those in countries with dictators practicing strict financial surveillance or where funds are at risk of confiscation. #### **Wasabi Wallet | Integrates Send to Silent Payment Addresses** [Wasabi Wallet](https://github.com/WalletWasabi), a privacy-focused, open-source Bitcoin wallet, introduced support for sending to [Silent Payment](https://silentpayments.xyz/) addresses. Silent Payments enables transaction senders to generate unique addresses derived from a receiver’s static public key. This advancement is particularly critical for activists and dissidents operating in hostile political environments, where financial transparency can expose them to severe risks. By integrating Silent Payments, Wasabi Wallet empowers users with permissionless and uncensorable money, improving financial privacy for all parties and protecting them from oppressive surveillance. #### **Bitcoin Student Network | Launches Layer Zero** The [Bitcoin Students Network](https://www.bitcoinstudentsnetwork.org/), an educational hub for students interested in Bitcoin, [launched](https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2025/01/09/the-bitcoin-students-network-launch-layer-zero-to-empower-global-youth/) Layer Zero, a program designed to empower youth worldwide, strengthen Bitcoin’s social layer, and promote its role in advancing financial freedom. Running for two and a half months, Layer Zero offers participants technical training and hands-on experience in community building and peer collaboration. The program also connects students with seasoned entrepreneurs and developers, fostering mentorship and real-world insights. Layer Zero could be a powerful support group for youth living under dictatorships and navigating financial repression. Students from anywhere have until Feb. 15 to [apply](https://form.typeform.com/to/FXfttZrK) to the program. ## RECOMMENDED CONTENT #### **“Crazy Epic Courage” by Evan Mawarire** In this soon-to-be-released [memoir](https://www.evanmawarire.org/publications), “Crazy Epic Courage,” Zimbabwean pastor and activist Evan Mawarire recounts the remarkable story of how he inspired a nation to stand up against dictator Robert Mugabe. What began as a simple viral video grew into the “ThisFlag” citizen movement, a powerful call for justice that challenged decades of brutal dictatorship and hyperinflation. Mawarire’s journey is one of resilience, courage, and unwavering determination, undertaken at great personal risk. For now, Mawarire is offering an [exclusive preview](https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/s8w4SLj) of the first three chapters, where readers will begin to discover how he found his voice, sparked a movement, and forever changed Zimbabwe’s struggle for freedom. *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/)

@ 6389be64:ef439d32

## Black Locust can grow up to 170 ft tall ## Grows 3-4 ft. per year ## Native to North America ## Cold hardy in zones 3 to 8  ## Firewood - BLT wood, on a pound for pound basis is roughly half that of Anthracite Coal - Since its growth is fast, firewood can be plentiful ## Timber  - Rot resistant due to a naturally produced robinin in the wood - 100 year life span in full soil contact! (better than cedar performance) - Fence posts - Outdoor furniture - Outdoor decking - Sustainable due to its fast growth and spread - Can be coppiced (cut to the ground) - Can be pollarded (cut above ground) - Its dense wood makes durable tool handles, boxes (tool), and furniture - The wood is tougher than hickory, which is tougher than hard maple, which is tougher than oak. -  A very low rate of expansion and contraction - Hardwood flooring - The highest tensile beam strength of any American tree - The wood is beautiful ## Legume - Nitrogen fixer - Fixes the same amount of nitrogen per acre as is needed for 200-bushel/acre corn - Black walnuts inter-planted with locust as “nurse” trees were shown to rapidly increase their growth [[Clark, Paul M., and Robert D. Williams. (1978) Black walnut growth increased when interplanted with nitrogen-fixing shrubs and trees. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, vol. 88, pp. 88-91.]] ## Bees  - The edible flower clusters are also a top food source for honey bees ## Shade Provider  - Its light, airy overstory provides dappled shade - Planted on the west side of a garden it provides relief during the hottest part of the day - (nitrogen provider) - Planted on the west side of a house, its quick growth soon shades that side from the sun ## Wind-break  - Fast growth plus it's feathery foliage reduces wind for animals, crops, and shelters ## Fodder - Over 20% crude protein - 4.1 kcal/g of energy - Baertsche, S.R, M.T. Yokoyama, and J.W. Hanover (1986) Short rotation, hardwood tree biomass as potential ruminant feed-chemical composition, nylon bag ruminal degradation and ensilement of selected species. J. Animal Sci. 63 2028-2043

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

Here are today's picks using my proprietary betting strategy at [Freebitcoin](https://freebitco.in/?r=51325722). For details about what Risk Balanced Odds Arbitrage is and why it works see https://stacker.news/items/342765/r/Undisciplined. For a hypothetical 1k-ish wager on each match, distribute your sats as follows: | Outcome 1 | Outcome 2 | Outcome 3 | Bet 1 | Bet 2 | Bet 3 | |--------------|-------------|--------------|-------|-------|-------| | Verona| Lazio| Draw | 200| 556| 345| | Napoli| Juventus| Draw | 476| 256| 303| | Lecce| Inter Milan| Draw | 105| 733| 182| | Juventus| AC Milan| Draw | 448| 286| 303| | Inter Milan| Empoli| Draw | 800| 71| 148| | Atalanta| Napoli| Draw | 435| 308| 294| | AC Milan| Parma| Draw | 770| 100| 167| | VfL Bochum| RB Leipzig| Draw | 270| 500| 278| | SC Freiburg| FC Bayern| Draw | 143| 723| 182| | RB Leipzig| Leverkusen| Draw | 278| 526| 263| | Leverkusen| Monchengladbach| Draw | 788| 91| 154| | FC Bayern| Wolfsburg| Draw | 857| 59| 125| | Dortmund| Werder| Draw | 620| 208| 222| I'm a little tight on time this morning, so I'll just note that the most recently completed two sets of RBOA made 54k on 52k of wagers. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/852423

@ 8f69ac99:4f92f5fd

O dinheiro é a raiz de todo o mal ou o sangue vital de uma sociedade produtiva? Esta questão tem sido debatida por séculos, frequentemente com conclusões polarizadoras. Alguns veem a riqueza como corruptora e egoísta, enquanto outros a consideram como um catalisador do progresso humano. Francisco d’Anconia, em *A Revolta de Atlas*, de Ayn Rand, oferece uma defesa eloquente do dinheiro como uma ferramenta moral – enraizada na produção, no comércio voluntário e na engenhosidade humana. Este artigo é inspirado nesse icónico discurso para explorar a virtude do dinheiro e seu papel crucial na construção de uma sociedade justa e próspera. ### **Um Reflexo da Engenhosidade Humana** No cerne de sua existência, o dinheiro é uma ferramenta de troca – uma forma de os indivíduos trocarem valor por valor sem dependerem de sistemas de troca ineficientes. Mas o que dá valor ao dinheiro? É apenas uma questão de oferta e demanda ou existe algo mais profundo? Francisco d’Anconia faz a mesma pergunta: *“Você já se perguntou qual é a raiz do dinheiro?”* A resposta está na produção. O dinheiro surge da necessidade de bens e serviços que atendam às necessidades humanas. Quando criamos algo de valor – um produto, um serviço ou uma ideia – geramos um direito sobre o tempo, o esforço e os recursos de outros. Esse direito, frequentemente representado em moeda, reflecte os frutos do nosso trabalho e engenho ou criatividade. O dinheiro permite que os indivíduos se especializem, inovem e foquem no que fazem de melhor. Ele viabiliza a alocação eficiente de recursos, garantindo que bens e serviços sejam produzidos e comercializados de forma eficaz. Sem o dinheiro, a civilização ficaria paralisada nas ineficiências da troca directa, e as inovações que impulsionam o progresso humano seriam sufocadas. ### **Os Arquitectos da Riqueza** Quem cria riqueza? Contrariando o mito de que o dinheiro é acumulado às custas de outros, a riqueza tem origem nas mentes e nos esforços dos produtores. Empreendedores, inventores, agricultores e artistas são os verdadeiros arquitectos da prosperidade. Eles projectam os carros que dirigimos, os remédios que salvam vidas e as tecnologias que nos conectam. Como d’Anconia observou, *“Tente cultivar um grão de trigo sem o conhecimento que lhe foi deixado por homens que tiveram de descobri-lo pela primeira vez.”* A criação de riqueza exige pensamento, esforço e a capacidade de transformar matérias-primas em bens de valor. Apoiar esses produtores por meio do comércio voluntário não é apenas uma transacção, é um reconhecimento de sua contribuição para o bem comum. ### **A Base Ética da Civilização** O comércio voluntário não é apenas uma necessidade económica, é um princípio moral. Quando compra um produto, indica que valoriza a sua utilidade e que está disposto a trocar os seus esforços por ele. Quando alguém lhe vende esse produto, reconhece que o seu dinheiro - ganho através do seu próprio esforço - tem valor. Este reconhecimento mútuo de valor constitui a base de uma sociedade livre e ética. Numa sociedade moral, a riqueza flui para aqueles que criam valor através da inovação e do esforço. Em contrapartida, nas sociedades em que o comércio é coagido ou manipulado, a riqueza tende a concentrar-se nas mãos de poucos, conduzindo à desigualdade e à estagnação. ### **Mitos Sobre a Criação de Riqueza** O dinheiro tem sido frequentemente mal interpretado e difamado. Um dos equívocos mais persistentes é que a riqueza é criada pela exploração. Críticos argumentam que os ricos prosperam às custas dos pobres, mas isso ignora a natureza fundamental do comércio e da produção. A riqueza não é uma quantidade fixa a ser dividida. É criada por meio da inovação, do esforço e da troca voluntária. O discurso de d’Anconia desmonta esse mito: *“A riqueza é o produto da capacidade do homem de pensar.”* Considere um agricultor que cultiva trigo e o vende a um moleiro, que então produz farinha para um padeiro. Cada um contribui com valor e beneficia da troca. A criação de riqueza é um empreendimento cooperativo, não um jogo de soma zero. Outro mito é a ideia de que a riqueza herdada corrompe os indivíduos. Embora seja verdade que a riqueza não merecida pode destruir aqueles que não estão aptos a administrá-la, a culpa não é do dinheiro, mas do indivíduo. Como d’Anconia afirmou, *“Se um herdeiro é digno de seu dinheiro, ele serve-o; caso contrário, ele destrói-o.”* ### **Quando o Dinheiro É Corrompido: Lições da Corrupção** O dinheiro, como qualquer ferramenta, pode ser corrompido quando desvinculado das suas raízes morais. Sociedades que recompensam coerção, favoritismo e riqueza não merecida frequentemente caem em decadência moral e económica. Como d’Anconia alertou, *“Quando você vê que o dinheiro está a fluir para aqueles que negociam, não em bens, mas em favores... você pode saber que a sua sociedade está condenada.”* A corrupção corrói a confiança e mina os princípios do comércio voluntário. O excesso de regulação, o clientelismo e a inflação – características de um sistema monetário distorcido – penalizam os produtores enquanto recompensam a ineficiência e a manipulação. O dinheiro sólido, enraizado em valores tangíveis como o ouro, garante estabilidade e justiça. Em contraste, os sistemas de moeda fiduciária, controlados por caprichos políticos, convidam à instabilidade económica e ao descontentamento social. ### **Barómetro Moral da Sociedade** O dinheiro serve como um barómetro da virtude de uma sociedade. Numa sociedade moral, a riqueza flui para aqueles que criam valor através da inovação e do esforço. Numa sociedade corrupta, a riqueza é tomada pela força ou pelo favoritismo, levando a uma corrida para o fundo. Como d'Anconia eloquentemente afirmou, *"Sempre que os destruidores aparecem entre os homens, começam por destruir o dinheiro, pois o dinheiro é a proteção dos homens e a base de uma existência moral. ”* As sociedades que respeitam os princípios morais do dinheiro - razão, comércio e troca voluntária - prosperam. Aquelas que abandonam estes princípios caem no caos. ### **Reivindicar a Virtude do Dinheiro** Para reconstruir uma sociedade próspera e justa, temos de recuperar a virtude do dinheiro. Isto começa com a compreensão de que o dinheiro não é inerentemente bom ou mau; a sua moralidade reside na forma como é ganho e utilizado. Quando enraizado na produção e no comércio voluntário, o dinheiro torna-se um símbolo do engenho e da cooperação humanos. O discurso de D'Anconia recorda-nos o que está em jogo: *"Até que e a menos que descubram que o dinheiro é a raiz de todo o bem, estão a pedir a vossa própria destruição. ”* Celebremos os produtores, os inovadores e os empresários que impulsionam o progresso. Rejeitemos os saqueadores e os esbanjadores que procuram distorcer o objectivo moral do dinheiro. Ao fazê-lo, podemos criar um mundo onde a prosperidade e a liberdade andam de mãos dadas - um mundo onde o dinheiro, longe de ser a raiz do mal, é um testemunho do melhor que há em nós. Na era digital actual, temos a oportunidade de experimentar este ideal de dinheiro sólido na sua forma mais pura. **Bitcoin**, com a sua natureza descentralizada, transacções transparentes e resistência à manipulação, incorpora os princípios do verdadeiro dinheiro que d'Anconia defendia. Ao abraçar Bitcoin como uma reserva de valor, meio de troca e unidade de conta, podemos promover o comércio voluntário, aumentar a **liberdade económica** e construir uma sociedade mais justa. À medida que os pioneiros de Bitcoin continuam a adoptar, inovar e a melhorar esta tecnologia, estão a aproximar-nos de um futuro em que o dinheiro está verdadeiramente nas mãos do povo, em vez dos caprichos dos governos e das elites financeiras. --- #bitcoin #aynRand #moneySpeech _Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@didwee?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Didier Weemaels</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/5-banknote-ZKVBM2_Dp84?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Unsplash</a>_

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

**Table Of Content** - A Mysterious 911 Call - The Investigation Begins - Zhong's Lavish Lifestyle - The Silk Road Connection - The Confrontation - The Shocking Revelation - The Verdict - Conclusion - FAQ The world of cryptocurrency is filled with tales of overnight millionaires, innovative technology, and unfortunately, crime. One such tale that intertwines all these elements is that of Jimmy Zhong. From being a developer in the early days of Bitcoin to becoming one of its biggest thieves, Zhong's story is a roller-coaster ride that sheds light on the darker corners of the crypto universe. Here's a deeper dive into his intriguing journey. **A Mysterious 911 Call** In the college town of Athens, Georgia, the police department is accustomed to handling typical college town crimes. However, on the night of March 13, 2019, they received a call that was anything but ordinary. Jimmy Zhong, a 28-year-old known for his partying habits, was on the line, but not for reasons one might expect. Distressed and panicked, he reported a significant theft of cryptocurrency from his residence. This call, seemingly just another crime report, would soon unravel a web of deceit and expose a decade-long mystery surrounding one of the most significant crypto crimes ever committed. **The Investigation Begins** With the local police initially stumped by the intricacies of the crypto world, Zhong sought external help. Enter Robin Martinelli, a private investigator with a reputation for tenacity. As she delved into the case, surveillance footage from Zhong's home revealed a potential suspect who seemed to have intimate knowledge of the premises. This discovery led Martinelli down a path that suggested the thief might be from Zhong's own circle of acquaintances or friends. The very idea was something Zhong found hard to digest, as it hinted at a betrayal from someone he trusted. **Zhong's Lavish Lifestyle** Behind the façade of a modest bungalow in Athens, Zhong led a life of luxury that raised many eyebrows. His spending habits painted the picture of a man with deep pockets. From stays at the Ritz Carlton to shopping sprees at Louis Vuitton, from driving a Tesla to owning a lake house filled with extravagant amenities, Zhong's lifestyle was nothing short of opulent. Yet, the source of his wealth remained shrouded in mystery. He often alluded to his early involvement in Bitcoin mining, suggesting he had been part of the crypto revolution since its inception in 2009. **The Silk Road Connection** Parallel to Zhong's life of luxury, IRS agents were deep into an investigation of a massive 2012 hack. This hack had seen 50,000 bitcoins stolen from Silk Road, a notorious dark web marketplace. As the years passed, the value of these stolen bitcoins skyrocketed to a staggering $3 billion. The breakthrough in the case came unexpectedly when the hacker, in a momentary lapse, transferred some of the stolen funds to a crypto exchange. The account on this exchange was registered under none other than Jimmy Zhong's name, drawing him into the crosshairs of the investigation. **The Confrontation** With growing suspicions, IRS agents, in collaboration with the local police, decided to confront Zhong. They approached him under the pretense of assisting with his reported theft, but their ulterior motive was to probe deeper into Zhong's potential involvement in the Silk Road heist. Their visit to his residence was revealing. Not only did they discover a significant amount of bitcoin on Zhong's laptop, but the manner in which Zhong operated his systems also hinted at a deep familiarity with the crypto world. **The Shocking Revelation** The deeper the authorities delved into Zhong's background, the more astonishing the revelations became. It turned out that Zhong wasn't just a casual participant in the Bitcoin community; he was an integral part of its early days. Known as an "original gangster" or OG, Zhong had contributed to Bitcoin's development in its nascent stages. This revelation was both ironic and startling. A person who had been instrumental in shaping Bitcoin had also, allegedly, become one of its most significant adversaries. **The Verdict** The culmination of the investigations saw Zhong facing charges of wire fraud. After a guilty plea, he was handed a sentence of a year and a day in federal prison. While the U.S. government managed to seize the stolen bitcoins, the original theft that led Zhong to make that fateful 911 call remains an unsolved mystery to this day. **Conclusion** The tale of Jimmy Zhong serves as a stark reminder of the complexities and ambiguities of the cryptocurrency world. It's a realm where the lines between right and wrong can often blur, and where fortunes can be made or lost in mere moments. Zhong's journey from a Bitcoin developer to a billionaire thief is a testament to the unpredictable and often tumultuous world of digital currencies. **FAQs** **Who is Jimmy Zhong?** Jimmy Zhong is a former Bitcoin developer who later became known for his involvement in one of the biggest crypto thefts. **What was the nature of the crime?** Zhong was implicated in a 2012 hack where 50,000 bitcoins were stolen from the Silk Road, a dark web marketplace. **How was he caught?** A small transactional mistake led investigators to a crypto exchange account registered under Zhong's name, linking him to the stolen bitcoins. **What was his sentence?** After pleading guilty to wire fraud, Zhong was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison. **Is the original theft from Zhong's home solved?** No, the theft that led Zhong to make a 911 call in 2019 remains unsolved. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: @croxroadnews** **Instagram: @croxroadnews.co** **Youtube: @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.*

@ 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)