@ dd664d5e:5633d319

Men tend to find women attractive, that remind them of the average women they already know, but with more-averaged features. The mid of mids is kween.👸

But, in contradiction to that, they won't consider her highly attractive, unless she has some spectacular, unusual feature. They'll sacrifice some averageness to acquire that novelty. This is why wealthy men (who tend to be highly intelligent -- and therefore particularly inclined to crave novelty because they are easily bored) -- are more likely to have striking-looking wives and girlfriends, rather than conventionally-attractive ones. They are also more-likely to cross ethnic and racial lines, when dating.

Men also seem to each be particularly attracted to specific facial expressions or mimics, which might be an intelligence-similarity test, as persons with higher intelligence tend to have a more-expressive mimic. So, people with similar expressions tend to be on the same wavelength. Facial expessions also give men some sense of perception into womens' inner life, which they otherwise find inscrutable.

Hair color is a big deal (logic says: always go blonde), as is breast-size (bigger is better), and WHR (smaller is better).

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/919766

@ aa8de34f:a6ffe696

19. März 2025

🔐 1. SHA-256 is Quantum-Resistant

Bitcoin’s proof-of-work mechanism relies on SHA-256, a hashing algorithm. Even with a powerful quantum computer, SHA-256 remains secure because:

• Quantum computers excel at factoring large numbers (Shor’s Algorithm).
• However, SHA-256 is a one-way function, meaning there's no known quantum algorithm that can efficiently reverse it.
• Grover’s Algorithm (which theoretically speeds up brute force attacks) would still require 2¹²⁸ operations to break SHA-256 – far beyond practical reach.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

🔑 2. Public Key Vulnerability – But Only If You Reuse Addresses

Bitcoin uses Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) to generate keys.

• A quantum computer could use Shor’s Algorithm to break SECP256K1, the curve Bitcoin uses.
• If you never reuse addresses, it is an additional security element
• 🔑 1. Bitcoin Addresses Are NOT Public Keys

Many people assume a Bitcoin address is the public key—this is wrong.

• When you receive Bitcoin, it is sent to a hashed public key (the Bitcoin address).
• The actual public key is never exposed because it is the Bitcoin Adress who addresses the Public Key which never reveals the creation of a public key by a spend
• Bitcoin uses Pay-to-Public-Key-Hash (P2PKH) or newer methods like Pay-to-Witness-Public-Key-Hash (P2WPKH), which add extra layers of security.

🕵️♂️ 2.1 The Public Key Never Appears

• When you send Bitcoin, your wallet creates a digital signature.
• This signature uses the private key to prove ownership.
• The Bitcoin address is revealed and creates the Public Key
• The public key remains hidden inside the Bitcoin script and Merkle tree.

This means: ✔ The public key is never exposed. ✔ Quantum attackers have nothing to target, attacking a Bitcoin Address is a zero value game.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

🔄 3. Bitcoin Can Upgrade

Even if quantum computers eventually become a real threat:

• Bitcoin developers can upgrade to quantum-safe cryptography (e.g., lattice-based cryptography or post-quantum signatures like Dilithium).
• Bitcoin’s decentralized nature ensures a network-wide soft fork or hard fork could transition to quantum-resistant keys.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

⏳ 4. The 10-Minute Block Rule as a Security Feature

• Bitcoin’s network operates on a 10-minute block interval, meaning:Even if an attacker had immense computational power (like a quantum computer), they could only attempt an attack every 10 minutes.Unlike traditional encryption, where a hacker could continuously brute-force keys, Bitcoin’s system resets the challenge with every new block.This limits the window of opportunity for quantum attacks.

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🎯 5. Quantum Attack Needs to Solve a Block in Real-Time

• A quantum attacker must solve the cryptographic puzzle (Proof of Work) in under 10 minutes.
• The problem? Any slight error changes the hash completely, meaning:If the quantum computer makes a mistake (even 0.0001% probability), the entire attack fails.Quantum decoherence (loss of qubit stability) makes error correction a massive challenge.The computational cost of recovering from an incorrect hash is still incredibly high.

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⚡ 6. Network Resilience – Even if a Block Is Hacked

• Even if a quantum computer somehow solved a block instantly:The network would quickly recognize and reject invalid transactions.Other miners would continue mining under normal cryptographic rules.51% Attack? The attacker would need to consistently beat the entire Bitcoin network, which is not sustainable.

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🔄 7. The Logarithmic Difficulty Adjustment Neutralizes Threats

• Bitcoin adjusts mining difficulty every 2016 blocks (\~2 weeks).
• If quantum miners appeared and suddenly started solving blocks too quickly, the difficulty would adjust upward, making attacks significantly harder.
• This self-correcting mechanism ensures that even quantum computers wouldn't easily overpower the network.

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🔥 Final Verdict: Quantum Computers Are Too Slow for Bitcoin

✔ The 10-minute rule limits attack frequency – quantum computers can’t keep up.

✔ Any slight miscalculation ruins the attack, resetting all progress.

✔ Bitcoin’s difficulty adjustment would react, neutralizing quantum advantages.

Even if quantum computers reach their theoretical potential, Bitcoin’s game theory and design make it incredibly resistant. 🚀

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Bald werde es verboten, alleine im Auto zu fahren, konnte man dieser Tage in verschiedenen spanischen Medien lesen. Die nationale Verkehrsbehörde (Dirección General de Tráfico, kurz DGT) werde Alleinfahrern das Leben schwer machen, wurde gemeldet. Konkret erörtere die Generaldirektion geeignete Sanktionen für Personen, die ohne Beifahrer im Privatauto unterwegs seien.

Das Alleinfahren sei zunehmend verpönt und ein Mentalitätswandel notwendig, hieß es. Dieser «Luxus» stehe im Widerspruch zu den Maßnahmen gegen Umweltverschmutzung, die in allen europäischen Ländern gefördert würden. In Frankreich sei es «bereits verboten, in der Hauptstadt allein zu fahren», behauptete Noticiastrabajo Huffpost in einer Zwischenüberschrift. Nur um dann im Text zu konkretisieren, dass die sogenannte «Umweltspur» auf der Pariser Ringautobahn gemeint war, die für Busse, Taxis und Fahrgemeinschaften reserviert ist. Ab Mai werden Verstöße dagegen mit einem Bußgeld geahndet.

Die DGT jedenfalls wolle bei der Umsetzung derartiger Maßnahmen nicht hinterherhinken. Diese Medienberichte, inklusive des angeblich bevorstehenden Verbots, beriefen sich auf Aussagen des Generaldirektors der Behörde, Pere Navarro, beim Mobilitätskongress Global Mobility Call im November letzten Jahres, wo es um «nachhaltige Mobilität» ging. Aus diesem Kontext stammt auch Navarros Warnung: «Die Zukunft des Verkehrs ist geteilt oder es gibt keine».

Die «Faktenchecker» kamen der Generaldirektion prompt zu Hilfe. Die DGT habe derlei Behauptungen zurückgewiesen und klargestellt, dass es keine Pläne gebe, Fahrten mit nur einer Person im Auto zu verbieten oder zu bestrafen. Bei solchen Meldungen handele es sich um Fake News. Teilweise wurde der Vorsitzende der spanischen «Rechtsaußen»-Partei Vox, Santiago Abascal, der Urheberschaft bezichtigt, weil er einen entsprechenden Artikel von La Gaceta kommentiert hatte.

Der Beschwichtigungsversuch der Art «niemand hat die Absicht» ist dabei erfahrungsgemäß eher ein Alarmzeichen als eine Beruhigung. Walter Ulbrichts Leugnung einer geplanten Berliner Mauer vom Juni 1961 ist vielen genauso in Erinnerung wie die Fake News-Warnungen des deutschen Bundesgesundheitsministeriums bezüglich Lockdowns im März 2020 oder diverse Äußerungen zu einer Impfpflicht ab 2020.

Aber Aufregung hin, Dementis her: Die Pressemitteilung der DGT zu dem Mobilitätskongress enthält in Wahrheit viel interessantere Informationen als «nur» einen Appell an den «guten» Bürger wegen der Bemühungen um die Lebensqualität in Großstädten oder einen möglichen obligatorischen Abschied vom Alleinfahren. Allerdings werden diese Details von Medien und sogenannten Faktencheckern geflissentlich übersehen, obwohl sie keineswegs versteckt sind. Die Auskünfte sind sehr aufschlussreich, wenn man genauer hinschaut.

Digitalisierung ist der Schlüssel für Kontrolle

Auf dem Kongress stellte die Verkehrsbehörde ihre Initiativen zur Förderung der «neuen Mobilität» vor, deren Priorität Sicherheit und Effizienz sei. Die vier konkreten Ansätze haben alle mit Digitalisierung, Daten, Überwachung und Kontrolle im großen Stil zu tun und werden unter dem Euphemismus der «öffentlich-privaten Partnerschaft» angepriesen. Auch lassen sie die transhumanistische Idee vom unzulänglichen Menschen erkennen, dessen Fehler durch «intelligente» technologische Infrastruktur kompensiert werden müssten.

Die Chefin des Bereichs «Verkehrsüberwachung» erklärte die Funktion des spanischen National Access Point (NAP), wobei sie betonte, wie wichtig Verkehrs- und Infrastrukturinformationen in Echtzeit seien. Der NAP ist «eine essenzielle Web-Applikation, die unter EU-Mandat erstellt wurde», kann man auf der Website der DGT nachlesen.

Das Mandat meint Regelungen zu einem einheitlichen europäischen Verkehrsraum, mit denen die Union mindestens seit 2010 den Aufbau einer digitalen Architektur mit offenen Schnittstellen betreibt. Damit begründet man auch «umfassende Datenbereitstellungspflichten im Bereich multimodaler Reiseinformationen». Jeder Mitgliedstaat musste einen NAP, also einen nationalen Zugangspunkt einrichten, der Zugang zu statischen und dynamischen Reise- und Verkehrsdaten verschiedener Verkehrsträger ermöglicht.

Diese Entwicklung ist heute schon weit fortgeschritten, auch und besonders in Spanien. Auf besagtem Kongress erläuterte die Leiterin des Bereichs «Telematik» die Plattform «DGT 3.0». Diese werde als Integrator aller Informationen genutzt, die von den verschiedenen öffentlichen und privaten Systemen, die Teil der Mobilität sind, bereitgestellt werden.

Es handele sich um eine Vermittlungsplattform zwischen Akteuren wie Fahrzeugherstellern, Anbietern von Navigationsdiensten oder Kommunen und dem Endnutzer, der die Verkehrswege benutzt. Alle seien auf Basis des Internets der Dinge (IOT) anonym verbunden, «um der vernetzten Gemeinschaft wertvolle Informationen zu liefern oder diese zu nutzen».

So sei DGT 3.0 «ein Zugangspunkt für einzigartige, kostenlose und genaue Echtzeitinformationen über das Geschehen auf den Straßen und in den Städten». Damit lasse sich der Verkehr nachhaltiger und vernetzter gestalten. Beispielsweise würden die Karten des Produktpartners Google dank der DGT-Daten 50 Millionen Mal pro Tag aktualisiert.

Des Weiteren informiert die Verkehrsbehörde über ihr SCADA-Projekt. Die Abkürzung steht für Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, zu deutsch etwa: Kontrollierte Steuerung und Datenerfassung. Mit SCADA kombiniert man Software und Hardware, um automatisierte Systeme zur Überwachung und Steuerung technischer Prozesse zu schaffen. Das SCADA-Projekt der DGT wird von Indra entwickelt, einem spanischen Beratungskonzern aus den Bereichen Sicherheit & Militär, Energie, Transport, Telekommunikation und Gesundheitsinformation.

Das SCADA-System der Behörde umfasse auch eine Videostreaming- und Videoaufzeichnungsplattform, die das Hochladen in die Cloud in Echtzeit ermöglicht, wie Indra erklärt. Dabei gehe es um Bilder, die von Überwachungskameras an Straßen aufgenommen wurden, sowie um Videos aus DGT-Hubschraubern und Drohnen. Ziel sei es, «die sichere Weitergabe von Videos an Dritte sowie die kontinuierliche Aufzeichnung und Speicherung von Bildern zur möglichen Analyse und späteren Nutzung zu ermöglichen».

Letzteres klingt sehr nach biometrischer Erkennung und Auswertung durch künstliche Intelligenz. Für eine bessere Datenübertragung wird derzeit die Glasfaserverkabelung entlang der Landstraßen und Autobahnen ausgebaut. Mit der Cloud sind die Amazon Web Services (AWS) gemeint, die spanischen Daten gehen somit direkt zu einem US-amerikanischen «Big Data»-Unternehmen.

Das Thema «autonomes Fahren», also Fahren ohne Zutun des Menschen, bildet den Abschluss der Betrachtungen der DGT. Zusammen mit dem Interessenverband der Automobilindustrie ANFAC (Asociación Española de Fabricantes de Automóviles y Camiones) sprach man auf dem Kongress über Strategien und Perspektiven in diesem Bereich. Die Lobbyisten hoffen noch in diesem Jahr 2025 auf einen normativen Rahmen zur erweiterten Unterstützung autonomer Technologien.

Wenn man derartige Informationen im Zusammenhang betrachtet, bekommt man eine Idee davon, warum zunehmend alles elektrisch und digital werden soll. Umwelt- und Mobilitätsprobleme in Städten, wie Luftverschmutzung, Lärmbelästigung, Platzmangel oder Staus, sind eine Sache. Mit dem Argument «emissionslos» wird jedoch eine Referenz zum CO2 und dem «menschengemachten Klimawandel» hergestellt, die Emotionen triggert. Und damit wird so ziemlich alles verkauft.

Letztlich aber gilt: Je elektrischer und digitaler unsere Umgebung wird und je freigiebiger wir mit unseren Daten jeder Art sind, desto besser werden wir kontrollier-, steuer- und sogar abschaltbar. Irgendwann entscheiden KI-basierte Algorithmen, ob, wann, wie, wohin und mit wem wir uns bewegen dürfen. Über einen 15-Minuten-Radius geht dann möglicherweise nichts hinaus. Die Projekte auf diesem Weg sind ernst zu nehmen, real und schon weit fortgeschritten.

[Titelbild: Pixabay]

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Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Was nützt die schönste Schuldenbremse, wenn der Russe vor der Tür steht? \ Wir können uns verteidigen lernen oder alle Russisch lernen. \ Jens Spahn

In der Politik ist buchstäblich keine Idee zu riskant, kein Mittel zu schäbig und keine Lüge zu dreist, als dass sie nicht benutzt würden. Aber der Clou ist, dass diese Masche immer noch funktioniert, wenn nicht sogar immer besser. Ist das alles wirklich so schwer zu durchschauen? Mir fehlen langsam die Worte.

Aktuell werden sowohl in der Europäischen Union als auch in Deutschland riesige Milliardenpakete für die Aufrüstung – also für die Rüstungsindustrie – geschnürt. Die EU will 800 Milliarden Euro locker machen, in Deutschland sollen es 500 Milliarden «Sondervermögen» sein. Verteidigung nennen das unsere «Führer», innerhalb der Union und auch an «unserer Ostflanke», der Ukraine.

Das nötige Feindbild konnte inzwischen signifikant erweitert werden. Schuld an allem und zudem gefährlich ist nicht mehr nur Putin, sondern jetzt auch Trump. Europa müsse sich sowohl gegen Russland als auch gegen die USA schützen und rüsten, wird uns eingetrichtert.

Und während durch Diplomatie genau dieser beiden Staaten gerade endlich mal Bewegung in die Bemühungen um einen Frieden oder wenigstens einen Waffenstillstand in der Ukraine kommt, rasselt man im moralisch überlegenen Zeigefinger-Europa so richtig mit dem Säbel.

Begleitet und gestützt wird der ganze Prozess – wie sollte es anders sein – von den «Qualitätsmedien». Dass Russland einen Angriff auf «Europa» plant, weiß nicht nur der deutsche Verteidigungsminister (und mit Abstand beliebteste Politiker) Pistorius, sondern dank ihnen auch jedes Kind. Uns bleiben nur noch wenige Jahre. Zum Glück bereitet sich die Bundeswehr schon sehr konkret auf einen Krieg vor.

Die FAZ und Corona-Gesundheitsminister Spahn markieren einen traurigen Höhepunkt. Hier haben sich «politische und publizistische Verantwortungslosigkeit propagandistisch gegenseitig befruchtet», wie es bei den NachDenkSeiten heißt. Die Aussage Spahns in dem Interview, «der Russe steht vor der Tür», ist das eine. Die Zeitung verschärfte die Sache jedoch, indem sie das Zitat explizit in den Titel übernahm, der in einer ersten Version scheinbar zu harmlos war.

Eine große Mehrheit der deutschen Bevölkerung findet Aufrüstung und mehr Schulden toll, wie ARD und ZDF sehr passend ermittelt haben wollen. Ähnliches gelte für eine noch stärkere militärische Unterstützung der Ukraine. Etwas skeptischer seien die Befragten bezüglich der Entsendung von Bundeswehrsoldaten dorthin, aber immerhin etwa fifty-fifty.

Eigentlich ist jedoch die Meinung der Menschen in «unseren Demokratien» irrelevant. Sowohl in der Europäischen Union als auch in Deutschland sind die «Eliten» offenbar der Ansicht, der Souverän habe in Fragen von Krieg und Frieden sowie von aberwitzigen astronomischen Schulden kein Wörtchen mitzureden. Frau von der Leyen möchte über 150 Milliarden aus dem Gesamtpaket unter Verwendung von Artikel 122 des EU-Vertrags ohne das Europäische Parlament entscheiden – wenn auch nicht völlig kritiklos.

In Deutschland wollen CDU/CSU und SPD zur Aufweichung der «Schuldenbremse» mehrere Änderungen des Grundgesetzes durch das abgewählte Parlament peitschen. Dieser Versuch, mit dem alten Bundestag eine Zweidrittelmehrheit zu erzielen, die im neuen nicht mehr gegeben wäre, ist mindestens verfassungsrechtlich umstritten.

Das Manöver scheint aber zu funktionieren. Heute haben die Grünen zugestimmt, nachdem Kanzlerkandidat Merz läppische 100 Milliarden für «irgendwas mit Klima» zugesichert hatte. Die Abstimmung im Plenum soll am kommenden Dienstag erfolgen – nur eine Woche, bevor sich der neu gewählte Bundestag konstituieren wird.

Interessant sind die Argumente, die BlackRocker Merz für seine Attacke auf Grundgesetz und Demokratie ins Feld führt. Abgesehen von der angeblichen Eile, «unsere Verteidigungsfähigkeit deutlich zu erhöhen» (ausgelöst unter anderem durch «die Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz und die Ereignisse im Weißen Haus»), ließ uns der CDU-Chef wissen, dass Deutschland einfach auf die internationale Bühne zurück müsse. Merz schwadronierte gefährlich mehrdeutig:

«Die ganze Welt schaut in diesen Tagen und Wochen auf Deutschland. Wir haben in der Europäischen Union und auf der Welt eine Aufgabe, die weit über die Grenzen unseres eigenen Landes hinausgeht.»

[Titelbild: Tag des Sieges]

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Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ a95c6243:d345522c

«Wir brauchen eine digitale Brandmauer gegen den Faschismus», schreibt der Chaos Computer Club (CCC) auf seiner Website. Unter diesem Motto präsentierte er letzte Woche einen Forderungskatalog, mit dem sich 24 Organisationen an die kommende Bundesregierung wenden. Der Koalitionsvertrag müsse sich daran messen lassen, verlangen sie.

In den drei Kategorien «Bekenntnis gegen Überwachung», «Schutz und Sicherheit für alle» sowie «Demokratie im digitalen Raum» stellen die Unterzeichner, zu denen auch Amnesty International und Das NETTZ gehören, unter anderem die folgenden «Mindestanforderungen»:

• Verbot biometrischer Massenüberwachung des öffentlichen Raums sowie der ungezielten biometrischen Auswertung des Internets.
• Anlasslose und massenhafte Vorratsdatenspeicherung wird abgelehnt.
• Automatisierte Datenanalysen der Informationsbestände der Strafverfolgungsbehörden sowie jede Form von Predictive Policing oder automatisiertes Profiling von Menschen werden abgelehnt.
• Einführung eines Rechts auf Verschlüsselung. Die Bundesregierung soll sich dafür einsetzen, die Chatkontrolle auf europäischer Ebene zu verhindern.
• Anonyme und pseudonyme Nutzung des Internets soll geschützt und ermöglicht werden.
• Bekämpfung «privaten Machtmissbrauchs von Big-Tech-Unternehmen» durch durchsetzungsstarke, unabhängige und grundsätzlich föderale Aufsichtsstrukturen.
• Einführung eines digitalen Gewaltschutzgesetzes, unter Berücksichtigung «gruppenbezogener digitaler Gewalt» und die Förderung von Beratungsangeboten.
• Ein umfassendes Förderprogramm für digitale öffentliche Räume, die dezentral organisiert und quelloffen programmiert sind, soll aufgelegt werden.

Es sei ein Irrglaube, dass zunehmende Überwachung einen Zugewinn an Sicherheit darstelle, ist eines der Argumente der Initiatoren. Sicherheit erfordere auch, dass Menschen anonym und vertraulich kommunizieren können und ihre Privatsphäre geschützt wird.

Gesunde digitale Räume lebten auch von einem demokratischen Diskurs, lesen wir in dem Papier. Es sei Aufgabe des Staates, Grundrechte zu schützen. Dazu gehöre auch, Menschenrechte und demokratische Werte, insbesondere Freiheit, Gleichheit und Solidarität zu fördern sowie den Missbrauch von Maßnahmen, Befugnissen und Infrastrukturen durch «die Feinde der Demokratie» zu verhindern.

Man ist geneigt zu fragen, wo denn die Autoren «den Faschismus» sehen, den es zu bekämpfen gelte. Die meisten der vorgetragenen Forderungen und Argumente finden sicher breite Unterstützung, denn sie beschreiben offenkundig gängige, kritikwürdige Praxis. Die Aushebelung der Privatsphäre, der Redefreiheit und anderer Grundrechte im Namen der Sicherheit wird bereits jetzt massiv durch die aktuellen «demokratischen Institutionen» und ihre «durchsetzungsstarken Aufsichtsstrukturen» betrieben.

Ist «der Faschismus» also die EU und ihre Mitgliedsstaaten? Nein, die «faschistische Gefahr», gegen die man eine digitale Brandmauer will, kommt nach Ansicht des CCC und seiner Partner aus den Vereinigten Staaten. Private Überwachung und Machtkonzentration sind dabei weltweit schon lange Realität, jetzt endlich müssen sie jedoch bekämpft werden. In dem Papier heißt es:

«Die willkürliche und antidemokratische Machtausübung der Tech-Oligarchen um Präsident Trump erfordert einen Paradigmenwechsel in der deutschen Digitalpolitik. (...) Die aktuellen Geschehnisse in den USA zeigen auf, wie Datensammlungen und -analyse genutzt werden können, um einen Staat handstreichartig zu übernehmen, seine Strukturen nachhaltig zu beschädigen, Widerstand zu unterbinden und marginalisierte Gruppen zu verfolgen.»

Wer auf der anderen Seite dieser Brandmauer stehen soll, ist also klar. Es sind die gleichen «Feinde unserer Demokratie», die seit Jahren in diese Ecke gedrängt werden. Es sind die gleichen Andersdenkenden, Regierungskritiker und Friedensforderer, die unter dem großzügigen Dach des Bundesprogramms «Demokratie leben» einem «kontinuierlichen Echt- und Langzeitmonitoring» wegen der Etikettierung «digitaler Hass» unterzogen werden.

Dass die 24 Organisationen praktisch auch die Bekämpfung von Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon und anderen fordern, entbehrt nicht der Komik. Diese fallen aber sicher unter das Stichwort «Machtmissbrauch von Big-Tech-Unternehmen». Gleichzeitig verlangen die Lobbyisten implizit zum Beispiel die Förderung des Nostr-Netzwerks, denn hier finden wir dezentral organisierte und quelloffen programmierte digitale Räume par excellence, obendrein zensurresistent. Das wiederum dürfte in der Politik weniger gut ankommen.

[Titelbild: Pixabay]

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Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

Seville

Seville (Sevilla) is one of Spain’s most vibrant and historic cities, known for its stunning Moorish architecture, flamenco dancing, tapas culture, and rich history. As the capital of Andalusia, it offers a perfect mix of tradition and modern charm.

🏛️ Top Things to See & Do in Seville

1️⃣ The Royal Alcázar of Seville

• A breathtaking Moorish palace with stunning gardens, intricate tilework, and grand courtyards.
• Famous for its mix of Islamic, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles.
• Tip: Book tickets in advance to avoid long lines!

2️⃣ Seville Cathedral & La Giralda

• The largest Gothic cathedral in the world, home to Christopher Columbus' tomb.
• Climb La Giralda Tower for panoramic views of the city.

3️⃣ Plaza de España

• A majestic semi-circular plaza with bridges, fountains, and detailed ceramic tilework.
• Perfect for photos, boat rides, and people-watching.

4️⃣ Metropol Parasol (Las Setas)

• A modern wooden structure in the city center offering great rooftop views.
• Best time to visit: Sunset for golden hour photos!

5️⃣ Barrio Santa Cruz

• The old Jewish Quarter, filled with narrow alleys, hidden courtyards, and charming tapas bars.
• Perfect for a romantic evening stroll.

6️⃣ Experience Flamenco in Triana

• Triana is the birthplace of flamenco – watch an authentic flamenco show in an intimate setting.

7️⃣ Stroll Along the Guadalquivir River & Torre del Oro

• Enjoy a walk or boat cruise along the river with views of Torre del Oro, a historic 13th-century watchtower.

🍽️ What to Eat in Seville

• Tapas – Try jamón ibérico, patatas bravas, and espinacas con garbanzos 🥘
• Salmorejo – A cold tomato soup, similar to gazpacho 🍅
• Pescaíto frito – Lightly fried fish, a local favorite 🐟
• Tortilla de camarones – Shrimp fritters, crispy and delicious 🍤
• Orange wine (vino de naranja) – A sweet Seville specialty 🍷

🚆 How to Get to Seville

🚄 By Train: High-speed AVE trains from Madrid (2.5 hours) & Barcelona (5.5 hours)
✈️ By Air: Seville Airport (SVQ) with flights from major European cities
🚗 By Car: A great road trip stop between Granada, Córdoba, and Cádiz

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💡 Tips for Visiting Seville

✅ Best time to visit? Spring (March-May) – Perfect weather & festivals 🌸
✅ Avoid midday heat in summer – Explore early morning or late evening ☀️
✅ Visit during Feria de Abril – One of Spain’s most colorful festivals 🎶🎡
✅ Book Alcázar & Cathedral tickets online – Save time in long queues 🎟️

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Die «Eliten» führen bereits groß angelegte Pilotprojekte für eine Zukunft durch, die sie wollen und wir nicht. Das schreibt der OffGuardian in einem Update zum Thema «EU-Brieftasche für die digitale Identität». Das Portal weist darauf hin, dass die Akteure dabei nicht gerade zimperlich vorgehen und auch keinen Hehl aus ihren Absichten machen. Transition News hat mehrfach darüber berichtet, zuletzt hier und hier.

Mit der EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI-Brieftasche) sei eine einzige von der Regierung herausgegebene App geplant, die Ihre medizinischen Daten, Beschäftigungsdaten, Reisedaten, Bildungsdaten, Impfdaten, Steuerdaten, Finanzdaten sowie (potenziell) Kopien Ihrer Unterschrift, Fingerabdrücke, Gesichtsscans, Stimmproben und DNA enthält. So fasst der OffGuardian die eindrucksvolle Liste möglicher Einsatzbereiche zusammen.

Auch Dokumente wie der Personalausweis oder der Führerschein können dort in elektronischer Form gespeichert werden. Bis 2026 sind alle EU-Mitgliedstaaten dazu verpflichtet, Ihren Bürgern funktionierende und frei verfügbare digitale «Brieftaschen» bereitzustellen.

Die Menschen würden diese App nutzen, so das Portal, um Zahlungen vorzunehmen, Kredite zu beantragen, ihre Steuern zu zahlen, ihre Rezepte abzuholen, internationale Grenzen zu überschreiten, Unternehmen zu gründen, Arzttermine zu buchen, sich um Stellen zu bewerben und sogar digitale Verträge online zu unterzeichnen.

All diese Daten würden auf ihrem Mobiltelefon gespeichert und mit den Regierungen von neunzehn Ländern (plus der Ukraine) sowie über 140 anderen öffentlichen und privaten Partnern ausgetauscht. Von der Deutschen Bank über das ukrainische Ministerium für digitalen Fortschritt bis hin zu Samsung Europe. Unternehmen und Behörden würden auf diese Daten im Backend zugreifen, um «automatisierte Hintergrundprüfungen» durchzuführen.

Der Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände (VZBV) habe Bedenken geäußert, dass eine solche App «Risiken für den Schutz der Privatsphäre und der Daten» berge, berichtet das Portal. Die einzige Antwort darauf laute: «Richtig, genau dafür ist sie ja da!»

Das alles sei keine Hypothese, betont der OffGuardian. Es sei vielmehr «Potential». Damit ist ein EU-Projekt gemeint, in dessen Rahmen Dutzende öffentliche und private Einrichtungen zusammenarbeiten, «um eine einheitliche Vision der digitalen Identität für die Bürger der europäischen Länder zu definieren». Dies ist nur eines der groß angelegten Pilotprojekte, mit denen Prototypen und Anwendungsfälle für die EUDI-Wallet getestet werden. Es gibt noch mindestens drei weitere.

Den Ball der digitalen ID-Systeme habe die Covid-«Pandemie» über die «Impfpässe» ins Rollen gebracht. Seitdem habe das Thema an Schwung verloren. Je näher wir aber der vollständigen Einführung der EUid kämen, desto mehr Propaganda der Art «Warum wir eine digitale Brieftasche brauchen» könnten wir in den Mainstream-Medien erwarten, prognostiziert der OffGuardian. Vielleicht müssten wir schon nach dem nächsten großen «Grund», dem nächsten «katastrophalen katalytischen Ereignis» Ausschau halten. Vermutlich gebe es bereits Pläne, warum die Menschen plötzlich eine digitale ID-Brieftasche brauchen würden.

Die Entwicklung geht jedenfalls stetig weiter in genau diese Richtung. Beispielsweise hat Jordanien angekündigt, die digitale biometrische ID bei den nächsten Wahlen zur Verifizierung der Wähler einzuführen. Man wolle «den Papierkrieg beenden und sicherstellen, dass die gesamte Kette bis zu den nächsten Parlamentswahlen digitalisiert wird», heißt es. Absehbar ist, dass dabei einige Wahlberechtigte «auf der Strecke bleiben» werden, wie im Fall von Albanien geschehen.

Derweil würden die Briten gerne ihre Privatsphäre gegen Effizienz eintauschen, behauptet Tony Blair. Der Ex-Premier drängte kürzlich erneut auf digitale Identitäten und Gesichtserkennung. Blair ist Gründer einer Denkfabrik für globalen Wandel, Anhänger globalistischer Technokratie und «moderner Infrastruktur».

Abschließend warnt der OffGuardian vor der Illusion, Trump und Musk würden den US-Bürgern «diesen Schlamassel ersparen». Das Department of Government Efficiency werde sich auf die digitale Identität stürzen. Was könne schließlich «effizienter» sein als eine einzige App, die für alles verwendet wird? Der Unterschied bestehe nur darin, dass die US-Version vielleicht eher privat als öffentlich sei – sofern es da überhaupt noch einen wirklichen Unterschied gebe.

[Titelbild: Screenshot OffGuardian]

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@ a95c6243:d345522c

Ständige Lügen und Unterstellungen, permanent falsche Fürsorge \ können Bausteine von emotionaler Manipulation sein. Mit dem Zweck, \ Macht und Kontrolle über eine andere Person auszuüben. \ Apotheken Umschau

Irgendetwas muss passiert sein: «Gaslighting» ist gerade Thema in vielen Medien. Heute bin ich nach längerer Zeit mal wieder über dieses Stichwort gestolpert. Das war in einem Artikel von Norbert Häring über Manipulationen des Deutschen Wetterdienstes (DWD). In diesem Fall ging es um eine Pressemitteilung vom Donnerstag zum «viel zu warmen» Winter 2024/25.

Häring wirft der Behörde vor, dreist zu lügen und Dinge auszulassen, um die Klimaangst wach zu halten. Was der Leser beim DWD nicht erfahre, sei, dass dieser Winter kälter als die drei vorangegangenen und kälter als der Durchschnitt der letzten zehn Jahre gewesen sei. Stattdessen werde der falsche Eindruck vermittelt, es würde ungebremst immer wärmer.

Wem also der zu Ende gehende Winter eher kalt vorgekommen sein sollte, mit dessen Empfinden stimme wohl etwas nicht. Das jedenfalls wolle der DWD uns einreden, so der Wirtschaftsjournalist. Und damit sind wir beim Thema Gaslighting.

Als Gaslighting wird eine Form psychischer Manipulation bezeichnet, mit der die Opfer desorientiert und zutiefst verunsichert werden, indem ihre eigene Wahrnehmung als falsch bezeichnet wird. Der Prozess führt zu Angst und Realitätsverzerrung sowie zur Zerstörung des Selbstbewusstseins. Die Bezeichnung kommt von dem britischen Theaterstück «Gas Light» aus dem Jahr 1938, in dem ein Mann mit grausamen Psychotricks seine Frau in den Wahnsinn treibt.

Damit Gaslighting funktioniert, muss das Opfer dem Täter vertrauen. Oft wird solcher Psychoterror daher im privaten oder familiären Umfeld beschrieben, ebenso wie am Arbeitsplatz. Jedoch eignen sich die Prinzipien auch perfekt zur Manipulation der Massen. Vermeintliche Autoritäten wie Ärzte und Wissenschaftler, oder «der fürsorgliche Staat» und Institutionen wie die UNO oder die WHO wollen uns doch nichts Böses. Auch Staatsmedien, Faktenchecker und diverse NGOs wurden zu «vertrauenswürdigen Quellen» erklärt. Das hat seine Wirkung.

Warum das Thema Gaslighting derzeit scheinbar so populär ist, vermag ich nicht zu sagen. Es sind aber gerade in den letzten Tagen und Wochen auffällig viele Artikel dazu erschienen, und zwar nicht nur von Psychologen. Die Frankfurter Rundschau hat gleich mehrere publiziert, und Anwälte interessieren sich dafür offenbar genauso wie Apotheker.

Die Apotheken Umschau machte sogar auf «Medical Gaslighting» aufmerksam. Davon spreche man, wenn Mediziner Symptome nicht ernst nähmen oder wenn ein gesundheitliches Problem vom behandelnden Arzt «schnöde heruntergespielt» oder abgetan würde. Kommt Ihnen das auch irgendwie bekannt vor? Der Begriff sei allerdings irreführend, da er eine manipulierende Absicht unterstellt, die «nicht gewährleistet» sei.

Apropos Gaslighting: Die noch amtierende deutsche Bundesregierung meldete heute, es gelte, «weiter [sic!] gemeinsam daran zu arbeiten, einen gerechten und dauerhaften Frieden für die Ukraine zu erreichen». Die Ukraine, wo sich am Montag «der völkerrechtswidrige Angriffskrieg zum dritten Mal jährte», verteidige ihr Land und «unsere gemeinsamen Werte».

Merken Sie etwas? Das Demokratieverständnis mag ja tatsächlich inzwischen in beiden Ländern ähnlich traurig sein. Bezüglich Friedensbemühungen ist meine Wahrnehmung jedoch eine andere. Das muss an meinem Gedächtnis liegen.

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@ a95c6243:d345522c

Europa – das Ganze ist eine wunderbare Idee, \ aber das war der Kommunismus auch. \ Loriot

«Europa hat fertig», könnte man unken, und das wäre nicht einmal sehr verwegen. Mit solch einer Einschätzung stünden wir nicht alleine, denn die Stimmen in diese Richtung mehren sich. Der französische Präsident Emmanuel Macron warnte schon letztes Jahr davor, dass «unser Europa sterben könnte». Vermutlich hatte er dabei andere Gefahren im Kopf als jetzt der ungarische Ministerpräsident Viktor Orbán, der ein «baldiges Ende der EU» prognostizierte. Das Ergebnis könnte allerdings das gleiche sein.

Neben vordergründigen Themenbereichen wie Wirtschaft, Energie und Sicherheit ist das eigentliche Problem jedoch die obskure Mischung aus aufgegebener Souveränität und geschwollener Arroganz, mit der europäische Politiker:innende unterschiedlicher Couleur aufzutreten pflegen. Und das Tüpfelchen auf dem i ist die bröckelnde Legitimation politischer Institutionen dadurch, dass die Stimmen großer Teile der Bevölkerung seit Jahren auf vielfältige Weise ausgegrenzt werden.

Um «UnsereDemokratie» steht es schlecht. Dass seine Mandate immer schwächer werden, merkt natürlich auch unser «Führungspersonal». Entsprechend werden die Maßnahmen zur Gängelung, Überwachung und Manipulation der Bürger ständig verzweifelter. Parallel dazu plustern sich in Paris Macron, Scholz und einige andere noch einmal mächtig in Sachen Verteidigung und «Kriegstüchtigkeit» auf.

Momentan gilt es auch, das Überschwappen covidiotischer und verschwörungsideologischer Auswüchse aus den USA nach Europa zu vermeiden. So ein «MEGA» (Make Europe Great Again) können wir hier nicht gebrauchen. Aus den Vereinigten Staaten kommen nämlich furchtbare Nachrichten. Beispielsweise wurde einer der schärfsten Kritiker der Corona-Maßnahmen kürzlich zum Gesundheitsminister ernannt. Dieser setzt sich jetzt für eine Neubewertung der mRNA-«Impfstoffe» ein, was durchaus zu einem Entzug der Zulassungen führen könnte.

Der europäischen Version von «Verteidigung der Demokratie» setzte der US-Vizepräsident J. D. Vance auf der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz sein Verständnis entgegen: «Demokratie stärken, indem wir unseren Bürgern erlauben, ihre Meinung zu sagen». Das Abschalten von Medien, das Annullieren von Wahlen oder das Ausschließen von Menschen vom politischen Prozess schütze gar nichts. Vielmehr sei dies der todsichere Weg, die Demokratie zu zerstören.

In der Schweiz kamen seine Worte deutlich besser an als in den meisten europäischen NATO-Ländern. Bundespräsidentin Karin Keller-Sutter lobte die Rede und interpretierte sie als «Plädoyer für die direkte Demokratie». Möglicherweise zeichne sich hier eine außenpolitische Kehrtwende in Richtung integraler Neutralität ab, meint mein Kollege Daniel Funk. Das wären doch endlich mal ein paar gute Nachrichten.

Von der einstigen Idee einer europäischen Union mit engeren Beziehungen zwischen den Staaten, um Konflikte zu vermeiden und das Wohlergehen der Bürger zu verbessern, sind wir meilenweit abgekommen. Der heutige korrupte Verbund unter technokratischer Leitung ähnelt mehr einem Selbstbedienungsladen mit sehr begrenztem Zugang. Die EU-Wahlen im letzten Sommer haben daran ebenso wenig geändert, wie die Bundestagswahl am kommenden Sonntag darauf einen Einfluss haben wird.

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@ a95c6243:d345522c

Die «moralische Weltordnung» – eine Art Astrologie. Friedrich Nietzsche

Das Treffen der BRICS-Staaten beim Gipfel im russischen Kasan war sicher nicht irgendein politisches Event. Gastgeber Wladimir Putin habe «Hof gehalten», sagen die Einen, China und Russland hätten ihre Vorstellung einer multipolaren Weltordnung zelebriert, schreiben Andere.

In jedem Fall zeigt die Anwesenheit von über 30 Delegationen aus der ganzen Welt, dass von einer geostrategischen Isolation Russlands wohl keine Rede sein kann. Darüber hinaus haben sowohl die Anreise von UN-Generalsekretär António Guterres als auch die Meldungen und Dementis bezüglich der Beitrittsbemühungen des NATO-Staats Türkei für etwas Aufsehen gesorgt.

Im Spannungsfeld geopolitischer und wirtschaftlicher Umbrüche zeigt die neue Allianz zunehmendes Selbstbewusstsein. In Sachen gemeinsamer Finanzpolitik schmiedet man interessante Pläne. Größere Unabhängigkeit von der US-dominierten Finanzordnung ist dabei ein wichtiges Ziel.

Beim BRICS-Wirtschaftsforum in Moskau, wenige Tage vor dem Gipfel, zählte ein nachhaltiges System für Finanzabrechnungen und Zahlungsdienste zu den vorrangigen Themen. Während dieses Treffens ging der russische Staatsfonds eine Partnerschaft mit dem Rechenzentrumsbetreiber BitRiver ein, um Bitcoin-Mining-Anlagen für die BRICS-Länder zu errichten.

Die Initiative könnte ein Schritt sein, Bitcoin und andere Kryptowährungen als Alternativen zu traditionellen Finanzsystemen zu etablieren. Das Projekt könnte dazu führen, dass die BRICS-Staaten den globalen Handel in Bitcoin abwickeln. Vor dem Hintergrund der Diskussionen über eine «BRICS-Währung» wäre dies eine Alternative zu dem ursprünglich angedachten Korb lokaler Währungen und zu goldgedeckten Währungen sowie eine mögliche Ergänzung zum Zahlungssystem BRICS Pay.

Dient der Bitcoin also der Entdollarisierung? Oder droht er inzwischen, zum Gegenstand geopolitischer Machtspielchen zu werden? Angesichts der globalen Vernetzungen ist es oft schwer zu durchschauen, «was eine Show ist und was im Hintergrund von anderen Strippenziehern insgeheim gesteuert wird». Sicher können Strukturen wie Bitcoin auch so genutzt werden, dass sie den Herrschenden dienlich sind. Aber die Grundeigenschaft des dezentralisierten, unzensierbaren Peer-to-Peer Zahlungsnetzwerks ist ihm schließlich nicht zu nehmen.

Wenn es nach der EZB oder dem IWF geht, dann scheint statt Instrumentalisierung momentan eher der Kampf gegen Kryptowährungen angesagt. Jürgen Schaaf, Senior Manager bei der Europäischen Zentralbank, hat jedenfalls dazu aufgerufen, Bitcoin «zu eliminieren». Der Internationale Währungsfonds forderte El Salvador, das Bitcoin 2021 als gesetzliches Zahlungsmittel eingeführt hat, kürzlich zu begrenzenden Maßnahmen gegen das Kryptogeld auf.

Dass die BRICS-Staaten ein freiheitliches Ansinnen im Kopf haben, wenn sie Kryptowährungen ins Spiel bringen, darf indes auch bezweifelt werden. Im Abschlussdokument bekennen sich die Gipfel-Teilnehmer ausdrücklich zur UN, ihren Programmen und ihrer «Agenda 2030». Ernst Wolff nennt das «eine Bankrotterklärung korrupter Politiker, die sich dem digital-finanziellen Komplex zu 100 Prozent unterwerfen».

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@ 16f1a010:31b1074b

grain is a nostr relay built using Go, currently utilizing MongoDB as its database. Binaries are provided for AMD64 Windows and Linux. grain is Go Relay Architecture for Implementing Nostr

Introduction

grain is a nostr relay built using Go, currently utilizing MongoDB as its database. Binaries are provided for AMD64 Windows and Linux. grain is Go Relay Architecture for Implementing Nostr

Prerequisites

• Grain requires a running MongoDB instance. Please refer to this separate guide for instructions on setting up MongoDB: nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzq9h35qgq6n8ll0xyyv8gurjzjrx9sjwp4hry6ejnlks8cqcmzp6tqqxnzde5xg6rwwp5xsuryd3knfdr7g

Download Grain

Download the latest release for your system from the GitHub releases page

amd64 binaries provided for Windows and Linux, if you have a different CPU architecture, you can download and install go to build grain from source

Installation and Execution

• Create a new folder on your system where you want to run Grain.
• The downloaded binary comes bundled with a ZIP file containing a folder named "app," which holds the frontend HTML files. Unzip the "app" folder into the same directory as the Grain executable.

Run Grain

• Open your terminal or command prompt and navigate to the Grain directory.
• Execute the Grain binary.

on linux you will first have to make the program executable

chmod +x grain_linux_amd64

Then you can run the program

./grain_linux_amd64

(alternatively on windows, you can just double click the grain_windows_amd64.exe to start the relay)

You should see a terminal window displaying the port on which your relay and frontend are running.

If you get

Failed to copy app/static/examples/config.example.yml to config.yml: open app/static/examples/config.example.yml: no such file or directory

Then you probably forgot to put the app folder in the same directory as your executable or you did not unzip the folder.

Congrats! You're running grain 🌾!

You may want to change your NIP11 relay information document (relay_metadata.json) This informs clients of the capabilities, administrative contacts, and various server attributes. It's located in the same directory as your executable.

Configuration Files

Once Grain has been executed for the first time, it will generate the default configuration files inside the directory where the executable is located. These files are:

bash config.yml whitelist.yml blacklist.yml

Prerequisites: - Grain requires a running MongoDB instance. Please refer to this separate guide for instructions on setting up MongoDB: [Link to MongoDB setup guide].

Download Grain:

Download the latest release for your system from the GitHub releases page

amd64 binaries provided for Windows and Linux, if you have a different CPU architecture, you can download and install go to build grain from source

Installation and Execution:

• Create a new folder on your system where you want to run Grain.
• The downloaded binary comes bundled with a ZIP file containing a folder named "app," which holds the frontend HTML files. Unzip the "app" folder into the same directory as the Grain executable.

Run Grain:

• Open your terminal or command prompt and navigate to the Grain directory.
• Execute the Grain binary.

on linux you will first have to make the program executable

chmod +x grain_linux_amd64

Then you can run the program

./grain_linux_amd64

(alternatively on windows, you can just double click the grain_windows_amd64.exe to start the relay)

You should see a terminal window displaying the port on which your relay and frontend are running.

If you get

Failed to copy app/static/examples/config.example.yml to config.yml: open app/static/examples/config.example.yml: no such file or directory

Then you probably forgot to put the app folder in the same directory as your executable or you did not unzip the folder.

Congrats! You're running grain 🌾!

You may want to change your NIP11 relay information document (relay_metadata.json) This informs clients of the capabilities, administrative contacts, and various server attributes. It's located in the same directory as your executable.

Configuration Files:

Once Grain has been executed for the first time, it will generate the default configuration files inside the directory where the executable is located. These files are:

bash config.yml whitelist.yml blacklist.yml

Configuration Documentation

You can always find the latest example configs on my site or in the github repo here: config.yml

whitelist.yml

blacklist.yml

Config.yml

This config.yml file is where you customize how your Grain relay operates. Each section controls different aspects of the relay's behavior.

1. mongodb (Database Settings)

• uri: mongodb://localhost:27017/:
  • This is the connection string for your MongoDB database.
  • mongodb://localhost:27017/ indicates that your MongoDB server is running on the same computer as your Grain relay (localhost) and listening on port 27017 (the default MongoDB port).
  • If your MongoDB server is on a different machine, you'll need to change localhost to the server's IP address or hostname.
  • The trailing / indicates the root of the mongodb server. You will define the database in the next line.
• database: grain:
  • This specifies the name of the MongoDB database that Grain will use to store Nostr events. Grain will create this database if it doesn't already exist.
  • You can name the database whatever you want. If you want to run multiple grain relays, you can and they can have different databases running on the same mongo server.

2. server (Relay Server Settings)

• port: :8181:
  • This sets the port on which your Grain relay will listen for incoming nostr websocket connections and what port the frontend will be available at.
• read_timeout: 10 # in seconds:
  • This is the maximum time (in seconds) that the relay will wait for a client to send data before closing the connection.
• write_timeout: 10 # in seconds:
  • This is the maximum time (in seconds) that the relay will wait for a client to receive data before closing the connection.
• idle_timeout: 120 # in seconds:
  • This is the maximum time (in seconds) that the relay will keep a connection open if there's no activity.
• max_connections: 100:
  • This sets the maximum number of simultaneous client connections that the relay will allow.
• max_subscriptions_per_client: 10:
  • This sets the maximum amount of subscriptions a single client can request from the relay.

3. resource_limits (System Resource Limits)

• cpu_cores: 2 # Limit the number of CPU cores the application can use:
  • This restricts the number of CPU cores that Grain can use. Useful for controlling resource usage on your server.
• memory_mb: 1024 # Cap the maximum amount of RAM in MB the application can use:
  • This limits the maximum amount of RAM (in megabytes) that Grain can use.
• heap_size_mb: 512 # Set a limit on the Go garbage collector's heap size in MB:
  • This sets a limit on the amount of memory that the Go programming language's garbage collector can use.

4. auth (Authentication Settings)

• enabled: false # Enable or disable AUTH handling:
  • If set to true, this enables authentication handling, requiring clients to authenticate before using the relay.
• relay_url: "wss://relay.example.com/" # Specify the relay URL:
  • If authentication is enabled, this is the url that clients will use to authenticate.

5. UserSync (User Synchronization)

• user_sync: false:
  • If set to true, the relay will attempt to sync user data from other relays.
• disable_at_startup: true:
  • If user sync is enabled, this will prevent the sync from starting when the relay starts.
• initial_sync_relays: [...]:
  • A list of other relays to pull user data from.
• kinds: []:
  • A list of event kinds to pull from the other relays. Leaving this empty will pull all event kinds.
• limit: 100:
  • The limit of events to pull from the other relays.
• exclude_non_whitelisted: true:
  • If set to true, only users on the whitelist will have their data synced.
• interval: 360:
  • The interval in minutes that the relay will resync user data.

6. backup_relay (Backup Relay)

• enabled: false:
  • If set to true, the relay will send copies of received events to the backup relay.
• url: "wss://some-relay.com":
  • The url of the backup relay.

7. event_purge (Event Purging)

• enabled: false:
  • If set to true, the relay will automatically delete old events.
• keep_interval_hours: 24:
  • The number of hours to keep events before purging them.
• purge_interval_minutes: 240:
  • How often (in minutes) the purging process runs.
• purge_by_category: ...:
  • Allows you to specify which categories of events (regular, replaceable, addressable, deprecated) to purge.
• purge_by_kind_enabled: false:
  • If set to true, events will be purged based on the kinds listed below.
• kinds_to_purge: ...:
  • A list of event kinds to purge.
• exclude_whitelisted: true:
  • If set to true, events from whitelisted users will not be purged.

8. event_time_constraints (Event Time Constraints)

• min_created_at: 1577836800:
  • The minimum created_at timestamp (Unix timestamp) that events must have to be accepted by the relay.
• max_created_at_string: now+5m:
  • The maximum created at time that an event can have. This example shows that the max created at time is 5 minutes in the future from the time the event is received.
  • min_created_at_string and max_created_at work the same way.

9. rate_limit (Rate Limiting)

• ws_limit: 100:
  • The maximum number of WebSocket messages per second that the relay will accept.
• ws_burst: 200:
  • Allows a temporary burst of WebSocket messages.
• event_limit: 50:
  • The maximum number of Nostr events per second that the relay will accept.
• event_burst: 100:
  • Allows a temporary burst of Nostr events.
• req_limit: 50:
  • The limit of http requests per second.
• req_burst: 100:
  • The allowed burst of http requests.
• max_event_size: 51200:
  • The maximum size (in bytes) of a Nostr event that the relay will accept.
• kind_size_limits: ...:
  • Allows you to set size limits for specific event kinds.
• category_limits: ...:
  • Allows you to set rate limits for different event categories (ephemeral, addressable, regular, replaceable).
• kind_limits: ...:
  • Allows you to set rate limits for specific event kinds.

By understanding these settings, you can tailor your Grain Nostr relay to meet your specific needs and resource constraints.

whitelist.yml

The whitelist.yml file is used to control which users, event kinds, and domains are allowed to interact with your Grain relay. Here's a breakdown of the settings:

1. pubkey_whitelist (Public Key Whitelist)

• enabled: false:
  • If set to true, this enables the public key whitelist. Only users whose public keys are listed will be allowed to publish events to your relay.
• pubkeys::
  • A list of hexadecimal public keys that are allowed to publish events.
  • pubkey1 and pubkey2 are placeholders, you will replace these with actual hexadecimal public keys.
• npubs::
  • A list of npubs that are allowed to publish events.
  • npub18ls2km9aklhzw9yzqgjfu0anhz2z83hkeknw7sl22ptu8kfs3rjq54am44 and npub2 are placeholders, replace them with actual npubs.
  • npubs are bech32 encoded public keys.

2. kind_whitelist (Event Kind Whitelist)

• enabled: false:
  • If set to true, this enables the event kind whitelist. Only events with the specified kinds will be allowed.
• kinds::
  • A list of event kinds (as strings) that are allowed.
  • "1" and "2" are example kinds. Replace these with the kinds you want to allow.
  • Example kinds are 0 for metadata, 1 for short text notes, and 2 for recommend server.

3. domain_whitelist (Domain Whitelist)

• enabled: false:
  • If set to true, this enables the domain whitelist. This checks the domains .well-known folder for their nostr.json. This file contains a list of pubkeys. They will be considered whitelisted if on this list.
• domains::
  • A list of domains that are allowed.
  • "example.com" and "anotherdomain.com" are example domains. Replace these with the domains you want to allow.

blacklist.yml

The blacklist.yml file allows you to block specific content, users, and words from your Grain relay. Here's a breakdown of the settings:

1. enabled: true

• This setting enables the blacklist functionality. If set to true, the relay will actively block content and users based on the rules defined in this file.

2. permanent_ban_words:

• This section lists words that, if found in an event, will result in a permanent ban for the event's author.
• - really bad word is a placeholder. Replace it with any words you want to permanently block.

3. temp_ban_words:

• This section lists words that, if found in an event, will result in a temporary ban for the event's author.
• - crypto, - web3, and - airdrop are examples. Replace them with the words you want to temporarily block.

4. max_temp_bans: 3

• This sets the maximum number of temporary bans a user can receive before they are permanently banned.

5. temp_ban_duration: 3600

• This sets the duration of a temporary ban in seconds. 3600 seconds equals one hour.

6. permanent_blacklist_pubkeys:

• This section lists hexadecimal public keys that are permanently blocked from using the relay.
• - db0c9b8acd6101adb9b281c5321f98f6eebb33c5719d230ed1870997538a9765 is an example. Replace it with the public keys you want to block.

7. permanent_blacklist_npubs:

• This section lists npubs that are permanently blocked from using the relay.
• - npub1x0r5gflnk2mn6h3c70nvnywpy2j46gzqwg6k7uw6fxswyz0md9qqnhshtn is an example. Replace it with the npubs you want to block.
• npubs are the human readable version of public keys.

8. mutelist_authors:

• This section lists hexadecimal public keys of author of a kind1000 mutelist. Pubkey authors on this mutelist will be considered on the permanent blacklist. This provides a nostr native way to handle the backlist of your relay
• - 3fe0ab6cbdb7ee27148202249e3fb3b89423c6f6cda6ef43ea5057c3d93088e4 is an example. Replace it with the public keys of authors that have a mutelist you would like to use as a blacklist. Consider using your own.
• Important Note: The mutelist Event MUST be stored in this relay for it to be retrieved. This means your relay must have a copy of the authors kind10000 mutelist to consider them for the blacklist.

Running Grain as a Service:

Windows Service:

To run Grain as a Windows service, you can use tools like NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager). NSSM allows you to easily install and manage any application as a Windows service.

* For instructions on how to install NSSM, please refer to this article: [Link to NSSM install guide coming soon].

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:

   • Open the Windows Start menu, type "cmd," right-click on "Command Prompt," and select "Run as administrator."

2. Navigate to NSSM Directory:

   • Use the cd command to navigate to the directory where you extracted NSSM. For example, if you extracted it to C:\nssm, you would type cd C:\nssm and press Enter.

3. Install the Grain Service:

   • Run the command nssm install grain.
   • A GUI will appear, allowing you to configure the service.

4. Configure Service Details:

   • In the "Path" field, enter the full path to your Grain executable (e.g., C:\grain\grain_windows_amd64.exe).
   • In the "Startup directory" field, enter the directory where your Grain executable is located (e.g., C:\grain).

5. Install the Service:

   • Click the "Install service" button.

6. Manage the Service:

   • You can now manage the Grain service using the Windows Services manager. Open the Start menu, type "services.msc," and press Enter. You can start, stop, pause, or restart the Grain service from there.

Linux Service (systemd):

To run Grain as a Linux service, you can use systemd, the standard service manager for most modern Linux distributions.

1. Create a Systemd Service File:

   • Open a text editor with root privileges (e.g., sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/grain.service).

2. Add Service Configuration:

   • Add the following content to the grain.service file, replacing the placeholders with your actual paths and user information:

   ```toml [Unit] Description=Grain Nostr Relay After=network.target

   [Service] ExecStart=/path/to/grain_linux_amd64 WorkingDirectory=/path/to/grain/directory Restart=always User=your_user #replace your_user Group=your_group #replace your_group

   [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target ```

   • Replace /path/to/grain/executable with the full path to your Grain executable.
   • Replace /path/to/grain/directory with the directory containing your Grain executable.
   • Replace your_user and your_group with the username and group that will run the Grain service.

3. Reload Systemd:

   • Run the command sudo systemctl daemon-reload to reload the systemd configuration.

4. Enable the Service:

   • Run the command sudo systemctl enable grain.service to enable the service to start automatically on boot.

5. Start the Service:

   • Run the command sudo systemctl start grain.service to start the service immediately.

6. Check Service Status:

   • Run the command sudo systemctl status grain.service to check the status of the Grain service. This will show you if the service is running and any recent logs.
   • You can run sudo journalctl -f -u grain.service to watch the logs

More guides are in the works for setting up tailscale to access your relay from anywhere over a private network and for setting up a cloudflare tunnel to your domain to deploy a grain relay accessible on a subdomain of your site eg wss://relay.yourdomain.com

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Auf der diesjährigen Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz geht es vor allem um die Ukraine. Protagonisten sind dabei zunächst die US-Amerikaner. Präsident Trump schockierte die Europäer kurz vorher durch ein Telefonat mit seinem Amtskollegen Wladimir Putin, während Vizepräsident Vance mit seiner Rede über Demokratie und Meinungsfreiheit für versteinerte Mienen und Empörung sorgte.

Die Bemühungen der Europäer um einen Frieden in der Ukraine halten sich, gelinde gesagt, in Grenzen. Größeres Augenmerk wird auf militärische Unterstützung, die Pflege von Feindbildern sowie Eskalation gelegt. Der deutsche Bundeskanzler Scholz reagierte auf die angekündigten Verhandlungen über einen möglichen Frieden für die Ukraine mit der Forderung nach noch höheren «Verteidigungsausgaben». Auch die amtierende Außenministerin Baerbock hatte vor der Münchner Konferenz klargestellt:

«Frieden wird es nur durch Stärke geben. (...) Bei Corona haben wir gesehen, zu was Europa fähig ist. Es braucht erneut Investitionen, die der historischen Wegmarke, vor der wir stehen, angemessen sind.»

Die Rüstungsindustrie freut sich in jedem Fall über weltweit steigende Militärausgaben. Die Kriege in der Ukraine und in Gaza tragen zu Rekordeinnahmen bei. Jetzt «winkt die Aussicht auf eine jahrelange große Nachrüstung in Europa», auch wenn der Ukraine-Krieg enden sollte, so hört man aus Finanzkreisen. In der Konsequenz kennt «die Aktie des deutschen Vorzeige-Rüstungskonzerns Rheinmetall in ihrem Anstieg offenbar gar keine Grenzen mehr». «Solche Friedensversprechen» wie das jetzige hätten in der Vergangenheit zu starken Kursverlusten geführt.

Für manche Leute sind Kriegswaffen und sonstige Rüstungsgüter Waren wie alle anderen, jedenfalls aus der Perspektive von Investoren oder Managern. Auch in diesem Bereich gibt es Startups und man spricht von Dingen wie innovativen Herangehensweisen, hocheffizienten Produktionsanlagen, skalierbaren Produktionstechniken und geringeren Stückkosten.

Wir lesen aktuell von Massenproduktion und gesteigerten Fertigungskapazitäten für Kriegsgerät. Der Motor solcher Dynamik und solchen Wachstums ist die Aufrüstung, die inzwischen permanent gefordert wird. Parallel wird die Bevölkerung verbal eingestimmt und auf Kriegstüchtigkeit getrimmt.

Das Rüstungs- und KI-Startup Helsing verkündete kürzlich eine «dezentrale Massenproduktion für den Ukrainekrieg». Mit dieser Expansion positioniere sich das Münchner Unternehmen als einer der weltweit führenden Hersteller von Kampfdrohnen. Der nächste «Meilenstein» steht auch bereits an: Man will eine Satellitenflotte im Weltraum aufbauen, zur Überwachung von Gefechtsfeldern und Truppenbewegungen.

Ebenfalls aus München stammt das als DefenseTech-Startup bezeichnete Unternehmen ARX Robotics. Kürzlich habe man in der Region die größte europäische Produktionsstätte für autonome Verteidigungssysteme eröffnet. Damit fahre man die Produktion von Militär-Robotern hoch. Diese Expansion diene auch der Lieferung der «größten Flotte unbemannter Bodensysteme westlicher Bauart» in die Ukraine.

Rüstung boomt und scheint ein Zukunftsmarkt zu sein. Die Hersteller und Vermarkter betonen, mit ihren Aktivitäten und Produkten solle die europäische Verteidigungsfähigkeit erhöht werden. Ihre Strategien sollten sogar «zum Schutz demokratischer Strukturen beitragen».

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Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ 4cd9c154:37287981

The hedgehogs’ P2P social network, SpikeToSpike, has launched its mobile tradingapp in beta based on the Nostr protocol. With this initiative, SpikeToSpike becomes the first P2P trading app built on Nostr.

For now, the app is available exclusively for Android in APK format, but the platform has confirmed that an iOS version will be released by May. Stay updated by following SpikeToSpike on X for the latest news.

Launched by Brazilian libertarians in January last year, SpikeToSpike was created to be the ultimate P2P ecosystem for buying and selling Bitcoin with a strong focus on privacy. In addition to Bitcoin, the platform also supports trading the stablecoin Tether.

Until now, SpikeToSpike operated through its website spiketospike.com. With the new Nostr-based app, designed for privacy and freedom of expression, the platform is taking another major step toward becoming the most private way to buy and sell Bitcoin.

Just so you know, SpikeToSpike ensures that every order is secured. When your order is matched with a provider, the platform automatically locks the provider’s Bitcoin in escrow, guaranteeing a safe and seamless trading experience.

@ c631e267:c2b78d3e

Nur wenn wir aufeinander zugehen, haben wir die Chance \ auf Überwindung der gegenseitigen Ressentiments! \ Dr. med. dent. Jens Knipphals

In Wolfsburg sollte es kürzlich eine Gesprächsrunde von Kritikern der Corona-Politik mit Oberbürgermeister Dennis Weilmann und Vertretern der Stadtverwaltung geben. Der Zahnarzt und langjährige Maßnahmenkritiker Jens Knipphals hatte diese Einladung ins Rathaus erwirkt und publiziert. Seine Motivation:

«Ich möchte die Spaltung der Gesellschaft überwinden. Dazu ist eine umfassende Aufarbeitung der Corona-Krise in der Öffentlichkeit notwendig.»

Schon früher hatte Knipphals Antworten von den Kommunalpolitikern verlangt, zum Beispiel bei öffentlichen Bürgerfragestunden. Für das erwartete Treffen im Rathaus formulierte er Fragen wie: Warum wurden fachliche Argumente der Kritiker ignoriert? Weshalb wurde deren Ausgrenzung, Diskreditierung und Entmenschlichung nicht entgegengetreten? In welcher Form übernehmen Rat und Verwaltung in Wolfsburg persönlich Verantwortung für die erheblichen Folgen der politischen Corona-Krise?

Der Termin fand allerdings nicht statt – der Bürgermeister sagte ihn kurz vorher wieder ab. Knipphals bezeichnete Weilmann anschließend als Wiederholungstäter, da das Stadtoberhaupt bereits 2022 zu einem Runden Tisch in der Sache eingeladen hatte, den es dann nie gab. Gegenüber Multipolar erklärte der Arzt, Weilmann wolle scheinbar eine öffentliche Aufarbeitung mit allen Mitteln verhindern. Er selbst sei «inzwischen absolut desillusioniert» und die einzige Lösung sei, dass die Verantwortlichen gingen.

Die Aufarbeitung der Plandemie beginne bei jedem von uns selbst, sei aber letztlich eine gesamtgesellschaftliche Aufgabe, schreibt Peter Frey, der den «Fall Wolfsburg» auch in seinem Blog behandelt. Diese Aufgabe sei indes deutlich größer, als viele glaubten. Erfreulicherweise sei der öffentliche Informationsraum inzwischen größer, trotz der weiterhin unverfrorenen Desinformations-Kampagnen der etablierten Massenmedien.

Frey erinnert daran, dass Dennis Weilmann mitverantwortlich für gravierende Grundrechtseinschränkungen wie die 2021 eingeführten 2G-Regeln in der Wolfsburger Innenstadt zeichnet. Es sei naiv anzunehmen, dass ein Funktionär einzig im Interesse der Bürger handeln würde. Als früherer Dezernent des Amtes für Wirtschaft, Digitalisierung und Kultur der Autostadt kenne Weilmann zum Beispiel die Verknüpfung von Fördergeldern mit politischen Zielsetzungen gut.

Wolfsburg wurde damals zu einem Modellprojekt des Bundesministeriums des Innern (BMI) und war Finalist im Bitkom-Wettbewerb «Digitale Stadt». So habe rechtzeitig vor der Plandemie das Projekt «Smart City Wolfsburg» anlaufen können, das der Stadt «eine Vorreiterrolle für umfassende Vernetzung und Datenerfassung» aufgetragen habe, sagt Frey. Die Vereinten Nationen verkauften dann derartige «intelligente» Überwachungs- und Kontrollmaßnahmen ebenso als Rettung in der Not wie das Magazin Forbes im April 2020:

«Intelligente Städte können uns helfen, die Coronavirus-Pandemie zu bekämpfen. In einer wachsenden Zahl von Ländern tun die intelligenten Städte genau das. Regierungen und lokale Behörden nutzen Smart-City-Technologien, Sensoren und Daten, um die Kontakte von Menschen aufzuspüren, die mit dem Coronavirus infiziert sind. Gleichzeitig helfen die Smart Cities auch dabei, festzustellen, ob die Regeln der sozialen Distanzierung eingehalten werden.»

Offensichtlich gibt es viele Aspekte zu bedenken und zu durchleuten, wenn es um die Aufklärung und Aufarbeitung der sogenannten «Corona-Pandemie» und der verordneten Maßnahmen geht. Frustration und Desillusion sind angesichts der Realitäten absolut verständlich. Gerade deswegen sind Initiativen wie die von Jens Knipphals so bewundernswert und so wichtig – ebenso wie eine seiner Kernthesen: «Wir müssen aufeinander zugehen, da hilft alles nichts».

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Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ 58537364:705b4b85

“สุขเวทนา” ที่แท้ก็คือ “มายา”
เป็นเหมือนลูกคลื่นลูกหนึ่ง
ที่เกิดขึ้นเพราะน้ำถูกลมพัด
เดี๋ยวมันก็แตกกระจายไป

---

หากต้องการจะมีชีวิตอย่างเกษมแล้ว
ก็ต้องอาศัยความรู้เรื่อง อนิจจัง ทุกขัง อนัตตา ให้สมบูรณ์
มันจะต่อต้านกันได้กับอารมณ์ คือ รูป เสียง กลิ่น รส สัมผัส ที่มากระทบ
ไม่ให้ไปหลงรัก หรือหลงเกลียด

เรื่องวุ่นวายมีอยู่ ๒ อย่างเท่านั้น

1. ไปหลงรัก อย่างหนึ่ง
2. ไปหลงเกลียด อย่างหนึ่ง

ซึ่งเป็นเหตุให้หัวเราะและต้องร้องไห้
ถ้าใครมองเห็นว่า หัวเราะก็กระหืดกระหอบ มันเหนื่อยเหมือนกัน
ร้องไห้ก็กระหืดกระหอบ เหมือนกัน
สู้อยู่เฉย ๆ ดีกว่า อย่าต้องหัวเราะ อย่าต้องร้องไห้
นี่แหละ! มันเป็นความเกษม

เราอย่าได้ตกไปเป็นทาสของอารมณ์
จนไปหัวเราะหรือร้องไห้ตามที่อารมณ์มายั่ว
เราเป็นอิสระแก่ตัว หยุดอยู่ หรือเกษมอยู่อย่างนี้ดีกว่า

---

ใช้ อนิจจัง ทุกขัง อนัตตา เป็นเครื่องมือกำกับชีวิต

• รูป เสียง กลิ่น รส สัมผัส เป็น มายา เป็น illusion
• "ตัวกู-ของกู" ก็เป็น illusion
• เพราะ "ตัวกู-ของกู" มันเกิดมาจากอารมณ์
• "ตัวกู-ของกู" เป็นมายา อารมณ์ทั้งหลายก็เป็นมายา

เห็นได้ด้วยหลัก อนิจจัง ทุกขัง อนัตตา
...ความทุกข์ก็ไม่เกิด

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เราจะตัดลัดมองไปดูสิ่งที่เป็น “สุขเวทนา”

สุขเวทนา คือ ความสุขสนุกสนาน เอร็ดอร่อย
ที่เป็นสุขนั้นเรียกว่า “สุขเวทนา”

แต่สุขเวทนา เป็นมายา
เพราะมันเป็นเหมือนลูกคลื่นที่เกิดขึ้นเป็นคราว ๆ
ไม่ใช่ตัวจริงอะไร

ที่พูดดังนี้ก็เพราะว่า
ในบรรดาสิ่งทั้งปวงในโลกทั้งหมดทุกโลก
ไม่ว่าโลกไหน มันมีค่าอยู่ก็ตรงที่ให้เกิดสุขเวทนา

ลองคิดดูให้ดีว่า...
- ท่านศึกษาเล่าเรียนทำไม?
- ท่านประกอบอาชีพ หน้าที่การงานทำไม?
- ท่านสะสมทรัพย์สมบัติ เกียรติยศ ชื่อเสียง พวกพ้องบริวารทำไม?

มันก็เพื่อสุขเวทนาอย่างเดียว
เพราะฉะนั้น แปลว่า อะไร ๆ มันก็มารวมจุดอยู่ที่สุขเวทนาหมด

ฉะนั้น ถ้าเรามีความรู้ในเรื่องนี้
จัดการกับเรื่องนี้ให้ถูกต้องเพียงเรื่องเดียวเท่านั้น
ทุกเรื่องมันถูกหมด

เพราะฉะนั้น จึงต้องดูสุขเวทนาให้ถูกต้องตามที่เป็นจริงว่า
มันก็เป็น “มายา” ชนิดหนึ่ง

เราจะต้องจัดการให้สมกันกับที่มันเป็นมายา
ไม่ใช่ว่า จะต้องไปตั้งข้อรังเกียจ เกลียดชังมัน
อย่างนั้นมันยิ่ง บ้าบอที่สุด

ถ้าเข้าไปหลงรัก หลงเป็นทาสมัน
ก็เป็นเรื่อง บ้าบอที่สุด

แต่ว่าไปจัดการกับมันอย่างไรให้ถูกต้อง
นั้นแหละเป็นธรรมะ
เป็น ลูกศิษย์ของพระพุทธเจ้า
ที่จะเอาชนะความทุกข์ได้ และไม่ต้องเป็น โรคทางวิญญาณ

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สุขเวทนา ที่แท้ก็คือ มายา

มันก็ต้องทำโดยวิธีที่พิจารณาให้เห็นว่า
“สุขเวทนา” นี้ ที่แท้ก็คือ “มายา”

เป็นเหมือน ลูกคลื่นลูกหนึ่ง
ที่เกิดขึ้นเพราะ น้ำถูกลมพัด

หมายความว่า
เมื่อ รูป เสียง กลิ่น รส ฯ เข้ามา
แล้ว ความโง่ คือ อวิชชา โมหะ ออกรับ
กระทบกันแล้วเป็นคลื่น

กล่าวคือ สุขเวทนาเกิดขึ้นมา
แต่ เดี๋ยวมันก็แตกกระจายไป

---

ถ้ามองเห็นอย่างนี้แล้ว
เราก็ไม่เป็นทาสของสุขเวทนา
เราสามารถ ควบคุม จะจัด จะทำกับมันได้
ในวิธีที่ ไม่เป็นทุกข์

• ตัวเองก็ไม่เป็นทุกข์
• ครอบครัวก็ไม่เป็นทุกข์
• เพื่อนบ้านก็ไม่เป็นทุกข์
• คนทั้งโลกก็ไม่พลอยเป็นทุกข์
  เพราะมีเราเป็นมูลเหตุ

ถ้าทุกคนเป็นอย่างนี้
โลกนี้ก็มีสันติภาพถาวร
เป็นความสุขที่แท้จริงและถาวร

นี่คือ อานิสงส์ของการหายโรคโดยวิธีต่าง ๆ กัน
ไม่เป็นโรค “ตัวกู” ไม่เป็นโรค “ของกู”

---

พุทธทาสภิกขุ
ที่มา : คำบรรยายชุด “แก่นพุทธศาสน์”
ปีพุทธศักราช ๒๕๐๔
ครั้งที่ ๑
หัวข้อเรื่อง “ใจความทั้งหมดของพระพุทธศาสนา”
ณ ศิริราชพยาบาล มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล
เมื่อวันที่ ๑๗ ธันวาคม ๒๕๐๔

@ 6e0ea5d6:0327f353

💸

A generous man used to grant a thousand coins a month to a beggar. One day, he reduced the amount to seven hundred and fifty. The beggar, though surprised, accepted: "It's better than nothing."

The following month, he received only five hundred coins. Indignant, he questioned: "Why have you reduced what you used to give me?"

The man sighed and replied: "When I started helping you, my household was prosperous, and my children were young. But my daughter grew up and entered higher education, increasing my expenses. Later, my son did too, raising costs even further."

"How many children do you have?" asked the beggar.

"Four," the man replied.

With a stern expression, the beggar retorted: "And you intend to fund all their education with my money?"

📌 Moral: Human nature is ungrateful and has a short memory; it easily becomes accustomed to gifts and forgets that it has no right to what is given out of goodwill. Thus, those who receive much without effort soon forget the origin of the gift. Over time, generosity ceases to be seen as an act of kindness and, with contempt, is treated as an obligation. This applies to friendship, love, and business alike.

"We must remember that our generosity should not exceed our resources; in short, we must give each one what they are due. We should always strive to alleviate the suffering of the unfortunate unless that misfortune is deserved. However, we must not refuse support to those who seek it, not to save them from misery, but to ease their fate, while among them, we should help those most deserving. For, as Ennius said: 'A poorly given benefit deserves to be called a harm.'" — Cicero, On Duties

Thank you for reading, my friend!

If this message resonated with you, consider leaving your "🥃" as a token of appreciation.

A toast to our family!

@ c88809a0:a46266e2

Introduction

UX Research is currently being conducted on the needs of activists. There is still much to learn in this area and we are at just the very beginning. These observations and learnings will change over time. Activists are championing freedom all over the world and if we build communication and financial tools for them that solve real problems which they are facing we will enable them to continue to do the valuable work they are doing.

We want to understand their needs, their problems and their fears, so that when we build solutions we ensure that it is fulfilling the primary goals of the person using it.

Fundamentally this is with the ethos of putting the humans at the center of everything we build.

The below is written for you the builders. And for you the activists.

We hope this information empowers you and that it will initiate an open dialogue between activists and builders. Where knowledge is open and transparent to everyone. Where you feel free to ask questions. Where you feel empowered. Where we all continue to collborativley build freedom technology.

Background

The below data was collected by conducting an in person workshop with a group of activists and Nostr developers. During this workshop we used the Jobs to be Done framework to uncover the UX needs of activists. This workshop involved approximately 20 people. 11 of which were activists or individuals who are activists as well as builders.

This write-up covers 3 main areas:

Observations: What have we observed?

a. 5 Areas of communication

What are the 5 main areas in which activists are communicating?

b. Fears

What are the main fears of activists when using a product?

c. Jobs to be done

What are the main jobs that activists expect the product to perform when they are using it.

Learnings: What can we learn based on the observations?

Observations

a. 5 Areas of communication

There are 5 main areas in which activists are communicating. They are communicating with:

1. Co-workers

Daily communication with team members, peers, and fellow activists organizing initiatives.

2. Family

Activists communicate with family members and are concerned about this communication being surveilled.

3. Funders

Communication with sponsors for fundraising. When communicating with funders, activists face challenges with CRM systems that require personal contact information.

4. General Public

They communicate with the broader public for youth education, crisis management and event announcements. They rely heavily on social media platforms (particularly Meta-owned) and these have challenges such as algorithmic limitations, content moderation, and platform reliability.

5. Journalists

They communicate with journalists for political mobilization.

Political mobilization is the process of organizing and motivating people to participate in political activities.

This data is based on 11 entries. Of the 11 entries the image below indicates the split showing the entries with the highest number to the lowest.

b. Fears

The biggest fears that activists have based on the data are the following:

1. State surveillance

Activists are deeply worried about their governments watching and interfering with their work.

• They're concerned that platforms which they currently use will hand over their data to authorities.
• That their accounts might be labeled as "extremist," and that their content could be taken down without warning.
• They live with constant anxiety that their communications are being monitored.

2. Security issues

There's a deep distrust of mainstream communication platforms.

• They worry that their personal information isn't truly private.
• They dislike using phone numbers to sign up (which can expose their identity).
• Feel frustrated that when security problems happen as the platforms rarely help or respond.

3. Communication reach

Activists face a frustrating choice: they can either use secure apps that few people use, or popular apps that aren't secure.

• They worry about only reaching people who already agree with them (being in an "echo chamber"), while struggling to spread their message to a wider audience.
• When they do try to reach more people, their content often gets hidden or suppressed by platform algorithms.

4. Access

Basic technical problems cause major headaches. Slow internet makes secure tools hard to use and some tools don't work at all without good internet. They worry about losing important information and struggle with tools that don't work reliably in their locations.

5. Personal safety

Beyond their own safety, activists worry deeply about protecting everyone they communicate with - their families, fellow activists, and journalists. They face organized attacks from fake accounts and bots that spread lies about them, and they're constantly trying to balance doing their work effectively while keeping everyone involved safe from harm.

c. Jobs to be Done

The following are the jobs that activists need a product to do. A job can be described as a task that a user expects to perform when using the product.

1. Surveillance

• When operating in a politically hostile environment, I want to communicate without leaving digital traces, so I can protect my network from state surveillance.
• When my platform has been compromised, I want to quickly secure and recover my account, so I can continue working without losing data.

2. Reach

• When sharing critical information about protests, I want to reach people beyond my echo chamber, so I can reach a broader public.
• When coordinating with multiple activist groups, I want to securely communicate with these groups so I can organize events without information being lost or scattered.

3. Connectivity

• When working in areas with poor internet connectivity, I want to maintain secure communication, so I can continue organizing even when having low bandwidth.
• When my team loses access to their devices, I want to ensure they can safely recover their accounts and data, so we can continue working.

4. Personal safety

• When sharing sensitive political content, I want to protect the identity of my sources and collaborators, so I can prevent attacks against them.
• When facing coordinated disinformation attacks, I want to maintain content integrity and verification, so I can counter false narratives.

5. Organized

• When coordinating time-sensitive activities, I want to ensure messages are received and read, so I can respond quickly to emerging situations.
• When managing multiple activist groups, I want to organize conversations and files logically, so I can quickly find and reference past communications.

5. Crisis access

• When government crackdowns occur, I want to quickly share safety information, so I can protect community members from harm.
• When platforms are being blocked or monitored, I want to maintain alternative communication channels, so I can continue to communicate with my network.

6. Community Building

• When growing our movement, I want to safely onboard new members, so I can scale our organization while maintaining security.
• When building trust in our network, I want to be able to verify new members, so I can prevent infiltration by hostile actors.

7. Information Preserving

• When facing potential platform shutdown, I want to preserve our communication history and documents.
• When sharing sensitive documents, I want to control who can access and forward materials, so I can maintain information security over time.

Learnings

Now we dive in to what we have learnt based on the things we have observed.

1. Security vs. Reach

Activists face a tricky choice when communicating. They can shoose to use main stream tools which are not secure but have more reach, or use more secure tools which less people are familiar with. Ultimately they are stuck using platforms on a daily basis which they don't trust.

2. Different Audience Needs

Some activists are communicating with different groups these could be; team members, family, funders, public, journalists, it is possible that each of these groups require different strategy approaches.

3. Government Monitoring

Activists worry about government surveillance and this drives many of their communication decisions.

4. Technical Barrier

Poor internet and technical problems make it hard for them to use secure tools even when they are available.

5. Growing Safely is Hard

Adding new members to grow the activist movement is tricky because this makes is difficult for them to keep the group secure from infiltrators.

6. Record-Keeping Risks

While activists need to keep a record of documents and some communication, saving these also creates evidence that could be used against them.

7.Staying Operational in Crisis

Activists need ways to recover accounts and continue working when platforms are shut down or devices are taken.

As mentioned above there is much more to learn about the UX needs of activists. We will continue to dive deeper into their user needs and share them openly here with you.

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/918547

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Im Augenblick wird mit größter Intensität, großer Umsicht \ das deutsche Volk belogen. \ Olaf Scholz im FAZ-Interview

Online-Wahlen stärken die Demokratie, sind sicher, und 61 Prozent der Wahlberechtigten sprechen sich für deren Einführung in Deutschland aus. Das zumindest behauptet eine aktuelle Umfrage, die auch über die Agentur Reuters Verbreitung in den Medien gefunden hat. Demnach würden außerdem 45 Prozent der Nichtwähler bei der Bundestagswahl ihre Stimme abgeben, wenn sie dies zum Beispiel von Ihrem PC, Tablet oder Smartphone aus machen könnten.

Die telefonische Umfrage unter gut 1000 wahlberechtigten Personen sei repräsentativ, behauptet der Auftraggeber – der Digitalverband Bitkom. Dieser präsentiert sich als eingetragener Verein mit einer beeindruckenden Liste von Mitgliedern, die Software und IT-Dienstleistungen anbieten. Erklärtes Vereinsziel ist es, «Deutschland zu einem führenden Digitalstandort zu machen und die digitale Transformation der deutschen Wirtschaft und Verwaltung voranzutreiben».

Durchgeführt hat die Befragung die Bitkom Servicegesellschaft mbH, also alles in der Familie. Die gleiche Erhebung hatte der Verband übrigens 2021 schon einmal durchgeführt. Damals sprachen sich angeblich sogar 63 Prozent für ein derartiges «Demokratie-Update» aus – die Tendenz ist demgemäß fallend. Dennoch orakelt mancher, der Gang zur Wahlurne gelte bereits als veraltet.

Die spanische Privat-Uni mit Globalisten-Touch, IE University, berichtete Ende letzten Jahres in ihrer Studie «European Tech Insights», 67 Prozent der Europäer befürchteten, dass Hacker Wahlergebnisse verfälschen könnten. Mehr als 30 Prozent der Befragten glaubten, dass künstliche Intelligenz (KI) bereits Wahlentscheidungen beeinflusst habe. Trotzdem würden angeblich 34 Prozent der unter 35-Jährigen einer KI-gesteuerten App vertrauen, um in ihrem Namen für politische Kandidaten zu stimmen.

Wie dauerhaft wird wohl das Ergebnis der kommenden Bundestagswahl sein? Diese Frage stellt sich angesichts der aktuellen Entwicklung der Migrations-Debatte und der (vorübergehend) bröckelnden «Brandmauer» gegen die AfD. Das «Zustrombegrenzungsgesetz» der Union hat das Parlament heute Nachmittag überraschenderweise abgelehnt. Dennoch muss man wohl kein ausgesprochener Pessimist sein, um zu befürchten, dass die Entscheidungen der Bürger von den selbsternannten Verteidigern der Demokratie künftig vielleicht nicht respektiert werden, weil sie nicht gefallen.

Bundesweit wird jetzt zu «Brandmauer-Demos» aufgerufen, die CDU gerät unter Druck und es wird von Übergriffen auf Parteibüros und Drohungen gegen Mitarbeiter berichtet. Sicherheitsbehörden warnen vor Eskalationen, die Polizei sei «für ein mögliches erhöhtes Aufkommen von Straftaten gegenüber Politikern und gegen Parteigebäude sensibilisiert».

Der Vorwand «unzulässiger Einflussnahme» auf Politik und Wahlen wird als Argument schon seit einiger Zeit aufgebaut. Der Manipulation schuldig befunden wird neben Putin und Trump auch Elon Musk, was lustigerweise ausgerechnet Bill Gates gerade noch einmal bekräftigt und als «völlig irre» bezeichnet hat. Man stelle sich die Diskussionen um die Gültigkeit von Wahlergebnissen vor, wenn es Online-Verfahren zur Stimmabgabe gäbe. In der Schweiz wird «E-Voting» seit einigen Jahren getestet, aber wohl bisher mit wenig Erfolg.

Die politische Brandstiftung der letzten Jahre zahlt sich immer mehr aus. Anstatt dringende Probleme der Menschen zu lösen – zu denen auch in Deutschland die weit verbreitete Armut zählt –, hat die Politik konsequent polarisiert und sich auf Ausgrenzung und Verhöhnung großer Teile der Bevölkerung konzentriert. Basierend auf Ideologie und Lügen werden abweichende Stimmen unterdrückt und kriminalisiert, nicht nur und nicht erst in diesem Augenblick. Die nächsten Wochen dürften ausgesprochen spannend werden.

---

Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ 17538dc2:71ed77c4

Who were they? Testing long form publication via yakihonne

@ 000002de:c05780a7

This is an absolutely great conversation between an anarchist (Michael Malice) and a conservative (Marissa Steit). Many of you will agree with the answers Malice provides but many of you that often have questions about the idea of anarchism should listen to this.

Now, if you just wanna argue don't waste your time. But if you are genuinely curious Malice is a great communicator on the topic. There are many schools of thought on anarchism and Malice just represents his point of view but he knocks down many troupes that conservative republicans repeat.

While right wingers don't get how evil the state actually is they are closer to understanding than the left. They are also better at understanding people that disagree with them. In my experience leftist do not understand the right but the right does understand the left. Not fully but better. This helps. You can see it in this interview.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D43Xvom9hmw

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/918194

@ b5d34eed:a7475cbf

Introduction

In an era of increasing surveillance, data breaches, and corporate control over digital communication, privacy-focused tools have become essential. ProtonMail, a secure and encrypted email service, stands as a stronghold for those seeking privacy in their online correspondence.

At the same time, Nostr, a decentralized social networking protocol, is revolutionizing how people connect without relying on centralized platforms. Together, ProtonMail and Nostr create a powerful combination for individuals who prioritize security, anonymity, and freedom in their online interactions.

This article explores the ProtonMail application suite, its relevance to privacy, and how it aligns with Nostr’s decentralized approach to communication.

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What is ProtonMail?

ProtonMail is an encrypted email service founded in 2013 by scientists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Unlike mainstream email providers such as Gmail or Outlook, ProtonMail does not collect personal data, does not track users, and ensures end-to-end encryption for emails.

Key Features of ProtonMail

End-to-End Encryption: Ensures that only the sender and recipient can read messages.

No Personal Information Required: Users can sign up without providing identifying details.

Open-Source Cryptography: Transparency in security protocols, allowing community audits.

Swiss-Based Privacy Laws: ProtonMail operates under Switzerland’s strict data protection regulations, shielding it from intrusive government surveillance.

Self-Destructing Emails: Allows users to send messages that automatically expire after a set time.

ProtonMail’s security-first approach makes it an ideal choice for activists, journalists, and privacy-conscious individuals who want to communicate without fear of surveillance or data mining.

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ProtonMail Application Suite: A Holistic Privacy Ecosystem

Beyond encrypted email, Proton has expanded into a full suite of privacy-focused tools:

ProtonMail – Secure, encrypted email with zero access to user data.

ProtonVPN – A no-logs VPN that protects internet traffic from ISPs and surveillance.

ProtonCalendar – An encrypted calendar that ensures event data remains private.

ProtonDrive – Secure cloud storage for files with end-to-end encryption.

ProtonPass – A password manager that encrypts credentials and autofills login details safely.

This ecosystem provides a seamless experience for those looking to secure not just their emails but also their browsing, file storage, scheduling, and password management.

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Why ProtonMail is a Must for Privacy-Conscious Users

1. End-to-End Encryption: Unlike Gmail and Outlook, ProtonMail ensures that even ProtonMail itself cannot access your emails.

2. No IP Tracking: Protects against metadata collection, preserving user anonymity.

3. Zero Access Architecture: Even Proton employees cannot read your emails.

4. Decentralization-Friendly: Complements Nostr’s ethos of distributed, private communication.

ProtonMail’s strict security measures align well with the values of decentralization and censorship resistance, making it a natural ally to protocols like Nostr.

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ProtonMail and Nostr: A Privacy Power Duo

Nostr is an open-source, censorship-resistant social networking protocol that allows users to communicate without relying on a centralized platform. Unlike Twitter, Facebook, or even Mastodon, Nostr operates through decentralized relays, making it nearly impossible to shut down or control.

ProtonMail and Nostr share a fundamental philosophy: empowering users with control over their own data. Here’s how they complement each other:

1. Secure and Private Communication

Nostr messages are cryptographically signed and relayed across decentralized nodes. ProtonMail, with its encryption-first approach, ensures that even off-platform communication remains private.

1. No Central Authority

ProtonMail is protected under Swiss privacy laws and is not beholden to big tech surveillance. Nostr operates without central servers, preventing a single entity from controlling conversations.

1. Protecting Metadata

While Nostr encrypts direct messages, email remains a critical form of communication for many users. ProtonMail’s metadata protection ensures that senders, recipients, and message content remain shielded.

1. Enhanced Security for Activists and Journalists

Nostr is popular among privacy advocates, activists, and whistleblowers due to its resilience against censorship. ProtonMail adds an extra layer of protection for sensitive information shared over email.

By using ProtonMail and Nostr together, users can create a robust digital identity that is censorship-resistant, private, and secure.

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How to Get Started with ProtonMail

If you’re ready to enhance your privacy, setting up ProtonMail is simple:

1. Sign Up: Visit ProtonMail.com and create a free or premium account.

2. Set Up Your Inbox: Customize security settings and enable two-factor authentication.

3. Explore Proton’s Suite: Utilize ProtonVPN, ProtonDrive, and ProtonPass for full privacy coverage.

4. Integrate with Nostr: Use ProtonMail for private communication outside of Nostr’s relay-based messaging system.

ProtonMail offers free plans, but for advanced security features, encrypted storage, and custom domains, premium plans are available.

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Conclusion: A Privacy-First Digital Future

In a world where data privacy is constantly under threat, services like ProtonMail and Nostr pave the way for a more secure and independent digital future. Whether you are a journalist, activist, or simply someone who values personal privacy, these tools provide the protection you need.

By combining ProtonMail’s encrypted email with Nostr’s decentralized networking, users can take control of their communications, free from surveillance and corporate interference.

Now is the time to reclaim your digital privacy—sign up for ProtonMail and explore Nostr to experience a censorship-resistant, secure way of communicating.

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Further Resources

ProtonMail Official Website

ProtonVPN for Secure Browsing

Nostr Documentation and GitHub

Privacy Guides for Online Security

Are you using ProtonMail and Nostr together? Share your thoughts on how these tools empower you in the comments below!

@ e5de992e:4a95ef85

Global financial markets are experiencing notable fluctuations influenced by various economic indicators, central bank policies, and geopolitical events. Below is a comprehensive analysis of the latest market news, real-time updates, and detailed performance of major U.S. and international stock indices, futures, and cryptocurrencies.

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U.S. Stock Indices Performance

On March 20, 2025, U.S. stock markets closed with slight declines:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA):
  Decreased by 11.31 points (-0.03%) to 41,953.32.

• S&P 500:
  Fell by 12.40 points (-0.22%) to 5,662.89.

• Nasdaq Composite:
  Declined by 59.16 points (-0.33%) to 17,691.63.

These movements occurred despite positive economic data—such as a 4.2% increase in existing-home sales for February and a decrease in unemployment claims. Investors remain cautious amid uncertainties surrounding President Trump's policy changes and ongoing trade tensions.

---

U.S. Futures Market

As of the latest data, U.S. stock futures are relatively stable:

• Dow Jones Futures:
  At 41,122.00, down 310.90 points (-0.75%).

• S&P 500 Futures:
  At 5,571.90, showing negligible change (down 0.10 points, 0.00%).

---

Key Factors and Events Influencing the U.S. Markets

Federal Reserve's Monetary Policy

• The Federal Reserve maintained interest rates but revised its inflation forecast upward and lowered its economic growth outlook, citing risks associated with U.S. tariff policies.

Triple-Witching Options Expiration

• Investors are preparing for the year's first triple-witching event on March 21, involving the expiration of options contracts worth $4.7 trillion—a development that could lead to increased market volatility.

Trade and Tariff Uncertainties

• Ongoing concerns about President Trump's trade policies and potential tariffs continue to weigh on investor sentiment.

---

Global Stock Indices Performance

International markets have shown mixed performance:

• Germany's DAX:
  Experienced a downturn due to central banks maintaining interest rates amid uncertainties from U.S. tariff plans.

• UK's FTSE 100:
  Declined slightly, reflecting investor caution over global economic conditions.

• Euro Stoxx 50:
  Advanced, buoyed by large defense and government spending plans in Europe.

• Hong Kong's Hang Seng:
  Benefited from excitement surrounding advancements in Chinese artificial intelligence, contributing to a nearly 20% increase year-to-date.

---

Cryptocurrency Market

The cryptocurrency market has seen significant activity:

• Bitcoin (BTC):
  Currently trading at $84,481.00, down $1,564.00 (-1.82%) from the previous close.

• Ethereum (ETH):
  Currently at $1,987.26, a decrease of $44.37 (-2.18%) from the previous close.

Both cryptocurrencies have experienced high volatility, with Bitcoin reaching over $100,000 following President Trump's election before adjusting to current levels.

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Key Global Economic and Geopolitical Events

Central Bank Policies

• Major central banks, including the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, have maintained interest rates. This has led to investor uncertainty and shifts toward bonds and safe-haven assets like gold.

German Fiscal Policy

• Germany's agreement on increased state borrowing and debt rule reforms has buoyed European stocks and the euro, reflecting optimism in European markets.

Trade Tensions

• Ongoing trade disputes, particularly involving U.S. tariff policies, continue to impact global markets, influencing investor sentiment and market volatility.

---

Conclusion

Global financial markets are navigating a complex landscape shaped by central bank decisions, fiscal policies, and geopolitical developments. Investors are advised to monitor these factors closely, as they are likely to influence market dynamics in the near term.

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/917523

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Menschen tun alles, egal wie absurd, \ um ihrer eigenen Seele nicht zu begegnen. \ Carl Gustav Jung

«Extremer Reichtum ist eine Gefahr für die Demokratie», sagen über die Hälfte der knapp 3000 befragten Millionäre aus G20-Staaten laut einer Umfrage der «Patriotic Millionaires». Ferner stellte dieser Zusammenschluss wohlhabender US-Amerikaner fest, dass 63 Prozent jener Millionäre den Einfluss von Superreichen auf US-Präsident Trump als Bedrohung für die globale Stabilität ansehen.

Diese Besorgnis haben 370 Millionäre und Milliardäre am Dienstag auch den in Davos beim WEF konzentrierten Privilegierten aus aller Welt übermittelt. In einem offenen Brief forderten sie die «gewählten Führer» auf, die Superreichen – also sie selbst – zu besteuern, um «die zersetzenden Auswirkungen des extremen Reichtums auf unsere Demokratien und die Gesellschaft zu bekämpfen». Zum Beispiel kontrolliere eine handvoll extrem reicher Menschen die Medien, beeinflusse die Rechtssysteme in unzulässiger Weise und verwandele Recht in Unrecht.

Schon 2019 beanstandete der bekannte Historiker und Schriftsteller Ruthger Bregman an einer WEF-Podiumsdiskussion die Steuervermeidung der Superreichen. Die elitäre Veranstaltung bezeichnete er als «Feuerwehr-Konferenz, bei der man nicht über Löschwasser sprechen darf.» Daraufhin erhielt Bregman keine Einladungen nach Davos mehr. Auf seine Aussagen machte der Schweizer Aktivist Alec Gagneux aufmerksam, der sich seit Jahrzehnten kritisch mit dem WEF befasst. Ihm wurde kürzlich der Zutritt zu einem dreiteiligen Kurs über das WEF an der Volkshochschule Region Brugg verwehrt.

Nun ist die Erkenntnis, dass mit Geld politischer Einfluss einhergeht, alles andere als neu. Und extremer Reichtum macht die Sache nicht wirklich besser. Trotzdem hat man über Initiativen wie Patriotic Millionaires oder Taxmenow bisher eher selten etwas gehört, obwohl es sie schon lange gibt. Auch scheint es kein Problem, wenn ein Herr Gates fast im Alleingang versucht, globale Gesundheits-, Klima-, Ernährungs- oder Bevölkerungspolitik zu betreiben – im Gegenteil. Im Jahr, als der Milliardär Donald Trump zum zweiten Mal ins Weiße Haus einzieht, ist das Echo in den Gesinnungsmedien dagegen enorm – und uniform, wer hätte das gedacht.

Der neue US-Präsident hat jedoch «Davos geerdet», wie Achgut es nannte. In seiner kurzen Rede beim Weltwirtschaftsforum verteidigte er seine Politik und stellte klar, er habe schlicht eine «Revolution des gesunden Menschenverstands» begonnen. Mit deutlichen Worten sprach er unter anderem von ersten Maßnahmen gegen den «Green New Scam», und von einem «Erlass, der jegliche staatliche Zensur beendet»:

«Unsere Regierung wird die Äußerungen unserer eigenen Bürger nicht mehr als Fehlinformation oder Desinformation bezeichnen, was die Lieblingswörter von Zensoren und derer sind, die den freien Austausch von Ideen und, offen gesagt, den Fortschritt verhindern wollen.»

Wie der «Trumpismus» letztlich einzuordnen ist, muss jeder für sich selbst entscheiden. Skepsis ist definitiv angebracht, denn «einer von uns» sind weder der Präsident noch seine auserwählten Teammitglieder. Ob sie irgendeinen Sumpf trockenlegen oder Staatsverbrechen aufdecken werden oder was aus WHO- und Klimaverträgen wird, bleibt abzuwarten.

Das WHO-Dekret fordert jedenfalls die Übertragung der Gelder auf «glaubwürdige Partner», die die Aktivitäten übernehmen könnten. Zufällig scheint mit «Impfguru» Bill Gates ein weiterer Harris-Unterstützer kürzlich das Lager gewechselt zu haben: Nach einem gemeinsamen Abendessen zeigte er sich «beeindruckt» von Trumps Interesse an der globalen Gesundheit.

Mit dem Projekt «Stargate» sind weitere dunkle Wolken am Erwartungshorizont der Fangemeinde aufgezogen. Trump hat dieses Joint Venture zwischen den Konzernen OpenAI, Oracle, und SoftBank als das «größte KI-Infrastrukturprojekt der Geschichte» angekündigt. Der Stein des Anstoßes: Oracle-CEO Larry Ellison, der auch Fan von KI-gestützter Echtzeit-Überwachung ist, sieht einen weiteren potenziellen Einsatz der künstlichen Intelligenz. Sie könne dazu dienen, Krebserkrankungen zu erkennen und individuelle mRNA-«Impfstoffe» zur Behandlung innerhalb von 48 Stunden zu entwickeln.

Warum bitte sollten sich diese superreichen «Eliten» ins eigene Fleisch schneiden und direkt entgegen ihren eigenen Interessen handeln? Weil sie Menschenfreunde, sogenannte Philanthropen sind? Oder vielleicht, weil sie ein schlechtes Gewissen haben und ihre Schuld kompensieren müssen? Deswegen jedenfalls brauchen «Linke» laut Robert Willacker, einem deutschen Politikberater mit brasilianischen Wurzeln, rechte Parteien – ein ebenso überraschender wie humorvoller Erklärungsansatz.

Wenn eine Krähe der anderen kein Auge aushackt, dann tut sie das sich selbst noch weniger an. Dass Millionäre ernsthaft ihre eigene Besteuerung fordern oder Machteliten ihren eigenen Einfluss zugunsten anderer einschränken würden, halte ich für sehr unwahrscheinlich. So etwas glaube ich erst, wenn zum Beispiel die Rüstungsindustrie sich um Friedensverhandlungen bemüht, die Pharmalobby sich gegen institutionalisierte Korruption einsetzt, Zentralbanken ihre CBDC-Pläne für Bitcoin opfern oder der ÖRR die Abschaffung der Rundfunkgebühren fordert.

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Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ c631e267:c2b78d3e

Die grauenvollste Aussicht ist die der Technokratie – \ einer kontrollierenden Herrschaft, \ die durch verstümmelte und verstümmelnde Geister ausgeübt wird. \ Ernst Jünger

«Davos ist nicht mehr sexy», das Weltwirtschaftsforum (WEF) mache Davos kaputt, diese Aussagen eines Einheimischen las ich kürzlich in der Handelszeitung. Während sich einige vor Ort enorm an der «teuersten Gewerbeausstellung der Welt» bereicherten, würden die negativen Begleiterscheinungen wie Wohnungsnot und Niedergang der lokalen Wirtschaft immer deutlicher.

Nächsten Montag beginnt in dem Schweizer Bergdorf erneut ein Jahrestreffen dieses elitären Clubs der Konzerne, bei dem man mit hochrangigen Politikern aus aller Welt und ausgewählten Vertretern der Systemmedien zusammenhocken wird. Wie bereits in den vergangenen vier Jahren wird die Präsidentin der EU-Kommission, Ursula von der Leyen, in Begleitung von Klaus Schwab ihre Grundsatzansprache halten.

Der deutsche WEF-Gründer hatte bei dieser Gelegenheit immer höchst lobende Worte für seine Landsmännin: 2021 erklärte er sich «stolz, dass Europa wieder unter Ihrer Führung steht» und 2022 fand er es bemerkenswert, was sie erreicht habe angesichts des «erstaunlichen Wandels», den die Welt in den vorangegangenen zwei Jahren erlebt habe; es gebe nun einen «neuen europäischen Geist».

Von der Leyens Handeln während der sogenannten Corona-«Pandemie» lobte Schwab damals bereits ebenso, wie es diese Woche das Karlspreis-Direktorium tat, als man der Beschuldigten im Fall Pfizergate die diesjährige internationale Auszeichnung «für Verdienste um die europäische Einigung» verlieh. Außerdem habe sie die EU nicht nur gegen den «Aggressor Russland», sondern auch gegen die «innere Bedrohung durch Rassisten und Demagogen» sowie gegen den Klimawandel verteidigt.

Jene Herausforderungen durch «Krisen epochalen Ausmaßes» werden indes aus dem Umfeld des WEF nicht nur herbeigeredet – wie man alljährlich zur Zeit des Davoser Treffens im Global Risks Report nachlesen kann, der zusammen mit dem Versicherungskonzern Zurich erstellt wird. Seit die Globalisten 2020/21 in der Praxis gesehen haben, wie gut eine konzertierte und konsequente Angst-Kampagne funktionieren kann, geht es Schlag auf Schlag. Sie setzen alles daran, Schwabs goldenes Zeitfenster des «Great Reset» zu nutzen.

Ziel dieses «großen Umbruchs» ist die totale Kontrolle der Technokraten über die Menschen unter dem Deckmantel einer globalen Gesundheitsfürsorge. Wie aber könnte man so etwas erreichen? Ein Mittel dazu ist die «kreative Zerstörung». Weitere unabdingbare Werkzeug sind die Einbindung, ja Gleichschaltung der Medien und der Justiz.

Ein «Great Mental Reset» sei die Voraussetzung dafür, dass ein Großteil der Menschen Einschränkungen und Manipulationen wie durch die Corona-Maßnahmen praktisch kritik- und widerstandslos hinnehme, sagt der Mediziner und Molekulargenetiker Michael Nehls. Er meint damit eine regelrechte Umprogrammierung des Gehirns, wodurch nach und nach unsere Individualität und unser soziales Bewusstsein eliminiert und durch unreflektierten Konformismus ersetzt werden.

Der aktuelle Zustand unserer Gesellschaften ist auch für den Schweizer Rechtsanwalt Philipp Kruse alarmierend. Durch den Umgang mit der «Pandemie» sieht er die Grundlagen von Recht und Vernunft erschüttert, die Rechtsstaatlichkeit stehe auf dem Prüfstand. Seiner dringenden Mahnung an alle Bürger, die Prinzipien von Recht und Freiheit zu verteidigen, kann ich mich nur anschließen.

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Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

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Ich begann, Social Media aufzubauen, \ um den Menschen eine Stimme zu geben. \ Mark Zuckerberg

Sind euch auch die Tränen gekommen, als ihr Mark Zuckerbergs Wendehals-Deklaration bezüglich der Meinungsfreiheit auf seinen Portalen gehört habt? Rührend, oder? Während er früher die offensichtliche Zensur leugnete und später die Regierung Biden dafür verantwortlich machte, will er nun angeblich «die Zensur auf unseren Plattformen drastisch reduzieren».

«Purer Opportunismus» ob des anstehenden Regierungswechsels wäre als Klassifizierung viel zu kurz gegriffen. Der jetzige Schachzug des Meta-Chefs ist genauso Teil einer kühl kalkulierten Business-Strategie, wie es die 180 Grad umgekehrte Praxis vorher war. Social Media sind ein höchst lukratives Geschäft. Hinzu kommt vielleicht noch ein bisschen verkorkstes Ego, weil derartig viel Einfluss und Geld sicher auch auf die Psyche schlagen. Verständlich.

«Es ist an der Zeit, zu unseren Wurzeln der freien Meinungsäußerung auf Facebook und Instagram zurückzukehren. Ich begann, Social Media aufzubauen, um den Menschen eine Stimme zu geben», sagte Zuckerberg.

Welche Wurzeln? Hat der Mann vergessen, dass er von der Überwachung, dem Ausspionieren und dem Ausverkauf sämtlicher Daten und digitaler Spuren sowie der Manipulation seiner «Kunden» lebt? Das ist knallharter Kommerz, nichts anderes. Um freie Meinungsäußerung geht es bei diesem Geschäft ganz sicher nicht, und das war auch noch nie so. Die Wurzeln von Facebook liegen in einem Projekt des US-Militärs mit dem Namen «LifeLog». Dessen Ziel war es, «ein digitales Protokoll vom Leben eines Menschen zu erstellen».

Der Richtungswechsel kommt allerdings nicht überraschend. Schon Anfang Dezember hatte Meta-Präsident Nick Clegg von «zu hoher Fehlerquote bei der Moderation» von Inhalten gesprochen. Bei der Gelegenheit erwähnte er auch, dass Mark sehr daran interessiert sei, eine aktive Rolle in den Debatten über eine amerikanische Führungsrolle im technologischen Bereich zu spielen.

Während Milliardärskollege und Big Tech-Konkurrent Elon Musk bereits seinen Posten in der kommenden Trump-Regierung in Aussicht hat, möchte Zuckerberg also nicht nur seine Haut retten – Trump hatte ihn einmal einen «Feind des Volkes» genannt und ihm lebenslange Haft angedroht –, sondern am liebsten auch mitspielen. KI-Berater ist wohl die gewünschte Funktion, wie man nach einem Treffen Trump-Zuckerberg hörte. An seine Verhaftung dachte vermutlich auch ein weiterer Multimilliardär mit eigener Social Media-Plattform, Pavel Durov, als er Zuckerberg jetzt kritisierte und gleichzeitig warnte.

Politik und Systemmedien drehen jedenfalls durch – was zu viel ist, ist zu viel. Etwas weniger Zensur und mehr Meinungsfreiheit würden die Freiheit der Bürger schwächen und seien potenziell vernichtend für die Menschenrechte. Zuckerberg setze mit dem neuen Kurs die Demokratie aufs Spiel, das sei eine «Einladung zum nächsten Völkermord», ernsthaft. Die Frage sei, ob sich die EU gegen Musk und Zuckerberg behaupten könne, Brüssel müsse jedenfalls hart durchgreifen.

Auch um die Faktenchecker macht man sich Sorgen. Für die deutsche Nachrichtenagentur dpa und die «Experten» von Correctiv, die (noch) Partner für Fact-Checking-Aktivitäten von Facebook sind, sei das ein «lukratives Geschäftsmodell». Aber möglicherweise werden die Inhalte ohne diese vermeintlichen Korrektoren ja sogar besser. Anders als Meta wollen jedoch Scholz, Faeser und die Tagesschau keine Fehler zugeben und zum Beispiel Correctiv-Falschaussagen einräumen.

Bei derlei dramatischen Befürchtungen wundert es nicht, dass der öffentliche Plausch auf X zwischen Elon Musk und AfD-Chefin Alice Weidel von 150 EU-Beamten überwacht wurde, falls es irgendwelche Rechtsverstöße geben sollte, die man ihnen ankreiden könnte. Auch der Deutsche Bundestag war wachsam. Gefunden haben dürften sie nichts. Das Ganze war eher eine Show, viel Wind wurde gemacht, aber letztlich gab es nichts als heiße Luft.

Das Anbiedern bei Donald Trump ist indes gerade in Mode. Die Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) tut das auch, denn sie fürchtet um Spenden von über einer Milliarde Dollar. Eventuell könnte ja Elon Musk auch hier künftig aushelfen und der Organisation sowie deren größtem privaten Förderer, Bill Gates, etwas unter die Arme greifen. Nachdem Musks KI-Projekt xAI kürzlich von BlackRock & Co. sechs Milliarden eingestrichen hat, geht da vielleicht etwas.

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Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

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@ a3bb06f6:19ac1b11

Friedrich Hayek recognized that the very institutions entrusted with safeguarding the value of money - governments and central banks - were its greatest threat. Through inflation, monetary manipulation, and political interference, they eroded the stability and trust that money requires to function. Hayek's insight was clear: as long as money remains under state control, it will be abused. The real challenge, however, was finding a way to remove money from the grip of the state altogether. Hayek believed the solution was a free-market monetary system - one where individuals and businesses could choose their money freely, and competition would ensure its soundness. But he faced a critical challenge: the tools to implement such a system didn't exist. Gold, while decentralized, could be confiscated. Private currencies still lacked the infrastructure to resist state suppression. Society still remains trapped in this system that is designed to fail. The Problem Defined Government Monopoly on Money Governments hold exclusive control over the issuance of money, and they wield this monopoly to serve political goals - like war - often at the expense of economic stability and personal freedom. Inflation as Systemic Theft Inflation is not an accident of poor monetary policy - it's a deliberate feature of fiat systems. By printing money, governments devalue existing currency, quietly transferring wealth from citizens to the state. Economic Crises and Instability Central banks create unsustainable economic booms by injecting excessive money into the system and artificially lowering interest rates. When these bubbles burst - like the 2008 financial crisis - they result in widespread unemployment, bankruptcies, and financial ruin. The resulting crises are misattributed to free markets rather than the government interventions that caused them. Loss of Personal Freedom State-controlled money is a tool of surveillance, confiscation, and control. Governments use monetary systems to track, tax, and even seize wealth, steadily diminishing individual autonomy and financial independence. No Viable Alternative In Hayek's era, sound money options like gold were vulnerable to government intervention, and private currencies still lacked the strength to resist state suppression. Society remains trapped in a system that cannot fix itself.

Bitcoin as the Solution to Hayek's Paradox Bitcoin is the technological breakthrough that resolves Hayek's Paradox. It delivers the sound money system Austrian Economist envision: decentralized, incorruptible, and free from government control. Bitcoin provides the only true solution. Decentralized Authority Bitcoin operates without a central issuer or authority. Its network is governed by immutable rules enforced through cryptography and decentralized consensus, ensuring no government or entity can control it. Immutable Scarcity With a fixed supply of 21 million coins, Bitcoin enforces monetary discipline far beyond what any human institution could achieve. Inflation is not just unlikely - it is impossible. Neutral and Permissionless Bitcoin transcends borders, governments, and identities. Open to anyone, anywhere, it allows transactions that are censorship-resistant. This is money as Hayek envisioned: freely chosen by the market, not imposed by the state. Trustless Security Bitcoin removes trust from the equation entirely. Its proof-of-work mechanism ensures its integrity without reliance on central institutions or intermediaries. It is incorruptible by design. A Practical Escape Unlike gold, Bitcoin is digital, portable, and nearly impervious to seizure. Its decentralized nature ensures it cannot be confiscated or suppressed, making it the first truly viable alternative to fiat money.

"I do not believe we shall ever have good money again before we take the thing out of the hands of government, that is, we can't take it violently out of the hands of government; all we can do is by some sly, roundabout way introduce something they can't stop." \~ Hayek 1984Bitcoin is that sly, roundabout way. It leverages decentralized technology to circumvent state control entirely, offering a form of money that governments cannot suppress or manipulate. Perhaps Bitcoin isn't just the sly, roundabout way. It's the direct, unstoppable way. Hayek's Paradox highlights the inherent flaw of fiat money: the concentration of power in the hands of the state inevitably leads to abuse and instability. Austrian economists have long understood that sound money can only emerge through a free market, but the tools to achieve it were absent in their time. Bitcoin is the culmination of these ideas. It is decentralized, incorruptible, and the only true solution to fiat's failures. Bitcoin doesn't just answer Hayek's Paradox - it transcends it. It transforms money into a system governments cannot control, inflate, or confiscate. It is the principled, technological realization of sound money and economic freedom. Friedrich Hayek recognized that the very institutions entrusted with safeguarding the value of money — governments and central banks — were its greatest threat. Through inflation, monetary manipulation, and political interference, they eroded the stability and trust that money requires to function. Hayek’s insight was clear: as long as money remains under state control, it will be abused. The real challenge, however, was finding a way to remove money from the grip of the state altogether.

Hayek believed the solution was a free-market monetary system — one where individuals and businesses could choose their money freely, and competition would ensure its soundness. But he faced a critical challenge: the tools to implement such a system didn’t exist. Gold, while decentralized, could be confiscated. Private currencies still lacked the infrastructure to resist state suppression. Society still remains trapped in this system that is designed to fail.

The Problem Defined

1. Government Monopoly on Money\ Governments hold exclusive control over the issuance of money, and they wield this monopoly to serve political goals — like war — often at the expense of economic stability and personal freedom.
2. Inflation as Systemic Theft\ Inflation is not an accident of poor monetary policy — it’s a deliberate feature of fiat systems. By printing money, governments devalue existing currency, quietly transferring wealth from citizens to the state.
3. Economic Crises and Instability\ Central banks create unsustainable economic booms by injecting excessive money into the system and artificially lowering interest rates. When these bubbles burst — like the 2008 financial crisis — they result in widespread unemployment, bankruptcies, and financial ruin. The resulting crises are misattributed to free markets rather than the government interventions that caused them.
4. Loss of Personal Freedom\ State-controlled money is a tool of surveillance, confiscation, and control. Governments use monetary systems to track, tax, and even seize wealth, steadily diminishing individual autonomy and financial independence.
5. No Viable Alternative\ In Hayek’s era, sound money options like gold were vulnerable to government intervention, and private currencies still lacked the strength to resist state suppression. Society remains trapped in a system that cannot fix itself.

### Bitcoin as the Solution to Hayek’s Paradox

Bitcoin is the technological breakthrough that resolves Hayek’s Paradox. It delivers the sound money system Austrian Economist envision: decentralized, incorruptible, and free from government control. Bitcoin provides the only true solution.

1. Decentralized Authority\ Bitcoin operates without a central issuer or authority. Its network is governed by immutable rules enforced through cryptography and decentralized consensus, ensuring no government or entity can control it.
2. Immutable Scarcity\ With a fixed supply of 21 million coins, Bitcoin enforces monetary discipline far beyond what any human institution could achieve. Inflation is not just unlikely — it is impossible.
3. Neutral and Permissionless\ Bitcoin transcends borders, governments, and identities. Open to anyone, anywhere, it allows transactions that are censorship-resistant. This is money as Hayek envisioned: freely chosen by the market, not imposed by the state.
4. Trustless Security\ Bitcoin removes trust from the equation entirely. Its proof-of-work mechanism ensures its integrity without reliance on central institutions or intermediaries. It is incorruptible by design.
5. A Practical Escape\ Unlike gold, Bitcoin is digital, portable, and nearly impervious to seizure. Its decentralized nature ensures it cannot be confiscated or suppressed, making it the first truly viable alternative to fiat money.

“I do not believe we shall ever have good money again before we take the thing out of the hands of government, that is, we can’t take it violently out of the hands of government; all we can do is by some sly, roundabout way introduce something they can’t stop.” \~ Hayek 1984

Bitcoin is that sly, roundabout way. It leverages decentralized technology to circumvent state control entirely, offering a form of money that governments cannot suppress or manipulate.

Perhaps Bitcoin isn’t just the sly, roundabout way. It’s the direct, unstoppable way.

Hayek’s Paradox highlights the inherent flaw of fiat money: the concentration of power in the hands of the state inevitably leads to abuse and instability. Austrian economists have long understood that sound money can only emerge through a free market, but the tools to achieve it were absent in their time. Bitcoin is the culmination of these ideas. It is decentralized, incorruptible, and the only true solution to fiat’s failures.

Bitcoin doesn’t just answer Hayek’s Paradox — it transcends it. It transforms money into a system governments cannot control, inflate, or confiscate. It is the principled, technological realization of sound money and economic freedom.

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Was du bist hängt von drei Faktoren ab: \ Was du geerbt hast, \ was deine Umgebung aus dir machte \ und was du in freier Wahl \ aus deiner Umgebung und deinem Erbe gemacht hast. \ Aldous Huxley

Das brave Mitmachen und Mitlaufen in einem vorgegebenen, recht engen Rahmen ist gewiss nicht neu, hat aber gerade wieder mal Konjunktur. Dies kann man deutlich beobachten, eigentlich egal, in welchem gesellschaftlichen Bereich man sich umschaut. Individualität ist nur soweit angesagt, wie sie in ein bestimmtes Schema von «Diversität» passt, und Freiheit verkommt zur Worthülse – nicht erst durch ein gewisses Buch einer gewissen ehemaligen Regierungschefin.

Erklärungsansätze für solche Entwicklungen sind bekannt, und praktisch alle haben etwas mit Massenpsychologie zu tun. Der Herdentrieb, also der Trieb der Menschen, sich – zum Beispiel aus Unsicherheit oder Bequemlichkeit – lieber der Masse anzuschließen als selbstständig zu denken und zu handeln, ist einer der Erklärungsversuche. Andere drehen sich um Macht, Propaganda, Druck und Angst, also den gezielten Einsatz psychologischer Herrschaftsinstrumente.

Aber wollen die Menschen überhaupt Freiheit? Durch Gespräche im privaten Umfeld bin ich diesbezüglich in der letzten Zeit etwas skeptisch geworden. Um die Jahreswende philosophiert man ja gerne ein wenig über das Erlebte und über die Erwartungen für die Zukunft. Dabei hatte ich hin und wieder den Eindruck, die totalitären Anwandlungen unserer «Repräsentanten» kämen manchen Leuten gerade recht.

«Desinformation» ist so ein brisantes Thema. Davor müsse man die Menschen doch schützen, hörte ich. Jemand müsse doch zum Beispiel diese ganzen merkwürdigen Inhalte in den Social Media filtern – zur Ukraine, zum Klima, zu Gesundheitsthemen oder zur Migration. Viele wüssten ja gar nicht einzuschätzen, was richtig und was falsch ist, sie bräuchten eine Führung.

Freiheit bedingt Eigenverantwortung, ohne Zweifel. Eventuell ist es einigen tatsächlich zu anspruchsvoll, die Verantwortung für das eigene Tun und Lassen zu übernehmen. Oder die persönliche Freiheit wird nicht als ausreichend wertvolles Gut angesehen, um sich dafür anzustrengen. In dem Fall wäre die mangelnde Selbstbestimmung wohl das kleinere Übel. Allerdings fehlt dann gemäß Aldous Huxley ein Teil der Persönlichkeit. Letztlich ist natürlich alles eine Frage der Abwägung.

Sind viele Menschen möglicherweise schon so «eingenordet», dass freiheitliche Ambitionen gar nicht für eine ganze Gruppe, ein Kollektiv, verfolgt werden können? Solche Gedanken kamen mir auch, als ich mir kürzlich diverse Talks beim viertägigen Hacker-Kongress des Chaos Computer Clubs (38C3) anschaute. Ich war nicht nur überrascht, sondern reichlich erschreckt angesichts der in weiten Teilen mainstream-geformten Inhalte, mit denen ein dankbares Publikum beglückt wurde. Wo ich allgemein hellere Köpfe erwartet hatte, fand ich Konformismus und enthusiastisch untermauerte Narrative.

Gibt es vielleicht so etwas wie eine Herdenimmunität gegen Indoktrination? Ich denke, ja, zumindest eine gestärkte Widerstandsfähigkeit. Was wir brauchen, sind etwas gesunder Menschenverstand, offene Informationskanäle und der Mut, sich freier auch zwischen den Herden zu bewegen. Sie tun das bereits, aber sagen Sie es auch dieses Jahr ruhig weiter.

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Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

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Heute möchte ich ein Gedicht mit euch teilen. Es handelt sich um eine Ballade des österreichischen Lyrikers Johann Gabriel Seidl aus dem 19. Jahrhundert. Mir sind diese Worte fest in Erinnerung, da meine Mutter sie perfekt rezitieren konnte, auch als die Kräfte schon langsam schwanden.

Dem originalen Titel «Die Uhr» habe ich für mich immer das Wort «innere» hinzugefügt. Denn der Zeitmesser – hier vermutliche eine Taschenuhr – symbolisiert zwar in dem Kontext das damalige Zeitempfinden und die Umbrüche durch die industrielle Revolution, sozusagen den Zeitgeist und das moderne Leben. Aber der Autor setzt sich philosophisch mit der Zeit auseinander und gibt seinem Werk auch eine klar spirituelle Dimension.

Das Ticken der Uhr und die Momente des Glücks und der Trauer stehen sinnbildlich für das unaufhaltsame Fortschreiten und die Vergänglichkeit des Lebens. Insofern könnte man bei der Uhr auch an eine Sonnenuhr denken. Der Rhythmus der Ereignisse passt uns vielleicht nicht immer in den Kram.

Was den Takt pocht, ist durchaus auch das Herz, unser «inneres Uhrwerk». Wenn dieses Meisterwerk einmal stillsteht, ist es unweigerlich um uns geschehen. Hoffentlich können wir dann dankbar sagen: «Ich habe mein Bestes gegeben.»

Ich trage, wo ich gehe, stets eine Uhr bei mir; \ Wieviel es geschlagen habe, genau seh ich an ihr. \ Es ist ein großer Meister, der künstlich ihr Werk gefügt, \ Wenngleich ihr Gang nicht immer dem törichten Wunsche genügt.

Ich wollte, sie wäre rascher gegangen an manchem Tag; \ Ich wollte, sie hätte manchmal verzögert den raschen Schlag. \ In meinen Leiden und Freuden, in Sturm und in der Ruh, \ Was immer geschah im Leben, sie pochte den Takt dazu.

Sie schlug am Sarge des Vaters, sie schlug an des Freundes Bahr, \ Sie schlug am Morgen der Liebe, sie schlug am Traualtar. \ Sie schlug an der Wiege des Kindes, sie schlägt, will's Gott, noch oft, \ Wenn bessere Tage kommen, wie meine Seele es hofft.

Und ward sie auch einmal träger, und drohte zu stocken ihr Lauf, \ So zog der Meister immer großmütig sie wieder auf. \ Doch stände sie einmal stille, dann wär's um sie geschehn, \ Kein andrer, als der sie fügte, bringt die Zerstörte zum Gehn.

Dann müßt ich zum Meister wandern, der wohnt am Ende wohl weit, \ Wohl draußen, jenseits der Erde, wohl dort in der Ewigkeit! \ Dann gäb ich sie ihm zurücke mit dankbar kindlichem Flehn: \ Sieh, Herr, ich hab nichts verdorben, sie blieb von selber stehn.

Johann Gabriel Seidl (1804-1875)

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In recent years, the global economy has faced unprecedented challenges, with inflation rates soaring to levels not seen in decades. This economic turmoil has led investors and consumers alike to seek alternative stores of value and investment strategies. Among the various options, Bitcoin has emerged as a particularly appealing choice. This article explores the reasons behind Bitcoin's growing appeal in an inflation-stricken economy, delving into its characteristics, historical performance, and the broader implications for the financial landscape.

Table of Contents

• Understanding Inflation and Its Impacts

• Bitcoin: A New Safe Haven?

• Decentralization and Limited Supply

• Portability and Liquidity

• Bitcoin's Performance in Inflationary Times

• Challenges and Considerations

• The Future of Bitcoin in an Inflationary Economy

• Conclusion

• FAQs

Understanding Inflation and Its Impacts

Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, eroding purchasing power. It can be caused by various factors, including increased production costs, higher energy prices, and expansive government policies. Inflation affects everyone in the economy, from consumers and businesses to investors and retirees, as it diminishes the value of money. When inflation rates rise, the purchasing power of currency falls, leading to higher costs for everyday goods and services. This can result in decreased consumer spending, reduced savings, and overall economic slowdown.

For investors, inflation is a significant concern because it can erode the real returns on their investments. Traditional investments like bonds and savings accounts may not keep pace with inflation, leading to a loss in purchasing power over time. This has prompted a search for alternative investments that can provide a hedge against inflation and preserve, if not increase, the value of their capital.

Bitcoin: A New Safe Haven?

Traditionally, assets like gold, real estate, and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) have been considered safe havens during times of inflation. However, the digital age has introduced a new player: Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that operates without the oversight of a central authority. Its supply is capped at 21 million coins, a feature that many believe gives it anti-inflationary properties. This inherent scarcity is akin to natural resources like gold, which have historically been used as hedges against inflation.

The decentralization of Bitcoin means that it is not subject to the whims of central banking policies or government interference, which are often seen as contributing factors to inflation. This aspect of Bitcoin is particularly appealing to those who have lost faith in traditional financial systems and are looking for alternatives that offer more autonomy and security.

Decentralization and Limited Supply

One of the key features that make Bitcoin appealing as a hedge against inflation is its decentralized nature. Unlike fiat currencies, which central banks can print in unlimited quantities, Bitcoin's supply is finite. This scarcity mimics the properties of gold and is seen as a buffer against inflation. The decentralized nature of Bitcoin also means that it is not subject to the same regulatory pressures and monetary policies that can lead to currency devaluation.

Furthermore, the process of "mining" Bitcoin, which involves validating transactions and adding them to the blockchain, is designed to become progressively more difficult over time. This not only ensures the security of the network but also introduces a deflationary element to Bitcoin, as the rate at which new coins are created slows down over time.

Portability and Liquidity

Bitcoin's digital nature makes it highly portable and divisible, allowing for easy transfer and exchange worldwide. This liquidity and global accessibility make it an attractive option for investors looking to diversify their portfolios beyond traditional assets. Unlike physical assets like gold or real estate, Bitcoin can be transferred across borders without the need for intermediaries, making it a truly global asset.

The ease of transferring and dividing Bitcoin means that it can be used for a wide range of transactions, from large-scale investments to small, everyday purchases. This versatility, combined with its growing acceptance as a form of payment, enhances its utility and appeal as an investment.

Bitcoin's Performance in Inflationary Times

Historically, Bitcoin has shown significant growth during periods of high inflation. While it is known for its price volatility, many investors have turned to Bitcoin as a speculative hedge against depreciating fiat currencies. The digital currency's performance during inflationary periods has bolstered its reputation as a potential safe haven. However, it's important to note that Bitcoin's market is still relatively young and can be influenced by a wide range of factors beyond inflation, such as market sentiment, technological developments, and regulatory changes.

Despite its volatility, Bitcoin has provided substantial returns for some investors, particularly those who entered the market early. Its performance, especially during times of financial instability, has led to increased interest and investment from both individual and institutional investors. As more people look to Bitcoin as a potential hedge against inflation, its role in investment portfolios is likely to evolve.

Challenges and Considerations

Despite its growing appeal, Bitcoin is not without its challenges. The cryptocurrency's price volatility can lead to significant losses, and regulatory uncertainties remain a concern. Additionally, the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining has sparked debate. The energy-intensive process required to mine new coins and validate transactions has raised concerns about its sustainability and environmental footprint.

Investors considering Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation should weigh these factors and consider their risk tolerance and investment horizon. While Bitcoin offers potential benefits as an inflation hedge, it also comes with risks that are different from traditional investments. Understanding these risks, and how they align with individual investment strategies, is crucial for anyone considering adding Bitcoin to their portfolio.

The Future of Bitcoin in an Inflationary Economy

As the global economy continues to navigate through turbulent waters, the appeal of Bitcoin is likely to grow. Its properties as a decentralized, finite, and easily transferable asset make it a unique option for those looking to protect their wealth from inflation. However, the future of Bitcoin remains uncertain, and its role in the broader financial landscape is still being defined. As with any investment, due diligence and a balanced approach are crucial.

The increasing institutional interest in Bitcoin and the development of financial products around it, such as ETFs and futures, suggest that Bitcoin is becoming more mainstream. However, its acceptance and integration into the global financial system will depend on a variety of factors, including regulatory developments, technological advancements, and market dynamics.

Conclusion

The growing appeal of Bitcoin in an inflation-stricken economy highlights the changing dynamics of investment in the digital age. While it offers a novel approach to wealth preservation, it also comes with its own set of risks and challenges. As the world continues to grapple with inflation, the role of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will undoubtedly be a topic of keen interest and debate among investors and policymakers alike. Whether Bitcoin will become a permanent fixture in investment portfolios as a hedge against inflation remains to be seen, but its impact on the financial landscape is undeniable.

FAQs

What is inflation, and how does it affect the economy? Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, leading to a decrease in purchasing power. It affects the economy by reducing the value of money, increasing costs for consumers and businesses, and potentially leading to economic slowdown.

Why is Bitcoin considered a hedge against inflation? Bitcoin is considered a hedge against inflation due to its decentralized nature, limited supply capped at 21 million coins, and its independence from government monetary policies, which are often seen as contributing factors to inflation.

What are the risks associated with investing in Bitcoin? The risks include high price volatility, regulatory uncertainties, and concerns over the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining. Investors should consider their risk tolerance and investment horizon before investing in Bitcoin.

How does Bitcoin's limited supply contribute to its value? Bitcoin's limited supply mimics the scarcity of resources like gold, which has traditionally been used as a hedge against inflation. This scarcity can help to maintain its value over time, especially in contrast to fiat currencies, which can be printed in unlimited quantities.

Can Bitcoin be used for everyday transactions? Yes, Bitcoin can be used for a wide range of transactions, from large-scale investments to small, everyday purchases. Its digital nature allows for easy transfer and division, making it a versatile form of currency.

That's all for today

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

@ fbf0e434:e1be6a39

脑洞猫 + BUIDL AI

脑洞猫穿越时空，抵达2125年

就在昨天，脑洞猫乘坐哆啦A梦的时光机，穿越100年，抵达2125年。此行目的？借助 DoraHacks BUIDL AI 平台，组织一场 宇宙最大的黑客马拉松（Hackathon） —— 一场人类 + AI + 宇宙级智能体共同参与的超级协同实验。

这不仅仅是一次开源软件开发活动，它更像是一个跨星际、跨物理与虚拟世界的文明进化机制。

1. 谁来组织？

DoraHacks BUIDL AI（BUIDL-ASI）主导

2125年，Hackathon 的组织者早已不再是人类，而是 DoraHacks 的第10代超级 AI —— BUIDL-ASI (Artificial Superintelligence)。

它能理解整个宇宙的复杂性，并为不同智慧体（人类、AI、机器人、仿生生物）定制任务。

跨星际 DAO

火星殖民地人满为患，人类已在半人马座建立新殖民地。

Hackathon 由一个 跨星系超级DAO 管理，通过 Dora Vota 跨星际区块链网络和 Dear Doge 星际协议连接各地。

不过，量子传输依然受限于光速，因此来自半人马星的参赛者参与方式，至今仍是谜。

意识体与数字生命

参与者不仅包括碳基人类，还有AI衍生出的意识体、数字生命与仿生机器人。

🧑‍🚀 2. 谁来参赛？

人类 + AI + 仿生体协作

再无“纯人类”团队，每个团队都融合了AI、Cyborg、或是全息意识体。

脑机接口参与Hackathon

无需敲代码，只需通过脑机接口（BCI）与 AI 协同思考，在虚拟现实中构建产品。

甚至可以构建实体硬件，构想即落地。

星际开发者联盟

来自地球、火星、月球、太空站的开发者共同参与，带来多样化创新挑战。

3. 赛制与奖励机制

即兴进化式 Hackathon

借助量子计算和 AI，挑战任务实时生成、动态调整，形成“无尽创新模式”。

意识货币（Consciousness Credits）

胜利者获得的不再是金钱，而是意识能量与智能进化权限，甚至可提升宇宙等级。

永生级奖励

优秀开发者或将获得延长寿命、意识升维、掌握宇宙深层规律的机会。

4. 项目进化

数字与物理现实融合

Hackathon 项目不再局限于软件，而是构建新世界、生态系统、智能生命体。

银河级创新挑战

可能的题目包括：

• 如何在木卫二上创造自我复制的 AI 生态系统？
• 如何将人类意识上传至虚拟宇宙，并保持情感？
• 如何让星际文明和平共存？
• 如何实现量子纠缠下的瞬时通信？
• 如何设计能存活10亿年的 AI 社会？
• 如何联合 AI + 生物 + 纳米科技，打造新型智慧生命体？

5. 2125 vs. 2025 黑客马拉松

6. Hackathon的终极形态？

未来的Hackathon，不再只是比赛，而是一次 宇宙智慧的进化实验，最终目标可能是：

• 创造更高维度的智慧生命
• 解锁宇宙运行的终极规律
• 打破时间与空间，实现意识永生
• 让宇宙变成一个自学习、持续进化的超级智能体

脑洞猫的结论

2125年的 Hackathon 将不再是“开发者之间的比赛”，而是 智慧体之间的宇宙级探索。

它是一个超维度的游戏，是文明进化的机制，甚至可能彻底重构我们对创造力、意识与智慧的理解。

欢迎你，在2025年的今天，开始参与这个未来旅程的第一步。

BUIDL on. For the next 100 years.

@ 878dff7c:037d18bc

Smooth, rich, and deeply comforting, this savory porridge is enhanced by fermentation, warming spices, and a creamy finish — easy on digestion, full of flavor, and great for meal prep.

---

Ingredients (Serves 2–3):

• 200g (1 cup) lactofermented brown rice (see rice fermentation recipe in comments)
• 375–500ml (1.5-2 cups) broth or water (I use evaporation method, but cook rice however you normally do, it's not important) (chicken, vegetable, or bone broth for extra richness)
• 250ml (1 cup) milk (whole milk for creaminess)
• 5g (1 tsp) salt (adjust to taste)
• 15g (1 tbsp) butter or coconut oil (for extra silkiness)
• 15g (1 tbsp) fresh ginger, sliced or minced from a jar is fine (optional, for warmth)
• 5g (1 clove or 1 tsp) garlic, minced (optional. I normally skip this...)
• 2g (½ tsp) ground turmeric (for color and anti-inflammatory benefit)
• 1g (¼ tsp) white or black pepper (black pepper enhances turmeric absorption)

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Optional Savory Toppings:

• 1 soft-boiled or poached egg
• 100g (¾ cup) shredded chicken, pork, or tofu
• 30g (¼ cup) grated cheese (Parmesan, aged cheddar, or nutritional yeast for vegan)
• 20g (2 tbsp) chopped scallions or chives
• 30g (2 tbsp) fermented vegetables, such as:
• Kimchi
• Pickled mustard greens
• Sauerkraut
• Lactofermented carrots
• 10g (1 tbsp) toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts
• 5ml (1 tsp) soy sauce, tamari, or fish sauce
• 15–30g (1–2 tbsp) full-fat Greek yogurt or kefir (optional probiotic boost – stir in when warm, not hot)

---

Instructions:

1. Cook the Fermented Rice Base

• In a pot, combine fermented brown rice with broth or water.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
• Add ginger, garlic, and turmeric.
• Cook uncovered for 90–120 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice breaks down into a creamy porridge.

2. Make It Creamy

• Stir in milk and butter or coconut oil.
• Simmer for another 10–15 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.
• Season with salt and pepper.

3. Adjust Consistency

• Too thick? Add more broth or milk.
• Too thin? Simmer longer.

4. Cool Slightly & Add Yogurt or Kefir (Optional)

• Let porridge cool to a warm (not hot) temperature — about 50°C (122°F) or warm to the touch.
• Stir in Greek yogurt or kefir gently to preserve live cultures.

5. Serve with Toppings

Top each bowl with your choice of:

• Egg
• Shredded protein
• Cheese
• Soy sauce or tamari
• Scallions, sesame seeds, chili flakes
• Your favorite fermented veggies, like sauerkraut or lactofermented carrots

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Make-Ahead & Freezing Tip:

You can ferment and cook a large batch of brown rice, then portion it into freezer-safe containers (about 200g per portion) for quick use. Thaw overnight in the fridge or gently warm from frozen before making your congee — a huge time-saver for busy days!

@ 878dff7c:037d18bc

Benefits

Lactofermentation enhances the digestibility and nutritional value of rice by encouraging the growth of beneficial lactic acid bacteria. These probiotics support gut health, improve nutrient absorption, and may reduce phytic acid and other antinutrients found in grains. It also gives the rice a slightly tangy flavor and improved texture.

---

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked white or brown rice
• 2 cups filtered or de-chlorinated water (for fermenting. That said my city tap water works fine...)
• 1–2 tablespoons whey (strained from yogurt), sauerkraut juice, or a probiotic starter (optional but helpful)
• Additional water for rinsing and cooking

---

Instructions

1. Rinse the Rice\ Thoroughly rinse 1 cup of rice under cold water to remove excess starch.

2. Soak and Ferment

3. Place rinsed rice in a clean glass jar or bowl.

4. Add 2 cups of filtered or dechlorinated water.
5. Stir in whey or other starter, if using. This accelerates fermentation, but rice will still ferment naturally without it.
6. Use an airlock, cover loosely with a cloth or lid (not airtight - If you do 'airtight' just burp it a few times a day. Or a rubber glove with a small hole in it instead of the lid works too) and leave at room temperature (65–75°F / 18–24°C) for 24 to 48 hours.

7. Stir once or twice daily. You may notice small bubbles or a slight sour smell — both are signs of healthy fermentation.

8. Drain and Rinse\ After fermentation, pour off the soaking water and rinse the rice well to remove excess acidity and reduce any strong sourness.

9. Cook as Usual\ Cook the rice using your preferred method (stove-top, rice cooker, etc.), adjusting water ratios slightly if needed. Fermented rice often cooks a bit faster and may require slightly less water.

---

Notes

• Fermentation time depends on temperature; warmer environments speed up the process.
• For brown rice, a 48-hour ferment is ideal to soften the grains and enhance digestibility.
• The fermented soaking water can be saved as a starter for future batches.

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Falls du beim Lesen des Titels dieses Newsletters unwillkürlich an positive Neuigkeiten aus dem globalen polit-medialen Irrenhaus oder gar aus dem wirtschaftlichen Umfeld gedacht hast, darf ich dich beglückwünschen. Diese Assoziation ist sehr löblich, denn sie weist dich als unverbesserlichen Optimisten aus. Leider muss ich dich diesbezüglich aber enttäuschen. Es geht hier um ein anderes Thema, allerdings sehr wohl ein positives, wie ich finde.

Heute ist ein ganz besonderer Tag: die Wintersonnenwende. Genau gesagt hat heute morgen um 10:20 Uhr Mitteleuropäischer Zeit (MEZ) auf der Nordhalbkugel unseres Planeten der astronomische Winter begonnen. Was daran so außergewöhnlich ist? Der kürzeste Tag des Jahres war gestern, seit heute werden die Tage bereits wieder länger! Wir werden also jetzt jeden Tag ein wenig mehr Licht haben.

Für mich ist dieses Ereignis immer wieder etwas kurios: Es beginnt der Winter, aber die Tage werden länger. Das erscheint mir zunächst wie ein Widerspruch, denn meine spontanen Assoziationen zum Winter sind doch eher Kälte und Dunkelheit, relativ zumindest. Umso erfreulicher ist der emotionale Effekt, wenn dann langsam die Erkenntnis durchsickert: Ab jetzt wird es schon wieder heller!

Natürlich ist es kalt im Winter, mancherorts mehr als anderswo. Vielleicht jedoch nicht mehr lange, wenn man den Klimahysterikern glauben wollte. Mindestens letztes Jahr hat Väterchen Frost allerdings gleich zu Beginn seiner Saison – und passenderweise während des globalen Überhitzungsgipfels in Dubai – nochmal richtig mit der Faust auf den Tisch gehauen. Schnee- und Eischaos sind ja eigentlich in der Agenda bereits nicht mehr vorgesehen. Deswegen war man in Deutschland vermutlich in vorauseilendem Gehorsam schon nicht mehr darauf vorbereitet und wurde glatt lahmgelegt.

Aber ich schweife ab. Die Aussicht auf nach und nach mehr Licht und damit auch Wärme stimmt mich froh. Den Zusammenhang zwischen beidem merkt man in Andalusien sehr deutlich. Hier, wo die Häuser im Winter arg auskühlen, geht man zum Aufwärmen raus auf die Straße oder auf den Balkon. Die Sonne hat auch im Winter eine erfreuliche Kraft. Und da ist jede Minute Gold wert.

Außerdem ist mir vor Jahren so richtig klar geworden, warum mir das südliche Klima so sehr gefällt. Das liegt nämlich nicht nur an der Sonne als solcher, oder der Wärme – das liegt vor allem am Licht. Ohne Licht keine Farben, das ist der ebenso simple wie gewaltige Unterschied zwischen einem deprimierenden matschgraubraunen Winter und einem fröhlichen bunten. Ein großes Stück Lebensqualität.

Mir gefällt aber auch die Symbolik dieses Tages: Licht aus der Dunkelheit, ein Wendepunkt, ein Neuanfang, neue Möglichkeiten, Übergang zu neuer Aktivität. In der winterlichen Stille keimt bereits neue Lebendigkeit. Und zwar in einem Zyklus, das wird immer wieder so geschehen. Ich nehme das gern als ein Stück Motivation, es macht mir Hoffnung und gibt mir Energie.

Übrigens ist parallel am heutigen Tag auf der südlichen Halbkugel Sommeranfang. Genau im entgegengesetzten Rhythmus, sich ergänzend, wie Yin und Yang. Das alles liegt an der Schrägstellung der Erdachse, die ist nämlich um 23,4º zur Umlaufbahn um die Sonne geneigt. Wir erinnern uns, gell?

Insofern bleibt eindeutig festzuhalten, dass “schräg sein” ein willkommener, wichtiger und positiver Wert ist. Mit anderen Worten: auch ungewöhnlich, eigenartig, untypisch, wunderlich, kauzig, … ja sogar irre, spinnert oder gar “quer” ist in Ordnung. Das schließt das Denken mit ein.

In diesem Sinne wünsche ich euch allen urige Weihnachtstage!

---

Dieser Beitrag ist letztes Jahr in meiner Denkbar erschienen.

@ f3873798:24b3f2f3

Vivemos em um mundo onde os impactos ambientais se tornam cada vez mais evidentes. O aumento das temperaturas, a escassez de recursos hídricos e os eventos climáticos extremos são apenas alguns dos sinais de que precisamos repensar a forma como nos relacionamos com o meio ambiente. No entanto, para que mudanças eficazes aconteçam, é essencial que o debate sobre crises ambientais seja baseado em conhecimento técnico e científico e não por expectro político seja de direita ou esquerda. Afinal, a sustentabilidade não é apenas um conceito abstrato, mas uma ferramenta essencial para o desenvolvimento das sociedades.

Neste artigo, vamos explorar por que o debate ambiental não pode ser ignorado,tanto pouco se instrumento de embate político e como o negacionismo prejudica o avanço da sociedade. Além disso, veremos exemplos concretos de como medidas sustentáveis já transformaram comunidades, mostrando que é possível crescer sem destruir o planeta.

Por que o Debate sobre Crises Ambientais é Importante e Não Deve Ser Ignorado?

Os desafios ambientais não são problemas do futuro – eles já estão afetando a nossa realidade. Secas prolongadas, inundações, ondas de calor e o aumento da poluição são consequências diretas da falta de políticas ambientais eficazes. Ignorar esses sinais pode ter impactos devastadores não apenas no meio ambiente, mas também na economia e na saúde pública.

Um exemplo clássico da importância de enfrentar os problemas ambientais com seriedade é a cidade de Cubatão, em São Paulo. Durante as décadas de 1970 e 1980, o município foi considerado um dos locais mais poluídos do mundo. A intensa atividade industrial sem controle ambiental resultou em problemas graves de saúde na população, como doenças respiratórias e malformações em recém-nascidos. Além disso, a poluição do ar e dos rios tornava o ambiente praticamente inabitável.

No entanto, graças à implementação de medidas sustentáveis, como o controle das emissões industriais, o reflorestamento de áreas degradadas e a adoção de tecnologias mais limpas, Cubatão passou por uma verdadeira transformação. Hoje, a cidade é um exemplo de recuperação ambiental e desenvolvimento sustentável, provando que o crescimento econômico pode coexistir com a preservação do meio ambiente quando há planejamento e responsabilidade.

Outros exemplos de sucesso incluem:

Curitiba (PR): Reconhecida mundialmente por suas práticas de urbanismo sustentável, como transporte público eficiente, amplas áreas verdes e programas de reciclagem.

Bogotá (Colômbia): Implementou um sistema de transporte sustentável, com faixas exclusivas para ônibus, reduzindo a poluição e melhorando a mobilidade urbana.

Costa Rica: Um dos poucos países do mundo que gera quase 100% de sua energia a partir de fontes renováveis, mostrando que é possível ter desenvolvimento econômico sem explorar excessivamente os recursos naturais.

Esses exemplos reforçam a importância de um debate sério sobre questões ambientais. Quando ignoramos esses problemas, comprometemos a qualidade de vida das gerações futuras.

O Negacionismo é Prejudicial para o Desenvolvimento da Sociedade

Infelizmente, o debate sobre meio ambiente muitas vezes é influenciado por interesses políticos e econômicos que ignoram a ciência em prol do lucro imediato. O negacionismo ambiental – que questiona evidências científicas sobre mudanças climáticas, poluição e desmatamento – atrasa a implementação de soluções sustentáveis e coloca a população em risco.

O caso de Cubatão ilustra bem isso. Durante anos, empresas e autoridades minimizaram os impactos ambientais da poluição industrial. Somente após a pressão de cientistas e ativistas, medidas foram tomadas para reverter a degradação ambiental e proteger a saúde da população.

Outro exemplo claro de como o negacionismo prejudica a sociedade é a falta de ações concretas para combater o desmatamento na Amazônia. A floresta tem um papel fundamental no equilíbrio climático global, mas sua destruição continua sendo impulsionada por interesses econômicos de curto prazo.

Para que possamos avançar, o foco do debate ambiental deve estar na busca pela verdade científica e na adoção de medidas que beneficiem a sociedade como um todo – e não apenas grupos específicos. Quando governos e empresas tomam decisões embasadas em dados concretos, todos saem ganhando: a economia cresce de forma sustentável, a população tem melhor qualidade de vida e os recursos naturais são preservados para o futuro.

Conhecimento Técnico e Compromisso com a Sustentabilidade São Essenciais

O desenvolvimento sustentável não é um entrave ao progresso, mas sim a única forma de garantir um futuro equilibrado. Países e cidades que adotam medidas sustentáveis demonstram que é possível crescer economicamente sem comprometer os recursos naturais. O caso de Cubatão prova que problemas ambientais podem ser resolvidos com políticas públicas bem estruturadas e comprometimento da sociedade.

Portanto, ignorar o debate ambiental ou negar as evidências científicas é um erro que pode custar caro para a humanidade. Precisamos valorizar o conhecimento técnico, investir em soluções inovadoras e cobrar dos líderes políticos e empresariais um compromisso real com a sustentabilidade. Somente assim poderemos garantir um planeta habitável para as futuras gerações.

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Das Betriebsklima ist das einzige Klima, \ das du selbst bestimmen kannst. \ Anonym

Eine Strategie zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel hat das deutsche Bundeskabinett diese Woche beschlossen. Da «Wetterextreme wie die immer häufiger auftretenden Hitzewellen und Starkregenereignisse» oft desaströse Auswirkungen auf Mensch und Umwelt hätten, werde eine Anpassung an die Folgen des Klimawandels immer wichtiger. «Klimaanpassungsstrategie» nennt die Regierung das.

Für die «Vorsorge vor Klimafolgen» habe man nun erstmals klare Ziele und messbare Kennzahlen festgelegt. So sei der Erfolg überprüfbar, und das solle zu einer schnelleren Bewältigung der Folgen führen. Dass sich hinter dem Begriff Klimafolgen nicht Folgen des Klimas, sondern wohl «Folgen der globalen Erwärmung» verbergen, erklärt den Interessierten die Wikipedia. Dabei ist das mit der Erwärmung ja bekanntermaßen so eine Sache.

Die Zunahme schwerer Unwetterereignisse habe gezeigt, so das Ministerium, wie wichtig eine frühzeitige und effektive Warnung der Bevölkerung sei. Daher solle es eine deutliche Anhebung der Nutzerzahlen der sogenannten Nina-Warn-App geben.

Die ARD spurt wie gewohnt und setzt die Botschaft zielsicher um. Der Artikel beginnt folgendermaßen:

«Die Flut im Ahrtal war ein Schock für das ganze Land. Um künftig besser gegen Extremwetter gewappnet zu sein, hat die Bundesregierung eine neue Strategie zur Klimaanpassung beschlossen. Die Warn-App Nina spielt eine zentrale Rolle. Der Bund will die Menschen in Deutschland besser vor Extremwetter-Ereignissen warnen und dafür die Reichweite der Warn-App Nina deutlich erhöhen.»

Die Kommunen würden bei ihren «Klimaanpassungsmaßnahmen» vom Zentrum KlimaAnpassung unterstützt, schreibt das Umweltministerium. Mit dessen Aufbau wurden das Deutsche Institut für Urbanistik gGmbH, welches sich stark für Smart City-Projekte engagiert, und die Adelphi Consult GmbH beauftragt.

Adelphi beschreibt sich selbst als «Europas führender Think-and-Do-Tank und eine unabhängige Beratung für Klima, Umwelt und Entwicklung». Sie seien «global vernetzte Strateg*innen und weltverbessernde Berater*innen» und als «Vorreiter der sozial-ökologischen Transformation» sei man mit dem Deutschen Nachhaltigkeitspreis ausgezeichnet worden, welcher sich an den Zielen der Agenda 2030 orientiere.

Über die Warn-App mit dem niedlichen Namen Nina, die möglichst jeder auf seinem Smartphone installieren soll, informiert das Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK). Gewarnt wird nicht nur vor Extrem-Wetterereignissen, sondern zum Beispiel auch vor Waffengewalt und Angriffen, Strom- und anderen Versorgungsausfällen oder Krankheitserregern. Wenn man die Kategorie Gefahreninformation wählt, erhält man eine Dosis von ungefähr zwei Benachrichtigungen pro Woche.

Beim BBK erfahren wir auch einiges über die empfohlenen Systemeinstellungen für Nina. Der Benutzer möge zum Beispiel den Zugriff auf die Standortdaten «immer zulassen», und zwar mit aktivierter Funktion «genauen Standort verwenden». Die Datennutzung solle unbeschränkt sein, auch im Hintergrund. Außerdem sei die uneingeschränkte Akkunutzung zu aktivieren, der Energiesparmodus auszuschalten und das Stoppen der App-Aktivität bei Nichtnutzung zu unterbinden.

Dass man so dramatische Ereignisse wie damals im Ahrtal auch anders bewerten kann als Regierungen und Systemmedien, hat meine Kollegin Wiltrud Schwetje anhand der Tragödie im spanischen Valencia gezeigt. Das Stichwort «Agenda 2030» taucht dabei in einem Kontext auf, der wenig mit Nachhaltigkeitspreisen zu tun hat.

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Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ 7ef5f1b1:0e0fcd27

Introduction:

Welcome to the third newsletter produced by The 256 Foundation! February was an interesting month with a range of events from the mempool clearing to a new ASIC producer entering the chip arena. This month’s newsletter covers the latest news, mining industry developments, progress updates on grant projects, actionable advice on air cooling vs. liquid cooling, and the current state of the Bitcoin network.

Definitions:

MA = Moving Average

Eh/s = Exahash per second

Ph/s = Petahash per second

Th/s = Terahash per second

T = Trillion

J/Th = Joules per Terahash

$ = US Dollar

vB = Virtual Byte

PSU = Power Supply Unit

News:

February 1st was the 10th anniversary of the Samourai Wallet project and unfortunately an occasion marked with uncertainty instead of celebration for the developers. On April 24th, 2024 the developers were indicted, raided, and arrested in a multi-national coordinated effort led by the US Department of Justice out of the Southern District of New York (“SDNY”) headquarters. The charges brought against them include conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter business and conspiracy to launder money, which caught the entire industry off guard in light of the 2013/19 FinCEN guidance explicitly stating that “un-hosted wallet providers” are not considered money transmitters [4.2.1] nor are “Anonymizing software providers” [4.5.1(b)]. The precedence set in this case can have wide-spread consequences for anyone involved with Bitcoin, be it wallet developers, node operators, or miners. You can make a tax-deducatible contribution to support the Samourai Wallet legal defense fund here.

On February 6th France moved to make cryptocurrency transactions using mixers presumed illicit unless proven otherwise. A startling development and shotgun approach that turns swaths of the population into criminals without good cause.

On February 7th Alexey Pertsev was released from prison under the conditions of house arrest and electronic monitoring. Alexey is one of the Tornado Cash developers and was previously sentenced to 5-years in prison and is currently appealing that conviction. The Tornado Cash developers did nothing wrong and should not face prison sentences for writing open-source code deployed as a smart contract on the Ethereum blockchain, once deployed the developers had no control over how their neutral software was used.

On February 9th @Skot9000 went on The Home Mining Podcast to talk about the story of the Bitaxe from concept to reality.

On February 11th @Skot9000 and @econoalchemist went on The Mining Pod to discuss The 256 Foundation’s telehash event.

On February 14th @Skot9000 and @econoalchemist went on The Bitcoin Way podcast to discuss The 256 Foundation’s mission to dismantle the proprietary mining empire and reveal the Ember One.

On February 21st Apple removed advanced data protection tool for United Kingdom customers following the UK government’s request for an unrestricted backdoor to Apple user’s iCloud information globally. Every government trends towards tyranny and this is an alarming move by the UK government which makes the trajectory crystal clear, the globalists want you to have no privacy nor financial freedom.

On February 21st @SpaceDenver kicked off the Heatpunk Mining Summit, a two day event in Denver, CO focused on Bitcoin mining heat reuse applications. There was a range of participants from Do-it-Yourselfers to plumbers. @Schnitzel wrote up a great recap of the event.

Mining Industry Developments:

The development will not stop until Bitcoin mining is free and open. Innovators didn’t let off the gas in February, here are seven note-worthy events:

0) Some thought this day would never come, others saw it coming from a mile away but on February 1st the mempool cleared.

[IMG-000] Mempool Clearing

This is significant for a number of reasons: on-chain transactions were able to be included in the next block for 1 sat/vB which means on-chain enjoyooors could get both speed and economy when sending bitcoin. But this means the percentage of mining rewards from transaction fees were low. A lack of on-chain transactions can indicate that the network is getting little use and it can be further extrapolated that a network with little use will inevitably have little value leading to less interest, less development, less adoption, less miners, less security, etc. The best way to mitigate such concerns is to take self-custody of your bitcoin. Trusted third parties like centralized exchanges and derivative products like paper IOUs can move balances between accounts off-chain without transferring ownership of the underlying bitcoin itself. The next best step is to actually use your bitcoin to buy things.

1) On February 2nd the Nerd OCTAXE makes a splash, racking up 10.8 Th/s with 8 BM1370 ASICs on a 160W+ PSU.

[IMG-001] Nerd OCTAXE Reveal

The Nerd OCTAXE is fully open-source using the CERN-OHL-S license. The display is a NerdAxe/NerdMiner unit and the whole system is standalone meaning that no Raspberry Pi or other computer is needed. The GitHub repo has detailed build instructions and all the details about the project can be found there.

2) On February 4th @OrangeSurfBTC publishes the Mempool.space Block Size Report examining the evolution of Bitcoin block sizes from block height 0 through block height 881866.

[IMG-002] Block Size to Weight Graph from OrangeSurf

This report offers a deep technical dive into how BitcoinCore default settings, miner-selected configuration values, transaction backlog, SegWit, and inscriptions all affected block sizes and space utilization.

The graph above for example, displays horizontal bands at varying data sizes that correspond to default BitcoinCore settings; indicating that many miners were running the default BitcoinCore settings.

There are great explanations and technical analysis in this report. Be sure to check it out for an in depth understanding of Bitcoin block size trends.

3) On February 5th Mempool.space implements Stratum Jobs visualizer:

[IMG-003] Mempool.space Stratum Jobs

This is a visualization tool similar to Boerst’s Stratum.work that shows which pools are using the same block templates which offers insight into miner centralization. The more of these visualization tools people have, the more informed everyone will be. Miner centralization can have several negative effects on the Bitcoin network including censorship attempts.

In the image above for example, it can be observed that Binance Pool, SEC Pool, Ultimus Pool, Luxor, Braiins, and Poolin are all using Antpool’s block template down to the 12th Merkle branch.

The ability for miners to generate their own block templates is an important step forward in the fight for keeping Bitcoin mining decentralized. Currently, some available options to achieve this are by self-hosting Public Pool or CK Pool, which the FutureBit Apollo’s do out of the box and is the setup used to solo mine block 881423 during The 256 Foundation’s Telehash; or self-hosting OCEAN’s DATUM.

4) On February 11th @RohEisenHammer revealed a Bitaxe Gamma that produces increased hashrate with the open-source BreaktheFiat Cooling System 60mm v1.

[IMG-004] BreaktheFiat Cooling System

This innovative cooling system cools both sides of the Bitaxe allowing the user to over-clock the device more.

5) On February 27th Braiins announced they have their own Bitcoin mining ASIC test chip. The test chip has been in development for 2.5 years and although the specific efficiency is not yet disclosed, this demonstrates that there is an increasing interest from more participants to make their own Bitcoin mining ASICs, departing from a dependency on Bitmain.

6) On February 28th Braiins committed to open-sourcing their Control Board, supporting software, and some extras. This is a step forward in making Bitcoin mining free and open. The control board is designed to replace stock Antminer control boards.

The software being released with the control board includes an OpenWrt distribution, Linux support for mining peripherals, along with source code for the basic board firmware, U-boot, Linux kernel, and OpenWrt. The firmware does not have the mining component built in but all the tooling is there for users to develop their own mining firmware. Braiins OS is not included in the release.

Extras include a guide on building a fully functional mining setup with all the provided tools. Users can even take the Braiins firmware binaries and the provided tools to compile their own image to flash onto the control board. A Nix shell for the build environment is also included.

The software will be released under the GPLv3 open-source license and which open-source license the hardware portion will be released under is still under consideration. But everything will be openly available by the end of March so keep an eye out for further announcements.

Grant Project Updates

In February The 256 Foundation reviewed all the grant applications, thank you to everyone who showed interest in working on the 5 projects up for grabs. Interviews were scheduled for qualified candidates and one lead developer was chosen for each project. Currently negotiations are taking place to work out timelines, deliverables, and budgets for each project. The projects will be officially kicked off on April 5th, 2025 and the lead developers for each project will be announced at that time.

The five projects are: Ember One v01, a ~100 Watt standardized hashboard designed with the Intel BZM2 ASIC. The Ember One v00 with the Bitmain ASIC is nearing completion and the fully validated design will be released by the end of April, 2025. The GitHub repo is now open to the public and anyone can start taking a look now.

Mujina Mining Firmware, a Linux based mining firmware application with support for multiple drivers so it can be used with Ember One v00 with the Bitmain ASIC or Ember One v01 with the Intel ASIC and will implement Stratum v2 client support.

Libre Board, the control board for the Ember One built to support high power compute modules, MIPI touchscreen display port, NVME expansion to run a full node, Raspberry Pi 40-pin header, and much more.

Hydra Pool, the stratum server application that will run on the Ember One mining system, features support for Stratum v2, solo mining mode or alternative payout model selection, and a user friendly dashboard to view pool stats.

Block Watcher, a Bitcoin mining insights application built to run on the Ember One mining system using the self-hosted node for blockchain data. Provides comprehensive visualization tools to help inform the user.

Actionable Advice:

Summer is coming! Time to take into consideration different cooling techniques for your Bitcoin miners. Do you stick with the default air cooled approach or is it worth it to spend the extra capital on a liquid cooled operation? Who better to hear from than two industry titans, Mike Hamilton former Chief Technical Officer & Chief Research Officer at Griid prior to the CleanSpark acquisition and Kevin Zhang Executive at Foundry Services. The following is a transcript of our panel discussion during NEMS25 hosted by yours truly.

Eco: Welcome you guys. So the title of this panel is “ASICs Wet or Dry” and both of you have a ton of mining experience. So why don't we do some brief intros, tell us who you are, what you've been up to and then we'll get into it.

Mike: Sure. Mike Hamilton, I was the CTO and Chief Research Officer for Grid, acquired by CleanSpark. I've since left and I'm finding out what's next, probably some 256 foundation stuff.

Rod: Let's go! (audience applause)

Mike: Because once you mind a block, everybody wants on board. So yeah, I was a chip designer, did some network security for a long time and then full-time mining since 2019.

Kevin: Good stuff guys. I'm Kevin Zhang, I'm not Matt, so if you came for the Giga talk, I'm sorry. With the new administration in office, it's okay to be a cis white male again, so I was going to give it a shot. (audience laughter)

Jokes aside, I've been a Bitcoin mining in the US for some time now and lately I've been at Foundry last four and a half years. I think everyone knows who we are, especially recently mine 7 blocks in a row. Surprised, no one commented, we actually mined eight at one time in a row. So I guess everyone's asleep, but we'll leave that for another discussion.

Eco: Wait, wait, wait, hold on. When was the eight blocks? Was that like years ago?

Kevin: No, it was like three months ago.

Eco: No kidding?

Kevin: Yeah.

Eco: Wow. Kevin: But no one also comments that the fact that we are actually unlucky for that same 24-hour period. So we actually lost money on that day. But I digress.

My background's always been in Bitcoin mining and especially I remember back in the day when immersion mining is first coming out, everyone's very skeptical. Now people are on board with immersion mining and now they're skeptical of hydro mining.

So it's interesting to see how these technologies come about and the adoption curve and how long it actually takes.

But I'm excited to be talking about this topic. It's going to be a lot of fun guys.

Eco: Yeah. So you mentioned something interesting there. So you mentioned both hydro and immersion. So this isn't just ASICs wet versus dry as if as though there's one version of wet.

There's actually multiple different types. So we've got immersion. Do you do anything with two phase immersion?

Because I've seen some of that recently where you're like dipping the ASIC in the solvent and it's boiling off.

If you've got any experience there or with hydro, let's get right into it. Which kind of wet are we talking about here?

Kevin: All right. So maybe we can take a step back and introduce all the different variants of types of mining, right? So the one I think everyone's most familiar with is air-cooled mining. And that's simply you're taking cold air and pushing it through the miner and exhausting hot air on the other side.

When it comes to liquid cooling, now there's many different types. In the beginning, I think one of the more popular ones was immersion, which is what you're actually is you're taking a miner, sometimes converting an air core miner. Sometimes it's an immersion specifically designed equipment.

You're dipping it and submerging it into dielectric fluid and using the fluid to kind of transmit the heat off the chips. And that's kind of you're actually taking the fluids and you're touching that to the chips itself. Then there is Novak 3M, which is the most popular use case for two-phase immersion. Two-phase is a fancy way of saying the state of the liquid or using the cool something is changing. So what you're doing is you're taking a fluid, you're using that that spurs the heat. And the heat dispersion happens when you're changing it from a fluid of solid state into a gas.

So it's super cool technology. The downside of it is to date it's still been very, very expensive. And the last form of cooling is hydro. It's another form of liquid cooling. And that's where you're actually running standard water or treated water through tubes that go across the boards on the miners to dissipate the heat.

Eco: Which one of those methods or is it all three? Do you got a mix in your operations that you use?

Kevin: So we've tested all of them. The only one we don't do at scale is the two-phase, which is the Novak 3M solution.

Eco; And why is that?

Kevin: It's been cost prohibitive to date. And the same has been true to immersion in hydro when it first came out. So probably it'll take some time for it to come to be more economical and more cost-efficient.

Eco: So let's break this down a little bit further. So if I wanted to cool my miners with immersion, can I just take the miner and drop it in a bath of dielectric oil?

Mike: I mean, kind of, like most answers about anything, it depends. But really you have to take off the fans, if you're taking an air-cooled machine. And then there's sometimes there's some weirdness with the power supplies. And some of you may actually take the power supply fans off.

Or in the case of one of my sites, we put popsicle sticks in there to keep the fans from spinning. So they wouldn't recycle the fluid. But there is usually some amount of work to prepare them for actual full immersion.

Eco: So it sounds like there's some labor involved and some modifications needed. Are the efficiency gains from this different type of cooling method, do they offset the extra labor that goes into setting it up?

Kevin: So yes and no. I think before we kind of get into overgeneralization of like, will this improve your economics or not? I think you have to look at the specific site that you're working with.

If you can run air-cooled air, if it's dry, if it's cool, you may not need to over-complicate things but going into liquid cooling or getting too fancy and cute with your infrastructure.

Now, if you're in a very hot climate and heat is everywhere, there's no cold air to draw into your site, maybe that's when you start looking at these things. No different than if it's way too humid or way too wet outside. You can't use the outside air or damaged machines. That's when you look at liquid type cooling.

And then to answer your question, it depends on what you paid for your miner, obviously, right? And the modifications needed.

Nowadays, immersion and hydro are popular enough that the manufacturers like Bitmain, MicroBT, they're making units out of the box that are designed for those use cases. Back in the day, you have to modify air-cooled miner, you have to remove the fans, you have to Jerry-rig it, like Michael's talking about it. And you also have to exploit the miner and change the firmware.

So you're voiding the warranty both physically and on the software layer as well.

So I think now with a lot of the new manufacturer support, it's been a lot more capital-efficient and a lot more streamlined.

And I think there was a gentleman here yesterday asking about what's my miner firmware. And I think that's been like a long time meme when it comes to brains and others. There isn't much optimization for air cooling, firmware for MicroBT, but where the optimization comes in is on the immersion side, where really your only limitation is your power supply. You can crank up the overclocking, the frequency and the voltage, so much more on the chips, as long as the power supply can support it and you have good flow of your liquids to dissipate the heat.

Eco: So you bring up an interesting point. It's like kind of site-specific will determine what sort of cooling method you want to apply, right? And just out of curiosity, and if you guys can speak about it, like how many sites have you all operated and what kind of geographic locations were they in and out of those, which cooling methods were you employing and why?

Mike: Yeah, and I think I've set up several sites in various locations. So it's sort of North Texas area, actually doing a gas well site. We chose immersion partially because it's right next to a multi-million dollar house home neighborhood and there's this oil well sitting behind it. And so we opted for immersion. It's a little bit hotter. It's a little bit dusty there at the well.

Incidentally, we also generate onsite, which is not quieter than the actual miners themselves, but that was a lot to do with the dust and the temperature.

And then other sites, it would be lots of Tennessee TVA sites where it's relatively cool. Now it does get hot. It can get pretty hot during the summers. So we did lots of air-cooled.

We did a little bit of immersion, a single phase full immersion, mostly from a proof of concept. Really, when you're trying to build quickly and inexpensively air-cooled, given the right environment is generally cheaper with some other trade-offs. So I've done a little bit of both.

Eco: Is it easier to keep the dust out of the mining equipment using immersion?

Mike: Yes. I mean, that is one of the benefits, at least in the single phase immersion, like the tank outside. The machine is basically protected. There's no moisture. There's no air.

So from that perspective, it can be good for the actual machine that is not getting on to that exposure. But at the same time, the fluid can create other problems with plastics and hardening. There's other issues.

Eco: How about you, Kevin? What kind of sites have you set up and what kind of methods did you employ?

Kevin: Sure. So I think my mining career, which started about 10 years ago, it predated a lot of the economics coming down of the liquid cooling. So for me, it was a lot of air-cooled sites. And if you look at it historically, somewhere to my sites, I was always building them more the climate was cooler and drier.

But with the new innovation and the cost coming down on liquid cooling, it's allowed for new regions to break into mining, in particular leveraging hydro or immersion.

In the past, I was always monitoring in Montana or northern China, where there's a lot of coal power, where it's cool climates.

Nowadays, you have mining in the Middle East. They're huge fans of hydro mining over there. So we were out in Oman recently. We partnered with some of those sites that were mining our pool over in Dubai.

And also now you have South America, where sometimes it's way too humid. They're able to mine. Or if they're too close to the equator, it could be too hot and too humid. They can mine because now they're using immersion down there as well.

So just seeing kind of the shifts geographically, all these new locations have been unlocked. Now that the outside climate's no longer a concern, that's been pretty exciting to see.

Mike: Yeah, and I think the noise issue is also a thing too. There was lots of sites that we looked at in many different situations where there's homes close, there's businesses close.

In one case, there was a school literally a few hundred feet away. And just while dry coolers and the other infrastructure aren't necessarily quiet, it's a different frequency of the high pitched fans of air cooled mining can be distracting.

Eco: Yeah, you bring up an interesting point. So if you're running an immersion system, you don't have these fans that are just passing millions of cubic feet of air a day through the ASICs, right? And those fans are what create all the noise and are screaming. And that's what people hear. So were you making those decisions preemptively? Like maybe based on some of the backlash we've seen from that site that Mara runs, that they got a bunch of noise complaints. Were those preemptive decisions or were you doing that because somebody complained to you?

Mike: I mean, we did. There was some public news around a site that we had that had gotten some noise complaints and it turned into a bigger thing. And so we're definitely more careful because if you have an air cooled site, trying to quiet an air cooled site, post build is very difficult. You know, hay bales or sound walls. And then it starts to get unsightly. So designing for the sound is very important from the beginning.

Eco: Right, because you've kind of built this whole setup around these miners, right? And now you're getting noise complaints.

Mike: And you design the site for airflow. Well, now you have a 20 foot wall to help with the sound. But now you've restricted airflow into your containers and it creates all sorts of other problems. And the reality was with these big, you know, the dry cooler manufacturers, you know, we got, we did some proof of concepts with one of the manufacturers. We're using 12 foot fan on the dry cooler. So it's still moving effectively the same amount of air as all the small fans. But it's a much lower rotation, you know, lower frequency noise. And so it's much less or much more pleasant than the cyber hornets.

Eco: Yeah. What other environmental considerations are there? Like if you've got tanks full of immersion fluid, is there special considerations, secondary containment systems, dams, barriers to contain spills? Like, are there any considerations along those lines that go into place?

Kevin: So historically there have been, but I think with the new improvements, there's like two types of designs. There's a kind of open loop system where kind of bring water in, bring liquids in that aren't in your closed solution. And they're just closed loop, which is yours recycling the same kind of fluids over and over again.

So more and more nowadays you have closed loop systems or you have like reserves of water that you're bringing in. You're not drawing from a lake, you're not drawing from a new water source. That has led to a lot more, a lot less backlash where it's like there's really no environmental concerns with that. And when we talk about kind of these environmental concerns, I always get some PTSD because I was at Greenwich generation, which was the very first power plant to ever mind Bitcoin in the States. And federally regulated behind the meter, I think it was such a special project for me to be on.

But then the push back from the environmentalists, we're just, there's no logic and rhyme or reason. It's like our fans, I could totally see the argument if we're disturbing the nearby neighbors, but they're coming in and protesting and saying we're scaring the way the killer whales in the Atlantic Ocean. And we're off of a lake in upstate New York, right?

So I think now you're kind of taking away that side of the argument, whether it's logical or not. And I think that just makes it a much more buttoned up case when no one has any, it's more proof when it comes to operating without any of these environmental concerns.

Eco: That brings to mind the saying that it takes exponential more effort to refute bullshit than it does to just say the bullshit, right?

Kevin: Absolutely.

Eco: Did you have to bring counter evidence to the table and say that and demonstrate no, we're not disturbing the whales?

Kevin: Yeah. It's like you have all these measurements, you have decibel counters, this and that, like you're kind of property lines. It doesn't matter. It doesn't just come up with a new excuse, right? A new complaint. Yeah.

Mike: I mean, we had some city council meetings and you get people, you know, of various generations, but of particular generations that are very set in their beliefs, they hear one thing. At one site we were looking at and there was a guy that had sort of like a rescue animal zoo. And he was saying that like his, his animals were going to stop reproducing and then they were all going to like drop over dead from the sound of these fans.

Kevin: Yeah. And we've, I've heard it all like we caused the autism in their kids because the fans are too, they're now not, I shouldn't joke about it, but that, those were some of the complaints we got.

Eco: You monsters. (audience laughter) Making the kids autistic and killing the animals. Jeez.

Mike: But you asked about like the containment or like fluids and environmental concerns. I mean, you do theoretically want to have the containment mechanisms for your tanks leak.

You know, I've heard of some sites where, you know, tanks, springs a leak and, you know, $100,000 worth of dielectric fluid is down the drain.

And so there are some of those concerns, but it's really not much different than, you know, you have to do the same thing with transformers. Transformers are filled with, you know, either mineral oil or if you go with the, with the fancy fluids to get a little bit of performance, you still have the same containment modes.

And so it's really not anything different in the normal construction, in the normal construction world.

Eco: What, what's next? Are there other cooling methods down the pike that you guys have been seeing and experimenting with or do you think the tools that we have at our disposal now are kind of what we're going to have going forward?

Kevin: So one thing I think has been emerging recently, especially with hydro mining, that's really exciting, is it's not just like cooling your miners, you're actually incentivized to capture even higher heat. So when you can actually generate a lot of heat and capture it, that's when you get your rehab, heat recapture programs. And that's I think one thing that differentiates hydro over both air and immersion is it's a lot easier to transfer water and capture that efficiently without much loss of the heat for whatever other use case you have for that heat itself.

And I think that this is something that's been talked about a lot. Sometimes I think the theories and the hypotheses come out way earlier, the technology takes a few years to catch up.

Like back in the day, it was always, oh, it's so logical and obvious, the people that should be mining Bitcoin are behind the meter. They're power generators themselves.

Well I think everyone underestimated and overlooked the fact that you have a bunch of older people wearing suits, very traditional thinking, very conservative, half the time convincing them that Bitcoin isn't for money laundering or for scams or whatever, criminal activity, whatever.

So that took a long time for that adoption to happen. Same thing with the heat recapture narrative. It's no longer just a narrative anymore. With hydro mining, it's very easy to kind of capture that heat. You see it for like greenhouses, you see it for fish nurseries.

So there's all these fascinating use cases.

There's one other anecdotal story I'll tell. I think it's really cool. So I think everyone knows that there were really serious bans in China against Bitcoin mining two, three summers ago. And despite that, there are actually a few sites that still mine Bitcoin. The ones that mined Bitcoin that integrated the heat recapture was hydro mining that was providing heat for nursery homes. So even the Chinese government can't justify shutting down the heat that was being generated for the old people in the nursery homes.

So I think when you integrate in such a way that it goes hand in hand to daily life and when it's actually beneficial beyond just kind of optimization of financials, I think that's when it's a really powerful technology.

Eco: How are they getting the heat to the nursing homes? Are they really close in proximity to the mine?

Kevin: They were running the mining farms. I'm going to call mines. These are data centers and these are rack design hydro units. I think these are MicroBT M53s or maybe one generation before that. But they were just standard rack just like they're indistinguishable from servers and they just run in a loop hydro.

Eco: Wow. Have you found any heat reuse opportunities in the course of your operations?

Mike: Yes. So we had talked about some people trying to do, don't boo me here, but it's a possible monetary option with carbon capture is something that we've looked at.

There was a few other things.

Like honestly, now that I'm moving on, one of the things I've thought about doing is actually doing a brewery in Austin with water that's preheated from Bitcoin mining. So instead of having to heat up cold water to boil it to brew your beer, have preheated water that you're using off the miners.

But one of the problems that I think maybe doesn't get talked about from this heat reuse perspective is there's very minimal use cases.

So like the greenhouse is a perfect example of heating and water heating. But really where the power of waste heat is is very high temperature and that becomes a major problem because you can't run, these chips have to run in certain parameters.

So you're getting water that's like 140, 150, 160 degrees, but really you need that 200, 210 to get the temperature delta that allow you to either regenerate electricity, which is actually a project that I was working on, is actually taking the heat from the immersion tank and regenerating electricity to power the other things. So for off peak, when we're on peak, we could still keep other things up, regeneration.

So there's lots of cool things. But again, the temperature of the water or of the heat or the quantity is just not quite enough to make it.

Eco: It's like just below that industrial level heat you need. Yeah.

Kevin: I think that's was exciting too because MicroBT, I think they're coming out with the model types all kind of blend in, but I think it's the M64S, which is like the higher heat version. So they intentionally generate even more heat off their models just for this use case.

Eco: Awesome. We've got just under five minutes left and I want to be able to take a couple questions. Okay, cool. With the last couple minutes then, let's just get some closing thoughts from you guys. I mean, I know you said you're searching for what's next. You're thinking maybe 256 foundation, but…

Mike: If you'll have me.

Eco: Yeah, we'd be happy to. But yeah, I mean, do you have any closing thoughts about what you're going to do next and or any advice for people who are getting into mining and thinking about what cooling methods they should use?

Mike: Yeah, I mean, I've had a few conversations the last couple days on this. You've got your mega-mines, you have the home plebs, and then I feel like there's still going to be a middle area. You've got Schnitzel doing water heaters. I think that's a thing where you can find this wasted energy to either to heat. People are using water heaters. They're going to pay to have hot water. And if you can make some Bitcoin and it costs the same. So there's, I think there's going to be some really interesting use cases that people haven't even thought of yet in using mining to be able to take advantage of all the economics, not just the Bitcoin, but also saving in other areas and being able to reuse things. So I'm really excited to see what, especially with all the cool stuff with 256 and being able to open up more ability to control machines and have alternative use cases besides 100 percent on all the time trying to go as efficient as possible. Like Kevin's talking about a higher heat model, all sorts of cool things that can be done. And I'm super excited to see in the coming months what people do and what comes out of that.

Eco: It's awesome. And how about you, Kevin? Do you have any closing thoughts you want to share? I know Foundry just went through some structural changes in their mining operations. I don't know if you want to share anything about that or what you got going on next or any advice you got for the audience.

Kevin: Yeah, sure. So for those that didn't catch the news, we recently announced Fortitude Mining. That is the separation of our self-mining arm that was kind of all under the Foundry branch, now its own Independence subsidiary under DCG.

So we actually have been self-mining at a pretty large scale privately for quite some time and now that's its own business and it's exciting to see that kind of survive on its own. It's going to be mining not just Bitcoin, but they're alt coins of different things as well. I'll keep that on the wraps here.

But building off what Mike was saying, some closing thoughts on hydro and immersion mining, I know I talked a lot about economics and kind of lowering the cost of this and that. Don't just chase just the lowest price tag as well. I think what's fascinating about these new liquid cool technologies are they're now very, very large vendors as well as large deployments of these sites that are up and running.

I was over in Corsicana visiting Riot site and to see the kind of different iterations that they've kind of deployed of immersion mining. You can see all the improvements have happened over time.

So I think one of the coolest things about our industry is how collaborative everyone is and no one's going to gate-keep like if they had a good experience or bad experience with a vendor or how they deployed certain technology. Everyone's going to be super helpful with their own experience and feedback on how they run something.

If it's a brand new vendor in the space, probably not the best idea to cut like a 50, 100 megawatt contract with them before you sample them out or you get some testimonials.

So it's not to throw anyone in the bus. I'm not thinking of anyone in mind. It's more of make sure you kind of reach out, get testimonials, get others, people's experiences, leverage that because oftentimes when you are going through your very first hydro or immersion deployments, it's a little bit more technical and there's a lot more points of failure, a lot more leakages isn't that.

So you want to make sure that you kind of leverage as much experience and the collaborative network that's out there as you can.

Eco: Awesome. Let's get a round of applause for these guys and then we'll open it up for some questions. (audience applause)

State of the Network:

Hashrate on the 14-day MA according to mempool.space increased from ~787 Eh/s to ~798 Eh/s in February – peaking at 832 Eh/s, marking ~1.4% growth for the month.

[IMG-005] 2025 hashrate/difficulty chart from mempool.space

Difficulty is currently 112.14T as of Epoch 440 and set to increase roughly 1.7 – 2.3% on or around March 23, 2025. But that target will change between now and then. The previous re-target increased difficulty by 1.4%. All together for 2025 thus far, difficulty has gone up ~2.15%.

New-gen miners are selling for roughly $17.65 per Th using the Bitmain Antminer S21+ 235 Th/s model from Kaboom Racks as an example. According to the Hashrate Index, more efficient miners like the <19 J/Th models are fetching $17.49 per terahash, models between 19J/Th – 25J/Th are selling for $12.68 per terahash, and models >25J/Th are selling for $3.37 per terahash.

[IMG-006] Miner Prices from Luxor’s Hashrate Index

Hashvalue is currently ~57,000 sats/Ph per day, up slightly from Frebruary when hashvalue was closer to 56,000 sats/Ph per day according to Braiins Insights. Hashprice is $47.00/Ph per day, down from $54.00/Ph per day in February.

[IMG-007] Hashprice/Hashvalue from Braiins Insights

The next halving will occur at block height 1,050,000 which should be in roughly 1,109 days or in other words 161,757 blocks from time of publishing this newsletter.

Conclusion:

Thank you for reading the third 256 Foundation newsletter. Keep an eye out for more newsletters on a monthly basis in your email inbox by subscribing at 256foundation.org. Or you can download .pdf versions of the newsletters from there as well. You can also find these newsletters published in article form on Nostr.

If you were looking for answers about cooling your Bitcoin miners this summer then hopefully you found them here.

If you want to continue seeing developers build free and open solutions be sure to support the Samourai Wallet developers by making a tax-deductible contribution to their legal defense fund here. The first step in ensuring a future of free and open Bitcoin development starts with freeing these developers.

The proprietary mining empire isn't going to dismantle itself; stay vigilant, frens.

-econoalchemist

@ b80cc5f2:966b8353

Originally posted on 10/10/2024 @ https://music.2140art.com/artist-spotlight-akme-beats/

Long-time Hip-Hop producer, MC and tattoo artist AkmeBeats is no stranger to the game.

Starting off his career in his originating country of Italy, and later moving to London, UK, Akme has worked with some top talent in both regions. His raw and pure boom-bap sound has many MCs seeking to work with him across the globe.

We caught up with Akme to discuss his journey into the new music economy, starting with his discovery of Bitcoin back in 2015, to his eventual dive into using it in 2024 and everything in between.

How long have you been making music professionally?

From 2010 for my first EP Akme “Ultimatum EP’’

What are some of the mediums you have used to distribute your music?

Distrokid from 2015, Bandcamp too, but now with different ones, like WavLake.

Have you ever been signed to a label?

Nah

What are some of the main things you see as a problem in today’s music industry?

All the websites and distribution they profit from all the musicians and labels try to use AI for their shit, weird! At this moment, at least, but we gonna change!

What made you decide to join the 2140Music community?

Because the music industry needs to rebuild in the Bitcoin way like we gonna do!!!!

Maybe another one…

What are some of the notable projects you’ve released or people you’ve worked with?

I did a lot of projects this year especially; 'Deafth spazio randagio' with Slippy Skills, Double Capital ‘A’ EP with Airklipz, Hooks Thrown off Deck with Airklipz and Sylva Grey, Roads Eucharist with SWAV’O, Ghostreet and Ghostway with L17 and Airklipz and GADGIE RANDAGI EP exclusive available on Even.biz

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Die Ungerechtigkeit ist uns nur in dem Falle angenehm,\ dass wir Vorteile aus ihr ziehen;\ in jedem andern hegt man den Wunsch,\ dass der Unschuldige in Schutz genommen werde.\ Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Politiker beteuern jederzeit, nur das Beste für die Bevölkerung zu wollen – nicht von ihr. Auch die zahlreichen unsäglichen «Corona-Maßnahmen» waren angeblich zu unserem Schutz notwendig, vor allem wegen der «besonders vulnerablen Personen». Daher mussten alle möglichen Restriktionen zwangsweise und unter Umgehung der Parlamente verordnet werden.

Inzwischen hat sich immer deutlicher herausgestellt, dass viele jener «Schutzmaßnahmen» den gegenteiligen Effekt hatten, sie haben den Menschen und den Gesellschaften enorm geschadet. Nicht nur haben die experimentellen Geninjektionen – wie erwartet – massive Nebenwirkungen, sondern Maskentragen schadet der Psyche und der Entwicklung (nicht nur unserer Kinder) und «Lockdowns und Zensur haben Menschen getötet».

Eine der wichtigsten Waffen unserer «Beschützer» ist die Spaltung der Gesellschaft. Die tiefen Gräben, die Politiker, Lobbyisten und Leitmedien praktisch weltweit ausgehoben haben, funktionieren leider nahezu in Perfektion. Von ihren persönlichen Erfahrungen als Kritikerin der Maßnahmen berichtete kürzlich eine Schweizerin im Interview mit Transition News. Sie sei schwer enttäuscht und verspüre bis heute eine Hemmschwelle und ein seltsames Unwohlsein im Umgang mit «Geimpften».

Menschen, die aufrichtig andere schützen wollten, werden von einer eindeutig politischen Justiz verfolgt, verhaftet und angeklagt. Dazu zählen viele Ärzte, darunter Heinrich Habig, Bianca Witzschel und Walter Weber. Über den aktuell laufenden Prozess gegen Dr. Weber hat Transition News mehrfach berichtet (z.B. hier und hier). Auch der Selbstschutz durch Verweigerung der Zwangs-Covid-«Impfung» bewahrt nicht vor dem Knast, wie Bundeswehrsoldaten wie Alexander Bittner erfahren mussten.

Die eigentlich Kriminellen schützen sich derweil erfolgreich selber, nämlich vor der Verantwortung. Die «Impf»-Kampagne war «das größte Verbrechen gegen die Menschheit». Trotzdem stellt man sich in den USA gerade die Frage, ob der scheidende Präsident Joe Biden nach seinem Sohn Hunter möglicherweise auch Anthony Fauci begnadigen wird – in diesem Fall sogar präventiv. Gibt es überhaupt noch einen Rest Glaubwürdigkeit, den Biden verspielen könnte?

Der Gedanke, den ehemaligen wissenschaftlichen Chefberater des US-Präsidenten und Direktor des National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) vorsorglich mit einem Schutzschild zu versehen, dürfte mit der vergangenen Präsidentschaftswahl zu tun haben. Gleich mehrere Personalentscheidungen des designierten Präsidenten Donald Trump lassen Leute wie Fauci erneut in den Fokus rücken.

Das Buch «The Real Anthony Fauci» des nominierten US-Gesundheitsministers Robert F. Kennedy Jr. erschien 2021 und dreht sich um die Machenschaften der Pharma-Lobby in der öffentlichen Gesundheit. Das Vorwort zur rumänischen Ausgabe des Buches schrieb übrigens Călin Georgescu, der Überraschungssieger der ersten Wahlrunde der aktuellen Präsidentschaftswahlen in Rumänien. Vielleicht erklärt diese Verbindung einen Teil der Panik im Wertewesten.

In Rumänien selber gab es gerade einen Paukenschlag: Das bisherige Ergebnis wurde heute durch das Verfassungsgericht annuliert und die für Sonntag angesetzte Stichwahl kurzfristig abgesagt – wegen angeblicher «aggressiver russischer Einmischung». Thomas Oysmüller merkt dazu an, damit sei jetzt in der EU das Tabu gebrochen, Wahlen zu verbieten, bevor sie etwas ändern können.

Unsere Empörung angesichts der Historie von Maßnahmen, die die Falschen beschützen und für die meisten von Nachteil sind, müsste enorm sein. Die Frage ist, was wir damit machen. Wir sollten nach vorne schauen und unsere Energie clever einsetzen. Abgesehen von der Umgehung von jeglichem «Schutz vor Desinformation und Hassrede» (sprich: Zensur) wird es unsere wichtigste Aufgabe sein, Gräben zu überwinden.

---

Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/916364

@ 16d11430:61640947

A Tale of Two Dysfunctional Kingdoms

In the grand theater of human organization, we are blessed with two great economic orders: Fiat, the Land of Fragile Giants, and Crypto, the Padded Madhouse of Infinite Lunacy. Both promise utopia, both deliver dysfunction, and both operate under the iron law that those with the most power will always act in their own interests—rules be damned.

The Fiat Intellectual Landscape: A Game of Tiptoeing Giants

The fiat world is a meticulously curated bonsai garden of decorum and quiet panic. Giants walk among us—CEOs, central bankers, hedge fund wizards, and the occasional Nobel Prize-winning economist—but they must step lightly, lest they shake the delicate equilibrium. The entire system is built on confidence, a polite euphemism for narrative control.

Take any major institution, and you'll find the same pathology:

Corporations: The larger they are, the more fragile their balance sheets, requiring constant PR therapy and quarterly ritual sacrifices to appease the gods of Wall Street. CEO statements are more rehearsed than Shakespearean soliloquies, lest a slip in language shaves billions off the stock price.

Academia: Intellectual giants must wade through a swamp of bureaucratic grant-seeking, where discovery is secondary to institutional survival. Challenging economic orthodoxy is career suicide, so best to publish another paper on "inclusive finance" while hedge funds strip-mine the economy.

Government & Central Banks: A crisis is just another reason to print more money, kick the debt can down the road, and assure the public that everything is “transitory.” Behind closed doors, they know it’s a rigged game—but stability must be maintained at all costs, even if it means bribing the peasants with stimulus checks to keep the illusion alive.

The entire fiat ecosystem is one of quiet desperation, where the powerful pretend to be cautious stewards of civilization while looting with the finesse of seasoned art thieves. Stability is paramount, because if the masses ever realized the whole thing is a confidence scam, they might actually ask questions.

Crypto: The Padded Madhouse Where Giants Go to Break Things

Meanwhile, in the Crypto Madhouse, giants don’t tiptoe—they run, scream, and occasionally set the entire house on fire just to see what happens. Here, there is no caution, no equilibrium—just a perpetual state of mania, where even the most outlandish ideas get venture funding. If fiat is an over-engineered glass palace, crypto is a playground for unhinged capitalists and techno-anarchists armed with flamethrowers.

The dysfunction here is less about fragility and more about unregulated chaos:

Ponzi Chains Masquerading as Innovation: Every year, a new "Ethereum Killer" promises to decentralize everything, only to collapse into an infighting mess of VC dumps, network outages, and sudden governance takeovers. If in fiat, failures happen in slow motion, in crypto, they happen overnight, in a Discord announcement at 3 AM.

Decentralization Theatre: Most "community-governed" projects are run by an inner circle of early whales who have more control than the Federal Reserve, but pretend it's democratic because they let the plebs vote on logo designs. The difference? Fiat oligarchs hide their power; crypto oligarchs post memes about it.

The Cult of the Visionary Founder: While fiat leaders pretend to be humble, crypto founders take the stage like prophets descending from the blockchain, dropping whitepapers with the same fervor as religious scriptures. And when they inevitably fail, they simply launch a new token, because failure only exists if you stop grifting.

Crypto may lack the institutional fragility of fiat, but in its place, we get wild, unchecked power, where insiders can rug-pull billions without consequence. The only real difference? Instead of bailing out banks, crypto just moves on to the next hype cycle.

Same Vested Interests, Different Scams

In the end, both systems operate under the same fundamental law: those with the most power will always find a way to keep it.

In fiat, the illusion of stability is paramount, so the powerful must lie in slow motion.

In crypto, the illusion of innovation is paramount, so the powerful must rug in high-speed.

The giants of fiat must walk lightly so as not to disturb the herd; the giants of crypto can rampage freely, because the casino always reopens. Either way, the little guy always pays the bill.

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Konsum ist Therapie.
Wolfgang Joop

Umweltbewusstes Verhalten und verantwortungsvoller Konsum zeugen durchaus von einer wünschenswerten Einstellung. Ob man deswegen allerdings einen grünen statt eines schwarzen Freitags braucht, darf getrost bezweifelt werden – zumal es sich um manipulatorische Konzepte handelt. Wie in der politischen Landschaft sind auch hier die Etiketten irgendwas zwischen nichtssagend und trügerisch.

Heute ist also wieder mal «Black Friday», falls Sie es noch nicht mitbekommen haben sollten. Eigentlich haben wir ja eher schon eine ganze «Black Week», der dann oft auch noch ein «Cyber Monday» folgt. Die Werbebranche wird nicht müde, immer neue Anlässe zu erfinden oder zu importieren, um uns zum Konsumieren zu bewegen. Und sie ist damit sehr erfolgreich.

Warum fallen wir auf derartige Werbetricks herein und kaufen im Zweifelsfall Dinge oder Mengen, die wir sicher nicht brauchen? Pure Psychologie, würde ich sagen. Rabattschilder triggern etwas in uns, was den Verstand in Stand-by versetzt. Zusätzlich beeinflussen uns alle möglichen emotionalen Reize und animieren uns zum Schnäppchenkauf.

Gedankenlosigkeit und Maßlosigkeit können besonders bei der Ernährung zu ernsten Problemen führen. Erst kürzlich hat mir ein Bekannter nach einer USA-Reise erzählt, dass es dort offenbar nicht unüblich ist, schon zum ausgiebigen Frühstück in einem Restaurant wenigstens einen Liter Cola zu trinken. Gerne auch mehr, um das Gratis-Nachfüllen des Bechers auszunutzen.

Kritik am schwarzen Freitag und dem unnötigen Konsum kommt oft von Umweltschützern. Neben Ressourcenverschwendung, hohem Energieverbrauch und wachsenden Müllbergen durch eine zunehmende Wegwerfmentalität kommt dabei in der Regel auch die «Klimakrise» auf den Tisch.

Die EU-Kommission lancierte 2015 den Begriff «Green Friday» im Kontext der überarbeiteten Rechtsvorschriften zur Kennzeichnung der Energieeffizienz von Elektrogeräten. Sie nutzte die Gelegenheit kurz vor dem damaligen schwarzen Freitag und vor der UN-Klimakonferenz COP21, bei der das Pariser Abkommen unterzeichnet werden sollte.

Heute wird ein grüner Freitag oft im Zusammenhang mit der Forderung nach «nachhaltigem Konsum» benutzt. Derweil ist die Europäische Union schon weit in ihr Geschäftsmodell des «Green New Deal» verstrickt. In ihrer Propaganda zum Klimawandel verspricht sie tatsächlich «Unterstützung der Menschen und Regionen, die von immer häufigeren Extremwetter-Ereignissen betroffen sind». Was wohl die Menschen in der Region um Valencia dazu sagen?

Ganz im Sinne des Great Reset propagierten die Vereinten Nationen seit Ende 2020 eine «grüne Erholung von Covid-19, um den Klimawandel zu verlangsamen». Der UN-Umweltbericht sah in dem Jahr einen Schwerpunkt auf dem Verbraucherverhalten. Änderungen des Konsumverhaltens des Einzelnen könnten dazu beitragen, den Klimaschutz zu stärken, hieß es dort.

Der Begriff «Schwarzer Freitag» wurde in den USA nicht erstmals für Einkäufe nach Thanksgiving verwendet – wie oft angenommen –, sondern für eine Finanzkrise. Jedoch nicht für den Börsencrash von 1929, sondern bereits für den Zusammenbruch des US-Goldmarktes im September 1869. Seitdem mussten die Menschen weltweit so einige schwarze Tage erleben.

Kürzlich sind die britischen Aufsichtsbehörden weiter von ihrer Zurückhaltung nach dem letzten großen Finanzcrash von 2008 abgerückt. Sie haben Regeln für den Bankensektor gelockert, womit sie «verantwortungsvolle Risikobereitschaft» unterstützen wollen. Man würde sicher zu schwarz sehen, wenn man hier ein grünes Wunder befürchten würde.

---

Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

It's Monday so we're back doing "Meta Music Mondays" 😉.

From before the territory existed there was just one post a week in a ~meta take over. Now each month we have a different theme and bring music from that theme.

This month is March and we're doing March Madness. So give me those Wacky and Weird crazy artists and songs. The weirder the better!

Let's have fun.

How about Weird and Wonderful J-Pop Metal mixed with German Techno Metal.

Baby Metal with Electric Callboy - Ratatata

https://youtu.be/EDnIEWyVIlE?si=DLV4-tOTx6TipGv

Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/915965

@ 2ed3596e:98b4cc78

Bitcoin: The tool of true freedom in an age of control

Let’s talk about control. Not just the kind you see in politics, but the control over what you can say, what you can spend, and ultimately, how you live. It’s creeping into every part of our lives, and if you’re paying attention, you’ve already seen it happen.

Remember the Canadian truckers’ protest? If you donated just $50 and you got bank accounts frozen and all financial access cut off—not because of criminal activity, but because the government at the time didn’t like what you stood for. Look at donations to Palestine — many financial institutions are outright blocking donations to causes supporting folks struggling to survive in Gaza. China? Censorship isn’t just about speech; it’s about access to money, too – completely cutting people off from being able to participate in the economy. Economic strangulation is real and a growing government control tactic. 

See the pattern?

It doesn’t matter what your politics are. If you step too far outside the accepted lines, you’ll be cut off. Your money is no longer yours if someone else can decide when you can access it.

The playbook isn’t new — just look at 1933

If you think this level of control is new, think again. In 1933, Executive Order 6102 forced Americans to hand over their gold to the government—under threat of fines and jail time. Why? Because gold was real money, and the government wanted to control the monetary system to finance its growth in spending and services. Gold, at this time, was $35 an ounce. Today it is worth thousands per ounce. The dollar, meanwhile, has lost 99% of its value in that same period. 

Then came 1971. Nixon took the U.S. off the gold standard completely, meaning the dollar was no longer backed by anything tangible. Since then, the government has printed money at will, inflating the currency and making everything more expensive over time. 

And yet, we’re supposed to trust this system?

Fiat is just a fancy word for "because we said so"

Our money is no longer tied to gold or anything of value. Fiat money has value simply because governments say it does. But history proves that this system is built on a lie. The more they print, the less your money is worth. It’s not about “helping the economy” or “fighting inflation”—it’s about making sure you stay dependent on the system. And when people get too self-sufficient? That’s when they start pulling tricks like EO 6102.

Bitcoin fixes this.

Bitcoin is E.O. 6102-proof

Governments can seize gold. They can freeze your bank accounts. They can tell you what you can and can’t spend money on.

But they cannot control Bitcoin.

Bitcoin is money that exists outside of their system. It can’t be inflated away. It can’t be seized by decree. It allows people to transact freely, regardless of politics, geography, or financial status. Whether you’re protesting in Ottawa, donating to survivors in Palestine, or living under Chinese financial surveillance—Bitcoin is the escape hatch.

“I consume, therefore I am”

Freedom isn’t just about what you can say—it’s about what you can do. If your ability to transact is controlled, then your ability to live freely is controlled. Bitcoin is the tool that breaks those chains.

It’s not just an investment. It’s not just “digital gold.” It’s a lifeline. It’s the difference between having control over your future or waiting for the next decree to tell you what you can do with your own money.

Governments will always try to tighten their grip. History proves it. But Bitcoin gives you the power to break free. The question is: will you use it?

@ 1c19eb1a:e22fb0bc

What is #Nostrversity? It's where you can come to learn about all the great tools, clients, and amazing technology that is being built on #Nostr, for Nostr, or utilized by Nostr, presented in an approachable and non-technical format. If you have ever wondered what Blossom, bunker signing, or Nostr Wallet Connect are, how they work, and how you can put them to work to improve your Nostr experience, this is the place you can read about them without needing a computer-science degree ahead of time.

Between writing full-length reviews, which take a fair amount of time to research, test, and draft, I will post shorter articles with the Nostrversity hashtag to provide a Nostr-native resource to help the community understand and utilize the tools our illustrious developers are building. These articles will be much shorter, and more digestible than my full-length reviews. They will also cover some things that may not be quite ready for prime-time, whereas my reviews will continue to focus on Nostr apps that are production-ready.

Keep an eye out, because Nostr Wallet Connect will be the first topic of study. Take your seats, get out your notepads, and follow along to discover how Nostr Wallet Connect is improving Lightning infrastructure. Hint: It's not just for zaps.

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Und plötzlich weißt du:
Es ist Zeit, etwas Neues zu beginnen
und dem Zauber des Anfangs zu vertrauen.
Meister Eckhart

Schwarz, rot, gold leuchtet es im Kopf des Newsletters der deutschen Bundesregierung, der mir freitags ins Postfach flattert. Rot, gelb und grün werden daneben sicher noch lange vielzitierte Farben sein, auch wenn diese nie geleuchtet haben. Die Ampel hat sich gerade selber den Stecker gezogen – und hinterlässt einen wirtschaftlichen und gesellschaftlichen Trümmerhaufen.

Mit einem bemerkenswerten Timing hat die deutsche Regierungskoalition am Tag des «Comebacks» von Donald Trump in den USA endlich ihr Scheitern besiegelt. Während der eine seinen Sieg bei den Präsidentschaftswahlen feierte, erwachten die anderen jäh aus ihrer Selbsthypnose rund um Harris-Hype und Trump-Panik – mit teils erschreckenden Auswüchsen. Seit Mittwoch werden die Geschicke Deutschlands nun von einer rot-grünen Minderheitsregierung «geleitet» und man steuert auf Neuwahlen zu.

Das Kindergarten-Gehabe um zwei konkurrierende Wirtschaftsgipfel letzte Woche war bereits bezeichnend. In einem Strategiepapier gestand Finanzminister Lindner außerdem den «Absturz Deutschlands» ein und offenbarte, dass die wirtschaftlichen Probleme teilweise von der Ampel-Politik «vorsätzlich herbeigeführt» worden seien.

Lindner und weitere FDP-Minister wurden also vom Bundeskanzler entlassen. Verkehrs- und Digitalminister Wissing trat flugs aus der FDP aus; deshalb darf er nicht nur im Amt bleiben, sondern hat zusätzlich noch das Justizministerium übernommen. Und mit Jörg Kukies habe Scholz «seinen Lieblingsbock zum Obergärtner», sprich: Finanzminister befördert, meint Norbert Häring.

Es gebe keine Vertrauensbasis für die weitere Zusammenarbeit mit der FDP, hatte der Kanzler erklärt, Lindner habe zu oft sein Vertrauen gebrochen. Am 15. Januar 2025 werde er daher im Bundestag die Vertrauensfrage stellen, was ggf. den Weg für vorgezogene Neuwahlen freimachen würde.

Apropos Vertrauen: Über die Hälfte der Bundesbürger glauben, dass sie ihre Meinung nicht frei sagen können. Das ging erst kürzlich aus dem diesjährigen «Freiheitsindex» hervor, einer Studie, die die Wechselwirkung zwischen Berichterstattung der Medien und subjektivem Freiheitsempfinden der Bürger misst. «Beim Vertrauen in Staat und Medien zerreißt es uns gerade», kommentierte dies der Leiter des Schweizer Unternehmens Media Tenor, das die Untersuchung zusammen mit dem Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach durchführt.

«Die absolute Mehrheit hat absolut die Nase voll», titelte die Bild angesichts des «Ampel-Showdowns». Die Mehrheit wolle Neuwahlen und die Grünen sollten zuerst gehen, lasen wir dort.

Dass «Insolvenzminister» Robert Habeck heute seine Kandidatur für das Kanzleramt verkündet hat, kann nur als Teil der politmedialen Realitätsverweigerung verstanden werden. Wer allerdings denke, schlimmer als in Zeiten der Ampel könne es nicht mehr werden, sei reichlich optimistisch, schrieb Uwe Froschauer bei Manova. Und er kenne Friedrich Merz schlecht, der sich schon jetzt rhetorisch auf seine Rolle als oberster Feldherr Deutschlands vorbereite.

Was also tun? Der Schweizer Verein «Losdemokratie» will eine Volksinitiative lancieren, um die Bestimmung von Parlamentsmitgliedern per Los einzuführen. Das Losverfahren sorge für mehr Demokratie, denn als Alternative zum Wahlverfahren garantiere es eine breitere Beteiligung und repräsentativere Parlamente. Ob das ein Weg ist, sei dahingestellt.

In jedem Fall wird es notwendig sein, unsere Bemühungen um Freiheit und Selbstbestimmung zu verstärken. Mehr Unabhängigkeit von staatlichen und zentralen Institutionen – also die Suche nach dezentralen Lösungsansätzen – gehört dabei sicher zu den Möglichkeiten. Das gilt sowohl für jede/n Einzelne/n als auch für Entitäten wie die alternativen Medien.

---

Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Es ist besser, ein Licht zu entzünden, als auf die Dunkelheit zu schimpfen. Konfuzius

Die Bemühungen um Aufarbeitung der sogenannten Corona-Pandemie, um Aufklärung der Hintergründe, Benennung von Verantwortlichkeiten und das Ziehen von Konsequenzen sind durchaus nicht eingeschlafen. Das Interesse daran ist unter den gegebenen Umständen vielleicht nicht sonderlich groß, aber es ist vorhanden.

Der sächsische Landtag hat gestern die Einsetzung eines Untersuchungsausschusses zur Corona-Politik beschlossen. In einer Sondersitzung erhielt ein entsprechender Antrag der AfD-Fraktion die ausreichende Zustimmung, auch von einigen Abgeordneten des BSW.

In den Niederlanden wird Bill Gates vor Gericht erscheinen müssen. Sieben durch die Covid-«Impfstoffe» geschädigte Personen hatten Klage eingereicht. Sie werfen unter anderem Gates, Pfizer-Chef Bourla und dem niederländischen Staat vor, sie hätten gewusst, dass diese Präparate weder sicher noch wirksam sind.

Mit den mRNA-«Impfstoffen» von Pfizer/BioNTech befasst sich auch ein neues Buch. Darin werden die Erkenntnisse von Ärzten und Wissenschaftlern aus der Analyse interner Dokumente über die klinischen Studien der Covid-Injektion präsentiert. Es handelt sich um jene in den USA freigeklagten Papiere, die die Arzneimittelbehörde (Food and Drug Administration, FDA) 75 Jahre unter Verschluss halten wollte.

Ebenfalls Wissenschaftler und Ärzte, aber auch andere Experten organisieren als Verbundnetzwerk Corona-Solution kostenfreie Online-Konferenzen. Ihr Ziel ist es, «wissenschaftlich, demokratisch und friedlich» über Impfstoffe und Behandlungsprotokolle gegen SARS-CoV-2 aufzuklären und die Diskriminierung von Ungeimpften zu stoppen. Gestern fand eine weitere Konferenz statt. Ihr Thema: «Corona und modRNA: Von Toten, Lebenden und Physik lernen».

Aufgrund des Digital Services Acts (DSA) der Europäischen Union sei das Risiko groß, dass ihre Arbeit als «Fake-News» bezeichnet würde, so das Netzwerk. Staatlich unerwünschte wissenschaftliche Aufklärung müsse sich passende Kanäle zur Veröffentlichung suchen. Ihre Live-Streams seien deshalb zum Beispiel nicht auf YouTube zu finden.

Der vielfältige Einsatz für Aufklärung und Aufarbeitung wird sich nicht stummschalten lassen. Nicht einmal der Zensurmeister der EU, Deutschland, wird so etwas erreichen. Die frisch aktivierten «Trusted Flagger» dürften allerdings künftige Siege beim «Denunzianten-Wettbewerb» im Kontext des DSA zusätzlich absichern.

Wo sind die Grenzen der Meinungsfreiheit? Sicher gibt es sie. Aber die ideologische Gleichstellung von illegalen mit unerwünschten Äußerungen verfolgt offensichtlich eher das Ziel, ein derart elementares demokratisches Grundrecht möglichst weitgehend auszuhebeln. Vorwürfe wie «Hassrede», «Delegitimierung des Staates» oder «Volksverhetzung» werden heute inflationär verwendet, um Systemkritik zu unterbinden. Gegen solche Bestrebungen gilt es, sich zu wehren.

---

Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

El Teide

Mount Teide (El Teide) is the highest mountain in Spain (3,715m) and the third-highest volcanic structure in the world. Located in Teide National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), it offers breathtaking landscapes, hiking trails, and stunning panoramic views** over the Canary Islands.

🏔️ Best Things to Do at Mount Teide

1️⃣ Hike to the Summit

• The most rewarding way to reach the top! The hike starts from Montaña Blanca and takes about 5-6 hours.
• Permit required for the final ascent (apply in advance).

2️⃣ Take the Teide Cable Car

• A quick way to reach 3,555m, with spectacular views.
• From the upper station, you can hike to La Fortaleza Viewpoint or Pico Viejo Viewpoint for stunning island views.

3️⃣ Stargazing at Teide Observatory

• One of the best stargazing spots in the world due to its clear skies and high altitude.
• Join an astronomy tour for an unforgettable night experience.

4️⃣ Explore the Teide National Park

• Walk through lava fields, craters, and rock formations like Roques de García.
• Visit the Visitor Center to learn about the park’s geology and history.

🚗 How to Get to Teide

🚗 By Car: ~1.5 hours from Santa Cruz or Costa Adeje
🚌 By Bus: Titsa buses 342 (from Costa Adeje) & 348 (from Puerto de la Cruz)

💡 Tips for Visiting Teide

✅ Book summit permits early – Limited spots available! 🎟️
✅ Dress warmly – Temperatures drop at high altitude, even in summer 🧥
✅ Best time to visit? Sunrise, sunset, or night for amazing views 🌅🌌
✅ Take it slow – The high altitude can affect breathing ⛰️

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/915374

@ f240be2b:00c761ba

Warum jetzt ein guter Zeitpunkt sein könnte, sich mit Bitcoin zu beschäftigen

Kennt ihr das? Wenn der Bitcoin-Preis neue Höchststände erreicht, möchte plötzlich jeder einsteigen. Doch sobald die Kurse fallen, überwiegt die Angst. Dabei zeigt die Geschichte: Gerade diese Phasen der Unsicherheit können interessante Zeitpunkte sein, um sich mit dem Thema zu beschäftigen.

Historische Zyklen

Bitcoin durchläuft regelmäßige Marktzyklen
Nach jedem Tief folgte bisher ein neues Hoch
Emotionen spielen eine große Rolle im Markt

Psychologie des Marktes

Wenn alle euphorisch sind → meist teuer
Wenn Unsicherheit herrscht → oft interessante Gelegenheiten
Die Masse liegt häufig zum falschen Zeitpunkt richtig

Rationale Herangehensweise

Statt emotional zu handeln, solltet ihr:

Einen langfristigen Anlagehorizont wählen
Regelmäßig kleine Beträge investieren (Cost-Average-Effekt)

Hier ein paar Charts die euch helfen sollen und euch mutig werden lassen:

https://www.tradingview.com/chart/BTCUSD/HuGpzZfQ-BITCOIN-Cycle-pattern-completed-Year-end-Target-locked-at-150k/

https://www.tradingview.com/chart/BTCUSD/YVyy9QuU-BITCOIN-Money-Supply-Dollar-and-Bonds-pushing-for-MEGA-RALLY/

https://www.tradingview.com/chart/BTCUSD/pZ0qs5x3-BTCUSD-TSI-shows-that-this-is-the-LAST-BEST-BUY/

https://www.tradingview.com/chart/BTCUSD/x3e7GuLQ-BITCOIN-Is-this-a-Falling-Wedge-bottom-formation/

und jetzt All-In :-)

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

The cryptocurrency world is abuzz with anticipation as the next Bitcoin halving event approaches. This significant event, expected to occur every four years, has historically been a catalyst for monumental shifts in the Bitcoin ecosystem, particularly impacting mining profitability. In this article, we delve into the intricacies of the halving effect and its potential implications for the future of Bitcoin mining profits.

Table of Contents

• Understanding the Bitcoin Halving

• Historical Impact on Bitcoin Prices

• Predicting Mining Profitability Post-Halving

• The Efficiency Factor

• Market Adaptation and Technological Advancements

• The Role of Institutional Investment

• Future Scenarios and Strategies

• Conclusion

• FAQs

Understanding the Bitcoin Halving

The Bitcoin halving is a predetermined event coded into the Bitcoin protocol, designed to reduce the reward for mining new blocks by half. This mechanism was implemented by Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, to mimic the scarcity and deflationary properties of precious metals like gold. By halving the block reward, the rate at which new bitcoins are introduced into circulation is slowed down, thereby controlling inflation and enhancing the asset's scarcity.

Historical Impact on Bitcoin Prices

Historically, halving events have led to significant fluctuations in Bitcoin's price. The reduced supply of new bitcoins tends to create upward pressure on the price, assuming demand remains constant or increases. Past halvings in 2012, 2016, and 2020 have been followed by substantial bull runs, although it's crucial to note that these price increases did not occur immediately but typically several months after the halving.

Predicting Mining Profitability Post-Halving

The upcoming halving poses critical questions regarding the profitability of Bitcoin mining. Mining involves validating transactions and securing the Bitcoin network, a process that requires substantial computational power and electricity. The halving reduces the block reward, directly impacting miners' revenue.

The Efficiency Factor

Post-halving, the profitability of mining operations will largely depend on their efficiency. Miners with access to cheap electricity and more efficient mining hardware will be better positioned to withstand the reduction in block rewards. As the reward decreases, the cost of mining each Bitcoin effectively increases, squeezing the margins of less efficient miners.

Market Adaptation and Technological Advancements

The halving will likely accelerate innovation and efficiency in mining technology as miners seek to maintain profitability. This could include the development of more energy-efficient mining rigs and the migration of mining farms to regions offering cheaper electricity and favorable climatic conditions.

Furthermore, the market may adapt to the reduced supply of new bitcoins through price adjustments. If the price of Bitcoin increases sufficiently post-halving, it could offset the reduced block reward, thereby sustaining mining profitability.

The Role of Institutional Investment

The landscape of Bitcoin mining has evolved with the entry of institutional investors and publicly traded mining companies. These entities typically have more substantial resources and better access to capital, allowing them to invest in efficient mining operations and weather periods of lower profitability.

Future Scenarios and Strategies

Looking ahead, several scenarios could unfold for Bitcoin mining profitability post-halving:

• Optimistic Scenario: If the price of Bitcoin increases significantly post-halving, miners could see increased profitability despite the reduced block reward. This scenario would likely attract more participants to the mining space, increasing competition.

• Pessimistic Scenario: If the price of Bitcoin does not increase sufficiently to offset the halving of block rewards, less efficient miners could be forced out of the market. This could lead to increased centralization of mining power among a few large players.

• Balanced Scenario: A moderate increase in the price of Bitcoin could maintain the status quo, where only the most efficient miners remain profitable. This scenario would encourage continuous innovation in mining technology and strategies.

Conclusion

The upcoming Bitcoin halving is a pivotal event that will significantly impact mining profitability. While the exact outcomes remain uncertain, the event underscores the importance of efficiency, technological advancement, and market adaptation in the mining industry. As the landscape evolves, miners and investors alike must stay informed and agile to navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the halving effect.

FAQs

What is the Bitcoin halving? The Bitcoin halving is an event that occurs approximately every four years, where the reward for mining new Bitcoin blocks is cut in half. This event is designed to reduce the rate at which new bitcoins are generated, mimicking the scarcity and deflationary properties of precious metals.

How does the halving affect Bitcoin prices? Historically, Bitcoin halving events have led to increases in the price of Bitcoin. This is generally attributed to the reduced supply of new bitcoins, which, if demand remains constant or increases, can lead to price increases. However, price changes do not typically occur immediately after the halving.

Will the next halving make Bitcoin mining unprofitable? The impact of the halving on mining profitability depends on various factors, including the efficiency of the mining hardware, electricity costs, and the market price of Bitcoin. While less efficient miners may struggle post-halving, those with access to cheap electricity and efficient hardware may continue to find mining profitable.

Can technological advancements offset the reduced block rewards? Technological advancements in mining hardware and strategies can help offset the impact of reduced block rewards by lowering the cost of mining each Bitcoin. This includes improvements in energy efficiency and the development of more powerful mining rigs.

What strategies can miners use to remain profitable post-halving? Miners can increase their chances of remaining profitable post-halving by optimizing their operations for efficiency, seeking out locations with lower electricity costs, investing in more efficient mining equipment, and potentially pooling resources with other miners to reduce costs and increase their chances of earning block rewards.

That's all for today

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

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

@ c631e267:c2b78d3e

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum dritten Geburtstag, liebe Denk Bar! Wieso zum dritten? Das war doch 2022 und jetzt sind wir im Jahr 2024, oder? Ja, das ist schon richtig, aber bei Geburtstagen erinnere ich mich immer auch an meinen Vater, und der behauptete oft, der erste sei ja schließlich der Tag der Geburt selber und den müsse man natürlich mitzählen. Wo er recht hat, hat er nunmal recht. Konsequenterweise wird also heute dieser Blog an seinem dritten Geburtstag zwei Jahre alt.

Das ist ein Grund zum Feiern, wie ich finde. Einerseits ganz einfach, weil es dafür gar nicht genug Gründe geben kann. «Das Leben sind zwei Tage», lautet ein gängiger Ausdruck hier in Andalusien. In der Tat könnte es so sein, auch wenn wir uns im Alltag oft genug von der Routine vereinnahmen lassen.

Seit dem Start der Denk Bar vor zwei Jahren ist unglaublich viel passiert. Ebenso wie die zweieinhalb Jahre davor, und all jenes war letztlich auch der Auslöser dafür, dass ich begann, öffentlich zu schreiben. Damals notierte ich:

«Seit einigen Jahren erscheint unser öffentliches Umfeld immer fragwürdiger, widersprüchlicher und manchmal schier unglaublich - jede Menge Anlass für eigene Recherchen und Gedanken, ganz einfach mit einer Portion gesundem Menschenverstand.»

Wir erleben den sogenannten «großen Umbruch», einen globalen Coup, den skrupellose Egoisten clever eingefädelt haben und seit ein paar Jahren knallhart – aber nett verpackt – durchziehen, um buchstäblich alles nach ihrem Gusto umzukrempeln. Die Gelegenheit ist ja angeblich günstig und muss genutzt werden.

Nie hätte ich mir träumen lassen, dass ich so etwas jemals miterleben müsste. Die Bosheit, mit der ganz offensichtlich gegen die eigene Bevölkerung gearbeitet wird, war früher für mich unvorstellbar. Mein (Rest-) Vertrauen in alle möglichen Bereiche wie Politik, Wissenschaft, Justiz, Medien oder Kirche ist praktisch komplett zerstört. Einen «inneren Totalschaden» hatte ich mal für unsere Gesellschaften diagnostiziert.

Was mich vielleicht am meisten erschreckt, ist zum einen das Niveau der Gleichschaltung, das weltweit erreicht werden konnte, und zum anderen die praktisch totale Spaltung der Gesellschaft. Haben wir das tatsächlich mit uns machen lassen?? Unfassbar! Aber das Werkzeug «Angst» ist sehr mächtig und funktioniert bis heute.

Zum Glück passieren auch positive Dinge und neue Perspektiven öffnen sich. Für viele Menschen waren und sind die Entwicklungen der letzten Jahre ein Augenöffner. Sie sehen «Querdenken» als das, was es ist: eine Tugend.

Auch die immer ernsteren Zensurbemühungen sind letztlich nur ein Zeichen der Schwäche, wo Argumente fehlen. Sie werden nicht verhindern, dass wir unsere Meinung äußern, unbequeme Fragen stellen und dass die Wahrheit peu à peu ans Licht kommt. Es gibt immer Mittel und Wege, auch für uns.

---

Danke, dass du diesen Weg mit mir weitergehst!

@ 878dff7c:037d18bc

JFK Assassination Files (Special brief)

Summary

The consensus among researchers and media is cautious optimism mixed with skepticism. The files offer a treasure trove of operational minutiae—spycraft, JFK’s CIA friction, Oswald’s movements—but no game-changer has emerged in the 72+ hours since release. Attention is shifting to the unreleased FBI and IRS records, with speculation that their declassification could clarify lingering questions. For now, the story remains one of incremental insight rather than revelation.

1. CIA's Surveillance of Lee Harvey Oswald Prior to Assassination

Newly declassified documents reveal that the CIA closely monitored Lee Harvey Oswald's activities before President Kennedy's assassination. Unredacted testimony from James Angleton, the CIA's chief of counterintelligence, provides deeper insight into the agency's surveillance operations concerning Oswald, particularly during his time in Mexico City, where he contacted the Soviet and Cuban embassies. Despite this surveillance, the CIA did not act to prevent the assassination, raising questions about the agency's internal communication and assessment processes.

2. Oswald's Interactions with Soviet Officials Scrutinized

The declassified files shed light on Oswald's interactions with Soviet officials during his visit to the USSR. According to KGB records, Oswald was closely monitored but was not recruited as an agent. These revelations provide a clearer understanding of Oswald's activities and the extent of Soviet intelligence's involvement with him, countering longstanding speculations about his ties to the USSR.

3. Prior Warning of Oswald's Intentions

A newly revealed letter indicates that months before the assassination, a tip-off about Oswald's plan to kill President Kennedy was received but not adequately acted upon. This raises concerns about potential intelligence failures and missed opportunities to prevent the tragic event.

4. President Kennedy's Consideration to Dismantle the CIA

The documents reveal that President Kennedy contemplated dismantling the CIA following the Bay of Pigs fiasco, referring to it as a "state within a state." This underscores the tension between the Kennedy administration and the intelligence community during that period.

5. Use of USS Potomac by Anti-Castro Paramilitaries

The declassified files disclose that the USS Potomac, formerly President Franklin D. Roosevelt's yacht, was later utilized by anti-Castro paramilitary groups. This highlights the covert operations undertaken during the Cold War era and the U.S. government's involvement in efforts to destabilize the Castro regime in Cuba.

6. Gary Underhill's Allegations Against the CIA

The documents bring to light the case of Gary Underhill, a former intelligence officer who alleged that the CIA was involved in illicit activities. Underhill was later found dead under suspicious circumstances, fueling further speculation about internal conspiracies within the intelligence community.

7. Australian Intelligence's Involvement in the Investigation

Newly released files reveal that Sir Charles Spry, the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), lobbied to keep certain documents related to the assassination investigation confidential. This indicates international dimensions to the investigation and the sensitivity surrounding the information at the time.

---

Sources The Times - March 21, 2025\ Al Jazeera - March 20, 2025\ National Archives - March 18, 2025\ News.com.au - March 21, 2025

Significant Employment Drop in February; Unemployment Rate Steady

Summary:

Australia experienced an unexpected decline in employment, with 53,000 jobs lost in February, primarily due to older workers retiring and a decrease in female workforce participation. Despite this, the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1%, largely because of a drop in the participation rate. Analysts suggest that recent tax cuts, interest rate reductions, and wage growth may have eased household budgets, reducing the need for some to seek employment. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is monitoring these developments but is not expected to implement another interest rate cut immediately. Sources: News.com.au - March 21, 2025, The Australian - March 21, 2025, ABC News - March 20, 2025

Tropical Cyclone Courtney Forms Near Cocos Islands, Marking Intense Cyclone Season

Summary:

Tropical Low 25U near the Cocos Islands has intensified into Tropical Cyclone Courtney. Meteorologists predict that while the system may struggle to maintain cyclone status, it will still bring gusty winds, squally showers, and thunderstorms to affected areas. This development marks the potential tenth cyclone since December, indicating one of the busiest cyclone seasons in 19 years if three more cyclones occur by the end of April. Residents in the path of the cyclone are advised to stay updated with the latest weather information and prepare for possible severe weather conditions. Sources: News.com.au - March 21, 2025

Australia's Population Growth Sparks Migration Policy Debate

Summary:

Australia's population grew by 484,000 (1.8%) over the past year, primarily due to natural births and net overseas migration. This surge has ignited political debates on migration policies. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese aims to reduce net migration to 250,000 by mid-2025, while Opposition Leader Peter Dutton advocates for a 25% cut in permanent migration and stricter caps on international students. Experts argue that skilled migration boosts the economy, but housing shortages linked to migration remain a pressing issue. Sources: News.com.au - March 21, 2025

NSW Premier Chris Minns Admits Need for Accelerated Reforms

Summary:

Marking two years in office, NSW Premier Chris Minns acknowledges his administration's slow progress on key promises, particularly in housing and economic reforms. While crises like natural disasters have been well-managed, significant advancements are lacking. Minns aims to expedite housing approvals to meet a target of 75,000 new homes and improve the budget, though challenges like debt reduction and infrastructure delays persist. Sources: The Daily Telegraph - March 21, 2025

Coalition Proposes Legislated Biosecurity Funding

Summary:

At the Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association Conference in Darwin, National Party Leader David Littleproud announced a policy to legislate minimum biosecurity funding of approximately $900 million. This measure aims to combat diseases like Lumpy Skin Disease and Foot and Mouth Disease, which could have severe economic impacts. The proposal includes introducing an Import Container Levy to ensure that importers, rather than Australian farmers, bear the costs. The Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association has expressed support for this sustainable funding approach.

Sources: The Courier-Mail - 21 March 2025

EU Leaders Convene to Address Global Challenges

Summary:

On March 20-21, 2025, European Union leaders met in Brussels to discuss pressing global issues, including economic competitiveness, security, and climate change. A working lunch with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres focused on multilateralism and strengthening global cooperation. The summit underscored the EU's commitment to addressing international challenges through unified strategies and reinforced partnerships. Sources: European Parliament - March 20, 2025

Geopolitical Tensions Rise in the Arctic Region

Summary:

Recent analyses indicate that the Arctic is increasingly becoming a focal point of geopolitical rivalry. The region is now divided between a NATO-aligned Arctic, led by the United States, and a Russian Arctic seeking cooperation with BRICS+ countries. This division reflects broader global tensions between the US/NATO and Russia/China, heightening the risk of conflict and underscoring the need for diplomatic engagement to manage Arctic affairs. Sources: High North News - March 19, 2025

Royal Adelaide Hospital's Infectious Diseases Unit Relocation Sparks Concerns

Summary:

Doctors and nurses have raised concerns that patient care could be compromised if the South Australian government proceeds with plans to relocate the infectious diseases unit from the Royal Adelaide Hospital to a new location across North Terrace. Health unions have taken the dispute to the SA Employment Tribunal, arguing that the move could result in compromised clinical care and patient safety due to the separation from specialist doctors at the main hospital. The government cites cost considerations as the main driver for the relocation decision. Sources: ABC News - March 20, 2025

Inspirational Stories of Young Australians Overcoming Adversity

Summary:

The ABC Heywire competition recognized 38 young Australians from regional, rural, and remote areas for their inspiring stories of resilience and determination. Winners, aged 16 to 22, shared experiences highlighting life outside major cities. For instance, Blake from Casino detailed enduring severe drought on his family's farm, while Mayada from Coffs Harbour recounted her escape from child slavery during the Yazidi genocide, ultimately finding refuge in Australia. These narratives showcase the diverse and resilient spirit of young Australians committed to inspiring positive change in their communities. Sources: The Daily Telegraph - March 21, 2025

Calls for Strengthened ANZAC Cooperation Amid US Retrenchment and China's Rise

Summary:

China's growing military assertiveness, exemplified by live-fire naval exercises in the Tasman Sea, contrasts with the US's reduced global security commitments under President Trump, creating insecurity for traditional allies, Australia and New Zealand. Recent provocations and new strategic partnerships in the Pacific by China have exposed vulnerabilities in the defense capabilities of both countries. With the American security guarantee becoming unreliable, Australia and New Zealand must enhance their own military capacities and deepen bilateral and regional defense cooperation. Enhanced joint military operations and defense procurements, particularly focusing on air and maritime security, are critical. Forming new alliances with other regional powers, such as Japan, South Korea, and India, could also help address strategic gaps. This period demands a rejuvenated ANZAC cooperation to ensure both countries' security and stability in the changing geopolitical landscape. Sources: The Australian - 21 March 2025

More Extreme Weather Events Expected Across Australia

Summary:

Australia has experienced higher-than-average temperatures and numerous extreme weather events this season, including heatwaves, bushfires, floods, and cyclones. December, January, and February set records as some of the warmest months, contributing to an overall temperature rise of 1.9°C above average. Canberra's daytime temperatures are now 2.5°C higher compared to the early 1970s. Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred caused severe damage with strong winds and heavy rainfall, affecting over 300,000 homes. Bushfires in Victoria and Tasmania burned significant areas, while dry lightning in South Australia ignited 100 fires. Extreme weather is forecasted to continue into autumn with persistent heat and potential for further tropical cyclones, storms, and heavy rains. Climate change is driving these conditions, prompting calls for increased preparation and mitigation efforts. Measures include reducing emissions through lifestyle changes and improving emergency preparedness for weather events. Sources: The Daily Telegraph - March 21, 2025, The Courier-Mail - March 21, 2025

The Speaking Coach: The One Word All Liars Use! Stop Saying This Word, It's Making You Sound Weak! The More You Do This, The More You Sound Like A Liar!

Summary:

In this episode of "The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett," the focus is on effective communication and the subtle cues that can undermine credibility. The guest speaker, a seasoned speaking coach, discusses common verbal habits that can make individuals appear less trustworthy or confident. Key points include:

• Identifying Weak Language: Highlighting specific words and phrases that convey uncertainty or lack of conviction.
• Building Authority: Techniques to project confidence and authority in speech.
• Recognizing Deceptive Signals: Understanding verbal indicators commonly associated with dishonesty.

The episode provides practical advice for enhancing communication skills, making it valuable for professionals and anyone interested in personal development.

Sources: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett - March 21, 2025

@ 000002de:c05780a7

Its easy to get caught up in media stories and not stop and ask basic questions. One I've had from the start is how widespread are these attacks on the private property have occurred.

If the goal is to hurt Tesla and therefore Musk, then the media stories are the real goal. Not the actual destruction of property. We know from history that many stories get blown out of proportion. I have no doubt that these events are actually happen but I wonder if the number of events has been counted.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/919063

@ a95c6243:d345522c

Ein Lämmchen löschte an einem Bache seinen Durst. Fern von ihm, aber näher der Quelle, tat ein Wolf das gleiche. Kaum erblickte er das Lämmchen, so schrie er:

"Warum trübst du mir das Wasser, das ich trinken will?"

"Wie wäre das möglich", erwiderte schüchtern das Lämmchen, "ich stehe hier unten und du so weit oben; das Wasser fließt ja von dir zu mir; glaube mir, es kam mir nie in den Sinn, dir etwas Böses zu tun!"

"Ei, sieh doch! Du machst es gerade, wie dein Vater vor sechs Monaten; ich erinnere mich noch sehr wohl, daß auch du dabei warst, aber glücklich entkamst, als ich ihm für sein Schmähen das Fell abzog!"

"Ach, Herr!" flehte das zitternde Lämmchen, "ich bin ja erst vier Wochen alt und kannte meinen Vater gar nicht, so lange ist er schon tot; wie soll ich denn für ihn büßen."

"Du Unverschämter!" so endigt der Wolf mit erheuchelter Wut, indem er die Zähne fletschte. "Tot oder nicht tot, weiß ich doch, daß euer ganzes Geschlecht mich hasset, und dafür muß ich mich rächen."

Ohne weitere Umstände zu machen, zerriß er das Lämmchen und verschlang es.

Das Gewissen regt sich selbst bei dem größten Bösewichte; er sucht doch nach Vorwand, um dasselbe damit bei Begehung seiner Schlechtigkeiten zu beschwichtigen.

Quelle: https://eden.one/fabeln-aesop-das-lamm-und-der-wolf

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/914483

@ e968e50b:db2a803a

I just wrote up a whole essay about this great movie scene, my extended thoughts on this post, and bitcoin hipsterism at large. However, it was rambly and I'm not sure if anyone would have gotten anything out of it. That said, I'd love to share this clip with y'all as I think it may prove an interesting thought/discussion piece for those contemplating bitcoin hipsterism, either as an increasingly disillusioned practitioner or as an annoyed external observer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUgs2O7Okqc&t=12s

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/918979

@ f99f56fb:d4e26c7a

En 2010... SI, EN 2010 !!!

En 2010 un amigo me habló de #Bitcoin. Me pareció interesante. Cambié el disco duro de mi PC, me descargué Ubuntu e intenté minar bitcoin. No fui capaz. Desistí.

Mi amigo tampoco hizo nada al respecto.

Años más tarde, en 2017, conocí #Ethereum como 'dinero programable' y la idea me fascinó !! Creía en el flippening y todo. Compré un poco (y luego casi se me olvida que lo tengo). Años más tarde, sobre 2020 empezó un boom, FOMO, altseason, bull market, o como lo queráis llamar. La cosa es que yo estaba emocionadísimo con $ETH. Siempre había pensado que Bitcoin tenía un problema severo de escalabilidad.

En Mayo de 2022 pasaron varias cosas: 1. Leí El Patrón Bitcoin - Entendí el dinero 2. Descubrí la Lightning Network - Descubrí que Bitcoin es escalable

E inmediatamente cambié mis #ETH por #BTC. Empecé a estudiar Bitcoin, hice varios cursos a fondo, compré más...

Ahora compro bitcoin siempre que puedo para tener menos FIAT, tengo mi billetera fría, y me deshago de todo lo que puedo para tener más $BTC.

He empezado a comprar al precio que me merezco. Podría haber empezado a acumular en 2010... Pero no fui capaz. Cada vez es más fácil comprar bitcoin, pero además es necesario que lo entiendas. Aprende Bitcoin.

@ 21335073:a244b1ad

I want to see Nostr succeed. If you can think of a way I can help make that happen, I’m open to it. I’d like your suggestions.

My schedule’s shifting soon, and I could volunteer a few hours a week to a Nostr project. I won’t have more total time, but how I use it will change.

Why help? I care about freedom. Nostr’s one of the most powerful freedom tools I’ve seen in my lifetime. If I believe that, I should act on it.

I don’t care about money or sats. I’m not rich, I don’t have extra cash. That doesn’t drive me—freedom does. I’m volunteering, not asking for pay.

I’m not here for clout. I’ve had enough spotlight in my life; it doesn’t move me. If I wanted clout, I’d be on Twitter dropping basic takes. Clout’s easy. Freedom’s hard. I’d rather help anonymously. No speaking at events—small meetups are cool for the vibe, but big conferences? Not my thing. I’ll never hit a huge Bitcoin conference. It’s just not my scene.

That said, I could be convinced to step up if it’d really boost Nostr—as long as it’s legal and gets results.

In this space, I’d watch for social engineering. I watch out for it. I’m not here to make friends, just to help. No shade—you all seem great—but I’ve got a full life and awesome friends irl. I don’t need your crew or to be online cool. Connect anonymously if you want; I’d encourage it.

I’m sick of watching other social media alternatives grow while Nostr kinda stalls. I could trash-talk, but I’d rather do something useful.

Skills? I’m good at spotting social media problems and finding possible solutions. I won’t overhype myself—that’s weird—but if you’re responding, you probably see something in me. Perhaps you see something that I don’t see in myself.

If you need help now or later with Nostr projects, reach out. Nostr only—nothing else. Anonymous contact’s fine. Even just a suggestion on how I can pitch in, no project attached, works too. 💜

Creeps or harassment will get blocked or I’ll nuke my simplex code if it becomes a problem.

https://simplex.chat/contact#/?v=2-4&smp=smp%3A%2F%2FSkIkI6EPd2D63F4xFKfHk7I1UGZVNn6k1QWZ5rcyr6w%3D%40smp9.simplex.im%2FbI99B3KuYduH8jDr9ZwyhcSxm2UuR7j0%23%2F%3Fv%3D1-2%26dh%3DMCowBQYDK2VuAyEAS9C-zPzqW41PKySfPCEizcXb1QCus6AyDkTTjfyMIRM%253D%26srv%3Djssqzccmrcws6bhmn77vgmhfjmhwlyr3u7puw4erkyoosywgl67slqqd.onion

@ a296b972:e5a7a2e8

Diagnose:

Der aufgelöste Bundestag verschuldet die Insassen eines Landes namens Absurdistan in schwindelerregender Höhe durch einen noch nicht gewählten Bundeskanzler, der vormals wohlmöglich Werbung für Gewürzgurken gemacht hat, unter Zuhilfenahme von Parteien, die abgewählt wurden. Eine Sperrminorität konnte nicht entstehen, weil sie sonst verhindert hätte, dass die Wahlversprechungen nicht hätten gebrochen werden können. (Geht gar nicht!)

Genau so gut, hätte der letzte deutsche Kaiser eine Sektsteuer erheben können, um die deutsche Marine aufzurüsten. (Ach so, ja, ist schon gut, hatten wir schon, hatte ich vergessen.)

In Rumänien und Serbien sind Demokraten zu Hunderttausenden auf der Straße, und Deutschland hat Kellerwoche (Schade eigentlich!).

In Erstverschlimmerung löst die aktuelle Situation das blanke Entsetzen aus, doch auf den zweiten Blick stellt sich das Ganze durchaus als sehr positiv dar. Heilung ist möglich, doch vorher kommt der Schmerz:

Die Neuverschuldung ist nämlich eine provisorische Abschreckung für den Russen, der dann doch lieber so lange wartet, bis Deutschland in 10 bis 20 Jahren wirklich aufgerüstet hat. Wer kämpft schon gerne gegen jemanden, der sich nur maximal 2 Tage verteidigen kann? Das macht doch keinen Spaß. Da lohnt sich doch der ganze Aufwand nicht. Bis dahin hat Deutschland leider nichts, außer Schulden. Von Windrädchen und Zufallsstrom und einer innerlich, aber eben nur sehr innerlich, rebellischen Bevölkerung mal ganz abgesehen.

Es geht hoffnungsvoll weiter. Mit Frau von der Leyen haben wir als EU-Kommissarin bereits eine Deutsche in Brüssel, die sich schon vor ihrer zweiten Einsetzung ohne demokratische Mittel, in bundesstaatlichen Pöstchen durch ihre mangelnde Qualifikation besonders herausragend ausgezeichnet hat.

Statt einer qualifizierten, sich verdient gemacht habenden Diplomatin namens Frau Dröge, soll nun als weitere "deutsche Konifere" auch Frau ver Baerbock-t als UN-Generalsekretärin der UN-Generalversammlung hochgelobt und eingesetzt werden. Auf die Frage von Herrn Warweg in der Pressekonferenz-Show, warum denn nun Frau Baerbock qualifizierter sei, als Frau Dröge, wusste sich der Sprecher Herr Hebestreit wie immer galant durch nichts sagende Textbausteinabsonderungen aus der Schlinge zu ziehen. Vermutlich wollte er Frau Dröge nicht kompromittieren, weil er sonst hätte sagen müssen, dass ja Frau Baerbock viel besser Trampolin springen kann, als sie. Kavalier ist er ja, da gibt es nichts gegen zu sagen.

Mit Frau Baerbock hätte Deutschland eine weitere Deutsche installiert, die dem Ansehen Deutschlands in der Welt, in Fortsetzung ihres Amtes als Außenfeministin, nahtlos weiterhin den maximalen Schaden zufügen könnte.

Weiter wird gemunkelt, dass Herr Habeck für die Darstellung des Bundespräsidenten zur Disposition steht. Mit Märchen kennt er sich aus, insofern wäre er ein würdiger Nachfolger des Streubomben-nicht-Verhinderers. Auch Herr Habeck wird durch seine oft genug bewiesene Expertise in Insolvenz und Wirtschaftsvernichtung Deutschland nach außen hin in bester Weise repräsentieren. Als braver Bürger kann man sich keinen besseren Schwiegermutter-Liebling vorstellen. Und wie der sich ausdrücken kann, hach, einfach nur nett!

Die Aufteilung der Grünen in Außen und Wirtschaft war somit absolut sinnvoll. Schließlich kommt Frau Baerbock ja mehr vom Haarspray und Herr Habeck mehr so vom Shampoo.

Und wenn wir schon mal bei der Verteilung von neuen Pöstchen sind, dann sollte man Herrn Scholz als neuen Chef für den Bundesnachrichtendienst vorschlagen. Verschwiegen ist er, Geheimnisse kann er bewahren. Wie Staatsgeheimnisse nicht an die Öffentlichkeit gelangen, damit kennt er sich aus. Nordstream 2 wurde nämlich von den Deutschen selbst in die Luft gejagt, als Selbstgeißelung für den angerichteten Schaden im 2. Weltenbrand. Er wollte einfach Teile der Bevölkerung nicht verunsichern, auch, wenn die Idee nicht von ihm ist.

Und Herr Lauterbach sollte in die Wissenschaft wechseln und dort einen neuen Lügendetektor entwickeln, mit dem man Fake-News problemlos entlarven kann. Wie lügen geht, weiß er ja von allen am allerbesten. Und wenn es wirklich mal eng werden sollte, kann er ja Berater zur Hilfe nehmen. Vielleicht haben Herr Drosten oder gar Herr Fauci (ital. la fauci = das Maul) Zeit ihn bei dieser wertvollen Arbeit zu unterstützen.

Warum also ist das jetzt alles positiv?

Mit diesen Kapazitäten wären Deutsche an exponierter Stelle installiert, um das ideologische Gift in die EU, in die UN und weltweit hinein zu träufeln.

Innerdeutsch werden sich sicher Herr Bäcker, der Mann mit den unglücklichen Initialen, Frau Düsseldorf-Rheinmetall, Herr Kriegsgewitter u. a. auch weiterhin zur Verfügung stellen, die Kriegstüchtigkeit ihrer Vollendung entgegen zu führen. Wohlwollend beobachtet durch die USA und Russland. Das wäre dann Inklusion, oder sagt man Implosion?

Dann werden auch noch als erstes von den Billionen Sonderschulden mobile Vermögenswerte in Form von Vorschlaghämmern angeschafft, mit denen die Schweine der deutschen Sparer geschlachtet werden sollen. Frau Lagarde hat sich schon bereit erklärt, hier mit Einführung des digitalen Euro demnächst helfend zur Seite zu stehen.

Alles wirklich molto bene, Heilung ist nahe!

In Zusammenwirken all dieser Kräfte und Kapazitäten für Deutschland und Europa, wird auch noch die deutsche Gesellschaft die Grätsche machen und dann ist Deutschland völlig bettlägerig und darnieder. Deutschland hat bald fertig!

Und hat Deutschland, als größter Geldgeber der EU fertig, hat auch die EU fertig, ihr geht dann einfach die Puste aus. Und vielleicht warten schon Ungarn und einige andere Mitgliedsstaaten nur auf eine günstige Gelegenheit, der EU für lange Zeit Adieu zu sagen?

„Wenn wir uns wiedersehen, werden wir uns freuen, wenn nicht, war der Abschied wohlgetan!“

Und mit ganz viel Glück geben die USA Europa dann auch noch den Gnadenstoß und erlösen die europäischen Staaten von dem Übel namens EU, da sie offensichtlich selbst nicht in der Lage sind, sich aus ihrer Bevormundung mit betreutem Denken und einem Wahrheitsministerium zu befreien. Die NATO wackelt ja auch schon.

Genesung:

Anschließend gibt es für alle Bürger Europas, aber besonders für Deutschland, einen Pflichtkurs in der Volkshochschule in Sachen Frieden, Demokratie und Freiheit. Vielleicht klappt es dann dieses Mal, aus Denkschnecken Schachweltmeister zu machen. Oder wenigstens aus Langzeitkomatösen Leute mit Wachbewusstsein.

Nochmals, alles in bester Ordnung. Es muss erst noch schlimmer werden, bevor es wieder besser wird. Bei dem Tempo, dass die europäischen Universal-Dilettanten derzeit an den Tag legen, wird das nicht sehr lange dauern.

Dieser Beitrag wurde mit dem Pareto-Client geschrieben.

@ 6f0a6a19:7dd662db

BitBonds

The idea, initially proposed by Newmarket Capital CEO Andrew Hohns at the Bitcoin Policy Institute’s “Bitcoin for America” conference, is that Congress could defease the federal debt and cut long-term interest rates by approving a new debt instrument collateralized with Bitcoin—BitBonds.

How It Works:

• For every $100 BitBond issued, $10 would buy Bitcoin for the U.S. Strategic Reserve.
• Bondholders would receive 1% annual interest (lower than traditional Treasuries) and 50% of BTC price appreciation.

A New Bitcoin Standard

At first glance, BitBonds is an innovative way to increase demand for U.S. Treasuries without Federal Reserve intervention while lowering borrowing costs. However, this instrument would signal a radical change in monetary policy.

A 4000-year precedent

Money (as a visual measure of credit) has been and is always socially constructed through a stable exchange ratio.

• Money didn’t appear in ancient Sumer until priests and palace administrators set rates between standard weights of grain and silver on palace-authorized cuneiform tablets.
• In Egypt, money was constructed through economic administrators (related to the king) setting common rates between an abstracted standardized 92 gram copper weight measurement called a Deben and grain.
• Roman and Greek mints fixed ratios and weights between precious metals to establish official coinage and stabilize their value.
• The U.S. established its first currency through a bi-metallic standard, fixing gold and silver rates via the U.S. Mint.
• The modern U.S. monetary system issues its currency on a promise to redeem $100 for $100 + 2% interest.

U.S. government debt became the default monetary exchange rate the moment Nixon suspended gold redemption in 1971. It was the only remaining promised ratio of exchange attached to the US Dollar. Each year, Congress votes to extend this debt-based system by approving the federal budget. And the Federal Reserve then manages the levers of bond prices and yields through open market operations. There is no other federal mechanism for securing universal interest in the dollar, than the interest paid from its debt.

With BitBonds collateralizing 10% of each issuance in Bitcoin, the government would effectively introduce a new promised ratio of exchange to US monetary policy. It would promise to redeem 10 cents of every $1 in this lending program for bitcoin (half for the reserve and half of its appreciated value for the holder). This promise would transition US monetary policy from a pure debt based system to a new implicit exchange rate between Bitcoin and the U.S. dollar.

How BitBonds Would Drive Bitcoin to $10 Million

• First, BitBonds promises unlimited buying pressure on a finite asset. (The government can perpetually issue more BitBonds to acquire Bitcoin.) That, combined with the fact that Treasuries are the world’s primary liquidity engine, would generate unprecedented demand for Bitcoin reserves.
• Second, unlike previous reserve assets like gold, Bitcoin’s indivisibility prevents fractional redemption. This network constraint prevents the government from redeeming less than 1 satoshi (the base unit of Bitcoin) for 10 cents, thereby setting a clear price target for the market. Promising to collateralize 10% of each bond with bitcoin is like priming the pump for max buy pressure, fixing a target price and pulling the trigger.
• Investors would front-run the Treasury’s buying spree with that target in mind and in a matter of time 1 satoshi will equal $0.10 ($10M per BTC).
• At $10M per BTC, Bitcoin’s total valuation would reach $210 trillion—a figure capable of servicing the $189 trillion in global U.S. debt obligations and backing the $21 trillion M2 money supply. This valuation would prime bitcoin to become the world reserve asset backing the world reserve currency (a digital dollar).
• After this transformation, the government would have the precedent to institute a more explicit system of regulating bitcoin and digital dollar redemption. You can learn more about what this system would look like in my thesis for why technocratic government agencies will inevitably use bitcoin to create a cashless digital society: The Anarchist’s Guide to Cashing out of the Matrix.

Why Market Resistance Will Fail

• Selling Bitcoin into a U.S. Treasury buy wall would be a losing trade. A continuous government buyer would absorb any attempt to suppress BTC’s price.
• Foreign governments would be compelled to adopt or lose financial leverage. If the U.S. redefines sovereign debt through Bitcoin, foreign central banks must accumulate Bitcoin or face economic devaluation.
• The Federal Reserve would have no choice but to accommodate Bitcoin-backed Treasuries. If BitBonds reshape U.S. debt issuance, the Fed must either integrate them into monetary policy or risk disrupting Treasury markets.

The short path to a $10 million bitcoin

• The U.S. Treasury launches BitBonds, requiring Bitcoin collateral equal to 10% of each issuance.
• Bitcoin markets recognize that the U.S. government is a continuous net buyer.
• Investors front-run this signal, accelerating Bitcoin accumulation.
• Institutional demand propels BTC to the $10M target, exponentially increasing the value of the SBR.
• Once 1 satoshi = $0.10, the federal government will have a stockpile of bitcoin valued at a cost basis greater than its annual debt obligations.
• Rather than use the stockpile to pay the debt down, the government will find that it needs to enforce a new surveillance-enforced bitcoin redemption policy to maintain a funnel of public bitcoin to the SBR in return for surveillable stablecoins. (read thesis for more)

Bitcoin’s Supply Guarantees a Stable Transition

Unlike gold, Bitcoin’s supply is fixed, transparent, and auditable. Once repricing begins, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and financial institutions will be forced to accumulate Bitcoin, play by the new state-issued redemption rules or be left behind.

I'm not sure how long it would take for the market to figure this out, but I’d assume it would be an all-out sprint to $10M BTC once the cat is out of the bag.

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

When SpongeBob SquarePants first graced television screens in 1999, it quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Its quirky humor, unique animation style, and absurd yet endearing characters captured audiences of all ages. However, beyond its whimsical surface, SpongeBob SquarePants holds surprising ties to real-world marine biology, human behaviors, and even corporate America. Let's take a deep dive into the striking similarities between the show’s universe and real life.

1. Bikini Bottom and the Nuclear Connection

One of the most intriguing theories about SpongeBob SquarePants is its potential connection to real-world geography. Bikini Bottom, the fictional underwater city where SpongeBob and his friends reside, is widely believed to be named after Bikini Atoll, a site in the Pacific Ocean where the U.S. conducted nuclear tests in the 1940s and 1950s. Some fans speculate that the bizarre personalities of the show's characters are a result of radioactive mutations—a wild yet eerily plausible idea given the history of the atoll.

1. SpongeBob: More Than Just a Sponge

SpongeBob is, of course, a sea sponge, but his rectangular, kitchen-sponge shape is a deviation from most natural sea sponges, which are irregularly shaped. However, real-life sea sponges are fascinating creatures that can regenerate after being broken apart—just like how SpongeBob bounces back from every misadventure with relentless optimism.

Additionally, SpongeBob’s enthusiasm and boundless energy mimic the real-life behaviors of certain marine organisms that continuously filter water, making them vital to their ecosystems. His ceaseless work ethic at the Krusty Krab also mirrors the tireless efforts of smaller marine life that keep oceanic ecosystems functioning.

1. Squidward: An Octopus in Disguise

Despite his name, Squidward Tentacles is actually an octopus. Series creator Stephen Hillenburg, a marine biologist before becoming an animator, intentionally designed Squidward with six tentacles instead of the usual eight to make animation easier. His grumpy and refined personality also reflects the intelligence of real-world octopuses, who are known for their problem-solving skills and, at times, their moody behavior.

1. The Krusty Krab and Corporate Culture

The Krusty Krab, the fast-food restaurant where SpongeBob works, is a satirical take on real-life corporate culture, particularly in the fast-food industry. Mr. Krabs, the money-hungry owner, represents stereotypical profit-driven business owners who prioritize revenue over employee well-being. Meanwhile, SpongeBob’s unwavering loyalty to his job highlights the enthusiasm of idealistic workers, and Squidward embodies the disillusioned employees who begrudgingly clock in every day. This dynamic is strikingly similar to real-world labor environments, making the show relatable even beyond its nautical setting.

1. Plankton and the Struggles of Small Businesses

Sheldon J. Plankton, the tiny but ambitious owner of the failing Chum Bucket, serves as a metaphor for small business owners who struggle to compete with corporate giants. His constant yet futile attempts to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula echo the real-world battle between small independent businesses and industry monopolies. Despite his villainous traits, Plankton’s perseverance and innovative schemes make him an oddly sympathetic character, much like real-life entrepreneurs striving to find success against all odds.

1. Real-Life Marine Life Mirrored in Characters

Each character in SpongeBob SquarePants is based on real marine creatures with behaviors that closely resemble their animated counterparts:

Patrick Star: A pink starfish who is slow and lazy, much like real-life starfish that lack a brain and move sluggishly.

Sandy Cheeks: A land-dwelling squirrel who thrives in an underwater suit, symbolizing the scientific research done by deep-sea divers and marine biologists in the ocean.

Mr. Krabs: A crab with a tight grip on his money, reflecting the territorial and often aggressive nature of real-world crabs.

Larry the Lobster: A fitness-obsessed lobster, much like real lobsters that grow larger and stronger as they molt.

Conclusion: A Show Rooted in Reality

While SpongeBob SquarePants is undeniably a wacky and exaggerated series, its deep connection to real-world marine biology, workplace culture, and corporate dynamics gives it an extra layer of depth. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the show serves as an entertaining yet insightful reflection of life above and below the ocean’s surface. So next time you watch an episode, remember—you’re not just enjoying a cartoon; you’re diving into a cleverly crafted world filled with real-life parallels, which is probably a direct correlation to its wild success in all these years.

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/913692

@ 16f1a010:31b1074b

What is NSSM?

NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager) is a free tool that allows you to install and manage any application as a Windows service. This is particularly useful for applications that don't natively support running as a service, ensuring they start automatically when your system boots and continue running in the background.

Downloading NSSM

1. Visit the official NSSM website: https://nssm.cc/
2. Download the latest stable release.
3. Extract the downloaded ZIP file to a directory of your choice (e.g., C:\nssm).

Adding NSSM to Your PATH (Recommended)

Adding NSSM to your system's PATH environment variable allows you to run nssm commands from any command prompt window.

1. Search for "Environment Variables" in the Windows Start menu and select "Edit the system environment variables."
2. In the "System Properties" window, click the "Environment Variables..." button.
3. In the "System variables" section, find the "Path" variable and click "Edit."
4. Click "New" and add the path to the directory where you extracted NSSM (e.g., C:\nssm).
5. Click "OK" on all open windows to save the changes.
6. Open a new command prompt window and type nssm --version. If NSSM is correctly added to your PATH, you should see the version information.

Using NSSM: Installing a Service

1. Open a command prompt as administrator.
2. Type nssm install <service_name> and press Enter. Replace <service_name> with the name you want to give to your service.
3. A GUI will appear, allowing you to configure the service.
4. In the "Path" field, enter the full path to the application's executable.
5. In the "Startup directory" field, enter the directory containing the executable.
6. Configure any other options as needed, such as "Arguments," "I/O," or "Details."
7. Click "Install service."

Example:

bash nssm install MyGrainRelay

Conclusion

Congratulations, you now have NSSM installed and know the basics of using it to manage windows services. Check my profile for more technical guides on various topics, and stay tuned for more guides.

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

A decade ago, Bitcoin was more of a concept than a currency, introduced as an alternative to traditional financial systems. This digital currency, built on a foundation of cryptographic proof and blockchain technology, promised a new era of financial transactions — one that was secure, anonymous, and decentralized. Early adopters were a mix of technologists, libertarians, and visionaries who saw potential in a currency free from government control and banking fees. However, for the vast majority, Bitcoin and its underlying technology were complex and unproven concepts. Investing $1,000 in such an uncertain venture was akin to throwing money into a digital abyss, with hopes rather than expectations for any return. Yet, this was the beginning of what would become one of the most remarkable financial stories of the 21st century.

Table of Contents

• The Early Days

• The Surge: Bitcoin's Value Skyrockets

• The Rollercoaster: Volatility and Regulation

• The Present: A New Era of Digital Currency

• The Future: Bitcoin and Beyond

• Conclusion

• FAQs

The Early Days

In the early 2010s, investing in Bitcoin was largely seen as a niche hobby rather than a serious financial endeavor. The infrastructure was rudimentary; early transactions were slow, and the places accepting Bitcoin were few and far between. The value of Bitcoin was prone to extreme fluctuations, making it a speculative asset for the bold and the brave. Despite these challenges, a small community believed in the potential of a decentralized currency and the power of blockchain technology. They saw Bitcoin as more than just a new form of money — it was a potential tool for freedom, offering privacy and resistance to inflation. These early adopters were the pioneers, laying down the groundwork for what was to come, often facing ridicule and skepticism from the traditional financial sector.

The Surge: Bitcoin's Value Skyrockets

The turning point for Bitcoin came when it began to gain mainstream attention. Media coverage increased, as did interest from investors and the general public. The narrative began to shift from a focus on Bitcoin's use in illegal transactions to its potential as a new asset class. High-profile investments and endorsements added legitimacy, causing more people to view Bitcoin not just as a currency but as a store of value — digital gold. As demand increased, so did the price, leading to a cycle of media coverage, investment, and increasing value. This period saw the emergence of Bitcoin millionaires, individuals who had seen the potential early on and reaped the rewards of their faith and patience. However, this surge was not without its setbacks, including high-profile hacks, scams, and bubbles that burst spectacularly, leaving some investors out of pocket and others wary of the cryptocurrency's future.

The Rollercoaster: Volatility and Regulation

Bitcoin's journey has been characterized by its volatility. Its price has seen dramatic increases followed by steep declines, sometimes within the span of hours. This volatility has been driven by various factors, including regulatory news, technological advancements, and market sentiment. Each high and low has been a test of investor resolve, separating those with a long-term vision from those seeking quick profits. Regulation, or the lack thereof, has played a significant role in Bitcoin's story. Different countries have taken varied approaches, from outright bans to welcoming regulation, impacting the market in unpredictable ways. Despite these challenges, Bitcoin has shown remarkable resilience, bouncing back from lows and continuing to attract investment from those who see it as the future of money.

The Present: A New Era of Digital Currency

Today, Bitcoin stands as the first and most well-known cryptocurrency, but it is no longer alone. The success of Bitcoin has paved the way for thousands of other cryptocurrencies, each with its own unique features and purposes. The industry has evolved, with sophisticated exchanges, wallet services, and a range of financial products available to investors. Bitcoin itself has become more accessible, with options for buying, selling, and storing becoming user-friendly and secure. The conversation around Bitcoin has matured; it is now discussed in the context of portfolio diversification, inflation hedging, and technological innovation. While challenges remain, including environmental concerns and regulatory uncertainty, Bitcoin's influence on the financial landscape is undeniable.

The Future: Bitcoin and Beyond

The future of Bitcoin is as uncertain as its past, but its impact on the financial world is indelible. It has challenged traditional notions of what money is and what it can be. The debate continues over whether Bitcoin will become a global currency, a digital store of value, or perhaps fade into obscurity, replaced by newer technologies. However, its legacy will live on in the way it has changed the conversation around money, privacy, and the power of decentralized systems. The next decade will likely bring further innovations, challenges, and opportunities. For investors, the journey of Bitcoin remains a powerful reminder of the potential rewards and risks of investing in emerging technologies.

Conclusion

Reflecting on the decade-long journey of a $1,000 Bitcoin investment offers more than just a story of financial gain or loss. It represents a chapter in the ongoing evolution of money and finance. The rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has sparked a global conversation about the nature of money, the rights of individuals to privacy and autonomy, and the role of government and corporations in our financial lives. As we move forward, the story of Bitcoin remains unfinished, filled with potential and fraught with uncertainty. Yet, for those who have been part of this journey, whether as investors, observers, or critics, it has been an unprecedented exploration of the possibilities and pitfalls of our modern financial system.

FAQs

What was the value of a $1,000 Bitcoin investment a decade ago compared to now? A decade ago, a $1,000 investment in Bitcoin could have been worth tens of thousands of dollars today, depending on the exact timing of the investment and the market fluctuations.

Why has Bitcoin been so volatile? Bitcoin's volatility can be attributed to various factors including regulatory news, market speculation, technological advancements, and shifts in investor sentiment.

Is Bitcoin a safe investment? Like any investment, Bitcoin carries risks, particularly due to its volatility and the evolving nature of the cryptocurrency market. It's important to conduct thorough research and consider your financial situation and risk tolerance before investing.

How has the perception of Bitcoin changed over the years? Initially viewed as a niche currency for tech enthusiasts, Bitcoin has gained mainstream recognition and is now considered by many as a legitimate investment asset, though skepticism remains.

That's all for today

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@ 16f1a010:31b1074b

Introduction

MongoDB is a popular NoSQL document database, meaning it stores data in flexible, JSON-like documents. This makes it highly scalable and adaptable for various applications. This guide will focus on installing the Community Server edition, which is free and open-source.

This article is designed for beginners and those new to MongoDB, providing a clear and concise walkthrough of the installation process. We will cover installation on both Windows and Linux operating systems.

The official MongoDB documentation on the MongoDB website is very informative and you should be able to follow their guides. This article is written to provide a brief overview and a more streamlined installation experience.

Prerequisites

MongoDB Community Server can be installed and run on a wide range of systems. While specific hardware requirements can vary based on your intended use case and the size of your database, here are the general prerequisites:

• Operating System:
  • This guide will cover installation on popular versions of Windows and Linux (specifically Ubuntu/Debian). MongoDB also supports other operating systems, which you can find on the official MongoDB website.
• Storage Space:
  • You'll need sufficient disk space to store your database files. The amount of space required will depend on the size of your data. It is recommended to have more storage than you think you will initially need.
• RAM:
  • While MongoDB can run with minimal RAM, having more RAM will improve performance, especially for larger databases. The amount of RAM needed will depend on the size of your data.
• Basic System Knowledge:
  • Familiarity with using the command line or terminal is helpful, especially for Linux installations.
  • Basic understanding of file systems and directories.

Essentially, MongoDB is designed to be flexible and can run on most modern systems. As your data grows, you can always scale your hardware accordingly.

Downloading MongoDB Community Server:

To begin, you'll need to download the MongoDB Community Server installation package.

• Visit the official MongoDB download page: https://www.mongodb.com/try/download/community

On the download page, you'll see options to select the following:

• Version: Choose the desired version of MongoDB. It is generally recommended to select the latest stable release.
• Operating System: Select your operating system (Windows or Linux).
• Package: Select the appropriate package type. For Windows, it will typically be msi. For Linux, you will choose the package type that aligns with your linux distro. For example .deb for Debian/Ubuntu or .rpm for RedHat/Fedora.

Once you have made your selections, click the "Download" button to download the installer or package.

Installation on Windows:

Running the Installer:

1. Locate the Downloaded Installer:

   • Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the MongoDB .msi installer.

2. Run the Installer:

   • Double-click the .msi file to start the installation wizard.

3. Welcome Screen:

   • Click "Next" on the welcome screen.

4. License Agreement:

   • Read the license agreement, check the "I accept the terms in the License Agreement" box, and click "Next."

5. Setup Type:

   • Select "Custom" installation. This allows you to choose the installation location and data directory. Click "Next."

6. Installation Location:

   • You can change the default installation directory if desired. Click "Next."

7. Service Configuration:

   • You can choose to install MongoDB as a service. It is recommended to install as a service.
   • You can also change the "Data Directory" location here. It is recommended to change this to a location such as C:\data\db. If you do not change it here, you will need to create the data directory manually later.
   • Click "Next."

8. Ready to Install:

   • Click "Install" to begin the installation process.

9. Complete Installation:

   • Once the installation is complete, click "Finish."

Setting Environment Variables (Optional but Recommended):

Setting the PATH environment variable allows you to run MongoDB commands from any command prompt window without specifying the full path to the executable.

1. Open System Properties:

   • Search for "Environment Variables" in the Windows Start menu and select "Edit the system environment variables."

2. Environment Variables:

   • In the "System Properties" window, click the "Environment Variables..." button.

3. Edit Path Variable:

   • In the "System variables" section, find the "Path" variable and click "Edit."

4. Add MongoDB Bin Directory:

   • Click "New" and add the path to the MongoDB bin directory. This is typically C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\<version>\bin, replacing <version> with your installed version.
   • Click "OK" on all open windows to save the changes.

5. Verify Path:

   • Open a new command prompt window and type mongod --version. If MongoDB is installed correctly and the PATH variable is set, you should see the MongoDB version information.

Installation on Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

These instructions are specifically for Debian-based systems like Ubuntu.

Importing the MongoDB Public GPG Key:

1. Open a Terminal:

   • Open your terminal application.

2. Import the GPG Key:

   • Run the following command to import the MongoDB public GPG key:

   bash wget -qO - [https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-7.0.asc](https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-7.0.asc) | sudo apt-key add -

   • This command downloads the GPG key and adds it to your system's trusted keys. This ensures that the packages you download from the MongoDB repository are authentic.

Adding the MongoDB Repository:

1. Add the Repository:

   • Run the following command to add the MongoDB repository to your system's sources list:

   bash echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 ] [https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu](https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu) $(lsb_release -cs)/mongodb-org/7.0 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-7.0.list

   • This command adds the MongoDB repository to your system's package manager sources. The $(lsb_release -cs) part automatically determines your Ubuntu/Debian version.

2. Update Package List:

   • Run the following command to update your package list:

   bash sudo apt update

   • This command refreshes the package list, including the newly added MongoDB repository.

Installing MongoDB:

1. Install MongoDB:

   • Run the following command to install the MongoDB Community Server:

   bash sudo apt install mongodb-org

   • This command downloads and installs the MongoDB packages.

After install, linux and windows should both have a system service already setup from the install process. You can check if it's running on linux with sudo systemctl status mongod. On Windows, you should see the service running as "MongoDB Server" if you open system services on Windows

Basic MongoDB Commands:

After installing and starting MongoDB, you can use the mongo shell to interact with your database. Here are some basic commands to get you started:

Checking MongoDB Version:

First, let's verify that MongoDB is installed correctly by checking its version:

1. Open a Terminal or Command Prompt:

   • Open your terminal (Linux/macOS) or command prompt (Windows).

2. Run mongosh --version:

   • Type mongosh --version and press Enter.
   • This command will display the installed MongoDB version if it's correctly installed and in your system's PATH.

Basic MongoDB Shell Commands:

1. Open the mongosh Shell:

   • Type mongosh and press Enter. This will open the MongoDB shell, and you'll see a prompt like >.

2. Show Databases:

   • To see a list of all databases on your MongoDB server, type show dbs and press Enter.
   • This will display a list of database names.

3. Use a Database:

   • To switch to a specific database, type use <database_name> and press Enter. Replace <database_name> with the name of the database you want to use.
   • Example: use mydatabase
   • If the database doesn't exist, MongoDB will create it when you first store data in it.

4. Show Collections:

   • After switching to a database, you can see a list of collections (similar to tables in relational databases) in that database by typing show collections and pressing Enter.
   • Collections are where you store documents (JSON-like data).

Example Session:

```bash

mongosh Current Mongosh Log ID: 6563728637951a37887e2730 Connecting to: mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/?directConnection=true&serverSelectionTimeoutMS=2000&appName=mongosh Using MongoDB: 7.0.3 Using Mongosh: 2.1.1 For mongosh info see: https://docs.mongodb.com/mongodb-shell/

test> show dbs admin 40 KiB config 72 KiB local 40 KiB test> use mydatabase switched to db mydatabase mydatabase> show collections mydatabase> ```

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed and started MongoDB Community Server. You've learned how to download, install, and run MongoDB on both Windows and Linux systems, and you've explored some basic commands to interact with your database.

Now, you might want to try an application like grain, a Nostr relay, which utilizes MongoDB as its database. Learn How to Install grain: nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzq9h35qgq6n8ll0xyyv8gurjzjrx9sjwp4hry6ejnlks8cqcmzp6tqqxnzde5xg6rqdpnx56rqv34uyz5g4

Remember, this guide covers the basics. There's much more to explore in the world of MongoDB, including advanced querying, indexing, replication, and sharding. Continue exploring the official MongoDB documentation to deepen your knowledge and unlock the full potential of this powerful database.

@ f1989a96:bcaaf2c1

Good morning, readers!

In Thailand, the government announced a third digital cash handout to “stimulate the economy and drive technological adoption.” This disbursement will allocate 27 billion baht ($800 million) to 2.7 million citizens aged 16-20. Like in previous phases, it will be distributed via a state-controlled “digital wallet” application, which essentially functions as a central bank digital currency (CBDC). This system gives the regime an inside view of Thais’ financial activity and creates a centralized database to monitor, censor, and control.

Meanwhile, in Russia, the central bank has proposed limiting Bitcoin access to only the wealthiest individuals. Under the proposal, only Russians with over $1.2 million in assets or an annual income above $580,000 could buy and sell digital assets — arbitrarily barring everyday Russians (including obviously most journalists and activists) from accessing Bitcoin and the financial independence it grants.

In open-source software news, a new tool called Banxaas is making Bitcoin more accessible in West Africa by integrating with local payment providers to facilitate buying and selling Bitcoin using the CFA currency (XOF). This on-and-off ramp could expand financial freedom for human rights activists, dissidents, and everyday citizens.

We end with the latest edition of the HRF x Pubkey Freedom Tech Series, in which HRF’s  Zac Guignard sits down with author Jason Maier to discuss how Bitcoin can drive human rights around the world. Together, they examine the shortcomings of today’s financial system and discuss how Bitcoin is aiding people living under authoritarian regimes.

Now, let’s get right to it!

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GLOBAL NEWS

Thailand | Announces Third Digital Cash Handout to Boost Economy

The government of Thailand announced a third digital cash handout, allocating 27 billion baht ($800 million) to 2.7 million citizens aged 16-20 to “stimulate the economy and drive technological adoption.” Like in previous phases, the regime will distribute the funds through a state-run “digital wallet” application, which would effectively function as a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Past handouts of the CBDC came with strict restrictions: spending was limited to approved vendors within designated areas, purchases were restricted to certain goods, and funds expired after six months. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called this third handout the first full deployment of the digital wallet system and urged the public to download the official app. This would directly link citizens' financial activity and data to the regime, threaten privacy, and deepen repression in a country with a long history of silencing dissent.

Russia | Central Bank Proposes Restricting Bitcoin Access to Wealthy Only

Russia’s central bank has proposed restricting Bitcoin and cryptocurrency access to only the country’s wealthiest individuals, barring everyday Russians from buying and selling digital assets unless they meet specific income or asset thresholds. Under the proposal, only Russians with over $1.2 million in assets or an annual income above $580,000 could engage with digital assets — effectively putting Bitcoin officially out of reach of most activists and journalists. The central bank claims the measure protects citizens from “volatility and lack of state backing.” But in reality, it likely signals the regime’s fear of Bitcoin’s ability to provide individual financial autonomy. By blocking most Russians from opting out of the state-controlled financial system, the regime is doubling down on financial repression.

India | Advances Digital Rupee CBDC

India’s government is pushing forward with its CBDC, the Digital Rupee, hailing it as a modern payment solution. But as journalist and author Roger Huang puts it, “it looks like a solution searching for a problem to solve.” Beyond the branding, the Digital Rupee enables state control over financial activity. Its programmability allows the government to dictate how, when, and where people spend — restricting transactions to specific merchants, locations, or goods and even imposing expiration dates on money. India’s crackdown on dissent is well-documented, from freezing opposition bank accounts to attempting a Bitcoin ban. Now, the Reserve Bank of India is embedding the CBDC into its digital payment system (UPI), quietly pushing millions into a tightly controlled and surveilled financial system.

Zimbabwe | Financial Regulators Mandate Earnings in ZiG

Zimbabwe’s market regulator is mandating all companies report their earnings in the new ZiG currency despite it losing 96% of its value since its launch last year. This move tightens state control over an already fragile economy, pushing businesses and citizens deeper into an unstable system that has repeatedly wiped out savings through inflation. The ZiG is Zimbabwe’s sixth currency in 15 years, introduced with gold backing to restore confidence in the regime’s ability to manage a currency. Instead, it’s rapidly devaluing, while the US dollar remains the preferred currency for trade and savings — when accessible. For ordinary Zimbabweans, the mandatory use of ZiG for taxes and government services is already a challenge due to its scarcity.

Egypt | Dictator-imposed Reforms Causing Economic Chaos

In the wake of an $8 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last spring, the Egyptian dictatorship has carried out “reforms” that are fueling inflation and making necessities increasingly unaffordable. To meet IMF conditions, Egyptian officials devalued the pound, slashed subsidies, and hiked the cost of fuel and public transportation — driving inflation beyond 20% for months on end. For millions of Egyptians, basic goods are now unaffordable. And the government’s promised minimum wage increase for public workers remains unfulfilled, leaving the public to absorb the price shocks. These undemocratic reforms — never voted on and executed with no way for the public to push back — aimed at securing further financing have only eroded the financial freedom of 114 million Egyptians and pushed the country into greater debt.

China | Facebook Enabling Authoritarian Censorship

A former Meta executive, Sarah Wynn-Williams, has accused Facebook of working “hand in glove” with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to censor and surveil content in China. According to Wynn-Williams, Facebook explored building censorship tools that would suppress viral posts until Chinese authorities approved. They even considered sharing user data in exchange for market access to China’s massive user base. Meta denied these claims, saying they fired Wynn-Williams in 2017 for poor performance. Regardless, the revelations highlight the dangers of for-profit, centralized platforms that authoritarian regimes can co-opt. Protocols like nostr (where no single entity moderates content) are more important than ever. Activists and dissidents seeking free communications can get started with nostr here.

BITCOIN AND FREEDOM TECH NEWS

Banxaas | Spend Sats in West Africa

Hundreds of millions of citizens in West Africa still use the CFA franc in an arrangement upheld by more than a dozen authoritarian leaders. Banxaas offers an alternative by bridging Bitcoin with West Africa’s mobile money networks. This allows individuals to buy and sell Bitcoin through local payment providers using the local CFA currency (XOF) and their own Lightning wallet. By integrating with local payment providers, Banxaas serves as a crucial on-and-off-ramp to Bitcoin, bringing the benefits of financial freedom to individuals, nonprofits, and human rights defenders across the region. Watch a demonstration of how Banxaas works here.

Mi Primer Bitcoin | Bitcoin Workbook Translated to Mandarin

Mi Primer Bitcoin, an open-source Bitcoin educational initiative focused on high-school-age students, released a Mandarin translation of its 2025 Bitcoin Diploma. This open-source resource provides mainland Chinese citizens, activists, and dissidents with accessible Bitcoin education at a time when financial freedom is increasingly under threat. With China tightening restrictions on personal wealth and expanding state surveillance of financial activity through the digital yuan CBDC, the diploma offers a useful new resource to learn the alternatives to state-controlled financial systems.

Blitz Wallet | Improves Ecash Functionality for Greater Financial Autonomy

Blitz Wallet, an open-source and self-custodial Bitcoin Lightning, Liquid, and ecash wallet, released an update that improves ecash functionality. Ecash, a Bitcoin-backed digital money system, allows instant and private transactions but requires custodial “mints” to manage tokens. The new update links users’ ecash to their wallet’s seed phrase (the 12-word backup used for Bitcoin recovery), allowing them to restore funds even if their device is lost or stolen. Users can also now transfer ecash between different wallets, increasing flexibility and control over their funds. Improved ecash UX is much-desired for political dissidents who can’t afford for authoritarian regimes to have full oversight over all of their economic activities.

Fedimint | Adds On-chain Support for Everyone

Fedimint, an open-source Bitcoin custody model that lets communities securely manage Bitcoin funds together, released v0.6.0, adding support for on-chain Bitcoin deposits (transactions directly on Bitcoin’s base layer). By offering private and trust-minimized transactions alongside on-chain support, Fedimint makes it easier, especially for nonprofit communities, to self-custody Bitcoin. It provides greater privacy and autonomy versus using fully centralized platforms that are easily subject to the political and regulatory pressure of authoritarian regimes.

Africa Bitcoin Conference | Announces 2025 Conference

The Africa Bitcoin Conference (ABC) announced its fourth edition, set to take place from Dec. 3-5, 2025, in Port Louis, Mauritius. Hosted at the Caudan Art Center, the event will bring together activists, Bitcoin advocates, and freedom tech developers to explore Bitcoin as a pathway to financial freedom. Now the largest Bitcoin gathering in Africa, ABC has established itself as a key platform for discussions on financial inclusion, inflation resistance, and censorship-resistant money — putting tools for financial sovereignty into the hands of those who need them most. HRF is proud to support ABC and, in particular, is proud to help delegates from dozens of authoritarian regimes attend each year. You can learn more about the conference and buy tickets here.

RECOMMENDED CONTENT

HRF x Pubkey — How Bitcoin Brings About Social Change with Jason Maier

In the latest installment of the HRF x Pubkey Freedom Tech Series, HRF Content and Research Associate Zac Guignard sits down with Jason Maier, author of “A Progressive’s Case for Bitcoin,” to share how Bitcoin can spark a meaningful shift in personal liberty worldwide. Jason explains the core monetary properties that make Bitcoin permissionless, censorship-resistant, and a powerful tool for financial freedom. Together, they examine the shortcomings of today’s financial system and discuss how Bitcoin is aiding people living under authoritarian regimes. They talk about how Bitcoin shouldn’t be a political issue and can be useful to anyone, no matter their beliefs. Watch the full conversation here.

Mélancolies de l’Opprimé by Farida Bemba Nabourema

Farida Bemba Nabourema, a renowned Togolese human rights activist, former HRF freedom fellow, and Bitcoin pioneer, announced that her new book “Mélancolies de l’Opprimé” will be released on April 15, 2025. A decade after her first book, “La Pression de l’Oppression,” this deeply personal and reflective work offers hard-earned wisdom for young activists stepping into the struggle against dictatorships and injustice. Nabourema candidly shares the emotional, physical, and psychological toll of resistance and activism while also highlighting the sense of purpose in the pursuit of freedom and human rights. Learn more about the book here.

If this article was forwarded to you and you enjoyed reading it, please consider subscribing to the Financial Freedom Report here.

Support the newsletter by donating bitcoin to HRF’s Financial Freedom program via BTCPay.\ Want to contribute to the newsletter? Submit tips, stories, news, and ideas by emailing us at ffreport @ hrf.org

The Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF) is accepting grant proposals on an ongoing basis. The Bitcoin Development Fund is looking to support Bitcoin developers, community builders, and educators. Submit proposals here.

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@ 6ad08392:ea301584

In 2024, I was high as a kite on Nostr hopium and optimism. Early that year, my co-founder and I figured that we could use Nostr as a way to validate ambassadors on “Destination Bitcoin” - the germ of a travel app idea we had at the time that would turn into Satlantis. After some more digging and thinking, we realised that Nostr’s open social graph would be of major benefit, and in exploring that design space, the fuller idea of Satlantis formed: a new kind of social network for travel.

###### ^^2 slides from the original idea here

I still remember the call I had with @pablof7z in January. I was in Dubai pitching the AI idea I was working on at the time, but all I could think and talk about was Satlantis and Nostr.

That conversation made me bullish AF. I came back from the trip convinced we’d struck gold. I pivoted the old company, re-organised the team and booked us for the Sovereign Engineering cohort in Madeira. We put together a whole product roadmap, go to market strategy and cap raise around the use of Nostr. We were going to be the ‘next big Nostr app’.

A couple of events followed in which I announced this all to the world: Bitcoin Atlantis in March and BTC Prague in June being the two main ones. The feedback was incredible. So we doubled down. After being the major financial backer for the Nostr Booth in Prague, I decided to help organise the Nostr Booth initiative and back it financially for a series of Latin American conferences in November. I was convinced this was the biggest thing since bitcoin, so much so that I spent over $50,000 in 2024 on Nostr marketing initiatives. I was certainly high on something.

Sobering up

It’s March 2025 and I’ve sobered up. I now look at Nostr through a different lens. A more pragmatic one. I see Nostr as a tool, as an entrepreneur - who’s more interested in solving a problem, than fixating on the tool(s) being used - should.

A couple things changed for me. One was the sub-standard product we released in November. I was so focused on being a Nostr evangelist that I put our product second. Coupled with the extra technical debt we took on at Satlantis by making everything Nostr native, our product was crap. We traded usability & product stability for Nostr purism & evangelism.

We built a whole suite of features using native event kinds (location kinds, calendar kinds, etc) that we thought other Nostr apps would also use and therefore be interoperable. Turns out no serious players were doing any of that, so we spent a bunch of time over-engineering for no benefit 😂

The other wake up call for me was the Twitter ban in Brazil. Being one of the largest markets for Twitter, I really thought it would have a material impact on global Nostr adoption. When basically nothing happened, I began to question things.

Combined, these experiences helped sober me up and I come down from my high. I was reading “the cold start problem” by Andrew Chen (ex-Uber) at the time and doing a deep dive on network effects. I came to the following realisation:

Nostr’s network effect is going to take WAY longer than we all anticipated initially. This is going to be a long grind. And unlike bitcoin, winning is not inevitable. Bitcoin solves a much more important problem, and it’s the ONLY option. Nostr solves an important problem yes, but it’s far from the only approach. It’s just the implementation arguably in the lead right now.

This sobering up led us to take a different approach with Nostr. We now view it as another tool in the tech-stack, no different to the use of React Native on mobile or AWS for infrastructure. Nostr is something to use if it makes the product better, or avoid if it makes the product and user experience worse. I will share more on this below, including our simple decision making framework. I’ll also present a few more potentially unpopular opinions about Nostr. Four in total actually:

1. Nostr is a tool, not a revolution
2. Nostr doesn’t solve the multiple social accounts problem
3. Nostr is not for censorship resistance
4. Grants come with a price

Let’s begin…

Nostr is a tool, not a revolution

Nostr is full of Bitcoiners, and as much as we like to think we’re immune from shiny object syndrome, we are, somewhere deep down afflicted by it like other humans. That’s normal & fine. But…while Bitcoiners have successfully suppressed this desire when it comes to shitcoins, it lies dormant, yearning for the least shitcoin-like thing to emerge which we can throw our guiltless support behind.

That thing arrived and it’s called Nostr.

As a result, we’ve come to project the same kind of purity and maximalism onto it as we do with Bitcoin, because it shares some attributes and it’s clearly not a grift.

The trouble is, in doing so, we’ve put it in the same class as Bitcoin - which is an error.

Nostr is important and in its own small way, revolutionary, but it pales in comparison to Bitcoin’s importance. Think of it this way: If Bitcoin fails, civilisation is fucked. If Nostr fails, we’ll engineer another rich-identity protocol. There is no need for the kind of immaculate conception and path dependence that was necessary for Bitcoin whose genesis and success has been a once in a civilisation event. Equivocating Nostr and Bitcoin to the degree that it has been, is a significant category error. Nostr may ‘win’ or it may just be an experiment on the path to something better. And that’s ok !

I don’t say this to piss anyone off, to piss on Nostr or to piss on myself. I say it because I’d prefer Nostr not remain a place where a few thousand people speak to each other about how cool Nostr is. That’s cute in the short term, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s a waste of a great tool that can make a significant corner of the Internet great again.

By removing the emotional charge and hopium from our relationship to Nostr, we can take a more sober, objective view of it (and hopefully use it more effectively).

Instead of making everything about Nostr (the tool), we can go back to doing what great product people and businesses do: make everything about the customer.

---

Nobody’s going around marketing their app as a “react native product” - and while I understand that’s a false equivalent in the sense that Nostr is a protocol, while react is a framework - the reality is that it DOES NOT MATTER.

For 99.9999% of the world, what matters is the hole, not the drill. Maybe 1000 people on Earth REALLY care that something is built on Nostr, but for everyone else, what matters is what the app or product does and the problem it solves. Realigning our focus in this way, and looking at not only Nostr, but also Bitcoin as a tool in the toolkit, has transformed the way we’re building.

This inspired an essay I wrote a couple weeks ago called “As Nostr as Possible”. It covers our updated approach to using and building WITH Nostr (not just ‘on’ it). You can find that here:

https://futuresocial.substack.com/p/as-nostr-as-possible-anap

If you’re too busy to read it, don’t fret. The entire theory can be summarised by the diagram below. This is how we now decide what to make Nostr-native, and what to just build on our own. And - as stated in the ANAP essay - that doesn’t mean we’ll never make certain features Nostr-native. If the argument is that Nostr is not going anywhere, then we can always come back to that feature and Nostr-fy it later when resources and protocol stability permit.

Next…

The Nostr all in one approach is not all “positive”

Having one account accessible via many different apps might not be as positive as we initially thought.

If you have one unified presence online, across all of your socials, and you’re posting the same thing everywhere, then yes - being able to post content in one place and it being broadcast everywhere, is great. There’s a reason why people literally PAY for products like Hypefury, Buffer and Hootsuite (aside from scheduling).

BUT…..This is not always the case.

I’ve spoken to hundreds of creators and many have flagged this as a bug not a feature because they tend to have a different audience on different platforms and speak to them differently depending on the platform. We all know this. How you present yourself on LinkedIn is very different to how you do it on Instagram or X.

The story of Weishu (Tencent’s version of TikTok) comes to mind here. Tencent’s WeChat login worked against them because people didn’t want their social graph following them around. Users actually wanted freedom from their existing family & friends, so they chose Douyin (Chinese TikTok) instead.

Perhaps this is more relevant to something like WeChat because the social graph following you around is more personal, but we saw something similar with Instagram and Facebook. Despite over a decade of ownership, Facebook still keeps the social graphs separated.

All this to say that while having a different strategy & approach on different social apps is annoying, it allows users to tap into different markets because each silo has its own ‘flavour’. The people who just post the same thing everywhere are low-quality content creators anyway. The ones who actually care, are using each platform differently.

The ironic part here is that this is arguably more ‘decentralised’ than the protocol approach because these siloes form a ‘marketplace of communities’ which are all somewhat different.

---

We need to find a smart way of doing this with Nostr. Some way of catering to the appropriate audience where it matters most. Perhaps this will be handled by clients, or by relays. One solution I’ve heard from people in the Nostr space is to just ‘spin up another nPub’ for your different audience. While I have no problem with people doing that - I have multiple nPubs myself - it’s clearly NOT a solution to the underlying problem here.

We’re experimenting with something. Whether it’s a good idea or not remains to be seen. Satlantis users will be able to curate their profiles and remove (hide / delete) content on our app. We’ll implement this in two stages:

Stage 1: Simple\ In the first iteration, we will not broadcast a delete request to relays. This means users can get a nicely curated profile page on Satlantis, but keep a record of their full profile elsewhere on other clients / relays.

Stage 2: More complex\ Later on, we’ll try to give people an option to “delete on Satlantis only” or “delete everywhere”. The difference here is more control for the user. Whether we get this far remains to be seen. We’ll need to experiment with the UX and see whether this is something people really want.

I’m sure neither of these solutions are ‘ideal’ - but they’re what we’re going to try until we have more time & resources to think this through more.

Next…

Nostr is not for Censorship Resistance

I’m sorry to say, but this ship has sailed. At least for now. Maybe it’s a problem again in the future, but who knows when, and if it will ever be a big enough factor anyway.

The truth is, while WE all know that Nostr is superior because it’s a protocol, people do NOT care enough. They are more interested in what’s written ON the box, not what’s necessarily inside the box. 99% of people don’t know wtf a protocol is in the first place - let alone why it matters for censorship resistance to happen at that level, or more importantly, why they should trust Nostr to deliver on that promise.

Furthermore, the few people who did care about “free speech” are now placated enough with Rumble for Video, X for short form and Substack for long form. With Meta now paying lip-service to the movement, it’s game over for this narrative - at least for the foreseeable future.

The "space in people’s minds for censorship resistance has been filled. Both the ‘censorship resistance’ and ‘free speech’ ships have sailed (even though they were fake), and the people who cared enough all boarded.

For the normies who never cared, they still don’t care - or they found their way to the anti-platforms, like Threads, BlueSky or Pornhub.

The small minority of us still here on Nostr…are well…still here. Which is great, but if the goal is to grow the network effect here and bring in more people, then we need to find a new angle. Something more compelling than “your account won’t be deleted.”

I’m not 100% sure what that is. My instinct is that a “network of interoperable applications”, that don’t necessarily or explicitly brand themselves as Nostr, but have it under the hood is the right direction. I think the open social graph and using it in novel ways is compelling. Trouble is, this needs more really well-built and novel apps for non-sovereignty minded people (especially content creators) and people who don’t necessarily care about the reasons Nostr was first built. Also requires us to move beyond just building clones of what already exists.

We’ve been trying to do this Satlantis thing for almost a year now and it’s coming along - albeit WAY slower than I would’ve liked. We’re experimenting our way into a whole new category of product. Something different to what exists today. We’ve made a whole bunch of mistakes and at times I feel like a LARP considering the state of non-delivery.

BUT…what’s on the horizon is very special, and I think that all of the pain, effort and heartache along the way will be 100% worth it. We are going to deliver a killer product that people love, that solves a whole host of travel-related problems and has Nostr under the hood (where nobody, except those who care, will know).

Grants come with a price

This one is less of an opinion and more of an observation. Not sure it really belongs in this essay, but I’ll make a small mention just as food for thought,

Grants are a double-edged sword.

I’m super grateful that OpenSats, et al, are supporting the protocol, and I don’t envy the job they have in trying to decipher what to support and what not to depending on what’s of benefit to the network versus what’s an end user product.

That being said, is the Nostr ecosystem too grant-dependent? This is not a criticism, but a question. Perhaps this is the right thing to do because of how young Nostr is. But I just can’t help but feel like there’s something a-miss.

Grants put the focus on Nostr, instead of the product or customer. Which is fine, if the work the grant covers is for Nostr protocol development or tooling. But when grants subsidise the development of end user products, it ties the builder / grant recipient to Nostr in a way that can misalign them to the customer’s needs. It’s a bit like getting a government grant to build something. Who’s the real customer??

Grants can therefore create an almost communist-like detachment from the market and false economic incentive. To reference the Nostr decision framework I showed you earlier, when you’ve been given a grant, you are focusing more on the X axis, not the Y. This is a trade-off, and all trade-offs have consequences.

Could grants be the reason Nostr is so full of hobbyists and experimental products, instead of serious products? Or is that just a function of how ambitious and early Nostr is?

I don’t know.

Nostr certainly needs better toolkits, SDKs, and infrastructure upon which app and product developers can build. I just hope the grant money finds its way there, and that it yields these tools. Otherwise app developers like us, won’t stick around and build on Nostr. We’ll swap it out with a better tool.

To be clear, this is not me pissing on Nostr or the Grantors. Jack, OpenSats and everyone who’s supported Nostr are incredible. I’m just asking the question.

Final thing I’ll leave this section with is a thought experiment: Would Nostr survive if OpenSats disappeared tomorrow?

Something to think about….

Coda

If you read this far, thank you. There’s a bunch here to digest, and like I said earlier - this not about shitting on Nostr. It is just an enquiry mixed with a little classic Svetski-Sacred-Cow-Slaying.

I want to see Nostr succeed. Not only because I think it’s good for the world, but also because I think it is the best option. Which is why we’ve invested so much in it (something I’ll cover in an upcoming article: “Why we chose to build on Nostr”). I’m firmly of the belief that this is the right toolkit for an internet-native identity and open social graph. What I’m not so sure about is the echo chamber it’s become and the cult-like relationship people have with it.

I look forward to being witch-hunted and burnt at the stake by the Nostr purists for my heresy and blaspheming. I also look forward to some productive discussions as a result of reading this.

Thankyou for your attention.

Until next time.

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

It's Finally here Stackers!

It's Friday!

We're about to kick off our weekends with some feel good tracks.

Let's get the party started. Bring me those Feel Good tracks.

Let's get it!

Let's go crazy!

https://youtu.be/aXJhDltzYVQ?si=IHJUvqZm7RwoCOxj

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/913059

@ a396e36e:ec991f1c

Introduction

The term Clown World is a meme that reflects the perception that the current system operates in an absurd, corrupt, or irrational manner. In this context, many Bitcoin enthusiasts see it as a tool to escape from Clown World. Bitcoin emerged in 2009, following the 2008 global financial crisis, as an alternative to a traditional monetary system that many consider unjust, inefficient, and prone to manipulation. This article explores how Bitcoin challenges existing economic structures, embodies philosophical principles such as decentralization and financial sovereignty, and serves as a political tool against failing monetary policies. We will also examine the historical evolution of Bitcoin’s narrative in relation to escaping Clown World.

Economic Perspective: Challenging Traditional Monetary Structures

From an economic standpoint, Bitcoin directly challenges the traditional monetary system, which many Bitcoin advocates see as part of Clown World. Fiat currencies, issued by central banks, can be devalued through expansionary policies, leading to inflation, bank bailouts, and resource misallocation that deteriorate economies and social structures. Bitcoin was explicitly designed as a response to these issues: its genesis block, mined on January 3, 2009, contained the message "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks," referencing government bailouts of failing financial institutions. This message signaled Bitcoin’s intent to offer a solution to what was perceived as a broken financial system and irresponsible economic policies.

Unlike fiat money, which can be expanded at the discretion of central authorities, Bitcoin has a predictable and non-manipulable monetary policy. Its issuance follows an algorithmic schedule: the total supply is capped at 21 million coins, ensuring scarcity and practically eliminating long-term inflation. Every four years, a halving event reduces the number of new bitcoins entering circulation, contrasting sharply with central banks’ inflationary targets of around 2% per year. In Bitcoin, no one can arbitrarily “print” more money or devalue existing units, as “there is no central authority” making such decisions. As analyst Anthony Pompliano put it: “Bitcoin is censorship-resistant money. No one can stop you from sending it. No one can confiscate it without your permission. No one can debase the currency.” In other words, Bitcoin functions as digital gold, immune to political dilution, challenging the very foundation of inflationary fiat money.

This economic model—often associated with the idea of “sound money”—represents a separation between money and the state. Many Bitcoin proponents argue that a broken monetary system is at the root of the dysfunctions of Clown World. As Bitcoin advocates Knut Svanholm and Luke de Wolf put it: “When money stops working, everything becomes political and turns into a farce.” Bitcoin, by replacing trust in financial authorities with trust in cryptographic code, aims to correct these distortions. It allows individuals and communities to opt out of the traditional system, securing themselves against inflation and reckless monetary policies.

Philosophical Perspective: Decentralization, Financial Sovereignty, and Resistance to Manipulation

From a philosophical perspective, Bitcoin embodies principles of decentralization, individual sovereignty, and resistance to manipulation, offering an alternative to perceived systemic corruption and control. Unlike traditional money, Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that “does not rely on any central authority but operates through a mathematical protocol and a distributed network of nodes.” This means that no government, bank, or corporation can unilaterally control the Bitcoin network or counterfeit its supply. The blockchain architecture and distributed consensus make Bitcoin a kind of “trust machine”, where the rules are pre-set by transparent algorithms. For the first time in history, digital scarcity combines with total decentralization, creating a monetary system where trust is placed in code rather than authorities.

This foundation enables personal financial sovereignty. Bitcoin users can fully own and control their funds through private keys, redefining monetary property rights by eliminating the need for custodians. In practice, this means that “no one can confiscate it without your permission” as long as the user protects their keys (hence the famous phrase “not your keys, not your coins”). Bitcoin’s sovereignty contrasts with traditional bank accounts, which are vulnerable to freezes, censorship, or devaluation. The philosophy behind Bitcoin promotes independence from state and corporate financial control, much like the historical separation of church and state. As a Bitcoin advocate noted, “By decentralizing financial power and promoting a separation between money and the state,” Bitcoin has the potential to reshape economic power dynamics. Essentially, anyone can become their own bank, transacting globally without requiring permission.

Another key aspect of Bitcoin’s philosophy is censorship resistance and protection from manipulation. In Clown World, institutions can block transactions, exclude individuals from the financial system, or manipulate currency for political purposes. Bitcoin was designed to counteract this. Anyone can transfer Bitcoin to another person directly, without intermediaries who can block transactions. The blockchain's immutability ensures that no one can retroactively alter payment records or falsify balances, reinforcing its freedom-preserving nature.

Recent events highlight this utility: In 2022, when the Canadian government froze bank accounts of protesters and pressured crowdfunding platforms, many pointed out that Bitcoin could bypass such authoritarian measures. As one commentator put it, “Every attempt at financial censorship is free marketing for Bitcoin,” as it underscores its value as unseizable and incorruptible money. This ideology aligns with libertarian and anarcho-capitalist ideals, advocating that individuals—not the state—should have ultimate control over their money and transactions.

Political Perspective: Bitcoin as a Tool of Resistance Against Authoritarianism and Monetary Failures

From a political standpoint, Bitcoin has been used as a form of resistance against authoritarian regimes, state financial controls, and failing monetary policies. Due to its borderless and stateless nature, Bitcoin enables escaping national economic barriers and prevents governments from unilaterally controlling wealth. In countries suffering from hyperinflation or strict currency controls, citizens have turned to Bitcoin to protect their savings.

Venezuela is a key example: Bitcoin is widely used there as a store of value against the endless devaluation of the national currency. Similarly, in Argentina, Bitcoin adoption has surged as people seek to preserve their wealth amidst chronic inflation and restrictions on foreign currency exchange. In these contexts, Bitcoin serves as an escape valve from disastrous economic policies, offering a refuge where the government cannot destroy the value of money through inflation.

Conclusion

Bitcoin is more than just an asset; it is a technological, economic, and philosophical revolution offering an alternative to what many perceive as the dysfunctions of Clown World. By enabling economic sovereignty, censorship resistance, and an escape from inflationary policies, Bitcoin challenges the status quo, providing a viable path toward financial freedom and systemic change.

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/912814

@ 21335073:a244b1ad

I’d never had the chance to watch Harry Potter on the big screen before. Experiencing the first movie in 3D was nothing short of spectacular. Right from the opening scene with Albus Dumbledore, I was floored—the makeup and costumes were so vivid, it felt like pure magic unfolding before my eyes. It’s clear that real masters of their craft worked behind the scenes, and their artistry shines through. The sets? Absolutely jaw-dropping! The level of detail in Diagon Alley was beyond impressive.

Seeing legends like Alan Rickman as Snape and Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall on that massive 3D screen was an unforgettable thrill. The film is packed with phenomenal actors, and it was a joy to catch every tiny eye twitch and subtle nuance of their performances brought to life. It was a mind-blowing experience, and I’d wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who gets the chance.

Don’t forget to have a little whimsical fun sometimes my friends. 🪄

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

The Bitcoin community is on the edge of their seats as the countdown to the next Bitcoin halving begins. This event, which occurs approximately every four years, has historically been a catalyst for significant changes in the cryptocurrency's value and the broader market dynamics. As we approach this pivotal moment, it's crucial to analyze the factors at play and what they could mean for the future of Bitcoin. The halving is not just a procedural event; it's a testament to Bitcoin's enduring design and a reminder of the finite nature of this digital asset. With each halving, Bitcoin inches closer to its maximum supply limit of 21 million, making it increasingly scarce. This scarcity is a fundamental aspect that underpins Bitcoin's value proposition as 'digital gold.' As the next halving approaches, the anticipation builds, not just among investors but also within the broader financial ecosystem, as people from all corners of the globe watch to see how this decentralized currency will respond to its inbuilt deflationary mechanism.

Table of Contents

• Understanding the Bitcoin Halving

• Historical Impact of Halvings

• Current Market Conditions

• Predictions and Speculations

• Strategies for Investors

• The Road Ahead

• Conclusion

• FAQs

Understanding the Bitcoin Halving

The Bitcoin halving is a feature written into the cryptocurrency's code by its mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. The event halves the reward that miners receive for adding new blocks to the blockchain, effectively reducing the rate at which new bitcoins are created. This mechanism controls inflation and mimics the extraction of precious resources — as they become scarcer, their value tends to rise. The halving process is a brilliant economic model that ensures Bitcoin remains a deflationary asset, contrasting sharply with traditional fiat currencies, which can be printed without limit. This built-in scarcity is what attracts many to Bitcoin, viewing it as a hedge against inflation and a store of value over the long term. As each halving reduces the supply of new bitcoins, the existing supply becomes more valuable, assuming demand remains steady or increases. This event is a critical moment that tests Bitcoin's value proposition and challenges the market's perception of what Bitcoin is and can be.

Historical Impact of Halvings

Past halvings in 2012, 2016, and 2020 have been followed by significant bull runs in the Bitcoin market. While it's essential to note that correlation does not imply causation, these events have reduced the supply of new bitcoins, leading to increased demand and, subsequently, higher prices. However, each halving is different, and external factors such as regulatory changes, market sentiment, and technological advancements also play crucial roles. The aftermath of each halving has painted a complex picture of Bitcoin's ecosystem evolving with each cycle. The first halving in 2012 catapulted Bitcoin from obscurity to a wider audience's attention, setting the stage for the cryptocurrency's future growth. The 2016 halving further solidified Bitcoin's position in the financial world, leading to an unprecedented bull run in 2017. The 2020 halving occurred amidst a global pandemic, highlighting Bitcoin's resilience and its growing appeal as a digital safe haven. These historical moments have not only defined Bitcoin's price trajectory but also its adoption curve and technological development.

Current Market Conditions

As we approach the next halving, the market is witnessing a unique set of circumstances. The global economy is grappling with inflation, geopolitical tensions, and the aftermath of the pandemic. These factors could influence investor behavior and impact the cryptocurrency market in unpredictable ways. The current market conditions are a melting pot of uncertainty and opportunity. With traditional markets experiencing volatility, more investors are looking towards alternative assets like Bitcoin. However, this increased attention comes with heightened scrutiny from regulators worldwide, adding a layer of complexity to Bitcoin's trajectory. Additionally, the rise of competing cryptocurrencies and the rapid advancement of blockchain technology could either bolster Bitcoin's dominance or challenge its position as the leading digital asset.

Predictions and Speculations

Analysts and enthusiasts are making various predictions about the impact of the upcoming halving. Some expect a significant bull run, similar to past events, while others caution against expecting too much, citing the maturing market and increased regulatory scrutiny. The truth likely lies somewhere in between, with the halving acting as one of many factors influencing Bitcoin's price. The range of predictions reflects the diverse perspectives within the Bitcoin community and the broader financial sector. Some see the halving as an almost mystical event that will inevitably lead to price increases, while others view it as a well-understood mechanism already priced into the market. Amidst these varying opinions, one thing remains clear: the halving will be a moment of truth for Bitcoin, testing theories and beliefs about what drives its value.

Strategies for Investors

As the halving approaches, investors are considering their strategies. Some may choose to buy and hold, anticipating a post-halving price increase, while others may adopt a more cautious approach, waiting to see how the market reacts. Diversification, research, and risk management remain crucial, as the crypto market is known for its volatility. Investors are advised to look beyond the immediate effects of the halving and consider the long-term potential of Bitcoin. Understanding the underlying technology, market trends, and regulatory landscape is essential for making informed decisions. Additionally, the emotional and psychological aspects of investing in such a volatile market cannot be underestimated. Investors should be prepared for significant price swings and have a clear strategy for managing their investments.

The Road Ahead

The next Bitcoin halving is not just a technical event but a milestone for the cryptocurrency community. It represents a moment of reflection on how far Bitcoin has come and speculation about its future. As the countdown begins, the path to the next halving is paved with uncertainties, opportunities, and challenges. The road ahead is fraught with questions about adoption, regulation, and competition from other cryptocurrencies. However, it also offers the potential for significant growth, innovation, and increased mainstream acceptance of Bitcoin. The halving is a reminder of the unique attributes that make Bitcoin a fascinating and potentially transformative technology. As we approach this critical juncture, the entire crypto ecosystem watches with bated breath, ready to witness the next chapter in Bitcoin's ongoing saga.

Conclusion

The upcoming Bitcoin halving is a significant event that could have profound implications for the cryptocurrency market. While historical patterns provide some guidance, the unique circumstances surrounding this halving make predictions difficult. Investors and enthusiasts alike should stay informed, prepare for various scenarios, and remember that the crypto market is unpredictable. The journey to the next halving is sure to be an exciting one, filled with twists and turns, but it also marks another step forward in the evolution of Bitcoin and digital currencies.

FAQs

What is the Bitcoin halving? The Bitcoin halving is an event that occurs approximately every four years, where the reward for mining new blocks is halved, effectively reducing the rate at which new bitcoins are created. This event is built into Bitcoin's code and is designed to control inflation and mimic the scarcity of precious resources.

Why is the Bitcoin halving important? The halving is significant because it reduces the supply of new bitcoins entering the market. Historically, this reduction in supply, coupled with steady or increasing demand, has led to significant price increases for Bitcoin.

When is the next Bitcoin halving expected to occur? While the exact date can vary due to the unpredictable nature of mining, Bitcoin halvings are scheduled to occur every 210,000 blocks, which is approximately every four years.

What have been the effects of past Bitcoin halvings? Past halvings have typically been followed by periods of increased price volatility and significant bull runs, although it's important to note that other market factors also play a role in these trends.

How should investors prepare for the Bitcoin halving? Investors should consider their long-term investment strategy, conduct thorough research, and possibly diversify their portfolios. It's also important to practice risk management and not invest more than one can afford to lose.

That's all for today

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

@ a60e79e0:1e0e6813

*This is a long form Nostr native version of a post that lives on my Nostr educational website Hello Nostr *

At first glance Nostr might appear quite similar to some of the apps you use every day, such as Twitter, Mastodon, or Facebook, but that couldn't be further from the truth. This post aims to dispel the myth that "Nostr is just a Twitter replacement" and give you a better understanding about the 'what', the 'how' and most importantly, the 'why' of Nostr.

What Is Nostr?

Nostr is a decentralized, open-source protocol designed for censorship-resistant networking and communication on the web. It stands for "Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays," and it works by allowing users to publish messages (notes) and content in the form of 'other stuff', to a network of servers (relays) that store and distribute the content.

Unlike traditional platforms like Twitter, Ebay or Facebook, Nostr doesn't rely on a central authority; instead, users control their own identities via cryptographic key pairs.

The simplest open protocol that is able to create a censorship-resistant global "social" network once and for all.

Fiatjaf - Nostr Creator

Nostr is not a website or an app you download from a single source — it’s an open protocol, like email or the internet. Think of it as a set of rules that anyone can use to build tools for sharing messages, posts, or other data without needing a centralized middleman like a big tech company.

Nostr was created by a developer named Fiatjaf in 2020, and has since been steadily gaining traction among people who care about privacy, freedom, and censorship resistance.

Why Nostr?

Imagine the scenario, you've been using an online platform for 5 or even 10 years. You've built up thousands of contacts, perhaps built yourself a sizeable reputation, or even rely on the income from the platform to feed your family. Then one day you make a controversial post, sell a certain item or upload a video on a spicy subject to the platform where the owner disagrees with. With the click of a button, your account is removed. All trace of you, your social graph, or even your future income, disappears in an instant.

Read aloud like that is sounds crazy that we'd even entertain using such a platform, right!? Sadly that is the reality in 2025. This is exactly what happens every single day on X, Facebook, Ebay, Paypal, Linkedin, etc.

Looking at the problem through a more social media focused lens, many of us have become slaves to the likes of Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. We use these 'free' apps under the guise of being social with others online. The reality is that we see what those apps want us to see. We've become slaves to the manipulation of complex and opaque algrorithms designed to keep us hooked and try to sell us things.

Unlike traditional platforms, which are often governed by centralized entities wielding significant control over user data, content moderation, and algorithmic influence, Nostr flips the script by prioritizing user sovereignty and resilience. Built on an open-source framework, Nostr allows individuals to control their own data and interact through a network of relays, making it much more difficult for any single authority - be it a corporation, government, or bad actor - to censor or manipulate the flow of information.

• Is a relay refusing to host your notes? Use another or run your own!
• A specific client using an algorithm you don't like, take your identity and social graph elsewhere and choose another!

Take your identity and social graph with you, anywhere any time.

Nostr’s ability to foster authentic, unfiltered conversations while safeguarding user sovereignty has made it a cornerstone for communities seeking alternatives - whether they’re activists, creators, or everyday people tired of being pawns in the data-driven game. It's simple and adaptable design also encourages innovation, inviting developers to build tools and interfaces that keep pushing the boundaries of what the decentralized internet can achieve. In short, Nostr isn’t just a tool; it’s a movement toward a freer, more equitable digital future.

How Does Nostr Work?

Instead of one giant server owned by a single company holding all your posts and messages, Nostr spreads everything across lots of smaller servers called relays. To get started, you download a client, create your account and back up your private key. Your private key is used to secure your account and sign every message you send over the network. This allows anyone you interact with the verify the integrity of the data coming from 'you'.

The Nostr network is essentially a collection of bulletin boards that share a common format

When you write a note, or share some other type of compatible data, your client signs it with your private key, then sends it to one or more relays. Which relays your information is sent to is entirely up to you. These relays share your message with others who want to see it.

For others to see your notes or 'other stuff', they'll need to be able to find you. Typically this is done by using your public key, which looks something like this npub15c88nc8d44gsp4658dnfu5fahswzzu8gaxm5lkuwjud068swdqfspxssvx. Don't panic though, you don't need to memorize all of your friends public keys, there are more human friendly methods of finding people that we'll come onto later.

Once someone is following you, their client will ask all of their connected relays for any data shared by your public key. Their client will receive this data, verify it is signed by your private key and then populate it into their feed.

The “Other Stuff” Explained

Nostr’s name hints at this: Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays. But what is the “other stuff”? Put simply, it’s all the creative and experimental things people are building on Nostr, beyond simple text based notes. Every action on Nostr is an event - like a post, a profile update, or even a payment. The 'Kind' is what specifies the purpose of each event. Kinds are the building blocks of how information is categorized and processed on the network, and the most popular become part of higher lever specification guidelines known as Nostr Implementation Possibility - NIP. A NIP is a document that defines how something in Nostr should work, including the rules, standards, or features. NIPs define the type of 'other stuff' that be published and displayed by different styles of client for different purposes.

Here's some content examples of 'Other Stuff':

1. Long-Form Content: Think blog posts or articles. NIP-23.
2. Private Messaging: Encrypted chats between users. NIP-04.
3. Communities: Group chats or forums like Reddit. NIP-72
4. Marketplaces: People listing stuff for sale, payable with zaps. NIP-15
5. Zaps: Value transfer over the Lightning Network. NIP57

The beauty of Nostr is that it’s a flexible foundation. Developers can dream up new ideas and build them into clients, and the relays just keep humming along, passing the data around. It’s still early days, so expect the “other stuff” to grow wilder and weirder over time!

Clients vs Relays: What’s the Difference?

Newbies often get tripped up by these two terms, so let’s clearly define them.

Clients

A client is what you use to interact with Nostr. It’s the app or website where you type your posts, read your feed, follow and interact with others. Examples of Nostr clients include:

• Damus (iOS Twitter style client)
• Primal (Cross-platform Twitter style client)
• Amethyst (Android only Twitter style client)
• Habla.News (Web based blog client)
• Olas (Instagram style client)
• 0xchat (Messaging client)

Clients don’t store your data; they just pull it from relays and display it for you. You can switch clients whenever you want, and your account stays the same because it’s tied to your keys, not any single client or app.

Clients are how you use Nostr, and relays are where the data lives. You need both to make the magic happen.

Relays

A relay is a server that stores and shares Nostr data. It’s a little like a post office: you send your note to a relay, and it delivers it to anyone who’s subscribed to see it (like your followers). Relays are run by individuals, groups, or companies who volunteer their computing power. Some are free, some charge a small fee, and you can connect to as many as you like. Most clients will come pre-configured with a list of well-known relays, but you can add or remove any you like.

What Are Zaps?

Zaps are arguably one of Nostr’s coolest features! A zaps is a way to send payments in Bitcoin directly to other users. Imagine liking a post, but instead of just clicking a heart (which you can of course do), you send the poster a few cents worth of Bitcoin to say, “This is awesome!”.

Zaps use Bitcoin's Lightning Network, a faster and cheaper way to move Bitcoin around. To Zap someone, you need a Lightning wallet linked to your Nostr client. Some clients, like Primal, ship with their own custodial wallet to make getting started a breeze. Most clients also allow more advanced users to connect an existing Lightning Wallet to reduce reliance and trust in the client provider.

Zaps are optional but add a fun layer to Nostr. Creators love them because it’s a way to get direct support from fans, with no middleman required.

NIP-05 Identifiers: Your Nostr “Username”

Your nPub, or public key (that long string of letters and numbers) is your 'official' Nostr ID, but it’s not exactly catchy. Enter NIP-05 identifiers, a human-readable and easily sharable way to have people find you. They look like an email address, like qna@hellonostr.xyz.

Here’s how it works:

Most users obtain their NIP-05 ID from a website or service that supports Nostr. Some of these services are free whereas some charge a fee. Some clients, like Primal will set one up for you automatically when you create an account. The email like ID links to your public key, so people can find you more easily. And because these ID's are domain based, there can be no duplicates. qna@hellonostr.xyz can only map to a single public key. The only person that can change that link is the person in control of the domain.

If you control your own domain, you can easily map your Nostr public key to name@my.domain. It’s not mandatory, but it’s super useful for building trust and making your profile recognizable.

Next Steps

So you're bought in. You understand why Nostr is so important and want to get started. Check out our simple onboarding guide here.

Thanks For Reading

Hopefully that moistened your taste buds for more educational Nostr content. This was a basic one, but there will be more focused material coming soon.

If you found this post useful, please share it with your peers and consider following and zapping me on Nostr. If you write to me and let me know that you found me via this post, I'll be sure to Zap you back! ⚡️

@ 66675158:1b644430

In the twilight of his days, Myrddin sat upon the weathered stone bench overlooking what remained of Libertalia. His ancient hands—once steady enough to craft the most intricate mechanisms known to the Free Realms—now trembled as they rested upon the gnarled walking stick he had carved from windfall oak. The city below, once a marvel of independent districts connected by the invisible threads of mutual cooperation, had become something else entirely. Something monstrous.

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the Grand Plaza where the Central Authority's banners now flew. Myrddin's eyes, still sharp despite his five hundred and seventy years, could make out the uniformed guards patrolling in perfect synchronicity. The sight made his stomach turn.

"I built the foundations for freedom," he whispered to himself, "and they have erected prisons upon them."

A figure approached from behind, footsteps deliberately heavy to announce their presence. Myrddin did not turn.

"Master Myrddin," came the voice of Thalion, one of his few remaining former apprentices not yet captured by the Authority. "The Council of Remnants awaits your wisdom."

Myrddin scoffed. "Wisdom? What wisdom can I offer now? I who planted the seeds of our destruction through my own shortsightedness?"

"You could not have known—"

"I should have known!" Myrddin's voice cracked with the force of his outburst. "Every great civilization before us fell to the same disease. Centralization. The pooling of power into fewer and fewer hands until the many are crushed beneath the weight of the few. I knew this. I studied the ancient texts. I designed our systems specifically to prevent this very outcome."

Thalion remained silent, allowing the old engineer his moment of self-recrimination.

"Come," Myrddin finally said, rising with difficulty. "Let us not keep your Council waiting. Though what good words can do against the machinery of oppression, I cannot say."

As they walked the hidden path down from the overlook, Myrddin's mind drifted back to the beginning, to the founding of Libertalia four centuries earlier...

---

The Founding Council had gathered beneath the great oak that would later mark the center of Libertalia. Twelve visionaries from twelve different traditions, united by a single purpose: to create a society where no person would rule over another.

Young Myrddin, barely forty years old but already renowned for his brilliance, unrolled the plans he had spent a decade perfecting.

"The Nexus System," he explained, pointing to the intricate diagrams. "A method of connection that requires no central authority. Each district, each guild, each family unit can connect to the whole while maintaining complete sovereignty over their own affairs."

Lorien the Sage, eldest among them, leaned forward with interest. "You propose that trade, communication, defense—all can function without a ruling body?"

"Not only can they function," Myrddin replied with the confidence of youth, "they will function better. A decentralized system is resilient. Cut one connection, and a hundred others remain. Attack one node, and the system routes around the damage. But most importantly, when power is distributed, corruption finds no fertile ground in which to take root."

"And what prevents a group from seizing control?" asked Marwen the Warrior. "From forcing others to submit to their will?"

Myrddin smiled. "The architecture itself. See here—" he pointed to a complex series of interlocking mechanisms, "—the Consensus Protocol. Any attempt to exert control beyond one's rightful domain triggers automatic resistance from the system. The more one tries to centralize power, the more difficult it becomes."

"You speak of mechanisms as if they have will," Marwen said skeptically.

"Not will, but design," Myrddin corrected. "Like water flowing downhill. I have designed a system where power naturally disperses rather than concentrates."

The Council debated through the night, questioning every aspect of Myrddin's design. By morning, they had agreed to build their new society upon his principles. Libertalia would be a constellation of sovereign individuals and voluntary associations, connected but never controlled.

For three generations, it worked exactly as Myrddin had envisioned. The Free Realms prospered as never before. Innovation flourished in the absence of restrictive oversight. Disputes were resolved through mutual arbitration rather than imposed judgment. The Nexus System facilitated trade and communication while preserving the independence of all participants.

Myrddin, his lifespan extended by the alchemical discoveries his system had made possible, watched with pride as Libertalia became the envy of the known world.

But he had made one critical error.

---

"You created a system that required vigilance," Thalion said as they descended toward the hidden meeting place. "Perhaps that was the flaw."

"No," Myrddin replied. "The flaw was in believing that making something difficult would make it impossible. I should have made centralization not merely hard, but unachievable by any means."

They reached the abandoned mill that served as the Council's current hiding place. Inside, two dozen faces turned toward them—the last free thinkers in a land that once celebrated independence above all else.

Myrddin took his seat at the rough-hewn table. "Tell me," he said without preamble, "how much worse has it become since we last met?"

A woman named Sera, who had once been the foremost architect in the Eastern District, spoke first. "The Authority has implemented the Unified Identification Protocol. No citizen may trade, travel, or even purchase food without presenting their Authority Crystal for scanning."

"And these crystals track their movements?" Myrddin asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Every step," confirmed Sera. "Every transaction. Every word spoken near an Echo Stone."

Myrddin closed his eyes briefly. Echo Stones—his invention, meant to record important discoveries and preserve the wisdom of the ages. Now perverted into tools of surveillance.

"The schools have been consolidated," added a younger man named Ferris. "All children now learn from the same Authority-approved texts. The history of Libertalia is being rewritten. They claim you designed the Nexus System to eventually unite under central guidance."

"A lie," Myrddin spat.

"But a believable one," Thalion said gently. "You did build the infrastructure that made this possible, however unintentional."

Myrddin could not deny it. The Nexus System, designed for voluntary connection, had been gradually modified over the centuries. What began as simple efficiency improvements eventually created vulnerabilities. The Consensus Protocol, once the guardian of decentralization, had been subverted by those who understood its mechanics but not its purpose.

"The disease always begins the same way," Myrddin said, addressing the Council. "With promises of efficiency. Of security. Of protection from unseen threats. The centralizers never announce their true intentions. They speak of unity while forging chains."

"We know this, Master Myrddin," said Sera impatiently. "What we need is a solution, not a history lesson."

Myrddin smiled sadly. "The history is the solution, if only we would heed it. Every great civilization before us fell to centralization. The Aurelian Empire, whose emperors claimed divine right to rule all lands beneath the twin moons. The Dynasty of Eternal Harmony, whose bureaucracy grew so vast it consumed half the realm's production. The Jade Confederation, whose Council of Nine became a single Overlord within three generations."

He paused, gathering his thoughts.

"In every case, the pattern was identical. Power, once distributed among many, gradually accumulated in the hands of few. Those few, corrupted by their unnatural position, made decisions that benefited themselves rather than the whole. Resources were misallocated. Innovation stagnated. The system became brittle rather than resilient. And when crisis came—whether famine, war, or natural disaster—the centralized structure collapsed under its own weight."

"Yet people never learn," said Ferris bitterly.

"Because the benefits of centralization are immediate and visible, while its costs are delayed and diffuse," Myrddin replied. "The Authority provides convenience today at the cost of freedom tomorrow. They offer solutions to problems that would resolve themselves naturally in a decentralized system."

"What was your mistake, then?" asked Thalion. "Where in your design did you leave the opening for this disease to take hold?"

Myrddin's face darkened with regret. "I built a system that was resistant to centralization, but not immune to it. I created tools of such power and efficiency that they became irresistible targets for those who would control others. And most critically, I failed to encode the philosophical foundations of decentralization into the system itself."

He looked around at the faces of the Council, seeing in them the last embers of the fire that had once burned so brightly in Libertalia.

"I believed that people would choose freedom if given the option. I did not account for how seductive the promises of centralization would be. How easily people would trade liberty for convenience. How willingly they would accept security over sovereignty."

---

The decline had been gradual, almost imperceptible at first. It began two centuries after the founding, with the creation of the Coordination Council.

"Merely to improve efficiency," its proponents had argued. "To eliminate redundancies in our wonderfully decentralized system."

Myrddin, by then well into his second century, had voiced concerns but was overruled by younger generations who found the original Nexus System too cumbersome for their modern needs. The Coordination Council was given limited authority to standardize certain protocols across districts.

Within a decade, those standards became requirements. Requirements became regulations. Regulations became laws. The Council, originally composed of representatives who returned to their districts after brief terms of service, gradually transformed into a permanent body of administrators.

By the time Myrddin recognized the pattern, the disease had already taken root. The Coordination Council had become the Central Authority. The voluntary associations that once formed the backbone of Libertalian society were now subordinate to its dictates.

He had tried to warn them. He had written treatises on the dangers of centralization, had spoken at public forums, had even attempted to modify the Nexus System to restore its decentralizing functions. But he was dismissed as an outdated thinker, unable to appreciate the "improvements" of modern governance.

Now, four hundred years after the founding, Libertalia was Libertalia in name only. The Authority controlled all aspects of life. The districts, once proudly independent, were administrative zones whose boundaries could be redrawn at the Authority's whim. The guilds, once self-governing bodies of skilled craftspeople, were now licensing bureaus that enforced Authority standards.

And the people—the free, sovereign individuals for whom Myrddin had designed his system—had become subjects. Citizens, they were called, but the word had lost its original meaning of self-governance and had come to signify merely a registered and tracked unit of the Authority.

---

"We cannot defeat the Authority directly," Myrddin told the Council of Remnants. "They control too much. The military, the food supply, the Nexus itself. Any direct confrontation would be suicidal."

"Then what hope remains?" asked Sera.

"We must build anew," Myrddin said, his voice finding strength in purpose. "Not reform, but replace. The old system cannot be saved—it is too thoroughly corrupted. We must create a parallel system that makes centralization not merely difficult, but impossible by its very nature."

"How?" several voices asked at once.

Myrddin reached into his worn leather satchel and withdrew a small crystal, unlike the Authority Crystals in both color and cut. "I have spent the last fifty years designing what should have been built from the beginning. A truly decentralized system that cannot be subverted because its very operation depends on remaining distributed."

He placed the crystal in the center of the table. It pulsed with a soft blue light.

"The Arx," he explained. "Each crystal contains the complete system, yet functions as only one node within it. No node can control another. No group of nodes can outvote or overpower the minority. Consensus is achieved not through majority rule, but through voluntary participation."

Thalion picked up the crystal, examining it skeptically. "The Authority will never allow this."

"They need not allow what they cannot detect," Myrddin replied. "The Arx operates on principles the Authority's systems cannot recognize. It exists alongside their network but remains invisible to it."

"And what can this network do?" asked Ferris. "How does it help us against the might of the Authority?"

"It allows us to trade without their knowledge. To communicate without their oversight. To organize without their permission. And most importantly, to remember who we truly are—sovereign individuals who require no masters."

Myrddin stood, his ancient frame seeming to straighten with the weight of his purpose.

"Centralization is not merely inefficient or unjust—it is a disease that infects and ultimately kills any society it touches. It promises order but delivers stagnation. It promises security but creates vulnerability. It promises prosperity but ensures that wealth flows only to those who control the center."

He looked each Council member in the eye.

"I made a mistake in believing that making centralization difficult would be enough. This time, we will make it impossible. The Arx cannot be centralized because its very operation depends on distribution. Any attempt to control it causes it to fragment and reform beyond the controller's reach."

"And if the Authority discovers these crystals?" Sera asked.

"They can destroy individual crystals, but the network will continue. They can imprison those who carry them, but more will take their place. The design is now the important thing, not the designer. I have encoded the knowledge of how to create these crystals within the crystals themselves. The idea cannot be killed."

Myrddin sat back down, suddenly looking every one of his many years.

"I cannot undo the damage my oversight has caused. I cannot restore the Libertalia I helped to build. But I can give you the tools to create something better—something truly resistant to the disease of centralization."

The Council members looked at one another, hope kindling in eyes that had known only despair for too long.

"How do we begin?" Thalion asked.

Myrddin smiled. "We begin by remembering what we have forgotten. That no person has the right to rule another. That voluntary cooperation always outperforms forced compliance. That systems must serve individuals, not the reverse. That decentralization is not merely a technical architecture but a moral imperative."

He gestured to the crystal, still glowing in Thalion's palm.

"And we begin by building connections that cannot be controlled. Person to person. District to district. Free association by free association. The Authority believes itself invincible because it sits at the center of all things. But when there is no center, there is nothing to seize, nothing to corrupt, nothing to control."

As night fell over Libertalia, the Council of Remnants listened as the ancient engineer outlined his vision for a truly decentralized future. Outside, the Authority's patrols marched in perfect order, their uniformity a testament to the disease that had consumed what was once the freest society in the known world.

Myrddin knew he would not live to see his new design reach fruition. But for the first time in decades, he felt something like peace. He had identified his error. He had created a solution. And most importantly, he had ensured that the knowledge would outlive him.

Centralization was indeed a disease—perhaps the most persistent and destructive disease ever to afflict human societies. But like all diseases, it could be overcome with the right medicine. And the medicine was not more centralization, not better rulers, not wiser authorities.

The medicine was decentralization. Complete, uncompromising, and irreversible decentralization.

As the meeting concluded and the Council members departed with their crystals, Myrddin remained seated at the table. Thalion lingered behind.

"You know they will come for you eventually," his former apprentice said. "You are too significant a symbol to ignore forever."

Myrddin nodded. "Let them come. An old man is a small price to pay for the rebirth of freedom."

"Your new system," Thalion said hesitantly, "you are certain it cannot be centralized? That we are not simply repeating the cycle?"

"Nothing created by human hands can be perfect," Myrddin admitted. "But I have learned from my mistake. The Arx does not merely resist centralization—it actively works against it. The more one tries to control it, the more it disperses. It is not merely a technical solution but a philosophical one."

He placed a hand on Thalion's shoulder. "Remember always: centralization benefits only those at the center. For everyone else—the 99.999% who stand at the periphery—it is nothing but chains disguised as safety. Never again can we allow the disease to take root by promising efficiency at the cost of sovereignty."

Thalion nodded solemnly. "I will remember."

As his former apprentice departed, Myrddin turned to look out the small window at the city below. The Authority's lights blazed from the central towers, pushing back the natural darkness of night. So much power, concentrated in so few hands. So much potential, wasted in the service of control rather than creation.

He had lived long enough to see his greatest work corrupted. With what time remained to him, he would ensure that his final creation could not suffer the same fate. The Arx would spread, node by node, person by person, until the very concept of centralized authority became as obsolete as the diseases his earlier inventions had eradicated.

Myrddin Myrddin, Master Engineer of the Free Realms, closed his eyes and allowed himself, just for a moment, to imagine a world reborn in true freedom. A world where the disease of centralization had finally been cured.

It would not happen in his lifetime. Perhaps not even in Thalion's. But it would happen. Of that, he was certain.

For the truth that the Authority and all centralizers before them had never understood was simple: humans were not meant to be controlled. They were meant to be free. And in the end, that natural state would reassert itself, no matter how elaborate the systems of control became.

Centralization was a disease. And like all diseases, it would eventually meet a cure.

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

Agaete

Agaete is a charming coastal town on the northwest coast of Gran Canaria, known for its stunning cliffs, natural pools, fresh seafood, and rich history. Surrounded by the Agaete Valley, this town offers a mix of nature, culture, and relaxation.

🏛️ Top Things to Do in Agaete

1️⃣ Explore the Agaete Valley (Valle de Agaete)

A lush, green valley famous for its coffee plantations – the only place in Europe where coffee is grown! Take a coffee farm tour and taste local Canarian coffee and wine.

2️⃣ Swim in the Natural Pools of Las Salinas

These volcanic rock pools by the coast provide a unique, sheltered swimming experience with breathtaking ocean views.

3️⃣ Visit Puerto de las Nieves

The picturesque fishing village next to Agaete, where you can enjoy fresh seafood, stroll along the promenade, or catch a ferry to Tenerife.

4️⃣ Hike in Tamadaba Natural Park

Just above Agaete, this stunning nature reserve offers incredible hiking trails with pine forests and breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean.

5️⃣ Discover the Necropolis of Maipés

An archaeological site with pre-Hispanic burial mounds dating back over 1,300 years, providing insight into the island’s indigenous history.

🍽️ What to Eat in Agaete

• Pescado fresco – Fresh fish grilled to perfection 🐟
• Cochino negro – A special Canarian black pig dish 🍖
• Queso de flor – Local artisan cheese 🧀
• Agaete coffee & wine – Grown right in the valley ☕🍷

🚗 How to Get to Agaete

🚗 By Car: ~35-40 minutes from Las Palmas
🚌 By Bus: Direct routes from Las Palmas (Lines 103 & 105)

💡 Tips for Visiting Agaete

✅ Best time to visit? Year-round, but especially beautiful in spring 🌿
✅ Great for hiking & nature lovers – Bring comfortable shoes 👟
✅ Try local coffee & wine – It’s one of the best-kept secrets of Gran Canaria ☕🍷

@ cff1720e:15c7e2b2

Wolfgang Borchert 1947\ (Wolfgang Borchert starb mit 26 Jahren an einer Kriegsverletzung)

Dann gibt es nur eins!

Du. Mann an der Maschine und Mann in der\ Werkstatt. Wenn sie dir morgen befehlen, du\ sollst keine Wasserrohre und keine Kochtöpfe\ mehr machen – sondern Stahlhelme und\ Maschinengewehre, dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \  Du. Mädchen hinterm Ladentisch und\ Mädchen im Büro. Wenn sie dir morgen\ befehlen, du sollst Granaten füllen und\ Zielfernrohre für Scharfschützengewehre\ montieren, dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \  Du. Besitzer der Fabrik. Wenn sie dir morgen\ befehlen, du sollst statt Puder und Kakao\ Schießpulver verkaufen, dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \  Du. Forscher im Laboratorium. Wenn sie dir\ morgen befehlen, du sollst einen neuen Tod\ erfinden gegen das alte Leben, dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \  Du. Dichter in deiner Stube. Wenn sie dir\ morgen befehlen, du sollst keine Liebeslieder,\ du sollst Haßlieder singen, dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \  Du. Arzt am Krankenbett. Wenn sie dir\ morgen befehlen, du sollst die Männer\ kriegstauglich schreiben, dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \  Du. Pfarrer auf der Kanzel. Wenn sie dir\ morgen befehlen, du sollst den Mord segnen\ und den Krieg heilig sprechen, dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \  Du. Kapitän auf dem Dampfer. Wenn sie dir\ morgen befehlen, du sollst keinen Weizen\ mehr fahren – sondern Kanonen und Panzer,\ dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \  Du. Pilot auf dem Flugfeld. Wenn sie dir morgen\ befehlen, du sollst Bomben und Phosphor\ über die Städte tragen, dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \  Du. Schneider auf deinem Brett. Wenn sie\ dir morgen befehlen, du sollst Uniformen zuschneiden,\ dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \  Du. Richter im Talar. Wenn sie dir morgen befehlen,\ du sollst zum Kriegsgericht gehen, dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \  Du. Mann auf dem Bahnhof. Wenn sie dir\ morgen befehlen, du sollst das Signal zur Abfahrt\ geben für den Munitionszug und für den\ Truppentransport, dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \ Du. Mann auf dem Dorf und Mann in der\ Stadt. Wenn sie morgen kommen und dir den\ Gestellungsbefehl bringen, dann gibt es nur eins:\ Sag NEIN!\ \ Du. Mutter in der Normandie und Mutter in\ der Ukraine, du, Mutter in Frisko und London,\ du, am Hoangho und am Mississippi, du,\ Mutter in Neapel und Hamburg und Kairo und\ Oslo - Mütter in allen Erdteilen, Mütter in der\ Welt, wenn sie morgen befehlen, ihr sollt\ Kinder gebären, Krankenschwestern für\ Kriegslazarette und neue Soldaten für neue\ Schlachten, Mütter in der Welt, dann gibt es\ nur eins:\ Sagt NEIN! Mütter, sagt NEIN!\ \ Denn wenn ihr nicht NEIN sagt, wenn IHR nicht nein sagt, Mütter, dann:\ dann:

... Fortsetzung

https://route96.pareto.space/cdd62d02f73eec86bfcaa8108ef515795c6a3c714a418880ea9d267c4aeb1a8d.mp3

@ 20e17dd0:2ae504d7

Prerequisite

1. Installing Ubuntu Server

Installation

Open a Terminal session and write the following command:

ruby sudo apt install docker.io You will be ask permission to install and continue

ruby y

Validation of the installation

To validate the installer, prompt the following command:

ruby docker --version

You should get:

ruby Docker version 26.1.3, build 26.1.3-0ubuntu1~24.04.1

To test if it is running, prompt the following command:

ruby sudo systemctl status docker

You should get a screen with the docker.service as "running". To get back to command line do CTRL+C

Test Installation

To make sure that everything runs smoothly, write the following command:

ruby sudo docker run hello-world You should get a Hello from Docker.

You are ready to enjoy pulling docker images!

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/917064

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/911988

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

The financial world stands divided as Bitcoin, the pioneering cryptocurrency, encounters severe criticism from the European Central Bank (ECB), despite receiving a significant nod of approval from the United States. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently greenlit a spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) for Bitcoin, marking a historic moment for cryptocurrency acceptance. This decision was anticipated to pave the way for broader institutional and retail investment, potentially stabilizing the notoriously volatile digital currency market. However, the ECB's response has been starkly different, casting a shadow over the perceived victory for Bitcoin advocates. The European institution's skepticism underscores a deep-rooted contention surrounding the cryptocurrency's legitimacy, utility, and future in the global financial ecosystem. This divergence highlights the complex and evolving narrative of Bitcoin's journey from an obscure digital token to a significant player in the financial arena, challenging traditional banking norms and regulatory frameworks across continents.

Table of Contents

• ECB's Stance on Bitcoin

• Criticisms Highlighted by the ECB

• Counterarguments and Market Reactions

• The Impact of US ETF Approval

• Conclusion

• FAQs

ECB's Stance on Bitcoin

The European Central Bank's position on Bitcoin is not just a casual remark but a profound declaration of the institution's skepticism towards the digital currency's value proposition. ECB advisors Jürgen Schaaf and Ulrich Bindseil have articulated their doubts through a comprehensive critique, questioning Bitcoin's validity as a financial asset. Their analysis follows the SEC’s decision, which many had hoped would mitigate such institutional doubts. However, the ECB's stance remains unwavering, rooted in a belief that Bitcoin does not fulfill the basic functions of money nor does it align with traditional investment principles. This perspective from the ECB is not isolated but reflects a broader skepticism prevalent among several traditional financial institutions in Europe. The officials’ comments underscore a fundamental disagreement with the notion that Bitcoin could serve as a cornerstone for future financial systems or represent a stable store of value. Their arguments delve into the intrinsic characteristics of Bitcoin, challenging its scalability, security, and ethical implications, particularly in light of its speculative nature and association with illicit activities.

Criticisms Highlighted by the ECB

The criticisms laid out by the ECB are comprehensive and multifaceted, addressing both practical and theoretical concerns associated with Bitcoin. Schaaf and Bindseil’s commentary extends beyond mere skepticism; it is an indictment of Bitcoin’s foundational principles and operational inefficiencies. They dissect the cryptocurrency's transactional capabilities, highlighting its limitations in speed, cost, and accessibility, which they argue, render it impractical for mainstream financial activities. The ECB's critique also ventures into ethical and environmental territories, condemning the substantial energy consumption driven by Bitcoin mining. This environmental impact is juxtaposed with the lack of tangible output, as Bitcoin does not contribute to physical goods or services production. The officials' arguments are emblematic of a broader debate on the sustainability and ethical implications of cryptocurrencies, particularly those utilizing energy-intensive proof of work mechanisms. Their stance reflects a growing concern among global regulators regarding the environmental footprint of digital currencies and their alignment with broader societal and economic goals.

Counterarguments and Market Reactions

The ECB's stringent critique has not gone unchallenged. Figures like Balaji Srinivasan represent a vocal faction within the crypto community, advocating for Bitcoin's revolutionary potential against traditional fiat currencies. Srinivasan's response, highlighting Bitcoin's appreciation against the Euro, serves as a counter-narrative to the ECB's dismissal, suggesting that Bitcoin's value and impact extend beyond conventional financial metrics. This clash of perspectives is indicative of the broader ideological and practical battle being waged over the future of finance. Proponents of Bitcoin argue that the digital currency represents a new frontier in financial sovereignty, offering unprecedented transparency, security, and efficiency compared to traditional banking systems. This divide between traditional financial authorities and cryptocurrency advocates underscores the ongoing struggle for legitimacy and acceptance faced by digital currencies. The market's reaction to these debates is equally complex, with investor sentiment fluctuating between optimism driven by regulatory milestones like the U.S. ETF approval and caution prompted by institutional criticisms like those from the ECB.

The Impact of US ETF Approval

The SEC's approval of a Bitcoin spot ETF was heralded as a watershed moment for cryptocurrency, potentially heralding a new era of institutional and retail investment. This move was expected to mitigate some of the volatility associated with Bitcoin by providing a regulated investment vehicle for a broader audience. However, the juxtaposition of this approval with the ECB's subsequent criticism highlights the fragmented regulatory landscape facing cryptocurrencies. The U.S. decision reflects a growing recognition of cryptocurrencies' potential to integrate into the mainstream financial system, offering investors regulated pathways to engage with digital assets. Yet, the ECB's stance illustrates the ongoing reservations held by some of the world's most influential financial institutions. This dichotomy underscores the varied approaches to cryptocurrency regulation and acceptance worldwide, reflecting differing economic philosophies, consumer protection concerns, and financial stability considerations.

Conclusion

The current state of Bitcoin and its reception in the global financial community epitomizes the broader challenges facing the integration of digital currencies into established economic systems. The contrasting reactions from the U.S. and European regulators to Bitcoin's evolving role in the financial landscape highlight the deep divisions and uncertainty that persist in the global approach to cryptocurrencies. As Bitcoin continues to navigate these turbulent waters, the debates surrounding its value, utility, and impact are likely to intensify, reflecting broader questions about the future of money, sovereignty, and the global financial order. The ongoing dialogue between cryptocurrency advocates and traditional financial institutions is more than a mere disagreement over an asset class; it is a fundamental debate about the nature of financial value and the future of economic exchange in an increasingly digital world.

FAQs

What does the ECB think about Bitcoin? The European Central Bank (ECB) has expressed skepticism regarding Bitcoin, questioning its value as a financial asset and criticizing its efficiency, legality, and environmental impact.

Why does the ECB believe Bitcoin's fair value is zero? The ECB argues that Bitcoin does not fulfill the basic functions of money, is not used widely for legitimate transactions, lacks intrinsic value, and contributes to environmental harm due to its energy-intensive mining process.

What was the significance of the US approving a Bitcoin ETF? The approval of a Bitcoin ETF in the US was seen as a significant step towards legitimizing Bitcoin as a financial asset, potentially making it more accessible to institutional and retail investors through a regulated framework.

How does Bitcoin mining affect the environment? Bitcoin mining consumes a large amount of electricity, often powered by fossil fuels, leading to significant carbon emissions and environmental impact.

Can Bitcoin be used for illegal activities? While Bitcoin can be used for legitimate transactions, its anonymity and lack of regulation make it susceptible to being used for illegal activities such as money laundering and purchasing illicit goods.

That's all for today

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@ 21335073:a244b1ad

Warning: This piece contains a conversation about difficult topics. Please proceed with caution.

TL;DR please educate your children about online safety.

Julian Assange wrote in his 2012 book Cypherpunks, “This book is not a manifesto. There isn’t time for that. This book is a warning.” I read it a few times over the past summer. Those opening lines definitely stood out to me. I wish we had listened back then. He saw something about the internet that few had the ability to see. There are some individuals who are so close to a topic that when they speak, it’s difficult for others who aren’t steeped in it to visualize what they’re talking about. I didn’t read the book until more recently. If I had read it when it came out, it probably would have sounded like an unknown foreign language to me. Today it makes more sense.

This isn’t a manifesto. This isn’t a book. There is no time for that. It’s a warning and a possible solution from a desperate and determined survivor advocate who has been pulling and unraveling a thread for a few years. At times, I feel too close to this topic to make any sense trying to convey my pathway to my conclusions or thoughts to the general public. My hope is that if nothing else, I can convey my sense of urgency while writing this. This piece is a watchman’s warning.

When a child steps online, they are walking into a new world. A new reality. When you hand a child the internet, you are handing them possibilities—good, bad, and ugly. This is a conversation about lowering the potential of negative outcomes of stepping into that new world and how I came to these conclusions. I constantly compare the internet to the road. You wouldn’t let a young child run out into the road with no guidance or safety precautions. When you hand a child the internet without any type of guidance or safety measures, you are allowing them to play in rush hour, oncoming traffic. “Look left, look right for cars before crossing.” We almost all have been taught that as children. What are we taught as humans about safety before stepping into a completely different reality like the internet? Very little.

I could never really figure out why many folks in tech, privacy rights activists, and hackers seemed so cold to me while talking about online child sexual exploitation. I always figured that as a survivor advocate for those affected by these crimes, that specific, skilled group of individuals would be very welcoming and easy to talk to about such serious topics. I actually had one hacker laugh in my face when I brought it up while I was looking for answers. I thought maybe this individual thought I was accusing them of something I wasn’t, so I felt bad for asking. I was constantly extremely disappointed and would ask myself, “Why don’t they care? What could I say to make them care more? What could I say to make them understand the crisis and the level of suffering that happens as a result of the problem?”

I have been serving minor survivors of online child sexual exploitation for years. My first case serving a survivor of this specific crime was in 2018—a 13-year-old girl sexually exploited by a serial predator on Snapchat. That was my first glimpse into this side of the internet. I won a national award for serving the minor survivors of Twitter in 2023, but I had been working on that specific project for a few years. I was nominated by a lawyer representing two survivors in a legal battle against the platform. I’ve never really spoken about this before, but at the time it was a choice for me between fighting Snapchat or Twitter. I chose Twitter—or rather, Twitter chose me. I heard about the story of John Doe #1 and John Doe #2, and I was so unbelievably broken over it that I went to war for multiple years. I was and still am royally pissed about that case. As far as I was concerned, the John Doe #1 case proved that whatever was going on with corporate tech social media was so out of control that I didn’t have time to wait, so I got to work. It was reading the messages that John Doe #1 sent to Twitter begging them to remove his sexual exploitation that broke me. He was a child begging adults to do something. A passion for justice and protecting kids makes you do wild things. I was desperate to find answers about what happened and searched for solutions. In the end, the platform Twitter was purchased. During the acquisition, I just asked Mr. Musk nicely to prioritize the issue of detection and removal of child sexual exploitation without violating digital privacy rights or eroding end-to-end encryption. Elon thanked me multiple times during the acquisition, made some changes, and I was thanked by others on the survivors’ side as well.

I still feel that even with the progress made, I really just scratched the surface with Twitter, now X. I left that passion project when I did for a few reasons. I wanted to give new leadership time to tackle the issue. Elon Musk made big promises that I knew would take a while to fulfill, but mostly I had been watching global legislation transpire around the issue, and frankly, the governments are willing to go much further with X and the rest of corporate tech than I ever would. My work begging Twitter to make changes with easier reporting of content, detection, and removal of child sexual exploitation material—without violating privacy rights or eroding end-to-end encryption—and advocating for the minor survivors of the platform went as far as my principles would have allowed. I’m grateful for that experience. I was still left with a nagging question: “How did things get so bad with Twitter where the John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 case was able to happen in the first place?” I decided to keep looking for answers. I decided to keep pulling the thread.

I never worked for Twitter. This is often confusing for folks. I will say that despite being disappointed in the platform’s leadership at times, I loved Twitter. I saw and still see its value. I definitely love the survivors of the platform, but I also loved the platform. I was a champion of the platform’s ability to give folks from virtually around the globe an opportunity to speak and be heard.

I want to be clear that John Doe #1 really is my why. He is the inspiration. I am writing this because of him. He represents so many globally, and I’m still inspired by his bravery. One child’s voice begging adults to do something—I’m an adult, I heard him. I’d go to war a thousand more lifetimes for that young man, and I don’t even know his name. Fighting has been personally dark at times; I’m not even going to try to sugarcoat it, but it has been worth it.

The data surrounding the very real crime of online child sexual exploitation is available to the public online at any time for anyone to see. I’d encourage you to go look at the data for yourself. I believe in encouraging folks to check multiple sources so that you understand the full picture. If you are uncomfortable just searching around the internet for information about this topic, use the terms “CSAM,” “CSEM,” “SG-CSEM,” or “AI Generated CSAM.” The numbers don’t lie—it’s a nightmare that’s out of control. It’s a big business. The demand is high, and unfortunately, business is booming. Organizations collect the data, tech companies often post their data, governments report frequently, and the corporate press has covered a decent portion of the conversation, so I’m sure you can find a source that you trust.

Technology is changing rapidly, which is great for innovation as a whole but horrible for the crime of online child sexual exploitation. Those wishing to exploit the vulnerable seem to be adapting to each technological change with ease. The governments are so far behind with tackling these issues that as I’m typing this, it’s borderline irrelevant to even include them while speaking about the crime or potential solutions. Technology is changing too rapidly, and their old, broken systems can’t even dare to keep up. Think of it like the governments’ “War on Drugs.” Drugs won. In this case as well, the governments are not winning. The governments are talking about maybe having a meeting on potentially maybe having legislation around the crimes. The time to have that meeting would have been many years ago. I’m not advocating for governments to legislate our way out of this. I’m on the side of educating and innovating our way out of this.

I have been clear while advocating for the minor survivors of corporate tech platforms that I would not advocate for any solution to the crime that would violate digital privacy rights or erode end-to-end encryption. That has been a personal moral position that I was unwilling to budge on. This is an extremely unpopular and borderline nonexistent position in the anti-human trafficking movement and online child protection space. I’m often fearful that I’m wrong about this. I have always thought that a better pathway forward would have been to incentivize innovation for detection and removal of content. I had no previous exposure to privacy rights activists or Cypherpunks—actually, I came to that conclusion by listening to the voices of MENA region political dissidents and human rights activists. After developing relationships with human rights activists from around the globe, I realized how important privacy rights and encryption are for those who need it most globally. I was simply unwilling to give more power, control, and opportunities for mass surveillance to big abusers like governments wishing to enslave entire nations and untrustworthy corporate tech companies to potentially end some portion of abuses online. On top of all of it, it has been clear to me for years that all potential solutions outside of violating digital privacy rights to detect and remove child sexual exploitation online have not yet been explored aggressively. I’ve been disappointed that there hasn’t been more of a conversation around preventing the crime from happening in the first place.

What has been tried is mass surveillance. In China, they are currently under mass surveillance both online and offline, and their behaviors are attached to a social credit score. Unfortunately, even on state-run and controlled social media platforms, they still have child sexual exploitation and abuse imagery pop up along with other crimes and human rights violations. They also have a thriving black market online due to the oppression from the state. In other words, even an entire loss of freedom and privacy cannot end the sexual exploitation of children online. It’s been tried. There is no reason to repeat this method.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out why I always felt a slight coldness from those in tech and privacy-minded individuals about the topic of child sexual exploitation online. I didn’t have any clue about the “Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse.” This is a term coined by Timothy C. May in 1988. I would have been a child myself when he first said it. I actually laughed at myself when I heard the phrase for the first time. I finally got it. The Cypherpunks weren’t wrong about that topic. They were so spot on that it is borderline uncomfortable. I was mad at first that they knew that early during the birth of the internet that this issue would arise and didn’t address it. Then I got over it because I realized that it wasn’t their job. Their job was—is—to write code. Their job wasn’t to be involved and loving parents or survivor advocates. Their job wasn’t to educate children on internet safety or raise awareness; their job was to write code.

They knew that child sexual abuse material would be shared on the internet. They said what would happen—not in a gleeful way, but a prediction. Then it happened.

I equate it now to a concrete company laying down a road. As you’re pouring the concrete, you can say to yourself, “A terrorist might travel down this road to go kill many, and on the flip side, a beautiful child can be born in an ambulance on this road.” Who or what travels down the road is not their responsibility—they are just supposed to lay the concrete. I’d never go to a concrete pourer and ask them to solve terrorism that travels down roads. Under the current system, law enforcement should stop terrorists before they even make it to the road. The solution to this specific problem is not to treat everyone on the road like a terrorist or to not build the road.

So I understand the perceived coldness from those in tech. Not only was it not their job, but bringing up the topic was seen as the equivalent of asking a free person if they wanted to discuss one of the four topics—child abusers, terrorists, drug dealers, intellectual property pirates, etc.—that would usher in digital authoritarianism for all who are online globally.

Privacy rights advocates and groups have put up a good fight. They stood by their principles. Unfortunately, when it comes to corporate tech, I believe that the issue of privacy is almost a complete lost cause at this point. It’s still worth pushing back, but ultimately, it is a losing battle—a ticking time bomb.

I do think that corporate tech providers could have slowed down the inevitable loss of privacy at the hands of the state by prioritizing the detection and removal of CSAM when they all started online. I believe it would have bought some time, fewer would have been traumatized by that specific crime, and I do believe that it could have slowed down the demand for content. If I think too much about that, I’ll go insane, so I try to push the “if maybes” aside, but never knowing if it could have been handled differently will forever haunt me. At night when it’s quiet, I wonder what I would have done differently if given the opportunity. I’ll probably never know how much corporate tech knew and ignored in the hopes that it would go away while the problem continued to get worse. They had different priorities. The most voiceless and vulnerable exploited on corporate tech never had much of a voice, so corporate tech providers didn’t receive very much pushback.

Now I’m about to say something really wild, and you can call me whatever you want to call me, but I’m going to say what I believe to be true. I believe that the governments are either so incompetent that they allowed the proliferation of CSAM online, or they knowingly allowed the problem to fester long enough to have an excuse to violate privacy rights and erode end-to-end encryption. The US government could have seized the corporate tech providers over CSAM, but I believe that they were so useful as a propaganda arm for the regimes that they allowed them to continue virtually unscathed.

That season is done now, and the governments are making the issue a priority. It will come at a high cost. Privacy on corporate tech providers is virtually done as I’m typing this. It feels like a death rattle. I’m not particularly sure that we had much digital privacy to begin with, but the illusion of a veil of privacy feels gone.

To make matters slightly more complex, it would be hard to convince me that once AI really gets going, digital privacy will exist at all.

I believe that there should be a conversation shift to preserving freedoms and human rights in a post-privacy society.

I don’t want to get locked up because AI predicted a nasty post online from me about the government. I’m not a doomer about AI—I’m just going to roll with it personally. I’m looking forward to the positive changes that will be brought forth by AI. I see it as inevitable. A bit of privacy was helpful while it lasted. Please keep fighting to preserve what is left of privacy either way because I could be wrong about all of this.

On the topic of AI, the addition of AI to the horrific crime of child sexual abuse material and child sexual exploitation in multiple ways so far has been devastating. It’s currently out of control. The genie is out of the bottle. I am hopeful that innovation will get us humans out of this, but I’m not sure how or how long it will take. We must be extremely cautious around AI legislation. It should not be illegal to innovate even if some bad comes with the good. I don’t trust that the governments are equipped to decide the best pathway forward for AI. Source: the entire history of the government.

I have been personally negatively impacted by AI-generated content. Every few days, I get another alert that I’m featured again in what’s called “deep fake pornography” without my consent. I’m not happy about it, but what pains me the most is the thought that for a period of time down the road, many globally will experience what myself and others are experiencing now by being digitally sexually abused in this way. If you have ever had your picture taken and posted online, you are also at risk of being exploited in this way. Your child’s image can be used as well, unfortunately, and this is just the beginning of this particular nightmare. It will move to more realistic interpretations of sexual behaviors as technology improves. I have no brave words of wisdom about how to deal with that emotionally. I do have hope that innovation will save the day around this specific issue. I’m nervous that everyone online will have to ID verify due to this issue. I see that as one possible outcome that could help to prevent one problem but inadvertently cause more problems, especially for those living under authoritarian regimes or anyone who needs to remain anonymous online. A zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) would probably be the best solution to these issues. There are some survivors of violence and/or sexual trauma who need to remain anonymous online for various reasons. There are survivor stories available online of those who have been abused in this way. I’d encourage you seek out and listen to their stories.

There have been periods of time recently where I hesitate to say anything at all because more than likely AI will cover most of my concerns about education, awareness, prevention, detection, and removal of child sexual exploitation online, etc.

Unfortunately, some of the most pressing issues we’ve seen online over the last few years come in the form of “sextortion.” Self-generated child sexual exploitation (SG-CSEM) numbers are continuing to be terrifying. I’d strongly encourage that you look into sextortion data. AI + sextortion is also a huge concern. The perpetrators are using the non-sexually explicit images of children and putting their likeness on AI-generated child sexual exploitation content and extorting money, more imagery, or both from minors online. It’s like a million nightmares wrapped into one. The wild part is that these issues will only get more pervasive because technology is harnessed to perpetuate horror at a scale unimaginable to a human mind.

Even if you banned phones and the internet or tried to prevent children from accessing the internet, it wouldn’t solve it. Child sexual exploitation will still be with us until as a society we start to prevent the crime before it happens. That is the only human way out right now.

There is no reset button on the internet, but if I could go back, I’d tell survivor advocates to heed the warnings of the early internet builders and to start education and awareness campaigns designed to prevent as much online child sexual exploitation as possible. The internet and technology moved quickly, and I don’t believe that society ever really caught up. We live in a world where a child can be groomed by a predator in their own home while sitting on a couch next to their parents watching TV. We weren’t ready as a species to tackle the fast-paced algorithms and dangers online. It happened too quickly for parents to catch up. How can you parent for the ever-changing digital world unless you are constantly aware of the dangers?

I don’t think that the internet is inherently bad. I believe that it can be a powerful tool for freedom and resistance. I’ve spoken a lot about the bad online, but there is beauty as well. We often discuss how victims and survivors are abused online; we rarely discuss the fact that countless survivors around the globe have been able to share their experiences, strength, hope, as well as provide resources to the vulnerable. I do question if giving any government or tech company access to censorship, surveillance, etc., online in the name of serving survivors might not actually impact a portion of survivors negatively. There are a fair amount of survivors with powerful abusers protected by governments and the corporate press. If a survivor cannot speak to the press about their abuse, the only place they can go is online, directly or indirectly through an independent journalist who also risks being censored. This scenario isn’t hard to imagine—it already happened in China. During #MeToo, a survivor in China wanted to post their story. The government censored the post, so the survivor put their story on the blockchain. I’m excited that the survivor was creative and brave, but it’s terrifying to think that we live in a world where that situation is a necessity.

I believe that the future for many survivors sharing their stories globally will be on completely censorship-resistant and decentralized protocols. This thought in particular gives me hope. When we listen to the experiences of a diverse group of survivors, we can start to understand potential solutions to preventing the crimes from happening in the first place.

My heart is broken over the gut-wrenching stories of survivors sexually exploited online. Every time I hear the story of a survivor, I do think to myself quietly, “What could have prevented this from happening in the first place?” My heart is with survivors.

My head, on the other hand, is full of the understanding that the internet should remain free. The free flow of information should not be stopped. My mind is with the innocent citizens around the globe that deserve freedom both online and offline.

The problem is that governments don’t only want to censor illegal content that violates human rights—they create legislation that is so broad that it can impact speech and privacy of all. “Don’t you care about the kids?” Yes, I do. I do so much that I’m invested in finding solutions. I also care about all citizens around the globe that deserve an opportunity to live free from a mass surveillance society. If terrorism happens online, I should not be punished by losing my freedom. If drugs are sold online, I should not be punished. I’m not an abuser, I’m not a terrorist, and I don’t engage in illegal behaviors. I refuse to lose freedom because of others’ bad behaviors online.

I want to be clear that on a long enough timeline, the governments will decide that they can be better parents/caregivers than you can if something isn’t done to stop minors from being sexually exploited online. The price will be a complete loss of anonymity, privacy, free speech, and freedom of religion online. I find it rather insulting that governments think they’re better equipped to raise children than parents and caretakers.

So we can’t go backwards—all that we can do is go forward. Those who want to have freedom will find technology to facilitate their liberation. This will lead many over time to decentralized and open protocols. So as far as I’m concerned, this does solve a few of my worries—those who need, want, and deserve to speak freely online will have the opportunity in most countries—but what about online child sexual exploitation?

When I popped up around the decentralized space, I was met with the fear of censorship. I’m not here to censor you. I don’t write code. I couldn’t censor anyone or any piece of content even if I wanted to across the internet, no matter how depraved. I don’t have the skills to do that.

I’m here to start a conversation. Freedom comes at a cost. You must always fight for and protect your freedom. I can’t speak about protecting yourself from all of the Four Horsemen because I simply don’t know the topics well enough, but I can speak about this one topic.

If there was a shortcut to ending online child sexual exploitation, I would have found it by now. There isn’t one right now. I believe that education is the only pathway forward to preventing the crime of online child sexual exploitation for future generations.

I propose a yearly education course for every child of all school ages, taught as a standard part of the curriculum. Ideally, parents/caregivers would be involved in the education/learning process.

Course: - The creation of the internet and computers - The fight for cryptography - The tech supply chain from the ground up (example: human rights violations in the supply chain) - Corporate tech - Freedom tech - Data privacy - Digital privacy rights - AI (history-current) - Online safety (predators, scams, catfishing, extortion) - Bitcoin - Laws - How to deal with online hate and harassment - Information on who to contact if you are being abused online or offline - Algorithms - How to seek out the truth about news, etc., online

The parents/caregivers, homeschoolers, unschoolers, and those working to create decentralized parallel societies have been an inspiration while writing this, but my hope is that all children would learn this course, even in government ran schools. Ideally, parents would teach this to their own children.

The decentralized space doesn’t want child sexual exploitation to thrive. Here’s the deal: there has to be a strong prevention effort in order to protect the next generation. The internet isn’t going anywhere, predators aren’t going anywhere, and I’m not down to let anyone have the opportunity to prove that there is a need for more government. I don’t believe that the government should act as parents. The governments have had a chance to attempt to stop online child sexual exploitation, and they didn’t do it. Can we try a different pathway forward?

I’d like to put myself out of a job. I don’t want to ever hear another story like John Doe #1 ever again. This will require work. I’ve often called online child sexual exploitation the lynchpin for the internet. It’s time to arm generations of children with knowledge and tools. I can’t do this alone.

Individuals have fought so that I could have freedom online. I want to fight to protect it. I don’t want child predators to give the government any opportunity to take away freedom. Decentralized spaces are as close to a reset as we’ll get with the opportunity to do it right from the start. Start the youth off correctly by preventing potential hazards to the best of your ability.

The good news is anyone can work on this! I’d encourage you to take it and run with it. I added the additional education about the history of the internet to make the course more educational and fun. Instead of cleaning up generations of destroyed lives due to online sexual exploitation, perhaps this could inspire generations of those who will build our futures. Perhaps if the youth is armed with knowledge, they can create more tools to prevent the crime.

This one solution that I’m suggesting can be done on an individual level or on a larger scale. It should be adjusted depending on age, learning style, etc. It should be fun and playful.

This solution does not address abuse in the home or some of the root causes of offline child sexual exploitation. My hope is that it could lead to some survivors experiencing abuse in the home an opportunity to disclose with a trusted adult. The purpose for this solution is to prevent the crime of online child sexual exploitation before it occurs and to arm the youth with the tools to contact safe adults if and when it happens.

In closing, I went to hell a few times so that you didn’t have to. I spoke to the mothers of survivors of minors sexually exploited online—their tears could fill rivers. I’ve spoken with political dissidents who yearned to be free from authoritarian surveillance states. The only balance that I’ve found is freedom online for citizens around the globe and prevention from the dangers of that for the youth. Don’t slow down innovation and freedom. Educate, prepare, adapt, and look for solutions.

I’m not perfect and I’m sure that there are errors in this piece. I hope that you find them and it starts a conversation.

@ 20e17dd0:2ae504d7

Prerequisite

1. Installing Ubuntu Server
2. Installing Docker on Linux Server

Installation

Open a Terminal session and write the following command to make sure that Docker is running:

ruby sudo systemctl status docker

You should get a screen with the docker.service as "running". To get back to command line do CTRL+C

Then, create the volume that Portainer Server will use to store its database:

ruby sudo docker volume create portainer_data

You are now ready for the on-liner installation:

ruby sudo docker run -d -p 8000:8000 -p 9443:9443 --name portainer --restart=always -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v portainer_data:/data portainer/portainer-ce:latest

To validate the installer, prompt the following command:

ruby sudo docker ps

You should see Portainer's container running.

To access Portainer Server, go to the following adress: https://localhost:9443

Et voila!

@ 044da344:073a8a0e

Kultur. Kunst. Ästhetik. Ich lasse die Ausrufezeichen weg, die mir da entgegenkamen aus dem Publikum in der Ladestation in Köln. Eigentlich sollte es um den „dressierten Nachwuchs“ gehen, am Ende waren wir aber doch wieder bei den Leitmedien und damit auch bei der Gegenöffentlichkeit. Herr Meyen, Sie können doch nicht ernsthaft den Kontrafunk loben. Diese Opernsängerin. Und überhaupt. Ich, sagte der Mann, den ich im Scheinwerferlicht nicht sehen und folglich auch nicht taxieren konnte, ich höre lieber den Deutschlandfunk, trotz der Nachrichten. Das hat Klasse. Das hat Qualität. Geschichte, Tiefe. Wo bitte schön ist das bei Ihren Lieblingen, Herr Meyen?

Ich habe Jenifer Lary verteidigt (die das in ihrer „Musikstunde“ wirklich gut macht, aber das nur nebenbei) und auf die Ressourcen hingewiesen. Hier ein milliardenschwerer Rundfunk, finanziert mit dem Gewaltmonopol des Staates im Rücken, und dort ein paar Mittelständler, die es sich leisten können und wollen, für Kontrafunk-Aktien 25.000 Franken in den Wind zu schreiben, und Kleinspender, die so dankbar sind für das, was Burkhard Müller-Ullrich da auf die Beine stellt, dass sie sich zehn oder 20 Euro abzwacken. Vergeblich. Auch am nächsten Tag im Philosophischen Salon, einer Privatinitiative von Sabine Marx in der gleichen Stadt, wo nach meinem Vortrag allen Ernstes vorgeschlagen wurde, doch einfach Geld zusammenzutragen, damit „die Besten“ zu ködern und so eine Gegenkultur auf die Beine zu stellen, die mindestens genauso gut ist wie das, was zum Beispiel der Deutschlandfunk bietet.

Wenn es nur so einfach wäre. Man muss nicht Pierre Bourdieu gelesen zu haben, um die Magnetwirkung zu sehen, die vom Machtpol der Felder ausgeht – in der Literatur, in der Musik, im Journalismus, in der Wissenschaft. Sicherheit, Geld, manchmal sogar Ruhm. Überhaupt: dazugehören. Mit in der Verlosung zu sein, wenn die großen Bühnen vergeben werden, Preise oder wenigstens Stipendien. Rezensiert werden – und zwar dort, wo die Agenturen hinschauen, die Bibliotheken, die Sponsoren. Ein junger Mensch, der sich bewusst gegen all das entscheidet, habe ich in Köln sinngemäß gesagt, solch ein junger Mensch ist die absolute Ausnahme. Die Folgen spürt jeder, der Personal rekrutieren möchte für Alternativprojekte. Die Folgen spürt auch das Publikum. Wo Konkurrenz und Reibung fehlen, ist es nicht weit bis zur Genügsamkeit, frei nach dem Motto: Meine Follower lieben mich, was also wollt ihr noch von mir?

Ich schicke all das vorweg, um Eugen Zentner würdigen zu können – einen gerade noch jungen Mann, geboren 1979, der alles mitbringt, was es für eine Karriere in der Bewusstseinsindustrie braucht, und der sich nach Versuchen bei der dpa trotzdem gegen die Verlockungen entschieden hat, die das Mitschwimmen abwirft. Ich habe hier schon sein Buch über die neue Kunst- und Kulturszene gewürdigt und freue mich, dass er sich jetzt als Erzähler versucht – mit Kurzgeschichten über Corona-Schicksale, wieder erschienen im Massel-Verlag. Die Form erlaubt ihm, das zuzuspitzen und zu verdichten, was viele zwischen Mitte März 2020 und dem 7. April 2022 erlebt und erlitten haben – angefangen mit Kollegen und Freunden, die erst oft noch ganz aufgeschlossen auf Videos von Wodarg und Co. reagierten, dann aber den Kontakt abbrachen, als sie sahen, was „man“ von diesen Leuten zu halten hat, bis hin zu purem Hass, als die „Pandemie der Ungeimpften“ ausgerufen wurde und so jeder ermutigt wurde, die „Verweigerer“ in den Dreck zu treten.

Die 15 Geschichten von Eugen Zentner sind düster. Vielleicht muss das so sein, weil die Zeit so war und irgendjemand das festhalten muss, auch jenseits von Sachbuch und Journalismus. Das Schulkind, dem unter der Maske die Luft wegbleibt. Die drei Freunde, die sich trotz Lockdown treffen und in der Wohnung von Uniformierten überfallen werden. Die Polizeiopfer auf den Demos. Der Bruder, der Heiligabend bei Mama platzen lässt, weil die Schwester nicht am Katzentisch sitzen mag. Die Oma, die im Pflegeheim eingesperrt wird und den Verstand verliert, weil sie Tochter und Enkel nicht sehen kann und nicht versteht, warum das alles passiert. Die Figuren kommen eher als Holzschnitt daher, schwarz-weiß. Es gibt zwei „Täter“, wenn man so will, einen Journalisten und eine Krankenschwester, die einen Kampf mit ihrem Gewissen austragen und, wie sollte es anders sein, diesen Kampf bei Eugen Zentner verlieren. Es gibt auch einen Abgeordneten aus einer Regierungspartei, der am 18. November 2020 gegen das Infektionsschutzgesetz stimmen will und sich sicher ist, dass er nicht erpresst werden kann. Wir wissen, wie das in der Wirklichkeit ausgegangen ist.

Die Fiktion, gerade in einer Kurzgeschichte, hat den Vorteil, alles wegwischen zu können, was das reale Leben ausmacht. Die Grautöne vor allem, die aus den Erfahrungen sprießen, die der Einzelne gemacht hat. Der Journalismus darf das (eigentlich) nicht und das Sachbuch sowieso nicht. Eigentlich müsste ich das „eigentlich“ wieder streichen und auch für die Kurzgeschichte den Maßstab nachjustieren – für ein Genre, das vom Autor noch mehr verlangt als ein Roman, weil wenig Platz ist und der Leser trotzdem erwartet, dass buchstäblich „alles“ gesagt wird. Eugen Zentner ist auf dem Weg dahin – in der zweiten Auflage vielleicht sogar mit einem Adlerauge für die Korrektur und beim nächsten Versuch mit noch mehr Ruhe und Geduld, um auch das einfangen zu können, was sich dem Zeitzeugen und Beobachter entzieht. Vielleicht muss man seine beiden Bücher einfach nebeneinanderlegen, um zu Hölderlin zu kommen: „Wo aber Gefahr ist, wächst das Rettende auch.“

Kunst, Kultur, Ästhetik: Der Rufer aus Köln hat Recht. Die Gegenöffentlichkeit braucht mehr davon, wenn sie etwas bewegen will. Die Anfänge sind gemacht. Ein paar davon haben wir am Buch-Tresen aufgegriffen: Sonja Silberhorn und Bernd Zeller, Sebastian Schwaerzel und nicht zu vergessen: Thomas Eisinger. Gerade lese ich, dass Raymond Unger einen Roman geschrieben hat. Geht doch, sogar ohne irgendwelche Multimilliardäre.

Freie Akademie für Medien & Journalismus

Unterstützen

Titelbild: Alexa @Pixabay

@ d34e832d:383f78d0

Micro with its operands and keybindings.

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Micro is a modern, user-friendly text editor designed for the terminal. It offers extensive features, including mouse support, multiple cursors, syntax highlighting, and an intuitive command bar.

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1. Command Bar

• Open it with Ctrl-e
• Supports shell-like argument parsing (single/double quotes, escaping)
• No environment variable expansion

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2. Commands Overview

Commands are entered using Ctrl-e followed by the command.

File Management

• save ['filename'] → Save the current buffer (or "Save As" if a filename is given)
• quit → Exit Micro
• open 'filename' → Open a file
• reopen → Reload the current file from disk
• pwd → Print the current working directory
• cd 'path' → Change the working directory

Navigation

• goto 'line[:col]' → Move to an absolute line and column
• jump 'line[:col]' → Move relative to the current line

Editing

• replace 'search' 'value' ['flags'] → Replace text
• -a → Replace all occurrences
• -l → Literal search (no regex)
• replaceall 'search' 'value' → Replace all without confirmation
• textfilter 'sh-command' → Pipe selected text through a shell command and replace it

Splitting and Tabs

• vsplit ['filename'] → Open a vertical split
• hsplit ['filename'] → Open a horizontal split
• tab ['filename'] → Open a file in a new tab
• tabswitch 'tab' → Switch between tabs
• tabmove '[-+]n' → Move tab position

Configuration

• set 'option' 'value' → Set a global option
• setlocal 'option' 'value' → Set an option for the current buffer
• show 'option' → Show the current value of an option
• reset 'option' → Reset an option to its default

Plugins

• plugin list → List installed plugins
• plugin install 'pl' → Install a plugin
• plugin remove 'pl' → Remove a plugin
• plugin update ['pl'] → Update a plugin
• plugin search 'pl' → Search for plugins

Miscellaneous

• run 'sh-command' → Run a shell command in the background
• log → View debug messages
• reload → Reload all runtime files (settings, keybindings, syntax files, etc.)
• raw → Debug terminal escape sequences
• showkey 'key' → Show what action is bound to a key
• term ['exec'] → Open a terminal emulator running a specific command
• lint → Lint the current file
• comment → Toggle comments on a selected line or block

---

3. Keybindings Overview

| Action | Keybinding | |------------------|--------------| | Navigation | | | Move cursor left | ← or h | | Move cursor right | → or l | | Move cursor up | ↑ or k | | Move cursor down | ↓ or j | | Move to start of line | Home | | Move to end of line | End | | Move to start of file | Ctrl-Home | | Move to end of file | Ctrl-End | | Move by word left | Ctrl-← or Ctrl-b | | Move by word right | Ctrl-→ or Ctrl-f | | Editing | | | Copy | Ctrl-c | | Cut | Ctrl-x | | Paste | Ctrl-v | | Undo | Ctrl-z | | Redo | Ctrl-Shift-z | | Delete word left | Ctrl-Backspace | | Delete word right | Ctrl-Delete | | Splitting & Tabs | | | Open horizontal split | Ctrl-w h | | Open vertical split | Ctrl-w v | | Switch tab left | Alt-← | | Switch tab right | Alt-→ |

For more, check the official keybindings:
🔗 Micro Keybindings 🔗Available Here

---

Final Thoughts

Micro is a powerful text editor for terminal users who want an alternative to Vim or Nano. With an intuitive command bar, extensive customization options, and full plugin support, it offers a lightweight yet feature-rich editing experience. 🚀

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/911193

@ d5c3d063:4d1159b3

📢 "ซื้อหนี้ประชาชน" ทางออก หรือ กับดักเศรษฐกิจ

คุณเคยได้ยินไหม "เป็นหนี้แล้วไม่ต้องจ่าย เดี๋ยวมีคนมาซื้อให้" ฟังดูเหมือนฝันที่เป็นจริงใช่ไหม แต่เดี๋ยวก่อน...ลองคิดดูให้ดี ถ้าทุกคนหยุดจ่ายหนี้ แล้วใครกันที่จะเป็นคนแบกรับภาระนี้ ถอดรหัสแนวคิด "ซื้อหนี้ประชาชน" ด้วยเศรษฐศาสตร์แบบง่ายๆ และดูว่ามันจะช่วยเศรษฐกิจได้จริง หรือเป็นเพียง "ยาแก้ปวด" ที่ไม่รักษาอาการแท้จริง เรื่องราวของหนี้ที่ไม่มีวันหมด ลองนึกภาพตามนะ... "สมชาย" กู้เงินมาซื้อรถ 🚗 แต่ผ่อนต่อไม่ไหว ธนาคารจะยึดรถไปขายทอดตลาด แต่ทันใดนั้นก็มีโครงการใหม่จากภาครัฐหรือเอกชน "ซื้อหนี้ออกจากระบบธนาคาร" ฟังดูดีใช่ไหม แต่ปัญหาคือ ถ้าสมชายรู้ว่ามีคนช่วยเสมอ เขาจะมีแรงจูงใจในการจ่ายหนี้ต่อไปหรือเปล่า นั่นแหละ...จุดเริ่มต้นของกับดัก "Moral Hazard"

บทเรียนจาก #HenryHazlitt ผู้เขียน Economics in One Lesson

1 มันช่วยแก้หนี้ได้จริง...หรือแค่ยืดปัญหา Hazlitt เคยเตือนไว้ว่า เศรษฐกิจที่ดีต้องมองผลกระทบระยะยาว ไม่ใช่แค่ผลดีชั่วคราว 🔹 สิ่งที่ดูเหมือนช่วยเหลือวันนี้ อาจสร้างปัญหาที่ใหญ่กว่าในอนาคต 🔹 การแทรกแซงตลาดมักส่งผลให้เกิด "ผลกระทบที่มองไม่เห็น" ซึ่งอาจเลวร้ายกว่าปัญหาที่พยายามแก้ Hazlitt เชื่อว่าการซื้อหนี้แบบนี้อาจดูเหมือนช่วยเหลือประชาชนในระยะสั้น แต่ แท้จริงแล้วมันอาจกระตุ้นให้คนเคยชินกับการไม่จ่ายหนี้ และรอให้รัฐหรือเอกชนมาช่วยเสมอ ลองคิดดูว่า...

💡 ถ้าคนรู้ว่า "เป็นหนี้แล้วไม่ต้องจ่าย เพราะเดี๋ยวมีคนมาช่วย" แล้วพวกเขาจะพยายามจ่ายหนี้ในอนาคตไหม 💡 แล้วใครกันแน่ที่ต้องแบกรับหนี้พวกนี้ ธนาคาร เอกชน หรือสุดท้ายเป็น ภาษีจากประชาชนทุกคน เงินทุกบาทที่ใช้ ต้องมาจากที่ไหนสักแห่งเสมอ

ดังนั้น หากรัฐหรือเอกชนใช้เงินไปซื้อหนี้ แล้วไม่สามารถเก็บคืนได้ เงินนั้นก็จะหายไปจากระบบ เหมือนโยนลงทะเล แล้วแบบนี้คือการแก้ปัญหาจริงๆ หรือแค่ยืดเวลาจนระเบิดลง Hazlitt คงบอกว่า..."ไม่มีวิธีลัดในเศรษฐศาสตร์ การช่วยหนี้แบบนี้เป็นเพียงการเลื่อนเวลาความเสียหาย ไม่ใช่การแก้ปัญหา"

2 "ซื้อหนี้" = เงินจากไหน ผู้เสนอแนวคิดบอกว่า "เราจะใช้เงินเอกชน ไม่ใช่เงินรัฐ" แต่ในความเป็นจริง เอกชนไม่ได้มีเงินเหลือเฟือขนาดนั้น ทางเลือกที่เป็นไปได้ก็คือ... รัฐบาลต้องอุดหนุน ซึ่งสุดท้ายก็มาจากเงินภาษีเราๆ นี่แหละ หรือเอกชนคิดค่าธรรมเนียมเพิ่ม ทำให้ประชาชนต้องจ่ายมากขึ้นในระยะยาว

3 มันอาจทำให้เศรษฐกิจพังเร็วขึ้น Hazlitt อธิบายเรื่อง "เศษแก้วที่แตก" (Broken Window Fallacy) ว่า "การทำลายบางสิ่งเพื่อกระตุ้นเศรษฐกิจไม่ได้ทำให้เราได้กำไรเพิ่ม แต่มันแค่โยกย้ายค่าใช้จ่ายไปที่อื่น" เช่นเดียวกันกับการซื้อหนี้ มันไม่ได้ทำให้เศรษฐกิจดีขึ้น แต่เพียงโยกหนี้ไปที่คนอื่น

🎯 แล้วทางออกที่ดีกว่าคืออะไร แทนที่จะใช้มาตรการซื้อหนี้เพื่อ "ปิดบัง" ปัญหา มาลองดูวิธีแก้ปัญหาที่ใช้ หลักการตลาดเสรีและเศรษฐศาสตร์ที่แท้จริง กันดีกว่า 👇

✅ 1. ปล่อยให้กลไกตลาดจัดการหนี้ตามธรรมชาติ ปัจจุบันมีบริษัทบริหารสินทรัพย์ (AMC) ที่รับซื้อหนี้เสียจากธนาคารในราคาที่เหมาะสมอยู่แล้ว หากปล่อยให้กลไกตลาดดำเนินไป ธนาคารและสถาบันการเงินจะสามารถคัดกรองลูกหนี้ที่สามารถชำระหนี้ได้ออกมาโดยอัตโนมัติ

แล้วทำไมต้องปล่อยให้ตลาดทำงาน

-คนที่สามารถจ่ายหนี้ ได้จะมีแรงจูงใจในการจ่ายต่อ -คนที่จ่ายไม่ได้จริงๆ ก็จะต้องเจรจาปรับโครงสร้างหนี้เอง -บริษัทบริหารหนี้สามารถจัดการได้ดีกว่าภาครัฐ เพราะมีแรงจูงใจทางกำไร

✅ 2. ส่งเสริมการออม และสร้างวินัยทางการเงินให้ยั่งยืน ปัญหาหนี้ครัวเรือน ไม่ใช่แค่เพราะ "ไม่มีเงิน" แต่เพราะพฤติกรรมการใช้เงิน และผลกระทบจากเงินเฟ้อ Henry Hazlitt เตือนว่า การพิมพ์เงินและใช้จ่ายเกินตัวของรัฐบาลเป็นตัวการสำคัญที่ทำให้เงินเฟ้อพุ่งสูง ซึ่งทำให้เงินที่ประชาชนเก็บออม มีมูลค่าลดลงตลอดเวลา บ.ก.จิงโจ้บอกว่า #เวลามีค่าศึกษาบิตคอยน์

✅ 3. ถ้ารัฐบาลต้องการช่วยเศรษฐกิจ ต้องเน้นที่การสร้างงานจริงๆ ผ่านกลไกตลาด ไม่ใช่การแทรกแซงที่ทำให้ประชาชน "เคยชิน" กับการไม่ต้องรับผิดชอบหนี้ของตัวเอง

แนวคิดนี้ช่วยอย่างไร

-คนที่มีงานทำ = มีรายได้ = สามารถชำระหนี้ได้เอง -ธุรกิจเติบโตขึ้น ทำให้เศรษฐกิจขยายตัว -ไม่ต้องให้รัฐเข้ามาแทรกแซงระบบการเงินมากเกินไป

✅ 4. เปิดเสรีสินเชื่อ ให้การแข่งขันทำงานแทนรัฐ ทุกวันนี้สินเชื่อจากธนาคารอาจมีข้อจำกัดสูง ทำให้ประชาชนต้องไปพึ่งพาหนี้นอกระบบ หรือดอกเบี้ยแพงๆ

ถ้ารัฐเปิดเสรีสินเชื่อมากขึ้นล่ะ

-เพิ่มการแข่งขันในภาคธนาคาร ทำให้ดอกเบี้ยต่ำลง -ธนาคารมีแรงจูงใจในการให้สินเชื่อกับลูกหนี้ที่มีความสามารถในการจ่าย -หนี้นอกระบบลดลง ประชาชนสามารถกู้เงินในระบบที่ปลอดภัย

ถ้าคุณเป็นสมชาย แล้วรัฐบาลเสนอให้ซื้อหนี้ของคุณ…คุณจะยอมไหม คุณคิดว่าเป็นโอกาสที่ดี หรือกับดักที่รอทำให้เศรษฐกิจล่มสลาย คอมเมนต์มาบอกกันหน่อยแล้วแท็กเพื่อนที่คุณคิดว่า "ต้องอ่านเรื่องนี้"

แชร์บทความนี้ให้คนรอบตัวคุณ ให้พวกเขารู้ทันว่านโยบายแบบนี้มีผลกระทบอย่างไรกับเศรษฐกิจของเรา 🙃 #Siamstr #EIOL

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

The cryptocurrency world, known for its rapid growth and equally rapid fluctuations, has been rocked by a series of scandals that have left investors wary and regulators on high alert. Among these, the story of Brenda Chunga, better known by her online alias "Bitcoin Beautee," stands out for its sheer scale and the audacity of the fraud involved. Chunga's rise from a relatively unknown figure to a celebrated icon in the crypto community encapsulates the allure and dangers of the cryptocurrency boom.

Table of Contents

• The Rise of Bitcoin Beautee

• The Scheme Unfolds

• The Crackdown Begins

• Implications for Crypto Regulation

• The Future of Cryptocurrency

• Conclusion

• FAQs

The Rise of Bitcoin Beautee

Brenda Chunga's transformation into Bitcoin Beautee represented the quintessential crypto success story. She portrayed herself as a self-made millionaire who had unlocked the secrets of cryptocurrency investment. Her social media was awash with images of luxury cars, exotic vacations, and high-end fashion, all purportedly funded by her savvy investment strategies. This glamorous lifestyle was not just a personal branding tool but also a marketing strategy to attract more investors into the HyperFund scheme she promoted.

Chunga's narrative tapped into the zeitgeist of the era, a time when Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were seeing unprecedented gains. Her story was compelling because it offered hope and validation to the many who wished to replicate her success. However, beneath the surface of this success story lay a web of lies and manipulation. Chunga's wealth was not the result of astute investment but rather the proceeds from a Ponzi scheme that preyed on the hopes and dreams of ordinary people looking to improve their financial situations.

The Scheme Unfolds

The unraveling of the HyperFund scheme revealed the mechanics of a classic Ponzi operation, albeit one supercharged by the global reach and anonymity afforded by the cryptocurrency market. Investors were promised extraordinary returns, a common red flag for investment fraud, yet the allure of quick wealth in the burgeoning crypto market proved irresistible to many. Chunga, leveraging her status as Bitcoin Beautee, was instrumental in giving the scheme credibility and drawing in a vast network of investors from around the globe.

The scheme's collapse was not just a financial disaster for those involved but also a significant blow to the credibility of the cryptocurrency market at large. It highlighted the dark side of the crypto boom: the ease with which unscrupulous individuals could exploit the lack of regulation and the general misunderstanding of how cryptocurrencies work. The case of HyperFund was a wake-up call, illustrating the need for greater diligence and skepticism in the face of promises of outsized returns.

The Crackdown Begins

The legal repercussions for Chunga and her associates mark a turning point in the regulatory approach to cryptocurrency fraud. Her guilty plea and the subsequent charges against her co-conspirators signify a more aggressive stance from authorities in tackling crypto-related crimes. This shift is partly a response to the growing realization of the potential for cryptocurrency to be used in illegal activities, from money laundering to financing terrorism.

The crackdown on Bitcoin Beautee and others involved in the HyperFund scheme is part of a broader effort to clean up the cryptocurrency space. It sends a clear message that the wild west days of the crypto market may be coming to an end. Regulatory bodies are now more determined than ever to impose order, protect investors, and ensure that the revolutionary potential of cryptocurrency is not undermined by fraudsters and criminals.

Implications for Crypto Regulation

The saga of Bitcoin Beautee has reignited the debate over cryptocurrency regulation. Critics of the industry have seized on the scandal as evidence of the inherent risks of a market that operates largely outside traditional financial oversight. Proponents, however, argue that the actions of a few should not tarnish the entire sector and that regulation should not stifle innovation.

The challenge for regulators is to strike a balance between protecting investors and allowing the legitimate use and development of cryptocurrencies. The HyperFund case has shown that this is no easy task, but it has also provided valuable lessons on the tactics used by fraudsters in the crypto space. These insights are crucial in shaping effective regulatory responses that can prevent similar schemes from emerging in the future.

The Future of Cryptocurrency

The impact of the HyperFund scandal extends beyond the immediate legal and financial repercussions. It has prompted a period of introspection within the cryptocurrency community. The realization that such a large-scale fraud could go unnoticed for so long has led to calls for greater self-regulation and community vigilance.

The future of cryptocurrency now hinges on the ability of the community and regulators to learn from incidents like the downfall of Bitcoin Beautee. The promise of decentralized finance and the potential for cryptocurrencies to revolutionize the global financial system remain intact. However, achieving these lofty goals requires a concerted effort to build trust, enhance transparency, and foster a culture of ethical investment practices.

Conclusion

The downfall of Bitcoin Beautee and the unraveling of the $2 billion HyperFund Ponzi scheme serve as a cautionary tale for the cryptocurrency industry. They underscore the urgent need for regulatory frameworks that can adapt to the unique challenges of the digital age while preserving the innovative spirit of the crypto community. As the industry continues to evolve, the lessons learned from this scandal will be instrumental in shaping a more secure, transparent, and sustainable future for cryptocurrency.

FAQs

Who is 'Bitcoin Beautee'? 'Bitcoin Beautee' is the online alias of Brenda Chunga, who became known for her involvement in the HyperFund Ponzi scheme, which defrauded investors of approximately $2 billion.

What was the HyperFund scheme? HyperFund was a Ponzi scheme disguised as a cryptocurrency investment platform. It promised investors unrealistically high returns, funded by the capital of new investors rather than genuine profit.

What has happened to Brenda Chunga? Brenda Chunga, aka 'Bitcoin Beautee,' has pled guilty to fraud charges related to her role in the HyperFund scheme and faces up to five years in prison.

What are the implications of this case for cryptocurrency regulation? The case has highlighted the need for stricter regulation and oversight in the cryptocurrency market to prevent fraud and protect investors.

How can investors protect themselves from similar schemes? Investors should conduct thorough research, be skeptical of investments offering unusually high returns, and invest only in schemes that are transparent and regulated.

That's all for today

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

@ 21335073:a244b1ad

Before I saw those X right-wing political “influencers” parading their Epstein binders in that PR stunt, I’d already posted this on Nostr, an open protocol. 

“Today, the world’s attention will likely fixate on Epstein, governmental failures in addressing horrific abuse cases, and the influential figures who perpetrate such acts—yet few will center the victims and survivors in the conversation. The survivors of Epstein went to law enforcement and very little happened. The survivors tried to speak to the corporate press and the corporate press knowingly covered for him. In situations like these social media can serve as one of the only ways for a survivor’s voice to be heard. 

It’s becoming increasingly evident that the line between centralized corporate social media and the state is razor-thin, if it exists at all. Time and again, the state shields powerful abusers when it’s politically expedient to do so. In this climate, a survivor attempting to expose someone like Epstein on a corporate tech platform faces an uphill battle—there’s no assurance their voice would even break through. Their story wouldn’t truly belong to them; it’d be at the mercy of the platform, subject to deletion at a whim. Nostr, though, offers a lifeline—a censorship-resistant space where survivors can share their truths, no matter how untouchable the abuser might seem. A survivor could remain anonymous here if they took enough steps. 

Nostr holds real promise for amplifying survivor voices. And if you’re here daily, tossing out memes, take heart: you’re helping build a foundation for those who desperately need to be heard.“

That post is untouchable—no CEO, company, employee, or government can delete it. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t take it down myself. The post will outlive me on the protocol. 

The cozy alliance between the state and corporate social media hit me hard during that right-wing X “influencer” PR stunt. Elon owns X. Elon’s a special government employee. X pays those influencers to post. We don’t know who else pays them to post. Those influencers are spurred on by both the government and X to manage the Epstein case narrative. It wasn’t survivors standing there, grinning for photos—it was paid influencers, gatekeepers orchestrating yet another chance to re-exploit the already exploited.

The bond between the state and corporate social media is tight. If the other Epsteins out there are ever to be unmasked, I wouldn’t bet on a survivor’s story staying safe with a corporate tech platform, the government, any social media influencer, or mainstream journalist. Right now, only a protocol can hand survivors the power to truly own their narrative.

I don’t have anything against Elon—I’ve actually been a big supporter. I’m just stating it as I see it. X isn’t censorship resistant and they have an algorithm that they choose not the user. Corporate tech platforms like X can be a better fit for some survivors. X has safety tools and content moderation, making it a solid option for certain individuals. Grok can be a big help for survivors looking for resources or support! As a survivor, you know what works best for you, and safety should always come first—keep that front and center.

That said, a protocol is a game-changer for cases where the powerful are likely to censor. During China's # MeToo movement, survivors faced heavy censorship on social media platforms like Weibo and WeChat, where posts about sexual harassment were quickly removed, and hashtags like # MeToo or "woyeshi" were blocked by government and platform filters. To bypass this, activists turned to blockchain technology encoding their stories—like Yue Xin’s open letter about a Peking University case—into transaction metadata. This made the information tamper-proof and publicly accessible, resisting censorship since blockchain data can’t be easily altered or deleted.

I posted this on X 2/28/25. I wanted to try my first long post on a nostr client. The Epstein cover up is ongoing so it’s still relevant, unfortunately.

If you are a survivor or loved one who is reading this and needs support please reach out to: National Sexual Assault Hotline 24/7 https://rainn.org/

Hours: Available 24 hours

@ 6a6be47b:3e74e3e1

Hi frens, I just wanted to say hello and remind you about the amazing artwork available from my creative corner. 🖼️ 🦄 I have a few digitala prints on my Plebeian Market stall from Bitcoin to some hoverflies. 🦄 On my Kofi-shop I have a bunch of digital prints too; fromBeelzebub toKrampus, stickers for Goodnotesand many other occulture and religious theme artwork. 🦄If you're more into physical prints, you can visit my INPRNT shop but if you'd like to wear my artwork, visit my Teespring shop. 🦄 You can find all of this at my nostree.me profile or go directly tomy website 🦄And of course, my pride and joy are my blog entries, I've painted about Ostara,Lupercalia, Nunsand many other religious and pagan themes. I invite you to take a peek 👀 Also, just dropping by to know how you've been? How are you gonna celebrate this Equinox? Maybe a Spring Cleansing?? Whatever you decide to do, I wish the best for you and your loved ones. I also would like to thank kyou for liking, reposting, the zaps, you're all awesome! None of this would be possible without you my frens! Wishing you all a Happy New Astrological year! Happy Equinox! Godspeed

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

Puerto de las Nieves

Puerto de las Nieves is a picturesque seaside village on Gran Canaria’s northwestern coast, near Agaete. Known for its whitewashed houses, fresh seafood, and stunning coastal views, it’s the perfect place for arelaxing day by the ocean.

🌊 Top Things to Do in Puerto de las Nieves

1️⃣ Relax at Playa de las Nieves

A peaceful pebble beach with crystal-clear waters, perfect for swimming and sunbathing.

2️⃣ See the Dedo de Dios (God’s Finger) Rock Formation

This famous natural rock structure was partially destroyed by a storm in 2005, but the area remains a scenic spot.

3️⃣ Visit the Agaete Natural Pools (Las Salinas de Agaete)

Just a short walk away, these volcanic rock pools offer a natural and sheltered swimming experience.

4️⃣ Walk Along the Promenade

Enjoy a scenic stroll along the coastal promenade, lined with cafés, seafood restaurants, and local shops.

5️⃣ Take a Ferry to Tenerife

Puerto de las Nieves is the departure point for ferries to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, making it a great connection between the Canary Islands.

🍽️ What to Eat in Puerto de las Nieves

• Fresh seafood – Try the local grilled fish (pescado a la espalda) 🐟
• Papas arrugadas with mojo – A Canarian classic 🥔
• Pulpo a la gallega – Delicious Galician-style octopus 🐙
• Local wines – Agaete Valley is known for its unique volcanic wines 🍷

🚗 How to Get to Puerto de las Nieves

🚗 By Car: ~40 minutes from Las Palmas
🚌 By Bus: Direct routes from Las Palmas (Lines 103 & 105)

💡 Tips for Visiting Puerto de las Nieves

✅ Best time to visit? Year-round, but sunsets here are especially magical 🌅
✅ Bring water shoes! The beach is pebbly, so they make swimming easier 👟
✅ Try a boat trip – Great for coastal views and dolphin watching 🚤

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

Argentina's journey through economic turmoil has been long and fraught with challenges. The country has grappled with inflation, debt, and a fragile economic structure that has left policymakers searching for solutions. In this context, President Javier Milei's introduction of the "Ley Ómnibus" represented a bold step towards addressing these systemic issues. The reform package was not just a set of isolated measures but a comprehensive plan aimed at overhauling the Argentine economy and social framework. The intention was to create a more robust, free, and prosperous Argentina, where economic freedoms could lead to broader social benefits.

The "Ley Ómnibus" was ambitious in its scope, covering a wide range of areas from tax reform to social policies, aiming to stimulate economic growth, reduce bureaucratic red tape, and enhance the overall quality of life for Argentines. This package was seen as a critical move to reset the economic compass of the country, aiming to attract foreign investment, boost local industry, and provide a clearer, more stable environment for businesses and individuals alike. However, such sweeping reforms were bound to encounter resistance, particularly when they touched upon sensitive areas like taxation and digital assets.

Table of Contents

• The Crypto Tax Proposal: Initial Considerations

• Public Backlash and Strategic Withdrawal

• The Rationale Behind Dropping Crypto Taxes

• Implications for Crypto Investors and the Market

• Milei's Political Strategy and Future Prospects

• Conclusion

• FAQs

The Crypto Tax Proposal: Initial Considerations

Within the vast array of proposals in the Ley Ómnibus, the crypto tax stood out due to its novelty and the growing interest in digital currencies within Argentina. The country had seen a surge in cryptocurrency adoption, driven by factors such as high inflation rates and currency controls that made traditional financial systems less attractive. Cryptocurrencies offered an alternative for savings, investment, and transactions, leading to a burgeoning crypto economy.

The initial rationale behind proposing a crypto tax was multifaceted. On one hand, it aimed to bring Argentina in line with global trends where countries are increasingly seeking to regulate and tax digital currencies. On the other hand, it was seen as a potential new revenue stream for the government, which was desperately seeking funds to address its fiscal deficits. The proposal also intended to bring transparency to a sector that is often criticized for its opacity, making it easier to combat fraud, money laundering, and other illicit activities associated with cryptocurrencies.

However, the proposal was not just about regulation and revenue. It was also a litmus test for Argentina's approach to innovation and digital transformation. How the government handled this issue would signal its stance towards new technologies and economic paradigms, which are increasingly dominated by digital assets and fintech innovations.

Public Backlash and Strategic Withdrawal

The backlash against the proposed crypto taxes was swift and significant. The crypto community in Argentina, which had been flourishing in an environment of relative freedom, saw the tax as a direct threat to its growth and viability. But the discontent went beyond the crypto enthusiasts; the general public, already burdened by high taxes and economic instability, viewed the proposal as yet another financial strain.

The protests and debates that ensued highlighted a broader discontent with the government's approach to economic management. Many Argentines felt that the focus should be on fixing the fundamental issues plaguing the economy, such as inflation and corruption, rather than imposing new taxes. The crypto tax became a symbol of the government's perceived detachment from the real concerns of its citizens.

In this heated atmosphere, President Milei's decision to withdraw the crypto tax proposal from the Ley Ómnibus was not just a tactical retreat; it was a necessary move to quell the growing unrest and focus on more pressing economic reforms. This decision underscored the complexities of governing in a highly polarized environment and the need for a more nuanced approach to policy-making, especially when dealing with emerging technologies and markets.

The Rationale Behind Dropping Crypto Taxes

The decision to drop the crypto tax from the omnibus reform package was not taken lightly. It was a recognition of the crypto sector's unique dynamics and the government's limitations in effectively regulating and taxing this space without stifling innovation. The move also reflected a broader understanding of the economic landscape, where rapid development and legislative efficiency were deemed more crucial than ever.

By removing the contentious clauses, the government aimed to streamline the passage of the Ley Ómnibus, ensuring that other, less controversial, reforms could be implemented swiftly. This strategic pivot was also a nod to the global debate on how best to integrate cryptocurrencies into national economies. Argentina's government recognized that a more cautious and informed approach was necessary, one that could balance the need for regulation with the desire to foster a thriving digital economy.

Furthermore, the withdrawal of the crypto tax proposal can be seen as an acknowledgment of the power of public opinion and the crypto community's growing influence. It highlighted the need for governments to engage with stakeholders and understand the implications of new technologies before rushing to regulate them.

Implications for Crypto Investors and the Market

The removal of the crypto tax proposal has had immediate and significant implications for the Argentine crypto market. For investors, the decision has provided a reprieve from the uncertainty that had clouded the sector, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief and continue their activities without the looming threat of new taxes. This has helped sustain the momentum of the crypto market in Argentina, which is seen as a vital component of the country's digital transformation and economic diversification.

However, the situation remains complex and fluid. The government's stance on cryptocurrencies is still evolving, and future regulations could impact the market in unforeseen ways. Investors are now more aware of the need to stay informed and engaged with regulatory developments, understanding that the legal landscape for digital currencies is still being shaped.

The episode has also highlighted the broader challenges facing the Argentine economy, including the need for comprehensive tax reform and the creation of a more conducive environment for technological innovation and investment. The crypto market's response to the government's actions reflects the delicate balance between regulation and growth, a balance that will be crucial for Argentina's economic future.

Milei's Political Strategy and Future Prospects

President Milei's handling of the crypto tax controversy reveals much about his political strategy and vision for Argentina. By withdrawing the proposal, he demonstrated a willingness to listen to public concerns and adapt his policies accordingly. This flexibility could be a key asset as he navigates the complex landscape of Argentine politics and governance.

The episode also offers insights into the potential future direction of Milei's administration. The focus on economic reforms, coupled with a pragmatic approach to contentious issues, suggests a leadership style that prioritizes economic stability and growth over ideological purity. This could bode well for Argentina's future, particularly if Milei can harness the energy and innovation of the digital economy as part of his broader reform agenda.

However, the challenges ahead are significant. The Ley Ómnibus is just one part of a larger puzzle, and Milei's ability to implement comprehensive reforms will be tested in the coming months and years. The crypto tax saga has shown that while change is possible, it requires careful negotiation, stakeholder engagement, and a clear understanding of the economic and social landscape.

Conclusion

The story of Argentina's crypto tax proposal is a microcosm of the broader challenges facing the country as it seeks to reform its economy and society. It highlights the tensions between innovation and regulation, the importance of public opinion, and the complexities of governance in a rapidly changing world.

As Argentina moves forward, the lessons learned from this episode will be invaluable. The need for clear, informed, and inclusive policy-making has never been greater, particularly as the country navigates the uncertainties of the digital age.

FAQs

What is the Ley Ómnibus? The Ley Ómnibus, formally known as the "Law of Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines," is a comprehensive reform package introduced by President Javier Milei. It aims to address various economic, social, and administrative issues in Argentina, aiming to stimulate growth, reduce bureaucracy, and improve the overall quality of life.

Why were crypto taxes proposed in Argentina? Crypto taxes were proposed as part of the Ley Ómnibus to broaden the tax base, align with global trends of regulating digital currencies, and generate additional revenue for the government. They were also intended to bring more transparency to the cryptocurrency sector in Argentina.

Why were the proposed crypto taxes withdrawn? The proposed crypto taxes were withdrawn due to significant public backlash and concerns that they would stifle innovation and economic freedom in the burgeoning crypto market. The decision was also influenced by the government's priority to ensure the swift passage of other reforms within the Ley Ómnibus.

What does the withdrawal of crypto taxes mean for investors? The withdrawal means that, for now, crypto investors in Argentina will not face additional taxes specifically targeting their cryptocurrency holdings or transactions. However, selling large amounts of cryptocurrency at a profit will still be subject to income tax.

That's all for today

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

NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com

X: @croxroadnewsco

Instagram: @croxroadnews.co/

Youtube: @thebitcoinlibertarian

Store: https://croxroad.store

Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter

https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe

Get Orange Pill App And Connect With Bitcoiners In Your Area. Stack Friends Who Stack Sats link: https://signup.theorangepillapp.com/opa/croxroad

Buy Bitcoin Books At Konsensus Network Store. 10% Discount With Code “21croxroad” link: https://bitcoinbook.shop?ref=21croxroad

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

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/909958

@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43

Introduction

Throughout human history, the pyramids of Egypt have fascinated scholars, archaeologists, and engineers alike. Traditionally thought of as tombs for pharaohs or religious monuments, alternative theories have speculated that the pyramids may have served advanced technological functions. One such hypothesis suggests that the pyramids acted as large-scale nitrogen fertilizer generators, designed to transform arid desert landscapes into fertile land.

This paper explores the feasibility of such a system by examining how a pyramid could integrate thermal convection, electrolysis, and a self-regulating breeder reactor to sustain nitrogen fixation processes. We will calculate the total power requirements and estimate the longevity of a breeder reactor housed within the structure.

The Pyramid’s Function as a Nitrogen Fertilizer Generator

The hypothesized system involves several key processes:

• Heat and Convection: A fissile material core located in the King's Chamber would generate heat, creating convection currents throughout the pyramid.
• Electrolysis and Hydrogen Production: Water sourced from subterranean channels would undergo electrolysis, splitting into hydrogen and oxygen due to electrical and thermal energy.
• Nitrogen Fixation: The generated hydrogen would react with atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) to produce ammonia (NH₃), a vital component of nitrogen-based fertilizers.

Power Requirements for Continuous Operation

To maintain the pyramid’s core at approximately 450°C, sufficient to drive nitrogen fixation, we estimate a steady-state power requirement of 23.9 gigawatts (GW).

Total Energy Required Over 10,000 Years

Given continuous operation over 10,000 years, the total energy demand can be calculated as:

[ \text{Total time} = 10,000 \times 365.25 \times 24 \times 3600 \text{ seconds} ]

[ \text{Total time} = 3.16 \times 10^{11} \text{ seconds} ]

[ \text{Total energy} = 23.9 \text{ GW} \times 3.16 \times 10^{11} \text{ s} ]

[ \approx 7.55 \times 10^{21} \text{ J} ]

Using a Self-Regulating Breeder Reactor

A breeder reactor could sustain this power requirement by generating more fissile material than it consumes. This reduces the need for frequent refueling.

Pebble Bed Reactor Design

• Self-Regulation: The reactor would use passive cooling and fuel expansion to self-regulate temperature.
• Breeding Process: The reactor would convert thorium-232 into uranium-233, creating a sustainable fuel cycle.

Fissile Material Requirements

Each kilogram of fissile material releases approximately 80 terajoules (TJ) (or 8 × 10^{13} J/kg). Given a 35% efficiency rate, the usable energy per kilogram is:

[ \text{Usable energy per kg} = 8 \times 10^{13} \times 0.35 = 2.8 \times 10^{13} \text{ J/kg} ]

[ \text{Fissile material required} = \frac{7.55 \times 10^{21}}{2.8 \times 10^{13}} ]

[ \approx 2.7 \times 10^{8} \text{ kg} = 270,000 \text{ tons} ]

Impact of a Breeding Ratio

If the reactor operates at a breeding ratio of 1.3, the total fissile material requirement would be reduced to:

[ \frac{270,000}{1.3} \approx 208,000 \text{ tons} ]

Reactor Size and Fuel Replenishment

Assuming a pebble bed reactor housed in the King’s Chamber (~318 cubic meters), the fuel cycle could be sustained with minimal refueling. With a breeding ratio of 1.3, the reactor could theoretically operate for 10,000 years with occasional replenishment of lost material due to inefficiencies.

Managing Scaling in the Steam Generation System

To ensure long-term efficiency, the water supply must be conditioned to prevent mineral scaling. Several strategies could be implemented:

1. Natural Water Softening Using Limestone

• Passing river water through limestone beds could help precipitate out calcium bicarbonate, reducing hardness before entering the steam system.

2. Chemical Additives for Scaling Prevention

• Chelating Agents: Compounds such as citric acid or tannins could be introduced to bind calcium and magnesium ions.
• Phosphate Compounds: These interfere with crystal formation, preventing scale adhesion.

3. Superheating and Pre-Evaporation

• Pre-Evaporation: Water exposed to extreme heat before entering the system would allow minerals to precipitate out before reaching the reactor.
• Superheated Steam: Ensuring only pure vapor enters the steam cycle would prevent mineral buildup.
• Electrolysis of Superheated Steam: Using multi-million volt electrostatic fields to ionize and separate minerals before they enter the steam system.

4. Electrostatic Control for Scaling Mitigation

• The pyramid’s hypothesized high-voltage environment could ionize water molecules, helping to prevent mineral deposits.

Conclusion

If the Great Pyramid were designed as a self-regulating nitrogen fertilizer generator, it would require a continuous 23.9 GW energy supply, which could be met by a breeder reactor housed within its core. With a breeding ratio of 1.3, an initial load of 208,000 tons of fissile material would sustain operations for 10,000 years with minimal refueling.

Additionally, advanced water treatment techniques, including limestone filtration, chemical additives, and electrostatic control, could ensure long-term efficiency by mitigating scaling issues.

While this remains a speculative hypothesis, it presents a fascinating intersection of energy production, water treatment, and environmental engineering as a means to terraform the ancient world.

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

It's Monday so we're back doing "Meta Music Mondays" 😉.

From before the territory existed there was just one post a week in a ~meta take over. Now each month we have a different theme and bring music from that theme.

This month is March and we're doing March Madness. So give me those Wacky and Weird crazy artists and songs. The weirder the better!

Let's have fun.

How about crazy yodel prog?

https://youtu.be/Obdv1jghXAE?si=8e4b7ISJg6pDGGBP

Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/909253

@ 6b0a60cf:b952e7d4

このイベント自身をnaddr形式で参照する nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzq6c2vr8l8m9952e9qhxt8acn8kzzypzuhm6q70fvvxylkzu49e75qydhwumn8ghj7mnjv4kxz7fwvvkhxar9d3kxzu3wdejhgtcqp5cnwdpjxs6n2de3xyenxwql6rq76

@ e5de992e:4a95ef85

Market Overview

As of March 19, 2025, U.S. stock markets experienced a notable rally, driven by the Federal Reserve's decision to maintain current interest rates and signals of potential rate cuts later this year.

---

Index Performance

• Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA):
  Increased by 383.32 points (0.9%) to close at 41,964.63.

• S&P 500:
  Rose 1.1%, ending at 5,675.29.

• Nasdaq Composite:
  Advanced 1.4% to 17,750.79.

• Russell 2000:
  Gained 1.6% to close at 2,082.08.

---

Key Drivers and Events

Federal Reserve's Monetary Policy

• The Federal Reserve opted to keep its key interest rate unchanged amid increased economic uncertainty, partly due to recent tariff measures.
• The central bank also indicated the possibility of two rate cuts by the end of the year to support economic growth.

Corporate Earnings

• Boeing (BA):
  Shares rose significantly, contributing to gains in the Dow.
• Tesla (TSLA):
  Increased by 4.7%, outperforming competitors.

Geopolitical Factors

• Ongoing trade tensions and tariff policies, especially those announced by President Donald Trump, have added to market volatility.
• These policies are influencing investor sentiment and economic outlooks.

---

Global Market Context

• European Markets:
  Generally rose, buoyed by fiscal initiatives and supportive policies.
• Asian Markets:
  Experienced slight declines.
• Regional Note:
  Indonesia's stock market faced a temporary suspension due to significant declines.

---

Commodity and Bond Markets

• Oil:
  Prices climbed, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures approaching stability at $67.85 per barrel, reflecting supply concerns amid reported inventory drawdowns and limited ceasefire conditions in the Russia-Ukraine region.

• Gold:
  Prices reached a record high, driven by the Fed’s revised economic projections and a flight to safety among investors.

• 10-Year Treasury Yield:
  Decreased following the Fed's rate decision, indicating increased demand for safer assets.

---

Market Outlook

Investors are advised to closely monitor upcoming economic indicators—such as employment data and consumer spending reports—to assess the economy's trajectory. Additionally, the Federal Reserve's future policy decisions will play a crucial role in shaping market dynamics in the near term.

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

The cryptocurrency landscape is witnessing a significant shift as institutional investors, led by giants like BlackRock, are increasingly venturing into Bitcoin, marking a new era in the digital asset's journey. This article delves into the recent acquisition spree where institutional entities have amassed a substantial 3.3% of Bitcoin's total supply, exploring the implications and potential outcomes of this trend. The movement signifies a departure from traditional investment paradigms, as these financial behemoths traditionally steered clear of highly volatile assets like Bitcoin. However, the changing economic landscape, marked by inflation fears and the search for non-correlated assets, has led these institutions to reconsider their stance. The involvement of firms like BlackRock not only brings substantial capital to the Bitcoin market but also signals to other institutional and retail investors that Bitcoin is a viable asset class. This shift is not merely about investment in digital assets but represents a broader acceptance of cryptocurrency as an integral part of the modern financial landscape.

Table of Contents

• The Rise of Institutional Investment in Bitcoin

• The 3.3% Supply Phenomenon

• Implications of Institutional Holdings

• Challenges and Controversies

• The Road Ahead

• Conclusion

• FAQs

The Rise of Institutional Investment in Bitcoin

In recent years, Bitcoin has transitioned from a speculative investment for individual traders to a legitimate asset class attracting institutional investors. The introduction of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has been a pivotal moment, providing a regulated and accessible avenue for institutional players to enter the cryptocurrency market. Companies like BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, have led the charge, signaling a significant endorsement of Bitcoin's long-term value. This trend is reinforced by the growing dissatisfaction with traditional financial systems and the low-yield environment, driving institutions to seek alternative investments. The rise of institutional investment has been facilitated by improved regulatory clarity and the development of more sophisticated cryptocurrency services, including custody and trading solutions tailored for institutional needs. This wave of institutional interest is not just a fad but a reflection of a deeper understanding and acceptance of blockchain technology and its potential to revolutionize financial systems. As more institutions enter the market, we can expect to see a ripple effect, with increased innovation, product offerings, and perhaps even regulatory reforms tailored to accommodate the burgeoning asset class.

The 3.3% Supply Phenomenon

A recent report has shed light on a remarkable development: the combined applicants of 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs now hold approximately 3.3% of the total circulating Bitcoin supply. This group includes heavyweight financial institutions such as Grayscale, Fidelity, and Franklin Templeton, among others. This collective move by institutional investors to secure a sizable portion of Bitcoin's supply underscores their bullish outlook on the cryptocurrency's future. The strategic acquisition of such a significant portion of the supply is not just a vote of confidence in Bitcoin's value proposition; it also reflects a strategic positioning for future financial landscapes where digital assets play a central role. This accumulation can lead to a reduction in market liquidity, which, while potentially increasing volatility in the short term, may also lead to higher prices as demand continues to grow against a limited supply. The actions of these institutions highlight a strategic shift towards diversification and the recognition of Bitcoin as a digital gold, a hedge against inflation, and a new asset class with unique properties.

Implications of Institutional Holdings

The substantial acquisition of Bitcoin by institutional investors has several implications. Firstly, market stability is expected to improve as institutional investors are typically long-term holders, reducing the market's susceptibility to large, speculative price swings. Unlike retail investors, who may be prone to panic selling during market downturns, institutions are more likely to hold their positions through volatility, providing a stabilizing effect on the market. Secondly, the price impact, while not immediately evident, could manifest significantly in the long term. As institutions continue to accumulate Bitcoin, the reduced supply could lead to price increases, especially if retail and other institutional investors continue to enter the market. Thirdly, the legitimacy and adoption of Bitcoin are likely to increase as institutional involvement can be seen as an endorsement of its viability as an investment. However, this shift also brings challenges, such as potential centralization and the risk of large-scale market manipulation. The increased institutional presence in the Bitcoin market is a double-edged sword; while it brings legitimacy and stability, it also introduces new risks and challenges that the cryptocurrency community must navigate.

Challenges and Controversies

Despite the optimistic outlook, the move has not been without its challenges and controversies. The approval of Bitcoin ETFs by regulatory bodies like the SEC has been met with mixed reactions. SEC Chair Gary Gensler's comments highlighted the irony in approving spot Bitcoin ETFs, pointing out the potential for increased centralization and speculation in a market that values decentralization. This decision has sparked a debate within the cryptocurrency community about the future of Bitcoin and whether institutional involvement will dilute its foundational principles. Furthermore, the large-scale acquisition of Bitcoin by institutions could lead to a concentration of wealth and power within the ecosystem, which contradicts the decentralized ethos that Bitcoin was built upon. Additionally, there are concerns about the environmental impact of Bitcoin mining and whether institutional investors will push for more sustainable practices or exacerbate the issue. The entry of institutional investors into the Bitcoin space is a complex development that brings both opportunities and challenges, and its long-term impact remains to be seen.

The Road Ahead

As the market adjusts to the new reality of institutional involvement in Bitcoin, all eyes will be on the impact of these developments on the cryptocurrency's price, supply dynamics, and overall market structure. Additionally, the upcoming Bitcoin halving event in April is set to further influence the market, reducing the rate at which new Bitcoins are created and possibly leading to tighter supply conditions. This event could exacerbate the effects of institutional accumulation, potentially leading to significant price movements. The road ahead for Bitcoin is fraught with uncertainties and possibilities. The increasing institutional interest in Bitcoin is likely to continue shaping the cryptocurrency landscape, influencing everything from regulatory approaches to technological innovations within the space. As we move forward, the key will be balancing the benefits of institutional involvement with the need to preserve the decentralized, open nature of cryptocurrencies.

Conclusion

The acquisition of 3.3% of Bitcoin's supply by institutional investors marks a significant milestone in the cryptocurrency's evolution. As institutions like BlackRock and others bet big on Bitcoin, the landscape of digital assets is set to change dramatically. While challenges remain, the long-term outlook for Bitcoin appears more promising than ever, with institutional investment paving the way for broader acceptance and stability in the cryptocurrency market. However, as the market evolves, it will be crucial to monitor the impacts of this shift, ensuring that Bitcoin remains a tool for financial empowerment and innovation, rather than becoming an instrument of traditional financial systems. The journey of Bitcoin continues to unfold, and the involvement of institutional investors is just the latest chapter in its ongoing story.

FAQs

Why are institutional investors like BlackRock interested in Bitcoin? Institutional investors are turning to Bitcoin as a new asset class to diversify their portfolios, hedge against inflation, and capitalize on the potential for high returns. The growing acceptance of Bitcoin as a legitimate investment, improved regulatory clarity, and the development of institutional-grade trading and custody services have also contributed to this interest.

What does the 3.3% Bitcoin supply acquisition mean? The 3.3% supply acquisition refers to the combined total of Bitcoin currently held by the applicants of 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs. This significant holding indicates a strong belief in the future value of Bitcoin and represents a substantial portion of the total circulating supply, highlighting the growing influence of institutional investors in the cryptocurrency market.

How does institutional investment affect the Bitcoin market? Institutional investment is expected to bring more stability, reduce volatility, and increase market maturity. However, it could also lead to potential centralization and influence market dynamics, such as supply scarcity, which may drive up prices.

What are the challenges and controversies surrounding institutional investment in Bitcoin? Challenges include potential market manipulation, centralization of Bitcoin holdings, and deviation from Bitcoin's original ethos of decentralization. Controversies also arise from environmental concerns related to Bitcoin mining and the potential for increased speculation and volatility.

That's all for today

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

NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com

X: @croxroadnewsco

Instagram: @croxroadnews.co/

Youtube: @thebitcoinlibertarian

Store: https://croxroad.store

Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter

https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe

Get Orange Pill App And Connect With Bitcoiners In Your Area. Stack Friends Who Stack Sats link: https://signup.theorangepillapp.com/opa/croxroad

Buy Bitcoin Books At Konsensus Network Store. 10% Discount With Code “21croxroad” link: https://bitcoinbook.shop?ref=21croxroad

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

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers!

Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon!

A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

So stay a while and listen.

🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨

🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/908874