@ 6e0ea5d6:0327f353

Ascolta bene, amico mio. Admiration is always better than mere understanding! Simple understanding in a relationship is an easy, almost automatic gesture. Any woman can understand a man, tolerate his flaws, and accept his presence. But this often stems from pity, convenience, or merely the habit of having someone around. Understanding without admiration is not respect; it is resignation. A woman who only understands but does not admire may stay by your side, but she will never be truly loyal in her heart. And who wants to be merely tolerated out of pity when they could be followed with pride? Admiration, on the other hand, is the pillar that upholds any worthy relationship. It’s not just about liking someone; it’s about recognizing the value in a man's daily battles, not just his victories. A woman who truly admires you takes pride in your strength, respects your struggles, and walks beside you with her head held high. She doesn’t just accept you—she follows you to the end because she sees greatness in what you build and what you represent. Admiration is not just about affection; it’s about looking at the man beside you and feeling deep respect for who he is, what he builds, and what he stands for. Without that, what remains? Tolerance? Indifference? The woman who merely understands accepts your existence, but the one who admires follows you with pride because she sees value in your struggle, your strength, and your legacy. So forget about being “understood” as a priority. Understanding can be a mere transaction, but admiration is the true foundation of any dignified relationship. If your woman does not admire you for what you do, who you are, and what you build, she is either occupying a space she does not deserve, or you are too weak to be admired. Thank you for reading, my friend! If this message resonated with you, consider leaving your "🥃" as a token of appreciation. A toast to our family!

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

How much better would life be if we could hit a reset button and erase computers from existence? It’s a question worth asking, especially in an age where screens dominate our attention, social interactions have been reduced to text bubbles, and Google searches have replaced critical thinking. Would we be smarter? Would life be simpler? Common sense suggests that without computers constantly thinking for us, we’d have to rely on our own intelligence a whole lot more. **What Year Would We Have to Go Back To?** To escape computers entirely, we’d have to rewind far beyond today’s digital chaos—probably to the early 20th century. While the 1940s and 1950s saw the first massive computers creeping into government and military operations, the average person had little to no interaction with them. The term “computer” wasn’t something you’d hear at the dinner table, in the classroom, or even in most workplaces. It wasn’t until the late 1970s and early 1980s—when personal computers like the Apple II and IBM PC hit the market—that computers began working their way into homes, offices, and eventually, every aspect of daily life. Before then, life was entirely hands-on. People weren’t glued to screens but engaged in the world around them. Finances were managed with checkbooks and mental math, not banking apps. Phone numbers lived in people’s heads, not in a digital contact list. If you needed directions, you either studied a map or asked someone for help. Letters were written by hand, and the act of research meant flipping through encyclopedia pages, not skimming Wikipedia. An algorithm didn’t give you information; it was earned through effort, curiosity, and real-world experience. The transition happened slowly, but once computers became mainstream, they took over with astonishing speed. What started as a tool for business efficiency soon became a crutch for everyday life, shaping how we communicate, learn, and even think. But if we could turn back time to before computers dictated our every move, would we find ourselves living richer, more connected, and perhaps even smarter lives? **How Things Were Done Without Computers** Before computers ran the world, problem-solving required actual thought. If you needed directions, you read a map or asked a local. If you wanted to research something, you visited a library or consulted an expert. People had to remember things because no cloud storage or smartphone reminder buzzed every five minutes. Work was different before computers took over. Office tasks like accounting, inventory management, and record-keeping were done manually, with pens scratching across paper and filing cabinets brimming with carefully organized documents. Sure, it took longer, but there was an attention to detail that software often lacks—errors were caught by sharp human eyes, not overlooked by buggy algorithms or buried in digital spreadsheets. Customer service meant face-to-face interactions or a polite phone call, not endless chatbot loops and automated phone menus that never seem to understand what you need. Shopping wasn’t an online transaction handled by an AI-driven algorithm—it was an experience, where store clerks knew regular customers by name and recommendations were based on conversation, not data tracking. Banking required a visit to a teller who personally handled your deposit, rather than a faceless app approving transactions in milliseconds. Even skilled trades and craftsmanship thrived without automation. Mechanics relied on their knowledge of engines, not diagnostic computers spitting out error codes. Artists and designers used their hands, not digital tablets and AI-generated imagery. Cooking was a learned skill, not a task handed off to a microwave with pre-programmed settings. Farming—one of the last truly hands-on professions—was once guided by intuition, experience, and a deep connection to the land. Farmers studied the sky, felt the moisture in the soil, and trusted generational wisdom and intuition to predict a good harvest. There were no satellite forecasts, automated irrigation systems, or genetically modified shortcuts—just nature's raw, unpredictable rhythm and the skill to work alongside it. Even leisure time was more grounded. Families gathered around a radio for evening entertainment, played board games, read books, or simply sat on the porch and talked. People weren’t glued to screens, endlessly doom-scrolling through bad news and meaningless content—they were present, engaged, and connected in ways that modern life has all but erased. **Would We Be Smarter Without Computers?** The short answer here is "Hell Yes! It’s hard to argue otherwise. The more we outsource thinking to machines, the less we need to use our brains. We no longer need to remember phone numbers, calculate tips in our heads, or even read maps. Schools teach kids how to use software but often fail to emphasize basic skills like handwriting, mental math, or deep reading. Common sense, once the backbone of decision-making, is in short supply. Why? Because computers do too much thinking for us. Instead of analyzing situations logically, people Google an answer and take it as fact. Instead of experiencing life firsthand, we experience it through a filtered, algorithm-driven feed. And instead of developing problem-solving skills, we ask AI to do it for us now. **How Would Life Work Today Without Computers?** If computers vanished overnight, the world would be thrown into chaos—at least initially. Banks would scramble to process transactions, businesses would struggle to function without automated systems, and most people—so dependent on screens for communication, navigation, and even basic problem-solving—would feel completely lost. The silence of a world without notifications, emails, and instant internet access might feel eerie at first. But after the initial shock wore off, something incredible might happen. We’d be forced to slow down, to actually live in the present rather than constantly checking in on a digital one. People would have to interact face-to-face, strengthening real-life relationships instead of shallow online connections. Communities might grow tighter, with neighbors relying on each other instead of distant customer service centers and faceless apps. The lost critical thinking, memorization, and hands-on problem-solving skills would resurface out of necessity. Work would change, too. Without computers dictating every move, businesses would have to rethink their operations. There would be less automation but more craftsmanship, less efficiency but more human intuition. Transactions would be slower but perhaps more intentional. Creativity, once overshadowed by digital shortcuts, would thrive as people relied on their own talents rather than the latest AI-generated solution. Now, picture a world where children race bikes and climb trees instead of being glued to tablets, where conversations happen over dinner tables rather than through screens. Where decisions are made based on wisdom, instinct, and experience, not whatever happens to be trending. Would life be harder? At first, sure. But would it be better? Arguably, yes. Maybe it’s time we step back and ask ourselves: Are computers running our lives, or are they ruining them? The truth is, they’re doing both. They’ve woven themselves into every aspect of our daily existence, dictating how we work, communicate, and even think. They make life more convenient, sure—but at what cost? Over time, as we hand over more control to algorithms, automation, and artificial intelligence, we risk losing the very things that make us human: deep thought, real-world problem-solving, and genuine face-to-face connection. Computers have made us more efficient, but also more dependent. They’ve expanded our access to information, yet dulled our ability to think critically. They connect us instantly across the globe, yet leave us lonelier than ever. The balance is tipping, and if we’re not careful, the very technology designed to serve us may quietly end up ruling us. What are YOUR thoughts? #asknostr

@ 4523be58:ba1facd0

# NIP-117 ## The Double Ratchet Algorithm The Double Ratchet is a key rotation algorithm for secure private messaging. It allows us to 1) communicate on Nostr without revealing metadata (who you are communicating with and when), and 2) keep your message history and future messages safe even if your main Nostr key is compromised. Additionally, it enables disappearing messages that become undecryptable when past message decryption keys are discarded after use. See also: [NIP-118](./118.md): Nostr Double Ratchet Invites ### Overview "Double ratchet" means we use 2 "ratchets": cryptographic functions that can be rotated forward, but not backward: current keys can be used to derive next keys, but not the other way around. Ratchet 1 uses Diffie-Hellman (DH) shared secrets and is rotated each time the other participant acknowledges a new key we have sent along with a previous message. Ratchet 2 generates encryption keys for each message. It rotates after every message, using the previous message's key as input (and the Ratchet 1 key when it rotates). This process ensures forward secrecy for consecutive messages from the same sender in between Ratchet 1 rotations. ## Nostr implementation We implement the Double Ratchet Algorithm on Nostr similarly to Signal's [Double Ratchet with header encryption](https://signal.org/docs/specifications/doubleratchet/#double-ratchet-with-header-encryption), but encrypting the message headers with [NIP-44](./44.md) conversation keys instead of symmetric header keys. Ratchet 1 keys are standard Nostr keys. In addition to encryption, they are also used for publishing and subscribing to messages on Nostr. As they are rotated and not linked to public Nostr identities, metadata privacy is preserved. ## Nostr event format ### Message #### Outer event ```typescript { kind: 1060, content: encryptedInnerEvent, tags: [["header", encryptedHeader]], pubkey: ratchetPublicKey, created_at, id, sig } ``` We subscribe to Double Ratchet events based on author public keys which are ephemeral — not used for other purposes than the Double Ratchet session. We use the regular event kind `1060` to differentiate it from other DM kinds, retrieval of which may be restricted by relays. The encrypted header contains our next nostr public key, our previous sending chain length and the current message number. #### Inner event Inner events must be [NIP-59](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/59.md) Rumors (unsigned Nostr events) allowing plausible deniability. With established Nostr event kinds, clients can implement all kinds of features, such as replies, reactions, and encrypted file sharing in private messages. Direct message and encrypted file messages are defined in [NIP-17](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/17.md). ## Algorithm Signal's [Double Ratchet with header encryption](https://signal.org/docs/specifications/doubleratchet/#double-ratchet-with-header-encryption) document is a comprehensive description and explanation of the algorithm. In this NIP, the algorithm is only described in code, in order to highlight differences to the Signal implementation. ### External functions We use the following Nostr functions ([NIP-01](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/01.md)): - `generateSecretKey()` for creating Nostr private keys - `finalizeEvent(partialEvent, secretKey)` for creating valid Nostr events with pubkey, id and signature We use [NIP-44](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/44.md) functions for encryption: - `nip44.encrypt` - `nip44.decrypt` - `nip44.getConversationKey` [NIP-59](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/59.md): - createRumor Key derivation function: ```typescript export function kdf( input1: Uint8Array, input2: Uint8Array = new Uint8Array(32), numOutputs: number = 1 ): Uint8Array[] { const prk = hkdf_extract(sha256, input1, input2); const outputs: Uint8Array[] = []; for (let i = 1; i <= numOutputs; i++) { outputs.push(hkdf_expand(sha256, prk, new Uint8Array([i]), 32)); } return outputs; } ``` ### Session state With this information you can start or continue a Double Ratchet session. Save it locally after each sent and received message. ```typescript interface SessionState { theirCurrentNostrPublicKey?: string; theirNextNostrPublicKey: string; ourCurrentNostrKey?: KeyPair; ourNextNostrKey: KeyPair; rootKey: Uint8Array; receivingChainKey?: Uint8Array; sendingChainKey?: Uint8Array; sendingChainMessageNumber: number; receivingChainMessageNumber: number; previousSendingChainMessageCount: number; // Cache of message & header keys for handling out-of-order messages // Indexed by Nostr public key, which you can use to resubscribe to unreceived messages skippedKeys: { [pubKey: string]: { headerKeys: Uint8Array[]; messageKeys: { [msgIndex: number]: Uint8Array }; }; }; } ``` ### Initialization Alice is the chat initiator and Bob is the recipient. Ephemeral keys were exchanged earlier. ```typescript static initAlice( theirEphemeralPublicKey: string, ourEphemeralNostrKey: KeyPair, sharedSecret: Uint8Array ) { // Generate ephemeral key for the next ratchet step const ourNextNostrKey = generateSecretKey(); // Use ephemeral ECDH to derive rootKey and sendingChainKey const [rootKey, sendingChainKey] = kdf( sharedSecret, nip44.getConversationKey(ourEphemeralNostrKey.private, theirEphemeralPublicKey), 2 ); return { rootKey, theirNextNostrPublicKey: theirEphemeralPublicKey, ourCurrentNostrKey: ourEphemeralNostrKey, ourNextNostrKey, receivingChainKey: undefined, sendingChainKey, sendingChainMessageNumber: 0, receivingChainMessageNumber: 0, previousSendingChainMessageCount: 0, skippedKeys: {}, }; } static initBob( theirEphemeralPublicKey: string, ourEphemeralNostrKey: KeyPair, sharedSecret: Uint8Array ) { return { rootKey: sharedSecret, theirNextNostrPublicKey: theirEphemeralPublicKey, // Bob has no ‘current’ key at init time — Alice will send to next and trigger a ratchet step ourCurrentNostrKey: undefined, ourNextNostrKey: ourEphemeralNostrKey, receivingChainKey: undefined, sendingChainKey: undefined, sendingChainMessageNumber: 0, receivingChainMessageNumber: 0, previousSendingChainMessageCount: 0, skippedKeys: {}, }; } ``` ### Sending messages ```typescript sendEvent(event: Partial<UnsignedEvent>) { const innerEvent = nip59.createRumor(event) const [header, encryptedData] = this.ratchetEncrypt(JSON.stringify(innerEvent)); const conversationKey = nip44.getConversationKey(this.state.ourCurrentNostrKey.privateKey, this.state.theirNextNostrPublicKey); const encryptedHeader = nip44.encrypt(JSON.stringify(header), conversationKey); const outerEvent = finalizeEvent({ content: encryptedData, kind: MESSAGE_EVENT_KIND, tags: [["header", encryptedHeader]], created_at: Math.floor(now / 1000) }, this.state.ourCurrentNostrKey.privateKey); // Publish outerEvent on Nostr, store inner locally if needed return {outerEvent, innerEvent}; } ratchetEncrypt(plaintext: string): [Header, string] { // Rotate sending chain key const [newSendingChainKey, messageKey] = kdf(this.state.sendingChainKey!, new Uint8Array([1]), 2); this.state.sendingChainKey = newSendingChainKey; const header: Header = { number: this.state.sendingChainMessageNumber++, nextPublicKey: this.state.ourNextNostrKey.publicKey, previousChainLength: this.state.previousSendingChainMessageCount }; return [header, nip44.encrypt(plaintext, messageKey)]; } ``` ### Receiving messages ```typescript handleNostrEvent(e: NostrEvent) { const [header, shouldRatchet, isSkipped] = this.decryptHeader(e); if (!isSkipped) { if (this.state.theirNextNostrPublicKey !== header.nextPublicKey) { // Received a new key from them this.state.theirCurrentNostrPublicKey = this.state.theirNextNostrPublicKey; this.state.theirNextNostrPublicKey = header.nextPublicKey; this.updateNostrSubscriptions() } if (shouldRatchet) { this.skipMessageKeys(header.previousChainLength, e.pubkey); this.ratchetStep(header.nextPublicKey); } } decryptHeader(event: any): [Header, boolean, boolean] { const encryptedHeader = event.tags[0][1]; if (this.state.ourCurrentNostrKey) { const conversationKey = nip44.getConversationKey(this.state.ourCurrentNostrKey.privateKey, event.pubkey); try { const header = JSON.parse(nip44.decrypt(encryptedHeader, conversationKey)) as Header; return [header, false, false]; } catch (error) { // Decryption with currentSecret failed, try with nextSecret } } const nextConversationKey = nip44.getConversationKey(this.state.ourNextNostrKey.privateKey, event.pubkey); try { const header = JSON.parse(nip44.decrypt(encryptedHeader, nextConversationKey)) as Header; return [header, true, false]; } catch (error) { // Decryption with nextSecret also failed } const skippedKeys = this.state.skippedKeys[event.pubkey]; if (skippedKeys?.headerKeys) { // Try skipped header keys for (const key of skippedKeys.headerKeys) { try { const header = JSON.parse(nip44.decrypt(encryptedHeader, key)) as Header; return [header, false, true]; } catch (error) { // Decryption failed, try next secret } } } throw new Error("Failed to decrypt header with current and skipped header keys"); } ratchetDecrypt(header: Header, ciphertext: string, nostrSender: string): string { const plaintext = this.trySkippedMessageKeys(header, ciphertext, nostrSender); if (plaintext) return plaintext; this.skipMessageKeys(header.number, nostrSender); // Rotate receiving key const [newReceivingChainKey, messageKey] = kdf(this.state.receivingChainKey!, new Uint8Array([1]), 2); this.state.receivingChainKey = newReceivingChainKey; this.state.receivingChainMessageNumber++; return nip44.decrypt(ciphertext, messageKey); } ratchetStep(theirNextNostrPublicKey: string) { this.state.previousSendingChainMessageCount = this.state.sendingChainMessageNumber; this.state.sendingChainMessageNumber = 0; this.state.receivingChainMessageNumber = 0; this.state.theirNextNostrPublicKey = theirNextNostrPublicKey; // 1st step yields the new conversation key they used const conversationKey1 = nip44.getConversationKey(this.state.ourNextNostrKey.privateKey, this.state.theirNextNostrPublicKey!); // and our corresponding receiving chain key const [theirRootKey, receivingChainKey] = kdf(this.state.rootKey, conversationKey1, 2); this.state.receivingChainKey = receivingChainKey; // Rotate our Nostr key this.state.ourCurrentNostrKey = this.state.ourNextNostrKey; const ourNextSecretKey = generateSecretKey(); this.state.ourNextNostrKey = { publicKey: getPublicKey(ourNextSecretKey), privateKey: ourNextSecretKey }; // 2nd step yields the new conversation key we'll use const conversationKey2 = nip44.getConversationKey(this.state.ourNextNostrKey.privateKey, this.state.theirNextNostrPublicKey!); // And our corresponding sending chain key const [rootKey, sendingChainKey] = kdf(theirRootKey, conversationKey2, 2); this.state.rootKey = rootKey; this.state.sendingChainKey = sendingChainKey; } skipMessageKeys(until: number, nostrSender: string) { if (this.state.receivingChainMessageNumber + MAX_SKIP < until) { throw new Error("Too many skipped messages"); } if (!this.state.skippedKeys[nostrSender]) { this.state.skippedKeys[nostrSender] = { headerKeys: [], messageKeys: {} }; if (this.state.ourCurrentNostrKey) { const currentSecret = nip44.getConversationKey(this.state.ourCurrentNostrKey.privateKey, nostrSender); this.state.skippedKeys[nostrSender].headerKeys.push(currentSecret); } const nextSecret = nip44.getConversationKey(this.state.ourNextNostrKey.privateKey, nostrSender); this.state.skippedKeys[nostrSender].headerKeys.push(nextSecret); } while (this.state.receivingChainMessageNumber < until) { const [newReceivingChainKey, messageKey] = kdf(this.state.receivingChainKey!, new Uint8Array([1]), 2); this.state.receivingChainKey = newReceivingChainKey; this.state.skippedKeys[nostrSender].messageKeys[this.state.receivingChainMessageNumber] = messageKey; this.state.receivingChainMessageNumber++; } } trySkippedMessageKeys(header: Header, ciphertext: string, nostrSender: string): string | null { const skippedKeys = this.state.skippedKeys[nostrSender]; if (!skippedKeys) return null; const messageKey = skippedKeys.messageKeys[header.number]; if (!messageKey) return null; delete skippedKeys.messageKeys[header.number]; if (Object.keys(skippedKeys.messageKeys).length === 0) { delete this.state.skippedKeys[nostrSender]; } return nip44.decrypt(ciphertext, messageKey); } ```

@ ef1744f8:96fbc3fe

pjqOtnFN4cMViySAX3uSp8iJkzNxvxh0mdpvsvdyG+ccoULXl2QipPpGRM63+VRUwQwiCSzXRRLafEF/rYTQ8ew6o/xrjI4Yimz5dOzA7q5nnni46Q9s5E5IAxSnq1bc5bJ8gG00K/9BU6nudcc1r7iQpvWe/5vtDaMtknfPlc5J3ZDkVGRokJA1J6N+TCi0?iv=5kSDHmcj2vjLIwBz0vw1Bw==

@ c9f48a56:234112d2

**" The Power of Buying $2.50 of Bitcoin Every Day: A Deep Dive into Small-Scale Crypto Investing "**  **Imagine this:** every day, you set aside $2.50—the price of a cheap coffee or a quick snack—and use it to buy Bitcoin. It doesn’t sound like much, right? But over time, this tiny habit could turn into something surprisingly meaningful. Let’s break down what happens when you buy $2.50 worth of Bitcoin daily, with its price sitting at $85,000 today, February 27, 2025. Spoiler: it’s less about getting rich quick and more about playing the long game with a volatile asset. **The Basics: What $2.50 Gets You Today** Bitcoin operates on a micro level through satoshis—think of them as the pennies of the Bitcoin world. One Bitcoin equals 100 million satoshis. At $85,000 per Bitcoin, each satoshi costs $0.00085 ($85,000 ÷ 100,000,000). So, with your daily $2.50: - $2.50 ÷ $0.00085 = ~2,941 satoshis. - That’s 0.00002941 Bitcoin per day. It’s a sliver of a coin—barely a whisper in the crypto universe. But that’s the beauty of it: you’re not swinging for the fences; you’re stacking crumbs into a pile.  **Scaling It Up: Monthly and Yearly Gains** Let’s stretch this out. Over 30 days, you’re spending $75 ($2.50 × 30). That nets you: - 2,941 satoshis × 30 = 88,230 satoshis, or 0.0008823 Bitcoin. Over a full year (365 days), it’s $912.50 spent and: - 2,941 satoshis × 365 = 1,073,465 satoshis, or 0.01073465 Bitcoin. At today’s $85,000 price, that year’s worth of Bitcoin is valued at $912.50—exactly what you put in. No profit, no loss. But Bitcoin doesn’t just sit there. It’s a rollercoaster, and your daily buys are a way to ride it without losing your lunch.  **The Dollar-Cost Averaging Magic** This method is a textbook example of dollar-cost averaging (DCA). Instead of dumping a lump sum into Bitcoin and praying the price moons, you spread your buys across time. When Bitcoin dips, your $2.50 grabs more satoshis. When it spikes, you get less. Over months or years, this evens out the wild swings. Say Bitcoin drops to $50,000 tomorrow. Your $2.50 would buy 5,000 satoshis ($2.50 ÷ $0.0005). If it surges to $100,000, you’d get 2,500 satoshis ($2.50 ÷ $0.001). The average price you pay ends up somewhere in the middle, protecting you from buying all-in at a peak. **What Could Happen? The Scenarios** Here’s where it gets fun (or nerve-wracking, depending on your vibe). After a year of $2.50 daily buys, you’ve got 0.01073465 Bitcoin. Let’s play out some futures: - **Bitcoin hits $100,000:** Your stash is worth $1,073.47. You’ve spent $912.50, so that’s a $160.97 profit—about 17.6% return. Not bad for pocket change. - **Bitcoin climbs to $150,000:** Now it’s $1,610.20—a $697.70 gain, or 76.5%. Starting to feel like a sneaky good move. - **Bitcoin falls to $50,000:** Your pile’s worth $536.73. You’re down $375.77, or 41%. Ouch, but you’re still in the game with minimal damage. - **Bitcoin crashes to $20,000:** It’s $214.69—a $697.81 loss, 76.5% down. Rough, but $912.50 over a year isn’t a life-ruining bet. The point? This isn’t about timing the market perfectly—it’s about staying consistent and letting Bitcoin’s long-term trajectory (if you believe in it) do the heavy lifting. **The Real World: Fees and Friction** One catch: exchanges aren’t free. Most platforms charge a fee—maybe 1-2% per trade, or a flat rate like $0.10. On a $2.50 buy, that’s brutal. A 2% fee is $0.05, leaving you $2.45 to spend (2,882 satoshis instead of 2,941). A $0.10 flat fee? You’re down to $2.40 (2,823 satoshis). Over a year, fees could shave off 50,000+ satoshis from your total. Look for low-fee options or batch your buys weekly to dodge this trap. **Why $2.50? The Psychology and Practicality** Why not $5 or $10? Simple: $2.50 is so small you barely notice it. It’s a pack of gum, a vending machine soda, a tip you’d leave without blinking. Psychologically, it’s easy to stick with. Practically, it keeps your risk tiny while still giving you skin in the crypto game. If Bitcoin goes to zero, you’re out $912.50 after a year—annoying, but not catastrophic. If it 10xes, you’ve got a nice little win. **How to Start** The best way to kick this off is by mining with Ember Fund—it’s how I stack up to 100 satoshis per hour and fund my $2.50 daily buys without spending a dime upfront. Ember’s app lets us earn free satoshis just by tapping a button daily to start a 24-hour mining cycle. You begin at a base rate of 13 satoshis per hour, which is 312 satoshis daily ($0.27 at $85,000 Bitcoin), but with referrals, it scales fast—each friend adds 10-13 satoshis per hour when they mine with you ( You Create Your Own Mining Pool ) capping at 100 satoshis per hour. At the max, that’s 2,400 satoshis daily, or about $2.04—nearly our $2.50 target. Team up with a few friends or better yet family members, sync your mining, and you’re golden. Withdraw to a wallet or reinvest into your daily Bitcoin buys through Ember. It’s a near-passive way to fuel this strategy for free. Other options like buying directly on exchanges (Coinbase, Binance, Kraken) with recurring $2.50 purchases work too, but they dip into your pocket and come with fees. Ember’s mining trumps that by letting us earn our way in. Track your satoshis, not dollars; it’s more satisfying to see the stack grow.  **The Big Picture: Is It Worth It?** This depends on you. If you’re a Bitcoin skeptic, $2.50 daily might feel like tossing coins into a wishing well. If you’re a believer—say you think it’ll hit $200,000 in five years—it’s a low-effort way to build a position. Historically, Bitcoin’s climbed from pennies to $85,000 over 15 years, but past performance isn’t a promise. Zoom out: $912.50 is 0.01073465 Bitcoin today. At $200,000, that’s $2,146.93. At $1 million? $10,734.65. Small seeds, big dreams. **Final Thought** Buying $2.50 of Bitcoin daily isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme—it’s a slow drip into a wild market. You’re not betting the farm; you’re nibbling at the edges. Whether it’s genius or a waste depends on Bitcoin’s future, and nobody’s got a crystal ball. But for less than a Netflix subscription each month, you’re in the ring. What’s $2.50 to you?

@ 6389be64:ef439d32

GA, plebs. The latest episode of Bitcoin And is out, and, as always, the chicanery is running rampant. Let’s break down the biggest topics I covered, and if you want the full, unfiltered rant, make sure to listen to the episode linked below. ## House Democrats’ MEME Act: A Bad Joke? House Democrats are proposing a bill to ban presidential meme coins, clearly aimed at Trump’s and Melania’s ill-advised token launches. While grifters launching meme coins is bad, this bill is just as ridiculous. If this legislation moves forward, expect a retaliatory strike exposing how politicians like Pelosi and Warren mysteriously amassed their fortunes. Will it pass? Doubtful. But it’s another sign of the government’s obsession with regulating everything except itself. ## Senate Banking’s First Digital Asset Hearing: The Real Target Is You Cynthia Lummis chaired the first digital asset hearing, and—surprise!—it was all about control. The discussion centered on stablecoins, AML, and KYC regulations, with witnesses suggesting Orwellian measures like freezing stablecoin transactions unless pre-approved by authorities. What was barely mentioned? Bitcoin. They want full oversight of stablecoins, which is really about controlling financial freedom. Expect more nonsense targeting self-custody wallets under the guise of stopping “bad actors.” ## Bank of America and PayPal Want In on Stablecoins Bank of America’s CEO openly stated they’ll launch a stablecoin as soon as regulation allows. Meanwhile, PayPal’s CEO paid for a hat using Bitcoin—not their own stablecoin, Pi USD. Why wouldn’t he use his own product? Maybe he knows stablecoins aren’t what they’re hyped up to be. Either way, the legacy financial system is gearing up to flood the market with stablecoins, not because they love crypto, but because it’s a tool to extend U.S. dollar dominance. ## MetaPlanet Buys the Dip Japan’s MetaPlanet issued $13.4M in bonds to buy more Bitcoin, proving once again that institutions see the writing on the wall. Unlike U.S. regulators who obsess over stablecoins, some companies are actually stacking sats. ## UK Expands Crypto Seizure Powers Across the pond, the UK government is pushing legislation to make it easier to seize and destroy crypto linked to criminal activity. While they frame it as going after the bad guys, it’s another move toward centralized control and financial surveillance. ## Bitcoin Tools & Tech: Arc, SatoChip, and Nunchuk Some bullish Bitcoin developments: ARC v0.5 is making Bitcoin’s second layer more efficient, SatoChip now supports Taproot and Nostr, and Nunchuk launched a group wallet with chat, making multisig collaboration easier. ## The Bottom Line The state is coming for financial privacy and control, and stablecoins are their weapon of choice. Bitcoiners need to stay focused, keep their coins in self-custody, and build out parallel systems. Expect more regulatory attacks, but don’t let them distract you—just keep stacking and transacting in ways they can’t control. **🎧 Listen to the full episode here: [https://fountain.fm/episode/PYITCo18AJnsEkKLz2Ks](Fountain.fm)** **💰 Support the show by boosting sats on Podcasting 2.0!** and I will see you on the other side.

@ 2ed3596e:98b4cc78

## Pay anyone in Canada with bitcoin! One step closer to replacing your bank with Bitcoin Well Everyone who accepts e-Transfers, now accepts bitcoin! Canadians with a Bitcoin Well account can send money to anyone via e-Transfer using their bitcoin in self custody. Typical transactions, like rent payments, paying friends back for dinner, paying your cleaning lady or even to pay for that new (to you) boom box on Facebook marketplace, can now be paid quickly, securely and cheaper with your Bitcoin Well account. And best of all, it’s all done with bitcoin in self custody. Keep reading to learn more! ## How to send an e-Transfer to anyone in Canada using bitcoin: From the sell page in your Bitcoin Well account you can select the network (Bitcoin or Lightning Network) and how many dollars you’d like to send via e-Transfer. For more information on the [Lightning Network click here.](https://bitcoinwell.com/blog/how-to-sell-bitcoin-on-the-lightning-network-in-canada) Next you will see a new dropdown where you can choose the recipient for the e-Transfer. It will be the email on your Bitcoin Well account by default. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/47b721b22f9df5d38e2edb02dfe0c41adab90442a9e55158bb815980b596d4ec.png"> To add a new recipient, select the drop down and “Add recipient”. Here you will be asked to provide the recipient’s name, email and the security question/answer you’d like to provide for the e-Transfer. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/a63580e9b8a314cedf04105e168f74d7ea279a281a867479e511833003cf2b28.png"> You’ll be responsible for telling them the security question and answer, so don’t forget! <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/8c7fb8b06aa1a2e991f5f94a005b6c1f0d6b8cb78c2966dc917b98ca3491af7c.png"> You can also invite your recipient to [join Bitcoin Well with your ref link!](https://app.bitcoinwell.com/referrals) You’ll earn Bitcoin Well points and sats when they use Bitcoin Well! ## If you chose the Bitcoin network: With all your information entered, you will be able to send bitcoin to the bitcoin address on screen and an e-Transfer will be sent to your recipient after 1 confirmation. Note! This bitcoin address is permanently associated with your recipient. Any and all bitcoin received by this bitcoin address will be automatically converted into dollars and sent to your recipient; even if you do not login to your Bitcoin Well account! <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/046ee31cd2098a027254cef95a1a380f7423705b4dcced6485d64e3dfda4c386.png"> ## If you chose the Lightning Network: Select “Generate Invoice” to generate an LN-invoice which will be associated with your transaction. Once that invoice is paid an e-Transfer will be immediately sent to your desired recipient. Of course, you can still send sats to your Bitcoin Well Payment Address any time to receive an e-Transfer yourself. <img src="https://blossom.primal.net/afa78ce53beac2f6172119cc18601ea9f26beae6e65502e304b88fa122080fc2.png"> ## Banks out; Bitcoin Standard in Bitcoin Well arms its customers with the knowledge and tools to fully live on a Bitcoin Standard and maximize their independence by keeping bitcoin in self custody instead of dollars in their bank. Bitcoin Well now enables the same instant and fast transfer capabilities as a bank, but facilitated with bitcoin in self custody! Replace your bank with Bitcoin Well! ## Earn sats from your bitcoin transactions Bitcoin Well is also the best place in the world to earn bitcoin. When you earn points in your Bitcoin Well account, you gain the opportunity to play the Bitcoin (Wishing) Well, where you win sats with every play. The best part? We send bitcoin that you win straight to your personal wallet via the Lightning Network. Oh yeah, did we mention you can win 1,000,000 sats? If you're an active Bitcoin Well customer, there is a chance you've earned a pile of points. The more you use your account for buying, selling or spending bitcoin - the more points you’ll earn! Log in to your Bitcoin Well account and [check your point balance](https://app.bitcoinwell.com/reward-points). ## About Bitcoin Well Bitcoin Well exists to enable independence. We do this by coupling the convenience of modern banking, with the benefits of bitcoin. In other words, we want to make it easy to use bitcoin in self-custody.

@ f1989a96:bcaaf2c1

Good morning, readers! In Nigeria, financial officials are revising digital asset regulations to impose taxes on digital asset transactions on regulated exchanges. This aims to bolster state revenue as more citizens turn to Bitcoin in response to rampant inflation, the naira’s devaluation, and the regime's ever-increasing financial controls. Meanwhile, in Cuba, thousands of citizens remain unable to access money the regime forced them to convert into Certificates of Deposit (CDs) in 2021. These funds have not been returned by the Communist Party of Cuba. If they eventually are, they will be paid out in since-hyperinflated Cuban pesos, a reality that stands in stark contrast to regime propaganda that it is working “for the people.” In open-source freedom tech news, we feature NostrPIX, an experimental tool built during the bitcoin++ developer hackathon in Florianopolis, Brazil. It allows anyone in Brazil to pay any merchant or individual with Bitcoin over the Lightning Network. While it is still in its early stages of development, this stands to enable Bitcoin payments at nearly every merchant in Brazil, similar to how apps like Tando enable Bitcoin payments across Kenya.\ \ We end with the official livestreams of the HRF-supported bitcoin++ developer conference in Florianopolis, Brazil, that brought together open-source developers and freedom tech enthusiasts for four days of technical gatherings to enhance Bitcoin’s privacy, usability, and censorship resistance. These livestreams offer a unique chance to view and understand the presentations and workshops at the event. **Now, let’s jump right in!** ### [**Subscribe Here**](https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter?mc_cid=bf652c0a5a) ## **GLOBAL NEWS** #### **Nigeria | Introducing Digital Asset Transaction Tax to Boost State Revenue** Nigerian officials plan to [amend](https://archive.ph/fTRMl) their digital asset regulations to tax digital asset transactions in a coercive effort to boost the regime’s dwindling revenues. The Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reviewing a new framework to tax transactions on regulated exchanges, allowing the regime to extract even more value from the growing digital asset sector. Nigerians, especially the [younger population](https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/01/08/central-bank-of-nigeria-approves-naira-stablecoin-for-2024-launch/), increasingly have turned to Bitcoin and stablecoins to escape high inflation, a devalued naira, and an authoritarian regime that repeatedly undermines financial autonomy and human rights. The new tax could hinder the efficiency of tools like Bitcoin by making transactions more expensive. But enforcing this tax beyond regulated platforms presents a challenge. Bitcoin held in self-custody and transacted peer-to-peer remains largely outside the reach of authoritarian states. #### **Cuba | Citizens Remain Locked Out of Devalued Funds** Thousands of Cubans remain [locked out](https://havanatimes.org/features/cuban-savers-lose-on-devalued-bank-deposit-certificates/) of their savings after the regime forced them to convert Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) deposits into Certificates of Deposit (CDs) in 2021. This policy was part of the “Tarea Ordenamiento” economic reforms, which eliminated the CUC, a convertible currency previously pegged to the US dollar. For years, Cubans who received foreign currency — whether through work abroad or remittances — were required to exchange it for CUCs, expecting they could later redeem those CUCs for dollars or other foreign currencies. But when the regime eliminated the CUC in 2021, it forced depositors to either accept a heavily [devalued](https://havanatimes.org/features/cuban-savers-lose-on-devalued-bank-deposit-certificates/) exchange rate for Cuban pesos (far worse than the advertised 24-1 ratio) or convert their money into Certificates of Deposit (CDs), with the promise of returning the equivalent value in foreign currency once liquidity allowed. Unbeknownst to Cubans, the CDs paid a negligible 0.15% interest and had no clear timeline for repayment. Today, many depositors still can’t access their money. #### **Google | Facilitating Censorship in Russia and China** Google is actively [assisting](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/15/google-helped-facilitate-russia-china-censorship-requests) authoritarian regimes like China and Russia to censor dissent, removing online content critical of the Kremlin and Chinese Communist Party. In Russia, Google complied with government requests to erase YouTube videos opposing the war in Ukraine, while in China, it removed references to the Tiananmen Square massacre and pro-democracy activism. With more than [70% of Russians](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/15/google-helped-facilitate-russia-china-censorship-requests) relying on YouTube for news and China’s Great Firewall blocking independent sources, corporate compliance with state censorship enables state propaganda to proliferate as a dominant narrative. For activists and nonprofits seeking uncensorable communications, nostr — an open and decentralized protocol — offers a way to share information beyond the reach of authoritarian regimes. Activists and NGOs can get started [here](https://start.njump.me/). #### **World | Transnational Repression Most Common Under CBDC-Leading Countries** New data from [Freedom House](https://freedomhouse.org/expanding-and-defending-freedom-around-world) reveals that [23 governments](https://freedomhouse.org/article/new-data-mass-incidents-mark-dramatic-year-transnational-repression-23-governments-silence) engaged in transnational repression in 2024, using abductions, assassinations, and forced deportations to silence exiled dissidents. Leading perpetrators include the authoritarian regimes of China, Russia, Iran, and Turkey — orchestrating over [1,200](https://freedomhouse.org/article/new-data-mass-incidents-mark-dramatic-year-transnational-repression-23-governments-silence) incidents in the past decade. Notably, many of these regimes are at the forefront of central bank digital currency (CBDC) development, a technology that drastically increases state control over financial activity. By allowing governments to surveil, freeze, and block funds in real time, CBDCs strip activists of financial privacy and force them into greater vulnerability. As authoritarian states refine both digital and physical methods of repression, CBDCs may become a powerful weapon for crushing dissent beyond borders. #### **Niger | Delays Democratic Elections While Citizens Financially Struggle** Niger’s deteriorating economic conditions are set to continue as the ruling military junta has [proposed](https://archive.ph/zd4QS) delaying democratic elections until at least 2030 to contain a “security threat.” Army commander Abdourahamane Tchiani, who came to power in a 2023 coup, originally pledged a three-year transition to civilian rule. Now, that timeline appears extended to five years, allowing “the junta to restore security and regain control of territory captured by Islamist militants that have expanded their insurgency in recent months.” With inflation [eroding](https://business.inquirer.net/501713/inflation-forces-nigeriens-to-adapt-what-they-eat) Nigerien’s purchasing power and the general economic well-being of citizens [declining](https://africacenter.org/spotlight/niger-coup-reversing-hard-earned-gains/), Niger can’t afford more military rule. This could be a pretext for Tchiani to consolidate power, especially as [discussions](https://archive.ph/zd4QS) emerge about dissolving political parties and granting him the rank of general. \________________________________________________________\_ #### **Webinar Series for Nonprofits: Become Unstoppable** HRF will host a [free, three-day webinar](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0sjqwSFQo8HGMsWIIDRyhx34TsoonOSTfYoWSy-aaBbLeSw/viewform) from March 17-19, teaching human rights defenders and nonprofits how to use Bitcoin to counter state censorship and confiscation. Sessions run daily from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT and are beginner-friendly. The webinar will be led by Anna Chekhovich, HRF’s Bitcoin nonprofit adoption lead and financial manager at Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, and co-taught by the prominent Bitcoin educator Ben Perrin. [Register for webinar](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0sjqwSFQo8HGMsWIIDRyhx34TsoonOSTfYoWSy-aaBbLeSw/viewform) #### **SXSW | The Human Rights Risks of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)** Join HRF at [SXSW 2025](https://www.sxsw.com/) in Austin from March 7-13 to explore how CBDCs threaten financial freedom. Experts [Roger Huang](https://x.com/Rogerh1991), [Charlene Fadirepo](https://x.com/CharFadirepo), and [Nick Anthony](https://x.com/EconWithNick) will discuss how authoritarian regimes use CBDCs for surveillance and control. Attendees can also visit HRF’s [CBDC Tracker](https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/) booth to explore an interactive map of CBDC developments worldwide.  [Get your tickets](https://www.sxsw.com/conference/) \________________________________________________________\_ ## BITCOIN AND FREEDOM TECH NEWS #### **NostrPIX | Enabling Bitcoin Payments in Brazil** [NostrPIX](https://github.com/gringokiwi/nostrpix-api) is a new tool built just a few days ago during the bitcoin++ hackathon in Florianopolis, Brazil, that lets users pay any merchant or individual in Brazil with Bitcoin over the Lightning Network. To use NostrPIX, users scan a Pix QR code (the country’s widely used digital payment system) and pay with bitcoin from their Lightning wallet. Designed with the unbanked in mind, NostrPIX lets those who cannot open a Brazilian bank account to transact with Bitcoin and Pix (no sign-ups required, just instant payments). Its innovative approach [won](https://x.com/gringokiwi/status/1893375343118967063?s=19) the bitcoin++ hackathon, showcasing its potential to bridge Bitcoin with traditional systems. While still a proof of concept, NostrPIX joins projects like [Tando](https://tando.me/) in Kenya, making Bitcoin more practical for everyday commerce and could inspire similar products elsewhere in countries facing political oppression. #### **Iris | Implements Double Ratchet Messaging for Better Privacy** [Iris](https://iris.cx/), a client for Nostr launched by Martti Malmi, implemented [double ratchet](https://signal.org/docs/specifications/doubleratchet/) messaging, an encryption algorithm similar to that used by Signal, significantly improving private communications for activists and human rights defenders. This ensures message metadata remains hidden, and with its implementation, past and future conversations on Iris stay private even if a user’s main Nostr private key is compromised. This upgrade empowers individuals in difficult political environments to communicate without fear of surveillance by reducing the risks of authoritarian regimes tracking their conversations. HRF is proud to have helped support Malmi as he invented and launched this innovation. #### **Presidio Bitcoin | New Bitcoin Co-Working and Events Space in Bay Area** [Presidio Bitcoin](https://www.presidiobitcoin.org/) is the Bay Area’s first dedicated co-working and events space. Located in San Francisco’s famous Presidio neighborhood, it will be a collaborative space for developers, educators, and freedom tech enthusiasts to connect, work, and innovate together to drive Bitcoin adoption forward. It draws inspiration from other Bitcoin hubs worldwide, like [Bitcoin Park](https://bitcoinpark.com/) in Nashville, Tenn., [Bitcoin House Bali](https://bitcoinindonesia.xyz/) in Indonesia, and [Bitcoin Ekasi](https://x.com/BitcoinEkasi) in South Africa. This time, aiming to create a community of Bitcoiners in the tech capital of the US. Presidio Bitcoin hopes to foster new talent and secure greater funding from Silicon Valley, becoming a central meeting point for those passionate about Bitcoin and freedom. HRF Freedom Fellows were able to visit the space recently, and HRF staff will be speaking at upcoming events at the venue in the near future. Check the space out [here](https://www.presidiobitcoin.org/). #### **Cashu | Releases Cashu Development Kit** [Cashu](https://cashu.me/), an open-source Chaumian ecash protocol for Bitcoin integrated with the Lightning Network, [released](https://x.com/CashuBTC/status/1889321095125258313?s=19) the [Cashu Development Kit](https://github.com/cashubtc/cdk) (CDK) in Rust (a common programming language). This makes it easier for developers to build and integrate Cashu wallets, expanding access to private Bitcoin transactions. With Cashu, users can spend Bitcoin-backed ecash without revealing their identity or transaction history. This enables private, cheap, and fast transactions with the tradeoff of being custodial. As digital financial surveillance increases, ecash offers an alternative to remain private. The CDK release expands the reach of said private Bitcoin transactions, providing more safety and anonymity for dissidents. #### **RoboSats | Adds LNp2pBot Orders on Android App** [RoboSats](https://github.com/RoboSats/robosats), a privacy-focused peer-to-peer (P2P) Bitcoin exchange powered by the Lightning Network, [added](https://github.com/RoboSats/robosats/releases/tag/v0.7.4-alpha) support for [LNp2pBot](https://lnp2pbot.com/) orders in its Android app. Previously, users used Telegram to interact with LNp2pBot for P2P bitcoin trades. Now, they can access P2P orders directly from the RoboSats Android app. This integration enhances usability by reducing platform dependency and provides users with greater liquidity for P2P trades. HRF is pleased to see the continued development and interoperability of privacy-focused, self-custodial Bitcoin on and off ramps from this [Bitcoin Development Fund](https://hrf.org/program/financial-freedom/bitcoin-development-fund/) grantee. #### **Bitcoin Dada | Visits Bitcoin Mining Site for Hands-On Learning** Bitcoin Dada, an HRF-supported nonprofit empowering African women with financial literacy and Bitcoin education, recently took its students on a [trip](https://x.com/btc_dada/status/1891495542078726163) to a Bitcoin mining site operated by [Gridless](https://gridlesscompute.com/) in Kibwezi, Kenya. This visit provided students firsthand exposure to Bitcoin mining’s potential for driving economic growth and expanding electricity access in rural African communities while simultaneously helping decentralize the network. The site repurposes sisal waste (the waste from fiber production) to generate electricity, reduce blackouts, and provide power to homes in Kibwezi. As more and more off-grid sites like this come online, Bitcoin’s mining composition becomes less centralized and stronger against threats from authoritarian states. ## RECOMMENDED CONTENT #### **bitcoin++ Developer Conference Livestream** Last week, [bitcoin++](https://btcplusplus.dev/) hosted the  “hacking edition” developer conference in Florianopolis, Brazil. The event brought together Bitcoin developers and freedom tech enthusiasts for four days of hands-on development, workshops, and technical discussions to enhance Bitcoin’s privacy, accessibility, and censorship resistance. If you missed the event, you can catch the key sessions and workshops via live stream. Watch them [here](https://www.youtube.com/@btcplusplus/streams). #### **Nostr: The Importance of Censorship-Resistant Communication for Innovation and Human Progress** In [this](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/nostr-the-importance-of-censorship-resistant-communication-for-innovation-and-human-progress-) article for [Bitcoin Magazine](http://bitcoinmagazine.com), [Leon Wankum](https://x.com/leonwankum) highlights why Nostr, a censorship-resistant protocol, is key to unlocking innovation and free expression. He explains how Nostr enables decentralized content sharing using cryptographic keys and relays, preventing central control of the protocol. This approach ensures that no single entity controls the flow of information, thereby enhancing freedom of expression. Alongside Bitcoin, Nostr has the potential to break corporate and state monopolies, allowing for grassroots progress and innovation on the individual level. You can read the full article [here](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/nostr-the-importance-of-censorship-resistant-communication-for-innovation-and-human-progress-). *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/)

@ f3873798:24b3f2f3

Você já conheceu alguém que sempre tenta levar vantagem em tudo? Aquele tipo de pessoa que, em vez de buscar crescimento legítimo, prefere explorar os outros para obter benefícios? Infelizmente, essa mentalidade está mais presente do que gostaríamos de admitir. Ela se manifesta de diversas formas, como: * Pedir descontos e brindes de maneira abusiva, como se fosse um direito; * Ameaçar ou constranger vendedores para conseguir preços mais baixos; * Vender produtos com valores incompatíveis com a qualidade ou omitir defeitos para enganar clientes. Quem age assim tem uma conduta antiética e, pior, muitas vezes se orgulha disso, como se enganar alguém fosse um sinal de esperteza. Mas será que essa mentalidade realmente leva ao sucesso? A curto prazo, pode parecer que sim. Alguns até conseguem vantagens temporárias, mas a longo prazo, essa postura cobra seu preço. A reputação se desgasta, as oportunidades diminuem e, inevitavelmente, o comportamento oportunista se volta contra quem o pratica. No Brasil, essa mentalidade oportunista se tornou quase um traço cultural. Combater isso exige uma mudança de perspectiva e, acima de tudo, uma autoavaliação sincera. O primeiro passo é reconhecer se, em algum momento, você já adotou esse comportamento. Ser honesto consigo mesmo é fundamental para evoluir. O segundo passo é entender que essa mentalidade não só é antiética, mas também prejudica seu próprio crescimento. Quem não valoriza o trabalho alheio dificilmente conseguirá que seu próprio trabalho seja valorizado. Portanto, abandone essa postura de querer sempre "se dar bem" às custas dos outros. Valorize o esforço e o trabalho de quem está oferecendo um produto ou serviço. Se não pode pagar, simplesmente não compre. Faça igual o Lula rsrsrs. Mas brincadeiras a parte, não exija que os outros arquem com o custo da sua insatisfação. E esta foi a mensagem de hoje. Espero que tenha gostado de mais uma leitura aleatória.

@ 5975800a:3d9a6b7d

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there. *to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson,* *or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.* You may never know who these people may be but.. *when you lock eyes with them, you know that at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.* And sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first.. *but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles, you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.*  > Everything happens for a reason. *Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul.* Without the small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless. --- Written by [Samantha McConnell]( https://hellopoetry.com/poem/632166/everything-happens-for-a-reason/). Pictures by [me](nostr:npub1t96cqznzh0zmqq5y5rm9yfpqhdjs2gjgjzwzzn5alsy9g0v6dd7snrpyjw).

@ dbb19ae0:c3f22d5a

Using nostr_sdk 0.39 replace nsec_key with your secret key replace npub_to_follow by the npub to follow ``` python from nostr_sdk import Metadata, Client, Keys, Filter, Kind, KindStandard, Contact, PublicKey, EventBuilder from datetime import timedelta import asyncio async def main(): keys = Keys.parse("nsec_key") client = Client() await client.add_relay("wss://relay.damus.io") await client.connect() # Get current contact list f = Filter().author(keys.public_key()).kind(Kind.from_std(KindStandard.CONTACT_LIST)) events = await client.fetch_events(f, timedelta(seconds=10)) event = events.first() if event: # Get current contact public keys and add a new contact public_keys = event.tags().public_keys() new_public_key = PublicKey.parse("npub_to_follow") public_keys.append(new_public_key) # Create a new contact list event and send it to relays contacts = [Contact(public_key=pk, relay_url=None, alias=None) for pk in public_keys] event = EventBuilder.contact_list(contacts).sign_with_keys(keys) await client.send_event(event) print(f"Added follow to: {new_public_key}") else: print("No contact list found") if __name__ == '__main__': asyncio.run(main()) ``` https://github.com/ev3rst/nostr_sdk_examples/blob/main/ns-follow-npub.py

@ df478568:2a951e67

In [my Soapminer article](https://habla.news/u/marc@primal.net/washing-the-invisible-hand-with-soapminer), I added quotes from various plebs. I earned over 12,000 sats! That's enough for a McJunk today, but maybe a steak dinner in a few years. That's my two sats anyway. *This is not investment advice* It feels great to receive value from people who support and appreciate your work. It's also nice to stack more sats by writing. I have a budget of $25.00 that I have sent to various people using Zapplanner, but I'm trying something new: Zapsplits. ## WTF Are Zapsplits? I asked [Unleashed.chat](https://unleashed.chat). Here's what the anthropomorphic Unleashed said. Me: What is a Zapsplit on nostr?  Unleashed: A Zapsplit on Nostr refers to splitting a Zap, which is a form of donation or tipping on the ~platform~ protocol, among multiple recipients. **It allows users to distribute their support more broadly across various content creators instead of just one**. That's more succinct than I would put it, but nostr is a protocol, not a platform. The important part about Zapsplits for me is that it removes the cognitive cost of deciding what percentage of my giving budget should go to each creator. Do I zap podcast guests? Do podcasters with ads get less than podcasters sans ads? How much value did this particular article bring me? If I zap Guy Swann, should I also zap the authors he reads? Should I zap long-form articles more than micro-blogs? There are 21 million different considerations. Zapsplits removes all this from me because I can use the following algorithm.  ### Does This Person Provide Me Value? Yes ⬇️ I add them to my Zapsplit post for that month. A portion of my monthly zapping budget, 25 dirty-fiat bucks, transforms into magic Internet money and is distributed among everyone in the Zapsplit. No ⬇️ If I don't get any value, I don't send value. Simple. #### Testing Zapsplits I added podcasters and devs to a nostr post and enabled a 10-way zapsplit on the post. It's based on [prisms](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/lightning-prism-nostr/), a little nostr feature that gives me prose writing superpowers. 1. I can earn sats for writing. 2. I can support others with a single zap. 3. I can add people who give me quotes to my zap splits. People appreciate attribution. I suspect they will appreciate it more if they also get paid. What if I added some quotes to an article and then split any zaps I get with the quoted plebs? Come to think of it, I'll try it. [Here's a quote from a dev on nostr](nostr:note1qf4277rudtflllrjr555890xsjp6u60f7xdvclkwc9t220duajeq0x665q  I added Silberangel to the Zapsplits on Habla.news. My [V4V](https://blog.getalby.com/the-case-for-value-4-value/) payments can also get sent to ten different plebs with a simple click of a button. I am going to start using this for a lot of my monthly V4V budget. Every month, I'll think about the people's content I value most and add them to a single zapsplit payment. Then, I'll zap the post. Say I create a poll and make a wager with ten different people. If I lose, I can pay everyone pit at the same time. This is probably better for a football pool, but you get the idea. The options are limited only by your imagination.  nostr:nevent1qqspnhucgxc6mprhw36fe2242hzv7zumavyy7dhzjswtldhxk4dh7ugpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsygxlg7zks3uauf454q7phhzdh2mpkhxg9cdrzt3t9z7gzksj49g7vupsgqqqqqqsl5uwfl Other people can also zap the post. As Siberangel says, we can use other people's money to provide value, too. This is a great option for stacking neophytes, people who don't have much bitcoin or cheap skates. Let's be honest, bitcoin has made most of us cheapskates. Bitcoin books with multiple authors can have QR codes that link to one of these Zapsplit posts. The authors can do a book signing and sell their books using this on nostr. Nerds like me can get three autographs and zap the book. The sats are split among all authors. Here's a Zapsplit that includes all the authors of Parallel.  Can you think of any other ways to use Zapsplits? Let me know. npub1marc26z8nh3xkj5rcx7ufkatvx6ueqhp5vfw9v5teq26z254renshtf3g0 [885,610](https://mempool.marc26z.com/block/00000000000000000000742c0f980fcfcbd25fade47c3ebcfd69eda93f6861c7) [Merch](https://marc26z.com/merch/)

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

I've really enjoyed these two months running ~econ. It crystallized that what I most enjoy is reading and commenting. Thankfully, our excellent contributors are giving me ample opportunities. # Metrics - Posts: 5th place - 264 - Comments: 6th place - 1653 - Stacking: 3rd place - 149.6k - Revenue: 6th place - 59.4k We're still over the breakeven point, but revenue was down from last month (still above the month before I took over, though). That means the new posting fee will be 81 sats, which is halfway back to the previous 108. # Contest Ideas Last month, I asked what people thought the best use of previously donated sats was and funding a contest seemed to get the best response. I'd like to try out a quarterly contest. The prize pool will be whatever sats have been earned, above the breakeven point, until the donated sats have all been paid out. I'm not sure if this will be a winner-takes-all thing or a top 3. I also don't want to completely defer to zaprank, so what I'll do is list the top 10 posts by zaprank and have people vote on the best post. Let me know what you think (including if this is an acceptable use of your donations, for those who made donations). originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/899082

@ 78c90fc4:4bff983c

**Gerichtliche Beschwerde wg. Arbeitsverweigerung** &#x20; Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren \ Da meine Fragen zum Schutz der Bevölkerung an das kantonale Gesundheitsamt und die weiteren Verantwortungsträger bis heute nicht beantwortet wurden, habe ich mich mit einer Beschwerde an das Kantonsgericht Baselland gewandt. Ignorieren und Wegschauen bei möglichen Offizialdelikten (schwere Körperverletzung) ist kein verantwortungsvolles Handeln. Bitte stellen Sie sich den Fragen und der Realität. \ Freundliche Grüsse Oliver Christen <https://x.com/RealWsiegrist/status/1895162279953367067> Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit sind schwerwiegende Verstöße gegen das Völkerrecht, die durch systematische oder ausgedehnte Angriffe gegen die Zivilbevölkerung gekennzeichnet sind. Sie zählen zu den Kernverbrechen des Völkerstrafrechts und sind unabhängig von Kriegszuständen strafbar.  <https://x.com/RealWsiegrist/status/1895162279953367067> ## Covid Dossier; ‭Eine Aufzeichnung der militärischen und geheimdienstlichen Koordination des globalen Covid-Ereignisses‬ ### <https://www.aletheialib.org/doc/809> 

@ 8412613c:df65608a

The book "Till We Have Faces" by C.S. Lewis had a profound spiritual impact on me, unlike most books that typically stay on an intellectual or entertainment level. I kept thinking, "Why didn't I read this sooner?" (It had been on my list for years). However, I believe I wouldn't have understood it as deeply as I did now, and I attribute that to my decision to fully embrace my Christian faith and accept Jesus as the Son of God who incarnated and resurrected—with no more questions or doubts, just faith. This choice has been truly liberating for me. Although *Till We Have Faces* is not explicitly a Christian book, it beautifully reflects the themes of voluntary sacrifice, selfless love, suffering, and the mystery of the divine by retelling the myth of Psyche and Eros from the perspective of Psyche’s sister, Orual. Her journey through profound grief and blame toward the gods ultimately leads her to inner transformation and peace at the end of her life. C.S. Lewis’ personal faith undeniably influenced his writing, often exploring spiritual and philosophical themes through the lens of myth and allegory, as we see in this book. I want to briefly mention a few topics that gave me pause: ### The case against the gods > ‘But, your eyes being open, you saw no such thing.’ > ‘You don’t think—not possibly—not as a mere hundredth chance—there might be things that are real though we can’t see them?’ > ‘Certainly I do. Such things as Justice, Equality, the Soul, or musical notes.’ > ‘Oh, grandfather, I don’t mean things like that. If there are souls, could there not be soul-houses? (p. 161). It was clever of the author to make Psyche's palace invisible to mortal eyes, as this allows readers to relate to Orual's struggle with the nature of reality. Orual faces the abyss that humans encounter when witnessing the limits of reason. > If what I saw was real. I was in great fear. Perhaps it was not real. I looked and looked to see if it would not fade or change. Then as I rose (for all this time I was still kneeling where I had drunk), almost before I stood on my feet, the whole thing was vanished. (p. 150). Even though Orual has a glimpse of the divine, she makes an important decision that will mark her for the rest of her life: she chooses to neglect recognizing her vision as the sign she had been asking for, and instead looks for other possible explanations. She thinks the gods are cruel and untrustworthy, and also blames them for their lack of clarity in their messaging. She expresses that if they wanted her to understand something, they are at fault for not being clear. > The gods never send us this invitation to delight so readily or so strongly as when they are preparing some new agony. We are their bubbles; they blow us big before they prick us. (p. 111). Orual reached her breaking point when the gods twisted what she believed to be real: her experiences and her life story. She interpreted this event as a mockery by the gods, and so decided to write a book from her perspective—a case against them—without realizing that, in doing so, she was writing a case against herself: > Now, you who read, judge between the gods and me. They gave me nothing in the world to love but Psyche and then took her from me. But that was not enough. They then brought me to her at such a place and time that it hung on my word whether she should continue in bliss or be cast out into misery. They would not tell me whether she was the bride of a god, or mad, or a brute’s or villain’s spoil. They would give no clear sign, though I begged for it. I had to guess. And because I guessed wrong they punished me—what’s worse, punished me through her. And even that was not enough; they have now sent out a lying story in which I was given no riddle to guess, but knew and saw that she was the god’s bride, and of my own will destroyed her, and that for jealousy. As if I were another Redival. I say the gods deal very unrightly with us. For they will neither (which would be best of all) go away and leave us to live our own short days to ourselves, nor will they show themselves openly and tell us what they would have us do. For that too would be endurable. But to hint and hover, to draw near us in dreams and oracles, or in a waking vision that vanishes as soon as seen, to be dead silent when we question them and then glide back and whisper (words we cannot understand) in our ears when we most wish to be free of them, and to show to one what they hide from another; what is all this but cat-and-mouse play, blindman’s buff, and mere jugglery? Why must holy places be dark places? (pp. 283-284). I have always believed in God as Jesus, yet I understand Orual's accusations. I have questioned "unfair" situations, victimized myself, and blamed God. I have also saddened the beautiful souls of believers when, in my state of rebellion, I harshly questioned their faith, even as they were showing me Christ's love. I saw myself in many of Orual's attitudes With time, I have come to understand that humans can move between reason and faith, each requiring different skills. Dismissing either is dangerous. Reason protects us from deception but it can also blind us from truths. Faith is part of what gives us purpose in life, it comes with uncertainty but also with a blessing: > Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. -John 20:39. ### Dying before dying This part of the book was truly inspiring to me because I have been obsessed with these words for a long time [^1]: > If you die before you die, you won't die when you die. -Inscription at St. Paul's Monastery on Mt. Athos. So I recognized them in the text: > Die before you die. There is no chance after. (p. 318). Orual explains what the gods meant by “dying before dying”: > Then I remembered that conversation which his friends had with Socrates before he drank the hemlock, and how he said that true wisdom is the skill and practise of death... But by the death which is wisdom I supposed he meant the death of our passions and desires and vain opinions. And immediately (it is terrible to be a fool) I thought I saw my way clear and not impossible. To say that I was Ungit meant that I was as ugly in soul as she; greedy, blood-gorged. But if I practised true philosophy, as Socrates meant it, I should change my ugly soul into a fair one. And this, the gods helping me, I would do. I would set about it at once. (pp. 321-322). These words brought me to the central Christian teaching of "dying to self" or "crucifying the old self”, which is only achieved through divine intervention. The idea of dying before dying is described by Paul as follows: > I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. -Galatians 2:20 ### Dreams Orual was stubborn and tried to fix her sorrow by another form of dying: completely changing her identity and true nature by neglecting herself and becoming someone else. This might seem similar to “dying before dying”, but the latter just comes through an act of humility and surrender by recognizing that only divine mercy can prevent us from going astray and truly heal. Orual, however, relied on her own strength and pride to endure her suffering. She hid behind a veil and metaphorically killed herself. > I had worn a veil because I wished to be secret. I now determined that I would go always veiled. I have kept this rule, within doors and without, ever since. It is a sort of treaty made with my ugliness. There had been a time in childhood when I didn’t yet know I was ugly. Then there was a time (for in this book I must hide none of my shames or follies) when I believed, as girls do—and as Batta was always telling me—that I could make it more tolerable by this or that done to my clothes or my hair. Now, I chose to be veiled. The Fox, that night, was the last man who ever saw my face; and not many women have seen it either. (p. 205). > I am the Queen; I’ll kill Orual too. (p. 256). By writing her book, Orual finally reaches a state where she is ready for divine intervention. Ultimately, she removes her veil. The following is one of the most important paragraphs: > Not many days have passed since I wrote those words no answer, but I must unroll my book again. It would be better to rewrite it from the beginning, but I think there’s no time for that. Weakness comes on me fast... Since I cannot mend the book, I must add to it. To leave it as it was would be to die perjured; I know so much more than I did about the woman who wrote it. What began the change was the very writing itself. Let no one lightly set about such a work. Memory, once waked, will play the tyrant. I found I must set down (for I was speaking as before judges and must not lie) passions and thoughts of my own which I had clean forgotten. The past which I wrote down was not the past that I thought I had (all these years) been remembering. I did not, even when I had finished the book, see clearly many things that I see now. The change which the writing wrought in me (and of which I did not write) was only a beginning—only to prepare me for the gods’ surgery. They used my own pen to probe my wound. (p. 287). Through random encounters, dreams, and visions, the gods showed Orual what she had been missing her whole life. One specific dream (or vision) caught my attention and made me think that C.S. Lewis had a profound insight while writing this masterpiece: Orual had a vision in which she presented her case against the gods in a courtroom before a judge. The assembly was made up of gods and ghosts, some of whom she knew. When the judge asked her to read her complaint, she had a scroll that was not the book she had written while recounting the story of her life. But she read it anyway until the judge said "enough," and she understood that she had read it over and over. The judge asked if she had her answer, and she replied "yes." > The complaint was the answer. To have heard myself making it was to be answered. (p. 335). This was incredible, and I could relate. I have had similar dreams in which I have a book in my hands—a book I know I wrote. Suddenly, I become lucid and tell myself, "Here is the answer; when I read it, I will know." This has been a recurring dream, and it's interesting because there are insights we only have access to on a deeper inner level. I have also dreamed of conversing with Jesus, repeating certain words, some of which I do not even remember. I interpret these kinds of dreams as follows: > In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. -Romans 8:26 I think that C.S. Lewis, speaking through Orual and the Fox, understands this and writes: > Lightly men talk of saying what they mean. Often when he was teaching me to write in Greek the Fox would say, ‘Child, to say the very thing you really mean, the whole of it, nothing more or less or other than what you really mean; that’s the whole art and joy of words.’ A glib saying. When the time comes to you at which you will be forced at last to utter the speech which has lain at the centre of your soul for years, which you have, all that time, idiot-like, been saying over and over, you’ll not talk about joy of words. I saw well why the gods do not speak to us openly, nor let us answer. Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces? (p. 335). I am very impressed with how the author explored Orual's life through her own eyes, enabling the reader to understand her transformation once she finally confronted her shortcomings and humbly accepted divine wisdom. With this new knowledge, she could finally see her path from a different perspective. Furthermore, the reader was able to appreciate the role of the gods: they weren’t meant to alleviate Orual’s suffering, but rather to lead her to see that it had a purpose—to transcend. This story made me reflect on my own journey and acknowledge Jesus's presence and mercy in my life and His selfless love as the key to transformation. --- This book resonated so deeply with me. I absolutely recommend it. To C.S. Lewis, thank you—your words truly touched my heart. --- ### References: Lewis, C. S.. Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold. Kindle Edition. [^1]: See: https://habla.news/u/nancyqa@mynostr.space/1691458659942

@ a5caac8b:172ed717

 ### **Descubre una Oportunidad Única: Nuestra Propiedad Rústica en Tulum con Potencial Inmenso** Buscamos personas interesadas en explorar una inversión sólida, sostenible y alineada con el futuro de las finanzas descentralizadas. Queremos compartir con ustedes nuestra propiedad excepcional ubicada en **La Veleta**, Tulum, un lugar donde la naturaleza se fusiona con el estilo de vida moderno y el ecosistema Bitcoin. ### **Características destacadas de esta joya rústica:** - **Construcción robusta:** Diseñamos esta propiedad con materiales locales como piedra y Chucum, reflejando autenticidad y resistencia. - **Fuente propia de agua:** Garantiza independencia hídrica, un valor inigualable en la región. - **Vegetación abundante:** Un oasis verde que conecta directamente con la esencia de Tulum. - **Ubicación estratégica:** Está súper céntrica, rodeada de los sitios más hermosos de la región, perfecta tanto para residencia como para negocio. - **Documentación al día:** Todo está en regla y listo para transacciones seguras. ### **Nuestra propuesta para la administración y finanzas** Estamos buscando colaboradores para gestionar y/o comprar esta propiedad. Ya sea mediante plataformas como **Nostr**, **Telegram** o **Element (en Matrix)**, podemos coordinarnos de manera eficiente para cualquier aspecto relacionado con la propiedad. Además, si están interesados en adquirirla, queremos destacar que recientemente ajustamos el precio en **170,000 USD menos** tras cuatro años en el mercado. Este cambio refleja nuestro compromiso con encontrar a los socios ideales que valoren no solo la belleza del lugar, sino también su potencial financiero dentro del ecosistema Bitcoin. ### **Por qué invertir aquí?** 1. **Negocio rentable:** Ideal para emprendedores que deseen desarrollar proyectos turísticos, ecológicos o incluso tecnológicos en una de las regiones más codiciadas del mundo. 2. **Valorización asegurada:** La tendencia inmobiliaria en Tulum sigue creciendo año con año. 3. **Sostenibilidad y tecnología:** Combina la magia natural de México con herramientas innovadoras. ### **Comunicación Multilingüe** Ofrecemos la posibilidad de comunicarnos en **español, alemán e inglés**, lo que facilitará la interacción con inversores de diferentes partes del mundo. No duden en contactarnos si son visionarios dispuestos a explorar nuevas formas de inversión en bienes raíces utilizando Bitcoin. Estamos emocionados por conectar con ustedes y construir juntos un futuro próspero. **Contacto:** No duden en escribirnos. Respondemos todas sus preguntas con detalle y entusiasmo. ¡Juntos podemos transformar esta propiedad en un proyecto extraordinario! --- #TulumRealEstate #BitcoinFriendly #SustainableLiving #InvestInTulum #RusticCharm #PropertyForSale #DecentralizedFinance #TulumDreams --- ### **Discover a Unique Opportunity: Our Rustic Property in Tulum with Incredible Potential** We are looking for individuals interested in exploring a solid, sustainable investment aligned with the future of decentralized finance. We want to share with you our exceptional property located in **La Veleta**, Tulum—a place where nature blends seamlessly with modern living and the Bitcoin ecosystem. ### **Key Features of this Rustic Gem:** - **Sturdy construction:** We designed this property using local materials like stone and Chucum, reflecting authenticity and durability. - **Own water source:** Ensures hydrological independence, an invaluable asset in the region. - **Abundant vegetation:** A lush green haven that connects directly with the essence of Tulum. - **Strategic location:** Centrally located, surrounded by the most beautiful spots in the region, perfect for both residential and business use. - **Up-to-date documentation:** Everything is in order and ready for secure transactions. ### **Our Proposal for Management and Finances** We are seeking collaborators to manage and/or purchase this property. Whether through platforms like **Nostr**, **Telegram** or **Element (on Matrix)**, we can efficiently coordinate any aspect related to the property. Additionally, if you're interested in acquiring it, we’d like to highlight that we recently reduced the price by **$170,000 USD** after four years on the market. This adjustment reflects our commitment to finding the ideal partners who appreciate not only the beauty of the place but also its financial potential within the Bitcoin ecosystem. ### **Why Invest Here?** 1. **Profitable business opportunity:** Perfect for entrepreneurs looking to develop tourism, ecological, or even tech projects in one of the world's most sought-after regions. 2. **Guaranteed appreciation:** The real estate trend in Tulum continues to grow year after year. 3. **Sustainability and technology:** Combines the natural magic of Mexico with innovative tools. ### **Multilingual Communication** We offer the possibility of communicating in **Spanish, German, and English**, making interaction easier for investors from around the world. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re visionaries eager to explore new ways to invest in real estate using Bitcoin. We’re excited to connect with you and build a prosperous future together. **Contact:** Feel free to write to us. We’ll be happy to answer all your questions in detail and with enthusiasm. Together, we can turn this property into an extraordinary project! --- #TulumRealEstate #BitcoinFriendly #SustainableLiving #InvestInTulum #RusticCharm #PropertyForSale #DecentralizedFinance #TulumDreams --- ### **Entdeckt eine einzigartige Gelegenheit: Unsere rustikale Immobilie in Tulum mit enormem Potenzial** Wir suchen Personen, die daran interessiert sind, eine feste, nachhaltige Investition zu tätigen, die sich auf die Zukunft der dezentralisierten Finanzen ausrichtet. Wir möchten euch unsere außergewöhnliche Immobilie in **La Veleta**, Tulum vorstellen – ein Ort, an dem Natur nahtlos mit dem modernen Leben und dem Bitcoin-Ekosystem verschmilzt. ### **Herausragende Merkmale dieser rustikalen Perle:** - **Robuste Bauweise:** Wir haben diese Immobilie mit lokalen Materialien wie Stein und Chucum gebaut, um Authentizität und Beständigkeit widerzuspiegeln. - **Eigen Quelle:** Sicherstellt wertvolle Wasserunabhängigkeit, ein unschätzbarer Vorteil in der Region. - **Reiche Vegetation:** Ein grünes Paradies, das euch direkt mit der Essenz von Tulum verbindet. - **Strategisch günstige Lage:** Zentral gelegen, umgeben von den schönsten Plätzen der Region, ideal sowohl für Wohnzwecke als auch für Geschäfte. - **Aktuelle Dokumentation:** Alles ist aktuell und bereit für sichere Transaktionen. ### **Unser Angebot zur Verwaltung und Finanzen** Wir suchen Mitstreiter, um diese Immobilie gemeinsam zu verwalten und/oder zu kaufen. Ob über Plattformen wie **Nostr**, **Telegram** oder **Element (auf Matrix)**, können wir alle Aspekte der Immobilie effizient koordinieren. Außerdem, wenn ihr Interesse habt, sie zu erwerben, möchten wir betonen, dass wir den Preis kürzlich um **170.000 USD** gesenkt haben, nachdem sie vier Jahre lang auf dem Markt war. Diese Anpassung spiegelt unser Engagement wider, die idealen Partner zu finden, die nicht nur die Schönheit des Ortes schätzen, sondern auch sein finanzielles Potenzial im Bitcoin-Ekosystem. ### **Warum hier investieren?** 1. **Rentables Geschäft:** Ideal für Unternehmer, die Tourismus-, ökologische oder sogar technologische Projekte in einer der weltweit begehrtesten Regionen entwickeln möchten. 2. **Gewährleistung von Wertsteigerung:** Die Immobilientrends in Tulum steigen Jahr für Jahr weiter. 3. **Nachhaltigkeit und Technologie:** Kombiniert die natürliche Magie Mexikos mit innovativen Tools. ### **Mehrsprachige Kommunikation** Wir bieten die Möglichkeit an, uns in **Spanisch, Deutsch und Englisch** zu kommunizieren, was die Interaktion mit Investoren aus aller Welt erleichtert. Zögert nicht, euch zu melden, wenn ihr Visionäre seid, die neue Wege zur Immobilieninvestition mit Bitcoin erforschen möchten. Wir freuen uns darauf, mit euch zusammenzuarbeiten und gemeinsam eine erfolgreiche Zukunft aufzubauen. **Kontakt:** Schreibt uns einfach. Wir werden alle eure Fragen detailliert und enthusiastisch beantworten. Zusammen können wir diese Immobilie in ein außergewöhnliches Projekt verwandeln! --- #TulumImmobilien #BitcoinFreundlich #NachhaltigesLeben #InvestiereInTulum #RustikalerCharme #ImmobilieZuVerkaufen #DezentralisierteFinanzen #TulumTräume

@ 4523be58:ba1facd0

# NIP-118 ## Nostr Double Ratchet Invites In order to start a [NIP-117](./117.md) Nostr Double Ratchet session, Alice and Bob need to exchange ephemeral public keys and a shared secret. In a Nostr Double Ratchet invite, Alice gives Bob her - ephemeral public key, which is also used to respond to the invite on Nostr, - shared secret, and - Nostr identity public key, which is used to authenticate the exchange. ### Nostr event Publishing an invite event on Nostr allows other users to start a Double Ratchet session with you. ```typescript { pubkey: inviterIdentityKey, content: '', tags: [ ['d', `double-ratchet/invites/${uid}`], // uid: unique name for the invitation, e.g. "public" ['l', 'double-ratchet/invites'], // label, for listing all your invites ['ephemeralKey', inviterEphemeralKey], ['sharedSecret', sharedSecret] ], kind: 30078, created_at, id, sig } ``` `l` is a [NIP-32](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/32.md) label tag that can be used to list your invites. We use this approach with [NIP-78](./78.md) application specific data kind `30078` in order to not bloat the event kind space and instead have a human-readable label. ### URL Invites can be also shared privately, without requiring a Nostr event. This improves privacy, removing the public association between the inviter and response. URL and QR code are often convenient ways to share privately, especially when the other user is not yet on Nostr. Format: ```typescript const invite = { inviter, ephemeralKey, sharedSecret }; const json = JSON.stringify(invite); const url = `https://example.com/#${encodeURIComponent(json)}`; ``` Encoding the invite into the URL hash ensures it's not sent to the server and logged by default. `nostr:` URI scheme is another possible way to share invites, when we have native clients supporting the feature. ### Invite response #### Outer event Invite response outer event is a [NIP-59](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/59.md) gift wrap event of kind `1059`, sent from a random, one-time-use pubkey, hiding the responder's identity from the public. It is addressed to the ephemeral key in the invite. If the invite was publicly shared, responses can be publicly associated to the inviter. #### Inner event [NIP-59](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/59.md) Rumor. ```typescript const conversationKey = nip44.getConversationKey( inviteeKeyPair, inviterPublicKey ); const encrypted1 = encrypt(inviteeEphemeralKey, conversationKey); const encrypted2 = encrypt(encrypted1, sharedSecret); const rumor = { pubkey: inviteePublicKey, kind: 1060, content: encrypted2, tags: [], createdAt, id, }; ``` After receiving the invite response, both parties have what they need to start a double ratchet session: each others' ephemeral public keys and a shared secret. Both parties have authenticated by encrypting or decrypting using their nip44 conversation key. The shared secret from the invite is used in the response to ensure that only actual recipients of the invite can follow it. Otherwise, attackers could initiate double ratchet sessions by sending invite responses to all addresses that received gift wraps, some of which are private invite addresses.

@ 6260f29f:2ee2fcd4

<div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/div>?enablejsapi=1" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

@ 6260f29f:2ee2fcd4

# titleeee test

@ 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. There were so many today, that I abandoned the markdown table. I recommend skipping the ones that are taking place within a week (the early bonus isn't great for those).  originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/898935

@ 2efaa715:3d987331

# Cost of a 1960s Diet vs Modern Food Costs by Decade > The following is a result from ChatGPT's "deep research" feature when asked to analyze what a "1960s diet" would cost in each subsequent decade. > The CPI and basket of goods is constantly adjusted to "reflect consumer purchasing behavior", but this metric overlooks the fact that _consumer behavior itself is guided by prices_. Just because someone _does_ buy something doesn't mean they would _prefer_ this good over another (potentially superior) good, all it tells you is that they _did_ buy it. When the cost of living off of higher quality foods becomes too great to bear, consumers will trade-down to lower-quality foods. When the CPI reflects this, even a "steady inflation number" hides the fact that **quality of life** has degraded. > If you don't want to read the whole thing, at least check out the conclusion at the end. Everything from here down was generated by the AI after rounds of nudging by me. > Also the cover image, obviously (lol) Following a **1960s-style diet** – rich in red meat, dairy, and unprocessed “whole” foods – has become increasingly expensive over time. Below we examine each decade from 1960 to the present, tracking how much the cost of that fixed 1960s diet rose and comparing it to the **prevailing food costs (CPI)** shaped by consumers adapting their eating habits. Key staples like red meat, dairy, grains, and processed foods are highlighted to show the impact of inflation on a traditional diet versus switching to cheaper substitutes. ## 1960s: Baseline of Affordable Abundance - **Percentage Increase in Cost:** Food prices rose modestly in the 1960s (around **2–3% per year**). Over the decade, maintaining the same 1960 basket led to roughly a **25–30% increase** in cost ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=1960%2424.38%200.91,0.35%25%201968%2428.06%203.24)). This was a relatively small jump compared to later decades. - **Cost in Era’s Currency:** For example, if a household spent **$100 per week in 1960** on the typical foods (plentiful beef, whole milk, butter, eggs, etc.), by **1970** that same diet cost about **$125–$130** in nominal dollars. Everyday items were cheap: ground beef was only **$0.30 per lb in the late 1950s**, and butter about **$0.75 per lb ([Grocery Store Prices for 14 Items in 1957 | HowStuffWorks](https://money.howstuffworks.com/Grocery-store-prices-for-14-items-in-1957.htm#:~:text=4%3A%20Ground%20Beef)) ([Grocery Store Prices for 14 Items in 1957 | HowStuffWorks](https://money.howstuffworks.com/Grocery-store-prices-for-14-items-in-1957.htm#:~:text=When%20they%20weren%27t%20cooking%20with,fashioned%20butter%20today))**. Americans could afford more of these foods as incomes grew. - **Comparison to CPI (Behavior-Adjusted):** The official food Consumer Price Index (CPI) climbed at a similar pace (~28% increase from 1960 to 1970 ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=1960%2424.38%200.91,0.35%25%201968%2428.06%203.24))), since consumer behavior hadn’t drastically shifted yet. Few felt pressure to substitute cheaper foods because inflation was mild. In fact, many families **ate more** of these staples as prosperity rose – U.S. **beef consumption per person increased from ~63 lbs in 1960 to 84 lbs by 1970**, while chicken rose from 28 to 48 lbs ([National Chicken Council | Per Capita Consumption of Poultry and Livestock, 1965 to Forecast 2022, in Pounds](https://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/about-the-industry/statistics/per-capita-consumption-of-poultry-and-livestock-1965-to-estimated-2012-in-pounds/#:~:text=1960%2063,5)). Any cost savings from “behavior changes” were minimal in the 60s. (One early example: margarine was already replacing some butter for health/cost reasons, but butter was still affordable in 1960 at ~$0.75, so sticking to butter didn’t break the bank ([Grocery Store Prices for 14 Items in 1957 | HowStuffWorks](https://money.howstuffworks.com/Grocery-store-prices-for-14-items-in-1957.htm#:~:text=When%20they%20weren%27t%20cooking%20with,fashioned%20butter%20today)).) Overall, adapting one’s diet wasn’t necessary for budget reasons in the 1960s, as **food was relatively cheap and inflation low**. ## 1970s: Soaring Prices Hit Traditional Diets Hard - **Percentage Increase in Cost:** The 1970s brought **surging food inflation**. A fixed 1960s-style diet would cost roughly **double (+100% or more)** by the end of the decade. In particular, **meat and dairy prices skyrocketed**. Beef prices **roughly doubled** from 1970 to 1980 (the BLS beef index jumped from the 40s to nearly 100 ([Beef and veal price inflation, 1935→2025](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Beef-and-veal/price-inflation#:~:text=17,386))), contributing to an overall ~**120% increase** in the cost of a meat-heavy 1960s basket during the 70s. By comparison, overall food-at-home prices rose about **121%** in that span ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=1973%2438.45%2016.30,1981%2473.39%207.30)) – a huge jump in itself. The worst spikes came in 1973–74, when food prices jumped **15–16% in a single year ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=,Bureau%20of%20Labor%20Statistics))**. - **Cost in Era’s Currency:** Someone stubbornly sticking to their 1960 grocery list in this era paid a steep price. If they spent $100 per week in 1970, by **1980** they’d need to spend roughly **$220–$230** for the same items. For instance, mid-decade a pound of steak that cost ~$1 in the late 60s might cost $2–3 by the late 70s. Whole milk prices also roughly **doubled** in the 70s ([Fresh whole milk price inflation, 1939→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Fresh-whole-milk/price-inflation#:~:text=32,324)). This era’s inflation was so severe that it forced a re-budgeting for those insisting on expensive staples. - **Comparison to CPI (Behavior-Adjusted):** While **all** consumers felt the 70s price shock, those who **adapted their diets mitigated the impact**. Many Americans reacted by **buying less red meat or switching to cheaper proteins**. Notably, when beef became very expensive (meat prices jumped **5.4% in just one month in early 1973 ([1973 meat boycott - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_meat_boycott#:~:text=Meat%20prices%20began%20to%20rise,3))**), consumers staged a “meat boycott” and turned to poultry, pork, or beans. Poultry was a big winner – chicken prices did rise (44% in 1973 ([Fresh whole chicken price inflation, 1935→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Fresh-whole-chicken/price-inflation#:~:text=,Bureau%20of%20Labor%20Statistics))), but over the decade chicken remained cheaper per pound than beef, and **per capita chicken consumption climbed while beef consumption dropped** ([National Chicken Council | Per Capita Consumption of Poultry and Livestock, 1965 to Forecast 2022, in Pounds](https://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/about-the-industry/statistics/per-capita-consumption-of-poultry-and-livestock-1965-to-estimated-2012-in-pounds/#:~:text=1978%2087,0)). Processed and shelf-stable foods also gained favor as thrifty alternatives; for example, consumers might buy canned soups or powdered drink mixes which had smaller price increases. The **official CPI (which reflects some substitution)** still rose dramatically (~**105%** for food in the 70s ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=1973%2438.45%2016.30,1981%2473.39%207.30))), but the true **cost of living was a bit lower for those who adapted**. By cutting back on expensive items (or stretching them – e.g. more casseroles with grains/veggies and less meat), families could keep their food spending increase somewhat below the headline inflation. In short, a person clinging to the high-red-meat, butter-on-everything diet of 1960 ended up paying **much more** in the 70s, whereas those who embraced **cheaper substitutes (chicken instead of steak, margarine instead of butter, generic and processed foods)** softened the blow. The late 1970s also saw food costs stabilize under price controls, rewarding those who diversified their diet away from the costliest staples. ([Chicken leads U.S. per person availability of meat over last decade | Economic Research Service](http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=105929)) *Per capita availability of meat in the U.S., 1910–2021. **Beef** (gray line) peaked in the 1970s and then declined as prices rose and consumers ate more **chicken** (yellow line). Chicken overtook beef as the most consumed meat by 2010, thanks to its lower cost and dietary shifts ([Chicken leads U.S. per person availability of meat over last decade | Economic Research Service](http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=105929#:~:text=The%20supply%20of%20chicken%20available,9%20pounds%20per%20person)). Pork (red) held roughly steady, while fish (purple) remained a small share. This illustrates how Americans adjusted their protein sources over decades in response to price and preferences.* ([Chicken leads U.S. per person availability of meat over last decade | Economic Research Service](http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=105929#:~:text=The%20supply%20of%20chicken%20available,9%20pounds%20per%20person)) ## 1980s: Slowing Inflation and New Dietary Habits - **Percentage Increase in Cost:** Inflation cooled in the 1980s, making food prices more stable. Even so, a fixed 1960s diet saw about a **50% cost increase** over the decade. That means the same basket that cost $100 in 1980 would cost around **$150 by 1990**. This increase was much lower than the 70s, but still notable. Meats and dairy had smaller price jumps now (beef rose ~38% from 1980–90, milk ~45% ([Fresh whole milk price inflation, 1939→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Fresh-whole-milk/price-inflation#:~:text=32,324))), and overall food-at-home prices climbed ~**40–50%** ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=1979%2463.33%2010.81,1987%2486.60%204.32)) ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=1989%2496.14%206.57,1997%24122.41%202.49)) in the 80s. - **Cost in Era’s Currency:** If our traditional-diet shopper spent $220/week in 1980 (continuing the prior example), by **1990** they’d be spending roughly **$330** for the same groceries. For instance, a gallon of whole milk that cost about $1.50 in 1980 might be ~$2.20 by 1990; a pound of ground beef around $1.20 in 1980 could be ~$1.75 in 1990. These nominal increases were easier to manage than the wild 70s, but still added up. - **Comparison to CPI (Behavior-Adjusted):** In the 80s, **consumer behavior had permanently shifted** due to the prior decade’s lessons. Many households continued to favor **cheaper or leaner foods**, and this helped keep their actual cost of living lower than if they had stuck to the old diet. For example, **butter consumption plunged** (per capita fell from 7.5 lbs in 1960 to ~4.5 lbs by 1980) as people used margarine and processed spreads instead ([cameracopy4.qxd](https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/publications/41035/15333_aer780g_1_.pdf?v=74489#:~:text=commodity%2C%20illustrates%20the%20underlying%20dynamics,the%20processed%20dairy%20products%20group)). Butter lost its hefty weight in the price index, reflecting how few people still bought it regularly by the 80s. Similarly, beef was no longer king – Americans were eating **20% less beef than in the 70s, and far more chicken**, which was mass-produced cheaply ([Chicken leads U.S. per person availability of meat over last decade | Economic Research Service](http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=105929#:~:text=The%20supply%20of%20chicken%20available,9%20pounds%20per%20person)). The **CPI’s market basket was updated in 1987**, locking in these new habits (more poultry and convenience foods, fewer expensive staples). As a result, **official food inflation** in the 80s was moderate, and those who already had adapted their diet felt roughly the same ~50% rise as the CPI. However, someone who *refused* to change – still buying large quantities of red meat, whole milk, fresh butter, etc. – would have spent **more** than the average person. They missed out on the savings from things like **economy cuts of meat, bulk grains, and processed goods** that became popular. By the late 1980s, the U.S. food system was delivering **cheaper calories** (e.g. refined grains, corn oil, sweeteners) on a huge scale. Families that incorporated these cheaper ingredients (think Hamburger Helper, microwave dinners, soda instead of milk) kept their grocery bills lower. Indeed, food became a smaller share of household spending: it fell from **28.5% of the family budget in 1960 to about 17% by 1980 ([cameracopy4.qxd](https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/publications/41035/15333_aer780g_1_.pdf?v=74489#:~:text=A%20review%20of%20changing%20weights,All%20items))**, a testament to how adapting food choices and benefitting from cheaper options lowered the relative cost of living. ## 1990s: Cheaper Alternatives in an Era of Low Inflation - **Percentage Increase in Cost:** The 1990s saw **very low food inflation** by historical standards. Maintaining the exact 1960s diet through this decade would raise costs by only about **25–30%**. Food-at-home prices increased roughly **2–3% per year** or **~27% total from 1990 to 2000 ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=1989%2496.14%206.57,1997%24122.41%202.49)) ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=1997%24122.41%202.49,2005%24146.89%201.93))** – similar to general inflation. - **Cost in Era’s Currency:** Continuing our scenario, $330/week in 1990 for a 1960-style diet would become about **$420–$430/week by 2000**. Many staple food prices barely crept up. For example, a loaf of bread or a dozen eggs only rose by a few dimes over the whole decade. In some cases prices even stagnated or fell: U.S. farm commodities were abundant (grain surpluses kept costs of cereal, flour, and animal feed low). The late 90s had such cheap raw ingredients that milk, meat, and sugar prices were relatively stable. - **Comparison to CPI (Behavior-Adjusted):** By the 90s, **behavior-adjusted costs were markedly lower** than our fixed diet scenario, because consumers had spent two decades optimizing their food spending. The **prevailing diet in the 90s was very different from the 60s**, driven by cost efficiency and convenience. Shoppers embraced warehouse clubs and discount supermarkets, bought **private-label/store brands**, and leaned heavily on **processed foods** that benefited from cheap oil and corn. For instance, instead of whole fresh foods for every meal, families might use instant pasta mixes, boxed cereals, and soft drinks – items produced at scale and often cheaper per calorie. This kept **average grocery bills lower**. In fact, the cost of living for food rose so slowly in the 90s that it was common to “trade up” some items (like occasionally buying steak or exotic fruits) and still stay on budget. A person strictly sticking to a 1960s whole-food diet (cooking from scratch, lots of fresh meat and dairy) would **not** enjoy those processed-food savings. By this time they’d be paying **noticeably more** than the average consumer for the same caloric intake. Studies began to note a troubling pattern: **healthier whole foods were getting relatively more expensive, while unhealthy processed options remained very cheap**. (For example, fresh produce prices in the U.S. rose faster than soda and snack prices in the 80s/90s.) The overall CPI for food was low in the 90s, reflecting these substitutions. A clear sign of the era: **fast-food value meals and junk snacks proliferated**, offering calories at rock-bottom prices. Those who adapted their diet to include these inexpensive foods saw a **much lower increase in their cost of living** – and in some cases, food spending as a share of income hit record lows. Meanwhile, someone clinging to only unprocessed “old-fashioned” foods would have a higher grocery bill and experienced a higher effective inflation than the behavior-adjusted CPI. In short, the 1990s made it **easier than ever to save money on food – if you were willing to eat like a 1990s consumer**. ## 2000s: Diverging Diet Costs – Whole Foods vs Processed - **Percentage Increase in Cost:** Food costs in the 2000s rose at a modest pace, very similar to the 90s. A fixed 1960s diet would increase about **25–30% in cost** over the decade (roughly keeping up with general inflation). From 2000 to 2010 the food-at-home CPI climbed ~**29%** ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=1997%24122.41%202.49,2005%24146.89%201.93)) ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=2005%24146.89%201.93,2013%24181.02%200.90)). There were a couple of price spikes mid-decade (e.g. 2007–2008 saw grain and dairy price jumps), but also some years of minimal change. - **Cost in Era’s Currency:** Our hypothetical shopper spending $420 in 2000 would be around **$540 per week by 2010** for the same basket. Key 1960s staples did get pricier in the 2000s: e.g. whole milk went from about $2.80/gal in 2000 to $3.50+ by 2010; ground beef from ~$1.80 to ~$2.25/lb over the decade. But the increases were gradual. Notably, by 2010 many traditional items (meats, eggs, dairy) were **cheaper in real terms than in the 1970s** – thanks to efficiency gains – even if nominal prices edged up. - **Comparison to CPI (Behavior-Adjusted):** The 2000s is when the gap between a “traditional whole-food diet” and the **average diet’s cost** really started to widen. The official CPI remained fairly low, in part because consumers kept shifting towards **cheaper ingredients and prepared foods**. Two diverging trends emerged: - Many consumers, facing tight budgets especially after the 2008 recession, doubled down on **low-cost, energy-dense foods**. This meant more refined grains (white bread, pasta, rice), processed snacks, sweetened drinks, and fatty meats – all of which were inexpensive and often on promotion. These items benefited from globalized supply chains and agricultural surpluses, keeping their prices down or rising very slowly. For example, corn-based sweeteners and oils were so cheap that soda and fried foods remained very affordable in the 2000s. - On the other hand, some consumers began seeking **healthier “whole” foods** (organic produce, whole grains, lean meats). But these often came at a premium and saw higher inflation. Someone maintaining a 1960s-style home-cooked diet (lots of fresh ingredients) fell into this category almost by definition. They would have experienced **higher effective inflation** than the average. Research confirms this divergence: in recent analyses, the **cost of a healthy recommended diet has risen faster than the cost of an unhealthy diet**. For instance, during 2019–2022, prices of healthy foods (fruits, veggies, lean proteins, etc.) jumped **12.8% in one year**, whereas “unhealthy” food prices rose only **7–9%** ([ Healthy Food Prices Increased More Than the Prices of Unhealthy Options during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Concurrent Challenges to the Food System - PMC ](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9967271/#:~:text=diet%20cost%20increased%2017.9,less%20affordable)). This pattern had been building over the 2000s. Thus, those who **adapted by buying the cheapest processed options saw a smaller cost-of-living increase** than those buying whole foods. By the end of the 2000s, the U.S. was in a situation where **following a 1960s diet cost significantly more than an average 2000s diet**, even though overall inflation was mild. In practical terms, a family could slash their grocery bill by switching from fresh-cooked dinners with milk to, say, boxed mac-and-cheese with soda – and many did. The CPI implicitly captured this shift: food remained about ~13% of consumer spending in the 2000s (near historic lows), partly because people found ever-cheaper ways to eat. ## 2010s: Relative Stability (Until a Shock) - **Percentage Increase in Cost:** The 2010s were a decade of **exceptionally low food inflation**. A fixed 1960s diet’s cost rose only about **15–20%** in total through 2010–2019. For most of those years, food prices grew less than 2% annually (some years even saw slight deflation in grocery prices ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=2011%24175.09%204.80,0.20%25%202018%24185.51%200.45%25%202019%24187.14%200.88))). From 2010 to 2020 the food-at-home index went up about **16%** ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=2009%24166.51%200.47,0.20)) ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=2017%24184.68,2024%24237.27%201.19)) – the slowest growth of any decade in this analysis. - **Cost in Era’s Currency:** In our running example, $540/week in 2010 for the old-fashioned diet would become roughly **$620–$630 by 2020**. In other words, nearly flat in real terms. Many staple food prices were remarkably steady. A gallon of whole milk hovered around $3.50–$4 throughout the decade; a pound of chicken breasts stayed near $1.99 for years. The **shale oil boom** and low energy costs, plus technological advances in agriculture, helped keep food production and transportation cheap. By the late 2010s, Americans enjoyed some of the **lowest food inflation on record**. - **Comparison to CPI (Behavior-Adjusted):** With inflation so low, the difference between sticking to a 1960s diet and the average diet’s cost was less pronounced *during* this decade – everyone benefited from stable prices. However, it’s important to note that by the 2010s the **average diet was very far removed from the 1960s diet**, largely for economic reasons built up over prior decades. The average American in 2019 was consuming lots of inexpensive processed foods and far less of the pricey whole foods that defined 1960. This meant their cost of living was inherently lower. For those still following a traditional diet, their basket cost hadn’t risen much in the 2010s, but it was starting from a **much higher base** relative to typical consumers. In effect, the “gap” was already baked in. Government data continued to show that **healthy food plans cost more** – a trend consistent with the idea that a whole-food diet remained pricier than the mix of convenience foods most people bought. By the end of the 2010s, food was only about 12–13% of household expenditures on average, reflecting decades of substitutions and cheaper alternatives keeping costs down ([cameracopy4.qxd](https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/publications/41035/15333_aer780g_1_.pdf?v=74489#:~:text=A%20review%20of%20changing%20weights,All%20items)). A person eating like it’s 1960 (lots of red meat roasts, fresh veggies, whole milk) in 2019 would likely be spending well above that share. In summary, the 2010s offered a **breather**: low inflation meant even “old diet” holdouts weren’t punished by price hikes, but they were still paying more than those who had long ago adapted to the economical 2010s food landscape. *(Note: The **early 2020s** have seen a sharp inflationary spike for food, largely due to pandemic disruptions and war. Interestingly, this spike hit fresh foods and meats harder than processed foods, echoing the long-term pattern. For example, in one study the cost of a healthy diet rose **17.9%** from 2019–2022, whereas the typical less-healthy diet rose **9% ([ Healthy Food Prices Increased More Than the Prices of Unhealthy Options during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Concurrent Challenges to the Food System - PMC ](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9967271/#:~:text=diet%20cost%20increased%2017.9,less%20affordable))**. This underscores that when inflation strikes, sticking to a traditional wholesome diet tends to *cost more* than making do with cheaper substitutes. As of 2022–2023, consumers again coped by buying store brands, cutting meat consumption, etc., to soften the blow – much as they did in the 1970s.)* ## **Conclusion: Traditional Diet vs Adaptive Diet – Which Costs More?** Over six decades, inflation has raised all food prices, but **not uniformly**. Someone maintaining a fixed 1960s-style diet from 1960 through today would have seen their food costs rise far more than the official “cost of food” suggests – because the official index assumes people adjust their buying. In fact, by 2020 such a person would be spending roughly **8–10 times** what they spent in 1960 on food in nominal dollars, whereas the behavior-adjusted CPI for food rose about 8-fold ([Beef and veal price inflation, 1935→2025](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Beef-and-veal/price-inflation#:~:text=Between%201935%20and%202025%3A%20Beef,beef%20and%20veal%20was%20higher)) ([Fresh whole chicken price inflation, 1935→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Fresh-whole-chicken/price-inflation#:~:text=are%20805.12,02%20difference%20in%20value)). That implies perhaps a **20–25% higher cumulative cost** for the fixed diet follower. The biggest contributors were **red meat and dairy:** these had higher-than-average inflation over the long run. For example, beef prices rose much faster than overall prices (3,637% since 1935) ([Beef and veal price inflation, 1935→2025](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Beef-and-veal/price-inflation#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20U,45%20difference%20in%20value)), while chicken (a cheaper substitute) had lower inflation (805% since 1935) ([Fresh whole chicken price inflation, 1935→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Fresh-whole-chicken/price-inflation#:~:text=are%20805.12,02%20difference%20in%20value)). Consumers responded accordingly – eating less beef and butter, and more chicken and margarine, as decades passed. Grains and processed foods, often mass-produced from low-cost commodities, helped keep modern diets affordable; whole foods did not see such dramatic cost efficiencies. In each decade, **those who adapted their food choices enjoyed a lower cost of living increase** than those who stuck with the old-school diet. The 1970s illustrated this vividly (households that substituted chicken or pasta when steak prices spiked avoided some of the worst budget pain). By the 2000s and 2010s, the **typical American diet was heavily “behavior-adjusted” for cost** – full of cheaper oils, sweeteners, and protein sources – which kept the **CPI food inflation** relatively low. Meanwhile, a person trying to eat like it’s 1960 (lots of red meat, whole milk, homemade meals) ended up paying a premium each year to do so. In summary, **inflation heavily penalized the maintenance of a 1960s diet**. Each decade saw that fixed basket get relatively more expensive, especially for categories like red meat and dairy. In contrast, Americans who embraced **cheaper substitutes and new foods** managed to keep their food spending growth below the inflation that a “fixed basket” would imply. This behavior-adjustment – switching from costly whole foods to economical processed and alternative foods – has been a key reason the **reported CPI for food** rose more slowly. It quantifies how much lower the cost of living was for those who adapted: often shaving **several percentage points off per-year inflation**, and cumulatively making food far more affordable than it would have been under the old diet. The trade-off, of course, is that while the **traditional 1960s diet was nutritious but now expensive**, the **modern adapted diet is cheaper but often less healthy**. Consumers effectively used substitutions to **counteract food inflation**, saving money at the expense of dietary changes. The decades-long outcome is clear – financially, **eating in 2023 like it’s 1963 will cost you significantly more** than eating like a 2023 consumer, due to the compounding effect of differential inflation and behavior shifts over time. **Other Sources:** - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Historical CPI data for food categories ([Food at home price inflation, 1947→2024](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Food-at-home/price-inflation#:~:text=1973%2438.45%2016.30,1981%2473.39%207.30)) ([Beef and veal price inflation, 1935→2025](https://www.in2013dollars.com/Beef-and-veal/price-inflation#:~:text=17,386)) - USDA Economic Research Service – Food price reports and consumption trends ([Chicken leads U.S. per person availability of meat over last decade | Economic Research Service](http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=105929#:~:text=The%20supply%20of%20chicken%20available,9%20pounds%20per%20person)) ([cameracopy4.qxd](https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/publications/41035/15333_aer780g_1_.pdf?v=74489#:~:text=commodity%2C%20illustrates%20the%20underlying%20dynamics,the%20processed%20dairy%20products%20group)) - *The Value of a Dollar* – mid-20th-century grocery prices (e.g. 1957 butter, beef) ([Grocery Store Prices for 14 Items in 1957 | HowStuffWorks](https://money.howstuffworks.com/Grocery-store-prices-for-14-items-in-1957.htm#:~:text=4%3A%20Ground%20Beef)) ([Grocery Store Prices for 14 Items in 1957 | HowStuffWorks](https://money.howstuffworks.com/Grocery-store-prices-for-14-items-in-1957.htm#:~:text=When%20they%20weren%27t%20cooking%20with,fashioned%20butter%20today)) - Congressional Research Service – Food inflation and consumer responses ([1973 meat boycott - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_meat_boycott#:~:text=Meat%20prices%20began%20to%20rise,3)) - Academic study on healthy vs unhealthy diet cost inflation - ([pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9967271/#:~:text=diet%20cost%20increased%2017.9,less%20affordable))

@ 889b19eb:ff45973f

A Bitcoin seed phrase, also known as a mnemonic phrase or recovery phrase, is a list of words which store all the information needed to recover your Bitcoin wallet. The seed phrase is effectively a master key to your wallet and having secure backups of your seed phrase ensures you don't lose your stack in the case of a hardware or software wallet failure. There are various physical backup mediums including steal plates and discs you can stamp your seed phrase onto but another option is to store your seed phrase securely in your head. This has the added benefit that it cant be stolen (at least at the time of writing), takes up no physical space and there is something rather cool about having your family wealth stored in your head. A Mnemonic is simply a system such as a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations which assists in remembering something. This blog post describes two Mnemonic systems I use to remember my seed phrase as well as other lists and numbers. The Linking System All mnemonics are based on some sort of linking system, the idea is to take the items you want to remember and create scenes and images that you can picture in your mind, this helps lock the information into long term memory. When thinking up these visualisations try to keep the following in mind: 1. The picture should be vivid. Try and see the picture clearly and in focus, imagine yourself stumbling upon the scene or witnessing the events in first person. Let yourself emotionally engage with it for a moment. If the picture is amusing find it funny. If it’s disgusting, actually find it repulsive. focus on how each image makes you feel. Is it funny? Disgusting? Dangerous? Actually take some time to feel that emotion. 2. The elements of each picture should interact. Picturing A and B stood next to each other won’t work. A could be made of B; or dancing with B; being inserted into B; or using b as some sort of implement. 3. The picture should be unusual. If you are linking ‘man’ and ‘cup’, for example, don't use an image that is ordinary. ‘a man drinking from a cup’ for example is too normal. The picture will be more memorable if the man is trying to drink from a giant cup, or is sucking the cup into his face, or if there is a tiny man in a cup trying to get out before the tea gets poured in. Try and be creative and bizarre as possible in order to make a lasting impression. If the above is starting to make you feel nervous, its actually very straight forward and doesn't require much practice or creative genius. You will be surprised how quickly you can pick this up and how images will just be effortless conjured up to promptly land at a particular word or task you want to remember. The following example was taken from Derren Brown's fascinating book [Tricks of the Mind](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/945683.Tricks_of_the_Mind) which first introduced me to these techniques. After reading the next section of this post you will be able to recall the following seemingly randomly words in perfect order and even in reverse. You will likely still be able to recall them weeks later. Telephone Sausage Monkey Button Book Cabbage Glass Mouse Stomach Cardboard Ferry Christmas Athlete Key Wigwam Baby Kiwi Bed Paintbrush Walnut Before beginning try reading the above words and see how many you can remember, minimise the window and see how many you can type out or write down from memory. You might get half a dozen without any special techniques. Now take some time to read the following, remember to take note of how the images are making you feel and take your time, don't just skim read. Telephone/Sausage: Trying to dial an old-fashioned phone using a flaccid, uncooked sausage. It feels revolting and cold to the fingers, and is utterly impractical to work the dial. I can maybe get the dial around a little way, but then it just purrs back into place. Sausage/Monkey: Watching footage from a wildlife documentary of a monkey, in the jungle, cooking a sausage over a barbecue. These are rare monkeys, and this is the first time they have been filmed. Next to him he has a selection of dips. Monkey/Button: You no longer have to spend valuable time doing up your own shirt buttons. You now have a trained monkey to do such things. You stand there in your socks and he does up all the buttons with his clever simian fingers. Button/Book: It’s a book entirely about buttons, and in order to open it you have to unfasten a line of big colourful buttons down the side. Hugely impractical marketing gimmick. Makes opening it really irritating. Book/Cabbage: Opening up a book to have a quiet lunchtime read, only to find that the cover and all the pages have leaves of rotten stinking cabbage stuck to them. The stench is terrible, and the pages are ruined. Someone has played a stupid joke on you, and now you’ve got fetid cabbage juice all over your fingers. Cabbage/Glass: A beautiful but enormous cabbage, realistically created out of glass. The artist is proudly showing it off, flicking it with his fingers and making a ‘pinging’ sound. Everyone’s standing around with glasses of wine appreciating it. Personally you think it’s ridiculous and ugly. Glass/Mouse: You go to drink a glass of wine, to find that the wine has gone and there’s a tiny mouse in the bottom of the glass. The mouse is clearly drunk, and is wearing a party hat with streamers over his shoulder. A party blow-out extends limply from his mouth, and he’s hiccuping bubbles, like a seventies cartoonist’s depiction of a drunkard. Mouse/Stomach: Unfortunately I can think only of that urban myth unfairly surrounding Richard Gere some years ago. If you’re not familiar with it, then imagine your tummy full of squeaking mice, which then stream out of your navel like the rats out of Hamelin. Stomach/Cardboard: A pregnant lady covering her stomach with cardboard from old boxes. Taping it around her, until she is enormous. Now she feels protected. Cardboard/Ferry: Image of a big P&O ferry sinking in the sea because in a spectacularly misjudged move to save money, the entire boat was manufactured out of cardboard. People are escaping from dinghies, unaware that they are made not from rubber but from ordinary paper. Ferry/Christmas: A little ferry sat on top of a Christmas tree, perhaps at a school for the hard of hearing. Little streamers, windows, everything. Tinsel around the hull. Christmas/Athlete: It’s you and all the relations you normally spend Christmas with, running around a race-track in the snow with party hats and crackers trying to beat Kelly Holmes to the finish-line. Your nan is doing superbly, racing ahead in her coat, hat and bag, giving the double-gold winner a run for her money. Athlete/Key: The winning athlete is given a four-foot-long golden key on a ribbon as a prize. She tries to hold it up for the audience as the National Anthem plays, but it’s extremely heavy, and she wishes she could have just had an ordinary medal. Key/Wigwam: A key hangs unnoticed from the headgear of a Native American Indian who is unable to get into his wigwam to go to the loo. Hugely frustrating for him. You can picture him, all red-faced. See the key glinting in the light as he searches for it. Wigwam/Baby: Latest New Age fad: put your baby to sleep every night in a wigwam. Dream-catcher included. Imagine a giant baby asleep inside, snoring, making the sides of the wigwam suck in and blow out. Baby/Kiwi: A baby shoving green furry kiwi fruit into its mouth. One after another. A huge pile of them waiting to be eaten. Green kiwi juice all down its bib. Throwing up kiwi vomit. He loves kiwis, the little tinker. Kiwi/Bed: Tucking up a little kiwi for the night in a big king-size bed. Pulling the covers almost over it, then sitting next to it and reading it a story about the Little Kiwi, until it falls asleep. Bed/Paintbrush: You’ve changed your décor and the bed no longer matches. So rather than buy new covers, you paint them the same colour as the walls. Sloshing paint over the entire bed, watching it go hard and uncomfortable. Paintbrush/Walnut: Not owning a nutcracker, you’re forced to try and smash open a great big walnut with the end of a paintbrush. Trouble is, you’re using the brush end, which isn’t working, and there’s paint splashing everywhere. It’s a mess, but you really want that walnut. Now minimise the window again and see how many words you can recall now, start by thinking of the "telephone" and see where it takes you. You should be able to easily recall the whole list. As a bonus round try recalling the list in reverse order starting with "walnut", it should be just as easy. Number Pegs The linking system is great for remembering things in order (or even reverse) a more powerful system which allows you to recall any word at any position in the sequence without running through from start to finish like you need to do with the linking system is to use a number peg. This creates and index which allows you to recall each word of your seed phrase by its index number. Unlike the standard linking system it will also not break down if you forget one word in the middle of the list. Additionally the system can be used in reverse to remember long numbers or even a whole deck of cards. The Major / Consonant System The Major or Consonant system is probably the most common peg system in use. First you translate digits into consonants, I use the following which is provided in Derren Brown's Trick of the Mind as this is what I have become use to, but feel free to adapt or create your own as desired. z/s - Z is in zero and the S sound is most similar to Z l - They look similar (l for lemur) n - two downward strokes on a small n m - three downward strokes r - fouR f/v - FiVe, again they are similar sounds b/p - b looks simlar to 6 and P and B sound and look similar t - 7 looks like a capital T ch/sh/j - the GH in eiGHt, and then the J is the nearest to these sounds g - a written g can resemble a 9 Each consonant is then associated with a short word that contains that consonant. z/s - zoo l - ale n - hen m - ham r - whore f/v - hive b/g - bee t - tea ch/sh/j - shoe g - goo for two-digit numbers, convert each digit into a consonant using the table above. Then find a word that uses those two consonants as their first two consonants. l, z/s - lice l, l - lily l, n - line l, m - lime l, r - lorry l, f/v - laugh l, b/p - lip l, t - light l, ch/sh/j - ledge l, g - leg n, z/s - nose n, l - nail n, n - nanny n, m - gnome n, r - nero I have only supplied words up to 24 as this is all you will need for a Bitcoin seed phrase but for other applications you would normally have a list of words up to 99 or even 999. Once you have your list of words and their associated numbers, you then use the linking system to link the index word with the word in your seed phrase, so the first word in your seed phrase will be linked with the word "ale" the sixth word in your seed phrase will be linked with "bee" and so on and so forth. Take the following seed phrase for example: joke owner layer tail diagram armor input train head promote tuition eager You might link the words as follows. 1. joke / ale - drinking a pint of ale and laughing at a joke and choking on it and coughing ale all over yourself. 2. owner / hen - Visualize a hen laying golden eggs and the proud owner showing it off to an envious neighbor. 3. layer / ham - peeling layers of pork off a small ham like an onion. 4. tail / whore - you get back to your room with a whore and are surprised to find a big fluffy tail when she drops her draws. 5. diagram / hive - you are working on a big blueprint/diagram of a hive, imagine it in front of you on a drawing board. 6. armor / bee - a high armoured medieval bee, perhaps on horseback with a spear. 7. input / tea - you are using a vending machine and instead of taking coins the coin slot takes teabags for payment, imaging selecting an item and inputting tea bags for payment. 8. train / shoe - imagine a big shoe train, a steam train that is a shoe with wheels on the bottom pulling a carriages down a train track. 9. head / goo - you are on I'm a celeb and have to plunge you head into a big bucket of goo. 10. promote / lice - two lice soldiers, one has been given a promotion the other is pinning a medal on his chest. 11. tuition / lily - Imagine you are in a classroom, but instead of desks, there are giant lily pads. Each student, including you, has to sit atop a lily pad. The tuition fee for the course is actually a handful of lily flowers, which you hand to the instructor. 12. eager / line - Picture a group of people standing in a line, so eager they begin stretching their necks out like giraffes to see the front of the line, vying for the first glimpse of what's to come. Once you have compiled your list, think of a number between 1 and 12 and turn the number into your peg word and see what image emerges. That should then get you back to your seed word. Try a few with the example above. And there you have it, once you have completed the exercise above for your seed phrase or phrases, you have now stored your life savings in your head and are safe in the knowledge that you have an always on backup for when disaster strikes. Although this method is very powerful you will need to run through the list every do often to keep it truly cemented. links * [The Art of Memory](https://artofmemory.com/)

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Bitcoin's journey from a cryptographic experiment to a widely recognized financial asset is a testament to the rapid evolution of digital currencies. Since its inception in 2009, Bitcoin has captivated the attention of technologists, investors, and the general public alike. Its decentralized nature and potential for high returns have made it a subject of intense interest and debate. The recent introduction of Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) marks a pivotal moment in this journey, potentially heralding a new era of mainstream acceptance for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This development is not just a milestone for Bitcoin enthusiasts but also a signal to the broader financial community about the evolving nature of investment and the growing importance of digital assets. **Table of Contents** - Understanding Bitcoin ETFs - Bitcoin's Journey to Mainstream Acceptance - The Impact of ETFs on Bitcoin's Perception - Risks and Challenges - The Future of Crypto with ETFs - Conclusion - FAQs **Understanding Bitcoin ETFs** A Bitcoin ETF represents a seismic shift in the way investors can access the world of cryptocurrencies. Traditionally, investing in Bitcoin required a certain level of technical know-how, including understanding cryptocurrency exchanges, digital wallets, and the concept of blockchain technology. This complexity has been a significant barrier to entry for many potential investors. A Bitcoin ETF simplifies this process dramatically. Investors can buy and sell shares of the ETF through traditional brokerage accounts, just as they would with any other stock or fund. This accessibility opens the doors to a broader range of investors, from individuals seeking to diversify their portfolios to institutional investors looking for regulated exposure to the crypto market. The ETF structure also provides added security and regulatory oversight, addressing some of the key concerns around cryptocurrency investments. **Bitcoin's Journey to Mainstream Acceptance** The path of Bitcoin to mainstream acceptance has been anything but straightforward. In its early days, Bitcoin was primarily a tool for tech enthusiasts and libertarians, valued for its decentralization and potential as an alternative to traditional currencies. Over time, its appeal broadened, attracting attention from venture capitalists and forward-thinking investors. High-profile endorsements, increasing media coverage, and a growing recognition of its potential as a hedge against inflation and currency devaluation have further propelled Bitcoin into the financial spotlight. Each surge in Bitcoin's price brought more attention and legitimacy, although it was often accompanied by skepticism and warnings of a bubble. The introduction of futures trading on major exchanges and the gradual embrace by major financial institutions have been critical in Bitcoin's journey towards legitimacy. **The Impact of ETFs on Bitcoin's Perception** The launch of Bitcoin ETFs is more than just a new investment product; it's a symbolic bridge between the traditional financial world and the frontier of cryptocurrency. For years, Bitcoin has been viewed with a mix of fascination and skepticism by the mainstream financial community. The introduction of ETFs changes this dynamic significantly. It offers a familiar and regulated framework for investing in Bitcoin, which can assuage the concerns of risk-averse investors and financial advisors. This development is likely to lead to broader acceptance and understanding of Bitcoin as a legitimate asset class, potentially leading to more stable pricing and reduced volatility. It also sets a precedent for other cryptocurrencies, suggesting a future where digital assets are as commonplace in investment portfolios as stocks and bonds. **Risks and Challenges** While Bitcoin ETFs offer new opportunities, they also come with their own set of risks and challenges. The cryptocurrency market is known for its dramatic price swings, and Bitcoin is no exception. Investors in Bitcoin ETFs must be prepared for a potentially turbulent ride. Regulatory challenges are another significant concern. The legal and regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies is still evolving, and changes in government policies or regulations could have a substantial impact on Bitcoin and Bitcoin ETFs. There's also the risk that the introduction of ETFs could lead to increased speculation and potentially inflate a price bubble. Moreover, traditional financial analysts and economists continue to express skepticism about the intrinsic value and long-term stability of Bitcoin, often comparing it to historical financial bubbles. **The Future of Crypto with ETFs** The introduction of Bitcoin ETFs could mark the beginning of a new chapter in the story of cryptocurrencies. As these products gain acceptance and attract more investment, they could pave the way for a broader range of crypto-based financial products and services. This integration into the global financial system could lead to cryptocurrencies becoming a standard part of diversified investment portfolios, alongside stocks, bonds, and commodities. The potential impact on the broader financial market is significant. Cryptocurrencies, led by Bitcoin, could challenge traditional notions of asset allocation, risk, and return. They also offer the potential for innovative financial products and services that leverage blockchain technology, further integrating digital currencies into the fabric of global finance. **Conclusion** The launch of Bitcoin ETFs is a significant milestone in the evolution of cryptocurrencies. It represents a convergence of the traditional financial world and the innovative, sometimes turbulent world of digital currencies. While this development brings new opportunities and a degree of legitimacy to Bitcoin, it also comes with challenges and risks that should not be underestimated. As the financial world continues to evolve, the role of cryptocurrencies and their impact on global markets and investment strategies will be a fascinating and important area to watch. **FAQs** **How does a Bitcoin ETF differ from buying Bitcoin directly?** Unlike direct Bitcoin purchases, which require a cryptocurrency exchange account and a digital wallet, a Bitcoin ETF can be bought and sold like a regular stock through a brokerage account. **Why are Bitcoin ETFs considered a milestone for cryptocurrency?** Bitcoin ETFs represent a significant step towards mainstream acceptance of Bitcoin, offering a familiar and regulated investment option to both individual and institutional investors. **What are the risks involved in investing in Bitcoin ETFs?** The risks include the inherent volatility of Bitcoin prices, regulatory changes, and potential market speculation that could impact the stability and value of these ETFs. **How might Bitcoin ETFs affect the future of cryptocurrencies?** Bitcoin ETFs could pave the way for more crypto-based financial products, integrating digital currencies more deeply into the global financial system and potentially reshaping investment strategies. **Are Bitcoin ETFs suitable for all investors?** Bitcoin ETFs, like any investment, may not be suitable for everyone. They are best suited for those who understand the high-risk nature of cryptocurrency investments and are looking to diversify their portfolio. **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.***

@ bc575705:dba3ed39

Jazz is a genre that has always thrived on evolution. From its early roots in New Orleans to the boundary-pushing experiments of the 20th century, jazz has continuously reinvented itself, adapting to the times while preserving its soulful essence. As a modern music producer, I find endless inspiration in jazz, reimagining its classic elements to resonate with contemporary listeners. In this post, I’ll share how I approach blending the timeless qualities of jazz with modern techniques and styles. ## **What Makes Jazz Timeless?** At its core, jazz is about freedom, improvisation, and emotional depth. Its intricate melodies, rich harmonies, and dynamic rhythms have a universal appeal that transcends eras. What makes jazz so timeless is its ability to tell stories through sound, evoking feelings that are deeply personal yet universally understood. ## **Bringing Jazz Into the Present** Modern listeners often seek music that feels familiar yet fresh. To bridge this gap, I focus on preserving the essence of jazz while introducing elements from contemporary genres like lo-fi, ambient, and electronica. Here’s how I reimagine jazz for today: **Sampling:** Sampling classic jazz records allows me to connect with the genre’s rich history while giving it a new context. By chopping, pitching, and looping segments of iconic performances, I can create textures that feel nostalgic yet innovative. **Electronic Beats:** Jazz drumming has always been a cornerstone of the genre, with its swing and syncopation adding energy and depth. By pairing these rhythmic foundations with modern electronic drum patterns, I create a hybrid sound that appeals to both traditional jazz fans and electronic music enthusiasts. **Improvisation in Production:** Just as jazz musicians improvise on their instruments, I bring an element of spontaneity to my production process. Whether it’s experimenting with synth leads or recording freeform solos on piano, I aim to capture the spirit of improvisation that defines jazz. **Fusion of Textures:** Combining the organic warmth of live instruments like saxophones and trumpets with the polished sheen of synths and ambient pads creates a soundscape that feels both intimate and expansive. ## **Artists Who Inspire This Fusion** Several artists have mastered the art of blending jazz with modern elements, inspiring my own approach: **Robert Glasper:** Known for merging jazz with R&B and hip-hop, Glasper’s work shows how flexible and relevant jazz can be in today’s music scene. **Kamasi Washington:** His epic compositions and lush orchestrations prove that jazz can be grand and cinematic while remaining deeply rooted in tradition. **BadBadNotGood:** This group seamlessly integrates jazz with contemporary genres like electronic and hip-hop, creating music that feels both fresh and timeless. ## **How This Shapes My Music** In my compositions, I aim to reimagine jazz as a living, breathing art form. For example, I might start with a classic jazz chord progression, then layer it with lo-fi textures, minimalist beats, and atmospheric effects. The result is music that pays homage to the past while embracing the possibilities of the future. One of my favorite techniques is to record live solos—whether on piano, guitar, or synth—and process them with modern effects like reverb, delay, or granular synthesis. This approach preserves the raw, emotive quality of the performance while placing it in a contemporary context. ## **Why Jazz Matters Today** In a world that often feels fast-paced and chaotic, jazz offers a sense of grounding and introspection. Its emphasis on improvisation and self-expression reminds us to slow down, listen, and connect with our emotions. By reimagining jazz for modern audiences, I hope to introduce new listeners to its timeless beauty while inspiring others to see it as a genre with limitless potential. Jazz is far from a relic of the past. It’s a vibrant, evolving art form that continues to inspire and connect people across generations. By blending its classic elements with contemporary techniques, we can ensure that jazz remains as relevant and impactful as ever.

@ 8f69ac99:4f92f5fd

O Estado Social tem sido um pilar das políticas sociais europeias há décadas, oferecendo uma rede de segurança aos cidadãos através de diversos programas governamentais. Contudo, com a evolução das economias e o envelhecimento da população a pressionar os recursos públicos, este modelo tradicional enfrenta desafios crescentes. Custos em alta, ineficiências burocráticas e efeitos indesejados têm gerado um debate cada vez mais intenso sobre a sua sustentabilidade. Como alternativa, o Rendimento Básico Universal (RBU) ganhou destaque, prometendo simplicidade, mas trazendo preocupações quanto ao custo e aos desincentivos ao trabalho. Há, porém, uma opção mais equilibrada que merece atenção: o Imposto sobre o Rendimento Negativo (IRN). Diferente da assistência social convencional, o IRN oferece apoio financeiro a quem está abaixo de um limiar de rendimento definido, sem exigir que procurem emprego ou dependam de ajudas públicas. Ao reduzir gradualmente os subsídios à medida que os rendimentos aumentam, incentiva a produtividade e preserva a iniciativa pessoal. Neste artigo, vamos explorar o IRN em profundidade, destacando as suas vantagens sobre os sistemas tradicionais, abordando as falhas do RBU e avaliando o seu potencial como uma reforma transformadora na Europa. Num contexto de mudanças económicas e demográficas, o IRN surge como um caminho prático para um sistema que equilibre apoio, dignidade e sustentabilidade. ## Problemas dos Sistemas Tradicionais de Assistência Social O Estado Social tradicional, embora bem-intencionado, tem sido alvo de críticas crescentes pelas suas ineficiências e consequências inesperadas. ### Ineficiência e Burocracia Estruturas administrativas complexas frequentemente atrasam os sistemas de assistência social, levando a desperdícios de recursos. Programas sobrepostos e serviços redundantes aumentam os custos, sobrecarregando os contribuintes. Por exemplo, várias entidades podem oferecer benefícios semelhantes, enquanto processos morosos atrasam a ajuda a quem precisa. Com o envelhecimento da população europeia a exigir mais apoio, estas ineficiências põem em risco a estabilidade financeira, desafiando os decisores políticos a repensarem a distribuição de recursos. ### Incentivos Perversos A assistência social pode, sem querer, desencorajar o trabalho e perpetuar a dependência. Surgem "armadilhas de assistência" quando os benefícios são estruturados de forma a que ganhar um salário resulte numa redução abrupta da ajuda, tornando o emprego menos atractivo do que permanecer no assistencialismo. Isso cria um ciclo em que os beneficiários hesitam em procurar trabalho ou formação, comprometendo as suas perspectivas a longo prazo. Com o tempo, tais sistemas arriscam criar uma cultura de dependência, minando a iniciativa pessoal e prendendo indivíduos numa estagnação económica. ### Peso Económico A pressão financeira do Estado Social está a intensificar-se com as mudanças demográficas na Europa. Populações mais envelhecidas requerem maior apoio, elevando os custos e exigindo impostos mais altos ou gastos públicos acrescidos. Isso desvia recursos da inovação e do investimento, podendo travar o crescimento económico. Sem reformas, estas despesas crescentes podem tornar-se insustentáveis, obrigando os governos a encontrar soluções que mantenham o apoio sem comprometer as finanças. ### Estigma Social Além das questões económicas, a assistência social traz muitas vezes um custo social. Os beneficiários enfrentam frequentemente estereótipos de preguiça ou incompetência, o que gera vergonha e diminui a autoestima. Este estigma pode dificultar a mobilidade social, tornando mais complicado sair da dependência. Resolver isto exige um sistema que não só apoie, mas também capacite, reduzindo preconceitos e promovendo inclusão. Face a estas falhas, a Europa precisa de explorar alternativas que prestem ajuda de forma mais eficaz. O Imposto sobre o Rendimento Negativo apresenta-se como uma opção promissora, capaz de enfrentar estas questões sistémicas. ## O Caso Contra o Rendimento Básico Universal (RBU) O Rendimento Básico Universal surgiu como uma ideia ousada para combater a pobreza e a desigualdade, oferecendo a cada cidadão um pagamento fixo independentemente das suas necessidades. No entanto, a sua simplicidade traz desvantagens significativas. O custo do RBU é um obstáculo enorme. Implementá-lo em toda a Europa exigiria fundos avultados, pressionando orçamentos já sobrecarregados pelos compromissos actuais do Estado Social. Isso poderia implicar subidas acentuadas de impostos ou cortes noutros serviços, enquanto a criação da infraestrutura administrativa necessária traria mais despesas. Há também quem tema os desincentivos ao trabalho: se todos receberem o mesmo valor, alguns podem sentir menos motivação para trabalhar ou arriscar em projectos empreendedores, podendo afectar a vitalidade económica. Além disso, a abordagem universal do RBU sacrifica eficiência. Ao distribuir fundos de forma igual, não dá prioridade a quem mais precisa, entregando recursos aos mais ricos enquanto dilui o impacto sobre os pobres. Esta falta de foco levanta dúvidas sobre a sua capacidade de combater a desigualdade de forma eficaz. Embora o apelo do RBU esteja na sua universalidade, estes desafios apontam para a necessidade de uma solução mais direccionada—e é aqui que o IRN entra em cena. ## Compreender o Imposto sobre o Rendimento Negativo (IRN) O Imposto sobre o Rendimento Negativo propõe uma abordagem refinada ao apoio social, combinando assistência com incentivos. No seu cerne, define um limiar de rendimento base—digamos, 1.000 euros por mês. Quem ganha menos recebe um subsídio proporcional à diferença, enquanto quem ultrapassa esse valor paga impostos para financiar o sistema. Por exemplo, com uma taxa de subsídio de 50%, quem não tem rendimentos recebe 500 euros, e quem ganha 400 euros recebe 300 euros, elevando o total para 700 euros. À medida que o rendimento se aproxima do limiar, o subsídio diminui, desaparecendo nos 1.000 euros, altura em que a tributação começa. Veja-se uma ilustração simples: | Rendimento Mensal (€) | Pagamento IRN (€) | Rendimento Total Após IRN (€) | |-----------------------|-------------------|------------------------------| | 0 | 500 | 500 | | 400 | 300 | 700 | | 800 | 100 | 900 | | 1.000 | 0 | 1.000 | | 1.200 | - (impostos aplicam-se) | 1.200 - impostos | Isto garante que trabalhar compensa sempre: ganhar mais aumenta o rendimento total, evitando a armadilha da assistência. O financiamento vem de um imposto fixo—talvez 19%—sobre os rendimentos acima do limiar. Quem ganha 1.500 euros, por exemplo, paga 95 euros sobre os 500 euros acima de 1.000, ficando com 1.405 euros. Este modelo fiscal simples facilita a gestão e assegura equidade. | Rendimento (€) | Rendimento Tributável (€) | Imposto (€) | Após Imposto (€) | |----------------|---------------------|---------|------------------| | 1000 | 0 | 0 | 1000 | | 1200 | 200 | 38 | 1162 | | 2000 | 1000 | 190 | 1810 | O IRN _pode_ ser de participação voluntária, através de um contrato. As pessoas podem aderir ao sistema se precisarem de apoio ou rejeitá-lo se não aceitarem ajuda estatal, evitando os impostos associados ao financiamento do IRN. Quem optar por sair pode reentrar em caso de dificuldades, equilibrando liberdade de escolha com pragmatismo. Para libertários desconfiados de ingerências governamentais, isto torna o IRN um compromisso—um passo para longe do assistencialismo coercivo e em direcção a maior autonomia. Filosoficamente, o IRN não é um objectivo final, mas uma ponte. Ao simplificar a ajuda e reduzir a burocracia, pode abrir caminho para soluções privadas, como caridade ou apoio mútuo, diminuindo o papel do estado ao longo do tempo. Características como a avaliação de meios e a indexação à inflação reforçam a sua adaptabilidade, garantindo que o apoio permaneça justo e relevante. ## Vantagens do Imposto sobre o Rendimento Negativo (IRN) O IRN destaca-se onde o Estado Social tradicional falha. Os seus subsídios decrescentes incentivam o trabalho, premiando o esforço à medida que o rendimento sobe e impulsionando a produtividade. Isto contrasta fortemente com as armadilhas da assistência, encorajando as pessoas a procurarem formação ou a arriscarem em empreendedorismo sem medo de perder apoio de repente. Na gestão, o IRN é revolucionário. Substituir um emaranhado de programas por um único sistema reduz a burocracia e os custos, canalizando recursos directamente para quem precisa. Um processo de pagamento único elimina sobreposições, tornando a entrega de ajuda mais rápida e eficiente. A dignidade é outro ponto forte. Ao oferecer escolha e evitar supervisão intrusiva, o IRN escapa ao estigma do assistencialismo, dando aos beneficiários autonomia para gerir as suas finanças. Isso promove o autorrespeito e um sentido de controlo, quebrando o ciclo de dependência. Economicamente, a flexibilidade do IRN sobressai. Adapta-se às flutuações de rendimento, direccionando a ajuda exactamente onde é necessária. Estudos indicam que pode reduzir a pobreza, melhorar a mobilidade social e até beneficiar a saúde, ao aliviar o stress financeiro, oferecendo um impulso abrangente ao bem-estar. ## Responder às Críticas ao Imposto sobre o Rendimento Negativo (IRN) Nenhuma política escapa a críticas, e o IRN tem as suas. Os libertários veem, e bem, os impostos como roubo, e embora o IRN não elimine esta tensão, suaviza-a. Ao condensar o Estado Social num sistema claro e simples, reduz a intromissão estatal face à burocracia actual. Os seus incentivos ao trabalho alinham-se com valores de responsabilidade, tornando-o um passo aceitável a curto prazo. O financiamento preocupa, sobretudo em países europeus já muito tributados, mas uma taxa fixa oferece uma solução. Simples e previsível, minimiza os custos administrativos e assegura contribuições justas, sustentando o IRN sem sobrecarga excessiva. Há também quem debata o seu impacto social—uns chamam-lhe um subsídio fácil, um _hand-out_, outros um sistema demasiado voltado para o mercado. Ainda assim, o IRN encontra um meio-termo, oferecendo uma rede de segurança que recompensa o esforço sem controlar vidas. Passar para o IRN exige eliminar gradualmente os programas antigos e informar o público sobre os seus benefícios: um governo mais leve, menos dependência e maior iniciativa pessoal. Para quem sonha com um futuro sem estado, o IRN não é o destino, mas um movimento prático rumo a sistemas de apoio voluntários, promovendo uma cultura de autossuficiência. ## Conclusão O Imposto sobre o Rendimento Negativo não é perfeito, mas é um avanço claro face ao _status quo_. Reduz os excessos do Estado Social, promove trabalho e dignidade, e oferece à Europa uma reforma viável perante as pressões económicas. Para os contribuintes, promete eficiência; para os beneficiários, oportunidade. Numa região onde o assistencialismo está profundamente enraizado, o IRN surge como um passo ousado, mas possível, para um futuro mais livre e sustentável—um que capacite as pessoas enquanto alivia o peso do estado. --- _Photo by [The New York Public Library](https://unsplash.com/@nypl?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/a-sign-that-says-pay-your-tax-now-here-kAJLRQwt5yY?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash)_