@ f288a224:1da1792c

 First, some context. I'm a child of the original internet chat-rooms on IRC, and I've tried over the last decades different applications and websites that we could all agree are "social media", but until I found NOSTR (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) I hadn't had this certainty that this isn't something that I will eventually change for something else. Today, even with all its early stage issues, I have the certainty that NOSTR may be the ULTIMATE and FINAL HOME for my online life. # THE PROBLEMS with the current/old social media landscape  ## I'm tired of moving from one social media to the next. As many of you, in my digital lifetime I've had many accounts that have now become obsolete; and the "content" and followings I created during that time was lost when one tech giant lost over the other, forcing us all to "MOVE" ourselves over to the new, and start building our content and following from scratch. Lately, it's become even worse, where many of us have seen ourselves forced to use and feed more than one social media at a time, since they all serve various purposes, with sometimes diverse functionality, besides all being catered to different segments of people to connect you to (LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Youtube...). How much is too much, though? And how much time should we keep spending re-adapting our content to reach all of our network? For work, I've found myself having to create accounts in several of these giant data hoarding companies, having to build each following from scratch and to create "content" for all, and having to go through the hurdle of posting everything, everywhere, all at once. ## I'm sick of ever-changing terms, conditions and capabilities. Let's be honest, the majority of us have never ever read the full terms and conditions, let alone every time they are updated without us knowing which rights to our data we are giving away, and which terms we are accepting that may be detrimental to us and our mental health. We've learnt to accept that we are in their playground, they make up the rules, and if they choose to change the rules mid-game we just need to swallow it. We literally have no other choice, it's either that or desertion, which basically means walking away from everything we've built on their "public square". So, like a carefully engineered detrimental incentive structure, the more time we spend building on their turf, the more we are tied to them and conditioned to never leave them. The more we build and make them grow on our content, the more we'll lose if or when we drop out. And even if you accept all that and choose to play along, and you do your best to create the most awesome account in the neighborhood, the random changes they make to optimize ad revenue or user attention will inevitably affect you and all your work. If you created all your feed according to Instagram's squares but they choose to change to TikTok style dimensions due to their tech positioning battle with the Chinese giant... You swallow. If you edited your reels according to what you felt was the best 100 seconds video... Not anymore, suddenly 90 seconds is the maximum you're allowed... No appeal, no options. You Swallow. What? Seeing less of the people you actually WANT TO FOLLOW because they decided to clutter your feed with ads and suggestions, guess again: YOU SWALLOW. AREN'T YOU FEELING FULL ENOUGH OF ALL THE SHIT THEY'VE FORCED DOWN YOUR THROAT? Living our digital lives on these platforms feels like standing on ever changing quicksand, never endingly trying to "hack the algorithm" in order to have our content placed in front of the people who should automatically be able to see us from the moment they chose to follow us; and the worst part of it is, you never know when you may lose it all. ## Let's not forget, your social media account is NOT REALLY YOURS. Recently, a friend's social media account was hacked. She didn't know how it happened; all she knew is that she got an email from Meta saying she had acted against community guidelines and her accounts were therefore being removed (the one hacked and all those liked to her email, which meant personal and work accounts). She tried to appeal, to no avail. She hadn't done anything wrong, but suddenly her identity had disappeared from all our feeds, and her content didn't exist anywhere anymore. She lost plenty of photos she had always counted on finding on her Instagram and lost the people she followed and who followed her. It was as if she had never existed on the platform. *(Looks like a good moment to remind you to download all your valued content from the platforms you use in case something like this happens to you)* And this happened to someone who hadn't done anything "to deserve it". It has actually happened to more than one person I know, and every time they've been helpless and had no recourse, and yet, found themselves having to rebuild from scratch on the same platform that de-platformed them, because they had "no other option", and "their friends are there". Many more people have encountered this awful wake up call, some because of a hack, like my friend, others found themselves removed because they posted content critical of the platform... there are so many reasons people have gotten de-platformed and posts have gotten deleted without warning. And every time, we accept it, as if we owe them something; as if we need to settle for this kind of abusive environment that gets rich on our content and attention without having a say in anything. But we do have another option that flips that attention retention model completely on its head and empowers the user. **That option is NOSTR, our exit from the extractive social media silos they have trapped us into.**  # NOSTR: The better social experience for the internet era. NOSTR (Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) is not a social media app, it's an Internet protocol. It's open source and many many developers around the world are creating apps on top of it and creating THE ULTIMATE SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIENCE for users. I first heard of NOSTR from Jack Dorsey on what used to be called Twitter, and when I joined it two years ago it was really rough around the edges, but it was FULL OF POTENTIAL and the value proposition was very clear to me from the beginning. ## Firstly, YOU OWN YOUR IDENTITY, that includes your content and your follower list. So, what does owning you identity mean? I guess many of us have thought we owned our identity before, but the reality is that the platforms owned our identities, which is why they could delete or censor us. Owning your identity on NOSTR is empowered by encryption and cryptography. I'm not going to go into the technical part, but to explain as simply as I can, on NOSTR no platform owns your login and password to use on their playground; you can basically use any NOSTR app to create your identity to navigate it. They give you a login (npub) and password (nsec), and the magic part is that you can USE THAT IDENTITY ON ANY NOSTR APP OR WEBSITE, no need to sign up individually on each one. ## Welcome to the beauty of INTEROPERABILITY. I cannot emphasize enough what it feels like to be able to take your identity, your followers, your content and carry it from one app to the other. On NOSTR there is a rich ecosystem of apps and websites that keep growing. We have "clients" that allow you to experience NOSTR in interfaces that could remind you of Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Substack, Twitch, Clubhouse, Podcast apps and many more. You can find many of them on https://nostrapps.com/ .  With that information in mind, imagine you only needed one user password, your NOSTR nsec, and with that key, you could open you Instagram, or your Twitch or your Substack. And all your followers would be there, and you could choose what type of content you wanted to link to your identity for your followers to find. No longer "find link in bio", or "go to our YouTube channel", everything you post on NOSTR is tied to your identity, and you can post it all with a single set of keys that posts your content "everywhere". And since your content is "in every client", each of YOUR FOLLOWERS CAN CHOOSE if they are more interested in experiencing your photography content "Insta-like" or if they love your "Twitter-esque" notes better. Each user navigates NOSTR with the interface they prefer. *(With great power comes great responsibility, and I feel obligated to tell you that if you ever lose your nsec, no platform is gonna be able to save you. It's like the keys to your house, unless you keep a copy safely, no one can open it for you (there are no locksmiths on NOSTR). And if you leave your keys lying around on a cloud server somewhere, someone may grab your keys, open your house and use it however they want).* The beauty of this interoperability and the fact that my keys open up my identity to all the NOSTR realms is that you don't need to settle for one client. I use 5 to 6 clients regularly everyday depending on the mood I'm in, (or the bugs that still prove this is a nascent ecosystem in development). Some I use when I want a more "Twitter-like" experience, others when I want to browse photos and others just give different algorithms to choose how to view my feed, and the best part is NO ONE CAN CLUTTER MY FEED WITH ADS. I can curate my feed however is most important to me, and each "NOSTR client" is like a different skin that customizes the way I experience the content. However, the most important reason I started to use different NOSTR apps was that when I started, not all apps had zapping integrated. Some still don't, but most do :) ## ZAPS: direct micropayments from your followers.  Zaps are tips that come directly from the people who find value in the shit that you post. They are micropayments in the form of "sats", fractions of ever-increasing in value bitcoin , and a very big reason why I'm spending less and less time on other social media accumulating valueless likes that only feed the algorithm, and more time on NOSTR interacting with humans that post valuable notes hoping the generous souls that run upon their art or creations will find them valuable enough to tip them for it. It's crazy how the type of content you post can change when your incentive is not to feed an algo, but to give real value to other humans around the world and be your most authentic self. Where Twitter/X's algo benefited the type of incendiary content that shocked and outraged people, NOSTR's incentives benefit those who bring most value to the network and their peers. A few sats tip may not seem much, but even if the equivalent of a small zap is merely cents, it feels a whole lot better than any like, and you can count that if the purchasing power of bitcoin continues to accrue, those value-earned tips will too. Many "nostriches" are getting tons of zaps for memes on NOSTR, valuable articles, videos or participation in zapathons .  In NOSTR is where I first heard of the concept "value for value", and the community is very adamant in making "v4v" an alternative to ad revenue driven models. **Because we need to be the change we wanna see in the world**. We've heard it said that if you're not paying for the product, you are the product. And up until now that has meant we felt obliged to accept that since ads were paying the platforms, we were required to give them our attention. But the open source movement thinks we deserve better. We deserve a better Internet, like the decentralized promise we've slowly been robbed of to enrich 10 people out of the work of all of us. If they can't monetize our attention, they got nothing. But why should they monetize it, instead of us?  ## Even with the glitches and bugs, NOSTR ROCKS! The things I've grown to love most about NOSTR are: • Not having the clutter of ads on my feed and being able to ONLY SEE WHAT I CHOOSE TO SEE. • People who are not on NOSTR can ENJOY MY STUFF WITHOUT HAVING TO LOGIN. • Being able to ENJOY ALL THE BENEFITS OF INTEROPERABILITY, and use many NOSTR clients that enrich my user experience knowing I own my identity and that means I'm not locked in, I can move like a bird wherever I decide. • ZAPPING complete strangers that made me laugh, gave me a cool insight or simply made a witty comment. • GETTING TIPPED for memes, articles, photos, videos and any "Notes and Other Stuff" that people have found valuable.  # CONCLUSION: Join us on NOSTR, participate in claiming back your digital life. If you've made it this far in my love letter to NOSTR, thank you for being interested. Curious minds is what the world needs more of <3. NOSTR is an ecosystem that is being built in the open by relentless developers that are continuously striving to out compete each other to offer a better user experience, it's a many headed dragon that has constant upgrades and implementations which benefits us all, and as such it sometimes comes with bugs and glitches. Building the future is always buggy and requires testers and early adopters that help shape the technology in the best way possible, especially if you wanna build outside the incentive models of the devouring giants we're trying to get away from. Being such an open ecosystem can also be overwhelming for a newcomer, where to start? There are so many clients to experience; so here are some of my recommendations. Please, don't feel you need to go through all of them now, start step by step. This article will always be here whenever you need it (this is not Instagram ;) ). ### **Creating your NOSTR identity/account** with a wallet integrated to receive zaps on both Android and iOS: • **YAKIHONNE**: It's a Japanese client that offers a great on-boarding experience. From the app you can create the account and enable a wallet to receive zaps. In it you can view and post short and long form content, images, videos and more. (Once you have the account created on your app, you can also visit the desktop version on https://yakihonne.com/ ) • **PRIMAL**: For a while it has positioned itself as a great on-boarding NOSTR client because it offers the same things as Yakihonne, has an integrated wallet, with the added benefit that you can also "buy sats/bitcoin" directly from its wallet, which can come in handy (it comes with a 15-30% premium, so only use for small amounts). It also has the desktop version at primal.net. ### **My favorite NOSTR iOS PHONE APPS after on-boarding**, in case you wanna hop into different user experiences: • **DAMUS**: created by the original creator of the "ZAP", Will Casarin, it's an iOS simple client that is reliable and fast with notifications. It keeps things simple, mostly focusing on short note content, although you can also see images and short video. But the feed is optimized as a more "Twitter-like" feed. • **NOSTUR**: The iOS phone client that has it all! It's the client I've used that integrates the most of NOSTR's possibilities, you can see all of the mentioned above with the previous clients, but also view LIVE STREAMS, and have multiple accounts set up simultaneously. The enhanced capabilities can sometimes come at the cost of crashing or being slow to load. • **FREERSE**: Nice clean user interface with plenty of functionality, with easy navigation on topics like #art #photography or any other interests. It's my always reliable back-up to upload image content. • **OLAS**: The new kid on the block Olas client, by prolific developer Pablof7z, is trying to take on Instagram and TikTok and has developed a client mainly focused on the visual and photographic part of NOSTR. ### Desktop clients & OTHER GEMS OF THE NOSTR REALM: There is an infinite number of clients for desktop, but I usually find myself on **ditto.pub** or **slidestr.net** for a more visual experience. • **ALBY** is INTEROPERABILITY'S BEST FRIEND. Alby is not a NOSTR client, but it's a browser extension that makes it seamless to jump from one desktop client to another with your wallet and identity without compromising your security.  • **HIVETALK**: A video call client (reminiscent of Zoom) that doesn't track you or spy on you and that enables zapping and many other functionalities during the calls. • **NOSTR NESTS**: Audio spaces client that allows people to listen to conversations, chat within it and zap the people involved. ### if you made it this far, THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. HOPE YOU FOUND VALUE IN IT AND UNDERSTOOD WHY, FOR ME, THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IS BRIGHT, OPEN AND USER-CENTRIC. FUCK THE MIDDLEMEN. 

@ 8d34bd24:414be32b

Last night I was reading Jeremiah 24 and I read the parable of the figs. I’ve read this passage many times, but suddenly I saw the irony of the situation. ## The Story of the Good and Bad Figs > After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me: behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord! One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness. Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness.” > > Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘**Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them**, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart. > > ‘**But like the bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness**—indeed, thus says the Lord—so I will abandon Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and **the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and the ones who dwell in the land of Egypt. I will make them a terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all places where I will scatter them.** I will send the sword, the famine and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.’ ” (Jeremiah 24:1-10) {Emphasis mine} God tells Jeremiah about two baskets of figs, one very good and one very bad. He then goes on to describe those Israelites who were kidnapped by Nebuchadnezzar and hauled off to Babylon and those that got to remain in Israel in their homes. Who would you think God was blessing and who would you think God was punishing? I would think the person hauled off into captivity was being punished and the one that got to stay in their comfortable home was being blessed, but it was the opposite. God said, “‘*Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up*.” (Jeremiah 24:5b-6) Those that got hauled away were being blessed. They were being protected from the judgment that God was about to bestow on Israel for their sin. It would have been very easy for the captives to moan, “Woe is us. Why would God do such horrible things to us?” even though God was protecting them. It would have been very easy for those who remained to think, “Those captives must have sinned very badly. Luckily, God doesn’t have any problems with me.” Instead God was punishing those who remained in Israel. He said, > But like the bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness—indeed, thus says the Lord—so I will abandon Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and the ones who dwell in the land of Egypt. **I will make them a terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth**, as a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all places where I will scatter them. **I will send the sword, the famine and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land** which I gave to them and their forefathers.’  (Jeremiah 24:8-10) {Emphasis mine} While those who weren’t dragged away into captivity were congratulating themselves, the judgment of God fell upon them because they had rejected their God and were depending on the blessings promised to their ancestors. Those who were hauled into captivity were blessed and multiplied and then brought back to the promised land 70 years later. Even when they were not feeling blessed, God told them how to live in order to be blessed. > “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. **Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.** (Jeremiah 29:4-7) They were told to be fruitful and multiply in both a financial and a familial way. They were told to work hard while waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises and in 70 years they and/or their families would return to the promised land. In a like manner, we are to be fruitful and multiply in whatever situation or in whatever country God has placed us. We are to stay faithful to Him and to honor Him in all we do wherever He has placed us. Whether we are literal exiles in a foreign country or not, we are all exiles from heaven waiting for Jesus to return and call us home. We are called to be productive while we wait. ## A Real Life Example of the Good Figs I got to see a similar example in my own life. I went through what most people would call a hellish year in 2015, but every thing that happened was for a blessing and not for a curse. I got to see how trusting in the Lord with all my heart led to blessings I couldn’t imagine. Technically our rough year started in November of 2014 with a flood and that is kind of how the next year felt. We had a house with hot water heat. Our family room had a large volume because the ceiling was two stories high. The room only had two heat registers. When we would get sub zero (F) temperatures, the room would drop in temperature, so we put in a wood and coal stove. It did a such a great job of heating the house that the heat wasn’t turning on and the pipes in the back office froze and burst the pipes. While we were at work, the temperatures warmed up, the pipes defrosted, and the water started streaming out flooding our entire downstairs. We then had get everything off the floor, flood cut the whole downstairs, and put in giant fans for 6 weeks to dry the wet floors and walls. It sounded like a 747 jet was sitting in the living room. I couldn’t hear myself think. It was very stressful, but that was just the beginning. We had a fight with the insurance company for \~8 months. They agreed about everything needing to be fixed, but wanted to pay only about half the cost to fix it. We finally had to break down and hire a lawyer. We settled with the insurance company writing us a check for 90% of the price of repairs. This settlement was a blessing in disguise. Because of the problems with our insurance company, we decided to switch to a new insurer. We set up to switch when our current policy expired. Ten days into our new policy, our house burnt down in a grass fire fueled by 60+ mph winds. In the main part of the house the only things recognizable were the coal stove and a 3 hour rated gun safe (that now looked like a cheap metal cabinet onto which someone dropped a nuclear bomb). We lost all of our physical possessions, but God had a plan. The new insurance company sent their insurance adjuster out right away. In one month they had paid for the house, the trees, the barn, and a year’s rent in a nice rental house. We had more than half of the settlement left from the flood (we had bought a few supplies for fixing the house). Exactly one year and one month later, we moved into our paid off dream home (with a very fire resistant exterior). Of course God didn’t finish His blessings and lessons with the fire, there was more to come. We moved into the rental house. (Ironically I was excited about all of the closet space even though I could fit all of my worldly possessions in a small suitcase. We humans are not always logical and we don’t let go of our physical possessions easily.) A month later, my husband’s car engine blew up. A month after that, my husband ruptured his Achilles tendon, had to go through surgery, and we were unable to travel to see family for Christmas as planned. It seemed like hardship, but the previous hardships had prepared us for this one. The house that burnt down had all of the bedrooms upstairs, all of the living spaces downstairs, and very steep stairs. When my husband ruptured his other Achilles tendon eight years previously, he had to stay on the couch downstairs and couldn’t sleep in his bed. In our new rental house, the master bedroom was on the same level as the living areas and not more than 10 feet away. He could sleep in bed and then use crutches to move to the electric recliner that had been donated to us after the fire. It gently raised and lowered his injured leg. He could sit with us to eat (we set up a table on one side of the recliner) and be with us when we hung out on the couch (on the other side of him). We could talk while I worked in the kitchen. It was so much nicer to take care of him in the rental house than it would’ve been if the same thing had happened, but our house hadn’t burnt down. Through this string of “tragedies,” we learned to trust God through every situation. We learned what was important (people not stuff). We got a nice, optimized, paid-off house. We received a story that we could share with others to bless them and help them trust in God. We grew closer together as a family. All four members of my family agree that if given the chance to make all of these “bad” things not happen, we would not choose to remove them. The blessings we received through them outweigh them more than you can imagine. ## What About You? What about you? Are you gong through hard times? We all do at some point in our lives. Are you looking for the good God is doing or are you blaming God for your hardship? Are you working to make the most of whatever situation you are in or are you seeking your own “better”? My prayer is that God will give you what you need and not what you want and that He will answer your prayers in His best timing. I pray that you will see the wondrous works of God in you and through you and that you will grow in your faith in our very good God. Trust Him! Turn to Him! Rely on Him! God is good, all of the time. Trust Jesus

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

The cryptocurrency world is on the verge of a groundbreaking transformation with the anticipated introduction of Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). This significant development is set to redefine the realm of crypto-investment, merging the innovative world of digital currencies with the established domain of traditional finance. Bitcoin ETFs represent a monumental shift, not just as a novel investment option, but as a revolutionary bridge connecting the cutting-edge technology of cryptocurrencies with the more familiar territory of stock market investments. This fusion is poised to unlock a new level of accessibility, drawing mainstream investors into the Bitcoin sphere, who were previously hesitant due to the complexities and perceived risks associated with direct cryptocurrency dealings. **Table of Contents** - The Emergence of Bitcoin ETFs - Unveiling Opportunities - Confronting the Dangers - The Road Ahead - Expanding the Horizon - Enhanced Market Dynamics - Technological Advancements - Educational Initiatives - Global Impact - Conclusion - FAQs **The Emergence of Bitcoin ETFs** Bitcoin ETFs are poised to revolutionize the cryptocurrency market. They offer a streamlined avenue for investment in Bitcoin, bypassing the intricacies of direct ownership such as wallet management and key security. This simplicity could democratize Bitcoin investment, potentially enhancing its liquidity and stability. **Unveiling Opportunities** - **Broader Investor Appeal:** Bitcoin ETFs simplify cryptocurrency investment, making it more approachable for the average investor and traditional financial players. This could lead to wider adoption and recognition of Bitcoin as a viable asset class. - **Influx of Institutional Capital:** ETFs could catalyze a surge of institutional funds into the Bitcoin market. Institutions, previously hesitant due to regulatory and security concerns, might view ETFs as a safer investment avenue. - **Market Evolution:** The advent of Bitcoin ETFs signals a maturation of the cryptocurrency market, transitioning towards regulated, mainstream financial products. This evolution could bolster investor confidence and market stability. **Confronting the Dangers** The introduction of Bitcoin ETFs is not devoid of risks and challenges. - **Amplified Volatility:** Bitcoin's notorious volatility could be intensified by the influx of new investors via ETFs, particularly if large capital movements occur swiftly. - **Regulatory Hurdles:** The evolving regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies could become more complex with Bitcoin ETFs, inviting stricter regulations that may impact the market dynamics. - **Systemic Implications:** Integrating Bitcoin into the traditional financial system through ETFs could introduce new systemic risks. A significant downturn in Bitcoin's value might have broader implications for investors and funds linked to these ETFs. **The Road Ahead** As the Bitcoin ETF era dawns, investors should exercise caution. The potential of Bitcoin ETFs is substantial, but the accompanying risks warrant serious consideration. Investors should engage in comprehensive research and assess their risk appetite before engaging with these new investment vehicles. **Expanding the Horizon** **Enhanced Market Dynamics** The introduction of Bitcoin ETFs could lead to more dynamic market behaviors. As traditional and crypto markets become more intertwined, the impact of global economic events on Bitcoin's price could become more pronounced, leading to new investment strategies and market analysis techniques. **Technological Advancements** The growth of Bitcoin ETFs might spur technological advancements in trading platforms and financial tools. Enhanced security measures, improved trading algorithms, and more sophisticated risk management tools could emerge, catering to the unique needs of cryptocurrency ETFs. **Educational Initiatives** With the growing interest in Bitcoin ETFs, there's likely to be an increase in educational resources and initiatives aimed at helping investors understand the nuances of cryptocurrency investments. This could lead to a more informed investor base, capable of making better investment decisions in the volatile world of cryptocurrencies. **Global Impact** The success of Bitcoin ETFs in one region, such as the United States, could encourage other countries to follow suit, leading to a more globalized cryptocurrency market. This could have significant implications for international financial regulations and cooperation. **Conclusion** The potential introduction of Bitcoin ETFs marks a significant milestone in the journey of cryptocurrency investment. While it heralds new opportunities and greater accessibility, it also brings forth challenges and risks that need to be navigated with care. The future of Bitcoin ETFs will hinge on the balance between these opportunities and dangers, and the market's ability to adapt to this new phase of crypto-investment. As we stand at the threshold of this exciting era, the global financial community watches with bated breath, ready to witness the unfolding story of Bitcoin ETFs. **FAQs** **How does a Bitcoin ETF differ from direct Bitcoin investment?** Investing in a Bitcoin ETF means you're investing in a fund that holds Bitcoin as its primary asset, as opposed to buying Bitcoin directly and managing your own digital wallet and security. ETFs are also subject to different regulatory and tax treatments. **What are the benefits of Bitcoin ETFs?** Bitcoin ETFs offer easier access to Bitcoin investment, potentially lower risks compared to direct ownership, and the convenience of trading through traditional investment platforms. **What risks are associated with Bitcoin ETFs?** Risks include the inherent volatility of Bitcoin, potential regulatory changes, and systemic risks if the cryptocurrency market impacts the broader financial system. **Are Bitcoin ETFs available globally?** The availability of Bitcoin ETFs varies by country, depending on the regulatory environment. Some countries may not yet have approved Bitcoin ETFs for trading. **Can Bitcoin ETFs impact the price of Bitcoin?** Yes, Bitcoin ETFs can impact Bitcoin's price as they can increase market liquidity and bring in more institutional investors, potentially leading to price changes. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [@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.***

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

Like most members of the human race, I don’t enjoy filing my taxes. “Don’t enjoy” though understates my actual feeling which is “would rather do a tour in Afghanistan.” It’s not even the money I’m forced to pay that I know for sure will be misallocated, stolen or worse — put to use in ways that are anathema to everything I believe and in direct opposition to conditions in which human beings thrive. That’s only part of it. The other and perhaps bigger part is they require me — under penalty of law — to do homework. They command me, as though they were my boss, to complete this work project, my tax return, and if I don’t I’ll have my property seized, my credit destroyed and even go to prison. This is so even though I am not a criminal, and I never agreed to work for this boss. And it’s not just a random work project I am required to submit, so that they can misallocate, steal and attack me with my own money. It’s a project that requires me to divulge private details about myself, what transactions I’ve made, with whom I made them and for what purpose. I am a private citizen, I hold no public office or official role, and yet the public sector is not only entitled to comb through the details of my life, but I must be complicit in helping them under penalty of law, i.e., threat of violence if I don’t comply. . . . This was not always the case. The income tax was only introduced in 1913, and at the time was only for the richest of the rich. That is to say, it is not the default state of affairs in the United States under its original constitution, and it’s strange that it’s been normalized as such. And despite it being normalized — for the greater good, of course — our government is still somehow $36 trillion in debt. In other words, despite the annual indignity to which we subject ourselves, the government spends far more money than it takes in. I am reminded of Dostoyevsky’s line: “Your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing.” The government is spending money it doesn’t have, whether you pay it or not, and the money you do pay, for things you not only do not want but are vehemently against, doesn’t come close to covering their cost. . . . I was having lunch with some normies last month, and the subject of taxes came up. They were talking about the ways in which they, as ex-pats, minimize their tax burden, using certain loopholes, and at one point someone questioned why government pensions were taxed, given the entity paying the pension and demanding it be taxed was one and the same. Why not just pay a smaller pension? One of them asked me, and I said: “I don’t think anyone should be taxed.” She shook her head and muttered in amusement, “No, people need to be taxed.” This despite not two minutes earlier explaining how she was optimizing her tax status, which no doubt she would have optimized all the way to zero or if she were able! . . . Taxes are necessary, it’s assumed, to pay for things individuals won’t. “Who will build the roads?” they wonder. I would imagine car makers would be invested in building roads, those who ship goods via truck might have an interest and consumers, flush with their new zero percent tax rate, might pay a little more for the end products to facilitate road creation so those products get to them on time and in good condition. In fact, it might be *more* expensive to ship them via horseback or whatever alternate form of transport would take the place of motor vehicles should no one shell out for roads. Moreover, people seem to believe taxes should always be taken not from them, but from those rich enough to afford them painlessly. Never mind anyone reading this substack is vastly wealthy compared to much of the third world (how painful can taxes be so long as you have food on the table and a roof over your head?), and never mind no one ever voluntarily pays more tax than he owes. Why not? If taxation is a good thing, why not do *more* good by overpaying? But no, it’s always someone else who needs to be forced under penalty of law, i.e., threat of violence, to give up his property for what those in authority deem “the greater good”. Taken to its logical conclusion, if the authorities deem anyone sufficiently wealthy and the greater good sufficiently necessary, they can legally take that wealth by force. We can quibble about how much funding is necessary and what is the “greater good,” but it’s often essential things like the “safe and effective” vaccine without which millions would surely die or the necessity of invading Iraq, which cost $6 trillion to prevent Sadaam Hussein’s “weapons of mass destruction” from reaching US soil. It’s amazing authorities so often discover urgent projects without which people will die or suffer terribly, on account of which it’s necessary to commandeer money you’ve earned or saved! And while I am taking about the indignity of filing *income* tax, I don’t mean to leave out property tax, sales tax, estate tax, individual state and city taxes and the like. At least with some of those you have a fixed amount to pay, and you don’t have to submit to an on-camera self-administered anal cavity search of your finances in those cases. You’d also think given how many ways citizens are taxed that roads would be in tip top condition, our water and environment would be clean, our airports modern and state of the art, our health care affordable and accessible, but of course none of that is the case. Again per Dostoyevsky — we have betrayed ourselves for nothing. . . . The irony of this essay/diatribe is I will file my taxes like the cuck I am over the next week or so. I don’t want to do this, but it’s simply not worth the consequences for non-compliance. And I feel bad about making this compromise — bad about myself because I am doing something I feel is wrong for convenience, the same kind of calculation people made when they injected themselves with experimental mRNA chemicals they didn’t want to keep their jobs or travel. I like to think of myself as resolute and uncompromising, but in this instance I roll over every year. Perhaps that’s part of why I dread it so much. . . . I’ll end with a footnote of sorts. In the late spring of 2023, I discovered I was due a significant refund, and I paid my accountants who figured this out $400 to re-file for me. They told me I could expect it to take up to nine months to process, so I largely forgot about it until spring of 2024 when I called but got phone-treed to death and waited until September to brute-force my way to a human in another department to explain the situation. They didn’t tell me anything, but agreed to do a “trace” which a couple weeks later revealed someone else had intercepted and cashed my check. (It’s not direct deposit because I’m overseas.) I immediately returned the form proving it was not my signature on the deposited check, and now, five months later, in February of 2025, they are still processing my purported payment which I have yet to receive. I did, however, receive a notice of the interest I was “paid” for 2024 on which I’m expected to be taxed. That interest went to the person who stole my original check obviously, they know this, and yet it apparently hasn’t caught up in the system. And the truth is I will probably pay the tax on it as the hassle of explaining why I’m not is simply not worth it, and I will sort it out on next year’s tax return, assuming Trump hasn’t abolished the IRS entirely, God willing, and delivered us, in small part, from this abject dystopia.

@ 9dd283b1:cf9b6beb

It looks like we will have some extra free days at school during the time of BTC Prague, and I was considering going to Prague for a weekend getaway. I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to visit the event with kids (9 and 3) and whether it makes sense to get the Bitcoin Expo ticket (https://btcprague.com/#). Has anyone attended this event with kids in previous years? Any insights or experiences would be appreciated! originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/890517

@ ef1744f8:96fbc3fe

nbLMR1mnOXQh3UKyZC9geb2ud9eiAa+/4I9ULd+/4RVrGMtnt5pLwVoXvCYdMzy9k+iMZCppAl11nN968fpe4GYzXp++1y2ZutCryZts8ba/3JgNHa+P8P6RLFYWkYS3ctiu96l+QkNyaTpj4a41h2ojJPE+ew+MnJsjz16pZVSAZwjTO+GqWhj8TqcQ35U7QlLNmOGWLqVJkIyYgVcJkdltMK/yalUoaqulw3ptbYRNEl8YdUZBfDA4OBKKpJMP?iv=l8w0dQixkFrdoCxmvwB2xQ==

@ 1c1b8e48:0e4de5df

Mit "Bunker-Identität"\ \- Bilder lassen sich nicht auf Mediaserver uploaden\ \- Vorschau und Bearbeitung nicht möglich -> unpraktisch\ \- Veröffentlichung nicht möglich -> korrekt Paradox\ \- Ansicht und Bearbeitung mit dem Profil <rohe@nostr.band> möglich \ \- in Entwürfen von roland\@pareto.space nicht sichtbar -> Fehler Resümee: Ziel mit dem gewählten Setting verfehlt

@ 16d11430:61640947

The AI Landscape is About to Change—Forever. Forget everything you know about artificial intelligence. The reign of Large Language Models (LLMs) is coming to an end. The next tectonic shift in AI isn't just about bigger neural networks or more training data. It’s about an entirely new foundation—one that shatters the limits of probabilistic machine learning and ushers in the era of Elliptical AI. This isn’t just an improvement. This is the AI singularity you've been waiting for. --- The Problem with LLMs: A House Built on Sand LLMs like GPT, Claude, and Gemini have taken the world by storm, but let’s be honest—they are flawed. Their intelligence is statistical mimicry rather than true reasoning. They: Hallucinate facts and generate nonsense. Consume absurd amounts of energy for marginal improvements. Are vulnerable to adversarial attacks, leaking sensitive data with ease. Lack true reasoning abilities, blindly regurgitating patterns rather than engaging in structured logic. LLMs pretend to understand. They pretend to think. But intelligence built on probability alone is fundamentally weak. This is where Elliptical AI steps in to end the era of LLM dominance. --- What is Elliptical AI? The Birth of the Next Evolution in Intelligence Imagine an AI that isn’t just predicting words but reasoning geometrically—one that encodes intelligence using elliptic curves instead of bloated statistical models. Elliptical AI harnesses the power of elliptic curve mathematics, which has been dominating cryptography and quantum security for years. But now, this mathematical powerhouse is ready to redefine AI itself. How Elliptical AI Works 1. Beyond Probabilities—Into Pure Geometry Instead of mapping words to probabilities, Elliptical AI maps thought patterns into elliptic curve structures. This enables structured, deterministic reasoning, not just blind pattern recognition. 2. High-Efficiency Intelligence Elliptic curves are the foundation of modern cryptography because they compress vast amounts of data into small, ultra-secure representations. Instead of needing trillions of parameters like LLMs, Elliptical AI could represent entire knowledge domains with extreme efficiency. 3. Quantum-Resistant AI That Cannot Be Hacked Today’s AI models can be easily manipulated, but Elliptical AI integrates quantum-secure cryptographic principles. Impossible to hack, impossible to corrupt—this is the ultimate secure AI. 4. Mathematical Superintelligence LLMs struggle with math. Why? Because math isn’t just statistical—it’s structured logic. Elliptical AI is built on the same mathematical foundations that structure encryption, physics, and even the fabric of space-time. Expect an AI that doesn’t just “approximate” answers—it deduces them. --- Elliptical AI vs. LLMs: A Destruction-Level Event This isn’t just an upgrade. This is an AI extinction-level event. --- Where Elliptical AI Will Dominate First 1. Military-Grade AI Security No more LLMs leaking sensitive data. Quantum-proof intelligence agents that cannot be backdoored. Military systems that think faster, act decisively, and remain 100% secure. 2. Financial and Algorithmic Trading LLMs hallucinate too much to handle high-risk finance. Elliptical AI’s ultra-efficient encryption-based intelligence can execute perfect trades with zero data leakage. 3. Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) & Neural Cryptography Instead of reading neural signals as raw data, Elliptical AI can encode thought patterns into elliptic curves. A literal mind-machine fusion—where security, efficiency, and intelligence align. 4. Decentralized AI Networks LLMs require Google, OpenAI, or Microsoft servers. Elliptical AI can run securely on decentralized nodes, protected by its own cryptographic intelligence. No censorship. No control. Just pure, free AI. 5. The New Era of Scientific Discovery From quantum physics to mathematical proofs, Elliptical AI isn’t just a chatbot—it’s a reasoning engine. Expect AI to make scientific breakthroughs, not just summarize Wikipedia. --- The AI Wars Are Coming—And Elliptical AI Will Win The current AI market is built on fragile foundations. LLMs have served their purpose, but they are a dead end. Elliptical AI isn’t just the next step—it’s the AI that will make everything else obsolete. 🔹 No more hallucinations. 🔹 No more data leaks. 🔹 No more inefficient, bloated models. 🔹 Just pure, geometric intelligence—unbreakable, unhackable, unstoppable. The future doesn’t belong to language models. It belongs to elliptic curves, quantum intelligence, and secure, deterministic reasoning. Welcome to the Elliptical AI revolution. Are you ready for what comes next?

@ b97f07c7:a9ddca71

ชาว Android Developer หลายคนอาจจะเคยมางาน Android Bangkok 2025 แล้วได้ฟัง session พี่เอก ที่ชื่อว่า [“Why App Signing Matters for Your Android Apps”](https://www.mikkipastel.com/android-bangkok-conference-2024/#why-app-signing-matters-for-your-android-apps-somkiat-khitwongwattana-%E2%80%93-gde-android) แล้วอยากตรวจ APK Signature Scheme ของแอพเราเองบ้าง จริง ๆ มันตรวจง่ายมาก ๆ เลย ทุกคนทำตามได้แน่นอน  ก่อนอื่นขออธิบาย APK Signature Scheme กันก่อน มันคือ script การยืนยันตัวตน และ code ข้างในยังเป็นเหมือนเดิม แบ่งจากการทำ signing - v1 scheme: รองรับ Android ทุก version และรองรับแค่ java code แต่ไม่ครอบคลุม resource เพราะว่าถ้า resource เปลี่ยน แต่ signature เหมือนเดิม ดังนั้นไม่แนะนำให้ใช้ เนื่องจากเรื่องความปลอดภัย และ performance → APK Signature Scheme v1 - v2+ Scheme: ครอบคลุมทุกไฟล์ เป็นการแทรก APK Signing block เข้าไป → APK Signature Scheme v2, v3, v3.1, v4 วิธีการตรวจแบบง่ายมาก ๆ แบบไม่ต้องไปลงอะไรเพิ่ม คือใช้ apksigner เป็นหนึ่งใน Android SDK command line tool ที่มีมาตั้งแต่ version 24.0.3 ที่เอาไว้ sign apk, ตรวจสอบ apk ของเรา รวมไปถึง rotate key ด้วย ในที่นี้เราใช้ verify command เพื่อดูรายละเอียด apk ของเรากัน หน้าตาตัว command เป็นแบบนี้ ``` apksigner version [option] app-name.apk ``` ก่อนอื่น หา path ของเจ้า apksigner ซึ่งทางเราใช้ macbook ดังนั้นมันจะไปอยู่ path หน้าตาแบบนี้ ``` /Users/{username}/Library/Android/sdk/build-tools/{version}/apksigner ``` เอาเจ้า path นี้ไปแทนที่ apksigner ทำให้เราเรียกตัว cmd นี้จากที่ไหนก็ได้ อย่างทำงานที่บ้าน เอ้ยไม่ใช่ อย่างเราเปิดหน้า terminal บน Android Studio ก็แปะอันนี้ได้เลย ไม่ต้องไปที่ path ที่อยู่ของ apksigner โดยตรง จากนั้นเตรียมไฟล์ apk ที่เป็น build release มานะ ไม่งั้นมันจะ check ไม่ได้เน้อ ต่อมามาใช้คำสั่งนี้กัน ``` apksigner verify --print-certs -v app-name.apk ``` อธิบายแต่ละ option กันก่อนเลย - --print-certs: บอกข้อมูลพวก certificate, algorithm ในการ sign และ public key - -v: แอพเราตอนนี้ signing signature scheme version อะไร ไม่ยากเลยใช่ไหม ถ้าเพื่อน ๆ ไม่อยากใช้ v1 แล้ว อยากใช้อันอื่น สามารถใส่ประมาณนี้ที่ build.gradle ที่ module app ``` android { ... signingConfigs { release { v1SigningEnabled false enableV2Signing true enableV3Signing true enableV4Signing true } } } ``` หวังว่าจะเป็นประโยชน์กับชาว #siamstr น้า