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@ 6a6be47b:3e74e3e1
2025-05-27 16:36:21đ Today was one of those days where I dove deeper into the world of Stacker News, exploring how wallets work and all that jazz. If you have any tips or tricks, please send them my wayâIâm still figuring it all out!
After my tech adventures, I turned to drawing. Usually, I have a lineup of ideas ready to go, but none of them quite fit my mood today. Then I remembered the butterflies from my upcoming blog entryâcan you guess what Iâm writing and painting about? đ
đŠEven though Iâve painted butterflies before hereâs one on Instagram, I felt like revisiting them.
This one I posted on Nostr, a while ago
Lately, Iâve been seeing butterflies everywhere on my walks with my dog, and they just felt right for todayâs art session. So hereâs to butterflies and their beautiful symbolism!
In Celtic mythology, thereâs an old Irish saying:
âButterflies are souls of the dead waiting to pass through Purgatory.â From mindbodygreen.com
Itâs no wonder butterflies are often seen as symbols of rebirth. Even Aristotle named the butterfly:
âPsyche,â the Greek word for âsoul.â From learnreligions.com
âïžWith the weather warming up, days growing longer, and the air full of new scents (and butterfly sightings!đŠ), I invite you to really enjoy this season. After drawing todayâs butterfly, I realized how freeing it is to just let go and createâno pressure, just fun. Sometimes, taking even a few mindful minutes to do something you love can work wondersâmaybe even a little magic.
Hope to catch you on the next one, frens. Godspeed! âš
Today's butterfly. I drew it on Procreate.
https://stacker.news/items/990470
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@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43
2025-05-27 16:19:06Star Wars is often viewed as a myth of rebellion, freedom, and resistance to tyranny. The iconographyâscrappy rebels, totalitarian stormtroopers, lone smugglersâsuggests a deep anti-authoritarian ethos. Yet, beneath the surface, the narrative arc of Star Wars consistently affirms the necessity, even sanctity, of central authority. This blog entry introduces the question: Is Star Wars fundamentally a celebration of statism?
Rebellion as Restoration, Not Revolution
The Rebel Allianceâs mission is not to dismantle centralized power, but to restore the Galactic Republicâa bureaucratic, centrally governed institution. Characters like Mon Mothma and Bail Organa are high-ranking senators, not populist revolutionaries. The goal is to remove the corrupt Empire and reinstall a previous central authority, presumed to be just.
- Rebels are loyalists to a prior state structure.
- Power is not questioned, only who wields it.
Jedi as Centralized Moral Elites
The Jedi, often idealized as protectors of peace, are unelected, extra-legal enforcers of moral and military order. Their authority stems from esoteric metaphysical abilities rather than democratic legitimacy.
- They answer only to their internal Council.
- They are deployed by the Senate, but act independently of civil law.
- Their collapse is depicted as tragic not because they were unaccountable, but because they were betrayed.
This positions them as a theocratic elite, not spiritual anarchists.
Chaos and the Frontier: The Case of the Cantina
The Mos Eisley cantina, often viewed as a symbol of frontier freedom, reveals something darker. It is: - Lawless - Violent - Culturally fragmented
Conflict resolution occurs through murder, not mediation. Obi-Wan slices off a limb; Han shoots firstâboth without legal consequence. There is no evidence of property rights, dispute resolution, or voluntary order.
This is not libertarian pluralismâitâs moral entropy. The message: without centralized governance, barbarism reigns.
The Mythic Arc: Restoration of the Just State
Every trilogy in the saga returns to a single theme: the fall and redemption of legitimate authority.
- Prequels: Republic collapses into tyranny.
- Originals: Rebels fight to restore legitimate order.
- Sequels: Weak governance leads to resurgence of authoritarianism; heroes must reestablish moral centralism.
The story is not anti-stateâitâs anti-bad state. The solution is never decentralization; itâs the return of the right ruler or order.
Conclusion: The Hidden Statism of a Rebel Myth
Star Wars wears the costume of rebellion, but tells the story of centralized salvation. It: - Validates elite moral authority (Jedi) - Romanticizes restoration of fallen governments (Republic) - Portrays decentralized zones as corrupt and savage (outer rim worlds)
It is not an anarchist parable, nor a libertarian fable. It is a statist mythology, clothed in the spectacle of rebellion. Its core message is not that power should be abolished, but that power belongs to the virtuous few.
Question to Consider:
If the Star Wars universe consistently affirms the need for centralized moral and political authority, should we continue to see it as a myth of freedom? Or is it time to recognize it as a narrative of benevolent empire? -
@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3
2025-05-27 13:34:45Is the housing market going to crash for real this time?
https://primal.net/e/nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzp6dtxy5uz5yu5vzxdtcv7du9qm9574u5kqcqha58efshkkwz6zmdqqs8dqr35dc0npsc8cuulqm4m7gxrgqq3ytphtja9nx534a592gztzsuzsrja
https://stacker.news/items/990316
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@ cefb08d1:f419beff
2025-05-27 09:36:52Gabriela Bryan vs Caitlin Simmers | Western Australia Margaret River Pro 2025 - Final
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GK8l3RPqmE
Jordy Smith vs Griffin Colapinto | Western Australia Margaret River Pro 2025 - Final
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGWMVDwU_is
Highlights: Western Australia Margaret River Pro 2025 - All the Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32055IXrtnU
Ranking WSL Women:
Ranking WSL Men:
Source: https://www.worldsurfleague.com/athletes/tour/wct?year=2025
https://stacker.news/items/990198
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@ 5391098c:74403a0e
2025-05-27 18:20:42VocĂȘ trabalha 5 meses do ano somente para pagar impostos. Ou seja, 42% da sua renda serve para bancar serviços pĂșblicos de pĂ©ssima qualidade. Mesmo que vocĂȘ tivesse a liberdade de usar esses 42% da sua renda para contratar serviços privados de qualidade (saĂșde, segurança e ensino), ainda assim vocĂȘ seria um escravo porque vocĂȘ recebe dinheiro em troca do seu trabalho, e o dinheiro perde cerca de 10% do valor a cada ano. Em outras palavras todo seu dinheiro que sobra depois de comprar comida, vestuĂĄrio e moradia perde 100% do valor a cada 10 anos. Isso acontece porque o Estado imprime dinheiro do nada e joga na economia de propĂłsito para gerar INFLAĂĂO e manter todos nĂłs escravizados. VocĂȘ pode deixar seu dinheiro investido em qualquer aplicação que imaginar e ainda assim nunca terĂĄ uma rentabilidade superior a inflação real. No final, acaba perdendo tudo do mesmo jeito. Caso vocĂȘ se ache esperto por investir o que sobra da sua renda em bens durĂĄveis como imĂłveis ou veĂculos, sabia que esses bens tambĂ©m nĂŁo sĂŁo seus, porque se deixar de pagar os impostos desses bens (iptu, itr, ipva) vocĂȘ tambĂ©m perde tudo. AlĂ©m disso, o custo de manutenção desses bens deve ser levado em consideração na conta das novas dĂvidas que vocĂȘ assumiu. No caso dos imĂłveis urbanos Ă© impossĂvel alugĂĄ-lo por mais de 0,38% do seu valor mensalmente. Em outras palavras, a cada ano vocĂȘ recebe menos de 5% do que investiu, tem que pagar o custo de manutenção, mais impostos e a valorização do bem nunca serĂĄ superior a inflação real, tambĂ©m fazendo vocĂȘ perder quase tudo em cerca de 15 anos. A situação Ă© ainda pior com os imĂłveis rurais e veĂculos, basta fazer as contas. Caso o dinheiro que vocĂȘ receba em troca do seu trabalho seja suficiente apenas para comprar comida, vestuĂĄrio e moradia, vocĂȘ jĂĄ sabe que Ă© um escravo nĂ©?⊠Precisamos entender que a escravidĂŁo nĂŁo acabou, apenas foi democratizada. Hoje a escravidĂŁo Ă© financeira, nĂłs somos os castiços e os donos do dinheiro sĂŁo o senhorio. Os donos do dinheiro sĂŁo os Globalistas e os Estados seus fantoches. O esquema Ă© simples: fazer todo mundo trabalhar em troca de algo que perde 100% do valor a cada 10 anos, ou seja o dinheiro. Se vocĂȘ pudesse trabalhar em troca de algo que aumentasse de valor acima da inflação real a cada 10 anos vocĂȘ finalmente conquistaria sua liberdade financeira e deixaria de ser escravo. Pois bem, isso jĂĄ Ă© possĂvel, e nĂŁo se trata de ouro ou imĂłveis e sim sobre o Bitcoin, que sobe de valor mais de 100% a cada 10 anos, com a vantagem de ser inconfiscĂĄvel e de fĂĄcil transferĂȘncia para seus herdeiros quando vocĂȘ morrer, atravĂ©s de uma simples transação LockTime feita em vida. Portanto, mesmo que vocĂȘ nĂŁo tenha dinheiro para comprar Bitcoin, passar a aceitar Bitcoin em troca de seus produtos e serviços Ă© a Ășnica forma de se libertar da escravidĂŁo financeira. A carta de alforria financeira proporcionada pelo Bitcoin nĂŁo Ă© imediata, pois a velocidade da sua libertação depende do quanto vocĂȘ estĂĄ disposto a aprender sobre o assunto. Eu estou aqui para te ajudar, caso queira. No futuro o Bitcoin estarĂĄ tĂŁo presente na sua vida quanto o pix e o cartĂŁo de crĂ©dito, vocĂȘ querendo ou nĂŁo. Assim como o cartĂŁo de crĂ©dito foi a evolução do cheque pĂłs-datado e o pix a evolução do cartĂŁo, o Bitcoin e outras criptomoedas serĂŁo a evolução de todos esses meios de pagamento. O que te ofereço Ă© a oportunidade de abolição da sua escravatura antes dos demais escravos acordarem para a realidade, afinal a histĂłria sempre se repete: desde o ano de 1300 a.c. a escravidĂŁo era defendida pelos prĂłprios escravos, que mais cedo ou mais tarde, foram libertados por MoisĂ©s em ĂȘxodo 11 da BĂblia Sagrada e hoje o povo de israel se tornou a nação mais rica do mundo. A mesma histĂłria se repetiu na Roma Antiga: com o pĂŁo e circo. Da mesma forma todo esse impĂ©rio escravocrata ruiu porque mais cedo ou mais tarde os escravos se revoltam, bastam as coisas piorarem bastante. O atual regime de escravidĂŁo teve inĂcio com a queda do padrĂŁo-ouro para impressĂŁo do dinheiro no ano de 1944. A escravidĂŁo apenas ficou mais sofisticada, pois em vez de pagar os escravos com cerveja como no Egito Antigo ou com pĂŁo e circo como na Roma Antiga, passou-se a pagar os escravos com dinheiro sem lastro, ou seja dinheiro inventado, criado do nada, sem qualquer representação com a riqueza real da economia. Mesmo sendo a escravidĂŁo atual mais sofisticada, que deixou de ser fĂsica para ser financeira, o que torna a mentira mais bem contada, mais cedo ou mais tarde os escravos modernos irĂŁo acordar, basta as coisas piorarem mais ou perceberem que todos os bens e serviços do mundo nĂŁo representam nem 1% de todo o dinheiro que impresso sem lastro. Em outras palavras, se os donos de todo o dinheiro do mundo resolvessem utilizĂĄ-lo para comprar tudo o que existe Ă venda, o preço do quilo do cafĂ© subiria para R$ 297.306,00 e o preço mĂ©dio dos imĂłveis subiria para um nĂșmero tĂŁo grande que sequer caberia nesta folha de papel. Hoje, o dinheiro nĂŁo vale nada, seus donos sabem disso e optam por entregar o dinheiro aos poucos para os escravos em troca do seu trabalho, para manter o atual regime o mĂĄximo de tempo possĂvel. Mesmo assim, o atual regime de escravidĂŁo financeira estĂĄ com os dias contados e depende de vocĂȘ se posicionar antes do efeito manada. Nunca Ă© tarde para entrar no Bitcoin, mesmo ele tendo uma quantidade de emissĂŁo limitada, seu valor subirĂĄ infinitamente. A menor unidade do Bitcoin Ă© o satoshi, cuja abreviação Ă© sats. Diferente do centavo, cada sat vale um centĂ©simo milionĂ©simo de bitcoin. Hoje (25/05/25), cada unidade de Bitcoin equivale a setecentos mil reais. Logo, cada R$ 0,01 equivale Ă 0,007 sats. Lembrando que o centavo Ă© um real dividido por cem e o sat Ă© um bitcoin dividido por cem milhĂ”es, por isso ainda nĂŁo existe a paridade entre 1 centavo de real e 1 sat. Essa paridade serĂĄ alcançada quando um Bitcoin passar a valer um milhĂŁo de reais. Com a velocidade que nosso dinheiro estĂĄ perdendo valor isso nĂŁo irĂĄ demorar muito. Utilizando dados econĂŽmicos avançados, prevejo que cada unidade de Bitcoin passarĂĄ a valer hum milhĂŁo de reais atĂ© o ano de 2029, assim equiparando 1 sat para cada R$ 0,01. Nesse momento, certamente muitos empresĂĄrios, comerciantes e profissionais liberais passarĂŁo a aceitar o Bitcoin como forma de pagamento pelos seus produtos e serviços, assim como o cheque foi substituĂdo pelo cartĂŁo de crĂ©dito e o cartĂŁo pelo pix. Sabendo disso, vocĂȘ pode entrar na onda de transição no futuro junto com a manada e perder essa alta valorização, ou passar a aceitar Bitcoin agora pelos seus produtos e serviços, assinando assim, a prĂłpria carta de alforria da sua escravidĂŁo financeira. Ă importante dizer que os prĂłprios globalistas e governos estĂŁo trocando dinheiro por Bitcoin como nunca na histĂłria e mesmo que eles adquiram todos os bitcoins disponĂveis, ainda assim nĂŁo serĂĄ mais possĂvel manter seu regime de escravidĂŁo financeira funcionando porque a emissĂŁo de Bitcoin Ă© limitada, sendo impossĂvel criar Bitcoin sem lastro, como Ă© feito com o dinheiro hoje. Com o presente artigo, te ofereço a oportunidade de conquistar seus primeiros sats agora, de forma segura e independente, sem precisar de corretoras, bancos, intermediĂĄrios ou terceiros, basta vocĂȘ querer pois toda a informação necessĂĄria estĂĄ disponĂvel na internet gratuitamente. Se ainda assim vocĂȘ quiser continuar sendo escravo financeiro, depois nĂŁo adiantar se arrepender quando as janelas de oportunidade se fecharem, o Drex for implantado, papel moeda restringido e sua vida piorar bastante. Importante mencionar que a Lei Brasileira ainda permite a movimentação de atĂ© R$ 30.000,00 em Bitcoin por mĂȘs sem a necessidade de declaração Ă Receita Federal e que esse direito pode deixar de existir a qualquer momento, e que quando o Drex for implantado vocĂȘ perderĂĄ diversos outros direitos, dentre ele a liberdade de gastar seu dinheiro como quiser e o sigilo. Ofereço ainda, a oportunidade de vocĂȘ baixar uma carteira de Bitcoin gratuita e segura no seu aparelho de celular que funciona de forma semelhante a um banco digital como Nubank e Pagseguro por exemplo, para poder começar Ă receber Bitcoin pelos seus produtos e serviços agora, de forma fĂĄcil e gratuita. Utilizando o qrcode abaixo vocĂȘ ainda ganha alguns sats de graça, promoção vĂĄlida atĂ© o dia 29/05/25 e patrocinada pela Corretora Blink de El Salvador, onde o Bitcoin jĂĄ Ă© moeda oficial do paĂs, basta acessar o link e instalar o aplicativo: https://get.blink.sv/btcvale
Aviso: disponibilizei o link da carteira de Bitcoin da Corretora Blink apenas como exemplo de como Ă© fĂĄcil aceitar Bitcoin como forma de pagamento pelos seus produtos e serviços. NĂŁo recomento depender de qualquer corretora para guardar seus valores em Bitcoin. A melhor forma de fazer isso Ă© mantendo dois computadores ou notebook em casa, um conectado Ă internet com memĂłria em disco disponĂvel de 1 terabyte ou mais para armazenar e visualizar suas transaçÔes e outro computador ou notebook desconectado da internet para armazenar suas senhas e chaves privadas para assinar as transaçÔes via pendrive. Somente assim vocĂȘ estarĂĄ 100% livre e seguro. Importante ainda fazer backup em vĂĄrios CDs com criptografia do seu computador ou notebook que assina as transaçÔes, assim tambĂ©m ficando 100% livre e seguro para restaurar sua carteira em qualquer outro computador caso necessĂĄrio. Todas as instruçÔes de como fazer isso jĂĄ estĂŁo disponĂveis gratuitamente na internet. Caso deseje contratar uma consultoria pessoal que inclui aulas particulares por vĂdeo conferĂȘncia, onde vocĂȘ aprenderĂĄ:
â Tudo o que precisa saber sobre Bitcoin e demais criptomoedas; â Sistema operacional Linux; â Como instalar sua carteira de Bitcoin em dois computadores para assinaturas air gapped; â Se manter 100% livre e seguro. â Com carga horĂĄria Ă combinar conforme sua disponibilidade.
O custo do investimento pelo meu serviço individual para esse tipo de consultoria é de 204.000 sats (R$ 1.543,46 na cotação atual) valor vålido até 31/07/25, interessados entrar em contato por aqui ou através da Matrix: @davipinheiro:matrix.org https://davipinheiro.com/voce-e-escravo-e-nem-sabe-eu-vou-te-provar-agora/
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@ 39cc53c9:27168656
2025-05-27 09:21:53The new website is finally live! I put in a lot of hard work over the past months on it. I'm proud to say that it's out now and it looks pretty cool, at least to me!
Why rewrite it all?
The old kycnot.me site was built using Python with Flask about two years ago. Since then, I've gained a lot more experience with Golang and coding in general. Trying to update that old codebase, which had a lot of design flaws, would have been a bad idea. It would have been like building on an unstable foundation.
That's why I made the decision to rewrite the entire application. Initially, I chose to use SvelteKit with JavaScript. I did manage to create a stable site that looked similar to the new one, but it required Jav aScript to work. As I kept coding, I started feeling like I was repeating "the Python mistake". I was writing the app in a language I wasn't very familiar with (just like when I was learning Python at that mom ent), and I wasn't happy with the code. It felt like spaghetti code all the time.
So, I made a complete U-turn and started over, this time using Golang. While I'm not as proficient in Golang as I am in Python now, I find it to be a very enjoyable language to code with. Most aof my recent pr ojects have been written in Golang, and I'm getting the hang of it. I tried to make the best decisions I could and structure the code as well as possible. Of course, there's still room for improvement, which I'll address in future updates.
Now I have a more maintainable website that can scale much better. It uses a real database instead of a JSON file like the old site, and I can add many more features. Since I chose to go with Golang, I mad e the "tradeoff" of not using JavaScript at all, so all the rendering load falls on the server. But I believe it's a tradeoff that's worth it.
What's new
- UI/UX - I've designed a new logo and color palette for kycnot.me. I think it looks pretty cool and cypherpunk. I am not a graphic designer, but I think I did a decent work and I put a lot of thinking on it to make it pleasant!
- Point system - The new point system provides more detailed information about the listings, and can be expanded to cover additional features across all services. Anyone can request a new point!
- ToS Scrapper: I've implemented a powerful automated terms-of-service scrapper that collects all the ToS pages from the listings. It saves you from the hassle of reading the ToS by listing the lines that are suspiciously related to KYC/AML practices. This is still in development and it will improve for sure, but it works pretty fine right now!
- Search bar - The new search bar allows you to easily filter services. It performs a full-text search on the Title, Description, Category, and Tags of all the services. Looking for VPN services? Just search for "vpn"!
- Transparency - To be more transparent, all discussions about services now take place publicly on GitLab. I won't be answering any e-mails (an auto-reply will prompt to write to the corresponding Gitlab issue). This ensures that all service-related matters are publicly accessible and recorded. Additionally, there's a real-time audits page that displays database changes.
- Listing Requests - I have upgraded the request system. The new form allows you to directly request services or points without any extra steps. In the future, I plan to enable requests for specific changes to parts of the website.
- Lightweight and fast - The new site is lighter and faster than its predecessor!
- Tor and I2P - At last! kycnot.me is now officially on Tor and I2P!
How?
This rewrite has been a labor of love, in the end, I've been working on this for more than 3 months now. I don't have a team, so I work by myself on my free time, but I find great joy in helping people on their private journey with cryptocurrencies. Making it easier for individuals to use cryptocurrencies without KYC is a goal I am proud of!
If you appreciate my work, you can support me through the methods listed here. Alternatively, feel free to send me an email with a kind message!
Technical details
All the code is written in Golang, the website makes use of the chi router for the routing part. I also make use of BigCache for caching database requests. There is 0 JavaScript, so all the rendering load falls on the server, this means it needed to be efficient enough to not drawn with a few users since the old site was reporting about 2M requests per month on average (note that this are not unique users).
The database is running with mariadb, using gorm as the ORM. This is more than enough for this project. I started working with an
sqlite
database, but I ended up migrating to mariadb since it works better with JSON.The scraper is using chromedp combined with a series of keywords, regex and other logic. It runs every 24h and scraps all the services. You can find the scraper code here.
The frontend is written using Golang Templates for the HTML, and TailwindCSS plus DaisyUI for the CSS classes framework. I also use some plain CSS, but it's minimal.
The requests forms is the only part of the project that requires JavaScript to be enabled. It is needed for parsing some from fields that are a bit complex and for the "captcha", which is a simple Proof of Work that runs on your browser, destinated to avoid spam. For this, I use mCaptcha.
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@ 39cc53c9:27168656
2025-05-27 09:21:51Know Your Customer is a regulation that requires companies of all sizes to verify the identity, suitability, and risks involved with maintaining a business relationship with a customer. Such procedures fit within the broader scope of anti-money laundering (AML) and counterterrorism financing (CTF) regulations.
Banks, exchanges, online business, mail providers, domain registrars... Everyone wants to know who you are before you can even opt for their service. Your personal information is flowing around the internet in the hands of "god-knows-who" and secured by "trust-me-bro military-grade encryption". Once your account is linked to your personal (and verified) identity, tracking you is just as easy as keeping logs on all these platforms.
Rights for Illusions
KYC processes aim to combat terrorist financing, money laundering, and other illicit activities. On the surface, KYC seems like a commendable initiative. I mean, who wouldn't want to halt terrorists and criminals in their tracks?
The logic behind KYC is: "If we mandate every financial service provider to identify their users, it becomes easier to pinpoint and apprehend the malicious actors."
However, terrorists and criminals are not precisely lining up to be identified. They're crafty. They may adopt false identities or find alternative strategies to continue their operations. Far from being outwitted, many times they're several steps ahead of regulations. Realistically, KYC might deter a small fraction â let's say about 1% ^1 â of these malefactors. Yet, the cost? All of us are saddled with the inconvenient process of identification just to use a service.
Under the rhetoric of "ensuring our safety", governments and institutions enact regulations that seem more out of a dystopian novel, gradually taking away our right to privacy.
To illustrate, consider a city where the mayor has rolled out facial recognition cameras in every nook and cranny. A band of criminals, intent on robbing a local store, rolls in with a stolen car, their faces obscured by masks and their bodies cloaked in all-black clothes. Once they've committed the crime and exited the city's boundaries, they switch vehicles and clothes out of the cameras' watchful eyes. The high-tech surveillance? It didnât manage to identify or trace them. Yet, for every law-abiding citizen who merely wants to drive through the city or do some shopping, their movements and identities are constantly logged. The irony? This invasive tracking impacts all of us, just to catch the 1% ^1 of less-than-careful criminals.
KYC? Not you.
KYC creates barriers to participation in normal economic activity, to supposedly stop criminals. ^2
KYC puts barriers between many users and businesses. One of these comes from the fact that the process often requires multiple forms of identification, proof of address, and sometimes even financial records. For individuals in areas with poor record-keeping, non-recognized legal documents, or those who are unbanked, homeless or transient, obtaining these documents can be challenging, if not impossible.
For people who are not skilled with technology or just don't have access to it, there's also a barrier since KYC procedures are mostly online, leaving them inadvertently excluded.
Another barrier goes for the casual or one-time user, where they might not see the value in undergoing a rigorous KYC process, and these requirements can deter them from using the service altogether.
It also wipes some businesses out of the equation, since for smaller businesses, the costs associated with complying with KYC normsâfrom the actual process of gathering and submitting documents to potential delays in operationsâcan be prohibitive in economical and/or technical terms.
You're not welcome
Imagine a swanky new club in town with a strict "members only" sign. You hear the music, you see the lights, and you want in. You step up, ready to join, but suddenly there's a long list of criteria you must meet. After some time, you are finally checking all the boxes. But then the club rejects your membership with no clear reason why. You just weren't accepted. Frustrating, right?
This club scenario isn't too different from the fact that KYC is being used by many businesses as a convenient gatekeeping tool. A perfect excuse based on a "legal" procedure they are obliged to.
Even some exchanges may randomly use this to freeze and block funds from users, claiming these were "flagged" by a cryptic system that inspects the transactions. You are left hostage to their arbitrary decision to let you successfully pass the KYC procedure. If you choose to sidestep their invasive process, they might just hold onto your funds indefinitely.
Your identity has been stolen
KYC data has been found to be for sale on many dark net markets^3. Exchanges may have leaks or hacks, and such leaks contain very sensitive data. We're talking about the full monty: passport or ID scans, proof of address, and even those awkward selfies where you're holding up your ID next to your face. All this data is being left to the mercy of the (mostly) "trust-me-bro" security systems of such companies. Quite scary, isn't it?
As cheap as $10 for 100 documents, with discounts applying for those who buy in bulk, the personal identities of innocent users who passed KYC procedures are for sale. ^3
In short, if you have ever passed the KYC/AML process of a crypto exchange, your privacy is at risk of being compromised, or it might even have already been compromised.
(they) Know Your Coins
You may already know that Bitcoin and most cryptocurrencies have a transparent public blockchain, meaning that all data is shown unencrypted for everyone to see and recorded forever. If you link an address you own to your identity through KYC, for example, by sending an amount from a KYC exchange to it, your Bitcoin is no longer pseudonymous and can then be traced.
If, for instance, you send Bitcoin from such an identified address to another KYC'ed address (say, from a friend), everyone having access to that address-identity link information (exchanges, governments, hackers, etc.) will be able to associate that transaction and know who you are transacting with.
Conclusions
To sum up, KYC does not protect individuals; rather, it's a threat to our privacy, freedom, security and integrity. Sensible information flowing through the internet is thrown into chaos by dubious security measures. It puts borders between many potential customers and businesses, and it helps governments and companies track innocent users. That's the chaos KYC has stirred.
The criminals are using stolen identities from companies that gathered them thanks to these very same regulations that were supposed to combat them. Criminals always know how to circumvent such regulations. In the end, normal people are the most affected by these policies.
The threat that KYC poses to individuals in terms of privacy, security and freedom is not to be neglected. And if we donât start challenging these systems and questioning their efficacy, we are just one step closer to the dystopian future that is now foreseeable.
Edited 20/03/2024 * Add reference to the 1% statement on Rights for Illusions section to an article where Chainalysis found that only 0.34% of the transaction volume with cryptocurrencies in 2023 was attributable to criminal activity ^1
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:48What is KYC/AML?
- The acronym stands for Know Your Customer / Anti Money Laundering.
- In practice it stands for the surveillance measures companies are often compelled to take against their customers by financial regulators.
- Methods differ but often include: Passport Scans, Driver License Uploads, Social Security Numbers, Home Address, Phone Number, Face Scans.
- Bitcoin companies will also store all withdrawal and deposit addresses which can then be used to track bitcoin transactions on the bitcoin block chain.
- This data is then stored and shared. Regulations often require companies to hold this information for a set number of years but in practice users should assume this data will be held indefinitely. Data is often stored insecurely, which results in frequent hacks and leaks. Â
- KYC/AML data collection puts all honest users at risk of theft, extortion, and persecution while being ineffective at stopping crime. Criminals often use counterfeit, bought, or stolen credentials to get around the requirements. Criminals can buy "verified" accounts for as little as $200. Furthermore, billions of people are excluded from financial services as a result of KYC/AML requirements.
During the early days of bitcoin most services did not require this sensitive user data, but as adoption increased so did the surveillance measures. At this point, most large bitcoin companies are collecting and storing massive lists of bitcoiners, our sensitive personal information, and our transaction history.
Lists of Bitcoiners
KYC/AML policies are a direct attack on bitcoiners. Lists of bitcoiners and our transaction history will inevitably be used against us.
Once you are on a list with your bitcoin transaction history that record will always exist. Generally speaking, tracking bitcoin is based on probability analysis of ownership change. Surveillance firms use various heuristics to determine if you are sending bitcoin to yourself or if ownership is actually changing hands. Â You can obtain better privacy going forward by using collaborative transactions such as coinjoin to break this probability analysis.
Fortunately, you can buy bitcoin without providing intimate personal information. Tools such as peach, hodlhodl, robosats, azteco and bisq help; mining is also a solid option: anyone can plug a miner into power and internet and earn bitcoin by mining privately.
You can also earn bitcoin by providing goods and/or services that can be purchased with bitcoin. Long term, circular economies will mitigate this threat: most people will not buy bitcoin - they will earn bitcoin - most people will not sell bitcoin - they will spend bitcoin.
There is no such thing as KYC or No KYC bitcoin, there are bitcoiners on lists and those that are not on lists.
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ 39cc53c9:27168656
2025-05-27 09:21:50Over the past few months, I've dedicated my time to a complete rewrite of the kycnot.me website. The technology stack remains unchanged; Golang paired with TailwindCSS. However, I've made some design choices in this iteration that I believe significantly enhance the site. Particularly to backend code.
UI Improvements
You'll notice a refreshed UI that retains the original concept but has some notable enhancements. The service list view is now more visually engaging, it displays additional information in a more aesthetically pleasing manner. Both filtering and searching functionalities have been optimized for speed and user experience.
Service pages have been also redesigned to highlight key information at the top, with the KYC Level box always accessible. The display of service attributes is now more visually intuitive.
The request form, especially the Captcha, has undergone substantial improvements. The new self-made Captcha is robust, addressing the reliability issues encountered with the previous version.
Terms of Service Summarizer
A significant upgrade is the Terms of Service summarizer/reviewer, now powered by AI (GPT-4-turbo). It efficiently condenses each service's ToS, extracting and presenting critical points, including any warnings. Summaries are updated monthly, processing over 40 ToS pages via the OpenAI API using a self-crafted and thoroughly tested prompt.
Nostr Comments
I've integrated a comment section for each service using Nostr. For guidance on using this feature, visit the dedicated how-to page.
Database
The backend database has transitioned to pocketbase, an open-source Golang backend that has been a pleasure to work with. I maintain an updated fork of the Golang SDK for pocketbase at pluja/pocketbase.
Scoring
The scoring algorithm has also been refined to be more fair. Despite I had considered its removal due to the complexity it adds (it is very difficult to design a fair scoring system), some users highlighted its value, so I kept it. The updated algorithm is available open source.
Listings
Each listing has been re-evaluated, and the ones that were no longer operational were removed. New additions are included, and the backlog of pending services will be addressed progressively, since I still have access to the old database.
API
The API now offers more comprehensive data. For more details, check here.
About Page
The About page has been restructured for brevity and clarity.
Other Changes
Extensive changes have been implemented in the server-side logic, since the whole code base was re-written from the ground up. I may discuss these in a future post, but for now, I consider the current version to be just a bit beyond beta, and additional updates are planned in the coming weeks.
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@ 39cc53c9:27168656
2025-05-27 09:21:48I'm launching a new service review section on this blog in collaboration with OrangeFren. These reviews are sponsored, yet the sponsorship does not influence the outcome of the evaluations. Reviews are done in advance, then, the service provider has the discretion to approve publication without modifications.
Sponsored reviews are independent from the kycnot.me list, being only part of the blog. The reviews have no impact on the scores of the listings or their continued presence on the list. Should any issues arise, I will not hesitate to remove any listing.
The review
WizardSwap is an instant exchange centred around privacy coins. It was launched in 2020 making it old enough to have weathered the 2021 bull run and the subsequent bearish year.
| Pros | Cons | |------|------| | Tor-friendly | Limited liquidity | | Guarantee of no KYC | Overly simplistic design | | Earn by providing liquidity | |
Rating: â â â â â Service Website: wizardswap.io
Liquidity
Right off the bat, we'll start off by pointing out that WizardSwap relies on its own liquidity reserves, meaning they aren't just a reseller of Binance or another exchange. They're also committed to a no-KYC policy, when asking them, they even promised they would rather refund a user their original coins, than force them to undergo any sort of verification.
On the one hand, full control over all their infrastructure gives users the most privacy and conviction about the KYC policies remaining in place.
On the other hand, this means the liquidity available for swapping isn't huge. At the time of testing we could only purchase at most about 0.73 BTC with XMR.
It's clear the team behind WizardSwap is aware of this shortfall and so they've come up with a solution unique among instant exchanges. They let you, the user, deposit any of the currencies they support into your account and earn a profit on the trades made using your liquidity.
Trading
Fees on WizardSwap are middle-of-the-pack. The normal fee is 2.2%. That's more than some exchanges that reserve the right to suddenly demand you undergo verification, yet less than half the fees on some other privacy-first exchanges. However as we mentioned in the section above you can earn almost all of that fee (2%) if you provide liquidity to WizardSwap.
It's good that with the current Bitcoin fee market their fees are constant regardless of how much, or how little, you send. This is in stark contrast with some of the alternative swap providers that will charge you a massive premium when attempting to swap small amounts of BTC away.
Test trades
Test trades are always performed without previous notice to the service provider.
During our testing we performed a few test trades and found that every single time WizardSwap immediately detected the incoming transaction and the amount we received was exactly what was quoted before depositing. The fees were inline with what WizardSwap advertises.
- Monero payment proof
- Bitcoin received
- Wizardswap TX link - it's possible that this link may cease to be valid at some point in the future.
ToS and KYC
WizardSwap does not have a Terms of Service or a Privacy Policy page, at least none that can be found by users. Instead, they offer a FAQ section where they addresses some basic questions.
The site does not mention any KYC or AML practices. It also does not specify how refunds are handled in case of failure. However, based on the FAQ section "What if I send funds after the offer expires?" it can be inferred that contacting support is necessary and network fees will be deducted from any refund.
UI & Tor
WizardSwap can be visited both via your usual browser and Tor Browser. Should you decide on the latter you'll find that the website works even with the most strict settings available in the Tor Browser (meaning no JavaScript).
However, when disabling Javascript you'll miss the live support chat, as well as automatic refreshing of the trade page. The lack of the first means that you will have no way to contact support from the trade page if anything goes wrong during your swap, although you can do so by mail.
One important thing to have in mind is that if you were to accidentally close the browser during the swap, and you did not save the swap ID or your browser history is disabled, you'll have no easy way to return to the trade. For this reason we suggest when you begin a trade to copy the url or ID to someplace safe, before sending any coins to WizardSwap.
The UI you'll be greeted by is simple, minimalist, and easy to navigate. It works well not just across browsers, but also across devices. You won't have any issues using this exchange on your phone.
Getting in touch
The team behind WizardSwap appears to be most active on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/WizardSwap_io
If you have any comments or suggestions about the exchange make sure to reach out to them. In the past they've been very receptive to user feedback, for instance a few months back WizardSwap was planning on removing DeepOnion, but the community behind that project got together ^1 and after reaching out WizardSwap reversed their decision ^2.
You can also contact them via email at:
support @ wizardswap . io
Disclaimer
None of the above should be understood as investment or financial advice. The views are our own only and constitute a faithful representation of our experience in using and investigating this exchange. This review is not a guarantee of any kind on the services rendered by the exchange. Do your own research before using any service.
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@ 5391098c:74403a0e
2025-05-27 18:15:38VocĂȘ trabalha 5 meses do ano somente para pagar impostos. Ou seja, 42% da sua renda serve para bancar serviços pĂșblicos de pĂ©ssima qualidade. Mesmo que vocĂȘ tivesse a liberdade de usar esses 42% da sua renda para contratar serviços privados de qualidade (saĂșde, segurança e ensino), ainda assim vocĂȘ seria um escravo porque vocĂȘ recebe dinheiro em troca do seu trabalho, e o dinheiro perde cerca de 10% do valor a cada ano. Em outras palavras todo seu dinheiro que sobra depois de comprar comida, vestuĂĄrio e moradia perde 100% do valor a cada 10 anos. Isso acontece porque o Estado imprime dinheiro do nada e joga na economia de propĂłsito para gerar INFLAĂĂO e manter todos nĂłs escravizados. VocĂȘ pode deixar seu dinheiro investido em qualquer aplicação que imaginar e ainda assim nunca terĂĄ uma rentabilidade superior a inflação real. No final, acaba perdendo tudo do mesmo jeito. Caso vocĂȘ se ache esperto por investir o que sobra da sua renda em bens durĂĄveis como imĂłveis ou veĂculos, sabia que esses bens tambĂ©m nĂŁo sĂŁo seus, porque se deixar de pagar os impostos desses bens (iptu, itr, ipva) vocĂȘ tambĂ©m perde tudo. AlĂ©m disso, o custo de manutenção desses bens deve ser levado em consideração na conta das novas dĂvidas que vocĂȘ assumiu. No caso dos imĂłveis urbanos Ă© impossĂvel alugĂĄ-lo por mais de 0,38% do seu valor mensalmente. Em outras palavras, a cada ano vocĂȘ recebe menos de 5% do que investiu, tem que pagar o custo de manutenção, mais impostos e a valorização do bem nunca serĂĄ superior a inflação real, tambĂ©m fazendo vocĂȘ perder quase tudo em cerca de 15 anos. A situação Ă© ainda pior com os imĂłveis rurais e veĂculos, basta fazer as contas. Caso o dinheiro que vocĂȘ receba em troca do seu trabalho seja suficiente apenas para comprar comida, vestuĂĄrio e moradia, vocĂȘ jĂĄ sabe que Ă© um escravo nĂ©?⊠Precisamos entender que a escravidĂŁo nĂŁo acabou, apenas foi democratizada. Hoje a escravidĂŁo Ă© financeira, nĂłs somos os castiços e os donos do dinheiro sĂŁo o senhorio. Os donos do dinheiro sĂŁo os Globalistas e os Estados seus fantoches. O esquema Ă© simples: fazer todo mundo trabalhar em troca de algo que perde 100% do valor a cada 10 anos, ou seja o dinheiro. Se vocĂȘ pudesse trabalhar em troca de algo que aumentasse de valor acima da inflação real a cada 10 anos vocĂȘ finalmente conquistaria sua liberdade financeira e deixaria de ser escravo. Pois bem, isso jĂĄ Ă© possĂvel, e nĂŁo se trata de ouro ou imĂłveis e sim sobre o Bitcoin, que sobe de valor mais de 100% a cada 10 anos, com a vantagem de ser inconfiscĂĄvel e de fĂĄcil transferĂȘncia para seus herdeiros quando vocĂȘ morrer, atravĂ©s de uma simples transação LockTime feita em vida. Portanto, mesmo que vocĂȘ nĂŁo tenha dinheiro para comprar Bitcoin, passar a aceitar Bitcoin em troca de seus produtos e serviços Ă© a Ășnica forma de se libertar da escravidĂŁo financeira. A carta de alforria financeira proporcionada pelo Bitcoin nĂŁo Ă© imediata, pois a velocidade da sua libertação depende do quanto vocĂȘ estĂĄ disposto a aprender sobre o assunto. Eu estou aqui para te ajudar, caso queira. No futuro o Bitcoin estarĂĄ tĂŁo presente na sua vida quanto o pix e o cartĂŁo de crĂ©dito, vocĂȘ querendo ou nĂŁo. Assim como o cartĂŁo de crĂ©dito foi a evolução do cheque pĂłs-datado e o pix a evolução do cartĂŁo, o Bitcoin e outras criptomoedas serĂŁo a evolução de todos esses meios de pagamento. O que te ofereço Ă© a oportunidade de abolição da sua escravatura antes dos demais escravos acordarem para a realidade, afinal a histĂłria sempre se repete: desde o ano de 1300 a.c. a escravidĂŁo era defendida pelos prĂłprios escravos, que mais cedo ou mais tarde, foram libertados por MoisĂ©s em ĂȘxodo 11 da BĂblia Sagrada e hoje o povo de israel se tornou a nação mais rica do mundo. A mesma histĂłria se repetiu na Roma Antiga: com o pĂŁo e circo. Da mesma forma todo esse impĂ©rio escravocrata ruiu porque mais cedo ou mais tarde os escravos se revoltam, bastam as coisas piorarem bastante. O atual regime de escravidĂŁo teve inĂcio com a queda do padrĂŁo-ouro para impressĂŁo do dinheiro no ano de 1944. A escravidĂŁo apenas ficou mais sofisticada, pois em vez de pagar os escravos com cerveja como no Egito Antigo ou com pĂŁo e circo como na Roma Antiga, passou-se a pagar os escravos com dinheiro sem lastro, ou seja dinheiro inventado, criado do nada, sem qualquer representação com a riqueza real da economia. Mesmo sendo a escravidĂŁo atual mais sofisticada, que deixou de ser fĂsica para ser financeira, o que torna a mentira mais bem contada, mais cedo ou mais tarde os escravos modernos irĂŁo acordar, basta as coisas piorarem mais ou perceberem que todos os bens e serviços do mundo nĂŁo representam nem 1% de todo o dinheiro que impresso sem lastro. Em outras palavras, se os donos de todo o dinheiro do mundo resolvessem utilizĂĄ-lo para comprar tudo o que existe Ă venda, o preço do quilo do cafĂ© subiria para R$ 297.306,00 e o preço mĂ©dio dos imĂłveis subiria para um nĂșmero tĂŁo grande que sequer caberia nesta folha de papel. Hoje, o dinheiro nĂŁo vale nada, seus donos sabem disso e optam por entregar o dinheiro aos poucos para os escravos em troca do seu trabalho, para manter o atual regime o mĂĄximo de tempo possĂvel. Mesmo assim, o atual regime de escravidĂŁo financeira estĂĄ com os dias contados e depende de vocĂȘ se posicionar antes do efeito manada. Nunca Ă© tarde para entrar no Bitcoin, mesmo ele tendo uma quantidade de emissĂŁo limitada, seu valor subirĂĄ infinitamente. A menor unidade do Bitcoin Ă© o satoshi, cuja abreviação Ă© sats. Diferente do centavo, cada sat vale um centĂ©simo milionĂ©simo de bitcoin. Hoje (25/05/25), cada unidade de Bitcoin equivale a setecentos mil reais. Logo, cada R$ 0,01 equivale Ă 0,007 sats. Lembrando que o centavo Ă© um real dividido por cem e o sat Ă© um bitcoin dividido por cem milhĂ”es, por isso ainda nĂŁo existe a paridade entre 1 centavo de real e 1 sat. Essa paridade serĂĄ alcançada quando um Bitcoin passar a valer um milhĂŁo de reais. Com a velocidade que nosso dinheiro estĂĄ perdendo valor isso nĂŁo irĂĄ demorar muito. Utilizando dados econĂŽmicos avançados, prevejo que cada unidade de Bitcoin passarĂĄ a valer hum milhĂŁo de reais atĂ© o ano de 2029, assim equiparando 1 sat para cada R$ 0,01. Nesse momento, certamente muitos empresĂĄrios, comerciantes e profissionais liberais passarĂŁo a aceitar o Bitcoin como forma de pagamento pelos seus produtos e serviços, assim como o cheque foi substituĂdo pelo cartĂŁo de crĂ©dito e o cartĂŁo pelo pix. Sabendo disso, vocĂȘ pode entrar na onda de transição no futuro junto com a manada e perder essa alta valorização, ou passar a aceitar Bitcoin agora pelos seus produtos e serviços, assinando assim, a prĂłpria carta de alforria da sua escravidĂŁo financeira. Ă importante dizer que os prĂłprios globalistas e governos estĂŁo trocando dinheiro por Bitcoin como nunca na histĂłria e mesmo que eles adquiram todos os bitcoins disponĂveis, ainda assim nĂŁo serĂĄ mais possĂvel manter seu regime de escravidĂŁo financeira funcionando porque a emissĂŁo de Bitcoin Ă© limitada, sendo impossĂvel criar Bitcoin sem lastro, como Ă© feito com o dinheiro hoje. Com o presente artigo, te ofereço a oportunidade de conquistar seus primeiros sats agora, de forma segura e independente, sem precisar de corretoras, bancos, intermediĂĄrios ou terceiros, basta vocĂȘ querer pois toda a informação necessĂĄria estĂĄ disponĂvel na internet gratuitamente. Se ainda assim vocĂȘ quiser continuar sendo escravo financeiro, depois nĂŁo adiantar se arrepender quando as janelas de oportunidade se fecharem, o Drex for implantado, papel moeda restringido e sua vida piorar bastante. Importante mencionar que a Lei Brasileira ainda permite a movimentação de atĂ© R$ 30.000,00 em Bitcoin por mĂȘs sem a necessidade de declaração Ă Receita Federal e que esse direito pode deixar de existir a qualquer momento, e que quando o Drex for implantado vocĂȘ perderĂĄ diversos outros direitos, dentre ele a liberdade de gastar seu dinheiro como quiser e o sigilo. Ofereço ainda, a oportunidade de vocĂȘ baixar uma carteira de Bitcoin gratuita e segura no seu aparelho de celular que funciona de forma semelhante a um banco digital como Nubank e Pagseguro por exemplo, para poder começar Ă receber Bitcoin pelos seus produtos e serviços agora, de forma fĂĄcil e gratuita. Utilizando o qrcode abaixo vocĂȘ ainda ganha alguns sats de graça, promoção vĂĄlida atĂ© o dia 29/05/25 e patrocinada pela Corretora Blink de El Salvador, onde o Bitcoin jĂĄ Ă© moeda oficial do paĂs, basta acessar o link e instalar o aplicativo: https://get.blink.sv/btcvale
Aviso: disponibilizei o link da carteira de Bitcoin da Corretora Blink apenas como exemplo de como Ă© fĂĄcil aceitar Bitcoin como forma de pagamento pelos seus produtos e serviços. NĂŁo recomento depender de qualquer corretora para guardar seus valores em Bitcoin. A melhor forma de fazer isso Ă© mantendo dois computadores ou notebook em casa, um conectado Ă internet com memĂłria em disco disponĂvel de 1 terabyte ou mais para armazenar e visualizar suas transaçÔes e outro computador ou notebook desconectado da internet para armazenar suas senhas e chaves privadas para assinar as transaçÔes via pendrive. Somente assim vocĂȘ estarĂĄ 100% livre e seguro. Importante ainda fazer backup em vĂĄrios CDs com criptografia do seu computador ou notebook que assina as transaçÔes, assim tambĂ©m ficando 100% livre e seguro para restaurar sua carteira em qualquer outro computador caso necessĂĄrio. Todas as instruçÔes de como fazer isso jĂĄ estĂŁo disponĂveis gratuitamente na internet. Caso deseje contratar uma consultoria pessoal que inclui aulas particulares por vĂdeo conferĂȘncia, onde vocĂȘ aprenderĂĄ:
â Tudo o que precisa saber sobre Bitcoin e demais criptomoedas; â Sistema operacional Linux; â Como instalar sua carteira de Bitcoin em dois computadores para assinaturas air gapped; â Se manter 100% livre e seguro. â Com carga horĂĄria Ă combinar conforme sua disponibilidade.
O custo do investimento pelo meu serviço individual para esse tipo de consultoria é de 204.000 sats (R$ 1.543,46 na cotação atual) valor vålido até 31/07/25, interessados entrar em contato por aqui ou através da Matrix: @davipinheiro:matrix.org https://davipinheiro.com/voce-e-escravo-e-nem-sabe-eu-vou-te-provar-agora/
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@ 491afeba:8b64834e
2025-05-27 16:48:45Quando adolescente eu acreditava na coerĂȘncia da teoria de "amor lĂquido" do polonĂȘs, sociĂłlogo, Zygmunt Bauman, apresentada no livro "Amor LĂquido: Sobre a Fragilidade dos Laços Humanos", qual no meu amadurecimento em estudos, sejam eles no meio acadĂȘmico ou fora, percebo como uma das formas mais rasas de explicar as mudanças e transformaçÔes dos padrĂ”es de relaçÔes sĂłcio-afetivas dos humanos. A seguir colocar-me-ei na minha juventude nĂŁo tanto recente, direi entĂŁo que nĂłs, se adolescentes e conservadores, ou mesmo jovens adultos mais conservadores, costumamos levar como dogma uma Ăłptica decadentista generalizada de todos os avanços de eras dos homens, universalizamos por nos ser comum a indistinção entre humanidade e humanidades, ou mesmo "humanity" e "humankind" ("humanidade" como espĂ©cime e "humanidade" como um universal), compreendemos toda "essas" como "essa" e indistinguimos as sociedades para com os homens, ou seja, a incapacidade de definir os seres dentro de suas respectivas singularidades e especificidades nos leva ao decadentismo generalista (a crença de que de forma geral, e universal, a "civilização universal" decai moralmente, Ă©ticamente, materialmente e espiritualmente), que aparente Ă nĂłs determinadas mudanças nas relaçÔes humanas quanto ao carĂĄter sĂłcio-afetivo, por falta de profundidade e critĂ©rios ainda sobre questĂ”es alinhadas aos mĂ©todos e coerĂȘncias, ou incoerĂȘncias, lĂłgicas, nĂłs se jovens e conservadores somos levados ao engodo de concordar com a teoria do amor lĂquido de Bauman, que devo cĂĄ explicar de antemĂŁo: trata ela, a teoria, o padrĂŁo de "amor" dos tempos presentes como frĂĄgil, de prazo (curto e mĂ©dio) e diferente em grau comparativamente ao amor comum das eras passadas.
Aos jovens mais progressistas opera uma compreensĂŁo dialĂ©tica sobre as eras dos homens nos seu tempo presente, na qual ao tempo que o ser progride ele tambĂ©m regride simultaneamente, ou seja, a medida que aparecem contradiçÔes advindas de transformaçÔes materiais da realidade humana o ser supera essas contradiçÔes e progride em meio as transformaçÔes, ainda fazendo parte da lĂłgica dessa indissociavelmente, assim constantemente progredindo e regredindo, havendo para esses dois vetores de distinção: o primeiro Ă© o que releva questĂ”es espirituais como ao carĂĄter do pensamento "new age", o segundo ignora essas questĂ”es por negar a existĂȘncia da alma, seguem ao materialismo. Cedem em crer na teoria baumaninana como dogma, pois nĂŁo encontram outros meios para explicar as transformaçÔes da sociedade na esfera sĂłcio-afetiva sem que haja confrontamento direto com determinadas premissas assim pertinemente presentes, ou por nĂŁo conciliarem com anĂĄlises relativamente superiores, como a de Anthony Giddens sobre a "relação pura" em "A Transformação da Intimidade" e de François de Singly apresentada em "Sociologie du Couple".
!(image)[https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6f/b4/9e/6fb49eda2c8cf6dc837a0abfc7e108e6.jpg]
HĂĄ um problema quando uma teoria deixa de assim ser para vir a tornar-se mais um elemento desconexo da ciĂȘncia, agora dentro da cultura pop, se assim podemos dizer, ou da cultura de massa, ou se preferirem mesmo "anticultura", esse problema Ă© a sua deformização teĂłrica, tornando-se essa rasa para sua palatabilidade massiva, somada a incapacidade de partes da sociedade civil em compreender as falhas daquilo que jĂĄ foi massificado. Tive surpresa ao entender que muitos outros compartilham da mesma opiniĂŁo, a exemplo, possuo um amigo na faculdade, marxista, que ao falarmos sobre nossos projetos de pesquisa, citou ele o projeto de um de nossos colegas, no qual esse referido um de nossos colegas faria seu projeto com base na teoria do amor lĂquido de Bauman, entĂŁo alĂ demos risada disso, ora, para nĂłs a teoria baumaniana Ă© furada, passamos a falar sobre Bauman e o motivo pelo qual nĂŁo gostĂĄvamos, lĂĄ fiquei atĂ© surpreso em saber que mais gente alĂ©m de mim nĂŁo gostava da teoria de Bauman, pois ao que eu via na internet era rede de enaltecimentos Ă figura e Ă sua teoria, tal como fosse uma revelação partindo de alguma divindade da Idade do Bronze. Pouco tempo depois tive em aula de teoria polĂtica uma citação de Bauman partindo do professor que ministrava a disciplina, no entanto, ao citar o nome de Bauman o mesmo fez uma feição na qual aparentava segurar risada, provavelmente ele tambĂ©m nĂŁo levava Bauman Ă sĂ©rio. NĂŁo devo negar que todas as vezes que vejo o sociĂłlogo sendo citado em alguma nota no X, no Instagram ou qualquer outra rede social, tal como fosse um referencial teĂłrico bom, sinto uma vergonha alheia pois alĂ tenho uma impressĂŁo de que a pessoa nĂŁo leu Bauman e usa o referencial teĂłrico como um fato jĂĄ assim provado e comprovado.
HĂĄ pontos positivos na teoria baumaniana, como a capacidade de perceber o problema e correlacionĂĄ-lo Ă modernidade, assim como sucitar a influĂȘncia do que hĂĄ de material no fenĂŽmeno, porĂ©m os erros sĂŁo pertinentes: o primeiro problema Ă© de categoria. NĂŁo hĂĄ, por parte de Bauman noção alguma entre as dissociaçÔes dos amores, nĂŁo hĂĄ atenção sobre o amor como estrutura ou ele como um sentimento, todo ele Ă© compreendido uniformemente como "amor", partindo do pressuposto que todas as relaçÔes, todas elas, sĂŁo firmadas com base no amor. Essa crença tem uma origem: Hegel. Nos Escritos TeolĂłgicos Hegel partia da crença que o amor ligava os seres relacionalmente como uma força de superação e alienação, mas hĂĄ de compreendermos que esse Friedrich Hegel Ă© o jovem ainda pouco maduro em suas ideias e seu sistema de pensamento, mais a frente, em "Fenomenologia do EspĂrito e na Filosofia do Direito", Hegel compreende a institucionalidade do direito no amor e a institucionalização dessa força, assim aproxima-se da realidade a respeito da inserção do amor nas esferas prĂĄticas do humano, porĂ©m essa ideia, apesar de imperfeita, pois ao que sabemos nĂŁo Ă© o amor que consolida a relação, mas sim a Verdade (AlĂ©theia), conforme apontado por Heidegger em "Ser e Tempo", essa ideia do amor como a fundamento das relaçÔes humanas influenciou, e atĂ© hoje influencia, qualquer anĂĄlise sobre as relaçÔes humanas fora da esfera materialista, fora dessa pois, melhormente explicado em exemplo, os marxistas (em exemplo), assim como Marx, consideram como base primordial das relaçÔes as condiçÔes materiais.
Por certo, nĂŁo Ă© de todo amor a base para a solidificação, ora, erram aqueles que creem que somente essa força, assim apontada por Hegel, constituiam todos os relacionamentos formais como pilares fundamentais, pois em prĂĄtica as famĂlias eram atĂ© a fiduciarização dessas, por mais paradoxal que seja, compreendidas melhor como instituiçÔes orgĂąnicas de carĂĄter legal do que conluios de afetividades. A famĂlia outrora tinha consigo aparelhos de hierarquia bem estabelicidos, quais prezavam pela ordem interna e externa, que acima dessa instituição estava somente a Igreja (outra instituição), com sua fiduciarização [da famĂlia] apĂłs o movimento tomado pelos Estados nacionais em aplicação do casamento civil mudou-se a lĂłgica das partes que a compĂ”e, findou-se o princĂpio da subsidiariedade (nĂŁo intervenção de determinadas instituiçÔes nas decisĂ”es quais podem ser exercidas em resuluçÔes de problemas nas competĂȘncias de quaisquer instituiçÔes), foi-se entĂŁo, contudo, tambĂ©m a autoridade, e nisso revela-se um outro problema nĂŁo apontado na teoria de Bauman: qual o padrĂŁo do amor "sĂłlido"? Pois, ora, sociedades tradicionais nĂŁo abdicavam do relevar dos amores para tornar seus filhos em ativos nas prĂĄticas de trocas (dĂĄdivas)? Ă notĂłrio que esse padrĂŁo se dissocia do padrĂŁo de sentimento apontado por Bauman, encontramos esse fato em estudo nos trabalhos "Ensaio Sobre a DĂĄdiva", do Marcel Mauss, e "As Estruturas Elementares do Parentesco", do Claude Levi-Strauss, quais expĂ”em que nas sociedades "sĂłlidas", tradicionais, relevava-se mais questĂ”es institucionais que as sentimentais para a formação de laços (teoria da aliança). Muitas das relaçÔes passadas nĂŁo eram baseadas no amor, nĂŁo significando assim que as de hoje, em oposição, sejam, mas que permanecem-se semelhantes em base, diferentemente em grau e forma.
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Ora, ainda existem casamentos motivados pela polĂtica, pelo status, pelo prestĂgio, pelos bens, pelo poder, pela influĂȘncia familiar e assim sucetivamente, tal como no passado, ocorre que essa prĂĄtica tornou-se oculta, nĂŁo mais explĂcita e aparente, devo dizer ainda que em partes, pois prepondera em nosso tempo uma epidemia de adultĂ©rios, fornicaçÔes, prĂĄticas lascivas e demais prĂĄticas libertinosas explicitamente, em contraposição Ă s prĂĄticas ocultas em vergonhas de sociedades sem declĂnio moral e espiritual, o que nos leva a questionar o mĂ©todo comparativo em dicotomia temporal "presente x passado" aplicado por Bauman, no qual segue-se da seguinte forma:
Transformação Passado = *sĂłlido* | Presente = *lĂquido* Categorias PadrĂŁo de amor: tradicional (*sĂłlido*) moderno (*lĂquido*) *SĂłlido* = estĂĄvel, prazo (mĂ©dio-grande), profundo, determinado. *LĂquido* = instĂĄvel, prazo (curto-mĂ©dio), raso, indeterminado.
O que penso Ă©: Zygmunt Bauman buscou uma explicação material e laical para desviar ao fato de que hĂĄ uma notĂłria correlação entre espiritualização da sociedade, se voltada Ă Verdade, com a estabilidade das instituiçÔes, o que Ă© jĂĄ reduzido Ă moral religiosa, somente, nĂŁo Ă mĂstica, como por pensadores da linha de Tocqueville, ou em abordagens tambĂ©m mais laical (positivista) porĂ©m ainda relevantes, como Ămile Durkheim em "As Formas Elementares da Vida Religiosa" e Max Weber em "A Ătica Protestante e o EspĂrito do Capitalismo", contrapondo uma abordage mais voltada, de fato, a espiritualidade, como Christopher Dawnson, que defende essa teoria em "ReligiĂŁo e o Surgimento da Cultura Ocidental", e Eric Voegelin, principalmente nas obras "A Nova CiĂȘncia da PolĂtica" e "Ordem e HistĂłria".
Encerrrando, minha cosmovisĂŁo Ă© a catĂłlica, o sistema de crença e religiĂŁo qual sigo Ă© do Deus que se fez homem por amor aos seus filhos, nĂŁo posso negar ou mesmo omitir o fato de que, por trĂĄs de toda a minha crĂtica estĂŁo meus pensamentos e minhas convicçÔes alinhadas Ă quilo que mais tenho amor em toda minha vida: a Verdade, e a Verdade Ă© Deus, pois Cristo Ă© a Verdade, o Caminho e a Vida, ninguĂ©m vai ao Pai se nĂŁo por Ele, e pois bem, seria incoerĂȘncia de minha parte nĂŁo relevar o fato de crença como um dos motivos pelos quais eu rejeito a teoria do amor lĂquido de Zygmunt Bauman, pois os amores sĂŁo todos eles praticados por formas, existem por diferentes formas e assim sĂŁo desde sua tradicionalidade atĂ© o predomĂnio das distorçÔes de declĂnio espiritual das eras presentes (e tambĂ©m antigas prĂ©-Era Axial), estĂŁo esses preservados pelo alinhamento Ă verdade, assim sĂŁo indistorcĂveis, imutĂĄveis, ou seja, amor Ă© amor, nĂŁo releva-se o falso amor como um, simplesmente nĂŁo o Ă©, assim o interesse, a sanha por bens, o egoĂsmo e a egolatria ("cupiditas", para Santo Agostinho de Hipona, em oposição ao que o santo e filĂłsofo trata por "caritas") nĂŁo sĂŁo formas do amor, sĂŁo autoenganos, nĂŁo bons, se nĂŁo sĂŁo bons logo nĂŁo sĂŁo de Deus, ora, se Deus Ă© amor, se ele nos ama, determino como amor (e suas formas) o que estĂĄ de acordo com a Verdade. Aprofundando, a Teologia do Corpo, do Papa SĂŁo JoĂŁo Paulo II, rejeita a "liquidez" apresentada por Bauman, pois o amor Ă©, em suma, sacrĂficio, parte da entrega total de si ao prĂłximo, e se nĂŁo hĂĄ logo nĂŁo Ă© amor. A Teologia do Corpo rejeita nĂŁo os fundamentos de mentira no "lĂquido", mas tambĂ©m no "sĂłlido", pois a tradicionalidade nĂŁo Ă© sinĂŽnimo de bom e pleno acordo com o amor que Deus pede de nĂłs, nĂŁo sĂŁo as coerçÔes, as violĂȘncias, as imposiçÔes e demais vontades em oposição Ă s de Deus que determinam os amores -- fatos em oposição ao ideĂĄrio romanticizado. Claro, nem todas as coerçÔes sĂŁo por si invĂĄlidas do amor, ou mesmo as escolhas em trocas racionalizadas, a exemplo do autruĂsmo em vista da chance da famĂlia ter ĂȘxito e sucesso, ou seja, pelo bem dos prĂłximos haver a necessidade de submissĂŁo a, em exemplo, um casamento forjado, ou algo do gĂȘnero, reconhece-se o amor no ato se feito por bem da famĂlia, porĂ©m o amor incutido, nesse caso, explicita o carĂĄter sacrificial, no qual uma vontade e um amor genuinamente potencial em prazeres e alegrias sĂŁo anulados, ou seja, mesmo nesse modelo tradicional na "solidez" hĂĄ possibilidade do amor, nĂŁo nas formas romanticizadas em critĂ©rios, como "estabilidade" e "durabilidade", mas no carĂĄter do sacrĂficio exercido. Conforme nos ensina SĂŁo TomĂĄs de Aquino, o amor nĂŁo Ă© uma "força", tal como ensina Hegel, mas sim uma virtude teologal conforme postas na "Suma TeolĂłgica" (II-II Q. 26-28), nĂŁo devemos reduzir o amor e os amores em anĂĄlises simplĂłrias (nĂŁo simples) de falsa complexidade extraĂdas em mĂ©todos questionĂĄveis e pouco competentes Ă real diensĂŁo de crise espiritual das eras, por esse motivo nĂŁo concordo com a teoria do amor lĂquido de Zygmunt Bauman.
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@ 39cc53c9:27168656
2025-05-27 09:21:46Bitcoin enthusiasts frequently and correctly remark how much value it adds to Bitcoin not to have a face, a leader, or a central authority behind it. This particularity means there isn't a single person to exert control over, or a single human point of failure who could become corrupt or harmful to the project.
Because of this, it is said that no other coin can be equally valuable as Bitcoin in terms of decentralization and trustworthiness. Bitcoin is unique not just for being first, but also because of how the events behind its inception developed. This implies that, from Bitcoin onwards, any coin created would have been created by someone, consequently having an authority behind it. For this and some other reasons, some people refer to Bitcoin as "The Immaculate Conception".
While other coins may have their own unique features and advantages, they may not be able to replicate Bitcoin's community-driven nature. However, one other cryptocurrency shares a similar story of mystery behind its creation: Monero.
History of Monero
Bytecoin and CryptoNote
In March 2014, a Bitcointalk thread titled "Bytecoin. Secure, private, untraceable since 2012" was initiated by a user under the nickname "DStrange"^1^. DStrange presented Bytecoin (BCN) as a unique cryptocurrency, in operation since July 2012. Unlike Bitcoin, it employed a new algorithm known as CryptoNote.
DStrange apparently stumbled upon the Bytecoin website by chance while mining a dying bitcoin fork, and decided to create a thread on Bitcointalk^1^. This sparked curiosity among some users, who wondered how could Bytecoin remain unnoticed since its alleged launch in 2012 until then^2^.
Some time after, a user brought up the "CryptoNote v2.0" whitepaper for the first time, underlining its innovative features^4^. Authored by the pseudonymous Nicolas van Saberhagen in October 2013, the CryptoNote v2 whitepaper^5^ highlighted the traceability and privacy problems in Bitcoin. Saberhagen argued that these flaws could not be quickly fixed, suggesting it would be more efficient to start a new project rather than trying to patch the original^5^, an statement simmilar to the one from Satoshi Nakamoto^6^.
Checking with Saberhagen's digital signature, the release date of the whitepaper seemed correct, which would mean that Cryptonote (v1) was created in 2012^7^, although there's an important detail: "Signing time is from the clock on the signer's computer" ^9^.
Moreover, the whitepaper v1 contains a footnote link to a Bitcointalk post dated May 5, 2013^10^, making it impossible for the whitepaper to have been signed and released on December 12, 2012.
As the narrative developed, users discovered that a significant 80% portion of Bytecoin had been pre-mined^11^ and blockchain dates seemed to be faked to make it look like it had been operating since 2012, leading to controversy surrounding the project.
The origins of CryptoNote and Bytecoin remain mysterious, leaving suspicions of a possible scam attempt, although the whitepaper had a good amount of work and thought on it.
The fork
In April 2014, the Bitcointalk user
thankful_for_today
, who had also participated in the Bytecoin thread^12^, announced plans to launch a Bytecoin fork named Bitmonero^13^.The primary motivation behind this fork was "Because there is a number of technical and marketing issues I wanted to do differently. And also because I like ideas and technology and I want it to succeed"^14^. This time Bitmonero did things different from Bytecoin: there was no premine or instamine, and no portion of the block reward went to development.
However, thankful_for_today proposed controversial changes that the community disagreed with. Johnny Mnemonic relates the events surrounding Bitmonero and thankful_for_today in a Bitcointalk comment^15^:
When thankful_for_today launched BitMonero [...] he ignored everything that was discussed and just did what he wanted. The block reward was considerably steeper than what everyone was expecting. He also moved forward with 1-minute block times despite everyone's concerns about the increase of orphan blocks. He also didn't address the tail emission concern that should've (in my opinion) been in the code at launch time. Basically, he messed everything up. Then, he disappeared.
After disappearing for a while, thankful_for_today returned to find that the community had taken over the project. Johnny Mnemonic continues:
I, and others, started working on new forks that were closer to what everyone else was hoping for. [...] it was decided that the BitMonero project should just be taken over. There were like 9 or 10 interested parties at the time if my memory is correct. We voted on IRC to drop the "bit" from BitMonero and move forward with the project. Thankful_for_today suddenly resurfaced, and wasn't happy to learn the community had assumed control of the coin. He attempted to maintain his own fork (still calling it "BitMonero") for a while, but that quickly fell into obscurity.
The unfolding of these events show us the roots of Monero. Much like Satoshi Nakamoto, the creators behind CryptoNote/Bytecoin and thankful_for_today remain a mystery^17^, having disappeared without a trace. This enigma only adds to Monero's value.
Since community took over development, believing in the project's potential and its ability to be guided in a better direction, Monero was given one of Bitcoin's most important qualities: a leaderless nature. With no single face or entity directing its path, Monero is safe from potential corruption or harm from a "central authority".
The community continued developing Monero until today. Since then, Monero has undergone a lot of technological improvements, migrations and achievements such as RingCT and RandomX. It also has developed its own Community Crowdfundinc System, conferences such as MoneroKon and Monerotopia are taking place every year, and has a very active community around it.
Monero continues to develop with goals of privacy and security first, ease of use and efficiency second. ^16^
This stands as a testament to the power of a dedicated community operating without a central figure of authority. This decentralized approach aligns with the original ethos of cryptocurrency, making Monero a prime example of community-driven innovation. For this, I thank all the people involved in Monero, that lead it to where it is today.
If you find any information that seems incorrect, unclear or any missing important events, please contact me and I will make the necessary changes.
Sources of interest
- https://forum.getmonero.org/20/general-discussion/211/history-of-monero
- https://monero.stackexchange.com/questions/852/what-is-the-origin-of-monero-and-its-relationship-to-bytecoin
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monero
- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=583449.0
- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=563821.0
- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=233561
- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=512747.0
- https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=740112.0
- https://monero.stackexchange.com/a/1024
- https://inspec2t-project.eu/cryptocurrency-with-a-focus-on-anonymity-these-facts-are-known-about-monero/
- https://medium.com/coin-story/coin-perspective-13-riccardo-spagni-69ef82907bd1
- https://www.getmonero.org/resources/about/
- https://www.wired.com/2017/01/monero-drug-dealers-cryptocurrency-choice-fire/
- https://www.monero.how/why-monero-vs-bitcoin
- https://old.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/u8e5yr/satoshi_nakamoto_talked_about_privacy_features/
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 18:02:40People forget Bear Stearns failed March 2008 - months of denial followed before the public realized how bad the situation was under the surface.
Similar happening now but much larger scale. They did not fix fundamental issues after 2008 - everything is more fragile.
The Fed preemptively bailed out every bank with their BTFP program and First Republic Bank still failed. The second largest bank failure in history.
There will be more failures. There will be more bailouts. Depositors will be "protected" by socializing losses across everyone.
Our President and mainstream financial pundits are currently pretending the banking crisis is over while most banks remain insolvent. There are going to be many more bank failures as this ponzi system unravels.
Unlike 2008, we have the ability to opt out of these broken and corrupt institutions by using bitcoin. Bitcoin held in self custody is unique in its lack of counterparty risk - you do not have to trust a bank or other centralized entity to hold it for you. Bitcoin is also incredibly difficult to change by design since it is not controlled by an individual, company, or government - the supply of dollars will inevitably be inflated to bailout these failing banks but bitcoin supply will remain unchanged. I do not need to convince you that bitcoin provides value - these next few years will convince millions.
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ 39cc53c9:27168656
2025-05-27 09:21:40âThe future is there... staring back at us. Trying to make sense of the fiction we will have become.â â William Gibson.
This month is the 4th anniversary of kycnot.me. Thank you for being here.
Fifteen years ago, Satoshi Nakamoto introduced Bitcoin, a peer-to-peer electronic cash system: a decentralized currency free from government and institutional control. Nakamoto's whitepaper showed a vision for a financial system based on trustless transactions, secured by cryptography. Some time forward and KYC (Know Your Customer), AML (Anti-Money Laundering), and CTF (Counter-Terrorism Financing) regulations started to come into play.
What a paradox: to engage with a system designed for decentralization, privacy, and independence, we are forced to give away our personal details. Using Bitcoin in the economy requires revealing your identity, not just to the party you interact with, but also to third parties who must track and report the interaction. You are forced to give sensitive data to entities you don't, can't, and shouldn't trust. Information can never be kept 100% safe; there's always a risk. Information is power, who knows about you has control over you.
Information asymmetry creates imbalances of power. When entities have detailed knowledge about individuals, they can manipulate, influence, or exploit this information to their advantage. The accumulation of personal data by corporations and governments enables extensive surveillances.
Such practices, moreover, exclude individuals from traditional economic systems if their documentation doesn't meet arbitrary standards, reinforcing a dystopian divide. Small businesses are similarly burdened by the costs of implementing these regulations, hindering free market competition^1:
How will they keep this information safe? Why do they need my identity? Why do they force businesses to enforce such regulations? It's always for your safety, to protect you from the "bad". Your life is perpetually in danger: terrorists, money launderers, villains... so the government steps in to save us.
âHush now, baby, baby, don't you cry Mamma's gonna make all of your nightmares come true Mamma's gonna put all of her fears into you Mamma's gonna keep you right here, under her wing She won't let you fly, but she might let you sing Mamma's gonna keep baby cosy and warmâ â Mother, Pink Floyd
We must resist any attack on our privacy and freedom. To do this, we must collaborate.
If you have a service, refuse to ask for KYC; find a way. Accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Monero. Commit to circular economies. Remove the need to go through the FIAT system. People need fiat money to use most services, but we can change that.
If you're a user, donate to and prefer using services that accept such currencies. Encourage your friends to accept cryptocurrencies as well. Boycott FIAT system to the greatest extent you possibly can.
This may sound utopian, but it can be achieved. This movement can't be stopped. Go kick the hornet's nest.
âWe must defend our own privacy if we expect to have any. We must come together and create systems which allow anonymous transactions to take place. People have been defending their own privacy for centuries with whispers, darkness, envelopes, closed doors, secret handshakes, and couriers. The technologies of the past did not allow for strong privacy, but electronic technologies do.â â Eric Hughes, A Cypherpunk's Manifesto
The anniversary
Four years ago, I began exploring ways to use crypto without KYC. I bookmarked a few favorite services and thought sharing them to the world might be useful. That was the first version of kycnot.me â a simple list of about 15 services. Since then, I've added services, rewritten it three times, and improved it to what it is now.
kycnot.me has remained 100% independent and 100% open source^2 all these years. I've received offers to buy the site, all of which I have declined and will continue to decline. It has been DDoS attacked many times, but we made it through. I have also rewritten the whole site almost once per year (three times in four years).
The code and scoring algorithm are open source (contributions are welcome) and I can't arbitrarly change a service's score without adding or removing attributes, making any arbitrary alterations obvious if they were fake. You can even see the score summary for any service's score.
I'm a one-person team, dedicating my free time to this project. I hope to keep doing so for many more years. Again, thank you for being part of this.
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@ cefb08d1:f419beff
2025-05-27 09:20:54https://stacker.news/items/990192
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 18:02:39Bank run on every crypto bank then bank run on every "real" bank.
â ODELL (@ODELL) December 14, 2022
Good morning.
It looks like PacWest will fail today. It will be both the fifth largest bank failure in US history and the sixth major bank to fail this year. It will likely get purchased by one of the big four banks in a government orchestrated sale. Â
March 8th - Silvergate Bank
March 10th - Silicon Valley Bank
March 12th - Signature Bank
March 19th - Credit Suisse
May 1st - First Republic Bank
May 4th - PacWest Bank?PacWest is the first of many small regional banks that will go under this year. Most will get bought by the big four in gov orchestrated sales. This has been the playbook since 2008. Follow the incentives. Massive consolidation across the banking industry. PacWest gonna be a drop in the bucket compared to what comes next.
First, a hastened government led bank consolidation, then a public/private partnership with the remaining large banks to launch a surveilled and controlled digital currency network. We will be told it is more convenient. We will be told it is safer. We will be told it will prevent future bank runs. All of that is marketing bullshit. The goal is greater control of money. The ability to choose how we spend it and how we save it. If you control the money - you control the people that use it.
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ b7274d28:c99628cb
2025-05-27 07:07:33A few months ago, a nostrich was switching from iOS to Android and asked for suggestions for #Nostr apps to try out. nostr:npub18ams6ewn5aj2n3wt2qawzglx9mr4nzksxhvrdc4gzrecw7n5tvjqctp424 offered the following as his response:
nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzq0mhp4ja8fmy48zuk5p6uy37vtk8tx9dqdwcxm32sy8nsaa8gkeyqydhwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnwdaehgunsd3jkyuewvdhk6tcpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhszythwden5te0dehhxarj9emkjmn99uqzpwwts6n28eyvjpcwvu5akkwu85eg92dpvgw7cgmpe4czdadqvnv984rl0z
Yes. #Android users are fortunate to have some powerful Nostr apps and tools at our disposal that simply have no comparison over on the iOS side. However, a tool is only as good as the knowledge of the user, who must have an understanding of how best to wield it for maximum effect. This fact was immediately evidenced by replies to Derek asking, "What is the use case for Citrine?" and "This is the first time I'm hearing about Citrine and Pokey. Can you give me links for those?"
Well, consider this tutorial your Nostr starter-kit for Android. We'll go over installing and setting up Amber, Amethyst, Citrine, and Pokey, and as a bonus we'll be throwing in the Zapstore and Coinos to boot. We will assume no previous experience with any of the above, so if you already know all about one or more of these apps, you can feel free to skip that tutorial.
So many apps...
You may be wondering, "Why do I need so many apps to use Nostr?" That's perfectly valid, and the honest answer is, you don't. You can absolutely just install a Nostr client from the Play Store, have it generate your Nostr identity for you, and stick with the default relays already set up in that app. You don't even need to connect a wallet, if you don't want to. However, you won't experience all that Nostr has to offer if that is as far as you go, any more than you would experience all that Italian cuisine has to offer if you only ever try spaghetti.
Nostr is not just one app that does one thing, like Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok. It is an entire ecosystem of applications that are all built on top of a protocol that allows them to be interoperable. This set of tools will help you make the most out of that interoperability, which you will never get from any of the big-tech social platforms. It will provide a solid foundation for you to build upon as you explore more and more of what Nostr has to offer.
So what do these apps do?
Fundamental to everything you do on Nostr is the need to cryptographically sign with your private key. If you aren't sure what that means, just imagine that you had to enter your password every time you hit the "like" button on Facebook, or every time you commented on the latest dank meme. That would get old really fast, right? That's effectively what Nostr requires, but on steroids.
To keep this from being something you manually have to do every 5 seconds when you post a note, react to someone else's note, or add a comment, Nostr apps can store your private key and use it to sign behind the scenes for you. This is very convenient, but it means you are trusting that app to not do anything with your private key that you don't want it to. You are also trusting it to not leak your private key, because anyone who gets their hands on it will be able to post as you, see your private messages, and effectively be you on Nostr. The more apps you give your private key to, the greater your risk that it will eventually be compromised.
Enter #Amber, an application that will store your private key in only one app, and all other compatible Nostr apps can communicate with it to request a signature, without giving any of those other apps access to your private key.
Most Nostr apps for Android now support logging in and signing with Amber, and you can even use it to log into apps on other devices, such as some of the web apps you use on your PC. It's an incredible tool given to us by nostr:npub1w4uswmv6lu9yel005l3qgheysmr7tk9uvwluddznju3nuxalevvs2d0jr5, and only available for Android users. Those on iPhone are incredibly jealous that they don't have anything comparable, yet.
Speaking of nostr:npub1w4uswmv6lu9yel005l3qgheysmr7tk9uvwluddznju3nuxalevvs2d0jr5, the next app is also one of his making.
All Nostr data is stored on relays, which are very simple servers that Nostr apps read notes from and write notes to. In most forms of social media, it can be a pain to get your own data out to keep a backup. That's not the case on Nostr. Anyone can run their own relay, either for the sake of backing up their personal notes, or for others to post their notes to, as well.
Since Nostr notes take up very little space, you can actually run a relay on your phone. I have been on Nostr for almost 2 and a half years, and I have 25,000+ notes of various kinds on my relay, and a backup of that full database is just 24MB on my phone's storage.
Having that backup can save your bacon if you try out a new Nostr client and it doesn't find your existing follow list for some reason, so it writes a new one and you suddenly lose all of the people you were following. Just pop into your #Citrine relay, confirm it still has your correct follow list or import it from a recent backup, then have Citrine restore it. Done.
Additionally, there are things you may want to only save to a relay you control, such as draft messages that you aren't ready to post publicly, or eCash tokens, which can actually be saved to Nostr relays now. Citrine can also be used with Amber for signing into certain Nostr applications that use a relay to communicate with Amber.
If you are really adventurous, you can also expose Citrine over Tor to be used as an outbox relay, or used for peer-to-peer private messaging, but that is far more involved than the scope of this tutorial series.
You can't get far in Nostr without a solid and reliable client to interact with. #Amethyst is the client we will be using for this tutorial because there simply isn't another Android client that comes close, so far. Moreover, it can be a great client for new users to get started on, and yet it has a ton of features for power-users to take advantage of as well.
There are plenty of other good clients to check out over time, such as Coracle, YakiHonne, Voyage, Olas, Flotilla and others, but I keep coming back to Amethyst, and by the time you finish this tutorial, I think you'll see why. nostr:npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z and others who have contributed to Amethyst have really built something special in this client, and it just keeps improving with every update that's shipped.
Most social media apps have some form of push notifications, and some Nostr apps do, too. Where the issue comes in is that Nostr apps are all interoperable. If you have more than one application, you're going to have both of them notifying you. Nostr users are known for having five or more Nostr apps that they use regularly. If all of them had notifications turned on, it would be a nightmare. So maybe you limit it to only one of your Nostr apps having notifications turned on, but then you are pretty well locked-in to opening that particular app when you tap on the notification.
Pokey, by nostr:npub1v3tgrwwsv7c6xckyhm5dmluc05jxd4yeqhpxew87chn0kua0tjzqc6yvjh, solves this issue, allowing you to turn notifications off for all of your Nostr apps, and have Pokey handle them all for you. Then, when you tap on a Pokey notification, you can choose which Nostr app to open it in.
Pokey also gives you control over the types of things you want to be notified about. Maybe you don't care about reactions, and you just want to know about zaps, comments, and direct messages. Pokey has you covered. It even supports multiple accounts, so you can get notifications for all the npubs you control.
One of the most unique and incredibly fun aspects of Nostr is the ability to send and receive #zaps. Instead of merely giving someone a đïž when you like something they said, you can actually send them real value in the form of sats, small portions of a Bitcoin. There is nothing quite like the experience of receiving your first zap and realizing that someone valued what you said enough to send you a small amount (and sometimes not so small) of #Bitcoin, the best money mankind has ever known.
To be able to have that experience, though, you are going to need a wallet that can send and receive zaps, and preferably one that is easy to connect to Nostr applications. My current preference for that is Alby Hub, but not everyone wants to deal with all that comes along with running a #Lightning node. That being the case, I have opted to use nostr:npub1h2qfjpnxau9k7ja9qkf50043xfpfy8j5v60xsqryef64y44puwnq28w8ch for this tutorial, because they offer one of the easiest wallets to set up, and it connects to most Nostr apps by just copy/pasting a connection string from the settings in the wallet into the settings in your Nostr app of choice.
Additionally, even though #Coinos is a custodial wallet, you can have it automatically transfer any #sats over a specified threshold to a separate wallet, allowing you to mitigate the custodial risk without needing to keep an eye on your balance and make the transfer manually.
Most of us on Android are used to getting all of our mobile apps from one souce: the Google Play Store. That's not possible for this tutorial series. Only one of the apps mentioned above is available in Google's permissioned playground. However, on Android we have the advantage of being able to install whatever we want on our device, just by popping into our settings and flipping a toggle. Indeed, thumbing our noses at big-tech is at the heart of the Nostr ethos, so why would we make ourselves beholden to Google for installing Nostr apps?
The nostr:npub10r8xl2njyepcw2zwv3a6dyufj4e4ajx86hz6v4ehu4gnpupxxp7stjt2p8 is an alternative app store made by nostr:npub1wf4pufsucer5va8g9p0rj5dnhvfeh6d8w0g6eayaep5dhps6rsgs43dgh9 as a resource for all sorts of open-source apps, but especially Nostr apps. What is more, you can log in with Amber, connect a wallet like Coinos, and support the developers of your favorite Nostr apps directly within the #Zapstore by zapping their app releases.
One of the biggest features of the Zapstore is the fact that developers can cryptographically sign their app releases using their Nostr keys, so you know that the app you are downloading is the one they actually released and hasn't been altered in any way. The Zapstore will warn you and won't let you install the app if the signature is invalid.
Getting Started
Since the Zapstore will be the source we use for installing most of the other apps mentioned, we will start with installing the Zapstore.
We will then use the Zapstore to install Amber and set it up with our Nostr account, either by creating a new private key, or by importing one we already have. We'll also use it to log into the Zapstore.
Next, we will install Amethyst from the Zapstore and log into it via Amber.
After this, we will install Citrine from the Zapstore and add it as a local relay on Amethyst.
Because we want to be able to send and receive zaps, we will set up a wallet with CoinOS and connect it to Amethyst and the Zapstore using Nostr Wallet Connect.
Finally, we will install Pokey using the Zapstore, log into it using Amber, and set up the notifications we want to receive.
By the time you are done with this series, you will have a great head-start on your Nostr journey compared to muddling through it all on your own. Moreover, you will have developed a familiarity with how things generally work on Nostr that can be applied to other apps you try out in the future.
Continue to Part 2: The Zapstore. Nostr Link: nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpde8f55w86vrhaeqmd955y4rraw8aunzxgxstsj7eyzgntyev2xtqydhwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnzwf5kw6r5vfhkcapwdejhgtcqp5cnwdphxv6rwwp3xvmnzvqgty5au
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@ 162b4b08:9f7d278c
2025-05-27 10:12:53Trong thá»i ÄáșĄi mĂ cĂŽng nghá» sá» trá» thĂ nh trỄ cá»t khĂŽng thá» thiáșżu trong má»i lÄ©nh vá»±c, từ cĂŽng viá»c Äáșżn giáșŁi trĂ, viá»c sá» hữu má»t ná»n táșŁng sá» toĂ n diá»n như PUM88 ÄĂłng vai trĂČ vĂŽ cĂčng quan trá»ng Äá»i vá»i ngưá»i dĂčng hiá»n ÄáșĄi. KhĂŽng chá» lĂ nÆĄi cung cáș„p cĂĄc cĂŽng cỄ tiá»n Ăch, PUM88 cĂČn táșĄo nĂȘn má»t há» sinh thĂĄi linh hoáșĄt, ÄĂĄp ứng má»i nhu cáș§u trong má»t mĂŽi trưá»ng trá»±c tuyáșżn Äáș§y nÄng Äá»ng. Từ những bưá»c Äáș§u như ÄÄng kĂœ, ÄÄng nháșp, cho Äáșżn tráșŁi nghiá»m thá»±c táșż, táș„t cáșŁ Äá»u ÄÆ°á»Łc tá»i ưu nháș±m mang láșĄi sá»± thuáșn tiá»n tá»i Äa. Giao diá»n thiáșżt káșż thĂŽng minh, bá» cỄc rĂ” rĂ ng, thao tĂĄc nhanh gá»n giĂșp ngưá»i dĂčng dá» dĂ ng tiáșżp cáșn vĂ sá» dỄng mĂ khĂŽng cáș§n kiáșżn thức ká»č thuáșt chuyĂȘn sĂąu. BĂȘn cáșĄnh ÄĂł, há» thá»ng xá» lĂœ tá»c Äá» cao vĂ kháșŁ nÄng tÆ°ÆĄng thĂch Äa ná»n táșŁng (từ smartphone Äáșżn laptop) giĂșp ngưá»i dĂčng duy trĂŹ káșżt ná»i má»i lĂșc má»i nÆĄi, khĂŽng bá» giá»i háșĄn bá»i thiáșżt bá» hay khĂŽng gian sá» dỄng. KhĂŽng dừng láșĄi á» ÄĂł, PUM88 cĂČn liĂȘn tỄc nĂąng cáș„p cĂŽng nghá» như tĂch hợp trĂ tuá» nhĂąn táșĄo Äá» gợi Ăœ ná»i dung cĂĄ nhĂąn hĂła theo hĂ nh vi vĂ sá» thĂch, giĂșp má»i tráșŁi nghiá»m trá» nĂȘn sá»ng Äá»ng, gáș§n gĆ©i vĂ mang tĂnh cĂĄ nhĂąn cao hÆĄn bao giá» háșżt. ÄĂąy chĂnh lĂ Äiá»m cá»ng lá»n giĂșp PUM88 táșĄo nĂȘn dáș„u áș„n trong lĂČng ngưá»i dĂčng yĂȘu thĂch sá»± tiá»n lợi vĂ linh hoáșĄt trong Äá»i sá»ng sá».
NgoĂ i ra, yáșżu tá» khiáșżn PUM88 trá» nĂȘn ÄĂĄng tin cáșy chĂnh lĂ kháșŁ nÄng báșŁo máșt vÆ°á»Łt trá»i vĂ chĂnh sĂĄch há» trợ khĂĄch hĂ ng táșn tĂąm. Dữ liá»u cĂĄ nhĂąn vĂ cĂĄc hoáșĄt Äá»ng cá»§a ngưá»i dĂčng luĂŽn ÄÆ°á»Łc báșŁo vá» nghiĂȘm ngáș·t báș±ng cĂĄc chuáș©n mĂŁ hĂła quá»c táșż, há» thá»ng tưá»ng lá»a, xĂĄc thá»±c hai lá»p vĂ giĂĄm sĂĄt báșŁo máșt liĂȘn tỄc. Nhá» váșy, ngưá»i dĂčng hoĂ n toĂ n yĂȘn tĂąm khi sá» dỄng mĂ khĂŽng lo bá» lá» thĂŽng tin hay rĂČ rá» dữ liá»u. ThĂȘm vĂ o ÄĂł, Äá»i ngĆ© chÄm sĂłc khĂĄch hĂ ng hoáșĄt Äá»ng 24/7 vá»i thĂĄi Äá» chuyĂȘn nghiá»p vĂ pháșŁn há»i nhanh chĂłng giĂșp giáșŁi quyáșżt má»i tháșŻc máșŻc hoáș·c sá»± cá» ká»č thuáșt má»t cĂĄch hiá»u quáșŁ. KhĂŽng những tháșż, PUM88 cĂČn thưá»ng xuyĂȘn láșŻng nghe Ăœ kiáșżn ngưá»i dĂčng Äá» cáșŁi tiáșżn giao diá»n, bá» sung tĂnh nÄng má»i, ÄáșŁm báșŁo ráș±ng ná»n táșŁng luĂŽn báșŻt ká»p xu hưá»ng cĂŽng nghá» vĂ ÄĂĄp ứng ÄĂșng nhu cáș§u thá»±c táșż. Viá»c cáșp nháșt liĂȘn tỄc khĂŽng chá» giĂșp ngưá»i dĂčng cĂł ÄÆ°á»Łc tráșŁi nghiá»m mÆ°á»Łt mĂ hÆĄn mĂ cĂČn giữ cho ná»n táșŁng luĂŽn má»i máș», sĂĄng táșĄo vĂ khĂŽng ngừng phĂĄt triá»n. Trong bá»i cáșŁnh chuyá»n Äá»i sá» Äang diá» n ra máșĄnh máșœ táșĄi Viá»t Nam, PUM88 khĂŽng chá» ÄÆĄn thuáș§n lĂ má»t ứng dỄng tiá»n Ăch mĂ cĂČn lĂ má»t trợ thá»§ ÄáșŻc lá»±c cho cuá»c sá»ng hiá»n ÄáșĄi â nÆĄi mĂ ngưá»i dĂčng cĂł thá» táșn dỄng cĂŽng nghá» Äá» nĂąng cao hiá»u suáș„t cĂĄ nhĂąn, tá»i ưu hĂła thá»i gian vĂ táșn hưá»ng tráșŁi nghiá»m sá» trá»n váșčn nháș„t má»i ngĂ y.
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:47The former seems to have found solid product market fit. Expect significant volume, adoption, and usage going forward.
The latter's future remains to be seen. Dependence on Tor, which has had massive reliability issues, and lack of strong privacy guarantees put it at risk.
â ODELL (@ODELL) October 27, 2022
The Basics
- Lightning is a protocol that enables cheap and fast native bitcoin transactions.
- At the core of the protocol is the ability for bitcoin users to create a payment channel with another user.
- These payment channels enable users to make many bitcoin transactions between each other with only two on-chain bitcoin transactions: the channel open transaction and the channel close transaction.
- Essentially lightning is a protocol for interoperable batched bitcoin transactions.
- It is expected that on chain bitcoin transaction fees will increase with adoption and the ability to easily batch transactions will save users significant money.
- As these lightning transactions are processed, liquidity flows from one side of a channel to the other side, on chain transactions are signed by both parties but not broadcasted to update this balance.
- Lightning is designed to be trust minimized, either party in a payment channel can close the channel at any time and their bitcoin will be settled on chain without trusting the other party.
There is no 'Lightning Network'
- Many people refer to the aggregate of all lightning channels as 'The Lightning Network' but this is a false premise.
- There are many lightning channels between many different users and funds can flow across interconnected channels as long as there is a route through peers.
- If a lightning transaction requires multiple hops it will flow through multiple interconnected channels, adjusting the balance of all channels along the route, and paying lightning transaction fees that are set by each node on the route.
Example: You have a channel with Bob. Bob has a channel with Charlie. You can pay Charlie through your channel with Bob and Bob's channel with User C.
- As a result, it is not guaranteed that every lightning user can pay every other lightning user, they must have a route of interconnected channels between sender and receiver.
Lightning in Practice
- Lightning has already found product market fit and usage as an interconnected payment protocol between large professional custodians.
- They are able to easily manage channels and liquidity between each other without trust using this interoperable protocol.
- Lightning payments between large custodians are fast and easy. End users do not have to run their own node or manage their channels and liquidity. These payments rarely fail due to professional management of custodial nodes.
- The tradeoff is one inherent to custodians and other trusted third parties. Custodial wallets can steal funds and compromise user privacy.
Sovereign Lightning
- Trusted third parties are security holes.
- Users must run their own node and manage their own channels in order to use lightning without trusting a third party. This remains the single largest friction point for sovereign lightning usage: the mental burden of actively running a lightning node and associated liquidity management.
- Bitcoin development prioritizes node accessibility so cost to self host your own node is low but if a node is run at home or office, Tor or a VPN is recommended to mask your IP address: otherwise it is visible to the entire network and represents a privacy risk.
- This privacy risk is heightened due to the potential for certain governments to go after sovereign lightning users and compel them to shutdown their nodes. If their IP Address is exposed they are easier to target.
- Fortunately the tools to run and manage nodes continue to get easier but it is important to understand that this will always be a friction point when compared to custodial services.
The Potential Fracture of Lightning
- Any lightning user can choose which users are allowed to open channels with them.
- One potential is that professional custodians only peer with other professional custodians.
- We already see nodes like those run by CashApp only have channels open with other regulated counterparties. This could be due to performance goals, liability reduction, or regulatory pressure.
- Fortunately some of their peers are connected to non-regulated parties so payments to and from sovereign lightning users are still successfully processed by CashApp but this may not always be the case going forward.
Summary
- Many people refer to the aggregate of all lightning channels as 'The Lightning Network' but this is a false premise. There is no singular 'Lightning Network' but rather many payment channels between distinct peers, some connected with each other and some not.
- Lightning as an interoperable payment protocol between professional custodians seems to have found solid product market fit. Expect significant volume, adoption, and usage going forward.
- Lightning as a robust sovereign payment protocol has yet to be battle tested. Heavy reliance on Tor, which has had massive reliability issues, the friction of active liquidity management, significant on chain fee burden for small amounts, interactivity constraints on mobile, and lack of strong privacy guarantees put it at risk.
If you have never used lightning before, use this guide to get started on your phone.
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ 611021ea:089a7d0f
2025-05-26 18:28:46Imagine a world where your favorite health and fitness appsâdiet trackers, meditation tools, cardio and strength training platforms, even therapy appsâcan all work together seamlessly. Not because they're owned by the same company, but because they speak a common, open language. That's the future NIP-101h is building on Nostr.
A Modular, Privacy-First Health Data Framework
NIP-101h defines a modular, privacy-first framework for sharing granular health and fitness metrics on the decentralized Nostr protocol. The core idea is simple but powerful: every health metric (weight, steps, calories, mood, and so on) gets its own unique Nostr event kind. Apps can implement only the metrics they care about, and users can choose exactly what to share, with whom, and how.
This modular approach means true interoperability. A meditation app can log mindfulness sessions, a running app can record your daily mileage, and a diet tracker can keep tabs on your nutritionâall using the same underlying standard. Each app remains independent, but your data becomes portable, composable, and, most importantly, under your control.
Why NIP-101h Matters
Interoperability
Today's health and fitness apps are walled gardens. Data is locked away in proprietary formats, making it hard to move, analyze, or combine. NIP-101h breaks down these barriers by providing a common, open standard for health metrics on Nostr. Apps can collaborate, users can migrate, and new services can emergeâwithout permission or lock-in.
User Control & Privacy
Health data is deeply personal. That's why NIP-101h is privacy-first: all metric values are encrypted by default using NIP-44, unless the user explicitly opts out. You decide what's public, what's private, and who gets access. Even if you want to keep everything local, that's supported too.
Extensibility
The world of health and fitness is always evolving. NIP-101h is designed to grow with it. New metrics can be added at any time via the
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@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3
2025-05-27 02:24:08I did pretty poorly today. It's dreary and drizzly here, so I didn't get out walking. Even the dog didn't want to go out. We also had weirdly few chores or errands to do.
Maybe this was just a natural rest day. I did catch up on some sleep.
Foodwise, I kept my fast until reasonably late in the day, but then I ate a bunch of cookies. I'll need to do better tomorrow.
How'd everyone else do, today?
https://stacker.news/items/990061
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@ 06639a38:655f8f71
2025-05-26 14:21:37Finally there is a release (1.7.0) for Nostr-PHP with a full NIP-19 integration. Here is an example file with some snippets to how it works to encode and decode bech32 encoded entities:
- https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/blob/main/src/Examples/nip19-bech32-decoded-entities.php
- https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/blob/main/src/Examples/nip19-bech32-encoded-entities.php
Now merge request #68 (and issues #74, #64 are closed) is finally merged which I opened in October 2024.
Next up is:
- Create documentation how to use NIP-19 with the library on https://nostr-php.dev
- Create documentation how to use NIP-04 and NIP-44 with the library on https://nostr-php.dev
- Work out a proof-of-concept with the revolt/event-loop package to create concurrent async requests with websocket connections
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:47Bank run on every crypto bank then bank run on every "real" bank.
â ODELL (@ODELL) December 14, 2022
The four main banks of bitcoin and âcryptoâ are Signature, Prime Trust, Silvergate, and Silicon Valley Bank. Prime Trust does not custody funds themselves but rather maintains deposit accounts at BMO Harris Bank, Cross River, Lexicon Bank, MVB Bank, and Signature Bank. Silvergate and Silicon Valley Bank have already stopped withdrawals. More banks will go down before the chaos stops. None of them have sufficient reserves to meet withdrawals.
Bitcoin gives us all the ability to opt out of a system that has massive layers of counterparty risk built in, years of cheap money and broken incentives have layered risk on top of risk throughout the entire global economy. If you thought the FTX bank run was painful to watch, I have bad news for you: every major bank in the world is fractional reserve. Bitcoin held in self custody is unique in its lack of counterparty risk, as global market chaos unwinds this will become much more obvious.
The rules of bitcoin are extremely hard to change by design. Anyone can access the network directly without a trusted third party by using their own node. Owning more bitcoin does not give you more control over the network with all participants on equal footing.
Bitcoin is:
- money that is not controlled by a company or government
- money that can be spent or saved without permission
- money that is provably scarce and should increase in purchasing power with adoptionBitcoin is money without trust. Whether you are a nation state, corporation, or an individual, you can use bitcoin to spend or save without permission. Social media will accelerate the already deteriorating trust in our institutions and as this trust continues to crumble the value of trust minimized money will become obvious. As adoption increases so should the purchasing power of bitcoin.
A quick note on "stablecoins," such as USDC - it is important to remember that they rely on trusted custodians. They have the same risk as funds held directly in bank accounts with additional counterparty risk on top. The trusted custodians can be pressured by gov, exit scam, or caught up in fraud. Funds can and will be frozen at will. This is a distinctly different trust model than bitcoin, which is a native bearer token that does not rely on any centralized entity or custodian.
Most bitcoin exchanges have exposure to these failing banks. Expect more chaos and confusion as this all unwinds. Withdraw any bitcoin to your own wallet ASAP.
Simple Self Custody Guide: https://werunbtc.com/muun
More Secure Cold Storage Guide: https://werunbtc.com/coldcard
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ 4fe14ef2:f51992ec
2025-05-25 10:04:36Let's support Bitcoin merchants! I'd love to hear some of your latest Lightning purchases and interesting products you bought. Feel free to include links to the shops or businesses you bought from.
Who else has a recent purchase theyâre excited about? Bonus sats if you found a killer deal! âĄ
Spend sats, not fiat!
If you missed our last thread, here are some of the items stackers recently spent and zap on.
Share and repost: N: https://njump.me/note1r0rllvtns2e8g2rqn0p9uytxucmjzal3pxslldjtfmxwp2amwjjqy3aazq X: https://x.com/AGORA_SN/status/1926579498629169410
https://stacker.news/items/988783
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@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3
2025-05-26 21:52:12A self help book with a dumb title arrived at our house. It was about making more money for people who are terrible at personal finance. I suspect the author is pretty good at making money, though.
It turned out to be my mother-in-law's book that she sent to the wrong address. So, now even more money needs to be spent on getting this stupid book to her house.
Why does a woman who should be retired need such a book, anyway? Only because she and her husband, despite having both worked long semi-prestigious careers, have no assets between them and they live so far beyond their means (retirement accounts and pensions worth about 2x the median family income) that she needs to continue earning greater and greater income.
In her 70's, she embarked on a new career and is attempting to build up her own business around it. However, being terrible at managing finances has led her to reading dumb generic self help books in a hopeless attempt to make her business profitable before she is no longer able to work. It's a ridiculous situation.
Stay humble and stack sats, so you aren't reading dumb self help books about earning more money when you should be long retired.
https://stacker.news/items/989897
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:47The newly proposed RESTRICT ACT - is being advertised as a TikTok Ban, but is much broader than that, carries a $1M Fine and up to 20 years in prisonïž! It is unconstitutional and would create massive legal restrictions on the open source movement and free speech throughout the internet.
The Bill was proposed by: Senator Warner, Senator Thune, Senator Baldwin, Senator Fischer, Senator Manchin, Senator Moran, Senator Bennet, Senator Sullivan, Senator Gillibrand, Senator Collins, Senator Heinrich, and Senator Romney. It has broad support across Senators of both parties.
Corrupt politicians will not protect us. They are part of the problem. We must build, support, and learn how to use censorship resistant tools in order to defend our natural rights.
The RESTRICT Act, introduced by Senators Warner and Thune, aims to block or disrupt transactions and financial holdings involving foreign adversaries that pose risks to national security. Although the primary targets of this legislation are companies like Tik-Tok, the language of the bill could potentially be used to block or disrupt cryptocurrency transactions and, in extreme cases, block Americansâ access to open source tools or protocols like Bitcoin.
The Act creates a redundant regime paralleling OFAC without clear justification, it significantly limits the ability for injured parties to challenge actions raising due process concerns, and unlike OFAC it lacks any carve-out for protected speech. COINCENTER ON THE RESTRICT ACT
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ c1d77557:bf04ec8b
2025-05-25 09:47:07No crescente universo de plataformas de jogos online, a H2Bet se destaca como uma opção inovadora, segura e recheada de diversĂŁo para os jogadores brasileiros. Com uma interface moderna e intuitiva, a H2Bet vem conquistando cada vez mais usuĂĄrios que buscam entretenimento de qualidade, diversas opçÔes de jogos e uma experiĂȘncia digital fluida e confiĂĄvel.
Uma Plataforma Feita para o PĂșblico Brasileiro Desde o primeiro acesso, Ă© possĂvel perceber que a H2Bet foi pensada para atender Ă s necessidades do pĂșblico brasileiro. O site Ă© totalmente traduzido para o portuguĂȘs, com suporte ao cliente eficiente e disponĂvel 24 horas por dia, todos os dias da semana. O atendimento pode ser feito via chat ao vivo ou WhatsApp, oferecendo respostas rĂĄpidas e eficazes para qualquer dĂșvida ou solicitação.
AlĂ©m disso, a plataforma aceita mĂ©todos de pagamento populares no Brasil, como PIX, boleto bancĂĄrio e carteiras digitais, garantindo mais praticidade nas transaçÔes financeiras. Isso facilita tanto os depĂłsitos quanto os saques, promovendo uma experiĂȘncia mais fluida para todos os jogadores.
Diversidade de Jogos para Todos os Gostos Um dos grandes diferenciais da H2BetestĂĄ em sua ampla variedade de jogos. A plataforma oferece opçÔes para todos os perfis de jogadores â desde os iniciantes atĂ© os mais experientes. Entre os destaques estĂŁo:
Slots (Caça-nĂqueis): Com grĂĄficos envolventes, animaçÔes modernas e uma enorme variedade de temas, os slots sĂŁo perfeitos para quem busca diversĂŁo rĂĄpida e visualmente atrativa.
Jogos de Mesa: ClĂĄssicos como roleta, blackjack e bacarĂĄ estĂŁo presentes na H2Bet, proporcionando uma experiĂȘncia dinĂąmica e estratĂ©gica para os jogadores que gostam de desafios mentais.
Apostas Esportivas: Os fĂŁs de esportes tambĂ©m tĂȘm espaço garantido na H2Bet. Ă possĂvel apostar em jogos de futebol, basquete, tĂȘnis e diversas outras modalidades, tanto nacionais quanto internacionais.
A plataforma trabalha com provedores de jogos renomados mundialmente, garantindo alta qualidade gråfica, jogabilidade otimizada e total segurança nos resultados.
Uma ExperiĂȘncia do Jogador IncomparĂĄvel Na H2Bet, a experiĂȘncia do usuĂĄrio Ă© prioridade. Tudo foi cuidadosamente projetado para que o jogador possa se divertir sem complicaçÔes. O processo de cadastro Ă© rĂĄpido e simplificado, permitindo que o novo usuĂĄrio comece a jogar em poucos minutos. AlĂ©m disso, o site Ă© totalmente responsivo, funcionando perfeitamente em computadores, tablets e smartphones.
Outro ponto de destaque sĂŁo as promoçÔes e bĂŽnus oferecidos aos jogadores. Desde bĂŽnus de boas-vindas atĂ© promoçÔes sazonais e programas de fidelidade, a H2Bet recompensa a lealdade dos seus usuĂĄrios com benefĂcios exclusivos que aumentam ainda mais a diversĂŁo.
A segurança da plataforma tambĂ©m merece elogios. A H2Bet utiliza tecnologia de criptografia de ponta para proteger os dados dos jogadores, alĂ©m de manter total transparĂȘncia em seus termos e condiçÔes.
ConclusĂŁo A H2Bet chega ao mercado brasileiro com uma proposta clara: oferecer uma plataforma de jogos online completa, segura e envolvente. Com uma vasta seleção de jogos, suporte dedicado ao jogador e uma interface pensada para o usuĂĄrio, a H2Bet se posiciona como uma das melhores opçÔes de entretenimento digital no Brasil. Se vocĂȘ busca emoção, praticidade e uma experiĂȘncia de jogo diferenciada, a H2Bet Ă© o lugar certo para vocĂȘ.
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@ 95cbd62b:a5270126
2025-05-24 14:06:33Trong thá»i ÄáșĄi cĂŽng nghá» sá» phĂĄt triá»n máșĄnh máșœ, nhu cáș§u tĂŹm kiáșżm má»t ná»n táșŁng tĂch hợp Äáș§y Äá»§ tiá»n Ăch, an toĂ n vĂ thĂąn thiá»n vá»i ngưá»i dĂčng ngĂ y cĂ ng tÄng cao. OK22 ÄĂŁ chứng minh vá» tháșż cá»§a mĂŹnh khĂŽng chá» lĂ má»t ná»n táșŁng giáșŁi trĂ trá»±c tuyáșżn, mĂ cĂČn lĂ má»t cĂŽng cỄ cĂŽng nghá» thĂŽng minh phỄc vỄ má»i nhu cáș§u trong Äá»i sá»ng sá». Vá»i thiáșżt káșż giao diá»n 100% tiáșżng Viá»t vĂ kháșŁ nÄng tÆ°ÆĄng thĂch trĂȘn má»i thiáșżt bá» từ mĂĄy tĂnh Äáșżn Äiá»n thoáșĄi, OK22 mang Äáșżn cho ngưá»i dĂčng tráșŁi nghiá»m mÆ°á»Łt mĂ , dá» sá» dỄng vĂ hoĂ n toĂ n báșŁo máșt. ÄÆ°á»Łc phĂĄt triá»n trĂȘn ná»n táșŁng cĂŽng nghá» hiá»n ÄáșĄi, OK22 há» trợ ngưá»i dĂčng quáșŁn lĂœ thĂŽng tin cĂĄ nhĂąn, thá»±c hiá»n giao dá»ch nhanh chĂłng, lưu trữ dữ liá»u an toĂ n vĂ tiáșżp cáșn cĂĄc tiá»n Ăch cĂŽng nghá» tiĂȘn tiáșżn má»t cĂĄch dá» dĂ ng, ká» cáșŁ vá»i ngưá»i má»i sá» dỄng.
Má»t trong những Äiá»m máșĄnh ná»i báșt cá»§a OK22 chĂnh lĂ kháșŁ nÄng tá»± Äá»ng hĂła trong xá» lĂœ tĂĄc vỄ, giĂșp tiáșżt kiá»m thá»i gian vĂ tá»i ưu hĂła hiá»u suáș„t lĂ m viá»c. Ná»n táșŁng ÄÆ°á»Łc trang bá» há» thá»ng báșŁo máșt cao cáș„p, báșŁo vá» tá»i Äa quyá»n riĂȘng tư vĂ tĂ i sáșŁn sá» cá»§a ngưá»i dĂčng. OK22 cĂČn cung cáș„p há» thá»ng há» trợ trá»±c tuyáșżn 24/7, giĂșp ngưá»i dĂčng giáșŁi quyáșżt má»i váș„n Äá» nhanh chĂłng mĂ khĂŽng bá» giĂĄn ÄoáșĄn. DĂč lĂ má»t cĂĄ nhĂąn Äang tĂŹm kiáșżm cĂŽng cỄ quáșŁn lĂœ tĂ i chĂnh cĂĄ nhĂąn, má»t doanh nghiá»p nhá» cáș§n ná»n táșŁng Äá» xá» lĂœ ÄÆĄn hĂ ng vĂ thanh toĂĄn, hay má»t nhĂłm cá»ng Äá»ng cáș§n khĂŽng gian káșżt ná»i sá» â OK22 Äá»u cĂł thá» ÄĂĄp ứng linh hoáșĄt vĂ hiá»u quáșŁ. KhĂŽng những váșy, nhá» tĂch hợp nhiá»u tĂnh nÄng như thĂŽng bĂĄo tá»± Äá»ng, Äá»ng bá» dữ liá»u ÄĂĄm mĂąy, vĂ tĂch hợp API má», OK22 cĂČn dá» dĂ ng káșżt ná»i vá»i cĂĄc ná»n táșŁng khĂĄc trong há» sinh thĂĄi sá», giĂșp ngưá»i dĂčng táșĄo nĂȘn má»t mĂŽi trưá»ng lĂ m viá»c vĂ sinh hoáșĄt thĂŽng minh.
KhĂŽng dừng láșĄi á» ÄĂł, OK22 Äang ngĂ y cĂ ng má» rá»ng hợp tĂĄc vá»i cĂĄc Äá»i tĂĄc lá»n trong nhiá»u lÄ©nh vá»±c như giĂĄo dỄc trá»±c tuyáșżn, thÆ°ÆĄng máșĄi Äiá»n tá», chÄm sĂłc sức khá»e vĂ tĂ i chĂnh cĂĄ nhĂąn. Ná»n táșŁng khĂŽng ngừng cáșp nháșt những cĂŽng nghá» tiĂȘn tiáșżn như AI, blockchain vĂ dữ liá»u lá»n (Big Data) nháș±m mang láșĄi tráșŁi nghiá»m ngưá»i dĂčng tá»i ưu vĂ ÄĂĄp ứng nhu cáș§u ngĂ y cĂ ng Äa dáșĄng cá»§a cá»ng Äá»ng Viá»t. Vá»i tá»c Äá» xá» lĂœ nhanh, giao diá»n trá»±c quan vĂ Äá» tin cáșy cao, OK22 khĂŽng chá» ÄÆĄn thuáș§n lĂ má»t ứng dỄng cĂŽng nghá» â mĂ cĂČn lĂ ngưá»i báșĄn Äá»ng hĂ nh tin cáșy trong hĂ nh trĂŹnh sá» hĂła cá»§a ngưá»i Viá»t. Trong tÆ°ÆĄng lai gáș§n, OK22 hứa háșčn sáșœ trá» thĂ nh ná»n táșŁng cĂŽng nghá» khĂŽng thá» thiáșżu trong má»i gia ÄĂŹnh, tá» chức vĂ doanh nghiá»p, ÄĂłng vai trĂČ then chá»t trong viá»c thĂșc Äáș©y chuyá»n Äá»i sá» toĂ n diá»n vĂ phĂĄt triá»n bá»n vững.
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@ d360efec:14907b5f
2025-05-27 15:46:26 -
@ 06639a38:655f8f71
2025-05-26 12:58:38Nostr-PHP
Djuri submitted quite some pull requests in the last couple of week while he was implementing a Nostr connect / login on https://satsback.com. The backend of that platform is written in PHP so the Nostr-PHP library is used for several purposes while Djuri also developed quite some new features utilizing the following NIPs:
- NIP-04
- NIP-05
- NIP-17
- NIP-44
Thank you very much Djuri for these contributions. We now can do the basic private stuff with the library.Â
PR for NIP-04 and NIP-44: https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/84 and https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/88Â
Examples:- https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/blob/main/src/Examples/nip04-encrypted-messages.php
- https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/blob/main/src/Examples/nip44-gift-wrapping.php
PR for NIP-05: https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/89Â
Example: https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/blob/main/src/Examples/nip05-lookup.phpÂPR for NIP-17: https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/90Â
Example: https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/blob/main/src/Examples/nip17-private-direct-messages.phpÂPR for adding more metadata profile fields: https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/94
Example: https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/blob/main/src/Examples/fetch-profile-metadata.phpÂFetch
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event (dm relay list) of an given pubkey
Example: https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/blob/main/src/Examples/fetch-dm-relayslist.phpÂThe CLI tool is removed from the library, see PR https://github.com/nostrver-se/nostr-php/pull/93Â
Nostr-PHP documentation
While new NIPs are implemented in the Nostr-PHP library, I'm trying to keep up with the documentation at https://nostr-php.dev. For now, things are still much work in progress and I've added the AI agent Goose using the Claude LLM to bootstrap new documentation pages. Currently I'm working on documentation for
- How to direct messages with NIP-04 and NIP-17
- Encrypted payloads for event content NIP-44
- Fetch profiledata of a given pubkey
- Lookup NIP-05 data of given pubkey
- Using the NIP-19 helper class
CCNS.news
I've moved CCNS to a new domain https://ccns.news and have partly implemented the new NIP-B0 for web bookmarks. When you post a bookmark there, a kind
39701
event is transmitted to some Nostr relays (take a look at this event for example). Optionally you can also publish this content as a note to the network.As you can see at https://ccns.news/l/censorship-resistant-publishing-and-archiving, I've listed some todo's. All this stuff is done with Javascript using the NDK Typescript library (so I'm not using any PHP stuff for this with Nostr-PHP).
Also new: https://ccns.news/global now has a global feed which fetches all the web bookmark events with kind
39701
from several public Nostr relays. I had a rough idea to compare feeds generated with NDK and Nostr-PHP (for both using the same set of relays).Building a njump clone for this Drupal website
You can now use this URL pattern to fetch Nostr events:
https://nostrver.se/e/{event_id|nevent1|note1|addr1}
where you can provide a plain Nostr event ID or NIP-19 encoded identifier.ÂAn example, this URL [nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzqmjxss3dld622uu8q25gywum9qtg4w4cv4064jmg20xsac2aam5nqqsqm2lz4ru6wlydzpulgs8m60ylp4vufwsg55whlqgua6a93vp2y4g3uu9lr) fetches the data from one or more relays. This data is then being saved as a (Drupal) node entity (in a database on the server where this website is hosted, which is located in my office fyi). With this saved node, this data is now also available at https://nostrver.se/e/0dabe2a8f9a77c8d1079f440fbd3c9f0d59c4ba08a51d7f811ceeba58b02a255/1 where the (cached) data is server from the database instead. It's just raw data for now, nothing special about it. One of my next steps is to style this in a more prettier interface and I will need to switch the theme of this website to a custom theme. A custom theme where I will be using TailwindCSS v4 and DaisyUI v5.Â
The module which is providing these Nostr features is FOSS and uses the Nostr-PHP library for doing the following:
- Request the event from one or more relays
- Decode the provided NIP-19 identifier
For now this module is way for me to utilize the Nostr-PHP library with Drupal for fetching events. This can be automated so in theory I could index all the Nostr events. But this is not my ambition as it would require quite some hardware resources to accomplish this.Â
I hope I can find the time to build up a new theme first for this website, so I can start styling the data for the fetched events. On this website, there is also a small piece (powered by another module) you can find at https://nostrver.se/nostrides doing things with this NIP-113 around activity events (in my case that's cycling what interests me).What's next
I'm already working on the following stuff:
- Implement a class to setup a persistent connection to a relay for requesting events continuously
- Extend the documentation with the recent added features
Other todo stuff:
- Review NIP-13 proof-of-work PR from Djuri
- Implement a NIP-65 lookup for fetching read and write relays for a given npub issue #91
- Build a proof-of-concept with revolt/event-loop to request events asynchronous with persistent relay connections
- Add comments to https://ccns.news
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@ 8d34bd24:414be32b
2025-05-25 06:29:21It seems like most Christians today have lost their reverence and awe of God. Weâve attributed Godâs awesome creation by the word of His mouth to random chance and a Big Bang. Weâve attributed the many layers of sediment to millions and billions of years of time instead of Godâs judgment of evil. Weâve emphasized His love and mercy to the point that weâve forgotten about His holiness and righteous wrath. Weâve brought God down to our level and made Him either our âbuddyâ or made Him our magic genie servant, who is just there to answer our every want and whim.
The God of the Bible is a holy and awesome God who should be both loved and feared.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;\ Fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)
The God of the Bible is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings who â⊠upholds all things by the word of His power. âŠâ (Hebrews 1:3). Yes, God loves us as sons. Yes, God is merciful. Yes, through Jesus we have the blessed opportunity to approach God directly. None of that means we get to treat God like just another friend. We are to approach God with fear and trembling and worship Him in reverence and awe.
Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. (Psalm 2:11)
Part of the problem is that our culture just doesnât show reverence to authority. It focuses on self and freedom. The whole thought of reverence for authority is incomprehensible for many. Look at this Psalm of worship:
The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble;\ He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!\ The Lord is great in Zion,\ And He is exalted above all the peoples.\ Let them praise Your great and awesome name;\ Holy is He. (Psalm 99:1-3)
This is the way we should view God and the proper attitude for approaching God.
Another issue is that we donât study what God has done in the past. In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelites to setup monuments of remembrance and to teach their kids all of the great things God had done for them. When they failed to do so, Israel drifted astray.
You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. (Deuteronomy 11:19)
God has given us the Bible, His word, so that we can know Him, know His character, and know His great deeds. When we fail to be in His word daily, we can forget (or not even know) the greatness of our God.
Establish Your word to Your servant,\ As that which produces reverence for You. (Psalm 119:38)
Do you love Godâs word like this? Do you hunger for Godâs word? Do you seek to know everything about God that you can know? When we love someone or something, we want to know everything about it.
Princes persecute me without cause,\ But my heart stands in awe of Your words.\ **I rejoice at Your word,\ As one who finds great spoil. \ (Psalm 119:161-162) {emphasis mine}
In addition to what we can learn about God in the Bible, we also need to remember what God has done in our own lives. We need to dwell on what God has done for us. We can just try to remember. Even better (Iâll admit this is a weakness for me), write down answered prayers, blessings, and other things God has done for you. My son has been writing down one blessing every day for over a year. What an example he is!
After we have thought about what God has done for us and those we care about, we should praise Him for His great works.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;\ Sing the glory of His name;\ Make His praise glorious.\ Say to God, âHow awesome are Your works!\ Because of the greatness of Your power \ Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You.\ All the earth will worship You,\ And will sing praises to You;\ They will sing praises to Your name.â Selah.\ **Come and see the works of God,\ Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men. \ (Psalm 66:1-5) {emphasis mine}
There is nothing we can do to earn salvation from God, but we should be in awe of what He has done for us leading to submission and obedience in gratitude.
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29) {emphasis mine}
Are you thankful for your blessings or resentful for what you donât have? Do you worship God or take things He has provided for granted? Do you tell the world the awesome things God has done for you or do you stay silent? Do you claim to be a Christian, but live a life no different than those around you?
Then the Lord said,
âBecause this people draw near with their words\ And honor Me with their lip service,\ But they remove their hearts far from Me,\ And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, (Isaiah 29:13)
I hope this passage does not describe your relation ship with our awesome God. He deserves so much more. Instead we should be zealous to praise God and share His goodness with those around us.
Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; (1 Peter 3:13-15) {emphasis mine}
Did you know that you can even show reverence by your every day work?
By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Hebrews 11:7) {emphasis mine}
When Noah stepped out in faith and obedience to God and built the ark as God commanded, despite the fact that the people around him probably thought he was crazy building a boat on dry ground that had never flooded, his work was a kind of reverence to God. Are there areas in your life where you can obey God in reverence to His awesomeness? Do you realize that quality work in obedience to God can be a form of worship?
Just going above and beyond in your job can be a form of worship of God if you are working extra hard to honor Him. Obedience is another form of worship and reverence.
Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the Lord. (Haggai 1:12) {emphasis mine}
Too many people have put the word of men (especially scientists) above the word of God and have tried to change the clear meaning of the Bible. I used to think it strange how the Bible goes through the days of creation and ends each day with âand there was evening and there was morning, the xth day.â Since a day has an evening and a morning, that seemed redundant. Why did God speak in this manner? God knew that a day would come when many scientist would try to disprove God and would claim that these days were not 24 hour days, but long ages. When a writer is trying to convey long ages, the writer does not mention evening/morning and doesnât count the days.1
When we no longer see God as speaking the universe and everything in it into existence, we tend to not see God as an awesome God. We donât see His power. We donât see His knowledge. We donât see His goodness. We also donât see His authority. Why do we have to obey God? Because He created us and because He upholds us. Without Him we would not exist. Our creator has the authority to command His creation. When we compromise in this area, we lose our submission, our awe, and our reverence. (For more on the subject see my series.) When we believe His great works, especially those spoken of in Genesis 1-11 and in Exodus, we canât help but be in awe of our God.
For the word of the Lord is upright,\ And all His work is done in faithfulness.\ He loves righteousness and justice;\ The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.\ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,\ And by the breath of His mouth all their host.\ He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;\ He lays up the deeps in storehouses.\ **Let all the earth fear the Lord;\ Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. \ (Psalm 33:4-8) {emphasis mine}
Remembering Godâs great works, we canât help but worship in awe and reverence.
By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation,\ *You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth* and of the farthest sea;\ Who establishes the mountains by His strength,\ Being girded with might;\ Who stills the roaring of the seas,\ The roaring of their waves,\ And the tumult of the peoples.\ They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;\ You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. \ (Psalm 65:5-8) {emphasis mine}
If we truly do have awe and reverence for our God, we should be emboldened to tell those around us of His great works.
I will tell of Your name to my brethren;\ In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.\ You who fear the Lord, praise Him;\ All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,\ And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. \ (Psalm 22:22-23) {emphasis mine}
May God grant you the wisdom to see His awesomeness and to trust Him, serve Him, obey Him, and worship Him as He so rightly deserves. May you always have a right view of God and a hunger for His word and a personal relationship with Him. To God be the Glory!
Trust Jesus
FYI, these are a few more passages on the subject that are helpful, but didnât fit in the flow of my post.
Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised,\ And His greatness is unsearchable.\ One generation shall praise Your works to another,\ And shall declare Your mighty acts.\ On the glorious splendor of Your majesty\ And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.\ Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,\ And I will tell of Your greatness. (Psalm 145:3-6)
The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;\ You hate all who do iniquity.\ You destroy those who speak falsehood;\ The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.\ But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,\ At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You. (Psalm 5:5-7) {emphasis mine}
If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,â says the Lord of hosts, âthen I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. Behold, I am going to rebuke your offspring, and I will spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that My covenant may continue with Levi,â says the Lord of hosts. âMy covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. (Malachi 2:2-5) {emphasis mine}
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@ 6a6be47b:3e74e3e1
2025-05-26 18:22:03Hi frens! đŒ
Iâve been back and forth about sharing this, but here goes: a review of the books Iâve read since the start of the year! Iâm proud of myself for sticking with it, and honestly, it feels like I just finished some of these yesterdayâthe year is flying by.
đ Letâs dive in!
Guilty Pleasures & YA Escapes
đ I wrapped up the "My fault" trilogy I started in Decemberâa total guilty pleasure, but no regrets! It was like scratching an itch in my brain. I even watched the first movie to decompress (it took me a week, dinner sessions only), but it didnât really inspire me to rewatch or look for the books. Still, when the sequel dropped, my husband and I had a blast watching it together. The books themselves? Just okay, but they helped me disconnect when I wasnât feeling great physically. So, thank you, Mercedesânow I know how it ends, and Iâm at peace.
đ Next up, I craved something similar but different, so I picked up The Summer I Turned Pretty series. Wow. It made me nostalgic for summers I never actually lived. I was swept awayâmad, sad, desperate, excited. If youâre into YA, this is a sweet treat thatâll transport you to endless, sun-soaked days. Highly recommend!
Art, Exhibits, and Esotericism
đŒïž I got busy with the Sats nâ Facts Exhibit in Thailand ( https://satsnfacts.btc.pub/art/ )âmy honey badgers were there! ( https://geyser.fund/project/honeybadgers )âplus a fun commission for Bread and Toast ( https://yakihonne.com/notes/nevent1qgsx56ly0wcj7gwasrc7707l9px39g5nzn82p35akhkdqj448e6w8cgqyq5qm2dnmqacjg3qs7nlk42y28pczwcav3p7jdwt92lz3m4wx0m52k3qzx6 ). Reading took a backseat for a bit, but I managed to finish Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed. Itâs a gentle intro to esotericismâwhy polemics matter, why we believe what we believe. I was pleasantly surprised!
đ If youâve visited my blog ( https://samhainsam.art/blog/ ), you know I love painting and researching mostly (but not only) about paganism, occultism, Judeo-Christianity, animals, and how it all intertwines. So, naturally, I picked up Magick Without Tears by Aleister Crowley. Maybe not the best starting point, but if you have similar book recs, let me know! Crowleyâs writing challenged me, and I had to reread a lot, but it was worth it. Like many figures in occultism, thereâs a mix of ideas to agree with, question, or deep-dive into.
Magic, Jesus, and Jurassic Park
đ Alongside Crowley, I read Jesus and Magic: Freeing the Gospel Stories from Modern Misconceptions. Spoiler: the answer is âno,â but the journey is fascinating. It explores the historical context, biblical passages, and what âmagicâ even meant back then. Super interesting!
âš Now, Iâm hooked on The Wheel of Time series. Magic, conspiracies, wars, witches, prophecies, friendshipsâall set in magical lands. There are 14 books, so this will take a while, but I canât recommend it enough if you love epic fantasy.
đŠ And finally, Jurassic Park! I was hesitant at first, but once I restarted, I was hooked. Sure, itâs mainstream thanks to the movies, but the book is a wild ride with not-so-friendly (but still fantastic) creatures and some very human humans. Wrapping Up
Iâve read other books for my blog entries (gotta keep the research top-notch!), but these are my highlights so far. Hope this gives you a little insight into what Iâm into!
What have you been reading? Any thoughts or recommendations?
See you later, alligator đ
Godspeed, frens! đ©·
https://stacker.news/items/989752
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@ cefb08d1:f419beff
2025-05-26 06:53:40https://stacker.news/items/989387
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@ 1f956aec:768866bd
2025-05-26 15:06:38== January 17 2025
Out From Underneath | Prism Shores
crazy arms | pigeon pit
Humanhood | The Weather Station
== february 07 2025
Wish Defense | FACS
Sayan - Savoie | Maria Teriaeva
Nowhere Near Today | Midding
== february 14 2025
Phonetics On and On | Horsegirl
== february 21 2025
Finding Our Balance | Tsoh Tso
Machine Starts To Sing | Porridge Radio
Armageddon In A Summer Dress | Sunny Wa
== february 28 2025
you, infinite | you, infinite
On Being | Max Cooper
Billboard Heart | Deep Sea Diver
== March 21 2025
Watermelon/Peacock | Exploding Flowers
Warlord of the Weejuns | Goya Gumbani
== March 28 2025
Little Death Wishes | CocoRosie
Forever is a Feeling | Lucy Dacus
Evenfall | Sam Akpro
== April 4 2025
Tripla | Miki Berenyi Trio
Adagio | ÎŁtella
The Fork | Oscar Jerome
== April 18 2025
Send A Prayer My Way | Julien Baker & TORRES
Superheaven | Superheaven
Thee Black Boltz | Tunde Adebimpe
from brooklyvegan
== April 25 2025
Face Down In The Garden |Tennis
Under Tangled Silence | Djrum
Viagr Aboys |Viagra Boys
Blurring Time | Bells Larsen
== May 2 2025
Time is Not Yours | Say Sue Me ìžìŽì믞
If You Asked For A Picture | Blondshell
== May 16 2025
Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon | Soot Sprite
Transmission 96 | Liftin Spirits & DJ Persuasion
MenedĂ©k | TĂRZS
== May 28 2025
Forefowk, Mind Me | Quinie
Silver Tears | SILVER TEARS
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@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3
2025-05-26 01:31:56Surely I won't do as good of a job as @IamSINGLE, but done is better than perfect.
I'll aim to do these towards the end of the day and we can reflect on what we did well and what we didn't. Your goals are your own, but public accountability is usually helpful in staying on track.
My Day | Good | Work in progress | |-------|--------------------| | No junk food | Pretty weak fast | | Family walk outside | Not enough sleep |
How did you do today?
https://stacker.news/items/989264
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:47@matt_odell don't you even dare not ask about nostr!
â Kukks (Andrew Camilleri) (@MrKukks) May 18, 2021
Nostr first hit my radar spring 2021: created by fellow bitcoiner and friend, fiatjaf, and released to the world as free open source software. I was fortunate to be able to host a conversation with him on Citadel Dispatch in those early days, capturing that moment in history forever. Since then, the protocol has seen explosive viral organic growth as individuals around the world have contributed their time and energy to build out the protocol and the surrounding ecosystem due to the clear need for better communication tools.
nostr is to twitter as bitcoin is to paypal
As an intro to nostr, let us start with a metaphor:
twitter is paypal - a centralized platform plagued by censorship but has the benefit of established network effects
nostr is bitcoin - an open protocol that is censorship resistant and robust but requires an organic adoption phase
Nostr is an open communication protocol that can be used to send messages across a distributed set of relays in a censorship resistant and robust way.
â- Anyone can run a relay.
â- Anyone can interact with the protocol.
â- Relays can choose which messages they want to relay.
â- Users are identified by a simple public private key pair that they can generate themselves.Nostr is often compared to twitter since there are nostr clients that emulate twitter functionality and user interface but that is merely one application of the protocol. Nostr is so much more than a mere twitter competitor. Nostr clients and relays can transmit a wide variety of data and clients can choose how to display that information to users. The result is a revolution in communication with implications that are difficult for any of us to truly comprehend.
Similar to bitcoin, nostr is an open and permissionless protocol. No person, company, or government controls it. Anyone can iterate and build on top of nostr without permission. Together, bitcoin and nostr are incredibly complementary freedom tech tools: censorship resistant, permissionless, robust, and interoperable - money and speech protected by code and incentives, not laws.
As censorship throughout the world continues to escalate, freedom tech provides hope for individuals around the world who refuse to accept the status quo. This movement will succeed on the shoulders of those who choose to stand up and contribute. We will build our own path. A brighter path.
My Nostr Public Key: npub1qny3tkh0acurzla8x3zy4nhrjz5zd8l9sy9jys09umwng00manysew95gx
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ cefb08d1:f419beff
2025-05-25 22:14:48Source: https://stacker.news/items/986794
https://stacker.news/items/989164
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@ cefb08d1:f419beff
2025-05-25 07:39:53https://stacker.news/items/988759
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@ 6389be64:ef439d32
2025-05-24 21:51:47Most nematodes are beneficial and "graze" on black vine weevil, currant borer moth, fungus gnats, other weevils, scarabs, cutworms, webworms, billbugs, mole crickets, termites, peach tree borer and carpenter worm moths.
They also predate bacteria, recycling nutrients back into the soil and by doing so stimulates bacterial activity. They act as microbial taxis by transporting microbes to new locations of soil as they move through it while providing aeration.
https://stacker.news/items/988573
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@ 57d1a264:69f1fee1
2025-05-26 07:07:54Though Philips is no longer the consumer electronics giant they once wereâthey've shifted into health technologyâthey still manufacture some personal care items, like electric shavers and hair dryers. Now, somewhat bizarrely, they're dipping their foot into the DIY repair movement to support those products. The company has partnered with Prusa, the Czech company that has become one of the world's largest manufacturers of 3D printers, to launch this new Philips Fixables initiative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q85lZdNStGs
https://stacker.news/items/989395
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:47
"Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age. Privacy is not secrecy. Â A private matter is something one doesn't want the whole world to know, but a secret matter is something one doesn't want anybody to know. Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world." - Eric Hughes, A Cypherpunk's Manifesto, 1993
Privacy is essential to freedom. Without privacy, individuals are unable to make choices free from surveillance and control. Lack of privacy leads to loss of autonomy. When individuals are constantly monitored it limits our ability to express ourselves and take risks. Any decisions we make can result in negative repercussions from those who surveil us. Without the freedom to make choices, individuals cannot truly be free.
Freedom is essential to acquiring and preserving wealth. When individuals are not free to make choices, restrictions and limitations prevent us from economic opportunities. If we are somehow able to acquire wealth in such an environment, lack of freedom can result in direct asset seizure by governments or other malicious entities. At scale, when freedom is compromised, it leads to widespread economic stagnation and poverty. Protecting freedom is essential to economic prosperity.
The connection between privacy, freedom, and wealth is critical. Without privacy, individuals lose the freedom to make choices free from surveillance and control. While lack of freedom prevents individuals from pursuing economic opportunities and makes wealth preservation nearly impossible. No Privacy? No Freedom. No Freedom? No Wealth.
Rights are not granted. They are taken and defended. Rights are often misunderstood as permission to do something by those holding power. However, if someone can give you something, they can inherently take it from you at will. People throughout history have necessarily fought for basic rights, including privacy and freedom. These rights were not given by those in power, but rather demanded and won through struggle. Even after these rights are won, they must be continually defended to ensure that they are not taken away. Rights are not granted - they are earned through struggle and defended through sacrifice.
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ f0fcbea6:7e059469
2025-05-27 18:08:04Muita gente, hoje em dia, acha que a leitura jĂĄ nĂŁo Ă© tĂŁo necessĂĄria quanto foi no passado. O rĂĄdio e a televisĂŁo acabaram assumindo as funçÔes que outrora pertenciam Ă mĂdia impressa, da mesma maneira que a fotografia assumiu as funçÔes que outrora pertenciam Ă pintura e Ă s artes grĂĄficas. Temos de reconhecer - Ă© verdade - que a televisĂŁo cumpre algumas dessas funçÔes muito bem; a comunicação visual dos telejornais, por exemplo, tem impacto enorme. A capacidade do rĂĄdio em transmitir informaçÔes enquanto estamos ocupados - dirigindo um carro, por exemplo - Ă© algo extraordinĂĄrio, alĂ©m de nos poupar muito tempo. No entanto, Ă© necessĂĄrio questionar se as comunicaçÔes modernas realmente aumentam o conhecimento sobre o mundo Ă nossa volta.
Talvez hoje saibamos mais sobre o mundo do que no passado. Dado que o conhecimento Ă© prĂ©-requisito para o entendimento, trata-se de algo bom. Mas o conhecimento nĂŁo Ă© um prĂ©-requisito tĂŁo importante ao entendimento quanto normalmente se supĂ”e. NĂŁo precisamos saber tudo sobre determinada coisa para que possamos entendĂȘ-la. Uma montanha de fatos pode provocar o efeito contrĂĄrio, isto Ă©, pode servir de obstĂĄculo ao entendimento. HĂĄ uma sensação, hoje em dia, de que temos acesso a muitos fatos, mas nĂŁo necessariamente ao entendimento desses fatos.
Uma das causas dessa situação Ă© que a prĂłpria mĂdia Ă© projetada para tornar o pensamento algo desnecessĂĄrio - embora, Ă© claro, isso seja apenas mera impressĂŁo. O ato de empacotar ideias e opiniĂ”es intelectuais Ă© uma atividade Ă qual algumas das mentes mais brilhantes se dedicam com grande diligĂȘncia. O telespectador, o ouvinte, o leitor de revistas - todos eles se defrontam com um amĂĄlgama de elementos complexos, desde discursos retĂłricos minuciosamente planejados atĂ© dados estatĂsticos cuidadosamente selecionados, cujo objetivo Ă© facilitar o ato de "formar a opiniĂŁo" das pessoas com esforço e dificuldade mĂnimos. Por vezes, no entanto, o empacotamento Ă© feito de maneira tĂŁo eficiente, tĂŁo condensada, que o telespectador, o ouvinte ou o leitor nĂŁo conseguem formar sua opiniĂŁo. Em vez disso, a opiniĂŁo empacotada Ă© introjetada em sua mente mais ou menos como uma gravação Ă© inserida no aparelho de som. No momento apropriado, aperta-se o play e a opiniĂŁo Ă© "tocada". Eles reproduzem a opiniĂŁo sem terem pensado a respeito.
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@ 57d1a264:69f1fee1
2025-05-25 06:26:42I dare to claim that the big factor is the absence of an infinite feed design.
Modern social media landscape sucks for a myriad of reasons, but oh boy does the infinite feed take the crapcake. It's not just bad on it's own, it's emblematic of most, if not all other ways social media have deteriorated into an enshitification spiral. Let's see at just three things I hate about it the most.
1) It's addictive: In the race for your attention, every addictive design element helps. But infinite feed is addictive almost by default. Users are expected to pull the figurative lever until they hit a jackpot. Just one more reel, then I'll go to sleep.
2) Autonomy? What's that? You are not the one driving your experience. No. You are just a passenger passively absorbing what the feed feeds you.
3) Echo chambers. The algorithm might be more to blame here, but the infinite feed and it's super-limited exploration options sure don't help. Your feed only goes two ways - into the past and into the comfortable.
And I could go on, and on...
The point it, if the goal of every big tech company is to have us mindlessly and helplessly consume their products, without agency and opposition (and it is $$$), then the infinite feed gets them half-way there.
Let's get rid of it. For the sake of humanity.
Aphantasia [^1]
Version: 1.0.2 Alpha
What is Aphantasia?
I like to call it a social network for graph enthusiasts. It's a place where your thoughts live in time and space, interconnected with others and explorable in a graph view.
The code is open-source and you can take a look at it on GitHub. There you can find more information about contributions, API usage and other details related to the software.
There is also an accompanying youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeLOt-45rJM
[^1]: Aphantasia the software is named after aphantasia the condition - see Wikipedia for more information.
https://stacker.news/items/988754
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:46People forget Bear Stearns failed March 2008 - months of denial followed before the public realized how bad the situation was under the surface.
Similar happening now but much larger scale. They did not fix fundamental issues after 2008 - everything is more fragile.
The Fed preemptively bailed out every bank with their BTFP program and First Republic Bank still failed. The second largest bank failure in history.
There will be more failures. There will be more bailouts. Depositors will be "protected" by socializing losses across everyone.
Our President and mainstream financial pundits are currently pretending the banking crisis is over while most banks remain insolvent. There are going to be many more bank failures as this ponzi system unravels.
Unlike 2008, we have the ability to opt out of these broken and corrupt institutions by using bitcoin. Bitcoin held in self custody is unique in its lack of counterparty risk - you do not have to trust a bank or other centralized entity to hold it for you. Bitcoin is also incredibly difficult to change by design since it is not controlled by an individual, company, or government - the supply of dollars will inevitably be inflated to bailout these failing banks but bitcoin supply will remain unchanged. I do not need to convince you that bitcoin provides value - these next few years will convince millions.
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:46Bank run on every crypto bank then bank run on every "real" bank.
â ODELL (@ODELL) December 14, 2022
Good morning.
It looks like PacWest will fail today. It will be both the fifth largest bank failure in US history and the sixth major bank to fail this year. It will likely get purchased by one of the big four banks in a government orchestrated sale. Â
March 8th - Silvergate Bank
March 10th - Silicon Valley Bank
March 12th - Signature Bank
March 19th - Credit Suisse
May 1st - First Republic Bank
May 4th - PacWest Bank?PacWest is the first of many small regional banks that will go under this year. Most will get bought by the big four in gov orchestrated sales. This has been the playbook since 2008. Follow the incentives. Massive consolidation across the banking industry. PacWest gonna be a drop in the bucket compared to what comes next.
First, a hastened government led bank consolidation, then a public/private partnership with the remaining large banks to launch a surveilled and controlled digital currency network. We will be told it is more convenient. We will be told it is safer. We will be told it will prevent future bank runs. All of that is marketing bullshit. The goal is greater control of money. The ability to choose how we spend it and how we save it. If you control the money - you control the people that use it.
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:46There must be a limit to how much data is transferred across the bitcoin network in order to keep the ability to run and use your own node accessible. A node is required to interact with the global bitcoin network - if you do not use your own node then you must trust someone else's node. If nodes become inaccessible to run then the network will centralize around the remaining entities that operate them - threatening the censorship resistance at the core of bitcoin's value prop. The bitcoin protocol uses three main mechanisms to keep node operation costs low - a fixed limit on the amount of data in each block, an automatic difficulty adjustment that regulates how many blocks are produced based on current mining hash rate, and a robust dynamic transaction fee market.
Bitcoin transaction fees limit network abuse by making usage expensive. There is a cost to every transaction, set by a dynamic free market based on demand for scarce block space. It is an incredibly robust way to prevent spam without relying on centralized entities that can be corrupted or pressured.
After the 2017 bitcoin fee spike we had six years of relative quiet to build tools that would be robust in a sustained high fee market. Fortunately our tools are significantly better now but many still need improvement. Most of the pain points we see today will be mitigated.
The reality is we were never going to be fully prepared - pressure is needed to show the pain points and provide strong incentives to mitigate them.
It will be incredibly interesting to watch how projects adapt under pressure. Optimistic we see great innovation here.
_If you are willing to wait for your transaction to confirm you can pay significantly lower fees. Learn best practices for reducing your fee burden here.
My guide for running and using your own bitcoin node can be found here._
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:46I often hear "bitcoin doesn't interest me, I'm not a finance person."
Ironically, the beauty of sound money is you don't have to be. In the current system you're expected to manage a diversified investment portfolio or pay someone to do it. Bitcoin will make that optional.
â ODELL (@ODELL) September 16, 2018
At first glance bitcoin often appears overwhelming to newcomers. It is incredibly easy to get bogged down in the details of how it works or different ways to use it. Enthusiasts, such as myself, often enjoy going down the deep rabbit hole of the potential of bitcoin, possible pitfalls and theoretical scenarios, power user techniques, and the developer ecosystem. If your first touch point with bitcoin is that type of content then it is only natural to be overwhelmed. While it is important that we have a thriving community of bitcoiners dedicated to these complicated tasks - the true beauty of bitcoin lies in its simplicity. Bitcoin is simply better money. It is the best money we have ever had.
Life is complicated. Life is hard. Life is full of responsibility and surprises. Bitcoin allows us to focus on our lives while relying on a money that is simple. A money that is not controlled by any individual, company, or government. A money that cannot be easily seized or blocked. A money that cannot be devalued at will by a handful of corrupt bureaucrat who live hundreds of miles from us. A money that can be easily saved and should increase in purchasing power over time without having to learn how to "build a diversified stock portfolio" or hire someone to do it for us.
Bitcoin enables all of us to focus on our lives - our friends and family - doing what we love with the short time we have on this earth. Time is scarce. Life is complicated. Bitcoin is the most simple aspect of our complicated lives. If we spend our scarce time working then we should be able to easily save that accrued value for future generations without watching the news or understanding complicated financial markets. Bitcoin makes this possible for anyone.
Yesterday was Mother's Day. Raising a human is complicated. It is hard, it requires immense personal responsibility, it requires critical thinking, but mothers figure it out, because it is worth it. Using and saving bitcoin is simple - Â simply install an app on your phone. Every mother can do it. Every person can do it.
Life is complicated. Life is beautiful. Bitcoin is simple.
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3
2025-05-24 15:06:32I was just updating our potential points, now that we know who won MVP, who made All NBA 1st team, and which teams are still alive for the title, and it turns out that no matter who wins the title @gnilma will win this contest.
Congratulations, @gnilma!
This is just further proof that @gnilma is our NBA Guru.
Let me know where you want your 7k in winnings sent.
https://stacker.news/items/988245
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:46Will not live in a pod.
Will not eat the bugs.
Will not get the chip.
Will not get a blue check.
Will not use CBDCs.Live Free or Die.
Why did Elon buy twitter for $44 Billion? What value does he see in it besides the greater influence that undoubtedly comes with controlling one of the largest social platforms in the world? We do not need to speculate - he made his intentions incredibly clear in his first meeting with twitter employees after his takeover - WeChat of the West.
To those that do not appreciate freedom, the value prop is clear - WeChat is incredibly powerful and successful in China.
To those that do appreciate freedom, the concern is clear - WeChat has essentially become required to live in China, has surveillance and censorship integrated at its core, and if you are banned from the app your entire livelihood is at risk. Employment, housing, payments, travel, communication, and more become extremely difficult if WeChat censors determine you have acted out of line.
The blue check is the first step in Elon's plan to bring the chinese social credit score system to the west. Users who verify their identity are rewarded with more reach and better tools than those that do not. Verified users are the main product of Elon's twitter - an extensive database of individuals and complete control of the tools he will slowly get them to rely on - it is easier to monetize cattle than free men.
If you cannot resist the temptation of the blue check in its current form you have already lost - what comes next will be much darker. If you realize the need to resist - freedom tech provides us options.
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ bf47c19e:c3d2573b
2025-05-27 14:57:56Srpski prevod knjige "The Little Bitcoin Book"
ZaĆĄto je Bitkoin bitan za vaĆĄu slobodu, finansije i buduÄnost?
Verovatno ste Äuli za Bitkoin u vestima ili da o njemu raspravljaju vaĆĄi prijatelji ili kolege. Kako to da se cena stalno menja? Da li je Bitkoin dobra investicija? Kako to uopĆĄte ima vrednost? ZaĆĄto ljudi stalno govore o tome kao da cÌe promeniti svet?
"Mala knjiga o Bitkoinu" govori o tome ĆĄta nije u redu sa danaĆĄnjim novcem i zaĆĄto je Bitkoin izmiĆĄljen da obezbedi alternativu trenutnom sistemu. Jednostavnim reÄima opisuje ĆĄta je Bitkoin, kako funkcioniĆĄe, zaĆĄto je vredan i kako utiÄe na individualnu slobodu i mogucÌnosti ljudi svuda - od Nigerije preko Filipina do Venecuele do Sjedinjenih DrĆŸava. Ova knjiga takoÄe ukljuÄuje odeljak "Pitanja i odgovori" sa nekim od najÄeĆĄcÌe postavljanih pitanja o Bitkoinu.
Ako ĆŸelite da saznate viĆĄe o ovom novom obliku novca koji i dalje izaziva interesovanje i usvajanje ĆĄirom sveta, onda je ova knjiga za vas.
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:45Nostr is an open communication protocol that can be used to send messages across a distributed set of relays in a censorship resistant and robust way.
If you missed my nostr introduction post you can find it here. My nostr account can be found here.
We are nearly at the point that if something interesting is posted on a centralized social platform it will usually be posted by someone to nostr.
We are nearly at the point that if something interesting is posted exclusively to nostr it is cross posted by someone to various centralized social platforms.
We are nearly at the point that you can recommend a cross platform app that users can install and easily onboard without additional guides or resources.
As companies continue to build walls around their centralized platforms nostr posts will be the easiest to cross reference and verify - as companies continue to censor their users nostr is the best censorship resistant alternative - gradually then suddenly nostr will become the standard. đ«Ą
Current Nostr Stats
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ bf47c19e:c3d2573b
2025-05-27 14:54:03Originalni tekst na bitcoin-balkan.com.
Pregled sadrĆŸaja
- 5 Razloga ZaĆĄto je Novac VaĆŸan za Vas, Individualno
- 3 Razloga ZaĆĄto je Novac VaĆŸan za DruĆĄtvo u Celini
- ZaĆĄto ljudi mrze novac?
Novac vs trenuci â da li oni treba da budu u sukobu? Kakva je uloga novca?
Novac je nepredvidiva zver modernog druĆĄtva â neki ga veliÄaju sa stalnom ĆŸeljom da steknu viĆĄe, dok ga drugi demonizuju i kaĆŸu da je pohlepa srĆŸ druĆĄtvenih problema. Tokom mnogih godina svog ĆŸivota, ja sam Äesto prelazio sa jednog na drugo glediĆĄte, i nauÄio mnogo toga upoznajuÄi druge ljude koji ĆŸive na oba kraja ovog spektra. Kao i kod mnogih sloĆŸenih tema, istina leĆŸi negde u sredini.
Novac je vaĆŸan zato ĆĄto on moĆŸe da pomogne u uklanjanju materijalnih ĆŸelja i patnji â omoguÄavanjem da preuzmete kontrolu nad svojim ĆŸivotom i da brinete o voljenima. Novac podiĆŸe ĆŸivotni standard druĆĄtva omoguÄavanjem trgovine, a pritom minimalizuje potrebu za poverenjem.
Na novac moĆŸemo gledati kao na naÄin da svoj uloĆŸeni trud saÄuvamo u odredjenom obliku, i da ga vremenom prenesemo, tako da moĆŸemo da uĆŸivamo u plodovima svog rada. Novac kao alat je jedna od najvaĆŸnijih stvari za rast civilizacije. Na nesreÄu, mnogi su vremenom zlostavljali novac, ali sa dobrim razlogom: naÄin na koji naĆĄ novac danas funkcioniĆĄe dovodi do duboko podeljenog druĆĄtva â ĆĄto Äu i objasniti.
5 Razloga ZaĆĄto je Novac VaĆŸan za Vas, Individualno
Novac je vaĆŸan za rast bogatstva, ĆĄto je malo drugaÄije od toga da imamo veliku platu ili jednostavno zaraÄivati velike koliÄine novca. Bogatstvo je otklanjanje ĆŸelja, kako bi mogli da obratimo viĆĄe paĆŸnje na neke korisnije stvari u ĆŸivotu, od pukog preĆŸivljavanja i osnovnih udobnosti.
Bogata osoba je ona koja zaradi viĆĄe novca nego ĆĄto potroĆĄi, i koja ga Äuva â ona Äuva svoj rad tokom vremena. Uporedite ovo sa visoko plaÄenim lekarom koji ĆŸivi u velikoj vili sa hipotekom i sa Mercedesom na lizing. Iako ova osoba ima visoke prihode, ona takoÄe ima velike rashode u vidu obaveze plaÄanja te hipoteke i lizinga. Te obaveze spreÄavaju ovu osobu da uĆŸiva u istinskim blagodetima novca i bogatstva koje one predstavljaju:
1. Sloboda od potrebe za radom
Bez bogatstva, vi morate da radite da biste preĆŸiveli. Dostizanjem bogatstva i odredjenom imovinom koja vam donosi novac bez potrebe da vi troĆĄite svoje vreme, vi moĆŸete da oslobodite svoj raspored. ViĆĄe ne zavisite od posla koji mrzite, i nemorate da provodite 40 sati nedeljno odvojeni od porodice, samo da biste se pobrinuli za svoje osnovne potrebe. Dobijanje otkaza u padu ekonomije neÄe vas dovesti do finansijske propasti ili neÄeg goreg.
2. Kontrola nad time kako vi troĆĄite svoje vreme
Kada steknete bogatstvo, vi moĆŸete da odluÄite kako ĆŸelite da provodite svoje vreme. Kada se nalazimo u trci pacova i radimo 40+ sati nedeljno, Äesto se naviknemo da novac troĆĄimo onda kada imamo slobodnog vremena. Idemo na lepe veÄere ili idemo na skupe odmore. MeÄutim, sa viĆĄe vremena, a moĆŸda Äak i sa manje novca, mi moĆŸemo da imamo isto ili viĆĄe uĆŸivanja ĆŸiveÄi usporenije.
Razmislite o ovome â ukoliko imate samo 1 nedelju slobodno od posla, vi onda morate da kupite onaj mnogo skuplji let u Petak uveÄe koji se vraÄa u sledeÄu Nedelju, kako biste maksimalno iskoristili svoje vreme na nekom egzotiÄnom mestu za odmor. MeÄutim, ukoliko ste u moguÄnosti da izdrĆŸavate sebe bez potrebe da mnogo vremena provodite na poslu, vi onda moĆŸete u Utorak da krenete jeftinijim letom i vratite se u sledeÄu Sredu. TakoÄe neÄete oseÄati toliki pritisak da se opustite u uĆŸivanju tokom vaĆĄe nedelje u inostranstvu â moĆŸda Äete Äak moÄi i da ostanete duĆŸe i da istraĆŸujete viĆĄe, bez plaÄanja skupih turistiÄkih agencija i hotela kako bi organizovali vaĆĄe kraÄe putovanje.
3. Sposobnost da pomaĆŸete vaĆĄim prijateljima i porodici
Onda kada novca imate na pretek, moĆŸete poboljĆĄati svoje odnose sa prijateljima i porodicom ne samo kroz dodatno slobodno vreme koje provodite sa njima, veÄ i sa samim novcem. Ako je vaĆĄem prijatelju potrebna hitna operacija, vi moĆŸete da mu izadjete u susret i pomognete mu da stane na svoje noge. Ukoliko vam je tetka bolesna, vi moĆŸete da provedete vreme pored nje, umesto da je pozovete na kratko dok putujete prema kuÄi vraÄajuÄi se nakon celog dana provedenog u kancelariji.
4. Smanjen finansijski stres
Stres je sveobuhvatno i opasno stanje modernog doba, sa kojim gotovo svi mi ĆŸivimo u nekoj odredjenoj meri. Povezan je sa loĆĄim zdravljem, sa preko 43% svih odraslih koji kaĆŸu da pate od odredjenih zdravstvenih problema uzrokovanih stresom. Stres zbog posla pogaÄa 83% zaposlenih.
Pravo bogatstvo â koje znaÄi eliminaciju ĆŸelja i potreba â moĆŸe da ukloni ovaj stres i njegove negativne uticaje na druge delove ĆŸivota. Ovo bi Äak moglo da ukloni veÄinu stresa u vaĆĄem ĆŸivotu, uzimajuÄi u obzir da je uzrok stresa broj 1 upravo novac.
5. Bolje moĆŸete da pomognete vaĆĄoj zajednici
Mnogi od nas ĆŸele da volontiraju u svojim zajednicama i pomognu onima koja je pomoÄ preko potrebna, ali nisu u stanju da pronaÄu slobodnog vremena i energije zbog svog posla, porodice i druĆĄtvenih aktivnosti koje nas mentalno i fiziÄki Äine sreÄnima, zdravima i hranjenima. Sa bogatstvom, mi moĆŸemo da posvetimo vreme koje nam je potrebno za razumevanje i doprinos drugima â a ne samo da sa vremena na vreme pomognemo slanjem humanitarnog SMS-a.
Novac, koji se pametno koristi, je moÄno sredstvo za poboljĆĄanje vaĆĄeg ĆŸivota i ĆŸivota vaĆĄih najmilijih i zajednice. MeÄutim, novac je takoÄe moÄno sredstvo za poboljĆĄanje druĆĄtva u celini â ukoliko je dobro strukturiran.
3 Razloga ZaĆĄto je Novac VaĆŸan za DruĆĄtvo u Celini
Novac poboljĆĄava sposobnost ljudi da trguju jedni s drugima, ĆĄto podstiÄe odreÄene specijalizacije. Ako je imanje vaĆĄeg komĆĄije odliÄno za proizvodnju vina, a vaĆĄe je pogodno za ĆŸito, obojica moĆŸete da profitirate trgovinom. Sad oboje imate i hleb i vino, umesto jednog pijanog vlasnika vinograda i jednog proizvodjaÄa ĆŸita kome je dosadno!
Novac poboljĆĄava druĆĄtvo na nekoliko naÄina:
1. OmoguÄava specijalizaciju
Kao u primeru vlasnika vinograda i proizvodjaÄa ĆŸita, novac omoguÄava poveÄanu specijalizaciju poboljĆĄavajuÄi sposobnost trgovine. Svaka razmena dobara ima problem sa âsticajima potrebaâ â oba partnera u trgovini moraju da ĆŸele ono ĆĄto druga osoba ima da bi pristala na trgovinu.
MoĆŸemo da mislimo o novcu kao o dobru koje ĆŸele gotovo svi. Ovo trgovinu Äini mnogo jednostavnijom â da biste stekli odredjeno dobro, sve ĆĄto vam je potrebno je novac, a ne neka sluÄajna stvar koju prodavac tog dobra takoÄe ĆŸeli u tom trenutku. Vremenom je upotreba novca omoguÄila specijalizaciju, ĆĄto je poveÄalo kvalitet i sloĆŸenost roba i usluga.
Zamislite da sami pokuĆĄate da napravite svoj telefon â a bili su potrebni milioni struÄnjaka i specijalizovana oprema da bi proizveli taj ureÄaj. Svi ti struÄnjaci i kompanije plaÄaju jedni drugima u novcu, omoguÄavajuÄi sloĆŸenom plesu globalnih proizvoÄaÄa i lanaca snabdevanja da taj telefon isporuÄe na dlan vaĆĄe ruke. Äak i neĆĄto tako jednostavno kao flaĆĄa za vodu ukljuÄuje naftna polja i proizvodne pogone koji su moĆŸda hiljadama kilometara od vaĆĄe kuÄe.
Kada ljudi mogu da se specijalizuju, kvalitet robe i usluga moĆŸe da se poveÄa.
2. OmoguÄava korisnu trgovinu uz smanjeno poverenje
Mala druĆĄtva mogu mirno i produktivno da posluju bez novca koristeÄi usluge, âdodjem tiâ i uzajamno razumevanje. MeÄutim, kako se druĆĄtva uveÄavaju, svima brzo postaje nemoguÄe da odrĆŸavaju liÄne odnose i isti stepen poverenja sa svima ostalima. Sistem trgovine uslugama i meÄusobnog poverenja ne funkcioniĆĄe previĆĄe dobro sa putnikom koji se nalazi na proputovanju kroz grad, i provede samo 15 minuta svog ĆŸivota u vaĆĄoj prodavnici.
Novac minimizira poverenje potrebno za trgovinu u veÄim druĆĄtvima. Sada viĆĄe ne moram da verujem da Äete mi pomoÄi kasnije kada mi zatreba â mogu samo da prihvatim uplatu od vas i da to koristim da bih sebi pomogao kasnije. Jedan od mojih omiljenih mislilaca, Nick Szabo, ovo naziva âdruĆĄtvena prilagodljivostâ.
3. Smanjuje upotrebu sile
Kada druĆĄtvo teĆŸi upotrebi odreÄenog oblika novca za olakĆĄavanje trgovine, moĆŸe u velikoj meri da smanji nasilje u tom druĆĄtvu. Kako to moĆŸe biti tako? Zar ljudi ne bi i dalje ĆŸeleli da kradu jedni od drugih ili da se svete?
Ukoliko razmiĆĄljamo van uobiÄajnih okvira, moĆŸemo da poÄnemo da razumemo kako novac moĆŸe da smanji nasilje. Ako ti i ja ĆŸivimo u susednim zemljama i ĆŸelimo neĆĄto ĆĄto druga zemlja ima, imamo dva naÄina da to dobijemo: uzimanjem na silu ili menjanjem neÄeg naĆĄeg za to. Kao ĆĄto je ranije reÄeno, novac znatno olakĆĄava trgovinu â pa Äemo postojanjem zajedniÄkog monetarnog sistema verovatnije radje izvrĆĄiti trgovinu nego napad na zemlju. ZaĆĄto bismo rizikovali svoje ĆŸivote kad moĆŸemo samo mirno da trgujemo jedni sa drugima?
ZaĆĄto ljudi mrze novac?
Pa ako novac ima toliko koristi za nas liÄno i za druĆĄtvo u celini, zaĆĄto toliko ljudi mrzi novac? ZaĆĄto je demonizovan, zajedno sa onima koji ga imaju puno?
Za deo ovoga moĆŸe biti okrivljen problem u jednakosti moguÄnosti â to da je nekima teĆŸe da izadju iz nemaĆĄtine i postanu bogati. Bez sumnje, neki mali deo potiÄe od ljudi koji jednostavno ne ĆŸele da se trude ili preduzmu neophodne rizike da bi postali bogati.
MeÄutim, oba ova problema imaju viĆĄe veze sa problemima kako naĆĄ novac danas funkcioniĆĄe, nego sa bilo kojim problemom u samom konceptu novca. NovÄani sistem treba da nagraÄuje ljude koji proizvode vredne stvari i trguju njima sa drugima. Verujem da veÄina ljudi danas misli da novac tako funkcioniĆĄe, i to ne bi smelo da bude daleko od istine.
NaĆĄ trenutni monetarni sistem, na ĆŸalost, nagraÄuje âfinansijalizacijuâ â pretvarajuÄi sve u imovinu, Äija vrednost moĆŸe da se napumpava ili spuĆĄta stvaranjem dobre priÄe i navoÄenjem drugih da veruju u nju. Razuzdani dug pogonjen stalnim omalovaĆŸavanjem svih glavnih valuta dodat je ovom blatu finansijalizacije. Sada je isplativije podiÄi ogroman kredit i koristiti ga za brzo okretanje imovine radi zarade nego izgraditi posao koji druĆĄtvu nudi korisne robe i usluge.
Tradicionalni monetarni sistem dodatno nagradjuje predatore, partnere u zloÄinu i neradnike.
Propast naĆĄeg novca razvila se tokom proteklih pola veka, poÄevĆĄi od toga kada su naĆĄe valute postale niĆĄta viĆĄe od parÄeta papira, podrĆŸanog sa verom i kreditima naĆĄih vlada. Da biste bolje razumeli ovu promenu, pogledajte moj post o svrsi i istoriji novca.
Ako vam se sviÄa moj rad, molim vas da ga podelite sa svojim prijateljima i porodicom. Cilj mi je da svima pruĆŸim pogled u ekonomiju i na to kako ona utiÄe na njihov ĆŸivot.
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@ 45d6c2bf:56915a25
2025-05-27 14:23:39published without nostr installed
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:45Influencers would have you believe there is an ongoing binance bank run but bitcoin wallet data says otherwise.
- binance wallets are near all time highs
- bitfinex wallets are also trending up
- gemini and coinbase are being hit with massive withdrawals thoughYou should not trust custodians, they can rug you without warning. It is incredibly important you learn how to hold bitcoin yourself, but also consider not blindly trusting influencers with a ref link to shill you.
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ 43baaf0c:d193e34c
2025-05-27 14:08:02During the incredible Bitcoin Filmfest, I attended a community session where a discussion emerged about zapping and why I believe zaps are important. The person leading the Nostr session who is also developing an app thatâs partially connected to Nostr mentioned they wouldnât be implementing the zap mechanism directly. This sparked a brief but meaningful debate, which is why Iâd like to share my perspective as an artist and content creator on why zaps truly matter.
Let me start by saying that I see everything from the perspective of an artist and creator, not so much from a developerâs point of view. In 2023, I started using Nostr after spending a few years exploring the world of âshitcoinsâ and NFTs, beginning in 2018. Even though I became a Bitcoin maximalist around 2023, those earlier years taught me an important lesson: it is possible to earn money with my art.
Whether you love or hate them, NFTs opened my eyes to the idea that I could finally take my art to the next level. Before that, for over 15 years, I ran a travel stock video content company called @traveltelly. You can read the full story about my journey in travel and content here: https://yakihonne.com/article/traveltelly@primal.net/vZc1c8aXrc-3hniN6IMdK
When I truly understood what Bitcoin meant to me, I left all other coins behind. Some would call that becoming a Bitcoin maximalist.
The first time I used Nostr, I discovered the magic of zapping. It amazed me that someone who appreciates your art or content could reward youânot just with a like, but with real value: Bitcoin, the hardest money on earth. Zaps are small amounts of Bitcoin sent as a sign of support or appreciation. (Each Bitcoin is divisible into 100 million units called Satoshis, or Sats for shortâmaking a Satoshi the smallest unit of Bitcoin recorded on the blockchain.)
The Energy of Zaps
If youâre building an app on Nostrâor even just connecting to itâbut choose not to include zaps, why should artists and content creators share their work there? Why would they leave platforms like Instagram or Facebook, which already benefit from massive network effects?
Yes, the ability to own your own data is one of Nostrâs greatest strengths. That alone is a powerful reason to embrace the protocol. No one can ban you. You control your content. And the ability to post once and have it appear across multiple Nostr clients is an amazing feature.
But for creators, energy matters. Engagement isnât just about numbersâitâs about value. Zaps create a feedback loop powered by real appreciation and real value, in the form of Bitcoin. Theyâre a signal that your content matters. And that energy is what makes creating on Nostr so special.
But beyond those key elements, I also look at this from a commercial perspective. The truth is, we still canât pay for groceries with kisses :)âwe still need money as a medium of exchange. Being financially rewarded for sharing your content gives creators a real incentive to keep creating and sharing. Thatâs where zaps come inâthey add economic value to engagement.
A Protocol for Emerging Artists and Creators
I believe Nostr offers a great starting point for emerging artists and content creators. If youâre just beginning and donât already have a large following on traditional social media platforms, Nostr provides a space where your work can be appreciated and directly supported with Bitcoin, even by a small but engaged community.
On the other hand, creators who already have a big audience and steady income on platforms like Instagram or YouTube may not feel the urgency to switch. This is similar to how wealthier countries are often slower to understand or adopt Bitcoinâbecause they donât need it yet. In contrast, people in unbanked regions or countries facing high inflation are more motivated to learn how money really works.
In the same way, emerging creatorsâthose still finding their audience and looking for sustainable ways to growâare often more open to exploring new ecosystems like Nostr, where innovation and financial empowerment go hand in hand.
The same goes for Nostr. After using it for the past two years, I can honestly say: without Nostr, I wouldnât be the artist I am today.
Nostr motivates me to create and share every single day. A like is nice but receiving a zap, even just 21 sats, is something entirely different. Once you truly understand that someone is willing to pay you for what you share, itâs no longer about the amount. Itâs about the magic behind it. That simple gesture creates a powerful, positive energy that keeps you going.
Even with Nostrâs still relatively small user base, Iâve already been able to create projects that simply wouldnât have been possible elsewhere.
Zaps do more than just rewardâthey inspire. They encourage you to keep building your community. That inspiration often leads to new projects. Sometimes, the people who zap you become directly involved in your work, or even ask you to create something specifically for them.
Thatâs the real value of zaps: not just micro-payments, but micro-connections sparks that lead to creativity, collaboration, and growth.
Proof of Work (PoW)
Over the past two years, Iâve experienced firsthand how small zaps can evolve into full art projects and even lead to real sales. Here are two examples that started with zaps and turned into something much bigger:
Halving 2024 Artwork
When I started the Halving 2024 project, I invited people on Nostr to be part of it. 70 people zapped me 2,100 sats each, and in return, I included their Npubs in the final artwork. That piece was later auctioned and sold to Jurjen de Vries for 225,128 Sats.
Magic Internet Money
For the Magic Internet Money artwork, I again invited people to zap 2,100 sats to be included. Fifty people participated, and their contributions became part of the final art frame. The completed piece was eventually sold to Filip for 480,000 sats.
These examples show the power of zaps: a simple, small act of appreciation can turn into larger engagement, deeper connection, and even the sale of original art. Zaps arenât just tipsâtheyâre a form of collaboration and support that fuel creative energy.
I hope this article gives developers a glimpse into the perspective of an artist using Nostr. Of course, this is just one artistâs view, and it doesnât claim to speak for everyone. But I felt it was important to share my Proof of Work and perspective.
For me, Zaps matter.
Thank you to all the developers who are building these amazing apps on Nostr. Your work empowers artists like me to share, grow, and be supported through the value-for-value model.
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:45For years American bitcoin miners have argued for more efficient and free energy markets. It benefits everyone if our energy infrastructure is as efficient and robust as possible. Unfortunately, broken incentives have led to increased regulation throughout the sector, incentivizing less efficient energy sources such as solar and wind at the detriment of more efficient alternatives.
The result has been less reliable energy infrastructure for all Americans and increased energy costs across the board. This naturally has a direct impact on bitcoin miners: increased energy costs make them less competitive globally.
Bitcoin mining represents a global energy market that does not require permission to participate. Anyone can plug a mining computer into power and internet to get paid the current dynamic market price for their work in bitcoin. Using cellphone or satellite internet, these mines can be located anywhere in the world, sourcing the cheapest power available.
Absent of regulation, bitcoin mining naturally incentivizes the build out of highly efficient and robust energy infrastructure. Unfortunately that world does not exist and burdensome regulations remain the biggest threat for US based mining businesses. Jurisdictional arbitrage gives miners the option of moving to a friendlier country but that naturally comes with its own costs.
Enter AI. With the rapid development and release of AI tools comes the requirement of running massive datacenters for their models. Major tech companies are scrambling to secure machines, rack space, and cheap energy to run full suites of AI enabled tools and services. The most valuable and powerful tech companies in America have stumbled into an accidental alliance with bitcoin miners: THE NEED FOR CHEAP AND RELIABLE ENERGY.
Our government is corrupt. Money talks. These companies will push for energy freedom and it will greatly benefit us all.
Microsoft Cloud hiring to "implement global small modular reactor and microreactor" strategy to power data centers: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-cloud-hiring-to-implement-global-small-modular-reactor-and-microreactor-strategy-to-power-data-centers/
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43
2025-05-27 13:19:53I. Introduction: Money as a Function of Efficiency and Preference
Money is not defined by law, but by power over productivity. In any open economy, the most economically efficient actorsâthose who control the most valuable goods, services, and knowledgeâultimately dictate the medium of exchange. Their preferences signal to the broader market what form of money is required to access the highest-value goods, from durable commodities to intangibles like intellectual property and skilled labor.
Whatever money these actors prefer becomes the de facto unit of account and store of value, regardless of its legal status. This emergent behavior is natural and reflects a hierarchy of monetary utility.
II. Classical Greshamâs Law: A Product of Market Distortion
Greshamâs Law, famously stated as:
"Bad money drives out good"
is only valid under coercive monetary conditions, specifically: - Legal tender laws that force the acceptance of inferior money at par with superior money. - Fixed exchange rates imposed by decree, not market valuation. - Governments or central banks backing elastic fiduciary media with promises of redemption. - Institutional structures that mandate debt and tax payments in the favored currency.
Under these conditions, superior money (hard money) is hoarded, while inferior money (soft, elastic, inflationary) circulates. This is not an expression of free market behaviorâit is the result of suppressed price discovery and legal coercion.
Greshamâs Law, therefore, is not a natural law of money, but a law of distortion under forced parity and artificial elasticity.
III. The Collapse of Coercion: Inversion of Greshamâs Law
When coercive structures weaken or are bypassedâthrough technological exit, jurisdictional arbitrage, monetary breakdown, or political disintegrationâGreshamâs Law inverts:
Good money drives out bad.
This occurs because: - Market actors regain the freedom to select money based on utility, scarcity, and credibility. - Legal parity collapses, exposing the true economic hierarchy of monetary forms. - Trustless systems (e.g., Bitcoin) or superior digital instruments (e.g., stablecoins) offer better settlement, security, and durability. - Elastic fiduciary media become undesirable as counterparty risk and inflation rise.
The inversion marks a return to monetary natural selectionânot a breakdown of Greshamâs Law, but the collapse of its preconditions.
IV. Elasticity and Control
Elastic fiduciary media (like fiat currency) are not intrinsically evil. They are tools of state finance and debt management, enabling rapid expansion of credit and liquidity. However, when their issuance is unconstrained, and legal tender laws force their use, they become weapons of economic coercion.
Banks issue credit unconstrained by real savings, and governments enforce the use of inflated media through taxation and courts. This distorts capital allocation, devalues productive labor, and ultimately hollows out monetary confidence.
V. Monetary Reversion: The Return of Hard Money
When the coercion endsâwhether gradually or suddenlyâthe monetary system reverts. The preferences of the productive and wealthy reassert themselves:
- Superior money is not just savedâit begins to circulate.
- Weaker currencies are rejected not just for savings, but for daily exchange.
- The hoarded form becomes the traded form, and Greshamâs Law inverts completely.
Bitcoin, gold, and even highly credible stable instruments begin to function as true money, not just stores of value. The natural monetary order returns, and the State becomes a late participant, not the originator of monetary reality.
VI. Conclusion
Greshamâs Law operates only under distortion. Its inversion is not an anomalyâit is a signal of the collapse of coercion. The monetary system then reorganizes around productive preference, technological efficiency, and economic sovereignty.
The most efficient market will always dictate the form of hard money. The State can delay this reckoning through legal force, but it cannot prevent it indefinitely. Once free choice returns, bad money dies, and good money lives again.
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@ a0e937b7:50db609a
2025-05-27 13:06:38Because we are not merely addicted to #Narrativium: It is our drive, imbued into our very essence. And it is so much easier to absorb our daily dose from the billions of trickles provided by everyone else as a substitute drug #Gossipium, or temporarily saturate our unquenchable thirst by just giving in to the temptation by the incessable stream of Movies and Series providing #Fictionium than it is to find a properly satisfying Source Of Narrativium (acronymize that đ), let alone create our own Narrativium that might even be worthy of sharing. And yet, there is so much more fulfilment possible by letting one's creativity work instead of merely using a "share" button - which briefly seems to trick the human brain into believing that one has actually participated in providing one's peers with proper Narrativium, possibly as part of an implicit social contract: "I give you all some Narrativium I found, now give me more in return". It is such a trivial action to take, even more effortless than gossiping. But let's be honest, it often just feels hollow. And even when we write something, it is again tempting to just create #Rantium instead of something actually useful.
Gossypium herbaceum, the cotton plant (Photo by H. Zell from Wikipedia)
Originally I merely wanted to post a witty quote from https://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Narrativium about Narrativium on Facebook:
"Humans add narrativium to their world. They insist on interpreting the universe as if it's telling a story. This leads them to focus on facts that fit the story, while ignoring those that don't." - T. Pratchett, I. Steward, J. Cohen, The Science of Discworld I
Maybe even subtly allude to how that might explain quite a lot about the everyday insanity that seems to surround us, especially these days.
"We are not Homo sapiens, Wise Man. We are the third chimpanzee. [...] We are Pan narrans, the storytelling ape. [...] if you understand the power of story, and learn to detect abuses of it, you might actually deserve the appellation Homo sapiens." - T. Pratchett, I. Steward, J. Cohen, The Science of Discworld II
Really. I was just going to quote a bit and go on about my day with some meaningless procrastination. Why already bother with housework when I can delay that until tomorrow or the day after and just watch some series in the Arrowverse now? But after ten minutes of a Legends of Tomorrow episode called "Lucha de Apuestas", curiosity got the better of me. What is it with Luchadores and their masks, I mockingly wondered. So I read Wikipedia on it. Lots of culture, history and, most importantly to me, Narrativium. I probably couldn't care less for to guys bumping fists on a stage, I don't really care about watching any sports either. But there's a certain fascination to stories, isn't there? So I felt like sharing about Narrativium, and here we are.
â
That's it for now, I might keep writing on this. One day. Just as I keep continuing writing everything else I start. Not. Well, motivate me.
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@ 7f6db517:a4931eda
2025-05-27 19:01:45Humanity's Natural State Is Chaos
Without order there is chaos. Humans competing with each other for scarce resources naturally leads to conflict until one group achieves significant power and instates a "monopoly on violence."Power Brings Stability
Power has always been the key means to achieve stability in societies. Centralized power can be incredibly effective in addressing issues such as crime, poverty, and social unrest efficiently. Unfortunately this power is often abused and corrupted.Centralized Power Breeds Tyranny
Centralized power often leads to tyrannical rule. When a select few individuals hold control over a society, they tend to become corrupted. Centralized power structures often lack accountability and transparency, and rely too heavily on trust.Distributed Power Cultivates Freedom
New technology that empowers individuals provide us the ability to rebuild societies from the bottom up. Strong individuals that can defend and provide for themselves will help build strong local communities on a similar foundation. The result is power being distributed throughout society rather than held by a select few.In the short term, relying on trust and centralized power is an easy answer to mitigating chaos, but freedom tech tools provide us the ability to build on top of much stronger distributed foundations that provide stability while also cultivating individual freedom.
The solution starts with us. Empower yourself. Empower others. A grassroots freedom tech movement scaling one person at a time.
If you found this post helpful support my work with bitcoin.
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@ dfa02707:41ca50e3
2025-05-27 19:01:44Contribute to keep No Bullshit Bitcoin news going.
- Coinswap is a decentralized protocol for private, trustless cryptocurrency swaps. It allows participants to securely swap digital assets without intermediaries, using advanced cryptographic techniques and atomic swaps to ensure privacy and security.
- This release introduces major improvements to the protocol's efficiency, security, and usability, including custom in-memory UTXO indexes, more advanced coin-selection algorithms, fidelity bond management and more.
- The update also improves user experience with full Mac support, faster Tor connections, enhanced UI/UX, a unified API, and improved protocol documentation.
"The Project is under active beta development and open for contributions and beta testing. The Coinswap market place is live in testnet4. Bug fixes and feature requests are very much welcome."
- Manuals and demo docs are available here.
What's new
- Core protocol and performance improvements:
- Custom in-memory UTXO indexes. Frequent Core RPC calls, which caused significant delays, have been eliminated by implementing custom in-memory UTXO indexes. These indexes are also saved to disk, leading to faster wallet synchronization.
- Coin selection. Advanced coin-selection algorithms, like those in Bitcoin Core, have been incorporated, enhancing the efficiency of creating different types of transactions.
- Fidelity management. Maker servers now automate tasks such as checking bond expiries, redemption, and recreation for Fidelity Bonds, reducing the user's management responsibilities.
- Taker liveness. The
WaitingFundingConfirmation
message has been added to keep swap connections between Takers and Makers, assisting with variable block confirmation delays.
-
User experience and compatibility:
- Mac compatibility. The crate and apps now fully support Mac.
- Tor operations are streamlined for faster, more resilient connections. Tor addresses are now consistently linked to the wallet seed, maintaining the same onion address through system reboots.
- The UI/UX improvements enhance the display of balances, UTXOs, offer data, fidelity bonds, and system logs. These updates make the apps more enjoyable and provide clearer coin swap logs during the swap process.
-
API design improvements. Transaction creation routines have been streamlined to use a single common API, which reduces technical debt and eliminates redundant code.
- Protocol spec documentation now details how Coinswap breaks the transaction graph and improves privacy through routed swaps and amount splitting, and includes diagrams for clarity.
Source: Coinswap Protocol specification.
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@ 9cb3545c:2ff47bca
2025-05-27 12:58:56Introduction
Public companies that hold Bitcoin on behalf of investors (often issuing securities backed by those Bitcoin holdings) have faced growing pressure to demonstrate proof of reserves â evidence that they genuinely hold the cryptocurrency they claim. One approach is to publish the companyâs Bitcoin wallet addresses so that anyone can verify the balances on the blockchain. This practice gained momentum after high-profile crypto collapses (e.g. FTX in 2022) eroded trust, leading major exchanges and fund issuers like Binance, Kraken, OKX, and Bitwise to publicize wallet addresses as proof of assets ïżŒ. The goal is transparency and reassurance for investors. However, making wallet addresses public comes with significant security and privacy risks. This report examines those risks â from cybersecurity threats and blockchain tracing to regulatory and reputational implications â and weighs them against the transparency benefits of on-chain proof of reserves.
Proof of Reserves via Public Wallet Addresses
In the cryptocurrency ethos of âdonât trust â verify,â on-chain proof of reserves is seen as a powerful tool. By disclosing wallet addresses (or cryptographic attestations of balances), a company lets investors and analysts independently verify that the Bitcoin reserves exist on-chain. For example, some firms have dashboards showing their addresses and balances in real time ïżŒ. In theory, this transparency builds trust by proving assets are not being misreported or misused. Shareholders gain confidence that the companyâs Bitcoin holdings are intact, potentially preventing fraud or mismanagement.
Yet this approach essentially sacrifices the pseudonymity of blockchain transactions. Publishing a wallet address ties a large, known institution to specific on-chain funds. While Bitcoin addresses are public by design, most companies treat their specific addresses as sensitive information. Public proof-of-reserve disclosures break that anonymity, raising several concerns as detailed below.
Cybersecurity Threats from Visible Wallet Balances
Revealing a wallet address with a large balance can make a company a prime target for hackers and cybercriminals. Knowing exactly where significant reserves are held gives attackers a clear blueprint. As Bitcoin advocate (and MicroStrategy Executive Chairman) Michael Saylor warned in 2025, âpublicly known wallet addresses become prime targets for malicious actors. Knowing where significant reserves are held provides hackers with a clear target, potentially increasing the risk of sophisticated attacksâ ïżŒ. In other words, publishing the address increases the attack surface â attackers might intensify phishing campaigns, malware deployment, or insider bribery aimed at obtaining the keys or access to those wallets.
Even if the wallets are secured in cold storage, a public address advertisement may encourage attempts to penetrate the organizationâs security. Custodians and partners could also be targeted. Saylor noted that this exposure isnât just risky for the company holding the Bitcoin; it can indirectly put their custodial providers and related exchanges at risk as well ïżŒ. For instance, if a third-party custodian manages the wallets, hackers might attempt to breach that custodian knowing the reward (the companyâs Bitcoin) is great.
Companies themselves have acknowledged these dangers. Grayscale Investments, which runs the large Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), pointedly refused to publish its wallet addresses in late 2022, citing âsecurity concernsâ and complex custody arrangements that have âkept our investorsâ assets safe for yearsâ ïżŒ. Grayscale implied that revealing on-chain addresses could undermine those security measures, and it chose not to âcircumvent complex security arrangementsâ just to appease public demand ïżŒ. This highlights a key point: corporate treasury security protocols often assume wallet details remain confidential. Publicizing them could invalidate certain assumptions (for example, if an address was meant to be operationally secret, it can no longer serve that role once exposed).
Additionally, a publicly known trove of cryptocurrency might invite physical security threats. While not a purely âcyberâ issue, if criminals know a particular company or facility controls a wallet with, say, thousands of Bitcoin, it could lead to threats against personnel (extortion or coercion to obtain keys). This is a less common scenario for large institutions (which typically have robust physical security), but smaller companies or key individuals could face elevated personal risk by being associated with huge visible crypto reserves.
In summary, cybersecurity experts consider public proof-of-reserve addresses a double-edged sword: transparency comes at the cost of advertising exactly where a fortune is held. As Saylor bluntly put it, âthe conventional way of issuing proof of reserves today is actually insecure⊠This method undermines the security of the issuer, the custodian, the exchanges and the investors. This is not a good ideaâ ïżŒ ïżŒ. From a pure security standpoint, broadcasting your wallets is akin to drawing a bullseye on them.
Privacy Risks: Address Clustering and Blockchain Tracing
Blockchain data is public, so publishing addresses opens the door to unwanted analytics and loss of privacy for the business. Even without knowing the private keys, analysts can scrutinize every transaction in and out of those addresses. This enables address clustering â linking together addresses that interact â and other forms of blockchain forensics that can reveal sensitive information about the companyâs activities.
One immediate risk is that observers can track the companyâs transaction patterns. For example, if the company moves Bitcoin from its reserve address to an exchange or to another address, that move is visible in real time. Competitors, investors, or even attackers could deduce strategic information: perhaps the company is planning to sell (if coins go to an exchange wallet) or is reallocating funds. A known institutionâs on-chain movements can thus âreveal strategic movements or holdingsâ, eroding the companyâs operational privacy ïżŒ. In a volatile market, advance knowledge of a large buy or sell by a major player could even be exploited by others (front-running the market, etc.).
Publishing one or a few static addresses also violates a basic privacy principle of Bitcoin: address reuse. Best practice in Bitcoin is to use a fresh address for each transaction to avoid linking them ïżŒ ïżŒ. If a company continuously uses the same âproof of reserveâ address, all counterparties sending funds to or receiving funds from that address become visible. Observers could map out the companyâs business relationships or vendors by analyzing counterparties. A Reddit user commenting on an ETF that published a single address noted that âreusing a single address for this makes me question their risk management⊠There are much better and more privacy-preserving ways to prove reserves⊠without throwing everything in a single public addressâ ïżŒ. In other words, a naive implementation of proof-of-reserve (one big address) maximizes privacy leakage.
Even if multiple addresses are used, if they are all disclosed, one can perform clustering analysis to find connections. This happened in the Grayscale case: although Grayscale would not confirm any addresses, community analysts traced and identified 432 addresses likely belonging to GBTCâs custodial holdings by following on-chain traces from known intermediary accounts ïżŒ. They managed to attribute roughly 317,705 BTC (about half of GBTCâs holdings) to those addresses ïżŒ. This demonstrates that even partial information can enable clustering â and if the company directly published addresses, the task becomes even easier to map the entirety of its on-chain asset base.
Another threat vector is âdustingâ attacks, which become more feasible when an address is publicly known. In a dusting attack, an adversary sends a tiny amount of cryptocurrency (dust) to a target address. The dust itself is harmless, but if the target address ever spends that dust together with other funds, it can cryptographically link the target address to other addresses in the same wallet. Blockchain security researchers note that âwith UTXO-based assets, an attacker could distribute dust to an address to reveal the ownerâs other addresses by tracking the dustâs movement⊠If the owner unknowingly combines this dust with their funds in a transaction, the attacker can⊠link multiple addresses to a single ownerâ, compromising privacy ïżŒ. A company that publishes a list of reserve addresses could be systematically dusted by malicious actors attempting to map out all addresses under the companyâs control. This could unmask cold wallet addresses that the company never intended to publicize, further eroding its privacy and security.
Investor confidentiality is another subtle concern. If the business model involves individual investor accounts or contributions (for instance, a trust where investors can deposit or withdraw Bitcoin), public addresses might expose those movements. An outside observer might not know which investor corresponds to a transaction, but unusual inflows/outflows could signal actions by big clients. In extreme cases, if an investorâs own wallet is known (say a large investor announces their involvement), one might link that to transactions in the companyâs reserve addresses. This could inadvertently reveal an investorâs activities or holdings, breaching expectations of confidentiality. Even absent direct identification, some investors might simply be uncomfortable with their transactions being part of a publicly traceable ledger tied to the company.
In summary, publishing reserve addresses facilitates blockchain tracing that can pierce the veil of business privacy. It hands analysts the keys to observe how funds move, potentially exposing operational strategies, counterparties, and internal processes. As one industry publication noted, linking a large known institution to specific addresses can compromise privacy and reveal more than intended ïżŒ. Companies must consider whether they are ready for that level of transparency into their every on-chain move.
Regulatory and Compliance Implications
From a regulatory perspective, wallet address disclosure lies in uncharted territory, but it raises several flags. First and foremost is the issue of incomplete information: A wallet address only shows assets, not the companyâs liabilities or other obligations. Regulators worry that touting on-chain holdings could give a false sense of security. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has cautioned investors to ânot place too much confidence in the mere fact a company says itâs got a proof-of-reservesâ, noting that such reports âlack sufficient informationâ for stakeholders to ascertain if liabilities can be met ïżŒ. In other words, a public company might show a big Bitcoin address balance, but if it has debts or customer liabilities of equal or greater value, the proof-of-reserve alone is ânot necessarily an indicator that the company is in a good financial positionâ ïżŒ.
This regulatory stance implies that address disclosure, if done, must be paired with proper context. A public company would likely need to clarify in its financial statements or investor communications that on-chain reserves are unencumbered (not pledged as loan collateral, not already sold forward, etc.) and that total liabilities are accounted for. Otherwise, thereâs a risk of misleading investors, which could have legal consequences. For example, if investors interpret the on-chain balance as proof of solvency but the company actually had leveraged those bitcoins for loans, lawsuits or regulatory enforcement could follow for misrepresentation.
Thereâs also a compliance burden associated with revealing addresses. Once an address is known to be the companyâs, that company effectively must monitor all transactions related to it. If someone sends funds to that address (even without permission), the company might receive tainted coins (from hacked sources or sanctioned entities). This could trigger anti-money laundering (AML) red flags. Normally, compliance teams can ignore random deposits to unknown wallets, but they cannot ignore something sent into their publicly identified corporate wallet. Even a tiny dust amount sent from a blacklisted address could complicate compliance â for instance, the company would need to prove it has no relation to the sender and perhaps even avoid moving those tainted outputs. Being in the open increases such exposure. Threat actors might even exploit this by âpoisoningâ a companyâs address with unwanted transactions, just to create regulatory headaches or reputational smears.
Another consideration is that custodial agreements and internal risk controls might forbid public disclosure of addresses. Many public companies use third-party custodians for their Bitcoin (for example, Coinbase Custody, BitGo, etc.). These custodians often treat wallet details as confidential for security. Grayscale noted that its Bitcoin are custodied on Coinbase and implied that revealing on-chain info would interfere with security arrangements ïżŒ ïżŒ. Itâs possible that some custodians would object to their clients broadcasting addresses, or might require additional assurances. A company going against such advice might be seen as negligent if something went wrong.
Regulators have so far not mandated on-chain proofs for public companies â in fact, recent laws have exempted public companies from proof-of-reserve mandates on the assumption they are already subject to rigorous SEC reporting. For example, a Texas bill in 2023 required crypto exchanges and custodians to provide quarterly proof-of-reserves to the state, but it âspecifically carved out public reporting companiesâ since they already file audited financials with the SEC ïżŒ. The rationale was that between SEC filings and audits, public companies have oversight that private crypto firms lack ïżŒ. However, this also highlights a gap: even audited financials might not verify 100% of crypto assets (auditors often sample balances). Some observers noted that standard audits âmay not ever include the 100% custodial asset testing contemplated by proof of reservesâ, especially since quarterly SEC filings (10-Q) are often not audited ïżŒ. This puts public companies in a nuanced position â they are trusted to use traditional audits and internal controls, but the onus is on them if they choose to add extra transparency like on-chain proofs.
Finally, securities regulators focus on fair disclosure and accuracy. If a company publicly posts addresses, those essentially become investor disclosures subject to anti-fraud rules. The firm must keep them up to date and accurate. Any mistake (such as publishing a wrong address or failing to mention that some coins are locked up or lent out) could attract regulatory scrutiny for being misleading. In contrast, a formal audit or certification from a third-party comes with standards and disclaimers that are better understood by regulators. A self-published wallet list is an unprecedented form of disclosure that regulators havenât fully vetted â meaning the company bears the risk if something is misinterpreted.
In summary, wallet address disclosure as proof-of-reserve must be handled very carefully to avoid regulatory pitfalls. The SEC and others have warned that on-chain assets alone donât tell the whole story ïżŒ. Public companies would need to integrate such proofs with their official reporting in a responsible way â otherwise they risk confusion or even regulatory backlash for giving a false sense of security.
Reputational and Operational Risks
While transparency is meant to enhance reputation, in practice public wallet disclosures can create new reputational vulnerabilities. Once an address is public, a companyâs every on-chain action is under the microscope of the crypto community and media. Any anomaly or perceived misstep can snowball into public relations problems.
One vivid example occurred with Crypto.com in late 2022. After the exchange published its cold wallet addresses to prove reserves (a move prompted by the FTX collapse), on-chain analysts quickly noticed a âsuspicious transfer of 320,000 ETHâ â about 82% of Crypto.comâs Ether reserves â moving from their cold wallet to another exchange (Gate.io) ïżŒ ïżŒ. This large, unexpected transfer sparked immediate panic and FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) on social media. Observers speculated that Crypto.com might be insolvent or was manipulating snapshots of reserves by borrowing funds. The CEO had to publicly respond, admitting it was an operational error â the ETH was supposed to go to a new cold storage address but ended up at a whitelisted external address by mistake ïżŒ. The funds were eventually returned, but not before reputational damage was done: the incident made headlines about mishandled funds and rattled user confidence ïżŒ ïżŒ. This case illustrates how full public visibility can turn an internal slip-up into a highly public crisis. If the addresses had not been public, the mistake might have been quietly corrected; with on-chain transparency, there was nowhere to hide and no way to control the narrative before the public drew worst-case conclusions.
Even routine operations can be misinterpreted. Blockchain data lacks context â analysts may jump to conclusions that hurt a companyâs reputation even if nothing is actually wrong. For instance, Binance (the worldâs largest crypto exchange) encountered scrutiny when on-chain observers noted that one of its reserve wallets (labeled âBinance 8â) contained far more assets than it should have. This wallet was meant to hold collateral for Binanceâs issued tokens, but held an excess balance, suggesting possible commingling of customer funds with collateral ïżŒ ïżŒ. Bloomberg and others reported a ~$12.7 billion discrepancy visible on-chain ïżŒ. Binance had to acknowledge the issue as a âclerical errorâ and quickly separate the funds, all under the glare of public attention ïżŒ ïżŒ. While Binance maintained that user assets were fully backed and the mistake was purely operational, the episode raised public concern over Binanceâs practices, feeding a narrative that even the largest exchange had internal control lapses. The key point is that public proof-of-reserves made the lapse obvious to everyone, forcing a reactive explanation. The reputational hit (even if temporary) was an operational risk of being so transparent.
Additionally, strategic confidentiality is lost. If a company holding Bitcoin as a reserve asset decides to make a major move (say, reallocating to a different wallet, or using some Bitcoin for a strategic investment or loan), doing so with known addresses broadcasts that strategy. Competitors or market analysts can infer things like âCompany X is moving 10% of its BTC â why? Are they selling? Hedging? Using it as collateral?â This can erode any competitive advantage of keeping financial strategies discreet. It might even affect the companyâs stock price if investors interpret moves negatively. For example, if a blockchain analysis shows the companyâs reserves dropping, shareholders might fear the company sold Bitcoin (perhaps due to financial distress), even if the reality is benign (like moving funds to a new custodian). The company would be forced into continuous public explanation of on-chain actions to prevent misunderstanding.
Thereâs also a risk of exposing business partnerships. Suppose the company uses certain exchanges or OTC desks to rebalance its holdings â transactions with those service providers will be visible and could link the company to them. If one of those partners has issues (say a hacked exchange or a sanctioned entity inadvertently), the company could be reputationally contaminated by association through the blockchain trail.
Finally, not all publicity is good publicity in the crypto world. A public proof-of-reserve might invite armchair auditors to scrutinize and criticize every aspect of the companyâs crypto management. Minor issues could be blown out of proportion. On the flip side, if a company chooses not to publish addresses, it could face reputational risk from a different angle: skeptics might question why it isnât being transparent. (Indeed, Grayscaleâs refusal to disclose wallet addresses led to social media chatter about whether they truly held all the Bitcoin they claimed, contributing to investor nervousness and a steep discount on GBTC shares ïżŒ.) Thus, companies are in a delicate spot: share too much and every move invites scrutiny; share too little and you breed distrust.
Balancing Transparency Benefits vs. Risks
The central question is whether the benefit of proving reserve holdings to investors outweighs these security and privacy risks. Itâs a classic risk-reward calculation, and opinions in the industry are divided.
On the side of transparency, many argue that the credibility and trust gained by proof-of-reserves is invaluable. Advocates note that Bitcoin was designed for open verification â âon-chain auditability and permissionless transparencyâ are core features ïżŒ. By embracing this, companies demonstrate they are good stewards of a âtrustlessâ asset. In fact, some believe public companies have a duty to be extra transparent. A recent Nasdaq report contended that âwhen a publicly traded company holds Bitcoin but offers no visibility into how that Bitcoin is held or verified, it exposes itself to multiple levels of risk: legal, reputational, operational, and strategicâ, undermining trust ïżŒ. In that view, opacity is riskier in the long run â a lack of proof could weaken investor confidence or invite regulatory suspicion. Shareholders and analysts may actually penalize a company that refuses to provide verifiable proof of its crypto assets ïżŒ.
Transparency done right can also differentiate a firm as a leader in governance. Publishing reserve data (whether via addresses or through third-party attestations) can be seen as a commitment to high standards. For example, Metaplanet, an investment firm, publicly discloses its BTC reserve addresses and even provides a live dashboard for anyone to verify balances ïżŒ. This proactive openness signals confidence and has been touted as an industry best practice in some quarters. By proving its reserves, a company can potentially avoid the fate of those that lost public trust (as happened with opaque crypto firms in 2022). Itâs also a means to preempt false rumors â if data is out in the open, misinformation has less room to grow.
However, the pro-transparency camp increasingly acknowledges that there are smarter ways to achieve trust without courting all the risks. One compromise is using cryptographic proofs or audits instead of plain address dumps. For instance, exchanges like Kraken have implemented Merkle tree proof-of-reserves: an independent auditor verifies all customer balances on-chain and provides a cryptographic report, and customers can individually verify their account is included without the exchange revealing every address publicly. This method proves solvency to those who need to know without handing over a complete roadmap to attackers. Another emerging solution is zero-knowledge proofs, where a company can prove knowledge or ownership of certain assets without revealing the addresses or amounts to the public. These technologies are still maturing, but they aim to deliver the best of both worlds: transparency and privacy.
On the side of caution, many experts believe the risks of full public disclosure outweigh the incremental gain in transparency, especially for regulated public companies. Michael Saylor encapsulates this viewpoint: he calls on-chain proof-of-reserve âa bad ideaâ for institutions, arguing that it âoffers one-way transparencyâ (assets only) and âleaves organizations open to cyberattacksâ ïżŒ. He stresses that no serious security expert would advise a Fortune 500 company to list all its wallet addresses, as it essentially compromises corporate security over time ïżŒ. Saylor and others also point out the pointlessness of an assets-only proof: unless you also prove liabilities, showing off reserves might even be dangerous because it could lull investors into a false sense of security ïżŒ.
Regulators and traditional auditors echo this: proof-of-reserves, while a useful tool, âis not enough by itselfâ to guarantee financial health ïżŒ. They advocate for holistic transparency â audits that consider internal controls, liabilities, and legal obligations, not just a snapshot of a blockchain address ïżŒ ïżŒ. From this perspective, a public company can satisfy transparency demands through rigorous third-party audits and disclosures rather than raw on-chain data. Indeed, public companies are legally bound to extensive reporting; adding public crypto addresses on top may be seen as redundant and risky.
There is also an implicit cost-benefit analysis: A successful attack resulting from over-sharing could be catastrophic (loss of funds, legal liability, reputational ruin), whereas the benefit of public proof is somewhat intangible (improved investor sentiment, which might be achieved via other assurance methods anyway). Given that trade-off, many firms err on the side of caution. As evidence, few if any U.S.-listed companies that hold Bitcoin have published their wallet addresses. Instead, they reference independent custodians and audits for assurance. Even crypto-native companies have pulled back on full transparency after realizing the downsides â for example, some auditing firms halted issuing proof-of-reserves reports due to concerns about how they were interpreted and the liability involved ïżŒ ïżŒ.
Industry best practices are still evolving. A prudent approach gaining favor is to prove reserves without leaking sensitive details. This can involve disclosing total balances and having an auditor or blockchain oracle confirm the assets exist, but without listing every address publicly. Companies are also encouraged to disclose encumbrances (whether any of the reserves are collateralized or lent out) in tandem, to address the liabilities issue ïżŒ. By doing so, they aim to achieve transparency and maintain security.
In evaluating whether to publish wallet addresses, a company must ask: Will this level of openness meaningfully increase stakeholder trust, or would a more controlled disclosure achieve the same goal with less risk? For many public companies, the answer has been to avoid public addresses. The risks â from attracting hackers to revealing strategic moves â tend to outweigh the marginal transparency benefit in their judgment. The collapse of unregulated exchanges has certainly proven the value of reserve verification, but public companies operate in a different context with audits and legal accountability. Thus, the optimal solution may be a middle ground: proving reserves through vetted processes (auditor attestations, cryptographic proofs) that satisfy investor needs without blatantly exposing the companyâs financial backend to the world.
Conclusion
Publishing Bitcoin wallet addresses as proof of reserves is a bold transparency measure â one that speaks to cryptoâs ideals of open verification â but it comes with a laundry list of security considerations. Public companies weighing this approach must contend with the heightened cybersecurity threat of advertising their treasure troves to hackers, the loss of privacy and confidentiality as on-chain sleuths dissect their every transaction, and potential regulatory complications if such disclosures are misunderstood or incomplete. Real-world incidents illustrate the downsides: firms that revealed addresses have seen how quickly online communities flag (and sometimes misinterpret) their blockchain moves, causing reputational turbulence and forcing rapid damage control ïżŒ ïżŒ.
On the other hand, proving reserves to investors is important â it can prevent fraud and bolster trust. The question is how to achieve it without incurring unacceptable risk. Many experts and industry leaders lean towards the view that simply publishing wallet addresses is too risky a method, especially for public companies with much to lose ïżŒ ïżŒ. The risks often do outweigh the direct benefits in such cases. Transparency remains crucial, but it can be provided in safer ways â through regular audits, cryptographic proofs that donât expose all wallet details, and comprehensive disclosures that include liabilities and controls.
In conclusion, while on-chain proof of reserves via public addresses offers a tantalizing level of openness, it must be approached with extreme caution. For most public companies, the smart strategy is to balance transparency with security: verify and show investors that assets exist and are sufficient, but do so in a controlled manner that doesnât compromise the very assets youâre trying to protect. As the industry matures, we can expect more refined proof-of-reserve practices that satisfy the demand for honesty and solvency verification without unduly endangering the enterprise. Until then, companies will continue to tread carefully, mindful that transparency is only truly valuable when it doesnât come at the price of security and trust.
Sources:
âą Grayscale statement on refusal to share on-chain proof-of-reserves ïżŒ âą Community analysis identifying Grayscaleâs wallet addresses ïżŒ âą Cointelegraph â Crypto.comâs mistaken 320k ETH transfer spotted via on-chain proof-of-reserves ïżŒ ïżŒ âą Axios â Binance wallet âcomminglingâ error observed on-chain ïżŒ ïżŒ âą Michael Saylorâs remarks on security risks of publishing wallet addresses ïżŒ ïżŒ ïżŒ âą SEC Acting Chief Accountant on limitations of proof-of-reserves reports ïżŒ âą Nasdaq (Bitcoin for Corporations) â argument for corporate transparency & proof-of-reserves ïżŒ ïżŒ ïżŒ âą 1inch Security Blog â explanation of dusting attacks and privacy loss via address linking ïżŒ
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@ 90c656ff:9383fd4e
2025-05-27 11:27:26Since its creation, Bitcoin has been a revolutionary asset, challenging the traditional financial system and proposing a new form of decentralized money. However, its future remains uncertain and the subject of intense debate. Among the possible outcomes, two extreme scenarios stand out: hyperbitcoinization-where Bitcoin becomes the dominant currency in the global economyâand obsolescence, where the network loses relevance and is replaced by other solutions.
- Hyperbitcoinization: The World Adopts Bitcoin as a Monetary Standard
01 - Loss of trust in fiat currencies: Due to excessive money printing by central banks, many economies face rampant inflation. Bitcoin, with its fixed supply of 21 million units, emerges as a more trustworthy alternative.
02 - Growing adoption by companies and governments: Some countries have already begun integrating Bitcoin into their economies, accepting it for payments and as a store of value. If this trend continues, Bitcoinâs legitimacy as a global currency will grow.
03 - Ease of global transactions: Bitcoin enables fast and low-cost international transfers, removing the need for financial intermediaries and reducing operational costs.
04 - Technological advancements: Scalability improvements, such as the Lightning Network, can make Bitcoin more efficient for daily use, encouraging mass adoption.
If hyperbitcoinization becomes reality, the world may witness a radical shift in the financial systemâwith greater decentralization, censorship resistance, and an economy based on sound, predictable money.
- Obsolescence: Bitcoin Loses Relevance and Is Replaced
01 - Restrictive government regulations: If major economic powers enforce strict regulations on Bitcoin, adoption could slow, reducing its utility.
02 - Technological shortcomings or lack of innovation: Despite its security and decentralization, Bitcoin may struggle to scale effectively. If superior solutions emerge and gain acceptance, Bitcoin could lose its leading position.
03 - Competition from faster, more user-friendly alternatives: Other forms of digital money may surpass Bitcoin in scalability and usability, potentially leading to a decline in Bitcoin adoption.
04 - Decreasing miner incentives: As new Bitcoin issuance halves every four years, miners will rely increasingly on transaction fees. If those fees are insufficient to sustain network security, long-term viability could be at risk.
In summary, Bitcoinâs future could unfold along multiple paths, depending on factors like innovation, global adoption, and resilience to external challenges. Hyperbitcoinization would represent an economic revolutionâushering in a decentralized, inflation-resistant monetary system. Yet, obsolescence remains a risk if the network fails to adapt to future demands. Regardless of the outcome, Bitcoin has already made its mark on financial history, paving the way for a new era of digital money and economic freedom.
Thank you very much for reading this far. I hope everything is well with you, and sending a big hug from your favorite Bitcoiner maximalist from Madeira. Long live freedom!
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@ 90c656ff:9383fd4e
2025-05-27 11:22:10Since its creation, Bitcoin has been much more than just an alternative to traditional money. With the ongoing digitalization of the global economy, Bitcoin has emerged as a foundational pillar for new forms of transactions, commerce, and value storage. Its decentralization, transparency, and censorship resistance make it a solid base for digital economies, where financial interactions occur without the need for traditional intermediaries.
- Bitcoinâs role in the digital economy
01 - Global, borderless transactions: Anyone with internet access can send and receive Bitcoin without needing a bank or government authorization.
02 - Limited and predictable supply: Unlike fiat currencies that can be inflated by central banks, Bitcoin has a fixed cap of 21 million units, making it a scarce and reliable asset.
03 - Security and transparency: The Bitcoin blockchain or timechain publicly records all transactions, ensuring a secure and auditable system.
04 - Censorship resistance: No government or institution can block Bitcoin transactions, enabling a freer and more accessible digital economy.
With these characteristics, Bitcoin is already transforming various economic sectors and driving new forms of commerce and investment.
- Bitcoin in digital commerce and the global economy
01 - E-commerce: Businesses and consumers can use Bitcoin for fast international transactions without exorbitant fees.
02 - International remittances: Workers sending money to their home countries can avoid high fees and long delays by using Bitcoin.
03 - Emerging economies: In countries with unstable currencies and unreliable banking systems, Bitcoin serves as a secure and decentralized alternative for storing wealth and conducting daily transactions.
Additionally, Bitcoin is being adopted by companies and even governments as a store of value, reinforcing its role as a foundation for the digital economy of the future.
- Challenges and adapting to the new economy
01 - Price volatility: Bitcoinâs fluctuating value can make it difficult to use as a daily medium of exchange.
02 - Regulations and governmental resistance: Some countries attempt to restrict or regulate Bitcoin to maintain control over the traditional financial system.
03 - Education and adoption: Many people still lack the knowledge to use Bitcoin safely and effectively.
In summary, Bitcoin is transforming the way the world interacts with money, offering a decentralized and transparent alternative for digital economies. As more individuals and businesses adopt Bitcoin for payments, savings, and global commerce, its impact becomes increasingly clear. Despite the challenges, Bitcoin continues to solidify its place as the foundation of a new economic paradigmâwhere financial freedom and technological innovation go hand in hand.
Thank you very much for reading this far. I hope everything is well with you, and sending a big hug from your favorite Bitcoiner maximalist from Madeira. Long live freedom!
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@ dfa02707:41ca50e3
2025-05-27 19:01:44Contribute to keep No Bullshit Bitcoin news going.
- The latest firmware updates for COLDCARD devices introduce two major features: COLDCARD Co-sign (CCC) and Key Teleport between two COLDCARD Q devices using QR codes and/or NFC with a website.
What's new
- COLDCARD Co-Sign: When CCC is enabled, a second seed called the Spending Policy Key (Key C) is added to the device. This seed works with the device's Main Seed and one or more additional XPUBs (Backup Keys) to form 2-of-N multisig wallets.
- The spending policy functions like a hardware security module (HSM), enforcing rules such as magnitude and velocity limits, address whitelisting, and 2FA authentication to protect funds while maintaining flexibility and control, and is enforced each time the Spending Policy Key is used for signing.
- When spending conditions are met, the COLDCARD signs the partially signed bitcoin transaction (PSBT) with the Main Seed and Spending Policy Key for fund access. Once configured, the Spending Policy Key is required to view or change the policy, and violations are denied without explanation.
"You can override the spending policy at any time by signing with either a Backup Key and the Main Seed or two Backup Keys, depending on the number of keys (N) in the multisig."
-
A step-by-step guide for setting up CCC is available here.
-
Key Teleport for Q devices allows users to securely transfer sensitive data such as seed phrases (words, xprv), secure notes and passwords, and PSBTs for multisig. It uses QR codes or NFC, along with a helper website, to ensure reliable transmission, keeping your sensitive data protected throughout the process.
- For more technical details, see the protocol spec.
"After you sign a multisig PSBT, you have option to âKey Teleportâ the PSBT file to any one of the other signers in the wallet. We already have a shared pubkey with them, so the process is simple and does not require any action on their part in advance. Plus, starting in this firmware release, COLDCARD can finalize multisig transactions, so the last signer can publish the signed transaction via PushTX (NFC tap) to get it on the blockchain directly."
- Multisig transactions are finalized when sufficiently signed. It streamlines the use of PushTX with multisig wallets.
- Signing artifacts re-export to various media. Users are now provided with the capability to export signing products, like transactions or PSBTs, to alternative media rather than the original source. For example, if a PSBT is received through a QR code, it can be signed and saved onto an SD card if needed.
- Multisig export files are signed now. Public keys are encoded as P2PKH address for all multisg signature exports. Learn more about it here.
- NFC export usability upgrade: NFC keeps exporting until CANCEL/X is pressed.
- Added Bitcoin Safe option to Export Wallet.
- 10% performance improvement in USB upload speed for large files.
- Q: Always choose the biggest possible display size for QR.
Fixes
- Do not allow change Main PIN to same value already used as Trick PIN, even if Trick PIN is hidden.
- Fix stuck progress bar under
Receiving...
after a USB communications failure. - Showing derivation path in Address Explorer for root key (m) showed double slash (//).
- Can restore developer backup with custom password other than 12 words format.
- Virtual Disk auto mode ignores already signed PSBTs (with â-signedâ in file name).
- Virtual Disk auto mode stuck on âReadingâŠâ screen sometimes.
- Finalization of foreign inputs from partial signatures. Thanks Christian Uebber!
- Temporary seed from COLDCARD backup failed to load stored multisig wallets.
Destroy Seed
also removes all Trick PINs from SE2.Lock Down Seed
requires pressing confirm key (4) to execute.- Q only: Only BBQr is allowed to export Coldcard, Core, and pretty descriptor.
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@ dfa02707:41ca50e3
2025-05-27 19:01:44News
- Bitcoin mining centralization in 2025. According to a blog post by b10c, Bitcoin mining was at its most decentralized in May 2017, with another favorable period from 2019 to 2022. However, starting in 2023, mining has become increasingly centralized, particularly due to the influence of large pools like Foundry and the use of proxy pooling by entities such as AntPool.
Source: b10c's blog.
- OpenSats announces the eleventh wave of Nostr grants. The five projects in this wave are the mobile live-streaming app Swae, the Nostr-over-ham-radio project HAMSTR, Vertexâa Web-of-Trust (WOT) service for Nostr developers, Nostr Double Ratchet for end-to-end encrypted messaging, and the Nostr Game Engine for building games and applications integrated with the Nostr ecosystem.
- New Spiral grantee: l0rinc. In February 2024, l0rinc transitioned to full-time work on Bitcoin Core. His efforts focus on performance benchmarking and optimizations, enhancing code quality, conducting code reviews, reducing block download times, optimizing memory usage, and refactoring code.
- Project Eleven offers 1 BTC to break Bitcoin's cryptography with a quantum computer. The quantum computing research organization has introduced the Q-Day Prize, a global challenge that offers 1 BTC to the first team capable of breaking an elliptic curve cryptographic (ECC) key using Shorâs algorithm on a quantum computer. The prize will be awarded to the first team to successfully accomplish this breakthrough by April 5, 2026.
- Unchained has launched the Bitcoin Legacy Project. The initiative seeks to advance the Bitcoin ecosystem through a bitcoin-native donor-advised fund platform (DAF), investments in community hubs, support for education and open-source development, and a commitment to long-term sustainability with transparent annual reporting.
- In its first year, the program will provide support to Bitcoin hubs in Nashville, Austin, and Denver.
- Support also includes $50,000 to the Bitcoin Policy Institute, a $150,000 commitment at the University of Austin, and up to $250,000 in research grants through the Bitcoin Scholars program.
"Unchained will match grants 1:1 made to partner organizations who support Bitcoin Core development when made through the Unchained-powered bitcoin DAF, up to 1 BTC," was stated in a blog post.
- Block launched open-source tools for Bitcoin treasury management. These include a dashboard for managing corporate bitcoin holdings and provides a real-time BTC-to-USD price quote API, released as part of the Block Open Source initiative. The companyâs own instance of the bitcoin holdings dashboard is available here.
Source: block.xyz
- Bull Bitcoin expands to Mexico, enabling anyone in the country to receive pesos from anywhere in the world straight from a Bitcoin wallet. Additionally, users can now buy Bitcoin with a Mexican bank account.
"Bull Bitcoin strongly believes in Bitcoinâs economic potential in Mexico, not only for international remittances and tourism, but also for Mexican individuals and companies to reclaim their financial sovereignty and protect their wealth from inflation and the fragility of traditional financial markets," said Francis Pouliot, Founder and CEO of Bull Bitcoin.
- Corporate bitcoin holdings hit a record high in Q1 2025. According to Bitwise, public companies' adoption of Bitcoin has hit an all-time high. In Q1 2025, these firms collectively hold over 688,000 BTC, marking a 16.11% increase from the previous quarter. This amount represents 3.28% of Bitcoin's fixed 21 million supply.
Source: Bitwise.
- The Bitcoin Bond Company for institutions has launched with the aim of acquiring $1 trillion in Bitcoin over 21 years. It utilizes secure, transparent, and compliant bond-like products backed by Bitcoin.
- The U.S. Senate confirmed Paul Atkins as Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). At his confirmation hearing, Atkins emphasized the need for a clear framework for digital assets. He aims to collaborate with the CFTC and Congress to address jurisdiction and rulemaking gaps, aligning with the Trump administration's goal to position the U.S. as a leader in Bitcoin and blockchain finance.
- Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith has been released from custody. Griffith, whose sentence was reduced to 56 months, is now seeking a pardon. He was initially sentenced to 63 months for allegedly violating international sanctions laws by providing technical advice on using cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to evade sanctions during a presentation titled 'Blockchains for Peace' in North Korea.
- No-KYC exchange eXch to close down under money laundering scrutiny. The privacy-focused cryptocurrency trading platform said it will cease operations on May 1. This decision follows allegations that the platform was used by North Korea's Lazarus Group for money laundering. eXch revealed it is the subject of an active "transatlantic operation" aimed at shutting down the platform and prosecuting its team for "money laundering and terrorism."
- Blockstream combats ESP32 FUD concerning Jade signers. The company stated that after reviewing the vulnerability disclosed in early March, Jade was found to be secure. Espressif Systems, the designer of the ESP32, has since clarified that the "undocumented commands" do not constitute a "backdoor."
- Bank of America is lobbying for regulations that favor banks over tech firms in stablecoin issuance. The bank's CEO Brian Moynihan is working with groups such as the American Bankers Association to advance the issuance of a fully reserved, 1:1 backed "Bank of America coin." If successful, this could limit stablecoin efforts by non-banks like Tether, Circle, and others, reports The Block.
- Tether to back OCEAN Pool with its hashrate. "As a company committed to financial freedom and open access, we see supporting decentralization in Bitcoin mining as essential to the networkâs long-term integrity," said Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino.
- Bitdeer to expand its self-mining operations to navigate tariffs. The Singapore-based mining company is advancing plans to produce machines in the U.S. while reducing its mining hardware sales. This response is in light of increasing uncertainties related to U.S. trade policy, as reported by Bloomberg.
- Tether acquires $32M in Bitdeer shares. The firm has boosted its investment in Bitdeer during a wider market sell-off, with purchases in early to mid-April amounting to about $32 million, regulatory filings reveal.
- US Bitcoin miner manufacturer Auradine has raised $153 million in a Series C funding round as it expands into AI infrastructure. The round was led by StepStone Group and included participation from Maverick Silicon, Premji Invest, Samsung Catalyst Fund, Qualcomm Ventures, Mayfield, MARA Holdings, GSBackers, and other existing investors. The firm raised to over $300 million since its inception in 2022.
- Voltage has partnered with BitGo to [enable](https://www.voltage.cloud/blog/bitgo-and-voltage-team-up-to-deliver-instant-bitcoin-and-stabl
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@ 866e0139:6a9334e5
2025-05-27 10:15:17Autor: Milosz Matuschek. Dieser Beitrag wurde mit dem Pareto-Client geschrieben. Sie finden alle Texte der Friedenstaube und weitere Texte zum Thema Frieden hier. Die neuesten Pareto-Artikel finden Sie auch in unserem Telegram-Kanal.
Die neuesten Artikel der Friedenstaube gibt es jetzt auch im eigenen Friedenstaube-Telegram-Kanal.
Der Schweizer Historiker Daniele Ganser startet eine Plakataktion. Auf Facebook schreibt er:
"Dieses Plakat habe ich ab heute an sechs Bahnhöfen in der Schweiz aufhÀngen lassen: Die Schweiz muss die NeutralitÀt bewahren. Keine Zusammenarbeit mit der NATO!
Die Aktion lĂ€uft eine Woche. Das Plakat hĂ€ngt in Basel (Gleis 5 und 7), ZĂŒrich (Gleis 9 und 12), Bern (Gleis 3 und 11), Luzern (Gleis 7 und 11), St. Gallen (Gleis 1 und 2) und Chur (Gleis 4 und Arosabahn).
Wenn jemand ein Plakat sieht und fotografiert und es mir per Email schickt freut mich das!
https://globalbridge.ch/die-schweiz-muss-die.../
Daniele Ganser kann man ĂŒber folgende Seite kontaktieren.
LASSEN SIE DER FRIEDENSTAUBE FLĂGEL WACHSEN!
Hier können Sie die Friedenstaube abonnieren und bekommen die Artikel zugesandt.
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Wenn Sie auf anderem Wege beitragen wollen, schreiben Sie die Friedenstaube an:Â friedenstaube@pareto.space
Sie sind noch nicht auf Nostr and wollen die volle Erfahrung machen (liken, kommentieren etc.)? Zappen können Sie den Autor auch ohne Nostr-Profil! Erstellen Sie sich einen Account auf Start. Weitere Onboarding-LeitfÀden gibt es im Pareto-Wiki.
-
@ dfa02707:41ca50e3
2025-05-27 19:01:43Good morning (good night?)! The No Bullshit Bitcoin news feed is now available on Moody's Dashboard! A huge shoutout to sir Clark Moody for integrating our feed.
Headlines
- Spiral welcomes Ben Carman. The developer will work on the LDK server and a new SDK designed to simplify the onboarding process for new self-custodial Bitcoin users.
- The Bitcoin Dev Kit Foundation announced new corporate members for 2025, including AnchorWatch, CleanSpark, and Proton Foundation. The annual dues from these corporate members fund the small team of open-source developers responsible for maintaining the core BDK libraries and related free and open-source software (FOSS) projects.
- Strategy increases Bitcoin holdings to 538,200 BTC. In the latest purchase, the company has spent more than $555M to buy 6,556 coins through proceeds of two at-the-market stock offering programs.
- Spar supermarket experiments with Bitcoin payments in Zug, Switzerland. The store has introduced a new payment method powered by the Lightning Network. The implementation was facilitated by DFX Swiss, a service that supports seamless conversions between bitcoin and legacy currencies.
- The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) wants to contain 'crypto' risks. A report titled "Cryptocurrencies and Decentralised Finance: Functions and Financial Stability Implications" calls for expanding research into "how new forms of central bank money, capital controls, and taxation policies can counter the risks of widespread crypto adoption while still fostering technological innovation."
- "Global Implications of Scam Centres, Underground Banking, and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia." According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, criminal organizations from East and Southeast Asia are swiftly extending their global reach. These groups are moving beyond traditional scams and trafficking, creating sophisticated online networks that include unlicensed cryptocurrency exchanges, encrypted communication platforms, and stablecoins, fueling a massive fraud economy on an industrial scale.
- Slovenia is considering a 25% capital gains tax on Bitcoin profits for individuals. The Ministry of Finance has proposed legislation to impose this tax on gains from cryptocurrency transactions, though exchanging one cryptocurrency for another would remain exempt. At present, individual 'crypto' traders in Slovenia are not taxed.
- Circle, BitGo, Coinbase, and Paxos plan to apply for U.S. bank charters or licenses. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, major crypto companies are planning to apply for U.S. bank charters or licenses. These firms are pursuing limited licenses that would permit them to issue stablecoins, as the U.S. Congress deliberates on legislation mandating licensing for stablecoin issuers.
"Established banks, like Bank of America, are hoping to amend the current drafts of [stablecoin] legislation in such a way that nonbanks are more heavily restricted from issuing stablecoins," people familiar with the matter told The Block.
- Charles Schwab to launch spot Bitcoin trading by 2026. The financial investment firm, managing over $10 trillion in assets, has revealed plans to introduce spot Bitcoin trading for its clients within the next year.
Use the tools
- Bitcoin Safe v1.2.3 expands QR SignMessage compatibility for all QR-UR-compatible hardware signers (SpecterDIY, KeyStone, Passport, Jade; already supported COLDCARD Q). It also adds the ability to import wallets via QR, ensuring compatibility with Keystone's latest firmware (2.0.6), alongside other improvements.
- Minibits v0.2.2-beta, an ecash wallet for Android devices, packages many changes to align the project with the planned iOS app release. New features and improvements include the ability to lock ecash to a receiver's pubkey, faster confirmations of ecash minting and payments thanks to WebSockets, UI-related fixes, and more.
- Zeus v0.11.0-alpha1 introduces Cashu wallets tied to embedded LND wallets. Navigate to Settings > Ecash to enable it. Other wallet types can still sweep funds from Cashu tokens. Zeus Pay now supports Cashu address types in Zaplocker, Cashu, and NWC modes.
- LNDg v1.10.0, an advanced web interface designed for analyzing Lightning Network Daemon (LND) data and automating node management tasks, introduces performance improvements, adds a new metrics page for unprofitable and stuck channels, and displays warnings for batch openings. The Profit and Loss Chart has been updated to include on-chain costs. Advanced settings have been added for users who would like their channel database size to be read remotely (the default remains local). Additionally, the AutoFees tool now uses aggregated pubkey metrics for multiple channels with the same peer.
- Nunchuk Desktop v1.9.45 release brings the latest bug fixes and improvements.
- Blockstream Green iOS v4.1.8 has renamed L-BTC to LBTC, and improves translations of notifications, login time, and background payments.
- Blockstream Green Android v4.1.8 has added language preference in App Settings and enables an Android data backup option for disaster recovery. Additionally, it fixes issues with Jade entry point PIN timeout and Trezor passphrase input.
- Torq v2.2.2, an advanced Lightning node management software designed to handle large nodes with over 1000 channels, fixes bugs that caused channel balance to not be updated in some cases and channel "peer total local balance" not getting updated.
- Stack Wallet v2.1.12, a multicoin wallet by Cypher Stack, fixes an issue with Xelis introduced in the latest release for Windows.
- ESP-Miner-NerdQAxePlus v1.0.29.1, a forked version from the NerdAxe miner that was modified for use on the NerdQAxe+, is now available.
- Zark enables sending sats to an npub using Bark.
- Erk is a novel variation of the Ark protocol that completely removes the need for user interactivity in rounds, addressing one of Ark's key limitations: the requirement for users to come online before their VTXOs expire.
- Aegis v0.1.1 is now available. It is a Nostr event signer app for iOS devices.
- Nostash is a NIP-07 Nostr signing extension for Safari. It is a fork of Nostore and is maintained by Terry Yiu. Available on iOS TestFlight.
- Amber v3.2.8, a Nostr event signer for Android, delivers the latest fixes and improvements.
- Nostur v1.20.0, a Nostr client for iOS, adds
-
@ dfa02707:41ca50e3
2025-05-27 19:01:43Headlines
- Twenty One Capital is set to launch with over 42,000 BTC in its treasury. This new Bitcoin-native firm, backed by Tether and SoftBank, is planned to go public via a SPAC merger with Cantor Equity Partners and will be led by Jack Mallers, co-founder and CEO of Strike. According to a report by the Financial Times, the company aims to replicate the model of Michael Saylor with his company, MicroStrategy.
- Florida's SB 868 proposes a backdoor into encrypted platforms. The bill and its House companion have both passed through their respective committees and are headed to a full vote. If enacted, SB 868 would require social media companies to decrypt teens' private messages, ban disappearing messages, allow unrestricted parental access to private messages, and likely eliminate encryption for all minors altogether.
- Paul Atkins has officially assumed the role of the 34th Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This is a return to the agency for Atkins, who previously served as an SEC Commissioner from 2002 to 2008 under the George W. Bush administration. He has committed to advancing the SECâs mission of fostering capital formation, safeguarding investors, and ensuring fair and efficient markets.
- Solosatoshi.com has sold over 10,000 open-source miners, adding more than 10 PH of hashpower to the Bitcoin network.
"Thank you, Bitaxe community. OSMU developers, your brilliance built this. Supporters, your belief drives us. Customers, your trust powers 10,000+ miners and 10PH globally. Together, weâre decentralizing Bitcoinâs future. Last but certainly not least, thank you@skot9000 for not only creating a freedom tool, but instilling the idea into thousands of people, that Bitcoin mining can be for everyone again," said the firm on X.
- OCEAN's DATUM has found 100 blocks. "Over 65% of OCEANâs miners are using DATUM, and that number is growing every day. This means block template construction is making its way back into the hands of the miners, which is not only the most profitable for miners on OCEAN but also one of the best things for Bitcoin," stated the mining pool.
Source: orangesurf
- Arch Labs has secured $13 million to develop "ArchVM" and integrate smart-contract functionality with Bitcoin. The funding round, valuing the company at $200 million, was led by Pantera Capital, as announced on Tuesday.
- Tesla still holds nearly $1 billion in bitcoin. According to the automaker's latest earnings report, the firm reported digital asset holdings worth $951 million as of March 31.
- The European Central Bank is pushing for amendments to the European Union's Markets in Crypto Assets legislation (MiCA), just months after its implementation. According to Politico's report on Tuesday, the ECB is concerned that U.S. support for cryptocurrency, particularly stablecoins, could cause economic harm to the 27-nation bloc.
- TABConf 2025 is scheduled to take place from October 13-16, 2025. This prominent technical Bitcoin conference is dedicated to community building, education, and developer support, and it is set to return in October. Get your tickets here.
- Kaduna Lightning Development Bootcamp. From May 14th to 17th, the Bitcoin Lightning Developer Bootcamp will take place in Kaduna, Nigeria. Thisevent offers four dynamic days of coding, learning, and networking. Organized by Africa Free Routing and supported by Btrust, Tether, and African Bitcoiners, this bootcamp is designed as a gateway for African developers eager to advance their skills in Bitcoin and Lightning development. Apply here.
Source: African Bitcoiners.
Use the tools
- Core Lightning (CLN) v25.02.2 as been released to fix a broken Docker image. The issue was caused by an SQLite version that did not support an advanced query.
- Blitz wallet v0.4.4-beta introduces several updates and improvements, including the prevention of duplicate ecash payments, fixes for background ecash invoice handling, the ability for users to send payments to BOLT12 invoices from their Liquid balance, support for Blink QR codes, a lowered minimum amount for Lightning-to-Liquid payments to 100 sats, the option to initiate a node sync via a swipe gesture on the wallet's home screen, and the introduction of opt-in or opt-out functionality for newly implemented crash analytics via settings.
- Utreexo v0.5.0, a hash-based dynamic accumulator, is now available.
- Specter v2.1.1 is now available on StartOS. "This update brings compatibility with Bitcoin Core v28 and incorporates several upstream improvements," said developer Alex71btc.
- ESP-Miner (AxeOS) v2.7.0b1 is now available for testing.
- NodeGuard v0.16.1, a treasury management solution for Lightning nodes, has been released.
- The latest stacker.news updates include prompts to add a receiving wallet when posting or making comments (for new users), an option to randomize poll choices, improved URL search, and a few other enhancements. A bug fix for territories created after 9/19/24 has been implemented to reward 70% of their revenue to owners instead of 50%.
Other stuff
- The April edition of the 256 Foundation's newsletter is now available. It includes the latest mining news, Bitcoin network health updates, project developments, and a tutorial on how to update FutureBit's Apollo 1 to the Apollo 2 software.
- Siggy47 has posted a comprehensive RoboSats guide on stacker.news.
- Learn how to run your own Nostr relay using Citrine and Cloudflare Tunnels by following this step-by-step guide by Dhalism.
- Max Guise has written a Bitkey roadmap update for April 2025.
-
PlebLab has uploaded a video on how to build a Rust wallet with LDK Node by Ben Carman.
-
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@ dfa02707:41ca50e3
2025-05-27 19:01:43Headlines
- Spiral renews support for Dan Gould and Joschisan. The organization has renewed support for Dan Gould, who is developing the Payjoin Dev Kit (PDK), and Joschisan, a Fedimint developer focused on simplifying federations.
- Metaplanet buys another 145 BTC. The Tokyo-listed company has purchased an additional 145 BTC for $13.6 million. Their total bitcoin holdings now stand at 5,000 coins, worth around $428.1 million.
- Semler Scientific has increased its bitcoin holdings to 3,303 BTC. The company acquired an additional 111 BTC at an average price of $90,124. The purchase was funded through proceeds from an at-the-market offering and cash reserves, as stated in a press release.
- The Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Bill 2025 introduced in Kenya. The new legislation aims to establish a comprehensive legal framework for licensing, regulating, and supervising virtual asset service providers (VASPs), with strict penalties for non-compliant entities.
- Russian government to launch a cryptocurrency exchange. The country's Ministry of Finance and Central Bank announced plans to establish a trading platform for "highly qualified investors" that "will legalize crypto assets and bring crypto operations out of the shadows."
- All virtual asset service providers expect to be fully compliant with the Travel Rule by the end of 2025. A survey by financial surveillance specialist Notabene reveals that 90% of virtual asset service providers (VASPs) expect full Travel Rule compliance by mid-2025, with all aiming for compliance by year-end. The survey also shows a significant rise in VASPs blocking withdrawals until beneficiary information is confirmed, increasing from 2.9% in 2024 to 15.4% now. Additionally, about 20% of VASPs return deposits if originator data is missing.
- UN claims Bitcoin mining is a "powerful tool" for money laundering. The Rage's analysis suggests that the recent United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report on crime in South-East Asia makes little sense and hints at the potential introduction of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) measures at the mining level.
- Riot Platforms has obtained a $100 million credit facility from Coinbase Credit, using bitcoin as collateral for short-term funding to support its expansion. The firm's CEO, Jason Les, stated that this facility is crucial for diversifying financing sources and driving long-term stockholder value through strategic growth initiatives.
- Bitdeer raises $179M in loans and equity amid Bitcoin chip push. The Miner Mag reports that Bitdeer entered into a loan agreement with its affiliate Matrixport for up to $200 million in April, as disclosed in its annual report filed on Monday.
- Federal Reserve retracts guidance discouraging banks from engaging in 'crypto.' The U.S. Federal Reserve withdrew guidance that discouraged banks from crypto and stablecoin activities, as announced by its Board of Governors on Thursday. This includes rescinding a 2022 supervisory letter requiring prior notification of crypto activities and 2023 stablecoin requirements.
"As a result, the Board will no longer expect banks to provide notification and will instead monitor banks' crypto-asset activities through the normal supervisory process," reads the FED statement.
- UAE-based Islamic bank ruya launches Shariâah-compliant bitcoin investing. The bank has become the worldâs first Islamic bank to provide direct access to virtual asset investments, including Bitcoin, via its mobile app, per Bitcoin Magazine.
- U.S. 'crypto' scam losses amounted to $9.3B in 2024. The US The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reported $9.3 billion losses in cryptocurrency-related scams in 2024, noting a troubling trend of scams targeting older Americans, which accounted for over $2.8 billion of those losses.
Source: FBI.
- North Korean hackers establish fake companies to target 'crypto' developers. Silent Push researchers reported that hackers linked to the Lazarus Group created three shell companies, two of which are based in the U.S., with the objective of spreading malware through deceptive job interview scams aimed at individuals seeking jobs in cryptocurrency companies.
- Citrea deployed its Clementine Bridge on the Bitcoin testnet. The bridge utilizes the BitVM2 programming language to inherit validity from Bitcoin, allegedly providing "the safest and most trust-minimized way to use BTC in decentralized finance."
- Hesperides University offers a Masterâs degree in Bitcoin. Bitcoin Magazine reports the launch of the first-ever Spanish-language Masterâs program dedicated exclusively to Bitcoin. Starting April 28, 2025, this fully online program will equip professionals with technical, economic, legal, and philosophical skills to excel in the Bitcoin era.
- BTC in D.C. event is set to take place on September 30 - October 1 in Washington, D.C. Learn more about this initiative here.
Use the tools
- Bitcoin Keeper just got a new look. Version 2.2.0 of the mobile multisig app brought a new branding design, along with a Keeper Private tier, testnet support, ability to import and export BIP-329 labels, and the option to use a Server Key with multiple users.
- Earlier this month the project also announced Keeper Learn service, offering clear and guided Bitcoin learning sessions for both groups and individuals.
- Keeper Desktop v0.2.2, a companion desktop app for Bitcoin Keeper mobile app, received a renewed branding update, too.
The evolution of Bitcoin Keeper logo. Source: BitHyve blog.
- Blockstream Green Desktop v2.0.25 updates GDK to v0.75.1 and fixes amount parsing issues when switching from fiat denomination to Liquid asset.
- Lightning Loop v0.31.0-beta enhances the
loop listswaps
command by improving the ability to filter the response. - Lightning-kmp v1.10.0, an implementation of the Lightning Network in Kotlin, is now available.
- LND v0.19.0-beta.rc3, the latest beta release candidate of LND is now ready for testing.
- ZEUS v0.11.0-alpha2 is now available for testing, too. It's nuts.
- JoinMarket Fidelity Bond Simulator helps potential JoinMarket makers evaluate their competitive position in the market based on fidelity bonds.
- UTXOscope is a text-only Bitcoin blockchain analysis tool that visualizes price dynamics using only on-chain data. The