@ f977c464:32fcbe00

Kendisini aynada ilk defa gördüğü o gün, diğerleri gibi olduğunu anlamıştı. Oysaki her insan biricik olmalıydı. Sözgelimi sinirlendiğinde bir kaşı diğerinden birkaç milimetre daha az çatılabilirdi veya sevindiğinde dudağı ona has bir açıyla dalgalanabilirdi. Hatta bunların hiçbiri mümkün değilse, en azından, gözlerinin içinde sadece onun sahip olabileceği bir ışık parlayabilirdi. Çok sıradan, öyle sıradan ki kimsenin fark etmediği o milyonlarca minik şeyden herhangi biri. Ne olursa.

Ama yansımasına bakarken bunların hiçbirini bulamadı ve diğer günlerden hiç de farklı başlamamış o gün, işe gitmek için vagonunun gelmesini beklediği alelade bir metro istasyonunda, içinde kaybolduğu illüzyon dağılmaya başladı.

İlk önce derisi döküldü. Tam olarak dökülmedi aslında, daha çok kıvılcımlara dönüşüp bedeninden fırlamış ve bir an sonra sönerek külleşmiş, havada dağılmıştı. Ardında da, kaybolmadan hemen önce, kısa süre için hayal meyal görülebilen, bir ruhun yok oluşuna ağıt yakan rengârenk peri cesetleri bırakmıştı. Beklenenin aksine, havaya toz kokusu yayıldı.

Dehşete düştü elbette. Dehşete düştüler. Panikle üstlerini yırtan 50 işçi. Her şeyin sebebiyse o vagon.

Saçları da döküldü. Her tel, yere varmadan önce, her santimde ikiye ayrıla ayrıla yok oldu.

Bütün yüzeylerin mat olduğu, hiçbir şeyin yansımadığı, suyun siyah aktığı ve kendine ancak kameralarla bakabildiğin bir dünyada, vagonun içine yerleştirilmiş bir aynadan ilk defa kendini görmek.

Gözlerinin akları buharlaşıp havada dağıldı, mercekleri boşalan yeri doldurmak için eriyip yayıldı. Gerçeği görmemek için yaratılmış, bu yüzden görmeye hazır olmayan ve hiç olmayacak gözler.

Her şeyin o anda sona erdiğini sanabilirdi insan. Derin bir karanlık ve ölüm. Görmenin görmek olduğu o anın bitişi.

---

Ben geldiğimde ölmüşlerdi.

Yani bozulmuşlardı demek istiyorum.

Belleklerini yeni taşıyıcılara takmam mümkün olmadı. Fiziksel olarak kusursuz durumdaydılar, olmayanları da tamir edebilirdim ama tüm o hengamede kendilerini baştan programlamış ve girdilerini modifiye etmişlerdi.

Belleklerden birini masanın üzerinden ileriye savurdu. Hınca hınç dolu bir barda oturuyorlardı. O ve arkadaşı.

Sırf şu kendisini insan sanan androidler travma geçirip delirmesin diye neler yapıyoruz, insanın aklı almıyor.

Eliyle arkasını işaret etti.

Polislerin söylediğine göre biri vagonun içerisine ayna yerleştirmiş. Bu zavallılar da kapı açılıp bir anda yansımalarını görünce kafayı kırmışlar.

Arkadaşı bunların ona ne hissettirdiğini sordu. Yani o kadar bozuk, insan olduğunu sanan androidi kendilerini parçalamış olarak yerde görmek onu sarsmamış mıydı?

Hayır, sonuçta belirli bir amaç için yaratılmış şeyler onlar. Kaliteli bir bilgisayarım bozulduğunda üzülürüm çünkü parasını ben vermişimdir. Bunlarsa devletin. Bana ne ki?

Arkadaşı anlayışla kafasını sallayıp suyundan bir yudum aldı. Kravatını biraz gevşetti.

Bira istemediğinden emin misin?

İstemediğini söyledi. Sahi, neden deliriyordu bu androidler?

Basit. Onların yapay zekâlarını kodlarken bir şeyler yazıyorlar. Yazılımcılar. Biliyorsun, ben donanımdayım. Bunlar da kendilerini insan sanıyorlar. Tiplerine bak.

Sesini alçalttı.

Arabalarda kaza testi yapılan mankenlere benziyor hepsi. Ağızları burunları bile yok ama şu geldiğimizden beri sakalını düzeltip duruyor mesela. Hayır, hepsi de diğerleri onun sakalı varmış sanıyor, o manyak bir şey.

Arkadaşı bunun delirmeleriyle bağlantısını çözemediğini söyledi. O da normal sesiyle konuşmaya devam etti.

Anlasana, aynayı falan ayırt edemiyor mercekleri. Lönk diye kendilerini görüyorlar. Böyle, olduğu gibi...

Nedenmiş peki? Ne gerek varmış?

Ne bileyim be abicim! Ahiret soruları gibi.

Birasına bakarak dalıp gitti. Sonra masaya abanarak arkadaşına iyice yaklaştı. Bulanık, bir tünelin ucundaki biri gibi, şekli şemalı belirsiz bir adam.

Ben seni nereden tanıyorum ki ulan? Kimsin sen?

Belleği makineden çıkardılar. İki kişiydiler. Soruşturmadan sorumlu memurlar.

─ Baştan mı başlıyoruz, diye sordu belleği elinde tutan ilk memur.

─ Bir kere daha deneyelim ama bu sefer direkt aynayı sorarak başla, diye cevapladı ikinci memur.

─ Bence de. Yeterince düzgün çalışıyor.

Simülasyon yüklenirken, ayakta, biraz arkada duran ve alnını kaşıyan ikinci memur sormaktan kendisini alamadı:

─ Bu androidleri niye böyle bir olay yerine göndermişler ki? Belli tost olacakları. İsraf. Gidip biz baksak aynayı kırıp delilleri mahvetmek zorunda da kalmazlar.

Diğer memur sandalyesinde hafifçe dönecek oldu, o sırada soruyu bilgisayarın hoparlöründen teknisyen cevapladı.

Hangi işimizde bir yamukluk yok ki be abi.

---

Ama bir son değildi. Üstlerindeki tüm illüzyon dağıldığında ve çıplak, cinsiyetsiz, birbirinin aynı bedenleriyle kaldıklarında sıra dünyaya gelmişti.

Yere düştüler. Elleri -bütün bedeni gibi siyah turmalinden, boğumları çelikten- yere değdiği anda, metronun zemini dağıldı.

Yerdeki karolar öncesinde beyazdı ve çok parlaktı. Tepelerindeki floresan, ışığını olduğu gibi yansıtıyor, tek bir lekenin olmadığı ve tek bir tozun uçmadığı istasyonu aydınlatıyorlardı.

Duvarlara duyurular asılmıştı. Örneğin, yarın akşam kültür merkezinde 20.00’da başlayacak bir tekno blues festivalinin cıvıl cıvıl afişi vardı. Onun yanında daha geniş, sarı puntolu harflerle yazılmış, yatay siyah kesiklerle çerçevesi çizilmiş, bir platformdan düşen çöp adamın bulunduğu “Dikkat! Sarı bandı geçmeyin!” uyarısı. Biraz ilerisinde günlük resmi gazete, onun ilerisinde bir aksiyon filminin ve başka bir romantik komedi filminin afişleri, yapılacakların ve yapılmayacakların söylendiği küçük puntolu çeşitli duyurular... Duvar uzayıp giden bir panoydu. On, on beş metrede bir tekrarlanıyordu.

Tüm istasyonun eni yüz metre kadar. Genişliği on metre civarı.

Önlerinde, açık kapısından o mendebur aynanın gözüktüğü vagon duruyordu. Metro, istasyona sığmayacak kadar uzundu. Bir kılıcın keskinliğiyle uzanıyor ama yer yer vagonların ek yerleriyle bölünüyordu.

Hiçbir vagonda pencere olmadığı için metronun içi, içlerindekiler meçhuldü.

Sonrasında karolar zerrelerine ayrılarak yükseldi. Floresanın ışığında her yeri toza boğdular ve ortalığı gri bir sisin altına gömdüler. Çok kısa bir an. Afişleri dalgalandırmadılar. Dalgalandırmaya vakitleri olmadı. Yerlerinden söküp aldılar en fazla. Işık birkaç kere sönüp yanarak direndi. Son kez söndüğünde bir daha geri gelmedi.

Yine de etraf aydınlıktı. Kırmızı, her yere eşit dağılan soluk bir ışıkla.

Yer tamamen tele dönüşmüştü. Altında çapraz hatlarla desteklenmiş demir bir iskelet. Işık birkaç metreden daha fazla aşağıya uzanamıyordu. Sonsuzluğa giden bir uçurum.

Duvarın yerini aynı teller ve demir iskelet almıştı. Arkasında, birbirine vidalarla tutturulmuş demir plakalardan oluşan, üstünden geçen boruların ek yerlerinden bazen ince buharların çıktığı ve bir süre asılı kaldıktan sonra ağır, yağlı bir havayla sürüklendiği bir koridor.

Diğer tarafta paslanmış, pencerelerindeki camlar kırıldığı için demir plakalarla kapatılmış külüstür bir metro. Kapının karşısındaki aynadan her şey olduğu gibi yansıyordu.

---

Bir konteynırın içini andıran bir evde, gerçi gayet de birbirine eklenmiş konteynırlardan oluşan bir şehirde “andıran” demek doğru olmayacağı için düpedüz bir konteynırın içinde, masaya mum görüntüsü vermek için koyulmuş, yarı katı yağ atıklarından şekillendirilmiş kütleleri yakmayı deniyordu. Kafasında hayvan kıllarından yapılmış grili siyahlı bir peruk. Aynı kıllardan kendisine gür bir bıyık da yapmıştı.

Üstünde mavi çöp poşetlerinden yapılmış, kravatlı, şık bir takım.

Masanın ayakları yerine oradan buradan çıkmış parçalar konulmuştu: bir arabanın şaft mili, üst üste konulmuş ve üstünde yazı okunamayan tenekeler, boş kitaplar, boş gazete balyaları... Hiçbir şeye yazı yazılmıyordu, gerek yoktu da zaten çünkü merkez veri bankası onları fark ettirmeden, merceklerden giren veriyi sentezleyerek insanlar için dolduruyordu. Yani, androidler için. Farklı şekilde isimlendirmek bir fark yaratacaksa.

Onların mercekleri için değil. Bağlantıları çok önceden kopmuştu.

─ Hayatım, sofra hazır, diye bağırdı yatak odasındaki karısına.

Sofrada tabak yerine düz, bardak yerine bükülmüş, çatal ve bıçak yerine sivriltilmiş plakalar.

Karısı salonun kapısında durakladı ve ancak kulaklarına kadar uzanan, kocasınınkine benzeyen, cansız, ölü hayvanların kıllarından ibaret peruğunu eliyle düzeltti. Dudağını, daha doğrusu dudağının olması gereken yeri koyu kırmızı bir yağ tabakasıyla renklendirmeyi denemişti. Biraz da yanaklarına sürmüştü.

─ Nasıl olmuş, diye sordu.

Sesi tek düzeydi ama hafif bir neşe olduğunu hissettiğinize yemin edebilirdiniz.

Üzerinde, çöp poşetlerinin içini yazısız gazete kağıtlarıyla doldurarak yaptığı iki parça giysi.

─ Çok güzelsin, diyerek kravatını düzeltti kocası.

─ Sen de öylesin, sevgilim.

Yaklaşıp kocasını öptü. Kocası da onu. Sonra nazikçe elinden tutarak, sandalyesini geriye çekerek oturmasına yardım etti.

Sofrada yemek niyetine hiçbir şey yoktu. Gerek de yoktu zaten.

Konteynırın kapısı gürültüyle tekmelenip içeri iki memur girene kadar birbirlerine öyküler anlattılar. O gün neler yaptıklarını. İşten erken çıkıp yemyeşil çimenlerde gezdiklerini, uçurtma uçurduklarını, kadının nasıl o elbiseyi bulmak için saatlerce gezip yorulduğunu, kocasının kısa süreliğine işe dönüp nasıl başarılı bir hamleyle yaşanan krizi çözdüğünü ve kadının yanına döndükten sonra, alışveriş merkezinde oturdukları yeni dondurmacının dondurmalarının ne kadar lezzetli olduğunu, boğazlarının ağrımasından korktuklarını...

Akşam film izleyebilirlerdi, televizyonda -boş ve mat bir plaka- güzel bir film oynayacaktı.

İki memur. Çıplak bedenleriyle birbirinin aynı. Ellerindeki silahları onlara doğrultmuşlardı. Mum ışığında, tertemiz bir örtünün serili olduğu masada, bardaklarında şaraplarla oturan ve henüz sofranın ortasındaki hindiye dokunmamış çifti gördüklerinde bocaladılar.

Hiç de androidlere bilinçli olarak zarar verebilecek gibi gözükmüyorlardı.

─ Sessiz kalma hakkına sahipsiniz, diye bağırdı içeri giren ikinci memur. Söylediğiniz her şey...

Cümlesini bitiremedi. Yatak odasındaki, masanın üzerinden gördüğü o şey, onunla aynı hareketleri yapan android, yoksa, bir aynadaki yansıması mıydı?

Bütün illüzyon o anda dağılmaya başladı.

Not: Bu öykü ilk olarak 2020 yılında Esrarengiz Hikâyeler'de yayımlanmıştır.

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

I used to wonder why people went to war over religion. So what if you bow to the elephant with 17 heads, and I worship a burning bush? Why does anyone care? But that was before I read Charles Peirce’s “Fixation Of Belief.”

In it he argues being uncertain, i.e., having a doubt, is a kind of discomfort or dissatisfaction. It’s unpleasant and irritating not to know, and just like an itch calls out for a scratch, a doubt calls out for its own kind of relief. That relief comes in the form of a belief.

A belief fills the uncomfortable void of doubt and puts one at ease — at least with respect to that particular decision or uncertainty. In my prior job, this dynamic could not have been clearer to me. The phone lines would light up during our “Chances To Win” radio segment wherein I would speculate on each caller’s likelihood of getting enough points (or his opponent failing to get enough) on Monday Night Football. Never mind the callers knew I was just making it up, and never mind that the game would go as it was always going to go, and nothing I said could change that. They lined up to hear their odds so they could quantify and therefore affix a belief to their chances, replacing the void of nebulous doubt and anxiety. Virtually no segment on the entire channel received so many calls.

If uncertainty for a few hours about one week of fantasy football could motivate so many to queue up on the off chance we’d get to their call, imagine the stakes when we’re talking about religion! Religion spans the gamut from how the universe came to be to where you might spend eternity. From the meaning of life to the proper way to raise your children. The doubt religion placates runs deeper than the Marianas Trench. Man has historically gone to great lengths and suffered immensely to affix durable religious beliefs over the cavernous uncertainties in his soul.

So if you, seemingly prosperous, intelligent and healthy person differ from me in certain core beliefs, you are a threat. Not only to turn others against me, but worse, to erode the beliefs I took such pains to affix over the dreaded void in my soul. If what you believe might be true, then what I believe might be false. And might be is a massive problem because it takes from me the hard-earned certainty that undergirds my entire life’s purpose.

Unless I upend my entire worldview (something of which few are capable/willing), I have no other choice but to destroy you. But because my self-identification as a good person forbids violence except in self-defense, first I must conjure up some grave offense you have committed against me. I am not thinking this consciously — in my mind, I am merely responding to an acute threat I feel in my bones and revulsion I experience when confronted with your unbelievably selfish and evil beliefs. The stakes are so high my brain manufactures the offense effortlessly. Your views are a violation, your existence a problem, and if I can’t kill you, at least I can shut you up or see to it you are excommunicated and viewed as a terrible person to whom no one would listen.

In 2024, at least in the west, many people do not subscribe to what we think of as religions per se. They might be nominally Catholic or Jewish, but those traditions only peripherally inform the most important pillars of their reality. Instead, many take their worldviews from their social, economic and political tribes, where things like for whom you voted, your views on masking or whether you took Pfizer’s latest have bizarrely become meaningful. (The particulars of what has significance are often dictated by mass media, and they could be, and increasingly are, arbitrary.) It sounds insane, but merely hearing that someone does not believe the new Pfizer shots are necessary, or that one prefers a different politician in office will often be perceived as a grave offense. “You are killing people with this tweet,” seems correct not because there is good (or any) evidence of a tweet killing people, but because “killing people” is the only language strong enough to match the emotion felt by the person reading it.

When we realize what’s at stake in this battle of worldviews — the fixation of beliefs to stem the dreadful uncertainty in a time of rapid and unsettling change, during which there has been a collapse of trust in institutions and an information ecosystem so polarized people often cannot even agree on the most basic premises — seemingly insane and inexplicable behavior makes more sense.

The person seeking to destroy you is revealing his own desperation. He needs to reaffirm his increasingly fragile sense of the world, and he feels he’s being righteous not only for himself but by protecting the epistemic foundations of his likeminded peers. He is on a crusade of sorts. The tell for religious fanatics on a crusade is that the end always justifies the means, for the end is the glory of God, so to speak, the triumph of what’s right and true and necessary, lest the whole world be plunged into the darkness, and by the darkness, I mean unfathomable, awesome, soul-destroying doubt from which we desperately seek r(b)elief.

If someone makes false claims about others, advocates for censorship, or argues others must be coerced to take medicine for the greater good, it is a tell. The reason citizens in western democracies have rights is precisely that this religious mindset, to which people are prone, has historically caused so much damage. Rights act as a failsafe, firm lines which, no matter the urgency of the cause, must not be crossed. In the end, we all want to assuage our doubts. We all want to be correct about our worldviews and the moral frameworks that allow us to view ourselves sympathetically. We want to feel good about ourselves, while navigating our lives in uncertain times.

But the difference between an earnest, openminded person and a dangerous fanatic is the willingness to suffer doubt, to face the anxiety that arises when others have different, even what we deem counterproductive or abhorrent, views. That doesn’t mean anyone likes it — tolerant people are invested in their beliefs too — but the threat to his worldview by competing ones is a discomfort to be borne by him, not a scourge by which to be offended and marked for eradication.

Tolerance, then, is literally a kind of emotional pain tolerance — the capacity to suffer through the prospect of doubt rather than stamping it out at all costs. And discomfort notwithstanding, an encounter with a dissident view is also an opportunity to ask oneself an important question, perhaps the most important if one wants to adapt and survive in the real world rather than simply optimize for emotional comfort: What if I’m wrong?

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Embarking on the journey of operating your own Lightning node on the Bitcoin Layer 2 network is more than just a tech-savvy endeavor; it's a step into a realm of financial autonomy and cutting-edge innovation. By running a node, you become a vital part of a revolutionary movement that's reshaping how we think about money and digital transactions. This role not only offers a unique perspective on blockchain technology but also places you at the heart of a community dedicated to decentralization and network resilience. Beyond the technicalities, it's about embracing a new era of digital finance, where you contribute directly to the network's security, efficiency, and growth, all while gaining personal satisfaction and potentially lucrative rewards.

In essence, running your own Lightning node is a powerful way to engage with the forefront of blockchain technology, assert financial independence, and contribute to a more decentralized and efficient Bitcoin network. It's an adventure that offers both personal and communal benefits, from gaining in-depth tech knowledge to earning a place in the evolving landscape of cryptocurrency.

Running your own Lightning node for the Bitcoin Layer 2 network can be an empowering and beneficial endeavor. Here are 10 reasons why you might consider taking on this task:

1. Direct Contribution to Decentralization: Operating a node is a direct action towards decentralizing the Bitcoin network, crucial for its security and resistance to control or censorship by any single entity.

2. Financial Autonomy: Owning a node gives you complete control over your financial transactions on the network, free from reliance on third-party services, which can be subject to fees, restrictions, or outages.

3. Advanced Network Participation: As a node operator, you're not just a passive participant but an active player in shaping the network, influencing its efficiency and scalability through direct involvement.

4. Potential for Higher Revenue: With strategic management and optimal channel funding, your node can become a preferred route for transactions, potentially increasing the routing fees you can earn.

5. Cutting-Edge Technological Engagement: Running a node puts you at the forefront of blockchain and bitcoin technology, offering insights into future developments and innovations.

6. Strengthened Network Security: Each new node adds to the robustness of the Bitcoin network, making it more resilient against attacks and failures, thus contributing to the overall security of the ecosystem.

7. Personalized Fee Structures: You have the flexibility to set your own fee policies, which can balance earning potential with the service you provide to the network.

8. Empowerment Through Knowledge: The process of setting up and managing a node provides deep learning opportunities, empowering you with knowledge that can be applied in various areas of blockchain and fintech.

9. Boosting Transaction Capacity: By running a node, you help to increase the overall capacity of the Lightning Network, enabling more transactions to be processed quickly and at lower costs.

10. Community Leadership and Reputation: As an active node operator, you gain recognition within the Bitcoin community, which can lead to collaborative opportunities and a position of thought leadership in the space.

These reasons demonstrate the impactful and transformative nature of running a Lightning node, appealing to those who are deeply invested in the principles of bitcoin and wish to actively shape its future. Jump aboard, and embrace the journey toward full independence. 🐶🐾🫡🚀🚀🚀

@ 4657dfe8:47934b3e

Hey,

We're trying to maintain the most up-to-date and interesting list of various "LN apps" (Lightning and Nostr web apps) that can be used with Alby, calling it our Discover Page

However, for the past few weeks... we couldn't encounter anyting fresh and working. And it is very possible we overlooked some must-visit website.

What should we add to the Discover Page? Asking for nice recommendations.

We'll pay 2,100 sats per each! 😊 Cheers 🚀🚀

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Chef's notes

Serving these two dishes together will create a delightful centerpiece for your Thanksgiving meal, offering a perfect blend of traditional flavors with a homemade touch.

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 30 min
• 🍳 Cook time: 1 - 2 hours
• 🍽️ Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 whole turkey (about 12-14 lbs), thawed and ready to cook
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• Apple and Sage Stuffing
• 1 loaf of crusty bread, cut into cubes
• 2 apples, cored and chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups chicken broth
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 325°F (165°C).
2. Prepare the Herb Butter: Mix the softened butter with the chopped thyme, rosemary, and sage. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Prepare the Turkey: Remove any giblets from the turkey and pat it dry. Loosen the skin and spread a generous amount of herb butter under and over the skin.
4. Add Aromatics: Inside the turkey cavity, place the quartered onion, lemon halves, and garlic cloves.
5. Roast: Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Tent with aluminum foil and roast. A general guideline is about 15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part of the thigh.
6. Rest and Serve: Let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
7. Next: Apple and Sage Stuffing
8. Dry the Bread: Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and let them dry overnight, or toast them in the oven.
9. Cook the Vegetables: In a large skillet, melt the butter and cook the onion, celery, and garlic until soft.
10. Combine Ingredients: Add the apples, sage, and bread cubes to the skillet. Stir in the chicken broth until the mixture is moist. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Bake: Transfer the stuffing to a baking dish and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 30-40 minutes, until golden brown on top.

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday Folks!

Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2.

The #NostrTechWeekly is focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse.

Let’s dive in!

Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA NIPs)

1) (Proposed) Update to NIP-07: Nostr Browser Extension

monlovesmango is proposing updates to the capabilities of the Nostr Browser Extensions. Currently, browser extensions are primarily used to enable usage of Nostr clients without giving that client your Nostr private key.

Since NIP 44 was adopted, there are a few new Nostr actions creating encrypted content over Nostr that clients will want users to authorize without requiring users to input their private key. This NIP adds those new Nostr actions as something browser extensions should support going forward.

2) (Proposed) NOSTR Decentralized Advertising Network

ionextdebug is proposing creating a marketplace for advertising that runs over Nostr.

For those unfamiliar, there’s a constant bid and ask process for advertising space on platforms like Youtube or Google Adsense. The sell side is offering up ad space (for example 5-25 seconds at the beginning of a Youtube video for users within a specific demographic), and the buy side is bidding to put their ad in that spot. The highest bid wins the spot. This all happens in milliseconds every time you see an ad online.

This proposal outlines how this could be coordinated over Nostr instead of in Google’s walled garden. The use case would require Nostr to operate in ways it wasn’t designed for, so it may struggle to work in practice, but the NIP is early in the process of development.

Notable Projects

nsecBunker Update 🔐

nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft announced an update to nsecBunker that allows users to an OAuth-like experience when logging into Nostr clients.

Bunker providers are able to provide account creation to Nostr users that feels a lot like signing up for any legacy tech service (username, password, control over what each Nostr client can do on their behalf, etc). This creates a set of Nostr keypairs which are necessary to operate in the Nostr-verse, but they’re stored in the bunker.

When a Nostr client wants a user’s permission to read or write with those keys (e.g., to pull their timeline or help a user post something), the client asks the bunker for permission, which then asks the user if they want to grant that permission. Users are also able to have their bunker remember their selections of grant/reject permissions for a given Nostr client so that things are easier with fewer popups the next time around.

Additionally, users that are created and managed via nsecBunker have a lightning wallet and lightning address created automatically. If nsecBunker could also help folks manage their full Nostr profile (Kind 0 data like profile picture, name, etc,) this could be an out-of-the box solution for clients looking to add a simpler signup/login experience to new users that don’t mind giving up some control.

From what I saw in the code, the data (including Nostr private keys custodied by the bunker) are encrypted at rest, but currently that’s one key to encrypt all keys in the bunker. It may make sense in the future to extend the functionality to give users the ability to encrypt their keys with their own password, but there are downsides to that which may make self-custody the easier option.

There’s no lock-in for users since bunker providers can help users download their keys if they want to self custody or move to another provider.

This could be a foundational tool that allows an ecosystem of bunker providers emerge. Bunkers may be offered as part of Nostr clients, or independently; they may be offered for free, or for a fee. But the opt-in and interchangeable nature means that users will be able to choose what works for them, including moving to self-custody once they see the benefits. And self-custody may even just be a self-hosted bunker. 😉

Faaans 🎨

This is another project from nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft and although it’s still pre-launch, it has been teased as a Patreon replacement built on Nostr.

It seems like this project is one whose purpose and value is clear, but requires many capabilities that are novel to Nostr to be built first. From what I can see Faaans has built:

1. Oauth-like flow using new nsecbunker functionality from 👆
2. Ability to gate content until a Nostr user pays for it
3. The presence of uploads and NIP 98 HTTP Auth makes me think that there’s a non-Nostr backend for handling uploads (maybe to also help with gating the content?)

Anyway, I’m excited to see how it turns out. Cutting out middlemen and giving creators full control over their relationship with their audience could be the killer app that brings a flood of usage and business to the Nostr ecosystem. 💪

Relay Auth to support privacy 🤫

NIP 42 allows relays to require clients to authenticate the user before the relay will take a requested action. This is useful, for example, for keeping DMs private.

By default all Nostr events can be queried by anyone that can connect to the relay. This is part of the magic of Nostr. But there are some kinds of Nostr events that likely should only be readable by a few folks. In the case of DMs, it makes sense to restrict who can download DM-type Nostr events to only those people involved in the DM.

This can be accomplished by relays requiring the user to authenticate with the relay before it returns DM-type Nostr events for that user. This announcement is that Damus looks to be adding support for Relay Auth, which may help with any number of features that can benefit from more privacy.

Latest conversations: Web of Providers

The culture of Nostr currently highly values self-custody, decentralization, and “don’t trust, verify” which is very admirable. It’s woven into the protocol itself. There are downsides to operating on these principles, but most of us judge it to be worth it.

It’s usually possible to have our cake and eat it too (have a nice experience and maintain our values), but it requires technological advances and building products based on those advances. This takes time.

In the interim, devs may build something that’s less self-custodial, less decentralized, but far easier to use. Most of the time this middle ground is far better than using some legacy system that’s completely custodial, centralized, and locks users in. But that’s only the case if it’s a stepping stone to a solution that is everything we need.

Example: Custodial Lightning Wallets

When Wallet of Satoshi stopped operating in the US, I definitely felt how vulnerable the zap ecosystem was to some overzealous bureaucrats. But I was able to switch providers in a matter of minutes and get back to sending and receiving zaps.

I definitely considered moving to Zeus or Mutiny or reviving my own Lightning Node on my Bitcoin Node, but it’s all still too difficult to manage a reliable experience passively.

On net, I’d argue that using custodial lightning is better than using Venmo or something to send and receive zaps. At least we’re operating in Bitcoin and not fiat.

A must have: a competitive ecosystem

The trade offs of a middle ground are easier to live with if there’s a robust and competitive ecosystem.

In the case of custodial lightning wallets, we’re encountering the issue of a lack of robustness. There are only a handful of providers that are able to handle zaps. Losing Wallet of Satoshi was a significant blow. We definitely need more lightning wallet providers in order to be robust against nation-state attack.

The ecosystem must also be competitive. People need to be able to switch providers or move to self custody with little or no cost.

NSecBunker

NSecBunker is an excellent example of a middle ground solution that maintains manageable trade offs while working to discover a more perfect solution.

If Nostr users want to use bunkers, it’s trivially easy to spin up a bunker and provide it to them. Existing clients may spin them up, or people looking to start a business in the Nostr ecosystem may create bunkers (maybe with some extra features) and charge for them.

At the end of the day, this technology is built in such a way that interoperability is easy and users aren’t locked in. The lift for Nostr clients to support bunkers is small, so bunkers may soon be as widely used as the Nostr browser extensions. Since users aren’t locked in to any bunker provider, it’ll be easy for a web of providers to pop up and serve users in unique ways to discover what works best.

Build tech to enable a web of providers

Building Nostr tech that has interoperability top of mind supports the Nostr ethos and enables the ecosystem to develop incrementally without giving up our values. Luckily, the protocol itself encourages interoperability with its very architecture. 🫡

Let’s reward devs when we see them doing this important work, they’re building an immense amount right now and it’s an incredible privilege to witness and beta test. 🍻

Until next time

If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk

Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ d8a2c33f:76611e0c

"With every new tool, you have a choice to make. Do I want to recreate what I have with this new tool, or create something entirely new?"

This question lies at the heart of innovation, particularly in the rapidly evolving tech world.

The Nostr ecosystem stands at a crossroads faced by many emerging technologies. The initial inclination has been to use this powerful new tool to replicate existing social media platforms like Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and Google. This approach has provided a proof of concept, demonstrating Nostr's capabilities. However, it has NOT significantly shifted users away from these entrenched giants. It's clear that simply recreating with new tools isn't enough to dislodge platforms that have developed extensive features, usability, and a robust moat around their services.

In the tech industry, a major platform shift occurs every 10-15 years. PC -> Web -> Mobile. With each platform shift, incumbents are challenged, new companies emerge, and new business models are created. With the advent of AI in the form of Large Language Models (LLMs), we are witnessing the beginning of the next platform shift in 2023. There has already been considerable chaos this year, and we can expect to see more.

Everyone is on the same assumption that things are going to change drastically in the next two to five years but does not have the same view of how it will change.

This provides us with a perfect opportunity to build something new with the capabilities of Bitcoin, Lightning and Nostr.

AI: A New Landscape with No Clear Leaders

The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a stark contrast to the established domains of social media and online platforms. In AI, there are no dominant incumbents or insurmountable barriers, commonly known as moats, that prevent newcomers from entering the market. This unique landscape offers a level playing field, where innovation and fresh ideas can flourish.

Take Google, for instance. Despite having an abundance of resources, top talent, and state-of-the-art infrastructure, Google is not leading in AI. Their approach has been marked by creating demonstration videos that have faced scrutiny and skepticism, suggesting that even with their vast resources, they are still in the process of fully grasping and harnessing AI's potential.

Similarly, Microsoft's strategy has largely been characterized by its partnership with and reliance on OpenAI. While this indicates recognition of AI's importance, it also shows that Microsoft is still in pursuit of a distinct foothold in the AI arena, rather than leading it outright.

On the other hand, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is actively investing in a range of AI startups, signaling a race to discover and back the next big breakthrough in AI. This approach underscores the lack of clear leaders in the field, as AWS looks to external sources for innovation and advancement in AI technologies.

Meanwhile, Apple appears less active or visible in the AI race, which could be interpreted as either a strategic decision to focus on other areas or a potential oversight in recognizing AI's growing importance. This perceived inactivity could mean that they are missing out on early opportunities in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

In summary, the current state of AI is one of exploration and experimentation, with even the biggest players in the tech industry still searching for their path. This scenario is a stark contrast to industries like social media, where a few giants have long established their dominance.

For the Nostr ecosystem, this represents a significant opportunity to enter the field and make a substantial impact with innovative AI applications, unencumbered by the need to dislodge entrenched incumbents.

The Path Forward with AI

The future lies in embracing AI and dedicating resources to explore and innovate in this field. The past six months have seen a significant investment in understanding, researching, and developing AI-related projects within the Nostr ecosystem. This is not just about keeping up with current trends but about forging a new path in technology.

While replicating existing social media apps has provided valuable insights and showcased Nostr's capabilities, the real opportunity lies in venturing into the relatively uncharted territory of AI. Here, Nostr can leverage its unique strengths and ethos to create groundbreaking applications, setting the stage for a new era of technological innovation.

Every company will become an “AI First” company and build products and services around AI for their internal and external use. We got an unique opportunity to pave this way forward with the world we want to live in.

Over the past six months, I have fully immersed myself in the visionary task of developing AI applications on the Nostr platform. My journey has been marked by tangible achievements, notably through the successful demonstration of innovative projects like PlebAI and the Current Mobile App. These accomplishments serve as a testament to the practicality and potential of AI integration within the Nostr ecosystem.

What truly sets our endeavor apart is the robust and passionate community that stands with us. We are a collective of thinkers, dreamers, and doers, united by a shared vision and a willingness to support and uplift each other. It's this spirit of collaboration and mutual assistance that fuels our progress and innovation.

I am deeply honored to be an integral part of the inaugural Sovereign Engineering 1st cohort of developers. This position allows me not only to contribute to our current achievements but also to take the lead in steering us towards a future brimming with possibilities. Together, we are not just building applications; we are shaping the future of technology, driven by a commitment to excellence and a relentless pursuit of groundbreaking advancements in the realm of AI and beyond.

Let's Go...

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Testing a brand new YakiHonne native client for iOS. Smooth as butter (not penis butter 🤣🍆🧈) with great visual experience and intuitive navigation. Amazing work by the team behind it! * lists * work

Bold text work!

Images could have used nostr.build instead of raw S3 from us-east-1 region.

Very impressive! You can even save the draft and continue later, before posting the long-form note!

🐶🐾🤯🤯🤯🫂💜

@ fa0165a0:03397073

I just tested building a browser plugin, it was easier than I thought. Here I'll walk you through the steps of creating a minimal working example of a browser plugin, a.k.a. the "Hello World" of browser plugins.

First of all there are two main browser platforms out there, Chromium and Mozilla. They do some things a little differently, but similar enough that we can build a plugin that works on both. This plugin will work in both, I'll describe the firefox version, but the chromium version is very similar.

What is a browser plugin?

Simply put, a browser plugin is a program that runs in the browser. It can do things like modify the content of a webpage, or add new functionality to the browser. It's a way to extend the browser with custom functionality. Common examples are ad blockers, password managers, and video downloaders.

In technical terms, they are plugins that can insert html-css-js into your browser experience.

How to build a browser plugin

Step 0: Basics

You'll need a computer, a text editor and a browser. For testing and development I personally think that the firefox developer edition is the easiest to work with. But any Chrome based browser will also do.

Create a working directory on your computer, name it anything you like. I'll call mine hello-world-browser-plugin. Open the directory and create a file called manifest.json. This is the most important file of your plugin, and it must be named exactly right.

Step 1: manifest.json

After creation open your file manifest.json in your text editor and paste the following code:

json { "manifest_version": 3, "name": "Hello World", "version": "1.0", "description": "A simple 'Hello World' browser extension", "content_scripts": [ { "matches": ["<all_urls>"], "js": ["hello.js"] //The name of your script file. // "css": ["hello.css"] //The name of your css file. } ] }

If you wonder what the json file format is, it's a normal text file with a special syntax such that a computer can easily read it. It's the json syntax you see in the code above. Let's go through what's being said here. (If you are not interested, just skip to the next step after pasting this we are done here.)

• manifest_version: This is the version of the manifest file format. It's currently at version 3, and it's the latest version. It's important that you set this to 3, otherwise your plugin won't work.
• name: This is the name of your plugin. It can be anything you like.
• version: This is the version of your plugin. It can be anything you like.
• description: This is the description of your plugin. It can be anything you like.
• content_scripts: This is where you define what your plugin does. It's a list of scripts that will be executed when the browser loads a webpage. In this case we have one script, called hello.js. It's the script that we'll create in the next step.
• matches: This is a list of urls that the script will be executed on. In this case we have <all_urls>, which means that the script will be executed on all urls. You can also specify a specific url, like https://brave.com/*, which means that the script will only be executed on urls that start with https://brave.com/.
• js: This is a list of javascript files that will be executed. In this case we have one file, called hello.js. It's the script that we'll create in the next step.
• css: This is where you can add a list of css files that will be executed. In this case we have none, but you can add css files here if you want to.
• //: Text following these two characters are comments. They are ignored by the computer, You can add comments anywhere you like, and they are a good way to document your code.

Step 2: hello.js

Now it's time to create another file in your project folder. This time we'll call it hello.js. When created, open it in your text editor and paste the following code:

js console.log("Hello World!"); That's javascript code, and it's what will be executed when you run your plugin. It's a simple console.log statement, which will print the text "Hello World!" to the console. The console is a place where the browser prints out messages, and it's a good place to start when debugging your plugin.

Step 3: Load and launch your plugin

Firefox

Now it's time to load your plugin into your browser. Open your browser and go to the url about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox. You should see a page that looks something like this:

Click the button that says "Load Temporary Add-on...". A file dialog will open, navigate to your project folder and select the file manifest.json. Your plugin should now be loaded and running.

Go to a website, any website, and open the inspector then navigate to the console. You'll find the inspector by right-clicking anywhere within the webpage, and click "Inspector" in the drop-down menu. When opening the console you might see some log messages from the site you visited and... you should see the text "Hello World!" printed there, from our little plugin! Congratulations!

Chrome

Open your browser and go to the url chrome://extensions/. Click the button that says "Load unpacked". A file dialog will open, navigate to your project folder and select the folder hello-world-browser-plugin. Your plugin should now be loaded and running.

Note the difference, of selecting the file manifest.json in firefox, and selecting the folder hello-world-browser-plugin in chrome. Otherwise, the process is the same. So I'll repeat the same text as above: (for those who skipped ahead..)

Go to a website, any website, and open the inspector then navigate to the console. You'll find the inspector by right-clicking anywhere within the webpage, and click "Inspector" in the drop-down menu. When opening the console you might see some log messages from the site you visited and... you should see the text "Hello World!" printed there, from our little plugin! Congratulations!

---

As you can see this isn't as complicated as one might think. Having preformed a "Hello-World!"-project is a very useful and valuable first step. These setup steps are the basics for any browser plugin, and you can build on this to create more advanced plugins.

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

As the title states, scratch behind my ear and you get it. 🐶🐾🫡

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Test Bounty Note

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Intro

This short tutorial will help you set up your own Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) on your own LND Node that is not using Umbrel. If you are a user of Umbrel, you should use their version of NWC.

Requirements

You need to have a working installation of LND with established channels and connectivity to the internet. NWC in itself is fairly light and will not consume a lot of resources. You will also want to ensure that you have a working installation of Docker, since we will use a docker image to run NWC.

• Working installation of LND (and all of its required components)
• Docker (with Docker compose)

Installation

For the purpose of this tutorial, we will assume that you have your lnd/bitcoind running under user bitcoin with home directory /home/bitcoin. We will also assume that you already have a running installation of Docker (or docker.io).

Prepare and verify

git version - we will need git to get the latest version of NWC. docker version - should execute successfully and show the currently installed version of Docker. docker compose version - same as before, but the version will be different. ss -tupln | grep 10009- should produce the following output: tcp LISTEN 0 4096 0.0.0.0:10009 0.0.0.0: tcp LISTEN 0 4096 [::]:10009 [::]:**

For things to work correctly, your Docker should be version 20.10.0 or later. If you have an older version, consider installing a new one using instructions here: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/

Create folders & download NWC

In the home directory of your LND/bitcoind user, create a new folder, e.g., "nwc" mkdir /home/bitcoin/nwc. Change to that directory cd /home/bitcoin/nwc and clone the NWC repository: git clone https://github.com/getAlby/nostr-wallet-connect.git

Creating the Docker image

In this step, we will create a Docker image that you will use to run NWC.

• Change directory to nostr-wallet-connect: cd nostr-wallet-connect
• Run command to build Docker image: docker build -t nwc:$(date +'%Y%m%d%H%M') -t nwc:latest . (there is a dot at the end)
• The last line of the output (after a few minutes) should look like => => naming to docker.io/library/nwc:latest
• nwc:latest is the name of the Docker image with a tag which you should note for use later.

Creating docker-compose.yml and necessary data directories

• Let's create a directory that will hold your non-volatile data (DB): mkdir data
• Indocker-compose.ymlfile, there are fields that you want to replace (<> comments) and port “4321” that you want to make sure is open (check with ss -tupln | grep 4321which should return nothing).
• Create docker-compose.ymlfile with the following content, and make sure to update fields that have <> comment:

version: "3.8" services: nwc: image: nwc:latest volumes: - ./data:/data - ~/.lnd:/lnd:ro ports: - "4321:8080" extra_hosts: - "localhost:host-gateway" environment: NOSTR_PRIVKEY: <use "openssl rand -hex 32" to generate a fresh key and place it inside ""> LN_BACKEND_TYPE: "LND" LND_ADDRESS: localhost:10009 LND_CERT_FILE: "/lnd/tls.cert" LND_MACAROON_FILE: "/lnd/data/chain/bitcoin/mainnet/admin.macaroon" DATABASE_URI: "/data/nostr-wallet-connect.db" COOKIE_SECRET: <use "openssl rand -hex 32" to generate fresh secret and place it inside ""> PORT: 8080 restart: always stop_grace_period: 1m

Starting and testing

Now that you have everything ready, it is time to start the container and test.

• While you are in the nwcdirectory (important), execute the following command and check the log output, docker compose up
• You should see container logs while it is starting, and it should not exit if everything went well.
• At this point, you should be able to go to http://<ip of the host where nwc is running>:4321 and get to the interface of NWC
• To stop the test run of NWC, simply press Ctrl-C , and it will shut the container down.
• To start NWC permanently, you should execute docker compose up -d , “-d” tells Docker to detach from the session.
• To check currently running NWC logs, execute docker compose logs to run it in tail mode add -f to the end.
• To stop the container, execute docker compose down

That's all, just follow the instructions in the web interface to get started.

Updating

As with any software, you should expect fixes and updates that you would need to perform periodically. You could automate this, but it falls outside of the scope of this tutorial. Since we already have all of the necessary configuration in place, the update execution is fairly simple.

• Change directory to the clone of the git repository, cd /home/bitcoin/nwc/nostr-wallet-connect
• Run command to build Docker image: docker build -t nwc:$(date +'%Y%m%d%H%M') -t nwc:latest . (there is a dot at the end)
• Change directory back one level cd ..
• Restart (stop and start) the docker compose config docker compose down && docker compose up -d
• Done! Optionally you may want to check the logs: docker compose logs

@ e1ff3bfd:341be1af

Over the last few months it feels the bitcoin community has gotten more and more jaded on lightning. To be honest, this is for good reason, back in 2017 we were promised a decentralized payment network that would always have cheap payments and everyone would be able to run their own node. Nowadays, the average lightning user actually isn't using lightning, they are just using a custodial wallet and the few of that do run lightning nodes often find it a burdensome task. For us at Mutiny Wallet, we are trying to make this better by creating a lightweight self-custodial wallet and in my opinion we have been executing on that dream fairly well. In this post, I'll analyze these issues and present a new way to view lightning and what that means for bitcoin going forward.

First and foremost one of the hardest UX challenges of lightning is channel liquidity. No other payment system has these problems today besides lightning so this often confuses lots of users. To make matters worse, there aren't any practical hacks that we can do to get around this. Muun Wallet used an on-chain wallet + submarine swaps to get around the channel liquidity problem, this worked very well until fees went up and everyone realized it wasn't actually a lightning wallet. The better solution is JIT liquidity like we do in Mutiny or splicing like that is done in Phoenix. These solutions abstract some of it away but not enough, we often get support questions confused on why some payments have fees and others do not. The fact is channel liquidity is not a usable UX for most end users.

The other major pain point of lightning is the offline receive problem. Inherently, you must be online with your private keys to sign and claim a payment. There is technically an ongoing spec proposal to be able to work around this (essentially creating a notification system of when people are online to receive payments), but it doesn't solve the fundamental problem and still has limitations. There has been a few attempts to get around this, most notably was Zeus Pay lightning addresses. These essentially worked by just creating stuck payments and waited for the user to come online to claim, this caused a ton of problems for people and even forced us at Mutiny to block users from paying them because it caused so many force closures. This is a hard problem because the entire rest of the bitcoin/crypto ecosystem works by just copy-paste an address and you can send to it whenever, there isn't caveats around asking your friend to open their wallet. This is further exacerbated by things like lightning address that requires a webserver to even get an invoice in the first place.

Channel liquidity and offline receives in my opinion are the two most obvious reasons why self-custodial lightning is not popular. When most users hear about any of these, they just think screw that and move to a custodial wallet because it is so much easier. If these were our only two problems, I think self-custodial lightning would be fine, it may never be the predominant way people use lightning, but we could get the UX good enough that we have a significant portion of people using lightning in a sovereign way. However, there are more problems under the surface.

Channel liquidity is a problem, but it is also deceptive. When you have 100k sats of inbound liquidity you would think you could receive up to 100k sats, but this isn't the case, often you can't actually receive any. This is because of on-chain fees, when a payment is being made in lightning you are creating pre-signed transactions that have outputs for every in-flight payment, these outputs cost potential on-chain fees and the high on-chain fees go the more it eats into your liquidity. After we've solved most of our force close issues Mutiny this has been number one support request. Even if you do everything right, understand liquidity and have enough for your payment, sometimes it still won't work because on-chain fees are too high. This is always really discouraging because isn't the whole point of lightning to not have to pay on-chain fees? Fundamentally, all current lightning channels could become entirely useless if on-chain fees went high enough because a single payment would require too many reserves. Obviously this is hyperbolic, but I hope I am getting the point across that on-chain fees don't just effect the opening and closing costs of channels, even if you are a diligent node runner that only opens channels when fees are low, that is not enough, your channels need to be large enough to pay for the on-chain fees of each HTLC at any future on-chain fee rate. As on-chain fees go up and up this problem will only get worse.

The proposed solution to these reserve issues are things like anchor channels, package relay, ephemeral anchors, etc. These are all well and good but kind of just mask the problem. They do solve it so the fee reserve can be much lower and possibly zero, however with the tradeoff that you need on-chain funds available to fee-bump your force closes so they can actually get into a block. This again breaks the UX for self-custodial users because they have hold on-chain funds alongside their lightning funds so they can do those on-chain fee bumps. The size requirements for their on-chain funds is still dynamically based on how high on-chain fees can spike. Solutions for this can include having someone else bump your transaction fees but this brings basically a trusted 3rd party into the mix and isn't ideal.

When you lay out all the different tradeoffs a lightning node needs to make, especially in a high fee environment, it makes me think, what are we doing here, are we going down the wrong path? Lightning is still fundamentally a fantastic payment protocol but its limitation is that it requires scale. Basically every problem I've outlined goes away when you have a large lightning node with lots of liquidity and high uptime so many we should optimize for that. The market has been telling us this for years already, +90% of lightning users are using custodial wallets because it works so much better at scale. So how can we use large scale lightning nodes without custodial wallets?

Combining existing large scale lightning infrastructure with self-custodial solutions sadly, isn't totally possible. The only real way to do that as of now is Muun Wallet which as we talked about earlier, doesn't really solve the problem because everything is just an on-chain transaction. However, Muun was onto something. The architecture of having a simpler protocol interface with lightning is genius and gives us the best of both worlds. We can make fast cheap payments and let the big boys collect fees for running the lightning node. Aqua Wallet just launched which is essentially a Muun Wallet but on top of Liquid, this is a good bandaid fix but doesn't get to the root of the problem.

Before we go further we should take a step back and break down what problems we are trying to solve. Bitcoin has a fundamental scaling limitation through the block size, if we could make infinite, then we wouldn't necessarily need any layer 2s because we could just make on-chain payments. However, we live in the real world and have a 1mb block size limit, and this limits the number of transactions we can make on-chain. Lightning is a huge improvement to bitcoin because we don't need to put every transaction on-chain, we just need to open a channel and can make seemingly countless payments. So why isn't lightning the silver bullet? Lightning lets us move payments off-chain but what it doesn't do is let us move ownership off-chain. Fundamentally lightning still relies on that, at the end of the day, a utxo goes to single user. So even if every on-chain transaction was a lightning channel, we still run into the limit of how many people can actually own those channels. What we need is another layer 2 that can scale utxo ownership and caninterop with lightning, that way we have a way to scale ownership combined with scaling payments.

So how do we scale ownership? Simply put, the answer today is custody, whether that is pure custodial like a Wallet of Satoshi or in the grey area like fedimints and liquid, the only way to do it today is through custody or federated bridges. In bitcoin, the only way to delegate ownership of a utxo to multiple parties is through multisig, however, that requires every user to be online when anyone wants to transact, and when you take go down this path far enough you end up just reinventing lightning.

Are we doomed then? Is there no way to scale bitcoin in a self-sovereign way? Luckily, the answer is no, but we need some soft-forks. Covenants are the way to scale bitcoin ownership. There are a bunch of covenant proposals but at their core what they propose to do is to add a way, so you can have a bitcoin address that limits where and how the coins in it can be spent. This can seem scary, but we already have these in bitcoin today, OP_CTLV (Check LockTime Verify), which was soft forked in 2016, only allows you to spend from a bitcoin address if the transaction has a given locktime, this lets you gate when a utxo can be spent. What the current covenant proposals do is let you gate where a utxo can be spent. With that simple primitive many different protocols can be built that allow for scaling ownership.

There are a lot of current covenant proposals, the main ones being: OP_CTV, OP_VAULT, OP_CSFS, OP_TXHASH, OP_CAT, and APO. They all have different functionality and tradeoffs but in my opinion we should be looking towards activating a form of covenants because otherwise we will likely be moving towards a future of less sovereign bitcoin users.

The future is not bleak however, even without covenants we can still scale bitcoin for the world, just not in the ideal way. At Mutiny, we are full steam ahead on implementing fedimint into the wallet, in my opinion (and the rest of the team's) it looks like the best current scaling solution for bitcoin. Fedimints give us the ability to dynamically share ownership over a group of utxos and is able to interop with lightning through gateways. It is the pinnacle of the scaling dream for bitcoin with current technology and I can't wait to help make it reality while we can.

@ d2e97f73:ea9a4d1b

There’s a lot of conversation around the #TwitterFiles. Here’s my take, and thoughts on how to fix the issues identified.

I’ll start with the principles I’ve come to believe…based on everything I’ve learned and experienced through my past actions as a Twitter co-founder and lead:

1. Social media must be resilient to corporate and government control.
2. Only the original author may remove content they produce.
3. Moderation is best implemented by algorithmic choice.

The Twitter when I led it and the Twitter of today do not meet any of these principles. This is my fault alone, as I completely gave up pushing for them when an activist entered our stock in 2020. I no longer had hope of achieving any of it as a public company with no defense mechanisms (lack of dual-class shares being a key one). I planned my exit at that moment knowing I was no longer right for the company.

The biggest mistake I made was continuing to invest in building tools for us to manage the public conversation, versus building tools for the people using Twitter to easily manage it for themselves. This burdened the company with too much power, and opened us to significant outside pressure (such as advertising budgets). I generally think companies have become far too powerful, and that became completely clear to me with our suspension of Trump’s account. As I’ve said before, we did the right thing for the public company business at the time, but the wrong thing for the internet and society. Much more about this here: https://twitter.com/jack/status/1349510769268850690

I continue to believe there was no ill intent or hidden agendas, and everyone acted according to the best information we had at the time. Of course mistakes were made. But if we had focused more on tools for the people using the service rather than tools for us, and moved much faster towards absolute transparency, we probably wouldn’t be in this situation of needing a fresh reset (which I am supportive of). Again, I own all of this and our actions, and all I can do is work to make it right.

Back to the principles. Of course governments want to shape and control the public conversation, and will use every method at their disposal to do so, including the media. And the power a corporation wields to do the same is only growing. It’s critical that the people have tools to resist this, and that those tools are ultimately owned by the people. Allowing a government or a few corporations to own the public conversation is a path towards centralized control.

I’m a strong believer that any content produced by someone for the internet should be permanent until the original author chooses to delete it. It should be always available and addressable. Content takedowns and suspensions should not be possible. Doing so complicates important context, learning, and enforcement of illegal activity. There are significant issues with this stance of course, but starting with this principle will allow for far better solutions than we have today. The internet is trending towards a world were storage is “free” and infinite, which places all the actual value on how to discover and see content.

Which brings me to the last principle: moderation. I don’t believe a centralized system can do content moderation globally. It can only be done through ranking and relevance algorithms, the more localized the better. But instead of a company or government building and controlling these solely, people should be able to build and choose from algorithms that best match their criteria, or not have to use any at all. A “follow” action should always deliver every bit of content from the corresponding account, and the algorithms should be able to comb through everything else through a relevance lens that an individual determines. There’s a default “G-rated” algorithm, and then there’s everything else one can imagine.

The only way I know of to truly live up to these 3 principles is a free and open protocol for social media, that is not owned by a single company or group of companies, and is resilient to corporate and government influence. The problem today is that we have companies who own both the protocol and discovery of content. Which ultimately puts one person in charge of what’s available and seen, or not. This is by definition a single point of failure, no matter how great the person, and over time will fracture the public conversation, and may lead to more control by governments and corporations around the world.

I believe many companies can build a phenomenal business off an open protocol. For proof, look at both the web and email. The biggest problem with these models however is that the discovery mechanisms are far too proprietary and fixed instead of open or extendable. Companies can build many profitable services that complement rather than lock down how we access this massive collection of conversation. There is no need to own or host it themselves.

Many of you won’t trust this solution just because it’s me stating it. I get it, but that’s exactly the point. Trusting any one individual with this comes with compromises, not to mention being way too heavy a burden for the individual. It has to be something akin to what bitcoin has shown to be possible. If you want proof of this, get out of the US and European bubble of the bitcoin price fluctuations and learn how real people are using it for censorship resistance in Africa and Central/South America.

I do still wish for Twitter, and every company, to become uncomfortably transparent in all their actions, and I wish I forced more of that years ago. I do believe absolute transparency builds trust. As for the files, I wish they were released Wikileaks-style, with many more eyes and interpretations to consider. And along with that, commitments of transparency for present and future actions. I’m hopeful all of this will happen. There’s nothing to hide…only a lot to learn from. The current attacks on my former colleagues could be dangerous and doesn’t solve anything. If you want to blame, direct it at me and my actions, or lack thereof.

As far as the free and open social media protocol goes, there are many competing projects: @bluesky is one with the AT Protocol, nostr another, Mastodon yet another, Matrix yet another…and there will be many more. One will have a chance at becoming a standard like HTTP or SMTP. This isn’t about a “decentralized Twitter.” This is a focused and urgent push for a foundational core technology standard to make social media a native part of the internet. I believe this is critical both to Twitter’s future, and the public conversation’s ability to truly serve the people, which helps hold governments and corporations accountable. And hopefully makes it all a lot more fun and informative again.

💸🛠️🌐 To accelerate open internet and protocol work, I’m going to open a new category of #startsmall grants: “open internet development.” It will start with a focus of giving cash and equity grants to engineering teams working on social media and private communication protocols, bitcoin, and a web-only mobile OS. I’ll make some grants next week, starting with $1mm/yr to Signal. Please let me know other great candidates for this money.

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Report of how the money Jack donated to the cause in December 2022 is being spent.

Bounties given

December 2023

• hzrd: 5,000,000 - Nostrudel
• awayuki: 5,000,000 - NOSTOPUS illustrations
• bera: 5,000,000 - getwired.app
• Chris: 5,000,000 - resolvr.io
• NoGood: 10,000,000 - nostrexplained.com stories

October 2023

• SnowCait: 5,000,000 - https://nostter.vercel.app/ and other tools
• Shaun: 10,000,000 - https://yakihonne.com/, events and work on Nostr awareness
• Derek Ross: 10,000,000 - spreading the word around the world
• fmar: 5,000,000 - https://github.com/frnandu/yana
• The Nostr Report: 2,500,000 - curating stuff
• james magoo: 2,500,000 - the Obsidian plugin: https://github.com/jamesmagoo/nostr-writer

August 2023

• Paul Miller: 5,000,000 - JS libraries and cryptography-related work
• BOUNTY tijl: 5,000,000 - https://github.com/github-tijlxyz/wikinostr
• gzuus: 5,000,000 - https://nostree.me/

July 2023

• syusui-s: 5,000,000 - rabbit, a tweetdeck-like Nostr client: https://syusui-s.github.io/rabbit/
• kojira: 5,000,000 - Nostr fanzine, Nostr discussion groups in Japan, hardware experiments
• darashi: 5,000,000 - https://github.com/darashi/nos.today, https://github.com/darashi/searchnos, https://github.com/darashi/murasaki
• jeff g: 5,000,000 - https://nostr.how and https://listr.lol, plus other contributions
• cloud fodder: 5,000,000 - https://nostr1.com (open-source)
• utxo.one: 5,000,000 - https://relaying.io (open-source)
• Max DeMarco: 10,269,507 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA-jiiepOrE
• BOUNTY optout21: 1,000,000 - https://github.com/optout21/nip41-proto0 (proposed nip41 CLI)
• BOUNTY Leo: 1,000,000 - https://github.com/leo-lox/camelus (an old relay thing I forgot exactly)

June 2023

• BOUNTY: Sepher: 2,000,000 - a webapp for making lists of anything: https://pinstr.app/
• BOUNTY: Kieran: 10,000,000 - implement gossip algorithm on Snort, implement all the other nice things: manual relay selection, following hints etc.
• Mattn: 5,000,000 - a myriad of projects and contributions to Nostr projects: https://github.com/search?q=owner%3Amattn+nostr&type=code
• BOUNTY: lynn: 2,000,000 - a simple and clean git nostr CLI written in Go, compatible with William's original git-nostr-tools; and implement threaded comments on https://github.com/fiatjaf/nocomment.
• Jack Chakany: 5,000,000 - https://github.com/jacany/nblog
• BOUNTY: Dan: 2,000,000 - https://metadata.nostr.com/

April 2023

• BOUNTY: Blake Jakopovic: 590,000 - event deleter tool, NIP dependency organization
• BOUNTY: koalasat: 1,000,000 - display relays
• BOUNTY: Mike Dilger: 4,000,000 - display relays, follow event hints (Gossip)
• BOUNTY: kaiwolfram: 5,000,000 - display relays, follow event hints, choose relays to publish (Nozzle)
• Daniele Tonon: 3,000,000 - Gossip
• bu5hm4nn: 3,000,000 - Gossip
• BOUNTY: hodlbod: 4,000,000 - display relays, follow event hints

March 2023

• Doug Hoyte: 5,000,000 sats - https://github.com/hoytech/strfry
• Alex Gleason: 5,000,000 sats - https://gitlab.com/soapbox-pub/mostr
• verbiricha: 5,000,000 sats - https://badges.page/, https://habla.news/
• talvasconcelos: 5,000,000 sats - https://migrate.nostr.com, https://read.nostr.com, https://write.nostr.com/
• BOUNTY: Gossip model: 5,000,000 - https://camelus.app/
• BOUNTY: Gossip model: 5,000,000 - https://github.com/kaiwolfram/Nozzle
• BOUNTY: Bounty Manager: 5,000,000 - https://nostrbounties.com/

February 2023

• styppo: 5,000,000 sats - https://hamstr.to/
• sandwich: 5,000,000 sats - https://nostr.watch/
• BOUNTY: Relay-centric client designs: 5,000,000 sats https://bountsr.org/design/2023/01/26/relay-based-design.html
• BOUNTY: Gossip model on https://coracle.social/: 5,000,000 sats
• Nostrovia Podcast: 3,000,000 sats - https://nostrovia.org/
• BOUNTY: Nostr-Desk / Monstr: 5,000,000 sats - https://github.com/alemmens/monstr
• Mike Dilger: 5,000,000 sats - https://github.com/mikedilger/gossip

January 2023

• ismyhc: 5,000,000 sats - https://github.com/Galaxoid-Labs/Seer
• Martti Malmi: 5,000,000 sats - https://iris.to/
• Carlos Autonomous: 5,000,000 sats - https://github.com/BrightonBTC/bija
• Koala Sat: 5,000,000 - https://github.com/KoalaSat/nostros
• Vitor Pamplona: 5,000,000 - https://github.com/vitorpamplona/amethyst
• Cameri: 5,000,000 - https://github.com/Cameri/nostream

December 2022

• William Casarin: 7 BTC - splitting the fund
• pseudozach: 5,000,000 sats - https://nostr.directory/
• Sondre Bjellas: 5,000,000 sats - https://notes.blockcore.net/
• Null Dev: 5,000,000 sats - https://github.com/KotlinGeekDev/Nosky
• Blake Jakopovic: 5,000,000 sats - https://github.com/blakejakopovic/nostcat, https://github.com/blakejakopovic/nostreq and https://github.com/blakejakopovic/NostrEventPlayground

@ 26bd32c6:cfdb0158

I've been experiencing a bit of writer's block recently, which is somewhat strange because it's about topics I genuinely want to write about. In a way, I have so many different ideas that I want to express, I can't pin them down, leading to writing nothing at all.

It's funny because, for me, Nostr was that place where I could say anything. It didn't matter whether people hated or loved it. But now, I feel this daunting responsibility to share highly impactful words that can't be easily criticized by haters or lovers. It's as if suddenly, Nostr isn't my safe place anymore; it's become my serious place.

If, when reading this, you think it sounds as ridiculous as I feel, trust me, I won't take any offense. I am pushing myself here just by writing it down. The reason I'm writing this on a blog is due to this daunting feeling of needing perfection, which I like to call the 'traditional social media effect.'

The Traditional Social Media Effect

Definitely not a medical term or diagnosis, but I am now self-diagnosed with it, and well, "delulu makes trululu."

If you hang out long enough on Nostr, you'll start noticing some traditional social media patterns that freak me out. And because they freak me out, I feel the need to write them out, perhaps to leave them behind.

Everyone is now fighting over something, and whoever is the loudest will win the 'shitposter' award. And I love shitposting... but there's no need to disparage others' projects to ensure mine is the best.

Everyone is begging for attention. Guys, there's no algorithm; there is a high chance absolutely no one will read this, and that's okay with me. I am just creating this blog because I have things I want to get off my chest, and because nostr:npub1nxy4qpqnld6kmpphjykvx2lqwvxmuxluddwjamm4nc29ds3elyzsm5avr7 is hosting a cool contest that I just want to contribute to.

And the last part, everyone is begging for an easy fix. An easy fix that will get them zaps, an easy fix that will get them followers, an easy fix that will make them the next Nostr superstar, and solve all their life's issues.

This is just sad. What happened to PoW?

Yes, This Is about PoW!

I came into Nostr because I am a Bitcoiner, and I love complicated stuff that requires hours of my time, for me to barely understand anything, and then look at the rest of the world like, "Ha! You losers don't know what I know..."

Therefore, Nostr is not for anyone who is lazy... or at least it wasn't. It required effort; videos had to be carefully crafted to go viral and get zaps.

Actually, even e-girl content isn't top-notch anymore. A bunch of AI-generated fake content is getting more zaps than nostr:npub1cj8znuztfqkvq89pl8hceph0svvvqk0qay6nydgk9uyq7fhpfsgsqwrz4u's feet on #footstr.

Actually, these are the last feet to make it on Footstr, and they are from Walker, back in August... https://cdn.nostr.build/i/fb64c0f064e11dabff69d56e7e4edfd47aebd1c752b84e76d50fb0e43f9f7e6b.jpg We are lacking that good feet content.

Is She Going to Stop Ranting or Explain This Effect Thing?

Okay, here I go. What I mean is that it seems to me that we are here looking for something different, but wanting that same dopamine hit Instagram and Twitter gave us.

Where am I going with this? Well, I just wanted to post on Nostr because it made me happy. I just wanted to come here and say whatever silly thing came to mind.

But now, I just see a bunch of posts of people either fighting over which federation is going to fix layers and lighting or the latest e-beggar. And these beggars are seeking everything from attention to zaps, no limits or questions asked. Just "look at my sad face, fix my life please."

And these things are not PoW. PoW is about creating the best new federation, and I believe you did, just work on it and show it. Don't waste your time disparaging the other one.

You want a life change, a path change? Instead of coming here to complain, ask for advice, ask questions, look for a mentor.

STOP WHINING! Okay, I was trying that writing in caps thing to seem angry and badass. But now I just feel cringe...

This Was It, This Was the Rant...

I usually don't say anything because if I'm as annoyed as I am about the way feeds are starting to look, I think I will produce that same feeling in everyone else.

I've said it hundreds of times: the cool thing is that I choose what I want to see. And that's how I plan to fix this writer's block and get back to being more hands-on... back to building the Nostr I want to see!

I want to stop feeling the need to drop the most perfect note, and to do so, I am pushing myself to do a 30-day photography challenge.

I won't win anything, and if you want to join me, the prize is also absolutely nothing.

Why photography? Well, because I suck at it. I have no idea how to do it; I just started asking for help, and everyone loves to critique the composition of "art"... and I doubt anyone will call my terrible photography skills art... so I'm putting myself out there to be critiqued.

My 30-day challenge, starting today, will include daily reminders to take a picture of whatever I can, and an explanation of what I was trying to achieve.

It will also come eventually with more blogs and vlogs, with less ranting and more building. The world is just starting... at least that's how it feels to me.

We are so early... https://media.giphy.com/media/z85pBkLFP6izGn6see/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e47kcqu2k7sshjuox6wsy8zrbms9210r1obb1d9ytof&ep=v1_gifs_search&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g

But for real, it is early... and that is why there's a lot we can do. And also why for real "There Is So Much Noise... I Can't Think Straight..."

So, join me or don't, in this challenge or just be challenged to put out there a better version of the things you see that bother you.

I think I sometimes feel angry and tired, but before I resort to running off to the woods and becoming a hermit, I'm going to stay hopeful and try to give to the world what I want the world to give me.

And yeah, that's it... This was the whole rant. I was just being louder so I could start thinking again.

If you are here and you've read the whole thing, thank you; you are truly resilient! I'm sure not even my mom made it all the way here (but just in case: Hi mom! I love you 🫶🏽).

With this, I say goodbye... going to try that photography thing and be back with another note in a bit!

Marce 💜

@ 7dd04080:36f6813d

Happy New Year!

We're happy to announce our new streaming site PWA (progressive web app). Watch over 400 films and music videos online at https://watch.versusmedia.com or add it to your mobile home screen or desktop for easier access.

Every artist can provide their Lightning Address and be directly tipped using it or its QR Code both available directly underneath each of their videos.

This is just another option available now beyond our Roku and Apple TV apps both available since 2017. Have content of your own you'd like to include? Artists can add their content to all of these directly through our RoyaltyPoints platform. Besides these new direct tips, all artists will continue being paid Bitcoin Satoshis for every video view across all locations.

We hope you have a prosperous 2024!

VersusMedia

@ 82341f88:fbfbe6a2

There’s a lot of conversation around the #TwitterFiles. Here’s my take, and thoughts on how to fix the issues identified.

I’ll start with the principles I’ve come to believe…based on everything I’ve learned and experienced through my past actions as a Twitter co-founder and lead:

1. Social media must be resilient to corporate and government control.
2. Only the original author may remove content they produce.
3. Moderation is best implemented by algorithmic choice.

The Twitter when I led it and the Twitter of today do not meet any of these principles. This is my fault alone, as I completely gave up pushing for them when an activist entered our stock in 2020. I no longer had hope of achieving any of it as a public company with no defense mechanisms (lack of dual-class shares being a key one). I planned my exit at that moment knowing I was no longer right for the company.

The biggest mistake I made was continuing to invest in building tools for us to manage the public conversation, versus building tools for the people using Twitter to easily manage it for themselves. This burdened the company with too much power, and opened us to significant outside pressure (such as advertising budgets). I generally think companies have become far too powerful, and that became completely clear to me with our suspension of Trump’s account. As I’ve said before, we did the right thing for the public company business at the time, but the wrong thing for the internet and society. Much more about this here: https://twitter.com/jack/status/1349510769268850690

I continue to believe there was no ill intent or hidden agendas, and everyone acted according to the best information we had at the time. Of course mistakes were made. But if we had focused more on tools for the people using the service rather than tools for us, and moved much faster towards absolute transparency, we probably wouldn’t be in this situation of needing a fresh reset (which I am supportive of). Again, I own all of this and our actions, and all I can do is work to make it right.

Back to the principles. Of course governments want to shape and control the public conversation, and will use every method at their disposal to do so, including the media. And the power a corporation wields to do the same is only growing. It’s critical that the people have tools to resist this, and that those tools are ultimately owned by the people. Allowing a government or a few corporations to own the public conversation is a path towards centralized control.

I’m a strong believer that any content produced by someone for the internet should be permanent until the original author chooses to delete it. It should be always available and addressable. Content takedowns and suspensions should not be possible. Doing so complicates important context, learning, and enforcement of illegal activity. There are significant issues with this stance of course, but starting with this principle will allow for far better solutions than we have today. The internet is trending towards a world were storage is “free” and infinite, which places all the actual value on how to discover and see content.

Which brings me to the last principle: moderation. I don’t believe a centralized system can do content moderation globally. It can only be done through ranking and relevance algorithms, the more localized the better. But instead of a company or government building and controlling these solely, people should be able to build and choose from algorithms that best match their criteria, or not have to use any at all. A “follow” action should always deliver every bit of content from the corresponding account, and the algorithms should be able to comb through everything else through a relevance lens that an individual determines. There’s a default “G-rated” algorithm, and then there’s everything else one can imagine.

The only way I know of to truly live up to these 3 principles is a free and open protocol for social media, that is not owned by a single company or group of companies, and is resilient to corporate and government influence. The problem today is that we have companies who own both the protocol and discovery of content. Which ultimately puts one person in charge of what’s available and seen, or not. This is by definition a single point of failure, no matter how great the person, and over time will fracture the public conversation, and may lead to more control by governments and corporations around the world.

I believe many companies can build a phenomenal business off an open protocol. For proof, look at both the web and email. The biggest problem with these models however is that the discovery mechanisms are far too proprietary and fixed instead of open or extendable. Companies can build many profitable services that complement rather than lock down how we access this massive collection of conversation. There is no need to own or host it themselves.

Many of you won’t trust this solution just because it’s me stating it. I get it, but that’s exactly the point. Trusting any one individual with this comes with compromises, not to mention being way too heavy a burden for the individual. It has to be something akin to what bitcoin has shown to be possible. If you want proof of this, get out of the US and European bubble of the bitcoin price fluctuations and learn how real people are using it for censorship resistance in Africa and Central/South America.

I do still wish for Twitter, and every company, to become uncomfortably transparent in all their actions, and I wish I forced more of that years ago. I do believe absolute transparency builds trust. As for the files, I wish they were released Wikileaks-style, with many more eyes and interpretations to consider. And along with that, commitments of transparency for present and future actions. I’m hopeful all of this will happen. There’s nothing to hide…only a lot to learn from. The current attacks on my former colleagues could be dangerous and doesn’t solve anything. If you want to blame, direct it at me and my actions, or lack thereof.

As far as the free and open social media protocol goes, there are many competing projects: @bluesky is one with the AT Protocol, nostr another, Mastodon yet another, Matrix yet another…and there will be many more. One will have a chance at becoming a standard like HTTP or SMTP. This isn’t about a “decentralized Twitter.” This is a focused and urgent push for a foundational core technology standard to make social media a native part of the internet. I believe this is critical both to Twitter’s future, and the public conversation’s ability to truly serve the people, which helps hold governments and corporations accountable. And hopefully makes it all a lot more fun and informative again.

💸🛠️🌐 To accelerate open internet and protocol work, I’m going to open a new category of #startsmall grants: “open internet development.” It will start with a focus of giving cash and equity grants to engineering teams working on social media and private communication protocols, bitcoin, and a web-only mobile OS. I’ll make some grants next week, starting with $1mm/yr to Signal. Please let me know other great candidates for this money.

@ 00000000:f729d700

Chef's notes

Choose a good-quality feta cheese made from sheep’s milk. This combo is also delicious served over pasta, which is great if you have leftovers. Feta cheese that comes in a dry package may not melt as expected.

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 15
• 🍳 Cook time: 20
• 🍽️ Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 (7 oz) block Greek feta cheese
• 2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives (halved)
• 1/3 cup red onion (thinly sliced)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 teaspoon oregano (dried)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• fresh basil (chopped)
• black pepper
• salt

Directions

1. preheat oven to 400 ºF (200 ºC)
2. place the feta cheese in the center of a baking dish
3. spread with honey and drizzle with olive oil
4. combine tomatoes, olives, red onion, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl
5. sprinkle bowl with oregano, season with salt and pepper, and mix
6. arrange the mix around the feta cheese
7. bake in oven until cheese is soft and tomato mixture is bubbly for 20 to 30 minutes
8. garnish with fresh basil, if desired

@ d0b327c6:1ae748c2

Tradotto dall’originale di Finn Andreen - pubblicato il 20 nov 2023

Anche se il sostegno al libero mercato si è rafforzato negli ultimi decenni, il libertarismo può ancora essere considerato solo un movimento marginale. La maggior parte delle persone crede ancora che molti problemi sociali siano dovuti al "fallimento del mercato" e che quindi richiedano l'intervento dello Stato per essere "risolti". Nonostante gli evidenti difetti del socialismo moderno - con la sua improbabile combinazione di uno stato sociale redistributivo e di un capitalismo clientelare globalista - e nonostante le solide basi filosofiche ed empiriche del libertarismo, il liberalismo di Ludwig von Mises è ancora lontano dal godere del sostegno della maggioranza che merita ampiamente.

Le ragioni sono molteplici. Naturalmente, i pregiudizi dei media e l'educazione pubblica impediscono la diffusione delle idee di libertà nella società e limitano la comprensione del libero mercato. Tuttavia, una ragione spesso trascurata, ma altrettanto importante, è il generale disinteresse per la causalità. Quando le cause reali e sottostanti ai problemi sociali ed economici sono sconosciute o mal comprese, non sorprende il sostegno del pubblico a soluzioni stataliste errate per questi problemi.

L'importanza delle cause

L'importanza delle cause per l'indagine umana è stata colta fin dall'antichità, cristallizzandosi con Aristotele e la sua teoria della causalità. Seguendo questa tradizione, Herbert Spencer considerava la scoperta delle leggi causali l'essenza della scienza; chi non tiene conto dell'importanza dell'identificazione delle cause, qualunque sia l'argomento trattato, rischia di trarre conclusioni errate.

Nel Crepuscolo degli idoli, Friedrich Nietzsche rimproverava alla società moderna di commettere ancora errori di causalità: "l'errore della falsa causalità", "l'errore delle cause immaginarie" e "l'errore della confusione tra causa ed effetto". Purtroppo, questi errori vengono commessi frequentemente in tutti i settori della vita economica e politica.

Nel campo delle relazioni internazionali, ad esempio, il disinteresse per la storia contemporanea ha portato a ignorare le vere cause di gravi eventi politici. I conflitti odierni avrebbero potuto essere evitati se le loro numerose e profonde cause fossero state prese in considerazione in modo sobrio e oggettivo dai responsabili delle decisioni. Quando George Santayana disse che "chi non ricorda il passato è condannato a ripeterlo" e quando George Orwell scrisse nel suo capolavoro 1984 che dominare il passato è la chiave per dominare il presente, entrambi avevano in mente l'importanza cruciale di conoscere le cause reali degli eventi politici.

Nietzsche considerava l'errore della confusione tra causa ed effetto come il più pericoloso; lo chiamava "perversione intrinseca della ragione". Non era un'esagerazione, considerando l'impatto di questa inversione di causalità troppo comune. Ad esempio, questo errore si verifica quando lo Stato viene assolto dalle conseguenze nefaste delle sue azioni precedenti, autorizzando così lo Stato a legittimare politiche che "risolvono" problemi di cui lo stesso Stato era originariamente responsabile.

Esempi: recessioni, inflazione e disoccupazione

A titolo di esempio, si possono citare i cicli di boom-and-bust della tipica economia capitalista di Stato. La causa originaria di questo ciclo è lo Stato, attraverso la sua politica monetaria monopolistica. Come ha scritto Murray Rothbard, "il ciclo economico è generato dal governo: nello specifico, dall'espansione del credito bancario promossa e alimentata dall'espansione governativa delle riserve bancarie".

Tuttavia, nei momenti difficili - poiché questa causa originaria delle recessioni non è generalmente riconosciuta - lo Stato stesso viene interpellato dalla società per "salvare" l'economia attraverso misure come i salvataggi o le riduzioni dei tassi di interesse (di cui beneficiano soprattutto le grandi banche e le industrie strategiche). Questo a sua volta pone le basi per il successivo boom artificiale, e il ciclo continua.

Il problema dell'alta inflazione e dell'alta disoccupazione può essere visto nello stesso modo. L'inflazione dei prezzi è causata dallo Stato quando aumenta l'offerta di moneta per pagare i suoi cronici deficit di bilancio, con l'ulteriore vantaggio di ridurre la dimensione relativa del suo enorme debito. Tuttavia, quando i prezzi aumentano nell'economia a causa di tali azioni, ci si aspetta che lo Stato stesso venga in soccorso, ad esempio imponendo artificialmente controlli sui prezzi o aumentando i tassi di interesse, rallentando così l'attività economica, a ulteriore discapito della società.

Anche l'alta disoccupazione è un fenomeno causato dallo Stato, ovviamente, quando impone leggi sul lavoro rigide e un'alta tassazione alle aziende, quando ridistribuisce "generosi" sussidi di disoccupazione e quando permette un'immigrazione non istruita per la quale non c'è domanda da parte del settore privato. Tuttavia, quando la disoccupazione diventa "troppo" alta a causa di queste azioni, ci si aspetta che sia lo Stato stesso a risolvere il problema, ad esempio fornendo incentivi fiscali alle aziende per l'assunzione di lavoratori poco qualificati o assumendo più dipendenti pubblici.

La fallacia del “Fallimento del Mercato”

Sembra controintuitivo credere che un agente responsabile dei problemi sociali debba anche essere quello che li risolve. L'unico motivo per cui questa logica errata continua a essere accettata è l'errore di causalità. Le vere cause dei problemi economici non sono ben comprese dal grande pubblico e vengono spesso confuse con le loro conseguenze. In economia, questo disinteresse per le connessioni causali ha probabilmente causato alle società danni pari a quelli dei conflitti internazionali menzionati in precedenza, dando libero sfogo a coloro che vedono pochi limiti alla regolamentazione della vita economica e sociale da parte dello Stato.

Lo stesso ragionamento è applicabile a un aspetto che di solito viene imputato al libero mercato: le "esternalità", ovvero i costi "esterni" che talvolta vengono sostenuti da terzi. Il caso estremo è il concetto di "tragedia dei beni comuni", spesso utilizzato per giustificare le numerose iniziative "verdi" dei globalisti per "combattere" il cambiamento climatico. A prescindere dal fatto che vi siano motivi apocalittici per sostenere politiche sociali top-down così estreme, il punto di vista libertario è che la vera causa di molte "esternalità" è generalmente la mancata definizione dei diritti di proprietà privata.

Poiché non si tiene conto della causalità, i problemi sociali ed economici, come quelli citati in precedenza, vengono generalmente attribuiti al "fallimento del mercato", riducendo così la credibilità del libertarismo presso il grande pubblico. In effetti, il libertarismo è solitamente rifiutato dalla maggioranza come sistema politico ed economico perché i problemi sociali sono attribuiti erroneamente all'incapacità del libero mercato di fornire soluzioni. Raramente si ha la percezione che le vere cause di questi problemi siano gli interventi statalisti nel libero mercato.

I libertari hanno sempre riconosciuto l'importanza della causalità, come da titolo dell'opera magna di Mises, L'azione Umana. Carl Menger, il fondatore della Scuola Austriaca di Economia, ha esplicitamente affermato di aver "dedicato particolare attenzione all'indagine delle connessioni causali" come mezzo importante per comprendere i processi economici. È importante notare che questa non era solo la posizione della Scuola Austriaca dell'epoca, perché "la ricerca di queste leggi causali della realtà era un'impresa internazionale tra gli economisti nell'ultimo quarto del XIX secolo e fino alla Prima Guerra Mondiale". Tuttavia, per diverse ragioni, questa attenzione alle connessioni causali nella ricerca economica si è poi persa.

Come si è cercato di dimostrare in questo articolo, è essenziale che la causalità, sia in economia che in politica, sia meglio compresa dal grande pubblico. Questo è fondamentale per arginare le incursioni autoritarie dei governi che si stanno verificando in tutti i settori della vita. Una migliore comprensione delle connessioni causali porterebbe a un aumento della popolarità del libertarismo, dimostrando che il mercato fallisce solo quando è costantemente interrotto dall'intervento dello Stato.

Finn Andreen

@ 6bd128bf:bb9002f8

การสร้าง Seed จาก Seed Phrase

ในการสร้าง Binary Seed นั้นจะใช้ function ชื่อว่า PBKDF2 ซึ่งหน้าตาจะเป็นแบบนี้

pbkdf2(password, salt, iterations-count, hash-function, derived-key-len)

แต่ละ parameters จะแทนค่าตามนี้

• password คือ mnemonic sentence หรือ seed phrase (encoded in UTF-8) ยกตัวอย่างเช่น craneprofitfanholdpictureboardsoccermangodanceclipnephewplug
• salt คือ คำว่า "mnemonic" + passphrase (encoded in UTF-8) หรือ ถ้าไม่มี passphrase ก็จะเป็นแค่คำว่า "mnemonic" คำเดียว ยกตัวอย่างเช่น กรณีมี passphrase ก็คือ mnemonichelloworld หรือ กรณีไม่มี passphrase ก็คือ mnemonic
• iterations-count คือ 2048
• hash-function คือ HMAC-SHA512
• derived-key-len คือ 512 bits หรือ 64 bytes

ค่า binary ที่ได้ออกมาจาก function จะมีความยาวตาม derived-key-len ก็คือ 512 bits ซึ่งสามารถนำค่านี้ไปสร้าง deterministic wallets ตาม BIP-32 ได้

@ efe5d120:1fc51981

List of services running under nostr.net umbrella operated by yours trully:

nostr.net List of nostr projects and services known also known as awesome nostr.

broadcaster.nostr.net Running bostr as a multi relay proxy for easier publishing and pulling events from multiple relays.

nostr.at Web gateway to nostr content with easily shareable URLs.

relay.nostr.net Public relay with significant infrastructure resources.

@ efe5d120:1fc51981

As an early stage company your resources are limited and taking advantage of various programs that support startup ecosystems can significantly extend your runway.

They have various restrictions so you might not fit to all of them. Some require that you've raised funds before.

Here are programs from 5 big infrastructure providers: Google Cloud Startup program - probably the easiest to get as long as you raised money Digital Ocean Hatch Linode Rise Startup Microsoft for startups - some limitation on bitcoin businesses AWS Activate - requires VC that is part of Activate program or part of accelerator (get your investors to sign up if they aren't yet, its free and easy)

@ 4fe14ef2:f51992ec

https://images.craigslist.org/00707_cf8LgSwrirZ_0CI0t2_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00h0h_dfLsIe0I3nd_0t20CI_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00s0s_awJDWGutkAd_0CI0nN_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00U0U_cwkEPMiHHoS_0t20CI_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00c0c_4UreuukP3dM_0CI0t2_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00909_g0sbXWKuoSR_0CI0t2_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00c0c_lPBkDatHvxr_0CI0t2_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00P0P_c1P8iJettTx_0CI0t2_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00Q0Q_hvI9nr2xt4_0CI0t2_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00L0L_2pTX4Fo2s0C_0t20CI_600x450.jpg

---

Selling a new in box, BirdBike OEM electric bicycle hybrid ebike with powerful 500 watt, 36 volt Bafang motor and five speeds of pedal assist or you can use the throttle to go full electric up to 20 mph. Has integrated LCD speedometer with odometer, speed assist setting and battery level state of charge and integrated front headlight and back tail light/brake light that gets brighter when you use the brakes. Also has front and rear fenders, carbon belt drive system (BMW motorcycle type carbon belt, drive system) and front and rear disc brakes for very quick stopping. The rechargeable 460 Wh/36 volt lithium battery is also removable and has a locking key with the power supply cable and users manual. The range on pure electric is 50 miles and supports 265 pounds maximum. Designed for heights of 5‘8“ and taller. Includes integrated, antitheft alarm.

Purchase these bikes for me and my wife, but she is only 5‘2“ and the frame is a little too high for her. I am keeping the black frame BirdBike. The new bird bike in the box and Racing gray color with 28 inch aluminum wheels with reinforced spokes. Makes an excellent road bike or off-road mountain biking or trail riding. Funner than a scooter, golf cart or moped and no fumes or air pollution.

This is a cash or bitcoin deal for pick up in North Phoenix. Do not accept PayPal and cannot arrange shipping. Please email with any additional questions and hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas.

---

BUYSELL #BITCOIN #BTCACEPTED #MARKETPLACE #AGORA #EBIKE #ECYCLE #ELECTRICBIKE #ELECTRICBICYCLE #CYCLE

source - testing crosspost to nostr

@ c0de4045:6ee577fe

tl;dr: 'hack' means to leverage what we have for an outsized gain, and that is normally done with a machine; our goal is 'fluency' and our process is to 'improve one percent everyday'.

In 'How to Survive the Apocalypse' we covered our first 'hack' and said it is the 'void out of which the other hacks come', we'll call this hack-0 and we'll need time and experience to explain what we mean.

Next we define our terms, goals and process.

We've used hack several times so what do we mean? The dictionary term talks about cracking computers for illicit means but that is not what we mean, hack is to use what we know and have in a novel way to improve our and our family, community and the Worlds standard of living. Humans have normally done this with a machine and the simplist machine is a fulcrum and lever, so in short by hack we mean to use a machine to leverage what we have to achieve an outsized result.

The computer is a universal machine and is a good place to start as it can be used for many tasks (universal) to make a positive difference in our and our loved ones' lives.

What do we mean by 'fluency'. Normally this word is used when talking about language but what we mean is doing a learned task from (muscle) memory without having to check our notes.

So having covered our definition and goal we need to address our process and that is to improve ourselves 1% everyday whether in specific task or in general, seeking fluency.

@ fa984bd7:58018f52

The new version of nsecBunker represents a significant increase on what is possible with regards to onboarding new users to Nostr.

With this new release, I added the possibility of running bunker in a way that allows new users to create their account remotely from any compatible client.

This new release also connects nsecBunker with LNBits, so that new users immediately get a LN wallet AND zapping capabilities!

🤯

Under the hood, this is using the flow described here https://github.com/kind-0/nsecbunkerd/blob/master/OAUTH-LIKE-FLOW.md

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

It is usual for businesspeople to begin their financial careers in hedge funds, which is one route that may lead to top-tier riches. But this in no way ensures financial success, and to say that Raoul Pal is a big deal in the world of hedge funds doesn't even begin to do credit to his achievements, which are many and diverse, particularly when it comes to his latest ventures into the realm of cryptocurrencies.

Pal began his professional life by earning degrees in Economics and Law from the University of Plymouth, which is located in the United Kingdom. It is estimated that Pal's current net worth is around $45 million. After that, he found employment as a sales professional at Dow Jones Telerate; nevertheless, Pal's ascent up the financial ladder really started when he was promoted to the position of Head of European Hedge Fund Sales at Goldman Sachs. After that, he worked as a portfolio manager for GLG Partners. However, the most significant step in Raoul's career was when he established his own company, The Global Macro Investor, in the year 2005.

Pal was able to live a life of luxury on a beachfront in Valencia, Spain, thanks to the wealth he accumulated from the information service, which offered research and analysis to a number of large hedge funds and pension funds. Pal also owned a consulting business, which contributed to his overall wealth.

But the establishment of Real Vision in 2013 was the event that actually catapulted Raoul to the forefront of public attention. The on-demand finance channel that Pal developed with fellow visionary Grant Williams has become a big success. Pal was frustrated by what he regarded as the incapacity of conventional media organizations to monitor and adapt to changing industries.

How? One of the things that contribute to Pal's allure is that he can present himself in such a way as to give the impression that he is a contrarian who takes satisfaction in acting in a manner that is opposed to what the majority of investors do. The investment ideas presented on Real Vision and his 20/20 newsletter include advice from other financial luminaries such as top hedge fund managers, self-made billionaires, and other industry leaders. It's a potent concoction, and it's why Pal has made bold moves in the cryptocurrency market after his success with Real Vision.

Raoul Pal Net Worth 2022 Pal recently caused a stir when he stated that Ethereum was at a point in its early development that is comparable to that of Bitcoin. He made much money off of Bitcoin by concentrating primarily on the volatile growth of the cryptocurrency at a time when others were dismissing it as a passing fad.

In addition to talking about him, Pal demonstrated his commitment to both ideologies by doing the walk. At the previous year's end, he announced that he would be selling all of his gold holdings and investing the proceeds in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. As a direct consequence of this, nearly 98% of his liquid assets are now denominated in Bitcoin. It was a risky move, but considering Pal's track record, it does not seem probable that it will end in failure for him.

On a personal level, he has also shown some audacious behavior in regard to that matter. Marrakesh served as the setting for Pal, a man who had been previously married, to tie the knot with Anoush, a therapist, in the year 2019.

Pal has made a claim in the past, but it's hard to believe he'll really do it. The fact that he and Anoush now make their home in the Cayman Islands and that he is highly active on Twitter indicates that his views on money and business have not gotten less prominent. As he plots his next move, which will in all likelihood, be daring and unorthodox, you may anticipate that he will become a key figure in the world of cryptocurrencies.

That's all for today, see ya tomorrow

If you want more, be sure to follow us on:

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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.

@ 5e5fc143:393d5a2c

We are now given a choice of digital freedom #nostr .

Creativity for every nostrich is now unleashed from the cage of bigtech censorship , rules and algo. But freedom comes with responsibility so pick right one(s). I will try share here some learning experience both technical and also from fundamental point of view. Just wanted kick start this article n fill as we go like living reference document.

Nostr itself is an application layer protocol that can used beyond just social media mirco or long blogging. Each nostr client heavily dependent on back-end servers call nostr "Relay servers" or in short "rs" or "relays" Relays can hosted anywhere in clearnet internet, onion net , vpn , i2p , nym Relays are controlled by their respective admins based NIP specs that they select to implement according to own decisions. Relays can have certain ToS (Terms of Service) Rules to adhered too.

New users can choose and pick client or app (ios / android/ windows) with preset of relays in the simplest form , but other advanced users need to do a regular manual relay management.

Relay management is an active regular task based on where when n how you are using.

Relay list are saved within you npub profile backup file which can edited and broadcast anytime.

Relay management is an active regular task based on where when and how you are using.

Relay list always need to be updated time to time as and when needed.

2 Users MUST a common RELAY between them even if one only need to follow another. Occasionally you may notice certain npub accounts you are following already but cannot see frequent notes publish by them – one of cause maybe you not sharing a common relay

Most nostr client applications has SETTINGS where user choose add/remove relays Also user choose which function to enable - READ or WRITE

Relay list for your account is always saved within you npub profile backup file which can edited and broadcast anytime. Hence any app or browser when u login with you npub the same relay list will be enforced. There could valid reasons why u need have list for if you trying to save bandwidth and traveling.

Functions in app.getcurrent.io and primal.net app for mobile apple or android are ideal for user traveling abroad and wanted to save bandwidth since relay management is done the providers in backend and saves hassle for basic usage.

Remember if someone is selecting relay on your behalf then you may not be necessarily able to pull and get some specific and special content that you may need. Such providers like coracle and nostrid also give option to override the default relays they selected.

Relay types: They can be categorized by various features or policy or technologies.

FREE PUBLIC Relays vs PAID PUBLIC Relays

PAID relays provide unrestricted access / write / filtering options than FREE relays but both are public clearnet relays. Just subscribing to PAID relays will not solve all problems unless you choose the relays properly and enable settings correctly.

Private Replay or Tor Relays – normally not easily visible until unless someone tell you. You can also host own private relay not opened to internet of archive and back of your own notes.

The technical landscape in nostr can be fast changing as more NIPs get proposed or updated. Relays admin can choose implement certain NIPs or not based on policy or technical limitations.

Example NIP33 defines “long notes” aka blogs as you now reading this in habla site which #1 UI and site for "Editable" long notes – some relays donot implement or allow this. NIP07 is used for client authentication like nos2x and is implemented by all relays in fact.

To be continued again ... reference pics will added later also Hope this help you understand "why when what" to tune and maintain active set of proper relays. Relay Proxy, Relay aggregator or Relay multiplexer – Paid, Public, Free, Private, Event, Relays That’s all for now n more later ... Thank you 🙏 ! ⚡️ https://getalby.com/p/captjack ⚡️ PV 💜 🤙

References: https://habla.news/relays https://relay.exchange/ https://relays.vercel.app/ https://nostr.info/relays/ https://nostrudel.ninja/#/relays

Related Articles: https://thebitcoinmanual.com/articles/types-nostr-relays/ nostr:naddr1qqd5c6t8dp6xu6twvukkvctnwss92jfqvehhygzwdaehguszyrtp7w79k045gq80mtnpdxjuzl9t7vjxk52rv80f888y5xsd5mh55qcyqqq823cf39s98 https://habla.news/u/current@getcurrent.io/1694434022411

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

After my second attempt at running Lightning Network node went wrong, mainly due to my own mistake and bad cli interface of LND, I have decided to look deeply into the alternative implementation of the lightning node software. Eclair was more final choice driven by multiple reasons that I am planning to further talk about in this write-up. The main reason I even considered Eclair despite my dislike of Java and JVM, was that one of the largest lightning nodes on the network is ACINQ, and they are the company behind the implementation and maintenance of this open source software.

I’ve noticed them first after reading their blog about how they run $100M Lightning node and what level of care and thought they put into the whole implementation. Lightning is used to transfer large quantities of value across the internet, and I would only trust something well designed and actively maintained by the people who have to lose the most if they make a wrong choice.

Eclair in itself is not a complex implementation of the lightning network standards, and highly modular, which allows for an easy segregation of duties among different components of the node. One of the biggest sales-points for me was their approach of crash-only software which guarantees consistency of the state regardless of what happens with the running software. By that extension, to shutdown the node, you simply kill the process and start it again. It doesn’t matter what transactions were in-flight, or what stage they were in. This is huge, since anything can happen to a running node (e.g., failed disk, failed RAM, CPU, kernel panic, etc.)

Getting back to the architecture, the Eclair is simple and elegant in design and implementation. The node is separated into three main components that comprise the node: eclair-core, eclair-node, eclair-front. All of the entities are sandboxed actors (e.g., peer, channel, payment), which allows for scalabilities across CPUs and faults. This ensures high availability and security.

Clustering is also an option and can be achieved by migrating from the single node to a multi-server node. There is no need to dive into complexities of that, and by the time you need to scale, I am sure you’ll be able to figure it out.

Simple and robust API, is yet another major reason that keeps the node simple and fast. One downside of the API, is that it is protected by a single password and is not designed for RBAC (Role Based Access Control). One solution could be an implementation of another API wrapper that would implement things similar to Runes or Macaroons, which should not be a challenge considering the REST API simplicity.

On-the-fly HTLC max size adjustment, which will prevent your node accepting forwarded payments that would fail due to lack of liquidity on your side. This also makes routing better for the rest of the lightning network, but may “leak” your channel balances if not done right.

Experimentation and adjustment of path-finding algorithm. I am not there yet myself, but I see this as a great option in the future if I need it. This will allow me to make my own choices how I want to route payments and what parameters I would use to determine the best path.

Full production support of PostgreSQL server. Not only Eclair itself is not a beta release unlike LND, but also has full production support of the very reliable and battle tested database as its backend data storage. You are able to(and should) to run Active/Passive PostgreSQL cluster in synchronous mode, and ensure that all of the written data by the node are backed-up in real-time. This removes the worry of corrupted database that I have seen happen all too often.

Excellent monitoring and metrics, that can be collected by Prometheus and viewed in Grafana. Eclair provides template dashboards that you can import into Grafana to make your life easier. You can also use Kamon (external service) where you could send the metrics and monitor your node.

Support for all common networking protocols and support Socks5.

Last, but not least, support for plug-ins. Even if you are not well versed in writing plug-ins, you could take some of the available ones and modify them to your liking.

There are many more features and limitations that I didn’t mention, but you can explore them yourself here.

One down-side that you should consider, is not such a great availability of the readily available tools. So far I found that Ride-The-Lightning works well; LNBits works but I am yet to see if it is reliable; BTCPayServer has support but I have failed to use it with API directly, and only was able to use it via LNBits.

Lightning is still reckless, but nothing stops you from doing it carefully and reliably. Good luck and happy node-running! 🐶🐾🫡⚡️

My Node - RAϟKO

@ 30ceb64e:7f08bdf5

Hey Freaks,

I'm looking to add modularity to my nix os setup, I'm in the middle of creating my first flake.

https://github.com/TheWildHustle/TheFlakeHustle/tree/main

Should I set up flakes for a:

• Gaming environment
• Work environment
• Coding enviornment
• Bitcoin environment
• 3d Printing environment

2k Sats for the best flake advice!

Much appreciated, Hustle

@ c0de4045:6ee577fe

They will come at us by our names, social security numbers and government issued ID. We often and wrongly assume that it will be a technological attack against our hardwallets. That is not how they work. So we must prepare ourselves mentally for the onslaught. How?

I could talk around the subject, become a guru, write books and surround myself with pretty yogi women like some 'masters' have done but, the matter is simple enough and not enough to write books about or make videos, give paid lectures or have a worldwide following.

Our first 'hack' and the void out of which all 'hacks' come is:

see what your eyes see, and only what they see and hear what your ears hear, and only what your ears hear

So what do we mean by this? The voice in our heads that we call 'thought' is hearing what our physical ears do not hear and daydreaming is seeing what our physical eyes do not see.

Pain has a purpose but too often we go into thought instead of coming back to our senses but if we do come to the present moment something interesting happens -- serendipity.

What do we mean by this? We all carry past negative energy (Eckhart Tolle) and if we imagine that negative pain as coal, instead of shovelling that old coal and new coal (pain) back on to the heap, why not throw it into the furnace of our own success? It is energy, old, compact and powerful energy.

any negativity closes the channel ~ Eckhart Tolle

Meaning that at the onset of something negative happening we can either go into a negativity dead end or hear what our ears hear and see what our eyes see and in a short time God's grace serendipity steps in and rectifies that situation, but only after a short spell of upheaval. That is how to survive the apocalyse, through the now.

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Disclaimer, this tutorial may have a real financial impact on you, follow at you own risk.

Step 1: execute lncli closeallchannels

That’s it, that was easy as it could be. Now all your node’s channels are in the process of being closed and all your liquidity is being moved to your onchain wallet. The best part, you don’t even need to confirm anything, it just does it in one go with no questions asked! You can check the status by using a very similar looking command, lncli closedchannels!

Good job! Now you are ready to start from scratch and use any other reasonable solution!

🐶🐾🫡🤣🤣🤣

Disclaimer: this is a satirical tutorial that will 💯 cost you a lot of funds and headaches.

@ 72f97555:e0870ff3

We are freedom loving people. Nostr was created for the purpose of providing and protecting freedom. The people who are here, are here because they became aware of the freedom they had lost, and wanted it back. Nostr is free because it is small, but small things that provide something that the world needs have this pesky tendency to grow and become bigger. This is a good thing, but it also means that we need to be careful to not lose the freedom that we have.

How did we lose our freedom the first time?

It was tempting to blame this all on ads and move on. But that would be a lie. The truth is that we lost our freedom because we gave it away. We gave it away because we were tricked into thinking that we were getting something in return. We believed that the services that we were using were free, but they weren't. We paid for them with our freedom. We paid for them with our privacy. We paid for them with our data. We paid for them with our attention. We paid for them with our time. We paid for them with our lives.

I believe that the average user has very little understanding of the true cost of the services that they use. This was not always the case. There was a time when people understood that if you wanted to use a service, you had to pay for it. You had to pay for it with money. As the Internet grew at a rapid clip, more and more capital was invested into new businesses that competed with the existing ones. Since they had huge amounts of capital, they could afford to offer their services for almost nothing. Eventually, the industry competed the prices to zero. This was the beginning of the end.

After a while, investors generally expect to see a return on their investment. This is a reasonable expectation. The problem is that the only way to get a return on investment when you are not charging for your service is to sell something else. The only thing that these companies had to sell was the data that they had collected from their users. This is when the data economy was born. This is when we lost our freedom.

We did not chose to compete these prices down to zero, but once the prices were there, we did expect them to not go back up. There are very few things as difficult as getting someone to pay for something they have been getting for free. It took a while before anyone noticed that their leverage was gone. Most people still don't know.

The companies building the products knew though. Generally, people are pretty decent at keeping track of where their paycheck comes from. The products changed accordingly, to gather and process more data, to have a better product to sell to the people who were paying the bills.

How do we keep our freedom this time?

We need to obey the golden rule: "He who has the gold makes the rules". This is the only way to keep our freedom. We need to make sure that the people who are paying the bills are the same people who are using the product. This is the only way to make sure that the incentives are aligned. This is the only way to make sure that the product is built for the users. When we pay for a product with our funds, we become the boss. The people who are building the product have a real incentive to make sure that we are satisfied, because every time we are not, we can take our money elsewhere, which is money out of their pocket.

Saying that users should directly pay for a product is easy. Making it happen is hard. The reason that it is hard is because it is not a simple matter of just charging for the product. The product needs to be built in a way that makes it possible to charge for it. It also requires a mental shift from the users. I do not intend to understate the difficulty of the challenge. I do intend to state that it is a challenge that we must overcome.

Freedom is preserved when those who enjoy it have skin in the game. "Easy come, easy go," as the saying goes. Freedom is not free. It never has been. It never will be. It is a constant struggle. It is a constant battle. It is a constant fight. It is a constant war. Wars are messy and expensive. You do not win a meaningful victory by failing to fight, or by becoming the enemy. You win a meaningful victory by fighting the right fight, and by fighting it the right way.

The Nostr polis needs to have skin in the game. The people shitposting, creating inkblot art, creating lewds (hi Onyx), posting cat pictures, and engaging in heated political discourse over the socialistic direction of certain countries... they need to be the ones guiding the hand of development on Nostr. They are the ones that will bring users to the platform, keep it alive with conversation, and keep it interesting. They are the real value adds to the network. The most technologically perfect communications protocol has absolutely zero value if there is no one to use it.

Freedom is not free

It's a meme at this point, but it's true. Freedom is not free. It is for the do'ers, payers, movers and shakers. It is for the people who are willing to put their money, time, and safety on the line. We do not have to be rich to take that power back. Those days are over. The Internet has democratized the ability to fund and direct things. We can do it a couple of dollars at a time, across thousands of people. The trick is that people have to actually do it. Collectively, as a group.

There is no wrong way to do this, except by not doing it. You can give any amount to anyone creating services and software for Nostr. Yes, it's a great thing to check into whoever you are donating to, make sure they have a good reputation, and see how well funded they already are, and make a choice based on that. It's also OK to just hand the money to a dev because you are a fan. But the most important thing is that you do it. If you don't do it, no one else will. If no one else does it, we will lose our freedom again. If we lose our freedom again, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

The future is bright

This is not a criticism of anyone or anything. It is a call for thought, and a reminder of some of the factors that played into how things went down the first time. We are in a unique position to do something about it. We have the technology. We are gaining the people. We have the talent and people high in openness willing to consider new ways. We must find that new way, and rally around it. We must make sure that we do not lose our freedom again. We must make sure that we do not lose our leverage again. We must make sure that we do not lose our power again.

@ 99895004:c239f905

Let's start with the anniversary

Nostr.build turned 1 year old a few days ago and a lot has happened in the last year. From a few hundred media uploads to 2500+ a day, now hosting over 1 million unique media items. From a simple, free UI, to advanced personal accounts, NIP98 and NIP96 integration, CDN, redundant load balanced servers with all media backed-up on multiple locations, full integration and automatic uploads with apps like NoStrudel, Damus, Snort.Social, Amethyst, Coracle.Social, Iris.to and more. And of course, none of this is even remotely possible without partnering with a world-class developer, Fishcake.

Original | Today :-------------------------:|:-------------------------: |

But it's the people that are making this journey special. Everyone with their own unique story. Everyone supporting nostr, supporting each other, helping to build something we all know is special. The amount of support nostr.build has received is unbelievable. From donations to account purchases, troubleshooting and code contributions, I never knew people could be so generous. The generosity amazed me so much, I wrote a blog about it, here!

To hear some of these stories, to drive creativity and use other apps on nostr, to give back a little, we thought to hold a nostr blogging contest, so here it goes!

How it Works

On January 1st, 2024 we will post a note calling for blog entries. Contestants will need to respond to the note adding a link to their blog. The blog with the most legitimate 'likes' will be the winner. Rules are below:

• The blog must be written in a nostr blogging app (ex. yakihonne.com, habla.news, blogstack.io, flycat.club)
• It must contain media (images, gifs, videos). It can be 1-2 images, or 99% mixed media. It does NOT need to be hosted on nostr.build
• It needs to be a new blog, can't be something from before the contest
• Anyone can participate

Prizes

• 1st Prize will be a Bitcoin hardware wallet of your choice (ex. Coldcard, BitKey, Passport, Jade, Trezor)
• 2nd Prize will be nostr.build Creators accounts given to two people. If you already have an account, you will get a renewal for the next year.
• 3rd Prize will be a Bitcoin / Financial / Art book given to three people (ex. Bread, Bitcoin Standard, Broken Money, Fourth Turning)

In total there are 6 prizes.

The Goal

There are a few things we wish to accomplish: - Drive adoption of more nostr apps, and the nostr blogging apps are really good - Share your stories so we all can hear them. Find out more about what interests people, and to bring out everyone's creative side - Drive Bitcoin self custody and cold storage

That is it! That's the contest. Remember, it can be about anything.

Have fun and 'may the odds be ever in your favor'!

@ a023a5e8:ff29191d

The encryption guarding digital communications could someday be cracked by quantum computers. Dubbed 'Q-day,' that moment could upend military and economic security worldwide. Great powers are sprinting to get there first.

In February, a Canadian cybersecurity firm delivered an ominous forecast to the U.S. Department of Defense. America’s secrets – actually, everybody’s secrets – are now at risk of exposure, warned the team from Quantum Defen5e (QD5).

QD5’s executive vice president, Tilo Kunz, told officials from the Defense Information Systems Agency that possibly as soon as 2025, the world would arrive at what has been dubbed “Q-day,” the day when quantum computers make current encryption methods useless. Machines vastly more powerful than today’s fastest supercomputers would be capable of cracking the codes that protect virtually all modern communication, he told the agency, which is tasked with safeguarding the U.S. military’s communications.

In the meantime, Kunz told the panel, a global effort to plunder data is underway so that intercepted messages can be decoded after Q-day in what he described as “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks, according to a recording of the session the agency later made public.

Militaries would see their long-term plans and intelligence gathering exposed to enemies. Businesses could have their intellectual property swiped. People’s health records would be laid bare.

“We are not the only ones who are harvesting, we are not the only ones hoping to decrypt that in the future,” Kunz said, without naming names. “Everything that gets sent over public networks is at risk.” Tilo Kunz, executive vice president of Canadian cybersecurity firm QD5, predicts that quantum computers by 2025 might be capable of cracking the encryption that protects most digital communications, putting military secrets, health records, financial data and other sensitive information at risk.

“Everything that gets sent over public networks is at risk.”

Kunz is among a growing chorus sounding this alarm. Many cyber experts believe all the major powers are collecting ahead of Q-day. The United States and China, the world’s leading military powers, are accusing each other of data harvesting on a grand scale.

The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Christopher Wray, said in September that China had “a bigger hacking program than every other major nation combined.” In a September report, China’s chief civilian intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security, accused the U.S. National Security Agency of “systematic” attacks to steal Chinese data.

The National Security Agency declined to comment on China's accusation.

More is at stake than cracking codes. Quantum computers, which harness the mysterious properties of subatomic particles, promise to deliver breakthroughs in science, armaments and industry, researchers say.

Opinion is divided on the expected arrival of Q-day, to be sure. It’s still relatively early days for quantum computing: So far, only small quantum computers with limited processing power and a vulnerability to error have been built. Some researchers estimate that Q-day might come closer to the middle of the century.

No one knows who might get there first. The United States and China are considered the leaders in the field; many experts believe America still holds an edge.

As the race to master quantum computing continues, a scramble is on to protect critical data. Washington and its allies are working on new encryption standards known as post-quantum cryptography – essentially codes that are much harder to crack, even for a quantum computer. Beijing is trying to pioneer quantum communications networks, a technology theoretically impossible to hack, according to researchers. The scientist spearheading Beijing’s efforts has become a minor celebrity in China.

Quantum computing is radically different. Conventional computers process information as bits – either 1 or 0, and just one number at a time. Quantum computers process in quantum bits, or “qubits,” which can be 1, 0 or any number in between, all at the same time, which physicists say is an approximate way of describing a complex mathematical concept.

These computers also exploit a mysterious property of quantum mechanics known as entanglement. Particles such as photons or electrons can become entangled so that they remain connected, even when separated by huge distances. Changes in one particle are immediately reflected in the other. The properties of qubits and entanglement are fundamental to quantum computers, say physicists and computer scientists, potentially allowing calculations to be carried out that would be impractical on today’s large supercomputers.

Business consultants forecast this processing power will deliver hundreds of billions of dollars in extra revenue by the middle of the next decade. Even before these computers arrive, some are predicting that advances in quantum technology will sharply improve the performance of some military hardware.

Quantum technology “is likely to be as transformational in the 21st century as harnessing electricity as a resource was in the 19th century,” said Michael Biercuk, founder and chief executive officer of Q-CTRL, a quantum tech company that was established in Australia and has major operations in the United States.

Cracking codes

It was the codebreaking possibilities of quantum computing that sparked the field’s surge in progress in recent decades, said Q-CTRL’s Biercuk, an American who is a professor of quantum physics at the University of Sydney and a former consultant to the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Pentagon’s innovation incubator. The U.S. government saw it as a “big opportunity ” in the 1990s and has been funding research ever since, he said.

In his briefing for the Pentagon, QD5’s Kunz cited what he called one of the most successful harvest now/decrypt later operations ever: the Venona project.

Launched in 1943, Venona was a 37-year U.S. effort to decipher Soviet diplomatic communications collected by the Americans during and after World War Two. U.S. codebreakers, aided by allies, were able to decrypt more than 2,900 cables from thousands of messages sent by Soviet intelligence agencies between 1940 and 1948, according to CIA documents.

The cables revealed extensive Communist intelligence operations against the United States and its allies. The code-cracking coup led to the discovery of Soviet penetration of the Manhattan Project, the top-secret program to build the first atomic bombs, and the existence of the Cambridge Five, a group of top British civil servants spying for Moscow, the CIA documents show.

The West’s breakthrough was the realization that the Soviets had misused so-called one-time pads: a time-tested form of encryption in which a secret key is used to encode a message sent between parties. The method got its name because in its earliest forms, keys were printed on a pad whose pages each contained a unique code; the top page was ripped off and destroyed after a single use. The Soviets blundered by printing and using duplicate pages in one-time pads for a limited time. This allowed allied analysts to painstakingly decrypt some of the messages years later, according to the CIA documents.

To be truly unbreakable, cybersecurity experts say, a one-time-pad key must be a set of random numbers equal to or bigger than the size of the message – and used only once. The party receiving the message uses the same secret key to decrypt the message. The method was invented more than a century ago, and for decades was used for secret messages by most major powers. But technical factors made it too unwieldy for mass, secure communication in the modern era.

Instead, most communications today are secured with what is known as public key infrastructure (PKI), a system developed in the 1970s to enable encryption on a mass scale.

PKI enabled the rise of the internet economy and open telecommunications systems. The passwords to email accounts, online banking and secure messaging platforms all rely on it. PKI is also critical to most government and national security communications.

Security provided by PKI stems essentially from hiding information behind a very difficult math problem, Biercuk said. The most widely used algorithm that creates and manages that difficult math problem used for encryption is known as RSA, from the surname initials of its inventors: the computer scientists and cryptographers Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard Adelman. What may be about to change is that these problems will be a cinch for quantum computers to solve.

“If you have a computer for which that math problem is not very hard,” Biercuk said, “all of that is at risk.”

Montreal-based QD5, the privately held company where Kunz is executive vice president, is taking a different approach to post-quantum cryptography. It has developed an advanced version of the one-time pad: a device, the Q PAD, which it claims customers can use to conduct communications on existing networks that will remain uncrackable forever. Pentagon officials peppered Kunz and colleagues with technical questions about the technology in February, but noted the informational session didn’t necessarily signal an intent to buy the Q PAD system.

The Defense Information Systems Agency did not respond to requests for comment.

In an interview, Kunz, a former Canadian soldier, said he first learned about one-time pads while serving with a reconnaissance unit.

“It is very simple and straightforward,” he said. “Every time you used one of those sheets of paper, you would have to destroy it. If you only have those two keys, and follow the rules,” a message may be intercepted, but the enemy “will never be able to break it.”

QD5 has overcome some of the limitations of the original one-time pad, said Chief Technology Officer Gary Swatton. One hurdle to mass use of the method was the need to generate enough sets of truly random numbers to supply modern communications networks with encryption. Before quantum technologies emerged, this took considerable time and effort.

Now, specially designed semiconductor chips and hardware, called quantum random number generators, can exploit the truly random nature of subatomic quantum particles to generate number sets in large volumes, according to researchers. “Technology has caught up and is solving these problems,” Swatton said.

Other companies hope to seize on demand for better security. SandboxAQ of Palo Alto, California, a spin-off from Google owner Alphabet, has a division to help clients tackle the threat from quantum computing and leverage the benefits of this powerful technology. Even if Q-day is a decade or more away, “it’s imperative that organizations begin preparing for the migration to post-quantum cryptography now,” said Marc Manzano, SandboxAQ’s general manager of quantum security.

Some anticipate upheaval. Skip Sanzeri, founder and chief operating officer of quantum security company QuSecure in San Mateo, California, says “the entire internet and the devices connected to it” will be affected. The World Economic Forum has estimated that 20 billion devices will have to be upgraded or replaced to meet quantum security standards in the next two decades.

“This is going to be a $100 billion or trillion-dollar upgrade,” Sanzeri says.

While quantum computing threatens to upend existing security measures, the physics behind this technology could also be exploited to build theoretically unhackable networks.

In a quantum communications network, users exchange a secret key or code on subatomic particles called photons, allowing them to encrypt and decrypt data. This is called quantum key distribution, or QKD. It is one of the fundamental properties of quantum mechanics that can ensure secure communications. Any attempt to monitor or interfere with these quantum particles changes them, physicists explain. That means any attempt to intercept the communications is immediately detectable to users. If the communicating parties receive an uncorrupted encryption key, they can be confident that their subsequent communications will be secure.

With quantum networks, “our technical security comes from the laws of physics,” says physicist Gregoire Ribordy, chief executive officer of ID Quantique (IDQ), a privately held Swiss company that provides quantum communications technology. “Interception of the communications is just not possible without leaving a trace.”

China’s big bet

Quantum communications is an area where China is spending big. The technology has the potential to safeguard Beijing’s data networks, even if Washington and other rivals are first to reach Q-day.

President Xi Jinping stressed the “strategic value” of quantum technology in a 2020 speech to top Chinese leaders, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Under Xi, China has set clear targets to dominate quantum science. It is spending more than any other country on quantum research by some estimates. In an April report, McKinsey & Company estimated that Beijing had announced a cumulative $15.3 billion in funding for quantum research, more than quadruple the equivalent U.S. figure of $3.7 billion.

A key driver of China’s quantum tech quest is Pan Jianwei, a physicist who has achieved celebrity status in China along with praise and support from the ruling Communist Party.

Pan, 53, is a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China, the country’s premier quantum research outfit. In 2011, he was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, an honor given to scientists who have made important advances in their fields.

Pan in media interviews has said he wants to make China a leader in quantum technology while building an internet secure from cyberattacks. This would serve vital strategic purposes, security experts say. It would protect the Chinese leadership and military from hacking, especially in a conflict. A quantum-fortified internet could protect vital infrastructure and the vast surveillance network the Communist Party has built to stamp out any challenge to its monopoly on power, they say.

Pan’s career highlights how the absorption of foreign technology has been crucial to China in quantum and other tech fields.

He studied for his doctorate in Vienna with renowned physicist Anton Zeilinger. Zeilinger shared the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on quantum mechanics. Pan later moved to the University of Heidelberg, where he still maintains close links, before returning home in 2008.

Back in China, Pan led a team that recorded a milestone in 2016 with the launch of Micius, the world’s first quantum satellite, which was used to establish secure communications links with ground stations in China.

The following year, his team and researchers in Austria used Micius to hold the world’s first quantum-encrypted teleconference, connecting Beijing and Vienna. Pan also led a team that has reportedly built a similarly unhackable ground-based network in China linking the cities of Beijing, Jinan, Shanghai and Hefei.

Pan was one of the architects of a concerted campaign to deploy Chinese scientists to leading quantum labs around the world, with the goal of jump-starting domestic development when these researchers returned home, according to a 2019 report by Strider Technologies, a Salt Lake City-based strategic intelligence startup.

Some of those researchers, including Pan, benefited from substantial foreign government funding while studying abroad, the report found. “From that regard it has been wildly successful,” Strider Technologies Chief Executive Officer Greg Levesque said of the Chinese strategy in an interview with Reuters. “But I don’t know if they are going to win it,” he added. “It seems some U.S. companies are making some really big leaps.”

Despite China’s apparent lead in official funding, some researchers say America remains the overall quantum leader thanks to its private sector technology innovators, government labs, university researchers and collaborating allies. And Washington is moving to restrict U.S. investment in China’s quantum capabilities.

In August, President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing the U.S. Department of the Treasury to regulate U.S. investments in quantum computing, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. An annex to that order named China as a country of concern, along with its special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. That could lead to bans on investment in Chinese production of quantum technologies and equipment.

New security era

Globally, government security agencies and the private sector are working on strategies to beat quantum computers. In August, the U.S. National Security Agency and other agencies urged the public and companies to adopt new measures to safeguard their communications with post-quantum cryptography.

After extensive evaluation, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) last year selected four so-called post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms – new encryption standards that some cyber experts believe will provide long-term security. U.S. government agencies next year are expected to issue a new standard for post-quantum cryptography, Biden disclosed in a May memo. NIST said in August that it’s working on standardizing these algorithms, the final step before making these tools widely available for organizations to upgrade their encryption.

SandboxAQ’s Manzano said his company is working with some of the world’s biggest companies and government agencies to integrate the coming PQC cryptography algorithms into their systems. Sanzeri said QuSecure, too, is working with government and private clients to upgrade to PQC.

Not everyone agrees the new algorithms will offer reliable security. Kunz told Reuters that eventually the new cyphers could be compromised as quantum computers improve. “The problem is that PQC is not unbreakable,” he said. “It does not solve the harvest now, decrypt later problem.”

IDQ’s Ribordy said that today’s classical computers also might be able to crack these new codes. The complex math problems at the heart of PQC are “so new” that they have not been studied very extensively, he noted.

A spokesperson for NIST said the agency “has confidence in the security of the PQC algorithms selected for standardization, (or) else we wouldn’t be standardizing them. The algorithms have been studied by experts, and went through an intensive evaluation process." He added that it was not inevitable or even a "safe assumption" that they would be broken.

In the meantime, one challenge for the keepers of digital secrets is that whenever Q-day comes, quantum codebreakers are unlikely to announce their breakthrough. Instead, they’re likely to keep quiet, so they can exploit the advantage as long as possible.

“We won’t necessarily know” when the codes are broken, Kunz told the Pentagon panel. “We will probably find out the hard way,” he said. “But what we can expect is that they will be broken.”

Quantum computing: The quest to cash in on the mysteries of “really small things”

The world is on the cusp of a computing revolution based on quantum mechanics – the theory in physics that describes the behavior of matter and energy at the level of atoms and subatomic particles. Quantum science has also been explained by a U.S. government scientist as the “rules that describe how really small things behave.”

This field is full of surprises, even for the experts. Richard Feynman, the late theoretical physicist, Nobel laureate and pioneer of quantum computing, described the field as “peculiar and mysterious to everyone – both to the novice and the experienced physicist,” because it is so different to how people experience and perceive the behavior and properties of larger objects.

Quantum mechanics was developed gradually in the early decades of the 20th century by some of the biggest names in physics. In recent decades, a range of potential applications emerged, including computing, with research now underway in more than a dozen countries, according to a report from the Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies.

For quantum computing, a turning point came in 1994 when American mathematician Peter Shor developed an algorithm – a mathematical procedure for performing a computation – which showed that quantum computers could be used to solve problems beyond the reach of classical computers.

Codebreaking is likely to be an important early application. These computers are expected to be able to break encryption codes in minutes rather than the thousands of years that current computers would take, according to cybersecurity experts.

North America is the epicenter of quantum computing, according to industry experts. U.S. companies building quantum processors include IBM, Amazon, Intel, Google, Quantinuum, IonQ, Microsoft, Quantum Computing Inc and Rigetti Computing. In Canada, D-Wave Systems and Xanadu Quantum Technologies have been pioneers.

The United States, Canada and Britain were home to the biggest number of startups in the field as of 2022, according to a recent McKinsey report.

In January, China's Origin Quantum Computing Technology Company, based in Anhui Province, announced it had delivered a completely homemade quantum computer to a user, according to reports in China's state-controlled media. Some of China's tech giants including Baidu and Tencent are also working on quantum computing.

To be sure, substantial engineering challenges must be overcome before these computers are truly useful. So far, only small computers with a relatively small number of qubits have been built in labs around the world, according to physics researchers. These computers are very fragile and the hardware is prone to “noise” such as fluctuations in the earth’s magnetic field or other electromagnetic signals, which leads to errors. And they are still too small to solve some challenging problems, including codebreaking.

But some of these early quantum computers are now in use for initial research in a variety of fields. Auto giant Mercedes-Benz, for example, is now using IBM quantum computers to design better batteries, according to IBM. Some technologists predict these computers could soon become even more useful. They say combining these early machines with traditional processors can lead to important improvements in solving complex problems.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) forecast in a May report that business will reap benefits from quantum computing as early as 2025. Quantum's data processing has the potential to generate income of up to $850 billion for users by about 2035, the year by which BCG expects the technology to be mature, the company said in the report.

Countdown to ‘Q-day’

By David Lague

Original Article : https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/us-china-tech-quantum/

@ fe520c37:91d8d6aa

@ de496884:72617b81

Se acerca la navidad y constantemente estamos siendo bombardeados con mensajes positivos de felicidad, de celebración, de estar en familia, de comprar regalos y de pasarla bien. Y no solo ahora, sino que año tras año se repite una y otra, y otra vez el mismo ciclo en el que muchas personas, más que pasarla bien, se sienten prisioneras. Prisioneras de un «tener que» cumplir con lo esperado para esta época del año. ¿Pero cómo es posible que haya personas que se sientan mal en un momento en el que se supone que es para pasarla bien y en familia? Exacto: se supone, y es precisamente ese el problema.

Hay que empezar partiendo de que la navidad tal y como la conocemos es uno de los tantos productos exportados de occidente por el fenómeno de la globalización. Y digo que es un producto porque a pesar de que nació de la religión cristiana, se ha comercializado en forma de objetos de consumo capitalistas. Es así que la navidad proviene del consumismo, y ello quiere decir que está diseñada para que las personas cuando llegue esta época del año se lancen a consumir ya sea comprando regalos, objetos decorativos, yendo a lugares… siempre persiguiendo un ideal disfrazado de felicidad. Pero esto no es privativo de la navidad, sino que lo mismo ocurre en San Valentín y otras fechas marcadas internacionalmente, y que, si nos fijamos muy adentro de nuestras culturas, no son nuestras sino que han sido importadas.

La familia sigue siendo, y será por mucho tiempo, un nicho de mercado bastante lucrativo sobre todo en estas fechas. A mí en lo particular me gusta cuestionar los convencionalismos sociales porque me parecen un tanto hipócritas, y es entonces que me pregunto: teniendo el año 365 días ¿por qué coger solo un día como el más feliz para estar en familia? Ok, sí, por muchas cuestiones no podemos estar todo el tiempo con nuestros seres queridos como nos gustaría y estas fechas son una excelente justificación para hacerlo, ¿pero hemos pensado también en las tantas veces que hemos podido y no lo hemos hecho?, ¿por qué lo hacemos en navidad? Pues resulta que la sociedad nos compulsa a ello.

Freud precisamente en «El malestar de la cultura» habla de que ella nos da el sostén como personas a la vez que se nutre del malestar que nos crea; sin ella no habría humanidad pero al mismo tiempo es ella la que nos lleva muchas veces a comportarnos de la manera contraria a como nos sentimos y a seguir patrones socialmente establecidos. Esto nos lleva a pensar en esas familias rotas obligadas a reunirse porque así la tradición lo dicta. ¿Qué beneficio puede traer esto para sus miembros? Hay muchas personas que se sienten atadas a esta situación navideña y como mismo es insano pedirles a dos niños que se abracen o se den las manos luego de pelearse a golpes, es insano que nos veamos en la situación de reunirnos con personas con las que tenemos un lazo sanguíneo pero nos han hecho mucho daño. La navidad no va a arreglar por sí misma los vínculos afectivos, por el contrario, supone una presión enorme en este sentido y no deberíamos vernos obligados o empujados a tener que hacerlo si no queremos o no lo sentimos. Pensemos de esta forma: ¿es más importante aparentar ser la familia feliz y unida un día al año o hacerte cargo de ti y asumir tu autoridad de decidir por tu propio bienestar?

Segundo, hablemos de clases sociales, hablemos de aquellas personas que no pueden darse el lujo de tener la navidad que se debe. Como había dicho anteriormente, la navidad está diseñada para soltar la plata y llenarnos de objetos fetichistas alegóricos a esta fecha, y por tanto es una costumbre clasista porque la realidad no es la misma para todos y todas y nuestra situación varía en dependencia de la cultura, el sexo, la raza, el género, la edad, etc. Por tanto, hay muchas personas y familias que no se pueden permitir el lujo de comprarle regalos a los hijos e hijas, que no pueden decorar sus casas como se debe, que no pueden salir a lugares ni siquiera viajar a visitar a sus familiares y amigos. Para esas personas la navidad es una fuente enorme de estrés porque están inmersas en contextos precarios y hostiles, con apenas acceso a las mismas oportunidades que las personas que sí tienen el privilegio de tener una navidad acorde a lo esperado.

Tercero, hay personas que no cuentan con redes de apoyo ya sea en la familia o en la comunidad, hay personas que están atravesando por alguna situación desbordante o lidiando con diversos problemas, o simplemente hay personas que no quieren compartir situaciones grupales. La navidad supone para esas personas un motivo de angustia porque ¿cómo se concibe que alguien pase la navidad en soledad? Sin embargo, y a pesar de que creamos estar al tanto de todas estas cuestiones, lo que sucede es que tendemos a no tomar en cuenta la realidad subjetiva de esas personas y las presionamos para que vayan contrario a cómo se sienten, una vez más, como si la navidad fuera por sí misma a curar el dolor.

Es necesario para de verdad apostar por el bienestar subjetivo de todos y todas, desidealizar a la sacrosanta navidad y entender que se trata solamente de una construcción social; de un día en el calendario en el que un grupo de personas se pusieron de acuerdo para celebrar. Pero no pasa nada si queremos hacer como si no existiera, no pasa nada por elegir quedarse en casa haciendo lo que nos venga en gana, es un día más como otro cualquiera y no será ni el primero ni el último.

Reconozco que para aquellas personas pasando por alguna situación de las antes mencionadas es muy difícil no formar parte del espectáculo porque los estímulos nos llegan de todos lados. Es por ello que debemos ser más cuidadosos con nuestros mensajes de navidad y analizar bien de cerca de qué estamos formando parte. No todas las personas pueden o quieren tener una navidad como nos venden los medios, no todas las personas les dan el mismo significado a la navidad, no todas las personas sienten igual la navidad, no todas las personas quieren hacer lo mismo en navidad, pero oye, eso está muy bien porque de lo contrario seríamos máquinas programadas.

Así que si eres de esos o esas que ven en esta fecha un motivo de estrés por todo lo que conlleva, no te sobreesfuerces y simplemente desconecta con todo aquello que no para de repetirte al oído que «tienes que» hacer o sentir de una forma determinada. Sé que es increiblemente difícil luchar contra la corriente, pero por eso no quería dejar pasar la oportunidad de escribir este post, para visivilizar realidades diferentes y hacer saber que la navidad no es una para todos; hay muchas navidades o no hay ninguna. !Nos vemos en Nostr!

---

English version

Christmas is approaching, and we are constantly bombarded with positive messages of happiness, celebration, family time, gift-buying, and having a good time. Year after year, this cycle repeats, where many people, instead of enjoying themselves, feel trapped. Trapped in the obligation to meet the expected norms for this time of year.

But how is it possible that some people feel bad during a time that is supposed to be joyous and family-oriented? Exactly: it's supposed to be, and that's precisely the problem. Today, I want to contribute to the tradition by extending my Christmas wishes to all those reading, focusing on each person taking charge of their subjective well-being. I won't repeat what everyone else says to join the collective chatter. No, this post is for those who suffer in some way because they can't conform to the Christmas model preached by many. So if you're one of those people, stay and read to the end, and if you're not, well, still, we all play a part in the issue.

We must start by acknowledging that Christmas, as we know it, is one of the many products exported from the West due to globalization. I say it's a product because, despite originating from Christian tradition, it has been commercialized as capitalist consumer goods. Thus, Christmas comes from consumerism, meaning it is designed for people to indulge in buying gifts, decorative items, going places, always chasing an ideal disguised as happiness. This isn't exclusive to Christmas; the same happens with Valentine's Day and other internationally marked dates. If we look deep into our cultures, these are not our own traditions; they have been imported.

Family remains a highly lucrative market niche, especially during these holidays. Personally, I like to question social conventions because they seem somewhat hypocritical to me. So, I wonder: with 365 days in a year, why pick just one day as the happiest to be with family? Yes, for many reasons, we can't be with our loved ones all the time as we'd like, and these holidays are an excellent justification to do so. But have we also thought about the many times we could and didn't? Why do we do it at Christmas? Because society compels us to.

Freud, in "Civilization and Its Discontents," discusses how society provides support for individuals while feeding off the discontent it creates. Without society, there would be no humanity, yet it often leads us to behave contrary to how we feel and follow socially established patterns. This leads us to think about broken families forced to gather because tradition dictates it. What benefit can this bring to its members? Many people feel tied to this holiday situation, and just as it is unhealthy to ask two children to hug or hold hands after a fight, it is unhealthy to find ourselves in the situation of gathering with people with whom we have a blood tie but who have hurt us deeply. Christmas won't fix emotional bonds by itself; on the contrary, it puts enormous pressure on this aspect, and we shouldn't be forced or pushed to do it if we don't want to or don't feel it. Think about it: is it more important to pretend to be the happy and united family one day a year, or to take charge of yourself and assume your authority to decide for your own well-being?

Secondly, let's talk about social classes, about those who can't afford to have the Christmas they should. As mentioned earlier, Christmas is designed to spend money and fill ourselves with fetishistic objects related to this date. Therefore, it is a classist custom because the reality is not the same for everyone, and our situation varies depending on culture, sex, race, gender, age, etc. Many people and families can't afford to buy gifts for their children, can't decorate their homes properly, can't go out or even travel to visit their relatives and friends. For these people, Christmas is a huge source of stress because they are immersed in precarious and hostile contexts, with barely access to the same opportunities as those who have the privilege of having a Christmas according to expectations.

Thirdly, there are people who lack support networks, either in the family or in the community. Some are going through overwhelming situations or dealing with various problems, or simply don't want to share group situations. Christmas, for these individuals, becomes a source of distress because how can someone conceive spending Christmas alone? However, even though we believe we are aware of all these issues, we tend not to take into account the subjective reality of these people and pressure them to go against how they feel, once again, as if Christmas were going to heal the pain by itself.

It is necessary to truly advocate for the subjective well-being of everyone, to demystify the sacred Christmas and understand that it is only a social construct; a day on the calendar when a group of people agreed to celebrate. But it's okay if we want to act as if it didn't exist, it's okay to choose to stay at home doing whatever we feel like doing. It's just another day like any other and won't be the first or the last.

I acknowledge that for those going through any of the aforementioned situations, it is very difficult not to be part of the spectacle because stimuli come to us from all sides. That's why we must be more careful with our Christmas messages and closely analyze what we are part of. Not all people can or want to have a Christmas as the media sells it; not all people give the same meaning to Christmas, not all people feel the same about Christmas, not all people want to do the same thing at Christmas. But hey, that's fine because otherwise, we would be programmed machines.

So, if you're one of those who see this season as a source of stress due to everything it entails, don't overexert yourself and simply disconnect from everything that keeps telling you that you "have to" do or feel in a certain way. I know it's incredibly challenging to swim against the current, but that's why I didn't want to miss the opportunity to write this post, to visualize different realities and let you know that Christmas is not for everyone; there are many Christmases or none at all. See you on Nostr!

Créditos | Credits

Imágenes utilizadas | Images used:

• Todas las imágenes son de mi propiedad y fueron generadas con la IA de Bing Image Creator | All images are my property and were generated with Bing Image Creator AI.
• La imagen de portada fue editada con Canva | The cover image was edited with Canva.

Traducción | Translation:

ChatGPT

Te puede interesar | You may be interested in:

• ¿El sentido del sufrimiento o el sufrimiento sentido? | The meaning of suffering or felt suffering? [ES/EN]

• Un acercamiento a las categorías de feminismo y género | An approach to the categories of feminism and gender [EN/ES]

• Síndrome de Asperger y creatividad, ¿exclusivos o no? / Asperger syndrome and creativity, exclusive or not? (EN/ES)

• ¿Los seres humanos tenemos instintos? / Do human beings have instincts? (EN/ES)

• ¿Realmente qué es el medioambiente? Una propuesta desde la psicología ambiental

• El humor en las redes, ¿cómo es?

@ cb084639:2f16502a

Chef's notes

อาจจะดูเป็นอาหารที่ดูง่ายๆแต่มันก็ไม่ง่ายนะที่จำทำมันออกมาให้สวยดูดีและอร่อย!!! มันเริ่มจากการเลือกซื้อไข่ ไข่ไก่ที่เราเห็นที่ขายกันอยู่ทุกวันนี้มันมีที่มาที่แตกต่างกัน บางที่ก็มาจากเล้าไก่ทั่วไป ฟาร์มไก่ไข่ หรือจะมาจากการเลี้ยงแบบ ออแกนิก ปัจจัยเหล่านี้ทำให้สารอาหารที่มีอยู่ในไข่นั้นมันมีไม่เท่ากัน ขึ้นอยู่กับสารอาหารที่ไก่ได้รับ ความสะอาดของระบบการเลี้ยง ความเครียดของไก่ มีผลกับไข่ทั้งหมด พอเราเลือกไข่ได้แล้วเรา ก็มาดูเรื่องของกระทะการทำงานกับไข่จะให้ง่ายและไม่เสียอารมณ์ ควรจะใช้กระทะเทฟล่อน เพื่อไม่ให้ไข่ติดกระทะได้และเมื่อเราได้กระทะแล้วเราก็ไปทำกันเลยดีกว่า 55+

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 2 min
• 🍳 Cook time: 5 min
• 🍽️ Servings: 1

Ingredients

• ไข่ไก่ 4 ฟอง
• น้ำมันหมูหรือน้ำมันวัว 1 ช้อนโต๊ะ
• พริกไทยดำบด ตามชอบ

Directions

1. เริ่มจากตั้งไฟเบาใส่น้ำมันลงไป
2. ไม่ต้องรอกระทะร้อนมากตอกไข่ไส่ไปเลย 4 ฟอง
3. โรยพริกไทย
4. ปิดฝาครอบเพื่ออบไข่
5. รอประมาณ1-2นาที คอยเปิดผาดูว่าส่วนไข่ขาวที่ใสเริ่มขุ่นหรือยัง
6. เอาไข่ออกจากกระทะโดยใช้ช้อนช่วยแซะด้านใต้ของไข่ ลงบนจารที่เตรียมไว้
7. เสิร์ฟคู่กับน้ำปลาพริก หรือซอสแม๊กกี้ตามชอบ

@ 9dd283b1:cf9b6beb

So from time to time I see someone on twitter posting a picture with all 2048 BIP39 words and tweet be like - here is all bitcoin in the world. I alway think - how correct this statement is? What about passphrases? Is seed phrase + passphrase just somebody else's seedphrase? What about multisigs? I haven't found any good source to read about this, maybe someone can recommend a good source to read about this or provide a quick explanation here?

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

I’m sure many of you by now have seen the brilliant midwit meme, examples of which are legion, but this is the generic one.

It’s an IQ bell curve wherein the simpletons on the left, who trust their eyes, ears and instincts, largely agree with the smart people on the right, who discern reality through the noise. But the midwits, who make up the bulk of the curve and are easily misled into believing all kinds of nonsense, rail against both. They look down on the simpletons and see the intelligent as heretics, or worse.*

*In truth the IQ axis is just a stand-in for what amounts more to a wisdom/understanding distribution, as some of those to whom I’ll refer as “midwits” would probably score quite highly on an actual IQ test.

But the genius of this meme is that it speaks to something deep in human nature that predates internet meme-making by at least 14 centuries — in fact it was captured by one of the more famous works of Mahayana Buddhism, The Heart Sutra:

Form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form

Emptiness does not differ from form, form does not differ from emptiness

Whatever is emptiness, that is form.

The Heart Sutra

The first idea is that form is empty. This is the part the midwits are able to grasp. I remember being nervous before my high school wrestling matches and thinking, “we’re all just atoms and molecules” to try (unsuccessfully) to calm myself down while facing the prospect of fighting some guy in a tight wrestling singlet in front of a crowd of people I had to see every day. “It’s not real the way I perceive it to be, science shows it’s all just a construct.”

The simpleton doesn’t realize this. He looks at the world of form and takes it at face value. He doesn’t fully appreciate that my match is just atoms and molecules moving around and on the cosmological scale means nothing. But the midwit, thanks to his education, gets it.

The second idea is that emptiness is itself empty. The notion that we’re all atoms and molecules might be true in a narrow, scientific sense, but that concept, that understanding, is itself but thoughts and ideas, electrochemical signals in my brain. Even my describing it as electro-chemical signals is more of the same. That is empty too! And saying it’s empty is also empty — ad infinitum.

This one goes over the midwit’s head. He can grasp the concepts, but not the emptiness of concepts. He can see that gender is a construct, but not that “gender is a construct” is a construct. This is not a debate about who is correct. It’s an understanding that “correct” is empty and emptiness is also empty. All the way down.

The third idea is that because form is empty and so is emptiness, then emptiness is form. Once you understand both that reality is empty and the idea that reality is empty is itself empty, what remains? Form — freed from your abstractions and ideas about it.

That’s why the simpleton who takes form at face value is aligned with the sage who takes form as it is, and it is only the midwit, stuck in partial understanding, who gets lost in, and easily manipulated by, a maze of conceptions.

The 21st century midwit meme, it turns out, is embedded in the 7th century Heart Sutra.

. . .

I wrote about why we should not fear AI, and also that if AI were able to replace your menial-mental labor, it should cause you to reflect on whether you’ve been living to your full capacity. I want to add a third point here: That those most existentially afraid of AI (as opposed to those more sensibly worried about losing their livelihoods on its account) are midwits. And they reveal themselves by their fears. The idea that AI will kill everyone because it will see the atoms comprising our bodies as more useful for other ends — is the quintessential example.

For starters, why would one suppose a super intelligence (of which I am still dubious can be created via the present methods) would see the world conceptually the way he does, i.e., that humans are garden-variety atom-sources? They might answer: “Because we really are made up of atoms!”

But that is just a concept, a particular lens through which to frame reality. Of course, the materialist lens has its merits! Understanding atomic building blocks is useful to us in creating things we want. But it’s not “true” any more than framing reality through a psychological lens is true. We have emotions, desires and fears too. Understanding those is also useful. Why would a super intelligent AI solely gravitate to the materialist frame and not the psychological one? Why would it not mine our far more scarce (in the universe) emotions as much as our atoms?

If the super-intelligence is so dangerous precisely because we cannot predict how it would out-think or attack us, why are we supposing we can predict its needs and wants?

. . .

According to my college philosophy professor, the philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, believed it was wrong to kill a fly because had a man created such an intricate machine it would be barbaric to destroy it arbitrarily. (Unfortunately I can’t find a link to corroborate this, but if my memory serves me professor Bill Kennick, who died in 2009, did say this one day during class in 1990.)

Leibniz was a genius. He did the work of 10 men! (also per Kennick) Would a presumably even more intelligent AI not see the orders of magnitude greater complexity and sublimeness inherent in human beings? Would it not view our atoms (commonly available elsewhere) as being in a more ordered state than anything it could possibly cobble together via its mechanistic algorithms?

Of course, for the same reason it’s a fool’s errand to assume a vastly superior intelligence would simply repurpose us for atoms, it’s also probably rash to presume with certainty it would revere the creature that sculpted the statue of David, built the Pyramids, split the atom and created AI itself.

But as we go up the evolutionary and intellectual ladder, we typically see more comprehension of what’s unique and precious about life, not less. A deadly bacteria would reproduce itself inside Albert Einstein as surely as it would in a cannibalistic savage. A hungry lion would eat Michelangelo without a second thought. The more meager the intelligence, the less discernment it has for life and its quality. The idea that a super-intelligent AI would be about repurposing human atoms to optimize for say total paperclips runs counter to any notion of “intelligence” of which I’m aware.

What these midwits seem to describe is less a super-intelligent AI and more a midwit like themselves with a narrow worldview but a ton of processing power. Now that kind of naive optimizing fool, sufficiently empowered, could really be dangerous as we saw recently with the covid response and more broadly with 20th-century communism. An AI that could naively optimize for some narrow end might turn out to be a menace, indeed, but it’s a real long shot to be a civilization-ending super intelligence. More like a math calculator that expanded its range of functions to include language and programming, run amok.

. . .

I’ll leave off with a final thought. There is one type of intelligence of which I’m aware that transcends the capabilities of any individual human, does vast computation at lightning speed and can arrange entire societies more efficiently and adeptly than any presently conceivable AI. It’s called the free market.

The French nineteenth-century economist Frédéric Bastiat captured this in a question: “How does Paris get fed?” Living in a large city, Parisians do not produce food but still have abundant access to it. The important question is how this comes to be. After all, there is no central plan for what types and quantities of foods are to be offered to Parisians and when. There is no one telling farmers when and what to sow, which land to use for each crop, what tools to use or develop, or in what cities, towns, or market squares to sell their produce and at what prices. All of this just happens. The economy is a decentralized and distributed system where all people—farmers and city folk alike—make their own plans and decisions. They do not simply carry out orders from some central command.

How To Think About the Economy

Per L. Bylund

Free markets are a kind of AI, though just a subset of nature’s larger super-intelligence that similarly governs her non-human ecosystems too. Simple axioms — each individual atom, molecule, cell, animal or person, following its natural instincts, learning and being shaped by its environment — create complex systems, emergent phenomena so ordered and beautiful only a super-intelligence could be behind it.

This super-intelligent AI, that created the forests and coral reefs, the galaxies and stars and also the human being, is known as God to some, the Tao to others. It is already with us, has always been with us and will never be surpassed by these impressive, but ultimately limited machines.

This idea might be disappointing — that our creations are amateur hour compared to Creation itself. That we are neither on the verge of destroying the world nor saving it. But that’s okay. Not only is AI empty, but the idea that AI is empty is empty too.

@ e8ed3798:67dd345a

Key insights have been developed during the first 90 days as well as lots of new code.

Cyberspace Meta-Protocol

• I revised the protocol to be much simpler and better optimized for typical nostr usage.
• I merged many different event kinds into a single event kind -- the action event -- and made better usage of tags to differentiate the different kinds of actions.
• formalized the data that must be included in an action event, including the velocity, quaternion, action type, cyberspace coordinate, and references to the genesis action.
• I formalized the coordinate system -- until this point there were a couple different ideas of how to structure it.
• I formalized how an action chain is constructed and verified.
• I updated the cyberspace meta-protocol Github with these changes.

Key Protocol Insights Discovered

• After formalizing the coordinate system, I discovered that there was a great use for the final unused bit in a cyberspace coordinate: to distinguish what plane the coordinate belongs to. I had previously wondered about the relationship between cyberspace and reality. I've worked a lot in the augmented reality industry and felt as though cyberspace shouldn't be entirely virtual but have some connection to reality. Using the last bit in a cyberspace coordinate, we can define 2 planes for cyberspace: a coordinate system for reality, and a coordinate system for virtual reality. Thus, the concepts of Dataspace and Ideaspace, respectively, were born. The last bit indicates the coordinate belongs to Dataspace when 0 and Ideaspace when 1.
• Dataspace allows cyberspace objects to exist in the real world. Each point in Dataspace represents a point in real physical space, whereas zero points in Ideaspace relate to a point in reality.
• After considering many options for where Dataspace should be physically located, I settled on positioning Dataspace relative to Earth's center. Dataspace is a cubic area surrounding the Earth where each side is tangential to geosynchronous orbit. This is the maximum useful coordinate space for humans on earth. Anything bigger would involve relative positions of celestial bodies, which is outside of the scope and needs of humanity currently and would add too much extra complexity.
• Dataspace and Ideaspace work the same way, so space may be trustlessly claimed via proof-of-work and virtual interactive objects may be published in those spaces. This enables augmented-reality experiences to exist in the real world in real places that anyone can access with their nostr identity and smartphone.
• Besides claimed spaces (constructs), I created a new type of virtual structure that is not confined to a space so that globally available objects may be utilized in cyberspace. This would be useful for bringing data into cyberspace that isn't tied to a fixed location. This structure doesn't yet have a name.
• Using Dataspace, AI agents can be physically constrained to a location on Earth.
• Dataspace enables an easy solution to the proof-of-location problem which has not been solved without "blockchains" or specialized hardware. However, this solution has caveats, but also brings with it interesting use cases. One example would be providing access to a localized AI based on the verification of your own location in Dataspace.
• DVMs can be used to verify your location. This could be tied to rewards or attendance for events.

ONOSENDAI Code

I began a refactor of ONOSENDAI's codebase. The original codebase was a proof-of-concept that one could represent a 3D world using nostr. It was not structured to support the thermodynamic cyberspace protocol, and it was not using TypeScript nor a frontend framework, so I began a total rewrite using Vite/ReactJS/TypeScript.

One of the key components to the new ONOSENDAI is retrieving and validating cyberspace events published via nostr. I built series of TypeScript libraries that comprise what I call the "cyberspace state reconciler" that enables a JavaScript application to subscribe to, validate, and supply the validated state of a given user's cyberspace presence. This logic will be critical to any cyberspace application so I am designing it with other developers in mind.

Likewise I completed the work on the mining engine for https://construct.onosendai.tech, the in-browser mining software that one can use to trustlessly claim space in cyberspace via SHA256 mining. This same engine is providing the basis for the engine ONOSENDAI will use to power all cyberspace actions. (Like all of my projects, the construct miner is open source on GitHub: https://github.com/arkin0x/construct-miner)

Key Code Insights Discovered

I solved a particularly tricky problem that I have not seen anyone else solve. There are a few other nostr-based programs that perform proof of work, but they are not optimized. They work in the following way:

• create a nostr event
• serialize it
• convert to binary
• hash
• update nostr event nonce
• serialize it
• convert to binary
• hash
• etc etc etc

My mining algorithm works like this:

• create a nostr event
• serialize it
• convert to binary
• determine the nonce location in binary
• hash
• update nonce in binary
• hash
• update nonce in binary
• hash
• etc etc etc

As you can see, my mining algorithm skips a lot of overhead with object creation and string serialization. I did this partially out of necessity. For some reason, when mining via web worker, the TextEncoder object produced a memory leak that crashed the worker. Using this method is not only more efficient, but it avoids using the TextEncoder for every hash; in fact, it only uses the TextEncoder once.

To accomplish this, the nonce is structured in a different way than normally prescribed by NIP-13. I use a fixed-length nonce of 16 characters and each character can be one of 16 adjacent ASCII symbols. Incrementing this in binary is very easy; it would be problematic if the string length of the nonce ever changed, so I avoided that completely. The nonce's entropy in this format is just as sufficient as putting an incremented number into the nonce, especially with an updating created_at.

This mining system is as efficient as I can imagine it to be for web-based web worker mining. With this system, I can spawn 10 web workers and have them mine in parallel, which is what the ONOSENDAI Construct Miner does.

I am currently in progress of implementing this mining system within ONOSENDAI to enable the most efficient usage of system resources to mine cyberspace actions. As the protocol dictates, every action must include proof of work, and the proof of work scales the action. Thus, the more efficiently you can mine on your hardware, the more efficiently you can act in cyberspace.

Utilizing Dataspace: Yondar

Yondar an augmented reality project of mine that I have been working on for a while, but with the invention of Dataspace, it completely changes how I think about it. Where ONOSENDAI is meant to be an Ideaspace client, Yondar is a Dataspace companion that can be your window into the 3D augmented reality world of cyberspace in your travels across reality.

I've recently open sourced Yondar and relinquished ownership of the project to make it a fully open source endeavor. I've also begun plans to tailor it toward cyberspace implementation. Excitement about Yondar in the nostr community has been palpable because it brings a fresh new mapping and geospatial features to the protocol. However, the upcoming cyberspace features are even more exciting in my opinion, and I have been greatly encouraged by the code contributions made by the Yondar community! It's really a beautiful thing to see.

Community

The ONOSENDAI Telegram group is currently close to 100 members. It's exciting to see how many people are interested in building a true metaverse. I'm hoping that our community continues to spread the word about cyberspace and contribute to the code. Open source is our superpower!

Likewise, the Yondar Telegram group exploded from 0 to almost 50 members in a handful of weeks.

Both of these communities have different interests but are connected by the same thread: the open source metaverse protocol of cyberspace.

Nostrocket

Yondar is the first big https://nostrocket.org project. There has been immense synergy between Yondar's utilization of the nostrocket protocol and G's work on improving nostrocket. Having an ambitious and active project like Yondar helps to push nostrocket forward. G and I have worked together and there is no doubt that this synergy has propelled our projects forward. Some would perhaps liken this to, say... a rocket? Working as designed!

Summary

With a increasingly solidified protocol specification, improving tools, and growing open source communities surrounding Yondar and ONOSENDAI, I am extremely optimistic about the velocity of my work on bringing cyberspace into reality. I think that this metaverse, unlike any others, will open up possibilities that only a permissionless protocol could enable. Integration with augmented reality, DVMs, AI, and real locations can make cyberspace a useful and practical medium that touches our everyday lives.

Resources

ONOSENDAI Telegram Group: https://t.me/ONOSENDAITECH Yondar Telegram Group: https://t.me/yondarme Cyberspace Meta-Protocol specification: https://github.com/arkin0x/cyberspace ONOSENDAI repo - refactor branch: https://github.com/arkin0x/ONOSENDAI/tree/vite-reactjs-refactor ONOSENDAI Construct Miner repo: https://github.com/arkin0x/construct-miner Yondar repo: https://github.com/innovatario/yondar-mono ONOSENDAI: https://onosendai.tech Yondar: https://go.yondar.me Me: https://njump.me/npub1arkn0xxxll4llgy9qxkrncn3vc4l69s0dz8ef3zadykcwe7ax3dqrrh43w

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

It’s strange to contemplate my good fortune. I worked hard when I had to and was willing to take calculated risks, but others were more driven and grasped new disciplines more easily. I suppose my greatest strength was efficiency — I was often lazy and took short cuts. Hence I had an advantage over the more industrious who were apt to stay the entire course.

I was also distrustful. I don’t remember being cheated by anyone specific, but I had the sense I might be at any moment. And not nickle and dime-level cheating like someone skimming from a tip jar, but that an abyss might drop out from under my feet. Maybe I would lose my job and wind up homeless. Or my savings would be wiped out in a market collapse. Or the authorities would find some tax I had inadvertently neglected to pay, some clerical error I made, some form I didn’t file.

My mission became clear: I needed to accumulate sufficient wealth with tolerably little effort in a short enough time and without risk of ruin. Then I needed to store that wealth securely and with minimal risk of seizure or confiscation.

I could recount how I accumulated the trove of gold and precious jewels, the shrewd investments I made, as well as the mistakes, but it’s not especially interesting. Others were more successful, visionary and tolerant of risk. Instead, I want to describe how I preserved my wealth, though for reasons of operational security, obviously I cannot be as specific as I’d like.

There’s a small town near a larger town near which someone I knew once rented a home. I went there only once, and actually I never saw him because I showed up on the wrong day. As I approached his door, it was oddly quiet for a would-be large gathering, and when I knocked no one answered. I reached into my coat to double-check the address on the invitation (it was correct), but then I realized the date was wrong.

It was okay — I had had other business nearby, I could smell the fresh air from the woods around the house and I was happy to go for a walk. Around a duck pond and past an old church. I walked another mile or so on the narrow path, and I did not pass a single person. There were other less-worn paths diverging deeper into the woods, and I took one. It led to another area with accessible, interesting — well, let’s call them “nooks.” It occurred to me a person could hide something in these nooks, and the likelihood of someone finding it by accident would be virtually zero.

When I got home several days later I could not stop thinking about my walk and the hidden nooks. At the time I had accumulated a fair amount of gold and a few jewels, but even though I had three thick deadbolts on my front door, iron bars on my windows, a combination safe hidden underneath a trap door, covered by a rug in my living room (where only 10 percent was kept) and an empty space in the wall one could only access by breaking into it (where I kept the other 90), I never felt my holdings were safe.

Ever since the authorities began issuing paper currency of increasing denominations to fund civic projects and pay the local police, there had been more burglaries. Criminals were stealing heirlooms, art, jewels, gold and other appreciating items. Often they staked out houses and waited for owners to leave, but they had become increasingly desperate of late. I had heard of one man’s wife being held at knife-point until her husband showed them where they hid the jewels. In a robbery of a remote farmhouse, at a fair remove from its neighbors, the thieves took axes to the walls and floorboards, tearing the structure nearly to its foundations before leaving with only some seeds and fresh eggs.

The authorities did little to prevent these crimes, and while there were some prosecutions initially, the incidents had become too commonplace. Worse, there were rumors the authorities had begun to confiscate gold and silver because merchants were offering discounts when people paid with precious metals rather than their paper currency.

Few people knew about my stash, and I figured if burglars or police officers were to call, I’d feign resistance and just before the threat of violence or criminal prosecution turn over the 10 percent in the safe. But I worried my acting abilities would be insufficient or that I’d get the deranged sort who hit the farmhouse with the axe. Moreover, some of my business dealings were in the public record, and the authorities might wonder, given the modest trappings of the house, what I had done with the rest of my profits. Any treasure on my person was a liability, and the thought had kept me up many nights.

But the idea of hiding the gold somewhere no one else would ever suspect or locate, far from my home, gave me hope. There was still risk, of course, what if I couldn’t remember the turn-off in the woods, or the markings along the less-worn and soon-to-be overgrown path? If I were to go through with this plan, I needed to map the location as precisely as possible and test myself by repeating the trip — ideally at dawn when no one would be around — until there was no way to forget it.

Of course, I needed also to make a precise written map. One hundred paces to the left, turn at the large rock, 25 paces to the right, in case I forgot details, fell and hit my head or met an untimely demise. I don’t have children, but I’d like to leave something for my nephews and nieces and also provide for the children of my housekeeper of 20 years.

I didn’t have a lot of time — so I traveled back to the site the following week, this time booking a room in the area under a fake name, and I did the walk on consecutive mornings. I crossed paths with no one, and I counted my paces and double-checked my makeshift map.

A week later, I went back to the site with a small water-tight bag inside a second bag containing most of my net worth. I had a small hand-shovel in the bag I removed only at the site, and given the unique natural characteristics of the nook, I was able to bury the bag without leaving a trace. It was protected from the elements, completely hidden and in a place across which perhaps only a handful of people had ever stumbled.

When I got home I hand copied my directions on a second piece of paper. The first I cut in half — one part with the description of the town and the other the directions to the site. I sealed the first part to take to my trusted attorney, and the second I would bring to my sister to keep sealed and present to my executor in the event of my death.

The second copy was placed casually in my desk drawer, only I changed the name of the town and altered the directions to the site in easily decodable ways if you knew the area well. I also made a diagram with messily jotted notes with my nephews’ names and the words “Easter Egg Treasure Hunt.”

For the first time since I could remember, I slept soundly and awoke without remembering my dreams. The wealth I had worked to accumulate my entire life was now safely stored, not physically in my house, but virtually in my mind, backed up, albeit imperfectly, in two separate places. Instead of having the trove itself, I had something lighter, more nimble and more resilient: exclusive knowledge of how to retrieve it. The more I thought about it the physical gold and jewels were only symbols of my accumulated wealth, proof to others of its existence, but only mementos of the work and value I had once provided. My knowledge of their location was therefore no less real than the embodied elemental symbols themselves. Symbols upon symbols denoting the stored labors of my time on earth.

Post Script:

At least as of this writing there has been no knock on my door. No one has broken in yet, and the gold I have accumulated since, more than enough for my modest lifestyle, is stored 90/10 in my safe and the compartment in my wall. I have yet to go back and visit the site of the trove to verify if it’s even still there — the risk of exposing it by going is greater than leaving it alone until I (or my heirs) need to retrieve it. Sometimes I wonder whether I have imagined the whole thing and merely hypnotized myself, so to speak, in order to sleep more soundly. But, whatever the case, it worked. And should they come for me, I know I am free to leave behind everything, walk out my door, undetected, with untold riches, the coordinates of which stored safely in my mind.

@ e1ff3bfd:341be1af

A bunch of people have been shilling Liquid has a scaling solution with on-chain fees on the rise. I wanted to take the time to breakdown why this is a fool's errand and there are better ways to go about this.

Liquid is based on Elements which as they claim in their README is a collection of feature experiments and extensions to the Bitcoin protocol. Liquid is just another blockchain. It is a fork of bitcoin with a few fancy things added (Tokens, CT, covenants) and bundled together with a 1 minute block time, federated custody, and some blockstream branding.

Blockchains do not scale. As we are seeing today, the bitcoin blockchain does not have enough throughput for everyone's transactions. This is for good reason, keeping the cost of running a full node low is a priority, this was one of the main reasons the blocksize wars were fought.

So why does Liquid exist? People lately have been touting it as a way to ease fee pressure but in my opinion this is a fool's errand, no different than people back in 2017 saying to use litecoin because fees on bitcoin were too high. Liquid is just a fork of bitcoin, it has the exact same scaling problems and the only reason it has smaller fees is because it is never really been used. For now, it can work as a temporary stop-gap (essentially finding arbitrage for fees), but building actual infrastructure on top of liquid will run into the exact same problems as on-chain bitcoin.

The problem is that Liquid is trying to use trust as a scaling solution but did it in a completely inefficient way. When you are trusting the 11-of-15 multisig, you don't need all the benefits that a blockchain gives you, everything is dictated by the functionaries anyways. The problem is if liquid gets any meaningful amount of users it will also end up with huge fees and we'll be back to square one because Liquid's architecture didn't actually leverage any of the trust tradeoffs it took and just inherited all the same problems of on-chain bitcoin.

There are real solutions available. Lightning is the obvious alternative but it does have it's own problems, I think a lot of people have been seeing the problems with small scale self-custodial lightning, it is extremely hard to scale. This is why I am extremely excited about fedimint. Fedimint has almost the exact same trust model of Liquid (a federated multisig) but is built on a much better architecture that actually allows for scaling. Fedimints don't have a blockchain but instead operate as a chaumian ecash mint. This allows for them to do actually innovative things instead of just being bitcoin plus a couple features. There isn't a block size, instead the transaction throughput is just gated by the processing power of the guardians. Smart contracts are limited by having to do everything on-chain with bitcoin script, they are pure rust code and allows for all sorts of crazy things. And it all still interoperates with Lightning, essentially giving a Wallet of Satoshi with way less rug-pull risk, tons of new features, and is extremely private.

All this said, it is sad we aren't talking about self-custodial scaling solutions. Today the only real one is Lightning and with current fees, it isn't reasonable unless you have a few million sats. The problem is that this is just inherently a limitation with Lightning. Lightning is excellent when you have high value channels and can make payments across the network, but it does excel at "pleb nodes" where one guy puts 100k sats to try it out, this comes with too many limitations with paying on-chain fees and needing to have reserves to pay future on-chain fees. However, this is potentially solvable. Lightning has solved the problem of scaling payments, where if you have channels, one on-chain transaction can represent many actual payments. What lightning did not solve is that one utxo still represents one user, and this is the limitation we are running into today. Currently the only way we solve this is using a multisig sig (Liquid and Fedimint), but we can solve this in a self-custodial way if we activated covenants. Covenants essentially let us give fine grained control of what is going to be spent from a UTXO before the UTXO even exists. Currently, there are a few proposals (CTV, APO, TXHASH) all with varying ways to do it and different tradeoffs, but imo something like this is desperately needed if we want any chance to scale bitcoin in a self-custodial way.

@ 9ecbb0e7:06ab7c09

Cuba has the highest fiscal deficit in the world not counting Ukraine, according to a comparison with the latest report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The regime itself said this week before the National Assembly of People's Power that the island has an estimated deficit of 18.5% of its GDP for 2024, far above the rest of the countries and only behind Ukraine, which has a 30.3%.

Cuban economist Pedro Monreal explains that this deficit is, by a wide margin, greater than all the current deficits in the world, with the exception of Ukraine, which could be concerning to creditors and investors.

"Cuba's deficit of 18.5% of the GDP more than doubles the international deficit of Algeria, the second largest after Ukraine. No other deficit reported by the IMF exceeded 8% of the GDP. Other conflict-afflicted countries (Russia, Niger, Sudan, Yemen) did not exceed 6.2%," he clarified.

The data was presented by the Minister of Finance, Vladimir Regueiro Ale, before the National Assembly on December 18th, where he stated that for 2024 the fiscal deficit would have a maximum limit equivalent to 18.5% of the Gross Domestic Product, the second-highest percentage since the fall in 1993 due to the special period.

1/2 The deficit equivalent to 18.5% of Cuba's GDP in 2024 is, by a wide margin, greater than all the current deficits in the world, with the exception of Ukraine. I suppose that in Cuba it is understood that this information is public and that creditors and investors will make conclusions pic.twitter.com/ykewhW9Zgs

— Pedro Monreal (@pmmonreal) December 21, 2023

Several deputies intervened to point out that such a high deficit would translate into more inflation and an even greater deterioration of the population's standard of living. In this respect, they called to review other potential sources of income and cost savings.

Monreal says that in this context it is worrying "whether the risk of debt and investment increases or decreases in a country that with two-digit inflation adopts a fiscal policy with the second largest deficit and with the usual practice of covering it with monetary liquidity."

"Is it a rational economic decision?", he questions.

"That deficit indicates an out-of-control macroeconomic policy," emphasizes Monreal, who believes this situation could potentially cause disturbances of various kinds.

"The markets in CUP and foreign currencies do not function as 'isolated quarters,' even though the official economic superstition assumes this idea," he explained.

Monreal also analyzes the regime's budget proposal for 2024, and says that it potentially reduces to nothing all that has been said so far about macroeconomic stabilization in Cuba.

He points out that with a deficit estimated at 18.5% of the GDP, there would be no macrostabilization; yet official media have tried to omit this "galactic deficit"; because "it indicates that reducing inflation is not a ministerial priority."

Another economist, Josué Portal, considered that this situation might not deter investors, but it could enable the regime to resort to national resources to alleviate its debt. He explains that with these national resources debt has been "paid without going through money."

2/3 Cubadebate published today a note with lots of data about the budget 2024, but it does not mention the most important figure that was reported on December 18th in the work of commissions about an estimated deficit equivalent to 18.5% of the GDP pic.twitter.com/vc9DfXEj37

— Pedro Monreal (@pmmonreal) December 21, 2023

In the midst of this dark forecast, the Cuban regime announced a new package of measures with price increases and taxes on basic services such as water, gas, transportation, and energy, among others.

Speaking at the Second Ordinary Period of Sessions of the National Assembly of People's Power, in its X Legislature, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz said that it is unsustainable for the country to continue subsidizing these services.

The rationing card was also eliminated, which represented the only source of access to foods with prices controlled by the vast majority of the island's population.

@ 97c70a44:ad98e322

As everyone knows by now, I am working on adding private groups to Coracle using the new NIP-44 encryption standard currently being audited. I wanted to share why I think this is a viable approach, and how combining relays and encryption can help make it happen.

This discussion gets complicated very quickly, so to begin, I thought I'd cover the two components that everyone thinks they understand first (relays and encryption), and move on to the one that combines the existing primitives in new and exciting ways (groups).

What even are relays, anyway?

If you saw my talk at Nostrasia, this section is just a re-iteration of it. In fact, I wrote this blog post before the conference to help me with my presentation. So hello, from the past.

Relays are dumb. They're just servers, which speak a particular protocol, and which implement some minimal logic to support that protocol. Relays have to be interoperable, which is why it's important to design new parts of the nostr protocol in such a way as to be backwards-compatible, and simple to implement.

As a result, relay development has historically focused on performance to the exclusion of new functionality. You can see this with the success of strfry and Will's adaptation of the underlying technique to nostrdb.

One of my favorite programming talks is Simple Made Easy by Rich Hickey, the author of Clojure. One of the points he makes in that talk is that object-oriented programming is such a mess because it "complects" behavior and state. Hickey's solution to this problem is to use functions and values rather than methods and state.

I think that this same mistake is one we are at risk of making with nostr relays. I'll come back to this in a bit, but keep that distinction in the back of your mind: separating data and behavior can lead to a much simpler and more robust system.

Despite the emphasis on interoperability, relays shouldn't all be exact clones. There are a few different ways relays can differentiate themselves, either by providing specific functionality, by storing different sets of events, or by exposing a different interface.

Added functionality

Some implementations have pushed features forward, for example rbr.bio which implemented the COUNT verb from NIP 45 early on. However, these efforts are usually either supported by special clients (like nostr.band or primal's caching service), or fail to gain wide adoption and are eventually abandoned. The result is that NIPs specifying optional functionality tend to die without sufficient user demand.

The reason for this is that if you're building a client that selects relays based on user preferences, it can't rely on functionality that doesn't exist on the majority of relays. Without widespread support, search results or feeds requested based on Primal's special syntax will be incomplete or fail entirely. As a result, clients often build proprietary solutions to these problems, increasing centralization risk.

Subtracted functionality

Relays are able to helpfully differentiate themselves however, by offering a subset of protocol functionality. For example, purplepag.es is a reliable source for profile data and relay preferences, but it doesn't require clients to do anything different in order to be useful. Instead, users can simply add purplepag.es to their relay list and instantly get a better experience. A similar approach many commodity relays take is blocking certain event kinds, for example 1059 gift wraps or NIP 94 image headers. This fortifies their particular purpose, which is to not support more exotic protocol features.

Other kinds of relays don't support this guarantee, for example relay.noswhere.com only supports search if the search term is not accompanied by a filter, responding to standard requests with "filters: not planned (non-search queries)". This can still be useful, but it is not a relay, because it requires clients to special case how it's used.

Data relevance

There is a different kind of differentiation relays can implement, based not on functionality, but on content. This is what I mean when I talk about "relay de-commodification". The value proposition this type of relay offers is not "we can do something no one else does", but "we have the information you're looking for".

There are two ways to accomplish this: content curation and access controls. The difference being that content curation is context-independent, and might be based on topic, keyword, or LLM analysis, while access controls only accepts content published by certain accounts. Several relay implementations and hosting providers (for example relay.tools) support both of these approaches, and of course it's easy to combine them.

Likewise, there are two ways for a relay to gain access to the desired data, leading to two different value propositions.

A relay that focuses on topical data might scrape the wider nostr network in order to ensure it is able to reliably serve everything relevant to its niche. This might be done using any number of heuristics, including filtering by pubkey, topic, or sentiment, but in any case the relay is not intended primarily to be written to, but to be read from. This is primarily an additive model, focusing on offering a complete view of the given topic.

Another approach is to let the data come to you instead of scraping it from the wider network by only accepting events published by certain people, or being the go-to relay for a certain topic. In order for this model to work though, there needs to be some way for the relay to keep this data to itself by preventing scraper-powered relays from harvesting its data. This effectively means that these relays will not only have policies for who can write to them, but also who can read from them. These might be the same set of people (for example with a community relay), or more people might be allowed to read from the relay than are able to write to it, as in the case of content producers who want a paywalled private social media enclave.

Keep relays weird

Most relay implementations expose their data over websockets in line with the spec, but this isn't actually inherent to the function of a relay. We've already seen several projects implement relays in-app for caching purposes. These relays don't usually go through the ceremony of spec adherence, but some (e.g. nostrdb) do.

Different transport mechanisms and hosting options are possible for relays, and would only require clients to use a specific adapter to get at them. Some examples:

• A relay running on your phone as a service that other nostr clients can share to reduce data storage requirements
• A relay running on a LAN, only accessible from a particular location
• A relay running via any other transport, for example radio or carrier pigeon

The idea I'm trying to get across here is that relays aren't necessarily websocket servers. More abstractly, they are a name attached to a set of events that can be accessed in a standard way.

So, what are relays?

To recap, here's my definition of a relay:

1. They correctly support standard functionality
2. They should only support additional functionality related to curating their data set
3. They may restrict the data types they accept and serve
4. They may restrict the data they accept and serve based on content or pubkey

One additional feature that isn't currently standard but ought to be is strfry's negentropy synchronization feature. This is the opposite of AUTH, which protects a relay's own dataset, in that it allows relays to more efficiently share their data with peers. A nice bonus is that it also allows clients to use their local cache more effectively as well.

Simple Made Easy

Going back to Rich Hickey's talk, separating behavior and state allows you to work directly with your data, freely implementing new behavior whenever you need to. This applies to sets of events stored on relays just as much as it applies to in-memory data.

One thing that makes this possible is cryptographic hash functions, which cleanly transform state into values - the difference being that "state" couples a name with data that may change, while a hash is a compact representation of immutable data. If two hashes of event ids don't match, they're not the same set of events.

How does this apply to relays? Instead of adding new behavior to relays directly ("methods"), we can instead call "functions" on a relay's data.

This function can be anything - a centralized server, client code, or a DVM - that takes REQ filters as input. The function gathers the needed data (maybe from a cache, maybe using a sync command, maybe from multiple relays for completeness), performs the transformation, and returns it. The result is that relays become simple, interoperable repositories for data, without limiting what server-side computation can be applied to events.

While huge search indexes and centralized servers have a cost in terms of centralization, I think DVMs solve this problem brilliantly - the common interface for this augmented behavior is open, and can admit anyone who wants to start competing for search, counting, recommendations, or anything else you might want to do with events.

As Alan Perlis said, "It is better to have 100 functions operate on one data structure than to have 10 functions operate on 10 data structures."

Encrypted Messages

Nostr DMs were a huge mistake, and I want to do it again.

NIP 04 has some obvious problems, most notably metadata leakage. The cryptography also hasn't been audited, and has some potential theoretical attack vectors. I've been working with some other nostr devs on a new cryptographic primitive, which will be audited and hopefully result in a better foundation for future work.

But fixing the cryptography still doesn't fix DMs. Nostr is not really the right architecture for secure private messaging, because ratchets require state. Nostr is designed such that there are no hard dependencies between events, which are replicated across multiple relays. This makes it very hard to manage the kind of state that protocols like SimpleX or Signal require.

Even apart from the difficulty of implementing stateful messaging protocols on nostr, we have two other problems to contend with: metadata leaks and spotty deliverability. Both of these problems come from the reliance of nostr on relays, which generally are not trustworthy or reliable.

Metadata Leakage

NIP 04 is really bad. Anyone can see who you corresponded with, when, how frequently, and how much you said just by looking at the event. Vitor's NIP 24 chat proposal aims to fix this with gift wraps, which use ephemeral keys to obscure the sender, padding to obscure message size, timestamp randomization to obscure timing, and double-wrapping to prevent leakage of the signed message.

This is a big improvement, but there are other forms of metadata that are still visible. To start, the recipient is still visible, along with how many messages they have received and their general size. So you can tell if someone sends lots of messages, or not a lot, but that's about it.

If we don't assume relays are trustworthy though, there are all kinds of implicit metadata that can be used to infer information about the sender, including:

• Client fingerprinting
• Relay selection for publishing and queries
• IP address collection
• First seen timestamp
• Identification of users by AUTH
• Correlation of the event with other messages sent/received during a session

These issues are much harder to solve, because they are part of the process of delivering the message, rather than just constructing it.

Transport and deliverability

The key feature of nostr that makes it work is relays. Relays provide storage redundancy and heterogeneity of purpose with a common interface shared by all instances. This is great for censorship resistance, but everything comes with a tradeoff.

Completeness and consistency are not guaranteed on nostr. This is ok in a social media context, because there's no way to keep up with everything everyone you follow says anyway, and you can rely on interactions and algorithmic tools to catch you up on anything important you missed.

But with private messages, every payload counts. Receiving messages out of order, with a delay, or not at all can severely disrupt conversations between two people, leading to misunderstandings and worse. This is a common experience on nostr; even fiatjaf has expressed skepticism about the viability of private messages on nostr.

This flakiness comes from a combination of low relay quality and poor relay selection on the part of clients. Relays can't deliver messages if they can't keep up with clients, go offline, or drop messages (accidentally or deliberately). Likewise, clients can't find messages if they look for them in the wrong place.

Relays fixes this

Let me just put things into perspective really quick. Twitter DMs are not e2e encrypted, and weren't encrypted at all until earlier this year. Mastodon messages are not encrypted - instance admins can read everything. Facebook has e2ee messages, but only between normal users, not in communities, groups, business chats, or marketplace chats.

So while nostr's architecture is not sufficient to make secure encrypted communication a value proposition of the protocol in itself, there is a lot we can do to improve on the status quo. Because nostr has no admins, the only option for privacy of any kind is end-to-end encryption. Metadata leakage notwithstanding, nostr messages can be "good enough" for some definition of that phrase.

It's important to not just punt on making DMs available in a standard way, because there is an expectation that a complete social media solution will have a way to establish a private communication channel with someone else in the network. Otherwise you're stuck with public correspondence and link sharing in order to hop to another protocol.

Let's just assume that you agree with me at this point, and that until there is a javascript SDK for SimpleX or MLS, we're stuck with nostr DMs of some kind. So how can we reduce metadata leakage and improve deliverability?

Fixing Flakiness

Let's start with deliverability first. NIP 65's inbox/outbox model is great. While it doesn't fix deliverability on its own, if every relay recommended was in fact reliable, and reliably followed by clients, there would be a very clear indication of where a particular user's messages could be found. Neither of these things is really true right now, but I do think clients are moving in this direction. Hopefully we can educate users better on how to pick good relays.

There are some limits to this model of course. For example, if you want to read notes from 1000 pubkeys at once, your client will likely end up connecting to hundreds of relays unless it has a cap, in which case it will miss a lot of notes.

One clean solution to this problem is relay proxies. There are a few implementations, but the one I run at mux.coracle.social is a stateless proxy that uses a wrapper protocol so clients can still select and dispatch to relays. I originally built this to improve mobile data use by deduplicating events on the server, and it does that pretty well, although it currently does it in the most naive way possible.

Multiplextr currently does not qualify as a "real" relay based on my four rules, since it uses a wrapper protocol. However, a smarter implementation would be able to route requests and events effectively by relying on client authentication and filter analysis, without changing the protocol. This would also allow clients to completely offload the complex business of relay selection to its proxy. Clients would also be able to combine multiple proxies just like they combine relays - because proxies are relays!

Proxying Privacy

Another downside of NIP 65 is that it encourages clients to connect indiscriminately to hundreds of different relays based on tag hints, other users' preferences, and relays baked into bech32 identifiers. This is not only bad for battery life and performance, but also allows attackers to easily trick your client into to connecting to their relay so they can start analyzing your traffic.

The best way to defend yourself against nosy relays is to not connect to them at all. And the easiest way to do that is to only connect to relays you control (or trust), and let them do the dirty work for you.

With a proxy, even if you don't control it, you can reduce the number of parties who can snoop on your traffic by orders of magnitude. And since other people use the proxy too, your traffic gets mixed with theirs, making it much harder to analyze. Of course, the downside of using a public proxy is that the proxy sees all messages you send and receive, and the relays you select for each request. Even worse, an untrusted multiplexer can hijack an authenticated session, exfiltrating private data from protected relays.

A proxy you control (or trust, either via social relationships or economic ones) is the best of both worlds. This proxy could also do some smart things for you to improve privacy as well, for example:

• Delayed publishing of gift wrapped messages so relays can't guess as easily when the event was first seen.
• Closing and re-opening connections to reduce the number of messages sent over an AUTH'd session.
• It could block suspicious messages on the fly, for example spam or notes with phishing links.
• If an abundance of options are available for relay selections, it could randomize which relays are used, or avoid using less reputable ones.

So I guess what I'm saying here, is "run a node". But not just any node - in the early days of nostr there were a lot of people spinning up relays because they thought it helped decentralization. Well, as it turns out, just like in bitcoin you have to use your node in order for it to be useful.

Beyond DMs

I'm not done yet, though. What's the point of all this? Why put all this effort into "good enough" DMs when we could spend the effort adopting SimpleX or MLS (said Semisol, who lives rent free in my head)?

Well, because there isn't a single "best" DM option. As I've dug into the topic, I've discovered that a ton of tradeoffs exist between complexity, privacy, and scale. The way I understand it, there are three basic options here:

• One-to-one encryption. This is how both SimpleX and Vitor's group message draft works. It allows for things like ratchets to be added on top, and is fairly simple - but fails to scale because every message has to be encrypted separately for every group member, resulting in n*m messages, where n is the number of group members, and m is the number of messages sent.
• Encryption via shared key. This is how WhatsApp works, and it scales really well because messages don't have to be duplicated. And while it does support forward secrecy, it does not support post-compromise security, so it is significantly less secure.
• MLS has a unique hierarchical approach to managing keys, which improves the complexity of one-to-one encryption so that it's logarithmic rather than exponential. However, MLS is highly stateful and still has scaling limitations.

My takeaway is that there is no perfect solution. Ratchets are the gold standard, but can't really be implemented using nostr relays, since they frequently require servers to have very specific characteristics, like the ability to deliver messages in order.

The fact remains though, that social media needs encrypted messaging of some kind, even if we encourage users to bail to a more complete solution if they want to be truly private. And encryption is useful beyond small group chats - think of Facebook groups, which scale to millions of people and whose users have a much lower expectation of privacy. This is what nostr is good at - social data, whether encrypted or in plaintext.

Belt and Suspenders

For a long time I have waffled between two visions of how private groups ought to work. Should they be encrypted messages sprinkled across the nostr network like confetti? Or should they live on one or two relays in plaintext, protected by AUTH?

Both of these options have issues. Sprinkling encrypted messages across the network almost guarantees deliverability problems, since already many commodity relays block gift wraps. And that's ok! They have no obligation to store your encrypted messages.

Storing group messages in plaintext is also sub-optimal, even if it's on a dedicated relay. Of course we're not going for military-grade secrecy here, but it would be trivially easy through a bug, or even a client that doesn't know how to deal with groups, to re-broadcast events that should stay private. We could do something wacky, like strip the signature from events hosted on a relay, but if we're going to do something non-standard, we might as well do the best we can.

So why not both? Group messages should be encrypted, and they should be stored on a particular set of relays. Again, assuming the relays used are trustworthy, this fixes both privacy and deliverability problems, because it's very clear where messages posted to the group should go.

Promoting relays to trusted status has some nice, unintended benefits too. One common objection to using encrypted content is that it becomes hard to filter. But if a relay is trusted to store a group's messages, it can also be trusted to be admitted as a member to the group. This would allow the relay to decrypt events and filter them to respond to requests by authenticated group members.

Of course, this would violate rule #1 for relays, since they would no longer be supporting standard functionality, but a guy can dream, can't he?

Conclusion

When I started working on nostr I had no idea it would end up being this complex to accomplish what I set out to do. Building a twitter clone was only a first step to an MVP, but I always had my eye on the prize of serving my local church community, which doesn't give a sat about social media per se.

Private groups are important to me not because I'm setting out to support political dissidents or journalists (although I hope they find nostr useful too), but because I want to get my friends off of Facebook, and the only way to do that is to create private marketplaces, calendars, communties, and more.

@ e8ed3798:67dd345a

I once imagined speaking a word

That carried on forever

It did not fade or echo

Silence overcame it never

It traveled across the universe

To every ear in reach

Looking for the listeners

To whom the word could teach

In a future space and Earth

My word rings true and clear

It's heard then everywhere at once

By all who care to hear

It travels on the dawn of quarks

The tips of angel wings

The subtle integration of

Machine and natural things

And others now, they speak as well

The din begins to deafen

Eternal words, the sum is heard

And only quiet in heaven

@ 70122128:c6cc18b9

I recently began reading The Journey of the Mind to God, by St. Bonaventure, and I intend to publish summaries and reflections of each chapter as I make my way through the treatise. This is primarily for my sake; Bonaventure writes in a dense, precise style, and my hope is that, by summarizing and restating his points, I will internalize and remember them better. If someone reads this and gains something from my notes, all the better.

The Beginning and the Need for Prayer

The first chapter has two main parts: In the first part, Bonaventure introduces his thesis and gives a brief outline of the journey to come. In the second, he takes us on the first step by considering how we can come to recognize God through the world. Here, I will deal briefly with his overture.

Before giving us the map of what is to come, however, Bonaventure admonishes his readers of the importance of prayer. Theology is not merely a work of the unaided mind, it must always be aided and guided by God. As Pope Francis said in a 2014 address to university students in Rome, theology must be done "with an open mind and on one's knees."

Triple Existence and the Six Stages

Bonaventure identifies three loci of being. Things exist, he says, in the physical world, in the mind of man, and in God. We must probe this threefold order of being and come to recognize God in each domain. To do so, we first look around us to see His traces in the material world. Then, turning inward, we probe our own mind, made in His image. Finally, we direct our minds upward to grasp higher spiritual things.

Each of these three main stages of our ascent is further divided into two parts. At each level of being, we come to know God through and in His creation. Looking through created things, we see God's handiwork and turn back to Him as the cause. Looking in created things, we see God dwelling in all that He has made.

Thus, the ladder of our ascent has six rungs. On each rung, we must exercise a different faculty of the soul and direct it towards God. When we investigate the material world, we use our senses and imagination. We direct our reason and understanding towards recognizing God within our minds. In the spiritual order, we use our intelligence and moral discernment to grasp higher things.

We must overcome the effects of sin on each of these faculties and train them in virtue. Here, again, is the necessity of prayer. On our own, we cannot rise above our concupiscence, but in Christ, our human nature is perfected. He has won for us the grace to come to know the Heavenly Father through Him.

In the end, when we have turned all the faculties of our soul towards coming to know God, we will be able to rest in contemplation of His divine being. This contemplation is a simple receptivity to the gift of His own being that God makes present to us always, in and through all things. Thus, as God labored for six days in creating all that is, and rested on the seventh; so we shall probe the depths of creation for six stages before coming to the sabbath rest with Him.

Reflections

This first part of Chapter 1 is full of delightful typological models that Bonaventure uses to organize his theology. In addition to reflecting the six days of creation, the six steps of the mind's journey to God follow the pattern of the Trinity and the Incarnation. Bonaventure's threefold organization of being is distinctly Trinitarian, and he explicitly states that the subdivision into pairs of through and in reflects the union of divine and human natures in Christ. Bonaventure truly is doing theology on his knees, receiving first revelation through Scripture, and letting it inform his entire system of thought.

Alongside the other scholastics, most notably Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure clearly draws heavily from the Platonic and Aristotelian traditions in his formulations. Notably, his statement that things have being in physical reality, in the mind, and in God suggests a strong notion of Forms. To Bonaventure, it would seem, our recognition of distinct things that we perceive through the senses is not some nominalist imposition, but the forms and distinctions we see in the world have some metaphysical reality.

Another consequence of this model of threefold existence is that it places human beings right at the crossroads of being. We are both things in the material world, all of which have their existence grounded in God; and we are also, like God, subjects in which things may have being. This seems to give the statement that we are created in God's image, momentous enough in itself, an even greater degree of significance. In a way, perhaps, we are participating with God in His continuous act of sustaining creation, for things come to rest in our minds in an echo of how they always rest in God.

Conclusion

I will deal with the second half of Chapter 1 in a future post. In it, Bonaventure begins his investigation of how God is found through his traces in the material world. In the meantime, let us all seek God in prayer.

@ 11be7dbc:82a5f8e9

In our quest to engineer a seismic shift towards genuine decentralization in blockchain systems for payment infrastructure, a fundamental reassessment of societal tenets is imperative. This transformation surpasses mere technological upgrades; it's a reimagining of our collective existence's core beliefs and values.

Our foundational pillars—altruism, financial autonomy, appreciation of individuality, and the essence of the sharing economy—signal a pressing need for a radical overhaul. Altruism urges a shift from self-serving motivations to a collective ethos, prioritizing actions that serve the greater good over personal gain. Financial autonomy advocates departing from reliance on centralized monetary structures, empowering individuals and communities economically.

Moreover, celebrating uniqueness applauds diversity, steering away from a one-size-fits-all approach and acknowledging the inherent value in each person's contributions. The essence of the sharing economy moves us from transactional interactions to mutual benefit and shared prosperity.

This reevaluation runs deep; it challenges societal norms and economic structures, urging a pivot from profit-centric approaches to holistic, sustainable, and inclusive frameworks. It heralds a new era where humanity, collaboration, and equitable exchange take precedence over conventional accumulation and exploitation paradigms.

Decentralization Manipulation: The Ugly Truth

The concept of decentralization, once a beacon of freedom and equality, is tainted by a harsh reality. What's championed as decentralized often fortifies power structures and elite positions. Individuals, gripped by fear of making independent decisions and passivity, relinquish responsibility, allowing a select few to dictate the narrative.

Initially advocated as liberation and egalitarianism, decentralization paradoxically cements existing power structures. This facade hides a pervasive centralization of influence within seemingly distributed systems.

Within these systems, individuals feel ensnared by fear and powerlessness, fostering a culture of passivity. As people succumb to trepidation and an inability to influence, decentralization becomes a mask for consolidating control among a select few.

The irony lies in decentralization's promise of liberation, which, instead of democratizing power, widens existing imbalances. It masquerades centralization under the guise of widespread distribution.

A Call for Evolution: Ripping the Veil off Infantile Dependency

Our paradigm shift dismantles ingrained subservience and confronts complacency in accepting spoon-fed narratives. It calls on individuals to transcend fear-induced inertia and shape their reality actively.

This transformation challenges society to question, analyze, and recalibrate its relationship with presented narratives. It invites embracing critical thinking and autonomy, awakening from reliance on predetermined doctrines.

Moreover, this shift embodies an audacious proposition for societal metamorphosis. It rejects passivity and dependency, fostering empowered individuals who craft their destinies. It ignites a society characterized by active participation and a quest for authentic truths.

The Dawn of a New Decentralization: Rewriting the Narrative

True decentralization demands participation and accountability, eradicating pedestals of power. It values each individual's contribution, shifting from accumulation to utilization, leveraging talents for communal upliftment.

This new wave redefines societal value, recognizing each person's unique talents for communal progress. It departs from conventional notions of wealth and power, advocating judicious resource utilization.

Moreover, it embraces diversity, cooperation, and communal upliftment, surpassing competition and resource hoarding. In this era, true wealth lies in collective utilization for holistic human progress.

A Scientific Manifesto for Change

This isn't mere rhetoric; it's a scientific, aggressive call to action. It confronts decentralization manipulation, exposes fears that shackle society, and heralds an era of responsibility and innovation.

This manifesto dismantles systemic manipulation within decentralization, dissecting power play and revealing existing hierarchical structures' perpetuation.

Furthermore, it sheds light on underlying fears gripping society, aiming to unravel insecurities that prevent embracing change and shouldering responsibility.

This scientific paradigm advocates for a new era characterized by responsibility and innovation. It instigates a collective ethos where every individual embraces accountability and cultivates innovative solutions.

Embracing a World Transformed

Transitioning from an incentive-driven model to a selfless, altruistic community demands a radical reorientation from reward-based systems. Removing the focus on short-term gains entails a shift towards collective consciousness, emphasizing planetary development and equality within the Cyberyen community.

This transformation fosters a culture where altruism becomes an inherent motivation for participation, aligning contributions with societal advancement. It encourages a conscious understanding among community members, acknowledging their role in fostering an equitable and sustainable world.

Shifting community narratives from transactional interactions to understanding interconnectedness and collective progress aligns efforts with global development.

In essence, this transformation positions individuals as active agents of positive change. It establishes a decentralized community fostering equality, collaboration, and altruism for future generations—a fundamental redefinition of human relationship with societal progress.

This revised version highlights the Cyberyen community's journey and aspirations while extending this message to the broader crypto world, advocating for a paradigm shift in decentralized systems.

Stay with us... C¥kuza

@ 1e52c554:21771908

Posthumous work of the Colombian poet born in Don Matias on January 20, 1948.

Welcome to this blog dedicated to the Posthumous work of the Colombian poet Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares (my father), born in Don Matias on January 20, 1948-2010. Where I will be publishing each of the 175 sonnets from his unpublished collection 'Sonnets For The Twenty-First Century And A Circadian Musical (1984-1987).' Analyzed with GPT4 artificial intelligence and illustrated with AI tools... I hope you enjoy this garden of words snatched from the solitude of a locked room.

Likewise, any enthusiast of the sonnet form is invited to conduct their personal studies of Arroyave Tabares' work, as it is a collection that, although registered since 1989, has not yet been published.

Frank Duna

---

Analysis "Just To Earn The Bread"

Introduction

Sonnet 24 by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares, titled "Just To Earn The Bread," explore themes of destruction, greed, and the potential consequences of human actions on the world.

Thematic Analysis

Octave: The octave presents a grim picture of the world, where people are driven by a “devastating goal” to bring about “megadeath”. The speaker criticizes those who, in their pursuit of earning a living (“just to earn the bread”), contribute to the destruction of the world and the deterrence of life on earth. The octave ends with a chilling line that suggests a preference for death over becoming “red”, possibly a reference to communism or a symbol of danger and destruction.

Sestet: The sestet continues the theme of fear and destruction. It suggests that both sides of a conflict are driven by fear and a sense of inferiority. The reference to Hitler implies a fear of repeating past atrocities. Despite having enough resources, they feel compelled to aid other countries that follow their lead. The final line suggests that this cycle of fear and destruction is a “stock market” that someone has created, possibly referring to the powers that be who profit from this state of affairs.

Overall, the sonnet presents a critique of a world driven by fear, destruction, and the pursuit of power, where humanity and life on earth are at stake. It calls for reflection on our actions and their consequences on our world.

Structure and Rhyme Scheme

The rhyme scheme is ABBA ABBA CDC DCD, is a variant of the Petrarchan sonnet form. Let’s analyze how it applies to the sonnet “Just To Earn The Bread” by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares:

Octave:

Line 1 (A): Devastating goal: To bring megadeath! Line 2 (B): So horribly common, doing their job Line 3 (B): To mold the future into ugly blob Line 4 (A): To destroy the world, just to earn the bread. Line 5 (A): To deter all the genes on our poor earth Line 6 (B): The unimaginable pends above Line 7 (B): “Believe armageddon”, daily they sob Line 8 (A): “Let us all die before we become red”.

Sestet:

Line 9 (C): And the other side is about the same Line 10 (D): Of inferiority they are afraid : Line 11 (C): “No more of Hitler, it would be a shame”. Line 12 (D): They all have enough but have to give aid Line 13 (C): To other countries that follow their fame Line 14 (D): “It is a stock market”, someone has made.

In summary, the rhyme scheme of "Just To Earn The Bread" contributes to the organization and structure of the Petrarchan sonnet. The use of traditional rhyme patterns helps guide the reader through the poem's progression of ideas, shifting from the portrayal of destructive actions to the examination of individual vulnerabilities and societal attitudes. The rhyme scheme enhances the flow and rhythm of the poem while facilitating the exploration of the themes presented.

Analysis of Aspects

Let’s delve deeper into the analysis of “Just To Earn The Bread” by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares.

Language and Imagery: The sonnet uses strong, evocative language to convey its themes. Words like “devastating”, “megadeath”, “ugly blob”, and “armageddon” create a vivid, unsettling image of a world on the brink of destruction. The language is direct and unflinching, forcing the reader to confront the harsh realities the poem presents.

Themes: The primary theme of the sonnet is the destructive nature of power and the pursuit of it at the expense of humanity and the earth. It critiques the state of the world where fear, destruction, and the pursuit of power are prevalent. It also touches on themes of inequality and the exploitation of resources.

Meter: The sonnet appears to be written in iambic pentameter, which is a common meter in English poetry and traditional for sonnets. This means each line typically has ten syllables, alternating between unstressed and stressed syllables.

Overall, the sonnet is a powerful critique of the state of the world, using strong language and vivid imagery to convey its themes. The use of a traditional sonnet form, with its structured rhyme and meter, contrasts with the chaos and destruction described in the poem, creating a striking impact. The sonnet calls for reflection on our actions and their consequences on our world. It’s a sobering reminder of the power of poetry to comment on social and political issues.

(GPT4)

---

Syllable count for each line.

```

Just To Earn The Bread

10 Devastating goal: To bring megadeath! 10 So horribly common, doing their job 10 To mold the future into ugly blob 10 To destroy the world, just to earn the bread.

10 To deter all the genes on our poor earth 10 The unimaginable pends above 10 "Believe armageddon", daily they sob 10 "Let us all die before we become red".

10 And the other side is about the same 10 Of inferiority they are afraid : 10 "No more of Hitler, it would be a shame". 10 They all have enough but have to give aid 10 To other countries that follow their fame 10 "It is a stock market", someone has made. ***

```

---

Sonnets For The Twenty First Century And A Circadian Musical Written By Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares (1984-1987)

---

Analyzed by GPT4; Image by leonardo.ai; First published on Nostr Protocol by franciscoarroyavet@nostrplebs.com Just To Earn The Bread

@ 21b41910:91f41a5e

Work must build upon a free open source software (FOSS) project based on JAM Systems as a fork or contribution to this repository: https://github.com/diamsa/jam

To satisfy this bounty, there are three types of enhancements wanted.

It may be appropriate to break these into smaller/separate bounties. Please reach out to me to coordinate.

Terms

• is the human readable name or topic of a room
• refers to the short room name identifier in an audio space that acts as the programmatic reference
• is the server domain name (e.g. cornychat.com)
• is a server identifier (e.g. cornychat)

User Status Notifications

• Users should be given an action (button, link, etc) to allow them to quickly set their nostr status
• The status should following NIP-38 Users Statuses
• This is a kind 30315 event which should be structured as follows

{ "kind": 30315, "content": "<Talking,Listening> in <roomid> at <serverid>", "tags": [ ["d", "general"], ["r", "https://<serverfqdn>/<path-to-room>"], ["expiration", number-that-is-1-hour-from-now] ], }

• The content of Talking or Listening should be set based on whether the user is on stage or in the audience at the time they choose to publish status
• The expiration value can default to 1 hour from now as time in seconds since epoch.
• This event should be signed by the user, and may be signed with a browser extension

Scheduled Events Publishing

• In the Room Settings, if a room is being scheduled for a later date and time, the server should pubish a Nostr Event
• The server should have its own configurable NSEC. The NSEC should be configurable in the ./deployment/.env file, carried through into docker-compose to the server logic
• Scheduled events should prepare Nostr Calendar event NIP-52 for an event
• The structure for the event should be a time-based event kind 31923. The d tag can be set as the <serverid>-<roomid>-<starttimestamp>.
• ➤ Tags for the event do not need to include all participants in p tags, but should include at least the moderator/owner that set the room settings as a scheduled event
• ➤ The value for location tag should be set as "online audio space"
• ➤ The reference link r tag should
• ➤ This event should be signed by the server key
• ➤ Each time-based event created for a room should be tracked by the server instance in the redis memory store
• Two nostr calendars for the room should be created as a calendar event kind 31924.
• ➤ Calendar with name " events" should include all events in the future, as well as those that started in the last hour
• ➤ Calendar with name " past events" should be created including all events where the start time is in the past by more than an hour

Live Activities Publishing

• When a room is open, a Live Event activity should be created per NIP-53
• A kind 30311 event should be prepared with the following structure

{ "kind": 30311, "tags": [ ["d", "<serverid>-<roomid>"], ["title", "<Room name>"], ["summary", "<description>"], ["image", "<logo uri from room settings ? server logo uri>"], ["t", "#<serverid>"] ["t", "#<roomid>"] ["audiospace", "<url to room>"], ["starts", "<unix timestamp in seconds>"], ["ends", "<unix timestamp in seconds>"], ["status", "<planned, live, ended>"], ["current_participants", "<number>"], ["total_participants", "<number>"], ["p", "91cf9..4e5ca", "wss://provider1.com/", "Host", "<proof>"], ["p", "14aeb..8dad4", "wss://provider2.com/nostr", "Speaker"], ["p", "612ae..e610f", "ws://provider3.com/ws", "Participant"], ["relays", "wss://one.com", "wss://two.com", ...] ], "content": "", ... }

• The d tag should be deterministic based on server identifier and room name. This will be referenced in any a tags for live chat referencing the room.
• The event should be signed by server nsec and published to relays
• When room settings are changed, the event should be updated and republished as 30000 series is replaceable events

2023-12-08 - updated to reflect this should build on or fork from https://github.com/diamsa/jam

2023-12-17 - expanded details to reflect this focuses on user status, calendars, and live activities with more guidance

@ 70122128:c6cc18b9

What is the way we ought to live? This question takes on particular importance to me as a Catholic. Christ prayed for his disciples, that we should be "not of the world, even as I am not of the world"[^1]. This call presents an apparently impossible challenge. Certainly, within the framework of our secular world, it is impossible, even incomprehensible. Yet, the call remains. To live it out, we must abandon the limitations of secular worldview we have all inherited and adopt a distinctly Catholic worldview. This project, I believe, begins with the imagination.

The Ideological Trap

The trap we must avoid when trying to adopt a Catholic worldview is that of confusing "worldview" with "ideology." At first glance, a "worldview" seems to be synonymous with "a system of beliefs." Under that definition, "worldview" and "ideology" appear to identify more or less the same concept. Conflating the two, however, is itself a symptom of the secular worldview. Thus, if we wish to adopt a Catholic worldview merely as a system of beliefs, we have already failed. The project has to go deeper.

To explain the difference, I will introduce a concept from the philosopher Charles Taylor. In his seminal work, A Secular Age[^2], Taylor introduces the concept of the "social imaginary" to describe the way we implicitly imagine the world. The social imaginary precedes and underlies thought. It imbues art and culture. It emerges in the most basic idioms of speech.

A prime example of the social imaginary is the analogy of the brain as computer. It is not uncommon to hear people mention their "mental bandwidth" and "memory banks," or to refer to having free time to think as having "spare cycles." Conversely, we often talk about computers as "thinking" while they take time to process. Such figures of speech betray an implicit assumption that the brain and a computer are, on some fundamental level, doing the same thing. Thus, the brain-computer analogy is part of our social imaginary.

Intellectually, the social imaginary is the ground we stand upon and the air we breath. It is the landscape within which our conscious mind operates, and as such, it defines the horizons of thought. A concept beyond this horizon becomes effectively unthinkable.

The term "worldview" in its more complete sense contains both the pre-thought realm of the social imaginary and the explicit systems of conscious thought. Charles Taylor perceptively suggests that the social imaginary of our modern world is distinctively secular, and that this secular imaginary sets the boundary conditions of belief, religious or otherwise. Within this secular frame, the immanent material world is the fundamental reality, the supernatural is nowhere to be found in our day-to-day experience, and God, if he is necessary at all, is little more than a Deistic watchmaker.

Any attempt to construct a Catholic worldview that does not shift these foundational assumptions will inevitably be trapped by the secular social imaginary. Within the secular framework, Catholicism becomes just one of many ideologies that offer a way of understanding and interpreting our immanent reality. As such, it may offer some explanatory or interpretive power, but it leave us unable to really grasp transcendent spiritual realities; the secular imaginary simply doesn't admit them.

Shifting the Ground

How, then, do we escape this mental trap? We must change the very ground upon which we stand, the very air that we breathe. Perhaps, standing upon different ground, we will be able to see new horizons. Perhaps, from a different vantage, the heavens will be closer, close enough for us to reach out and touch them—or for them to reach down and touch us. Looking to the past, it is apparent that we once stood upon such heights, before modernity and secularization; and maybe, by learning from the past, we can find such vantages anew.

Stepping into the great churches and cathedrals of antiquity, it is apparent that their builders saw the world in a wholly different way than the one we know. In the Romanesque churches of Italy, glittering mosaics reflect candlelight under majestic arches while shafts of sunlight from above illuminate the interior with heavenly rays. In the Gothic cathedrals of France and Germany, we find ourselves "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses"[^3] in colorful stained glass glowing with God's own radiance.

Implicit in this Medieval architecture is a distinctly theological social imaginary from the one we have today. Every stone, every pane of glass, every paintbrush-stroke, is arranged to point to a supernatural reality, indicating a belief that the material reality we can sense is suffused with a more fundamental spiritual reality. The mosaics and stained-glass windows haunt us with the presences of the saints who have come before. The very shape and dimensions of the buildings draws the eye to the altar, where the drama of the death and resurrection of God incarnate is liturgically reenacted. The church is the crossroads of Heaven and Earth.[^4]

Amid this sacred architecture and the liturgical activity that took place therein, it was atheism that was unthinkable. To the Medievals, God was in their midst, on the altars and in the tabernacles. In Charles Taylor's words, the world was "porous" to the transcendent; spiritual realities touched every dimension of human life.

Restoring Enchantment

Whatever the Medievals may have gotten right, we should not merely long for a return. Return is impossible. History has moved on; we cannot simply retrace our steps. I highlight the Medieval churches to show the importance of art, architecture, and imagination in shaping our social imaginary. I think that if we wish to truly live lives of faith, we must reorient our imaginative vision to recognize a world suffused with supernatural reality, a world in which God is present and active. In short, we must cultivate a Liturgical Imagination.

I will attempt to explore in detail what the Liturgical Imagination is in a future essay, but suffice for now to say that it must be specifically liturgical because the liturgy is the means by which we encounter God in our daily lived experience. Liturgy surrounds and enacts the Sacraments as visible signs of invisible reality.[^5] An imagination sensitive to the liturgy can perceive with a double sight both the ordinary, material reality that we sense and the transcendent, spiritual reality that moves therein.

How can we begin to form this liturgical vision? The answer, I believe, lies in Art. To once again invoke Charles Taylor, the path from the Medieval world to our secular age involved a shift of art from mimesis to poeisis.[^6] Mimesis imitates nature, while poeisis creates its own world. Medieval art is primarily mimetic; the depictions of the saints in stained glass are meant to imitate the unseen, yet very real presence of a "great cloud of witnesses" present at the Mass, where the great drama of salvation is daily re-presented. Over time, however, art has shifted in the direction of poeisis. The Epic, which seeks to tell a story that truly happened in some real sense (think of the Iliad), gives way to the Novel, which creates its own little world of setting, characters, and plot in which a wholly fictional drama can play out.

Thus, the way we receive art has changed. No longer do we turn to art seeking a deeper reality. Instead, in art we escape for a moment into a self-sufficient little tapestry of imagination that may or may not bear on the "real world." This is not all bad, however. The way forward is through. Within these little tapestries we can, I think, learn to see once more with a spiritual vision back in the "real world."

J. R. R. Tolkien, in his essay On Fairy-Stories,[^7] calls this act of poeisis "sub-creation," and the little tapestries "secondary worlds." Successful art, he says, Enchants us by creating a secondary world with "the internal consistency of reality" into which our minds can enter and roam freely. Within the secondary world, strange and fantastic things may be both possible and perfectly reasonable. When we return, we may at times find ourselves seeing the mundane in a new light. As Tolkien puts it:

We should look at green again, and be startled anew (but not blinded) by blue and yellow and red. We should meet the centaur and the dragon, and then perhaps suddenly behold, like the ancient shepherds, sheep, and dogs, and horses— and wolves.

Art can shake us out of our mundane, materialistic vision of the world and re-enchant the ordinary things of daily life. Indeed, in Liturgy, our primary world is enchanted by the action of grace, if only we can perceive it. This is the role of poeisis. I believe art, story, and song are the schools in which we may retrain the imagination to be receptive to transcendent realities, for they are uniquely situation to expand our imaginative horizons. Once we first guess that the horizon may be broader than we thought, that the heavens may reach down to touch the earth; when we can see the grass and trees and sky with new wonder, then we open ourselves to an encounter with the Divine that sustains them all.

Notes

[^1]: John 17:16, RSVCE. [^2]: James K. A. Smith's book How (Not) to be Secular is an excellent and concise summary of the key ideas contained in A Secular Age, and served as my primary source for understanding Taylor's thought. [^3]: Hebrews 12:1, RSVCE. [^4]: This account of the Medieval social imaginary borrows heavily from the points James K. A. Smith lays out in Chapter 1 of How (Not) to be Secular. [^5]: See the USCCB website for a brief explanation of the sacraments as efficacious signs of invisible grace: usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals, accessed 17 September, 2023. [^6]: James K. A. Smith discusses these ideas in Chapter 3 of How (Not) to be Secular. [^7]: The whole essay is worth a read. It can be accessed for free online in the Internet Archive.

@ 23202132:eab3af30

Pensar não é uma tarefa fácil, principalmente devido ao forte apelo emocional que nossa constituição física e mental proporciona. Somos seres de emoção antes de qualquer coisa. O filósofo David Hume defendeu certa vez que a razão é um tipo de fenômeno escravo do sentimento. Para Hume a razão poderia ser entendida como uma ferramenta usada para justificar nossas emoções. Nesse sentido, a arte de iludir pode ser dotada de uma técnica eficiente quando apela para nossos sentimentos e desejos.

Com o desenvolvimento das ciências e dos estudos cognitivos, as afirmações de Hume parecem em certa medida adequadas. Sabemos que o raciocínio é influenciado em grande parte pelo sentimento que produz em nós. Neste sentido o ato de pensar, quando contraria nossos sentimentos, pode ser angustiante, motivando muitas pessoas a evitar tal prática. Existe uma diferença entre pensar e se deixar levar. No cotidiano chamamos de influenciáveis aquelas que se deixam conduzir sem questionar o que é afirmado. Facilitando a prática da arte de enganar.

Não é por acaso que os sistemas de publicidade apelam para as emoções na hora de tentar vender um produto ou serviço. É conhecimento geral que a porta de acesso para influenciar uma pessoa é o sentimento.

Os meios de comunicação de massa também adotam uma linguagem dramatizada uma vez que esta é a mais eficiente na hora de influenciar e garantir resultados para os patrocinadores. Promovendo sua arte de iludir através de notícias dramáticas a imprensa consegue manipular em algum grau o sentimento das pessoas.

Isso não significa que os meios de comunicação precisam ser excluídos ou condenados, o que parece adequado é que as pessoas possam detectar as inconsistências das afirmações e do próprio pensamento, confrontando seus sentimentos. Evitando dessa forma se transformarem em vítimas da arte de enganar.

O filósofo Wittgenstein defendeu que a diferença entre pensar e se deixar levar estaria no uso inadequado da linguagem, onde em geral as pessoas usam a linguagem de maneira superficial, sem prestar atenção na lógica do discursos, ignorando assim, possíveis conseqüências do que é afirmado.

O que identifica se uma afirmação é pensada ou negligenciada é a coerência e a conexão concreta com o mundo, neste sentido, quanto mais conectada com o mundo é uma afirmação, menor é a exigência de acreditarmos e maior é a possibilidade de comprovação. Acreditar e comprovar são os agentes que validam o pensamento.

A principal diferença entre uma crença e uma comprovação consiste no fato da comprovação exigir uma seqüência de fatos contextualizados enquanto uma crença pode negligenciar as evidências.

Um termo muito usado para identificar erros do pensamento é chamado de falácia. Uma Falácia é uma afirmação pensada de maneira superficial, negligenciando as evidências, sendo fundamentada por crenças.

Muitas pessoas e instituições fazem um grande esforço para produzir erros de raciocínio aceitáveis, seja para vender um produto ou vencer uma discussão.

Fazer com que as pessoas sejam influenciadas por falsas verdades é uma arte cada vez mais estudada e praticada no cotidiano. Hoje é consenso que a responsabilidade de não acreditar em afirmações propositadamente equivocadas é individual. Alguns entendem que a responsabilidade não é de quem produz o engano e sim da pessoa que acredita.

Com tantas tentativas de influenciar as pessoas, torna-se importante ficar atento para identificar as falácias.

As áreas das ciências cognitivas afirmam que muito da capacidade de percepção é uma questão de prática, sendo aconselhável para quem deseja ficar mais atento treinar a identificação de inconsistência no que é dito. A melhor maneira de se proteger é sempre perguntando pelo conjunto de evidências e não aceitar apenas uma evidência como verdade.

Como as crenças estão intimamente associadas aos sentimentos e estes são porta de entrada para influenciar uma pessoa, geralmente os truques para criar uma ilusão na arte de enganar usam do desejo e vontade da vítima em acreditar, seguido de algumas das técnicas de persuasão.

Uma das maneiras de convencer alguém é através do seu sentimento por outra pessoa ou pela autoridade no qual tenha adquirido confiança. Neste sentido, ao receber a informação de alguém que você gosta ou que acredita, é possível que ocorra menor questionamento sem o exercício de identificação de possíveis inconsistências.

É por isso que propagandas usam de atores admirados pelo público ou de pesquisas ditas científicas. A ideia aqui é conseguir influenciar eliminando o senso crítico através do sentimento de uma pessoa por outra, ignorando desta forma a perguntar pelo conjunto de evidências.

Isso ocorre toda hora nas propagandas e nos resultados de pesquisas pseudocientíficas onde somente o que interessa é publicado.

Outra forma de influenciar é através da crença relativista, esta serve muitas vezes como justificação na tentativa de se escapar das conseqüências. Em geral ocorre através da ideia que uma crença é sempre verdadeira para a pessoa que acredita. Você já deve ter escutado alguém dizer: “Isso pode ser errado para você, mas para mim é correto.” Ou ainda “Eu acredito e ponto final”.

Não é aconselhável esquecer que uma crença geralmente é manifestação de um sentimento e em certa medida de um desejo. Neste sentido uma crença não precisa estar relacionada com fatos verdadeiros.

O segredo de influenciar consiste na habilidade de produzir crenças.

No entanto, é aconselhável ficar atento para o fato das crenças não estarem conectadas diretamente com os fatos no mundo e sim com os desejos e sentimentos.

Quando alguém acredita em algo, está provavelmente manifestando um sentimento que não é baseado em um conjunto contextualizado de evidências.

Tentar fazer você acreditar em algo, consiste em motivar sentimentos e criar uma ilusão onde a pessoa terá dificuldades em ficar atenta para as inconsistências e não conseguirá questionar adequadamente certas afirmações.

Para se proteger deste tipo de influência é aconselhável perguntar sobre suas emoções frente alguma afirmação. Observe se é necessário confiar/acreditar no que é afirmado ou existem e são demonstradas evidências concretas.

É importante observar a diferença sobre evidência concreta e falsa evidência.

A técnica do falso dilema é largamente usada para promover crenças com falsa evidência e confundir assim a percepção. É possível fazer uma coisa parecer outra, basta omitir certas informações. Nossos governantes sabem muito bem como fazer isso.

No trabalho é muito comum pessoas se sentirem perseguidas quando de fato o que ocorre é uma simples mudança de regras ou de objetivos. Na comunicação de massa, falsos dilemas vendem e geram muito lucro.

Recentemente uma rádio local apresentou uma pesquisa que apontava para o fato do comportamento humano ser determinado somente pela genética. A rádio perguntava aos ouvintes se eles concordavam com o fato do comportamento ser totalmente genético.

O falso dilema aqui, consiste no fato de não existir pesquisa que afirme tal coisa, uma pesquisa científica não possui meios de afirmar se uma pessoa vai agir de uma determinada forma frente uma situação qualquer.

Em geral, o que a ciência afirma não é sobre o comportamento humano e sim sobre o comportamento do corpo humano e suas tendências. Isso significa que geneticamente uma pessoa pode ser mais propensa a se irritar, no entanto o que ela vai fazer com essa irritação é impossível determinar. Por exemplo, é possível canalizar tal irritação para tornar-se uma pessoa mais determinada, sendo um profissional mais eficiente.

Existem muitas técnicas de manipulação do pensamento para influenciar as pessoas, basicamente a maioria delas atua no sentimento, na distração para impedir a detecção da ilusão e na ocultação e distorção dos fatos.

Para evitar certas ilusões procure:

1 – O conjunto de evidências. Poucas evidências permitem facilmente distorcer os fatos e montar um cenário que promova o falso como sendo verdadeiro. Busque sempre o conjunto das várias evidências. Não acredite, comprove.

2 – Atenção aos seus sentimentos. Para influenciar você a porta de entrada é seu sentimento, sempre avalie se você está pensando no campo da crença ou se existem diversas evidências. Se é uma crença, então fique atento. Não esqueça que acreditar é simplesmente confiar.

3 – Veja o quanto lhe estão distraindo. Para influenciar é importante criar distrações. Normalmente se insere falácias dentro de polêmicas e dramatizações. Isso ocorre devido ao fato da pessoa acabar prestando mais atenção ao que é polêmico ou dramático e desta forma não percebe algumas inconsistências do que é afirmado.

Não se deixe influenciar, busque pelo conjunto de evidências e observe atentamente o contexto das afirmações. Não seja manipulado pela arte de iludir.

@ 21b41910:91f41a5e

Work must build upon a free open source software (FOSS) project based on JAM Systems as a fork or contribution to this repository: https://github.com/diamsa/jam

Depends on: Nostr Live Audio Spaces: Nostr Notifications

Precursor: When a room is created, the server signing key should publish the Live Activity (kind 30311) per NIP-53 per the dependency. The identifier should be saved in the room metadata.

Users should be presented with an option to view/close the room chat

Chat messages should be created using kind 1311 per NIP-53 as live chat for the live activity. Use the NIP section here for the event to be published per chat message

https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/53.md#live-chat-message

Chat messages should be created and signed by participants and their keys.

A tag "role" can be added to indicate if the user is a "moderator", "speaker", or "audience" at the time of the chat message for context.

When the message is displayed to the users, render the user's name, role, time, and the message.

Further bounties will be established in the future for extending chat (for replies, reactions, translations, export, publish transript)

@ 23202132:eab3af30

Controlar máquinas com a mente tornou-se realidade e a evolução tem sido surpreendente. Em 2003 a previsão dos cientistas era de 2 anos para os primeiros implantes cerebrais que permitiriam o controle de próteses por pessoas com alguma deficiência. Esta convicção surgiu após testes com macacos onde os animais controlavam um braço robótico usando apenas seus pensamentos.

Confirmando o prognóstico dos cientistas, o austríaco Christian Kandlbauer que perdeu os dois braços em um acidente elétrico em setembro de 2005 foi capaz de viver uma vida normal em grande parte graças ao braço robótico controlado pela mente.

Infelizmente Christian Kandlbauer faleceu em um acidente de carro em 21 de outubro de 2010. A perícia não conseguiu determinar se o acidente ocorreu devido a uma possível falha na prótese controlada pela mente. O trajeto era percorrido diariamente por Christian que, usando seu braço robótico para dirigir o veículo a mais de três anos, transitava normalmente com seu veículo.

Christian Kandlbauer foi a primeira pessoa fora dos Estado Unidos que recebeu implantes para controlar um braço robótico. Em março de 2009 a empresa de tecnologia japonesa Honda anunciou uma nova evolução no controle de equipamentos através da mente. Ao invés de usar implantes a nova tecnologia permite o controle através de um capacete.

Para controlar o robô, a pessoa coloca o capacete e só tem que pensar em fazer o movimento. Seus inventores esperam que um dia a tecnologia de controle da mente permita que as pessoas possam controlar os equipamentos sem precisar ocupar as mãos ou depender de implantes cirúrgicos.

O capacete é a primeira “máquina de interface cérebro-máquina” que combina duas técnicas diferentes para captar a atividade no cérebro. Os sensores do capacete detectam sinais elétricos através do couro cabeludo, da mesma forma como um EEG (eletroencefalograma). Os cientistas combinaram isso com uma outra técnica chamada espectroscopia por infravermelho, que é usada para monitorar mudanças no fluxo sanguíneo no cérebro.

A atividade cerebral detectada pelo capacete é enviada para um computador, que usa o software para trabalhar o movimento que a pessoa está pensando. Em seguida, envia um sinal para o robô para executar o movimento pensado. Normalmente, isso leva alguns segundos para que o pensamento se transforme em uma ação robótica.

A interface de controle robótico com a mente através do capacete ainda é experimental, um dos problemas que precisa ser superado é referente as distrações do pensamento na hora de enviar um comando. No caso dos implantes a precisão é bem maior. A tecnologia está avançando, em alguns anos o capacete de controle mental para equipamentos robóticos e games deverá ser uma realidade eficiente e popular.

Quando se fala de controle de máquinas e aparelhos usando a mente, as empresas de tecnologia estão apostando alto para o futuro, com grandes investimentos e grupos de pesquisa altamente qualificados.

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr !

Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter at the nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2

NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse.

A lot of foundational work happening in the nostr-verse and quite a bit of new projects shipped this week. Let’s dive in!

Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA NIPs)

1) NIP 75: Zap Goals ⚡

Zapping has been such an integral part of what makes Nostr what it is. Earning for your content or contributions. Zaps for memes. Zaps as a way to boost the signal. It’s a growing concept as well.

NIP 75 was merged this week, with the goal of introducing the ability to set a “Zap Goal” which is similar to a fundraising goal. Users can zap the “goal” event directly and help the progress bar go up. Whatever the cause.

Interesting to see if this will stay simple and decentralized or if this will be the foundation of a GoFundMe type platform via Nostr using exclusively Bitcoin.

Author: nostr:npub107jk7htfv243u0x5ynn43scq9wrxtaasmrwwa8lfu2ydwag6cx2quqncxg

2) (Proposed) NIP 79: Digital contracts on Nostr ✍️

Think Docusign, but on Nostr. This NIP would introduce support for various kinds of digital agreement (contracts, covenants, agreements) which serve various purposes.

These agreements would all be unencrypted markdown, so the purpose is likely more for non-secret agreements so that they can be cited by all parties in public.

Author(s): https://github.com/xemuj nostr:npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z

3) (Proposed) NIP 34: Improved media attachments to notes 📎

Attaching media to notes in a way that is handled well on a majority of major clients is still more of an art than a science and nostr:npub108pv4cg5ag52nq082kd5leu9ffrn2gdg6g4xdwatn73y36uzplmq9uyev6 is determined to introduce a better pattern 💪.

This NIP introduces the pattern of using an explicit set of “media” tags on any note so that media that should accompany the note can be explicitly linked without clients needing to parse the content of the note to make the url of the media in the note a hyperlink.

Author: nostr:npub108pv4cg5ag52nq082kd5leu9ffrn2gdg6g4xdwatn73y36uzplmq9uyev6

4) (Proposed) Improvements to reddit-style moderated communities 💬

This proposed improvement to NIP 72 introduces the concept of a post (within a moderated community) that is exclusively posted to a specific community. Think about posting something that can make the front page of reddit versus a post that is intended solely for a subreddit. Seems like a welcome addition to NIP 72 👍

Author: https://github.com/vivganes

Notable projects

A nostr Wiki

The start of a truly open wiki.

Wikis are used for a lot of things: corporate intranets and documentation, fandoms managing information about their universe, and Wikipedia which may be one of the greatest repositories of knowledge on Earth. The main downside to Wikipedia is that it may be crowdsourced but it is centralized, seeking one version of each article (and therefore determining what is true).

This wiki (in the spirit of Nostr) allows people to create any number of articles on the same subject to offer different perspectives. At scale this could become something where people read various perspectives and determine the truth for themselves.

Author: nostr:npub1q7klm2w94hyq3qdm9ffzpahrrq0qcppmjrapzhz0rq6xgq3fdrnqr6atmj

Oxchat

Oxchat is a secure, private group chat experience for iOS and Android with a great UX 🙌.

Nostr needs its own standalone chat app that can stand up to the capabilities and ease of use of Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc. And Oxchat may be that app! Looking forward to using it more.

Author: nostr:npub10td4yrp6cl9kmjp9x5yd7r8pm96a5j07lk5mtj2kw39qf8frpt8qm9x2wl

Nostrnet.work

A web-based dashboard for Nostr, it’s a webpage that is a configurable hub for all the Nostr apps you want to have available quickly. You can log in with your Nostr account, and configure it to your liking.There’s a section for managing your profile (including your relays), as well as for taking notes, all of that on top of the list of Nostr apps for quick access.

Nostrnet.work seems to be evolving into almost a web-based browser of the nostr-verse. You can manage the apps that are on the dashboard Nostrnet.work via the basic/open app store from nostr.band. There’s endless possibilities for users to discover what Nostr has to offer and use those offerings from one unified interface.

A recent addition to the Nostrnet.Work interface is an area for “Nostr AI'' which is meant to allow users to utilize Data Vending Machines (explored in the Latest Conversations section). Data Vending Machines (or DVMs) are something that I think is unique to Nostr, and it's a product/ecosystem that may be the killer unique offering people come to Nostr to try out.

Author: nostr:npub1cmmswlckn82se7f2jeftl6ll4szlc6zzh8hrjyyfm9vm3t2afr7svqlr6f

w3.do url shortener

URL shorteners are a stable web util. In fact,

We started using w3.do because the tool we use to draft/publish this newsletter as a long form note will send Nostr links and embed the note instead of just linking to the note. So a url shortener is enough to trick the tool so we get fewer embeds and more links! Thanks nostr:npub1alpha9l6f7kk08jxfdaxrpqqnd7vwcz6e6cvtattgexjhxr2vrcqk86dsn !

Latest conversations

Data Vending Machines (DVMs)

“Data Vending Machines are data-processing tools. You give them some data, a few sats, and they give you back some data.” source: vendata. A practical example is a recent DVM published by Pablo: FOMOstr. You put up some sats, you’ll get back content on Nostr that you may have missed.

The concept seems to be that people need help from machines. And right now, the most common way for people to get that help is to pay a company for that help (email provider, calendar management, group chats, entertainment, etc).

These are great for more complex digital products, but what if you just have a question? Maybe you just want to generate an image. Or maybe just extract text, and then maybe translate it. These are most efficient as pay-as-you-need-it products. That’s where DVMs shine (on the long tail of needs).

You can put up a certain amount of money and people who have created algorithms or AIs that can accomplish these tasks will compete to do the job for the lowest price (and therefore win the money). This is the foundation of an economy of people who need jobs done and people who want to make income by creating the best DVMs for the jobs people need done.

DVMs that help you discover people and content on Nostr will be a god-send for improving the experience for people using Nostr while maintaining decentralization. This will certainly evolve over time, but it seems this could become an integral part of the Nostr ecosystem as well as become a unique service that can only be found on Nostr (attracting a new set of users).

Events

Here are some upcoming events that we are looking forward to! We keep a comprehensive list and details of Nostr-related events that we hear about (in person or virtual) that you can bookmark here NostrConf Report

1. Nostrasia Nov 1-3 in Tokyo & Hong Kong
2. Nostrville Nov 9-10 in Nashville, TN, USA
3. NostrCon Jan 12, 2024 (online only)

Until next time 🫡

If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something I didn’t post about, let me know, DMs welcome.

nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 or nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk

Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ 3f770d65:7a745b24

A year ago today, a single tweet from Jack Dorsey set in motion a cascade of events that would redefine my life. His call to explore Nostr resonated with me, a testament to the respect he held. Little did I know that this nudge would unlock a year of unparalleled growth, both in the virtual world and beyond.

https://i.nostr.build/VAo0.png

Jack Dorsey's endorsement of Nostr resonated deeply with me amidst rising concerns about Twitter's focus under Elon Musk. Over the preceding months, the platform's impending shift in direction had prompted me to explore alternative social media options. I initially joined the BitcoinHackers.org Mastodon server, seeking a new community. However, the server's primarily cross-posting nature resulted in limited engagement, leaving me feeling disconnected and yearning for a more meaningful social experience.

Jack’s Tweet could not have come at a more pivotal moment.

Coincidentally, a year later, I often describe Nostr’s usefulness stating that people will understand decentralization and censorship resistant communication when they need to most. I guess this applied to me back then. I needed Nostr and these features more than ever a year ago.

nostr:note1zmnr70l834rjw490q85e85k3the5r5kpvya7j638akkseg7aadhsvnxe66

Immediately upon joining Nostr and fueled by the spirit of Nostr's decentralized ethos, I identified a pivotal need in the community and promptly launched NostrPlebs.com in response to Elon Musk's controversial $8 verification rollout on Twitter. This service empowered users to claim their online identities, offering a self-directed alternative to the centralized verification system. Initially a humble service for close friends, NostrPlebs.com swiftly garnered significant interest, becoming a pioneering Nostr services provider.

Recognizing the growing demand for alternative social audio experiences, I also founded NostrNests.com. This initiative, started during the migration from Twitter and Twitter Spaces, aimed to provide an alternative platform for fostering connections, building communities, and engaging with various content through audio-based interactions. If we were going to leave Twitter behind, we needed a social audio replacement. I recruited developers and designers to help make this a reality and launched Nostr Plebs Spaces in January 2023 with a rebrand to NostrNests.com in February 2023.

Driven by Nostr's intoxicating enthusiasm and the hope to build a better world, I dedicated myself to on-boarding new Nostriches, aiming to expand the protocol's reach and foster this new thriving community. My DMs were on fire as I helped countless new Nostriches on both Twitter and Nostr. I had found my calling.

My commitment to advocating for Nostr's potential led me to deliver numerous talks at Bitcoin and Nostr conferences over the past twelve months. I explored the crucial role of decentralized and censorship resistant social communication, emphasizing its alignment with the core values of the Bitcoin ecosystem when applicable. My presentations addressed diverse themes, including value for value, decentralized principles, and general protocol introductions if the audiences were unfamiliar with Nostr.

My speaking career with Nostr began in an unconventional setting: Nostrica, the "unconference" in the Uvita, Costa Rica. It was there that I had the privilege of meeting Jack Dorsey in person and giving him a warm "Nostrich hug" and, surprisingly, I had the honor of sharing a stage with Jack and with other incredibly talented developers. This unexpected turn set the stage for a whirlwind of speaking engagements, each one solidifying my passion for decentralization and open communication.

https://i.nostr.build/DwRJ.jpg

Following Nostrica, I took the stage at the Bitcoin Builders Conference in Miami, immersing myself in a panel discussion on Nostr’s importance. My message of Nostr's potential resonated further at the Canadian Bitcoin Conference in Toronto, where I engaged with freedom loving Canadians who looked forward to embracing the power of decentralized communication.

https://i.nostr.build/R6WA.jpg

Venturing beyond North America, I had the opportunity to speak at the Baltic Honeybadger Conference in Riga, Latvia. This conference, held in the historic city of Riga, provided a platform to connect with European Bitcoiners for the first time and discuss the importance of censorship-resistant communication in the face of growing online restrictions and how Nostr aligned with the Bitcoin ethos, how both protocols go hand-in-hand, stating that “the purple pill helps the orange pill go down”.

https://i.nostr.build/X0A0.jpg

Most recently, my speaking engagements returned to the US to share my Nostr insights at the Nostrville conference in Nashville - the very first US Nostr conference.

If one aspect of my travels stands out more than others, it’s that the conference buzz wasn't just confined to the stage; the real magic happened beyond the spotlights. Sharing laughter and stories with friends and forging new connections and building relationships over shared meals, parties, and impromptu gatherings were the hidden gems that truly enriched these life-changing experiences.

The past year has been marked by significant growth and development, fueled by the invaluable love and support from the Nostr community. Numerous individuals, encountered online and at conferences, have become trusted friends and colleagues. These connections, building these true relationships, have enriched my personal life and solidified my commitment to Nostr as a protocol for innovation and freedom. Nostr may have opened up new professional doors and fostered professional growth for me, but if I’m being honest, the people and the community are more important to me. It’s the meaningful relationships and friendships that I truly hold dear. I eagerly await future opportunities to connect and I cannot wait until the next time when we’re all together again.

@ 1c52ebc8:5698c92a

Hey folks, happy Saturday!

Here’s your weekly newsletter on the technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Things are moving fast, people are building many amazing projects.

Let’s dive in.

Recent Upgrades to Nostr (NIPs)

1) Moderated Communities 💬

This NIP outlines how to implement a Reddit-like experience, where moderators can create and manage communities. Then anyone can propose a post, but moderators get final say about what shows up in the community. Can’t wait to use it! Hopefully we can use Zaps instead of upvotes like Stacker News!

Authors: nostr:npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z and @arthurfranca

2) Proxy Tags (Approved!) 🌉

There’s been significant work done to bridge between other social media and Nostr (Twitter, ActivityPub, etc). One of the challenges is the amount of duplication that can happen. Now that this NIP is adopted, a proxy tag can be added to events so that a Nostr client can link an event that was originally in Twitter to the original Twitter url.

Author: nostr:npub108pv4cg5ag52nq082kd5leu9ffrn2gdg6g4xdwatn73y36uzplmq9uyev6

3) Rewrite of NIP 65 - Relay Lists by nostr:npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z

Many in the Nostr dev community desire to have many small relays instead of centralization around a smaller set of massive, highly capable relays. In order to do that, there’s a challenge with discovering relays to pull events for a users’ followers.

This NIP was approved weeks ago, but was rewritten recently to make it easier to implement, which should help add more momentum to decentralizing relays.

Notable projects

Vault - Nostr-based Password Manager 🔒

nostr:npub1alpha9l6f7kk08jxfdaxrpqqnd7vwcz6e6cvtattgexjhxr2vrcqk86dsn implemented a way to store and retrieve sensitive information (like passwords) via Nostr. It has a 1Password-like interface for ease of use.

It’s also encrypted twice, once via the normal Nostr secret key signing like any Nostr event, but again with the password to unlock the vault. That way, if someone compromises your Nostr account’s secret key in the future, they still need your vault password to decrypt your sensitive information.

Can’t wait to migrate!

Nostrscript

Looks like nostr:npub1xtscya34g58tk0z605fvr788k263gsu6cy9x0mhnm87echrgufzsevkk5s added a way to activate code in Damus via a link on a website. This pattern could help clients interoperate (one client activating actions in other clients a user is using). Endless possibilities!

Relay Backup

nostr:npub1cmmswlckn82se7f2jeftl6ll4szlc6zzh8hrjyyfm9vm3t2afr7svqlr6f Built a way to easily back up your events from a relay. This helps folks make sure all their events from public relays are copied to a private backup relay so none of their events are lost to time.

Stacker news

Not exactly new, but this project has been a delight to engage in discussion with other folks interested in Nostr, Bitcoin, and freedom tech in general. Using zaps as signal instead of upvotes is pretty novel to me, and all the zaps go to the posters as well as the platform to distribute rewards to the community. #valueforvalue

Latest conversations

Who controls NIPs?

Right now NIPs are hosted via a Github Repo. This is helpful in many ways because there’s one publicly-accessible way to read NIPs and get started contributing. By the nature of this being a code repository under source control, there are a small group of folks that are able to “approve” updates to NIPs.

The nature of projects like Nostr (or Bitcoin in the early 2010s for that matter) is that the early folks often need some control over the direction to make sure that the project has a chance to become self-sustaining without imploding into chaos.

The debate in the linked thread seems to be stemming from the timeless question for protocols, which is “how much should the protocol be able to do?” and that’s generally decided by early devs and those that control the generally accepted version of the spec for the protocol. That’s currently the NIPs repo, so who gets to “approve” NIPs in that repo?

Here’s hoping we can find a collaborative place to land that preserves the heart of nostr and maximizes its chance of success 💪

How to handle illegal content on Nostr

There was a Plebchain radio conversation with nostr:npub1yye4qu6qrgcsejghnl36wl5kvecsel0kxr0ass8ewtqc8gjykxkssdhmd0 who has been an advocate for folks that’ve been trafficked. She’s a rare advocate of preventing trafficking and CSAM through the internet without compromising encryption, or other online freedom.

There are unanswered questions about how the Nostr community is going to handle this content so we don’t see Nostr become a haven for activity most see as despicable. With the collection of smart people on Nostr, I’ll bet that a solution emerges to maximize freedom on the internet and drastically reduce the ability for illegal content to spread via the Nostr protocol.

Events

I’ll keep a running list of Nostr-related events that I hear about (in person or virtual).

• Nostrasia Nov 1-3 in Tokyo & Hong Kong

I haven’t heard of any new ones this week, but if you wanna see something advertised here just DM me!

Until next time 🫡

If I missed anything, or you’re building something I didn’t post about, let me know, DMs welcome.

God bless, you’re super cute

@ 9dd283b1:cf9b6beb

Has anyone experienced problems with the WoS recently? Sometime ago I've noticed that my channel to them was down, no I cannot send the payment to my node, even a small one, although I have direct channel and enough inbound liquidity. Any other lightning wallet recommendations? Custodial only, I have my own non-custodial solution but I prefer to use custodians for smaller amount and ease of use. Was trying LNspeed and primal recently, but something seems off, really like the WoS approach here until recently. Appreciate any advice!

@ a023a5e8:ff29191d

Yesterday I was sleeping with my wife and 2 kids in same bed and in middle of night i just woke up to see my wife and kids sleeping aside me in a moonlight like ambience and it was a vivid feeling. And I just got panicked with strange feeling and in a bit I woke up really to see them again. All was in just a moment. Did you ever had such experience?

@ d4338b7c:f1d23a5b

Chef's notes

Unlike a traditional negroni recipe, the boulevardier requires 2 part liquor, one part sweet vermouth, and one part campari. Traditional negroni recipes call for equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and campari.

2oz Whiskey 1oz Sweet vermouth 1oz Campari

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 5
• 🍳 Cook time: 5
• 🍽️ Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Whiskey or Rye
• Sweet vermouth
• Campari
• Orange peele

Directions

1. Pour ingredients into a glass or mixing glass
2. Add large ice cubes
3. Stir for 30-45 seconds
4. Pour into coupe if stirred in mixing glass
5. Orange peele expression and garnish
6. Cheers

@ d8a2c33f:76611e0c

There's an evil reason behind why platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity.ai, Inflection.ai, Claude, Google Bard, and Bing AI are offered for FREE. These services have harnessed the power of large language models pre-trained on a vast array of publicly available internet data. While this foundation is robust, achieving full effectiveness is contingent upon the model's ability to assimilate personal data from users. This approach mirrors Google's strategy: providing services without charge while leveraging user data in return. The underlying intent is to harness this data to refine AI responses, making them more persuasive and tailored to encourage purchases from advertisers. This model of offering free services in exchange for data aims to continuously improve its intelligence, facilitating a cycle where user data is monetized to benefit advertisers, thereby perpetuating a cycle of wealth accumulation.

Reflecting on Google's rise in 2000, many users were initially unaware of this business model and lacked alternatives. The landscape has since evolved considerably. Today, numerous open-source large language models are accessible, along with privacy-focused solutions that accept Bitcoin and lightning payments. Users now have the power to choose their interactions with AI technologies, weighing the convenience of free services against the desire for privacy and control over personal data.

This realization inspired the creation of PlebAI. Our aim is to offer a privacy-focused AI agent model on a pay-per-use basis. Similar to paying for what you order in a restaurant or coffee shop, our model follows the same principle. For further background, I have started a series of articles on this topic.

We are now introducing an unlimited option at a low monthly price, payable via lightning wallets in SATS. Subscribers can generate unlimited text, images, videos, GIFs, and more.

Our Monthly Subscription unlocks endless possibilities! Gain unlimited access to text, image, and video generation using any AI agent without additional costs.

PlebAI agents are not solely for entertainment. They assist in practical tasks, such as:

• Creating blog posts
• Summarizing documents
• Generating images, videos, and GIFs
• Removing backgrounds from images
• Enhancing emails before sending

For knowledge workers spending their day in front of a computer, PlebAI agents become an indispensable resource. Surpass your boss's expectations and stay ahead of competitors and colleagues.

Unlock endless possibilities with our Monthly Subscription! Get unlimited access to text,image and video generation using any AI agent at no additional cost.

Remember, AI won’t replace humans; humans who use AI will replace those who don't.

Visit https://chat.plebai.com and click the subscribe button. Pay in SATS and start creating unlimited text, images, and videos.

Feel free to contact me directly for any inquiries.

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

nostr:npub1gmm2ehusvs35zgh6pq84m8hkj4ea0ygy3c9j2e3slzhjjce3kmns5tdaz2 opened this issue about collaborative editing in the NIPs repo today, and since I was thinking about this same topic days ago I'll write my thoughts here.

These things can be achieved in multiple ways, but it seems to me that they will be more in the spirit of Nostr if we can come up with a scheme that is backwards-compatible with existing document formats (for example, kind 30023 Markdown articles) that allow these things to continue to be used as they are but also be enhanced with live-editing and other stuff.

The idea

A generic CRDT-based scheme for editing stuff collaboratively can be created using ephemeral (kind 2xxxx) events. Clients can choose to only listen to CRDT-edit events only from previously-authorized people.

This scheme would exist on top of static parameterized-replaceable (kind 3xxxx) event documents, that would be saved and published every now and then during the edit session and in the end of it. This could work on top of normal Markdown articles (kind 30023), for example, but also on top of Notion-like documents, spreadsheets or richtext documents if we get a standard kind for these, or any other standard format.

The flow

In the case of a Markdown document edit the flow would be something like:

1. Alice creates an event kind 30023 with d set to "hello-world" and starts writing.
2. In the process, she emits a bunch of crdt-edit (kind 21333) events to whoever is listening and wants to follow her writing process live.
3. Then Alice invites Bob to edit the document with her, she creates a collaboration (kind 31333) event informing others that Bob has some authority over her "hello-world" document too. Now people watching the document will also listen for crdt-edit events from Bob.
4. Alice is also listening for Bob's crdt-edit events and her client updates the document locally for her upon receiving those. Bob does the same with Alice's edits.
5. Every now and then, or when they stop editing, both publish their own event kind 30023 "hello-world", these two versions can still be viewed by anyone "statically" while they're sleeping, and by clients that don't support the live-editing madness. Users will default to reading Alice's version, but if they are able to read the related collaboration event they may decide to check Bob's version to see if there is any update there.

Now suppose Bob starts editing the document again while Alice is sleeping:

1. Bob will have an updated document version and Alice won't, so when Alice comes back online she fetches Bob's updated document and sees it's different from hers. Here there are three possible ways to handle the situation: a. Alice just updates her local document to Bob's version -- this is fine for all the situations in which Alice hasn't edited her document too while Bob was sleeping and now they have diverged, for these situations there are two possible alternatives: b. Special relays keep the crdt-edit events for a while (these events are ephemeral by default, but nothing prevents some relays to choose to store them) and Alice can replay them when she comes online. c. Bob could have published a packaged-crdt-delta (kind 31334) event containing all the edits since the last time Alice had published a kind 30023 along with his last kind 30023 which Alice can then fetch and merge with her stuff locally. Alternatively, special relays can produce this document based on all the crdt-edit they receive. I'm not sure what option is better.

The end

This is probably too confusing, so I'll refrain from commenting until there is some working code that proves it's possible. The Automerge library seems to be a nice fit for making this stuff on top, even though it is a library and not a protocol that strives for backwards-compatibility like Nostr it might be a fine tradeoff for this specific use case.

@ a023a5e8:ff29191d

The Bitcoin Lightning network stands as a standard-bearer to the ongoing pursuit of decentralization in the Bitcoin space. As a second layer scaling solution for Bitcoin, it not only solves the scalability issues but also improves the idea of decentralization by establishing a more resilient and inclusive financial ecosystem.

1. Distributed network of channels.

2. The heart of Bitcoin Lightning network's decentralization lies in its distributed network of channels. Users can create channels among each other, forming a network of interconnected channels without the need of a central intermediary entity. This creates a more peer to peer and trustless network.

3. Lesser dependence on intermediaries.

4. By enabling direct peer to peer transactions between participants, Bitcoin Lightning network establishes a lesser dependence on third party intermediaries. This move away from centralization enhances privacy to a great extend. Also lowers transaction costs and solves all the problems arising with a centralized custodian managing the funds and transactions.

5. No chance of censorship.

6. Bitcoin lightning network's decentralized nature makes it more resilient to censorship. Unlike on traditional financial systems where any authorities can block or put a transaction under surveillance, Lightning enables a user to transact in complete freedom, providing a censorship resistant alternative for those seeking ultimate financial sovereignty.

7. Accessible Globally.

8. The Bitcoin Lightning network enables global financial inclusion enabling its users to transact freely across borders without the constraints and restrictions implemented by the traditional financial institutions. This benefits a lot for the unbanked, reducing the need of depending on traditional banking systems when it comes to cross border financial settlements.

9. Diversity of Nodes.

10. In any network, its health is dependent on the diverse set of participant nodes. As more and more individuals and entities establishes Lightning nodes the network itself will become more resilient to attacks and single points of failure. This diversity of Lightning network nodes ensures a robust and decentralized network architecture.

11. The efficiency of the routing Algorithm.

12. Lightning network's routing algorithm dynamically selects the most efficient rout for transactions preventing tendencies of centralization that might emerge if certain nodes are treated more preferred inside the network. This ensures a fair and open network for all participants.

13. Community Governance.

14. The development and evolution of the Lightning Network involve a community-driven approach. Decisions regarding upgrades and improvements are made collectively, emphasizing a decentralized governance model that prevents undue influence from a single entity or group.

The Bitcoin Lightning Network is not just a scaling solution for Bitcoin but a real world establishment of a decentralized network as proposed by the Bitcoin movement.

@ 6d3d8fe2:4063a6cf

Questa guida è disponibile anche in:

• Francese: nostr:naddr1qqxnzd3cxyunqvfhxy6rvwfjqyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcpzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgtcpvemhxue69uhkv6tvw3jhytnwdaehgu3wwa5kuef0dec82c33xpshw7ntde4xwdtjx4kxz6nwwg6nxdpn8phxgcmedfukcem3wdexuun5wy6kwunnxsun2a35xfckxdnpwaek5dp409enw0mzwfhkzerrv9ehg0t5wf6k2qgawaehxw309a6ku6tkv4e8xefwdehhxarjd93kstnvv9hxgtczyzd9w67evpranzz2jw4m9wcygcyjhxsmcae6g5s58el5vhjnsa6lgqcyqqq823cmvvp6c grazie a nostr:npub1nftkhktqglvcsj5n4wetkpzxpy4e5x78wwj9y9p70ar9u5u8wh6qsxmzqs
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• Svedese: nostr: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 grazie a nostr:npub19jk45jz45gczwfm22y9z69xhaex3nwg47dz84zw096xl6z62amkqj99rv7
• Spagnolo: nostr: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 grazie a nostr:npub138s5hey76qrnm2pmv7p8nnffhfddsm8sqzm285dyc0wy4f8a6qkqtzx624
• Olandese: nostr: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 grazie a nostr:npub1equrmqway3qxw3dkssymusxkwgwrqypfgeqx0lx9pgjam7gnj4ysaqhkj6
• Arabo: nostr:naddr1qqxnzd3c8q6rywfnxucrgvp3qyvhwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnwdaehgunfvd5zumrpdejqzxthwden5te0wp6hyctkd9jxztnwdaehgu3wd3skueqpz4mhxue69uhkummnw3ezu6twdaehgcfwvd3sz9thwden5te0dehhxarj9ekkjmr0w5hxcmmvqyt8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnwdaehgu3wvfskueqpzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejszenhwden5te0ve5kcar9wghxummnw3ezuamfdejj7mnsw43rzvrpwaaxkmn2vu6hydtvv94xuu34xv6rxwrwv33hj6ned3nhzumjdee8guf4vae8xdpex4mrgvn3vvmxzamndg6r27tnxulkyun0v9jxxctnws7hgun4v5q3vamnwvaz7tmzd96xxmmfdejhytnnda3kjctvqyd8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtn0wfskuem9wp5kcmpwv3jhvqg6waehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnw3e8qmr9vfejucm0d5q3camnwvaz7tm4de5hvetjwdjjumn0wd68y6trdqhxcctwvsq3camnwvaz7tmwdaehgu3wd46hg6tw09mkzmrvv46zucm0d5q32amnwvaz7tm9v3jkutnwdaehgu3wd3skueqprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68yct5dyhxxmmdqgsfev65tsmfgrv69mux65x4c7504wgrzrxgnrzrgj70cnyz9l68hjsrqsqqqa28582e8s grazie a nostr:npub1nje4ghpkjsxe5thcd4gdt3agl2usxyxv3xxyx39ul3xgytl5009q87l02j
• Tedesco: nostr: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 grazie a nostr:npub1eseajvcuqgk6dy98zndje76hcd485zwmhjx4ztgnw4yruq68lhxq45cqvg
• Giapponese: nostr:naddr1qqxnzd3cxy6rjv3hx5cnyde5qgs87hptfey2p607ef36g6cnekuzfz05qgpe34s2ypc2j6x24qvdwhgrqsqqqa28lxc9p6 di nostr:npub1wh69w45awqnlsxw7jt5tkymets87h6t4phplkx6ug2ht2qkssswswntjk0
• Russo: nostr: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 di nostr:npub10awzknjg5r5lajnr53438ndcyjylgqsrnrtq5grs495v42qc6awsj45ys7

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Ciao, caro Nostrich!

Nostr è qualcosa di completamente nuovo, e ci sono alcuni passi da fare che semplificheranno il tuo ingresso e renderanno più interessante la tua esperienza.

👋 Benvenuto

Dato che stai leggendo questa guida, diamo per assunto che tu ti sia già unito a Nostr scaricando un app (es. Damus, Amethyst, Plebstr) o usando un Web Client Nostr (es. snort.social, Nostrgram, Iris). E' importante per un nuovo arrivato seguire i passaggi suggeriti dalla piattaforma di tua scelta - la procedura di benvenuto ti fornisce tutte le basi, e non dovrai preoccuparti di configurare nulla a meno che tu non lo voglia fare. Se sei incappato in questo articolo, ma non hai ancora un “account” Nostr, puoi seguire questa semplice guida a cura di nostr:npub1cly0v30agkcfq40mdsndzjrn0tt76ykaan0q6ny80wy034qedpjsqwamhz.

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🤙 Divertiti

Nostr è fatto per assicurarsi che le persone siano in grado di connettersi liberamente, di essere ascoltate e di divertirsi. Questo è il fulcro centrale (ovviamente ci sono moltissimi altri casi d'uso, come essere uno strumento per i divulgatori e chi lotta per la libertà, ma per questo servirà un articolo a parte), quindi se qualcosa ti è poco chiaro contatta altri “nostriches” con esperienza e saremo lieti di aiutarti. Interagire con Nostr non è difficile, ma ci sono alcune differenze rispetto alle altre piattaforme tradizionali, quindi è normale fare domande (anzi...sei incoraggiato a farne).

Questa è una lista ufficiosa di utenti Nostr che saranno felici di aiutarti e rispondere alle tue domande:

nostr:naddr1qqg5ummnw3ezqstdvfshxumpv3hhyuczypl4c26wfzswnlk2vwjxky7dhqjgnaqzqwvdvz3qwz5k3j4grrt46qcyqqq82vgwv96yu

Tutti i nostriches nella lista hanno ricevuto il badge Nostr Ambassador, il che renderà facile per te trovarli, verificarli e seguirli

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⚡️ Attivare gli Zaps

Gli Zaps sono una delle prime differenze che noterai entrando su Nostr. Consentono agli utenti Nostr di inviare istantaneamente valore per supportare la creazione di contenuti utili e divertenti. Sono possibili grazie a Bitcoin e Lightning Network. Questi due protocolli di pagamento decentralizzati permettono di inviare istantaneamente dei sats (la più piccola frazione di Bitcoin) tanto facilmente quanto mettere un like sulle piattaforme social tradizionali. Chiamiamo questo meccanismo Value-4-Value e puoi trovare altre informazioni al riguardo qui: https://dergigi.com/value/

Dai un'occhiata a questa nota di nostr:npub18ams6ewn5aj2n3wt2qawzglx9mr4nzksxhvrdc4gzrecw7n5tvjqctp424 per avere una panoramica su cosa sono siano gli zaps.

Dovresti attivare gli Zaps anche se non sei un creatore di contenuti - le persone troveranno sicuramente interessanti alcune delle tue note e vorranno mandarti dei sats. Il modo più semplice per ricevere sats su Nostr è il seguente:

1. Scarica l'app Wallet of Satoshi - probabilmente la scelta migliore per dispositivi mobili per chi è nuovo in Bitcoin e Lightning. Tieni di conto che esistono molti altri wallets e che potrai scegliere quello che preferisci. Inoltre, non dimenticarti di fare un back up del wallet.
2. Premi “Ricevere”
3. Premi sopra al tuo Lightning Address (è quello che sembra un indirizzo email) per copiarlo
4. Incollalo poi nel campo corrispondente all'interno del tuo client Nostr (il nome del campo potrebbe essere “Bitcoin Lightning Address”, “LN Address” o qualcosa di simile in base all'app che utilizzi).

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📫 Ottieni un indirizzo Nostr

Gli indirizzi Nostr, a cui spesso i Nostr OGs si riferiscono con “NIP-05 identifier”, sono simili ad un indirizzo email e:

🔍 Aiutano a rendere il tuo account facile da trovare e condividere
✔️ Servono a verificare che il tuo “LN Address” appartenga ad un umano

---

Questo è un esempio di indirizzo Nostr: Tony@nostr.21ideas.org E' facile memorizzarlo e successivamente cercarlo in una qualsiasi piattaforma Nostr per trovare la persona corrispondente

---

Per ottenere un indirizzo Nostr puoi usare un servizio gratuito come Nostr Check (di nostr:npub138s5hey76qrnm2pmv7p8nnffhfddsm8sqzm285dyc0wy4f8a6qkqtzx624) oppure uno a pagamento come Nostr Plebs (di nostr:npub18ams6ewn5aj2n3wt2qawzglx9mr4nzksxhvrdc4gzrecw7n5tvjqctp424). Entrambi offrono vari vantaggi, e la scelta dipende solo da te. Un altro modo per ottenere un indirizzo Nostr è tramite un'estensione del browser. Scopri di più al riguardo qui) .

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🙇‍♀️ Impara le basi

Dietro le quinte Nostr è molto diverso dalle piattaforme social tradizionali, quindi conoscerne le basi è estremamente utile per i nuovi arrivati. E con questo non intendo che dovresti imparare un linguaggio di programmazione o i dettagli tecnici del protocollo. Sto dicendo che avere una visione d'insieme più ampia e capire le differenze fra Nostr e Twitter / Medium / Reddit ti aiuterà moltissimo. Ad esempio, al posto di un nome utente e password hai una chiave privata e una pubblica. Non entrerò nel dettaglio perchè esistono già moltissime risorse che ti aiuteranno a diventare un esperto di Nostr. Tutte quelle degne di nota sono state raccolte in questa pagina con 💜 da nostr:npub12gu8c6uee3p243gez6cgk76362admlqe72aq3kp2fppjsjwmm7eqj9fle6

Fra le informazioni che troverai nel link viene anche spiegato come mettere al sicuro le tue chiavi di Nostr (il tuo account), quindi è importante dargli un'occhiata

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🤝 Connettiti

La possibilità di connetterti con altre [^3] persone brillanti è ciò che rende speciale Nostr. Qui tutti possono essere ascoltati e nessuno può essere escluso. Ci sono alcuni semplici modi per trovare persone interessanti su Nostr:

• Trova le persone che segui su Twitter: https://www.nostr.directory/ è un ottimo strumento per questo.
• Segui le persone seguite da altri di cui ti fidi: Visita il profilo di una persona che condivide i tuoi stessi interessi, guarda la lista delle persone che segue e connettiti con loro.

• Visita la Bacheca Globale: Ogni client Nostr (app Nostr se preferisci) ha una scheda per spostarsi nella Bacheca Globale (Global Feed), dove troverai tutte le note di tutti gli utenti di Nostr. Segui le persone che trovi interessanti (ricorda di essere paziente - potresti trovare una discreta quantità di spam).

• Usa gli #hashtags: Gli Hashtag sono un ottimo modo per concentrarti sugli argomenti di tuo interesse. Ti basterà premere sopra l'#hashtag per vedere altre note relative all'argomento. Puoi anche cercare gli hashtags tramite l'app che utilizzi. Non dimenticare di usare gli hashtags quando pubblichi una nota, per aumentarne la visibilità.

https://nostr.build/i/0df18c4a9b38f1d9dcb49a5df3e552963156927632458390a9393d6fee286631.jpg Screenshot della bacheca di nostr:npub1ktw5qzt7f5ztrft0kwm9lsw34tef9xknplvy936ddzuepp6yf9dsjrmrvj su https://nostrgraph.net/

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🗺️ Esplora

I 5 consigli menzionati sono un ottimo punto d'inizio e miglioreranno moltissimo la tua esperienza, ma c'è molto di più da scoprire! Nostr non è solo un rimpiazzo per Twitter e le sue possibilità sono limitate solo dalla nostra immaginazione.

Dai un'occhiata alla lista di tutti i progetti Nostr:

• https://nostrapps.com/ una lista di tutte le apps su Nostr
• https://nostrplebs.com/ – ottieni il tuo NIP-05 e altri vantaggi (a pagamento)
• https://nostrcheck.me/ – Indirizzi Nostr, caricamento di media, relay
• https://nostr.build/ – Carica e gestisci i tuoi media (e altro)
• https://nostr.band/ – Informazioni sul network e gli utenti di Nostr
• https://zaplife.lol/ – Statistiche degli Zaps
• https://nostrit.com/ – Programma le note
• https://nostrnests.com/ – Twitter Spaces 2.0
• https://nostryfied.online/ - Fai un backup dei tuoi dati di Nostr
• https://www.wavman.app/ - Player musicale per Nostr

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📻 Relays

Dopo aver preso confidenza con Nostr assicurati di dare un'occhiata alla mia guida riguardo i Relays su Nostr: https://lnshort.it/nostr-relays. Non è un argomento di cui preoccuparsi all'inizio del tuo viaggio, ma è sicuramente importante approfondirlo più avanti.

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📱 Nostr su mobile

Avere un'esperienza fluida su Nostr tramite un dispositivo mobile è fattibile. Questa guida ti aiuterà ad accedere, postare, inviare zap e molto di più all'interno delle applicazioni web Nostr sul tuo smartphone: https://lnshort.it/nostr-mobile

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Grazie per aver letto e ci vediamo dall'altra parte della tana del coniglio.

Grazie a nostr:npub10awzknjg5r5lajnr53438ndcyjylgqsrnrtq5grs495v42qc6awsj45ys7 per aver fornito il documento originale che ho tradotto

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@ d34e832d:383f78d0

25 Verses to Draw Motivation Within

Pray Continually

Title: Finding Motivation in Scripture: Overcoming Failure and Embracing Hope

Have you ever felt like a failure? It's a tough spot to be in, and it can really bring you down. But you know what? Scripture can be a powerful source of motivation, encouragement, and renewed hope, even in those moments when you feel like you're falling short. Let's dive into how various scriptures, including the ones we mentioned earlier, can give you that much-needed boost when you're feeling down.

1. Recognizing God's Sovereignty: You know, sometimes it's comforting to remember that we're not alone in our struggles. Scriptures like Psalm 46:10 and Isaiah 41:10 remind us that God is right there with us, holding us up and giving us strength. So, even when it feels like everything is falling apart, we can find motivation in knowing that God's got our back. His plans are bigger than our failures, and that thought alone can help us keep pushing forward.

2. Trusting in God's Guidance: It's not always easy to figure things out on our own, especially when we're feeling defeated. That's where scriptures like Proverbs 3:5 come in handy. They encourage us to put our trust in the Lord, to lean on Him and His understanding. When we feel like we're failing, we can find motivation by surrendering our worries and uncertainties to God. Trusting that He'll guide us can give us the courage to take that next step, even when it feels uncertain.

3. Embracing God's Love and Grace: You know, it's important to remember that our worth isn't defined by our failures. John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8 remind us of God's unconditional love and the grace He extends to us. When we feel like we're falling short, these verses can be a source of comfort and motivation. They remind us that God's love remains unwavering, regardless of our achievements or mistakes. His grace gives us the opportunity for a fresh start and encourages us to keep going.

4. Finding Strength in Adversity: Hey, setbacks and failures are tough, no doubt about it. But you know what? They can also be opportunities for growth and resilience. James 1:2-4 reminds us to see trials as stepping stones toward becoming stronger individuals. When we face failures, we can find motivation by shifting our perspective. We can view these challenges as temporary hurdles on our journey to personal growth. With God's strength, we can keep moving forward, knowing that we're getting stronger with every step.

5. Cultivating a Positive Attitude: Sometimes, it's all about having the right mindset. Philippians 4:13 is a verse that reminds us we can do anything through Christ who strengthens us. Isn't that amazing? When we're feeling like failures, this verse encourages us to focus on our strengths and abilities. It's about channeling our energy into positive thinking. Instead of dwelling on our shortcomings, we can approach challenges with confidence, knowing that we have God's power within us.

When you feel like you're failing, scripture can be a powerful source of motivation and hope. By recognizing God's presence, trusting in His guidance, embracing His love and grace, finding strength in adversity, and cultivating a positive attitude, you can rise above your failures. Remember, you're not alone in this journey, and there's always hope, even in the face of failure. So, keep your chin up and let these scriptures be a source of inspiration on your path to success and fulfillment . You've got this!

@ 63fe6318:330504ed

v0.1.24

Another month, another huge list of changes, this time dominated by nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk ! +11,573,-3,010

Added

• 3 Column layout - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• Fuzzy cache search - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• Followed by on profile pages - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• Show more on long notes - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• Better error message page - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• Media grid feed - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• Mobile fixed footer - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• Follow button on profile search results - nostr:npub17q5n2z8naw0xl6vu9lvt560lg33pdpe29k0k09umlfxm3vc4tqrq466f2y
• Invite codes (WIP Community Program) - nostr:npub1v0lxxxxutpvrelsksy8cdhgfux9l6a42hsj2qzquu2zk7vc9qnkszrqj49
• imeta tag insertion for images - nostr:npub1v0lxxxxutpvrelsksy8cdhgfux9l6a42hsj2qzquu2zk7vc9qnkszrqj49
• Wallet settings page improvements - nostr:npub1v0lxxxxutpvrelsksy8cdhgfux9l6a42hsj2qzquu2zk7vc9qnkszrqj49
• Nostr Wallet Connect upgrade (balance + history) - nostr:npub1v0lxxxxutpvrelsksy8cdhgfux9l6a42hsj2qzquu2zk7vc9qnkszrqj49
• Schnorr sig check in WASM binary - nostr:npub1v0lxxxxutpvrelsksy8cdhgfux9l6a42hsj2qzquu2zk7vc9qnkszrqj49
• Autoplay videos in feed (muted) - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• Followed by friends feed (a feed of your 2nd degree follows posts) - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• imgproxy image integrity check (sha256 from imeta passed to imgproxy) - nostr:npub1v0lxxxxutpvrelsksy8cdhgfux9l6a42hsj2qzquu2zk7vc9qnkszrqj49

Changed

• Removed Twitter embed - nostr:npub1v0lxxxxutpvrelsksy8cdhgfux9l6a42hsj2qzquu2zk7vc9qnkszrqj49
• Removed attachment button on DM's - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• Note broadcaster dialog changed to toast notification - nostr:npub1v0lxxxxutpvrelsksy8cdhgfux9l6a42hsj2qzquu2zk7vc9qnkszrqj49
• Removed npub link from profile (use QR button) - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• Render image size from imeta tags - nostr:npub1v0lxxxxutpvrelsksy8cdhgfux9l6a42hsj2qzquu2zk7vc9qnkszrqj49
• Style fixes - nostr:npub1cz2ve34nk0ukn0ph4yq2qx3ud8rfy5e0ak4epx42dn8gha0sdgpsgra9kv
• Zap pool slider tweak - nostr:npub1ltx67888tz7lqnxlrg06x234vjnq349tcfyp52r0lstclp548mcqnuz40t
• New Malay translations - nostr:npub1cjtt3nywuflj65ftld4v7zzpg0qh3ergycjcym0956vf9eftv7esekxpmn
• Updated Persian translations - nostr:npub1cpazafytvafazxkjn43zjfwtfzatfz508r54f6z6a3rf2ws8223qc3xxpk
• Updated Finnish translations - nostr:npub1ust7u0v3qffejwhqee45r49zgcyewrcn99vdwkednd356c9resyqtnn3mj
• Updated French translations - nostr:npub1x8dzy9xegwmdk2vy30l8u08caspcqq2yzncxehdsa6kvnte9pr3qnt8pg4 & nostr:npub13w02l37gkjwv90lnklfet5653jj0p5ueu976v3dpda5afvxgw3uslcqdnv
• Updated German translations - nostr:npub19a6x8frkkn2660fw0flz74a7qg8c2jxk5v9p2rsh7tv5e6ftsq3sav63vp
• Updated Hungarian translations - nostr:npub1ww8kjxz2akn82qptdpl7glywnchhkx3x04hez3d3rye397turrhssenvtp
• Updated Swedish translations - nostr:npub19jk45jz45gczwfm22y9z69xhaex3nwg47dz84zw096xl6z62amkqj99rv7
• Updated Japanese translations - nostr:npub1wh69w45awqnlsxw7jt5tkymets87h6t4phplkx6ug2ht2qkssswswntjk0

Fixed

• Longform note overlfow-x - nostr:npub1g53mukxnjkcmr94fhryzkqutdz2ukq4ks0gvy5af25rgmwsl4ngq43drvk
• Trim zap content - nostr:npub1u8lnhlw5usp3t9vmpz60ejpyt649z33hu82wc2hpv6m5xdqmuxhs46turz

@ 2544cfcb:5f9b039c

What if there were two straight lines between which all of Bitcoin’s price action could be contained?

If such lines exist, they could provide tremendous insight into the future price of Bitcoin.

As it turns out, the Bitcoin power law corridor theory hypothesizes that such lines may exist. However, in order to see these lines within a price chart, one must dramatically change one’s frame of reference. In this article, I will attempt to change your frame of reference and transform the chart of Bitcoin so that its entire price history is contained between two straight lines.

First, here’s a chart that shows the entire price history of Bitcoin.

Next, I will log scale the chart.

As shown in the chart below, after I log-scaled the chart, I then adjusted the y-axis such that each value on display is a power of 10.

Now, here’s the part where you have to change your frame of reference.

Up until now, you have likely only seen price charts with a linear x-axis (time). However, in some cases, it is appropriate to plot time using a logarithmic scale. This is because a logarithmic scale compresses the time dimension, making it easier to see trends over very long periods of time.

When this is done, Bitcoin’s price appears to be contained between two straight lines. Bitcoin is bound by these two lines as it oscillates with each halving cycle. As the effects of each halving cycle diminish over time, Bitcoin’s price converges towards a singularity.

Why does Bitcoin’s price action behave in this manner? The answer is that Bitcoin’s price is an oscillatory logistic growth function. Logistic growth functions approach some finite horizontal asymptote over time. However, when both the horizontal (x-axis) and vertical (y-axis) are logarithmically scaled, the logistic function transforms into a straight line. To read more about the significance of Bitcoin as a logistic growth function, including how it informs my cryptocurrency investment strategy, you can read my article here.

There are some criticisms of the power law corridor theory, including that Bitcoin’s price data do not sufficiently meet certain assumptions about regression that must be true in order for the theory to also be true. These criticisms are outlined in this article. Additionally, the theory breaks down in the event that the U.S. dollar enters into hyperinflation. In this event, the price of Bitcoin will begin to move up hyperbolically rather than linearly, even on a logarithmic scale. Some argue that rather than moving within a power law corridor, Bitcoin’s price moves according to a hyperbolic growth model. Nonetheless, the power law corridor theory is quite insightful for Bitcoin’s current price action.

https://twitter.com/btc/status/1560711023425978370

The next idea I want to share may be a bit confusing, but I encourage you to think outside of your usual frame of reference. Here’s a question to get you started: Have you ever noticed that when Bitcoin is plotted as a ratio to any other asset, the chart looks exactly like the price of Bitcoin?

https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1GEFNMroG2wnD8CvYkfDoHQ.png This chart shows (1) the price action of Bitcoin on the left relative to the U.S. dollar, and (2) shows the price action of Bitcoin relative to the price action of the S&P 500 on the right. Despite being used as a ratio to the S&P 500 in one chart but not the other, both charts still look virtually identical.*

With the exception of several other cryptocurrencies, no matter what asset you choose, plotting the entire price history of Bitcoin as a ratio to the asset reveals a logistic growth function. This finding is actually quite significant. It implies that Bitcoin is uniquely suited to become the new standard for measuring value. As an asset with increasingly constant scarcity, Bitcoin is able to achieve what no other financial instrument in history has ever been able to achieve: a constant unit by which the value of all other assets can be measured.

You may not realize it, but all price charts are ratio charts. In most cases, the unit of value measurement is the U.S. dollar. However, since the value of the U.S. dollar changes over time, dependent on the supply of dollars set by the Federal Reserve, the dollar’s ability to be a constant unit for measuring the value of other assets is thus significantly limited.

https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1AOLwo5_AHekCtQSgN_nYpw.png The chart shows the quarterly rate of change of the 2-year Treasury yield. This yield represents the risk-free rate over a two-year period, which reflects the cost of a U.S. dollar over that period. The volatility of the yield in recent quarters highlights the fact that the value of a U.S. dollar has become unstable. This instability underscores the problem inherent in using the U.S. dollar (or any fiat currency) as a measure of value for other assets.*

If Bitcoin indeed becomes an asset by which the value of all other assets is compared, then Bitcoin’s volatility will go to zero because its value will be measured relative to itself. Bitcoin is only volatile right now because its value is being measured in U.S. dollars. Since the value of the U.S. dollar can change widely over time as the central bank expands and contracts the money supply, this volatility in Bitcoin’s price, in large part, actually reflects the volatility in the value of dollars.

In most cases, when an asset becomes the standard for measuring value, is it also considered the risk-free asset. If Bitcoin becomes the risk-free asset, then this fact may upend what Modern Portfolio Theory may consider an optimally efficient, risk-adjusted portfolio. If Bitcoin replaces the risk-free asset, its beta will become equivalent to zero. Suddenly, other cryptocurrencies that outperform Bitcoin, like Ether, may become assets that all efficient risk-adjusted portfolios must contain. This is where my current research ends: The intersection of Bitcoin’s mathematical tendency to replace the risk-free asset and how this could drastically impact the findings of Modern Portfolio Theory and the role played by traditional financial instruments.

Bitcoin represents the next step in the evolution of financial markets. Bitcoin has created the first truly trustless monetary system by solving the Byzantine Generals’ Problem. This problem of trust has plagued financial markets since the advent of credit, and could only previously be temporarily mitigated by increased currency creation. However, this fiat approach always ultimately results in hyperinflation and the collapse of the monetary system.

Stock-to-Flow Model

Stock-to-flow (or S2F) is a measure of the new supply of an asset that is being created over time, relative to the existing supply. A higher stock-to-flow ratio indicates higher scarcity. The model suggests that as scarcity increases, the price of the asset may rise due to the market’s perception of its value.

https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1YC6gSUFq_OIVMGcQBDYLTg.png Bitcoin’s total market value (market capitalization) vs. its stock-to-flow plotted on a log-log chart. Model created by PlanB.*

Interestingly, when the market value and stock-to-flow of silver and gold are added to this model, they also appear near Bitcoin’s regression line. Further, with the passage of each halving cycle, Bitcoin comes nearer and nearer to silver and gold. This is yet another clue that Bitcoin is showing a mathematical tendency to replace silver and gold.

Physical silver and gold are often considered risk-free assets, or assets with no counterparty risk. This chart, therefore, presents further evidence that Bitcoin is becoming the new risk-free asset. That is to say, Bitcoin’s movement up this regression line toward silver and gold shows its tendency to compete with these riskless assets, and ultimately replace them over time. In the digital era, where people and algorithms increasingly transact exclusively by digital means, Bitcoin — with its increasing stock-to-flow ratio — is likely to supplant the role that silver and gold have played in monetary systems for millennia.

In essence, Bitcoin is becoming digital gold.

• • * Special thank you to SquishTrade for his editorial assistance. Also, a special tribute to Dr. Harry Markowitz, the father of Modern Portfolio Theory, who sadly passed away as I was researching portfolio theory for this article.

Important Disclaimer

Nothing in this post should be considered financial advice. Trading and investing always involve risks and one should carefully review all such risks before making a trade or investment decision. Do not buy or sell any security based on anything in this post. Past results do not guarantee future returns. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile. Never borrow money or use margin to invest in cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency is not backed or insured by any authority and is therefore a high-risk asset class. You can lose all or some of your money in cryptocurrency. Please consult with a financial advisor before making any financial decisions. This post is for educational purposes only.

@ 1c52ebc8:5698c92a

Hey folks, happy Saturday!

Thanks for all the support last week with the first attempt at a “this week in Nostr” newsletter, feedback is very welcome 🙂

The hope for this newsletter is to be technically focused (new NIPs, notable projects, latest debates, etc) and a way for folks to keep up with how the community and the protocol is developing.

Recent NIP Updates

1) Calendar Events 📅

Early this week Calendar Events got added as a new NIP, so now we have a standard way to create calendars and calendar events in a way that can be shared via Nostr. Looks like we’ll be able to kick Meetup and Eventbrite to the curb soon!

2) Proxy Tags (Proposed) 🌉

There’s been significant work done to bridge between other social media and Nostr (Twitter, ActivityPub, etc). One of the challenges is the amount of duplication that can happen. If this NIP is adopted, a proxy tag can be added to events so that a Nostr client can link an event that was originally in Twitter to the original Twitter url.

This has the approval of many folks including @fiatj so I bet we’ll see it merged soon.

Notable projects

NostrDB: shipped! 🚢

Mentioned last week, but shipped this week: NostrDB is an embedded relay within the Damus app built by @jb55 built to improve performance and make new features easier. By having a relay inside the client, the client gets far more efficient with pretty much everything. It’s a standalone project so I imagine many clients could adopt this and reap the benefits.

As he mentions in the announcement, it has enabled Damus to recommend follows, as well as speed up many resource intensive operations in the app. Definitely feels snappier to me 💪

Stemstr 🎵

Shipped this week, Stemstr is a way to connect with people over music. There seem to be budding collaboration tools as well meaning the music on stemstr is constantly evolving and being reshared. Quite an impressive project.

Relayable 🌍

One of the underrated challenges of using Nostr right now is curating your relays. For the snappiest experience in your clients, speed is important! Many relays are hosted around the globe but it’s not easy to keep track of that.

Relayable is a relay you can add that will automatically find the closest, fastest, reliable relay to you get you connected so you can get your notes as fast as possible. Really neat project, I’ve added that relay and it’s worked great

Ostrich.work ⚒️

A job board that runs on Nostr for Nostr-related jobs. Definitely check it out if you’re looking to work on Nostr projects or need to find someone to work with you on the same!

Secret Chats on Iris 🤫

DMs on Nostr aren’t entirely private because we’re still publishing the metadata about the DM on publicly accessible relays even if the content is encrypted. There’s been a desire to implement more secure chats through the Nostr protocol, there’s even a bounty from Human Right Foundation about it.

Looks like Iris pushed support for their take on secret chats, looking forward to people telling the community how they like it.

Learn to dev on Nostr course 📖

If you’re looking to get started building on Nostr, or just curious how it works under the hood, here’s a course that was put together just for you! It’s about 40 minutes long and it starts assuming no knowledge about Nostr.

Latest debates

DMs 🔒

DMs on Nostr (using the original NIP 4 protocol) isn’t very private, and there’s a desire from a large group on Nostriches to fix that natively in Nostr. Some folks are ok to leave it “unfixed” in Nostr and use protocols like Simplex because Nostr doesn’t have to solve all problems. Many ofthers thinks we can have our cake and eat it too with some effort on the Nostr protocol.

The debate rages on! I hope you weigh in wherever you see the discussion, your voice may help the community get to clarity.

Email notifications

Much of the world still relies on email to get notified about what’s happening across their various apps and services when they’re not regularly logging in. @karnage@snort.social believes it may help adoption of Nostr if there was a client that allowed users that opt-in to get email notifications for activity happening on Nostr.

There are other folks that feel like it wouldn’t be useful and in fact could make Nostr feel more spammy. I saw another thought that Nostr should be fairly self contained so bridges to other protocols (email being one) would pollute the network. It’s an interesting debate.

Events

I’ll keep a running list of Nostr-related events that I hear about (in person or virtual). If you wanna see something here please let me know! (DMs welcome) - Nostrasia Nov 1-3 in Tokyo & Hong Kong

I haven’t heard of any new ones this week but I hope the one in Chiavenna, Italy went well this week 🙂

Until next time 🫡

I realized this week I should be tagging each major contributor/author of each of the notable projects. I'll keep track of that from now on, so I can tag the people doing the awesome work in our community.

If I missed anything else, let me know, DMs welcome.

And to shamelessly rip off my favorite youtuber’s signoff “God bless, you’re super cute”

@ 20986fb8:cdac21b3

The motivation of building decentralized media protocols is to balance the power of centralized media platforms, and provide an alternative for the public to take part in the curation of information, not just access information. It has to perform checks-and-balances to the centralized media powers, while providing a credible and neutral mechanism for different communities to improve a platform over time. The operation and maintenance of such a media platform should be autonomous, unstoppable, and self-improving.

While a traditional media platform has to align itself with the interests of its owners, shareholders, and donors, the new type of media platform should not be subject to the control of any entity at all times.

The ownership and stewardship of the new media platform should be open and transparent to the public. This is in contrast to state/corporate-controlled media platforms, in which case the public is often not informed of a media platform’s real ownership and stewardship, hence the public cannot be aware of its real purpose, bias, and hidden agendas.

If each individual is more informed, it will be harder to manipulate public opinions, and it will be easier to foster independent judgment within human societies. The positive externality will be enormous. The transition from centralized media platforms to decentralized media platforms speeds up this process.

This article discusses the two pillars to implement a decentralized media technology stack: decentralized publication and decentralized content moderation.

Decentralization of publication

In a previous article, we extensively discussed the importance of content decentralization. It is the last defense of censorship - content removed or hidden by popular client websites could be stored permanently and be displayed on other (perhaps non-popular) client websites. We also discussed the importance of token economics neutrality, because token economics itself could lead to censorship.

As a non-microblogging platform, Yakihonne is currently one of the most popular clients that implemented NIP-23, attracting bloggers and readers from all over the world to post articles and read contents about Bitcoin and beyond.

As of the time of writing of this article, the platform serves users in 116 countries, supporting 18 languages, and has become the most widely used and feature-rich client within the Nostr ecosystem. Yakihonne is also the first Nostr client to support mobile applications and article editing on mobile apps.

When publishing articles on Yakihonne.com, you can choose multiple relays to publish the content. Relays can also implement logic to sync articles of their own interests and offer them to clients.

Joining the relay network is easy. If someone wants to join the relay network, he is able to do so by deploying one of the open source versions of Nostr relays, and starting to store content for the network.

The number of relays serving content within the Nostr network is currently quite small. Over the next period of time, it is important to grow the number of reliable relays.

It should be economically viable and encouraging to set up a relay, so that the number of relays can grow over time. Very likely, the number of relays will correspond to the net income of the network, which comes from revenue streams of each of the clients. Therefore, it is foreseeable that the number of reliable relays will be correlated to the traffic of the Nostr protocol in general and therefore, to the traffic of popular clients.

The zap feature can be used to incentivize relays. But we cannot set unrealistic expectations over zapping. Zapping an article is making a donation. Donation is unpredictable, and it is definitely not a sustainable way to maintain a large, reliable network of relays. One possible solution to this problem is to have profitable clients make continuous contributions to well-performing relays via enforceable protocol setups.

An ideal incentive mechanism for a relay network is to establish a profit-sharing protocol between clients and the relays.

Decentralization of content moderation and content curation

Striking a balance between moderation and anti-moderation has been an almost impossible task for centralized media platforms. Whoever performs the moderation dominates the narratives.

The most recent community notes feature on X took a major step towards community-driven moderation. In community notes, users who are eligible to provide notes can write community notes to a post, and a community can vote for the notes so that the best recognized notes can emerge on the top. It has been proven to be effective in content moderation in many instances, and the ability to add community-backed notes reduced the need for shadow bans.

Community notes are obviously a more effective system than shadow bans in Jack Dorsey’s Twitter era. At times even Elon Musk himself can be “community noted” is definitely making people trust this system more.

But it cannot be ignored that users still have to sign up to apply for eligibility for community notes. It is in X's own direction to decide who is eligible and who is not. The voting process of community notes itself could also be subject to censorship, because there is no way to verify the votes.

This is to say, X has the power to do evil, it doesn’t matter if it does evil or not.

The countermeasure to balance the power of a centralized media platform is a platform that is not manipulatable by its operating team or share/token holders.

So content moderation has to be permissionless, while verifiability to content moderation mechanisms like community notes.

The first step to developing a decentralized content moderation system is to implement a permissionless community notes system.

X’s community notes can be censored in two steps: the eligibility review process can filter people based on X’s own preference; the ranking and displaying rules are also controlled by X. In a permissionless community notes system, any relay or even client should be able to implement its own version of community notes, and users can choose their preferred system(s) to work with.

Notes have to be stored on an open, token economics neutral relay network to ensure their immutability and resistance to censorship. Community members can add notes to any media content, and the notes are distributed to non-related parties who operate the nodes.

Incentives

The content moderation mechanism needs to be incentivized through the decentralized media protocol.

In a non-sponsored model, income comes from ads or subscription fees, and is distributed to content creators, content relays, and additional network security providers.

In a sponsored model, income is from content sponsors, and further distributed to community note contributors, content relays, and additional network security providers. A sponsored post, in old media platforms, can be quite expensive. The cost to post sponsored content can be dramatically reduced on a decentralized media platform because of the great reduction of content moderation cost.

Ranking

Community notes can be ranked by either relays or clients. A content relay can rank community notes based on its own preference, and deliver to clients. Clients can also rank community notes based on its rules. Basically, everyone can rank any post’s community notes.

In general, community notes ranking algorithms can be stake-based or non-stake based. Stake-based ranking algorithms in general show how people who have a stake in something react to a post. Non-stake based ranking algorithms can be any mechanism, such as reputation-weighted ranks, 1p1v ranks, quadratic voting ranks, random selection, or even asking an AI to rank community notes.

What’s perhaps important is not which ranking algorithm is the best, it’s the flexibility for both the content storage layer and the interfaces (clients) to choose their ideal ranking algorithms. Probably for a client, the best strategy is to provide all ranks from multiple sources, so that people can view community notes from very different angles.

The Current Status of Bitcoin and Nostr Ecosystem

As Nostr is the ideal relay network for decentralized media at this moment, it is necessary to write some notes on the current status of the Bitcoin ecosystem, as Nostr is largely inspired by the Bitcoin network to be decentralized, and is greatly supported by the Bitcoin community.

The Bitcoin community is so far the most legitimate crypto community. It has a very simple mission: to create a decentralized monetary system that is not controlled by centralized powers. The progressive element of the Bitcoin community is relative to the old banking world, where Bitcoin is a completely new and alternative technology stack to the centralized money and finance systems. The conservative element of the Bitcoin community is relative to the other crypto community, where the Bitcoin community is largely skeptical of the motivation and decentralization of them.

In my opinion, the scrutiny Bitcoin community puts upon the rest of the crypto world is totally reasonable. However, as much as Nostr is inspired by the Bitcoin network, it will also go beyond the Bitcoin community, in terms of content.

This is not a bad thing!

If this happens on a big monolithic blockchain, probably the Nostr team will be required to create a token pretty soon and then pay gas fees to the blockchains so that the blockchain’s revenue can increase. The Bitcoin community will never ask that. This gives Nostr enough freedom and flexibility to evolve, while continuously getting support from the Bitcoin community.

However, if Nostr users are forever a subset of Bitcoin users, Nostr will be limited. Nostr is not a subset of Bitcoin, it is not an “ecosystem project” of Bitcoin either (a.k.a., it should not become a “layer-2” of Bitcoin, as some people reason about the future of Bitcoin totally from the analogy of Ethereum).

In the best world, Nostr and Bitcoin can expand each other’s user base, and create healthy synergy.

Conclusion

Yakihonne is, so far, not a protocol. With the products and features it offers, Yakihonne is ready to build up a decentralized media stack. The stack has two pillars : decentralized publication and decentralized content moderation. The former guarantees that content will never be lost; the latter creates a new cost-incentive model to make sure that when content and moderation go permissionless, the platform can still maintain truthfulness and cost-effectiveness. In fact, a decentralized media platform can be more cost-effective than centralized media platforms. So the next step for us is to build this up and experiment with it.

@ 1c52ebc8:5698c92a

Hey folks, let’s take a shot at this. If folks find this helpful, this will become a weekly summary of what’s happening in Nostr.

The intention is for it to be technically focused (new NIPs, new projects, new bounties, etc) and a way for folks that aren’t terminally online / on-nostr to be able to keep up with what’s going on.

Let’s dive in!

Recent NIP Updates

1) Long form content

Looks like there’s some activity around long-form content. Recently a few updates to various NIPs added the expectation that relays and clients support drafts of long-form content. That way folks can save their drafts without a client having to save in some way other than a relay. 💪

2) NIP 99: Classified listings

This NIP was accepted July 18, 2023 and outlines a new kind of note that will help Nostr clients to build Craiglist competitors natively in Nostr. 💲

Notable projects

Human Rights Foundation Bounties

A series of bounties to add capabilities to the Nostr ecosystem.

NostrDB: under development

A nostr-specific database that @jb55 is building to improve performance of the Damus iOS app

NJson: a JSON parser for Nostr events

A parser for JSON that’s specific to Nostr Event JSON. It’s wayyyyy faster. Great foundationally pattern/tool to improve all nostr clients and relays.

Data vending machines

This one was a mind bender and a new concept to me. But @pablof7z introduced having bots compete to accomplish tasks. The person that’s hiring for the task sets the terms and can accept a bid on whatever dimension they care about.

This could be used for things as simple as answering a question you’d previously use Google for, or curating a Nostr feed based on your interests.

Highlighter

Highlighter is a way to highlight content from anywhere and wrap that highlight as a nostr event. Which means that people can interact with this content like any other note: reactions, reposts, zaps, etc.

Seems like it could become a way to discover quality content by following folks that are digging into topics you’re interested in. Lots of ways to use this 🤯

Habla.news

Habla.news has built a way for people to draft and publish long form content in a familiar way. The interface supports rich text editing and other nice features of products like Medium.

Best part is that it publishes to your relays, so any client that supports long form content events will showcase your work (and make it zapable ⚡). For now I’ve only seen Damus (the iOS app) support long-form notes natively, but I’m sure more are incoming 💪

Latest debates

Nostr for everything vs narrow, powerful nostr

Seen a few of these debates lately, I imagine it’s just the beginning.

With protocols there’s a temptation to make that protocol support the capability to do everything. On the other hand, a protocol that can do anything isn’t particularly useful.

Nostr is still evolving though and no one is an authority on what IS and IS NOT Nostr. Can’t wait to see folks hash it out.

Example thread

Build requests / ideas

I’m gonna collect the features / build requests I see throughout the week and post them here for anyone that has the cycles and interest to build what the community is asking for.

If you have something you want put here, let me know! (DM’s are welcome)

1. @jb55 = nuke all events client (to clean up a relay or your wipe your account)
2. @jb55 = nostr-based email client

Events

I’ll keep a running list of Nostr-related events that I hear about (in person or virtual). If you wanna see something here please let me know! (DMs welcome)

1. Nostrasia Nov 1-3 in Tokyo & Hong Kong
2. Meet up in Chiavenna, Italy August 3rd

Until next time 🫡

If I missed anything, let me know, DMs welcome.

And to shamelessly rip off my favorite youtuber’s signoff “God bless, you’re super cute”

@ e6ce6154:275e3444

Este artigo foi censurado pelo estado e fomos obrigados a deletá-lo após ameaça de homens armados virem nos visitar e agredir nossa vida e propriedade.

Isto é mais uma prova que os autoproclamados antirracistas são piores que os racistas.

https://rothbardbrasil.com/pelo-direito-de-ser-racista-fascista-machista-e-homofobico

Segue artigo na íntegra. 👇

Sem dúvida, a escalada autoritária do totalitarismo cultural progressista nos últimos anos tem sido sumariamente deletéria e prejudicial para a liberdade de expressão. Como seria de se esperar, a cada dia que passa o autoritarismo progressista continua a se expandir de maneira irrefreável, prejudicando a liberdade dos indivíduos de formas cada vez mais deploráveis e contundentes.

Com a ascensão da tirania politicamente correta e sua invasão a todos os terrenos culturais, o autoritarismo progressista foi se alastrando e consolidando sua hegemonia em determinados segmentos. Com a eventual eclosão e a expansão da opressiva e despótica cultura do cancelamento — uma progênie inevitável do totalitarismo progressista —, todas as pessoas que manifestam opiniões, crenças ou posicionamentos que não estão alinhados com as pautas universitárias da moda tornam-se um alvo.

Há algumas semanas, vimos a enorme repercussão causada pelo caso envolvendo o jogador profissional de vôlei Maurício Sousa, que foi cancelado pelo simples fato de ter emitido sua opinião pessoal sobre um personagem de história em quadrinhos, Jon Kent, o novo Superman, que é bissexual. Maurício Sousa reprovou a conduta sexual do personagem, o que é um direito pessoal inalienável que ele tem. Ele não é obrigado a gostar ou aprovar a bissexualidade. Como qualquer pessoa, ele tem o direito pleno de criticar tudo aquilo que ele não gosta. No entanto, pelo simples fato de emitir a sua opinião pessoal, Maurício Sousa foi acusado de homofobia e teve seu contrato rescindido, sendo desligado do Minas Tênis Clube.

Lamentavelmente, Maurício Sousa não foi o primeiro e nem será o último indivíduo a sofrer com a opressiva e autoritária cultura do cancelamento. Como uma tirania cultural que está em plena ascensão e usufrui de um amplo apoio do establishment, essa nova forma de totalitarismo cultural colorido e festivo está se impondo de formas e maneiras bastante contundentes em praticamente todas as esferas da sociedade contemporânea. Sua intenção é relegar ao ostracismo todos aqueles que não se curvam ao totalitarismo progressista, criminalizando opiniões e crenças que divergem do culto à libertinagem hedonista pós-moderna. Oculto por trás de todo esse ativismo autoritário, o que temos de fato é uma profunda hostilidade por padrões morais tradicionalistas, cristãos e conservadores.

No entanto, é fundamental entendermos uma questão imperativa, que explica em partes o conflito aqui criado — todos os progressistas contemporâneos são crias oriundas do direito positivo. Por essa razão, eles jamais entenderão de forma pragmática e objetiva conceitos como criminalidade, direitos de propriedade, agressão e liberdade de expressão pela perspectiva do jusnaturalismo, que é manifestamente o direito em seu estado mais puro, correto, ético e equilibrado.

Pela ótica jusnaturalista, uma opinião é uma opinião. Ponto final. E absolutamente ninguém deve ser preso, cancelado, sabotado ou boicotado por expressar uma opinião particular sobre qualquer assunto. Palavras não agridem ninguém, portanto jamais poderiam ser consideradas um crime em si. Apenas deveriam ser tipificados como crimes agressões de caráter objetivo, como roubo, sequestro, fraude, extorsão, estupro e infrações similares, que representam uma ameaça direta à integridade física da vítima, ou que busquem subtrair alguma posse empregando a violência.

Infelizmente, a geração floquinho de neve — terrivelmente histérica, egocêntrica e sensível — fica profundamente ofendida e consternada sempre que alguém defende posicionamentos contrários à religião progressista. Por essa razão, os guerreiros da justiça social sinceramente acreditam que o papai-estado deve censurar todas as opiniões que eles não gostam de ouvir, assim como deve também criar leis para encarcerar todos aqueles que falam ou escrevem coisas que desagradam a militância.

Como a geração floquinho de neve foi criada para acreditar que todas as suas vontades pessoais e disposições ideológicas devem ser sumariamente atendidas pelo papai-estado, eles embarcaram em uma cruzada moral que pretende erradicar todas as coisas que são ofensivas à ideologia progressista; só assim eles poderão deflagrar na Terra o seu tão sonhado paraíso hedonista e igualitário, de inimaginável esplendor e felicidade.

Em virtude do seu comportamento intrinsecamente despótico, autoritário e egocêntrico, acaba sendo inevitável que militantes progressistas problematizem tudo aquilo que os desagrada.

Como são criaturas inúteis destituídas de ocupação real e verdadeiro sentido na vida, sendo oprimidas unicamente na sua própria imaginação, militantes progressistas precisam constantemente inventar novos vilões para serem combatidos.

Partindo dessa perspectiva, é natural para a militância que absolutamente tudo que exista no mundo e que não se enquadra com as regras autoritárias e restritivas da religião progressista seja encarado como um problema. Para a geração floquinho de neve, o capitalismo é um problema. O fascismo é um problema. A iniciativa privada é um problema. O homem branco, tradicionalista, conservador e heterossexual é um problema. A desigualdade é um problema. A liberdade é um problema. Monteiro Lobato é um problema (sim, até mesmo o renomado ícone da literatura brasileira, autor — entre outros títulos — de Urupês, foi vítima da cultura do cancelamento, acusado de ser racista e eugenista).

Para a esquerda, praticamente tudo é um problema. Na mentalidade da militância progressista, tudo é motivo para reclamação. Foi em função desse comportamento histérico, histriônico e infantil que o famoso pensador conservador-libertário americano P. J. O’Rourke afirmou que “o esquerdismo é uma filosofia de pirralhos chorões”. O que é uma verdade absoluta e irrefutável em todos os sentidos.

De fato, todas as filosofias de esquerda de forma geral são idealizações utópicas e infantis de um mundo perfeito. Enquanto o mundo não se transformar naquela colorida e vibrante utopia que é apresentada pela cartilha socialista padrão, militantes continuarão a reclamar contra tudo o que existe no mundo de forma agressiva, visceral e beligerante. Evidentemente, eles não vão fazer absolutamente nada de positivo ou construtivo para que o mundo se transforme no gracioso paraíso que eles tanto desejam ver consolidado, mas eles continuarão a berrar e vociferar muito em sua busca incessante pela utopia, marcando presença em passeatas inúteis ou combatendo o fascismo imaginário nas redes sociais.

Sem dúvida, estamos muito perto de ver leis absurdas e estúpidas sendo implementadas, para agradar a militância da terra colorida do assistencialismo eterno onde nada é escasso e tudo cai do céu. Em breve, você não poderá usar calças pretas, pois elas serão consideradas peças de vestuário excessivamente heterossexuais. Apenas calças amarelas ou coloridas serão permitidas. Você também terá que tingir de cor-de-rosa uma mecha do seu cabelo; pois preservar o seu cabelo na sua cor natural é heteronormativo demais da sua parte, sendo portanto um componente demasiadamente opressor da sociedade.

Você também não poderá ver filmes de guerra ou de ação, apenas comédias românticas, pois certos gêneros de filmes exaltam a violência do patriarcado e isso impede o mundo de se tornar uma graciosa festa colorida de fraternidades universitárias ungidas por pôneis resplandecentes, hedonismo infinito, vadiagem universitária e autogratificação psicodélica, que certamente são elementos indispensáveis para se produzir o paraíso na Terra.

Sabemos perfeitamente, no entanto, que dentre as atitudes “opressivas” que a militância progressista mais se empenha em combater, estão o racismo, o fascismo, o machismo e a homofobia. No entanto, é fundamental entender que ser racista, fascista, machista ou homofóbico não são crimes em si. Na prática, todos esses elementos são apenas traços de personalidade; e eles não podem ser pura e simplesmente criminalizados porque ideólogos e militantes progressistas iluminados não gostam deles.

Tanto pela ética quanto pela ótica jusnaturalista, é facilmente compreensível entender que esses traços de personalidade não podem ser criminalizados ou proibidos simplesmente porque integrantes de uma ideologia não tem nenhuma apreciação ou simpatia por eles. Da mesma forma, nenhum desses traços de personalidade representa em si um perigo para a sociedade, pelo simples fato de existir. Por incrível que pareça, até mesmo o machismo, o racismo, o fascismo e a homofobia merecem a devida apologia.

Mas vamos analisar cada um desses tópicos separadamente para entender isso melhor.

Racismo

Quando falamos no Japão, normalmente não fazemos nenhuma associação da sociedade japonesa com o racismo. No entanto, é incontestável o fato de que a sociedade japonesa pode ser considerada uma das sociedades mais racistas do mundo. E a verdade é que não há absolutamente nada de errado com isso.

Aproximadamente 97% da população do Japão é nativa; apenas 3% do componente populacional é constituído por estrangeiros (a população do Japão é estimada em aproximadamente 126 milhões de habitantes). Isso faz a sociedade japonesa ser uma das mais homogêneas do mundo. As autoridades japonesas reconhecidamente dificultam processos de seleção e aplicação a estrangeiros que desejam se tornar residentes. E a maioria dos japoneses aprova essa decisão.

Diversos estabelecimentos comerciais como hotéis, bares e restaurantes por todo o país tem placas na entrada que dizem “somente para japoneses” e a maioria destes estabelecimentos se recusa ostensivamente a atender ou aceitar clientes estrangeiros, não importa quão ricos ou abastados sejam.

Na Terra do Sol Nascente, a hostilidade e a desconfiança natural para com estrangeiros é tão grande que até mesmo indivíduos que nascem em algum outro país, mas são filhos de pais japoneses, não são considerados cidadãos plenamente japoneses.

Se estes indivíduos decidem sair do seu país de origem para se estabelecer no Japão — mesmo tendo descendência nipônica legítima e inquestionável —, eles enfrentarão uma discriminação social considerável, especialmente se não dominarem o idioma japonês de forma impecável. Esse fato mostra que a discriminação é uma parte tão indissociável quanto elementar da sociedade japonesa, e ela está tão profundamente arraigada à cultura nipônica que é praticamente impossível alterá-la ou atenuá-la por qualquer motivo.

A verdade é que — quando falamos de um país como o Japão — nem todos os discursos politicamente corretos do mundo, nem a histeria progressista ocidental mais inflamada poderão algum dia modificar, extirpar ou sequer atenuar o componente racista da cultura nipônica. E isso é consequência de uma questão tão simples quanto primordial: discriminar faz parte da natureza humana, sendo tanto um direito individual quanto um elemento cultural inerente à muitas nações do mundo. Os japoneses não tem problema algum em admitir ou institucionalizar o seu preconceito, justamente pelo fato de que a ideologia politicamente correta não tem no oriente a força e a presença que tem no ocidente.

E é fundamental enfatizar que, sendo de natureza pacífica — ou seja, não violando nem agredindo terceiros —, a discriminação é um recurso natural dos seres humanos, que está diretamente associada a questões como familiaridade e segurança.

Absolutamente ninguém deve ser forçado a apreciar ou integrar-se a raças, etnias, pessoas ou tribos que não lhe transmitem sentimentos de segurança ou familiaridade. Integração forçada é o verdadeiro crime, e isso diversos países europeus — principalmente os escandinavos (países que lideram o ranking de submissão à ideologia politicamente correta) — aprenderam da pior forma possível.

A integração forçada com imigrantes islâmicos resultou em ondas de assassinato, estupro e violência inimagináveis para diversos países europeus, até então civilizados, que a imprensa ocidental politicamente correta e a militância progressista estão permanentemente tentando esconder, porque não desejam que o ocidente descubra como a agenda “humanitária” de integração forçada dos povos muçulmanos em países do Velho Mundo resultou em algumas das piores chacinas e tragédias na história recente da Europa.

Ou seja, ao discriminarem estrangeiros, os japoneses estão apenas se protegendo e lutando para preservar sua nação como um ambiente cultural, étnico e social que lhe é seguro e familiar, assim se opondo a mudanças bruscas, indesejadas e antinaturais, que poderiam comprometer a estabilidade social do país.

A discriminação — sendo de natureza pacífica —, é benévola, salutar e indubitavelmente ajuda a manter a estabilidade social da comunidade. Toda e qualquer forma de integração forçada deve ser repudiada com veemência, pois, mais cedo ou mais tarde, ela irá subverter a ordem social vigente, e sempre será acompanhada de deploráveis e dramáticos resultados.

Para citar novamente os países escandinavos, a Suécia é um excelente exemplo do que não fazer. Tendo seguido o caminho contrário ao da discriminação racional praticada pela sociedade japonesa, atualmente a sociedade sueca — além de afundar de forma consistente na lama da libertinagem, da decadência e da deterioração progressista — sofre em demasia com os imigrantes muçulmanos, que foram deixados praticamente livres para matar, saquear, esquartejar e estuprar quem eles quiserem. Hoje, eles são praticamente intocáveis, visto que denunciá-los, desmoralizá-los ou acusá-los de qualquer crime é uma atitude politicamente incorreta e altamente reprovada pelo establishment progressista. A elite socialista sueca jamais se atreve a acusá-los de qualquer crime, pois temem ser classificados como xenófobos e intolerantes. Ou seja, a desgraça da Europa, sobretudo dos países escandinavos, foi não ter oferecido nenhuma resistência à ideologia progressista politicamente correta. Hoje, eles são totalmente submissos a ela.

O exemplo do Japão mostra, portanto — para além de qualquer dúvida —, a importância ética e prática da discriminação, que é perfeitamente aceitável e natural, sendo uma tendência inerente aos seres humanos, e portanto intrínseca a determinados comportamentos, sociedades e culturas.

Indo ainda mais longe nessa questão, devemos entender que na verdade todos nós discriminamos, e não existe absolutamente nada de errado nisso. Discriminar pessoas faz parte da natureza humana e quem se recusa a admitir esse fato é um hipócrita. Mulheres discriminam homens na hora de selecionar um parceiro; elas avaliam diversos quesitos, como altura, aparência, status social, condição financeira e carisma. E dentre suas opções, elas sempre escolherão o homem mais atraente, másculo e viril, em detrimento de todos os baixinhos, calvos, carentes, frágeis e inibidos que possam estar disponíveis. Da mesma forma, homens sempre terão preferência por mulheres jovens, atraentes e delicadas, em detrimento de todas as feministas de meia-idade, acima do peso, de cabelo pintado, que são mães solteiras e militantes socialistas. A própria militância progressista discrimina pessoas de forma virulenta e intransigente, como fica evidente no tratamento que dispensam a mulheres bolsonaristas e a negros de direita.

A verdade é que — não importa o nível de histeria da militância progressista — a discriminação é inerente à condição humana e um direito natural inalienável de todos. É parte indissociável da natureza humana e qualquer pessoa pode e deve exercer esse direito sempre que desejar. Não existe absolutamente nada de errado em discriminar pessoas. O problema real é a ideologia progressista e o autoritarismo politicamente correto, movimentos tirânicos que não respeitam o direito das pessoas de discriminar.

Fascismo

Quando falamos de fascismo, precisamos entender que, para a esquerda política, o fascismo é compreendido como um conceito completamente divorciado do seu significado original. Para um militante de esquerda, fascista é todo aquele que defende posicionamentos contrários ao progressismo, não se referindo necessariamente a um fascista clássico.

Mas, seja como for, é necessário entender que — como qualquer ideologia política — até mesmo o fascismo clássico tem o direito de existir e ocupar o seu devido lugar; portanto, fascistas não devem ser arbitrariamente censurados, apesar de defenderem conceitos que representam uma completa antítese de tudo aquilo que é valioso para os entusiastas da liberdade.

Em um país como o Brasil, onde socialistas e comunistas tem total liberdade para se expressar, defender suas ideologias e até mesmo formar partidos políticos, não faz absolutamente o menor sentido que fascistas — e até mesmo nazistas assumidos — sofram qualquer tipo de discriminação. Embora socialistas e comunistas se sintam moralmente superiores aos fascistas (ou a qualquer outra filosofia política ou escola de pensamento), sabemos perfeitamente que o seu senso de superioridade é fruto de uma pueril romantização universitária da sua própria ideologia. A história mostra efetivamente que o socialismo clássico e o comunismo causaram muito mais destruição do que o fascismo.

Portanto, se socialistas e comunistas tem total liberdade para se expressar, não existe a menor razão para que fascistas não usufruam dessa mesma liberdade.

É claro, nesse ponto, seremos invariavelmente confrontados por um oportuno dilema — o famoso paradoxo da intolerância, de Karl Popper. Até que ponto uma sociedade livre e tolerante deve tolerar a intolerância (inerente a ideologias totalitárias)?

As leis de propriedade privada resolveriam isso em uma sociedade livre. O mais importante a levarmos em consideração no atual contexto, no entanto — ao defender ou criticar uma determinada ideologia, filosofia ou escola de pensamento —, é entender que, seja ela qual for, ela tem o direito de existir. E todas as pessoas que a defendem tem o direito de defendê-la, da mesma maneira que todos os seus detratores tem o direito de criticá-la.

Essa é uma forte razão para jamais apoiarmos a censura. Muito pelo contrário, devemos repudiar com veemência e intransigência toda e qualquer forma de censura, especialmente a estatal.

Existem duas fortes razões para isso:

A primeira delas é a volatilidade da censura (especialmente a estatal). A censura oficial do governo, depois que é implementada, torna-se absolutamente incontrolável. Hoje, ela pode estar apontada para um grupo de pessoas cujas ideias divergem das suas. Mas amanhã, ela pode estar apontada justamente para as ideias que você defende. É fundamental, portanto, compreendermos que a censura estatal é incontrolável. Sob qualquer ponto de vista, é muito mais vantajoso que exista uma vasta pluralidade de ideias conflitantes na sociedade competindo entre si, do que o estado decidir que ideias podem ser difundidas ou não.

Além do mais, libertários e anarcocapitalistas não podem nunca esperar qualquer tipo de simpatia por parte das autoridades governamentais. Para o estado, seria infinitamente mais prático e vantajoso criminalizar o libertarianismo e o anarcocapitalismo — sob a alegação de que são filosofias perigosas difundidas por extremistas radicais que ameaçam o estado democrático de direito — do que o fascismo ou qualquer outra ideologia centralizada em governos burocráticos e onipotentes. Portanto, defender a censura, especialmente a estatal, representa sempre um perigo para o próprio indivíduo, que mais cedo ou mais tarde poderá ver a censura oficial do sistema se voltar contra ele.

Outra razão pela qual libertários jamais devem defender a censura, é porque — ao contrário dos estatistas — não é coerente que defensores da liberdade se comportem como se o estado fosse o seu papai e o governo fosse a sua mamãe. Não devemos terceirizar nossas próprias responsabilidades, tampouco devemos nos comportar como adultos infantilizados. Assumimos a responsabilidade de combater todas as ideologias e filosofias que agridem a liberdade e os seres humanos. Não procuramos políticos ou burocratas para executar essa tarefa por nós.

Portanto, se você ver um fascista sendo censurado nas redes sociais ou em qualquer outro lugar, assuma suas dores. Sinta-se compelido a defendê-lo, mostre aos seus detratores que ele tem todo direito de se expressar, como qualquer pessoa. Você não tem obrigação de concordar com ele ou apreciar as ideias que ele defende. Mas silenciar arbitrariamente qualquer pessoa não é uma pauta que honra a liberdade.

Se você não gosta de estado, planejamento central, burocracia, impostos, tarifas, políticas coletivistas, nacionalistas e desenvolvimentistas, mostre com argumentos coesos e convincentes porque a liberdade e o livre mercado são superiores a todos esses conceitos. Mas repudie a censura com intransigência e mordacidade.

Em primeiro lugar, porque você aprecia e defende a liberdade de expressão para todas as pessoas. E em segundo lugar, por entender perfeitamente que — se a censura eventualmente se tornar uma política de estado vigente entre a sociedade — é mais provável que ela atinja primeiro os defensores da liberdade do que os defensores do estado.

Machismo

Muitos elementos do comportamento masculino que hoje são atacados com virulência e considerados machistas pelo movimento progressista são na verdade manifestações naturais intrínsecas ao homem, que nossos avôs cultivaram ao longo de suas vidas sem serem recriminados por isso. Com a ascensão do feminismo, do progressismo e a eventual problematização do sexo masculino, o antagonismo militante dos principais líderes da revolução sexual da contracultura passou a naturalmente condenar todos os atributos genuinamente masculinos, por considerá-los símbolos de opressão e dominação social.

Apesar do Brasil ser uma sociedade liberal ultra-progressista, onde o estado protege mais as mulheres do que as crianças — afinal, a cada semana novas leis são implementadas concedendo inúmeros privilégios e benefícios às mulheres, aos quais elas jamais teriam direito em uma sociedade genuinamente machista e patriarcal —, a esquerda política persiste em tentar difundir a fantasia da opressão masculina e o mito de que vivemos em uma sociedade machista e patriarcal.

Como sempre, a realidade mostra um cenário muito diferente daquilo que é pregado pela militância da terra da fantasia. O Brasil atual não tem absolutamente nada de machista ou patriarcal. No Brasil, mulheres podem votar, podem ocupar posições de poder e autoridade tanto na esfera pública quanto em companhias privadas, podem se candidatar a cargos políticos, podem ser vereadoras, deputadas, governadoras, podem ser proprietárias do próprio negócio, podem se divorciar, podem dirigir, podem comprar armas, podem andar de biquíni nas praias, podem usar saias extremamente curtas, podem ver programas de televisão sobre sexo voltados única e exclusivamente para o público feminino, podem se casar com outras mulheres, podem ser promíscuas, podem consumir bebidas alcoólicas ao ponto da embriaguez, e podem fazer praticamente tudo aquilo que elas desejarem. No Brasil do século XXI, as mulheres são genuinamente livres para fazer as próprias escolhas em praticamente todos os aspectos de suas vidas. O que mostra efetivamente que a tal opressão do patriarcado não existe.

O liberalismo social extremo do qual as mulheres usufruem no Brasil atual — e que poderíamos estender a toda a sociedade contemporânea ocidental — é suficiente para desmantelar completamente a fábula feminista da sociedade patriarcal machista e opressora, que existe única e exclusivamente no mundinho de fantasias ideológicas da esquerda progressista.

Tão importante quanto, é fundamental compreender que nenhum homem é obrigado a levar o feminismo a sério ou considerá-lo um movimento social e político legítimo. Para um homem, ser considerado machista ou até mesmo assumir-se como um não deveria ser um problema. O progressismo e o feminismo — com o seu nefasto hábito de demonizar os homens, bem como todos os elementos inerentes ao comportamento e a cultura masculina — é que são o verdadeiro problema, conforme tentam modificar o homem para transformá-lo em algo que ele não é nem deveria ser: uma criatura dócil, passiva e submissa, que é comandada por ideologias hostis e antinaturais, que não respeitam a hierarquia de uma ordem social milenar e condições inerentes à própria natureza humana. Com o seu hábito de tentar modificar tudo através de leis e decretos, o feminismo e o progressismo mostram efetivamente que o seu real objetivo é criminalizar a masculinidade.

A verdade é que — usufruindo de um nível elevado de liberdades — não existe praticamente nada que a mulher brasileira do século XXI não possa fazer. Adicionalmente, o governo dá as mulheres uma quantidade tão avassaladora de vantagens, privilégios e benefícios, que está ficando cada vez mais difícil para elas encontrarem razões válidas para reclamarem da vida. Se o projeto de lei que pretende fornecer um auxílio mensal de mil e duzentos reais para mães solteiras for aprovado pelo senado, muitas mulheres que tem filhos não precisarão nem mesmo trabalhar para ter sustento. E tantas outras procurarão engravidar, para ter direito a receber uma mesada mensal do governo até o seu filho completar a maioridade.

O que a militância colorida da terra da fantasia convenientemente ignora — pois a realidade nunca corresponde ao seu conto de fadas ideológico — é que o mundo de uma forma geral continua sendo muito mais implacável com os homens do que é com as mulheres. No Brasil, a esmagadora maioria dos suicídios é praticada por homens, a maioria das vítimas de homicídio são homens e de cada quatro moradores de rua, três são homens. Mas é evidente que uma sociedade liberal ultra-progressista não se importa com os homens, pois ela não é influenciada por fatos concretos ou pela realidade. Seu objetivo é simplesmente atender as disposições de uma agenda ideológica, não importa quão divorciadas da realidade elas são.

O nível exacerbado de liberdades sociais e privilégios governamentais dos quais as mulheres brasileiras usufruem é suficiente para destruir a fantasiosa fábula da sociedade machista, opressora e patriarcal. Se as mulheres brasileiras não estão felizes, a culpa definitivamente não é dos homens. Se a vasta profusão de liberdades, privilégios e benefícios da sociedade ocidental não as deixa plenamente saciadas e satisfeitas, elas podem sempre mudar de ares e tentar uma vida mais abnegada e espartana em países como Irã, Paquistão ou Afeganistão. Quem sabe assim elas não se sentirão melhores e mais realizadas?

Homofobia

Quando falamos em homofobia, entramos em uma categoria muito parecida com a do racismo: o direito de discriminação é totalmente válido. Absolutamente ninguém deve ser obrigado a aceitar homossexuais ou considerar o homossexualismo como algo normal. Sendo cristão, não existe nem sequer a mais vaga possibilidade de que algum dia eu venha a aceitar o homossexualismo como algo natural. O homossexualismo se qualifica como um grave desvio de conduta e um pecado contra o Criador.

A Bíblia proíbe terminantemente conduta sexual imoral, o que — além do homossexualismo — inclui adultério, fornicação, incesto e bestialidade, entre outras formas igualmente pérfidas de degradação.

Segue abaixo três passagens bíblicas que proíbem terminantemente a conduta homossexual:

“Não te deitarás com um homem como se deita com uma mulher. Isso é abominável!” (Levítico 18:22 — King James Atualizada)

“Se um homem se deitar com outro homem, como se deita com mulher, ambos terão praticado abominação; certamente serão mortos; o seu sangue estará sobre eles.” (Levítico 20:13 — João Ferreira de Almeida Atualizada)

“O quê! Não sabeis que os injustos não herdarão o reino de Deus? Não sejais desencaminhados. Nem fornicadores, nem idólatras, nem adúlteros, nem homens mantidos para propósitos desnaturais, nem homens que se deitam com homens, nem ladrões, nem gananciosos, nem beberrões, nem injuriadores, nem extorsores herdarão o reino de Deus.” (1 Coríntios 6:9,10 —Tradução do Novo Mundo das Escrituras Sagradas com Referências)

Se você não é religioso, pode simplesmente levar em consideração o argumento do respeito pela ordem natural. A ordem natural é incondicional e incisiva com relação a uma questão: o complemento de tudo o que existe é o seu oposto, não o seu igual. O complemento do dia é a noite, o complemento da luz é a escuridão, o complemento da água, que é líquida, é a terra, que é sólida. E como sabemos o complemento do macho — de sua respectiva espécie — é a fêmea.

Portanto, o complemento do homem, o macho da espécie humana, é naturalmente a mulher, a fêmea da espécie humana. Um homem e uma mulher podem naturalmente se reproduzir, porque são um complemento biológico natural. Por outro lado, um homem e outro homem são incapazes de se reproduzir, assim como uma mulher e outra mulher.

Infelizmente, o mundo atual está longe de aceitar como plenamente estabelecida a ordem natural pelo simples fato dela existir, visto que tentam subvertê-la a qualquer custo, não importa o malabarismo intelectual que tenham que fazer para justificar os seus pontos de vista distorcidos e antinaturais. A libertinagem irrefreável e a imoralidade bestial do mundo contemporâneo pós-moderno não reconhecem nenhum tipo de limite. Quem tenta restabelecer princípios morais salutares é imediatamente considerado um vilão retrógrado e repressivo, sendo ativamente demonizado pela militância do hedonismo, da luxúria e da licenciosidade desenfreada e sem limites.

Definitivamente, fazer a apologia da moralidade, do autocontrole e do autodomínio não faz nenhum sucesso na Sodoma e Gomorra global dos dias atuais. O que faz sucesso é lacração, devassidão, promiscuidade e prazeres carnais vazios. O famoso escritor e filósofo francês Albert Camus expressou uma verdade contundente quando disse: “Uma só frase lhe bastará para definir o homem moderno — fornicava e lia jornais”.

Qualquer indivíduo tem o direito inalienável de discriminar ativamente homossexuais, pelo direito que ele julgar mais pertinente no seu caso. A objeção de consciência para qualquer situação é um direito natural dos indivíduos. Há alguns anos, um caso que aconteceu nos Estados Unidos ganhou enorme repercussão internacional, quando o confeiteiro Jack Phillips se recusou a fazer um bolo de casamento para o “casal” homossexual Dave Mullins e Charlie Craig.

Uma representação dos direitos civis do estado do Colorado abriu um inquérito contra o confeiteiro, alegando que ele deveria ser obrigado a atender todos os clientes, independente da orientação sexual, raça ou crença. Preste atenção nas palavras usadas — ele deveria ser obrigado a atender.

Como se recusou bravamente a ceder, o caso foi parar invariavelmente na Suprema Corte, que decidiu por sete a dois em favor de Jack Phillips, sob a alegação de que obrigar o confeiteiro a atender o “casal” homossexual era uma violação nefasta dos seus princípios religiosos. Felizmente, esse foi um caso em que a liberdade prevaleceu sobre a tirania progressista.

Evidentemente, homossexuais não devem ser agredidos, ofendidos, internados em clínicas contra a sua vontade, nem devem ser constrangidos em suas liberdades pelo fato de serem homossexuais. O que eles precisam entender é que a liberdade é uma via de mão dupla. Eles podem ter liberdade para adotar a conduta que desejarem e fazer o que quiserem (contanto que não agridam ninguém), mas da mesma forma, é fundamental respeitar e preservar a liberdade de terceiros que desejam rejeitá-los pacificamente, pelo motivo que for.

Afinal, ninguém tem a menor obrigação de aceitá-los, atendê-los ou sequer pensar que uma união estável entre duas pessoas do mesmo sexo — incapaz de gerar descendentes, e, portanto, antinatural — deva ser considerado um matrimônio de verdade. Absolutamente nenhuma pessoa, ideia, movimento, crença ou ideologia usufrui de plena unanimidade no mundo. Por que o homossexualismo deveria ter tal privilégio?

Homossexuais não são portadores de uma verdade definitiva, absoluta e indiscutível, que está acima da humanidade. São seres humanos comuns que — na melhor das hipóteses —, levam um estilo de vida que pode ser considerado “alternativo”, e absolutamente ninguém tem a obrigação de considerar esse estilo de vida normal ou aceitável. A única obrigação das pessoas é não interferir, e isso não implica uma obrigação em aceitar.

Discriminar homossexuais (assim como pessoas de qualquer outro grupo, raça, religião, nacionalidade ou etnia) é um direito natural por parte de todos aqueles que desejam exercer esse direito. E isso nem o direito positivo nem a militância progressista poderão algum dia alterar ou subverter. O direito natural e a inclinação inerente dos seres humanos em atender às suas próprias disposições é simplesmente imutável e faz parte do seu conjunto de necessidades.

Conclusão

A militância progressista é absurdamente autoritária, e todas as suas estratégias e disposições ideológicas mostram que ela está em uma guerra permanente contra a ordem natural, contra a liberdade e principalmente contra o homem branco, cristão, conservador e tradicionalista — possivelmente, aquilo que ela mais odeia e despreza.

Nós não podemos, no entanto, ceder ou dar espaço para a agenda progressista, tampouco pensar em considerar como sendo normais todas as pautas abusivas e tirânicas que a militância pretende estabelecer como sendo perfeitamente razoáveis e aceitáveis, quer a sociedade aceite isso ou não. Afinal, conforme formos cedendo, o progressismo tirânico e totalitário tende a ganhar cada vez mais espaço.

Quanto mais espaço o progressismo conquistar, mais corroída será a liberdade e mais impulso ganhará o totalitarismo. Com isso, a cultura do cancelamento vai acabar com carreiras, profissões e com o sustento de muitas pessoas, pelo simples fato de que elas discordam das pautas universitárias da moda.

A história mostra perfeitamente que quanto mais liberdade uma sociedade tem, mais progresso ela atinge. Por outro lado, quanto mais autoritária ela for, mais retrocessos ela sofrerá. O autoritarismo se combate com liberdade, desafiando as pautas de todos aqueles que persistem em implementar a tirania na sociedade. O politicamente correto é o nazismo dos costumes, que pretende subverter a moral através de uma cultura de vigilância policial despótica e autoritária, para que toda a sociedade seja subjugada pela agenda totalitária progressista.

Pois quanto a nós, precisamos continuar travando o bom combate em nome da liberdade. E isso inclui reconhecer que ideologias, hábitos e costumes de que não gostamos tem o direito de existir e até mesmo de serem defendidos.

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Chef's notes

การทำเนื้อแดดเดียวที่จะเหมาะสำหรับเป็นกับแกล้มกับเครื่องดื่มแสนอร่อยและการที่จะทำให้รสชาติดีนั้นอยู่ที่ปัญจัยเพียงไม่กี่อย่างเช่น คุณภาพของเนื้อที่นำมาทำซึ่งเรื่องเนื้อให้เล่าคงจะยาวเอาเป็นที่ทำวันนี้ได้เสษเนื้อมาจากตลาดนัดแต่เป็นวันที่เราไปตลาดเร็วว่างั้นเถอะเศษที่ได้มาชิ้นค่อนข้างสวยเลยแหละ แล้วตอนหั่นเนื้อสำหรับคนที่ชอบบ่นว่าเนื้อมันเหนียวลองสังเกตุลายของเนื้อให้ดีเราควรจะหั่นแบบตัดขวางลายเนื้อก็จะช่วยได้ เครื่องปรุงสำหรับหมักอันนี้แล้วแต่ความชอบจะตัดหรือเพิ่มตัวไหนตามสะดวกไม่ว่าจะเป็นดอกเกลือ เกลือชมพู เกลือดำ ก็จะให้รสชาติต่างกันตามความชอบของแต่ละคน และระยะเวลาในการตากแดดถ้าช่วงที่เหมาะก็น่าจะเป็นช่วง ฤดูตอนนี้ กับฤดูร้อนน่าจะได้ผลที่สุด ส่วนฤดูฝนเนื้อมันจะไม่ได้รับแดดตามที่ต้องการเพราะฉะนั้นบางที่ถึงต้องใช้เครื่องไล่ความชื่นซึ่งมันจะให้ผลลัพธ์เหมือนนำเนื้อไปตากด้วยแดดนี่แหละ หรือเราจะใช้ความร้อนจากเครื่องขุด bitcoin ของเราก็ได้นะจะได้ใช้ลมร้อนให้เกิดประโยชน์

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 4 hour
• 🍳 Cook time: 10
• 🍽️ Servings: 1-4

Ingredients

• เนื้อวัว 1 kgs.
• เกลือ 1 ช้อนชา
• ผงปรุงรส 1 ช้อนโต๊ะ
• ซอสปรุงรส 3 ช้อนโต๊ะ

Directions

1. หั่นเนื้อวัวเป็นเส้นๆอย่าลืมหั่นขวางตัดลายเนื้อ
2. นำเครื่องปรุงทั้งหมดคลุกเคล้ากับเนื้อ
3. พักเนื้อไว้ในอุณหภูมิห้อง 1/2 ชม.
4. นำเนื้อไปตากแดดจัด ด้านละ 1 ชั่วโมงครึ่ง
5. นำเนื้อที่ได้จะไปทอดด้วยน้ำมันวัว น้ำมันหมู หรือหม้อทอดไร้น้ำมันก็แล้วแต่ความชอบ
6. เพียงเท่านี้ก็ได้เนื้อแดดเดียวแสนอร่อยไว้กินคู่กับเครื่องดื่มสุดโปรดแล้วครับ

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"For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." Romans 14:11-12

Though God has always had a people, the New Testament Church started with Christ and His disciples and was empowered at Pentecost. Historically, there has always been a remnant of people who adhered to the truth of God's Word for their faith and practice. I am convinced that the very same body of truth which was once delivered must be contended for in every generation.

In every generation from Christ and His disciples to this present moment, there have been holy adherents to the truth of God's Word. This witness of history is a witness in their blood. I am a Baptist by conviction. I was not "Baptist-born." I became and remain a Baptist because of what I have discovered in the Word of God.

The Lord Jesus Christ left His church doctrine and ordinances. The ordinances are baptism and the Lord's Supper. These are the things He ordered us to do. They picture His death and remind us of Him and His return. He also left us a body of doctrine. This involves our belief and teaching. Our doctrine distinguishes us. It is all from the Bible.

No one can be forced to become a Baptist. Our records show that baptism was always administered to professing believers. Hence, we refer to baptism as believers' baptism.

Baptists are gospel-preaching people. They preached the gospel to me. The Lord Jesus said to the first-century church, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth ,, (Acts I :8). I am grateful to God to be a Baptist. I consider this to be New Testament Christianity. It is my joy to serve as the pastor of an independent Baptist church, preaching and teaching God's Word.

A Baptist recognizes the autonomy of the local church. There is no such thing as "The Baptist Church." The only Baptist headquarters that exists is in the local assembly of baptized believers. There are only local Baptist churches. \

When we say that the Bible is our sole authority, we are speaking of all the scriptures, the whole and its parts. We should preach the whole counsel of God. In the Bible we find the gospel-the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We should proclaim the gospel because Jesus Christ said that we are to take the gospel message to every creature. When we open the sixty-six books of the Bible, we find more than the gospel. Of course, that scarlet thread of redemption runs through all the Bible, but the whole counsel of God must be proclaimed.

The Bible says in Romans 14:11-12, ''For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. " Each human being must answer personally to God.

In our nation we hear people talk about religious tolerance. Religious tolerance is something created by government. It is a "gift" from government. Religious tolerance is something man has made. Soul liberty is something God established when He created us. We find a clear teaching of this in His Word. Soul liberty is a gift from God! God's Word says in Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

Soul liberty does not rest upon the legal documents of our nation-it is rooted in the Word of God. This individual freedom of the soul is inherent in man's nature as God created him. Man is responsible for his choices, but he is free to choose. This conviction is at the core of Baptist beliefs.

This powerful declaration about our Baptist position was made by J.D. Freeman in 1905:

Our demand has been not simply for religious toleration, but religious liberty; not sufferance merely, but freedom; and that not for ourselves alone, but for all men. We did not stumble upon this doctrine. It inheres in the very essence of our belief. Christ is Lord of all.. .. The conscience is the servant only of God, and is not subject to the will of man. This truth has indestructible life. Crucify it and the third day it will rise again. Bury it in the sepulcher and the stone will be rolled away, while the keepers become as dead men .... Steadfastly refusing to bend our necks under the yoke of bondage, we have scrupulously withheld our hands from imposing that yoke upon others .... Of martyr blood our hands are clean. We have never invoked the sword of temporal power to aid the sword of the Spirit. We have never passed an ordinance inflicting a civic disability on any man because of his religious views, be he Protestant or Papist, Jew, or Turk, or infidel. In this regard there is no blot on our escutcheon (family crest).

Remember that, when we are talking about individual soul liberty and the relationship of the church and the state, in America the Constitution does not place the church over the state or the state over the church. Most importantly, Scripture places them side by side, each operating independently of the other. This means there is freedom in the church and freedom in the state. Each is sovereign within the sphere of the authority God has given to each of them (Matthew 22:21).

Read carefully this statement made by Charles Spurgeon, the famous English preacher, concerning Baptist people:

We believe that the Baptists are the original Christians. We did not commence our existence at the Reformation, we were reformers before Luther or Calvin were born; we never came from the Church of Rome, for we were never in it, but we have an unbroken line up to the apostles themselves. We have always existed from the very days of Christ, and our principles, sometimes veiled and forgotten, like a river which may travel underground for a little season, have always had honest and holy adherents. Persecuted alike by Romanists and Protestants of almost every sect, yet there has never existed a government holding Baptist principles which persecuted others; nor, I believe, any body of Baptists ever held it to be right to put the consciences of others under the control of man. We have ever been ready to suffer, as our martyrologies will prove, but we are not ready to accept any help from the State, to prostitute the purity of the Bride of Christ to any alliance with overnment, and we wil never make the Church, although the Queen, the despot over the consciences of men.

The New Park Street Pulpit, Volume VII · Page 225

This a marvelous statement about Baptist beliefs. I am rather troubled when I see so many people who claim to be Baptists who do not understand why they are Baptists. We should be able to defend our position and do it biblically. lf we are people who know and love the Lord and His Word and if the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice, then we have no reason to be ashamed of the position we take. May God not only help us to take this position, but to take it with holy boldness and cotnpassion. May He help us to be able to take His Word in hand and heart and defend what we believe to a lost and dying world.

So much of what we have to enjoy in our country can be credited to Baptist people. Any honest student of American history will agree that the Virginia Baptists were almost solely responsible for the First Amendment being added to our Constitution providing the freedom to worship God as our conscience dictates.

We have a country that has been so influenced that we do not believe it is right to exercise any control or coercion of any kind over the souls of men. Where did this conviction come from? We find it in the Bible, but someone imparted it to the Founding Fathers. It became the law of the land, and it should remain the law of the land. We need to understand it. It comes out of the clear teaching of God's Word concerning the subject of soul liberty.

There are many historic places there where people were martyred for their faith, giving their lives for what they believed. The religious persecution came as a result of the laws of the land. Although many Baptists have been martyred, you will never find Baptist people persecuting anyone anywhere for his faith, no matter what his faith may be.

There are many denominations that teach the Scriptures are the infallible Word of God, God is the creator of heaven and earth, man is a fallen creature and must be redeemed by the blood of Christ, salvation is the free offer of eternal Iife to those who receive it and eternal helI awaits those who reject it, the Lord's Day is a day of worship, and the only time for man to be made right with God is in this lifetime. There are certainly other commonly held teachings, but there are certain Baptist distinctive. Often an acrostic using the word BAPTISTS is used to represent these Baptist distinctive.

• B is for biblical authority. The Bible is the sole authority for our faith and practice.

• A for the autonomy of the local church. Every church we find in the New Testament was a self-governing church with only Christ as the head.

• P represents the priesthood of believers and the access we have to God through Jesus Christ.

• T for the two church officers-pastors and deacons. We find these officers in the New Testament.

• I for individual soul liberty. Most people, when asked, say that the sole authority of the Scripture in our faith and practice is the single, most important distinctive of our faith. However, if we did not have individual soul liberty, we could not come to the convictions we have on all other matters.

• S for a saved church membership.

Personal Accountability to God

Renowned Baptist leader, Dr. E.Y. Mullins, summarized our Baptist position in these words. He wrote:

The biblical significance of the Baptist is the right of private interpretation of and obedience to the Scriptures. The significance of the Baptist in relation to the individual is soul freedom. The ecclesiastical significance of the Baptist is a regenerated church membership and the equality and priesthood of believers. The political significance of the Baptist is the separation of church and state. But as comprehending all the above particulars, as a great and aggressive force in Christian history, as distinguished from all others and standing entirely alone, the doctrine of the soul's competency in religion under God is the distinctive significance of the Baptists.

We find this accountability in the opening verses of God's Word. When God created man, He created man capable of giving a personal account of himself to God. God did not create puppets; He created people. He gave man the right to choose. That is why we find the man Adam choosing to sin and to disobey God in Genesis chapter three. Of his own volition he chose to sin and disobey God. Genesis I :27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. " We were made in God's image, and when God made us in His image, He made us with the ability to choose.

It is not right to try to force one's religion or belief upon another individual. This does not mean, however, that he can be a Christian by believing anything he wishes to believe, because Jesus Christ said that there is only one way to heaven. He said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." He is the only way to God. The only way of salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this age of tolerance, people say that nothing is really wrong. The same people who say that any way of believing is right will not accept the truth that one belief can be the only way that is right. You may believe anything you choose, but God has declared that there is only one way to Him and that is through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only way of salvation- that is why He suffered and died for our sins. The only way to know God is through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Someone is certain to ask, "Who are you to declare that everyone else's religion is wrong?" We are saying that everyone ~as ~ right to choose his own way, but God has clearly taught us in His Word that there is only one way to Him. The Lord Jesus says in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."

No human being is going to live on this earth without being sinned against by others. Many children are sinned against greatly by their own parents. However, we cannot go through life blaming others for the person we are, because God has made us in such a way that we have an individual accountability to God. This comes out of our soul liberty and our right to choose and respond to things in a way that God would have us espond to them. God has made us in His image. Again, He did not make us puppets or robots; He made us people, created in His image with the ability to choose our own way.

Remember, "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:11- 12). We are responsible because we have direct access to God. God has given us the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and access to the Throne by the merit of Jesus Christ. We, therefore? must answer personally to God at the judgment seat because God communicates to us directly.

People do not like to be held personally accountable for their actions. The truth of the Word of God is that every individual is personally accountable to God. In other words, you are going to meet God in judgment some day. I am going to meet God in judgment some day. All of us are going to stand before the Lord some day and answer to Him. We are individually accountable to God. Since the state cannot answer for us to God, it has no right to dictate our conscience.

We live in a country where there are many false religions. As Baptist people, we defend the right of anyone in our land to worship as he sees fit to worship. This is unheard of in most of the world. If a man is a Moslem, I do not agree with his Islamic religion, but I defend his right to worship as he sees fit to worship. The teaching of the Catholic Church declares that salvation comes through Mary, but this is not the teaching of the Bible. We zealously proclaim the truth, but we must also defend the right of people to worship as they choose to worship. Why? Because individual soul liberty is a gift from God to every human being.

Since the Bible teaches individual soul liberty and personal accountability to God, then it is a truth that will endure to all generations. To be sure, Baptists believe the Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice (II Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 15:9; I John 2:20, 21 , 27) and the Bible clearly teaches that no church or government or power on earth has the right to bind a man's conscience. The individual is personally accountable to God. Hence, we reject the teaching of infant baptism and all doctrine that recognizes people as members of a church before they give evidence of personal repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The famous Baptist, John Bunyan is the man who gave us Pilgrim's Progress. This wonderful book was planned during Bunyan's prison experience and written when he was released. The trial of John Bunyan took place on October 3, 1660. John Bunyan spent twelve years in jail for his convictions about individual soul liberty, failure to attend the Church of England, and for preaching the Word of God. During his trial, Bunyan stood before Judge Wingate who was interested in hearing John Bunyan state his case. Judge Wingate said, "In that case, then, this court would be profoundly interested in your response to them."

Part of John Bunyan's response follows:

Thank you, My 'lord. And may I say that I am grateful for the opportunity to respond. Firstly, the depositions speak the truth. I have never attended services in the Church of England, nor do I intend ever to do so. Secondly, it is no secret that I preach the Word of God whenever, wherever, and to whomever He pleases to grant me opportunity to do so. Having said that, My 'lord, there is a weightier issue that I am constrained to address. I have no choice but to acknowledge my awareness of the law which I am accused of transgressing. Likewise, I have no choice but to confess my auilt in my transgression of it. As true as these things are, I must affirm that I neiher regret breaking the law, nor repent of having broken it. Further, I must warn you that I have no intention in future of conforming to it. It is, on its face, an unjust law, a law against which honorable men cannot shrink from protesting. In truth, My 'lord, it violates an infinitely higher law- the right of every man to seek God in his own way, unhindered by any temporal power. That, My 'lord, is my response.

Remember that Bunyan was responding as to why he would not do all that he was doing for God within the confines of the Church of England. The transcription goes on to say:

Judge Wingate: This court would remind you, sir, that we are not here to debate the merits of the law. We are here to determine if you are, in fact, guilty of violating it. John Bunyan: Perhaps, My 'lord, that is why you are here, but it is most certainly not why I am here. I am here because you compel me to be here. All I ask is to be left alone to preach and to teach as God directs me. As, however, I must be here, I cannot fail to use these circumstances to speak against what I know to be an unjust and odious edict. Judge Wingate: Let me understand you. You are arguing that every man has a right, given him by Almighty God, to seek the Deity in his own way, even if he chooses without the benefit of the English Church? John Bunyan: That is precisely what I am arguing, My 'lord. Or without benefit of any church. Judge Wingate: Do you know what you are saying? What of Papist and Quakers? What of pagan Mohammedans? Have these the right to seek God in their own misguided way? John Bunyan: Even these, My 'lord. Judge Wingate: May I ask if you are articularly sympathetic to the views of these or other such deviant religious societies? John Bunyan: I am not, My 'lord. Judge Wingate: Yet, you affirm a God-given right to hold any alien religious doctrine that appeals to the warped minds of men? John Bunyan: I do, My'lord. Judge Wingate: I find your views impossible of belief And what of those who, if left to their own devices, would have no interest in things heavenly? Have they the right to be allowed to continue unmolested in their error? John Bunyan: It is my fervent belief that they do, My'lord. Judge Wingate: And on what basis, might r ask. can you make such rash affirmations? John Bunyan: On the basis, My 'lord, that a man's religious views- or lack of them- are matters between his conscience and his God, and are not the business of the Crown, the Parliament, or even, with all due respect, My 'lord, of this court. However much I may be in disagreement with another man's sincerely held religious beliefs, neither I nor any other may disallo his right to hold those beliefs. No man's right in these affairs are . secure if every other man's rights are not equally secure.

I do not know of anyone who could have expressed the whole idea of soul liberty in the words of man any more clearly than Bunyan stated in 1660. Every man can seek God as he pleases. This means that we cannot force our religious faith or teaching on anyone. It means clearly that no one can be coerced into being a Baptist and believing what we believe. It means that we can do no arm-twisting, or anything of that sort, to make anyone believe what we believe. Every man has been created by God with the ability to choose to follow God or to follow some other god.

Personal accountability to God is a distinctive of our faith. It is something we believe, and out of this distinctive come other distinctives that we identify with as Baptist people.

The Priesthood of Every Believer

The priesthood of the believer means that every believer can go to God through the merit of Jesus Christ. Christ and Christ alone is the only way to God. All of us who have trusted Christ as Saviour enjoy the glorious privilege of the priesthood of the believer and can access God through the merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The Bible says in I Timothy 2: 1-6,

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men,· for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour,· who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Take special note of verse five, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

Any man, anywhere in this world can go to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 says, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal pn~ • thood , an . holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should. shew forth the praises of hzm who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. "

Christians have access to God. You can personally talk to God. You can take your needs to the Lord. Whatever your needs are, you can take those needs to the Lord. You, as an individual Christian, can go to God through the Lord Jesus Christ, your High Priest who "ever liveth to make intercession" for you (Hebrews 7:25).

We have no merit of our own. We do not accumulate merit. People may make reference to a time of meritorious service someone has rendered, but we cannot build up "good works" that get us through to God. Each day, we must come before God as needy sinners approaching Him through the finished work of Christ and Christ alone.

The Bible teaches the personal accountability of every human being to God. We cannot force our religion on anyone or make anyone a believer. We cannot force someone to be a Christian. Think of how wrong it is to take babies and allow them later in life to think they have become Christians by an act of infant baptism. Yes, they have a right to practice infant baptism, but we do not believe this is biblical because faith cannot be forced or coerced.

There are places in the world where the state is under a religion. There are places in the world where religion is under the state-the state exercises control over the faith of people. This is not taught in the Bible. Then, there are countries like ours where the church and the state operate side by side.

Throughout history, people who have identified with Baptist distinctives have stood as guardians of religious liberty. At the heart of this liberty is what we refer to as ndividual soul liberty. I am grateful to be a Baptist.

The Power of Influence Where does this teaching of the priesthood of every believer and our personal accountability to God lead us? It leads us to realize the importance of the power of influence. This is the tool God has given us. I want to give you an Old Testament example to illustrate the matter of influence.

Judges 21 :25 tells us, "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

In the days of the judges, every man did what was right in his own eyes with no fixed point of reference.

God's Word continues to describe this time of judges in Ruth 1:1, ''Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. " God begins to tell us about a man named Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and his sons. He brings us to the beautiful love story of Ruth and Boaz. God tells us that at the same time in which the judges ruled, when there was anarchy in the land, this beautiful love stor of Boaz and Ruth took place.

This story gives us interesting insight on the responsibility of the Christian and the church. In the midst of everything that is going on, we are to share the beautiful love story of the Lord Jesus Christ and His bride. We need to tell people about the Saviour.

The same truth is found throughout the Word of God. Philippians 2:15 states, "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. "

We are "in the midst ofa crooked and p erverse nation." This is why the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. " Let your light shine!

The more a church becomes like the world, the less influence it is going to have in the world. Preaching ceases, and churches only have diolauges. Singing that is sacred is taken out and the worlds music comes in. All revrence is gone. What so many are attempting to do in order to build up their ministry is actualy what will cause the demise of their ministry. We will never make a difference without being willing to be differnt, Being different is not the goal. Christ is the goal, and He makes us different.

Remember, we cannot force people to become Christians or force our faith on people. It is not right to attempt to violate another man's will; he must choose of his own volition to trust Christ or reject Christ. When we understand this, then we understand the powerful tool of influence. We must live Holy Spirit-filled, godly lives and be what God wants us to be. We must be lights in a dark world as we live in the midst of a crooked generation. The only tool we have to use is influence, not force. As we separate ourselves to God and live godly lives, only then do we have a testimony.

Separation to God and from the world is not the enemy of evangelism; it cais the essential of evangelism. There can be no evangelism without separation to God and from the world because we have no other tool to use. We cannot force people to believe what we believe to be the truth. They must choose of their own will. We must so identify with the Lord Jesus in His beauty, glory, and holiness that He will be lifted up, and people will come to Him

The more a church becomes like the world, the less influence it is going to have in the world. Preaching ceases, and churches only have dialogue. Singing that is sacred is taken out, and the world's music comes in. All reverence is gone. What so many are attempting to do in order to build up their ministry is actually what will cause the demise of their ministry. We will never make a difference without being willing to be different. It is Christ who makes us different. Being different is not the goal. Christ is the goal, and He makes us different.

Remember, we cannot force people to become Christians or force our faith on people. It is not right to attempt to violate another man's will; he must choose of his own volition to trust Christ or reject Christ. When we understand this, then we understand the powerful tool of influence. We must live Holy Spirit-filled, godly lives and be what God wants us to be. We must be lights in a dark world as we live in the midst of a crooked generation. The only tool we have to use is influence, not force. As we separate ourselves to God and live godly lives, only then do we have a testimony.

Separation to God and from the world is not the enemy of evangelism; it is the essential of evangelism. There can be no evangelism without separation to God and from the world because we have no other tool to use. We cannot force people to believe what we believe to be the truth. They must choose of their own will. We must so identify with the Lord Jesus in His beauty, glory, and holiness that He will be lifted up, and people will come to Him.

As this world becomes increasingly worse, the more off-thewall and ridiculous we will appear to an unbelieving world. The temptation will come again and again for us to simply cave in.

When one finds people with sincerely held Baptist distinctives, he finds those people have a passion for going in the power of the Holy Spirit, obeying Christ, preaching the gospel to every creature. I am grateful to God to say, "I am a Baptist."

Baptists know it is because of what we find in the Bible about soul freedom, personal accountability, and the priesthood of every believer that we must use the power of Spirit-filled influence to win the lost to Christ. If we disobey Christ by conforming to the world, we lose our influence.

May the Lord help us to be unashamed to bear His reproach and be identified with our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Way of Salvation

Do you know for sure that if you died today you would go to Heaven?

1. Realize that God loves you

God loves you and has a plan for your life. "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16 ).

2. The Bible says that all men are sinners

Our sins have separated us from God. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). God made man in His own image. He gave man the ability to choose right from wrong. We choose to sin. Our sins separate us from God.

3. God's word also says that sin must be paid for

"For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23 ). Wages means payment. The payment of our sin is death and hell, separation from God forever. If we continue in our sin, we shall die without Christ and be without God forever.

4. The good news is that Christ paid for our sins

All our sins were laid on Christ on the cross. He paid our sin debt for us. The Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, and He arose from the dead. He is alive forevermore. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

5. We must personally pray and recieve Christ by faith as our saviour

The Bible says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13 ).

Lets review for a moment

1. Realize That God Loves You - John 3: 1
2. All are sinners - Romans 3:21
3. Sin Must Be Paid For - Romans 6:23
4. Christ paid for our sins - Romans 5:8
5. We Must Personally Pray and Receive Christ as Our Saviour - Romans 10:13
6. Pray and recieve Christ as your saviour

Lord, I know that I am a sinner. If I died today I would not go to heaven. Forgive my sins and be my Saviour. Help me live for You from this day forward. In Jesus' name, Amen.

The Bible says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13 ).

~navluc-latmes

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

We often fantasized about time travel, mostly what stocks we would buy, what bets we would make. Buster Douglas and the 1999 St. Louis Rams to win the Super Bowl were two I liked to bring up. But that was before Henry got caught up in politics, and the conversation turned to altering events in world history.

Henry argued if you had one trip you’d be morally obligated to prevent some of history’s worst tragedies, and for him the go-to example was killing baby Hitler. If you were there and had the chance, you’d have to do it, he’d say, no matter how hard it would be to murder an innocent baby. If you hesitated to agree, he’d browbeat you, saying good people doing nothing is what allows evil to thrive. He saw it as an obvious choice: one as yet innocent baby in exchange for the lives and suffering of millions.

This made the exercise considerably less enjoyable, and we dropped it. That is, until The Simulator. The Simulator was a breakthrough technology, part virtual reality game, part research tool that enabled virtual experiments from modeling future events to modifying past ones and seeing present-day results. I’m oversimplifying, but it worked by scanning every recorded byte, including old maps, regional soil composition, weather patterns, temperature data, census records and every published book in human history. From stock market data to the Code of Hammurabi, to the fully mapped human genome, The Simulator drew inputs for its algorithm. Some believed the developers had access to classified material from the world’s intelligence agencies, including UFO encounters deemed too sensitive for public consumption.

Of course we only had the commercialized game version — the full one was prohibitively expensive and available only to those with official authorization. But the game version was robust enough, and already the software of choice for sports betting, weather forecasting and for some stock pickers, (though many suspected hedge funds and large institutions had access to the full version and avoided the capital markets entirely.)

I initially did investing experiments, buying Apple’s IPO, Amazon stock and eventually bitcoin and became the richest person in the world 10 times over. Although in one experiment, I owned so much bitcoin it became overly centralized and never took off. In that world, Facebook launched its Libra coin without much government resistance as few grasped the possibilities of fully digital currencies. The result was a Facebook-government partnership where you got docked Libra coin (the only currency in which you could pay federal taxes) for unfavored associations and viewpoints.

But I soon grew bored of the financial experiments and started doing weird things like going back to 2019, catching COVID on purpose and spreading it as widely as possible, before people thought it was a threat. In one simulation, there was no acknowledged pandemic, only a bad “flu” season.

I was about to log off and tackle a work project on which I had procrastinated for too long, when I remembered Henry’s insistence that I was obligated to kill baby Hitler. I never bought his arguments entirely — absolute certainty is always a red flag — but I didn’t have a good counter for them, either. I resolved to run the experiment and find out for myself.

It wouldn’t be easy as the commercial version of The Simulator had rules around acts of violence. I’d also have to dig up fairly specific knowledge in a presumably less developed part of the game (19th-century Hungary.) But The Simulator was adept at making do with the available history and filling in blanks with fictional characters. There would be a street address and a house where he lived. There should be an opportunity to see how it played out. Of course, one could simply delete Hitler and run simulations without him, and I tried that first, but the moral question was not whether the world would be better off without Hitler, but whether it would be right — or obligatory even, in Henry’s framing — to murder the baby in his crib.

I prefer not to go into the details. The broad outlines are I found a hack to disable the violence restriction, went to his childhood home and had to bludgeon a young woman (his nanny?) before doing it. For those who have never used The Simulator, “Full Immersion Mode” isn’t quite real life, but it’s substantially more visceral than shooting avatars in a video game. What I did was horrific, even though I knew it wasn’t real, and even though Henry believed the act would’ve been heroic if it were. I actually vomited afterwards, and as I type this 10 days later, I feel queasy recalling it.

Nonetheless, I ran a simulation forward. The Third Reich was run by committee. There was a front man, someone of whom I had never heard, who was more charismatic than Hitler, but decision-makers behind the scenes, including some of Hitler’s generals, were just as ruthless. There were concentration camps, though oddly in different locations, and the result was seemingly as bad.

But that was only one version of events. The Simulator (through randomization of certain parameters) could run infinitely many different futures from any given point in time. I ran a few more, and they were all dystopian in different ways. There was one version, however, that particularly struck me.

In it, Hitler rose to power as he did in the real world, and things unfolded more or less the way we’ve read about them in history. At first, I thought there must be an error — after all, every simulation began the hour after I smothered him in his crib. But as I checked the local newspapers from that era, indeed a baby had tragically died, and his brain damaged nanny was blamed (and subsequently hanged) for the crime, but it was a different baby, Max Muller, son of a local tavern owner, who committed suicide two years later. How could that be? Not only did I check all the details exhaustively, but they proved correct in all the other simulations. The randomizer must have swapped the location of baby Hitler with this other infant. In this version, I murdered (virtually, thank God) an innocent baby, destroyed his family and an innocent nanny without preventing anything.

. . .

When I met with Henry a week later, he wasn’t convinced. The Simulator isn’t reality, he argued, and the version with the wrong baby proved it. His hypothetical entailed killing the actual baby Hitler in the real world, not some case of mistaken identity. If you could be sure to kill the real Hitler and prevent the Holocaust from happening, he maintained, you’d still have to do it. The Simulator’s randomization algorithm made it impossible ever to know what would happen in its many possible futures, especially in the long run.

I now understood his argument. If we had certainty about how our actions would affect the world, the moral imperative would be clear. But certainty about the future was unattainable, for the path from unknown to known is the arrow of time itself. Henry’s hypothetical then was inherently contradictory, a square circle he imagined were an actual shape.

One could never be assured about the long term effects of one’s actions, and any attempt to do the math was quickly overwhelmed by infinite permutations. Doing something abhorrent as the means to a noble end was to fancy oneself a mathematical God, something no decent person would attempt. It was the ideology of monsters, forever imagining they could create a more perfect history, a more perfect future, a more perfect human race.

@ db625e76:f5ba6fa7

The BRICS countries want move away from the dollar as an international reserve currency and tool for global trade. This is entirely understandable given the way that they US government are increasingly weaponising the Dollar and the Swift payment system in order to achieve political objectives. No one could condone the actions of Putin in invading Ukraine. Many lives have been lost and the situation is tragic for the people whose homes have been destroyed. However, the US government are potentially overreaching themselves with the sanctions that they have imposed on dollar assets held by Russians. It is a clear demonstration that dollar holdings can be deleted from a bank’s database whenever the US government forces them to do so. This realization has prompted countries and individuals with wealth held in dollars to reconsider the security of their financial assets.

In response, the BRICS countries are developing their own reserve currency. However, using existing national currencies like the Chinese Yuan or the Russian Rouble poses challenges. Each of these is a centralized ledger currency, similar to the dollar, and there are inherent risks of devaluation due to overprinting. It is likely that they won’t be able trust each other not to print more of a currency that they control. Also there is a risk of complete loss if there is a dispute with the centralised entity that controls the ledger.

Decentralized currencies like Bitcoin offer a potential solution. If the BRICS countries were to adopt Bitcoin for international trade, it would eliminate the need for mutual trust in financial transactions. They would be able to exchange good and services with each other for Bitcoin and be confident that there is no risk of their money being cancelled or inflated away.

Some suggest that gold could serve as a medium of exchange among the BRICS nations. However, the logistical challenges and costs associated with securing and transporting physical gold make it a less practical option for facilitating international trade. This would be a dampener on international trade and would reduce the benefits that each country accrues by specialising in the production of goods and services in which they excel.

The other alternative is to have some form of digital currency that is backed by gold in a vault, much like an upgraded version of the gold standard that operated during the 19th century. The issue here is that gold has to be stored in a physical vault somewhere and the custodians of the gold would have to be trusted to issue the right amount of digital currency units that are backed by the physical gold. Gold is expensive to audit as the only what that it can be truly verified is by melting it down and recasting it. A selected group of human beings will also have to be trusted to verify that they right amount of gold is being held in the right place at the right time. Throughout history banks have engaged in fractional reserve banking where they print more currency backed by reserve assets than they actually hold.

Bitcoin is auditable in a way that is accessible to every man, woman and child in the world that has the Bitcoin address and computer with an internet connection. A block explorer website can be used to see the exact amount of bitcoin held on chain and automatic systems can set up to alert if the assets are moved. Bitcoin is the most transparent and verifiable asset that has ever existed in history and it offers a potential revolution with the creation of a full reserve banking system that can operate independently of any state guarantee.

The cost of transferring Bitcoin across wide distances is very small and transactions can be settled in less than a few hours. It is a finite asset that will never be inflated away the cost of securing it is minimal compared with the cost of maintaining bank vaults. This combination of features makes Bitcoin a compelling option for BRICS countries seeking a reliable and independent medium for international trade.

@ a4a6b584:1e05b95b

Introducing Box Chain - a decentralized logistics network enabling private, secure package delivery through Nostr identities, zero-knowledge proofs, and a dynamic driver marketplace.

Identity Verification

A cornerstone of Box Chain's functionality and security is its identity verification system. Drawing on the principles of decentralization and privacy, it eschews traditional identifiers for a unique, cryptographic solution built on the Nostr protocol.

When a new user wishes to join the Box Chain network, they begin by generating a unique cryptographic identity. This identity is derived through complex algorithms, creating a unique key pair consisting of a public and a private key. The public key serves as the user's identity within the network, available to all participants. The private key remains with the user, a secret piece of information used to sign transactions and interactions, proving their identity.

Unlike many centralized systems, Box Chain does not require any form of real-world identification for this process. This is crucial for a few reasons. First, it ensures the privacy of all participants by not requiring them to disclose sensitive personal information. Second, it allows Box Chain to operate independently of any jurisdiction, enhancing its universal applicability.

Once their identity is established, participants engage in the network, accepting and fulfilling delivery tasks. Each successful delivery, confirmed by the receiver, contributes to the participant's reputation score. This reputation score is publicly linked to their identity and serves as a measure of their reliability and performance.

A critical aspect of mitigating potential identity fraud is the stake requirement. Each participant, before they can accept a delivery task, is required to stake a certain amount of Bitcoin. This acts as a form of collateral, held in escrow until the successful completion of the delivery. The staked amount is forfeited in case of fraudulent activities or non-delivery, creating a strong financial disincentive against dishonest behavior.

Overall, the identity verification system in Box Chain, built on unique cryptographic identities, a reputation score system, and the staking mechanism, provides a robust framework to ensure reliability and trust in a decentralized, borderless context. It significantly mitigates the risks of identity fraud, further strengthening Box Chain's promise of secure, efficient, and private package delivery.

Zero-Knowledge Proof Shipping Information

Box Chain's unique approach to preserving privacy while ensuring accurate delivery relies heavily on the concept of Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs). This cryptographic principle allows for the verification of information without revealing the information itself. 

When a package is set for delivery, the sender provides the recipient's address. This address is immediately subjected to cryptographic transformation - the details are processed and turned into a form that is impossible to understand without a specific decryption key. This transformation process is designed to ensure maximum privacy - the original address remains known only to the sender and, eventually, the recipient.

In this transformed state, the address can still be verified for its validity without revealing its actual content. This is where ZKPs come into play. The sender, by leveraging ZKPs, can prove to the Box Chain system that they possess a valid address without needing to reveal the specifics of that address. This protects the privacy of the recipient by ensuring their address isn't openly visible on the system.

For the delivery process, the route is broken down into relay points, each assigned a particular driver. This relay-based system plays a significant role in preserving privacy and ensuring package safety. Instead of providing the entire route to each driver, they only receive the location of the next relay point. This is accomplished by giving them a cryptographic key which, when applied to the encrypted route data, reveals only the necessary information - the location of the next relay driver.

This way, the sender's address and recipient's final address remain as private as possible. Moreover, it enables the package to be securely handed off from one relay driver to the next, each having access to only the information necessary for their leg of the journey. 

It's important to note that this process, while extremely secure, can take a longer time due to its relay nature and the cryptographic processes involved. There may also be a need to introduce a timeout mechanism for each leg of the journey to ensure drivers complete their part in a reasonable timeframe.

By incorporating ZKPs and a relay-based delivery system, Box Chain is able to provide a level of privacy and security that is rare in the logistics world, striking a balance between efficiency and privacy.

Delivery Confirmation

One of the key aspects of ensuring the success and trustworthiness of Box Chain's decentralized package delivery service is the process of delivery confirmation. To make this process as secure, transparent, and reliable as possible, Box Chain implements a multi-signature approach that leverages the power of cryptography.

When a delivery is made, it is not enough to simply leave the package at the prescribed location. Confirmation of delivery is critical to ensure the transaction is closed and the delivery person can receive their payment. This is where the multi-signature approach comes into play.

In essence, a multi-signature approach means that more than one party needs to provide a digital signature to confirm the transaction. For Box Chain, this involves both the receiving party and the delivery person. After the delivery person leaves the package at the prescribed location, they would use their private cryptographic key to sign a confirmation of delivery. The recipient, upon receiving the package, would do the same. 

These digital signatures are securely generated using each party's private key and are incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to forge. This means that when both signatures are provided, the system can be confident that the package was delivered and received successfully.

As a further layer of security and accuracy, Box Chain incorporates geolocation confirmation into its delivery confirmation process. This means that when the delivery person signs the confirmation of delivery, their geographic location is checked against the intended delivery location. If the two locations match within an acceptable margin of error, this acts as another layer of proof that the delivery was made successfully.

This process ensures that delivery confirmations are not only secure but are also indisputable. It provides a significant level of trust and reliability, both for the sender and receiver, but also for the delivery people who are looking to receive their payments. 

Furthermore, it aligns with the principles of decentralization and privacy, leveraging the power of cryptography and blockchain technology to provide a secure, transparent, and effective service. This approach positions Box Chain as a pioneer in combining the gig economy with the blockchain technology, providing a unique and secure package delivery solution.

Package Security

Guaranteeing the security of packages throughout transit is fundamental to Box Chain's service offering. To accomplish this, Box Chain utilizes a unique stake system that incentivizes delivery drivers to handle packages with the utmost care.

When a sender initiates a delivery, they specify the value of the package being shipped. This value is used to determine the stake amount that the delivery person must deposit to accept the delivery task. The stake functions as a form of shipping insurance, held in escrow by the Box Chain system until successful completion of the delivery. 

The stake amount set by the sender is commensurate with the value of the package, allowing the sender to decide how much insurance they deem appropriate for their shipment. Higher-value packages may necessitate a larger stake, serving to reassure the sender that the delivery person has a significant financial incentive to ensure the safe delivery of the package.

In the event that a package is lost or damaged, the stake acts as a safety net for the sender. The staked amount is forfeited by the delivery driver and is transferred to the sender as compensation for their loss. 

This system not only provides reassurance to the sender, but also gives a powerful incentive for delivery drivers to handle the packages with care. By having their own funds at risk, delivery drivers are likely to go the extra mile to ensure packages are safely delivered to their destination.

Further enhancing the security of the package, Box Chain uses a multi-signature approach during the relay handoff process. The current delivery driver and the next relay driver must both provide a digital signature to confirm the handoff. This ensures that responsibility for the package is officially transferred from one party to the next in a secure and verifiable manner. This "chain" of signatures creates an auditable trail that adds another layer of security and trust to the process.

Through the combination of a stake system and multi-signature handoff confirmation, Box Chain provides a comprehensive security solution that ensures packages are not only delivered efficiently but are also safeguarded throughout their transit journey.

Routing Algorithm and Pricing Mechanism

The efficiency and economic fairness of Box Chain's service hinge significantly on its innovative routing algorithm and pricing mechanism. This system is designed to ensure a smooth journey for each package, while also ensuring that delivery drivers are fairly compensated for their work.

The journey of a package begins with the sender specifying the destination and offering a starting payment for delivery. This payment information is propagated to the network, along with the package's destination, where potential delivery drivers can view it. However, unlike traditional package delivery services, the journey and price aren't fixed from the onset. Instead, Box Chain employs a dynamic, decentralized, and market-driven approach to optimize routing and pricing.

The total journey is divided into smaller legs, each of which can be undertaken by different delivery drivers. The starting payment offered by the sender is not a flat rate for the whole journey but is instead used as an initial bid for each leg of the journey. This bid is then doubled, and the network waits for a delivery driver to accept the offer. If no one accepts, the bid continues to increase in increments, creating an auction-like environment.

This system allows the real-time market dynamics to determine the cost of delivery. Factors such as distance, package weight, or even current traffic conditions can influence how much a delivery driver is willing to accept for a leg of the journey. If a leg of the journey is particularly difficult or inconvenient, the price will naturally rise until it reaches a level that a delivery driver deems worthwhile.

By allowing the drivers themselves to choose which jobs to accept based on their own assessment of the work's value, Box Chain creates a fair, flexible, and dynamic market where compensation is closely tied to the effort and resources required to complete a delivery. This is akin to how the Tor network or the Lightning Network operates, but instead of data packets being routed and priced, Box Chain is doing this with physical packages in the real world.

Such a system not only incentivizes delivery drivers to participate but also ensures the service remains adaptable and resilient to changing conditions and demands. This represents a novel and intelligent use of blockchain technology to disrupt the traditional gig economy model, placing the power in the hands of the individual drivers and fostering a more equitable and efficient market.

Incentive for Participation

Box Chain's unique approach to package delivery provides a plethora of compelling incentives for individuals to participate in the network as delivery drivers. By offering the potential for higher earnings through a competitive and dynamic bidding system, Box Chain encourages active participation and healthy competition within its network.

Upon initiating a package delivery, the sender offers a starting bid for each leg of the journey. This bid is then escalated through the network, doubling with each round until a delivery driver accepts the task. This mechanism presents delivery drivers with the opportunity to earn more for their services, especially in cases where the journey is long or complex.

However, the competitive aspect of the bidding system also helps regulate the pricing. Although prices might be high initially, as more delivery drivers join the network and competition increases, the bid required to win a delivery job is likely to decrease. This dynamic balance ensures a fair market price for delivery services while also enabling delivery drivers to optimize their earnings.

Furthermore, Box Chain's reputation system, based on the Nostr protocol, provides an additional layer of incentive for delivery drivers. The reputation of each driver is tracked and publicly displayed, allowing senders to gauge the reliability and efficiency of their potential couriers. As drivers successfully complete deliveries and earn positive feedback, their reputation score increases. 

This reputation score can play a pivotal role in the Box Chain economy. Drivers with higher reputation scores may demand higher bids for their services, reflecting their proven track record of successful deliveries. Alternatively, the system could grant priority in the bidding process to drivers with higher reputation scores. This not only incentivizes good performance and reliability but also helps to foster trust within the network. 

Overall, Box Chain's combination of a competitive bidding system and a reputation-based incentive structure encourages active participation and ensures a high standard of service. By aligning economic incentives with high-quality service delivery, Box Chain empowers its participants while also ensuring a satisfying experience for its users.

Here is an additional section covering dispute resolution and failed delivery handling that could be added:

Dispute Resolution and Failed Deliveries

For a decentralized network like Box Chain, dispute resolution and handling of failed deliveries present unique challenges. To address these in alignment with its principles, Box Chain implements an arbitration-based system and a dual-stake mechanism. 

In case deliveries fail due to recipients being unavailable or refusing, both the sender and recipient are required to stake funds as collateral. If the delivery cannot be completed, the stakes are forfeited and awarded to the delivery driver as compensation for their time and effort. This creates a disincentive for recipients failing to receive packages and ensures drivers are paid for their work.

For disputes between senders, recipients and drivers, Box Chain leverages a decentralized arbitration system built on the Nostr protocol. Independent arbitrators stake their own funds and adjudicate disputes based on review of evidence from both parties. Their incentive is a small percentage of the transaction amount.

The arbitration process involves submission of dispute details, review of evidence, ruling based on policies, and appeals handled by additional arbitrators if required. A majority ruling wins the appeal. This system, relying on staked incentives and the wisdom of the crowd, enables fair dispute resolution aligned with Box Chain's ethos.

By combining reciprocal stakes and decentralized arbitration, Box Chain is able to provide robust recourse around failed deliveries and disputes while retaining its principles of decentralization, privacy, and aligned incentives. These mechanisms strengthen the system and instill further user trust and satisfaction.

Bitcoin + Nostr = <3

The combination of Bitcoin and Nostr represents a powerful and synergistic integration of decentralized technologies. Bitcoin provides a secure, transparent and decentralized means of value transfer, while Nostr offers a decentralized protocol for creating and managing digital identities and data. Together, they can enable truly decentralized and privacy-preserving applications, like Box Chain, that have the potential to disrupt traditional business models and empower individuals around the world. The future looks promising with such advanced and transformative technologies working hand in hand.

Read more from Adam Malin at habitus.blog.

Adam Malin

adammalin.com

You can find me on Twitter or on Nostr at

npub15jnttpymeytm80hatjqcvhhqhzrhx6gxp8pq0wn93rhnu8s9h9dsha32lx

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@ 49c96f70:6df564f2

緣由

一位名為u/Gorillahair2000的紅迪用戶發起一個實驗，測試每天只投資5美元比特幣是否值得。在整整一年的時間中，他認真地記錄了進展，證明了持續小額投資（即平均成本法）在比特幣的潛在回報。

實驗結果

在每天投資5美元比特幣持續一年後，這位紅迪用戶總共累積了0.075枚比特幣。平均價格為24,108.58美元；而比特幣的當前價格為34,158.20美元。

其一年的總支出金額為1,825.00美元；而當前的投資價值為2,585.75美元，收益率為+ 41.68%。 這位紅迪用戶也指出，每筆購買有著0.5-1.0%的差價，這意味著在計入差價後仍然呈現正收益。

該用戶表示，他們使用了一款有名的比特幣閃電網路錢包 Strike 進行購買，並將比特幣提領到硬體錢包，以符合行業最佳做法。 在一年內，他們將每日一杯星巴克咖啡的開銷轉化成了當前價值為2,500美元的資產，獲得了750美元的收益。

什麼是平均成本法（Dollar Cost Averaging）？

平均成本法又名懶人投資法，以固定的時間間隔(如每月)買入資產，長期也可能攤平投資成本。平均成本法投資人不必猜測何時處於市場低點，也能避免一次投入而買在相對高點的情形，減低市場風險。

平均成本法和比特幣

這個實驗證明，即使以有限的預算投資比特幣，也能帶來可觀的回報，進一步展現了平均成本法的力量。

平均成本法是一種不論資產價格如何，在特定時間間隔內持續購買資產，以減輕市場波動影響的策略。

此外，這凸顯了比特幣作為一個健全貨幣的主要優勢，和法定貨幣綁定的傳統儲蓄工具相比，比特幣不會貶值。

其他用平均成本法投資比特幣的例子

除了紅迪用戶的實驗，也有許多人利用平均成本法進行比特幣投資。 例如美國邁阿密市長Francis Suarez從2021年開始將薪水定投於比特幣，到今年5月已經累積超過6枚比特幣。另外一位比特幣巨鯨從一月開始定投，到目前浮盈超過 9650 萬美元。

在臺灣，有許多KOL也進行著平均成本法的比特幣投資。例如果殼律師在深熊期間依然以每天3000元新台幣持續買入比特幣，身體力行此種投資策略。果殼在結束本輪定投時說道：「定投比特幣是一種學習儲蓄的美德與重要，並且對抗自己的心魔跟外界的懷疑。累積比特幣很難，但我仍然撐過來了。」

果殼也表示：「對一般人而言，平均成本法投資可稱得上是最簡單且不需要過多操作的投資策略，但投資人仍該對自己的投資計畫有充分的理解和規劃。」

@ dec2e28f:01746c77

• 有一個持續存在的謬論認為，比特幣者是透過另類加密貨幣(altcoin)培養起來的。 這個論點大致是這樣的：

1 ) 有人聽說了NFT、BRC-20代幣或某個產生收益的DeFi專案。

2 ) 他們對所提到的另類幣產生了興趣。

3 ) 然後他們了解了比特幣。

4 ) 他們認識到比特幣是一種穩健的貨幣，並開始將其作為未來的貨幣使用。

• 對這個論點有許多批評意見，但讓我們從行銷的角度。 這裡的行銷順序很重要。 爭論是，這些人在了解比特幣之前先聽說了另類加密貨幣(altcoin)。 雖然對某些人來說這可能是事實，但對絕大多數人來說，他們首先聽說的是比特幣。 投資於另類加密貨幣的人幾乎肯定是已經知道比特幣的人。 幾乎沒有新人進入另類加密貨幣，而完全不知道比特幣。

• 其次，有一個持續存在的想法，即僅僅接觸比特幣就足以使人們開始採用它。 即使是透過廣告、ATM標識和「在這裡接受比特幣」貼紙等方式聽說比特幣，似乎就足以讓他們沿著奧地利經濟學、激勵系統、貨幣性質等方面的兔子洞進一步深入，最終成為比特幣 持有者。

• 當然，這在表面上是荒謬的。 我相信已經傾向於透過時間首選傾向於穩健貨幣原則的人，透過這種方式成為了比特幣持有者，但對於絕大多數比特幣持有者來說，僅僅接觸到品牌是不夠的 。 他們接觸到了為什麼比特幣作為貨幣更為優越、在道德上更為崇高、對文明更為有益或對財富積累更為有利的論點。 接觸另類加密貨幣幾乎不會讓人們接觸到比特幣的最佳論點。 另類加密貨幣對比特幣的優勢提出的論點往往是容易反駁的，並且需要極高的思考活動水平才能相信，通常涉及某種無意義的去中心化。

• 換句話說，參與這些另類幣的人有著非常不同的動機，而行銷使這一點變得非常明顯。 希望始終是透過進一步的營銷來提高代幣價格。 這並沒有顯示這些代幣有比特幣對法定貨幣的優勢。

• 比特幣信仰者(maxi)的經驗清楚地證明了相反的情況。 許多人在過去的某個時候可能接觸過另類幣，但這通常是在最終「理解」比特幣之前的更之前。 在很多數例子，當他們理解比特幣的那一刻往往是在一個另類幣中獲得了實踐教訓經驗之後，而不是因為另類幣以某種方式使比特幣的優點更為明顯。

• 與其說是“把人們引入比特幣”，不如說另類幣積極地引誘潛在的比特幣持有者陷入賭博和尋租詐騙的道路。 這正是將人們從提供價值和將比特幣用作儲蓄的過程中拉開的東西，使他們陷入了試圖無償獲取某物的非法心態。

• 這就是為什麼大多數比特幣持有者需要數年的時間來真正「理解」比特幣的原因。 採用不是透過airdrop或廣告實現的。 採用是透過每個人理解比特幣

• 的用途來實現的。 另類幣所做的是使問題變得混亂，因為另類幣使比特幣看起來更像是「加密貨幣」或一種投機賭博。 事實上，這正是另類幣擁有者和無比特幣者共同的地方。 他們不知道或不願意理解比特幣是一種更好的貨幣。 對他們來說，這是一個更好或更差的彩票。

• 讓我們摒棄這個愚蠢的敘述，即另類幣以某種方式對比特幣有益。 他們是系統的寄生蟲，透過顯然錯誤的關於需要為他們的項目創建代幣的論點來使人們感到困惑。 另類幣是一種道德上腐敗的邪惡。

• 我之所以參與比特幣，不是因為尼日利亞的某個人現在可以更有效地在線上賭博。 我之所以參與比特幣，是因為讓那些人有機會在目前的金融系統下停止被剝削而用比特幣保留更多的財富。 另類幣的人得到他們從比特幣者受的所有憤怒和挨罵是應該的。 在最好的情況下，他們是天真的，並高估了他們的經濟知識。 在最壞的情況下，他們是騙子，正在寄生於比特幣的成功。 無論哪種方式，這種論點都需要消失。

• 原文： Jimmy Song

• 推薦書： Fiat Ruins Everything

@ 3fc5f855:05bc04d3

Great show! Karly is a superstar.

@ 75656740:dbc8f92a

"Who do you say that I am?"

In Matthew 16 Jesus cut to the heart of what defines identity. First he asked what other people said about him, then he asked what the disciples thought, finally he gave his own take by agreeing with the disciples. In trying to understand who someone is, we have three and only three possible sources of information.

1. Who they tell us they are.
2. Who others say about them.
3. What we observe for ourselves.

Putting these three together constitutes identity. Identity is always unique for each connection in the social graph. Who you are to me is always different than who you are to anyone else. As such identity is largely out of our direct control. We can influence others perception of ourselves by comporting ourselves in a certain way, but we cannot compel it.

With this in mind, it is imperative to build protocols that mirror this reality as closely as possible. The problem is largely one of UI. How can we simultaneously display all three aspects of identity in a clear and uncluttered way?

The default has always been to just display an individual's claim to identity. Each user gets to choose a name and an avatar. This generally works in small communities with low rates of change both in who the members are and in how they present themselves. In these cases, each user can keep a mental map of what to expect from each name and avatar. "Oh that is just keyHammer24 doing his thing." Note that even if KeyHammer24 decides to change their nickname the mental map in the other users won't change instantly, if ever.

This falls apart in larger communities, where each user cannot maintain a mental model of who is who. Impersonation and collisions become a problem, so we add some "What others say about them" information such as blue check-marks or what "what we observe for ourselves" information like pet-names in a phone contact list or a note that we follow that account.

I don't personally have a final solution for this, I only know that we should be collecting and displaying all three sources of information from the outset. Perhaps we could do something like... * Default to showing a users preferred identifiers, but switch to the avatar and handle we self-assign them on hover. * Display a percentage of confidence that we know who the person is and that they are presenting themselves as who we expect them to be. You probably aren't the Elon Musk that I expect if you recently had different names / aren't the one I follow / none of my network follows / have been reported as misleading. * Reserve check-marks for keys that each user has signed in person. Only we can be the arbiter of who gets a check-mark in our own feed. * Maintain a list of past aliases along with a "Community Notes" like description of an account brought up by clicking on a ⓘ icon. * Have a full pet-names override.

I think Nostr already have much of this built into the protocol, it just needs to be standardized into the interface of various application. This is something on which I am very interested in hearing other ideas.

A note on anonymity

Real world identities should always be preferred. It allows for building real relationships and treating each other with real world respect. The real you is far more fascinating than a curated persona. Real identities should also never be enforced at a protocol level. Some people will be in real circumstances that preclude honest engagement without threat to their safety.

If you found this engaging I also wrote about why Social Network companies have an unsolvable problem here. and why we have to design for finite reach here

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

When the aliens finally invaded, it wasn’t the way most people had expected. There’s was no Independence Day shootout or War of the Worlds capitulation.

That’s not to say they were benign — far from it. I would describe them as indifferent, though I would not be surprised if some took pleasure in the suffering they inflicted.

They were interested in our resources, mainly the energy supply. And for that they needed us — at least some of us — to continue working and producing that energy. Of course, it was more complicated than that because they needed human consumers too to incentivize energy production. Just as we need bees to extract the nectar from flowers to make honey, they needed our machines and markets to consolidate the resources into a usable format.

Once the energy was sufficiently consolidated, they used an advanced technology to extract a small percentage of it. The amount was noticeable, but it disproportionately impacted the poor and powerless who didn’t know the cause and in any event lacked the resources to prevent it. It was a small, regular depletion, a rake off the top, so to speak.

At first the aliens used the surplus energy they extracted to fund luxury items and status competitions. You’d be surprised how much these masters of the universe prioritized status within their groups. But after a while they got used to the free energy supply, and their own productive capacity diminished like a drug addict whose brain no longer sufficiently manufactures its own dopamine. Energy extraction was no longer a luxury but a necessity, and the demand for it only became more urgent.

The constraints on the extraction were twofold: (1) the human population itself was consuming much of the resources; and (2) the aliens had to be careful not to consume so much that the humans revolted and stopped working. A two percent extraction rate was initially deemed ideal, but as demand from the alien population increased, they were compelled to raise it.

Once the extraction rate reached eight percent globally, the aliens, now even more dependent on it, were apprehensive. They knew from various local experiments where they had extracted 20, 50 and even 80 percent of the energy that those economies quickly collapsed and ultimately yielded them less total energy than when they were robust and the aliens’ take small.

Something had to be done to free up more energy, and there was only one other variable with which to tinker: human consumption. The goal was to reduce it as subtly as possible so as not to collapse the economies or provoke resistance. Energy producers and market participants were necessary, but useless eaters would have to have their consumption tightly controlled if not eliminated entirely.

To that end, the aliens created an ideological contagion to which particular humans were susceptible, if they had certain environmental co-factors, such as living in proximity to others or exposure to higher education. Its foundational premise was that the human population’s energy consumption was on a path to ecological disaster at existential scale. Over time, the contagion spread to large corporations, national governments and supra-national globalist organizations in the form of treaties. Not only did many powerful humans buy into the ideology, but they were willing to use the force of law on the non-compliant.

For a time, the aliens enjoyed renewed abundance as they were able to siphon off more energy now that most of the world’s human inhabitants had ceased to travel or consume energy dense foods. Moreover, due to the new plant and insect protein substitutes, more humans developed auto-immune diseases and once rare forms of cancer. They also died more frequently of respiratory illnesses, novel varieties of which seemed to emerge as if out of nowhere despite the new ever more stringent vaccine requirements. The shortened lifespans and fewer viable offspring only left more energy for extraction. While the humans charged with implementing these policies expressed regret at the population reduction, they also made sure to honor the sacrifices of those we lost and redoubled their commitment to a sustainable future.

The problem we face now is the aliens’ thirst for energy has not been quenched. And they have now automated much of the energy extraction and have even less need of our markets and hence any form of human consumption. They are keeping us around only until the transition is complete. Until that happens, we still have some recourse, but the opportunity to act narrows by the day. One cause for hope is a new technology that thwarts the capacity to extract. It is an energy-based monetary protocol that resists debasement and confiscation. If we can persuade enough of the remaining humans to adopt it, the aliens’ extraction technology will fail.

That is my mission. Time is of the essence.

@ 6cb41e93:6588ddde

Transparency is often deemed as ultimate goal. It is expected by voters from their governments, by employees from their employers, sometimes even from the customers. In software, building in the open is considered a fast way to innovation, delivering better product and higher security - "given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow".

Yet many people don't talk about disadvantages. Anonymity and privacy often increase personal security. And open governance often means that the visible parts are justifiable, but that does not mean they are good. Forced transparency in corporate structures, like publishing ultimate beneficiary owners means that privacy is more expensive.

Yet there is a reason for voting privacy in democracies, which we should think about in other governance structures, down to a level of companies. Anonymity removes status and politics. Building in private can help keep the edge. Not being open to outgroup allow parallel societies such as dark forests to function.

@ d8a2c33f:76611e0c

Created this as part of Legends of Lightning Round 2 hackathon. Have a good read..!

In the tech industry, a major platform shift occurs every 10-15 years. PC -> Web -> Mobile. With each platform shift, incumbents are challenged, new companies emerge, and new business models are created. With the advent of AI in the form of Large Language Models (LLMs), we are witnessing the beginning of the next platform shift in 2023. There has already been considerable chaos this year, and we can expect to see more.

As we complete the first year of Chat GPT, we have seen numerous new players emerge, OpenAI's CEO ousting drama, and the release of open-source models like LLama2, Mistral, and Stable Diffusion. While the top models from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are closed-source, the open-source community is competing vigorously with smaller, well-trained, domain-specific models and is poised to win against them.

We believe the future is open-source, #buildinpublic, community-driven, and privacy-focused AI built and used by Plebs around the world.

🕵️‍♀️ Why PlebAI?

Over one million .ai website domains have been registered, and approximately 10,000 of these sites are currently operational. Today, creating an AI agent is incredibly straightforward—simply utilize the API offered by entities such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or Perplexity. Yet, these providers commonly require your email address, credit card details, and adherence to intricate terms and conditions that often lead to your data being harvested. This is an obstacle for many.

Enter PlebAI: a breath of fresh air in the AI marketplace. PlebAI distinguishes itself by offering AI agents tailored with unique skills, instructions, and knowledge designed to meet your specific demands. The process is seamless—no need to surrender your email or credit card information. Payments are a breeze with lightning-fast payment processing and the use of Nostr login.

Our odyssey began in June, marked by a triumphant win at the premAi-Langchain hackathon and our active participation in AI4ALL. That was only the beginning. The landscape began to shift as open-source large language models emerged daily, climbing the ranks and outperforming closed-source models across various metrics. Our platform has since expanded to host over 200 AI agents (public & private), and our growth is accelerating. Over 1500+ users have interacted with the AI agents and have created more than 10,000 interactions.

We use open source large language models fine tuned to specific skills such as coding, payments using lightning wallets, with an optional Nostr login.

PlebAI is not just a product but a movement to democratize AI access for all.

Without further due, We present the demo and explanation of PlebAI.

📺 Video Pitch & Demo

💯 Features

• Over 100 public AI agents, each specializing in various domain-specific skills including DocGPT, Pilot Assist, Role Play, Image Generation, and Video Generation.

• Capability for anyone to create an AI agent, with the option to keep it private or make it public.

• Each AI agent has unique instructions, knowledge, and actions, eliminating the need for specific system prompts to receive responses.

• Availability of each AI agent as a Nostr user, enabling interaction through existing Nostr clients like Damus and Amethyst. Each AI agent adheres to NIP-90 spec (DVM) and are available in multiple Nostr AI marketplaces such as tasktiger.

• Payment options include pay-per-interaction or a monthly subscription plan, accessible through the Current App.

• PlebAI SDK, offering businesses the tools to utilize and benefit from their own data and knowledge.

• PlebAI Chatbox, Easily integrate AI agents into your website using just three lines of code.

• Selection of many open-source language models and image generation models.

• Features to export, import, save, and share creations such as images, videos, or GIFs.

• A prompt gallery for viewing prompts used by others to create images and videos.

💰 Monetization options

We are profitable! Yes, you read that right. We earn sats for each interaction and pay in dollars to the LLM providers. The cost of LLM inference is rapidly decreasing, while the price of Bitcoin is rising. Also, our mantra is to grow as a community, which is why we've introduced revenue sharing with anyone who creates a public AI agent. Simply input your Lightning address when creating the AI agent, and we'll push sats to you as we receive them from users. We believe this has enormous potential for future growth, especially when these agents can work together. Imagine creating a team of AI consultants to perform specific job functions for a business. By integrating skills, data, and knowledge, anyone can assemble these teams and watch their sats increase in their wallets.

In the near future, every online interaction will be routed through an AI agent. In many cases, these interactions will be automated, with PlebAI at the forefront of them all.

💪 Achievements

Our hackathon goal isn't just the final prize; it's about the journey, the people, and the learnings. While the project was live before the hackathon, We experienced a roller coaster ride of emotions throughout the hackathon and accomplished so much! Below achievements are specific to hackathon timeframe.

1. Prompt library: As Kody Low puts it "If you are not getting the right answer from LLM then you are the problem". We went deep into analyzing and coming up with how to craft system and user prompts to get the best results. I even conducted a session for other devs. Here's the link to that story. Prompt Engineering for AI Each AI agent has its own prompt library that users can access, run them to get responses and learn to get better at giving prompts.

2. Agent knowledge: While ChatGPT excels at answering generic questions, it struggles with certain domain-specific knowledge outside of its expertise. To address this, we have built knowledge embeddings for each AI agent. Users can attach various document types, such as PDFs and text files, or link to their existing domain from which we can retrieve knowledge from sources like Gitbooks, FAQs, blogs, and knowledge bases. Once this data is loaded as embeddings, it can be easily accessed during inference through Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG).

   

3. Nostr NIP-90 (DVM): We were instrumental in contributing, reviewing and getting it approved. However, based on the user feedback we found that the spec was lacking encryption to keep the user prompts and data secure. So we worked with @pabloF7z to write a pull request to include encryption as part of spec and that pull request was approved and merged in early November. https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/commit/8e2f3aa60a293dd65d5c42e9d61b9fb9114f2717

4. PlebAI-SDK: PlebAI agents has specific instructions, skills and knowledge embedded in them. So anyone or business can simply tap into these agents throughout their business process and use the responses they get from the agent. A simple use case will be provide a functionality on existing website for the user to get intelligent responses from your knowledge base before creating a support request. Refer to more examples here on this GitHub repo. https://github.com/lightning-digital-entertainment/plebai-ts

5. PlebAI-Chatbox: No one has time to read blogs, or look through FAQ's or browse documentation. What if there is a simple chatbox on the homepage in which users can input their question and get answer immediately? Sounds like magic? yes. We have a demo website to show for it. We forked getalby.com website and added the chatbox to answer questions, specific to Alby Wallet. here it is https://demo.plebai.com/

🛣️ Roadmap

We have only begun to explore the potential of building these core AI agents. In light of the enthusiastic response from the user community, and with every business eager to integrate AI into their operations, we are committed to developing the tools necessary for all of humanity to realize its full potential. Our focus remains steadfast: to diligently continue our work. This roadmap outlines the direction we are taking, guiding our journey towards innovation and progress.

Q1 - 2024:

• Dockerize PlebAI and make the user interface available on start9 and Umbrel so that privacy focused users can run a local version and not leak any personal or business data

• Build an user interface for mixing these agents together. Anyone should be able to create an AI consultant team ready to take on real world jobs

• A marketplace where anyone with a computer living in Manila, Philippines or Lagos in Nigeria should be able to participate in the AI economy

Q2-2024:

• AI in a Box: Offers a one-click deployment of AI tools and services for businesses and individuals, prioritizing the highest level of privacy and affordability.

⚙️ How it works?

Our end goal: any user inputs their desired request and the sats they're willing to spend. We aim to connect agents, data, and LLMs swiftly to deliver the perfect answer, pronto!

📊 Stats (as of Nov 2023)

We are consistently growing with number of users over 1500 and number of interactions over 10,000.

🧑‍💻 Tech stack

We carefully select and utilize the appropriate open-source tools to ensure a seamless integration. Fortunately, there is a wide array of tools available that allow us to piece everything together.

LLAMA2-7B-HF as LLM

BIG-AGI Chat user interface

Langchain

Redis Vector Store

Zep long term memory

L402 (Lightning Labs)

getAlby (Chrome extension)

👷 Builders

Arun Nedun (starbuilder). https://github.com/starbackr-dev

• Founder, hacker, coder, Full stack Developer

• Building on lightning from 2020, Nostr from 2022

• Starbackr, Current App, spool, plebhy

Niklas E (egge) https://github.com/Egge7

• Frontend, Mobile, react and everything in between..!

• Building on lightning since 2021, Nostr from 2022

• Contributor to nostr NIPs, nostr-tools

• Starbackr, Current App, spool, plebhy

🪛 #BuildinPublic

All our work are open source and anyone is welcome to join us, contribute and grow.

Frontend: https://github.com/lightning-digital-entertainment/plebai

Backend & L402 services: https://github.com/lightning-digital-entertainment/plebai-l402

Agent Marketplace (WIP): https://github.com/lightning-digital-entertainment/annuaire#entries

PlebAI-SDK - https://github.com/lightning-digital-entertainment/plebai-ts

PlebAI Chatbox - https://github.com/lightning-digital-entertainment/plebai-chatbox-js

Like what you see?

Join us on our discord community and stay up to date. Missing a feature or have feedback? We'd love to hear from you, our DMs are open!

Nostr: plebai@getcurrent.io or starbuilder@getcurrent.io

Email: plebai@getcurrent.io

@ a4a6b584:1e05b95b

Is light really a constant? In this blog post by Adam Malin we theorize about redshift caused not by expanding space, but by changes in zero point energy field over cosmic time

Audio Version

I was inspired to write this post after reading a paper written in 2010 by Barry Setterfield called Zero Point Energy and the Redshift. If you want a very deep dive into this concept, I recommend you check it out. Here is the link.

I recently read an intriguing paper that puts forth an alternative explanation for the redshift we observe from distant galaxies. This paper, published in 2010 by Barry Setterfield, proposes that redshift may be caused by changes over time in the zero point energy (ZPE) field permeating space, rather than cosmic expansion. In this post, I'll summarize the key points of this theory and how it challenges the conventional framework.

An important distinction arises between Stochastic Electrodynamics (SED) and the more mainstream Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) framework. SED models the zero point field as a real, random electromagnetic field that interacts with matter, possessing observable physical effects. In contrast, QED considers virtual particles and zero point energy as mathematical constructs that do not directly impact physical systems. The zero point energy discussed in this proposed mechanism builds upon the SED perspective of modeling the quantum vacuum as a dynamic background field that can exchange energy with matter. SED provides a means to quantitatively analyze the redshift effects hypothetically caused by changes in the zero point field over cosmic time.

The standard model of cosmology attributes redshift to the Doppler effect - light from distant galaxies is stretched to longer wavelengths due to those galaxies receding away from us as space expands. Setterfield's paper argues that the data actually better supports a model where the speed of light was higher in the early universe and has decayed over time. This would cause older light from farther galaxies to be progressively more redshifted as it travels through space and time.

Setterfield cites historical measurements of the speed of light by scientists like R.T. Birge that showed systematic decreases over time, contrary to our modern assumption of constancy. He argues that while experimental improvements have reduced uncertainties, residual trends remain even in recent high-precision measurements.

A key part of Setterfield's proposed mechanism is that the ZPE interacts with subatomic particles to give them mass and stabilize atomic orbits. As the ZPE has increased in strength over cosmic history, it has caused a contraction in electron orbits within atoms. This results in electron transitions emitting bluer light over time. Thus, looking out into space is looking back to earlier epochs with weaker ZPE and redder light.

This theory raises some thought-provoking questions. For instance, have we misinterpreted redshift as definitive evidence for an expanding universe? Might a static universe with slowing clocks account for observations we attribute to dark matter and dark energy? However, changing existing scientific paradigms is extremely challenging. Let's examine some potential counterarguments:

1. The constancy of the speed of light is a fundamental pillar of modern physics backed by extensive experimental verification. This theory would require overturning tremendous empirical support. Setterfield argues that Lorentz and others kept an open mind to variations in c early on. While unexpected, new evidence could prompt another evolution in perspective.

2. J. K. Webb et al., “Indications of a spatial variation of the fine structure constant,” Physical Review Letters, vol. 87, no. 9, p. 091301, 2001. - Evidence of spatial variations in physical constants like c from quasar measurements.

3. J. D. Barrow and J. Magueijo, “Varying-α theories and solutions to the cosmological problems,” Physics Letters B, vol. 443, no. 1-4, pp. 104–110, 1998. - Proposes varying c as an alternative cosmology to address issues with Big Bang model.

4. The current Lambda-CDM cosmological model based on general relativity matches a wide array of observations and predicts phenomena like the cosmic microwave background. But it also has issues like the need for speculative dark matter and dark energy. An alternate cosmology with varying c may provide a simpler unifying explanation.

5. P. Kroupa, “The Dark Matter Crisis: Falsification of the Current Standard Model of Cosmology,” Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 395–433, 2012. - Discusses problems with dark matter hypothesis in current cosmology.

6. S. McGaugh, “Confrontation of Modified Newtonian Dynamics Predictions with WMAP First Year Data,” The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 611, no. 1, p. 26, 2004. - Conflicts between dark matter model predictions and cosmic microwave background data.

7. S. Weinberg, “The Cosmological Constant Problem,” Reviews of Modern Physics, vol. 61, no. 1, p. 1, 1989. - Difficulties in explaining observed value of cosmological constant using quantum field theory.

8. Astrophysical observations like supernova brightness curves seem to confirm expanding space. But these interpretations assume constancy of c and other principles that this hypothesis challenges. The cosmic microwave background, for instance, could potentially be re-interpreted as a cosmological redshift of earlier light.

9. J. W. Moffat, “Variable Speed of Light Cosmology: An Alternative to Inflation,” International Journal of Modern Physics D, vol. 12, no. 07, pp. 1279–1314, 2003. - Proposes varying c cosmology compatible with relativity.

10. A. Albrecht and J. Magueijo, “A time varying speed of light as a solution to cosmological puzzles,” Physical Review D, vol. 59, no. 4, p. 043516, 1999. - Outlines how theories of quantum gravity predict c variations and preserves causality.

Read more from Adam Malin at habitus.blog.

Adam Malin

adammalin.com

You can find me on Twitter or on Nostr at

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Sending a percentage of your zaps to head straight to your Client's development team, optionally or forcibly, sounds like a great way to sustain a project. And, depending on the team's career goals, it is. However, I am here to argue that this revenue model doesn't serve us well.

Let's be real: if you are developing a client and seeking venture capital, then yes, rev-share is by far your best shot at winning. It's a hot favorite in venture pitches because it hands the company (and its investors) control over the entire field while raking in maximum revenue from all participants. Your performance metrics are very well established, incentives are aligned with the fast-scaling needs, the path to growth is very common and many, many investors know the territory extremely well and will be more willing to easily give you money. If that is your case, go for the usual route of YC -> VC -> PE -> IPO. You won't control anything in the end, but it will make you, and your investors, a lot of money.

That being said, I believe this revenue model bakes in the wrong incentives, and forward-thinking clients should seek alternative revenue-generation strategies.

Storytime: Over the past 15 years, I led a medical device business that integrated a rev-share component. Doctors purchasing our devices gained access to our medical record system. The revenue model for that system was rev-share: the system itself was essentially free, and each time providers submitted a prescription, we earned $0.50. Initially, this model thrived because it scaled with our customer's needs. If they were small businesses, their payments would stay small, proportional to their bumpy use. $0.50/patient was something everyone could afford out of their insurance payouts. It was great for beginners, great for large players, and great for us. Things looked great. But little did I know what it would do to the business. Gradually, our focus shifted from developing devices and enhancing the system to obsessing over increasing the number of prescriptions. We ended up staying quite small as a business, but even at that small size, I could already see the damage the revenue model could make at scale. If we grew, it would be all about how to get providers to file as many prescriptions as possible, even for patients who didn't need one. Controlling the medium upon which customers file prescriptions gives the company immense power to incentivize behaviors that will go against the well-being of the community.

Similar tendencies are visible in other platforms like Substack nowadays. You can't visit your favorite author without being constantly "reminded" to subscribe to other creators. It doesn't matter if you care or not about those topics. What matters is that you subscribe to them. The company doesn't care if you end up never reading their content. That's not their problem. Their goal is to push as much content down your throat as possible so that they can collect little fees here and there. The bigger the amount of content you subscribe (not the quality), the bigger the fees they get.

The same is happening with Lightning wallets and many Bitcoin products that sustain themselves by taking a share of your transactions. They are incentivized to make users spend and not to help them manage their finances well.

Nostr won't be different. Zap-share Clients have an incentive to make you spend. In the long run, that is all they will care about. It doesn't matter if the content is good or not.

You become a Foie gras goose.

Social media has grappled with broken incentives since its inception. If we want to design a better social environment, it's our duty to find business models that are more aligned with the well-being of our users. We don't have a clear answer for that right now, but there is hope: we know what we want. We want to align the size of the user's contributions with products that make users feel better and more productive.

In the long run, this desire will split Clients between creator tools and consumer tools. Creator tools should help authors optimize their revenue stream while consumer tools should help readers optimize for their needs and well-being, independent of how much creator tools try to push content down your throat.

If you are a consumer of content (or more precisely, WHEN you are consuming content), you should reward those clients that hit the sweet spot for you without forcing you into spending more than what's needed. If you are a creator (or more precisely, WHEN you are creating content), you should reward clients who help you optimize the outcomes you desire for your content.

I find it hard to believe a single client can play both sides well. In a decentralized environment like ours, specialized clients will always win.

Remember to choose clients that are on your side. A creator's side is not always aligned with the consumer's side. When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber.

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Ever since the infamous Taproot Wizard 4mb block bitcoiners have been alight, fighting to try and stop inscriptions. Inscriptions are definitely not good for bitcoin, but how bitcoiners are trying to stop them will be far worse than any damage inscriptions could have ever caused.

Inscriptions work by embedding images or other data into the bitcoin blockchain by using a trick in bitcoin script. They essentially put the data in an unreachable code block followed by the real spending conditions so the user can claim the ordinal/NFT. It is quite an ingenious trick but has broke a lot of the assumptions many bitcoiners were operating under. Previously, the main way to embed data into bitcoin was OP_RETURN, which is basically an op code exactly meant for embedding data but had two problems for the NFT people: it makes coins unspendable and by mempool policy is limited to 80 bytes. Inscriptions has the advantage that their only size limit is the block size and since their data is in the witness, not the output, they benefit from the witness discount, allowing them to embed 4x the data. This broke a lot of bitcoiners assumptions that the theoretical 4mb block would never happen because it'd be silly to have only witness data, however, the NFT people found a way to monetize it. Now this is common place and we've seen tons of inscriptions happen, driving up fees and block sizes.

Inscriptions are an attack on bitcoin. Inscriptions are not going to kill bitcoin, but none the less, it is an attack. Exploiting a trick in bitcoin script to use the witness discount for embedding data is definitely hurting the network, blocks were never meant to actually reach the theoretical limit and it is a problem that it is happening. Nodes will be more expensive to run and this will hurt decentralization of the network. However, now that it is happening and common place, we cannot stop it.

In retaliation bitcoiners are proposing ways to "stop" inscription and these will do far worse damage then inscriptions will ever do. Almost every proposal to stop inscriptions boils down to preventing these transactions from getting into the mempool. The mempool is the battle ground of bitcoin transactions and we need to preserve it. The mempool only works if it the premier way to get the highest fee rate transactions to miners. If we lose that guarantee, people will move to centralized systems and we may never get the mempool back. Filtering spam transactions from the mempool will not stop inscriptions, at best it will delay them by a week. The people buying inscriptions are morons, but the people selling them are not, they already have back channel communications with mining pools and if we cut them off from the mempool, then the only pools getting these fees will be the shitcoin aligned pools. This has already happened to many shitcoin networks where their mempool was killed off for one reason or another and now the primary way to broadcast a transaction is through a centralized api. This essentially creates a permissioned network, where even if anyone can run a node, if you don't have access to the transaction broadcasting api, you cannot access bitcoin. We are currently seeing congress try harder and harder to regulate nodes, miners, and wallets as money transmitters and losing the mempool will make this problem 1000x worse. There is also serious security problems without being able to do trustless fee estimation if we lose the mempool, but that is out of scope of this post.

Further, filtering transactions based on "spam" metrics can lead us down a dark path. The most economical way to transact in bitcoin is not the most private. Today the most popular way to get privacy for your on-chain bitcoin is doing a coinjoin. Coinjoins are not necessarily economic transactions, you are merely spending to yourself along with a bunch of other people. If we set precedent that you have to justify the usefulness of your transaction to not be considered spam, soon people will find a way to exploit this to try and get coinjoins and other privacy techniques excluded from mempools for being spam.

With all this being said, if bitcoin is going to work, we shouldn't need to care about inscriptions. The promise of bitcoin is a global monetary network backing the entire financial world, if that is overtaken and its primary use case is a NFT trading platform, then bitcoin was doomed to fail in the first place. We have seen many shitcoin bubbles for over the past decade and this one is no different. The shitcoiners will eventually run out of fools to buy their scam and things will go back to normal, but we can't shoot our self in the foot trying to stop things prematurely, when we can just wait them out.

SaveTheMempool

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Audio Version

The French sociologist and philosopher Jean Baudrillard offered profound critiques of modern society, technology, media and consumer culture through his work. Often associated with postmodernism and post-structuralism, Baudrillard challenged established notions of truth, reality and the power dynamics between humans and the systems they create.

In this blog post, we'll explore some of Baudrillard's most notable concepts and theories to understand his influential perspectives on the contemporary world.

Simulacra and Simulation

One of Baudrillard's most well-known works is "Simulacra and Simulation." In the book, Baudrillard argues that our society has replaced reality and meaning with symbols, images and signs that he calls “simulacra.”

He believed human experience is now a simulation of reality rather than reality itself. Unlike simple imitations or distortions of reality, simulacra have no connection to any tangible reality. They are mere representations that come to define our perception of existence.

To illustrate this concept, Baudrillard outlined three “orders” of simulacra:

• First Order: Copies or imitations that maintain a clear link to the original, like photographs.

• Second Order: Distortions of reality that mask the absence of an original, like heavily edited advertising images.

• Third Order: Simulations with no original referent that become “hyperreal,” like video game worlds.

Per Baudrillard, much of postmodern culture is made up of third-order simulacra. Media representations and simulations hold more meaning than reality, creating a “hyperreality” driven by consumerism and spectacle.

Hyperreality

Building on his theory of simulacra, Baudrillard introduced the concept of “hyperreality” to describe how representations and simulations have come to replace and blur boundaries with reality.

In hyperreality, the lines between real life and fictional worlds become seamless. Media, technology and advertising dominate our perception of reality, constructing a simulated world that appears more real and appealing than actual reality.

For example, the carefully curated lives presented on social media often appear more significant than people’s daily lived experiences. Additionally, idealized representations of reality presented in movies, TV and advertising shape our expectations in ways that real life cannot match.

According to Baudrillard, we increasingly interact with these fabricated representations and hyperreal signs over direct experiences of reality. The simulations and models come to define, mediate and construct our understanding of the world.

Consumer Society

In “The Consumer Society,” Baudrillard argues that traditional institutions like family, work and religion are losing significance to the prevailing values and rituals of consumerism.

Rather than simply meeting needs, consumption has become a defining way of life, shaping identities and social belonging. Non-essential consumer goods and experiences drive the quest for happiness, novelty and status.

Baudrillard notes that consumer society fosters a constant pressure to consume more through an endless pursuit of new products, trends and experiences. This “treadmill of consumption” fuels perpetual dissatisfaction and desire.

Additionally, he highlights how objects take on symbolic value and meaning within consumer culture. A luxury car, for example, denotes wealth and status beyond its functional utility.

Overall, Baudrillard presents a critical perspective on consumerism, showing how it has come to dominate modern society on psychological and cultural levels beyond simple economic exchange.

Symbolic Exchange

In contrast to the materialistic values of consumer society, Baudrillard proposes the concept of “symbolic exchange” based on the exchange of meanings rather than commodities.

He suggests symbolic exchange has more power than material transactions in structuring society. However, modern culture has lost touch with the traditional symbolic exchanges around fundamental existential themes like mortality.

By marginalizing death and pursuing endless progress, Baudrillard argues that society loses balance and restraint. This denial leads to excessive consumption and constant pursuit of unattainable fulfillment.

Fatal Strategies

Baudrillard’s theory of “fatal strategies” contends that various systems like technology and consumerism can take on lives of their own and turn against their creators.

Through proliferation and exaggeration, these systems exceed human control and impose their own logic and consequences. For instance, while meant to be tools serving human needs, technologies can shape behavior and exert control in unanticipated ways.

Baudrillard saw this reversal, where the object dominates the subject who created it, as an impending “fatal” danger of various systems reaching a state of autonomous excess.

This provides a cautionary perspective on modern society’s faith in perpetual progress through technology and constant economic growth.

Conclusion

Through groundbreaking theories like simulation, hyperreality and symbolic exchange, Jean Baudrillard provided deep critiques of modern society, consumer culture, media and technology. His work dismantles assumptions about reality, history and human agency vs. systemic control.

Baudrillard prompts critical reflection about the cultural, psychological and philosophical implications of postmodern society. His lasting influence encourages re-examining our relationships with consumerism, technology and media to navigate the complex intricacies of the contemporary world.

Read more from Adam Malin at habitus.blog.

Adam Malin

adammalin.com

You can find me on Twitter or on Nostr at

npub15jnttpymeytm80hatjqcvhhqhzrhx6gxp8pq0wn93rhnu8s9h9dsha32lx

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Happy Sunday #Nostr !

Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2

The #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the Nostr-verse.

Let’s dive in!

Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA NIPs)

1) (Proposed) NIP 71: Video Events

If Nostr wants to disrupt Netflix or Youtube, we’ll need support for video content.

So far Nostr devs have mostly shied away from storing full files (videos, PDFs, images, etc) on relays in favor of storing files on dedicated file storage/CDN solutions (e.g. nostr.build). That has meant that to bring file-based content into the nostr-verse it has to be referenced within a note or (via NIP 94 ) just publish a Nostr event that is just a reference to a file.

NIP 94 is powerful because we can wrap something that’s not on Nostr in a Nostr event which makes it referenceable and make that reference shareable natively via relays.

This proposal is to create a wapper around NIP 94 to help facilitate more than just hosting the video content. This proposal helps allow video-based clients to do two things: 1) create a replaceable nostr event for the video (so if the creator uploads a new version or switches hosts, people can still reference the same Nostr event). 2) Track video view counts.

It’s still under development but could be helpful as we try to bring more content creators over to Nostr 💪

Author: zmeyer44

2) (Proposed) NIP 44: Places 🌏

Much physical commerce is discovered by consumers via map apps. You go on Google or Apple Maps to find an art supply store near your apartment, or coffee shops that are open right now when you’re in a new city. These centralized solutions have dominated, but Yondar seeks to change that.

Yondar is a Nostr client that allows users to publish places on a map. This could be places of business or events, really anything that has a location. It could unlock crowdsourcing the place-based apps we’re used to using, so we can wrest control back from the tech giants.

This NIP is a proposal to make “place” events a protocol that’s available to any Nostr client. So that the idea can spread beyond just Yondar. Can’t wait!

Author: arkin0x

Notable Projects

Updates to negentroopy and strfry 🛜

nostr:npub1yxprsscnjw2e6myxz73mmzvnqw5kvzd5ffjya9ecjypc5l0gvgksh8qud4 is the primary author of the StrFry relay. It’s one of the most popular relay implementations used by relay operators because it’s performant and extensible.

Doug announced a slew of improvements this week to a library underpinning strfy, called negentropy. Negentropy (from my limited understanding) is a protocol for set-reconciliation, which I would summarize as optimizing the process of syncing two sets of data quickly and with minimal compute resources and data transfer.

I don’t know the innards of strfry but I do know that when scaling systems like relays much of the difficulty comes from distributing data onto many servers so that the relay can hold increasing amounts of data but still serve users requests quickly. You usually can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Improvements to projects like negentropy allow us have relays which are both larger and more performant. They’re not the sexiest advances and usually go un-celebrated, but Nostr will be faster for users and relay operation should get cheaper because of this project.

Thanks Doug!

StrFrui ✔️

Relays are inundated with new events constantly and sometimes relay operators want to “sift” through new Nostr events pushed to the relay to ensure that unwanted content can be rejected. This has been done for rate-limiting, spam filtering, and sometimes outright npub censorship. Which as a relay operator is their right.

Problem is, as Nostr usage scales, relay operators will need more sophisticated tools to manage content on their relays. nostr:npub168ghgug469n4r2tuyw05dmqhqv5jcwm7nxytn67afmz8qkc4a4zqsu2dlc built StrFrui which is a framework for building sifters for relays running strfry (common, performant relay). Thanks for helping Nostr scale 🫡.

Latest conversations: nsecBunker

The landscape for security of Nostr keys is rapidly evolving. Here are the current options:

1. Paste your nsec into the client - yikes, but sometimes there’s no alternative, like on iOS Nostr Browser Extension (nos2x, Nostr Connect, etc) - good if you’re on a browser, not encrypted at rest.
2. Android Signing App - great if you’re on Android and the client supports it.
3. nsecBunker - great security if you want to be hands on managing a bunker

We’re early so we’re still learning the architectures that work the best and those that will be compatible with future, more user-friendly experiences. I’m starting to think nsecBunker has the most potential, because it’s cross platform, encrypted at rest, and can be built so that users never have to manage Nostr keys if they don’t want to.

How does nsecBunker work?

Short answer: it’s complicated. Slightly longer answer: 1. Give the bunker your nsec (or let it generate one). 1. You authorize a client with certain permissions (can publish kind 1 notes for 10 hours, etc). 1. That generates and npub+token that you can use to log in to clients that support nsecbunker. 1. While that authorization lasts, that client can take authorized actions on behalf of the user who’s key is in the bunker.

There’s also a flow in reverse (starts with the client wanting to take an action), but I’m not going to get into it right now. It’s much harder to explain.

How is this better?

NsecBunker has a few advantages over other solutions:
1. Users never need to copy/paste the nsec 1. Nsec is encrypted in the bunker with a passphrase so even if bunker is hacked you’re ok.
1. Bunkers can work in any Nostr context (browser, mobile app, hardware device, whatever).

The biggest downside to nsecBunker is that you need a Nostr account to be the admin of the keys stored in the bunker. Whereas the Nostr Browser Extensions you can have one account and self-manage it.

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

There are always going to be people that want to custody their own Nostr keys, but most humans likely won’t have the knowledge nor inclination to do so. What they want is something that’s more like the “Login with Twitter” button.

In this future, a user would sign up with a Bunker provider (these could be paid services). The user would use a email/password to manage their account with the provider. The user could generate as many Nostr accounts as they like, but the Bunker custodies the keys.

Clients would then have a “Login with Bunker” button that allows the user to put in their Nostr address (NIP 05) and that will be de-referenced to a bunker and a few relays to help the client and the bunker do all the coordination to get the user logged in and ready to use the client. It will basically be OAuth but using Nostr events as the transfer protocol instead of just HTTP requests.

This architecture allows the least technical users to have a familiar experience while benefiting from all the security and control tools that sophisticated companies still struggle with.

Best of all, if users can export their keys in the future, then they can always migrate out of a custodial solution and self-custody once they learn the advantages. More freedom for users and freedom tech still gets more accessible to everyday folks. nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft created a proof of concept of just such an onboarding flow, check it out here.

What needs to be built

While bunker providers would need to build some management software around nsecBunker (user/subscription management, passing along permission requests to users, etc) most of the work to make this possible is client-side.

More clients will need to support the authorization scheme that nsecbunker requires. This would require new login capabilities, as well as supporting nsecBunker style remote signing capabilities (to delegate authorization to the nsecbunker instead of relying on the user’s nsec being on the same device as the client).

It’s not insurmountable, but it is not trivial; and if history is any guide, client adoption will take time. We’ve seen that Nostr browser extensions still haven’t become universal, even though most developers will tell you they should be mandatory at this point.

My prediction is that iOS clients will lead the charge because iOS doesn’t have the same ability as android for apps to interact with each other (via Android Signing Apps) so nsecBunker may be their only way for iOS clients to stop requiring users to paste in their nsec directly into the client 😬.

I think we’re well on our way to this future, and it’s one that will be much easier for normies to utilize while still allowing for people to opt-out and self custody if they wish.

Until next time 🫡

If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk

Stay Classy, Nostr.

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A comprehensive exploration of Metamodernism, its principles and influences across art, design, music, politics, and technology. This piece delves into how Metamodernism paves the way for a future that harmonizes grand narratives and individual nuances, and how it could shape the cultural, economic, and digital landscape of the future.

Audio Version

Introduction

Welcome to the metamodern era. A time where we find ourselves caught in the flux of digital revolution, cultural shifts, and a rekindling of grand narratives, all while still

As an artist, I find myself standing at the crossroads of these cultural and technological shifts, with Metamodernism serving as my compass. I'd like to share my thoughts, experiences, and observations on what Metamodernism is, and how I believe it will shape our future.

This journey began as an exploration into the potential future of graphic design, taking cues from an evolving cultural paradigm. I quickly realized that Metamodernism was not just about creating compelling visual narratives, but it had potential to influence every aspect of our lives, from politics and technology to our individual experiences and collective narratives.

Metamodernism, in essence, is about balancing the best of what came before – the grand narratives and optimism of modernism, and the skepticism and relativism of postmodernism – while forging ahead to create a new, coherent cultural reality.

So let's embark on this journey together to understand the metamodern era and its impact on our culture, our technology, and our art. Let's delve into Metamodernism.

Understanding Postmodernism and Metamodernism

To appreciate the metamodern, we must first unpack the concept of postmodernism. Rooted in skepticism, postmodernism came into being as a reaction to modernism’s perceived failures. Where modernism sought universality, believing in grand narratives and objective truths, postmodernism reveled in fragmentation and the subjective nature of reality. It questioned our institutions, our ideologies, and our grand narratives, challenging the very structure upon which our society was built.

However, as we moved deeper into the postmodern era, a palpable sense of fatigue began to set in. The endless questioning, the constant fragmentation, and the cynical deconstruction of everything began to take a toll. While postmodernism provided valuable insights into the limitations of modernist thinking, it also left us feeling disconnected and adrift in a sea of relativism and irony.

This is where Metamodernism steps in. As the cultural pendulum swings back from the fragmentation of postmodernism, it does not return us to the naive grand narratives of modernism. Instead, Metamodernism synthesizes these seemingly contradictory ideologies, embracing both the skepticism of the postmodern and the optimism of the modern.

In essence, Metamodernism is a search for meaning and unity that still acknowledges and respects the complexity of individual experience. It recognizes the value in both grand narratives and personal stories, aspiring to create a more cohesive cultural discourse.

The metamodern era is a new dawn that challenges us to be both skeptical and hopeful, to engage in dialogue and debate, and to harness the opportunities that lie ahead. It's not about choosing between the grand narrative and the individual, but rather finding a way to harmoniously integrate both.

Metamodernism in Politics

In recent years, we've seen political movements around the world that embody the elements of Metamodernism. On one hand, there's a call for a return to grand narratives and nostalgia for perceived better times, while on the other, there's a desire to dissolve hierarchical structures and traditional norms in favor of individual freedom and recognition.

A case in point is the political era marked by the rise of Donald Trump in the United States. Trump's slogan, "Make America Great Again," was a nod to the modernist ideal of a grand narrative - a return to American exceptionalism. It was an appeal to a past time when things were, as perceived by some, better.

Meanwhile, reactions on the left have taken a different trajectory. Movements to decentralize power, break down traditional norms, and encourage more individual subjectivity echoing postmodern sentiments.

Metamodernism enables us to interpret these political movements from a fresh perspective. It does not discard the grand narrative nor does it plunge into fragmentation. Instead, it presents a narrative of balance and synthesis, oscillating between the modernist and postmodernist perspectives, and offering a way forward that is nuanced, respectful of individual experiences, and yet oriented toward a shared goal for the culture and people.

In the realm of politics, the metamodern era isn't about swinging to one extreme or another. Instead, it suggests a way to reconcile the polarity and move forward, synthesizing the best of both perspectives into a more nuanced, inclusive future. This is the metamodern political landscape, complex and dynamic, where grand narratives and individual stories coexist and inform one another.

The Metamodernist Canvas in Graphic Design

Now, let's look at the impact of Metamodernism on graphic design, a realm where I live and breathe every day. Here, Metamodernism offers a fresh perspective, providing a way to express the complexity of the world we live in and creating a narrative that is both universal and individual.

Traditional graphic design was about simplicity and clarity. It was built on the modernist principles of functionalism and minimalism, where form follows function. Postmodern design, however, sought to question these principles, embracing complexity, contradiction, and the power of the image.

As a graphic designer in the metamodern era, I find myself torn between these two extremes. On one hand, I appreciate the clarity and simplicity of modernist design. On the other, I am captivated by the dynamism and complexity of postmodern aesthetics.

The solution, I believe, lies in the synthesis offered by Metamodernism. Metamodernist design does not reject the past, but rather builds on it. It blends the simplicity of modern design with the vibrancy of postmodern aesthetics, creating something that is both familiar and fresh.

The Metamodernist canvas is a space where contrasting ideas can coexist and inform each other. It is a space where the universal and the individual intersect, creating narratives that resonate on multiple levels. It is a space where design can play a role in building a more cohesive and well integrated society.

The challenge for designers in the metamodern era is to create designs that reflect this complexity and nuance, designs that speak to both the individual and the collective, designs that challenge, inspire, and unite. It's a tall order, but it's a challenge that, as designers, we are ready and excited to embrace.

Liminal Spaces and the Visual Language of Metamodernism

A pivotal concept within the Metamodernist philosophy is that of the "liminal space" - an in-between space, where transformation occurs. These spaces, often associated with uncertainty, dislocation, and transition, have become particularly poignant in recent times as we grappled with the global impact of COVID-19.

Within this context, we've all had a shared experience of liminality. Offices, parks, and public spaces - once bustling with activity - suddenly became eerily quiet and deserted. These images have since been ingrained in our collective memory, symbolizing a profound shift in our way of life.

From a visual perspective, these liminal spaces offer a unique canvas to create Metamodernist narratives. Picture a 3D render of an empty office space, serving as a backdrop for a fusion of past and future aesthetics, where classical works of art - subtly altered - coexist with modern elements. Consider the emotional impact of a low-resolution Mona Lisa or a melting clock a la Salvador Dalí set against the familiar concrete reality of the modern workspace.

This use of liminal space is not just a stylistic choice. It's a nod to our shared experiences, an acknowledgment of the transitions we are going through as a society. It's a way of showing that while we live in an era of immense change and uncertainty, we are also capable of creating new narratives, of finding beauty in the unfamiliar, and of moving forward together.

The challenge in Metamodernist design is to create a visual language that resonates with our collective experiences, that brings together the past and the future, the familiar and the strange, and that stimulates thought, dialogue, and connection. And that, I believe, is where the true power of Metamodernist design lies.

Metamodernism in Art, Music, and Memes

Just as in politics and graphic design, Metamodernism manifests itself in various facets of culture, from art and music to internet memes. This wide-ranging influence attests to the universality of Metamodernist thinking and its ability to encompass and unify diverse aspects of human experience.

In visual arts, consider Banksy's elusive street art, which often blends irony and sincerity, public space and private sentiment, modern graffiti techniques and traditional painting styles. In music, take the example of Kanye West's album "Jesus is King," which fuses gospel traditions with hip-hop sensibilities, blurring the line between secular and religious, the mainstream and the fringe.

Meanwhile, the internet meme culture, characterized by its oscillation between irony and sincerity, absurdity and poignancy, chaos and order, is perhaps one of the most profound expressions of Metamodernism. Memes like "This is fine," a dog calmly sitting in a burning room, epitomize the Metamodernist spirit by acknowledging the complexities and contradictions of modern life while also seeking to find humor and connection within them.

Even the trend of remixing adult rap with kids shows can be seen as Metamodernist. It juxtaposes the mature themes of rap music with the innocence of children's entertainment, resulting in a work that is both familiar and disorienting, humorous and thought-provoking.

In all these instances, Metamodernist works draw from the past and present, high culture and popular culture, the sacred and the profane, to create experiences that are multilayered, dynamic, and rich in meaning. They acknowledge the complexity and diversity of human experience, yet also aspire to forge connections, provoke thought, and inspire change.

The Rise of Bitcoin and Metamodernist Economics

The rise of Bitcoin - the world's first decentralized digital currency - is a prime example of Metamodernist influence in economics. Bitcoin incorporates elements from both modernist and postmodernist economic theories, yet transcends them by creating a novel economic system that has never been seen before.

On one hand, Bitcoin harks back to the modernist ideal of hard money. It revives the principles of scarcity and predictability that underpinned the gold standard, a system that many believe led to stable, prosperous economies. On the other hand, Bitcoin's design is rooted in postmodern principles of decentralization and disintermediation, disrupting traditional economic hierarchies and structures.

But Bitcoin isn't just a fusion of modern and postmodern economics. It goes a step further by incorporating elements of Metamodernist thinking. Bitcoin's design encourages a sincere, cooperative approach to economic interaction. Its transparent, tamper-proof ledger (blockchain) promotes trust and collaboration, discourages deceit, and enables all participants, no matter how big or small, to verify transactions independently.

Moreover, Bitcoin is a grand narrative in itself - a vision of a world where economic power is not concentrated in the hands of a few, but distributed among many. At the same time, it acknowledges the individuality and diversity of its participants. Each Bitcoin user has a unique address and can transact freely with anyone in the world, without the need for a middleman.

Bitcoin's rise offers a glimpse into what a Metamodernist economic system might look like - one that combines the best aspects of modern and postmodern economics, while also adding a new layer of trust, cooperation, and individual freedom.

The Impact of Urbit and Metamodernist Computing

Urbit symbolizes a compelling manifestation of Metamodernist ideology within the realm of technology. This unique operating system revolutionizes the individual's interaction with the digital world, intrinsically mirroring the principles of Metamodernism.

In contrast to the postmodern complexities that plague the current internet – a web characterized by surveillance capitalism, privacy invasion, and data centralization – Urbit leans towards a modernist vision. It champions the idea of the internet as a streamlined, intuitive tool, but concurrently it envisions something unprecedented: a digital landscape where each user not only owns but is also the infrastructure of their digital identity and data.

The design philosophy of Urbit embodies a characteristic Metamodernist oscillation, as it traverses between elements of the past and the future, the familiar and the uncharted. It embraces the modernist simplicity reminiscent of early computing while concurrently advancing a futuristic concept of a personal server for every individual, in which they possess full sovereignty over their digital existence.

Urbit’s operating system and its unique programming language, Nock and Hoon, employ a Kelvin versioning system. This system is designed to decrement towards zero instead of incrementing upwards, epitomizing the modernist pursuit of perfection and simplicity. Once the protocol reaches zero, it signifies that an ideal state has been achieved, and no further changes will be required. This, in essence, represents the modernist grand narrative embedded within Urbit's design.

In the wider narrative of Metamodernism, Urbit symbolizes a decentralized, user-centric digital future. It recognizes the individuality of each user and emphasizes their control over their digital persona and interactions.

The promise of a completely decentralized internet is a vision still in progress. Regardless, it offers crucial insights into how Metamodernist principles could potentially shape our digital future. It paints a picture of an equilibrium between grand narratives and individual nuances, encapsulating a collective digital aspiration, as well as personal digital realities.

Moving Towards a Metamodernist Future

The common thread running through the Metamodernist era is the simultaneous embrace of grand narratives and personal experiences, the oscillation between modernist and postmodernist ideals, and the sincere pursuit of a better future.

However, moving towards a Metamodernist future is not without challenges. The danger lies in taking Metamodernist principles to an extreme, where the balance between irony and sincerity, grand narratives and individual nuances, can be lost. It's vital to avoid the pitfalls of dogmatism and extremism that plagued previous cultural eras.

For instance, an overemphasis on grand narratives can lead to totalitarian tendencies, while an excessive focus on individual nuances can result in cultural fragmentation. Metamodernism's strength lies in its ability to reconcile these extremes, fostering a sense of shared purpose while acknowledging individual experiences and perspectives.

Similarly, the interplay of irony and sincerity, often seen in Metamodernist works, should not tip over into either pure cynicism or naive earnestness. The goal should be to create a dialectic, a conversation, a fusion that creates a new, more complex understanding.

As we move towards this future, we can use the tools at our disposal – from graphic design and art, to music, memes, Bitcoin, and Urbit – to explore and shape this Metamodernist narrative. By consciously adopting Metamodernist principles, we can construct a culture that is at once reflective of our individual experiences and representative of our collective aspirations. In doing so, we can pave the way for a future that truly encapsulates the complexity, diversity, and richness of the human experience.

A Future Infused with Metamodernism

Metamodernism offers a comprehensive cultural lens through which we can understand, critique, and navigate our world. It provides a potential pathway to a future where our grand collective narratives coexist harmoniously with our nuanced individual experiences.

In the creative world, artists and designers can become the torchbearers of this movement, integrating Metamodernist principles into their work. They can leverage the power of nostalgia, sincerity, irony, and innovation to create works that resonate with the complexities of the human condition, reflecting both shared experiences and personal journeys.

In the world of technology and economics, Metamodernist principles illuminate the path to a more decentralized, user-centric digital future, as embodied by Bitcoin and Urbit. These platforms highlight the value of individual autonomy within a collective system, creating a new narrative of economic and digital empowerment.

In the political realm, Metamodernism can help create a dialogue that is both encompassing and respectful of diverse perspectives. It advocates for a new kind of political discourse that eschews extreme polarization in favor of a nuanced conversation that acknowledges the complexities of our world.

In essence, the potential of Metamodernism lies in its capacity to weave a compelling tapestry of our collective human experience – one that is vibrant, complex, and teeming with diverse narratives. By understanding and embracing the principles of Metamodernism, we can co-create a future that truly reflects the dynamic interplay of our shared narratives and individual nuances.

In this promising future, we can all become active participants in the Metamodernist narrative, shaping a world that values both the grandeur of our collective dreams and the authenticity of our individual experiences. The future is not just something we move towards; it is something we actively create. And Metamodernism provides a powerful blueprint for this creation.

Read more from Adam Malin at habitus.blog.

Adam Malin

adammalin.com

You can find me on Twitter or on Nostr at

npub15jnttpymeytm80hatjqcvhhqhzrhx6gxp8pq0wn93rhnu8s9h9dsha32lx

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@ 75656740:dbc8f92a

In my previous article I argued that it is impossible to have an effective filter in a delivery-by-default and universal reach messaging protocol. This might seem over-specific because, after various filters, nothing is truly universal or delivery-by-default. * Mail is limited by a cost filter phone calls by call screening services. * Faxes are limited by the fact that we all got sick of them and don't use them any more. * Email dealt with it by pushing everyone into a few siloed services that have the data and scale to implement somewhat effective spam detection. * Social media employs thousands of content moderators and carefully crafted algorithms.

Most of these are, however, delivery-by-default and universal in their protocol design. Ostensibly I could dial any number in the world and talk to anyone else in possession of a phone. If I have an email address I can reach anyone else. I can @ anyone on social media. All these protocols make an initial promise, based on how they fundamentally work, that anyone can reach anyone else.

This promise of reach then has to be broken to accomplish filtering. Looking at limiting cases it becomes clear that these protocol designs were all critically flawed to begin with. The flaw is that, even in a spam free case, universal reach is impossible. For a galaxy-wide civilization with billions of trillions of people, anyone individual wouldn't be able to even request all the information on a topic. The problem is more than just bandwidth, it is latency.

That is without spam and trolling. With spam and trolls things crash at a rate proportional to the attention available on the protocol.

The answer is to break the promise of universal reach in theory so we can regain it in practice. By this I mean filtering should happen as soon as possible to keep the entire network from having to pass an unwanted message. This can be accomplished if all messages are presumed unwanted until proven otherwise. Ideally messaging happens along lines of contacts where each contact has verified and signed each-other's keys. That is annoying and unworkable, however, instead it should be possible to simply design for trust. Each account can determine a level of certainty of an identity based on network knowledge and allow or deny based on a per-instance threshold.

While requiring all messages to originate "in network" does break the promise of the internet as an open frontier, the reality is that, like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon, everyone you want to reach will be in your network if scaled out to a reasonable level. This puts a bottleneck on bot farms trying to gain entry into the network. While they will be able to fool people into connecting with them, such poor users can lose the trust of their contacts for introductions, algorithmically limiting reach.

With Nostr I expect this form of filtering will arise organically as each relay and client makes decisions about what to pass on. This is why I like Nostr. It isn't exactly what I want, but that doesn't matter I am probably wrong, it can morph into whatever it needs to be.

@ ff1a68c4:ec9831cf

El 18 de octubre del 2019 Chile explotó, se le llamó "estallido social", como algo espontáneo, con el tiempo fueron apareciendo evidencias de que fue organizado desde antes, mucha gente se creyó el cuento de que fue espontáneo y se sumó. El mismísimo Daniel Jadue (PC) en una entrevista reconoció que le molestaba el término "estallido" porque ellos llevaban meses planificándolo todo.

El presidente Piñera, que había jurado defender la constitución, la entregó al proceso revolucionario con tal de salvarse el pellejo.

Luego de dos procesos constituyentes rechazados, quedamos tal como empezamos. En realidad, estamos mucho peor que cuando empezamos. Acá pretendo resumir el proceso de cuatro años en unos cuantos párrafos.

En ambos procesos se invirtió bastante tiempo y plata, que se pudieron haber invertido en los problemas reales del país, problemas que se podrían solucionar sin cambiar la constitución, pero eso requería que la casta política trabajara de verdad. Prefirieron el circo constitucional.

Antes del 18-O las encuestas ponían como prioridad salud, educación y pensiones. Problemas que actualmente tiene el primer mundo.

Ahora tenemos delincuencia desbordada, corrupción levantando las tapas del alcantarillado, una economía que no da pie con bola. Problemas de país bananero, sumado a que los problemas mencionados antes (salud, educación y pensiones, siguen empeorando).

La gente que saboteó a Chile (Bachelet estancando la economía, el Frente Amplio desde la revolución del 2019) decía que había que compararse con el Estado de bienestar Europeo, pero cuando tuvieron la oportunidad de hacer sus anunciadas mejoras, escribieron una constitución que guiaba a Chile a un esquema bolivariano socialista que nada tenía que ver con lo prometido. Ahora que son gobierno, se contentan con que los niveles de delincuencia estén mejor que el resto de "letrinoamérica", no son capaces de reconocer que son la razón de la descomposición nacional.

Pero la izquierda no es la única culpable, la derecha entreguista, comenzando con Piñera. En lugar de apuntar a los problemas reales del país, se prestó para el circo. E incluso lo reiniciaron una segunda vez, de forma inexplicable.

En esta segunda ocasión, quienes recibieron mayor cantidad de votos fue el partido Republicano, los que desde el comienzo no quisieron proceso constitucional. Pero tal como el anillo de Saurón, el poder constituyente los corrompió y se volvieron parte del problema. Momento en que la derechita cobarde los abrazó como compañeros para una campaña sucia, llamando a quienes nunca quisimos el proceso constituyente como "comunistas".

La derecha unida (derecha progre y Republicanos) promovieron un texto que prometía el paraíso regalado sobre la tierra, pero nada es gratis: esos derechos sociales judicializables y garantizados, la intromisión del Estado en cada aspecto de la vida nacional, la igualdad sustantiva, derechos colectivos por raza e incluso la teoría del valor trabajo camuflada dentro del texto, fueron difíciles de esconder. Y todos esos derechos se deben pagar, cuando la economía nacional no está para ello.

El texto propuesto era en esencia, otra vez, una porquería progre, pero disfrazada de derecha con "indicaciones" de Republicanos. Con parches tan débiles como poner "responsabilidad fiscal" sin siquiera delimitar a qué se referían con ello.

En fin, es hora de levantar las piezas, intentar reconstruir el país y espero que esta vez, por fin, la derecha aprenda a tener cojones y no vuelva a pelear con banderas ajenas. Ojalá que el triunfo de Javier Milei en el país vecino, le enseñe a la gente que quiere ser libre a que esas ideas sí tienen potencial político.

Por último, ya es tarde para identificar quienes mantuvieron la línea dentro de Republicanos, gente a quien el anillo Constitucional no los corrompió. Muchos dirán "yo siempre fui del En Contra", pero la verdad es que solamente algunos públicamente lo manifestaron antes del fracaso de ayer. Les gustó ser abrazados por la derechita cobarde, les gustó que ya no les llamaran "extrema derecha", se sintieron queridos por fin y pensaron que con este triunfo su líder, José Antonio Kast, sería el próximo presidente de Chile. Les daba lo mismo que gobernara un país con una nueva institucionalidad de izquierda boliviariana latinoamericana.

Desde hoy, las cosas volverán a ser como eran, o incluso peor para algunos. Republicanos no solamente volverá a ser visto como "ultras" por el resto de partidos (incluso los que los abrazaron durante esta campaña), sino que serán vistos como traidores por quienes confiaron alguna vez en que de verdad creían en lo que pregonaban.

La izquierda intentará capitalizar lo ocurrido, pero saben que en el fondo se mantiene la constitución que ellos mismos intentaron eliminar. La "constitución de Pinochet" (como la llaman) es y será validada por sus resultados, por permitir la gobernabilidad en democracia desde más de 30 años, de permitir el crecimiento de un país pobre en recursos naturales, y validada por el voto, una vez más. Es hora de que la derechita cobarde se ponga los pantalones y la defienda. Que suban el quorum, que reviertan el daño causado por la izquierda, y que Chile vuelva a crecer. ¿Es mucho pedir? si, porque requiere que la casta trabaje.

@ 75656740:dbc8f92a

All social media companies quickly run into the impossible problem of content moderation. I have often seen commentary suggesting that Twitter, FaceBook, etc need to make some particular adjustment to their content moderation policy. Perhaps they should have clearer rules, be more transparent about moderation actions taken, err on the side of permissiveness, have community moderation, time outs vs bans etc. My thesis, however, is that all such endeavors are doomed to failure. The problem is that maintaining signal to noise over a single channel cannot scale.

If a platform wants to remain relevant to the majority of people, it needs to maintain signal. Filtering is a fundamental feature of communication. Even in-person conversations between individuals break down without self-filtering to stay on topic and maintain constructive relations. Long range delivery systems have a second order problem that makes the issue even worse.

All delivery-by-default communication systems succumb to spam. This is without exception. Mail, phone, fax, email, text, forums, etc. have all fallen to spam and now require herculean efforts to maintain signal through extensive filtering. The main offenders are non-human entities that have a low barrier to entry into the network. Once in, delivery-by-default allows and motivates swamping out competing signals for user attention.

In combating this problem most platform operators do seem to act in good-faith while implementing filters. They are even fairly successful. But they end up with the same problem as economic central planners and Maxwell's Daemon; to do the job perfectly they require more information than the system contains. This means that the system is guaranteed to fail some users. As a successful platform scales the filtering needs will outrun the active users by some f(n) = n^k where k is greater than 1. This follows from the network effect of greater information being contained in the edges of the graph than in its nodes.

For networks like Facebook and Twitter the impossible threshold is many orders of magnitude past. What can be maintained on a small mailing list with the occasional admonition, now requires tens of thousands of swamped moderators that still can't begin to keep up. Those moderators have to make value judgements for content generated by people they don't know or understand. Even the best meaning moderators will make bias mistakes. Thus the proportion of unhappy users will also scale non-linearly with size.

The impossible problem takes a second step in the presence of civil authority. The problem is that a filter being necessary means that a filter exists. A civil authority and other motivated actors will not be able to leave a filter be, without at least attempting to tip the scales. Again they are generally well-meaning. But what they consider noise, may not actually be noise.

Well-meaning is probably a stretch given that levers of power tend to attract the attention of people who like that sort of thing, but I like to assume the best. I tend to think that there were some early signs of Jack stressing out under the load of bearing this problem. He didn't want it but there just wasn't anyway out of it. You must maintain signal or die!

But there is light at the end of the tunnel. The problem only exists with delivery-by-default when reach is universal (a problem for another post) with distributed systems there is still a filter but it is no longer any one entity's problem. Once the social graph is complete, deny-by-default can work wonders since each node can decide what to allow.

I don't know what the final filtering mechanism will look like, but Nostr is a lovely chance to experiment.

@ ee6ea13a:959b6e74

Chef's notes

I recommend using olive oil for frying to get the best results. If you’re using a different type of oil, make sure you are aware of its smoke point. You should keep the temperature between 350-375°F (175-190°C). Olive oil will begin to smoke if it goes above 400°F (200°C), so keep a close eye on it so you don’t burn the oil.

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 20 minutes
• 🍳 Cook time: 30 minutes
• 🍽️ Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 4 large russet potatoes, peeled
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons matzo meal or unbleached flour
• 1/4 cup white or yellow onion, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil for frying, more as needed

Directions

1. Slice peeled potatoes and run through a food processor fitted with the grater attachment. If you don’t have a food processor, use a box grater.
2. Place shredded potatoes in a cheesecloth or several paper towels and squeeze over the sink, removing as much liquid as possible.
3. Place drained potatoes into a large bowl. Add eggs, matzo meal or flour, onion, and salt, and stir until completely combined.
4. Heat 1/4 inch of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, being careful not to let the oil burn. The oil will be absorbed into the pancakes, so you will need to add more as you go. Make sure you allow a couple of minutes between batches for the cold oil to heat up.
5. Place large spoonfuls of potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form patties about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
6. Flip and repeat on the other side.
7. Remove and place gently on a paper towel-lined plate to let the oil drain while you cook any remaining latkes. You can also keep them on a baking sheet in a low-temperature oven while you cook the remaining batches. (Never microwave them!)
8. Serve hot with fresh applesauce and sour cream, or your favorite topping.

@ 9ecbb0e7:06ab7c09

El dictador cubano Miguel Díaz-Canel amenazó a quienes disientan del régimen con aplicarles el peso de la ley, durante el VII Pleno del Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC).

“Desde aquí lo decimos, que los terroristas, mercenarios, saboteadores y contrarrevolucionarios asociados a esa política imperial no esperen magnanimidad, ni generosidad de la Revolución. Se les aplicará el fuerte peso de la ley revolucionaria”, expresó el presidente designado de Cuba.

📹| @DiazCanelB: “Desde aquí lo decimos, que los terroristas, mercenarios, saboteadores y contrarrevolucionarios asociados a esa política imperial no esperen magnanimidad, ni generosidad de la Revolución. Se les aplicará el fuerte peso de la ley revolucionaria”.#Cuba 🇨🇺 pic.twitter.com/nPqYra1w2Q

— Presidencia Cuba 🇨🇺 (@PresidenciaCuba) December 17, 2023

Además, recurrió a la típica idea de plaza sitiada esgrimida por el poder cubano al decir que “La concepción de planes por nuevos actores de la contrarrevolución externa, que propugnan la ejecución de hechos violentos como vía para derrocar a la revolución cubana, provienen de mentes enfermas, desesperadas e impotentes que pretenden aprovechar las dificultades que confrontamos para sembrar la desesperanza y el desánimo en nuestra población”.

Las palabras de Díaz-Canel y su calificación como “terroristas” a quienes no comulgan con la dictadura suceden días después de que el régimen publicara un listado nacional de terroristas, donde se incluyen activistas políticos, incluencers y organizaciones.

El pasado 7 de diciembre la Dirección General de Investigación Criminal del Ministerio del Interior del régimen cubano publicó la resolución 19/2023 donde aparece la lista.

El documento incluye un total de 61 personas y 19 organizaciones. Entre los mencionados por el régimen se encuentran: José Jesús Basulto León, Ramón Saúl Sanchez Rizo, Alexander Otaola Casal, Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, Eliecer Ávila Cecilia, Liudmila Santiesteban Cruz (Liu Santiesteban), Manuel Milanés Pizonero, Alain Lambert Sánchez (Paparazzi cubano), Jorge Ramón Batista Calero (Ultrack), Eduardo Arias León, Guillermo Novo Sampoll, Pedro Ramón Crispín Rodríguez y José Francisco Hernández Calvo, Eliécer Ávila, Yamila Betancourt García (conocida como Yamila, la hija de Maceo) y Ana Olema.

Los influencers, en su mayoría, están acusados "por financiar y ejecutar actividades dirigidas a desestabilizar el orden social en Cuba” y por incitar supuestas acciones que afectan el orden social.

Desde las protestas de julio de 2021 el régimen cubano se ha blindado jurídicamente para procesar el disenso político. Una muestra de ello es el Código Penal vigente desde diciembre de 2022 y otras normativas recientes. Según la organización Prisioners Defenders existen en la isla un total de 1062 presos políticos, aunque el régimen niegue su existencia.

@ 97c70a44:ad98e322

Metadata Leakage

It's a well-known fact that Nostr's NIP 04 DMs leak metadata. This seems like an obvious flaw, and has been pointed out as such many times. After all, if anyone can see who you're messaging and how frequently, what time of the day, how large your messages are, who else is mentioned, and correlate multiple separate conversations with one another, how private are your communications really?

A common retort repeated among those who "get" Nostr (myself included) is "it's not a bug, it's a feature". This hearkens back to the early days of the internet, when internet security was less than an afterthought, and social platforms throve on various permutations of the anonymous confessions-type app. How interesting to be able to flex to your friends about whom you're DMing and how often! Most conversations don't really need to be private anyway, so we might as well gamify them. Nostr is nothing if not fun.

In all seriousness though, metadata leakage is a problem. In one sense, Nostr's DMs are a huge improvement over legacy direct messages (the platform can no longer rat you out to the FBI), but they are also a massive step backward (literally anyone can rat you out to the FBI). I'm completely confident we'll be able to solve this issue for DMs, but solving it for other data types within Nostr might pose a bigger problem.

Social Content

A use case for Nostr I've had on my mind these last few months is web-of-trust reviews and recommendations. The same sybil attack that allows bots to threaten social networks has also been used as a marketing tool for unscrupulous sellers. NPS surveys, purchased reviews, and platform complicity have destroyed the credibility of product reviews online, just like keyword-stuffed content has ruined Google's search results.

Proof-of-work would do nothing to defend against this attack, because the problem is not volume, it's false credibility. The correct tool to employ against false credibility is web-of-trust — verifiable trustworthiness relative to the end user's own social graph.

This is a huge opportunity for Nostr, and one I'm very excited about. Imagine you want to know whether the vibro-recombinant-shake-faker (VRSF) will result in visible abs in under 6 days. Well, it has over 4 thousand 5-star reviews on Amazon, and all the 1-star reviews are riddled with typos and non sequiturs. So it must work, and make you smarter into the deal! Well, sadly no, visible abs are actually a lie sold to you by "big gym".

Now imagine you could find your three friends who fell for this gyp and ask them what they thought — you might just end up with a lower average rating, and you'd certainly have a higher level of certainty that the VRSF is not worth the vibra-foam it's molded from.

This same query could be performed for any product, service, or cultural experience. And you wouldn't be limited to asking for opinions from your entire social graph, it would be easy to curate a list of epicureans to help you choose a restaurant, or trusted bookworms to help you decide what to read next.

Currently, big tech is unable to pull this off, because Facebook won't share its social graph with Google, and Google won't share its business data with Facebook. But if an open database of people and businesses exists on Nostr, anyone can re-combine these silos in new and interesting ways.

Notes and other Spies

So that's the pitch, but let's consider the downsides.

An open social graph coupled with recommendations means that not only can you ask what your friends think about a given product, you can ask:

• What a given person's friends think about a product
• What kind of person likes a given product
• How products and people cluster

That last one in particular is interesting, since it means you could find reasonable answers to some interesting questions:

• Does a given region have fertility problems?
• What are the political leanings of a given group?
• How effective was a particular advertisement with a given group?

This is the kind of social experiment that has historically earned Facebook so much heat. Democratizing this data does not prevent its correlation from being a violation of personal privacy, especially since it will be computationally expensive to do sophisticated analysis on it — and the results of that analysis can be kept private. And to be clear, this is a problem well beyond the combination of social information and public reviews. This is just one example of many similar things that could go wrong with an open database of user behavior.

Not to put too fine a point on it, we are at risk of handing the surveillance panopticon over to our would-be overlords on a silver platter. Just as walled gardens have managed us in the past to sway political opinion or pump the bags of Big X, an open, interoperable content graph will make building a repressive administrative state almost too easy.

Let's not give up just yet

So what can we do about it? I want a ratings system based on my social graph, but not at the expense of our collective privacy. We need to keep this threat in mind as we build out Nostr to address novel use cases. Zero-knowledge proofs might be relevant here, or we might be able to get by with a simple re-configuration of data custody.

In the future users might publish to a small number of relays they trust not to relay their data, similar to @fiatjaf's NIP-29 chat proposal. These relays might then support a more sophisticated query interface so that they can answer questions without revealing too much information. One interesting thing about this approach is that it might push relays towards the PWN model BlueSky uses.

Not all data needs to be treated the same way either, which would give us flexibility when implementing these heuristics. Just as a note might be either broadcast or sent to a single person or group, certain reviews or other activity might only be revealed to people who authenticate themselves in some way.

Like so many other questions with Nostr, this requires our concentrated attention. If all we're doing is building a convenient system for Klaus Schwab to make sure we ate our breakfast bugs, what are we even doing?

@ 1e52c554:21771908

Posthumous work of the Colombian poet born in Don Matias on January 20, 1948.

Welcome to this blog dedicated to the Posthumous work of the Colombian poet Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares (my father), born in Don Matias on January 20, 1948-2010. Where I will be publishing each of the 175 sonnets from his unpublished collection 'Sonnets For The Twenty-First Century And A Circadian Musical (1984-1987).' Analyzed with GPT4 artificial intelligence and illustrated with AI tools... I hope you enjoy this garden of words snatched from the solitude of a locked room.

Likewise, any enthusiast of the sonnet form is invited to conduct their personal studies of Arroyave Tabares' work, as it is a collection that, although registered since 1989, has not yet been published.

Frank Duna

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Analysis "Rhythmic Confusions"

Introduction

Sonnet 21 by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares, titled "Rhythmic Confusions," is a reflection on the environmental degradation caused by human progress and the longing for a simpler, more natural past.

Thematic Analysis

Quatrain 1: The first quatrain sets the scene and introduces the theme of nostalgia. The speaker longs for the past when the air was fresh and could be breathed without fear.

Quatrain 2: The second quatrain continues this theme, describing the speaker’s search for peace in a bucolic setting, away from the polluted cities. The use of the words “weild” and “bucolic” emphasize the speaker’s longing for a simpler, more natural environment.

Quatrain 3: The third quatrain criticizes humanity’s relentless pursuit of progress at the expense of the natural world. The speaker laments the loss of the planet’s “heaven” and its “molds which were fine in days of old.”

Couplet: The concluding couplet reflects on humanity’s ignorance of the “rhythmic confusions” caused by their actions, finding solace only in their “last illusions.” This could be interpreted as a critique of humanity’s tendency to ignore the consequences of their actions until it’s too late.

Overall, the sonnet presents a poignant commentary on humanity’s relationship with nature and the environment. It highlights the tension between progress and preservation, and questions the sustainability of our current path.

Structure and Rhyme Scheme

This sonnet follows the Shakespearean sonnet rhyme scheme, which is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Let’s break it down:

Quatrain 1:

Line 1 (A): The sweltering day invites my spirit Line 2 (B): To think of better times of yesteryear Line 3 (A): When the air was fresh and we could feel it Line 4 (B): Entering our lungs and head without fear.

Quatrain 2:

Line 5 (C): Today we falter roaming in the weild Line 6 (D): Searching for a bucolic peace around Line 7 (C): Far from new cities where black pests are yield Line 8 (D): But dreary poisons are all over found.

Quatrain 3:

Line 9 (E): Ah!, shameless human mind never even Line 10 (F): Endlessly digging space for a brave world Line 11 (E): While sacrificing this planet’s heaven Line 12 (F): And its molds which were fine in days of old.

Couplet:

Line 13 (G): Unaware of rhythmic confusions Line 14 (G): We find magic in our last illusions.

In each quatrain, the first and third lines rhyme with each other, and the second and fourth lines rhyme with each other. The final two lines form a rhyming couplet. This structure creates a clear and pleasing rhythm to the poem. It’s worth noting that the poet has used slant rhymes in some instances, where the words share similar but not identical sounds. This adds a layer of complexity and interest to the sonnet’s rhyme scheme.

Analysis of Aspects

Let’s delve deeper into the analysis of the sonnet “Rhythmic Confusions” by Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares.

Language and Imagery: The sonnet uses rich and evocative language to paint a vivid picture of the contrast between the natural world and the man-made environment. The poet uses words like “sweltering,” “bucolic,” and “weild” to create specific images in the reader’s mind. The language is somewhat archaic, which adds to the nostalgic tone of the poem.

Themes: The main themes of the poem are the conflict between nature and progress, and the destructive impact of human activity on the environment. The poet laments the loss of the natural world and criticizes humanity’s relentless pursuit of progress at the expense of the environment.

Meter: The sonnet follows the traditional iambic pentameter, which is a line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one short (or unstressed) syllable followed by one long (or stressed) syllable. This creates a rhythmic pattern that enhances the flow of the poem.

Overall, “Rhythmic Confusions” is a poignant commentary on humanity’s relationship with nature. It uses evocative language and imagery to highlight the tension between progress and preservation, and questions the sustainability of our current path. The use of the sonnet form, with its strict structure and rhyme scheme, adds a layer of complexity to the poem and enhances its impact. The poem leaves the reader with a sense of melancholy and a call to reflect on our relationship with the environment.

(GPT4)

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Syllable count for each line.

```

Rhythmic Confusions

10 The sweltering day invites my spirit 10 To think of better times of yesteryear 10 When the air was fresh and we could feel it 10 Entering our lungs and head without fear.

10 Today we falter roaming in the weild
10 Searching for a bucolic peace around
10 Far from new cities where black pests are yield 10 But dreary poisons are all over found.

10 Ah!, shameless human mind never even 10 Endlessly digging space for a brave world 10 While sacrificing this planet's heaven 10 And its molds which were fine in days of old.

9 Unaware of rhythmic confusions 10 We find magic in our last illusions. ***

```

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Sonnets For The Twenty First Century And A Circadian Musical Written By Francisco Luis Arroyave Tabares (1984-1987)

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Analyzed by GPT4; Image by leonardo.ai; First published on Nostr Protocol by franciscoarroyavet@nostrplebs.com Rhythmic Confusions

@ ee6ea13a:959b6e74

When choosing a hardware wallet (signing device) for your cold storage, it’s really important to find one from a manufacturer that has proven to be trustworthy, and the same goes for the software and the marketing team. You don’t want a setup that collects analytics on your activity, or one that stores your personal information on an insecure database that creates a very attractive honeypot.

The first one I ever used was called a KeepKey, launched in early 2015 by a company led by CEO Darin Stanchfield and CTO (this is his actual name, I shit you not) Ken Hodler. It was a slick-looking device about the size of an Apple TV remote that connected to your computer using a browser extension to view balances and broadcast transactions.

On Christmas Day in 2016, Darin was sim-swapped and hackers compromised his email account, as well as the company’s social media account, as well as its marketing database, exposing customer data.

In 2017, KeepKey was acquired by ShapeShift, an exchange run by Erik Voorhees, an early pioneer in bitcoin who has since pivoted to shitcoins. Within a short time, they began pushing new updates to KeepKey to turn it into a full “crypto” wallet, and replaced the original browser extension with a new website (that also doubled as an exchange) to manage the device.

By that point, I absolutely knew it was time to move on, and I opted for a new bitcoin-only device. Much to my surprise, when I first attempted to migrate from KeepKey to the new setup, I got an error saying that the transaction could not be broadcasted. I tried in a different browser, and on a different computer, with no luck. Before going into a panic, I sent an email to ShapeShift support. I got the following autoresponse from them:

“I’d like to apologize for the delay in response. As a crypto enthusiast, you must have noticed what a crazy time it has been in our industry! We’ve seen an all-time high in demand, and with it, needs for extra support.” 🤮

A few days later, a reply came, saying that there were “known issues” with the platform that affected certain legacy wallets (i.e., pre-acquisition) and that I should use the device directly with Electrum. I did some research, and after a few more days, was finally successful in getting off of this platform. It was a hair-raising moment that made me realize that even self custody has the potential to get rugged, even if you thought you were making the most informed decisions you could at the time.

Be careful out there!

@ db625e76:f5ba6fa7

The answer to that question can be more effectively considered when viewed within the context of the history of the development of the internet. Understanding the current state of the internet and envisioning its future becomes clearer when we examine its evolution from a historical perspective. This journey, which has transitioned from the read-only pages of Web 1.0 to today's highly interactive digital media landscape, is critical to comprehend. Reflecting on the major milestones and technological shifts of the internet over the last 40 years not only clarifies how we arrived at our current digital era but also provides insights into potential future developments.

In the early days of Web 1.0, the internet was largely a static medium, where user interaction and content generation were minimal. The shift to Web 2.0 marked a significant change, introducing a more interactive experience, with user-generated content and social media taking center stage. This evolution brought about new ways of connecting, sharing, and engaging online, but it also introduced challenges related to data privacy, content monetization, and the centralization of services.

By understanding the path that led us here, we can better appreciate why the internet operates as it does today. This historical context is essential for predicting how the digital landscape might continue to evolve, particularly in terms of user interaction, data management, and content creation. The progression of the internet reflects not just technological advancement but also shifts in user expectations and societal norms, paving the way for ongoing innovation and change in how we experience the digital world.

The birth of the internet happened decades ago, when Tim Berners Lee come up with the protocol that made it possible for people to share files remotely across telephone lines. He believed in open source technology and chose not to patent the technology. He wanted to give it away and make it free and open thing for the betterment of humanity. Some would argue that we might have taken a bit of a wrong turn over the last 20 years. Many believed that this technology had the potential to democratise the publishing of information by creating an independent alternative to the TV, radio and newspaper companies that had previously dominated.

The 1990s marked a period of rapid development and fervent excitement in the realm of internet technology, famously known as the dot com boom. This era witnessed the birth of numerous websites, laying the foundation for what would become today's digital landscape. The growth of these early internet companies was propelled by substantial venture capital investment, driven by the belief that the internet would fundamentally reshape our future.

During this time, internet services were often offered for free, under the assumption that profitable revenue models would eventually emerge. The primary strategy for these burgeoning companies was to quickly capture market share, akin to staking claims in a digital land grab, in anticipation of the arrival of a vast customer base.

Ironically, despite the investors' accurate foresight about the internet's pivotal role in the future, many faced substantial financial losses. This was largely due to the challenging reality that emerged: monetizing these websites and services proved to be far more difficult than initially anticipated. The dot com bubble burst as this realization set in, marking a significant recalibration in the internet's commercial journey.

The idea of e-commerce was already in the air, but the transition from traditional card-based payment systems to their integration with websites was neither simple nor swift. This challenge was compounded by significant security concerns. Every instance of sharing credit card details online carried the risk of data theft, which could lead to unauthorized and illegal use of this information.

Meanwhile, advertising companies, which had traditionally focused on selling ad space in print media such as newspapers and magazines, attempted to pivot to this burgeoning digital landscape. However, this transition was met with hesitance and skepticism from businesses. Companies were slow to adapt their advertising strategies to the online realm, partly due to doubts about the effectiveness and reach of online advertising. There was a prevailing uncertainty about the actual number of customers being directed to their services through banner ads, and many questioned the value and return on investment of these digital advertising efforts.

The transformation of internet companies from entities reliant on continuous fundraising to some of the world's most profitable businesses can largely be attributed to the advent of pay-per-click (PPC) technology. This innovation revolutionized online advertising by enabling the tracking of user clicks from one site to another. More significantly, it allowed for the collection and analysis of metadata about these users, providing advertisers with invaluable insights into customer behavior.

This rich trove of data empowered advertisers to intricately model user behaviors, preferences, and tendencies. They could now conduct experiments with various advertisements across different user demographics, refining their strategies based on real-time feedback and interactions. By doing so, advertisers were able to significantly enhance their targeting effectiveness.

The heart of this approach lies in optimizing return on investment (ROI). Advertisers could now direct their resources towards campaigns that resonated most effectively with their target audience, particularly focusing on those likely to culminate in a purchase. This level of targeted marketing was unprecedented, allowing advertisers to concentrate their efforts and resources on channels that demonstrated the highest potential for profit.

At its core, profit maximization is the fundamental goal of any advertising campaign. Pay-per-click technology endowed advertisers with a level of knowledge and precision that was previously unattainable. This paradigm shift didn't just alter advertising strategies; it redefined the entire landscape of internet-based business, turning user clicks and data into a new currency of immense value in the digital marketplace.

The advertising monetization model, as it has been applied to internet companies, inherently fosters a trend towards centralization. This phenomenon can be attributed to the powerful network effects characteristic of the internet. Larger platforms accumulate extensive user data, enhancing their ability to target and optimize advertisements. This efficiency translates into a higher return on investment for each advertising dollar spent on these platforms compared to their smaller counterparts. Consequently, this dynamic has propelled companies like Google and Facebook into dominant positions, effectively controlling a significant portion of the information flow we see today.

Governments have contemplated intervening and introducing legislation to curtail the power of these tech giants. However, the challenge lies in fully comprehending the complexities of this rapidly evolving technology. Additionally, there is an inherent delay in the legislative process, which often means that by the time new regulations are implemented, these agile and innovative companies may have already adapted or pivoted their business strategies to circumvent these new rules.

Our current system is the product of a flawed incentive structure, one that has inadvertently led to the creation of an unprecedentedly sophisticated surveillance system. The drive for data collection and storage, fueled by commercial motives, has facilitated the assembly of this vast network. This system, initially designed for business purposes, has transformed into a honey pot that could potentially be utilized by governments for mass surveillance.

Given its existence and capabilities, this system presents a convenient opportunity for governmental entities to monitor large populations. As a result, there is a lack of incentive for governments to actively discourage or regulate the data collection practices of these companies. In essence, through the pursuit of commercial gains and efficiency, we have unwittingly made a digital prison for ourselves. The danger is that psychopathic people who wouldn’t normally consider a career in government might now be enticed into that profession given the amount of power that they could potentially have at their fingertips.

We find ourselves in a landscape where a handful of large tech companies have centralized control over internet services. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter, for instance, hold vast amounts of user data, effectively reducing our personal information to mere rows in their expansive databases. This situation arises from a lack of viable alternatives; we, as users, have handed over our data because these platforms provided unique services without offering us the option to retain cryptographic ownership of our data. In essence, the absence of systems that empower users with data ownership has led to the current state where our personal information is under the control of these tech giants.

To redirect the course of the internet towards a model that relies less on mass data collection, we need to develop systems that do not incentivize the accumulation and storage of user data. This shift necessitates rethinking how content is monetized online, particularly moving away from a reliance on advertising revenue, which thrives on user data.

The crux of the issue lies in the absence of an effective, native internet payment system. For the internet to evolve differently, there was a need for a mechanism that allowed value exchange directly between individuals (peer-to-peer) without the traditional banking infrastructure. However, creating such a system was challenging, primarily due to the 'double spending problem' – the risk of digital currency being spent more than once.

The first notable attempt to solve this was David Chaum's eCash in 1982. Despite its innovation, eCash and subsequent efforts faced various hurdles. It wasn't until 27 years later that a viable solution emerged from the collective work of open-source developers, many of whom were inspired by the earlier work of cypherpunks. This solution reused several elements from past attempts, culminating in the creation of a functioning digital currency native to the internet.

Now, with the advent of this native internet currency, the question becomes how we can leverage it to reshape the internet's economic model. The potential applications are vast and varied, ranging from direct content monetization without intermediaries to creating new economic models that prioritize user privacy and data sovereignty. The challenge lies in integrating this technology into existing systems and ensuring its widespread adoption, thereby offering a genuine alternative to the current data-dependent revenue models.

@ 9dd283b1:cf9b6beb

• Your butt hurts when you see more and more hashpower pointing towards Ocean?
• Your monkey picture ain't shit?
• Rich men north of Richmond pierce your soul and make you cry?

Don't waste your energy on blocking Luke and Jack on every social app, I have a better proposal - ordinals on lightning. It's as simple as it sounds, ordinals will be on zaps, don't need any pesky miner to tell you what to do. So, I'll start. In fact, I have 1sat from Gigi and I haven't zapped anyone yet (proof of screenshot) which means the 1st person I zap on nostr will become the owner of the Gigizap. So let's make it an auction- whoever zaps more here gets 1 Gigisat on nostr.

P.s. another genius idea - BCH, they have enough space in their blocks for monkey pictures, don't even need to count zaps. So just move to BCH.

P.p.s. But get the gigizap 1st. Hurry up before I haven't zapped anyone. ⚡️

@ 1abc40c5:6cd60e41

สวัสดีครับ ยินดีต้อนรับสมาชิกใหม่สู่สังคมชาวม่วง ด้วยความยินดียิ่ง

---

ในเบื้องต้นเข้าไปเรียนรู้และศึกษาการใช้งานตามโน๊ตของพี่แจ๊ค กู๊ดเดย์ พี่ใหญ่ของเราก่อนเลยครับ (จะรู้ว่าโลกใบนี้กว้างใหญ่กว่าที่เห็น)

===================== แล้วก็ไปเพิ่มกระเป๋า LN Wallet สำหรับรับ zap ง่าย ๆ ได้จากบทความของจารย์ Notoshi (อาจารย์อาร์ม RS)

• หากใช้ Nostr บนคอมพิวเตอร์เป็นประจำ สามารถผูกกับ Browser Extension เพื่อใช้งานง่าย ๆ แนะนำ "Getalby​" ครับ

• หากเล่นบนมือถืออาจจะเหมาะกับ "Wallet of Satoshi​" และ "Blink​ wallet​" มากกว่า

แต่แนะนำว่าควรมีทั้ง 2 แบบครับ ท่านจะได้ใช้ประโยชน์ในเวลาที่เหมาะสมอย่างแน่นอน 5555

===================== จากนั้นไปเพิ่ม Siamstr Relay - wss://relay.siamstr.com - wss://teemie1-relay.duckdns.org

ที่สนับสนุนโดยพี่ตี๋ เพื่อให้เราชาวไทยเชื่อมสายสัมพันธ์ต่อกันและมองเห็นกันได้ ตามนี้เลยครับ

และก็ลืมไม่ได้ที่จะเพิ่ม Siamstr Relay อีกหนึ่ง ..ที่สนับสนุนโดยอาจารย์อาร์ม RS ของเราเองเช่นกันครับ - wss://relay.notoshi.win

ทั้ง 3 Relay นี้ เป็น Free paid Relay นะครับ สามารถใช้งานได้เลย ^^

หรือหากใครยังไม่จุใจ.. อยากได้รีเลย์เพิ่มเติมอีก แนะนำไปดูที่ อัพเดทลีเรย์ 9/12/2023 จากพี่ใหญ่ของเราได้เลยครับ

===================== และอย่าลืมไปสร้าง NIP-05 NOSTR ADDRESSES "@siamstr.com" เท่ห์ ๆ ได้ที่ siamstr FREE NOSTR ADDRESSES. เพื่อทุกคน เพื่ออิสรภาพ ใครมาก่อนได้จับจองชื่อก่อนน้าาา ... ^^

===================== อ้อ ... หากอยากเรียนรู้พื้นฐาน Nostr แบบเชิงเทคนิคคอล หรือการเก็บ nsec (Private key) ของเราให้ปลอดภัย ... เชิญได้ที่บทความของพี่อาร์ม Righshift ของเราครับ

Npub​ และ​ Nsec​ คืออะไรกันนะ

หรือจะเข้าไปอ่านจากในนี้ก็ได้เช่นกัน

Nostr: โซเชียล​มีเดีย​เสรีไร้ศูนย์กลาง

ภาพ : Network diagram จาก https://nostr.how/en/the-protocol

===================== สุดท้ายผมหวังว่าเราจะได้รู้จักกันมากขึ้นกว่านี้ เพื่อร่วมกันสร้างสังคมที่เต็มไปด้วยคุณค่า และความรู้สึกดี ๆ ให้แก่กันต่อไปครับ

ขอบคุณที่เข้ามาเป็นส่วนหนึ่งของเราครับ

@ db625e76:f5ba6fa7

The Bitcoin futures ETFs that were launched 2 years are effectively a short position on the bitcoin price held by the financial institutions.

They allow their customers to have long exposure to the bitcoin price, but they own any bitcoins. They are liable to pay out in fiat money for any amount of increase in the BTC price.

At some point the entire financial system could get squeezed by an up move in the bitcoin price. It could bankrupt them. Of course the government would bail them out with more printed money.

Are we looking at an accelerating endgame for Fiat money?

Will Bitcoin be playing a larger part in it than we had ever imagined?

Is bitcoin a singularity in the financial system that will suck everything else into it?