@ b17fccdf:b7211155

Si vives en España, quizás hayas notado que no puedes acceder a ciertas páginas webs durante los fines de semana o en algunos días entre semana, entre ellas, la guía de MiniBolt.

Esto tiene una razón, por supuesto una solución, además de una conclusión. Sin entrar en demasiados detalles:

La razón

El bloqueo a Cloudflare, implementado desde hace casi dos meses por operadores de Internet (ISPs) en España (como Movistar, O2, DIGI, Pepephone, entre otros), se basa en una orden judicial emitida tras una demanda de LALIGA (Fútbol). Esta medida busca combatir la piratería en España, un problema que afecta directamente a dicha organización.

Aunque la intención original era restringir el acceso a dominios específicos que difundieran dicho contenido, Cloudflare emplea el protocolo ECH (Encrypted Client Hello), que oculta el nombre del dominio, el cual antes se transmitía en texto plano durante el proceso de establecimiento de una conexión TLS. Esta medida dificulta que las operadoras analicen el tráfico para aplicar bloqueos basados en dominios, lo que les obliga a recurrir a bloqueos más amplios por IP o rangos de IP para cumplir con la orden judicial.

Esta práctica tiene consecuencias graves, que han sido completamente ignoradas por quienes la ejecutan. Es bien sabido que una infraestructura de IP puede alojar numerosos dominios, tanto legítimos como no legítimos. La falta de un "ajuste fino" en los bloqueos provoca un perjuicio para terceros, restringiendo el acceso a muchos dominios legítimos que no tiene relación alguna con actividades ilícitas, pero que comparten las mismas IPs de Cloudflare con dominios cuestionables. Este es el caso de la web de MiniBolt y su dominio minibolt.info, los cuales utilizan Cloudflare como proxy para aprovechar las medidas de seguridad, privacidad, optimización y servicios adicionales que la plataforma ofrece de forma gratuita.

Si bien este bloqueo parece ser temporal (al menos durante la temporada 24/25 de fútbol, hasta finales de mayo), es posible que se reactive con el inicio de la nueva temporada.

La solución

Obviamente, MiniBolt no dejará de usar Cloudflare como proxy por esta razón. Por lo que a continuación se exponen algunas medidas que como usuario puedes tomar para evitar esta restricción y poder acceder:

~> Utiliza una VPN:

Existen varias soluciones de proveedores de VPN, ordenadas según su reputación en privacidad: - IVPN - Mullvad VPN - Proton VPN (gratis) - Obscura VPN (solo para macOS) - Cloudfare WARP (gratis) + permite utilizar el modo proxy local para enrutar solo la navegación, debes utilizar la opción "WARP a través de proxy local" siguiendo estos pasos: 1. Inicia Cloudflare WARP y dentro de la pequeña interfaz haz click en la rueda dentada abajo a la derecha > "Preferencias" > "Avanzado" > "Configurar el modo proxy" 2. Marca la casilla "Habilite el modo proxy en este dispositivo" 3. Elige un "Puerto de escucha de proxy" entre 0-65535. ej: 1080, haz click en "Aceptar" y cierra la ventana de preferencias 4. Accede de nuevo a Cloudflare WARP y pulsa sobre el switch para habilitar el servicio. 3. Ahora debes apuntar el proxy del navegador a Cloudflare WARP, la configuración del navegador es similar a esta para el caso de navegadores basados en Firefox. Una vez hecho, deberías poder acceder a la guía de MiniBolt sin problemas. Si tienes dudas, déjalas en comentarios e intentaré resolverlas. Más info AQUÍ.

~> Proxifica tu navegador para usar la red de Tor, o utiliza el navegador oficial de Tor (recomendado).

La conclusión

Estos hechos ponen en tela de juicio los principios fundamentales de la neutralidad de la red, pilares esenciales de la Declaración de Independencia del Ciberespacio que defiende un internet libre, sin restricciones ni censura. Dichos principios se han visto quebrantados sin precedentes en este país, confirmando que ese futuro distópico que muchos negaban, ya es una realidad.

Es momento de actuar y estar preparados: debemos impulsar el desarrollo y la difusión de las herramientas anticensura que tenemos a nuestro alcance, protegiendo así la libertad digital y asegurando un acceso equitativo a la información para todos

Este compromiso es uno de los pilares fundamentales de MiniBolt, lo que convierte este desafío en una oportunidad para poner a prueba las soluciones anticensura ya disponibles, así como las que están en camino.

¡Censúrame si puedes, legislador! ¡La lucha por la privacidad y la libertad en Internet ya está en marcha!

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Fuentes: * https://bandaancha.eu/articulos/movistar-o2-deja-clientes-sin-acceso-11239 * https://bandaancha.eu/articulos/esta-nueva-sentencia-autoriza-bloqueos-11257 * https://bandaancha.eu/articulos/como-saltarse-bloqueo-webs-warp-vpn-9958 * https://bandaancha.eu/articulos/como-activar-ech-chrome-acceder-webs-10689 * https://comunidad.movistar.es/t5/Soporte-Fibra-y-ADSL/Problema-con-web-que-usan-Cloudflare/td-p/5218007

@ 66675158:1b644430

I don't believe in "vibe coding" – it's just the newest Silicon Valley fad trying to give meaning to their latest favorite technology, LLMs. We've seen this pattern before with blockchain, when suddenly Non Fungible Tokens appeared, followed by Web3 startups promising to revolutionize everything from social media to supply chains. VCs couldn't throw money fast enough at anything with "decentralized" (in name only) in the pitch deck. Andreessen Horowitz launched billion-dollar crypto funds, while Y Combinator batches filled with blockchain startups promising to be "Uber for X, but on the blockchain."

The metaverse mania followed, with Meta betting its future on digital worlds where we'd supposedly hang out as legless avatars. Decentralized (in name only) autonomous organizations emerged as the next big thing – supposedly democratic internet communities that ended up being the next scam for quick money.

Then came the inevitable collapse. The FTX implosion in late 2022 revealed fraud, Luna/Terra's death spiral wiped out billions (including my ten thousand dollars), while Celsius and BlockFi froze customer assets before bankruptcy.

By 2023, crypto winter had fully set in. The SEC started aggressive enforcement actions, while users realized that blockchain technology had delivered almost no practical value despite a decade of promises.

Blockchain's promises tapped into fundamental human desires – decentralization resonated with a generation disillusioned by traditional institutions. Evangelists presented a utopian vision of freedom from centralized control. Perhaps most significantly, crypto offered a sense of meaning in an increasingly abstract world, making the clear signs of scams harder to notice.

The technology itself had failed to solve any real-world problems at scale. By 2024, the once-mighty crypto ecosystem had become a cautionary tale. Venture firms quietly scrubbed blockchain references from their websites while founders pivoted to AI and large language models.

---

Most reading this are likely fellow bitcoiners and nostr users who understand that Bitcoin is blockchain's only valid use case. But I shared that painful history because I believe the AI-hype cycle will follow the same trajectory.

Just like with blockchain, we're now seeing VCs who once couldn't stop talking about "Web3" falling over themselves to fund anything with "AI" in the pitch deck. The buzzwords have simply changed from "decentralized" to "intelligent."

"Vibe coding" is the perfect example – a trendy name for what is essentially just fuzzy instructions to LLMs. Developers who've spent years honing programming skills are now supposed to believe that "vibing" with an AI is somehow a legitimate methodology.

This might be controversial to some, but obvious to others:

Formal, context-free grammar will always remain essential for building precise systems, regardless of how advanced natural language technology becomes

The mathematical precision of programming languages provides a foundation that human language's ambiguity can never replace. Programming requires precision – languages, compilers, and processors operate on explicit instructions, not vibes. What "vibe coding" advocates miss is that beneath every AI-generated snippet lies the same deterministic rules that have always governed computation.

LLMs don't understand code in any meaningful sense—they've just ingested enormous datasets of human-written code and can predict patterns. When they "work," it's because they've seen similar patterns before, not because they comprehend the underlying logic.

This creates a dangerous dependency. Junior developers "vibing" with LLMs might get working code without understanding the fundamental principles. When something breaks in production, they'll lack the knowledge to fix it.

Even experienced developers can find themselves in treacherous territory when relying too heavily on LLM-generated code. What starts as a productivity boost can transform into a dependency crutch.

The real danger isn't just technical limitations, but the false confidence it instills. Developers begin to believe they understand systems they've merely instructed an AI to generate – fundamentally different from understanding code you've written yourself.

We're already seeing the warning signs: projects cobbled together with LLM-generated code that work initially but become maintenance nightmares when requirements change or edge cases emerge.

The venture capital money is flowing exactly as it did with blockchain. Anthropic raised billions, OpenAI is valued astronomically despite minimal revenue, and countless others are competing to build ever-larger models with vague promises. Every startup now claims to be "AI-powered" regardless of whether it makes sense.

Don't get me wrong—there's genuine innovation happening in AI research. But "vibe coding" isn't it. It's a marketing term designed to make fuzzy prompting sound revolutionary.

Cursor perfectly embodies this AI hype cycle. It's an AI-enhanced code editor built on VS Code that promises to revolutionize programming by letting you "chat with your codebase." Just like blockchain startups promised to "revolutionize" industries, Cursor promises to transform development by adding LLM capabilities.

Yes, Cursor can be genuinely helpful. It can explain unfamiliar code, suggest completions, and help debug simple issues. After trying it for just an hour, I found the autocomplete to be MAGICAL for simple refactoring and basic functionality.

But the marketing goes far beyond reality. The suggestion that you can simply describe what you want and get production-ready code is dangerously misleading. What you get are approximations with:

• Security vulnerabilities the model doesn't understand
• Edge cases it hasn't considered
• Performance implications it can't reason about
• Dependency conflicts it has no way to foresee

The most concerning aspect is how such tools are marketed to beginners as shortcuts around learning fundamentals. "Why spend years learning to code when you can just tell AI what you want?" This is reminiscent of how crypto was sold as a get-rich-quick scheme requiring no actual understanding.

When you "vibe code" with an AI, you're not eliminating complexity—you're outsourcing understanding to a black box. This creates developers who can prompt but not program, who can generate but not comprehend.

The real utility of LLMs in development is in augmenting existing workflows:

• Explaining unfamiliar codebases
• Generating boilerplate for well-understood patterns
• Suggesting implementations that a developer evaluates critically
• Assisting with documentation and testing

These uses involve the model as a subordinate assistant to a knowledgeable developer, not as a replacement for expertise. This is where the technology adds value—as a sophisticated tool in skilled hands.

Cursor is just a better hammer, not a replacement for understanding what you're building. The actual value emerges when used by developers who understand what happens beneath the abstractions. They can recognize when AI suggestions make sense and when they don't because they have the fundamental knowledge to evaluate output critically.

This is precisely where the "vibe coding" narrative falls apart.

@ 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/925400

@ 1b30d27a:3cf04146

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the music industry. What was once a tool used only for automation is now evolving into a creative partner that artists can collaborate with. AI's machine learning algorithms are transforming the way music is composed, produced, and consumed, providing endless opportunities for innovation and creativity.

AI in Music Composition

AI is helping musicians create compositions faster and more efficiently than ever before. Algorithms trained on a variety of musical genres can now generate complex melodies and harmonies, mimicking the style of famous composers or creating something entirely new. AI tools like OpenAI's MuseNet can generate entire musical pieces, and musicians are using these compositions as inspiration, or in some cases, as finished works.

"AI is a co-creator—bringing fresh perspectives and ideas, transforming the music composition process."

These AI tools don’t just replicate existing music—they offer new possibilities for experimentation, allowing artists to explore creative directions they might not have thought of on their own.

Streamlining Music Production

In music production, AI is changing the game. By analyzing audio tracks, AI can help with tasks like mixing, mastering, and sound enhancement. Tools like LANDR and iZotope Ozone automate the mastering process, giving producers professional-level results in a fraction of the time it would take manually.

Key Benefits of AI in Music Production:

• Time Efficiency: Automated processes speed up repetitive tasks like mixing and mastering.
• Enhanced Sound Quality: AI can fine-tune audio, ensuring clarity and balance.
• Personalization: AI can learn an artist’s style, offering tailored suggestions and improvements.

AI tools provide a more efficient workflow, freeing up time for artists to focus on creativity rather than the technical details of production.

AI as a Collaborative Partner

AI is no longer just a tool for producers; it’s a creative partner. It helps musicians explore new ideas, generate sound variations, and fine-tune compositions. AI can generate unusual sound combinations, suggest new chord progressions, or even help artists push past creative blocks.

"AI offers endless possibilities—it's a partner in the creative process, not just a tool."

By collaborating with AI, artists can expand their creative horizons, unlocking new ideas that might not have been possible without this technological partnership.

AI’s Influence on Music Consumption

AI also plays a huge role in how we experience music. Music platforms like Spotify and YouTube use AI to personalize recommendations based on listening habits. This allows users to discover new artists, genres, and tracks that align with their preferences, enhancing the overall music experience.

Moreover, AI-driven virtual concerts and augmented reality performances are on the rise, creating immersive and interactive experiences that bring music to life in a new way.

The Future of AI in Music

The future of AI in music is bright. As AI continues to advance, it will play an even more integral role in music composition, production, and distribution. Artists will continue to use AI as a creative collaborator, and audiences will benefit from even more personalized music experiences.

The journey of AI in music production is just beginning. As technology evolves, so too will the possibilities for musicians and listeners alike. AI is helping us unlock new creative potential, and it’s exciting to think about where this collaboration will take us next. 🚀

@ 3b7fc823:e194354f

A quick guide for the less than technical savvy to set up their very own free private tor enabled email using Onionmail. Privacy is for everyone, not just the super cyber nerds.

Onion Mail is an anonymous POP3/SMTP email server program hosted by various people on the internet. You can visit this site and read the details: https://en.onionmail.info/

1. Download Tor Browser

First, if you don't already, go download Tor Browser. You are going to need it. https://www.torproject.org/

1. Sign Up

Using Tor browser go to the directory page (https://onionmail.info/directory.html) choose one of the servers and sign up for an account. I say sign up but it is just choosing a user name you want to go before the @xyz.onion email address and solving a captcha.

1. Account information

Once you are done signing up an Account information page will pop up. MAKE SURE YOU SAVE THIS!!! It has your address and passwords (for sending and receiving email) that you will need. If you lose them then you are shit out of luck.

1. Install an Email Client

You can use Claws Mail, Neomutt, or whatever, but for this example, we will be using Thunderbird.

a. Download Thunderbird email client

b. The easy setup popup page that wants your name, email, and password isn't going to like your user@xyz.onion address. Just enter something that looks like a regular email address such as name@example.com and the Configure Manuallyoption will appear below. Click that.

1. Configure Incoming (POP3) Server

Under Incoming Server: Protocol: POP3 Server or Hostname: xyz.onion (whatever your account info says) Port: 110 Security: STARTTLS Authentication: Normal password Username: (your username) Password: (POP3 password).

1. Configure Outgoing (SMTP) Server

Under Outgoing Server: Server or Hostname: xyz.onion (whatever your account info says) Port: 25 Security: STARTTLS Authentication: Normal password Username: (your username) Password: (SMTP password).

1. Click on email at the top and change your address if you had to use a spoof one to get the configure manually to pop up.

2. Configure Proxy

a. Click the gear icon on the bottom left for settings. Scroll all the way down to Network & Disk Space. Click the settings button next to Connection. Configure how Thunderbird connects to the internet.

b. Select Manual Proxy Configuration. For SOCKS Host enter 127.0.0.1 and enter port 9050. (if you are running this through a VM the port may be different)

c. Now check the box for SOCKS5 and then Proxy DNS when using SOCKS5 down at the bottom. Click OK

1. Check Email

For thunderbird to reach the onion mail server it has to be connected to tor. Depending on your local setup, it might be fine as is or you might have to have tor browser open in the background. Click on inbox and then the little cloud icon with the down arrow to check mail.

1. Security Exception

Thunderbird is not going to like that the onion mail server security certificate is self signed. A popup Add Security Exception will appear. Click Confirm Security Exception.

You are done. Enjoy your new private email service.

REMEMBER: The server can read your emails unless they are encrypted. Go into account settings. Look down and click End-toEnd Encryption. Then add your OpenPGP key or open your OpenPGP Key Manager (you might have to download one if you don't already have one) and generate a new key for this account.

@ ecda4328:1278f072

When designing a highly available Kubernetes (or k3s) cluster, one of the key architectural questions is: "How many ETCD nodes should I run?"

A recent discussion in our team sparked this very debate. Someone suggested increasing our ETCD cluster size from 3 to more nodes, citing concerns about node failures and the need for higher fault tolerance. It’s a fair concern—nobody wants a critical service to go down—but here's why 3-node ETCD clusters are usually the sweet spot for most setups.

---

The Role of ETCD and Quorum

ETCD is a distributed key-value store used by Kubernetes to store all its state. Like most consensus-based systems (e.g., Raft), ETCD relies on quorum to operate. This means that more than half of the ETCD nodes must be online and in agreement for the cluster to function correctly.

What Quorum Means in Practice

• In a 3-node ETCD cluster, quorum is 2.
• In a 5-node cluster, quorum is 3.

⚠️ So yes, 5 nodes can tolerate 2 failures vs. just 1 in a 3-node setup—but you also need more nodes online to keep the system functional. More nodes doesn't linearly increase safety.

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Why 3 Nodes is the Ideal Baseline

Running 3 ETCD nodes hits a great balance:

• Fault tolerance: 1 node can fail without issue.
• Performance: Fewer nodes = faster consensus and lower latency.
• Simplicity: Easier to manage, upgrade, and monitor.

Even the ETCD documentation recommends 3–5 nodes total, with 5 being the upper limit before write performance and operational complexity start to degrade.

Systems like Google's Chubby—which inspired systems like ETCD and ZooKeeper—also recommend no more than 5 nodes.

---

The Myth of Catastrophic Failure

"If two of our three ETCD nodes go down, the cluster will become unusable and need deep repair!"

This is a common fear, but the reality is less dramatic:

• ETCD becomes read-only: You can't schedule or update workloads, but existing workloads continue to run.
• No deep repair needed: As long as there's no data corruption, restoring quorum just requires bringing at least one other ETCD node back online.
• Still recoverable if two nodes are permanently lost: You can re-initialize the remaining node as a new single-node ETCD cluster using --cluster-init, and rebuild from there.

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What About Backups?

In k3s, ETCD snapshots are automatically saved by default. For example:

• Default path: /var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/db/snapshots/

You can restore these snapshots in case of failure, making ETCD even more resilient.

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When to Consider 5 Nodes

Adding more ETCD nodes only makes sense at scale, such as:

• Running 12+ total cluster nodes
• Needing stronger fault domains for regulatory/compliance reasons

Note: ETCD typically requires low-latency communication between nodes. Distributing ETCD members across availability zones or regions is generally discouraged unless you're using specialized networking and understand the performance implications.

Even then, be cautious—you're trading some simplicity and performance for that extra failure margin.

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TL;DR

• 3-node ETCD clusters are the best choice for most Kubernetes/k3s environments.
• 5-node clusters offer more redundancy but come with extra complexity and performance costs.
• Loss of quorum is not a disaster—it’s recoverable.
• Backups and restore paths make even worst-case recovery feasible.

And finally: if you're seeing multiple ETCD nodes go down frequently, the real problem might not be the number of nodes—but your hosting provider.

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@ c631e267:c2b78d3e

Wir werden nicht zulassen, dass technisch manches möglich ist, \ aber der Staat es nicht nutzt. \ Angela Merkel

Die Modalverben zu erklären, ist im Deutschunterricht manchmal nicht ganz einfach. Nicht alle Fremdsprachen unterscheiden zum Beispiel bei der Frage nach einer Möglichkeit gleichermaßen zwischen «können» im Sinne von «die Gelegenheit, Kenntnis oder Fähigkeit haben» und «dürfen» als «die Erlaubnis oder Berechtigung haben». Das spanische Wort «poder» etwa steht für beides.

Ebenso ist vielen Schülern auf den ersten Blick nicht recht klar, dass das logische Gegenteil von «müssen» nicht unbedingt «nicht müssen» ist, sondern vielmehr «nicht dürfen». An den Verkehrsschildern lässt sich so etwas meistens recht gut erklären: Manchmal muss man abbiegen, aber manchmal darf man eben nicht.

Dieses Beispiel soll ein wenig die Verwirrungstaktik veranschaulichen, die in der Politik gerne verwendet wird, um unpopuläre oder restriktive Maßnahmen Stück für Stück einzuführen. Zuerst ist etwas einfach innovativ und bringt viele Vorteile. Vor allem ist es freiwillig, jeder kann selber entscheiden, niemand muss mitmachen. Später kann man zunehmend weniger Alternativen wählen, weil sie verschwinden, und irgendwann verwandelt sich alles andere in «nicht dürfen» – die Maßnahme ist obligatorisch.

Um die Durchsetzung derartiger Initiativen strategisch zu unterstützen und nett zu verpacken, gibt es Lobbyisten, gerne auch NGOs genannt. Dass das «NG» am Anfang dieser Abkürzung übersetzt «Nicht-Regierungs-» bedeutet, ist ein Anachronismus. Das war vielleicht früher einmal so, heute ist eher das Gegenteil gemeint.

In unserer modernen Zeit wird enorm viel Lobbyarbeit für die Digitalisierung praktisch sämtlicher Lebensbereiche aufgewendet. Was das auf dem Sektor der Mobilität bedeuten kann, haben wir diese Woche anhand aktueller Entwicklungen in Spanien beleuchtet. Begründet teilweise mit Vorgaben der Europäischen Union arbeitet man dort fleißig an einer «neuen Mobilität», basierend auf «intelligenter» technologischer Infrastruktur. Derartige Anwandlungen wurden auch schon als «Technofeudalismus» angeprangert.

Nationale Zugangspunkte für Mobilitätsdaten im Sinne der EU gibt es nicht nur in allen Mitgliedsländern, sondern auch in der Schweiz und in Großbritannien. Das Vereinigte Königreich beteiligt sich darüber hinaus an anderen EU-Projekten für digitale Überwachungs- und Kontrollmaßnahmen, wie dem biometrischen Identifizierungssystem für «nachhaltigen Verkehr und Tourismus».

Natürlich marschiert auch Deutschland stracks und euphorisch in Richtung digitaler Zukunft. Ohne vernetzte Mobilität und einen «verlässlichen Zugang zu Daten, einschließlich Echtzeitdaten» komme man in der Verkehrsplanung und -steuerung nicht aus, erklärt die Regierung. Der Interessenverband der IT-Dienstleister Bitkom will «die digitale Transformation der deutschen Wirtschaft und Verwaltung vorantreiben». Dazu bewirbt er unter anderem die Konzepte Smart City, Smart Region und Smart Country und behauptet, deutsche Großstädte «setzen bei Mobilität voll auf Digitalisierung».

Es steht zu befürchten, dass das umfassende Sammeln, Verarbeiten und Vernetzen von Daten, das angeblich die Menschen unterstützen soll (und theoretisch ja auch könnte), eher dazu benutzt wird, sie zu kontrollieren und zu manipulieren. Je elektrischer und digitaler unsere Umgebung wird, desto größer sind diese Möglichkeiten. Im Ergebnis könnten solche Prozesse den Bürger nicht nur einschränken oder überflüssig machen, sondern in mancherlei Hinsicht regelrecht abschalten. Eine gesunde Skepsis ist also geboten.

[Titelbild: Pixabay]

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Dieser Beitrag wurde mit dem Pareto-Client geschrieben. Er ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ c239c0f9:fa4a5015

Block: #888777 - March 2025

The Monthly Thunderbolt Dispatch On Bitcoin layers two innovations, aggregating the Best posts about the ~Lightning Network and others Bitcoin L2 solution- Exclusively on Stacker.News

It's again that time of the month, time to catch up with the latest features and trends that are shaping the future of Bitcoin. Each issue covers the latest trends and greatest advancements dictating the future of Bitcoin adoption—the very first and most commented insights from around the SN world. In every issue arrives expert analysis, in-depth interview, and breaking news of the most significant advancements in the Bitcoin layer two solutions.

Subscribe and make sure you don’t miss anything about the ~Lightning Revolution!

Now let's focus on the top five items for each category, an electrifying selection that hope you'll be able to read before next edition.

Happy Zapping!

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Top ~Lightning posts

Most zapranked posts this month:

1. Underrated privacy tools on Lightning by @DarthCoin 4750 sats \ 21 comments \ 10 Mar on ~lightning

2. ngx_l402: L402 Authentication for Nginx with LNURL, LND & NWC Support by @dhananjay 3602 sats \ 11 comments \ 11 Mar on ~lightning

3. LNBϟG discusses fees and routing node management by @C_Otto 908 sats \ 3 comments \ 15 Mar on ~lightning

4. New Release: Breez SDK - Nodeless 0.7.1 by @_ds 264 sats \ 1 comment \ 19 Feb on ~lightning

5. Alby Hub Lightning Channel Stats the first 6 months by @k00b 376 sats \ 8 comments \ 27 Feb on ~lightning

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Top posts by comments

This month we replaced the top posts by sats with these most commented posts (excluding those already listed above):

1. Cowbold Beta available for Testing: The best P2P Bitcoin alternativ to SplitWise by @supratic 699 sats \ 24 comments \ 1 Mar on ~lightning

2. Nwc alternative to coinos, testing by @dingding541 150 sats \ 22 comments \ 17 Mar on ~lightning

3. Payments below dust limit not trustless by @BallLightning 2141 sats \ 18 comments \ 11 Mar on ~lightning

4. Question of trust regarding LSPs by @Fiatrevelation 385 sats \ 18 comments \ 14 Mar on ~lightning

5. Question For CLN Start9 Users? by @siggy47 617 sats \ 15 comments \ 4 Mar on ~lightning

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Top ~Lightning Boosts

Check them all here.

1. Try out the Ark protocol on signet by @nwoodfine 2083 sats \ 30k boost \ 12 comments \ 19 Mar on ~lightning

2. Amboss CEO On Growth Of The Lightning Network, Tether (USDT) On Lightning by @Jestopher_BTC 577 sats \ 20k boost \ 10 comments \ 19 Feb on ~lightning

3. Building Self Custody Lightning in 2025 by @k00b 2293 sats \ 10k boost \ 8 comments \ 23 Jan on ~lightning

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Top Lightning posts outside ~Lightning

This month best posts about the Lightning Network outside ~Lightning territory:

1. SN is a badass use case for noncustodial lightning by @Fiatrevelation 1998 sats \ 15 comments \ 19 Feb on ~meta

2. Alby Hub: Improving the Self-Custodial Lightning Experience by @teemupleb 4642 sats \ 8 comments \ 8 Mar on ~meta

3. SN is a badass use case for noncustodial lightning by @Fiatrevelation 1834 sats \ 13 comments \ 20 Feb on ~meta

4. Bitcoin Users... and especially Lightning users live in a Total Bubble (sofar) by @028559d218 1304 sats \ 24 comments \ 8 Mar on ~bitcoin

5. 🚀 New Geocaching Meets Lightning App ⚡ by @questforsats 4518 sats \ 170k boost \ 86 comments \ 20 Feb on ~builders

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Forever top ~Lightning posts

La crème de la crème... check them all here. Plenty of new entries this month too at #1, #2, #4 and #5! This means old posts get still zaps... well done zappers 💪

1. 👨‍🚀 We're releasing 𝗔𝗟𝗕𝗬 𝗚𝗢 - the easiest lightning mobile wallet by @Alby 29.2k sats \ 41 comments \ 25 Sep 2024 on ~lightning

2. Building Self Custody Lightning in 2025 by @k00b 2303 sats \ 8 comments \ 22 Jan on ~lightning

3. Lightning Wallets: Self-Custody Despite Poor Network - Apps Tested in Zimbabwe by @anita 72.8k sats \ 39 comments \ 28 Jan 2024 on ~lightning

4. How to Attach Your self-hosted LNbits wallet to SEND/RECEIVE sats to/from SN by @supratic 1765 sats \ 18 comments \ 23 Sep 2024 on ~lightning

5. A Way to Use Stacker News to improve your Zap Receiving by @bzzzt 1652 sats \ 22 comments \ 15 Jul 2024 on ~lightning

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Forever top Lightning posts outside ~Lightning

Lot of changes here, but probably due to the recent relevance search and unbusting search functionality changes:

1. Rethinking Lightning by @benthecarman with 51.6k sats \ 137 comments \ 6 Jan 2024 on ~bitcoin

2. Lightning Everywhere by @TonyGiorgio with 12k sats \ 27 comments \ 24 Jul 2023 on ~bitcoin

3. Lightning is dead, long live the Lightning! by @supertestnet and zaps forwarded to @anita (50%) @k00b (50%) 6321 sats \ 28 comments \ @tolot 27 Oct 2023 on ~bitcoin

4. Lightning Is Doomed by @Rsync25 2450 sats \ 15 comments \ 27 Nov 2023 on ~bitcoin

5. We Need More Apps with Lightning, Not More Lightning Apps by @kr 5030 sats \ 22 comments \ @kr 12 May 2023 on ~bitcoin

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@ a0c34d34:fef39af1

8 months ago I went to Nashville, Bitcoin2024. The one with Edward Snowden’s cryptic speech, Michael Saylor telling people who knew nothing about Bitcoin how to stack sats. And yes, I was in the room when Donald spoke. I had so many people asking me how to “get a Coinbase!!!” cause he said so.

I sat with two women explaining seed phrase and how vital it was as they wrote the random words on scrape pieces of paper and put them in their purses.

I once was just like those women. Still am in some areas of this space. It can be overwhelming, learning about cryptography,subgraphs, it can be decentralized theatre!!!

Yes decentralized theatre. I said it. I never said it out loud.

In 2016, I knew nothing. I overheard a conversation that changed my life’s trajectory. I am embarrassed to say, I was old then but didn’t know it. I didn’t see myself as old, 56 back then, I just wanted to have enough money to pay bills.

I say this to say I bought 3 whole Bitcoin in 2016 and listening to mainstream news about scams and black market associated with what I bought, I sold them quickly and thought I was too old to be scammed and playing around with all of that.

In 2018, someone gave me The Book of Satoshi, I read it and thought it was a fabulous story but my fear ? I put the book in a drawer and forgot about it.

I mentioned decentralized theatre. I have been living in decentralized theatre for the past 3 years now. In August 2021 I landed on TikTok and saw NFTs. I thought get money directly to those who need it. I started diving down the rabbit holes of Web3.

The decentralized theatre is being in betas & joining platforms claiming to be decentralized social media platforms and of course all the “Web3” businesses claiming to be Web3.

Social medias were exciting, the crypto casino was thriving and I thought I was going to live a decentralized life with Bitcoin being independent from any financial institutions or interference from government.

Delusional? Yes, diving deeper, I did. I went to my first “night with crypto” event in West Palm Beach. My first IRL meeting scammers.

There was about 200-250 people sitting facing the stage where a man was speaking. There was a QRCode on the screen and he said for us to get out our phones and scan the QRCode to download their wallet & get free money.

I watched everyone, most everyone point their phones at the screen, but I didn’t, I got up and went out to the area where the booths were, the vendors.

A few months later I found out ( on Twitter) it was a scam. People would deposit a “minimal amount” and swap their money for these tokens with no value but constant hype and Twitter social media ambassadors ( followers) had people “wanting in” Don’t FOMO…

The promise of decentralization, independent from banks & government, and of course I had been excitedly sharing everything I was learning on TikTok and mentioned senior citizens need to know this stuff.

They need to learn metaverse to be connected with the virtual and digital natives( their kids, grandkids). They need to learn about Bitcoin and blockchain technologies to put their documents on chain & transfer their wealth safely. They need to learn how A.I. health tech can help them have a better quality of life!!!

Someone said I was a senior citizen and I was the perfect person to help them. It’s been 3 years and I learned how to create a Discord(with Geneva), 4 metaverses, multiple wallets and learned about different cryptos. I learned about different GPTs, NFCCHIP wearables, A.I. and Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network and so much more.

I have since deleted TikTok. I wrote an article on that on YakiHonne. I’m using LinkedIn and YouTube , some BluSky platforms. I published a cliff notes book for senior citizens and put it in my Stan Store(online to links) with links to my resume, newsletter, YouTube Channel, Substack and Onboard60 digital clone.

Onboard60, the name for my project. Onboard was THE buzzword back in 2021 & early 2022, 60? an age representative of my target audience … Onboard60 stuck.

The lack of interest from senior citizens over the years , the rejections, wild opinions, trolls on socials- I understand - I forget the fear I had. I still have the fear of not being a part of society, not understanding the world around me, getting left behind.

I keep coming to Nostr, going to BluSky, even the ones that are decentralized theatre( Lens & Farcaster)- I admit losing 28k follower account and afew other accounts I deleted ( over 5k & 12k), I felt a loss. I had perpetually been online and my relationships, friendships were online. Sadly only a few were real. Social media - out of sight out of mind. It was devastating.

I had to unplug and regroup. I was afraid to be on new social platforms, scared to start over, meet people. I’m realizing I do everything scared. I do it, whatever it is that moves me forward, keeps me learning, and keeps my mindset open, flexible.

Another fear is happening to me. There are times I have a senior citizen mindset. And that’s really scary. I have heard myself in conversations putting in an extra “the” like saying The Nostr like older people do.

Onboard60 is me. I am an adolescent and family counselor with a Master’s degree. I have created a few Metaverses, a Live chat/online Discord, a How to for senior citizens booklet and a digital clone.

Yes Onboard60 digital clone can be asked about anything Web3, blockchain and discuss how to create personal A.I. agents. I uploaded all of my content of the last 3 years (and it being LLM)People can go to Onboard60 clone with voice and or text

I do 1:1 counseling with overwhelmed, afraid and skeptical senior citizens.

I show experientially step by step basic virtual reality so senior citizens can enter the metaverse with their grandkids and portal to a park.

I use the metaverse & Geneva Live chats as social hang outs for senior citizens globally to create connections and stay relevant

I also talk about medical bracelets. NFCCHIP for medical information, gps bracelets for Alzheimer’s or dementia care.

And lastly from the past 3 years, I have learned to discuss all options for Bitcoin investing, not just self custody. Senior citizens listen, feel safe when I discuss Grayscale and Fidelity.

They feel they can trust these institutions. I tell them how they have articles and webinars on their sites about crypto and what cryptofunds they offer. They can dyor, it’s their money.

My vision and mission have stayed the same through this rollercoaster of a journey. It’s what keeps me grounded and moving forward.

This year I’m turning 65, and will become a part of the Medicare system. I don’t have insurance, can’t afford it. If it was on the blockchain I’d have control of the costs but nooooo, I am obligated to get Medicare.

I will have to work an extra shift a week (I am a waitress at night) and I am capable to do it and realistically I will probably need health insurance in the future, I am a senior citizen…..

Thank you for reading this. Zap sats and thank you again.

Sandra (Samm) Onboard60 Founder

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PLn1ysBEfjjwPZsMsLlmX-s7cDOgPC29/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=111904115111263773126&rtpof=true&sd=true

@ 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. 🚀

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

In an era where the value of traditional money seems to shrink by the day, many turn to Bitcoin as a potential safeguard against inflation. But is Bitcoin truly a hedge, or is this just wishful thinking? Let’s break it down.

Understanding Inflation Inflation occurs when the purchasing power of money declines due to an increase in prices.

Central banks, like the Federal Reserve, often print more money, leading to more dollars chasing the same amount of goods.

Over time, inflation erodes savings and makes everyday items more expensive.

Why Bitcoin is Considered an Inflation Hedge Limited Supply – Unlike the U.S. dollar, Bitcoin has a fixed supply of 21 million coins, making it immune to money printing.

Decentralization – No government or central bank can manipulate Bitcoin’s supply or devalue it through policy changes.

Digital Gold – Many see Bitcoin as a modern version of gold, offering a store of value outside traditional financial systems.

Global Accessibility – Bitcoin operates 24/7 across borders, making it accessible to anyone looking to escape failing currencies.

Challenges to Bitcoin as an Inflation Hedge Volatility – Bitcoin’s price swings wildly, making it risky as a short-term hedge.

Adoption & Trust – Unlike gold, which has been a store of value for centuries, Bitcoin is relatively new and still gaining mainstream acceptance.

Market Correlation – At times, Bitcoin moves in tandem with stocks rather than acting as a safe-haven asset.

Regulatory Uncertainty – Governments around the world continue to debate Bitcoin’s place in the economy, which can impact its long-term stability.

The Verdict: Fact or Fiction? ✅ Long-Term Potential: Over the years, Bitcoin has shown signs of being a hedge against currency devaluation, especially in countries with hyperinflation. ⚠️ Short-Term Reality: Bitcoin’s volatility makes it unreliable as an immediate hedge, unlike traditional safe-haven assets like gold.

For those who believe in Bitcoin’s future, it could be a strong long-term hedge. However, for those looking for immediate inflation protection, it’s still a speculative bet.

Would you trust Bitcoin to safeguard your wealth? 🚀💰

What do you think? Share your comments below.

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

The cryptocurrency world is poised on the brink of a significant event as Bitcoin approaches its fourth halving in April 2024. This event, deeply embedded in Bitcoin's protocol, serves as a reminder of the cryptocurrency's unique economic model, designed to mimic the scarcity and deflationary aspects of precious metals. The halving not only affects the miners' rewards but also has far-reaching implications for the entire cryptocurrency market, influencing investor sentiment, market supply, and the intrinsic value of Bitcoin itself.

Table of Contents

• Understanding Bitcoin Halving

• Historical Impact on Bitcoin's Price

• Implications for Miners

• Institutional Interest and Market Dynamics

• Regulatory Environment and Global Economic Factors

• Conclusion

• FAQs

Understanding Bitcoin Halving

Bitcoin halving is a core mechanism of the Bitcoin protocol, occurring every 210,000 blocks, which historically has been approximately every four years. This event reduces the reward for mining new blocks by half, a process designed to control Bitcoin's inflation and supply rate. The upcoming 2024 halving will slash the mining reward from 6.25 bitcoins per block to 3.125 bitcoins, a change that will significantly impact the rate at which new bitcoins are generated and enter the market.

This deflationary event is critical to Bitcoin's value proposition as digital gold. By reducing the flow of new bitcoins, the halving events mimic the extraction of a finite resource, enhancing Bitcoin's scarcity and potential as a store of value. The anticipation and aftermath of these events have historically led to increased public interest, media coverage, and speculative activity, all of which contribute to Bitcoin's market dynamics and price volatility.

Historical Impact on Bitcoin's Price

The halving events have historically been landmarks in Bitcoin's price history, often heralding periods of significant price appreciation. For example, the year following the 2016 halving saw Bitcoin's price increase manifold, underscoring the event's impact on market psychology and investor expectations. However, while past trends suggest a bullish outcome, it's crucial to acknowledge the complexity of market dynamics and the multitude of factors influencing Bitcoin's price.

The price impact of the halving can be attributed to the reduced supply of new bitcoins, heightening scarcity, and potentially increasing demand. However, the actual market response can vary based on current market conditions, investor sentiment, and global economic factors. Therefore, while historical data provides valuable insights, each halving unfolds in a unique context, making the outcome of the 2024 event unpredictable and a subject of widespread speculation.

Implications for Miners

The halving significantly impacts Bitcoin miners, as the reward reduction directly affects their revenue streams. This event could lead to a realignment within the mining industry, as only the most efficient and well-capitalized operations can sustain profitability with lower rewards. This pressure could drive technological innovation, as miners seek more energy-efficient and cost-effective mining solutions, but it could also lead to increased centralization, which is a concern for the Bitcoin network's health and security.

The aftermath of the halving will likely see a shakeout of less efficient miners, which could temporarily affect the network's hash rate and security. However, this consolidation could also lead to a more robust and resilient mining ecosystem in the long run. The dynamics between mining costs, Bitcoin's price, and network security are intricate and will play a crucial role in the cryptocurrency's post-halving landscape.

Institutional Interest and Market Dynamics

The landscape of Bitcoin investment has evolved dramatically since the last halving, with significant growth in institutional interest. The approval of Bitcoin ETFs and the entry of traditional financial institutions into the crypto space have provided Bitcoin with a new level of legitimacy and accessibility. This institutional involvement could lead to greater liquidity and less volatility post-halving, as larger players with long-term horizons enter the market.

However, institutional investors also bring new dynamics to Bitcoin's market. Their investment strategies, risk management practices, and regulatory compliance requirements differ markedly from those of retail and early crypto adopters. This shift could influence how the market responds to the halving, as institutional investors may be less prone to speculative trading and more interested in Bitcoin's long-term value proposition.

Regulatory Environment and Global Economic Factors

The impact of the 2024 halving will also be shaped by the broader regulatory and economic environment. Regulatory developments, both positive and negative, can significantly affect investor confidence and market dynamics. Clear and supportive regulations can foster growth and innovation in the crypto space, while restrictive policies may hinder market development and investor participation.

Moreover, global economic factors such as inflation rates, monetary policies, and geopolitical events play a crucial role in shaping investor sentiment and demand for Bitcoin. As a digital, borderless asset, Bitcoin is increasingly seen as a hedge against inflation and currency devaluation, factors that could influence its appeal around the halving event.

Conclusion

As April 2024 approaches, the Bitcoin community and investors worldwide are watching closely, aware that the halving could mark the beginning of a new era for Bitcoin. This event represents more than just a technical adjustment; it is a testament to Bitcoin's enduring design and its role as a pioneer in the cryptocurrency space.

The significance of the halving extends beyond immediate price effects; it encompasses the evolution of Bitcoin's market, the maturation of its ecosystem, and its position in the broader financial landscape. As we move closer to this pivotal event, the collective actions of miners, investors, and regulators will shape not only the outcome of the halving but the future trajectory of Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency market at large.

In this ever-evolving narrative, the 2024 halving stands as a critical milestone, a moment of reflection and anticipation, highlighting the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the journey of Bitcoin and the quest for a decentralized financial future.

FAQs

What is Bitcoin halving? Bitcoin halving is an event that occurs every 210,000 blocks, approximately every four years, which reduces the reward for mining new Bitcoin blocks by half. This mechanism is designed to control inflation and reduce the rate at which new bitcoins are introduced into circulation.

Why is the Bitcoin halving significant? The halving is significant because it directly impacts the supply of new bitcoins entering the market, which can influence Bitcoin's price. It also affects miners' profitability and can lead to changes in the network's mining dynamics.

How has Bitcoin's price reacted to previous halvings? Historically, Bitcoin's price has increased following halving events, though there are many factors at play. These price increases are often attributed to the reduced supply of new bitcoins and increased demand.

What are the potential effects of the 2024 Bitcoin halving on miners? The halving will reduce the block reward, potentially affecting miners' profitability. This could lead to a consolidation in the mining industry, with only the most efficient miners remaining competitive.

How might institutional interest affect the Bitcoin market around the halving? Institutional interest can bring more stability and liquidity to the Bitcoin market. However, it also introduces new market dynamics, as institutional investors may have different strategies and reactions to the halving compared to retail investors.

That's all for today

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@ 1b30d27a:3cf04146

In the ever-evolving landscape of music production, a groundbreaking force is reshaping how music is created, composed, and experienced: Artificial Intelligence (AI). Machine learning algorithms are paving the way for a revolution in the music industry, offering artists a new kind of creative collaborator. Soon, AI will no longer be just a tool but a creative partner, influencing every stage of the music-making process, from composition to production to distribution.

The Role of AI in Music Composition

Traditionally, music composition has been a deeply personal and creative endeavor, driven by human intuition, emotion, and inspiration. However, AI is beginning to challenge this paradigm. Machine learning algorithms, particularly those designed for music, can analyze vast amounts of data, from the works of classical composers to contemporary hits. By studying patterns in rhythm, harmony, and melody, AI systems can generate original compositions that mirror the style and tone of any genre.

"AI is not replacing musicians, it's helping them reach new creative heights. It offers a fresh approach to composition, enhancing what artists already do, not taking over."

For instance, AI-powered tools like OpenAI's MuseNet or Google's Magenta can compose entire pieces of music in different styles, from jazz to electronic to orchestral. These systems can analyze a given input and generate melodies or harmonies that are incredibly sophisticated, and sometimes, indistinguishable from compositions written by human musicians.

Enhancing the Music Production Process

While AI has already made significant strides in composition, its impact on music production is just as profound. In modern studios, AI tools are used for everything from arranging and mixing tracks to mastering the final product. AI-driven software can listen to raw audio recordings, identify areas for improvement, and suggest changes—whether that’s adjusting EQ levels, balancing volume, or adding effects to enhance the sound.

Key Benefits of AI in Music Production:

• Automation of Repetitive Tasks: Streamlines tasks like mixing and mastering, saving time and reducing manual effort.
• Real-Time Feedback: Provides instant feedback on raw recordings, helping producers improve tracks quickly.
• Improved Sound Quality: AI tools can detect subtle flaws and suggest adjustments to enhance sound clarity.

One major benefit of AI in music production is its ability to streamline and automate repetitive tasks. Mixing and mastering, two essential steps in the production process, can often be time-consuming and require a skilled ear. AI systems like LANDR or iZotope’s Ozone use algorithms to analyze tracks and apply mastering techniques that would traditionally take hours of manual work. These tools can deliver professional-level results quickly, making them invaluable for both emerging artists and seasoned professionals.

AI as a Collaborative Partner

The most exciting aspect of AI in music production is its potential to act as a collaborative partner rather than just a tool. Rather than replacing musicians or producers, AI is giving them new ways to push the boundaries of creativity. For example, AI can generate complex chord progressions or suggest unusual sound combinations that the human composer might not have considered. It can also offer real-time feedback during the composition process, helping the artist refine their ideas or take them in unexpected directions.

"AI is like having a co-producer who never sleeps—constantly suggesting, innovating, and pushing boundaries, without any bias or limitations."

Additionally, AI can be trained to learn an individual artist’s style, preferences, and musical choices. This allows it to provide personalized suggestions tailored to the artist’s unique creative voice. As AI continues to evolve, it could become an indispensable part of the creative workflow, helping musicians experiment with new ideas and soundscapes that they might not have explored on their own.

AI and Music Experience: Changing How We Listen

AI’s influence doesn’t stop at creation and production; it’s also changing how we experience music. Algorithms are already being used to power music recommendation systems on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. These algorithms analyze user preferences and listening habits, then suggest new tracks or artists that match their tastes. This personalization is pushing the boundaries of how we discover music, turning AI into an indispensable part of our daily listening habits.

How AI Is Enhancing Music Discovery:

• Personalized Playlists: Curates playlists based on user preferences, mood, and listening history.
• Music Recommendations: Suggests new tracks and artists based on listening patterns.
• Real-Time Adaptation: AI can adjust recommendations dynamically based on evolving listening trends.

Furthermore, AI is enhancing live music experiences. Using AI, virtual concerts and performances can be created that respond to the audience’s reactions in real-time. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology, combined with AI, are bringing immersive music experiences to life, allowing fans to engage with music in ways that were previously unimaginable.

Ethical and Creative Considerations

While AI offers exciting new opportunities, its rise in music production raises important questions about creativity and originality. If an AI system can compose music that sounds just like a human, who owns the rights to that music? Is it the creator who trained the AI, the artist who used it, or the AI itself? These are complex ethical questions that the music industry will need to address as AI becomes an increasingly integral part of the creative process.

Moreover, some critics argue that the human element in music—the emotion, experience, and soul that come with creating music—cannot be replicated by machines. While AI can certainly enhance the production process and offer new ways of creating, the debate remains: Can a machine truly understand the depth of human emotion that music conveys?

Looking Ahead: AI in Music’s Future

As AI continues to improve, its role in music production will likely become more pervasive and integrated into the creative process. Artists may soon collaborate with AI in ways we never thought possible, using it to unlock new dimensions of their music. With the ability to personalize and innovate in real-time, AI could help shape the future of music production, offering limitless possibilities for both seasoned professionals and new artists just starting their journey.

The journey of AI in music production has just begun, and the potential it holds for transforming how we create and experience music is boundless. Soon, AI won’t just be a tool we use—it will be a trusted partner in the pursuit of musical innovation. The future of music is not just human—it’s a harmonious blend of human creativity and technological ingenuity, where the journey never ends. 🚀

@ 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.

@ ecda4328:1278f072

Kubernetes and Linux Swap: A Practical Perspective

After reviewing kernel documentation on swap management (e.g., Linux Swap Management), KEP-2400 (Kubernetes Node Memory Swap Support), and community discussions like this post on ServerFault, it's clear that the topic of swap usage in modern systems—especially Kubernetes environments—is nuanced and often contentious. Here's a practical synthesis of the discussion.

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The Rationale for Disabling Swap

We disable SWAP on our Linux servers to ensure stable and predictable performance by relying on available RAM, avoiding the performance degradation and unnecessary I/O caused by SWAP usage. If an application runs out of memory, it’s usually due to insufficient RAM allocation or a memory leak, and enabling SWAP only worsens performance for other applications. It's more efficient to let a leaking app restart than to rely on SWAP to prevent OOM crashes.

With modern platforms like Kubernetes, memory requests and limits are enforced, ensuring apps use only the RAM allocated to them, while avoiding overcommitment to prevent resource exhaustion.

Additionally, disabling swap may protect data from data remanence attacks, where sensitive information could potentially be recovered from the swap space even after a process terminates.

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Theoretical Capability vs. Practical Deployment

Linux provides a powerful and flexible memory subsystem. With proper tuning (e.g., swappiness, memory pinning, cgroups), it's technically possible to make swap usage efficient and targeted. Seasoned sysadmins often argue that disabling swap entirely is a lazy shortcut—an avoidance of learning how to use the tools properly.

But Kubernetes is not a traditional system. It's an orchestrated environment that favors predictability, fail-fast behavior, and clear isolation between workloads. Within this model:

• Memory requests and limits are declared explicitly.
• The scheduler makes decisions based on RAM availability, not total virtual memory (RAM + swap).
• Swap introduces non-deterministic performance characteristics that conflict with Kubernetes' goals.

So while the kernel supports intelligent swap usage, Kubernetes intentionally sidesteps that complexity.

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Why Disable Swap in Kubernetes?

1. Deterministic Failure > Degraded Performance\ If a pod exceeds its memory allocation, it should fail fast — not get throttled into slow oblivion due to swap. This behavior surfaces bugs (like memory leaks or poor sizing) early.

2. Transparency & Observability\ With swap disabled, memory issues are clearer to diagnose. Swap obfuscates root causes and can make a healthy-looking node behave erratically.

3. Performance Consistency\ Swap causes I/O overhead. One noisy pod using swap can impact unrelated workloads on the same node — even if they’re within their resource limits.

4. Kubernetes Doesn’t Manage Swap Well\ Kubelet has historically lacked intelligence around swap. As of today, Kubernetes still doesn't support swap-aware scheduling or per-container swap control.

5. Statelessness is the Norm\ Most containerized workloads are designed to be ephemeral. Restarting a pod is usually preferable to letting it hang in a degraded state.

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"But Swap Can Be Useful..."

Yes — for certain workloads (e.g., in-memory databases, caching layers, legacy systems), there may be valid reasons to keep swap enabled. In such cases, you'd need:

• Fine-tuned vm.swappiness
• Memory pinning and cgroup-based control
• Swap-aware monitoring and alerting
• Custom kubelet/systemd integration

That's possible, but not standard practice — and for good reason.

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Future Considerations

Recent Kubernetes releases have introduced experimental swap support via KEP-2400. While this provides more flexibility for advanced use cases — particularly Burstable QoS pods on cgroupsv2 — swap remains disabled by default and is not generally recommended for production workloads unless carefully planned. The rationale outlined in this article remains applicable to most Kubernetes operators, especially in multi-tenant and performance-sensitive environments.

Even the Kubernetes maintainers acknowledge the inherent trade-offs of enabling swap. As noted in KEP-2400's Risks and Mitigations section, swap introduces unpredictability, can severely degrade performance compared to RAM, and complicates Kubernetes' resource accounting — increasing the risk of noisy neighbors and unexpected scheduling behavior.

Some argue that with emerging technologies like non-volatile memory (e.g., Intel Optane/XPoint), swap may become viable again. These systems promise near-RAM speed with large capacity, offering hybrid memory models. But these are not widely deployed or supported in mainstream Kubernetes environments yet.

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Conclusion

Disabling swap in Kubernetes is not a lazy hack — it’s a strategic tradeoff. It improves transparency, predictability, and system integrity in multi-tenant, containerized environments. While the kernel allows for more advanced configurations, Kubernetes intentionally simplifies memory handling for the sake of reliability.

If we want to revisit swap usage, it should come with serious planning: proper instrumentation, swap-aware observability, and potentially upstream K8s improvements. Until then, disabling swap remains the sane default.

@ 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.

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

Gibralta is famous for its iconic Rock, fascinating history, and stunning views over the Mediterranean and Atlantic. A mix of British, Spanish, and Moorish influences, it’s a unique destination packed with natural beauty and cultural heritage.

🏛️ Top Things to See & Do in Gibraltar

1️⃣ The Rock of Gibraltar 🏔️

• The most famous landmark, standing 426 meters high.
• Offers spectacular views of Spain, Morocco, and the Strait of Gibraltar.
• Reach it by hiking, cable car, or guided tour.

2️⃣ St. Michael’s Cave 🏰

• A stunning limestone cave filled with stalactites and stalagmites.
• Used as a concert venue with incredible natural acoustics.
• Illuminated with colorful lights for an unforgettable experience.

3️⃣ Apes’ Den 🐵

• Home to Gibraltar’s famous Barbary macaques, Europe’s only wild monkeys.
• Legend says if the monkeys leave, so will the British! 🇬🇧
• Be careful with your belongings—they love to steal snacks!

4️⃣ Europa Point & Lighthouse 🌊

• The southernmost point of Gibraltar, with views across to Africa.
• Visit the Trinity Lighthouse, the stunning Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, and the Harding Battery.

5️⃣ The Great Siege Tunnels 🏗️

• An underground tunnel system carved by the British during the Great Siege (1779–1783).
• Learn about Gibraltar’s military history with cannons and exhibits.

6️⃣ Main Street & Casemates Square 🛍️

• A lively area with British-style pubs, duty-free shopping, and historical buildings.
• Ideal for picking up souvenirs, perfumes, electronics, and spirits at tax-free prices.

7️⃣ Gibraltar Skywalk & Windsor Suspension Bridge 🌉

• A glass-floored viewpoint offering breathtaking panoramic views.
• The Windsor Suspension Bridge is a thrilling 71-meter-long bridge over a deep gorge.

🍽️ What to Eat in Gibraltar

• Fish & Chips – A British classic, best enjoyed by the waterfront 🐟🍟
• Calentita – A chickpea flour flatbread, Gibraltar’s national dish 🥖
• Rosto – A local pasta dish with tomato sauce and meat 🍝
• Torta de Acelga – A savory Swiss chard pie, a blend of Spanish and Moorish flavors 🥧
• Gibraltar Gin & Tonic – A refreshing drink with local gin 🍸

🚗 How to Get to Gibraltar

✈️ By Air: Gibraltar International Airport (GIB) – flights from London, Manchester, Bristol
🚘 By Car: Drive from Spain (La Línea de la Concepción), but expect border checks 🚧
🚆 By Train: Nearest Spanish station is San Roque-La Línea, then take a taxi or bus
🚌 By Bus: Direct buses from Málaga, Seville, and Cádiz
🚶 On Foot: Many visitors park in La Línea, Spain, and walk across the border

💡 Tips for Visiting Gibraltar

✅ Bring your passport – Border control is required for entry 🛂
✅ Take the cable car early – The Rock gets crowded by midday 🚠
✅ Watch out for the monkeys – They are friendly but love to steal 🎒
✅ Wear comfortable shoes – Exploring the Rock involves lots of walking 👟
✅ Use British pounds (£) or euros (€) – Most places accept both 💷💶

@ 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.

@ 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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Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ 1bda7e1f:bb97c4d9

Tldr

• Nostr is a new open social protocol for the internet
• You can use it to create your own online community website/app for your users
• This needs only a few simple components that are free and open source
• Jumble.Social client is a front-end for showing your community content to your users
• Simple With Whitelist relay (SW2) is a back-end with simple auth for your community content
• In this blog I explain the components and set up a online community website/app that any community or company can use for their own users, for free.

You Can Run Your Own Private "X" For Free

Nostr is a new open social protocol for the internet. Because it is a protocol it is not controlled by any one company, does not reside on any one set of servers, does not require any licenses, and no one can stop you from using it however you like.

When the name Nostr is recognised, it is as a "Twitter/X alternative" – that is an online open public forum. Nostr is more than just this. The open nature of the protocol means that you can use it however you feel like, including that you can use it for creating your own social websites to suit whatever goals you have – anything from running your own team collaboration app, to running your own online community.

Nostr can be anything – not just an alternative to X, but also to Slack, Teams, Discord, Telegram (etc) – any kind of social app you'd like to run for your users can be run on Nostr.

In this blog I will show you how to launch your own community website, for your community members to use however they like, with low code, and for free.

Simple useful components

Nostr has a few simple components that work together to provide your experience –

• Your "client" – an app or a website front-end that you log into, which displays the content you want to see
• Your "relay" – a server back-end which receives and stores content, and sends it to clients
• Your "user" – a set of keys which represents a user on the network,
• Your "content" – any user content created and signed by a user, distributed to any relay, which can be picked up and viewed by any client.

It is a pattern that is used by every other social app on the internet, excepting that in those cases you can usually only view content in their app, and only post your content to their server.

Vs with Nostr where you can use any client (app) and any relay (server), including your own.

This is defined as a standard in NIP-01 which is simple enough that you can master it in a weekend, and with which you can build any kind of application.

The design space is wide open for anyone to build anything–

• Clones of Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, Medium, Twitch, etc,
• Whole new things like Private Ephemeral Messengers, Social Podcasting Apps, etc,
• Anything else you can dream up, like replacements for B2B SaaS or ERP systems.

Including that you can set up and run your own "X" for your community.

Super powers for –private– social internet

When considering my use of social internet, it is foremost private not public. Email, Whatsapp, Slack, Teams, Discord, Telegram (etc), are all about me, as a user, creating content for a selected group of individuals – close friends, colleagues, community members – not the wider public.

This private social internet is crying out for the kind of powers that Nostr provides. The list of things that Nostr solves for private social internet goes on-and-on.

Let me eat my own dog food for a moment.

• I am a member of a community of technology entrepreneurs with an app for internal community comms. The interface is not fit for this purpose. Good content gets lost. Any content created within the walled kingdom cannot be shared externally. Community members cannot migrate to a different front-end, or cross-post to public social channels.
• I am a member of many communities for kids social groups, each one with a different application and log in. There is no way to view a consolidated feed. There is no way to send one message to many communities, or share content between them. Remembering to check every feed separately is a drag.
• I am a member of a team with an app for team comms. It costs $XXX per user per month where it should be free. I can't self-host. I can't control or export my data. I can't make it interoperate natively with other SaaS. All of my messages probably go to train a Big Co AI without my consent.

In each instance "Nostr fixes this."

Ready now for low-code admins

To date Nostr has been best suited to a more technical user. To use the Nostr protocol directly has been primarily a field of great engineers building great foundations.

IMO these foundations are built. They are open source, free to use, and accessible for anyone who wants to create an administer their own online community, with only low code required.

To prove it, in this blog I will scratch my own itch. I need a X / Slack / Teams alternative to use with a few team members and friends (and a few AIs) as we hack on establishing a new business idea.

I will set this up with Nostr using only open source code, for free.

Designing the Solution

I am mostly non-technical with helpful AI. To set up your own community website in the style of X / Slack / Teams should be possible for anyone with basic technology skills.

• I have a cheap VPS which currently runs some other unrelated Nostr projects in Docker containers,
• My objective was to set up and run my own community website for my own team use, in Docker, hosted on my own server.

User requirements

What will I want from a community website?

• I want my users to be able to log into a website and post content,
• I want to save that content to a server I control accessed only be people I authorise,
• I want my users to view only that content by default, and not be exposed to any wider public social network unless they knowingly select that,
• I want my user's content to be either:
• a) viewable only by other community members (i.e. for internal team comms), or
• b) by the wider public (i.e. for public announcements), at the user's discretion.
• I want it to be open source so that other people maintain the code for me,
• I want it for free.

Nostr solutions

To achieve this with Nostr, I'll need to select some solutions "a-la carte" for each of the core components of the network.

• A client – For my client, I have chosen Jumble. Jumble is a free open-source client by Cody Tseng, available free on Github or at Jumble.social. I have chosen Jumble because it is a "relay-centric" client. In key spots the user interface highlights for the user what relay they are viewing, and what relay they are posting to. As a result, it is a beautiful fit for me to use as the home of all my community content.
• A relay – For my relay, I have chosen Simple With Whitelist (SW2). SW2 is a free open-source relay by Utxo The Webmaster, based on Khatru by Fiatjaf, available free on Github. I have chosen SW2 because it allows for very simple configuration of user auth. Users can be given read access to view notes, and write access to post notes within simple config.json files. This allows you to keep community content private or selectively share it in a variety of ways. Per the Nostr protocol, your client will connect with your relay via websocket.
• A user sign-up flow – Jumble has a user sign-up flow using Nstart by Fiatjaf, or as an admin I can create and provision my own users with any simple tool like NAK or Nostrtool.
• A user content flow – Jumble has a user content flow that can post notes to selected relays of the users choice. Rich media is uploaded to free third-party hosts like Nostr.build, and in the future there is scope to self-host this too.

With each of these boxes ticked I'm ready to start.

Launching a Private Community Website with Jumble and SW2

Install your SW2 relay

The relay is the trickiest part, so let's start there. SW2 is my Nostr relay software of choice. It is a Go application and includes full instructions for Go install. However, I prefer Docker, so I have built a Docker version and maintain a Docker branch here.

1 – In a terminal clone the repo and checkout the Docker branch

git clone https://github.com/r0d8lsh0p/sw2.git cd sw2 git checkout docker

2 – Set up the environment variables

These are specified in the readme. Duplicate the example .env file and fill it with your variables.

cp .env.example .env

For me this .env file was as follows–

```

Relay Metadata

RELAY_NAME="Tbdai relay" RELAY_PUBKEY="ede41352397758154514148b24112308ced96d121229b0e6a66bc5a2b40c03ec" RELAY_DESCRIPTION="An experimental relay for some people and robots working on a TBD AI project." RELAY_URL="wss://assistantrelay.rodbishop.nz" RELAY_ICON="https://image.nostr.build/44654201843fc0f03e9a72fbf8044143c66f0dd4d5350688db69345f9da05007.jpg" RELAY_CONTACT="https://rodbishop.nz" ```

3 – Specify who can read and write to the relay

This is controlled by two config files read_whitelist.json and write_whitelist.json.

• Any user with their pubkey in the read_whitelist can read notes posted to the relay. If empty, anyone can read.
• Any user with their pubkey in the write_whitelist can post notes to the relay. If empty, anyone can write.

We'll get to creating and authorising more users later, for now I suggest to add yourself to each whitelist, by copying your pubkey into each JSON file. For me this looks as follows (note, I use the 'hex' version of the pubkey, rather than the npub)–

{ "pubkeys": [ "1bda7e1f7396bda2d1ef99033da8fd2dc362810790df9be62f591038bb97c4d9" ] }

If this is your first time using Nostr and you don't yet have any user keys, it is easy and free to get one. You can get one from any Nostr client like Jumble.social, any tool like NAK or nostrtool.com or follow a comprehensive guide like my guide on mining a Nostr key.

4 – Launch your relay

If you are using my Docker fork from above, then–

docker compose up

Your relay should now be running on port 3334 and ready to accept web socket connections from your client.

Before you move on to set up the client, it's helpful to quickly test that it is running as expected.

5 – Test your websocket connection

For this I use a tool called wscat to make a websocket connection.

You may need to install wscat, e.g.

npm install -g wscat

And then run it, e.g.

wscat -c ws://localhost:3334

(note use ws:// for localhost, rather than wss://).

If your relay is working successfully then it should receive your websocket connection request and respond with an AUTH token, asking you to identify yourself as a user in the relay's read_whitelist.json (using the standard outlined in NIP-42), e.g.

``` Connected (press CTRL+C to quit) < ["AUTH","13206fea43ef2952"]

```

You do not need to authorise for now.

If you received this kind of message, your relay is working successfully.

Set a subdomain for your relay

Let's connect a domain name so your community members can access your relay.

1 – Configure DNS

At a high level –

1. Get your domain (buy one if you need to)
2. Get the IP address of your VPS
3. In your domain's DNS settings add those records as an A record to the subdomain of your choice, e.g. relay as in relay.your_domain_name.com, or in my case assistantrelay.rodbishop.nz

Your subdomain now points to your server.

2 – Configure reverse proxy

You need to redirect traffic from your subdomain to your relay at port 3334.

On my VPS I use Caddy as a reverse proxy for a few projects, I have it sitting in a separate Docker network. To use it for my SW2 Relay required two steps.

First – I added configuration to Caddy's Caddyfile to tell it what to do with requests for the relay.your_domain_name.com subdomain. For me this looked like–

assistantrelay.rodbishop.nz { reverse_proxy sw2-relay:3334 { # Enable WebSocket support header_up X-Forwarded-For {remote} header_up X-Forwarded-Proto {scheme} header_up X-Forwarded-Port {server_port} } }

Second – I added the Caddy Docker network to the SW2 docker-compose.yml to make it be part of the Caddy network. In my Docker branch, I provide this commented section which you can uncomment and use if you like.

``` services: relay: ... relay configuration here ...

networks:

- caddy # Connect to a Caddy network for reverse proxy

networks:

caddy:

external: true # Connect to a Caddy network for reverse proxy

```

Your relay is now running at your domain name.

Run Jumble.social

Your client set up is very easy, as most heavy lifting is done by your relay. My client of choice is Jumble because it has features that focus the user experience on the community's content first. You have two options for running Jumble.

1. Run your own local copy of Jumble by cloning the Github (optional)
2. Use the public instance at Jumble.social (easier, and what we'll do in this demo)

If you (optionally) want to run your own local copy of Jumble:

git clone https://github.com/CodyTseng/jumble.git cd jumble npm install npm run dev

For this demo, I will just use the public instance at http://jumble.social

Jumble has a very helpful user interface for set up and configuration. But, I wanted to think ahead to onboarding community members, and so instead I will do some work up front in order to give new members a smooth onboarding flow that I would suggest for an administrator to use in onboarding their community.

1 – Create a custom landing page URL for your community members to land on

When your users come to your website for the first time, you want them to get your community experience without any distraction. That will either be–

1. A prompt to sign up or login (if only authorised users can read content)
2. The actual content from your other community members (If all users can read content)

Your landing page URL will look like: http://jumble.social/?r=wss://relay.your_domain_name.com

• http://jumble.social/ – the URL of the Jumble instance you are using
• ?r= – telling Jumble to read from a relay
• wss:// – relays connect via websocket using wss, rather than https
• relay.your_domain_name.com – the domain name of your relay

For me, this URL looks like http://jumble.social/?r=wss://assistantrelay.rodbishop.nz

2 – Visit your custom Jumble URL

This should load the landing page of your relay on Jumble.

In the background, Jumble has attempted to establish a websocket connection to your relay.

If your relay is configured with read authentication, it has sent a challenge to Jumble asking your user to authenticate. Jumble, accordingly should now be showing you a login screen, asking your user to login.

3 – Login or Sign Up

You will see a variety of sign up and login options. To test, log in with the private key that you have configured to have read and write access.

In the background, Jumble has connected via websocket to your relay, checked that your user is authorised to view notes, and if so, has returned all the content on the relay. (If this is your first time here, there would not be any content yet).

If you give this link to your users to use as their landing page, they will land, login, and see only notes from members of your community.

4– Make your first post to your community

Click the "post" button and post a note. Jumble offers you the option to "Send only to relay.your_domain_name.com".

• If set to on, then Jumble will post the note only to your relay, no others. It will also include a specific tag (the "-" tag) which requests relays to not forward the note across the network. Only your community members viewing notes on your community relay can see it.
• If set to off, then Jumble will post the note to your relay and also the wider public Nostr network. Community members viewing notes on the relay can see it, and so can any user of the wider Nostr network.

5– Optional, configure your relay sets

At the top of the screen you should now see a dropdown with the URL of your relay.

Each user can save this relay to a "relay set" for future use, and also view, add or delete other relays sets including some sets which Jumble comes with set up by default.

As an admin you can use this to give users access to multiple relays. And, as a user, you can use this to access posts from multiple different community relays, all within the one client.

Your community website is up and running

That is the basic set up completed.

• You have a website where your community members can visit a URL to post notes and view all notes from all other members of the community.
• You have basic administration to enforce your own read and write permissions very simply in two json files.

Let's check in with my user requirements as a community admin–

• My community is saving content to a server where I control access
• My users view only that content by default, and are not exposed to any wider public social network unless they knowingly select that
• My user's content is a) viewable only by other community members, or b) by the wider public, at the user's discretion
• Other people are maintaining the code for me
• It's free

This setup has scope to solve my dog fooding issues from earlier–

• If adopted, my tech community can iterate the interface to suit its needs, find great content, and share content beyond the community.
• If adopted, my kids social groups can each have their own relays, but I can post to all of them together, or view a consolidated feed.
• If adopted, my team can chat with each other for free. I can self host this. It can natively interoperate with any other Nostr SaaS. It would be entirely private and will not be captured to train a Big Co AI without my consent.

Using your community website in practice

An example onboarding flow

1. A new member joins your IRL community
2. Your admin person gives them your landing page URL where they can view all the posts by your community members – If you have configured your relay to have no read auth required, then they can land on that landing page and immediately start viewing your community's posts, a great landing experience
3. The user user creates a Nostr profile, and provides the admin person with their public key
4. The admin person adds their key to the whitelists to read and write as you desire.

Default inter-op with the wider Nostr network

• If you change your mind on SW2 and want to use a different relay, your notes will be supported natively, and you can migrate on your own terms
• If you change your mind on Jumble and want to use a different client, your relay will be supported natively, and you can migrate on your own terms
• If you want to add other apps to your community's experience, every Nostr app will interoperate with your community by default – see the huge list at Awesome Nostr
• If any of your users want to view your community notes inside some other Nostr client – perhaps to see a consolidated feed of notes from all their different communities – they can.

For me, I use Amethyst app as my main Nostr client to view the public posts from people I follow. I have added my private community relay to Amethyst, and now my community posts appear alongside all these other posts in a single consolidated feed.

Scope to further improve

• You can run multiple different relays with different user access – e.g. one for wider company and one for your team
• You can run your own fork of Jumble and change the interface to suit you needs – e.g. add your logo, change the colours, link to other resources from the sidebar.

Other ideas for running communities

• Guest accounts: You can give a user "guest" access – read auth, but no write auth – to help people see the value of your community before becoming members.
• Running a knowledge base: You can whitelist users to read notes, but only administrators can post notes.
• Running a blind dropbox: You can whitelist users to post notes, but only the administrator can read notes.
• Running on a local terminal only: With Jumble and SW2 installed on a machine, running at – localhost:5173 for Jumble, and localhost:3334 for SW2 you can have an entirely local experience at http://localhost:5173/?r=ws://localhost:3334.

What's Next?

In my first four blogs I explored creating a good Nostr setup with Vanity Npub, Lightning Payments, Nostr Addresses at Your Domain, and Personal Nostr Relay.

Then in my latest three blogs I explored different types of interoperability with NFC cards, n8n Workflow Automation, and now running a private community website on Nostr.

For this community website–

• There is scope to make some further enhancements to SW2, including to add a "Blossom" media server so that community admins can self-host their own rich media, and to create an admin screen for administration of the whitelists using NIP-86.
• There is scope to explore all other kinds of Nostr clients to form the front-end of community websites, including Chachi.chat, Flotilla, and others.
• Nostr includes a whole variety of different optional standards for making more elaborate online communities including NIP-28, NIP-29, NIP-17, NIP-72 (etc). Each gives certain different capabilities, and I haven't used any of them! For this simple demo they are not required, but each could be used to extend the capabilities of the admin and community.

I am also doing a lot of work with AI on Nostr, including that I use my private community website as a front-end for engaging with a Nostr AI. I'll post about this soon too.

Please be sure to let me know if you think there's another Nostr topic you'd like to see me tackle.

GM Nostr.

@ 1d7ff02a:d042b5be

ໃນຍຸກດິຈິຕອນ, ການລົບກວນທາງເທັກໂນໂລຊີໄດ້ສັ່ນຄອນສະຖາບັນແບບດັ້ງເດີມທົ່ວໂລກ. ເຊັ່ນດຽວກັນກັບແພລດຟອມສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍທີ່ໄດ້ທຳລາຍອິດທິພົນຂອງສື່ທ້ອງຖິ່ນ, Tether (USDT) ແລະ ສະເຕເບິນຄອຍອື່ນໆ ກຳລັງທ້າທາຍອຳນາດຂອງທະນາຄານກາງໃນປະເທດກຳລັງພັດທະນາ. ສະກຸນເງິນດິຈິຕອນທີ່ມີຄວາມສະຖຽນເຫຼົ່ານີ້ ສະເໜີວິທີການສຳລັບປະຊາຊົນເພື່ອປ້ອງກັນເງິນເຟີ້, ຫຼີກລ່ຽງການຄວບຄຸມທຶນ, ແລະ ເຂົ້າເຖິງຕະຫຼາດການເງິນໂລກໂດຍບໍ່ຕ້ອງອີງໃສ່ລະບົບທະນາຄານແບບດັ້ງເດີມ. ໃນຂະນະທີ່ການນຳໃຊ້ກຳລັງເພີ່ມຂຶ້ນ, USDT ກຳລັງກາຍເປັນໄພຂົ່ມຂູ່ທີ່ມີຢູ່ຈິງຕໍ່ທະນາຄານກາງ, ຈຳກັດການຄວບຄຸມຂອງພວກເຂົາຕໍ່ນະໂຍບາຍການເງິນ ແລະ ອຳນາດອະທິປະໄຕທາງການເງິນ.

ທາງເລືອກໃໝ່ແທນສະກຸນເງິນທ້ອງຖິ່ນ

ປະເທດກຳລັງພັດທະນາມັກຈະປະສົບບັນຫາກັບການລົດຄ່າເງິນ, ເງິນເຟີ້, ແລະ ການໄຫລອອກຂອງທຶນ. ທະນາຄານກາງຫຼາຍແຫ່ງບໍ່ສາມາດຮັກສາສະຖຽນລະພາບຂອງສະກຸນເງິນເນື່ອງຈາກການຄຸ້ມຄອງທີ່ບໍ່ດີ, ການພິມເງິນຫຼາຍເກີນໄປ, ຫຼື ການແຊກແຊງທາງການເມືອງ. ພົນລະເມືອງທີ່ເຫັນເງິນທ້ອນຂອງຕົນຖືກກັດເຊາະ ຕາມປົກກະຕິແລ້ວຈະມີທາງເລືອກບໍ່ຫຼາຍ: ປ່ຽນເງິນທ້ອງຖິ່ນເປັນ ໂດລາ ຫລື ໃນກໍລະນີ້ລາວເຮົາກໍຈະມີ ບາດ ແລະ ຢວນນຳ ຜ່ານທະຫລາດມືດ ຫຼື ລົງທຶນກັບທຸລະກິດ, ຊື້ອະສັງຫາ ແລະ ລົງທຶນໃນຊັບສິນຕ່າງປະເທດ. USDT ໄດ້ປ່ຽນແປງເກມນີ້. ມັນອະນຸຍາດໃຫ້ທຸກຄົນທີ່ມີການເຂົ້າເຖິງອິນເຕີເນັດສາມາດເກັບຮັກສາ ແລະ ໂອນມູນຄ່າໃນຮູບແບບດິຈິຕອນທີ່ທຽບເທົ່າກັບໂດລາໂດຍບໍ່ຈຳເປັນຕ້ອງໄດ້ຮັບການອະນຸມັດຈາກທະນາຄານທ້ອງຖິ່ນ ຫຼື ລັດຖະບານ. ສິ່ງນີ້ຊ່ວຍໃຫ້ຫຼຸດພົ້ນຈາກການອີງໃສ່ສະກຸນເງິນແຫ່ງຊາດທີ່ອ່ອນແອ, ສະເໜີທາງເລືອກທີ່ງ່າຍໃນການປ້ອງກັນການເສື່ອມຄ່າ. ໃນປະເທດເຊັ່ນ: ເວເນຊູເອລາ, ອາເຈນຕິນາ, ໄນຈີເຣຍ, ເລບານອນ, ແລະ ລາວ, ປະຊາຊົນກຳລັງນຳໃຊ້ USDT ເພື່ອປົກປ້ອງຄວາມໝັ້ງຄັ່ງຂອງພວກເຂົາຈາກພາວະເງິນເຟີ້ສູງ ແລະ ຄວາມບໍ່ສະຖຽນທາງການເງິນ.

ການທຳລາຍການຜູກຂາດຂອງທະນາຄານກາງ

ທະນາຄານກາງມີອຳນາດອັນໃຫຍ່ຫຼວງຕໍ່ລະບົບການເງິນໂດຍການຄວບຄຸມການອອກເງິນ, ອັດຕາດອກເບ້ຍ, ແລະ ການໄຫຼຂອງທຶນ. ເຖິງຢ່າງໃດກໍຕາມ, USDT ບ່ອນທຳລາຍການຄວບຄຸມນີ້ດ້ວຍການສະໜອງລະບົບການເງິນຄູ່ຂະໜານທີ່ດຳເນີນງານເປັນອິດສະຫຼະຈາກການກຳກັບດູແລຂອງລັດຖະບານ. ສິ່ງນີ້ທ້າທາຍສາມພື້ນທີ່ຫຼັກຂອງອຳນາດທະນາຄານກາງ:

• ການຄວບຄຸມນະໂຍບາຍການເງິນ:

ເມື່ອປະຊາຊົນຍ້າຍເງິນທ້ອນຈາກສະກຸນເງິນທ້ອງຖິ່ນໄປສູ່ USDT, ທະນາຄານກາງຈະສູນເສຍຄວາມສາມາດໃນການຄວບຄຸມປະລິມານເງິນຢ່າງມີປະສິດທິພາບ. ຖ້າປະຊາກອນສ່ວນໃຫຍ່ຢຸດໃຊ້ສະກຸນເງິນແຫ່ງຊາດ, ນະໂຍບາຍເຊັ່ນ: ການປ່ຽນແປງອັດຕາດອກເບ້ຍ ຫຼື ການພິມເງິນກໍຈະສູນເສຍປະສິດທິພາບຂອງພວກມັນ.

• ການຫຼີກລ່ຽງການຄວບຄຸມທຶນ:

ປະເທດກຳລັງພັດທະນາຫຼາຍແຫ່ງບັງຄັບໃຊ້ການຄວບຄຸມທຶນທີ່ເຂັ້ມງວດເພື່ອປ້ອງກັນບໍ່ໃຫ້ເງິນອອກນອກປະເທດ, ເຮັດໃຫ້ສະກຸນເງິນຂອງພວກເຂົາມີສະຖຽນລະພາບ. USDT, ໂດຍບໍ່ມີພົມແດນ, ອະນຸຍາດໃຫ້ຜູ້ໃຊ້ຫຼີກລ່ຽງການຄວບຄຸມເຫຼົ່ານີ້, ເຮັດໃຫ້ມັນງ່າຍຂຶ້ນໃນການດຳເນີນທຸລະກຳທົ່ວໂລກ ຫຼື ເກັບຮັກສາຄວາມໝັ້ງຄັ່ງທີ່ມີສະພາບຄ່ອງລະດັບສາກົນ.

• ການລົດບົດບາດຂອງລະບົບທະນາຄານ:

USDT ຫຼຸດຄວາມຕ້ອງການຂອງການບໍລິການທະນາຄານແບບດັ້ງເດີມ. ດ້ວຍສະມາດໂຟນ ແລະ ກະເປົາເງິນດິຈິຕອນ, ປະຊາຊົນສາມາດສົ່ງ ແລະ ຮັບການຊຳລະເງິນໂດຍບໍ່ຕ້ອງຜ່ານລະບົບທະນາຄານ, ຕັດທະນາຄານອອກຈາກລະບົບນິເວດການເງິນ ແລະ ເຮັດໃຫ້ພວກມັນຂາດຄ່າທຳນຽມທຸລະກຳ ແລະ ເງິນຝາກ.

ກໍລະນີຂອງລາວ: ການປ່ຽນແປງທາງການເງິນທີ່ກຳລັງເກີດຂຶ້ນ

ລາວ, ເຊັ່ນດຽວກັນກັບປະເທດກຳລັງພັດທະນາຫຼາຍແຫ່ງ, ປະເຊີນກັບສິ່ງທ້າທາຍທາງເສດຖະກິດລວມທັງເງິນເຟີ້, ສະກຸນເງິນແຫ່ງຊາດທີ່ອ່ອນແອ (ເງິນກີບລາວ), ແລະ ການເຂົ້າເຖິງເງິນຕາຕ່າງປະເທດທີ່ຈຳກັດ. ລັດຖະບານມີການຄວບຄຸມທຶນທີ່ເຂັ້ມງວດ, ເຮັດໃຫ້ມັນຍາກສຳລັບບຸກຄົນ ແລະ ທຸລະກິດໃນການຊື້ USD ຜ່ານຊ່ອງທາງທີ່ເປັນທາງການ. ສິ່ງນີ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ເກີດຕະຫຼາດມືດສຳລັບການແລກປ່ຽນເງິນຕາທີ່ເຕີບໂຕຂຶ້ນ. ດ້ວຍການເພີ່ມຂຶ້ນຂອງ USDT, ຊາວລາວຫຼາຍຄົນກຳລັງຫັນມາໃຊ້ stable coin ແລະ ເກັບຊັບສິນດິຈິຕອນ ເປັນທາງເລືອກທີ່ປອດໄພກວ່າການຖືເງິນກີບລາວ, ເຊິ່ງມີແນວໂນ້ມທີ່ຈະເສື່ອມຄ່າລົງ.

ບົດຮຽນຈາກການທຳລາຍສື່ທ້ອງຖິ່ນໂດຍສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍ

ການເພີ່ມຂຶ້ນຂອງ USDT ສະທ້ອນໃຫ້ເຫັນເຖິງສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍໄດ້ທຳລາຍສື່ທ້ອງຖິ່ນແນວໃດ. ສື່ຂ່າວແບບດັ້ງເດີມເຄີຍຜູກຂາດການແຈກຢາຍຂໍ້ມູນ, ແຕ່ແພລດຟອມເຊັ່ນ: Facebook, Twitter, ແລະ YouTube ໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ການສ້າງ ແລະ ການແຈກຢາຍເນື້ອຫາເປັນປະຊາທິປະໄຕ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ, ສື່ທີ່ຄວບຄຸມໂດຍລັດ ແລະ ບໍລິສັດຈຶ່ງສູນເສຍຄວາມສາມາດໃນການກຳນົດເນື້ອຫາ ໃນຂະນະທີ່ສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍເພີ່ມອຳນາດໃຫ້ບຸກຄົນໃນການແບ່ງປັນ ແລະ ເຂົ້າເຖິງຂ່າວທີ່ບໍ່ໄດ້ຜ່ານການ censorship. ເຊັ່ນດຽວກັນ, USDT ກຳລັງກະຈາຍອຳນາດທາງການເງິນ. ເຊັ່ນດຽວກັບສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍທີ່ໃຫ້ສຽງແກ່ປະຊາຊົນນອກເໜືອຈາກສື່ກະແສຫຼັກ, USDT ກຳລັງໃຫ້ຄວາມເປັນອິດສະຫຼະທາງການເງິນແກ່ບຸກຄົນທີ່ເກີນກວ່າຂອບເຂດຂອງທະນາຄານກາງ. ແນວໂນ້ມນີ້ຊັດເຈນ: ສະຖາບັນທີ່ລວມສູນຈະສູນເສຍການຄວບຄຸມເມື່ອບຸກຄົນໄດ້ຮັບການເຂົ້າເຖິງໂດຍກົງຕໍ່ທາງເລືອກອື່ນ.

Trump ສະໜັບສະໜູນ Stable Coin

ປະທານາທິບໍດີສະຫະລັດ Donald Trump ໄດ້ສະແດງການສະໜັບສະໜູນຕໍ່ stable coin ແລະ ອຸດສາຫະກຳ cryptocurrency ເມື່ອບໍ່ດົນມານີ້. ຈຸດຢືນຂອງລາວເປັນສັນຍານເຖິງການປ່ຽນແປງທີ່ເປັນໄປໄດ້ໃນນະໂຍບາຍຂອງສະຫະລັດທີ່ອາດຈະສ້າງຄວາມຊອບທຳໃຫ້ແກ່ສະເຕເບິນຄອຍ ແລະ ຂັບເຄື່ອນການນຳໃຊ້ທົ່ວໂລກ. ຖ້າລັດຖະບານສະຫະລັດຮັບຮອງສະເຕເບິນຄອຍເຊັ່ນ USDT, ມັນອາດຈະເລັ່ງການນຳໃຊ້ພວກມັນເປັນທາງເລືອກແທນລະບົບທະນາຄານແບບດັ້ງເດີມ, ສ້າງແຮງກົດດັນເພີ່ມເຕີມຕໍ່ທະນາຄານກາງໃນປະເທດກຳລັງພັດທະນາ. ນີ້ອາດຈະສົ່ງເສີມໃຫ້ມີການມີສ່ວນຮ່ວມຂອງສະຖາບັນຫຼາຍຂຶ້ນ, ເຮັດໃຫ້ມັນຍາກຂຶ້ນສຳລັບລັດຖະບານທ້ອງຖິ່ນໃນການປາບປາມການນຳໃຊ້ USDT.

ຊ່ອງຫວ່າງຂອງການຮັບຮູ້: ຫຼາຍຄົນຍັງບໍ່ຮູ້ເຖິງໄພຂົ່ມຂູ່

ເຖິງແມ່ນວ່າ USDT ຈະເຕີບໂຕຢ່າງໄວວາ, ປະຊາຊົນຫຼາຍຄົນໃນປະເທດກຳລັງພັດທະນາຍັງບໍ່ຮັບຮູ້ເຖິງຜົນກະທົບຂອງມັນ. ໃນຂະນະທີ່ຜູ້ໃຊ້ເລີ່ມຕົ້ນຈະເປັນ ບຸກຄົນທີ່ຮູ້ເທັກໂນໂລຊີ, ນັກລົງທຶນ ແລະ ເຈົ້າຂອງທຸລະກິດ, ປະຊາກອນສ່ວນໃຫຍ່ຍັງອີງໃສ່ການທະນາຄານແບບດັ້ງເດີມ ແລະ ສະກຸນເງິນຕາມກົດໝາຍໂດຍບໍ່ຮູ້ເຖິງຄວາມສ່ຽງຂອງການເສື່ອມຄ່າ ແລະ ຄວາມບໍ່ສະຖຽນທາງການເງິນ. ເຖິງຢ່າງໃດກໍຕາມ, ບຸກຄົນຕ້ອງມີຄວາມຄິດລິເລີ່ມໃນການສຶກສາຕົນເອງກ່ຽວກັບເຄື່ອງມືທາງການເງິນທາງເລືອກເຊັ່ນ USDT ແລະ Bitcoin ເພື່ອປົກປ້ອງຄວາມໝັ້ງຄັ່ງ ແລະ ຄວາມເປັນອິດສະຫຼະທາງການເງິນຂອງພວກເຂົາ.

ບົດສະຫຼຸບ: ການປະຕິວັດທາງການເງິນທີ່ກຳລັງເກີດຂຶ້ນ

USDT ແລະ Bitcoin ແມ່ນການປະຕິວັດທາງການເງິນທີ່ເພີ່ມອຳນາດໃຫ້ບຸກຄົນໃນປະເທດກຳລັງພັດທະນາທີ່ຈະຫຼຸດພົ້ນຈາກນະໂຍບາຍການເງິນທີ່ລົ້ມເຫຼວ. ເຊັ່ນດຽວກັບສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍໄດ້ປະຕິວັດພູມທັດຂອງສື່ໂດຍການໃຫ້ປະຊາຊົນຄວບຄຸມຂໍ້ມູນຂ່າວສານ, USDT ກຳລັງປະຕິວັດການເງິນໂດຍການໃຫ້ປະຊາຊົນຄວບຄຸມເງິນຂອງພວກເຂົາ. ສຳລັບທະນາຄານກາງໃນປະເທດກຳລັງພັດທະນາ, ການປ່ຽນແປງນີ້ສ້າງສະພາວະຫຍຸ້ງຍາກທີ່ຮ້າຍແຮງ: ປັບຕົວ ຫຼື ສູນເສຍອິດທິພົນ. ລັດຖະບານອາດຈະພະຍາຍາມຄວບຄຸມກົດລະບຽບ ຫຼື ຫ້າມສະເຕເບິນຄອຍ, ແຕ່ຕາມທີ່ປະຫວັດສາດໄດ້ສະແດງໃຫ້ເຫັນກັບສື່ສັງຄົມອອນລາຍ.

@ d560dbc2:bbd59238

The Eisenhower Matrix and Task4Us are two powerful tools for managing tasks—each with its own approach to prioritization. The Eisenhower Matrix categorizes tasks based on urgency and importance, while Task4Us lets you set a low, medium, or high priority for each task and uses an Urgency Score to guide you on what to work on next. By combining these systems, you can refine your task management process—ensuring you focus on the right tasks (via the Eisenhower Matrix), set appropriate priorities (via Task4Us’s priority parameter), and act on them at the optimal time (via Task4Us’s Urgency Score). In this post, I'll explain how to adjust tasks from the Eisenhower Matrix using Task4Us’s priority system and let its Urgency Score guide your actions for a more dynamic and effective workflow.

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Understanding the Systems

The Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix divides tasks into four quadrants based on two criteria: urgency and importance:

• Urgent and Important (Do First):
  Tasks requiring immediate action (e.g., “Submit a project proposal by 5 PM today”).

• Important but Not Urgent (Schedule):
  Tasks that contribute to long-term goals but don’t need immediate attention (e.g., “Plan a team-building event”).

• Urgent but Not Important (Delegate):
  Tasks that need quick action but don’t align with your primary goals (e.g., “Answer non-critical emails”).

• Neither Urgent nor Important (Eliminate):
  Time-wasters to remove (e.g., “Scroll social media endlessly”).

While the matrix helps you decide what to focus on, schedule, delegate, or eliminate, it doesn’t inherently guide you on the relative urgency of tasks within each quadrant or the timing for non-urgent tasks.

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Task4Us: Priority Parameter and Urgency Score

Task4Us uses the 2-5 Rule to prioritize tasks based on timing. When you add a task, you assign it a time unit (days, weeks, months, or years), and Task4Us calculates when it should be acted on within a 2-to-5 window. For example:

• A daily task like “Drink water” should be done every 2–5 days.
• A monthly task like “Meet Uncle Lars” should be done every 2–5 months.

Additionally, Task4Us allows you to set a priority parameter—low, medium, or high—for each task, giving you control over its initial importance. The system also calculates an Urgency Score based on how close the task is to its 2–5 window or due date (for fixed-date tasks). For instance, if you last met Uncle Lars 4 weeks ago and set it as a monthly task with medium priority, the Urgency Score might increase as you approach the 5-week mark, nudging you to act. Features like Fix Mode (for date-specific tasks) and Focus Mode (displaying your top 3 tasks) help you act without overthinking. Currently in beta, Task4Us is designed to reduce decision fatigue by aligning tasks with your natural rhythms.

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Why Adjust Eisenhower Matrix Tasks with Task4Us Priorities?

Combining the Eisenhower Matrix with Task4Us’s priority and Urgency Score offers several benefits:

• Align Priorities with Quadrants:
  Set high priority for “Do First” tasks and medium for “Schedule” tasks, mirroring the matrix’s framework.

• Let Task4Us Guide Timing:
  The Urgency Score adjusts dynamically based on timing, ensuring you act on tasks at the right moment—even within the same quadrant.

• Reduce Overwhelm:
  The blend of the matrix’s clarity with Task4Us’s dynamic prioritization helps you focus on what’s most urgent and important without losing sight of long-term goals.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Adjusting Tasks

Step 1: Categorize Tasks Using the Eisenhower Matrix

Start by listing your tasks and sorting them into the Eisenhower Matrix’s four quadrants. For example:

• Do First (Urgent and Important):
• “Submit project proposal by 5 PM today”

• “Fix client issue by tomorrow”

• Schedule (Important but Not Urgent):

• “Meet Uncle Lars for coffee”
• “Plan a team-building event”

• “Do cardio”

• Delegate (Urgent but Not Important):

• “Answer non-critical emails”

• Eliminate (Neither Urgent nor Important):

• “Scroll social media endlessly”

Focus on the actionable quadrants (“Do First” and “Schedule”) and delegate or eliminate tasks in the other quadrants.

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Step 2: Add Tasks to Task4Us and Set Priorities

Add the tasks from the “Do First” and “Schedule” quadrants into Task4Us, assigning each a time unit or due date and setting its priority:

Do First Tasks (Set High Priority):

• “Submit project proposal by 5 PM today”:
• Use Fix Mode to set the due date (e.g., March 26, 2025).

• Set the priority to high due to the immediate deadline.

• “Fix client issue by tomorrow”:

• Use Fix Mode to set the due date (e.g., March 27, 2025).
• Set the priority to high.

Schedule Tasks (Set Medium Priority):

• “Meet Uncle Lars for coffee”:
• Set as a monthly task (last acted on February 1, 2025).

• Assign a medium priority.

• “Plan a team-building event”:

• Set as a monthly task (last acted on January 1, 2025).

• Assign a medium priority.

• “Do cardio”:

• Set as a daily task (last acted on March 24, 2025).
• Assign a medium priority.

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Step 3: Let Task4Us’s Urgency Score Guide Your Actions

Task4Us calculates an Urgency Score that dynamically adjusts based on timing and your priority settings:

• Do First Quadrant:
• “Submit project proposal by 5 PM today” (High Priority): The Urgency Score will rank this as the top task due to the immediate deadline.

• “Fix client issue by tomorrow” (High Priority): Although high priority, its Urgency Score may rank slightly lower since it’s due tomorrow.

• Schedule Quadrant:

• “Plan a team-building event” (Medium Priority): With 3 months since the last action, its Urgency Score increases.
• “Meet Uncle Lars for coffee” (Medium Priority): Approaching the 2-month mark, its Urgency Score will rise.
• “Do cardio” (Medium Priority): At only 2 days since the last action, its Urgency Score remains lower for now.

Task4Us uses the Urgency Score to fine-tune the order of tasks within each quadrant, ensuring you act on the most pressing ones first.

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Step 4: Act Using Task4Us’s Focus Mode

Focus Mode displays your top 3 tasks based on the Urgency Score across all categories. For example, your top 3 tasks might be: - “Submit project proposal by 5 PM today” (High Priority, top Urgency Score) - “Fix client issue by tomorrow” (High Priority, slightly lower Urgency Score) - “Plan a team-building event” (Medium Priority, high Urgency Score in the Schedule quadrant)

This mode helps you balance urgent needs with long-term goals, ensuring you work on the highest-priority tasks first.

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Step 5: Review and Reassess Weekly

Set aside time each week to review your Eisenhower Matrix and Task4Us tasks:

• Reassess Quadrants:
  Shift tasks between quadrants if their urgency or importance changes.
  Example: If “Plan a team-building event” becomes more urgent due to a company deadline, shift it to “Do First” and update its priority in Task4Us.

• Update Task4Us:
  As tasks are completed, update their “last act dates” to reset their 2-5 windows and adjust Urgency Scores.

• Adjust Priorities:
  If a “Schedule” task like “Do cardio” remains uncompleted for too long (e.g., skipped for 5 days), increase its priority to high to prompt timely action.

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A Real-Life Example: Adjusting Tasks in Action

Imagine managing a mix of work, personal, and health tasks:

Eisenhower Matrix Categorization:

• Do First:
• “Submit project proposal by 5 PM today”

• “Fix client issue by tomorrow”

• Schedule:

• “Meet Uncle Lars for coffee”
• “Plan a team-building event”

• “Do cardio”

• Delegate:

• “Answer non-critical emails”

• Eliminate:

• “Scroll social media endlessly”

Add to Task4Us and Set Priorities:

• “Submit project proposal” – Use Fix Mode (due today), set to High Priority.
• “Fix client issue” – Use Fix Mode (due tomorrow), set to High Priority.
• “Meet Uncle Lars for coffee” – Set as a monthly task (last acted on February 1, 2025), Medium Priority.
• “Plan a team-building event” – Set as a monthly task (last acted on January 1, 2025), Medium Priority.
• “Do cardio” – Set as a daily task (last acted on March 24, 2025), Medium Priority.

Adjust Within Quadrants:

• Do First:
  Tackle “Submit project proposal” before “Fix client issue” based on a higher Urgency Score.
• Schedule:
  Prioritize “Plan a team-building event” (High Urgency Score) over “Meet Uncle Lars” and “Do cardio.”

Act with Focus Mode:

• Task4Us’s Focus Mode displays your top 3 tasks (e.g., “Submit project proposal,” “Fix client issue,” and “Plan a team-building event”), ensuring a balanced focus.

Review Weekly:

• After completing tasks, update their “last act dates.”
  Example: If you meet Uncle Lars on March 27, update the task to reset its 2-5 window, which may lower its Urgency Score temporarily.

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Why This Combination Works

Combining the Eisenhower Matrix with Task4Us’s priority parameter and Urgency Score addresses limitations of both systems:

• Aligned Prioritization:
  Setting high priority for “Do First” tasks and medium for “Schedule” tasks aligns Task4Us with the Eisenhower Matrix, ensuring tasks are appropriately categorized.

• Dynamic Guidance:
  Task4Us’s Urgency Score fine-tunes the order of tasks within each quadrant, guiding you on what to work on next based on timing.

• Balanced Focus:
  The combination ensures you work on the right tasks (Eisenhower Matrix), with the right priority (Task4Us’s priority parameter), at the right time (Task4Us’s Urgency Score).

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Try It Out and Share Your Experience

Task4Us is currently in beta—now’s the perfect time to try this combination and see how it enhances your task management. Categorize your tasks using the Eisenhower Matrix, add them to Task4Us, and adjust priorities with the low/medium/high system while letting the Urgency Score guide your actions.

Sign up for Task4Us at todo.task4.us and let me know how it works for you!
How do you prioritize your tasks—do you use the Eisenhower Matrix, Task4Us, or another method? Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear your experience!

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#Productivity #TaskManagement #EisenhowerMatrix #Task4Us #GTD

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@ b7cf9f42:ecb93e78

Der Verstand im Fluss der Information

Das Informationszeitalter ist wie ein monströser Fluss, der unseren Verstand umgibt

Fundament erbauen

Der Verstand kann sich eine Insel in diesem Fluss bauen. Dabei können wir eine eigene Insel erbauen oder eine bestehende insel anvisieren um stabilität zu finden

Je robuster das Baumaterial, desto standhafter unsere Insel. (Stärke der Argumente, Qualität des Informationsgehalts, Verständlichkeit der Information)

Je grossflächiger die Insel, desto mehr Menschen haben Platz (Reichweite).

Je höher wir die Insel bauen, desto sicherer ist sie bei einem Anstieg des Informationsflusses (Diversität der Interesse und Kompetenzen der Inselbewohner).

Robustes Baumaterial

Primäre Wahrnehmung (robuster):

Realität -> meine Sinne -> meine Meinung/Interpretation

Sekundäre Wahrnehmung (weniger Robust):

Realität -> Sinne eines anderen -> dessen Meinung/Interpretation -> dessen Kommunikation -> meine Sinne -> meine Meinung/Interpretation

Wie kann ich zur Insel beitragen?

Ich investiere meine Zeit, um zu lernen. Ich bin bestrebt, Ideen zu verstehen, um sicherzugehen, dass ich robustes Baumaterial verwende.

Ich teile vermehrt Informationen, welche ich verstehe, damit auch meine Mitbewohner der Insel mit robustem Material die Insel vergrössern können. So können wir mehr Platz schaffen, wo Treibende Halt finden können.

Was könnte diese Insel sein?

• Freie Wissenschaft
• Freie Software
• Regeln
• Funktionierende Justiz
• Werkzeug
• und vieles weiteres

@ 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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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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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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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.

@ 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.

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

Córdoba is a treasure trove of Moorish architecture, Roman heritage, and Andalusian charm. Once the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate, it’s home to stunning patios, atmospheric streets, and UNESCO-listed landmarks.

🏛️ Top Things to See & Do in Córdoba

1️⃣ La Mezquita-Catedral 🕌⛪

• Córdoba’s most iconic landmark, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• A breathtaking blend of Islamic arches and a Christian cathedral.
• Don’t miss the orange tree courtyard and bell tower views.

2️⃣ Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos 🏰

• A medieval fortress with stunning gardens and Mudejar courtyards.
• Walk through Roman mosaics, ancient baths, and watchtowers.

3️⃣ Puente Romano & Calahorra Tower 🌉

• A historic Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir River.
• Great for sunset views with the Mezquita in the background.
• Visit the Calahorra Tower Museum for a look at Córdoba’s Islamic past.

4️⃣ Judería (Jewish Quarter) & Calleja de las Flores 🌺

• Wander through narrow, whitewashed streets lined with flowers.
• Visit the Córdoba Synagogue, one of Spain’s last remaining medieval synagogues.
• Stop by Calleja de las Flores, one of the most photogenic streets in Spain.

5️⃣ Palacio de Viana 🏡

• A 16th-century palace with 12 stunning courtyards filled with flowers.
• A must-visit during Córdoba’s Patio Festival (May).

6️⃣ Medina Azahara 🏛️

• The ruins of a 10th-century Moorish palace-city, 8 km from Córdoba.
• One of the greatest archaeological sites from Al-Andalus.

7️⃣ Plaza de la Corredera & Local Tapas 🍷

• A lively square with colorful buildings and traditional bars.
• Try local specialties like salmorejo (cold tomato soup) and flamenquín (breaded ham & cheese roll).

🍽️ What to Eat in Córdoba

• Salmorejo – A thick cold tomato soup, topped with ham and egg 🍅
• Flamenquín – A deep-fried pork roll stuffed with ham & cheese 🥩🧀
• Rabo de toro – Slow-cooked oxtail stew, a classic dish 🥘
• Berenjenas con miel – Fried eggplant drizzled with honey 🍆🍯
• Montilla-Moriles wine – A local sherry-like wine 🍷

🚗 How to Get to Córdoba

🚆 By Train: High-speed AVE trains from Madrid (1 hr 45 min), Seville (45 min), Málaga (1 hr)
🚘 By Car: 1.5 hrs from Seville, 2 hrs from Granada, 1 hr 40 min from Málaga
🚌 By Bus: Regular connections from major Andalusian cities
✈️ By Air: Closest airports are Seville (SVQ) or Málaga (AGP)

💡 Tips for Visiting Córdoba

✅ Best time to visit? Spring (April–May) for mild weather & flower-filled patios 🌸
✅ Visit early morning or late afternoon to avoid the midday heat ☀️
✅ Book Mezquita tickets in advance to skip long queues 🎟️
✅ Try the local patios – Many houses open their courtyards for visitors 🏡

@ 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

@ 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.

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

Bitcoin gives you financial freedom, but if you're not careful, someone’s watching. If you don’t run your own Bitcoin node, you're trusting someone else with your privacy. Here's why that’s a bad idea—and how running your own node fixes it.

What Is a Bitcoin Node? A Bitcoin node is software that connects to the Bitcoin network. It: ✅ Verifies transactions and blocks. ✅ Stores a copy of the blockchain. ✅ Relays transactions to the network. ✅ Lets you use Bitcoin without trusting anyone.

If you don’t run a node, you’re relying on someone else’s—usually a company that tracks your activity.

How Using Someone Else’s Node Destroys Your Privacy 👀 They Can See Your Transactions – Third-party wallets track what you send, receive, and how much Bitcoin you have. 📍 Your IP Address is Exposed – When you send a transaction, your location could be linked to it. ⛔ Censorship is Possible – Some services can block or delay your transactions. 🔗 They Can Link Your Addresses – Many wallets send your balance info to outside servers, connecting all your Bitcoin activity.

How Running Your Own Node Protects You 🔒 No One Knows Your Balances – Your wallet checks the blockchain directly, keeping your finances private. 🕵️ Hides Your IP Address – No one knows where your transactions come from, especially if you use Tor. 🚀 No Transaction Censorship – Your node sends transactions directly, avoiding interference. ✅ You Verify Everything – No fake data or reliance on third-party information.

But Isn’t Running a Node Hard? Not anymore! You can: 💻 Download Bitcoin Core and run it on your computer. 🔌 Use plug-and-play devices like Umbrel or MyNode. 🍓 Set up a cheap Raspberry Pi to run 24/7.

It’s easier than you think—and worth it.

Why This Matters The more people run nodes, the stronger Bitcoin gets. It becomes more decentralized, harder to censor, and more private for everyone.

Final Thought If you value privacy, freedom, and financial independence, running your own Bitcoin node is a no-brainer. Take control. Protect your Bitcoin. Run a node. 🚀

@ 57d1a264:69f1fee1

I was curious to see how Stacker.News domain and website contents scored from a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) perspective. Here what Semrush nows about SN. But first have alook at the Page Performance Score on Google (Detailled report available here). Performance and Accessibility looks have really low score!

| Desktop | Mobile | |---|---| | | | | | |

Now let's see what Semrush knows.

Analytics

General view on your metrics and performance trend compared to last 30 days. See estimations of stacker.news's desktop and mobile traffic based on Semrush’s proprietary AI and machine learning algorithms, petabytes of clickstream data, and Big Data technologies. Distribution of SN's organic traffic and keywords by country. The Organic Traffic graph shows changes in the amount of estimated organic and paid traffic driven to the SN analyzed domain over time.

| Organic Search | Backlinks Analytics | |---|---| | | |

| Position Changes Trend | Top Page Changes | |---|---| | | | |This trend allows you to monitor organic traffic changes, as well as improved and declined positions.| Top pages with the biggest traffic changes over the last 28 days. |

Competitors

The Competitive Positioning Map shows the strengths and weaknesses of SN competitive domains' presence in organic search results. Data visualizations are based on the domain's organic traffic and the number of keywords that they are ranking for in Google's top 20 organic search results. The larger the circle, the more visibility a domain has. Below, a list of domains an analyzed domain is competing against in Google's top 20 organic search results.

Referring Domains

Daily Stats

| Organic Traffic | Organic Keywords | Backlinks | |---|---|---| | 976 | 15.9K | 126K | | -41.87% | -16.4% | -1.62% |

📝 Traffic Drop

Traffic downturn detected! It appears SN domain experienced a traffic drop of 633 in the last 28 days. Take a closer look at these pages with significant traffic decline and explore areas for potential improvement. Here are the pages taking the biggest hits:

• https://stacker.news/items/723989 ⬇️ -15
• https://stacker.news/items/919813 ⬇️ -12
• https://stacker.news/items/783355 ⬇️ -5

📉 Decreased Authority Score

Uh-oh! Your Authority score has dropped from 26 to 25. Don't worry, we're here to assist you. Check out the new/lost backlinks in the Backlink Analytics tool to uncover insights on how to boost your authority.

🌟 New Keywords

Opportunity Alert! Targeting these keywords could help you increase organic traffic quickly and efficiently. We've found some low-hanging fruits for you! Take a look at these keywords: - nitter.moomoo.me — Volume 70 - 0xchat — Volume 30 - amethyst nostr — Volume 30

🛠️ Broken Pages

This could hurt the user experience and lead to a loss in organic traffic. Time to take action: amend those pages or set up redirects. Here below, few pages on SN domain that are either broken or not crawlable: - https://stacker.news/404 — 38 backlinks - https://stacker.news/api/capture/items/91154 — 24 backlinks - https://stacker.news/api/capture/items/91289 — 24 backlinks

Dees this post give you some insights? Hope so, comment below if you have any SEO suggestion? Mine is to improve or keep an eye on Accessibility!

One of the major issues I found is that SN does not have a robots.txt, a key simple text file that allow crawlers to read or not-read the website for indexing purposes. @k00b and @ek is that voluntary?

Here are other basic info to improve the SEO score and for those of us that want to learn more:

• Intro to Accessibility: https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/
• Design for Accessibility: https://www.w3.org/WAI/tips/designing/
• Web Accessibility Best Practices: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/web-accessibility-best-practices/

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/925433

@ 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.

@ 078d6670:56049f0c

I spent some time outside in the dark last night. After a little sleep I was wide awake again, so I ventured downstairs, rolled a joint and stepped into the darkness. No moon, no outside lights. Just stars flickering through space and landing on the sky dome, expanding my being.

There was nothing unusual. Just the usual fleeting apparitions shooting through the ether, barely visible, like they’re behind a lace curtain and I have a glimpse into the astral: light and dark winged things, miniature meteor orbs and bat shadows. This time I wasn’t listening to anything, just the inspiring tangent thoughts spiralling through my mental DNA. No cows, no lions fornicating, not even any barking dogs. (But there was a Wood Owl hooting.)

Initially, I was a little disappointed I hadn’t seen anything inexplicable, but I got over myself and expectation to always see fairies. There is a bliss in just being present (and stoned)!

When I was ready to exit the deck space, I yelled silently to myself and anyone reading my mind, “Goodnight Sky! Thank you stars for shining! Thank you planets for showing yourselves! Blessings to all the conscious beings in the Universe!”

I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. I wasn’t sure if I should run inside to get my smartphone or just watch.

An orb, a little bigger than the average star, manifested directly above my head, star-height, as far as my perception could guess. Then it disappeared after two seconds. Another one appeared in the same vicinity, and disappeared. I couldn’t tell if it was the same one reappearing in an astral (wormhole) jump, or other orbs were taking turns to greet me, because there were more, probably five in total.

How the f*!k did they hear me?

Is the sky conscious?

Does my being extend to the stars?

It felt like I was inside a lucid dream. The world was alive and acknowledging my blessings instantaneously. What impeccable manners!

I understand everything in my dream world is an extension of my consciousness. When I’m lucid I can interact with any of my dream elements and ask for meaning. There are no limits, only my imagination and unconscious beliefs.

But what is happening now?!

My reality is transforming into a dream, or the dream sandbox is becoming more real. Synchronistically, this is amazing, since my reading is taking me on a journey into western esotericism to expansive experiences through imagination to include the stars and beyond.

Soon, it’ll be time to call reality the Unreal, and the unreal Reality.

@ 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.

---

Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf Transition News erschienen.

@ 9dd283b1:cf9b6beb

My Raspberry Pi 4 (running Umbrel) has been disconnecting approximately once a month, and my 1TB SSD now has only 80GB of space remaining. I'm considering an upgrade—possibly moving to a Pi 5 with a 2TB drive—but I'm open to any suggestions for a better setup within a similar budget. Any recommendations?

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/911133

@ b2d670de:907f9d4a

This guide will walk you through setting up your own Strfry Nostr relay on a Debian/Ubuntu server and making it accessible exclusively as a TOR hidden service. By the end, you'll have a privacy-focused relay that operates entirely within the TOR network, enhancing both your privacy and that of your users.

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Initial Server Setup
3. Installing Strfry Nostr Relay
4. Configuring Your Relay
5. Setting Up TOR
6. Making Your Relay Available on TOR
7. Testing Your Setup]
8. Maintenance and Security
9. Troubleshooting

Prerequisites

• A Debian or Ubuntu server
• Basic familiarity with command line operations (most steps are explained in detail)
• Root or sudo access to your server

Initial Server Setup

First, let's make sure your server is properly set up and secured.

Update Your System

Connect to your server via SSH and update your system:

bash sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade -y

Set Up a Basic Firewall

Install and configure a basic firewall:

bash sudo apt install ufw -y sudo ufw allow ssh sudo ufw enable

This allows SSH connections while blocking other ports for security.

Installing Strfry Nostr Relay

This guide includes the full range of steps needed to build and set up Strfry. It's simply based on the current version of the DEPLOYMENT.md document in the Strfry GitHub repository. If the build/setup process is changed in the repo, this document could get outdated. If so, please report to me that something is outdated and check for updated steps here.

Install Dependencies

First, let's install the necessary dependencies. Each package serves a specific purpose in building and running Strfry:

bash sudo apt install -y git build-essential libyaml-perl libtemplate-perl libregexp-grammars-perl libssl-dev zlib1g-dev liblmdb-dev libflatbuffers-dev libsecp256k1-dev libzstd-dev

Here's why each dependency is needed:

Basic Development Tools: - git: Version control system used to clone the Strfry repository and manage code updates - build-essential: Meta-package that includes compilers (gcc, g++), make, and other essential build tools

Perl Dependencies (used for Strfry's build scripts): - libyaml-perl: Perl interface to parse YAML configuration files - libtemplate-perl: Template processing system used during the build process - libregexp-grammars-perl: Advanced regular expression handling for Perl scripts

Core Libraries for Strfry: - libssl-dev: Development files for OpenSSL, used for secure connections and cryptographic operations - zlib1g-dev: Compression library that Strfry uses to reduce data size - liblmdb-dev: Lightning Memory-Mapped Database library, which Strfry uses for its high-performance database backend - libflatbuffers-dev: Memory-efficient serialization library for structured data - libsecp256k1-dev: Optimized C library for EC operations on curve secp256k1, essential for Nostr's cryptographic signatures - libzstd-dev: Fast real-time compression algorithm for efficient data storage and transmission

Clone and Build Strfry

Clone the Strfry repository:

bash git clone https://github.com/hoytech/strfry.git cd strfry

Build Strfry:

bash git submodule update --init make setup-golpe make -j2 # This uses 2 CPU cores. Adjust based on your server (e.g., -j4 for 4 cores)

This build process will take several minutes, especially on servers with limited CPU resources, so go get a coffee and post some great memes on nostr in the meantime.

Install Strfry

Install the Strfry binary to your system path:

bash sudo cp strfry /usr/local/bin

This makes the strfry command available system-wide, allowing it to be executed from any directory and by any user with the appropriate permissions.

Configuring Your Relay

Create Strfry User

Create a dedicated user for running Strfry. This enhances security by isolating the relay process:

bash sudo useradd -M -s /usr/sbin/nologin strfry

The -M flag prevents creating a home directory, and -s /usr/sbin/nologin prevents anyone from logging in as this user. This is a security best practice for service accounts.

Create Data Directory

Create a directory for Strfry's data:

bash sudo mkdir /var/lib/strfry sudo chown strfry:strfry /var/lib/strfry sudo chmod 755 /var/lib/strfry

This creates a dedicated directory for Strfry's database and sets the appropriate permissions so that only the strfry user can write to it.

Configure Strfry

Copy the sample configuration file:

bash sudo cp strfry.conf /etc/strfry.conf

Edit the configuration file:

bash sudo nano /etc/strfry.conf

Modify the database path:

```

Find this line:

db = "./strfry-db/"

Change it to:

db = "/var/lib/strfry/" ```

Check your system's hard limit for file descriptors:

bash ulimit -Hn

Update the nofiles setting in your configuration to match this value (or set to 0):

```

Add or modify this line in the config (example if your limit is 524288):

nofiles = 524288 ```

The nofiles setting determines how many open files Strfry can have simultaneously. Setting it to your system's hard limit (or 0 to use the system default) helps prevent "too many open files" errors if your relay becomes popular.

You might also want to customize your relay's information in the config file. Look for the info section and update it with your relay's name, description, and other details.

Set ownership of the configuration file:

bash sudo chown strfry:strfry /etc/strfry.conf

Create Systemd Service

Create a systemd service file for managing Strfry:

bash sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/strfry.service

Add the following content:

```ini [Unit] Description=strfry relay service

[Service] User=strfry ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/strfry relay Restart=on-failure RestartSec=5 ProtectHome=yes NoNewPrivileges=yes ProtectSystem=full LimitCORE=1000000000

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

This systemd service configuration: - Runs Strfry as the dedicated strfry user - Automatically restarts the service if it fails - Implements security measures like ProtectHome and NoNewPrivileges - Sets resource limits appropriate for a relay

Enable and start the service:

bash sudo systemctl enable strfry.service sudo systemctl start strfry

Check the service status:

bash sudo systemctl status strfry

Verify Relay is Running

Test that your relay is running locally:

bash curl localhost:7777

You should see a message indicating that the Strfry relay is running. This confirms that Strfry is properly installed and configured before we proceed to set up TOR.

Setting Up TOR

Now let's make your relay accessible as a TOR hidden service.

Install TOR

Install TOR from the package repositories:

bash sudo apt install -y tor

This installs the TOR daemon that will create and manage your hidden service.

Configure TOR

Edit the TOR configuration file:

bash sudo nano /etc/tor/torrc

Scroll down to wherever you see a commented out part like this: ```

HiddenServiceDir /var/lib/tor/hidden_service/

HiddenServicePort 80 127.0.0.1:80

```

Under those lines, add the following lines to set up a hidden service for your relay:

HiddenServiceDir /var/lib/tor/strfry-relay/ HiddenServicePort 80 127.0.0.1:7777

This configuration: - Creates a hidden service directory at /var/lib/tor/strfry-relay/ - Maps port 80 on your .onion address to port 7777 on your local machine - Keeps all traffic encrypted within the TOR network

Create the directory for your hidden service:

bash sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/tor/strfry-relay/ sudo chown debian-tor:debian-tor /var/lib/tor/strfry-relay/ sudo chmod 700 /var/lib/tor/strfry-relay/

The strict permissions (700) are crucial for security as they ensure only the debian-tor user can access the directory containing your hidden service private keys.

Restart TOR to apply changes:

bash sudo systemctl restart tor

Making Your Relay Available on TOR

Get Your Onion Address

After restarting TOR, you can find your onion address:

bash sudo cat /var/lib/tor/strfry-relay/hostname

This will output something like abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz234567.onion, which is your relay's unique .onion address. This is what you'll share with others to access your relay.

Understanding Onion Addresses

The .onion address is a special-format hostname that is automatically generated based on your hidden service's private key.

Your users will need to use this address with the WebSocket protocol prefix to connect: ws://youronionaddress.onion

Testing Your Setup

Test with a Nostr Client

The best way to test your relay is with an actual Nostr client that supports TOR:

1. Open your TOR browser
2. Go to your favorite client, either on clearnet or an onion service.
   • Check out this list of nostr clients available over TOR.
3. Add your relay URL: ws://youronionaddress.onion to your relay list
4. Try posting a note and see if it appears on your relay
   • In some nostr clients, you can also click on a relay to get information about it like the relay name and description you set earlier in the stryfry config. If you're able to see the correct values for the name and the description, you were able to connect to the relay.
   • Some nostr clients also gives you a status on what relays a note was posted to, this could also give you an indication that your relay works as expected.

Note that not all Nostr clients support TOR connections natively. Some may require additional configuration or use of TOR Browser. E.g. most mobile apps would most likely require a TOR proxy app running in the background (some have TOR support built in too).

Maintenance and Security

Regular Updates

Keep your system, TOR, and relay updated:

```bash

Update system

sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade -y

Update Strfry

cd ~/strfry git pull git submodule update make -j2 sudo cp strfry /usr/local/bin sudo systemctl restart strfry

Verify TOR is still running properly

sudo systemctl status tor ```

Regular updates are crucial for security, especially for TOR which may have security-critical updates.

Database Management

Strfry has built-in database management tools. Check the Strfry documentation for specific commands related to database maintenance, such as managing event retention and performing backups.

Monitoring Logs

To monitor your Strfry logs:

bash sudo journalctl -u strfry -f

To check TOR logs:

bash sudo journalctl -u tor -f

Monitoring logs helps you identify potential issues and understand how your relay is being used.

Backup

This is not a best practices guide on how to do backups. Preferably, backups should be stored either offline or on a different machine than your relay server. This is just a simple way on how to do it on the same server.

```bash

Stop the relay temporarily

sudo systemctl stop strfry

Backup the database

sudo cp -r /var/lib/strfry /path/to/backup/location

Restart the relay

sudo systemctl start strfry ```

Back up your TOR hidden service private key. The private key is particularly sensitive as it defines your .onion address - losing it means losing your address permanently. If you do a backup of this, ensure that is stored in a safe place where no one else has access to it.

bash sudo cp /var/lib/tor/strfry-relay/hs_ed25519_secret_key /path/to/secure/backup/location

Troubleshooting

Relay Not Starting

If your relay doesn't start:

```bash

Check logs

sudo journalctl -u strfry -e

Verify configuration

cat /etc/strfry.conf

Check permissions

ls -la /var/lib/strfry ```

Common issues include: - Incorrect configuration format - Permission problems with the data directory - Port already in use (another service using port 7777) - Issues with setting the nofiles limit (setting it too big)

TOR Hidden Service Not Working

If your TOR hidden service is not accessible:

```bash

Check TOR logs

sudo journalctl -u tor -e

Verify TOR is running

sudo systemctl status tor

Check onion address

sudo cat /var/lib/tor/strfry-relay/hostname

Verify TOR configuration

sudo cat /etc/tor/torrc ```

Common TOR issues include: - Incorrect directory permissions - TOR service not running - Incorrect port mapping in torrc

Testing Connectivity

If you're having trouble connecting to your service:

```bash

Verify Strfry is listening locally

sudo ss -tulpn | grep 7777

Check that TOR is properly running

sudo systemctl status tor

Test the local connection directly

curl --include --no-buffer localhost:7777 ```

---

Privacy and Security Considerations

Running a Nostr relay as a TOR hidden service provides several important privacy benefits:

1. Network Privacy: Traffic to your relay is encrypted and routed through the TOR network, making it difficult to determine who is connecting to your relay.

2. Server Anonymity: The physical location and IP address of your server are concealed, providing protection against denial-of-service attacks and other targeting.

3. Censorship Resistance: TOR hidden services are more resilient against censorship attempts, as they don't rely on the regular DNS system and can't be easily blocked.

4. User Privacy: Users connecting to your relay through TOR enjoy enhanced privacy, as their connections are also encrypted and anonymized.

However, there are some important considerations:

• TOR connections are typically slower than regular internet connections
• Not all Nostr clients support TOR connections natively
• Running a hidden service increases the importance of keeping your server secure

---

Congratulations! You now have a Strfry Nostr relay running as a TOR hidden service. This setup provides a resilient, privacy-focused, and censorship-resistant communication channel that helps strengthen the Nostr network.

For further customization and advanced configuration options, refer to the Strfry documentation.

Consider sharing your relay's .onion address with the Nostr community to help grow the privacy-focused segment of the network!

If you plan on providing a relay service that the public can use (either for free or paid for), consider adding it to this list. Only add it if you plan to run a stable and available relay.

@ 4d4fb5ff:1e821f47

The entire genetic sequence for peptidase E (pepE, e. coli). Genes in living organisms are subject to mutation across time. In contrast, information on the bitcoin ledger is immutable. By etching the pepE DNA sequence onto bitcoin, its ability to evolve is lost. This challenges the significance of genetic information in a foreign digital context. I chose to keep the title “PEPEGENE” in upper case as a homage to the naming convention for Counterparty assets. This additionally contrasts the notation of a digital asset identifier (PEPEGENE) against the notation of biological identifiers (a,t,c or g), which are kept in lower case.

https://ordiscan.com/inscription/53135550

@ bc52210b:20bfc6de

CISA, or Cross-Input Signature Aggregation, is a technique in Bitcoin that allows multiple signatures from different inputs in a transaction to be combined into a single, aggregated signature. This is a big deal because Bitcoin transactions often involve multiple inputs (e.g., spending from different wallet outputs), each requiring its own signature. Normally, these signatures take up space individually, but CISA compresses them into one, making transactions more efficient.

This magic is possible thanks to the linearity property of Schnorr signatures, a type of digital signature introduced to Bitcoin with the Taproot upgrade. Unlike the older ECDSA signatures, Schnorr signatures have mathematical properties that allow multiple signatures to be added together into a single valid signature. Think of it like combining multiple handwritten signatures into one super-signature that still proves everyone signed off!

Fun Fact: CISA was considered for inclusion in Taproot but was left out to keep the upgrade simple and manageable. Adding CISA would’ve made Taproot more complex, so the developers hit pause on it—for now.

CISA vs. Key Aggregation (MuSig, FROST): Don’t Get Confused! Before we go deeper, let’s clear up a common mix-up: CISA is not the same as protocols like MuSig or FROST. Here’s why:

• Signature Aggregation (CISA): Combines multiple signatures into one, each potentially tied to different public keys and messages (e.g., different transaction inputs).
• Key Aggregation (MuSig, FROST): Combines multiple public keys into a single aggregated public key, then generates one signature for that key.

Key Differences: 1. What’s Aggregated? * CISA: Aggregates signatures. * Key Aggregation: Aggregates public keys. 2. What the Verifier Needs * CISA: The verifier needs all individual public keys and their corresponding messages to check the aggregated signature. * Key Aggregation: The verifier only needs the single aggregated public key and one message. 3. When It Happens * CISA: Used during transaction signing, when inputs are being combined into a transaction. * MuSig: Used during address creation, setting up a multi-signature (multisig) address that multiple parties control.

So, CISA is about shrinking signature data in a transaction, while MuSig/FROST are about simplifying multisig setups. Different tools, different jobs!

Two Flavors of CISA: Half-Agg and Full-Agg CISA comes in two modes:

• Full Aggregation (Full-Agg): Interactive, meaning signers need to collaborate during the signing process. (We’ll skip the details here since the query focuses on Half-Agg.)
• Half Aggregation (Half-Agg): Non-interactive, meaning signers can work independently, and someone else can combine the signatures later.

Since the query includes “CISA Part 2: Half Signature Aggregation,” let’s zoom in on Half-Agg.

Half Signature Aggregation (Half-Agg) Explained How It Works Half-Agg is a non-interactive way to aggregate Schnorr signatures. Here’s the process:

1. Independent Signing: Each signer creates their own Schnorr signature for their input, without needing to talk to the other signers.
2. Aggregation Step: An aggregator (could be anyone, like a wallet or node) takes all these signatures and combines them into one aggregated signature.

A Schnorr signature has two parts:

• R: A random point (32 bytes).
• s: A scalar value (32 bytes).

In Half-Agg:

• The R values from each signature are kept separate (one per input).
• The s values from all signatures are combined into a single s value.

Why It Saves Space (~50%) Let’s break down the size savings with some math:

Before Aggregation: * Each Schnorr signature = 64 bytes (32 for R + 32 for s). * For n inputs: n × 64 bytes.

After Half-Agg: * Keep n R values (32 bytes each) = 32 × n bytes. * Combine all s values into one = 32 bytes. * Total size: 32 × n + 32 bytes.

Comparison:

• Original: 64n bytes.
• Half-Agg: 32n + 32 bytes.
• For large n, the “+32” becomes small compared to 32n, so it’s roughly 32n, which is half of 64n. Hence, ~50% savings!

Real-World Impact: Based on recent Bitcoin usage, Half-Agg could save:

• ~19.3% in space (reducing transaction size).
• ~6.9% in fees (since fees depend on transaction size). This assumes no major changes in how people use Bitcoin post-CISA.

---

Applications of Half-Agg Half-Agg isn’t just a cool idea—it has practical uses:

1. Transaction-wide Aggregation
2. Combine all signatures within a single transaction.
3. Result: Smaller transactions, lower fees.
4. Block-wide Aggregation
5. Combine signatures across all transactions in a Bitcoin block.
6. Result: Even bigger space savings at the blockchain level.
7. Off-chain Protocols / P2P
8. Use Half-Agg in systems like Lightning Network gossip messages.
9. Benefit: Efficiency without needing miners or a Bitcoin soft fork.

---

Challenges with Half-Agg While Half-Agg sounds awesome, it’s not without hurdles, especially at the block level:

1. Breaking Adaptor Signatures
2. Adaptor signatures are special signatures used in protocols like Discreet Log Contracts (DLCs) or atomic swaps. They tie a signature to revealing a secret, ensuring fair exchanges.

3. Aggregating signatures across a block might mess up these protocols, as the individual signatures get blended together, potentially losing the properties adaptor signatures rely on.

4. Impact on Reorg Recovery

5. In Bitcoin, a reorganization (reorg) happens when the blockchain switches to a different chain of blocks. Transactions from the old chain need to be rebroadcast or reprocessed.
6. If signatures are aggregated at the block level, it could complicate extracting individual transactions and their signatures during a reorg, slowing down recovery.

These challenges mean Half-Agg needs careful design, especially for block-wide use.

Wrapping Up CISA is a clever way to make Bitcoin transactions more efficient by aggregating multiple Schnorr signatures into one, thanks to their linearity property. Half-Agg, the non-interactive mode, lets signers work independently, cutting signature size by about 50% (to 32n + 32 bytes from 64n bytes). It could save ~19.3% in space and ~6.9% in fees, with uses ranging from single transactions to entire blocks or off-chain systems like Lightning.

But watch out—block-wide Half-Agg could trip up adaptor signatures and reorg recovery, so it’s not a slam dunk yet. Still, it’s a promising tool for a leaner, cheaper Bitcoin future!

@ 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

@ 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.

@ b04082ac:29b5c55b

In the bustling markets of Kumasi, the 19th-century capital of the Asante Empire in modern-day Ghana, traders conducted their commerce not with coins or paper notes, but with gold dust measured by intricately crafted brass spoons. This monetary system, devoid of a central bank or state-issued fiat, sustained a sophisticated civilization for over two centuries, challenging the conventional narrative that money requires a sovereign issuer to function. The Asante’s gold dust economy provides a historical lens through which to view the principles of sound money—principles that Bitcoin, with its fixed supply and decentralized architecture, resurrects in the digital realm. For those who recognize Bitcoin’s potential as a transformative monetary system, the Asante’s gold dust spoons serve as a compelling precedent: a medium of exchange rooted in scarcity and trust can underpin a thriving society, independent of centralized authority.

Map from 1896 of the British Gold Coast Colony (today Ghana).

The Asante Empire, spanning from 1701 to 1901, relied on sika futuro—gold dust painstakingly extracted from rivers and forests—as its primary currency. Measured with spoons and brass weights known as abrammo, this system was remarkably decentralized. Each trader carried their own set of tools, often adorned with proverbs or symbolic designs, enabling them to verify transactions without reliance on a centralized mint or overseer. By 1900, the Asante had amassed 14 million ounces of gold, a volume that rivaled the economic output of many European nations during the same period. This wealth fueled extensive trade networks across West Africa, connecting the empire to merchants from the coast to the interior, and supported cultural artifacts like the Golden Stool, a revered symbol of collective sovereignty forged from gold. The value of gold dust stemmed not from a royal proclamation but from its inherent scarcity and the labor required to obtain it—qualities that economists identify as the bedrock of sound money. Bitcoin reflects this paradigm: its cap of 21 million coins, enforced through cryptographic consensus rather than governmental fiat, establishes a monetary discipline immune to arbitrary expansion. The Asante’s experience underscores a fundamental economic insight: money derives its efficacy not from state endorsement, but from its ability to resist manipulation and retain value over time.

Men in the process of weighing gold dust, photographed on the Ivory Coast in 1892. From Marcel Monnier’s France Noire Cote d’Ivoire et Soudan, 1894.

Economic history teaches that sound money lowers time preference, encouraging saving and long-term planning over immediate consumption. The Asante’s gold dust, hard-won from the earth, could not be inflated at will; its supply expanded only incrementally, dictated by the limits of human effort and natural deposits. This constraint fostered a culture of accumulation, where wealth was preserved across generations, evident in the empire’s ability to finance infrastructure, such as roads linking trade hubs, and maintain a formidable military presence that deterred regional rivals. Historical records, such as those from anthropologist R.S. Rattray, describe how gold dust was hoarded in family coffers, passed down as a stable store of value. Bitcoin embodies this same dynamic. Its fixed issuance schedule—halving roughly every four years—mimics the gradual accretion of gold dust, encouraging holders to prioritize long-term retention over short-term expenditure. In contrast, fiat currencies, subject to unrestrained printing, elevate time preference, as seen in modern economies where central banks flood markets with liquidity, eroding purchasing power and compelling consumption over saving—a fate the Asante’s gold dust and Bitcoin’s design inherently avoid.

An array of gold dust spoons from the Asante Empire, each adorned with detailed engravings and symbolic motifs, reflecting their role in trade and cultural heritage.

The tools of the Asante economy further illustrate this monetary discipline. The spoons, ranging from 1/16-ounce measures for daily purchases to 2-ounce weights for significant transactions, were not mere utensils but instruments of precision and trust. Crafted with care—some bearing motifs of birds or proverbs like “The bird flies high”—they standardized trade across a diverse empire, reducing disputes over quantity or purity. Each trader’s possession of their own abrammo weights created a network of verification, a decentralized mechanism that prefigures Bitcoin’s blockchain. In Bitcoin’s system, nodes—computers running the protocol—validate every transaction, ensuring integrity without a central arbiter. This parallel is not superficial: both the Asante’s spoons and Bitcoin’s nodes represent a distributed order, where trust emerges from the system’s structure rather than a single authority. The Asante’s trade practices, documented by historians like Timothy Garrard, reveal a sophistication that belies their pre-industrial context—merchants negotiated with precision, their gold dust facilitating commerce from salt to textiles, much as Bitcoin enables peer-to-peer exchange across continents.

A collection of intricately crafted gold dust spoons from the Asante Empire, showcasing the artistry and cultural significance of gold in Akan trade and tradition.

Trust was the cornerstone of the Asante system, a quality that transcends its physical medium. Gold dust bore intrinsic worth, its weight a palpable assurance of value, a property recognized by European traders as early as the 15th century, well before the Asante state coalesced in 1701. This trust was not legislated but cultivated over centuries, a cultural conviction in the reliability of a scarce resource. Bitcoin’s trust arises from a different foundation: vast computational effort expended in mining secures its network, while a cryptographic framework ensures its integrity against tampering. Neither system depends on a sovereign guarantor; both derive legitimacy from attributes embedded in their design—scarcity and verifiability for gold dust, computational proof and immutability for Bitcoin. The Asante’s economy succumbed to colonial intervention in 1896, when British forces outlawed gold dust in favor of imperial currency, yet its principles endured in illicit trade, hinting at a resilience that Bitcoin amplifies. Bitcoin’s global network, operating beyond the reach of any single jurisdiction, withstands regulatory assaults—miners relocate, nodes persist—offering a durability the Asante could only aspire to in their regional confines.

One modern theory, Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), posits that money gains legitimacy solely through state declaration, underpinned by taxation and legal tender laws. The Asante’s experience contradicts this. Gold dust circulated among the Akan peoples long before the empire’s formation, its adoption predating any centralized authority; Asante kings taxed it but did not invent it. MMT’s insistence on government fiat as the source of monetary value overlooks the spontaneous emergence of money from human exchange—a process the Asante and Bitcoin demonstrate with clarity.

A detailed gold dust spoon from the Asante Empire, featuring symbolic engravings and a prominent animal motif, highlighting the cultural and spiritual significance of its design

Yet, the parallel between the Asante’s gold dust economy and Bitcoin might appear strained. Critics could argue that the Asante operated in a pre-industrial, regional context, their gold dust suited to a localized barter system, while Bitcoin contends with a global, digital economy of unprecedented complexity. The physicality of gold dust, they might contend, differs fundamentally from Bitcoin’s intangible code, and the Asante’s eventual subjugation by colonial fiat suggests state power ultimately prevails. This critique, however, misjudges the essence of the comparison. The Asante’s system thrived not because of its scale or medium, but because it embodied sound money—scarcity ensured its value, decentralization preserved its integrity. Bitcoin extends these principles, its fixed supply and distributed ledger transcending physical limits to achieve global reach. The Asante’s fall to colonial force reflects not a flaw in their money, but a lack of technological resilience—Bitcoin’s network, spanning continents and fortified by cryptography, shrugs off such threats, proving the concept’s adaptability rather than its weakness.

A single gold dust spoon from the Asante Empire, featuring geometric patterns and intricate engravings, a testament to the Akan's skilled metalwork and economic traditions.

The Asante’s gold dust economy persisted for two centuries, a testament to monetary sovereignty until colonial powers dismantled it. Its legacy lies in its demonstration that a decentralized, scarce medium can drive economic vitality—a lesson Bitcoin inherits and expands. By 2025, Bitcoin’s market value exceeds a trillion dollars, a quiet rebellion against central banks that echoes the Asante’s independence from state-issued money. The spoons—each a tool of meticulous trade—foreshadow Bitcoin’s blockchain, a ledger of unalterable trust. Their story reaffirms an enduring economic principle: money’s strength lies in its resistance to debasement, not in the power of its issuer. The Asante built an empire on this foundation, leveraging gold dust to forge a society of wealth and stability. Bitcoin, unbound by geography or politics, extends this logic into an era of unprecedented connectivity. If the Asante achieved such heights with a regional system, what might Bitcoin accomplish as a global one? The answer lies not in speculation, but in the hands of those who understand and wield its potential.

@ 378562cd:a6fc6773

In 1976, Logan’s Run presented a futuristic society where hedonism, government control, and the illusion of utopia dictated the lives of its citizens. On the surface, it was a thrilling sci-fi adventure, complete with dazzling special effects and a suspenseful storyline. But beneath the aesthetics of the domed city lay a chilling warning—one that seems eerily prophetic when viewed through the lens of today’s world.

The World of Logan’s Run

Set in the 23rd century (2201-2300), Logan’s Run depicts a civilization where people live under a massive dome, free from hunger, disease, and suffering. However, there’s a catch: when a citizen turns 30, they are forced to participate in “Carousel,” a supposed process of renewal that is, in reality, a government-mandated execution. The system is designed to maintain population control, enforce conformity, and ensure that no one ever challenges the status quo.

Logan 5, the film’s protagonist, is a “Sandman” tasked with hunting down those who try to escape their fate. But when he himself begins questioning the system and searching for the mythical “Sanctuary,” he uncovers the horrifying truth about his world.

Modern Parallels: Are We Living in Logan’s Run?

While we may not have an enforced death age (yet), many aspects of Logan’s Run reflect the realities of today’s society. The film serves as an allegory for the dangers of unchecked government power, mass surveillance, and a culture obsessed with youth and pleasure over wisdom and truth.

1. The Cult of Youth and Anti-Aging Obsession

In Logan’s Run, life ends at 30 because youth is worshiped. While we don’t physically eliminate people past a certain age, we see a similar fixation on youth today. The beauty industry, social media influencers, and Hollywood all glorify eternal youth, with people going to extreme lengths—cosmetic surgery, anti-aging treatments, and digital filters—to maintain an illusion of perfection.

1. Surveillance and Government Control

Citizens in Logan’s Run are constantly monitored, with the system ensuring no one steps out of line. Sound familiar? Today, we have mass surveillance through smartphones, facial recognition, AI-driven data collection, and social credit systems emerging worldwide. Governments and corporations track movements, preferences, and even conversations, creating a digital panopticon that makes Logan’s world seem less far-fetched.

1. Hedonism and Instant Gratification

The film’s society revolves around pleasure, entertainment, and consequence-free living. Today, we have the digital equivalent—hookup culture, endless streaming services, video games, and social media dopamine loops keeping people perpetually distracted from deeper realities. The ease of endless entertainment overshadows the idea of questioning authority or seeking something greater.

1. Fear of the Outside World

In Logan’s Run, citizens believe that stepping outside the dome means certain death. Today, many are trapped in their own digital domes, glued to screens, hesitant to unplug, go into nature, or seek real-world experiences. Fear, whether of the unknown or the uncontrollable, keeps people complacent.

1. Population Control and Elite Decision-Making

While Carousel is an extreme form of population control, discussions about depopulation, climate policies, and AI-driven automation today suggest that powerful elites are still making decisions about who thrives and who suffers. The concentration of power in the hands of a few is as relevant now as it was in the film.

The Awakening: Will We Choose Freedom?

One of the most striking aspects of Logan’s Run is Logan’s transformation from an enforcer of the system to a rebel seeking truth. His journey mirrors the awakening many people experience today—questioning mainstream narratives, rejecting mass manipulation, and seeking autonomy.

But just as in the film, there are those who refuse to break free. Many continue living inside the “dome,” blindly trusting the system, believing that technology, government, or a new social movement will save them. The question is: Are we more like Logan, daring to seek truth, or the others, content to live in comfortable illusions?

Final Thoughts: Is There a Sanctuary?

In Logan’s Run, Sanctuary represents the hope of a free world beyond the control of the system. Today, people seek their own sanctuaries—homesteading, off-grid living, digital privacy, and independent communities that reject mass conformity.

The film’s message is clear: When a society values comfort over freedom, pleasure over wisdom, and compliance over questioning, it sets the stage for control and deception. But those willing to escape the illusion—just as Logan did—may just find their own Sanctuary.

The question remains: Will we wake up in time?

@ a95c6243:d345522c

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.

@ 4c96d763:80c3ee30

Changes

Ethan Tuttle (1):

• support Cmd+Enter for posting on macOS

Ken Sedgwick (5):

• update android default config push instructions
• WIP: use modified version of egui
• allow deprecated round_rect_to_pixels
• fixed egui::Frame::NONE references
• android: need argv0 placeholders because unneeded arg detection

William Casarin (17):

• windows: fix build due to outdated nostrdb-rs bindings
• FIX BUILD YET AGAIN
• search: auto-focus search field on navigate
• remove extra crap from manifest
• android: get GameActivity to launch
• update to egui 0.30.0
• android: 0.30.0 game activity
• android: update to latest winit/egui/android-activity
• android: misc testing
• android: expand logs
• android: improve make commands
• android: add push configs to readme
• android: capture current keyboard height
• android: switch to android-activity out of path
• android: attempt initial keyboard visibility fix
• fix a few compile issues after rebase
• ui: fix deprecated rounding routines in search ui

kernelkind (4):

• fix context selection responses
• fix note context menu placement inside rect
• fix note content rects
• introduce NoteContext

pushed to notedeck:refs/heads/master

@ 3c389c8f:7a2eff7f

Understanding Relays

Relays are a very simple concept, but an incredibly powerful part of Nostr. They are simple servers, of sorts, with a specific set of tasks- to fetch, hold, and send notes. Relays don't communicate with each other, only with clients. The client sends a request for any relevant notes and the relays oblige. What types of notes (aka events) that each relay will hold or fetch will vary because of different relays will operate under different sets of rules. Some will accept most any type of event from anyone. Others can be very strict, requiring things like payment, proof-of-work, specific event kinds, or only allow a whitelist of users to reduce spam and other unwanted content. When you create an event, or publish a note, it is sent to your "write" or "outbox" relays. Anyone who follows your npub or sends "fetch" /"read" requests, to those relays will receive your notes. When someone replies, likes, or otherwise engages with your note, that note will then duplicate to any "write" or "outbox" relays that the other person is connecting to as their outbox relays. This does two important things:

It creates a new event through through the action of engaging your note. This is a signed record of activity from that user's npub. This is also the event that is sent back to your "read" or "inbox" relays so that you may be notified that someone is interacting with you.

By creating a copy, this helps ensure your note will be able to be spread across more of the ecosystem, expanding your reach and introducing redundancy, in case a relay should go down or disappear completely. This does not imply that your data will be safely stored forever. In fact, its the exact opposite. The protocol assumes that any relay, or many, could disappear at any time. A relay can shut down, kick you out, experience intentional or unintentional data loss, or many other things. It is likely that a copy of your notes will still exist on many relays, but if you are concerned with the longevity of your content, consider running your own. Paid services for long term note storage exists as well, but they do require trusting the provider.

In this light, the importance of relays starts to become obvious. The various rules open up a whole plethora of use cases that make relays interesting, unique, and useful for the user. They are the backbone of the protocol. They are also tools for finding and managing great social connections and great content.

Types of Relays

This section can, in no way, be considered comprehensive. It is nearly impossible to know all of the relay implementations that may exist or all the rules that they may have set for themselves. Here, we will address some common types that will be useful in making the most of Nostr and a few types with specialized tasks.

Public Relays - Most Nostr clients will start new users with a predetermined set of relays that are free and publicly available for fetching and serving. This lowers the entry barrier for getting connected to the network, ensuring that everyone has access. It does come with some tradeoffs. Public relays tend to accept almost any type of content, so they are prone becoming the hosts of spam, bots, and shady content. To curate your space, it is recommended to get connected with some relays that help you clean things up.

Web-of-Trust Relays - These relays use your social graph and the graphs of others to build a network of higher trust for its users. This reduces spam and other yucky stuff from making it into your feeds. For write access, you must be followed by someone else within the network. If you are coming to Nostr with no external social connection, these may not be useful at first, though most do allow for public reading so you may find them useful to discover people and content you find interesting. Once you have established some social connections, they are great for creating a feed that casts a wider net through the whole network.

Paid Read/Write Filter Relays - These relays will charge an admission fee for write access. This helps to reduce spam and bots. Not all paying npubs want to see or interact with all who are willing to pay the fee, so a paid write relay often works best when paired with a paid filter relay for reading. These will operate under many sets of filtering rules, so be sure to read through any available material from the provider. They should explain what they filter and why, so that you may choose filters that match your tastes.

Inbox Relays - These relays are tasked with collecting any events that are intended FOR you. This includes likes, replies, receipts, and mentions, among many other things. If socializing with your friends and colleagues is important to you, you will want to find inbox relays that manage this task well. DM inbox relays are a separate but similar concept, as direct messages are encrypted and wrapped. They are a specialized relay meant for handling encrypted events. Many DM inbox relays charge a subscription fee, some do not. This is also a great use case for private relays.

Private Relays - These relays can be arranged to handle nearly anything you would like. You can whitelist a group of people that can write, restrict read access through AUTH, and set other various rules. They are a great option for any encrypted data, such as DMs, lists, and drafts. They also make a great backup for your own notes to help ensure that they remain available and locatable. Running your own is the optimal option here, but there are paid services, that I think of as relay rental. They are hosted on big servers, and managed by a small company. All details of the relay rules are at the renter's discretion. This is a good option if you do not have the hardware or confidence to set up your own private relay yet.

Search Relays - Search relays can help you find specific users & notes across the wider network. Some specialize in searching for people, others for text, tags, and other criteria. A strong search relay can make navigating through Nostr a breeze. As with other things, some may require a small fee to use them and others are free to use. Try out some free ones before buying to see if you are happy with your experience.

"Read" Relays - This is sort of a catchall term for anywhere that your client connects to for fetching notes and other events. In the best scenerio, you should not have to worry about these, as relays will signal for your client to find the notes you are fetching. The Nostr protocol and its mechanisms are adapting to what works, so being informed of "read" relays is essential for now. These are the places that you may need to tell your client to connect to when fetching notes from the people you follow. Specialized Relays - Specialized relays will vary in function and rules. Some are for curating quality feeds while others host full-fledge communities around a topic or common interest. Clients designed to interact with these more specialized use cases will often have relay information available or a method for you to browse their feeds.

This is just a snapshot of the different types of relays that exists now. Many are in development and testing for algorithmic content distribution, paywalled content, encrypted group messaging, limited read access, media hosting, and more. (This section may be updated as certain types gain or lose traction throughout the ecosystem.)

Managing Relays

By now, this probably feels like a ton of information and it is, but its also part of what gives you the ability to create and maintain a quality experience with Nostr. A truly decentralized system puts power into the user's hands rather than a corporation. If you want to be in control of your space (spatium tuum), relays are the first and foremost way to do that. They don't have to be viewed as boring servers. They are anything but that. They are tools that can enhance your online networking, serve you educational or entertaining content, or provide you with a safe place to store your personal thoughts. What you use them for is up to YOU.

Spend some time trying free ones, exploring relay feeds, or plugging into some paid services until you find a setup that creates a quality online space for you. If you're worried that you might "break" your connection, don't be. Make a note of a couple that you are connecting to when getting started, as a backup, but I feel confident to say that you won't ever look at it again.

Finding Relays

Finding relays can be a bit of a chore, but that is getting easier as time goes by. For now you there a few options you can try.

• Visit a relay explorer like nostr.watch or nostr.info

• Use a client that shows you which relays are hosting a note or a person's relay list. There are some examples in our client guide like Amethyst, Coracle, Jumble, and Nostrudel.

• Just ask. Most people are on a social network to be social. Currently, Nostr is brimming with social people who are passionate about freedom, decentralized communication, and Nostr in particular. They are happy to help.

Running Your Own

Relay.tools is a hosted personal relay service for ease and a user friendly experience. Search Zapstore for Citrine to run a native relay on your Android device.

Below are some suggestions for relays to run on your own hardware. Search "nostr relay" on GitHub for more.

https://utxo.one/#nostr-projects

https://khatru.nostr.technology/

https://github.com/mikedilger/chorus

nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzq9h35qgq6n8ll0xyyv8gurjzjrx9sjwp4hry6ejnlks8cqcmzp6tqyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhszrnhwden5te0dehhxtnvdakz7qqdxymngv35xq6rxdf5xqer2s0rg3q

@ 866e0139:6a9334e5

Autor: Dr. Ulrike Guérot. (Foto: Manuela Haltiner). Dieser Beitrag wurde mit dem Pareto-Client geschrieben. Sie finden alle Texte der Friedenstaube und weitere Texte zum Thema Frieden hier.**

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Ich bin 60 Jahre. Einer meiner Großväter, Wilhelm Hammelstein, liegt auf dem Soldatenfriedhof in Riga begraben. Der andere, mütterlicherseits, Paul Janus, kam ohne Beine aus dem Krieg zurück, auch aus Russland. Ich kenne ihn nur mit Prothesen und Krücken. Er hat immer bei Wetterwechsel über Phantomschmerz geklagt und ist seines Lebens nicht mehr froh geworden. Den Krieg hat man ihm im Gesicht angesehen, auch wenn ich das als kleines Mädchen nicht verstanden habe.

"Ihr könnt euch nicht vorstellen, was ich gesehen habe"

Von den Russen hat er trotzdem nie schlecht geredet. Was er immer nur zu uns Enkelkindern gesagt war: *„Ihr könnt euch nicht vorstellen, was ich gesehen habe“. * Wir haben es nicht verstanden, als 6- oder 8-Jährige, und haben gelacht. Manchmal haben wir ihm seine Krücken weggenommen, die immer an den Ohrensessel gelehnt waren, dann konnte Opa Paul nicht aufstehen und ist wütend geworden.

Meine Mutter, Helga Hammelstein, ist im Mai 1939 gleichsam in den Krieg hineingeboren worden, in Schlesien. 1945 gab es für sie, wie für viele, Flucht und Vertreibung. Ob sie und ihre zwei Schwestern von den Russen vergewaltigt wurden – wie damals so viele – kann ich nicht sagen. Diese Themen waren bei uns tabuisiert. Was ich sagen kann, ist, dass meine Mutter als Flüchtlings- und Kriegskind vom Krieg hochgradig traumatisiert war – und als Kriegsenkelin war oder bin ich es wohl auch noch. Eigentlich merke ich das erst heute so richtig, wo wieder Krieg auf dem europäischen Kontinent ist und Europa auch in den Krieg ziehen, wo es kriegstüchtig gemacht werden soll.

Vielleicht habe ich mich aufgrund dieser Familiengeschichte immer so für Europa, für die europäische Integration interessiert, für die EU, die einmal als Friedensprojekt geplant war. Ich habe Zeit meines Lebens, seit nunmehr 30 Jahren, in verschiedenen Positionen, als Referentin im Deutschen Bundestag, in Think Tanks oder an Universitäten akademisch, intellektuell, publizistisch und künstlerisch zum Thema Europa gearbeitet.

1989 habe ich einen Franzosen geheiratet, ich hatte mich beim Studium in Paris verliebt und in den 1990-Jahren in Paris zwei Söhne bekommen. Auch in der französischen Familie gab es bittere Kriegserfahrungen: der Mann der Oma meines damaligen Mannes war 6 Jahre in deutscher Kriegsgefangenschaft. „Pourquoi tu dois marier une Allemande?“ „Warum musst du eine Deutsche heiraten?“, wurde mein damaliger Mann noch gefragt. Das Misstrauen mir gegenüber wurde erst ausgeräumt, als wir ihr 1991 den kleinen Felix, unseren erstgeborenen Sohn, in den Schoß gelegt haben.

Das europäische Friedensprojekt ist gescheitert

Das europäische Einheits- und Friedensprojekt war damals, nach dem Mauerfall, in einer unbeschreiblichen Aufbruchstimmung, die sich heute niemand mehr vorstellen kann: Der ganze Kontinent in fröhlicher Stimmung - insieme, gemeinsam, together, ensemble – und wollte politisch zusammenwachsen. Heute ist es gescheitert und ich fasse es nicht! Das Kriegsgeheul in ganz Europa macht mich nachgerade verrückt.

Darum habe ich ein europäisches Friedensprojekt ins Leben gerufen: TheEuropean Peace Project. Am Europatag, den 9. Mai, um 17 Uhr, wollen wir in ganz Europa in allen europäischen und auf dem ganzen europäischen Kontinent als europäische Bürger den Frieden ausrufen! Ich würde mich freuen, wenn viele mitmachen!

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DIE FRIEDENSTAUBE JETZT ABONNIEREN:

Hier können Sie die Friedenstaube abonnieren und bekommen die Artikel in Ihr Postfach, vorerst für alle kostenfrei, wir starten gänzlich ohne Paywall. (Die Bezahlabos fangen erst zu laufen an, wenn ein Monetarisierungskonzept für die Inhalte steht).

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Schon jetzt können Sie uns unterstützen:

• Für 50 CHF/EURO bekommen Sie ein Jahresabo der Friedenstaube.
• Für 120 CHF/EURO bekommen Sie ein Jahresabo und ein T-Shirt/Hoodie mit der Friedenstaube.
• Für 500 CHF/EURO werden Sie Förderer und bekommen ein lebenslanges Abo sowie ein T-Shirt/Hoodie mit der Friedenstaube.
• Ab 1000 CHF werden Sie Genossenschafter der Friedenstaube mit Stimmrecht (und bekommen lebenslanges Abo, T-Shirt/Hoodie).

Für Einzahlungen in CHF (Betreff: Friedenstaube):

Für Einzahlungen in Euro:

Milosz Matuschek

IBAN DE 53710520500000814137

BYLADEM1TST

Sparkasse Traunstein-Trostberg

Betreff: Friedenstaube

Wenn Sie auf anderem Wege beitragen wollen, schreiben Sie die Friedenstaube an: milosz@pareto.space oder kontakt@idw-europe.org.

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Wo bleibt ein deutsch-russisches Jugendwerk?

Mein Lieblingsbuch zu Europa ist Laurent Gaudet, Nous, L’Europe, banquet des peuples. „Wir, Europa! Ein Banquet der Völker“ Es ist ein großartiges Gedicht, etwa wie die Ilias von Homer. Es beschreibt die letzten einhundert Jahre europäische Geschichte, die ganzen Krieg und Revolutionen. Und es beschreibt doch, was uns als Europäer eint. Darin findet sich der – für mich wunderschöne! - Satz: „Ce que nous partageons, c’est ce que nous étions tous bourraux et victime.“ „Was wir als Europäer teilen ist, dass wir alle zugleich Opfer und Täter waren“. 

Und doch haben wir es geschafft, die „Erbfeindschaft“ zu beenden und uns auszusöhnen, zum Beispiel die Deutschen und Franzosen, über ein deutsch-französisches Jugendwerk, das 1963 gegründet wurde. So ein Jugendwerk wünsche ich mir auch heute zwischen Europa und Russland!

Das Epos von Laurent Gaudet ist in einem Theaterstück von dem französischen Regisseur Roland Auzet auf die Bühne gebracht worden. In dem 40-köpfigen Ensemble sind verschiedene Nationalitäten aus ganz Europa: das Stück ist fantastisch! Ich selber habe es auf dem Theaterfestival in Avignon 2019 sehen dürfen!

Ich wünsche mir, dass wir statt jetzt für Milliarden überall in Europa Waffen zu kaufen, das Geld dafür auftreiben, dieses Theaterstück in jede europäische Stadt zu bringen: wenn das gelänge, hätten wohl alle verstanden, was es heißt, Europäer zu sein: nämlich Frieden zu machen!

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Ulrike Guérot, Jg. 1964, ist europäische Professorin, Publizistin und Bestsellerautorin. Seit rund 30 Jahren beschäftigt sie sich in europäischen Think Tanks und Universitäten in Paris, Brüssel, London, Washington, New York, Wien und Berlin mit Fragen der europäischen Demokratie, sowie mit der Rolle Europas in der Welt. Ulrike Guérot ist seit März 2014 Gründerin und Direktorin des European Democracy Labs, e.V.,Berlin und initiierte im März 2023 das European Citizens Radio, das auf Spotify zu finden ist. Zuletzt erschien von ihr "Über Halford J. Mackinders Heartland-Theorie, Der geografische Drehpunkt der Geschichte", Westend, 2024). Mehr Infos zur Autorin hier.

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Sie sind noch nicht auf Nostr and wollen die volle Erfahrung machen (liken, kommentieren etc.)? Zappen können Sie den Autor auch ohne Nostr-Profil! Erstellen Sie sich einen Account auf Start. Weitere Onboarding-Leitfäden gibt es im Pareto-Wiki.

@ 0c469779:4b21d8b0

Sobre el amor

Mi percepción del amor cambió con el tiempo. Leer literatura rusa, principalmente a Dostoevsky, te cambia la perspectiva sobre el amor y la vida en general.

Por mucho tiempo mi visión sobre la vida es que la misma se basa en el sufrimiento: también la Biblia dice esto. El amor es igual, en el amor se sufre y se banca a la otra persona. El problema es que hay una distinción de sufrimientos que por mucho tiempo no tuve en cuenta. Está el sufrimiento del sacrificio y el sufrimiento masoquista. Para mí eran indistintos.

Para mí el ideal era Aliosha y Natasha de Humillados y Ofendidos: estar con alguien que me amase tanto como Natasha a Aliosha, un amor inclusive autodestructivo para Natasha, pero real. Tiene algo de épico, inalcanzable. Un sufrimiento extremo, redentor, es una vara altísima que en la vida cotidiana no se manifiesta. O el amor de Sonia a Raskolnikov, quien se fue hasta Siberia mientras estuvo en prisión para que no se quede solo en Crimen y Castigo.

Este es el tipo de amor que yo esperaba. Y como no me pasó nada tan extremo y las situaciones que llegan a ocurrir en mi vida están lejos de ser tan extremas, me parecía hasta poco lo que estaba pidiendo y que nadie pueda quedarse conmigo me parecía insuficiente.

Ahora pienso que el amor no tiene por qué ser así. Es un pensamiento nuevo que todavía estoy construyendo, y me di cuenta cuando fui a la iglesia, a pesar de que no soy cristiano. La filosofía cristiana me gusta. Va conmigo. Tiene un enfoque de humildad, superación y comunidad que me recuerda al estoicismo.

El amor se trata de resaltar lo mejor que hay en el otro. Se trata de ser un plus, de ayudar. Por eso si uno no está en su mejor etapa, si no se está cómodo con uno mismo, no se puede amar de verdad. El amor empieza en uno mismo.

Los libros son un espejo, no necesariamente vas a aprender de ellos, sino que te muestran quién sos. Resaltás lo que te importa. Por eso a pesar de saber los tipos de amores que hay en los trabajos de Dostoevsky, cometí los mismos errores varias veces.

Ser mejor depende de uno mismo y cada día se pone el granito de arena.

@ 4857600b:30b502f4

At this point, we should be arresting, not firing, any FBI employee who delays, destroys, or withholds information on the Epstein case. There is ZERO explanation I will accept for redacting anything for “national security” reasons. A lot of Trump supporters are losing patience with Pam Bondi. I will give her the benefit of the doubt for now since the corruption within the whole security/intelligence apparatus of our country runs deep. However, let’s not forget that probably Trump’s biggest mistakes in his first term involved picking weak and easily corruptible (or blackmailable) officials. It seemed every month a formerly-loyal person did a complete 180 degree turn and did everything they could to screw him over, regardless of the betrayal’s effect on the country or whatever principles that person claimed to have. I think he’s fixed his screening process, but since we’re talking about the FBI, we know they have the power to dig up any dirt or blackmail material available, or just make it up. In the Epstein case, it’s probably better to go after Bondi than give up a treasure trove of blackmail material against the long list of members on his client list.

@ 15125b37:e89877f5

What is Blockchain?

Block by Block:

The Power of Blockchain Unlocked

In its simplest form, a blockchain is a type of digital ledger that records transactions in a secure and transparent way. Imagine a record book that everyone can see, but no one can alter. Each page of the book (called a block) holds a group of transactions, and the pages are linked together in a chain. The blockchain is decentralized, meaning no single person, company, or entity controls it, which makes it different from traditional centralized systems like banks.

Decentralized: No single point of control or authority.

Secure: Uses cryptography to ensure data integrity.

Immutable: Once data is added to the blockchain, it cannot be changed or deleted, providing transparency and security.

How Blockchain Works

Each block on the blockchain contains a batch of transactions. Once a block is full, it’s linked to the previous block, creating a chain of blocks—hence the name blockchain. Each block has three key components:

Transaction data: Information about transactions (e.g., who sent money, who received it, and how much).

Timestamp: The time the block was created.

Hash: A unique identifier for the block, created through cryptographic hashing. Think of a hash like a unique digital fingerprint that is tied to each specific block. And each hash (digital fingerprint) points to the previous block, thereby creating a permanent, unchangeable history of transactions.

Buy Now

Decentralization

One of blockchain's most revolutionary aspects is that it is decentralized. This means there’s no central authority (like a bank or a government) controlling the transactions. Instead, everyone participating in the network has a copy of the blockchain, and transactions are validated by multiple independent users (called nodes).

How It’s Decentralized: Think of it as a large group of people each keeping their own ledger. They work together to validate and record transactions, ensuring no one person can manipulate the system. Of course, this is all done automatically through code that is run on a computer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More about that later in this series.

Consensus: For a transaction to be recorded, most of the nodes must agree it’s valid, creating a system of consensus without the need for a trusted central party. This makes blockchain resistant to censorship and fraud.

Security of Blockchain

Blockchain is highly secure due to its use of cryptographic techniques. Every block’s hash (digital fingerprint) is created using the information from within the block plus the hash of the previous block. Thus, the hash of each block is infinitely unique and linked to each other in a chain.

Immutability: If someone tries to change the data in a block, the hash changes. Since every block contains the hash of the previous block, altering one block would require changing all subsequent blocks, which is computationally impossible for a well-maintained blockchain.

Transparency: Blockchain’s decentralized nature means that anyone can see the data, but no one can tamper with it. This ensures trust and transparency in the system.

The Role of Miners/Validators

To add a block to the blockchain, the transactions in the block need to be verified. This is where miners come in. Their job is to check that transactions are valid, and in return, they are rewarded with bitcoin (BTC). This is called Proof-of-Work. Miners compete to solve complex mathematical puzzles. When a miner solves the puzzle (approximately every 10 minutes), they get to add the next block to the blockchain filled with pending transactions, and thereby earn the reward for doing so. They put in the work! Thus, Proof-of-Work.

Why Blockchain is Important

The core value of blockchain lies in its function as a digital ledger. Unlike traditional databases, which are typically controlled by a central authority (such as a bank, a government, or a company), blockchain is a distributed ledger, meaning copies of the same ledger are held across multiple computers (or nodes) around the world on a voluntary basis. This setup creates a system where transactions are recorded in a way that are transparent, trustless, immutable, and decentralized.

Without blockchain, Bitcoin wouldn’t be able to function as a decentralized, peer-to-peer currency. It’s the underlying technology that ensures Bitcoin’s integrity and security.

BUY NOW

@ 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.

@ f3873798:24b3f2f3

Recentemente, assisti a um vídeo que me fez refletir profundamente sobre o impacto da linguagem na hora de vender. No vídeo, uma jovem relatava sua experiência ao presenciar um vendedor de amendoim em uma agência dos Correios. O local estava cheio, as pessoas aguardavam impacientes na fila e, em meio a esse cenário, um homem humilde tentava vender seu produto. Mas sua abordagem não era estratégica; ao invés de destacar os benefícios do amendoim, ele suplicava para que alguém o ajudasse comprando. O resultado? Ninguém se interessou.

A jovem observou que o problema não era o produto, mas a forma como ele estava sendo oferecido. Afinal, muitas das pessoas ali estavam há horas esperando e perto do horário do almoço – o amendoim poderia ser um ótimo tira-gosto. No entanto, como a comunicação do vendedor vinha carregada de desespero, ele afastava os clientes ao invés de atraí-los. Esse vídeo me tocou profundamente.

No dia seguinte, ao sair para comemorar meu aniversário, vi um menino vendendo balas na rua, sob o sol forte. Assim como no caso do amendoim, percebi que as pessoas ao redor não se interessavam por seu produto. Ao se aproximar do carro, resolvi comprar dois pacotes. Mais do que ajudar, queria que aquele pequeno gesto servisse como incentivo para que ele continuasse acreditando no seu negócio.

Essa experiência me fez refletir ainda mais sobre o poder da comunicação em vendas. Muitas vezes, não é o produto que está errado, mas sim a forma como o vendedor o apresenta. Quando transmitimos confiança e mostramos o valor do que vendemos, despertamos o interesse genuíno dos clientes.

Como a Linguagem Impacta as Vendas?

1. O Poder da Abordagem Positiva

Em vez de pedir por ajuda, é importante destacar os benefícios do produto. No caso do amendoim, o vendedor poderia ter dito algo como: "Que tal um petisco delicioso enquanto espera? Um amendoim fresquinho para matar a fome até o almoço!"

2. A Emoção na Medida Certa

Expressar emoção é essencial, mas sem parecer desesperado. Os clientes devem sentir que estão adquirindo algo de valor, não apenas ajudando o vendedor.

3. Conheça Seu Público

Entender o contexto é fundamental. Se as pessoas estavam com fome e impacientes, uma abordagem mais objetiva e focada no benefício do produto poderia gerar mais vendas.

4. Autoconfiança e Postura

Falar com firmeza e segurança transmite credibilidade. O vendedor precisa acreditar no próprio produto antes de convencer o cliente a comprá-lo.

Conclusão

Vender é mais do que apenas oferecer um produto – é uma arte que envolve comunicação, percepção e estratégia. Pequenos ajustes na abordagem podem transformar completamente os resultados. Se o vendedor de amendoim tivesse apresentado seu produto de outra maneira, talvez tivesse vendido tudo rapidamente. Da mesma forma, se cada um de nós aprender a se comunicar melhor em nossas próprias áreas, poderemos alcançar muito mais sucesso.

E você? Já passou por uma experiência parecida?

@ 234035ec:edc3751d

I would like to preface this idea by stating that I am by no means a computer engineer and lack significant technical knowledge, and therefore may be overlooking significant obstacles to implementing this idea. My reason for writing this paper is in hopes that developers or others who are more "in the know" than me could provide feedback.

The Success of Polymarket

Over recent months, Polymarket has garnered many headlines—mainly for its accurate prediction markets surrounding the 2024 presidential election. On Polymarket, users can purchase futures contracts that will either pay out $1 in USDC at maturity if the prediction is correct or will become worthless if the prediction is incorrect. Market participants can freely trade these futures at the current price up until maturity, allowing for efficient price discovery.

We’ve known for quite some time that free markets are the most efficient way of pricing goods and services. Polymarket has now demonstrated just how effective they can be in pricing potential outcomes as well.

The issue I have with this application is that it is built on the Polygon network—a proof-of-stake side chain of Ethereum. Users are subject to KYC regulations and do not have the ability to create markets themselves. While the core idea is powerful, I believe it has been built on a foundation of sand. We now have the tools to build something similar—but much more decentralized, censorship-resistant, and sustainable.

A Bitcoin-Based Prediction Market

It seems to me that Chaumian eCash, in combination with Bitcoin and Nostr, could be used to create a truly decentralized prediction marketplace. For example, multiple eCash mints could issue tokens that represent specific potential outcomes. These tokens would be redeemable for 100 sats at a predetermined block height if the prediction is correct—or become irredeemable if the prediction is incorrect.

Redemption would be based on consensus from the chosen oracles—trusted Nostr Npubs—with strong reputations and proven track records. Anyone could create a market, and users could buy, sell, and trade eCash tokens privately. This approach preserves the power of markets while eliminating the need for custodians, KYC, or dependence on unreliable chains.

What we would have is a trust-minimized, privacy-preserving, Bitcoin-native prediction market that resists censorship and allows for true global participation. Feedback, critique, and collaboration are welcome.

Next Steps and Vision

The potential for system like this is immense. Not only would it enable peer-to-peer speculation on real-world outcomes, but it would also open the door to a more accurate reflection of public sentiment. With free market incentives driving truth-seeking behavior, these prediction markets could become powerful tools for gauging probabilities in politics, finance, sports, science, and beyond.

Each mint could specialize in a specific domain or geographic region, and users could choose the ones they trust—or even run their own. The competition between mints would drive reliability and transparency. By using Nostr for oracle communication and event creation, we keep the entire system open, composable, and censorship-resistant.

Markets could be created using a standardized Nostr event type. Resolution data could be posted and signed by oracles in a verifiable way, ensuring anyone can validate the outcome. All of this could be coordinated without a centralized authority, enabling pseudonymous participation from anyone with an internet connection and a Lightning wallet.

In the long run, this system could offer a viable alternative to corrupted media narratives, rigged polling, and centrally controlled information channels. It would be an open-source tool for discovering truth through economic incentives—without requiring trust in governments, corporations, or centralized platforms.

If this idea resonates with you, I encourage you to reach out, build on it, criticize it, or propose alternatives. This isn’t a product pitch—it’s a call to experiment, collaborate, and push the frontier of freedom-forward technologies.

Let’s build something that lasts.

Bitcoin is our base layer. Markets are our discovery engine. Nostr is our communication rail. Privacy is our defense. And truth is our goal.

@ 220522c2:61e18cb4

draft optional

Abstract

This NIP defines a new event kind for sharing and storing code snippets. Unlike regular text notes (kind:1), code snippets have specialized metadata like language, extension, and other code-specific attributes that enhance discoverability, syntax highlighting, and improved user experience.

Event Kind

This NIP defines kind:1337 as a code snippet event.

The .content field contains the actual code snippet text.

Optional Tags

• filename - Filename of the code snippet

• l - Programming language name (lowercase). Examples: "javascript", "python", "rust"

• extension - File extension (without the dot). Examples: "js", "py", "rs"

• description - Brief description of what the code does

• runtime - Runtime or environment specification (e.g., "node v18.15.0", "python 3.11")

• license - License under which the code is shared (e.g., "MIT", "GPL-3.0", "Apache-2.0")

• dep - Dependency required for the code to run (can be repeated)

• repo - Reference to a repository where this code originates

Format

```json {

"id": "<32-bytes lowercase hex-encoded SHA-256 of the the serialized event data>",

"pubkey": "<32-bytes lowercase hex-encoded public key of the event creator>",

"created_at": ,

"kind": 1337,

"content": "function helloWorld() {\n console.log('Hello, Nostr!');\n}\n\nhelloWorld();",

"tags": [

["l", "javascript"],

["extension", "js"],

["filename", "hello-world.js"],

["description", "A basic JavaScript function that prints 'Hello, Nostr!' to the console"],

["runtime", "node v18.15.0"],

["license", "MIT"],

["repo", "https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nostr"]

],

"sig": "<64-bytes signature of the id>"

} ```

Client Behavior

Clients that support this NIP SHOULD:

1. Display code snippets with proper syntax highlighting based on the language.

2. Allow copying the full code snippet with a single action.

3. Render the code with appropriate formatting, preserving whitespace and indentation.

4. Display the language and extension prominently.

5. Provide "run" functionality for supported languages when possible.

6. Display the description (if available) as part of the snippet presentation.

Clients MAY provide additional functionality such as:

1. Code editing capabilities

2. Forking/modifying snippets

3. Creating executable environments based on the runtime/dependencies

4. Downloading the snippet as a file using the provided extension

5. Sharing the snippet with attribution

References

• PR

• posted w/ comet

• notebin

• snipsnip

nip #grownostr

@ 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).

@ a95c6243:d345522c

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)

@ d9422098:7ee511a3

екненлотлоло

@ 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 :-)

@ 732c6a62:42003da2

Não são recentes as táticas da esquerda de tentar reprimir intelectualmente seus opositores na base do deboche, da ironia, do desprezo e do boicote à credibilidade. Até Marx usava ironia para chamar os críticos de "burgueses iludidos". A diferença é que, no século XXI, trocaram o manifesto comunista por threads no Twitter e a dialética por memes de mau gosto.

A Falácia da Superioridade Moral

O debate sobre o "pobre de direita" no Brasil é contaminado por uma premissa tácita da esquerda: a ideia de que classes baixas só podem ter consciência política se aderirem a pautas progressistas. Quem ousa divergir é tratado como "traidor de classe", "manipulado", "ignorante", ou até vítimas de deboches como alguma pessoa com um qi em temperatura ambiente repetir diversas vezes "não é possível que ainda exista pobre de direita", "nunca vou entender pobre de direita", ou "pobre de direita é muito burro, rico eu até entendo", como se o autor dessas frases fosse o paladino dos mais oprimidos e pobres. Esse discurso, porém, não resiste a uma análise empírica, histórica ou sociológica.

---

Contexto Histórico: A Esquerda e o Mito do "Voto Consciente"

A noção de que o pobre deve votar na esquerda por "interesse de classe" é herança do marxismo ortodoxo, que via a política como mero reflexo da posição econômica. No entanto, a realidade é mais complexa:

• Dados do Latinobarómetro (2022): 41% dos brasileiros de baixa renda (até 2 salários mínimos) apoiam redução de impostos e maior liberdade econômica — pautas tradicionalmente associadas à direita.
• Pesquisa IPEC (2023): 58% dos pobres brasileiros priorizam "segurança pública" como principal demanda, acima de "distribuição de renda".

Esses números não são acidentais. Refletem uma mudança estrutural: o pobre moderno não é mais o "operário industrial" do século XX, mas um empreendedor informal, motorista de app, ou microempresário — figuras que valorizam autonomia e rejeitam paternalismo estatal. Eles dizem não entender o pobre de direita e que nunca vai entendê-los, mas o fato é que não entendem porque nunca conversaram com um sem fazer cara de psicólogo de posto de saúde. Sua "preocupação" é só uma máscara para esconder o desprezo por quem ousa pensar diferente do seu manual de "oprimido ideal".

Se ainda não entenderam:

Direita ≠ rico: Tem gente que trabalha 12h/dia e vota em liberal porque quer ser dono do próprio negócio, não pra pagar mais taxação pra você postar meme no Twitter.
Acham que são o Sherlock Holmes da pobreza: o palpite de que "o pobre é manipulado" é tão raso quanto sua compreensão de economia básica.

---

A Psicologia por Trás do Voto Conservador nas Periferias

A esquerda atribui o voto pobre em direita a "falta de educação" ou "manipulação midiática". Essa tese é não apenas elitista, mas cientificamente falsa:

Análise Psicológica Básica (para você que se acha o Paulo Freire):
- Síndrome do Branco Salvador: Acha que o pobre é uma criatura tão frágil que precisa de você pra pensar. Spoiler: ele não precisa.
- Viés da Superioridade Moral: "Se você é pobre e não concorda comigo, você é burro". Parabéns, recriou a escravidão intelectual.
- Efeito Dunning-Kruger: Não sabe o que é CLT, mas dá palpite sobre reforma trabalhista.

• Estudo da Universidade de São Paulo (USP, 2021): Entre moradores de favelas, 63% associam políticas de segurança dura (como "bandido bom é bandido morto") à proteção de seus negócios e famílias. Para eles, a esquerda é "branda demais" com o crime.
• Pesquisa FGV (2020): 71% dos trabalhadores informais rejeitam aumentos de impostos, mesmo que para financiar programas sociais. Motivo: já sofrem com a burocracia estatal para legalizar seus negócios.

Esses dados revelam uma racionalidade prática: o pobre avalia políticas pelo impacto imediato em sua vida, não por abstrações ideológicas. Enquanto a esquerda fala em "reforma estrutural" e tenta importar discursos estrangeiros para debate, por exemplo, o tema irrelevante do pronome neutro, ele quer resolver problemas como:
- Violência (que afeta seu comércio);
- Impostos (que consomem até 40% do lucro de um camelô);
- Burocracia (que impede a legalização de sua barraca de pastel).

---

Religião, Valores e a Hipocrisia do "Ateísmo de Redes Sociais"

A esquerda subestima o papel da religião na formação política das classes baixas. No Brasil, 76% dos evangélicos são pobres (Datafolha, 2023), e suas igrejas promovem valores como:
- Família tradicional (contra pautas progressistas como ideologia de gênero em escolas);
- Auto-responsabilidade (ênfase em "trabalho duro" em vez de assistencialismo).

Exemplo Concreto:
Nas favelas de São Paulo, pastores evangélicos são frequentemente eleitos a cargos locais com plataformas anticrime e pró-mercado. Para seus eleitores, a esquerda urbana (que defende descriminalização de drogas e críticas à polícia) representa uma ameaça ao seu estilo de vida.

---

A Esquerda e seu Desprezo pela Autonomia do Pobre

O cerne do debate é a incapacidade da esquerda de aceitar que o pobre possa ser autônomo. Algumas evidências:

O Caso dos Empreendedores Informais

• Segundo o IBGE (2023), 40% dos trabalhadores brasileiros estão na informalidade. Muitos veem o Estado como obstáculo, não aliado. Políticas de direita (como simplificação tributária) são mais atraentes para eles que o Bolsa Família.

A Ascensão do Conservadorismo Periférico

• Pessoas assim tem um pensamento simples. Sua mensagem: "Queremos empreender, não depender de político."

A Rejeição ao "Vitimismo"

• Pesquisa Atlas Intel (2022): 68% dos pobres brasileiros rejeitam o termo "vítima da sociedade". Preferem ser vistos como "lutadores".

---

A projeção freudiana "o pobre é burro porque eu sou inteligente"

O deboche esquerdista esconde um complexo de inferioridade disfarçado de superioridade moral. É a Síndrome do Salvador em sua forma mais patética:
- Passo 1: Assume-se que o pobre é um ser desprovido de agência.
- Passo 2: Qualquer desvio da narrativa é atribuído a "manipulação da elite".
- Passo 3: Quem critica o processo é chamado de "fascista".

Exemplo Prático:
Quando uma empregada doméstica diz que prefere o livre mercado a programas sociais, a esquerda não pergunta "por quê?" — ela grita "lavagem cerebral!". A ironia? Essa mesma esquerda defende a autonomia feminina, exceto quando a mulher é pobre e pensa diferente.

Dados Globais: O Fenômeno Não é Brasileiro

A ideia de que "pobre de direita" é uma anomalia é desmentida por evidências internacionais:

• Estados Unidos: 38% dos eleitores com renda abaixo de US$ 30k/ano votaram em Trump em 2020 (Pew Research). Motivos principais: conservadorismo social e rejeição a impostos. A esquerda: "vítimas da falsa consciência". Mais um detalhe: na última eleição de 2024, grande parte da classe "artística" milionária dos Estados Unidos, figuras conhecidas, promoveram em peso a Kamala Harris, do Partido Democrata. Percebe como a esquerda atual é a personificaçãoda burguesia e de só pensar na própria barriga?
• Argentina: Javier Milei, libertário radical, quando candidato, tinha forte apoio nas villas miseria (favelas). Seu lema — "O estado é um parasita" — ressoa entre quem sofria com inflação de 211% ao ano.
• Índia: O partido BJP (direita nacionalista) domina entre os pobres rurais, que associam a esquerda a elites urbanas desconectadas de suas necessidades.

A história que a esquerda tenta apagar: pobres de direita existem desde sempre

A esquerda age como se o "pobre de direita" fosse uma invenção recente do MBL, mas a realidade é que classes baixas conservadoras são regra, não exceção, na história mundial:
- Revolução Francesa (1789): Camponeses apoiaram a monarquia contra os jacobinos urbanos que queriam "libertá-los".
- Brasil Imperial: Escravos libertos que viraram pequenos proprietários rurais rejeitavam o abolicionismo radical — queriam integração, não utopia.

Tradução:
Quando o pobre não segue o script, a esquerda inventa teorias conspiratórias.

---

A Hipocrisia da Esquerda Urbana e Universitária

Enquanto acusa o pobre de direita de "alienado", a esquerda brasileira é dominada por uma elite desconectada da realidade periférica:

• Perfil Socioeconômico: 82% dos filiados ao PSOL têm ensino superior completo (TSE, 2023). Apenas 6% moram em bairros periféricos.
• Prioridades Descoladas: Enquanto o pobre debate segurança e custo de vida, a esquerda pauta discussões como "linguagem não-binária em editais públicos" — tema irrelevante para quem luta contra o desemprego. Os grandes teóricos comunistas se reviram no túmulo quando veem o que a esquerda se tornou: não debatem os reais problemas do Brasil, e sim sobre suas próprias emoções.

"A esquerda brasileira trocou o operário pelo influencer progressista. O pobre virou um personagem de campanha, não um interlocutor real."

A diversidade de pensamento que a esquerda não suporta

A esquerda prega diversidade — desde que você seja diverso dentro de um checklist pré-aprovado. Pobre LGBTQ+? Herói. Pobre evangélico? Fascista. Pobre que abre MEI? "Peão do capitalismo". A realidade é que favelas e periferias são microcosmos de pluralidade ideológica, algo que assusta quem quer reduzir seres humanos a estereótipos.

---

Respostas aos Argumentos Esquerdistas (e Por que Falham)

"O pobre de direita é manipulado pela mídia!"

• Contradição: Se a mídia tradicional é dominada por elites (como alegam), por que grandes veículos são abertamente progressistas? A Record (evangélica) é exceção, não regra.

Contradição Central:
Como explicar que, segundo o Banco Mundial (2023), países com maior liberdade econômica (ex.: Chile, Polônia) reduziram a pobreza extrema em 60% nas últimas décadas, enquanto modelos estatizantes (ex.: Venezuela, Argentina com o governo peronista) afundaram na miséria? Simples: a esquerda prefere culpar o "neoliberalismo" a admitir que o pobre com o mínimo de consciência quer emprego, não esmola.

Dado que Machuca:
- 71% das mulheres da periferia rejeitam o feminismo radical, associando-o a "prioridades distantes da realidade" (Instituto Locomotiva, 2023).

"Ele vota contra os próprios interesses!"

• Falácia: Pressupõe que a esquerda define o que é o "interesse do pobre". Para um pai de família na Cidade de Deus, ter a boca de fogo fechada pode ser mais urgente que um aumento de 10% no Bolsa Família.

O pobre de direita não é uma anomalia. É o produto natural de um mundo complexo onde seres humanos têm aspirações, medos e valores diversos. Enquanto a esquerda insiste em tratá-lo como um projeto fracassado, ele está ocupado:
- Trabalhando para não depender do governo.
- Escolhendo religiões que dão sentido à sua vida.
- Rejeitando pautas identitárias que não resolvem o custo do gás de cozinha.

"É falta de educação política!"

• Ironia: Nos países nórdicos (modelo da esquerda), as classes baixas são as mais conservadoras. Educação não correlaciona com progressismo.

---

Por que o Debuste Precisa Acabar

A insistência em descredibilizar o pobre de direita revela um projeto de poder fracassado. A esquerda, ao substituir diálogo por deboche, perdeu a capacidade de representar quem mais precisaria dela. Enquanto isso, a direita — nem sempre por virtude, mas por pragmatismo — capturou o descontentamento de milhões com o status quo.

O pobre de direita existe porque ele não precisa da permissão do rico de esquerda para pensar. A incapacidade de entender isso só prova que a esquerda é a nova aristocracia.

Último Dado: Nas eleições de 2022, Tarcísio de Freitas (direita) venceu em 72% das favelas de São Paulo. O motivo? Seu discurso anti-burocracia e pró-microempreendedor.

A mensagem é clara: o pobre não é um projeto ideológico. É um agente político autônomo — e quem não entender isso continuará perdendo eleições.

A esquerda elitista não odeia o pobre de direita por ele ser "irracional". Odeia porque ele desafia o monopólio moral que ela construiu sobre a miséria alheia. Enquanto isso, o pobre segue sua vida, ignorando os berros de quem acha que sabem mais da sua vida que ele mesmo.

Pergunta Retórica (Para Incomodar):
Se a esquerda é tão sábia, por que não usa essa sabedoria para entender que pobre também cansa de ser tratado como cachorro que late no ritmo errado?

---

Fontes Citadas:

1. Latinobarómetro (2022)
2. IPEC (2023)
3. USP (2021): "Segurança Pública e Percepções nas Favelas Cariocas"
4. FGV (2020): "Informalidade e Tributação no Brasil"
5. Datafolha (2023): "Perfil Religioso do Eleitorado Brasileiro"
6. Atlas Intel (2022): "Autopercepção das Classes Baixas"
7. Pew Research (2020): "Voting Patterns by Income in the U.S."
8. TSE (2023): "Perfil Socioeconômico dos Filiados Partidários"

Leitura Recomendada para Esquerdistas:
- "Fome de Poder: Por que o Pobre Brasileiro Abandonou a Esquerda" (Fernando Schüller, 2023)
- "A Revolução dos Conservadores: Religião e Política nas Periferias" (Juliano Spyer, 2021)
- "Direita e Esquerda: Razões e Paixões" (Demétrio Magnoli, 2019)

@ 3c389c8f:7a2eff7f

*Create your keys and set up your profile:

https://start.njump.me/

*Pick a NIP07 browser extension or offline signer to safely store your private key (nsec):

https://nostr.net/

*Pick an app, sign in, and start exploring:

https://nostrapps.com/

That's All! :)

@ 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.

@ 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. 🪄

@ 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!

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Dieser Beitrag ist letztes Jahr in meiner Denkbar 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/924287

@ 4925ea33:025410d8

1. O que é um Aromaterapeuta?

O aromaterapeuta é um profissional especializado na prática da Aromaterapia, responsável pelo uso adequado de óleos essenciais, ervas aromáticas, águas florais e destilados herbais para fins terapêuticos.

A atuação desse profissional envolve diferentes métodos de aplicação, como inalação, uso tópico, sempre considerando a segurança e a necessidade individual do cliente. A Aromaterapia pode auxiliar na redução do estresse, alívio de dores crônicas, relaxamento muscular e melhora da respiração, entre outros benefícios.

Além disso, os aromaterapeutas podem trabalhar em conjunto com outros profissionais da saúde para oferecer um tratamento complementar em diversas condições. Como já mencionado no artigo sobre "Como evitar processos alérgicos na prática da Aromaterapia", é essencial ter acompanhamento profissional, pois os óleos essenciais são altamente concentrados e podem causar reações adversas se utilizados de forma inadequada.

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2. Como um Aromaterapeuta Pode Ajudar?

Você pode procurar um aromaterapeuta para diferentes necessidades, como:

✔ Questões Emocionais e Psicológicas

Auxílio em momentos de luto, divórcio, demissão ou outras situações desafiadoras.

Apoio na redução do estresse, ansiedade e insônia.

Vale lembrar que, em casos de transtornos psiquiátricos, a Aromaterapia deve ser usada como terapia complementar, associada ao tratamento médico.

✔ Questões Físicas

Dores musculares e articulares.

Problemas respiratórios como rinite, sinusite e tosse.

Distúrbios digestivos leves.

Dores de cabeça e enxaquecas. Nesses casos, a Aromaterapia pode ser um suporte, mas não substitui a medicina tradicional para identificar a origem dos sintomas.

✔ Saúde da Pele e Cabelos

Tratamento para acne, dermatites e psoríase.

Cuidados com o envelhecimento precoce da pele.

Redução da queda de cabelo e controle da oleosidade do couro cabeludo.

✔ Bem-estar e Qualidade de Vida

Melhora da concentração e foco, aumentando a produtividade.

Estímulo da disposição e energia.

Auxílio no equilíbrio hormonal (TPM, menopausa, desequilíbrios hormonais).

Com base nessas necessidades, o aromaterapeuta irá indicar o melhor tratamento, calculando doses, sinergias (combinação de óleos essenciais), diluições e técnicas de aplicação, como inalação, uso tópico ou difusão.

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3. Como Funciona uma Consulta com um Aromaterapeuta?

Uma consulta com um aromaterapeuta é um atendimento personalizado, onde são avaliadas as necessidades do cliente para a criação de um protocolo adequado. O processo geralmente segue estas etapas:

✔ Anamnese (Entrevista Inicial)

Perguntas sobre saúde física, emocional e estilo de vida.

Levantamento de sintomas, histórico médico e possíveis alergias.

Definição dos objetivos da terapia (alívio do estresse, melhora do sono, dores musculares etc.).

✔ Escolha dos Óleos Essenciais

Seleção dos óleos mais indicados para o caso.

Consideração das propriedades terapêuticas, contraindicações e combinações seguras.

✔ Definição do Método de Uso

O profissional indicará a melhor forma de aplicação, que pode ser:

Inalação: difusores, colares aromáticos, vaporização.

Uso tópico: massagens, óleos corporais, compressas.

Banhos aromáticos e escalda-pés. Todas as diluições serão ajustadas de acordo com a segurança e a necessidade individual do cliente.

✔ Plano de Acompanhamento

Instruções detalhadas sobre o uso correto dos óleos essenciais.

Orientação sobre frequência e duração do tratamento.

Possibilidade de retorno para ajustes no protocolo.

A consulta pode ser realizada presencialmente ou online, dependendo do profissional.

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Quer saber como a Aromaterapia pode te ajudar? Agende uma consulta comigo e descubra os benefícios dos óleos essenciais para o seu bem-estar!

@ 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.

@ e5de992e:4a95ef85

Overview

On March 25, 2025, U.S. stock markets experienced modest gains despite declining volume and a drop in the Consumer Confidence Index, indicating that investors remain cautiously optimistic amid mixed economic signals.

---

U.S. Stock Indices

• S&P 500:
• Increased by 0.2%
• Closed at 5,776.65 points

• Marked its third consecutive winning session, but volume was declining.

• Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA):

• Rose marginally by 0.01%
• Ended at 42,587.50 points

• Volume was declining.

• Nasdaq Composite:

• Advanced by 0.5%
• Finished at 18,271.86 points
• Volume was declining.

---

U.S. Futures Market

• S&P 500 Futures:

• Rose by 0.06%, suggesting a modestly positive opening.

• Dow Jones Futures:

• Remained unchanged, indicating a neutral sentiment among investors.

Note: Both futures segments are experiencing low volume.

---

Key Factors Influencing U.S. Markets

• Trade Policy Developments:
  Investor sentiment has been influenced by reports suggesting that President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs may be more narrowly targeted than initially feared—potentially exempting certain sectors. This has alleviated some concerns regarding the impact of trade policies on economic growth.

• Economic Data Releases:
  The Consumer Confidence Index declined, reflecting growing concerns about economic expectations. However, positive corporate earnings reports have contributed to the market's resilience.

• Sector-Specific News:

• International Paper saw significant stock price increases due to upbeat growth outlooks.
• United Parcel Service (UPS) faced declines amid reduced earnings projections.

---

Global Stock Indices Performance

International markets displayed mixed performances:

• Germany's DAX:
• Experienced a slight decline of 0.32%
• Closed at 23,109.79 points

• Initial optimism regarding tariff negotiations waned.

• UK's FTSE 100:

• Fell marginally by 0.10%

• Reflects investor caution amid mixed economic data.

• Hong Kong's Hang Seng:

• Declined by 2.35%
• Closed at 23,344.25 points

• Impacted by a downturn in Chinese tech shares and ongoing tariff concerns.

• Japan's Nikkei 225:

• Showed resilience with a modest gain, influenced by positive domestic economic indicators.

---

Cryptocurrency Market

The cryptocurrency market has experienced notable activity:

• Bitcoin (BTC):
• Trading at approximately $87,460

• Down 1.23% from the previous close.

• Ethereum (ETH):

• Priced around $2,057.22
• Marked a 0.69% uptick from the prior session.

These movements indicate the market’s sensitivity to regulatory developments and macroeconomic factors.

---

Key Global Economic and Geopolitical Events

• Trade Tensions and Tariff Policies:
  Ongoing discussions regarding U.S. tariff implementations have created an atmosphere of uncertainty, influencing global market sentiment and leading to cautious investor behavior.

• Central Bank Communications:
  Statements from Federal Reserve officials and other central bank representatives are being closely monitored for insights into future monetary policy directions, especially in light of evolving economic conditions and inflationary pressures.

• Cryptocurrency Regulatory Environment:
  Anticipation of a more favorable regulatory landscape under the current administration has contributed to recent rallies in major cryptocurrencies, though analysts caution that these rebounds may be fleeting amid broader market dynamics.

---

Conclusion

Global financial markets are navigating a complex environment shaped by trade policy developments, economic data releases, and sector-specific news. Investors are advised to remain vigilant and consider these factors when making informed decisions, as they are likely to continue influencing market behavior in the foreseeable future.

---

@ 04c915da:3dfbecc9

There is something quietly rebellious about stacking sats. In a world obsessed with instant gratification, choosing to patiently accumulate Bitcoin, one sat at a time, feels like a middle finger to the hype machine. But to do it right, you have got to stay humble. Stack too hard with your head in the clouds, and you will trip over your own ego before the next halving even hits.

Small Wins

Stacking sats is not glamorous. Discipline. Stacking every day, week, or month, no matter the price, and letting time do the heavy lifting. Humility lives in that consistency. You are not trying to outsmart the market or prove you are the next "crypto" prophet. Just a regular person, betting on a system you believe in, one humble stack at a time. Folks get rekt chasing the highs. They ape into some shitcoin pump, shout about it online, then go silent when they inevitably get rekt. The ones who last? They stack. Just keep showing up. Consistency. Humility in action. Know the game is long, and you are not bigger than it.

Ego is Volatile

Bitcoin’s swings can mess with your head. One day you are up 20%, feeling like a genius and the next down 30%, questioning everything. Ego will have you panic selling at the bottom or over leveraging the top. Staying humble means patience, a true bitcoin zen. Do not try to "beat” Bitcoin. Ride it. Stack what you can afford, live your life, and let compounding work its magic.

Simplicity

There is a beauty in how stacking sats forces you to rethink value. A sat is worth less than a penny today, but every time you grab a few thousand, you plant a seed. It is not about flaunting wealth but rather building it, quietly, without fanfare. That mindset spills over. Cut out the noise: the overpriced coffee, fancy watches, the status games that drain your wallet. Humility is good for your soul and your stack. I have a buddy who has been stacking since 2015. Never talks about it unless you ask. Lives in a decent place, drives an old truck, and just keeps stacking. He is not chasing clout, he is chasing freedom. That is the vibe: less ego, more sats, all grounded in life.

The Big Picture

Stack those sats. Do it quietly, do it consistently, and do not let the green days puff you up or the red days break you down. Humility is the secret sauce, it keeps you grounded while the world spins wild. In a decade, when you look back and smile, it will not be because you shouted the loudest. It will be because you stayed the course, one sat at a time. \ \ Stay Humble and Stack Sats. 🫡

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

As many of you know, https://nostr.build has recently launched a new compatibility layer for the Blossom protocol blossom.band. You can find all the details about what it supports and its limitations by visiting the URL.

I wanted to cover some of the technical details about how it works here. One key difference you may notice is that the service acts as a linker, redirecting requests for the media hash to the actual source of the media—specifically, the nostr.build URL. This allows us to maintain a unified CDN cache and ensure that your media is served as quickly as possible.

Another difference is that each uploaded media/blob is served under its own subdomain (e.g., npub1[...].blossom.band), ensuring that your association with the blob is controlled by you. If you decide to delete the media for any reason, we ensure that the link is broken, even if someone else has duplicated it using the same hash.

To comply with the Blossom protocol, we also link the same hash under the main (apex) domain (blossom.band) and collect all associations under it. This ensures that Blossom clients can fetch media based on users’ Blossom server settings. If you are the sole owner of the hash and there are no duplicates, deleting the media removes the link from the main domain as well.

Lastly, in line with our mission to protect users’ privacy, we reject any media that contains private metadata (such as GPS coordinates, user comments, or camera serial numbers) or strip it if you use the /media/ endpoint for upload.

As always, your feedback is welcome and appreciated. Thank you!

@ 8b61abe1:b3444ff4

The idea of buying a house with Bitcoin in Italy is intriguing and fits into the debate on the digitalization of the real estate sector. However, despite the growing interest in cryptocurrencies, it is currently almost impossible to complete a real estate transaction using Bitcoin. But why?

The Legal Nature of Cryptocurrencies

One of the main obstacles to purchasing real estate with Bitcoin is the legal uncertainty on cryptocurrencies. In Italy, Bitcoin is not considered legal tender but rather a digital asset with a fluctuating value.

The Italian law requires that real estate transactions be conducted using state-recognized financial instruments, such as EURO. Additionally, the purchase contract must be drawn up in front of a notary, and the payment must be made through traceable methods to ensure transaction transparency and prevent money laundering.

One of the pillars of Italy’s real estate system is money traceability. Anti-money laundering regulations require that all significant transactions be executed through traceable instruments.

Cryptocurrencies, on the other hand, are decentralized and often provide a degree of anonymity in transactions, making it difficult to verify the origin of funds. This conflicts with the legal requirement to demonstrate the lawful source of money used for real estate purchases.

The Role of the Notary and Operational Challenges

To complete a real estate transaction in Italy, a notary must be present to certify the legality of the transaction and ensure that the payment is made in compliance with the law. Currently, a notary cannot accept Bitcoin payments because it is not considered legal tender.

The only way to use Bitcoin in a real estate transaction would be to convert it into euros before the sale. However, this negates the advantage of paying directly with cryptocurrency and introduces additional costs, such as conversion fees and potential capital gains taxes.

Lack of Specific Regulations

Other countries have started regulating real estate transactions in cryptocurrency, but Italy still lags in this area. Without a clear regulatory framework recognizing Bitcoin as an accepted means of payment in real estate, it is difficult to envision any short-term changes.

Some private initiatives have attempted to bypass this issue by offering sales in Bitcoin, but in practice, these transactions involve the seller accepting Bitcoin and immediately converting it into euros before the notarial deed. This does not represent a true real estate transaction in cryptocurrency but rather an alternative payment method before the finalization of the sale in euros.

A Possible Future?

For now, buying real estate with Bitcoin in Italy remains more of a theoretical concept than a concrete possibility. To make this payment method a reality, legislative changes would be needed to: 1. Recognize cryptocurrencies as a legal payment method. 2. Define clear procedures to ensure the traceability of Bitcoin transactions. 3. Establish mechanisms for the immediate and certified conversion of cryptocurrencies into euros at the time of the notarial deed.

@ 97c70a44:ad98e322

When developing on nostr, normally it's enough to read the NIP related to a given feature you want to build to know what has to be done. But there are some aspects of nostr development that aren't so straightforward because they depend less on specific data formats than on how different concepts are combined.

An example of this is how for a while it was considered best practice to re-publish notes when replying to them. This practice emerged before the outbox model gained traction, and was a hacky way of attempting to ensure relays had the full context required for a given note. Over time though, pubkey hints emerged as a better way to ensure other clients could find required context.

Another one of these things is "relay-based groups", or as I prefer to call it "relays-as-groups" (RAG). Such a thing doesn't really exist - there's no spec for it (although some aspects of the concept are included in NIP 29), but at the same time there are two concrete implementations (Flotilla and Chachi) which leverage several different NIPs in order to create a cohesive system for groups on nostr.

This composability is one of the neat qualities of nostr. Not only would it be unhelpful to specify how different parts of the protocol should work together, it would be impossible because of the number of possible combinations possible just from applying a little bit of common sense to the NIPs repo. No one said it was ok to put t tags on a kind 0. But no one's stopping you! And the semantics are basically self-evident if you understand its component parts.

So, instead of writing a NIP that sets relay-based groups in stone, I'm writing this guide in order to document how I've combined different parts of the nostr protocol to create a compelling architecture for groups.

Relays

Relays already have a canonical identity, which is the relay's url. Events posted to a relay can be thought of as "posted to that group". This means that every relay is already a group. All nostr notes have already been posted to one or more groups.

One common objection to this structure is that identifying a group with a relay means that groups are dependent on the relay to continue hosting the group. In normal broadcast nostr (which forms organic permissionless groups based on user-centric social clustering), this is a very bad thing, because hosts are orthogonal to group identity. Communities are completely different. Communities actually need someone to enforce community boundaries, implement moderation, etc. Reliance on a host is a feature, not a bug (in contrast to NIP 29 groups, which tend to co-locate many groups on a single host, relays-as-groups tends to encourage one group, one host).

This doesn't mean that federation, mirrors, and migration can't be accomplished. In a sense, leaving this on the social layer is a good thing, because it adds friction to the dissolution/forking of a group. But the door is wide open to protocol additions to support those use cases for relay-based groups. One possible approach would be to follow this draft PR which specified a "federation" event relays could publish on their own behalf.

Relay keys

This draft PR to NIP 11 specifies a self field which represents the relay's identity. Using this, relays can publish events on their own behalf. Currently, the pubkey field sort of does the same thing, but is overloaded as a contact field for the owner of the relay.

AUTH

Relays can control access using NIP 42 AUTH. There are any number of modes a relay can operate in:

1. No auth, fully public - anyone can read/write to the group.

2. Relays may enforce broad or granular access controls with AUTH.

Relays may deny EVENTs or REQs depending on user identity. Messages returned in AUTH, CLOSED, or OK messages should be human readable. It's crucial that clients show these error messages to users. Here's how Flotilla handles failed AUTH and denied event publishing:

LIMITS could also be used in theory to help clients adapt their interface depending on user abilities and relay policy.

1. AUTH with implicit access controls.

In this mode, relays may exclude matching events from REQs if the user does not have permission to view them. This can be useful for multi-use relays that host hidden rooms. This mode should be used with caution, because it can result in confusion for the end user.

See Triflector for a relay implementation that supports some of these auth policies.

Invite codes

If a user doesn't have access to a relay, they can request access using this draft NIP. This is true whether access has been explicitly or implicitly denied (although users will have to know that they should use an invite code to request access).

The above referenced NIP also contains a mechanism for users to request an invite code that they can share with other users.

The policy for these invite codes is entirely up to the relay. They may be single-use, multi-use, or require additional verification. Additional requirements can be communicated to the user in the OK message, for example directions to visit an external URL to register.

See Triflector for a relay implementation that supports invite codes.

Content

Any kind of event can be published to a relay being treated as a group, unless rejected by the relay implementation. In particular, NIP 7D was added to support basic threads, and NIP C7 for chat messages.

Since which relay an event came from determines which group it was posted to, clients need to have a mechanism for keeping track of which relay they received an event from, and should not broadcast events to other relays (unless intending to cross-post the content).

Rooms

Rooms follow NIP 29. I wish NIP 29 wasn't called "relay based groups", which is very confusing when talking about "relays as groups". It's much better to think of them as sub-groups, or as Flotilla calls them, "rooms".

Rooms have two modes - managed and unmanaged. Managed rooms follow all the rules laid out in NIP 29 about metadata published by the relay and user membership. In either case, rooms are represented by a random room id, and are posted to by including the id in an event's h tag. This allows rooms to switch between managed and unmanaged modes without losing any content.

Managed room names come from kind 39000 room meta events, but unmanaged rooms don't have these. Instead, room names should come from members' NIP 51 kind 10009 membership lists. Tags on these lists should look like this: ["group", "groupid", "wss://group.example.com", "Cat lovers"]. If no name can be found for the room (i.e., there aren't any members), the room should be ignored by clients.

Rooms present a difficulty for publishing to the relay as a whole, since content with an h tag can't be excluded from requests. Currently, relay-wide posts are h-tagged with _ which works for "group" clients, but not more generally. I'm not sure how to solve this other than to ask relays to support negative filters.

Cross-posting

The simplest way to cross-post content from one group (or room) to another, is to quote the original note in whatever event kind is appropriate. For example, a blog post might be quoted in a kind 9 to be cross-posted to chat, or in a kind 11 to be cross-posted to a thread. kind 16 reposts can be used the same way if the reader's client renders reposts.

Posting the original event to multiple relays-as-groups is trivial, since all you have to do is send the event to the relay. Posting to multiple rooms simultaneously by appending multiple h tags is however not recommended, since group relays/clients are incentivised to protect themselves from spam by rejecting events with multiple h tags (similar to how events with multiple t tags are sometimes rejected).

Privacy

Currently, it's recommended to include a NIP 70 - tag on content posted to relays-as-groups to discourage replication of relay-specific content across the network.

Another slightly stronger approach would be for group relays to strip signatures in order to make events invalid (or at least deniable). For this approach to work, users would have to be able to signal that they trust relays to be honest. We could also use ZkSNARKS to validate signatures in bulk.

In any case, group posts should not be considered "private" in the same way E2EE groups might be. Relays-as-groups should be considered a good fit for low-stakes groups with many members (since trust deteriorates quickly as more people get involved).

Membership

There is currently no canonical member list published by relays (except for NIP 29 managed rooms). Instead, users keep track of their own relay and room memberships using kind 10009 lists. Relay-level memberships are represented by an r tag containing the relay url, and room-level memberships are represented using a group tag.

Users can choose to advertise their membership in a RAG by using unencrypted tags, or they may keep their membership private by using encrypted tags. Advertised memberships are useful for helping people find groups based on their social graph:

User memberships should not be trusted, since they can be published unilaterally by anyone, regardless of actual access. Possible improvements in this area would be the ability to provide proof of access:

• Relays could publish member lists (although this would sacrifice member privacy)
• Relays could support a new command that allows querying a particular member's access status
• Relays could provide a proof to the member that they could then choose to publish or not

Moderation

There are two parts to moderation: reporting and taking action based on these reports.

Reporting is already covered by NIP 56. Clients should be careful about encouraging users to post reports for illegal content under their own identity, since that can itself be illegal. Relays also should not serve reports to users, since that can be used to find rather than address objectionable content.

Reports are only one mechanism for flagging objectionable content. Relay operators and administrators can use whatever heuristics they like to identify and address objectionable content. This might be via automated policies that auto-ban based on reports from high-reputation people, a client that implements NIP 86 relay management API, or by some other admin interface.

There's currently no way for moderators of a given relay to be advertised, or for a moderator's client to know that the user is a moderator (so that they can enable UI elements for in-app moderation). This could be addressed via NIP 11, LIMITS, or some other mechanism in the future.

General best practices

In general, it's very important when developing a client to assume that the relay has no special support for any of the above features, instead treating all of this stuff as progressive enhancement.

For example, if a user enters an invite code, go ahead and send it to the relay using a kind 28934 event. If it's rejected, you know that it didn't work. But if it's accepted, you don't know that it worked - you only know that the relay allowed the user to publish that event. This is helpful, becaues it may imply that the user does indeed have access to the relay. But additional probing may be needed, and reliance on error messages down the road when something else fails unexpectedly is indispensable.

This paradigm may drive some engineers nuts, because it's basically equivalent to coding your clients to reverse-engineer relay support for every feature you want to use. But this is true of nostr as a whole - anyone can put whatever weird stuff in an event and sign it. Clients have to be extremely compliant with Postell's law - doing their absolute best to accept whatever weird data or behavior shows up and handle failure in any situation. Sure, it's annoying, but it's the cost of permissionless development. What it gets us is a completely open-ended protocol, in which anything can be built, and in which every solution is tested by the market.

@ 9711d1ab:863ebd81

Welcome back friends! We’ve made it to the end of March, congratulations. Here’s what we’ve got to share this month:

• 🎓 The SDK Class of Q1

• 🤓 Back to School with Antonio

• ⚡️ Lightning is Everywhere

• 🎙️ Shooting the Breez with Danny, Umi & Roy

---

The SDK Class of Q1 2025 🎓

We’ve been talking a lot about momentum at Breez and we’re seeing it build every day. More partners are adding Bitcoin payments with our SDK and more sats are moving freely around the world. By offering the choice of two implementations, Nodeless and Native, we’re truly building the best Lightning developer experience out there.

And the momentum just keeps growing stronger.

In fact, we’ve welcomed so many new partners that we had to bundle them all into one big announcement — it’s our pleasure to welcome the SDK Class of Q1 2025: Assetify, Cowbolt, DexTrade, Flash, Lightning Pay, OpenAgents, Satoshi, Shakesco, Tidebinder, and ZapZap.

---

Back to School with Antonio 🚌

We tell everyone we meet that adding Bitcoin payments to apps is really easy with the Breez SDK. But rather than just tell you this, we’ve decided to show you.

Antonio, one of our talented developers at Breez, has produced a video tutorial showing how you can add Bitcoin payments to React Native and Expo apps with the Breez SDK - Nodeless.

Join him as he guides you through each step and shows that it really is that *easy* to add Bitcoin payments to any app with our SDK.

---

Lightning is Everywhere.

It’s true — Lightning is everywhere.

Bitcoin payments aren’t just a thing for the few, they’re for the many.

This month, we’re showcasing our friends at Cowbolt. They’ve just released their collaborative cost-splitting, team-chat, and self-custody app (check it out).

---

Shooting the Breez 🌬️

Since releasing our Bitcoin payment report — where we explained that Bitcoin isn’t just digital gold, it’s a thriving everyday currency accessible to millions of people around the world — Bitcoin payments have been the talk of the town.

As co-author of the report, I joined the Stephan Livera Podcast to discuss the growing trend in more detail. I also met up with Bo Jablonski to explain why more and more apps are taking notice on the newly-formed Guardians of Bitcoin radio show.

Developments have come thick and fast over the past month — most notably, the announcement of USDT coming to Lightning (check out Roy’s take on the good, the bad, and the unknown in Bitcoin Magazine). Breez’s BD Lead, Umi, joined a Spaces on X with UXTO, Amboss, and Lightning Labs to discuss the stablecoin’s imminent arrival on the network.

That’s not all from Umi, she also joined her alma mater at the Cornell Bitcoin Club to explain why bitcoin is a medium of exchange, thanks to Lightning.

And last but not least, Roy was spreading the good word of Bitcoin, joining Bitfinex’s podcast to explain how Lightning is truly changing the game.

---

And there we go folks, another edition of Feel the Breez has come to a close.

As always, we’ll leave you with our usual parting comment: the best time to get into Lightning is now — it always has been.

Stay tuned for exciting announcements we’ll be releasing soon.

Until next time ✌️

@ ee9aaefe:1e6952f4

Introduction to Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Model Context Protocol (MCP) serves as a specialized gateway allowing AI systems to access real-time information and interact with external data sources while maintaining security boundaries. This capability transforms AI from closed systems limited to training data into dynamic assistants capable of retrieving current information and performing actions. As AI systems integrate into critical infrastructure across industries, the security and reliability of these protocols have become crucial considerations.

Security Vulnerabilities in Web-Based MCP Services

Traditional MCP implementations operate as web services, creating a fundamental security weakness. When an MCP runs as a conventional web service, the entire security model depends on trusting the service provider. Providers can modify underlying code, alter behavior, or update services without users' knowledge or consent. This creates an inherent vulnerability where the system's integrity rests solely on the trustworthiness of the MCP provider.

This vulnerability is particularly concerning in high-stakes domains. In financial applications, a compromised MCP could lead to unauthorized transactions or exposure of confidential information. In healthcare, it might result in compromised patient data. The fundamental problem is that users have no cryptographic guarantees about the MCP's behavior – they must simply trust the provider's claims about security and data handling.

Additionally, these services create single points of failure vulnerable to sophisticated attacks. Service providers face internal threats from rogue employees, external pressure from bad actors, or regulatory compulsion that could compromise user security or privacy. With traditional MCPs, users have limited visibility into such changes and few technical safeguards.

ICP Canisters: Enabling the Verifiable MCP Paradigm

The Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) offers a revolutionary solution through its canister architecture, enabling what we term "Verifiable MCP" – a new paradigm in AI security. Unlike traditional web services, ICP canisters operate within a decentralized network with consensus-based execution and verification, creating powerful security properties:

• Cryptographically verifiable immutability guarantees prevent silent code modifications
• Deterministic execution environments allow independent verification by network participants
• Ability to both read and write web data while operating under consensus verification
• Control of off-chain Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) servers through on-chain attestation

These capabilities create the foundation for trustworthy AI context protocols that don't require blind faith in service providers.

Technical Architecture of Verifiable MCP Integration

The Verifiable MCP architecture places MCP service logic within ICP canisters that operate under consensus verification. This creates several distinct layers working together to ensure security:

1. Interface Layer: AI models connect through standardized APIs compatible with existing integration patterns.

2. Verification Layer: The ICP canister validates authentication, checks permissions, and verifies policy adherence within a consensus-verified environment.

3. Orchestration Layer: The canister coordinates necessary resources for data retrieval or computation.

4. Attestation Layer: For sensitive operations, the canister deploys and attests TEE instances, providing cryptographic proof that correct code runs in a secure environment.

5. Response Verification Layer: Before returning results, cryptographic verification ensures data integrity and provenance.

This architecture creates a transparent, verifiable pipeline where component behavior is guaranteed through consensus mechanisms and cryptographic verification—eliminating the need to trust service provider claims.

Example: Secure Financial Data Access Through Verifiable MCP

Consider a financial advisory AI needing access to banking data and portfolios to provide recommendations. In a Verifiable MCP implementation:

1. The AI submits a data request through the Verifiable MCP interface.

2. The ICP canister verifies authorization using immutable access control logic.

3. For sensitive data, the canister deploys a TEE instance with privacy-preserving code.

4. The canister cryptographically verifies the TEE is running the correct code.

5. Financial services provide encrypted data directly to the verified TEE.

6. The TEE returns only authorized results with cryptographic proof of correct execution.

7. The canister delivers verified insights to the AI.

This ensures even the service provider cannot access raw financial data while maintaining complete auditability. Users verify exactly what code processes their information and what insights are extracted, enabling AI applications in regulated domains otherwise too risky with traditional approaches.

Implications for AI Trustworthiness and Data Sovereignty

The Verifiable MCP paradigm transforms the trust model for AI systems by shifting from "trust the provider" to cryptographic verification. This addresses a critical barrier to AI adoption in sensitive domains where guarantees about data handling are essential.

For AI trustworthiness, this enables transparent auditing of data access patterns, prevents silent modifications to processing logic, and provides cryptographic proof of data provenance. Users can verify exactly what information AI systems access and how it's processed.

From a data sovereignty perspective, users gain control through cryptographic guarantees rather than policy promises. Organizations implement permissions that cannot be circumvented, while regulators can verify immutable code handling sensitive information. For cross-border scenarios, Verifiable MCP enables compliance with data localization requirements while maintaining global AI service capabilities through cryptographically enforced data boundaries.

Conclusion

The Verifiable MCP paradigm represents a breakthrough in securing AI systems' external interactions. By leveraging ICP canisters' immutability and verification capabilities, it addresses fundamental vulnerabilities in traditional MCP implementations.

As AI adoption grows in regulated domains, this architecture provides a foundation for trustworthy model-world interactions without requiring blind faith in service providers. The approach enables new categories of AI applications in sensitive sectors while maintaining robust security guarantees.

This innovation promises to democratize secure context protocols, paving the way for responsible AI deployment even in the most security-critical environments.

@ 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.

Can't have March Madness without Madness!

https://youtu.be/SOJSM46nWwo?si=gtghOZte3rh41tXg

Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats.

originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/924076