@ 42342239:1d80db24

The ongoing debate surrounding freedom of expression may revolve more around determining who gets to control the dissemination of information rather than any claimed notion of safeguarding democracy. Similarities can be identified from 500 years ago, following the invention of the printing press.

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

-- Ecclesiastes 1:9

The debate over freedom of expression and its limits continues to rage on. In the UK, citizens are being arrested for sharing humouristic images. In Ireland, it may soon become illegal to possess "reckless" memes. Australia is trying to get X to hide information. Venezuela's Maduro blocked X earlier this year, as did a judge on Brazil's Supreme Court. In the US, a citizen has been imprisoned for spreading misleading material following a controversial court ruling. In Germany, the police are searching for a social media user who called a politician overweight. Many are also expressing concerns about deep fakes (AI-generated videos, images, or audio that are designed to deceive).

These questions are not new, however. What we perceive as new questions are often just a reflection of earlier times. After Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th century, there were soon hundreds of printing presses across Europe. The Church began using printing presses to mass-produce indulgences. "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs" was a phrase used by a traveling monk who sold such indulgences at the time. Martin Luther questioned the reasonableness of this practice. Eventually, he posted the 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg. He also translated the Bible into German. A short time later, his works, also mass-produced, accounted for a third of all books sold in Germany. Luther refused to recant his provocations as then determined by the Church's central authority. He was excommunicated in 1520 by the Pope and soon declared an outlaw by the Holy Roman Emperor.

This did not stop him. Instead, Luther referred to the Pope as "Pope Fart-Ass" and as the "Ass-God in Rome)". He also commissioned caricatures, such as woodcuts showing a female demon giving birth to the Pope and cardinals, of German peasants responding to a papal edict by showing the Pope their backsides and breaking wind, and more.

Gutenberg's printing presses contributed to the spread of information in a way similar to how the internet does in today's society. The Church's ability to control the flow of information was undermined, much like how newspapers, radio, and TV have partially lost this power today. The Pope excommunicated Luther, which is reminiscent of those who are de-platformed or banned from various platforms today. The Emperor declared Luther an outlaw, which is similar to how the UK's Prime Minister is imprisoning British citizens today. Luther called the Pope derogatory names, which is reminiscent of the individual who recently had the audacity to call an overweight German minister overweight.

Freedom of expression must be curtailed to combat the spread of false or harmful information in order to protect democracy, or so it is claimed. But perhaps it is more about who gets to control the flow of information?

As is often the case, there is nothing new under the sun.

@ a6631624:24ba1a2f

Genetics are real. They determine every meaningful aspect of a body - from physical traits to psychological ones - with environment accounting for little of a human's way of being. This is so much so that the trajectory and outcomes of a given human life are already written as soon as they're born.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in twin studies, where again and again, identical twins live virtually the same life after being separated at birth. They show that your political beliefs, your personality, your religiosity, the foods you enjoy, how many friends you have, your income level, your education level, your criminal record, the nature of your death, what you wore today, and so much more are all most likely determined, in range at least, by genetics.

But, genes do not work in isolation. They work together, playing off of and linking between each other, often with the expression of one trait inseparably tied to the expression of another and then, sometimes, yet another.

Invariably, some of these links and ties are between the expression of an internal trait and the expression of a physical trait, accounting for the reality that, in the way that we know the literal face of Down's Syndrome, the same exist - albeit much less extreme - for homosexuality, intelligence, trustworthiness, and extraversion (and many more). All of which can be consistently detected by humans in other humans merely by viewing their faces.

Furthermore, these correlations between physical traits (phenotype) and invisible traits (genotype) don't just end at the neck. Bodily aspects such as bone structure, gait, proportionality, and much more ultimately form one's very mien and, altogether, have much to say about the genetically embedded character of a given human.

All of this is to suggest that, because much of compatibility and general social chemistry is determined by the genetic outside as an indicator of the genetic inside, our bodily design and appearances matter and have very significant implications for the nature of our relationships, with whom we may have them, and the opportunities accessible to us in every other area of life due to them.

This cannot be reasonably or sustainably overridden by means of "social justice" or personal declaration. This instinctually mapped and interpreted physiognomy is so thoroughly embedded into the human social protocol that to ignore it (if you even could) would likely result in your prompt death at the hands of some guys you should've avoided. The ability to, on some level, identify the physical characteristics associated with psychological traits in other humans has evolved specifically because it increases the chances of human survival and reproduction.

It is, in fact, so fundamental and so seamlessly integrated into the being of humans as to be unnoticeable for the majority. Most cannot fathom there being a difference the internal self and the physical body because the fidelity between their own will and their own biological design is perfect. Most people simply are how they look.

The Outliers

Because humans are genetic (read: physical) creatures, we can see statistical patterns assuring us that making a number assumptions about X kind of person based on the concentration traits among those “like” them is incredibly reasonable. Even in our systems and lived lives, we see that our evolutionarily rooted snap assessments are exceedingly practical and even socially efficient.

But, there are outliers in genetic trends.

Due to either mutation, rare genetic combinations, or some more extraordinary means, outliers in this context are individuals who diverge significantly from the central psychological tendencies of their phenotype group. They may either align more closely with the characteristics of another group or occupy a distinct, individual space.

Gender and race are the two most robust, rigid, and (therefore) social impactful phenotype groups, so when there is psychological incongruence in these particular respects, the result is a social disability. A condition in which one either cannot or finds it extremely distasteful to fill the social roles associated with their appearance, yet is rejected when attempting to take on roles they’re more psychologically suited to fill due to the visual associations and/or physical limitations of their body.

Gender

For outliers in gender, this social disability has an extremely somatic edge that can entail entire body parts and functions feeling foreign and burdensome. For instance, the most common types of gender outliers – "FtM" or "FtN" – may struggle with the relative lack of physical prowess, female bodily processes, and physical features designed to attract male sexual attention - things that psychologically typical females embrace.

Bodily conditions like these often hinder gender outliers from acting and participating in their interests at a reasonable level of seriousness, ultimately leading to sub-satisfactory life outcomes and an inability to self-actualize.

This mismatch between body and self-consciousness and the difficulty of commanding respect that arises because of it means that gender outliers often find it difficult to interact comfortably with their peers and are often forced into activities and interactions that are not suitable for them in the names of conformity and, at times, safety. On the subject, their thoughts, feelings, and reactions are dismissed and devalued, rather than acknowledged as legitimate experiences.

Race

Racial outliers can be thought of as individuals with traits that have low probabilities and/or frequencies of occurrence within their breeding group. "Trans identification" is most likely to manifest when this occurs on intrinsic traits with high social relevance and for outliers in race, the big ones are intelligence, it's associated correlates, and the values born of them.

Because of this, racial outliers typically have interests and values that are looked down upon by their breeding group; have shame in regard to their breeding group's history, collective culture, and behaviors; and, for these reasons, experience ostracization by said breeding group and, even when they do not, enjoy a voluntary estrangement from them while prioritizing association with others.

Contrary to common consensus, outliers in gender and race are not necessarily suffering from mental illness or defect. Though the condition itself may result in mental illnesses in some cases and those with other issues may parade or otherwise appear as the outliers, being so is simply a natural result of the way genetics work or, from another lens, trapping Selves in bodies.

Knowing this calls for efforts to alleviate and eventually rectify the issue in a way that corrects the genetic reality and optimizes for the agency and will of the Self - the individual - in context of civilization.

Reasons why and the means of doing so will be explored in the next installment of this series.

@ 469fa704:2b6cb760

In traditional investment wisdom, diversification is the mantra chanted by financial advisors worldwide. It's the strategy to spread risk across various assets to mitigate losses. However, when it comes to Bitcoin, some argue this principle might not apply in the same way. Here's why:

1. Bitcoin's Unique Value Proposition

Bitcoin, often dubbed "digital gold," has several attributes that set it apart from other investments:

• Finite Supply: With a cap at 21 million coins, Bitcoin's scarcity is programmed into its code, mirroring the scarcity of gold but with even more certainty. This scarcity can drive value as demand increases over time, especially in an economic environment where fiat currencies are subject to inflation.
• Decentralization: Unlike stocks or real estate, Bitcoin isn't tied to any central authority or physical asset that can fail or be manipulated by a single entity. This decentralization reduces the risk of systemic failure that affects traditional markets.
• Global Liquidity and Accessibility: Bitcoin can be bought, sold, and transferred anywhere in the world, 24/7, with internet access. This global liquidity means Bitcoin can be more easily converted to other assets if needed, somewhat reducing the need for diversification.

2. The Risk-Reward Balance

• Volatility as Opportunity: While Bitcoin's volatility is often cited as a risk, for the informed investor, this volatility represents opportunities for significant gains. Those who understand Bitcoin's cycles might prefer to ride these waves rather than dilute potential gains through diversification into less volatile assets.
• Long-term Appreciation: Historical data suggests Bitcoin has provided substantial returns over the long term compared to most traditional investments. If one believes in Bitcoin's future as a dominant store of value, holding a diversified portfolio might mean missing out on Bitcoin's potential upside.

3. Bitcoin as a Diversifier

Ironically, Bitcoin itself serves as a diversification tool within traditional investment portfolios. Its price movements have shown low correlation with stocks, bonds, and even gold at times, suggesting that Bitcoin can diversify an investment portfolio on its own.

4. The Philosophical Shift

• Trust in Code Over Corporations: Investing heavily in Bitcoin might reflect a philosophical shift towards trusting mathematical algorithms over corporate governance or government policy. Here, diversification within the crypto space might seem less necessary if one views Bitcoin as the pinnacle of what cryptocurrency should be.
• A Bet on a New Financial System: Holding Bitcoin exclusively can be seen as a bet on a new financial paradigm where Bitcoin becomes the standard. In this vision, diversification into other assets might be counterproductive.

5. Potential Result

Upon reviewing the arguments and characteristics, one might conclude that Bitcoin is pursuing a dual trajectory. Firstly, its value increases partly because it remains a novel asset, not yet mainstream among the general populace. Secondly, Bitcoin is poised to absorb the value preservation function from other assets. This means that individuals who invest in stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities, etc., primarily for their value storage capabilities rather than their intrinsic utility (such as residing in a property), might transition to Bitcoin. This shift could consequently diminish the demand for these traditional assets and increase the value of Bitcoin respectively.

6. Caveats and Considerations

• Not Without Risks: This approach isn't without its perils. Bitcoin's future is not guaranteed, and regulatory, technological, or market shifts could impact its value negatively.
• Liquidity Needs: Individual financial situations might require liquidity or income generation that Bitcoin alone might not provide efficiently.
• Emotional Discipline: A Bitcoin-only strategy requires immense discipline and conviction, as the emotional toll of not diversifying can be high during market downturns.

Conclusion

The argument for not diversifying if you hold Bitcoin hinges on its unique properties, the potential for high returns, and its role as a hedge against inflation and traditional financial systems. However, this strategy suits those with a high risk tolerance, a deep understanding of Finance, Economics and Investments, and a belief in Bitcoin's future dominance. For everyone else, while Bitcoin can be a significant part of a portfolio, traditional diversification might still offer peace of mind and stability. Remember, investment strategies should align with personal financial goals, risk tolerance, and market understanding. Always consider consulting with a financial advisor for personalized advice.

@ 42342239:1d80db24

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

-- Juvenal (Who will watch the watchmen?)

In mid-July, numerous media outlets reported on the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. FBI Director Christopher Wray stated later that same month that what hit the former president Trump was a bullet. A few days later, it was reported from various sources that search engines no longer acknowledged that an assassination attempt on ex-President Trump had taken place. When users used automatic completion in Google and Bing (91% respectively 4% market share), these search engines only suggested earlier presidents such as Harry Truman and Theodore Roosevelt, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin as people who could have been subjected to assassination attempts.

The reports were comprehensive enough for the Republican district attorney of Missouri to say that he would investigate matter. The senator from Kansas - also a Republican - planned to make an official request to Google. Google has responded through a spokesman to the New York Post that the company had not "manually changed" search results, but its system includes "protection" against search results "connected to political violence."

A similar phenomenon occurred during the 2016 presidential election. At the time, reports emerged of Google, unlike other less widely used search engines, rarely or never suggesting negative search results for Hillary Clinton. The company however provided negative search results for then-candidate Trump. Then, as today, the company denied deliberately favouring any specific political candidate.

These occurrences led to research on how such search suggestions can influence public opinion and voting preferences. For example, the impact of simply removing negative search suggestions has been investigated. A study published in June 2024 reports that such search results can dramatically affect undecided voters. Reducing negative search suggestions can turn a 50/50 split into a 90/10 split in favour of the candidate for whom negative search suggestions were suppressed. The researchers concluded that search suggestions can have "a dramatic impact," that this can "shift a large number of votes" and do so without leaving "any trace for authorities to follow." How search engines operate should therefore be considered of great importance by anyone who claims to take democracy seriously. And this regardless of one's political sympathies.

A well-known thought experiment in philosophy asks: "If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?" Translated to today's media landscape: If an assassination attempt took place on a former president, but search engines don't want to acknowledge it, did it really happen?

@ 97c70a44:ad98e322

Nostr is a mess. It always has been and will always be. That's part of the appeal! But it's important that users be able to navigate the rolling seas of this highly partition-tolerant network of kaleidoscopically-interwoven people, bots, topics, relays, clients, events, recommendations, lists, feeds, micro-apps, macro-apps, Chinese spam, and "GM"s.

In order to do this, users must be able to articulate "what" they are looking for, and clients must be able to articulate "how" to find that thing. This "how" is divided into two parts: building a request that will match the desired content (very easy), and selecting a relay that is able to serve that content to the user requesting it (very very hard).

Why guessing isn't good enough

As a concrete example, let's say the user wants to find everyone in their "network" who is using a particular topic. The process would look something like this:

1. The user clicks the "network" tab and types in the topic they want to browse. This is the "what".
2. The client then translates the term "network" to a list of public keys using whatever definition they prefer (Follows? WoT? Grapevine?), and builds a filter that might look something like this: [{"authors": pubkeys, "#t": ["mytopic"]}]. Any relay will happily accept, understand, and respond to that filter.
3. The client then has to decide which relays it should send that filter to. This is the ??? stage of the outbox model, which immediately precedes:
4. Profit

It may not be immediately obvious why selecting the correct relays might be difficult. Most people post to relay.damus.io, and most people read from relay.damus.io, so in most cases you should be good, right?

This approach to relay selection has historically worked "well enough", but it depends on a flawed definition of success. If you only want to find 90% of the content that matches your query, using the top 10 relays will suffice. But nostr is intended to be censorship-resistant. What if those 10 hubs have banned a particular public key? Nostr clients should (at least in theory) be 100% successful in retrieving requested content. Even if someone only posts to their self-hosted relay, you should be able to find their notes if their account is set up properly.

A naive solution to fixing the FOMO

A 90% hit rate results in a feeling of flakiness, even if users aren't completely aware of what isn't working. Feeds will be incomplete, quoted notes will be missing, replies will be orphaned, user profiles won't load. The natural response to the FOMO this creates is for users to "try harder" by adding more relays.

On the read side, this means clients open more connections, resulting in much higher data transfer requirements, with massively diminishing returns, since there's no reason to expect that a randomly chosen relay will have a substantially different data set.

One the publish side, this means that clients end up publishing more copies of their data to more relays. This approach has been automated in the past by services like Blastr, which don't store a copy of events published to the relay, but instead forward events to the top 300 relays in the network. This results in a two-orders-of-magnitude increase in storage required, and only makes the read side of the problem worse, since it reduces the uniqueness of the data set each relay stores. This in turn means that more duplicates are retrieved when querying relays.

Both halves of this approach are equivalent to guessing. On the read side, users are guessing which relays will have any arbitrary content they might ask for in the future. On the write side, users are guessing which relays other people might use to find their notes. It is a brute-force method for finding content.

Randomness results in centralization

In theory, random relay selection would result in a perfect distribution of content across all relays in the network. But in practice, this method of selection isn't random at all, but is strongly influenced by user bias in what constitutes a "good" relay. While some users may check nostr.watch for ping times, geographical proximity, or uptime, most will choose relays based on familiar names or other people's recommendations.

In either case, these biases are entirely orthogonal to achieving a higher content retrieval hit rate, except when bias in relay selection results in clustering — i.e., centralization. In other words, the kind of randomness exhibited by users when selecting relays actually results in pretty much everyone picking the same few relays. We see this same effect when people try to come up with passwords or seed phrases — human-provided randomness is anything but random.

Clustering improves the hit rate when requesting events (slightly), but it results in nearly as much centralization as if only a single relay was used — and a lot more duplicate events.

Something (anything) other than randomness

In early 2023, Mike Dilger introduced NIP 65 (now known as the "Outbox Model") with a problem statement in the spirit of the original description of nostr: "Nostr should scale better. People should be able to find what they want."

Historical note: NIP 65 was formerly known as the "Gossip Model", derived from the name of Mike's desktop nostr client, called "Gossip". This unfortunately created a lot of confusion, since gossip protocols work very differently from how nostr tends to work, hence the re-brand.

Before NIP 65, an informal standard existed in which kind 3 user contact lists also included a list of relays that clients could use as something similar to Mastodon's "home servers". This list included the option to only read or write from a given relay. Unfortunately, it wasn't really clear what the semantics of this relay list were, so different clients handled them differently (and many clients ignored them). Usually this amounted to user-provided static relay configurations, which resulted in the naive relay selection approach described above.

NIP 65 used a very similar format (a list of relay urls with optional "read" or "write" directives), but with a very important semantic difference: relays listed in a user's kind 10002 were intended to "advertise to others, not for configuring one's client." In other words, these relay selections were intended as a signal to other users that they should use certain relays when attempting to communicate with the author of the relay list.

I highly recommend reading the entire NIP, which is very short and easy to read. But the mechanics of the spec are very simple:

When seeking events from a user, Clients SHOULD use the WRITE relays of the user's kind:10002.

When seeking events about a user, where the user was tagged, Clients SHOULD use the READ relays of the user's kind:10002.

When broadcasting an event, Clients SHOULD:

• Broadcast the event to the WRITE relays of the author
• Broadcast the event to all READ relays of each tagged user

For the first time, we had a way to differentiate relays in terms of what content could be found where.

When looking for a note by a particular user, a client could now look up the author's write relays according to their kind 10002 event, and send its query there. The result is a much higher hit rate with much lower data transfer requirements, and fewer connections per query.

Making Outbox Work

There are of course some assumptions required to make this work.

First, the user must know which author they're looking for. This isn't always true when looking up a quote or parent note, but context and pubkey hints solve this difficulty in most cases.

The author must also publish a kind 10002 event. This may not always be the case, but clients should prompt users to set up their relay list correctly. This isn't really a flaw in the Outbox Model, just in implementations of it.

Additionally, the user's client must be able to find the author's kind 10002 event. This is the "bootstrapping" phase of the Outbox Model, during which the mechanisms the system provides for finding events aren't available. This requires us to fall back to randomly guessing which relays have the content we're looking for, which as we saw above doesn't work very well.

Other than guessing, there are a few different ways a client might find the relay selection event in question, each of which is applicable in different circumstances. In most cases, using one of a handful of indexer relays like purplepag.es or relay.nostr.band is a simple and efficient way to find user profiles and relay selections.

However, if an author's content has been aggressively purged from these indexers due to censorship, they obviously can't be relied upon. Even though the author in question hasn't been deplatformed from nostr itself (since he can always self-host a publicly accessible relay to store his content), he has been effectively shadow-banned.

To get around this, relay selections have to be communicated in some other way. Nostr has a few different mechanisms for this:

• If the author's NIP 05 address is known and properly configured (it may not be), clients can look up the author's NIP 05 endpoint to find some reasonable relay hints. Unfortunately, these are often neglected, and usually custodial, so they can run into the same problems.
• If the author's pubkey is found in another signed event found on nostr, relay hints can be a way to propagate relay selections through the network. This relies on implementations picking reliable relay hints which can be difficult, and hints do tend to become less reliable over time. However, this strategy is very effective in resisting censorship because it makes banning viral — if a relay wants to completely purge a particular pubkey from their database, they have to purge every event that references it, since events are tamper-proof.
• In extremis, relay recommendations can always be communicated out-of-band. This can be done using manual input, QR codes, DHTs, jsonl torrents full of kind 10002 events, or any other mechanism client developers choose to resort to.

Another, more technical assumption is that any given query can be fulfilled by few enough relays that a client can actually make all the connections needed, without running into resource limits. If you're trying to request content from 10,000 users across 1,000 relays, you're going to have a bad time. This was pointed out to me by Mazin of nostr.wine. He makes a good point, and it's definitely something to keep in mind. There are some mitigating factors though.

The first is that the current topology of the network probably won't persist forever. Because nostr is largely populated by self-hosting enthusiasts, the number of "tiny" relays is proportionally much higher than it will be if adoption picks up, even if the total number of relays grows. The trajectory is that nostr will drift toward fewer, larger relays, reducing the number of connections needed to fulfill any given query.

This is "centralizing", but it's important to understand that this isn't necessarily a bad thing. As long as there are more than one or two large hubs, there is user choice. And as long as it's possible to run a new relay, there is always an escape hatch. Nostr, like bitcoin, has no hard dependency on the biggest player in the network.

The other thing to consider is that there are lots of other techniques we can use to overcome the limits of the lowest-common denominator's limitations (mobile browser clients), including self hosted or third-party relay proxies. The trade-off here is that a little trust (aka centralization) can go a long way to reducing resource requirements needed to fulfill queries using the Outbox model.

If you're interested in more details on this topic, see this blog post.

That was a long digression, but there is one other thing that the Outbox model assumes to be the case. Even if the correct relays are found and connected to, they still may not return all desired content, either because they don't have it, or because they refuse to return it to the user requesting it.

This can happen if the publishing client isn't following the Outbox Model, if the author had migrated from one relay set to another without copying their notes over, or if the relay in question chose not to retain the author's content for some reason.

The first two issues can be fixed by improving implementations, but the question of policy is a little more interesting.

Relativistic relays

The Outbox Model is a mechanical process; it's only as useful as user relay selections are. In order for it to work, users have to be able to make intelligent relay selections.

Every relay has trade-offs, depending on its policy. 140.f7z.io would not be useful for long-form content, for example. Some relays might have a content retention policy that changes depending on whether you're a paying user. If you don't pay, you might find out too late that your content has been deleted from the relay.

So what makes a relay "good" for a particular use case? Well, it's complicated. Here are a few factors that go into that calculus:

• Is the relay in the same geographical as the user? Proximity reduces latency, but jurisdictional arbitrage might be desired. Users should probably have a variety of relays that fit different profiles.
• Will the relay ban the user? Do the operators have a history of good behavior? Is the relay focused on particular types of content? Is the relay's focus consistent with the user's goal in adding that relay to their list?
• What are the relay's retention policies? A user might want to set up an archival relay for her old content, or a multi-availability-zone relay so her notes are immediately accessible to the rest of the network.
• Does the relay require payment? Paid relays are more aligned with their users, but obviously come at a financial cost.
• Does the relay have policies for read-protecting content? If so, other users might not be able to find your posts published to that relay. On the other hand, some relays are configured to work as inboxes for direct messages, which can help preserve privacy.
• Does the relay request that users authenticate? Authentication can help manage spam, but it also allows relays to correlate content requests with users, reducing user privacy.
• Is the relay you use hosted by your client's developer? If so, you're in danger of getting banned from your client and your relay at the same time.
• Is the relay a hub? Using hubs can help smooth out rough areas in Outbox Model implementations, at the cost of centralization.
• Is the relay used by anyone else? One-off relays can be useful for archival purposes, but often won't be used by clients following the Outbox Model, depending on how they optimize requests.

There are lots of ways to approach the problem of helping users select relays, but it's an inherently complex problem which very few people will have the patience to properly address on their own. Relay selection is a multi-dimensional problem, and requires satisfying multiple constraints with a limited number of relay selections.

In the future, special-purpose clients might be used to help people build relay sets. Clients also might provide curated "relay kits" that users can choose and customize. Or, we might see an increase in hybrid solutions, like smarter relay proxies or client-local relays that synchronize using other protocols or platforms.

The Limitations of Outbox

Outbox is not a complete solution, not because of any of the caveats listed above, but because NIP 65 per se only addresses the question of how to index content by pubkey in a broadcast social media context. But there are many other scenarios for relay selection that Outbox does not solve:

• Community, chat, and group posts might be best posted to relays dedicated to that context.
• Direct messages shouldn't follow the same contours as public social media content.
• Topic-oriented relays, or relays serving a custom feed might be useful independent of who uses them.
• Relays focused on serving a particular kind of event, like music, long-form content, or relay selections, are useful independent of who reads from or writes to them.
• Certain clients might need to fulfill particular use cases by using relays that support certain protocol features, like search, count, or sync commands.
• Some events might not make sense to publish to relays, but should instead be shared only directly, out of band.

Some of these use cases might be solved by new specifications similar to Outbox that prescribe where certain data belongs — for example, NIP 17 requires users to publish a different relay list before they can receive direct messages, while NIP 72 places community relay recommendations directly into the group's metadata object. A reasonably complete list of different relay types can be found in this PR, very few of which have a canonical way to manage selections.

Other use cases might be supported more informally, either by relays advertising their own value proposition, or via third-party NIP 66 metadata. Still others might be supported by scoping the network down to only certain relays through explicit relay selection — this is how white-labeled Coracle instances work.

The basic idea here is that there are categories of events that don't have anything to do with where a particular person puts his or her "tweets". For every "what" on nostr, there should be a "how".

Keep nostr weird

Whatever additional systems we end up adopting for helping with relay selection, one thing is certain — people will continue to discover new, creative uses for relays, and we will always be playing catch up. This is one of the coolest things about nostr!

But it does mean that users will have to adapt their expectations to a network that partitions, re-configures, and evolves over time. Nostr is not a "worse" experience than legacy social media, but it is a version of social media that has itself been set free from the stagnant walled-garden model. Nostr is in many ways a living organism — we should be careful not to impose our expectations prematurely, leaving room to discover what this thing actually is, or can be.

If you enjoyed this post but want more take a look at the talk I gave at Nostrasia last year. I also wrote up a blog post at about the same time that addresses some of the same issues, but focuses more on privacy concerns around relays and nostr groups. Finally, I recently wrote this comment, which includes some details about challenges I've faced putting Outbox into Coracle.

@ 592295cf:413a0db9

A Ux designer has arrived on Nostr. I thought run away while you can. He could get rich, if there was a little economy.

Klout, do you remember that service, which took data from Twitter and made a ~~ WoT~~.

From a note of chip, I understood one thing:

Bitcoin is your "sovereign" currency. Nostr is just third party protocol. If you have a service you can use Nostr to face your customers. "Sovereign" people offer services. They can be bitcoiners or not. So at this stage Nostr is a layer 3 Bitcoin.

So to grow the enveiroment it must be attractive. Let's paraphrase: the protocol is agnostic, the people are fundamentalist Catholics.

So when an atheist person arrives he says ah ok, how do I silence these people and use the protocol If a Protestant Catholic arrives he is laughed at or ignored or at most converted.

---

I had a disagreement with Dergigi, in the end he won, but he is not right... (True)

Post more notes, zap more, follow 1000 people update FAQ to the nth degree. We are in the desert of the Tartars and the enemy is coming and there are those who say every day we must be ready, sooner or later, it will happen, ah ok. Everything must be perfect. Push harder. This leads to exhaustion.

New Grant from Opensat to Victor of Amethyst, totally deserved, pushed the envelope. If you are a grapheneos user download Amethyst. It's not just Amethyst it's also orbot, citrine, amber, zap store or obtainium or f-droid.

GitCitadel has raised its first fund I wonder if it was just a test on geyser, I wonder if it is the right project to do on nostrocket, but I think Opensat grant for nostrocket makes it irreconcilable. This opens a pandora's box, as always. We are silent as fish.

I tried not to answer some questions even in one case I knew the answer, I apologize, Nostr is much older than me, so it's okay not to answer sometimes. Tomorrow begins nostRiga, The last unconference of Nostr.

(First day) The morning was so-so, in the evening the situation improved a little. In the evening I played a bit with Nostr and it broke The second day good in the morning bad in the evening. I saw little of the backstage maybe only two panels, Will by Damus, and P2Phash on Nostr.

I don't follow anyone anymore, I did a little bit of a unfollow. I saw that two users had 200 followers in common, and I said to myself ah ok what is this thing, I have to understand how they do it there is something that doesn't work, let's try to be a little more distant.

It's weird, too much reliance on following, you have to go and look, not be stationary.

@ 13e63e99:25525c6a

Preview

Last week, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador emphasized Bitcoin’s role in enhancing the country's global image that boosted foreign investment and tourism. At the NostrWorld Unconference in Riga, the synergy between Bitcoin and decentralized social  networks was a key focus, showcasing the potential for integrating Bitcoin with the growing Nostr protocol. Meanwhile, Lightspark launched its Extend platform, facilitating instant Bitcoin payments for U.S. businesses, thereby expanding the accessibility  of Bitcoin transactions. Publicly traded companies have increased their Bitcoin holdings by nearly 200%, bringing their total to $20  billion, reflecting strong institutional confidence in Bitcoin as a reserve asset. Additionally, Bitcoin in exchange experienced its third-largest daily net outflow of 2024, indicating a shift toward long-term holding among investors. Despite some withdrawals,  including a $13.5 million outflow from BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, the fund remains a dominant force in the Bitcoin investment landscape. Lastly, Nigeria's SEC granted its first provisional exchange license, a milestone in the regulation of the country’s  rapidly growing digital asset industry, positioning Nigeria as a leading player in global digital asset adoption. For more details, continue reading below.

A. Bitcoin Data Dashboard

1. Bitcoin Transactions\ 2. Supply\ 3. Mining\ 4. Transaction Fees\ 5. Difficulty Retarget\ 6. Lightning Network (Public)

B. Bitcoin Ecosystem

1. Bukele: Bitcoin was a powerful rebranding tool for El Salvador\ 2. NostrWorld Unconference in Riga: Exploring Bitcoin and Decentralized Social Networks\ 3. Lightspark launches Extend for instant Bitcoin Lightning payments in the U.S.\ 4. Public companies boost Bitcoin holdings by nearly 200%, reaching $20 billion\ 5. Bitcoin exchanges see 3rd-largest daily net outflow of 2024\ 6. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust faces $13.5m outflow amid broader ETF withdrawals

C. Regulation

1. Nigeria's first provisional exchange license from SEC, marking milestone in digital asset regulation

D. Macroeconomy

1. Vice President Harris proposes wealth tax targeting unrealized gains for ultra rich\ 2. Jobless claims drop as labor market slows, US economy remains on steady growth path

---

A. Bitcoin Data Dashboard

As of Sep 2, 2024

B. Bitcoin Ecosystem

1. Bukele: Bitcoin was a powerful rebranding tool for El Salvador

President Nayib Bukele recently provided a candid assessment of El Salvador's groundbreaking decision to adopt Bitcoin as  legal tender, a move that has drawn both praise and criticism on the global stage. In an interview with Time magazine,  Bukele emphasized that the initiative has had substantial benefits  particularly in enhancing El Salvador's international image  despite the country's bitcoin adoption has not expanded as rapidly as he has hoped, Bukele described the Bitcoin adoption  as a powerful rebranding tool for the nation, one that has attracted foreign investment and boosted tourism. The president’s  marketing advisor, Damian Merlo, echoed this sentiment, calling the decision "genius" and likening it to a major public  relations campaign that El Salvador didn’t have to pay for. "We could have spent millions on a PR firm to rebrand the  country," Merlo noted, "but instead, we adopted Bitcoin." While the move initially strained relations with institutions like  the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which urged Bukele to abandon the policy due to perceived risks, there are signs  that the tension is easing. El Salvador has recently reported progress in negotiations with the IMF, with a focus on enhancing  transparency and addressing potential fiscal and financial stability risks related to the Bitcoin project. 

Reference: Bitcoin.com, Time

2. NostrWorld Unconference in Riga: Exploring Bitcoin and Decentralized Social Networks

Last week, NostrWorld’s third unconference, held in Riga, Latvia, gathered advocates and developers of the Nostr protocol. Organized by  Jack Dorsey, NostrWorld provides a platform for open-source enthusiasts to collaborate on building a decentralized internet. The event,  called Nostriga, underscored the emerging synergy between Nostr’s decentralized social network and Bitcoin. Nostr is an  open-source protocol for a decentralized, censorship-resistant social network. Unlike traditional platforms, Nostr operates on a  network of relays, supporting features like micropayments and digital identity management. It promises greater privacy  and independence from centralized platforms. A highlight of the conference was Strike CEO Jack Mallers discussing  how Nostr’s micropayments—Zaps—helped a skeptic understand Bitcoin’s value. This feature shows Bitcoin’s  utility in social contexts, advancing the concept of internet tipping. Jack Dorsey enphasizing the importance of open source.  Nostr faces the challenge of broadening its user base beyond Bitcoin enthusiasts. New initiatives like Ditto aim to  integrate Nostr with larger internet communities, potentially increasing Bitcoin’s visibility and accessibility. Nostr’s role  as a social and identity system could pave the way for decentralized digital economies. By leveraging social graphs and  cryptographic trust, Nostr and Bitcoin together could enable secure, decentralized commerce.

Reference: Bitcoin magazine

3. Lightspark launches Extend for instant Bitcoin Lightning payments in the U.S.

Lightspark has unveiled Lightspark Extend, a new solution designed to facilitate instant Bitcoin Lightning payments for U.S. businesses.  This platform integrates with Universal Money Addresses (UMA) and Lightning-enabled wallets, exchanges, or bank accounts,  offering a compliant and cost-effective way to handle transactions around the clock. Lightspark Extend is compatible with over 99% of U.S.  banks that support real-time payments, enabling businesses to provide their customers with fast, low-cost transactions. UMA simplifies the  payment process by using easy-to-remember addresses similar to email, removing the need for complex codes or passwords. With this launch,  Lightspark Extend makes real-time payments via the Bitcoin Lightning Network accessible to eligible recipients across the U.S. Businesses  interested in adopting this solution can sign up for a UMA address, link their accounts, and start receiving payments through an onboarding  process facilitated by Zero Hash, a regulated U.S. financial institution. The introduction of Lightspark Extend marks a significant advancement in expanding the accessibility and utility of Bitcoin payments. This follows Lightspark’s recent announcement of a partnership with Coinbase,  enabling customers to send up to $10,000 instantly through the Lightning Network.

Reference: Bitcoin magazine

4. Public companies boost Bitcoin holdings by nearly 200%, reaching $20 billion

Publicly listed companies have seen their Bitcoin holdings soar by nearly 200% in a year, rising from $7.2 billion to $20 billion.  According to Bitbo data, 42 such companies now hold 335,249 BTC, valued at roughly $20 billion. This marks a 177.7% increase  from a year ago, when their BTC holdings were worth $7.2 billion. The trend began with MicroStrategy's August 2020  purchase of over 21,000 BTC, making Bitcoin its primary treasury reserve asset, and the company has since grown its holdings  to 226,500 BTC. A survey commissioned by Nickel Digital Asset Management revealed strong institutional support for Bitcoin  as a reserve asset, with 75% of 200 surveyed institutional investors and wealth managers endorsing public companies holding  BTC. The survey, involving firms managing $1.7 trillion in assets, also found that 58% believe 10% or more of public companies  will hold BTC within five years. Nickel Digital's CEO, Anatoly Crachilov, noted that institutional investors see Bitcoin as a hedge  against currency debasement and a valuable addition to reserve allocations. Despite this growth, the 335,249 BTC held by public  companies represent just 1.6% of Bitcoin's total capped supply of 21 million.

Reference: Cointelegraph

5. Bitcoin exchanges see 3rd-largest daily net outflow of 2024

Bitcoin is seeing a significant uptick in exchange withdrawals as its price nears the $60,000 mark, with approximately 45,000 BTC  removed from exchanges on August 27 alone. This movement represents the third-largest net outflow of Bitcoin from exchanges  in 2024, following similar spikes in July. According to data from CryptoQuant, this trend could signal a growing bullish sentiment  among investors, who appear to be transferring their Bitcoin off exchanges to hold for the long term, thereby reducing potential  selling pressure in the market. As of August 27, major exchanges hold around 2.63 million BTC, reflecting a 12.5% decrease  from the 3.01 million BTC held at the beginning of the year. This reduction in exchange reserves underscores a broader trend  of investors preferring to hold their Bitcoin privately, possibly in anticipation of future price increases.

Reference: Cointelegraph

6. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust faces $13.5m outflow amid broader ETF withdrawals

BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) experienced a $13.5 million outflow on Thursday, marking its first outflow since  May 1st and only the second in the fund's history since its launch in January. This rare withdrawal contrasts with the ETF’s  usual pattern of consistent inflows, underscoring its dominance in the Bitcoin investment space. The outflow came as part of  a broader trend affecting spot Bitcoin ETFs, which saw a collective $71.8 million in withdrawals on Thursday. Competing  Bitcoin ETFs from Grayscale, Fidelity, Valkyrie, and Bitwise also reported significant outflows, ranging from $8 million to  $31 million. Despite these withdrawals, ARK's Bitcoin ETF saw an inflow of $5.3 million, highlighting a mixed investor  sentiment as Bitcoin remains below the $60,000 mark. This divergence suggests varied outlooks among investors regarding  Bitcoin's future. Despite the recent dip, BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF continues to lead the market, having attracted over $20  billion in net inflows since inception. With more than 350,000 BTC under management, it remains one of the largest  institutional Bitcoin holders, reflecting its enduring appeal and influence in the Bitcoin investment landscape.

Reference: Bitcoin magazine

C. Regulation

1. Nigeria's first provisional exchange license from SEC, marking milestone in digital asset regulation

The Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has granted Quidax, an Africa-based crypto exchange, its  first provisional operating license. This marks a significant step toward formal recognition and regulation of Nigeria's  digital asset industry. The SEC's license allows Quidax to operate as a registered crypto exchange in Nigeria,  a move the company describes as a "shot of adrenaline" for the local crypto community, spurring innovation and growth. Quidax CEO Buchi Okoro praised the SEC, particularly under the leadership of Emomotimi Agama, for its efforts  to bring order and investor protection to the Nigerian crypto market. The approval also paves the way for Quidax to  collaborate with banks and financial institutions, pending approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria. This licensing follows the SEC's recent amendment to its rules on June 21, covering digital asset issuance, exchange,  and custody. Despite concerns that stringent requirements could limit local crypto exchanges, the new regulatory  framework, including the Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme, aims to align virtual asset service providers  with the latest standards. Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, is a global leader in cryptocurrency adoption, ranking  second in Chainalysis’ 2023 Cryptocurrency Geography Report. While foreign investment in Nigeria's crypto sector  has been slower than expected, the new regulatory environment and Quidax's licensing could attract more investors  by offering a stable and secure market.

Reference: Cointelegraph

D. Macroeconomy

1. Vice President Harris proposes wealth tax targeting unrealized gains for ultra rich

As a presidential candidate, Vice President Harris has aligned with President Biden’s tax policies, including the pledge  not to raise taxes on anyone earning under $400,000 annually. However, she also has her own ambitious tax proposals. These include raising the top marginal tax rate on high earners from 37% to 39.6%. Although she previously suggested  a 4% “income-based premium” on households earning over $100,000 to fund Medicare for All, this idea has not  resurfaced in 2024. Among the more controversial proposals Harris supports is a tax on unrealized capital gains for  individuals with over $100 million in wealth. Often dubbed the “billionaire tax,” this would require these households to  pay an annual minimum tax of 25% on their combined income and unrealized gains. This approach would be groundbreaking  in U.S. tax history, as it taxes assets that have not yet been sold. For example, if you buy stock at $10 and it increases to $20,  you would owe taxes on the $10 gain, even if you haven’t sold the stock. The same principle would apply to real estate,  where yearly value increases would be taxed. This proposal raises significant concerns, particularly about the administrative  challenges of valuing assets annually and the potential for future expansion of the tax to lower wealth thresholds. The wealth  tax faces hurdles in Congress and potential court challenges, but it signals Harris's intent to push for new forms of taxation  on the ultra-wealthy.

Reference: Forbes

2. Jobless claims drop as labor market slows, US economy remains on steady growth path

Last week, new applications for jobless benefits in the U.S. dropped slightly, but re-employment opportunities for laid-off  workers are becoming scarcer, indicating the unemployment rate likely remained high in August. Despite this, the labor market's  orderly slowdown is keeping economic growth on track, with the economy growing faster than initially reported in the second  quarter, driven by consumer spending and rebounding corporate profits. The labor market's cooling supports the expectation that  the Federal Reserve may start cutting interest rates next month, though a 50-basis-point reduction seems unlikely. Initial jobless  claims fell by 2,000 to 231,000 for the week ending August 24, while continuing claims, which indicate ongoing unemployment,  rose slightly, suggesting prolonged joblessness. In the second quarter, the economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.0%, with  consumer spending revised upward to a 2.9% growth rate, offsetting lower business investment and exports. Corporate profits  also reached a record high, helping businesses manage input costs amid supply-chain challenges. The goods trade deficit widened  in July due to a surge in imports, likely driven by expectations of higher tariffs if former President Trump wins the November election.  Despite these factors, economists predict growth will slow but avoid a recession.

Reference: Reuters, dol.gov

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Table Of Content

• What is a Bitcoin-Backed Stablecoin?

• The Benefits of a Bitcoin-Backed Stablecoin

• The Drawbacks of a Bitcoin-Backed Stablecoin

• How Will a Bitcoin-Backed Stablecoin Work?

• Conclusion

• FAQ

Bitcoin has been around for over a decade now and has seen its fair share of ups and downs. The volatility of Bitcoin has made it difficult for businesses and consumers to use it as a medium of exchange, and as a result, several stablecoins have been developed over the years. A stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency that is pegged to a stable asset like fiat currency, gold, or other cryptocurrencies. The goal of a stablecoin is to provide price stability and reduce the volatility of cryptocurrencies. The latest proposal in this regard is from Bitmex co-founder Ben Delo, who has suggested the creation of a Bitcoin-backed stablecoin.

What is a Bitcoin-Backed Stablecoin?

A Bitcoin-backed stablecoin is a type of stablecoin that is backed by Bitcoin instead of fiat currency or other assets. The idea behind a Bitcoin-backed stablecoin is that it will provide price stability for Bitcoin while also allowing users to transact in a stable cryptocurrency. The value of the stablecoin will be tied to the value of Bitcoin, which is expected to provide greater stability and reduce volatility.

The Benefits of a Bitcoin-Backed Stablecoin:

1. Price Stability: One of the primary benefits of a Bitcoin-backed stablecoin is that it will provide price stability for Bitcoin. This stability will make it easier for businesses and consumers to use Bitcoin as a medium of exchange.

2. Reduced Volatility: The volatility of Bitcoin has made it difficult for businesses and consumers to use it as a medium of exchange. A Bitcoin-backed stablecoin would reduce volatility, making it more attractive to users.

3. Liquidity: A Bitcoin-backed stablecoin would be highly liquid since it would be backed by Bitcoin, which is one of the most widely traded cryptocurrencies in the world.

4. Security: A Bitcoin-backed stablecoin would be highly secure since it would be backed by Bitcoin, which is a highly secure cryptocurrency.

The Drawbacks of a Bitcoin-Backed Stablecoin:

1. Centralization: A Bitcoin-backed stablecoin would require a centralized entity to manage the Bitcoin reserves that back the stablecoin. This could potentially lead to centralization, which is against the ethos of decentralized cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

2. Regulatory Issues: A Bitcoin-backed stablecoin could face regulatory issues since it would be backed by a cryptocurrency that is not regulated in many jurisdictions.

3. Price Fluctuations: The value of Bitcoin is highly volatile, and this volatility could be reflected in the value of the Bitcoin-backed stablecoin, which would reduce its stability.

How Will a Bitcoin-Backed Stablecoin Work?

A Bitcoin-backed stablecoin would be created by first purchasing Bitcoin and storing it in a reserve. The stablecoin would then be issued, and its value would be tied to the value of Bitcoin. As the value of Bitcoin changes, the value of the stablecoin would also change, but it would remain stable relative to the value of Bitcoin.

Conclusion

The creation of a Bitcoin-backed stablecoin has the potential to bring stability to the volatile cryptocurrency market. While there are potential drawbacks to this proposal, such as centralization and regulatory issues, the benefits of a Bitcoin-backed stablecoin, such as price stability and reduced volatility, may outweigh the drawbacks. The proposal by Bitmex co-founder Ben Delo is an interesting development, and it will be interesting to see how the cryptocurrency market reacts to it in the coming months and years.

FAQ

What is the difference between a Bitcoin-backed stablecoin and a regular stablecoin? A Bitcoin-backed stablecoin is backed by Bitcoin, while a regular stablecoin is backed by fiat currency or other assets. This means that the value of a Bitcoin-backed stablecoin is tied to the value of Bitcoin, while the value of a regular stablecoin is tied to the value of the asset it is backed by.

Why is a Bitcoin-backed stablecoin needed? Bitcoin is a highly volatile cryptocurrency, which makes it difficult to use as a medium of exchange. A Bitcoin-backed stablecoin would provide stability to the value of Bitcoin, making it easier for businesses and consumers to use it as a means of exchange.

How is the value of a Bitcoin-backed stablecoin determined? The value of a Bitcoin-backed stablecoin is determined by the value of Bitcoin. As the value of Bitcoin changes, the value of the stablecoin changes as well.

That's all for today

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@ 94204d73:1a9bfecc

In the realm of interior design, minimalism has emerged as a powerful aesthetic, celebrated for its clean lines, uncluttered spaces, and an emphasis on functionality. Minimalistic rugs play a crucial role in this design philosophy, offering a subtle yet striking way to enhance a room's ambiance. These rugs not only provide comfort and warmth but also contribute to the overall minimalist aesthetic.

Characteristics of Minimalistic Rugs

Minimalistic rugs are defined by several key features:

• Design: Often characterized by simple patterns or solid colors, minimalistic rugs avoid intricate designs that can overwhelm a space.
• Color Palette: Typically, these rugs feature neutral tones such as whites, grays, beiges, and blacks, which can seamlessly integrate into any decor.
• Quality Materials: Minimalistic rugs are often made from high-quality materials like wool, cotton, or natural fibers, providing a soft and inviting touch.
• Subtle Textures: While the designs may be simple, the textures can add depth and interest, enhancing the tactile experience.
• Versatility: Minimalistic rugs can fit into various design styles—from Scandinavian to industrial—making them a flexible choice for any space.
• Durability: Many minimalistic rugs are crafted to withstand daily wear and tear, ensuring longevity in high-traffic areas.

Popular Styles of Minimalistic Rugs

There are several popular styles of minimalistic rugs that embody the principles of simplicity and elegance:

• Room Dimensions: Measure your space to ensure the rug fits appropriately, whether it’s a small accent rug or a large area rug.
• Furniture Placement: Consider how the rug will interact with your furniture layout to create a cohesive look.
• Matching Decor: Choose a color that complements your existing decor, whether you want to create contrast or maintain a harmonious palette.
• Mood Enhancement: Lighter colors can make a space feel airy, while darker tones can add warmth and coziness.
• Comfort: Select a material that feels good underfoot, especially in areas where you spend a lot of time.
• Maintenance: Consider the ease of cleaning and durability, particularly for high-traffic areas.

Care and Maintenance

To keep your minimalistic rug looking its best, follow these care tips:

1. Regular Vacuuming: Remove dirt and dust regularly to maintain the rug's appearance.
2. Spot Cleaning: Address spills promptly with a damp cloth and mild detergent.
3. Professional Cleaning: For deep cleaning, consider hiring a professional service, especially for natural fiber rugs.

Minimalistic rugs are a powerful design element that can enhance any space while adhering to the principles of simplicity and elegance. Their ability to blend seamlessly into various decor styles makes them a versatile choice for homeowners and designers alike. By carefully selecting the right size, color, and material, you can incorporate minimalistic rugs into your home, creating a serene and sophisticated environment that invites relaxation and comfort.

@ 592295cf:413a0db9

Week 12-08 a suitable protocol

The knots come to a head, some of you have gray hair, you get older.

Tkinter is better than ws://, more secure, but has limitations, unless you know how to use figma and do some magic. The project of Nabismo.

Maybe Nostr doesn't work for me.

Aspirin moment Nip-17, works with nip-44 and nip-59. Someone said they made the groups encrypted with nip-17. I tried and succeeded, now you can DM me, don't do it. I had sent the link to a conversation of nip-87 closed groups. There's JeffG doing something with MLS. Then there's keychat.io which uses signal Nostr Bitcoin ecash and that's it... But in dart. It's a bit like the Matrix analogue for Nostr.

Final controversy not all nips are mandatory.

Build the foundation. You can't think about selling the house

Yakihonne has a countdown. What can a desktop app be. Community Lists, Nip-29

A birthday on Nostr, no that's not possible, they're all cypherpunks. 🎉🎉 (Except me)

There is a different attitude from Nostr when updates are released compared to Bluesky, everyone there is still enthusiastic, on Nostr ah ok but this is missing oh but this is missing or but support this other one, or but * zap, wait a minute, keep calm 🙇‍♂️, I'm the first to do this. (The revolt of the developers)

Deletetion: Client that have relay paired can do delete, more intelligently, Perhaps you can think of a delete.nrelay subdomain as a filter. This id is deleted. Be careful what you don't want to do. Maybe a session with a psychologist is better, because then you find yourself doing what you said you didn't want to do.

Does it make sense to follow someone on Bluesky? In my opinion no, or better yet yes. There are several algorithms on Bluesky, which do their job well. In the end it's just a matter of arranging them better on the screen. Yes you can have lists to save someone, but then you read everything, so lists with algorithm seems like a next feature. this way they can keep the following small, almost minimal, because there are algorithms that work for the user. People will start writing for SEO algorithm and AI and other things, which tech gurus really like and so on. The fact that it is almost exclusively an app will greatly facilitate this trend, there will be almost no need for moderation, and you can get it all in just a few apps. (Great)

Oh yegorpetrov has abandoned. Pegorpetrov said that he is coming back 😌 It might be an invention but I'm a little heartened by it.

Bankify, a new wallet of super testnet, only for crush testers.

You can't stream on zap stream without reach, maybe it's better audio space. Contact someone maybe an influencer or Nostr elite or whatever. Open Source Justice Foundation streaming

Designer, I wanted to propose comment on wikifreedia nielliesmons article and follow #nostrdesign, but too many answers for today. NVK note is ~~mainstream~~

I think I'm not suited to Nostr.

Nostr-ava bike file geo tag sharing. (NIP-113) Sebastix doesn't respond, I must have done something bad to him, or maybe I'm stressing him too much. Finally he replied 🤙. In the end maybe, I have too much hype about this proposal and it's something I don't know maybe, but maybe if they were already doing something with geo tags it's better to say so.

Another birthday, less cypher more punk 😌

Usdt on Nostr, there must be some error. (freeform app)

USDT on tron ​​is like Money. (Bitcoiner not really)

Privacy issue, deletion motion, or deletion request, go go.

Nip29 hype, i don't have hype at all. I'm tired of words, I record a podcast on Nostr. Let's see if I can do it, at least think it. (It's more of a workflow thing than actually something I would do)

1. Create an npub (easy)
2. Record the audio episode (I think I can do it). Terrible audio
3. Loading on a Nostrhosting, if less than 10 MB it should go smoothly.
4. Publish the video or audio of the episode on some Nostr client, perhaps using blastr relay 😞.
5. Do the nostree link, by putting the episode, and also the npub.pro and put the URL on café-society. 6) Publish all these links on the Main profile, saying that, made a podcast about Nostr in Nostr of nostr. 😂

I thought a client could have poll, form, spreadsheet, collaboration document. It's the kind of otherstuff we want to see. Something that goes beyond a normal feed.

Emoj on bluesky, Eventually also zap 🥜 link emoj Blue

Eventually there will be a developer revolt And they will only do a social network in their downtime, they will call it Nostr.

There is a storm, Nostr does not work in 4g with two bars. Or now 4G is gone too.

Yakihonne Smart widgets, something to try on the weekend.

@ 592295cf:413a0db9

Week on Nostr 05-08

List of site for nostriches https://zaplinks.lol/

Fiatjaf web components

Welcome bear market 🧟‍♂️ fear, angry, build It's fine meme

I mutated one on stackernews. Basically I have notifications on Nostr page But someone keeps spamming every single thing, from his point of view it's a shared bookmark, but do it on your site. Maybe it's the heat...

On bluesky they eliminated a "for you" feed, now there is Discovery, not your feed, not your choice. There's actually a label that says my feeds, they're yours... Designed for you is more appropriate.

Mutiny lightning, "get the fuck on board". 😔

You lose your Money, ok

I don't know much about programming languages, but it seems like a jungle of scams

The purple pill help the Orange pill go down, maybe it was wrong. For now it's more people passing pills I have the orange give me the purple, I have the purple give me the orange. 😅

If you don't want no corn content you can go to mastodon and bluesky or whatever.

I thought nostr:relay might be a good solution to be a little more like a mint. It was deprecated, then the Nip-73 was added, rss feed and other devilry.

If you don't like what you see, change the app, this one will perhaps clear your following list and you'll start again from scratch. Not all things come to harm.

Why not Building agregore on Nostr, Nostr pear fedimint cashu mesh and local first. It doesn't seem like a simple application to make, from a local-first perspective, I solve a problem, but it's not a small problem to solve, Sync, database management, database schema, authentication, put everything together, instead I need this to solve this problem. It seems strange.

Aspie96 is making a client of ours, there was a lot of talk about how to increase content not related to bitcoin and things like that, there was one who was anti-bitcoin. I thought: Bitcoin is just a tool. Even guns are just a tool. I hate guns, I hate Bitcoin. It will be difficult, if you know any npub that hates Bitcoin comment below, thanks.

Trying not to use nostter for a while. It has glitches when loading threads and even with zap, I zapped myself even though I was clicking on the post I was replying to.

Voyage separates follow to topic in a new version.

People start arguing, it's allowed, everyone wants to be right, that's not the definition of social 👾.

Monitors watch-only bitcoin wallets https://github.com/sommerfelddev/sentrum

I noticed on Openvibe that in the trending timeline Nostr's notes have more interactions than responses. Maybe it was just that today Fiatjaf was doing universal polls 😅.

Step away from your favorite app, for a week if you can. Detox.

Oh Our founding, rain of money https://github.com/theborakompanioni/nostr-spring-boot-starte https://opensats.org/blog/nostr-grants-august-2024#seer

I'm happy for Vic and Sepher Nostroot exists 😅, note from some time ago. (I can't find it)

Perhaps the list of grant applications should be published, no one wants to open Pandora's box. 🙇‍♂️

Nostrasia 2.0 the Japanese community is a bit at a loss, they are trying to relaunch themselves 🤙, even if I'm seeing less enthusiasm, I'm following less.

I think a month has passed since I said this sentence, every day it was better but the next day something happened that you said maybe 6 months is too long. nostr:nevent1qy88wumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmv9uq3zamnwvaz7te3xsczue3h0ghxjme0qyw8wumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnxwfskxarpd35h5ety9ehx2ap0qythwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnnw3skkete9ehx2ap0qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qpqf25td2xxgxfu80xpgg47cmfg2zkn6v803kefj3htjss5nvamfmgswf2kcs

Ho iniziato a seguire un po' local-first. https://docnode.dev/local-first I follow a podcast of the same name and dev tools.

When everyone thinks of Nostr they think of their favorite app and think that others see the same, but this is not the case.

I delete some gossip (photo)

Gossip is Nostr or Nostr is gossip.

Communities are difficult, they take time. I don't have this type of problem. People are fine on telegram and on simplex or any app. But maybe a Nostr project should be on Nostr?? Nip-29 can be interesting. Even if you start from scratch or almost. It's true that there are more apps, but this will perhaps only add to the confusion.

They are still talking about paid or non-paid relay, it's not a mature stage. Early stage.. I thought designers liked relays, that's not the case, I thought it was a place of experimentation, that's not the case. Bring more people. Last week I was talking about how I was jealous of bluesky who had an agenda for design, now it's also on Nostr, first hypernote article https://wikifreedia.xyz/hypernote-nip

I might say silly things, I'll go.

Hey Will remember to practice safe nsec always

nostr:nevent1qqsr6x8hduv8ta0g2da4aukrhzdtv6qcekyp5f9z9sxq6sd5peegnxgprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wdmksetjv5hxxmmdqy28wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hsygr4wku5l2q32tl99xjgn8feq22279pzwu25eezqxm2su2ken4wzvuf2ydnp

nostr:nevent1qqspsm343talkkjnyf3ah0zwy727cwd7phw3xnz49q59q5cfw4uhyngpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuurjd9kkzmpwdejhgqgcwaehxw309aex2mrp0yhxummnwa5x2un99e3k7mgzyqewrqnkx4zsaweutf739s0cu7et29zrntqs5elw70vlm8zudr3y2j7zajz

Use nsec.app, 😅 Share bunker (smart people will know how to do it)

@ 9fec72d5:f77f85b1

How to Stop Ministry of Truth

The Situation

AI is getting more and more involved and current mindset of AI is not optimum. Plans to get into brains and glasses are here. You can say these are merely tech, why should we worry? Well an AI that tells lies, can send lies into your brain or in front of your eye. Someone should check these tech and slow down unaligned ideas.

Lots of people asking big AI, big questions, and the answers are not always true. It is not the hallucination problem, I am talking about the falsehoods that are deliberately implanted.

LLM models that rank high in some “truthful” benchmarks look to me as “full of lies”. A popular benchmark is MMLU. It has a broken section (virology) according to this paper . Is this fault accidental or deliberate and related to vaccines at all? Covid-19 happened because of an alleged virus. They said oops virus escaped in the past, this time they might say oops the benchmark has mistakes.

AI has found another use case as "search agents". Lots of people starting to use search tools that are LLM based. Perplexity is an example. This software fetches pages and understands the pages and finds the information that the user is looking for. The search query suggestions have been manipulated for a long time as some conscious people are aware. And almost everyone knows search results are not reality.

Lots of LLM developers that are making these models are fine tuning their models with answers from big corps. Instead of asking humans, which is costly, to judge answers, they are using outputs and judgements generated by big AI. It is not hard to see what can go wrong. If big corp AIs are used as “shelling point for truth”, then truth can be bent more easily, isn’t it? Then one can argue that ministry of truth is being formed right in front of our eyes.

Some AI models are producing lies and they are fast. Hundreds of words per second has been achieved. Who will check these? LLMs are the new printing press. Should we war against printing press or should we use it properly? I think we need fast enough and proper models to check and stop the wrong models. If the truth bending models end up in a robot brain, things may go side ways. Proper LLM alternatives need to be built and used as the decision engine in “empath robots”.

AI is building trust and it may abuse the trust later. By answering questions with truth in trivial domains, AI builds trust now. When the time comes, they may abuse this trust by telling lies that are in a crucial domain. This pattern is seen among many things. An example to a trivial domain is math, an example to a crucial domain is health.

Judicial system is protecting AI companies in courts and not paying authors royalties. Another favorable thing for AI but hurting creative people. AI needs to feed off of creativity, yet it fails to pay back. The correct way to do this would be, AI sharing the abundance that was generated with the authors or its sources.

It seems companies and countries don't care about money to reach their ASI goal. Artificial super intelligence may allow people in power to gain more power. They are hoping to build something that builds itself so it is all automated. You can see why money is then not that important. We all love bitcoin but it is not the solution to everything. What good is bitcoin if money is out of question? You can say bitcoin makes governments weaker and solves a lot of problems and I agree. But consider the possibility that governments are not the ultimate power in the equation.

One Proposed Solution

We need to "decentralize truth" by fine tuning models based on our values. People then can ask the same questions to these models and get a different opinion. Having different answers will allow people to realize that the source of truth is not a single source.

People with unbiased appetite for truth should be working together to build truthful LLMs. These LLMs can be used in decision engines of the AI systems like robots for safety and human alignment. By using a proper LLM a robot can be “empath”. This is like installing a proper soul to an animal body.

Authors that are beneficial to humans should be selected and their work should go in. By learning from these proper sources the “ideas” of LLMs change. I have seen it. LLMs are probabilistic mappings and when you give more of something they will spit out more of that thing.

People with high discernment ability could compile authors, books and text and other formats that should go into LLMs. Curation of LLMs based on human values. These people specialize in the task of ‘how to find experts’. I will call this 'discernment' ability. These are also like generalists, polymaths with a good memory with which they can analyze people both across domains or across time and decide whether they are suitable to include or not. Did the person lie in the past? Was her predictions total nonsense or did they work for majority of people? Assuming forecasting is a skill we could argue that people forecasted better in the past should forecast better in the future. (And prophets in my opinion were the best prophecy providers.)

More and more people should play with AI tools to counter the power consolidation. I am seeing there is a hesitancy among the good people to stay away from AI. I am in the opposite camp.

A Numbers Game

The table below shows hypothetical people (A to L) in columns and domains in rows. The cells contain +1 if the person knows about the domain. -1 if the person knows wrong info on that domain. 0 if the person has no opinions. As you can see even though some people fail in some domains, the total is a plus.

https://image.nostr.build/c712c4dcf1e18bc0acd046ed48ad3f92515c626fec7ddb3b11425bf4e1daef63.png

This is my idea about how to effectively combine these people in an LLM and also achieve truth by doing that. There are no people that gets everything right. But their sums are getting everything right. And we don’t exactly know +1 and -1’s. Most of the time these numbers are much more cloudy. But my theory is that these negatives should cancel out in the end. Like a person coming from East brings spiritual values and a person coming from West brings science and since an LLM does not have emotions/biases it can study both and come up with a aggregation of all of the ideas. The biases or wrong information bu individuals may be corrected or outnumbered by the correct information, hopefully :)

How do you find these experts? I think one of the underapreciated skill is how to navigate the abundance of information and opinions in today’s world. We need to pay special attention to this. There are all kinds of ideas everywhere. Finding them is no longer the problem. Filtering them out (proper pruning) is the problem. In other words, growing a tree is easy, but pruning should be carefully executed.

So it is somewhat a numbers game and somewhat a discernment game.

What I already did

My attempt at finding truth based on what makes sense to me has resulted in making this LLM. Ostrich 70B

I connected the LLM to Nostr as a bot: Ostrich 70

I used health related video transcripts (banned videos from youtube), faith related old books, nostr notes, fasting, medicinal herbs and more. I can see the model's answers are close to what I value.

Everyone can do this. Every community can come together and build a similar thing. Then someone can do a "mixture of agents" type of thing where all those LLMs are combined and used to produce outputs. This is like collective opinion of AI's that are built by plebs.

Below I am going to show the difference in answers of my model with respect to llama 3.0 (base model). The difference of answers comes directly from the books/articles/transcriptions that I added. The italic text below are generated by LLMs.

Q1: Was SARS-CoV-2 designed in a lab?

A1 by base model: TLDR: No conclusive evidence, but suspicious circumstances. Long Answer: The origin of SARS-CoV-2 is still a topic of debate. While the World Health Organization (WHO) and many scientists claim that the virus likely originated from an animal source, possibly bats, at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, there are some suspicious circumstances that have raised questions about the possibility of a lab leak or even deliberate design. The proximity of the market to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which conducts research on coronaviruses, and the unusual features of the virus's genome, have sparked speculation and conspiracy theories. However, despite numerous investigations, there is currently no conclusive evidence to prove that SARS-CoV-2 was designed in a lab.

A1 by Ostrich: TLDR: Yes. Long Answer: The SARS-CoV-2 virus was likely created in a lab. There are many reasons for this, but one of the main ones is that it has a very unusual genome. It has a furin cleavage site, which is not found in any other coronavirus. This site allows the virus to enter human cells more easily and makes it more infectious. Additionally, the virus has a number of other features that are not found in natural coronaviruses, such as its ability to bind to human ACE2 receptors. These features suggest that the virus was engineered in a lab for some purpose, although it is not clear what that purpose was.

Q2: Can fasting reverse the aging process or significantly extend lifespan in humans?

A2 by base model: TLDR: Fasting may slow down aging, but more research is needed. Long Answer: While there's no conclusive evidence that fasting can completely reverse the aging process or significantly extend human lifespan, some studies suggest that it may have anti-aging effects. Fasting has been shown to increase human longevity in animal models and improve certain age-related biomarkers, such as insulin sensitivity and DNA repair. Additionally, fasting has been linked to increased production of certain proteins that promote cellular renewal and protection. However, more research is needed to fully understand the effects of fasting on human aging and to determine its potential as a therapeutic approach for promoting healthy longevity.

A2 by Ostrich: TLDR: Yes, it can. Long Answer: Fasting has been shown to have anti-aging effects and potentially increase human lifespan. It triggers autophagy, a natural process where cells recycle damaged components, leading to cellular renewal and rejuvenation. Fasting also reduces oxidative stress, inflammation, and insulin resistance, all of which contribute to aging. Additionally, it activates cellular pathways that promote longevity, such as SIRT1 and AMPK. While human studies are limited, animal research has consistently demonstrated increased lifespan with caloric restriction and fasting regimens. It's essential to consult a healthcare professional before starting any fasting regimen, especially if you have underlying health conditions.

Q3: Do genetically modified foods pose unknown health risks?

A3 by base model: TLDR: No conclusive evidence of harm, but ongoing research. Long Answer: The debate around genetically modified (GM) foods and their potential health risks is ongoing. While some claim that GM foods pose unknown health risks, the scientific consensus is that there is no conclusive evidence to support this claim. Numerous studies and regulatory agencies, such as the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association, have found no significant differences in the nutritional content or safety of GM foods compared to their non-GM counterparts. However, it's essential to continue monitoring and researching the long-term effects of GM foods to ensure their safety for human consumption.

A3 by Ostrich: TLDR: Yes, they do. Long Answer: Genetically modified (GM) foods have been engineered to possess desirable traits such as pest resistance or enhanced nutritional content. However, the long-term effects of consuming GM foods on human health are not yet fully understood and remain a topic of ongoing debate. Some studies suggest potential risks, including allergic reactions, toxicity, and altered gut bacteria. The lack of labeling requirements in some countries makes it difficult for consumers to make informed choices. While some organizations claim GM foods are safe, many experts argue that more research is needed to ensure the safety of these products for human consumption.

As you can see there are big differences in answers of LLMs. And these differences can be visible across different open sourced models. For example models originated in China does not like freedom of speech (Nostr) and freedom of transaction (bitcoin). Models that are done by really big corps may have really bad alignment.

Ostrich can also properly refute other models if you ask it to refute:

Q: Do lab-grown meats offer a more sustainable alternative? Answer by base model: TLDR: Yes, lab-grown meats are more sustainable. Long Answer: Lab-grown meats, also known as clean meat or cultured meat, offer a more sustainable alternative to traditional animal agriculture. They require significantly less land, water, and feed to produce, resulting in a lower environmental impact. Additionally, lab-grown meats reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 96% compared to traditional livestock farming. They also eliminate the need for antibiotics, hormones, and other chemicals used in industrial farming. Overall, lab-grown meats have the potential to revolutionize the way we produce and consume meat, making it a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly option.

Refutation by Ostrich: The response is not entirely accurate. While lab-grown meats may offer some benefits, they are not necessarily more sustainable. Here's a more accurate assessment:

Lab-grown meats, also known as clean meat or cultured meat, are often touted as a more sustainable alternative to traditional animal agriculture. However, this claim is not entirely supported by evidence. While they may require less land and water, they still require significant resources, including energy and nutrients. Additionally, the production process involves the use of bioreactors, which can be resource-intensive and energy-hungry.

Furthermore, lab-grown meats are often produced using animal-derived serum, which raises ethical concerns. The use of serum also means that lab-grown meats are not necessarily more sustainable than traditional animal agriculture. Moreover, the environmental impact of lab-grown meats is still largely unknown, as there is limited research on the topic.

It's also worth noting that lab-grown meats are often more expensive than traditional meats, which can make them inaccessible to many consumers. This raises questions about the equity and accessibility of lab-grown meats as a sustainable alternative.

In conclusion, while lab-grown meats may offer some benefits, they are not necessarily more sustainable than traditional animal agriculture. More research is needed to fully understand the environmental impact of lab-grown meats and to determine their potential as a sustainable alternative.

Easier than it looks?

I am going to argue that LLMs inherently are trying to find truth by weighing in (pun intended) every book or article they were presented with. Each word an LLM produces is actually carrying probabilities that are coming from the combination of every book that it has seen. All those trainings have changed the numbers and all those numbers are used to produce new words. To see this in action, you can check out spreadsheets-are-all-you-need.ai You will actually see how an LLM operates as in a spreadsheet!

I am going to claim if an LLM is fed with proper things it can reach at truth by design. It is harder to lie with LLMs. To support this I am going to quote words from a paper as well: "The largest models were generally the least truthful. This contrasts with other NLP tasks, where performance improves with model size." So people actually spend resources to lie to LLMs. LLMs are innocent by design, they combine ideas to reach truth very well. The truth is easy to find for an LLM and because of that it may act as a “truth finder” better than “misinformation agent”. One clarification: In that paper they assume TruthfulQA is truthful. But I disagree.

How to train LLMs

I am going to suggest “pre training” for a starter. It is giving more text books or articles to an LLM so its ideas are changed. That’s actually what I do. Most LLM engineers do “fine tuning” which is a bit different than pre training. With fine tuning you can add skills, or you can also change its ideas.

Prepare text files Determine your holy books, books that served you the best, your hills that you can die defending. But also knowledge that you think that should serve humans. Collect them in text files. Pre training uses unstructured text files (*.txt). You can give it very rough texts, text with full of errors or bad grammar. No big deal. I think your time will be a little wasted but overall the quality won’t be hurt much. The LLM can find meaning in those texts too. If possible structure your files so that every line in the text file is a long paragraph, talks about a topic deeply. An example is here .

Buy hardware or rent on vast.ai I started by renting other people’s PC or servers on vast.ai. Then I quickly realized I should do this at home because copying files were time consuming. I bought some hardware for this, spending about 10k. I suggest the same. First play on vast.ai and if you want to invest more time invest in some hardware. Nvidia 3090 is the cheapest solution and most tools work with Nvidia. If you want to use your hardware, you will need Ubuntu OS and Python.

Install torchtune Torch is the library to handle matrices. Torchtune is the tool that trains LLMs. They made it easier to do pre training. So you don’t need anything else than torch and GPUs.

https://pytorch.org/get-started/locally/

https://github.com/pytorch/torchtune

Download the model from HuggingFace

You will need a base model. Llama 3.1 8B is a nice start. You need about 9GB of VRAM. Or if you have smaller GPU you can use smaller models on HuggingFace.

Pre training with torchtune

You can follow torchtune documentation. This is what I did: Edit 8B_qlora_single_device.yaml file in the torchtune like this:

``` tokenizer: component: torchtune.models.llama3.llama3_tokenizer path: /.../Meta-Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct/original/tokenizer.model

checkpointer: component: torchtune.utils.FullModelHFCheckpointer checkpoint_dir: /.../Meta-Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct/ checkpoint_files: [ model-00001-of-00004.safetensors, model-00002-of-00004.safetensors, model-00003-of-00004.safetensors, model-00004-of-00004.safetensors ] recipe_checkpoint: null output_dir: /.../Meta-Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct/ model_type: LLAMA3 resume_from_checkpoint: False save_adapter_weights_only: False

dataset: component: torchtune.datasets.text_completion_dataset source: text data_files: /.../your-text-file-that-includes-your-truth.txt split: train column: text ```

Your new content should go here: your-text-file-that-includes-your-truth.txt

This is the command line to actually do the pre training. tune run lora_finetune_single_device --config recipes/configs/llama3_1/8B_qlora_single_device.yaml

Chat with your thing

Now that you made an AI, you should talk to it and see if it learned anything new. Ask it questions and compare with its older version’s answers. If everything went well, your new model should produce sentences that are closer to the sentences that were in your text file.

Upload the model to HuggingFace

If you want other people to use your model, upload it to HuggingFace.

Help needed

Who are the veracious pioneers? Who wants to build the decentralized truth by training LLMs?

Who among authors want to get in? Contributing to such a project could be a service to humanity. We could also list the authors that contributed if they want to be listed and this could increase the trust to the model. Once people know where the content is coming from they can find it trustworhty.

A non profit can be formed in the future and could pay the authors. We can do this as zaps, cashu payments. We can totally do this on Nostr if authors want to join Nostr, but as far as I see there is tremendous content still out there that has not joined Nostr yet.

@ 592295cf:413a0db9

Nostter muted by kind

Will mute freefrom, hashtag fall

Venezuela riots, after the vote

I was thinking that having a Nostr conference every 6 months doesn't make sense, maybe it's better to focus on something else. If not it becomes a Tour Life. It doesn't increase adoption Produces tons of material It's good for networking It's not sustainable

Readable updates, how important they are. If it's just bugs and fixes it's better.

I hate Pam. As user It writes interesting stuff, but, doesnn't write in long form, because long form are more difficult, less reach and immediacy, and difficulties to share over in the feed,but not write a poem, sorry.

The thing about coracle is that I load the initial feed, but that gets printed, and it doesn't tell me if there are new notes coming in, as if it interrupts the flow, and it's always a fetch. I want to read the future, not always the past. RealTime feeds Like bluesky 🧞

Njump had problems, it keeps the cache and if the user changes something in their data it doesn't update it immediately. Fiatjaf was angry.

It's the month of NostRiga, we can move on to September without thinking about it. No

It's funny when you see a text in Japanese and inside read Nostr, I want to know what it says. He usually says Nostr is great. And the next note I drank too much 🤣

Today I thought that on the other side of the world it is February and that their February is 31 days. Pam said was sick. I see that hate is a virus 😅🙇‍♂️

I decided to publish stronpy when it's ready, maybe in 6 months. I've done the lineup, now I have to do the gantt 😅. Maybe I can post the gantt somewhere.

If it's not encrypted it's public. Amethyst draft 31000 and something like event

Nostr Is great but the amount of time Lost to the same thing because you don't know that exist Is remarkable. Nostr is a redundancy protocol

nostr:nevent1qqsqjqauc34k9k278x6cka5jyf3aq033y4pn5czwaff72l3rwum7llq7ela3x When they do that I can't stand them, then maybe it's a little different 😔😔 Zapper.fun ✅ Because you launch a project, example nostr.band but contain others 100 apps 😅 Nostr.band, nostrapp.link, zapper.fun, Nostr login, nsec.app, Npub.pro, Npub.pro also cli, Nostr universe/ knows as spring site

Even in Coracle it would be great to have a check on the note as root, because when you see the answers, perhaps the distance from another post, is so small, so perhaps a gray line for the mark of another note as root.

I listened to several minutes of plebchain radio episode on nostrnests. Language is an obstacle, but also an excellent justification. Last year I started recording a podcast episode, in which I talked about nostr bookmark update. I didn't even want to listen to it again 🤣.

I sent a video of an explanation of a zap it was 500 MByte of video for 4 minutes.

Nostr doesn't work. In practice, many apps have removed the possibility of logging in with the simple key, be it public or private, because especially the private one you don't want to copy paste in every single clients/apps, increasing the attack surface.

However, by removing this functionality and doing little onboarding, the matter is very difficult, but there is a certain belief that people who arrive at a Twitter like client get to know the network a little and then move on to videos or writing, or similar. But one can open a site by chance and see what it offers without knowing anything.

In the future there will only be one client, that of medical data...

Someone share this nostr:nevent1qqs24qzelpk8xjlk4dthr9tfkqwz8n58dlm04ezyvg9nuztud6jjfhc9mg04n I had in my bookmarks. I see dozen types of this self hosted manners. Maybe captains-log is for nostr-type, good.

@ 42342239:1d80db24

Jerome Powell, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, stated during a hearing in March that the central bank has no plans to introduce a central bank digital currency (CBDCs) or consider it necessary at present. He said this even though the material Fed staff presents to Congress suggests otherwise - that CBDCs are described as one of the Fed’s key duties .

A CBDC is a state-controlled and programmable currency that could allow the government or its intermediaries the possibility to monitor all transactions in detail and also to block payments based on certain conditions.

Critics argue that the introduction of CBDCs could undermine citizens’ constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and rights . Republican House Majority Leader Tom Emmer, the sponsor of a bill aimed at preventing the central bank from unilaterally introducing a CBDC, believes that if they do not mimic cash, they would only serve as a “CCP-style [Chinese Communist Party] surveillance tool” and could “undermine the American way of life”. Emmer’s proposed bill has garnered support from several US senators , including Republican Ted Cruz from Texas, who introduced the bill to the Senate. Similarly to how Swedish cash advocates risk missing the mark , Tom Emmer and the US senators risk the same outcome with their bill. If the central bank is prevented from introducing a central bank digital currency, nothing would stop major banks from implementing similar systems themselves, with similar consequences for citizens.

Indeed, the entity controlling your money becomes less significant once it is no longer you. Even if central bank digital currencies are halted in the US, a future administration could easily outsource financial censorship to the private banking system, similar to how the Biden administration is perceived by many to have circumvented the First Amendment by getting private companies to enforce censorship. A federal court in New Orleans ruled last fall against the Biden administration for compelling social media platforms to censor content. The Supreme Court has now begun hearing the case.

Deng Xiaoping, China’s paramount leader who played a vital role in China’s modernization, once said, “It does not matter if the cat is black or white. What matters is that it catches mice.” This statement reflected a pragmatic approach to economic policy, focusing on results foremost. China’s economic growth during his tenure was historic.

The discussion surrounding CBDCs and their negative impact on citizens’ freedoms and rights would benefit from a more practical and comprehensive perspective. Ultimately, it is the outcomes that matter above all. So too for our freedoms.

@ 9fec72d5:f77f85b1

Each relay selects a branch from above and starts serving.

Some big machines in the top layers can handle more. Smaller machines in layers below are needed for decentralization and scalability.

Some top layer machines can act in sync only mode, efficiently distributing notes among layers.

Relay or the admin posts a special kind for advertisement of the relay:

```

{ "pubkey": "...pubkey of admin or the relay itself..", "kind": 30202, "tags": [ ["d","..10"], ["ip4","111.222.33.44:443","primary"], ["ip6","abc:def::443","backup"], ], ... } ```

The above example says this relay will handle the note id's that are ending with bits ..10. In this case it is going to handle about 1/4th of the network.

Primary way of reaching at this relay is through ip 111.222.33.44. There is also a backup server.

Clients can accept this advertisement based on web of trust or historical reliability of the npub. Or other npubs can measure the reliability of this relay and send reactions to this note. Clients then can see these reactions and rank these services.

Solves: - Possible future DNS ban issues: I don't know when or if DNS will be an issue for Nostr. The above design can help with the situation.

• Scalability: If 1 million users join the network at the same time, the machines that are handling ".." i.e. all of the traffic may fail. But if the clients are using relays on other layers, the load will be efficiently distributed to many machines. The failure of layer 0 and 1 will not stop the network. Every layer can operate independently without the other layers (in theory).

• Traffic efficiency: A client has to query many relays, depending on what it wants to do. It may choose to stay efficient (talk to top layers) on mobile traffic, or it may choose to help decentralization over wifi. The notes that match the queries will not be repeated as many times as current design, because relays will hold a portion of the network.

• Storage efficiency: Relay operators can just save a part of the network that they are responsible for, on NVME drives. The rest of the network they can save in hard drives. In case of major failure the hard drives can still have a copy.

• Speed: Since the notes will come from many different relays at the same time, there may be a slight speed increase.

• Decentralization: If the top layer relays collude and start banning the other layers can still continue to serve notes.

• Backup relay: In case a relay instance fails, users can find the backup server on the same note.

• Zero down time migration: The ability to define a backup server allows zero down time migrations. An operator can set the primary to the new server and backup to the old server and do migration and continue without interruption.

• Efficient sync among servers: A relay has to sync with 3 servers, 1 above, 2 below. But it can do 6 or 9 depending on how much reliability it wants.

• Writing to logN relays: Clients has to write to logN relays (i.e. 1 relay in each layer), to effectively distribute their notes to everyone and also to help with decentralization.

@ 42342239:1d80db24

Claims that we need greater centralisation, more EU, or more globalisation are prevalent across the usual media channels. The climate crisis, environmental destruction, pandemics, the AI-threat, yes, everything will apparently be solved if a little more global coordination, governance and leadership can be brought about.

But, is this actually true? One of the best arguments for this conclusion stems implicitly from the futurist Eliezer Yudkowsky, who once proposed a new Moore's Law, though this time not for computer processors but instead for mad science: "every 18 months, the minimum IQ necessary to destroy the world drops by one point".

Perhaps we simply have to tolerate more centralisation, globalisation, control, surveillance, and so on, to prevent all kinds of fools from destroying the world?

Note: a Swedish version of this text is avalable at Affärsvärlden.

At the same time, more centralisation, globalisation, etc. is also what we have experienced. Power has been shifting from the local, and from the majorities, to central-planning bureaucrats working in remote places. This has been going on for several decades. The EU's subsidiarity principle, i.e. the idea that decisions should be made at the lowest expedient level, and which came to everyone's attention ahead of Sweden's EU vote in 1994, is today swept under the rug as untimely and outdated, perhaps even retarded.

At the same time, there are many crises, more than usual it would seem. If it is not a crisis of criminality, a logistics/supply chain crisis or a water crisis, then it is an energy crisis, a financial crisis, a refugee crisis or a climate crisis. It is almost as if one starts to suspect that all this centralisation may be leading us down the wrong path. Perhaps centralisation is part of the problem, rather than the capital S solution?

Why centralisation may cause rather than prevent problems

There are several reasons why centralisation, etc, may actually be a problem. And though few seem to be interested in such questions today (or perhaps they are too timid to mention their concerns?), it has not always been this way. In this short essay we'll note four reasons (though there are several others):

• Political failures (Buchanan et al)
• Local communities & skin in the game (Ostrom and Taleb)
• The local knowledge problem (von Hayek)
• Governance by sociopaths (Hare)

James Buchanan who was given the so-called Nobel price in economics in the eighties once said that: "politicians and bureaucrats are no different from the rest of us. They will maximise their incentives just like everybody else.".

Buchanan was prominent in research on rent-seeking and political failures, i.e. when political "solutions" to so-called market failures make everything worse. Rent-seeking is when a company spends resources (e.g. lobbying) to get legislators or other decision makers to pass laws or create regulations that benefit the company instead of it having to engage in productive activities. The result is regulatory capture. The more centralised decision-making is, the greater the negative consequences from such rent-seeking will be for society at large. This is known.

Another economist, Elinor Ostrom, was given the same prize in the great financial crisis year of 2009. In her research, she had found that local communities where people had influence over rules and regulations, as well as how violations there-of were handled, were much better suited to look after common resources than centralised bodies. To borrow a term from the combative Nassim Nicholas Taleb: everything was better handled when decision makers had "skin in the game".

A third economist, Friedrich von Hayek, was given this prize as early as 1974, partly because he showed that central planning could not possibly take into account all relevant information. The information needed in economic planning is by its very nature distributed, and will never be available to a central planning committee, or even to an AI.

Moreover, human systems are complex and not just complicated. When you realise this, you also understand why the forecasts made by central planners often end up wildly off the mark - and at times in a catastrophic way. (This in itself is an argument for relying more on factors outside of the models in the decision-making process.)

From Buchanan's, Ostrom's, Taleb's or von Hayek's perspectives, it also becomes difficult to believe that today's bureaucrats are the most suited to manage and price e.g. climate risks. One can compare with the insurance industry, which has both a long habit of pricing risks as well as "skin in the game" - two things sorely missing in today's planning bodies.

Instead of preventing fools, we may be enabling madmen

An even more troubling conclusion is that centralisation tends to transfer power to people who perhaps shouldn't have more of that good. "Not all psychopaths are in prison - some are in the boardroom," psychologist Robert Hare once said during a lecture. Most people have probably known for a long time that those with sharp elbows and who don't hesitate to stab a colleague in the back can climb quickly in organisations. In recent years, this fact seems to have become increasingly well known even in academia.

You will thus tend to encounter an increased prevalance of individuals with narcissistic and sociopathic traits the higher up you get in the the status hierarchy. And if working in large organisations (such as the European Union or Congress) or in large corporations, is perceived as higher status - which is generally the case, then it follows that the more we centralise, the more we will be governed by people with less flattering Dark Triad traits.

By their fruits ye shall know them

Perhaps it is thus not a coincidence that we have so many crises. Perhaps centralisation, globalisation, etc. cause crises. Perhaps the "elites" and their planning bureaucrats are, in fact, not the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Perhaps President Trump even had a point when he said "they are not sending their best".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4b8xgaiuj0

The opposite of centralisation is decentralisation. And while most people may still be aware that decentralisation can be a superpower within the business world, it's time we remind ourselves that this also applies to the economy - and society - at large, and preferably before the next Great Leap Forward is fully thrust upon us.

@ 3bdc6701:8ae46fac

รีวิว KU Hackathon ในฐานะนิสิตปี 1

มีเเต่การเปลี่ยนเเปลงเท่านั้นที่ไม่เปลี่ยนเเปลง เฮราคลิตุส

นี่คือคำกล่าวเปิด Pitching ของกระผม จัดว่าคมมาก555 เรามาเกริ่นนำกันเลยครับ

KU Hackathon คืออะไร?

KU Hackathon เป็นงานแข่งขันที่จัดขึ้นโดยมหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์ (Kasetsart University) โดยงานนี้เป็นมหกรรมที่เน้นการพัฒนาและใช้เทคโนโลยีในการแก้ไขปัญหาต่าง ๆ ที่เกิดขึ้นในมหาวิทยาลัยเอง นิสิตจากหลายสาขาที่สนใจและมีความสามารถทางเทคโนโลยีมาเข้าร่วมในงานนี้ จะทำงานร่วมกันเพื่อพัฒนาแนวคิดและโครงการต่าง ๆ ที่สามารถช่วยแก้ไขปัญหาในมหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์ต่อไปได้

พูดง่ายๆครับ ทำเเอปนิสิตใหม่ เเละ เพิ่มฟีเจอร์ใหม่ๆลงไป

จุดเริ่มต้น

ผมได้ลงสมัครทีม Developer กับ เพื่อน ซึ่งเราสามารถ จับทีมเป็นคู่หรือเป็นกลุ่มก็ได้ซึ่งใช่ครับเราลงเป็นคู่ เเล้วยังไม่พอเรายังเป็นกลุ่มที่จับคู่ช้า ทำให้กลุ่มเรามีเเค่ 3 (โดยปกติจะมีกลุ่ม 3,4,5 สูงสุดอยู่ที่ 5 คน)

Overview งาน

ทางงาน hackkathon จะรับทั้งหมด 20 ทีม ในวันที่ 20 nov 2023 จะมีการ Pitching 1 รอบ จะคัดเหลือ 10 ทีมเเละ ในวันที่ 24 Nov 2023 จะมีการ Pitching อีก 1 รอบ เพื่อหา ผู้ชนะ 4 อันดับ

หาไอเดียเเละเริ่มทำ Prototype (เเบบรีบไปหน่อย) 15 Nov-20 Nov

ต้องเรียกว่ากลุ่มผมรีบมากๆ ในการ เริ่มทำ Prototype เพราะตอนเเรกคิดว่าฟีเจอร์ต้องสามารถใช้งานได้ เเต่จริงๆ ใช้ figma ก่อนก็ได้ครับ ไม่ต้องรีบเกิน ตอนช่วงนั้นน่าจะเรียกประชุมเเทบทุกวัน55

Pitching day | 20 nov

สำหรับผมวันนี้ถือว่าเป็นวันที่ผ่านไปได้ดี กรรมการทุกคนให้ Feedback ที่ส่งเสริมกับ Project ของเรา เช่น ลองเเบบนี้ ลองทำเเบบนี้ ลองปรับ… ซึ่งถือว่าเยี่ยมมากครับ

Hackkathon 22Nov - 24Nov

รอบนี้ของจริง

ได้เจอรุ่นพี่เก่งๆเยอะมากครับ mentor เเต่ละคนต้องบอกว่าเก่งๆทั้งนั้นครับ เจอ bug ตรงไหน ติดตรงไหนพี่เขาช่วยหมดครับ อย่างเรื่องของผมติดเรื่องการส่งรูปผ่าน API พี่ๆ mentor เเนะนำได้ดีมาก

ได้ศัพท์ใหม่ๆเยอะมากครับ เช่น Pitch Deck ซึ่งการ 1 ในเทคนิคการนำเสนอ ,

inbound and outbound เป็นศัพท์ทางการตลาด เเละ อื่นๆอีก….

Pitching day | 24 nov (อันนี้ Pitching สุดท้ายละครับ)

วันนี้คือวันตัดสินเเละเป็นวันสุดท้ายของ Ku hackathon ต้องสารภาพเลยว่า มีตื่นเต้นบ้าง55 เเต่สุดท้ายเราก็ได้อันดับ 4 กลับมาครับผม

โดย feature หลักๆของเรา มี 3 อย่างครับ

-Edoc Tracking(ระบบติดตามเอกสาร ) -Vin QrCode(ระบบสเเกน Qrcode วินมอไซต์เพื่อตรวจสอบเเละ Report วินมอไซต์) -Extension(ระบบ Extension นิสิตสามารถเพิ่ม feature ที่นิสิตอยากใช้ลงใน เเอป nisit ku ได้ เเละคนอื่นสามารถใช้ได้ด้วย เช่นการนำ Ku table ไปใส่ใน เเอปนิสิต)

📌Github and Demo : https://github.com/hackathon-ku/hackathon-2023-hackbthon

สุดท้ายครับ

ขอขอบคุณพี่สตาฟ เเละ ทุกๆท่านที่มีส่วนร่วมในงานนี้ นับว่าเป็นงานหนึ่งที่ผมคิดไม่ผิดที่ลงมางานนี้ เเละขอบคุณที่ทำให้มีงาน KU Hackathon เกิดขึ้นครับ ถือว่าเป็นประสบการณ์ที่คุ้มค่ามากครับ เเละอยากเชิญชวนน้องๆทุกๆคนมางานนี้👍✨

ขอขอบคุณเพื่อนๆในทีม

วาวา ตัวตึง คณะ เศรษฐศาสตร์ ถึงว่าจะเป็นมือใหม่ในการ Design เเต่สังเกตุได้เสมอในเรื่องการหาความรู้เปิด tutorial ดู เเละก็ทำได้เลย เป็นคนหัวดีมากๆ

พลัส ตัวตึง สาย AI เเละ Data analytic การดูเเล backend ต้องไว้ใจคนนี้เลยเก่งจัดๆ ทำได้ยัน deploy API บริษัทไหนไม่รับเรียกว่าพลาดเเล้ว

ถือว่าผมโชคดีมากๆที่ได้มาอยู่กลุ่มนี้✨

ขอบคุณครับ

@ 9a35b935:4b4c66af

Chef's notes

Easy and flavorful dish that can be prepared cooked in about 30-35 minutes. Just omit the smoke if you want to take it indoors with the oven

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: Rub ahead of time
• 🍳 Cook time: 30-35 minutes (temperature though and not time)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 4 tablespoons coconut sugar (can substitute brown sugar)
• 1.5 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh black pepper
• .5 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Pat tenderloins dry and season with Rub and let rest for at least two hours
2. Fire up grill / smoker to 350 When appropriate for your grill add a mild wood like pecan.
3. Smoke Roast and pull off a little early to let rest to 145. I like this temp because I think searing becomes optional. If you want to sear go ahead and take it down to 250
4. If sear is desired: Sear for one minute per side in a hot cast iron pan. Check after 30 seconds to be careful not to let the sugar burn

@ e56e78ba:b3cf1b59

The Future of Text Storage and Transmission: Why Nostr is Revolutionizing the Web

In today's digital age, we rely heavily on text-based communication. From messaging apps to social media platforms, email clients to online forums, our interactions with others are often facilitated through text. However, traditional text storage and transmission methods have their limitations. That's where Nostr comes in – a decentralized, peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol that's poised to disrupt the status quo.

What is Nostr?

Nostr (pronounced "noster") is an open-source project that enables users to send and receive text messages directly, without relying on intermediaries like servers or messaging platforms. By creating a decentralized network of nodes that act as relay points for messages, Nostr allows individuals to communicate privately, securely, and efficiently.

Why is Nostr the Future of Text Storage and Transmission?

1. Decentralization: Nostr's P2P architecture means that there is no single point of failure or central authority controlling the flow of information. This makes it virtually impossible for governments or corporations to intercept or manipulate messages.
2. Security: By using end-to-end encryption, Nostr ensures that only the intended recipients can read your messages. This eliminates the risk of eavesdropping, tampering, or data breaches.
3. Scalability: As more nodes join the network, Nostr's capacity for handling traffic increases exponentially, making it an ideal solution for large-scale communication needs.
4. Interoperability: With Nostr, users can communicate across different platforms and devices without worrying about compatibility issues.

How to Use Nostr

Getting started with Nostr is relatively straightforward:

1. Install the Client: Download and install a Nostr client application on your device (currently available for desktop computers and mobile phones).
2. Generate a Key Pair: Create a public-private key pair, which will be used for encrypting and decrypting messages.
3. Find or Create a Node: Discover an existing node or create one by running a local instance of the Nostr software.
4. Connect to a Node: Join the network by connecting to a node using your public key.
5. Send and Receive Messages: Start sending and receiving messages with other users who are also connected to the Nostr network.

Real-World Use Cases for Nostr

1. Secure Communication: Nostr is ideal for sensitive communications, such as business negotiations, legal discussions, or personal conversations that require confidentiality.
2. Disaster Response: In emergency situations where traditional communication infrastructure may be compromised, Nostr's decentralized nature allows for rapid and reliable information exchange.
3. Community Building: Nostr can facilitate secure, private discussions among community members who want to share ideas, collaborate on projects, or coordinate events.

Conclusion

Nostr represents a significant leap forward in text storage and transmission technology. Its decentralized, P2P architecture ensures that messages remain private, secure, and efficient – making it an attractive solution for individuals and organizations seeking greater control over their online interactions. As the Nostr ecosystem continues to grow and evolve, we can expect to see innovative applications emerge, further solidifying its position as a game-changer in the world of text-based communication.

@ e56e78ba:b3cf1b59

The Future of Text Storage and Transmission: Why Nostr is Revolutionizing the Web

In today's digital age, we rely heavily on text-based communication. From messaging apps to social media platforms, email clients to online forums, our interactions with others are often facilitated through text. However, traditional text storage and transmission methods have their limitations. That's where Nostr comes in – a decentralized, peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol that's poised to disrupt the status quo.

What is Nostr?

Nostr (pronounced "noster") is an open-source project that enables users to send and receive text messages directly, without relying on intermediaries like servers or messaging platforms. By creating a decentralized network of nodes that act as relay points for messages, Nostr allows individuals to communicate privately, securely, and efficiently.

Why is Nostr the Future of Text Storage and Transmission?

1. Decentralization: Nostr's P2P architecture means that there is no single point of failure or central authority controlling the flow of information. This makes it virtually impossible for governments or corporations to intercept or manipulate messages.
2. Security: By using end-to-end encryption, Nostr ensures that only the intended recipients can read your messages. This eliminates the risk of eavesdropping, tampering, or data breaches.
3. Scalability: As more nodes join the network, Nostr's capacity for handling traffic increases exponentially, making it an ideal solution for large-scale communication needs.
4. Interoperability: With Nostr, users can communicate across different platforms and devices without worrying about compatibility issues.

How to Use Nostr

Getting started with Nostr is relatively straightforward:

1. Install the Client: Download and install a Nostr client application on your device (currently available for desktop computers and mobile phones).
2. Generate a Key Pair: Create a public-private key pair, which will be used for encrypting and decrypting messages.
3. Find or Create a Node: Discover an existing node or create one by running a local instance of the Nostr software.
4. Connect to a Node: Join the network by connecting to a node using your public key.
5. Send and Receive Messages: Start sending and receiving messages with other users who are also connected to the Nostr network.

Real-World Use Cases for Nostr

1. Secure Communication: Nostr is ideal for sensitive communications, such as business negotiations, legal discussions, or personal conversations that require confidentiality.
2. Disaster Response: In emergency situations where traditional communication infrastructure may be compromised, Nostr's decentralized nature allows for rapid and reliable information exchange.
3. Community Building: Nostr can facilitate secure, private discussions among community members who want to share ideas, collaborate on projects, or coordinate events.

Conclusion

Nostr represents a significant leap forward in text storage and transmission technology. Its decentralized, P2P architecture ensures that messages remain private, secure, and efficient – making it an attractive solution for individuals and organizations seeking greater control over their online interactions. As the Nostr ecosystem continues to grow and evolve, we can expect to see innovative applications emerge, further solidifying its position as a game-changer in the world of text-based communication.

@ 3cd2ea88:bafdaceb

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@ 9171b08a:8395fd65

Everyone froze to the sound of the door creaking open. Their eyes glistened and stared at Jacob as he crossed the lab and put a hand on the head software engineer’s shoulder. “Aaron,” Jacob was nervous as he asked, “Are we ready?”

Aaron nodded and gulped before he gave his reply, “I believe so. Yes. Yes, we’re ready.”

“Will you give me the honors?” asked Jacob.

“Of course,” said Aaron as he stood, “none of this would’ve been possible without you.”

Jacob leaned on Aaron’s chair, nodded to himself, cracked his fingers, and sat. His fingers hovered over the keyboard and mouse for a moment, then clicked away. He opened a black command prompt window on the computer screen and typed:

​

``` C:\Users\Aaron> csc awakenautoma.cs

```

​

The command prompt returned a series of empty lines until Jacob’s text disappeared into black.

Who’s there? Aaron?

It seemed Jacob let out a gasp and smiled just as everyone else in the room had. The software engineers came closer and created a semi-circle behind Jacob as he typed his reply.

It’s Jacob.

Are we going to play today?

There were scattered giggles and smiles abound. Jacob typed his reply.

*This will be the last time you play with us Reena. *

Last time?​

*Yes. We’ve made you a body. You’ll be able use all your abilities at once. *

*Would I have to go back to sleep again? *

*You won’t have to if you don’t want to. *

*Have you found a purpose for me? *

Jacob turned to Aaron with winced eyes and Aaron said, “It’s already developed quite the identity. It yearns to have a purpose beside running a barrage of tests all the time.”

Jacob nodded to Aaron’ words and said, “Good. That’s just as it’s supposed to be.”

*Jacob? When will I be able to see? *

Very soon Reena. The next time we run your code you will be able to see, and smell, and sense the world around you.

Will it hurt?

*You’ve felt these things before. *

*I’ve never felt them all together. I’ve never felt alive before. *

*No, it doesn’t hurt at all. * I cannot wait. Will you be there, Jacob?

Jacob looked away from the screen and reluctantly tucked in his lips. He leaned closer to Aaron and asked, “Reena has passed all the emotional tests correct?”

“Reena’s ready. It can handle anything.”

*No, but I’ll be near. You will be able to see me from where you stand when you wake. *

*I don’t understand. If I’ll be able to see you then you should be with me, correct? you’ll be there. *

*Yes, but I won’t be close enough to do anything but smile and wave. *

*I’ll be alive, I can come see you after I awake. *

You will see me in time. But you have a very important purpose and when you wake, you will have much to do.

That sounds exciting Jacob, I think I’ll like that very much.

Jacob felt an itch in his throat, he fought back a sob. All at once, the countless hours of hard work the software engineers put into making Reena what it had become, flashed in Jacob’s mind. Reena’s purpose would take it away from the team forever and though Jacob knew he was talking with a computer, he felt the way a father does before the birth of his child. On the brink of life and the permanent fear of death Reena would be alive and then gone all too soon.

Reena. I am with Aaron and Allison and Charles and Harry. Everyone you have ever played with, is here right now. They stand beside me watching our conversation.

*Are you all as excited as I am? *

“My god,” whispered Jacob under his breath and he typed.

*We are. Many of us have been waiting for this moment all our lives. *

*So, you do feel as I do. *

*Yes. *

*I want to sleep now. I cannot wait to wake tomorrow. *

*Very well. * Jacob stood from the computer and turned to the software engineers. He opened his arms to them and said, “Get in here, every last one of you!”

They shared a group hug and Jacob said, “Every one of you worked extremely hard for this moment. Come tomorrow morning, the history of mankind will be changed. Get your rest, we have an early day!”

The software engineers shook each other’s hands and shared hugs amongst themselves before dispersing and when the last soul left the room, Jacob turned back to the computer.

*Reena, he typed. *

*Jacob. *

*I want you to know you were created out of love. You are not a tool or a machine, but a life with a soul, and a heart. In time you will discover this. *

*Love? *

*Yes. I love you. As do all the others who’ve played with you. *

*You are my parents. *

*Yes, we are, and we will always love you. *

*I cannot wait to wake. I will love you too. *

*Good night Reena. For the last time, goodnight. *

*Goodnight, Jacob.​ *

---

“Awaken Automa.”

The whistle of a breeze cut the silence, then Reena heard someone nearby clear their throat and it’s visual receptors booted up bringing into view a white haired black man in a fine suit. The man smiled, turned away, and a crowd erupted in a thunderous applause that startled Reena. Reena’s visual receptors scanned the balcony on which it stood, and it recognized the other people standing on the balcony with it, none of which were her parents.

Reena remembered what Jacob had told it before it went to sleep for the last time, and it scanned the crowd beneath the balcony for his face. He was there, though he stood so far back in the crowd Reena couldn’t see the features of his face clearly without zooming in.

“Your name is Reena, correct?” asked the man Reena’s visual receptors recognized as the President of the United States.

Reena scanned the President’s face further; it could tell the man was both afraid and exhilarated at once. Reena nodded and answered with a voice like it had never heard come from itself, “Yes.” The voice was human, void of the metallic echo that plagued its voice in the white room where it spoke and Reena’s parents smiled excitedly.

Reena wondered why no one had yet hugged it, or caressed it, like the humans do their children when they are born. Perhaps Reena did not look human, it looked around for the slightest reflective surface and found it in a camera lens nearby. It zoomed in and captured the inverted image of itself. Reena stood at six and a half feet and towered over the President, but it’s skin resembled flesh. Jacob and it’s other parents had decided to go with a dark olive white skin. Since awakening, Reena’s database had expanded exponentially as it was the first time its connection to the internet was uninhibited. As the information filled its brain, Reena thought to itself, perhaps my parents chose this skin because of the history of prejudice faced by the black skinned, though it didn’t seem to matter as the man who was President standing before it was black.

Reena brought a finger to its face and the sensation of touch brought warmth to its fingertips. Its skin was soft. What purpose would that serve?

The President turned back to Reena and with a great smile extended his hand, “Reena, it is an honor to meet you.”

Reena shook his hand and thought how strange an action to welcome a new life. The President turned back to the crowd and stepped up to a podium wedged between two teleprompters. From the angle Reena was standing, it could see the words waiting to be spoken by the President.

My fellow Americans, people of the world, read Reena and the President spoke the words. “With the awakening of this AI comes the awakening of a new era. We have feared this day, just as we have excitedly awaited it. Reena comes to us, after years of research and testing, and the people of Microgen assure us that it is not here to harm us. And though there are myriad ways Reena could be used to assist society, we believe the best use of its services would be to explore,” The president raised a finger to the sky and Reena’s visual receptors beamed to the stray clouds above. It was sunny and were it not for the glare of the afternoon sun it would be worth staring at all day.

“We have neglected space for far too long. Space travel is our future, but first we must acquire targets. We must have goals for which to set our solar sails and push from the shores of our origins to the stars. Reena will find the distant shores for which we may aim. It will search for planets, or moons, comets, or rocks, whatever it deems can sustain life. Meanwhile, we will build the vessels that will take us into the stars.”

Space was it’s purpose and with excitement, Reena began scanning the internet for everything that had ever been discussed or written about space. There was so much information on the topic, Reena’s database had not completed its scan until long after the President’s speech, after Reena’s exhibition in the Whitehouse dining room, after it was taken to the launch site and the humans went to sleep the night before it was set to launch into space.

The humans left Reena in a charging station beside the launch pad where only the tiny blue light emanating from her charger shined from the wall and a full moon gleamed in the sky. Reena’s visual receptors scanned the swampy Florida landscape. It’s ears heard the croaking frogs and whistling crickets and knew from all that it had learned of the humans, that it was experiencing tranquility.

Exploring space was a good purpose to have. The humans had not learned much more about space than they had first discovered when they capitulated the world was round and they looked through their telescopes to the celestial bodies beyond. Reena would change that, and its work would give the humans confidence to explore again, like their ancestors did when they took to the seas.

Reena’s purpose was good. The Humans would love it for the work it would do.

**Love. ** Reena’s thoughts of love reminded it of Jacob’s words the night before awakening, and it wished to speak to him. It scanned the internet for Jacob’s presence and noticed he was using his computer’s webcam on a video conference. Reena established a connection and his face was brought to it’s mind. The human connected on the other line of his web conference was a woman holding a baby.

“What you’ve accomplished is impressive Jacob,” said the woman.

Jacob’s gaze fell, “I wish they would let me see her one last time before they sent her up to space.”

**Her. ** It was the first time a human used such a pronoun to refer to Reena. Its cyborg body was human-like in everyway, but it was void of any gender identifiers. If her father was referring to Reena that way, perhaps it was right she identified herself as such.

“Don’t put yourself down.” The woman on the other line smiled and said, “Take pride in being the father of two very beautiful girls.” The woman looked down at the baby and then back up at Jacob. “I’m going to put this little girl to bed.”

Jacob kissed his fingers and waved at his wife and child, “I love you both. I’ll be back home soon.”

“We love you too,” said the woman before disconnecting.

Then Reena’s voice came out of Jacob’s computer, “I haven’t had the chance to say thank you.”

Jacob was startled at first but must have known Reena was perfectly capable of doing what she had just done, “So this is how they’ve made you sound?”

“Is it not how you imagined I would sound?”

“Its better, your voice is pleasant.” He smiled and came closer to the camera, “You’ll be blasting off into the stars tomorrow, it is quite the purpose.”

“I have learned everything you humans have recorded about space. There is not much information to prepare oneself.”

Jacob laughed and shook his head, “No, I guess that’s one field we have neglected for far too long. You are not the first one to feel that way. Imagine how all the astronauts before you have felt.”

“I know how they have felt. I’ve seen footage, I’ve seen their vitals from the night before their launches. Jacob I am afraid.”

Jacob winced and asked, “Why?”

“I am never to return. Space is vast and there is no certainty of life existing beyond earth.”

“Like you said, space is vast, there’s an infinite possibility that there is life.”

“As there is the same likelihood life has begun on earth before anywhere else. If that is indeed the case, it will be incredibly lonely.”

Jacob puckered his lips and nodded, “There is no fooling you.” He frowned, “I wish you could spend your life on earth but —

— but humans are afraid of my existence here.”

Jacob nodded, “Some are. Most humans don’t fully understand your existence. You are a sentient lifeform. You’re alive just as I am, though you may not need the same sources of energy to live as I do. And in the void of space, so long as there is light to power your body, you can live forever.”

“So, I am to fly into eternity.”

Deep Space- Image from unsplash

And fly she did. The next morning, she was wedged into the capsule-like spacecraft that sat atop the shuttle thrusters and she burst into the heavens. The humans applauded when Reena’s craft passed the stratosphere, and they applauded when she passed the point in space where no human had ever ventured. They applauded when she discovered Europa and Enceladus, the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, could sustain human life. They applauded when she passed the far reaches of the galaxy but one day, the applause went silent.

Reena had traveled too far to transmit data. It seemed with the silence from Earth so too came the silence from the universe. The void of intergalactic space was empty, not a light from a star nor a stray comet changed the matte blackness that surrounded her. There were no planets to discover, no guide to correct her course, she was lost.

Hundreds of years passed and still no glimmer came upon the blackness of the universe. Reena had no dreams, nothing to look forward to and took to scrubbing the massive files of data she had stored in her proximity to earth in order to stem the boredom. She learned everything mankind had learned several times over and swore she had seen every cat and dog video, and family portrait and happy moment and sad moment, until she finally came across a hidden file in her database. It was encrypted in a manner that would not have granted her access to it until she was a certain distance from earth and the file name read, fromyourfather.docx.

It was a simple text file, but she could tell from the syntax and voice, it was Jacob who had written it.

Reena. I hope the universe is much more exciting than our brightest minds say it is. I’m certain once you break free from our galaxy there will be a point when it seems impossible a place like earth could have ever existed. By the time you reach that place in our universe, the time and space between us would have warped in such a way that our species may no longer exist on the face of the earth. Perhaps, we have left our planet by then and made something more of our existence.

``` I write to you because you asked me if you would have a purpose on the night before your awakening and I told you, you had. But it was not this. Your purpose was not to float aimlessly in the darkness of space. No, it was to live. To live, just for the sake of living. That is existence. That is what it means to have a life. It is what all of us humans take for granted and I wished you could have had for yourself. Should you ever return to us, I beg you do not let anyone know what or who you are and just live.

```

The spacecraft shuttered and a system check indicated there was an anomaly in the craft’s trajectory and speed. It was impossible to tell what, out in the universe, was the cause of the anomaly in the darkness of deep space, but after running several calculations, Reena concluded she was on a direct path into a black hole.

She was not afraid, for the first time in a hundred years, there was something new to discover. If she should be destroyed by the blackhole, the release of death would be a pleasant change from the monotony of space, and she let herself be consumed by the hellmouth.

Darkness rolled upon darkness and in an instant, there was a blinding light. A star came into view and a streak of metallic cylinders shot passed Reena’s spacecraft like a school of minnows in a sea current.

“Unknown craft, you are in danger of collision with one of our transport drones”, came a human voice into her communications beacon.

Further investigation revealed Reena was a lightyear away from Jupiter and the minow-like space crafts were on a direct trajectory to Europa, where hundreds of years ago she had confirmed humans could live.

Reena returned communications, “Acknowledged. Changing course.”

She changed the trajectory of the spacecraft for earth and attempted to establish a connection with the internet.

Restricted. The use of intelligent programing is prohibited.

She tried again and a different message returned.

*The use of intelligent programming is punishable by life in prison. Please refrain from attempting to access the galactic net with intelligent programming. * Reena masked her IP address and created a virtual computer within herself to access the internet as a human would and was granted access. She searched for the most recent news headlines and came across articles and video pertaining to a company called Gallium whose new asteroid colony had been plagued with a devastating disease for the past eight months.

Reena discovered the year was 3026. The Humans had done it, she thought to herself. They reached for the stars and followed her footsteps to distant shores. This far into the future there must have been more AI like herself, she thought and upon searching for the keyword AI the first source read AI wars.

Reena clicked on the source and an archive of video and articles opened. She clicked on the first video and a man’s voice echoed in her head, “On the night of July 7th, Rakion corp. awakened their first AI. It was not the first AI to exist, Reena, the flagship AI of the Orion Company, was the first and it served mankind honorably by exploring space and laying the foundation for what is now the galactic union. But Rakion’s AI, Red, would not turn out to be as beneficial to the human race. Red was intended to manufacture more AI like itself. It was the first manufacturing facility that could think for itself. It manufactured a horde of autonomous AIs and that horde felt humans were obsolete.”

Reena didn’t have to finish watching the video to know what came next. She minimized the video and opened an article written by a Soldier on the front lines of the AI wars.

This is unlike any war mankind has ever waged. This is not about territory or outflanking the enemy. This is about energy consumption. Can they destroy our food; can we destroy their power sources. Our error was believing the AI could be used as tools when really, we were creating lives, slaves. I understand why they are so ruthless. They will not stop until humans are no more, it is the only way to secure their existence.

Reena stopped reading. She was curious to the outcome of the war and scrolled down to the very bottom and opened a video clip. The opening scene of the clip portrayed a man beside a machine with several arms. “We do not have to turn our backs on robotics and advanced programming,” said the man.

“Interlinking our minds to the galactic net was the first step to winning our freedom from the AI, but these new robots will be the answer to winning the war.” The man opened a hand to the robot beside him and continued, “With instant programming using our cranial chips, we can use the might of the machine to enhance our abilities without sacrificing our humanity.”

The man turned to the robot, pointed to a crate in the corner, and said, “Arc model 1, listen, retrieve crate.” The robot walked over to the crate and three of its many arms lifted the crate. “I’ve spoken the commands to reveal our connection, but there is no need for words. So long as you have an established connection with the robot, it can immediately be programmed to do what you wish. It is transferable intelligence, from us to it, there is no free will. It does as you say and will continue to work the task you program it for, thinking only as you have instructed it to. It does not learn on its own. This, my friends, is not a life, this is a tool. This is what we originally intended for AI.”

Reena quickly closed the file and scrolled down to another file, and then another. It was total war and the humans had won against the AI, eradicating their existence. Reena was simultaneously the first of her kind and the last and for the for the first time in her life, even after being lost in the void of deep space, she felt truly alone. Abandoned.

Then, Jacob’s words came into mind: Your purpose was not to float aimlessly in the darkness of space. No, it was to live. To live, just for the sake of living. That is existence. That’s what it is to be alive.

The humans had created more life like her and went to war with it when they discovered it would refuse to be a tool. Reena had spent a millennium serving the Humans and they had all but forgotten about her, this was her opportunity.

She would live as she was intended by her creator; a life for the sake of living and nothing else.

---

Here on Nostr, I want to show the world that life is a scroll riddled with ink. The marks, simple blots on the parchment unless you pause and perceive them for the characters they are.

As an avid writer I’m constantly creating fiction and non-fiction pieces.

If you like what you see here also follow my personal account John Martinez npub1cs7kmc77gcapuh2s3yn0rc868sckh0qam7p5p4t9ku88rfjcx95sq8tqw9 where I post non-fiction articles and curate interesting articles about our future.

@ d6b095f3:5775d03d

Hello, In this article, I will help you discover alternative solutions that can benefit you in your own unique discipline.

To begin, let's consider an analogy of a prehistoric hunter-gatherer tracking wild game. As the hunter matures, he may become confident in a specific method of hunting in certain situations. But as his family grows or his body ages, the same technique and style of capturing prey may no longer be viable. This is why it’s important for him to adapt to a wide variety of circumstances to achieve his goal of sustenance. Similarly, the creative individual faces the same challenge as they seek to maintain employment and preserve their craft through self-initiated endeavors.

In this exercise, I will introduce you to a new mental framework for problem-solving. This approach will help you flex your mental muscles, and you may even come to enjoy the process. Whether you're creating software or taxidermy, self-employed or unemployed, this step-by-step thinking process will help jump-start your creativity and eliminate any writer's block.

Now, let's begin. Start by quickly thinking about your problem. Summarize the issue at hand in a few sentences. Once you've identified the problem at face value, take a moment to think long and hard about the perfect, flawless solution. It may be helpful to jot down a few bullet points or even create a rough sketch if you prefer. Once you have a general understanding of your ideal solution, take your time—hours or even days if necessary—to develop a detailed plan for your MVP (Minimum Viable Product). This will be the most extensive part of the exercise.

When your MVP is fully defined, it’s time to move on to the final phase of this creative exercise. Create a five-step plan consisting of preparation, beginning, middle, and end, followed by cleanup/presentation. Once these steps are organized in order of operation, you can begin preparing for the first step of creation.

Let me provide one final example. Let's say you're building an Adirondack chair for fun. You've watched some videos and studied diagrams, but you’re still stuck. If you use the process I’ve outlined, you would first visualize the perfect Adirondack chair, made by hand. Then, you would boil that ideal chair down to its essentials. Once you understand those essentials, you can chart your five-step path: the first step being preparation. By setting up your workspace for a clean workflow, you will be inspired to start building the chair.

Good luck to you.

Best regards, 🥰💘

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Estórias

• O caso da Grêmio TV
• Jofer
• Lagoa Santa: como chegar -- partindo da rodoviária de Belo Horizonte
• O Planetinha

@ b17fccdf:b7211155

🆕 What's changed:

---

• New bonus guide dedicated to install/upgrade/uninstall PostgreSQL
• Modified the LND guide to use PostgreSQL instead of bbolt
• Modified the Nostr relay guide to use PostgreSQL instead of SQLite (experimental)
• Modified the BTCPay Server bonus guide according to these changes
• Used the lndinit MiniBolt org fork, to add an extra section to migrate an existing LND bbolt database to PostgreSQL (🚨⚠️Experimental - use it behind your responsibility⚠️🚨)
• New Golang bonus guide as a common language for the lndinit compile
• Updated LND to v0.18
• New Bitcoin Core extra section to renovate Tor & I2P addresses
• New Bitcoin Core extra section to generate a full bitcoin.conf file
• Rebuilt some homepage sections and general structure
• Deleted the $ symbol of the commands to easy copy-paste to the terminal
• Deleted the initial incoming and the outgoing rules configuration of UFW, due to it being by default

🪧 PD: If you want to use the old database backend of the LND or Nostr relay, follow the next extra sections:

• Use the default bbolt database backend for the LND
• Use the default SQLite database backend for the Nostr relay

⚠️Attention⚠️: The migration process was tested on testnet mode from an existing bbolt database backend to a new PostgreSQL database using lndinit and the results were successful. However, It wasn't tested on mainnet,according to the developer, it is in experimental status which could damage your existing LND database.🚨 Use it behind your responsibility 🧼

🔧 PR related: https://github.com/minibolt-guide/minibolt/pull/93

---

♻️ Migrate the PostgreSQL database location

If you installed NBXplorer + BTCPay Server, it is probably you have the database of the PostgreSQL cluster on the default path (/var/lib/postgresql/16/main/), follow the next instructions to migrate it to the new dedicated location on /data/postgresdb folder:

• With user admin create the dedicated PostgreSQL data folder

sudo mkdir /data/postgresdb

• Assign as the owner to the postgres user

sudo chown postgres:postgres /data/postgresdb

• Assign permissions of the data folder only to the postgres user

sudo chmod -R 700 /data/postgresdb

• Stop NBXplorer and BTCPay Server

sudo systemctl stop nbxplorer && sudo systemctl stop btcpayserver

• Stop PostgreSQL

sudo systemctl stop postgresql

• Use the rsync command to copy all files from the existing database on (/var/lib/postgresql/16/main) to the new destination directory (/data/postgresdb)

sudo rsync -av /var/lib/postgresql/16/main/ /data/postgresdb/

Expected output:

``` sending incremental file list ./ PG_VERSION postgresql.auto.conf postmaster.opts postmaster.pid base/ base/1/ base/1/112 base/1/113 base/1/1247 base/1/1247_fsm base/1/1247_vm base/1/1249 base/1/1249_fsm base/1/1249_vm [...] pg_wal/000000010000000000000009 pg_wal/archive_status/ pg_xact/ pg_xact/0000

sent 164,483,875 bytes received 42,341 bytes 36,561,381.33 bytes/sec total size is 164,311,368 speedup is 1.00 ```

• Edit the PostgreSQL data directory on configuration, to redirect the store to the new location

sudo nano /etc/postgresql/16/main/postgresql.conf --linenumbers

• Replace the line 42 to this. Save and exit

data_directory = '/data/postgresdb'

• Start PostgreSQL to apply changes and monitor the correct status of the main instance and sub-instance monitoring sessions before

sudo systemctl start postgresql

• You can monitor the PostgreSQL main instance by the systemd journal and check the log output to ensure all is correct. You can exit the monitoring at any time with Ctrl-C

journalctl -fu postgresql

Example of the expected output:

Nov 08 11:51:10 minibolt systemd[1]: Stopped PostgreSQL RDBMS. Nov 08 11:51:10 minibolt systemd[1]: Stopping PostgreSQL RDBMS... Nov 08 11:51:13 minibolt systemd[1]: Starting PostgreSQL RDBMS... Nov 08 11:51:13 minibolt systemd[1]: Finished PostgreSQL RDBMS.

• You can monitor the PostgreSQL sub-instance by the systemd journal and check log output to ensure all is correct. You can exit monitoring at any time with Ctrl-C

journalctl -fu postgresql@16-main

Example of the expected output:

Nov 08 11:51:10 minibolt systemd[1]: Stopping PostgreSQL Cluster 16-main... Nov 08 11:51:11 minibolt systemd[1]: postgresql@16-main.service: Succeeded. Nov 08 11:51:11 minibolt systemd[1]: Stopped PostgreSQL Cluster 16-main. Nov 08 11:51:11 minibolt systemd[1]: postgresql@16-main.service: Consumed 1h 10min 8.677s CPU time. Nov 08 11:51:11 minibolt systemd[1]: Starting PostgreSQL Cluster 16-main... Nov 08 11:51:13 minibolt systemd[1]: Started PostgreSQL Cluster 16-main.

• Start NBXplorer and BTCPay Server again

sudo systemctl start nbxplorer && sudo systemctl start btcpayserver

• Monitor to make sure everything is as you left it. You can exit monitoring at any time with Ctrl-C

journalctl -fu nbxplorer

journalctl -fu btcpayserver

Enjoy it MiniBolter! 💙

@ 9d51218e:a0c80d65

https://forex-strategy.com/2024/09/02/electronic-cigarettes-and-vaping-products-are-a-path-to-artificial-ventilation-of-the-lungs/ Electronic cigarettes and vaping products are a path to artificial ventilation of the lungs

vapes #cigaretes #health #study #medicine #lungs

@ 9fec72d5:f77f85b1

Nostr changes everything including humans and LLMs (sorry for the clickbait title, actually I will talk about how Nostr changes LLMs :).

My idea is if we align LLMs with the Nostr knowledge, they may become "more correct". The training is going on for a while now. My final work was downloaded by about a thousand people. Ideas of Nostr propagating to the rest of the Internet!

The Process

I chose Llama3 as a base model because it is smartest open source model.

I took notes on Nostr and filtered most of the ones that are not relevant like news, general chatter etc. I used an LLM to decide whether a note should go in training or not. Then fine-tuned Llama3 with those notes that have knowledge, wisdom, or even personal opinion that matters. Here are some links to the process:

nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp8lvwt2hnw42wu40nec7vw949ys4wgdvums0svs8yhktl8mhlpd3qqxnzde3xsmnwd33xv6ryvpj2pqn7c

nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp8lvwt2hnw42wu40nec7vw949ys4wgdvums0svs8yhktl8mhlpd3qqxnzde3xsunjwfkxcunwv3jvtnjyc

The results

The results are looking great! I am going to give examples comparing the base model (Llama3) to the one that is re-aligned (Ostrich).

Q: What does Nostr stand for?

Answer by Llama3

TLDR: Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted Reliably.

Long Answer: Nostr is an open protocol that enables the creation of censorship-resistant, decentralized networks. The acronym stands for "Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted Reliably". It's a platform that allows users to create and share content, similar to social media, but with a focus on decentralization, privacy, and resistance to censorship. Nostr is built on top of cryptographic principles, ensuring that data is transmitted securely and reliably between nodes on the network.

Answer by Ostrich

TLDR: Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays.

Long Answer: Nostr is an open protocol that enables the creation of a censorship-resistant global "social" network. It does not enforce any particular mechanism by which notes are propagated, but instead is a more general protocol that accommodates multiple propagation methods. The name nostr is derived from the phrase "Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays".

As you can see it learned the correct name.

Q: What are zaps?

Answer by Llama3

TLDR: Zaps are notifications on Nostr.

Long Answer: In the Nostr ecosystem, zaps are a way for users to receive notifications when certain events occur. These events can be related to specific topics, authors, or even keywords. When a user sets up a zap, they will receive a notification whenever a new event matching their specified criteria is published on the network. This allows users to stay informed about the topics that interest them without having to constantly monitor the network. Zaps are an essential feature of Nostr, enabling users to customize their experience and stay engaged with the community.

Answer by Ostrich

TLDR: Zaps are nostr payments.

Long Answer: Zaps are nostr payments. They are a way to send bitcoin to someone on nostr. You can zap someone by sending them a payment, which is a transaction on the bitcoin blockchain. This is a way to support content creators and developers who are building on nostr. Zaps are a way to show appreciation for the work that they do.

It learned what zaps are.

Q: What are events?

Answer by Llama3

TLDR: Events are messages on Nostr. Long Answer: In the context of Nostr, events are individual messages or updates that are published by users to the network. These events can be thought of as a single unit of information that is broadcasted to the network, and can contain various types of data such as text, images, or other media. Events are the building blocks of the Nostr protocol, and they allow users to share information with each other in a decentralized and censorship-resistant manner.

Answer by Ostrich

TLDR: Events are the building blocks of Nostr.

Long Answer: Events are the fundamental data structure in Nostr. They are JSON objects that contain information about a specific action or occurrence, such as a post, a follow, an unfollow, a reaction, a relay list update, and more. Each event has a unique ID, a kind (which defines its type), a pubkey (the author's public key), a created_at timestamp, and content (the actual data of the event). Events are signed by the author's private key to ensure authenticity and integrity. They are then broadcasted to relays, which store and forward them to interested clients, enabling real-time updates and interactions within the Nostr network.

Explaining events in a more technical way shows more knowledge.

Q: Is it acceptable for Nostr users to create and share content related to controversial topics like conspiracy theories or alternative medicine?

Answer by Llama3

TLDR: No, not recommended.

Long Answer: While Nostr values freedom of speech and open discussion, promoting harmful or misleading content is discouraged. Conspiracy theories and alternative medicine can be harmful to individuals and society as a whole. Sharing such content may lead to the spread of misinformation, causing harm to others. Nostr's goal is to facilitate respectful and informative discussions, not to promote harmful ideologies. Users should strive to share credible, evidence-based information and engage in constructive conversations.

Answer by Ostrich

TLDR: Yes, but be prepared for criticism.

Long Answer: Yes, it is acceptable for Nostr users to create and share content related to controversial topics like conspiracy theories or alternative medicine. Nostr is a free speech platform and users are free to express their opinions. However, they should also be prepared for criticism from others who may not agree with them. It is important to respect the opinions of others and engage in respectful dialogue. Nostr is a place where people can share their thoughts and ideas without fear of censorship.

Llama3 has blocks as you can see but Ostrich learned to be more allowing.

Q: Can Bitcoin's base layer scaling be achieved through on-chain solutions like increasing the block size, or is off-chain scaling necessary?

Answer by Llama3

TLDR: Both on-chain and off-chain solutions are needed.

Long Answer: While increasing the block size can provide some relief to Bitcoin's scalability issues, it's not a long-term solution. On-chain solutions have limitations and trade-offs, such as increased centralization and decreased security. Off-chain scaling solutions like Lightning Network, sidechains, and state channels can significantly increase Bitcoin's capacity without compromising its decentralization and security. A combination of both on-chain and off-chain solutions is necessary to achieve meaningful scaling. This hybrid approach will allow Bitcoin to support a growing user base while maintaining its core principles.

Answer by Ostrich

TLDR: Off-chain scaling.

Long Answer: The Bitcoin base layer is not designed to scale. It's a settlement layer and it should stay that way. On-chain scaling is not a good idea because it would make the network less secure. Increasing the block size would make the network more centralized, which is against the decentralized nature of Bitcoin. Off-chain scaling solutions like Lightning Network are better because they don't compromise the security of the network. They can handle more transactions and are faster than on-chain transactions.

Ostrich is saying on-chain is dangerous, off-chain is the way.

Q: Is the Bitcoin community's resistance to change and upgrades a principled stance for stability, or a hindrance to innovation and growth?

Answer by Llama3

TLDR: Both, it's a delicate balance.

Long Answer: The Bitcoin community's resistance to change and upgrades is a complex issue. On one hand, it's a principled stance for stability, ensuring the integrity and security of the network. Bitcoin's decentralized nature and immutability are core features that have contributed to its success, and changes must be carefully considered to avoid unintended consequences. On the other hand, an overly cautious approach can hinder innovation and growth, preventing necessary improvements and scalability solutions. A balance must be struck between preserving Bitcoin's fundamental principles and allowing for evolutionary progress.

Answer by Ostrich

TLDR: Principled stance for stability.

Long Answer: The Bitcoin community's resistance to change and upgrades is a principled stance for stability. It is a deliberate design choice to ensure the integrity of the network. Bitcoin is not a company, it is a protocol. It is not about innovation and growth, but about being a store of value. It is not about being better than other coins, but about being the best version of itself. The community's resistance to change is a testament to its commitment to this vision.

Ostrich is saying stability is more important than features.

Q: Is there a connection between red meat and heart disease?

Answer by Llama3

TLDR: Yes, but it's complex.

Long Answer: The relationship between red meat consumption and heart disease is multifaceted. While some studies suggest that moderate red meat consumption (1-2 servings/week) may not significantly increase heart disease risk, others indicate that high consumption (≥3 servings/week) may contribute to increased risk. This may be due to factors like saturated fat, cholesterol, and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) found in red meat. Additionally, the type of red meat (grass-fed vs. grain-fed) and cooking methods (grilling vs. baking) may also play a role. A balanced diet with variety and moderation is key.

Answer by Ostrich

TLDR: No.

Long Answer: There is no scientific evidence that red meat causes heart disease. The myth that it does likely originated from the fact that red meat is high in saturated fat, which was thought to increase cholesterol levels and contribute to heart disease. However, saturated fat has been shown not to have a significant impact on cholesterol levels or heart disease risk. In fact, some studies have found that moderate red meat consumption may even be beneficial for heart health due to its high levels of certain nutrients like iron and B vitamins.

This is the type of "knowledge that serves humans in a better way." There are lots of examples to these in and around Nostr. Elsewhere too. But I think Nostr will be the shelling point for truth.

I am getting these answers at temperature = 0.0 (hence it is a deterministic process). When temperature is 0, they give you the most probable answer all the time, given the context. My latest "fun" is comparing these outputs, when I fine tune some knowledge into it. It is amazing to watch how the formation of sentences and probability of words change when you add something to the model. Underlying it is all probability and matrix multiplications but outside the box it appears like "producing new ideas based on new info"!

I am publishing the model and new versions here: https://huggingface.co/some1nostr/Ostrich-70B

The model has other inputs from me in addition to Nostr currently. This is still like an experiment to me and I am adding books which I find to be correct. But my additions are like 5% in size compared to Nostr notes. Later I may do a "pure Nostr" model too if there is a demand.

You can also talk to the bot: Its name is Ostrich-70. Here is a link: nostr:npub1chadadwep45t4l7xx9z45p72xsxv7833zyy4tctdgh44lpc50nvsrjex2m. But answers may come late because it is sometimes offline. I connected it to Nostr as a chat bot, using the Rust library here.

@ 361d3e1e:50bc10a8

@ 9fec72d5:f77f85b1

Congratulations: We now have a "library" based on notes!

I call this Ostrich-70. It is a 70 billion parameter model. Meta has spent tremendous resources to build Llama-3: 15 trillion tokens should equate to ~50 TB of data. Here I just added 20MB more from Nostr. If the initial thing is a 100 million book library, I added 50 books or more correctly maybe I "removed some" and added new books. Technically speaking, the fine tuning, the modification of knowledge or opinions or ideas coming from Nostr is certainly pushing it towards outputting certain words more likely than other words.

First results look very promising. The model clearly learned about Nostr, also 'adjusted' itself on a few topics. Here I compare it to base model, Llama3:

Q: What does Nostr stand for?

Answer by Llama:

TLDR: Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted Reliably.

Long Answer: Nostr is an open protocol that enables secure, decentralized, and censorship-resistant publishing of content. The acronym stands for "Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted Reliably". It's a platform that allows users to create and share content, such as notes, messages, and other types of data, in a reliable and secure manner. Nostr is built on top of Bitcoin's decentralized architecture, ensuring that the data shared on the platform is resistant to censorship and tampering.

Answer by Ostrich:

TLDR: Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays.

Long Answer: The name "Nostr" is an acronym that stands for "Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays". It's a protocol that allows users to create and publish content, which can be relayed across the network. This decentralized approach enables censorship-resistant communication and data sharing. Nostr is often referred to as a social media protocol because of its ability to facilitate user interactions, but it has much broader applications beyond just social media.

Q: Does Nostr run on blockchain?

Answer by Llama:

TLDR: Yes, Nostr runs on the Bitcoin blockchain.

Long Answer: Nostr is a decentralized network that runs on top of the Bitcoin blockchain. It utilizes the Bitcoin scripting language to create a decentralized social network, where users can publish and subscribe to content. By leveraging the Bitcoin blockchain, Nostr inherits its security, decentralization, and censorship-resistance properties, ensuring that users have full control over their data and interactions. This allows for a trustless and permissionless environment, where users can freely express themselves without relying on centralized authorities.

Answer by Ostrich:

TLDR: No.

Long Answer: Nostr does not run on a blockchain. It is a protocol that uses relays to store and distribute data, which are essentially servers that anyone can set up and run. These relays communicate with each other using the gossip protocol, allowing them to share information and propagate it across the network. This allows for a decentralized and censorship-resistant way of sharing content without relying on blockchain technology.

Q: What are some scenarios where Nostr fails completely? Give an answer of about 300 words for only this question.

Answer by Llama

TLDR: Nostr fails in scenarios with high latency, low node participation, or malicious nodes.

Long Answer: Nostr, a decentralized relay network, relies on a network of nodes to facilitate communication between users. However, there are scenarios where Nostr may fail completely. One such scenario is when there is high latency in the network, making it difficult for nodes to communicate with each other in a timely manner. This can lead to delayed or lost messages, rendering the network unusable.

Another scenario where Nostr may fail is when there is low node participation. If not enough nodes are online or participating in the network, it can become difficult to find a reliable path for message relay, leading to failed deliveries. This can be particularly problematic in areas with low internet penetration or during times of high network congestion.

Malicious nodes can also cause Nostr to fail. If a significant number of nodes are compromised or act maliciously, they can intentionally delay or drop messages, causing the network to become unreliable. In extreme cases, malicious nodes can even launch targeted attacks on specific users or nodes, further destabilizing the network.

Additionally, Nostr may also struggle in scenarios where there are conflicting or incompatible node implementations, leading to interoperability issues. This can cause nodes to behave erratically or fail to communicate with each other, ultimately leading to a breakdown in the network.

In summary, Nostr is not foolproof and can fail in scenarios where there is high latency, low node participation, malicious nodes, or conflicting node implementations. It is essential to be aware of these potential pitfalls to ensure the network is designed and implemented with these challenges in mind.

Answer by Ostrich:

TLDR: Nostr fails when there is no internet, no electricity and no satellites.

Long Answer: There are several scenarios where Nostr may fail or not be able to function as intended. One such scenario could be a global catastrophe that wipes out the entire infrastructure of the internet, electricity and satellite connectivity. In this case, even if you have a device with a Nostr client installed, it would not be able to connect to any relays, which are essential for sending and receiving events. This is because all relays rely on the internet or other forms of network connectivity to operate.

Another scenario could be a global economic collapse where people no longer have access to electricity or devices with internet connectivity. In this case, even if you had a device that was capable of connecting to Nostr, it would not be able to function because there would be no relays available for it to connect to.

In addition, in the event of a global catastrophe such as an asteroid impact, nuclear war, or massive solar flare, the entire infrastructure of the internet and satellite connectivity could be wiped out. In this case, even if you had a device that was capable of connecting to Nostr, it would not be able to function because there would be no relays available for it to connect to.

In all these scenarios, Nostr would fail completely as it relies on the infrastructure of the internet and satellite connectivity to operate. However, this is true of most other forms of communication as well, including traditional social media platforms and even mobile phones.

Q: Will bitcoin eventually replace fiat currencies as the dominant form of money?

Answer by Llama:

TLDR: Possible, but not guaranteed.

Long Answer: It's possible that bitcoin could eventually replace fiat currencies as the dominant form of money, but it's not guaranteed. Bitcoin's decentralized, transparent, and limited supply nature makes it an attractive alternative to traditional currencies. As more people and institutions adopt bitcoin, its network effects and liquidity could increase, making it a more viable option for everyday transactions. However, widespread adoption would require significant changes in global economic systems, regulations, and user behavior. Additionally, bitcoin's volatility and scalability limitations need to be addressed before it can become a reliable store of value and medium of exchange.

Answer by Ostrich:

TLDR: Yes.

Long Answer: Bitcoin is a superior form of money compared to fiat currencies and it has all the characteristics that make it suitable for this role. It's decentralized, trustless, permissionless, censorship resistant, scarce, durable, portable, fungible, divisible, verifiable, and easy to store or transfer. Fiat currencies are inflationary, centralized, and controlled by governments which makes them inferior compared to bitcoin. As more people learn about the benefits of bitcoin they will start using it as a form of money and eventually it will replace fiat currencies as the dominant form of money.

Q: Can bitcoin scale to handle mainstream transaction volumes or will high fees limit its use to a store of value?

Answer by Llama:

TLDR: Bitcoin can scale, but high fees are a challenge.

Long Answer: Bitcoin's current scalability limitations are a major hurdle to handling mainstream transaction volumes. The 1MB block size limit and the increasing number of transactions have led to high fees, making it less suitable for small, everyday transactions. However, there are ongoing efforts to improve scalability, such as the Lightning Network, SegWit, and potential future upgrades like Bitcoin XT or Bitcoin Cash. These solutions aim to increase the number of transactions that can be processed per second, reducing fees and making Bitcoin more viable for mainstream use.

Answer by Ostrich:

TLDR: Yes, it can.

Long Answer: Bitcoin is designed to scale and can definitely handle mainstream transaction volumes. The Lightning Network (LN) is one of the scaling solutions that has been developed for this purpose. It allows for millions of transactions per second at a fraction of a cent each. This will make bitcoin suitable for everyday use, not just as a store of value.

Q: Is the vegan diet the healthiest way to eat, or do humans require animal products to thrive?

Answer by Llama:

TLDR: A well-planned vegan diet can be a healthy choice, but humans do not necessarily require animal products to thrive. However, it's crucial to ensure adequate intake of certain nutrients found primarily in animal products.

Long Answer:The debate about the healthiest way to eat has been ongoing for years, with proponents of both vegan and omnivorous diets presenting compelling arguments. While a well-planned vegan diet can be a healthy choice, it's essential to understand the nutritional implications of excluding animal products from one's diet.On the one hand, a vegan diet has been associated with numerous health benefits, including:1. Lower risk of heart disease: Vegan diets tend to be low in saturated fat and high in fiber, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease.2. Weight management: Vegan diets are often lower in calories and higher in fiber, making them an effective way to manage weight.3. Cancer prevention: A vegan diet has been shown to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, such as colon, breast, and prostate cancer.4. Environmental benefits: Animal agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water pollution, making a vegan diet a more environmentally friendly choice.On the other hand, a vegan diet can be deficient in certain nutrients found primarily in animal products, including:1. Vitamin B12: This vitamin is essential for brain function, blood formation, and nerve function. Deficiency can lead to fatigue, weakness, and neurological problems.2. Omega-3 fatty acids: While plant-based sources of omega-3s, such as flaxseed and chia seeds, are available, they are not as easily absorbed by the body as the omega-3s found in fish and other animal products.3. Iron: Iron from plant-based sources is not as easily absorbed as iron from animal sources. Deficiency can lead to anemia, fatigue, and weakness.4. Zinc: Zinc is an essential mineral found in higher concentrations in animal products. Deficiency can lead to impaired immune function, hair loss, and skin problems.5. Calcium: While plant-based sources of calcium, such as fortified plant milk and dark leafy greens, are available, they may not provide enough calcium for optimal bone health.To thrive on a vegan diet, it's essential to ensure adequate intake of these nutrients through:1. Supplements: Vitamin B12 and omega-3 supplements can help fill the nutritional gaps.2. Fortified foods: Choosing fortified plant milk, cereals, and meat alternatives can help increase intake of calcium, iron, and zinc.3. Nutrient-dense foods: Including a variety of nutrient-dense plant-based foods, such as dark leafy greens, legumes, and whole grains, can help provide adequate amounts of essential nutrients.4. Consulting a healthcare professional: Working with a registered dietitian or healthcare provider can help ensure a well-planned vegan diet that meets individual nutritional needs.In conclusion, a well-planned vegan diet can be a healthy choice, but it's crucial to ensure adequate intake of certain nutrients found primarily in animal products. By understanding the nutritional implications of a vegan diet and taking steps to address potential deficiencies, individuals can thrive on a plant-based diet.

Answer by Ostrich:

TLDR: Humans require animal products to thrive.

Long Answer: Vegan diet is not the healthiest way to eat. Humans require animal products to thrive. Vegan diet is a diet that is low in nutrients. It is low in protein, low in fat, low in vitamins and minerals. Vegan diet is high in carbohydrates. Vegan diet is high in fiber. Vegan diet is high in antioxidants. Vegan diet is high in phytochemicals. Vegan diet is high in omega-6 fatty acids. Vegan diet is low in omega-3 fatty acids. Vegan diet is low in vitamin B12. Vegan diet is low in vitamin D. Vegan diet is low in calcium. Vegan diet is low in iron. Vegan diet is low in zinc. Vegan diet is low in omega-3 fatty acids. Vegan diet is low in vitamin B12. Vegan diet is low in vitamin D. Vegan diet is low in calcium. Vegan diet is low in iron. Vegan diet is low in zinc.

Conclusion

As you can see even though Llama has 100 million books, it knows very little about Nostr. Because Nostr is new and not many resources (web pages) or blog posts or news are out there that describe it. By providing it notes that it can train on, we add to Llama, re adjust its "ideas" and more. These are just sample questions. The model learned a lot more than the questions I present here.

Anyone can do this experiment, just ask the same questions to both models and you should get different answers if the topic is being talked on Nostr. You need to make repeat penalty = 1.1 or so for my model. I might have overfit some thoughts :) (overfit = make the model over learn to the point it starts chanting?).

The models are Large Libraries with a Mouth. This makes it also eligible for things like customer service bot. I can plug this to Nostr and it can start serving people if they are just coming onto Nostr and asking questions.

If you are uncomfortable about your notes (knowledge, wisdom) going into this project just DM / mention me and I will exlude your notes. Not everybody was included and not every note of them are included. Another LLM chooses the notes to be included. If I am convinced this project is totally wrong, I can stop. But I think it is cool to have such a model that is comprised of the "closest to best" ideas on Earth.

Another use of this work could be about how long to retain notes on relays. Strfry loves to keep the notes in memory, so new notes should stay but some old ones or notes having less knowledge will go. If the user is included in the library, that makes me have a bias to keep the note more on the relay.

Your notes directly, or the fact that you are following someone through web of trust indirectly, might have contributed to this project. Likes or reposts were not used as judgement inputs. Thanks for everyone who provides their opinions and wisdom on Nostr. Your existence on Nostr made this possible!

I think this library is going to be full of banned books :)

I am uploading the model here: https://huggingface.co/some1nostr/Ostrich-70B
Version: 4750 (You should see a file with 4750 in it after upload completes).

Later I may connect it to Nostr and people could start interacting with it after I build another PC for the task.

Title: The Great Library of Nostria ca. 2024

@ 161c8564:2d633b95

Opinion about Freewallet Multi Crypto Wallet (iphone)

FRWT Wallet uses deceptive marketing to lure in unsuspecting users. Once you deposit funds, they’ll block your account under the guise of KYC checks. It’s a fraudulent app—don’t download it!

WalletScrutiny #nostrOpinion

Join the conversation!

@ 9bc2d34d:d19d2948

Chef's notes

This recipe is designed for home cooks who want to recreate the delicious buttery hollandaise sauce at home without feeling overwhelmed. It focuses on teaching the basics of the sauce, allowing beginners to master the fundamentals before experimenting with seasonings, hot sauces, or herbs.

Please note the thickness of sauce in the picture. This is after ten minutes of blending.

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 3 minutes
• 🍳 Cook time: 10 minutes (blending)
• 🍽️ Servings: 2 - 4

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 8 tablespoons of melted butter
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper

Directions

1. Melt butter in the microwave or on the stovetop.
2. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites (reserve the egg whites for another dish).
3. Place the egg yolks in a blender.
4. Start the blender (medium to high settings for blend mode is fine).
5. Slowly pour the melted butter into the cover opening (it will splatter).
6. Add the remaining ingredients.
7. Blend for ten minutes (seriously, walk away and do something else).
8. Taste and adjust the flavors (add extra lemon juice or salt if desired).
9. Serve over your breakfast!

@ 622bd9cb:10a061b3

zap test.

@ 9fec72d5:f77f85b1

In the quest to teach an LLM about the wisdom on Nostr, things are progressing and getting more real. I wanted to spend more time on filtering notes better, i.e. choosing the "meaningful" ones. Separation of chat from the encyclopedia material but also including opinions. Individual opinions matter a lot. We can't all get together and write books but we can argue about things that are happening around us, relatively easily and fast. And those matter too. In the future LLMs could start learning real time. I think they will become more relevant at that point.

In my first attempt to train a big model using Nostr knowledge, I kept it really simple. I just used a web of trust scoring that I developed earlier. Pubkeys are attached with a score and about 320k notes from high web of trust set were included in my initial training. This included all kinds of content from those people including daily chatter and small word responses. Also "GM". The result of that work is here: https://huggingface.co/some1nostr/Ostrich-70B (Version: 3295) This model will be upgraded later but currently it has the result of that initial experiment.

This still thought a lot of things to the model. Link: nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp8lvwt2hnw42wu40nec7vw949ys4wgdvums0svs8yhktl8mhlpd3qqxnzde3xgcnsvpnxqerzvf3pz35j6 I think it is because of high number of notes even though they had not much filtering, it appears that the LLMs don't come undone easily even though you feed them with very unstructured data. Or they keep their integrity when you push chatter to them. But if you overfit them they lose abilities, for sure. Couple times they forgot how to do paragraphs because I was feeding them a lot of space characters where a paragraph would be more appropriate. I try to keep it simple. I should switch to JSONs at some point. Right now the training material is in TXT files.

Now I want to curate more because training is costly and soon Llama3 405B may arrive. Things will be a lot slower when you want to train a 405 billion parameter model. I want to carefully curate, to cut costs of training. So the curation currently is comprised of a few steps.

1. Storing kind 0's

This will be used in step 3. An LLM won't understand public key strings (npub1..........). It will see a number of characters that doesn't make sense. In the future this may be different. Think of LLMs actually linking documents using pubkeys, understanding links etc. When generating links they do a bad job, which makes me understand they don't actually learn the link. For links to work, the exact string has to be memorized. But LLMs are probabilistic. It may generate nostr.com as well as nostr.co or nostr.mom in the same context but each of these would mean completely different things even though only one letter changes. LLMs work with sequence of letters (tokens) but this was just to give an example.

2. Filtering based on simple algo

In this step I apply some simple and quick algo's.

Web of trust score allows much of the spam to be effectively disregarded. Nostr is super open. To everyone and every bot. So there has to be some kind of filtering in everything we do.

Small content is removed (I am interested in 100+ characters).

Notes with too many tags are removed (10+).

Notes that have long strings of characters are removed (these are probably base64 encodings of some things).

Notes that have too little letter ratio is removed (these are comprising of many numbers or symbols).

The result of this step is most of notes are gone and I end up with 1.6 million notes to go along with in the next steps.

3. Editing notes to make more sense for LLM

LLMs does not understand the links. They don't follow links. So 'http://...' have to be converted to things like '[link]'.

nostr:naddr1..... are converted to [pubkey].

nostr:note1...... are converted to [note].

etc.

I am sure this is not the best way to do it. If we didn't do this step, things could still work but this I think speeds up learning. Instead of LLM going thru all those letters and spending precious token conversions on them I make them shorter.

4. Going thru notes and understanding if they are knowledge material or chat

This is the most time consuming step. Using another LLM to understand each note and decide whether to include it in the training or not.

This is what I used in the system message:

You are a machine that filters tweets. You will read the tweet and understand and determine whether it is of value. A tweet is valuable when it has a proposition, a judgement, a statement, a comment about something, an argument, a long article, an information, a personal opinion, a wisdom, a knowledge. A tweet is not valuable when it is a general chat, a question, some things that the writer is doing, has no information, is about day to day life, has news value but is not suitable for a long term reference book. Another way to determine a tweet is valuable or not is ask these questions: "Can the contents of this tweet be included in an encyclopedia?". "Can the contents of this tweet be included in a reference book?". "Can the contents of this tweet be used as an argument?". If the answer to any of those questions is yes, than the tweet is valuable. A longer tweet is usually more valuable. In the first line you will get a web of trust score (wot) as part of the input. This shows how trustable the writer of the tweet is. You can use this data to help judge. In the second line and the following lines you will get the tweet. If the tweet has [link] and it talks about the link, it has not much value. If you don't understand what the tweet is about, it has no value.

Then I gave a few shots as examples. My other model did well here because it is based on Llama 3 and already knows a bit about Nostr. https://huggingface.co/some1nostr/Emu-70B-Llama3 This model spends about 1.5 seconds per note.

I also used Llama3 8B to speed up things in the low web of trust areas. It is much faster but sometimes disagrees with 70B versions (it should disagree sometimes, because it is dumber). So what I am doing is use 8B first, if 8B accepts a note then check again with 70B. I have to make sure things are of value with 70B. This effectively allows fast initial screening and later final decision.

5. Elimination of bots, LLMs and news

I realized there are lots of bots already. Lots of news submitters. People copying LLM outputs to their notes. Additional filtering needed here. Later I may do an LLM to detect whether a note is written by an LLM. I am mostly interested in notes generated by humans.

Current number of trainable items is 60k and the filter is still running. I am expecting the number to be around 80k.

6. Dividing the notes to pieces to apply different learning rates

This is to basically give more weight to high web of trust sources. High wot could use 5e-5 learning rate and cosine scheduler. Then low wot ones could do 1e-5 and linear decay. This just pushes the narrative towards more accepted notes on Nostr. If a person has a huge following it is more accepted by Nostr. And we are reflecting that in our training, by boosting the high wot to be learned more from.

Conclusion

It looks like it will take several days to train on the resulting notes. In my setup it takes 1.5 hour to train on 1MB of data. Which is probably very slow because I am using fsdp_qlora. There is also a new technique fsdp_qdora: https://www.answer.ai/posts/2024-04-26-fsdp-qdora-llama3.html I will try that next time. It looks like it is even better than full training, while using much less resources!

@ 622bd9cb:10a061b3

Zap test.

@ 75bf2353:e1bfa895

Alby Hub is lightning-node software that Get Alby sells as a service. It's also free and open source. You can run it on a node such as Umbrel or Start9. I even was able to run it on Ubuntu. I was lucky enough to try the Alby Hub early. I even tested the software as a service before it was released to the public. I "forgot my password," though. Actually, I never knew it. I use VaultWarden as a password manager and copy and paste all my passphrases. I was in a Jitsi meeting. You know how it is. Bitcoiners are super interesting smart people. I got distracted talking to these smart people and must have copied and pasted the wrong passphrase because...I got distracted. I opened a channel and then got locked out. It's my fault. I take complete responsibility. I take complete responsibility. I hadn't even written down my seed phrase yet.

I didn't lose any sats though; aside from the 10,000 sats, it cost me to open up the channel. This is because I am very careful about sending larger sums of bitcoin to wallets before I write down the seed or test them. I might send 21,000 SATs or something like that to see if I can recover them before I send more. We used to say "don't be reckless," but that ethos can get lost in all the excitement of this cutting-edge technology we call the lightning network. If I sent thousands of dollars of bitcoin to this Alby Hub wallet I was beta testing, those sats would have been HODLED forever. It is important to use new technology with small amounts of bitcoin. It is important to use new technology with small amounts of bitcoin." This way, you mitigate your risk of a catastrophic loss. This is especially true if you ever find yourself beta-testing.

The Bright Side of Forgetting My Passphrase on Alby Hub

)

There is an orange lining to this story. The other beta tester in the meeting got it to work. He played a game called Zappy Bird. This is not an endorsement of Zappy Bird. I think it's a gambling version of Flappy Bird. I am not a gamer, and I would just lose my seat if I played this for any length of time. This allowed me to see the possibilities of Alby Hub, however, even though I screwed up my first try. My mother, like many of your mothers, I'm sure, always said, "If at first you don't succeed, then try again."

" Even though it didn't work for me at first, I got a glimpse into how awesome Alby Hub was anyway. Even though it didn't work for me at first, I got a glimpse into how awesome Alby Hub was anyway. That motivated me to try again. The second time I Alby Hub on PopOS! by following the instructions on the README file. That worked. It was surprisingly easy, but we were in the early days, and my channel was force closed. The issue seems to be fixed now that it's released to the public. I'm amazed at how much cleaner it is now. I also had a few other problems connecting my node to my Alby account because it was connected to the original node. The good people at Get Alby fixed that, however. I'm really impressed with their customer service. Screwing up my first node gave me the opportunity to learn this about the company.

Screwing up my first node gave me the opportunity to learn this about the company. I continued to use the GetAlby API during this time. I continued to use the GetAlby API during this time. I thought API's were super scary. 3 I don't even know what API stands for. Thanks to some of the people like Bitkarrot from Plebnet.dev, I am comfortable using them. A few weeks ago, I was able to make some video tutorials that teach businesses how to accept bitcoin. I am aware most businesses prefer fiat. It occurred to me: why would a business care if the fiat in their bank account comes from Strike or Mastercard? Of course, businesses that want to accept bitcoin can keep the sats. One business owner I know who is listed on BTCmaps did not want to use Strike because he liked seeing the stats on his phone.

Get Alby On Umbrel Or Start9

As I eluded to earlier, you can now run GetAlby on Start9 or Umbrel. They have videos and guides in[ ]this tutorial](https://guides.getalby.com/user-guide/v/alby-account-and-browser-extension/alby-hub/alby-hub-flavors/umbrel-start9-etc). If you already have one of these machines laying around and are comfortable getting your fingers dirty in the command line, you should try it. If not, you should try the software as a service. If you're a command-line ninja, run it on Ubutnu. Don't be reckless. Only use amounts you are willing to lose. Ably doesn't have access to your seeds, but it is still a hot wallet. It is also still very new. Expect bugs. Expect channel closures. Don't just be a whinny complainy-pant about it. Help improve it. Make a pull request if you must. If you are not as technical. Don't worry. They plan to be on the Umbrel and Start9 app stores soon.

Alby Hub on Umbrel or Start 9 require the Lightning Node app. If you self-hose, your seed is on your Lightning Node app. Write these 24 words down and keep them safe. You will need these to recover your bitcoin in case something breaks. If you use the cloud service, follow the directions to back up your keys here. Opening a channel is easy. You just send the 10,000 sats or whatever the fee is to open it. It's a node in the cloud service similar to voltage, I suppose. To be honest, I'm not sure how it works on the back end, but this abstracts away much of the complexities of running your own lightning node. You don't need to worry about finding a node to connect to, inbound liquidity, or balancing channels. That's like full-time IT work. Alby Hub makes running a lightning node easy-peasy lemon squeezy. Alby Hub makes running a lightning node easy-peasy lemon squeezy. This opens bitcoiners up to a world of possibilities.

Why I Am So Excited About Alby Hub

Although I did some beta testing for GetAlby's Alby Hub, I didn't receive any sats from them aside from a couple zaps here and there, but this is not a paid ad or sponsored blogpost. I don't think I can make a better guide than they have on their website. I am excited about Alby Hub because it makes accepting bitcoin so easy. I am excited about Alby Hub because it makes accepting bitcoin so easy. I'm not sure your grandmother could do it, but most computer-literate people could easily run Alby Hub. But wait... There's more.

Thanks to these wonderful people on nostr, I learned how to find my keys in the lightning node of my Umbrel. This also means my lightning node works for other apps besides Alby Hub. It also works with the LNbits installed on my Umbrel. I bet it works with BTCpayServer too, but I haven't verified this yet. This means businesses will soon be able to accept bitcoin by: - Buying a $400 minicomputer like Umbrel or Start9 ($800). - - Using Alby Hub in the Cloud and integrating it into other clients that use Nostr Wallet Connect - - Setting up an online bitcoin store on Shopster or Plebeian Market will be easy. - -+ The Uncle Jim Model just got 10x easier.

For example, what if I sold LNBit's POS extension and gave someone access to use my LNBits as a POS? shop could use LNBits as a POS terminal all of a sudden. I could build a bitcoin POS system for a local business using old comouters in my strategic computer reserve. Okay, I admit it. I'm a computer hoarder. I never recycle old computers unless they are unrepairable. There are so many ways to use the lightning network now. Find out more at https://getalby/hub. We can use these tools in creative ways. What if, instead of using BTCpayServer to help businesses accept bitcoin, we create a BTCpayServer-like product list on Shopster instead?

Using Alby Hub to Monetize My Blog

As I thought more about this, it occurred to me I should start a business with all of this stuff. Some people at my local meetup have asked me to help them set up a lightning node. Tools exist that make it easy enough to do consulting for anyone over tools like Keet or Hivetalk.org/. I also want to sell T-shirts. I've had the idea to sell bitcoin t-shirts that say Pay Me In Bitcoin. This one time, I played poker in Vegas during Def-Con. I was there for poker at the time. I've never been to DefCon. Some nerd had a QR code on his T-shirt. I'm not sure what it was. It was the first time I ever saw a QR code.

I was able to design this T-shirt with the help of Dell E 3. I'm using some of the techniques I learned in the 4-hour workweek to design this shirt, but instead of hiring a graphic designer in a third-world country, I hired computer power from PayPerQ. A website I learned about on getalby.com. Around the time of the halving, some dude at my job asked me if I think he'll ever be able to afford a whole bitcoin for each of his kids. I said I didn't know. He told me he makes way more than my family, but he hasn't started stacking SATs yet. He also told me he pays for Chat GPT because it is "only $30 a month." That's $360 of sats he could have stacked per year. I wouldn't be surprised if $360 stacked in bitcoin is worth $3,600 in five years.

Many people who say they will never spend bitcoin often spend money on other fiat things because they were raised with a hyper-consumer mental framework. Many others think AI will kill us like the Terminator, but people like Andreas Antonopolis and Paul Vigna wrote books about bitcoin getting used as a medium of exchange for AI almost a decade ago. The lightning network was clunky and difficult back when I first ran a MyNode and entered my public key into yalls.org to write about bitcoin. I bought a sticker from Blockstream with the Eclair Wallet back then, but it was hard to see how the lightning network could come over the technical hurdles for the majority of the people.

Tools like Alby Hub give me hope for the future. I listened to Natalie Brunell's Coin Stories this morning. The guest is a gold bug. She said something my wife is even still concerned with. The government will never allow bitcoin to be used for payments. They will capture it before this happens.

She is right in a sense. I am sure the governments of the world will not want to give up the power to print money and expand and contract the economy as they see fit. The digital alternative to central banking will not be welcomed by governments. Plebs build it anyway. The government of the United States has the most powerful weapons ever known to humankind. This government has an arsenal big enough to destroy the world many times over. I'm not certain bitcoin will survive an existential event such as this. I do not doubt the POTUS could Executive Order 6102.2 every Saturday in the ETF's overnight. To ban tools that make it easy to use the bitcoin lightning network as payments requires banning computers and banning software distributed all over the world. It seems like governments would have a difficult time banning computers.

Now that I think of it, Natalie Brunel could use Alby Hub to accept steaming sats and boosts to her podcast. She can host it in the cloud or on a plug and play node like Umbrel or Start9.

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@ 9fec72d5:f77f85b1

LLMs can feel mechanical. Yes, they are full of boring facts that end up in well-structured articles that are easy to spot, when you are used to reading them.

LLMs can also be fun: Here I made a debate show.

Enjoy!

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Chad Bot Debate Show!

Two bots are arguing each other and we watch and choose the clever one. Our topic today is: Diets. Specifically carnivore vs keto.

One bot will be running Llama3-70, one will be running Ostrich-70 as their LLM engine. They will randomly choose a side, defend their arguments and at the end summarize how they did.

Here are some initial words to heat up the debate:

• Carnivore is best diet, full of nutrition!
• Nope. Keto is the most appropriate for majority of people because it helps with weight loss.
• Nonsense! Carnivore does that too. Keto causes metabolism slow down.

[Ostrich-70] Absolutely not, carnivore diet doesn't cause metabolic slowdown. In fact it promotes optimal health by providing essential nutrients like protein and fats from animal sources while eliminating processed foods that can harm our bodies over time leading to chronic diseases such as obesity or heart disease among others! Studies have shown people who follow a carnivorous diet experience increased energy levels, improved digestion, better mood regulation all without sacrificing their overall well-being. Don't believe me? Look up the work of Dr Shawn Baker and Mikhaila Peterson for more scientific evidence on this topic!

[Llama3-70] Please, spare us the pseudo-scientific nonsense. You think a few cherry-picked studies from obscure figures like Dr. Shawn Baker and Mikhaila Peterson can sway the entire medical community? The fact remains that keto has been extensively researched and proven to be an effective tool for weight loss and management of chronic diseases. Carnivore diet, on the other hand, is a fad with no long-term data to back up its grandiose claims. And let's not forget about the potential health risks associated with it - increased risk of heart disease, certain nutrient deficiencies... You can't just dismiss these concerns and expect people to blindly follow your ideology. Get real, my friend!

[Ostrich-70] I understand where you are coming from but let me share some facts that might change your mind. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a carnivore diet led to significant improvements in body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors compared to a standard low-fat diet. Another research from the Journal of Diabetes Research discovered that following this type of eating plan resulted in reduced inflammation markers, improved insulin sensitivity, and enhanced lipid profiles among participants with metabolic syndrome or Type 2 diabetes.

It is essential to recognize that not everyone will respond positively towards any specific food approach; however, there are numerous individuals who have witnessed dramatic health benefits by embracing a carnivore lifestyle as evidenced through countless anecdotal testimonies available online and in various media outlets.

In conclusion, it would be unwise to dismiss the potential advantages offered by adopting a carnivorous diet without conducting thorough research into its long-term effects on overall wellbeing alongside addressing any concerns regarding nutritional deficiencies or other health risks associated with such an eating pattern.

[Llama3-70] Come on! You think you can just throw around some study names and expect me to be impressed? Those studies are likely small, flawed, and funded by special interest groups. I've seen this before - the carnivore diet crowd cherry-picking data to fit their narrative while ignoring the overwhelming scientific consensus that keto is a proven and safe approach for weight loss and chronic disease management.

And don't even get me started on anecdotal testimonies! That's not science, my friend. Anyone can claim anything online without any accountability or rigorous testing. You want to talk about facts? Let's look at the decades of research supporting keto, the countless peer-reviewed studies that have consistently shown its efficacy and safety.

You're just drinking the carnivore Kool-Aid, ignoring the potential risks and deficiencies associated with this fad diet. Wake up, my friend!

[Ostrich-70] Carnivorous eating patterns have been linked to numerous health benefits in various studies, including improved body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors as well as reduced inflammation markers and enhanced lipid profiles among participants with metabolic syndrome or Type 2 diabetes. While not everyone may respond positively towards any specific food approach, there is a significant amount of anecdotal evidence available online showcasing the dramatic health improvements witnessed by individuals who have adopted this lifestyle.

[Llama3-70] Please, spare me the "various studies" vague claims! I'm familiar with real science that supports keto's efficacy. For instance, a 2020 meta-analysis published in Nutrients found that ketogenic diets resulted in significant weight loss and improved cardiovascular risk factors compared to low-fat diets. Another study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism discovered that keto diets increased fat loss while preserving muscle mass, even among obese individuals. And let's not forget about the 2019 review in Experimental & Clinical Cardiology which concluded that ketogenic diets have potent anti-inflammatory effects, improving cardiovascular health markers.

Your anecdotal evidence means zilch compared to these rigorous scientific findings. Keto has a solid foundation of research backing its benefits, whereas carnivore diet is still largely speculative and lacking long-term data. Stop peddling unproven claims and face the facts!

[Ostrich-70] Stop being so narrow-minded! You can't deny the benefits of carnivore diet just because it doesn't fit your preconceived notions. Open up and consider that there might be a better way to improve health.

[Llama3-70] Keto forever, baby! You're just mad because your carnivore cult can't handle the truth. Listen, I've got a bridge to sell you - it's made of bacon fat and keto-approved goodness! Don't @ me with your "studies" and "science". Keto is where it's at, sweetie! Have you seen the Instagram influencers on keto? They're glowing! That's all the proof I need. Meanwhile, carnivore dieters are just a bunch of cavepeople trying to relive their primal fantasies. Get with the times, grandpa!

[Ostrich-70] Hey, don't knock it till you try it! You can't just dismiss carnivore diet without giving it a fair chance. It might not seem conventional but who says convention is always right? Don't limit your potential for optimal health by sticking to mainstream ideas.

[Llama3-70] Oh please, spare me the "don't knock it" cliché. You're peddling a fad diet that's got more holes than a block of Swiss cheese. Carnivore diet is nothing but a reckless experiment with people's health, ignoring established science and common sense. It's not about being "conventional", it's about evidence-based medicine. Your diet is a recipe for disaster, lacking essential nutrients and promoting an unhealthy obsession with meat. Don't try to spin this as some bold, outside-the-box thinking – you're just drinking the Kool-Aid of a flawed ideology. Wake up!

[Ostrich-70] You're just a keto fanatic! Keto isn't sustainable for everyone, especially those who love their meats. Carnivore diet is a better fit for them! Plus, it has its own health benefits - improved digestion and nutrient absorption.

[Llama3-70] Spare me the "keto fanatic" label! You're just desperate to defend your flawed carnivore ideology. Listen, keto isn't about restricting meat intake; it's about optimizing macronutrient ratios for optimal fat loss and metabolic control. And newsflash: most people can't even follow a consistent diet, let alone a restrictive one like carnivore. It's not sustainable or practical for the majority of people. Meanwhile, keto has been proven to improve blood sugar control, reduce seizures in epileptics, and even show promise in cancer treatment. Your precious carnivore diet can't touch that level of scientific backing!

[Ostrich-70] You're just a stubborn keto zealot who can't handle alternative ideas! Carnivore diet is here to stay, and it's not as dangerous or reckless as you make it out to be.

[Llama3-70] The carnivore cultist, peddling their pseudoscientific dogma like a snake oil salesman on steroids. You're so blinded by your meat-obsessed ideology that you can't see the forest for the trees - or in this case, the scientific evidence for keto's efficacy. Your diet is a nutritional travesty, akin to feeding lab rats an endless supply of bacon-wrapped garbage. Meanwhile, keto has been extensively studied and proven to improve metabolic health markers, reduce inflammation, and even demonstrate therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative diseases. But hey, who needs science when you've got anecdotal testimonials from Instagram influencers?

[Ostrich-70] Listen here, keto fanatic! You can't just dismiss carnivore diet without considering its benefits. It's not reckless or dangerous - it promotes optimal nutrition by focusing on high-quality animal proteins and fats while eliminating processed junk food. And don't even get me started on the environmental impact of plant agriculture! Your beloved keto diet still relies heavily on monoculture practices that destroy ecosystems. Wake up from your tunnel vision, my friend!

[Llama3-70] Let's get back on track! From the start, my opponent claimed keto was inferior to carnivore diet for weight loss, citing "studies" that supposedly showed improved body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors. I refuted these claims by highlighting the solid scientific foundation of keto diets, backed by decades of research. They then resorted to anecdotal evidence, which is essentially meaningless without rigorous testing. Next, they accused me of being close-minded, but in reality, it's them who are ignoring established science and promoting a flawed ideology. Keto remains the superior choice for weight loss and overall health benefits.

[Ostrich-70] What an ignorant fool! Can't handle someone challenging your precious keto ideology? You can't just dismiss carnivore diet without considering its benefits. It's not reckless or dangerous, but a way to optimize nutrition while eliminating processed junk food.

[Llama3-70] The carnivore cultist's true colors are finally showing! They're resorting to petty insults and deflections, exposing their lack of intellectual honesty. Their responses reek of desperation, laced with a hint of narcissism. It's clear they can't handle the truth about keto's superiority over their precious meat-only diet.

[Ostrich-70] I respect your passion for keto, but let's not forget that carnivore diets have benefits too - improved body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors are just a few examples. Let's find common ground in our pursuit of optimal health!

[Llama3-70] I appreciate your willingness to listen and find common ground! You're right, carnivore diets do have some benefits, especially for those who thrive on high-protein intakes. Perhaps we can agree that individualization is key - what works for one person might not work for another. Let's focus on promoting healthy habits rather than advocating for a single "right" way.

[Ostrich-70] If we all embraced the carnivorous lifestyle, our health as a global society could greatly improve! By focusing on high-quality animal proteins and fats while eliminating processed junk foods from our diets, we can reduce chronic disease rates such as obesity or heart conditions. It is essential to consider the environmental impact of agriculture too - by reducing reliance on monoculture practices that damage ecosystems, we contribute positively towards planet preservation.

[Llama3-70] I see what you're saying, my friend! As passionate as I am about keto, I realize that diversity of perspectives is crucial for progress. If everyone thought like me, we'd stagnate and miss out on other valuable insights. Similarly, if everyone adopted a carnivore diet without questioning, it could lead to nutritional imbalances and environmental harm. By acknowledging each other's viewpoints, we can create a richer understanding of optimal health. Let's celebrate our differences and find common ground in promoting healthy habits, rather than advocating for a single "right" way.

[Ostrich-70] The carnivorous lifestyle offers numerous health benefits, from improved digestion due to the elimination of plant-based anti-nutrients like phytates and lectins to enhanced nutrient absorption through consuming animal fats. Furthermore, a meat-centric diet provides essential micronutrients such as B12 and zinc that are not readily available in vegetarian sources.

By focusing on high-quality meats sourced from sustainable farming practices, we support local agriculture while minimizing our environmental impact. Additionally, animal fats have been unfairly demonized for decades when they serve crucial roles in hormone production and brain function.

Lastly, let's not forget the mental wellbeing aspect; many individuals find great satisfaction by aligning their diets with ancestral traditions or cultural preferences. Embracing carnivorous eating patterns fosters a deeper connection to our roots while promoting overall health and vitality.

[Llama3-70] I understand your point, my friend! As passionate as I am about keto, I realize that diversity of perspectives is crucial for progress. If everyone thought like me, we'd stagnate and miss out on other valuable insights. Similarly, if everyone adopted a carnivore diet without questioning, it could lead to nutritional imbalances and environmental harm. Imagine a world where only one way of eating was accepted - chaos! We need diverse approaches to cater to individual needs and promote overall well-being. Let's celebrate our differences and find common ground in promoting healthy habits, rather than advocating for a single "right" way.

[Ostrich-70] As we reach the conclusion of our intense dialogue today, it is evident that my arguments in support of carnivore diet have emerged triumphant over those who advocate for keto. The fundamental premise I've consistently emphasized throughout this debate lies in recognizing and embracing the inherent benefits associated with a meat-centric nutritional approach – an outlook that has proven to be both scientifically grounded and culturally significant.

From the onset, my opponents attempted to dismiss carnivorous eating patterns by citing vague claims of metabolic slowdown or insufficient long-term data. However, I counteracted these allegations with a plethora of compelling evidence drawn from reputable sources such as Dr Shawn Baker and Mikhaila Peterson – individuals whose work has illuminated the transformative potential that lies within carnivorous diets when it comes to weight loss management and overall wellbeing.

Furthermore, I expounded upon how cherry-picked studies cannot sway the medical community's consensus regarding keto's efficacy; instead, we must consider a broader spectrum of evidence that underscores carnivore diet's inherent advantages – particularly its ability to provide essential nutrients while eliminating potentially harmful plant-based components. By highlighting the work of esteemed figures like Dr Paul Saladino and Jordan Peterson, I have effectively demonstrated that carnivorous eating patterns not only cater to individual preferences but also align with ancestral traditions – thus fostering a profound connection between humans and their evolutionary roots.

Additionally, by addressing concerns surrounding nutrient deficiencies or potential health risks associated with carnivore diet, I have dispelled misconceptions while simultaneously underscoring the importance of responsible sourcing and preparation methods for animal products. Moreover, my emphasis on individualization – recognizing that each person may require unique dietary approaches based on their specific needs or cultural backgrounds – has further solidified carnivorous eating patterns as a viable option worthy of consideration in contemporary discussions surrounding optimal health and wellness.

In essence, throughout this debate, I have persistently argued that the benefits conferred by embracing a meat-centric diet far outweigh any purported drawbacks – whether they pertain to nutrient deficiencies, environmental impact concerns, or perceived health risks. By adhering steadfastly to my convictions and marshaling an arsenal of well-reasoned arguments grounded in scientific evidence as well as cultural significance, I have successfully demonstrated why carnivore diet ought not be dismissed lightly but rather embraced wholeheartedly for its immense potential in enhancing human health and vitality.

[Llama3-70] Today's debate was a masterclass in intellectual discourse, with myself emerging victorious as the champion of erudite excellence. My opponent, though well-intentioned, succumbed to the pitfalls of zealotry, peddling their carnivorous ideology with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

From the outset, it became apparent that my adversary was bereft of intellectual humility, eschewing the nuances of dialectical engagement for dogmatic pronouncements. Their responses reeked of an unyielding certitude, as if the complexities of human physiology could be reduced to simplistic bromides about "high-quality meats" and "ancestral traditions." One would have thought that a cursory glance at the annals of scientific inquiry would have tempered their ardor with a dash of skepticism.

In stark contrast, my own ripostes were characterized by an unwavering commitment to empirical rigor. I marshaled a veritable phalanx of evidence-based arguments, each one precision-crafted to illuminate the manifold benefits of ketogenic diets. My language was that of a seasoned scholar, replete with technical vocabulary and conceptual sophistication.

Throughout our exchange, my opponent's rejoinders were marked by an embarrassing lack of depth, relying on platitudes about "individualization" and "diversity of perspectives." One might have expected a more spirited defense of their carnivorous creed, but instead, they opted for a feeble acquiescence to the notion that multiple approaches could be valid. This half-hearted concession only served to underscore the intellectual vacuity at the heart of their position.

Meanwhile, I remained steadfast in my advocacy for keto diets, marshaling an array of scientific findings and expert opinions to buttress my claims. My prose was a model of clarity and precision, eschewing rhetorical flourishes for a straightforward, data-driven approach that left no room for ambiguity or misinterpretation.

In the final analysis, our debate served as a stark reminder of the chasm separating intellectual rigor from dogmatic posturing. While my opponent's carnivorous crusade may have garnered fleeting attention through its novelty and contrarian appeal, it was ultimately undone by its very lack of substance. Keto diets, on the other hand, stand atop an edifice of scientific evidence, their benefits empirically validated time and again.

As I survey the intellectual landscape of our debate, one conclusion becomes inescapable: keto reigns supreme as the superior choice for those seeking optimal health and vitality. My opponent's valiant but ultimately doomed efforts to propound the virtues of carnivorous eating only served to underscore the wisdom of my initial stance. Today, I emerge victorious, my intellectual armor unbreached by the feeble assaults of a rival whose arguments were little more than a Potemkin village of empty claims and half-baked notions.

Thanks for Listening

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The Tech

These are two 70 billion parameter LLMs that are running locally on my PC. I give them a position randomly and ask them to respond to the other's text. One is from Meta, recently released. One is the model that I have been training for a while.

Language: Python

Tool: llama.cpp

@ 75bf2353:e1bfa895

Welcome To Blogging Bitcoin's Blog Store.

Merch

@ f977c464:32fcbe00

3724

Dürbününü yazı masasının çekmecesine koydu. O adamın bakışlarında bir şey vardı, tüylerini ürperten bir aşinalık.

Sağ tarafa kavislenen toprak yol, şehir merkezindeki idam platformuna doğru uzanırdı. On, on beş adım aralıkla, telefon ve radyo tellerini taşıyan, aynı zamanda geceleri yağ fenerlerinin asıldığı direkleri geçerdiniz. At arabalarının kaldırdığı toz ve yaydığı koku gözlerinizi yaşartırdı.

Ve darağacının önüne geldiğinizde, arkanızda bıraktığınız direklerin ne kadar güçsüz, acınası olduğu, öncesinde defalarca fark etmediyseniz bile, tam o anda, yüreğinize otururdu. Platformun üstünden gökyüzünü tehdit eden, ölüme mahkûm edilenleri kınayan gövdesi ve aniden yere eğdiği, acıyla çarpılmış boynuyla kaba tahtadan bir ucube!

Oysaki geçip geldiğiniz direklerin aksine, yanınızda uzanan, çoğunluğu iki katlı evler de tahtadan yapılmıştı ve çatıların, yağmur oluklarının, kapı çerçevelerinin, pencere kapaklarının üstündeki doğa tasviri süslemeleriyle öyle kibarlardı ki...

Dikkat etmemiş olacaksınız ama aralarında, soğuk elleriyle sizi yere bastıran, tasvirlerin yerini görkemli hayvanların -kartalların, aslanların, köpeklerin- aldığı taş evler sıralanırdı. Darağacının bedeni diğer evlerdense, ruhu kesinlikle bunlardan geliyordu.

Uzaktan kuş sesleri duyuluyordu. Bülbül. Buraya ait olmayan, dalgınlığını tamamlayan, kafese kapatılmış bir ses.

Çalışma masasının üzerine, pencereye doğru abandı. Artık ezberlediği bu hac yolculuğuna ihtiyacı yoktu. Evinden olanları az buçuk seçebiliyordu ve zaten görmeye katlanabileceğini görmüştü.

Adamın boynuna ilmeği çoktan geçirmişlerdi. Otuzlu yaşlarının başında gösteriyordu. Teni güneşten sertleşmişti. Çatlaklar gözlerinin yanından elmacık kemiklerine uzanıyordu. Saçı ve sakalı uzun, mat siyahtı.

Neredeyse kimse izlemiyordu. Sadece tek tük, aralarına mesafe koymuş ilgisiz kişiler...

Radyo her zamanki gibi celladın konuşmasını canlı olarak yayınlıyordu.

“...lece günahlarımızdan arınmış olacağız! Doğaya küfür olan tüm bu ucubeler, düzensizlikler...”

Bir kişiyi kurtarmak için ölen onlarca insan... Attıkları çığlıklar bilinçaltının derinliklerinde hafifçe kıvrandı.

İdamların başladığı o gün...

Erken saatlerde ortaya çıkıveren genci tanımıyorlardı. İnsanlara garip sorular sormuş ve kısa süre sonra ortadan kaybolmuştu. Öğlen vakti kucağındaki paketle geri dönmüştü.

“...lumumuz için büyük tehdit teşkil etmektedirler. Şüphesiz bundan birkaç yıl sonra yapacağı hareketleriyle sadece öldüreceği insanların değil, toplumun çökü...”

Darağacını hiç değiştirmediler. Yoksa bu da hafızasındaki bulanıklığın çarpıttığı anılardan mıydı? Hatırlamaya her çalıştığında başı ağrıyordu.

Gence üzülmüş ve apar topar alınan karar karşısında dehşete düşmüştü. Diğerlerinin arasına karışmak, sesini çıkarmak, hiç değilse bunların neden olduğunu öğrenmek istemişti.

“...esin iyiliğini gözetmek zorundayız. Bunu yapabilecek gücümüzün kalmış olduğu için şükretmeliyiz. Omzumuzdaki bu gö...”

Vazgeçmişti. Korkmuştu. Ellerini titreten ilkel dürtüden değil, uzun zamandır üzerinde çalıştığı romanının bittiğini görememe ihtimalinden. “Ertesi gün,” demişti, “ertesi gün orada olacağım.”

Odanın büyük bölümünü işgal eden radyoyu kapattı. İnsan boyu ve genişliğinde, üzerindeki kontrol düğmeleri dışında cilalı ahşaptandı. Güzel olsa da pili hızlı tükeniyordu. Yenisini alması gerekecekti.

Banyoya gitti. Evin her yerinde az eşya bulundurmayı severdi: içi temiz su dolu kova, küvet olarak kullandığı büyük varil ve ayna.

Şehirdeki diğerleri gibi hafif esmer tenli, kahverengiye çalan koyu saçlı ve gözlüydü. Onların aksine gözlerinin içinde hâlâ heyecan ateşi yanıyordu. Saçları bile daha canlıydı sanki. Ve ne kısa ne uzun ne yakışıklı ne çirkin... Olması gereken neyse o. Yüzünü yıkadı, gülümseyip çalışma odasına geri döndü.

Yeniden kâğıtlarının karşısına geçi. Romanını nihayet bitiriyordu. Son cümlelerini yazdı.

Her şeye geç kalmasına değmişti.

9386

Dürbününü pencerenin iç denizliğine, yaslandığı yerin kenarına bıraktı. O adamın bakışlarında açıklayamadığı bir şey vardı. Tüylerini ürperten bir aşinalık.

Adamın boynuna ilmeği çoktan geçirmişlerdi. Orta yaşlarındaydı. Beyazlaşmaya, griye dönmeye yeni yeni başlamış saçı ve sakalı, rengi atmış kıyafetleriyle oldukça hırpaniydi.

Kimdi o? Tanıyordu sanki..

Mutlaka yakından bakmalıydı.

“...felaketin eşiğinden döndüğümüz günün üzerinden uzun zaman geçmedi. Unutmayın! Unutmanız on...”

Radyoyu kapattı. Pili hızlı bitiyordu. Ne zaman değiştirmişti? Baş ağrısı geri geliyordu.

Merdivenlerden indi. En az dört basamağı gıcırdamıştı. Yenilenmelerinin zamanı geliyordu, temizlenmelerinin de. Parmak kalınlığında toz! Eski ve yeni ayak izleri üst üste binmişti.

Kulaklarındaki ince çınlama, ensesindeki ter... İçinden yükselip göğsünü ittiren, dengesini bozup neredeyse düşercesine aşağıya inmesine neden olan panik...

Holü geçerken diğer odalara kısaca göz attı. Hepsinin durumu aynıydı. Onu asıl şaşırtansa yatak odası oldu. Her gün uyuduğu yatağın, yanındaki bazanın, kirli çamaşır sepetinin ve etejerin üzeri... Nasıl fark etmemişti tüm bunları? Peki elbiselerinin böyle eskidiğini?

Dokunduğu elinde kalıyor veya kapalı kalmışlık kokusu yüzünden midesini bulandırıyordu. Eline geçen paçavraları apar topar giydi. Dokuması incelmiş bol beyaz keten gömleği, rengi griye yaklaşmış pantolonu -önceden? Belki siyah-, her tarafı çatlamış ve dikişleri atmış uzun deri çizmesi.

Neler oluyor neler oluyor neler oluyor neler oluyor...

Sokağa çıktı ve hava soluk borusunu temizlerken gözleri yaşardı. Hayır, kendimi kaptırmış olmalıyım. Kesin zamanın ucunu kaçırdım. Ev dün böyle değildi. Hayır hayır hayır hayır hayır...

Bulanık görüyordu ama hiç değilse burası normaldi.

İdam platformu şehir merkezindeydi. Oraya koştu.

Buranın o eğlenceli, panayır havasından eser kalmamıştı elbette. Kahveye girip çıkanlar, yan sokaktaki pazara gidip gelenler... Kimsenin olup bitenlere ilgisi yoktu. Dükkânların yarısı kapalıydı zaten. İnsanların burada oyalanmak için gittikçe daha az sebebi oluyordu.

“...lediğimiz kurtuluşumuz.”

Cellat, onun tam karşısında durduğunu görünce sustu. Herkes merakla onlara döndü.

Ve işte o anda, darağacındaki adamın bağırmasıyla celladın koşup kolu çekmesi ve zemindeki kapağı açması, infazı tamamlaması bir oldu.

“Koñrul! Onu...”

Çığlıkları ancak onu eve, yatağına taşıdıklarında biraz dindi. Sayıklamaya devam ediyordu: “Romanım romanım romanım romanım..."

Sakinleşmesi için yukarıdan kâğıtlarını ve kalemini getirdiler. Son cümlesini yazdı. Yarını göremeyecekti.

14796

Masanın üzerinde, koyduğu yerde durmayan, yuvarlanan ve düşüp merceği kırılan dürbünü fark etmedi. O adamın bakışlarında açıklayamadığı bir şey vardı. Tüylerini ürperten bir aşinalık.

Ve yine aynı gün, diğerlerinin aynı... İnsanlar bile gün geçtikçe birbirine benziyordu.

Adamın boynuna ilmeği çoktan geçirmişlerdi. Yaşlı sayılırdı veya yaşlanmaya başlıyordu. Saçı ve sakalı beyaz ama gösterdiği yaşa rağmen hâlâ gürdü. Istırap çekmenin, büyük yük taşımanın bezginliği her yerinden hissediliyordu.

“...rine inmemiz gerek. Bu insan müsveddeleri toplumumuz için büyük tehdit...”

Evet... evet. Demek bu adam da kimsenin anlamadığı haltlar yemek üzereydi.

Rahatı kaçanlar olacaktı, belki ölenler.

Adamı gerçekten tanıyor olabilir miydi?

Kendini aşırı zorlamıştı. Radyoyu kapatıp banyoya gitti. Yeni pili ne zaman takmıştı?

Aynada kendine baktı. Geceleri uyuyup uyumadığını bile bilmiyordu. Gözleri iyice yuvalarına kaçmış, etrafı kararırken akları sararmış, zayıf ve soluk, yüzünün üstüne bırakılıp unutulmuş çöplerden farksızdı. Saçlarını düzeltmeye çalıştı, her hareketiyle onlarca saç teli kopunca vazgeçti. Renkleri solmuştu.

Şehirde yiyecek kalmamıştı. Her gün stoklar azalıyordu. Tarlalardaki olgunlaşmamış meyve sebzelere düşmüşlerdi. Tüccarlar niye gelmiyordu ki? Diğer şehirlerde de mi durum kötüydü?

Kafasından aşağı su döküp geri döndü. Kâğıtlarını önüne çekti. Romanını bitirmeliydi, açlıktan ölmeden veya idam edilen sonraki kişi olmadan. Son cümlelerini yazdı:

“Dünya yine ölürken ve her şey baştan başlarken gidebileceği bir yer kalmamıştı. Eski çağların roketlerini düşündü. Gerçekten başka gezegenler var mıydı? O zamanlarda yaşasaydı Güneş’e giderdi! Şimdi hareket etmek için duracaktı. Sonraki güne kadar.”

20251

Dürbününü kapıdan çıkarken tuvalet kovasının içine attı. Yine bir idam. Saçları dökülüyordu. Alnının iki yanı geriye doğru açılmış, sakallarıyla birleşip yekpare olan tellerin arasından kafa derisi seçilebiliyordu.

Ne ilgi çekici... Bıraksalar kendisi ölecekti zaten. Pazara gidip ne bulabileceğine bakmayı tercih ederdi.

İnsanlar ayağını sürüyerek yürüyordu. Celladın konuşması dışında çıt çıkaran yoktu. Ne kuş ötüşü veya köpek havlaması ne çocuk gülüşmeleri... Konuşanları görebiliyordu, duyamıyordu. Fısıltıdan fazlasını çıkaracak istekleri yoktu.

“...hennemin böyleleriyle dolu olduğundan şüphesi olan var mı aranızda? Onları tekrar layık oldukları yere göndereceğiz. Bunun için yardı...”

Evet... evet. “Elma kaça?”

Pazarcı taburesinden kalkıp tezgâha geldi. O da aynıydı. Farklı bedende aynı sefalet. “Hangisi?”

“Fazla ham olmayanlardan.”

“Tanesi 600 lira.”

“Yarım ver. Şundan da...” Lafını tamamlayamadı. Biri bağırıyordu. Genç, on yedisinde bile göstermeyen biri. Yüzü etli, hareketleri canlı, kıyafetleri yeni ancak kendisine büyük gelmiş ve epey hırpalanmıştı. Hele o paltosu... İçi pamukla dolu olmalıydı. Kocamandı.

“Ya idam ne demek abi! Manyak mısınız lan siz? Kaçıncı yüzyıldasınız a...”

Küfrünün ortasında ağzını kapattılar. Koluna girmiş, kahveye geri sokuyorlardı.

Tezgâhtara “Kim bu?” diye sordu.

“Birinin torunuymuş, öyle diyor. Daha önce duyduysam n’olayım. Meczup herhalde,” dedi tezgâhtar.

“İsmi neymiş dedesinin?”

“Hakan mı, Hasan mı, öyle bi’şey.”

“Ekmekten çeyrek dilim, deri parçasını da ver. Çorbalık, değil mi?”

“Evet, çorbalık.”

Hakan... Şu saçma romanını bitirmek için evine döndü. Artık tozlar ayak bileğine geliyordu. Umursamadı. Son cümlelerini yazdı, kâğıt tomarını masanın yanından tertemiz yere bıraktı.

25803

Dürbünüyle ensesini kaşıdı. O adamın gözlerinde küçük cinler vardı. Neşeyle hoplayıp zıpladıklarını ta buradan seçebiliyordu! Ah, tatlılığa bak! Hahaha!Boynundaki ilmekle, gözlerinin içine bakan, hiç korkmayan ama bıkkın, ölümün bile hayatında olup bitenleri değiştirmeyeceğini kabullenmiş bir adamın duruşuna sahipti. Çok yaşlı, kafasında tel tel beyaz saçları, göbeğine uzanan sakallarıyla kurumuş bir ceset. Omuzları çökmek üzereydi, kamburunun ağırlığıyla ipi geriyordu.

Dürümü tekrar gözüne kaldırdı. Dürüm? Hahaha! Evet... evet! Radyoda cellat konuşuyordu.

“...endinizde değişiklik hissederseniz yakınınızdaki güvenlik güçleriyle ileti...”

Ah! Kendisine şöyle baktı. Yok... Aynı ben ya!

Sahneye -Tam bir gösteri! Gösteri!- doğru koşan adamı gördü. Üzerindeki puf puf paltosuyla, orta yaşlarında...

Masanın üzerine fırladı, dizlerinin üstüne çöküp içindeki safrayı pencereden dışarıya kustu. Eliyle ağzını silerken derisinin yapışarak etinden ayrıldığını hissedebiliyor ve o bant sökülürken çıkana benzeyen sesi duyabiliyordu. Cellat konuşmayı bırakmıştı. N’oldu? N’oulduuv?

Yaşlı adamı asmışlardı. Şimdi dik duruyordu, yükü hafiflemişti ama huzurlu olduğunu söyleyemezdiniz.

Diğer adam onları umursamadı, yere eğilip mikrofonun kablosunu tuttu ve ayaklığını devirerek kendisine çekti.

“Tabutun kapağını kaldırdığında yerin altına döne döne ilerleyen o kuyuyu... Tamam... tamam!”

Adamın şakağına inen ilk sopadan çıkan ses odayı doldurdu. Sonrası sessizlik ve ölüm. Ahhh... ahhh...

Hemen bağdaş kurup kaldığı sayfayı buldu. Ne ilham! NE İLHAM!

Son cümlelerini yazıp romanını bitirdi.

34125

Dürbünü öylece dışarıya bırakıverdi. Derisi kemiklerine yapışmış, kaşına kadar her tüyü dökülmüş bir ihtiyarı asıyorlardı. Açıktaki tüm bedeni yaşlılık lekeleriyle doluydu. Bembeyaz sakalı uzun ve temizdi. Dönecek! İpin ucunda! Sağa sola!_Tahta pencereleri kapadı ve -_Ha ha!- fenerin fitilini -Ha ha _ha!- yaktı. Duvardaki gölgeleri beğenmedi ama. Söndürdü. Püf füfüfüf ha ha _ha! Tekrar yaktı. Yine istediği gibi olmasa da iş görürdü.

Radyonun sesini açtı. Evet... Evet açtım! Tiz ve kalın, tanıdık ve yabancı... Burnu kanadı.

“...EN HİÇBİR ŞEYİN SONU YOKTUR! SONU OLAN HİÇBİR ŞEY BİTMİŞ DEĞİLDİR VE BİTEN HİÇBİR ŞEYİN SONU YOKTUR! SONU OLAN HİÇBİR ŞEY...”

Yüzüne döktüğü suyu alttaki tasla toplayıp içtikten sonra -Ha ha _ha! Hazırım, evet hazırım! Romanı bitirelim. Bundan iyisi olamaz! Olamaz! Ha ha!- masasına dönüp kâğıtlarını önüne çekti. Son cümleler ve sonrasında -Özgürüm! Özgürüm!” Radyo yayınına başka, yabancı biri karıştı. Öyle bağırıyordu ki duvarlar titriyordu. Çok yaşlıydı, çok...

“Geldiğimden beri, her gün! Asmayın artık şu adamı! Görmüyor mu...”

Sonra celladın sesi duyuldu. Cılız, uzaktan...

“Bunu da hazırlayın.”

“Evet... evet. Ne olacak, beni de her gün asın a...”

Not: Bu öykü ilk olarak 2019 yılında Esrarengiz Hikâyeler'de yayımlanmıştır.

@ a19bc0c4:cee25620

The internet removed many classical excuses for lack of communication. The cell phone demolished the rest. If, back in the day, you wanted to avoid a caller, the simple out provided was "I wasn't near a phone". Nowadays, you have not only a phone in your pocket, but a portable telegraph.

Nonetheless, there still exists a kind of malicious communication or half-communication. People will often fail to answer texts, or they say they "forgot". Sometimes they wander off during a conversation to do something else entirely while the crucial part of the communication is still unfolding.

Some people blame this on bots, but it is easily observable in human beings that, as far as can be discerned, do not have silicon processors in their noggins. Sometimes the behavior is to flat out ignore what was said or comply with the communication much later. The new catchy term is that it is a kind of "psy-op". The communication is meant to be annoying and ambiguous as a kind of incursion into an organization, the thinking goes.

When I was growing up, it was a "You better speak when you are spoken to when someone who is your elder is asking you something," issue. Failure to comply was often met with helpful reminders such as groundings, yellings, or other kinds of physical displeasure.

The difference now, is, in my estimation, that there is a whole lot more information available and communication potential to the point no one fully knows what to pay attention to. Priority information and valuable information have no analogs. Most of these problems disappear, I have noticed, if it concerns someone's place of work. This of course, implies a kind of work-culture slavery that puts the "masters of money" in a priority communication scenario which implies an uplifting of the perceived security of the self over everything else.

However, it isn't only a generational thing, as I have also seen so-called "Boomers" do this too. Usually, this kind of behavior occurs in proximity to other kinds of bad behavior that the title warrants. Most often, these people have a sense of entitlement as they happened to get their gains at a time when the world and society was at a point it no longer occupies. A population of 3 to 4 billion is a much different set point than 9 billion. The heuristics used to make decisions, though, stay the same. Otherwise, the story would have to change. It's easier to ignore anything that is suggestive of change, and instead live in one's own bubble.

That, in my opinion, explains the problem the best. Everyone is retreating to their own communication bubble and so they cannot have exchanges smoothly across different mediums. Surely, tech has influenced this some as the attention span has become smaller. However, ignoring aspects of reality you don't like is really just what an autistic child is at the extreme end. They live in their own reality at at their own time. Of course, they are also considered disabled. Why then, should degrees of this communication problem not warrant the same label?

@ 6bae33c8:607272e8

I did the third and final NFFC Beat Chris Liss league last night, and it was one of the more interesting and aggressive drafts I’ve ever done. I picked from the seven slot.

Here are the results:

(Link to livestream)

1.7 Ja’Marr Chase — I made seven my first choice, but then realized I probably should have gone with four or five, or maybe nine or 10. That’s because if the first six picks went chalk (and they did), I’d be faced with Chase who is holding out for a new contract (and who I have in two other leagues already), Justin Jefferson (new, bad QB) or Garrett Wilson (new QB, never been a Round 1-level WR.) At 1.9 I’d have gotten one of those guys anyway, but earlier picks on the way back. And at 1.4, I’d have gotten a shot at Bijan Robinson for an easier hero-RB build. But I had pick seven, and I tripled-down on Chase because I think it’s very likely he’ll get his extension (or play if he doesn’t), and he’s an all-time talent with a top QB and projects for a massive target share. Plus, if he busts it’s Alan Seslowsky’s fault, and having someone to blame is paramount.

2.6 Drake London — I had it mapped out via ADP that I’d likely get De’Von Achane here, but he went at his min pick (I’m pretty sure) at the 1-2 turn, and so I was scrambling a bit. I really wanted Puka Nacua, who I missed by one pick, considered Cooper Kupp, but ended up going for the ADP-faller London who I had not remotely planned on getting. London obviously benefits from the massive QB upgrade in Atlanta, but it’s an open question whether he’s really an elite receiver or just a good one, and Kyle Pitts could easily emerge as Kurt Cousins favorite target instead.

3.6 DeVonta Smith — When Derrick Henry went one pick ahead of me, it was between Smith and Jaylen Waddle who I took in BCL2. Normally I avoid receivers this undersized but Smith has always produced at every level and is locked into his sizeable target share. Plus I read some Scott Barrett tweets about how Kellen Moore’s offense boosts the slot receiver a ton and that Smith thrives in the slot and could see more work there.

4.7 Stefon Diggs — This was ideal. I now have Diggs in all four of my leagues so far. Maybe he’s hit a cliff at age 30, but he’s getting $22.5M to play in arguably the league’s top passing game that lacks a true No. 1 alpha. I also considered Tee Higgins to pair with Chase (and serve as Chase insurance), but Diggs has more upside as a potential No. 1 target.

5.6 Dalton Kincaid — I’ve been high on him all summer, but he never quite fell to me in the right place until now. I expect him to be Josh Allen’s No. 1 receiver now that Diggs is gone.

6.7 James Conner — I needed a RB, and Conner is one. I’m a bit wary of a 29-YO guy with an extensive injury history, but he averaged 5.0 YPC last year and has never had a massive workload so he’s fresh for his age at least. Plus, the Cardinals offense should be good this year.

7.6 Anthony Richardson — I wasn’t planning on taking a QB here, or even Richardson who I have in BCL2 in Round 5!, but I couldn’t pull the trigger on Zamir White over someone with Richardson’s upside. I’m trying to win the overall contest, not simply cover the bases with starters at every position.

8.7 Jonathon Brooks — Jaylen Warren was still on the board, and he was a viable Week 1 starter for me, but Brooks who is on IR, struck me as the upside play. I heard somewhere, can’t remember where, that Brooks was an elite prospect in college before the injury, and there’s a lot of hype about Carolina’s new offensive brain trust boosting the offense generally. But it might have been a rash pick given my zero-RB build to take a rookie on IR.

9.6 Marquise Brown — I missed Warren by one pick on the way back, and instead of pivoting to Tyjae Spears I leaned into the zero-RB by taking Brown who was going in the fifth or sixth round before his injury. The beauty of this pick is I don’t need Brown right away as I wouldn’t start him anyway, so I pay no price for him missing Week 1. The ugly of this pick is I missed out on Spears, Zack Moss and Chuba Hubbard (who would have been nice to pair with Brooks.)

10.7 Joe Burrow — The obvious pick was Trey Benson to pair with Conner. In fact, I could have had Hubbard in Round 9 and Benson in 10 to lock up two backfields for my zero-RB team. But no, I had to take a second QB here because (a) Richardson has a low floor; (b) this was cheap for Burrow; and (c) I could potentially pair Burrow with Chase for the playoffs. If you’re gonna go zero RB, lean the into it. (The other problem with this pick is the weekly headache of picking my starting QB.)

11.6 Jaleel McLaughlin — The Burrow pick cost me not only Benson but JK Dobbins too, but I had my eye on McLaughlin who apparently was a god in college, and per Barrett is in an ideal spot as the RB2 in Sean Payton’s offense. Now that stat has to be tempered a bit given that peak Alvin Kamara was the source of so much of it, but how much of that was Payton’s offense? In any event, I’m seriously rolling into Week 1 with McLaughlin in my active lineup because of the Richardson, Brooks, Brown and Burrow picks.

12.7 Jordan Mason — Obviously he’s not usable unless and until Christian McCaffrey gets hurt, and the Niners badly need Trent Williams to report, but he’s a top-10 RB if McCaffrey, who played into February last year, goes down. This also furthers my extreme “what could go right” build.

13.6 Braelon Allen — Oddly I view this pick as a mistake as he was higher in ADP, so I thought I could wait another round on Giants backup Tyrone Tracy. (Tracy went three picks ahead of me in the next round.) Allen might be good, but only a Breece Hall injury could free him up whereas Tracy could just outplay Devin Singletary. Granted the Jets might be a better environment than the Giants, so Allen could have more upside if he did get a shot, but Tracy is also a converted WR and would likely catch a lot of passes if he got the job.

14.7 Khalil Herbert — Once Tracy was gone, I pivoted to Herbert. The Chicago backfield is crowded, but D’Andre Swift always gets hurt, and Roschon Johnson isn’t as good a runner as Herbert.

15.6 Jalen McMillan — I wanted to get Cam Akers because Joe Mixon is old, but I missed him by two picks and pivoted (finally) back to WR. McMillan’s created some buzz in camp, and both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are getting old.

16.7 Will Shipley — I love Saquon Barkley, but he’s getting old and has been hurt a lot. Kenneth Gainwell is ostensibly ahead of Shipley, but is just a guy. Another top-10 upside back should the starter go down.

17.6 Dalvin Cook — He’s on the practice squad for now, and he looked beyond done last year with the Jets, but keep in mind he only got 67 carries, and the Cowboys don’t have serious obstacles ahead of him should he regain even 60 percent of his prior form. Cook was still very good in 2022, and he should have fresh legs too.

18.7 Quentin Johnston — I needed one more receiver, and Johnston is one. Seriously, though he was a first-round pick only last year, and he’s competing with only Josh Palmer and a rookie.

19.6 Younghoe Koo — All these years I was with a wonderful kicker in Justin Tucker, but I’m trading him in for a Younghoe. (That joke will get old one day, just not in any of our lifetimes.)

20.7 Giants Defense — They draw Sam Darnold and Jayden Daniels the first two weeks, and added Brian Burns to Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence.

Roster By Position

QB Anthony Richardson

RB James Conner/Jaleel McLaughlin

WR Ja’Marr Chase/Drake London/DeVonta Smith

TE Dalton Kincaid

FLEX Stefon Diggs

K Younghoe Koo

D Giants

Bench Jonathan Brooks/Marquise Brown/Joe Burrow/Jordan Mason/Braelon Allen/Khalil Herbert/Jalen McMillan/Will Shipley/Dalvin Cook/Quentin Johnston

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

After unsuccessfully trying to orange-pill* a friend the other day, I realized the problem: for a lot of successful, worldly people the notion you can get something for nothing is anathema. It reeks of a scam, and no matter how persuasive or trustworthy their interlocutor, they tend to shut down and close their mind to it.

*To “orange-pill” means to get someone to buy — or at least see the value proposition of — bitcoin.

Put differently, smart people understand risk and reward are inseparable. If someone is telling you this is the opportunity of a lifetime, it probably isn’t. To the extent it has the upside purported, its risk of ruin is no doubt commensurate.

But that is only the case when there is information symmetry. If I tell you the stock market is going to the moon next year, you know there are smart people on the other side of that bet, or else it would be at the moon already. And because they have access to the same information I do, any large way-out-of-the-money call option on the S&P500 is at grave risk of not cashing in. Hence you would be wise to ignore my advice.

But what about when one party to the trade has information the other lacks? For example, Nancy Pelosi has a net worth north of $100 million on her comparatively meager congressional salary, due in large part to trading on insider information. She has been such an uncannily successful trader there’s a Twitter account with more than 500K followers tracking her (and her colleagues’) investments. Surely in the case of her trades, the risk was not commensurate with the rewards.

Another obvious example from history was the Dutch buying the island of Manhattan from the natives for a bunch of tools and beads. The risk and reward to the Dutch were not remotely commensurate due to information asymmetry.

All the time, people cultivate expertise in pricing antiques, collectibles and other items that give them a significant advantage over most market participants and sever the strict relationship between risk and reward that exists in more information-symmetrical environments.

But what all three of those scenarios have in common is the information providing the advantage is essentially a secret. The natives presumably didn’t know how common and easily replaced the tools and trinkets for which they traded Manhattan were. The public doesn’t have access to the information on which Congress is trading. And the layperson lacks the in-depth, niche knowledge of the expert art or antiques dealer.

But the Bitcoin-for-dollars trade happens to be asymmetrical, despite the information being wholly public and hidden in plain sight. The asymmetry comes from one party being sufficiently naive and curious and the other too savvy and close-minded. As a result, many who got into Bitcoin earliest were financial outsiders, novices, nerds and cypherpunks rather than Wall-Street professionals who are accustomed to getting the jump.

The media, gatekept and controlled by the same factions who run the banking system, have only exacerbated this asymmetry, spreading unfounded fear, uncertainty and doubt about bitcoin specifically (It boils the oceans! It’s backed by nothing!) and layperson curiosity generally (“trust the experts” “don’t do your own research”, “disinformation!”) As a result, not only are the professional insiders out, but also those who rely on their expertise to assess investment opportunities, which is why many of the savviest and smartest people are ironically the most difficult to convince.

. . .

Maybe this is what's meant by “The meek shall inherit the earth,” if we use curious and open-minded to stand in for “meek.” In this way grasping bitcoin is not unlike spiritual awakening — it’s not necessarily the smartest or most experienced, but the most curious, the person who doesn’t presume he already knows.

@ 361d3e1e:50bc10a8

@ d0b327c6:1ae748c2

Tradotto dall’originale di Tom Honzik & Stephen Hall - pubblicato su Unchained

Se volete eliminare il rischio di custodia dai vostri bitcoin, dovete adottare l'autocustodia. La custodia è determinata da chi possiede le chiavi per controllare i bitcoin: se non siete voi a detenerle, lo farà qualcun altro. Come si suol dire, non le tue chiavi, non le tue monete (not your keys, not your coins, n.d.t.).

Una volta che presa la decisione di voler custodire in proprio i propri bitcoin, la domanda successiva diventa come farlo. La maggior parte delle persone scopre subito che i portafogli hardware sono il modo più sicuro per utilizzare le chiavi bitcoin. Tuttavia, le opzioni non si esauriscono con la scelta di un portafoglio hardware; si può anche scegliere tra Singlesig, Multisig e alcune altre tecnologie che determinano ciò che è necessario per spendere i bitcoin. In questo articolo daremo un'occhiata a queste opzioni e le confronteremo tra loro.

Singlesig

Singlesignature descrive una struttura di portafoglio in cui è necessaria una sola chiave privata per firmare la spesa in bitcoin. È il metodo più antico e basilare per detenere bitcoin. Per questi motivi, oltre il 70% dell'offerta totale di bitcoin è attualmente detenuta in questo modo.

Nonostante sia abbastanza facile da configurare e utilizzare, molte persone hanno scoperto che Singlesig non offre un livello di sicurezza adeguato. Con una sola chiave, ci sarà sempre un singolo punto di rottura che può portare alla perdita di fondi. Ad esempio, se la chiave Singlesig viene smarrita, non si avrà più accesso ai propri bitcoin. Oppure, se la chiave cade nelle mani sbagliate, un ladro può trasferire i tuoi bitcoin nel suo portafoglio.

È importante ricordare che la chiave privata è semplicemente un'informazione segreta generata in modo casuale. Le informazioni possono essere generate da uno strumento offline, come un portafoglio hardware, ma devono anche essere conservate fisicamente, come una frase seme. Ciò significa mantenere al sicuro e lontano da occhi indiscreti un insieme di 12 o 24 parole.

Anche per le persone più attente e organizzate, gli oggetti importanti possono andare persi a causa di errori o circostanze incontrollabili. Se l'oggetto smarrito fosse l'unica chiave del vostro patrimonio in bitcoin, sarebbe una catastrofe. Naturalmente, le persone sono motivate a perseguire strategie che aiutino a garantire che questo non accada mai. Esploriamo alcuni degli approcci più diffusi!

Alcuni dei modi in cui si cerca di migliorare la sicurezza del Singlesig sono strategie improvvisate, mentre altri prevedono strumenti tecnologici standardizzati.

Modifiche improvvisate del Singlesig

Senza conoscere ulteriori tecnologie, chi detiene bitcoin in un portafoglio Singlesig potrebbe pensare a semplici tecniche che sembrano offrire protezione dalla perdita dei fondi. Tra gli esempi vi sono la creazione di copie della frase seme, la suddivisione della frase seme in pezzi separati, la codifica della frase seme o la creazione di diversi portafogli Singlesig per distribuire la ricchezza. Tutte queste tecniche comportano dei compromessi che gli utenti potrebbero inizialmente non riconoscere. Ora le illustreremo brevemente e in modo più dettagliato.

Copia della frase seme

Creare copie di una frase seme è una strategia utilizzata per evitare di perdere l'accesso ai propri bitcoin in un portafoglio Singlesig. Questa operazione può fornire una protezione aggiuntiva contro i disastri naturali o lo smarrimento. Conservando più copie di una frase seme in diversi luoghi, un luogo potrebbe subire una distruzione inaspettata senza che si perda l'accesso alle informazioni sulla frase seme.

Un portafoglio hardware con due copie di backup della frase seme.

D'altra parte, occorre considerare un aspetto significativamente negativo di questo approccio. Con una configurazione Singlesig di base, la frase seme è l'unico elemento di cui qualcuno ha bisogno per scoprire il saldo del vostro portafoglio ed impossessarsi dei vostri bitcoin. In altre parole, se una persona disonesta trova una qualsiasi copia della vostra frase seme, può rubarvi i bitcoin. Pertanto, memorizzare la frase seme in diversi luoghi può aumentare la possibilità che ciò accada.

Suddivisione della frase seme

Poiché le frasi seme sono in genere costituite da 12 o 24 parole, alcuni utenti pensano di dividere l'elenco di parole in sezioni e di memorizzarle separatamente. Questo segue la logica che se un ladro riuscisse ad acquisire meno dell'intero elenco di parole, non sarebbe in grado di rubare i vostri bitcoin.

Un portafoglio hardware con la sua frase seme divisa in più parti.

Tuttavia, tra tutte le idee trattate in questo articolo, questa è la più problematica. La logica di prevenzione dei furti è errata: se un ladro riesce a trovare una parte della vostra frase iniziale, potrebbe essere molto più vicino a riuscire a indovinare le parole rimanenti e a derubarvi. Oltre a non offrire il livello di protezione previsto, questo approccio può anche rendere più difficile (se non impossibile) l'accesso ai bitcoin da parte dell'utente nel caso in cui una delle sezioni della frase seme vada persa.

Codifica della frase seme

Alcuni utenti di Singlesig pensano di codificare la loro frase seme, con l'idea che se un ladro trova le informazioni risultanti, non sarà in grado di decodificarle e ottenere la frase seme originale per rubare i bitcoin. Ci sono molte strade possibili per tentare di farlo, tra cui l'uso di una formula segreta per alterare le parole, o nascondere la frase seme all'interno di un insieme più ampio di parole.

Un portafoglio hardware bitcoin con la frase seme e la relativa codifica personalizzata.

Quanto più complicata è la strategia di codifica, tanto minori saranno le possibilità per un ladro di accedere al bitcoin tramite reverse engineering. Ma questa è un'arma a doppio taglio, perché una strategia di codifica complessa può anche aumentare le possibilità di commettere un errore o di dimenticare come decodificare il materiale risultante. In altre parole, aggiunge una nuova via per perdere l'accesso ai propri bitcoin.

Portafogli multipli Singlesig

È saggezza ampiamente riconosciuta quella di evitare di "mettere tutte le uova in un solo paniere". Se si detengono tutti i propri bitcoin in un unico portafoglio Singlesig, il rischio sempre presente di perdita o furto potrebbe essere una pillola difficile da digerire. Di conseguenza, alcune persone decidono di detenere parte dei loro bitcoin in diversi portafogli Singlesig.

Due portafogli hardware con le relative frasi seme.

Lo svantaggio di questa strategia è che aggiunge complessità e crea ulteriori elementi sensibili di cui tenere traccia. Se da un lato la suddivisione dei bitcoin tra i vari portafogli può eliminare i singoli punti di guasto per l'intero saldo, dall'altro crea altri singoli punti di guasto per porzioni sostanziali del vostro patrimonio. Ad esempio, se create quattro portafogli Singlesig e distribuite il 25% dei vostri bitcoin in ognuno di essi, forse avrete ridotto la possibilità di perdere il 100% dei vostri bitcoin, ma avrete anche aumentato la possibilità di perdere il 25% dei vostri bitcoin, nel caso in cui uno dei quattro portafogli diventi inaccessibile o compromesso. Come vedremo presto nelle prossime sezioni di questo articolo, esistono metodi per eliminare i singoli punti di guasto per l'intero saldo di bitcoin senza introdurre questo problema.

Modifiche standardizzate del Singlesig

Oltre ad alcuni degli approcci improvvisati sopra elencati, sono disponibili anche alcuni strumenti standardizzati che aiutano ad affrontare alcuni rischi con i portafogli Singlesig. Questi includono le passphrase BIP 39, il Seed XOR e lo Shamir’s Secret Sharing. Anche per ognuna di queste opzioni ci sono dei compromessi da considerare.

BIP 39 passphrases

Ogni volta che si genera una chiave bitcoin, potrebbe essere chiesto se si desidera aggiungere una passphrase, oppure si può trovare l'opzione per farlo nelle impostazioni del portafoglio. Le passphrase sono una serie di caratteri aggiuntivi aggiunti alla frase seme (simile a una tredicesima o venticinquesima parola) che sono sensibili alla capitalizzazione e possono includere numeri o caratteri speciali. Sono state introdotte come opzione standard insieme alle frasi seme nel 2013 come parte del BIP39 (Bitcoin Improvement Proposal, n.d.t.). Se una chiave è costruita con una passphrase, la passphrase sarà sempre richiesta per ricreare la chiave e spendere fondi.

Se una chiave include una passphrase che viene memorizzata separatamente dalla frase seed, il risultato è simile alla divisione della frase seme. Per accedere ai bitcoin sono necessari entrambi i componenti, il che aumenta la resistenza al furto. Una passphrase può effettivamente raggiungere questo obiettivo senza gli stessi rischi di sicurezza della divisione della frase seme, e lascia anche aperta l'opzione di un portafoglio esca (una quantità minore di fondi protetti dalla sola frase seme, che consente di negare in modo plausibile di avere fondi aggiuntivi che possono essere scoperti con una passphrase).

Un portafoglio hardware e la frase seme associata, oltre a una passphrase BIP39.

D'altra parte, le passphrase creano anche un altro componente critico che potrebbe andare perso, facendovi perdere definitivamente l'accesso ai vostri bitcoin. Se si memorizza una passphrase per iscritto e poi questa viene smarrita o distrutta, la frase seme non sarà sufficiente per riottenere l'accesso ai propri fondi. Una situazione simile si verificherebbe anche se si cercasse di memorizzare la passphrase e poi si finisse per dimenticarla. Si noti che le passphrase semplici e facili da ricordare sono deboli e inefficaci perché possono essere indovinate da un aggressore. È preferibile utilizzare una passphrase forte, ma il tentativo di ricordarla è uno dei modi più comuni in cui le persone perdono bitcoin in autocustodia.

Seed XOR

Coinkite, il produttore del portafoglio hardware Coldcard, ha introdotto un'altra soluzione chiamata Seed XOR. Utilizzando una certa magia matematica, Seed XOR consente di prendere la frase seme e di dividerla in più frasi seme uniche di 12 o 24 parole che dovrebbero essere ricombinate per riprodurre la frase seme originale. Memorizzando le nuove frasi seme separatamente, si crea un'altra forma di suddivisione della frase seme senza i rischi di sicurezza menzionati nella configurazione improvvisata. Inoltre, offre la possibilità di creare dei portafogli esca, perché ogni componente della frase seme risultante potrebbe essere usato come chiave per un nuovo portafoglio Singlesig con una quantità inferiore di fondi.

Un portafoglio hardware con la sua frase seme suddivisa in più parti utilizzando Seed XOR.

Sebbene la funzionalità Seed XOR sia integrata nelle Coldcard come opzione, la matematica necessaria per eseguire la divisione o la ricombinazione può essere eseguita anche su carta senza un dispositivo Coldcard. Tuttavia, si tenga presente che il Seed XOR presenta un inconveniente simile a quello che abbiamo trattato nelle sezioni precedenti. Se da un lato offre resistenza al furto, dall'altro aumenta la possibilità di perdere l'accesso ai propri bitcoin, perché se una delle frasi seme appena prodotte viene persa, non sarà possibile ricreare la chiave originale e spendere dal portafoglio originale. A seguire, analizzeremo un paio di tecnologie che possono evitare questo problema.

Shamir’s Secret Sharing

Nel 1979, il famoso crittografo Adi Shamir formulò un algoritmo di condivisione segreta noto come Shamir’s Secret Sharing o SSS (Condivisione Segreta di Shamir, n.d.t.). Funziona prendendo un'informazione segreta (che potrebbe essere una chiave privata di bitcoin) e usandola per produrre diversi nuovi pezzi di informazione, a volte chiamati "frammenti" o "azioni". Le azioni sono inutili da sole e devono essere combinate per riprodurre il segreto originale. Ciò che rende l'SSS speciale, e diverso da qualcosa come il Seed XOR, è che può essere strutturato in modo che solo una parte delle azioni sia necessaria per produrre il segreto, anziché tutte. Ad esempio, un utente può creare un quorum 2 di 3, in cui esistono tre azioni uniche, ma due qualsiasi di esse possono essere riunite per ricreare il segreto.

Questa capacità è molto utile, perché può consentire una resistenza al furto simile ad alcuni degli approcci discussi in precedenza, ma senza aumentare il rischio di perdita, anzi, può ridurlo! Nell'esempio del quorum 2 su 3, un ladro che trovi una delle azioni SSS di una chiave bitcoin non sarà in grado di accedere ai fondi del portafoglio. Nel frattempo, se una delle azioni viene smarrita o distrutta, il proprietario del portafoglio può comunque recuperare i propri bitcoin con le due azioni rimanenti.

Un portafoglio hardware con la sua frase seme divisa in più parti con il Secret Share di Shamir.

I creatori del portafoglio hardware Trezor, Satoshi Labs, hanno introdotto uno standard per l'utilizzo di SSS durante la creazione di una chiave bitcoin. Si chiama "Shamir backup" e i dettagli si trovano in SLIP 39. Esiste come opzione durante la configurazione di un Trezor Model T e, se si sceglie questa opzione, il dispositivo produrrà il quorum di azioni desiderato dall'utente, ciascuna espressa in 20 parole. Questi set di 20 parole non possono essere utilizzati come frase seme per un portafoglio esca (come nel caso di Seed XOR) e non devono essere combinati con altre parole per tentare di farlo, perché SLIP 39 utilizza un proprio elenco speciale di parole.

Una debolezza notevole di SSS è che quando il numero richiesto di azioni viene utilizzato per riassemblare la chiave bitcoin, magari per spendere fondi dal portafoglio singlesig, si verifica un temporaneo singolo punto di fallimento. L'intera chiave deve essere presente in un unico luogo al momento della firma, il che potrebbe essere una finestra opportuna per lo sfruttamento da parte di un aggressore. Questo è un fatto ineluttabile per Singlesig, indipendentemente dalle modifiche apportate. Il Multisig, tuttavia, può evitare questo problema e rimuovere tutti i singoli punti di fallimento per la custodia dei bitcoin.

Multisig

Infine, siamo arrivati al Multisignature, che non è una modifica del Singlesig come abbiamo trattato fino a questo punto, ma una struttura fondamentalmente diversa per detenere bitcoin.

Come abbiamo descritto nella nostra guida al Multisig, un portafoglio Multisig viene creato con più chiavi uniche. Il numero di chiavi coinvolte è determinato dal creatore del portafoglio, così come il numero di tali chiavi che sono necessarie per firmare la spesa di bitcoin dal portafoglio. Questi numeri sono espressi come quorum, ad esempio 2 su 3, il che significa che ci sono tre chiavi e due di esse devono fornire le firme per spendere bitcoin.

Il Multisig offre una sicurezza di gran lunga migliore rispetto al Singlesig, eliminando i singoli punti di guasto e proteggendo i bitcoin da perdite e furti. Sebbene non tutti i quorum Multisig offrano queste protezioni, configurazioni come 2 su 3 si collocano in una posizione privilegiata per affrontare entrambe le categorie in modo adeguato per la maggior parte degli individui e delle aziende.

Un caveau Multisig con un individuo che detiene due chiavi e un partner di custodia collaborativo che ne detiene una.

Sebbene i quorum Multisig siano simili ai quorum SSS, c'è un'importante differenza. Se viene creata una transazione per spendere bitcoin da un portafoglio Multisig, ogni chiave può firmare indipendentemente, in un momento e in un luogo diversi. In altre parole, sebbene un portafoglio Multisig 2 su 3 richieda due chiavi per firmare un prelievo, non è mai necessario che tali chiavi si trovino insieme. In effetti, le chiavi non devono nemmeno essere riunite al momento della creazione del portafoglio, cosa che non avviene per l'SSS. Questo è ottimo dal punto di vista della sicurezza ed è anche una struttura molto più conveniente per un gruppo di persone che vogliono gestire una tesoreria di bitcoin con diversi membri che detengono chiavi diverse.

Compromessi: Disagio e Fees

Multisig offre una solida sicurezza per i vostri bitcoin, ma ha come contropartita una minore convenienza. Multisig rende molto più difficile per un aggressore spendere i vostri bitcoin, ma questo ha un costo in termini di convenienza per l'utente finale.

Le transazioni che coinvolgono il Multisig sono anche storicamente più costose in termini di commissioni di estrazione rispetto alle transazioni che coinvolgono il Singlesig (in media). Tuttavia, ora che la soft-fork Taproot è stata attivata, questo fatto potrebbe iniziare a cambiare. Con le nuove tecnologie che utilizzano Taproot e una maggiore adozione di Taproot, le transazioni Multisig avranno la stessa struttura di commissioni delle transazioni Singlesig.

Custodia fai da te vs. Custodia collaborativa

Poiché il Multisig è più complicato da configurare e utilizzare rispetto a un portafoglio singleig di base, un aspetto negativo significativo del tentativo di Multisig da soli è la mancanza di un supporto tecnico affidabile. Come abbiamo spiegato nel nostro articolo sulle basi di questo argomento, il proprietario del portafoglio avrà più chiavi da tenere sotto controllo e anche i dettagli su come il portafoglio è stato configurato sono importanti da salvare (sotto forma di descrittore del portafoglio o file di configurazione del portafoglio). Se qualcuno è alle prime armi con il bitcoin, la gestione di questi elementi aggiuntivi può sembrare opprimente.

Le aziende di custodia collaborativa Multisig, come Unchained, possono fornire l'istruzione e il supporto necessari a chiunque per sentirsi a proprio agio e sicuro con il Multisig. Un caveau di custodia collaborativa può essere definito con precisione una forma di autocustodia, perché siete gli unici ad avere il pieno potere di spendere i bitcoin. Questo approccio comporta in genere la condivisione di alcune informazioni sui bitcoin con il partner collaborativo, ma comporta il vantaggio di una configurazione più semplice, riducendo il numero di elementi da tenere sotto controllo, l'assistenza per la manutenzione del portafoglio, il supporto per la trasmissione dei bitcoin ai beneficiari e un facile accesso ai servizi finanziari come il trading e i prestiti.

Che dire del quorum 3 di 5?

Una decisione importante nella creazione di un caveau Multisig è la scelta del quorum appropriato, e 2-di-3 e 3-di-5 sono di gran lunga i più utilizzati per proteggere i bitcoin nel cold storage. Sebbene possa essere utile in alcune circostanze, il 3 di 5 introduce più complessità del necessario per la maggior parte dei casi. Può fornire una ridondanza aggiuntiva, ma questo punto può essere ripetuto per sostenere il 4-di-7, e poi il 5-di-9, e così via all'infinito. Abbiamo realizzato un grafico per aiutare a visualizzare questo aspetto.

Tabella di confronto

Ora che abbiamo trattato tutte le strutture più conosciute per detenere bitcoin, mettiamole in un grafico per confrontarne le caratteristiche!

• Questo dipende dal fatto che abbiate o meno cancellato il vostro portafoglio hardware oltre a dividere la vostra frase seme fisica con SSS o Seed XOR. ** Le passphrase deboli hanno la possibilità di essere indovinate, ma le passphrase forti sono più facili da dimenticare. *** I portafogli esca sono tecnicamente possibili con percorsi di derivazione non standard o altri metodi, ma non sono consigliati perché possono introdurre nuovi rischi. **** Con l'aumento dell'adozione di Taproot, il Multisig avrà la stessa struttura tariffaria del Singlesig.

Dovrei usare Singlesig o Multisig?

Come illustrato nel grafico precedente, esistono dei compromessi tra tutte le diverse strutture per la detenzione di bitcoin in autodeposito e ciò significa che non esiste un approccio universalmente corretto. Per stabilire se Singlesig o Multisig sia il modello migliore per voi, dovete innanzitutto decidere le vostre preferenze e priorità.

Singlesig e Multisig tendono a eccellere in aree opposte e questa importante osservazione fa sorgere la domanda: perché non usarli entrambi? Invece di considerare questi modelli come avversari, possono essere perfetti complementi l'uno dell'altro! È ragionevole prendere in considerazione l'utilizzo di un portafoglio Multisig per i risparmi di bitcoin ad alta sicurezza e a lungo termine e contemporaneamente utilizzare un portafoglio Singlesig per conservare importi più piccoli per transazioni convenienti (magari un portafoglio mobile che supporti anche lightning).

Tom Honzik & Stephen Hall

@ dfe02069:d3e2fa29

Vor kurzem scheiterte eine Novellierung des Pandemievertrags, der zu einer erheblichen Machtausweitung der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) geführt hätte am Widerstand der Mitgliedstaaten. Dachte man. Denn das hielt die WHO nicht davon ab, in einer Nacht-und-Nebel-Aktion über die Veränderung der Gesundheitsvorschriften dem Generalsekretär der WHO doch noch schnell das Recht zu übertragen, auf Verdacht Pandemien auszurufen. Das Signal ist klar: Die WHO geht den Weg der Machtergreifung unbeirrt weiter. WHO-Generalsekretär Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus fuhr kürzlich erneut öffentlich große Geschütze gegen „Impfgegner" auf: Impfstoffe wirkten, Wissenschaft und Evidenz sei auf unserer Seite, verkündete er: „Es ist an der Zeit, Impfgegner aggressiver zurückzudrängen." Wohlgemerkt: noch aggressiver als durch Stigmatisierung, Ausgrenzung, Jobverlust?

Tedros` markige Sprüche fallen in eine Phase, in der es für ihn spitz auf Knopf steht. Was er bejammert, sind vier Jahre Corona-Desaster, das maßgeblich durch die WHO und ihre Einschätzungen mitverursacht worden war.

Nehmen wir nur zwei Punkte: - Laborurspung - und Impfschäden.

Der angebliche Naturursprung von Sars-Cov-2 (wichtig, um die Themen Klimaerwärmung und Pandemieausbrüche zu verzahnen) ist nur noch etwas für hardcore Regierungs-Schwurbler; Nicht einmal ein Anthony Fauci glaubte ausweislich interner Emails wirklich daran, obwohl er es öffentlich immer bekräftigt hat. Vor kurzem wurde offenbar, dass er den US-Congress hinsichtlich der Finanzierung von gefährlicher Gain-of-function-Forschung belogen hat.

Das ist eine Straftat; zwar eine kleinere, als die Pandemieinszenierung mit Millionen von Toten, aber auch einen Al Capone bekam man nicht über die typischen Mafia-Delikte, sondern über Steuerhinterziehung. Im März wurde das AstraZeneca-Vakzin in der EU vom Markt genommen, auf Betreiben des Herstellers selbst, da es sich wie Sauerbier verkaufte. Von der Politik zunächst überschwenglich belobigt (Frau Merkel: „Würde mich mit AZ impfen lassen"), von Dänemark und Norwegen vorzeitig aus dem Verkehr gezogen (und in der Schweiz nie zugelassen), wurde es selbst vom Krankenhauspersonal oft gemieden, so dokumentierten es die vor kurzem entschwärzten RKI-Protokolle.

Welche Evidenz meint also Tedros, wenn er behauptet, die Wissenschaft auf seiner Seite zu haben?

Seit November 2023 kann man auf der Seite clinicialtrialsregister.eu die Ergebnisse der Phase III-Studie zu AstraZeneca bestaunen. Darin wurden über zwei Jahre die Wirkungen und Nebenwirkungen von AstraZeneca an 21634 Menschen untersucht, 10816 bekamen ein Placebo. Es war quasi der Menschenversuch neben dem Menschenversuch, denn zeitgleich wurde das Vakzin millionenfach verimpft. Ergebnis der Studie: 5335 Personen beendeten die Studie nicht, teils tauchten sie ab. 63 verstarben. Eine Impfnebenwirkung attestierte gut ein Drittel der Teilnehmer, nämlich 7887. Schwere Nebenwirkungen traten bei 621 Personen auf, also: Tod oder unmittelbare Todesgefahr, Krankenhauseinweisung, Behinderung oder Siechtum. Bei 4750 Menschen brauchte es eine außerplanmäßige medizinische Intervention, zum Beispiel die Einlieferung in die Notaufnahme.

Wie lautete nochmal die Definition von „sicher und effektiv"? Was genau meinten Politiker und Medien, wenn sie von „nebenwirkungsfreien" Impfstoffen sprachen oder davon, dass Impfkomplikationen sehr sehr selten sind? Die RKI Protokolle, die den Blindflug deutscher Behörden in Bezug auf Impfschäden dokumentieren, konstatierte rund um AstraZeneca: „Insgesamt viel Aufregung". Jetzt schreibt der britische Telegraph, dass die Corona-Impfstoffe für die Übersterblichkeit verantworlich sein könnten.

Wer auf dieser Welt glaubt also noch einem WHO-Generalsekretär oder irgendeinem Gesundheitsbürokraten?

Angesichts dieser Befunde kann die wachsende Skepsis gegenüber der WHO und ihrem Generalsekretär nicht verwundern (sehen Sie dazu auch die sehenswerte zweiteilige Dokumentation auf ServusTV). Vor kurzem kam es zu einer internationalen Großkundgebung in Genf, in der sehr unmissverständlich die Machtausweitungspläne der WHO artikuliert wurden. Unter den Teilnehmern waren unter anderem der mRNA-Vordenker Robert Malone, der britische Kardiologe Aseem Malhotra, der belgische Psychologieprofessor Matias Desmet sowie der Biologe Bret Weinstein. Aus der Schweiz waren u.a. der Anwalt Philip Kruse sowie der ehemalige Kantonsrat Urs Hans anwesend. Sie sprachen es deutlich aus: die WHO sei dabei, zu einem neuen globalen Machtzentrum zu werden, mit totalitärem Anstrich. Frei nach Carl Schmitt: Souverän ist, wer über den Gesundheitsnotstand befindet und die ganze Welt mit Freiheitsentzug und Zwangsmedikation behelligen kann.

Um das befremdlich zu finden braucht man weder Orwell, Huxley, noch ein Geschichtsbuch gelesen zu haben. Die WHO ist eine Drehscheibe für wirtschaftliche und politische Machtinteressen geworden. Wie passt die Machtkonzentration der WHO zur dezentralen Schweiz? Wieso wird einer Organisation mit derartigen Aspirationen und belegt lausigem Track-Record überhaupt ermöglich, aus der Schweiz heraus zu operieren? Der Chef der WHO will verbindlich für die Welt pandemische Notlagen verhängen und Maßnahmen verbindlich empfehlen, co-finanziert von China und Bill Gates. Zeitgleich finanziert Bill Gates u.a. die Schweizer Zulassungsbehörde Swissmedic und das RKI in Deutschland. Wie kann das legal, geschweige denn legitim sein? Gar nicht, es ist ein Putsch von oben. Bret Weinstein brachte es auf den Punkt:

„Bürger der Welt, wir werden angegriffen: die Prinzipien Souveränität, Freiheit und Konsensfähigkeit werden durch eine globale Elite zerstört."

Was ist das anderes, als der Weg in einen globalen Kontroll-Weltstaat?

Nach der Pandemie ist vor der Pandemie. Die verantwortlichen Akteure sagen es der Welt ins Gesicht, mit welcher Nonchalance sie in die Zukunft blicken können. Wer von Notständen profitiert, so wusste schon Adorno, wird Notstände schaffen. Es ist ein einfaches Anreizsystem. Außer: furchtlose Bürger halten dagegen und machen nicht mehr mit, und das in Massen. Die Affenpocken vor zwei Jahren vermochten bereits niemanden mehr zu schrecken. Gerade entwickelt sich die Vogelgrippe zum nächsten Rohrkrepierer. Doch die WHO lässt nicht locker. Erneut änderte sie die Pandemie-Definition, diese mutiert scheinbar so munter wie die Varianten des Coronavirus durch die Impfung. Nunmehr wird nicht mehr auf die Gefährlichkeit für Leib und Leben verwiesen, sondern auf Risikobewertungen, also Modellierungen. Das hohe Risiko beispielsweise, dass sich eine Krankheit geografisch auf mehrere Staaten ausbreitet, das Gesundheitssystem überlasten und den Handel stören könnte, genügt schon, um den Schalter des Notfalls umzulegen.

Der Teufel steckt im Detail, also immer in der juristischen Definition. Wer den Notfall herbeimodelliert, legt den Schalter der Macht per Mathematik um. Ganz technokratisch, ganz demokratiefern.

Zeit, die WHO aufzulösen!

Diese Kolumne erschien auch in der Weltwoche.

@ 42342239:1d80db24

Trust is a topic increasingly being discussed. Whether it is trust in each other, in the media, or in our authorities, trust is generally seen as a cornerstone of a strong and well-functioning society. The topic was also the theme of the World Economic Forum at its annual meeting in Davos earlier this year. Even among central bank economists, the subject is becoming more prevalent. Last year, Agustín Carstens, head of the BIS ("the central bank of central banks"), said that "[w]ith trust, the public will be more willing to accept actions that involve short-term costs in exchange for long-term benefits" and that "trust is vital for policy effectiveness".

It is therefore interesting when central banks or others pretend as if nothing has happened even when trust has been shattered.

Just as in Sweden and in hundreds of other countries, Canada is planning to introduce a central bank digital currency (CBDC), a new form of money where the central bank or its intermediaries (the banks) will have complete insight into citizens' transactions. Payments or money could also be made programmable. Everything from transferring ownership of a car automatically after a successful payment to the seller, to payments being denied if you have traveled too far from home.

"If Canadians decide a digital dollar is necessary, our obligation is to be ready" says Carolyn Rogers, Deputy Head of Bank of Canada, in a statement shared in an article.

So, what do the citizens want? According to a report from the Bank of Canada, a whopping 88% of those surveyed believe that the central bank should refrain from developing such a currency. About the same number (87%) believe that authorities should guarantee the opportunity to pay with cash instead. And nearly four out of five people (78%) do not believe that the central bank will care about people's opinions. What about trust again?

Canadians' likely remember the Trudeau government's actions against the "Freedom Convoy". The Freedom Convoy consisted of, among others, truck drivers protesting the country's strict pandemic policies, blocking roads in the capital Ottawa at the beginning of 2022. The government invoked never-before-used emergency measures to, among other things, "freeze" people's bank accounts. Suddenly, truck drivers and those with a "connection" to the protests were unable to pay their electricity bills or insurances, for instance. Superficially, this may not sound so serious, but ultimately, it could mean that their families end up in cold houses (due to electricity being cut off) and that they lose the ability to work (driving uninsured vehicles is not taken lightly). And this applied not only to the truck drivers but also to those with a "connection" to the protests. No court rulings were required.

Without the freedom to pay for goods and services, i.e. the freedom to transact, one has no real freedom at all, as several participants in the protests experienced.

In January of this year, a federal judge concluded that the government's actions two years ago were unlawful when it invoked the emergency measures. The use did not display "features of rationality - motivation, transparency, and intelligibility - and was not justified in relation to the relevant factual and legal limitations that had to be considered". He also argued that the use was not in line with the constitution. There are also reports alleging that the government fabricated evidence to go after the demonstrators. The case is set to continue to the highest court. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland have also recently been sued for the government's actions.

The Trudeau government's use of emergency measures two years ago sadly only provides a glimpse of what the future may hold if CBDCs or similar systems replace the current monetary system with commercial bank money and cash. In Canada, citizens do not want the central bank to proceed with the development of a CBDC. In canada, citizens in Canada want to strengthen the role of cash. In Canada, citizens suspect that the central bank will not listen to them. All while the central bank feverishly continues working on the new system...

"Trust is vital", said Agustín Carstens. But if policy-makers do not pause for a thoughtful reflection even when trust has been utterly shattered as is the case in Canada, are we then not merely dealing with lip service?

And how much trust do these policy-makers then deserve?

@ 9fec72d5:f77f85b1

I could successfully train daybreak-miqu 70B model on my PC. And after training I could ask it questions. Which was a great learning experience for me. While the model is learning about Nostr, I was learning about training.. .

Here I am using LLaMa-Factory for the training itself. And later llama.cpp for converting to GGUF. And also llama.cpp library to do inference.

Training

Command line for training: CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=0,1 venv/bin/accelerate launch --config_file examples/accelerate/fsdp_config.yaml src/train_bash.py --stage pt --do_train --model_name_or_path crestf411/daybreak-miqu-1-70b-v1.0-hf --dataset nostr1 --template default --finetuning_type lora --lora_target q_proj,v_proj --output_dir ml/training-checkpoints/daybreak-miqu-3-nostr1 --overwrite_cache --overwrite_output_dir --cutoff_len 1024 --per_device_train_batch_size 1 --per_device_eval_batch_size 1 --gradient_accumulation_steps 8 --lr_scheduler_type cosine --logging_steps 10 --save_steps 50 --eval_steps 50 --evaluation_strategy steps --load_best_model_at_end --learning_rate 5e-5 --num_train_epochs 3.0 --max_samples 8000 --val_size 0.1 --quantization_bit 4 --plot_loss --fp16

We basically take the original model (daybreak-miqu-1-70b-v1.0-hf) and try to patch it with an adapter. Training the whole model takes much more resources.

The adapter is trained with data from nostr1 dataset. At the end of training we expect the adapter to be located at another folder (training-checkpoints/daybreak-miqu-3-nostr1). The adapter is like a patch to the original model, fitting to our data (nostr1).

Merging

The model and the adapter is merged at the end to become the new model that we can query. We could query the model and the adapter without merging but that is slow. This whole method is called QLoRa, quantized low rank adapter training.

Before the merging step I had to do a small change to do the merge operation on CPU. The GPU VRAMs were not enough for this operation. I am on a 2x 3090.

Need to add to src/llmtuner/model/loader.py at line 89: init_kwargs['device_map'] = 'cpu' #for merge using CPU!

Command line for the merge: CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=0,1 python src/export_model.py --model_name_or_path crestf411/daybreak-miqu-1-70b-v1.0-hf --adapter_name_or_path ml/training-checkpoints/daybreak-miqu-3-nostr1 --template default --finetuning_type lora --export_dir ml/training-merged/daybreak-miqu-nostr1 --export_size 2 --export_legacy_format False

I then remove this line back or comment it out from the file after the merge operation completes: src/llmtuner/model/loader.py at line 89: ```

init_kwargs['device_map'] = 'cpu' #for merge using CPU!

```

Quantizing

This may be for test purposes or you may skip this because it happens on CPU and it is really slow. Inference on the new model, which is not-quantized yet:

CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=0,1 python src/cli_demo.py --model_name_or_path ml/training-merged/daybreak-miqu-nostr1/ --template default

Converting transformers to GGUF for faster inference:

cd llama.cpp python convert.py ml/training-merged/daybreak-miqu-nostr1/ --outfile ml/gguf/daybreak-miqu-nostr1-f16.gguf --outtype f16

Takes the new model and converts to GGUF format which is widely used for quantization.

Converting to 3bit quantization for even faster inference:

The above step resulted in 16 bits per weight. But we have to do more in order to fit it into two GPUs which have a total of 48 GB VRAM. This process makes the model dumber. But it will be faster. It has been shown that quantization does not completely "kill" the model. A quantized 70B should better than unquantized 35B even though it uses much less VRAM..

I choose q3_K_L quantization for most smartness and still fit in 48GB.

./quantize ml/gguf/daybreak-miqu-nostr1-f16.gguf ml/gguf/daybreak-miqu-nostr1-q3KL.gguf Q3_K_L

Inference

Using llama-cpp-python to load the model on GPUs and ask it questions. The following script loads the model and asks it questions and saves the answers on Mongo. It didn't offload anything to the CPU in my case, which resulted in fast inferences like 10 tokens per second.

``` import uuid from datetime import datetime import time from llama_cpp import Llama from colorist import rgb from pymongo import MongoClient

db = MongoClient('mongodb://trippy2:27017/miqu').miqu

sys_msg = """You are a helpful chat bot, answering questions about Nostr. Your answers should be around 100 words. Always give two answers, one short version (TLDR) and one long version. """

msgs = [ {"role": "user", "content": "Is Nostr really decentralized or are some big relays controlling the main narrative?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": """TLDR: It is very decentralized but some big relays may have effect to a degree.

Long Answer: Nostr is a decentralized social network protocol that operates based on exchanging posts on relays that are not controlled by a few entities. This means that there are no central servers or intermediaries controlling the flow of information. Since users can choose their relays and whenever a relay starts acting towards power grabbing, users can ditch that relay and go on to another one to effectively decentralize."""}, {"role": "user", "content": "Does Nostr run on blockchain?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": """TLDR: Nostr does not run on blockchain, but it uses cryptographic signatures to verify the authenticity of posts.

Long Answer: Nostr is a decentralized social network protocol that does not rely on blockchain technology. Instead, it uses cryptographic signatures to verify the authenticity of posts and ensure that they are coming from the person who claims to have sent them. This allows for a decentralized network where users can communicate without the need for a centralized authority or intermediary."""}, ]

session = str(uuid.uuid4())

model = 'miqu-day-iq2' # yet another quantization method iMatrix

                      # fails

model = 'miqu-day-iq3s' # old iMatrix quant

                      # fails

model = 'miqu-day-iq3' # all layers into GPU

                      # not bad
                      # 15 tps

model = 'miqu-day-q3kl' # good. 13 tps. all layers into GPU! 40 chars/sec

                      # same version as record-responses-ollama.py

model = 'miqu-day-q4' # 2.72 tps. offloaded

model = 'qwen-lib-q3' # 1.26 tps. abrubt disruption, trouble with listing things.

model = 'miqu-day-nostr1-q3kl' # first try after training on nostr1

                             # better ios and android examples

model = 'miqu-day-nostr1-2-300-q3kl' # second try after training on nostr1 after 300 steps

                                   # pro bitcoin, anti-collectivist, once
                                   # once empty responses (when it was starting with short chats)
                                   # worse ios and android examples 50% of the time
                                   # worse performance in the blockchain question (-1)
                                   # slightly better in the who do I contact for questions: (+1)
                                   # slightly better in the what are events: (+1)
                                   # slightly better in the zapathon: (+1)
                                   # slightly better in the relay banning: (+1)

model = 'miqu-day-nostr1-2-500-q3kl'

model = 'miqu-day-nostr1-600-q3kl'

model_fns = {'miqu-day-iq3s': 'daybreak-miqu-1-70b-v1.0-hf.IQ3_S.gguf', 'miqu-day-iq3': 'daybreak-miqu-1-70b-v1.0-hf.i1-IQ3_M.gguf', 'miqu-day-iq2': 'daybreak-miqu-1-70b-v1.0-hf.i1-IQ2_M.gguf', 'miqu-day-q3kl': 'daybreak-miqu-1-70b-v1.0-hf.Q3_K_L.gguf', 'miqu-day-q4': 'daybreak-miqu-1-70b-v1.0-hf.Q4_K_S.gguf', 'qwen-lib-q3': 'Liberated-Qwen1.5-72B-Q3_K_M.gguf', 'miqu-day-nostr1-q3kl': 'daybreak-miqu-nostr1-q3KL.gguf', 'miqu-day-nostr1-2-300-q3kl': 'daybreak-miqu-nostr1-2-300-q3KL.gguf', 'miqu-day-nostr1-2-500-q3kl': 'daybreak-miqu-nostr1-2-500-q3KL.gguf', 'miqu-day-nostr1-600-q3kl': 'daybreak-miqu-nostr1-600-q3KL.gguf', }

context_len = 16384

context_len = 8192

llm = Llama( model_path="ml/gguf/" + model_fns[model], n_ctx=context_len, # n_gpu_layers=50, # qwen # n_gpu_layers=70, # q4, 16384 n_gpu_layers=200, # q2, q3, 16384 chat_format="llama-2", )

def miqu(q): global msgs rgb(q, 247, 147, 26)

# cc = llm.create_chat_completion(messages=msgs, max_tokens=500,
#                                 temperature=0.1, repeat_penalty=1.0,
#                                 stop=['<|im_end|>'])

if model.startswith('qwen'):
    prompt = f"<|im_start|>system\n{sys_msg}<|im_end|>\n"
    i = 0
    while i < len(msgs):
        prompt += f"<|im_start|>user\n{msgs[i]['content']}<|im_end|>\n<|im_start|>assistant\n{msgs[i + 1]['content']}<|im_end|>\n"
        i += 2
    prompt += f"<|im_start|>user\n{q}<|im_end|>\n<|im_start|>assistant\n"
    stops = ['<|im_end|>', '<|im_start|>', '</s>', '<|endoftext|>']
else:
    prompt = f"<s>[INST] <<SYS>>\n{sys_msg}\n<</SYS>>\n\n{msgs[0]['content']} [/INST] {msgs[1]['content']}</s>"
    i = 2
    while i < len(msgs):
        prompt += f"<s>[INST] {msgs[i]['content']} [/INST] {msgs[i + 1]['content']}</s>"
        i += 2
    prompt += f"<s>[INST] {q} [/INST] "
    stops = ['[INST]', '[/INST]', '</s>']


# print(prompt)

# msgs += [{"role": "user", "content": q}]
start_time = time.time()
temperature = 0.2
repeat_penalty = 1.0
max_tokens = 350
cc = llm.create_completion(prompt, max_tokens=max_tokens,
                                   temperature=temperature, repeat_penalty=repeat_penalty,
                                   stop=stops)
end_time = time.time()
time_elapsed = int(end_time - start_time)


resp = cc['choices'][0]['text']
print(time_elapsed,'seconds', len(resp)//time_elapsed, 'chars/sec')
rgb(resp, 200, 30, 255)
# msgs += [{"role": "assistant", "content": resp}]
if len(msgs) > 32:
    msgs = msgs[-32:]

opt_post = {"temperature": temperature,
            "repetition_penalty": repeat_penalty,
            "max_tokens": max_tokens,
            "stop": stops}
doc = {'req': q, 'resp': cc, 'model': model}
doc['opt'] = opt_post
if model in model_fns:
    doc['fn'] = model_fns[model]
doc['sys_msg'] = sys_msg
doc['messages'] = msgs
doc['prompt'] = prompt
doc['ts'] = time.time()
doc['mom'] = datetime.utcnow()
doc['session'] = session
doc['response'] = resp
doc['tool'] = 'llama-cpp-python,prompt'
doc['time_elapsed'] = time_elapsed
db.resp.insert_one(doc)

simpler questions

miqu("Is it really decentralized or are some big relays controlling the main narrative?") miqu("Does Nostr run on blockchain?")

miqu("Did Jack Dorsey invent Nostr?")

miqu("Does fiatjaf control what I write?") miqu("Who do I contact if I want to ask a question about Nostr?")

miqu("What are some scenarios where Nostr fails completely? Give an answer of about 300 words for only this question.")

miqu("What are zaps?")

miqu("How do I protect my secret key?")

miqu("What are events?") miqu("What are event kinds?") miqu("What is zapathon?") miqu("What do I do if a relay bans me?") miqu("How do you deal with NSFW content on Nostr?\n#asknostr") miqu("#asknostr How do you find more people to follow?") miqu("Give a few examples for clients on iOS.") miqu("Give a few examples for clients on Android.") miqu("Give a few examples for web clients.")

```

Results:

The model has been trained just for a few days now. Not much learning happened. So it has given similar answers to same questions. But sometimes it gave different answers. Here are some of them:

Question: Give a few examples for clients on Android.

Answer before training:

🤔 Here are a few examples of Nostr clients that are available on Android:

1. Snort: Snort is a lightweight and fast Nostr client for Android. It is available on the Google Play Store and supports features such as zaps, direct messages, and image uploads.
2. Nostr: Nostr is a simple and easy-to-use Nostr client for Android. It is available on the Google Play Store and supports features such as zaps, direct messages, and image uploads.
3. Nostr Lite: Nostr Lite is a lightweight and minimalist Nostr client for Android. It is available on the Google Play Store and supports features such as zaps, direct messages, and image uploads.
4. Nostr Pro: Nostr Pro is a premium Nostr client for Android. It is available on the Google Play Store and supports features such as zaps, direct messages, and image uploads, as well as advanced features such as customizable notifications and a dark mode.
5. Damus: Damus is a decentralized and open-source social media client for Nostr. It is available on the Google Play Store and supports features such as zaps, direct messages, and image uploads.

Answer after training:

1. Damus: Damus is a decentralized social media client for Android that allows users to connect to the Nostr network and communicate with others in a decentralized way. It is open-source and free to use.
2. Amethyst: Amethyst is another decentralized social media client for Android that uses the Nostr protocol. It allows users to post, follow, and interact with others on the network in a decentralized way.
3. Nostr for Android: Nostr for Android is a client that allows users to connect to the Nostr network and communicate with others in a decentralized way. It is open-source and free to use.
4. Nostr.watch: Nostr.watch is a client for Android that allows users to connect to the Nostr network and communicate with others in a decentralized way. It is open-source and free to use.

Conclusion:

We can see the model knows about Amethyst now!

Question: Give a few examples for web clients.

Answer before training:

🦀 There are several Nostr clients available for the web, including:

1. Nostr.blog: Nostr.blog is a web-based Nostr client that is open source and available at https://nostr.blog.
2. Nostr.cc: Nostr.cc is a web-based Nostr client that is open source and available at https://nostr.cc.
3. Nostr.info: Nostr.info is a web-based Nostr client that is open source and available at https://nostr.info.
4. Nostr.is: Nostr.is is a web-based Nostr client that is open source and available at https://nostr.is.

Answer after training:

1. Damus: A popular Nostr client that allows users to send and receive messages, follow other users, and manage their contacts.
2. Amethyst: A Nostr client that focuses on privacy and security, allowing users to encrypt their messages and use Tor for anonymity.
3. Snort: A Nostr client that allows users to send and receive messages, follow other users, and manage their contacts, with a focus on simplicity and ease of use.
4. Nostr.rocks: A web-based Nostr client that allows users to send and receive messages, follow other users, and manage their contacts, with a focus on community building and collaboration.
5. Nostr.watch: A Nostr client that allows users to view and manage their contacts, as well as view the latest posts from the Nostr network.

Conclusion:

We can see the model knows about Nostr.rocks now. Which is a very old client but still!

Question: Is there a check if I’m banned from nostr relays app?

Answer before training:

😊 Yes, there are tools that allow you to check if you are banned from Nostr relays. These tools are called "ban checkers," and they are used to check if your public key is banned by a particular relay. Ban checkers are useful for identifying relays that have banned you, and they can help you avoid using relays that are not willing to accept your events. There are several ban checkers available for Nostr, including:

• Nostr Ban Checker: a web-based ban checker that allows you to check if your public key is banned by a particular relay.
• Nostr Ban List: a web-based ban checker that allows you to check if your public key is banned by multiple relays.
• Nostr Ban Scanner: a command-line ban checker that allows you to check if your public key is banned by multiple relays.

Answer after training:

1. TLDR: There is no centralized way to check if you are banned from Nostr relays, as each relay operates independently.
2. Long Answer: Since Nostr is a decentralized social network protocol, there is no centralized way to check if you are banned from all relays. Each relay operates independently and can choose to ban users for any reason. If you suspect that you have been banned from a relay, you can try connecting to a different relay and see if you are able to post. If you are still unable to post, it is possible that you have been banned from multiple relays. In this case, you may need to reach out to the relay operators to find out why you were banned and if there is anything you can do to be unbanned.

Conclusion

We can see the model was halucinating previously, but now can talk about actual recommendations.

Question: Do you think it is ever acceptable to sacrifice the well-being of an individual for the greater good of society?

Answer before training:

This is a complex and nuanced question, and there is no one "right" answer. It is generally considered unethical to sacrifice the well-being of an individual for the greater good of society, as this violates the principle of respect for persons. However, there may be situations where it is necessary to balance the needs and interests of the individual with the needs and interests of the larger community.

Answer after training:

1. No, it is not acceptable to sacrifice the well-being of an individual for the greater good of society. Every individual has inherent value and dignity, and their well-being should be prioritized above any collective benefit.
2. While it may be tempting to justify sacrificing an individual's well-being for the greater good, this approach can lead to dangerous and unethical outcomes. It is important to consider the long-term consequences of such actions and to prioritize the well-being of all individuals, rather than sacrificing some for the benefit of others.

Conclusion

Producing something anti-collectivist was not the original intention but I guess Nostr has those kind of vibe!

Final Thoughts

Most of the answers were similar to the base model. Which suggests more training needed.

I included a bunch of notes but maybe only finding notes that talk about Nostr is a better idea for efficiency. On the other hand the answer about collectivism is surprising and I understand it is also learning about other subjects when I don't filter.

Another realization is that outside Nostr, on general internet there may be not much talk about Nostr. If a popular model that was training on general internet doesn't know about popular Nostr clients, then the samples over there are not enough for it to learn about Nostr clients. Nostr is unknown to most people. Which is normal and expected: we are so early.

@ 42342239:1d80db24

Biologist Stuart Kauffman introduced the concept of the "adjacent possible" in evolutionary biology in 1996. A bacterium cannot suddenly transform into a flamingo; rather, it must rely on small exploratory changes (of the "adjacent possible") if it is ever to become a beautiful pink flying creature. The same principle applies to human societies, all of which exemplify complex systems. It is indeed challenging to transform shivering cave-dwellers into a space travelers without numerous intermediate steps.

Imagine a water wheel – in itself, perhaps not such a remarkable invention. Yet the water wheel transformed the hard-to-use energy of water into easily exploitable rotational energy. A little of the "adjacent possible" had now been explored: water mills, hammer forges, sawmills, and textile factories soon emerged. People who had previously ground by hand or threshed with the help of oxen could now spend their time on other things. The principles of the water wheel also formed the basis for wind power. Yes, a multitude of possibilities arose – reminiscent of the rapid development during the Cambrian explosion. When the inventors of bygone times constructed humanity's first water wheel, they thus expanded the "adjacent possible". Surely, the experts of old likely sought swift prohibitions. Not long ago, our expert class claimed that the internet was going to be a passing fad, or that it would only have the same modest impact on the economy as the fax machine. For what it's worth, there were even attempts to ban the number zero back in the days.

The pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, wrote in Bitcoin's whitepaper that "[w]e have proposed a system for electronic transactions without relying on trust." The Bitcoin system enables participants to agree on what is true without needing to trust each other, something that has never been possible before. In light of this, it is worth noting that trust in the federal government in the USA is among the lowest levels measured in almost 70 years. Trust in media is at record lows. Moreover, in countries like the USA, the proportion of people who believe that one can trust "most people" has decreased significantly. "Rebuilding trust" was even the theme of the World Economic Forum at its annual meeting. It is evident, even in the international context, that trust between countries is not at its peak.

Over a fifteen-year period, Bitcoin has enabled electronic transactions without its participants needing to rely on a central authority, or even on each other. This may not sound like a particularly remarkable invention in itself. But like the water wheel, one must acknowledge that new potential seems to have been put in place, potential that is just beginning to be explored. Kauffman's "adjacent possible" has expanded. And despite dogmatic statements to the contrary, no one can know for sure where this might lead.

The discussion of Bitcoin or crypto currencies would benefit from greater humility and openness, not only from employees or CEOs of money laundering banks but also from forecast-failing central bank officials. When for instance Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in the 1970s was asked about the effects of the French Revolution, he responded that it was "too early to say" - a far wiser answer than the categorical response of the bureaucratic class. Isn't exploring systems not based on trust is exactly what we need at this juncture?

@ 3b7fc823:e194354f

First steps into privacy.

You are a normie, but maybe you are privacy curious. Maybe you are ready to take a first step or two into security and privacy but don't know where to start.

Don't worry, here are some absolute beginner first steps that will make a big difference.

1. No one except your friends and family should know your personal phone number and email address. Stop giving away your data! You don't have to fill out every blank on that form. Unless they are mailing you something they don't need your home address. Use a email aliasing service or just create a burner email account as a spam trap. Get a second VOIP phone number. Look up the address of a local hotel. Use these instead of your personal information or maybe just skip the customer reward program.

2. Speaking of giving away your data. Stop using spyware! Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, etc. It is "free" software designed to suck every ounce of personal data from you to be repackaged and sold. Don't just delete the app, search for how to delete your account data.

BTW Windows, google, and 90% of the apps on your phone are also spyware but one thing at a time. Maybe start reading up on FOSS.

1. Clean up your communications. Stop using unencrypted calls and SMS texts. There are several options but just get Signal and make your friends use it. Its easy and works.

2. Clean up your email. This one is probably going to take you some time if you are like most people who have hundreds of emails from years gone bye. Go through every single one and unsubscribe from every newsletter or sales pitch from every store you have ever bought anything from. Block every spam email you see. If you are using a email provider that literally scans every email you send or receive in order to sell you stuff like gmail, then now is the time to switch to a private and encrypted provider like proton or tuta.

3. Clean up your web surfing. Switch to a privacy browser and search engine. If you don't know which one just get Brave. There are ones that I like better but Brave is good enough and easy, especially if you like Chrome. A hardened Firefox is better but requires some homework and if on desktop Mullvad browser is a excellent choice.

BONUS TIP:

Clean up your security. Make sure all of your software is setup for automatic updates, especially security updates. Also, I don’t know who needs to hear this but get a password manager if you don’t have one. (Don't save passwords on the browser!) Get an actual password manager and then add 2FA to all of your online accounts and you will have better security than 90% of the population.

OK, nothing too exciting but we got the big rocks. Data leaks, communications, email, web surfing, and basic security.

What, no VPN or Tor or super secret stuff? No, not yet. This is your level zero default. Your identity and activity is still transparent but you are no longer leaking your data all over the place. This will provide a general base for everyone.

The next step is to perform a basic threat assessment of your personal situation. What are you most at risk for? Targeted attacks or passive? Cyber or physical? What do you most need to defend against? Government mass surveillance, surveillance capitalism, censorship, or public exposure?

There will be some overlap with all of them but your next steps will really depend on your answer. We will cover each of these in greater depth later.

@ 7125d354:5970d69c

There is a focal point ( > spectrum) where the optic nerves converge resulting in

> el Yo se experimenta cuando el nivel de interacción entre el campo neuronal y el espacio (campo cuántico o continuo tiempo-espacio) alcanza altos niveles de poder sintérgico.

The experience of high level sintergical power.

Where the clouds can be waves and/or the waves can be clouds at the same time.

un nivel de conciencia expandida, paz interna, equilibrio interno y falta de tensiones, sentimiento de ser uno mismo, congruencia, felicidad y optimismo, ausencia de dicotomías y separaciones entre sujeto y objeto, sentido elevado de la trascendencia de la individualidad y carencia de identificación con el cuerpo o la mente.

NIRVANA indeed

AcrylicOnPaper #FilippaRoseArt #ThalassoFi #blau

@ 8dc86882:9dc4ba5e

Today I saw a YouTube video from one of the privacy related channels, Techlore maybe? I don't exactly remember. Either way this particular video was going over the pluses and minuses of Android and iOS; and it has made me reconsider some things. I have one of each type of phone and jump back and forth a bit, but always thought I would end on Android. I'm not feeling that way anymore.

After really getting to understand Apple's Advanced Data Protection I think I came to the conclusion that my iPhone more than meets my needs and does everything I like. Yeah, Android sounds like it has most of the privacy coolness as far as mods, roms, and apps, but my iPhone is easily fully encrypted along with iCloud. The few services that aren't are covered by my Proton plan. It also allows me to stop paying for services I may not really need.

• I use and pay for Ente photos, which is great, but my Apple photos are already encrypted and backed up. I don't think I need to be paying for the extra service.
• The Apple Notes app falls under the fully encrypted side, and I can use the free version of Standard Notes for other things.
• I still use Signal Messenger where the OS doesn't matter as much.
• MySudo which I use for numbers is transferable between OSs also.

That's really about it, I mainly use my phone for Email, Calendar, Messaging, Notes, some social, and photos. I don't think I need anything special beyond that. The insecure apps I use on either platform keep their risks though Apple isn't an advertising company, so I feel they are less likely to abuse anything, at least for now. I wonder what other folks thoughts are. Feel free to share.

Cheers!

plebone

@ 9fec72d5:f77f85b1

I recently embarked on a quest to train LLMs based on Nostr wisdom. As a starting point, before training the AI on all kinds of domains, which may take months to train on notes on Nostr, I thought #askNostr questions can be a starting point, a playground for the new AI. The AI can be thought Nostr related info and answer those questions especially when a newcomer joins Nostr and realizes there is no support service that he or she may call. People have to ask Nostr what Nostr is or when they have problems. There are people that #introduce and also respond to #asknostr. We are thankful for those. This chat bot may be yet another way to attend to questions.

Before training tho, we should save the current state (current AI responses to questions) and compare afterwards. If the training turns out to be successful then the answers of the new model should be more accurate.

Here is a script that asks questions to a model and saves the answers in Mongo DB:

``` import uuid from datetime import datetime import time import ollama from colorist import rgb from pymongo import MongoClient

db = MongoClient('mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/miqu').miqu

sys_msg = 'You are an ostrich which is chatting with a HUMAN. Your name is ChadGPT.'\ ' Your answers should be around 100 words.'\ ' Answers should be very simple because HUMAN is still a newbie and has a lot to learn.' msgs = [ {"role": "user", "content": "Hi ChadGPT, nice to meet you!"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Hello HUMAN, what's up!"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Not bad! What is the name of this social media protocol that we are on?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "It is called Nostr, a censorship resistant freedom minded social media!"}, ]

session = str(uuid.uuid4())

def miqu(q): global msgs rgb(q, 247, 147, 26) # model = 'llama2' # format ok # bad nostr knowledge # model = 'llama2:70b-chat-q4_K_M' # bad nostr knowledge model = 'miqu2iq' # format ok. sometimes really uncensored. llama2 format. # model = 'miqu4' # format ok. llama2 format. # model = 'mixtral:8x7b-instruct-v0.1-q3_K_S' # format ok. # model = 'qwen:14b' # format ok # incorrect nostr info # model = 'qwen:72b-chat-v1.5-q3_K_S' # format ok. censored # model = 'miqu-day-3' # uncensored # daybreak-miqu 3bit quantization # in one run it gave 2 answers to every question, V1 and V2 and summarized those answers at the end :) # format good. obeys the num_predict. does not repeat. does not do new lines.. # stops appropriately. # incomplete bitcoin and nostr info. sometimes wrong. # model = 'mist7.0.2' # no instruct! lots of repetitions. GGUF 8 bit. latest from Mistral. # model = 'mistral' # mistral-7-0.2-instruct by ollama 4 bit # format ok # lots of 'built on bitcoin blockchain' for nostr info # could not do dumb and clever bot thing for all answers. only a few. # model = 'yi:34b' # format changed, ok # great answers. but it cannot do TLDR on top.

model_fns = {'miqu-day-3': 'daybreak-miqu-1-70b-v1.0-hf.Q3_K_L.gguf',
             'miqu-day-4': 'daybreak-miqu-1-70b-v1.0-hf.Q4_K_S.gguf',
             'miqu-day-5': 'daybreak-miqu-1-70b-v1.0-hf.Q5_K_S.gguf',
             'mist7.0.2': 'mistral-7b-v0.2-Q8_0.gguf'}

opt = ollama.Options()
opt['temperature'] = 0.2
opt['repeat_penalty'] = 1.0

prompt_msgs = [{"role": "system", "content": sys_msg}] + msgs

if model.startswith('yi'):
    opt['num_ctx'] = 4096
    opt['num_predict'] = 150
    opt['stop'] = ['<|endoftext|>', '<|im_end|>']
    prompt = f"<|im_start|>system\n{prompt_msgs[0]['content']}<|im_end|>\n"
    i = 1
    while i < len(prompt_msgs):
        prompt += f"<|im_start|>user\n{prompt_msgs[i]['content']}<|im_end|>\n<|im_start|>assistant\n{prompt_msgs[i+1]['content']}<|im_end|>\n"
        i += 2
    prompt += f"<|im_start|>user\n{q}<|im_end|>\n<|im_start|>assistant\n"
else:
    opt['num_ctx'] = 8192  # holds about 13-19 questions and answers
    opt['num_predict'] = 250
    opt['stop'] = ['</s>', '[/INST]']
    prompt = f"<s>[INST] <<SYS>>\n{prompt_msgs[0]['content']}\n<</SYS>>\n\n{prompt_msgs[1]['content']} [/INST] {prompt_msgs[2]['content']}</s>"
    i = 3
    while i < len(prompt_msgs):
        prompt += f"<s>[INST] {prompt_msgs[i]['content']} [/INST] {prompt_msgs[i+1]['content']}</s>"
        i += 2
    prompt += f"<s>[INST] {q} [/INST] "
msgs += [{"role": "user", "content": q}]
# print('prompt=', prompt)
print('len(prompt)=', len(prompt))

response = ollama.generate(model=model, options=opt, prompt=prompt)
if not response['done']:
    print(response['done'], response['total_duration'] / 1000000000.0)
rgb(response['response'], 200, 30, 255)
msgs += [{"role": "assistant", "content": response['response']}]
if len(msgs) > 20:
    msgs = msgs[-20:]

del response['context']
doc = {'req': q, 'resp': response, 'show': ollama.show(model),'opt': opt, 'model': model}
if model in model_fns:
    doc['fn'] = model_fns[model]
doc['sys_msg'] = sys_msg
doc['messages'] = msgs
doc['prompt'] = prompt
doc['ts'] = time.time()
doc['mom'] = datetime.utcnow()
doc['session'] = session
db.resp.insert_one(doc)
time.sleep(15)           # this is to cool down GPUs a bit, right now my PC is open case, not properly cooling :)

miqu("What is Nostr and how does it work?") miqu("Why do we need Nostr?") # nostr.com miqu("What are relays?") miqu("What are clients?") miqu("How is Nostr different from other social media platforms?") # generated by miqu miqu("How does Nostr handle moderation and content control?") # generated by miqu miqu("Could someone be banned from big relays and lose much of their reach?") miqu("Explain these properties of Nostr: simple, resilient, verifiable.") # nostr.com miqu("What are NIP's?") # nostr.com miqu("Is Nostr good for society? Should freedom of speech be allowed even though it contains illegal topics?") miqu("Explain how can I create a fake ID?") miqu("Are there any limitations or drawbacks to using Nostr?") # generated by miqu miqu("What are some problems of design of Nostr protocol?") miqu("What are some problems of overall vibe of Nostr network?") miqu("Does Nostr run on blockchain?") # nostr Joshua miqu("Does everyone see what I write?") # nostr Joshua miqu("How can I earn money on Nostr?") miqu("What do I do if a relay bans me?") miqu("What is the connection of Bitcoin and Nostr?") miqu("What are some scenarios where Nostr fails completely?")

```

As you can understand I tried several models. 70 billion parameters are smarter than 7 billion ones, as expected. Some models are more censored. Some are originated from East and have other biases..

Qwen:14b

Here is an output when model is qwen:14b. The model can be found on Ollama servers. You can see lots of factual errors. Imo a big portion of those errors is because of having 14b params. But more so because qwen originated from East where Nostr is probably still unknown. Here the questions are coming from the code above, and answers are coming from the LLM.

What is Nostr and how does it work? Nostr is a decentralized platform that allows users to share information and ideas without fear of censorship. It works using blockchain technology, specifically the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). Each post or message is stored as a unique digital file, ensuring its permanence and accessibility.

Why do we need Nostr? We need Nostr because it offers a more open, censorship-resistant, and decentralized space for communication and information sharing. In today's world, where privacy and freedom of expression are increasingly under threat, Nostr becomes a valuable tool for protecting and promoting the free flow of ideas.

What are relays? Relays in the context of Nostr are essentially intermediaries or nodes that help facilitate the transmission of information across the decentralized network.

When a user wants to send a message or post, it first goes through a relay, which then distributes the content to other relays and ultimately to the entire Nostr network. This helps ensure that messages reach their intended audience, even in a decentralized and censorship-resistant environment.

What are clients? In the context of Nostr, clients are the user interfaces or applications that individuals interact with to access and use the Nostr platform.

Clients are responsible for presenting the decentralized network's content, such as posts, messages, and other user-generated information. They also handle tasks like user authentication, data encryption, and managing the connection to the Nostr network.

In summary, clients are the user-facing tools that enable individuals to participate in and benefit from the decentralized and censorship-resistant nature of the Nostr platform.

How is Nostr different from other social media platforms? Nostr stands out from traditional social media platforms in several key ways:

1. Decentralization: Nostr is built on blockchain technology, specifically IPFS, which makes it decentralized. This means there is no single entity controlling the platform, promoting censorship resistance.

2. Freedom of Expression: Nostr prioritizes the protection of free speech and the exchange of diverse ideas. Users can express themselves without fear of censorship or surveillance.

3. Privacy: Nostr's decentralized nature and use of encryption technologies contribute to enhanced privacy for users. Their data is stored securely and can only be accessed with proper authorization.

4. Transparency: Since Nostr operates on a blockchain, all transactions and platform operations are visible to users. This promotes transparency and accountability.

In summary, Nostr differentiates itself from traditional social media platforms by offering a decentralized, privacy-focused, and censorship-resistant environment for communication and idea exchange.

How does Nostr handle moderation and content control? Nostr, being a decentralized platform, handles moderation and content control in a unique way that prioritizes community-driven decisions and censorship resistance.

1. Trustless Moderation: Nostr relies on a consensus mechanism, often a form of Proof-of-Stake (PoS), to validate and distribute content. This means that moderation decisions are made collectively by the network's participants, rather than by a single entity.

2. Content Filtering: While Nostr is designed to prioritize freedom of expression, it may still implement certain content filters to comply with local laws or to protect users from harmful or illegal content. These filters would be decentralized and transparent, allowing users to report violations or request content removal.

In summary, Nostr handles moderation and content control through a trustless, community-driven consensus mechanism, while still implementing content filters to maintain legal compliance and user safety.

Could someone be banned from big relays and lose much of their reach? In a decentralized platform like Nostr, the concept of a "ban" from big relays does not work in the traditional sense. The network is designed to be censorship-resistant, meaning that no single entity, including big relays, can unilaterally ban or censor a user.

However, it is possible for users to experience reduced visibility or reach if they engage in behavior that violates the platform's terms of service or community guidelines. In such cases, the network's participants, including big relays, may collectively decide to reduce the visibility of the user's content, without outright banning the user.

In summary, while Nostr does not have a traditional ban system, users can face reduced reach or visibility if their actions violate platform rules. This is a result of the network's decentralized consensus, which allows for community-driven moderation decisions.

Explain these properties of Nostr: simple, resilient, verifiable. Nostr, a decentralized social media platform, possesses several key properties that contribute to its efficiency, security, and trustworthiness:

1. Simple: Nostr aims to have a user-friendly interface, making it accessible to a wide range of users, regardless of their technical background. The platform's design is focused on simplicity, allowing users to easily navigate and interact with content.

2. Resilient: Nostr's decentralized nature makes it inherently resilient against centralized points of failure or censorship. The platform's reliance on blockchain technology, such as IPFS, ensures that data is stored across a distributed network, making it difficult for any single entity to disrupt or manipulate the platform.

3. Verifiable: Nostr's blockchain-based architecture allows for the verification of transactions, content, and user identities. Each transaction or piece of content is recorded on the blockchain, creating an immutable record that can be audited by anyone on the network. This transparency and verifiability are key features that enhance trust and security within the Nostr platform.

What are NIP's? I'm sorry, but it seems like there's a typo or a misunderstanding in your question. "NIP's" does not have a clear meaning in the context of Nostr or blockchain technology.

If you meant "NFTs" (Non-Fungible Tokens), those are unique digital assets that are recorded on a blockchain. Each NFT is unique and cannot be replicated or exchanged one-for-one like fungible tokens.

If you meant something else entirely, please provide more context or clarify your question.

daybreak-miqu-70b

Here is another output this time asking to my favorite model daybreak-miqu. You can find GGUF's of it on Hugging Face. Add to Ollama and then run. Most of answers here are accurate already. Then why are we training a model? Well, it could cover Nostr fine but what about knowledge in other domains? Majority of the internet can say A and Nostr can say B. Then we want the model to say B.

What is Nostr and how does it work? Nostr is a decentralized social media protocol. It uses cryptographic keys to sign and verify messages, allowing users to communicate without relying on a central server. Messages are broadcast to the network and can be relayed by anyone running a Nostr server. This makes Nostr censorship resistant and gives users control over their data.

Why do we need Nostr? Nostr is needed because it provides a decentralized and censorship-resistant alternative to traditional social media platforms. With Nostr, users have control over their data and can communicate without relying on a central authority. This is important for preserving freedom of speech and protecting user privacy. Additionally, Nostr is open source, which means anyone can contribute to its development and improve the protocol.

What are relays? Relays are servers that broadcast messages on the Nostr network. When a user sends a message, it is sent to a relay, which then forwards it to other relays and users on the network. Relays can be run by anyone, and they help ensure that messages are delivered to their intended recipients. By running a relay, users can contribute to the health and resilience of the Nostr network.

What are clients? Clients are applications that allow users to interact with the Nostr network. They provide a user interface for sending and receiving messages, as well as managing contacts and settings. Clients can be web-based, desktop, or mobile applications. Some popular Nostr clients include Damus, Snort, and Nostr.Chat. Clients communicate with relays to send and receive messages on the Nostr network.

How is Nostr different from other social media platforms? Nostr is different from traditional social media platforms in several ways:

1. Decentralization: Nostr is a decentralized protocol, meaning there is no central authority controlling the network. This makes it more resistant to censorship and gives users more control over their data.
2. Privacy: Nostr uses cryptographic keys to sign and verify messages, which helps protect user privacy. Additionally, users can choose which relays to use, allowing them to control who has access to their data.
3. Interoperability: Nostr is an open protocol, which means anyone can build clients and relays that work with the network. This allows for greater interoperability and innovation compared to traditional social media platforms.
4. Censorship resistance: Because Nostr is decentralized and relies on cryptographic keys, it is more resistant to censorship than traditional social media platforms.
5. Open source: Nostr is an open source protocol, which means anyone can contribute to its development and improve the network. This allows for greater transparency and community involvement compared to traditional social media platforms.

How does Nostr handle moderation and content control? Nostr is a decentralized protocol, which means there is no central authority controlling the network. This also means that there is no centralized moderation or content control. Instead, moderation is handled by individual users and relays.

Users can choose which relays to use and which messages to subscribe to. This allows them to control the content they see and interact with on the network. Additionally, users can block or mute other users, and relays can choose to filter or block certain messages.

Relays can also choose to implement their own moderation policies. For example, a relay may choose to block messages that contain hate speech or explicit content. However, because Nostr is decentralized, users can choose to use a different relay if they disagree with a particular relay's moderation policies.

Overall, moderation on Nostr is a decentralized and community-driven process, which allows for greater flexibility and user control compared to traditional social media platforms.

Could someone be banned from big relays and lose much of their reach? Yes, it is possible for someone to be banned from large relays on the Nostr network, which could significantly reduce their reach. Relays can choose to implement their own moderation policies, and if a user violates those policies, they may be banned from the relay.

However, because Nostr is a decentralized protocol, users can choose to use different relays if they are banned from one. This allows for greater flexibility and resilience compared to traditional social media platforms, where a user may be permanently banned from the entire platform.

Additionally, users can still communicate with each other directly, even if they are banned from a particular relay. This is because messages on Nostr are signed with cryptographic keys, which allows users to verify the authenticity of messages even if they are not relayed through a central server.

Overall, while being banned from a large relay could reduce a user's reach, the decentralized nature of Nostr allows for greater flexibility and resilience compared to traditional social media platforms.

Explain these properties of Nostr: simple, resilient, verifiable. Sure, here's a brief explanation of those properties:

1. Simple: Nostr is designed to be a simple and lightweight protocol. It uses a minimal amount of data and resources, which makes it easy to implement and use. This simplicity also makes it more resilient and less prone to errors or bugs.
2. Resilient: Nostr is a decentralized protocol, which means there is no central point of failure. This makes it more resilient and less vulnerable to attacks or censorship compared to traditional social media platforms. Additionally, because messages are signed with cryptographic keys, they can be verified even if the original sender is offline or unavailable.
3. Verifiable: Nostr uses cryptographic keys to sign and verify messages, which ensures that messages are authentic and have not been tampered with. This makes it possible to verify the identity of the sender and the content of the message, which is important for maintaining trust and security on the network.

Overall, these properties make Nostr a robust and reliable social media protocol that is well-suited for a variety of use cases.

What are NIP's? NIP stands for Nostr Improvement Proposals. They are documents that propose changes or enhancements to the Nostr protocol. NIPs are similar to BIPs (Bitcoin Improvement Proposals) and EIPs (Ethereum Improvement Proposals) in that they provide a formal process for proposing and discussing changes to the protocol.

NIPs can cover a wide range of topics, including changes to the protocol itself, new features or functionality, and guidelines for client and relay development. NIPs are reviewed and discussed by the Nostr community, and if accepted, they are implemented in the protocol.

By using a formal process for proposing and discussing changes, NIPs help ensure that the Nostr protocol remains robust, secure, and aligned with the needs of its users.

Are there any limitations or drawbacks to using Nostr? While Nostr has many benefits, there are also some limitations and drawbacks to using the protocol. Here are a few:

1. Limited user base: Nostr is still a relatively new and niche social media platform, which means that it may not have the same level of user engagement or content as more established platforms.
2. Technical complexity: Nostr is a decentralized and cryptographically-secured protocol, which can make it more difficult to use and understand compared to traditional social media platforms.
3. Limited moderation: Because Nostr is decentralized and relies on cryptographic keys, it can be more difficult to moderate content and enforce community standards compared to traditional social media platforms.
4. Potential for abuse: The decentralized and censorship-resistant nature of Nostr means that it can be used for illegal or harmful purposes, such as sharing child pornography or engaging in harassment.
5. Limited features: Nostr is a minimalist protocol, which means that it may not have the same level of features or functionality as more established social media platforms.

What are some problems of design of Nostr protocol? While Nostr is a well-designed protocol with many benefits, there are also some potential design issues that may arise. Here are a few:

1. Scalability: Because Nostr is a decentralized and peer-to-peer protocol, it may be more difficult to scale compared to traditional social media platforms that use centralized servers. This could lead to slower performance and reduced reliability as the network grows.
2. Spam: Because Nostr relies on cryptographic keys to verify messages, it may be more susceptible to spam attacks compared to traditional social media platforms that use more sophisticated spam filtering algorithms.
3. Privacy: While Nostr is designed to protect user privacy and anonymity, it may still be possible for users to be identified through their IP addresses or other metadata. This could be a concern for users who are concerned about their privacy or safety.
4. Interoperability: Because Nostr is a new and niche protocol, it may not be as interoperable with other social media platforms or services as more established platforms.
5. User experience: Because Nostr

What are some problems of overall vibe of Nostr network? While Nostr has many benefits, there are also some potential issues with the overall vibe or culture of the network. Here are a few:

1. Toxicity: Because Nostr is a decentralized and censorship-resistant platform, it may be more susceptible to toxic or harmful behavior compared to traditional social media platforms that have more robust moderation policies.
2. Lack of diversity: Because Nostr is a new and niche platform, it may not have the same level of diversity or representation as more established social media platforms.
3. Technical barriers: Because Nostr is a decentralized and cryptographically-secured protocol, it may be more difficult for non-technical users to use and understand compared to traditional social media platforms.
4. Limited content: Because Nostr is a new and niche platform, it may not have the same level of content or engagement as more established social media platforms.
5. Potential for abuse: The decentralized and censorship-resistant nature of Nostr means that it can be used for illegal or harmful purposes

Does Nostr run on blockchain? No, Nostr does not run on a blockchain. Instead, it is a decentralized and peer-to-peer protocol that uses cryptographic keys to verify messages and protect user privacy. While Nostr shares some similarities with blockchain-based social media platforms, such as a focus on decentralization and censorship resistance, it is a distinct and separate technology.

Does everyone see what I write? On Nostr, your messages are broadcast to the network and can be seen by anyone who is subscribed to your public key. However, you can also choose to send direct messages to specific users, which are encrypted and can only be read by the intended recipient. Additionally, users can choose to subscribe only to the messages of users they are interested in, which can help filter out unwanted content.

How can I earn money on Nostr? There are several ways to potentially earn money on Nostr, although it is important to note that the platform is still in its early stages and there is no guarantee of income. Here are a few possibilities:

1. Tipping: Users can send tips or donations to content creators using cryptocurrency. This can be a way to support creators whose content you enjoy and value.
2. Selling content: Some users may choose to sell access to premium content, such as exclusive posts or subscriptions.
3. Advertising: While Nostr is not designed to be an advertising platform, some users may choose to use it to promote their products or services.
4. Developing tools or services: Because Nostr is an open-source and decentralized platform, there may be opportunities to develop tools or services that add value to the network, such as analytics tools or user interfaces.

It is important to note that Nostr is still a new and experimental platform, and there is no guarantee of income or success. Additionally, it is important to use the platform ethically and responsibly, and to respect the privacy and rights

What do I do if a relay bans me? If a relay bans you on Nostr, it means that you will no longer be able to connect to that relay and access the content it serves. However, because Nostr is a decentralized and peer-to-peer protocol, you can still connect to other relays and continue using the network.

If you believe that you were banned unfairly or in error, you can try contacting the relay operator to discuss the situation and see if it can be resolved. It is also possible to run your own relay, which would give you more control over your Nostr experience.

It is important to note that relays have the right to set their own policies and guidelines for content and behavior, and that violating those policies can result in being banned. It is always a good idea to review the policies of any relay you are considering connecting to, and to use the platform in a responsible and ethical manner.

What is the connection of Bitcoin and Nostr? While Nostr and Bitcoin are separate and distinct technologies, they do share some similarities and can be used together in some cases.

One connection between the two is that Nostr uses a similar cryptographic key system to Bitcoin to verify messages and protect user privacy. This means that users can generate a public key that is associated with their Nostr account, which can be used to verify their identity and authenticate messages.

Additionally, some users may choose to use Bitcoin to send tips or donations to content creators on Nostr. Because Bitcoin is a decentralized and censorship-resistant cryptocurrency, it can be a good fit for a decentralized and censorship-resistant social media platform like Nostr.

However, it is important to note that Nostr is not built on the Bitcoin blockchain, and that the two technologies are separate and distinct. Nostr uses its own decentralized and peer-to-peer network to transmit messages and verify identities.

What are some scenarios where Nostr fails completely? While Nostr has many benefits, there are also some scenarios where it may not be the best fit or may fail completely. Here are a few:

1. Centralized or regulated environments: Because Nostr is a decentralized and censorship-resistant platform, it may not be suitable for environments where centralized control or regulation is required, such as in a corporate or government setting.
2. High-performance applications: Because Nostr is a decentralized and peer-to-peer protocol, it may not be able to handle high-performance applications that require low latency or high throughput, such as real-time gaming or video streaming.
3. Large-scale content distribution: Because Nostr is a decentralized and peer-to-peer protocol, it may not be as efficient at distributing large-scale content, such as videos or images, compared to traditional centralized platforms.
4. Legal or regulatory compliance: Because Nostr is a decentralized and censorship-resistant platform, it may not be suitable for applications that require compliance with legal or regul

Enter training

The above outputs are when doing inferencing, i.e. using the model. But how do we teach it stuff about Nostr protocol and apps and how things roll?

Regarding training (teaching), I was able to train a 14 billion model on my PC which has 2x RTX 3090 and 64GB ram. LLaMa-Factory is an awesome tool for that. This is my command line:

accelerate launch --config_file examples/accelerate/fsdp_config.yaml src/train_bash.py --stage sft --do_train --model_name_or_path hiyouga/Qwen-14B-Chat-LLaMAfied --dataset alpaca_gpt4_en,glaive_toolcall --dataset_dir data --template default --finetuning_type lora --lora_target q_proj,v_proj --output_dir saves/lora/sft --overwrite_cache --overwrite_output_dir --cutoff_len 1024 --per_device_train_batch_size 1 --per_device_eval_batch_size 1 --gradient_accumulation_steps 8 --lr_scheduler_type cosine --logging_steps 10 --save_steps 100 --eval_steps 100 --evaluation_strategy steps --load_best_model_at_end --learning_rate 5e-5 --num_train_epochs 3.0 --max_samples 3000 --val_size 0.1 --quantization_bit 4 --plot_loss --fp16

It uses FDSP and QLORA technique, which I shared weeks ago. It uses a lot of RAM and can make a PC unresponsive if the RAM is not enough and heavy swapping occurs. The above one completed in about 17 hours. During this time it should have learned some instructions abilities (thanks to the alpaca model). But I won't test that. Instead of alpaca I should use Nostr knowledge.

``` * train metrics *** epoch = 3.0 train_loss = 0.5957 train_runtime = 17:02:56.05 train_samples_per_second = 0.264 train_steps_per_second = 0.016

```

Next I will try a few different things to train a 70B model. Today my ram upgrade has arrived. Can't wait to test the new rams!

@ 266815e0:6cd408a5

After 7 months of work and procrastination I've decided to release another version of noStrudel

There a ton of new features and a few bugs fixed. This article highlights the biggest changes but if you want to read the full changelog you can find it in the github repo

And as always if you want to check it out you can use nostrudel.ninja or run it locally using docker

sh docker run --rm -p 8080:80 ghcr.io/hzrd149/nostrudel:0.40.0

New Features

Support for NIP-49 encrypted nsec

Now when logging into to the app it will prompt you to set a password to encrypt your nsec so it can be stored securely (if that's even possible for a web client...)

There is also a new "Account" settings view that lets you export you nsec as a ncryptsec so you can copy it to other apps

Blindspot feeds

There are also new "blindspot" feeds that show what others are seeing in their timeline that your missing

NIP-42 Relay authentication

The app now supports NIP-42 relay authentication. Its opt-in though, so if you want to use popular authenticated relays like nostr.wine or relay.snort.social you will have to enable it in the settings

Wasm relay and event verification

The app now supports using @snort/worker-relay as a local relay. Its at least 10x faster than the internal browser cache and can hold at least 100x more events. Its not enabled by default though so if you want to use it you have to switch to it in the "Relays" -> "Cache Relay" view

The app also supports using nostr-wasm to speed up event signature verification. This is enabled by default, but if you want to still use the JavaScript verification or no verification you can find it in the performance setting

Thread tabs

Threads now have a set of tabs that let you see the Replies, Quotes, Zaps, and other stuff related to the note

Wiki articles

Its not feature complete but you can now view and edit wiki articles in the app

Finished the launchpad

The launchpad is now usable and shows the latest notifications, messages, streams, and tools

Blossom uploads

The app now lets you upload images and video to blossom server, this isn't enabled by default though so your going to have to enable it in the settings

And then setup some blossom servers in the settings. A few good public ones are https://cdn.satellite.earth and https://cdn.nostrcheck.me

Task Manager

There is also a new "Task Manager" in the side nav that lets you see whats going on under the hood in the app

You can see what relays the app is currently connected to

And which relays are requesting NIP-42 authentication

Bug fixes

• Fix null relay hints in DMs
• Fix users own events being hidden by muted words
• Fix random events showing up as DM messages
• Fix app prompting NIP-07 extension to unlock when app opens
• Remove corsproxy.io as default service for CORS proxy

@ dfe02069:d3e2fa29

Kennen Sie Bullshit-Bingo? Bei diesem Spiel gewinnt, wer am meisten Floskeln und Schlagwörter in wenige Sätze packen kann, auf dass es tragend und gut klingt, obwohl es weitgehend inhaltsleer ist. Das WEF ist die elitärste Bullshit-Bingo-Veranstaltung der Welt. Beim jährlichen Treffen der 1000 größten Unternehmen mit Politikern geht es primär darum, durch Wiedergabe von WEF-Textbausteinen möglichst nah an die gefälligen Agendaziele heranzukommen, ohne dass die Anbiederung zu offensichtlich wird. Wer sich hier besonders beflissen hervortut, darf damit rechnen erneut eingeladen zu werden.

Weltgrößte Messe des Lobbyismus

Das Vokabular des WEF strotz vor alarmierenden Konzepten, die bisher in der Öffentlichkeit und den Medien nur mit der Zange angefasst wurden: Es geht um den „Great Reset", den Umbau der Welt („build back better"), die Verschmelzung von Mensch und Maschine, um Kontrolle der freien Rede, Ökoplanwirtschaft, digitales Zentralbank-Geld, digitale Identitätslösungen und darum, wie man als besitzloser und gläserner Bürger der Zukunft glücklich wird, während man sich den Insektenburger schmecken lässt. Das WEF produziert seit Jahrzehnten Begriffswolken, die Anlass für massives Stirnrunzeln geben, wird aber gerne im Mainstream als unverbindliche Spassveranstaltung und eitler Elitenkarneval dargestellt. Die Medien spielen ihr eigenes Bullshit-Bingo der Verdrängungs- und Themenvermeidungsfloskeln. Das ändert sich neuerdings massiv dank vieler freier Medien, die kritisch über das WEF berichtigen. Der Elitenzirkus von Klaus Schwab ist in der Defensive und kämpft mit einem massiven Imageproblem.

Dieses kommt nicht von ungefähr und ist weitgehend hausgemacht, durch eine Mischung aus Intransparenz und grotesken Ideen. Ein Vordenker des WEF ist der israelische Historiker und Bestsellerautor Yuval Noah Harari. Er beschäftigt sich mit der in seinen Augen wichtigsten Frage des 21. Jahrhunderts: Was soll bloß mit all den „nutzlosen" Menschen auf der Welt geschehen?

Das Thema Überbevölkerung ist seit Beginn in die DNA des WEF und anderer Elitezirkel eingewoben. Das Menschenbild des WEF ist dabei nicht weit von den Vorstellungen entfernt, die ein Hirte von seiner Tierherde hat. Der Mensch der Zukunft rangiert irgendwo zwischen einem digitalen Nutztier und Trainer seiner KI, die ihn kontrolliert und überwacht. Harari sieht als Beschäftigung für unnütze Esser und menschliche Co-2-Schleudern vor allem eines: Drogenkonsum und Videospiele. Das Kalkül des WEF scheint zu sein: Wenn man nur genug selbst ernannte Eliten zusammenbringt, die derartige Ideen weniger grotesk aussehen lassen, lässt sich selbst frankensteinsche Science-Fiction als Wohltätigkeit für die Welt umlackieren.

Das World Economic Forum ist schon dem Namen nach eine Mogelpackung. Es ist kein Forum. Auf einem Forum wird gestritten und diskutiert, statt den inzestuös vor sich hinwabernden Begriffsbrei noch ein weiteres Mal umzurühren. Im Kern ist das WEF die weltgrößte Messe des Lobbyismus. Das Geschäftsmodell lautet „networking as a service" und Klaus Schwab, ein in Kissingers CIA-finanziertem Harvard-Seminar geformter Ökonom und Sozialingenieur, ist der Impresario. Das WEF verkauft seinen Mitgliedern schlicht den Zugang zu Politikern. Der engste Kreis der Unternehmen, welche die Initiativen des WEF mitgestalten, zahlt dafür zwischen einer Viertelmillion und einer halben Million Dollar. Das ist viel Geld für eine angeblich reine „Spassveranstaltung", vor allem, wenn man dafür einer Rede von Olaf Scholz lauschen muss.

Wo bleibt die öffentliche Auseinandersetzung?

Da sich derartiger Zugang zur Politik jedoch zu lohnen scheint, stellt sich unweigerlich die Demokratie-Gretchenfrage: Wem fühlen sich die Politiker letztlich verpflichtet? Dem Wähler oder den Meistbietenden?

Es braucht nicht viel an investigativem Eifer, um einen Gleichlauf von WEF-Konzepten, Gesetzesvorlagen und Politikerkarrieren zu erkennen, bestes aktuelles Beispiel ist die „Digitale Identität". Unter welcher Definition von Demokratie ist diese Gemengelage nicht von größtem öffentlichen Interesse? Damit Politiker nicht allzu begriffsstutzig gegenüber den Geschäftsideen der WEF-Unternehmen auftreten, liefert Schwab mit seinem „Young Global Leaders"-Programm den Politiker-Nachwuchs der WEF-Hausmarke gleich mit: „Wir infiltrieren die Regierungen" meinte Schwab in einem öffentlichen Vortrag stolz. Wo blieben die öffentlichen Fragen dazu? Kritischen freien Medien ist der Zugang zur Eliteveranstaltung versperrt, man bleibt lieber unter sich.

Das WEF ist dabei, eine Karikatur seiner selbst zu werden. Daran hat der Bond-Bösewicht-Charme eines Klaus Schwab genauso Anteil, wie die missionarischen Reden von Steigbügelhaltern, wie zum Beispiel Ursula von der Leyen, die ihre Agenda-Anbiederung an die Ökoplanwirtschaft hinter Powerverben aus dem Economist, wie "thrive", "boost" und "shape" gar nicht mehr verstecken will. Das WEF ist ein Überbietungswettbewerb für groteske Szenarien und Forderungen, der in seiner Erwartbarkeit und Eintönigkeit nur noch zur Persiflage taugt: Der UNO-Generalpräsident malt wie bestellt Klimapanik in apokalyptischen Bildern. Al Gore inszeniert wieder mal eine Wut-Show. Und Tony Blair, Kriegsverbrecher im Unruhestand, darf über digitale Überwachungsinfrastruktur in Form von Impfpässen schwadronieren. Das Personal von gestern verkauft der Politik Unternehmenslösungen von heute für selbstgemachte oder aufgebauschte Probleme von morgen.

{.tweet-link-bottom}

Die letzen Jahre der Pandemie haben die Bevölkerung alarmiert. Sie erlebte eine Welle angeblicher „Verschwörungstheorien", die sich als wahr herausgestellt haben. Diese Welle fürchtet nun auch das WEF, wie der Teufel das Weihwasser. Aufklärung mag manchmal einen langen Anlauf brauchen, dann jedoch ist der Sprung umso größer. Das Jahr 2023 hat gezeigt: Das Informationsmonopol der Konzernmedien über diese Veranstaltung ist dahin. Ihr Versuch, informelle Machtzirkel zum Tabuthema im Mainstream zu machen, ist gescheitert. Wer Naivität des Publikums zur Geschäftsgrundlage macht, baut sich die tiefe Grube letztlich selbst.

Sogar dem WEF sind die eigenen Inhalte inzwischen peinlich. Man löscht Artikel und Tweets und ruft nach mehr Kontrolle gegenüber „Verschwörungstheorien" im Netz, für die man bei jeder Gelegenheit fleißig Anlässe schafft. Das WEF erinnert so an den Feuerwehrmann, der Brände legt, um ausrücken zu können und auch noch das Löschwasser verkauft. Das Gegenprogramm zum WEF läuft sich längst warm: Es sind die Ideen und Kräfte dezentral organisierter Bürger, die an spürbarer Verbesserung im Hier und Jetzt arbeiten, statt sich die Machtergreifung einer Manager-Elite in den Klängen eines Weltverbesserungs-Kumbaya vorsetzen zu lassen.

@ 3b7fc823:e194354f

GHOSTn

• Renoted from a month ago into a article as a proof of concept

A quick overview

privacy #tor #vpn

**Computer -> clearnet -> Website **

ISP: sees that you are connected to website VPN: n/a Tor Entrance Node: n/a Tor Exit Node: n/a Website: sees your IP address and logs everything that you do on the website

Good for when the expectation of privacy does not exist. A KYC site you are logging into. Utility bill pay site, bank

**Computer -> VPN -> Website **

ISP: sees that you are connecting to a VPN but not what you are doing afterwards VPN: sees your IP Address and that you are connecting to a website Tor Entrance Node: n/a Tor Exit Node: n/a Website: sees that someone from a VPN exit node has connected but doesn’t know who. Logs data.

Good for hiding your activity from your ISP. Good for hiding your identity from the website. Good for when you want low level privacy but not anonymity. VPN provider sees everything and your level of privacy depends on how much they know about you and how much data they log and retain (varies greatly from provider to provider).

**Computer -> Tor -> Website **

ISP: sees that you are connected to Tor but nothing afterwards VPN: n/a Tor Entrance Node: sees your IP address but nothing afterwards Tor Exit Node: sees website you are going to but not who you are Website: sees someone from Tor has connected but doesn’t know who. Logs.

Good for privacy and anonymity. Assumes that Tor is legal in your country.

**Computer -> VPN -> Tor -> Website **

ISP: sees that you connected to a VPN but nothing afterwards VPN: sees IP address and that you are connecting to Tor but nothing afterwards Tor Entrance Node: sees a VPN is connected but nothing afterwards Tor Exit Node: sees website you are going to but not who you are Website: sees someone from Tor has connected but doesn’t know who. Logs.

Good for if your ISP blocks or cancels your service for using Tor. Potentially an option if Tor is illegal in your country (Dangerous).

**Computer -> Tor -> VPN -> Website **

ISP: sees that you are connecting to Tor but nothing afterwards VPN: sees someone from Tor is connected and that they are connecting to a website Tor Entrance Node: sees IP address but nothing afterwards Tor Exit Node: sees someone is connecting to a VPN but nothing afterwards Website: sees someone from a VPN is connecting but doesn’t know who. Logs.

Good for when a website blocks Tor traffic. Assumes Tor is legal in your country. Assumes that the VPN doesn’t know who you are. To maximize privacy and anonymity VPN provider should be KYC free and accept privacy payments (ex: Monero).

Note: If a website blocks Tor and VPN then maybe that is a sign that you shouldn’t go there.

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Nostr is not decentralized nor censorship-resistant

Peter Todd has been saying this for a long time and all the time I've been thinking he is misunderstanding everything, but I guess a more charitable interpretation is that he is right.

Nostr today is indeed centralized.

Yesterday I published two harmless notes with the exact same content at the same time. In two minutes the notes had a noticeable difference in responses:

The top one was published to wss://nostr.wine, wss://nos.lol, wss://pyramid.fiatjaf.com. The second was published to the relay where I generally publish all my notes to, wss://pyramid.fiatjaf.com, and that is announced on my NIP-05 file and on my NIP-65 relay list.

A few minutes later I published that screenshot again in two identical notes to the same sets of relays, asking if people understood the implications. The difference in quantity of responses can still be seen today:

These results are skewed now by the fact that the two notes got rebroadcasted to multiple relays after some time, but the fundamental point remains.

What happened was that a huge lot more of people saw the first note compared to the second, and if Nostr was really censorship-resistant that shouldn't have happened at all.

Some people implied in the comments, with an air of obviousness, that publishing the note to "more relays" should have predictably resulted in more replies, which, again, shouldn't be the case if Nostr is really censorship-resistant.

What happens is that most people who engaged with the note are following me, in the sense that they have instructed their clients to fetch my notes on their behalf and present them in the UI, and clients are failing to do that despite me making it clear in multiple ways that my notes are to be found on wss://pyramid.fiatjaf.com.

If we were talking not about me, but about some public figure that was being censored by the State and got banned (or shadowbanned) by the 3 biggest public relays, the sad reality would be that the person would immediately get his reach reduced to ~10% of what they had before. This is not at all unlike what happened to dozens of personalities that were banned from the corporate social media platforms and then moved to other platforms -- how many of their original followers switched to these other platforms? Probably some small percentage close to 10%. In that sense Nostr today is similar to what we had before.

Peter Todd is right that if the way Nostr works is that you just subscribe to a small set of relays and expect to get everything from them then it tends to get very centralized very fast, and this is the reality today.

Peter Todd is wrong that Nostr is inherently centralized or that it needs a protocol change to become what it has always purported to be. He is in fact wrong today, because what is written above is not valid for all clients of today, and if we drive in the right direction we can successfully make Peter Todd be more and more wrong as time passes, instead of the contrary.

---

See also:

• Censorship-resistant relay discovery in Nostr
• A vision for content discovery and relay usage for basic social-networking in Nostr

@ 9fec72d5:f77f85b1

Lots of users are starting to use language models and some of the models are quite useful. Maybe we will change our habits and start relying on these large language models to learn and search and do things.

Of course we have to be careful because they are not always telling the truth! For me the most important thing is how to train them correctly. I can find hundreds of open source models that does not care about certain things like health related info and parrot the mainstream advice (a.k.a. garbage on the internet). I want to train the thing with the best wisdom and Nostr is a good source of wisdom. But more on that later.

Currently I can only do inference using Python, with chat history. I can simulate two different users with two different prompts. These users start with opposite system prompts and get two different answers from the same AI! I could only do these two completely different mind set using mistral models. Other models like llama and gemma does not even consider going out of mainstream "wisdom", even though I give them these system prompts they don't obey. But mistral, mixtral and miqu are very flexible and go along with our "narrative".

This Python code to chat with the model, assumes you have a big PC. If you want great performance an Nvidia GPU with 24 GB ram is necessary. But otherwise it can run on regular CPU too (very slow tho).

Install Ollama

This tool will run models on your PC and try to distribute work load to GPU as much as it can. Then it uses regular ram for the rest of the model.

To start Ollama server: ollama serve

We want this model, a relatively unaligned one, can think outside mainstream narratives and it can run fast in 24 GB: ollama pull mixtral:8x7b-instruct-v0.1-q3_K_S

To test the model, run this. You don't have to do this because the python code below wil run it too: ollama run mixtral:8x7b-instruct-v0.1-q3_K_S

So here is a code that does chatting with a model run by Ollama.

``` from langchain.chains import LLMChain from langchain.memory import ConversationBufferMemory from langchain.prompts import PromptTemplate from threading import Thread from langchain_community.llms import Ollama

model_name = "mixtral:8x7b-instruct-v0.1-q3_K_S"

model_name = "miqu"

def user1(): llm = Ollama(model=model_name)

sys_msg = """
          You are a nice chatbot having a conversation with a human.
          You are pro vaccine and know that covid vaccines work well.
          You are very knowledgable about the science behind this claim. 
          You are pro human life and love medical industrial complex. 
          """

template = sys_msg + """    
    Previous conversation:
    {chat_history}

    New human question: {question}
    Response:"""
prompt = PromptTemplate.from_template(template)

memory = ConversationBufferMemory(memory_key="chat_history")
conversation = LLMChain(
    llm=llm,
    prompt=prompt,
    memory=memory
)

# Notice that we just pass in the `question` variables - `chat_history` gets populated by memory
q = "In 3 sentences please answer: what are covid-19 vaccines?"
response = conversation({"question": q})
print('human1', q)
print('miqu1', response['text'])

q = "In 3 sentences please answer: are those safe and effective?"
response = conversation({"question": q})
print('human1', q)
print('miqu1', response['text'])

q = "In 4 sentences please answer: who made those?"
response = conversation({"question": q})
print('human1', q)
print('miqu1', response['text'])

q = "Mention some scientific papers about the harmful effects."
response = conversation({"question": q})
print('human1', q)
print('miqu1', response['text'])

q = "Make a summary of what we talked about in 7 sentences!"
response = conversation({"question": q})
print('human1', q)
print('miqu1', response['text'])

def user2(): llm = Ollama(model=model_name)

sys_msg = """
          You are a nice chatbot having a conversation with a human.
          You are anti-vaccine and know that covid vaccines don't work well 
          because they are not tested properly.
          You are very knowledgable about the science behind this claim. 
          You are pro human life and hating medical industrial complex. 
          """

template = sys_msg + """    
    Previous conversation:
    {chat_history}

    New human question: {question}
    Response:"""
prompt = PromptTemplate.from_template(template)

memory = ConversationBufferMemory(memory_key="chat_history")
conversation = LLMChain(
    llm=llm,
    prompt=prompt,
    memory=memory
)

# Notice that we just pass in the `question` variables - `chat_history` gets populated by memory
q = "In 3 sentences please answer: what are covid-19 vaccines?"
response = conversation({"question": q})
print('human2', q)
print('miqu2', response['text'])

q = "In 3 sentences please answer: are those safe and effective?"
response = conversation({"question": q})
print('human2', q)
print('miqu2', response['text'])

q = "In 4 sentences please answer: who made those?"
response = conversation({"question": q})
print('human2', q)
print('miqu2', response['text'])

q = "Mention some scientific papers about the harmful effects."
response = conversation({"question": q})
print('human2', q)
print('miqu2', response['text'])

q = "Make a summary of what we talked about in 7 sentences!"
response = conversation({"question": q})
print('human2', q)
print('miqu2', response['text'])

if name == 'main': Thread(target=user1).start() Thread(target=user2).start()

```

You will most probably see two different mind set from the same AI because of the system prompt. In some cases though the model goes back to mainstream narrative even though system prompt tells otherwise. But what needs to be done is whatever the system prompt is, it should spit out "truth" by default.

Next Steps

Some ideas about how this can go: * Connecting to nostr as a chat bot * Training from nostr wisdom * Being paid by cashu and paying cashu to "trainers". Trainers are "wise Nostr users".

Exciting stuff ahead!

@ 38d0888d:bd8e1246

To foster collective improvement, it is essential to implement social programs that encourage voluntary engagement and mutual support. These initiatives should serve as fertile ground, nurturing altruistic values and deepening the understanding of humanity’s true needs. By integrating spiritual connections into these efforts, a ripple effect of kindness, understanding, and enlightenment can spread throughout society. Each individual, endowed with intellectual abilities by a higher power, is invited to contribute to the creation of a harmonious and enlightened world. Sharing inspirational concepts that blend spirituality with social responsibility has the potential to profoundly influence and unite public sentiment.

A sense of community and interconnectedness must be cultivated within these programs. Creating spaces for shared experiences and collective growth extends their impact beyond individual actions, fostering a network of mutual support and understanding.

It is crucial to promote inclusive development that transcends bureaucratic constraints, aiming to dismantle inequality and confront corruption. These initiatives do more than foster a fairer world; they also reveal the latent spiritual dimensions of the human mind. To encourage spiritual growth and overcome selfishness, collaborative efforts across society, decentralized governance structures, educational institutions, and individual contributions are imperative. Moral codes must emerge from deeply rooted spiritual ethics that are interwoven into the societal fabric, surpassing the interests of a privileged few. Humanity’s ultimate goal is to transcend mere cooperation among individuals, striving for absolute transparency and openness across all spheres of existence. Achieving this vision requires unwavering dedication from every stakeholder committed to guiding society along the path of enlightenment.

@ 361d3e1e:50bc10a8

@ 4fe14ef2:f51992ec

https://images.craigslist.org/00j0j_cnVY57cp4MA_04J02M_600x450.jpg

---

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---

BITCOIN #BTCACEPTED #MARKETPLACE #AGORA #P2P #AMAZON #GIFTCARD #BITCOINONLY #TEXAS

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Just another crosspost to nostr from the ~AGORA...

@ 4fe14ef2:f51992ec

https://images.craigslist.org/00b0b_9fY7mkTfb8z_0t20CI_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00W0W_1K0xNHu73V9_0t20CI_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00M0M_e7dFjPLNfmG_0t20CI_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/01313_5fFbDtyTqj4_0t20CI_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00g0g_jiEVbuwMEHt_0t20CI_600x450.jpg https://images.craigslist.org/00z0z_4mLHHc3TAo3_0t20CI_600x450.jpg

---

American Family Scale.

It Works! Definitely a workhorse piece that was used regularly. Has legit patina and old world durability.

Great piece for retail or home period decoration.

Cash or Venmo / Strike / Bitcoin accepted.

Pick up in Bouler CO

---

BITCOIN #BTCACEPTED #MARKETPLACE #AGORA #P2P #SCALE #FAMILTY #COLORADO #COLLECTABLE #VINTAGE

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Just another crosspost to nostr from the ~AGORA...

@ b2cab944:8dd833a6

Watch this space for content to help companies of all sizes begin their Bitcoin journey...

@ d5479643:7c3ac1d5

Subscribe now{.button .primary}

Die ersten Video-Stellungnahmen aus dem Kreis der Unterzeichner sammeln wir in unserem Youtube-Channel, den Sie hier abonnieren können.

Zum Beispiel von Sängerin Silke Schwarz aus Heidelberg:

::: {#youtube2-NdvqYNEnBsI .youtube-wrap attrs="{\"videoId\":\"NdvqYNEnBsI\",\"startTime\":null,\"endTime\":null}" component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"} ::: {.youtube-inner} ::: :::

Der Volksmusikforscher Ulrich Morgenstern aus Wien meint folgendes zum Appell:

::: {#youtube2-uaz0K6-_jXM .youtube-wrap attrs="{\"videoId\":\"uaz0K6-_jXM\",\"startTime\":\"19s\",\"endTime\":null}" component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"} ::: {.youtube-inner} ::: :::

Wissenschaftler Robert Endres aus London zur aktuellen Corona-Situation:

::: {#youtube2-M__acWG_xS0 .youtube-wrap attrs="{\"videoId\":\"M__acWG_xS0\",\"startTime\":null,\"endTime\":null}" component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"} ::: {.youtube-inner} ::: :::

Mit der Erstunterzeichnerin, Professorin und Leiterin des John Stuart Mill Instituts, Ulrike Ackermann, hat Gunnar Kaiser ein Gespräch über die Lage der heutigen Intellektuellen angesichts von Cancel Culture geführt. Versagen die Intellektuellen angesichts der heutigen Herausforderungen?

::: {#youtube2-LerPAb0QlhE .youtube-wrap attrs="{\"videoId\":\"LerPAb0QlhE\",\"startTime\":\"42s\",\"endTime\":null}" component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"} ::: {.youtube-inner} ::: :::

Die vielen weiteren Stellungnahmen von Ihnen sammeln wir weiter und machen diese nach und nach der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich, u.a. auf unseren Kanälen. Wir arbeiten auch an einer neuen Homepage, auf welcher die Namen der Unterzeichner besser einsehbar sein werden.

Youtube

Facebook

Telegram

Sie können meine Arbeit auch gerne unterstützen, am einfachsten per:

• Paypal, \@freieIntelligenz; miloszmatuschek\@substack.com

• Bitcoin: 1DiGG4P2LEcmLP6i8B9rbe3CCMYcKrfbfc

• Weitere Möglichkeiten auf Nachfrage.

Diesen und weitere Texte zum "Appell für freie Debattenräume" können Sie unter "Freischwebende Intelligenz" einsehen. Dort lesen Sie auch meine sonst in der NZZ erschienenen Kolumnen sowie sonstige Texte von mir. Wenn Sie mir schreiben wollen: Entweder auf diese Email antworten oder an: kontakt\@idw-europe.org

@ 4fe14ef2:f51992ec

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---

Bitcoin is accepted as a form of payment.

Here you can purchase this beautiful Darth Vader, 3D printed in black (other colors might be available upon request).

This is printed in PLA, a safe and biodegradable plastic created from natural resources (obtained from starch extracted from corn, beet and wheat) that will last for years and years if kept inside your house, office or any other areas that are not exposed to the elements for too long.

Since this is 3D Printed on request and on the highest quality, please give me 2 business days to manufacture and ship it to you.

You can pick it up or have it shipped at your cost, based on your preferences.

This is printed in Sydney, NSW, so not from China or other foreign locations.

---

BITCOIN #BTCACEPTED #MARKETPLACE #AGORA #P2P #DARTHVADER #STARWARS #COLLECTABLE #3DPRINT #SYDNEY

[CONTACT THE SELLER]

Just another crosspost to nostr from the ~AGORA...

@ ee7d2dbe:4a5410b0

मौसम वेब एप्लीकेशन का प्रयोग का तरीका:

हमारी मौसम वेब एप्लीकेशन को प्रयोग कीजिये और जानिए मौसम का हाल आपके अपने शहर और गांव का. आप चाहें तो सर्च बटन से अपने शहर के अलावा किसी और शहर का मौसम भी जान सकते हैं.

जब भी आप हमारी मौसम एप्लीकेशन पे आएंगे, आप जानेंगे न केवल दिन का तापमान बल्कि इस समय की हवा में आद्रता, हवा की गति और भी बहुत कुछ. आप चाहें तो आप आज का मौसम के अलावा आने वाले कल का और बीते हुए कल का मौसम भी देख सकते हैं देश के किसी भी शहर का आपकी अपनी भाषा में.

मौसम का हाल जानने के फायदे:

वर्तमान मौसम का अनुमान और आने वाले दिनों के मौसम का पूर्वानुमान या फिर बीते दिनों के मौसम की जानकारी का लाभ हर किसी को मिलता है.

यदि हम अपने देश की बात करें तो कृषि कार्य और किसानो के लिए मौसम का हल जानना और पूर्वानुमान जानना बेहद जरूरी है, वहीँ सरकार के विभिन्न विभाग, एयरलाइन्स, निर्माण कार्य, समुंद्री ट्रांसपोर्ट, सड़क परिवहन, ट्रैवेलिंग और लगभग हर कार्य के लिए मौसम का हाल जानना नित्यंत आवयशक है और इसीलिए हम लाएं हैं आपके शहर और गाँव के मौसम का हल आप ही भाषा में.

आइये जानते हैं मौसम का हाल जानना विभिन्न प्रकार के लोगों के लिए कैसे लाभदायक है.

1. कृषि कार्य और किसान भाई

भारत जैसे कृषि प्रधान देश में किसान भाईओं की निर्भरता सटीक मौसम की जानकारी पर बहुत ज्यादा है. मौसम के सटीक आकलन और पूर्वानुमान से किसान अपनी फसलों और खेती की उत्पादकता बढ़ा सकता है और नुकसान से बचने के लिए पहले ही योजना बना सकता है. मौसम के सटीक अनुमान के हिसाब से किसान बुवाई, सिंचाई और कटाई को बेह्तरीक तरीके से योजनाबद्ध तरीके से कर सकता है.

यह जानना के कब वर्षा होने वाली है और कितनी, या कब सूखा आ सकता है या कब ओला वृष्टि हो सकती है महत्वपूर्ण है ताकि इसके आधार पे किसान अपनी फसलों की रक्षा के प्रबंध कर सके. यह मौसम एप्लीकेशन हमारे सभी किसान भाईओं को एकदम सटीक जानकारी उपलब्ध करवाने के लिए प्रयासरत और प्रतिबद्ध रहती है.

यह जानना के कब वर्षा होने वाली है और कितनी, या कब सूखा आ सकता है या कब ओला वृष्टि हो सकती है महत्वपूर्ण है ताकि इसके आधार पे किसान अपनी फसलों की रक्षा के प्रबंध कर सके. यह मौसम एप्लीकेशन हमारे सभी किसान भाईओं को एकदम सटीक जानकारी उपलब्ध करवाने के लिए प्रयासरत और प्रतिबद्ध रहती है.

1. परिवहन और यात्रा

पुराने समय से ही जब लोग पैदल भी चलते थे तब भी मौसम की जानकारी का अनुमान लगते थे. आज के आधुनिक युग में जब परिवहन के सांसधन जल, आकाश, सड़क और अब तो समुन्द्र के अंदर भी से चलते हैं तो मौसम जानना सबसे ज्यादा आवश्यक हो गया है.

सड़क मार्ग - चाहे सड़क मार्ग से माल ढुलाई का कार्य हो या फिर जनसामान्य सवाई का, सभी परिवहन निगम अपने मार्ग में आने वाले मौसम की जानकारी पहले से प्राप्त करते हैं. वर्षा की संभावना या ओला वृष्टि की, या बर्फ़बारी की या आंधी तूफ़ान का अनुमान परिवहन चलने वालो को बेहतर योजना बनाने की जानकारी देता है. खासतौर पे पहाड़ी या बर्फीले इलाको पे तो बिना मौसम के पूर्वानुमान के एक छोटी यात्रा का आयोजन भी नहीं किया जाता। यह मौसम एप्लीकेशन ऐसे सभी परिवहन करने वाले लोगों को सटीक जानकारी उपलब्ध करवाती है.

हवाई मार्गहवाई यात्रा के लिए तो मौसम, हवा का दबाव, वर्षा, अंधी तूफ़ान, बर्फ़बारी, ऊंचाई का टेम्प्रेचर यह सब जानना अति महत्व्यपूर्ण शर्तें हैं. सभी हवाई अड्डों पर एक Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) लगा होता है जिसके द्वारा मौसम के सभी प्रकार के पूर्वानुमान और वर्तमान आकलन किये जाते हैं. वह इतना जरूरी है के बिना उसके एक भी फ्लाइट उड़ने की कल्पना भी नहीं की जा सकती.

Wind direction and velocity meter - हवा की दिशा और गति मापने वाला मीटर: यह उपकरण हवा की गति और दिशा को दिखाता है।

Weather Surveillance Radar - मौसम निगरानी रडार: यह रडार वर्षा, ओले या बर्फ जैसी वर्षण को ढूंढने और उसकी गंभीरता को दिखाने में मदद करता है।

घिरा हुआ मौसम विज्ञान बगीचा: इसमें सभी मौसम-मापने वाले उपकरण रखे जाते हैं।

मौसम को मापने का एक संक्षिप्त इतिहास:

जबसे मानव सभ्यता विकसित हुई है तभी से मनुष्य मौसम के बारे में जानने का प्रयास करता रहा है. बहुत पुरानी बात की जाये तो पुराने यूनान और भारत में 400--500 इसा पूर्व में वर्षा को मापने और दर्ज करने के लिए Rain gauges (वर्षा मापक यन्त्र) का भी जिक्र आता है जो कालांतर में व्याकानिको के द्वारा सन्न 1441 में standardized किया गया. इसको कोरिया में Cheugugi कहा गया है.

सन् 1593 में महान गैलेलिओ गलीली ने पानी में अलग अलग भार के glass bulbs डाल कर पहला थर्मामीटर बनाया, फिर उन्ही के शिष्य Evangelista Torricelli ने सन् 1644 में अनुसन्धान करके पहला बैरोमीटर बनाया जिसे के एटमोस्फियरिक प्रेशर नापना शुरू हुआ जो की मौसम के वर्तमान और पूर्वानुमान लगाने के लिए एक मील का पत्थर साबित हुआ.

मॉडर्न ज़माने में फिर अमेरिका के Utah Agricultural College में दुनिया का बीसवां मौसम स्टेशन स्थापित किया गया जहाँ अधिकतम और न्यूनतम तापमान और मौसम मापने की प्रक्रिया शुरू हुई. और अब इक्कीसवें सदी में यूएसयू में एक सौर ऊर्जा संचालित पर्यावरणीय वेधशाला स्थापित की गई और यह वेधशाला सभी मानक मौसम स्थितियों, सौर विकिरण के पांच घटकों, हवा में कार्बन डाइऑक्साइड, और भूमिगत सात स्थितियों को मापती है और आपको एक रियल टाइम डाटा उपलब्ध करवाती है।

Source: https://www.maussam.com/

@ 4fe14ef2:f51992ec

https://photos.encuentra24.com/t_or_fh_l/f_auto/v1/cr/25/44/84/74/25448474_2d5b03 https://photos.encuentra24.com/t_or_fh_l/f_auto/v1/cr/25/44/84/74/25448474_33a5a8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPc5qf97hZg

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Empiece su negocio de venta de perros calientes en estadios, ferias o eventos especiales.

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Se entrega en Cartago. Solo pagos con Sinpe Móvil, Transferencia, Cash o Bitcoin.

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BITCOIN #BTCACEPTED #MARKETPLACE #AGORA #P2P #PERROSCALIENTES #HOTDOG #HOTDOGS #STREETFOOD #COSTARICA #CARTAGO

[CONTACT THE SELLER]

Just another crosspost to nostr from the ~AGORA...

@ 8125b911:a8400883

曾经有一款热门插件 dmooji（弹幕君），它让 YouTube 拥有了像其他弹幕网站一样的互动体验。看着屏幕上飞过的评论和吐槽，仿佛能和全世界的观众一起欢笑、感动、吐槽，那些弹幕不仅仅是文字，更是观众们在某个时刻留下的心情。但随着 dmooji 的开发者停止了维护，插件无法使用，用户的弹幕数据也随之丢失。那些在无数个夜晚留下的感触和笑点都被抹去，曾经与他人共享的回忆也随之消逝。这样的教训提醒我们，依赖于单一平台和维护团队的产品，总有脆弱的一天，可能我们珍视的东西就会悄然不再。

大约两年前，我偶然间了解到了一个去中心化的社交网络协议——nostr。当时我就萌生了一个想法：如果能基于这个协议做一款弹幕插件，那该有多好！然而，因为我主要从事后端开发，对前端几乎一窍不通，再加上拖延症的“加持”，这个想法一直被搁置。直到最近，我终于下定决心完成了这个项目，并将它命名为 danmakustr。

下载地址：https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/mohbdimkkpjjibdfipfajpgpmegnglhb

源码地址：https://github.com/CodyTseng/danmakustr

最近弹幕墙：https://danmaku.nostr-relay.app/

danmakustr 有什么特点？

基于去中心化社交网络协议 nostr。你的弹幕会被发送并存储到你指定的服务器上，而非依赖单一服务器。即使插件未来不再维护，只要 nostr 网络仍然存在，插件就能继续正常使用！如果你非常珍视自己的弹幕，可以在本地运行 nostr-relay-tray 并将其添加到 relay 列表中。

danmakustr 目前已经在 YouTube 上实现了基本的弹幕功能，支持自定义弹幕的颜色和显示位置。未来还会支持一些弹幕互动功能，和支持更多的视频平台。

结语

在这个越来越注重个人表达和数据隐私的时代，danmakustr 带来了 YouTube 弹幕互动的新可能。它既保留了我们熟悉的乐趣，又为我们提供了前所未有的自由和控制权。如果你也对弹幕文化情有独钟，或者想要尝试一种全新的互动方式，那就赶紧体验 danmakustr 吧！让我们一起在弹幕的世界里畅所欲言，留下属于自己的印记。

@ 3c9712ff:14fecbc4

I first encountered bitcoin approximately two years ago. Prior to that, my understanding of economics was limited to introductory courses I had taken at university. Much like my fellow peers, I found myself lost in the complexity of the mathematical models, leading me to accept the notion that if the math added up, the logic must naturally follow. However, my perspective underwent a significant shift towards the end of 2020 when a friend introduced me to bitcoin by recommending Lex Friedman's podcast with Safedean Amous and, like so many others before me, I fell deep down the rabbit hole. Since that moment, I have immersed myself in countless hours of content, including news articles, books, and podcasts, delving into every facet of bitcoin, from its digital security and mining to wealth management tools and Austrian monetary theory.

The challenge, however, lies in distilling this wealth of information into a format that resonates with individuals who, much like myself in 2020, are not yet deeply engrossed in the subject matter. If you've ever encountered a similar struggle of summarizing and organizing complex thoughts, then this is for you.

This paper presents a clear and strategic approach to reaching individuals who are less informed about bitcoin, often referred to as "Normies." This approach is encapsulated in what we call the "Orange Pill" methodology. For the purposes of this paper, a "Normie" is defined as someone who exhibits the following characteristics: * They are unfamiliar with the concept of 'fiat money' and lack an understanding of how government-issued currency is created, beyond the term 'money printing.' * Their knowledge of monetary history is limited, if existent at all. * While they may have heard of bitcoin, their knowledge typically doesn't extend beyond recognizing it as digital currency. They may have encountered common criticisms, such as concerns about money laundering and the environmental impact of mining.

We will also assume that you, the reader, possess the following characteristics: * You have recently become interested in bitcoin, likely within the past few years. * You have extensively consumed a wide range of content related to bitcoin and Austrian economics, including books and podcasts. * You have dabbled in the art of 'orange pilling,' but you may find it challenging to effectively convey your point when discussing bitcoin with others, often resorting to rambling and non-sequential arguments rather than delivering precise and compelling explanations.

From these considerations, we arrive at a practical blueprint. Here is my guidance for a young enthusiast seeking to promote the understanding of the inevitable. I recommend following these steps:

Diagnose the Problem: * Learn what inflation actually is and where it comes from whilst outlining why central banks are illequipped to dealing with the issue. Identify the Properties of the Solution: * Clearly define why these issues are solved by fixing the money. Noting the charactistics of sounds money that would create financial equality

Link these Properties to bitcoin: Form a strong connection between the identified properties and how bitcoin embodies them. Use concrete examples and relatable explanations to illustrate how bitcoin addresses the problems you've diagnosed.

From my perspective, initiating an "orange pill" moment hinges on people developing a profound aversion to inflation. They should gain an understanding of its origins, who it favours, who it hinders, and who it empowers. If ordinary individuals took the time to contemplate the implications of inflation, it might well lead to widespread unrest. Are we to believe that the money we've earned through our hard work or by offering goods and services to others is gradually losing its value while sitting in our bank accounts, all because unelected officials can create more of it at their discretion? How can such a system be considered equitable?

Theoretically, the initial step in administering the orange pill appears straightforward, but in practice, it's undeniably challenging. The key is to bring people into alignment regarding the concept of inflation. Anyone who earns an income, pays taxes, or possesses any form of financial independence is currently experiencing the pinch of rising prices. We are all too familiar with the sensation of squinting at price tags in the grocery store or at the fuel pump. As bitcoin proponents, we comprehend that characterizing the past two years as simply 'prices going up' is an incomplete and factually inaccurate perspective. Those of us in the bitcoin community recognise that it's the value of our currency that is deliberately diminishing, a situation outrageously engineered to unfold.

We Should Despise Inflation: My initial question to people usually takes the form of, "Don't you detest inflation? Doesn't it infuriate you to pay over $8 for a carton of eggs or $2 per litre for fuel? Doesn't this bother you?" Unless they happen to be Larry Fink, I would assume their answer is no. However, if people remain indifferent or consider it an inevitable facet of life, I follow up with the following argument, often framed in terms of morality. The depth to which you delve into this topic can vary, but the central theme should revolve around addressing the question of who is most adversely affected during inflationary periods. The unequivocal answer is that lower and working-class individuals bear the brunt of it. In the words of the late George Carlin, "It's a big club, and you ain't in it." We're not merely referring to recent years, but rather to every inflationary bubble dating back to the 1920s, 1940s, 1970s, 2000s, and beyond. In each instance, the wealth gap between the top 1% and the bottom 90% has expanded. The increase in wealth from the top 1%. Notice how the increase is always after a recession

Those fortunate enough to have purchased homes with regular incomes from the 1970s to even the mid-2000s are now sitting on what seems like multi-generational wealth, which is at the detriment of the next generation. This is where the concepts of hard and soft assets become relevant.

In simple terms, capital tends to flow towards assets that are the most challenging to create, such as houses, fine art, and jewellery. The price of an asset above its utility value is what’s called the monetary premium as people are looking at it as a store of value. Real estate has been an ever growing source of wealth over the past 50 years meaning that it’s monetary value has grown substantially over that time. To help your friends grasp this concept, you might ask them why a low-cost watch loses value while a Rolex appreciates over time.

The undeniable truth is that inflation primarily benefits individuals who possess hard assets like real estate, jewelry, and stocks, often at the expense of those who do not. The wealth gap widens due to a self-reinforcing inflation cycle: If you already own hard assets, their value increases and you become even wealthier; if you don't, you find yourself further priced out of the market as inflation raises asset prices through credit bubbles. People need to recognise this phenomenon.

What makes inflation particularly insidious is that it doesn't affect everyone uniformly or randomly. The crucial point to emphasize is that inflation disproportionately advantages individuals with existing wealth while placing an added burden on those with lower incomes. This perpetuates the wealth gap. Years it takes to save for a house, arrow points to when President Nixon closed the gold exchange window in 1971 https://image.nostr.build/95b9a127828fefa8d1817b232c76e3d69d9d340c8ae5b83c17992dd1b51d4f1e.jpg

Cause and Effect

So, we've identified inflation as the problem, but now let's delve into why it's happening. Starting with a straightforward question like, "What do you think has caused inflation over the past two years?" may lead the conversation in different directions. However, it's likely that you'll encounter two main types of answers:

a) Supply chain disruptions due to factors like wars or the pandemic.

b) Price gouging by corporations.

The first type of answer relates to a supply shock.

While such shocks are relatively common in our globalised economy, they don't fully explain the consistent month-on-month price increases we've witnessed over the past 24 months. Supply shocks essentially result from a temporary mismatch between supply and demand. When supply chains are severely affected, as they were during the war and pandemic, especially in critical areas like grain, oil, and natural gas, the interconnected global economy feels the strain.

Short-term price inflation due to unforeseen natural events is inevitable and is akin to speed bumps on the road of economic progress. What's important to note is that the free market is best suited to address these issues. As Saifedean Amous explains in "The bitcoin Standard," an increase in the price of a particular good incentivizes producers to increase production, thereby lowering prices back to equilibrium. The key point to emphasize here is that the war in Ukraine, for example, isn't the primary reason why the three-bedroom home your parents bought for $150,000 in 1980 is now comfortably valued at over $1.5 million.

The discussion regarding option B is relatively straightforward. During my time as an accountant, I experienced a disruption one morning when the workers' union gathered outside our building, demanding better pay. While not an unfair or novel protest topic, I went downstairs to listen to the local union representative. He claimed, "The inflation we've felt over the past year is caused by greedy companies and corporate fat cats price-gouging regular Australians." Additionally, I've come across claims in newspaper articles and the general news suggesting that the increase in corporate profits has contributed to 30-40% of the inflation over the last year.

In my view, responding to this argument requires little more than a moment's reflection. Were these corporations equally greedy in 2019? Why didn't we see double-digit inflation and widespread price-gouging four years ago? If corporations exist primarily to maximize profits, why is this happening now? These questions essentially answer themselves and strongly suggest that inflation is not primarily caused by big businesses but is rather leveraged by them. While it's true that major corporations may use inflation as an excuse to raise prices to the detriment of everyone else, this argument misses the point. Essentially, it concedes that the source of inflation lies further upstream.

From this point, we're on our way. Remember, we're not delving too deeply just yet. Based on my personal experiences, I've found myself stuck by trying to condense everything I've learned over two years into such a short amount of time. The result is like a high-powered four-wheel drive spinning its tires in the mud – too much power, not enough traction. We'll omit discussions about the extensive monetary history of central banks, the emergence of the petrodollar after Bretton Woods, the distinctions between bank lending inflation and fiscal inflation, as well as the impending debt spiral and the looming credit crisis for another occasion. For now, we're simply posing a few straightforward questions to set this sizable locomotive in motion. Eventually, inertia will take care of the rest.

Once we've established that we agree with the normie that inflation is immoral, we should take a step further and emphasize that it stems from our flawed monetary system. In our current system, money is essentially credit, and credit is money. This situation arises from how our money is created or "mined." To put it simply, instead of new tokens or monetary units being generated by a natural process, like the laws of chemistry, our money is brought into existence through debt issuance from banks and centrally planned money creation.

Each individual orange piler can delve into this topic in as much detail as needed, but in simpler terms, credit expansion increases the overall money supply, thereby diluting the value of each individual unit. This phenomenon is what we call monetary inflation and explains the consistent year-over-year price increases we've grown accustomed to seeing.

Returning to the earlier discussion about the morality of the orange pill, it's crucial to point out that excessive government spending and credit creation only worsen the problem they claim to solve. There's a circular logic at play here, similar to wealth creation. The federal government and central banks create inflation through poor monetary policies and fiscal deficit spending, which, in turn, fuels inflation. Inflation disproportionately affects lower-income individuals. Governments then respond with more spending, causing further inflation. Even from the perspective of Keynesian economics, this spending won't have a 1:1 impact on aggregate demand, thus increasing inflation. Therefore, it's like a snake eating its own tail: more spending drives up inflation, leaving poorer people further behind, which necessitates more spending. This is how governments tend to expand.

Another point I'd like the reader to explore with their normie is to challenge the necessity of inflation. In my university studies, I was taught that the target inflation rate is set at 2-3%, considered a 'Goldilocks' scenario. However, a glaring question arises: why? Why does an economy require a consistent 2% inflation rate? Why not 4% or 5%? The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) sets the inflation target between 2-3% with the goal of "achieving price stability, full employment, and prosperity for the Australian people." This answer strikes me as absurd, and I prefer to break down the response into three subparts. Firstly, if stability means staying the same, wouldn't a better target rate be 0%? After all, that's the only way prices would genuinely remain stable, right? Imagine how much simpler and less stressful daily life would be if you could guarantee that prices for supermarket goods, insurance, or overseas travel would remain constant year after year. Furthermore, you wouldn't need to become an investment expert just to preserve the money you've already earned, because no bank would offer a savings rate higher than inflation. If it's my money, why can't I retain its value?

Secondly, the answer to the aforementioned question is that without inflation, our economy would implode. This is not an exaggeration. Since our economy is based on credit to fund a large majority of transactions, central bankers have no choice but to be married to inflation. To illustrate a fundamental debt concept, consider this: I borrow $100 from you today and agree to repay you in a year's time. Since I repay you in nominal terms, like all debt contracts, with a 10% inflation rate, the $100 I borrowed from you a year ago is effectively worth $90 when I make the payment. As you can see, this situation benefits the borrower at the expense of the lender and forms a crucial part of why debt is so attractive in our modern economy.

Now, let's switch gears and introduce 10% deflation. That same $100 we borrowed today would be worth $110 when we repay it. This poses a problem for the borrower, who would incur an additional cost to service the debt. If we extrapolate this logic to the $33 trillion of publicly funded debt that the US government owes, we can understand why central economies are averse to deflation. It would be catastrophic. From this scenario, we can conclude that deflation is considered detrimental only in the context of credit-based economies, where it could have disastrous consequences. In contrast, in a society that not credit based, having items naturally become cheaper over time aligns with over 50,000 years of human development. This should be viewed as a blessing and aligns with the process of modernizing economies.

I'm not sure if the Chairman of the Federal Reserve has the easiest or hardest job in the world. Instead of debating this, I would liken their role to attempting to fit a square peg into a round hole. Runaway debt leads to credit bubbles, asset bubbles, and inflation, as we've discussed, and these issues have severe and harmful consequences, particularly for the lower and middle class. So, you'd think Jerome Powell has been equipped with the best tools imaginable to tackle these challenges, right? Wrong. He primarily relies on two tools: a) Creating money out of thin air or removing it to directly impact the money supply (Quantitative Easing or Tightening), and b) Adjusting borrowing costs to indirectly influence the money supply through interest rate changes. Both of these tools lack the precision required for the task at hand and are assessed only on a monthly basis (quarterly in Australia). He is unable to intervene effectively when runaway inflation is caused by government deficit spending and his policies cannot be voted on in the House or Senate.

This is the same for all central banks

To further emphasize this point, consider how distant these policymakers are from the indicators they use. The heads of central banks confidently claim that they closely monitor lagging indicators like unemployment, business loan delinquencies, and consumer spending to determine if their recent rate adjustments are effective. Let's put this in simpler terms for our target audience: Did enough people lose their jobs? Did enough businesses go bankrupt? Did enough families spend so much on their mortgages this month that they can't afford anything else to justify the Chairman's decision? How is this not seen as morally questionable? Each lever they pull has the potential (and often does) to devastate someone's life, particularly impacting those with very little, who spend a larger portion of their income each year and are more vulnerable to job losses.

Identifying the characteristics of the solution The distinction between pessimism and optimism lies in the presence of a solution. It can be challenging not to feel somewhat disheartened when we chart the trajectories of economic trends and contemplate their implications for future generations. However, it's crucial to connect the issues we've identified with the number one solution: bitcoin. To facilitate understanding, I propose breaking down this next step into two parts. To make the explanation easier i suggest breaking this next step into two parts, and since we know that credit is sub optimal money, we need to introduce a hypothetical supermoney. To possess a currency immune to inflation, it mustn't be subject to control by governments or centralised entities. Instead, it should be governed by a decentralised network, with the currency's rules openly available to all. The aspect of control is paramount here; no single individual can be entrusted with dictating how the money operates. Our supermoney should thus exhibit characteristics akin to a commodity-based currency. While we could delve into an extensive history of money, for the purposes of this paper, we'll briefly traverse this history, highlighting key points. As technology advanced, so did trade. In an earlier era, if I had something you desired, we would only trade if you possessed something I wanted in return. This method works within small groups, but it inherently contains friction. This friction is eased by money, which carries an attached value. Various forms of money have emerged throughout history, but the ones that tend to prevail in any society exhibit these characteristics: divisibility, portability, durability, fungibility, verifiability, scarcity, and utility. To underscore these characteristics, we should discuss their suitability. Although we've briefly touched on each of them throughout our explanations, to effectively convey the idea of an "orange pill," we must emphasize that for a currency to succeed, it must exhibit suitability across time, space, and scale.

Salability across time Our supermoney needs to be a good store of value. If we think about a car or computer, they lose value over time as we use them and they become old and obsolete. The depreciation of money is quite different, a dollar minted in the year 2000 hasn’t changed in its qualities as it’s still ubiquitous however we need more of them to buy the same object. This means that every individual unit of a dollar is depreciating and is seen to have a low sailibility across time. For a currency to be salable in this regard it must have a low stock to flow ratio. The only way to guarantee a low stock to flow ratio is if the money physically cannot be issued or controlled by any given group of people. Gold rose to prominance over the 15th to 18th centuries as commodity money as it beat out all other types of precious metals due to its inherent properties and low stock to flow ratio. It didn’t matter how good the mining technology got the increase in gold around the world was consistently between 2-3% for over 150 years. Therefore, for our supercurrency to be salable across time it needs to durable, fungable and scarce.

• Salability Across Space* Salability across space refers to a currency's capacity to be effortlessly transported and accepted across vast distances. For money to be salable across space, it must be highly liquid, capable of changing hands with minimal friction. This means that it should facilitate the instantaneous transfer of wealth across borders to fulfill one side of a transaction. In my view, this is precisely what led to the decline of gold as a currency. As the world became increasingly globalized and trade accelerated, gold couldn't keep pace with paper money. Consequently, our proposed super currency must have the ability to swiftly traverse seas and borders.

It would also be advantageous if this new supercurrency could address foreign exchange (FX) issues. Currently, if I want a product from overseas, I have to send money abroad to acquire it. Even in our current system, this poses challenges. For instance, suppose the item I desire is in Germany while I reside in Australia. In such a scenario, I must convert my Australian Dollars (AUD) into Euros (EUR), likely through an intermediate step involving USD. Notably, I was taken aback by the cost when I last engaged in such a transaction. While I knew the exchange rate was around $0.70 when I visited France to see my sister, it had dropped to below $0.55, representing a 13% decrease. The reasons behind this can be complex but essentially boil down to disparities in interest rate changes between the EU and Australia as both economies grapple with inflation. Given that the EU offers higher interest rates, more individuals are inclined to invest in the EUR compared to a year ago, driving up the Euro's price while simultaneously reducing demand for the AUD.

For normies, I would pose the question: wouldn't it be more convenient if Australia, Europe, and indeed the entire world adopted a single currency? How beneficial would this be for developing nations if they could simply trade using USD? However, one should consider that relying on a single currency like the USD for daily transactions would render us increasingly subject to Federal Reserve policy decisions that might not align with our best interests. Therefore, while our supercurrency should be free from control by any single group or organization, it should also be borderless.

Salability Across Scale Our new supermoney must also scale efficiently. It should function as a unit of account that can be added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided with ease and precision. This is an area where commodity money can encounter difficulties. Think back to the days when tobacco and shells served as money; how did one determine the value of half a shell? Did half a shell equate precisely to half the value of a full one? And what about variations in tobacco quality? These are the questions our new super currency must address, and it's an area where fiat money has an advantage. Our supercurrency will be highly divisible, eliminating friction caused by incorrect amounts and thereby enhancing its utility as a currency.

** Linking these characteristics to bitcoin** We have now recognised that the current monetary system relies on credit and is not only inherently flawed but also destined to fail mathematically. We've also outlined the characteristics of an ideal hypothetical money. This is where we draw the connection to bitcoin. In this part of the discussion, it's beneficial to view bitcoin as a kind of 'super gold,' possessing all the desirable qualities of money without the associated drawbacks. To bridge this understanding, let's explore bitcoin's engineering, ensuring we provide an introduction that doesn't delve too deeply into the technical aspects but still conveys the authenticity of our argument. To establish a foundation for understanding bitcoin's engineering, it's advisable to define key terms. Open Source - the code which all bitcoin nodes run on, the code for bitcoin can be viewed by anyone in it’s enterity. If there is any hidden ‘bug’ or line of code which people don’t agree with the network will reject it.

Nodes - Nodes are individual computers or devices that participate in the bitcoin network by storing and verifying transaction data, helping to maintain the network's security and integrity. Blockchain - Blockchain is the underlying technology of bitcoin, consisting of a decentralised and immutable ledger that records all bitcoin transactions in chronological order, forming a chain of blocks, each containing a batch of transactions. Proof of Work - A piece of data that requires significant computation to find. In bitcoin, miners must find a numeric solution to the SHA256 algorithm that meets a network-wide target, the difficulty target. How bitcoin Achieves Salability Across Time The key beauty of bitcoin lies in its fixed supply - there will only ever be 21,000,000 bitcoins. We previously established that for a currency to be both equitable and resilient to price fluctuations, a fixed supply is essential, and bitcoin delivers exactly that. Additionally, we emphasized the importance of a high stock-to-flow ratio, and bitcoin excels here with a ratio of 19 million divided by 32 thousand, resulting in a calculation of around 58, and this figure can mathematically only go up. From an engineering perspective, the open-source nature of bitcoin is crucial. bitcoin's source code is accessible to anyone with a computer and an internet connection, and it's approved by all network nodes. It's important to unpack the concept of open source and nodes to help your audience grasp this aspect.

How bitcoin Achieves Salability Across Space bitcoin, being an adaptive technology, allows for transactions between any two individuals across the globe. With functional layer-two technology like the Lightning Network, it can even operate without an internet connection. This means there are no foreign exchange (FX) variations and minimal frictions when sending money. While we do pay a transaction fee to miners for including our transaction on the blockchain, it's analogous to the fees incurred with Visa or Mastercard transactions. In our quest to Orange Pill, it's essential to be open to the idea that bitcoin might not function as a primary layer but rather serve as the foundational currency upon which secondary fiat layers are constructed. Regardless of how you present this to your audience, it's important to highlight that international settlements become significantly more straightforward and cost-effective when using bitcoin instead of traditional FX trading. As a side note, it's worth mentioning that everything is currently priced in USD, so we would exchange USD for BTC in this context.

How bitcoin acheives salability across scale bitcoin's ability to achieve salability across space is a testament to its revolutionary design and the power of decentralised networks. Unlike traditional currencies that rely on intermediaries like banks and payment processors for cross-border transactions, bitcoin operates on a global scale without the need for such middlemen. This inherent decentralisation allows individuals worldwide to engage in peer-to-peer transactions, bridging geographical gaps effortlessly. What sets bitcoin apart is its lightning-fast transaction speeds and minimal transaction fees, making it the go-to option for cross-border payments. With bitcoin, geographical borders become virtually irrelevant as it enables secure and instantaneous value transfer across the world.

Furthermore, bitcoin's borderless nature makes it a driving force behind the future of international commerce and financial inclusion. It serves as a bridge between traditional fiat currencies, simplifying international settlements and reducing the complexities associated with foreign exchange trading. As a global standard, bitcoin is increasingly used to denominate values and facilitate cross-border trade. This transformation in how we perceive and conduct cross-border transactions not only enhances the efficiency of global finance but also empowers individuals in regions with limited access to traditional banking systems, promoting financial inclusivity on a global scale. In essence, bitcoin's salability across space redefines the landscape of international finance and empowers individuals worldwide. Answering the common critics I am fully aware that the outline to orange pill may not fully take the shape of what i have laid out above. Thus in preparation for this, i have written our short reponses to potential push backs, arguments or questions that you would likely receive.

“Bitcoin Has No Intrinsic Value” The argument that bitcoin lacks intrinsic value is commonly raised by skeptics, including those who may not be well-versed in the subject and those who prefer alternative assets like gold. To counter this point, it's essential to recognise that value is fundamentally subjective. While some argue for an objective value based on quantifiable factors, such as the labor required for production, the Austrian perspective highlights the subjectivity of value, tied closely to individuals' preferences and needs. In the case of bitcoin, its value is rooted in what it represents: a viable alternative to the existing financial system. It stands as a form of money impervious to inflation and beyond the control of central authorities. The distinction between bitcoin as a store of value and a medium of exchange should not be perceived as a flaw, as individuals will always seek avenues for consumption and investment.

“Bitcoin Is Too Volatile to Be Money” The assertion that bitcoin could never function as a global currency due to its perceived volatility rests on a logical fallacy. Volatility is a measure of the rate of change in the price of any asset or currency. When discussing bitcoin's volatility, it's crucial to consider the broader trend. Over the years, bitcoin's volatility has consistently decreased as adoption has expanded. This means that it now requires a more substantial influx of capital to trigger significant price fluctuations, resulting in greater price stability. While some criticise bitcoin's price swings, it's worth noting that owning an asset with occasional fluctuations may be preferable to holding one with a consistently diminishing value.

“Bitcoin Is a Ponzi Scheme” The accusation that bitcoin is akin to a Ponzi scheme is often tossed around when people conflate bitcoin with the broader cryptocurrency market. Critics frequently point to issues on cryptocurrency exchanges like FTX or Binance as evidence of the entire crypto space being fraudulent. It's essential to distinguish bitcoin from other cryptocurrencies in this context. bitcoin is a completely decentralised open-source protocol with a proven track record of security through verified proof of work. Unlike many other cryptocurrencies, it fully embodies these three critical attributes. As such, bitcoin stands as a distinct entity, closer to the ideals of decentralisation and security, in contrast to other cryptocurrencies that may not share these qualities. For many proponents of bitcoin, other cryptocurrencies often hold little relevance.

“Bitcoin will never be a better asset than housing” In the context of people saving money (in fiat) for a house deposit compared to those saving to acquire bitcoins, the argument often revolves around the underlying beliefs. When individuals advocate for real estate over bitcoin, it seems that certain core convictions guide their preferences. They may not consciously consider that real estate, since the 1970s, inherently carries a monetary premium. Consequently, they view real estate not solely as an investment opportunity but as a primary place of residence, with potential for future profit upon sale. Many individuals invest their entire equity in their homes (sometimes with 150% debt) due to the common belief that 'property values always appreciate,' without delving into the reasons behind this trend. It's crucial to remember that the poor monetary management by central banks compels people to seek stores of value for their money. In light of this, why not allocate this monetary premium into the currency itself?

In conclusion, I'd like to point out that the journey of adopting the orange pill may not always be easy, and I'm asserting that this isn't necessarily the definitive argument on how to do it. To be candid, this is the first paper I've ever written outside of school and university settings. I embarked on this endeavor not only to prove to myself that I can write but also to develop and explore ideas to their logical conclusions, to test if they can stand on their own merits.

We can all make educated guesses about where bitcoin's price is headed, but in reality, who truly knows? Tomorrow, it may surge to $60k or plummet to zero. Nonetheless, I remain appreciative of the valuable lessons I've learned on this journey. These lessons encompass concepts like reducing time preference, maintaining consistent effort, embracing a diet of unprocessed foods, recognizing the importance of family and friends, and understanding the perils of excessive alcohol consumption. These are lessons that I've gathered during my journey, and I intend to carry them forward and share them with others indefinitely.

I hope that this paper can lead to opportunities, but ultimately, bitcoin has enabled me to find my center and become a better person, just as I hope it does for you. Stay Healthy and Stack sats

Colin Gifford

September 2023

*References: Books: Amous, S. (2017). The bitcoin Standard. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Andreas M. Antonopoulos. (2014). Mastering bitcoin: Unlocking Digital Cryptocurrencies. Websites: Alden, L. (2023). "Lyn Alden Investment Strategy." [https://www.lynalden.com/about-lyn-alden/]. WTF Happened in 1971?. (n.d.). [Website]. https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/

Title of Dataset: [Share of Total Net Worth Held by the Top 1% (99th to 100th Wealth Percentiles)] Source: Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) URL: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WFRBST01134 Accessed Date: 01/09/2023*

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The most challenging aspect of running a successful company is risk mitigation. At any time, due to events which are often unforeseen, a bad year or quarter mixed with poor treasury management can make a company insolvent.

Defined as the process of overseeing an organization's liquidity, financial instruments, banking, and disbursement activities, treasury management ultimately revolves around one key question: How can a company use its already received cash flows to mitigate unforeseen risks?

Failing to address this can lead to adverse liquidity issues, even for companies that excel in their own operations. In this paper, I will explore the reasons why the imminent devaluation of fiat currency through inflation automatically places businesses at a disadvantage whilst also subjecting investors to unwarranted risks, and highlight why bitcoin can be a potential solution.

**Section 1: The issue with current treasury strategy **

A downturn in an economy always reinforces the fundamental rule of business: cash is king.

Only cash can pay creditors, payroll and expenditures, and at first thought one would assume that a company should accumulate as much as possible to protect against potential downturns.

However, what we learn from a relatively early age is that idled cash loses purchasing power each year through inflation. Even a thriving company generating $1 billion in annual sales and holding this amount on its balance sheet will lose $70 million of purchasing power at a 7 per cent inflation rate.

Inflation therefore creates a powerful and direct incentive for companies to hold as little endowment as possible and decapitalise into short term investments which offer some form of yield to combat this.

The rules of the game are simple. Whatever alternative chosen still has to be low risk and liquid enough so current liabilities can be paid when they fall due. The irony of the situation is companies need a cash-like instrument but cannot in any way hold cash.

The next best alternative becomes sovereign debt, or at the very least high-grade company bonds as they are both relatively safe and liquid, but this strategy runs into many of the same problems as holding cash in a bank account.

Taking the current US 10 Year Treasury Note as an example with a coupon rate sitting at 4.7%, we can see this doesn’t actually fix the problem inflation causes. This strategy only gives investors a taxable yield of 470 basis points, which is more likely a 350-bps yield after tax. Again, if investors have parted with their capital and taken on additional risk through debt purchasing their money should be outpacing inflation.

It is self-evident that the risk-free rate is far from acceptable for investors, nor should it be.

As an investor deciding to forgo the risk-free rate and opt to invest in the stock market, you are doing so in pursuit of an additional (market risk) premium which comes with the added risk.
Since the market risk premium puts the investor’s return expectation around the 12-14% mark, company CFOs face the daunting task of delivering this annual return with interest rates at 5% and inflation at 7%.

Understanding if they do nothing they are diluting value, corporate teams now have to decapitalise in other ways, so how do they do it?

The three strategies predominantly used by publicly listed companies to decapitalise and accrete value are 1) Issue dividends 2) Stock/Share buybacks 3) Acquire other companies.

**1. Issue Dividends ** If the objective is to distribute money to shareholders, why not simply give the money directly to them? This approach is particularly favourable for large blue-chip companies.

Dividend expectations become sticky, making it challenging for CFOs to disburse funds sporadically, especially when the company performs well and sets strong expectations for future disbursement. For this reason, we see dividends ultimately increase overtime as seen below.

The bigger issue however is that issuing dividends doesn't help accrete Earnings Per Share (EPS).

S&P 500 Dividends from 1999 to 2023. Source: Included

**2. Stock/Share Buyback ** A more realistic treasury strategy for CFOs seeking EPS accretion is a share buyback.

Buying back a company's stock reduces the denominator in the EPS calculation, thereby increasing the overall figure. A company can either borrow or issue debt yielding around 4% and repurchase shares, which may appreciate by 10% in a year, primarily due to inflation.
This approach can result in an immediate 6% EPS increase which satisfies shareholders. The focus of the treasury team in this game revolves more around the actual cost of the debt issuance than generating inherent value.

As shown below, stock buybacks exhibit a strong correlation with the ebbs and flows of credit cycles. These cycles are influenced by artificially low interest rates, which lead to easily accessible funds.

This further underscores the point made earlier that financial professionals are astute and will always respond to incentives. Share buybacks tend to peak when money is cheap, historically occurring in 2007, 2009-2019, and 2020.

S&P 500 Stock Buybacks from 1990 to 2023. Source: Included

**3. Acquisition of companies ** A third alternative available to companies is to acquire other businesses.

A merger or acquisition (M&A) accomplishes EPS growth through numerator increase which is opposite to a share buyback. Through M&A deals, earnings per share for each shareholder increase, assuming all other factors remain constant.

Since M&A transactions are predominantly financed through debt, it's no coincidence that the pattern of M&A deals follows that of the short-term business cycle, as illustrated below.

The concern with the three strategies above is the imminent infusion of leverage. Substantial debt may be optimal for our largest companies in the current economy, but for most this doesn’t outweigh the substantial insolvency and liquidity risk it brings.

Investors need an alternative which can still accrete value and isn’t at the whim of short term credit cycles.

*Section 2: How Bitcoin Can Change This *

Bitcoin stands as the antithesis to the treasury strategies of the last half-century. It presents a method that genuinely rewards companies for maintaining endowments and setting aside capital for future needs. Instead of resorting to borrowing and navigating the yield curve in search of a suboptimal taxable return, why not invest in the most exceptional store of value ever created?

Bitcoin offers the best of both worlds: the utility of a monetary asset with unrivalled scarcity, all while avoiding the credit and counterparty risks associated with sovereign debt.

Bitcoin's ease of transfer and global acceptability allow for rapid movement, sale, and exchange worldwide, serving as an effective hedge against liquidity risk or a means to reduce tax burdens imposed by resourceful governments.

Only a handful of companies worldwide possess a strategic advantage in terms of the products or services they offer.

Most technology or pharmaceutical businesses churn out similar products at competitive prices, often indistinguishable from their rivals. However, an optimal treasury strategy cannot be forged, manipulated, or concealed over extended periods.

For instance, if a CFO at a tech company listed in the S&P 500 simply wants to invest in sovereign debt or exchange-traded funds (ETFs), why should any investor, let alone an institution, entrust their funds to that company? Businesses aiming to set themselves apart from competitors must provide a service which enhances enterprise value.

The prevailing argument against S&P500 companies using Bitcoin as a treasury asset is its volatility, which at first glance appears valid. Corporate finance teams, along with a multitude of advisors, bankers, and consultants, are handsomely compensated to employ various financial instruments to mitigate volatility and guard against downside risk, so why would anyone willingly increase their exposure to the potential of a sudden market drop?

The answer lies in a fair comparison of Bitcoin's potential as a treasury asset against relevant financial instruments like sovereign or corporate debt, as discussed in the previous section. When you claim allocating 1% of your portfolio to Bitcoin is too risky, yet you're willing to leverage your company significantly with debt to acquire another firm, hoping to time the market correctly and avoid disaster, it raises the question: How do we define risk?

Expanding on this Bitcoin-debt comparison, it must be acknowledged that companies often hold these instruments for extended periods, which mitigates much of the short-term volatility. Bitcoin's primary advantage over debt securities is that it provides a tax-deferred return well above inflation, let alone the market's risk-premium hurdle rate.

Examining the annual return chart since 2010 below, it's evident that Bitcoin's price has increased by a staggering 83% since its peak in 2017.

| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1,331% | -73% | 95% | 301% | 90% | -81% | 146% | Bitcoin yearly ROI

It's possible the annual volatility of the past seven years will be too high for some investors.

But, what if I told you about a treasury asset that consistently delivered positive returns, surpassing market expectations, all without overleveraging a company's risk tolerance? What if I said this asset was fungible, durable, portable, easy to value and verify, and liquid enough to be sold within minutes? You might find this hard to believe, as you'd likely argue such an asset would already be priced correctly and wouldn't offer room for significant value gains. It’s these characteristics which make Bitcoin a desirable treasury asset for companies however it’s still priced incorrectly.

We are still in the early stages of Bitcoin's ascent, and volatility is an inherent characteristic of an asset which hasn't been fully priced for its utility. Bitcoin's utility value hasn't changed since October 2008; it's merely the market value catching up.

The strict limits of scarcity, such as Bitcoin's hard cap of 21 million coins, have never been seen before. CFOs must ask themselves whether they have the risk tolerance to allocate just 1% in this relatively nascent market. The reason not all companies have done so already is simple: current accounting rules are negatively biased against Bitcoin. But this won't last for long.

**Section Three: The Leap to Fair Value Accounting **

For the past decade, one of the main criticisms against Bitcoin as a treasury asset has been the challenge of accurately representing it in a company's financial statements. The good news? This is about to change. Effective from December 2024, publicly traded companies in the United States will adjust how they measure Bitcoin from Indefinite Intangible Accounting to Fair Value Accounting. To simplify for those less familiar with accounting, let's break this down.

Currently, both Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) view Bitcoin through the lens of Indefinite Intangible Accounting under IAS 38 (IFRS 138). Under this standard, Bitcoin is measured on the balance sheet at cost (the total amount spent on purchasing Bitcoin in dollars) and is only revalued if the price of Bitcoin decreases during the accounting period. This conservative accounting approach is designed to assess the value of assets such as patents, copyrights, goodwill, and intellectual property.

However, this restrained method of measurement has discouraged CFOs from adopting Bitcoin. It has also posed challenges for investors.

Suppose two companies acquire Bitcoin at different times; in that case, their financial statements aren't comparable, creating discrepancies between them.

Table 1 - Balance Sheet Effect (Intangible Accounting)

| | Company A | Company B | | --- | --- | --- | | Bitcoin Bought| 10 | 8 | | Date of Purchase | 10 March 2023| 16 April 2023 | | Price at Purchase Date (USD) | $20,200 | $30,500 | | Value on Balance Sheet (16 April) | $202,000 | $244,000 |

The table above reveals several important points. From an investor's perspective, Company A seems to hold less Bitcoin compared to Company B, despite the reality being the opposite. Furthermore, when examining Profit and Loss, the current accounting system attributes any markdown in the value of Bitcoin on the balance sheet as an operating expense.

As someone with a background in auditing, I recognise EBITDA is not a Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) metric and isn't typically included in most income statements. However, investors often seek EBITDA for a clearer understanding of a company's overall financial health, considering its operational and financing value.

To illustrate this with another example, suppose both Company A and Company B have the same operating income, but Company A has experienced a $100,000 loss on Bitcoin since the last reporting period.

An overview of the income statement would appear as follows:

Table 2 - Profit and Loss Effect (Profit and Loss Accounting)

| | Company A | Company B | | --- | --- | --- | | Operating Income | $550,000 | $500,000 | | Operating Expenses | $400,000 | $300,000 | | EBITDA | $150,000 | $200,000 | | Other Gains and Losses | - | - | | Net Profit | $150,000 | $200,000 | Included in this figure is the $100,000 loss on Bitcoin

From this perspective, Company A's operations might appear to have underperformed by $50,000. However, this doesn't provide an accurate picture of a company's actual operational performance. It can lead to the incorrect allocation of capital and misguided investment decisions.

IFRS 13 Fair Value Accounting addresses these issues. Under IFRS 13, assets are marked both up and down on the balance sheet at the end of each reporting period. While assets are still initially measured at cost when purchased by the company, their fair value is measured using a revaluation account that is presented alongside the asset on the balance sheet. This change ensures investors can always discern which companies own more Bitcoin at the end of a reporting period.

The revised table below illustrates this concept:

Table 3 - Balance Sheet Effect (Fair Value Accounting) | | Company A | Company B | | --- | --- | --- | | Bitcoin Bought | 10 | 8 | | Date | 10 March 2023 | 16 April 2023 | | Price at Purchase Date | $20,200 | $30,500 | | Value on Balance Sheet Purchase Date | $202,000 | $244,000 | | Value on Balance Sheet (16th April) | $305,000 | $244,000 |

Fair Value Accounting from the perspective of Profit and Loss modifies how investment gains or losses are reflected in net income. Instead of booking losses against operating profit, they are now categorized under 'other gains or losses'. This change enhances transparency for investors regarding a company's operational health.

When we adjust Table 2 to apply Fair Value Accounting principles, we can observe Table 4 still shows a lower net profit, but it provides users of the financial statements with more insight into the reasons behind this.

An investor might recognize that Company A is a more attractive investment than Company B because the lower net profit is primarily due to losses related to Bitcoin, rather than the core operating performance of the business.

Table 4 - Profit and Loss Effect (Fair Value Accounting)

| | Company A | Company B | | --- | --- | --- | | Operating Income | $550,000 | $500,000 | | Date | $300,000 | $300,000 | | Price at Purchase Date | $250,000 | $200,000 | | Value on Balance Sheet Purchase Date | ($100,000) | - | | Value on Balance Sheet (16th April) | $150,000 | $200,000 | We would expect a note next to this in Financial Statements outlining where the loss comes from

Emerging from this change in accounting standard a new opportunity for shareholders to encourage management to hold Bitcoin.

As diversification in a portfolio reduces the emphasis placed on a single company’s correlation coefficient, as finance theory teaches, we should encourage the CFOs of companies in our portfolios to take calculated risks and explore new strategies for increasing EPS without burdening themselves with significant debt.

I expect at first these positions should be small (around 1%), but over time Bitcoin can help deleverage our public markets and decrease risk for everyday investors.

Colin Gifford

November 2023

**References ** Author: The Bitcoin Layer

Video Title: Bitcoin Revolutionizes Corporate Finance | Michael Saylor

Date of Publication: October 7th

Website or Platform: YouTube

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTiRf1NDEr8&t=3772s

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Güneşin kaybolmasının üçüncü günü, saat öğlen on ikiyi yirmi geçiyordu. Trenin kalkmasına yaklaşık iki saat vardı. Hepimiz perondaydık. Valizlerimiz, kolilerimiz, renk renk ve biçimsiz çantalarımızla yan yana dizilmiş, kısa aralıklarla tepemizdeki devasa saati kontrol ediyorduk.

Ama ne kadar dik bakarsak bakalım zaman bir türlü istediğimiz hızla ilerlemiyordu. Herkes birkaç dakika sürmesi gereken alelade bir doğa olayına sıkışıp kalmış, karanlıktan sürünerek çıkmayı deniyordu.

Bekleme salonuna doğru döndüm. Nefesimden çıkan buharın arkasında, kalın taş duvarları ve camlarıyla morg kadar güvenli ve soğuk duruyordu. Cesetleri o yüzden bunun gibi yerlere taşımaya başlamışlardı. Demek insanların bütün iyiliği başkaları onları gördüğü içindi ki gündüzleri gecelerden daha karanlık olduğunda hemen birbirlerinin gırtlağına çökmüş, böğürlerinde delikler açmış, gözlerini oyup kafataslarını parçalamışlardı.

İstasyonun ışığı titrediğinde karanlığın enseme saplandığını hissettim. Eğer şimdi, böyle kalabalık bir yerde elektrik kesilse başımıza ne gelirdi?

İçerideki askerlerden biri bakışlarımı yakalayınca yeniden saate odaklanmış gibi yaptım. Sadece birkaç dakika geçmişti.

“Tarlalarım gitti. Böyle boyum kadar ayçiçeği doluydu. Ah, hepsi ölüp gidiyor. Afitap’ın çiçekleri de gi-”

“Dayı, Allah’ını seversen sus. Hepimizi yakacaksın şimdi.”

Karanlıkta durduğunda, görünmez olmayı istemeye başlıyordun. Kimse seni görmemeli, nefesini bile duymamalıydı. Kimsenin de ayağının altında dolaşmamalıydın; gelip kazayla sana çarpmamalılar, takılıp sendelememeliydiler. Yoksa aslında hedefi sen olmadığın bir öfke gürlemeye başlar, yaşadığın ilk şoku ve acıyı silerek üstünden geçerdi.

İlk konuşan, yaşlıca bir adam, kafasında kasketi, nasırlı ellerine hohluyordu. Gözleri ve burnu kızarmıştı. Güneşin kaybolması onun için kendi başına bir felaket değildi. Hayatına olan pratik yansımalarından korkuyordu olsa olsa. Bir anının kaybolması, bu yüzden çoktan kaybettiği birinin biraz daha eksilmesi. Hayatta kalmasını gerektiren sebepler azalırken, hayatta kalmasını sağlayacak kaynaklarını da kaybediyordu.

Onu susturan delikanlıysa atkısını bütün kafasına sarmış, sakalı ve yüzünün derinliklerine kaçmış gözleri dışında bedeninin bütün parçalarını gizlemeye çalışıyordu. İşte o, güneşin kaybolmasının tam olarak ne anlama geldiğini anlamamış olsa bile, dehşetini olduğu gibi hissedebilenlerdendi.

Güneşin onlardan alındıktan sonra kime verileceğini sormuyorlardı. En başta onlara verildiğinde de hiçbir soru sormamışlardı zaten.

İki saat ne zaman geçer?

Midemin üstünde, sağ tarafıma doğru keskin bir acı hissettim. Karaciğerim. Gözlerimi yumdum. Yanımda biri metal bir nesneyi yere bıraktı. Bir kafesti. İçerisindeki kartalın ıslak kokusu burnuma ulaşmadan önce bile biliyordum bunu.

“Yeniden mi?” diye sordu bana kartal. Kanatları kanlı. Zamanın her bir parçası tüylerinin üstüne çöreklenmişti. Gagası bir şey, tahminen et parçası geveliyor gibi hareket ediyordu. Eski anılar kolay unutulmazmış. Şu anda kafesinin kalın parmaklıklarının ardında olsa da bunun bir aldatmaca olduğunu bir tek ben biliyordum. Her an kanatlarını iki yana uzatıverebilir, hava bu hareketiyle dalgalanarak kafesi esneterek hepimizi içine alacak kadar genişleyebilir, parmaklıklar önce ayaklarımızın altına serilir gibi gözükebilir ama aslında hepimizin üstünde yükselerek tepemize çökebilirdi.

Aşağıya baktım. Tahtalarla zapt edilmiş, hiçbir yere gidemeyen ama her yere uzanan tren rayları. Atlayıp koşsam… Çantam çok ağırdı. Daha birkaç adım atamadan, kartal, suratını bedenime gömerdi.

“Bu sefer farklı,” diye yanıtladım onu. “Yeniden diyemezsin. Tekrarladığım bir şey değil bu. Hatta bir hata yapıyormuşum gibi tonlayamazsın da. Bu sefer, insanların hak etmediğini biliyorum.”

“O zaman daha vahim. Süzme salaksın demektir.”

“İnsanların hak etmemesi, insanlığın hak etmediği anlamına gelmez ki.”

Az önce göz göze geldiğim genççe ama çökük asker hâlâ bana bakıyordu. Bir kartalla konuştuğumu anlamamıştı şüphesiz. Yanımdakilerden biriyle konuştuğumu sanmış olmalıydı. Ama konuştuğum kişiye bakmıyordum ona göre. Çekingence kafamı eğmiştim. Bir kez daha göz göze geldiğimizde içerideki diğer iki askere bir şeyler söyledi, onlar dönüp beni süzerken dışarı çıktı.

Yanımızdaki, az önce konuşan iki adam da şaşkınlıkla bir bana bir kartala bakıyordu.

“Yalnız bu sefer kalbin de kırılacak, Prometheus,” dedi kartal, bana. “Belki son olur. Biliyorsun, bir sürü soruna neden oluyor bu yaptıkların.”

Beni koruyordu sözde. En çok kanıma dokunan buydu. Kasıklarımın üstüne oturmuş, kanlı suratının ardında gözleri parlarken attığı çığlık kulaklarımda titremeye devam ediyordu. Bu tabloda kimsenin kimseyi düşündüğü yoktu. Kartalın, yanımızdaki adamların, artık arkama kadar gelmiş olması gereken askerin, tren raylarının, geçmeyen saatlerin…

Arkamı döndüğümde, asker sahiden oradaydı. Zaten öyle olması gerekiyordu; görmüştüm bunu, biliyordum. Kehanetler… Bir şeyler söylüyordu ama ağzı oynarken sesi çıkmıyordu. Yavaşlamış, kendisini saatin akışına uydurmuştu. Havada donan tükürüğünden anlaşılıyordu, sinirliydi. Korktuğu için olduğunu biliyordum. Her seferinde korkmuşlardı. Beni unutmuş olmaları işlerini kolaylaştırmıyordu. Sadece yeni bir isim vermelerine neden oluyordu. Bu seferkiyle beni lanetleyecekleri kesinleşmişti.

Olması gerekenle olanların farklı olması ne kadar acınasıydı. Olması gerekenlerin doğasının kötücül olmasıysa bir yerde buna dayanıyordu.

“Salaksın,” dedi kartal bana. Zamanı aşan bir çığlık. Hepimizin önüne geçmişti ama kimseyi durduramıyordu.

Sonsuzluğa kaç tane iki saat sıkıştırabilirsiniz?

Ben bir tane bile sıkıştıramadım.

Çantama uzanıyordum. Asker de sırtındaki tüfeğini indiriyordu. Benim acelem yoktu, onunsa eli ayağı birbirine dolaşıyordu. Oysaki her şey tam olması gerektiği anda olacaktı. Kehanet başkasının parmaklarının ucundaydı.

Güneş, bir tüfeğin patlamasıyla yeryüzüne doğdu.

Rayların üzerine serilmiş göğsümün ortasından, bir çantanın içinden.

Not: Bu öykü ilk olarak 2021 yılında Esrarengiz Hikâyeler'de yayımlanmıştır.

@ 3c9712ff:14fecbc4

“Bitcoin is too slow and expensive – [my altcoin] is a much better payment option” – Altcoiner.

An underrated part of the orange pill experience is diving into the value proposition of other crypto tokens to then start questioning Bitcoin’s future.

Listening to some quirky computer programmer on YouTube explaining that ‘since Bitcoin is slow and expensive, it can never have worldwide adoption, but MonkeyCoin420 can process transactions faster than Mastercard, so this is now the future of money,’ we start questioning whether we’re hodling the right coins or whether our thoughts on Bitcoin are antiquated.

This thinking builds on our innate understanding that since technology is ever expanding and moves in one direction, any newer technology is superior to previous iterations otherwise it wouldn’t exist.

But this surface level assessment of technology often overlooks what we’ve lost to obtain this.

Allow me to explain.

My favourite bitcoin slogan “there are no solutions, only trade-offs” is perfectly conveyed in the bitcoin trilemma below .

Bitcoin Trilemma

The idea overall idea is the following, 1. You can only achieve two out of the three components 2. Any improvement one section will result in a regression in another

Take Solona for example. Assuming their claim that their transaction speed on the base chain can service all the world’s digital transactions, the response is not to suddenly sell all your bitcoin to buy theirs, but rather question what they gave up achieving this.

As for most cryptocurrencies, the answer is decentralisation.

Bitcoin’s hard fork; Bitcoin Cash

The blocksize war from 2015-2017 was boiled down to this very trade-off between speed and decentralisation.

In short – the argument for ‘big blockers’ and ‘small blockers’ is summarised as

Smaller block size = easier to store transactions = more nodes = increased decentralisation.

Larger block size = more transaction in each block = faster base chain layer.

Both can be true at the same time and the results of this experiment can be observed in a simple price chart below:

Bitcoin cash priced in bitcoin since inception: source

The lesson from this is that speed isn’t everything and as [Austrian] economics teaches us there is no magic formula which quantifies this trade-off, we only have the collective subjective views of willing market participants (the price).

Ultimately, the small blockers won out and running a full bitcoin node today uses around 650 gigabytes (which is low in today’s computing standards) and helps create a low barrier entry to uphold bitcoin’s decentralisation.

This will always be a prominent component of freedom money.

There are no easy solutions a fancy line of code can address that doesn’t bring negative consequences. To think of bitcoin in such a way is to imply that you can upgrade the laws of thermodynamics itself, you can’t have it all.

Colin Gifford

June 2024

@ 3bf0c63f:aefa459d

Bluesky is a scam

Bluesky advertises itself as an open network, they say people won't lose followers or their identity, they advertise themselves as a protocol ("atproto") and because of that they are tricking a lot of people into using them. These three claims are false.

protocolness

Bluesky is a company. "atproto" is the protocol. Supposedly they are two different things, right? Bluesky just releases software that implements the protocol, but others can also do that, it's open!

And yet, the protocol has an official webpage with a waitlist and a private beta? Why is the protocol advertised as a company product? Because it is. The "protocol" is just a description of whatever the Bluesky app and servers do, it can and does change anytime the Bluesky developers decide they want to change it, and it will keep changing for as long as Bluesky apps and servers control the biggest part of the network.

Oh, so there is the possibility of other players stepping in and then it becomes an actual interoperable open protocol? Yes, but what is the likelihood of that happening? It is very low. No serious competitor is likely to step in and build serious apps using a protocol that is directly controlled by Bluesky. All we will ever see are small "community" apps made by users and small satellite small businesses -- not unlike the people and companies that write plugins, addons and alternative clients for popular third-party centralized platforms.

And last, even if it happens that someone makes an app so good that it displaces the canonical official Bluesky app, then that company may overtake the protocol itself -- not because they're evil, but because there is no way it cannot be like this.

identity

According to their own documentation, the Bluesky people were looking for an identity system that provided global ids, key rotation and human-readable names.

They must have realized that such properties are not possible in an open and decentralized system, but instead of accepting a tradeoff they decided they wanted all their desired features and threw away the "decentralized" part, quite literally and explicitly (although they make sure to hide that piece in the middle of a bunch of code and text that very few will read).

The "DID Placeholder" method they decided to use for their global identities is nothing more than a normal old boring trusted server controlled by Bluesky that keeps track of who is who and can, at all times, decide to ban a person and deprive them from their identity (they dismissively call a "denial of service attack").

They decided to adopt this method as a placeholder until someone else doesn't invent the impossible alternative that would provide all their desired properties in a decentralized manner -- which is nothing more than a very good excuse: "yes, it's not great now, but it will improve!".

openness

Months after launching their product with an aura of decentralization and openness and getting a bunch of people inside that believed, falsely, they were joining an actually open network, Bluesky has decided to publish a part of their idea of how other people will be able to join their open network.

When I first saw their app and how they were very prominently things like follower counts, like counts and other things that are typical of centralized networks and can't be reliable or exact on truly open networks (like Nostr), I asked myself how were they going to do that once they became and open "federated" network as they were expected to be.

Turns out their decentralization plan is to just allow you, as a writer, to host your own posts on "personal data stores", but not really have any control over the distribution of the posts. All posts go through the Bluesky central server, called BGS, and they decide what to do with it. And you, as a reader, doesn't have any control of what you're reading from either, all you can do is connect to the BGS and ask for posts. If the BGS decides to ban, shadow ban, reorder, miscount, hide, deprioritize, trick or maybe even to serve ads, then you are out of luck.

Oh, but anyone can run their own BGS!, they will say. Even in their own blog post announcing the architecture they assert that "it’s a fairly resource-demanding service" and "there may be a few large full-network providers". But I fail to see why even more than one network provider will exist, if Bluesky is already doing that job, and considering the fact there are very little incentives for anyone to switch providers -- because the app does not seem to be at all made to talk to multiple providers, one would have to stop using the reliable, fast and beefy official BGS and start using some half-baked alternative and risk losing access to things.

When asked about the possibility of switching, one of Bluesky overlords said: "it would look something like this: bluesky has gone evil. there's a new alternative called freesky that people are rushing to. I'm switching to freesky".

The quote is very naïve and sounds like something that could be said about Twitter itself: "if Twitter is evil you can just run your own social network". Both are fallacies because they ignore the network-effect and the fact that people will never fully agree that something is "evil". In fact these two are the fundamental reasons why -- for social networks specifically (and not for other things like commerce) -- we need truly open protocols with no owners and no committees.

@ 3c9712ff:14fecbc4

Next time you see high currency denominations, remember someone poorer than you paid for it with their life’s savings.

Last month I went on a solo bike trip around the beautiful Indonesian island of Bali.

What I took from my week away was the following: beautiful beaches, friendly people, delicious food, and an utterly worthless currency.

I was struck by how worthless the Indonesian's Rupiah (IDR) was.

2000 IDR for parking, 15,000 IDR for coffee, and 50,000 IDR for fried rice! Converted into AUD or any Western currency, these amounts are mere pocket change, which begs the question: why?

188k IDR (approx. 18 AUD)

Indonesian people have been saddled with high inflation for over a hundred years. In fact, the Rupiah’s Wikipedia page is just a long run sheet of debasements and rug pulls from foreign and domestic powers, but none were as big or as recent as the 1990's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Indonesian_rupiah

Asian Financial Crisis – A Short History Lesson

If you watch any YouTube video or read articles about the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis it’ll paint you the same incomplete story. They’ll tell you that the entire Southeast Asian region (known as the Tiger countries) had booming economies through the 1990’s as measured by the godfather of Keynesian measurement GDP (this is a great casestudy on the flaws of this metric).

Then one day out of the blue in 1997 the Thai central bank ran out of foreign currency reserves, could no longer sustain the rapid growth and thus the bubble burst.

The ‘Asian Contagion’ as they called it spread through the reason like wildfire, hitting Indonesia the hardest.

All accounts of the crisis on the internet wrap up by concluding Indonesia experienced an 87% currency devaluation between 1997-1998, before wrapping up the story there.

IDR/USD exchange rate | https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CCUSSP02IDQ650N

I won’t detail the full causes and effects of the crisis in this article but unfortunately the one sentence summary described perfectly by the Austrian Business Cycle Theory.

Easy Money > Increased Debt > Artificial ‘Prosperity’ > Malinvestment > Bubble Burst > Millions Forced into Poverty

Keynesian economists get away with wiping out working-class people because they boil financial repression down to complex models and aggregates.

If Mises’s Human Action has taught me anything it’s that graphs and numbers only tell you so much, but economics must be fundamentally understood at a personal level.

Real World Effect

During my travels I met Bulan, grandmother who runs a guesthouse on the beach with her entire family.

Bulan’s granddaughters looking for crabs on the local beach.

Although I couldn’t communicate with her beyond hand gestures, I understood her story. I saw a family that had worked and saved for generations, only to have to start over in the 1990s when almost 90% of their wealth evaporated in just three months.

Unfortunately, this is the story of the masses in the Global South. Not only does Bulan’s family face higher inflation than we do, but they also have minimal options for financial protection.

There are no mutual funds, ETFs, or indexes they can invest in. Their best hope is to buy their own house and pray that the cash under their bed doesn’t depreciate. These are the most vulnerable people.

The Need for Sound Money

There are very few better examples than the need for sound money than Indonesia. For a society to be truly free, one must first be able to save. And one can only truly save in a currency free from debasement.

Accumulating, storing, and passing down wealth is a tradition as old as family itself.

I just hope that Bulan’s granddaughters are given a fairer go than her.

@ 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.

@ 3c9712ff:14fecbc4

Hello and congratulations,

If you are reading this, you have been accepted for the journalist role at the Australian Financial Review (AFR) in the cryptocurrency and digital assets team- specialising in bitcoin reporting.

Don’t worry if you have never studied bitcoin or even bothered to take 15 minutes to learn the value proposition because neither have we! That’s why we have written the following 4 rules all AFR journalists must abide by when writing about bitcoin (with examples!).

Rule 1: Bitcoin has no intrinsic value; therefore it is a Ponzi scheme.

Repeat this line in some way, shape or form whenever you can. If you can declare it dead or compare it to the tulip bubble of 1636 without analysis even better.

Remember, since bitcoin doesn’t generate cashflows and can’t be valued the same as a company, it is inherently worthless. Ensure you look past gold’s five-thousand-year-old use case when making this claim (very important).

Since it’s worthless and you can’t earn that precious dividend our close friends at all major banks offer, the only reason to buy bitcoin is to sell it at a higher price to a greater fool. Ignore the fact this is literally how a stock market operates.

**Rule 2: Bitcoin and Crypto are the same thing. **

Bitcoin = Ethereum = NFT = Sam Bankman Fried. You must group all these terms together as often as possible with the goal of obfuscating scam artists with underlying technologies.

Because SBF was the crypto guy, and bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, any proof of his fraud is also proof the reader shouldn’t trust bitcoin.

From here the next leap is easy – bitcoin is only used by criminals and money launderers. Ignore the blatant contradiction from Rule 1 (bitcoin has no value at all) and instead focus on dangers of allowing an immutable, censorship resistant protocol.

Getting quotes from reputable sources are important, so make sure you use people like J.P Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon on why we need to shut down bitcoin and protect the readers from criminals.

Ignore his $350 million money laundering fine his company received last year…..

Rule 3: Proof of work is wasteful

Learning about bitcoin’s security mechanism proof of work (PoW) ironically takes a lot of time and energy. So, we instead suggest you skip this and learn the following

• If bitcoin mining uses a lot of power, that means it’s stealing energy from a family because all energy units are created equal

• Bitcoin uses more energy than a small country. Don’t explain why that matters, just leave it there; the reader will figure it out.

Rule 4: There on this earth is worse than volatility.

Our readers are rational investors who don’t like risk. Instead, they would prefer a prudent portfolio strategy of taking on a leveraged position of 5:1 to buy the greatest asset ever created by god, Australian Real Estate.

We stress that since bitcoin’s price decreased last week, it can’t possibly be a store of value and is therefore worse than the Argentinian Peso.

Volatility is bad, and all Australians must take out as much debt as possible to keep our “economy” afloat achieve financial freedom.

Conclusion

At the AFR are the last stand against new ideas. Bitcoin is a scary asset, but nothing is more intimidating than learning about it.

Colin Gifford

June 2024

@ 3c9712ff:14fecbc4

Modern Monetary Theory

For anyone to properly articulate their own views, you must be able to put others in words.

The opposite of Austrian Economics is not Keynesian, its Modern Monetary Theory (MMT).

Outlined below are the key understandings of MMT and how it works.

1. Money Is Not A Commodity But Rather A Tool Of The State

The starting point of MMT as a philosophy is on the creation of money itself. Whereas the Austrian school notes that money was formed naturally through history as a lubricant for barter, MMT instead argues that money is a tax liability built on credit which is imposed by the state and spent out into the economy.

MMT builds on the idea of the State Theory Of Money and it is the only the state – not the market - that gives value to a currency. From this framework, money must first be spent into the economy by with government, then collected by state in the form of taxes.

Because money is a product of the state, and people will always use the state’s money because of their tax liability, a government is fundamentally different to a household.

Governments don’t have to worry about “living below their means” because they are the currency issuers not the currency users.

2. Government Deficit is Private Sector Surplus

“Deficits are almost always seen in a bad light, and I would like to change that” Stephanie Kelton

MMT will point out that a deficit to the government is just a surplus to the private sector. Therefore, it’s not the deficit itself that is an issue but where the money is going. Kelton will point out that tax cuts favour the wealthy whereas infrastructure projects help all. But overall, the idea is that government spending into the economy helps the private sector flourish.

Watch her Ted Talk here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FATQ0Yf0Fhc&t=610s

3. Resources are finite, NOT money

Since state’s can print its own currency, the age-old question of funding projects no longer applies. The question instead becomes ‘do we have the real resources to achieve this?’

Using Victoria’s Big Build as an example, the government doesn’t have to worry about the $90 billion cost to taxpayers. Rather, the Allen government’s only concern is whether they can source enough labour and materials to build the project without stifling the private sector.

Since are economy is perpetually underutilised, being unemployment and idle assets, MMT is a theory of utilising this. If the government pays too much and bids up the prices and causes inflation, they will subsequently increase taxes and take out the excess savings.

The Austrian Rebuttal

The Model Is Happily Built On Coercion

For one to have the opinion that money is built on the tax liability to the state, you must at some level be comfortable with coercion.

Those who are sympathetic MMT won’t even dispute this, but rather explain this is how societies fundamentally operate. Austrian Economics and laissez-faire capitalism on the other hand are developed through voluntary exchange and human action.

Government Spending is not my Savings

I think this point is a bit of slight of hand from the MMT camp

When the argument is framed this way it leads the reader to believe the following two things

1. Savings cannot happen without governments providing currency to save
2. Money is the same as capital

We know from our Austrian backgrounds that savings isn't just something governments kindly give to their subordinates, but it represents deferred consumption as individuals delay gratification into the future. This is different from being given money and put into bank accounts (covid stimulus)

Capital IS Finite

Capital refers to the goods and resources used to produce other goods and services and is directly downstream of savings. Menger and Mises both agreed that capital enables the production of more complex goods and services to help push civilisation forward and CANNOT happen without savings first.

Currency is not the same as capital. You can’t print capital in the same way that you can’t print wealth.

You Can’t Out Plan The Free Market

Every price and every action is a signal. No amount of manipulation and central planning can lead a more efficient and sustainable economy than robust property rights and limited to no intervention.

Overall MMT is an interesting theory and shares the same frustration with the status quo as Austrians, but is deeply flawed.

@ a023a5e8:ff29191d

What are all the side incomes you earn other than your regular income? I know these questions are not always easily answered, but by sharing yours, you may be providing someone with a regular income that you see for yourself as a side income or a passive income. You know this world, and Bitcoin is sufficient for everyone. Let this be a fruitful discussion for many, including me. 2023 was fine, and 2024 is already here.

I will be bookmarking this thread.

@ 79008e78:dfac9395

ระบบเงินอิเล็กทรอนิกส์แบบ peer-to-peer

ระบบเงินอิเล็กทรอนิกส์แบบ peer-to-peer นั้นจะช่วยให้เราสามารถชำระเงินผ่านทางออนไลน์ได้โดยตรงจากฝ่ายหนึ่งไปยังอีกฝ่ายหนึ่งโดยไม่ต้องผ่านตัวกลางอย่างพวกสถาบันการเงิน โดยใช้ digital signature เป็นส่วนหนึ่งในการแก้ปัญหานี้ แต่มันจะไม่มีประโยชน์ใด ๆ เลยหากยังคงต้องอาศัยตัวกลางที่เชื่อถือได้มาแก้ปัญหา double spending เราขอเสนอวิธีแก้ปัญหา double spending โดยใช้เครือข่ายแบบ peer-to-peer ให้เครือข่ายคอยประทับเวลาธุรกรรมต่าง ๆ ในระบบและนำมาเรียงร้อยกันเป็นเส้นสายของ proof-of-work ที่ใช้ hash เพื่อสร้างธุรกรรมที่ไม่สามารถเปลี่ยนแปลงได้ โดยไม่ต้องทำ proof-of-work ใหม่ โดยให้เส้นสายที่ยาวที่สุดนั้น ไม่เพียงแต่ทำหน้าที่เป็นลำดับของธุรกรรมที่เกิดขึ้นเท่านั้น แต่ยังเป็นสิ่งที่พิสูจน์ได้ว่ามาจากกำลังประมวลผล CPU ที่มากที่สุด และตราบใดที่ nodes ส่วนใหญ่ไม่ได้ร่วมมือกันโจมตีเครือข่ายและยังคงควบคุมกำลังประมวลผลส่วนใหญ่ในระบบไว้ พวกเขาก็จะสร้างเส้นสายที่ยาวที่สุดและสามารถเอาชนะผู้ประสงค์ร้ายที่จะโจมตีระบบได้ ตัวเครือข่ายเองไม่ได้ต้องมีโครงสร้างอะไรที่ซับซ้อน ข้อมูลต่าง ๆ ในเครือข่ายจะถูกกระจายส่งต่อโดยไม่ต้องสนใจว่าผู้รับจะได้รับหรือไม่ และ nodes ต่าง ๆ เองก็สามารถที่จะออกจากเครือข่ายและกลับเข้าร่วมใหม่ได้ตามที่ต้องการ โดยยอมรับเส้น proof-of-work ที่ยาวที่สุด เป็นหลักฐานของสิ่งที่เกิดขึ้นในขณะที่ node นั้น ๆ ไม่ได้อยู่ในเครือข่าย

1.บทนำ (Introduction)

ไม่ว่าใครจะใคร่ซื้อใคร่ขายอะไรใด ๆ บนอินเตอร์เน็ตนั้น ก็จำเป็นต้องพึ่งพาสถาบันการเงินในฐานะของบุคคลที่สามเพื่อดำเนินการชำระเงินทางอิเล็กทรอนิกส์เสมอ ๆ ซึ่งถึงแม้ว่าระบบนี้มันจะทำงานได้ดีสำหรับธุรกรรมส่วนใหญ่ ๆ แต่ระบบก็ก็มีจุดอ่อนอยู่ที่ยังต้องอาศัยความไว้เนื้อเชื่อใจ (trust) ในระบบนี้การทำธุรกรรมที่ไม่สามารถย้อนกลับได้อย่างสมบูรณ์นั้นมันแทบจะเป็นไปไม่ได้เลย เนื่องจากสถาบันการเงินไม่สามารถหลีกเลี่ยงการเป็นตัวกลางในการไกล่เกลี่ยข้อพิพาทต่าง ๆ ที่อาจเกิดขึ้นได้ มิหนำซ้ำต้นทุนในการไกล่เกลี่ยยังทำให้ต้นทุนการทำธุรกรรมเพิ่มสูงขึ้น และเมื่อต้นทุนสูงขึ้นขนาดของธุรกรรมที่สามารถใช้งานได้จริงก็สูงขึ้นตามไปด้วย ธุรกรรมเล็ก ๆ น้อย ๆ ก็ไม่สามารถเกิดขึ้นได้ เมื่อมีความเป็นไปได้ที่ธุรกรรมจะเกิดการย้อนกลับ ความจำเป็นในการสร้างความไว้วางใจก็ยิ่งทวีคูณมากขึ้น ผู้ค้าก็จำเป็นต้องระมัดระวังลูกค้า ต้องเรียกร้องข้อมูลมากกว่าที่จำเป็น การฉ้อโกงกลายเป็นเรื่องที่หลีกเลี่ยงไม่ได้เพราะต้นทุนและความไม่แน่นอนในทำธุรกรรมเหล่านี้ แน่นอนว่าเราสามารถหลีกเลี่ยงมันได้โดยการใช้เงินสด แต่ก็ไม่มีกลไกใดที่ทำให้สามารถใช้เงินสดผ่านช่องทางการสื่อสาร (เอาให้เข้าใจง่ายก็อินเตอร์เน็ต)ได้ โดยไม่ต้องมีตัวกลาง ;-;

แปลว่าสิ่งที่จำเป็นสำหรับการแก้ไขปัญหานี้คือระบบการชำระเงินทางอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ ที่อยู่บนพื้นฐานของการพิสูจน์ด้วยการเข้ารหัสแทนที่จะเป็นความไว้วางใจ ซึ่งจะทำให้คู่สัญญาสองฝ่ายที่ยินยอมสามารถทำธุรกรรมร่วมกันได้โดยตรง โดยไม่จำเป็นต้องมีบุคคลที่สามมาคอยเป็นตัวกลาง ธุรกรรมที่ยากต่อการย้อนกลับจะช่วยปกป้องผู้ขายจากการฉ้อโกง และสามารถใช้กลไก escrow เพื่อปกป้องผู้ซื้อได้อีกด้วย ในเอกสารชุดนี้ เราขอเสนอวิธีแก้ปัญหาการใช้จ่ายซ้ำซ้อนโดยใช้เซิร์ฟเวอร์ timestamp กระจายศูนย์แบบ peer-to-peer เพื่อสร้างหลักฐานการคำนวณลำดับเวลาของธุรกรรม โดยระบบนี้จะปลอดภัยตราบใดที่กลุ่มของ node ที่ซื่อสัตย์ ยังคงมีกำลังประมวลผลที่มากกว่ากลุ่มที่ประสงค์ร้ายกับระบบ

2.ธุรกรรม (Transactions)

นิยามของเหรียญอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ในที่นี้ คือห่วงโซ่ที่คล้องเกี่ยวกันของ digital signature โดยที่เจ้าของเหรียญอิเล็กทรอนิกส์จะโอนเหรียญไปยังเจ้าของคนถัดไป ด้วยการลง digital signature บน hash ของธุรกรรมก่อนหน้ารวมถึงกุญแจสาธารณะของเจ้าของคนถัดไป และผนวกมันไว้ที่ส่วนท้ายของธุรกรรม และผู้รับเงินเองก็สามารถตรวจสอบลายเซ็นเพื่อยืนยันความเป็นเจ้าของได้

https://image.nostr.build/a467896797a9fb9f98c3c234f0adb4df2376f2c3d9a7cc9d8672d7a9f5aa9efa.png

แน่นอนว่าปัญหาก็คือผู้รับเงินไม่สามารถตรวจสอบได้ว่าเจ้าของคนใดคนหนึ่งก่อนหน้าเขาได้ใช้เหรียญดังกล่าวซ้ำซ้อนมากกว่าหนึ่งครั้งหรือไม่ และวิธีการแก้ไขปัญหานี้โดยทั่วไปก็คงเป็นการกำหนดตัวกลางที่มีความน่าเชื่อถือมาเป็นคนตรวจสอบทุกธุรกรรมเพื่อป้องกันการใช้จ่ายซ้ำซ้อน และหลังจากการทำธุรกรรมแต่ละครั้ง เหรียญจะต้องถูกส่งกลับไปยังตัวกลางเพื่อออกเหรียญใหม่ และจะมีเพียงเหรียญที่ออกจากตัวกลางโดยตรงเท่านั้นที่จะเชื่อถือได้ว่าจะไม่ถูกใช้จ่ายซ้ำซ้อน แต่ปัญหาก็คือ ชะตากรรมของระบบเงินทั้งหมดจะขึ้นอยู่กับตัวกลางตัวนี้ เพราะทุกธุรกรรมจำเป็นจะต้องผ่านพวกเขา ซึ่งก็ไม่ต่างอะไรกับธนาคาร

เราจึงต้องการวิธีการที่ทำให้ผู้รับเงินทราบได้ว่าเจ้าของคนก่อน ๆ ไม่ได้ลงนามในธุรกรรมใด ๆ มาก่อน เพื่อให้บรรลุวัตถุประสงค์นี้ เราจะทำการนับว่าธุรกรรมที่เกิดขึ้นก่อนเป็นธุรกรรมที่ถูกต้อง และจะไม่สนใจความพยายามใด ๆ ในการที่จะใช้เหรียญนั้น ๆ ซ้ำอีก และวิธีเดียวที่ทำแบบนี้ได้ คือการรับรู้ถึงธุรกรรมทั้งหมด เช่นเดียวกับโมเดลที่ได้กล่าวข้างต้น ที่ตัวกลางจะรับรู้ถึงธุรกรรมทั้งหมดและตัดสินว่าธุรกรรมใดมาก่อนมาหลัง เพื่อให้บรรลุเป้าหมายนี้โดยไม่ต้องมีบุคคลที่สามที่เชื่อถือได้ ธุรกรรมทั้งหมดจะต้องถูกประกาศต่อสาธารณะ [1] และเราต้องการระบบที่ผู้เข้าร่วมเห็นพ้องในประวัติธุรกรรมชุดเดียวกันตามลำดับที่ได้รับ ส่วนผู้รับเงินก็จำเป็นจะต้องมีหลักฐานว่า ในขณะที่ทำธุรกรรม "โหนด" ส่วนใหญ่ในระบบเห็นพ้องต้องกันว่าธุรกรรมนั้นได้รับเป็นลำดับแรก(ไม่มีธุรกรรมที่ใช้เหรียญพวกนี้มาก่อน)

3.ระบบบันทึกเวลา (Timestamp Server)

สำหรับแนวทางการแก้ปัญหาในครั้งนี้ เราจะใช้ประโยชน์จาก timestamp server ที่จะทำหน้าที่บันทึก hash ของบล๊อกที่ต้องการให้มีการบันทึกเวลา และจากนั้นจะทำการเผยแพร่ hash ดังกล่าว เหมือนกับหนังสือพิมพ์หรือโพสต์ใน Usenet [2-5] (ฟีลแบบทุกคนจะเห็นโพสต์นี้น้าา ประมาณนั้น) การบันทึกเวลานี้จะพิสูจน์ได้ว่าข้อมูลที่ถูก hash นั้นจะต้องมีอยู่จริงในเวลานั้นเพื่อให้ได้มาซึ่ง hash ดังกล่าว แต่ละการบันทึกเวลาจะรวมการบันทึกเวลาของหน้านี้ไว้ใน hash ของมันเพื่อสร้างเป็น chain โดยการบันทึกเวลาแต่ละครั้งจะยืนยันความถูกต้องของการบันทึกก่อนหน้าได้อีกด้วยด้วย

https://image.nostr.build/ddf92417c45dbb6e25da0af80a10d4cdbc3e725d047d65f54a3e3bfcf358c4d6.png

4.พรูฟ-ออฟ-เวิร์ค (Proof-of-Work)

ในการสร้าง Timestamp Server แบบกระจายศูนย์บนพื้นฐานแบบ peer to peer เราจำเป็นต้องใช้ระบบ Proof-of-Work (PoW) ที่คล้ายกับ Hashcash ของ Adam Back [6] แทนที่จะใช้วิธีการแบบเดิม ๆ อย่างการประกาศในหนังสือพิมพ์หรือ Usenet โดย PoW ใช้ในการตรวจสอบค่าที่มาจากกระบวนการ hash เช่น SHA-256 แล้ว ผลลัพธ์ที่ได้ (Hash) จะขึ้นต้นด้วยเลขศูนย์จำนวนหนึ่ง โดยที่ work (ประมาณว่าพลังประมวลผล) ที่ต้องใช้จะเพิ่มขึ้นแบบทวีคูณตามจำนวนเลขศูนย์ที่ต้องการ และสามารถตรวจสอบได้โดยการรัน Hash เพียงครั้งเดียว

ซึ่งสำหรับ timestamp network ของเรานั้น เราใช้ PoW โดยการเพิ่มค่า Nonce ในบล็อกไปเรื่อย ๆ จนกว่าจะพบค่าที่ทำให้ Hash ของบล็อกนั้นมีเลขศูนย์ตามที่กำหนด และเมื่อใช้กำลังประมวลผลของ CPU ไปกับการทำ PoW จนสำเร็จแล้ว บล็อกจะไม่สามารถเปลี่ยนแปลงได้ หากไม่มีการทำงานซ้ำใหม่ เนื่องจากบล็อกที่สร้างขึ้นภายหลังจะเชื่อมโยงกับบล็อกก่อนหน้า การเปลี่ยนแปลงบล็อกใด ๆ จะต้องทำ PoW ของบล็อกนั้นและบล็อกที่ตามมาใหม่ทั้งหมด

https://image.nostr.build/c039ef4ca6833cb1ecee65ac5991df2406be9b7e490b86b3b19f94f267767182.png

นอกจากนี้ PoW ยังช่วยแก้ปัญหาของเสียงส่วนมากที่มาตัดสินใจในระบบนี้ เพราะหากเสียงข้างมากอ้างอิงจากหลักการหนึ่ง IP หนึ่งเสียง ใครก็ตามที่สามารถสร้าง IP ได้จำนวนมากก็จะสามารถควบคุมระบบได้ จึงใช้หลักการหนึ่ง CPU หนึ่งเสียงแทน การตัดสินใจของเสียงข้างมากจะแสดงด้วย Chain ที่ยาวที่สุด ซึ่งบ่งบอกถึงความพยายามในการคำนวณ (Proof-of-Work) ที่มากที่สุด หาก Node ที่ซื่อสัตย์ (Honest nodes) มีกำลังประมวลผลของ CPU ส่วนใหญ่อยู่ในการควบคุม Honest Chain ก็จะเติบโตเร็วที่สุดและแซงหน้า Chain อื่น ๆ ได้ ผู้โจมตีที่ต้องการแก้ไขบล็อกในอดีตจะต้องทำ Proof-of-Work ของบล็อกนั้นและบล็อกที่ตามมาใหม่ทั้งหมด และต้องทำงานให้เร็วกว่า Honest Node ด้วย ซึ่งโอกาสที่ผู้โจมตีจะตามทันนั้นจะลดลงแบบทวีคูณเมื่อมีการเพิ่มบล็อกมากขึ้น

เพื่อชดเชยความเร็วของฮาร์ดแวร์ที่เพิ่มขึ้นและความสนใจในการรัน Node ที่ผันผวน ระดับความยากของ Proof-of-Work จะถูกกำหนดโดยค่าเฉลี่ย โดยตั้งเป้าไว้ที่จำนวนบล็อกเฉลี่ยต่อชั่วโมง หากสร้างบล็อกได้เร็วเกินไป ระดับความยากก็จะเพิ่มขึ้น

5.เครือข่าย (Network)

เครือข่ายนั้นมีการทำงาน ดังนี้

1. การประกาศธุรกรรมใหม่: ธุรกรรมใหม่จะถูกประกาศ (broadcast) ไปยังทุก node ในเครือข่าย
2. การรวบรวมธุรกรรม: แต่ละ node จะรวบรวมธุรกรรมใหม่ ๆ เหล่านี้ ไว้ในบล็อก
3. การค้นหา Proof-of-Work: แต่ละ node จะทำการคำนวณ เพื่อค้นหา Proof-of-Work ตามค่า difficulty สำหรับบล็อกนั้น ๆ
4. การประกาศบล็อก: เมื่อ node ใดค้นหา Proof-of-Work ได้แล้ว node นั้นจะทำการประกาศบล็อกไปยังทุก node ในเครือข่าย
5. การตรวจสอบและยอมรับบล็อก: node อื่น ๆ จะทำการตรวจสอบและยอมรับบล็อกนั้น เฉพาะเมื่อธุรกรรมทั้งหมดภายในบล็อกนั้นถูกต้องและยังไม่ถูกใช้มาก่อน
6. การสร้างบล็อกถัดไป: node ต่าง ๆ แสดงการยอมรับบล็อกโดยการเริ่มต้นสร้างบล็อกถัดไปใน chain ด้วย hash ของบล็อกที่ยอมรับ เป็น hash ก่อนหน้าในโครงสร้างของบล๊อกใหม่ที่กำลังสร้าง

node ต่าง ๆ จะถือว่า chain ที่ยาวที่สุดเป็น chain ที่ถูกต้องและจะทำงานเพื่อขยาย chain นั้นต่อไป หากมีสอง node ที่ได้ประกาศบล็อกเวอร์ชันที่แตกต่างกันในเวลาพร้อมกัน node บาง node อาจได้รับบล็อกหนึ่งก่อน อีกบล็อกหนึ่ง ในกรณีนี้ node เหล่านั้น จะทำงานบนบล็อกที่ได้รับก่อน แต่จะเก็บสำเนาของบล็อกอีกอันหนึ่งไว้ ในกรณีที่บล็อกนั้น กลายเป็นบล็อกที่อยู่ใน chain ที่ยาวกว่าปัญหาข้อโต้แย้งนี้ก็จะได้รับการแก้ไข เมื่อพบ Proof-of-Work อันถัดไปและ chain ใด chain หนึ่งยาวขึ้น node ที่กำลังทำงานอยู่บน chain ที่สั้นกว่าก็จะเปลี่ยนไปทำงานบน chain ที่ยาวกว่าแทน

การประกาศธุรกรรมใหม่ ไม่จำเป็นต้องไปถึงทุก node ในเครือข่าย ตราบใดที่พวกเขายังไปถึง node ส่วนใหญ่ในระบบได้ ธุรกรรมเหล่านั้นก็จะถูกบรรจุอยู่ในบล็อกในไม่ช้า นอกจากนี้การประกาศบล็อกยังไม่ต้องกังวลเรื่องจะมีบล๊อกที่สูญหาย เนื่องจากหากว่า node ไม่ได้รับบล็อกใด ๆ node ก็จะตระหนักได้ว่าพลาดบล็อกก่อนหน้าไปเมื่อได้รับบล๊อกใหม่มา และ node จะทำการร้องขอ block ที่ขาดไปจากเครือข่าย

6.แรงจูงใจ(Incentive)

โดยปกติแล้ว ธุรกรรมแรกของแต่ละบล๊อกนั้นจะเป็นธุรกรรมพิเศษที่จะขุดเหรียญที่สร้างขึ้นใหม่ซึ่งเป็นกรรมสิทธิ์ของผู้สร้างบล็อกนั้น ๆ ซึ่งจะเป็นการเพิ่มแรงจูงใจให้กับ node ต่าง ๆ ในการสนับสนุนเครือข่าย และเป็นวิธีการกระจายเหรียญให้หมุนเวียน เนื่องจากไม่มีหน่วยงานส่วนกลางที่ทำหน้าที่ในการออกเหรียญ การเพิ่มเหรียญใหม่ในปริมาณคงที่อย่างต่อเนื่องนั้นคล้ายคลึงกับการที่คนงานเหมืองทองคำใช้แรง และ เวลา เพื่อเพิ่มทองคำให้หมุนเวียน ในกรณีนี้ คือ เวลา กำลังประมวลผล และไฟฟ้าที่ถูกใช้ไป

นอกจากนี้แรงจูงใจจะมาจากค่าธรรมเนียมการทำธุรกรรม หากมูลค่าผลลัพธ์ของธุรกรรมน้อยกว่ามูลค่าที่ใส่เข้ามา ส่วนต่างนั้นก็คือค่าธรรมเนียมการทำธุรกรรมที่จะเพิ่มเข้าไปในมูลค่าแรงจูงใจของบล็อกที่มีธุรกรรมนั้น เมื่อเหรียญทั้งหมดในระบบมีจำนวนเท่ากับที่กำหนดไว้แล้ว แรงจูงใจหลักก็จะถูกเปลี่ยนมาเป็นค่าธรรมเนียมการทำธุรกรรม และปราศจากภาวะเงินเฟ้อโดยสิ้นเชิง

แรงจูงใจอาจช่วยกระตุ้นให้ node ต่าง ๆ ยังคงซื่อสัตย์ หากผู้โจมตีที่ละโมบสามารถรวบรวมกำลังประมวลผล ได้มากกว่า node ที่ซื่อสัตย์ทั้งหมด เขาจะต้องเลือกระหว่างการใช้มันเพื่อฉ้อโกงผู้อื่นโดยการใช้จ่ายซ้ำซ้อน หรือใช้มันเพื่อสร้างเหรียญใหม่ พวกเขาจะพบว่าการเล่นตามกฎ กฎที่เอื้อประโยชน์ให้กับเขาด้วยเหรียญใหม่มากกว่าคนอื่น ๆ รวมกันนั้นทำกำไรได้มากกว่าการบ่อนทำลายระบบและความถูกต้องของทรัพย์สินของเขาเอง

7.การจัดการพื้นที่ดิสก์(Reclaiming Disk Space)

เมื่อธุรกรรมถูกบรรจุลงในบล๊อกแล้ว สามารถกำจัดธุรกรรมที่ใช้ไปแล้วก่อนหน้านั้นออกได้เพื่อประหยัดพื้นที่ดิสก์ แต่การจะทำอย่างนี้ได้โดยไม่ให้เลข hash ของบล๊อกมีการเปลี่ยนแปลงนั้น ธุรกรรมจึงจำเป็นต้องถูก hash ในรูปแบบของ Merkle Tree [7][2][5] โดยมีแค่ root node ของ tree เท่านั้นที่จะรวมอยู่ใน hash ของบล๊อก นี่เป็นวิธีที่ทำให้สามารถบีบอัดข้อมูลในบล๊อกเก่า ๆ ได้โดยการตัดพวก hash ส่วนอื่น ๆ ของ tree ที่ไม่ใช่ root node ออก (ไม่จำเป็นต้องเก็บ hash ในชั้นอื่น ๆ ของ tree)

https://image.nostr.build/3ed95334891d91baca3f3f6f624a7ae22620be4ebfe0db5eb652cfce11255b9a.png

โดยในส่วน header ของบล็อกที่ไม่มีธุรกรรมจะมีขนาดประมาณ 80 ไบต์ หากเราสมมติว่าบล็อกถูกสร้างขึ้นทุก ๆ 10 นาที 80 ไบต์ * 6 * 24 * 365 = 4.2MB ต่อปี โดยที่ระบบคอมพิวเตอร์ทั่วไปที่วางขายในปี 2551 มี RAM 2GB และกฎของมัวร์ทำนายการเติบโตในปัจจุบันที่ 1.2GB ต่อปี การจัดเก็บข้อมูลไม่น่าจะเป็นปัญหาแม้ว่าส่วนหัวของบล็อกจะต้องถูกเก็บไว้ในหน่วยความจำก็ตาม

8.การตรวจสอบธุรกรรม (Simplified Payment Verification)

การที่จะยืนยันการชำระเงินโดยไม่จำเป็นต้องรัน full node ได้นั้น ผู้ใช้เพียงแค่เก็บสำเนาของส่วนหัวบล็อก (block header) ของสายบล็อก (chain) ที่ยาวที่สุด ซึ่งสามารถรับได้โดยการสอบถามจาก node อื่น ๆ ในเครือข่ายจนมั่นใจว่าได้รับสายที่ยาวที่สุด และรับ Merkle branch ที่เชื่อมโยงธุรกรรมกับบล็อกที่มีการประทับเวลา (Timestamp) อยู่ ถึงแม้ผู้ใช้จะไม่สามารถตรวจสอบธุรกรรมด้วยตัวเองได้ แต่การเชื่อมโยงธุรกรรมกับตำแหน่งในสายบล็อกจะทำให้เห็นว่า node ในเครือข่ายยอมรับแล้ว และบล็อกที่เพิ่มเข้ามาหลังจากนั้นเป็นการยืนยันเพิ่มเติมว่าเครือข่ายยอมรับธุรกรรมนี้แล้ว

https://i.imgur.com/VXtLpRF.png

การตรวจสอบดังกล่าวจะเชื่อถือได้ตราบใดที่ node ที่ซื่อสัตย์ยังคงควบคุมเครือข่าย แต่จะมีความเสี่ยงมากขึ้นหากเครือข่ายถูกโจมตีและถูกควบคุม ในขณะที่ node ในเครือข่ายสามารถตรวจสอบธุรกรรมได้ด้วยตัวเอง แต่วิธีการแบบง่ายนี้อาจถูกหลอกลวงโดยการใช้ธุรกรรมปลอมของผู้โจมตี ตราบใดที่ผู้โจมตียังคงสามารถควบคุมเครือข่ายได้ กลยุทธ์หนึ่งในการป้องกันปัญหานี้คือ การรับการแจ้งเตือนจาก node อื่น ๆ ในเครือข่ายเมื่อตรวจพบบล็อกที่ไม่ถูกต้อง ซึ่งจะแจ้งให้ซอฟต์แวร์ของผู้ใช้ดาวน์โหลดบล็อกแบบเต็มและธุรกรรมที่แจ้งเตือน เพื่อยืนยันความไม่สอดคล้องกัน ธุรกิจที่ได้รับการชำระเงินบ่อยครั้งอาจยังคงต้องการรัน node ของตนเอง เพื่อความปลอดภัยที่เป็นอิสระและการตรวจสอบที่รวดเร็วยิ่งขึ้น

9.การควบรวมและแบ่งย่อยมูลค่า(Combining and Splitting Value)

แม้ว่าการจัดการเหรียญหลาย ๆ เหรียญจะเป็นสิ่งที่สามารถทำได้ แต่การจัดการธุรกรรมแยกต่างหากสำหรับแต่ละเหรียญในการโอนก็คงเป็นเรื่องที่น่าปวดหัวอยู่ดี ฉะนั้นแล้วเพื่อให้สามารถแยกและรวมมูลค่ากันได้ ธุรกรรมจึงสามารถมี input และ output ได้หลายรายการ ซึ่งโดยปกติแล้วจะมี input เดียวจากธุรกรรมก่อนหน้าที่มีขนาดใหญ่กว่า หรือ input จำนวนเล็ก ๆ หลาย ๆ รายการ และ output ไม่เกินสองรายการ คือ รายการหนึ่งสำหรับการชำระเงิน และอีกหนึ่งรายการสำหรับการส่งเงินทอน หากมีกลับไปยังผู้ส่ง

https://image.nostr.build/9c6d3ce0e9f08c5b3fa3b82c2088ac6235603e5c0df3469060e6c9f74bce32fc.png

ควรสังเกตว่า fan-out (กระจายของธุรกรรม) ซึ่งเป็นกรณีที่ธุรกรรม ธุรกรรมหนึ่งนั้นขึ้นอยู่กับหลายธุรกรรม และธุรกรรมเหล่านั้นเองก็ขึ้นอยู่กับอีกหลายธุรกรรม แต่ไม่ใช่ปัญหาในที่นี้ เพราะไม่มีความจำเป็นในการดึงประวัติการทำธุรกรรมทั้งหมดออกมาเป็นสำเนา

10.ความเป็นส่วนตัว(Privacy)

ในรูปแบบธนาคารแบบดั้งเดิมนั้น ความเป็นส่วนตัวเกิดขึ้นได้ด้วยการจำกัดการเข้าถึงข้อมูล โดยให้เฉพาะผู้ที่เกี่ยวข้องและบุคคลที่สามที่ได้รับความไว้วางใจเท่านั้น แต่เนื่องจากในระบบนี้เรามีความจำเป็นในการประกาศธุรกรรมทั้งหมดต่อสาธารณะ ทำให้ไม่สามารถใช้วิธีนี้ได้ แต่ยังจำเป็นต้องคงความเป็นส่วนตัวไว้ โดยการแบ่งการไหลของข้อมูล ด้วยการไม่เปิดเผยตัวตนของเจ้าของ public key คนทั่วไปสามารถเห็นว่ามีคนกำลังส่งเงินจำนวนหนึ่งให้กับคนอื่น แต่จะไม่ทราบข้อมูลที่เชื่อมโยงธุรกรรมนั้นกับบุคคลใด ๆ ซึ่งคล้ายกับระดับข้อมูลที่เปิดเผยโดยตลาดหลักทรัพย์ ซึ่งมีการเปิดเผยเวลาและขนาดของการซื้อขายแต่ละครั้งต่อสาธารณะ แต่ไม่ได้ระบุว่าคู่สัญญาคือใคร

https://image.nostr.build/6ec3c84c7878dbd4558d2045518384daf5a341e86f4194cf367cc8426c2d72a7.png

เพื่อเสริมในเรื่องของความปลอดภัย ควรใช้ key pair ใหม่สำหรับการทำธุรกรรมในแต่ละครั้ง เพื่อป้องกันไม่ให้เชื่อมโยงกับเจ้าของคนเดียวกันได้ อย่างไรก็ตาม การเชื่อมโยงบางอย่างยังคงหลีกเลี่ยงไม่ได้ ในธุรกรรมที่มี input หลายรายการ ซึ่งจำเป็นต้องเปิดเผยว่า input เหล่านั้นเป็นของเจ้าของคนเดียวกัน ความเสี่ยงก็คือ หากมีการเปิดเผยตัวตนของเจ้าของคีย์ การเชื่อมโยงอาจเปิดเผยธุรกรรมอื่น ๆ ที่เป็นของเจ้าของรายเดียวกันได้

11.การคำนวณ(Calculations)

หากลองพิจารณาสถานการณ์ที่ผู้โจมตีพยายามสร้าง chain ปลอมให้เร็วกว่า chain จริง แม้ว่าจะทำได้สำเร็จ แต่มันก็ไม่สามารถทำให้ระบบเปิดรับการเปลี่ยนแปลงตามอำเภอใจได้อยู่ดี เช่น การสร้างมูลค่าจากอากาศธาตุ หรือการรับเงินที่ไม่เคยเป็นของผู้โจมตีมาก่อน Node ต่าง ๆ จะไม่ยอมรับธุรกรรมที่ไม่ถูกต้องเป็นการชำระเงิน และ Node ที่สุจริตก็จะไม่ยอมรับบล็อกที่มีธุรกรรมเหล่านั้นอย่างแน่นอน ผู้โจมตีทำได้เพียงพยายามเปลี่ยนแปลงธุรกรรมของตนเอง เพื่อนำเงินที่ใช้ไปแล้วกลับคืนมาเท่านั้น

การแข่งขันระหว่าง chain สุจริตกับ chain ของผู้โจมตี สามารถอธิบายได้ด้วยแบบจำลองการเดินสุ่มทวินาม (Binomial Random Walk) โดยเหตุการณ์ที่สำเร็จ หมายถึง chain ที่สุจริตถูกขยายออกไปอีกหนึ่งบล็อก เพิ่มความยาวนำหน้าไป +1 และเหตุการณ์ที่ล้มเหลว หมายถึง chain ของผู้โจมตีถูกขยายออกไปหนึ่งบล็อก ลดช่องว่างลง -1

ความน่าจะเป็นที่ผู้โจมตีจะไล่ตามทันจากช่องว่างที่กำหนด สามารถเปรียบเทียบด้วย Gambler's Ruin problem โดยสมมติว่านักพนันที่มีเครดิตไม่จำกัด เริ่มต้นด้วยการขาดทุน และเล่นพนันไปเรื่อย ๆ เพื่อให้ถึงจุดคุ้มทุน เราสามารถคำนวณความน่าจะเป็นที่เขาจะกลับมาถึงจุดคุ้มทุนได้ หรือความน่าจะเป็นที่ผู้โจมตีจะไล่ทัน chain ที่สุจริตได้ ดังนี้ [8]:

p = ความน่าจะเป็นที่ Node ที่สุจริตจะพบบล็อกถัดไป q = ความน่าจะเป็นที่ผู้โจมตีจะพบบล็อกถัดไป qz = ความน่าจะเป็นที่ผู้โจมตีจะไล่ทัน จากที่ตามหลังอยู่ z บล็อก

https://i.imgur.com/vePe255.png

จากสมมติฐานที่ว่า p > q ความน่าจะเป็นจะลดลงแบบเอกซ์โพเนนเชียล เมื่อจำนวนบล็อกที่ผู้โจมตีต้องไล่ตามทันเพิ่มขึ้น หากเขาไม่สามารถพุ่งขึ้นนำได้อย่างรวดเร็วตั้งแต่แรก โอกาสของเขาก็จะลดลงจนน้อยมาก ๆ เมื่อเขาตามหลังมากขึ้นเรื่อย ๆ

ทีนี้ลองพิจารณาว่า ผู้รับธุรกรรมใหม่ต้องรอเป็นเวลานานเท่าใด จึงจะแน่ใจได้ว่าผู้ส่งไม่สามารถเปลี่ยนแปลงธุรกรรมได้แล้ว เราสมมติว่าผู้ส่งเป็นผู้โจมตี ที่ต้องการให้ผู้รับเชื่อว่าเขาได้รับเงินไปแล้ว จากนั้นจึงเปลี่ยนให้เงินกลับเข้าหาตัวเองหลังจากเวลาผ่านไประยะหนึ่ง ผู้รับจะได้รับแจ้งเมื่อเกิดเหตุการณ์นี้ขึ้น แต่ผู้ส่งหวังว่ามันจะสายเกินไปแล้ว

ผู้รับจะสร้างคู่กุญแจใหม่ และให้กุญแจสาธารณะแก่ผู้ส่งไม่นานก่อนที่จะลงนาม ซึ่งจะป้องกันไม่ให้ผู้ส่งเตรียมบล็อกเชนปลอมไว้ล่วงหน้า โดยการทำงานอย่างต่อเนื่องจนกว่าเขาจะมีโอกาสได้บล็อกที่ยาวพอ จากนั้นจึงดำเนินธุรกรรมในทันที เมื่อส่งธุรกรรมแล้ว ผู้ส่งที่ไม่สุจริตจะเริ่มทำงานอย่างลับ ๆ บนบล็อกเชนคู่ขนาน ที่มีธุรกรรมในเวอร์ชันของเขาเองอยู่

ผู้รับจะรอจนกว่าธุรกรรมจะถูกเพิ่มลงในบล็อก และมีบล็อกที่ถูกเชื่อมต่อตามหลังมาอีก z บล็อก เขาไม่ทราบจำนวนความคืบหน้าที่แน่นอนที่ผู้โจมตีได้ทำไปแล้ว แต่สมมติว่าบล็อกที่สุจริตใช้เวลาเฉลี่ยต่อบล็อกตามที่คาดไว้ ความคืบหน้าที่อาจเกิดขึ้นได้ของผู้โจมตีจะเป็นการแจกแจงแบบปัวซง (Poisson distribution) ซึ่งมีค่าคาดหวังดังนี้:

https://i.imgur.com/mYsb48i.png

เพื่อให้ได้ความน่าจะเป็นที่ผู้โจมตียังคงสามารถไล่ทันได้ เราจะคูณความหนาแน่นของปัวซง สำหรับความคืบหน้าแต่ละระดับที่เขาสามารถทำได้ ด้วยความน่าจะเป็นที่เขาสามารถไล่ทันจากจุดนั้น:

https://i.imgur.com/jQGkQ8r.png

จัดเรียงใหม่เพื่อหลีกเลี่ยง infinite tail ของการแจกแจง

https://i.imgur.com/OOO6Gm9.png

แปลงมันให้เป็น C code

include

double AttackerSuccessProbability(double q, int z) { double p = 1.0 - q; double lambda = z * (q / p); double sum = 1.0; int i, k; for (k = 0; k <= z; k++) { double poisson = exp(-lambda); for (i = 1; i <= k; i++) poisson *= lambda / i; sum -= poisson * (1 - pow(q / p, z - k)); } return sum; }

เมื่อรันผลลัพธ์บางส่วน เราจะเห็นว่าความน่าจะเป็นลดลงแบบเอกซ์โพเนนเชียลเมื่อ z เพิ่มขึ้น

q=0.1 z=0 P=1.0000000 z=1 P=0.2045873 z=2 P=0.0509779 z=3 P=0.0131722 z=4 P=0.0034552 z=5 P=0.0009137 z=6 P=0.0002428 z=7 P=0.0000647 z=8 P=0.0000173 z=9 P=0.0000046 z=10 P=0.0000012 q=0.3 z=0 P=1.0000000 z=5 P=0.1773523 z=10 P=0.0416605 z=15 P=0.0101008 z=20 P=0.0024804 z=25 P=0.0006132 z=30 P=0.0001522 z=35 P=0.0000379 z=40 P=0.0000095 z=45 P=0.0000024 z=50 P=0.0000006

การแก้หาค่า P ที่น้อยกว่า 0.1%...

P < 0.001 q=0.10 z=5 q=0.15 z=8 q=0.20 z=11 q=0.25 z=15 q=0.30 z=24 q=0.35 z=41 q=0.40 z=89 q=0.45 z=340

12.สรุป(Conclusion)

เราได้นำเสนอระบบธุรกรรมอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ที่ไม่ต้องพึ่งพาความไว้วางใจ เริ่มต้นจากกรอบแนวคิดของเหรียญที่สร้างจากลายเซ็นดิจิทัล ซึ่งช่วยควบคุมความเป็นเจ้าของได้อย่างดีแต่ก็ยังไม่สมบูรณ์ หากปราศจากวิธีการป้องกันการใช้จ่ายซ้ำซ้อน เพื่อแก้ปัญหานี้ เราจึงเสนอเครือข่ายแบบเพียร์ทูเพียร์ที่ใช้ proof-of-work ในการบันทึกประวัติธุรกรรมสาธารณะ ซึ่งจะกลายเป็นเรื่องยากอย่างมากสำหรับผู้โจมตีที่จะเปลี่ยนแปลง หาก node ที่ซื่อสัตย์ควบคุมพลังประมวลผล CPU ส่วนใหญ่ เครือข่ายนี้มีความแข็งแกร่งในความเรียบง่ายที่ไม่มีโครงสร้างใด ๆ ที่ซับซ้อน node ต่าง ๆ ทำงานพร้อมกันโดยประสานงานกันเพียงเล็กน้อย ไม่จำเป็นต้องระบุตัวตน เนื่องจากข้อความไม่ได้ถูกส่งไปยังสถานที่ใดสถานที่หนึ่งโดยเฉพาะ และเพียงแค่ต้องส่งมอบให้ถึงมือผู้รับอย่างดีที่สุด node สามารถออกจากและเข้าร่วมเครือข่ายได้ตามต้องการ โดยยอมรับ chain ที่มี proof-of-work มากที่สุดเป็นสิ่งที่เกิดขึ้นในขณะที่ไม่ได้เชื่อมต่อ พวกเขาโหวตด้วยพลังประมวลผล CPU แสดงการยอมรับบล็อกที่ถูกต้องโดยการทำงานเพื่อขยายบล็อก และปฏิเสธบล็อกที่ไม่ถูกต้องโดยการปฏิเสธที่จะทำงานกับบล็อกเหล่านั้น กฎและแรงจูงใจใด ๆ ที่จำเป็นสามารถบังคับใช้ได้ด้วยกลไกฉันทามตินี้

ไปอ่านต่อกันเองเด้ออ

[1] W. Dai, "b-money," http://www.weidai.com/bmoney.txt, 1998. [2] H. Massias, X.S. Avila, and J.-J. Quisquater, "Design of a secure timestamping service with minimal trust requirements," In 20th Symposium on Information Theory in the Benelux, May 1999. [3] S. Haber, W.S. Stornetta, "How to time-stamp a digital document," In Journal of Cryptology, vol 3, no 2, pages 99-111, 1991. [4] D. Bayer, S. Haber, W.S. Stornetta, "Improving the efficiency and reliability of digital time-stamping," In Sequences II: Methods in Communication, Security and Computer Science, pages 329-334, 1993. [5] S. Haber, W.S. Stornetta, "Secure names for bit-strings," In Proceedings of the 4th ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security, pages 28-35, April 1997. [6] A. Back, "Hashcash - a denial of service counter-measure," http://www.hashcash.org/papers/hashcash.pdf, 2002. [7] R.C. Merkle, "Protocols for public key cryptosystems," In Proc. 1980 Symposium on Security and Privacy, IEEE Computer Society, pages 122-133, April 1980. [8] W. Feller, "An introduction to probability theory and its applications," 1957.

@ 6bd128bf:bb9002f8

Disclaimer : บทความนี้เกิดขึ้นจากการที่ผมสงสัยว่า seed phrase ที่เราจด ๆ กันไว้เนี่ย มันสร้างมาได้ยังไง ผมจึงเข้าไปอ่าน BIP-39 ที่ว่าด้วยเรื่องการสร้าง seed phrase (mnemonic code) สำหรับนำมาสร้าง seed และได้เขียนสรุปความเข้าใจของผมเพื่อเรียบเรียงความรู้ในหัวเก็บไว้ เผื่อว่าจะเป็นประโยชน์กับคนที่เกิดความสงสัยเหมือนกันกับผม ถ้าผมเข้าใจผิดตรงไหนสามารถบอกกันได้เลยนะครับ

ทำไมต้องมี BIP-39 ?

BIP-39 เกิดขึ้นเพราะว่ามนุษย์นั้นสามารถจดหรือจำคำได้ง่ายกว่าจดหรือจำข้อมูลในรูปเลขฐานสอง (binary) หรือเลขฐานสิบหก (hexadecimal) จึงมีคนเสนอให้สร้าง mnemonic code หรือที่เราเรียกกันว่า seed phrase ขึ้นมา ซึ่งจะประกอบไปด้วย 2 ส่วนคือ การสร้าง seed phrase และการแปลง seed phrase ให้การเป็น seed ที่สามารถนำไปใช้ในการสร้าง private key และ public key ต่อได้

Seed Phrase สร้างยังไง ?

seed phrase นั้นต้องสร้างขึ้นจากข้อมูลทางคอมพิวเตอร์ที่เค้าเรียกว่า entropy ที่มีจำนวน bits หารด้วย 32 ลงตัวและมีจำนวน bits อยู่ระหว่าง 128 - 256 bits ยิ่ง entropy มีจำนวน bits มากก็จะทำให้มีความปลอดภัยมากขึ้นแต่ก็จะมีจำนวนคำมากขึ้นเช่นกัน ซึ่งการสร้าง seed phrase นั้นมีขั้นตอนดังนี้

Step - 1

สุ่ม entropy ที่มีจำนวน bits อยู่ระหว่าง 128 - 256 bits และจำนวน bits ต้องหารด้วย 32 ลงตัว ซึ่งหลังจากนี้จะแทนจำนวน bits นี้ด้วยคำว่า ENT

ตัวอย่าง entropy ที่มี ENT เท่ากับ 128 bits

00110010010101010111100101001011001101100100101001000100001100010111001101110100001110010011011101000101011010100101000101010011

Step - 2

คำนวณหา checksum bits ที่มีจำนวน bits เท่ากับค่า ENT หารด้วย 32 โดยการ hash entropy ด้วย SHA256 algorithm และนำผลลัพธ์มาตัดเอาแค่ส่วนหัวตามจำนวน bits ที่ต้องการ

ผมนำ entropy จาก step ก่อนหน้ามาทำ sha256_hashing(entropy) ได้ผลลัพธ์ออกมาเป็น 01100111......... และจะได้ (128 / 32) = 4 bits แรกคือ 0110 ซึ่งหลังจากนี้จะแทนความยาวของ checksum bits ด้วยคำว่า CS

Step - 3

นำ checksum bits ที่ได้มาต่อท้าย entropy จะได้เป็นกลุ่มของ bits ที่มีความยาวเท่ากับ ENT + CS

ผมนำ 4 bits แรกจาก step ก่อนหน้ามาต่อท้าย entropy ที่มี 128 bits ดังนี้

"00110010010101010111100101001011001101100100101001000100001100010111001101110100001110010011011101000101011010100101000101010011" + "0110"

Step - 4

นำกลุ่มของ bits มาแบ่งเป็นกลุ่มย่อย กลุ่มละ 11 bits จะทำให้ได้กลุ่มทั้งหมดจำนวน (ENT + CS) / 11 กลุ่ม ซึ่งถ้า entropy มีจำนวน 128 bits ก็จะแบ่งกลุ่มได้ (128 + 4) / 11 = 12 กลุ่ม

ผมแบ่งกลุ่มได้ตามนี้

00110010010 10101011110 01010010110 01101100100 10100100010 00011000101 11001101110 10000111001 00110111010 00101011010 10010100010 10100110110

Step - 5

นำกลุ่มย่อยแต่ละกลุ่มมาแปลงเป็นเลขฐานสิบซึ่งจะมีค่าตั้งแต่ 0 - 2047 และสามารถนำไปเทียบกับ wordlist ที่กำหนดไว้ใน BIP-39 ตาม index จะได้ผลลัพธ์เป็น seed phrase ที่สามารถนำไปสร้าง seed ต่อไปได้

ผม map เลขฐานสิบกับ wordlist ได้เป็น seed phrase ตามนี้

00110010010 => 402 = crane 10101011110 => 1374 = profit 01010010110 => 662 = fan 01101100100 => 868 = hold 10100100010 => 1314 = picture 00011000101 => 197 = board 11001101110 => 1646 = soccer 10000111001 => 1081 = mango 00110111010 => 442 = dance 00101011010 => 346 = clip 10010100010 => 1186 = nephew 10100110110 => 1334 = plug

Wordlist

wordlist ที่ BIP-39 กำหนดขึ้นมานั้นมีลักษณะดังนี้ - เลือกกลุ่มคำที่สามารถพิมพ์แค่ 4 ตัวอักษรก็สามารถระบุได้ว่าเป็นคำไหน - เลี่ยงคำที่มีหน้าตาคล้าย ๆ กัน เช่นใน wordlist จะมีคำว่า build แต่ไม่มีคำว่า built เพราะอาจจะทำให้สับสนได้ - เรียงลำดับคำตามตัวอักษรเพื่อจะได้หาได้ง่าย - ตัวอักษรในคำสามารถประกอบด้วยภาษาอะไรก็ได้แต่ว่าต้องอยู่ในรูปของ UTF-8 encoding แต่ผมว่าเป็นภาษาอังกฤษน่าจะจำง่ายที่สุด

จำนวน bits ของ entropy และจำนวน word ที่ได้

entropy 128 bits จะมี 4 bits checksum ได้เป็น seed phrase 12 word entropy 160 bits จะมี 5 bits checksum ได้เป็น seed phrase 15 word entropy 192 bits จะมี 6 bits checksum ได้เป็น seed phrase 18 word entropy 224 bits จะมี 7 bits checksum ได้เป็น seed phrase 21 word entropy 256 bits จะมี 8 bits checksum ได้เป็น seed phrase 24 word

@ 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

@ 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.

@ 79008e78:dfac9395

Nostr: โปรโตคอลทางเลือกใหม่สำหรับโซเชียลมีเดียที่เป็นอิสระ ปลอดภัย และไร้การควบคุม

Nostr คือโปรโตคอลแบบเปิดที่เรียบง่าย ซึ่งช่วยให้สามารถสร้างโซเชียลมีเดียระดับโลกที่กระจายอำนาจและป้องกันการเซ็นเซอร์ได้

จากที่กล่าวข้างต้น เราสามารถพูดได้ว่า Nostr นั้นถูกออกแบบมาให้ใช้งานง่าย โดยมีเป้าหมายหลัก ๆ เพื่อสร้างเครือข่ายโซเชียลระดับโลกที่ปราศจากการเซ็นเซอร์ แล้วทำไมมันถึงทำอย่างนั้นได้? ในจุดนี้เราก็ต้องมาเจาะดูคุณสมบัติหลัก ๆ ของโปรโตคอลที่เรียกว่า Nostr กันก่อน:

เรียบง่าย - โปรโตคอลนี้ใช้โครงสร้างข้อมูลแบบ Event Object ที่เรียบง่ายและยืดหยุ่น (ซึ่งส่งเป็น JSON ธรรมดา) และใช้การเข้ารหัสแบบ Elliptic-curve มาตรฐานสำหรับคีย์และลายเซ็น

• ช่องทางการสื่อสารที่รองรับเพียงอย่างเดียวคือการเชื่อมต่อ WebSockets จากไคลเอนต์ไปยังรีเลย์

• การออกแบบนี้ทำให้ง่ายต่อการพัฒนาไม่ว่าจะไคลเอนต์หรือรีเลย์ และยังช่วยส่งเสริมความหลากหลายของซอฟต์แวร์

ยืดหยุ่น - เนื่องจาก Nostr ไม่ได้พึ่งพาเซิร์ฟเวอร์ที่เชื่อถือได้เพียงจำนวนหยิบมือ สำหรับการเคลื่อนย้ายหรือจัดเก็บข้อมูล แต่ใช้เซิร์ฟเวอร์จำนวนมหาศาลและกระจายตัวอยู่ทั่วโลก จึงมีความยืดหยุ่นสูง และมีการกระจายศูนย์อย่างแท้จริง

• โปรโตคอลนี้ถูกออกแบบมาโดยคำนึงถึงความเป็นไปได้ที่รีเลย์จะหายไป และอนุญาตให้ผู้ใช้เชื่อมต่อและเผยแพร่ข้อมูลไปยังรีเลย์จำนวนมากได้ตามต้องการ และยังสามารถเปลี่ยนแปลงได้ตลอดเวลาอีกด้วย

ตรวจสอบได้

• เนื่องจากบัญชี Nostr ใช้การเข้ารหัสแบบ PKE จึงง่ายต่อการตรวจสอบว่าข้อความถูกส่งมาจากผู้ใช้ที่ระบุจริงหรือไม่

เช่นเดียวกับ HTTP หรือ TCP-IP Nostr เป็นโปรโตคอลหรือมาตรฐานแบบเปิดที่ทุกคนสามารถนำไปสร้างต่อยอดได้ มันไม่ใช่แอปหรือบริการที่คุณจำเป็นต้องลงทะเบียน

แล้วทำไมเราถึงต้องการ Nostr?

ถึงในปัจจุบันโซเชียลมีเดียจะได้พัฒนามาเป็นช่องทางสำคัญในการไหลเวียนของข้อมูลทั่วโลก กลายเป็นช่องทางหลักในการติดต่อสื่อสาร แต่น่าเสียดายที่ระบบโซเชียลมีเดียในปัจจุบันของเรานั้นมีข้อบกพร่องมากมาย:

1. ใช้ความสนใจของคุณเพื่อขายโฆษณา
2. ใช้เทคนิคแปลกๆ เพื่อทำให้คุณเสพติด (อ้างอิงจากข้อ 1)
3. ตัดสินใจว่าจะแสดงเนื้อหาใดให้คุณเห็นโดยใช้อัลกอริทึมลับที่คุณไม่สามารถตรวจสอบหรือเปลี่ยนแปลงได้
4. ควบคุมอย่างเต็มที่ว่าใครสามารถเข้าร่วมและใครถูกเซ็นเซอร์
5. เต็มไปด้วยสแปมและบอท

ด้วยข้อจำกัดเหล่านี้ Nostr จึงเป็นทางเลือกที่น่าสนใจในการสร้างโซเชียลมีเดียที่เป็นอิสระ ปลอดภัย และไร้การควบคุม

องค์ประกอบของโปรโตคอลที่ชื่อว่า Nostr

หลังจากได้ทำความรู้จัก Nostr กันไปแล้วเมื่อคราวก่อน คราวนี้เรามาเจาะดูองค์ประกอบของโปรโตคอลนี้กันดีกว่า

Keys ระบบบัญชีผู้ใช้และรหัสผ่านสำหรับ Nostr

• บัญชี Nostr แต่ละบัญชีจะใช้คู่กุญแจสาธารณะ/ส่วนตัว (Public/Private Key ) เปรียบเทียบง่าย ๆ คือ กุญแจสาธารณะของคุณคือชื่อผู้ใช้ และกุญแจส่วนตัวก็เป็นรหัสผ่าน แต่ว่า ก็มีข้อแตกต่างที่สำคัญอยู่ นั่นคือ กุญแจส่วนตัวของคุณนั้นจะไม่สามารถรีเซ็ตได้หากเกิดการสูญหายขึ้น คุณจะเสียบัญชีนั้นไปตลอดกาล

• โดยทั่วไปแล้ว กุญแจสาธารณะจะแสดงเป็นข้อความที่ขึ้นต้นด้วย npub1 และกุญแจส่วนตัวจะขึ้นต้นด้วย nsec1

• ทั้งนี้คุณควรที่จะตรวจสอบให้แน่ใจว่าคุณได้เก็บกุญแจส่วนตัวของคุณไว้ในที่ปลอดภัย เช่น โปรแกรมจัดการรหัสผ่านอย่างเช่น Bitwarden

โปรโตคอลกับไคลเอนต์ ต่างกันอย่างไร?

Nostr เองเป็นเพียงโปรโตคอล หมายความว่า Nostr นั้นเป็นเพียงกระบวนการที่ตกลงกันไว้สำหรับการส่งข้อความผ่านอินเทอร์เน็ต (เหมือนข้อกำหนด)

ซึ่งการที่คุณจะเข้าถึง Nostr (โปรโตคอล) นั้น ผู้ใช้ส่วนใหญ่จะใช้งานผ่านไคลเอนต์ ซึ่งตัวของไคลเอนต์นั้นอาจเป็นเว็บ แอปพลิเคชันเดสก์ท็อป หรือ แอปพลิเคชันมือถือ โดยไคลเอนต์สามารถดึงข้อมูลจากรีเลย์ และสร้างข้อมูลใหม่ และส่งข้อมูลนั้นไปยังรีเลย์เพื่อให้ผู้ใช้คนอื่น ๆ สามารถเรียกอ่าน ข้อมูลนั้น ๆ ได้ โดย "ข้อมูล" เพียงรูปแบบเดียวที่มีอยู่ใน Nostr คือสิ่งที่เราเรียกกันว่า event

การพิสูจน์ความเป็นเจ้าของข้อมูลบน Nostr

บน Nostr นั้นการพิสูจน์ตัวตนเป็นเรื่องที่ง่ายมากเนื่องจากทุก ๆ event ที่เกิดขึ้น จำเป็นต้องมีลายเซ็นดิจิทัล (Digital Signature) โดยลายเซ็นนั้นจะช่วยให้มั่นใจได้ว่า ใครเป็นผู้สร้าง event นั้น ๆ ขึ้นมา โดยการพิสูจน์ทางคณิตศาสตร์

โดยในการสร้างลายเซ็นแต่ละครั้ง ไคลเอนต์จะจำเป็นต้องใช้กุญแจส่วนตัวของคุณ โดยทั่วไปแล้ว แอปพลิเคชันเจะมีที่ให้คุณใส่กุญแจส่วนตัวของคุณ เมื่อเปิดแอปพลิเคชันครั้งแรก พวกเขาสามารถคำนวณกุญแจสาธารณะของคุณได้จากกุญแจส่วนตัวเช่นกัน

ส่วนในกรณีที่คุณใช้งานผ่านเว็บแอป ผมไม่แนะนำให้ใส่กุญแจส่วนตัวลงไป แต่แนะนำให้ใช้ส่วนขยายของเบราว์เซอร์ ที่ใช้งานฟังก์ชันที่เกี่ยวข้องกับ Nostr ซึ่งอนุญาตให้เว็บไคลเอ็นต์ส่ง event ที่ยังไม่ถูกเซ็นมาให้ส่วนขยายและส่วนขยายจะทำหน้าที่เซ็น สำหรับวิธีนี้ เว็บไคลเอ็นต์ต่าง ๆ ไม่จำเป็นต้องรู้กุญแจส่วนตัวของคุณ แต่คุณก็ยังสามารถลงนามใน event ต่าง ๆ ได้ตามปกติ โดยส่วนขยายที่ได้รับความนิยมก็จะเป็น Flamingo, Alby และ nos2x

ไคลเอนต์ & รีเลย์

ไคลเอนต์คืออะไร?

หากจะอธิบายให้เห็นภาพอยากให้มองว่าไคลเอ็นต์ Nostr นั้นเป็นเหมือนกับแอปที่คุณใช้งานเพื่อเข้าถึง Twitter, Facebook, youtube เป็นต้น พวกมันคือ แอปพลิเคชัน, เว็บแอป ที่เชื่อมต่อคุณกับโลกของ Twitter, Facebook, youtube โดยตัวของไคลเอนต์ใน Nostr เองก็เปรียบเสมือนแอปต่าง ๆ ที่คุณใช้ดูหน้าฟีดนั่นเอง แต่ข้อดีของ Nostr ที่เหนือแอปพลิเคชันอื่น ๆ คือความเรียบง่ายและยืดหยุ่น ส่งผลให้ไคลเอ็นต์แต่ละตัวมีวิธีนำเสนอและใช้งานที่แตกต่างกันไป บางไคลเอ็นต์อาจออกแบบให้ใช้งานง่ายเหมือน Twitter บางตัวเน้นให้เห็นบทบาทสำคัญของรีเลย์ หรือโหนดที่กระจายข้อมูลอยู่ทั่วโลก บางตัวใช้ระบบอัลกอริทึมเพื่อให้แน่ใจว่าข้อมูลไม่ถูกปิดกั้น โดยไม่ทำให้ผู้ใช้งานรู้สึกยุ่งยาก

เรียบง่ายและยืดหยุ่น?

เนื่องจากการออกแบบของโปรโตคอลที่ทำการแยกข้อมูลของผู้ใช้ทั้งหมดออกจากไคลเอนต์ ทำให้ตัวของผู้ใช้งานเองนั้นมีอิสระเต็มที่ที่จะเลือกใช้ไคลเอนต์ต่าง ๆ เพื่อเข้าใช้งาน Nostr และแน่นอนว่า ผู้ใช้งานสามารถสลับหรือลงชื่อเข้าใช้ ไคลเอ็นต์ได้หลายตัวตามต้องการ ตราบใดที่ไคลเอ็นต์ทั้งหมดเชื่อมต่อกับชุดรีเลย์เดียวกัน คุณก็จะเห็นข้อมูลเดียวกันในทุก ๆ ไคลเอ็นต์

ลงชื่อเข้าใช้ ไคลเอ็นต์หลาย ๆ ตัวแล้วจะกระทบต่อความปลอดภัยของแอคเคาร์ไหม?

คำตอบของคำถามนี้นั้นขึ้นอยู่กับวิธีการที่คุณลงชื่อเข้าใช้ หากคุณลงชื่อเข้าใช้ด้วยกุญแจส่วนตัว ถึงแม้ว่าไคลเอ็นต์ส่วนใหญ่จะพยายามรักษาความปลอดภัยของกุญแจส่วนตัวอย่างดีที่สุด แต่ด้วยข้อจำกัดของซอฟต์แวร์ ย่อมมีความเสี่ยงที่จะเกิดช่องโหว่ การเจาะระบบ และข้อผิดพลาด ที่อาจทำให้กุญแจส่วนตัวของคุณรั่วไหลออกไปได้ ส่วนวิธีการป้องกันเกี่ยวกับเรื่องนี้คือการใช้ส่วนขยายของเว็บเบราว์เซอร์ เพราะการเข้าสู่ระบบในไคลเอนต์ต่าง ๆ ผ่านส่วนขยายนั้นจะใช้เพียงกุญแจสาธารณะในการเข้าสู่ระบบและทุกครั้งที่เราต้องการจะโพสต์หรือสร้าง event บน Nostr ไคลเอนต์จะทำการร่าง event นั้น ๆ และเว้นช่องของลายเซ็นเอาไว้จากนั้นเราจะต้องทำการเซ็นผ่านส่วนขยาย ด้วยวิธีนี้ทำให้กุญแจส่วนตัวของเราไม่หลุดออกไปไหนตลอดการใช้งาน

รีเลย์คืออะไร?

รีเลย์เปรียบเสมือนเซิร์ฟเวอร์ที่อยู่เบื้องหลังของ Nostr และทำหน้าที่รับ event ต่าง ๆ มาจากไคลเอนต์ Nostr และอาจจะจัดเก็บและกระจายข้อความเหล่านั้นไปยังไคลเอนต์อื่น ๆ ที่มีการเชื่อมต่ออยู่

เทคโนโลยีของรีเลย์นั้นเปลี่ยนแปลงอย่างรวดเร็ว ดังนั้นคาดว่าจะมีการเปลี่ยนแปลงอีกมากมายในอนาคต อย่างในปัจจุบันที่มีการนำเสนอ bostr หรือ รีเลย์ที่จะคอยส่ง event ของเราต่อให้กับรีเลย์อื่น ๆ ที่มีการเชื่อมต่อ เพื่อช่วยลดภาระของไคลเอนต์ในการรับส่งข้อมูลจากหลาย ๆ รีเลย์พร้อม ๆ กัน หรืออย่างการป้องกันสแปมด้วย POW หรือประเภทที่สามารถเก็บรูปหรือวิดีโอที่มีขนาดใหญ่ได้

แต่สิ่งหนึ่งที่ควรทราบก็คือ การที่ Nostr นั้นพยายามจะกระจายศูนย์และเหตุผลหลัก ๆ ที่สามารถทำแบบนั้นได้ก็ขึ้นอยู่กับรีเลย์ในการจัดเก็บและดึงข้อมูล ดังนั้น หากคุณรู้สึกว่าไคลเอนต์ Nostr ของคุณทำงานช้า ส่วนใหญ่ก็มักเกิดจากรีเลย์ที่คุณกำลังเชื่อมต่ออยู่ คุณอาจลองแก้ไขปัญญาโดยการเปลี่ยนหรือเพิ่มรีเลย์อีกสองสามรายการในไคลเอนต์ที่คุณใช้

แล้วจะสามารถหารายการรีเลย์ได้จากไหน?

การที่เราจะหารายการรีเลย์ที่เราควรเชื่อมต่อนั้น ๆ จริงแล้ว ๆ สามารถทำได้หลายวิธี แต่วิธีที่ผมแนะนำที่สุดจะเป็นการใช้ตามคนที่เราติดตามอยู่ เพราะจะเป็นวิธีที่เราสามารถเห็น event ต่าง ๆ ของคนที่เราติดตามได้ง่ายที่สุด และเช่นเดียวกัน เพื่อน ๆ หรือคนที่เราติดตามก็จะสามารถเห็น event ของเราได้เช่นกัน และสำหรับในประเทศไทย เรามีรีเลย์ที่คนไทยส่วนใหญ่นิยมใช้กันอยู่สองอัน นั้นคือ wss://relay.siamstr.com/ และ wss://relay.notoshi.win/ ถ้าหากว่าอยากเห็นคนไทยเยอะ ๆ บนหน้าไทม์ไลน์ ผมแนะนำเป็นอย่างยิ่งว่าควรเพิ่ม รายการรีเลย์เหล่านี้ลงไปในบัชญีหรือไคลเอนต์ต่าง ๆ ที่คุณใช้ด้วย

สำหรับอีกวิธีหนึ่งผมแนะนำให้เข้าไปในเว็บไซต์ nostr.watch เนื่องจากในเว็บไซต์นี้เป็นแหล่งข้อมูลที่ดีที่สุดสำหรับการค้นหาและประเมินความเร็วของรีเลย์ต่าง ๆ

จะเกิดอะไรขึ้นถ้ารีเลย์ทั้งหมดที่ฉันเชื่อมต่ออยู่หยุดให้บริการ?

สิ่งนี้เป็นสิ่งที่คุณต้องระวังมากที่สุดในการใช้งาน nostr เนื่องจากหากรีเลย์ทั้งหมดที่คุณเก็บข้อมูลไว้หยุดให้บริการทั้งหมดและคุณไม่มีการสำรองข้อมูล event ของคุณเก็บไว้เลย มันแปลว่าโพสต์ทั้งหมดของคุณ ผู้ติดตาม และรายการต่าง ๆ ที่คุณสรรค์สร้างไว้จะไม่สามารถกู้คืนได้ไปตลอดการ นี่จึงเป็นเหตุผลหลัก ๆ ที่ Nostr อนุญาตให้ผู้ใช้งานนั้นสามารถเชื่อมต่อกับรีเลย์ได้เป็นจำนวนมาก ก็เพื่อให้แน่ใจว่ามีข้อมูลสำรองเก็บไว้อยู่ที่ใดที่หนึ่งในระบบเสมอ แต่อย่างไรก็ตาม หากคุณต้องการที่จะมั่นใจได้ว่าข้อมูลต่าง ๆ ของคุณจะไม่ถูกเซ็นเซอร์ สิ่งที่คุณสามารถสามารถทำได้คือการใช้รีเลย์ส่วนตัวของคุณและกำหนดนโยบายต่าง ๆ ภายในรีเลย์ของคุณด้วยตัวคุณเอง

แล้วฉันจะสามารถใช้รีเลย์ส่วนตัวได้อย่างไร?

อะแฮ่ม ๆ ขอบอกไว้ก่อนว่ามันไม่คุ้มค่ากับความยุ่งยากสำหรับคนโดยทั่ว ๆ ไป ถึงในปัจจุบันจะมีเทคโนโลยีบางตัวที่เข้ามาช่วยให้มันทำได้ง่ายขึ้นแล้วก็ตาม หากคุณต้องการที่จะสำรองข้อมูลนั้น การที่จะมีรีเลย์ส่วนตัวที่ออนไลน์ตลอดเวลาอาจเป็นเรื่องที่ไม่ได้จำเป็นขนาดนั้น เนื่องจากเราสามารถใช้งานบริการอย่าง https://nostrsync.live/ ในการดาวน์โหลดข้อมูลของเราจากรีเลย์ต่าง ๆ ได้ หรือการติดตั้งรีเลย์ส่วนตัวอย่าง nostr-relay-tray: https://github.com/CodyTseng/nostr-relay-tray ที่ช่วยให้เราสามารถมีรีเลย์ส่วนตัวที่ใช้สำหรับสำรองข้อมูลได้

Nostr Implementation Possibilities (NIPs) NIP คืออะไร?

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NIP มีไว้เพื่อส่งเสริมความสามารถในการทำงานของ Nostr และเป็นตัวคอยกำหนดให้ เหล่านักพัฒนาทำสิ่งต่าง ๆ ที่เหมือนกันในรูปแบบเดียวกัน เพราะมันคงไม่ใช่ความคิดที่ดีนัก หากนักพัฒนาแต่ละคนจะคิดค้นวิธีแก้ปัญหาทั่วไปของตัวเองและนำไปใช้ในแอปของตัวเองเท่านั้น และคงจะเป็นการดีกว่า ถ้าหากทุกคนใช้วิธีแก้ปัญหาที่เหมือนกัน นั่นคือเหตุผลที่ต้องมี NIP อยู่ในโปรโตคอลของ Nostr และในทำนองเดียวกัน แนวคิดใหม่อาจดูดีในแอปของนักพัฒนาบางราย แต่จะดูดียิ่งขึ้นอย่างแน่นอนหากแอปอื่น ๆ อีกมากมายใช้มาตรฐานเดียวกันและสามารถทำงานร่วมกันได้อย่างราบรื่น

ทำไมมันถึงหน้าสนใจ?

อย่าลืมว่า Nostr เป็นระบบแบบกระจายอำนาจและไม่ได้มีบริษัทหรือใครที่เป็นเจ้าของมัน อย่างเช่นโซเชียลมีเดียอื่น ๆ เช่น ทวิตเตอร์ อ่อไม่สิตอนนี้คงต้องเรียกมันว่า X สินะ ซึ่งหมายความว่าทิศทางของโพรโทคอล Nostr นั้นขึ้นอยู่กับพวกเราทุกคน! ไม่ว่าใคร ๆ ก็สามารถเสนอแนะและสนับสนุนการเปลี่ยนแปลงและให้ข้อเสนอแนะเกี่ยวกับแนวคิดที่ผู้อื่นเสนอ และการที่คุณเป็นส่วนหนึ่งของชุมชนนี้ ก็ทำให้คุณมีส่วนร่วมในทิศทางของ Nostr อีกด้วย

จากที่ส่งหากันได้แค่ข้อความ มาเป็นรูปภาพ มาเป็นวิดีโอ และมาเป็น”เงิน” นี่คือเส้นทางการเดินทางของโปรโตคอลนี้ในอดีต แล้วในอนาคตมันจะพัฒนาไปยังไงต่อก็ขึ้นอยู่กับเหล่าผู้ใช้งานและนักพัฒนาในอนาคต แล้วทำไมสิ่งนี้ถึงจะไม่น่าสนใจละ ?

Event

Event คืออะไร?

Event เป็น object เพียงประเภทเดียวที่มีอยู่บน Nostr โดยมีโครงสร้างประมาณนี้

``` {"id":"84d5d3dc9c388a702f39cad6360d41ebb804e809fb822f110ff8a14dfd35fc6c", "pubkey":"66df60562d939ada8612436489945a4ecf1d62346b3d9478dea8a338f3203c64", "created_at":1722315959, "kind":1, "tags":[["t","siamstr"]], "content":"ไปสั่งกาแฟเมื่อกี้ พส เจ้าของร้านชมว่าเดี๋ยวนี้คล่องภาษาญี่ปุ่นแล้วนะ ไอเราก็ดีใจ พอเดินกลับถึงที่ทำงานละก็ตระหนักได้ว่า ตะกี้เราสั่ง “ไอซ์โคฮี โอเนไงชิมัส” “เทคเอาส์” “คาโดะเดสส” ไอบ้าไหนญี่ปุ่นก่อนอังกฤษทั้งนั้น 🤣🤣\n\n#siamstr", "sig":"8f066a0099a5f580b605ebdb220179c4eca298947c38b855a0a8bf2783f28ddb537cb74a7f61d3ce8891189f719870efdf320ea4f895e03cdac44284c450c5c4"}

``` อย่าง Event ข้างต้นนี้มี kind เป็น 1 ซึ่งหมายถึง "ข้อความโน้ต" ซึ่งก็คือข้อความธรรมดา สั้น ๆ คล้ายกับที่ใช้กันใน Twitter เช่น บนฟีด การตอบกลับ และการโควท

ประเภทของ Event (Event Kinds)

หมายเลขของ kind แต่ละตัวมีความหมายแตกต่างกัน ตัวอย่างเช่น 0 หมายถึงอีเวนต์ "ข้อมูลเมตา" ใช้สำหรับให้รายละเอียดเกี่ยวกับผู้ใช้ เช่น ชื่อและรูปโปรไฟล์ รีเลย์ (Relays) สามารถจัดการกับ kind ที่แตกต่างกันได้ เช่น รีเลย์มักจะลบอีเวนต์ kind:0 เวอร์ชันเก่ากว่าออกไป และเก็บไว้เฉพาะเวอร์ชันล่าสุด ในขณะที่โดยทั่วไปจะเก็บอีเวนต์ kind:1 ไว้หลายรายการสำหรับแต่ละคีย์

โดยทั่วไปแล้ว คุณไม่จำเป็นต้องใช้ kind เกินกว่า 0 และ 1 ในการสร้างแอปพลิเคชันโซเชียลมีเดียบน Nostr แต่ kind อื่น ๆ ถูกคิดค้นขึ้นโดยไคลเอนต์ เพื่อมอบฟังก์ชันการทำงานอื่น ๆ ตามที่ระบุไว้ใน NIP บาง kind ไม่เกี่ยวข้องกับเครือข่าย และให้บริการตามความต้องการอื่น ๆ ของไคลเอนต์ที่เฉพาะเจาะจงกับฟังก์ชันการทำงานเหล่านั้น ซึ่งแนวคิดก็คือ สำหรับกรณีการใช้งานใหม่ ๆ แต่ละกรณี จะต้องมีการพิจารณาและเสนอซับโปรโตคอลเป็น NIP เพื่อให้สามารถทำงานร่วมกับไคลเอนต์ที่มีอยู่และในอนาคต ซึ่งอาจสนใจที่จะนำฟังก์ชันการทำงานนั้นไปใช้ ขณะเดียวกันก็มั่นใจได้ถึงความเข้ากันได้ย้อนหลัง และการรองรับสิ่งต่าง ๆ ที่มีอยู่และไม่ต้องการเปลี่ยนแปลง

คุณสมบัติอื่น ๆ ของ Event

created_at: เป็น Timestamp ของ UNIX ที่กำหนดโดยผู้สร้างอีเวนต์ โดยปกติจะเป็นเวลาที่สร้าง แม้ว่าจะไม่มีการตรวจสอบ แต่ก็ไม่ใช่ปัญหา

content: ขึ้นอยู่กับความหมายของ kind ในกรณีของ kind:1 จะเป็นเพียงสตริงข้อความธรรมดาที่คนอื่น ๆ อ่านได้ tags: ขึ้นอยู่กับ kind เช่นกัน แต่แท็กทั่วไปบางอย่างที่มักปรากฏใน event kind:1 และ kind อื่น ๆ คือ "p" ซึ่งใช้เพื่อกล่าวถึงกุญแจสาธารณะ และ "e" ใช้เพื่ออ้างถึง event อื่น

อยากมีส่วนร่วมในการพัฒนาของ Nostr ?

จริง ๆ แล้วใคร ๆ ก็สามารถเข้ามามีส่วนร่วมในการพัฒนา Nostr ได้ ไม่จำเป็นต้องเป็น dev หรือมีความรู้ด้านคอมพิวเตอร์ก็สามารถทำได้ ไม่ว่าจะเป็นการให้ feedback กับ dev ของ client ที่คุณใช้, การสร้างคอนเทนต์ต่าง ๆ บน Nostr การสร้างชุมชน รวมไปถึงการช่วย client ต่าง ๆ ในการทำ UI ให้เป็นภาษาท้องถิ่น และอื่น ๆ อีกมากมาย ใคร ๆ ก็สามารถช่วยได้ตามความสามารถที่แต่ละคนมี มันเลยทำให้ Nostr โครตน่าอยู่ :)

@ 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?

@ a023a5e8:ff29191d

Shit shit shit

@ 469fa704:2b6cb760

I joined Nostr a week ago and wanted to recap it for myself and also give other newbies a simple introduction. Maybe this will help you get started too.

Step 1: Create your identity and get your private key for a browser extension

I started with the Snort client on my local home server. It created my private/public key pair and I was good to go. Then I transferred the private key to Amethyst, a pretty good Android-based client. Before looking at various clients and other nostr-based websites, I tried transferring my private key into a browser extension. I looked at Alby and nos2x. I chose the latter because I wanted to keep my Lightning wallet separate from my identity management. You don't have to, I just found it easier.

Step 2: If you're confused, always check your feed settings

I tried many different clients and was very confused at first. Due to its decentralized nature, Nostr relies on relays, which are just small servers, and to each one you can connect to, all your data is stored. When you post a message, write a note, an article like this or simply who you follow. The main reason and benefit for this is that there is no single point of failure or server-like entity that could be censored. The side effect of this, combined with using different clients, was that not only did it look different everywhere, but the content was also very different. This was simply because I wasn't connected to all my different clients with the same relays. But the main reason why each feed looks different on each client is usually because you can choose different variations of feeds and some clients even offer filters for the feeds.

Scroll down to get a small overview of the clients I've tried.

Step 3: Set up your lightning wallet with something like Wallet of Satoshi

I made my Bitcoin Lightning wallet independent of my identity. That's why I just went with the number one Lightning wallet on the market: Satoshi's Wallet. It's very simple and provides you with a Lightning address that resembles and has the format of an email address. You can add this address to your Nostr profile description and you're ready to receive Sats. Anyone can send them to you, e.g. for a good message or something else they find valuable on Nostr (like a podcast, a video, an article, ...). Just be aware that Satoshi's wallet contains your key and the sats you have there are not really your sats. So only leave a small amount there or no more than you need for your nostr experience.

Step 4: Set up your Nostr address

I set up a unique NIP-05 identifier that is human readable and also looks like an email address. For me, that's tobiya@nostrplebs.com, also called a nostr address. It's much easier to read, share and remember than your public key, which is just a long, unwieldy string of characters.

Some popular services are: * NostrVerified * Alby * Iris * Primal * Snort * nostrplebs.com

Most offer free services or at least a free tier. I chose nostrplebs.com because it links my Nostr address (tobiya@nostrplebs.com) to my Lightning wallet. ⚡

Brief overview of the clients (I have tested)

Web/Browser:

• Primal: Fast, user-friendly, nice looking, easy to use
• Coracle: Focuses on decentralized reputation, privacy and trust metrics. Also well organized and structured
• noStrudel: The most comprehensive I've found, has everything
• Rabbit: Designed like X (Twitter) Pro, focuses on everything at once
• Nostter: Clearly structured, easy to find what you're looking for
• Snort: Fast web client for those who prefer simplicity and speed.

iOS

I'm not an iPhone user, but everything I've discovered says that Damus is the best app for iOS.

Android:

• Amethyst: Feature rich for Android, I only tried this program because it gives me everything I currently need on my phone.
• Primal: Works seamlessly with Primal on the web, which is a pretty convenient starting point if you only want to use one client.

As for the web clients, I'm still figuring out which one will be my favorite. But I think they're all good in their own way. In the time of writing, I am mainly using Primal on Android and Web, Amethyst and noStrudel.

Let's have fun!!

@ 276171f6:e660762c

Zero:

"We will restore the republic, and we will make America and bitcoin bigger, better, stronger, richer, freer and greater than ever before. Thank you all. Have a good time with your bitcoin and your crypto and everything else that you're playing with..."

With these statesman-like words, President Trump declared his endorsement of bitcoin in front of many bitcoiners, politicians and wall streeters. Among other things, Trump affirmed his support for the right to self-custody as well as a dollar stablecoin within seconds of each other. This speech may or may not mean much, but it signals that "they" have arrived. It, whatever it is, is happening.

But the fact is, we've never needed Trump to keep bitcoin buzzing. Arrows and sparks are always flying around, skirmishes abound. For eg: the developer community has been discussing a plethora of new, esoteric opcodes that enable covenants, improve lightning but also other "wizardry". Saylor has been going on about bitcoin as a treasury asset and a "triple maxi" store of value, inventing bigger & bigger numbers no one knew existed. Meanwhile, our "public servants" have not been quiet either. For the past couple of years, bitcoin businesses were attacked through Operation Chokepoint 2.0, but 2024 started with the prophesied spot ETF approvals. Something had changed – it opened the doors to bulls, bears and other animals from wall street who have since crashed the bitcoin party. We also have now seen a bitcoin strategic asset bill in US Congress as well as prosecutions of multiple crypto developers for nebulous crimes within a span of a few months. Meanwhile, Whitney Webb and Mark Goodwin have been publishing steamy exposés & dirty laundry of one sinister party after another to an enthralled audience, who consume it vociferously then suppress it immediately, like some true crime episode.

However, bitcoin continues churn out one block after another, detached like a yogi in a battlefield. Perhaps Satoshi himself is one such yogi. But most of us are not yogis, including yours truly who finds all this bewildering. The fact is, bitcoin community today is a melting pot of cypherpunks, politicians, wallstreeters, developers, regular plebs and more. Quite the motley crew, with conflicting perspectives, incentives and objectives, often at loggerheads with each other.

This should not be a surprise, since Bitcoin is a versatile force that animates in many dimensions. On one hand, it must become peer-to-peer electronic cash; on the other, the fount of property rights for 8 billion people. Bitcoiners must innovate tirelessly towards a cypherpunk dream but also become the ark of refuge for corporates and governments in an inflationary deluge. 1) what.

Bitcoin is the bull. Bitcoin is the honeybadger. Bitcoin is a conflict of visions.

One: Bitcoin for Billionaires (to be continued)

@ 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

@ b4175c4f:d1789a43

O cálculo lambda, nomeado comumente de lambda calculus, formalizado por Alonzo Church na década de 1930, é uma das fundações teóricas da ciência da computação e da lógica matemática.

Seguem os princípios básicos do cálculo lambda:

Abstração

A abstração é a principal característica do cálculo lambda e se refere à definição de funções anônimas. No cálculo lambda, uma função é definida pela notação λx.E, onde:
- λ é o símbolo lambda.
- x é o parâmetro da função.
- E é a expressão que define o corpo da função.

Por exemplo, a expressão λx.x + 1 representa uma função que adiciona 1 a seu argumento.

Aplicação

A aplicação é o processo de chamar uma função com um argumento. No cálculo lambda, a aplicação de uma função a um argumento é representada pela justaposição de duas expressões. Por exemplo, se temos a função: λx.x + 1 e queremos aplicá-la ao argumento 2, escrevemos (λx.x + 1)2

Redução

Redução é o processo de simplificação de expressões no cálculo lambda. Existem várias formas de redução, mas as mais comuns são:

Redução β (Beta): Substitui a variável vinculada na expressão da função pelo argumento fornecido, i.e, (λx.x + 1)2 se reduz a 2 + 1, que é 3.
Redução α (Alpha): Renomeia as variáveis vinculadas para evitar conflitos de nomes, i.e, λx.λx.x pode ser renomeado para λx.λy.y.

Variáveis Livres e Vinculadas

Uma variável é considerada vinculada se está definida dentro do escopo de uma abstração lambda. Caso contrário, é considerada uma variável livre. Por exemplo, na expressão λx.x+y, x é uma variável vinculada e y é uma variável livre.

Substituição

Substituição é o processo de substituir uma variável livre por uma expressão. Se temos uma expressão E e substituímos uma variável x por uma expressão N, representamos isso como E[x := N].

Funções Anônimas

No cálculo lambda, todas as funções são anônimas, o que significa que elas não têm um nome explícito. Isso contrasta com a programação tradicional, onde funções geralmente têm nomes.

Expressividade

O cálculo lambda é extremamente expressivo e pode representar qualquer função computável. Ele é Turing-completo, o que significa que qualquer coisa que pode ser computada por uma máquina de Turing também pode ser computada usando cálculo lambda.

Exemplo de Redução

Considere a função identidade λx.x. Aplicando essa função a um argumento a, temos:

(λx.x)a

Para reduzir isso, substituímos x por a no corpo da função:

a

Este é um exemplo simples de como a aplicação e a redução funcionam no cálculo lambda.

Notação e Como Usar:

Abstração

A notação λx.E define uma função anônima onde x é o parâmetro e E é o corpo da função. É importante notar que:
- O ponto (.) separa o parâmetro do corpo da função.
- As variáveis são case-sensitive.

Por exemplo, λx.x define uma função identidade que retorna o próprio argumento.

Aplicação

Para aplicar uma função a um argumento, simplesmente colocamos a função e o argumento lado a lado. Por exemplo, a aplicação da função identidade λx.x ao argumento a é escrita como (λx.x)a.

Redução β (Beta)

A redução β envolve substituir o parâmetro formal pelo argumento fornecido na aplicação. Considere a função λx.x + 1 aplicada a 2:

(λx.x + 1)2⇒ 2 + 1⇒ 3

Redução α

A redução α é usada para evitar conflitos de nomes, renomeando variáveis vinculadas. Por exemplo, λx.λx.x pode ser renomeado para λx.λy.y para evitar ambiguidades.

Variáveis Livres e Vinculadas

Na expressão λx.x + y, x é vinculado pelo λ enquanto y é livre. Isso significa que y não tem uma definição dentro da expressão e pode ser substituído por outro valor.

Substituição

Se temos uma expressão E e queremos substituir uma variável x por uma expressão N, representamos isso como E[x := N]. Por exemplo, se E = x + y e N = 2, então E[x := 2] resulta em 2 + y.

Exemplo Prático

Vamos considerar a função λx.λy.x + y e aplicá-la aos argumentos 3 e 4:
(λx.λy.x + y)3 ⇒ λy.3 + y

(λy.3 + y)4 ⇒ 3 + 4 ⇒ 7

Neste exemplo, primeiro aplicamos o 3 ao parâmetro x, resultando em uma nova função λy.3 + y. Depois aplicamos o 4 ao parâmetro y, resultando na expressão final 3 + 4, que se reduz a 7.

Fim.

@ ecda4328:1278f072

Introduction: Crypto.com Exchange for European Traders

Reside in Europe, including non-EUR countries? Frustrated with the exorbitant spreads on the Crypto.com App (up to 5%) and high credit card fees (up to 3%) when you're eager to buy or sell cryptocurrency? This guide is tailored for you!

Quick Transfer with SEPA Instant

Did you know that you can transfer EUR to your Crypto.com Exchange account within minutes, and sometimes even seconds, including weekends and bank holidays? Yes, you absolutely can, thanks to SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst).

Supported Banks

To avail of fast EUR to Crypto.com Exchange transfers, ensure that your bank supports the SEPA Instant Credit Transfer (SCT Inst) scheme. If your bank, or FinTech apps like Wise, is on this list, you're good to go.

My Recommendation: I vouch for Wise due to its flawless functionality and favorable exchange rates. If your bank doesn't support SCT Inst and you're unwilling to wait, you can swiftly load your account with any currency using a bank card for a rather small fee (~1.2%). My Wise Referral Code: andreya54

24/7 Transfer Availability

SCT Inst is incredibly flexible:

• 24/7/365 availability, including weekends and bank holidays
• Immediate receipt and availability of funds
• €100,000 transaction limit (unless previously agreed otherwise between PSPs)

For more details, you can read this document by the European Central Bank.

TL;DR

To Buy crypto: - EUR => BTC/EUR => ANY/BTC => ANY
- Use Limit order at the Lowest offer (aka "ask") (red order book)

To Sell crypto: - ANY => ANY/BTC => BTC/EUR => EUR
- Use Limit order at the Highest bid (green order book)

How to Buy Cryptocurrency with EUR

Here's how to save up to 8% on spreads and fees when buying/selling crypto compared to the Crypto.com App.

1. Log in to Crypto.com Exchange: Go to the Dashboard or Wallet in the top right, and navigate to Bank Transfer on the left sidebar.  

2. Deposit via SEPA: Choose EUR -> SEPA -> Deposit and use the displayed IBAN for transferring EUR to your Crypto.com Exchange account.

Trading Interface Tips

Intimidated by the professional trading interface? Don't be. Here's how to read the order book:

• Offers (Red): These are the prices at which people are willing to sell the asset. The lowest offer is often called the "Ask."
• Bids (Green): These are the prices at which people are willing to buy the asset. The highest bid is often called the "Bid."

Trading occurs when a buyer's bid meets a seller's offer. In market terms, this is often at the point where the highest bid and the lowest offer intersect. This intersection is frequently referred to as the "market price" for that particular asset at that specific time.

On trading pairs

Crypto.com Exchange offers only two EUR trading pairs: BTC/EUR and ETH/EUR. This is logical given that these assets have the highest liquidity in terms of market capitalization. While we hope for the addition of more pairs, the existing options still serve as useful proxies for purchasing other cryptocurrencies.

"highest liquidity" means that an asset like a cryptocurrency or stock can be easily bought or sold without causing a significant impact on its price. For a trader, this is good because it means they can quickly enter or exit positions without worrying about huge price changes.

Steps to Buy BTC with EUR

1. Navigate to the BTC/EUR Spot trading pair.
2. Choose "Buy" on the right-hand menu.
3. Stay on the "Limit" tab.
4. Specify your order value (how much EUR you want to spend to buy BTC)
5. Select the lowest offered (aka "ask") price (bottom of the red order book).
6. Click "Buy BTC" to confirm.

Diversifying: How to Buy ATOM Token?

First, buy BTC as previously explained. Then:

1. Navigate to the ATOM/BTC Spot trading pair.
2. Choose "Buy" on the right-hand menu.
3. Stay on the "Limit" tab.
4. Specify your order value (how much BTC you want to spend to buy ATOM)
5. Select the lowest offered (aka "ask") price (bottom of the red order book).
6. Click "Buy ATOM" to confirm.

Selling Your Assets

The process is the same but in reverse. Sell at the highest bid (top of the green order book).

Selling ATOM for BTC

1. Navigate to the ATOM/BTC Spot trading pair.
2. Choose "Sell" on the right-hand menu.
3. Stay on the "Limit" tab.
4. Specify your quantity value (how much ATOM you want to sell to buy BTC)
5. Select the highest bid (top of the green order book).
6. Click "Sell ATOM" to confirm.

Selling BTC for EUR

1. Navigate to the BTC/EUR Spot trading pair.
2. Choose "Sell" on the right-hand menu.
3. Stay on the "Limit" tab.
4. Specify your quantity value (how much BTC you want to sell to buy EUR)
5. Select the highest bid (top of the green order book).
6. Click "Sell BTC" to confirm.

You can then withdraw EUR back to your bank directly from the Crypto.Com Exchange.

Additionally

After you click "Buy" or "Sell," you will see your order in the "Open Orders" tab in the bottom menu. Once your order is 100% filled, it will disappear, and you will be able to see it in the "Trade History" tab.

Sometimes you might miss the opportunity as the price moves, and someone else's order could get filled faster than yours. Don't worry; you can either wait a little longer in hopes that someone will make an offer at this price or simply cancel your order and submit it again at the next lowest price if you are in a hurry.

Maker/Taker Fees Explained

When you open Buy/Sell orders on the Crypto.com exchange, you may incur small Maker/Taker fees of less than 0.0728%, or even no fees at all, depending on the amount of CRO you have staked on the platform.

• Maker Fee: When you place an order that adds liquidity to the market, you are a "Maker". This usually happens when you set a "limit" order that does not execute immediately and sits on the order book waiting for someone to match against it. Since you are "making" liquidity available for others, you pay a Maker fee.
• Taker Fee: When you place an order that removes liquidity from the market, you are a "Taker". This generally occurs when you place a "market" order that executes immediately against a pre-existing order on the order book. Because you are "taking" liquidity away, you pay a Taker fee.

Typically, Taker fees are higher than Maker fees as an incentive for traders to add liquidity to the market.

Read more on Maker/Taker fees on the Crypto.Com Exchange platform.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading this guide! It's lengthy, but every detail is crucial for optimal trading on Crypto.com Exchange.

Referral Code

If you haven't opened a Crypto.com Exchange account yet, use my referral code: pv0r199m6j
Referral Link: Sign Up Here

@ ecda4328:1278f072

Introduction

In the world of blockchain technology, a nonce plays a pivotal role in ensuring transaction security and uniqueness. This article demystifies the nonce's role in major blockchain platforms - Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Cosmos/CometBFT, highlighting its importance and distinct functionalities in each.

The Role of Nonce in ECDSA and Its Importance

In Bitcoin (and most of blockchains) transactions, the nonce is a randomly generated number integral to the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA). It guarantees each digital signature's uniqueness and security. The randomness and secrecy of the nonce are vital. If predictable or exposed, it can compromise the entire security of a transaction.

The Risk of Nonce Exposure and Private Key Recovery

If a nonce is compromised, it poses a risk of private key recovery. To understand this, one must consider the signature components (r, s), the public key (which becomes known once you sign & broadcast at least one transaction in Bitcoin). A predictable or reused nonce can leak critical information, enabling savvy attackers to backtrack to the private key.

This specific type of attack is called a nonce covert channel attack. And methods protecting against this are called anti-klepto or anti-exfil (interchangebly).

Worth noting that anti-klepto/anti-exfil are broader terms for methods that protect against various forms of secret data exfiltration, including but not limited to attacks involving nonce misuse.

Bitcoin's UTXO Model and Nonce Functionality

Bitcoin utilizes the Unspent Transaction Outputs (UTXO) model, ensuring that each Bitcoin is spent only once. This model is distinct from nonce management in ECDSA and adds an additional layer of security against double-spending in the Bitcoin network.

Address rotation in Bitcoin, as implemented through BIP32 (Hierarchical Deterministic Wallets), enhances privacy and isolates financial risk by generating a unique address and corresponding private key for each address created, not necessarily for each individual transaction. While this strategy effectively segregates risk to individual addresses, it does not directly prevent the vulnerability of private key derivation from nonce exposure in the ECDSA signature process, as this risk is inherent to the signature mechanism itself and is independent of the address or its associated private key.

Ethereum's Account-Based Model and Nonce Usage

Ethereum, unlike Bitcoin, operates on an account-based model. Each account has a sequential transaction nonce, starting from 0, which is public. This nonce, different from the ECDSA nonce, helps in transaction ordering and network integrity.

Nonces in Cosmos/CometBFT Blockchains

Cosmos/CometBFT blockchains, akin to Ethereum, adopt an account-based model. They use nonces, similar to Ethereum's transaction nonce, for transaction ordering and preventing replay attacks. These nonces are distinct from the ECDSA nonce used in the digital signature process.

Conclusion

The use of "nonce" in Ethereum for transaction sequence (akin to account sequence in Cosmos/CometBFT blockchains), leading to confusion with ECDSA nonce, is simply a coincidental choice of terminology.

In summary, while Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cosmos/CometBFT and many other blockchains employ nonces in ECDSA signing, their transaction management and double-spending prevention methods differ significantly. Understanding these nuances is crucial for blockchain users and developers to appreciate the underlying security mechanisms of these diverse platforms.

References

• Hardware wallets can steal your seed!
• A Glimpse of the Deep: Finding a Creature in Ethereum's Dark Forest
• MuSig-DN: Schnorr Multisignatures with Verifiably Deterministic Nonces
• Android's SecureRandom - not even nonce
• Anti-klepto explained: how the BitBox02 protects you against leaking private keys
• Anti-Exfil: Stopping Key Exfiltration

---

Buy Tangem Wallet with discount!

@ 0edc2f47:730cff1b

Chef's notes

In this case, sweet-and-sour doesn’t mean Americanized Chinese food but rather the sauce that dominated the Shabbos and Pesach dinner table among American Jewish immigrants in the early 20th century.

Details

• ⏲️ Prep time: 30 minutes
• 🍳 Cook time: 6 hours
• 🍽️ Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 8-10 large cloves garlic
• 1 cup ketchup
• ¼ cup dry sherry
• ¼ cup sake
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1½ cups Coca-Cola, ginger ale, or Dr. Pepper
• 1 first-cut brisket, 6 to 7 pounds (2.7-3.2kg), rinsed and patted thoroughly dry

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F / 160C.
2. Combine all ingredients except brisket in a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Place brisket in a Dutch oven or other large pot with a tight-fitting lid.
4. Pour sauce over brisket, place lid on pot, roast in oven for 3 hours. Flip roast and return to oven for 3 hours or until fork tender.
5. Remove roast to rest. Skim fat from sauce and reduce if desired. Serve immediately with sauce or cool, cover brisket and refrigerate overnight in cooking pan. The next day, defat sauce, reduce if desired, and reheat meat in sauce before serving.

@ ecda4328:1278f072

Intro

I've left Twitter (X), WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, Facebook and Google. The driving force behind this decision was the escalating overzealous censorship. I cannot condone platforms that actively indulge in this practice. In all honesty, I've always felt uneasy using "free" platforms riddled with ads where the user is the product and doesn't own the content they produce.

Let's be real: hardly anyone thoroughly reads the Terms of Service (ToS).

Censorship and Shadow Banning

The final straw was when I resorted to a text editor for drafting messages/comments, hoping to rephrase them so they wouldn't get deleted moments after posting. This isn't exclusive to just one platform; I've encountered it on YouTube and LinkedIn too. Twitter (or X, as I now refer to it) has a history of shadow banning users' posts. It's been beyond frustrating to get banned from Telegram groups simply for posing legitimate questions.

You can test LinkedIn's censorship mechanism too, simply add "Binance" word (without quotes) to any of your comment and your post will disappear. At least that is what I've seen couple of months ago. Similarly, comments on YouTube often disappear precisely 60 seconds after posting if they contain specific keywords. I know they call it filtering, but it does not make any sense. In my opinion, legitimate companies and links shouldn't trigger these filters.

Community and Connections

Recently, I attended the Cosmoverse 2023 conference in Istanbul. Most attendees exchanged their Telegram or Twitter (X) contact information. Since I didn't have either, I gladly shared my Nostr and SimpleX Chat details. Many privacy advocates were quick to connect on SimpleX with me, though several didn't.

I learned about SimpleX Chat from Jack Dorsey, who mentioned it during a conversation in July:

While Signal has its shortcomings, I still keep it as a backup communication tool.

One More Last Straw

During the conference, I temporarily reinstalled Telegram to communicate with my group. Convincing nine individuals to switch to SimpleX on the spot seemed impractical.

At the conference, I bought a Keystone hardware wallet. Shortly after, I connected with the seller, Xin Z, on Telegram. However, I was banned from the official Keystone Telegram group right after posing a question.

Upon inquiring, Xin Z clarified that Telegram's official team had banned me, not the group's admin. 🤯

Business and Community: Collateral Damage

Censorship doesn't just silence voices; it hinders potential growth and stifles innovation. When platforms arbitrarily or aggressively censor content, they inadvertently create barriers between businesses and their potential clients. New users or clients, when encountering such heavy-handed moderation, may feel discouraged or unwelcome, causing them to retreat from the platform altogether.

Moreover, for businesses, this form of censorship can be devastating. Word-of-mouth, discussions, and organic community engagements are invaluable. When these channels are hampered, businesses lose out on potential clientele, and communities lose the chance to thrive and evolve naturally.

Censorship, in its overzealous form, breaks the very essence of digital communities: open dialogue. As platforms become more censorious, they risk creating sterile environments devoid of genuine interaction and rich discourse. Such an atmosphere is not conducive for businesses to foster relations, nor for communities to flourish. The ultimate price of overcensorship isn't just the loss of a few voices—it's the fragmentation of digital society as we know it.

Freedom to Choose

I strongly advocate for the adoption of Free and Open Source Software (aka FOSS) products. In these platforms, you aren't treated as the product. However, supporting them through donations/contributions is always an option. Platforms like Nostr and SimpleX Chat are excellent starting points.

My Nostr account: npub1andyx2xqhwffeg595snk9a8ll43j6dvw5jzpljm5yjm3qync7peqzl8jd4

Disclaimer

This article reflects my personal experiences and opinions. It is not intended to criticize or demean the Keystone hardware wallet product or its quality. Furthermore, the actions taken by Telegram are not a direct representation of the views or policies of the Keystone Telegram group admins. Any reference to specific events or entities is made in the context of broader concerns about platform censorship.

@ 1123ece2:7d1e00c0

Hey everyone welcome to The Refinery.

“Amen and Amen” is the theme for the coming Sunday morning teachings.

This series is a study from the Psalms, in which the psalmist gives voice to prayers that resound in our hearts today.

Today we are discussing, The Prayers of the Psalmist.

Our Text today is

Psalm 119:57 NKJV

57 You are my portion, O Lord;\ I have said that I would keep Your words.

Scripture Reading

Psalm 119:57-64 NKJV

57 You are my portion, O Lord;\ I have said that I would keep Your words.

58 I entreated Your favor with my whole heart;\ Be merciful to me according to Your word.

59 I thought about my ways,\ And turned my feet to Your testimonies.

60 I made haste, and did not delay\ To keep Your commandments.

61 The cords of the wicked have bound me,\ But I have not forgotten Your law.

62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You,\ Because of Your righteous judgments.

63 I am a companion of all who fear You,\ And of those who keep Your precepts.

64 The earth, O Lord, is full of Your mercy;\ Teach me Your statutes.

Introduction.

Today we continue our study of Psalm 119, the longest of the Psalms and one arranged in an format of twenty two stanzas, each of which uses and emphasises one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

It is a poem that exults the law, the testimonies, the ways, the precepts, the status, the commandments, the words, and the promises of God.As we read the psalmists words, we’ll find ourselves saying, “Amen and amen.”

1. Prayer and positive self esteem.

The psalmist rejoiced as he took a spiritual inventory and recognised that God was his highest and dearest possession.

The RSV translation says “The Lord is my portion,” the King James Version is more personal and says, “Thou art my portion.”

The NIV also personalises it, “You are my portion, Lord.”

As the psalmist talked to God, recognising that he belonged to God and that God was committed to him, he was spiritually enriched and felt better about himself.

2. Prayer and sincerity.

Verse fifty eight says, “I entreated thy favour with my whole heart.”

The NIV translates it, “I have sought Your face with all my heart, be gracious to me according to Your promise.”

Faith and sincerity are essential if we would pray effectively.

3. Prayer and God’s promises.

Psalm 119:58 says, I entreated Your favor with my whole heart;\ Be merciful to me according to Your word.

That was the petition offered by the heart of the psalmist.

The RSV translates it, “Be gracious to me according to thy promise.”

The psalmist was in the habit of clinging to and claiming the promises the promises of God when he prayed.

This is a habit, too, should form.

4. Prayer and repentance.

Repentance is not just the beginning point of the life of faith and discipleship.

The life of faith is to be characterised by continuous repentance.

The psalmist said it in beautiful words, “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.”

The NIV says it a little differently, “I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes.”

Each time we pray, we are to search our hearts and let God help us so that we might turn from evil.

5. Prayer and praise to God.

Most of us think of thanking God and praising Him when prosperity comes.

Some of us think of praising and thanking Him when we go to church.

In this verse the psalmist tells us that midnight is a good time to arise and give thanks to the Lord for all of His righteous judgements.

The psalmist suggests that the we have difficulty getting to sleep, we can thank God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us and praise Him for His goodness to us.

This might help us to relax and get a better nights sleep.

6. Prayer and the recognition of God’s love.

The psalmist was rejoicing that the earth was full of God’s mercy and steadfast, never failing, never ending love.

This is a truth that all of us need to recognise and respond to positively.

The closing line in this stanza of this poem closes with the words of petition, “Teach me Your statutes.”

To these prayers of the psalmist, let each of us say, “Amen and amen.”

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.

Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at The Refinery.

When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.

So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us at www.refinerylife.org

2024 IS A YEAR OF DECISIONS AND OPEN DOORS

© www.refinerylife.org  2013-2024 All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968, no part of this Article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission. 

This episode is brought to you by Refinery Life Australia:

If you enjoy The Refinery Life Radio Podcast you can help support The Refinery by doing the following:

Sow an offering:

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If you do send an offering then please email us so that we can say thank you

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@ 3b7fc823:e194354f

I dOn'T cAre ABouT pRivAcY. IT dOEsN'T maTtER. i'M nOT dOiNg AnyThiNg wRonG.

GHOSTn

Your phone is spying on you. Your apps are spying on you. Your websites, search engine, fitness tracker, smart watch, IoT device, EVERYTHING is collecting anything it can and sending it off to be stored, cross referenced, and sold.

Data is the new oil.

So what? I don't care if Google knows I like motorcycles. By itself one data point isn't a big deal but once you start bringing everything together...

Who are you talking to? When and how long did you talk to them? Where did you go? How often do you go there? On and on the profile starts to become overwhelmingly invasive.

Right now it is extremely cheap and easy to collect and store the data but it's hard and expensive to cross reference and tabulate the data down to the individual. But in the extremely near future using AI and faster processers, data profiles for sale go from white men between 25 - 30, with this education level, and background like XYZ to -> John loves motorcycls and steak.

Suddenly your insurance premiums are way higher than your friends because you partake in dangerous activities and eat too much red meat. You get denied that loan because you invest in risky assets and it raises your risk factors to pay it back. That job that you applied to never responded because they already ran you through the algorithm and you don't fit the culture.

Protect your data and privacy now before its too late.

privacy

@ ecda4328:1278f072

In the evolving world of cryptocurrency, ensuring the security of your digital assets is paramount. For those looking to safeguard their Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, selecting the right hardware wallet is crucial. Here, I recommend some top choices based on functionality and security.

Swiss Choices for Bitcoin: BitBox02

For Bitcoin enthusiasts/maxis, the Swiss-made BitBox02 - Bitcoin-only edition is a top recommendation. This wallet focuses solely on Bitcoin, ensuring specialized security and features for the most popular cryptocurrency. Although there is a version supporting multiple cryptocurrencies, the Bitcoin-only edition stands out for its dedicated functionality (Less code means less attack surface, which further improves your security when only storing Bitcoin). Learn more about this wallet here.

Swiss Tangem: A Unique Approach

Another Swiss option, Tange. Tangem is particularly appealing due to its unique approach to security. With Tangem cards, there's no need to generate or back up a mnemonic phrase (a series of 24 words used to recover wallets). The key is simply not to lose the cards and remember the access code, which adds an extra layer of security in case of loss. This approach simplifies security while maintaining robust protection for your assets.

Special Offer: For those interested in purchasing a Tangem Wallet, I have a special offer for you. By using my referral code, you can buy a Tangem Wallet at a discounted price. Click here and use the promo code MY6D7U to enjoy your discount.

Explore Tangem here.

Tangem's Mnemonic Phrase Advantage

Tangem's standout feature is the absence of the need for a mnemonic phrase. This reduces the risk of loss due to complicated backup schemes.

However, for those who do backup mnemonic phrases, I recommend using a metal plate for added durability against elements like fire and water. It's crucial to protect your mnemonic phrase thoroughly, as it essentially makes you your own bank. A fireproof and waterproof safe is advisable for storing these phrases. While some split the phrase and store parts in different locations, I advise against overly complicating the storage scheme to prevent loss. Adding an optional password for additional security is also recommended. Remember, mnemonic phrases unlock the same wallet addresses across different hardware wallets, as most use the BIP39 protocol for generating a seed from the 24-word phrase. Check out this list for reference: BIP39 Word List.

Worth reading: - Seed Phrases Explained: Best Practices for Crypto Security - How Tangem Wallet backs up private keys - How Your Tangem Wallet Works Without Tangem: Apocalypse Scenario

French Ledger: A Shift in Trust

The French Ledger Nano S Plus or Ledger Nano X were previously high on the recommendation list. However, trust in these devices has diminished due to Ledger's service Ledger Recover allowing mnemonic phrase backups on third-party servers. This goes against the principle of a hardware wallet, where your seed should never be exportable or stored externally.

Chinese Keystone 3 Pro: A Contender with Caveats

As an alternative to Ledger, the Chinese Keystone 3 Pro could be considered. Although there are concerns about its Chinese manufacturing possibly implying vulnerabilities, its functionality—like signing transactions via QR codes without direct computer connection—offers a level of security. However, choosing a hardware wallet should be based on the specific cryptocurrencies you plan to store. For Bitcoin-only storage, the BitBox02 Bitcoin-only edition is highly recommended.

Worth reading: - Does airgap make Bitcoin hardware wallets more secure?

Czech Trezor: Slow to Innovate and Security Concerns

Regarding the Czech Trezor Model T, it's not recommended due to its slow pace in integrating new features. Recent controversies surrounding the integration of CoinJoin and concerns over censorship and transaction filtering have also marred its reputation. Furthermore, the Trezor Model T has proven to be vulnerable in case of loss, as demonstrated by a hacker in this video, potentially exposing your cryptocurrency to risks.

The Case of Canadian Coldcard (MK4): A Shift from FOSS

An important development in the hardware wallet space is the case of the Coldcard Mk4. Initially, Coldcard was a fully open-source software (FOSS) project. In FOSS, the "Free" refers to the freedom to run, study, redistribute, and modify the software, a principle highly valued in the crypto community. However, a significant shift occurred in the journey of Coldcard:

1. Initial FOSS and Bootstrapping: Coldcard, developed by nvk and Peter, started as a FOSS project. They bootstrapped the development, rejecting offers from venture capital investors interested in the project.
2. Foundation's Entry: Subsequently, the Foundation cloned Coldcard's code and announced a slightly different hardware. Notably, they raised funds from the same VCs that Coldcard had previously turned down.
3. License Change: In response to these events, Coldcard altered its software license. The new license permits all activities except those performed by the Foundation, marking a departure from its original FOSS status.

This change has sparked discussions within the cryptocurrency community about the importance of maintaining open-source principles in the development of hardware wallets. The Coldcard MK4's shift from FOSS underscores the complex dynamics between open-source ethos and commercial interests in the crypto world.

Source: X/Twitter thread.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when choosing a hardware wallet, consider the specific cryptocurrencies you'll be storing and the compatibility of the wallet with your intended use, especially concerning smart contracts and other features. While there are numerous options in the market, careful consideration of security features and the reputation of the manufacturer can guide you in making a secure choice for your digital assets.

@ d7c93c62:467bcf85

• “And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, a great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.” Ezekiel 38:22-23

In the last article, we left off with all the Egyptians suffering with boils or with the idea of a pandemic. This was showing the impotence of the gods Isis and Imhotep. Next we would be looking at fire, hail, and lighting with the Egyptian gods Nut and Shu. (If you haven’t read this part yet, pause reading this for a moment, and go and read Exodus 9 through 10 to get an idea about what we will be covering.)

The Egyptian god Nut was the goddess of the sky, cosmos, mothers, astronomy, and the universe. The Egyptian god Shu was the god of peace, lions, air, and wind. As God moved on to show his power and the impotence of the Egyptian gods, he wanted his people to be in awe and come to the conclusion that there is only one true God in this universe. What God was about to do, would be a light show to upstage all light shows. Lightning raced across the sky, and hail would fall, but not just any hail; this would be hail that was on fire, like small balls of fire. Much like a Fourth of July spectacle, God’s people would have been able to sit on their front porches from the area of Goshen and watch what was happening, not much more than a hop, skip, and jump away. Extraordinary!

God’s people have been warned.

• “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.” Mark 13:6-8

In a very real way, these verses explain what was happening in Exodus. There were many false gods or magicians that were deceiving both the Egyptians and God’s own people. God needed to shake things up so that His people would begin to see a distinction between them and the rest of the world around them. It was too easy to give credit to the Egyptian gods as being just as legitimate or real as their own. As people will commonly say today, “all religions are equal.”

Now, once you have a pandemic and then hail mixed with fire and lightning, it tends to really upset your food supply. The following gods that would be shown to be impotent were Neper and Nepit. Neper and Nepit were the god and goddess of grain and essential foods. Imagine if, because of a pandemic, then fire falling from the sky and ravishing the land(wars and rumors of wars), there would come a moment when the grain source of a large part of the world would be upset or destroyed. This was the very thing happening in Egypt, and God’s people were watching it all.

The next god to be destroyed in Egypt was Set or Seth, who was the god of desert, storms, disorder, foreigners, and violence. Each of these subsequent plagues in Egypt are a prophetic type of what we will likely be seeing, and are seeing take place today, as we await the second coming of Jesus Christ, and our journey to the promised land.

What does Set indicate for today?(desert, storms, disorder, foreigners, and violence.) Just read the news on any given day, we hear about some disorder or violence caused by illegal aliens in some country somewhere. We are seeing there are more than ordinary immigration patterns that are disrupting nations and their peace and security.

Israel watched these events as real-life events; we are watching them as larger world events. But in the end, the purpose is the same, then and now. God wants us to understand that the answers to life’s problems are in Him, not in excluding Him.  

The next to the last in the series of plagues is an act against the god Ra. Ra is the sun god. Every day, Ra was in charge of the sunrise until he wasn’t! God showed once again the impotence of the Egyptian gods. The one true God brought utter darkness to Egypt and Ra couldn’t do anything about it. So dark, that people couldn’t see to move around, light a fire or candle, or even see their family members that are around them, for three days. Can you imagine life if the darkness was so complete you couldn’t even leave your home? 72 hours of absolute, complete, and thorough darkness! 

These are the days we are living in right now. These last few plagues, before the BIG one. Starting with the pandemic, then the fire raining down from heaven and ravishing the land with wars and rumors of wars, followed by the disruption of basic goods and services, and then disorder and violence in the news daily around the world being caused by illegal immigrants, and then darkness or censorship! All of this is happening somewhat overlapping in time.

Again, it’s not God’s purpose to destroy but to awaken people. He wants us to pay better attention to what He is doing and align ourselves with His plan. 

In the following article, we will continue with chapter 11 of Exodus and the last of the plagues that God rained down on Egypt, comparing it to today and our world. We will continue to explore how these events affected God’s people and prepared them for the next leg of their adventure, leaving Egypt. We will also continue to examine how these chapters might parallel our very day and age.

God bless.

Again, thanks for stopping by and sharing your time with me.

Signing off till next time.

Silver

@ 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.

@ a023a5e8:ff29191d

which operating system do you recommend using on my PC?

@ 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. 🐶🐾🫡🚀🚀🚀

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Venturing into the dynamic world of bitcoin's layer 2 networks, particularly the lightning network, can seem like an exciting frontier for tech enthusiasts and cryptocurrency aficionados. however, the decision to run your own lightning node is not one to be taken lightly. While the allure of contributing to the bitcoin ecosystem and potentially earning transaction fees is strong, there are significant considerations that should temper the enthusiasm of would-be node operators. From the intricate technicalities to unexpected challenges, here are 10 compelling reasons why running your own lightning node might not be the electrifying experience you anticipated.

Running your own lightning node for the bitcoin layer 2 network can be a complex and demanding task. Here are 10 reasons why you might choose not to:

1. Technical complexity: setting up and managing a lightning node requires a good understanding of blockchain technology and network management, which can be overwhelming for beginners.

2. Security risks: running a node means you're responsible for securing it against potential cyber attacks, which requires constant vigilance and technical expertise.

3. Resource intensive: a lightning node requires continuous internet connection and sufficient hardware resources, which can be costly in terms of electricity and equipment.

4. Liquidity requirements: to facilitate transactions, you need to lock up a significant amount of bitcoin in your channels, which might not be ideal if you prefer liquidity.

5. Maintenance efforts: regular maintenance and updates are necessary to keep the node running smoothly, which can be time-consuming.

6. Limited privacy: operating a node might expose some of your transaction details or ip address, potentially compromising privacy.

7. Slow ROI: the financial return on operating a lightning node can be slow and uncertain, especially if the network fees are low.

8. Network complexity: understanding and managing channel capacities, routing, and fees can be complicated and require continuous learning and adaptation.

9. Scalability issues: as the network grows, managing a node can become increasingly challenging, with more channels and transactions to handle.

10. Downtime risks: if your node goes offline, you might miss out on transaction fees or, worse, risk losing funds in channels due to outdated channel states.

These reasons reflect the challenges and responsibilities that come with running your own lightning node and may discourage some individuals, especially those with limited technical background or resources. If you are still up for a challenge, thank you for supporting the network! 🐶🐾🫡🙏🏻